bubblegumrush

[bubblegumrush]

T𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖 P𝕒𝕣𝕜 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐)⌇𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛⌇𝖬𝗒 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒!!

Chapter Six

Everything was beautiful, maybe because your expectations were so low, or maybe because you've had such a shitty day that everything good was so much better, but it was truly a sight to see.

It might have been the highlight of your day; nothing could ruin this moment for you. Nothing you hoped would ruin this for you.

"Y/N." He called your name, looking at you with a face that described an uneasiness he had.

"Yeah?" You turned around, facing him face-to-face.

He and you went your own way and weren't with the group anymore after you decided you wanted your peace alone, and naturally, he followed along. Even though the crowd was loud, you enjoyed being next to him; it felt like even if you were alone all day, he was always with you. It was a weird feeling that you couldn't explain.

He stared at you with a distant gaze, as if he were contemplating whether or not he was going to tell you what was on his mind.

"I'm glad I found you. I would've felt bad if you missed the light show; it's truly a sight to see." He said this, looking away with a face that showed discontent.

You questioned his bizarre behaviour; what was he hiding? What was he hiding from you?

"Why'd you stop talking to me, Suna?"

You turned towards him, ignoring the loud sounds of the fireworks and the cheers that filled your ears. You could hear the silence. The one he had as he looked back at you with an uneasy look.

He opened his mouth to answer you back, but you cut him off before he could even mutter a single word.

"I thought we were friends, but these past few weeks felt like I was befriending a stranger, even though I've known you all my life." You sighed, shaking your head in discontent. "Do YOU know how hard it is to talk to you? It feels like talking to a fucking brick wall. Each time we'd make a connection, it was lost the next time I'd see you. It felt like I tried so hard for nothing. I don't even know why I try so hard to be friends again." You lashed out, having not finished all the pent-up anger you coped with inside for all those years. "I thought maybe I was being delusional, that my wish could actually happen, that we could be friends again. But every time I'd look at you, I could see the look in your eyes—the same one you had when you'd ignored me for all those years. It pained you to talk to me."

You paused for a moment, looking around, and then back at him. You felt trapped; this was not an ideal place to get mad.

Sunakawa looked at you. He was at a loss for words; he knew you all too well to say anything. He knew that if he spoke, it'd just make you angrier.

"I gotta go."

You left, disappearing into the crowd as he stood there, clueless of the sudden action.

"Oi Suna!" Takeo yelled. "Huh, where's Y/N? I thought she was with you."

"She left.."

"Oh, I thought she'd like the parade." Takeo scratched his head as he pondered why you left so suddenly.

"Well, I'll be leaving too; I don't really feel like watching the parade anymore. Have fun." Suna said, waving goodbye as he headed in the direction you left.

He arrived at the apartment complex, guessing you went home, as that was the only logical place to be at this time of night.

He knocked on the front door to receive your mother at the door.

"Makoto? What are you doing here?" Your mother asked, thinking you were all at the theme park.

"Is Y/N home? She left in a rush; I'm looking for her." Suna explained.

"No, not that I know of." Your mother left the doorway to go check your room, only to find it empty. "No, she's not home. Sorry, Makoto, I can't help you with that girl. She's always running off to who knows where." Your mother sighed.

"It's not a problem; sorry for the disturbance." He apologized

"Don't worry, Makoto. With Takeo always barging into your house, you're more than welcome to barge into ours. Now, I'm heading to bed. I hope you find Y/N. Now goodnight."

She closed the door, leaving Suna to wonder where you could be. He leaned against the railing, looking at the night sky, to help jog some ideas on where you could've left. It felt just like the night before, when it was just you and him. All of a sudden, he spots in the distance a small park that you were looking at the previous night.

You swung slowly on the swings, dragging your feet on the ground. It made two perfectly vertical lines in the dirt. You smiled to yourself before it was ruined by the footsteps of two very familiar feet.

You didn't even dare to lift your head; you knew who it was.

"Y/N-"

"When it came around to it, you were always Takeo's friend. Never mine. It's not like you're the first one to actually make me feel like that. You know, I've had quite a lot of friends do the same exact thing you did. They chose my brother over me." You scoffed, "I did everything they liked; I liked everything they liked; I shared myself with them in hopes for the connection to be just between me and them. But once they knew my brother, that friendship was over. We were kids; if Takeo asked to play with us, I'd never say no. I could never say no to him, even if I'd end up hurting myself more. I've never had a single friend; I can't have friends anymore. The only friend I ever had was you. But even you chose him over me. And for some reason, that hurt me more than any other friendship. In truth, I was angry at myself for losing you. But then I thought maybe we were never friends. I was just your 'best friend's sister'. And that.. And t-that.. I-i wa.."

You didn't want to cry because you knew that once you did, you couldn't stop, and that the ground you built to say all those would disappear once his pity for looking at your face would appear.

"Y/N, stop." He approached you, kneeling down to look at your cowering head. He grabbed your shoulders from both sides with a firm yet gentle grip. "It's all my fault; I know it's my fault, Y/N, so stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have known why I stopped talking to you. I shouldn't have been so selfish. I'm sorry, Y/N."

You look up at him, your eyes watery, yet there are still no tears. "Why. Why did you stop?"

He felt at a loss for words, not knowing if telling you everything would make it better for you or if not telling you would make it better for himself.

"I liked you; that's why I stopped talking to you."

He let go of you, sitting down on the ground. "I was afraid that my feelings for you would ruin the friendship I have with Takeo. He was my only friend back then. I couldn't..."

You steeped your anger in silence, processing everything he said.

"It was a horrible thing to do to you; you were my friend, Y/N. I just couldn't face seeing you in that lighting, but I know I should've just dealt with it instead of avoiding it. Takeo was my first friend, and I felt incapable of betraying him. And somehow it justified my actions for betraying you; well, I convinced myself that it was the right thing to do."

He sounded regretful; he looked regretful. But you just felt so boiled up from anger that you couldn't see it. "Y/N, I know it's hard to forgive me, and I don't expect it. I understand if you don't. But I just want you to stop blaming yourself, and please stop comparing yourself to Takeo. You two are nothing alike, yet you both are the same exact person. You both share the same empathetic and kind heart as each other."

His words struck a chord within you, one that was always a sensitive topic for you.

"You'd still choose Takeo if it came down to it." You said, stubbornly, still not letting go of his previous words.

"No, I wouldn't." He replied, understanding your need for confirmation. "I wouldn't choose anyone. If it came down to it, I'd rather lose you both than choose one over the other." He said, truthfully.

"But you did choose him."

"It was in the past, Y/N. I didn't understand what my actions could've done to you. I selfishly chose to coward away and ignore it. I shouldn't have done that... I'm sorry." He answered you with patience, as he knows you all too well to be brute and insensitive about it.

You felt justified, or your questions had been answered, yet you still felt unresolved. Years of this back and forth, of this wondering. You selfishly hoped he'd say that he'd choose you over Takeo, no matter what. But that would be out of character for him; he had too many good morals to be that irrational in saying those words. Even so, he'd never choose me over Takeo. He would never do that.

"Suna," you said, standing up from the swings. "I don't think I'll ever get over the feeling of being the 'second choice', but I'm thankful you told me everything. I understand where you come from, but I need you to understand that I'm still hurt. I can't just pretend none of this happened."

You left, feeling like part of you found peace and part of you just couldn't let go.

"Oh, you're back." Your mom said this after hearing you come in from the door.

"And you're still awake." You replied coldly, taking off your shoes and changing into your slippers.

"What's up with you? Did you know Makoto came looking for you? I told him I didn't know. Should I let him know you came home?"

"No."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Your mother inquired, getting worried about your weird attitude.

She looked at you with worried eyes; she knew something was bothering you and was willing to help if you told her. However, you stood there, by the doorway of your room, your hand on the doorknob, contemplating whether or not telling might help.

You felt conflicted, overwhelmed, and at an overall loss for what to feel and what to do. Whether to forgive and forget or to resent and remember.

It felt like all those pent-up emotions left your body as you silently wept, and those bottled-up tears dropped endlessly as you felt like there was no use anymore to keep them inside.

"Oh, my dear Y/N." Your mom exclaimed as she went to hug you in her arms. "It's okay. Mommy's here. I'm not leaving, so let it all out."

Your mom sat on the couch as you laid your head on her lap, feeling like a little girl all over again.

"So, what's been bothering you?" She asked as you started calming down from your crying.

You sat up, looking at her face-to-face. Your nose sniffled and your eyes swollen. "There's this friend," you began, not knowing where exactly you were going. "He-They betrayed me. And I'm conflicted. They hurt me so much, but I'm frustrated by the fact that their reason for doing so justifies their actions. But it also makes it painful to hear because... because they never thought about you or cared about you. They say they changed and that it won't happen ever again, but how am I supposed to know if he's telling the truth? I don't know how to go around and act like he never chose someone else over me. I don't know what to feel, what to do, or what to say. Mom, I don't know anything..."

You broke down, crying again, as you covered your face with your hands.

"Listen, Y/N. I've had my fair share of betrayal and whatnot during my prime. I understand what you're going through, and I understand that it's a hard decision. Now, some moms might tell you to listen to your heart and all that bullshit; that doesn't work if your heart is as conflicted as your head. However, I'm not 'some mom'; I'm telling you to give it some time. To know if someone is really regretful, you'll need time to see it through. If he wasn't sorry and truthful about his words, he wouldn't wait around for your forgiveness. On the other hand, if he is truly regretful and willing to keep his promise, he will wait. Even if it takes days or months, he will wait for your forgiveness by showing you how much he's changed. That's when you know he's sincere and really values you." She pulls you into her embrace. "It takes time, honey; you'll have to be patient. But it also means that you have to have a little faith in that person. To let him show you that he's regretful of his past actions."

You nodded your head in understanding; your mom was very wise when she wanted to be. "I understand. Thanks, mom."

"Even if I'm pregnant, you're still my baby. You and Takeo. And it hurts to see you in pain. I might not understand the full story of it all, but you can tell me anything. I'm your mother, after all. Other than feeding you, housing you, educating you, and basically everything else, I'm here to listen to you."

You hugged her tightly. "Yes, mom, I know that. I love you."

"Haha, that's quite enough. You're going to squeeze the baby out of me if you continue."

[bubblegumrush]

T𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖 P𝕒𝕣𝕜 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏)⌇𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛⌇𝖬𝗒 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒!!

Chapter Five

You sat in the living room with Ai as you peeled small clementines with the news channel running in the background. "How long are you planning on staying for?" You asked Ai, giving her half of your clementine.

"Until Sunday evening." She took her half, sitting beside you on the floor near the coffee table. "By the way, you should come tomorrow."

You cocked a brow. "Tomorrow? To M.M. Land?"

"Yeah," she said, suddenly collapsing onto the coffee and letting out a loud sigh. "Takeo and his girlfriend are going..." She groaned into her arm.

You chuckled, comforting her with a gentle pat on the back. "Oh, Ai, I'm sure you'll find somebody as great or maybe even better than Takeo. But for that to happen, you have to move on."

She slightly lifted her head up, her eyes watery. She cried out. "I know, but nobody can compare to him... Don't worry, I won't go after him. Those two are really good together. I want them to be happy." But she swiftly shifted emotions and sat up straight with a bright-eyed look in her eyes. "Anyway! You should come; Oda's coming as well."

"No thanks; it just looks like some double date kind of thing. I don't want to be a fifth wheel between Takeo and Yamato and Oda and you." You rejected her offer, getting up to go throw away your peels. "Plus, I hate theme parks. Mascots creep me out."

Ai got up and followed you to the kitchen counter with protesting words, "Me and Oda?? Y/N, you know it's not like that between me and him!"

"Really? It seems like you're just not ready to admit it. He's already professed his love, and not long, you'll realize you like him as well." You gave her a smirk, teasing her.

"Shut up; you're coming tomorrow, and that's the end of it. AND don't you dare bring this up tomorrow." She pointed at you as you let out a laugh.

"Again, I'm not going. Don't wanna fifth wheel in your guys' date." You rejected a second time.

"C'mon, you're not going to be left alone; Makoto's going too." She informed, "You and him could be on your own little date." She winked at you and nudged you on the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." You waved her off, not liking the idea of going with Sunakawa. It's not like you didn't like him; actually, you've gotten quite close to him these past few days. But for some reason, you felt weird. It's like, overnight, you went from strangers to close friends.

"So, is that a yes?" She asked, looking over at you with a face that said, 'Even if you say no, I'm dragging you there with me.'

"Fine. I'll go." You sighed, "But you owe me."

You lazed on the couch as you watched the series your mom left on before going off to do laundry. You sat there all day, even when Ai came for a quick drop-by. You haven't moved your butt the whole day. You started to feel yourself melt into the couch and become one with the couch.

"I'm home!" Takeo shouted throughout the house, making you jump suddenly from the tranquility you were once in.

"Welcome back!" You replied with the same energy, finally having the energy to get up and greet him.

You made your way over to the doorway when you saw a stranger standing behind Takeo.

"Hi, I'm Takeo's sister." You greeted him.

"Y/N, this is Oda. He's crashing here tonight." He said it nonchalantly. "Oda, this is my sister, Y/N." He said, turning back towards Oda.

"She is?" He asked, looking back and forth between you and Takeo, a little dumfounded.

"Aren't you Ai's friend?" You inquired, ignoring his previous comment. "I've heard a lot about you but haven't actually met you."

"You did? Was it from Ai?" He queried with a smirk. "Didn't think she actually talks about me." He said fake blushing.

Both guys went into Takeo's bedroom as you returned to your spot on the couch. You stayed there the whole evening until your dad came home. When he came home, your mom started chewing you out for staying there all day, which led you to take a breather outside as you naturally didn't leave the house all day.

"Fresh air~" you inhaled the outside air for the first time today. You leaned across the railing as you stood right outside of your house. You gazed at the surroundings, looking over at the small park next to your house, when all of a sudden you heard a door open.

You turned around to see Sunakawa. "Y/N? What are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." You looked over at him before returning your gaze to the small park you were observing. "I'm just basking in the moonlight. What else could I be doing?"

He smiled at you, standing next to you as he leaned his back on the railing, facing you. "I came out here for a breather too. The summer air at night is quite something to behold."

"It truly is," you said softly under your breath, suddenly not looking at the park but at him.

"So, you're coming tomorrow? I thought you hated theme parks."

"I do, but I can't go against Ai; she'll drag me even if I refuse a billion times." You let out a despairing sigh. "But it's fine; at least it's something to do, good or bad. I've been a couch potato all day; it's good for me to go out tomorrow."

"That's nice to hear. I was hoping you'd come tomorrow."

He did?

"You did?" You chocked out, mumbling your words.

"Let's get some rest. I better head in now." He stated, not catching what you mumbled. "Good night, Y/N; see you tomorrow."

He walked back inside as you let out a last minute. "Good night,"

You stood there for another twenty minutes or so, gathering your thoughts together and mentally preparing for what's to come the next day.

You slowly walked behind the group, staring off at the plentiful attractions. It wasn't often that you came out of the house during the weekends, and when you did, you would find yourself drained at the end of the day.

You stared at the roller coasters to the carousels, your ears filled with the yelling of children; it was slowly starting to irritate you. You turned back to the group to realize the group you were following was not your original group. In fact, you were following a group of complete strangers.

You cursed your luck under your breath and started reaching for your phone, only to realize...

"Fuck, Takeo has it."

You tried looking for your brother, as he was an easy landmark to spot, but to no avail. You gave up minutes after looking around.

"Maybe it's a sign that going to the theme park was a bad idea." You sighed, looking around for some kind of place to stay and not stand in the middle of the crosswalk.

When suddenly, just like in horror movies, you felt a strong grip on your shoulder, pulling you to turn around.

"Hey there! Are you lost, li'l fella?" An all-too-joyful voice that made your spine shiver just from the thought of turning around greeted you.

Truth be told, you were terrified of mascots. One of the main reasons you did not want to come on this trip. They looked so weird, especially with their soulless eyes.

It always looked like they were staring deep inside of you. You couldn't even tell if they were really looking at you or not. You knew they were just ordinary people inside of these costumes, but it's weird to see children flocking around a complete stranger.

"N-no, I'm fine, sir." You stuttered, slowly backing away, already knowing you're going to have nightmares about this interaction.

You found yourself a small bench under the shade where you planned out the rest of your day with the appearance of this new circumstance: you were going to sit there and pray for them to pass by you and finally get reunited with them once again.

"Oh, what am I doing?! There's no way they're going to pass by here again. I should just go home; there's no use in waiting." You cupped your face in your hands, your brain thinking of something to solve your situation.

You began feeling overwhelmed as your body started sweating from the anxiety you were starting to have. The noise that surrounded you seemed to only get louder as you concentrated your ears on the people around you.

Your eyes streamed tears as you tried your best to wipe them off the moment they fell, scared to let strangers see you cry. You wept silently, thanking God that you chose somewhere kind of desolate.

Even though you cried silently, only the tears streamed; you couldn't help but hear loud cries.

You stopped your weeping, feeling yourself go delusional from still hearing loud cries resembling those of a child.

You finally look up from your palms, which were drenched in your tears, and notice straight ahead a little girl, no older than three, bawling her eyes out in the middle of the crosswalk.

You awkwardly stared at her as you looked around to see no one else around. When suddenly you made eye contact with the little girl, which seemingly made her cry louder as if to get your attention.

"Why me?" You cried out, slapping yourself awake as you made your way towards her. "This is just my day." You said sarcastically to yourself.

You got closer to her, hushing her to calm down and breathe. She seemed to cool off, ceased her loud cries, and went to soft weeping.

"Hi sweetie, Are you lost?" You bent down to her level, pulling out the tissue paper you were originally going to use for yourself, and wiped her tears.

She gave you a small head nod. "I lost my mommy," she said, hiccupping between each mumbled word. Suddenly bursting into a fit of cries again.

You sighed as people that walked past you started to stare. "Um, come, let's get out of people's way."

You led her by the hand and went to the bench you sat on. "Up we go," you said, placing her on the bench as you kneeled in front of her. "Can you tell me when's the last time you saw your mommy?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Mommy disappeared, and now she's gone," she said. You felt that she was going to cry again if you continued, so you moved on.

"Ok, ok. Don't cry; we'll find your mommy. Don't worry. Just please don't cry." You begged, being careful not to trigger her tears again. "Just follow me; we'll go see if an employee can help."

You stood up, ready to leave, when suddenly you felt a tug on your arm. She held her arms up, as if she wanted you to carry her in your arms. Naturally, you obliged, picking her up.

"Is this what having a sister is like...?" You mumbled underneath your breath.

You walked around, child in arms, searching for the lost child area theme parks usually have. It's been ten minutes, and you were already exhausted carrying her, especially when she dozed off mid-way through. Now her body felt heavier.

Suddenly, a voice said from behind you, "I didn't think you'd wander this far away."

You quickly turned around, instantly recognizing that voice, "Sunakawa! Oh, I've never been so happy to see someone." You looked around to see if the others were with him, but no, he was alone. "The others aren't with you...?" you mumbled.

He quickly took notice of the child you carried, ignoring your worries. "Woah, you have a kid...?"

"Umm, yeah. Do you mind holding her for me? My arms are going numb." You gently handed her off to Sunakawa. "Don't ask questions about where she came from; I don't know either." You awkwardly chuckled at the situation.

"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you." He said this, holding her up and gently cupping her head.

"I don't know, probably just wandered around looking for a way out of this place- What do you mean, "Where have you been"!? Like I had a choice about being lost. I was following you guys, and I turned around for one second, and next thing you know, you guys disappeared and were nowhere to be seen." You raised your voice at him, your voice starting to crack as you felt hurt by being abandoned by your friend. "Whatever, let's just find her parents so I can go home."

Your pace got faster as you started leading the way, while Sunakawa held his silence on what he had to say. He knew that if he'd whispered one more word, you might blow up from that anger of yours. So he followed you in silence.

You arrived at the center and told the employees about the situation you were in, and they gladly welcomed the little girl and told you that they were going to take it from there.

"They said they had it from there; we can leave now; she'll be fine." You advised Sunakawa as you made your way towards him, while he leaned against the wall waiting for you.

"Good. I'm glad she's safe. Oh, and, by the way, I called Takeo to tell him you were safe and sound. He's at the parade if you want to go see them. I know you want to go home, but you could at least stay for the parade. They say it's really amazing."

You thought about it, though you didn't see much reason for going. Today was a bad enough day that if you stayed any longer, it would just be you welcoming the bad luck to you. But something about the way he stuck around and how he was most likely the only one who looked for you made you want to stay.

"Fine, I'll go. But only because Takeo still has my phone."

He gave you a soft smile, and you smiled back, but for some reason, the moment you smiled back, his smile faded as if something had changed.

[bubblegumrush]

A D𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 B𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙⌇𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛⌇𝖬𝗒 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒!!

Chapter Four

You slept on the bus that was on the way to the beach. You woke up way too early because of Takeo, who was overly excited for today.

"Hey," A soft voice spoke, waking you up from your short nap. "We’re here."

You awoke to find yourself resting on someone’s shoulder and a little drool oozing from your mouth.

"Oh…" Still half awake, you looked around to see that the bus was empty. Then you slowly turned to the person who woke you up from your deep slumber. "Sunakawa?"

"Yeah?"

Suddenly, you realize your position and quickly move away. "I’m so sorry; I dozed off and didn’t realize how…close I got…"

"It’s fine," He got up and took his and your bags, "C’mon, let’s go. The others are waiting."

"O-okay." You quickly got up and followed him.

You sat under the umbrella while everybody was enjoying the water under the blazing sun. You had changed into your swimsuit, but you didn’t feel like going into the water; you just didn’t feel like it.

"C’mon, Y/N, let’s go into the water." Yamato invited you, getting out of the water with her floaty. "The water’s great! It’s not too cold, and it’s not too warm."

"No, it’s okay. I don’t feel like leaving the shadow…" You rejected her invitation.

"Yamato! C’mon, we’re going to play beach volleyball!" Her friend called her over.

"If you ever change your mind, don’t be afraid to come join us." She said this, giving you a soft smile before joining the others.

"Okay..." You mumbled to yourself, putting the hood of your sweater on and sinking into yourself as you curled into a ball. You didn’t feel comfortable. You felt very insecure, but you couldn’t afford to be ridiculed by the others, so you’d rather stay under the umbrella where it felt the most secure.

It’s not like you could’ve stayed home; your mom didn’t let you. It was such amazing weather that staying home was a crime. So, when Takeo invited you to go to the beach with him and his friends, you had no choice but to agree.

"I want to go home." You mumbled to yourself again, hearing the sounds of kids yelling while they ran around you.

"You’re going to have a heat stroke if you bury yourself in that sweater." A voice advised you.

"Go away. Go play volleyball with the rest." You said back, knowing exactly who it was.

"How can I when I see this pitiful mess in the corner of my eye?" He retorted, sighing at the sight of you being all depressed.

"I am not pitiful!" You argued back, looking up at him.

There, your eyes got blurry from the bright sunlight shining down at you. "Ugh…"

He moved over, blocking the sun for you, which in turn made your eyes land on him.

Bare chest after removing his shirt, your eyes wandered down from his face but ended up looking a little too long.

"My eyes are up here." He said that, which made your face flush red and made you hide back into your sweater.

"I-I wasn’t looking at anything." You defended yourself. "I was just look-"

"Y/N!" A loud voice called out your name. "What are you still doing there?"

"Leave me alone, Takeo." You hissed your brother away, knowing well enough that if you didn’t, he'd do something that you didn’t want him to do.

"Aren’t you hot in that thing?" He pointed to your sweater, "Let’s go into the water; it’s super refreshing."

"No thanks; I’m perfectly comfortable here." You stood your ground, backing away from him.

"C’mon, c'mon, let’s go." He walked closer to you, like he had a plan in mind. "You can’t always do this, Y/N."

"I’ll do whatever I want! Do not come closer. You will not throw me in the water like every other time." You protested, standing up and walking away from him.

"Come here!" He ran towards you like a huge bear, arms open, ready to cage you.

"No!" You ran off, getting away from him as he chased you down the beach.

You guys started to create a commotion on the beach, to the point that everyone was watching you as you got chased down by Takeo. Some were cheering for you, while others cheered for Takeo.

In the end, you couldn’t escape his speed and his brute strength.

"Let. Me. Go." You tried kicking him off, but to no avail.

"You should learn to have fun. So, in the water you go!" He carried you to the water like a sack of potatoes until he reached deep enough water and threw you in.

"TAKEO!" You screamed, "You are so going to pay for this." You threatened him, drenched in salt water.

Sunakawa walked over to you and landed you a hand to get up, "I guess, now you have no choice but to take off that sweater of yours."

"Screw you both." You rejected his hand and got up on your own.

"C'mon, Y/N, don’t be that way." Takeo said, "It’s time you have fun instead of sulking in a corner."

"Yeah, yeah." You shrugged, taking off your sweater.

You could feel that all eyes were on you the moment your sweater came off.

"Ooh~ Y/N, I didn’t know you were hiding all that underneath that sweater." One of Takeo's scummy school friends commented.

"I know, right? Didn’t know such a babe-"

Before he could finish, both guys got brutally smacked on the head by Takeo, fuming from the inappropriate comment towards his sister.

"Thanks, but I could’ve done that myself." You stated, covering yourself with your arms.

"Hmpf! No need; your brother’s here. Anyway, let’s go in the water!" He exclaimed, pushing you toward the water.

You quickly escaped him, getting behind him. "You’ll have to wait. I must dry off my sweater first. So, I’ll join you later."

"Ok! I’ll be going in the water now." He ran off, with Yamato closely following behind him.

You walked towards your umbrella, hanging your wet clothes on top of it. "Happy now?" You turned around in Sunakawa’s direction. "You better go in the water too. I didn’t even want to swim." You groaned out of annoyance.

"…"

"Hello?" You looked at him, catching him staring at you. "Anyone home?"

You waved your hands in front of him, breaking his trance state. "What did you say?" He said it with a confused look, not catching anything you said.

"Look who’s staring now?" You teased him earlier.

It seems that your teasing made him look away in haste. You could see part of his face redden. "Eh~ Sunakawa’s blushing? Now that’s a rare sight."

You went around him, trying to look at his face. However, he moved away accidentally, making you trip. But your catlike reflection made you grab on to the nearest object, which was a piece of clothing…

Despite your grip on his shorts, he managed to keep them up, not exposing himself to the world. Nonetheless, he couldn’t manage to fall as well.

"…"

You were an inch away from his face, and he was to yours.

At this moment, he thought a lot. The glistening sun that rayed onto your face made you look…so beautiful. Your flushed face made you incredibly…

"U-um…Sunakawa?" You lay there awkwardly, sweating as you were so incredibly close to him.

“S-sorry.” He stood up immediately after you broke him from his daze.

He landed you his hand to get up, which this time you accepted. When he pulled you, the sand on the ground made you slip and pulled you closer to him when you stood up.

Your bodies were inches away from touching, you could feel each other’s body heat.

"I-i…" You slowly pushed away, "I’m going in the water…you should come."

You walked away awkwardly, walking towards Takeo who was still playing in the water. You didn’t want to turn around; you were too embarrassed to do so.

You stood alone on the beach as you watched the sunset.

"Such a sight." You wowed.

The wave hit your feet; each wave embraced your feet with the cold water. And as the wave moved quickly, so has the time and soon enough the sky was as dark as your hair.

You sat on the sand, gazing at the moon that reflected onto the water when someone walked towards you.

"Hey," He said, squatting down next to you.

You looked over to him and smiled in return. "Sorry about earlier; I didn’t mean to pull on your…trunks."

"Haha…don’t worry." He chuckled awkwardly, sitting down properly.

Both of you sat next to each other, listening to the wind and the crickets sing as the ocean played its melody, enjoying each other’s company.

You turned your head around towards him, staring at his face from a closer view than you’re used to.

You were mesmerized by his face; he looked so goddamn handsome.

"Fuck…" You mumbled to yourself as you rubbed your head.

"What’s wrong?" He inquired about your sudden agitation.

"It’s nothing; I’m just..." You took a deep breath and exhaled, "Exhausted..."

And right when you said that both of you could hear Takeo calling for you from afar,

"Y/N! Suna! The bus is leaving!"

"Guess it’s time to go." You stood up, patting the sand off your butt.

"I guess it is." He replied, doing the same.

Sitting on the moving bus, you thought about your whole day, but you could only think of one thing. He stayed with you all day. He never left you alone for too long, and he always came back.

Maybe, or most likely, he pitied you for not knowing anyone at the beach apart from him, Takeo, and Yamato. Nonetheless, you appreciated the fact that it made your beach day much better than you had expected.

"Thank you for today." You said to him, "I don’t think I would’ve had so much fun without you. Today was really fun."

You turned towards him after no response to realize he had dosed off. Actually, everybody on the bus fell asleep, all except you.

"This is peaceful," You commented to yourself.

Suddenly, a heavy weight fell on your shoulder. You realized it was Sunakawa who had fallen on you when the bus took a sharp turn. You tried wiggling him off, as his head was in an uncomfortable spot on your shoulder. However, all that wiggling made his head drop onto your lap.

You felt your face flush red, as you didn’t know what to do. But even if you did, you couldn't, as when the bus took another sharp turn, an even heavier weight fell onto you.

"T-takeo. Get. Off. Me." You tried to push your brother away, but to no avail.

"Fuck..."

[bubblegumrush]

T𝕙𝕖 D𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 O𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟⌇𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛⌇𝖬𝗒 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒!!

Chapter Three

Today was June 15th...

You started to sweat as you looked up at the big building standing in front of you. "Ugh…What if he doesn’t want me there?" You groaned, ‘’Well, I can just tell him my mom sent me." You took a deep breath and walked through the automatic doors.

"I. Hate. This." You entered the hospital, nervously glancing around at the waiting room until you spotted a depressed figure.

That figure turned directly at you as they felt your eyes on them.

He let out a big sigh, "I kinda had a feeling you weren’t going to listen to me." He said this while walking towards you.

"…"

"When’s the operation?"

"It’s at 2."

You looked up at the big center clock that hung above the reception desk. "It’s 1:55…" You looked back at him, "Umm… I brought snacks and a lunch since I know surgery usually lasts a long time." You handed him a big bag full of food and drinks.

He looked at the size of the bag and gulped, "This is-"

"I know. I know. It’s a lot, but trust me, stress eating can make you eat more than you normally do. Well, at least I do."

He left out a small chuckle, which made you slightly relieved at his condition. However, you two got interrupted when one of the nurses informed you that the surgery was about to begin.

"Y/N," Sunakawa spoked, stopping you in your tracks. "This time, I’m serious. Go home. This could take all day, and you shouldn’t have to waste your time on it. So, go home." He said it sternly.

You frowned at his words, "I don-"

"Go home." He said it again, looking right into your eyes.

"Fine. But you better eat during the surgery."

With those words of agreement, he made his way to the operating room. But before he left too far, you screamed as loud as the room allowed you to.

"Sunakawa!"

He smiled to himself, knowing you would do this, before turning around to look at you.

"Good luck, and remember to keep your head up high!"

He gave you a small nod before continuing on his path. As soon as he left your view, you walked towards the waiting room and waited. It’s not like you were going home, as if.

You were doodling on your notepad until a small piece of folding paper landed at your feet. You picked up the blue-colored paper and looked at the direction it came from. You saw a petite girl quickly folding paper cranes at the corner of the waiting room, and you decided to walk up to her and give her back the paper.

"H-hi, you dropped this." You showed her the blue thing in your hands.

"Oh! Thank you so much; I didn’t even realize I dropped it since I have so many..." She thanked you, "I doubt I’ll fold nearly enough cranes…"

She sighed; a face of despair shone across her face, but a smile appeared directly after as she gave herself words of encouragement. "This is for a good cause…You can do this, Yamato!" She whispered to herself.

You stood awkwardly, looking at her hard work spread across the floor; she had at least twenty already made. "I-if you want, I can help you. I’m pretty good at paper folding." You suggested.

A big smile plastered across her face as soon as you suggested you help, "Of course! Here, take a sit." She handed you a pile of colorful paper. "Thank you so much; I really hoped to be able to do 1000 paper cranes. With your help, I’m sure we’ll be able!"

1000…paper cranes….

"I doubt 1000 is a possible thing to do for just one day… but hey, we can always try." You smiled, entertaining her idea of making 1000 paper cranes in one sitting.

You two girls sat in the lobby of the hospital, slowly warming to each other and opening up and talking about discussions you would have as friends.

Nonetheless, after the whole afternoon spent with each other and even a shared convenience store dinner together, the topic of names or shared contacts never came up. How bizarre…

"I’m gonna take a little bathroom break; I’ll be back in a minute." You told her, heading to the bathroom, when you suddenly heard the intercom telling the hospital visitors that visiting hours were soon over.

So, you hurried up to the bathroom, and when you came back, more people surrounded where you sat.

Two familiar figures came into view as you walked closer and closer, suddenly realizing it was Sunakawa and Takeo.

"Ah, you’re back. That was the girl I was telling you guys about; she helped me make all these paper cranes." She looked at you and smiled.

Both guys looked at each other confused when, all of a sudden, Sunakawa started to laugh out loud while Takeo started to piece things together.

"Y/N? You know Yamato?" He looked at you but then turned his gaze towards the other girl and said, "Yamato, you know Y/N?"

You looked at Yamato, then processed the situation that you were hanging out with your brother’s girlfriend the whole time, but you didn’t realize it. And the same goes for Yamato, who gets embarrassed knowing who you were.

"Ah! I’m so sorry; I didn’t introduce myself properly. This is so embarrassing…. I didn’t think I was talking to Takeo’s sister…" She shyly said it, her face flushed red from being embarrassed. "Nice to meet you; my name is Rinko Yamato!" she quickly introduced herself, bowing to you.

"Haha, it’s nice to meet you too, Yamato; I’m Y/N Gouda." You bowed back, "But don’t worry, it’s not your fault. I didn’t realize it either. I think the fault lies with someone else…"

You slowly turned towards Takeo, shooting death glares in his direction. "It’s your fault for always forgetting." You started accusing him.

He looked away, pretending to be innocent of the blame. *Cough* "I think we should change subject." *Cough*

"You sly fox... But yes, Sunakawa. How was the operation?" You asked, changing the conversation as Takeo had wanted.

You and Yamato were still in the dark about everything and were all so eager to know the results.

"The operation went well." He said it calmly, rapping the paper cranes around his neck.

"Really?!" Both of you exclaimed. "Thank goodness! That’s great!" She cheered.

"I went to the planetarium…But I was worried, so I came here, and that’s when Y/N and I met and started making paper cranes…" she explained to the boys.

"Yeah, I know 1000’s the number for good luck, but we only got to 100…" you added.

"Sorry about today, Yamato." Takeo apologized.

"No, it’s fine." She reassured, "I looked at your plan and at how many changes you’d made. You put so much thought into making my birthday wonderful, Takeo! And that makes me so happy! So, thank you." She explained tearfully.

"Thank you so much…" She added, "Today was my best birthday ever!"

As you and Sunakawa stood by the sidelines, watching the couple interact with each other, you giggled at how cute this all was.

"Seeing you guys like this is nice." Sunakawa spoke up, which made everyone turn in his direction. "Uh…er…"

"Do you want a girlfriend, Suna?!" Takeo asked, responding to his earlier statement.

"Um…"

"I could introduce you to someone from my school!" Yamato suggested getting her phone out.

"No, don’t do that. Please." He flatly denied it.

You laughed at them, watching them while standing apart from the group, as you started to feel a burning feeling coming inside your body. It was probably the convenience food, or maybe something else…

"He’d probably be happiest with someone he’s been friends for a long time!" Yamato exclaimed, looking at Takeo, who agreed wholeheartedly.

"That makes sense!"

"I think Sunakawa needs a girl just like you, Takeo!" Yamato declared, adding to her earlier comment.

"Guys…" You intruded on the conversation, just to end up being ignored.

"Yeah, of course! A girl like me, Huh?!" Takeo continued to agree with Yamato, going on and on about this dream girl.

"Please just stop…" Sunakawa said, defeated by their energy.

"Wouldn’t it be nice?" You asked, moving next to him.

"Huh?" he questioned.

"I mean, you’re so close to Takeo. Wouldn’t it be nice to find someone just like him?" You clarified.

"Mayb-"

"But then again, it’d be impossible to find someone like Takeo!" You mentioned interrupting him in his sentence. "He’s just so unique!"

As you continued spewing about how it’s impossible to have someone like Takeo in this world, Sunakawa looked at you, or more accurately, gazed at you, getting a similar feeling of familiarity as he talked to you. "You…"

"Mmh? Did you say something?" You asked, turning your gaze to him, but he only smiled at you and shook his head.

"Ah, imagine a double date!" Yamato fantasized, still continuing their conversations about this imaginary girlfriend.

"We’re still on this…" Sunakawa sighed, getting annoyed at the subject.

"Maybe Y/N…?"

You all turned your heads towards the voice that made this suggestion. "I-I mean, Y/N’s like me; she’s known Suna since forever, and she’s super pretty, so it’s..." Takeo started to sweat from all the eyes on him. "W-well, I mean not Y/N exactly, but more of someone like Y/N."

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the conversation got really awkward, really quick.

"Yes, I agree. Someone caring and sweet like Y/N." Yamato quickly agreed, making the awkwardness slowly disappear.

"…Yes, someone like me. And not…me." You stated it slowly, not liking the fact that you had to say it out loud.

In the corner of your eye, you saw Sunakawa’s face slowly turning from annoyed to flustered. ‘How cute, getting flustered over this.’ You thought to yourself.

A few minutes later, you four got kicked out of the hospital as visiting hours were over. So, you each went your separate ways, with Yamato and Takeo going one way and you and Sunakawa going the other way.

"Do you want to come over to my place?" You suggested, "You know, since I doubt your family is home right now."

"You stayed..." He mumbled loud enough for you to hear.

"Huh? Of course. Why wouldn’t I?" You responded, "What? You thought I left? I don’t get intimidated by you." You confidently mocked his earlier attitude.

"Sorry about earlier; I didn’t mean to be so harsh." He apologized, looking down at the ground.

"Don’t sweat it; I don’t get hurt easily." You shrugged, giving him a hard pat on the back. "So, are you coming over?"

"Sure, if it doesn’t bother your parents."

"Great! When we get back, I’ll make a huge bowl of ramen because I’m famished! Famished, I say!" You declared it to the world, walking in front of him.

He chuckled, walking a few steps behind you.

[bubblegumrush]

H𝕠𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕕⌇𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛⌇𝖬𝗒 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒!!

Chapter Two

You woke up with this bad feeling today. Not only didn't your alarm sound and you were late for school, but most surprising of all, your mom was... pregnant.

Yes, pregnant at the ripe young age of forty, but that’s not important. The important fact was that you were going to be a big sister. It's not like you weren’t already, with Takeo being born 13 minutes after you.

"I’m going to have a little brother or sister!" Takeo thought out loud while looking at the ceiling, daydreaming about the baby that’ll be born sometime next year.

He suddenly shot up from his sitting position and said, "I’ve got to go tell the others about this important news!" He exclaimed, rushing to the door, but turned back to tell you something before he left. "Don’t worry, Y/N, you’ll still get to meet Yamato. I know yesterday she chickened out, but now she won’t do it again. She really wants to meet you!" He reassured you of the promise he made to you.

You softly chuckled, "Don’t worry, no pressure on her; we can wait as long as she wants. I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable." You replied.

With reassurance from you, he left to go meet Yamato and Sunakawa at their usual meet-up place.

At the same time he left, your mom came home with the groceries, asking you to help her unpack everything with the excuse of being ‘pregnant’ to force you into helping her.

"Shoot, I forgot the lotus roots. Ah, must be the pregnancy brain acting up." She sighed loudly, feeling the symptoms of pregnancy kick in.

"Don’t worry, mom, I’ll get it. It’s not like I have anything important to do." You said this as you finished putting away the last grocery item.

"Thank you, sweetie, here." She gave you some cash out of her purse, and you took it, heading off towards the nearest store.

"No problem, mom; be back in a few."

Coming back home with your lotus roots, you spot a familiar face walking alone. ‘Is that Sunakawa?' you thought, squinting your eyes to see better. Suddenly making eye contact with him, but with a weird look on your face from squinting your eyes

He laughed out loud, giving you a small wave of hello.

You decided to go to him and say, "Hey, where’s Takeo? I thought you two were always together. It’s weird not seeing you with him."

"He’s with Yamato. I’m just…heading home."

"Oh, it must be because you didn’t want to third-wheel. I get it. I get it. It’s how I feel when I’m with you and Takeo." You made a snarky remark.

He chuckled at your comment: "Don’t’ worry, it’s not because of that. But I’ll be sure to keep in mind what you said about being a third wheel. I’ve got things to do, so I’ll be heading home."

He waved you goodbye before walking away. "…Bye… Wait, isn’t his house in the other direction?"

‘Weird’ you thought, as you walked home, at the other directions of where he went, which made you wonder what he was hiding.

A few days passed when suddenly Takeo came home saying he got a new part-time job, informing you he got it to pay for Yamato’s birthday gift, which was soon.

"I’m home!" He shouted throughout the apartment after coming back from his part-time job. "Mom, are you feeling okay?" He screamed from the front door to the living room, where you sat there watching TV with your mom.

"Sure, I’m fine. Your father asked the same thing." She peered through the doorway. "I ran into Makoto at the hospital, though."

"You-you what?!" He exclaimed, processing the information your mother just told him.

"He said his father’s been hospitalized. You didn’t know?" She added on, but Takeo left, running barefoot to his apartment.

"Oh, I guess he wouldn’t mention it…"

She came back into the living room, sitting back next to you as you plopped your head back on her lap. "I guess he would have wanted to tell him himself rather than somebody else, but knowing him, he probably wouldn’t have until his father…" You didn’t finish your sentence feeling sad about someone passing away.

You were there at the hospital when Sunakawa talked about his dad, since you accompanied your mom to her doctor’s appointment.

"Geez, Y/n! You didn’t need to come along; I’m perfectly fine." Your mom said, starting to get annoyed with your overbearing attitude. 

"But mom, if it’s not moving, it could be dead!" You exclaimed, worried about your little sibling inside her stomach.

"Honey, I’m only a couple months pregnant. The baby's probably still developing its brain." She explained, rubbing her stomach.

"Do you think it’s going to be a girl or a boy?" You asked, pressing your ear against her stomach to hear their little heartbeat. "I think it's a girl. I really want a sister!"

"I don’t know; maybe I’ll have twins again!" She laughed at her own joke, but you didn’t find it funny. If there were more Takeo-like beings crawling around, you might die in this household.

"Y/n, look! Isn’t that Makoto?" She observed from afar, pointing at Sunakawa, who stood at the reception desk.

"Yeah, it is. What’s he doing here?"

Right after you noticed Sunakawa, a nurse came and told your mom to head into the appointment room.

"Honey, why don’t you stay here? Maybe you could go talk to Makoto over there." She suggested standing up from her chair.

"But mom-"

"I’ll be fine. If you come along, it’ll just be a hassle." She mumbled the last part to herself.

She quickly rushed away to her appointment room before you had the chance to object to her preposition. 

You awkwardly sat around, waiting for your mom to come back. Slowly getting anxious as you weren’t so comfortable being alone in public, especially when there were a lot of people. 

"Hey," A soft voice spoke, breaking you from your trance state. "May I?"

You looked up to see Sunakawa giving you a soft smile to reassure you that you weren’t alone in the hospital.

"Y-yeah, sure." You looked away, pretending that you were busy looking at something else.

"Can you not tell Takeo about this." He said this, making you look his way with a confused face. "About being at the hospital, I mean."

"Why? Are you sick?" You questioned his weird request. 

"No, I just don’t want him to worry. That’s all." He replied, getting up, ready to leave.

"Wait!" you shouted at him, grabbing his wrist. "You can’t leave after saying that. Are you hurt? What’s going on?" You continued to question, and a worried look spread across your face. 

He chuckled quietly, laughing at how worried you were. "I’m fine. I’m not hurt." He reassured you.

"Then what’s going on?"

"…"

His facial expression seemed to change. He had a sadder one, and he seemed to be thinking about what he was going to say to you.

It was probably something personal. Guess you shouldn’t have pushed this hard. You two were that close, so it’s understandable if he didn’t feel like telling you. "You don’t-"

"A couple of days ago, my dad collapsed." He began, sitting back down next to you. "He’s in the hospital, and they’ll be operating on him soon."

"…" You gulped, feeling the atmosphere tighten around you. "When’s the operation?"

"June 15th"

"That’s...soon, and you still haven’t told him." You pondered his reasoning, wondering why he told you and not his best friends…Wait, June 15th? Isn’t that Yamato’s birthday? Oh, now I see.

"I’m…sorry to hear," You scratched the back of your head, not knowing what to say. "I’ll stay and keep you company, if that’s what you need. I know your mom and sister are overseas right now, and as it is, you shouldn’t be going through this alone…"

He smiled at you, then looked away and sighed. "You don’t have to; it’s not the first time this has happened." He stated it in a low voice. 

"First time or not, no one should go through this alone." You firmly stated, getting agitated at his miserable mindset. 

"Y/N, listen." He said this, starting to get annoyed. "My dad hasn’t been well for a while now. I was prepared for this. I’ll be alright." 

He reassured you, but in his face, it clearly seemed that he was not alright with being alone.

"Y/N!" You heard your mom yell at you from across the hallway and noticed Sunakawa sitting next to you. "Oh, Makoto! How weird to see you here." She exclaimed, "I heard your father collapsed. Poor thing, how is he?"

"He’s fine; he just needs operating." He said, his demeanor changing as soon as he saw your mom. 

"Well, wish him good luck for me. I’ll see you around Makoto." She cheered, saying goodbye. "Come on, Y/n. I have to get home and make dinner." She ushered you.

She dragged you along by the hood of your sweater, "Maybe I can help you with din-"

"No." She quickly denied it before you could suggest.

As you walked away with your mom, you waved goodbye at Sunakawa, mouthing 'Good luck’ and giving him two thumbs up. You heard him chuckle from afar, probably laughing at your antics.

"Makoto is a mature and respectful boy. I’m sure he’s hurting on the inside but won’t show it to the world." She sighed, "Well, I’ve got dishes to do." She stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Takeo came back, asking more questions about the situation. You kind of had enough of all the depressing talk, as you had thought about it all day since you found out. ‘He must be going through it worse than anybody…’ You thought.

You headed to your room, lying on your bed with your face stuffed inside your pillow. "I feel so bad for him…" you mumbled inside your pillow. "He’s…all alone."

You hear some footsteps from the other side of your bedroom wall. "Suna…" You stood up from your bed and walked towards the wall, placing your hand on the thin wall that connected your wall with his. You felt some kind of way; you couldn’t really call it sympathy or sadness, and neither was it joy or anger… You didn’t know what you felt.

"Fuck this. I’m going to bed."

[bubblegumrush]

S𝕖𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕥'𝕤 𝕠𝕦𝕥⌇𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚠𝚊 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛⌇𝖬𝗒 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒!!

Chapter One

You might have been born in the same womb. But when it came to looks and personality, you two were nothing alike. Your brother, Takeo Gouda, was strong and manly, almost like a gorilla; he might even start to resemble one. He’s also sweet and caring. So, you often wondered how you were related. Since you looked nothing like him, and you were nothing like him. 

You might have been twins, but that doesn't prove anything. At least not to you. Your dad likes to tell you how sweet and kind you are and that you’re the sweetest girl in the world. And your mom always tells you how such beauty and grace was born out of her stomach. That, in the womb, you stole all of Takeo’s beauty, so that’s why your beauty shines brighter than anybody else’s. 

You and Takeo share the same golden heart, but you just won’t admit it. In your head, you're trying your best to be like Takeo—kind and selfless; otherwise, you would never feel part of this family. You’re so in your head that the thought of being kind out of your own volition was impossible to believe; you did it to be like Takeo, not because you’re nice. 

You and your brother were close, but as you grew older, you grew further and further apart. You used to be able to read him like a book, but now it seems like you guys are just not in sync anymore. Nevertheless, you knew something had changed in him these past few days. He’s been acting skittish, always daydreaming during dinner, laughing to himself, and telling you how happy and fulfilled in life he has become.

"How weird..." you said to yourself, looking at Takeo enthusiastically typing on his phone.

Suddenly, he got up and exclaimed, "I’m heading out!" He shuffled quickly to get up and head towards the front door to put on his shoes.

"Hey, wait up!" You blocked the door with your body, ready to interrogate him. "Where do you think you’re going?"

He took a minute to come up with an answer, starting to sweat from the tension, as lying was something he had trouble doing. "Umm... to meet up with some friends?" He questioned, not sure if that was the answer he wanted to go with.

"You don’t seem so sure for someone who was excited to go out a second ago." You pushed even more.

You could see the sweat drop from his face; he was clearly hiding something, something he clearly wanted to tell me but was not sure if he should.

His face was turning red from biting his lips so hard that he forgot to breathe. 

"You breathing?"

He shook his head, scared that if he spoke, he would spill out his secret.

"So, is it a girl?"

All of a sudden, he started coughing profusely, saying, "I-i got to go!" He let out while dying in his shoulder.

He lifted you up, plopped you away from the door, and quickly rushed to put on his shoes.

 You grabbed him by his shirt, making him stop what he was doing. "Takeo, wait."

He looked at you, his face still full of sweat, as he felt that you were going to interrogate him even more. "Y-yes" He managed to let out.

"Look, I get it. You have things you don’t want people to know, especially your family. But please, Takeo, remember that I’m your sister, your twin sister. I’m always here if you need me; I’ll never turn you away." You said it confidently, seeing if he'd fall for your words. You did mean what you said, of course, but this has been going on for too long for you to not pull out the ‘we are family’ card.

He gulped as he decided whether or not to tell you. "Y/N…"

"Yes!" You exclaimed, ears wide open.

"I…I.."

"Yes, Takeo?"

"I-I’ve got to go!" He said, getting out of the house. "But I promise, I promise, I’ll tell you soon. Very soon, Y/N!"

He left you dumbfounded—dumbfounded by the fact that even after you pulled out the irresistible card, he didn’t tell you.

Something smelled fishy, and you had to know!

You run up to Sunakawa’s house, which is just next door, just like Takeo would usually do. You barge into his room without knocking, surprising him since he expected Takeo and not you."Sunakawa! You have to tell me what’s going on with Takeo!"

He put down the book he was reading and let out a sigh. He promised Takeo he wouldn’t spill the beans and would let him tell her at his own pace, but this has been going on for too long. He’s been tortured for too long by dealing with his shtick. From being dragged along to a mixer to getting used like a kissing doll, he had enough of Takeo’s buffoonery.

"I can’t; I promised-"

"C’mon, you can’t leave me out of this." You pleaded, kneeling down in front of him as he sat in his desk chair. "I’m your best friend’s sister; I’m your only friend’s sister. You can’t tell me that doesn’t mean anything?"

He seemed slightly annoyed that you had to mention that he only had one friend. "Fine, but you can’t tell Takeo I told you."

You sat, legs crossed, in front of him, listening carefully to what he had to say. You and Sunakawa had a very weird relationship. You obviously knew him from childhood, but that didn’t exactly make you friends. It was more like acquaintances who've known each other for more than a decade. Well, I guess you two were more than acquaintances…

"So…?" You waited as he thought about whether or not he would tell you. But finally, he decided to tell you, after a long sigh of disappointment in himself for letting him cave to you. "He has a girlfriend."

"…" You shot up from where you sat and gasped very loudly, "Really!?"

You gripped his arms and shook him. "Does he really!?" You pulled him closer to your face, awaiting his answer. Eyes staring deeply into his, patiently awaiting his answer.

He gave out a small chuckle, laughing at your antics, and said, "Yes, really," and gently pushed away.

"Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to..." You apologized, realizing how you might have made him uncomfortable with just how close you were.

"No, it’s okay. But don’t forget. You did not hear this from me."

"Of course, I would never betray you."

"Sunakawa told me." You let out a sigh as you felt a glare behind you for betraying a promise.

All three stood in the living room as you confronted Takeo about his so-called girlfriend’.

Takeo shot a glare towards Sunakawa, who stood behind you, and as he did, he looked away, pretending not to notice his look.

He still doesn’t know why he told you because you clearly can’t keep a secret to save your life, just like your brother.

"Sorry, I couldn’t keep it in." You looked back at Sunakawa. "But you! You can’t keep this kind of secret from me!" You stated this disappointedly, turning back towards your brother.

"B-but Y/N, I didn’t know how you would react…"

"What do you mean?" You shrugged your shoulders, looking away, feeling slightly guilty.

"Remember that time when you fought a girl because she liked Suna over me?"

That wasn’t the only reason you fought her…

"Meh, I was six. You can’t blame me for sticking up for you. You were saying that you were in love with her. And she rejected you and went for your best friend. In my opinion, she deserved everything that came to her." You said that, proudly remembering that fight.

"And that time when you cursed at a girl because she said I was weird."

"Well… That was five years ago, when I was eleven. How can you blame me for standing up for you? That girl had no right to call you that; only I can." You confidently stated this, slowly starting to see where he was coming from when he said he didn’t know how you’d react.

He had a huge smile on his face when, suddenly, you got tackled into a bear hug. "Oh, Y/N. I love you so much. You’ll definitely be the first to meet Yamato!" Lifting you off your feet and swaying you left and right.

"Can’t…breath…" You mumbled, your life flashing before your eyes.

He freed you from his arms, letting you breathe. "Tomorrow! You’re going to meet her tomorrow!" he said, holding your hands and jumping up and down like a little kid. "I’ll go see her right now and tell her! She’ll be so excited!" He squealed, running off to go see his girlfriend.

"Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?" You turned around towards Sunakawa, who still looked disappointed at you for calling him out. "I’m so sorry. I promise I couldn’t keep it in; I just couldn’t lie to my brother. Could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

You walked closer to him, giving him puppy eyes. He took a step back as he was stunned by how close you were. "Y-yeah, of course."

"Good, cause I don’t want to have bad blood between us." You said this, relieved from the thought you may have upset him.

"Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect it. You’re a bad liar; I can’t really blame you." He insulted you casually, probably because of the earlier comment about him having no friends. "But I’m not sharing with you any more secrets; you can’t be trusted with that big mouth of yours."

He looked at you with a slight smirk. "Wha-? I wouldn’t go that far. I mean, bad liar, maybe. But not sharing with me your secrets? I’m offended." You smirked back.

"Offended?" He questioned, moving closer to you. "Sure, I’ll share with you a secret, but you can’t tell anyone." He leaned down at you and looked you straight in the eyes.

You started to sweat, nervously laughing as you avoided his eyes. ‘So close…’ you thought, your cheeks slowly turning red.

He opened his mouth and slowly whispered, "I’m going home."

He stood back up straight, a smirk still plastered on his face.

"What? Wait, that wasn’t even a secret-"

He walked toward the door, ready to leave. "Hey! I’m not finished." You ran up to him.

He turned around for the last time and smiled at you before leaving home for the apartment next door.

"Jerk" You murmured under your breath as he left.

[bubblegumrush]

A𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 R𝕒𝕚𝕟⌇𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫⌇𝙰𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖

You paced around for what seemed like hours, but in actuality it was 15 minutes. He left a couple of minutes ago, but you could still feel his presence. You could still feel his body inches away from yours, his breath trickling down your neck. You couldn’t shake away this feeling—a feeling that you’ll regret not acting upon. You had to go see him.

You grabbed your coat from the floor and rushed out of the apartment complex. He lived not far from you, approximately a 30-minute walk away. So, you made your way toward his apartment.

 Frozen by the cold of the summer night, you were almost there, your nose running and red from sniffling too much. You had 30 minutes to think things over on the way; you even made a speech when you saw him. Yet you forgot in an instant, when your mind wandered off, about the rain that suddenly started to pour from the sky. It was really a downpour; you were basically taking a shower in the rain. It definitely helped you sober up, as if you hadn’t already.

"Fuck," You cursed to yourself. "Just my luck."

You cursed strongly in your head; you couldn’t even see where you were going since the rain kept blocking your vision. Even if you blocked it with your arms on top of your head, you kept feeling the rain push down on you like heavy pebbles falling onto you.

All the things you did for him, and this is how he repays you. Even though it’s not his fault, it felt like his, so it is his. So, when you see him, you’ll beat the shit out of him for what he’s done. You can't let that guy roam free without repaying his dues. But still, maybe you should head home, but you’d come so far that you’re basically closer to his apartment than yours. But what are you going to say to him? 

You felt so hopeless, you could just crawl into a hole and die. And that’s about what you did. You found shelter or some kind of roofing that shielded you from the rain. You held your knees and waited for the rain to stop. You held the tears in your eyes from coming out, you just couldn’t cry right now, not like this…

You sat there, waiting for it to clear out so you could go see him…or not, but when it did stop, you were already sound asleep…

 "Wasn’t the new student supposed to show up yesterday?" Nagisa inquired, talking to Kaede and Karma. 

Karma shrugged his shoulder as Kaeda gave out information she ‘overheard’ from the teachers’ lounge: "I heard she always skipped classes and only went to class when there was an exam. They said that they couldn’t suspend her since she was never at school to begin with, but she passed all her exams with flying colors, so they couldn’t make her redo her year. So, as punishment, they sent her to class 3-E..."

"Wow, Kaede, you know a lot." 

"Hehe, that’s nothing. I heard a lot more, like how she-" Kaede continued until she was cut off by Nakamura.

"Eh, eh, what are we talking about here? Gossip I hear; gossip I want." She plopped a chair next to Kaede, wanting more of the information. 

"It isn’t gossip; I was just telling Nagisa and Karma about Y/N-" Before she could finished her sentence, she got cut off again by Koro-sensei entering the room. 

"Now, now, everybody, go to your places. Class is starting and I have a very special announcement for you all-"

"Is it the new student?" Muramatsu commented.

"Yeah, weren’t they supposed to show up yesterday." Terasaka stated, waiting for this to be over as he couldn’t care less. 

"Haha…yes, yesterday. But do not worry; she is here today! I would like you to give a warm welcome to our new student, Y/N L/N." 

The room became silent as everybody stared at the classroom door, patiently waiting for someone to enter.

When suddenly a voice spoke up from behind the class, 

"Sensei, when will the exam start?" a monotone voice spoke, 

Everybody turned towards the back, and all thought in unison, "When did she get here!?" 

You sat back, waiting for the exam so you could go home and move on with today.

You had walked in through the back doors of the classroom with no one noticing you, except for one person.

He looked at you with a nonchalant face, following you with his eyes. You caught his stare and gave him a small wave of acknowledgment of his presence, and he gave a simple head nod back to you.

"Ah, miss Y/N, I see you’re here already! Unfortunately, there’s no exam today; it was just a lie to get you to show up today." 

"Koro-sensei lying, so typical." Nakamura commented. 

You stood up from your desk and said, "Then, if you’ll excuse me." You walked towards the door until, suddenly, Koro-sensei appeared as if he had teleported in front of you. which spooked you a little, making you step back a bit.

"Now, now, why so hasty? We still have a full day ahead of us; why not join the class and learn a little bit more about your classmates? I heard through the grapevine that you’ve been a bad student and haven’t shown up to class for the whole semester. So, let’s change that. What do you say?" He looked down at you as your gaze wandered over the classroom, looking at everyone’s facial expressions, until you landed on his.

 On his face, you could see what he was communicating to you. ‘Bet, you can’t even do that’ was what you had deciphered.

"Fine, I’ll stay." You plopped back down on your seat, for once not doing an exam but actually attending a lecture. 

 When Koro-sensei started to spew some nonsense in front of the class, you turned your gaze towards him, who was busy making paper airplanes on his desk. ‘What an idiot’ you thought.

"You’re thinking what an idiot I am right now, aren’t you?" He said to you, his eyes not leaving his airplane. 

"How-"

"I could read you like a book with that expression." He stated, readying to throw his airplane.

"You shouldn’t throw that." You advised him, somehow knowing he would do it anyway.

"Bet."

He threw his airplane towards the front, landing it on some guy’s desk. He didn’t seem to be bothered by it, as if it were a recurring thing.

"See?" he said, making fun of you. 

"Whatever, weirdo." You said, turning away from him and slowly dozing off to a lecture you already knew everything about…

 “What an idiot.” A sultry voice said quietly. 

You suddenly got woken up by the sound of a kettle being boiled. You shoot up straight from a laying position, hitting somebody’s head in the process. 

“Ow...” You rubbed your head, looking up to see who it was. “Karma...?”

“Shit, why do you have to have such a hard ass head.” He complained, rubbing his forehead.

“Karma!” you said again but more surprised, after hearing him talk. 

“Yes, yes, that’s me. Thanks for reminding me my name.” He ushered you down, recovering you with the blanket.

But you still haven’t forgotten about earlier, so you threw the blanket off ready to fight him. Well, maybe not fight but argue it off. 

“Woah, woah, calm down Princess. If you want to fight me, you can fight me later, though I doubt you can, but for now you need to rest. Who knows how long you’ve been in the rain.” He ushered you back into the warmth of the blankets he provided and wandered off to the kitchen. 

 “You’re an idiot.” He stated, as you slowly blew away the steam from the hot tea in your hands.

“You’re one to talk.” You retorted back at him, sipping your tea.

“I mean, I didn’t go waltzing outside while there was a downpour. You did, so you’re an idiot.” 

“I did not just waltz into the rain, when I went outside it wasn’t raining might I clarify.”

“Still, who dozes off in the middle of a street?”

“Me. Because I do whatever I want.”

“And you’re not an idiot?”

“No.”

“No? Nothing else? Out of arguments?” he mocked at you. 

"Well…you’re an idiot…" You chugged down the tea and loudly hammered it on the coffee table before exclaiming loudly, "Well, you’re an idiot for leaving me after what you said!" you shouted loudly and angrily. "No. More like a huge cow."

 "Do you mean coward?" he said, enthralled with your little speech.

 "No…I meant cow…You didn’t let me finish; I was about to say coward, but you cut me off!" You got embarrassed but didn’t back down from your claims.

 "Sure, go ahead, finish your discourse."

 "Yeah…you better…" you said, forgetting your train of thought. "Ugh, whatever. You made me forget what I was going to say."

 You stood up and threw the blankets away, ready to head home, not wanting to get humiliate any further.

 "So, that’s what you sacrificed your body in the rain for? To lecture me?" He followed you, arms crossed, as if he were waiting for more to come.

 "No, but you wouldn’t care anyway. You haven’t been given a fuck since day one, so why should I continue." You turned around toward him, teary-eyed. "You don’t take this seriously, and it feels like my sacrifices are for nothing. I know how you are, but right now I don’t want the ‘you’ you’re usually at. I want the Karma that stops fucking around because it’s serious. I’m serious."

 A tear rolled down your cheek as you sniffled.

 He let out a long sigh, grasping what you’d said. He cupped your cheek, wiping off your tear with his thumb. "Only an idiot would make a girl cry. Ha-ha I guess that idiot is me…" He said not knowing how to comfort you. Which led you to laugh, but laughing only made more tears fall out of your eyes.

 "Don’t cry." He used his shirt to clean up all the tears that had fallen from your eyes. "You’ll get swollen eyes, and then you’ll look like a pufferfish when it’s all puffed up in the morning." He laughed softly, puffing his cheeks like a pufferfish. 

 Which won a giggle out of your mouth, but you immediately stopped after remembering you were supposed to be mad.

 "Hehe," He chuckled at your facial expressions, "But in all seriousness, Y/N. I admit I’ve been an idiot." He raised his hands to show that he surrendered. "I’ve committed a great crime. And that, well, that was by making you cry…I’m truly sorry. I plead guilty, guilty of the atrocious crime I’ve committed." He said it in a joking tone. "But am I truly guilty for being in…love?" He inquired, looking away for a moment, a little blush spread across his cheeks. 

 "Stop being so poetic... it’s…I-it’s annoying." You started blushing, hiding your face in your palms.

 "But it’s working, no?" He smirked down at you and said, "Now, now, quite hiding that pretty face behind those hands."

 He grabbed your hands away from your face and cupped your chin, slowly lifting it up. When he saw your face all flushed, he couldn’t help but smile and think, ‘How cute.’

You felt so stared at that a hole could’ve been grated onto your forehead by how deeply he stared at you. "U-um, Karma?"

"What." He said it nonchalantly, not even flinching. "You’re just so pretty, I can’t help but stare."

Your face turned bright red; you might as well have become a tomato at that point. You felt so embarrassed you had to hide your face somehow, and the next thing you knew, you gripped him in a tight bear hug, face planted in his chest.

Your height barely reached his shoulders, but you could still smell the cologne on him; it was like heaven in his arms.

"Hehe, I doubt you’re confrontable like that." He tried pushing you softly away.

"No, I don't want to leave you like this. I want to stay like this forever…I don’t want to leave you, ever." You mumbled into his shirt.

He blushed slightly, covering his cheeks with his arms. "Geez, and you say I’m corny."

He finally gave in and hugged you back. Resting his head on yours. You guys stayed like that for a long time…maybe a little bit too long.

[bubblegumrush]

A𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 H𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤⌇𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫⌇𝙰𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖

In the old, decrepit building, which once belonged to Class 3-E, the sun shone through the cracked windows with a small gust of wind creaking through. In this class, we could find the faded spirits of the former students of the famous group 3-E. Here on this hill, you found yourself a few feet away from the old building. Overwhelmed by the memories of the past, you hear your comrades, who had come back to clean the cabin, shouting your name from a distance.

"Y/N, save me!" Kaede screamed, hiding behind you as Okajima ran after her with a hose. She blocked herself by pushing you in front of you, thus getting you sprayed in the process. "Ha, that’s what you get for showing up late." Okajima mocked you. 

You shot death glares at him before balling up your hands into a fist and getting yourself ready to pounce on his head. "Ow!" He yelled loudly, kneeling on the ground and covering his head. "And that’s what you get for spraying me." You mocked him the same way he mocked you. "Jerk, I have a meeting after this. So, this better dry up in an hour." You glared at him threateningly. He gave an apologetic look and waved his hand for mercy.

 "A meeting? Are you sure you’re not too busy?" Yada asked, "No, no. It’s perfectly fine. Plus, I can’t miss out on visiting this place again. It’s been so long." You looked around to see the building, clean and shining. "Yeah, agreed. We’ve all become so busy, so it’s nice to reunite once again. Sadly, not all of us could make it but I’m glad you could, Y/N.” Isogai looked at you with a soft smile, “Now, let’s finish up inside. Y/N, you should join us; we could use an extra pair of hands." He suggested and you happily accepted.

You walked in the corridor of your old school; each step creaked louder than the previous. You peeked your head into the old teacher’s lounge and found Kaede cleaning by herself.

"Hey," You walked in quietly, making sure not to scare her. "Need any help?" She smiled widely and handed you a soaped cloth. "It’s been so long since we last talked; how’s life?" She asked you, "Ever since you became a lawyer, we rarely got to see each other. I got kind of scared that you forgot all about me. You must be really busy." She chuckled at the end, looking over at you. 

"You’re one to talk, releasing movies after movies like it’s no big deal. You seem so busy; I feel like you forgot about me." You both laughed, as your laughter echoed throughout the room. "But in all seriousness, work's been killing me. I have never dealt with such a pain in my ass. What’s more, I’m not even getting paid to suffer through his bullshit. This ‘supposed’ meeting he planned this afternoon, that I have to leave in an hour or two, he probably won’t even show up." You sighed angrily, rubbing the desk harder as you ranted about your frustration.

"Hehe, poor Y/N. Why don’t you just get a new client? I heard you have pretty big clients, and I’m sure you’ll be able to get a much bigger one and get paid way better than what that jerk is paying you." Kaede suggested.

"Easier said than done. Plus, it’s not about the money; I’m actually doing really well financially. Besides, I’m stuck.. with that jerk…"

You let out a long sigh before dipping your dirty cloth in soap and warm water. "Who’s your client anyway? There’s no way they can treat you that way." She inquired.

"…" A long silence filled the room as you searched in your head for some plausible white lie you could tell her. "Nobody of notable name…" You replied after letting a long silence fill in every creek in your conversation. She looked into your eyes, reading your face like an open book. You avoid her glare, feeling like she's found out a big secret of yours. 

"No… Don’t tell me it's..."

Once again, the sound of quietness took over the lounge as she stared deeply into your eyes, knowing exactly which guy you were talking about.

"It’s Karma…" You revealed it in a hushed tone before she said anything.

Big surprise, not really. You were Karma’s assistant—well, assistant is a little far-fetched, but you were basically his to control... sounds bad but it’s actually not that bad. After being tricked into being his lawyer, all his dirty work became yours, and you were essentially being exploited for his needs since he wasn't paying you. You weren't doing charity work, of course, since he promised to pay you when he finished his work, which is in an indefinite amount of time. But it's not like you needed the money; you were well off for having big clients, so money wasn't a problem. Although doing his work and being constantly condescended by his egotism didn't help the fact that you were basically his slave... so, on second thought it is bad...

You could see her eyes fill with disappointment. "Y/N, really? Karma?" she questioned. "I thought you were over him?"

"I am, honest. But he and I are still friends, and I couldn’t refuse him; who could refuse a friend?"

"Liar, I know you’re doing this because you’re still into him. I can see it in your eyes." She pointed at you, accusing you of lying. "Honestly, Y/N, just get it over with." She sighed, crossed her arms, and shook her head in disappointment.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you guys always had this tension between you guys; it’s obvious you guys have a spark. So, why not just hook up and see where it leads you? I don’t see what’s holding you two back."

"HUH?"

"Stop ‘huh’-ing me; you know what I’m saying, you just won’t admit it."

"Sorry, I thought you were going in a disapproving direction. Didn’t think you’d be saying that." You shook your head in confusion.

"I don’t see what’s the problem; you guys definitely kept in touch after all those years, and he chose you as his lawyer, meaning he definitely wants you around. Plus, you kept being his lawyer after—who knows what he makes you do? This is definitely a commitment from both sides. So, what’s missing is a hookup, and BAM, I’ll be patiently waiting for a wedding invitation in the upcoming months." She smiled devilishly at the last remark.

"Hold your horses; I doubt this is anything like what you’re thinking of. He and I are work buddies; we have a purely work relationship. My feelings for him are one-sided. The only interactions between us are the emails we send about work, boring ass conversations and his endless pranks. So, sorry to crash on your wedding hopes, but there isn’t going to be one." You grunted, leaping into a chair demonstrating how you’ve given up chasing after him.

Kaede sighed loudly: "You guys are complicated; you’re clearly chasing after the wrong guy. And knowing Karma, he probably already knows about your thing for him. So, what I suggest is that you ditch this meeting and let’s go get some drinks. He can do the documents or whatever you planned on doing alone; he’s not a baby. And we, the girls who haven’t hung out in a while, can go have fun and let loose. I've been waiting for a day like this; being on movie sets gets irritating after a while."

She grabbed your hands, pulled you closer, and gave you puppy eyes. She also wore a devilish smile, but all in all, her idea wasn’t so bad. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you stayed with Karma for the chance of something happening between you too, but clearly you had the wrong idea. You’ve known for a while that he knows about your crush on him, but he still hasn’t made a move. So, it clearly means he isn’t interested. Besides, he can handle the work himself; he doesn’t need you on his ass to fill out those documents. "Sure, one beer, though. I can’t get wasted; tomorrow I have an actual meeting with a prominent client."

"Yeah, yeah." Kaede agreed, knowing full well you were going to have more than one beer.

 Six beers later, you were fully wasted. Though not as much as Kaede, you were wasted. With the little soberness you had inside of you, you called a cab for Kaede and you, making sure she got home safely before you went home. During the car ride towards her house, your mind cleared up a little, but as soon as you got up and stood up, the dizziness came back. You carried Kaede on your back to her apartment before leaving with a clear mind that she was safe and sound asleep in her bed.

When it came time to head home, everything just seemed to go by so fast that you could only remember crashing on your couch and falling asleep.

The door gently opened; somebody clearly forgot to lock the front door. Footsteps moved closer and closer to a resting body before kneeling in front of it. Resting his body against the couch and sitting down on the floor, he looked at her peaceful face while she slept, mouth wide open. He pinched her nose, closed her mouth, and waited.

You gasped for air, waking up in an instant. The blood rushed through your head, causing you to have a headache. "Fuck. What’s wrong with you?" You looked frustratedly to your left, knowing exactly who it was.

"You’re one to talk; who lets their front door unlocked? And since you didn’t show up to today’s meeting, I thought you got killed or something. Turns out you’re fucking wasted." He explained furiously, furrowing his eyebrows.

"And...what the fuck do you want? I have the right to be wasted and to be wasted whenever I want, like you have the right to be a bitch and to be one whenever you want. Have you heard of the word freedom? Clearly not, plus you’re trespassing in my house. I have the right to call the cops on you. Get your ass pulled into jail. That’d be a funny news story and a nice image to have for myself." You started spewing a bunch of nonsense, clearly slowly sobering up but still as drunk as before you fell asleep. "Plus, why are you on my ass all the time? It’s not like I’m going anywhere. You've got me so fucking obsessed that leaving now would be a fucking waste."

"Obsessed?" He questioned you, still sitting in front of you, while you yelled at him.

Oops, slip of the tongue. 

"Pfft, stop acting dumb. You know fully well what I’m obsessed over; I’ve been for years. Ugh, years…" 

Why can’t I stop yapping...

You looked at him in the darkness that was your living room. The small light that beamed through your silk curtains lit the room slightly. You saw his dimmed face; you saw his eyes, his ears, his brows, and his lips. You were obsessed with him.

"I’m obsessed with you…" 

Fuck. 

Silence dominated the room, and as soon as five seconds passed, you felt yourself sober up in an instant from what you just said. You sprung up quickly and left towards the kitchen, not looking back or wanting to look at him at all. You filled yourself a cup of water and gulped it down as if you'd been dehydrated for days. With a sober-ish mind, you hit yourself mentally for absolutely embarrassing yourself.

You weren't aware of him creeping up behind you when he said, "Y/N," turning you towards him. Tightly grabbing your waist, he pulled you closer as he loomed over you. "Stay."

You chuckled awkwardly, confused about what he was doing. "Hehe… It’s not like I can go anywhere..."

He rested his head on yours since he was obviously taller, while you tried to glance up in an attempt to see his face. "Karma... Are you okay? You're not acting like your usual self."

He didn't respond, "Are you making fun of me? Cuz if you are, it's not funny. My feelings for you are genuine, and making a joke out of it isn't funny." You felt a sense of humiliation, he clearly was trying to do something to embarrass yourself.

He still didn't respond, but he moved closer. Slowly raising his right hand to cup your cheek as he approached your face. He raised your chin to look into your eyes. The longer you stared intensely into his eyes, the faster you could feel your heart beat.

Suddenly, he burst into laughter, hugging you tightly in his arms and rubbing your head, frizzing up your hair.

Your heart began to break as soon as you heard him laugh, as you knew it was all a joke to him. You felt your blood start to boil, so you pushed him off angrily and kneed him right where it would hurt.

"Fuck, Y/N. What's wrong with you? I didn't mean to laugh at-"

"You think I'm a joke to you. I am, aren't I? A big fucking joke to fuck around with." You cut him off furiously. You felt your heart shatter after you had opened it up for him. You were about to knee him again but got stopped midway through.

"Hey, stop it." He angrily grabbed your thigh, so you couldn't knee him anymore. "Will you calm down and listen to what I have to say?"

You calmed down and listened, though with very little patience. "Fine." 

He released you from his grip and prompted himself on the kitchen island. He let out a long sigh before chuckling to himself. 

"Jeez, you are crazy." He looked at you with a smirk, making you turn your head in frustration. "Guess I have to make it even know." He stood up and walked closer to you.

"As you have embarrassed yourself, I guess it's only fair to you if I embarrass myself by telling you this." He paused for a second before looking straight into your eyes.

"Y/N, I'm in love with you."

"…" 

"You are…?"

He burst into a fit of laughter, completely dumbfounded by what you said. "Is it that hard to believe? I guess you’ve never had this charming of a guy fall for you, have you?" He grinned at you, his ego showing.

"How do I know if you’re telling the truth? How do I know you’re not lying to me right now?"

You squeezed your fists tightly, looking down at the floor and feeling angry with yourself.

"Y/N," he called out your name, knowing you were off in your head. "Listen, maybe there is no way for me to prove it; maybe there is. But right now, I’m telling you the truth and nothing but the truth. I know I’m not the kind of guy to say things like this, but for you, I’ll say them." Slowly, he moved closer and closer to you, his body inches away from yours.

"I love you; I have since the day I’ve known you. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again." He leaned closer, lowering his head slowly towards yours. The tension between you could be cut with a knife. You felt your heartbeat get faster and faster as your hands became moist.

"Karma, I-"

He suddenly stood up and straightened himself up, passing his hand through his hair and loudly sighing. "It’s getting late; I probably should head back. You should get some rest; you look like you need it."

And then he left. Without looking back or saying goodbye, he left.