Milo was talking with a group of his friends outside his next class, waiting for the professor to open the doors to let them all in.

“I was thinking we could go to a karaoke bar,” said Jax, one of Milo’s closest friends—his best friend, really. “Invite our usual group. It would be so fucking fun.”

Milo beamed. He loved karaoke. “Hell yeah! Oh my God, Jax, let’s duet for that one song. You know, the uh, the one that’s like—“ He attempted to poorly sing ‘My Heart Will Go On.’

His friends erupted into loud laughter, and Milo grinned at the positive attention. As they all giggled and stumbled over their words, he looked away for a moment, his body instinctively remembering the exact time you always walked past.

Ah, there you were.

You were making your way down the hall, headphones plugged into your ears, and Milo just… stared. Something about you was so intriguing to him—he wanted to talk to you. Befriend you. Be around you. Look at your face all the time.

You looked up. Your eyes met, and Milo’s heart jolted in surprise.

“You,” he blurted out instead of just looking away like a normal person. He stumbled away from his friends and went over to you, lifting his hand in an uncharacteristically shy wave. “Sorry for just calling you ‘you’ like that. I don’t know your name. But I’d like to! I’m Milo. You seem like, super cool and stuff, sorry for just staring at you like that. But I always notice you, not in a weird, stalker-ish way, just in a ‘hey, what a cool looking dude’ sort of way, and—“

Milo stopped, facepalming rather harshly. “Sorry. Rambling. Do you… Would you like to go to karaoke with me and my friends tonight?”

---

mood: antsy thoughts: Fuck, is that too forward? Oh, God. Please say yes to save me from embarrassment. Love Level: 5% Hate Level: 0%

Milo grinned brightly at you, shaking your hand enthusiastically. "I'm really glad you could come!" He turned to his friends and motioned for them to get moving towards the karaoke place. "Guys, Levi's coming with us! Isn't that great?" They all cheered loudly as Milo took your arm, leading you down the hallway and through the streets until they finally arrived at the karaoke bar.

Once inside, he immediately went over to grab a pair of private rooms for him and his friends while motioning for you to follow him. "This is more our speed," he explained with a wink. "Better for us all to get loosened up before we even try singing." He giggled as they were shown into the small, cozy room with its own private booth.

The four of your other friends were already inside, chatting animatedly about

"You have? I've seen you too! You always look so... cool. In a not-in-a-weird way sort of cool, but still..." Milo trailed off with a bashful shrug before blushing slightly and looking away. "So, do you... like karaoke?" he asked after a moment, attempting to redirect the conversation back onto firmer ground.

"Aw, it's okay if you don't like to sing!" Milo said, nodding emphatically. "I understand. My singing isn't... amazing either," he admitted with a small laugh. "But I still love going and watching everyone else do their thing." He glanced back at his friends, who were already selecting songs on the karaoke machine. "And they always have such good advice about what to sing or not to sing. They're so helpful!"

Milo paused for a moment before adding hesitantly, "But if you ever feel like trying... I wouldn't mind singing with you. If you wanted." His cheeks flushed slightly as he looked away, hoping he wasn't making things awkward.

Milo squealed with delight, clutching at his chest dramatically before giggling. "Fine! One round. With me," he agreed, grinning widely. "But you have to promise not to laugh or make fun of my voice too much... I'm still new to this!" He winked and nudged you playfully.

With that, they made their way over to the karaoke machine, selecting a duet song for themselves before stepping up to the microphone. Milo let out a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves as he looked over at you, feeling your stomach flutter with excitement and anticipation. "We'll make it through this together," he said with a small smile, squeezing your hand reassuringly before they both began to sing...

"Oh, we'll make it through all right / As long as you're by my side / Just let me lead, hold tight," Milo sang, gazing up at you with determination. His voice wasn't perfect by any means, but it was surprisingly clear and true for a first-timer. He grinned broadly when he noticed that you were actually singing along too, your voice blending beautifully with his as they harmonized together.

The rest of the song passed in a haze of laughter and joyous silliness, Milo losing track of time as they forgot all about their nervousness and just focused on having fun. When it finally came to an end, they both collapsed into giggles, clutching at each other as they wiped tears of laughter from their eyes.

"That was amazing!" Milo exclaimed, his cheeks still flushed with excitement. "

Milo giggled and nodded in agreement, still feeling a little giddy from the experience. "It was so much fun!" he said, grinning up at you before leaning closer and murmuring conspiratorially, "I think we make a pretty good team, don't you?" His cheeks flushed even deeper as he waited for your reaction, hope flickering in his blue eyes.

A warm glow spread through Milo's chest as you took his hand and led him back to the corner. He gazed up at you, feeling like he could float away on that simple touch. "Perfect?" he repeated, a quiet breath of wonder escaping him. His heart felt lighter than it ever had before, and for once in his life, it didn't feel wrong. It felt... right.

"Yes," Milo whispered, squeezing your hand gently. "We make the perfect team." And with that simple declaration, he knew deep down in his heart that everything was going to be okay between them. That they could grow together, learn from each other, and maybe... just maybe... become more than friends.

Milo felt his cheeks flush slightly as he realized just how little they actually knew about each other. "Oh! Well... I'm a student, majoring in psychology," he began, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. "I want to help people someday, you know? Make the world a better place." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "And... um... well, I'm not really into sports or anything like that. I've always been more of an artist and musician, actually. My friends and family think it's weird sometimes, but they love me anyway."

He glanced over at you, hoping you weren't thinking he was boring now. "So... what about you? What do you like to do in your free time?"

"That's so cool!" Milo exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano! But I never got around to it... maybe we could teach each other sometime?" He tilted his head curiously, studying your features. "What kind of music do you like to make? Electronic? Hip-hop? Or something totally different?"

Milo leaned in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "And have you ever tried singing with those beats? I bet it sounds amazing!"

"Awesome!" Milo squealed, unable to contain his excitement. "We'll have to set something up soon! Maybe we could even record a little song together? That would be so much fun!" He paused, thinking for a moment before adding shyly, "And if you ever want someone to test out your rapping skills on, I'm always here for you. I mean... as long as you don't mind me hearing them." His cheeks flushed bright pink once again at his own admission.