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Friends flirt. It’s normal. It’s supposed to be a fun and harmless joke between them. There weren’t supposed to be butterflies with every little touch. His heart wasn’t supposed to start racing when smiled at. His heart shouldn’t clench at the sight of the barista happily talking to someone else.
The realisation hit Aster in the middle of the café, where he was sitting at the counter drinking his iced tea. Where Ren was laughing at the very obvious innuendos Uki was throwing at him two chairs away. Where Aster was trying to make sense of the budding annoyance at the sight of them together, when it hit him.
He likes Ren.
“Aster, you want to come with us?” Ren asked, grabbing the purple haired male’s attention again.
“Hmm?” Aster tried his best to remain calm. He turned to them with the most nonchalant look he could muster. But the look on Uki’s face says he’s not doing a very good job of it.
Luckily, Ren didn’t seem to notice when he asked, “The Ethyria concert tonight. You’re coming, right?”
“I can’t. I’m meeting with Scarle,” Aster said, looking down at his phone instinctively. He finds himself unable to look at the barista in the eye for long before he starts getting flustered. He realised he can’t be anywhere near Ren right then. Not until he figures out where all these new feelings came from?
“Oh, you can’t?” Ren said, looking visibly disappointed that Aster almost took back his words. But then the barista turned back to the psychic and said, brightly, “I guess it’s just you and me, Uki.”
“It’s a date, Renren,” Uki said, smiling at the prince. “Pick me up after your shift?”
Aster sipped at his drink, ignoring the two of them planning their date. He ignored the stabbing feeling of envy and shot a text to Scarle. Coincidentally, the brunette walked into the café at that exact moment. She was talking to Maria, when her phone buzzed in her hand.
Aster took that moment to leave the two and joined the girls, albeit a bit too eagerly, “Hey, you’re here. Should we go?”
“But we just got here,” Scarle said, confused.
“What’s wrong?” Maria asked, a little concerned now. She glanced to the counter to see Ren at his station, making coffee, with Uki at the counter, laughing. She turned back to Aster who gave her a tight smile, “Everything okay?”
At his lack of response, Scarle sighed and said, “Let me just get some coffee, before we go.”
Aster was struggling to find the right words to explain his feelings. He had stayed with Maria, while Scarle made her order. He tried not to stare at Ren, even though his eyes seemed to follow the barista everywhere. Even when they find themselves at a different café with a different barista, Aster found his mind wandering back to Ren.
This new café which also doubled as a diner, was a little out of the way for the three friends. They had to go to the law faculty to get there. But the place was bigger and not as packed as their usual café. They managed to snatch a corner booth, where Aster sat across the two girls, trying to string the words together.
“Aster, are you okay?” Maria asked, her concern growing when the purple haired male hadn’t said a word. “You’ve been quiet for a while now.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, breathing in deeply. As much as he tried to rationalise his feelings, he kept coming back to the same conclusion. “I think I like Ren.”
There was a moment of silence as the two girls exchanged looks. Aster was looking at them with pleading eyes, hoping they would have the answer to his problem.
“I thought you’ve always liked him,” Scarle said, carefully.
“No,” Aster said, now surprised. Has he always liked Ren? That can’t be right. He only realised his feelings just now. “It was a joke. He flirts with me, and I kind of flirt with him back. We both knew it was just for fun and nothing serious. But now, I, maybe, kind of like him.”
“What makes you think you like him?” Maria asked.
“I can’t look him in the eye anymore, without blushing. I keep staring at him whenever I go to the café,” Aster explained, cringing a bit now that he said it out loud. “And I was so annoyed when Uki invited him to the Ethyria concert. He has Fulgur, why is he inviting Ren.”
“Maybe they’re all going together as a group,” Scarle said, reasonably. Aster pursed his lips, resisting the urge to sulk like a child.
“Are you sure you like him?” Maria asked. “Maybe you’re just used to all the flirting, that you start thinking it’s real.”
“I don’t know. Maybe? I didn’t feel this way at the beginning,” Aster said, trying to pinpoint when it all started. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we just flirt too much.”
“Yeah, you might just be feeling confused right now because you guys have been doing this flirting thing since you both met,” Maria added. “Maybe you need some space from him to figure out how you’re actually feeling.”
“I don’t know,” Scarle said. “I don’t know what you two are doing when no one else is around. But avoiding Ren doesn’t feel like the right answer.”
“Don’t avoid him,” Maria said. “Just maybe stop flirting for a while until you’re sure of how you’re feeling.”
“I guess. I mean, Ren’s usually the one who flirts with me first, so maybe I just don’t respond,” Aster said, which somehow caused the two girls to exchange looks once more. Confused, he asked, “What?”
“I don’t know,” Scarle said, slowly. “These days, it feels like you’re the one doing the flirting. I mean, you’re both doing it. But you’re the one initiating it.”
“I’m not the one initiating it,” Aster protested. While he has gotten bolder in reciprocating Ren’s flirting, he still had trouble actually initiating anything.
“Okay. I mean, what do I know,” Scarle shrugged, which only infuriated him even more.
“It’s okay, even if Ren was the one to flirt first, you just don’t flirt back,” Maria said. “Just try and keep it platonic until you figure out where you’re at.”
The next day, Aster tried to do just that. Maintain a little distance between them, as he tried to figure out his feelings. He arrived at the café for his usual pick me up after his morning class, where there was already a line of students waiting to do the same. The little bell over the door rang and Aster could see Ren busy making drinks as fast as he could while Fulgur was at the cashier ringing up orders.
That’s good. That means he can order without actually running into Ren. There was still a chance Ren would be the one to give him the drink, but that would be very quick. They wouldn’t even have a chance to talk.
Ren was calling out a customer's name to pick up their order, when he glanced up and caught the gaze of those mismatched eyes. He smiled and waved Aster over. He glanced at his boss, making sure the older man was busy before he set a strawberry peppermint frappe in front of the purple haired male.
“We’re releasing a new flavour,” Ren told him. “I thought you might want to be the first to try it.”
“Thanks, so do I just?” Aster asked, glancing at the long line. At this rate, he’ll finish his drink before he pays for it.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Ren said. “You can come back and pay later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, at least then I know you’ll come back,” Ren grinned, and really, he shouldn’t be able to say things like that.
Before Aster could respond, however, Ren’s blue haired co-worker, Kyo, came over with another customer’s drink, “Someone just ordered a caramel latte with a shot of hazel and whipped cream.”
“Yeah, alright,” Ren said, giving Aster a quick goodbye before getting back to his work.
Aster left the café, with the cold drink in hand and a smile on his face. He couldn’t help it, not after what happened. The drink was just as sweet as he liked it. Lately, Ren has been surprising him with new drinks whenever he goes to the café. Some are newly released while there are some that are still in the experimenting stage.
Maybe he’s been to the café too many times, or maybe Ren just knows him that well. But nearly all of the time, Aster actually enjoyed the drinks he got.
Aster realised he was still smiling like an idiot when he arrived at his lecture hall with his drink now a third way down. He tried to shake it off, and searched for the bespectacled girl who as per usual would have saved him a seat. He spotted her sitting near the middle rows, and went to join her.
“Another sweet drink?” Aia asked, seeing his drink. “You’re going to get diabetes if you keep drinking like this.”
“Ren gave it to me,” Aster told her, happily. “He said it was a new drink.”
“Oh, I think that was the one he gave Mari last night,” Aia said, recognizing the drink. “How is it? Mari seemed to like it.”
“He gave one to Mari?” Aster asked, feeling like he just got dragged back to reality. Of course, he wasn’t the only one to receive these drinks. He was fooling himself into thinking he was that special.
“Yeah, he was trying to come up with a new drink, and was giving us like a variety of flavours,” Aia told him. “I tried his orange caramel latte, which needs a little work. A little too much orange to be honest. But he’s learning.”
“Yeah,” Aster said, sipping his drink.
No, this was good. He needed a reminder from time to time that this was all just for fun. It’s all just platonic fun. He shouldn’t let every little gesture go to his head.
Later that day, Aster went back to the café when he was sure Ren’s shift was over. By now, he had basically memorized the barista’s schedule, and he knew Ren had an evening class that day. So, he went in and joined the evening rush and made his payment.
Aster grew worried that he may have gotten Ren in trouble, when the second in charge, Vox, frowned, when he heard what happened. The older didn’t comment on it, but Aster ended up feeling obligated to get another drink and a pastry to make up for it.
It was later in his room, when Aster was lying flat on his bed, eyes trained on the ceiling fan, that he realised that this was going to be a big problem if he didn’t get a hold of it. A drink was all it took for him to act like a lovesick fool. It wasn’t even a free drink!
Aster realised he needed some distance. Some actual proper distance away from Ren. He had midterms coming up and assignments to finish. He didn’t have time to wonder if the cute barista thought of him the same way.
Aster needed time away to sort his feelings out, and when he sees Ren again, he won’t be able to make a fool out of himself. Yes, that’s what he’ll have to do.
Over the next few weeks, Aster threw himself into his school work and decided to go to the café diner at the law faculty instead for his daily drinks. Their drinks weren’t as good as the ones from the café, but it made it easier for him and Aia to work on their assignment together, and with her being a law student, it was the perfect excuse for him to go there instead.
While he did miss seeing the barista, at least he didn’t have to deal with unnecessary jealousy or having to stop himself from getting too flustered in public. The worst he had to handle in this place was Aia going on a tangent such as when she explained to him the history behind the Salem Witch Trials, when they were supposed to discuss the necessity of the death penalty for their assignment.
She must have thought the same thing, because she shot him a sheepish smile, and said, “Sorry, I keep going off topic. Maybe we should take a break.”
“Yeah,” was all Aster could say. He had lost track of the conversation a while ago, and had started wondering if Ren noticed his absence. He imagined Ren looking up at the door every time the little bell ring, waiting for him to walk in.
As if.
Aster shook away those unrealistic thoughts and stretched out his arms in front of him, while Aia went to get some more snacks for them.
She came back shortly after with a basket of fries with her. Aster raised an eyebrow at it, but said nothing. It was kind of strange to see a café serving fries like a diner. But then again, it is a diner café, so maybe it wasn’t so strange.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Aia started, twirling the fry in her hand before biting hard on it. It felt like she was steeling herself up to something.
“What?”
“Do you know if Scarle’s seeing anyone?”
Aster paused, now wondering if the fries were a way to butter him up for this conversation. He gave the question some thought, before answering, “I don’t think so.”
“No?”
“I don’t think so,” he shrugged. He couldn't help the smile on his face, when he asked her, “Why? Know anyone who’s interested?”
Aia scoffed, “Yeah, I can name five people off the top of my head.”
“Yeah, are you maybe one of them?” he asked, amused when she actually threw her a look. Aia had always sounded so confident in her past romance escapades, it’s strange to see her beat around the bush about it now.
“I don’t know if she’s actually interested in dating someone like me,” Aia sighed. “I’m not even sure she’s into girls. All I hear her talk about are the guys from her otome games.”
“Yeah, but she’s also constantly talking about you,” Aster told her, noting the way she smiled at that little titbit. “She’s always asking me if I was going to see you. She would try to find any reason to join us if she could.”
“Really? Wait, really?” Aia perked up. “Is she asking about me because I’m your friend or is she asking about me the way Ren usually asks about you?”
This time it was Aster’s turn to blush, “Whaat. Ren doesn’t- he doesn’t ask about me.”
If he did, surely someone would have mentioned it to him, right?
Aia looked at him in disbelief, “What do you mean? Ren’s been asking about you for the past two weeks. He’s wondering why you haven’t dropped by lately. He clearly missed his little star.”
“Aia, I’m not his- I’m not a little star!” Aster protested, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. “He probably missed me, because I’m a regular there.”
“Mhm,” Aia said, in a way that made it clear she didn’t believe him. “So, why haven’t you been to the café lately?”
“I just thought it would be easier for us to meet here,” he told her, nonchalantly.
“Aster, you only have one class a week here,” she reminded him. “It would have been better to meet at the café. It’s convenient for both of us, and I get to see Scarle when she comes in the evenings.”
“But your classes are here,” Aster argued, weakly. “I thought it would be better for you.”
“It would have been better if I could see Scarle,” Aia shrugged. “Now, I have to figure out when else she goes to the café. Do you know if she studies there at night?”
“She studies in her room with Maria,” Aster told her.
Aia tsked, “You know what, Aster, let’s start meeting at the café again. I need to get my weekly dose of Scarle and you clearly need your dose of Ren.”
Despite Aster’s attempts, Aia shot him a text right before their next meeting, telling him she was waiting at the café. The café where Ren was working. Aster sighed, and pocketed his phone. He can’t really argue at this point.
Some of his lecturers have decided to move up their midterms and now he has three different tests in one day. When he got that text, he didn’t have it in him to fight anymore. It made more sense to just go to the café. It was closer to both his place and his classes, and honestly, walking to the law faculty three times a week was tiring him out faster than he expected.
The little bell above the door rang like a little welcome back to Aster. With midterms starting, the café was now packed with students and their books. Aster scanned the room for the braided girl, and spotted her tucked in the corner at the back, typing on her laptop surrounded by thick books of her own.
He was about to join her, when a voice grabbed his attention, “Aster?”
Aster froze and turned slowly to see the raven-haired barista right there behind the counter, with a drink in each hand. For a moment, they both gravitated to each other. To where Aster would sit and Ren would work on the other side sharing their little stories and their little jokes. For a moment, Aster forgot about his feelings and just needed a little comfort from the one person that never failed to make him smile.
But then, Kyo called out for everyone to hear, “Ren! Make sure you serve those drinks before you run off to your boyfriend!”
They both stilled, and suddenly it wasn’t just them. There were people watching, wondering who Ren and his alleged boyfriend were. Aster could have sworn he heard someone giggled. But he couldn’t bring himself to see who as he tried to remain calm about the whole situation in spite of his reddening face.
Ren shot him a sheepish smile, before going to the pickup place to call out the customers for their drinks. Aster took the chance to join the line, not wanting to just wait there like an idiot. Kyo was managing the cashier and he was almost too quick with it. Aster didn’t have to wait long, before it was his turn.
The blue haired male quirked a smile at him, “Good to see you’re back. I’ll get Ren.”
“You don’t have to,” Aster started, not sure if he was ready yet.
“I do, actually,” Kyo told him. “He’s been whining nonstop asking why you weren’t around. He’ll bitch about it if I don’t let him serve you.”
“No, I won’t,” Ren protested, joining them. Kyo rolled his eyes, but let him take over the counter. He waited until the smaller one leaves before turning to the purple haired male with a bright smile. “Hey Aster, I haven’t seen you in a while.”
All that time staying away from the café to calm his heart went out the window, as it only raced faster hearing the barista’s voice. He cleared his throat, and managed a polite smile, “Yeah, I’ve been going to the Law’s diner café to meet up with Aia for our assignment.”
“Oh yeah? Well, I’m glad you’re back,” Ren said, happily.
Aster genuinely hoped he wasn’t blushing right then, and instead turned his focus to the menu above. “Um, I’ll just have an iced peach tea and two chocolate muffins.”
“Sure, I’ll give it to you later,” Ren said, ringing up his order. “Usual place, right?”
“Actually, I’ll be sitting with Aia back there,” Aster said, pointing him to where the bespectacled girl was sitting.
“Oh,” Ren said, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Yeah, you don’t have to send it,” Aster told him. “You could just call us like you do everyone else’s. One of us can come get it.”
“No, no,” Ren said, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, for you, I will bring it straight to your table.”
“Thanks,” Aster said, smiling appreciatively. He paid for their food, and headed to the back where Aia was. He kept reminding himself that Ren was just a friendly barista with excellent customer service.
He sat down at the table with a heavy sigh. Aia barely spared him a glance when she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Aster shook his head, “It’s nothing. Sorry, it took me so long to get here. But I got us muffins.”
Aia glanced at his empty hands, and he quickly said, “Oh, Ren’s going to bring it to us later.”
She eyed him thoughtfully, looking as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she shrugged it off, and showed him the progress she made so far on their assignment. Relieved that she was letting it go, he took out his own laptop to show what he found.
They spent the next hour just working on their assignment. They ended up so busy with their assignment that they barely spared a glance when Ren finally arrived with their muffins and cold drink. Aster shot a quick thanks as his eyes scanned the laptop screen, looking for the information that would help them finish their assignment faster.
When evening came, they had all but finished their assignment. A few more edits and they were done, and can focus on their midterms. Aia left first, her eyes searching for a certain brunette for a few seconds before giving up. Aster decided to stay at the café to study. He had all his books and notes with him, and all the drinks he needed to keep going.
“Hey Aster,” Ren said, setting an iced drink in front of him.
Aster looked at it confused, wondering if he had ordered another drink without realising it. This would be his third drink in the span of a few hours. Not that he’s complaining, but he had to be sure.
“Oh, don’t worry, this one’s on me,” Ren quickly assured him. “You look like you needed it.”
Aster shot him a thankful smile and turned back to his studies. He was about to continue, when he realised the barista was still there, looking strangely nervous.
Aster found it endearing, but he probably shouldn’t make it clear he did, and instead asked, curtly, “What?”
That seemed to make things worse for the barista, which instantly made Aster feel bad. Ren smiled uncertainly, as he said, “You seem busy."
“Yeah, I have four tests this week,” Aster said, taking a sip of the cold drink. “And three of them are on the same day.”
“That sucks,” Ren said, empathetically. He gestured to the opposite chair, asking, and Aster didn’t have a reason to say no. So, the barista pulled up the seat across from him.
“What about you?” Aster asked, as casually as he could. Ren looked so much cuter up close, that he had to try a little harder not to stare so openly. “When does your midterm start?”
“It already did,” Ren answered. “I had a test today, and I’m taking Wednesday and Thursday off to focus on the one on Friday.”
“Must be nice to have gaps in between your tests,” Aster said, enviously.
Ren laughed, “Don’t worry, it’s only two weeks and then we have the Niji Fest coming up.”
“Yeah,” Aster said, not really feeling as excited as most of the students were about it. Maybe he’d look forward to it more once his tests were over.
“You know, about the Niji Fest,” Ren started, carefully. “Do you want to go with me?”
Aster’s eyes widened and his heart started racing at the idea of walking around and checking out the booths with Ren. Just the two of them. Sharing food together, and taking lots of pictures. They could go to a haunted house together, and he could cling on to the taller male the whole way through. They would end the night by watching the fireworks together.
But Aster was getting ahead of himself. People usually go to the Niji Fest with their friends. So, he shouldn’t assume that this was a date. Calming himself, he asked, “Oh, who else is going?”
Please say no one else. Please say no one else.
“Oh, um, Kyo and maybe Enna as well. Uki might join too,” Ren said, immediately destroying whatever dream Aster was having. Of course, there were other people going. There was no way it was just going to be them.
Aster was careful to mask his disappointment when he replied, “Oh, I have to check with Finana. We were planning to go together.”
“I mean, we can all go together,” Ren said. “You know, the more the merrier.”
“Yeah, but I still have to ask her first,” he said. Seeing the look on the other’s face, he added, “But she’ll be fine with it, I think. Surely, she’ll be fine with us all going together.”
“Surely,” Ren said, giving Aster that smile that made the butterflies in his stomach run wild. “I guess I’ll leave you to your studies. Good luck in midterms!”
“Thanks, you too,” Aster said, watching the barista leave. He waited until the other was out of sight before he dropped his head on his book, wondering why his life was the way it is. Why did he have to grow feelings that only complicated his life?
Later, on his walk home, he pulled out his phone and shot a text to Finana, asking if she wanted to go to Niji Fest together.
Aster was staying back at his class during an hour gap. His test that morning was unnecessarily cruel, as the lecturer walked around the class and kept making sounds at their answers. When Aster tried to cover his paper, the lecturer actually had the gall to tell him to move his arm. It left him feeling drained afterwards.
He was planning to sneak in a nap before he had to leave for his next class, when someone found him. He barely had time to see who it was when an angry voice called out to him, “Aster, what the fuck is wrong with you?!”
Aster was not in the mood to deal with whatever this is, “Excuse me?”
“What. The fuck. Is wrong with you,” Kyo repeated once he was standing in front of the purple haired male. He took the brief height advantage to glare down at him. “After leading Ren on for months, you suddenly decided you didn’t want him? You’re even ignoring him now.”
“I never led him on,” Aster protested. “And I’m not ignoring him.”
“You playing this hot and cold bullshit with him is just as bad,” Kyo spat. “He asked you out, and you don’t even have the decency to give him a proper answer. You should just tell him if you don’t like him like. Don’t fucking leave him hanging.”
“Wait, what, he didn’t ask me out,” Aster said, now confused. He would have remembered if Ren asked him out.
Kyo narrowed his eyes at the purple haired male, trying to figure out if he was lying or just plain stupid, “Ren told me he did. He said, he asked you out to go to the NijiFest with him, and you never got back to him.”
“What? That-”
“Hmm.”
“Okay that-”
“Mhm.”
Aster huffed, now shooting a glare of his own. “That wasn’t a date! How is it a date if you, Enna and Uki are going to be there as well?”
“Why would we be there?”
“I don’t know, that’s what he told me,” Aster said. “He told me, you guys are going to be there as well. How is that a date?”
“Wait, tell me exactly what he said,” Kyo told him. Aster repeated the conversation for him, which only increased Kyo’s headache once he was finished. “Aster, tell me something, do you like Ren? Do you want to go on a date with him? Do you want to hold hands and kiss while you both watch the fireworks?”
“I mean, it’s actually impossible to watch the fireworks if you’re kissing someone,” Aster pointed out.
“Oh my god, Aster,” Kyo said, wondering why his friends were both idiots. “Do you like Ren?”
Aster hesitated to answer, but he also knew Kyo wasn’t going to let it go as easily as the girls. So, he quietly answered, “Maybe.”
“Okay then, go out with him,” Kyo said, conclusively. “You should go see him right now, and tell Ren that you would like to go to Niji Fest with him and only him.”
“I don’t know,” Aster said, slowly. “He seemed pretty set on going with you guys. I don’t want to assume.”
“Aster, you and Ren have been flirting with each other for months now,” Kyo pointed out. “You’re not assuming anything if it’s true. You and Ren like each other.”
“But Ren flirts with everyone.”
“No, he does not,” Kyo said, firmly. “He may have at the beginning. But do you realise that he’s only been flirting with you, lately?”
“That’s not true. I’ve seen him flirt with Uki, pretty recently too,” Aster argued.
“That’s Uki. Uki flirts with everyone,” Kyo told him. “And if you paid attention, you would realise how most of the time, Ren doesn’t even notice because he’s too busy making googly eyes at you.”
“That’s not true…”
“Think about it, Aster,” Kyo said. “Try to remember the last time you saw Ren actually flirt with someone other than you or Uki. And I mean, actually flirt and not just him saying some dumb shit.”
Aster thought about it, but as much as he wanted to come up with something, he couldn’t. The only other person he’s seen Ren flirt with is Uki and game characters. If the psychic doesn’t count, the game characters definitely don’t either.
“Exactly,” Kyo said, satisfied that his point has been proven. “So, what you need to do now is talk to him.”
“I really don’t have time to stop by the café today,” Aster sighed. He still had more tests to worry about. He really didn’t want to have to worry about his feelings as well.
But the younger had already expected this and simply replied with a nod toward the door, “Don’t worry, I already called him here.”
“What?” Aster froze, not daring to turn around. He hoped that Kyo was lying, but judging by the other’s face and the voice that followed not long after, he clearly wasn’t.
“Hey Kyo. Hey Aster,” Ren said, going to lean against the desk next to Kyo. He wasn’t wearing his usual café uniform and instead was donned in a dark hoodie, making him look softer than usual. Aster had to avert his eyes to avoid openly staring.
“Hey Ren,” Kyo greeted, his eyes never leaving Aster’s.
“Hey,” Aster said, forcing a smile of his own. His mind was racing to come up with something, anything that would allow him to leave right that moment. He was not ready to have this conversation.
“Hey Ren, Aster needs to talk to you about NijiFest,” Kyo said, helpfully. Aster shot him a glare, which he readily ignored.
“Oh?” Ren glanced between the two of them. “Oh, yeah, you’re going with Finana, right?”
Before Aster could answer, Kyo huffed, “No, he isn’t. Finana is going with Selen. Do I have to have this conversation for you both?”
“Wait, you’re not- I don’t- I don’t understand what’s happening right now,” Ren said, clearly confused. He turned to Aster for some clarification, but the purple haired male wasn’t even looking at him.
“And Aster, I’m going with Enna and Millie to the NijiFest and Uki is going with Fulgur,” Kyo added. “Scarle and Aia are going together too. Marie is going with Pomu and Nina. Since neither of you have anyone else you can go with, why don’t you just go together?”
He finished that in a tone that let them both know there was no room for arguments. He started to get up and leave, “I have to go. I better hear that you’re both going to the NijiFest together tonight or I will lock both your asses up until you agree to go together.”
There was a moment of silence after the blue haired male left and Ren was now left with Aster who refused to even look at him. He glanced around the empty classroom, wondering if he should just leave. But he didn’t want to leave things with Aster like this, and lately the other have been so hard to get a hold off.
“You know, you don’t have to-”
“You didn’t say it was a date.”
“What?” Ren asked, thinking he was mishearing things.
Picking up his pen and playing with it, “I didn’t know you were asking me out.”
“Oh yeah, that,” Ren said, awkwardly.
“You told me other people were coming,” Aster reminded him.
“You asked who else was coming,” Ren argued. “I thought you wouldn’t want to come if it was just us two.”
“I would,” Aster said, quietly. There was no point, he realised, to avoid it anymore. No matter what he does. The fact that he likes Ren will not change. So, he took a deep breath and looked up at the taller, “I’d like it if it was just us two.”
“Yeah?” The way Ren’s eyes actually lit up as he broke into his signature grin had Aster smiling as well.
“Yeah.”
Ren started to say something, when something occurred him, “You sure? Because you know, Aster, you don’t have to do this just because Kyo says so.”
“What?”
“I mean, if you’d rather go with anyone else, you can,” Ren said, the words coming out in a rush. “You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to.”
Aster realised, in that moment, maybe Ren was just struggling as much as he was. Maybe Ren actually reciprocated his feelings but didn’t know how to handle it either. Aster remembered what Kyo said about Ren making googly eyes, and blushed at the thought of being on the receiving end.
“Aster? You don’t have to-”
“I want to,” Aster said, cutting him off. Maybe a little too quickly. Oh, the embarrassment has doubled now. He tried to ignore it and forced himself to focus on what he’s about to say, “Ren, I’d like to go to NijiFest with you.”
“Yeah? Yeah, okay,” Ren said, his winning grin returning. “Alright, I’ll pick you up at your place? I got the day off that weekend, so we can go pretty early.”
“Sure,” Aster said, grinning back. The alarm he set up earlier went off right then. He checked his phone and realised he should leave before someone else comes in. “I have to go to my next class.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Ren told him.
Aster can’t help but ask, playfully, “Can you carry my bag as well?”
Ren laughed, “I mean, I can carry it if you want.”
Aster laughed lightly. Sure, he was blushing. Sure, his heart was still racing and the butterflies were going wild. But as they left that classroom, he realised it’s fine because now he knows he’s not the only one who feels this way.