Work Text:
It was way too late for this.
Rou stood in front of the freezer aisle of a half-empty convenience store, humming under his breath as the glass door fogged up. His uniform was perfect, of course — neat tie, clean blazer, student council pin exactly where it belonged. The first day of suffering.
it's the first day of senior high school tomorrow, and I stayed up late just to buy ice cream for those 3 idiots.
Rou thought to himself
Rou stood in front of the freezer aisle, the cold air brushing his face as the glass door fogged over.
It was late. Too late.
But tradition was tradition — Steady Paths always ate ice cream before the first day of school.
Steady Paths did it every year.
No matter how busy.
No matter how stressed.
Meanwhile tonight, everyone else got stuck reorganizing the student council office.
So Rou volunteered to go alone.
He headed to the freezer aisle, humming an off-key Avril Lavigne song Mei forced into his brain that afternoon.
He opened the freezer.
Only one large tub left.
Cookies n’ cream.
Perfect.
He reached out—
and another hand touched the container at the same time.
Rou froze.
So did the stranger.
Their eyes locked through the cold air and the foggy freezer light.
Rou blinked, soft and startled.
The guy didn’t blink at all.
Black hair fell over his forehead in a soft mullet, lavender peeking underneath like an inside joke. His expression looked naturally annoyed but also oddly… calm?
Rou swallowed.
“Sorry— you can take it,” he said quietly.
Then he let go.
The stranger stared at him for another second. Not judgmental. Just confused at how easily Rou backed off.
Rou gave a tiny bow—habit—then turned away with his empty basket.
He didn’t look back.
He didn’t see the stranger watching him leave.
The walk back to the apartment building felt shorter than usual.
Rou pressed the elevator button, wondering if he should’ve tried harder for the ice cream. But no, that would’ve been rude. Besides, Mei wouldn’t yell. Probably.
He reached their door and knocked twice.
Mei opened it immediately.
“Where’s the ice cream?”
Rou smiled nervously. “Minor complication.”
Sota, sitting on the couch in sunglasses at midnight, scoffed. “Failure already, President.”
“It’s not his fault,” Emory said from the kitchen, stirring tea he didn’t actually want. “It’s destiny. Or anti-destiny. Depends.”
“It was a nice interaction,” Rou admitted softly, kicking his shoes off. “Kind of.”
Sota lifted a brow. “You talked to someone who wasn’t us? Bold.”
“Who?” Mei asked, leaning over the couch.
Rou opened his mouth—
A loud knock interrupted.
Three knocks. Sharp.
Emory blinked. “We’re not expecting anyone, right?”
Sota muttered, “It’s 12 a.m., who the hell—”
Mei cracked the door open.
Then she swung it wider.
Rou’s breath hitched before he could hide it.
It was the guy from the convenience store.
The lavender-peakaboo one.
The freezer boy.
Still holding the large tub.
He lifted it slightly. “Hey.”
Rou stepped forward, stunned. “You…?”
“You left without taking anything,” the guy said. Still flat-voiced. Still not smiling. “Didn’t feel right keeping all of this.”
Sota whispered, “Did this delinquent just share?”
Emory elbowed him.
Rou blinked, flustered. “O-Oh. Thank you. You really didn’t need to—”
“Whatever,” the guy cut off. “I live next door. If you want ice cream for your… night ritual or whatever, take some. You looked like you wanted it.”
Rex suddenly appeared behind him, peeking over his shoulder like a chaotic golden retriever. “Hi! I’m Rex! We just moved in!”
A second figure yelled from their apartment behind them, “AZ. REX. CLOSE THE DOOR. MOSQUITOES.”
Rou jumped slightly at the sudden voice.
The lavender-haired one—Az—turned around. “Hold on, I’m talking.”
Sota whispered, “He’s scary.”
Rou whispered back, “He’s not.”
Sota threw his hands up. “Rou, you literally met him five minutes ago—”
Az held the tub out again. “Take half. We have bowls. And spoons.”
Rou hesitated.
Then smiled.
“That would be nice.”
Mei tugged Sota’s sleeve. “They can share it in our apartment. More space.”
“No,” Sota said. “He’ll get crumbs on our couch.”
“It’s ice cream,” Mei shot back. “There are no crumbs.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Both of you stop,” Emory said.
Az watched all their chaos like he’d stumbled into a sitcom.
“Just take the ice cream,” he muttered.
Rou took it gently.
“Thank you, Az… right?”
Az blinked. “Yeah.”
He scratched the back of his neck like he wasn’t used to people saying his name softly.
Rex waved with both hands. “We’re Street Sharks by the way! A trio! We skate! We look mean but we’re not— well, Az looks mean. Axel is mean. I’m sweet. Come hang out sometime!”
From inside their apartment, Axel’s voice yelled again:
“I’M NOT MEAN. STOP LYING.”
Az sighed deeply.
Rex grinned. “See? Very friendly household!”
Rou laughed under his breath.
Just one small laugh.
Az looked at him like the sound surprised him.
Five minutes later, all of them were in Rou’s apartment living room, passing bowls around.
Az sat on the floor near the coffee table, arms on his knees, eyes drifting to Rou every few seconds without meaning to.
Rou sat opposite him, careful and warm as always.
Rex talked nonstop.
Mei wrote something in a notebook and refused to show anyone.
Sota criticized the brand of the spoons.
Emory kept staring out the window like tomorrow wasn’t the first day of senior year.
Az didn’t say much.
But when Rou handed him one of the bowls, their fingers touched for a second.
Rou went still.
Az did too.
Rex noticed and mouthed OH MY GOD behind Az’s back.
Rou pretended he didn’t see.
Az pretended he didn’t hear.
But both of them felt something shift.
Barely.
Quietly.
Like the first note of a song.
The ice cream started melting too fast, but no one cared.
They sat in a loose circle on the floor, bowls balanced on knees, the TV on low volume playing some random late-night teen drama rerun.
Rex was halfway through describing how their skateboard wheels “glow in the dark but only when the moon is in the mood,” when his spoon clattered.
He gasped. “Wait— I didn’t get any cookie chunks in this scoop.”
Sota rolled his eyes. “Cry about it.”
“Sota,” Rou said gently.
“What? He’s dramatic.”
Rex sniffed loudly. “You hurt me.”
Emory tossed him the container. “Dig for the chunks, dude.”
Rex brightened instantly. “Emory, you’re an angel.”
“Don’t tell Emory that,” Sota said, pointing her spoon at him. “He's a devil.”
Emory immediately turned pink. “W-What— Sota—”
Axel looked at him from across the circle.
For a second, everything around them blurred into warm noise.
Rou had this softness in the way he held the bowl, like he was scared of hurting the ice cream.
Az watched him with a look Rou couldn’t quite read— not judgment, not pity… something else. Something slower.
Az cleared his throat and looked away.
Emory suddenly sat up straighter. “So, uh… since you guys just moved in… what school were you at before this?”
Rex answered first. “We moved a lot. Az and Axel kept getting into trouble. I’m innocent though.”
“Lies,” Az muttered.
“I’m partially innocent,” Rex corrected.
Emory laughed, all sunlight even at midnight. Axel, from their open apartment door across the hall, yelled again:
“STOP EMBARRASSING US, REX—”
“Axel!” Rex called back. “Come eat ice cream!”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Rex grinned at the Steady Paths. “He’ll come around.”
Sota snorted. “Or he’ll burn your apartment down.”
“That happened once!” Rex said proudly. “Accidentally.”
Rou nearly dropped his spoon. “O-Once?”
Az shrugged. “Twice.”
Rex glared at him. “I was trying to make a grilled cheese.”
Emory gasped. “I knew he could cook.”
Az scoffed. “He can’t.”
“AZ,” Axel barked back.
“WHAT?” Az yelled.
“STOP LYING.”
Emory leaned closer to Rou. “Their family dynamic is… something.”
Rou smiled. “They’re lively.”
“And loud,” Sota added.
“And fun,” Rex beamed.
Az didn’t say anything, but one corner of his mouth twitched.
Half the tub disappeared without anyone noticing.
When Rou stood up to put the container away, Az followed him to the tiny kitchen.
He didn’t mean to.
His feet just moved.
Rou rinsed the empty bowls carefully, humming another Avril Lavigne chorus under his breath— soft, quiet, like a secret.
Az leaned against the counter.
“Is that the same song you were humming at the store?”
Rou startled a little. “O-Oh. Yes. Mei made me listen to it. She said it’s a classic.”
“It is,” Az said.
Rou blinked. “You listen to Avril Lavigne?”
Az shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Yeah. And Paramore. And some old bands.”
Rou smiled shyly. “I like soft songs. With piano. But Mei said I should broaden my horizons.”
Az watched him for a moment.
“Your friends are weird,” he said.
Rou looked down. “Ah— sorry if they made you uncomfortable—”
“I didn’t say it was bad,” Az cut in. “Weird can be good.”
Rou looked up again.
Az looked away too quickly.
When they walked back to the living room, everyone was already reorganizing themselves.
Mei stretched her arms. “Alright, boys. We all have school tomorrow. Senior year starts at eight.”
Emory gasped. “Eight?? It’s 1 a.m. already—”
“You stayed up studying last night,” Mei reminded him. “This is your fault.”
Sota leaned back smugly. “Imagine not sleeping early.”
Mei raised a brow. “You play mobile games until three.”
“…and?” Sota said.
Rex stood, stretching dramatically. “We should head back. Axel will kill us if we’re out any longer.”
Az nodded once. “Yeah.”
He grabbed the tub from the table, but Rou gently stopped him.
“You can leave it here. We’ll wash it and return it tomorrow.”
Az held the container loosely. “It’s fine. I can—”
“No,” Rou said softly. “Let us return it.”
Az stared at him.
Just stared.
Rou didn’t look away this time.
Rex whispered loudly, “BRO, YOU ARE STARING—”
Az shoved him toward the door.
Mei laughed.
Emory waved. “Goodnight! And tell Axel to try not to punch anyone tomorrow.”
Az deadpanned, “I’ll try.”
Rex saluted. “Street Sharks, retreat!”
Sota muttered, “That name is so stupid.”
Rex gasped. “THANK YOU.”
“That wasn’t a compliment—” Sota tried, but Rex was already gone.
Az lingered for half a second by the doorway.
He looked at Rou again.
Only Rou.
“…Night,” he said.
Rou smiled, soft and small.
“Goodnight, Az.”
Az blinked once.
Then left.
When the door closed, the room fell silent.
Mei turned to Rou slowly.
“…So,” she said.
Rou looked confused. “So… what?”
Sota threw a pillow at him. “YOU MET A BOY AT A CONVENIENCE STORE AND LET HIM HAVE THE ICE CREAM AND HE FOLLOWED YOU HOME.”
Emory added, “And he stared at you like you were a soft puppy he didn’t know how to pet.”
Rou covered his face with both hands. “S-Stop— it wasn’t— we just— he was being nice—”
Mei leaned against the door. “Rou Xīzhuán… our little angel… might have a crush.”
“I don’t,” Rou said immediately.
But his ears were bright red.
And everyone saw it.
Steady Paths finally got ready for bed.
Lights dimmed.
Windows closed.
Textbooks stacked for the next morning.
Rou lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He could still feel the moment Az had looked straight into his eyes at the freezer.
He could still feel the warm weight of the ice cream tub in his hands.
He could still feel the quiet between them in the kitchen.
He turned over and hid under his blanket.
“Stop thinking about it,” he whispered to himself.
He failed immediately.
Across the hall, in the Street Sharks’ apartment, Az lay on the couch, one arm over his eyes.
Rex peeked over the backrest. “You like him.”
Az kicked him off the couch.
“NO, I DON’T.”
Rex groaned on the floor. “That means yes.”
Az threw a pillow at him.
Axel walked out of the bedroom, half asleep. “It’s one in the morning… shut up…”
Az muttered into his arm, “I don’t like him.”
Axel shrugged. “Then stop blushing.”
“I’M NOT BLUSHING—”
He absolutely was.
Tomorrow was the first day of senior year.
And two boys on opposite sides of the hallway were already losing sleep over one accidental moment in a freezer aisle.
End of Chapter 1