A/N: Before October 10th. Let me know if it sucks.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.


Minako sat solemnly at the front steps of the dorm, with Shinjiro accompanying her. Reluctantly. She gazed at his black beanie curiously before noticing the frown embedded on his face. He must have noticed her staring.

"What are you looking at?" He said, almost growling.

"Your beanie."

"Anything else?"

"Your face."

She stopped herself from smiling upon seeing him blush.

"…Idiot."

What she liked most about her senpai was the fact that he tried his hardest to act tough, even though he was painfully soft inside. The brunette was well aware of the fact that he merely had an outer shell which, with a little push, could be broken to reveal his true self.

Tearing her gaze away from his, she fiddled with her shoes, letting her chin rest on her knees.

It was nearing October, and a sense of foreboding urged her to call him out during this time of the night, where they could talk without being surrounded by listening ears. He had seemed so mysterious, so distant during their last talk, where he mostly listened to her rambling about useless things. He laughed a lot back then too, to the others' surprise, but his laugh seemed… lonely. Even when he held her so close to his chest that time, she couldn't get rid of the frightening feeling that he was preparing for a moment when he was about to leave her behind.

"So," he began, shattering the silence between them. "Why did you call me out here in the middle of—"

"I love you."

He gagged. "Wh…what?"

"I love you," she said, a little louder this time.

Minako watched as his shoulders stiffened, his eyes widening in shock. A couple of fingers moved up to pull his beanie down, concealing his bashful expression. He looked away, but she leaned forward to not lose sight of his face.

Gazing at him expectantly, she huffed. "You know that, right?"

"Tch." He released an annoyed grunt, but the delight couldn't be hidden from his voice. "Yeah."

The girl stood up, taking hurried steps in front of him and looking down to meet his confused gaze. Determination was clear in her crimson hues, yet something else accompanied them. An emotion she didn't want to admit.

Fear.

"You have to promise me that you'll love me, too. Forever."

He blinked. "What the… I can't make promises that I'm not sure I can keep."

That was a frightening thought. With him, nothing was certain, but she felt so safe when he was around that it was scary to think of a life without him. He was so hard to catch. And just when she'd thought that her hand had curled around him, he would slip away, just like that.

She did her best not to let her voice tremble.

"Promise me."

His gaze bore right through her. She could tell that he was having a hard time reading her thoughts.

He glared.

She held her ground.

Then he sighed.

"Okay. You win. I promise."

A smile betrayed her face. "Forever?"

"Forever. Now come here."

Abruptly, he stood up and pulled her into a hug, his arms tracing the spine of her back. Minako could feel him, could feel his heart beating against his chest.

She laughed as Shinjiro muttered, his breath against her neck. Despite not being able to see his face, she knew that he wore an expression with a semblance to embarrassment.

"Idiot."

With this, he was bound to her, right? They were tied together by this simple promise, and she wanted to believe that nothing could break the chain that linked them together.

So, even if one of them were to leave, they couldn't leave completely.