"GoGo, I'm bored."
As was frequently the case when Tadashi Hamada was bored, he went to GoGo Tomago to relieve his anguish.
"So?" GoGo cared little for being used.
Tadashi used his feet to maneuver his rolling chair right next to her desk. He found GoGo reading a novel and concluded that leaving her in peace was simply something that could not stand.
"Do something with meeeeeeee." He did his best to sound genuinely distressed by GoGo's indifference.
"Like whaaaaaat?" GoGo's voice dropped by several octaves in order to perform her most accurate impression of Tadashi.
That was not the response he had been expecting. Typically the good-natured ribbing would continue on for several more minutes, but GoGo seemed legitimately invested in doing something. Tadashi would have to think fast to keep pace with her razor sharp wit. "Uh," He stopped himself for a brief moment, genuinely uncertain of how to continue. "Tell me about your day." He inched closer to GoGo and placed his elbows on his chair and his knuckles on his chin in anticipation.
"My irritation barometer was fine, but suddenly it's off the charts," She dispassionately dabbed her index finger on her tongue before flipping to the next page of her novel, not sparing Tadashi so much as a glance. "I wonder why that is."
Tadashi pouted his lips in mock dismay. "GoGo, that really hurt. You have to make it up to me." He was encouraged as GoGo's lips arched into a slight smirk as she rolled her eyes. That was always a good sign. She casually threw her book down and turned to Tadashi.
"Fine. What did you have in mind?"
Another several seconds of ponderous silence passed before an idea sprung forth from the most ingenious part of Tadashi's rather ingenious brain. "We're gonna play a game." He pushed himself off of his chair and nearly sprinted out of the lab, leaving a befuddled GoGo to contemplate the bizarre turn of events. She waited in her chair with breathless enthusiasm for Tadashi, whereupon he returned with a small canister of yogurt.
"You know, I don't think Wasabi would be terribly pleased to find out someone was within a five hundred yard radius of his food."
He delicately placed the yogurt on the desk and turned to meet GoGo's eyes, valiantly failing to suppress an all-consuming smile. "I'm not actually going to eat it. Plus, I'll disinfect it when we're done."
"When we're done with what?" GoGo struggled to deduce what game could possibly involve unopened yogurt.
"I'm going to trace letters on your back and you have to guess what they are."
GoGo had become so accustomed to processing the ubiquitous and incredibly foolish ideas of other people that her face could reflexively scrunch in contempt upon contact. It was almost like a superpower. "Are you being serious?"
A subtle, knowing grin covered Tadashi's face. "Yep. Turn around and place your legs through the ends of the chair."
At this point in time, GoGo was more than accustomed to Tadashi's goofy nature and his various wacky schemes, but this was taking it to a whole new dimension. She let out a resigned sigh.
"Oh come on, it's not that uncomfortable. Besides, don't act like you don't love it when I scratch your back."
GoGo was extremely grateful for having turned her back to Tadashi. "Shut up and get started before I change my mind. My patience with you is rapidly waning" Tadashi rebounded his feet of the floor so he was directly behind GoGo and traced the first letter just under her jacket.
"Alright. We're starting off easy. What letter is that?"
"Wait, you want me to actually guess what freaking letter you're tracing?" GoGo wasn't sure this was part of Tadashi's game or his unsubtle way of insulting her intelligence.
"Yep. And I'm not going to continue until you do."
GoGo allowed her mind to escape to the fantasy of smacking Tadashi in the face in order to hopefully beat the foolishness out of him. "I don't know. Could it be the letter 'eye'? As in I can't believe I'm dating a twelve year old?"
"Very good, Miss Tomago. You move on to the next round."
Although she would sooner take a nap on top of a rope above a bath of boiling acid than admit it to Tadashi, GoGo conceded that Tadashi was in fact correct in his assertion that she enjoyed having her back scratched to such an extent that she feigned ignorance at one point in order to have him repeat a letter.
While she did enjoy that part of their little game, there was one element that unnerved her to a considerable degree: Tadashi's message spelt out "I love". She continued to congratulate herself on turning around, eternally grateful that Tadashi was not privy to the curious mix of debilitating anxiety and urgent joviality that dominated her face. Tadashi inscribed the next word letter on her back, his finger gently dancing across GoGo's skin in a manner that made her want to sigh contently. He knew that he was scratching below her jacket so as to get closer to her physically.
"He thinks he's just so clever." GoGo said in her mind. "That's a 'wye'."
"You are truly the best contestant we've had on this show."
GoGo attempted to rationalize an outcome in which Tadashi wouldn't say what she believed he was guiding her towards. Of course, it wasn't that she was inherently opposed to it or anything like that. Quite the contrary. She seriously, seriously, seriously liked Tadashi Hamada. Like, to the degree that anyone (other than her) who insulted him would quickly find their faces flattened against pavement, but this was taking it a bit farther than she preferred. In spite of that, she held out a modest sliver of hope that this was a red herring of sorts.
"Next letter. This is where things get tough."
The tiny modicum of dread that pierced its way into the pit of GoGo's stomach when Tadashi scratched the "v" now pervaded through her entire being as Tadashi drew a circle on her back. It was time for intervention.
"Hamada," When the two first became acquainted, GoGo had exclusively employed Tadashi's first name, although she quickly found that she strongly preferred referring to him by his last name. Once the relationship between them deepened, she reserved it for when she was genuinely going to smack him in the face. (It also helped distinguish between him and his brother) "I swear to-" She stopped herself from finishing her sentence.
It was a 'G'.
A freaking 'G'.
What?
She should've been grateful. He wasn't going to say the one thing she feared almost as much as she feared "I hate you/I'm breaking up with you".
But why did this lurching sense of disappointment nestle into her system?
And what was Tadashi actually going to spell?
"Gee?" She stood up and turned her urgent gaze to Tadashi. "No more games, Hamada. Tell me right now what you're getting at." A good majority of her time with Tadashi entailed GoGo hiding behind her paper-thin façade of apathy, but Tadashi, more than any other human being on the planet, knew how to get under her skin, usually in ways GoGo either accepted or enjoyed. Presently, however, she despised just how much Tadashi meant to her. How dare he be so damn perfect.
This time it was Tadashi's turn to let out a resigned sigh. "Fine, cheater, if you want to know so much…" He paused as GoGo clenched her fists. "I love yo-gurt."
Completely befuddled, GoGo remained stationary before she slumped back into her chair, shaking her head.
"I'll admit, Hamada," GoGo's extreme liking of Tadashi did not preclude him from being a victim of her vociferous wrath. "That was pretty clever. You're not as foolish as yo-" Before GoGo could finish her sentence, she noticed that Tadashi no longer employed his goofy veneer. One thing that attracted GoGo to Tadashi since they day they met was his eyes. Oh sure, they were aesthetically pleasing, but it was the passion that enveloped them when he was completely intent on achieving something that made GoGo's knees buckle. It was a raw, pure energy that left her transfixed.
"But I love you, too."
The words hung in the air like leaves gracefully descending to the Earth. GoGo had dreaded this day for quite some time. She knew Tadashi felt every emotion with unbridled passion. Even when they first met, he radiated a love of life. Although she truly adored that about him, she knew it would eventually clash with her more restrained personality. As certain as the sunrise, he would eventually tell her that he loved her, and there was no way of telling how she would react.
"And I…" Early in life, GoGo had decided that hesitation lead to failure. "And I love you, too."
Tadashi's eyes widened so much that GoGo worried that they would somehow extend beyond their boundaries. Additionally, what was once a painting of concern had morphed into exuberant joy GoGo had experienced only once before when she accepted his offer for coffee. She could feel her face burn up as she struggled to meet Tadashi's eyes.
"Awesome."
Completely drained of her ability to speak, GoGo sprung forth, grabbed Tadashi by the lapels, and slammed his lips against hers. Partially because she didn't want Tadashi to acknowledge that he could actually fluster her, although she was certain he already knew that, but mostly because life was too short not to indulge herself.
