That afternoon, Aiden met up with Mingyu, Katrina, Jasper, and Aaron – his praetorian guards, and the Vice President, Chief-of-Staff, Treasurer, and Public Relations Officer of the International Student Organization respectively to discuss their first meeting with the International Students. The main agenda for their meeting was to discuss how often the ISO should meet, as well as talk about the main topics they would be discussing during their first meeting.
Unlike the usual meetings that Aiden has with the Student Council, this is one of the rare moments he felt comfortable and at ease, given that Mingyu, Katrina, Aaron, and Jasper are people that he has known for a long time, and also are his closest friends – a fact that Aiden doesn't explicitly admit. The same goes for Katrina and Aaron, as they are able to remove the more serious personalities that they have when they are at the Student Council meetings, and just be as casual as they want to be.
The meeting went fairly well, except for a few moments where Mingyu made some remarks that earned him a slap in the back of the head from Katrina. The casualness of the meeting was completely different from the far more serious atmosphere that the Student Council have, given that the ISO officers had an established relationship and a powerful chemistry, the meeting went smoothly even with Mingyu being sidetracked from time to time.
"Alright, that's all I have for now. Katrina, reach out to Min, Feng Mian and Monica Sawyers and inform them of what were talked about today, and make sure they let the International Students know about the ISO meeting that's coming up" Aiden said as he collected his things.
"Will do Aiden. I'll let you know if I hear back from any of them" Katrina responded as Aiden got up from his chair before walking towards the exit.
"Hey Ai-" Mingyu called out before being cut-off mid-sentence.
"No!" Aiden quickly and coldly responded before walking out the door. Mingyu chuckled at Aiden's usual response as Katrina, Aaron, and Jasper gathered their stuff.
"I guess he's back to normal" Mingyu chuckled as Aaron and Katrina looked at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Katrina asked.
"Aiden seemed to be in a really bad mood last Friday. I've never seen him with such a fierce expression on his face before" Jasper responded as Katrina and Aaron looked at him.
"What do you mean? Aiden wasn't even on campus that day" Katrina replied.
"We kind of ran into him in front of the Administration Building. He didn't look like he was himself since he was making this face as if something serious happened" Jasper revealed.
"Can't say that's the first time I saw him with that kind of expression" Mingyu chimed in as everyone looked at him, expecting an explanation to what he just said.
"He's made that face once, before we even entered Mount Charlotte" Mingyu said.
"He only makes that face when something serious has happened. That's as close an expression we'll get to know that he's angry or something. It was a good thing Jasper and I stopped Angela and Moira from talking to him when we did, or I'm pretty sure they would see Aiden differently" Mingyu continued.
"I only stopped them because I knew there was something wrong when I saw Aiden's expression. I didn't expect that he was angry at that time" Jasper replied.
"It was the right call Jasper" Mingyu replied, "Though I'm not sure what happened for Aiden's mood to get so bad like that, it usually takes a whole lot of effort to get him mad – except for his triggers".
"I don't know if this is connected to anything, but Aiden seems to be preoccupied with something else during the afternoons. Do you think it could be that?" Aaron revealed.
"What do you mean by preoccupied?" Jasper asked, surprised to be hearing it for the first time.
"Are you talking about how he leaves the University by 17:00?" Katrina asked as Aaron nodded.
"I do find it unusual, he even moved the weekly Student Council meetings from 17:00 to 16:00, that in itself is highly unusual, but I never did question Aiden about it" Katrina continued.
"Whatever it may be, I think it would be best if we don't stick our nose into Aiden's personal business. He doesn't like it when his privacy is invaded like that" Mingyu chuckled as everyone agreed.
"As long as he keeps himself out of trouble, I really don't care what he does" Katrina responded.
"I guess we'll just do what we usually do, right?" Jasper added.
"It seems like it. We'll just have to add this to our list of what we want to ask Aiden someday" Aaron added.
"It's starting to become a very long list" Katrina added before everyone laughed.
"Let me write that down, then let's get something to eat!" Mingyu said as he took out an old notebook from his backpack and started writing something down before everyone left the room.
After leaving the meeting room they borrowed, Mingyu, Katrina, Aaron and Jasper left the university to find a place to eat and just hangout like they usually did back when they were in Mount Charlotte. It was an activity that the four of them shared and has become a tradition since their High School days.
Although Aiden doesn't usually join them, they always have him in mind when they hang out, and the four of them always hoped that one day Aiden would finally join them and ask him the list of questions that Mingyu has been compiling since they were in middle school - even toasting their soft drinks for that day.
Meanwhile, Aiden was making his way to Café Confiture to start his shift, feeling a bit guilty that he missed work last Friday and not being able to inform anyone at work that he wasn't going to make it or at least let them know what happened. Although Aiden was aware that either Chief or Beans would be pestering him for the reason he couldn't make it, he knows that he can't reveal the full extent of why he wasn't able to show up for work, so he settled in omitting most of the facts and only telling them that he was volunteered to go on a field trip.
As Aiden neared Café Confiture, he could faintly hear the sound of music playing towards the direction of where he was headed to. When he got closer to the glass structure of the café, he noticed that there were speakers installed on the support beams outside. As Aiden looked at the speakers, Chief came out with a pack of cigarettes in her hand.
"Aiden!" Chief called out when she noticed the young boy standing outside, "Are you okay!? We got really worried when you didn't show up last Friday!" she continued as she ran towards Aiden.
"I'm sorry Chief, I got volunteered to go on this field trip. It got so hectic that I wasn't able to let anyone know that I wasn't going to make it" Aiden explained as Chief was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry about that Aiden, as long as you're doing okay" Chief responded as she placed her hand on Aiden's shoulder, softly patting it before putting a stick of cigarette in between her lips and lighting it.
"Sorry to worry you Chief" Aiden responded before Beans and Dani came out of the Café carrying several paper bags full of dessert.
"Poker Prince! You're alive!" Beans called out when she saw Aiden, carrying a few paper bags in her arms.
"Aiden! Good to see you! We got worried when you didn't show up Friday, are you okay?" Dani followed up as she and Beans walked towards Aiden and Chief, each carrying a number of paper bags.
"I'm as alive as I'll ever be" Aiden scoffed, "Anyways, what's with those paper bags?"
"Oh, we have several takeout orders that we need to deliver. It's just around the area" Chief replied as she took out the cigarette off her mouth, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.
"Hurry up and put your uniform on Poker Prince! You're going to help us with the deliveries! You need to make up for Friday!" Beans immediately chimed in, teasingly fussing at Aiden who was rolling his eyes.
"Fine, let me get changed, and I'll help you with the deliveries" Aiden responded before he made his way inside the café, the girls started laughing at Aiden's reaction after he went inside.
"You need to stop annoying him like that Claire!" Chief said teasingly.
"He needs a push every now and then" Beans defiantly replied.
"Is this coming from the same person that was worried to death when Aiden didn't show up last Friday?" Dani responded as she and Chief started laughing, Beans' face turning red from embarrassment.
"I-I wasn't worried!" Bean's stammered as her face became tomato red.
"You always tease and make fun of him every chance you get, I didn't realize until then that you actually have a soft spot for him" Dani teased before giving another hearty laugh.
"Claire actually has had a soft spot for Aiden ever since he started working here" Chief revealed before giving out a laugh, ashes from the tip of her cigarette falling on the ground.
"Sis! You too Dani! Don't mention this to Aiden or my reputation would suffer!" Beans reacted out of embarrassment just as Aiden exited the café wearing his apron, his hair somewhat messy.
"I didn't realize you had any reputation" Aiden snarkily said as he walked towards them, causing Chief and Dani to laugh harder, "So where are we taking all of these?" he asked as he stood in front of them.
"Claire has the locations where these needs to be delivered. You guys could split it up since it's at three different places. I'll stay here and make sure our customers get served while you're all out on delivery" Chief said before taking another hit of her cigarette.
"Right!" Beans said out loud as she composed herself, "Poker Prince, you take these with you. Here's the location where you need to take it" she added before handing five paper bags to Aiden along with the address where he needed to go.
"I'll go with Dani, since the place we need to deliver these to is towards the same direction" Beans added.
"Right" Aiden blandly said as he reluctantly took the paper bags and the piece of paper from Beans.
"You guys be careful now. I'll make some Japanese Curry while you do the deliveries, you can have some after you get back" Chief said as she threw her cigarette butt on the ground before stepping on it.
As Chief walked back inside, Aiden, Beans, and Dani went on their way to make the deliveries. Before leaving the Café, Aiden placed his earphones on and selected "Mahoroba" by illion. The song was kind of catchy but had a nostalgic feeling to it, and since Aiden could understand Japanese well, he reveled at meaning of the lyrics as he walked towards his destination.
The place that Aiden was delivering to was about a 15-minute walk from Café Confiture. The area is a familiar sight for him since it was in close proximity to Mount Charlotte High School – his alma matter. As he walked past the stores and restaurants, he gently scoffed, remembering his days at Mount Charlotte, especially with Mingyu, Katrina, Aaron, and Jasper.
Those were the days when they were still carefree and laidback, a completely different atmosphere than what it is now. Back then, Aiden was free to read his books and enjoy a lot of quiet and alone time, but most importantly he wasn't attracting too much attention to himself. Whereas now he has barely any free time to relax and enjoy his hobbies since he has a lot of things on his plate, in addition to that, he has to carefully plan how he moves around the university to avoid running into the AGs and his admirers. It was the most fun that Aiden had, more than he was willing to admit, a fact that his praetorian guards know.
All the reminiscing that Aiden was doing made the time go by a lot faster, and when he realized it, he was already at the address that Beans gave him. He removed his earphones, and double checked the address before entering the establishment in front of him. The place he was delivering to was a stylish and modern looking salon that has a number of customers inside. When Aiden entered, the smell of hairspray and freshly cut hair greeted him. He walked towards the receptionist and informed her that he was there to make a delivery from Café Confiture. The receptionist took the paper bags that Aiden was carrying before signing off on the receipt that Aiden had with him.
As Aiden was conducting his business with the receptionist, the patrons at the waiting area could not help but stare at Aiden, who they thought was the cutest and the most handsome boy that they have seen. Some of the staff who weren't doing anything were all looking at him from a distance, even some of the students from Mount Charlotte who were passing by were looking through the window to get a glimpse of him. As Aiden was about to leave the establishment, the owner of the salon, who was called by the receptionist came to the lobby to collect the delivery.
When she noticed Aiden about to leave, she called him back and gave him a ₱1000 tip, before playfully pinching his cheeks. Although Aiden was vexed at the fact that a random stranger just touched his face and blatantly invaded his personal space, he kept his inner thoughts to himself before he slightly bowed his head and thanked the salon owner for the tip before politely excusing himself as everyone in the lobby kept their eyes glued on him, squealing, and talking amongst themselves as Aiden left.
When Aiden stepped outside of the salon, he was greeted by a throng of Mount Charlotte students with phones in their hands, trying to get pictures and videos of him. Although not a large group of students like the ones he had to deal with at Mount Juliet, there was enough of them to threaten his personal space, and he risked getting swarmed if the crowd gets out of control.
Before any of the students could get rowdy, Aiden slowly turned his head towards the students, giving them a cold and piercing death stare which immediately sent shivers down their spines - prompting them to quickly scatter and go their own ways. Since the Mount Charlotte students did not know him nor are they his constituents, Aiden did not relent to give them a taste of his cold and scary side, albeit just enough to have them leave him alone. While stare was enough to send the High School students running, it was less effective with the Student Council, except for the new officers, even far less effective with his praetorian guards, and Min who had the experience of experiencing it during orientation.
After the students scattered and Aiden was left by himself, he gave out a long sigh before putting his earphones back on, listening to "Drunk-Dazed" by ENHYPHEN before walking back to Café Confiture. Just the thought of eating Chief's curry and drinking a cup of warm cappuccino with it was enough to improve Aiden's soured mood, which began when he was ambushed by his officers, made worse by the events of the day, and exacerbated by the salon owner and the Mount Charlotte students.
As Aiden was walking back to Café Confiture, he passed by an alley, but immediately stopped after catching a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye, he quickly paused the music he was listening to and removed his earphones before he backtracked and looked in the alley.
After taking a good look, he saw a group of six people, three of them holding onto someone as they watch another person beating someone on the ground. Although the person on the ground was trying to fight back, he looked like he was no match against his opponent, as the person being held onto by the other three people struggled to get free. After witnessing what was happening, Aiden slowly backed out of the alley, not wanting to get caught in something troublesome before resuming walking to his destination.
"Please! Stop it! We didn't do anything to you! Just leave us alone!" the person who was being held down pleaded as he struggled to get free.
"You might as well watch your pathetic boyfriend get a good beating, might knock some sense into him" one of the people said, mocking the person they were holding down.
"JJ! Just run! Forget about me!" the person being held down cried as he pleaded JJ to get away.
"I won't leave you AJ…" JJ said in a weak voice before receiving another kick in his stomach.
"PLEASE! JUST STOP IT!" AJ cried as JJ was continually beaten in front of him, tears rolling down his eyes.
"Fucking Fags! Both of you are a humiliation and a disgrace at Mount Charlotte!" the person beating JJ said as he grabbed him by the collar.
"Your relationship is an open stain to our school! The only way to fix this is to beat some sense into you!" the person continued before punching JJ in the face, knocking him down on the ground again.
"JUST STOP IT! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE! HELP US!" JJ called out before one of the people holding him down kicked him in the back, causing him to fall on the ground.
"We'll teach you both a lesson! Come on guys, rough him up good!" the person beating JJ ordered, grabbing the boy in front of him by the collar, preparing to land another punch. But before he could strike him in the face someone grabbed his arm from the side.
"What the!?" the person holding JJ said.
"Has Mount Charlotte's students really gotten this low? Beating and ganging up on defenseless kids? This is so unsightly, to say the least" Aiden said in a somewhat uninterested tone.
"Mind your own business you twerp!" the person holding JJ said as he slapped away Aiden's hand.
"Please! Kuya! Help us!" AJ pleaded before one of the students kicked him on the back, causing him to fall on the ground. Aiden softly clicked his tongue in disgust after seeing what one of the students did.
(T/N: "Kuya" is an honorific used for someone's older brother in the Philippines. It is also used as an honorific for someone who is older than you by a few years, even if you are not related, as a sign of respect - this is usually used for males. The female equivalent is "Ate")
"Mind your own business! Before I give you a beating as well" the person holding JJ threatened.
"I can't believe Mount Charlotte has started accepting imbeciles who only picks fights that they know they can easily win" Aiden scoffed as he continued to provoke the bullies, "Reeks of entitlement and privilege".
"What was that!?" the person holding JJ reacted.
"And apparently deaf as well" Aiden wittingly replied, "No brains and all brawns" he added as he kept on provoking the group's leader.
"The hell is your problem!?" the leader of the bullies asked as he threw JJ on the ground.
"Is there a point in repeating myself? You seem to be having trouble hearing me the first time around" Aiden responded as he placed both his hands in his pocket.
"You're a real smart ass aren't you?" the leader responded as he walked towards Aiden.
"It takes one to know one" Aiden scoffed, infuriating the bullies' leader.
"Do you know who I am!?" the leader of the bullies asked with a smug look on his face.
"Do I want to know?" Aiden replied, his expression remaining uninterested.
"My father is the CEO of the Abaya Group of Corporations! I can make your life miserable!" the bullies' leader bragged.
Aiden gave out a deep sigh, "Really? You're bragging about a mid-level corporation that's infamous for terrorizing it's clients that doesn't conform to your line of thinking?".
"Talk to me again when your father becomes someone important enough to get my attention" Aiden continued as the bullies' leader started fuming, "In any case, I'm done talking with you. Release those two before someone else gets hurt" he further demanded.
"Don't listen to him Ryan! Just kick his ass and teach him a lesson!" one of the bullies said.
"The only one getting hurt here other than these fags, is you!" Ryan declared as he charged towards Aiden, about to land a punch on his face. Aiden gave a sigh before he quickly pivoted to avoid the punch, his hands still in his pockets as Ryan fell to the ground.
The latter quickly got up and once again lunged towards Aiden, who kept on evading each and every attack with little to no effort, slowly making Ryan tired as he kept charging without thinking. Aiden could only sigh as he kept evading the same predictable attacks launched against him.
"Let's not waste any of our time here, just leave these two alone so we can end this dull soiree" Aiden said as Ryan started catching his breathe.
Of course, his attacker wasn't easily dissuaded by words, so Aiden decided to quickly end this nonsense quickly so he could return to work. When Ryan charged towards him for another attack, Aiden didn't move out of the way, instead he quickly grabbed him by the arm and performed a one arm shoulder throw, sending the bully flying to the ground, hitting his back hard on the rough pavement. Just as Aiden threw him, his phone accidentally pressed on his body and the song "Shake it up" by Kis-my-Ft2 started playing.
Everyone who saw what just happened were both shocked and surprised, not expecting that someone as slim as Aiden could throw Ryan, who was taller and a bit more muscley than him. Both JJ and AJ were surprised and in awe that a random stranger would be helping them and send the number one bully at Mount Charlotte to the ground without much effort.
Ryan's posse goaded him to get up, which he slowly did before charging towards Aiden again. This time he spun around Ryan as he was about to get punched, and quickly did a foot sweep from behind his attacker, causing him to fall on his back again. As Ryan laid on the ground, Aiden landed the heel of his shoe on his stomach, temporarily incapacitating him with excruciating pain.
When Ryan's friends saw what happened, one of them ran towards Aiden, but was quickly stopped when he did another quick foot sweep, causing his second attacker to trip and fall on the ground, hitting his nose on the pavement. After taking care of the second attacker, one of the two remaining students ran towards Aiden, which he quickly took care off with a quick and powerful roundhouse kick, sending the other student flying backwards.
As he flew backwards, one of his shoes came loose from his foot, which Aiden caught mid-air and he quickly threw it towards the last student who was holding AJ down, hitting him on the nose, causing him to fall backwards. The bullies were in so much pain they remained on the ground moaning as Aiden tidied himself just as the music on his phone ended – pausing it before another song could play.
"I swear to God, these kids are all bark and no bite" Aiden commented as he fixed his apron. As their bullies laid on the ground in pain, AJ quickly ran to JJ's side.
"JJ!" AJ cried as ran next to JJ who was still on the ground, badly beaten, "Are you okay!?" he said as tears started rolling down his cheeks.
"Don't worry about me" JJ coughed as he ruffled AJ's hair, "Are you alright? Sorry, I couldn't protect you".
"It's okay! It's okay!" AJ responded as he tightly held JJ in his arms, "I'm so sorry JJ, this is all my fault" he continued as he kept apologizing.
"I'm fine AJ, it just a few bruises, nothing that would kill me" JJ reassured the other boy in a weak voice.
Aiden watched JJ and AJ for a few seconds before looking at the bullies he just took down. All of them still moaning in pain, "It's kind of ironic that I preached about picking a fight that someone can easily win, but I ended up doing the same thing" he whispered before giving out a sigh, "I just made myself a complete hypocrite" he added before checking the time on his phone.
"Damn it, I'm late. I knew I shouldn't have helped these kids" Aiden thought to himself before he started walking back towards the main street.
"Wait Kuya! Please wait!" AJ called out as Aiden was walking off, "Please, can you help us?" AJ begged prompting Aiden to stop walking, his back still facing AJ.
"Please help me get JJ somewhere where he could rest for a bit" AJ pleaded.
"Stop it AJ, I can walk by myself you know" JJ insisted as he tried to stand up, before falling on the ground, weakened by the excessive beating he received from Ryan.
"You're in no condition to walk by yourself, and I can't leave you here with these guys!" AJ reasoned as he held tightly onto JJ.
"I'm seriously fine AJ, I just need to rest for a bit, then I'll be able to walk" JJ further insisted, although his condition says otherwise.
"Don't be an idiot! If Ryan and his friends recover, they'll just beat you again!" AJ cried, prompting Aiden to turn around and face the kids he just saved.
Aiden walked closer to JJ and AJ, taking a closer look at the former who was in a bad shape, although not enough to send him to a hospital. Aiden knows that what AJ just said made sense. Given the humiliation the bullies just suffered, they'll undoubtedly take it out on the two of them – with much more ferocity.
Not able to leave them after realizing what could happen, he quickly told AJ to collect their things as he carried JJ on his back – internally reluctant since JJ was somewhat dirty – quickly leaving the area before their bullies could fully recover from the incapacitating blow he dealt them. As the trio left the alley, a silhouette appeared from a distance, holding a camera, as the unknown person watched Aiden, AJ, and JJ leave the area, before looking at the photos he took of the scuffle that happened.
Back at Café Confiture, Chief, Beans, and Dani were starting to get worried, since Aiden hasn't returned from the delivery he made. The three of them were starting to feel anxious since it's almost been two hours since he left, and they haven't heard from him yet, and they haven't been able to reach him.
"I wonder what happened to Aiden. It's not like him to be this late" Dani commented as she waited for Aiden at the Barista bar with Chief and Beans.
"Maybe you should try calling him again, Sis?" Beans suggested as Chief took her phone out, calling Aiden's phone again - to no avail.
"If he doesn't show up in ten minutes, I'll drive around the area and try to find him" Chief suggested as Beans and Dani agreed with her suggestion.
"You think something happened to him?" Dani asked with a worried look on her face.
"Come on, this is the Poker Prince we're talking about, I'm sure he's fine" Beans tried to comfort Dani, although she herself wasn't too confident about what she just said.
"Anyways, let's all get back to work. I'm sure Aiden would show up soon, and if not, I'll go ahead and look for him with the car" Chief said to comfort Beans and Dani.
Just then, Aiden entered the Café with AJ and JJ, the latter still on his back, "Chief! I need ice and some bandages, quickly!" he called out as Chief and Dani ran towards Aiden.
"Oh my God! What happened!?" Chief reacted as she saw JJ on Aiden's back.
"I'll tell you in a little bit, but first, this kid needs some first aid!" Aiden quickly responded as he carried JJ towards an empty booth, AJ following suit.
"Claire! Get some ice and the first aid kit!" Chief ordered before following Aiden to the booth, while Dani ran to the customers to calm them down after Aiden showed up with an injured student on his back.
After reaching the booth, Aiden slowly lowered JJ on the upholstered seat, bruises, and cuts all over his face as AJ placed their things on the seat across from where JJ is seating. AJ could only watch as Aiden and Chief closely examined JJ to see how badly he was injured.
After a few minutes, Beans came running towards them with some towels, ice bucket, and the first aid kit. Aiden quickly removed JJ's dirtied and torn up Mount Charlotte polo before he started cleaning his arms and face, while Chief started cleaning and putting betadine on the cuts and scratches on JJ's face and arms.
As Aiden and Chief tended to JJ, Beans and Dani took AJ to the rest room to get cleaned up and calm down. After being left alone in the restroom, AJ started breaking down crying, blaming himself for what just happened to him and JJ. It took him another 20 minutes before he was able to calm down and get himself cleaned up, when he emerged from the rest room, he saw Dani and Beans were waiting for him outside.
"Sorry, I took a while" AJ apologized as he walked out of the restroom.
"Don't worry about it, it's okay" Beans said.
"Are you doing okay though? Dani asked as she looked at AJ with a worried expression.
"I'm okay. Thank you so much for helping us. I really appreciate it" AJ responded with a smile on his face.
"Don't thank us, thank the Poker Prince for helping the two of you" Beans replied as she scratched the back of her head.
"Poker Prince?" AJ asked with a confused expression.
"She means Aiden, the guy who brought you here" Dani smiled.
"Is that what his name is? Aiden?" AJ asked as Dani nodded her head.
"Anyways, they already finished patching up your friend, he's resting at the booth right now" Beans interjected as they walked towards where JJ is.
"He's actually my boyfriend" JJ revealed as Dani and Beans stopped walking, surprising the two of them.
"I know it's disgusting, don't worry we'll leave as soon as JJ is able to walk" JJ continued, thinking that Beans and Dani thought that him having a relationship with another guy was disgusting and embarrassing just like most of the people they know think about the two of them.
"Awwwww!" Dani quickly reacted before giving AJ a hug, surprising the young boy with her reaction.
"Come on man, we're not judgmental like that, it's actually cute that you have that kind of relationship" Beans added as he quickly ruffled AJ's hair.
AJ was surprised by Beans and Dani's reaction, causing him to start crying. Dani and Beans immediately comforted him, knowing that he and his boyfriend was probably abused and bullied because of their relationship, which was a highly controversial and a taboo topic in the mostly conservative and backwards thinking country like the Philippines.
After AJ was calmed down by Beans and Dani, they all walked to where JJ is, who was now clean and bandaged up, putting an icepack on his bruised face as Aiden and Chief stood close by. When AJ saw JJ, he quickly gave him a hug and expressed his gratitude to everyone for helping them.
"So, do you want to tell us what happened?" Chief asked as he looked at Aiden.
"I happen to walk past this alleyway where these two were being ganged up on. It seems like Mount Charlotte has a major bullying problem" Aiden explained.
"So you decided to help them?" Chief asked.
"You could say that. I initially walked way, since I didn't want to get involved in something I'm not a party to, plus it was a pain in the ass to have to stick my nose in something so messy. But as I was walking away, I realized that I cannot, in good conscience ignore their plight" Aiden responded.
"As expected of our Student Council President!" Dani suddenly chimed in.
"Wait, you're a Student Council President?" AJ asked.
"Yes! This is Aiden Kobayashi, Student Council President of Mount Juliet University!" Dani revealed to the shock and surprise of both AJ and JJ.
"I'm just glad that Aiden happened to be there when he did" Chief commented as Aiden gave a sigh.
"It was a pain the ass if you ask me" Aiden scoffed, his face looking uninterested.
"AIDEN!!!" Chief reacted, before she faced AJ and JJ to apologize for Aiden's response.
"This is why we call him Poker Prince, since he always has this poker face on, and can be really cold and insensitive to people" Beans chimed in as Dani started to chuckle.
"It's okay, I kind of noticed that when he fought off the bullies that was ganging up on us" JJ revealed.
"Yeah! He was so cool too when he fought off the four of them!" AJ quickly added.
"Aiden fought off four guys!?" Beans reacted as he looked at Aiden, "This poker prince did!?" she added in disbelief as she pointed at Aiden.
"Yeah, he did!" AJ nodded his head, "He looked super cool while he was fighting them off! He kept the same face the entire time, like one of those guys you see in a Japanese Dramas or Anime!" he continued as Aiden gave out a sigh.
Although Aiden looked like he was the type that doesn't get into fights, he's actually more than capable of defending himself in the event that he was attacked – given that he holds a 3rd Dan in Karate. It was a well-guarded secret that he has kept his entire life, and only a few people knows that he is capable of defending himself with his bare hands if he needed to - the Gutierrez Family the only ones that knows the exact level of his skill and capabilities.
Aiden's interest in Karate started at the age of five after seeing a Karate tournament when they visited his grandparents in Japan. It was after this visit that Aiden began taking Karate lessons, his mother Yuriko also strongly encouraged and supported him in his decision. Though Aiden initially started doing Karate as a hobby, it quickly evolved to a necessity after the death of his mother and younger brother, as a means to defend himself in the event that he gets attacked.
He continued taking up Karate during his stay at the Gutierrez Manson up until he graduated from Mount Charlotte, since then, he has been practicing on his free time, usually in his condominium. One of the reasons for his well-toned body and ability to run long distances without getting tired easily.
Since Aiden wasn't the type to get into fights or any kind of trouble, he was able to hide his ability, and even if he was somehow exposed, he was capable of explain himself out of the situation. Keeping his abilities a secret also works to his advantage as it would give him the element of surprise in the event that he was attacked or ambushed by anyone who means to harm him.
The chances of Aiden having to defend himself was greatly reduced after entering Mount Juliet University and being elected as the Student Council President since the ROTC is there to act as both his sword and shield if anyone tries to harm him. Additionally, he also has his praetorian guards to defend him outside the university if need be, though the last time they had to physically protect Aiden was during their last year at Mount Charlotte. Since then, their mission had been downgraded to preventing Aiden's fans from trying to jump or ambush him for pictures.
It was the first time that Aiden actually used his skills when he defended JJ and AJ from the bullies that were attacking them – the affair in which he punched the student who was beating their teacher was a completely different story, as he reacted with his feelings rather than using his skills. The moves he used to defend JJ and AJ were just basics compared to what he can actually do since he holds a high rank in the Karate ranking system. Aiden even held himself back, being careful not to completely injure the bullies, since they were only High School students, and it would be bad if he inadvertently sends one or all of them to the hospital - a nightmare scenario for him and Mount Juliet, given his position.
"It wasn't a big deal, I just emulated what I saw on the action movies I watched" Aiden quickly dismissed AJ's compliments.
"Anyways, do you mind telling me why you two were being beaten up? Aiden asked, pivoting the focus of the conversation from him to both JJ and AJ.
"It's because the two of us are dating" JJ revealed, causing Chief to place both her hands on her chest, Aiden on the other hand was internally rattled, immediately thinking of Min after hearing what JJ said.
"Everyone at school kind of hated us after we made our relationship public, although most of our friends and teachers were supportive, there were a lot of students that thought it was wrong and disgusting" AJ explained in a somber tone.
"The guys that were beating us earlier wanted us to break up because apparently we were a humiliation and a stain to our school's reputation, and that our relationship wasn't normal" AJ added as Aiden, Chief, Beans, and Dani listened to their story.
Chief quickly walked up to AJ and gave him a hug, assuring him that they didn't share the same opinion and view that some of the students in their school held, most especially the people that beat them up, "Whatever the relationship between the two of you, we respect that, and you two are always welcome here if you feel ostracized at your school" Chief said, reassuring JJ and AJ that Café Confiture is a safe haven for the two of them.
"Thank you Ate, and everyone else! Especially to Kuya Aiden for helping us when we needed it" AJ said as JJ nodded his head in thanks and appreciation.
"The two of you can stay here as long as you want" Chief smiled as AJ and JJ nodded their heads.
"So? Do you plan on informing your homeroom adviser about this?" Aiden asked before AJ and JJ became silent as they slowly lowered their heads down.
"Probably not" JJ replied, surprising Chief, Beans, and Dani, "You heard what Ryan said earlier, his father is a CEO of a corporation, it's going to be our words against his, it's not like we'll win even if we report it" he continued his voice sounded defeated.
"That's so sad, maybe Aiden could help?" Dani commented as Aiden looked at her.
"You know Dani, there's a limit to what I can do as Student Council President, and even if I could, I won't be able to help them given that they're students of Mount Charlotte, not Mount Juliet" Aiden replied.
"But isn't Mount Charlotte owned and operated by Mount Juliet?" Beans chimed in.
"While that's true, it doesn't necessarily mean that Mount Juliet can stick it's nose into something like this, you need to remember that Mount Charlotte is an independent and autonomous institution, free of influence from Mount Juliet's Board of Directors. Unless the situation is extremely dire and pressing that Mount Juliet has to directly intervene. An incident like this doesn't warrant such drastic intervention" Aiden explained to the disappointment of Beans and Dani.
"Aren't you influential enough at Mount Juliet to ask the administration?" Chief asked.
"I may have influence, but it's not enough to move both the Executive Council and the Board of Directors to take action. This matter would have to be brought directly to Mount Charlotte's administration and let them handle the situation accordingly" Aiden responded.
"Believe me, I'll do anything in my power to help since I personally don't condone this, but my hands are tied on this one" Aiden continued.
"Is there anything that we could do?" Chief asked AJ and JJ.
"It's okay Ate, we'll try to be patient about it, we only have one more year before we graduate any way, so it'll be okay for now" AJ said, disappointing Chief, Beans, and Dani who felt helpless.
"By the way, my name is Alexis James Jimenez, AJ for short" AJ said as he formally introduced himself to everyone, "This is Jared Jerome Javier, JJ for short" he continued as he introduced JJ as well.
"Nice to meet you guys! My name is Jessica Francisco, the owner of this Café, you can call me Chief if you want to, that's what everyone calls me" Chief introduced herself, "That one is Claire Francisco, my sister, and our barista. That's Dani Enriquez, and of course Aiden Kobayashi" she continued as he pointed at everyone as she introduced them.
"So, how long have you guys been dating?" Beans suddenly asked, surprising Chief, Aiden, and Dani.
"Claire! Don't ask personal questions like that!" Chief reprimanded Beans.
"It's okay Ate. We've been dating since middle school, it's just now that we decided to be open about our relationship, though it didn't pan out as we hoped" AJ revealed giving a forced chuckle.
"Where do you plan on going to college?" Dani followed up with another question.
"AJ and I decided we'll go to Mount Juliet next year" JJ revealed to the excitement of Dani.
"To be honest, it was only AJ that wanted to go to Mount Juliet, but after being saved by the Student Council President of Mount Juliet, I have no problems going there now as well" JJ added.
"In any case, we need to get back to work, you guys just relax here. Call us if you need anything" Chief said before telling her staff to get back to what they need to do. Before Aiden could walk off and resume his duties, AJ and JJ thanked him properly for saving them, to which Aiden only responded with a scoff.
As Aiden started his duties, Chief instructed him to take a small break, informing him that she prepared a portion of her curry in the crew room for him to eat. Beans also handed Aiden a cup of warm cappuccino before making his way to the crew room to eat. Aiden reluctantly accepted Chief's offer, since he felt that he didn't deserve it given that he came back late from his delivery, and he was not able to work last Friday. Aiden was still relieved that he was able to take a quick break since it had been a long and rough day, but he didn't abuse Chief's generosity though, quickly finishing up the curry and cappuccino, and immediately returning to work.
Although it wasn't busy that night, Aiden was pushing himself to make up for the blunders that he caused and was determined to make things right. In that sense, he practically worked twice as hard as he usually would, almost to the point as leaving Dani with almost nothing to do, since he was taking orders, delivering those orders to the customers, as well as cleaning up the tables that have been used.
Later on that night, after everything had slowed down and there were barely any customers left, Aiden went to the booth where AJ and JJ were, carrying a tray with two plates of curry and two Frappuccino. He placed the tray in front of the students he saved earlier, surprising the both of them.
"What is this Kuya Aiden?" AJ asked, looking at the food and drinks that he brought them.
"You guys haven't eaten anything right? Go ahead and eat something" Aiden said, his face expressionless like usual as AJ and JJ looked at him.
"Why are you being so nice and helping us? You know a lot of our peers and even people in our society despises us and basically treats us as outcasts right? So why are you treating us differently?" JJ asked.
"I don't need a reason to help other people, if that were the case, helping others would be a business transaction, not a gesture of humanitarian kindness" Aiden responded.
"Even though we're dating each other, and we're gay? We know our society is just tolerant with our kind, but not accepting. Are you the latter or the former?" AJ followed up, both him and JJ somehow suspicious.
"Straight? Gay? Bisexual? Why does it matter what you two are? If you two love each other, then keep loving each other, don't let other people's opinions hinder your happiness" Aiden told AJ and JJ, his voice cold like normal, yet there was this nagging feeling that JJ couldn't shake that Aiden genuinely cared, even though his face never seemed to change expressions.
"I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear this from, given that I just met the two of you, and because I'm single and never dated anyone. But I personally think categorizing and labeling people straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, pansexual or whatever it may be is degrading and discriminatory at the very least. People don't deserve to be labelled and categorized because of the kind of people they choose to love" Aiden continued as JJ and AJ sat quietly, their hands intertwined as they listened to what Aiden had to say.
"Like you said, our society tolerates the members of the LGBTQ+ community and accepting the kind of love and interests they have is frowned upon and is considered a taboo topic. But why does their opinion matter in your personal lives and happiness? Just ignore them and focus on the love that you have, don't let others dictate what you can and can't do. I know it's easier said than done, but fighting against the ignorant and unfair societal thinking that we have makes your love all the more worth fighting for, right? So keep your heads up and be proud of what you are, regardless of what others think. Like Chief said, this place can be your safe haven, and we'll welcome you anytime. We won't discriminate or hold anything against you based on who you choose to love" Aiden added, putting a smile on AJ and JJ's faces.
"At least that's how I personally see it anyways" Aiden continued, "Whatever the case may be, fight for what makes you happy, be proud of who you chose to love. You two deserve it" he concluded.
"Thank you Kuya Aiden! We really owe you for everything you did for us today" AJ smiled.
"Don't thank me, I'm just doing what I think is right. It's not like I wanted to help the two of you or anything" Aiden added as JJ gave him a weird look.
"You say that you didn't want to help, but your actions earlier contradict what you just said" JJ responded as Aiden lightly scoffed at his reply.
"Touché" Aiden said as he lifted a brow before walking away, leaving the two lovers by themselves.
As Aiden walked away from their table, JJ called out, "How much for the food and drinks?".
"They're on me, just enjoy the food and drinks, you two had a rough afternoon. You both deserved it" Aiden responded as he kept on walking towards the counter – using the tip he got earlier to pay their food.