|| Aidene
“I am not!” Aidene insisted, getting even redder. Ivan believed her, she had this innocence about her-not really one with a dirty mind. In a way, it reminded him of his younger Brother, Clay. Wide eyed, curious, Clay who wanted nothing more than to walk at his brother’s side and listen to his stories. Ivan snapped out of it, frustrated. He couldn’t compare Aidene to his brother ,that would make their relationship more personal. She looked away, adding, “My sisters are more interested in that.” Ivan pressed his lips together, feeling slightly guilty as she mentioned her b-tches of sisters again. He supposed everyone’s interest in the topic varied, which was fine. Still, he couldn’t help but scowl and think negatively of the people he had heard so many bad things about. He didn’t joke back, the mood was a bit darker now. Instead, he laughed as she glared, asking if she should stammer as well. “Well,” He put his hands behind his head. “If you insist.” He looked her up and down, grinning mischievously.
She turned to face him as he finished. Her cheeks turned light pink and she rose an eyebrow. “Huh, striking similarities.” Ivan’s eyes widened and he threw out his hands. “I know, right?” She chuckled. “Huh, you’re sticking with that nickname, then?” Ivan shrugged casually. “Again, it fits. Plus, I think you secretly like it.” He grinned cheesily, wagging a finger at her. “But yes, of course, as royalty, it is my duty to protect the environment around me.” She gave him a sarcastic curtsy. Most of the royals Ivan had met didn’t care much about the environment, turning forests into cabins for weekend getaways or taking endangered species in as their personal companions. Even though she was mostly being sarcastic, he couldn’t help but smile. “I guess you think you’re a better royal than me, then? Not everyone has a built in incinerator.”
She nodded at his “middle name”, not saying anything. Ivan’s eyes flickered from Aidene to his hands, and back to her again. “Mine?” A small smile flickered on her lips, and after a small pause, she continued. “Carina.” “Carina.” Ivan repeated. “That’s-” He stopped, hadn’t he called her pretty too many times in the conversation? It was almost like - “A cool name.” He finished, sounding odd. He would have to remember her name- Aidene Carina. The words felt warm in his mouth. He would keep them along with all the memories, tucked away in his mind, to take out and remember when he was locked back inside the agency, never to see her again. “If you could go and visit anywhere, where would you go?” She asked, it being her turn now. “Wonderland.” Ivan replied immediately, thinking of his father and brother. He wondered if they still lived in that cobblestone house. He wondered if they were safe. Snapping out of it, he slipped back into his “Ivan Beast” persona with ease. “I’ve been before and it was pretty awesome. They have the best activities. It’s been a while, though.” The last line wasn’t a lie at least. He didn’t want to ask the same question she had asked him again, even though he was curious. Instead, he asked, “What would your perfect day be like?” Like the agency would want to know… After his day with her, he was pretty sure he knew his answer. Just add his family and remove his agency…
He was caught off guard when the pink haired girl threw her arms around him, standing on tip-toe. Still, he smiled and gave her a friendly squeeze. “Thank you!” Ivan ran his fingers through his brown locs, which were still un-gelled. “It’s no problem, really.” I should be the one thanking her… Aidene rose a brow at him, and he couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking. “Don’t come to me if you end up getting Mononucleosis.” Ivan leaned in close and smirked at her. “Aw, but what if I want to share it with you?” He teased, before pulling back so she wouldn’t punch him in the gut. He frolicked away to behind the booth, wondering if she would follow him. Hopefully the pink haired girl wouldn’t mind her being there like he would. She brushed some hair out of her face as the intimidating group of girls began to close in on him. “You’ve already got a crowd. Like Pinky said, I pity you. Deeply.” Ivan shrugged arrogantly. “As expected. But you wish you were them.” He nodded towards the girls before giving Aidene one last look. He had to act confident if he was going to be able to pull this off. He already felt strange about kissing all these girls in front of Aidene.
ORP >> @katabasis You have!!! And so far, I’m stumped! I have a few ideas, but I don’t think they’d work. 
AHH I NEED TO STOP THE FLIRTING BUT ITS SO CUTE AHSKJKD
