Chapter 4: The Discovery
Doramen sighed. He was sitting at his and Doraemon's usual table, waiting for said yellow robot cat. He set his head on his crossed arms.
A plate of ramen sat by Doramen's head- his lunch. But, Doramen wasn't hungry. In fact, he hasn't been hungry hardly at all since his P.E. class played dodgeball last week.
Speaking of lack of hunger, ever since that dodgeball game, Doramen has been feeling and acting strangely. He lately hadn't been able to think about anything but Doraemon. The young yellow robot cat took over all of Doramen's thoughts. He even thought about Doraemon more than rice cakes!
Doramen also noticed that Doraemon was starting to stand out from his other friends. When he was sitting with all his friends, he would always notice Doraemon first. Or, sometimes, he would unconsciously look for Doraemon first.
On top of that, Doramen noticed how much time he spent either being around Doraemon or trying to find Doraemon. His chest would tighten up every time Doraemon left his sight. He started to realize that his mind wanted him to be as close to Doraemon for as long as possible.
But, Doramen did not understand why he was feeling like this. He wondered if he was going crazy. His belly churned anxiously as he waited for Doraemon.
Man, where is he? I hope he's okay…, he thought, suddenly becoming nervous.
After several seconds of anxiously waiting, Doraemon came into sight. Doramen felt his chest warm up when he spotted the young yellow robot cat. Doraemon was carrying a tray with rice on it- his lunch.
Doramen's heart suddenly started to beat very fast as Doraemon sat down across from him. His breath caught in his throat when Doraemon smiled warmly at him. He watched Doraemon happily eat the food on his tray.
His own food completely forgotten, Doramen laid his head back down and quietly watched Doraemon. He felt the strange desire to sit next to the yellow robot cat.
What the heck is going on with me? Why am I feeling like this? Maybe I'm sick, or maybe I'm losing my mind... I just want to know why I'm feeling like this and what I can do to make it go away! I've never felt like this before in my entire life... I don't understand…, he thought, flattening his ears.
Doraemon noticed the gesture and the unhappy look on Doramen's face.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
Despite the fear and anxiety he was feeling, Doramen's heart warmed up at the sound of Doraemon's voice. Angry at the return of the warm, unfamiliar feeling in his heart, Doramen punched his chest a couple times. Doraemon flattened his ears.
"Don't hurt yourself, Doramen!"
Realizing that he had upset Doraemon, Doramen was suddenly flooded with extreme guilt and shame. He felt like he was the most horrible person in the world. His heart started to physically ache with sadness.
"I-I'm sorry…," he muttered.
He suddenly felt the compulsion to run away. Without another word, he stood up, grabbed his things, and walked away as fast as he could without getting in trouble. His ears were flat against his head and his tail and whiskers were drooped.
Doraemon watched him leave, confused.
Doramen sat down at a table far away and buried his face in his arms. His heart was pounding as if he had run a marathon.
What's wrong with me?
As the week progressed, Doramen's symptoms only got worse. His need to be near Doraemon grew stronger and stronger, and the warm feeling he gets in his heart also grew stronger.
Not only did his original symptoms get worse, he also developed new symptoms. Now, Doramen started to feel extremely shy around Doraemon. His heart would pound, his fur would prick and fluff out, his cheeks would sometimes turn red, and he would slightly sweat when Doraemon was close by.
He felt two contradicting feelings when around Doraemon: a desire to be as close to Doraemon as possible, and a need to run away and hide from Doraemon. And, like with all his other symptoms, Doramen did not understand why he was having these needs.
About two weeks after the dodgeball game, Doramen decided to talk with Doralien about his experiences. He walked up to the table where the teal robot cat was sitting, his heart pounding nervously.
With a sigh, he sat down across from his friend. Doralien looked up from the book he was reading.
"Hey Doramen. What's with the long face?" he asked.
"I need to talk to you," Doramen replied in a serious tone.
Doralien could tell this was urgent. He stuck a bookmark in his novel, closed it, and put it on the empty seat beside him. His gaze locked with Doramen's.
"What do you need?" he asked.
Doramen hesitated.
"I haven't been feeling like myself."
"Be more specific," Doralien prompted.
Doramen proceeded to tell his friend all about his strange symptoms. Afterwards, Doralien looked very… unhappy. It was hard for Doramen to pinpoint an exact emotion in his friend's green eyes, but he could tell the familiar glimmer of happiness had faded.
I hope he's just deep in thought, and not about to tell me I've got something seriously wrong with me…
It was several seconds before Doralien finally spoke.
"Well Doramen…," he began.
Doramen gulped nervously.
"...your symptoms are quite unusual. I've never heard anything like it. I honestly don't what to tell you," Doralien said.
The answer both disappointed and comforted Doramen.
"Can you at least give me some advice?" he pleaded.
Doralien was silent for a moment.
"Try doing some personal research, like on a computer. That might help you find answers."
"I guess that won't hurt. Thanks, pal," Doramen replied.
"No problem," Doralien muttered as he grabbed his book.
He opened it and held it so Doramen couldn't see his face.
Doralien is so weird sometimes, Doramen thought as he departed from the table.
That afternoon, Doramen got on his computer at his house and started searching. At first, he tried searching his symptom of his heart warming up around Doraemon. All of the results were either heart diseases or allergies.
He then tried searching his symptoms of his heart racing, his fur fluffing out, and sweating when he gets extremely close to Doraemon. Once again, the results were all illnesses Doramen couldn't even get due to being a robot, and allergies.
Frustrated, Doramen tried searching his symptoms of being unable to stop thinking about Doraemon, his heart aching when Doraemon left, and his unconscious and usually uncontrollable need to give Doraemon little presents.
When the results popped up, Doramen froze. His eyes widened as he stared at the screen. Displayed in front of him was a list of his exact symptoms and one diagnosis: a crush.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Could it be true? Was he really in love with Doraemon?
He suddenly felt stupid. How did he go this entire time without realizing he had a crush on his friend? It should have been obvious.
Doramen sighed and shook away the negative thoughts. He didn't want to sit there and beat himself up over it. After all, he'd never been in love before. The important thing now was finding a way to cope with his new crush.