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Chapter Text

Birds chirping, distant chatter of students, and the glistening rays of the sun was no ordinary sight for Royale High School. It was a joyous school with fun classes and the happiest students after all. At least, that's how it was perceived by most people.

There was only one student in the entire campus who sat in the quietest corner, and blasted Three Days Grace on his headphones: Jayden Wolfblood.

Nobody even knew if his name was actually Jayden. He went through so many different names due to escaping somewhere. He was never specific on where he escaped from. The mental hospital? The prison? His own father's controlling clutches? They were all viable options.

He always kept a nasty face, even if his true emotions didn't match that. He had the longest hair amongst the boys of the campus; the color of his hair was like stag beetles where it had a tint of red in the sun. He had two sets of horns. One set was large, more on the sides of his head, and had black bases and red tips. The other set was smaller, by the upper sides of his head, and blazing red throughout. He had a large arm tattoo on his right side that crept up to his collar bones and neck. He was heavily pierced on his horns and ears. Nobody seemed to wonder how he had that many body modifications when he was still a minor.

He didn't care what others thought. He did what he wanted to do, just like how he stayed seated when the bell ran for the passing time to conclude.

"Tsk... These lambs, letting themselves be controlled by some bell," his voice was laced with toxicity. When Animal I Have Become came on, he practically burst into tears.

"God damn... Adam Gontier, you're a damn genius. You must've put opioids or something into this song," he praised.

While he was blasting his song, loud footsteps approached Jayden. Someone was definitely running. Jasper picked up on the noise as he paused the song. He lowered his headphones, and checked his surroundings.

"Where the hell are those footsteps coming from?" he asked curiously. Right as he was about to put his headphones back on, he heard the distant noise of multiple keychains clacking on each other. He knew exactly who it was: Iris Prisma.

Iris Prisma was most known around the campus for her contributions to the Photography club. She would be at most dorm parties, talking with everybody, and giving handmade bracelets to every person she saw, even the teachers.

She looked like a human rainbow. She wore many accessories, dressed in bright, clashing colors, and had blonde hair dyed with pink and purple streaks. She was definitely loud, both in personality and looks. She called herself a "geek" and claimed to be "quirky." Even if others found her weird, nothing dulled her brightness. She was gone from the campus for 2 months due to an accident after writing a fanfiction. It was something about a car accident and Karma the reindeer beast coming back. Nobody really understood her, but they were happy she was finally back.

"Jayden! Jayden!" Iris called out. Her rainbow unicorn wings shimmered in the sun as she ran towards Jayden.

She plopped down next to him, "What are you doing?" Her soft sage eyes practically lit up with sparkles.

"Listening to music," Jayden responded with a monotone voice. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be in class like everybody else?"

Iris giggled. "I get to skip class due to that club event thingy. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Jayden gave a slight nod. "Did you have to come to me though?" He asked while giving Iris his usual side glance.

"Of course I do! You're the only person I know who'd be out on the halls during class time! Well, except for Lauren, but you know... She's a shut in!" Iris exclaimed.

Jayden sighed. "Well, what do you want?" He asked. "You clearly sound like you want something.

Iris pouted. "I swear you're a mind reader, but you're right," she admitted.

Iris pulled a flier. She pointed at the text: "End of the Year Bunapalooza 2019: Animal petting, mini games, and free bunny plushies for duos."

Jayden said with a scoff, "That sounds stupid."

"The animal fairies are holding an animal petting for their club event! There are going to be minigames where you get to win prizes!" Iris rambled on.

Jayden wasn't interested, mostly tuning out Iris, until he heard the words, "There will be bunnies," escape from her lips.

"Bunnies you say?" Jayden asked with interest. His attention was fully on Iris now.

Iris nodded vigorously. "Yes! Our Photography club is planning to attend. Everybody has a duo except me," Iris said in a sad tone. "And I really want that bunny plushie!"

Jayden immediately understood the situation. "You want me as your duo?" asked Jayden.

Iris nodded once again. "Please?" she gave puppy eyes to Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "Fine, I'll go with you. It's not like I want to go or whatever... I just want the plushie..." Jayden said with a tough exterior.

Iris hugged Jayden tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're the best, Jayden!" she exclaimed.

Jayden felt something deep inside him when she hugged him. He cracked the slightest smile, and patted Iris' back awkwardly.

Chapter Text

(Iris' POV)

It was a calm evening. The calmness was disturbed by Iris running up the stairs. Her knee-high, high top Converse shoes stepped on the marble flooring of the campus. She didn't care if she was disturbing the moment; she was too ecstatic to care about that.

Her dorm keys jingled and clanked on the many keychains attached to it as she pulled it up to enter her dorm.

"Angeline!" she yelled. Iris barged into her roommate's room. She jumped on the bed next to Angeline.

Angeline Blanche has been Iris' roommate since freshman year. Angeline was a quiet girl. She preferred to read books rather than hanging out with people. She was a loner. Definitely not a loser loner, but just more of a shy loner. She often wore winter clothing, even in summer. She had a very monochrome wardrobe that consisted of different shades of grey. Even though they were opposites, they got along very well.

Angeline looked disturbed by the sudden noise. She lowered her black scarf down, so Iris could hear her better.

"What happened, Iris? You sound so excited. Well, more than usual," Angeline said quietly.

Iris pushed her Lisa Frank calendar in Angeline's face. Angeline gently nudged it away to clearly see what was on it.

"He accepted! THE Jayden Wolfblood accepted my request to go the Bunapalooza!" she squealed. "See? Right there!"

June 19th was circled in a blue glitter pen with heart and bunny stickers all around it. "We're going to the Bunapalooza together!"

"Oh my... That's wonderful, Iris," Angeline said with her usual quietness. She looked slightly concerned a bit after. "But, are you really sure you want to take Jayden to it? I mean... I'm not judging, but that boy has some problems."

Iris looked curious, "What problems?"

"Well, he's a trouble maker. He's a heart breaker! What if he stands you up?" Angeline asked with concern.

Iris shook her head. "I have known Jayden since like what... sophomore year? We'll be fine! We're great friends!" Iris exclaimed optimistically.

Angeline sighed, "Whatever you say Iris." She smiled softly.

Iris sighed too, "Angie, I don't know what to wear. Should I give him a gift when we meet? Would he pick me up or would I pick him up?" Iris groaned. "I have no idea how these work! I'm so scared, Angel!" Iris yelled out.

Rose tinted blush appeared on Angeline's face at the nicknames. "Iris, why are you asking me like I'm professional at these types of things?" Angeline asked, and chuckled slightly.

"I guess you're right... But you give so many good advice that it feels like you know everything!" said Iris. Iris always looked up to Angeline, despite both being the same age and the fact that Angeline could be as immature as Iris. "You just know so much! You're like a human book, Angie."

Angeline giggled, "You're exaggerating." Her giggle died down eventually.

"I might not be able to give advice on the actual event, but I can definitely help out with your outfit," Angeline said with a smile.

"Really?" Iris asked with excitement in her voice. Literal sparkles formed in her green eyes. She grabbed Angeline's hand and squeezed it tightly, slightly bouncing on the bed. "You're the best, Angel!"

Iris paused for a second. "Wow! It's actually like you're my guardian angel! Get it?" Iris asked with the biggest smile.

Angeline nodded, "You're very silly, Iris" She ruffled her already messy, blonde hair.

Iris could only giggle. The warm lighting from the evening sun crept into the dorm room, creating a soft and light hearted atmosphere.

"I love doing anything with you, Iris. If you hadn't asked Jayden, I would've definitely went with you," Angeline said in a soft voice. Angeline's hand remained on Iris' hair.

Despite having wings, she was also part rabbit. With Angeline being her roommate for her entire high school year, she trusted Angeline enough to pet her. She even grew fond of the feeling.

There seemed to be literal light rays coming out of Iris, all because she was super happy. Iris went to hug Angeline. She said in a warm tone, "Angie, you're the best... You're so sweet."

Angeline was still petting Iris while hugging. "So, you wanna look at those clothes?" Angeline asked.

Iris nodded, untangling from the hug to get her laptop.

Both of them got comfy on the bed. Angeline put on lo-fi music to play in the background while Iris typed in the clothing websites. For the rest of that evening, they looked at clothing websites while chatting with each other.

Chapter Text

(Jayden's POV)

The sky was a pretty shade of lavender. It was around evening time, and the clouds looked extra fluffy. Earth was a bustling realm. It had everything a big city had: shops, big neon signs, cars, roads, pedestrians everywhere, and so much more. It was also a very good area for any sneaky little thieves to get a quick swipe.

Jayden also happened to be one of those cunning thieves, but today he wasn't sniping out the crowds to steal something. He just had to find something good to wear.

His worn out DC shoes stomped on the pavement. His eye scoped out any open trash bins around him. Earth's trash bins usually were locked due to everything at shops being fairly priced, but Jayden wasn't in the right financial situation to buy any new clothes.

"Darn these forsaken county executives... Locking every trash bin in the area," he grumbled to himself.

"👎︎□︎■︎ॐ︎⧫︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎❒︎⍓︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎❒︎ ❍︎♓︎■︎♎︎ □︎◆︎⧫︎📪︎ ☺︎♋︎⍓︎♎︎♏︎■︎," said Taylor.

Taylor, also known as Spider around the campus, was an enigma. Nobody really knew him or where he came from or what he was. Actually, nothing was known about him. He just existed. People only called him a spider, because he was pure black, had chelicerae, and had eight limbs. He didn't even actually have a name. Taylor was just a nickname given by another equally mysterious student in the school.

Jayden looked flabbergasted. "Don't worry my mind out?! I am going to an event! With a girl no less!" Jayden yelled.

Taylor shrugged. "I cannot just show up to this event with no shirt and some crappy pair of jeans like I always do!" Jayden exclaimed. "I mean I could, but that'd be disrespectful... Which I don't care, but it'd be mean to Iris. She deserves better. Better than some street dog of a guy..." Jayden said, his voice showed clear insecurities.

Taylor frowned, or at least his face morphed in a way to express a form of sadness.

Taylor put his arm over Jayden's shoulders and squeezed slightly. "✋︎ 🙵■︎□︎⬥︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎📪︎ ❍︎♋︎■︎📬︎ ✡︎□︎◆︎ ♎︎□︎■︎ॐ︎⧫︎ ♒︎♋︎❖︎♏︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎❒︎⍓︎ ♋︎♌︎□︎◆︎⧫︎ ⬧︎⧫︎◆︎♐︎♐︎ ●︎♓︎🙵♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎📬︎ ✋︎ ❍︎♏︎♋︎■︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ⬥︎♒︎□︎●︎♏︎ □︎◆︎⧫︎♐︎♓︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⬥︎♏︎♋︎❒︎ ❒︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎❒︎♓︎♐︎⧫︎♏︎♎︎📪︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♓︎●︎●︎ ●︎□︎□︎🙵 ⬧︎⬥︎♋︎♑︎📬︎," Taylor encouraged Jayden. The slight fat on his face lifted to his eyes, showing he was smiling.

"Thanks, man... You're like the tuffest guy, or whatever you are, in the entire world," Jayden said.

Jayden sighed, "I just don't want to be a disappointment to another person in my life, y'know?"

Taylor nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Out of nowhere, a very crunchy piano ringtone played. Both Jayden and Taylor knew that was Taylor's ring tone that hasn't been changed since 2008. Taylor answered the call.

After for a couple of second, Taylor looked at Jayden apologetically. "👎︎◆︎♎︎♏︎📪︎ ⬧︎□︎❒︎❒︎⍓︎ ♋︎♌︎□︎◆︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎📪︎ ♌︎◆︎⧫︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ❍︎♋︎❍︎♋︎ ♍︎♋︎●︎●︎♏︎♎︎📬︎ ✋︎ ♑︎□︎⧫︎⧫︎♋︎ ♑︎♏︎⧫︎ ♒︎□︎❍︎♏︎📬︎ ✡︎□︎◆︎ 🙵■︎□︎⬥︎ ♒︎□︎⬥︎ ⬧︎♒︎♏︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ♑︎♏︎⧫︎ ♋︎■︎⧫︎⬧︎⍓︎ ⬥︎♒︎♏︎■︎ ⬧︎♒︎♏︎ ❍︎♋︎🙵♏︎⬧︎ ♎︎♓︎■︎■︎♏︎❒︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ✋︎ॐ︎❍︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎📬︎," Taylor said in a sorry tone.

"Oh, nah. Don't worry about it. I understand how she gets agitated. You should run home before she declares another lawsuit against the school just because you were late," Jayden joked.

Taylor nodded once again. He waved Jayden goodbye and vanished into thin air.

Jayden sighed. "I always wonder how he does that..." Jayden thought.

After looking around for a bit, he decided it was time to get back to work on finding an outfit.

He walked through so many streets like Moonlight Ave, Rockefeller Street, Onyrix Way, and 39th Lane. Jayden knew he was getting tired when he started feeling agitated at everything.

"These trees are too damn green..." he mumbled to himself.

His eyebags were definitely darker just with each step he took, because people around him looked like they just saw a ghost. He was naturally very pale too. It was a trait he hated, because he inherited from his dad. After walking for what seemed like a hundred crosswalks, he sat down on a bench.

"Ugh..." he groaned, wiping his face. "My legs are gonna give up on me, and all I found were these stupid hairbands... I guess I could tie my hair up for the event. That'd look different from my usual look," he thought while examining his long hair. Surprisingly, it wasn't tangled. It flowed around his hand like crude oil.

Jayden sighed once more, "One last dumpster, and then I'll go home."

With the rest of his energy, Jayden went to a dumpster that was close to a boutique. That was his best luck at finding clothes.

The boutiques black and blue exterior reflected off the wet pavement. The blue and cyan signs around it flashed in his face. Luckily enough, seeming like fate, the dumpster was open. He took a look around to see if anyone was around, before plunging into the dumpster's opening. His legs dangled over the edge of the bin like a corpse, but thankfully, nobody was there to see that.

He grunted, tearing the trash bag open. "Aha!" he exclaimed. Jayden managed to pull out many clothing pieces. He dropped them on a cardboard piece on the floor to look through them.

While looking through, he managed to find a pair of jeans. It was a perfect mix of his usual fashion and one that you could wear to impress a girl.

"Damn..." he whistled, "These look good."

He stood up, and put the jeans against himself to check if it would fit him. "Perhaps a little baggy, but definitely a good fit" he talked to himself.

When he checked the back of the jeans, he saw the bedazzled jean pockets. His heart dropped. 

FUCKING GIRL JEANS? He yelled internally.

All of a second, the jeans seemed a bit too tight around the hip and thigh area. The pockets were too small, barely fitting his hands. The cut of the jeans giving a more feminine silhouette. And the bagginess he just praised looked more like a form of bell bottoms than anything.

He already had an ego size of a rice grain, and a masculinity so fragile it was like a spider web. He definitely couldn't live with himself if he wore girl jeans to the Bunapalooza with Iris.

"You think this funny, fate?" he asked to the sky. His eyes were definitely getting warmer, but he suppressed any tears that dared to come out. He looked back down at the jeans, and said to himself, "Man, maybe my dad was right... I am a disappointment."

Jayden knew how dramatic he was being. It wasn't like he could do any better than this. All those other dumpsters were probably locked. He didn't even have one cent to his name. He didn't have the energy to mug someone for a quick buck. He couldn't ask to borrow some clothes from his friends. First, he barely had friends. Second, that wasn't like him.

He rubbed his temples. Nobody will know that you're wearing girl jeans... You're just stylish. YOU'RE JUST VERY STYLISH, AND DRESS OUT OF THE NORM.

Man... People will think I'm gay or something... he thought, even though he literally hung out with guys from the campus shirtless and all sweaty at the Jet Ski Purgatory.

It was ironic that he judged others for being "another brick in the wall," while he tried to conform to society's expectations.

"Girls are all about fashion... Maybe Iris won't mind that I'm wearing girl jeans," he hoped. He was overthinking this.

He put the jeans aside, and looked for a top. He found a sleeveless denim jacket, and a red flannel in the abundance of clothing.

Now this was more up his alley, unlike those bedazzled jeans. He smirked even though he was still a bit affected by the whole jeans situation. "I can put a tank top on underneath these and I'll have the perfect drip for the event..." he said to himself.

Jayden felt a bit more relaxed now that he felt like his tops "out masculinized" the jeans. He clutched those articles of clothing, and ran straight to his home.

His home technically was an alleyway, but he'd prefer that than relying on his dad's money and getting a dorm. Jayden wasn't going to rely on him for his survival. Just to prove the point that he was capable and not a disappointment.

"The Bunapalooza is going to go well," he mumbled to himself.

Chapter Text

The next four days passed by rather quickly for both Iris and Jayden with school work, hanging out with friends, and keeping themselves busy with their respective hobbies.

Saying that both Jayden and Iris were excited would be a big understatement. Even with Iris' usual hyperness, she was off the hook those days leading up to the Bunapalooza and acting like a rabid animal on June 19th.

Surprisingly, Jayden had been picking less fights lately. Many students also caught the corners of his lips tilting 10 degrees above his usual neutral, 180 degree lips. That was the happiest they've ever seen Jayden before.

Iris during that couple of days had picked what she thought was the perfect outfit. It was cute, like her, and good for the weather on the 19th.

It was a blue, loose off the shoulder shirt with a pink and green striped tank top underneath. She had a denim skirt and pink mid-calf socks. She wore blue platform wedge sandals. Those damn sandals were so chunky that it was surprising how she wasn't bending her ankle with each step.

The event was at 6:00 PM, and Iris had gotten her outfit put on two hours early.

She twirled in front of her decorated mirror. She grabbed her comb and teased her two low ponytails.

"Wow! You look so cute, Iris!" Angeline said, peeking from Iris' door.

Iris spun around, looking excited. "You think so?" she asked.

Angeline nodded, "Definitely. You remind me kind of like a fruit salad!"

Iris blushed, and smiled wide. I hope Jayden thinks this is cute just like how Angie thinks it's cute...

"I'll probably order some pizza, so when you come back, you'll have dinner waiting for you," Angeline reminded.

Iris nodded, "Thanks, Angel."

While Iris was still prepping in hours advance, Jayden was taking a big nap.

He didn't like depending on others, but sometimes a guy had to sleep on an actual bed. So, he always crashed out at Leo's dorm.

Leo Azure Aetus was the stereotypical popular guy at campus. He liked skateboarding, surfing, and playing basketball. He was also kind of a douche. His skin was naturally tan, but since he was out so much, he looked sun kissed. People would definitely say he was hot, not just because of his looks but also due to the fact that he was part dragon.

Leo and Jayden weren't no friends. They usually just threw some hoops together when everybody left and they were the only ones left. On the regular though, they got into little fights. If Jayden was a jerk, then Leo was a jock. Even though they clashed with each other, Leo was always kind and open-minded enough to give Jayden a place to rest.

Jayden was snoring on Leo's couch, before he was shaken by the tightest grip he ever felt.

"Wake up!" Leo yelled. His dark blue eyes started down at him judgmentally. "Didn't you say you had some date with that funky girl that looks like she took a highlighter bath?"

"First, don't call Iris that. She's lovely..." Jayden said defensively. "Second of all, what time is it?!" he sounded more panicked.

"5:40. You know it isn't very gentleman like to pick your girl up late, especially for what seems like a date," Leo said teasingly.

Jayden stumbled out of the couch onto his feet. "I know that, Leo! I don't need your snarky remarks right now!" he yelled at Leo while trying to find his dumpster dived clothes.

Leo only laughed while he sank down into the couch.

Jayden found the bag and started putting the clothes on, starting with those jeans from Hell itself.

He managed to pull them up to his thighs, but then had to slightly wiggle his way into them. He sucked in his stomach to zip it up and button it.

He was definitely correct when he assumed the jeans would be tight around his thighs and hips when he first found them.

Leo chuckled behind him slightly.

Jayden turned around swiftly, "What the hell are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing man. Cute jeans..." he said with a smug grin on his face.

Jayden rolled his eyes and started putting the tank top on. He was still embarrassed about those jeans.

He pulled the flannel and the sleeveless denim jacket on. He quickly tied his hair in a ponytail, and threw on his signature hat.

"Am I forgetting something?" Jayden asked Leo.

Leo grabbed Jayden's messenger bag. It had everything a guy like Jayden could need: cigarettes, lighter, switchblade knife, a cologne bottle that was the only reminder of his brothers, his flip phone that is holding on by a thread, his wallet that only has stolen cash inside it, and gum.

"Heads up," Leo yelled at Jayden as he threw the bag to him.

Jayden clutched the bag in air, and quickly left. "Thanks, man!" Jayden yelled outside his dorm.

Iris puffed her cheeks. She fidgeted with her bag's keychains.

Where is he? He better have not ditched me like Angie said he might...

She bit the inside of her cheek anxiously.

He'll probably ring the doorbell just about now, right? RIGHT?

Iris groaned, it felt like forever waiting.

She suddenly heard yelling and talking outside, multiple voices, masculine and feminine, all of them equally loud.

She heard a thud, probably someone falling over. A low groan escaped from whoever fell.

If it is Jayden, what is all this ruckus with him?

The doorbell rang, and then banging on the door. This was definitely Jayden. Nobody in campus except him banged on the doors.

She went to open the door with renewed vigor. Her big, beautiful smile faltered when she saw the scene in front of her doorstep.

It was Jayden, leaning against the doorframe, with a big bouquet of flowers.

Well, that was rather normal, but he had one of the royal carriages behind him.

The giant dogs that pulled the carriage were sniffing around. The coachman was tied to the roof of the carriage, and the coachee, who seemed to be paralyzed from fear, tied to one of the dogs.

The the Music club members were in the carriage with their instruments. The leader looked to have a giant bruise on his eye.

There were some extra Dark Fairies and Popstar Fairies chatting in the carriage too, probably getting a free ride.

She recognized the Nature Fairy that ran the flower shop in the carriage as well.

"Jayden, who the are all these people?" she asked.

Jayden chuckled. "I wouldn't had made it without a ride... and I mean it would've been just rude to make you walk," he said nonchalantly, dusting his clothes of any dirt.

Iris looked back at the carriage. "So, you stole a royal carriage?" she asked.

"Yep," he answered confidently.

"That still doesn't explain the people," Iris pointed out.

Jayden looked back at the carriage as well. "Oh yeah... The coachman didn't let me use the carriage, so I had to tie him up and his apprentice. The carriage was actually being used by the Music club, that's why they're there. I just picked those Dark and Popstar fairies, because they wouldn't let me go if I didn't give them a ride. The flower shop lady is also here, because she got mad that I couldn't afford the flowers... so she decided to follow me..."

Iris looked shocked, but her shock turned to excitement. This was totally up her alley.

When Jayden saw Iris' smile, he smiled back. "These are for you by the way... Like in a friendly way," he said, giving the flower to her.

Iris took the flowers and ran to the carriage. Jayden hopped on behind her, moving the giant dogs to the Bunapalooza.

There was usually a speed limit to the giant dogs, but Jayden didn't care. He maneuvered the dogs as fast as he could.

The wind whipped Iris' hair back. She laughed light heartedly.

Mostly everybody else on the carriage seemed to oppose her light heartedness, because they were screaming from the speed.

"You know, I thought you'd ditch me!" Iris yelled out.

Jayden's heart slightly clenched from that. He felt slightly guilty, but managed to cover it up.

He smiled, and laughed, "I'd never! Now let's get to this stupid event."

Jayden stopped the giant dogs abruptly.

"We're here," he said, with a calmer voice.

The Bunapalooza took place in a giant field. The field was covered by trees, and wildlife thrived inside the field. There were so many different flowers of different colors.

The twilight time of the day brought out the colors of the flowers in a different light than its usual way when the sun would be at its peak.

Around the field, fireflies lighted up the area.

As things weren't already naturally pretty, there was the sound of a waterfall in the background.

Iris looked around excitedly.

"Jayden, all of these look so good!" she exclaimed. She clutched the bouquet of flowers to her chest. "Let's start with the minigames, okay?"

Jayden followed her lead, but right before they could do anything, an Animal Fairy approached them.

The Animal Fairy asked them, "Are you two a duo?" She already had a pair of bunny plushies with her.

"Yeah, we are," Jayden said with his usual tough demeanor.

Iris looked thrilled as the bunny plushy was handed to her.

"AHHH! Look at its face, Jayden!" Iris exclaimed, showing the plushie's face into his face.

Jayden chuckled, "I see it, Iris. Now that we got these, let's play those games."

Iris ran ahead of Jayden, and he simply followed right behind her.

Those three hours at the Bunapalooza was so much fun for the both of them. They made sure to spend everything the Bunapalooza offered to the max.

Jayden tried to be the "man," and win prizes for Iris, but failed miserably multiple times. It was Iris who had won most of those events.

For some reason, he didn't feel attacked by this like how he would usually would. At this moment, he didn't feel the constant pressure and fear of being a potential disappointment.

He realized Iris made his worries seemingly disappear, or at least ease his mind. He couldn't be anymore thankful for her due to that.

When they got hungry, Jayden devoured any food those stands provided. Iris could only laugh at how Jayden's face looked after eating everything.

The petting area was what they were most looking for. An Animal Fairy helped them out with picking the bunnies up and the general information on how to handle them.

Since this was the main event of the Bunapalooza, they stayed there the most. The bunnies were relaxing for Jayden, while super amusing for Iris.

Basically, the bunny petting area was perfect for the both of them.

When the sun had set and the clock was getting to 10:00  PM, they decided to get going.

Jayden laughed, "That might've been the most amusing thing I've done in a while."

"I told you so! I knew you would've liked this!" Iris said proudly. She automatically started laughing too.

Their laughs synchronized together.

Jayden's voice wasn't in the usual tough, gruff demeanor. It was softer and warmer. Iris' laugh was in its usual cheerful tone, but now more hearty.

"I haven't felt like this in a while. Like... like myself..." Jayden let out, slightly surprised by his own admission.

Iris kept her gaze on the flowers, but glanced for a second at Jayden's face. "You know, I may not be able to understand what you're feeling perfectly, but I'm happy I can make you feel happier," she said softly, smiling.

Jayden laughed a bit more awkwardly this time, though his voice cracked. He felt his face redden.

"Uh... You didn't hear that..." he mumbled.

Iris' face was flushed now by seeing Jayden's red face. She laughed awkwardly too.

They both eventually fell to a silence. The only sound being the sound of their footsteps on the grass.

After a while, Jayden tried making conversation, "Man, it really sucks those guards sent back the carriage. If it were up to me, I would've driven you ba-" He was cut off by Iris grabbing his arm, stopping him.

"Iris? You alright?" he asked, slightly concerned.

She looked up to Jayden's face. The blush on her face had deepened.

"Look, Jayden... I wanted to tell you something, but please don't let this change anything!" she asked.

He cleared his throat. "Well, that kinda depends on what you're gonna say..." he said quietly.

Iris shook her head slightly, forcing her to say what she wanted to say.

"I have a crush on you, Jayden! I didn't just want to go to the Bunapalooza with you, because we're kinda friends..." she blurted out.

"I think you're such a cool guy... You have your own charm, and that is so charming!" she continued.

He could feel his face burning up. His hand were shaking, and he just started down at Iris blankly.

He was at a loss of words, his lips slightly parted.

Finally, he tried saying something, but no words came out, just an exhale.

Iris saw his Adam's apple bob as he gulped.

"I... I don't know what to say now..." she lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

She heard a small whimper out of him. When she looked up, Jayden was in literal tears.

"Why are you crying?!" Iris asked worriedly. She moved closer.

As she moved closer to him, Jayden pulled her by her shoulder towards him. He had to bend slightly to be able to reach her face.

Their lips pressed against each others. The kiss was awkward, clearly neither of them have kissed someone on the lips before. That was fine for them though.

Iris felt Jayden's wet tears against hers. Her hands reached up to cup his face, her left hand moving Jayden's fringe to behind his ear.

Jayden's hands moved down to her waist, holding her tightly. 

Eventually, they separated. While Iris had a smile and a light rosy tint to her cheeks, Jayden was impacted quite a lot.

He was breathing heavily. His heart was beating so loud, it was as if his heart was trying to escape out of his ribcage.

Jayden wiped his eyes. "I like you back... if you couldn't tell..." Jayden said with the softest voice ever. His tone was the equivalent of a white feather floating with the gentle breeze, or the sensation of a flower's petals when you go to touch it.

Iris didn't say anything, she didn't have the energy to. She just smiled up, and hugged Jayden.

Her arms were wrapped around right below his chest.

Jayden stared down at the top of Iris' head. His arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her closer to him.

"Let's go back to campus, hm?" Jayden asked.

Iris replied back, "Yeah."

It might've been after midnight when they finally reached the campus.

The gentle grip that Iris had on Jayden's arm never left while they walked. Jayden liked that she was holding onto him like that. It made him feel wanted.

Both of their footsteps made their own unique sound on the marble flooring. While walking, Iris tried to synchronize with Jayden's walking.

Her mood had came back to her during the walk. Jayden was still slightly affected, but regained his usual cool persona.

While walking up the stair, Jayden decided to lighten the mood slightly. "You know while I was picking my clothing for today, I accidently picked girl jeans instead of guy jeans," he chuckled.

He was giving the truth with a little bit of lie.

They reached Iris' dorm room. As Iris was getting her keys, Jayden continued talking, "You know, I'm actually surprised you didn't notice... I was making it a whole deal in my head."

Iris laughed in her usual pert way. She said cheerfully, "Oh, I noticed!"

She opened her dorm room. There were two boxes of pizza on the coffee table.

"You did?" Jayden asked, his voice dropped slightly. A drop of sweat rolled down his neck.

Iris turned around to face him, and said calmly, "Yep. I knew damn well those were girl jeans by the way they pronounced your ass."

Jayden's eyes widened immediately, "W..what? Excuse me?"

She only giggled.

Before going into her dorm, Iris smacked Jayden's ass. "Have a good night," Iris said in a sweet voice.

The door closed in front of him.

What the actual fuck happened right now?

Jayden was speechless. He went to feel where she touched him, just to feel a piece of paper peaking out of his back pocket.

When he pulled it, it was a paper with her number. On the top wrote: "Text me!!"

He only stared at the piece of paper, then put it back into his pocket.

Jayden sighed, but the sighed turned into a slight chuckle.

With an amused grin on his face, he went to Leo's dorm to crash in for the night.