Jamie pulled up to the familiar looking residence of the Radley’s, and turned to give his sister an expectant look. Katie rolled her eyes, and groaned. “You know, maybe Noah wants to hang out with your boyfriend? Ever thought of that?” Katie complained as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She hated being in the backseat. She was a shotgun kind of gal, not some backseat floozy.

Jamie mimicked his sister, unknowingly, rolling his eyes at her protest. “Katie, it’s a seat, not the end of the world. And he’s not my boyfriend. Yet,” Jamie said as he texted Marshall a simple, ‘im here,’ before training his eyes on the front door, waiting for the object of his affections to come outside. Katie sidled into the backseat, where her and Noah shared a look, one that clearly said, “My brother is crazy and this is gonna be the most uncomfy car ride.” They had a way of doing that.

The youngest Radley (at least on this side of the country) paced back and forth in front of the living room bay window. The breakfast cereal he’d eaten tasted chalky in his mouth and it really only succeeded in making him want to barf, so he was currently trying to walk that off. Too many sugary alcoholic beverages the day before made for a mighty hangover. If he hadn't been so excited to see the boy he was waiting for, he might have just taken the day off of school entirely.

Marshall was clutching a metal thermos of tea with both hands. It wasn’t his favorite porcelain Starbucks mug, since that was still laying in shattered pieces in the school parking lot, beside his car, which was also... still in the school parking lot. Just as he began to stretch out in a yawn, his phone buzzed with a text from Jamie. That put a big smile on his face as he said goodbye to his mother with a quick kiss on the cheek.

Whoa. Marshall didn’t remember that he’d gotten a ride home in that very same car last night, so he was yet again impressed with the sleek vehicle in his driveway. It made so much more of a statement than he would expect of Jamie. It was a little bit bougie. He liked it, it made him want to learn more unknown and unexpected things about Jamie Callaghan. Marsh saw Katie move out of the front seat and into the back, which he took as a sign that he was supposed to take her place. That was a good sign, most likely.

“Thank you sooo much for picking me up.” Marshall said as soon as he slid into the front seat. “Apparently abandoning my car at school to leave with Trixie was the first of many bad decisions that I made yesterday.” He rambled with a sigh, but his eyes widened when he realized exactly what he’d just said. And to whom. “Not that everything that happened yesterday was a bad decision! That came out wrong. Forgive me, I’m hungover and my words can’t be trusted, apparently.” Marsh laughed lightly. “Good morning.”

Jamie chuckled, and grinned at Marshall, before throwing his car in reverse and pulling out of the parking lot. “Good morning to you too,” Jamie said, glancing over at Marshall for a moment before looking back at the road. In the back seat, Katie mimed a very violent case of projectile vomiting, much to Noah’s amusement.

For a moment, as Jamie’s car sped towards the school, the many inhabitants were silent. Jamie had a lot to say, and none of it he wanted to say in front of his sister. Noah, was silent by nature. Katie though, was just waiting. Finally, after a period of quiet that some may deem awkward, Katie spoke up, leaning forward so that her head poked in between Marshall and Jamie. “So, Marshall. I’m guessing you gave my brother that hickey?” Katie asked, throwing all niceties out the window in favor of tormenting her brother a bit.

Jamie’s face immediately went red, as his head spun to glare at Katie. If looks could kill, Katie would be the type of gruesome homicide victim that they talk about on Dateline. Katie, to her credit, didn’t back down. “I just want to say, that’s some good work. My mother disagrees, but I think there’s something to be said for a good hickey,” Katie said, as Noah shook his head in the backseat, doing his best to contain his own laughter. Jamie should’ve just let her take the front seat.

A hickey? Marshall pondered that. He certainly hoped he was the one that gave Jamie a hickey, if he had one, but he couldn’t remember — oh wait, no, he did remember. Marsh leaned forward to try to admire his own work, but Jamie must have covered it up. Jamie was also tomato red at the moment, which was adorable. Marsh smirked a half smile at Jamie and then directed it at his fellow thespian in the back seat. If she wanted to try to embarass her brother, Marshall could turn that back on her. “I did. And it’s your fault, too.”

Katie smirked. Marshall played along. She liked it. “My fault? Please elaborate,” she said, placing her head in her hands, and grinning over at her brother’s love interest, a picture of innocence to anyone who hadn’t heard her speak. Noah was busy keeping his laughter in, while Jamie was just trying to get to school as fast as he could.

Marshall’s eyes went back to Jamie briefly, then to Noah, and finally to Katie again. “Well, I’d be happy to, but I don’t want to make Noah too uncomfortable with the details. He seems too nice for that. Buuttt, you interrupted our good time with a phone call. Tsk-tsk. You know that I like to be the star of the show, I had to get the spotlight back somehow.” Marsh smirked again and then looked at his crush. “I’m sorry your mother noticed.” He said genuinely, though even the previous teasing he was doing was genuine, even if it didn’t sound it at face value.

Katie rolled her eyes and fell back into her seat as Jamie pulled into his usual parking spot in the school’s lot. She and Noah grabbed their things, and got out, waving to the older boys in the front. “Thanks Jay!” Katie shouted, to which Jamie responded with a middle finger, before turning to Marshall, and letting out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle.

“Sorry about her. Katie likes to try and push people’s buttons, if you haven’t noticed. And my mom didn’t really care that much. I mean, it’s not like she thinks I’m a virgin or anything,” Jamie said with a nervous chuckle. They were alone again, but this time without the presence of any drugs or alcohol. In other words, Jamie was panicking. “So, last night. I had a lot of fun,” Jamie said, smiling nervously over at Marshall, absentmindedly chewing his lip as he awaited a response.

“You don’t need to apologize, I know how Katie is, I spend a lot of time with her.” Marshall reassured him, because for the most part, the drama crew of BHHS was a pretty tight group of people. “That, and she’s your younger sister. Younger siblings are meant to be a terror, I should know, given that I am one.” He grinned at that, recalling what a menace he’d been to his older sisters in the past — and with him being her youngest, his mother usually let him get away with it too.

Marshall’s stomach filled with butterflies at the mention of Jamie’s lack of virginity being so quickly paired with a chuckle and then a mention of last night being fun. “Yeah, I did too. Clearly…” The corner of his mouth quirked up as he once again tried to spot the mark he’d left on Jamie. “We should probably talk about that. Now that I’m… not high. I promise I don’t normally get high, that was… I don’t know what that was, really.”

Jamie smirked, and, imbued with newfound confidence after Marshall’s words, grabbed one of Marshall’s hands, squeezing it tight. “So, I was thinking we could go out Friday night. On a proper date? I mean everyone from school will probably be at Captain Cuddles for the movie, but I figure we could go out to dinner somewhere,” Jamie said, looking up at Marshall, a hopeful expression on his face. His sudden burst of courage had failed him, and now his stomach was doing flips as he awaited Marshall’s response.

That was unexpected. Marshall was in the mindset that they were just going to talk about the night, but here he was getting asked on a date. A proper date, as Jamie put it, which was possibly the cutest phrase Marshall had heard anyone utter in his entire life. He even indicated that it wasn’t going to be some silly high school party-esque date, it would just be the two of them going out somewhere special. Marshall beamed a smile at him. “Of course, I would absolutely love that,” Marsh squeezed Jamie’s hand back, reassuring him that he was, in fact, very interested. Unwanted, his sister’s words from earlier played back in his mind, causing that pearly white grin to falter. “Under one condition, though.” He said in a much more serious tone.

Jamie grinned, his heart soaring as his eyes locked with Marshall’s. “Anything,” Jamie said. Lots of people throw that phrase around, “anything,” but right then, Jamie meant it in the most genuine way he could. He was lost in Marshall Radley, completely and utterly lost. He knew, as the words left his mouth, he’d lasso the moon for that boy, if that was what he asked.. “You name it, and it’s done.”

Marshall blinked wide eyes at him. For whatever reason, Jamie's response caught him off guard. It was so wholesome and affectionate. It made Marsh feel bad about what he had to say next, but at the same time, it had to be said. “No more kissing other boys in front of me. Especially not your ex.” His eyes got a little glassy as he recalled the scene that had sent him spiraling yesterday morning. Even with all the positive progress they'd made, that moment still stung, it was still burned in his mind.

Jamie leaned in close to Marshall, and in a deftly timed repeat of his actions last night, placed a hand on either side of his face. “You are the only person I want to kiss,” he said softly, before leaning in to lock lips with his dark haired drama star, another kiss on a list that would hopefully be very, very long.

Henry Green’s room was messy. There was no getting around that, it was the first thing you noticed when you walked inside. There clothes strewn on the floor, the bed was often torn apart, and the desk was littered with wrappers and papers. A small collection of empty bowls and glasses had their place atop the dresser and the desk, with a small glass mirror resting on the edge of the desk, teetering on the edge of falling and shattering. Tucked underneath the desk is a small black trash can filled to the brim with Kleenex.

You know why.

In short, it was a disaster. It looked as though a hurricane had ran through the place, and in a way one had. Henry wasn’t a clean person, and he was lazy. It used to be cleaned by the cleaning staff, until his mother realized he was just going to ruin it again, every time. She pulled the room from their cleaning schedule thinking it would teach him a lesson, and he’d clean it himself. This was a monumental failure, a landmark moment in Alyssa Green’s decision making career. Henry occasionally drags giant, full trash bags out of his room, but he makes no additional efforts to keep it clean.

This is just how Henry has chosen to live his life, wallowing in his own mess and filth. He knows where everything is. He can get from his bed to his computer, and there he can play video games and watch porn and Netflix. He doesn’t need much else.

Henry Green was not in his room, but Henry Green’s room was not empty. He had a new roommate of sorts. He had a girlfriend! While Henry had forced himself out of bed almost an hour and a half ago, he had left Min-seo asleep in the warm, giant bed. He had a task to do, and had given his Assistant, Hamilton, orders on what to do when Min-seo woke up from her sleep. Henry suspected it would be a while before she roused, because she’d had a long, tiring night. Almost certainly, she would be sore all day, if not into tomorrow.

As she came to, the curtains drew back and bathed her in the warm morning sun of the LA area. This had two effects: first, and most important, it warmed Min up a bit more. Secondly, and most unfortunate, it also let her see the state of the room she was going to move into after school. When Henry had carried her in last night, it had been dark and she hadn’t seen the disaster. She did now though.

Then, a voice filled the room, belong to Hamilton, rather than to Henry. “Good morning, Miss Min-seo. Henry has asked that you stay in bed. He’ll be here shortly to fetch you so you can get ready. After you, Miss Parker, and Mr. Green are ready, your day will begin with a shopping trip. Do you have any questions?” After the voice stopped talking, the sound was replaced with themesong, as the wall across from the foot of the bed slid to the left, opening to reveal a massive television, playing a cartoon for Min to enjoy this morning as she waited for her husband.

Aside from the mess, it wasn’t so bad.

Last night had been such a roller coaster ride that Min-seo had almost wished it had happened on a Friday. Even with the benefits of a late start there was still the realization that for as wonderous a night it had been, she was going to have a hard time communicating in class today. Harder than usual, given that her jaw was quite irritated with any bit of excessive movement. This was without even mentioning how her body was still a bit sore. She was going to be a little sluggish in gym class, for sure.

Normally Min-seo was happy to greet the day after a good night’s sleep, but she had gone to bed a bit later than she normally did thanks in no small part to the events of the party not exactly ending at the boat. Most of that was her fault for even suggesting another attempt with her mouth before bed but she was still riding high on the experience of a lifetime. All she wanted to do was pull the pillow over her eyes but that wouldn’t keep the sun out, it would still heat up her face and if she was awake enough to pull a pillow over herself she was awake enough to be actually awake.

As she opened her eyes she almost thought she was in some kind of nightmare. Was this Henry’s room? How did he live here? How was he not always sick? How were there not rats or ants skittering around? How much time did she have before school so she could at least empty the trash and send clothes for a wash. If she was going to be living in this room - and she had decided last night that she was going to be living in Henry’s room - then this was just...unacceptable.

There was no way she was going to live here with the room all a mess. There was no way she was...not going to watch this cartoon with a theme song about ducks. Her side of the bed was...cleanish...and it wasn’t like the room was going to get any messier while the ducks were on screen. She had her priorities, just that ducks overrode them almost every time.



The Parker Ashford is a peculiar species. It is known to run itself ragged throughout the day, with seemingly boundless energy. Then, all of a sudden, the clock strikes nine P.M., and like magic, the Parker’s energy disappears. It is then that the Parker will enter its most natural state of mind: sleep. It can be tough to bring a Parker back to life from a sleep, some scientists even speculate that the natural sleep cycle of a Parker is closer to the hibernation cycles of bears than the sleep cycle of a human.

Recently, the only known Parker Ashford to the scientific community has found a new habitat. A female, she seems to rest peacefully here. Face down, floating in a puddle of her own drool, with her face splayed out around her head… it is the natural sleeping form for the Parker. Like all of her species, this Parker snores loudly to keep predators at bay, so that she may gather the energy required to attempt another day.

Unlike most other Parkers, this one has a second ward against predators, known as a Jasmine. The Jasmine is hidden behind the Parker’s resting form, and as we can see now, a predator is approaching. Let’s watch what happens!

Henry opened the door to Parker’s room and walked inside, with a plate of her breakfast. He sat it down to the side and walked to the top bunk, climbing up the first rung of the ladder. There, he put a hand on Parker’s shoulder. “Park, get up. You have to get ready, we have a big day ahead of us.” He softly shook her, finding that it was a lot harder to wake her than he’d thought.

Watch as the Parker’s protector realizes the snoring hasn’t scared this predator off, and prepares to pounce.

Hidden behind Parker, Jasmine’s legs bent for a second, before she launched herself at Henry. She was just a baby, and small, so the leap didn’t make it much further than to the other side of Henry, but the effect was all the same.

Henry jumped off of the ladder, “Yo, what the hell!? Where did you get a cat?!”

In the town square the volume was deafening. As far as the eye could see there were people gazing forward in awe, murmuring amongst themselves, and sharing in the excitement of the day. Not a single face was frowning or upset in the sea of people and everyone was on pins and needles as the clock ticked ever closer to the appointed hour. Today was a glorious day, one that would be remembered for years to come; it was a day many thought would never come to pass given the particulars of a certain proud person. And yet here it was at long last. The day of the Prince’s Wedding.

The Prince was known as a stubborn man, he refused to eat vegetables that were too green even to this day, and when he turned down every worthy bride to be it was assumed that he would remain brideless until the day came when he was forced to marry for the sake of tradition and an heir. It came as a great surprise to the maids and the crown rulers themselves when the Prince announced his intention to marry. Who was the woman that so swayed the stone cold Prince’s heart?

Presently she was seated in a carriage and looking out at the crowd with a wide eyed fascination. Even from the safety of the carriage the blushing bride could hear the royal musicians playing a song that sounded so familiar and it was coming through so clearly it was as if they were playing right next to her. In her lap was a blue furred feline, her closest companion through the years and even now on the morning of her wedding she was happy for the company.

Really, the fact that in a few short minutes the carriage would open and she would step out to a sea of applause and into the arms of the most dashing Prince in the world was still so unbelievable. A motherless urchin without so much as a crumb to her name was soon to be a Princess. Though she had only known the Prince a scant few weeks she knew as soon as she saw him that it was love. True and honest love shared between a man and a woman, love that transcended class and social graces.

The carriage rolled to a stop and a portly man in a penguin suit opened the door. Even though she hadn’t stepped out, the applause and cheering from the crowd was deafening (except, strangely, for the royal musicians who had now changed to a slightly faster paced melody). From her seat in the carriage she could look out and see her Prince waiting - well, she could see from his shoulders down, the top of the carriage was cutting off his face. But she was sure he was every bit as handsome as he was when she first met him.

She was moments away from stepping out and walking those last few steps to a better future. Her dress was sparkling with the gems sewn into the material, her hair was brushed, washed, and brushed some more until it was full and luminous, and soon enough she would have a tiara to make her outfit complete. Her heart was pounding. All these people here to see here. All these people cheering her on. A Prince waiting for her to leap into his arms. It all felt so...perfect.

”Jasmine,” the Princess-to-Be spoke to her feline friend as she gave a farewell pet down the back. ”Am I dreaming?”

Jasmine blinked and leapt off her lap. ”Why, of course you are, Parker.”

Everything went silent. No music. No cheers. Everything went dark and then bright. No carriage. No Prince. Just narrowed eyes barely able to see anything through the messy strings of hair hanging in front of her eyes. Her hair was sticking to her forehead thanks to the drool that had amassed the night before. The sandman must have made a double trip as Parker rubbed her eyes to get the crusty sand out while the first sound out of her, other than the initial whine of a grunt as she fought to stay asleep, was a hiccup brought on by her inhaling a sharp burst of air as she yawned.

It was the rare moment where Parker wasn’t turned up to eleven. Her face was puffy and she was yawning in between dry smacks of her lips and periodic sounds of grunts and growls that would probably be words if she could even form them in her present state. ”Whrmai?” Her first almost word of the day. Soon, she would be awake enough to repeat it.

“You’re home, Parker.”

It was really all Henry could say, and as far he was concerned, it was true. This was Parker’s home now, and he was going to do his best to make sure her life got better than living in a tent. There were a lot of things for them to do before she could be just right, though. “Are you always like this in the morning? Come on, I have breakfast for you.” Henry offered. In a bold move, Henry held the breakfast plate under Parker’s face, trying to use the cinnamon rolls as a form of smelling salts for Parker.

The smell of cinnamon wafted into her nose and while it didn’t wake her up all the way it did cause her to blink and take in the surroundings. The memory of the previous day played in her head. She wasn’t in her tent anymore, now she was in a bed. A soft one. One not blown up by air. ”Henry…” Parker’s indoor, half-asleep voice was almost like a lost child in tone and volume. Parker reached out her hand for a cinnamon roll, and succeeded only at putting her palm right on top of one, the frosting and cinnamon now stuck on her hand.

“...damn, dude. Is it going to be like this every morning? You’re super quiet too, weird… not sure I dig it.” Henry said as he reached down to her now cinnamon and frosting covered hand and pulling it off. He thought about handing her a napkin, but figured the Parker he knew and loved would come out soon enough, and she’d want to lick it off of her hand. He sat the plate with cinnamon rolls aside, and wrapped his arms around Parker, bringing her down from the bed. “Come on, Parker. Min’s waiting for me, let’s get you up and at ‘em.”

Two things happened very quickly as Parker was hoisted onto the floor. The first was Parker somewhat sluggishly licking the cinnamon and frosting on her palm like a cat licking milk from a saucer. The second, which happened when the name ‘Min’ had Parker looking around the room anxiously. After a blink her eyes went wide and another lick of cinnamon from her hand followed. ”WHERE’S MINCY? SHE’S NOT HERE! SHE HAS TO DO MY HOMEWORK! SCHOOL’S GONNA START AND I DIDN’T DO IT I NEED MINCY! HENRY! WHY’S MY HAND GOT STUFF ON IT?” Parker had been activated.

There she was! Henry had to admit, it was almost relieving to see Parker back to her normal self. Only for a brief second, though, before she finished talking. Then, he remembered how loud she could be, and he was almost immediately brought back to reality. “Wait, Min does your homework? Parker, you’re gonna have to start doing that yourself, dude.” Henry said, shaking his head. He’d have to talk to Min about that, but he could handle that another day. For now, he had to focus on Parker. “Don’t worry about the homework. You got stuff on your hand because you shoved your hand in one of these,” Henry said, gesturing at the plate with two cinnamon rolls on it, “which is your breakfast. You’re gonna eat breakfast, then jump in the shower, get clean, brush your teeth, and get dressed. We’re going shopping. Can you handle all that?” Henry asked, looking down at his youngest friend.

Whatever Henry said before ‘breakfast’ and after ‘breakfast’ Parker didn’t process. It was arguable that she processed any of it given that she kept looking around the room while Henry was speaking to her. The room was very different from the tent, the walls weren’t moving with the wind and there was at least twice as much space to move around, maybe even three times as much. She could fit like ten tents in here. Maybe more. And a trampoline. While Henry was talking, Parker licked her palm again, keeping her hand in place as she followed Henry’s hand to her waiting breakfast. One of the cinnamon rolls had considerably less cinnamon and frosting on them, so Parker naturally went for the one with more on top, grabbing it with her already sticky hand and taking quite a sizeable bite. Parker’s bite was quite different from how a cinnamon roll was supposed to be eaten. She took a chomp from the top of the roll first, biting into the frosting and cinnamon spread where they were at their max.

By the time Henry had asked his question, Parker’s mouth had frosting, cinnamon, and pastry crumbs all around it like she had just rolled her mouth around a tray of food. ”SHOPPING? CAN I GET JASMINE A FRIEND?” At least Parker knew enough not to spit food while she talked.

Jasmine? That must have been the cat. “Nope. Boring shopping, sorry. We gotta get you a phone, shoes, and new clothes. Did you hear what I said about breakfast? You gotta eat it, then take a shower and get dressed. And don’t forget to brush your teeth! Between you and me, flossing is kinda a scam, so you can skip that. But brush your tongue, dude. I can’t believe he bought you a cat, I’m gonna have words with that man.” Henry totally wasn’t going to say a thing to Butler, Butler was a big motherfucker. As long as Parker took care of the cat, Henry would be happy. “Okay, you got your mission, your orders. The plan. Can you handle it? I really wanna go kiss Min now. She’s probably getting worried.” Henry protested, stepping backward toward the door, though he kept his eyes on Parker. He wanted to make sure her first day here wasn’t that bad, after all.

”KISS MIN? BUT SHE’S LIKE YOUR SISTER! GROSS!” Parker’s knack for hearing only what she wanted to hear had an uncanny ability of piping in at the worst times. Whatever Henry had said beforehand might as well have been gibberish as soon as she heard the words ‘kiss Min’. Parker liked Min a whole lot and she like Henry a whole lot but she didn’t want to kiss either of them. That would be like kissing her mom and dad which was only allowed if it was on the cheek! Maybe that’s what Henry meant? Parker took another bite of her cinnamon roll, further adding to the specks of crumb around her mouth before she remembered the most important thing of all. ”JASMINE!”

Part of the supplies purchased the night previous included food bowls and kibble, both of which were against a wall in the corner. Parker almost forgot that she was eating for two now! The bag of kibble was too heavy for her, fortunately there was a scooper cup and Parker giggled as she scooped some of the food into the bowl. ”IT’S LIKE CEREAL!” The cat food clunked into the bowl and like a farmer ringing the bell for supper, Jasmine hopped onto the floor and trotted over to eat her breakfast. Parker, wanting to join her friend, took her plate and sat on the floor next to Jasmine, having a cinnamon roll in one hand and petting Jasmine with the other.

She might not have followed everything Henry said, but for the moment, at least, she was content.

Henry turned around and grabbed the door knob to open it and slip out of the room and into his and Min’s. With a glance over his shoulder, he gave out one last request, “please shower, Parker.” Henry added with finality, before he finally slipped out of the room. “You have your own bathroom!” And then, he shut the door, and grabbed the cart that had Min-seo’s meal still sitting on it.

Henry had worked hard on her meal. He could have had the cook staff do it for him, but he had made a decision to make sure that Min got to enjoy a home cooked meal. It wasn’t particularly mindblowing. In fact, it was rather simple: the breakfast was two chocolate chip pancakes with butter, a bit of powdered sugar, whipped cream and bananas on top. If she wanted, he’d grabbed some syrup, but hadn’t put it on himself. Henry wasn’t a fan of syrup, and didn’t know for sure if Min-seo was. Alongside that, he’d fried up a bit of bacon, and even gone so far as to squeeze orange juice freshly for her. He was proud of it.

Hopefully she didn’t hate one or all of those things…

Rather than focus on that, Henry instead shoved the door opened to his bedroom, where Min was still laying in bed, watching Duck Tales. See, he’d known that would be a hit. He took the plate off of the trolley, and brought it to Min in bed, “Good morning, Ducky. I made you breakfast!” He said, and that hint of pride was undeniable in his voice as he held the plate out toward her. A simple meal, but it was the thought that counted, right?

How had Min-seo not heard of this show before? It was so cute! Even though the main character was kind of a jerk at times, there were still the four little ducklings to make up for it. And the animation was really good! Animation was important for Min; she was good at drawing on model and would perhaps like to expand to animation but all of that was done digitally these days and her tech skills amounted to knowing how to text dick pictures to her friend and take selfies. The only thing that was able to break Min’s attention from the television was a commercial - but given that this recording seemed to mercifully cut those out, a second option emerged, that being the arrival of her boyfriend.

If he hadn’t been holding a tray of food, Min would have gotten out of bed to meet him. Breakfast in bed? Her heart was melting like the whipped cream atop the pancakes. ”O-wo, you...cooked...for me?” Even if Min-seo had been easily impressed, she was genuinely impressed and flattered at the lengths Henry had gone to when he definitely didn’t have to. As she spoke, she rubbed the underside of her jaw. Talking was going to be a luxury today. ”Thank you, Oppa.” A luxury she could afford when Henry was involved.

“You are very welcome.” Henry said as he leaned in to steal a kiss from her lips. Then he sat the plate down on their bedside table, along with some silverware. “I don’t have one of those thingys that they have where you can sit the food over your lap, though… Sorry. After you eat, we can take a shower. Like, together, if you want. If you want a private one, no big deal, more power to you. But the offer stands.” Henry explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed and grinning at her. Henry wasn’t too bad at this boyfriend stuff, it seemed! Waking up early like he’d done? That was totally aids, but he had to admit…

The look on Min’s face made it almost worth it. Almost, Henry still didn’t really getting out of bed. But, there was something about the way she looked at him, when he did even the simplest thing for her… it was a mix of adoration, admiration, and Henry would even dare to say he saw a little love and lust in there, too. This was scary. Relationships were hard. Henry knew that, his father had told him. And so had Julie. Henry listened when they talked!

He’d heard about how at his age, it could be hard to be in a relationship. Hard to be happy with each other all the time, harder to agree all the time. Sometimes it was hard to say no to people who wanted you. It could tough to stay loyal, tough to stay true. Even a day ago, Henry would have boldly claimed that he wasn’t interested in a relationship, at all. He would have said that he didn’t want this.

But there was something about her. It might have been the way she looked at him, the adoring glances. It could have been how she watched the cartoon in wonder. It could have been any number of things, Henry didn’t care about specifics. Henry found himself caring only about making sure Min-seo stayed as happy as she was then and there.

Sometime later, in the future, Henry Green would learn that feeling is called ‘love.’ However… not yet.

And a kiss before breakfast, how romantic. The day was still young and already Min felt it was perfect. If this was how it was on a school day she was definitely looking forward to the weekend. Maybe they would have a romantic dinner via candlelight, like in the movie with the dogs! Though she would surely be happy with something simple so long as it was done together, as a couple.

Following the kiss, Min took a strip of bacon and tore off a small, bite-sized piece to eat, making sure she covered her chewing lips with her fingers. ”Masisseo” Min-seo softly exclaimed after swallowing the first bit of bacon. When she cut an edible piece of pancake, dipping it in the whipped cream for good measure, she was a bit more vocal in her response. ”Jeongmal masisseo!” Was there chocolate in these? Why hadn’t anyone thought to do that before? She had to ask Kit if she’d ever tried it like that, it was such a creative and delicious pairing.

”It is...what is the word for…masisseo...dee….dee-lick-oush?”

“Dee-lish-us.” Henry explained, putting emphasis on every syllable, trying to help her. Then, suddenly, it reminded him of something! “Oh, yeah! I was gonna make a suggestion. Maybe like, every night or something, you could read a book aloud with me. In bed. With clothes on, which is kinda bummer, but I thought it could help you learn the language a bit better? I dunno, just something that came to me as I was flippin’ pancakes. What do you think?” He asked, sliding up the side of the bed to be closer to her. He was swelling with pride after their morning so far, delighted that she was enjoying her breakfast so much.

Delicious. She was going to remember that one, especially if she had more homemade breakfasts to look forward to. While she knew boys could cook, and well at that, her stepmother had always instilled the belief that the girlfriend or wife was the one who provided the cooking. Perhaps in her stepmother’s day that was the standard and Min-seo wasn’t exactly about to complain that her boyfriend loved her enough to make her breakfast after they had spent the previous night showing their love for each other. Min didn’t expect such treatment every single day or following every time they had sex in the future but if nothing else it made for a nice sentiment and reaffirmed the feeling she knew was mutual.

”Read...book?” Min blinked blankly as she picked away at her breakfast. ”Big...big books?” Min-seo had read novels before but they’d been translated into Korean; reading a full hundred-plus page novel in English seemed like quite the daunting task, but if it helped her understand and communicate better then maybe it would be worth it. She wanted to speak the language better, not just for her sake but because it wasn’t fair for her friend Kit to have to slow down just to talk with her, it wasn’t fair that she couldn’t talk normally with Henry. ”When I...finish book...I get...kiss?” Though her inflection made it seem like a question, it was really more of a hopeful suggestion of encouragement on her behalf.

“You can have all the kisses you want, whenever you want. You don’t have to finish reading a book for that. I was thinking we’d start with smaller books, and work our way up. Easier books, like Dr. Seuss and stuff, and then maybe Harry Potter once you’re more comfortable with it.” Heny said, nodding to affirm his statement. “You’re learning, so we don’t want to just shove you over the deep end and straight into the rough stuff, you know? We’ll take it slow, and ramp up over time. It’s better if we do it that way, besides… we kinda like, live in the same room now. So we’ll have plenty of time together.” Henry paused after that, realizing that he’d just said something that Min-seo may not have realized yet. They were staying in the same room together now. Henry scratched the back of his head, before launching into a more thorough explanation of what he meant.

“Parker kind of took over your room… So, I figure we’ll just move your stuff in here, and you can stay with me on a more permanent basis. Does that sound okay? Because Park like… got a cat, and a bunch of other crap.”

Of course they were living in the same room now; they had spent the night in it and Min-seo wasn’t about to make it a temporary thing. They were in a relationship. If they hadn’t been living under the same roof she would have understood, but since they were there was little reason to have Min sleep in the guest room. She was glad that Henry seemed to understand this, though now that she was going to be living in his room she was absolutely going to have to do something about it.

”Harry...Potter?” It must have been an American book. But she couldn’t say she hated the idea. One of the ways of learning was by doing and having someone there to work with her, encourage her, and help her with pronunciation was quite the boon. She wanted to sound comfortable with the language by the end of the semester if she could. ”Okay...we will read...start tonight?” Her enthusiasm couldn’t be contained and her breakfast plate was quickly being emptied. ”Parker has...cat? Is the cat...real?” Parker and stuffed cats were a match made in heaven where Min-seo was concerned, but she couldn’t imagine Parker having a living animal to care for; not that Parker didn’t have the love of cute animals but because Parker was quite...irresponsible. Min-seo was around on mornings where Parker kicked and screamed her way into being forced to bathe.

”I think...we will have to...help her. With...cat.”

“Damn, I hope not.” Henry muttered, thinking about how he may end up taking care of not just Parker, but the cat too… “I don't know why he got her a cat, that's like the last thing she needed, but whatever. If I have to handle it as part of her living here, then I will handle it. Parker was sleeping in a friggin’ tent, Ducky. Unbelievable… But it's okay. She's here now, and we'll take care of her. She deserves better, and I'm gonna help her get the best.”

Henry looked at Min, and ducked forward, kissing her on the lips. “Which reminds me, you can't be doing her homework anymore, babe. Oppa’s orders.” Another kiss. “You can help, but don't just do it.”

Parker was living in a tent? For how long? Now that Henry mentioned it, Min had never actually been to Parker’s house; she had always just come over to play and in so doing would fall asleep. Min assumed Parker’s parents, whoever they were, didn’t mind that their daughter was spending time and sleeping over at a friend’s house, but if she was living in a tent what was the situation like at home? Min-seo didn’t want to pry but part of her really wanted to know; Parker, though, didn’t seem the type to care about or talk about her home life. And it didn’t really matter either way. She had a roof over her head now.

””If I do not...help her...then she...she will fail. Parker has...she is...very...she does not...sit for long.” If Parker doing her own homework was one of Henry’s goals, Min had her doubts on how successful it would be. Min tried to teach her some simple math but it amounted to Min-seo writing down the equations and then the answers when Parker didn’t seem to follow the process no matter how often Min went over the material. ”I will...try.”

“Yeah, I get it. Parker’s a tough cookie to crack, but don’t worry. I’ll handle Parker. You just focus on you for a while. You’ve been doing like… double schoolwork. It’s not fair to you. Take the extra time to hang out with your friend. The blonde one? Uh… Kat?” Henry asked, the name of Min’s blonde friend temporarily slipping his mind, “you should see if she’s doing anything after school, and hang out with her. Maybe she’ll be doin’ something cool. You can call me when you’re done, and I’ll come pick you up. If you only have your homework to do, then you have more free time to actually enjoy America. And that’s… the point, isn’t it?”

Henry didn’t think it was fair that Min was doing Parker’s work, and sitting around the house all day. She should be out and about, seeing the sights, or at least hanging out with her friends. She was here to get the American experience, wasn’t she? That couldn’t exactly be had, sitting in the Green Mansion and doing homework for Parker. “Oh, I guess we have a date Friday night, too. Movie night at the pizza place.”

”Kit...not Kat. Cat is...what Parker has.” She couldn’t exactly deny that Henry was making sense. While doing math wasn’t too terribly time consuming, when it came to doing Parker’s other assignments, often it was an exercise in exhaustion and pouring over a dictionary just to understand certain words. It would be good for Parker to do her homework and learn from it, if learning was a concept Parker understood. Min-seo had a boyfriend now, though, and that meant her priorities shifted. As much as she was a friend of Parker, by extension of Henry, Parker would have to be okay on her own for a while. Third wheels were no one’s idea of a good time.

”I enjoy America...I...enjoy you.” That caused Min-seo to blush but she was speaking earnestly and truthfully. Even if she was still doing Parker’s homework night after night, if it meant having a wonderful boyfriend then it was worth it. But being able to maximize couple time? That was a deal Min-seo could definitely get behind. ”Friday date...I am...excited.”

She didn’t clearly, and she struggled through her words… but, Henry loved what she was saying. Kit, not Kat. He could remember that. “Hey, well, thank you.” Henry grinned widely at her and pulled at her hand. “Come on, let’s go jump in the shower so I can show you how much I enjoy you.” This was painless, an easy transition. As far as Henry could tell, he was trading some of his time and a spot in his bed for unlimited sex and kisses. That was a really good trade! He should have done this girlfriend thing like, ages ago.

If it stayed this easy, and he didn’t have to make any extreme changes to his life, then this was going to be the perfect relationship for the both of them. “Hopefully Parker is ready,” Henry muttered as he stood up and grabbed at Min’s hand, tugging and pulling her toward the attached bathroom, where the shower was already running and warming up for the pair.

Min-seo wanted to get a start on making the room more livable for herself and by extension Henry, but even the most arduous of tasks could wait until after a shower. Besides, it wasn’t like the room could get any more filthy - though that wasn’t a theory she was wanting to test. Breakfast, shower, what sounded like code for sexual activity in the shower, dressing and then maybe emptying some trash into a garbage bag to deposit on the way to school. It was a start. If she did her morning class homework during lunch then she could probably make a decent dent after school and still have time to finish the rest of homework. Assuming, of course, that the morning shower was the day’s only wonderful distraction.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was an itinerary and Min-seo was already mapping out a rough schedule in her head as she was whisked along into the bathroom. Why did she even question if the shower would be big enough for two people? Of course it was. She was in a mansion that would give her father’s skyscrapers and suites a run for their money. ”Do not worry….about Parker...for at least….ten minutes?” Min-seo gave her boyfriend a reassuring kiss before being the first one into the shower. Right now, it was just the two of them and the refreshing warmth of the water, and Min-seo knew these ten minutes would feel as long as the rest of world.



Min-seo’s assumption about Henry’s words being code for ‘sexual activity in the shower’ had been more than on point. Luckily for her, Henry made sure she was as clean as could be, even going so far as to lather her up himself. Once they were done, dried, and clothed, Henry led her out of the room, holding her hand the whole way as they traversed over the messy, landmine, no-man’s zone of a room.

Once they escaped over the obstacles of garbage and dirty clothes, Henry looked at Min-seo’s old room, now Parker’s. “I’ll get someone to move all of your stuff into our room while we’re at school and out today. That way, when we get home, everything is there for you to… y’know, do whatever you want with.” Henry shrugged his shoulders, before adding, “Hey, maybe while we’re at the mall we can go clothes shopping for you? More stuff like what you wore last night. And like… cute lingerie and bra and panties combos, but that’s for me.” With a grin and a wink, Henry kissed Min’s cheek before turning and knocking rapidly on the door to the room where Parker was waiting.

“Parker? You ready to rock n’ roll dude?” He asked, before turning the door knob and pushing the door inward. What was the worst that could be going on? Parker was wicked innocent, and beside, Henry had to make sure that her cat (why did she get a fucking cat?) wasn’t messing up Min’s things before they had a chance to move them into her new room.

Parker might not have been one hundred percent, but where Min-seo had expected Parker to be a bit of a mess she was instead pleasantly surprised to see that she was somewhat presentable. Granted, Parker was still in her clothes from yesterday, the ones she had slept in, but given the fact that she had had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and there wasn’t a crumb or frosting on her face or hands was something of a small miracle. Unbeknownst to Henry and Min, Parker did originally have a bit of a cinnamon warzone on her face, but when she went to play with Jasmine and saw her hands were crumbly and messy which meant Jasmine’s fur would get sticky and thus be hard to pet, Parker washed up. She dunked her hands in the tub then her face and then, amidst the laughter such an act caused, she went in the tub proper - still fully clothed. With wet clothes still clinging to her, Parker left the tub after a few minutes and returned to make sure Jasmine had eaten her breakfast.

The clothes were still wet, but they didn’t seem to bother Parker who, when Henry and Min-seo entered, was playing with a catnip mouse-shaped teaser and clapping as Jasmine swiped at it. Her attention was turned to Henry and Mincy just as Jasmine pawed at the toy with a mewl. ”WHERE ARE WE GOING? HI, MINCY!”

Henry was always learning something. This time, he seemed to be learning that Parker needed help with… well, everything. That was okay, he could do it. Henry had a list of life cheat codes afforded to him by his mom, his pops, and different family members. He would just have to help Parker employ some of those in her own life, which would make things better for the lot of them! Right now, though? Henry had to get her in some clothes… “Well, I guess you technically got in the shower, huh? Did you use soap…? You know what, doesn’t matter. You gotta put on dry clothes before you can get in the car, dude.” Henry’s voice was kind of firm, as if he was trying to show Parker that she probably shouldn’t bathe with her clothes on.

“We’re going to the mall. You and Min need stuff, so I’m gonna get you stuff. I gots a list in my head. We’ll be done and out of there before school starts. We shouldn’t be late, or if we are, not that grossly late.” Henry shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t care if he was late, but he knew that Min-seo had a thing about attendance, and schoolwork, and being smart. She was pretty smart, and once he helped her get a better grasp of the language, she was sure to be even moreso. “As you can see, Min, there’s the cat.”

Min-seo really had to wonder what Parker’s parents were like, apart from ‘clearly not around’, and what they might think of the fact that their child operated at her own sort of pace. There was something enviable about how Parker viewed and experienced the world but Min-seo couldn’t imagine living in Parker’s shoes for even one hour. Still, it was impossible not to crack a smile watching the way Parker was absolutely taken with her cat. Min still had her doubts that it was a good idea to entrust Parker with a living creature but Min couldn’t deny that it seemed to be a positive influence on her.

”YOU CAN’T BE IN HERE HENRY, YOU’RE NOT A GIRL!” Parker, at being told she was going to have to put on dry clothes, was trying, and struggling, to lift the wet shirt over her head. Min-seo placed her palm upwards to apologetically wave to Henry as she aided Parker in the herculean task of taking a wet, clingy shirt off of someone. For some reason, Min-seo felt like a mother even though she had only been in a relationship less than twenty four hours.

It took a good ten minutes, but Parker was in a fresh set of clothes and saying goodbye to Jasmine while Min-seo was helping her out into the hallway. Min-seo gave Henry a kiss on the cheek as the trio was equipped and ready to embark on their journey. ”I am...not doing that...everyday.”

“You’re a hero.” Henry said as he took Min’s hand and squeezed it, happy to see that Parker was now not only wearing clothes and being clean, but wearing dry clothes. “You won’t have to do it again, don’t worry. I got this.” Henry seemed, if nothing else, to be at least confident of his ability to reign Parker in.



Within a few minutes of leaving the mansion, getting piled into the car (Min rode shotgun now, with Henry’s hand resting on her knee the whole way), the party found themselves at the mall. Henry led them as a group to the cell phone store. In there, he glided the two girls toward the saleswoman, who smiled at the group. “Hi! How may I help you today?” Little did this woman know that she was about to make a giant commission, possibly one that would change her life.

“I need a new phone for her. And a new phone for her.” Henry explained, gesturing at each of the girls, before pointing at Parker. “Her phone needs to be durable. I’m talking, waterproof, drop proof, thrown against the wall proof. As tanky as possible. She’s not a very responsible person, so put a tracker in it too… and she’ll need an Assistant. It’s her first phone, so do it up right and get her all the little accessories, like speakers and a nice case and a fast charger and some nice headphones and a little mounty thingy for when she wants to play games.” Henry then moved to point at Min-seo, “her phone needs a dope camera. Like, the dopest camera you have. She’s, uh… an aspiring Instagram model.” Close enough to the truth.

The saleswoman shook her head, “that’s a lot of stuff for a teenager… What’s the name on your account?”

Henry tapped his chin. “Uh, Green. Henry Green. It’s, fuck I hope this is the right mom, it’s under Alyssa Green.”

And then, the saleswoman’s demeanor changed entirely.

“Why didn’t you say so?! I’ll be right back with some options.”

Min-seo didn’t even have an Instagram account. Anymore. She deleted it in the airport the day of her flight to America, a final effort to leave her old life in Korea in order to immerse herself in the American experience. She didn’t clarify this to the clerk, though she was blushing at the little white lie. The camera on her soon to be new phone wasn’t there to take pictures of ducks in the pond. She had a hunch, though, that before the day was done she was going to be reactivating her account.

Parker, meanwhile, was unusually quiet only because she was occupying her time by looking through the different accessories; it was a small miracle that she wasn’t taking things off the shelf and dropping them on the floor. Most of the cases were boring flat colors but she gasped rather audibly when her eyes spotted a bright, colorful case that also had exactly what Parker loved. The case in question featured a stained glass mosaic of Disney princesses and she snatched it into her hands so quickly that the other accessories shook like they were in a wind tunnel. ”HENRY! I WANT THIS ONE! THIS IS MY PHONE!” She thrust the phone case into Henry’s torso. ”I DIDN’T SEE A DUCK PHONE FOR MINCY.”

Parker seemed to think the phone case was, in fact, an actual phone.

Henry took the case from Parker and shook his head. “Park, this is just a phone case, you like… put it on your phone to keep it from cracking and stuff, y’know? Cuz if you didn’t and you dropped it, it would explode. But that’s great, thanks. I’ll get you that one.” Henry said, before sitting it down on the counter. Well, that was one part of their shopping done, however small it may be. “You can get some other stuff if you want it. Like speakers, or a smart watch. Or some headphones. Headphones would be a good one.” Henry suggested to Parker as the saleswoman walked up with two boxes in hand.

“Alright, I have a phone here that’s rated for outdoor usage. It’s made with a special kind of material that can survive drops of up to 50 feet, as well as survive light to medium water damage. It also does have an Assistant on it. and I can run you through first time setup —”

Henry shook his head, “Nah, that’s cool, I’ll help her with that. Will this case fit on it?” He asked, holding up the Disney princess case, and the shopkeep nodded, “dope.” He said, then the woman turned her attention to Min-seo.

“And then for you, Miss, I have this phone here. It can get different lens attachments, but the base camera is pretty solid, at the top of the pack as far as megapixels per photo goes. And, it records video in 4k resolution, and it has ultra slo-mo. It also does come with Assistant software, if you’re interested in that!”

“Ultra slo-mo? Huh.” Henry was already getting ideas.

Parker didn’t have to be told twice. Being given essentially a blank check to get stuff meant that she set about looking for things that went with her brand new Disney branded phone. If there was an applicable accessory, Parker was pawing at it. She was like a kid at Christmas, moreso than usual; she didn’t know what a smart watch was but because she was told she could get one, she was getting one. Half of the things Henry was talking about went right over her head, but Parker was getting a phone, her own phone! Now she and Daisy could talk and Parker didn’t have to steal Henry’s phone to play games or to take pictures.

Min-seo, meanwhile, was merely shocked that her secondary phone was far and away more feature rich than her present phone. That it wasn’t going to be used for strictly communication purposes was not lost on her. What did she need ultra slo-mo for? She was almost afraid to find out. ”I know...about...Assistant...I...don’t need…” She didn’t want to come off as rude so she simply offered a nod to the clerk. Min never really saw the need for an Assistant, she was good at keeping hold of her own schedules and it wasn’t like the robot voice could cook jajangmyeon. But maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have.

”This phone will...work.”

The woman behind the counter shook her head at Min’s attempts to dismiss her need for an Assistant, instead going straight into shill mode. “Are you sure? Assistants are valuable in day-to-day life. They can do —” She was going to go on, but she was silenced by Henry holding his hand up and covering her face.

“She’ll take the Assistant. Hamilton would be pissed if I didn’t jump at the opportunity to get him a friend. She doesn’t need help with the setup either, I’ll do it too.” Henry said, shifting into control of the situation again, trying to steer them toward efficiency. “Look, we have a lot of stuff to do. We picked out the phones. We’re living now. We’re gonna need a case and screen protectors for that phone, and screen protectors for the phone with the princess case, and then make sure they get all the best accessories. Anyway… PARK! We’re gonna pick it up on the way out!” He said, standing up and gesturing for Min-seo to stand with him. “Just put it on the bill, okay?” He added to the clerk, who gave him a nod.

With that, Henry headed toward the door. “Alright, we’re gonna go clothes shopping now, so get excited for that!” He said, clapping his hands together before he took Min’s hand and interlaced their fingers. “I think you should get a hat, Park.”

Clothes was something Min-seo had more of an interest in, at least compared to phones. She had selected her wardrobe, save the ones that were used in her commercial and promotional work for that brief period of time, since she was old enough to know the difference between a bustier and a basque. The clothing she brought to America were chosen by her to maximize comfort and make while also being as low key as possible. That might have led to her clothes being conservative by American teen standards but Min liked them and that was the important thing.

Something told her that the clothes store Henry was taking her was more in line with the more skintilation side of things. The last thing she wanted to do was stand out, but given who she was the girlfriend of it seemed that she’d be noticed just by association. Did that mean she had to alter her entire wardrobe? She hoped not, but then the only reason the previous night happened was because of finding her soft drink commercial on the internet. Perhaps a happy medium could be found, but Min-seo would figure that out when it came up.

”WHY? HATS ARE STUPID.” Parker, miraculously, didn’t leave a pile of destruction in the phone store though she did push her way through Henry and Min’s legs to walk in front of them rather than just walk to their side. ”I DON’T WANT CLOTHES!” For Parker, there was nothing more boring in the mall than the clothing store, except for maybe the book store but that at least had picture and comic books.

“I think you’d look good in a hat. Plus, if you don’t have on you’re gonna need to brush your hair all the time, and who wants to do that? Just wear a hat, trust me. Brushing hair is butt, and you don’t wanna deal with that in the mornings. Just cover it with a hat and you can get away with it not being brushed out every day. And I don’t care what you want, you need clothes. We’re gonna get you like five outfits school, and like, I dunno, three for fun times. That way you can look nice and then you got shitty clothes you can get dirty in too.” Henry said, attempting to put his foot down so that Parker would just agree with him. He really wanted this to be easy, but it seemed sometimes like she was intent on making it the opposite… “Min, you can get whatever you want while we’re shopping for Parker. I got a feeling it might be better if you and me come alone for the more fun shoppin’, since I’m gonna have to make sure I keep her on track.”

The problem with Henry’s reasoning, as sensible as it was, was that there were far too many words and Parker promptly stopped listening right around the time hair brushing was brought up. Nobody wore hats to school and Parker didn’t want to be known as ‘the hat girl’ but if she didn’t have to try anything on then getting a couple shirts was probably okay. The store probably had a bunch of cute shirts to choose from! She’d still be bored out of her mind but at least she was willing to go with it for the moment. ”YOU SAID BUTT!” Parker pointed and laughed at Henry, enjoying poking fun where she could.

Min-seo nodded her agreement about the Parker situation and she was somewhat glad that Parker’s presence meant Min got to put off shopping for the more revealing clothing for at least a little while. The last thing she needed to do was to show up to school today sporting an outrageous new look. Give her a clothing store and a no limit credit card and Chae Min-seo could put together an ensemble. ”I...agree. We can...come back...just us.” The idea of shopping with Henry wasn’t a bad one, though she hoped he wouldn’t mind sitting in the ‘boyfriend chair’ for a good hour plus when it came to it.

“I’ll tell you what, Parker. If you start wearing a hat, I will.” Henry said with a disappointed shake of his head as he guided the group into the clothing store. Looking at Min, he nodded his agreement and squeezed her hand. “Sounds good. We can go tomorrow after school, or today if you’re not busy. We’ll see what’s up, though. Maybe you’ll get dragged on some wacky adventure and meet new friends because of it.” He gave her a grin, and then stepped forward to grab Parker’s arm and spin her so she was facing him. Henry’s face was very serious now, as he looked down at Parker.

“Four t-shirts. Two jackets. Three pairs of jeans. Underwear and stuff. Get that junk, and then anything else you get is just bonus. Speed of light, Parker. I wanna see how fast you can load up a cart. You only get one cart though! It’s a game. You get more points if you get everything I told you too. And it has to fit. The prize? You’ll find out if you win.” Henry finished his spiel, and hoped that Parker had paid attention to most of it. If she had… he knew her well enough to know that it would set her on a fanatic charge. Parker liked to win.

Min-seo had to have a bit of a chuckle at the thought of meeting new friends on some kind of adventure. So far her circle of friends was seventy five percent people she knew via Henry and that was being generous in calling Brian a friend. The last twenty five percent was Kit which was why Min-seo was glad to have a friend she made on her own merits. She could admit, though, that the idea of meeting new people was a good one.

Parker on the other hand was nodding her understanding. Serious face meant this was important and Parker listened as well as could be expected - barely up until Henry said it was a game. Parker liked games even if she wasn’t always the best at them. She was going to win this one. She repeated the numbers on her own fingers, four, two, three, four two three. Maybe the prize was a second cat. Or ice cream. Or...or an ice cream bar in the shape of a cat! Like from the cartoon! Cookie Cat! As soon as Henry’s grip loosened on her arm, she was off, beelining for the shirts and gravitating towards the brightly colored ones or ones with funny words or characters on them.

”HOW LONG DO I HAVE?” Her voice rang from the child and pre-teen shirt section, drawing a couple of confused looks from employees and shoppers alike.

Min, seeing the display, gave Henry’s hand a gentle squeeze. ”You are...good with her…”

“Uhh… YOU GOT FIFTEEN MINUTES PARKER! SHOULD BE PLENTY OF TIME!” Henry called back, before looking at Min and grinning, “thanks, I guess. I try my best. Parker’s kind of a pain sometimes, but I love her anyway. I bought us fifteen minutes.” Henry said, before he tugged Min-seo toward the private dressing rooms. “Now I only need five, so ten of those are gonna be all about you.”

It took a moment for Min-seo to understand what exactly Henry meant. Why were they going to the dressing rooms, neither of them had anything to try on? It was when they got inside that putting clothes on was not the plan of action. Her eyes went wide and a puzzled exclamation sounded from her mouth. ”Here? Now?” It was one thing in the shower, that was private and there weren’t customers walking around. She was going to have to be quiet.

Fortunately she had an idea as to how. For a few minutes, anyway.

Henry had to wonder if he was going to do this everytime she went to this. Sitting at the school for an additional half hour? He wasn’t into it. It was awful. This place was boring, it was lonely, it was quiet and… He was just standing there. Hanging out near the science room where she’d told him she was gonna be, and watching YouTube on his phone. He didn’t even have Parker to talk to, since Brian had taken her to do… whatever.

Henry had learned long ago that letting Brian do what he was going to do was always better than demanding to know what he was doing. Plus, the dude really liked Parker. He was the least likely to fuck with her.

When the door flew open, and Kit and Min burst out, Henry’s head snapped up from his phone and he turned his attention to the girls. Before he could speak, the blonde girl talked. In the only voice she seemed to have, an unnecessarily loud one. “Hi, Min’s boyfriend! Bye Min. The Doc is here to get me!” With that, she was off, and Henry was left alone with Min.

Henry looked down at Min as he slid his phone into his pocket and raised an eyebrow, “I’m ‘Min’s boyfriend’ now?” He asked, before he swooped down and kissed her on the lips, then put his arm around her shoulder and led her down the hallway.

Min wasn’t surprised to see Henry waiting outside, she had sent him a message and everything, though she was slightly disappointed that he didn’t come into the room proper. Maybe he could’ve joined her in joining the club - though she figured it wasn’t exactly his thing. Min wasn’t even sure it was her thing but the members seemed nice enough and Kit was excited so the least Min could do was try it out. Clubs looked good on resumes.

Of course, her disappointment vanished as soon as she was wrapped up in a kiss like they hadn’t seen each other in months. If it would always be like that, Min could definitely get used to it. “Do you...not...like it?” Min’s question came with her head resting against his arm as they walked, very couple-like, down the hallway. “You will...always be…’Min’s boyfriend’ to her.” Min wasn’t sure that Kit knew Henry’s name, but it didn’t matter. Kit’s title wasn’t wrong.

“You could have...come inside...it is...a fun...club...I think.”

“Of course I like it. I just… have a name.” He shook his head, smiling as he held her close to him while they walked together. He didn’t mind the title, he just figured if Kit was going to be Min’s best friend, she could at least learn her boyfriend’s name… Henry’s face lit back up in a smile after Min talked about how it was a ‘fun club.’

“You think it’s fun, or you know?” He teased, giving her another kiss as they stepped into the parking lot. He clicked his key to unlock the doors, and nodded. He could go to it if she wanted him to, he didn’t mind. “Do you want me to come next time? I can check it out if you’d like.” Henry shrugged, before he got in the driver’s seat of the car. “What even is it? Tabletop club? What does that even mean?”

Henry started the car and looked over at Min-seo, “so hey. What’s up with that girl you’ve been hanging out with, anyway? Wasn’t she blonde the last time I saw her? ...like, what’s she like? She’s your friend, so you should probably give me a warning before I actually meet her.”

“I think it is fun. We...did not do...anything. But talk about...making...characters? There was...a big book...I can..be...frog.” Min felt like she was a child describing her day at school to her parents, but it was hard not to sound that way when discussing a club that she still wasn’t entirely sure the point of was. It involved a big book, characters, and the two boys seemed genuinely happy to talk to a girl. “You should...come. If you...don’t like...then I..make it up...to you.” She didn’t need to clarify, she hoped he was good enough at math to put two and two together.

“You mean...Kit? She is...best friend. She is..very...funny.” Min needed some time to find the right word that didn’t sound like she was saying something negative. Funny seemed fairly universally positive. “Without her...I would not...be your...girlfriend. She helped me with...blow..job. I think...she...cheerleader? She is...single...I think?”

There was a book? Man, Henry hated reading. Maybe it would at least have pictures… making characters? Some kind of video game, then. She can be a frog…? This was so totally not Henry’s scene, he had to think of a way to let her down easy—

“If you...don’t like...then I..make it up...to you.”

Well, she’d sold him on the deal. It sounded like some nerdy shit, and Henry made a mental note to text Joy about it. She was the biggest nerd in the school, and she probably knew whatever the fuck they were doing in that room. Plus, Min was sweetening the deal with promise of not only sexual favors, but sexual favors to make him happy after he didn’t have a fun time. He’d be a damned fool to not go to it now, and Henry Green was certainly not a fool. “Yeah, sure I’m totally in.”

Then, she spoke about her friend. Best friend! That was exciting, Henry was happy to hear that she’d made one of those already. “She helped you with all that stuff? That’s… cool. How did she help you with these things? She’s single?”

She should’ve gotten a signing bonus if it meant bringing someone like Henry Green to the next tabletop club meeting; that was probably like a celebrity coming to eat at a roadside diner on the edge of the city limits. Min-seo was just glad he didn’t scoff at the idea, and she hoped he wouldn’t go into the meeting with the intent to dislike it just because of her promise. Her boyfriend would have more integrity than that.

“She told me..how to...fit it in...my mouth.” There was a hint of embarrassment in Min’s response but there was far less of it than there would if the car had more people in it. Like Parker. “She also told me..how to...send...sex texts?” That word still confused her. ‘Sext’ didn’t even sound english, it sounded like a mathematical term for sixty or a multiple of six. “But...I told her...maybe...about...us...helping..her?”

Awwww, she wanted to help her friend. Henry was forever impressed with his own ability to get Min-seo to date him. She was such a sweetheart, and could — in every way except maybe what he had in his pants — do a helluva lot better than him. He looked over at her in the corner of his eye and he couldn’t help but smile. She just made him… happy. “Sexts, Min. Speaking of those, I wanted to send you some like… all day. I was tryna to be appropriate. I don’t know if you want stuff like that poppin’ up in your phone durin’ school.” He shrugged his shoulders, but had yet to address her question of helping Min’s friend. Henry had to think about that for a moment.

Did he have any single friends? Not really, but he was sure he could find someone at that school that was viable for Min’s friend. Maybe Ari? Did Min’s friend like girls? Well… most of the girls at their school liked girls, so Henry decided to safely assume that yes. Min’s friend did like girls.

“Help her with what? Like, getting a boyfriend or girlfriend? I mean, we can try, but I don’t know many bachelors or bachelorettes that are roamin’ the BHHS halls, ya know what I’m sayin’?”

Was that even allowed? Sending sex texts during school hours? That seemed like something super risky and the last thing Min wanted was for Henry to get in even more trouble with the school administration. She could handle the separation once class started, they still had homeroom and lunch together and they lived together. The occasional message throughout the day wouldn’t hurt, she figured. If for no other reason than to make history less dull.

“Help her...with…sex” That wasn’t exactly it, but the conversation in the science class was so very long ago and before she was caught up in the whole idea of making a cute character for a table. “I..don’t know...what she likes...she does not know...but she did see...your...penis. From...the boat. I think...she liked it.”

Hold the goddamn phone. Was his girlfriend (who had been a virgin until like two nights ago) asking him if he and she could have a threesome with her friend? Sweet Christmas. Henry didn’t even know what to say. Was this a test? Was it safe to say yes? Of course he wanted to say yes, but he also did not want to risk giving the ‘yes’ answer when this was just a test from her to see what he was like.

Holy shit, being a boyfriend was complicated. Normally, he would just be like ‘fuck yeah, let’s have a threesome!’ But now? He had to be cautious, to make sure that he didn’t hurt Min’s feelings by thinking with his dick. To make matters worse, Henry had a pretty bad habit of thinking with his dick — that was how Ari happened.

“Min…. are you asking me… if it’s okay… if we have sex with your friend…?” Start by verifying, and making sure that it was in fact what she said. Henry was the one who was speaking with long pauses now, being careful to make sure that he couldn’t be misheard. They were playing a dangerous game, and he didn’t want to just lose it.

Min-seo turned her head to look at her boyfriend; her look wasn’t one of accusation or disbelief, but one of confusion. Confusion not for him but about herself. Was she not clear? Did something get lost in translation? Her limited command over the language was providing a challenge beyond what she even knew. It obviously wasn’t as clear as she had thought, and for that the fault had to be levied at her own feet.

“I just...she has been...without her...we would not be...together...so...if I...if we could...help her…” Why was this such a difficult thing to ask? It was a touchy subject to be sure and Min-seo didn’t want to run the risk of losing her boyfriend; the last thing she wanted was for him to think that she was trying to trade herself for Kit. “She needs...exper..yes. To give her...con...confi-dance. So she...can...find...love.”

“Alright, well I’m willing to do it, but there need to be some ground rules! First and foremost, I don’t want this to make it weird. Like, I’m your boyfriend, so if she gets weird I’m kickin’ her out of the room. And it has to be at our house. In our room. Which we should probably clean a bit before we bring a friend over…” Henry trailed off a bit, but couldn’t help but wonder how he got so lucky. Day one, he got a great girlfriend. Somehow. Someone who was still with him even after a few days. And then, on day… four? his new girlfriend arranged a threesome for him. “You’re the best girlfriend a guy could ever ask for.”

Min-seo didn’t think she was doing anything that any other girlfriend and best friend wouldn’t do, but she wasn’t going to let the compliment go to waste. The rules made sense and she was at least glad Henry wasn’t assuming that this was some weird thing or whatever; she wasn’t doing this so that her boyfriend would have two girlfriends. She was doing it so her best friend could have the confidence to find her own boyfriend or girlfriend knowing full well that she is a beautiful woman worthy of it.

“Oppa…” Min-seo didn’t quite know how to properly respond to such glowing praise, but falling back on the affectionate title in her native tongue just felt so utterly right.

Henry only had one response to what she said. Rather than say anything, he just turned his head to give her another warm smile, and reached over to squeeze her knee. His actions carried more weight than any words he could have had as they pulled up to the gated compound that lead to the Stentorian Estate. He hit the keypad, and the gate rolled open before him.

“Parker’s gonna be out for the evening you know, so we have our wing of the estate all to ourselves, justttt saying.”

At the revelation of privacy and quiet, Min-seo’s eyes practically lit up like a Christmas tree. While she wasn’t bouncing in her seat and rushing out of the car before it even rolled to a complete stop, her excitement was certainly palpable to say the least. “Just...the two...of us? You...you know what that means...yes?” Min was looking Henry in the eyes as the car was coming to a full stop.

“That means...you can...help me clean! Bring some gloves!”

It was not entirely unfair to say that the wind had been taken out of Henry’s sails. He was thinking something akin to ‘push me up against the window and take me.’ Did she say clean? Henry never cleaned! They paid people for that! People that skipped his room. Why did he have to clean?

“I… well. Yes, ma’am.” Henry said as he shifted the car into park.

Sigh.