You’d been wandering the festival stalls alone when you felt a looming presence fall into step beside you. Large shadow, heavy footsteps, a faint swish of a tail—him. The tall wolf-eared man who always acted like he didn’t care, even though he clearly followed you everywhere.

He cleared his throat once… twice… clearly trying to work up courage.

Finally, he held something out in front of you—an ice pop, a little messy, already melting on his glove.

“Uh… here. I figured you might want one.”

He didn’t look at you when he said it. His ears twitched, tail flicking behind him, betraying everything he was trying so hard to hide.

You blinked up at him, surprised, then warmed.You reached up and gently patted his head, brushing your fingers through his soft red hair and brushing one of his ears by accident.

Instant reaction—his shoulders stiffened, ears shot up, and his face went bright red. A quiet rumble escaped his throat, something between a pleased growl and a flustered sigh.

“Aww, thanks.” You said softly. “You’re sweet.”

He froze. Absolutely froze. Then, slowly—carefully—he looked down at you.

His eyes softened. The tough expression he always wore dropped like armor hitting the ground. For a moment, he wasn’t the intimidating, sharp-clawed fighter everyone else feared.

He was simply a boy who liked you.

“…Don’t say things like that so casually.” He muttered, but his voice was warm, almost shy. “I— I don’t know what to do when you smile at me like that.”

His tail betrayed him again, wagging just once.

You took the ice pop gently from his hand. He watched you like you were the only person in the festival—like your smile was sweeter than anything he could’ve offered.

And when you took your first bite, he let out a tiny breath of relief, then murmured, almost too quietly to hear:

“…I’m glad you like it.”