once upon a time, east had a girlfriend. yeah. he knows it's a pretty outlandish idea, considering his personality (and everything else) now. no one really believes it when he brings it up, and he couldn't blame them. he could barely believe it himself sometimes. but alas. as all good and lovely things do, they came to an end. a firey, bitter, throw-things-across-the-room-at-each-other-and-scream-insults type of ending. it was so bad that east, for the first time in 23 years (so his whole life), failed his exams.

oh, how he was whipped for that girl. even if he did a pretty shitty job of showing it. it was one of his biggest regrets even now, how little effort he put into their relationship. how it was misunderstanding after misunderstanding and hoping affectionate hugs and kisses would patch the little holes in their astroid-sized crater of problems.

he could imagine her now. her soft hair he used to play with as she fell asleep in his lap, the cute cheeks he used to pepper kisses on whenever she got mad at him. the books she held in her arms as she walked towards him.

...wait. what?

oops. he wasn't imagining her. she was actually right there, coming towards his study table. emotions rose to his chest. anger? sadness? it was always a blur he couldn't discern. he was about to stand up and ask her why she was approaching him, why she kept fucking with him (even if he started it first) before he froze. realizing that she couldn't see him. east had been sitting at the study table, invisible, people-watching.