AN: Sorry for the late update, ive been busy with my studies since our exam is near. Anyways, sleepover at Scara's house. :)

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"Really, it's nothing." Scaramouche continues to deny his friends' accusations against him. Who wouldn't though? Albedo, the person he didn't expect to be active with said that Scaramouche and Aether were having a secret relationship and were caught by them. Because, in his eyes, they were having a lover's quarrel.

'This couple is getting on my nerves.'

Scaramouche wanted to cry. What the hell they would think Scaramouche would go out with Aether? He's not that stupid. They know how much Scaramouche hated Aether's guts.

"But when we saw you together, it seems like you two are arguing." Childe didn't even help, he just added fuel to the fire.

"Yeah, I was so shocked when I saw Aether together with you."

"I thought you hated Lumine's brother's guts?" Tighnari asked while they were walking towards the door of Scaramouche's house.

"Maybe Kuni was pretending to be annoyed at his presence," Signora commented. It sounded so sure that Aether and Scaramouche were having something.

Scaramouche glared at Signora at the sudden call of his nickname. Goodness, they were noisy.

Scaramouche wanted them to shut up for a second but he continued to be silent until they reached the open door and went inside.

"Is this why Aether agreed to me when I say can he pick up Scara?" Childe absent-mindedly said. The others who heard it look at the ginger, back to Scaramouche who is silent.

"I did request him last night to pick Kuni up too," Lumine added, nodding her head.

"But he ended up showing up with a girl last night right?" Scaramouche bitterly muttered.

"So, the two of you fight because of it?" Of course, his friends misinterpreted it.

"Of course not! It's different!"

"We're so worried about you, but seems like you're enjoying your life." Mona smiles mischievously.

Him enjoying his life because he was with Aether?

This is going somewhere. he thought. Scaramouche was alerted.

Scaramouche would not make that happen. Not in his parents' presence.

"Is Kazuha here?" Scaramouche asked, changing the topic.

Much to his dismay, Lumine shakes her head.

"Unfortunately no, he said he needed to fix something."

"Kazuha was an innocent person, why the hell would he get involved with his parents' problem," Signora muttered. Seems like Kazuha already told them about it.

"Right, forcing their son to marry someone." Tighnari shook his head.

Ei and Yae Miko look at the group who enter the house and smiled. Beside them was Faruzan helping them arrange the dishes on the table. Seems like they will be having dinner together with his friends.

"How's the work?" Ei asked as she checked Scaramouche's forehead, worried that his illness will be back.

"It's fine," Scaramouche replied. "Why Faruzan was here?" He glanced at his cousin who pouted at his question.

As far as he knows, Faruzan was busy with her studies in Sumeru, why she is here?

"Your Aunt Nahida asks if Faruzan can stay here for a while, she had been brainstorming in her studies that Nahida was so worried." No wonder, his aunt Nahida easily got worried at such easy matters.

"Kids, take a seat." Yae Miko announced.

While they were eating, Ei decided to speak with Lumine.

"Can you send my gratitude to your brother? He take care of Kuni yesterday." And decided to drop a bomb.

Scaramouche was frozen in his seat. Why would his mom say that to his friends who just witnessed Lumine's brother driving Scaramouche earlier and having arguments?

Lumine looks at Scaramouche with a puzzled expression. Even Faruzan giggled.

'No, no, no.' Scaramouche shook his head many times.

"What does it mean Aunty?" Of course, there's someone who always wanted to gossip. Scaramouche glared at Childe who smiled innocently at him.

His mom Ei who was always clueless and innocent spoke with joy.

"Lumine's brother just sent Kuni home yesterday."

"It's because Childe asks him to pick me up, Mom." Scaramouche glared at the others who were looking at him with a grin. What's up with them? They already know about this, why they are acting like this is the first time they heard it?

"My brother's name was Aether, Aunt. I will tell him that." Lumine smiled.

Ei beamed.

"Thank you. I thought Aether was Kuni's boyfriend." With that, Scaramouche dropped his spoon.

'What are you saying this now?' Scaramouche glanced at his mother.

"It's because he was carrying my son in a bridal style."

"What?!" Scaramouche and his friends react the same. How come his mom was just saying this now?! She should just told him that earlier! Aether carried him in a bridal style?! It's impossible!

"And you're saying you're not in a relationship with him?" Albedo calmly let out.

"I fell asleep during the ride." Calm down Scaramouche, this is nothing.

Calm down...

"You rarely fell asleep during the ride."

'Can this blond fucking shut up?'

"It means you got comfortable with his presence," Mona added.

Comfortable with his presence?

Scaramouche chuckled as he glared at the couple who got on his nerves yesterday.

Calm down...

"I was feeling bad, and it's not Aether I found comfortable, it was his car." Aether car was giving a calm and relaxing scent, Scaramouche who didn't have enough sleep yesterday will surely have the urge to sleep because of it.

"His car smells nice."

Lumine cough. Her cheeks reddened.

"My brother never uses any incense in his car." She said. Making the others who were listening gasp as if it was the most shocking thing to hear.

"So..." Lumine look anywhere else but not at Scaramouche. "It was his scent you are smelling."

What?

Scaramouche had gone pale. He can feel his cheeks and ears turning red in embarrassment. He just let out that Aether's car smelled nice without knowing it was his scent, to begin with?!

'Fuck you for turning my life like this!'

"It seems like you got caught," Signora muttered, laughing. Even Faruzan who was just quietly eating can't stop herself from laughing too.

"I see..." Scaramouche and others turn their heads toward the pink-haired woman who was laughing. The nasty bitch laughed but her eyes looked gloomy.

Scaramouche once again wanted to punch Aether.

"He seems like a disrespectful young lad."

Something probably happened last night. Looking at how grim his other mom is.

'Nothing happened.' My ass.

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"I told you nothing is going on with us." Scaramouche denied. Why was he, here again, denying his friend's assumption? He doesn't know anymore.

They were in his room right now, after eating dinner. Lumine and the others decided to have a sleepover at his house, including Faruzan who was there as well.

"Well, it's great if you two get together." Scaramouche threw one of his pillows toward Childe's face. Scaramouche doesn't have any feelings for Aether, he's just annoying and Aether feels the same as well.

Tighnari sighed. "We know you're feeling lonely." He looks at Scaramouche.

"So what? It's not like loneliness was such a bad thing."

Scaramouche will not have to overthink if his lover was cheating on him or seeing someone. He will not worry about fighting with them, he will not feel jealous if someone was stealing his lover and he will continue to enjoy his life being single. It's not a bad thing.

Signora rolled her eyes. "Imagine yourself being alone while all of us had a partner, doesn't it feel lonely?"

Scaramouche imagines himself being alone in the midst of the crown. Watching his friends having their time with their respective partners.

Or maybe, it was a bad thing. He doesn't know anymore.

"Hey Kuni, I had that thinking when I haven't met my lover." Faruzan suddenly said, she turned her attention to Scaramouche who rolled his eyes at her. She talked again about her girlfriend Layla who likes to sleep.

"I thought I would not feel lonely even if my friends had a lover because I thought love was troublesome, I don't want to feel those things they said you will feel once you find your lover, jealousy, insecurities, and many ugly feelings. However, I was wrong."

"It feels so lonely. Seeing your other friends enjoying their life with their loves while here I am being single at all."

Signora nodded. "But we're not forcing you to find a lover, we're just saying you might feel lonely."

"And I'm here too!" Lumine hugged Scaramouche. "I'm single too! So if you ever become lonely, you're not alone."

These people and their thing for sticking their noses in someone's business. Scaramouche was touched.

"The moment I held Mona closely, all those things disappeared, I want to be with her all day. Being far away from her was such a lonely thing. I don't even know how I manage to live by myself all this time." Of course, this couple will not be left out.

"Save that for the future, Albedo."

"But really, back to the topic. Is Aether and you not going out?" Tighnari asked.

"We're not, really."

Though the latter proposed an idea about them pretending to be a couple. Honestly, Scaramouche had no time to think about it carefully since his friends were here.

"I'm surprised to say at least. My brother rarely drives someone home other than me." Lumine muttered, thinking something.

"He did pick up Ayaka though." Scaramouche unconsciously says. He remembered what Kazuha said earlier.

"It's because Ayato ask him a favor yesterday, he can't pick her up since he had something to do."

"It's the same as me," Scaramouche replied.

"It's not." Lumine becomes serious. "Yesterday was the same because we asked him that, however, this time we didn't ask Aether anything, he picked you up on his own accord."

"Maybe because I'm your friend?

"He saw me waiting once before, but he ignored me," Albedo added.

Scaramouche took a deep breath. He can't let them continue this. He will probably assume something that will turn out to be wrong.

"The truth is you know, I become Kazuha's substitute. It happened when I was working there, Aether and Ayaka showed up together in the cafe. And I don't know but they were there until closing time. Maybe Aether became nice after annoying me and decided to drive me home?"

'I am being too dumb?' He questioned.

"Aether with Ayaka?" Lumine's mood suddenly goes down.

"Yeah." Scaramouche gets up from the ground and goes to his bed. He was tired, he wanted to sleep.

"I'm going to call Aether."

"Hmm." Scaramouche just hummed.

He does not care. Whatever these people think about them, they should stop.

"Anyways, I have a question. Don't assume anything else okay?" Scaramouche says.

"What is it?"

Maybe these people can help him decide what to do.

"Can two people who hate each other guts be together without fighting every day?" Knowing that he and Aether were always bickering, if they start a relationship with each other, it might become toxic.

"Well yes duh," Childe replied.

"How's so?"

"I mean, I think it's okay if the two hate each other in the start? Like some kind of enemies-to-lovers trope? In that case, your partner already knows you can be this annoying and knows your nature. Because sometimes, a couple never showed their bad sides to each other since they created an impression of 'oh, they are nice, they couldn't possibly do that'  We unconsciously expected that they will act nice and be kind to us without knowing they have a bad side, and when they show their bad sides, we ended up being disappointed because they are not what we used to know."

Signora happened to have a lot of knowledge about this.

Scaramouche nodded. It was understandable but is he and Aether can work together? Considering that he might agree to the offer, he was curious.

"So, knowing each other bad sides can be good actually. But I'm not suggesting that you should like someone who abused you okay? It was never okay."

"Yeah yeah. Thanks, by the way, I'm sleeping."