Chapter Text
As it turns out, university truely was the best and worst thing Wally has ever experienced in his eighteen years of life on Earth.
Looking at the best things: He gets to live on his own without his parents breathing down his neck, he gets to spend much of his time with Kuki at the school, some of the classes he picked to study were a lot cooler and more interesting than anything he learned about in high school, and there were parties every weekend he got to go to.
That said, the cons were just as powerful as the pros.
Wally had to share a dorm with a guy who snored and talked way too much, he missed his parents even though they called him way too often, Kuki didn’t share all of his classes so he only saw her outside of class time, the work Wally studied was a lot more intense and harder than high school was, and what's worse-- he was so tired and busy that by the end of each week, he didn’t have the energy, let alone the desire to go to any real college party.
Wally missed Abby and Hoagie plenty as well, but they were both just as busy as he and Kuki were. Although they all decided to make plans to try and hang out online on Sunday nights, that way no matter what happens, they have a day to talk to each other. It was the highlight of Wally’s week, to be perfectly honest.
Wally had a rough first month of school--it was something of a rude awakening, in a way. Moving into his dorm took more work than he expected. He got lost way more than he was willing to admit, nearly got locked out of various classes because he was late on account of him getting lost in this 300 year old school. He even got kicked out of a class because he wasn’t prepared enough, only to find out that particular professor was a hardass. Not to mention the fact that he was flat broke because most of his money went to school, books and food.
It was a taste of adult life and it somehow managed to suck and be fun all at once. Sure, Wally could do whatever he wants now, but at what cost?
The cost is living on ramen noodles until the very smell of it makes him sick.
He was just glad Kuki knew how to make basic ramen noodles more interesting.
Speaking of Kuki, things were going pretty well with her. She was enthusiastic about school--way more than Wally was--and talked his ear off about what she learned in class or how much she liked her roommate every chance she got. It was cute, really. He doesn’t admit it, but Wally likes listening to her ramble on about things she’s passionate about. The nature of their relationship hasn’t changed drastically since dating. There was a lot more kissing and cuddling now, which was awesome thank you for asking, but their relationship felt more...comfortable than any of Wally’s other relationships. He didn’t feel the need to constantly impress her or be on good behavior--Kuki already knew Wally better than anyone, good and bad. It was nice. Dating her made him understand why people always talk about how you should settle down with your best friend.
He had some of his own worries, hidden under the rose colored filter he’s had on since kissing Kuki on Abilgals porch. Primarily about possibly ruining their friendship, which was partly why Wally never made a move. He knew there were risks when dating your friend, but shortly before leaving for school, Abigail eased his worries.
“You guys have been through too much to let anything like this ruin you both,” She had said, sitting on his bed as she helped him go through his things to pack. “Even if you guys don’t work out--and you will work out, trust me--I don’t think it’s a make or break situation. So don’t overthink it.”
Overthinking had become a sudden and unexpected hobby of Wally’s, one he wasn’t used to and did not care for. So he’s chosen to stop worrying about shit that he didn’t need to worry about, at least as far as his relationship to Kuki was concerned. At any rate, it wasn’t as if either of them were inexperienced with relationships, although Wally wasn’t known for dating long term. Kuki had her share of boyfriends--All of them sucked, in Wally’s totally unbiased opinion-- so it helped that they weren’t totally helpless.
They were still figuring themselves out, though--Learning what they wanted from each other as far as romance went. For instance, Kuki was super touchy--That in and of itself wasn't too surprising, but it was heightened even more so now that they were a couple. It became rare for Wally’s hand to be empty or for his arm to not be draped over Kuki’s shoulders or for Kuki to not be completely wrapped around his waist like a belt.
Wally would be a liar if he tried to say he hated it, of course.
When he brought it up during a study session in his dorm--and by study session he does in fact mean Kuki studied while Wally watched videos on his phone--she practically threw her books aside to talk about ‘love languages’. Wally had absolutely no idea what that meant, but she felt very strongly about it, as she did about most things.
“So you’re saying the way you show love is through touching.” He said, looking at the website Kuki had pulled up to prove her point.
“That and words of affirmation!” Kuki nodded firmly.
“No offense, but wouldn't this stuff apply to everyone?”
“In a general sense, yes, but it's about what's most important to you! Like of course I love getting gifts, but that's not the most important thing to me!”
“Does that mean I don’t have to buy you Valentines day presents?”
“Don’t push it.”
Wally laughed, looking back at the website. Kuki had pulled up a quiz and demanded he take it. She was practically breathing down his neck by the time he finished it.
“Oh!” She gave a firm nod, reading over his results. “Quality time followed by acts of service. That makes sense!”
“I guess.” he said, not really getting the whole thing. But Kuki seemed pleased by it. “I still like this whole touching thing though--”
“Don't be weird about it!” Kuki laughed when Wally pulled her closer. Just as he was about to kiss her, his door opened and in walked his obnoxious roommate. Wally let his head fall onto Kuki’s shoulder in defeat. His roommates stupid voice filled the room way too loudly.
“Hey Wally! Hey Kuki!” he said, once again saying Kuki’s name like ‘cookie’. It drove Wally insane when he did that, even if Kuki said it was fine. She gave a friendly wave as he came in.
“Don't you two worry about me, I’m just here to pick up some books and I’ll leave you guys alone .” He’d say, sending an annoyingly aggressive wink at Wally. He rolled his eyes, lightly hitting his head against Kuki’s shoulder.
“Great. Get your shit and get out.” Kuki smacked his shoulder, shushing him. His roommate, named Eli, just laughed like he laughed at everything Wally said, regardless if he was joking or not. Wally learned quickly upon meeting Eli that he had to drop his normal accent in exchange for his American one, because Eli both couldn't understand him and kept calling him british, which turns the dial on Wally’s fight instinct all the way up one hundred very quickly. The guy was utterly exhausting and if Wally ever got kicked out of this school, it was going to be because he threw Eli out of their five story window.
Eli gathered up his things before facing Wally again with a stupid grin.
“All set! I won't be back till late, so don’t wait up for me.”
“I wasn’t gonna.”
“Oh you,” He’d laugh. “I’ll see you guys! Pip Pip Wally!”
“I’m not fuc--” Wally started to snap, grabbing his pillow and throwing it hard at Eli, who managed to avoid it and all around not notice as he left the room. “--king English! I’m going to kill him.”
“Calm down, Wally.” Kuki rolled her eyes. “He’s not that bad.”
“He’s the worst and you know it.”
“He’s a little annoying, fine, but you don’t have to get so mad. You should try to make friends with him! You’re stuck living with him after all, and you could stand to make a friend or two while we’re here.”
“Just because you and your roommate are friends doesn’t mean I’m lookin’ to be friends with mine. I just want him to stop being insufferable for five minutes.” Kuki sighed, pushing her hands through Wally’s hair to get a better look at his face.
“Breath. I know it’s hard, but you just have to get used to it. Maybe next semester you can pay for a single dorm.”
Wally had already thought about it, but it cost more money he didn’t have. Life was unfair. He often wished Hoagie had come to Harvard so Wally could have roomed with him. The one positive about Eli was that any time Kuki was over, he took that as a sign to leave them be. Wally was grateful for that much, but what he didn’t care for were all the invasive questions and assumptions that came with Wally spending a few hours alone with his girlfriend. He and Kuki have only been together for a few months, Wally wasn’t about to rush things, and if he did, goddamn Eli would be the last to hear about it.
Wally rubbed his face, laying back on his bed.
“Enough about him,” he said. “Have you figured out what your major is gonna be yet?”
Kuki hummed, pushing her laptop and books aside in favor of laying next to him, pulling his arm around her.
“I’m stuck,” She admitted, pressing her cheek against his chest. “My parents want me to study something practical, something that’ll be sure to get me a good job. I totally get that, but I also want to love what I do, you know?”
“I don't know that you love anything practical.” Wally said with a slight laugh. “But yeah, I get it. What is it you’re thinkin’ about then?”
Kuki paused for a moment. When Wally glanced down, he saw her gnawing on her bottom lip. He rubbed her arm, prompting a response from her.
“I was thinking about acting.” She muttered. “But my parents have been really pushing for me to get a business degree.”
He could see her acting, honestly. Kuki was in drama from elementary school till highschool, taking part in nearly every production their schools put on. It wasn’t so far fetched, in Wally’s opinion, and he thought she was a great performer, not that he knew much about that sort of thing. While many may not realise it, Kuki was pretty cutthroat and Wally could also see her with a business degree doing….something. He’s not sure, he’s only ever seen her work the occasional summer retail job, but honestly, that was enough for him to know not to cross her in that field of work.
“So do it.” He said, shrugging.
“It’s risky,” Kuki said. “What if I spend all this time learning how to act and nothing comes of it? What if it's a waste of time?”
Wally felt his brows furrow as he looked down at Kuki.
“Since when are you a pessimist?”
“I’m not ,” She said, frowning now. “I’m just...I’m trying to figure out what the right thing to do is.”
Wally understood that much. He knew she had a lot of pressure from her parents to do well in school. They weren’t unreasonable, but they made it clear they wanted Kuki to be successful, so she took a lot of that in stride. Wally wanted that for her too--But more than anything, he wanted her to do what she wanted to do.
“Well, look,” He started, moving to roll on his side to face her. “It’s our first semester. You told me I didn’t need to figure out what I wanted to do right away, so the same goes for you. Besides, at least you have some ideas, right? That's a start. I think whatever you decide you’ll crush it. I’m pretty sure you could become president if you wanted to.”
Kuki laughed a bit at that, which was Wally’s goal. She scooted closer, rubbing her nose against his.
“You’re right. I’m obsessing over it. I have plenty of time to think about it. Besides! I can take acting classes to fill my electives and see how I like it.”
“There you go.”
--
Even though Wally knew he had minimal pressure to pick a major that will support him for the rest of his adult life, he still stressed about it. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if he didn’t feel like the only person who doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life, the only person who doesn’t have a calling or talent to lead them on a path. Abby was good at everything, so she was set for life, though she seemed to be leaning towards activism work. Hoagie was skilled at mechanics and flight, and Kuki had her acting passion. Wally felt like he had no direction, and sometimes, when it was late and his stupid roomate was snoring, Wally found himself staring at the dark ceiling of his dorm room, the walls feeling like they were caving in on him as he wondered if he jumped the gun on Harvard, if the whole thing was a huge mistake. The longer he was at the school, the more complicated his feelings became. Sometimes he felt a great deal of pride for getting admitted into such a elite school, but often times he just felt annoyed as hell, because it meant he had to deal with a bunch of rich assholes who’s parents bribed their stupid kids way into school. Kids who studied the way Wally did in highschool--which is to say, not at all, and still pass because of their status.
Elite school, what a load of crap. Wally was starting to understand all that social justice stuff Abigail talked about.
These were the people who were usually partying every weekend, something Wally wanted to do desperately, if only to take the edge off, but couldn’t. Because unlike them, he had a lot to lose if he screwed up at this school.
He couldn’t stand those rich jerks. But when it was a saturday night and Wally was only half done with his homework for the week, feeling the walls shake with music blasting through the dorm, all he wanted to do was pretend he was a rich jerk.
Which is why, half way through his first semester at Harvard on Halloween weekend, Wally dropped his homework and decided to have fun for a change. He had been on good behavior long enough and Kuki had been playing with the idea of going to a real college party, so it was an excuse to go with her. She was quick to get ready when he texted her.
There were two types of parties one could find on the Harvard campus. A fairly tame party with some drinking, but most casual conversion, and the hard core parties one would expect to find in a movie. The major difference was who was at those parties--the latter being undergraduate students with more time to kill and the former being grad students who were too tired to deal with people puking in their bathrooms. The latter was easy to find, you just had to follow the red solo cups and the sound of bad pop music.
Kuki was dressed cute, he thought. Maybe too cute, honestly. She managed to throw together a witch costume at the last minute and had her make up done nicely. She looked too cute and Wally wished she came as a sheet ghost instead. She was too pretty and Wally knew it meant he was going to get into a fight with someone at some point during the night. But she was happy, clinging to his arm when they found the several dorms being used for the night's events.
“Oh this is so exciting..!” Kuki gasped, bouncing. “Our first real college party Wally..!”
“Yeah…” It honestly didn’t look that different from the parties he had gone to in high school, just more of a mess. A lot more alcohol too. “Is it really a party without Hoagie knocked out in a closet somewhere?”
Kuki giggled, holding his hand. She dragged him through the party, a soda in her hand while Wally chose a mystery mixed drink that tasted only a little like spicy puke. Despite having only been at Harvard for a few months weeks, in true Kuki fashion, she seemed to know most people at the party while Wally vaguely recognized a classmate or two. He stood at her side while she socialized, almost on guard as Wally resisted the urge to start a fight with every guy who even glanced at her. She allowed him to do this for about an hour before getting annoyed, demanding he go blow off some steam. He was reluctant to leave her, but she was with a group of girls, so he figured she’d be fine for a few minutes. Taking the advice, he kissed her cheek and took a walk.
Coming to the party was his idea, and he wasn’t even having that much fun. He was tense and tipsy, and he was remembering why the parties he went to in high school were fun.. He actually knew people at the old parties he went to, for one, so maybe Kuki had a point about him needing to make friends. That wasn’t his strong suit--most people annoyed him and he’s perfectly happy with the friends he has. Still, Kuki was such a social butterfly, and she was the only one he really knew here, so if she left, he had nothing to do.
Wally sighed heavily. He wasn’t drunk enough for this pity party.
Goal in mind, he made his way back to the drink station, pushing past a few drunk girls dressed as sexy nurses. One he made it to the table, he glanced around at his choices and picked up a bottle of tequila, pouring it into his cup. He’s never had it, so why not branch out.
“Wow, you’re either brave or stupid.”
Wally looked up at the owner of the voice, a young woman who stood next to him, tending to her own beverage needs.
“What did you say?” He huffed, annoyed at her comment. She laughed, gesturing to his drink.
“Straight tequila. Only someone brave or stupid would drink that. So which is it?”
Wally furrowed his brows at her.
“It’s just alcohol. It can’t be that bad.”
“Ah, so it’s stupid.” She laughed. “Go on then, give it a try.”
Feeling challenged, Wally straightened up and quickly tipped his glass back. The burn hit him as soon as the liquid touched his tongue, his eyes widening as he was barely able to keep the drink in his mouth before spitting it back in his cup, coughing. The women laughed.
“I’m sorry! Oh I shouldn’t laugh, but wow--” She crackled, wiping the corner of her eye. Wally was still coughing when he poured the rest out in a planter.
“Shit--That sucks-- ” he said, trying to clear his throat.
“I’d give you a better recommendation, but there's not a lot to work with here.” She said. Wally finally got a good look at her now that his eyes weren’t watering. She was young, though older and taller than Wally, and had short dark hair. Like him, she wasn’t wearing a costume. She was pretty, he thought absently, wiping his mouth. “And besides, I drink like an old man, so whiskey is enough for me.”
“You’re not drinking whiskey.” He pointed out, glancing at her can of soda.
“Oh, I’m the designated driver.” She told him. “I’m just here for my girlfriend. Sorry, name’s Ashe.”
Ashe held out her hand, so Wally took it, shaking it. He introduced himself while deciding on the whiskey.
“...Are you a freshman?” He asked her, deciding to make conversation when the whiskey didn’t humiliate him like the tequila did. Ashe shook her head.
“Junior,” She answered. “You’re a freshman, huh?”
“How could you tell?”
“You didn’t know about tequila of course.” She said with a teasing grin. “And you’ve got this particular tired look that only new students have.”
Wally wanted to argue against that, mostly just to be difficult, but he knew she was right about that much. College tired was very different from normal tired, as it turns out. Wally didn’t know what to say after that, not used to talking to strange girls at parties who laugh at him when he spits out a drink. So he asked her what her major was, as you do when you don’t know what to say to someone in college.
“I’m pre-med.” She told him, which didn’t surprise him too much. Most people at Harvard were either there for medical or law.
“You oughta work on your bedside manner then,” He said. “I don’t think patients would take kindly to a doctor who laughs at them if they can't hold down medicine.” Ashe chuckled at that.
“Thats where you’re wrong! I want to be a surgeon, so I don’t have to talk with the patients much. You don’t have to worry about bedside manner when you’re playing God.”
Wally snorted. Maybe it was the whiskey, but she was kind of funny.
“What’s your major?” She asked him, drinking her soda.
“Oh--Uh, undecided.” He said, brows furrowed. Ashe nodded.
“I feel it man.” She said easily. “No shame in that, you’re still young after all.”
“Didn’t you say you were just a junior?”
“Yeah, but I’m pre-med. That ages you.” Ashe laughed a bit.
Wally laughed as well, finding himself feeling less like crap the more he talked to this girl. She wasn’t stuck up like a lot of his classmates were. She had a similar fashion sense to Abigail, with the baggier clothes she wore, so she felt familiar to Wally.
“Alright Ashe, tell me something, since you’re my upperclassmen. How did you figure out your major, huh? Cause I can’t think of a damn thing I want to do.”
“Ah, the age old question.” She nodded sagely. “Honestly, I just thought about the things I liked or liked doing. So for me, I love horror movies, right? I really love watching the gorey scenes and thinking about what the insides of people look like. So I had two choices--Become a serial killer or a surgeon--And surgeons pay better.”
Wally laughed, nearly snorting his whiskey up his nose.
“Alright, I get you. Horror movies, huh?” Wally asked, interested. “What’s your favorite?”
“Oh I like everything, but I have a special love for the less well known ones like Society.”
“From 1989?!” Wally perked up. “I love that movie!”
“No kidding!” Ashe gasped, dark eyes wide with glee. “It’s so weird, right? And that ending--”
“It's so freakin’ awesome!”
So maybe the party wasn’t so bad after all.
--
Becoming friends with an upperclassmen was incredibly beneficial to Wally’s life at school.
Ashe was cool as hell. She was older so she was able to get booze and didn’t mind sharing with him. She liked a lot of the same horror movies Wally did, which was great, because Abby didn’t care for horror, Hoagie was too much of a whmp, try as he might, and Kuki only really liked Japanese horror. What was better, because Ashe was older and has been at Harvard longer, she was able to give Wally a lot of helpful advice on how to navigate the school and teachers. For instance, she was familiar with the teacher, Professor Lipton, who kicked him out of class the first week of school. Apparently he was an actual doctor that usually taught medical students, but taught to undergrad kids to scoop out possible talent. With her advice, Wally was able to manage the class better, and even impressed the hardass with his last paper.
Kuki was pleased he made a friend, that was for sure. It definitely made life at school a little more fun. Hoagie was less pleased, bemoaning about how Wally was going to leave him behind for ‘big fancy college friends’.
Wally responded by kicking his ass in the video game they were playing together, a true sign of their friendship.
That said, he ran into an issue when Kuki met up with him and Ashe for lunch during Thanksgiving break. Kuki and Wally chose to stay at school for the break, mostly because neither of their families celebrated Thanksgiving, but also because finals were right around the corner and Wally, for one, felt like he was going to die. Ashe was helping him study for his finals in the courtyard when Kuk came to join them. It was subtle, something he was certain only he could key into, but Kuki wasn’t as chatty as she usually was. She kept leaning against him until he put his arm around her, holding her while he tried to understand the material Ashe was teaching him. It wasn’t until Ashe left to get them coffee that Wally spoke on it.
“What’s up with you?” He asked, poking her cheek. Kuki shook her head.
“Nothing! I’m just tired.” She said, fingertips touching his textbook. “Final’s have ruined my sleep schedule.”
“You’re tellin’ me. I have no idea how I’m supposed to do this for four years.” Wally sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. Kuki chuckled softly, pulling away to put her hair up in a bun.
“Ashe seems nice,” She said easily, fixing her green scrunchie in her hair. Wally nodded in agreement before Kuki said, “You didn’t mention she was a girl.”
Blinking, Wally raised his brows in confusion, getting a strange sense that he was in trouble despite the lax tone.
“Sure I did,” He said. “I mean, I must have? I wasn’t trying to hide it--”
“Oh no! I’m not accusing you!” Kuki said quickly, shaking her hands. “I just didn’t know! Ashe is such a neutral name, is all. No biggie.”
“No biggie, huh?”
“Not a single biggie in sight!” Kuki sang with a smile.
“Are you sure?” Wally asked, squinting. He’s had enough past girlfriends get weird about his friendship with Kuki and Abby for his gut to feel like something was off--although in Kuki’s case, he supposed there was decent enough reason for those girls to worry.
“Seriously, I was just surprised!” She said earnestly, poking his nose. “I’m not the kind of girlfriend who doesn’t let her boyfriend have girl friends .”
That was true, from what he’d seen with her past boyfriends. Maybe Wally was overthinking it, which he had already decided he wasn’t going to do anymore, so he’ll stop worrying about it if she says so.
“Alright.” He said, pulling at a loose strand of her hair, moving it out of her face. “If you say so. She has a girlfriend though, just so you know. So there's no reason for you to be jealous-- except I’d be really into it if you were.” Kuki rolled his eyes at his playful tone.
“You wish!” She said, suddenly pulling at his jacket. “Gimmie! I’m cold.”
“No way!” He scoffed. “You’ve stolen like, all of my freakin’ hoodies! You’re not getting my leather jacket too. It’s the only one I have.”
“You’re so stingy--I bet Ashe would give me her jacket! Girls know how to treat other girls right!”
“Then date her.” Wally huffed, taking off his jacket despite his protests, throwing it on her head. “I want it back! Seriously !”
“I will, I will!” Kuki said, even though he knew it was an empty promise. When Ashe came back, Kuki had on his jacket, which Wally was loath to admit he liked seeing her wear, and was delighted when she surprised Kuki with a cup of hot chocolate. It reassured Wally that he had panicked for no reason.
At least until winter break started and all hell broke loose.
--
Wally didn’t see much of anyone when final’s hit, not even his shitty roommate, Eli. Everyone was on edge, and Wally knew how snappy Kuki could be when she was stressed so he purposefully stuck to texting her at a safe distance until her tests were done. Her finals ended before his, so she was back to her normal peppy self once the worst was over, and was able to help Wally study. Wally couldn’t remember the last time he was so stressed out over tests and papers--Papers he had Kuki read over and over to make sure he didn’t have any of his usual spelling errors--but once the papers were handed in and the tests were done, he straight up didn’t care anymore. What's done is done and if he flunks everything, well baby, that's natural selection at that point. All that was left to do was pack and head home for the holidays and enjoy his long winter break before he had to do this all over again in the spring.
Wally had wanted to fly back home, because it was faster and easier than driving on icy roads, even if airports sucked during the holidays, but Kuki had insisted on driving, saying a road trip might be fun. Wally disagreed, because he knew driving meant icy roads and shitty traffic and that he would be doing all the driving, despite Kuki’s sincere offers to drive as well. Kuki wasn’t a bad driver--but Wally got nervous with other people behind the wheel of his car, because it was his baby and it was also a major piece of crap. He didn't want to risk her doing anything that could cause his car to become temperamental-- not that he didn't do that anyway, what with his need for speed and occasional road rage, but at least then its his own fault.
Regardless, they packed up their things, Kuki having taken her sweet time doing so, loaded their bags up in Wally’s car and took off. Goodbye Harvard, see you in the spring.
Wally allowed Kuki control of the music so long as she played more than just those Kpop bands she liked so much. She managed to find a balance, thankfully.
“Wally, you’re speeding again.”
“I’m literally not.”
“You literally are, look at the signs and look at your dial!”
“I wanna get home fast, alright? Traffic is gonna suck the whole way there.”
“You know--”
“You’re not driving my car.”
“I wasn’t gonna say that!” Kuki pouted at him. “I was just saying we don’t have to rush. We can enjoy the ride, see the sights! I didn’t get to drive to school like you did, you know.”
“The sights are covered in snow.” Wally commented dryly. “If we take our time we’ll have to get a room somewhere. I’d rather just drive the whole eleven hours and be done with it.” If he speeds he could cut that in half, easy.
“You’re no fun.” Kuki puffed, crossing her arms.
“Look, when we drive back, we can see all the sights you want.” Wally said with a sigh. “I just wanna get home. I wanna see Hoagie and Abby and I wanna make sure Joey hasn’t taken over my bedroom. You talk all the time about how you miss Mushi--I figured you’d wanna get back more than me.”
“I do!” Kuki said quickly. “Of course I do! I just--I just don’t see why we need to rush!”
“What rush?” Wally shook his head. “You’ve been acting weird all day, you know that? You took your sweet time packing this morning too. What the hell is up with you?”
“Nothing..!” Kuki insisted before biting her lip. She took her pink beanie with a poofy ball off her head, fixing her bangs with a slight sigh. “Okay...I have to tell you something and you have to promise me you won’t get mad.”
Wally couldn’t make that promise on a good day, so he slowed down his driving to give Kuki a bit more of his attention.
“Alright. What is it?” He said, trying to prepare himself. Kuki swallowed hard, playing with the poofy ball on her beanie.
“Do you remember how we started dating before we graduated?” Kuki started. “And how excited we were that we were going to school together?”
“...uh huh.” Wally nodded, listening.
“And do you remember how after we left for school I said my parents were cool with us dating and going to school together?”
“....Yes.”
“....So I might have...fibbed, a little bit.”
“What?” Wally frowned, confused as he looked at Kuki, who was doing that thing where she made her eyes super big to try and look innocent. “They don’t know we’re at the same school?”
“....That and that we’re dating.”
“What?”
“Don't be mad! You promised!” she cried.
“Kuki, are you serious?!” He exclaimed. “You said you told them! What the hell!”
“I know! I know! I’m sorry!” She said quickly, squeezing her beanie to her chest. “I meant to tell them, really! It’s just-- you know how my dad is, Wally! He gets so weird when I date and he has a really weird thing about you! And I was going to tell them! But I was leaving, and they were all emotional and I didn’t want to upset them so I waited--but then I kept waiting and now we’re going back and they’re gonna see us pull in and--”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Wally breathed, rubbing his face hard with annoyance.
“It was wrong, and I’m so sorry Wally. I promise I’ll tell them when we get back, really..!” Kuki said, touching his arm. “Please don't be mad…”
Wally was torn between being mad and just being annoyed as hell. There was a special level of frustration he didn’t expect to feel, crawling underneath his skin, due to the fact that Kuki deliberately kept him a secret from her parents. She never did that with her other shitty boyfriends, but Wally, as much as he hated to admit it, knew he had a more strained relationship with her parents, but especially her father. The older Wally got, the less Mr. Sanban seemed to want him around, and ever since he caught Wally in Kuki’s room playing Jenga at one in the morning when they were sixteen, he had a very special dislike reserved for Wally.
All this to say--he understood, but he didn’t like it.
Kuki was still watching him with big eyes that were starting to get wet, waiting for him to respond. Telling him while driving was probably a calculated move on her part, since half of Wally’s brain power was being used to make sure he didn’t crash his car.
“...Fine, I’m not mad.” Despite his words, he couldn’t stop his annoyance from seeping out. “But man, Kuki--I was counting on your dad relaxing with us being gone this whole time! Now I have to actually be there when he finds out? My blood is on your hands.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” Kuki said again, taking his hand before giving it with a sweet kiss. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Wally glanced at Kuki, wanting to stay mad and complicated, but she kept making eyes at him and seemed pretty sorry.
“...You’re lucky you’re cute.” Wally grumbled, holding her hand as he slowed down his driving, no longer eager to make it home that quickly.
--
Even though Wally actively chose not to be his usual speed demon self on the drive back home, the pair still managed to make it home by nightfall. It was probably for the best, since he was tired and his car’s crappy heater was starting to fail them, while making other weird noises he’ll have to have Hoagie check out while he’s in town. He dropped Kuki off at her house, parking across the street, as if to keep distance from her home before bidding her good night and going home himself. All Wally wanted to do when he came home was go right up to his room and knock out, but his parents wouldn’t have it. The second he got in, he was bum rushed by his parents with hugs and kisses and chit chat he could barely keep up with. He was certain he saw Joey wandering around at his feet while his parents talked his ear off and fed him. He was grateful that after he ate they were willing to let him go to bed, but not after his mom told him he needed a haircut. Wally dragged his feet to his room and was pleased to find it mostly how he left it, save for a few of Joey’s things scattered around. Wally didn’t care for the moment, letting his body on his bed, still in his clothes before knocking out.
His mom let him sleep in, bless her heart, but he woke up to several texts from Hoagie, demanding he wake up and come meet up with him right this very second. Wally kept falling back asleep, however, but finally got up when he felt Joey shaking him, telling him his ‘loud friend’ was in the house. It didn’t take Hoagie long to find his way to Wally’s room once he realized he was awake, body slamming onto Wally in excitement. Weak from sleep, Wally let out a groan.
“Oh you suck ,” he wheezed.
“ You suck! It’s almost noon, I’ve been texting you for hours!” Hoagie exclaimed, rolling off of Wally.
“I drove for like, a thousand hours yesterday, mate.” Wally yawned, pushing himself up as he smacked the side of Hoagies head in an act of minor revenge. He dragged his feet to his closet, walking in to change into fresh clothes.
“I can’t believe you. We haven’t seen each other since summer and you’re not even a little excited.” Hoagie huffed, crossing his arms at Wally when he came back out, pulling a sweater over his head.
“Oh, sorry, did you expect me to fall to my knees and start crying? I totally forgot, my bad.” Wally snarked, combing his hand through his hair before suddenly rushing at Hoagie, throwing his body on him in an act of proper revenge. Hoagie yelled, wiggling in an attempt to escape until Wally got him in a headlock, grinning wide.
“Huh, maybe I did miss you.” He crackled, pushing his knuckles into his head before letting him go, watching Hoagie sink to the floor.
“I changed my mind, go back to Harvard.” Hoagie whined, rubbing his head. Wally laughed, feeling lighter than he has in months. After some more light bullying, the two went rushing out of the house, with Wally pulling Hoagie to his abused car. Wally loved his car, he bought it with his own money after saving it up when he turned sixteen, but it was used, old and had a lot of weird kinks to it. Hoagie had been instrumental in helping Wally keep his car running over the years, which was nice because it meant he didn’t have to spend a fortune on repairs, but going several months without Hoagie's usual maintenance and the long drive had done a number on his poor car.
“What kind of noises did it make?” Hoagie asked, popping the hood.
“Uh like...Kshksh--ka-cling ka-cling! Ya know?” Wally said, doing what he believed to be a flawless impression. “Also my heater stopped working again.”
“I don’t know and don't ever make those sounds again.” Hoagie shook his head, glance under the hood.
“I don’t think it’s your engine, since I checked that before you left. I’ll give it a more thorough look later today and tell you if I need any parts….As for the heater, I have something at my house I can use.” He muttered, almost to himself as he checked all the bits and bobs by the engine. “Worse case, I may have to fix your exhaust system.”
Wally nodded, watching Hoagie fuss with his car a bit before he finally closed the hood.
“I’ll do it for free and I’ll show you how to upkeep your car if you do me a favor.” Hoagie said, adjusting his goggles. Wally raised a brow at him.
“What's that?” Hoagie pressed his hands together in a praying motion before speaking.
“Come Christmas shopping with me--”
“No--”
“PLEASE--”
“NO--I hate christmas shopping! And the mall during the holidays gives me PTSD.” Wally exclaimed, already trying to block the horrible memories of the years he’s attempted to work retail during the holiday season.
“Come on man, please! I’ve got gifts for everyone except Abby and I’m desperate!” he begged. “I can’t find anything good, I need help..! Fixing your car for freeeeee~ ”
Wally groaned as he glared at Hoagie, arms crossed in defiance.
“I’m gonna complain the whole time.” Wally promised. Hoagie whooped, punching his fist in the air in victory.
--
The mall, as expected, sucked.
It was filled to the brim with people, which Wally hated, and screaming kids with their pissed off parents, which Wally also hated. Hoagie dragged Wally to every single store, even ones that weren’t relevant to their trips mission, and every one of them was crowded and awful. Wally, at the very least, was glad he did his shopping all online this year. The only person he was missing a gift for was Joey, and that was because he didn’t know what that little weirdo wanted. That fact that Hoagie has gone this long without getting Abby something was odd, as he was usually the first to start shopping.
“Dude, I don’t think Abby is gonna want a model train.” he frowned, watching Hoagie play with a train in a toy store. He groaned, setting it down.
“I don’t know what to do, man! Nothing is popping out to me!”
“Mate, she is not that hard to shop for. Why are you stressing over this? Just ask her what she wants.”
“Why, so she can know exactly what she's getting from me? Like how I know you’re getting me some kind of manual on planes?” Hoagie said with a pointed look at Wally.
“You don’t know that I got you that.” Wally said with offense, even though that was absolutely what he got Hoagie. Wally wasn’t good at gift giving, so if people just told him what they wanted, everyone goes home happy. “Maybe it’s a manual on trains.”
Hoagie rolled his eyes, walking with Wally out of the store. Wally repeated himself, asking why Hoagie was stressing himself out over a stupid gift. Hoagie shrugged in response.
“I’m not stressed. I just want to get her something nice, that's all.” He muttered. “Is that so weird?”
“Not really,” Wally admitted. “You just don't usually get like this. Last time you freaked out over gift giving was when you had a crush on that exchange student from Spain.”
Wally expected a quick quip from Hoagie, as usual, but was instead gifted with an oddly telling silence. Wally stopped walking, grabbing Hoagie by the shoulder as he slowly looked at him. He was purposefully averting his gaze, his face growing redder and redder, his expression was as though he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Hoagie…..Do you--” Wally started, but he cut him off with a loud forced laugh.
“What!!” He exclaimed, voice high pitched. “Of course not! That’s crazy! You’re crazy! Ahaha all that--higher education has made your brain soft ahaha..!”
“ Dude .”
“Ahaha….. Okay, look.” Hoagie spoke quickly, holding his hands up. “It’s not that serious! Like--Honestly we just--we’ve been spending way more time together because you and Kuki are away! That’s all! It’s just a baby crush. A little bitty nothing! Not even worth thinking about!”
“Dude.”
“Seriously, man!” Hoagie insisted. “I’m like, already over it! Over the hill and through the woods, as they say!”
“Okay, first of all, no one says that,” Wally told him. “Secondly, no judgement man, like--I get it. Abby is cool and hot as hell so, you know, I get it.”
“There's nothing to get.” Hoagie said, crossing his arms stubbornly, trying to look authoritative before nearly tripping over a kid running around. He straightened himself up quickly, fixing his bomber jacket. “I’m super duper over it man. Can we move on?”
Wally shrugged, not willing to push if Hoagie was going to be in full denial mode. He didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but maybe he really was over it and was just embarrassed. Regardless, they walked aimlessly for a few moments before Wally gasped when the two encountered a store for athletic fashion, seeing Abby working inside. Wally smacked Hoagie's shoulder, already excited to go see her.
“Speak of the devil! I’ll go in and ask her what she wants for you--” Wally said, already on the move, because the sooner they know the sooner they can leave the mall. He briefly heard Hoagie’s sounds of protest as he ran in, blinding grabbing a pair of shorts as he jumped in front of Abby.
“Excuse me ma’am, do you have these in a larger size?”
“Those are womens shorts, Wally.” Abby said after a moment of pause, smiling as she pulled him into a hug. “It’s good to see you, man.”
“Good to see you too,” He grinned, patting her back. “Working huh? Sucks to be you.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you were makin’ my money.” She chuckled, crossing her arms. “You shopping? Tryin’ to find something for your girlfriend ~”
“I already got something for my girlfriend ~” Wally snarked back. “I wanted to ask you what you wanted for Christmas.”
“What, couldn’t find Abby the jersey she told you about?”
“You don’t know that’s what I got you.” Wally grumbled. “Tell me anyway, come on.”
“Nothin’ you could afford,” Abby said, going back to folding clothes as she gestured toward the front of the store with a nod of her head. “Why is Hoagie lurking outside the store?”
Wally blinked, glancing back to the front of the store, seeing Hoagie walking back and forth like a chump. He rolled his eyes, shrugging.
“He’s got hives.” Abby raised a brow at him, clearly not buying it. She chose not to question him further, although her attention was stolen as a customer requested her help. Wally put the shorts back, waving for Hoagie to get his ass in the store. After a lot of arm waving and half shouting, Hoagie relented, dragging his heels inside.
“You better not act like a weirdo the whole time I’m home.” Wally scowled him.
“I’m not! I don't want her knowing I’m shopping for her.”
Wally shook his head, waiting with Hoagie for Abby to make her way back to them. She came back soon enough, looking tired. “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “That lady couldn’t decide on which yoga pants she wanted. But I’m on lunch now, so I’m all yours.”
With that, the three went to the food court together. They sat together at a barely clean table, picking at the food they bought as they caught up with each other--Although Abby seemed to be doing more talking than Hoagie was at the moment, asking all about how Wally and Kuki were doing at Harvard. Eventually, Wally brought up the topic of christmas once more.
“Come ooon, tell me. I need a backup in case your gift falls through.” He lied.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” She shrugged. “The only thing I can think of is a pair of shoes I’ve been eyeing lately, but those are too expensive.”
“Show me them.” Wally demanded.
“They’re too expensive.” Abby warned him once more.
“Just show me the shoes.”
Sighing heavily, Abby pulled out her phone and brought the shoes up. They were tennis shoes with a slight platform to it, dark blue with sleek red detailing through the shoe. Wally recognized the brand as well and gave a low whistle when he saw the price tag. “Those shoes better be dipped in gold for that price tag.” He said. “I think I’ll stick with your original gift.”
“The jersey, right?”
“You don't know that I got you that, so shut up.” Wally scoffed, noticing Hoagie quietly doing a google search. Abby didn’t seem to notice, chucking at Wally as she stole his fries.
“Okay, no more christmas talk--How’re you and Kuki doing? Are you still in the honeymoon phase?” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows.
“I dunno, how long is that supposed to last?” Wally shrugged, picking at his fries with a slight frown..
“Uh oh,” brows up, Abby leaned forward in interest. “What happened?”
Wally sighed, dropping his fry back in the basket. “Nothing. Nothing happened.” He grumbled, still feeling incredibly sore over the topic. “Just that apparently Kuki never told her parents we were dating.”
Both Abby and Hoagie looked at Wally with surprise.
“Huh?”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Wally confirmed, trying with his entire body and soul to not still be annoyed about it. “She told me on the drive home. Apparently ‘the timing was never right’, or whatever.” Abby shook her head in disapproval.
“That girl, I swear…” she muttered.
“I can’t really blame her,” Hoagie shrugged. “Sorry man, but her dad goes nuts whenever she gets a boyfriend and he’s always disliked you. Didn’t he chase you out of the house with a knife when he caught you in her room that one time?”
“A butter knife, but yeah.” Wally sighed. “We were playing jenga. Look, I know, I get it . I do--it’s just...annoying, I guess. I don't know. I don't really know what she thinks is gonna happen, her dad is never gonna like me, so...”
“Well they can’t make her not date you,” Abby pointed out. “You should probably talk to her about this, though.”
“Why?” He scoffed. “There's nothing to talk about. She’s gonna tell them and that’ll be the end of it.”
“I dunno,” She shrugged, exchanging a look with Hoagie. “You seem pretty bothered by it.”
“I’m not.” he said, voice even as he broke apart his fries. “I don't care.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Well, I say you should still talk to her about it, because communication is kind of a big deal when it comes to relationships and you two aren’t always terribly good at that.”
“She’s right.” Hoagie nodded. “You guys can both be pretty hot headed and stubborn when you want to be.”
Wally shoved a handful of fries in his mouth to prevent himself from speaking. They were right, but they didn’t have to say it.
“I don’t wanna mess this up,” He admitted after a long while of chewing. “I’ve liked Kuki for...a really long time, you know? And now we’re finally together and we’ve been doing really great! I don’t wanna ruin this thing we got going because I decided to do that thing I always do where I get really stupid and lose my temper over the dumb shit. I don’t wanna risk losing both my girlfriend and my best friend because I can’t keep my cool. It’s not worth it.”
“I thought I was your best friend?” Hoagie exclaimed, touching his chest in offence. Wally rolled his eyes.
“A best friend that I wanna kiss.”
“You saying you don't wanna kiss me?!” Hoagie exclaimed with even more offense than was necessary.
“Can we focus!?” Wally snapped, grabbing Hoagie’s goggles and pulling them down his face.
“I hear what you’re saying,” Abby said, ignoring Hoagie’s nonsense. “And I get it--and I’m not saying that this particular instance is going to make or break you guys. What I am saying is that if you keep holding in all these little things because you don’t want to cause any problems, it’s going to eventually make you blow up over something really stupid and then you’ll have a real problem on your hands.”
“She’s right,” Hoagie said, nodding along. “Communication is key in a relationship my friend. I can’t blame you for avoiding it though--it sucks and it’s not like you’ve had a real relationship to practice it with.” Wally scoffed.
“Excuse you--I’ve had plenty of relationships.”
“I don’t think hooking up with a girl for a month before breaking up counts as a relationship.” Abby said, deadpan.
“I took them out to dinner!” Wally exclaimed. “I listened to them complain! It counts .”
“Whatever.” Abby shook her head, standing up. “I have to get back to work--But think about what I said, okay? Even if this thing really isn’t a big deal, you’re gonna eventually have a problem you two will need to work out. So don’t be an idiot. You guys are cute together, you know.” She said, grinning as she pinched his cheek. Wally grimaced and half heartedly shoved her hand away.
“Yeah, yeah, I hear you mom.” Abby slapped the back of his head in response as she started towards her work place. He knew she was right because Abigail Lincoln was nothing if not always annoying right about absolutely everything.
--
His first day back home was a busy one, but successful. He spent most of the day with Hoagie, of course, and got his car's heater fixed before his parents came home and sucked up the rest of his time now that he wasn’t dead on his feet. It was a lot of the usual chit chat about school that Wally attempted to speed run through because he was tired of answering the same questions over and over again. Before dinner he even had a weird bonding moment with Joey, who pushed himself into Wally’s room and begged him to take him shopping later to get a gift for their parents.
“I have ten dollars!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been saving up, so I wanna get them something good.”
Wally didn’t bother telling him ten dollars wasn’t enough. So he told him he’d take him later in the week, if only because he got the sense that Joey missed him, despite all his big talk before he left.
He also got a job.
Well, he got a job back , more like. Wally has worked in most places in town and has been likewise fired from most places in town for reasons ranging from reasonable firing to him quitting because he couldn’t deal with the job itself. He couldn’t handle retail like Kuki or Abigail could, and he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to work at specialty places, like Hoagie who worked at the town's auto repair shop. Wally did best in fast paced environments where he could keep moving and get all his energy out, which is why he often worked in food service jobs. Fast food sucked and he’s been fired for mouthing off at customers, coffee shops were doable but he hated the pretension and the over detailed orders. The real money was at the restaurants, and what he needed now was money, since all of his financial aid and loans were being sucked up into the Harvard vacuum.
He worked at the local diner in town throughout his last half of high school and was honestly unsure if he was going to be temporarily rehired again. The owner was a large, older man who grumbled everything he said and whom Wally couldn’t gauge if he liked him or not. However, when Wally walked in and asked if he could work during the winter, the owner grumbled at him before throwing an apron at him from across the bar, muttering something about Thursday, so he took that as a good sign. The diner was popular enough that he made good money through tips, although it sucked that he had to work during his winter break.
Kuki had surprised him by coming over before dinner started, his dad letting her in gleefully, complimenting her and asking her how she was doing and if Wally was treating her right, to which he rushed over and pulled her away from the embarrassing conversation. Kuki laughed, as she always did when his parents got excited to see her, and accepted an invite by his mom to stay for dinner.
“Your parents won’t mind, hun?” His mom had asked.
“Nope! I spent all day with them so they’re catching up on work tonight.” She said with a smile. This delighted his mom, who was probably the happiest when she found out she and Wally were dating, likely because it meant having another girl in the house. They bored her with the same questions they had for Wally--’how is the campus?’ ‘do you like your classes?’ ‘is Wally drinking water? Make sure he drinks water, sweetheart’--though unlike him, she was happy to chat along and answer their questions. It was good for him, because it meant he could stuff his face with his mom's cooking, one of the things he missed most about home.
“Wally, you’re making a mess, have some manners.” His mom scowled.
“I’m hungry.” He said, swallowing down the food.
“You’re getting crumbs in your hair. You really should get it cut.”
“I’ve been telling him to get a trim all semester!” Kuki said, pushing her hand through his hair to shake it out.
“I’ll cut it later,” He groaned, slapping her hand away. “I have to anyway, I can’t have it like this at work.”
“Oh! Did you get rehired at the diner?” Kuki asked with a gasp.
“Yup, start thursday.” He said, nodding as he pushed his clean plate forward. “Done--can we go now?”
“Oh fine,” His mom waved his hand. “Go on, then.”
Wally stood up fast, taking Kuki’s hand as he pulled her out of the kitchen while she was still talking to his parents. The last thing Wally heard before they ran up to his room was his dad jovially shouting for him to keep his door open, which made Wally groan in embarrassment. He could never tell how serious his dad was when he said that, but it certainly sucked every time he said it. When they got to his room, he closed his door most of the way before stealing a kiss from Kuki, who happily reciprocated.
“I missed you,” She smiled.
“Me too,” He admitted. He hadn’t realized how he had gotten so used to having Kuki around until today. Wally kissed her again to make up for it.
“Mm--How was your day?” She asked him in between kisses.
“Fine,” He said, moving his arms around her waist. “Saw Abigail and Hoagie, fixed my heater, got a job, yadda yadda, had dinner and now I’m trying to kiss you but you’re making it hard.”
Laughing, Kuki kissed his cheek.
“Lucky! I couldn’t get away from my parents at all today. I can’t wait to see them tomorrow. By the way, Mushi missed you and she got you something for Christmas.”
“Aw.” Wally chuckled. “Thats nice. I got her that jewelry making kit you told me about.”
“Good,” She grinned. “Do you want to know what to get me?”
“I already got you something.”
“Huh?” She blinked widely. “But you didn’t even ask what I wanted!”
Wally rolled his eyes. He got her christmas gift before anyone else, way back in mid November, after he befriended Ashe. Kuki was really into all that weird astrology and crystal crap, so with some help, he was able to get her a custom box of rocks and, mostly as a joke, a rainbow monkey astrology book. It didn’t make a lick of sense to him and he was fairly sure it was all made up bullshit, but she liked it, and the rocks looked cool enough, so whatever. He wanted to make sure the first gift he got her as his girlfriend was a good one, which is why he went out of his way to make sure she didn’t know what he bought.
“Are you sure you don’t want to know what I want?” She asked, grimacing. “Your gifts are sometimes….odd.”
“Have a little faith, jeez.” Wally grumbled, poking her stomach, getting a squeak out of her. “I think I can get a decent gift for my girlfriend. If it makes you feel better I kept the recipes.”
“It does. And you’re right, I’m sure it's a very nice gift.” she said unconvincingly, touching his hair. He didn’t pull away from it this time, instead leaning into her touch. Wally wasn’t big on people touching his hair, but he couldn’t help but enjoy it when Kuki did it.
“Don’t get your hair cut too short,” She told him after a moment. “When are you going to a salon?”
Wally scoffed. “I’m not, I’m cutting it myself.”
“Ew! No, Wally!” Kuki gasped. “I hate it when you do that!”
“I’m not spending thirty bucks for someone to do what I can do. It’s easy, I just need it out of my eyes.”
“No, it always looks choppy and bad.” She shook her head hard. “Please don’t cut it yourself.”
“See those scissors on my dresser? The second you're gone I’m cuttin’.”
“Noooo!” She whined, tugging at his sweater. “If you’re not going to a professional let me do it at least..!”
“You?”
“Yeah! I’ve cut my bangs before, I’m way better at it than you are. Please? Pleeeeease?” Wally groaned as he shrugged.
“Fine, whatever. Don’t make me look stupid though, got it?” He demanded, grabbing the scissors, handing them to her.
“Trust me, it’ll look better than anything you’ve done.” she said with confidence. The two relocated to the bathroom where Wally sat on the toilet with a towel around his shoulders, squinting at everything Kuki did.
“Don’t cut the front too short--Just short enough.” He instructed.
“Wally shoosh, I know what I’m doing.” She said firmly. “It’d be nice to see your eyes for once, you know.” Wally made a grumbling noise in response, which Kuki repeated right back at him as she began to trim his hair. She started at the front, trimming his bangs enough that they no longer fell right into his eyeballs before moving on to the sides, layering it. As she started to move to the back of his head, Wally chewed on the inside of his cheek.
“So...Did you ever talk to your parents?” He asked as casually as possible.
“Hmm? About what?” Kuki answered slowly as she focused on his hair.
“About us , dummy.”
“...oh!” She gasped, the words hitting her a little late as she paused in her work. She fluffed his hair, running her fingers through it in a way that was way too distracting. “Right..! Um...No, I didn’t.”
“Kuki, come on .”
“It just wasn’t the right time..!” She said earnestly. “I didn’t want to drop a bomb on them right as I came home.”
Wally sighed, mouth pressed into a firm frown. He thought about Abigail and what she told him at the mall, feeling unsure. Communication, he thought--That's what you’re supposed to do in relationships. Wally just has to talk and not….be an idiot about it. Not lose his temper. Easy peasy.
Wally shifted slightly, swallowing hard as he practically twiddled his thumbs.
“Can I ask you something?” He said carefully, watching his tone. Kuki hummed in response, so Wally breathed in.
“...You’re not like….” he paused, already feeling stupid for bringing this up. He let out a puff of air. “You’re not….embarrassed of me...right?”
Wally let out a gasp when Kuki stopped cutting his hair and grabbed his face suddenly, pulling his head back so he got a view of her upside down. Her eyes were wide with shock as she looked down at him in panic, clutching his face.
“No! Oh my god, no way Wally!” she exclaimed quickly. “Of course not..! Please don’t ever think that because that's totally not the case..!”
“K-Kuki--” Wally croaked. “M-My neck--”
“I could never be embarrassed of you! Except for that one time when you went through that phase in jr. high where you thought having a chain wallet was your whole personality but even THEN--”
“S-Seriously you’re gonna break my neck babe--” Wally cried, managing to loosen her death grip on his head, popping his head and neck into place. He forgets how freakishly strong she is. Rubbing the back of his neck, Wally turned around on the toilet to look up at Kuki, who’s expression was so riddled with sadness that Wally wanted to throw himself out of a window for bringing any of this up. Communication sucks, he should have just pushed his feelings down like normal damn it.
“Hey--Come on, don’t do that--” He said quickly, pulling her closer. Kuki moved to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. “I didn’t mean it like that--just forget it, I’m being stupid. It’s not a big deal--”
“No!” She exclaimed, cupping his face again, but at least this time his neck wasn’t in danger of being broken. “No, you’re not being stupid. I’m sorry, I haven’t thought at all how you must be feeling about this..!”
“I’m really not feeling anythi--”
“I’m so sorry, Wally.” She said sincerely. “I mean it. It’s not you...I guess I just keep avoiding it because I know my dad is going to get upset and make me feel bad for dating you, and I don’t want to feel bad about it. I love dating you! And I worry that when he finds out he’s going to make it really frustrating…”
Wally listened as he attempted to sooth her by rubbing her knee gently.
“I love dating you too.” He told her. “And that stuff makes sense, seriously. If telling them is gonna make you feel like crap then you don’t have to. I guess I...uh--wasn’t sure? Because I know how I um...come off, sometimes. So…”
Kuki shook her head, kissing his cheek.
“No, I totally get it. I’m sorry, I should have been more honest.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Wally told her, kissing her back. “It’s not a big deal. I’m upset or anything--and if you think it's gonna be a huge pain in the ass you don’t have to say anything. In fact, I changed my mind. Don’t say anything.”
“No, I’ll tell them.” she said with a firm nod. “You’re my boyfriend and they deserve to know. Maybe they’ll ease up when I tell them you’re at Harvard!”
Wally wasn’t sure, but Kuki didn’t look like she was on the verge of tears anymore, so he nodded along. He did feel a little bit better now though, but that could be because Kuki was on his lap, kissing his face. Wally was never one to care about what people thought of him, but he stuck out like a sore thumb at Harvard, so the worry of how people perceived him had started to hit him. He didn’t want Kuki’s parents thinking their daughter was wasting their time with him, so he hoped her parents knowing he went to Harvard would lessen the blow, at least for her sake.
“As much as I enjoy kissing you,” Wally muttered against her lips. “I’d like you to finish my hair.”
Giggling, Kuki kissed him once more as she grabbed the scissors from the sink. He cupped her jaw, breathing her in as he attempted to savor the kiss a bit longer until a small ‘snip’ noise caught their attention. Frozen, Wally opened his eyes and saw that Kuki’s eyes were wide.
“....What did you do.” He asked slowly. Kuki flew off of his lap and spun him around before letting out a loud gasp.
“....I can fix it.” she whispered quickly.
“What did you do!?” He exclaimed louder.
“I can fix it! I can fix it--sit back down--”
She could not, in fact, ‘fix it’. At least not with the panic levels that rose in the bathroom at the sudden chunk of hair missing from the back of Wally’s head. In the end they called Abigail to come and actually fix it, while Hoagie sat on the bathtub and laughed at him.