{A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic, so I'm really open to criticism and hope that you guys enjoy this as much as I do. It's mainly about Aarmau which was pretty much the first ship I've ever fully invested myself in back when I was a kid so it means a lot to me. I don't own any of the characters. Thanks again for taking the time to read this! Enjoy!
2023 Edit: Its not "mainly about Aarmau" but the love stories of couples such as: Aarmau, Garrence, Travlyn, and Zana.}
The Big Move
Distractions. They're everywhere. Especially when you've come across your highschool yearbook from 20@! in the midst of packing. Aphmau knew she shouldn't give in to the urge. Besides, she still has to pack up her stuff, find roommates, and begin moving out of her apartment.
She looks at Senpai for guidance, but Levi's cold stare gives her nothing in return. Giving into the urge, she sits down to take a trip down memory lane with her old yearbook.
Freshman year, what a time to be alive. From Not Alone Buddies to surprise friendships, Aphmau's heart warmed as she looked at her friends' old photos. Not a lot had changed since highschool, everyone still had their little quirks and rivals from before.
Garroth and Laurance were still madly in love with her. Travis and Dante continued to be major flirts. Zane is...well Zane. Kawaii~Chan still sailed the endless sea of ships; according to her victims, this hobby had gotten worse over the years. Katelyn and Lucinda are still pinning at each other's throats. Then there was Aaron, Aphmau's first love, who took her through a plethora of emotions, leaving her in the semi-confused mess she was in now. She knew she didn't want to pursue a relationship with everything that had been going on; she definitely felt like she would betray Garroth and Laurance if she did get together with anyone.
No! She can't think about this right now. She still has several boxes to pack up and is just sitting on the floor looking at a yearbook. Everything around her is a mess of unpacked boxes and items. Man, what will Senpai think of this? No wonder he didn't give her guidance earlier. She's gonna need help with all of this, but she can't ask Garroth and Laurance. Although it is convenient to ask them, seeing as they're her next-door neighbors, she'd rather not have their noses in her business. She loves them, truly, but they can be pretty invasive when it comes to her life, especially when they find an opportunity to woo her in some way. So, they're out of the question. Aphmau pulls out her phone to look through her contacts but stops when she notices that someone is calling her. Aaron Lycan.
She pushed her yearbook aside and answered. They chatted for a while before coming to the topic of Aphmau's move.
"Yeah, things are pretty hectic as it is right now. It's hard to believe I'm finally doing this. Time really does fly by doesn't it?" Aphmau explained. There was a chuckle on the other end.
"It really does. If you need help packing, I'm more than willing to help." Aaron replied. Aphmau's eyes grew wide.
"Really?!" she exclaimed, "I'd appreciate it, but I really don't want to bother you with this. Besides, I'm still nervous about doing this. You're the only person that knows about this so far, and I'm afraid the others aren't going to take it well."
"It's okay, really. I don't mind doing this for you. You said you were nervous, and from my experience it helps to have a friend with you during a time like this. I'm heading over right now." The sound of a car engine roaring could be heard on Aaron's end, and Aphmau knew she couldn't talk him out of helping her now. She sighed happily.
"Thanks, Aaron."
"Not a problem. See you soon."
Aphmau ended the call and looked around her living room, more specifically the barely visible front door that was blocked by multiple boxes. Well that was an obvious fire safety hazard. She needed to get a move on if she was going to let Aaron into the apartment.
"I'll make you proud, Senpai." Aphmau announced toward the poster of her one and only true love, Levi Ackerman. His cold, hard stare gave her, once again, nothing in return. Tough love.
She hastily moved away the boxes toward the walls until she finally had access to her front door again. Smiling at her job well done, she went back to the yearbook and packed it away. Maybe everyone was going to stay the same as they were in highschool. That's not so bad, right? Sure, their lives may had changed a bit since then, but at least Aphmau and her friends would stay their same unique selves as they had before.
===
In the main lobby of the apartment building, Garroth and Laurance were making their way out and to the grocery store, and a certain black haired girl soon became the center of their conversation.
"I'm telling you Garroth, something is up with Aph. Every time we've seen her, she's always telling us she's too busy to talk and is always either locked in her apartment or somewhere that only Irene knows," Laurance huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"You don't think Aphmau's got a boyfriend, do you?" Garroth asked, hoping it wasn't true, but the absolute absurdity of his statement made Laurance stop in his tracks outside the building.
"What? No, of course not!" he yelled before going silent, "But...maybe it might be true. Aphmau is an amazing person. Any guy would fall for her, but look at us! We're the people that fans fight over. Tall, luxurious, and handsome. The boys next door, literally! There's no way that Aphmau could possibly resist us. Laurmau and Garmau fans couldn't take it if Aph went for someone else." The passion was practically dripping from his voice, and he had posed himself in a way that made it appear as if he was reaching for the heavens.
"Yeah, but what if she did date someone else?"
Laurance retracted his stance.
"Well, shoot, who do you think it could be? There aren't a lot of people we know that could possibly be competition for us." Garroth paused for a minute, thinking deeply.
"You're right. It's pretty stupid of us to think that Aphmau could actually be dating someone!" The two boys laughed at one another before turning back toward the grocery store, but they stopped in their tracks once again at the sound of his voice.
"Hey guys," Aaron greeted as he walked through the lobby doors.
Garroth and Laurance both turned to look at Aaron's fleeting figure and then back toward each other.
Oh. My. Irene.
The one man who could ever compete with the two love-driven boys was Aaron freaking Lycan.
Forget food, the only thing these boys needed to live was Aphmau. With that in mind, Garroth and Laurance chased after Aaron to confirm their suspicions. Both of them pleaded to Irene, hoping that their love-clouded thoughts weren't a reality.
===
Aphmau had turned her mess of boxes into a more organized mess by the time Aaron got to her door. At least now the two could move around more freely in the apartment. She smiled at Aaron as she let him in. It was nice to have a friend help her with all of this. She didn't know if she could take much more of this situation by herself.
"Hey, Aaron!" Aphmau greeted happily, "Thanks again for helping me out with this. You're a real lifesaver." Aaron smiled back at her.
"Again, it's no problem. I'm glad to help, so where do you want me to start? Is there anything you don't want me packing up?" Aphmau thought for a moment before deciding she was as clean as a fiddle, not a secret to hide.
"Nope! You can start in the bedroom, Celestia is taking a nap in there, but it shouldn't be a problem." Aaron nodded as he walked off toward her room. Aphmau turned to continue working on the living room. "Remember your promise to Senpai," Aphmau reminded herself as she glanced back at the poster.
Unbeknownst to her, Aaron stared in awe at the amount of posters she had on her wall. Specifically the ones containing a certain raven haired anime character.
"Wow. She really loves Levi, huh?" Aaron thought to himself. He noticed Celestia sleeping in the corner and smiled. What a cutie. He started packing all the different knick-knacks and figurines on her shelves until he reached Aphmau's desk. Among the piles of papers regarding the move and her new home, he noticed a calculator. The same exact calculator he asked her to prom with. He remembers the way she smiled at him on the roof. How happy he was when she said yes, and the cute little face she made when she saw the face at the end of his message on the calculator. Aaron stopped and pondered for a moment before picking up the calculator to type out a little message. He returned the calculator before he continued to pack Aphmau's belongings.
After clearing off the shelves and desks, minus the papers and bills of course, he heard the front door slam shut. Celestia woke up with a yawn as she stretched her small figure out and looked up at Aaron with tired eyes. "Come on, Celesita," Aaron said as he walked to the living room.
Aphmau was standing in front of the door with her eyes closed and the bridge of her nose pinched between her fingers. She let out a groan. Aaron was confused. "Aphmau, are you alright?" He asked with concern.
Aphmau looked up at him, her bleary eyes overshadowed by the frown lines settling around her face. "Garroth and Laurance were trying to peep through the window to see what was going on, so I opened the door to ask them what they were doing, but instead they started running away. Now they definitely know that I'm moving, and they're just going to be more persistent in finding out where I'm-" Aphmau stopped herself as her eyes pricked with tears. Moving was already a stressful situation by itself, but topping it off with Garroth and Laurance just made it even worse.
Aaron was quick to stabilize Aphmau by placing both of his hands on her shoulders. But then he hesitated, now aware of how close he was to her. A light pink hue covered his cheeks. He took a sharp breath to snap himself back into reality. This was not the time to feel this way.
"Aphmau, look at me. It's going to be okay. Let's just take one thing at a time. If Garroth and Laurance start bothering you again, don't hesitate to be honest with them. If they know you're upset by their behavior, they'll change. Maybe not for long, but enough for you to focus on more important things."
Aphmau wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Thank you Aaron, and I'm sorry I got a little emotional for a second." She took a deep breath. "You're right, I really need to start being more honest with them about my feelings." She flashed him one of the cute smiles he loved so much. "Alright, let's keep working!"
===
"Okay, so we definitely know that she's moving. That has to mean that she isn't dating Aaron," Garroth said with a hint of hope and zero logic in his voice.
"But why wouldn't Aphmau tell us that she's moving in the first place, and why is Aaron of all people helping her?" Laurance retorts.
"Think about it, Laurance. We have been invading her privacy recently; maybe she needs a bit of a break from us." Garroth looked down, ashamed at himself.
"What? There's no way!"
Garroth looked at Laurance with a cocked brow and a low gaze.
"Laurance we are two fully grown men who were just spying on Aphmau through her window and are now hiding behind a plant. Now tell me that we haven't been invading Aphmau's privacy." Laurance looked at Garroth and trailed his eyes to the ground. He thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter. It's for love. Now think about this"—he paused for a dramatic effect—"maybe the reason why Aphmau didn't tell us about the move is because she's going to move in with Aaron."
Garroth gasped, his sensibility leaving him once again.
"No," he cried, sliding down to the floor, "it can't be..."
Laurance sat down in front of him and grabbed both of his shoulders.
"Garroth, get it together! It's not too late. We need to find out where she's moving to. Come on!"
Laurance stood up, grabbed Garroth's hands and yanked him to his feet. Together, they schemed another plot to find out Aphmau's new address.
After a long debate, they came up with their most cunning plan yet. Disguises. More specifically, two plumbers out to save their beautiful caramel-eyed princess. They were quick to change into their costumes, and as Laurance started dressing himself, he noticed a set of eyes on him. Shy glances were sent back and forth between the two. The kind where you knew you shouldn't look but the desire outweighed your thoughts. It was strange for Laurance to try sneaking glances. He wasn't aware why he felt the need to, but the thrill that would bubble up inside him doing so told him something else. Something he couldn't quite believe himself — shit — Laurance's eyes locked with Garroth; he needed to act now!
"Garroth, I know I have a lusciously hot body with abs that look like they were chisled by Michelangelo, but staring at them is kinda gay." Laurance taunted, causing Garroth to snap out of his own thoughts.
Trying to think of a quick comeback, Garroth snapped back, "You're gay!" "Nice one, Garroth," he said to himself while giving himself a mental high-five. The two men both stuck their tongues out at each other before they continued to dress themselves.
===
By now, Aphmau and Aaron had finished packing her room and living room. The rest Aphmau could do by herself. Aside from the unpacked areas of the apartment, everything looked neat and tidy. "Senpai would be proud of me," Aphmau thought to herself. She looked back at Aaron, who had just finished stacking the boxes, before checking the time.
12:30 p.m.
"Hey Aaron, thanks for helping me out today. It means a lot," she thanked as she turned back to look at him.
"It's not a problem. Thanks for letting me come over. Do you know who you're going to ask to be your roommates?"
She had, indeed. No one would go through weeks of planning and house hunting just to forget about the most vital aspect: your roommates. Whoever Aphmau asked could make or break her entire experience in her new place. It was a tough decision, but after a hefty mental debate and an appropriate amount of stalking, she was certain that Katelyn and Kawaii-Chan would be great roommates.
"Yup! About that, I was hoping you'd let me treat you to lunch at IHOP. I'm pretty sure Katelyn and Kawaii~chan are on the clock, so it would be a good time to ask them then. Plus, you've helped me a lot today, so buying you lunch is the least I could do." Her face grew warm as she presented the offer to Aaron.
Aaron was originally going to reject her offer. She didn't have to buy him lunch; just being able to spend time with her was enough. Especially since they don't get to see each other that often anymore, but seeing her expression changed his mind. He really can't say no to this girl, can he?
"Sure, that sounds nice. Thank you."
Just then, there was a knock at the front door. Aphmau opened it to reveal Garroth and Laurance hiding behind Mario and Luigi costumes.
"Good day to you, madam," Laurance greeted with a horrible Italian accent. "We noticed some pipes in your apartment weren't working, and we are here to take a look."
Aphmau turned to look at Garroth, or Mario in this case. Garroth froze at the attention and muttered,
"Uh...what he said."
"Uh-huh," Aphmau said unconvinced, her bashful mood now turned sour. Aaron stood behind her annoyed despite it being difficult to tell behind his bandana. Aphmau slammed the door in their faces and turned around back toward Aaron. "I know you told me to be honest with them, but I can't when they're doing stupid things like that." She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the "plumbers".
Aaron sighed, "I agree, so how are we going to get out of here if they're by the door?"
"We're gonna have to take the fire escape, come on."
As Aphmau led Aaron away from the door, Celesita ran out in front of Aphmau. "Celestia!" she yelped as she fell forward. She shut her eyes and waited for the impact on the ground... but it never happened.
Aaron had quickly grabbed a hold of her as she tripped. Grasping her arm, he pulled her toward him while wrapping his arms around her body with one hand on her head and another around her waist. It caused her to fall right into his chest with a thump. They both froze, now aware of their current position.
"He's warm..." Aphmau thought to herself; she realized what exactly about him was warm, and it definitely wasn't a shirt. In fact, Aaron doesn't wear a shirt, and he wasn't afraid to show it. With a red face, the two backed away from one another as Aaron released her from his grip. "Th-thank you," she murmured.
"It's alright. Are you okay?" he asked, reaching a hand out as if to touch her cheek but he stopped mid-way. He thought he had already overstepped a boundary by holding her like that, this might be too much. Instead, he retracted his hand and placed it right by his side.
"I'm-" A scream broke through the tender moment. Both their heads snapped toward the front door, or more specifically, the window right next to it. Garroth and Laurance stood there, pale-faced, staring at the two and the event that transpired before them. "What the"—she stopped and shook her head—"nevermind, Aaron, the fire escape, hurry!"
With that, the two of them ran toward their escape. Leaving Garroth and Laurance to sit and reflect with the jumble of conclusions they had jumped to.
===
Aphmau and Aaron arrived at the most glorious place of all, IHOP, and got seated at a booth next to the window. Soon, Katelyn came over to take their order. Unknown to the fact that her customers happened to be her friends.
"Hi, I'm Katelyn, and I'll be your waitress for today"—she froze as she recognized who she was talking to—"wait, Aphmau?" She looked over to the silent man across from her and back at her friend. Was this what she thought it was? Although she had her suspicions, she didn't know that the two had actually gotten together. No, she was jumping to conclusions; that's something Garroth and Laurance would do.
"Hey Katelyn!" Aphmau greeted, "Actually, now that I got you here, I wanted to talk to you about something." She turned to Aaron. "Do you mind if I talk to Katelyn for a sec?" He nodded.
Despite knowing that this wasn't allowed in a work environment, and that Katelyn most likely had other tables to serve, the two walked away toward a more secluded area of the restaurant.
"So, what is it you want to ask me?" Katelyn asked, glancing back to make sure her manager wasn't in sight.
"Well..." Aphmau paused, averted her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm moving out of my apartment." Gaining confidence as she spoke, she looked up at her friend to see her eyes widen with shock.
"What?! Aphmau are you serious? You can't just leave me! I moved into this area because of you and now you're just going to get up and leave?"
"I'm not moving that far away. There's a house I found in the suburbs that's really nice. It's got three bedrooms and three bathrooms. I've been looking for two roommates, and I was wondering if you'd like to be one of them." Aphmau was ready for rejection or a "I'll have to think about it." The move was in a few days and there was still more paperwork that needed to be filled out and-
"Of course! Aphmau, this is amazing! Thank you." Katelyn's eyes lit up as a smile grew on her face. Much to Aphmau's surprise, she couldn't believe Katelyn would want to room with her, much less agree on the spot; she really was lucky to have her as a friend.
"Really? Ah! This is so exciting!" Aphmau's face lit up as well as she jumped up and down. "I could just hug you right now!" She started to reach for Katelyn.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. Not a hugger and I never will be," she denied.
"Aw, well I'm gonna hug you anyways," Aphmau sang in a cute baby voice. Her arms were now tightly wrapped around Katelyn's torso in a bone crushing hug. She awed during the short lived hug while Katelyn groaned simultaneously. The two noises blending together in a weird harmony. Once Katelyn was finally free, she asked,
"So who were you thinking for your third roommate?"
"I was going to ask Kawaii~chan if that's okay with you."
"Go ahead. I don't have a problem with it."
Just then, the pink-haired meif'wa ran toward Katelyn, not noticing Aphmau standing close to her.
"Katelyn~sama! Aphmau~senpai and Aaron~kun are here together. Kawaii~chan thinks they're on a date, too! This is the best thing that has ever happened to Kawaii~chan ever! Kawaii~chan gave them a couples cake and get this...Kawaii~chan gave them one spoon. Aphmau~senpai wasn't there when Kawaii~chan put it on their table, but she's definitely going to be surprised when she comes back! What if Aphmau~senpai and Aaron~kun kiss after their date? Ah! Kawaii~chan's ship is sailing! Kawaii~chan is so happy!" KC rambled. Katelyn's face remained stoic the entire time until the pink-haired girl finished. Then, Katelyn took a deep breath.
"Kawaii~chan, before you go on, you should probably look to your left," Katelyn warned as she glanced over to the slightly petrified woman. Kawaii~chan froze. She couldn't believe that she'd just said all of that while Aphmau was right next to her. She was mortified. Despite that, she tried to play it off as best as she could. Slowly turning around she said,
"Heyyy, Aphmau~senpai..."
Aphmau gave her a blank face before sighing.
"Kawaii~chan, again, seriously?" Aphmau scolded, "I thought you left all of this shipping stuff back in highschool?"
"Kawaii~chan did but Aphmau~senpai and Aaron~kun were the only couple that still had potential, and she can't just give up on that," the meif'wa whined. Aphmau thought long and hard about this. Was this really the girl she was going to ask to be her roommate? Could she survive more of KC's fangirling? No, Kawaii~chan was her friend even if she was still engrossed in this whole shipping nonsense.
"Well, first off all. I definitely want another spoon. Secondly, I actually wanted to ask you something." Kawaii~chan's ears perked up. "I'm moving out of my apartment and into a house in the suburbs, and I was wondering if you'd like to be a roommate with Katelyn and me. The house is beautiful and I can send you both all the details about it after your shift ends, but I wanted to know what you thought about it right now."
Without hesitating, Kawaii~chan answered,
"Oh! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Absolutely, Kawaii~chan would be so happy to room with you, Aphmau~senpai!"
Aphmau smiled,
"Thanks, Kawaii~chan. I'll talk to you guys after your shift. I'm gonna go back to the table now. Bye!"
Aphmau walked away from her two new roommates and back to Aaron. He was sitting alone with...the couples cake.
"Oh my Irene," Aphmau thought to herself. This can't be happening. Kawaii~chan hadn't even brought them a second spoon yet; at least this cake was on the house.
"Hey, Aaron! I see Kawaii~chan brought us a couples cake..."
"Yeah, only one spoon too," Aaron answered quietly. They both sat across from each other in awkward silence. Aphmau wasn't gonna lie; that cake looked delicious, as did the guy across from her, but that's besides the point.
Aaron broke the silence.
"Here, you can have the spoon. I'm not that hungry anyways."
"What? No, you have the spoon. I insist."
"No, you're treating me to lunch the least I can do is give you the spoon."
The two of them looked at each other, a small smile growing on both of their faces.
"Aaron," she started, pushing the spoon toward him, "take the spoon."
"Aphmau," he mocked, pushing the spoon back toward her, "take the spoon."
"Aaron."
"Aphmau."
"Aaron!"
"Aphmau!"
"Fine! You know what? We can share the spoon." Aphmau huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away "angrily". Aaron laughed.
"Are you sure about that? Aren't you afraid of cooties?" he retorted.
"Oh. ha. ha. Aaron, I am a mature adult. I know that babies don't come from Storks, and I am definitely not afraid of "cooties"."
"Fine. Then you can have the first bite."
Aphmau grabbed the spoon.
"You know what? I will!" She scooped up a piece of cake and ate it, trying so hard not to show how good of a cake it was with her expression. She needed to remain angry. No wait, hungry...hangry.
Slamming the spoon back down onto the table, she kept eye contact with Aaron as she slid the utensil back over to him. He picked it up and copied Aphmau's motions, all while maintaining eye contact. Well, as much eye contact as someone can expect if you wear a bandana over your eyes. Some wonder how good of an eyesight someone could have wearing a bandana every day, others get distracted by how good of a sight he was to even think about his vision. Aphmau was a good medium on this scale.
They continued going back and forth with the spoon until their serious expressions dropped and they were back to their loving, happy selves eating cake. They talked and laughed with each other until the cake was finished. Aphmau had taken the last bite of cake and left a little smudge of frosting near the corner of her lip. Aaron noticed and tried to help her.
"Hey, you got some frosting right here," he said while motioning to the area.
"Oh," she tried to wipe away the frosting, "Did I get it?" She didn't. In fact she completely missed the area. Aaron tried again but it was another failed attempt.
"Here, let me just—" Without even finishing his sentence, he stood up, grabbed a napkin, and leaned over to wipe the frosting, unaware of how close he was to her.
"Man, his lips are close," she thought to herself as she shamelessly stared. The thought of kissing him made her face go red. That and also the fact that they were incredibly close to one another. The two of them froze there with blushing faces before backing away.
"Thank you," she whispered, too shy to say much else.
"It's...It's not a problem," he whispered back. Unfortunately, the cute moment was short lived as high pitched screaming could be heard from a few tables away.
"Oh my Irene! My ship!" Kawaii~chan yelled excitedly, frightening the customers she was currently serving. She started taking pictures of the two of them to commemorate this moment.
"Oh no," Aphmau moaned knowing they just caused a scene. She turned to Aaron, "We should probably go now." He nodded. The two of them walked outside and to their cars before saying their goodbyes.
"Thanks again for helping me pack, Aaron," she thanked for probably the third or fourth time, "I really appreciated it."
"Again, it's my pleasure. Thank you for letting me," he replied.
"Hey, when I finally get moved into my house, do you wanna come over and hang out? We don't get to see each other a lot anymore, and... I miss you," she proposed shyly. Aaron smiled.
"Definitely, I feel the same way."
The two smiled at each other before saying their final goodbyes and heading home.
===
When Aphmau arrived back at her apartment she headed straight for her desk. There was still a lot of paperwork to fill out and not a lot of time to do it. At least she finally got two roommates, so she can check that off her list of things to do.
She sat down and pulled out the paperwork containing the final payments toward the house. She pulled out her calculator to total up the payments but stopped when she switched the device on.
8D
She smiled, knowing exactly who typed it out in the first place.
"Ugh, that face," she said, but her smile never left.
{A/N: Thank you guys for reading the first chapter. I'm really excited to write this book and hopefully won't be a lazy butt about it. A good friend of mine helped me edit this so I can't take all the credit lol. Please leave a like and comment if you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next chapter. Bye!}