Okay, well this one's a little more difficult, bite me.

First I was like, character x reader. Then I was like, character x character. Then I was like, character x anybody. Hehe.

Disclaimer: Still poor.

3: Two's He; Three's She

The saying isn't supposed to go "two's a date and three's a babysitting"…

Dad was taking all-nighters at the hospital since a lot of his patients wanted to thank him, and many more of the doctors were inviting him to dinners. Sometimes Yuuka and I would get to go to those dinners, but she would easily fall asleep, and I had my own Christmas Parties to attend to.

Dad also let our helpers off for the holidays, so most of the time the only people at home were Yuuka and I. We'd experiment with cooking recipes, do the chores the way Joey Parker and Mary Santiago did on Another Cinderella Story, which was currently Yuuka's favorite foreign movie at the moment, and sometimes we'd go out and visit okaasan, just because Yuuka would suddenly have episodes.

And then the highlight of my day – our day, I mean – would be you.

All you would have to do would be open that door, and the day would just get a little warmer. Yuuka would get a bit happier. And honestly, I'd just get more optimistic about the rest of the day.

I remember the day we met; it was at Okinawa, when the team was still looking for me. You were friends with Hijikata, the same person who was looking after me while I was in hiding. We spent a ton of time babysitting his siblings every time he had to go somewhere, and it was through those babysitting sessions that I got to know you more, and you, me. When you learned about my predicament, you didn't shed me some sympathy; nor did you ignore it. You, in fact, did your best to help me: you showed me convenient hiding places, gave me a news update about the aliens and whoever else was looking for me, and when my nights turned lonely you made sure that I still had you and Hijikata…and his siblings.

When we got over that alien fiasco, it was like you were gone along with it.

The next time I saw you again was when Hijikata dragged you along to watch Inazuma Japan make it to the finals. If my uncharacteristic hug wasn't enough to prove to you how much I'd been wanting to talk to you again, then I don't know what would.

While you didn't stay long at Liocott, I made sure I wasn't going to have you disappear off my radar again – I asked you to write to me, send emails, or even texts. Yes, I was that terrified of not being able to talk to you again. Who in their right mind would even allow something as great as our friendship pass? A few more minutes of pressuring and several days of bribing later, you finally agreed to do so. It was then when I realized that I'd been acting oddly whenever it came to you. Really – other than Yuuka, I never hugged anyone.

"Is she coming today, onii-chan?" Yuuka asked as she plopped down next to me on the sofa. I guess I wasn't the only one missing you. "Won't she come today, onii-chan?" My brunette sister rephrased her question; what can I say? She was as assertive as her onii-chan.

During one of our district games, when I saw you in the crowd, meeting Yuuka and my dad for the first time was the time I realized it: that I had fallen hard for you.

"Shuuya," I remembered my dad was lightly teasing me at the end of the play. "You didn't tell us you met someone."

"A-ano!" You squeaked in embarrassment; apparently you caught on to the subliminal message too. "I-I'm just a friend, Gouenji-san!" That was when you were blushing and apologizing profusely; and really, a sight like that could only cause my heart to beat faster. "Why don't you join us for lunch?" And surprisingly, it was Dad who invited you – but needless to say we both actually had the same idea in the first place. "Yeah, join us," I prodded you as well; besides, you never even told me where you'd been the past weeks, and why you suddenly dropped by.

At the time I personally thought it was a good idea to invite you. At the time.

"Come with us, onee-chan! Come with us!" Yuuka was enthusiastically skipping around Dad's legs: her happy dance. She knew my dad would have anyone wrapped around his finger because he possessed a looming assertive aspect to him that made saying no look like the eighth deadly sin. "Well…I guess it's easier to catch up to Gouenji this way," You succumbed, and Yuuka hugged your legs as a simple thanks. If I didn't have a reputation to uphold I'd have done the same to you.

Well…not your legs. Maybe your tors— I mean your bod— what I mean to say is I would hug you.

"Onii-chan, your face is red."

I covered my mouth with an agile hand in an attempt to hide majority of my red face. "W-What? I don't feel warm in the face." Although Yuuka probably noticed it already, I hope she didn't know the cause of it. "You're not having a fever, are you?" She jumped off the sofa and hurried to retrieve the first aid kit in the nearby coffee table. "No, I'm fine. You can leave that there." I told her as soon as she was pulling out the white box. "Okay, but I tried to help…" She trailed off.

"Shuuya."

I looked up from my dinner plate that same night after a family lunch with you and stared at my father in the eyes. "Yes, sir?"

"That girl we were with," He coughed to hide his embarrassment, but when I noticed slight curling at the sides of his mouth, I realized he coughed to hide his smile. He never really was the type to be all smiles, after all. "I like her." Yuuka grinned at Dad, then at me. "She has our approval!"

"Yeah, well," I started, wiping my mouth with the table napkin in an attempt to disguise my own heating face. "I like her too."

I called you up after dinner right away.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hey."

"Would they freak out if they knew I call you Shuuya?" Even if I couldn't see it, I imagined your signature lip bite whenever you worried over the small things. "Yes, but—"

"Oh, man!" I heard a faint sound of flesh against flesh; maybe you facepalmed yourself. "I had a small slipup during lunch, remember?" Against my own will but not entirely my liking, I smiled into the receiver. "More like ten times infinity."

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Hey, listen to me first." And for crying out loud, stop tempting me to try and kidnap you and hug you like I've never hugged you (which, might I remind you, only happened once). "My dad talked about you today, during dinner."

"Does he want to have my head on a silver platter?" I can almost see your lipbite. I smiled again. "Close enough. He wants you, alright. All of you, to join us another time. What do you think?"

"That if he's so into me then he should already propose." You laughed: a bubbly, infectious laugh that got me laughing in response too. And one more thing. "Yeah, but the problem is, it's the other male Gouenji that likes you, and he's too young to propose."

Until now you still haven't replied to any of my mails, emails, texts, anything. Of course Yuuka would be wondering where you had gone again. And I miss you. In a cold season like this, it's supposed to be cuddle weather or something – I know I'm sappy but it's not like you'll hear anyway; I don't think you'd want to anymore.

Just then, a knock came on the door.

"I'll get it!" Yuuka sang as she hopped off the sofa. "I hope it's onee-chan!" I heard her say at the corridor. Yeah, well I do too.

My phone suddenly rang when I heard the door click open. "Moshi moshi?"

"What do you mean it's not like nobody can hear your thoughts? I'm right outside your house and I practically feel your annoying gross feelings pulsating from your very being." Ah, Sokudone. Matchmaker and klutz extraordinaire. "What are you talking about?"

"We can play Dumb and Done another time, teme. Why don't you check the news and your door?"

"What?"

"Just do it, baka!" She barked before hanging up. Annoying hog.

But because she was a girl, and a woman's intuition could never go wrong, I switched on the tv and checked the news. The news anchor yapped about heavy snowfall and the great risks of leaving the house. I guess it's just going to be me and Yuuka at home again, watching reruns of the three Cinderella movies we had saved.

"Onee-chan! What took you so long?" Yuuka shrieked with raw happiness in her voice. "Oomph!" And I knew it was you.

And again, I've been trapped into giving Soku-baka a thank you gift because she's saved me this time.

"Hey." I stood up to greet you. I saw your flushing cheeks and averted gaze, but that didn't deter me. "You don't have to give me an answer now; let's just spend the rest of the afternoon babysitting my sister, how's that sound?"

"N-no, wait." As I ushered Yuuka back to the living room, I felt your small hand grab the back of my sweater. My heart was beating faster than ever, but out of fear of full-frontal confrontation, I didn't turn around to meet your earnest eyes.

"Yes?"

"Ditto."

I spun around to meet your eyes. What did you say? "What are you talking about?" I asked you, desperate for an answer right now and there, because if I heard wrong then…

"Ditto, as in me too," You look even more charming with your cheeky teeth-showing grin and pink cheeks. "My answer is yes."

"T-To what?"

"That proposal," You looked away again, and I would understand why; all the stuff coming out from your mouth is just downright embarrassing. "But we're going to have to wait until we're of legal age."

I exhaled a relieved laugh and brought you into my arms. "If it's you, then I can."

One message from: Megamino Bakadone

Subj: On the second day

…of Christmas, Gouenji gave to the lady:

The experience of babysitting!

You're welcome, loser.

(I don't plan to tell you about the snowstorm, though.)

Apparently Gouenji is a bit clingy here. Hahahahaha but anyway I was working on this the whole day and half-assed it to the last few paragraphs because I wanted to make an update but also had somewhere to go to because Christmas. Have fun!

-Strawbeariiis