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12 Games: Shinichi and Ran Game # 8 - Secret Rating: T Summary: How long can they keep up? How long until they give in?

(Read here or in FFN ! Link provided.)

It wasn’t that they were purposely avoiding the topic of their relationship.

First of all, and to be absolutely clear, there was no relationship to speak of. They were as casual as could be, the typical standout beauty and brains, coexisting with the mortals in class. But everyone in the room thought they looked good together, and it came as a shock when one blessed soul mustered the courage to ask, “Are you two secretly dating?”

Shinchi blinked once, Ran looked at Shinichi, Shinichi looked at Ran, both looked at the classmate.

“No we’re not,” they said in unison, in a manner that sounded like they were actually secretly dating.

“You’ll make beautiful babies really,” the blessed soul blushed. Shinichi’s eye twitched. Ran nearly choked. Both could hear Sonoko’s laughter in the distance.

To be asked that question was crazy, to hear that follow-up was even crazier, because not only did it plant strange seeds in their heads - they were good friends, damnit - but constant and collective affirmation by people around had made them pause and think and wonder, really wonder, whenever they’d lend the other a pen or space out at lunch break or lie alone in bed at night, even for just a split second, whether as just a joke, what it would be like to bond, to date, or–god forbid–to hook up.

Which they hadn’t done, of course. All silly thoughts stayed in the head. Perhaps the farthest they’d gone physically was that extra two-second fingertip graze during the baton pass at the sports festival. The touch lingered a bit, and Shinichi wasn’t exactly sure if the burning sensation up his skin was due to the scorching heat of summer or something else as he watched Ran's back, sun kissed and sweaty, ponytailed hair flowing gloriously with the wind as she sprinted to the finish line.

They did hang a couple of times since then, left in the lab after school for research. Contrary to what others may imagine, all interactions were in fact, wholesome. In empty classrooms they learned a lot about each other – her favorite color, his favorite food. The way she’d touch her chin before selecting strawberry yogurt from the vending machine. The way he’d crinkle his eyes when reading texts from the bulletin board like he needed a pair of glasses. All sorts of trivial matters only a few knew about because nobody would dare hang around popular kids unless they were themselves popular. A misconception the rest of their classmates should learn to shake off.

Because the thing was, whether or not the other held such stature, it had nothing to do with why his heart did weird somersaults on the day she started addressing him by his first name. It was silly, it happened after a successful English report and he found himself fighting the urge to ask 'it isn't just me, is it?' in front of the whole class like a desperate sadboy loser. The same way it wouldn’t alter the words scribbled behind her notebook - her full name beside a heart beside his full name beside a question mark, under jagged loops of erasures caused by an approaching threat that was Sonoko.

There was no relationship to speak of. Not even situationship. But definitely there was something that had become impossible to ignore. And if it weren’t for that godforsaken question still lingering in their minds a month after it had been asked, they wouldn’t allow themselves to be put into this awkward position.

Maybe the best way to let the telltale fire die down was to be firm in the belief there was none to begin with. So they wouldn't talk about it. Wouldn't dwell on it.

If it was just them, they could survive this easily. But there was one major factor to take into account. The setting.

For what was high school if not absolute lack of privacy and the inane need of youngins to be informed of one another’s lovelife?

“I guess our friendship means nothing to you now huh, Kudou-kun.”

Shinichi glanced up and back at his phone, merely giving a light snort to Nakamichi who sat opposite him, back on the blackboard. After seconds of his classmate’s unrelenting stare of death despite Shinichi’s obvious nonchalance, he decided to address the lad, albeit begrudgingly. “What’s it this time, Nakamichi.”

“Suzuki-san said she saw you and Mouri-san walking home together yesterday. As expected, getting the girls waay before us.”

Shinichi sighed. “I told you. Our houses are in the same direction. It was nothing.”

“It rained and she said you shared an umbrella.”

“She left hers at home. Were you expecting me to let her get soaked while I hog the umbrella?”

“Nah actually, was expecting you to give her the umbrella and you dash under the rain, dude.”

“She wouldn’t allow it. Ran isn’t that type to let such a situation happen.”

“Huh. Already at that level of familiari– wait, first name. You heard that, Aizawa?”

The classmate sitting diagonally across Shinichi nodded, invested in the ongoing conversation.

“Again. You all are misguided moro–”

“Guess brushing shoulders with Mouri-san and having his own seinen manga moment are just something he can do so freely now. I get it man. We all do. We’re jealous, man, but we’re happy for you, congratulations.”

“Guys, please–” Shinichi ran a hand over his face, “Quit it. Ra– Mouri-san and I have nothing going on. She can stare me down all day and we’ll both be chill. Take everything she does and everything she says like a classmate to a fellow classmate. Nothing more and nothing less. Believe me.”

Shinichi regretted making that remark instantly.

Because with eyes drilled to his phone, he could practically see the menacing expression exchanged between the two dudes in front of him. Talk about a non-existent fire. Just now, he believed he might have fueled something akin to a disaster.

It didn’t take long for the bad hunch to be validated as the next thing he heard was Nakamichi beckoning to someone across the room.

“Mouri-san! My bad. Are you doing something right now? Have time to spare before our next class?”

Ran, ever so courteous, acknowledged Nakamichi. A quick glance at the wall clock, before a friendly “sure, what is it?”, facing his direction. A mix of emotions stirred inside Shinichi. He especially felt sorry for Ran. More so for himself, because whatever the hell his friends were about to do, he knew they were up for the kill.

What was high school if not a bunch of teenage idiots and their countless attempts to embarrass their friends in front of the opposite sex just for something to talk about over SNS the same night?

“Our good friend here–” Nakamichi walked behind Shinichi and patted his shoulder, about to go on with a fake script, “There’s something off with him today, or not, maybe just his usual conceit, but in any case we need you to say magic words to him to bring him back to earth.”

‘I have no idea what he’s talking about.’ While Nakamichi droned on, Shinichi relayed his message to Ran through telepathic eye contact, as he often did. Easy to catch his worldless complaint, Ran fought back the smile that wrung her lips, acknowledging Shinichi’s honesty with a soft knowing blink.

Jesus, why did that gesture make his heart tumble for a second?

“Ten times and… Has to be me?” Ran pointed to herself, tone slightly surprised. Shinichi snapped back to reality and became aware of the way her eyes widened at Nakamichi, Shinichi having completely missed the latter’s words.

“Has to be you, yes.” Nakamichi replied gallantly.

“Has to be what?” Shinichi turned around to seek confirmation, only to be answered by Nakamichi’s sly grin.

“Yeah right, Kudou-kun. Pretend you didn’t hear what I just said.”

“I really didn–”

“I like you, Shinichi.”

As quick as lightning, Shinichi whipped his head back at Ran, who sat across her resolutely, eyes fixed on him. “Wh–”

“That’s the first! Wahaha nine to go!”

Almost everyone started gathering around their table by then. Nakamachi’s roastings were morphed out as Shinichi remained dumbfounded the entire time. All that was in his head was the ringing of Ran's words. Something like—

“I like you.”

He didn’t mishear, right? That was the second time. But despite this phrase uttered out of her lips, shouldn’t it have caused everyone to shut up like he was now, instead of creating a ruckus around the room? Was the world tripping with him right now?

Maybe it was, because in the haze of his senses he heard the girls squeal and Nakamichi declaring “That’s two already! Whoa, Mouri-san’s good!”, almost like a referee in a boxing match with Shinichi close to being K.O.’ed. And they were just at round two.

Immediately, his mind tried to digest the scenario: the stupid classmates horsing around five minutes ago, the blurred words of Nakamichi consisting of phrases ‘ten times’, ‘magic words’, ‘say it with a straight face’, ‘maintain eye contact’, ‘we tried but he kept winning’, Ran in front of him being a good sport acknowledging Nakamichi, Ran’s surprised gaze, Ran’s determined self as she said the sacred phrase twice without faltering… wearing her usual game face.

It didn’t take long to click. This was the game. This was a game.

The first ‘I like you’ made him want to float and disintegrate into particles. But that was the trap. He wanted to check his watch and glare at Nakamichi but surprisingly had the mind not to in fear of being called a loser. Great. Now he felt like he was indeed in high school. Had the game already started? Why did he suddenly become so competitive?

“I like you.”

She said so again, and at this point he was uncertain if he was being absorbed by the game or by his own delusion. He could hear his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, uncertain if caused by the thrill of the game or the actuality of hearing Ran say those three words, eight letters, to him.

“I like you.”

She was a natural, saying heartstopping lines meant to be told to a lover while looking him straight in the eyes. They weren’t lovers, maybe he wished they were, oh dear lord what was he thinking? What was she feeling?

“I like you.”

That phrase made him want to throw himself out the window to hide the gradually shifting colors of his cheeks, to loosen his tie to allow himself to breathe.

“I like you.”

It made him sweat on his palms, eyes unable to drag themselves away from hers because perhaps, there was no harm imagining that this could be real.

“I like you.”

It made him want to cave in and pull her close and kiss her senseless like they were meant to do that for ages. But before he could do that, of course, he must…

“I like you, I like you, I like y–”

“Marry me, Ran.”

The classroom went still.

And then, berserk.

Nakamichi may in fact be right. There was something wrong with Shinichi. On a normal day, his brain generally worked faster than his mouth. Not today, he supposed. He wanted to put a tape over it, having imagined himself in the headlines: high school boy slapped hard on the face for being too rash to ask a classmate’s hand in marriage. All because the concept of ‘like’ got him reeling. Let the collective yelps drown out her response, he’d rather not hear it. Whether it be a good or bad one, he’d die.

Stunned at Shinichi’s sudden declaration, both Shinichi and Ran remained unmoving as the rest of the class celebrated what seemed like a successful engagement. The game had ended, right? Would he even call it a game? How stupid. God forbid he had to repeat what just left his mouth nine more times–

“Might be more apt to ask again in ten years, don't you think?"

As much as they couldn't keep the excitement back, all became silent when Ran spoke. Her eyes were set on Shinichi, gentleness marking her features. The apple on her cheeks was pinker than ever, but she spoke with utmost sincerity, enough to make everyone in the room partly scared and partly curious. Had she started taking this seriously amidst the crazy childish chaos?

“I– huh. In ten years? No, I dunno, Ran, sorry I was– Um.”

A bumbling mess, Shinichi tried his best to swallow the lump down his throat and meet her eyes. It was for this exact reason that Shinichi held back for the longest time, aware of the risk of putting people on the spot. The risk of falling, and failing miserably. Yet, at that moment, deciding between taking everything back and succumbing to his yearning tore his teenage brain apart.

The ticking of the clock was so loud that it could drive one mad. Expectant eyes were all set on him and her. He knew, absolutely knew at this second he should stop prodding. Because the moment he spoke it into existence–

“Okay. If ten years is now, Ran – What will you say?”

“Yes, I think I will marry you.”

Everyone along with him died.

It was a mystery when the game started and when it culminated, who won and who lost, what their classmates chanted and screamed in the background. Even as the noise receded after their teacher came in class and students hustled to their desks, two pairs of eyes refused to break connection, subtle, secret, relenting only when the teacher started recapping yesterday’s Biology lesson.

All he could think about was how he’d actually, actually want to put a ring around that finger, ten years into the future.

(And perhaps, maybe, possibly, kiss her senseless, later.)

A/N: This one is inspired by the Aishiteru Game, Tama Craindre’s one-page comic, and an anon request. (Hi all. Yes, I am still alive. :D)

#AAAAAAAA #gosh truly what an unexpected treat honestly #sososo happy to see you back writing for these two #I really hope you know how much I love this series #they're the cuteeeest #🩷🩷🩷🩷

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