A/N: Hello and welcome to the first one-shot! Happy reading!
Edit: I realize that as of now, Zach, Drake and Jade aren't there anymore. This is an older oneshot, and they will be gone after Rivaled Kingdoms.
Jaxx:
I sighed, sweeping my eyes over the farm one last time. I was sad, but at the same time, I was relatively relieved. Of course I loved the farm, but I also loved The Squad, and I really missed them. While I was gone, I heard that they got a new member, Charli. I had hopped onto Discord after they were done filming a few times and talked briefly with them, so I knew her a little bit, but I was still excited.
Although, I also found it a bit sad. Everyone in The Squad was getting together: Alex and Zach, Jade and Drake, Charli and Light. A lot of fans say that this is just an act, but in real life, these people were actually all together. Light pretending he didn't like Charli on videos was an act though, because in real life, they were actually in love.
I hopped into the Uber that I called to go to the airport, just thinking. If I come back, would I just be the seventh wheel? It would surely be awkward, and part of me dreaded having to deal with it. Speaking of awkward, the Uber I had gotten was completely silent. Being me, I tried to start a few conversations, but he gave short and virtually unanswerable replies.
We arrived there in no time, and I mumbled a goodbye before paying him and getting out, happy to be out of the situation. I rushed into the airport and hopped on my flight, cutting it a little close. I watched out the window as we took off, getting seated closer to the back and at a window seat. The plane wasn't full, and thank goodness, I didn't have to sit directly next to someone. The middle seat was left open, and someone sat at the isle.
I watched the blur of lights rush by in the darkness as we took off, quickly rising into the dark night sky, and being able to see the twinkling lights of the world below. I sighed, resting my head back onto a seat. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, a bit nervous about how the fans would react to me being back. I hoped it wasn't too bad, but I couldn't help being worried.
Unfortunately, after finally being able to sleep, I woke up from turbulence a while later. I was about to try to go back to sleep but heard shortly thereafter that we would be landing soon, so I guess I could be grateful for the cloud we had to fly through. I sighed, stealing a glance at the person sitting in the isle. They had black hair and white bandages wrapping their forearms. I decided not to ask, and just stayed silent. That was, I did, until I heard his voice asking me a question.
"So, here to see anyone special?" he asked.
I was a bit surprised at someone talking to me, and I didn't really feel in the mood to talk to people. Still, I had to make an effort, right?
"Well, I'm coming back to see my friends after a year-ish," I explained, putting on my normal enthusiastic attitude. You could see it faltering, though.
"Oh, that's cool."
"How about you? Coming here for a certain reason?" I asked.
He gave a small smile. "I'm coming home to see my younger brother. I've really missed him, since I've been gone for a few months and all," he told me.
"Aw, that's nice! Anything fun planned?" I inquired.
"No, not really. We're just gonna catch up. Anything exciting for you?"
I smiled, though a bit nervously at the thought of going back. "My friends run a YouTube channel actually, and I was on it last year before I had to go away."
"And that channel is?"
"InquisitorMaster," I said.
He looked curiously at the seat ahead of him before his eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, yeah, my brother really likes that channel!" he gasped, making me grin.
"I'm glad! Always good to hear of a fan. Although the follower count is going up pretty fast, we don't meet too many fans in real life, so it's nice to hear," I confessed.
It looked like he was about to say something in return when a voice came over the speakers.
"Hello passengers," the voice over the speakers said, "we're about to land. Please stay seated until the plane comes to a stop. Thanks!"
I felt the plane touch down, and through the darkness, I could barely see the pavement racing below us. The air blowing on the wing flaps whistled loudly, making it loud before we began slowing down.
Soon we all herded off the plane, and the black-haired guy gave me one last, "Well, I can say that you'll always have a fan in my brother," before walking off to greet a white-haired kid, who he hugged tightly. I smiled. It was nice to know that he had someone like that, who he could care about.
To my annoyance, I felt jealousy creeping into me. I shouldn't feel jealous, I know I should just be happy for this guy, but everyone in The Squad and everyone I generally saw always had someone special, whether that be a significant other, sibling, or someone more important than anyone. But I just had people who had those people, and was like that to no one. I was happy for my friends, of course I was. It was just depressing knowing I was alone, and it sure made me feel a little unlovable, though I knew that I wasn't.
~
Sora:
"Have a good day," I told the customer that got out of my car.
She flashed a smile. "You too, thank you!" she said, shutting the door.
Finally, I could drop the happy demeanor. I rested my head against the steering wheel, shutting my eyes. I was stuck driving for Uber, not able to find another job. It was honestly so dumb, and I kind of hated it. I didn't really like conversing with people, despite me seeming so personable when you hop into my car.
My phone dinged, signaling the next person that needed to be picked up. I glanced at it. Another airport trip, which I got about a million of a day. Picking my head up, I started off, readjusting my white and blue scarf a little.
As I got there, a tired and maybe a touch irritable red-haired guy, maybe about my age, got in after shoving his bag in the trunk.
So as he climbed in, I greeted him with the usual, "Hi there, how's your day?"
He grunted in response. "Just drive, will you?"
I'd had customers like this before, and just sighed. "Sure thing, sorry."
I didn't try to start another conversation for a while, and just drove along. I watched him in the mirror, mainly just for an expression of remorse. I usually got an apology after someone snapped at me, but he showed nothing of the sort. Instead, he looked out the window, and it was like everything he saw disgraced his eyes. I couldn't blame him, because many people driving with me are often tired and angry, especially when they come off flights. They're just typically not this upset. I could tell his frustration was being suppressed too, which confirmed the decision in my head to keep my mouth shut.
"Why are you driving so fast?" he criticized me after a while of silence, making me grit my teeth.
"It's just how I drive, I'm sorry. I can slow down if it makes you feel safer," I said, trying to take a deep breath and suppress my anger.
I heard him scoff. "Maybe watch your tone," he snapped.
I just took another breath. I didn't want to yell at a client, that'd give me quite the bad reputation. So I kept my mouth shut, no matter how hard it was to do so. He just huffed a sigh and stopped talking, though I could swear I recognized his voice from somewhere.
I drove to his destination, trying to watch my speed. At the same time, I wanted this ride to be over with, which made me trying to watch my speed that much harder. Keeping on a happy face was probably one of the hardest things about this stupid job, and honestly, it was a huge factor in me wanting to quit. It was generally not who I was. I mean, sure, I'd be nice, but I didn't have that enthusiastic niceness that this job required.
The irritability this guy was showing began to rub off on me, bringing me into a bad mood. Or, it did, until I realized where this guy was going.
"Woah, you're going to Alex's house?" I asked, and watched in the mirror as he gave me a rather alarmed and quizzical look.
"How do you know that?"
I sighed. I guess I let my excitement get the better of me. "She's a friend of mine. Sorry," I explained briefly.
He dropped the look and relaxed in his seat again. "Whatever, just keep driving."
Now I knew where I recognized him from. He was Jaxx, the long lost member of The Squad I had heard so much about and that I'd seen in the old videos. Truth was, I was really good friends with Alex and The Squad, and they had told me so much about how nice Jaxx was, and his go-getter attitude, and how personable he was. But right now, that image of him I had in my head was getting shattered. I frowned slightly. This had to be a different guy, right? I wasn't mistaken? Because I would like it a whole lot better if I was.
I sighed. "Right, sorry," I mumbled, pulling up to the curb of Alex's large house. There, in the driveway, was Alex, Zach, Jade, Charli, and Light, all holding up "Welcome home, Jaxx!" signs. I knew now that I wasn't wrong about my thoughts, and that this was the legendary (or not so much anymore) Jaxx. He put on a smile as he got out of the car to greet his friends, and I sighed, knowing I'd have to wait for him to get his bag out of the trunk.
~
Jaxx:
"Hey guys!" I greeted them happily, walking towards all of them and wrapping them in hugs. "Where's Drake?"
Jade looked down a little, sadness flickering briefly in her eyes. "He decided to go off to a new job in a new state just last week, following his dreams and such. We were gonna tell you, but we thought it better to wait."
I nodded sadly. "Sorry," I told her, knowing she would be the most affected, and she gave a sad smile.
"It's okay. He's happy there, so I'm happy. Plus, he'll always come and visit. But you're back, and that makes things better!" she exclaimed, making me smile.
"Yeah, welcome home!" Alex added. "We all missed you!" I heard her gasp at something suddenly, her gaze going behind me. "Sora, is that you?" she asked the Uber driver that drove me here. I guess he did really know The Squad.
"Hi guys," he greeted, looking like he wanted to leave. I gave an irritated roll of my eyes. Charli ran over to the car window on the passenger's side that he rolled down and started talking to him animatedly.
"What a coincidence! That's so cool he drove you here, Sora's a really good friend of ours!" Alex explained to me, and I had the sudden urge to go inside.
"Mhm, that's nice," I mumbled. I don't know why I was so mad at the Uber driver, who I now knew as Sora. He was nice, I was just ready to sleep and not have my thunder get stolen by a cyan-haired boy who I was a bit rude to.
By now, Alex had walked over to Sora, and Zach had gotten my things out of the trunk. "Thanks," I told him dully, taking them inside and not really wanting to socialize anymore. Maybe tomorrow.
I was getting my room set up in The Squad house, because yes, we all did live in one place. It was Alex's house, and it was able to hold everyone because it was practically a mansion. Anyway, I found my way to my old room, which I noted had been kept clean. I smiled, missing my room quite a bit. I didn't bother unpacking; I just flopped down onto my bed, and then fell asleep rather quickly. Maybe I was a little too rude today. Whoops.
The next day, I came downstairs to everyone but Jade awake, and Alex and Zach tag-teaming making pancakes.
"Smells good," I said, sitting on the couch.
"Good morning to you too," Alex responded. "Ready for filming today?"
I felt that creeping sensation of nervousness return, but I tried to shake it off as I gave her a bright smile.
"For sure! I've missed it," I told her energetically. I was definitely in a better mood than the day before, and it was noticeable. Now that it was mentioned, I did kind of feel bad for being rude to Sora. Maybe when I saw him next I'd apologize.
A large plate of pancakes got laid in front of me. "Eat up!" Alex said. Light and Charli, who were also sitting on the couch with me, started hungrily eating. I was anxious, so I only ate one, but I was also excited. It had been almost a full year, so I should be excited to get back to filming.
Around a month or two went by with me on The Squad, and the fans seemed happy I was back. Surprised, but happy. Overall, I was a lot less stressed out than previously. Although, I wasn't particularly happy, and that was due to one person, and some bad news I'd received recently. That person was Sora. When he came over to The Squad house one night, I intended to apologize to him for how I acted beforehand, but then he was rude! He was like, "Oh, it's my rudest customer that I've had yet! What, are you gonna keep criticizing me again?"
Okay, maybe he didn't say exactly that, but it was something along those lines. Then the bad news? He was joining The Squad.
~
Sora:
"Hey guys, I have an announcement!" Alex said one day I was over there, hanging out with The Squad. Everyone gave her a curious look. "We're getting a new member in The Squad!"
We all stared at her, shocked. I mean, I guess it didn't affect me like it did them, considering I wasn't in The Squad, but still. "Who?!" Jade asked.
Alex grinned. "Sora!" she announced. Okay, maybe it did affect me.
I gaped at her. "Really?!" I asked excitedly. She nodded and gave me a bright smile, in which I returned in full force. "Oh my God, thank you!"
All the squad members wrapped me in one big group hug. Well, all but one, who looked just as surprised as me. Jaxx.
"Seriously?" he asked.
Charli frowned at him slightly. "You're not happy?"
"No, I'm not," he said blatantly, making me feel a twinge of sorrow. "He's rude and annoying." The fact that he didn't want me there whatsoever hurt me, though I tried not to let it show.
"I get you guys got off on the wrong foot, but I'm sure if you tried, you'd be friends!" Alex assured us, but I just shook my head.
"No, he'll probably die before he even says one nice thing to me," I told her angrily, the group hug dispersing.
"Damn right! You don't deserve compliments," Jaxx spat.
Jade stepped in. "Enough! Guys, seriously stop it! You're both super nice people, just not towards each other! What is up with that?"
"Maybe it's because he hasn't tried to be nice to me. Not once!" I exclaimed. "The moment he stepped into my car and I tried to say something nice, he just practically told me to shut up."
"Maybe it's because I was tired and ready to come back, and didn't need someone as annoying as you trying to talk to me!" he countered.
I gritted my teeth. "I'm sorry that trying to be nice was part of my job. If it was up to me, we would've never spoken."
"Guys, please stop it," Light muttered, and I could tell everyone was uncomfortable.
I sighed, very annoyed. "Thanks for letting me join, Alex, but I'm gonna go now," I muttered, knowing that the happiness I felt was going to turn to tears after that interaction. As much as I hated to admit it, Jaxx's words constantly got to me and haunted me. Haunted me to the point of tears, to the point where I'd cry myself to sleep. Truth was, I was starting to get confused by my feelings. When I met Jaxx, I hated him. I do hate him, but I also don't?
I knew that it wouldn't really matter, because my hate for him would get fueled by the fact that we'd be living together. I was very, very grateful to Alex. I mean, she'd just gotten me out of my terrible job and a way to hang out with my friends more! But it also meant seeing Jaxx more. This was going to be rough.
~
Jaxx:
We started filming the next day, and it's safe to say Sora and I did not get along. I tried to be nice for the fans, and he stayed relatively quiet, but you could feel the tension. If the fans didn't, I knew The Squad could.
Sora had moved into one of the spare rooms, where he brought his computer over. Soon he'd move in, something I was dreading. I really, really disliked him, and hated the thought of living with him even more. I know I barely knew him, but after that first fight, and then the comments that followed when I saw him later, I couldn't stand the cyan-haired boy anymore.
I tried to keep it together though, mainly for The Squad. I didn't want them to be more disappointed than they already were, so I tried to stop. He seemed to do the same, so we resorted to barely talking. This went on for weeks, the fans quickly saying we were 'rivals' due to the small jabs we occasionally took at each other, and The Squad ended up going along with it.
I'll admit, at times I felt bad for some things I had said to Sora, but I didn't know how to go about apologizing. Some nights I considered going into his room and saying something, because I knew I probably wouldn't apologize in front of The Squad so I wouldn't have to make things awkward. But I also deeply disliked him, and usually pushed that thought out of my mind before I really did anything to act on it.
I also can't believe that I'd say this, but I was glad he joined in a sense. Those thoughts about being the seventh wheel were practically gone while he was there, and even if Drake wasn't there anymore, he and Jade were still together. More than I can say for me. But since Sora was also in the same boat, it was easier to ignore the fact that I was lonely when it came to romantic relationships.
He and I had started to fight less, at least. I mean, we barely spoke to each other, and he and I always made a few comments on camera, but we stayed out of each other's ways. It was a good and a bad thing—a good thing because it was better for everyone to not hear the constant banter and fighting between us, plus the mood booster for both him and I. However, it was also bad because I always wanted to talk to him. Teasing was just a fun way of doing it, but I felt a little weird every time I had the thought that I should talk to him. I had to remind myself that we were rivals and not even close to what you would consider 'friends,' despite my weird feeling of wanting to talk to him. I chalked it up to me just wanting to make fun of him and left it at that.
Anyway, we had two new editions to The Squad pretty soon, right when Sora had just gotten settled in, so it was a good time. Their names were Levi and Luca, and I was surprised to discover that it was the black-haired guy I happened to sit next to on the plane and his little brother.
When I told The Squad this, Alex said, "Wow Jaxx, you ran into everyone that day!"
Overall, The Squad started doing really well, and Levi and Luca were quick to learn that Sora and I did not get along. They got moved in rather quickly, and we ended up having a house full of nine relatively loud people.
One night, I was bored in my room. It was about midnight and I couldn't sleep, and the thought of talking to Sora flicked through my mind again.
Ugh, why's that idiot always on my mind?
I knew why. I knew why a month before this. I just didn't want to accept that I had fallen for the idiot in the room next to mine.
I decided that I would text him. I was bored, and felt that I wanted to make fun of him at the moment. That was generally our only form of communication.
'You awake?' I texted.
The response was quick. 'What do you want?'
'Just to say that you better step up your game tomorrow. You died quite a few times today.' I grinned, though something inside me hurt when I made fun of him. I pushed that feeling down a bit and focused on making fun of Sora.
~
Sora:
I couldn't do anything but roll my eyes and sigh. I don't really understand what I did wrong, but I must've done something wrong recently to warrant his random insults.
'Anything else?' I responded, not wanting to get into it.
'Not even gonna fight back anymore, huh?' he said, and I couldn't control it anymore. All that pent-up emotion from the hate I was getting from fans, from him, and just about the stress I felt in general all overflowed, and I couldn't help but start to cry. I was always pretty sensitive, and I felt my tears start to pour down my cheeks as I sniffled.
I carried on crying for a few minutes, not even trying to look at my phone. I was absorbed in my thoughts, letting them consume me for a little. I tried not to dive too deep into them, but I failed miserably.
(A/N: Okay, before you read this, you've gotta know that Sora is my very favorite, so I meant none of these. Blue boy is amazing, and all of these are for the purpose of the plot! Anyway, continue)
"You're not good enough..."
"You've seen the fan's comments, they'll never actually like you..."
"The Squad doesn't like you either..."
"No one really loves you..."
Then I got a knock on my bedroom door, thankfully pulling me out of them. It was light enough to not wake anyone else up, but loud enough to say that someone wanted to come in, and to save me from my plummeting mind.
"Sora?" Jaxx's voice said from the other side. I sighed. Great, here to make fun of me more. Maybe this wouldn't be quite the save I was hoping for.
I took a quick glance at my phone, and saw his texts. 'Are you crying?' was the first one.
'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry..'
'Sora?'
There was about a minute gap before the next text read, 'I'm coming in to check on you.'
After reading that, I felt a bit more obliged to let him in. At least he wasn't there to make fun of me, right? I heard him sigh from the other side as I debated whether or not to open the door for him.
"Look, I..." he started, his voice muffled by the door.
I got up, resigned to the fact that I should hear what he has to say, and try not to wake anyone else up by him having to talk to me through the door. He paused, looking at me as I opened the door, maybe a bit surprised I actually did, and probably at my red eyes.
"You?" I asked, prompting him to go on.
"Can I come in?"
I sighed slightly before giving him a nod, sitting down on my bed as he sat on my chair facing me.
"I'm sorry," he said, which surprised me slightly. "I didn't mean to make you sad."
"Then what were you trying to accomplish by insulting me?" I inquired spitefully, and he sighed, looking genuinely remorseful.
"I don't know, but I promise to stop in the future. Believe it or not, I feel bad for some of the stuff I say, and I guess I've been having a hard time trying to tell you that," he confessed, making my angry demeanor drop. I gave a disbelieving laugh. "What's so funny?"
"It's just that I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth," I told him, half-teasing and half-truthful.
He gave a light laugh. "Well believe it, 'cause they're true."
I couldn't help but smile a little bit. "I'm sorry, too. I realize I haven't been the nicest in the past either."
We started talking a bit, and he explained to me that he was really tired when we first met, and that he regretted being rude. I told him that I was sorry for being mean too, because I really just wanted to be friends. That was true; I did really wanna be friends, and had been thinking about how to tell him that. But I guess he just did my job for me.
"Hey Jaxx?" I asked after a while.
"Hm?"
"Can we promise to be nice, please?" I asked hopefully, and he smiled.
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
We made our promises and talked for a little while longer. When he left, I realized that we went from midnight to three in the morning just talking. It was weird that he came in as an enemy and left as a friend, one that I was excited to have. Jaxx was a mystery to me—his emotions, his thoughts, everything. But I knew I would, slowly but surely, figure those things out.
As I laid back in bed, I smiled in contentment. Thank you, Jaxx...
~
Jaxx:
I practically skipped back into my room, grinning as I flung myself down onto my bed. Finally, we could quit this rivalry thing. I was so relieved, I had gotten my wish to get along with him and, even though we fought pretty often, I knew that getting along would be easy. After all, I had a feeling he wanted to be nice as well.
The next day, Sora and I went down to breakfast and in front of The Squad, both of us conversing like normal people with one another, and when he laughed at one of my jokes, the whole Squad's jaws dropped.
"Okay guys, what's going on?" Luca asked, and Sora and I both grinned.
"What do you mean?" he asked, and kept eating normally like nothing was happening out of the ordinary.
Levi rolled his eyes. "He means that you guys are actually getting along!" he exclaimed.
"Hm, we are? I didn't notice," I teased, and neither Sora and I could suppress a smile. The rest of The Squad looked at us disbelievingly, for our getting along as well as our defiant behavior.
"Anyway, for filming today, everyone's making it, right?" Zach asked, knowing sometimes that a few squad members couldn't always partake in recording. We all gave a 'yes' and returned to eating,
Before filming, I was up in my room getting my computer booted up and everything when my phone buzzed. I thought it was just Alex giving her usual "five minute check," but when it buzzed again, and again, and again, I picked it up. Then I realized it was from Sora.
'Jaxx!'
'Jaxx!'
'Jaxx!'
'Jaxx!'
'Jaxx!'
'ANSWER!'
I chuckled lightly, and texted back, 'I'm here.'
'Finally!!! Anyway, I had an idea about today's video, but only if you're okay with it,' he said.
'And that is?'
'I wanna not be fighting in this one, so I thought instead of fighting, we could be flirty or something since I already am with everyone else,' he suggested.
I felt my cheeks heat up a little bit. 'Alright, that sounds like a good plan!'
'Okay! Also, her five minute check should be coming soon, don't tell them!'
At that moment, Alex texted her five minute check, which is when we get our games booted up. I grinned, still blushing a little bit. This was going to be fun.
I guess Sora was excited too, because when we got on I heard him giggling a little.
"What's so funny?" Zach asked suspiciously.
I could only imagine him shrugging, a big grin on his face. "Nothing."
We got into the gameplay, which was a story. It was Circus Trip Story, and started off normal enough. We were just wandering the map when Sora walked into one of the tents and found a lantern.
"Oh!" he said in surprise, though only I seemed to notice he was in there. So I followed him in, and he seemed to get what I was doing. We stayed there for a few minutes before Charli noticed.
"Hey, where's Sora and Jaxx?" she asked.
The whole squad started to get curious, and Zach said, "I dunno, maybe they're in a fight and ran off into the woods to get away from each other."
Not wanting them to think that, Sora said his famous line to get their attention, "Shut up and kiss me Jaxx."
The whole Discord channel got silent before Zach yelled a loud, "WHATTT?!"
Alex and Charli broke out into giggles, Jade was going on about how we're supposed to be rivals while laughing, Zach was joining in with her soon enough, Luca was saying he knew it, and Light and Levi were silent.
"I mean... Ugh, I hate you, Jaxx," Sora said halfheartedly, walking out of the tent.
"Yeah... hate you too!" I yelled, matching his obviously fake tone. After this, the flirty act was dropped, at least for a little.
~
Sora:
After we were done filming, I decided to go talk to Jaxx.
"Well, that was funny," I said, laughing.
He chuckled. "Yeah, good idea. We really stumped them there," he agreed.
I smiled at him for a few moments before saying, "Well, maybe now with a new act, we'll kinda forget about this rivalry thing."
"Yeah, let's hope."
A few weeks went by with us keeping up this act, and eventually, The Squad found it funny. Instead of rivals, we were now 'lovers,' and that thought still made my heart thump and cheeks dust pink, though I tried my hardest for people not to notice. Luckily, it did end up going unnoticed by Jaxx every time someone brought it up, but I was not so fortunate with the rest of The Squad members.
It was Charli who came and spoke to me on a day a few hours after filming, when we just had time to relax. I was sitting up in my room when a knock came on the door.
"Sora? Can I talk to you for a second?" Charli asked from the other side.
I was curious, and said a quick, "Yeah, sure," before getting up to open the door. She looked nervous. "Is everything alright?" I asked.
She sighed. "I dunno, is there something going on between you and Jaxx?"
"I mean, according to you guys, we're lovers..." I said jokingly, although my cheeks ended up flushing pink from the question.
She sighed again, this time more aggravated. "Sora, you know what I mean. Are you guys dating or something?" she asked.
I looked at her like she was insane. "No! Why would you think that?"
I could see she was embarrassed at being mistaken. "Sorry! Just with the way you guys look at each other, I thought..."
"The way we look at each other?! How?!"
"Like you're in love! I dunno, do you like him?" she asked, making my cheeks go from pink to red.
"I dunno, maybe," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing as I tripped over my words.
She gave me a smile. "Well I think you guys would be great together. But anyway, I was asking because Light and him have been hanging out a lot, and I'm nervous that he'll like Jaxx more than me," she muttered, looking down.
I hugged her quickly. "Hey, don't worry about it. Light loves you!" I assured her.
She let a sad smile surface onto her face. "Let's hope."
"He does, Charli! And if he doesn't then you can be heartbroken with me if he takes Jaxx," I told her, and in spite of the situation, we both laughed a little.
"Thanks Sora," she said, backing up a little and heading towards her own room. "And I think you should tell him!"
"Tell who what?" a voice asked as they were walking up. Of course it was Jaxx.
I tried to control my blushing as Charli grinned.
"Nothing," I told him quickly, and he gave me a suspicious look.
"Okay..." he murmured before turning to Charli. "Your boyfriend is downstairs, says he wants to do a movie night with you," Jaxx told her, and her face lit up.
"Alright! I'll see you two later," she said, giving me a wink as she left. She tried to be discreet, but it failed, and Jaxx noticed.
He turned back to me, the same suspicious look in his eyes. "What was that about?"
I gulped. "Uhh... nothing really," I told him, trying to play it cool.
He obviously didn't buy it. "Mhm, nothing," he muttered. "Anyways, wanna have a movie night with me then? Charli and Light are downstairs, but we can go to my room?"
"Yeah, sure!" I said with a smile, nodding.
He smiled back. "Great!"
We went to his room and put in a random movie, but I wasn't paying much attention. I was thinking about what Charli had said. Did he look at me like I looked at him too!? She said she saw the ways we looked at each other, so does that mean...? But no, I'd seen him with Light a lot. They also kept exchanging weird looks, and I hadn't thought much of it until Charli said they'd been spending a lot of time with each other.
So, naturally, with my think the worst kind of mind, I determined Jaxx liked Light, and I was chasing after someone unattainable for me.
~
Jaxx:
I couldn't help but keep thinking about what Light and I were talking about. Recently, he'd been helping me to come up with ways to tell Sora how I felt about him, but I was so nervous.
He kept saying, "Just do it over breakfast!" or something, and then look at me expectantly when I didn't. Honestly, I was so stressed out about it, because what if Sora didn't like me like that? What if he still somewhat despised me?
I looked over at him, and he looked sadly down at his hands in his lap, fidgeting.
"Hey, you okay?" I asked.
He jumped a little when I said that. "Huh? Oh, yeah," he sighed, "it's nothing."
"It's obviously something, you look really sad," I told him.
"It's nothing, really!" he snapped, coming off a bit harsh in tone.
I looked away. "Alright," I mumbled, a little put off by his attitude.
After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again. "Sorry, it's just... I'm just thinking about what Charli and I talked about," he admitted, sounding remorseful.
I gave him a small smile. "It's okay, but do you mind telling me what's bothering you?"
"Just you and Light," he told me.
I was a little surprised. "Oh? What about me and Light?"
He looked back down at his hands, fidgeting one again. "Charli was just worried that you and Light liked each other or something, as something more, and she's worried that Light will leave her."
"Me and Light? I mean, he's a great friend, but we're not... it's not like that," I said quietly, scared to explain the reason Light and I were talking a lot.
"Then what is it like? Because you got awfully nervous when I mentioned it," he told me, sounding a bit angry. I sighed, and yeah, I was nervous. I knew I had to tell him how I felt, now was the time so I can prove I'm not after Light, but the butterflies in my stomach were going insane as I tried to form words. "So you do like him?"
"What?! Why would you ask that?!" I asked, startled.
"You won't talk about it, and that usually means that there's something actually going on!" he yelled. "Just tell me, stop lying to me Jaxx!"
"I'm not lying."
"Then why are you stuttering?" he asked.
"It's not because of that," I told him, but that seemed to anger him more.
"Then what is it about?! I don't appreciate being lied to, especially not by you. Just tell me Jaxx! Please."
I felt a bit sick. "I can't," I murmured.
He let out a disbelieving scoff. "Yes, you can! Just say it, honestly Jaxx!" he yelled angrily. I didn't understand what I did to make him so upset, but I was getting upset too by this.
I felt anger rise in me. "You really want to know?!"
"Yes!"
"Fine Sora! I was talking with Light because he was helping me..." Right before I said anything, I thought the better of it.
"Helping you what?"
I sighed. "Nothing, never mind. I'm gonna go," I muttered, shutting off the TV and walking out of my room, appalled I almost told him, and at the same time, disappointed I didn't.
I ran downstairs and headed for the front door, hearing a, "Jaxx, wait!" from the top of the stairs before I shut the door and hurried off down the sidewalk. I had just planned to go for a walk and clear my head, I wasn't running away or anything. I was just so done with that argument.
"Maybe Sora and I were better off as rivals, because we wouldn't be in this mess if we stayed like that."
That thought quickly left, though, as I kept thinking about how much fun we had together, how much I loved hanging out, and in general just how much I love him. I know, cheesy, but it was honestly true.
I sighed, finding myself walking down the street. It was starting to already get dark as I walked away, just to clear my head. Maybe when I came back we'd just be rivals again, because he might be mad.
"God, I'm so stupid! I should've told him!"
~
Sora:
I felt so bad for pressuring him to tell me. I don't know what came over me at that moment. Perhaps I was just curious, or maybe I was jealous. When I thought about it, I knew that was it, I just didn't want to admit it. It was embarrassing, but maybe I'd have to tell him. He deserved an explanation.
I didn't want to run after him in fear of getting lost or him running away and getting us both into a worse mess, so I waited by the door. I sat down on a little bench by the front door and waited.
A little while later, maybe an hour or so, Alex found me.
"Sora, what're you doing over here? I've been looking for you!"
I sighed. "Nothing, sorry," I muttered.
"It's okay, I just wanted to know where you were. We found Charli and Light watching a movie and thought about having a squad movie night," she told me.
Truth be told, I wasn't in the mood to hang out with anyone. I was too nervous about Jaxx. He'd been gone for over an hour, and it was only getting later into the night.
"Thanks, but I'm alright."
I didn't look at her, but I could imagine the worried and skeptical look she was giving me.
"Alright, but you're making me worried about you," she told me.
"I'm fine, really."
Now it was her turn to sigh. "Okay," she muttered skeptically. "Anyway, have you seen Jaxx?"
"No," I lied.
"I'm gonna go look for him. Please come join us, maybe not now but later, alright?" she asked.
I nodded. "Okay."
I never went to watch movies with them that night.
-
I heard something, startling me. As I woke up, I heard the sound of the doorknob turning, and the door opened. I took a quick glance at my watch, which now read 2:30 A.M. I must have fallen asleep.
The door opening pulled me out of my thoughts as a certain redhead walked in.
"Jaxx! Where have you been?!" I exclaimed, my intended-to-be stern tone just sounding concerned.
He jumped slightly, seeming surprised by me being there.
"Sora? What're you doing up?"
I looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. "I was worried about you," I admitted.
When I looked up, he gave me a surprised and kind of sorry look.
"Sora," he mumbled, "I'm sorry."
I looked at him, appalled. "For what?! I'm the one who should be apologizing!" We were both silent for a few moments before I decided to speak. "And I want to tell you something."
"Same," he said.
"Alright, I can go first," I told him, despite being nervous to say what I wanted.
"Um... okay."
I sighed. "Alright, well, I got so mad because..." I paused, taking a deep breath.
"I can go first if it's hard for you," he offered. I gave him a 'yes please' smile, and he chuckled. "Okay, well, Light was helping me..." he paused too, and I was about to say what I was going to when he spoke again. "Light was helping me to ask you out," he admitted. I could only stare at him, my jaw dropped, dumbfounded. "Well? Please say something," he mumbled, sounding scared.
I didn't know what I was doing. Impulse pulled me forward, grabbing the collar of his shirt, squeezing my eyes shut and pressing his lips into mine. At first, I could imagine he was frozen, but eventually he kissed back.
As we pulled away, we were both wearing grins on our faces. "I was gonna say that I was mad because I guess I got jealous," I told him, and he chuckled.
"Well, now you don't have to be," he said, pulling me in and kissing me again, his hands falling lightly on my hips.
I grinned against his lips. I couldn't want anything better than this. This is what I'd wanted since he left my car that day, in his grumpy mood. But now we've come so far.
"After we got along, I've kinda fallen more in love with you than before," I told him as we broke away.
His smile grew. "I've fallen in love with you more and more since we became friends too, idiot," he admitted, and I felt myself blush more than I already was.
"Just shut up and kiss me Jaxx."
A/N: I really hope you guys liked this one-shot! Have an amazing rest of your day!
Thanks!
Word Count: 7,219 (not counting A/N's)