"Hey, you know I love you, right?" Henry whispers smoothly, his eyes filled with affection and warmth for the girl standing in front of him. With a playful smile, he swept her bangs behind her ear and kept it in place with a rose clip, one that he brought as a gift for their anniversary. 

Amber smiles shyly as he clips it on for her and when he was done, he takes a step back to admire how beautiful she looks. Feeling embarrassed, Amber looks down, avoiding eye contact while a small blush formed at her cheeks. "I know..." she replies softly. 

"And you know that I know that you love me too?"

Amber laughs lightly and nods. "I know."

Grinning, Henry reaches for both her hands and holds them in his own, liking the way that they fit together perfectly like a glove.

"Then does this girl know that this guy wants to be with her for the rest of his life?"

Henry takes a look at Amber's face. Tomato red, he notices, looking quite amused at that fact. 

Amber pouts cutely. "This girl wants to be with this oppa for life."

Henry smiles knowingly and idly threads his fingers in her hair, looking deep into her shining eyes. She closes them and a second doesn't even pass before he's leaning down to capture her lips in a sweet ---" 


"Holy crap." 

Henry stares blankly at the computer screen and just sits there, wide-eyed and blinking. His mouth was agape, jaw unhinged and hanging. If anything he looked like a dead gaping fish (if fishes could physically even gape when they're dead). But regardless of his weird looking state, the boy was mentally at a lost right now. Maybe slightly disturbed, if we wanted to get technical. 

Because ohmybuddah, what the hell did he just read??? 

Henry inwardly cringed. The thought oh him being sleazy and cheesy was one thing (rose pins are so outdated!), but Amber being all cutesy and blushy was just...unthinkable. It's just too OOC. It's freaking apocalyptic! The moment she starts shyly twirling her hair and sprouting aegyo everywhere is the moment where Henry knows the world is going to end. 

"There's gotta be something better than this..."

---

"Honey, I'm home." 
"Hey hennybuns, welcome back!" 

First two lines and Henry already wants to gag.

Hennybuns. 

Who the hell comes up with this stuff? 

The fact that Amber was a domestic housewife making meals for him (for FREE) was more or less an indication that this is far from reality. The best she could make was burnt steak, seriously. And if anything, he'd be the one with the glorious cooking skills here! Who's the one who got chosen as a contestant on that Asian version rip off of Iron chef? That's right, he was! These writers need to get their facts straight. Gosh. 

-- 

"Triple-caramel double deckered fudge mint chocolate for you," Henry says as he hands the cone to the girl sitting on the bench. "Or what I would like to call, diabetes on a stick." 

"FYI, it's a cone," Amber retorts while happily accepting the treat with a wide grin. "It's not my fault you can't appreciate its beauty, vanilla boy."

"I'm not the one wanting cavities here. And there's nothing wrong with vanilla!"

"Psht, it's way too plain."

Henry pouts and shoves his ice cream in front of his friend's face. "You're the one who can't appreciate the simple taste of deliciousness when you see it!" 

Amber rolls her eyes before leaning in, taking a bite of vanilla off the cone and causing Henry to shriek back in anguish. 

"My ice cream!"

"Who said to wave it around my face like that." Amber her lips and frowns a bit. "Yeah nope, still too plain for me."

"Urgh you're horrible." Henry growls as he wipes a single manly tear from his face.

"Aw, are you crying?" 

"Scratch that, maybe you're just sadistic." 

Amber just laughs as Henry proceeds to gulf down whats left of his ice cream. She then grips his arm, stopping him midway on gulping down the last bit of cone. 

"What? Don't tell me you want some now cause I ain't giving you any." 

Amber shakes her head. "Nah, just wanna say thanks," she smiles prettily. "For the ice cream."

Henry flushes and looks away nervously. "Don't misunderstand! I-It's not like I got it for your sake or anything." 

"Uh huh," Amber smiles as Henry considerably tenses up.

She leans in a little closer and Henry finds it incredibly hard to breath, but his bones are snapped in place and it's like he can't move - won't move. He shuts his eyes super tight, holding his breath and slightly protruded his lips, waiting. 

Waiting.

Henry winces as he feels a finger scrape his cheek and he opens his eyes to see Amber with a smug look on her face. 

"You got some on your cheek," Amber chuckles as she the remaining vanilla ice cream off her thumb. "You're messier than I am." 

Henry turns another shade of pink and sputters indignantly. "You tease," he mutters sourly, but Amber takes his hand and entwines their fingers together. 

"I'll make it up to you, kay?" Amber smiles and Henry, still red as ever, nods while avoiding eye contact. 

"Y-you better, jerk!"

...

Christ, he's such a wuss.

Henry cringes, feeling the secondhand embarrassment coming from his fictional-self. What's with the tsundere-ness? Why is Amber the one that's cool? WHY IS HE BLUSHING LIKE A 10 YEAR OLD SCHOOL GIRL GOING OUT WITH HER CRUSH FOR THE FIRST TIME?!?

Really, how awkward can this get. His manly essence is nowhere to be seen and that profusely bothered him. Like, a lot. 

Henry grumbles under his breath as he tries to find something slightly more redeeming of his image.

---

Sup brah?
Sup bro. 
I like ya. 
I like ya too.
They brofist. 

The End. 


Henry promptly faceplants his keyboard. 

---

"Amber is mine." Henry says sternly, leveling his voice in an intimidating manner as he glares daggers at the other male. 

Donghae smirks. "Even though she's head-over-heels in love with me?"

Henry growls and grabs a fistful of the elder's collar, fighting the urge to hit the pretty playboy square in the face. "Stay away from her," he hisses, but Donghae just laughs at the threat. 

"Your jealously is showing, Henli." Donghae sings in amusement, lifting his hand to brush against the boy's cheek who flinches back at the unsuspecting touch. Donghae smiles like a cheshire cat and Henry bites his lip at the sight of it. 

"Want me to show you how I kissed her?" Donghae whispers in his ear and Henry widens his eyes in shock. He shoves him away but Donghae snatches his arms and pulls him back, his tone playful and his eyes...those eyes were predatory. "Maybe I should make you mine too, hm?" Donghae chuckles, and Henry finds himself unable to move. His heart speeds up as Donghae grasps his face and leans in for a passionate ki-


Henry silently moves the mouse and clicks on the X at the corner of the screen, completely closing off the window.

He leans back on his chair and sits there for a moment, blinking.

--- 

HenryLau: these weird fanfics ain't helping hyung

HenryLau: at all

HenryLau: ESPECIALLY THAT LAST ONE

Heechul_is_DAEBAEK: nonsense. keep reading, hamster. 

---

"She...she didn't even say goodbye to him - I mean, me. Omg why -" 

Henry is bawling and when Ryeowook passes by, the elder doesn't know whether to console the poor boy or leave him to relish in his cathartic moment. Ryeowook nods to himself and decides to make the maknae some rice porridge. 

---

Henry feels his back press against the wall and he involuntarily flinches when a hand slams against the side of his head. He gulps nervously and looks around for an exit, anywhere to get out of this. 

"Yah, look at me." Amber whispers dominantly, fiery eyes trained on his face. He quickly glances away but the girl looming over him grasps his chin and jerks it so he had no other choice but to look her in the eye. 

"W-why are you like this?" Henry stutters, frightened in her change in demeanor. 

"Why? You've been real bad Henry..." Amber smirks devilishly. "And bad guys need to be punished." 


Henry shuts his laptop and stalks out of his room, nearly bumping into Eunhyuk in the process. 

"I'm done!" Henry yells before the elder even has a chance to voice his concern. "Done!" Henry throws his hands up in the air and leaves without another word. 

Eunhyuk silently judges him as he leaves. 

---

He's back on it again. He still doesn't know why. It's like once you start on something, you gotta finish it 'till the end and Henry was stubborn by nature so it was inevitable, really, that he finds himself reading these ridiculous stories once more.

This time he's sitting hunched up on his favourite rolling chair, a bowl of Ryeowook's freshly made porridge on the desk as he opens one of the recently bookmarked pages. Time seems to pass by in a blur, for his mind was lost in the world of fiction and Henry doesn't even realize he's doing nothing productive - doesn't even realize his surroundings - when a voice (a real one mind you), interrupts his thoughts.

"Watcha reading?" 

Well that was a familiar voice he knew all too well. Also, there goes his heart ripping out of his chest. The fact that Henry shot up like a rocket from his seat with a shocked squeak - a manly squeak he might add - made him involuntarily look like he's been caught redhanded doing something criminalistic and ridiculously suspicious (suspicious maybe, minus the criminalistic). That, and the fact that he was sputtering while trying to hide the computer screen from unwanted eyes didn't make it any less obvious. 

Amber leans back, arms crossed and brows raised while she gives the flustered boy in front of her an odd look. "?"

"NO!" Henry panics. "I mean, no. It's not what you're thinking. Honestly, do you think I would watch anything like that in public!" 

"So you prefer to do it in private?"

"Yes - I mean! Oh my God, no." Henry covers his face in shame, feeling the need to throw himself off a cliff. 

He's also starting to regret giving Amber the keys to his studio for free access. 

"Dude, chill, it's all good." Amber snorts and mygod, how could this girl be so unrefined yet make him feel so at ease. "I'm more surprised at the fact that you're the literary type."

"I'm not, I don't-" Henry sighs, exasperated. So long, clean-slate reputation, it was nice knowing you. 

"Relax, just pulling your leg." Amber grins cheekily and Henry really just wants to bang his head against something hard. 

"Why are you even here." 

"Thought I'd popped by and surprise you? Didn't know you'd actually jump from your seat."

"Sneaking up on people is not cool man."

She sticks her tongue out and pulls under her eyes as a mocking gesture. And he should be offended, he really should, but the stupid face she's making is oddly endearing and cute and Henry decides to mentally punch himself in the gut for thinking such absurd thoughts because in no way, form, or shape can the word cute be associated to the spunky tomboy - the one with horrendous eating manners that defy the laws of etiquette, the one who laughs obnoxiously at everything he says because she's a jerk, you know, the one with a somewhat decent sense of humour and maybe really, really nice eyes and an adorable teeth-rich, dino smile and. 

Okay. Proceeding to mentally throw self off a cliff now. 

---

Being in denial was short-lived, Henry thinks sadly. It was good while it lasted, although reality did come crashing down sooner than he expected. That, and the fact that he remembered why he was reading these ridiculous stories in the first place. 

(Curiosity starts losing it's credibility as a reason after the 23rd fic). 

They could actually help, Henry thinks as he sits in his rolling chair, spinning mindlessly in circles as he mulls around in his thoughts. A few of these stories (with the exception of many) has him as one smooth talker with a way of words and maybe, just maybe he could get some tips off of them. Fiction!Henry seems to know what he's doing, so applying it to real life shouldn't be that hard.

Because Henry wants his happy ending too. 

---

It slipped out easier than he thought it would. 

"Hey, I like you." 

They're at a park, sitting on the swings, and Henry's beginning to think that all the cheesiness he's been reading is starting to rub off on him. 

Because parks, really? 

"I like you too?" Amber supplies, a brow raised in a skeptical manner.

"No I meant, I like like you. Like, when you laugh all obnoxiously, I think it's cute, not like creepy cute but it makes you so you, you know what I mean?" 

"You calling me cute?"

"Okay well not cutesy cute but endearing cute? Like the way you pig out on food is cute? Wait no that's kinda disgusting, but -" 

Scratch that, those readings did nothing to help with his way of words. 

"Um, can we just skip to the part where you say you like me back and we can start dating, or something?"

"Or something?" 

Henry groans and buries his surely flaming face in his hands. "Kill me now, please. " 

"Sure thing." Henry hears the sound of the swing beside him clinking, and doesn't know what's going on until he feels a pair of hands take a hold of his face. His head is jerked roughly up and he doesn't even have time to complain about domestic abuse when he feels a small peck on his forehead. 

The hands let go and Henry sits there, flabbergasted, as he stares up at the girl in front of him. 

"What..what was that for?"

"Killing you, of course. You're suppose to get all these butterflies and see rainbows and combust into flames will all your feeeeeeeels." Amber drags the last word out and Henry, flustered as he was, came to a horrible, horrible realization. 

"You didn't."

"Dude, you should really delete your browsing history sometime."

"Fml." 

Henry wants to bury himself somewhere on a far off island but when he sees Amber laughing, eyes crinkling and openly grinning, he thinks that he'll let himself live just a few more seconds.

"You're ridiculous, know that?" she says, still grinning in amusement. 

"Should I take that as a compliment? I think I will." Henry replies, trying to salvage the remaining bits of his shattered dignity. 

"C'mon, let's go get some ice cream." Amber wiggles her brows knowingly, grabbing his arm as she yanks him from the swing.

"That seems like a suggestive way of asking me out." Henry says, feeling this tiny bubble of hope expanding from his heart. Oh man, he hopes he isn't blushing. 

Amber smirks at him, her eyes gleaming knowingly. "Perhaps." 

Henry grins as he gets dragged outside by the eager tomboy, loving the way how Amber is, how he doesn't need to be cool or suave around her (cause he's pretty sure she already witnessed all his derp moments anyways). He doesn't have to be a flawless character from some made-up story, but rather she would take him as he is right now - a bit awkward sometimes, dorky, and full of imperfections. In his case, Henry likes every part of her too, ridiculous or not. They dont look like a perfect couple at all and their hands don't quite fit each other either like a glove, but to Henry...

It feels just about right.