That morning, you woke up to find Lea had disappeared. Larxene instead was flopped over onto her bed, snoring loudly. A note was pressed into your pillow and it took your eyes a moment to regain the ability to read.
Good morning. Thought I'd head out before your roommate got back. I'll find you later today. -Lea.
A little stick figure was drawn at the bottom with Lea's eccentric red hairdo. It smiled at you excitedly and you giggled to yourself. The pen he used was at your nightstand, and you took it to draw your own person beside his. Yours smiled too, and reached out a little hand to hold Lea's.
Your phone buzzed nearby. You saw an email notification from your program advisor; he needed to see you today. He had news, it stated. You quickly and quietly got dressed and headed out.
... ... ... ...
"Wait, really?" You stared at your counselor, your mouth reaching the floor.
"Yep," Mr. Xehanort said with a smile. You normally felt pretty untrusting of the devilish man's grin, but he held out the proof to you. "Congratulations, _." You took the folder from him, wetting the edges with your sweaty fingers.
"I can't believe it…." You gave the man a brilliant grin, shaking his hand. "Thank you, sir!" The old man laughed, stroking his pointed white goatee.
"You will accomplish great things. I look forward to seeing what your future holds."
You burst out of his office, running down the halls. There was someone you had to see.
... ... ... ...
Lea was in a welding room at that time. It took you forever to find him, as his film class was suddenly cancelled. When you at last located the redhead, he was just finishing something with a torch. You waited for him to notice you, bending over his knees as you begged for air.
Lea took a moment to see you, but he was quick to stop his work and make his way to you.
"What's up?" He asked. "You look like you ran through Hell."
"Gee, thanks," you gasped. Unable to say much more, you shoved the folder into Lea's chest. He wiped his dirty hands on his jeans and thumbed through the folder.
"What is this?"
"It's my acceptance letter to the Queen Mary University of London," you told him once you had the room in your lungs. "They have an Astronomy program I've been applying for, and I just found out that I was accepted." Lea's face lit up, just as yours had, and he reached out to give you a hug.
"That's amazing!" His arms wrapped over your waist, lifting you into the air for a quick spin. When he put you down, your light-headedness returned. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you!" You said. "I'm really excited! I've always wanted to travel. And, since the stars and other planets aren't open to visitors yet, England is just as good."
"How soon would you go?" He asked.
"I'd have to wait until after the next semester, since I've already registered and aid for my classes. But right after, they'll fly me out to attend their program."
"That's great, _. I'm really happy for you."
You thanked him again, but suddenly had a realization hit you. Leaving in another half a year or so meant that you'd be leaving behind your friends and family and Lea….
"Have you told Isa yet?" Lea's question brought you back to the present. Isa was still gone, but he had his phone.
"No," you said, the next realization wave hitting you. "I wanted to tell you first." You could've called Isa; it would've taken less time than it did to search for Lea, but for some reason never came to mind.
Lea smiled. It was proud, at first, then it was just a way to disguise his remorse. "You ought to call him. I'm sure that he'll be happy for you."
"Yeah." You withdrew from Lea's personal space, which you had made your 2nd home after spending so much time with him. He seemed to be speared in the heart as you pulled out your cell. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck." He returned to his project and you stepped out, your fingers hovering over Isa's name. You felt the temperature drop around you as you hit the call button.
... ... ... ...
Then, one day, something changed.
"Hey," Isa greeted as you opened the door to your dorm room. You jumped; you hadn't heard his voice in days, nor had you seen his face since his return.
"Hi," you mumbled. Isa met your eyes, disturbing you further. You kept that gaze as he pondered something for maybe 5 or 10 minutes.
"Ready?" He asked at last.
"What?" You looked around. "Ready for….?"
"It's date night." He held out his arm to you. You glanced down at your sweatpants and Breaking Benjamin t-shirt.
"Um…." You were very confused. Date night? An arm being held out to you like it used to be?
"I'll wait out here for you to get dressed. Then we'll go."
Outside, you were still confused. Isa had taken you to a nice restaurant; very public and loud. Isa was seated in a booth across from you. He ordered your favorite meal and drink. He offered to pay for your dessert if you had room for it. He asked about your day, your studies, your acceptance letter, your roommate and friends. You answered everything with careful hesitation. It was like any other date you'd gone on together, like nothing had happened between you a few weeks ago. Finally, over a bowl of a neapolitan ice cream, you placed your spoon on the table.
"Why are you doing this?" You asked. You couldn't handle the suspense anymore. You had to confront him.
"It's date night," Isa answered again.
"That's not what I meant."
Isa pushed through the melting sundae with his spoon. "I took some time to make an important decision. About us."
You tensed. This was what you'd been waiting for: an official breakup. The signs were all there: anger at your betrayal, taking you to a public place, buying you one last dinner. You took a deep breath, promising that you wouldn't cry when he delivered the news.
"What was your decision?" You spoke slowly and clearly. Isa caught your eyes.
"I want to take the next step in our relationship." He reached out and took your hand. "I think it's time that we get a dorm together."
"..." You were speechless. Nothing came to your mind as his fingers tightened on your wrist in anticipation.
"I'm certain that you haven't forgotten how to speak." He said, impatient.
"I'm sorry," you muttered at last. "I just didn't think you'd want to be with me."
Isa took your other hand. He was making a big show to be affectionate. "I do. I know that there have been...troubles between us, but I spoke with Braig. He pointed out that I may have caused this by not being serious about our relationship." He squeezed your fingers. "Move in with me. I want us to be together."
"You do?"
"Isn't that what you want as well?"
"O-of course, Isa. I love you. I want nothing more than to be with you. It's just-"
Isa put a finger on your lips. "I don't want to talk about it. I want us to put this all behind us. Move in with me."
You couldn't seem to answer. Lea came to your mind-that blasted little redhead! The very image of his goofy grin seemed to keep all words inside your throat. You wanted to talk to him first before making any decisions, even though you knew that was ridiculous. Lea wasn't your boyfriend. He was your partner in crime, your scandalous mistake as far as Isa thought. Yet, you would never call him a mistake. He'd been nothing but kind and supportive of you since Isa found out what happened. He was there when you needed help or when you cried, like that day in your bedroom where he offered to tell Isa the news himself. Or the night he spent with you in total innocence, keeping you warm and safe as you slept.
Isa's impatience grew. "You will move in with me, won't you?"
Your mouth moved before you could stop it. "Of course."
Isa's smile warmed your heart. He wanted to stay with you, despite what's happened. How could you deny a man who'd stick with you through anything?
... ... ... ...
You went home alone that night, as Isa had been called by his adopted family on some sort of emergency. He was taking a call in his dorm. When you got back, you found Lea walking down the other end of the hallway. He saw your face, more rosy and bright than either of you had seen in weeks, and a grin spread over his lips.
"You look like you had a good night," he said.
"I did," you replied. "And yourself?"
"Well, I was kinda down until I saw your smile." He stood before you, his heat building up as his positivity did. You blushed a bit. "What happened to you?"
"Well…." You felt your smile drop. You almost didn't want to tell him. "Isa asked me to get a dorm with him." If you hadn't spent so much time with him lately, you may have missed the flash of awkwardness in his eyes.
"That's great!" He said, patting your shoulders. "So, everything's okay with you guys?"
"I think so," you replied.
"Good. I'm glad." He rubbed your arms, then gave you a big hug. "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks." You returned the gesture, feeling better about Lea's kindness than the life-changing decision you made an hour ago.
"Now you can stop buggin' me and focus on your boyfriend," he joked, pulling back.
"I guess….." Lea ruffled your hair.
"C'mon, don't look so heartbroken. We'll still talk. We're friends, right?"
Your beam couldn't have been brighter. "Yes."
Lea looked over your head, his face darkening slightly. You turned around and saw Isa standing in the hall. His hands were shoved into his jacket pocket and he didn't seem particularly happy. Your mouth opened to start making excuses, but you closed it again. Lea had become a friend to you. You couldn't betray him by throwing him under the bus.
Not that it mattered, because he did it for you. "I was just congratulating you both on this new reminds me of the time when we were kids and you got that little green robot. Remember that?"
"Of course," Isa replied very cooly, moving his tense body to complete the standing triangle. "You got it for me when I was adopted."
"Yeah. I wanted it for myself, but I knew it'd make you happy to have it." Lea briefly glanced at you in the corner of his eye. "Congratulations to you both. I think you'll be really happy."
"Thanks." Isa pulled you into his arm. You couldn't relax beneath it while Lea was watching. He gave you both a quick nod as though he were a gentleman wearing a top hat.
"Don't stay up too late kids," he joked, smirking. "You've got class tomorrow."
As you watched Lea leave, a thought resounded beneath you. Little heart or not, you weren't going to spend the night with Isa.
"I'm going to bed," you told him instead. To try and make your justify your feelings in the relationship, you kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Isa looked like he had a million things that he wanted to say, but he simply brought his lips to your temple. "Yes. Goodnight."
