A/N

Dammit people pining for each other (irl and in fiction) is my weakness so here

I will now be hosting auditions for someone to pine over (and vice versa) please and thank you

Enjoy :) <3

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High School AU

His fingers pressed on the controller violently, his eyes were glued to the points on his screen.

Just a few more...

"New High Score," the screen read finally, and all his muscles relaxed.

The widest grin spread on his face. "Ha! Beat your high score in your own house," he told Kai in a sing-song voice. "Guess someone owes me a free meal."

But when he looked back at his friend, he too had fallen asleep on the couch behind him.

He sighed, his own exhaustion catching up to him with a yawn. Looking at the clock, it was already past 2AM.

And to think that it wasn't even a school night. He expected them to last a bit longer than that.

Cole was surprisingly the first one to go down, his snores making it evident that he was still very much asleep on that armchair. Zane followed, quietly sitting on the floor as he did. It looked more like meditation rather than sleeping, something he always found amusing.

Finally, Kai. He didn't have to spread across the entire couch (he had a bed of his own in his house, after all), but that was that. He was left on the freezing floor all alone.

He didn't like to complain about the cold or lack of heating (he did grow up in a desert, after all), but he wished they at least had a fireplace he could warm himself with.

Kai had pulled out two blankets from his room, and, currently, both of them were occupied.

Cole's was quite long, draping down over the armchair and onto the floor, but nowhere near long enough to cover him as well. Kai's, on the other hand, was wrapped around him like a burrito, making it impossible to get a even a tiny bit of the blanket they were supposed to be sharing.

Only Zane didn't mind staying without a blanket, but he guessed he just naturally enjoyed the cold.

The only other chance he had of finding a blanket was in the... other room.

Maybe it was just the hormones speaking, but even after months of him coming over, it was still just as tough to get a word out when talking to her.

She was gorgeous, sure, but they never talked a lot aside from the occasional small talk. Once, they had eaten lunch together at Kai's house while he was taking an unusually long shower after school. Even though it was only a small chat, he knew that, deep inside, he craved for more.

He always took glimpses of the common interests they had; she liked to tinker, take walks in the park, occasionally do a sketch or two... Just a week ago, her brother teased her about reading a romance novel.

Said brother and their two friends had erupted into a fit of chuckles. But the teasing didn't last long, for she managed to shut it down with a single glare.

Still, he noticed her embarrassment, the adorable hints of red in her cheeks as she tried to hide her face. He smiled at the sight, even chuckled at her glare. She looked at him thankfully, having found her only supporter in the debate.

Luckily, she didn't notice his own heating face, for, deep inside, he held the same secret.

He paused the game, slowly but surely making the way to her door, he couldn't help but notice light creeping in through the keyhole.

It was the first time he had stayed over at Kai's house. Despite him and his sister living away from their parents quite often (business trips, as he came to learn), it was in quite a good condition.

From the moment he stepped into their house for the first time at the beginning of the year, he had always wondered how her room looked like. Not in a creepy way, of course, but it was always his belief that a room can say a lot about a person.

For example, his was blue, messy, and filled with Starfarer comics. That had to say something, right?

He knocked on her door.

"Come in," she said in a quiet voice. He cringed at the thought of waking her.

The room itself wasn't painted blue, which he had suspected from the moment he had asked her about it. But it was still evident that it was her favourite colour, from her pillow case to the little clutter items on her desk. The room itself was quite small and bland, but her own personal touch added something truly unique.

Along with her desk lamp, a string of fairy lights wrapped around her bed, illuminating her features all the more. Her tanned skin was almost golden under the warm light, while her silky, black hair had a distinct shine go through them. Messy as they were, they were still just as mesmerising.

Her cheeks were red on their own, however. He searched for a reason in his mind until he realised that perhaps his stare had lasted too long.

He cleared his throat, blushing himself. "Um, hi," he said. "Whatcha doing?"

She became even more embarrassed, closing her book but still leaving Kai's laptop running in front of her. Nice going, Jay.

"A book I've read got adapted into a movie..." she said awkwardly. "I'm... checking the book while watching to catch inaccuracies."

He couldn't help it, he laughed. He found the confidence to approach her, only then noticing that they were both in their pyjamas.

Her shirt looked cute with its cat-filled design. He took a moment to study it, then turned away quickly once he realised he shouldn't be staring at her torso.

"You don't think its weird?" she said, tilting her head slightly.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, it sounds like something I would do with the Starfarer movies," he said. "I mean, I love Cliff Gordon, but sometimes he just does not portray the character right. And Queen Andromeda is supposed to have green skin, but in the movies they made her pink to make her seem more 'girly'. Like, who does that?"

She chuckled at his passionate rant.

"So... which book is it?"

She toyed with the pages of the book before giving up on her façade.

"Promise not to laugh?"

He nodded.

She sighed. "Blossom Peak."

"They made a movie of that?"

His lips sealed shut once he blurted it out. He looked into her eyes, which were just as wide as his, hoping that she would magically forget about what he had just said. But alas, all he got back was a pair of sweet, brown eyes to stare at.

Her eyebrow quirked up. "Why? Have you read it?"

"I..." He looked into her eyes. She was just as embarrassed as he was. "Yeah... I read it when it came out."

"I thought you didn't do books."

"Well, comic books and romance books are an exception..." he admitted. "That one was one of my favourites. Like, when Jack and Nikki are on that hill reuniting after so long... My ma was asking why I was crying over a piece of paper."

Her face lit up as she laughed. "I know, right? That's the scene I'm waiting for!" she beamed at him. "And since the story takes place in Ignacia, our hometown, they actually filmed it there."

"No way."

"Yes way! The author is even doing a book signing there to celebrate." Her smile fell a little. His heart sunk seeing her sad. "I think Kai will be working that day though, and while our parents are in Ignacia... They'll be too busy to give me a ride."

For once in her teenage years, not having her driver's license sucked.

An idea popped into her head... No, she couldn't possibly burden him with that. They weren't even that close. Or were they? They were acting like they were close, right?

"I can take you," he blurted out. That time, however, he didn't regret it.

Her head snapped towards him. "Really?"

She was staring right at him. Play it cool, Jay. "Yeah. I have my motorcycle, and I have my parents' old car. You choose."

"Which one will make Kai angrier?"

They laughed.

By the time he remembered why he was there in the first place, she scooted over in her bed, tapping the spot beside her.

"You know... I'm only in the first five minutes of the movie if you want to watch it."

He discreetly pinched himself, unsure whether he was living in a dream. But he couldn't... he didn't want to cross her boundaries like that...

"Are you sure? I mean, Kai..."

"I'm sure he's already hogged all the blankets while you're gone. And we know each other well enough, it's not like you're a stranger." It felt nice admitting it to herself.

She didn't refer to him as a friend... Was that a good sign or not?

Hesitantly, he nodded.

Feeling the warmth of the blanket wrap around him felt amazing. Combined with her warmth, it felt euphoric.

Both their legs and arms were touching. As much as he wanted to, he resisted putting his arm around her, tilting her head with the other and kissing her round, soft lips...

... Too far.

Instead, she placed her hand on his thigh to make room, then pulled the laptop over their legs with her other.

But when they still didn't have enough space, he was forced to give in, resting his arm on the bed's wooden headboard, which just so happened to align with her head.

"Enjoy the movie," she told him. That time, she looked into his eyes; she didn't shy away or hesitate. And when she leaned under his arm, closer to his shoulder, her smile widened.

He smiled back, his gaze averting to the screen instead. "You too."

Just friends.

Sure... That was a funny joke.