“Illuminated”

The coffee machine bubbled cheerfully to a mechanical tune as the scent of roasted beans permeated the air.

While waiting for the cups to fill, Phainon gently stirred the boiling milk on the stove; and a breeze, soft and kind, tousled at his hair, messing up his already unruly bangs from sleep.

All in all, it was a quiet morning; the happy chirping from nearby birds created the perfect melody, giving the small kitchen an even cozier ambiance.

"Yess, finally!"

The white-haired halted his stirring, opting to listen to his lover's morning rambles. Turning off the stove, he peered from the door, sky eyes drifting to the living room where you sat hunched on the sofa, blanket across your shoulders and console on your lap.

A wide smile pulled at your lips as you hummed contentedly; your eyes never leaving the screen. A few feet from you, on the coffee table lay an empty packet where the new game once stood.

Cups in hand, Phainon approached with a gentle smile of his own, he sat on your left.

Sensing his presence, you gave him an impossibly wide smile, -the sole sight of it made his heart flutter-, and pointed excitedly towards the screen.

"Look! Will you marry me!"

At that moment, something stopped.

He felt his smile crack.

Phainon of Aedes Elysiae halted.

Mind huffing and reeling, failing to cool the worst short-circuit ever known to mankind.

Only one thought circled round and round.

It wasn't meant to be like this-

"We... what?"

"This is what they just said! Aren't they the cutest?"

"We just got married!" You continued, shoving the console in his face.

At that, he followed your gaze and met with a photo of your mii and his among the Australian fish and corals, looking at each other in what looked like the most lovesick gaze of the century.

Oh.

Ooh.

His heart nearly skipped a beat.

Thank God.

Sighing softly, as you were too preoccupied with the fake marriage, Phainon managed a fond yet exasperated smile.

For a moment he thought you were going to propose right then and there; of course not that he would have hated it, quite the contrary in fact, but he would rather be the one to ask.

For now, he just hoped you wouldn't surprise him like this anymore.

And as he listened to your gushing and fangirling of your mii's new love life, he couldn't help but imagine what the real deal would be like. But that would take another bit, until he finished planning everything and maybe even gather enough courage -Mydei keeps nagging at him to just ask-.

then there was that boy that looked like the gods had graced them with a part of their beauty and hope and gave it to him. that boy was phainon. he was young man, an admirable warrior, and a lovely neighbor.

he’s talked to you a few times. he was cheery and fun to be around. he always respected you and brought you food a few times with the excuse of "oh! i made too much food" with the sweetest, sheepish smile to his face.

recently, you’ve been receiving roses. they were in your favorite color. you didn’t pay no mind to it and picked it up when it read, "i hope this’ll cheer you up, you looked a bit down today :(" which was true, you were in a sour mood due to a stomachache that did not want to let you go, no matter how many times you’ve sat down or took some pills to ease the pain. you probably ate something bad that day.

the roses did lighten things up a little bit, and you kept them in a vase. when phainon came around the next week, you noticed that his eyes were on the roses for a little too long before looking at you again.

ever since then, every thursday, every two weeks, special colored roses would appear on your doorstep with a little note that seemed to brighten the heart. they were always sweet and heartfelt, nothing creepy.

phainon would always make sure that you got them and ensured that no one saw him dropping them off. if you knew, he’d probably faint.

truth was, phainon was kind of shy. he didn’t know how to act if he saw a pretty person in front of him.

so the only thing he could do was play secret admirer.

leaving little notes and your favorite colored flowers was the least phainon could do. sometimes, he’d slip in your favorite chocolates too, just to see that smile on your face when you receive them.

whenever phainon came by your place to chat, he’d always eye and smile at what happened to the roses. they were neatly kept in a vase on a table by the door, next to some dog treats you always gave his dog whenever he yapped by.

he hoped you didn’t notice his odd behavior once the bouquet thing started happening, but he knew you weren’t dumb.

he heavily disliked- not hated, disliked- your perceptiveness. he usually admired it, but right now he didn’t like it.

today was a day where phainon wanted to pass away.

phainon promised himself he’d confess his feelings on valentines day. he’d repeatedly mustered up the courage and kept practicing his confession in the mirror for the next four months before february. but today, his anxiety levels skyrocketed and he didn’t know what to do.

snowy was watching him slowly panic, yapping and jumping to place his forelegs on his legs. yapping again and again as if he was telling him to shut up and get out there.

phainon looked at snowy once. "buddy, i don’t know what to do. what if—" snowy barked again, stopping his intrusive thoughts.

but a bright idea came into phainon’s mind. it would be cheesy, but snowy was always an amazing icebreaker.

…

you got a notification on your phone for movement from your doorbell ring camera. were they your yaoi stickers?

you hurriedly went down to inspect the door, peeking through the peephole, only to see… absolutely nothing.

you opened the door to see what it was, and there he was.

phainon’s dog, snowy, sitting with a bouquet of roses and your own personal favorite flowers on his back, strapped with a harness, and a letter clamped in his mouth. his tail was wagging happily when he saw you emerge.

"what d’you get for me, buddy?" you smiled, crouching down to pet his furry head, slightly jumping when your hand touched his head. you gave him a treat.

you gently took the letter from his mouth and opened it. it smelled like the sun… and dog breath.

"this is a really terrible form of confession but i got too shy. i promised myself i’d be brave enough but that was a big lie. i’m so sorry, i wish i could’ve done this better. :( will you be my valentine anyway, [name]?"

you knew it was phainon for a while, but you didn’t quite have the proof yet. you held the letter with a smile on your face. "come on snowy, let’s go back to phainon." you ushered. he yipped and jumped around. luckily, his place was just a 30 second walk from yours.

you went up to phainon’s house and knocked on his door. you knew he was in there. you could see a tuft of white hair peeking out from the window.

you waited patiently until he was ready to open the door. it creaked open with tension.

"hey, [name]! uh, did you—" you didn’t wait for him to speak and pressed your lips on his. phainon stood still for a heartbeat or two.

did you just really do this? oh my god, are you actually kissing me?

but before he could pull you in closer, you already pulled away. his hand hovered over your waist, slightly trembling.

"does that answer your question?" you asked. he nodded frantically. this must be a dream come true.

07.14.26 , 9:46

taglist : @aerisellesuchi , @cloudluvrrr

Maybe there’s an Aeon that can rewind time somewhere in the cosmos. You could really use that power right now.

You’ve known Phainon since diapers, saw him through his awkward phase, and was the first to see him when he somehow got insanely attractive. Lethal facecard or whatever people say. The point is, you’ve known him longer than anyone not in his immediate family. Maybe except Cyrene, she’s a true day 1, always taking care of you two. But she’s currently off at University while you and Phainon are stuck navigating the horrors of high school.

Maybe it was the fact that high school would be the first time you and Phainon would truly be separated. Different classes, different after school activities, even different friend groups. You had maybe two friends at school but that’s only because you’ve had the same class as them for your entire high school career. Your coworkers don’t really count either, you’re just cordial with them for the sake of not making your already awkward job even more unbearable.

Back to Phainon’s new group of friends, they probably don’t even know you exist. If life was a game from their point of view, your role is schoolmate b. It’s almost unbelievable how different you two have become. Phainon and his group of friends are probably the most popular in the school. They’re the definition of picture perfect.

Anaxagoras might be an asshole but he has a good face and even better grades. According to rumors he’s been offered a full ride to attend the Grove. Mydeimos is captain of the school’s basketball team (though he’s good at almost any sport he plays) and an heir to a conglomerate. Aglaea, she’s more of a full time designer and part time student, her designs are everywhere you look, runways, billboards, and even tv commercials. The list of his friend’s achievements go on and on, it’s easier to list what they haven’t done.

But that’s getting a little too sidetracked, a week before the “confession.” Cyrene was on break and visited you at your job. Which could have gone worse, thank aeons it didn’t.

“You should try to talk to new people, Okhema is completely different from Aedes Elysiae. At this rate, you’ll only have me for company!” Cyrene was scolding you, again. Sure, it was in a lighthearted way but she was correct. You’ve barely talked to Phainon since entering high school or anyone for that matter. The only two people you talked to almost daily were Sampo and Sparkle. Probably because you were the person willing to talk to them despite their reputation.

“That doesn’t sound too bad… plus I could just make friends in college. Or something like that.” There’s no use trying to bring back something that was doomed from the beginning. The only reason you go to high school in Okhema is because you managed to get off the waitlist after applying.

Cyrene let out a sigh, “At least try to talk to Phainon. He’s sulking about you not talking to him.”

“Huh?”

“What?” Throughout your measly one and a half year of high school, you’ve never been close to Phainon. He’s always either surrounded by fans or friends, it’s impossible to talk to him one on one like back in Aedes Elysiae.

Recovering from your shock, you manage to ask a single question, “He tries to talk to me?” Cyrene just burst into laughter, dumbfounded at you and Phainon’s severe communication issues. “C’mon Cyrene don’t laugh!”

“You two really need to talk to each other,” her laughter had turned into light giggles now.

Now here you are, the Monday after break. Just a couple more months and it’ll be a new school year. The school courtyard is filled with other students, most in the standard winter uniform. Not very different from the summer one, no big difference other than the long sleeves. Which idiot decided to make school uniforms amplify the cold by fifty, they have to die a second time.

“Boo!”

“Oh. It’s you,” Sampo, the guy you’ve been unfortunately deskmates with for the past two years.

Sampo wrapped his arms around you, “Aww don’t be like that! As your dear friend, I’m hurt… I thought we were close…” He was always dramatic, though it sounded forced.

This was nothing unusual, just banter between you and the blue haired pest that clung onto you. Sparkle was probably somewhere around the school and the sooner you find her, the sooner the pest gets off of you. Though from a certain someone’s perspective, you two seemed too close for comfort.

“Yoo hoo! Earth to Phainon?”

“Ah sorry Hyacine! I spaced out a little.”

It’s really unfair, how can you let some guy, whom you met after starting high school, hug you from behind while completely avoiding him? He’s known you longer than that rando. You won’t even call him by his old nickname anymore! In the rare chance he gets to talk to you, it’s always “Phainon” and not “Phai.” He should’ve just asked the teachers to change his class to yours. But that’s just selfish thinking, at least to him. You deserve to meet new people and not be hounded by fangirls. He knows Valentine’s Day and White Day were nightmares to you back in Aedes Elysiae.

“Unfocused on the first day back? You’re lacking, deliverer.”

“Stop calling me that!!!”

Phainon and Mydei had an interesting friendship. They were seatmates during their first year of high school. That normally would be enough to become friends but no, of course not, especially with those two.

“Here, your package. It got delivered to my house.” Phainon was in a terrible mood, which was out of character for such a sunny guy. But who could blame him? He woke up late, had to sprint to the bus station, and even witnessed that blue haired pest clinging and using you as a shield.

Mydei only stared at him, a stern glare that would be enough to send chills to anyone. Except a pissed off Phainon. “In Castrum Kremnos packages are treated with respect, deliverer.”

Cutaway from that terrible memory, it still makes Phainon cringe to this day. How does a terrible joke of a nickname still stick after a year and a half?

Muffled laughter could be heard from behind Mydei. A purple haired girl covering her mouth, attempting to keep her amusement quiet.

“Not you too Castorice…” It was tradition to tease Phainon in their group. He was the most reactive after all. “Let’s just go to class first.” Honestly the best course of action for poor Phainon’s little heart. He wouldn’t have to hear more teasing and wouldn’t have to see that now, there were two people playing tug of war with you as the rope.

You on the other hand, were too busy being used as some human meat shield by Sampo while Sparkle tried to pull you off of him. Really where do these two get the energy in the morning?

“I’m going to class,” look you can try but success is a rare thing.

Sampo was still clinging onto you, except this time, he was in front. Anything to put a distance between him and Sparkle. He didn’t really have to worry about her though, cause unlike him, Sparkle had other people she could talk to.

Sampo was just rambling while going up the stairs. Your homeroom was on the second floor. Pretty fitting since you’re in your second year of high school. Third year is going to mean an extra set to climb in the morning. How nice.

At the same time Phainon, Castorice, Mydei, and Hyacine were going up too. Hyacine was a first year while the rest of them had nothing better to do as they had gym for first period. So why not tag along with Hyacine because she has something to actually talk about with Anaxa.

While you were halfway up the set of stairs, Sampo’s rambling suddenly stopped. It all happened so fast, Sampo screaming wait while a pair of gray haired twins charged full speed at him. You tried to step back but in your startled state, accidentally stepped on the weird edge of the stair. Wow, what a great way to go out, death by school stairs. This has to go in some sort of Guinness world record book.

“ah-” instinctively, you reached out your hand. But grabbing onto the rail mid fall won’t stop your fall, you know? Maybe Phainon is like Siri, voice activated by only you. He was starting to climb the stairs to go to the fourth floor, only to see you falling backwards. He really thinks with his heart, sprinting up the stairs with his arms stretched out, ready to catch you.

But, Sampo caught you before you could fall backwards. And dramatically declared while shoving you into his chest, “You know I could never put a dear classmate whom I love so much in danger!”

Phainon really might have to kill this guy.