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"W-What-"
Grasping at words Mink began to back up, staring back into a pair of expectant hazel eyes.
How did he even get into this mess?
How did he even get wrapped up with such an obnoxious kid?
How did it even escalate to this?
-
It started with small glances that he didn't even notice half the time. The younger blue-haired boy simply trying to catch his gaze. When he didn't look back he thought he'd throw him off, make him lose interest. However, there was something about the cold shoulder that this weird kid seemed to like.
Mink didn't even know his name then, he wasn't interested. If someone were to ask him honestly, he wasn't interested in anyone's name. Now he had no choice, he couldn't forget his name.
"Aoba's the name!"
"Eh?"
"Aoba. It's my name, this seat taken?"
"...Oh. Ye-"
"Cool!"
Sitting down with a plop he moved closer to Mink, making him uncomfortable. He sat alone at lunch, no one bothered him, he bothered no one else. He had a sort of treaty with everyone at the school that went like that. No friends, no one to bother him, peace was all he needed, he didn't even see the need for friends.
"So your name's Mink, right? I heard it from these girls. They said you don't talk a lot but that's okay, I think it's cool not to talk so much then people don't know what you're thinking all the time. Like when-"
"If you think it's cool why don't you do it too?"
Stopping mid-sentence, Aoba's face held a dumbfounded expression, looking at Mink.
"Ah-"
Just then the sound of the bell wringing couldn't be sweeter to Mink's ears. Getting up quickly he took his bag and it took all his control to not sprint to the door to free himself of this 'Aoba'.
Not even a conversation in and he had the bad feeling this boy spelt nothing but trouble, and headaches. Literally.
What was with his haircut anyway?
-
After that it was a surprise if he didn't see the kid fifty times in the same day. It was like he was stalking him, interested in something about him, but Mink wasn't quite sure what that something was.
What could be interesting about him? He avoided everyone, only focused on his grades, and the only club he participated in was an extension of shop class. Even then he only came to make things with the school's tools because he couldn't afford his own.
Still, he seemingly couldn't stop following Mink around. If he had to be honest still, it was beginning to creep him out.
-
"I think I like you."
The voice was sudden, making Mink jump out of his skin. Sitting in the library he had thought he had finally given Aoba the slip for that day, not having heard from him since first period. To his despair he was horribly wrong.
"Wha-"
"Yeah, I do," Aoba got closer, sitting beside him at the table. He was quieter than usual, somehow obeying library rules but not Mink's personal space. For another thing, how did he decide such an absurd thing without even talking to Mink? The last valid conversation they had was at lunch a week and a half ago, if you could call his one-sided ramblings a conversation.
He didn't know a single thing about Mink, what he liked, what he did on a daily basis. For that matter, Mink didn't know a single thing about him. What did he like, what did he do when he wasn't stalking him? What did he do?
Wait, he shouldn't be asking these questions. He shouldn't care what this kid did all the time, he was weird and he didn't have any knowledge of what 'personal boundries' were.
"Stay away from me," popping the book he was reading into his bag Mink stood to leave, only to feel a hand gripping at his coat.
"Wait, why don't you hang out with me? You look lonely all the time."
"..." Mink didn't know what to say, was this kid really trying to pry into his life? He wasn't lonely, he just hated people. He wish he'd stop looking at him with that face too, eyes so wide an innocent. It was weird for a boy to have such a cute face.
Did he just think he was cute?
"I like being alone," shrugging off his hand he pulled on his bag, heading for the door.
"W-...Okay."
The disappointment in his voice stung as Mink made his escape, he spent the rest of the night wondering why, and how a slip of paper with a coil number mysteriously found it's way into his coat pocket.
-
As the days went by Mink was trying his hardest to keep his thoughts away from that blue-haired kid, but everytime he lost focus he found himself walking back down that path. why did he like him? What was with his hair? He had found other kids to sit with during lunch after he ignored him enough, but Mink was noticing his eyes were still drawn to him.
Finally, glancing over to his table their eyes locked. Staring, Aoba didn't seem to register the fact Mink was looking at him for a split second. Once he did, his eyes lit up, a bright blush rising to his face. Jumping, Mink stumbled to focus somewhere else, anywhere else but that obnoxious kid.
Wait, what was that noise? Was he coming over here? No, he only looked at him, that wasn't an invitation to join him for lunch.
"Hey!"
Did this kid seriously ditch his friends to sit with him on a whim?
Turning, Mink looked up into Aoba's face, bright and still blushing. To his horror he could feel his own cheeks heating up.
"H..." Sigh, "hey."
"Mind if I sit here again?"
"Don't you have friends?"
"Yeah, but you don't."
"How do you know-"
"You said you liked being alone, it's just a guess," setting his tray down Aoba sat across from him this time.
Respecting his personal space? This was a little new.
"Did you find the paper I slipped into your jacket? You can call me whenever you want if you get lonely. I know you said you liked being alone, but I figure even people who like being alone can get lonely, you know? Even if you just want to talk or just I dunno listen to each other doing things that's comforting too. I had a friend once who-"
"Why do you talk so much?"
"Huh? Cause you don't talk at all. If I talk a lot it makes it seem like we're having a conversation, and you can take up your half whenever you want, or you can just let me talk. I don't mind."
"Oh."
Mink really didn't get Aoba. However, he was starting to rub off on him all the same.
-
The next week Aoba was finding his way into Mink's life more and more.
I think I like you.
Mink found himself thinking more and more about that line as he let Aoba get closer and closer to him. He still didn't say much, but Aoba's rambling--if taken in small doses--wasn't as annoying as he had first thought. In the back of his mind it was actually nice to have someone who thought he cared enough to tell him about everything.
Although some things he didn't care at all about, it was surprising what things went on in this school that he wasn't aware of. Aoba knew anything and everything he wanted to know about the different gossip and news floating around. It was no wonder he never ran out of anything to talk about.
"So what do you think?"
"Huh?" He had tuned out a second, what was Aoba talking about? "Ah, I don't know." Mumbling, he looked to the boy and away. It was just after school and they were back in the library, Mink had wanted to get some studying done, and Aoba was still following him like some puppy.
Raising an eyebrow Aoba leaned in, getting too close for Mink's comfort.
"Do you like me?"
"W-What!?" His voice went a little higher than he wanted it too as he almost fell backward out of his chair.
"Shhh!" Came a sudden harsh call from the librarian. Flinching, Mink looked toward her, then to Aoba, suddenly getting up and yanking the blue haired boy to a more secluded part of the library. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice said this was a bad idea, but his pride wanted this cleared up.
"What do you mean, 'Like'?" He felt as though his voice came out harsher than it needed to be, but at this point he didn't care.
"Like have a crush on me, like I like you, you've been letting me close to you and stuff so I thought maybe-"
"No!" Cutting him off Mink's eyes grew wide. Sure, he had pondered on this, but every thought he had had on the subject led to a sure no! It didn't matter if he thought some of his expressions were cute! "W-Why would I-"
"Okay then," a blush rose to Aoba's cheeks, smiling and turning his face upward to look at Mink more. "Why don't we kiss and see?"
"W-..what?"
"If you don't like it then I'll accept that you don't like me. But if you do then we can try it more or something, okay?"
"Ah- What-" His mind couldn't keep up, kissing? Liking somebody? Mink had no experience in this field, he hadn't ever even had a crush on someone, let alone liked someone enough to want to kiss them. Now he was in this mess.
How did he even find himself tangled up with this kid in the first place?
As expectant hazel eyes began closing in on him he took a step back toward the bookcase, running into it just as Aoba threw his thin arms around his neck.
"I-"
A sudden warmth flushed against his lips causing him to shut his eyes momentarily as he gripped at the bookcase behind him. Then, just as sudden as it had appeared, it was gone. He opened one eye slowly, then the next.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"...no," a sigh escaped Mink's lips suddenly, shocking him slightly. He wasn't even aware he had been holding his breath.
"Good!" Perking, Aoba began to lean into him a little bit. Suddenly Mink was very aware of how fast his heart was beating. No matter how good it had felt he wasn't sure he could get over the nervous feeling Aoba stirred in him.
"You smell really good by the way, is that cinnamon?"
"...Oi."
This was going to be a long year.