conflicted

      He’s glad she doesn’t bring up his lapse in concentration. Katya’s always been quietly understanding like that, it’s one things he definitely appreciates about her. Finn listens as he tries to get his zombie problem under control, mentally trying to will AI-controlled Ellie to hurry the fuck up.

           “Were your parents in Starfleet? Are you guys, like,             2nd generation ‘Fleet or nah?”

     She adjusted herself in the seat, her attention focusing on the AI. Her brother had always complained about how much he hated computer controlled characters, that it made the game harder to enjoy at certain times. Once, after a particularly difficult rescue mission, he said that he might as well have been playing with only one hand.

          “You can stop lookin’ at me out the corner of ya eye ‘cause all this money was made by legal means.”

mxdsestra

      “oh, i UNDERSTAND the problem at hand,        i’m just trying to figure out why i should        CARE about it.”

    heechul’s smile softens as she speaks, and maybe his own cheeks have pinkened too—luckily, his skin is bronze enough to hide that, though. katya’s cut her hair short recently, and as much as he wants to tell her how much he likes the way it looks, he’s never really sure how to execute the compliment. he’s just a little timid, is all—even now, he’s struggling to make eye contact as he sweeps bread crumbs into the dustpan. 

    “okay, good,” he says in a gentler tone than before, full lips plump and pouty. “coco and marshmallow and fluffy miss you.”’

          “Really? You know, Voltaire misses you, too.           We should set up a play date for them sometime.” 

     She’s playing with the ends of her hair as she talks, a habit of hers that became increasingly difficult after switching to a shorter style. She’s nervous, and rightfully so- after procrastinating on her feelings for months, she’s decided to tell that Heechul she wants to date him. She’s glad it’s just the two of them in the café; it reduces most of the pressure she feels, and as confident as Sungnam seemed when he gave her a pep-talk, she can’t shake the feeling of doubt looming over her head. Her eyes hone in on another spot on the counter, and suddenly she’s cleaning again. 

    he’s been waiting for close all day, this one—meaning he’s more than happy to push a broom around as fast as he can to avoid staying here any longer than he has to. katya’s wiping the counters behind him. every now and then, heechul stops to stare. she catches him this time around, so he lets their eyes meet and offers up a catlike smile.

    “are you still coming over after?”

     It’s obvious that whoever had cleanup the day before did a half-assed job- there’s built up residue from spilled lattes that weren't wiped up properly. Katya’s eyes catch one spot in particular, and with a scrunched nose, she wipes aggressively. It isn’t until the spot is completely wiped away that she looks up, only to meet eyes with the only other person in the café. She returns his smile (it’s hard not to), her chest fluttering. She’s sure that color has risen up to her cheeks, but she doesn’t want to admit it. It’ll only make it worse.