Though We May Fall {An Aphmau AU}

Aaron Is Jealous!

**Aaron's POV**

   As I was packing up my things, I watched Aphmau leave the building with Ein. For some reason, seeing the two of them together and knowing that they were going out on a date later tonight made my heart ache deep inside. I know that I have a crush on her- any one of my friends would be able to tell you that. But she didn't know, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship by telling her the moment she decides to go out with another guy. I needed to accept that maybe she didn't like me back the same way I liked her. That was just the way things were sometimes.

As soon as I left the building, I saw Nana run up to me. "Aaron! Do you mind giving me a lift home? My ride ditched me." I gave her a smile, nodding my head.

"Course. I'm just waiting for Cadenza, and then we can be on our way." She smiled at me, sifting her costumes into her other hand.

"Sounds good. Speaking of, what did Aphmau say? Is she coming tonight?" Stifling a groan, I shook my head, trying to not look at Nana's eyes.

"No. She's going on a date." Nana's eyes widened, and I could tell she almost dropped her bag.

"Really? A date? With who? How come she didn't tell me about it?" I sighed, shaking my head.

"With Ein. Honestly, I have no idea. I thought she would've told other people than just me, and the only reason she told me about it was because I asked her about dinner tonight." Nana frowned, crossing her arms. I felt her frustration. Aphmau had seemed distant lately, and not just from me. Half of the time I texted her, she replied minutes later. I didn't know if something was the matter with her or if she was having family problems, but I thought she would've at least trusted Nana with what was going on if not me.

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Cadenza came out of the theatre, her tiara still on her head. I rolled my eyes, a smile on my face. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go eat so food!" Nana laughed, skipping ahead of the two of us.

"So? Aphmau didn't want to come?" Cadenza asked, walking close to me. I shrugged my head, slouching my shoulders ever so slightly.

"She has a date," I answered quickly and quietly. She looked up at me in surprise, but I didn't look back.

"Is that why she and Ein left together? They seemed pretty close." I nodded, still not looking at her. Cadenza sighed, leaning against me. "Why don't you just tell her already? You're just gonna end up getting hurt if you ignore your feelings." Now it was my turn to look at her in surprise.

"What? How did you-"

"I was your closest friend until she came back remember. I know you like the back of my hand. You can't keep things hidden from me." I snorted, pushing back against her. She leaned her head on my shoulder, watching Nana run towards the car. "Well? Are you ever gonna tell her?" I sighed, shrugging once more.

"I don't know. Something seems off about her, and I don't want to add to her stress more than I need too. I want to let her figure out whatever problems she has without me being on her back constantly about my feelings when I should be more concerned with hers." Cadenza looked up at me, and I couldn't figure out exactly what was hidden in her pale green eyes, but it made me want to look away.

"Aaron... Look, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else, okay? Not even Aphmau." Frowning, I was about to agree when I heard Nana's voice.

"Aaron! Unlock the car!" Tearing my gaze from Cadenza, I reached into the pockets of my sweatpants to retrieve my keys. I pulled them out once I found them and unlocked the car, allowing Nana to slide into the backseat. I looked back at Cadenza, but she had left my side and was heading for the passenger seat. Frustrated, I put my dance bag and costume into the trunk, slamming it shut before getting into the driver's seat. I knew Cadenza wouldn't tell me while Nana was in the car, so I would have to wait until it was just the two of us again.

Nana and Cadenza started to talk about little things that had happened at dress rehearsal, such as who had messed up a variation or what had gone wrong or who hadn't made their quick change. I zoned them out, focusing on the road ahead of me. When we arrived back on campus, I kept driving to a café on campus, one the four of us frequented often after dance. It still felt weird going without Aphmau, but I pushed the thoughts from my head.

Walking inside with the two girls on either side of me, I felt slightly self-conscious because of the stage makeup the three of us still wore, but I noticed other dancers and actors in the café with the same. The drama troupe was performing Wicked this weekend as well, and they had been an even bigger rush than we had. Well, I should correct myself. Half of the drama troupe was performing Wicked. That half was the musical half, which included Katelyn, Travis, and Lucinda. The other half with the rest of our friends in theater was for regular plays, and they often put on Shakespeare and such. They had their performance in the spring. But still, we had seen little of our other friends since Thanksgiving. Everyone was busy with their own tech weeks or other things like that. But I was sure all of us would get together multiple times over winter break.

The three of us talked and laughed for around an hour, just enjoying the others company. But I could tell that Nana and Cadenza also felt odd without Aphmau here. It wasn't that Aphmau was the only friend we all had in common. It was that she had become a huge part of our lives again, and without her, it felt like a part was missing. Again.

"So have either of you noticed Aphmau and Ein getting close? I didn't really know that they liked each other that much." Nana spoke during a lull in the conversation, and it brought an odd feeling to the table. I shrugged while Cadenza nodded.

   "Yeah, they're both juniors, so any classes she doesn't have with me and Aaron I believe she has with him. She mentions him every so often, but I never expected that she liked him like that. I... I always thought she would've told me if she had." Cadenza fell silent with this, staring at the empty plate in front of her.

   "Not to sound weird," Nana started, "but I always thought that if Aphmau were to date anyone, it would be you, Aaron." With a start, I looked over at her.

   "Me? Why would you think that?" Nana giggled, tail swaying slightly behind her.

"Because of the way that you look at her! You can tell quite a lot from a person's eyes and it's obvious that you like her, and you can't convince me otherwise!" When a look of triumph passed over her face, I could tell that my feelings were written across my face.

"It seems like everyone knew how I felt before I even did." Cadenza laughed at that, pushing my shoulder.

"I think deep down Aphmau likes you back Aaron, don't worry." I glanced over at Nana, and the hope in her eyes mirrored what was glowing in my heart. "She never laughs as hard as when you make a joke or are around her. Give her time and she'll come to realize where her heart truly lies." I smiled at her, the corners not reaching my eyes.

"If you say so. And when did you become so poetic?" Nana giggled again, pulling her tail in front of her and straightening the bow.

"Oh, the life of a shipper." Then the three of us laughed, and the light in my heart swelled to an almost unbearable amount. There was hope. And where there's hope... there's a chance.