Do y'all remember that episode where everyone was concerned that Aphmau might've been cheating on Aaron with Zane?
What if it went a different direction?
Zane immediately catches on to the gossip of the friend group, and tells Aaron and Aphmau about it. Then, an idea to pretend there's a poly relationship happening was born. I think the reason why this idea entertains me so much is because I KNOW the idea would've come from Zane.
Zane: "Oh, they're gossiping because they think I'm homewrecking Aph and Aaron? I'll give them something to gossip about." Then proceeds to give little looks to Aph and Aaron, subtly flirts with both of them, makes them play along, etc etc
Aph wouldn't take too much convincing to be willing to go along with the plan. Aaron, however, would need a little convincing. Not hard convincing, but convincing nonetheless.
They start small. Longing looks between Zane and Aphmau and Zane and Aaron, soft touches when those touches aren't necessary, leaning against each other, things like that.
Then.. it stops being fake. Like, Zane somehow, at some point, actually joined Aaron and Aphmau's relationship and none of them realized.
Zane practically lives with them now. He's a part of the morning chaos when they all have to be at the cafe at different times.
The soft touches happen even when not around their friends, and they've evolved to be sleepy hugs.
The fake flirting that's done in front of the friends becomes actual teasing between significant others.
Whenever everyone's together drinking, if you pay attention, you notice Zane and Aphmau being very close and sensual, or just hella sleepy. Don't be surprised if you catch them taking a drunk-fueled nap together. If you pay attention, Zane and Aaron are dancing to who knows what.
At work at the cafe, Aaron's checking in on Zane because he knows that he can get a little overwhelmed. When on break, Aphmau's half-sitting on Zane's lap as the three of them are talking about whatever.
Eventually, the three of them sit down to talk about it. Instead of saying anything, though, they all sit in silence. They don't know what to say. They can't go back to being normal friends after this. After all the casual, but unintentional, romance, they can't go back.
After a few minutes of silence, one of them finally asks "Are we dating?" Looks get exchanged between the three of them, because there's no way the answer is no.. but it isn't a complete yes either.
It's not a no, because his clothes and toothbrush are there. It's not a no, because the three of them are physically and verbally affectionate with each other. It's not a no, because the tension between Zane and the couple isn't fabricated anymore, but real and growing.
It's not a yes, because they've never officially talked about it. At this point, that's really the only thing that's stopping them.
Aaron doesn't say anything, because he's aware of the fact that it's not a clean answer.
Zane, meanwhile, would be staring at the floor like heβs trying to solve a problem that refuses to behave like a logical equation.
Itβs not βnoβ because nothing about their lives fits βjust friendsβ anymore, but itβs not a confident βyesβ either, because no one ever made a decision to cross a line. They just realized a little too late that the line had already been walked over so many times it stopped being visible.
They just kept choosing each other in small ways until the absence of a label stopped matteringβ¦ until the only thing left to do was either step back into βjust friends,β which no longer fits, or acknowledge that whatever this is has already been happening for a long time.
