Complete 18+ Private Don't Wanna Be Your Friend

[Yugam]

As the pair finished up their meal, Ari began to pack away the boxes, tucking the chopsticks away inside to be thrown away later. The pair sat side by side, Ari gently leaning towards the girl to touch shoulders with her as they watched the sun set. It had long since dipped beneath the horizon line, and it would be dark soon. But there was enough to enjoy each other's presence for a while longer.

"This is a really nice spot," Valeria said as she took another sip of wine, Ari picking up his own, suddenly reminded of the spirit. "I'm surprised more people aren't here enjoying the sunset."
"Yeah, I dunno why people don't come here, to be honest," the man said as he set his glass back down. "Its a good spot." A part of the man had already filed the location away as 'their spot', though he did not say it.

With the night encroaching, the man reached into the cooler one last time, pulling out two small bowls. Grabbing a couple of spoons, the man handed one of the bowls and a spoon to Val. "Acai bowl," the man explained, as he handed the bowl filled with a purple, frozen mixture and fruit. "We used to make them at the deli I worked at during the summers. They're better with some raw honey but," the man shrugged. "These'll have to do I guess."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

He leaned closer, his shoulder brushing against her own, and the girl giggled before returning the gesture and allowing the touch to linger. The sun had finally dipped over the horizon, and soon the last few rays of sunshine would fade away as the stars and moon took their places in the night sky. "It's a good spot." She nodded in agreement before taking another sip of her glass, it was a great spot—even if it seemed mostly overlooked and forgotten.

"Guess it’s just taken for granted… sometimes it’s hard to see the value of things until they’re gone."

A lesson she’d learned the hard way growing up, and one that she was reminded of coming out here to Hawaii. She’d been so eager to leave home, desperate to escape, that Valeria had never considered she’d actually miss parts of the island. No… that’s not quite right, I guess. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising that this unassuming spot was seemingly ignored by most…

It was then the man shifted, causing the blonde to shift her weight away as Ari reached into the cooler once more. "Acai bowl," he proclaimed as a small bowl and a spoon was handed over, and the girl’s eyes almost lit up in response. "No way, for real?!" The wine glass was placed down once more, hands taking hold of the offered items before confirming the purple and frozen mixture within.

"I haven’t had one of these in ages," She carefully took a spoonful of the contents, a happy hum leaving the girl as she enjoyed the cool and refreshing treat—there was little doubt that Val was quite the food motivated individual. "These used to be all over the island when I was growing up, I loved trying new combinations whenever I stopped by a little truck close to my school."

Sure, these might lack the raw sweetness that bees worked so hard to provide… but the present company more than made up for that. "My favorite one had granola, strawberries, blackberries, mini dark chocolate chips, sliced almonds, and—of course—honey~"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Guess it's just taken for granted… sometimes it's hard to see the value of things until they're gone."
Ari nodded gently. Though sad, it was true. Too often people failed to see the value of what they had until it was already gone, the opportunity missed. Ari had almost made the mistake once, and he wasn't quite keen on letting it happen again.

The somber moment passed quickly though, hardly a blink of an eye. A happy exclamation left Valeria's lips as Ari brought out their dessert and handed it to her. "Oh thank god someone other than health nuts know what I'm talking about," the man said sighed in exaggerated relief. "Most of the time people just look at me like I'm fuckin' insane when I talk about these things. Don't know what they're missin' out on."

Spooning a bit for himself the man returned to his contented sitting, a smile on his face. Acai was surprisingly hard to find on this side of the island. Thankfully the owner of the market he'd used to work at when he was younger remembered him and let him by a few packets off of her. And made him taste test a number of different peppers...his mouth was still tingling from that.

"I always went simple," the man replied after Valeria had given a short list of her own favorite toppings. "Granola, strawberries, blueberries, honey, and you're golden." Coincidently, the majority of those ingredients had made it onto the little bowls.

Ari kept spooning little spoonfuls of frozen acai into his mouth in silence as night began to overtake them. Light only dimly shown now as the pair enjoyed the desserts. "So, Val," Ari said, setting aside his bowl now that it had been finished. "I...ah, fuck, look I'm really bad at this sorta thing." The man ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to find the right words. "I really like you. And I know we said we'd take things slow and stuff but...Would you like to start goin' out?" That wasn't quite right. "I mean like, dating. You and me. A couple. Together and- ya know what, I'm gonna shut up...just...'yes' or 'no' please..."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Pffft, clearly you need to hang out with better people." She wasn’t sure when the phase swept the island, all the blonde knew it was already a thing when she was growing up, but she couldn’t help but chuckle at Ari’s comment. "They’re all missing out though, this thing is delicious~"

She was enjoying the time spent with the man, naturally closing the little distance that had remained between them after he’d settled down back onto his spot once more. Her shoulder pressed against his, the touch comforting and familiar, while she spooned some more of the treat into her mouth.

"That’s a good combination too, but you’re def missing out~" Blueberries was a good pick though, and one Val used whenever blackberries weren’t available. "The dark chocolate pairs sooo good with the strawberries, and the sliced almonds add a nice and nutty flavor."

She sighed contently after eating the last bit, the little bowl and spoon placed down and to the side so she could enjoy the last moments of the sunset with the man. It wasn’t until his voice called out her name that the blonde took her gaze away from the view, her head tilting slightly to one side as she noticed Ari rub the back of his neck nervously. "Ari…? Everything alright?" It wasn’t common to see him like this, and it caused Val to shift in place as she turned to glance better at the man.

"Would you like to start goin' out?"

Concern had given way to surprise, before that burning sensation returned to the skin on her cheeks. The warmth extended further than before, tickling the tip of her ears before a hand rose to nervously tuck some of the blonde strands behind it. ”—ya know what, I'm gonna shut up...just...'yes' or 'no' please..." At one point he’d begun to stumble over his own words, a first that she’d ever witnessed from him, and it helped soothe her own jumbled up nerves.

"Yes, Ari." A light chuckle escaped her, though the rosy hue on her cheeks remained as the butterflies continued to dance inside her chest. "I’d like to be yours again, for more than a w-week this time around…" The color on her cheeks deepened, and despite her best attempt her voice eventually faltered a bit. "I-If you’ll be mine, too."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Okay, you're gonna think I'm crazy," the man said as Valeria continued to impress the deliciousness of dark chocolate and almonds on acai, "but I'm not a huge fan of sweets. And I hate chocolate with anything fruit. Except strawberries, I guess." And acai plus chocolate. Ari had it. And it hadn't impressed him. Maybe there was just something that was wired incorrectly in the man's head, but he'd never really cared for the combination, where as most people seemed to enjoy it.

There was a brief pause wherein Valeria didn't respond, and Ari's breath caught in his throat. Suddenly everything seemed like a terrible, terrible mistake. He probably shouldn't have said anything and just left things as they were. After all, with everything that had happened he had been presumptuous that, despite what she'd said after they'd spoken following the fight with the Everwhite, she'd actually be interested in a relationship. It was better to fade away like he always did and save them both the pain and trouble.

"Yes, Ari," Valeria said, accompanied with a small chuckle. The breath that had been caught in Ari's throat finally released itself, and the man drew in the most refreshing breath of his entire life. "I'd like to be yours again, for more than a w-week this time around…" A grin slowly spread across the man's face as he listened to Val speak, the confidence with which she had at first affirmed fading into that girlish nervousness that Ari always found to be so endearing. "I-If you'll be mine, too."

The man's hand crept over to her's, finger slipping between each other and intertwining as the man gently squeezed the girl's hand. For a brief moment, the man just took a moment to look at Valeria, before he leaned in slowly and placed a tender kiss on her lips. Ari pulled back just enough to look into Valeria's amber eyes as he answered back. "Of course."

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"I don’t like sweets too much," That right there was a truth , if anything the girl often got cloyed up fairly quickly with most of them. "But dark chocolate isn’t as sickeningly sweet as most stuff out there, and it pairs really well with strawberries sooo…"

Valeria gave a shrug of her shoulders as the sentence peppered off into nothingness, figuring her point had been made. Truth be told she had yet to find herself tired by dark chocolate specifically, though she’d found her limits within it—somewhere between 88% and 92% cacao. The nerves had gotten the best of her for a moment, a silent stretching between the pair, at least until she’d found her voice once more… for the most part at least.

Her confession, and her feelings, were now out in the open; and the blush that spread along the girl’s cheeks was visible evidence that she was aware of that fact. Her gaze had shifted away from him as the last words were spoken, focusing instead on a random spot within the beach towel they were sitting on, until his hand shifted towards her own.

Their fingers entwined with ease, finding no resistance as his fingers snuck in-between hers. She squeezed back in return, a silent confirmation of their shared feelings and thoughts, before her gaze got caught in his. By the time Ari had leaned in closer, a tender kiss pressed to her lips, the girl had closed her own eyes as a faint smile pulled at the edges of her lips.

"Of course."
"You mean it?"

A foolish question given that the man had been the one to initiate this conversation, but one that poured out of her nonetheless… still willing to give Ari a way out of this if he were to regret his choice, even as she unconsciously bit onto the side of her bottom lip. She stared straight into his own gaze as her question was voiced out, searching for an answer in the depths of his dark brown eyes… though she hoped it was aligned with her own feelings.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"You mean it?"
The question slipped from between Valeria's lips. It wasn't entirely unexpected, given all they'd been through. But even if it had been, Ari was wholly prepared to answer it. A short nod, accompanied by a hummed "Mhmm!" who's tone lilted upwards at towards the end with a note of happiness. She could ask as many times as she wanted, and the answer would still be same.

The man leaned in close again, this time planting a soft kiss on Valeria's cheek, before the man settled back in his seat, a mite closer to Valeria than he was before. Their shoulders pressed together, fingers still intertwined, as Ari leaned against the girl and let his gaze lift towards the sky and the bright stars. This side of the island was dark, the small town quiet compared to the city on the other side. It'd be getting cold soon, and they'd have to head back. But they could stay a while longer.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

He hummed an affirmative in response, lips pressing against her cheek when Ari shifted closer to her. It caused her to giggle, the soft caress tickling her skin, before the blonde rested her head against his shoulder as she scooted closer to eliminate whatever small distance might still remain within them.

A content sigh escaped her lips then, her eyes gazing out at the darkened sky as the stars finally claimed their space among it. The last of the light from the sun was long gone, replaced by the moon that quietly shone to one side, and the girl gently squeezed Ari’s hand as they gazed out at the new view.

"Y’know…" Her voice finally cut through the silence that had settled in, her frame snuggling just a bit closer to his as a cool night breeze blew past the new couple. "You still owe me a dark chocolate ice cream, Ari."

She was barely able to finish her sentence, the giggles that the blonde had been trying to hold back finally escaping her lips. Never would Valeria have guessed that such an incident, inconsequential as it had seemed back then, would’ve led to the pair enjoying each other’s company in Hawaii… and more.

"Best money I’ve ever spent~"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Ari sat quietly as Val rested her head on his shoulder, looking out across the water together. They couldn't hear the ocean from where they will, but the moon had begun to shine faintly, rippling across the water's surface in silver slivers that disappeared just as quickly as they came.

"Y'know…"
"Hmm?"
"You still owe me a dark chocolate ice cream, Ari."
A broad grin slowly spread across the man's face as he quietly chuckled. "That I do," he responded, giving the girl's hand a light squeeze. "Best money I've ever spent~"

They sat their for just a little while longer. It wasn't long before the wind's chill began to bite a their skin, cool night air made all the colder for it's movement. "I didn't think about bringing jackets," the man admitted apologetically as a shiver crawled across his skin. "Do you wanna get goin' soon?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Her eyes had shifted to the clear skies above, fingers still laced with those of the man as the girl quietly watched the stars begin to emerge as night crept in. Out here, far away from any major light pollution, they were clear and easy to see… but the blonde soon realized she wasn’t exactly properly dressed to spend a night out stargazing as another chilly breeze ruffled the fabric of her skirt.

"I didn't think about bringing jackets." his voice finally cut through the comfortable silence. "That makes two of us."

Grabbing a jacket had completely slipped her mind as the girl had picked out her clothes, her mind focused instead on trying to figure out what the man had been planning as he’d sprung the invitation to her. Once the last rays of sunlight had disappeared over the horizon the temperatures had dipped rather quickly, but it was the biting wind chill that really caused an involuntary shiver across her skin.

"Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. We should come back again before the trip is over though," She would’ve liked to stay out here longer, and that sentiment undoubtedly colored part of her words as she spoke, but it would only get colder the longer they stayed out here. "With jackets~ The stars are really pretty out here, it’d be a shame to miss them twice."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Yeah, we can definitely come back," Ari agreed as he stood up and quickly dusted off his jeans. Offering a hand to Valeria, he helped her up before starting to pack everything back into the car, starting with the cooler.

"Let's hope we don't get pulled over, and they don't look in the cooler," the man joked. "We might get into some trouble then." Of course, that wasn't likely.

Taking the towels from Valeria, who had gathered and folded them, Ari put those too into the trunk, before walking back around to the front to slide into the driver's seat. Once Valeria was also settled into her seat, the man looked over at her once more with a smile. Leaning over the man imparted her a quick kiss before asking, "Ready to go?" and starting the car's engine. Only a short drive home now. As short as their little date had been, Ari couldn't have been more pleased.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She took the offered hand before getting back onto her feet, hands dusting away the fabric of her skirt in case anything had clung to it, before handing over the wine glasses to the man who was beginning to pack the now empty bowls back into the cooler. Not one to simply stand around idling while Ari cleaned up she had soon moved to gather up the beach towels the man had spread out on the grass.

They were carefully picked up and dusted, making sure the breeze blew any dirt and vegetation that came loose away from the pair, before she folded them up neatly while accompanying Ari back to the parked Mustang. "We’ll be fine, after all you don’t drive the way Dee does—so why would a cop try and stop us?" The woman was a menace driving that blue Mustang that Ari had rented, it was a miracle she’d managed to avoid attracting attention to herself each and every time.

A last glance was given at the spot where they’d have their little picnic by the hillside, ensuring they hadn’t forgotten anything behind, before settling down on the passenger seat. Her hands had pulled out her phone, intending on finding a new track for their drive back, before she noticed the man shift from the corner of her eyes. It caused the blonde to shift her attention and look over to Ari, before being surprised by a quick kiss to her lips as he leaned closer.

"Ready to go?"
"M-Mhmm!"

The color was back on her cheeks once more, she didn’t need to look at herself in the rear or side mirrors to confirm as much—not when she could feel the heat rising on her skin again. When words failed her brain the blonde settled for a hummed affirmation that rose in pitch at the end to answer the man’s question, her lips pulled into a nervously excited smile that remained even as Val turned to look back at her phone again. As the engine roared back to life her thumb pressed on the first selection that a quick Spotify search currently displayed, the tunes of Tropical Romance spilling out of the speakers as the man began the drive back home.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"We'll be fine, after all you don't drive the way Dee does—so why would a cop try and stop us?"
"Pfft, true," Ari snickered. "I still don't know how they didn't go off cliff on drive over from the airport. God's looking out for at least one of them." Ari pulled out of the parking lot and turned, heading down hill. "Don't which one, but one of them."

​

The drive back was short, the downhill decline making it so that Ari hardly even had to press onto the gas pedal. "Welp, they didn't burn the place down," Ari joked as the pair pulled into the driveway. "That's a good sign." Turn the car off and getting out, Ari looked over at Val. "Wanna take bets on who's asserted their dominance over the other? My bet's on Nico."

"Help me bring everything in?" the man asked as he went to the trunk to grab everything. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of cleaning Ari would have to do now, especially since he'd cleaned everything he'd used to cook before the girls had even come back from their little adventure. Just the bento boxes, the bowls, and the wine glasses, which somehow had remained intact through the whole trip.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

”God's looking out for at least one of them. Don't know which one, but one of them.”
"Hopefully both, though I’m personally avoiding testing how long that luck of theirs holds out."

Deciding to let Spotify’s algorithm do its thing the girl had quickly locked out the screen of her phone once more, the device now resting on her lap as her left hand had reached towards the man. She found his hand with ease, loosely intertwining Ari’s fingers with her own for the remaining time of their short ride back home.

​

"Welp, they didn't burn the place down, that's a good sign."
"Not gonna lie, I half expected at least one ambulance and a fire truck by the time we got back."

A light chuckle accompanied her words as the girl unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, careful to not slam the door when closing it before her eyes fell onto the AirBnB they’d been calling home—still perfectly intact and picture perfect despite all odds. "C’mon Ari, that’s not a fair contest—we both know Nico would win that with flying colors." There was no way that pink-haired gremlin would ever rollover to anyone, least of all Dayeon… the only way the idol would probably be able to pull that off was if she was behind the wheel and Nico was an unwilling passenger in Dee’s car.

"Help me bring everything in?" She was already heading for the trunk when Ari asked for her help, a grin on her lips as the blonde nodded.

"Duuh~ I’m not gonna let you do the clean up of all of this—" her hand tapped the cooler for emphasis, where the bento boxes, bowls and wine glasses were currently stored away. "—on your own. Besides, it's better if we rinse everything off now—otherwise it’ll just be a bigger nightmare tomorrow."

The girl reached over and took the keys from Ari’s hands, before both towels were scooped up into her arms as Valeria made her way to the front door. It was unlocked with ease, before the blonde held the door open as she waited for Ari to step inside with the cooler.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Not gonna lie, I half expected at least one ambulance and a fire truck by the time we got back." The man couldn't laugh at that. "That's valid," the man agreed with a grin. Nico was a natural disaster in a 5' 5", pink haired package, and Dayeon was the kind of person who'd probably stand by in a panic, unsure of what to do. It was a wonder that her in-game persona was so different, it seemed.

"C'mon Ari, that's not a fair contest—we both know Nico would win that with flying colors."
"Hey, you only play the hands you know you'll win," the man said with a shrug and a mischievous grin as he opened up the trunk.

With Valeria helping the man out, he pulled the cooler out of the trunk and slammed the lid shut. "I can take care of them, I don't mind," he said to Valeria as they walked up to the front door. Ari pulled the keys out of his pocket, handing them to Val and letting her in first so he could lug the cooler in.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Hey, you only play the hands you know you'll win."
"Where’s the fun in that, though? High risk, high reward~"

She stuck her tongue out in response, the mischievous smile that remained on her lips afterwards matching his own. Once inside she carefully closed the door behind them, before Ari’s words caused the blonde to shake her head. "What? Ari, no—you’re not cleaning everything on your own." There was a light frown in her face, those amber eyes staring straight into his own with a stubborn look he probably recognized with ease.

"Bet you spent all day preparing everything, didn’t you?" Considering she hadn't seen the man most of the day, her time spent instead with the girls, it wasn’t hard for Valeria to figure out what he’d been up to now that his cards had been revealed. "Besides, what kind of g-girlfriend doesn’t help out?"

Girlfriend. It wasn’t until she’d said that word out loud that everything had fully sunk in, the rosy tint still present on her cheeks even as the blonde tried to cover up the light falter in her voice. "Since you made the food I’ll clean the dishes."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Where's the fun in that, though? High risk, high reward~"
"At that, my dear, is why my whistle is red, and yours is orange," Ari said with a lighthearted laugh. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact Yugam became a character before Luthien. No, not at all.

There was that stubborn look in her eyes. The one that told Ari he wasn't going to win here. However, that look quickly faded away as the word 'girlfriend' escaped her mouth. Ari snickered as Valeria's cheeks turned rosy and she stuttered over the word. "Alright, alright," the man said, giving in. "I'll dump out the ice while you clean up," he said as tugged the cooler over to the kitchen to put the dishes into the sink. Once that was done, Ari lifted the cooler again and opened the sliding door to the backyard, going out to dispose of the ice.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"And that, my dear, is why my whistle is red, and yours is orange." His words were met with a deadpan expression from the blonde as she stared back into his eyes, one eyebrow carefully arching high, before she finally blew a light raspberry in response. "That’s bullshit Ari, and you know it."

"We’d both be red whistles if I’d started playing a week earlier," She shook her head while walking into the kitchen, setting the beach towels atop the counter before turning to look at the man once more. "And, unlike a certain someone around here, I would’ve rose in ranks without copping a death in the process~"

A confident smirk adorned her lips as she spoke, the blush that had colored her cheeks having dissipated now for the most part, before the man finally agreed with her proposal of sharing the cleaning duties. She grabbed the dish soap as Ari placed the containers in the sink, lathering up the sponge before getting to work on cleaning the cutlery and the dishes.

The bento boxes were first, the disposable chopsticks stored inside of them tossed into the garbage, before she rinsed the suds away from the container and lids before setting them onto the dish rack to dry. Next were the small bowls that had held their desserts along with the pair of metal spoons. She paused then, taking a moment to pick a few paper towels and set them atop the counter besides the drying rack, before carefully washing and rinsing the two wine glasses—setting them onto the paper towels carefully to let them dry too.

With the dishes done, and after cleaning up her hands and the sink, the girl dried her hands on a kitchen towel before walking over to the open sliding door that led to the backyard. "All done over here."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"That's bullshit Ari, and you know it." The man laughed as Valeria blew a raspberry at him. "We'd both be red whistles if I'd started playing a week earlier."
"Mhmm, sure."
"And, unlike a certain someone around here, I would've rose in ranks without copping a death in the process~"
"Hey, it was for a good cause! I got the job done, didn't I?" Let's not talk about the fact that the expedition ended terribly despite Yugam's sacrifice, but at least that part wasn't his fault. He'd done the best he could then.

As Valeria cleaned the dishes inside, Ari dumped the ice outside into the grass, the sound of crashing ice filling the air. Grabbing the nearby hose, the man cleaned the inside out, as well as the dust and sand on the outside before leaving it to the side to dry overnight. As he walked back inside, the edges of his jeans speckled with the spray of the water, he heard Valeria say, "All done over here."
"Same here," he replied before looking around the strangely empty house. "Uh, where'd Dee and Nico go? It's not that late, they can't have gone to sleep, right?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Hey, it was for a good cause!"
"Mm-hmmmp..."
"I got the job done, didn't I?"
"Doesn’t count if you’re dead ‘cause of it."

She’d rolled her eyes in return, giving the man a quizzical look as he tried to argue his case, shaking her head and chuckling softly as the man headed outside for his task. Honestly speaking Valeria knew there wasn’t much else Ari could’ve done in that scenario, in the end it had just boiled down to luck—and apparently his own just wasn’t the best one out there.

He called back in response, the man appearing moments later as he stepped inside the house once more. She reached for the sliding door, closing it up just as Ari took notice of the rare silence that reigned inside the AirBnB. "Who knows, maybe they knocked each other out?" The blue Mustang was still parked outside in the driveway, so at least they knew the girls weren’t going to appear on the news due to defying the laws of physics.

"Maybe they’re chatting with Ronja?" A look at the microwave to check the hour prompted that thought, usually around this time Nico would give her girlfriend a call to catch up. "Although I think Dee looked a bit tired today, so maybe she did pass out early for once?"

The woman had seemed a bit muted the last few days, though Valeria couldn’t figure out why. She only hoped Dee wasn’t coming down with a cold, or maybe she’d been unlucky enough and her period had coincided with their Hawaii trip?

@Yugam