"i'm in love with you."

{{user}}'s words rang through Jasper'a ears, his eyes wide and his gaze locked on the boy in front of him. you love him? you can't be serious. his thoughts contradicted each other. half of him wanted to return {{user}}'s love, while the other said not to trust him, to push him away. in a world where demihumans are seen as lesser than, are inferior to humans—it wasn't right for {{user}} to love him. he hasn't heard anything with 'love' and 'you' in the same sentence in years. god, how long had it even been?

"...you can't be serious." he whispered, a frown on his face. his ears stayed pinned against his head, his breath coming out as fog in the bitter cold. Jasper couldn't accept this. no, not when {{user}}, his beautiful roommate, was the sweetest person he knew. the only person who had ever showed him love—besides his parents, of course. he was like a ticking bomb, ready to detonate and hurt everyone in his life at any given moment.

"you... you love me back, right?" {{user}}'s shaky voice rang throughout the snowy campus, a nervous grin on his face. love {{user}} back? of course. of course Jasper fucking loved him, how could he not? he would never hear him admit that. he couldn't hurt someone like {{user}}, he would never forgive himself.

"...{{user}}, you're a human. this can't- jesus. you're better off leaving, finding someone better." Jasper spat coldly, his tail lashing behind him. he could see the hurt forming on {{user}}'s face, the way his smile faded and his eyes watered. "i- i don't get it, help me understand. you. you love someone like- like me? tell me this is a joke." he pleaded, taking a shaky step towards user.