FIXated

…Type?

As in... someone I like?

The smile on his lips quivered as a warm heat slowly rose from his neck to his cheeks, flushing his face red. From his peripheral vision, Antonio’s gaze prowled with eyebrows waving and twitching on his forehead like a dance. Raphael turned away, lowering his face while covering it with his hand.

How am I supposed to think with him looking at me like that?

Next to him, a pair of golden irises blinked, taking a closer look at his face, with a trace of curiosity and worry on his expression.

“Do you have someone in mind, Raphael?” Harian asked, tilting his head to the side.

He jolted back, feeling the burning sensation on his cheeks flare up from its intensity like wildfire spreading all over his face.

He was too close.

“O-of course.” He stammered. “Someone…uhm…gentle and strong… Maybe a bit bold, I guess?”

His voice slowly turned into a whisper as the words stuck at the back of his throat, while he continued to describe with his head lowered.

“Bold? So, you like them a little dangerous?” Alexis interfered with his fingers rubbing on his chin, while eyeing Raphael closely with a sly grin curving out of his lips in a tease.

W-wait. . . Bold?

Hold on, why did I say that- Ah, seriously?!

His head glanced up, still hovering a hand over his lips as he tried to explain while flustered. “I-I didn’t mean dangerous! I meant to say… confident! Just confident!”

“Hah!” Antonio exclaimed excitedly, standing up with his hands on his hips and chest on display. “Breaking news! Raphael likes dangerous girls!”

“H-huh? That’s not what I said- “

“Nah, nah, nah! Too late, bro.” Antonio shook his head dismissively after cutting him off.

“Unbelievable! Bro, didn’t know you’re hardcore.” Robin whistled, clapping his hands together.

Sweat trickled down his forehead as Raphael buried his face in his palms, pressing hard on his cheeks. That’s not what I meant!

Harian chuckled softly, trying to settle them down. “Calm down, guys. Raphael said someone confident, not that!”

“Nah, the other one is way more interesting- Ouch! Antonio winced in pain after receiving a smack on his bum as he looked over his shoulder with a scowl. Alexis, who was sitting next to him, smiled warmly with his brow twitching.

“Aight, that’s enough. Let’s continue the game, okay?” he suggested.

The game proceeded as the bottle spun once again. Raphael observed quietly, feeling the beating on his chest slowly subsiding as he calmed down. When the bottle slowed down, it stopped with the next victim pointing at Harian.

“Oh ho~ It’s Ari’s turn! What do you choose, my angel?” Antonio clasped his hands together, flicking his lashes.

Harian squirmed in his seat, fiddling with his thumbs.

“Hmmm… Let’s see, how about truth?”

While Robin was still thinking of a question, Antonio leaned closer into his ear to whisper. Afterwards, the two exchanged glances and snickered.

Robin cleared his throat.

“Have you kissed anyone before?”

Harian’s eyes widened as his cheeks slowly turned red from blushing. “A kiss? Definitely not!”

“Are you sure about that?”

His cheeks puffed up, redder than before, his gaze settled on the floor.

“Mmmm… yeah. Maybe. A peck on the cheek?”

“No shit! Can you give me a peck too?” Antonio excitedly hovered his face onto Harian’s, pouting his lips for a kiss. “Puh-retty, please?”

Harian chuckled awkwardly, pushing his face away. “Uhh, isn’t that considered a dare?”

Once again, Antonio received another bonk on the head with Alexis’ fist, turning his eyes teary from the pain.

“Ow! That hurts!” he winced once more.

“That’s not part of the question. Next!” Alexis quickly dismissed the topic and spun the bottle immediately.

As several rounds of the game passed, filled with awkward situations and too much information, cheers and applause spread through the room before one of Antonio’s jokes cracked everyone up into laughter.

Now, the bottle was in Antonio’s hands as he rotated it with the flick of his fingers, spinning fast before slowly halting to a stop. However, this time, it pointed right back at him.

“Alrighty, let’s do something interesting.” He clapped his hands together, getting everyone’s attention. “How bout we all do truth? Quick, Favorite cup size?”

Immediately, his fingers pointed at the Robin, beckoning him to answer next. Robin didn’t hesitate and blurted out.

“Easy, cup C!”

“Uhh… A?” Alexis answered next.

Then, it was Harian’s turn. His face flushed bright pink as he stuttered.

“Ah- um…. “He buried his face in his palms before mumbling softly under his breath in a whisper. “Maybe B?”

Raphael tilted his head, watching everyone answering spontaneously before finally, it was his turn to say something.

“Now, what’s your favorite cup size, Raphael?” Antonio reiterated the question, grinning widely once again.

His brows furrowed, face scrunched up in confusion, as he leaned in closer to the group to ask a question.

“What is a cup size?”

Once Raphael asked that question, everyone burst out in laughter, clutching their bellies and rolling on the floor. Harian, sitting right beside him, had to stifle his giggles, holding back the tears behind his eyes as he tried to resist the urge to join the group’s joyful hysterics.

“Something wrong?” Raphael was genuinely confused.

“Dude, are you for real?” Robin questioned him, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s cups, man… You know chest size?”

Raphael’s brows twitched as he watched Robin, cupping his chest with his fingers to emphasize them in the middle of his explanation.

“H-how do you even know about that?” he asked.

“Simple. Lemme help you visualize then.” Antonio joined the conversation, holding up a finger as he opened up a suggestion. “Cup A- flat like a board with little to no bumps.”

“Uh-huh?” Raphael stared at him for a moment before nodding.

“Then, cup Bs are considered average… like the swimming team princess, Yana, and class rep, Feyline.” Antonio proudly introduced.

“And cup Cs… better than average.” Robin followed up with a dreamy glint in his eyes. “Just like Judy’s.”

“O-okay…. Then what’s next? Cup D?” Raphael rubbed his chin, finally understanding the sequence and the sizing.

Antonio scooted closer, grasping both of Raphael’s shoulders in his grip as he leaned in closer to his face. “D is in the dangerous territory, man, fully round and pronounced. Definitely, catches your eyes!”

Raphael tilted his head to the side. “Like who?”

A low chuckle came out of Antonio’s lips, underneath his breath as he replied. “The Queen herself… Natalie.”

Harian sheepishly smiled as he added. “Ah, yeah~ She’s pretty popular for… having a huge set?”

“But… We got one in class, too.” Antonio continued, looking Raphael intently in the eyes. “Rivaling her chest size is no other than…”

A short pause.

“Sylvia.”

A lump swallowed down Raphael’s throat upon hearing her name. Images of Sylvia hovering above him and leaning closer to him came into his mind like flashbacks, having a more vivid imagery of the fullness and size of her chest.

“Personally, I like Ds,” Antonio admitted. “But if you are a little crazy . . .You got cup Es.”

“Yeah… I reckon only Tanya has those.” Robin added.

The words coming out of their lips slurred in Raphael’s ears as they faded into distant mumbles being drowned by his thoughts, while his eyes widened, staring blankly at the ground. He never paid attention to frivolous matters like cup sizes, as if this were something important to discuss, but now it was all that stuck in his mind.

“Hey, Raphael?” Harian’s voice hovered closer to his ear with a worried tone. “You there?”

“Bro, so what’s your answer?” Antonio shook him hard by the shoulders, snapping him out of his daze.

“Ah- I mean… I choose B!” Raphael blurted out as he looked right above Antonio’s face, intentionally avoiding his gaze. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

Antonio huffed, shaking his head in disappointment while clicking his tongue. “Tsk. Tsk. That’s basic.”

“Y-yeah.”

An awkward smile curved out Raphael’s lips, while scratching the back of his head with his fingers. It was a safer choice from his understanding. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Harian looking at him with lips pressed tight and a frown on his face, like a worried expression.

The rest of them talked more about it, comparing the size difference between Ds and Es, defending their favorites, especially Robin, who is particularly expressive about anything related to his girlfriend.

Harian and Raphael just sat there together in silence, watching them as the conversation dragged on before Alexis casually dismissed it with the wave of his hand.

“Okay, fine. We're still playing, right?”

“Anyways, last one!” Antonio turned his attention to Harian, clearing his throat. “My angel, Harian. How about I give you the choice to ask anyone for truth or dare?”

“Me?” Harian blinked, mildly surprised.

“Yeah! Just ask anything~ Let your heart decide.”

For a brief second, Harian paused, carefully thinking while fidgeting with his fingers. Raphael turned his head to look in his direction, wondering.

He is unusually silent. Something bothering him?

“Then, I choose him.” His finger pointed at him.

“Eh? Why?” Raphael flinched.

Suddenly, Harian’s soft expression and warm smile disappeared, turning into something serious as he heaved a deep breath.

“I have been wanting to ask you something… so please let me know the truth.”

“So, the truth, huh?” Raphael thought about it carefully. “I mean, sure. It’s okay.”

Alexis and Antonio began whispering by the sidelines, noticing the sudden tension between them, while Robin tried his best to eat his bag of chips quietly.

There was a pause.

His golden irises remained fixated on Raphael’s, still looking at him intently, like watching his every reaction. Raphael felt tense, waiting for his question.

Then, Harian spoke up, holding his breath.

“Were you mad at me for ditching you last lunchtime?”

The tension on Raphael’s shoulders dropped as he sighed. “Really? I don’t remember feeling that way towards you.”

“So, you are not?”

The tone of Harian’s voice lightened up, warm and soft, while his face slowly beamed up.

“Yeah. No way I am getting mad over something as trivial as that.” Raphael chuckled softly, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Good… thanks for being honest.”

His warm smile came back, slowly forming on his face as he tucked his hair right behind his ears. Raphael smiled back at him, more genuine than last time.

“Okay!” Antonio interrupted. “Wow, that’s some serious talk right there!”

“Sheesh. I was expecting some soap opera coming.” Robin interjected, still eating his chips.

“Well, glad you two made up.” Alexis sighed in relief.

After a few rounds of drinks and light-hearted conversations, it was getting late in the night. Alexis and Robin decided to take their leave and began to clean up, tidying the room from a chaotic mess back to a neatly cozy place.

“Okay~ Thanks for having us~” Alexis stepped out of the room while dragging Antonio, who had gotten himself completely wasted.

“Had a lot of fun. We should do this once again.” Robin grinned widely, holding a bunch of stuff on his arms.

“Same.” Harian beamed up before nudging Raphael to the side, standing right next to him. “How about you, Raphael?”

“Ah, yeah.” Raphael flustered for a bit, but he smiled. “I enjoyed it too.”

“Alright. Have a good night, guys.”

“Take care!”

They bade goodbye to each other, watching the group walk away from a distance before disappearing into the next corner.

“Let’s get to bed then.” Harian sighed in relief, stretching his arms as he returned to the room. The door clicked shut as Raphael closed it right behind him before walking back to his bed.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding last time.” He spoke up, sitting at the edge of his bed. “I-I was just… feeling… unwell.”

“Hm? Well, it's my fault to begin with.” Harian insisted. “I thought something was off and overthink. But are you feeling better now?”

Raphael nodded. “Mhm. Much better.”

A sigh of relief escaped from Harian’s lips while clutching his chest. “Good. Don’t be afraid to tell me anything, okay? I am your friend.”

Upon hearing his words, Raphael glanced up to look at Harian’s face, staring deeply into his golden irises, mesmerized for a moment.

Then, he smiled back at him.

“Sure, I will…. And thank you.”

That night, when the lights switched off, leaving only the faint glow of the fairy lights, Raphael felt the burden lift out of his chest. The thoughts in his mind had surprisingly gone silent just as he closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.