workplace romance
Hatsune Miku smiled as she leant over his shoulder, watching the screen as he excitedly showed her the new travel location he had just placed on his bucket list. "Isn't it super cool?" he chirped, his green eyes alight with mischief. "But I'll need to work a lot to save up enough to fly there…"
Miku rolled her eyes. "You're already working almost every day," she pointed out. "Maybe you should just stop buying new shoes every time some new sneaker comes out. You have like, twenty pairs at home already," she punched him lightly on the shoulder, and he pretended to sulk.
"I thought you supported my shopping," he whined. "You're always complaining that I don't change my look enough! And now that I'm actually buying new clothes, you tell me to stop!" he got up from his chair, stretching himself and letting out a quiet moan of satisfaction. His shirt rose up slightly, showing off the barest hint of toned abs, and Miku averted her gaze, not wanting to stare too long.
"Yeah, well, there's a limit, and you're crossing that limit," she folded her arms across her chest, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. He was noticeably taller than her, a fact he couldn't help rubbing in her face whenever they teased each other about stuff. He smirked, and reached out to pat her the way one might pat a dog, shaking his head and tutting playfully. She narrowed her eyes.
"Miku, you need to lighten up a bit," he commented jovially. "Money is meant to be spent, right? And anyway, new kicks make me happy," he proudly raised his left foot, showing off his brand-new, all-black limited edition running shoes. Miku raised an eyebrow. She had seen advertisements for these shoes, and she knew it was a limited release sneaker which cost upwards of three hundred bucks. It was absolutely ridiculous – and she wasn't surprised that he had gotten his hands on a pair.
"How long did you queue up for this one?" she asked drily. He shrugged, his smirk becoming a little more guilty, and she pressed the issue, staring down at the shoes. "You don't even run," she pointed out, placing her hands on her hips now. He waved her comment away, turning back and spinning the chair between them around and around. There it was again – he was deliberately putting distance between them. And she knew exactly why he was doing so. It made her heart beat a little faster.
Because she had a boyfriend, and the both of them knew that it would be wrong to be so close to each other. But at the same time, there was an undeniable chemistry between the two of them that made it difficult for Miku to ignore his presence, and the possibility of what could happen between them. She tried not to think about it, and she knew he tried to ignore it too, but the simmering tension lay there as always, right beneath the surface of their playful, friendly interactions.
"Just overnight," he replied airily, his gaze cutting back to the computer screen. Tourist photographs still covered the display. By right, they were supposed to be working right now, but they had finished sorting through all the new stock and their manager wasn't around to oversee them, being on her lunch break, so they were just messing around in the backroom. It was going to be their lunch break soon anyway. It was a weekday, so the store was pretty empty, and they were bored to death.
"Overnight?" she spluttered, staring at him as though he was out of his mind – and to her, he was pretty much insane. She would never queue up overnight for anything, let alone a pair of overpriced, overhyped sneakers. "Um, is that why you were still active on Facebook at five in the morning the day they were released? I thought you were just so excited that you couldn't sleep – I didn't know that you were out there queueing for them, you madman!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes again.
He pouted. "Well, you would have just scolded me if I told you I was queueing for them…" he leant back against the table, scratching his head. He gave her a charming, boyish grin that made her heart skip a beat. She knew that he was aware of the sizzling, unacknowledged tension that lay between the two of them, but did he know the effect he had upon her? It wasn't fair that her co-worker was so damn attractive, and so damn single. It was almost too good to be true – and actually, it was.
Because unfortunately, she was the one who was stuck with a boyfriend who could hardly care less about her. She knew that Kaito wasn't that into her anymore, and to be honest she wasn't even sure why they were still together. But her parents thought Kaito was a great guy and she didn't want to disappoint them – he was well-off, from a respectable family with plenty of old money, and he was studying medicine and was top of his class year after year. He was also really good-looking, which was definitely a bonus, but Miku could tell that their attraction was waning. The initial buzz of a new relationship had worn off, and as time went on, the more she grew aware of their incompatibility.
Miku was anything but respectable. Of course, she wasn't some delinquent who went around getting herself into trouble, but she was aware of her own shortcomings and she knew that she would never fit into Kaito's elitist world. Shion Kaito's parents were nice enough to her, but they were distant, as though they saw her more like an interesting pet than as their son's girlfriend. And the only reason why she and Kaito were together was because they got paired together during some dumb game at freshman orientation camp and they had been physically attracted to each other.
They got together three days after the camp ended, which Miku honestly regretted – Kaito would make a wonderful friend, but they had dived straight into a romantic relationship and it was now too late to remove herself from it. If they had spent more time getting to know each other then maybe they would have realised they wouldn't fit well together, but here they were, stuck in a relationship where neither party was willing to hurt the other, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Kaito belonged to the world of old money, rich banquets, formal black tie events and red carpets. His family was one of the richest in the country. Miku, on the other hand, got into his school because she was smart enough to score a scholarship, but she didn't have the money or upbringing, or the desire to fit into his world. She was a simple person with simple tastes – she wanted someone who could make her laugh and feel loved, and the distant, professional Kaito was hardly fit for the job.
The entire school knew she and Kaito were together though. No surprise there, since Kaito was pretty much famous. Girls talked about how lucky she was, to get a handsome, rich, charming, smart boyfriend like Shion Kaito. Little did they know how suffocated she felt in this relationship, having to constantly wear a mask of happiness and security so that his parents wouldn't look down upon her. She couldn't help but feel inferior, and she worried that people whispered about how she was a gold-digger who was only with Kaito for his money. She knew that some people thought that way.
Her co-worker, who also happened to be from her university, already knew her name the first day she came to work here. But he was surprisingly casual around her – most people kind of stiffened up and left her alone when they realised she was the Hatsune Miku, but he just treated her like she was any other person, and before long she found herself relaxing around him. He never gave her the feeling that he was judging her for her relationship – he never once asked how she, someone so mundane and ordinary, could be with someone who was so wealthy and decidedly upper-class.
Miku kind of found herself wishing that Kaito would break up with her one day, but it had been four months since they started going out and he still had yet to say anything about the status of their relationship. She didn't want to make the first move – she was terrified of the repercussions of that. Who knew what rumours might spread if it was discovered that Hatsune Miku broke up with the rich, desirable scion of their school, Shion Kaito? And her parents would be devastated by the loss of someone so eligible. She felt boxed in by these expectations – society's, her parents', and her own.
"Oi, Hatsune Miku, were you listening to a single word I was saying?" an irate voice snapped her out of her trance, and she blinked, shaking her head and looking at her co-worker. He was twirling a pen around his fingers, one perfectly-arched eyebrow raised in amusement. "You need to stop blanking out all the time. I swear I caught you stoning when we were crossing the road once – it was bloody terrifying. I don't know how Kaito puts up with you," he laughed, setting the pen back down.
She flinched at the mention of her boyfriend's name. It was hard to hear her co-worker bringing him up, when there was so much more attraction between her and him than between her and Kaito. She wondered how he felt as well, whenever he said Kaito's name. Miku knew perfectly well that he was attracted to her. When they were at an employee gathering once, he had a bit too much to drink and, while playing truth-or-dare, he blurted out that he had a crush on someone at work. After some further questioning, he finally admitted that it was Miku, not knowing that she was within earshot.
Miku never brought that incident up. She didn't know if he remembered what he said, since he was pretty dead drunk by the end of the night, but ever since then she couldn't help but feel on edge whenever she was around him, especially when it was just the two of them alone. He regarded her now with his light green eyes, the teasing smirk slowly becoming uncertain, almost questioning. "Hey, Miku?" he asked, stepping a little closer to her. "You okay?" he peered down at her, leaning slightly closer so she could smell the scent of his cologne. Her breath hitched, and she looked down.
She felt light fingers gently touch her chin, tipping it back up, and she stiffened, her heart practically racing in her chest. Green eyes, lighter than her own – they reminded her of a meadow in spring, the flowers in full bloom – pierced into hers, concern on his face. "I'm fine!" she blurted out, instinctively taking a step back so that his fingers fell away from her chin. She wasn't sure if she imagined the flash of disappointment that went through his eyes when she retreated, and she had to scold herself – she was in a relationship, so they shouldn't be this close to each other. They both knew that.
"Well, if you say so," his voice betrayed no hint of disappointment, sounding as upbeat and jovial as ever. He was always such a joker – he could make her laugh so easily, but he also knew when to be serious and when she actually wanted to have a proper conversation. His intuitiveness made him so different from Kaito – Kaito sometimes had no idea when she was bored out of her mind, listening to him rambling on and on about his new project or about some stuffy meeting he had to attend the other day. Sure, as his girlfriend she knew she ought to be interested in what he had to say, but Kaito really didn't know where the boundaries were. There was once she fell asleep and he still continued talking!
"We should make sure the stocks all tally, so we don't get yelled at or anything when the manager is back," she babbled, turning away from him and squatting beside one of the opened boxes. She had a job in a chocolate shop, and right now a new shipment of goods had come in, so she was supposed to restock the shelves while he ensured that the quantities were correct and nothing was missing.
"We checked like, five times already," he sighed exaggeratedly, and she stiffened again when she sensed his presence behind her, watching her inquisitively as she started to count the little plastic containers once more. "I feel like you're avoiding me now," he sounded teasing, but at the same time there was a serious undertone to his words and she ducked her head, staring into the box.
"I have a boyfriend," she whispered, the words sounding so accusatory that she regretted them the instant they left her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she hadn't ruined their easy friendship with her careless utterance, and for a moment there was nothing but silence. It was so quiet, one could have heard a pin drop. She couldn't even hear him breathing. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say that!" she hastily exclaimed, quickly rising from her position and blindly backing away.
Fingers wrapped around her arm and she stilled, reluctantly looking up at her co-worker. He stared at her, eyes hooded, for once no trace whatsoever of any good humour on his face. She met his gaze for a second, found that she couldn't hold it, and abruptly glanced away. But once more his fingers tilted her chin and she found herself gazing deep into his eyes. Her heart palpitated in her chest.
"I know you have a boyfriend," he answered simply. "We both know. That's why I haven't said or done anything that would be suspicious – I normally wouldn't even work alone with you, but the employee roster stuck us together today…" he glanced at the said roster hanging behind them for just a second before his gaze darted back to meet hers. His face was unsmiling. "But does having a boyfriend mean that you can't be friends with other guys? If that's the case, just say so, and I'll back off. I'd never try to make you uncomfortable or put you in a difficult position," he promised.
"No, it's not that I can't be friends with the opposite sex!" she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head sharply, feeling immensely confused. She was so tempted to admit her attraction to him, but her duties as a daughter and towards her relationship, no matter how unhappy she was in it, made her pause. She and Kaito had little to no feelings for each other, she was sure of that, but her parents…it was the disappointment that she knew would flash across their faces which made her stop. They had worked so hard to get her into university, to ensure that she wouldn't have any problems scoring on her tests and exams. Her family was poor, and her parents worked really hard. Often, they went without food so that she wouldn't have to experience the same hunger as them. They sacrificed so much for her.
She didn't want to disappoint them. They really thought that her marrying Kaito would solve all their problems, and while she was bitter about their supposed lack of faith in her own ability to succeed in life, she knew where they were coming from. She wasn't taking engineering, sciences or any other 'money-making' kind of major. She was taking Performing Arts with a minor in Gender Studies. That hardly seemed like the kind of degree which would give her an exceptional income. They thought that, if she married Kaito, she would never have to worry about money again. She appreciated their sentiments, she really did, but she'd like to think that she could succeed on her own merits too…
Yet she was too afraid to disappoint them and stand up to their expectations. She was a miracle baby of sorts, born to her long-childless parents when they were in their forties and had long given up on having a child of their own. They doted on her, and they wanted the best for her, although their thinking was a little…old-fashioned, and they still thought that it was important to marry a good, wealthy, respectable man to ensure that she would have a comfortable life. Her relationship was the last thing she wanted to argue with her parents about. But then…what about her own happiness?
"Then what's the problem?" he probed, his voice surprisingly gentle. It was the first time she heard him sounding so…soft. He was a fun guy, humorous and flippant, and he hardly sounded concerned about people. Of course, he would be worried if she did something to get herself into trouble, but this was a different sort of concern. She couldn't put a name to it. She fidgeted, feeling like she had just backed herself into a corner. How was she supposed to explain her situation to her co-worker?
He might think she was a gold-digger like so many other people if he found out that…well, the only reason why she was still with Kaito was, simply put, because of his money. Sure, it was because her parents wanted it, but she was the coward who was too afraid to speak up and chase her own happiness. Her limitless possibilities and futures, so close yet so far, stared back at her in the form of a charming boy with green eyes and worry all over his face. She wanted to say that she liked him too, and she wanted to admit that she didn't feel anything for her boyfriend. But her tongue was mute.
"I know you know that I like you," he spoke out of the blue, startling her. She blinked at him, unsure if she had imagined his words, but he looked perfectly serious. "I might have been drunk that night, but I remember what happened perfectly well. I know you were in the room when we were playing truth-or-dare. But you never said anything, and you didn't avoid me afterwards, so…I didn't know if you were okay with me having a crush on you or if you were just pretending that nothing happened. I'm just glad that you didn't avoid me afterwards, although you have Kaito," his eyes were hooded.
Unbidden, her cheeks warmed. For that moment, she forgot that they were in the backroom of a chocolate shop and that there were probably cameras watching them. She flung herself forward and threw her arms around him, nestling her head against the hollow of his neck. He remained still for a moment, probably in shock, while she stood there with her eyes shut, praying that she wouldn't be abruptly pushed away. A few seconds later, she felt hesitant arms wrap around her carefully, and he placed his chin on the top of her head, tucking her against him. They fit together so well…
Kaito was too tall. When they hugged – if they hugged – she barely even reached his chest. Now, this boy was taller than her, but not too tall, and she could lean against his chest and hear the sound of his heart beating. The 'thump' of his heart was nice and grounding, but his heart was beating so fast too – maybe even faster than hers. "You know, you confuse me sometimes," she heard him whisper.
"I really like you," she admitted in a rush, deciding to speak before she lost her nerve. "I really like you, Nakajima Gumo! But I have a boyfriend…" her words trailed off, the sentence feeling just like cold water being thrown against her face. She made to withdraw, but his arms tightened around her and she looked up at him, gnawing on her bottom lip. He was staring down at her, a faint smile on his face, and she thought he never looked more recklessly, mischievously beautiful than at this very moment.
"But the fact that you like me means something, right?" he asked, tilting his head. She nodded mutely, not willing to divulge her confusing reasoning at the moment, and he placed his chin on the top of her head once more. Her eyes closed as he began to rock her gently, the two of them swaying from side to side together, and suddenly she felt at peace. "I won't press you for more right now. I know it's probably really confusing, and you're not sure what to think or say. But since I know that you have feelings for me…I'm not going to just stay away and pretend I don't feel anything for you," he murmured into her ear. A shiver ran down her spine. "It sucks to keep a respectable distance away from someone when all you want to do is flirt with them and tease them, and get right into their personal space so you can see the pink spread across their face…oops, I've said too much."
She hit him on the shoulder, blushing furiously. Did he really like teasing her that much? Sometimes, Gumo would slink really close to her and say something semi-flirtatious before abruptly pulling away, as though he had forgotten his place. Those jibes and the playful teasing he subjected her to was the first thing that tipped her off about his possible attraction to her, even before the drunken truth-or-dare that revealed everything. At first, she thought he was just really flirtatious, but then she realised that he only got this close with her, and there was none of that same simmering tension between him and the other girls at work. She had felt a selfish sense of relief at that observation.
"I'll wait," he promised, letting go of her and edging away, glancing nervously around the room as though he had just remembered that they were at work. But he gave her a small smile, a warm smile that somehow felt different from his usual dazzling grins. "I'll wait as long as you need to think everything through. But if this ends up being some impulsive thing…" he shrugged. "I guess I can pretend things never changed too," he smiled again, but the smile looked off. She knew he wasn't really happy.
"No, I'll…I'll do something. It's not fair to just leave you hanging," she promised, toying with her fingers and resisting the urge to turn away, hiding her face behind her hands. She was a coward. She knew she was, and she had never denied that fact, but at this moment she never hated herself more for being so afraid of disappointing people – she didn't want to disappoint her parents, but watching Gumo look at her with that forced smile on his face was almost too much to bear. He laughed.
"Hey, don't stress over it!" and suddenly he was back to his normal joking self, patting her head as though they just had one of their normal casual conversations instead of…a semi-confession? "I mean, I'd kind of be a third party if you and Kaito…don't last, and I don't want to be an outsider in your relationship, so…" he shrugged again. "Let fate do what it will, yeah?" he backed away.
Miku struggled to come up with a decent reply, and in the end she just settled for nodding, the tips of her fingers going numb with nervousness. Gumo looked, for one quick second, very conflicted, but then he went back to the desktop and started looking through more photos of his dream travel spots and everything was back to normal…well, almost. The romantic tension continued to sizzle between them, though she tried not to pay any attention to it, hoping that everything would turn out fine.
Nakajima Gumo knew perfectly well that it wasn't nice to have a crush on someone who already had a boyfriend. It wasn't nice to come between them and split the couple up. And Miku and Kaito were practically a dream couple – everyone in school thought they were absolutely perfect together.
And why wouldn't they think that? Miku's relationship with Kaito let everyone else think that it was possible to have a fairy-tale ending. Miku's relationship seemed almost too good to be true – a girl from a poverty-stricken family running into the rich young man who promised to take her away from all her material troubles and offer her only happiness. It was practically something out of a soap opera. And Gumo knew that in terms of material wealth or status, he had nothing compared to Shion Kaito.
But at the same time, he knew that Miku wasn't the kind of person who particularly cared for wealth or riches. She valued experience and relationships more than she did material possessions. He knew that she'd rather receive a handmade card than expensive jewellery as a present – something that proved thought went into the gift, something which would remind her of the effort put into making the thing, remind her of the strength of the relationship. Maybe her background raised her to be a humble girl, but he found that aspect of her to be particularly down-to-earth and…well, attractive.
It was refreshing to see someone so grounded, yet at the same time she was such a dreamer. She wanted to change the world with performing arts and theatre, and she wanted to fight for justice and equality for everyone – the disabled, women, minorities. She believed in true equality, but she was too frightened to stand up against the status quo. She was terrified of being a disappointment, so she squashed her dreams and tried to do whatever she could to make the people around her happy. She constantly sacrificed for others, but he wished she would just think for herself once.
Gumo remembered there was once he was rushing to school because he was late for class, while Miku didn't have any lessons that day. He realised he forgot to take his assignment that was due in the later part of the afternoon, and casually mentioned it to Miku while complaining about how badly his day was going so far. Miku, upon hearing that, rushed out of her house to his, which was on the other side of town, then went all the way to their campus, which was a one hour drive away from his house. She arrived during his lunch break, panting since she ran all the way from the front gates of the campus to the south cafeteria, and he just stared at her in shock while she handed him his homework, flashing him a tired peace sign while doing so. She was so selfless that it hurt him.
She would bend over backwards to please someone else, but what about her own desires, her own wishes? Didn't her own happiness matter at all to her? It was something he never could quite figure out about her. Initially, her passiveness had actually annoyed him quite a bit, though he continued to joke around with her and be friendly since they were co-workers after all – and as time went by and he started to pick apart the many layers that made up Hatsune Miku, he found that she was a whole lot more complex than he initially pegged her down to be. In truth, his very first impression of Miku was that she was some snob, since she had a scholarship and was dating one of the richest guys in their school. He had dismissed her even before knowing her, convinced she had nothing to offer.
But he noticed that the way she talked, the way she moved, everything about her didn't give off any feeling of superiority. In fact, she seemed to be cowed by everything, saying yes to everyone with a bright smile and shining eyes. He soon learnt that this forced happiness was just a mask to hide the true confusion and uncertainty the girl felt inside – she had no idea what she wanted to do, what she wanted out of her life. She didn't know if she ought to make the ones close to her happy, or if she should be selfish and chase her own dreams. Gumo knew her dreams – she wanted to be an actress, performing in Broadway and touching the lives of the audience with her performances. But her parents just wanted her to marry Kaito because he was a doctor, he was rich, he was safe and stable.
Personally, Gumo thought that it was a little too soon to be discussing marriage since Miku and Kaito had only been dating for a few months, but from the rare mentions Miku made regarding her parents and her relationship with Kaito, it seemed that her parents were convinced that they were going to last. Gumo didn't think that she still had any real feelings for Kaito – her eyes didn't light up when she spoke his name, and she sometimes seemed to almost forget that he was her boyfriend, occasionally talking about some rumours with Gumo and giggling about how nice Kaito would look with some other girl. Then she would catch herself, remembering that she was his girlfriend.
He didn't know when he fell for her, the timid girl who was too afraid to stand up for herself and govern her own life. He never thought he would like someone like her – he was an adventurous, determined spirit, and he believed in going straight for whatever it was he wanted, as long as it was within reasonable means to do so. He was the opposite of Miku, who always thought about other people's responses to her actions before she made any move. Gumo did whatever he wanted with careless abandon, confident in the knowledge that his own opinion was all that mattered.
But one day he was listening to her talking animatedly about her major and her passion for acting and the big stage, her eyes sparkling, her hands moving quickly as she tried to describe a particular scene to him, and he realised that he was attracted to her. He liked the part of her that was filled with ardent passion and desire, the Miku who longed to break free and chase her dreams. And at the same time, despite his initial impatience with her lack of determination and her reluctance to upset anyone who mattered to her, he found that he cared about her as well – he didn't want her to feel conflicted about anything. And that was the main reason why he never made any move on her.
The Gumo who only thought about himself would have done so, chasing her without a care in the world. He would have gotten close to her and made her fall in love and whispered sweet nothings in her ear, convincing her to leave her boyfriend for him, pressing her wavering conviction until she was well and truly broken, torn apart by her duties and her self-imposed responsibilities. The old Gumo would have thought only about what he could get out of their relationship. He would never have considered Miku's feelings, the pain she might feel because of her broken decisions.
But she had changed him. She made him more patient, more understanding. She displayed raw passion rarely, but the rarity of those expressions made every single time even more impactful, and he thought that she was at her most beautiful, her most intense, when she talked about what she loved. Her careful nature influenced him as well, making him slightly more cautious, and she taught him how to be considerate of other people's feelings. He cared about Miku, and he didn't want to put her in a difficult spot…so he didn't do anything to make it obvious that he cared about her in a way mere friends weren't supposed to care. But that was only until he got drunk at that outing…
He sighed, leaning his head back against the alley wall. He took a long swig out from his beer can, frowned when it got empty, then crumpled up the can and tossed it in the nearby trash can, a little prick of pride blooming through him when he scored a perfect shot. He swore he wouldn't drink any more after that disastrous, stupid truth-or-dare incident, but what happened earlier this afternoon was shocking enough that he decided he could break his oath for once. Miku had hugged him, and she admitted that she returned his feelings, that the attraction was mutual…but he knew, they both knew, that she wouldn't break up with Kaito. At least not yet. Her parents would be unhappy.
Nakajima Gumo was no angel, especially in comparison to Kaito. Miku didn't know, but he used to be a wild hooligan in his youth, his freedom-loving spirit getting him into all kinds of trouble. He was just lucky that he never actually got himself stuck in jail or a Boy's Home, though he did get warned and forced to do community service quite a few times in the past. He was a public nuisance, he used to shoplift whenever he felt the urge to, he skateboarded and did parkour, anything to get his next thrill. He was a total adrenaline junkie, and his methods occasionally strayed into illegal territory.
He had, of course, mellowed down over the years, but that eternal restlessness stayed within him, burning like a bright flame. It made him so different from Miku, who was sedentary and fixed – while she was content to remain in the status quo, he wanted things to change. He wanted to be the flame, the spark that would set things in motion. He wished Miku would learn to appreciate herself more and stop sacrificing when she got absolutely nothing in return. She was a complete doormat.
"Gumo?" he heard her familiar voice calling out hesitantly for him, and he groaned, sliding further down the wall. He didn't want her to see him this way – drinking, alone, lost in his thoughts. He was always happy and teasing around her, determined not to let her see his vulnerable side. But what was the point? She had already seen this side of him before once. One time, when he ran away from home and she sheltered him for a few hours before convincing him to go back and apologise to his parents for his outburst. Her parents weren't home at that time, thankfully. He didn't want to think what sort of impression they would have of him otherwise. His lips tilted up into a crooked smile.
"I knew you were here," soft footsteps sounded, then a familiar figure crouched next to him, her dark green eyes filled with concern as she self-consciously looped some teal hair behind her ear. He stared woozily at her, tempted to reach out and brush those silky locks away from her forehead so he could see her face better, but he didn't act on that impulse, telling himself to wait for her to make the first move. He didn't want to startle her. "You weren't home, so I figured you'd be drinking…"
"Nah, I wasn't drinking," he lied blithely, winking at her. He could hold his drink pretty well, but even then Miku squinted suspiciously at him, perhaps not entirely convinced. He rolled his eyes, patting her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't be so worried. Anyway, why were you looking for me?" he asked, curious now. Miku's face turned a little pink and she rocked back on her heels, looking at the ground.
"Um…it's about this afternoon," her voice was so soft that he almost couldn't hear her. "You know, I was thinking about what happened and…and maybe for now we should just leave things as they are," she blurted out, her words so earnest that he couldn't bring himself to be upset at her. He already knew, on some level, that this was the decision she would make. It was no surprise. She was still too careful, too timid to do anything that would offend anyone. "I'm so sorry…I really like you, I really do," she sounded like she was about to sob, "but I don't want to hurt anyone else – I know you're probably really angry at me and you have all right to be mad, so I just want to apologise…"
He interrupted her midway, not wanting to hear her sniffling. "Hey, hey," he soothed, reaching out to rub his hand comfortingly against her back. She was shaking slightly, but she calmed down at his touch. "I already kind of expected this, if that makes you feel any better. So no, I'm not angry at you," he reassured her. He was telling the truth. Slightly disappointed, perhaps, but he wasn't going to admit that to her – it would just make her feel even worse. "It wouldn't be right for me to go after you anyway. But I want you to be happy, all right? C'mon, give me a smile," he persuaded her, sticking his fingers up against her mouth and forcing her lips upwards. She let out a shaky laugh.
"You're always so silly, even in situations like this," she scolded, shaking her head. Gumo rolled his eyes, concealing the pain he felt with practiced ease, and watched as her green eyes lightened up a little, relief flooding her expression. He felt a twinge within his chest, but he didn't focus on it – if he thought about it now, he might just break down in front of her. "You're an amazing person, Gumo," her voice was tremulous. "And maybe…maybe one day, just one day, I'll finally be brave," she quietly spoke, admitting to both of them that she was too afraid to make the final leap over the edge.
He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. "Maybe one day," he agreed, his voice just as quiet as hers. "I'll wait, no matter how long that day takes to come," he promised, surprising himself at how genuine his words sounded. Miku laughed, and that one moment seemed to stretch out into eternity. He didn't want to speak and break the spell, but eventually she moved away from him.
"I'll see you at work tomorrow, Gumo," she promised, rising from the alley floor and brushing off her dark skirt. Then she held out a hand towards him, and he stared quizzically at it, meeting her gaze. She smiled. "Come on, let's go back," she chirped, proffering her hand once more. Hesitantly, Gumo reached out to her hand and let her pull him up from the dusty ground, squinting his eyes against the orange light of the setting sun. He didn't realise that it was already getting so late.
"I love you, you know," the broken whisper slipped out from his lips against his will, and it took a few seconds before he registered what he had said. He immediately wanted to take his words back, especially when Miku didn't say anything for a moment. But then suddenly she turned back to look at him and she squeezed his hand tightly, a small smile on her face. He felt slightly reassured by that.
One day, she might return those words, and he wouldn't be waiting here alone against the sunset for her, this timid girl who had his heart clutched loosely in her hands. He would wait – he had never been a patient person, but she was changing him, and he would be patient for her. He would wait however long she wanted him to wait, and maybe one day, the long wait might finally pay off.
A/N: I was trying to channel 'Neverland' Gumo, but it didn't turn out that way. I don't know what happened. This doesn't even fit my Gumo headcanon - among my personal headcanons, the tragic, impulsive character with a shady past is usually Nero or Rei...oh well.