You make me feel special || hjw

love Advice

"Mom?" Haruto calls, rubbing the crease of his palms together, entering the kitchen where his mom was sitting, legs crossed as she sipped on whatever was in her mug.

"Can I ask you something?" He asks, trying not to tighten the skin of his lips because a scolding is the least he wanted to hear right now.

No reply. Haruto wants the ground to eat him because his mother glances up from her mug with a look on her face. Gosh, he knows this look. She kicks a chair from under the table, and it somehow doesn't break in - despite being old as dust - and pats the seat, opting for him to sit.

The young Japanese boy sighs, sitting down, stiff, maybe too stiff.

"So?" She asks with expectant eyes.

"How did you-" He pauses, looking down at his legs that overgrow the small table, "How did you know when you liked dad. Like, I actually liked him."

His mother's eyes widen, and Haruto creases his brows. He knew how she would overreact, but he really ran out of options.

Junghwan was obviously never in a relationship, and Doyoung - despite being a total flirt - was off the market.

Haruto even tried to reach out to his friend back home, who was not any help at all (something about not being in tune with his emotions).

He tried everything from web searches to those damned romantic web-comics he reads, which still couldn't give him a clear answer to his many questions.

So yeah, here he was.

"Haru, sweetie, are you in love?" She beams, her coffee mug clanking onto its holster, and she repeats. "Are you in love with someone?"

Haruto's face heats up as he nods.

""That's the issue. I'm not-"

"Do you think about them a lot?"

The younger Japanese cocks a brow. "I guess. I'm not sure, um... maybe?"

"You want to make them happy, right?" She adds, and Haruto shrugs. He's not sure.

"Most importantly," Mrs. Watanabe pats a gentle palm over his shoulder, "How does he make you feel?"

Haruto's breathing just about stops and his mom gives him her famous "i know already" look.

"How did you-"

"Mother's intuition." She carefully takes yet another sip from her mug. "And you left your journal open on your desk the other day-"

The seventeen year old's heart practically explodes, and his face glows a bright shade of red. "Don't read my journals, mom!"

"That's not the point right now. Do you really like that boy next door?" She asks with sparkles in her eyes, and Haruto sighs.

"I guess so," Haruto whispers, squeezing the hem of his black t-shirt, nodding to himself.

Mrs. Watanabe glances at him, a small smile playing on her lips. "You guess?"