beta squad ♡ bxb ♡ FLUFFEBRUARY 2024

Day 24 [surprise]

Prompt fill: surprise
[AU-setting: childhood friends + celebrity x normie]
(Pre-)Romantic pairing
Niko x Aj

They hadn't seen each other in such a long time.

Aj could still see Niko's smile in front of him clear as day and hear his laughter in his mind. He doubted Niko even remembered him. They had been young and dumb, and sure, there had been a time when Aj thought maybe, maybe they could be something more, something closer, but in the end, he supposed, it just hadn't meant to be.

He remembered the goodbyes well, the tears and the snot and the sobbing in each others arms. Ultimately, they hadn't been able to convince their parents, and Aj had to move to the Netherlands for three years.

When it was finally time to move back to the UK, after three painful years with no contact, he arrived in their neighbourhood only to realise that Niko and his family had moved somewhere else during the time he was gone.

There was no trace of nothing, and after months of sobbing over his childhood best friend, he accepted his faith and moved on. At least, that's what he told people. When it was just him, laying in his bed, contemplating life, he could admit that his feelings never really went away.

How could they, when Niko was the best thing that had ever happened to him? When they made memories that were impossible to forget? At least for him, he supposed. He didn't actually know how Niko felt about their past, considering he didn't even know how Niko felt right now in general.

His heart twisted uncomfortably in his chest every time he thought about how Niko might have forgotten about him.

But then - then he discovered the YouTube channel. It started with a bill board he saw walking down the street, which stopped him dead in the middle of the road. For a few seconds, he stared unseeing at the picture. It couldn't be him, could it?

As it had turned out, it really was his childhood best friend turned YouTuber that grinned down at him from his place on the picture, as a quick google search let him know.

Aj was so proud of him for achieving what he did, but watching his videos hurt in a cruel sort of way. Which was why he almost religiously didn't, after discovering that Niko often talked about wanting to meet up with his 'lost love'.

Except that one interview he was about to watch now was titled 'Niko Omilana's first love?!' and something in him made is stomach turn.

Probably because he always had a gigantic crush on him and more often than not thought that his affection was reciprocated. Clicking on the video, he held his breath, mentally preparing himself for whatever would come out of his former best friend's mouth.

Niko was sitting on a two-seater sofa and had a bowl with little paper pieces propped up on his lap. He picked one after the other, read them out loud, and answered them.

"Have you ever been in love?" He read before pausing in thought, looking up, and staring into the camera.

"Let's be deep for a second here, guys," he smiled wistfully. "I have. And as you all know, I always talk about meeting up, but the truth is, I've been too chicken to make it happen. So here we go."

Someone clenched an iron fist around Aj's heart, he was sure of it.

"We were childhood best friends, but then we both moved, and the contact got lost." On the screen, Niko shrugged his shoulders.

Aj's head filled with noise. He - Niko couldn't be seriously talking about him, could he?

"His name's Aj," he tilted his head adorably. "Well, that's not his actual name, just what he liked to be called." Niko looked down at the piece of paper again. "I was so gone on him," he laughed. "I was completely deva when he moved."

"Oh," Aj breathed out. Everything around him seemed completely silent, as if someone turned down the volume of the whole planet, and the only noise left was Niko's voice.

"Actually," Niko interrupted himself, just before he put the paper down. "Lemme make this a bit more awkward to watch." He breathed out shakily and looked up into the camera. "Aj, I have no idea where you are right now or if you're watching this. I don't know if you still remember me, but I've never forgotten you. I still know how you look like when you smile or laugh, I still know how I wiped your tears away when you left and how I promised you that I'll never forget you." Niko smiled wobbly.

"If there's any chance that you see this, I need you to know that I love you. Always have, always will. There's this spot where we used to hang out all the time, when we were hiding from our parents and they wanted us to go home."

Aj remembered the spot like he was there yesterday. He drove by it once but couldn't bring himself to actually go there.

"When you want me to ask you on a date like I should have done years ago, surprise me there on the 24th at three?" Niko raised his eyes hopefully before clearing his throat and awkwardly picking up the next question.

A date. Aj bit his lip and inhaled shakily. The 24th. He would be there. There was no doubt in his mind that Niko was sincere.

When they were younger, every time they would need to make sure the other one knew they weren't lying, they would trace the middle and pointer finger down their throat while making the statement. And in the video, Niko had. Aj couldn't wait for the - wait.

The 24th was today! His eyes snapped towards the clock, and he raced to put on shoes after reading the time - five minutes after three.

He sprinted out of the house, leaving jacket, wallet and car keys behind, having only one goal in his mind. He ran as fast as he could, making it to their secret spot in 5 minutes.

Please let Niko still be there, he thought panicked. Breaking through the line of trees, he saw a tall man turning away a few meters ahead to go to a parked car.

Aj's heart stopped. "Niko?" He called out carefully. The man's head snapped up and he spun around, revealing his face. Aj's breath caught in his throat, and he beamed. "Niko!"

Niko couldn't help the wide smile that overtook his face, as Aj sprinted the last distance and fell into his arms. "Aj," Niko whispered into his neck, arms clutching his childhood best friend close. "My Aj, you're here!"

Aj pressed his face in Niko's chest and mumbled out, "surprise," before yanking Niko down by his shirt collar. "Ask me out on a date," he whispered intently. 

Niko tangled his hands in Aj's curls and whispered back nervously, "go on a date with me?"

Aj's enthusiastic 'Yes!' was half lost between their lips, as they finally connected in a kiss.

~the end

[1181 words]

[Shush this counts as prompt. I like AU's so much, might write more of them lmao. I've been so stressed I barely have time to write these let alone read any other books on here so sry for the late updates ops.]