"There's been a change, Kirsch," said his agent and mentor, purple-haired and purple-eyed Dorothy Unsworth, entering his dressing room.
Twenty-eight-year-old Kirsch Vermillion looked over at Dorothy. His hair and makeup artist Risacca Ondell clicked her tongue in annoyance that he dared to move. Kirsch focused back on the mirror in front of him. He knew better than to upset Risacca. The first and last time he did, she put neon orange tips on his hair. Only after apologizing profusely and buying her coffee for a week did she fix it.
"What's going on, Dorothy," asked Kirsch.
"Finral's got the flu," said Dorothy, sighing.
Kirsch grimaced. Finral Roulacase had been Kirsch's photographer for five years since Kirsch became Dorothy's client. Finral was the only one of Dorothy's photographers that was able to work with Kirsch without running away screaming from the job. Kirsch was a bit of a perfectionist. "You mean to tell me we have to reschedule. What does Cornelia say about that?"
"Cornelia said it'd be a no-go. It'd be months before you were able to do this shoot. And this is for your cousin's new men's clothing line that's debuting next month. This job is a favor, may I remind you," said Dorothy, very blasé about it. Kirsch was sure that Cornelia Franklin (a college friend and his personal assistant) nearly freaked out at having to redo Kirsch's already packed modeling and charity events schedule. Dorothy said, more cheerfully, "But that's okay. Finral knows you can't work with the other photographers I have, so he's sending a photographer friend of his that is supposedly very good. Finral swears that this guy is great!"
Kirsch wrinkled his nose. "Fine, if this man can handle it, I've no problem. Did you tell Nebra?"
"Your cousin trusts us with this job," said Dorothy.
"Stop making faces," Risacca snapped.
"Sorry," said Kirsch, properly chastised. Nebra, one of his cousins, really owed him a big favor. He was the popular male model in Clover, so to have him model her new men's designs was a good marketing tool.
Once Risacca finished his hair and touching up his makeup, Kirsch went to the shooting set where Henry Legolant and Cob Portaport made the finishing touches on the set. Nebra was going for an urban chic look, so the set designers made an excellent backdrop for this shoot. Kirsch sat in his chair, while his team under Dorothy finished all the necessary details, as they waited for Finral's replacement photographer.
Kirsch scrolled his phone, catching up with messages from his sister and his parents about the upcoming Sunday night dinner.
"Ah! You must be Finral's friend," Dorothy greeted.
Kirsch looked up from his phone and directed his attention at the entrance to the set.
His heart did some sort of off-kilter ba-dump-thump in his chest.
Zora.
Kirsch froze in his seat. Hands went slack, his phone nearly fell to the ground.
"Yeah. Name's Zora Ideale." Zora Ideale stood speaking to Dorothy. He still wore a plain black fabric mask over the lower half of his face when he was in public. He carried his camera bag, slung over his shoulder. His blood-red hair stood out amongst the dim colors of the room.
God, he's still so handsome. Kirsch breathed in and out and pretended to not pay attention.
"Oh! I know your work," said Dorothy, eyes lighting up in recognition at his name. "I didn't know that Finral was friends with such an accomplished photojournalist. Well, it's really great that you came to help out."
"'m crashin' on Finral's couch while I'm in Clover, so it's the least I can do," said Zora, easily. "All he said that it was a four-day fashion photo shoot and then passed out."
"That's just like Finral," Dorothy sighed. "Well, we have seventy outfits to photograph on our model. Let me introduce you! Kirsch! Get off your phone and meet the replacement photographer!"
Kirsch breathed out quickly, stood up, and placed his phone on his chair. He plastered a polite smile on his face and hoped that he seemed normal. He walked over to his agent and Zora. He said, "Hi."
I'm so lame. God help me.
"Zora, this is Kirsch Vermillion," said Dorothy, with a smile. "Kirsch, this is Zora Ideale."
Zora grinned and Kirsch only knew it because he had memorized all the details of Zora's facial expressions. When the corner of Zora's eyes crinkled around the edges, Zora was smiling or grinning under the mask. "Hi." Zora held out his hand.
Kirsch grasped it and shook his hand, as quickly as possible.
"Now, we have to get eighteen outfits photographed today, so let's do this," said Dorothy, clapping her hands together.
Kirsch was a consummate professional and held his composure the best he was able during the eight-hour photo shoot where he had Zora's undivided attention. Zora knew his craft even better than Kirsch expected. Zora's hands placing Kirsch in poses distracted Kirsch to no end. It was really bad for his heart. And Kirsch had to do it again tomorrow.
He sat in the company car, hands over his face and sighing. Ginger-haired and green-eyed Levi Roe, his bodyguard, college roommate, and best friend drove, while black-haired and brown-eyed Cornelia Franklin sat next to Kirsch. Once Dorothy set up Kirsch with Zora, she had to leave to help out another model. Levi drove through the evening traffic in Clover's Capital City uptown, glancing every once in a while in the mirror back at Kirsch.
"So, what's your problem," Levi asked when he pulled into the parking garage for their apartment building and parked the car.
"Remember I told you about my high school boyfriend, whose heart I broke so he could travel the world," Kirsch blurted out.
Cornelia said, incredulously, "It's Zora Ideale, the replacement photographer. You dated that guy? How?"
Levi shook his head. "Wait. He's back in Clover! Kirsch, that's good."
"How," asked Cornelia and Kirsch, at the same time.
Levi sighed. "Meaning that you can talk to him properly. Make amends and then you can get over him finally. You both deserve it."
"I'm over him," replied Kirsch, hotly.
He lied. He wasn't over Zora. And Kirsch knew that he'd never be over Zora. But he didn't want to admit it.
"Like I believe you," said Levi.
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Clover," Cornelia said, sarcastically.
Kirsch pouted. "Jerks."
"Listen, get some food in you and some rest. You'll feel better in the morning," said Levi, who had to live with Kirsch during the first semester of college while Kirsch was still heartbroken over breaking up with Zora. Levi knew how much Kirsch loves Zora still, but that didn't mean that things were simple as a conversation.
Kirsch sighed. "Fine. I have vegetarian curry and rice. Do you want to?"
"Yes!"
"I'm in."
Kirsch Vermillion first met Zora Ideale in middle school.
Kirsch skipped Year 5 of school and started Year 6, a whole year younger than all his classmates at the tender age of ten. Kirsch, skinny and awkwardly tall for his age, tried not to stand out in class, which worked for about two weeks until the first test. The first test he aced and thus, screwed up the grade curve that the math teacher used to make sure that everyone passed.
His classmates weren't too pleased that the genius kid messed up the grades.
The thing about middle-schooler Kirsch was he couldn't defend himself very well, be it with words or fists. So, when he was cornered by three nearly twelve-year-old, very large boys after school, he knew that they were going to hurt him. Kirsch told them that he will never do poorly on purpose and that he was sorry that they were bad at math.
The first punch didn't hurt so much as it just stunned him enough that he was unable to react.
But the second punch never came.
"Shit, it's Zora, run." The three boys scurried away.
Kirsch, nose bleeding, met Zora for the first time. Eleven-year-old Zora had shaggy blood-red and gentle dark-blue eyes. Zora told him, not unkindly, "Don't let them walk all over you. Fight back."
"Thanks."
"I'll walk you home. Let's go."
"Oh! Okay. Thanks."
"Stop thanking me."
For that first semester of middle school, from April to September, Kirsch had been escorted home by Zora, who didn't talk to him, but who always made sure that Kirsch got inside his house okay.
After the brief break in September, Zora wasn't there anymore.
Kirsch had been disappointed and worried. Where had Zora gone? It bothered him for the rest of middle school and no one could tell him anything. He tried to make friends to no avail, so Kirsch spent most of his time with his nose in a book and studying. Middle school sucked, except for the time where Zora had walked him home.
Then, high school started. Year 9, Kirsch was still the youngest, but he had a growth spurt over the break and he received some fight training from his brutal oldest cousin Mereoleona, who was an MMA fighter and a jiu-jitsu expert. Kirsch had been far more confident going into high school than middle school.
Except on entering his homeroom class on that first day, blood-red hair drew Kirsch's gaze and he came face-to-face with Zora Ideale once again.
This time he was different. He had an undercut, a black fabric face mask on his face, wearing ripped jeans and a black band t-shirt with some dirty worn sneakers. He met Kirsch's gaze, but there was no recognition in those eyes, only sadness and loneliness.
"You look ridiculous," said Zora, amused, when Kirsch stepped out wearing outfit number seven on day two of the photo shoot.
Gasps were heard from Risacca, Dorothy, Cornelia, Levi, Henry, and Cob since no one had ever dared insult Kirsch. Kirsch's face warmed. In truth, he felt ridiculous in this particular outfit. Sure, Kirsch had enough good looks to pull anything off, but Nebra really went places with this one. It didn't help that Zora's attention was on him and Kirsch can't handle it as much as he thought.
Two more days, Kirsch thought, in relief and in sadness, because on the one hand, he'd not be so stressed, but on the other, he'd miss Zora again.
"Tell that to my cousin," Kirsch replied, attempting to save some of his dignity. "I can make anything look good."
"Even for you that's way too much pink," said Zora.
"It's salmon," Kirsch countered. Was there a slight thrill at the way that he and Zora fell into good-natured bickering from their high school days?
"It's gross," Zora replied. "But let's get on with taking the pictures."
"You have a way with words," Kirsch replied.
While Kirsch and Zora worked, he noticed Levi and Cornelia whispering to each other out of the corner of his eye. No doubt they were discussing Kirsch and his inability to focus around Zora. Kirsch grew more comfortable with Zora's presence on this second day. Kirsch had always been serious and straight to the point while on shoots but with Zora taking his pictures, Kirsch stopped after every shot to see the preview on Zora's digital camera. Dorothy raised an eyebrow the first time Kirsch did it but thought it was good for Kirsch to appreciate the photographer's work.
After outfit number seven's pictures were taken, Kirsch strode to Zora to take a peek. It may have been an excuse to get physically closer to Zora without it seeming too weird, though if Kirsch knew Zora as he did, he was sure that Zora already picked up on the reason why Kirsch kept doing it. Kirsch wondered if Zora felt the way he did.
Heart beating in his chest, face feeling very warm often, especially when Zora actually looked at him, Kirsch was a mess and he knew it. His self-control was phenomenal, but when faced with the man who he yearned for years for, Kirsch couldn't help but want to reach out his hand to take Zora's in his.
"I suppose it's not so bad," said Zora, looking through the shots he just took.
"Told you," said Kirsch, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, go get changed for the next one."
After a long, long day, Zora entered Finral's apartment, carrying takeout, soup, and medicine from the convenience store. Finral Roulacase laid on one of his couches, miserably watching television. Zora shook his head and placed the food and medicine on the coffee table.
"Thanks," said Finral, still sounding awful. His hair looked sad too. The green-dyed tips were fading, giving way to his regular brown hair color. Vanessa, Finral's best friend, hadn't been by to touch them up, since she was busy with her hair-and-nail salon.
"Yeah, make sure you eat and take your medicine," said Zora. He sat on the other couch, the one that he had been sleeping on for the last couple of weeks, and opened his takeout box. Zora wasn't really that hungry after having to be subjected to Kirsch all day. It was hard keeping his cool around the man he still loved more than he wanted to admit when all Zora wanted to do was kiss the pretty model senseless.
Finral sat up and grabbed his soup bowl. "So, how it'd go today?"
"It went," said Zora.
"That's vague," said Finral, sympathetically.
Zora glared at Finral. "If you had told me who your model was, I wouldn't have agreed."
He and Finral studied photography under the same teacher, Yami Sukehiro, a well-known and well-traveled photographer. Finral returned to Clover to be a model photographer while Zora traveled the world to be a photojournalist. Though Finral had been in Zora's friend group before their training since Finral was friends with Magna, who dated Zora's foster brother Luck, he and Finral didn't really hang out until they were chasing after their asshole teacher across foreign countries.
"Maybe," said Finral, who was not sorry he omitted the vital information. Nasally due to his stuffed nose, Finral said, "And maybe, this is a good thing for you. A way to get some closure."
Zora grimaced. "That's impossible."
Finral sighed, tiredly. "Zora, you just have to talk to him. And then you can move on."
"It's impossible," said Zora, slowly, and wondering if he should admit this out loud, but Finral and the rest of Zora's friends knew all the dirty details after they got him drunk one night several years ago and he spilled all his feelings out. He never lived it down. "Because I don't want closure. I still want him. It sucks. He's so happy, still so fucking beautiful as always. He has a good career, friends, he built a good life for himself. Who am I to bring up the past and ruin what he has?"
"Well," said Finral, unhelpfully rolling his purple eyes at Zora, "you're just stopping yourself because of your fears."
The first thing he thought about Kirsch Vermillion was that he was too…bright.
The second thing was questioning why the resident pretty genius boy kept looking at him during homeroom for weeks into the first semester of Year 9.
"So what do you want? You keep staring at me," Zora said, slamming his lunch tray on the table where Kirsch Vermillion ate by himself. Kirsch jolted from being startled away from his book.
Zora normally ate his lunch with his foster brothers Gauche (an asshole), Morgen (the closest thing to a saint, but also a bit of an asshole), and Nacht (an asshole), but it'd been bothering him why Kirsch had such a staring problem. Perhaps, he was autistic like Zora's younger foster brother Luck and didn't realize that he was doing it. If that was the case, Zora would let it go.
Kirsch stared.
"You're doing it again," said Zora.
"Um," said Kirsch, face reddening. "I wanted to talk to you. You probably don't remember, but back in middle school, you helped me out and I just wanted to say thank you."
Zora blinked a couple of times in confusion. He didn't recall meeting this guy back in middle school. "Wait, from Clover East Middle?" He spent one semester at Clover East Middle and then the rest of middle school at Clover West, when he joined the foster home.
Kirsch nodded, shyly averting his golden eyes away.
He thought about back then, when his father was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It hadn't been a good time for him.
"It meant a lot," Kirsch whispered.
And then, Zora remembered something and stated, blankly, "You were that scrawny smart kid that everyone always wanted to beat the shit out of for messing up the grading curve."
"Er, yeah," he said, laughing softly.
Zora had walked that kid, Kirsch apparently, home every day for two reasons. The first reason was Zora felt bad for the younger kid. The second reason was more selfish. He hadn't wanted to go to the hospital after school. Walking Kirsch home meant that Zora was able to avoid spending too much time watching his father pretend everything was okay in order to comfort Zora. Zora said, stiffly, "Don't thank me. It's nothing."
Kirsch pouted momentarily and then, he said, earnestly. "Thank you anyway."
Zora glared. "Whatever. Stop staring at me." He abruptly got up and left the table.
Zora stepped into the set room and found Kirsch and a silver-haired woman arguing. Zora recognized her from family photos. This was one of Kirsch's Silva cousins. He had only met Kirsch's younger cousins Leopold Vermillion and Noelle Silva back when he and Kirsch were dating in high school. Kirsch had that belligerent look on his face that said that he was right and she was wrong.
"Just do it, Kirsch!"
"No, Nebra! You know I don't work with other models," Kirsch snapped back.
"I need this one shot too and it'll look good along with my formal men's outfit," said Nebra. "A pair is best!"
"I'll wear the damn dress myself, but I'm not working with any other model," said Kirsch. "The first and last time I did, I got a stalker, if you remember that mess."
Kirsch had a stalker. I need that story, thought Zora. He knew that Kirsch was beautiful and attractive in many ways, but a stalker? A familiar sense of protectiveness rose up, but he quickly stopped that line of thinking. Kirsch was his own person and can handle himself. He didn't need Zora to fight his battles.
Maybe it was a good thing they broke up.
Nebra stamped her foot and looked ready to punch Kirsch.
Zora glanced over at Levi and Dorothy, the only ones from Kirsch's team in the room and they weren't doing anything. Sighing, Zora went over and said, "What's with all the yelling? Miss Silva, ain't your cousin doing you a favor? Don't be changing the deal in the middle. Get another pair of models for that shit."
Nebra scowled.
Kirsch gave Zora a grateful glance and then he smiled, "See? He's reasonable, Nebra. I don't need another stalker incident thank you."
"What if I ask Noelle to model the dress with you?"
Kirsch sighed. "Don't go volunteering your little sister, Nebra. Noelle is working on her master's thesis!"
"She'll do it."
Zora shook his head as Kirsch looked ready to continue arguing when Dorothy finally intervened.
"Ask Noelle and if she can, then we'll do the shoot for the two outfits quickly, but if not, drop it," said Dorothy, smiling.
Nebra nodded tersely. "I'll see if she can stop by after lunch."
With that Nebra stormed out of the room, Kirsch scoffed. "She's such a brat."
Zora opened his mouth to retort, but Levi the bodyguard (and Kirsch's best friend, according to Finral) beat him to it, saying, "Takes one to know one, Kirsch."
Kirsch glared at his friend. "You suck."
Levi rolled his eyes. "I think you're wasting time."
"We have eighteen outfits to shoot today," said Dorothy, clapping her hands excitedly. "Go, Kirsch!"
Kirsch left for his dressing room with Dorothy following behind. It left Zora with Kirsch's best friend. Zora went to set up his camera, while Levi found a seat.
"So, a stalker?"
"Yep," said Levi. "Really disturbed woman. Since I know judo and studied psychology, Kirsch hired me as his bodyguard which was better than me joining the military like I was gonna."
"I'm surprised there's not more."
"I catch them before it gets bad," Levi said, shrugging. "I mean in college, I can't tell you how many people I had to fend off because they were far too pushy. He may seem air-headed, but he's not."
"True."
Levi snorted. "I forgot that you know him too."
It made sense that Kirsch told his friend Levi about Zora.
Zora tensed. "Yeah."
"Day 3 outfit 1 ready," announced Dorothy, cutting off the soon-to-be awkward conversation between Levi and Zora.
Kirsch stepped out wearing the tightest pair of skinny jeans, lace-up boots, and a soft-looking cashmere sweater.
Zora gritted his teeth and continued to set up his camera. Fuck. God is testing me.
"Hi, Mom," said Kirsch, answering the phone. His mother called every evening to ask how his day was, while Kirsch was always in constant text messaging with his father, who was more attached to his phone than a teenager.
"How're you today, Kirsch?"
"I'm good as always," said Kirsch, lying through his teeth. The third day of the photo shoot finished and tomorrow was the last day. Was it the last day that he'd see Zora? Noelle did have time and did a few pictures in the dress, though she complained about it and definitely gave Kirsch some knowing looks, as Noelle had met Zora previously.
"Doesn't sound like it," his mom hummed.
Nothing got past his and Mimosa's mother. She always knew when something was up with her kids. He appreciated her for it, but he hadn't told her that Zora was back in Clover and that he replaced Finral temporarily. "It was a long shoot."
"Uh-huh. I guess you weren't going to mention Zora to me."
"Noelle?"
"Yep, told Acier, who told me. Don't worry I didn't tell your sister," said his mom. "How is Zora?"
Kirsch sighed. "The same, but different. More handsome, more confident, and happier. God, Mom, I knew I missed him, but being near him, I just missed so much more than I thought."
"You love him," his mom stated.
Rubbing his eyes, he said, "Always."
"I'm sure that Levi suggested this, but you need to talk to Zora. Tomorrow. Don't let him run away without clearing up things. I love you, Kirsch, and I want you to be happy. It's been ten years. You either have to let him go properly this time or give you two a chance again."
"Mom…I know you're right, but I don't know what to say," said Kirsch.
"You'll find the words," said his mom. "Zora will listen."
Through sheer determination, Kirsch became friendly with Zora after the day Zora confronted Kirsch about staring all the time. Perhaps, Kirsch had a small crush, but Zora looked like he needed a friend. Kirsch wanted to be that friend. So, Kirsch always greeted Zora every morning, offered to share notes, and invited Zora to eat lunch with him when it seemed Zora got annoyed with his foster brothers Gauche and Nacht. At first, Zora seemed more than annoyed and rebuffed the overtures of friendship, but eventually, Zora caved and took Kirsch up on his offer to study together one afternoon.
They studied at the public library down the street from the high school, where Kirsch helped Zora understand quadratic equations and Zora helped Kirsch with literary interpretations, as literature was Kirsch's weakest point.
It became a thing.
Until one day in November that Kirsch needed to pick up his sister from elementary school and watch her, Kirsch explained that to Zora. He expected to just skip the day, but Zora followed Kirsch to pick up Mimosa. Kirsch figured that Zora really needed help with homework, so Zora should just come over.
"Who's this," asked Mimosa, ten years old and always annoyed with Kirsch these days. He lamented that she no longer followed him around like she was his tail.
"I'm Zora, squirt," Zora said to her.
"I'm not a squirt. I'm ten," Mimosa pouted.
Kirsch hid a smile as Mimosa and Zora bickered on the way to the Vermillion house. Zora was surprisingly good with kids. Mimosa never warmed up to anyone outside of family so quickly, except maybe her classmates Asta and Yuno, from the church orphanage, whom she "adopted" when she was in kindergarten. Mimosa liked Zora though.
Kirsch and Mimosa's family home wasn't a mansion, not like Uncle Aldebrand and Aunt Solace's house, but it was a Victorian-style home that his parents redid after his mom got her doctorate in history. It was drafty and creaky sometimes, but it was home.
Feeling bashful as Kirsch unlocked the door, he hoped Zora didn't think that he was too rich. His mom was a professor and his dad was an interior designer, after all, they were comfortable but not rich-rich. Though the Vermillion and Silva families once had been royalty, when the monarchy had been dismantled, that had all gone away. It wasn't until grandfather Maximillian that the Vermillion gained any sort of wealth back.
Their money was new, but their bloodline was not, as grandfather said.
Mimosa ran through the house, kicking off her school shoes, dropping her backpack, and running to the kitchen for cookies and juice that their mom always left for them.
"Geez, Mimosa," said Kirsch, sighing, straightening her tossed shoes on the shoe rack at the door and picking up her backpack.
"Ah, so a shoes-off house," said Zora, taking off his old sneakers.
"Yeah," said Kirsch, flushing. "So, we can get snacks and go to the basement library to study."
Zora nodded awkwardly and followed Kirsch to the kitchen where Mimosa ate cookies happily and she had a juice box.
"Your backpack, your Royal Highness," said Kirsch, passing the bag she discarded earlier to her.
Zora snorted, as he sat down.
"Rude," said Mimosa. "I have no homework today! So can I watch my shows?"
"Only an hour, that's what Mom says," said Kirsch. "And then you have a half-hour of reading."
"Fine," said Mimosa, taking another cookie off the tray and her juice box. "I'll be in the living room." She skipped out, once again leaving her backpack.
"She's a riot," said Zora, amused.
"She's a brat," said Kirsch.
"She's 10, of course she's a brat," said Zora. "So, do you seriously have a basement library?"
Kirsch smiled. "It's really my mom's study but all the books in the house are down there. You'll see." They grabbed cookies and juice boxes and Kirsch led Zora down to the basement. The basement was finished, with bookshelves lining the four walls. His mom's home desk was covered in books and papers, but there was a table set up with chairs (actually bought from an old library that had closed).
"This is a lot of books," said Zora, sounding impressed.
"Yeah," replied Kirsch sheepishly.
"Is that a scroll map like we have in school?"
"Yep, mom uses it for reference and when she's doing online classes," said Kirsch.
Zora walked over to the maps and pulled it down to show the world map. He declared, in all his fourteen-year-old glory. "One day, I'm gonna get the hell out of this place and see the world."
Kirsch's chest felt tight as he said, "That's a good dream."
"Ain't a dream. It's a goal."
"Well, then, it's a good goal. But perhaps we should study?"
Thus, began the habit of studying at Kirsch's house instead of the public library. Zora said he didn't mind, even when Mimosa followed him around like a lost puppy.
This was probably when Kirsch began slowly falling in love with Zora, sitting with him every afternoon in his family basement talking about schoolwork and bickering about their favorite novels.
"You're pathetic," Gauche Adlai sneered, as soon as Zora arrived at Charmy'sand sat at the table.
Zora had just gotten off from the third day of the photo shoot, where he had to suffer watching Kirsch in form-fitting outfits and worse, Kirsch smiling at him in between shots. Tomorrow was the last day, so Zora was likely to not see Kirsch again. He knew that he needed to talk with Kirsch like Finral said, but what was he going to say?
"Fuck you, asshole," Zora replied. "Remind me why I come to family reunions?"
"Because you love us," said Luck Voltia, unhelpfully cheery.
"Now, now, let's behave," said Morgen Faust.
"Like those three degenerates can act civilized for a minute," Nacht Faust, Morgen's twin brother, snorted derisively.
"Says the man who bleached his hair and smoked for all of high school," Zora sniped back.
"You guys never change," said Marie Adlai, Gauche's actual little sister. "Brother, don't be mean to Big Bro Zora. He's not pathetic, he's just pining, and I think it's sweet."
"Like a whiny asshole," said Gauche. Gauche Adlai, Nacht Faust, Morgen Faust and Luck Voltia were in the same foster home as Zora. Under the watchful eye of Sister Theresa Rapual, they all managed, by some miracle, to become actual somewhat functioning adults. Marie had been in foster care under the watchful eye of Sister Lily Aquaria until Gauche was old enough to become her guardian. Magna Swing and Luck had been dating since high school, so Magna always came with Luck.
"Lay off Zora for one minute, guys," said Magna. "It's not his fault that he's been gone on Kirsch for twelve years."
"I hate you all," said Zora, blankly. Everyone at the table laughed and took nothing he said seriously. "I'm surprised Charmy hasn't kicked us out yet."
"Not yet," yelled the head chef, Charmy Pappitson from her kitchen. Her place was a hole-in-wall, cheap but filling food. Charmy took it over from her mom before her. There was no nonsense allowed in her restaurant.
"So, how is the ex-boyfriend," asked Nacht, smiling his creepy Stepford smile.
Zora glared at him. "Fine."
"And you still haven't talked to him yet," said Morgen, in that disapproving tone that still drove Zora up a wall. If Morgen wasn't the better twin, Zora would have decked him years ago. "You should tell him that you still love him."
"I agree," said Marie.
"Kirsch was super in-love with you. I doubt those feelings went away," Magna pointed out unhelpfully.
"Why do I keep telling you people things," Zora complained.
"Zora, dumbass," said Gauche, "it doesn't hurt to try again. You're both older and a bit wiser now."
"I think," said Luck, in mid-bite of his mashed tatoes, "that you should ask Kirsch out again. Like you did in high school."
Zora sighed. "I hear you guys."
"You hear us, but you're not listening," said Morgen, which was something that Sister Theresa used to say. Morgen smiled sympathetically. "We want you to be happy."
"Not really," said Nacht, getting an elbow in his side from Morgen.
"No, gross," said Gauche, grimacing.
"Ew," said Luck.
"Never," said Magna, firmly.
"I do," said Marie.
Zora rolled his eyes and then smirked under his mask and asked Gauche, "So, Sister Complex, have you asked Grey out yet?"
A change of subject was best as the others started in on Gauche's failed love life with Grey, the quiet librarian at the university that was smitten with Gauche, but Gauche never did anything about it.
I hate that they're right.
Being friends with Kirsch was easy. Kirsch held no expectations from Zora. If Zora was having a bad mental health day with his depression and needed his space, Kirsch would give him space. Alternatively, Kirsch would also let Zora into his room in the middle of the night when Zora ran away from his foster home. Kirsch and Zora's studying sessions usually devolved into talking about a novel they both had read and then getting interrupted by Mimosa and/or Kirsch's parents.
Zora actually enjoyed spending time with Kirsch. Heck, he even introduced Kirsch, albeit reluctantly, to Gauche, Luck, Morgen and Nacht and by extension Magna.
But here was the thing, Zora was Kirsch's only friend. He thought that was strange for someone so bright and kind, so Zora may have pushed Kirsch to interact with their classmates more. After all, Kirsch shouldn't just hang out with a guy like Zora all the time. Kirsch had a hard time making friends since most people seemed to think that Kirsch was a stuck-up, airheaded pretty boy.
If there were fights to defend the honor of his friend, he never told Kirsch.
Thankfully, Kirsch joined the drama club in Year 10 and he loved it. Truly, Kirsch blossomed doing something creative and being in the limelight.
Zora was happy for him.
Except there was an intended consequence to this development.
With Kirsch having drama once a week and rehearsals on the weekends, Kirsch had a bit less time to spend with Zora. It was exactly what Zora had wanted because he wanted Kirsch to prosper, but it just made Zora realize how much he depended on Kirsch and liked him.
Zora kicked himself when he realized that he had gone and fallen in love with Kirsch. He was nowhere near ready to tackle such feelings so Zora just bottled them up inside. His heart had been broken before when his dad died, he didn't have any desire to have it happen again when Kirsch inevitably turned Zora down.
Once he had this realization, however, Zora resisted the urge to lean over and kiss Kirsch when he was happily speaking too many times. He thought about Kirsch too much. It was a problem. But he managed not to say anything for a year.
A month into Year 11, Zora honestly broke. They were sitting on Kirsch's bedroom floor, working on a historical diorama of the Clover Peasant Uprising of 1911, when Zora glanced over at Kirsch, who always looked beautiful, and asked, impulsively, "Can I kiss you?"
Kirsch, who had been concentrating on placing their soldiers in the right spots, dropped the soldiers and stared at Zora with wide eyes and a blush creeping up his face. Perhaps sensing that Zora wasn't joking, Kirsch whispered, "Yes."
And so, Zora pulled down his fabric face mask and leaned over, kissing Kirsch.
It was a brief kiss, gentle and awkward for a first kiss, and when Zora stopped, he asked, softly, "Do you wanna be my boyfriend?"
Kirsch smiled and said, "Yes. I like you so much!"
Zora's eyes widened.
"Oh. I like you too."
The last day of the photo shoot was the shortest. They only had sixteen outfits remaining and most of them were shirts and jackets paired with the boot-cut jeans that were the star of this part of the shoot. Kirsch noticed that Zora kept avoiding Kirsch's gaze except when he was taking the pictures. Today was the most awkward it had been because Kirsch knew that Zora knew that this was the last day. It felt like a major deadline was due and neither knew what to do.
"This is sad," said Cornelia, as Kirsch changed his shirt and jacket for the seventh time. "Ask him to talk before he leaves."
Kirsch hissed, straightening and fluffing the shirt and jacket. "This isn't easy for me. He might not want to talk."
Risacca clicked her tongue in annoyance, startling both Cornelia and Kirsch, who had forgotten the hair-and-makeup stylist was there. She had her comb and brush to fix Kirsch's hair. She said, blankly, "Kirsch, honey, let me tell you that it's practically sinful the way that Zora has been eyeing you the last few days. If you ask him out for a coffee, he'll say yes."
Kirsch's face warmed and he spluttered denials.
Like he didn't know that Zora appreciated Kirsch's good looks and body.
"See," said Cornelia, rolling her eyes. "We're almost done with this shoot. We'll be done by lunch. And then you have three days off, so deal with your personal shit."
Risacca nodded, solemnly.
Kirsch mumbled, "You all stink."
Even so, Kirsch continued the shoot with all the professionalism he had in him, making sure not to invade Zora's personal space like he had been doing. It didn't ease the burden on his heart, only made his heart and stomach hurt.
As Cornelia predicted, Zora got all the shots for the remaining outfits by noon. Kirsch quickly dressed in his casual personal clothes, intending to ask Zora to go out to have a coffee or something. He exited the dressing room, ready to leave, but Zora had packed his camera already and he was headed out the door.
Kirsch froze for a brief moment and wondered if it was best to just let Zora leave, but he hated that thought and found his voice. "Zora!"
Zora stopped and turned around to give him a curious look. "Yeah?"
"Do you want to get lunch," Kirsch asked.
Blue eyes bore into Kirsch's golden eyes when Zora let out a small sigh. "Sure. Charmy's?"
"That'd…be good," said Kirsch, heart beating in anticipation.
"Let's go, then. You have to be hungry by now."
"Ah, right!"
Dating Kirsch was being his very best friend that got to hold his hand and kiss him. Zora felt happy that he got to be that person for Kirsch. Teasing Kirsch became something of a game for them. They spent more time together, despite Kirsch's drama activities and Zora taking up photography classes, intending to make his dabbling hobby into something. Even his foster brothers called him out for being so "sickeningly happy and disgustingly in love."
Dating Kirsch also brought in another factor to consider—dealing with his family.
Mimosa, twelve and in middle school, loved her brother but looked up to Zora for whatever reason. She was a cute kid and Zora didn't mind looking out for her. She had her hoard of friends looking up to Zora too.
But then there were Kirsch's parents. Kirsch's mom, Professor Nickole Silva-Vermillion, and Kirsch's dad, Sazerac Vermillion, were very warm, kind people. They held no judgment towards Zora, as most adults tended to do because he did look like a delinquent, and welcomed him first as Kirsch's friend and then as Kirsch's boyfriend. They insisted that Zora call them by their first names and always invited him to Sunday night dinner, the only meal a week that the family of four ate together.
Sazerac was like Kirsch, or Kirsch was like his dad, as they both acted dramatically, came off as air-headed at first, and stuck-up, but in reality, they were both very kind and awkward and the dramatics were just a show.
Nickole was far more serious, but she wasn't unreasonable and it was clear that Kirsch's perfectionist tendencies came from her. Generally, she was amused by her husband and children's antics. She often double-checked homework, even Zora's, and explained if answers were wrong. There was nothing you couldn't get past her.
Zora liked them. As far as adults went, he trusted them, just as he did Sister Theresa.
Except when they were embarrassing, it was a different story.
"Please, God, stop," said Kirsch, sitting at the Vermillion kitchen table, hands covering his very red face.
Zora sat in the chair next to Kirsch, wondering if the ground would swallow him whole, but he refused to not look at the very amused Nickole and very flustered Sazerac. Granted, it was his fault that Zora and Kirsch were sitting in the kitchen being lectured.
Getting frisky with his boyfriend during a heated make-out session in the living room was not the best idea. Granted, Mimosa was at a sleepover and Kirsch's parents worked late often on the weekdays, so it should have been safe.
"We're just saying that we know that being teenagers and in-love, you're gonna want to have sex," said Nickole, trying not to laugh. "But please wear condoms and do it where we can't see it."
"Mom!"
"Honey!"
Nickole shook her head. "Zora, do you have anything to add?"
"Next time, I'll make sure we're not where you can see," he replied, grinning.
"Zora," Kirsch screeched.
Nickole laughed, while Sazerac fanned himself.
Zora sat across from Kirsch at one of the booths at Charmy's. Zora had some coffee while Kirsch had water. There was an awkward, tense silence between them as one of Charmy's waitresses took their orders. Zora pulled his mask off and drank a sip of his coffee. He had been surprised that Kirsch took the initiative, but Zora was happy he did.
"So," said Kirsch, sheepishly smiling, in that awkwardly endearing way that Zora hadn't seen in days. He had only seen the confident professional model side over the last few days. Zora liked that Kirsch hadn't changed that much over the years. "Um, how've you been? Are you staying long in Clover?"
Zora snorted. "I'm good as you can see. And I'm between gigs right now, so I could get called away any day now. But seriously, small talk questions, Kirsch? What do you really want to say?"
Kirsch had the decency to be embarrassed, face red to the tips of his ears. "Sorry. I was hoping that I'd know what to say when I was sitting in front of you."
Fuck, why is he so cute?
Zora let out a sigh. "We haven't seen each other in ten years, Kirsch. I think I know what you want to say."
"Is that so," Kirsch asked, voice tight with unnamed emotion. "You know that I wanted to apologize for hurting you because I was a stupid teenage boy who thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go? That my own insecurities made me not talk to you, the person who always listened to me?"
Zora's jaw tensed. "It wasn't all you, Kirsch. It was me too. I always thought you'd get tired of me, so I didn't fight for us when you wanted to break up. I had one foot out the door from the beginning, and you sensed it," Zora smiled wryly. "I was angry with you for years, you know? You hurt me like no one else ever did, made me think that you stopped loving me. But eventually Nickole told me the reason why."
"My mom," asked Kirsch, hurt. "You still speak to her?"
"No," said Zora, shaking his head. "Met her once in London where I had a layover and she was at a conference. She bought me dinner. And told me that you didn't want to hold me back from my dream by keeping me in Clover and that's why you broke up with me. I wasn't so mad at you after that. I was just sad."
"See? Pretty dumb," said Kirsch, shaking his head, as if disappointed in his past self.
"Yes, we should have talked more about important things. About future stuff. About the little things that bothered us," said Zora. "We didn't know that then. We know it now."
Kirsch smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess we do."
Zora didn't have a response. Zora and Kirsch stared at each other, unable to speak further.
The waitress came with their food.
Kirsch spoke up and asked the woman, "Can you give this to me to go?"
"Certainly, sir." The waitress took Kirsch's plate and quickly went for a take-out box.
Zora's heart sank.
It's for the best, Zora told himself.
Kirsch was breaking his heart all over again in a brand new way. It sucked as much as the first time.
"That was a quick conversation," said Zora, hurt and a bit angry.
"I just wanted to apologize and explain myself," said Kirsch, evenly. He sounded upset too. They really were mucking this up?
Zora knew he needed to say his bit, tell Kirsch how he felt, that he still loved Kirsch and wanted to try again.
"Kirsch…"
The waitress returned with the take-out for Kirsch.
Kirsch placed a 5000 yul bill on the table, paying for his and Zora's food. He stood up, smiling sadly. "Good-bye, Zora."
Zora's throat felt tight as Kirsch walked out of the restaurant.
He must have sat there for far too long because the petite owner Charmy was seated where Kirsch had been and she gave him a look of sympathy.
"Go after him, la," said Charmy, frowning. "Don't give up before you have a chance to try. If he denies you again, then it wasn't meant to be."
Zora said, half-chuckling at himself, "Thanks, Charmy."
Before he could talk to himself out of it, Zora pulled out his phone and texted Finral.
"Where's Kirsch's apartment?"
"I'm breaking up with you, Zora," said Kirsch, trying not to cry, as he stood in front of his best friend, his love.
It was a June summer day and they had met at the park after Kirsch asked to meet, despite them both being busy with preparations for college (Kirsch) and travel (Zora).
"What?" Zora stared at Kirsch incredulously, dropping Kirsch's hand like a hot pan. Zora's stance tensed.
"We need to break up," said Kirsch, again, voice breaking just a bit. It hurt. His chest felt tight like it was in a vice.
Zora stared at Kirsch and then, shattering both their hearts, stated, "Okay."
And Zora walked away without any preamble, and with no other words.
Kirsch let out a sob.
It was the last time Kirsch saw Zora until Zora walked into the fashion studio ten years later.
"You've been sittin' on the fire escape for four hours," said Gauche, blankly, and handing Zora a bottle of water.
Zora grunted, taking the water bottle. Zora sat on the fire escape outside the Swing apartment. Since he turned eighteen, he had been crashing at Magna's apartment, just like Gauche. Magna's Ma liked them enough because of Luck. Nacht and Morgen already went off to college. Zora must have looked like a sad sack when he arrived back here after Kirsch broke his heart.
"I ain't seen you like this since you came to the foster home, after your dad…" said Gauche.
Zora shrugged.
"Bastard," said his foster brother, Gauche. And then quietly, he said, "You're fuckin' scaring me. Who do I need to beat the shit out of, huh?"
"Don't you dare touch Kirsch," Zora snapped, angrily.
Gauche's eyes widened. "What happened? You two get into an actual fight?"
"He broke up with me," said Zora, hollowly laughing.
"I'll knock some sense into his pretty little head," Gauche growled. "What the fuck?"
"Don't touch him," Zora snapped. "I should've figured that he'd get tired of me eventually. Better now than months into a long-distance relationship."
Gauche glared angrily. "And what? That's it? No conversation?"
"He was clear," Zora grit out.
"You should see him before you leave, dumbass," said Gauche. "And answer your damn phone." Gauche chucked Zora's phone at him and left Zora to continue to be sad by himself.
Zora glanced at it. Messages from Mimosa and from Kirsch's parents, asking after him. His stomach tensed. Quickly, he texted each member of Kirsch's family, "Thanks for everything." And then, he took his SIM card out and turned off his phone.
He needed a new phone anyway.
Kirsch laid on his couch with his hands over his face. He was rather upset with himself. The conversation with Zora had gone well until Kirsch chickened out and ran. He hurt Zora's feelings again too after apologizing for doing it the first time.
"Argh," Kirsch groaned. "I'm a heel. A fool. A moron."
Thank God that Levi was on a date and Cornelia went to visit her family because he knew that they'd give him hell for screwing up this badly. Again. Maybe, he should call Finral and see if Zora was there. Maybe, if Zora wasn't in front of Kirsch, he could say what he needed to say before Zora jetted off to another country.
A phone call, how lame.
He couldn't even bring himself to eat the wonderful food that Charmy had made for him, so it was sitting in the fridge.
Kirsch groaned again. "Argh." He rubbed his face roughly. "I'm the worst."
Rapid knocking at his apartment door startled Kirsch into sitting up and narrowing his eyes at the door. He hadn't been expecting anyone. Hesitantly, Kirsch got up off the couch and answered the door.
A maskless Zora was behind that door and as soon as Kirsch saw him, Zora stepped inside the apartment, making Kirsch back up in confusion. Zora shut the door behind him.
And then, Zora reached for Kirsch, Kirsch not stopping him, and pulled Kirsch into a hug.
Kirsch's heart pounded as he froze in Zora's arms.
Zora said, whispering, gently, "For someone so smart, you're so fucking stupid."
At that statement, Kirsch relaxed and hugged Zora back, pressing his face into Zora's neck, reveling in the strength and warmth of Zora's arms. Kirsch was two whole centimeters taller than Zora now and Zora was broader than he had been ten years ago, but the hug was just as amazing as it used to be. Kirsch sighed into the embrace. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Are we gonna tell the truth now," asked Zora.
"Mhmm," Kirsch agreed, not wanting to leave the hug.
"I love you," said Zora, pulling away so that he can look at Kirsch. Kirsch flushed under Zora's gaze. Zora confessed, "And I want to be with you again."
Kirsch nodded, letting out a wet laugh and smiling, "I never stopped loving you, Zora. I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like I didn't love you. I love you. And I want to be with you too."
Zora smiled softly, his eyes full of love.
"But," said Kirsch. "I'm insecure. And I'm terrified that it's been so long that we won't work anymore."
Zora lifted his hand to cup Kirsch's cheek and said, in understanding, "Yeah, I am too, but I want to try. We lay ground rules. Like we have to talk about everything, things that annoy us about each other, what we're feeling like we just did right now and all that? And we can go slowly, like we're in the regency, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah, we can do that, but maybe not that slow. We'll have to figure out our work schedules. When I have modeling shoots and you have to be out of the country and figuring out when we can spend time together," said Kirsch, leaning into Zora's touch. His heart felt lighter than it had in years, as he continued to speak. "And let's not tell my family yet. I want some time with you to myself before they swoop in and hog your attention."
"Fair. Also we have ten years of adventures to cover," said Zora, grinning.
Kirsch chuckled. "And please get your foster brothers to stop glaring at me every time I go to Charmy's when they're there."
Zora snorted. "I'll try, but no promises. Also warn me when I meet Mimosa again. I need to prepare myself to see her as a twenty-four year old woman, instead of a kid brat."
Kirsch smiled widely. "I'll try, but Mimosa has a key to my apartment and she doesn't knock."
"Oh, so she hasn't changed at all then," Zora said, mirthfully.
"I missed you so much," said Kirsch.
"Missed you too," Zora said. He grinned and asked, "Can I kiss you?"
Kirsch answered by pressing his lips against Zora's.
Zora yawned as he stepped out of Kirsch's bedroom and walked to the kitchen where Kirsch made breakfast. "Mornin'. Smells good." He went over to where Kirsch stood and kissed the back of his head.
"Good morning," said Kirsch, happily. "I hope you don't mind buckwheat waffles with berries and yogurt."
"Sounds good," said Zora, sitting at Kirsch's kitchen table. "You're vegetarian now?"
Kirsch glanced at Zora in surprise. "Er, how'd you know?"
"You got a chick-pea salad sandwich at Charmy's yesterday. And buckwheat tends to be a choice for vegetarians, added bonus of being gluten-free," said Zora. "Finral's vegetarian. And Yami is gluten-intolerant. I can't tell you how many public restrooms I've seen around the world because of it."
"That sounds awful," said Kirsch. Kirsch finished plating the food and brought the plates to the table.
"Thanks for the food," said Zora.
They began eating, which was tasty, and glad that Kirsch's cooking skills had gotten much better. Kirsch said, not-so-subtle, "I'm free for two days."
"Is that so? It just happens that so am I," Zora replied. "Though I oughta text Finral and let him know."
"He'll fuss," said Kirsch, knowingly. "Has his flu gone?"
"No, because he doesn't know what rest is," said Zora. "I called his brother, so he can deal with Finral's stubbornness."
"Well, he had better be better for the next shoot," said Kirsch.
Zora snorted. "No one else can keep up with you."
Kirsch flushed and took a spoonful of his yogurt. He said, petulantly. "Not my fault if everyone else can't keep up. If you're going to do something, make it as perfect as possible."
"You are an utterly ridiculous person and I love you," said Zora. "But that's not how art works."
"I love you too," said Kirsch, smiling happily. Golden eyes shining with mischief, he said, "Like you didn't retake multiple shots because you weren't happy with how they turned out."
"That's artistic vision," replied Zora. And maybe I've kept one or two for myself.
Kirsch hummed. "Sure."
They were interrupted when Kirsch's apartment door slammed open. "Kirsch, help me study! I brought you maple breakfast muffins from Roselei's Bakery!" Mimosa burst into the kitchen, carrying a bag from the bakery.
"Mimosa, study with your friends," said Kirsch, rolling his eyes.
"But you're off from work," said Mimosa. And then she shrieked. "Zora!" Finally noticing him, she dropped the bag on the table and rushed to hug Zora.
Zora barely had time to react, but he returned her hug. "Hey, squirt. You look grown but you're still a brat."
Mimosa let go of Zora and glared at her brother. "Why didn't you tell me that you guys are back together?!"
Kirsch said, sighing, "Because he's my boyfriend, not my family's, Mimosa."
"Relax, we just got back together yesterday," said Zora, intervening before Kirsch and Mimosa broke into a sibling squabble, which was known to happen frequently.
"Don't tell Mom and Dad yet," said Kirsch.
"Right, right, I won't," said Mimosa, definitely lying, as she was already on her phone texting someone, most likely Nickole.
"Guess I'm coming to family dinner Sunday then," said Zora, amused.
Kirsch's phone buzzed with a notification. Kirsch shook his head and gave Zora a wry smile. "That didn't last long."
"I'll still take ya out on a date, Kirsch," said Zora.
"I can't wait."
"Oh, God, I forgot you two are like this."
Being back together again wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Clashing schedules aside, it was hard to be as honest with feelings as possible. Kirsch sometimes got frustrated at himself when he didn't see Zora in a while, he began to get insecure and worried that Zora was bored with him. Zora reassured Kirsch every time that wasn't the case. There were arguments between them sometimes when they both were overworked and overscheduled and couldn't see each other, but they always circled back to each other and apologized.
But when things were good, it was amazing, which to be fair was the majority of the time. They weren't teenagers anymore. They were grown men with careers and friends of their own.
Cornelia and Levi were introduced to Zora's foster brothers and Zora's friends and they're in cahoots now to make sure that Zora and Kirsch won't be dumb about their relationship again.
Kirsch's happy. Zora's happy.
(And Kirsch's parents are very happy).
"What do you want to do for dinner tonight," Kirsch asked Zora. Kirsch laid on Zora's lap while Zora played with Kirsch's hair and they watched a documentary that had several of Zora's pictures featured.
Today was a rare lazy Saturday where neither were working and there were no pressing engagements with charities or visiting family. It was just Kirsch, Zora, and some quality time together and that was Kirsch's favorite pastime. Six months in and Zora practically moved into Kirsch's place since there was no point in Zora getting an apartment when he was away so much and when he was in town, he was at Kirsch's apartment anyway.
"Any place but that weird cat-themed restaurant from last time."
"Charmy's got new dishes."
"Solid choice," said Zora. "This documentary sucks."
"But they paid you a ton for permission to use your photos," said Kirsch. "Your photos are the best part."
Zora looked down and grinned. "Thank you. You're so pretty, sunshine."
Kirsch reached up and pulled Zora down for a brief kiss on the lips. "That boring huh? Guess we can do something else."
"Hah, my sweet words worked," said Zora, smirking. "What do you have in mind?"
"Oh, you know, a little kiss here," said Kirsch, sitting up and kissing Zora's cheek, "a little kiss there." Kirsch kissed his other cheek.
"I like this idea."
"Glad you approve."
And then, Kirsch's door burst open and Mimosa entered.
"Goddamnit," Zora muttered.
Kirsch sighed, separating himself from Zora. "Mimosa."
Mimosa wrinkled her nose in disgust at once again catching Zora and Kirsch flirting and kissing, never mind that it was Kirsch's apartment and she didn't live here. "I need help."
"With?"
"How do you ask a guy that is completely oblivious and awkward without having him run away," Mimosa asked.
"You just gotta go for it," said Zora.
"Yep, basically," said Kirsch.
Mimosa pouted. "Really?"
"Who's the guy," asked Kirsch.
"No one," said Mimosa.
"Right," said Zora. "Am I gonna have to scare the shit out this guy?"
"Yes," said Kirsch.
"No," Mimosa protested. "He's really great and I like him."
"Ew," said Zora and Kirsch at the same time, teasing Mimosa for all her comments towards them.
Mimosa said, arms crossed. "Yes, yes, I get it. Fair. I leave you to your lovey-dovey time. I'll go with your direct plan. Text you later."
"Great, leave."
"Rude."
"Kirsch?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too. Til the end."
~fin