This was new.
With a paintbrush in his hand, Hiro finds himself crouching down as he does his task of making the class's banner for the concert. It's been quite a while since he actively joined in this sort of preparations, given how he would rather ditch any responsibility and would later be found at the rooftop in complete solitude back in his junior years. For the raven haired teen, exerting any sort of effort for this kind of events were just a bother and a waste of his time,
that is, until now.
With Zero Two in the scene, Hiro now had a reason to cooperate with the whole class, cause not only was she a part of their school event, but she was also chosen as one of the lead performers as well. A surge of pride for the pinkette swelled within his chest as he vows to himself how we would support her in any way he can.
Plus, it would be quite wonderful to hear Zero Two's singing voice.
Hiro blushes at the thought, wondering how her voice would sound like once she sings her heart out, more so, he couldn't help but imagine how she'd look like performing on stage. Would she be cute? Or would she give off a sexy kind of vibe? A vision of Zero Two reaching out to him on stage, eyes framed by her long lashes, smiling seductively, while wearing a short, red, cocktail dress invades his thoughts.
Hiro could feel his cheeks getting warmer by the second. A tightness developing in his groin.
Shaking this indecent thoughts of Zero Two, he tries his best to compose his raging imagination.
Moving on, Hiro continues on with his task, and although he had to admit his art skills were far more crappy than the others, he still gave everything he's got and luckily, after a few hours, the banner was almost done.
The banner's design was simple. It was painted black with the group's name 'XX:me', placed on the center with the two large X's overlapping each other with a red and blue color scheme, and now, all Hiro had to do was refine the edges of each letter and he would be able to go home.
'Home….'
His mind wanders to the moments he and Zero Two share whenever they walk home together. It brings a smile to his face whenever she'd skip beside him, her hands intertwining with his, as she tells him stories he'd find himself earnestly listening to. She'd muse about her love for various things like sweets, anime, and Disney, but she'd never forget to ask him different things that'll help her know him more. Surprisingly, he'd find himself sharing more and more about his life to her,
something he wouldn't have done if it were other people.
But to him, Zero Two wasn't just like any other person. She was the brightest star that stood out in his perpetual night sky.
That's why, a sense of longing washed over him whenever Zero Two wasn't around, especially now since she was busy preparing for the performance. Despite her well known rebelliousness, once Ichigo asked Zero Two to sing alongside their group, Hiro could clearly see how her eyes sparkled in determination and happiness, and that alone made him feel ecstatic for her. To make things even better, the pinkette proudly declared she would be singing for him, her darling, and at that moment, his heart began to soar through different heights.
It always amazes him how Zero Two could make him feel that way, and yet, he still doesn't understand why. He chooses not to question his feelings, and instead, he'd rather just go with the flow, in fear of messing things up between them.
Still, despite how happy he felt for her now, he couldn't shake off just how much he misses her just being beside him…'If only we could spend time, even just for a little while…' Hiro looks down longingly at his paintbrush as he is reminded with the pinkette's passion for art
'Zero Two would love to do what I'm doing now…'
Suddenly, he hears the door slide open, and by some miracle, he finds himself staring at the only girl in school with pink hair, piercing teal eyes, and a pair of bright red horns atop her head.
"Zero Two!" he calls out, his lips involuntarily shifting upwards into a smile.
Said girl smiles, although he could clearly see she was panting quite heavily and her bangs clung to her forehead because of sweat. She was also wearing a black tshirt rather than the usual school polo.
Still, although it didn't surprise him, it was a little worrying how even after looking so weary, she still managed to wear her red muffler.
Once she crouches beside him, he gently scolds her, "Zero Two, you shouldn't be wearing that muffler. You might overheat from exhaustion!" Zero Two just grins, finding his concern for her adorable, "Don't worry darling, it doesn't bother me at all!" she gives him the peace sign.
"Still, you shouldn't forget to look out for yourself, okay?" he reminds her. "Anyway, aren't you supposed to go home?"
Zero Two shrugs, "It's been awhile since we've seen each other, darling...I wanted to be with you…"
His heart skips a beat, 'So she's the same as me, huh..'
"Anyhow...what'ya making darling?" she asks, taking a peek at the banner sprawled on the floor, and out of sudden self consciousness, Hiro tries blocking her view. "T-this…!" he stutters, before taking a deep breath to recollect himself. "...it's the banner Ichigo asked me to do for the concert…."
"Oh really? Can I help?" Zero Two offers with a hopeful smile on her face. The way her eyes sparkle makes Hiro's insides feel like jelly; how could he possibly say no to that kind of face?
"O-of course...but it's kinda almost done so…" Zero Two eyes the banner carefully, before saying, "Actually, I think we could add one more detail, darling. Do you have a spare brush?" Hiro nods, reaching towards the spare materials he had and passing it to the girl beside him.
"Yosh! Let's get to work, darling!" Zero Two beams, leaping over the banner and situating herself opposite to her darling, meanwhile, Hiro complies and begins refining the logo. Once he's done, he finds his eyes tracing the fluid movements of Zero Two's brush, all the way up to how her pink hair falls over her shoulders and how her face was scrunched up, focusing on her drawing.
'She looks cute like this..' Hiro marvels as he feels a warmth making its way to his cheeks. He couldn't help but feel tempted to brush her pink locks away so he could clearly see her face.
And out of impulse, he did.
Reaching out with trembling fingers, he accidentally brushes Zero Two's cheek as well, causing the girl to look up in surprise. Hiro finds himself being pulled in by her mesmerizing stare, causing his heart to thump loudly against his chest. When he sees her face getting closer, he finds himself slowly leaning towards her as well, a feeling of eagerness bubbling inside him.
'Just a little more...I..we..' His eyes flutter closed, bracing himself of what's to come.
THUMP
"O-ouch…" Hiro feels a slight pain on his forehead over some sudden impact. Opening his eyes, he realizes Zero Two had just bumped her horns on his forehead, which explains the sharp jolt he experienced.
"W-what..?" Hiro asks, clearly confused.
With a bashful smile on her blushing face, Zero Two tells him softly, "I've always wanted to do that, darling.." her blush intensifies, causing Hiro to blush as well. "I thought...that..I..we..-
"You were expecting a kiss, weren't you?" she accuses playfully, a smug grin forming on her rose lips. Her words almost caused Hiro a heart attack. Sweating nervously, he tries to come up with an excuse, but fails miserably, causing Zero Two to chuckle.
"Y'know, darling, a kiss is something special shared by two people when they're in love…" she smiles fondly, the unfamiliar warmth coming back to plague his insides.
'Love?'
What did she mean by 'love?'
To be honest, even if Hiro had read a lot of books describing love, in a romantic sense, he still couldn't quite grasp the concept of it. Some writers would describe it as a magical feeling that transcends all sorts of problems, while some may describe it as both pleasurable and painful in a poetic sense, but for him, this only brings him more into confusion?
But these feelings he had for the pinkette, he knows that it was far different from what he felt with Ichigo or the others. He also finds his chest tightening up whenever he's with her, at times it feels good but some other times, it makes it harder to breathe, especially when she smiles…
….when she smiles..
And that kiss they both shared! He finds himself secretly wanting more, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He's scared that she might find him weird or clingy, and maybe she might not bother with him ever again…
And yet..even if weeks had already passed, he could still remember every detail on how their kiss went. How her lips were so soft and sweet, and how it fits perfectly against his one, inexperienced ones.
He wonders if she has ever kissed anyone before and his heart clenches in pain at the thought.
But were his feelings strong enough to be called love? Or was it just because of how he could familiarize himself with her, that's why he was growing so attached to her? Most importantly, did Zero Two feel the same towards him?
Does her heart race whenever she was near him?
Hiro finds himself unable to vocalize his thoughts. Maybe someday, he would be able to figure out his own feelings, but for now, it would be better if he got to know her more, then maybe….
Maybe…
He'd get his answer.
"Darling? You're spacing out again!" he hears her call out to him while patting him on the cheek.
Snapping him out from his pondering, all he could focus on now was how gleeful she was showing the simple bird she drew on the banner, and somehow, all his questions are put at ease, because Hiro's quite sure that whatever feelings he had for the girl in front of him, wasn't bad at all. In fact, he wishes that with each passing day they spend with each other, the feelings he have for her would grow stronger till it reaches out to her, and maybe, they'd both find the answer together.
Like what she's said; they were partners after all.
But for Hiro, regardless of this unknown emotions he has for her, one thing would always be constant …
And that would be Zero Two being the most precious person in his life at the moment, and he wishes it would stay that way until the end;
For forever.
And for now, he is satisfied with this kind of answer.