A/N: You might want to read my other story, "Learnings of Love" before reading this one. There are some references in this story from "Learnings of Love" that might help you enjoy this one a bit more. Happy Valentines Day!

He blamed the date.

In fact, could it really be called a date? He had stepped in for her when she had waited in the restaurant for almost an hour with her date a no-show. No one in their right mind would let anyone suffer through that humiliation, least of all someone like Suyi. After the date and their exchange of numbers, he thought that would be the end of it.

Nope.

He found himself thinking about her, more than he should, really. His memory of the date was sharp, but certain things stood out to him. Her dress for instance. Suyi was already an attractive girl, but she had looked stunning in that dress. Her smile too. He couldn't seem to forget how she smiled, how she laughed, and he wanted to hear her laugh more often.

He had noticed her on many occasions. At first, she just stood out to him as one of the children who frequented the household with Raizel and the others. But her constant presence at the home forced all of them to mingle, and soon, she was not just 'one of the kids.' Despite his crass language when he commented on her 'sexy body,' she still treated him the same way she treated Tao and M21. She had immediately understood that Korean was not his first language, and that he was still learning. He still turned red with mortification at the mere memory. Mercifully, she never brought it up, and it was her compassion and witty attitude that caused him to smile at the strangest of things.

It was one of the reasons who had rashly stepped in for her when she had been stood up on her date. Though he had enjoyed spending time with her, he had not expected anything to come out of it. Sure, the 'date' they had was nice, and she continued to call him up many times for coffee. It was casual. But he found himself thinking about her a little bit longer. His heart grew warm whenever he received a text from her, or a casual phone call. He anticipated seeing her at school, or coming over with Raizel and the others.

But all he could do was anticipate. He could do nothing else. She was a innocent human who happened to befriend the Noblesse and several modified humans. She deserved a normal life with normal humans, despite the company she kept.

Still, as he watched the kids play their game in the kitchen, he could not help but wonder. Would things be different if he was 'normal'? Or would he still find himself agonizing over this?

He watched with amusement as Ikhan scrunched up his face, his gaze thoughtful and challenging. "Shinwoo," he started slowly.

Shinwoo straightened up eagerly, his expression challenging. "Yes?"

"I…" Ikhan trailed off, stopping with a frustrated sigh. "Hm...what could I do?"

Suyi groaned, nudging Ikhan impatiently. "C'mon Ikhan!" she exclaimed. Her blue eyes electrified with impatience, a flare that ignited his heart so often. Within a moment, her gaze flickered over to him before looking away.

"What are they doing?" M21 asked.

Takeo tore his gaze away from the group around the kitchen table, attempting to appear disinterested. "Truth or Dare," he explained simply.

M21 nodded, observing the game with interest. Takeo resisted the urge to look back. This behavior of his had to stop. He could not get involved anymore than he already was. Instead, he placed his earbuds in his ears, muffling the sound of the kids laughter as he cranked up the volume of his music. With a tired sigh, he collapsed on the couch, closing his eyes as he fell asleep to the comforting lull of music.

Suyi knew his attention was on her. She could feel his caring gaze, yet she prevented herself from looking his way once more. Unlike Yuna, she was capable of concealing her feelings and attraction, except for a few occasions. Still, she could not prevent the blush on her cheeks from spreading whenever she thought of Takeo's gentle words directed at her, or the way he had treated her on their first date. Could it even be counted as a first date?

"Hey! Suyi!"

Suyi glanced up at Shinwoo with a frown. "What?"

Shinwoo bounced in his seat excitedly. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," she said carelessly. All too late did she realize the devious, mischievous glint in Shinwoo's eyes. All too late did she remember his loud promise of revenge a few turns ago when she had dared him to kiss Seira's cheek. Now, she realized that she had handed her fate into Shinwoo Han's eager hands.

It was too late to go back now. All she could do was school her features and show no fear as she awaited the dare Shinwoo would place on her. The red-head was obviously enjoying himself as he looked around the room, taking his time in drawing out the dare he would inflict on his prey. The longer he dragged it out, the more her anxiety increased, which is just what he wanted. Darn it!

"I dare you…" Shinwoo trailed off thoughtfully before he frowned. "Grah! What could I dare you?"

"She could remove her socks with her feet!" Ikhan offered.

"Let someone draw on your face with a marker?" Yuna offered. She smiled apologetically at Suyi's offended look.

"Howl like a wolf three times!" Tao exclaimed. Mister glared at him for that.

As offers and exclamations were given, Suyi felt herself relax slightly. It was obvious that Shinwoo, for all his proclamations of revenge, had no idea what he was going to dare her to do.

"I dare...I dare…" he continued fretfully.

Suyi slyly set the timer. "Ten seconds," she offered, leaning back.

Shinwoo grit his teeth, glancing around the room widely. "I dare...I dare you to steal Takeo's headphones!"

Suyi blinked, her cheeks flushing. "Wh-what?" She ignored Shinwoo's disappointed groans, her eyes flickering over to Takeo's sleeping figure on the couch.

Tao squeaked, startled. "Um, I don't think-"

"Go on Suyi!" Ikhan encouraged.

Suyi shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "What if I wake him?" She glanced once more at Takeo's sleeping form, noting how peaceful he looked.

Mister shrugged. "Takeo's a heavy sleeper, and if you do wake him, no harm done." He obviously wanted to see how this would play out.

Tao squirmed. "I wouldn't exactly...Takeo is very sensitive when it comes to being woken up. Especially when he is listening to music." He shot Mister a look that went unnoticed by the children. But Regis, Seira and Rai noticed the look of alarm dawn on Mister as they all shot Takeo an uneasy look.

"If you don't do it," Ikhan continued, smirking at Suyi. "Then you get a worm down your back."

Shinwoo grinned, recovering from his self-pity. "What? You don't want to do it?"

Suyi frowned at the challenge. Standing up, she glared at Shinwoo. "No. I'll do it." Squaring her shoulders, she strode forward with determined strides, ignoring Tao's sputtering protests. As she approached the couch Takeo was sleeping on, her footsteps faltered. His tall body was stretched out on the couch, his one knee bent upwards slightly. His expression was peaceful, tilted to the side in the direction of the living room. One arm was resting on his chest while the other was pulled back to support his head.

Suyi swallowed, feeling her pink cheeks turn red once more as she now stood before Takeo. Towering over him, she noticed how pale his smooth skin looked. He seemed vulnerable, his hand curled in his sleep as if he was used to holding something of importance.

With a shaky breath, Suyi leaned over, her hands drifting to carefully pull the earbuds out of his ears. Her fingers brushed against his hair slightly, the soft locks caressing her hand.

Icy blue eyes shot open. Suyi yelped as she was grabbed roughly by the arms. Losing her balance, she was pulled closer to Takeo, a strong hand clamping down on the back of her neck while his arm encircled her waist, keeping her from moving. For a moment, she did not recognize the man glaring at her with such a cold stare, his gaze sharp and his touch harsh. She winced in pain at the pressure he was applying to her neck, a small gasp escaping her mouth.

(From the kitchen, Tao squeaked, certain that he saw Suyi's life flash before his eyes.)

Takeo's eyes widened in realization at what he was doing, and he loosened his hold on her immediately. In doing so, Suyi lost the support she had that kept her from falling. Density did its work as she collapsed towards Takeo, her hands out and grabbing his shoulders to stabilize herself. Takeo grunted, his hands on her waist to keep her from falling any further as he was pushed further back and into the couch.

Suyi blushed at their close proximity, averting her gaze. Takeo also glanced away, muttering his apologies.

"It's fine," Suyi said, her tone hushed. Takeo glanced at her, a small smile on his face.

Someone chortled from the table. "Hey, Takeo bro!" Ikhan hollored. "I dare you to kiss Suyi!"

Suyi's eyes widened, and she was blushing once more. Oh how she was going to kill Ikhan and Shinwoo!

Takeo looked startled, his pale cheeks turning a slight pink. However, he just smiled, and the small glint in his eyes informed Suyi all that she needed to know. But it was not enough of a warning to prepare her for what was coming.

"Oh gosh," she squeaked, right as Takeo pulled her closer, his lips gently brushing against hers. It was soft and fleeting, and ended all too soon. But it was precious all the same. Suyi made up her mind that she...might not kill Ikhan and Shinwoo at this point.

"What is going on here?!"

All eyes flew up to stare at the Chairman who had just entered the room. His gaze was focused solely on the scene in front of him, his eyes wide with shock. All that he saw before him was Takeo laying on the couch with a blushing Suyi on top of him.

Takeo swore, and Suyi had never seen such fear in his eyes as she did now. With quick, swift movements, Takeo lurched forward, his arms around Suyi. The actress squeaked in surprise as Takeo lunged up with her in his arms before she was dumped unceremoniously on the couch as Takeo fled from the scene.

"B-Boss!" Tao floundered desperately. "We can explain! It was a dare!"

"A dare involving my student. Look what you did to her!" he exclaimed, gesturing to Suyi who was gazing dazedly in the direction Takeo had disappeared. Bringing a trembling hand up to touch her lips, she smiled.

They needed another date.