This Unbreakable Bond || Chapter 12

 "Kevin? You in there? Kevin, open the door please."

 Kevin was already at the door, but each time he heisitated to let Neko in. He didn't want to know what had become of him and Ama, because he had a pretty good guess that made him feel nauseous. At least she wasn't here now to see him if he cried.

  He opened the door, Neko standing there with her hands in her pockets causually. Despite Kevin's unkempt appearance, he still looked cute in his big t shirt and floppy pants. He looked like a sleepy toddler. The worst of it all was he was holding one of the bed pillows like it was a stuffed animal with both hands and the end tucked over half of his face. Neko laughed.

 "I gotta hand it to umma, she has excellent taste."

 "Um...yea ok. Come in."

 Neko walked in, sitting on the couch and looking at how bland everything was now- no one seemed in the mood to do anything around there anymore. She felt a little guilty.

 "Neko...why do you call her umma? She's the same age as you, if not close by a year."

 Neko smiled. "Because she is a lot smarter than me and teaches me...things. Many things. Val teaches me things too, but mostly for laughs."

 "I know she's smart...and pretty. And funny...and..." he swallowed heavily, shaking his head. "...and she seems like she really cares about you." His eyes went wide suddenly.

 "Omo, she's not talking to Kiseop is she!?"

 "Chill, she's talking to Eli. He'll recover faster."

 "Okay."

Everything was really quiet for a minute, passing in silence as Kevin hunched over a pillow. She spoke first.

 "Kevin...did you do what umma said you did?"

He nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Yea. I screwed up. Big time."

 "What you did...is that something you-"

 "NO! No...not really. I mean...I would never think of..."

 "Use your words, Kevin."

 "I would, but only if Ama wishes. I'd never ever do anything that would upset her. I'm happy just having her here beside me."

 "We all could tell you were star struck the first night you met her."

 "It was that obvious!?"

 "Duh~"

He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, it was kinda hard not to. I liked her personality the most-most girls I know faint when I'm cute with them, but she resisted somehow. I was curious and...before you know it, I was in love with her."

Neko smiled, but it was gone as soon as his face fell. "Now she probably doesn't love me anymore..." his voice cracked, and he put his head on the pillow and screamed.

Neko jumped, shouting "What the hell!?"

 "I'm such an IDIOT!!!"

 "Yes. yes you are."

He looked up at her, smirking. "Okay, I guess I deserved that."

 "You're an idiot for thinking she'll stop loving you just like that."

 Kevin studied her intensely. "What?"

 "She's way more mature than I am, okay? She knows this stuff, and she knows how to handle it. She does love you Kevin, a whole freaking lot, she just has a different way of showing it than you're probably used to."

 "But she...but I-"

 "Okay, so you were drunk. Big deal. Maybe if you acted like that when you were sober, yea she'd drop your ass in a heartbeat. Off a cliff. Into sharks-"

 "Neko..."

 "Hm? Oh yea. Anyway, so you made a mistake. She'll forgive you for that. But if she knew you doubted her she'd he madder than hell."

His eyes widened at that. "Please don't..."

 "I wont. I wont because I like you. I wont because you make umma really happy and giggly and fangirl-y. I wont because you can fix this yourself. You're a big boy. " Neko patted his back and stood up, looking down at him. "Well you cant talk to her looking like THAT! Get up and get ready. My job is done here."

 Kevin watched her leave, but she called behind her as she left. "Hey!"

 "What?"

 "Why do you...do that?"

 "Do what!?"

 "Hug the pillow like that. You fell in love with the pillow now?"

 "No, no I...I used to do this with my stuffed animal. But I didn't think I'd need it, so I left it at home."

Neko smiled. "Oh, okay."

--

 Kiseop was sitting on a swing in the park, not moving, just hunched over with his hair in his face. He waited for Val to come and (hopefully) explain what happened. He was so confused- he had known he did something wrong, but what? Talk to girls? He had always done that- he was champion ulzzang in his high school. So, why did that bother Neko so much? You'd think she'd be happy that he was attractive...

 "Mister?" Excuse me."

Kiseop looked up at a little girl, about five years old with blond pigtails and a pink coat. She looked at him innocently.

 "Why are you crying?"

 "I'm not."

 "Yes you are."

 "No."

 "Uh-uh."

 "Nu-uh!"

They teased each other before the girl rolled her eyes. "Then why are you sad then? Does your tummy hurt?" Well first, Kiseop had no idea what a tummy was. He sighed, thinking about how to say this in English.

 "My girlfriend...she is...mad. At me. I did something bad and now she is not happy. But I dont know what."

The girl looked at him, blinked, and said "Are you stupid?"

 Kiseop's jaw dropped. "But-I-"

 "Yea, he is stupid. You're right."

Kiseop turned to see Val leaning on the swingset, smirking. She motioned for him to join her as she started walking away, the little girl sticking her tongue out.

 "Wow, you're just pissing ALL the girls off today, aren't ya?"

 "Eh?"

 "Nothing. So..."

 "What?"

 "I'm waiting..."

 "Waiting for what!?"

 "The 'IM SORRY'!"

 Kiseop stopped and put his head in his hands. "What did I do!?"

 "You seriously have no idea?" Val stopped and looked at him, frustrated. "Okay. Listen. Imagine I am you."

 "Okay."

 "Would you be happy right now?"

 "Yes." "Why?"

 "I would be with Neko-chan..."

 'You adorable little shit.' "OKAY. so then..." she pointed to a random man walking across the street. "That guy starts talking to her. "

 "Tal-king?"

 "Yes. And laughing. And telling her she is pretty."

Kiseop's jaw hardened a little bit, and Val saw it and smiled. "Are you happy now?"

 "Little less happy."

 "Well, in English that is what we call 'jealous'. That's why Neko is mad."

Kiseop looked at her blankly. "I don't understand..."

"WHAT'S NOT TO UNDERSTAND, YOU MORON!? She doesn't like other girls talking, touching or anything else with you! She is afraid you will be stolen by another girl!"

 Kiseop stared, so Val held up a finger on each hand. "You." She used one finger as a puppet. She held up the other. "Girl." Then she showed the two walk away together.

Kiseop nodded at last. "But I love Neko..."

Val put her hand on his shoulder. "Then show it. Pay attention only to her. She is YOUR girlfriend, right?"

 "...is she?"

Val could have drawn her hand back and slapped him just then, but she didn't.

 "Why don't you ask her?"

 --

 Eli sat on the fountain in the middle of an intersection of Montreal shops, surrrounded by tons of people. He insisted he meet in full view of potential witnesses; Ama did not heistiate to inform him that she could kill him regardless. Now he sat, nervous and constantly searching the crowd for her. Genuinely she scared him, and now that he probably made Val cry she was out for blood.

 "Boo!"

 Eli jumped, falling off the wall and onto the ground while Ama sat in his spot and laughed evilly. He half expected her to help him up, but he decided he had better do it in case she tried to twist his arm off. He sat on the opposite end of the wall, eyeing her anxiously.

 "What's the matter, bird brain? Afraid of the kitty-cat?" She hissed at him and he genuinely flinched.

 "If you're going to kill me, just tell Val I love her!"

 "Really? Because it sure doesn't sound like it."

 "I don't want to live without her, so you're better off killing me anyway..."

 "You SAP! Now you're all lovey? What gives? This is kinda weird coming from some asshole who doesn't care..."

 "I was being lovey then! I really..." he sighed, not knowing how to put it in words. "Can I say something...hoping you will believe me?"

 "I'll be the judge of that, thanks."

 "...I said I didnt care because, honestly, I didn't. V-"

 "That's it, into the fountain you go!"

 "NONONO! Wait wait! Im not done!!!" Ama took her hands off of his jacket slowly, but was ready to run in case he fled. "I didn't care because I wanted to tell her she looked beautiful in everything, it didnt matter what she put on. I would love her even if she doesnt think she is that pretty. She is to me...that's all that matters." He sighed.

Ama eyed him suspiciously, but nodded. "Okay."

 "O-okay!? What's okay?"

"I won't kill you..."

 "Oh thank God-"

 "YET. You f*ck up like this again and you can say goodbye to life, arraso!?"

 She had grabbed his shirt, but released it as if strangling him wasn't of any interest anymore. He was sweating now, waiting in tense silence and afrsid to say anything. "So...you got a plan?"

 "Plan? You mean, to make it up to Val?"

 "No to find buried treasure OF COURSE VAL, STUPID!"

 "Well I...I kinda...its stupid." He smirked. "But I guess if I'M stupid it doesn't matter does it?"

 "Yes, but its just you, not your ideas." She stood up, motioning for him to do the same. She faced him with a cool smile. "I appreciate what you're trying to do for my friend, okay? Never stop making her happy, it's something that benefits everyone. I think you genuinely love her."

 "I really do."

 "Good."

She suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a quick thank you hug, which he didn't know how to react to.

 "W-why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden, Ama?"

 "So I wont feel so bad when I do this-" She raised her knee and brought it to his groin...HARD. Eli's eyes bulged and he dropped to his knees, writhing on the frozen ground in pain. People passed and watched as Ama stood over him like a warrior while he rolled around.

 "Owww~ DAMN you have a hard knee!"

 "Get your ass up and go apologize."

 "Yes...maam."