Every Part of You

Aoi was not jealous of himself.

He may be proud, bordering on narcissistic on good days, but he hadn't quite dropped to the level of actually being jealous about his fake identity. The whole point of "Aoi-chan" was that to gain the fame and glory that came with being a popular fashion icon. The fact that everyone assumed that anyone as gorgeous and cute as the idol absolutely had to be a girl was supposed to be a point of cynical pride.

Right now as Aoi watched Tsubasa amble closer, an arm raised high in greeting and wearing a broad smile, it felt less like freedom and more like a board to beat him with. His lips still burned with the memory of the kiss from last night and, if he focused enough, he could recall the warmth of her jacket draped around his shoulders. A jacket he still had tucked under a mountain of pillows and out of his dad's sight.

"Aoi-chan!" The Mouse and Glasses – learning their real names had been put on hold once again – glanced up warily but relaxed when they saw who it was. Tsubasa stopped a few feet away from him. "Are you here every weekend?"

"Only when the weather is good," Aoi spun away so his back was to her. This wasn't good. Was it just the hormones talking or did he actually think she looked attractive in a graphic T-shirt with a cartoon elephant balanced on a rubber ball? She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed which, to be fair it was still 8a.m. and most of the people up at this time were either fitness enthusiasts or those who had work. Speaking of which, "what are you doing here?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Is it creepy if I said I came here hoping to see you?"

"Hah?!" Aoi was so shocked he could only splutter. "You wanted to do what? Why?!"

Tsubasa winced. "After I saw you last time I looked you up online and found your website. I had no idea how popular you were! It's honestly so amazing, especially since your portfolio is almost entirely self made! So..." Here she went pink and Aoi had to strangle the urge to clutch at his chest and wheeze at how cute that was "...I just wanted to get to know you better. If you want! Feel free to tell me to leave if you're too busy!"

Aoi pressed his lips together and thought about it. On the one hand, he had a crush on Tsubasa and was he really going to spend time with her as Aoi-chan and pretend he didn't know that she ate popcorn like a wild horse and always got a whipped cream moustache every time they got milkshakes? Did this count as fraud? What if she developed a crush on Aoi-chan and not Aoi-kun and was disappointed when she discovered the truth? How quickly would she discover the truth, especially if she was spending a lot of time with him in both forms? Make-up could do a lot to hide a face but it wouldn't hold up in constant scrutiny.

On the other hand though he looked mad cute today. His make-up was on point and he was risking blindness with a set of coloured contacts. Someone (whose opinion he cared about) was going to physically appreciate how pretty he was goddammit!

Pretending to be reluctant, Aoi huffed and tossed his head imperiously. "As long as you don't interrupt the shooting, I will allow you to stay."

"Thanks, I'll stay out of your way!" Tsubasa beamed at him and then wandered a few metres away. She plopped down on the grass next to where Aoi had dumped his own bags and pulled out a notebook from her satchel. Probably homework, Aoi dismissed and resolutely turned away. Dumb crush or not, he had work to do and the cool spring morning was the best time to do it. Valentine's Day was coming up and he was working his way across the pastels before he committed to the more romantic pinks and reds.

He still wasn't sure how he wanted to play it this year. Last year he'd gone the more innocent route of puppy love, all soft swatches and fluffy clouds. He was still a teenager after all. Still, it would feel redundant to do the same thing again this year. Should he go the sexy route? Less cute more passion?

The boy pulled a face. Though it was easy to think of his fans as an abstract concept that only existed in a bubble far away from him until he chose to interact with them, he knew that a lot of them were prime weirdos. There were the normal ones who commented on how much they loved his new designs and pleaded for make-up tutorials. There were the slightly more crazy ones who sometimes turned up at the Maid Latté wearing shirts with his face but who were ultimately harmless when push came to shove. Then there were the absolutely deranged ones who used to send creepy messages to his work email before he started screening the comments.

There were also the pedophiles. Well they called themselves "lolicons" or "shotacons" but the technical term is pedophile.

The perils of online fame. Still, sexy didn't have to involve skin. He was an artist, he could make it work. "Set ready!" Mouse piped up.

"Finally, we're burning daylight!" Aoi flounced over the patch of flowers that Mouse had been arranging. The pale blue forget-me-nots made a nice contrast against the pattern on his green flared skirt. He'd spent hours stitching a chain of pink blossoms around the hem. Multiple all-nighters had been spent looking up how-to guides on YouTube but the results were worth it.

He let himself sink into the part. The camera clicked away, capturing the coyness of his smile, the mock-surprised widening of his eyes, the artfully tossed halo of his hair. Aoi couldn't help putting on a little smirk. Heh, this really was his element. Tsubasa had to be impressed.

Pretending to adjust his blouse, Aoi glanced in her direction from beneath his lashes. Immediately he almost jerked in surprise as their eyes met. Tsubasa grinned widely, unabashedly staring right at him. "You look amazing, Aoi-chan!" She cheered enthusiastically. "Very pretty!"

Don't say stuff like that so casually! He almost yelled but at the last moment he spun around and focused on dispelling the bright red blush on his cheeks. No, that was something Aoi-kun would say. He had to focus. Be calm, collected, and aloof. He got tons of compliments daily after all.

"I love your skirt! It's so cute!"

"Friend of yours?" Mouse asked Aoi who was crouching in the grass with his hands over his cheeks. In the distance, Tsubasa waved innocently.

"Something like that," Aoi muttered. "How did the pictures turn out?"

Glasses appeared as if summoned, still fiddling with the camera. "Here," he handed it over.

Shaking off the fog of embarrassment, Aoi studied the pictures critically. They were mostly up to standard. Maybe a little photoshop to brighten the background and something to up the saturation on the flowers and they'd be ready to upload. Nodding to himself, he got to his feet and walked over to Tsubasa.

She looked up from her notebook. "Are you finished?"

Aoi nodded. "Yeah, I'm going home now."

"Oh," her lips curved down, "do you have to head back now? We could walk around for a while. Maybe get some breakfast?"

Okay Aoi you've already pushed your luck by letting her stare at you for over an hour. Are you really gonna make it worse just because you're a vain asshole with a crush?

"Plus it'd be a shame to head home already when you look so pretty."

"Where do you want to go?" You're so weak Aoi. Still the way Tsubasa's eyes brightened in delight was almost enough to calm his worries. Hell, maybe this was a blessing in disguise! If he played his cards right he might be able to ask Tsubasa what she liked in a partner. "Not the Maid Latté though," he quickly added.

She quirked a knowing smile. "I was thinking of something more casual. After all..."

He jumped as she leaned down so her lips were near his sensitive ear. That was enough to send him spiralling but then an arm curled around his waist and honestly who the heck decided that crushes ought to be this debilitating? Aoi was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear what Tsubasa said.

"If we went there I wouldn't be able to tell you how much I like your dress, Aoi-kun."

Aoi jumped back in shock. "What did you call me?!"

Tsubasa rolled her eyes. "Aoi, I know it's you. I know you think I'm an idiot but I'd know your face anywhere."

"I don't think you're an idiot," he replied automatically. Then he scowled, "how did you know it was me?"

She pressed her lips together. "I mean, I've watched enough YouTube beauty blogs to know that make-up can transform a person but also I spend a lot of time around you Aoi. Then there's also that."

Aoi reached up to his hair and winced as he felt the familiar shape of the hairclip Tsubasa had given him. He'd gotten too used to wearing it. Biting back anger at himself for his short-sightedness, Aoi folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes. "So...what are you going to do now?"

"What am I going to do?" Tsubasa repeated bemusedly.

"Are you going to tell our classmates?" He prompted coldly.

Tsubasa actually looked surprised. "Do they not know about this already?"

"They know I like dressing up and that I like fashion, but they don't know I'm Aoi-sama. They don't even know my website," he informed her, "and I don't want them to know."

He expected her to ask why, to push the issue, but Tsubasa just nodded. "Alright, if you don't want them to know then I won't say anything to anyone."

Well that was unexpectedly easy. Aoi eyed her as he slung his bag over his shoulder and fell into step with her. "You're taking this suspiciously well."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"There's a difference between knowing that a boy likes wearing skirts and seeing it. Most of the people who found out about this didn't exactly take it super well." Guys especially. They were either straight and disappointed or gay and confused as to why Aoi did this when he wasn't. Aoi suspected trans and nonbinary people might be more understanding but he had yet to meet any and he was too terrified of his dad to look.

Aoi wined internally as he flashed back to that incredibly misinformed escapade when he'd tried to seduce Usui. Bad decisions had been made.

"For what it's worth," Tsubasa's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I don't care. I think, whatever you wear, you're still Aoi and I still 100% have a crush on you."

"Stop!" Cheeks burning red, he swung his bag at her. Laughing, she nimbly jumped out of the way, calling out apologies. Aoi pouted but allowed himself to be pulled close to her side, relishing the solid weight of the arm draped around his shoulders. If he let himself pretend for a moment, in the privacy of his own mind, that they were an actual couple...well there was no one to call him out.

I'm late, I have no excuse. I tried to make this extra cute as compensation!