⊱ 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 : 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 ⊰

After everyone gathered on stage and bowed for the crowd, you dashed backstage to express your excitement. Childe groaned while you repeatedly punched him in the chest, a wide grin on your face.

"Are you done yet?" He sighed.

You paused and hummed before giving him one final punch that hit harder than the rest.

"Okay, now I'm done."

"Ow!" He yelped, holding his hand over his chest. "Was that really necessary?"

"Very much so," you nodded.

Childe rolled his eyes, "I can't believe you'd abuse me in this way."

"Really? 'Cause I can."

Gorou stifled a laugh as he walked over after speaking with Sara. He was glad to see you happy and acting like your normal self again after the depressed mood you'd been in for the past several days, though he had no clue how long it would last.

"The play just ended and you're already hitting people?" Gorou chuckled.

"Absolutely," you beamed. "Think of it as one of my many love languages."

"So that's why you used to hit me in third grade?" He questioned.

"No, I just really didn't like you," you replied. "Not anymore, though! That counts for something."

"Oh god, you guys are in the honeymoon phase and it shows," Childe cringed.

"Wh-What? How does anything about this conversation show that?" Gorou queried, clearly embarrassed but trying to keep his composure.

"Whatever," you spoke before Childe could answer. "I'm gonna go see the rest of my friends."

"Hey, they're my friends too!" Childe pouted before following after you. Meanwhile, Gorou stayed behind.

"Gorou, are you coming?" You asked, stopping briefly to look back at him while Childe continued ahead.

"Ah- Um, no, I'll stay here for a bit..."

You furrowed your brows at his response, knowing that something was obviously wrong. However, he seemed to need time alone, so you decided to oblige and leave.

"Alright, I'll try to find you later then," you said.

When you exited the backstage area and emerged in the open auditorium, you saw a bunch of families talking to each other. Some of your castmates were already woven into the crowds to find their loved ones. While scanning the room to find your friends, you saw Scaramouche among the people, glancing around the room.

A spike of anxiety shot up your back and your eyes suddenly clashed with his. He seemed surprised to find you looking at him already, but almost immediately, he tilted his head downward. Confused, you took a step forward until your phone buzzed in the pocket of your costume.

Pulling it out and opening your messages, you fixed your eyes on his text.

Kunikuzushi
Can we talk?

You looked back up and saw that he had his head turned the other way, not wanting to stare at you. Even so, it was still visibly apparent that he was waiting anxiously for a response.

Me
Yeah.

He hastily switched his gaze to his phone and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw your message. Still, neither of you took the first step. You were nervous just seeing him, so of course you wouldn't want to walk straight up to him.

Kunikuzushi, knowing that he needed to atone, swallowed his pride and began slipping through the crowds until he reached you, away from everyone else. You'd thought of what to say while he walked over, but all words escaped you once he was standing directly in front of you.

He wasn't sure what to start with, so it ended up in an awkward silence. Thankfully, the room itself was quite rowdy, so the atmosphere wasn't completely barren.

"...Should we go somewhere quieter?" He asked, glancing around.

"Um, yeah. Sure," you agreed.

You began walking beside him toward the exit, and when you peeked at him from the corner of your eye, he looked conflicted. His brows were knitted together and a frown pulled at his lips while his eyes were directed toward the ground. It was clear that he was in deep thought, but you wouldn't dare to think of interrupting it.

Once you were just outside the auditorium and the noise from inside was muffled, you stopped to turn toward him. His body faced you, but he kept his head turned to avoid your eyes. Suddenly, he muttered something under his breath, but you couldn't quite catch it.

"What?" You asked.

He sighed and his face flared up from embarrassment, "You did... really well."

You raised your brows, surprised by his sudden awkwardness, paired with a light blush. You twiddled your thumbs and shifted your weight to your toes.

"Thanks," you responded. "Um, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

He hesitated before speaking again, "I didn't want to push you for an answer, I was just... wondering if you thought about... you know. You don't have to figure it out soon, I shouldn't have even asked-"

"It's fine," you interrupted. "I've thought about it."

He gazed at you with anticipation, waiting for your answer. It was yet another expression you never expected to see on him, but it did reassure you in your decision.

"I'll give you a second chance."

He exhaled briefly, though you could tell he was still holding his breath. His eyes twinkled with a foreign happiness he hadn't felt before, and the corner of your lip twitched upward at the sight of his reaction.

"Thank you..." He whispered before clearing his throat, cleansing his expression of all the confusion he was feeling.

"Yep," your lips formed a small smile. "Take advantage of it."

He nodded and you bid him goodbye before returning to the auditorium to meet with your friends, like you originally planned. When you found them, they were already conversating without you.

"I can't believe you'd start the party without me," you sighed dramatically, holding your hands over your heart.

"Oh, Y/n!" Ayaka clapped her hands together. "You were amazing! I truly believed every word you spoke, it was incredible!"

"Why, thank you," you bowed with a lopsided grin. "It's what I do best."

"What took you so long, anyway?" Thoma asked.

"Oh," you were reluctant to tell them, but you chose to be honest anyway. "I was talking to K- Um, Scaramouche."

Childe's face twisted into a show of disgust, "Ew, why him? He shouldn't even be here."

"Because I decided to give him a second chance," you rolled your eyes.

All of them stood in silence for a brief moment before Ayaka shattered it.

"I thought... you were dating Gorou?"

"I-" You blinked. "Not a second chance to be my boyfriend, just to redeem himself."

"Oh," she exhaled with relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I don't get it," Childe said. "Why? I get that he apologized and whatever, but seriously? He gives off the energy of a twelve year old discord mod except worse."

You reached up and flicked him on the forehead, "Has anyone ever told you that you give off the energy of those little kids who wipe their noses upward?"

He gasped, "You did not just say that."

"Oh, but I did. Admit it, you were one of them, weren't you?"

"...I'm not answering that."

"Called it."

Kazuha spoke up, "Are you sure, Y/n? Do you really believe he can change?"

"Hm," you hummed. "Well, it seems like he's already started."

While you continued talking to your friends, Gorou finally left the stage in his normal clothes and sauntered toward his family, who were all obviously waiting for him. Kokomi was also present, seemingly being dragged into unwanted conversation with them.

"Oh, Gorou! Finally!" Hina cheered, running up to him and enveloping him in a tight hug. "You did so great, I wasn't sure if you'd be able to pull it off!"

"Always so encouraging, Mom..." He chuckled nervously as he returned the embrace.

Eventually, she pulled away and stepped aside so he had a good view of his brothers, "Aaaand~ Look who's here!"

"I didn't know you guys were going to show up... Hah."

"I forced them all to come," Hina said.

"I only agreed because I thought I'd be able to make fun of you," Shirou groaned. "When did you get so good at acting!?"

"How did you think I got the lead part...?" Gorou questioned, narrowing his eyes at him.

"In all seriousness, you did awesome," Ichiro, the oldest, stated. "Who was that girl who kissed you, though? Was that even in the script? Do you need me to sort her out?"

"Oh!" His entire face flooded pink at the realization that he had to tell them all about his relationship. "Actually, that's, uhm... My girlfriend."

They all shared a glance before looking at him skeptically, and he immediately regretted saying it. Kokomi wanted to speak up and support him, but with so many people she wasn't familiar with, she couldn't choke any words out. Instead, she remained silent and stared down at her feet. Hina could sense the awkward atmosphere as well, but she wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Stop doubting your brother," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just always thought he was gonna end up dating Kokomi," Saburo, the third son, said with a shrug. He didn't seem to notice when Kokomi and Gorou went quiet, sharing an awkward bout of eye contact before both of them looked away.

"Hold on, that was... Y/n, right? How the hell did you end up dating her?" Jiro, the second son, questioned with narrowed eyes. He didn't seem to be against it; moreso genuinely curious. "Didn't Mom say you hated each other?"

"Wait, that's the Y/n she was talking about?" Ichiro asked, looking over at you to identify your features until they began to feel more familiar. "Oh, you're right. She looks different from her pictures."

"You would've been able to see her in person if you didn't leave right when you turned eighteen," Shirou remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Don't tell me you're mad because I wanted to be independent once I was an adult," Ichiro scoffed. "Sometimes, I forget that you're not the youngest because of how immature you are."

"Oh, bullshit," Shirou retorted.

"Hey, let's not fight now," Hina said sternly, smacking them both on the backs of their heads.

"Don't hit me!" Shirou objected, waving her hand away.

"Shirou's right, though," Saburo agreed. "You literally spent every day after school working just so you could get away from us. What kind of older brother does that?"

"The shitty kind," Shirou mumbled.

"Can we please all just get along for two minutes?" Hina pleaded. "Stop arguing here, you can work this out at home."

"At home...?" Gorou spoke up, puzzlement showing on his face.

"Oh, your brothers are going to be staying with us for the next week!" Hina chirped. "Hah... Surprise?"

Gorou was almost horrified by this information, and his mind immediately drifted to you. How would you react? Would you decide to stay with one of your friends instead? He thought that was the most likely scenario, and honestly, he hoped for it. He didn't wish for you to see his mess of a family.

"Oh, that's great..." He said, offering a fake smile to cover up his negative emotions. It didn't work.

"You're oozing enthusiasm," Jiro said monotonously.

His ears flattened to his head and he averted his gaze, guilty for feeling upset about having to see his family. He wanted to be excited, he really did, but it was difficult when all his family did was bicker whenever they were together. Of course, with Gorou being the only one who didn't participate, they all used to complain to him about their arguments. Where was the joy in that?

Kokomi abruptly cleared her throat and stepped over to Gorou, gently grasping his wrist. His gaze shot toward her and she nodded her head toward your group of friends. Understanding what she was suggesting, he silently agreed and they began to walk away. Thankfully, no one objected.

She removed her hand from his wrist as they approached you and once you noticed them, you frowned. You were glad to see them, but Gorou's ears and tail were drooping, signalling that he really was upset.

"Hey," you greeted with a small wave, to which Kokomi smiled and Gorou nodded. You shared a glance with the pink haired girl and there seemed to be an unspoken agreement that you needed to speak with Gorou alone.

He couldn't help but be slightly surprised when you slipped your hand into his and began dragging him to the stage, where you only chose to bring him so you could also grab your regular clothes. With the curtains still concealing the entire stage, you sat down in the middle of it and he did the same.

"What's wrong?" You asked softly, kindly caressing his hand with your thumb.

"I-" He stammered, a blush appearing on his face. "Am I that obvious?"

"You weren't even trying to hide it," you said with a quiet chuckle, though still keeping the tone of the conversation more serious. "So what's up?"

He hesitated, opening his mouth but being unable to speak at first. After thinking it over and sighing, he finally caved.

"I just talked to my family," he muttered, staring down at your intertwined hands.

You figured the relationship between them... wasn't so great.

After a brief silence, he continued, "They're staying with us for a week."

You straightened your posture while your eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah," he bit the inside of his lip. "You should probably go to stay with someone else, at least for a while. I wouldn't want you to experience... them."

You furrowed your brows and squeezed his hand, "Um, no."

His head perked up and he met your eyes, "What? Why?"

"Y'know, you're kinda dumb sometimes," you exhaled. "I don't want you to go through that alone either. If you're this upset after talking to them for, like, five minutes, there's no way I'm leaving you with them for a week."

Warmth buzzed in his heart and he looked off to the side, "That's... sweet, but why did you have to insult me first...?"

You stifled a laugh and scooted closer to him, "Because it's true. I mean, hey, if you wanna get revenge, you can still insult me for how messy my confession was."

"I wouldn't do that," his lips slowly lifted in a subtle smile. "It might've been a mess, but I thought it was... cute."

You almost choked on your own tongue as a bright pink hue adorned your face, "Cute? That?! No way."

"It was!" He chuckled, enjoying your embarrassed response. "It was very you."

"Okay, now I'm insulted. Are you calling me a loser?" You puffed out a breath in disbelief.

"No, no, no," he denied. "I'm just saying, the way you demanded me to talk was very in-character for you."

"Okay, well, you're probably the only person who would've found that disaster 'cute'," you said. "You have no idea how long Thoma laughed at me when I told him and Ayaka about it."

"Well, it's a good thing you confessed to me, then."

"Yeah... Yeah, it is."