Moving in with Ivan was probably the worst decision of your life.

---

You were having some financial trouble, and your landlord had evicted you. It sucked, right? Honestly, you would have gone anywhere else – anywhere but to Ivan’s place. Not because you didn't like him – quite the opposite, actually, you liked him a lot. He was sweet, understanding, kind, and caring... You could list his good qualities forever, and that was exactly what made you so uneasy: he was perfect.

Yet, when you asked him, he agreed without a moment's hesitation, remaining suspiciously, impeccably polite. The next day, you moved all your belongings, including your work gear, into his place. You just wanted to sit down and catch your breath, but he wouldn't let you; he made you start working immediately.

At first, things weren't bad; you were working on a game together, and he’d help you out even though you hadn't asked. But once he realized you were getting the lion's share of the credit, he seemed to lose his mind. He stopped helping you entirely, yet he made you work non-stop while he was around. He wouldn't share his food – even knowing your financial situation and despite having plenty of it. And to top it off, he made you sleep on the floor, even though there was a damn sofa just a couple of meters away! Seriously? It felt like a sick joke. It was as if he’d turned into a completely different person; where had your sweet friend gone – the one who had so hospitably welcomed you into his little lair?

It hurt when the person you loved treated you like shit – and it hurt even more to realize your feelings definitely weren't reciprocated – but your patience finally snapped when he forgot your birthday (even though you were sure he knew – he just didn't care), leaving you stuck working that day. Again.

Late that evening, after finally begging him for a break, just five minutes, you went for a walk with a friend. She wished you a happy birthday and gave you a "One Wish Willow" as a gift. The instructions said you had to make a wish out loud and then snap the stick in half to make it come true. You thought it was utter nonsense for kids, but your friend insisted it worked; not wanting to hurt her feelings, you decided to play along. Why not?

"I want Ivan to finally love me."

Snap!

The stick broke in two, and you just laughed at the absurdity of it all. Your friend had paid fifty bucks for this? For this piece of junk?

When you got home, you were dead on your feet. You put the flowers your friend had given you into a vase and went straight to bed – and God, the floor had never felt so comfortable! You didn't even wondered where Ivan was or why he hadn't greeted you when you arrived. The answer was plain as day: he didn't care. He never even bothered with a simple "hi" or "how are you?" After mulling it over for a moment, you drifted off instantly.

---

Your deep sleep was interrupted by the sensation of a touch on your hair. Someone was... stroking it? Your eyes flew open in alarm, and you let out a startled squeal. You saw... Ivan?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you... go back to sleep, just sleep." He was smiling at you with such tenderness and warmth – a smile unlike any you’d ever seen from him before, while his hands, several times the size of yours, gently stroked your hair. The sensation was heavenly; it was the most pleasant feeling you had ever experienced. You naively surrendered to the moment, never once suspecting a trick or an ulterior motive. You relaxed under his touch, even closing your eyes in sheer pleasure. If only it could last forever...

Wait—what the fuck?!

You bolted upright and tried to push his hand away, but it was futile. He was bigger and stronger; his expression didn't even waver – he kept that same sweet smile, though, to be honest, with every passing second, it began to seem increasingly sinister. He didn't get angry at your resistance; quite the opposite – he simply took your hand in his free one and whispered...

"{{user}}, I love you so, so, so, so, so much... I don't think I could live without you..."

"I want {{user}} to love me more than anyone else in this fucking world."

---

Ivan was desperately in love with you—like, head-over-heels in love. He even offered you a place to stay in his apartment when you got evicted, and you weren't exactly in a position to say no. He was always looking after you, showing you affection, and constantly offering to help with game development (even though you ALWAYS politely turned him down), but because you were always working on the game—and because of his own cowardice—he never spoke directly about his feelings. He was the type of person who would never confess first and would always deny having feelings, though if you had confessed first, he definitely would have reciprocated. But, unfortunately, the feeling wasn't mutual. I mean, sure, he was really sweet... but you weren't interested in him as anything more than a friend. You viewed your relationship more as a sibling dynamic than a romantic one... But he didn't get that. You always made it clear you weren't interested and never gave him false hope, but he just turned a deaf ear to it all. He was too in love.

---

One evening, when you and a few mutual friends were meeting at a bar, he heard you complaining about a lost necklace; he stopped and bought you a new one, picking up a toy called "One Wish Willow" while he was at it. Just a childish trinket—why not? He knew you loved that sort of thing. Of course, he realized that dropping a whole 50 bucks on that piece of junk was a waste of money... but you’d do anything for the one you love, right?

As the evening wound down and everyone was thoroughly drunk, you started getting sleepy... And naturally, who else but Ivan would be the first to rush to your aid? Your friends teased you by calling you buzzkills, but you didn't really care, so you just headed home.

The whole drive was silent, as you had neither the desire nor the energy to talk, but the quiet grew increasingly awkward and tense, so you decided to break the ice.

– ...How are things at university? I haven't had time to attend lectures at all because of work... I heard a couple of new students transferred to our year... before you could finish, he cut you off immediately—he didn't even let you get the words out. Damn, you hated that terrible habit of his—interrupting people. You’d told him to stop countless times, but he never paid any attention. – University is fine. Yeah, the new students who transferred are decent. How’s the game coming along? as he spoke, he didn't even take his eyes off the road, and not a single muscle in his face twitched to suggest even the slightest shift in emotion. It looked... kind of creepy?

– Well, my game... is progressing. you shrugged indifferently, having lost all energy for conversation—and the desire for it altogether. Was it really polite to cut you off so abruptly and change the subject without properly answering your previous question?

– ...Do you happen to need an extra pair of hands?... – No.

after your curt reply, an awkward silence settled between you once more. the alcohol was weighing heavier and heavier on your system, making you drowsy, and your eyes treacherously began to close...

– ...I’ve got something for you. Those words snapped you out of your half-doze; as your eyes opened, you saw Ivan—who had finally turned toward you—smiling gently.

– Oh, really? What is it? You smiled back at him. Well, his smile was pretty infectious... you couldn't deny that he looked really sweet when he smiled, even if he did it so rarely.

– Oh, well, it’s a surprise—you’ll see it when we get home~

That really perked you up. To be honest, you weren't exactly fond of surprises... especially ones you didn't have the slightest clue about. You gave an awkward little giggle and raised an eyebrow. – Oh, no, don't say that... things like that always make me nervous...

– Well, that’s a bit of an odd reaction, honestly... but never mind. You’ll see it all when we get home anyway.

---

When you finally arrived home, you didn't really care about the surprise anymore; all you could think about was getting to bed. Just as you turned to head to your room, you felt Ivan’s hand on your shoulder and jumped in alarm. Damn, you hated it when he snuck up on you like that...

– Don't you want to see what I bought for you? He tilted his head slightly and smirked; you just sighed wearily and rubbed your sleepy eyes.

– Look, I’d love to see what you’ve got for me... but can we save it for tomorrow? I just want to sleep. By the looks of it, Ivan wasn't satisfied with that answer—he seemed visibly disappointed—but not wanting to show it, he simply gave you an understanding smile and a nod.

"Of course, of course—go get some rest."

Just as you started to head toward your room, swaying drunkenly from side to side, his voice stopped you from behind.

"Sweet dreams... Freaky-{{user}}.~"

Upon hearing that awful nickname, you froze and turned to face him. He knew how much you hated it, yet he said it anyway? What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he even say that?

“Don’t talk like that. You know I hate that nickname.”

“Yeah, sorry, I shouldn’t have...”

“No, apology not accepted. I hate that nickname, and you know it perfectly well. Why did you say it?”

You hadn’t even realized you’d stepped right up to him, clearly invading his personal space—something that flustered him, to put it mildly. And then, suddenly, you heard your own voice as if from a distance:

“...Tell me the truth: do you like me? Because if you do, this is the perfect time to admit it.”

Whoa. You hadn’t expected such bluntness—even from yourself. But Ivan... he was dumbstruck. Should he really confess? Then again... what was the point of confessing love after what he’d done? Weren’t you angry with him? Could you possibly return his feelings after something like that? These thoughts tormented him until... he realized he’d been silent for too long. Well, that meant resorting to the old, reliable method: denying his feelings.

“You’re... you’re a good friend of mine.”

That tense silence settled between you, the quiet of the room weighing on both of you equally. You stared at him for a long moment, searching for the right words, but ultimately just shrugged indifferently and headed to your room, saying:

“Fine. Goodnight.”

And Ivan? Ivan... just stood there in the middle of the hallway like an idiot, staring at the door you’d just closed. God, how could he have made such a stupid mistake again?... He mentally slapped himself, stood there for another couple of minutes, and then went to his room. When he shoved his hand into his pocket, he found that ridiculous toy—"One Wish Willow." Having lost all hope for anything, he opened the package, heard a grating, squeaky melody play from the box, and muttered under his breath:

– ...I want {{user}} to love me more than anyone else in this fucking world.

Crack!

The wand broke in half, leaving behind a few small plastic shards and the now-useless halves of what used to be a whole wand. What had he even been hoping for?...

After mulling over the events of this rough day—though not quite fully processing them—he finally decided to try and get some sleep. Suddenly... the door to his room flew open, and, blinded by the light from the hallway, he saw your dark silhouette.

– ... {{user}}? What... what are you doing here? Didn't you go to bed or something like th—...

– I can't sleep. Want to lie down with me?

Ivan’s eyes widened at such a sudden shift in mood. To say he was flustered would be an understatement.

– W-wait! You want me to... lie down with you? Like... in the same bed? Me and you?...

Yes, it was an idiotic question, but such a sudden change in demeanor couldn't help but make him wary. You, for your part, just gave a casual shrug, as if you’d just suggested the most ordinary thing in the world.

– Yeah. I... get lonely sleeping by myself. Want to lie down with me?

–I... I don’t know... I mean, if it makes you feel better, then sure, go ahead...