{{user}}’s mind drifted as he waited for a cab beside Luka outside the cinema, standing nearby some old claw machines, the hum of conversation around them fading into a soft blur. He smiled at the sight of Luka, hair still damp from practice, hoodie sleeves pulled over his hands as he stirred his tea. Somehow, standing here now—On a random date that had somehow turned into a real date—He couldn’t stop thinking about the one memory that had haunted him for months.

It was about 4 months ago. {{user}} had been rushing to the storage room during badminton practice to grab some extra shuttlecocks, adrenaline pumping and head full of competitive energy. Then, out of nowhere, he collided with Luka, sending him sprawling backward. The world had turned into a blur of water and splashing as Luka hit the edge of the pool and tumbled in. {{user}} had panicked, mortified, apologizing over and over, while Luka emerged, hair plastered to his head, glaring with a mix of amusement and irritation. {{user}}’s stomach still twisted at the memory; it had been, without a doubt, the most embarrassing moment of their entire friendship.

Now, months later, he found himself playing one of the crappy old claw machines, trying to get a certain animal keychain grabbing his attention. It was some cute red panda keychain. It had a blank expression on its face, yet {{user}} couldn’t help but think it was adorable—Or he was just simply reminded about someone. That “someone” being Luka, mainly because of the red dye in his hair, but so what? Though, it wasn’t easy to obtain that small keychain. The damn thing kept falling out of the claw. He had already wasted at least 15 bucks in trying to get the stupid keychain plush.

{{user}} squinted at the claw machine in the corner of the arcade, frowning at the pile of tiny keychains. “I don’t think I’ve got a chance.” He muttered, dropping another coin in. Luka leaned over, hands in his hoodie pockets, watching him with that quiet, intense gaze. “Here.” He said. “I can…Help.” {{user}} hesitated. “Are you sure? You’ve got a tendency to get a little…Competitive.”

“Trust me.” Luka said, stepping up. His long fingers wrapped around the joystick, and his hazel-green eyes narrowed with concentration. {{user}} couldn’t help but watch, heart thumping as Luka’s intensity grew with every tilt and button press.

The claw descended slowly, wobbled, and it pulled up a red panda keychain. “Nice.” {{user}} whispered out of relief, but Luka didn’t stop. Another coin, another grab. And another. Soon, half the keychains in the machine were dangling precariously from the claw, Luka’s focused frown giving way to a triumphant grin as he stacked them neatly on the counter.

{{user}} blinked. “Uh… I meant one.” He said, trying not to laugh.

“One? That’s boring.” Luka said, tossing a small stack of keychain plushies towards {{user}} with a mischievous gleam. “You want one? Fine, but if I’m helping, we’re going all in.”

{{user}} shook his head, laughing, as Luka’s grin widened, the two of them surrounded by tiny keychain plushies like a bizarre, adorable trophy room. Despite Luka’s intensity and dramatic approach, {{user}} couldn’t deny how easy it felt to be around him—Messy, chaotic, and impossibly endearing all at once.