Let's Fall In Love

by CrypticBeans

Hizashi is head over HEELS in love with Shouta. He wants nothing more than to confess but everything is teetering on a line that leaves him sick. He wants to confess more than anything these feelings of his that were leaving him sick. But will Shouta accept these feelings of his?

2. Tell Him, Shouta!

Shouta had never been the biggest lover of summertime. He didn't think he hated the season but rather he dislikes certain things about it like the overly abundant sunshine. The cicadas that, somehow, managed to shriek from the few trees that were around the rather urban layout of his apartment building. The sweltering heat always frizzed his hair out when he was freshly out of the shower. The heat that gathered despite the air conditioning that left him dry throated in the mornings with sweat on the back of his neck and forehead.

The heat that radiated in waves off of the pavement always left him reluctant to leave the apartment. But there was also something good about summer that he could never place his finger on. Something about the crispness of the hot air was addicting. It left him clear headed when he popped his head out or when the air was fanning through the bus on his way to school on the way to the stores. Something that excited his sister was to play with her sidewalk chalk outside and coax him to play hopscotch with her.

There was an infectious quality to it that made the days seem longer. Eternal. There was a delight in watching the stars managing to poke out despite the light pollution surrounding them. Something about kicking rocks down the sidewalk with his sister who always seemed to delight in joining him. There was something addicting about the rainstorms that came and the thunderstorms that rattled windows lightly with their thunderous booms. He could safely say that, like with spring, the season had its pros and cons.

A love-hate relationship with the season was contentious at best for him. He didn't hate nor love the season, but he knew his sister thrived in the sunnier months while he preferred fall and winter. When he met Hizashi, the first thing he noticed about the blonde was how loud he was. Not just in terms of his quirk but the blonde was painfully loud when he spoke. Often shouting without realizing it. He'd found the blonde annoying when he entered Class 2-A at first impressions. First meetings with the blonde.

He'd been ready to write Hizashi off. To leave him at arms length the way that he had with everyone else. However, the blonde had been a pest from day one. Refusing to leave him alone no matter how little he contributed to the conversation. Hizashi didn't seem to have a problem with babbling at him until he was irritated into a response. From there it would lead to a back and forth bicker that left him confused. Dazed when he was making his way to the bus stop so he could get home. It left him irritated.

He never knew what the blonde was going to do or what he was going to say next. What he was going to end up doing to provoke him into a conversation during their free time. It left him set on edge waiting to see what the blonde was going to do next. What he was going to say next to get his attention. To get him to interact with him somehow. It was a tiring thing when he would sit down knowing that the blonde would have some trick up his sleeve. Something that had him talking more and more often to the blonde.

Something that, much to his surprise, led to him creating a rather solid friendship with Hizashi and Oboro both. Nemuri. It left him in awe that he suddenly had this small gaggle of friends when he'd sworn he wouldn't make friends. When he was sure of it. And yet here he was approaching summer with their work studies looming with two best friends by his sides. With the approach of summer that was slowly swinging into bloom, he found that Hizashi seemed to absolutely flourish with the abundance of sunshine summer brought.

Like a sunflower, the blonde seemed to turn towards the sun whenever it was high in the sky. His face tipped towards it through the classroom windows waiting for Oboro or himself to approach. Like the sunlight was a fundamental part of his intake it left the blonde with a soft glowing tan. Something that made his blonde locks glow like gold. The soft brown freckles on his cheeks, the darker smattering over the bridge of his nose, stood out with that soft tanned hue of his skin. Or was that natural for freckles to darken with sun exposure?

He had not a clue but he didn't want to look it up. He didn't want to be more involved in whatever there had to do with Hizashi Yamada than he had wanted in the beginning. He didn't understand how people adored summer with their entire being, but Hizashi was a case that clearly spoke of his adoration of the season. He'd sworn the blonde merely grew louder and brighter the further into spring and summer they got. Always shouting for him when they were down the hall. In practice. In the damn classroom.

After school hours beneath the tree that he inevitably joined him at just to watch the blonde show off some crappy sketch that he'd made during one of his classes that they snickered over. He'd spent afternoons under that tree with Hizashi when running home wasn't required. Hours, days, under that tree where he'd watch the shadows of the leaves play on the blonde's freckled face. Watching green eyes stare down intensely as he made some scribbled drawing before lifting his notebook up to show it off.

Hours spent studying or working on homework with Oboro joining them. There were days on the roof during lunch where he'd find Hizashi sitting on the bench with his face turned up towards the sun the way he did in the classroom. Blonde lashes resting on pink freckled cheeks as the sun shone down on his face with blonde locks lightly rustling in the light. He always looked so serene. So peaceful sitting under the sun before he'd open his eyes where that brilliant green glowed at him with the sun playing off of them.

Perhaps that was one of the first things he noticed about Hizashi before they had truly met. Those green eyes were so clear, big, and so expressive like the rest of him. It was impossible not to know what the blonde was thinking when looking into them and yet Hizashi was a mystery to him. Such clear eyes yet the teen was a mystery to him. What caused them to sparkle like that? What was that shifty glance to Oboro about? The smug glow when he was fooling around with Nemuri? Or the kindness when they were aimed his way?

He wanted to know. And perhaps that was where he had begun to fall into the rabbit hole that was Hizashi Yamada. Trying to figure out how he worked, why he did things the way he did them, ate up his attention most days. He didn't know when it started. That damn fluttering in his stomach. The skips to his heart when the blonde came close. He only recalled wanting to figure out this loud, annoying boy the best he could to predict anything that could potentially be embarrassing in the future. How to avoid it.

How to navigate someone like Hizashi. And yet the longer their friendship was drawn out, the more he realized he didn't know him. He'd thought after weeks and months of their friendship that he would understand Hizashi better. And in some ways, he did but in others he was lacking. Like those few weeks after the Sports Festival when the blonde refused to meet his gaze. When he would run off or turn red when their eyes met. An awkward few weeks that left him confused when the blonde suddenly stopped his strange behavior.

It left him oddly fascinated as to what could have triggered such a change in the blonde. And by the time he was feeling that ugly twist of jealousy each time Nemuri hugged the blonde to her chest it was too late. He'd never thought he'd be the type to fall in love. He didn't think it was possible to fall in love when all of his life he was held at arm's length. And yet by the time he noticed those overwhelming feelings of his that it was too late to nip them in the bud. They had taken root in him and refused to abate.

It was terrifying how once he recognized them was he freely falling into emotions that left his stomach fluttering and his heart skipping. Left him admiring Hizashi in a new light that left him feeling reluctant to confront the feelings unfurling in him. It was a pain in the ass. It was annoying. To feel so aware of his own words left him more twisted up than he'd like around Hizashi. And he hated how red-faced he'd get around the blonde; how easily triggered those blushes were. How hyper aware he was of his words.

How he said certain things around the blonde who seemed to hang onto his words. He was seeing Hizashi in a new light and he didn't know how to feel about it. Once he'd paid attention to those feelings, he found himself admiring the oddities of Hizashi's in a new light. He found it nauseating how lovely he found Hizashi when his face was turned up to the sun. How the wind played with blonde locks or how those blonde lashes trembled on pink freckled cheeks. How he seemed absolutely radiant in the sunlight.

How the blonde seemed to hold a glow that left him in awe of the other teen. He didn't know how to feel about it. How to feel in general about the blonde now that he was aware of these feelings of his. He didn't want to choke them down and yet he found himself reluctant to kill them off. He found himself in awe of Hizashi in a way that left him embarrassed. Left him mortified he let himself turn into a walking cliché. Red cheeks and tripping over feet and all. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about it.

But the feelings seemed to only intensify as time slipped past them. Feelings that kept him up at night with desires that refused to leave him be that fed into dreams that left him feeling strange. That left him waking late in the night gasping with his body twisting and squirming with the faint traces of a dream. Unable to get it back. Dreams that left him waking in the morning to pounding on his door to wake him up only to find himself alone. They were dreams that left him pink cheeked. Feeling strange.

For months he'd tried to choke the feelings down but his mind wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't stop himself from wondering what it would be like to hold Hizashi's hand. To crush himself up against his side. Rest his head in his lap or on his shoulder just to nod off a bit. If his hair looked soft as it did when the wind was playing with it. Even the braces he wore now gave him a cute appearance that made him want to put his head through the nearest wall he could find. To bury his head in the sand to avoid these feelings.

To have a moment where he didn't find himself gawking at Hizashi from the corner of his. When he wasn't watching the blonde as he rattled his pen between his fingers trying to figure him out. A moment where he wasn't fantasizing about what it'd be like to say something to the blonde. To vocalize his desires out loud to the blonde to see if they could possibly be returned. If it was at all possible that he could say what those dreams had him longing to say. Dreams that left him twisted up in his own head.

Left tongue tied when he was face-to-face with the reality based Hizashi rather than the sleep Hizashi that he saw every other night. To be faced with the strong desire to know. He wants to know what it'd be like to press his lips to that freckled cheek. What it'd be like to kiss Hizashi. To hold his hands in his or to tug him close just to hold him. He wants to know what it's like to touch and caress the softly freckled cheeks of the blonde. What it would be like to twist himself close to the blonde. Would he hold him?

Would Hizashi let him hold the blonde? He wants to admire and ogle over him without feeling ashamed. Like he had to look away. He wants to have those lips on his for hours until he felt he had kissing down to a science. He wants to kiss that freckled face until it was turning pink, and the blonde was giggling. He wants to twist his fingers up in his blonde hair only to let himself be held close. He wants to know what it'd be like to think of Hizashi as his boyfriend rather than as a best friend. What it would be like to call him that.

He wants nothing more than to have that cracking, deepening voice in his ear whispering to him. To let himself be dragged into the blonde's lap. Tugged close to his side. To have his arm around his waist to hug him to the blonde's side rather than to have arms around him only to yank him from the street corner. God, all of his desires and wants were driving him up the damn wall. Fantasies that left him tongue tied when he would come face-to-face with Hizashi in the morning sunlight that left him glowing.

When the sun blasted through his dreams to make one damn thing very, very clear to his dream addled brain. No one wants their best friend like that. No one desires after their best friend. Wants to call said best friend their boyfriend. That morning light always left him with the same facts that left him red faced to think to himself but it was so undeniably clear to himself. He wants Hizashi Yamada. He wants him badly. Hell, he could still recall the first time that he realized that he wants Hizashi in that way.

It was a realization that he had come too one afternoon when he'd left early to find Hizashi napping under the tree for once. He'd found himself in awe at how sweet he looked. How blonde lashes fluttered on pink cheeks with lips parted ever so slightly with his slow, even breaths. The shadows of the leaves and branches above playing over the blonde's slack face. He'd looked so peaceful with the sunlight glinting off of the lenses of his glasses. He'd never been more tempted to touch those lips or cheeks than he had been then.

How tempted he'd been to press his lips lightly to Hizashi's just to see if they were soft. The blonde had been bragging up until then he had a new lip care routine down to battle the chapped appearance since getting his braces. He'd been so tempted to just touch his hair to see if it was soft. If it was stiff with the hair gel the teen claimed to use from time to time. And then blonde lashes had been lifting to reveal foggy green eyes that held a drowsy fog to them. Pupils slightly expanded from the shadows.

And he'd sworn he'd never turned redder fast when he realized the train of thought he'd been having. Another moment where he tried scurrying away to get to his bus stop only to have Hizashi catch up to him like it was nothing. He didn't understand when or how he developed these feelings for the blonde. He didn't know where it started, only that they were there one day when he hadn't noticed them the previous day. It was like he had suddenly come back into his body to find it an absolute mess over one boy.

He'd long since known he was gay and the idea of him liking a boy had never been out of the cards. Out of the realm of possibilities. But what really got him was the boy he found himself inevitably falling for was Hizashi. It wasn't that he wasn't attractive or anything of the sort; if anything, he found Hizashi to be amazingly beautiful. He just wanted to know how he fell. Why? But when he stared at that slack, peaceful face of Hizashi's he found that it didn't need to have a root. It didn't need to have an origin.

Did he truly need to know the exact moment where he found himself in love with Hizashi? Did he have to know when the only thing that mattered was that he was in love with him? When he was, in Oboro's words, "down bad" for Hizashi. He didn't know how to feel about it even when he had time to think about it. Time to reflect. To figure out what the hell he wanted to do with these pesky emotions that wouldn't give him a damn moment of peace. Feelings that only intensified each time he found himself meeting up with Hizashi.

It was unbelievably inconvenient. Annoying. God knows it had him blushing at how happy Hizashi had looked when he agreed to go to the stupid festival after being asked countless times throughout the day. Sitting on the edge of his bed with his blazer draped over the back of his chair, he sighed out as he threw himself back onto the bed. Oboro had been demanding, not telling, him to confess to Hizashi already. That they needed to stop dancing around the topic any longer. He couldn't help but agree but when would be the right time?

He didn't know how to confess, and it wasn't right to ask his younger sister. She was a child still. His arms outstretched slightly, he found himself staring up at the white ceiling of his bedroom with another sigh leaving him. What did he do? It's not like he could as his mother or stepfather. They hardly knew Hizashi plus they'd hardly been the most accommodating or kind when he'd come out to them as gay. He knew that his mother would only react coldly if he asked her about confessing to a boy of all people.

His stepfather would pretend not to hear him. It had him dragging his teeth over his bottom lip as he stared up at the ceiling before fighting that urge to pick at his lips. To tear at the dry skin on them. He didn't know what to do with himself. Oboro was pushing at him to confess but he didn't want to feel pressured into it, but the blue-haired teen had made a fair point. What if Hizashi found someone else? The blonde had been spending a lot of time with Nemuri and Tensei. It left him with a strange sense of worry.

Like his window of opportunity was closing on him; a noose around his neck threatening to choke him. What if Oboro was right? What if he had been reading the signs wrong? Were there any signs for him to see? He wasn't the best at reading situations, but he wasn't so bad that he was reading this wrong, was he? He groaned when he pushed himself up again to grab his tie. Pulling the knot apart, the tie slid over his left shoulder as he balled it up then placed it on the bedside table. He didn't understand where these feelings came from.

How they started. He wished he'd noticed sooner but there was no changing it. He couldn't force himself to stop feeling as he did but where did that leave him? What options did that leave him? Did he ignore them? Or confess like Oboro had been teasing him to do? He reached up to begin unbuttoning his button-down shirt quickly with a huffing sigh leaving him. Hizashi was the type to be overly flashy. Loud. Annoying. He didn't want some over-the-top confession; he didn't need it. He didn't want it.

And yet here he was clueless on how the hell he said that he liked the blonde. Did he just turn to him and spit it out? Did he blurt it out to get it off his chest the moment they had a second alone? Did he bite these feelings down? He wished he knew what to do. He always believed he was smart, practical, and yet here he was fussing over what to say to a boy. He shrugged his shoulders allowing the button down to flutter down his upper arms to pool at his elbows as he tugged the last button apart. Was he overthinking this?

He pinched his lips together at the thought as he shrugged his shirt off then tossed it onto the bed. Reaching for his belt as he kicked his shoes off, he worked the buckle apart with a clink. At least he got tonight freed for him to go to this festival, but did he do it tonight? Did he say something tonight? He dragged his teeth over his lip when he began tugging his belt through the belt loops with a hiss. He then tossed it onto the bed before unbuttoning his fly and working the zipper down. Quickly shoving his pant s down.

Working them quickly from his hips down to his thighs. Down to his knees where they fell to his ankles where he stepped out of them then flicked them away. He then shuffled over to his closet. Opening the doors, he reached in for a dark T-shirt that he tugged off the hanger then a pair of gray jeans. Tugging it off of its hanger, he turned with clothing in hand to toss his pants onto the bed then shook out his shirt. He had about twenty minutes to get dressed and down to the bus stop that he needed to catch.

That he needed to ride it to Oboro's apartment building. There he'd meet with the blue-haired teen, Nemuri and Hizashi. He knew the bus couldn't be counted upon to get him there quickly, but he had twenty minutes to get dressed and down there. He tugged the shirt over his head with his arms cramming themselves through the sleeves. He tugged it down quickly where it fluttered against his waist as he then reached for the gray jeans. Shoving his feet into them, his heart gave a sickening skip as he bent down to bunch his pants up to free his foot.

He then stood up after doing the same for his left foot and tugged the material up quickly. Jumping in place to get it up faster with the necklace he wore with its small charms jingled cheerfully. A gift from his younger sister back when she was into arts and crafts. It was well made, and he cherished it. It swayed and bounced against his neck as he tugged the jeans up to his hips to which he paused in his jumping to yank them um comfortably. He then buttoned and zipped up his fly, he reached out to grab his belt off the bed.

Sliding it through the loops of his jeans. He made quick work of it as he brought the buckle together to tighten it with that comforting squeeze against his lower stomach as he fussed with the tightness of his belt. He then shuffled over to shove his feet back into his shoes as he tugged at the hem of his shirt. Shuffling back to his bedside table to tug it open where he reached inside to a ponytail within. He lifted it up as he scraped his hair back. It was bound to be hot tonight if today's heat had anything to say about it.

Tying his hair up into a small ponytail, he grabbed his phone off of the bed then shot a quick text to Oboro that he was finished getting ready. He then shoved his phone into his pocket, and he reached towards his bedside table again to grab his wallet with the money he had saved up within it. Just enough to possibly play a few games tonight and get some food. He shoved it into his pocket with his phone before turning on his feet to make his way across the bedroom. Long, brisk strides across it with muted thuds on the carpet ringing out.

Deafening in the quiet of the apartment when he grabbed at his door handle and tugged it open to enter the small hallway. Tugging it shut behind him, he made his way down it, the silence of the small apartment was unbearable. He hoped his mother and stepfather didn't come home as he was leaving. He needed to go. He couldn't deny he had a pep to his step as he flew through the open floor plan of the apartment. The pale hues living room and kitchen left it with a sterile feel. Cut off. Showing no sign of children.

Not a damn sign he or his sister lived here. It was quite sad when he thought about it. He took long, brisk strides through the living room towards the front, small entry hallway with thuds of his shoes hitting the floor ringing out as he grabbed his set of keys off of the hook. Unlocking the door, he tugged it open and flew out into the hallway when he spun on his feet to tug the door shut. Sliding his key into the lock, he twisted until he heard the light click in the lock. He then tugged it out to do the same for the doorknob.

He then shoved his keys into his left pocket before taking off down the hallway. A lock slipping free from his small ponytail, he ran down the hallway quickly with the muted thud of his feet on the floor ringing out. He ran for the stairwell rather than the elevator as time ticked against him. The elevator would take too long if God forbid someone from a different floor needed to get onto it. It was time he couldn't afford to use up or lose Flying down the stairs with the tap of his shoes ringing out against them.

God knows he couldn't tell if he was excited to either go to this stupid festival or to get out of the house tonight, but it had him hurrying. Rushing down the stairwell quickly like the visage of his mother would stop him. That his parental figures would appear in the lobby of the apartment building to keep him from coming if he didn't hurry. Rushing down the stairs with the tap of his shoes on them, he huffed quietly under his breath when his phone vibrated against his thigh. He spun to throw himself down the third set of stairs.

Only two more left. He launched himself to jump over the final three steps where he stumbled only to throw himself around the corner down that fourth staircase. Rushing down it when he jumped again over the final three steps of the staircase. The deafening thud of his landing ringed out in the stairwell as he moved on wobbly legs to throw himself down the final staircase. Running down it, he tried to force that wobbly sensation out of his legs as he ran down them then leaped off the last stair of the case.

Pushing the doors to the stairwell open, he flew into the lobby where the receptionist sitting smiled politely at him. He hardly spared the man a glance as he ran across the lobby to the front doors of the building. It was a damn good thing he had the building code memorized after all these years. He launched himself out of the cool lobby into the sizzling afternoon heat of the sidewalk with his shoes scraping over the ground. He rushed forward with those heatwaves radiating off of the street and cars.

A sight that caused him to flinch when he spun on his feet to take long brisk strides in the direction of the bus stop. Noting the few people, he could see waiting for it, he moved from a walk to a light sprint with his phone vibrating against his thigh again. He'd check it once he was at the stop. He swore it. He had his pass in his wallet, thankfully, as he rushed forward with his small ponytail bobbing lightly. That stray lock brushing against his cheek which he tucked behind his ear with a rather heavy sigh.

Then he sprinted down the sidewalk with the soles of his shoes tapping against the concrete. Scraping lightly with that heat bearing down on the top of his head to warm it. He rushed up to the bus stop with its protective dome as the few adults there eyeballed him when he took a breath. Trying his best to soothe his racing breaths when he tugged his phone out of his pocket carefully. Unlocking the screen, he found a text from Hizashi who said he'd be running late but that he'd see him at Oboro's shortly.

How late, he didn't elaborate but given they all agreed to meet at three he had to guess it would be a little after it for Hizashi. He shot a text back to the blonde after his thumbs danced uncertainly over the screen before checking his second message from Oboro questioning if he made it to the bus stop. After replying he had, he shoved his phone into his pocket in favor of grabbing his wallet and tugging it out to get his bus pass out. The heat of the afternoon sun was warming the top of his head, his skin, with its insufferable heat

Standing beside the dome of the bus stop, he flipped his car around with his fingers. Throughout the day, there seemed to be a jittery energy to Hizashi that he didn't understand. The blonde seemed to be overcompensating when he spoke and always rushing to fix his phrasing. Much too loud when he did so but he was left confused by the odd intensity to that gaze. The way Hizashi seemed to be on the brink of saying something before he ducked away. Hiding his face away as it began to turn that pink hue.

It reminded him of the few weeks where the blonde had avoided him after their Sports Festival. The rumble of the bus coming down the street to which he glanced over with the few people sitting on the bench standing up. He shuffled forward towards the edge of the sidewalk with the sound of feet also shuffling up behind him. The bus chugged down the street before pulling up to the stop to which he stepped backwards instinctively when the bus came to a screeching stop. Giving himself room between it and the edge sidewalk.

Pausing before doors opened to which he allowed the few other people that had been waiting to get on first. Each taking their sweet time it seemed to scan their cards when he finally stepped up onto it to scan his own card. He quickly found a seat near the front of the bus. He knew he could easily walk the handful of streets over to Oboro's, but he didn't want to. The bus would be much faster, and he didn't want to be a huffing, sweaty mess. It would make him late and he found that he really hated the thought of that.

He didn't want to be late, odd as that was, given his reluctance to go to this damn festival from the moment Hizashi mentioned it yesterday. He wished he knew what was going on with the blonde. Right when he felt he understood him, understood his emotions, and the swings they took it was shown to him that he really didn't. He didn't understand his best friend the way he thought he did, and it was an odd sensation. To not know what was wrong with the blonde who seemed antsy today. Pent up oddly enough.

Like he was being backed into a corner somehow with each hour that brought them closer to the festival. Was there something going on that he didn't see beyond surface level? He wished he could understand the blonde's nervousness. Glancing out the window as the doors shut when his phone pinged again gaining his attention. And he dug into his pull out his wallet to put his card away. He slid it back into his pocket then grabbed at his phone to tug it out where he found a text from Oboro waiting for him to which he took a breath.

Something to distract him until he got there. Maybe Oboro knew what was up with their blonde friend. Would he? Would Hizashi talk to the blue-haired teen? Or would it be better to ask Nemuri about it tonight? He knew that Hizashi and Oboro had been closer to one another than to him before he'd shown up. Would Hizashi have said anything to their blue-haired friend? Or was it something that was personal and he had no right to know? It had him brimming with questions that he had no answers for when his phone pinged.

Obo: Soooo where are you? Are you on the bus yet?

Sho: im on the bus as we speak

Sho: it wont take me long 2 get there but can i ask u something?

Obo: Ofc you can! I'm an open book for your reading pleasure, Sho! What's your question? 😀

Sho: do u know y Yamada is actin weird today? like hes jumpy & wont rlly say Y hes so jumpy, u know?

Sho: and i just dont rlly get Y hes only actin tht way when i tlk to him lately but its mad annoyin

Obo: Oh! Well, I can't say I know WHY before now he's been nervous but I def know that he's nervous you won't have fun tonight! He wants to make sure that even though this isn't your scene that you're going to have fun! 😄

Sho: liar

Obo: What? I would never lie to you! Why the heck would I lie to you, Sho? If I really knew more I'd tell you more!

Sho: c thts how i know ur LYING 2 me rn

Sho: shld i just ask Nem? or wuld she lie 2 me 2 about y Yamada is actin the way he's acting?

Sho: all day all 3 of u have been actin WEIRD now tht i think about it & i feel like u all have something planned & i dont like it 😒

Obo: No! Not at all! There's no secret plan or agenda, Sho! We've been talking, sure, about how to make this bearable for you! You can be quite the grump when it comes to being exposed to others and loud noises for a prolonged amount of time you know! 😅

Obo: I promise you that there's nothing planned against you! Just some things planned on when and where to take breaks for you! We don't want you fizzling out two hours into this! We want you to have fun and enjoy the fireworks tonight!

Sho: uh huh thts wht u WULD say 2 throw me off, isnt it? but whtever

Sho: if u wont say it over text, then i'll eventually find out the REAL plns tht u guys have made behind my back 😤

Obo: Sho, I love you so much you know that? You're like a fussy little cat! So suspicious of your friends of all people! It'll be fine! I'm sure you'll have fun! 😊

Sho: c its the way u wave it off tht makes me suspect tht u have something planned!

Sho: can u just tell me wht it is tht u all have planned?

Obo: Nope! Just know that you're going to have fun and you're going to LIKE it, you hear me? You're going to have a blast! This is going to change your entire LIFE, Sho! 😊

Sho: but its just a festival tho? i wuldnt go tht far & say itll change my life 😒

Obo: Don't sweat it! Oh, hey, how much did you bring with you? I'm getting a tally on the amount that everyone is bringing and if need be, we can pool all the money together! How much you got?

Sho: ¥48406.20

Sho: its not much but thts wht i saved up b4 this festival stuff

Obo: That's more than fine! Okay, I'll make sure to text Nem and Zashi about it! How many streets away are you rn?

Sho: uhhhh i think ur street is gonna be the fifth stop? im not really sure, we've only stopped twice since i've been textin u

Sho: i'll let u know when i'm closer, ok?

Sho: aso has Yamada shown up yet?

Obo: Not yet! He said that he was gonna try and get here sooner but he did say he was running a little late so me and you can just hang til he shows up! So what we'll do is head out for the festival afterwards, yeah? It's not tht far walking!

Sho: i dont doubt tht it wont take long 2 get there

Sho: but really can u just tell me y U think hes been so weird lately? its super weird

Obo: Oh, well he just has some stuff on his mind! He's working through some stuff last time I asked him but he wouldn't go into specifics. I tried asking Nem but she told me to mind my beeswax so if I don't worry about it then don't YOU worry too much about it, okay? He'll be back to normal soon! 😄

Sho: whtever u say, oboro

Sho: i hate 2 cut this off but i gotta pay attention so i dont miss ur stop

Obo: No problem at all! See you soon, Sho!

Sho: see u soon

Shouta slid his phone into his pocket alongside his phone when he turned his attention out the window as the bus took a long curving turn. He held onto the bar before him as they turned onto another street when his gaze flicked from the window to the small screen. Displaying the street name in a scroll, he hummed under his breath when he tapped his feet lightly against the bus floor. Oboro was talking circles around him. The blue-haired teen was trying desperately to get him to forget about tonight.

To wave off the odd intensity laden anxiety that had been rolling off of Hizashi all day long. It wasn't a good tactic given how quickly he picked up on his friend's behavior, he knew that there was nothing he could do to get the truth out of him. Oboro was hardheaded and could keep secrets like a damn bank vault. If he possibly knew something then he sure as hell wasn't going to tell him. Oboro would keep that secret to the damn grave until Hizashi tells him he can say something. After all, he couldn't fault him.

It's what made Oboro such a good friend. It's what made talking to him all the more worth it knowing that their secrets wouldn't be spilled easily. Holding onto the pole as the bus rumbled around him with windows rattling lightly behind him. He wanted to know what was going on with Hizashi. It was an odd flip to his behavior that he didn't understand. And he wanted too. He wanted to know why Hizashi was acting jumpy again. He wanted to know why he wouldn't look him in the eye. Why he ducked away.

Yesterday was hardly the first time the blonde acted nervous around him but for the past handful of weeks as school came closer to an end? With their work studies looming ahead? Well, the blonde seemed antsy. As if he had something to say but he wasn't saying it out loud. He wasn't explaining why he was acting the way that he was but when he tried asking around he got nowhere. No one was giving him even a hint on why the blonde seemed so nervous. Why he seemed ready to run away when they were talking.

Why he looked at him with that odd intensity to his gaze only to look away when he would turn to look at him. How he turned red when he would catch him looking at him that way. Hell, the way he turned red easier yesterday than any other day had been surprising given how hard it was sometimes to trigger blushes in Hizashi. He was confident but that didn't mean untouchable to embarrassment. So what was going on with him? Why was he acting the way he had those few weeks after the Sports festival?

And yet when he tried to find the answers as to why, he got nowhere. Absolutely nowhere. Even the way Hizashi ducking his head to hide his face away was a new move for blonde. His shoulders scrunching up to help hide his red ears it seemed but had only succeeded in knocking his hearing aid out. He wanted to know what was going on with him. He wanted to know why he was acting so strangely around him again but neither Hizashi, Nemuri or Oboro would tell him why when it seemed like the other two knew

After all, he wasn't the only one who noticed the blonde's strange behavior. Tensei tried questioning him about it before he'd left for lunch, and he had no answers to explain why Hizashi was acting weird again. He knew that his own interactions with Hizashi had been a bit awkward on his end due to his surge of emotions. To his own awkwardness that cropped up when he found himself gawking out of the corner of his eye at the blonde. Through his hair. He knew that he wasn't helping a damn thing with his own behavior.

But what was triggering Hizashi's? Was it because of him? Because of his awkwardness? His own easily triggered blushes that had him ducking his face away? His lips pursed together as he swayed and bounced lightly with the bus that came to a stop. The doors hissed open as a few people stood up to walk down the aisle of the bus before rushing down the stairs onto the sidewalk. The heat from outside rolling in with a few other people from this bus stop. He got a few glances from the people walking down the aisle.

Looks that he happily ignored it. One more stop. He tightened his hold on the bar when the doors hissed shut. He wanted to find out what was going on with Hizashi. There was a reason for everything and he wanted to know the reason for his sudden flip in behavior. He didn't think Hizashi was icing him out but the blonde was nervous. And it was a new look on the normally loud and confident teen. After all, strange as it was, that confidence had been the thing that left him in awe at first. Had left him marveling.

At how embarrassment seemed rare to affect Hizashi who seemed untouchable by the emotion. How he always talked to him so openly even if he hardly responded to the blonde. Hizashi had given him his hero name; all but dictating it in that loud manner with a sparkle to those clear, wide green eyes of his. A smile on his face that had been smug only to become flustered when he agreed without much fuss. Hizashi was confident. And yet the past few weeks he seemed to be more nervous than himself.

Always correcting himself. Always stuttering over his words. As if he were afraid of offending him somehow. Hizashi had seemed nervous the yesterday when he'd been telling him about the festival but what did it mean? What did Hizashi hope to gain from it? What did he say? That he noticed his weird behavior and he wanted to know why he was acting that way? Was it within his rights to question why the blonde was acting so weirdly around him? What if it was a problem Hizashi was dealing with? Something unrelated to him?

Did he deserve that answer? He clenched his jaw slightly when the bus had him swaying as it jumped into motion again to chug down the road with the windows rattling behind him. He didn't want another repeat of their weeks after the Sports Festival. Hizashi was his best friend. A best friend he'd sworn that he wouldn't have when getting into the hero course this year. But didn't he feel more for Hizashi than simple friendship? He likes Hizashi. He wants him. He wants so badly to touch those freckled cheeks.

To cover his face in kisses and adore those soft brown freckles that covered his cheeks and darkened over the bridge of his nose. He wants to tuck his hair behind his ears, and he wants to throw his arms around him when he wants. He wants to twist up close with him and hold his hands in his. To be able to simply act on the impulses that had done nothing but strengthen over time. From the moment he saw the blonde sleeping beneath that tree he knew he was done for. Hell, when they played spin the bottle he knew he was done for.

That pecking kiss had all but confirmed his feelings for the blonde. Had left him breathless despite the brief peck when Nemuri had insisted they kiss longer only for the blonde to snap. To all but rip her throat out with his words before they moved on. His lips had been tingling that night; a first sensation that he swore he'd never felt before. Tingling with that desire that had them damn near buzzing with his urge to kiss the blonde again. Laying there in his bed, he knew that the kiss had all but sealed the deal.

He was fucking done for. He was head over heels in love and he hates it. He doesn't want to be when Hizashi was his best friend but the feelings only strengthened each day. He may not be able to recall when these feelings came to be but the turning point? The moment that made him truly realize how deep they went? When he'd felt that ugly, sharp twist of jealousy he felt over a stupid moment with Nemuri. Up on the roof top at lunch, Hizashi had been talking animatedly about- Fuck, what had it been?

Something about flowers? He had not a clue, but the blonde had been so expressive he'd found himself smiling at the teen. If there was a moment it had to be that one. He didn't understand his feelings then until he'd felt that ugly stab of jealousy when she'd smirked at him before crushing Hizashi to her chest. He still felt agitated to recall how it took Hizashi a moment, laughing at the girl, as he was crushed to her breast. Pretending to put up a fight when she merely squished him tightly to his chest.

Hizashi's laughter had died in his throat when those green eyes flicked over to him to catch the expression that had to of been twisting on his face before he jerked away. He didn't like jealousy. He didn't like how it made him feel. How it had his teeth gnashing together and his jaw tight. His eyes to prick with strange tears of outrage. How it had his hands curling into tight fists against his thighs with that urge to jerk Hizashi away. He didn't like how it made him feel territorial over someone who wasn't his.

He hated when he let his anger get the better of him and it hurt the blonde. He could see it when his jealousy would rear up how big those eyes got. The way his shoulders slumped before the blonde walked off. He couldn't keep on the way he was going. He wants nothing more than to confess but where did he start? How did he do this? He'd never said it out loud but God, Oboro was perceptive. He seemed to catch onto it without either of them saying it by suggesting he take his chance more than once.

That he needed to act fast before someone else snapped up Hizashi. Before the blonde fell in love with someone who wasn't him. That if he didn't act soon then Hizashi could be the one who got away, couldn't he? He'd be reduced to waiting on the wings for his chance to come but what if it never did? It was a sickening thought that had his stomach flipping when the bus began to slow for that fourth stop. Pulling up to the bus stop as it screeched with shuffling off to the side of him of people standing up.

Clutching at the pole in his hand when the bus came to a hissing stop with doors rattling open allowing a few people to climb off the bus and a handful of people coming up onto it afterwards. He tried to make himself smaller when a few people sat next to him. He needed to pay attention; the next stop was his. His phone pinged in his pocket, but he happily ignored it when the bus gently lurched as it began to drive forward. Hizashi wouldn't find someone else, would he? It wasn't too late, was it? He had time, right?

He could do it tomorrow when he has the strength. The mental and emotional fortitude to say something. Today felt too sudden. Too much. But the thought of not taking has chance was weighing on him. What did he begin to say to Hizashi? Did he just blurt it out? Did he spill his guts on how badly he wants him? Or did he give himself time to write down what he wanted to say? He clenched his jaw when the bus took another sweeping turn before chugging down the street towards the bus stop at the end of it.

Tensing his legs when he adjusted his hand on the pole and peeked out the windows. He'd recognize that blue head anywhere. It had him sighing out at the thought of diving into another conversation about it, but he needed to get it off of his chest. He needed to talk to someone that wouldn't blurt it out accidentally. Like Nemuri. God, the second she found out he had feelings for Hizashi it would be game over. The girl didn't know how to keep her mouth shut when it came to "juicy gossip" as she called it.

And him having feelings for someone? For Hizashi? It had heat gathering in the back of his neck as his shoulders scrunched up slightly at the thought. But what did he say to Oboro about this? Would he have time to blurt it out? Or did he wait until they had a moment alone so he could talk to Oboro about this? He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip when he glanced up at the screen with the bus taking another turn. When he glanced out the window to find a familiar blue head down the road that was a speck of color.

He licked his lips as he tensed his legs as the bus began to chug down the street towards the stop. He clung to the bar before him with his muscles stiffening when the bus began to slow slightly as the bus stop came closer. Close enough he could make out the wide smile on Oboro's face the closer they got to the stop until the bus was screeching to a stop. He heaved himself up, patting his pockets to make sure his phone and wallet were still securely in them before making his way into the aisle carefully.

He turned quickly to jog down the stairs to the smiling Oboro with blue eyes sparkling at him when he leaped onto the sidewalk. And he didn't know what did it was. What had his words bubbling up in his throat the way they did. He didn't know if it was getting off of the suffocating bus or if it was the reality that he was going to a festival with the group of them. But his mouth was opening up along with Oboro's to no doubt give a greeting when he found himself blurting out the words that had been festering in his head. ⭐

"I have feelings for Yamada!" Too loud. His face burned at the side eye glances he got from those getting off the bus and those getting on when Oboro's mouth dropped open wider. Blue eyes widening at him when he reached out to shove his shoulder when the bus doors hissed shut behind them. Pulling away from the stop with a lurching hiss when he felt the tips of his ears burning with the blush there. "Stop looking at me like that! God, why do you always do that? I said stop looking at me like that!"

"But you have feelings for-for Hizashi? Sho, do you know how freaking groundbreaking this is? You have feelings for Hizashi?" A bark of laughter left Oboro before a hand shot up to cover his grinning lips when his face burned, and he shoved at the blue haired teen as the bus pulled off from the corner. His face uncomfortably hot when Oboro danced back a few steps before taking a deep breath and letting it out. Hands sliding over his fluffy hair before his gaze was on him again. "Okay! Okay, so you have feelings?"

"How many times are you going to freaking say that? Stop saying it so loud too! God!" He couldn't control the hiss to his voice when he glanced down the street where he was sure Hizashi would be appearing around the corner of. Down it. And the last thing he wanted was for the blonde to hear it when his shoulders scrunched up slightly. Touching his earlobes the way they would to bury his face in his capture weapon when he kicked at a rock and lowering his gaze. "You're being a dick, Oboro."

"I'm sorry! I don't mean to be a dick! I just- Do you understand how this fundamentally changes everything? Do you know how amazing this is? Honestly, I thought you had a thing for Ten and even Nem thought so! You really threw us for a loop, haven't you?" Oboro then hopped up on the wall running along the sidewalk cutting off a yard behind him. Patting the spot beside him, blue eyes sparkled down at him as a wide smile curled over lips again. "Hop up! Tell me everything! We got time before Nem and Zashi get here!"

Trying to keep the pout off of his lips, he shuffled across the sidewalk with a hot face before turning to put his back to the wall. Heaving himself up next to Oboro who was uncomfortably close, he swung his feet slightly before lifting his hands up to cover his face. What did he say? How did he tell him everything? How did he tell him this was months in the making? He peeked through his fingers at the smiling blue-haired teen next to him. "Promise you won't say anything? That you won't tell a soul?"

"I won't tell anyone! Now spill, Shouta!" Glittering blue eyes had him flicking his gaze away with a flinch at that excitement. As if Oboro had known all this time and was merely waiting for him to confirm it out loud when he inched away slightly on the wall. He didn't want to be rude but having that bright smile and those glittering eyes so close to him felt like too much. "I'm sorry, I'm getting you all worked up, huh? How about we do something easy! How long have you liked Hizashi?"

How long had he liked him? He swallowed then licked his lips when he plucked at invisible lint on his jeans. Unsure of what to say, he peeked through his hair at Oboro who seemed to have toned himself down slightly. Swallowing again, he kicked his feet slightly with the backs of his shoes scuffing against the wall. "Um, about four or five months? It's been a while, but I can't remember when I actively started liking him, but I do. I can't tell you how or why, but I just do. And I don't know what to do about it."

"Well, sometimes saying it out loud is the first step! Sometimes admitting it out loud is good to get it off your chest! Once you do that, you'll know what to say!" Oboro's foot then kicked at his to which he lifted his gaze up to find the blue-haired teen smiling softly at him. "Some things are difficult to say out loud. Admitting out loud that you like someone? That takes guts, Shouta, and it's not a light topic. The only question is what are you going to do about it."

He couldn't help blinking at Oboro when he fidgeted slightly in his spot with the back of his shoes scuffing lightly against the wall when he fought the urge to kick back at his foot. His nails dragged over the fabric of his jeans when he tilted his head slightly with that confusion when he blinked at the blue-haired teen again. "Do about what?"

"Your feelings! You completed step one and admitted it! Now, you need to think about what you want to do about it! Do you want to confess to him?" His face burned at the idea when he ducked his head down to hide the blush sizzling in his cheeks when Oboro reached over to touch his shoulder lightly to which he jerked away with his lips pinching together. "Shouta, do you want to confess to Hizashi? If you need help, then you can tell me! I'll help you figure out how to say it right! C'mon, what's the harm?"

The harm? It'd be his pride. It was putting himself on a line he wasn't sure he'd ever put himself on. His face burned with the heat of the sun on the top of his head warming it slightly when he lifted his head up to peek at the blue-haired teen who merely smiled at him. God, how did Oboro remain so understanding? So friendly? "You'd really, um, help me with it? I don't know when I want to do it though so does it matter? I mean, I don't even know if he feels the same way. Isn't this a waste of time?"

"True but it's always good to know what to say when you do! So come on! Pretend I'm Hizashi! Just speak from the heart, for once, Shouta! Go with your feelings rather than thinking with that fussy head of yours! Take as long as you need to put it together but just think of me as Hizashi and if you have too shut your eyes to make it more immersive!" Oboro shifted then to face him with spots of pink forming on his cheek with a determined sparkle to blue eyes. "Just pretend I'm Hizashi, yeah?"

His face felt uncomfortably hot again when he swallowed before shutting his eyes. Don't overthink it then? Speak from the heart? Taking a deep breath, it was mortifying how quickly Hizashi's face came to mind."I-I think you're, um, really pretty, Zashi. And I like that yo-you're so loud and I-I think you're one of my best friends. And-And I don't want you to think I'm weird for saying it and I-I really don't want to lose you but um, I just, uh-I want to, um, kiss you? I want to, um, be with you? And-And I just-!"

He was choking on his words. They were coming to fast for him and his throat was clamping up on him when his hands curled into trembling fists against his thighs as his face burned uncomfortably. Why was he doing this? Why was he letting Oboro drag him into this? Why was he letting himself say this out loud? His face was burning with the tips of his ears stinging from the heat in his ears when he ducked his head down when there was a shift next to him. "Shouta? Can I offer a bit of advice?"

Peeking through his lashes, through his hair, he swallowed around the odd knot in his throat. His words had bunched up there leaving his throat feeling thick, leaving it clogged, when he dragged his nails over his thighs when he then slid his clammy palms over the material of his jeans. When had they gotten so clammy? When he blurted it out the second he stepped off the bus? Was he just dying to say it to someone? Peeking at Oboro he took a breath before nodding tightly. "Yeah."

"If you want to start off with calling him pretty you should be bolder with it! Say that he is pretty then sort of navigate smoother into it, you know? Like let him response then say that you like how loud he is and that he's your best friend and see what he says, you know? And then when you can rather than saying you want to kiss him, say something like you want to hold his hand! Or offer yours up then tell him that you like him. There'll be plenty of moments at the festival for you to get a moment alone!"

It had his heart thudding in a sickening one-two hit against his chest at the thought of possibly being paired off with Hizashi somehow. What did he do with that? What did he do one on one with the blonde who had been avoiding one on one situations with him up until yesterday? How could he even look at Hizashi after saying that out loud? "And what if he doesn't want to be alone with me? What if he doesn't want to hear what I have to say? Does it have to be tonight that I tell him? Really?"

Oboro gained a thoughtful expression when he then leaned to the side with his shoulder nudging at his when dark blue lashes lifted with a sparkle to those blue eyes when the teen smiled widely at him. There was a softness, however, to that sparkle in his gaze when a hand patted his knee comfortingly. "It doesn't have to be tonight, Sho. You can tell him when you're comfortable! Confessions can either be drawn out or they can be sporadic! But if need be I can help you write it out and sneak it in his desk!"

The top of his head and his face were unbearably hot. He shifted in his spot when he swatted Oboro's patting hand away from his knee when his lower lip jutted out slightly. Did he want to do this tonight? Did he want to use his moments alone with Hizashi to confess? Or did he want to pick a day and do it then? Did he want to write a letter? Or did he want to be a man and say it face to face? What did he want? "I don't know. I-I don't know, Oboro, what I want to do! But I don't want him to confess to someone else, you know?"

"I get that but you know what? There's time. There's more than enough time in the world for you to figure this out, Shouta, and you can take a moment to ask yourself when you want to do this. How you want to do this. If it's not tonight, then it'll be another time when you think it's perfect to do so." Oboro's smile softened slightly when his shoulder nudged at his again lightly. "And I wouldn't worry too much about him confessing to someone else so much. You've got time to work this out, Shouta, I promise."

"You make it sound like you know something, Oboro. You'd tell me if you knew something, right?" He hated how shrill his voice sounded, how hot his face was, when the blue-haired teen snickered before leaning back to lay out on the grass when he turned to face him. He was lovely sprawled out like that; blue hair glowing against the green grass. His bronze skin soft under the sunlight. Such a shame he couldn't fall for someone like Oboro but the teen seemed intent on Nemuri more than anything.

"I don't know anything! No offense, I've known Zashi longer and I know he isn't looking around for romance! I know he doesn't have anyone else he's going to confess too!" Blue eyes sparkled at him when the blue-haired teen kicked his feet out only to have the heels of his feet hit the concrete before he got another of those soft, crooked smiles. "But if I knew anything, had even the slightest idea, that he liked you I'd tell you, Shouta. It's sickening watching idiots in love bumble around like clumsy bees!"

"I can't tell if you're being honest or being a dick." He huffed out when the blue-haired teen merely grinned up at him before letting his eyes shut when a light breeze fluttered over him. Leaves rustled above them from the few trees around the neighborhood. The loose lock of his hair fluttered against his cheek when he turned away from Oboro. "Do you think I even have a chance with him? Like, would he even consider dating someone like me? Would it be worth it to say anything?"

"Well, think of it this way; what will make you feel better? Would you rather swallow it all down then grow jealous when he finds someone else? Or would you rather have him know how you feel and chance him feeling the same way? One choice leaves you bitter, angry, for years to come. The other gives you a chance at happiness. What choice, what path, do you want to take, Shouta? Do you want to hide it? Or do you want to take your shot with Hizashi?"

Did he want too? God, yes. He wants to take his chance but when would that be? What if he never gained the confidence to do it? What if he let Hizashi get away? What if he didn't say it in time? Did he want to be bitter? Angry? Or did he want a chance of happiness? True, genuine happiness that he hadn't found in his own home? Happiness that came to him sparingly over the years? Plucking a few blades of grass from the ground he sighed out. "I want to be happy. I want to try my chance with confessing to him."

Oboro sat up then causing him to jump when hands were clamping down on his then bringing them together. Held between Oboro's he blinked when he glanced down instinctively; when had his hands gotten so big? Was Oboro in the middle of a growth spurt? Was he going to get bigger? He blinked when he lifted his gaze up to Oboro who beamed at him. "Then I'll help you find happiness, Shouta! I'll help you anyway that I can! Now, do you want to practice again the way that I said too? Or-"

"Hey! What are you two up too?" He jerked his hands away at Nemuri's cheerful call from across the street at the cross walk. Jerking his head towards Nemuri, he found his stomach dropping with an icy bolt at the unreadable expression on Hizashi's face. It wasn't angry but it wasn't- God, what was that? Neutral? Confusion? Hopping down from the wall, he abandoned his blades of grass as the pair made their way across the street to which Nemuri came to a stop and jutted a hip out. "Well? What're you up too?"

"Oh, Nemuri, my love, I would never think of anything romantic with another!" Oboro happily chirruped before jumping off the wall with arms throwing open towards the dark-haired girl who raised her brows at the blue-haired teen. "I'm merely planning the day that you jump into my arms and give me the kisses I deserve, my love! Now won't you tell me already that you love me, Nemuri Kayama, and save us all the drama of it?"

No wonder Nemuri never took him seriously. He squinted at the blue-haired teen when Nemuri snorted before grinning at Oboro with her hip jutted out with hands coming down to rest on them as her sky-blue eyes sparkled at them both. "The day I jump into your arms is the day you'll fall on that ass of yours, Oboro Shirakumo. Now, let's get a move on! The sun is still high and there's still plenty of shit to do at this festival! If you win me one toy, I'll give you a kiss, deal?"

"Deal!" The dark-haired girl then stepped forward before making her way down the sidewalk with Oboro giving him a knowing look. Pointed. A pat on his shoulder as he made his way past leaving him with Hizashi and that unreadable expression. He felt icy at the sight of it when he dusted himself off with fingers twisting into the hem of his shirt when he swayed on his feet before swallowing.

"Let's, um, go, yeah? Like Nem said, there's plenty of to do and the sun is still up." He mumbled when he shuffled forward with Hizashi falling into step with him as they followed after the animated pair before them. His fingers tugged at the hem of his shirt nervously as he peeked through his hair, out of the corner of his eye, at Hizashi who shuffled along beside him. He jumped when a green eye met his before he jerked his gaze away when he licked his lips. "Is-Is there anything in particular you're looking forward too?"

Hizashi blinked when a little smile curled over his lip as his elbow the nudged playfully at him. "I think that I'll win you a toy too, if you want! I mean, you just point me in the direction and I'll do my best to get it for you! And I know there's definitely a few food stands that I saw being advertised that look really good that I would love to try out! But I guess that'll be when dinner conversations are being had, huh?"

"Yeah. I don't really know what I want so I'm basically down for anything we happen to look at." He reached up to rub at the back of his neck that felt uncomfortably hot; threatening to flood his face in a blush again when he kept his eyes aimed down on the sidewalk as they shuffled after Nemuri and Oboro. He peeked up at the blonde then through his hair before looking down. "But you don't gotta win me anything, Zashi, if you don't want too. I doubt there'll be any toys there that I want."

He could hear the music of the festival; faint but it told them they were walking in the right direction with lights strung up between the lamp posts. He could only imagine how they'd look tonight when they were lit up in the darkness. The bottoms of his shoes scuffed along the ground when Hizashi took a breath next to him before letting it out. "I don't mind winning you something, Sho! I want you have good memories with tonight! And I want to win you something as a symbol of friendship!"

"Then that means you have to let me try to win you a prize too and you can't complain about it." He could hear the faint stirrings of a playful tone in his voice when he glanced up at Hizashi to find those green eyes locked onto him. Another of those unreadable expressions pinching at his face when Hizashi smiled at him. A warm, sweet smile that had his heart jumping in his chest when he tore his gaze away and aimed it downwards again. "I mean, only if that's the game we're playing. I wanna win you something too."

There was silence for a heartbeats length of time. The quiet sound of their shoes tapping and scraping over the sidewalk the further down they walked down it as they followed after the music. A street away? Or at the bottom of this one? He couldn't remember. He shuffled forward when the toes of his shoes caught causing him to fly forward with a sharp inhale when hands grabbed at him. A hand on his wrist with an arm throwing itself out around his waist. "Careful, Shouta!"

He was swung awkwardly forward on his feet with it ending in him being crushed into Hizashi's side when he blinked as he caught his footing. Close, close, close. He was very close to Hizashi and it had his face ripping with heat when he jerked away from the blonde who quickly turned red before looking away himself. He swallowed when he looked down to his feet before they resumed walking as he tugged at the hem of his shirt when he forced himself to speak. "Thanks. But I won't die if I fall."

"But you'll get hurt. And tonight is supposed to be fun, not you walking around with scraped up hands and knees!" Hizashi protested with his own voice in a mumble when they followed after the pair that seemed leagues ahead of them on the sidewalk. He put a bit of pep to his step, picking his feet up, with Hizashi falling into step with him when he licked his lips. The blonde then nudged his elbow with his own. "But be careful, okay? I don't want you falling and eating shit tonight, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded when he shoved his hands into his pockets where he played with the edge of his cellphone caves. With his wallet. He peeked at Hizashi through his hair when he swallowed. He knew that Oboro was right; he should take his chance but would tonight be the right time? He didn't know but it had his stomach fluttering at the thought. He could do it when he was comfortable. When he was ready. He swallowed then licked his lips. "A cat plushie."

The blonde blinked with hsi head turning towards him, that red blush smothered over his cheeks highlighted his freckles. "Huh?"

"I want you to win me a cat plushie. And then I want you to take me on the Ferris wheel." He hated how it sounded like he was demanding it of Hizashi. Like they were on a date or something of the sort when he felt his cheeks burning lightly when he lifted his head up to face the blonde who blinked at him with wide green eyes. Blond lashes fluttering behind red framed glasses when he took a breath. "I want you to win me a cat plushie, take me on the Ferris wheel and stay with me during the fireworks."

Eyes widened slightly at him when he noted that blush smothering itself on freckled cheeks when Hizashi shifted. Smiling with that sweet shyness that had his heart skipping. His stomach fluttering at the warmth to that gaze when he focused on walking rather than making eye contact when his feet threatened to trip up. He tightened his hands into fists when he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. "Okay! I'll win you the best cat plushie, take you for a Ferris wheel ride, and we'll watch the fireworks together! What about food?"

"I can pay for myself." The sound of his feet shuffling over the ground rang out with that soft music growing louder as Hizashi hummed quietly. He clutched at his phone and wallet in his right hand while his left hand tightened with nails biting into his palm fiercely when he took a breath. He couldn't help but feel he was making demands. Orders. Yet when he peeked at Hizashi through his hair, from under his lashes, he was smiling. Pink cheeked. Like he'd made his night already.

"Well, if you need help with buying anything let me know and I'll help cover it! You just point in the direction of cat plushies and I'll do my best to win you one!" Hizashi then nudged him playfully as their shoes scraped and tapped over the ground with the soft music growing louder as they made their way around the corner of the street. Small lanterns and lights were strung up with the entrance with its toll booths sat at the entrance where Nemuri and Oboro were waiting for them after having bought their tickets no doubt.

"And you point me in the direction of anything you want and I'll do my best to win you something." He tugged his hand out of his pocket to scratch at his warm cheek before dropping his hand down only to have it hit off of Hizashi's. Hitting and brushing against the back of his, he jumped over to give them more space between. His face growing warmer when Hizashi blinked at him then merely stepped closer to him with the backs of their hands brushing together. "Zashi-"

"Let's do our best to win each other something then, yeah? I'm sure the later it gets tonight the more fun it'll get! Oh! And keep your eye out for food, alright?" He felt the light brush of Hizashi's hand against his with fingers curling away from him when they reached out after he glance down. Did he want to take his hand? What did that mean? He glanced up at Hizashi's pink face when the blonde smiled at him with their hands brushing together. How easy would it be to take his hand now?

To weave their fingers together? It had his heart thudding sickeningly at the thought as he looked at that pink face before stumbling over his feet. Hands shot out to catch him when he regained his footing as his face burned when he swallowed. Was he reading into something like he had been the past few weeks? Was he reading into something real? Or was he overthinking it due to his conversation with Oboro? He took a breath before nodding. "Yeah. Let's do our best to win each other something."

"Awesome!" Hizashi beamed at him when he put a pep to his step with the blonde falling into step with him as they made their way down the street. He couldn't deny there was a flutter to his stomach with the light brushes of Hizashi's hand against his. Familiar. And yet unlike every other time, there was a desire to take his hand in his. To cling onto his fingers. To have that arm wrapped around his waist. Was tonight the night? Was he going to make tonight the night? Glancing at that pink face, he couldn't help but want it to be.