Archive of Our Own

Hey there, ladies. The name's Neptune. You've probably heard of me; wouldn't surprise me if you came all the way from your city just to see me. I mean come on who doesn't love blue hair?

Oops, got a little carried away. Ahem. Today many hearts will be shattered by yours truly. Yes I know it's tragic and it will take some time but you will have to get over me someday. Today, I'll be talking about the most wonderful person to have stepped foot on this land... ahhh crap, my face is burning! Hell I know I'm turning red, but I can't let that stop me. I have to say it.

Who am I talking about? Of course, his name isー

"Neptune! Can you stop daydreaming and help me out here?"

"Ah, sure! Coming!"

Uh oh, Ruby caught me slacking in the back. Forgot to mention I work in a local cafe for about... five months, give or take. Easy money, easy tips. Especially if you know how to sweeten the customers juuuust right. It makes my job easier knowing the male-female ratio is like twenty to sixty. Now that we're in early springtime, the rate will increase by tenfold.

The cherry blossoms are in season and the petals are everywhere! Haha, they're nice to look at but they're a pain in the ass to sweep up. This road has the biggest set of cherry trees in the city so it's a no brainer people gather here just for the outstanding view whether they're inside the shop or out. We've been attracting a lot of young ladies lately, mostly students. It's cute to see their eyes shimmer with the hopeful idea of confessing to their crushes under a cherry tree.

...hmm. That's not a bad idea now that I think about it.

UH, I-I MEAN... ahem.

Anyway, my shift's over now, as Ruby gladly motions to the clock behind us. It's actually half an hour earlier than usual but hey, you don't see me complaining about it. I was getting fed up of not having much to do today and being subdued to listening to the monotonous ticking and old ceramics clanking together. Sigh... Today... just today, I'd rather be somewhere else.

Like, literally anywhere...

...With him.

Goddamnit my face is on fire!

I'm only two steps out the door and I'm royally welcomed with the warm, appreciative breeze. The temperature is just perfect, so much I don't even need to wear my jacket properly, it's slung under my arm. However the more I stroll down this road, the harder my heart seemingly beats. You see, his favourite pastime is pulling pranks on me and when the day he found out I got the godforsaken job finally came around, I kid you not, his immediate response was 'Heads up'.

What does that mean? That's his declaration of thoroughly ambushing me after my shifts by dangling upside down from a tree and yelling 'boo' (or occasionally 'Nep') as long and loud as his lungs are able to carry, regardless of who's around.

You'd think I'd be used to it, but no. He doesn't do it all the time nor pop out from the same cherry tree, and sometimes, though rarely, he won't show up at all. That by itself is the most infuriating part because he knows I'll search under every tree like a dumbass and he'll have something to laugh and brag about as soon as I reach the dorms. Then he'll brush it off claiming it's to help my reflexes for combat training.

Yeah, he's an ass but strangely, I can't say I hate it.

Okay, so far so good. I'm three trees in (They're five blocks apart from each other) and there's still no sight of him. Huh... I'm a little disappointed. Guess he decided not to show today...

...or so I thought.

I made it round a corner and... there. There he is.

...My eyes... are opening wider.

My sun shone brighter.

It's like everything had vanished apart from him.

Finally... my whole world is here...

I can't even move. He's completely off-script. There's no preemptive rustling in the trees, not even a taunting tail wag from the branch. He's just standing there in profile, leaning against the sturdy bark with a butterfly perched on his finger. He's too caught up in the small miracle of the butterfly giving him the time of day to notice me.

And so the fluttering in my heart returns... gosh, it almost feels criminal to walk in on that moment, especially how the cherry blossom petals decorate the scene by slowly dancing around him. He's inching the critter closer to his face, seemingly cautious of accidentally sneezing it away or something. And if that wasn't enough for my already unstable heartbeat, that gentle smile he's presenting to the butterfly is absolutely killer.

Jokes on that butterfly; the one he gives me is unbeatable.

So yeah, that's him. Sun Wukong. The man who captured my heart.

"Sun..." I softly say to myself after swallowing. I wish he heard me but I still don't want to ruin his moment. We both watch the butterfly set off its journey into the beyond but I promptly shift my focus back on him; His eyes had shut in content as the same comforting wind carries his hair to one side, basking in everything nature had to give him. The sigh that left his lips was initially hard to identify until I noticed his tail impatiently tapping the tree.

Man, I had to giggle. He's awful at hiding his emotions. There's not a serious bone inside of him. But that's what makes him fun.

Hearing me step closer broke him out of his immersion, just in time for him to aim his annoyingly perfect smile at me. How dare you do this to my chest! And now he's skipping to me because my brain suddenly thought 'hmm this is a great time to shut down the movement in the legs'! What the hell!

"Heya Neptune! Working hard are hardly working?"

Okay, my brain's gone to mush. Gotta improvise.

"Heh, somewhere in the middle."

Never doing that again.

Huh, Sun's looking down...

"You're hardly hard?"

"Really, Sun?"

"Don't look at me! You're the one that said it!" he takes a step back still grinning from ear to ear.

Haha, he's just so... oh wait where was I?

Hmm? What'd you say? 'Why do I even like him if he's so annoying?' Well...

It's like this. Do you ever feel like you're missing something valuable in your life? Like you literally break down or stop functioning because of it? And when it does appear, it's always in the most unexpected way? That's how our first meeting was... and afterwards, the reasons for my adoration for this shirt discarding blond just piled up. But for now, I'll keep it simple and sum the most prominent into ten.

"Don't you have nothing better to do besides from attacking me after my shift?"

"Haha, you say that now but don't come crawling to me when suddenly bam you're down with 'Missing-Sun-itis'!"

Missing-Sun-itis? This guy, I swear...

Welp, that's reason number one: He's a freaking dork.

"Haha, that's a new one. So, what are you up for today? The arcades? Movies?" I spout out suggestions and wait for his visual cue of 'yes'.

But he looked away and shook his head, pausing. "...Nah, let's go home."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I don't feel like doing anything..."

His ears are red...

I slide the bangs off his forehead. "Your temperature seems normal."

"Oh har har, very funny." He slapped my hand away. "What, can't I meet up just to see you?"

"You seriously expect me to believe that after your track record?"

"Ahaha you got me! But I can also bump up the challenge and start appearing in the cafe andー"

"NO."

"Aww come on! I pwomish not to embarrash ya~!"

"NOOOOOO."

Reason Number Two: He's a Faunus.

"Haha, how long have you been standing under that tree? You're covered in petals!" I pluck one off his tail and show it to him, although he still has a few in his hair. Now normally, he despises anyone going anywhere near his monkey tail, but I am one of the fewer exceptions. Thank god.

He's giggling. "Huh! Well damn! Guess I stayed long enough to grow into a, pfft wait for it... hehe... A SUNFLOWER! BOOM! I'M SO GOOD!"

"Give me back the precious seconds you wasted with that godawful joke."

"DAHAHA NO CAN DO!"

She did it. Yang has successfully corrupted him. He used to loathe puns before.

"You know, I'm generally shocked you don't stop by at all. The coffee's not that bad I can assure you." I give him a little shoulder bump and he chuckles. "Egh, I tried once on your day off but I dunno man. Kinda got a 'holier than thou' vibe from the other customers."

I'm only quiet because I know what he's going to say and I'm dreading it. His midnight blues peel away from me as he mutters. "It's kind of like being stared at in a zoo. Like... I didn't belong there... at all."

Damn it. It's true we don't get a lot of Faunus customers but that shouldn't stop him. Geez!

"B-But it's really not as bad as you think! Blake's one of our regulars." I was about to mention Scarletina but he cut me off. "Yeah blending in with the help of her bow. Sorry Nep, but I'm not staying somewhere I'm clearly not wanted."

Crap I can't do this. Cheering someone up is normally Sun's forte but I still gotta try. For him. A sad Sun is not a Sun you wanna experience being around.

"Besides, don't wanna distract youーACK!" he snorted out because I flicked his nose.

"Okay, that's not what you said earlier. Look, I'm not trying to convince you nor will I ever, b-but... like... um..." What. Not again! I'm overheating! "I...if it makes you feel any better, you can come when it's my shift... so you're not alone." I'm swallowing damn hard but my throat is still so dry. "And p-personally I would love to have you in the shop... as... a customer... and stuff."

Ahhh I closed my eyes. Did it work? He's not saying anything. Is he cringing as hard as I am right now?

N-Nope... he's... smiling again. It's not a big one... and it's certainly not one I've seen before. It's almost as if he's saying thank you. Gotta burn this in my memory.

Waiiiit a minute... he's freaking smirking now.

"Ohoho, the Missing-Sun-itis is more contagious than I thought!"

"Y-YOU'RE TOTALLY OFF THE MARK! NOPE! COMPLETELY WRONG!"

"BWAHAH! If only you could see the look on your face!"

"Ughh get lost!"

I should punch him, but I never get around to it. (That and I'm too soft.)

"Hehe, thanks for the suggestion, but for real, I'm not gonna burst in and be a hindrance to your duties. I'm fine with the way things are right now. Meeting you after work, chilling... Just you and I."

"You... and I?"

"Uh-huh! I don't want that to change. Not yet."

H-He's gotta be messing with me...! Is he flirting?! I can't tell, but the look in his eyes... he's serious... but honestly, me too. I don't want this sequence to change either.

So that's number three: He's actually quite shy in certain situations.

We reach our usual pitstop, that being our favourite ice cream parlour and what do you know there's a hot yet frantic mother trying to hush her distraught little boy. He's bawling his little heart out and has ice cream smeared over his shirt and mouth. There's no sight of it on the ground so I suppose... he's sad that he ate it already?

"It's alright sweetie. Shhh. Mommy will get you another one."

"B-But... I want that one!"

Our eyes follow the direction he's pointing. There's a balloon, presumably his, caught on the edge of a cherry tree but it's still too high for them to get. That store likes to give out free balloons for children under seven for each purchase. Pretty neat huh? Although the poor kid must've tripped as soon as he got out the door.

I'm trying to think of a way of approaching them without being weird about it but NOPE. Sun is freaking dragging me there anyway without a plan! I knew he'd pull this crap but still, a man's gotta prepare!

Hehe, then again I guess you can class this as a damsel in distress.

"We can get that for you, ma'am! It'll be a piece of cake!" Sun volunteered me without my consent! Well, at least he can gain their trust with that smile of his. It's seemingly working for the mother, but it's clear she's just taking what she can get at this point.

Four: No matter how big or small your problem is, you can bet your bottom dollar he'll do his damnedest to help.

"Oh no, please there's no need to go out of your way...! I'll ask for another inside..." She yawned. Woah those are some major bags hanging under her eyes. Aaaand the kid's turned on the waterworks. Great. He's screeching louder than before.

Alright, time to roll up my sleeves and step in! For the sake of my eardrums. "Hey, little man! Don't be so glum!" I put on my best kid-friendly voice and crouch to his eye level. As predicted the tears and wailing had stopped. This always works as kids can't get enough of my face. My roll's really just to calm them down and Sun deals with the actual entertainment. Scarlet joked about us being a perfect comedy duo but that's not gonna happen any time soon and I'll make sure of it.

"Is that your balloon up there?"

The kid can barely say yes without hiccuping. Daww.

"Well, you're in luck because Big brothers Sun and Neptune can get that for you! Right Sun?"

"Yooouu betcha!" Sun briefly looks in the shop window and squats next to me. "Ahh. Red's your favourite colour, huh?"

The blubbering boy sniffled. "Uh huuuh...!"

Ohh I see. They ran out of red balloons. Nice eye, Sun!

"Reaaally? It so happens to be big brother Sun's favourite too!" It's actually yellow but I'm nitpicking.

Sun's baiting the kid's focus with his tail. "Before I get it, can you promise me something, little dude?"

"Yeah...?"

"No more crying in front of mama okay? You wanna be big and strong like the superheroes on TV right?" Sun's pointing at the kid's shirt. I didn't really pay attention before because of the ice cream but indeed he's got a cliche superhero printed there. Strike two, detective!

"Y-Yeah! They're super awesome! And they can fly really high!"

"Buuut, superheroes don't cry, right?"

"Right, mister!"

"Nuh-uh, it's big bro!"

"Big bro~!"

"That's more like it!"

"Just get the balloon already." I had to step in before my eyes rolled out of their sockets. The mother's amused, if not relieved. We saved her from temporal earache.

Sun snorts and points back at me. "Whatever you do, don't be like him. He cries all the time."

"HEY!"

"Hahah, see?"

"Oooh! Gotcha!"

I must refrain from dropkicking his sorry ass in front of a child.

Sun jumps back to his feet with a smirk I just know is going to cause trouble. "Betcha I can grab it in one leap, Nep!"

"Huh?" I stand back up to get a better measurement of the ground to the tree. "I dunno, that looks pretty steep-ACK! HEY!" HE USED ME AS A FREAKING LAUNCHPAD!

THE KID IS LAUGHING...!

NUMBER FIVE: WHY?!

"I GOT ITーKUHH...!"

Now that was the delightful sound of the wind being brutally knocked out of Sun. Sure it was an amazing jump from my aching BACK, but he miscalculated the landing as he slipped and crashed stomach first on a strong branch. Yikes.

And he can't even fall down properly! His trouser leg's caught on the... uh, what are they called again? The little sharp points that stick out of a branch? That thing. So he's dangling upside down with the balloon loosely wrapped around his wrist. My awkward gaze turns from the mother who's equally as terrified as I am, to her stary eyed kid, who is none the wiser. HA! He thinks Sun meant to do that!

I hope we don't have to call an ambulance. That's an awful shade of green plastered over Sun's face and it sure doesn't look like he had a light meal. What an idiot.

Six: He's so freaking reckless...

You gotta chalk it up to his dedication of playing the cool card. I'll be nice and not take a picture with my scroll. "Hurk... H-Here ya go, guhh... kiddo...!" he stretches his trembling corpse-like arm far enough so the kid can reach.

Don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up on the kid, please.

"Wooow! Thanks, big bro! I like your tail!"

"Hehe... no... UGHH... No p-problem."

He's trying to salute with his tail. It's still uncool upside down, Sun.

"Um... Is...Is he going to be okay?" the poor lady piped up and I swiftly responded "Ehh, he'll live if that's what you mean. He's survived much worse than this." I have to reassure her with my signature wink-smirk because I know it's a hit with you ladies. Don't lie and say you don't like it. Heh, she certainly did.

However, what I said is true. Sun did go through some... horrible things no human or Faunus should ever experience... but I will not go into full detail about that.

Anyway, they say their thank yous and apologies but the kid's having a hard time splitting from us because we're just that cool. Sun's currently out of commission so I'll give the final speech. "We may not meet again, but always remember to be there for those you love. For the good times and the bad, always strive to be that hero they can look up to."

Ah, he's gone quiet. M-Maybe that's a little much a child his age to take in. It's barely been five seconds and his big ol' smile is blinding me. Haha, watch out Sun. You've got some competition. "I got it! Thank you, Big brother Neptune! I'll never forget you or Big brother Sun!"

Ack, my heart... that felt so good to hear...! Damn kid...! You better not, you hear me?!

"Come on now. It's home time." Now that's the face of someone who's going to get a good night sleep. Even as she's hilariously towing him away as hard as she can, her son is still waving goodbye at us. Adios, little amigo.

"M-Mission... completed."

Oh, I forgot about him.

"Heh, well done. You big show off." now it's my turn to play the game of smiles. Honestly, what am I going to do with him?

"Hmph! You're just jealous you can't look nowhere near as cool as I do upside down!"

"Oh yeah, totally. You beat me hands down. Can't compete with that look. The envy is just oozing out of me."

He's frowning. Teehee.

"A-Anyway can I get a little help here? I think I'm seeing the light."

Another deep eyeroll. "Okay, okay I'm coming." I try unfastening his trouser leg, but the folds are hooked on pretty deep. My other hand is supporting his back, as a precaution. Hnn! This is difficult doing it singlehandedly. "Would it kill you to think before you literally leap somewhere?" I sigh again and he replies with a bashful grin.

"It's all good! I mean nobody was injured, right?"

'That won't stop me from worrying about you, idiot.' - Is what I'd like to say but it's so embarrassing.

"Stop thrashing around." my mind is replaying all the other teeth grinding incidents where he got himself stuck beyond belief. A chimney, my locker, someone's car, the school's freezer, yadda yadda yadda. The list goes on. And I, being the nice and responsible friend, had to bail him out. Every. Single. Time. Think of all the detentions I had to sit through and suffer with him because nothing can ever satisfy his obnoxious curiosity!

GAHH! I GOT A PETAL IN MY EYE!

"NEPTUーWOAH!"

CRAP! HE'S FALLING! W-WHY DID I LET GO?! MOVE, ARMS!

"Ooof...!"

...I caught him. Just in time before my legs gave way and we crashed in a mighty convenient pile of cherry blossoms and leaves. Not the best cushion, I might add. Now I'm winded because the asshole's sitting on my stomach.

"Phew! Now that was a wild ride huh, Nep? Nine out of ten would recommend!"

"Ugh... I-I'm totally dead... I heard a vital organ go splat." I'm wheezing here, people. Pray for me.

"You're exaggerating, Nerdtune! I knew you had everything under control! You always do!"

Yeah, sure whatever. You're grinning but you're nowhere near as subtle as you think you are Sun. You don't think I can't feel you clutching on my shirt right now? You were just as scared as I was! I mean your knotting tail is a dead giveaway.

But... that millisecond of fear that struck through me... it was awful. Like what if I hadn't caught him in time...? His head was so close to the concrete and I... Ughh no, stop thinking about it...! He's fine! He's safe! He's with me...!

As I sit up and thread my fingers in his hair, something he'll never admit to liking, I watch his tail unravel in relief and swish behind him. "You okay?"

He nods and hunches over so I can't see his eyes. He's trying so hard to form a 'sorry' but honestly, he doesn't need to. I'm not dead yet. So, I gain his attention with a well time forehead flick and just smile at him, hoping he gets the message.

And... there it is. The thing that makes me blush no matter what I do. It's inevitable. I mentioned it earlier so you should know.

Seven: I am WEAK for that goddamn smile. WEAAAAK.

We're almost back in Beacon but Sun insisted we'd take a scenic route through the park. Fine by me; we're not really in a rush to get home and it's not like I can say no to that face. Well, I can but y'know.

Guys, trust me on this. The view is amazing! Out of the various times walking in this park during my stay at Beacon, I had never seen it so beautifully transformed Like this. To think it was all thanks to the simple aid of the cherry blossom trees. (Though I think they were recently planted. Something about remodelling, I dunno.) I hate to admit it, but it really puts the ones in Mistral to shame. It's got its own theme going on, like... The start of a new beginning. Friendship... romance... I kinda understand why the girls in our cafe spoke so highly about this place too.

Sun's tail pokes my side. "Pretty nice huh, bookworm? I give it a five-star rating for the napping experience." Hahaha, why are you bragging like you did all of this?

"Y-Yeah... it's quite a sight." I wonder if he deliberately brought me here? Who knows. I'm thinking back to the cafe conversations I usually overhear, specifically about getting your crush under a tree and confessing your lungs out...

Confess...?! W-WAIT! HAH?! NO WAY DID SUN BRING ME OUT TO... C...C-no calm down. Calm down. This is Sun we're talking about here. God, I'm being so needlessly jumpy...

But what if... Nah. There's no way... right?

"Dude!"

"GAHH!"

"Check it out! That has gotta be the biggest tree in the whole park!"

"...huh? A-Ahh... right. Yeah, I see it." Yeah by squinting. There's a fancy looking bench too. "...What about it?"

He's just smirking at me knowingly. Yep, he wants to race me again. Alright fine! I accept your challenge toーHE GOT A HEAD START! DAMN IT!

Curse his Faunus traits!

"HAH... HAAAAHH..."

"Hahaha, Sun five, Neptune ZERO!" This boy is laughing way too much at me. My stamina's is better than average so t-technically he's cheating! I plop down beside him, unbutton part of my shirt and fan myself with a notebook. "Since... hah... when have we been keeping score?!"

"Until now, duh!"

"GO HOME."

"Pfft, you're only whining because you lost."

Ugh, I'm too tired to respond nor do I have the strength to walk out so I'll let him think what he wants. I put my notebook away and let the natural breeze take over. We're both just sitting in silence, watching the sun begin its slow descent and the birds fly away in formation. I feel the wooden bench creak and dip because Sun's sliding closer to me.

"S-Sun...?!"

"Hmm...?"

Where the hell did this come from?! I-I don't know what to do...! This is all so sudden and our shoulders are touching! Our shoulders! Who knew this kinda thing would feel so... intimate?!

My heart is doing some furious cartwheels inside of me. He's shuffled so that his head casually bumps against my shoulder. Hmph. I didn't say you can use me as a pillow, Sun! Although my head's leaning on his without my own knowledge.

Gulp. Dare I even reach for his hand...? No, wait, the shoulder! Nah, I gotta experiment with his head first. So I reach around with my hand... Hahaha! I knew it! He's acting like nothings happening but his tail's wagging all over the place! This is so freaking adorable man!

But I'm sure I'm totally overstepping my boundaries here! Yet he's this close to me. How do I even process this?! This is bait at its purest form!

Why am I questioning this? This is what I've wanted for a long time... just to be with him... alone... with no interruptions.

"...So how about tomorrow?"

"Hmm?!" I blink out of my trance-like state and retract my arm back to my side, sitting as straight as a pencil.

"The cafe." Sun brought his knees to his chest as he contemplates, his eyes are peeking up at me from his folded arms. "Will you... be working then?"

"A-Ahh, yeah I am. Half four." Sorry, I'm still a little awestruck from what just happened. I'm not totally sold that he's toying with me, but I can't be too hopeful yet. Sun's not even trying to look so beautiful but here I am still gawking at him like a loser as the sun's varying rays of reds and oranges reflect a little too perfectly off of him.

I open my mouth. "What's up? You thinking about dropping in?"

He cleared his throat. "O-Only if it's not busy."

"Only if you promise to actually pay for your drinks."

"Ahaha you've got yourself a deal!"

Man, I simply cannot get enough of his laugh... it's so sweet and kind... and trustworthy. Like even if I wanna be mad at him, I just... can't. I also love his eyes, they reflect weirdly in the light. Are they blue? Obsidian? You'll never know until you pay close attention to them. Keep watching until you lose the very concept of time...

Time...

Hmm?

"...Wait, hold the phone." I ponder with my head dangling backwards. "I know for a fact I finished half an hour early today."

Ah. He froze. Why?

I have an eyebrow raised. "But somehow you are always punctual with your assaults. So my question is how long do you usually wait for me to finish?"

He twitched.

"...Nunya beeswax~!"

Really? We're going with this angle? Damn it, don't stick your tongue out and turn away from me! You can't escape this one! Are you trying to say that... that...

"...Do you... miss me when I go to work too...?" Too? TOO?! Now I'm admitting I did miss him earlier! Aaaghh I wanna crawl in a hole!

...

His ears are red again.

"Yeah."

AND SO'S HIS FACE! CARDIAC ARREST!

N-NUMBER EIGHT: his honesty kills me...!

"Dude. Quit staring at me!" he's totally flustered. Don't smile or he'll get mad! "I-It's no big deal, I'd wait even longer if I had to..." he grumbles and scratches his head. Probably the aftereffect of the awkward fuzziness he's experiencing. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! I just...! Man why is this so hard?!"

"Huh? What is?" I'm not trying to play dumb, I swear! It's just that... Sun can be so...

Sun hopped off the bench and he's scratching the rest of the 'fuzzies' out of his body. He turns around and faces me, already lined up with the declining sunset behind him. Is even nature itself trying to guide me into confessing? It's weird to say but at this very moment, it feels like Sun's heartbeat and mine are in perfect synchrony.

"L-LIKE I WAS SAYING... NEPTUNE I... I KINDAーWOAH!"

Boom. He tripped and skidded across the stony ground. It sounded way louder than it should've.

"SUN?!" I quickly help him up. His forehead's bleeding.

"Owhowhoow..."

"Are you okay?" I say while holding back a laugh. He winces under my thumb as it grazed the cut. "Heh... Other than my pride, yeah I'm good."

"Hehehe. That is a nasty cut... oh!" I shove a hand down my pocket. "I believe I have a band-aid in here... ah, found itー"

...

Sun is...

"Hmmphh!?"

...Kissing me... He's kissing me!

So this is what it feels like... with the person you love.

...Woah... his lips are so s-soft... and warm...

So... warm...

"Hnn..." my lids are closed and my arms are moving by themselves, settling around Sun's waist. He has one around my upper back and a firm hand in my hair, giving me little to no choice but to keep kissing him. As if that was ever the problem, Sun. We're shaking. Kinda like... out of excitement. I can feel him and he's feeling me... I hear the wind whistle around us and scatter as many blossoms and leaves possible.

W-We're pulling back because we ran out of air. We've had our fair share of kisses (from other people) in the past, but nowhere near this passionate.

"Sun..."

"Ahaha gotcha... Neptune." He winked.

What. The. Hell.

Nine: He's sneaky.

I run two fingers across my lips. They're... tingly. I'm almost disillusioned. "H...Had I known you were gonna do that, I would've put on chapstick."

Sun has his arms flung around me and burying his relieved giggles in my neck. "If it makes you feel any better, it feels kinda alright without it." He drops his head a little bit and I watch his roaming eyes soften, building up his courage for something. His tail's doing the knotting thing again.

"... I love you."

"Wha..." I am mush again. If this were a 90's cartoon, steam would blow out of my ears! "UH... UM..."

"Aaaand, you love me too, right? C'mon hurry up and say it back! Haven't got all day y'know!"

B-Bastard... Don't make that face if you're just gonna blush over it! Two can play at that game!

"You know what... I'm not going to."

"WHAT?! N-NEP, HOLD UP!"

Ohoho he didn't like that, he's turning redder. The reddest I've ever seen him go. Hah, this feels good to be on the receiving end.

"Nuh uhh..."

"T-Then I take it back!"

"No take backs!"

"SINCE WHEN?!"

"Starting now."

"NEPTUNE I SWEAR TO GOD!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

"GET BACK HERE!"

And finally: throughout all the problems we go through, there's no one else I'd rather have by my side. My Sun.