BLEED MAGIC

“It’s not. But you’ll be okay, don’t worry.” Mark said in a reassuring tone. A surprised look crossed his features as Prince said he was a nerd in high school, he wouldn’t have guessed that. “Not gonna lie, my first suggestion would have been running, seeing as that would be one of the quickest ways to burn energy, but since that’s out of the question… How would you feel about dancing? I’m a dance major, if you’re up for it I could teach you a routine. We could try this song I’ve been working on, it has some really fast moves so I think it’d work.” He didn’t realize he was rambling until he had to stop talking in order to catch his breath. “Sorry if I was speaking too fast just now, it can happen sometimes.” The blond explained, before he finished his coffee. “So, would you be willing to give it a try?”

the  reassuring  tone  of  mark  puts  prince  at  EASE  much  faster  than  he  anticipates  despite  feeling  the  RAPID  pace  of  his  heartbeat  in  his  chest  .  it’s  an  odd  juxtaposition  that  prince  is  at  least  sure  of  that  he  never  wants  to  experience  again  .  ❝  i  sure  hope  so  .  right  now  i  think  my  heart  is  beating  FASTER  than  i  can  even  run  .  ❞  prince  jokes  ,  a  laugh  tumbling  from  his  lips  as  chocolate  hues  watch  mark  as  he  speaks  .  he  truly  does  appreciate  the  effort  being  made  on  his  part  to  help  prince  out  with  no  real  incentive  other  than  mark  being  kind  .  prince  can’t  help  but  QUIRK  an  eyebrow  at  mark’s  words  ,  a  grin  following  not  long  after  .  ❝  i  love  dancing  !!  i  may  not  be  good  at  it  but  that’s  a  technicality  .  so  don’t  judge  me  TOO  MUCH  if  i  have  two  left  feet  －  what  i  lack  in  skill  ,  i  make  up  for  in  enthusiasm  .  ❞  to  be  honest  ,  prince  didn’t  even  realize  that  mark  was  rambling  until  the  other  boy  brought  it  to  his  attention  .  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  prince  has  been  told  that  he’s  guilty  of  talking  fast  with  no  real  endpoint  to  his  tangents  .  ❝  you’re  fine  ;  nothing  to  apologize  for  .  but  yeah  !!  count  me  in  .  i  can  put  this  pent  up  energy  to  use  for  something  .  ❞  prince  pauses  and  offers  mark  a  smile  .  ❝  so  how  long  have  you  been  dancing  ??  i  imagine  a  bit  if  you’re  a  dance  major  .  ❞

luna wasn’t doing much — nothing productive at least as she sat and painted her nails with her new mauve colour which she just LOVED. suddenly prince was in front of her and she offered him a smile. “ um… you do look a little shaky. and your eyes seem so BIG today — what did you do ?! ” luna wondered, a little anxious to know the answer. at his offered hand, luna holds it for a moment, feeling the shakiness in question before letting go and analyzing it. as he continued his dilemma, luna couldn’t prevent the laughter leaving her lips. “ FOUR ? ” luna lived for caffeine, so she could half understand, but they were talking four at minimum. “ okay this is definitely a six or higher situation. but… i don’t THINK your head’s gonna explode… it might. and the crawling out of your skin thing is definitely possible, i’ve seen it happen. ” she teased, knowing he’d be fine and so more interested in entertaining herself. “ but damn, you’re making me really want a coffee now. ” she pressed her lips together, a grin still present as she was more than amused. “ here, ” she said softly, handing him a bottle of water from her bag. “ caffeine stays in your system for YEARS so you best start flushing it out. ”

prince  knew  off  the  bat  that  coming  to  luna  was  the  right  call  considering  she’s  helped  him  on  numerous  occasions  .  well  ,  MAINLY  of  the  hair  variety  and  when  he  believed  himself  to  be  going  bald  from  a  bad  bleach  job  that  he  was  fairly  certain  was  slowly  killing  off  his  hair  .  alas  ,  here  he  was  with  only  semi-damaged  hair  so  clearly  luna  was  good  at  her  job  .  ❝  my  eyes  look  big  ??  do  you  mean  like  ,  mila  kunis  or  emma  stone  big  ??  or  just  that  it  looks  like  my  eyes  are  about  to  pop  out  ??  ❞  prince  wonders  aloud  with  a  chuckle  ,  brown  hues  looking  at  luna  in  humor  .  maybe  he  did  have  too  much  caffeine  ,  but  letting  his  mind  wander  while  at  work  was  easy  enough  for  him  to  continuously  drink  coffee  without  much  thought  .  ❝  i’m  surrounded  by  coffee  at  work  and  i  kinda  just  ...  don’t  stop  drinking  it  ??  that  sucks  as  an  answer  －  WOW  ,  okay  .  yeah  ,  i  kinda  just  grabbing  more  without  a  real  conscious  thought  of  maybe  i  should  drink  some  water  instead  .  ❞  he  can’t  help  but  rambled  off  in  slight  DEFENSE  of  himself  as  luna  takes  his  head  ,  lips  twitching  at  her  laughter  before  twisting  up  in  a  grin  .  ❝  so  what  you’re  saying  is  it’s  a  solid  fifty-fifty  that  i  end  up  like  mr.  krabs  in  that  episode  of  spongebob  where  he  loses  his  shell  ??  good  to  know  .  ❞  prince  snickers  with  a  shake  of  his  head  as  he  pulls  back  his  hand  and  stuffs  them  both  into  the  pocket  of  his  hoodie  to  PREVENT  any  more  shaking  .  he  gives  her  a  kind  smile  at  the  offering  of  her  water  and  he  thanks  her  while  his  fingers  ball  up  the  fabric  of  his  hoodie  pocket  in  his  fists  in  some  sort  of  odd  way  to  WILL  his  hands  to  calm  down  .  ❝  we  can  stop  by  roast  if  you  want  .  you  can  give  in  to  your  coffee  craving  and  i  can  down  this  water  bottle  you  gave  me  while  being  only  SLIGHTLY  envious  .  ❞

gray:  says  who?  are  you  jealous?  do  you  want  me  to  only  call  you  daddy?   gray:  i  can  do  whatever  i  want,  unless  daddy  tells  me  otherwise gray:  igjdffgs  it’s  your  own  fault gray:  you  say  as  if  we  haven’t  tried   gray:  stop  being  romantic  i’m  trying  to  be  a  thirsty  hoe

caleb: woaaah !! you got a bike ? caleb: oh what omg  caleb: i can’t believe it’s not yours ! you actually looked so good with it caleb: yeah i think you should i bet he’d love that

sunny:  u  look  hot  wtf  unfair  😔🔥 sunny:  the  leather  pants  look  uncomfy  tho  ngl  esp  in  this  stupid  heat,,  how  hav  u  not  roasted  alive  yet sunny:  oh sunny:  ………………………  i’m  a  clown  i  rly  thought  u  bought  a  bike  :< sunny:  oh  my  god  wait  what,  ,,,  did  u  apologise  for  pretending  to  steal  his  bike  sunny:  WAIT  stop  yes sunny:  u  can  be  twinsies  that’d  be  so  cute  ^♡^ sunny:  and  also  take  me  out  for  ice  cream  on  ur  bike,  ,,i’ll  pay  for  gas  AND  ice  cream,,  it’s  a  win-win-win

gray:  hi  daddy     gray:  you’ve  never  been  so  attractive   gray:  ://///  damn  what  a  disappointment,  i  had  a  boner   gray:  if  you  buy  one  you’ll  never  see  me  again  because  i  can’t  handle  how  hot  you  look  :/

       his  eyes  found  charlie’s  with  nothing  but  fondness  behind  it  when  his  name  rolled  off  the  others’  tongue  in  an  attempt  to  tug  gray’s  heart  strings  and  make  feel  sympathetic  towards  him  –  it  worked.  all  of  his  ‘i  told  you  so’  were  now  out  of  window  and  gray  mirrored  his  pout,  holding  back  an  urge  to  make  it  go  away  with  loving  kisses.  he  didn’t  have  any  self  control  around  charlie  and  the  more  time  they  spent  together,  the  more  trust  was  built  between  them,  he  felt  any  will  power  to  do  things  his  way  gone  and  allowed  charlie  to  get  his  way  first.  as  long  as  he  was  happy. “ hmm ,“  he  hummed  with  the  straw  between  his  lips  as  if  that  was  the  most  delicious  smoothie  he’d  ever  tasted  in  his  life. “  you  absolutely  can  not  have  a  sip  of  mine.  it’s  punishment  for  not  listening  to  me.  you  need  to  realize  i’m  the  brains  between  us. ”  he  takes  another  sip  just  because.  “  you  get  the  looks.”  he  adds,  charlie  was  a  sight  –  gray  lost  count  how  many  times  he  was  caught  staring  at  him.  his  fingers  gripped  around  his  smoothie  when  charlie  stepped  closer  to  him  out  of  habit  and  because  he  knew  he  got  weak.  he  noticed  the  change  in  his  tone  and  the  change  in  his  eyes,  making  the  warmth  in  his  cheeks  rise. “  i  never  complain, ”  he  says,  trying  to  sound  confident  even  though  the  way  his  large  hands  found  his  waist,  bringing  him  near  with  ease  as  gray  didn’t  put  up  a  fight  anyways  made  his  knees  melt.  his  free  hand  rests  on  his  chest,  his  eyes  looking  around  for any  lurkers  just  for  a  quick  second  before  he  closed  them  with  the  feeling  of  his  lips  on  him.  charlie  knew  what  he  did  to  him  and  what  he  was  doing  right  now,  but  his  words  caught  gray  completely  off  guard,  a  small  sound  that  could  ALMOST  be  called  a  moan  emerging  from  him,  escaping  his  lips  before  he  could  hold  it  back.  his  mouth  opens  to  speak  but  he  has  no  idea  what  to  say  so  he  lets  out  a  chuckle,  an  awkward  yet  breathless  chuckle  as  he  hits  his  chest  LIGHTLY,  his  straw  now  between  charlie’s  lips  who  had  the  biggest  winning  smirk  on  his  lips. “  you  have  no  mercy  with  me,”  he  says  finally,  tugging  his  smoothie  away  from  him  like  a  pouty  child,  escaping  from  his  embrace  because  he  knew  he  couldn’t  be  this  close  to  charlie  without  either  wanting  to  rip  off  his  clothes  or  give  him  a  good  slap.

there  wasn’t  any  point  of  charlie  of  DENYING  the  fact  that  he  was  completely  whipped  for  gray  and  it  was  something  he  found  to  be  gradual  .  he  had  always  been  attracted  to  gray  since  their  first  meeting  and  while  it  was  obvious  to  anyone  with  a  pair  of  eyes  that  gray  was  stunning  ,  he  had  a  magnetic  personality  that  pulled  charlie  in  with  little  to  no  struggle  on  his  own  part  .  it  only  made  sense  that  the  MORE  frequently  that  the  two  of  them  spent  time  together  ,  the  closer  they  grew  and  the  fondness  that  charlie  felt  for  the  other  boy  became  a  prominent  sentiment  for  gray  .  it  swelled  in  his  chest  during  times  like  now  where  they  were  enjoying  the  others  company  and  charlie  felt  completely  at  ease  with  gray  .  and  yeah  ,  a  lot  of  it  had  to  do  with  the  ...  FEELINGS  he  developed  for  the  blonde  that  definitely  strayed  far  from  purely  platonic  .  charlie  isn’t  stupid  though  －  you  never  tell  the  person  you  like  that  you  like  them  .  especially  with  how  gray  and  him  were  currently  as  a  blurred  grey  area  between  friendships  and  ...  ??  charlie  wasn’t  quite  sure  what  .  their  touches  lingered  and  the  way  they  more  often  than  not  found  themselves  pressed  together  against  the  nearest  wall  with  their  legs  slotted  between  another  and  their  tongues  down  each  other’s  throats  .  friends  definitely  didn’t  do  that  and  friends  typically  weren’t  PLAGUED  with  the  desire  to  hold  the  other’s  hands  as  frequently  as  charlie  wanted  his  fingers  interlaced  with  gray’s  .  but  it’s  WHATEVER  .  he’d  rather  keep  things  as  they  were  then  risk  the  chance  of  gray  not  reciprocating  and  keeping  their  friendship  as  it  was  —  however  blurred  it  may  be  .  his  gaze  met  gray’s  and  a  warm  smile  finds  its  way  onto  his  features  with  ease  despite  gray’s  words  .  he’s  only  slightly  DISTRACTED  at  the  way  the  straw  finds  its  way  between  gray’s  lips  and  charlie’s  eyes  drop  not  so  discreetly  .  he  wasn’t  ever  jealous  of  a  damn  straw  before  but  he  supposes  there’s  a  new  experience  for  everything  .  ❝  i  know  i’m  pretty  handsome  ,  but  have  you  seen  yourself  ??  you’re  the  real  STUNNER  between  us  ,  babe  .  ❞  the  petname  slips  from  his  lips  before  charlie  can  stop  it  and  he  can  feel  the  warmness  flood  to  his  face  almost  immediately  .  maybe  it  was  a  freudian  slip  ,  showcasing  charlie’s  true  DESIRE  of  what  he  wanted  them  to  become  but  like  his  feelings  ,  he  shoved  it  down  and  let  gray  believe  it  was  just  his  flirtatious  tendencies  .  charlie  couldn’t  deny  that  hearing  gray  appreciate  his  looks  stroked  his  ego  a  bit  and  it  went  hand  in  hand  with  seeing  what  kind  of  effect  he  could  have  on  the  blonde  .  especially  in  times  like  now  where  charlie  was  mere  centimeters  apart  ,  wanting  nothing  more  than  to  bring  his  lips  away  from  gray’s  jawline  and  onto  his  lips  .  the  only  evidence  of  gray’s  impact  on  him  was  the  slight  HITCH  to  his  breath  when  he  heard  the  quietest  of  moans  leave  gray  .  charlie  feels  a  longing  inside  him  that  he  has  to  push  down  otherwise  he’d  have  gray  pressed  against  the  nearest  wall  in  a  matter  of  moments  with  his  lips  doing  more  than  just  tracing  his  jaw  .  he  swallows  the  SUDDEN  dryness  in  his  throat  as  he  steps  away  and  keeps  the  grin  on  his  face  as  a  way  to  prevent  gray  from  seeing  the  kind  of  effect  he  has  on  charlie  .  ❝  why  would  i  when  you  look  so  cute  when  i  don’t  ??  ❞  charlie  replies  with  a  chuckle  when  gray  pulls  away  with  his  drink  .  he  suddenly  feels  cool  without  gray’s  presence  beside  him  .

slurping at the newly aquired smoothie in hand, caleb, without much effort at all, attempted to dodge the whack coming his way — one he was definitely expecting from charlie, and more than likely deserved. he accepted the blow as he lifted his shoulders to protest the treatment against him. “ i didn’t know how else to say it ! ” he defended himself, mouth wide in amusement and brows raised as he tried to reiterate his previous statement. “ like, worse in a good way. i don’t want you thinkin’ i dislike any part of you. but if you’re really so upset, i guess i can make it up to you somehow. ” caleb of course already had a few ideas, ones that they’d have to find somewhere much quieter to implement properly. he knew charlie wasn’t actually offended considering his terrible attempt at remaining upset, but caleb wouldn’t retract his offer of atonement. “ i got a slushie. it’s mango. or tropical. i don’t know. it’s yellow, though, and NOT lemon, so. though, there might be lemon in it. ” he was unsure, but it was tasty, refreshing, and he felt it was a fair trade as he held it out to charlie. “ it’s yours if you want it. ”

the  snicker  that  passed  through  his  lips  was  INEVITABLE  upon  caleb’s  attempt  to  defend  himself  .  charlie  was  only  messing  with  him  －  not  at  all  upset  by  his  comment  but  it  fun  to  egg  on  the  other  just  to  what  kind  of  reaction  he  would  get  out  of  him  .  ❝  uh  huh  ,  that’s  what  they  all  say  .  ❞  he  teases  ,  the  grin  on  his  lips  pulling  wider  before  it  contorts  into  coquettish  smirk  at  what  caleb  says  next  .  ❝  slowly  working  your  way  back  into  my  good  graces  ,  i  see  .  you  guess  though  ,  hm  ??  depends  on  WHAT  you  have  in  mind  .  ❞  charlie  replies  smoothly  with  an  exaggerated  waggle  of  his  eyebrows  .  whether  caleb’s  comment  was  suggestive  in  nature  with  its  undertones  or  not  ,  he  found  himself  interested  regardless  of  the  outcome  .  caleb’s  offer  INSTANTLY  has  charlie  brightening  and  another  smiles  lights  up  his  features  ,  turning  to  direct  his  gaze  over  to  the  other  boy  .  ❝  i  love  you  .  have  i  ever  mentioned  that  to  you  ??  ❞  charlie  accepts  the  drink  offered  to  him  and  takes  an  immediate  sip  .  the  mango  flavor  overwhelms  his  tastebuds  but  it’s  delicious  —  by  far  more  than  whatever  his  original  smoothie  was  －  and  he  lets  out  an  UNABASHED  moan  .  ❝  this  is  amazing  .  clearly  you  have  better  judgement  than  i  do  .  ❞  he  takes  another  sip  ,  peaking  a  glance  over  to  caleb  as  his  lips  wrap  around  the  straw  in  a  smile  .  there’s  a  pause  before  charlie  retracts  his  mouth  from  the  straw  and  bumps  his  hip  playfully  against  caleb’s  .  ❝  you  know  ,  TECHNICALLY  we  just  kissed  .  ❞

     “come on, let’s go swimming,” he’s impatient, ok? sue him! and besides, he’s even got all of his stuff ready, down to conspicuous smears of sunscreen on his cheeks and a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of his head.

charlie  turned  to  RAISE  an  eyebrow  at  the  brunette  ,  towel  tucked  under  his  arm  and  pausing  in  his  movements  to  retrieve  his  ray-bans  .  ❝  dude  ,  you  need  to  chill  out  .  ❞  he  replies  with  a  shake  of  his  head  and  a  laugh  .  ❝  i  just  need  to  grab  my  sunglasses  and  we’re  good  .  the  pool’s  gonna  be  there  when  we  get  there  －  don’t  WORRY  .  ❞

The Roast Café could easily be described as Mark’s favorite hangout spot in Gristol. The general atmosphere of the place was great, he was friends with some of the baristas there and they had the best chocolate chip cookies in town. That evening he was sipping on his Caramel Macchiato as he watched the view outside. His mind was on this new solo he was rehearsing and how he still needed to work on some of the most complicated moves. Looking up as he heard someone ask him a question, Mark frowned a bit as he watched Prince closely. “They are.” He spoke softly, taking the offered hand on his and squeezing gently to show support. “Alright,  try to stay calm. I’ll help you through this. First, you need to drink some water. Then we’ll have to think of a way for you to spend all of that energy.”  

prince  wasn’t  TYPICALLY  someone  who  had  the  confidence  enough  to  talk  to  strangers  about  minuscule  issues  since  he  had  a  bad  habit  of  caring  TOO  MUCH  of  what  other  people  thought  of  him  .  his  mother  said  he  was  a  textbook  definition  of  a  people  pleaser  and  prince  supposes  to  the  two  go  hand  in  hand  for  not  being  the  best  of  qualities  .  except  for  cases  like  now  where  the  potential  of  being  judged  by  a  stranger  wasn’t  a  thought  in  his  head  when  he  quite  honestly  felt  like  he  was  going  to  jump  out  of  his  own  skin  .  his  growing  caffeine  addiction  could  be  drawn  to  his  job  at  roast  so  maybe  he  had  to  rope  in  his  coworkers  to  help  him  set  a  limit  and  stick  to  it  .  when  the  other  boy  turns  to  address  prince  ,  he  was  mainly  expecting  him  to  inspect  his  extended  hand  rather  than  holding  it  and  proceeding  to  give  it  a  SQUEEZE  .  a  chuckle  passes  through  his  lips  in  reply  and  prince  cocks  his  head  to  the  side  in  thought  .  ❝  i  suppose  this  isn’t  GOOD  then  .  ❞  he  replies  ,  appreciating  the  sincerity  of  the  other  in  his  tone  and  gesture  .  prince  lets  his  gaze  drift  up  to  the  other  boy’s  features  and  offers  him  a  small  smile  .  ❝  i  can  handle  water  .  what  do  you  have  in  mind  for  the  energy  exertion  ??  as  a  heads  up  ,  i  was  a  nerd  in  high  school  and  there’s  a  STRONG  chance  that  i  could  still  be  considered  one  ,  so  running  is  off  the  table  .  physical  exertion  is  not  really  my  speciality  .  ❞

      brown eyes scan the offered drink quickly before studying the face in front of herself, eyebrow raised suspiciously and amused by the reaction. in spite of the voice inside her head, adelaide decidedly grabs the cup with a gracious smirk, eyes still fixed on the other “just so you know, i have nothing on me other than my phone and it’s busted, just… y’know, in case”  her eyes drift to the drink once more with a teasing grin plastered on her face before adding. “it’ll be a no on the straw, i like baby turtles. plus, rumor has it if i drink from the same straw you did, i’ll learn all your secrets.”

charlie  watches  the  blonde  with  AMUSEMENT  dancing  across  his  features  as  she  eyes  him  and  the  drink  suspiciously  .  which  —  understandable  considering  how  creepy  some  guys  are  ,  so  charlie  doesn’t  blame  her  for  hesitating  initially  .  ❝  i’ll  keep  that  in  mind  .  my  phone’s  already  BUSTED  so  at  least  we’re  matching  .  ❞  he  jokes  lightly  in  reply  ,  his  own  grin  appearing  to  match  her’s  .  ❝  is  THAT  how  it  works  ??  what  plans  do  you  have  with  all  my  secrets  then  ??  hopefully  nothing  too  DAMAGING  .  ❞

rhea  frowned  as  she  took  a  sip  of  her  smoothie.  there  was  just  something  about  it.  she  glanced  up  at  the  sound  of  the  individual’s  voice.  was  this  really  the  peach  mango  smoothie  she  ordered  ?  it’d  been  a  first  since  she  visited  this  shop  in  a  while.  “  oh  –––  no  i  think  i’m  good.  i’ve  got  a  smoothie  of  my  own  ,  ”  she  raises  her  cup.  i  don’t  know  if  it’s  me  or  not  ,  but  this  smoothie  doesn’t  taste  like  peach  or  mango.  ”

charlie  doesn’t  mean  to  INTERRUPT  the  peace  and  quiet  of  someone  else  with  his  own  issues  ,  but  he  can’t  help  but  be  curious  if  it  was  just  him  with  a  faulty  smoothie  or  if  he  just  had  horrible  taste  buds  .  he  blinks  over  to  the  brunette  at  her  response  ,  gaze  drifting  down  to  her  own  smoothie  and  it  looks  relatively  FINE  .  well  ,  as  fine  as  smoothies  can  look  ,  charlie  supposes  .  his  looks  fine  too  by  all  standards  of  what  a  smoothie  should  look  like  .  the  debate  was  more  so  on  the  taste  .  ❝  oh  ,  okay  .  ❞  he  accepts  with  a  nod  ,  lips  twisting  down  into  a  slight  frown  at  the  idea  of  throwing  his  drink  away  and  wasting  it  .  he’s  broken  out  of  his  thoughts  when  she  speaks  again  and  his  frown  dissolves  .  ❝  right  ??  same  here  with  me  except  it’s  strawberry  banana  .  do  you  think  they’re  just  giving  everyone  different  flavors  than  what  they  ordered  to  mess  with  us  ??  ❞  he  shakes  his  head  with  a  breathy  chuckle  ,  holding  his  drink  out  to  inspect  it  further  .

         his eyes look over upon prince’s hands, a soft smirk seemingly moving across his lips. it slightly reminds him of some old times during high school, which would explain why jojo decided he was just going to grab prince’s hand and holds onto it; considering he could only imagine what exactly will happen. “why are your hands so shaky? are you okay? do you need water?” he said, that soft smirk still against his lips. “ah… why would you drink so much coffee, prince?” he questions, head tilted a bit. “want me to get you some water to help get the caffeine out of your system?”

if  there  was  one  thing  prince  could  say  he  WASN’T  expecting  it  was  to  be  in  the  company  of  his  old  high  school  crush  .  which  －  he  totally  didn’t  have  any  lingering  feelings  since  it’s  been  a  few  years  since  graduation  and  the  two  only  had  communication  during  jojo’s  tutoring  sessions  .  prince  can  VIVIDLY  remember  how  fidgety  he  got  around  the  other  boy  ,  how  nervous  jojo  had  made  him  because  prince  was  only  human  when  he  was  around  a  cute  boy  ,  okay  ??  and  with  the  abstract  social  structure  of  high  school  popularity  pushed  out  of  the  way  ,  prince  felt  more  comfortable  around  jojo  than  he  would’ve  years  ago  .  well  ,  maybe  had  thought  so  since  the  old  seventeen  year  old  in  him  was  getting  skittish  all  over  again  .  that  was  proven  when  the  sudden  touch  of  jojo  taking  his  hand  had  prince  jump  slightly  ,  chocolate  hues  widening  as  he  gaze  averts  over  to  the  other  .  ❝  uh  －  ❞  prince  fumbles  lamely  ,  eyes  dropping  to  their  interlocked  hands  and  letting  his  shoulder  lift  in  a  lazy  attempt  of  a  shrug  .  ❝  would  you  ACCEPT  a  caffeine  addiction  as  a  feasible  answer  ??  but  as  far  as  being  okay  －  well,  i  guess  that’s  to  be  determined  .  ❞  he  adds  with  no  real  answer  as  to  why  he  suddenly  feels  like  he’s  back  in  high  school  again  when  his  crush  on  the  other  was  long  gone  .  ❝  i  work  at  roast  so  being  surrounded  by  coffee  isn’t  very  helpful  .  i  dunno  ,  it’s  like  autopilot  where  if  i  finish  one  i  just  make  another  .  ❞  a  lighthearted  chuckle  passes  through  his  lips  and  he  looks  back  up  at  jojo  .  ❝  oh  ,  you  DON’T  have  to  ;  i’m  fine  .  i  don’t  wanna  trouble  you  .  ❞