Things blurred from there.
Before they knew what was happening, both of them were already making out on the couch. It got intense to the point that their tongues were dancing around each other.
But it didn't go far. Just as Lin Fang wanted to pick her up to carry her to his room, Li Liu's head dropped against his shoulder. She had passed out. In the end, he still carried her to his room but only placed her on the bed before returning to the living room.
The Next Morning;
In the living room, Lin Fang was seen sleeping on the couch with a blanket at his feet.
He felt a pat on his chest.
*Ugh*
Letting out a groan, he cracked an eye open.
Zhi Yan was seen standing over him in her track jacket and joggers with her ponytail tied up high. "Wake up," she said firmly. "The exam's in three hours, and it takes another hour to get there."
Lin Fang blinked at her, groggily sitting up and rubbing his face. "Zhi Yan?"
She glanced around the living room, two beer cans on the table, a throw blanket half on the floor, and raised an eyebrow. "You drank quite a bit, huh?"
Lin Fang yawned. "Not really. It's just one. The other belonged to Li Liu's, not mine."
That made Zhi Yan pause. "Li Liu?"
Lin Fang pointed toward his bedroom. "She's sleeping on my bed. So I took the couch. Don't misunderstand, nothing happened. I just put her to bed."
Zhi Yan blinked again, a flicker of surprise crossing her expression. "Why would I misunderstand?" she said, too quickly. "Li Liu wouldn't… do something like that to me."
Lin Fang tilted his head. "What?"
"I mean," Zhi Yan flustered, her cheeks turning pink, "she wouldn't do something that might… upset me. I mean… not that I care or anything, it's just, you two live here and I would get caught in the middle if something… something complicated happened. That's what I meant. Yeah, that's it."
Lin Fang blinked again. "Right." He then stood and stretched his arms above his head. "Sorry. I'll clean up this mess."
Zhi Yan shook her head. "It's fine. Go take a shower. We have to leave in an hour."
As they walked into his bedroom together, Zhi Yan saw Li Liu sleeping peacefully, while Lin Fang headed to his closet.
Li Liu mumbled something as she stirred, pulling the blanket over her face. "Let me sleep a bit more…" Zhi Yan leaned down with a sigh and picked her up in her arms, not intending to disturb her. Lin Fang felt weird about it, but he kept silent and just watched.
Meanwhile, Li Liu slumped against her with her arms lazily falling around Zhi Yan's neck. Still half-asleep and giggling, she mumbled, "Ohhh… you're strong, Fang-gege."
"Eh?" Zhi Yan suddenly stiffened. Li Liu then added in a tipsy whisper, "But don't tell Zhi Yan you were all touchy with me like this and about last night. She'll get incredibly jealous. She acts all cold, but she's delicate inside. Especially when it comes to people she really likes…"
Zhi Yan clamped a hand gently over her mouth. "Alright, enough. We'll talk later."
She carried Li Liu out of the room, walking quickly. As the door shut behind them with a soft click, Lin Fang stood there in silence, staring at it. "What did she mean? Does she mean Zhi Yan likes Li Liu… Or me? Earlier, Zhi Yan also mentioned that Li Liu wouldn't do such things to her. They were not in a secret relationship as I feared, right?" Lin Fang couldn't help but tilt his head in wonder. "Then, what was the kiss about? Just a drunken kiss? Ugh… whatever. Everything will be cleared when I talk to her, but right now, the exam is important."
Shaking away the thoughts, he grabbed his things and headed for the shower.
After a long, refreshing shower, Lin Fang stepped out of the bathroom, hair slightly damp, dressed in a clean set of clothes. Slung over his shoulder was a small pet crate. Inside it, nestled in a soft blanket, was Black—the tiny Direwolf cub, snoozing peacefully.
Zhi Yan emerged from her own room, already dressed in her joggers and hoodie, hair tied in a neat ponytail. She glanced at the crate and did a double-take. "You're actually bringing that thing with you?"
Lin Fang raised an eyebrow. "It has a name."
Zhi Yan walked over, peeking at the dozing cub. "Classmate Lin, it can't even stand on its legs. This fluffball can't help you pass the exam? How about we stop by a place I know and rent a proper monster? I know someone who can pull a few strings."
Lin Fang groaned inwardly. 'Yeah, you sure know a lot of people.' But then shook his head. "No need. Black's fine."
Zhi Yan folded her arms. "You're seriously betting on this?"
Lin Fang sighed and said flatly, "Black's actually a Commander Tier beast."
Zhi Yan blinked. "Uh… what?"
Lin Fang shrugged. "It just has the ability to stay in baby form."
She stared at the cub again, with an expression caught between awe and disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"
Lin Fang met her eyes and said with a blank face. "Do you think I'd risk applying for the exam if I had nothing to back me up?"
Zhi Yan stared at him for a long second, then finally nodded. "I guess… you're right."
Later that morning, the two stood in front of the grand marble steps of the Hunter Association's branch building, where Lin Fang had registered only a few days earlier.
The plaza was bustling with nervous applicants, some alone, others flanked by their beasts. Lin Fang held Black's crate close while adjusting the strap of his backpack. "Okay, we are here."
*
Meanwhile, back at Evergreen Apartments…
Li Liu stirred beneath the covers, blinking at the familiar ceiling. Her eyes widened at recognition. "Wait… this is my room. As far as I can remember, I…"
A wave of last night's memories hit her—laughing on the sofa, talking things, sharing beer, leaning closer… The kiss.
She blushed fiercely, burying her face into the pillow. "Oh god," she groaned. "What did I do…"
As the memory of them making out flushed her head… "Damn," she muttered with a shy smile, "he's a really good kisser, though." Suddenly, something clicked in her head. "Wait a second. Last night, he confessed, didn't he?"
A blush crept to he cheeks, turning them deep red, but still she couldn't help but run her fist in the pillow. "How did this happen? He is here only for a week or so. How could I just go and initiate the kiss?"
Suddenly, her eyes darted to the wall clock. Her heart skipped a beat. "Sh*t! The exam. Let's think of it later."
It was nearly 8:00 a.m.
She scrambled out of bed and darted toward the bathroom, tossing her clothes onto the chair mid-run.
"Why do I always forget things on the worst possible day?" she shouted, slamming the door behind her.