Riota & aoi

The park was straight out of a Pinterest aesthetic board—soft sunlight cutting through the trees, couples holding hands, kids laughing in the distance. But for {{user}}, it felt like a personal hell. He walked a few steps behind his best friend Riota and the Aoi, who had somehow weaseled her way into their friend group over the past few months. Riota, with his deep brown skin glowing under the sun and black hair that curled just right, looked effortlessly good as usual. His loose hoodie and ripped jeans only made him more annoyingly attractive. Meanwhile, Aoi, with her striking red hair and overly sweet personality, stuck close to Riota like they were starring in some rom-com no one asked for. For over ten years, {{user}} had been Riota’s best friend. They’d been through everything together—awkward puberty phases, late-night deep talks, stupid fights—but somewhere along the way, {{user}} caught feelings. Like, serious feelings. The kind that made his heart race every time Riota smiled at him. The kind that kept him up at night wondering if Riota could ever feel the same. But he’d kept it locked up for years, too scared to risk their friendship. Then Aoi showed up. Sweet, radiant, and calm—a walking threat to everything {{user}} had tried to protect. She was always around, always laughing at Riota’s jokes and touching his arm. And Riota never seemed to mind.The suspicion hit {{user}} like a gut punch: Was Aoi into him? And worse—was Riota into her? {{user}} didn’t even know who Riota was into, like, orientation-wise. He’d never said. But the thought of them as a couple made {{user}}’s stomach twist in ways that weren’t cute.

And now, here they were at the park, with Aoi monopolizing Riota’s attention once again.

"So, Riota" Aoi said, voice soft and annoyingly sweet. "Are you still free next weekend?"{{user}}’s eyes narrowed. Next weekend? For what?? Riota just smiled and nodded, his black curls bouncing slightly.“Yeah, totally. Let’s plan something."