#andteam masterlist

⟡ one

⟡ two

⟡ three

⟡ four

⟡ five

⟡ six

⟡ seven

⟡ eight — smut heavy

⟡ nine — smut heavy

⟡ ten

⟡ eleven

⟡ twelve

© sugarushwriting™

⚠︎ this is a work of fiction, hence, FANFICTION. the way i write the following characters [real life people] is in no way shape or form to represent them in reality.

Yuma leaned back in his chair, grinning as he scooped a spoonful of rice. “I can’t wait for the festival feast. The mooncakes are always gone in seconds — I’m not losing this year.”

“That’s because you eat like three at once!” EJ laughed, shaking his head as he reached for another dumpling. “I’m making sure I grab my share before you.”

Maki’s eyes lit up as he leaned forward eagerly. “And the lantern release! I’ve already thought about what wish I’m going to write on mine.”

Their voices overlapped, bright and unrestrained. Soon, the talk drifted from food and celebrations into something softer, more whimsical.

“I hope she likes cuddles,” EJ said suddenly, a shy smile on his lips as he rested his chin on his palm. “It’d be nice to have someone who doesn’t mind me holding onto them.”

“When I meet my mate,” Maki added, his tone gentle but certain, “she’ll be my bestest friend ever. We’ll do everything together.”

“I bet my mate will be as pretty as the stars!!” Taki declared, pointing dramatically toward the ceiling as though the heavens themselves were listening. His eyes sparkled with mischief and hope, earning a round of laughter from the others.

Yuma smirked, though there was a softness behind it. “I know my mate will be as beautiful as her heart,” he said, voice full of conviction.

Their words carried a kind of youthful glow, warm and bright like the lanterns strung outside. They laughed, teased, painted pictures of dreamlike futures that hadn’t arrived yet but felt close enough to touch.

Amid the lively voices, Nicholas sat at the far end of the table, quietly focused on his plate. He poked at his food, listening, but offering no comments of his own. Normally, he’d be the first to throw in a joke, to tease Taki for being dramatic, or to one-up EJ with some outlandish claim about mates. But today, he simply chewed his rice in silence, eyes downcast, his usual mischief nowhere to be found.

Taki, noticing, tilted his head. He leaned across the table slightly, curiosity bright in his expression.

“Hey, Nicho,” he called, drawing everyone else’s attention. “What do you think your mate will be like?”

The room stilled almost instantly, the laughter tapering off. All eyes turned to Nicholas, expecting the playful grin, the sly remark, the sarcasm that was so typically him.

But Nicholas didn’t grin. He set his chopsticks down slowly, staring at his plate for a long moment. The weight of the silence stretched until, at last, his voice came — quiet, almost too quiet for a boy who was usually so quick to fill the air.

“…I don’t think I’ll have a mate.”

The words dropped heavily, cutting through the warmth of the room like a sudden gust of cold wind.

The silence hung thick in the air, broken only by the faint clink of a spoon against a bowl somewhere down the table. Nicholas didn’t look up, his fingers idly tracing the edge of his plate.

Taki blinked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“What? Why??” he asked, his voice a little louder than usual, like he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just heard. “Everyone has a mate!”

Beside him, Yuma nodded firmly, his expression serious.

“Yeah. Every person is paired up with someone who’s completely their match. It’s… it’s just how it works.” His tone softened at the end, like he was trying to remind Nicholas of something obvious, something comforting.

Maki leaned forward, his wide eyes full of worry. “Nicholas… you don’t really believe that, do you?”

Nicholas finally lifted his gaze, and the usual spark in his eyes was gone. There was no teasing smile, no mischievous tilt to his lips — only a shadow of something heavier, older than the boy sitting at the table.

“…I do.” His voice was steady, but quiet.

EJ frowned, setting his chopsticks down. “But why? Who told you that?”

For a moment, Nicholas didn’t answer. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and his gaze drifted toward the lanterns swaying outside the window. Their glow painted his face in pale light, making him look almost ghostly.

“Since I was little,” he began, his voice low, “there was this story… the kind that gets whispered when you’re young, so it sticks in your bones. It said there’s no love waiting for someone without parents. That being abandoned meant you were cursed. And the cursed…” he hesitated, the word scraping at his throat, “don’t have mates.”

The table was silent again. Even the usual background hum of the estate seemed to fade.

Nicholas gave a short, humorless laugh, his fingers tightening around his fork.

“So while everyone else dreams about their soulmates… I don’t. Because mine doesn’t exist.”

The silence pressed heavy against the walls until Yuma finally spoke, his voice gentle but firm.

“Nicholas… that’s just a story,” he said, leaning forward, his eyes steady on him. “Old stories don’t decide who we are. Everyone has a mate. Especially people who deserve it—people like you.”

Nicholas’s lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. It was a bitter, dry chuckle, as if Yuma’s kindness only twisted the ache deeper. He shook his head slowly.

“If I was abandoned by my own birth parents,” he murmured, his tone laced with quiet self-mockery, “what makes you think I could ever have a mate who loves me?”

The words hit harder than any silence could.

EJ set his chopsticks down completely, his brows drawn tight. His voice, usually lighthearted, carried a steady warmth now.

“Being abandoned doesn’t mean no one will ever love you,” he said firmly. “It just means the ones who were supposed to didn’t know how. That’s on them—never on you.”

Nicholas’s gaze flickered, his eyes searching the table for a moment before dropping back to his plate. He didn’t argue, but he didn’t agree either. Instead, he let out another quiet breath, as though he’d already worn this conversation thin in his own head a hundred times before.

For a moment, no one spoke. The clatter of the dining hall from the other side of the estate felt far away, muffled, as if the whole world was holding its breath.

Then Taki leaned forward, his eyes wide and earnest as he fixed them on Nicholas.

“I’m sure you have one!” he said quickly, his voice almost tripping over itself in its urgency. “I know it! People who are abandoned… they deserve love too.”

Nicholas blinked, taken aback by the sheer conviction in Taki’s tone.

“Love doesn’t have an ideal type,” Taki pressed on, shaking his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes. “Everyone can love! That means you too, Nicho.”

The table was quiet, all of them watching the way Nicholas’s lips parted just slightly, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. His eyes lowered again, shadowed by the lantern light spilling in through the window.

He gave a small, humorless smile. “…You say that like it’s so simple.”

Taki frowned, his chest tightening. “It is simple,” he insisted softly. “You’re not cursed. You’re not broken. You’re just… you. And that’s enough for someone to love.”

Nicholas exhaled slowly, almost like he was afraid to breathe too deep, afraid the moment might shatter. His fingers tapped lightly against the edge of his plate, the restless habit betraying the storm inside.

The air still felt heavy, like the lanterns outside weren’t glowing quite as bright. Taki’s words lingered in the silence, fragile yet stubborn, as if daring Nicholas to believe them.

Nicholas only shook his head slightly, that same dry curve tugging at his lips, though his eyes betrayed something more—something brittle.

Before the weight could settle deeper, Maki’s gentle voice broke through.

“Then…” Maki hesitated for only a second, his small smile nervous but warm, “you should come with us to the festival.”

Nicholas glanced up, confused. “The festival?”

“Yeah,” Maki said, his eyes crinkling with the kind of hope only he could carry. “Even if you don’t find your mate there… you might just find something else.”

Nicholas tilted his head, almost suspicious. “Something else?”

Maki nodded earnestly. “Happiness. Or a memory worth keeping. Or—” he paused, thinking carefully before finishing, “—maybe even a reason to believe again.”

The table went quiet once more, but this time it wasn’t the suffocating kind of silence. It was softer, almost tentative, as though the words had cracked a small window open in a locked room.

Nicholas looked down at his hands, his throat tightening against a response he couldn’t quite form. Finally, he muttered under his breath, “You guys really don’t give up, do you?”

“Not on you,” EJ said simply, lifting his cup in an unspoken toast.

Nicholas’s fingers drummed lightly against the edge of his plate, his gaze still fixed on the patterns in the wood grain as if they might give him an answer. He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either — just sat there with that guarded look in his eyes.

Sensing the hesitation, EJ leaned forward, his tone steady but gentle.

“It doesn’t have to be about finding love,” he said, his words calm, deliberate. “The festival can just be… a night of having fun. Spending time with your pack mates.”

Nicholas finally looked up, caught off guard by the phrasing.

“Our pack,” EJ repeated firmly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “That’s what we are, right? And festivals are supposed to be about celebrating together. You don’t need a mate to enjoy that.”

Yuma nodded in agreement, his expression soft. “Yeah. You don’t need to go searching for anything. Just be with us.”

“And eat as much as you want!” Maki added quickly, his grin wide as though he could lighten the mood with sheer brightness alone. “We’ll make sure you don’t miss a single mooncake.”

Taki leaned closer, resting his chin in his hand. “See? No curses. Just food, fun, and us.”

Their voices overlapped, their smiles genuine, and for the first time since the question had been asked, Nicholas’s shoulders loosened just a little. He exhaled through his nose, not quite a laugh, but not as sharp as before either.

“…You guys are too much.” His voice was quiet, but there was a faint warmth beneath it.

—

The first night of the Moon Festival arrived in a blaze of color and sound. Lanterns lined every street, glowing gold and silver like fallen stars. The air was alive with the mingling scents of roasted chestnuts, grilled skewers, and sweet red bean cakes. Musicians played lively tunes while children darted between the stalls, their laughter ringing like bells.

Despite telling himself he wouldn’t come, Nicholas found himself pulled along anyway — courtesy of Taki’s relentless emotional blackmail and Yuma’s well-timed sighs of disappointment. And of course, those cursed puppy eyes. Nicholas was many things, but resistant to that look? Never.

So here he was, wrapped in a simple blue yukata that contrasted with the pale glow of the lanterns, chewing thoughtfully on a candied apple. The sticky sweetness coated his tongue as he walked through the bustling crowd with the others.

He was having fun — there was no denying it. Taki’s excitement was infectious, Maki had already dragged him to a stall for games, and EJ had nearly started a competition over who could eat the most dumplings. For brief stretches of time, Nicholas let himself laugh and forget.

But every so often, his gaze would wander. He caught glimpses of K and Fuma in the crowd, each smiling as their hands brushed against the people they’d come with. Other festival-goers strolled hand-in-hand, their faces glowing with the kind of warmth Nicholas couldn’t quite name.

An ache stirred in his chest, a quiet, familiar envy. He told himself not to dwell on it — after all, he wasn’t supposed to have a mate. Yet the sight left him hollow in ways he couldn’t push aside.

Lost in thought, Nicholas didn’t notice when the group’s laughter faded behind him. One turn led to another, and before he realized it, he had strayed past the lantern-lit stalls and down a quieter path.

The noise of the festival dimmed, replaced by the soft whisper of wind through trees. He found himself at the edge of the forest bordering the venue, where moonlight spilled silver across the leaves. Wandering deeper, he reached a small clearing, a rock overlooking the glow of the festival below.

Nicholas sat, candied apple in hand, absently chewing as he watched the sea of lanterns dance in the night breeze. For a moment, it felt like he was watching a world he didn’t quite belong to.

“I swear, the couples get more every year.”

The sudden voice startled him. He turned sharply.

There, not far from where he sat, stood a girl. Her long dark hair shimmered faintly under the moonlight, white flowers tucked delicately into the strands. She wore a white kimono embroidered with silver motifs that caught the light like scattered stars, a pearly bag hanging at her side. Her nails — long, sharp, and pearlescent white — gleamed faintly as she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Nicholas blinked, taken aback. She looked ethereal, almost as if she’d stepped straight out of one of the festival legends themselves.

The girl’s eyes widened slightly when she realized he was staring. For a second, she looked almost caught, then she offered a small, apologetic smile.

“Oh—sorry. I’m Nami,” she said, her voice calm but carrying a softness that seemed to linger in the air.

Nicholas straightened a little, his candied apple still in hand. “…Nicholas.”

Nami nodded thoughtfully, repeating the name under her breath as if to commit it to memory. Her gaze drifted back down to the glowing sprawl of the festival beneath them before returning to him.

“Came alone?”

He shook his head, the corners of his mouth twitching faintly. “No. Came with my pack.”

Her eyes flickered knowingly, lips curving just slightly. “Ah… werewolf.”

That made Nicholas glance at her more closely, narrowing his eyes just a touch. Something about her presence felt different—like she belonged to the night itself. His gaze dropped to her hand, to the sharp gleam of her long white nails catching the moonlight.

“Are those nails real?” he asked bluntly, nodding toward them.

Nami raised her hand to eye level, her expression amused. “These? Yeah. Defense mechanism.”

Nicholas let out a short hum of approval, leaning back on his palms. “Interesting.” His eyes studied her openly now, his usual guarded humor flickering back in. “What are you, anyway? Usually I can get a hint from scent… but all I’m picking up is the flowers in your hair.”

Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “I’m a white tiger.”

The words hung between them, carried by the hush of the wind and the distant festival music.

Nicholas tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. A white tiger. Rare. Elusive. Beautiful. He had heard of them, but never seen one—until now.

Nicholas raised a brow, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “A white tiger, huh… I’ve never met one before.”

Nami tilted her head, a playful glint sparking across her sharp features. “Liar,” she said simply. “You just did. Me.”

That earned a low chuckle from Nicholas, the sound breaking through the cool air. He shook his head, amused, before letting out a sigh. His hand reached into the small cloth bag at his side, rummaging until he pulled something free.

“I have an extra,” he said, holding it out casually. “Do you want it?”

Nami’s eyes widened, and she gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hand. “Can I?”

Nicholas huffed another laugh, the corner of his lips twitching upward. “Yeah.”

She accepted it with both hands, as though he’d handed her something precious instead of just a candied apple. “Thank you,” she murmured before carefully peeling the wrapper back. She took her first bite, the crunch echoing faintly in the quiet forest. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she made a muffled sound of delight.

“Did you know,” she said between munches, her voice laced with satisfaction, “I love candied apples?”

Nicholas leaned back on his palms, watching her expression with something softer than he intended. He raised his own apple and took a slow bite. “No,” he admitted, smirking faintly, “but I do now.”

The festival music drifted faintly from below, the glow of lanterns swaying like stars scattered across the earth. For the first time that night, Nicholas didn’t feel like he was looking down on a world he couldn’t belong to—because here, beside him, was someone who felt just as untouchable as he thought he was.

Nami nibbled another bite of her candied apple, her expression softening as she glanced down at the glowing festival lights. “You know… I usually skip the festival,” she admitted, her voice almost thoughtful. “But this year I decided to just… stroll by. And I’m happy I did.”

Her eyes flickered back to him, lips curving faintly. “Because otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you. It’s rare for me to meet other people.”

Nicholas paused mid-bite, his gaze studying her more closely. “Funny,” he said, smirking faintly. “I wasn’t planning on attending either. Got dragged here. But…” His voice trailed, then came quieter, more honest. “I’m glad I came.”

For a moment, silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant echo of drums and laughter from below. Then curiosity got the better of him, and he tilted his head. “Why’s it rare for you to meet people?”

Nami didn’t answer right away. Instead, she lifted her hand and pointed toward the horizon. Her sharp white nails caught the moonlight as she gestured to a towering silhouette in the distance — a snowy mountain, its peak glittering faintly under the silver glow of the full moon.

“See that mountain over there?” she asked softly.

Nicholas followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing at the pale outline.

“Yeah,” Nami said, her voice gentler now. “I’m from there. It used to be filled with other white tigers… but I’m the only one left.”

Her words settled like a hush in the air, heavier than the night wind, yet carried with a quiet strength.

Nicholas blinked at her words, his chest tightening in a way he hadn’t expected. He studied her profile as she stared at the mountain — so calm, so composed — and yet her words carried the kind of ache he knew too well.

“The only one left…” he murmured, his voice low. For a moment, he was quiet, chewing the inside of his cheek before finally speaking again. “I get that. Not the same, but… I was an orphan. Left behind by my parents before I even knew them.”

Nami turned, her silver-flecked eyes catching his.

He gave a dry little laugh, though it lacked humor. “There was this story I grew up with… that kids without parents are cursed. That people like me don’t get mates.” He shrugged, trying to play it off, though his grip on the candied apple stick tightened slightly. “So yeah. I know what it feels like to be… the only one.”

Nami’s lips parted as though to say something, but instead she just looked at him — really looked — her expression softening as if she saw right through the walls he tried to keep up.

“I don’t think you’re cursed,” she said finally, her voice steady but quiet. “And I don’t think being left behind means you’re unworthy. Maybe it just means… your story isn’t finished yet.”

For the first time in a long while, Nicholas found himself at a loss for words.

Nami’s gaze lingered on her free hand resting on her lap, the faint moonlight tracing the curve of her sharp nails. A small chuckle escaped her lips, soft but tinged with something wistful.

“My grandmother told me once that I might have a mate too… if I’m lucky.” She paused, the candied apple stick dangling loosely from her other hand. “But she said it’d take a while for him to appear.”

She gave a little laugh at her own words, shaking her head as though trying to brush it off. “Crazy lady she was. I can’t believe I used to believe her. But well…” She exhaled a long sigh, her smile faint and crooked. “Might as well just wait and see if the said mate makes his grand entrance.”

Nicholas tilted his head slightly, watching her with quiet curiosity. There was something in her tone — half teasing, half vulnerable — that mirrored too much of what he’d been thinking about earlier at the estate.

He shifted the half-eaten apple in his hand, his usual mischievous quips nowhere to be found. Instead, his voice came out quieter than he expected.

“Maybe she wasn’t so crazy after all,” he muttered, almost to himself.

Nami blinked, glancing at him, as if unsure she heard him right.

Nicholas didn’t elaborate — not yet. He simply returned to chewing his apple, his gaze drifting back toward the glowing festival lanterns below.

But in the pit of his stomach, a strange warmth was beginning to stir.

Nicholas let the silence hang for a beat before the corner of his mouth tugged upward. “A grand entrance, huh?” he said, leaning just slightly toward her, his voice carrying that familiar teasing edge. “So if I’d walked in with fireworks or descended from the sky, would that have counted?”

Her eyes snapped back to him, caught off guard, before she let out a laugh — light, genuine, and brighter than before. “That’s exactly what I meant! You should’ve come flying in on a cloud, maybe with a marching band behind you.”

Nicholas chuckled, finally biting the last piece of his candied apple. “Sorry to disappoint. All I had was this apple and my feet.”

“You call that a grand entrance?” she teased, holding up the apple he’d given her like it was evidence.

“Hey, don’t underestimate it,” he shot back with a smirk. “Got you smiling, didn’t it?”

Her laughter softened into a smile that lingered, and for a moment, the playful banter faded into a quiet sort of warmth between them.

Nicholas, usually the loudest and most mischievous among his pack, found himself strangely content just sitting here — teasing her, hearing her laugh, and wondering why the idea of “grand entrances” suddenly didn’t seem so ridiculous anymore.

Nicholas smiled faintly as he dug into the sleeve of his yukata, pulling out two neatly folded sheets of colored origami paper. He smoothed one out on his knee and held the other out toward her.

“I wasn’t gonna buy it,” he admitted, shaking his head with a wry grin. “But Taki—my younger brother—pressured me into getting this. Said it’s tradition to make a wish during the festival.” He shrugged, offering the sheet to her. “Since we’re both alone, we might as well just… make a wish.”

Nami blinked at the paper, then at him, and a smile slowly spread across her face as she reached out to take it. “Not a bad idea,” she said softly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. Then her tone shifted, playful and teasing. “But I hope you know how to make a swallow.”

Nicholas opened his mouth, ready with a confident retort, when realization hit him like a brick. His gaze darted to the paper in his hands, then back at her, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Uh…” He froze, ears tinting red. “About that…”

Nami raised a brow, biting back a grin as she watched him falter.

Nicholas rubbed the back of his neck, laughter bubbling up despite the flush creeping across his cheeks. “Okay, you caught me. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Nami chuckled, the sound light and melodic, making the embarrassment sting a little less. “It’s fine. Luckily for you,” she said, lifting her own sheet of paper with a flourish, “I happen to be very good at it.”

Nicholas leaned back on his hands, shaking his head with a laugh. “Figures. I finally meet someone new, and she immediately finds out one of my weaknesses.”

“You make it sound like a tragedy,” Nami teased, carefully folding the paper with graceful fingers. “But maybe it’s just fate… that you’d need someone else to finish this with you.”

Nicholas watched her hands move, the precise, practiced motions turning the paper into something more than a simple sheet. And for reasons he couldn’t explain, his chest felt just a little lighter.

Nami finished the last fold on her sheet and held up a perfect little paper swallow. “There. First one’s done.” She passed it into Nicholas’s hand before casually reaching for the sheet on his lap.

“Hey—” he started, but she was already unfolding it with nimble fingers.

“Relax,” she said with a small laugh, her sharp nails surprisingly gentle against the paper. “I’ll teach you while I make this one.”

Nicholas leaned closer, watching as she folded. “Okay, you start with the corners like this…” she explained, guiding his hands at certain steps. Every time their fingers brushed, his heart gave a little thump he tried to ignore. He followed her instructions, and though his folds weren’t as neat as hers, by the end he was holding his own swallow.

“See?” she said brightly, holding both their birds up side by side. “Now we just have to make a wish and let them fly.”

She cupped her swallow gently in both palms, closed her eyes, and smiled, the moonlight catching in her long dark lashes and silver motifs on her kimono. She looked… ethereal.

Nicholas glanced down at his own swallow, ready to make a wish, but his gaze inevitably slid back to her. His chest tightened — she looked so peaceful, so radiant — and he realized he couldn’t think of anything to wish for at all. Words left him completely.

Then her eyes fluttered open, catching him staring. He startled, quickly looking away, heat crawling up the back of his neck.

“Did you make a wish?” she asked softly.

“Y-yeah,” he answered too quickly, clutching his swallow.

She didn’t press, just smiled and rose gracefully to her feet. He stood with her, both of them holding their folded birds close.

Nami tilted her head back, her smile widening as she exhaled over the little paper bird in her palms. The breeze caught it almost instantly, carrying it into the night sky. Nicholas followed a beat later, releasing his own swallow. His bird soared after hers, trailing closely behind like it had chosen to follow.

Nami lifted her hand and waved playfully to the tiny origami figures as they spun and glided into the distance. “Safe travels,” she whispered, her voice warm.

Beside her, Nicholas found himself smiling too — and for once, he didn’t feel cursed at all.

Nicholas kept his eyes on the fading swallows a moment longer before turning back to her. “So,” he said casually, shifting his weight, “what did you wish for?”

Nami’s head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing playfully. She let out a soft scoff, crossing her arms with mock indignation. “I didn’t make the wish just for it to not come true because I told you,” she teased, her tone dripping with obvious amusement. “Don’t you know? Wishes don’t come true if you tell them to others.”

Nicholas blinked, then chuckled, shaking his head. “Right. Guess I walked straight into that one.”

“You really did.” Nami smirked, satisfied, before brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

He watched her with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, the earlier heaviness in his chest feeling lighter. For once, instead of envy or doubt, there was a quiet comfort — like maybe he wasn’t as alone as he thought.

Nami opened her mouth as if to say something more, but before the words could leave her lips, a voice rang out through the trees.

“Nicho! Where are you? It’s time to go!”

The sound made him stiffen. He turned his head toward the festival lights below, then back to her.

“Time to go?” she asked gently.

Nicholas glanced down at the ground, his thumb running over the edge of the paper wrapper still in his hand. “I suppose…” he murmured, his voice quieter than usual.

Nami’s smile softened. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. For a heartbeat, Nicholas froze — not because he disliked it, but because he wasn’t used to something so warm, so unguarded. And yet, the moment her arms settled around him, he swore he felt something shift inside, a strange warmth unfurling in his chest.

“It was nice meeting you,” she said against his shoulder, pulling back just slightly. Then she chuckled, her eyes glittering with playful mischief. “You’re supposed to hug me back, you know. White tiger rule.” She tilted her chin up, her tone completely matter-of-fact.

Nicholas blinked at her, and despite himself, a small smile tugged at his lips.

Nicholas hesitated only a moment before finally lifting his arms and wrapping them around her. It was awkward at first — stiff, uncertain — but as soon as he settled into the embrace, something strange stirred in his chest. A warmth, steady and unfamiliar, spread through him, like a quiet fire had been lit inside.

When they pulled apart, Nami’s smile was soft, her eyes glimmering as if she were about to say something important—

—but before she could, the sound of grass shuffling broke the moment.

Nicholas tensed, his head snapping toward the noise. A familiar voice cut through the night.

“Nicho? Nicho! Thank goodness! I thought you got lost!”

Taki burst into view, relief written all over his face as he sprinted toward him.

“I was just talking to—” Nicholas turned quickly, but the words caught in his throat. The spot where Nami had been standing was empty. No trace of her… except for a tiny white origami tiger resting neatly on the rock.

His chest tightened as he bent down to pick it up, the delicate folds sitting perfectly in his palm.

Taki blinked at it curiously. “What’s that?”

Nicholas stared at the little paper tiger, then lifted his gaze toward the distant snowy mountains she had pointed out earlier. His lips curved faintly, almost secretively.

“Something special,” he mumbled, tucking the origami into his sleeve.

Taki tilted his head but didn’t push, simply tugging at Nicholas’s arm. “Come on, everyone’s waiting.”

As they started back down the trail, Nicholas slowed for a moment, a faint sound brushing against his ears — the soft shuffle of leaves, heavier than the wind. He turned.

Between the trees, bathed in moonlight, stood a white tiger. Larger than most, its silver-striped fur glistened faintly as its sharp eyes met his. Hidden in the shadows, yet unmistakably there.

Nicholas’s lips curved into a small, almost instinctive smile. He raised a hand in a gentle wave.

The tiger tilted her head ever so slightly, as though acknowledging him, before turning silently and disappearing into the woods.

Nicholas lingered just a breath longer, heart beating strangely in his chest, before finally following Taki back toward the festival lights.

That's it for this one!

I'm definitely gonna let them reunite so don't worry guys! If you like it this way it's fine! But for those who might want a part where they meet again, I'll be making a separate part! 🐺

I hope y'all liked it 🥹