"Yeah, but thanks for the help. How about you, doing anything today? The girls are hitting up the Dage and I'm coming with them."

"Hmm, tempting..." But Aoki stops on his tracks when he spots a boy by the gate, looking kind of awkward. "—nah, not today, thanks. Something came up."

Inatte looks at the boy that stopped Aoki. "Friend of yours?"

"Something like that."

"Alright. I'll catch you tomorrow for movie night?"

"Yeah." He strides over to the boy, who looks increasingly nervous the closer he is. "You got a lot of nerve coming here like that," Aoki says, folding his arms.

Subaru shuffles his feet a bit and doesn't meet Aoki's eyes. "It's good to see you well."

"I'm sure it is. Well?"

"Aoki, I'm—"

"You're sorry? You didn't know yourself that well? You didn't mean to lead me on?"

He lets out a breath. "All of the above?"

"Yeah." Aoki sighs, too, then shoves Subaru's shoulder gently. "Stop beating yourself up so much, if you mean to start actually keeping your word then get to it. We were kids, this shit happens, I kinda never expected I'd see your face again but I think I'm happy to, now."

"...you're a lot more mature than me."

"Yeah, well, we're in a very important cognitive development phase and I'm a year older than you, plus I'm an omega. Stands to reason."

"Yeah, guess so. Uh... so... d'you wanna... grab some coffee?"

"Sure. You're paying."

"...sure," he says, with a small smile.

"So, it's been over a year," he says after they've grabbed a table and ordered. "How've you been? Any success with your boy?"

Subaru laughs mirthlessly. "No. He's dating someone, now."

"Huh. Another alpha?"

"No, an omega."

"Huh. And he's not just leading them on until he realises that actually he can't be with an omega after all and goes back to his little elite club?"

Subaru winces.

"I'm just teasing you. You said he's hex?"

"Yeah. Uh, have you heard of the Shikiri demon?"