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Chapter Text

Finn Ames

The bakery was filled with the scent of warm sugar and exhaustion.

It was my closing shift on a Friday, and I was cleaning the last table while the overhead lights flickered softly in amber. The chairs were stacked, the counters gleamed, and the usual chaos had settled into a peaceful quiet.

Dot and Lance had just bickered their way out the door eight minutes ago.

Lemon had picked up her and Mash's aprons to take it to the dry cleaners; she had made them custom ones: darker than the rest of ours, with their names stitched in gold thread. The rest of us wore the standard pink. She never offered to take ours to the cleaners; we had to wash ours ourselves.

I enjoyed this moment. The stillness. The way the air felt was heavy yet gentle. It made me feel significant, in a way... even though there were seventy-two dishes in the back waiting to ruin my back.

The bell above the front door jingled.

I didn't look up.

"We're closed," I shouted from behind the counter, reaching for the mop.

Boots clicked against the tile, slowly, deliberately.

I groaned in annoyance.

"I said we're closed!" I yelled, louder this time.

"Is that how you treat all your customers?"

The voice was smooth. Smug, even.

I leaned over the counter and squinted toward the doorway.

Carpaccio Luo-Yang.

Tall, lean, and shadowy. His cloak swayed slightly, as if the air didn't want to touch him. His hair was the same deep burgundy. His eyes were unreadable. He has two lines; one in a spiral pattern on his cheek and the other above his left eye. He didn't seem like my enemy anymore, just weary. And a bit too casual for someone who had almost killed me.

"Come back during business hours," I said flatly. "Seven."

He didn't move. Just let his gaze wander over the display case, now empty except for a single, crooked cream puff. One of my rejects on display.

He sat down.

Not invited.

Not hesitant.

Just sat. Table Five. The corner one by the window. Close enough to the backroom door. Close enough to the exit.

"I'm already here," he said, leaning back in the chair. "It's seven."

I blinked and glanced at the clock on the wall.

6:59 PM ticked once.

Then it changed to 7:00.

I sighed.

"...Funny," I said quietly, moving the mop again. "You weren't this annoying when you were trying to kill me."

Carpaccio smiled, showing all his teeth and a hint of danger.

"So, you remember me?"

I didn't answer. Of course, I remembered him. I almost died.

Still, I worked. He just... sat there. Watching me. Like some brooding, emotionally confusing, whatever he is.

Eventually, I grabbed a plate of rejects cream puffs too deformed to sell but too good to waste. I usually dropped them off at the shelter after closing. Tonight, I just slid them in front of him without a word.

He looked at the puffs. Then at me.

I didn't explain.

I just resumed mopping.

When I finished, I headed for the sink. The water was already running, steam rising. I started with the pots. The hose splashed back against me, catching my shirt and apron.

Then it stopped.

"You know..." Carpaccio said slowly, "There's a spell for that."

I know that. I knew that.

But that would defeat the whole point of Mash's dream. Lance, Dot, Lemon, none of us used magic when we worked. We did things Mash's way.

"I'm not using magic here," I muttered.

Carpaccio didn't respond. Just stared at me, emotionlessly, while chewing one of the deformed cream puffs like it did the talking for him.

Then, after 5 pots were washed and tossed in the dishwasher.

"So this is what you're doing after Easton?" he asked. "Baking pastries?"

I paused.

"If you're here to look down on me," I said, "you can leave."

"All this cream puff nonsense won't buy you a house. A hut, at best."

"Get out."

"Why?"

"Because you're pissing me off."

Carpaccio blinked.

Then calmly walked to the sink, grabbed a spare apron Dot's, and tied it on.

And started scrubbing the dishes.

"What are you doing?" I asked, exasperated.

"Trying not to piss you off," he replied.

My eyes twitched.

"You're pissing me more off!"

I grabbed the hose and sprayed him.

His eyes glared at me, unmoving, water dripping from his long hair.

"Oh no," I thought. "He's going to kill me, isn't he?"

"Sorry!" I yelped, turning off the hose and rushing over with a towel. I started dabbing at his shoulder, panicked.

Then he grabbed my wrist.

And pinned me gently, but firmly, against the sink.

"Why didn't you talk to me after the Divine Visionary Exam?" Carpaccio asked.

My heart leapt into my throat. My brain immediately bailed out of the building. I blinked, teleported, and suddenly I was at the front of the bakery collecting the cream puff tray.

There were two left.

He'd eaten three.

"You said no magic," he said behind me. "Yet you used magic."

"You were being a creep!"

"A creep?"

"YES!" I shouted. "Why would I ever talk to you after you almost killed me?"

He blinked slowly.

Studied me.

"Ah," he said softly. "So that's why."

I narrowed my eyes.

"You asked. I answered. Now leave."

Carpaccio stepped around me again and sat back down in Table Five. Same booth. Same posture.

When I made it to the back, the dishes were already done.

"CARPACCIO!!!"

"Yes?"

"You used magic!"

"And?"

"I SAID NO MAGIC!"

"You said you wouldn't use magic. I never agreed to that."

I stared at him. He stared back.

I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly ascended into another plane of existence without Headmaster Wahlberg's magic.

I marched toward him and yanked Dot's pink apron right off his body. He lifted his arms without protest, and that willingness of his gave me goosebumps.

"I'm thirsty," Carpaccio said. "Can I get something to drink, Finn-kun?"

I gave him a look.

"Are you going to drink it this time? Or are you planning to chuck it at someone's face again?"

He didn't answer, just stared at me, eyes blank and unreadable.

"Fine, Tea? Coffee? Juice?" I ask.

"Milk," he said simply.

I grabbed a tiny 8-oz carton of 1% from the fridge and dropped it on the table in front of him. He looked at it.

Didn't move. Didn't touch it.

I sighed, popped the folds open for him. He still didn't move.

"I want it warm," he said.

I rolled my eyes, beyond annoyed. Then I took the milk to the back, heated it in a small pot, poured it into a glass, and brought it out to him.

"Here," I muttered.

He stared at the glass, then at me.

"Drink it," I said. "It's warm."

His gaze flicked to something else. My stomach or so.

"I want your milk."

My face ignited.

"GET OUT!"

Carpaccio, completely unbothered, took the glass and drank like that was something casual to say to an acquaintance.

"How should I leave my customer review for Mashle: Magic and Muscles Cream Puff Bakery...?" he mused. "Two stars? No? One."

"Get out, Carpaccio!"

He stood suddenly, grabbed my shoulder, and pinned me against the table.

"I heard you're homeless. That you sleep here at night."

My breath caught.

"That's not your problem."

"Move in with me," he said. "It's small. But I could use some company."

"Are you deranged?"

"Perhaps, I am. I've never been this close to anyone or anything. I don't know what you do, but I can't stop looking at you."

"Creep," I mutter.

"I want to touch you." His voice softened. "Since the Divine Visionary Exam... I've been amazed by you."

I teleported to the front door. Opened it.

"That's very deep, Carpaccio. You've eaten, had your drink, and shared your weird milk-based feelings. Please leave."

He walked toward the exit.

Paused.

Then leaned in and kissed me.

Just... stole it.

The bell above the door dinged behind him.

"Goodnight, Finn-Kun," Carpaccio said. "Three stars. Because the employee Ames is... so cute."

"C—Carpaccio!" I shouted. "Come back here and apologize for stealing my first kiss!"

The door reopened.

He stepped back in.

Wordless.

Walked right up to me, grabbed my apron, and devoured me. Took my mouth like it belonged to him and him alone.

My knees buckled.

I forgot that I could teleport.

"I'm..." he murmured, lips brushing against mine between kisses, "not... sorry."

I felt my fingers twitch traitorous things, and then I shoved him off.

"Y—You jerk."

He smirked, stepping back just enough to breathe.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, already halfway to the door. "At seven."

My face went nuclear.

...What?

Chapter Text

Carpaccio Luo-Yang

Pain meant nothing to me.

I was selected by one of the Thirteen Master Canes, the Healing Cane. A wand that renders its wielder entirely pain-free, always active from the moment it chooses you. In exchange, all the pain I would've felt is redirected to the goddess statue I summon. She appears like an angelic nurse, blindfolded in bandages. She bleeds for me.

It began during the Divine Visionary Exam.

I did Max Land dirty. His injuries were basically death. Pon Torus too another double-liner. Defeated. But they didn't drive me insane.

No, he did.

Maybe it was the moment our eyes locked when I stood behind him, trembling behind a crumbling wall, scrambling for an escape. He didn't want to be my next target. Sadly for him, I was already one step ahead. I mocked him for his weakness.

Finn Ames, known because he is the younger brother of Rayne Ames, he served as the Sword Cane of the Divine Visionaries he was the prefect of the Adler dorm. Usually compared to him, but Finn was nothing compared to Rayne.

But somehow, he fought back. Desperate and shaking, he tapped into innate magic and swapped places with my last victim. A temporary pardon. I caught up, of course, redirected pain into him, and kept pushing. Kept hurting him.

Until Mash appeared. Grabbed my head and slammed me into a wall.

We fought.

I lost.

Pain.

I choked on it. Bleeding, broken. And I thought to myself, So this is what pain feels like.

And all I could think of... was him.

Finn endured all of this. For someone else.

That was the moment something broke.

And reformed.

I should have forgotten him. He's just another obstacle, another weakling.

But I hadn't.

When I woke in the hospital wing, bandaged and silent, my first thought wasn't of the Exam, or defeat, or strategy.

It was, "Surprisingly, he survived."

I spent the next two weeks dreaming of cream puffs. Or more specifically, Finn Ames making cream puffs. I had no idea where the image came from.

Maybe it had something to do with Mash.

When I asked the staff where Mash and his friends had gone, they told me they'd gone to the beach.

I went with Margarette Macaron. We were supposed to just observe. But when we got there. Mash was in his tight compression workout clothes. Lance and Dot were shirtless. Lemon wore a swimsuit.

And Finn... he wasn't touching the water. But his body. The injuries I inflicted were gone. Someone had healed him. Left no scar. No trace of me.

Unforgivable.

Finn had been laughing. There was sand in his hair.

He looked... happy.

That bothered me.

"Over here!" Finn screamed, running toward the volleyball net, his swim trunks too short and low for his small frame.

"I don't like what I see," I said.

"I didn't ask," Macaron responded.

We didn't join them. Felt out of place. We went out and did something else with the other Orca boys.

Played chess.

I lost.

It was humiliating.

But I was no longer in the mood to hurt others.

Upon returning to the school, I tried to speak to Rayne Ames once.

Simple.

Direct.

I asked him how I could talk to his brother.

Rayne, ever the protective elder sibling, didn't answer at first.

Then.

"Don't."

I blinked.

"I don't advise it," Rayne continued, eyes sharp. "He doesn't want anything to do with you. And I don't either."

I cataloged the rejection.

Still, I tried.

I wanted no—needed to tell Finn that he was... something.

Amazing, perhaps. The image of him sharing laughter is embedded in my memory.

Cute.

But every time I drew close, Finn was already surrounded.

Mash. Lance. Dot. Lemon.

Especially Mash.

I began to have dreams.

At first, they were tame.

Innocent.

Mash and Finn in aprons, making cream puffs.

Then, they feed each other.

Giggling.

Then, in one horrifying, sweat-drenched nightmare, Mash leaned closer. Finn leaned closer. Lips nearly brushed.

I sat up in bed and punched a hole in the wall.

Mash, thankfully, seemed more engrossed with Rayne.

Relief.

That foreign, stupid thing bloomed in my chest.

Then, Lance and Finn got too close.

Too many glances. Too many quiet smiles.

Then Dot.

Then all three of them.

I concluded, grimly, that perhaps they were sharing him.

The thought enraged me. Not that I had any right to feel anything. I didn't even understand what I was feeling.

So I wrote a letter.

Owl-delivered.

[To: Finn Ames

From: Carpaccio Luo-Yang

You are a worthless whore.

Sincerely,

Your enemy.]

I grinned. Ha. That should get him talking to me.

I waited. Days. Weeks.

Nothing came.

I wrote him another letter.

[To: Finn Ames

From: Carpaccio Luo-Yang

You like boys, don't you?

Sincerely,

Yours.]

Ignored. Humiliated.

I feel nothing. I convinced myself, often. Nothing. That's how it's supposed to be.

Three years passed.

Peace between non-magic users and magic users became a reality. I'm still in college to be a Doctor.

Mash opened a bakery.

Called it Mashle: Magic and Muscles Cream Puff Bakery.

Stupid name. Too long. But it had his mushroom head on the logo.

I visited. Told myself it was curiosity.

But then I saw Finn again.

Still beautiful in that quiet, infuriating way.

Now that we're alone, he will notice me.

He will see me.

Acknowledge me.

He didn't seem too thrilled to see me tonight and told me they were closed. Tension brewed instantly. Despite Finn's protests, I sat at Table Five, ate the cream puffs he served me, and casually attempted to form a bond with him first by helping him wash dishes, then by asking for milk, though what I really wanted was his.

Wildly inappropriate. But shame doesn't live in me, and then, I confronted Finn about his homelessness.

I thought I was saving him when I suggested Finn move in with me. He didn't like what I was saying. it was his tone in response. He doesn't seem to like me very much, but now that I am alone with him, I used the moment to admit to him that I've been captivated since our first and last battle. Finn escorted me out, showed me the door, and I took that tension and stole a kiss. When I had left 6 steps away, Finn yelled for an apology. I returned... and stole another, a far more intense one.

I leave with a promise, "I'll see you tomorrow," I said, already halfway to the door. "At seven."

And if he doesn't open the door?

He'll still hear the bell.

Same time.

Seven.

Chapter Text

Finn Ames

The first thing I registered was the cold. Not cold like winter, cold like metal against your cheek after you've drooled on the breakroom table and slept through your dignity.

Which is exactly what I did.

I opened one eye. My jacket was barely covering my legs. My face was pressed against the underside of the bakery counter. Someone had dropped a used napkin nearby. Probably Dot.

I groaned and got up.

"OW—my body hurts," I muttered. "Deserved."

My entire body ached. My knees hurt. My spine felt like a question mark. And then...

Oh no.

No no no.

I remembered.

Him.

Carpaccio Luo-Yang.

Here, at the bakery.

Sitting at Table Five.

Saying weird things.

Washing the dishes with magic!

Drinking the milk I warmed.

And then.

The kiss.

The kiss.

Kisses.

Plural.

There were two.

Or were there more?

"I'm..." he murmured, lips brushing against mine between kisses, "not... sorry."

Gyahhhhhh!

That was a lot of kisses!

I stood bolt upright.

"WHY!"

My soul tried to evacuate my body via my ears. There was no oxygen left in this bakery. I was living inside a flashback, and the flashback was licking my bottom lip.

"I want your milk."

"WHY WOULD HE SAY THAT OUT LOUD?!" I screeched internally. "Like, why!?"

I scrambled to my feet and tried to pull myself together. I still had time before the bakery opened.

Probably.

I peeked at the wall clock.

6:02 AM.

Great.

The day opened.

Lemon came in first, excitement on her face.

"Mash and I are getting married," she said.

"Like for real, or...?" I blinked. "You're just being delusional?"

Lemon frowned.

"I'm not delusional, Mash-Kun is mine!"

"You have no competition here," I said.

Lemon twirled and talked about their wedding venue. The moment that Dot walked in to take my place to listen to her.

I made my way out.

I ran the whole mile to the nearest gym, showered, brushed my teeth, and somehow, between shampoo and towel wrap, I lost what was left of my innocence. Behind me in the mirror, Carpaccio stood rather close. I must be thinking about him so much that I am hallucinating him. I leaned over the sink and wiped the counter with my right forearm. He's still there. I breathed over the mirror, wiped again specifically where he was standing, but still, he was still behind the glass. Then, his hands gripped my waist, and I panicked as I turned around.

"Gyahhh, what are you doing here?" I rasped,

"I work out," He said.

I narrowed my eyes.

"I have never seen you here before."

Carpaccio looks left, looks right, then at me.

"Because I just signed up,"

I narrowed my brows.

"Well, I have to get dressed now," I say,

Carpaccio pulls me in and kisses me.

"What are—" I gasped,

"I'm greeting my boyfriend,"

I blinked.

I could hear Lemon's voice. My heartbeat sounded like screaming.

Whose boyfriend? Not mine.

Is he on the same level as delusional as Lemon-Chan?

"W—What boyfriend?!"

My towel fell to the ground, and I let out a yell as I covered my genitals.

"C—Carpaccio, don't look!" I pulled him closer as to bury his face between my neck and shoulder to shield him from seeing me fully naked.

His breath was warm against my neck. My heartbeat was louder than it should've been.

I adjusted my towel. When I finished wrapping the fold, I tried to pull away, but Carpaccio didn't. His arms suddenly wrapped around me.

Then, unexpectedly, his wand appeared at the tip of his fingers. I gasped.

Is he going to kill me?

I flinched as he pulled back and aimed it at me. But nothing inflicted me. I opened one eye, then the other, and found myself clothed.

"This is...?" I ask softly.

"You're wearing your boyfriend's clothes," Carpaccio says emotionlessly.

I blinked, then pulled the pants forward to look under.

"There's a lace boxer brief!" I screamed,

"Oh," Carpaccio utters, "I purchased that...earlier today,"

" Carpaccio!!!" I screamed, "That's so embarrassing..."

"Embarrassing doesn't live in my veins."

Weirdo!

Next thing I knew, I was outside, dignity barely clinging on, being swept onto a broom by the world's most delusional man, possibly related to Lemon.

"You should wrap your arms around me," Carpaccio says,

"N—No!" I shouted, "What if someone sees us!?"

Carpaccio smirks, hovers us on top of the bakery's rooftop and lowers us down, then, when he got down low enough, he kissed me.

"W—What's going on?" Lemon asks, cheeks flushing.

"What was that!?" Dot reacted, "Lance, look, look!"

Lance, in his apron, turned to see us.

Mash stepped out from the rooftop and ate a cream puff while observing.

"Hi," Mash says,

I pushed Carpaccio off, but he keeps pulling me in, kissing me, then, when he's had enough, humiliating me.

"Let them see us," His breath was warm. His lips tasted like sugar.

My mouth folded like overbaked dough.

"It's Seven," he whispered.,

I blushed.

I climbed off his broom and walked back into the bakery with Mash.

He didn't ask questions. Not about the kiss. Not about my new clothes. Not even about the new cologne.

Nothing. When I got to the bottom of the Bakery kitchen, Dot's face was the first that I saw.

"What was that?" Dot asks,

"Don't be nosy," Lance says, dragging Dot back.

"B—But I didn't imagine it, right?" Dot asks.

"Oh...Finn-Kun!" Lemon reacts dramatically, "My...condolences...."

Of course, that would be her reaction. Carpaccio is the same man who almost killed me, and now he's murdering me with massive kisses.

Suddenly, my friends ' pink aprons switched from Pink to Black.

"W—What!?" I reacted in shock, "When did you get these!?"

"It's our mourning clothes," Lemon whispers, her hand reaching over to tap on my left shoulder.

I turn to look at Dot, who's clearly emotional. Lance is changing into the black.

"N—Not you too!" I shouted.

Lance ties the black strings on, and I turn to look at Mash, who was already in the Black.

"Yay, Mourning, Mourning Mourning," Mash repeated,

"Mourning, Mourning Mourning," Dot repeated, then Lance, then Lemon.

"H—He's not that bad!" I rasped.

Suddenly, all their eyes turned towards me.

"And just for that, we now have black cream puff filling," Dot says, putting the black food coloring in the cream filling.

The shift played melancholy music, violins especially in the speakers. Some customers came in weeping, told us that they felt the agony, and black umbrellas were donated. Cards, candles. I was the only one in the pink apron, my cream puffs being the only ones in color. Deformed certainly, but colorful.

The shift came to a close, Lance left at 3 PM, Dot at 5 PM, Lemon at 6 PM, and Mash stayed until 6:42 PM or so, saying that he could help with the tills. Then, after that, he left me.

Alone.

It's not like I'm expecting anything to happen at 6:57 PM or so, but in between mopping, I looked out the window, blinds down, but no sign of him. Which is fine. It's not like I'm thinking about him. It's not like I'm waiting...

Right?

Chapter Text

Carpaccio Luo-Yang

The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed. I didn't mind the sound. Even if that rhythm had been off-beat all day.

Room Twelve needed a spell for fever suppression. Room Eight required bed rest and apple juice. Room Two had been throwing up on the floor and having bowel movements all day. One of the night shift interns slipped in it.

I should've left by now.

"Doctor Luo-Yang," one of the new medics said, chasing after me with a clipboard. "The child in Four is crying. Says she won't let anyone touch her wrist."

I paused at the open door, adjusted my gloves.

Inside, a small girl with twin buns sat on the bed, cheeks flushed, one arm clutched tight to her chest. Her legs swung above the floor. A boy her age stood beside her, holding a pink wand he clearly wasn't licensed to use.

I crouched in front of her.

"Name."

"Emmie."

"Wrist."

She held it out slowly.

Her bones were fine. Fractured, not shattered. I applied the healing spell, watched the light settle under her skin.

"Better?" I asked.

She nodded once. Then held out her other hand.

"Sticker?" I say.

The intern handed me a sheet of sparkly smiley emoji stickers. I peeled one off and stuck it on her bandage.

She smiled.

I patted her head, and then I moved to the next room.

Anne Crown was sitting upright when I entered, a blanket tucked neatly around her waist, IV line glowing faintly in her arm. Fifteen now. Her eyes were too sharp for her age. A family resemblance to Lance.

"How's the chest pain?" I asked, checking her chart without looking up.

"It's there," she said. "It hurts less now."

"Mm."

I made a note.

"Night shift will check your vitals in three hours. If it comes back, ring."

Anne's gaze lingered on me.

"Okay," she said.

I gave the night team instructions. Three more charts. One enchanted cold compress. One threat of parental notification.

I washed my hands.

Dried them with a clean towel.

Checked the time.

7:07 PM.

I blinked.

My fingertips twitched.

Then I turned, collected my coat, and left the clinic in silence.

The streetlights flickered overhead as I descended onto the bakery's cobblestone alleyway. The air smelled faintly of butter, old sugar, and something wet that dried by nature.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Cream Puff Bakery.

The name still annoyed me. It was long. Clunky. Unmarketable. But my Finn was probably waiting for me.

I reached the door.

It was Locked.

A small paper sign hung crookedly in the window. CLOSED – Come back during business hours.

I stared at it.

Then raised my wand at the lock.

"Unlock."

A quiet click echoed against the wood.

The bell above the door didn't ring.

Inside was...dim, but not empty.

Several umbrellas leaned against the wall, black ones. Folded neatly beside the rack where the usual bubblegum pink ones belonged.

The playlist had changed.

From soft café acoustics to... something else. A slow piano track. Low violins. Like a funeral in an elevator.

My eyes drifted to the display case.

Black cream puffs. Rows of them.

The tops were dusted with powdered sugar shaped like tiny tombstones.

I blinked once.

Did someone die?

Why is this place mourning?

The table I sat in yesterday was wiped clean. Not waiting for me.

I scanned the kitchen. The dishwasher light blinked: Cycle Complete.

The dishes were done.

He should've still been here, in the back. Wrapping up. Sweating beautifully.

But there was no sound of scrubbing.

Just the music. Soft, sad, and ridiculous.

I moved toward the break room.

Opened the door quietly.

And found him.

Finn was curled into the corner booth, his knees tucked against his chest. His apron bunched around his waist, head cradled in his arms. His cheek rested on a folded jacket. His hair was sleep-mussed, one shoelace untied.

He looked...Small. Delicate.

I sat down beside him.

The bench creaked faintly.

He didn't stir.

I reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from his temple.

The digital clock on the wall glows 8:19 PM.

I'm late.

I leaned in.

Pressed a kiss against his forehead.

Finn groaned.

I smiled.

And then I kissed his lips.

Then.

He woke up.

Eyes wide. Body lurching back.

"GAH—!"

He shoved me off, palms to my chest, stumbling as he slid off to hit the wall, eyes frantic.

"Y—You weirdo!" he snapped, hair in his eyes, apron askew. "I'm breaking up with you!"

I blinked once.

"...We've only been together two days."

"I don't care!" he shouted, standing on top of the table. "It's OVER. Hmph!"

Finn's cheeks were flushed, his breathing sharp, arms crossed, mouth set in a stubborn pout.

"Finn..."

"I said it's over!" he snapped. "Over, over, over."

I took a deep breath.

He looked tired. Like he hadn't slept. Like he'd stayed up too long.

I stood.

He flinched, then climbed down and walked towards the exit.

I stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

He stiffened.

"Is it because I didn't come at seven like I said I would?"

"I wasn't waiting," he muttered.

My grip tightened slightly.

"There were...things at work today."

His body softened, just a little.

I kept my voice low, right by his ear.

"Can you forgive me?"

Finn didn't answer.

Instead, he turned his face still defiant, but his arms came up, wrapping around me in a quick, clumsy hug. His head bumped against my chin.

"You psycho weirdo," he mumbled into my chest.

I smiled.

Pulled back just enough to see him.

Then kissed him.

He didn't fight it.

I kissed him again, longer this time.

He let me.

When I pulled back, he blinked up at me with a dazed, flustered expression.

"Move in with me," I whispered. "Cutie."

His eyes went wide.

"Wh—What?! No! It's too soon! I don't even know you!" he stammered, stepping back. "I didn't even know you worked!"

I sighed softly.

"My name is Carpaccio Luo-Yang," I said, voice even. "I'm nineteen. An emergency physician intern. I have my own place. And I'm your boyfriend."

He frowned.

"I worry about you," I added. "Come live with me. Let me take care of you. I don't care if you work at all or not."

He gawked at me.

Then laughed, short and nervous.

"I'm Finn Ames," he said, tapping the side of his thighs. "Eighteen. Baker. I don't want to burden my onii-san, so I didn't move in with him. I'm not delusional, and I'm quite sane. I'm not your boyfriend, and I'm okay here."

I stared at him for a moment.

Then, calmly, I stepped forward, hooked my arms under his thighs, and lifted him.

"HEY—!"

I set him gently on the break room counter, just beside the coffee machine.

He squirmed.

"You delusional psycho!"

I kissed him.

Hard.

When I finally pulled back, I rested my forehead against his chest.

"I can't let you stay here," I murmured. "It's uncomfortable."

Finn stared down at me, unmoving.

Then, after a pause.

"Carpaccio... why do you like me?" he asked quietly,

I looked up at him.

His expression was serious. His fingers nervously twisted the hem of his apron.

I reached for his hands to separate them.

"You activated my capacity to feel," I said simply. "And for someone who's been numb their whole life... that's intoxicating."

He blinked.

Then frowned, confused.

"Wasn't that Mash?"

I nodded without hesitation.

"It was through him. And because of him... that I'm so deeply immersed by you."

Finn blinked slowly.

His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, then closed again.

Then.

His eyes shut.

I caught him before he fell.

His body folded against mine, warm and defeated by much-needed rest.

I stood there for a moment.

Then, silently, I closed the shop.

And took him on my broom ride...to our...

Home.

Chapter Text

Finn Ames

I woke up slowly. The air smelled like mint, antiseptic, and something faintly sweet, vanilla, maybe.

My back didn't hurt.

That was the first red flag.

The second was the pillow. It was memory foam. Like, real memory foam. With a silk pillowcase. W—Wait, silk pillowcases?

My eyes cracked open.

White ceiling. I sat up, looked around. A nightstand, a balcony, wooden floors.

Books. So many books. Sorted by subject, by thickness, by color, alphabetically by title.

A closet.

This was not my bakery.

"Oh no," I groaned, flopping back down again. "Oh no oh no oh no..."

It came rushing back.

The bakery.

The mourning cream puffs.

Carpaccio.

His arms.

His lips.

His offer.

His kiss.

I reached up and covered my face with both hands.

"I let him take me home," I muttered.

Then suddenly.

A soft knock on the door.

I flinched.

"...Don't come in," I say.

The door opened anyway.

Of course.

"Finn," Carpaccio's voice was calm. "I brought you milk."

I pulled the blanket over my face.

"What kind of milk?" I asked suspiciously.

"2%, warm."

"Are you trying to sedate me, Doctor Luo-Yang?"

A pause.

"The way you turn me on, I might just have to."

I lowered the blanket just enough to peek at him.

He stood in the doorway holding a porcelain mug. Wearing black lounge pants and a white shirt buttoned up to the collar. Hair still damp.

He looked like a hot corpse groom.

"Y—You psycho, horny weirdo!" I said.

He set the mug on the nightstand and took the blanket away from me and then placed the back of his hand on my forehead and then removed his hand, and kissed my forehead.

"I'm your psycho, horny weirdo."

"You called me a worthless whore in an owl letter!" I rasped at the memory,

"Uh...You remembered?" Carpaccio says, "No, more like, you received the letter?"

"Of course!" I screamed.

"You didn't respond to it."

"You were insulting me!"

"The silence was more insulting."

I rolled onto my side, groaning into the pillow.

"What was that second letter again?" I muttered.

Carpaccio climbed into bed with me and spooned me from behind.

"You like boys, don't you?" He whispers.

I turned around and glared at him.

He smiled a little.

"Y—You psycho...weirdo," I whispered. "How did you know?"

"Who was it? Was it Mash?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"Lance?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"Dot?"

I shake my head.

"Who?"

I turned my back to him, and then he pulled me close to him.

"Tom Knowles..." I uttered,

Carpaccio immediately pulled me back to face him and then kissed me hard, and I just melted in his kiss. Squirming to break free, my wand out of my reach, I couldn't teleport.

"Carpaccio!" I breathed, "Carpaccio, st—stop,"

He stopped.

"What's wrong with you, you psycho?" I whispered,

"I don't know, but I can't control it," Carpaccio says,

I pressed my forehead against his chest and then looked up at him.

"Do you know what consent is?" I asked softly.

He nods.

"It's a form that we have our patients sign to care for their treatment."

I blinked.

"It's asking for permission to do something before you do it," I say,

Carpaccio blinks.

"For example," I say, "If you want to kiss me, you don't just kiss me, you have to ask."

Carpaccio looks at my facial expression unchanging.

"Doctor Luo-Yang, can I kiss you?" I ask.

Carpaccio nods.

I reach my arms over his shoulders and lean up and kiss him.

"See that?" I ask, "That's consent."

Carpaccio blinks.

"Can we do that again?" Carpaccio whispers.

I kissed him again, then pulled back.

"Again?" Carpaccio whispers.

I pressed my lips to his softly again.

"Like that?" I whispered.

Carpaccio nods.

He spun me over and lifted me and brought me to the bathroom, he sat me at the sink,

Carpaccio took a toothbrush and applied toothpaste to it and rinsed it under water, and popped it in my mouth. Then he waved his wand to make it brush my teeth. I coughed out the foam and told him to stop, to break the spell.

I was slightly angry at that, Foam at the corners. Little flecks of mint dripped down my chin.

"Can you do anything without magic!?" I yelled.

Carpaccio put his wand in his sleeve pocket in his right sleeve and then looked away.

I rinsed my mouth. Then, pulled him close to me.

"Doctor Luo-Yang, was I too harsh on you?" I ask softly,

He nodded.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" I whisper,

Carpaccio looks at me.

"I don't know, but I didn't like it..." Carpaccio whispers,

I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Okay. Then I'm sorry, handsome. But no more brushing my teeth with magic, okay?"

He nodded slowly, still not making eye contact.

"Do you want to kiss me?" I ask.

Carpaccio nods quickly.

I shut my eyes as his lips pressed to mine.

"Better?" I ask softly.

Carpaccio nods.

He took me back to the bedroom and lay me down on the bed. He looked at me without any expression.

"Can I kiss you with my tongue?" Carpaccio asked.

"Um...I've never done that before..."

Carpaccio turned away, looking embarrassed.

"Of course, handsome," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Make out with me."

Carpaccio turned back to me, leaning over and kissing me. He started with three gentle pecks, then he slipped his tongue in, exploring deep. I gasped and opened my mouth, swirling my tongue against his. I moaned; I had never experienced anything like this. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and his fingers slid under my shirt, caressing my skin. His mouth took mine, and a wave of heat rushed through me, intense and electric.

"Carpaccio!" I gasped, "Oh, this is happening too fast, handsome."

He stopped and pouted.

"Awh..." I sat up and caressed his cheek. "I didn't dislike it, handsome. I loved how soft your hands felt on me..." I sighed. "But it's only been three days. We haven't even held hands yet."

Carpaccio intertwined our fingers.

"There, we held hands," he said.

My breath caught, and I fell back onto the mattress.

He tugged my pants down, then slid off my lace boxers. I was already hard. His fingers curled around me, pulling the slick foreskin back with slow, deliberate strokes. I moaned and grunted.

"Carpaccio..." I whispered, "You're not going to leave me after this, are you?"

He looked at me, stroking me faster and harder.

I shivered at the sensation.

"It might feel like three days to you, but it's been three years for me. I could never leave you. How could I leave you when I've wanted you so much? I want to touch you, taste you, feel you, and make you a part of me. Let me have you,"

His mouth unexpectedly brushed against my hips. My length throbbed before I could fully grasp what was happening. I sat up and placed my hand on his head, gently tugging at his hair. Drops of sticky pre-cum leaked from my swollen tip. Carpaccio licked the pre-cum off the engorged head, and I gasped.

With great hunger, Carpaccio devoured me, cum oozing, bit by bit, all the way to the base, pulling me in as I slid down his throat. Then I reached my peak, trying to push his head away to pull out, but he wouldn't let go and gulped down every last drop.

"Y—You psycho, horny weirdo!!" I gasped, panting heavily.

"I'm your psycho, horny weirdo," Carpaccio replied.

Carpaccio's gaze didn't waver; it pinned me in that quiet, frightening way of his, like he was memorizing the specs or blemishes of my skin.

"...Was that bad?" he whispered, voice rough, uncertain.

I shake my head once.

"Just...clumsy."

He leaned in and kissed my lips.

"Then...we can try again?"

I laughed softly, half‑embarrassed, half‑moved.

"You are actually very good. Very sexy, Doctor Luo‑Yang."

His shoulders relaxed a fraction.

"I want to examine you," he murmured. "Naked on my table, in my office,"

"Y—You psycho," I murmured between kisses, "horny weirdo."

"I'm your psycho, horny, weirdo," Carpaccio responds, removing my shirt.

He paused, staring at my body. Then, slowly, he pulled open the nightstand drawer, the same one with the milk on top, and took out a stethoscope. Cool metal met my skin as he pressed the stethoscope gently to my chest, the quiet room filled with the soft echo of my heartbeat steady, his eyes slowly glanced up at me, then he moved it lower to my ribs.

My chest was still heaving, my thighs trembling. And yet, some part of me... wasn't panicking that I didn't have my wand on me.

"Doctor Luo‑Yang?" I whispered, nervously, "This is highly inappropriate."

Carpaccio smiled, then took the stethoscope off and folded his fingers with mine.

"You're my special patient," He whispers, "I will cross boundaries with you because, when you look at me, I'm alive."

My heart beat.

"Kiss me," I say.

He kissed me.

How could a man with only 3 emotions move me so much?

Is it because he's my boyfriend now?

Wait, is he my boyfriend now?

His clothes come off instantly,

Yep. Definitely.

Mine.

Chapter Text

Carpaccio Luo-Yang

Finn was asleep on my chest.

His chest rose slowly, shirtless and soft, flushed lips parted, drooling over my skin. I held him. I've never experienced anything like what we shared an hour ago before.

Technically, he is my first everything, too. I sent out an owl letter to Mash.

[To: Mash Burnedead

From: Carpaccio Luo-Yang

Finn doesn't feel well; he's staying with me, he's not coming in.

Sincerely,

Finn's boyfriend.]

It was already 7:41 AM.

[To: Carpaccio Luo-Yang

From: Mash Burnedead

Mourning, Mourning, Mourning.

Sincerely,

Tombstone Creampuffs.]

I don't understand what that means, but I'm not responding to that. I don't work on Sundays in general, but I do get called in as needed. So far, I hadn't gotten an owl from the hospital. I don't really want one.

My Finn stirred, sliding off my chest. I held onto him and kissed the top of his head. He had overexerted himself. Emotionally, physically. His breathing had been uneven when he climaxed. I had made a mental note of that.

I just want to stay in this moment forever.

I was starting to believe that I was a man who was not meant to have feelings. I don't know what it is about him, but I liked the little specs of freckles on his skin, how fragile he is, how delicate. I don't know what it is, but I think what I'm feeling goes beyond just liking him.

His skin was still warm from where I'd kissed it. Where I'd... tasted him. Where he'd let me learn his body like a forbidden spell written in a dialect only I could read.

Finn had never been more beautiful. The memory of what we shared was better than the fantasy.

Not because I'm a perverted sick fuck, but my body does do things I have no control of. Even before our bodies touched, I've imagined his body against mine, his mouth parting, drooling, because of me. I held him tighter in case what happened was my imagination.

"Uhmm..." Finn groaned, skirmishing.

I released him as he opened up his eyes.

"S—Sorry, did I wake you?" I ask.

His face flushed red.

"Doctor Luo-Yang," Finn says softly, "I'm shy, please turn away."

I blinked.

"But I saw everything already," I say, "Let's take a bath, No magic style,"

Finn turned away and crossed his arms over his chest.

I removed the blanket, lifted him up and brought him to the bathroom, set him on the sink counter, and started running the water. When it was full enough, I lifted him and brought him to the bathtub. I had him sit over my waist, his arms over my shoulders.

"I just want to live in this moment forever," I say,

"Oh?" Finn says, "You're being a bit dramatic, handsome."

I held him, the water sploshing around us.

"I mean it," I whisper,

Finn was quiet.

His fingertips played with the damp edge of my hair.

Then he sighed and leaned into my shoulder.

"My first boyfriend," he muttered. "And I got a delusional one..."

I kissed his left nipple.

"I'm yours,"

Finn let out a tiny, almost embarrassed laugh.

Finn pulled back slightly.

"So, what, are you going to say that you want to marry me next?"

"Yes." I caressed his jaw, gliding my thumb along his cheekbone. "Tell me how to get there, I'll do anything."

His face turned bright red.

"Y—You can't mean—"

Before he could finish, I leaned in and kissed him softly. The water around us rippled.

His breath caught in his throat.

But he didn't pull back.

"Can I have you again?" I asked,

"I think you should rest, handsome," he replied, looking worried.

My shaft was pulsing. Finn glanced down and then back at me.

"Please?" I murmured,

Finn's length brushed against my stomach. He flinched, then nodded. I spread his cheeks, and his thighs trembled as I touched his anal opening, warm fluids oozing from my shaft as I gently pushed in.

"Ahh..." Finn moaned, covering his mouth with his left hand. "Doctor Luo-Yang..."

Finn's body was adorable, sliding up and down on my hips slowly, my hands gripping his waist. I groaned; he was so delicate, I refused to let anyone else have him. He was mine, so cute, so undeniably beautiful.

"Marry me," I groaned,

"Are you out of your mind?" Finn gasped, "We've only been together for three days, Ngh!"

My girth swelled, enlarging deeper inside.

"Ahh!" Finn cried, "You're so big..."

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" I asked gently.

Finn's arms tightened around my neck.

"Kiss me," he urged,

I kissed him, and he moaned, breathing heavily as our tongues intertwined.

"Mmmhh." He moaned, "Do you love me?"

I kissed him again, and Finn gasped, drooling all over my mouth, chin, and chest. I felt the thickness tear inside him, tears streaming down his cute face. I pulled back, and Finn's breath caught as he watched me.

"S—Sorry," I said, "I don't want to break you,"

Finn touched my face and then kissed me, guiding me back inside him, and I felt so much, too much all at once.

"You won't break me, Handsome," Finn whispered, "I want you deeper, all the way inside me, all of you,"

"I'm in love with you," I said softly.

"Are you?" Finn whispers,

I nodded.

Finn shook and quivered as I reached my climax inside his small body. Then, I had him sit in front of me while I stroked him until he released.

"Ahh...haaah...Ngh!" Finn screams, "Let's do that again, Doctor Luo-Yang."

I didn't think twice; I kissed his shoulders and entered from behind, my shaft sliding into his warm opening.

"Oh, I'm so Haah... I'm sorry," Finn moaned in between, "I'm not usually like this, I don't know what's come over me..."

He turned, and our mouths locked, tongues slurping together.

"Ahhh~You're so good..." He whimpered into my mouth. "Examine me!"

"Your diagnosis came back to me, Finn," I say, "I'm going to prescribe you a ring; the side effects are for you to marry me."

Finn turned around and bit down on my left neckline.

"Okay," he breathes, "You have to ask onii san for his blessing though,"

Rayne Ames.

A terrifying thought.

But I'd fight him. For Finn, I'd fight anyone.

My heart raced at that.

But I wanted Finn, forever and always, because I feared that life couldn't get any better, so I agreed.

When we were done.

We lingered in the bath until the water cooled and our skin wrinkled.

I carried him out, dried him off with something incredibly soft, and dressed him in one of my oversized black shirts. He looked so cute in my clothes.

Perfect.

When he looked up at me and smiled awkwardly, shy but genuine, I felt something twist in my chest. I couldn't imagine life without him. I didn't care if Rayne Ames didn't accept me; I would make him accept me. I put on something similar and hugged Finn from behind.

"Hm?" Finn asks.

"I can't live without you," I say, "I'm sorry that I ever tried to erase you."

Finn smiles, then he turns around and hugs me.

"Kiss me," he says,

I will.

Every Time, Always.