"You're a ... shifter?
That is so cool!"
note: <one shot>
Things had changed after the discovery of certain people as shifters. At first, no one really knew much about them, but as time passed and they became more prominent, each person was assigned to a shifter at birth, kind of like a soulmate of sorts I guess, except for me...
Life had decided that in my 23 years of existence, my shifter partner was nowhere to be seen, and people usually found each other by the age of fifteen, so to say I am late would be an understatement.
Not having a partner didn't affect me as much now, but it does have its disadvantages.
Once you find your partner, you become inseparable and complete each other, but you also get to go on fun quests.
The walls in my room are decorated with souvenirs from my friend's and family's different quests, but every time I looked at it, I couldn't help thinking that something is missing, and the feeling of wanting to add my own only grew with each passing day.
Maybe something happened to him and that's why we never met...
With those thoughts on my mind, I place the food in the last bag of groceries from the market.
On the horizon, the sun is already starting to set, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink.
Slightly shaking my head, I take a deep breath and start making my way home, but as I pass by the forest, I stop in my tracks.
Come on in...
A faint voice whispers. The sound so sweet and alluring, that it compels me follow it through the opening made by trees.
My brain is screaming danger, but my body doesn't seem to mind the environment as much, seeing that I keep walking deeper and deeper in without a problem. That is until....
Crack.
My breath hitches as a twig snaps somewhere in front of me, finally bringing me back to my senses.
Where am I?
I wonder looking around, noticing that the sky is now pitch black illuminated by a few stars.
When my gaze returns back to the front, I freeze on the spot, heart beating fast as I see a guy standing in front of me.
The guy's eyes curiously analyze me, his gaze filling the air with an intense aura emanating from him.
The lamp that he is carrying, only illuminates half of his face as he raises it up a little, making him narrow his eyes which haven't left mine since we made eye contact. And then his eyes slightly widen as a golden glow flashes in his eyes.
I slightly take a step back, feeling my knees go weak by the intense encounter, but surprisingly enough, the guy gently places his hand on my arm to hold me in place.
"D-did you-did you feel that too?" I ask putting a hand on my temple and he nods in his response.
"How did you end up here?" He asks, his gaze softening as he slightly bends down to meet my gaze again.
"I-I don't know." I says and he straightens up giving me another nod.
"Well, this place is hard to find since we are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so would it be okay if we head to my place?"
But in response I only manage to nod, feeling relieved when he takes some of the bags from my arms.
"Let me help you, my house isn't that far from here."
Our walk is mostly silent as we make our way to his house, with only the sound of crunching leaves and the calming night breeze accompanying us.
I was so caught up staring at our peaceful surroundings, that I didn't notice that we had already arrived at his place.
"Welcome to my humble abode." The guy shyly says before opening the door and letting us in.
"Wow." I say as I take in his place.
"W-what do you think?" He asks rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's lovely! And very cozy." I say and he visibly relaxes.
"You really think so?" He asks and I furiously nod, smiling at how simple yet cozy his place is.
"Well....um...I-I made some tea earlier, would you like some?" He asks and seeing as to how he is fidgeting with his fingers, I can tell that he is really nervous.
"Yes, I love tea." I say and his face lights up with a small smile.
"Okay! Let me bring it." He says disappearing somewhere around the kitchen area.
Meanwhile, a bookshelf in the back of his living room catches my attention, my eyes drawn to the rows and rows of books placed there.
A clattering sound on the kitchen breaks my trance, and I rush to the kitchen as I hear a loud thump, finding the guy on the floor with a broken cup next to him.
"Are you okay?" I say walking around the pieces and offering a hand to help him up. He stares at my hand for a few seconds before he shakes his head and he takes it, slightly wincing as he stands up.
"I'm okay." He says letting on my hand and leaning against the counter, his back facing me. "I just tripped and dropped one of the cups."
"It's alright." I say with a small smile, grabbing a towel and picking up the small pieces. "There. All done." I say wiping my hands and following him back to the living room.
"So...." I start trying to break the awkward atmosphere. "My name is (y/n)" I say offering a hand for him to shake.
"Namjoon." He says shaking my hand and offering a small smile, dimples slightly appearing on his cheeks.
Retracting my hand, I give him a nod and wrap my hands around the warm cup with tea, which we managed to still save after the incident.
"So...." He starts and slightly glances at me, "um...are we...um...we're partners r-right?"
"Y-yes," I reply taking a sip of my tea, "I t-think so." I add avoiding making eye contact, the atmosphere growing more and more awkward with each passing second.
After what seemed like an eternity, Namjoon stands up and stretches his arms. "Well, it getting late. How about calling it a night?"
"Sounds good."
"I'll take you to the guest room." He says and I quietly follow behind him, bowing when he opens the door and flips the switch on. "I can take you back to town tomorrow morning if you want."
"Thank you for everything Namjoon." I say with a smile.
"It's no problem." He says looking at the ground. "See you tomorrow then." He adds and closes the door leaving me with my thought as I lay on the bed.
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Namjoon blankly stares at the ceiling as he lays on his bed, his eyes glancing at the door once in a while.
Is this real or what is it a dream?
He wonders letting out a sigh and turning on his side.
Should I go check?
After debating whether to go check or not, the burning itch to go check finally wins and he finds himself heading towards the guest room, surprised when he sees his partner standing at the doorway, her face deep in thought.
"Can't sleep?" He asks and partner shakes her head.
"Nope. You?"
"Me either." He says with a low chuckle. "Do you want to go outside?" He asks and partner raises a brow curiously. "Come on. Follow me."
They exit through one of the windows and end up climbing to the roof top where millions of stars are visible in the night sky.
"Woah." (Y/n) says amazed as they look at the sky. "It's so pretty!"
"I'm glad you think so." Namjoon says with a smile, positioning himself on the roof so that he is comfortably laying down. With a smile of their own, (y/n) does the same, enjoying the comfortable silence that engulfs them.
Out of the corner of their eyes, (y/n) notices Namjoon glancing at her once in a while, his expression hard to decipher.
"What's on your mind?" (Y/n) asks turning on her side.
"Um nothing much." Namjoon quickly says, embarrassed that he got caught. "I just, I guess I'm just surprised that I have a partner, that's all." He says in a quiet voice and (y/n) nods in agreement.
"For me too." (Y/n) says offering a reassuring smile. "Most of my friends have had their partners for the longest time, and since I hadn't met mine, I thought I ... didn't have one." She adds in a lower tome.
After a small pause he speaks up again, this time sitting up and offering a hand as he stands. "Well, I'm glad to see that's not the case." He says and (y/n) takes his hand. "But now we definitely need some rest. We can talk more tomorrow."
With a warm feeling in their hearts, Namjoon and (y/n) make their way to their room, feeling excited for the first time in a long time.
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The next morning, (y/n) can't wait any longer in bed, letting out a huff and pushing the covers to the side.
After neatly rearranging the room, she slowly opens the door and peeks a look at the hallway, looking for any sign of movement.
When she doesn't see any, she steps out of the room and heads for the kitchen, looking through the bags of forgotten groceries to find something to eat. Fortunately, she had bought enough to make her favorite dish.
With a smile, she gets to work, humming softly as she cuts up the vegetables and adds them together with the rest of her meal.
Namjoon stirs in in his sleep as a pleasant aroma reaches his nose, his brows drawn together in confusion before yesterday's events come rolling back into his mind.
With a beaming smile, Namjoon quickly changes his clothes, taking a while in the bathroom to make sure that he looks as presentable as possible for his partner. And that smile grows wider when he sees her places a full cooked meal on the table.
"Oh, you're awake!" She says with a bright smile of her own, her hand pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I, um, made some breakfast?" She says but it comes out as more of a question rather than a statement.
"Thank you." Namjoon says taking a seat. "It's very kind of you to prepare a meal."
"It's really nothing," she says frantically waving her hands in front of her, her cheeks covering with a slight tint of pink, "I usually only cook for myself so I hope it's good...."
She starts and Namjoon chuckles as she rambles, her rambling stopping when he takes a spoonful of the food and places it into his mouth, her eyes wide as she waits for a reaction.
Namjoon closes his eyes and slightly tilts his head back as the flavorful meal invades his senses, this had to be the best dish he had had in a long time.
"This is so good!" He says eating another spoonful, and another after that until his plate is empty. "Thank you for the food."
At hearing this, (y/n) brightly smiles at him and takes his plate, but before she can take a step, a gentle hand pulls her back.
"Don't worry about the dishes, I'll do it later."
"Are you sure?" She asks and he nods, his face so determined that it doesn't allow room for much argument. "Okay, then."
"Did you use all your groceries?" Namjoon asks noticing the empty bags.
"Not all of them," She says with a smile, "I left some for you since I saw that most of your cupboards were empty."
"Ah, t-thanks." Namjoon replies scratching his temple. He had completely forgotten to buy groceries. How embarrassing. "Well, I can take you back to town if you want?" He offers and she hesitantly nods. "Okay!" He says standing up. "I'll just get the house keys and we can leave."
5 minutes later, (y/n) chuckles as Namjoon victoriously lifts the keys in the air. "Found them!" He cutely says making his way towards her.
He opens the door for her and together they step outside, (y/n) taking in the peace and beauty of the surroundings to his house. She would definitely make sure to learn the way to his place, so on their way to the market, she makes sure to pay extra attention to anything that might help her remember her way.
As the sound of the busy market grows louder, (y/n) notices how stiff Namjoon looks. His hands are shoved in his pockets, his gray hoodie is pulled all the way down so that it covers half of his face, and his eyes constantly glance at the people in the market. Not to mention that he was extra careful of bumping into people.
"Namjoon," (y/n) softly calls out, "is everything okay?"
"Huh?" He responds, clearly disoriented, "yeah, I'm okay." He says pulling on his best smile, but her face remains serious, so he proceeds to explain, "I just don't really like going out much."
(Y/n) nods her head in understanding and she shyly offers her hand, growing more and more nervous until Namjoon hesitantly grabs hers, his shoulders relaxing a bit.
The longer they stayed in the market, the more anxious Namjoon grew, so (y/n) made it a point to shop as quickly as possible and go home.
She couldn't believe how relaxed he was almost as soon as the crowd died down, but now she knew something about Namjoon. He doesn't like crowded places.
I wonder what kind of shifter he is...
She wonders slightly glancing at him, the thought fading away when they reach the entrance to her house.
"This is it!" (Y/n) says with a smile. "The small apartment where I live, and it's not too far from your place."
"That's good." Namjoon says with a smile, his dimples on full display.
(Y/n)'s eyes trail down to the floor, letting out a squeal when she sees a small roll waiting for her at her doorstep.
This is it! My first quest!
But her hope falters when Namjoon looks over her shoulder and asks, "what's that?"
"It's a quest." She says with a smile, lifting the scroll so that he can get a better look at it.
"A quest?" He asks and she nods her head, opening the door and leading him inside. "I've never heard of them." He adds tilting his head to the side.
"You've never heard of quests?" She asks and he shakes his head, his head hanging low.
"Well, don't worry." She says taking his hand and guiding him to her room. "Il show you what a quest is!"
Namjoon follows (y/n) into the small bedroom, the walls decorated with pictures and artifacts varying in sizes and designs.
"Make yourself at home." (Y/n) says. "I'll bring you some water."
Namjoon gives a small nod, slowly walking around the room and taking his time examining each one, each artifact labeled with a date and some interesting facts about them.
Cute. He thinks to himself sitting on the small bed near the window. When (y/n) comes in with the water, his eyes are immediately drawn to her, a fond smile on his face.
"Are all these artifacts from your quests?" He asks and (y/n) shakes her head a smile.
"No, these are all souvenirs from my friends quests." She says handing him the glass. "They always bring me something when they go."
Namjoon hums in response and raises a brow. "So what are quests then?"
"Well, quests are a sort of adventure I guess, and only partnered people get to go, since they require special skills sometimes. There are many different types of quests and they vary depending on the pair, but they look like fun."
"I see." Namjoon says with a nod. "D-do these quests involve a lot of traveling?" He asks and realization dawns on her, recalling his words from earlier.
"Yes." She says. "But it's not required for a pair to go on a quest, so we don't have to do it. I know some people prefer to settle with their partner instead of venturing into the unknown, like my parents, so don't worry. There's no punishment if we don't go." She says with a sincere smile.
Upon hearing her words, Namjoon lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and (y/n) heart clenches as she sees his sad expression. "I'm really sorry (y/n)." He says looking at the floor. "I-I think they partnered you up with the wrong person."
"Just because we don't share the same goal, it doesn't mean that we are not meant to be." She says sitting next to him, her hand grabbing his. "I refuse to believe that." She firmly states. "Besides, I saw plenty of books in your library that I might ask to borrow."
"They are all yours." He says managing to give her a small smile.
▼△▼△▼△▼
Later that day, Namjoon lies on his bed blankly staring at the ceiling, a million thoughts raising through his head.
It was clear that (y/n)'s dream was to go on a quest just like her friends, so why did she agree to stay with him?
The thought of going on a quest scared him, giving his previous experiences when going into town, but thought of losing his one and only partner, whom he had waited so long for, scared him even more.
Something warm glows in his heart when the image of her pops in his mind, her eyes basically sparkling as she talked about the quests and adventures her friends had been in, and it made Namjoon realize that he wanted that too.
He would go on a quest for her.
Maybe this was a good opportunity for a change.
▼△▼△▼△▼
The next morning, (y/n) is surprised when she finds a panting Namjoon standing at her doorstep.
"Are you okay Namjoon?" She worriedly asks placing a hand on his shoulder, but his response leaves her confused.
Come on Namjoon! It's now or never.
"Let's do it!" He blurts out.
"W-what?" She asks waiting for him to catch his breath.
"Let's go on the quest." He says mustering the courage to look at her.
Her worried glance changed to one of pure surprise. "Y-you want to go on the quest? Are you sure about that?" She asks helping him stand straight and he nods.
"I want to go on a quest with you." He says with a smile, his heart skipping a beat when she smiles back at him.
"Let's see what our quest is first and then we can decide okay?" She asks and he nods once more, trying to push his fear aside.
Both settle on her living room taking a deep breath, Namjoon's knee bouncing up and down as she unfolds the little scroll.
"Find the dragon's gold." (Y/n) reads with a small frown. "What does that mean?" She asks and Namjoon scratches the back of his head.
"I honestly don't know. I've never heard of it." He says pausing. "Does it say anything else?"
Letting a soft sigh, she shakes her head, handing him the piece of paper so that he can see it for himself.
"So what do we do?" He asks looking at her, her face deep in thought.
"We could look it up? See if there's anything in the books in your library maybe?"
"That's actually not a bad idea." He says with a smile. "It actually sounds like a fun project."
▼△▼△▼△▼
After hours of searching, they still hadn't found anything regarding the dragon's gold, and given the nature of the rareness of dragons, this didn't come as a surprise.
Out of all the quests, we had to get the unsolvable one. (Y/n) thinks to herself, letting out a long sigh that doesn't not go unnoticed by Namjoon.
"Tell you what," he says closing the book he was reading, "why don't we take a break and go for a walk? There's a place that I want to show you."
"That sounds lovely." She says standing up from her spot and joining him as he offers his arm.
At least the day was perfect for a walk outside, and it proved to be just what the two of them needed.
Their walk is mostly silence, both of them enjoying each other's presence. She didn't want to ruin their moment, but she we lost very curious about her mysterious partner.
"N-Namjoon?" She hesitantly starts, her gaze dropping to the ground when he looks at her. "M-may I ask what kind of shifter you are?"
Namjoon tenses at the question and slightly purses his lips, making her regret her decision. "Does it really matter?" He softly asks and she pauses for a second.
"No, it doesn't. I was just curious."
Great! Now you've made things ackward. (Y/n) scolds, and before she knows it, she collides with a firm back.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here." A guys says eyeing Namjoon up and down, making said boy slightly tug on her wrist to pull her behind him. "Long time no see Namjoon." The guy adds with a smirk, which grows as his eyes land on the girl. "And who is this?" He asks stepping closer to her, Namjoon's muscles tensing visibly, and she knows by his body language that Namjoon feels threatened by this guy.
"I'm tempted to ask but it would be too good to be true." The guy says putting ha hand to his chin, an evil grin plastered on his face, and (y/n) could already feel herself disliking the guy in front of them. "Is she perhaps your partner?"
"How did a freak like you end up with a partner?" Another of the guy's friends says. "Did you threatened her if she didn't comply?" He adds making (y/n) frown.
"You know, she's quite pretty, maybe we should have her join out group." The first guy says. "It would be better than her being with you."
Upon hearing his words, Namjoon lets out a small growl, golden scales popping on the back of his neck.
"Don't worry miss," guy says, "we'll save you from him. How about joining us? All you have to do is say yes and we'll take care of him."
"No thank you." She says firmly, walking around Namjoon so that she stands in front of him protectively. "Why don't you just leave him alone?"
The guy looks at her with an amused smile, before he looks back at Namjoon. "Oh. You can't even defend yourself. You have your girlfriend do it." When the guy's smile turns into a smirk she knows that something is wrong.
She slightly glances at Namjoon and hears him grunt, his golden eyes glowing brighter, a snarl etched on his face, but before anyone can react, someone tackles Namjoon from the side, knocking the air out of him.
Namjoon clutches his stomach and turns on his back to try to get some air, loudly gasping.
(Y/n) wastes no time in angrily pushing the guy off Namjoon with as much strength as she can muster, feeling anger boil inside of her.
"What is wrong with you?!?" She asks clenching her hand into fists, standing up and stalking towards the guy.
"We are just trying to keep everyone safe." The guy nonchalantly says placing his hands on his pockets.
"Safe from what? He hasn't done anything wrong!" She says turning around to help him up but Namjoon is already gone. "Namjoon?" She calls out panicking.
Did another guy take him?
"He can't have gotten far!" One of the guys yells and they break into a run.
(Y/n) desperately looks around trying to find any clue but he didn't leave a trace, almost as if he had dissipated into thin air.
But then an idea comes to mind, wait, how did I find Namjoon the first time?
Closing her eyes, (y/n) takes a deep breath in and relaxes, feeling the familiar tingle on her chest.
With a smile, she follows the slight golden glow until she reaches a cave, stopping before going in. "Namjoon?" She calls out, her whisper echoing loudly .
"D-don't come in." Namjoon says, his voice strained.
"What's wrong?" She asks, staying in her place to give him some space. A few minutes of silence pass, and (y/n) can't take it any longer when she hears a whine echo in the cave, sprinting into action and rushing in.
In the mist of the darkness, (y/n) is met with a pair of golden eyes, making her fall backwards at the close proximity.
"Ah!" She yelps and sees a large figure retreat farther into the shadows with a whimper. Realizing her mistake, she quickly speaks up. "I'm sorry Namjoon, I didn't mean to startle you." She says, meeting with nothing but silence. "Namjoon?" She calls again, dusting off her pants and following the sound of his heavy breathing.
As he backs away, a small crevice lights up his figure and she slightly gaps when she sees him.
"Woah." She breathes out in amazement. "You're a dragon shifter!?!" She asks and Namjoon hesitantly looks at her, waiting for her to turn around and run away like everyone else, but instead he is surprised by what she says. "That is so cool!"
The sound of footsteps sends them both into high alert, (y/n) subconsciously hiding with Namjoon to avoid being seen. Namjoon's muscles tense when he feels her hand on his skin, but he tries to remain calm to avoid being caught.
After a while, (Y/n) slowly turns around to look at Namjoon, who is much taller than her in his dragon form. "I'm going to check if they are gone okay?" She says slowly walking away from him.
Namjoon slowly counts each second that passes, relieved when he hears her footsteps coming back. "It looks like they are gone, but I think we should lay low for a while. Can you shift back?" She asks but she receives no response. "Right, I forgot." She says with an apologetic smile. "It's getting dark outside so we might have to spend the night here." Namjoon lets out a sigh and (y/n) shivers feeling the temperature dropping.
"Um Namjoon? Can you by any chance spit fire?" She asks, and by the rustling sound of air she knows that he is shaking his head.
Namjoon's heart churns when he hears her teeth chattering, after all, they weren't prepared to stay that long.
You can do this Namjoon. He tells himself closing his eyes. You've done this before.
Yeah, when i was small. Another part of him argues but he ignores it as he feels his throat expanding and a charcoal taste invaded his mouth. With a loud cough, Namjoon manages to light up a small fire, but enough to keep her warm.
(Y/n)'s eyes widen as she sees the fire ball close to her and her gaze follows Namjoon as he gets a coughing fit afterwards, hiding behind his wings and curling into a ball when she tries to approach him.
Is this why he didn't want to tell me? She wonders. Because he thought I would be afraid of him?
She was slightly hurt by the thought of him not trusting her, but at the same time she knows that must have his reasons, and hopefully he opens up in the future.
Sensing a shift in her mood, Namjoon slowly unwraps himself and looks at her, looking away when she looks at him.
He looks really tired. (Y/n) thinks to herself, noticing how he is fighting to keep his eyes open.
"Come here." She softly says sitting on the ground and patting her lap but Namjoon just stares at her.
After a while, Namjoon slowly makes his way towards her. He awkwardly lays down, wincing when the ground slightly shakes, and hesitantly places his head on her lap, avoiding making eye contact.
Satisfied with his response, (y/n) gently pets his head and he closes his eyes, relaxing at her touch until he falls asleep.
▼△▼△▼△▼
The next morning, (y/n) feels something warm around her and she finds one of Namjoon's wings covering her like a blanket, his face close to hers. She smiles and reaches out to touch his face, her fingers gently tracing his golden scales, he lets out a sort of purr and snuggles closer to her hand making her chuckle.
"You are so cute Namjoon." She says kissing the top of his nose.
Please trust me.
Namjoon slowly opens his eyes, confused for a moment when he sees the position they are in. When did we fall asleep?
"Do you want to go home?" She asks and Namjoon nods his head, lifting his wing so that she is free from his grasp.
(Y/n) gives him a smile and stands up, slowly making her way outside the cave. "The coast is clear." She says, Namjoon following her and stopping by the entrance.
"What's wrong?" She asks, and in that moment Namjoon is frustrated with himself for not being able to talk to her.
I don't want you to see me like this. He thinks to himself lowering his gaze to the leaf covered ground.
Sensing his hesitation, (y/n) takes a step forward and reaches out to him.
"Namjoon look at me." She says cupping his face between her hands. Namjoon lets out a huff and finally makes eye contact, his eyes shyly looking at her. He tries to move his head but she holds it in place and presses their foreheads together.
"It's okay." She coos and Namjoon relaxes into her touch, feeling the tingly sensation that comes with the shifting. With a small smile, he takes her hands in his and mutters a small 'thank you' before his head falls on her shoulder.
▼△▼△▼△▼
Namjoon hadn't woken up ever since they got home, his body burning with a fever as soon as he shifted back.
Now, he lied on his bed in the darkness, his body finally cooling down after three days. Three days since he had last seen (y/n), who insisted on staying even when he locked himself in his room.
With a groan, Namjoon slowly gets up, his body feeling heavy like led with every move.
As he reaches the living room, his eyes land on (y/n)'s reading form, her eyes locking with his as he approaches and sits next to her on the couch.
(Y/n) wanted to ask if he was feeling better, but she wasn't sure if she should, so in the meantime, they awkwardly sit on the couch until Namjoon breaks the silence.
"So....um....I.." He starts scratching his temple, "I guess I should explain." He says glancing at her, when she doesn't say anything he proceeds.
"I've always had difficulty shifting." He finally admits and she nods. "And whenever I do shift," he says taking in a deep breath and pulling down his hood, "this happens." He finishes showing her the golden scales that are still visible. "I get sick and the shifting takes a toll on my body."
(Y/n) tentatively reaches out to touch his scales but stops midway, dropping her hand back on her lap.
"Are you scared of me?" He asks fidgeting with his fingers.
"Should I be?" She asks raising a brow, and Namjoon quickly shakes his head.
"I'm sorry you found out this way. I wanted to tell you but I really don't like shifting." He admits. "Everyone was always scared of me, or made fun of me so I guess I just felt..."
"I understand." (Y/n) says offering him a smile, placing her hand in his, which he quickly takes and brings to his lips.
"I'm also sorry about the quest." He says but (y/n) only laughs in response, and in her eyes, Namjoon sees nothing but genuine concern.
"Don't worry about the quest Joonie." She says ruffling his hair. "This is better than anything I could have asked for."
"Really?" He asks, frowning when he sees a golden light glowing around their hearts. "Because I think I just found the dragon's gold."
Wow. This is the longest I've ever written haha. I know that the ending is kind of lame so I might re write it later on in the future. This is also my first time writing short stories, so hopefully with practice I can improve.
Thank you so much for reading^^
~Van
(2019/07/24)