There was a nervous pit in the bottom of his stomach as he took the usual path to work. He hadn't hung out with a person one-on-one in a very long time, so the thought of just meeting like this brought waves of anxiety, one after the other, all growing bigger in level.

What if he wasn't as sweet as Justin thought he was? Maybe he was a jerk, or cruel, or maybe he set puppies on fire! Who would set puppies on fire?! Someone sick, that's what!

He felt himself getting worked up, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. North had been kind to him this entire time, so nothing too bad could happen, right?

But.. what if he just.. worked for her..? What if this was all some set up to bring him back to the dark side..?

The thought made his heart speed up, being the only thing he could hear as he walked. It was his biggest fear, going back to that life, it was why he hid in his apartment, far away from anyone of potential danger.

And yet, at a sight, he stopped in his tracks, his ears perking up in surprise.

Just a few feet away was the store he worked at, and leaning back against the wall was North. He wore one of his more casual outfits this time, which even then was still quite attracting when it came to the colors. His hair was pulled up in a tiny ponytail, eyes scanning every inch of his phone screen as he scrolled through.

It.. was a calming sight, oddly enough.

So with a deep breath, we walked closer, entering North's peripheral vision and making him look up. His smile was as bright and kind as ever, giving a silent wave.

As he shuffled his feet, Justin's ears flattened back, raising his hands to speak, "I hope you weren't waiting too long.."

"Nah, took ages for me to get away from my manager, I've only been here for like, five minutes."

"O-oh, I didn't mean to drag you away from your job.."

"Nonsense!" North flashed a joyous grin, his teeth so white you could see your reflection in them, "I already told you, I've been dying to have someone save me."

"Heh, right.."

"C'mon, the cafe's only two minutes away!" North replied, giving a wave as he began to walk, with a sheepish Justin following in his tracks.

He was right though, it was only two minutes after that they found a cute little cafe, all covered in a cutesy pink and white color palette.

"Strawberry Cafe?" Justin read as he read the title, head tilted to the side in curiosity. He had walked past this place a few times, but never payed much attention to it.

But on the other end, North's eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight, almost like he was entraced by the place, taking in a deep inhale before letting out a lovestruck sigh, "I haven't been to this place in a while!"

"Did you come here often?"

"Back when I was in high school, yeah. A lot of my friends used to work here part-time back then, so I'd come here to visit them often."

He does seem like the type of person who has many friends, which sparked a bit of curiosity as the two sat at a booth by the window. A waitress came over almost immediately, and North asked for an iced latte with whipped cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, and little strawberry pieces sprinkled on top.

'Ah, he's one of those,' Justin thought as he held in a chuckle.

The boy then turned to him, "What are you gonna get?"

"Uh.." a little flustered, Justin simply shrugged, "I'll just get a water. Gotta make sure I have enough to pay rent, you know?"

"That's okay, I can pay."

At that, the boy chuckled, but felt a little embarrassed when North didn't laugh along, and instead stared at him with confusion.

Justin shook his head, "You're.. serious..? N-no, that's- you don't have to do that, we don't even know each other that well.."

"I'm the one taking you out, OE," the bright one replied with puffed cheeks, "I don't mind paying."

He spent a few seconds debating with himself, but his trust issues were evidently taken over by the sweet taste of vanilla flavoring, so twiddling his thumbs, he muttered, "W-well.. a vanilla shake sounds nice.."

North smiled, then turned to the waitress and ordered, watching as she returned to the kitchen, leaving the two boys alone once again.

His mind then went to the original conversation they were having before entering the place, Justin's sandy ears perking up, "Do you still talk to your friends now?"

"From time to time. A few of them love throwing parties simply for an excuse to see us, so we always catch up them. It doesn't happen often though, we're all pretty busy."

"How so?"

"Well," he thought for a bit, tilting his head to the side before meeting eyes with Justin once again, "Two of them moved to New York about a year ago. They're a couple, and one of them went to study criminal investigation, the other simply followed along because they have a lot of free time."

He wasn't able to pin point exactly why, but the story seemed familiar to the dark blonde boy, but he pushed the thought aside, "Criminal investigators, huh?"

North smiled, "Yeah, she's always had a love for mystery solving. There's another who moved to London to work on his music, another who's currently traveling the world competing in professional volleyball; I see them more often since they're dating my sister."

"Wow, they've all really made a living for themselves..!" Justin didn't know whether to feel happy for these strangers, or jealous. Assuming they were all around North's age range, it would mean they're all quite young.

Even North who was only two years younger had made an empire for himself.

And where was Justin? Cooped up inside his apartment, never to be remembered?

Was that even his own fault..?

"You seem upset.." North's hand movements knocked Justin away from his thoughts, noticing the pale boy staring back with a worried glance, "Have I said something wrong..?"

"Uh- no! No, it's- you're okay, I'm just.." He stayed quiet for a bit, then smiled, though a bit forced, "I'm happy for your friends."

"Yeah, it's nice to see them living their best lives," North smiled back, then tilted his head, "What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Who do you usually hang out with?"

"Oh, uh.." he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "I only really have one friend, but.. I haven't seen them in a while.."

"Are they busy?"

"Not really, actually, he calls me maybe once every two weeks to catch up. It's more of.."

When no words followed after, North followed with a half smile, "You're afraid to pick it up?"

He tensed up, fox ears perking up in surprise, "I-it's not that I'm afraid of them or anything, they've never hurt me, I just-!"

"You're afraid to let them know how you're doing because you'd be comparing yourself to them."

He was surprised; his shoulders relaxed down, feeling understood for once, "Y.. yeah.. that's exactly it.."

"I know I haven't known you for very long," North began as the waitress came back with their drinks, with him taking his own, "But you're someone who's very easy to read. You have a lot of struggles with social aspects, direct and indirect, for reasons that aren't my business, so it doesn't take a genius to notice that you focus a lot on what others think of you, especially those who you're close with."

Justin simply stared in disbelief, was he really that easy to read?

"Wow.." he replied, rubbing his arm, "You're smarter than you look.."

"Cuz I look like an airhead?"

"Th-that's not-!"

He giggled, and Justin felt his heart flutter for a few seconds, a flutter than he hadn't felt in.. well, years, "I'm just messing with you."

"O-oh, heh.."

"Seriously though," North's smile shrunk a bit, giving his face a more serious look than usual, "I think you should talk to him.. Maybe not now, but.. whenever you're ready. If they really are your friend, then they'll be happy to hear from you."

"... I really should give him a call soon.. it's been a while.." He looked down at the milkshake in his hands, staring at it for a while, then took a small sip. His pupils widened in delight, and several sips followed after.

God it had been too long..

He looked up once again, his eyes meeting North's for just a second, but the other boy shifted his gaze to his drink. Maybe it was just a trick of the light that his cheeks seemed a little more rosy.

Still.. maybe this hangout wouldn't be so bad after..!

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

❤️❤️❤️