mago (aaron pace x reader)
Title: MAGO
Summary: in which you and aaron are best friends, and he realizes things a little late (better late than never!).
wc: 1.1k
Before you read: very loosely based off of the song mago by gfriend but not really?? but also kind of?? Also this is my warmup to get back into writing writing again! probably a little choppy and it’s not proofread so if there’s major issues lmk! gender neutral reader ?? but reader doesn’t get referred to by anything at all!
You remember when you first met aaron. The two of you were in elementary school and he sat next to you in class. Both of you were both pretty quiet kids, minding your own business and interacting with each other only when necessary. The seating arrangement was perfect for the two of you since you’d both rather focus on what you were working on than conversing with others. However, this was soon to be ruined.
Your teacher changed the seating chart and now you were stuck next to kids that you didn’t know and quite frankly, stressed you out. They were loud and you couldn’t focus and all you could think was that you wanted Aaron back. So, during recess you approached him with an upset look on your face as you asked if he’d be willing to go with you to ask your teacher to put you two next to each other again. You were surprised when he said yes, but as it turns out - the two of you were in the same dilemma. You were both stuck next to seatmates that were for lack of better terms, not your favorite. You’d rather sit next to each other.
After recess, the two of you made your trek back to class a little bit earlier so that you could ask your teacher about the new seating arrangement. “Ms. Smith?” You ask, peeking your head through the door. She was sitting at her desk and she made a come hither motion, so the two of you stepped into her classroom.
“What’s wrong? Are you two in trouble? If so I’d be shocked-” She gets cut off by Aaron.
“No… We just want to sit next to each other… We’d rather sit next to each other since it’s harder to focus with the people we sit by,” he says quickly. You’re surprised that he came up with that good of a reason that quickly. Your teacher nods.
“I see… well your grades have been a bit lower and you two have seemed to be less attentive in class, so I’ll make some changes to the seating chart for tomorrow, but for now, the two of you can sit together in the back at the half table, alright?” The two of you nod and thank her and head back to your new seats.
When you two sat down, he was about to say something, but you beat him to it. “Here, this is for you,” you say, handing him one of your many friendship bracelets. He examines it and looks back up at you with a confused look.
“What is this?” He asks, fidgeting with beads and sliding them around on the string.
“It’s a friendship bracelet! Since we’re friends now, right?” you ask, now afraid that he might decline. He slips it on.
“Friends.”
—
The two of you head off to middle school, excited as can be. You both were joining band! You two were in the same class and you both branched out and met more people. You became friends with Cadence, Susie and Tom and Aaron became friends with other percussionists. Even though you both were making more friends, you still kept in contact and would talk to each other in your other classes. This stayed the same until high school, when you befriended a certain trumpet named Peter Dang. He was sweet, but he was sweet to everyone. But a friend to all, is a friend to none. He wasn’t the one that you grew up with and he certainly wasn’t the one who would be there for you all those times.
Aaron was the one who watched you run out of homecoming Junior year because Peter had the audacity to break up with you in the middle of the dance, even though you were his date. He chased after you, but not before giving Peter the dirtiest look he could muster. He found you in the parking lot, sitting on the curb by where you parked your car. When he sat next to you that night, he realized two things. He’s had a crush on you ever since you two were little kids and that you deserved a lot better than Peter.
He let you bawl your eyes out into the fabric of his uncomfy suit as he tried to soothe you and make you feel better. “I really thought he was the one,” he heard you murmur. You shook your head and let out a dry laugh. “I guess not then.” The two of you stay like that, closer than you two had been in a while.
“He wouldn’t be the one for you anyways. I’m pretty sure that if you asked him what color your eyes were, he wouldn’t know,” he mutters. When he realizes that you heard that, he makes a face and immediately opens his mouth to apologize. Instead of being upset, you laugh.
“I’m pretty sure he didn’t, if I’m being honest,” you say, shaking your head at yourself. “But it’s fine. At least I know you’ll always be with me. You’re such a good friend, you know that?” You ask, finally choosing to look him in the eye. Those words brought an odd pain to him. This wasn’t the first time that your friendship was referenced, but hearing it coming from you felt odd. It felt odd and it hurt that you didn’t see him as anything that could be more than friends.
“You know, this feels so silly, but a few months before I met Peter last year, I had the biggest crush on you. But I never really said anything until now because I was afraid that you’d hate me or something, but you probably wouldn’t because it’s in the past now, right?” you ramble. He internally winces. He had a chance to be with you all along?
“I would care actually because I have a crush on you right now. I’ve had a crush on you since we were little kids,” he thinks. Your eyes go wide and he feels himself burning up. Did he say that out loud?
“Aaron,” you murmur, looking him in the eye. “Are you sure?” You ask, looking slightly upset. He nods.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything like that-”
“No. No it’s not that. Not at all. I feel relieved actually,” you say, giving him a soft smile. “I’ve liked you since you went with me to ask our teacher to switch our seats so we could sit together. I guess I just gave up hope on you liking me back, so I decided to ignore my feelings for you.” He nods at your words and pulls you closer.
“Is that why you dated him?” You shrug at his words.
“Not sure. It was probably for a lot of reasons that I won’t understand later on, but if I’m being honest there’s one thing I’ll always understand.” You leave it at that, and Aaron immediately knows what you’re referencing.
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