Crave Me, Taste Me [FighterTutor 18+]

-11- 💋 Butterflies

"I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you. Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo."
~Hailee Steinfeld, 'Starving'

~~~

*Zon's POV*

"You did WHAT?!" Hwa shrieks, jaw dropped and eyes wide. I purse my lips, wanting to scream along  with Hwa but choosing to remain calm. My upbringing was every bit as strict as Tutor's and Hwa's, but I'm not as comfortable being as loud and open as they are. My parents have made it clear that I'm already a disappointment, and I don't want to prove them right.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Tutor scolds, lightly smacking her arm. "I don't want the whole palace to hear."

"You've been hooking up with Fighter," Hwa hisses quietly. "Why didn't you tell us sooner??"

Tutor rolls his eyes. "It's not like I can just call you whenever I want. You know how my father is. The day he finally lets me have a cell phone is the day when Hell freezes over."

"He is pretty old-fashioned," I muse, glancing at Tutor warily. "It makes me wonder..."

"What?"

"Well... what do you think your father will think of you being gay?" I ask him. "From what I know of the king, he prefers to live in the past. Do you think he'll be very... accepting?"

Tutor's eyes darken as he looks down at his lap. "I've tried talking to him about this before," he admits quietly. "He interrupted me before I could come out to him, and to make things worse, he—"

He snaps his mouth shut, fidgeting with his fingers.

"What did he do, Tutor?" Hwa asks as she sits next to Tutor on his bed.

Tutor chews his bottom lip nervously. "He said it's time for me to find a wife."

Hwa and I gasp simultaneously, gaping at Tutor with round eyes. Tutor's getting married??

"What are you going to do?" Hwa questions, tucking a strand of her silky dark hair behind her ear.

Tutor shrugs while shaking his head. "I have no idea. I'll go on the dates he sets up for me, but... I don't see how I'm supposed to marry someone I could never love."

"I'm so sorry, Tutor," I reach over to take his hand comfortingly. "I do have to ask though... did you already know this when you started this fling with Fighter?"

He narrows his dark eyes at me. "It's not a fling. We like each other... I think. I like him, at least. He's never directly said he feels the same way about me, aside from physical attraction."

"Regardless," I say pointedly, "did you already know you would have to get married when you started this kind of relationship with Fighter?"

Tutor's gaze falls to his lap as he whispers, "Yes."

Pity settles in my chest. Tutor started a relationship with Fighter, knowing he'll have to eventually end it once he finds a bride. To make things worse, Tutor has genuine feelings for Fighter.

It's a recipe for heartbreak, and Hwa and I will be here to gather up his shattered pieces.

"Does Fighter know?" Hwa asks, sadness reflecting in her eyes as she sits on the opposite side of Tutor.

"He does," Tutor admits. "We discussed it briefly once, but we haven't talked about it since. I know what you're both thinking. It's clear on your faces. You think I'm reckless and stupid for starting something with Fighter when I'm supposed to be getting married."