beta squad ♡ bxb ♡ FLUFFEBRUARY 2024

Day 17 [promise]

Prompt fill: promise
[AU-setting: childhood friends]
Pre-romantic pairing
Chunkz x AJ

3 & 4 years old

Everyone was so tall.

Tall and scary. Aj tried standing on his tippy toes, but it was no use. He didn't know where he was, and he couldn't see anything familiar, and his mom was gone, and oh no. He was gonna start crying, even though he was already three, almost four.

He couldn't cry, he was a big boy already. Except standing in this enormous mall, he felt very, very small.

Aj sniffed sadly. He wouldn't ever find his family again, and they would leave him here all alone. His eyes teared up when he suddenly felt a light tapping on his shoulder.

He spun around only to come face to face with a boy who was taller than him, a bit chubby and with a gap between his two front teeth, that made his following question sound kind of lisped.

"Are you lost?"

Aj nodded watery and tried not to be intimidated. But he was so small and all alone and everyone was so big, and a tear escaped his eyes and fell down his cheek.

The boy in front of him leaned very close and carefully patted his face. "You can't cry! I will help you! I'm very strong!" He pulled Aj into his chest and squeezed.

He wasn't kidding, Aj noticed, he really was strong. Maybe he could help him find his parents again.

Aj let himself be coddled for a while because while he was almost four, the hug felt so nice. When he boy moved back, he held out his hand for Aj, "I'm Amin. I'm four."

Amin's hand was bigger than his own, and a bit sticky, when he took it. "I'm Ayaanle, but everyone calls me Aj." He wiped his face free from tears with his other hand and added, "I'm three, but I'm almost four."

Amin nodded seriously, "we can go to my parents. They can find your family." Aj smiled shyly, looking up hopefully. He was so glad, Amin had found him and was helping him now. He could have died here, completely lost! Not wanting to appear like a baby, he slowly let go of the other boys hand.

"No," Amin ordered, "You hafta hold hands! I'll protect you now, I promise!" He grabbed Aj's hand again, holding on tight and started pulling him into the direction of his parents. Aj smiled happily. He never had a protector before, but Amin seemed so kind, and he had promised to protect Aj. Maybe they could become friends. Bestest friends.

9 & 9 years old

Aj hated Tanja. He hated, hated, hated her.

She was really pretty and really smart, and she always wanted to sit next to Amin. Who was his best friend. If anyone should sit next to Amin, it would be him! Maybe Ahmed during lunch as well, but Amin and him were cousins! He'd never steal Aj's best friend, but Tanja- Tanja would!

And it pissed Aj off. Whenever they were in class, she'd ask if Amin needed help with an assignment or if he wanted to borrow her coloured pencils.

Then she'd try and sit on Aj's chair! One time during art class, she had even pushed Aj out of his seat! He had fallen on the floor because even though he was nine, he still wasn't as tall as most other kids in their grade.

He had hurt his shoulder, and Amin had carried his bag for him for a week. He really loved his best friend. He also hadn't talked to Tanja during that week, so Aj had been extra happy.

But then she had started sitting with them at lunch and playing nice with Aj, and Amin had seen her as friendly again. She wasn't, but it wasn't easy to prove. She never did something as mean as pushing him out of chairs again, but she'd stare at him meanly and make borderline rude comments that she laughed off when Aj said anything about it.

The worst thing, though, was that Amin didn't seem to notice. And that really hurt, because they were best friends! But Amin allowed her to sit with them at lunch and sometimes even next to him. Aj was devastated.

Until one day, when the cafeteria gave out strawberry milkshakes in open cups. Aj had placed one on his tray and was walking back to their table, where Amin was waiting for him. He put it down and was just about to sit, when suddenly his back got cold and sticky and wet, and Tanja giggled out, "oops, I just lost balance, I'm so clumsy."

Aj felt tears prickle in his eyes at the laughter from the girls of her group and turned around to rush out of the cafeteria. Shortly before he made it out, he heard her annoying voice fake sniffling, "ow, Amin I think I twisted my ankle, spilling the milkshake on Ayaanle. Help me walk?"

Fuck her, Aj angrily thought, wiping the tears from his face in the school's bathroom. His shirt was completely ruined, he couldn't walk around in that the rest of the day. Everyone was gonna know, and laugh at him and -

"Aj?" Amin asked, as he walked in. "Aj, it's okay, I'm here." Aj had turned away a bit, to hide his face, but Amin seemed to know regardless. "Don't cry, my Aj, we'll fix this!" He moved closer, tugging at the hem of Aj's shirt. "Let's take this off, you can't walk around in this."

Aj sniffed, squeezing Amin's hand. "I don't habe anything else to wear." His best friend shook his head, smiling. "I brought my gym shirt for you! You can wear that!" He helped Aj out of the soiled shirt, "and we don't have to sit with Tanja, she's mean anyways," he added carefully.

Aj's head shot up, and he stared I'm wonder at Amin, who grinned down at him. "You're my best friend Aj! No one will ever be more important, I promise."

Aj nodded, "you're my best friend as well." Grinning back and pulling the offered shirt over his head, he snorted. It fell down his thighs and exposed his collarbones. There was quite a bit of excessive fabric and the sleeves came down almost to his elbow.

"Everyone will know it's your shirt!" Aj laughed.

"Yeah," Amin agreed, "everyone will know you're my best friend!"

Swinging his arm around Aj's shoulders, they walked out of the bathroom, making their way back to the lunch hall.

"What happened to Tanja's ankle?" Aj asked curiously about halfway there. Amin snorted and moved his arm to hold Aj around his waist instead. "I dunno. I followed you."

Aj hid his grin in Amin's shoulder and sighed softly. "I don't like Tanja."

Amin laid his head on Aj's for a few seconds. "Sometimes she really is a bit mean. I'm sorry I never said anything."

Aj shrugged, "it's okay. I guess it's cause she's so smart and pretty, you forget about me just a bit."

"No!" Amin said fiercely, "I don't ever forget about you! You're the smartest and prettiest of everyone, Aj! I was just a bit busy looking at your eyes." Amin sighed resigned, "they're sooo pretty, I always get distracted. But I'll try to get more subtle."

"Promise?" Aj asked softly, knotting his fingers in Amin's shirt.

"Promise." Amin answered confidently.

~the end

[1233 words]

[Kids promises are adorable. I realised I'm in love with childhood friends to lovers. I had so many ideas imma have to write a separate one-shot or something longer with those, but I couldn't put them in here, cuz it would have taken too long and then I couldn't have updated today and the prompts are supposed to be separate, not over multiple chapters, so.]