A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys! Things got a little busy, but I managed to get this out. And to address a comment, yeah, the timing does feel a little rushed. I originally planned for this to be a one-shot, but I ended up having too many ideas and scenarios to write down. Thank you so much for your nice reviews, they mean a lot! (Also, I apologize for any typos and errors-often I don't proofread since this is just recreational writing although I should probably get on that :P)
It's all for the plan, she repeated to herself over and over like a mantra. It's not real. It's all for the plan. Her heart should not be racing like she'd just sprinted five miles.
Nobody was watching, something in her nagged.
He's just joking around.
Is it really just a game?
Yes. Yes, yes, yes. He would never feel that way about you.
Not ever.
Nevertheless, she raised her fingertips to her forehead, replaying the sensation of his lips pressed against it.
...
GoGo froze in place, eyes glued to the Lucky Cat Café sign. She mulled over her choices-text Tadashi right now that she had an early class to get to and had to leave without him, or go ahead with their routine and act like nothing happened. The former was too suspicious; he would know something was up.
Here goes nothing. With a deep breath, she pushed open the doors to the café and walked in as usual, chewing her gum rapidly. She half-hoped he'd eaten a last something so they could ride the moped and have an excuse not to speak to each other, but as luck would have it, he was walking down the stairs with a casual grin on his face.
Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it really had meant nothing. She rolled her eyes, embarrassed at her own irrationality.
"Morning," he greeted, slipping his hand into hers. The forehead kiss flashed through her mind.
"Morning," she mumbled, popping her gum. As he led her outside, she waited for him to say something. I'm sorry about yesterday, I don't know what I was thinking, I want to quit this charade, but nothing came.
God. She was definitely way overthinking this. In two months this would be over and they could go their separate ways and never deal with hand-holding, forehead-kissing business again.
So what was that dread in her chest?
...
"Three months, huh?" Honey Lemon asked, braiding GoGo's hair. They were more like little braids sprouting all over her head, since her actual hair was too short. Honey tended to do this when her hands were idle and GoGo didn't care so long as she didn't yank anything out.
"And a half," GoGo added, but who was counting?
"I think that's a record."
GoGo shifted at the foot of Honey's bed, where the latter remained poised and intensely focused on braiding.
"You should really get a TV in your room or something," GoGo muttered.
"Don't change the subject! I told you the right person was out there. I mean, this is the longest since-"
"My longest was about a week, thanks." She popped a bubble.
"Oh, GoGo, you can't keep letting that bother you-"
"It doesn't. Lots of people aren't even interested in romance and they're just fine."
Honey Lemon hesitated. "But you're not one of those people."
She stopped chewing. "It just sucks, okay? Always being told they only like you as friends, but they could never... you know."
"Well..." Honey resumed her task, chipper and optimistic. "Well, you have Tadashi now! So you know that's not true!"
"Yeah," she mumbled. "Sure."
"You owe me big time for that blind date. Fourth time's the charm, huh?"
...
GoGo rested comfortably against Tadashi, arms wrapped around his stomach as they watched the blaring TV. Everyone had gathered at his apartment for movie night; Aunt Cass was in her own room watching her soap opera, and the rest of the gang was in the kitchen refilling snacks or drinks. That left the two of them.
Is this a joke? Is this part of the plan? GoGo asked herself, thinking of Tadashi's one arm draped around her, her body leaning on his. They hadn't budged since everyone else left the room, and she was wondering if he was too polite to just shrug her off.
"Nobody's here," she whispered. "Do you want to move?"
"I'm all right," he answered before pausing. "Oh. My bad. Do you want to?"
She shook her head. "They'll be back any minute now."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Look..."
Oh man, there it was.
"About the kiss... I..."
Oh God.
"I'm really, really sorry." He bit his lip. "I-I should've asked-no, I shouldn't have done it. I don't know what... I'm sorry."
Her head was spinning. Was she relieved? Disappointed? Annoyed? "Whatever," she finally answered. Dammit. "Part of the plan. I get it." Dammit, dammit, dammit.
"Right. That's it." He pressed his lips tightly.
Dammit. "Look, I really don't care that you kissed me, okay? It's all right." She averted his gaze. "It was nice."
"Oh." Tadashi's body relaxed, and GoGo could feel his breathing. Slow, steady. He laughed lightly. "Okay. Um, sorry I didn't ask the first time."
She frowned. "Nope."
"N-nope?"
"Apology not accepted."
"Aw, crap." Tadashi withdrew his arm and buried his face in his hand. "I'm so-I'll back off-"
Swiftly, she pressed her lips to his temple and drew back, cheeks burning. "Now your apology's accepted." She buried her face his chest and felt his arm slowly curl back around her.
"Unbelievable." He was chuckling as he said it.
...
Kisses soon followed each "Morning," and preceded every departure. Honey Lemon nearly fainted with delight, and GoGo swore she heard Wasabi whisper, "How did we not notice that before?" the first time. Soon enough it became a competition of who would land the first kiss-GoGo knew she was the fastest, but half the time she let Tadashi win. Just because it felt nice.
Really nice. She always wound up wishing he would linger. Her hand always felt at home in his as he asked her about herself, how her day was, what did she have for lunch. Mostly she liked listening about his own life-his family, his cat, his project.
"Were you always a San Fransokyo Ninjas fan?" she asked. The group had another outing at the shopping district and Wasabi was desperately keeping Fred from knocking over any of the displays.
"Well, I didn't start paying attention to them until after my brother bought me the hat," Tadashi answered.
"Huh. No kidding." Another bubble pop.
"You have any favorite teams? I figure you might be into races or whatever."
"I wonder what ever gave you the idea." When he laughed, she just rolled her eyes again. "I like auto races."
"I'm just saying, it'd be totally radical if we saved the city from bombs wired into the alarm clocks-" Fred was saying.
"The city would most certainly not be safe in your hands," Wasabi interjected.
Tadashi coughed. "Um, you know... Why don't we hang out sometime? Just the two of us."
"A fake date?" GoGo asked.
"No, not a fake date. Like a real d-hangout. Real hangout. Not, uh, date, if you're not..."
"Why?"
He flushed. "I mean... We could use a break. Instead of just putting on a show for everyone like usual."
Oh. Of course. He was probably tired of holding hands all the time. Still, he did want to hang out, just the two of them. "That sounds... cool."
...
Tadashi's idea of a date (hangout, GoGo reminded herself) was a ramen restaurant. It wasn't one of those ostentatious restaurants their friends went to, jam-packed with tourists and admirers of "exotic" foods. This one was relatively tiny, likely family-owned, and the customers consisted of elderly Asian folk and a few families scattered across little tables hushing their children in another language. A middle-aged lady impatiently beckoned and seated them in a more private corner and laid the menus down. A large bowl's price was meager compared to the exorbitant price of a mere sushi plate at the tourist-y restaurants.
"To be honest, I like it here a lot better," Tadashi admitted sheepishly, "but everyone else in our group seems to like the bigger restaurants, so I haven't really gone since college started."
"I went to places like these with my family all the time," GoGo murmured, studying the menu. "I haven't been back in a while either."
He smiled half-heartedly. "My parents brought Hiro and me, but never Aunt Cass. I never came back until I was sixteen."
The waitress returned to take their orders. Tadashi had chicken udon, GoGo had the spiciest ramen on the menu. The first sip hit her with a wave of nostalgia. Her family driving to little restaurants on the weekends, challenges over who could handle the spiciest dishes longest, being scolded for eating too little or not enough. There was something about the taste of the hot broth and the noodles whipping at her chin; the spice made it feel alive, but mostly it felt like home.
"Why didn't you ever take the group here?" she asked.
Slurp. "I don't know. I guess... it just feels different, you know, being here with your friends and not your family."
"You brought me."
"Well, that-" His cheeks tinged pink. "I mean... you don't feel like a friend."
"Thanks."
"No, that's not what I meant!" He yanked his cap over his face. "Ugh. No. I mean, like... It feels different with you. Like... like you know me better than they do." In spite of the cap, GoGo could guess his face had gone scarlet. "I guess it's because we spend so much time together?" He lowered it beneath his eyes, confirming her suspicion.
"Ah. The price of being stuck together."
"I wouldn't really say we're stuck," he objected, adjusting the cap back on his head. "I... like being with you, actually."
She quickly resumed slurping her noodles so he would have only her scalp to talk to. "Your noodles are getting cold, Hamada." After all, if he could only see her scalp, there was no way he could see the corners of her lips lifting.
...
"Thanks," she said simply at the end of the day. He'd dropped her off at home again, likely because he was too polite to just ditch her. The dork.
"Thanks for coming," was his response. "Um, did you have fun?"
"I didn't leave and stick you with the bill, so I'd say it was all right."
"Lucky me." For a moment neither of them said a thing; he just looked to the sky. "Four months already, huh?"
The comment took her by surprise. "Has it really?" It really hadn't seemed that long.
"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled shyly. "It's been... a ride."
She punched his arm softly. "It's not over yet, doofus."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. One more month. Of all this." He waved his fingers in the air.
She snorted. "Hey, just because we're 'breaking up' doesn't mean we're never seeing each other again."
"Point taken." Trembling slightly, he held out a hand. "Can I, um..."
He wanted a handshake? Confused, GoGo reached for it, only to be pulled into his arms. For a moment she sucked in her breath, but just as quickly realized she'd misinterpreted the request and exhaled. It felt warm. He was warm. And he smelled of cinnamon and coffee, probably because from the café. She clung to his cardigan and nuzzled her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. Memories of movie night and forehead kisses and hand holding and mopeds flooded her, leading to only one thought. Stay.
Of course he had to let go eventually, mumbling a nervous good-bye and thank you, and she wanted to grab him and pull him back. That was when it slapped her in the face, although it should have been obvious.
She was in love with Tadashi Hamada.
...
She had one month. One month to hold his hand, kiss and be kissed, lose herself in his embrace.
There would be no more excuses afterwards.
...
"How do we do this?" Tadashi asked at the café that night. One day, one more day.
"Well, what have you been complaining about?" GoGo asked. They'd needed a little more distance the two weeks before The End, something needed to go wrong, or the group would be a little suspicious.
"Um. That you're cold. And unfeeling. None of those things are true, by the way," he added hastily.
"Relax, doofus. I've been telling Honey you're too clingy and demanding."
Which was also a lie, she noted mentally. If anything she wished she'd had more of him those last two weeks. But she couldn't have everything.
"Nice. So, um... we just have a really bad fight in front of them. We're for sure going to Honey's place tomorrow?"
"Yeah. Not just bad, though-explosive. You have to be mean."
"Right, um..."
"I'm not gonna be the problem here. You are."
"M-me?"
She frowned and nodded. "You're too... nicey-nice."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"For this, yes. You gotta yell, really yell. Let it all out."
"But I'm not actually mad at you."
"Pretend I'm Hiro after he broke your alarm clock."
"Hey!" Hiro yelled from the counter.
Tadashi stuck a tongue at his brother and turned his attention back to GoGo. "So..."
"Woman up, Hamada."
"Right, right." Deep breaths, clearing of the throat. "Look here, you knucklehead-"
"You sound like an insecure school bully. Get angry. You're about to break up with me."
"Um... You-you look... How dare you stick me with the bill at lunch."
"You're pathetic!" Hiro cried.
"I'm trying!"
"He's got a point," GoGo agreed, popping her bubblegum and rising from her chair. "Hiro, can you take it from here? I gotta head back."
"Do you need a ride back?" Tadashi asked, concerned. "It's dark out-"
She pressed four fingers to his lips. "I can handle myself," she deadpanned.
"Okay," he said when she pulled her hand back. "Be safe."
"Kick her out," Hiro coached. "You're never gonna have a proper 'break-up' that way."
She saluted the boy and swung the door open. As she climbed her bike, she gave one last glance at Tadashi, who was waving good-bye (much to his brother's chagrin). She rode on.
...
GoGo made sure she was later than everyone else just to make a show. Part of her mourned the loss of the charade, but she decided they'd had a good run and it was better to get it over with and stomp out those pesky feelings. Honey welcomed her into the living room, where everyone else had already made themselves comfortable. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tadashi pointedly avoiding her and resisted the urge to laugh. She also noticed Hiro, who likely didn't want to miss the fun and had several bags of chips at the ready.
"Did you and Tadashi have another fight?" Honey whispered worriedly. "You're both... well..."
"It's nothing," she answered loudly.
"It's always nothing," Tadashi said from the couch. GoGo wanted to groan. It sounded so forced. Even Hiro was fiercely flipping his sleeves, although thankfully to the others he merely appeared to be scolding him.
"I'm sorry, did you have something you want to say to me?
He flushed. Likely in embarrassment, but maybe they'd misinterpret that as anger. Good. "Oh, well, you know... It's nothing."
"Okay, look," she said curtly, "how about instead of whining to your baby brother in the corner you say it to my face?"
"Guys, don't do this," Wasabi protested while Hiro looked indignant at being called baby. (Not that it deterred his amusement or binge snacking.)
"Why? You're just going to brush me off again and act like it's not a big deal."
It took all her willpower to not burst out laughing at everyone's shocked faces. She had to give the Hamada brothers credit. "I'm sorry not everyone's some clingy baby who can't hold up on his own for five seconds."
"Please, everyone, just calm down," Honey Lemon pleaded. "You're not-"
"At least I'm giving a crap about people! What have you done?" Tadashi snapped. He probably couldn't bring himself to yell, but that only made the situation all the more tense.
"Why do I need to be doing anything?"
"That's your problem. You don't care about anything."
"I certainly don't care about you right now."
"That's obvious."
"So you're still gonna be stuck on this, huh?"
"Uh, dudes, dudettes, this isn't so radical," Fred interjected.
"I agree with Fred," Wasabi added. "Look! I'm agreeing with Fred!"
"You're a leech, Hamada," GoGo seethed. She was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with where this was going, especially with everyone genuinely getting anxious.
"I'm a leech for trying to make this work." Maybe because she'd been so close to him all the time, but she swore she could see the discomfort in his eyes as well. "That's... That's not what you thought when we first met."
Clumsy, she thought. But maybe he wanted to get it over with as much as she did and maybe he was realizing they were pushing it too. Even Hiro's chip consumption was slowing down.
"When we met," she continued, "I didn't know who you were. That's the point of a blind date, genius." She watched Honey Lemon cringe. It wasn't as satisfying as she'd imagined.
"So who am I now?"
"A mistake."
"Ooh," Hiro and Fred whispered, flinching. Wasabi's and Honey's jaws dropped in horror. Instantly she regretted it, even if they had been just acting. Tadashi's expression remained blank.
"I guess I know why it was blind date," he finally answered. "Nobody would want to be with you otherwise."
GoGo froze in place. She vaguely heard Hiro dropping his chips and didn't pay any attention to how the others were reacting. Tadashi must've noticed the change, because his expression immediately softened and he whispered, "Wait."
It's for the prank, she repeated to herself, it's for the prank, it's for the prank, it's all a game.
"Is it just a game?" Tadashi's words echoed in her head.
"GoGo-"
She took a step back, not even opening her mouth to respond.
"Surprise!" Hiro yelled.
It was then that she started laughing, much to the group's bewilderment. Her rational side ironically told her yes, you should be laughing, now's the time. But there was a knot in her chest she couldn't shove aside.
"Kidding," she wheezed, wiping her eyes. "We're kidding." She looked at Tadashi, who had an awkward but unconvincing smile plastered on his face.
Honey Lemon and Wasabi frowned while Fred looked like he was trying to process what just happened.
"That wasn't funny," Honey whispered.
"No, what's funny is this whole relationship business."
"What?"
"We were never dating," Tadashi admitted, hands in his pockets. "We just did all that stuff to mess with you guys."
"It's true," Hiro confirmed, popping a chip in his mouth.
"Wait a minute!" Wasabi exclaimed, flabbergasted. "So... so all that time... these past few months..."
"Not real," GoGo finished.
"So... since the blind date..." Honey stammered.
"Yeah, don't ever set me up on one of those again."
"That's kind of whole reason we did it," Tadashi explained.
"I can't believe you guys! All this because we set you up on one blind date?" Wasabi shouted.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"You have to admit that's some dedication," Hiro said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fred yelled, waving his hands wildly. "Wait, guys, I think I have this all figured out." His voice dropped to a low whisper. "I don't think Tadashi and GoGo were in a real relationship."
Wasabi smacked himself in the forehead.
"No, Fred," Honey Lemon sighed. "They don't have any feelings for each other after all."
The knot in GoGo's chest tightened as she exchanged looks with Tadashi. His eyes looked apologetic, and he opened his mouth to say something.
"No," GoGo said. "It was just some game."
Honey Lemon and Wasabi had sunken into the couch by now, and Honey was even starting to giggle, but the knot in GoGo's chest felt constricting.