⊱ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ⊰

"...How long are you going to stare at him?"

"Huh!?" You exclaimed, your head perking up as you switched your gaze from Gorou to Childe. "I wasn't staring, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've literally been glancing over at him every five seconds for the past ten minutes," he said, unamused by your obvious lie.

"Yeah..." Ayaka agreed.

"Wait, it's been ten minutes?!" You almost shrieked, but you instead lowered your voice to a whisper.

"Yep, you should start eating your lunch," Thoma chuckled.

"You guys should've told me," you grumbled as you started eating. "Jerks..."

Kazuha was perplexed how you could go from hating someone to tolerating them, and then to liking them romantically. Of course, you hadn't told him about your feelings, but it was quite obvious, even from a distance. Also obvious was Childe's distaste for your behavior. You noticed it as well, and you tried not to get on his nerves too much, but it was hard. Gorou was just so nice to look at...

"So something happened while I was gone," Childe stated, looking to the rest of your group. "Why are they into each other now?"

"A lot happened, actually," Ayaka sighed. "They-"

"Ayaka! There you are, I've been looking for you guys!"

"...Itto?" She said, slowly turning her head to look at him as he stood behind where she sat on the bench. "You've been gone for a while..."

Her mood was clearly ruined due to his presence, but he didn't seem to take note of it as he grinned, putting his hands on his hips. You saw Ayaka's eye twitch the slightest bit as she remained calm on the outside. She rarely ever got irritated with other people, but Itto was an exception. You laughed awkwardly, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah, you were on suspension, right?"

"Yep! Those stupid teachers extended it," he huffed.

"Why's that?" Thoma asked.

"...Well, that's not really relevant," he replied. "Anyway, how are you guys doing!?"

"We're actually eating right now, because it's lunchtime. You should go eat as well," Ayaka cleared her throat, her voice sounding extremely passive aggressive.

"Riiiight," he clicked his tongue. "Gotcha. I'll go do that, see ya later!"

He ran off and Ayaka dropped her head onto the table in front of her, "That was awful..."

"Are you okay?" Thoma queried, placing his hand on top of hers as it rested on the table.

"I'll be alright," she smiled, lifting her head to look at him. "Thank you, Thoma."

"I hated that," you mumbled before shoving food in your mouth.

Once Itto collected a school lunch, he went over and plopped down beside Gorou, in front of Kokomi. They were all startled by his presence, his body rattling the table as he sat. 

"I didn't know you'd be back today," Gorou admitted.

"Well, they can't keep me out of school forever, y'know," Itto beamed. "Would be kinda cool if they did, though."

"I doubt you'll pay attention anyway..." Kokomi sighed.

"Yeah, this might be the year that you have to be held back," Teppei added.

"Oh, I'll be fine!" He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what's been going on while I was away?"

━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━

"Where in god's name have you been?" Yae sighed with frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you even realize how many rehearsals you missed? I might have to replace you unless you learn the scenes we did while you were on vacation!"

"I'm sorry, Yae-"

"It's Miss Yae to you."

"I'm sorry, Miss Yae..."

"I can help him!" Yoimiya offered.

"Thank you," Yae smiled. "That would be wonderful."

"No problem!" She grinned.

You chuckled quietly as you carefully placed your script in your school folder before dropping it in your bag. It was a little funny, seeing Childe panic and look to you for help as he suffered under Yae's gaze. Gorou smiled and shook his head, slinging his bag over his shoulder and heading over to you.

"Hey!" He greeted.

Hearing his voice, you whipped around, almost throwing the contents of your bag on the floor, "Oh- Hey!"

"...You should probably zip that up-" He pointed out.

"Yeah, aha..." You laughed nervously, pulling the zipper closed. "Anyway, did you need anything?"

"Oh- Well, I was just wondering... If you wanted me to give you a ride home," he offered. "I drove myself today."

"...You drive an awful lot for someone who doesn't have an official license," you said. "I never would've expected you to disobey the law so much."

"It's not like I'm going on highways or anything," he huffed. "So is that a yes or no?"

You glanced over to Childe and saw that he was still being scolded. You did really want to go with Gorou, and you'd obviously explain before you left, so you figured it'd be fine.

"Sure," you agreed with a smile. "Let me tell Childe first, though."

His tail started wagging and he nodded eagerly, his ears perking up at your answer. Your smile widened at the sight and you skipped over to Childe. He looked over at you quizzically, wondering why you were glowing so much. But then he saw Gorou where you were standing before and understood.

"Sorry to interrupt you guys," you said, avoiding Yae's eyes and focusing on Childe. "I just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be riding home with Gorou today."

"Sure," Childe replied with a slight tilt of his head. "Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem."

You turned around to face Gorou and motioned toward the auditorium doors with your head, letting him know it was okay to go. You felt terrible, knowing what Childe wanted with you and not being able to give it to him. But you were done letting other people rip your happiness away from you; you wanted to be with Gorou, so even if he didn't feel the same way, you hoped to give yourself enough courage to try.

You spoke with him about the play as you walked to the car. When you got inside, you both buckled up and you grabbed onto the handle above the passenger window. You weren't particularly worried, seeing as there was barely snow on the ground, but it was an instinct to keep hold of it. 

"You okay?" Gorou asked as he turned the key in the ignition.

"I'm great," you beamed, almost jumping in your seat. You were glad to be beside him, and it was nice how he'd ask if you were alright. It made you feel better.

He started the car and you both left the school, out onto the road. Music from the radio played faintly in the background. You didn't recognize the song, but it was a nice atmosphere. You looked out the window, leaning your forehead against the glass. After a few minutes, another tune started playing, and it just happened to be your favorite love song.

"Oh my god, yes!" You grinned and turned up the volume. "You're going to hell if you don't like this song."

"I don't think I've ever heard it before," he admitted. "It sounds nice so far, though."

"Good! People who don't like it have a life expectancy of 21 years."

"That's a weirdly specific number," he chuckled.

"Well I don't know how long it would take to track down so many people. Twenty-one it is!" You chirped. "I used to listen to music a lot when I went to sleep, and this was one of my favorite songs to play. Not like it really helped, though, since I ended up listening to it for two hours and not getting sleep at all."

"I'm guessing that's why you stopped?" he smiled, glancing at you from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah," you confirmed, letting go of the handle. "I dunno, something about it is really comforting."

"Is that how music in general is for you?" He queried.

"Pretty much," you answered, lip-syncing the lyrics to the song while you weren't talking. "I probably would've died without it, if I'm being honest. Do you have something like that?"

"Something that I couldn't live without?"

"Yeah."

"Um... Maybe rock climbing?"

You blinked, "That- is not a usual answer. I didn't know you like rock climbing-"

He shrugged, slightly embarrassed as he elaborated, "Well, it never came up, so..."

"You liar," you rolled your eyes playfully. "You could've mentioned that when we were getting to know each other!"

"Oh, I forgot about that-"

You quirked an eyebrow, "Wow... I see how it is. Trying to suppress your memories of me."

"Pfft, no," he laughed at your dramatic response. "I think I've been subconsciously putting it to the back of my mind because you asked me if I like bones. And by the way, no, I do not."

"Lame," you snickered. "We could've played fetch."

"Ha-ha, you're a comedic genius."

You let out a genuine laugh until you realized the song was coming to an end. You lip-synced the last few words and turned the radio down as the next one started. You pouted, disappointed. Meanwhile, his ear twitched at the sound of your laughter. He enjoyed the sound.

"Aw, it's over..."

"You can listen to it again when you get home," Gorou said. "Speaking of which, we're almost there."

"Lameee," you groaned, sinking down in your seat.

"By the way, uhm... I have a question for you."

"Hm? What is it?"

You turned your head and saw his face fading to a bright pink, though you could only view his side profile. His ears spasmed and you furrowed your eyebrows, wondering what he was going to say. When he finally spoke, though, you weren't sure how to respond.

"When you listen to that song from earlier, is there... anyone you think about specifically?"

You froze up for a second before hastily pushing yourself to sit up straight. You gazed out the window and twiddled your thumbs.

"U-Um, no...!" You replied nervously. "No, not really. Pfft, I mean, imagine being in love, right? Haha... Anyway, what about you? Is there a love song that makes you think of someone in particular?"

His truthful answer would be that all of them remind him of you, and now he had a new one to add to his playlist. He was horrible at lying 90% of the time, though, so he decided to give a quick answer and change the topic again.

"Nope! And I thought you were supposed to be a good actor?"

"W-Well, that's an embarrassing question, it caught me off guard," you stammered. "I would've thought you liked Kokomi, though..."

"Why do people keep saying that?" He sighed. "She's my friend. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean I have to have a crush on her."

"It's not just because of that!" you said quickly in defense. "It's just, with the way you guys have interacted in the past, it came across that way... Forget I said anything, it's none of my business."

Thankfully, he didn't seem mad at your comment. He chuckled as he parked on the street in front of your house. The sky was starting to glow orange as it grew later in the day, and you liked the color. You forced yourself to look over at Gorou, but before you could talk, he beat you to it.

"Well, here we are," he smiled.

"Yep! Uh, one thing before I go, though..." You said, glancing up at his ears.

Catching onto what you were thinking, he narrowed his eyes, "No."

"Aw, c'mon! You didn't even know what I was gonna say," you whined.

"You were going to ask if you could pet me, and the answer is no."

You sighed, "Can you at least tell me why, then?"

He was reluctant to say, and he didn't want to get into the details, but he gave an answer anyway in hopes of keeping you from asking again, "B-Because it's embarrassing..."

"What? How's that?" You inquired.

"It just is..."

"So does that mean I'll never get to?"

"Maybe..." He mumbled.

"Noooo!" You cried. "But I've always been curious..."

Your words didn't sway him, but your expression did. He couldn't understand how you looked so genuinely disappointed... unless you were acting, but he doubted you would've spoken so dramatically if you were actually trying to fool him. After a few moments, he sighed and gave in.

"...Fine. You can pet me."

He wondered if he'd regret it, but after seeing your face light up, he knew it was worth the sacrifice. He swore your smile could've blinded him. He unbuckled his seatbelt and you did the same. He leaned his head closer to you, feeling the humiliation slowly sink in, and you carefully reached up. Before you touched him, though, he startled you with his voice.

"D-Don't make fun of me or I'm never letting you do this again."

"Okay, okay," you nodded.

You slowly caressed his ear, your eyebrows raising in surprise at how soft they were. They always looked soft, but... wow. You quietly gasped and continued at a moderate pace. He hummed in surprise and his ear twitched.

"So soft..." You whispered, trying to be as gentle as possible with him.

He tried to say something, but instead of words, what came out was a quiet whimper. You immediately stopped moving as your brain officially broke. With your reaction, he felt even more embarrassed than before. Moments later, you regained the ability to talk.

"Did you just-"

"Please don't mention it."

"No, no. It was... really cute," you said, your voice getting softer as you went on.

His tail swished back and forth, "D-Don't say that..."

You didn't respond with words. Instead, you smiled and resumed petting him, causing him to suck in a quick breath. It was awkward for him, with the only sounds in the car being his whimpers, but all you could think about was how much you liked him. You were still very surprised that the first person you fell for was him, though. However, after knowing him better, you didn't regret it.

"I'm pretty sure you could tell I was lying earlier. Y'know, about the song and stuff," you spoke suddenly. Your voice was gentle, similar to a kind embrace.

He glanced into your eyes before averting his gaze, "Yeah, it was very obvious."

He wondered who you thought of, or if it was him. He hoped so.

"I would've been able to lie better if you didn't ask such a weird question out of nowhere. It's really embarrassing to say to you," you said, pouting slightly.

You realized what you accidentally implied with that statement and panicked, pulling your hand away from him. He sat normally in his seat, staring at you with confusion. You hastily followed up your sentence with something else.

"N-Not that I think of you or anything! I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I mean, wow, I'll pity the person who falls in love with you! I bet they're a loser..."

He wasn't sure how to respond, so he stayed quiet, hoping you'd give him an explanation for your flustered outburst. Warmth flooded your cheeks and you decided to give up, knowing you weren't fooling anyone anyway.

"That's... also a lie. I am the loser."

He took a minute to process this information and whatever the hell just happened, but once he did, his face promptly flared up until he was completely red.

"W-Wait, huh!?"

With his delayed reaction, your anxiety skyrocketed. You could feel your heart beating unbelievably fast, sending waves of heat through your body. You tried to get it under control, but you were too flustered.

"That was such a weird confession, I'm sorry, wait," you said, your voice shaky from your nerves as you turned your entire body in the seat so you could face him. "Let me try that again."

You cleared your throat and looked into his eyes. His tail was going crazy at this point. It was more difficult than you imagined, saying it while making eye contact.

"I really like you. I mean, like, a lot. And as someone who's never felt this way before, this is scary as fuck, so please say something immediately once I'm done... Okay, I'm done, talk now."

"I-I- This is so sudden, what am I supposed to say?!" He yelped.

"Do you like me back or not?! You literally have the easiest part, stop making me wait in suspense-"

"Okay! Uhm, I-I..."

He took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes before making eye contact with you once again.

"I really like you, too."

━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━

"YOU CONFESSED TO HIM BY CALLING YOURSELF A LOSER!?"

"I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT, OKAY!? I JUST DECIDED IN THE MOMENT 'Y'KNOW WHAT, FUCK IT' AND IT HAPPENED."

Thoma started laughing uncontrollably while Ayaka rubbed circles on your back. You were laying in bed, on your stomach as you shoved your face into a pillow out of embarrassment. You wanted to cry so badly it hurt.

"But he likes you too, right? I'm not sure I understand why you're upset," Ayaka said as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Because it was such a mess...! I just know he's going to make fun of me, whether we end up in a relationship or not. I keep imagining how I wanted to say it and I'm so disappointed in myself..."

"Well," she sighed. "I'm proud of you. No matter how you said it, you still told him, and it was worth it, right?"

"I-I guess... Maybe. We'll see," you mumbled. "Thoma, stop laughing at me, I swear to god-!"

Meanwhile, Gorou was freaking out to his own friends as they sat on his bed and he paced around the room. He kept thinking of how you looked when you told him. Your face and ears were pink, your eyes were sparkly, and your voice was soft yet quivering. It was so adorable, his heart could barely take thinking about it anymore. His tail was wagging intensely, but he ignored it and continued pacing.

"That's... an interesting way to confess," Kokomi said.

"It was adorable!" He exhaled. "And she was so awkward... But that made it even cuter."

Kokomi shifted and averted her gaze off to the side, unsure of how to react.

"Wow, I've never seen you so crazy about another person!" Itto laughed. "So you're dating now, right?"

Gorou froze, "...Um... Not really. We both said we needed to think about it more, so..."

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" The oni groaned. "You're hopeless. You're obviously really into her, why do you need to think about it?"

"B-Because I'm not sure if I'd be the best in a relationship..."

Kokomi was strangely silent, which normally would've caused concern, but with Gorou's mind so clouded, he didn't even notice. She opened her mouth to say something before deciding it was better to keep quiet.

"Seriously!?" Itto rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Gorou opened it to reveal Kazuha.

"I got your message. What happened?-"

"Y/n confessed to me and I don't know what to do, help."

━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━

Late in the night, once again, neither you nor Gorou were able to fall asleep. You were both thinking about your confession from the previous day, and the advice your friends gave you. They all said you should at least try being together because you'd regret it if you didn't.

You laid in bed and stared at your phone screen, with Gorou's contact pulled up. You still didn't have a picture for his icon... You sighed and clicked 'edit', changing his name.

Gorou💞💖

When you finished, you looked at the time and saw that it was only 11