**Aphmau's POV**
I stared at the crowd of young adults gathered in front of me, each and every one of them staring back with the same intensity. Slowly their faces started to melt into my memories, and I could see them standing in front of me as little children, saying goodbye for the final time. Katelyn had already told me about them and just seeing their faces brought back all of these wonderful memories.
A young woman stepped forward and gave me a winning smile. She had bubblegum pink hair, soft amber eyes, pale skin, and black Meif'wa features. She wore a soft pink dress that revealed her shoulders, and the sleeves draped down to her elbows. It had a sweetheart neckline and fitted her form almost perfectly. A black belt cinched it to her waist, and it continued down to her mid-thighs. Black kitten heels adorned her feet, and a pink bow pulled back her hair and clipped right next to her left ear.
"Hi. I'm Nana. You might remember me as Kawaii~Chan. And I am so happy to see you again!" She finally squealed before throwing her arms around me and squeezing me tightly. I gasped, feeling like my ribs were cracking. She giggled and released me, keeping her hand on my shoulders. "Oh, I can't believe that it's been... oh my Irene, ten years!" I laughed, feeling at home with this girl.
"I know. I wish I didn't leave all those years ago." She fell quiet before perking up again.
"Well, you're back now, and that's all that matters, right?" I giggled, unable to stop myself. Nodding, I looked at the others. Each smiling face was matched with a memory and description from Katelyn. Garroth, Laurance, Dante, Travis, Nicole, Cadenza, Jeffory, Lucinda, Zane, Vylad, Aaron. My gaze lingered on Aaron, knowing deep in my heart that he had been my very best friend, I flashed him a smile, hoping he would see that I hadn't forgotten him. He smiled back, but I couldn't help but notice the tinge of sadness still lingering. What was the matter? He looks like he hasn't smiled right in years. Did I do something wrong?
"C-C-Come and s-sit down, w-won't you?" Garroth stammered, and I turned my attention to him. A slight blush was dusting his cheeks, and I couldn't understand why.
"Y-Yeah!" Laurance joined in, moving to pull out a seat for me.
"Oh, don't bother yourselves with me. I've been sitting all day long, and I couldn't bear another second of it." I smiled at the boys, and when they grinned back, I couldn't help but notice that my heart skipped a beat. Stop it! You just met them again! "I could go with something to drink though. Do you know what they have here?" Immediately they started throwing out suggestions, and finally, Katelyn grabbed my arm and whispered into my ear.
"I suggest you get the vanilla frap. Anything to shut these dorks up." I laughed, blushing slightly and gazing at the ground.
"Actually, I umm... I don't like coffee." Katelyn gaped at me, and Zane turned quickly to stare at me with his one blue eye.
"Seriously? How can you be at college and not like coffee?" I giggled again, shifting my weight on my feet.
"I just never grew on it I guess" Katelyn sighed, shaking her head with a laugh. I grinned, brushing my hair behind my ear. "I'll just get a Poopsi. Thanks for your suggestions though." I gave the boys another smile, and I could've sworn Garroth blushed.
"I'll get it for you. I'm gonna get a coffee anyway." Lucinda winked at me, and Katelyn and I dissolved into laughter. I had just met these wonderful people again, but already I felt like I had known them for years. I guess I have known them for years. After all, they always were in my mind.
Aaron stood from his seat, coming over to talk to me. Katelyn glanced at him before slipping away to talk to the others. We stood there awkwardly before he finally spoke quietly. "I can't believe you're back." He said, and I grinned, looking up at him. His steel colored eyes stared into my eyes intensely, but it wasn't weird. He was simply trying to find the little girl he once knew.
"I know. It seems kinda surreal." He looked me up and down, and ever so slowly a smile crept over his face.
"I see you haven't grown at all." I huffed, standing on my tiptoes and only managing to reach up to his shoulders. I thudded back to the ground, growling under my breath.
"It's not my fault that you're so tall!" I whined, and he grinned at me, an expression he hadn't worn yet.
"It's because I ate my vegetables. Something you never did cause they were 'too yucky.'" He made quotes in the air, and I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever. At least I still have a sense of style. That's clearly something you lost." He crossed his arms, raising his eyebrows.
"And here I was thinking that a potato like you couldn't get any dumber." I huffed, and he gave me a smile."It really is good to see you Aph. Seriously." I smiled, but I needed to get the last word in.
"As long as you quit calling me that stupid nickname, I'll pretend to be happy to see you as well." He pretended to be hurt. I stuck my tongue out at him, and then he started to laugh. He kept laughing, and I joined in, having no idea what we were laughing about. All I knew was that I was laughing with my best friend for the first time in a decade, and I didn't want it to ever stop.
The others looked over at us from time to time, watching as we buried ourselves in laughter and giggles and holding our sides. Whenever they looked at Aaron, they seemed so confused. Their gaze seemed to say, What happened to him? He's so different. And I think I understand why. Katelyn said that after Aaron's parents sent him to military school for most of high school, he was different. He was quiet, more reserved, and never really laughed out loud or grinned. But here he was, laughing and grinning and acting like we had nothing in the world to worry about.
Later, after we had all caught up and were heading back to our dorms, Cadenza caught me by the arm. She smiled and a wave of relief washed through her eyes. "Thank you Aphmau. He hasn't been that happy in years. It kinda hurt, you know? Watching one of your friends slowly disappear into himself and knowing that there was nothing you could do to make it better. But seeing him here today with you... I think it made us all feel amazing just to see him smile like that again." She gave me another smile before she left. I stared after her for several seconds before turning towards the direction of my dorm.
"Thank you, Irene. Thank you for giving them back to me." I whispered under my breath before I too disappeared into the night
YOU ARE READING
Though We May Fall {An Aphmau AU}
Fanfiction"I'll keep dancing for you." Being a dancer is hard work. But hard work can be made easy as long as you have friends on your side. Aphmau Phoenix and Aaron Lycan have been friends since they were in elementary school. After Aphmau moved away, they...
