#goty i believe nintendo popped off w this one

[saetoshi]

“i want you to like me.”

you absentmindedly hum, flipping a page of your book. sae frowns, crossing his arms on the table. he sighs, hoping to get your attention.

it fails.

so, he sighs again, a little louder, a little deeper, and, maybe, just a little annoying. he bites back a frustrated groan when you don’t even bat an eye in concern.

he calls out your name, pouting. “don’t ignore me.”

“mhm,” your eyes widen slightly as you lean closer to your book. a hushed gasp leaves your lips, the corners of your lips quirking up into a smile as you read.

sae sighs again, resting his head on his arms, his cheeks flushed as he gazes at you. he supposes that’s the one good thing that comes with you ignoring him.

“i really want you to like me,” he says, his words hushed. a hint of a smile curls the corners of his lips up, an amused glint in his eyes as you don’t react to his words.

a dry chuckle leaves his lips before he tsks, shaking his head. “i hate you,” he mutters. (he doesn’t mean it. not anymore, at least.)

he hides his mouth behind his arms—a futile attempt at hiding the smile that you clearly won’t see anyway.

(he thinks he must seem pathetic.)

the corners of his eyes crinkle when he sees your expression shift from joy to shock. he thinks your book’s probably interesting. (not as interesting as you, though. he’s becoming cheesy.)

(he thinks it’s disgusting.)

“i like you,” he whispers, his words muffled by his sweater. his heart drums on his chest, butterflies erupting in stomach as you try to bite back a smile. (he wishes you were paying attention to him.)

a few beats of silence go by. sae sighs, the sound oddly dreamy before he chuckles when your brows furrow. he smiles, leaning up before gently pressing his finger between your brows. his smile widens when you finally look at him.

“something interesting happen in your book?” he smiles, his voice teasing.

you don’t say anything, but your slightly frustrated expression tells him all he needs to know.

“wanna tell me about it?” he chuckles when you swat his hand away. he laughs harder when you give him a dirty look.

“you wouldn’t understand,” you mutter, frowning at him. he can tell you’re angry he interrupted you. (he concludes you’re even prettier when you’re mad at him.)

(he thinks he might be ill.)

“says who?” he sticks his tongue out at you. the corners of his lips turn up in amusement when you stick your tongue out in return.

“says me,” you huff, flicking his nose. (he really wants to grab your hand and shower it with kisses.)

(he’s most certainly ill, he thinks.)

i like you, he thinks, his eyes locked onto yours. he smiles when you tsk, turning your attention back to your book.

sae calls out your name once more, “shouldn’t you take a break? don’t you think it’s better to read a book over several days?”

“shouldn’t you mind your business?” you shoot back, giving him a glare from behind your book, “don’t you think it’s better to shut up and not be a bother for once?”

he snickers, his ears flushing when he hears the small smile in your tone despite the harsh words. sae’s laughter slowly stops, his arms crossing on the table once more.

he softly sighs, resting his head against his arms as he looks at you. his cheeks flush when he sees your focused expression once more, a smile growing on his lips when you glance at him before looking back at your book.

he really, really likes you, he concludes.

(he thinks it might not be such a bad thing.)