Fan girls

"You don't know what Christmas is?" Rain managed to ask, as he tried to get a hold of his other being.

For the first time since Rain knew he was different from the other, this was the only time his other being was eager to appear.

It was as if he wants to show himself to Lyre.

"No," Lyre slowly shook his head. "I've not heard of it before?"

"Are you serious, or just pulling my legs?" Rain frowned at Lyre.

The more he gets to know the cute boy with the odd-coloured hair, the more confused he became.

It was as if Lyre came from another world, with the way he was acting.

"I don't know what it is." Lyre took a deep breath, "I don't know."

He felt like hitting himself for not knowing all these things. However, it wasn't his fault at all.

If only he wasn't born as a merman, he wouldn't be so lost in the human world.

"Don't worry, I will teach you everything you need to know. You might not know this, but I'm a great teacher." Rain bragged, inwardly grateful Clar wasn't with them.

If not, she would have called him out on his lies.

"Thank you," Lyre whispered so lowly, it took straining one's ears, to hear what he said.

"It's my pleasure," Rain winked at Lyre.

**********

Lyre followed Rain around as he got the things Lyre needed.

"This shirt will suit you." Rain added it into the basket he got.

Lyre only nodded as he followed Rain like a sheep with his shepherd.

Rain bought almost all the clothes he saw.

"Sit here, I will be right back." He made Lyre sit on a resting bench, and dropped the basket that was spilling with clothes, next to him.

Lyre dutifully sat on the bench, with a smile, as he patiently waited for him.

"Mom, I love that boy's hair! I want to get the same!" A little girl who was shopping with her mother pointed at Lyre, who wasn't even aware of them.

His attention was on the row Rain went through.

"Which of them?" The mother turned to look at the person her daughter was speaking about. "Wow," she stood mouth agape as she asked at Lyre, "the hair just suits him!" She joined her daughter in her fangirling. "I will also make an identical hair!"

"Yes, mom!" The daughter jumped in Glee, bouncing her cute ponytail as she did so.

Rain, who was rushing to reach Lyre before he notices his absence, smiled when he saw Lyre's fan girls.

"You have admirers, Lyre." He sat next to Lyre but didn't touch him. Rain made sure to keep enough distance between them.

"What are admirers?" Lyre frowned.

His question caused Rain to sigh.

"You know what? Let's leave this for another day, okay?"

"Oh, okay," Lyre nodded like a good boy.

When the fangirls saw Rain, they frowned at him, before they left, but not before sneaking a last peek at the unsuspecting merman.

"I bought this for you." Rain brought out three shiny hairbands from the small basket he took with him.

"What are those?" Lyre blinked at the shiny things.

"It will help you keep your hair in place."

"Is it like sea twigs?"

"Sea twigs?" Rain frowned. "Why will you think they are sea twigs? Out of all the things to compare these with, you thought of sea twigs?"

"They look alike." Lyre lowered his head, to hide his embarrassment.

He can't tell why he's always this way with Rain.

There is always that deep feeling, to please Rain.

"Turn, and I will put it on you." Rain smiled as he took a blue band.

"What?" Lyre blinked at him.

"Don't worry, I won't touch you. I only want to put this on your hair. You don't have to make those expressions." Rain smiled, to ease Lyre, "just turn your back to me, and I will put this on you."

Lyre swallowed before he turned. His heart was beating so wild at the thought of what Rain was about to do.

"Relax, I'm not going to touch you. I just want to put this on your hair."

Rain gently touched Lyre's hair. It was just as smooth as he has always imagined it, and he wanted nothing more but to run his hand through the smooth strands, all the days of his life.

The people shopping around them, cast curious glances at the boys.

However, none of them noticed the attention of others on them.

Rain and Lyre were lost in a world of theirs, with each thinking of a different thing from the other.

Rain gathered Lyre's hair, and packed them with the blue hairband. He arranged Lyre's hair until he was happy with the outcome.

"You look pretty." Rain smiled as he touched the blue hairband. His eyes were sparkling like diamonds, it was as if he won the lottery.

Lyre lowered his head at the compliments. As much as he would have loved to tell Rain he wasn't pretty, he couldn't help but want to soak in the compliments.

His heart was beating loud, not from fear, but excitement.

However, like all the other times, Rain misunderstood the fast beating of Lyre's heart.

"Let's go check out," Rain rose with a heavy heart.

And without waiting for Lyre, he took their stuff to the cash area.

*******

"You are back? So early? It hasn't been up to an hour since you left, right?"

Asked the mother who has been watching movies for close to three hours, she didn't notice how fast the time went.

"You had an off, today?" Rain asked, trying to shuffle three bags at the same time.

His words weren't necessarily a question. It was more of a statement.

Everyone in the house knows how much the mother lazes around whenever she has an off day, she gave to herself.

"The boss needs to rest, don't you think so? It's not as if—"

The words froze in her throat when she noticed the hairband on Lyre's hair.

"Oh, my god! That's beautiful."