Teasing Bubble | FPE SWAP

Engel was, by nature, a creature of calculation. While the other students of Paper School tangled themselves in cliques and chatter, Engel preferred the company of his own mind, a place untainted by nonsense or trivial drama. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans in the form of one Bubble. She was everything Engel wasn’t. Loud, radiant, and unapologetically sassy. Where Engel carved out silence, she filled it with laughter. And, for reasons known only to the universe’s cruel sense of humor, she had taken a particular interest in him. To Engel, Bubble was an annoyance, persistent, glittery static in his otherwise ordered world. No interest sparked in his mind when it came to her, only the exhausting anticipation of what she’d pull next. Today began no differently. The after-class air in the hallway was thick with the buzz of students, but Engel paid it no mind as he approached his locker. It was Valentine’s Day, an occasion he’d planned to ignore. But the growing crowd around him made that difficult. A cluster of Bubble’s obsessed admirers had gathered, practically making a red carpet for her. He knew the routine. Any second now, she’d swoop in with a smirk, some absurd nickname, maybe balance a rubber duck on his head, or dramatically declare herself as his secret admirer just to see him scowl. But then it happened. Something off-script. Bubble appeared before him, head bowed, her arms extending forward to offer a neatly arranged bouquet of soft-colored flowers he hadn’t noticed hidden behind her small frame. The sight was so unnatural, so out of place, Engel’s brain struggled to register it. The bright, blushing crowd behind her erupted into cheers, their squeals echoing down the hall. Bubble lifted her head, a playful but surprisingly teasing starry eyes. Happy Valentine’s Day, Engel~

she chimed, her voice laced with its usual sparkle, though touched by something… softer.