Aether had been crushing on Scaramouche for three years now. Three whole years of watching him from the corner of the classroom, pretending not to care while his heart pounded like crazy every time Scara walked by.

They were seniors now, last year of high school, and Aether still hadn’t confessed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. It was just… how do you confess to someone like Scaramouche?

Scara was always sharp-tongued. He didn’t give a fuck about anyone else. He slept through classes, skipped school whenever he wanted, and ignored rules. Smoking was banned on school grounds, but there he was behind the gym, doing it anyway with his friends.

Aether, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Class representative for three years straight, the type who did his homework early, showed up on time, and followed the rules even when nobody was watching.

And yet… he liked Scara.

Lumine had figured it out long ago. Aether couldn’t hide anything from her, no matter how hard he tried. So when the final bell rang that day and everyone rushed out of the room, leaving Scaramouche still asleep with his arms folded on the desk, Lumine saw her chance.

She shoved Aether gently toward him. “Go tell him already! School’s almost over. It’s our last year. If you don’t do it now, you might never see him again.”

“I–I can’t” Aether whispered, panic rising in his throat.

“Yes you can.” Lumine smiled, but it was one of those "I’m not taking no for an answer" smiles. Then, before he could escape, she pushed him right beside Scara’s desk… and walked out, closing the classroom door behind her.

The click of the latch echoed through the empty room.

Scaramouche’s eyes opened just a little, lashes fluttering. He lifted his head slightly, half awake. His gaze, sharp even annoyed, landed on Aether standing there, frozen.

Only the two of them were left in the classroom.

Scara raised an eyebrow. "What are you staring at?"