The Hero Agency internships would start in two weeks.
But right now, Precious Green Bean Child was writing fanfiction.
It was Sunday, so he deserved to relax, right?
Besides, he knew he wouldn't have much time to write fanfiction later. He wanted to expend all his creative energy now. He was sitting at his desktop computer, working on a story called More than Just a Sidekick, when he got a text on his phone. He checked it, expecting it to be from his so-called friend, Explochan.
But instead, it was from someone he didn't even remember giving his contact info to.
It was from Prince Icy Hot.
The message said this:
Precious Green Bean Child.
I'm at the hospital. I need your help.
From Half White Prince Zuko
How'd he get Green Boi's contact info?
And why was he at the hospital?!
Which hospital? R u okay?
The Prince sent his location.
And that's how Green Boi ended up rushing to the hospital this warm Sunday afternoon. As he walked up to the entrance, The Prince was standing there in his casual clothes, staring at the fluffy clouds drifting across the sky.
"I'm here!" Greenie called out. "Prince Zuko-kun, what's wrong?"
The Prince replied, "Thanks for coming." He closed his eyes. "It's embarrassing to ask this, but you did say I could rely on you…" He sighed. "I came here to see my Mommy… but I can't seem to find the nerve to go inside…"
"Oh…" Green Bean exhaled in relief. "So you're not hurt or anything?"
"No."
"Good! I thought you were the one in the hospital. But I'm glad you're alright…Have you just been standing outside here?"
Prince Icy Hot nodded.
"For how long?"
"Almost two hours now."
"Oh. Wow…" Green Boi reached out to hold the Prince's hand. "Is that why you texted me? For support?"
"Yeah…"
"Aw okay. I'd be happy to help. But one quick question."
"Hm?"
"How did you get my contact info? I don't remember giving it to you."
"Red Head Dude gave it to me."
"Oh. Yeah that makes sense." Of course that Red Hard Chili Pepper would give out Green Boi's info.
"Sorry. Was that a bad thing to do?"
"Nah it's fine." Squeezing the Prince's hand, Green Boi led him into the hospital.
…
Room 2230.
The Prince remembered his mother's room number by heart. He remembered it because he had planned to see her every day after school for the past wek.
But for some reason, every day he'd walk to the entrance of the hospital, stop, and stare blankly.
He just couldn't bring himself to walk inside. For hours, he'd stand near the large, automatic sliding glass doors, watching people enter and leave. But he couldn't go in. He didn't understand why. He really wanted to see his mom. All week, he really wanted to see his mom.
So why couldn't he make himself enter the hospital?
He got so frustrated by his inability to go inside the hospital that he asked his sister about it during dinner Friday night. "I'll go with you," she offered.
She actually did go with him on Saturday morning. And with her by his side, he was able to enter the hospital, finally. But as they stood outside their mother's room, he started to cry. In the end, Big Sis went in to see their mother while the Prince stood outside.
What was the problem!? Prince Icy Hot wanted to see his mother. Why did he metaphorically freeze up right before he saw her?
So today, The Prince was determined to see his mother. He wanted to make absolutely sure he spoke to her. He wanted to tell her about school, and ask her how she was doing, and hold her hand and look into her smiling face. That's all he wanted.
Yet he had been standing outside the hospital for an hour before he decided to call for support from his sister. Unfortunately, she was busy today, hanging out with her friends. "You could ask one of your friends," she suggested to her little brother.
"Friends…" Half-and-Half repeated to himself as he scrolled through the few contacts he had in his phone. Other than his sister, he had Spikey Red Head Dude's phone number. Not that The Prince even asked for it. There was a day when the Red Head just randomly snatched The Prince's phone, and forcibly put his number in it.
But The Prince didn't want Spikey Red to join him at the hospital. Although Red Boi was a genuinely nice person, he just had way too much energy. The Prince wanted someone calmer, who would listen to his problems and guide him to a gentle solution.
He wanted Green Boi.
But he didn't have Green Boi's number.
So he texted Spikey Red:
Hi. This is Half White Prince Zuko.
Can you send me Green Bean Child's phone number?
Within a minute, Spikey Red replied,
No prob!
And he sent the contact info. Then the Prince contacted Green Boi, and now the two were standing outside of his mother's room in the hospital.
The same sense of heaviness washed over the Prince. He felt like 10,000 kilogram weights had been placed on his shoulders. His feet felt glued to the shiny hospital floors. His body started to shake.
What was going on?
"You nervous?" Green Boi asked. The whole time, he had never let go of The Prince's hand. The Precious Bean smiled at the Prince, with an encouraging aura of hopefulness.
Why did Bean Child make the Prince feel so calm? His shaking slowed. "Yes I am," The Prince replied, honestly.
"Why? What's up?"
"I… I don't know." He seriously didn't know why he couldn't go in and talk to her. He'd done it before. Why was he all of a sudden unable to do it?
Green Bean asked, "Is it because you don't know what to say to her?"
"I do know what to say. I want to tell her so many things."
"And I'm sure she'd be happy to listen."
"I want to tell her how much I like school. I want to tell her how my life at home is. I want to tell her how much I miss her." He lowered his eyes. "I want to tell her that I still want to be a hero…" He squeezed his eyes shut. "I have so much to tell her and I'm so excited to see her."
"Then go see her. She's right there," Green Bean said encouragingly.
Silence from the Prince.
"What's wrong?" asked the bean.
"I don't know…"
Green Bean shook his head. "I think you do know. I just think you aren't being honest with yourself. It's like when I have writer's block for a fanfic. I want to write, and I have an idea of what to write, and maybe I'll even re-read a couple of old chapters. But when it's time to sit down and write, I can't do it. And I used to tell myself a hundred different excuses, like I'm too tired, or I don't have inspiration, or whatever. But I always knew the real reason. And the real reason was I just wasn't in the mood to write. Sometimes, I get tired of writing, and I want to take a break. And that's fine too, you know?"
The Prince, his head tilted in confusion, asked, "What's a fanfic?"
Green Bean's eyes widened, and his face flushed. "Never mind. Um, I'm just saying, be honest with yourself. Do you actually want to see your mom, or do you feel like you should see your mom? Because if you want to, then go ahead. But if you're only doing it because you feel some sort of obligation or pressure, then don't see her."
The Prince sighed. He turned his head away. "Why would I not want to see my mom?"
Green Bean shrugged. "Uh, the only time I don't want to see my mom is when I'm hiding something. So…Maybe you're hiding something?"
The Prince frowned. He reached for the doorknob. He hesitated. He reached again. Then he stopped. "Bean Child-kun, if you were my mom, what would you think about me if I interned at Daddy's hero agency?"
Green Bean's eyes lit up. "Holy Shit you got an invite to the Hot Like Hell Hero Agency?! Oh whoa you can't pass that up! You're gonna go, right?"
A soft smile spread across the Prince's lips. "You really are amazing, Bean Child-kun," he said to himself as he finally opened the door.
…
About an hour later, Green Bean and The Prince were walking out of the hospital. The Prince looked a bit disappointed. Green Bean didn't know if he should ask why. Luckily, he didn't have to ask. The Prince spoke up. "Mommy said she was happy I still want to be a hero."
"That's great!"
"She even said that I should intern at Daddy's agency if I want to become the best hero ever."
"Oh cool!"
"Yes it is…" Yet the Prince still looked upset.
"What's wrong?"
A sigh from Prince Icy Hot. "I should have just talked to her about it sooner." He stopped walking, and looked up toward the towering hospital building. "It's a pattern for me. I want to talk to her, but I get too scared of what she'll say. I get so scared, and I assume the worst, and I avoid her. But when I finally build up the courage to talk to her, everything is okay. And I feel stupid for worrying in the first place." He lowered his eyes. "She looked so happy to see me. She said she was so happy to see me. Why didn't I see her sooner?"
"Because you have a lot of trauma, Prince Zuko-kun," the bean replied. "It's not gonna disappear overnight. Things are still gonna be very difficult for you. But you're making the steps to change. And it's a huge step, you know? Because instead of running away again, you relied on your friends for help. And you talked to your mom. And you're happy, right?"
"But I should have talked to her yesterday, or—"
"But you talked to her today. You could have never talked to her again, but you pushed through the fear and talked to her today. So be proud of that. I'm proud of you for that." Green Bean smiled.
The Prince focused on that happy, precious, freckled face. The smile was infectious. "Alright then."
…
As a thank you gesture, the Prince treated Green Boi to lunch at a café nearby. "Order anything you want, Green Boi," The Prince said. "My treat."
"Okay," replied Green Boi. It was a very cute little eatery called Crème de Lala. The wooden chairs and tables were polished to shine. The little doilies on which their water cups sat on were lacy and adorable. The atmosphere was calm. There were only a few couples were here at the moment, sharing desserts together. "I think… a fruit parfait sounds good."
"That's what I get whenever my sister and I come here."
"You like parfaits?" Greenie giggled. "I thought you'd be the type that likes black coffee."
The Prince's face soured. "Too bitter."
Green Boi laughed. "Well now I know."
The two spent the rest of the afternoon in the café, talking and eating and enjoying each other's company. Somehow, they stumbled upon the topic of fanfiction. Green Bean explained, "Even though I'm writing about All American Blonde Superman, it's still fanfiction, because I'm his biggest fan and the story is fictional."
"So you can write fanfiction about real people? But…isn't that…weird?"
Green Bean blushed. He scratched the back of his head. "Not really! I mean, I guess it would be weird if I was fantasizing about a random person, but it's All American Blonde Superman, so it's okay."
The Prince's phone beeped. He checked the text message he had just received. "My sister says I should go home."
Green Bean checked the time on his phone. "Oh yeah, it is getting kind of late," Green Bean realized.
So the Prince paid the bill and the two boys left the café. Standing outside, The Prince asked, "Do you want me to walk you home?"
"Nah, I'm good. I'll just take the commuter rail down to my house."
"Okay. Be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Green Bean's smile was therapeutic to the Prince. Green Bean lifted up the mental fog that clouded his emo mind. Green Bean was like the best part of the parfait. Green Bean made Icy Hot feel so happy. "Thank you for coming on this date with me," Half White said, while ruffling Green Boi's hair.
"Oh, of course. Anytime," said a blushing, smiling Green Boi. "I just hope that I was able to help."
"Yes. More than I could ever wish for."
"Aw, I'm glad…" Suddenly Greenie's eyes widened and his smile dropped. He panicked, jumped back, and shouted, "DATE?! Did you call this a date?!"
"Yes? Was this not what most people would call a date?"
"Uh… I mean… I thought… uhhhhhhh…" Green Boi waved around his hands, unsure of what to say.
"Or is it not a date until I kiss you?"
"HUH? What?! Uh!?"
But Prince Icy Hot wasn't the type of guy to dance around the truth. He lightly held Green Boi's chin with the tips of his fingers. He tilted Precious Green's face upwards, toward him, and stared into his eyes. "I really appreciate what you did for me today, Precious Green Bean Child."
Green Boi gasped as he saw how radiant The Prince's once dead eyes had become. They were glowing with joy. The soft smile that spread across his lips was almost angelic. Green Boi couldn't help but stare at that beautiful smile.
And he was so distracted by Prince Icy Hot's newfound happiness, that he didn't realize that the Prince was leaning closer to him. Before Green Boi knew it…
He was being kissed.
It was a gentle kiss. A quick peck on the lips. Nothing fancy. In fact, it seemed more like a friendly kiss, the kind that friendly French people would give each other on the cheek as a greeting. But it was on the lips. And it made Green Boi's heart flutter. So it was real.
Green Boi's real, first kiss.
All the blood in his body rushed toward his face. He felt faint. He fell forward into The Prince's arms.
"Bean Child?" said Prince Zuko. "Are you okay?"
Green Boi gave a thumbs up. "Never better!"
"So then, what about it?"
"What about what?"
"Was this a date?"
"Um…" Green Boi clung to his Prince's chest. "Y-yeah." He nodded and nestled against Half-White Prince Zuko. "Yeah it definitely was."
"I'd like to go on more with you."
"O-okay."
The Prince tilted Green Boi's chin upward, and gazed into the Green Bean's eyes. "So then, may I call you my boyfriend?"
Green Boi couldn't believe what was happening. He backed away and shook his head. "N-no!"
As soon as he said that, he wondered why he said that.
This Princely Young Man was making his heart flip in his chest. The proper thing to say was yes. Why the hell would he say no?
"Why not?" asked a genuinely surprised Prince.
"Uh…" Green Boi raked his brain for an answer. He couldn't find one. "It's… I… well… You're great and all but I…uh…" He ran his hands through his hair and stared at the ground as he wondered, Why am I turning him down? What the hell is wrong with me?
"So your ex-boyfriend still owns your heart. I see."
Green Boi didn't even have the energy to argue about the fact that he had never previously dated Explochan. Instead, he sighed and covered his face.
The Prince pryed away those hands, and caressed Green Boi's face. "I understand. It seems that I might have rushed into this." He took Green Boi's hand, bowed, and kissed it. "In time, I'll win your heart and make you mine."
"O-okay…"
He let go of Green Boi's hand. "I'll see you at school tomorrow then. Get home safely."
"O-okay…"
…
"What the fuck?" Green Boi asked himself as he laid on his bed. After spending most of the day with The Prince he was feeling both ecstatic and sad. And confused. Extremely confused. He covered his face with a pillow and screamed into it. "He's literally everything I want in a guy, yet I said no!"
Green Boi sighed. He stared at his ceiling.
Then Green Boi sat up. "Holy shit, am I gay? When did that happen?" He stared into space for a moment. "S-should I tell my mom?" he wondered. But he shook his head. "No! No way, she'll start asking too many questions! And I don't have any answers. Not even for myself." He groaned.
He sat in silence.
Finally, he said, "I've written a ton of fanfic about lady heroes, like Attack on Titan Lady and Sensual Sadist Woman. But I've also written a ton on guy heroes, like Denim Dude, Turbo Legs and Abusive Fire Daddy." He got up and sat at his computer desk. "All American Blonde Superman fanfiction doesn't count, because falling in love with All American is universal."
He turned on his desktop computer, opened up his smutty fanfiction folder, and categorized his smut. He crunched the numbers and determined, "Seventy percent bois and thirty percent gurls. Okay, that makes sense to me." He leaned back in his chair. "Fanfiction solves everything."
Fanfiction solves everything!
So he opened up a new word document and started typing. If Green Boi couldn't figure out his emotions in real life, he'd make his shameless self-insert OC (original character) figure it out for him in his latest fanfic, More than Just a Sidekick.