Looking at the grocery list on her phone and back to the cereal, Aria smiled at the box of strawberry almond flavor. Grabbing the box, along with some 'O's, Aria put them in her buggy.

  Making her way to the next aisle, she asked herself, "Was it hot dogs, or sausages we agreed to get?"

  Opening the group text, Aria started to scroll through yesterday's messages.

  The one thing she forgot to write down, she had everything else but-

  "Sausages," a voice behind her said.

  Startled by the voice, Aria whipped around and saw Kousuke standing there.

  "Are you stalking me?" Aria accused playfully, narrowing her eyes at him.

  "Totally, I especially liked it when you argued with the oatmeal because they didn't have your favorite flavor," Kousuke answered, making Aria flush with embarrassment.

  Chuckling, he lifted his basket of groceries.

  "I'm getting food for the camping trip too," Kousuke said, "You could have asked for help you know, you don't have to do it alone," he added, seeing Aria's buggy almost spilling over.

  "I didn't think to ask," Aria said honestly, "If you're still shopping, I'd like the company."

  "Sure," Kousuke agreed, grabbing the sausages and putting them in his basket.

  "Do you have everything packed?" Aria asked, grabbing a carton of eggs.

  "Everything but my bass," Kousuke said, "What about you?"

  "You play the bass? That's so cool! I've been packed for days," Aria answered, "I was so excited I panic-packed everything I would need."

  The two continued shopping together, talking as they walked along. Taking the time to get to know each other a little better.

  There's only so much a person can learn about someone over a group text.

  Like how Aria is the only Terra User in her family. Everyone else, besides her Pitch User and Radiant Aunt, is either a Pyro or Hydro User.

  Or how Kousuke and Kouya were raised by their Mother and Grandmother. Both of them are Terra Users.

  "You and Tommy are going to open a cafe?" Kousuke asked, the two loading groceries onto the conveyor belt.

  "Yeah, it started as a joke," Aria admitted, "But after living together, Tommy loved using my fruits for new recipes- They made a coffee that tastes just like strawberry angel food cake!" she could start drooling at the thought of the drink, "We've slowly been looking for a space. I'm also trying to figure out how to grow coffee beans while we look."

  "Is there anything you can't grow?" Kousuke teased.

  "Squash," Aria answered disgusted, a sick shiver crawling up her spine.

  That wasn't fully true, Aria could grow the fruit, she just refused.

  Nothing should be spongy, stringy, and feel like slime at the same time.

  Shaking the ick feeling from her body, Kousuke grinned at her.

  At the till, Kousuke insisted they split the grocery bill. Quickly stepping in front of Aria before she could protest.

  There was no way he was going to let Aria pay for all the food. Food that was going to feed seven people for three days.

  Following Aria to her car, Kousuke helped her load the groceries in her trunk. They both agreed she would take the food home so it could be packed together.

  "How did you and Tommy even meet?" Kousuke asked.

  "We're both part of a 'plants&coffee' page in DigiSpace. We commented on a lot of the same stuff and started talking to each other. Even video chatted a bit," Aria explained, "I told Tommy I was moving and asked if they needed a roommate."

  "Talk about luck," Kousuke said.

  "Right! Not only did I get an awesome roommate, but some awesome new friends too!" Aria agreed, beaming up at Kousuke.

  So happy, her eyes glowed with her magic.

  It made the Radiant User grin down at her. Something about the way she smiled made Kousuke want to see it more.

  "Yeah, we're happy to have you too," Kousuke said.

  "That makes me so happy!" Aria gushed, her smile somehow growing.

  If something that small had that much of a reaction, what else would make her smile like that?

  Closing her trunk for her, Kousuke nodded when she said: "Thank you."

  "Alright, so everyone is meeting at Aster's tomorrow. Pack everything in mine and Steve's cars, and then we're off, right?" Aria asked excitedly, bouncing from toe to toe.

  "Yeah, yeah, we all got your reminder text this morning," Kousuke chuckled, "You're excited about this trip aren't you?"

  "Of course! Mainly for the cave! I really wanna see those flowers. I've read so much about them! It's the only flower that can only grow organically, no one has been able to replicate it-!" Aria stopped her rambling, the glow in her eyes dying.

  Pale face grew hot with embarrassment seeing Kousuke just standing there, grinning at her. Patently waiting to see what else was going to fly out of her mouth.

  Something Kousuke learned about Aria is that, if she is patient about something, she will talk on and on if she's allowed.

  Nothing else being said, Kousuke's grin grew, making the color in Aria's cheeks turn from pink to red.

  "Please stop me when I do that," Aria spoke softly.

  The soft tone didn't fit her. It didn't sound like her. Rushed words that buzzed fit her more.

  "Nah," Kousuke said, followed by his phone sounding off.

  Opening the text, Kousuke let out an annoyed grunt.

  "I better head home, Kouya can't find the fishing poles he bought," Kousuke said deadpan.

  "Tell him I said 'hi'. If he doesn't find them, I think my Uncle has some at the cabin," Aria assured, "I'll see you tomorrow."

  Exchanging quick hugs, Aria slid into her car and Kousuke made his way to his motorcycle.

  The engine of her car roared to life at the same time Aria's phone made a bell sound. Opening the message, she giggled at the text from Kousuke.

  'We're meeting at Aster's, packing everything in yours and Steve's cars and you lead us to the cabin, right?'

  'No, you and Kouya have to go before us. The cabins in Wasser Nature Homes. Good luck.'

  Sending the text, Aria started her drive home.

  The trip home was quick, what wasn't quick was taking the groceries upstairs. It took three trips, that was with Tommy's help. So they took a quick break before sorting everything in the coolers Aster bought.

  Because Aster bought them, they were top-of-the-line, fancy, metal coolers. The coolers had a charge setting for long trips and could be plugged into the wall, making them work like a mini fridge.

  Learning the price of one, Aria nearly fainted. When Aster said they could keep all four, Aria almost died.

  The Terra User tried to turn down the gift, but the Gale User wouldn't have it.

  That wasn't the only gift as well.

  "She, what?!" Aria asked surprised.

  Snatching the piece of paper from Tommy, Aria looked at it in shock.

  Never had she seen this much money in her life. It would cover ten months of rent and then some!

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "This is way too much for a down payment!" Aria gasped, looking at Tommy in awe.

  "That's what I told her!" Tommy agreed, "But she wants us to also use it for cosmetic work and the rest is an investment into the cafe."

  "I know Aster is rich, but damn," Aria looked back at the check in her hand, "I love the support but I feel unworthy to hold this much money."

  "She loves my drinks and is impressed with the work you did for her garden," Tommy explained, "Sure does have a lot of faith in us. She hasn't even tried your baking yet."

  "Talk about pressure," Aria joked, handing the check back to Tommy.

  Giggling, Tommy took the check to a mini safe in their room.

  The bell sound of a text made Aria pull out her phone. Seeing a response from Kousuke, a smile pulled on her lips.

  'Can I have the address?'

  'Nope! ;)'

  Once Aria's text was sent out, Kousuke responded just as quickly.

  'Can we have directions at least?'

  'Follow the trail to a fork, go left, and drive for ten minutes, if you see a tree that has Cherry Toads on it, you've gone too far'

  'You want us to get lost, don't you?'

  'I would never!'

  "Who's got you smiling so much?" Tommy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

  "Kousuke," Aria answered and responded to another text.

  "Ooooh," Tommy cooed teasingly.

  "Stop it," Aria giggled, getting back to packing the food.

  "You two been talking a lot?" Tommy asked, helping with the sorting.

  "Not really, I ran into him when I was grocery shopping," Aria answered, "He helped me get the food.

  "That was nice of him," Tommy commented.

  The text bell rang again, Aria pulled out her phone and snorted at the new message.

  'Found the fishing poles, Kouya put them on top of the cabinets.'

  'Sweet summer child. Why did he put them there?'

  'He didn't want to forget where he put them and thought to put them somewhere odd.'

  'And then forgot where he put them?'

  'Now you know what I live with.'

  "Man, Kousuke must like you," Tommy spoke making Aria's cheeks flush pink, "Kousuke has never texted Jason this much, and they're best friends."

  "That can't be true," Aria protested.

  "Kousuke doesn't even text this much in the group chat!" Tommy reminded her.

  The phone sounded off with another text, Aria's cheeks shifted to a darker shade of pink and started packing faster.

  Watching Aria force herself to focus on organizing the food, Tommy smirked at their friend. Knowing it wouldn't be long till they were proven right.

  One more bell chimed from her phone, Aria glanced at it for only a second.

  Lips curling even tighter, Tommy teased, "You like him don't you?"

  "S-so what?" Aria stuttered out, "He's a cool dude and is comfortable to be around."

  "Aww, Aria, and Kousuke, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

  "Stop it!" Aria squealed emberassed, making Tommy laugh.

  Lulling into a nice, calm, quiet, they finished packing and plugged the coolers into outlets.

  Night routine then began, with Tommy starting a pot of coffee and Aria watering the plants.

  Coffee brewing, Tommy changed into their pajamas and made sure everything they had for the trip was packed. Music drifted out of their room into the living room, humming in Aria's ear as she watered the plants.

  When the plants were done being watered, Aria used her magic to give them extra nutrition. Being gone for three days, they're going to need extra care while she's gone.

  Changing into her pajamas, Aria joined Tommy on the patio where they and the coffee resided. Enjoying the glow of the three moons. A cool breeze tickled their skin and the far-off sounds of downtown danced in their ears.

  "You know I can always put in a good word for you," Tommy spoke, their voice ringing with sincerity.

  Smiling softly, Aria took a sip of her coffee.

  "No, it's ok, it's just a little crush," Aria assured, "I'm having fun getting to know him and everyone," turning her smile to her friend, Aria added, "I'm so happy we found each other Tommy."

  Smiling wide, showing off the cute gap in their teeth, Tommy said, "I'm happy we found each other too."

  Clicking their mugs together, the roommates returned to enjoying the city night. The Moons and stars shining down, melting in with the city lights. Creating a twinkle around the roommate's apartment building. A wonderful peace.

  Then Aria's phone buzzed with a text. Pulling out her phone, Aria read the text and smiled. A small blush crawled onto her cheeks.

  Rolling their eyes at Aria, Tommy hid their smile in their mug.

  Some little crush.

  A few blocks away, in a much smaller apartment building, with a parking garage across the street, Kousuke had entered his home. Letting his twin brother know of his return with an: "I'm home!"

  "Welcome back!" Kouya greeted, walking into the living room, clothes in his arms.

  Seeing Kousuke without shopping bags, Kouya raised an eyebrow, asking where the food was.

  "With Aria, I ran into her at the grocery store," Kousuke answered, and quickly added, "She said if you can't find the fishing poles, it's fin, her Uncle might have some."

  "I found them, they were on the cabinet," Kouya said with a smile, making his brother sigh annoyed.

  Instead of saying anything, Kousuke responded to a text he just received.

  "I'm gonna make sure I have everything, are you done packing?" Kousuke asked, not looking up from his phone.

  "Almost. Is that Jason?" Kouya asked.

  "No, Aria," Kousuke answered, making his way to his room, "Oh!" stopping, he turned back to Kouya, "She wanted me to tell you she thinks it's cool our Mom and Nan are both Terra Users."

  "You talked to Aria about Mom and Nan?" Kouya asked surprised.

  "Kinda," Kousuke shrugged, "She was telling me that everyone in her family is either a Pyro User or a Hydro User, and she asked about our family."

  Watching his brother retreat to his room, Kouya slowly did the same. Shocked by what his twin brother just told him.

  The Radiant User talked about their Mom to someone? He never talks about their Mom to anyone!

  Looking up from packing his bag, Kouya saw his twin still on his phone.

  "Who are you talking to?" Kouya asked, catching Kousuke's attention, "Is it Jason? Did he forget what time we're picking him up again?"

  "No, it's Aria still," Kousuke answered, "I'm telling her about the pain I go through when you lose things."

  "Hey!" Kouya snapped embarrassed, making Kousuke grin at him.

  "I'm teasing. What do you need help with?" Kousuke asked, standing from his bed and walking to Kouya's room.

  "Do I have enough clothes packed?" Kouya asked, peeking into his full bag.

  "Looks good. Did you remember to pack your bath stuff?" Kousuke asked.

  The younger twin paused for a second, before saying, "Of course," and quickly making his way to his bathroom.

  Rolling his eyes, Kousuke chuckled and turned his attention back to his phone when it vibrated with a new text.

  'Tommy just told me that Jason sleeps like a chainsaw. I will not be his roomie, someone else can make that sacrifice.'

  'Tommy will probably share a room with him. Haven't you noticed that they can sleep through a bomb?'

  'I did drop some pots once and they didn't wake up from it ??’

  "Are you still texting Aria?" Kouya asked, stuffing his toiletry bag into his suitcase.

  "Yeah," Kousuke answered.

  "That must have been some grocery trip," Kouya teased, grinning at his brother.

  With another roll of his eyes, Kousuke walked into the living room and responded to another text. Earning a glare from Kouya, who didn't like the silent dismissal.

  Something Kousuke forgot is that Kouya knew the exact words to say to get a response. It just started with six words, and that was all that was needed.

  "I wonder what Mom would think if I told her about Aria?" Kouya's comment made Kousuke stop in his tracks.

  A playful grin pulled on Kouya's lips.

  Got him!

  "I think she'd like Aria a lot, especially when I tell her how well you two get along," Kouya continued his teasing, "You think she's still up?"

  "You keep your mouth shut!" Kousuke snapped, grabbing a pillow from the couch and throwing it at Kouya.

  Catching the pillow, Kouya threw it back at Kousuke. Hitting him in the chest.

  "What? You two are just friends right?" Kouya asked innocently.

  "Yes, just friends," Kousuke answered carefully.

  "So, since you're just friends with Aria, and I'm just friends with Aria, I can tell Mom about her," Kouya concluded, a sweet smile pulling on his lips.

  Glaring at his twin, Kousuke asked, "What are you getting at?"

  "I just think Mom would like to know about the girl you're crushing on," Kouya said with a shrug of his shoulders.

  "I do not have a crush on Aria," Kousuke responded pointedly.

  "You didn't tell Jason about Mom until you guys were friends for six months! He's your best friend and he thought you didn't talk about her 'cause she was dead," Kouya reminded his twin, getting an embarrassed flush of pink from Kousuke.

  "Jason also thought that he could chug a bottle of soda with Mentos in it, that assumption about Mom was minor compared to his other ideas" Kousuke rebutted, trying to end this conversation before it started.

  "Don't try and change the subject!" Kouya scolded, putting his hands on his hips.

  It took everything in Kousuke not to laugh. Any time Kouya held this pose, it reminded the older brother so much of their mother. From the creased forehead, all the way to the tapping heel. It was always the way of saying they were serious, and they needed Kousuke to listen.

  Dropping his shoulders, Kousuke let out a sigh and gave Kouya his full attention.

  "I know you're standoffish with everything we've been through, and I know it's because you're worried will happen again. I'm not done!" Kouya's calming words kicked up before Kousuke could interrupt, "We don't want you to sacrifice your life. You like Aria, and that's great. You don't have to do anything beyond being friends if that's where you're comfortable," Kouya gave Kousuke an assuring smile, "You haven't been open with someone so quickly before, and I'm happy it's someone like Aria."

  With that, Kouya retreated to his room. Leaving Kousuke with his thoughts.

  As one brother was getting ready for bed, the other collapsed on the couch.

  Grabbing the pillow from the floor, Kousuke brought it up to his face and let out an exhausted sigh.

  There's no way he's that close to Aria. They've only met a total of two times. The second time was on pure accident.

  There's also, no denying that Aria is a nice person. She defended Aster after only knowing her for a few hours. Then Aria invited all of them to a cabin trip and was prepared to pay for all the food.

  The way she talked so animatedly is adorable. If he let her, Aria wouldn't stop talking. So happy to share something that makes her happy.

  Crap.

  Why does his brother have to be so clever? Also how?

  One time Kouya lost his only pair of shoes for a whole day.

  Where were they?

  In Kousuke's closet.

  Why?

  He was hanging up a shirt he borrowed and set the shoes down to do it.

  A guitar riff was muffled through the pillow. Peaking around to look at his phone, a text from Aria looked back at him.

  'Going to bed now. See you in the morning! Happy Dreams!'

  He snorted.

  'Happy Dreams?'

  'You read what I wrote! Now go to sleep!'

  'Yes boss, Happy Dreams'

  Peering into the living room, Kouya smiled at the happy look on his brother's face. Holding the pillow close to his chest, eyes glued to his phone. Still texting Aria.

  Taking out his phone, Konya took a picture of his brother and sent it to Tommy.

  With the picture, he texted: 'Does Aria look this adorable?'

  'OMG! Yes!'

  After the message from Tommy was a picture of Aria curled up in a chair. Coffee mug in one hand, her phone in the other, lips upturned in joy, and cheeks a little pink.

  Another text from Tommy followed.

  'They're so cute it's gross.'

  'How long until they get together you think?'

  'Well, this is Kousuke we're talking about, so three years.'

  Chuckling, Kouya made his way to the kitchen, catching his brother's attention.

  "Did you pack your medicine?" Kousuke asked, his words making Kouya freeze in his spot.

  "Y-yeah, of course, I did," Kouya stuttered out, quickly turning back to his room.