And with that, here's the last chapter of this fic! I know, I'm a force to be reckoned with, given this is the third fic I've finished this year, and I'm hoping to finish another for these two by the end of the year (fingers crossed).
I want to thank everyone who encouraged me when it comes to supporting an OC x Canon ship, whether you gave kudos to this story or liked my Lightheim art on my tumblr side blog or Twitter. This tiny little campaign that I started six months ago, while still small here, has made me so grateful to still appreciate fandom.
With that said, here's the final chapter, and the end to the first part of a three part series for these two lovebirds. Enjoy!
First Summer
"Baby, you're the end of June.
I want your belly and that summer feeling,
Getting washed away in you."
—"Watermelon Sugar" Harry Styles
Aeric
With the fast approach of the end of the school year, Aeric looks at the pamphlets for the sports camp he's been attending since his parents got married, from camper to CIT. If he goes this summer, it'll be his last year. And yeah, he's had some great memories: getting his first crush on a CIT when he was eleven, sneaking into the woods late at night with his roommates to make s'mores, hookups he's both proud of and not so proud of.
This year, though, he has Ian. And yeah, they're both pretty keen on going to Willowdale together, but who knows if the scholarships he applies for go through for sports? Who knows if he even gets in? (Ian's a shoo-in, of course, given his dad went there and he's one of the smartest in their class.) Sure, there's senior year, but that's a school year.
Summer with Ian means studying and learning for fun. It means days at the beach, and warm summer nights. And now that Ian's about to take his driving test to get his full license, eight whole weeks of going, well, wherever they want. Even if they both end up at Willowdale, next summer just won't be nearly as carefree. No matter what, it'll be filled with shopping, textbook buying, planning... this might be all they have.
Still, he knows Dad might be disappointed if he decides to skip out this year just for a guy. Sure, his applications are going to look just fine with the extracurricular commitments he's had over the years, all his accolades and awards in both sports and academics... but he'll need something a little more grounded to staying home as opposed to just saying it's to spend more time with Ian.
Ian takes his driving test on a Saturday afternoon, a couple of weeks before junior year is over. Aeric's bombarded with a few nervous texts, and he tries to assure his boyfriend that he's going to pass—he's driven with Ian before, and he's more than ready, despite the anxiety. Better than Barley, Aeric surmises, though he's only observed his driving from afar.
It's a testament that if Barley Lightfoot can pass his driving exam, Ian certainly can.
He promises to get them coffee afterward, taking a nice jog this late morning to Sirens. If (when) Ian passes, he's going to get picked up; if not, Aeric certainly doesn't mind the jog home (though it'll probably be a walk, given he's going to get his boyfriend a drink no matter what.
Today he's got his contacts in as opposed to jogging without any correction lenses, and does a double take as he passes the school and approaches Sirens—is that a "Help Wanted" sign he sees in the window?
Jogging up to the store, that's completely true. Is this a sign from the gods, both literally and figuratively? Can this actually be his answer to staying in New Mushroomton this summer? A real job, that he can put on his application, where he can make some extra dough on the side and actually take Ian out on some great dates? The baristas and managers know him and Ian from spending their Tuesday afternoons at the shop, and he's pretty sure he can get permission to work from his parents, despite still being a minor.
Aeric jogs inside with a grin, pausing his music and stuffing his headphones into his sweatpants pocket. He's starting to learn more barista names: today it's Alia, a NMCC student (and another elf). She's the only one able to spell his name right, even though he's been coming here for, well, years. Upon seeing him, she breaks into a grin.
"Hey, Aeric! What brings you here on a Saturday?" She already has a cup out, poised to take his order.
"My boyfriend is taking his driving test, and when he passes he's gonna pick me up here," Aeric explains, unsure if she knows Ian's name yet. Usually he's the one ordering, since Ian's about as hopeless about coffee as he is about sports.
"'When'?" Alia raises an eyebrow. "You're pretty confident about him passing."
"He's a good driver," he assures. "Even on the off chance he doesn't pass, it's a good consolation. Or reward. It works either way."
"Iced blended mocha for him, iced skim latte for you?" she guesses.
"Yeah, thanks." Aeric fishes out his wallet. "Hey... was that a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window?" Best to play this off cool, just inquire in case the manager is thinking about not looking for a high school student. But if this can work out...
"It is." Alia accepts the payment and gets to work on making his drinks. "One of us is transferring to Crystalwood after getting his AA, so we're looking for some extra help. Why, you interested?"
"I am, actually." Oh, his heart is pounding. It's definitely not the run. "I know you're probably looking for someone who isn't seasonal, but..."
"Well, during this time of year, we can't really afford to be too picky about that," Alia admits over the sound of the blender with a shrug. "Our head manager isn't in today, but if you want, I can put in a word that you want to apply if you don't mind providing your number. He knows who you are, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if you got it, even if you're just seasonal. I mean, you do know the difference between ristretto and long shots, right?"
"Ristretto pulls shorter shot times; long pulls longer shot times," Aeric answers immediately, writing down his number when Alia provides him with scrap receipt paper. "All I know is from observation, but I can tell you now that I'm a really fast learner."
"I believe that." She nods, handing over his drinks. "You're also really friendly and approachable, and a good strength is that a lot of your peers from summer school would know you from coming here."
"Are you trying to help me out here?" he asks, taking a sip of his latte. Just what he needed. "If so, I really do appreciate it."
"Might be," Alia replies with a wink, and that's enough for her to garner a little extra on tipping.
As Aeric settles in at his and Ian's usual booth, he gets the text.
"Guess who's coming to pick you up?" It's sent with a thousand hearts and smiling emojis, which immediately has Aeric grinning.
"And guess who got your ice blended to celebrate? I knew you could do it!"
"Thanks, babe—I'll be there soon. Love you!"
"Soon" ends up being a little later than expected—which is weird, because Ian is never late. And given he's been driving, well... it's not like he can text at the same time. Aeric just sighs and looks out the window, watching Ian's ice blended slowly become slush and separate from the ice.
But there's Laurel's sedan coming into the parking lot, and, well... Ian still has a little to learn when it comes to parking, but thankfully he finds a space with two open ones on either side. Aeric waves his goodbyes to Alia and greets Ian with a quick kiss once he's inside the car.
"Congrats, babe! Of course I knew you could do it!"
"Thanks," Ian chuckles, that hint of nervousness still laced in his voice as he takes a sip of his drink. "I'm sorry I'm late. Barley got stranded on the way to work and I thought I'd have to pick him up, but he got it sorted out. Something about a cute centaur mechanic? Anyway, I'm here now—I swear, I thought the goblin test taker was going to fail me for that last left hand turn..."
"But you're here! And they're gonna mail your real license in a couple of weeks with the worst picture imaginable." Aeric settles into his seat and buckles in. "Seriously—they just use your permit picture."
Ian groans, taking the car out of park. "Great... I'm gonna hate showing that off now."
"Yours will always be adorable," Aeric assures, grinning. "Even if you don't think so."
"You're so full of it." Ian rolls his eyes affectionately before driving them off.
Alia comes through with putting in that good word with the manager, because a week before the end of the school year, just as testing and finals are coming more to a close, Aeric gets the call for an interview. He researches a little more on coffee and job interviews, just to get a better idea on how to do this—it's his first interview, after all, and yet he has no idea how or even what to tell his parents.
But he goes before school one morning, skipping the morning swim to meet with the head manager. This is probably how Ian felt before that driving test, and honestly, this is about as nerve wracking as building up how he was going to confess to Ian that he loved him. It seems to go well, he hopes—remembering everything he's learned about playing the game and how it's also about pleasing people, too, and being personable. And sure, maybe he doesn't know everything about coffee, but he can learn! There aren't a lot of jock baristas, as far as he knows.
"I can't believe you're going to camp this summer," Ian sighs during lunch, picking at the cafeteria pizza. "Summer is supposed to be perfect."
"Actually..." Aeric stops his little blender, before taking a swig of his smoothie. "I applied for a job at Sirens." Okay, he can't keep it a secret from Ian. "It'd suck to be away from you for six of the eight short weeks."
"You sure?" Ian reaches over and takes one of Aeric's hands. "Will your parents be okay with it if you got a job instead?"
"I mean, it's real money, real work experience." Aeric shrugs. "I can't see why that'd be a worse alternative to some sports camp, even if I've been going for years. That'll look good on a Willowdale application, don't you think?"
"Applications already?" Parthenope laments into her salad. "I just want one more summer where I don't have to think about any of that."
"Sorry, you're right. We should probably enjoy being kids while we still can," Ian points out, though his smile has a hint of sadness to it. "Hey, you know they're giving out yearbooks tomorrow, right?"
"I can't wait to see all the little blurbs and articles I wrote!" Sadalia cries, clapping her hands together.
"And the spread on the LGBTQ+ club!" Althea adds.
"And now that Ian has his license, we can totally hit the beach together more often!" says Gurge excitedly.
A whole summer with these kids? It's making Aeric want to stay in town more and more.
He doesn't hear anything for a couple of days, until early gets home, and his parents are waiting for him at the dining table, patiently.
"Um... hi?" he says, shooting them an unsure wave.
"Aeric, would you mind coming in here for a second?" asks Dad. With that calm tone of voice, Aeric swallows thickly; he's bound to be in trouble, or at least in for a pretty serious talk.
"Yeah, Dad?" He places his backpack down on the ground. The only thing he wants to do is read what Ian wrote in his yearbook (they both made the cheesy promise to only look once they were at home)—a pep talk just might sour that mood.
"I just got a call from Dewey at Sirens. Something about how they want to offer you a summer job as a barista?" Dad raises a thick brow, brown eyes magnified behind his rectangular lenses. Mom is surprisingly silent, just with a gentle hand on Dad's arm.
Damn. Aeric had to give the home number as a backup just in case they wanted to call while he was at school. "Uh... yeah, about that?"
"Why didn't you just tell us you wanted a job this summer, sweetie?" Mom interrupts, her voice soft as ever. "We would have helped you out with finding one."
"It was... kind of a last minute thing," Aeric admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't want you both to think I wanted to stay at home this summer just because of Ian, so I started looking for a reason to stay."
"It's fine if you did," Mom assures, and Aeric notices her grip on Dad's arm tightening just a bit to keep him from saying the wrong thing. "We were just a little surprised at how sudden it all was, and that you didn't want to tell us. Are you sick of camp?"
"I mean... I know it'd be my last year, and all the guys are great. I'd probably have a ton of fun. But I kind of want to make Ian a priority. It's not just a high school fling. We want to go to the same college, major in similar departments," he explains, hoping that sounds mature enough for his reasoning. "Besides, a job probably looks better on an application, and on scholarships as opposed to being sent to a camp, no matter how long."
"We're not mad," Dad assures, and through his mustache, Aeric can see that. He wishes he could see more of himself with Dad, other than the shape of his nose and the same terrible eyesight, than whoever used to be in the picture in his room. "We just wish you had discussed these plans with us a little more."
"Oh no..." Aeric groans. "You already made a deposit on camp?"
"Yup." Mom nods, her gills flaring a tad. "Which means you're gonna have to pay the difference with those first few paychecks if you take this job."
Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's fair, I guess."
"Hey, if you came to us first..." She shrugs. "Actions have consequences, kid. You wanna be an adult with a job this summer, right?"
"Yeah..."
"That's not being too harsh on him, Dell, is it?" asks Dad. It's funny... Aeric's seen him so rough and demanding when it comes to clients or banging out contracts, but he never seems to know how to act around him and Mom, usually flustered. He wonders if it has something to do with having a hard time as a single dad, all those years ago.
"No, it's fine, Dad," Aeric assures. "Mom's right about that, and I guess that means I'll have to start off strong."
"You should call Dewey back, let him know you're interested in taking the job," he advises. "You know, before the NMCC kids start applying, too."
"Right." Aeric grabs his backpack. "I'll text Ian afterward. Kind of don't want his anxiety going through the roof wondering."
"I'm gonna keep you on your same workout schedule like at school," Mom warns. "We'll work around it with those opening shifts, if you get 'em."
If that means he gets to spend the majority of his summer, going through his reading list with Ian, it'll definitely be worth it. "Yeah. Maybe a little later though, so I can actually stay out?" he asks, hopeful as he stands up.
"I don't mind making an exception. Hell, we could all use more time sleeping in," Mom agrees. "And hey... even though you didn't go around it the right way, we're proud of you."
"Thanks." His heart's pounding, but... this summer is shaping up to be everything he's ever wanted, and it hasn't even started yet.
Once he's upstairs, he calls Sirens to accept the job, but he's so hyped up on the adrenaline that the conversation doesn't even process within him until he's texting Ian with shaking hands. He's slated to start a week after school ends, once his parents sign a few papers and he's set up to go.
"I got the job, and I'm taking it!"
Ian's response is immediate: "I just got done reading through my yearbook... I've never had this many people sign it before! But congrats, babe! This is going to be the best summer ever!"
Aeric smiles; is there anything Ian can say that isn't completely charming right off the bat?
"I love you," he texts back. "Must have said it about a hundred times in what I wrote in your yearbook, though, huh?"
"I loved it," Ian assures. "And I get to treasure it forever."
He still hasn't gotten around to reading everything: from Tina's sappy goodbye next to the cheerleading squad portrait, to the seniors on the team writing farewell wishes over their respective jersey numbers. Throughout Study Hall it had been just a flurry of yearbooks being passed around to him—and Aeric makes sure to write his dedication and well wishes on his and Ian's superlative, which Jax worked into a perfect capsule that he gets to keep for years to come. If he's going to be remembered after high school, he doesn't want it to just be about the game, or being Tina's right hand man at her famous parties; he wants to be remembered with Ian, to know that, even if it doesn't last (and how could it not?), he'll always have this magic.
"Kelby, I know you'll help lead the team to victory next year. Give 'em hell!" from Gregor.
"Kelby, can't wait to play with you as your new captain!" from Peter Vorg, who was pretty much destined to be QB from the beginning of JV.
"Aeric, had fun getting to know you this year!" from Parthenope.
He flips through them all, running his fingers over the glossy pages just fresh from Spring Fling, Tina's and Gregors Prom King and Queen pictures, Sadalia in the foreground of a great cheerleading picture taken at a home game.
And when he gets to Ian's, which takes up quite a bit of space, Aeric lays down on his bed, looking around his room at every polaroid shot they've taken together this year, from study dates, to after school shenanigans, to selfies in the park. There's this feeling in his chest that's deeper than love, that tells Aeric that he's ready to face the future head on with Ian, no matter what the adventure calls for. That he might have actually lucked out this early, and found the perfect guy that he's willing to love through thick and thin. He hopes that's what he's conveyed when he wrote in Ian's yearbook, anyway.
Aeric picks up his copy and reads, and afterward he has to take off his glasses to wipe the tears forming in his eyes.
Practice for the team ends a week before school's out, given the field is taken over by graduation rehearsal, and is slated to start again a couple of weeks before it starts up again. With finals over, he and Ian watch enviously as all the seniors take it easy with their activities, graduation happening the day after they're all gone.
"I can't believe that in a year, that's going to be us!" Ian cries, and Aeric can tell he's already picturing them in green caps and gowns that the seniors are just picking up. Tina approaches them with a melancholy smile.
"I can't believe it, after all these years... I might be leaving you off okay," she sighs, kissing Aeric's cheek.
"I'd say more than okay," Aeric assures, squeezing Ian's hand. "But you've gotten me out of more than my fair share of sticky situations."
"And maybe it'll still happen once you're both at Willowdale," she says hopefully, casting her gaze over to Ian. "You're both going to make it—I just know it."
"Aw, thanks, Tina," Ian chuckles. "And thanks for all the help—you know, with being so nice to me at parties and stuff."
Tina places both her hands on Ian's shoulders, looking at him head on. "I never thought there was any guy out there good enough for Aeric for the longest time," she says. "But you're even better than what I could have ever wanted for him." And she accentuates it by giving him a huge hug. "Don't let him cause too much trouble without me, you hear?"
"I-I won't!" Ian promises, his eyes wide with a little shock that she'd leave him with something so profound.
Aeric meets Ian at his locker on the last day of school, after the last bell, leaning casually against the locker beside his. Ian's packing up all the little magnets and decorations he's hung in there in his backpack, being careful of all the pictures of them together, which Aeric notices has him smiling fondly at the memories of these past few months.
"Hey," he says, smirking over at his boyfriend. "You're Ian, right?"
Ian pauses, before realizing what he's just said, and playfully rolls his eyes. "Real funny, Aer."
"I had to!" Aeric's smirk turns into a full blown smile as he holds his hands up, defensively. "This is where we met, after all. Officially, anyway."
Sighing, Ian zips up his backpack and closes his locker for the last time. "I never thanked you for that, by the way," he says.
"For what?" Aeric asks, a little perplexed. Ian's the one who asked him out in the first place.
"Making the first move. I probably would have been silently pining after you the rest of the school year, and you never would have noticed."
"No, you wouldn't have. Someone else would have asked you out, believe me."
"Then I'm glad you came first," Ian confesses, slinging the straps over his shoulders. Overall shorts over a crop top don't work too well on everyone, but his boyfriend pulls it off flawlessly. "I don't want to imagine a junior year where we're not together."
"Neither do I," Aeric agrees, picking Ian up by the waist, backpack and all, giving him an effortless twirl before setting him down into a kiss. "So, what are you doing right now?"
"Meeting up with everyone," Ian answers immediately, threading his fingers with Aeric's. He's still playing along with their first real conversation, and his palm feels sure and steady against his own. "Getting some Master FroYo, and then it's off to the park now that summer's just starting."
"Sounds perfect. Looks like I'll have to join you." They start heading down the hall hand in hand, waving their goodbyes to everyone, wishing faculty and other students great summers. And just as they head out the giant doors leading out of NMHS, there's the gang, waiting for them at the stairs off to the side, in their usual before-and-after school hangout spot. The freshly painted dragon mural smiles at them in their peripheral vision as they greet everyone, eager to start their summer off on the right foot. Sadalia beckons them over, dishing out all the information she knows about the new cheerleading captain; Althea is helping push Kameron in her chair, now that they've made things official; Gurge lets Aeric know he has a spare ball for them to play with once they're in the park; and Parthenope fluffs her freshly bleached curls, testing out this summer if blondes really do have more fun.
Ian squeezes his hand, and Aeric squeezes back with a smile, completely content with the realms.
"Dear Aeric,
Heart's Fire was always a term I struggled with when it came to learning magic, especially when it came to believing in myself. It started with Barley, but even though you don't have 'The Gift,' you have enough Heart's Fire for ten thousand dragons. I don't think I've met anyone as genuine or as passionate as you—you always know what to say or do when I'm even a little down, and when I'm with you, I'm floating.
Sometimes I try to think about what would have happened if we just continued living our lives separately, but now we're both so intertwined it's impossible. You bring out the best in me, that I didn't even know I had, so naturally. And I hope that still happens with you, even given how confident and experienced you are. I hope I've given some of that to you, and I feel like I have. I feel like I see it when you smile.
You've helped me become more of the person I know my dad would be proud of. You're my first for so many things: first date, first kiss, first game, first time falling in love. And for that, you'll always be in my heart.
Thank you for teaching me what real magic is.
Love always,
Ian"
I really hope you enjoyed this full-filled, completely indulgent fic I had to write for myself in quarantine. Sometimes you just need to give yourself exactly what you want, no matter how sappy.
As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated. See you in the next fic!