The area around campus was surprisingly large, almost the size of an entire town. Hundreds, if not a good thousand, of students were walking around, going on about their business. Restaurants, shops, cafés, all dime a dozen.

The local college was all that kept this town alive and going by the looks of it, this town won't time die any time soon. The sun was slowly reaching it's zenith as gusts of wind carried thousands of new smells along with it.

All those countless, delicious smells of foods only waiting to be tested trapped you in some sort of sensory feedback loop. Your ears were facing forward and the tip of your tail moved slightly, your head quickly turning from side to side.

"____!" Asriel called out your name, snapping you out of your trance.

You nearly jumped out of your skin, ears flattening against your head as your tail nearly disappeared between your legs. At this very moment you just lost about fifty years of your life expectancy, meaning you can now retire and continue living your life as a senior cat.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Asriel immediately rushed over to you, speaking in a soft and apologetic voice. Although Asriel expression was clearly one of guilt, it still held a certain sense of amusement.

"I'm... I'm alright. I just lost six of my nine lives but otherwise I'm good." You let out a deep sigh in hopes of composing yourself. One hand was still firmly pressed against your racing heart.

Asriel placed an arm around your shoulders and let you to a nearby bench to rest. You hated to admit it but your legs felt a little wobbly.

"Do you need anything? Water, something to eat?" Asriel looked at you with guilt in his eyes, sounding like he just did something unspeakably terrible.

"Water sounds nice." Your voice almost came out as a whisper and you took in a quivering breath.

"Coming right up." Asriel immediately turned around and rushed into a nearby shop.

While you were waiting, you decided to use the moment to observe your surroundings. Numerous students were passing by you, some chatting among each other while others were a little too focused on their phones, nearly running into every obstacle in the vicinity.

Even though the town was full of life, it managed to keep the charm of a small village. Paved streets and victorian style streetlamps combined with more modern buildings set a stark contrast on how times changed.

There was no feeling of stress nor haste but rather peace and relaxation. It does wonders to your soul and only after a few minutes you felt how your heartbeat returned to normal.

You continued watching the people around you and among countless similar faces, you spotted one that looked familiar, one that you didn't despised with every fiber of your being.

"Hey ____, fancy seeing you here." It was Elena, and she greeted you in her usual upbeat mood.

"Hi Elena." You returned, smiling at her.

"What brings you here? You don't strike me as the guy that enjoys shopping." She asked you with curiosity.

"Well, my roommate invited me to explore the town with him." You tried to gave a rather ambiguous answer. While you did hint that you'd share a room with Asriel the day you met Elena, she didn't seem to believe you.

"Sounds fun. Hey, I know this might be a bit out of the blue but have you made up your mind about joining the drama club?" There it was again, that hint of excitement in her eyes whenever she talked about the drama club. You however, face palmed mentally.

"Sorry but I totally forgot about that. There's been a lot going on over the last days and I hardly had a minute for myself." You apologized.

Elena looked like she was about to say something but it seemed as if the words got stuck in her throat. You realized why once you heard foot steps from behind you.

"Sorry it took me so long. The store was quite full and I wasn't sure whether you like your water carbonated or not so I got you a non-carbonated one." Asriel was back and he sounded rather carefree, despite what happened only a few minutes ago.

"Well I'll be damned. You weren't lying when you said you were sharing a room with the prince." Elena looked at you as if you had three heads, sounding completely bewildered.

"____, who's that?" Asriel asked, seemingly confused.

"That's Elena. She showed me the drama club after the fiasco that were the previous clubs." You told Asriel what you knew about her, which wasn't all that much.

"Hey, I'm the drama club's leader, alright. You two should seriously consider joining." And she's trying to recruit you again.

"You've been there before right _____? What's the drama club like?" Asriel looked at you like he was seriously considering joining.

"Well, the drama club is... something special. It's more about having fun than actual acting. Things start out serious but they tend to go a little out of control. At least that's what happened when I watched them practice." You sounded unsure as you gave Asriel the gist of the drama club.

"Well, things always tend to get a little out of control, a lot out of control." Elena added, looking to the side.

Asriel studied Elena's expression, thinking about... something, if he was thinking at all.

"What do you think ____? Should we check it out once we have the time to do so? Asriel looked back at you with an indecisive expression, sounding unsure whether to join or not.

"I've already seen what the club's like but sure, why not. What's the worst that could happen?" Your tried to sound as neutral as possible, hoping it would raise any false hopes. And yet, Elena audibly gasped at your response. Somehow you had this feeling that you would choke on your words sooner or later.

"Really? That's great. I can't wait to see how the others will react when I tell them that the prince might join. I have to tell them. Right now." Completely caught up in her excitement, Elena ran back to the campus.

Asriel simply watched her dash off, his head tilted as if just witness some sort of alien spacecraft delivering someones dinner.

"Is she always like that?" His question seemed hesitant as he looked back at you in confusion.

"I honestly have no idea. I don't even know her. We had a bit of small talk but that's about it." Admittedly, you had no idea what to make of Elena and were just as confused as Asriel was.

"Anyway." Asriel stretched his words as his eyes trailed off. "Let's see what this town has to offer."

You simply nodded and followed Asriel to wherever it was where he was going right now.

While you were wandering through town, countless people approached Asriel. All in hopes to get a chance to date him. Most students left Asriel alone once he turned them down. Of course some needed extra convincing from your end, so you 'politely' asked them to leave.

None of this was surprising though, since more than half the campus was totally into Asriel. What did surprise you however, was the fact that some students tried flirting with you. Needless to say, you turned them down without hesitation, or remorse, or anything that showed you cared about them or what they think.

After several minutes of aimlessly walking through town, you somehow arrived in front of an arcade. You and Asriel exchanged a quick look and entered without even thinking about it.

The entire place was kept in a retro style. Neon tubes in various colors illuminated the place as neon signs displayed the names of the various games around. Countless arcade machines, lined side by side, stood by the walls further in the back and the ground was patterned with various planets, regardless whether they were real or not. The place even offered a bowling alley and a food court. All the while, retro music played in the background.

Just standing here made you feel like you jumped back in time, back when things were different. A lot different.

"I'll be right back." Asriel said and quickly ran off, returning only seconds later with a bunch of tokens that are used to play around here.

"C'mon, let's find some games to play." He seemed unusually excited. His eyes were sparkling and he sounded almost a bit like child.

You did even had the chance to say something as he ran off only seconds after he finished what he said. It was almost amusing to see him like this and his enthusiasm, albeit slowly, began to rub off on you. With an almost invisible smile, you speed walked after him.

"Hey ____, check this out." He called out to you, waving his hand as he jumped up and down. "It's Rocket Command. I heard that this game used to be really popular in the past."

You stood next to Asriel and looked at the screen in front of you. Just looking at the the old school graphics made you realize just how far technology has come. The graphics were good enough to recognize what their supposed to portray but still left enough room for one's own imagination. Also, it's actually a full game and not a half done game you pay full price for only to see that the rest is sold as DLC.

"So, what's this game about?" You asked, for once genuinely interested.

"Well, as far as I know you simply have to protect the city from incoming rockets." Asriel spoke as if he wasn't all that sure about what the game was about himself.

"And how do you play it?" You further investigated, looking at the controls in confusion. They consisted of some sort of tracking ball and three buttons.

"Well, only one way to find out. Right?" Asriel sounded excited and immediately popped in a token, starting the game.

You watched as he struggled with the controls. Using the tracking ball seemed to be a lot harder than expected. Roughly a minutes passed and the game over screen took over. Undeterred by his failure, Asriel used another token and failed once again.

"Hey, let's try this together. You aim, I shoot." Asriel suggested, looking at you with an expression of resolve. He really wanted to see level two.

You responded with a determined nod and placed your hand on the tracking ball, ready to annihilate the high score. In the end it was you and Asriel who got annihilated. These old games were pretty tough.

"You know what? Let's play something else." Asriel sounded 'a little' angry, as he looked for a different game to play.

You simply followed him, stopping whenever he did. After playing, and failing, numerous games you decided to move to the food court. Even the food court was designed with retro looks in mind. Ranging from seats and tables to windows and even the menus. All of it looked like it came straight from the 80's.

"So, are you hungry?" Asriel asked, giving you a smile.

"Not really. Besides, I don't have any money on me." You tried to sound dismissive about it.

Asriel kept his smile and you knew exactly what he's going to say next.

"No, you're not going to treat me for lunch." You said in a stern tone, looking at him like you really meant it.

"I insist. It's not like I cant afford it. I'm the prince, I have more money than fur and I have A LOT of fur." He joked, nudging your shoulders.

"It's not about the money..." You tried to protest but were cut off when Asriel simply dragged you off to the tables.

"Now, go ahead and choose whatever you want. Seriously, just choose whatever." It almost sounded like he was demanding you to order something, even if it was just a salad. You were pretty sure he'd make you order more than just a salad.

There was no way you could weasel your way out of this and so you decided to check the menu for something interesting. After a few minutes of internal debate you settled for chicken nuggets with fries and a medium soda. Asriel choose the steak and everything that comes with it. Once the order was placed you and you were brought your drinks, you decided to chat for a while.

"... and that's how I nearly ended up using hair removal instead of shampoo." Asriel finished his weird tale about how he almost lost all of his fur. You learned countless useless fact about him, a lot more than you actually wanted. Like what shampoo he's using, his preferred water temperature, when he usually takes showers and how long his average shower takes just to name a few.

You didn't know why he told or what you should do with this information but now you know fact about him that nobody else does. You remained silent, still baffled by the the surplus of unnecessary information Asriel provided you with. Neither you nor Asriel noticed the group of people approaching you.

"Hey you're Asriel Dreemurr, aren't you?" A foreign voice that already got on your nerves, emerged from behind you.

"Ehm, I have a boyfriend." Asriel blurted out, looking just both, surprised and confused.

"Naww, really? Who is it? That guy?" Who ever was talking was now pointing at you.

"YES! That's my boyfriend." Asriel continued rambling, hoping it would save his skin. Little did he know that he just got himself in hell's kitchen.

"You really lucky, you know? No everyone can say their boyfriend's the prince. Guess we'll be going now." Whoever that just was sounded shattered.

"Boyfriend, huh? That's news to me." You didn't sound impressed, not in the slightest. The look on your face spoke volumes.

"Please don't be mad with me. It was a white lie, o.k?" Asriel awkwardly scratched the back of neck, blushing madly. His voice was both, embarrassed and fearful.

You expression remained unimpressed.

"Please play along. At least for the time being. I don't want to deal with these people." Asriel pleaded as he began to tear up a little.

Your expression didn't flinch.

"Please. I can get you any job you want." He continued pleaded, now adding bargaining to the mix.

"Because I'm qualified enough to perform any job." You sounded slightly sarcastic.

"C'mon, I'll do anything you want. ANYTHING." And now he's growing desperate.

"I'm pretty sure what you're offering now is illegal." You dismissed his 'offer'.

"Not if everyone thinks we're dating." He hoped he could convince you. "Seriously, you're the only one that can help me out with this."

You fell silent for a moment, thinking about other possible options. Even after several minutes, you couldn't come up with an alternative. A deep sight escaped your throat and you looked back at Asriel.

"Fine, I'll play along. For now." Asriel eyes lid up at your words and you were almost sure he was about to jump over the table just to give you a hug. Fortunately your food arrived just in time.

Once lunch was reduced to nothing more than a few leftover crumbles and the food payed for, you and Asriel continued to spend time at the arcade. Even more unsuccessful games later and you decided to leave, slowly returning to the campus.

The sun began to slowly vanish behind the horizon, coloring the sky in swirls or reds and oranges. It was almost romantic, if it wasn't for a certain monster was desperately clutching your hand to give off the impression that you're actually dating each other.

It looked strange. Asriel's expression was nervous, like he's done something wrong and now he's afraid he might get caught. You however, you looked like you were just about done with this world.

If the differences between your expressions weren't plentiful enough, you also struggled to walk at a similar pace. It almost seemed as if you were dragging Asriel along with you rather that you walking together. Afer a few minutes of struggling however, you somehow managed to adapt to each others walking speed.

While this solved one problem, it also created new ones. Now, every time someone tried to strike up a conversation with Asriel he'd lean his head against your shoulder, looking at you with hearts in his eyes.

His behavior let to many, unnecessary awkward encounters. To your own surprised, people left the instant they saw Asriel's desperate display of affection. Maybe it was because they genuinely believed you were dating or maybe it was because of your expression. Either way, the walk back to campus was without much incident.

Back in your dorm you lied down on your bed, facing the ceilling.

"____, are you mad at me?" Asriel sounded a little frightened.

You continued to stare at ceiing.

"Please don't be mad, I was in a very difficult situation." He talked like he was trying to appease a furious demon.

You still showed no sign of reaction.

"I mean, I'm so tired of all these people getting on my nerves. I saw an opportunity to escape it and I took it. We don't even need to pretend for that long. If you really don't like this we can 'break up' in a few months or so." It almost sounded like he was about to break down in tears.

"Asriel, have you even thought about what you got me into?" You sounded discontent. The fact that you were, more or less, forced into a pretentious relationship with the prince didn't sit well with you.

He looked away, not speaking a single word. It was clear that he didn't thought about you.

"Listen, I know you're fed up with all these people following you around but that doesn't justify dragging me into this. You're a nice person, I really want to believe that, but dragging a stranger into your personal affairs, that's an absolute no-no. " You looked at him with fury in your eyes.

"I'm going to be honest with you, and I know this might sound a little rude. I really don't care about your personal affairs but seeing that you dragged me into this it looks like I have to. Not only do I have to care, it also seems like I have to solve your problems." You didn't sound angry, which made everything a lot scarier. You were angry, furious even.

By now Asriel knew how to see you were angry. The narrowed pupils, flattened ears, the puffed up tail. All of these were a dead giveaway and it scared him. What's even worse, he knew you were right. He knew that he dragged you into something you never wanted to be a part off. Although hesitant at first, he looked at you with guilt nagging at his soul.

"As I said. I'll play along, for now." You voice was dead serious as you frowned at him.

Having said everything you have to say, you disappeared into the bathroom. A few minutes later and you went straight to bed. Today took unexpected turns, turns that gave you a lot to think about. Starting tomorrow you'll have to pretend to be Asriel's boyfriend and you had no idea what it means to be a boyfriend.

A/N: A thing I probably should have mentioned a little earlier. If anyone has criticism or other forms of feedback, like spelling mistakes, please let me know. Furthermore, if anyone has ideas for the story, feel free to write them in the comments. Based on how much they fit into the story I might be able to incorporate them.