Boss and I, the most infamous bullies at school, looked at each other accusatorily.
Who would have guessed we'd catch each other interacting with wild ducks as if we were a pair of princesses?
Who would expect that I, of all people, would catch Boss, the big bad Boss, feeding the wildlife?
"…" Boss didn't say anything.
"…" Neither did I.
"…"
"…"
'God, what kind of predicament did I get myself into?' I cursed internally.
"So, uh…" I tried to think of anything to say—anything at all.
Boss didn't say anything; he looked at me with stern brown eyes.
I gulped, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat. Should I leave and act like I didn't see anything? Or should I start some small talk?
"… Do you go here often?" I said it lamely.
Internally, I wanted to face-palm at my awkwardness. But honestly, what can a person say when they catch the most unlikely person feeding the ducks in the park pond?!
Surprisingly, Boss nodded.
"Oh," was all I could say.
"…" Boss didn't say anything.
"…" Neither did I.
"…"
"…"
After another extremely awkward moment of silence, it was finally broken. Surprisingly, it was Boss who initiated.
"…This is the first time I saw you here." He said it as a statement, but I knew this was supposed to be a question.
I nodded.
'Quick! Think of a way to lengthen the conversation!'
"I just decided to take a quick detour, that's all," I explained, forcing a smile on my lips. I didn't know what demon entered my mouth, but suddenly I asked, "So you go here often?"
'Shit,' I cursed mentally. 'I just assumed it without even thinking about it thoroughly! What if Boss gets—'
Surprisingly, Boss nodded.
"… Once in a while?" I probed.
"... Once a week." He replied.
"Once a week?!" I shouted comically, causing the ducks to fly away. "That's more often than the 'often' I thought!"
"Oh," was the most emotionless 'oh' I had ever heard. "You scared the ducks away."
"I'M SO SORRY!"
"Stop shouting."
"I'm so sorry," I repeated, only this time it was a whisper.
Boss chuckled.
My gray eyes widened, and a blush crept on my cheeks.
It was a beautiful sound, his chuckle.
I noticed this the first time she heard it.
His deep voice resonated like a melodye. It was a voice that could command attention. If you'd hear it, you'd immediately looked for the source of his voice. It was deep yet also possessed a velvety softness that made my stomach tingle.
"The ducks get anxious when I don't visit them," Boss explained, breaking me from my reverie. "I'm not a duck expert, of course. It was the caretaker of the park that told me."
"Awww!" I gushed. "That's cute! I guess they're attached to you now!"
Boss doesn't say anything.
Under his long cape and cap, he hid a bright blush.
"Oh, sorry," I said, lowering my head. I did that for the second time in just a few minutes of talking to him. How odd. "You're probably not the type who likes getting called 'cute.'"
He shook his head.
"It's fine." Boss assured. "This is the first time someone described me as such. It just caught me by surprise."
"Oh," I exclaimed, a complete blankness in my voice. "Well then," I placed my hand on my hips, grinning. "Expect me to call you more moe-gap compliments in the future!"
"Moe gap?
"It's when—" I shook her head, realizing there was no use explaining anime terms to a gang leader. "Oh, never mind!"
The mood considerably lightened, and I felt an aura emitting from Boss becoming welcoming instead of the previous awkwardness.
"… I don't mind if you tell them I go here to feed ducks." Boss suddenly said.
"Them?" I tilted her head to the side, confused. Then it hit me. "Oh, you meant your underlings."
"Underlings?" Boss repeated. "You're making it sound like I'm a character from a game."
"You could've been if the initial plan was followed," Death muttered.
I looked at Death, following the younger me's mannerism of tilting my head when I was confused.
"What are you talking about, Death?"
"Nothing."
"Why would even I do that?" I frowned.
Boss shrugged.
"I don't know." He said. "Just for the laughs."
"I'm not that kind of person, Boss," I said firmly. "It's your business, not mine. I wouldn't even judge you if you help at elderly homes in your free time."
His eyes had a weird glint, but he didn't say anything.
"Thanks." Boss muttered.
"No problem," I grinned. "Bosu!" I added as an afterthought.
"Bosu?"
"It's the Japanese pronunciation of Boss!" I explained with a tone as if I found herself witty or something.
But Boss didn't seem to share my amusement.
"Fucking weeb."
I couldn't help but laugh at the insult.
He gave me a soft smile, though it was brief, I caught it. I couldn't help but smile in return.
"I'm sorry for… you know," I shrugged. "What I did."
Boss waved his hand dismissively.
"At least brush your teeth or gargle some mouthwash when you plan to spit on someone."
"Hey!"
The silence turned into a playful banter. I enjoyed Boss's company even though they only had one thing in common: they were both outcasts.
But maybe that was enough of a reason to be friends.
"Since our encounter," I, the current Evangeline, said. "I would go with Boss to the park to feed the ducks every Wednesday."
"I'm surprised that Boss didn't find your presence annoying." Death noted.
"It took him a lot of time before he got used to it," I explained. "Honestly, I didn't know what got into me why I decided to join him every week starting from that day on."
"It seemed like you were just lonely people who needed each other's company." Death hummed.
I couldn't agree more.