A/N

Y'all I don't know whether to write Wisp as a girl or a boy. I've always written her as a girl but I have a feeling she's male in canon and AH 😭

Sorry if this chapter is short but I had to cut it there or else it would be too long lol.

Enjoy <3

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He patted his foot on the ground, his patience wearing down like a ticking bomb. He knelt down, grabbing hold of the ball himself.

"Come on, let go," he grumbled, taking hold of the dog's snout and gently trying to get it to open. But the dog wouldn't budge.

He put her leash back on, trying to pull her away. She wouldn't move. He gave up.

"You didn't act like this with ma," he said, collapsing onto a nearby bench. He gave her a small glance from the corner of his eye. "You're supposed to help my emotions, not torment me," he whined.

The dog simply jumped on his lap, stepping on top of all sorts of sensitive areas in the process. Eventually, she lay down on the bench next to him, looking up with disgruntled eyes.

"How are we supposed to play catch if you don't give me the ball?" he said. Wisp sighed.

He looked around the park. It wasn't the biggest in size, but nearly the entire neighborhood would hang out there. A small distance ahead stood a playground, a bit further behind him was a stand selling all sorts of good food (cotton candy was his favourite).

... And somewhere next to him, beneath the same sakura tree every day, was the girl of his dreams.

It was a bit of a stretch, sure, and maybe it was just a small crush, but it was a feeling hard to ignore after some time.

He moved to the city two years ago; she started appearing four months ago, and ever since, he saw her nearly every day.

Taking walks in the park with Wisp was one of his only escapes, but even that has gotten tedious. At some point, hearing playground fights and walking around litter on the daily had become a habit he would have been happy to break.

But then she appeared, and suddenly, he wasn't just doing it for Wisp.

He was never one to have a 'type', but it was clear that she checked off some boxes, even if he didn't know what they quite were.

Usually, she would read a book, draw, or just sit down and enjoy some fresh air. Whatever she decided to do, he would admire her from afar. Worst thing was, he didn't know what was doing it:  her looks, her vibe, the small hints of her personality and cleverness he got from time to time as she interacted with strangers at the park.

She had climbed a tree to retrieve a kid's kite, drawn a portrait of a random stranger just because (he wished it could've been him...); she had even played with Wisp before, though she never got to meet her shy, awkward owner.

That time, she had brought a whole backpack. He could just barely spot books peeking through its open zipper, but she opted for a sketchbook instead.

He petted Wisp beside him, but the moment he touched her head, she sighed.

He stood up. "Come on, don't be lazy. We're here to get your energy out." He detached her leash, jumping on the balls of his feet to get her pumped. Alas, all he did was make a fool of himself, for Wisp never moved.

She turned her head away. He tilted his own head to follow her gaze. "Oh, so when there's a thunderstorm you want to go out and play, but you don't care when it's a sunny day? You're the reason I even come here!"

He took a peek at the girl by the tree, her form slightly obscured by the people walking in front of her. He knew he was lying to himself at that point... But Wisp was just as important, so he wasn't being fully dishonest.

As a last resort, he took out her favourite toy: a squeaky chew toy with plastic on two of its ends, almost resembling nunchucks. It was always hilarious seeing her golden retriever fur dancing in the wind as she frantically chased after it. Cole, his best friend and roommate, always joked about her guarding it more than himself.

As expected, Wisp's eyes lit up and her head rose to stare at the toy. He wiggled it around in front of her, then right above her nose so she stood up.

"Catch!" he said, throwing it over the bench. In an instant, Wisp jumped to chase after it. He was convinced that if the bench wasn't drilled into the grass, she would have tipped it over.

Wisp caught it in her mouth. He ran towards her, but she didn't let go. "Come on..." Gently grabbing hold of her snout, he managed to retrieve it. He tossed it again.

The same process happened over and over as they ran around the park, past everyone and between the few scattered trees. Eventually, they found themselves atop a small hill. He wrestled her for the toy, but she wouldn't let go. She pulled him down to the ground, but he persisted.

He got it out of her mouth. "Aha!"

Wisp barked at him, back lowered and butt arched. He couldn't tell whether she was excited or mad, but he didn't have time to think about it. Looking absentmindedly in the distance despite the shimmering sun, he turned to her.

He tossed the ball in the air and caught it, a smirk forming in his lips. "Fine," he said. "If you want it for yourself so bad, go and get it!"

He threw it in the air as high as he could, watching with amusement as Wisp chased after it.

Near the end of its fall, it approached a familiar pink tree. He groaned, making his way down from the hill. With his luck, it was almost inevitable that it was going to get caught within the branches and Wisp would bark as loudly as she could till he got it back.

But no, the toy didn't make contact with the tree. It aimed much lower.

By the time he realised what was about to happen, it was too late.

Thwack.

That was the exact sound made when the toy hit her head. It was like a cartoon how extreme that sounded. His steps came to a halt and he approached slowly.

Of course, after the toy came Wisp. The girl looked around confused until she saw her.

"Hi," she said to Wisp, petting her. "Is this yours?"

Wisp immediately took the toy for herself and sat down near her to chew it. The girl smiled, but still kept rubbing her head in pain.

She scratched Wisp's ear, putting her sketchbook away. "Who's your owner?" Part of her knew the answer, but she could have been just any golden retriever.

He hoped to call for Wisp and get out of there. Wisp saw him and brought the toy to him, wagging her tail.

'Oh, so now you want to bring it to me,' he thought, shooting her a glare. He looked up to find the girl staring at him curiously.

He tried to convince himself his flaring cheeks were simply from the heat outside or from his run. Still, he stepped closer, knowing it would be worse to back away.

"I'm so, so sorry," he said before she could get a word in. "I swear it was an accident, Wisp can just be really stubborn and lazy but also really energetic and the sun was really bright so I wasn't really looking—"

"It's okay," the girl said just as awkwardly. "You sure have some accurate throwing skills."

"Oh, uh, thank you." He wasn't sure if that was a compliment in hindsight. "Do you need some ice?"

She hastily grabbed her backpack and zipped it shut. "No, thank you, I'm fine. I was about to go home anyway."

"Oh... Okay! Have fun... at home." He tried to put on his best smile, but his nerves wouldn't let him.

She waved him goodbye, her heart beating just as rapidly as his when she turned around.

He leaned back against the tree and sank down. Wisp sat beside him, sniffing his face.

He buried his face into her fur and groaned as loudly as he could. "Way to go, Jay! You almost gave a concussion to your crush."

He stopped himself. He wasn't ashamed to declare his love for anything, but that word... What, was he still in high school? He was a somewhat functioning, not at all mature adult. He shouldn't have a little kiddie crush!

Still, whatever the right word may have been, he couldn't deny that the feeling was there.

And he had just ruined his chances. As if things couldn't get worse.

He put his hand on the ground, hoping to touch some grass (always helped his mind get off of things, despite the obvious joke his friends made). Instead, he touched paper.

It was a notebook. Or, no... It was a sketchbook. Her sketchbook! She had forgotten it!

It was too tempting to look inside... But he had damaged their relationship enough. He would see her tomorrow and return it... And he could apologise properly that time!

He sketched out his own plan in his mind on the way home. Wisp walked alongside him, exhausted and finally done for the day.

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He fell asleep with the notebook on his nightstand. Wisp took a seat by his pillow. They barely fit together on the bed, but he hugged her in his sleep and they made it work.

By the time he woke up, his nerves were gone. His mind was free of the embarrassment from before, and all that occupied his thoughts was Wisp's soft fur against his skin. She really did make for the best pillow, even if she snored like there was no tomorrow.

He yawned loudly, rolling over to grab his phone. It was already afternoon. Neat...

He got up, finally hearing some rustling in the kitchen. He shuddered thinking of the monstrosities Cole would be whipping up in there... But he was hungry, so he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Admittedly, he did feel guilty; he took the one and only bed in the apartment when it was Cole's turn to sleep there. In his defense, he wanted to bury himself somewhere the minute he arrived home, and found no better place than that.

Instead of the kitchen, Cole was in the other bed, AKA the couch. But instead of sleeping, he was rummaging through... something.

Jay sighed in his mind knowing he would have to tell him all about his day. How he messed up with the pretty girl at the park, how he didn't get a word in with her before she left... But he had an excuse to make things up. Maybe he could ask for advice, or even have Cole be there with him as his wingman... That always worked in movies, right?

He briefly looked over Cole's shoulder. It was not his phone that he was holding... He squinted his eyes to get a better look.

Cole spotted him first. A big smile was painted on his face, yet his bushy brows formed a frown. "Dude, since when do you draw?"

Jay cocked an eyebrow. Blue eyes met brown as he looked at Cole. His blue eyes widened like a bug's in an instant. Without thinking, he leaned over Cole's shoulder, trying to grab it. "Give it back, give it!"

But Cole pushed it further away. "Relax, they're not bad. But, really, watercolour? You know coal is superior."

"It's not mine!" he finally blurted out. Cole let go.

"Then whose is it?"

He bit his tongue, even pouted his lip, but Cole persisted. He was trapped whether he liked it or not.

He knew he was getting nowhere. He flopped onto the couch next to him, covering his face with a pillow. "Park," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Blossom!"

His face lit up and his mouth shifted to the shape of an 'o'. Jay blushed and turned away, smacking himself with the pillow.

That nickname was... far from perfect (Cole had come up with it, in fact, due to the cherry blossom tree she would sit under) but it was the only one he really had. To think that he didn't even learn her name when he spoke to her...

"No way," Cole said. "Blossom gave you her sketchbook?"

He took a deep, satisfying breath. "Nope."

"What, did you steal it?"

"Uh... kinda. I found it. On the ground. But I know it's hers. She forgot it when she was packing up." He neglected to mention the 'smacked her with a dog toy' part, but maybe it was for the best.

"Well, she sure knows to paint from reference..." Cole said, flipping through the pages. For a proud watercolour hater, even he seemed impressed.

Although he wasn't entirely comfortable with it, he took a peek as well. Most sketches consisted of trees, dragons, flowers... But a few in particular were dedicated to the park: the cherry blossom tree, the playground, random scenes of people hanging around the area...

And a few of a very familiar dog. Although not coloured in yet, he could spot the owner of said dog as well.

It wasn't the most realistic drawing, but it had its own style. Still, even with the lack of some features, it was undoubtedly them; Wisp's blue collar, his auburn hair, the same blue jacket he wore every day...

"Looks like someone has a fan," Cole teased him. "Or a stalker."

"Hey, you like sketching random stuff too."

"I wouldn't call you random."

"Is that a compliment?"

He shrugged, giving him the sketchbook. "I'm sure Sam will be very grateful when you return this."

"Who?"

Cole pointed at the bottom of the page. In small yet messy letters was a signature. 'SamX', it wrote.

Jay looked at it confused. "You think her last name starts with 'X'?"

Cole ran a hand through his dark locks, stretching as he got up. "Hey, you just learned her name. Take what victories you can man."

Cole was right. He had to enjoy that moment.

Tomorrow he would meet her at the park again. He would finally talk to her properly.

And maybe, her drawings meant something. Or maybe he was just a good model. He had modeled for Cole's art classes before, come to think of it... It was in his genes, as he liked to say.

But he was making progress. He knew her name. It... wasn't the name he was imagining, but it was something. It suited her.

Sam.