I was, for all intents and purposes, an idiot. This was a fact. As much as it pained me to admit it, I was useless when it came to things like this. It wasn't like I was experienced or anything, in fact it was clearly the opposite. So when those three little words were said… I panicked.

Nobody prepared me for anything like this, so what else was I supposed to say. The only word that I could get to form was, "Oh." So like an idiot, I stood there with a stupid expression on my face when he approached me out of nowhere and confessed his feelings to me.

"You don't have to say it if you don't wanna. I'm cool with keeping things the way they are now." Gamzee Makara, my best friend, shrugged as he removed the hand he had placed on my shoulder. "I just, well I thought I should be up front about how I felt and see where it goes."

My heart was beating in my chest, and I was fairly certain that my cheeks were bright red at this point. "Uh…" Being the awkward little shit that I am, I focused my gaze on my feet instead of looking the other in the eyes. "Gamzee… I…"

If I was to be completely honest, I'd say that I might feel the same way about him, but I was unable to find the words that I wanted. It didn't matter how hard I tried, or how much I wanted to say something… anything… I was left bewildered and speechless.

"Look, I understand if you don't like me like that Tavros. You can tell me." The slightly taller boy placed his hand back on my shoulder, causing me to flinch like an idiot. "If you need some time, then I am more than willing to give it to you."

This wasn't like Gamzee at all, he was never this… well nice. Sure, he wasn't an asshole, but he wasn't a sweet and kind person either. "I… L-…" The words still blatantly refused to come to my lips. Taking a much needed breath, I forced myself to look him in the eyes. "I feel…"

Why was I such an introverted idiot? Was it really that hard for me to say that I loved him too? I was probably making him feel like a moron for confessing to me… no, something like that wouldn't make Gamzee feel stupid. He was as straightforward as it came.

My thoughts were interrupted by a hand grasping at mine, gripping onto it tightly. When I was able to see clearly again, I saw the stupidest grin on Gamzee's face, he was such a dork sometimes. A cute dork, but he was still a dork.

Surprisingly, I didn't pull away from him. Instead my hand gripped his tighter, which I suppose he took as a sign that I might feel the same way he does. Even more heat rose in my cheeks as I felt his lips against them, kissing my cheek briefly before pulling away again. "You're so fucking cute. You know that?"

Again my heart felt as if it would burst through my chest at any moment. I'd never had a boyfriend before, which I assumed that was where this was going to go. Or was that too presumptuous of me? I wasn't sure. Though, what I was positive of was that I loved Gamzee, and I didn't want that feeling to go away… ever.

If I knew that I loved him, and that he loved me, then why was I so afraid to tell him that? It shouldn't be that hard right? It's just three simple words. I could say that… couldn't I? Yet, each and every time I tried, my heart caught in my throat and the words refused to make themselves known.

Thankfully, Gamzee didn't seem to mind, he simply gripped my hand tighter and placed the occasional kiss on my cheek while we stood in the hallway like a bunch of imbeciles.

School had been out for some time, with Gamzee confessing his feelings right as the last of the students made their way out of the building.

"So, what do you say we get out of here and go over to my place? There shouldn't be anyone there right now."

As usual, I was unable to say anything. With anything that my lips tried to speak coming out as an incoherent mumble. So, since my lips were refusing to work, I nodded and the two of us were out of the school and I was sitting in the passenger seat of his car in no time.

Gamzee was a few inches taller than I was though I was tanner, and his hair was longer than mine was. I had my hair styled in a mohawk with the sides of my head shaved and it was dark brown compared to his purple. It was an odd choice of hair color, but Gamzee insisted that it was natural, though I really never believed him.

We made it to his apartment soon enough, and Gamzee had parked and made his way over to my door to open it for me before I even got my seatbelt off. His hand reached out for mine, which I reluctantly took since I wasn't sure what his neighbors would think if they saw him holding hands with another guy. "Don't worry." He muttered, obviously having noticed my slight hesitation, "Nobody is gonna say shit. It's okay." Though he was apparently doing his best to reassure me, I couldn't help but hold onto my reservations.

The inside of his apartment was pretty much what I expected, a complete mess. He made his way into the kitchen after he told me to make myself at home. Still not feeling completely at ease, despite being alone in his apartment, I took a seat on the couch. "Uh… nice place you got here." This earned a small chuckled from my friend, "I… guess your roommate won't be back till later?"

"Nah, he is gonna chill at a friend's house so we have the place to ourselves." Gamzee replied, returning from the kitchen with a pair of canned soda. "Here." One of the cans was tossed at me as he placed himself next to me.

"Thanks."

"So, anything you wanna do?" I shook my head, Gamzee scooting closer to me.

If I said I was nervous, that would have been an understatement. However, that didn't stop me from thinking that this, being with Gamzee, was somehow right. He had been my best friend for almost seven years, and we did almost everything together. Though… I'd never been to his new apartment. For the most part, he was over at my place while we played video games, and just hung out.

I tensed up when he threw his arm around my shoulder, "If I'm making you uncomfortable, I can stop."

Was it really that obvious? Of course I was nervous; I'd already gone over that a thousand times in my head.

Taking a much needed breath, I leaned my head on his shoulder, his arm tightening its grip on me. I was beginning to loosen up, but I was still a long way away from being completely at ease. "Gamzee…?" I began, "I do… love you… too ya know…" Finally, the words came to my lips and didn't get stuck halfway this time. "I just… I'm not used to this… being with someone I mean…" I was forced to take a few breaths before I continued. "Not that I'm saying we are together… though I guess I just assumed…"

"You're rambling again." He chuckled, interrupting me. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. You can relax. It's only me after all."

Those words should have set my mind at ease, but I hadn't garnered that much confidence yet. "I know… maybe it's because it's you that I feel so dammed nervous."

"We can just take it slow, okay? We'll go at a pace that you're comfortable with." I nodded, closing my eyes a bit as I relaxed in his arms. "I am just so fucking relieved that you didn't shove me away and seclude yourself." His voice seemed less confident than it normally was, like he was genuinely afraid. "I didn't wanna lose you… or ruin our friendship because of my stupid feelings."

It was a relief to know that I wasn't the only one who was scared. "They aren't stupid. You can't help how you feel." Somehow, my confidence, or what there was of it anyway, had returned and I began to act like myself again. "I was just shocked I guess. I really didn't see it coming." My hand found its way to his, gripping it tightly as we lay on the couch.

"I love you." That was the last thing he said before he crashed his lips on mine, placing himself on top of me. It was like an electric current was surging through my cheeks. I never felt anything like it. Before I knew it, we were all over each other, the last of my reservations discarded. I was in love with my best friend, and I couldn't have been happier.