Nero thinks this can’t be anything more than a dream. Maybe he’s asleep, late by an hour for work. Or a class. Yeah, he’s probably asleep and missing out on something important in the human world all because of some silly dream, that sounds like him.

Only, the man would argue that it’s not just some silly dream. It’s not silly at all, and it’s in front of his own two eyes — you. You’re next to him in his car. You’re in Nero’s car. You’re a bit fidgety and your posture’s kinda stuff, but you’re still in his car.

After a whole semester or two — give or take — of eyeing you in the classes you shared with each other (to which you understandably assumed Nero was just mean mugging you for no reason), he’d finally decided to throw his hat in the ring and ask you out on a date after getting paired for a final project.

Initially, you told Nero you’d give him the time of day under the condition that you two earned a good final grade for your class. Now, the new semester’s arrived and it’s written on both of your records that you earned a respectable A in that class.

Thus, here you sit. A bit rosy-cheeked and no doubt bashful, but there’s an odd glee that settles in your bones despite the minutely awkward tension between Nero and you in his car.