fernpaw has discovered that with his growth spurt, several npc apprentices have begun crushing on him. how does he react when they confess?
Fernpaw might have been a little dim, but he was not an idiot. Typical of himself and his tireless efforts to be useful, the sunset-pelted tom had settled down in order to attempt to practice his woeful nest-weaving. Mistpaw and Leafpaw had been sat nearby, whispering- giggling, and he swore they kept looking at him. The moment he lifted his attention to look in their direction, though, they huddled back together and hid their faces from him. He'd been shrugging it off every time it happened, but it did keep happening...
Then- out of the corner of his eye he noticed Leafpaw push Mistpaw forward, and- then, then, she was on her way over to him. There was an odd expression on her face- a grin, twinged with a hint of nervousness. She stopped, plopping herself down next to him and curling her feathery tail around her paws. "Uh, what'cha doing...?" Her voice sounded... deeply uncertain. Why be uncertain about a question?
"Weaving a nest. Well, trying to. It's not going very well," he chuckled, motioning to the mangled pile of muss in front of him. Mistpaw let out a laugh that was a little too much than his small joke had elicited. "What's wrong?" Fernpaw caught the way she swallowed- the strange to-and-fro flicker of her pupils.
"Umm..." The blue tabby hesitated, looking away from him once again. "Leafpaw- he, he told me I should tell you, so I'm gonna! I, uh, I like you, Fernpaw."
"I like you too, Mistpaw," he said affirmatively, though there was a thick layer of confusion in his voice. Mistpaw seemed to catch on to his bafflement, letting free an exasperated sigh.
"No- I like you. Like- like you." Her paw circled in a vague motion, and Fernpaw's face fell quite obviously when he figured out what she meant.
"Oh." It was an unceremonious reaction, and one he quickly back-pedalled. "I mean- wow, I'm- I'm super flattered, Mistpaw. But, um- I think we should just stay friends." Fernpaw's ribs felt like they were going to turn inside-out, he felt so awkward; and if he felt that bad, he couldn't imagine what it was like to be on the receiving end of such a clumsy rejection! Guilt tore in his gut like claws as her ears lay flat, and her pupils darted to the ground. In his periphery he noticed her paws kneading at the ground.
"Oh, well- that's ok! It's fine. Sorry."
"Don't- don't be sorry," and there was that resounding confusion again. But she murmured her hurried farewell then, turning tail and striding back over to Leafpaw, the two of them soon disappearing into a den. Fernpaw's face was contorted into a very obvious grimace of embarrassment- Stars, that was... less than graceful. Possibly worse than last time. And he could barely believe there had even been a last time.
If Fernpaw had smashed his face into his half-finished nest any harder, he might have broken his nose.
✦
Fernpaw might have been a little dim, but he was not an idiot. Typical of himself and his tireless efforts to be useful, the sunset-pelted tom had settled down in order to attempt to practice his woeful nest-weaving. Mistpaw and Leafpaw had been sat nearby, whispering- giggling, and he swore they kept looking at him. The moment he lifted his attention to look in their direction, though, they huddled back together and hid their faces from him. He'd been shrugging it off every time it happened, but it did keep happening...
Then- out of the corner of his eye he noticed Leafpaw push Mistpaw forward, and- then, then, she was on her way over to him. There was an odd expression on her face- a grin, twinged with a hint of nervousness. She stopped, plopping herself down next to him and curling her feathery tail around her paws. "Uh, what'cha doing...?" Her voice sounded... deeply uncertain. Why be uncertain about a question?
"Weaving a nest. Well, trying to. It's not going very well," he chuckled, motioning to the mangled pile of muss in front of him. Mistpaw let out a laugh that was a little too much than his small joke had elicited. "What's wrong?" Fernpaw caught the way she swallowed- the strange to-and-fro flicker of her pupils.
"Umm..." The blue tabby hesitated, looking away from him once again. "Leafpaw- he, he told me I should tell you, so I'm gonna! I, uh, I like you, Fernpaw."
"I like you too, Mistpaw," he said affirmatively, though there was a thick layer of confusion in his voice. Mistpaw seemed to catch on to his bafflement, letting free an exasperated sigh.
"No- I like you. Like- like you." Her paw circled in a vague motion, and Fernpaw's face fell quite obviously when he figured out what she meant.
"Oh." It was an unceremonious reaction, and one he quickly back-pedalled. "I mean- wow, I'm- I'm super flattered, Mistpaw. But, um- I think we should just stay friends." Fernpaw's ribs felt like they were going to turn inside-out, he felt so awkward; and if he felt that bad, he couldn't imagine what it was like to be on the receiving end of such a clumsy rejection! Guilt tore in his gut like claws as her ears lay flat, and her pupils darted to the ground. In his periphery he noticed her paws kneading at the ground.
"Oh, well- that's ok! It's fine. Sorry."
"Don't- don't be sorry," and there was that resounding confusion again. But she murmured her hurried farewell then, turning tail and striding back over to Leafpaw, the two of them soon disappearing into a den. Fernpaw's face was contorted into a very obvious grimace of embarrassment- Stars, that was... less than graceful. Possibly worse than last time. And he could barely believe there had even been a last time.
If Fernpaw had smashed his face into his half-finished nest any harder, he might have broken his nose.
✦ penned by pin ✦
