Love at first sight doesn’t exist.

It’s a stupid concept. How can one fall in love with a complete stranger? What can they love? They don’t know anything. Not their personality, not interests, and especially not if they can see themselves in their future. Attraction to one’s appearance isn’t love, or else the point of such a deep emotion is diminished to something so shallow.

But when Ace first catches sight of you, merely passing through the hallway, he can feel his eyes widen. Your smile, your laugh, the way you greet people and spread that bundle of joy around — it makes him think even your appearance can say so much about you.

He doesn’t notice the way Marco side-eyes him, wiggling his eyebrows with a knowing smirk. It’s only when he’s slapped upside the head that Ace realizes how hot his cheeks have gotten and that all his friends are cackling at him.

“Someone’s got a cruuush~” Jozu teases, elbowing him. The size difference between him and Ace nearly knocks the latter into the lockers.

A crush, huh? That might be a better word for it.

With more sophistication than his other friend, Izou pats Ace’s shoulder. “You should ask them out,” he advises, though just as playful. “They might say yes. They might also say no. Be ready in case of a rejection too.”

Ace deflates at the thought of that. This comes at the cost of his pride, so he takes a moment to contemplate it, but when a chorus of “Do it! Do it! Do it!” start emerging from behind him, getting louder and louder until it has heads turning towards the lively group, Ace frantically shushes them and hisses a quick “I’ll do it! I’ll do it! Just shut up already!!”

With a nervous gulp, he smoothes out his unkempt hair and clothes and walks towards you, who evidently expected his approach due to the rowdiness of his friends.

He gives you a wide toothy grin that makes him look like a dork.

“…Yo,” Ace says, cringing at how awfully obvious it is that he’s trying to seem cool.

Love at first sight may not exist… but crush at first sight certainly does.