Zane~Chan Fluff One-Shots - //After Starlight//

Oneshot #29: Discovering Secrets

Enjoy! This fanfiction takes place after MyStreet Season 6: When Angels Fall. It is in no way canon to the original story. All characters belong to Aphmau on YouTube, please support the original creator. Thanks!

Apologies for the long hiatus.
-
Calvin was freaking out.

There was no way to hide it anymore.

He had a serious, giant, crush.

His father, Zane, had been noticing his off behavior since he arrived home from school. Calvin would usually sit and do his homework right away, but instead he locked himself in his room.

"'Cal? Can I come in?" Zane asked, knocking on his door. "Come on. I know you're in there."

"Not now, Dad," Calvin answered.

Zane sighed. He really didn't want his son to be closed off like he was as a teenager. Even so, he was the best person to ask when it came to teenage angst; he'd lived it from high school and beyond.

"Calvin," He was more stern this time, "Open."

He heard his son reluctantly move to the door, and the handle twisted from the other side. Calvin opened it just a crack.

"What's going on?" His Dad asked him. "I just want to help. Seriously. I won't even ask any questions if you just want me to listen."

Sighing, the boy opened his door and let his father inside.

"If I tell you, you can't tell Cate or Mom," Calvin said, locking his door again.

"That depends on what it is," Zane grew concerned, "If it's hurting you then I have to tell your mother."

His son shook his head, "It's nothing like that. It's just embarrassing.."

Zane thought for a moment, the gears almost visibly turning in his head.

What in Irene would get him this flustered? Calvin's never acted like this. I don't even think I've seen his face this red before, either.

Suddenly, it clicked.

He had been seeing Calvin with a particular girl lately, more than usual. Aphmau and Aaron's daughter, Alina.

They were good friends, of course; but Zane noticed Calvin's nervous reactions when she would get close to him or touch his arm. He'd accidentally walked in on them together on the couch, with Alina's hand close to his son's. Zane had never seen Calvin more caught off guard.

"Calvin," He spoke, trying to conceal the laughter in his voice, "Do you like someone?"

"Dad!" Calvin whined.

"Well?" Zane beckoned him to go on. "I'm not judging you. Trust me, if there's anybody to talk to about problems with romantic emotions, it's me."

"Why?" Calvin whispered.

His Dad laughed, audibly this time.

"Now that I think about it, I guess I never did tell you the story of how your Mom and I got together.." He thought.

"No, you didn't," Calvin was intrigued, "But you can tell me now, if you want."

"Are you sure?" Zane asked, "You said you wanted to talk about your crush."

"I never said that!" The boy exclaimed. "J-Just— get on with the story.."

"Alright, alright.." Zane cleared his throat, almost unsure of where to begin.

"We met in high school. I had the biggest crush on her, but she was the opposite of who I was as trying to be at the time. I wanted to be in a stupid club with bad kids— don't ever join anything like that, by the way, unless you want to be like Gene— and she was completely out of my league, anyway..

Then, after high school, I got a job interview at a coffee shop not too far from my dorm. To my surprise, she was there. Not just as a customer, but she was the one who was competing for the position.

I didn't stand a chance. Her laugh just sent butterflies in my stomach and I didn't know how to deal with it. Irene— I was so mean to her. I should probably apologize for that, now that I think about it.."

Calvin stopped him for a moment. "Wait a minute," He spoke, "You liked Mom since high school?!"

"Hard to believe, right?" Zane laughed, "Especially with those videos you've seen of how I used to treat her."

His son laughed along with him. "Sorry to interrupt, keep going, please."

Zane smiled.

"Anyway, I thought I would never see her again. I sort of accepted that. But then.. by some odd twist of fate, she moved into the neighborhood your grandpa had funded. I didn't have many friends at the time— actually, I had none— but eventually Aphmau, Alina's mom, broke through my shell somehow. It wasn't long until she re-introduced me to your Mom again.

I hated the way she made me feel, at first; it was frustrating. She had a couple of boyfriends within the time we lived on the same street, and every day it made me feel extremely jealous.

So, I was abrasive, mean, and downright rude to her. I seriously don't know how she saw past that part of me.."

Zane thought for a moment. His son didn't know about what had happened at the lodge yet, and he decided that now wasn't a good time to bring it up.

"D-Dad?" Calvin asked, startling his father out of his thoughts.

"Right, sorry, I was just lost in thought. It's a long story, I was trying to figure out what to say next," It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"Moving on. Eventually we got to know each other a little bit better, I helped her out with a maid café she wanted to open— ironic, since she owns one now— but my feelings for her wouldn't stop. I became a master at concealing them. Even during our first vacation as a group together as friends, I was still standoffish around her.

It wasn't until another summer-long vacation that I started to notice my chance. She was single, no boyfriend in sight for a couple of months; but I had put myself in this situation where I'd barred myself off from her almost entirely. I knew I had to start breaking my walls down, and I did..

And she did the same for me. We talked, and we talked, until eventually.."

Zane trailed off, smiling at the memory, "She told me about her real self. Something she'd never told anyone about before. You know your cousins on your Mom's side? Konoe~Chan and her siblings? Your mother had never told anyone about her family, or where she came from. Irene, I fell for her so hard. She was— is— so beautiful, inside and out.."

Calvin gagged, "Okay, Dad, try not to be too lovey-dovey."

"Hey, you asked for it," Zane defended himself. "Anywho, in summary, she eventually kissed me and we finally talked about everything. I asked her out.. and the rest is history."

Calvin thought for a moment. "Wow. I guess I didn't know you felt that way about Mom for such a long time."

"Are you going to tell me about your feelings for Alina, now?" Zane chuckled.

"What?" The teenager exclaimed, "How did you know?!"

"Come on, 'Cal. We're practically the same person. I was just like you when I was your age. I can read the signs."

His son sighed, nodding his head.

"I think I really like her. I just don't know what to do about it.."

-

Phew. I haven't been here in a long while, apologies for that. I hope this suffices to quench your thirst during this quarantine! Thanks for reading! 💓