tongue of a fox, tongue of a cat || aespa || ningselle

5

Aeri avoids Yizhuo. Yizhuo avoids Aeri.

This goes on for a week as both of them unconsciously figure each other's schedules and paths to school out. Aeri lowers her eyes when she walks in the hallways passing the vocal rooms and Yizhuo averts it when she walks back to class after lunch. And no one, not Jimin or Minjeong or Somi says anything about it.

Until now.

"Hey,"

"...do you have a secret relationship with Yizhuo?" Somi asks, spinning her pen between her fingers.

Aeri coughs and almost chokes on her drink, almost spews it onto her books. "Excuse me?"

Somi rocks back in her seat, balancing on the two back legs. The library is empty save for a few lone students and them.

"You avoid her like the plague," Somi continues. "And-"

Aeri puts her drink down on the table. Not slamming it down, but loudly enough to startle Somi.

"Alright, listen, when you mess up not one, but two interactions with someone like her-"

"Yizhuo-"

Aeri shoots her a look, mouth pressed in a thin line. "Yeah, Yizhuo, whatever, but when you mess up two interactions with someone like her, you really start feeling like you've screwed up your entire social life."

Somi listens with interest. "And you won't try to fix it with her?"

"Fix it with her?" Aeri snorts. She toys with the straw poking out of her cup lid. "You make it sound like we had a bad fight in our relationship. I don't want to interact with her for the best."

"Because you tremble at her oh-so-mighty presence? Do her nails scare you?"

Aeri pictures neon green and pale skin. She shakes her head remembering piercing, glaring brown eyes that gleamed with neon green light. Her bleached hair. She shudders. She hates it. It feels like a growing disease.

But that's a loser way to think about things. When did flashy fashion become weird to Aeri Uchinaga? She grew up around fashion and she's seen way worse. Maybe it's the way she presents herself.

Aeri won't ever admit it, though, that the way she carries herself is so brash yet elegant. It'd almost be attractive if she wasn't such a huge dick.

"No to the first thing, yes to the second. And not only do the nails scare me, she scares me."

"Alright, alright. I get it. But she's really a chill person once you get to know her, seriously."

"She feels invasive."

Somi clicks her tongue. She sighs. "I'm cool with Yeji and Jimin, you see. And I've hung out with Yizhuo a few times. She might be bombastic and shit-mouthed a-"

"Somi-ah," Aeri grits softly. "Let's just get back to studying, okay?"

Somi deflates. "'Kay."

...

Aeri's hip flexor clicks when she stands. She lets out a pathetic groan and immediately doubles over onto the table, holding herself on her elbows.

Somi pops a knuckle. "Maybe it's time to stop."

Aeri looks weakly over at her and cracks a thin smile. "Yeah," she agrees. Then, "You wanna take a walk now? I know a place with really good muffins."

The sky is wonderfully cloudy, puffs of cotton candy floating in the air, and more blossoms have bloomed. Petals flutter down like rain, coating the pavement and roads. Aeri doesn't mind. She snaps multiple pictures on her phone and shows them off to Somi as they walk, who appears a little too enthusiastic for a few snapshots of blossoms she sees every spring.