Sunfeeder [BNHA]

ch. 22

Chapter Twenty Two;;- Take Your Time

Tamaki's face looked almost the exact same as the red section of the paint aisle at a home improvement store. His mouth was open slightly in shock, trying but not seeming to form any words.

Guilt welled in [name]'s stomach. She shouldn't have done that, she knew that. In what situation would an impromptu move like that ever work out for Tamaki. Her cheeks were painted their own soft shade of pink, a mixture of shame and embarrassment. [name] took a step back from Tamaki, putting enough distance between them that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Unable to meet his eyes (not that it would matter if she could, he also seemed to have trouble with eye contact), [name] gazed pointedly at the toe of her shoes, fingers gripping the hem of her shirt.

"I like you, Tamaki," she stated simply. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable... by doing that. I have no excuses." Finally working up some courage, she looked up and met his eyes. They held eye contact for a long moment where neither spoke, until [name] whispered, "Sorry."

She turned her back towards him. The silence from Tamaki meant rejection, she was sure. He was just too nice to tell her that he didn't return the feelings. [name] took a step forward, deciding to just leave and not bother Tamaki.

Before she could take another step, Tamaki's soft grip latched onto her wrist. She turned to look at him again, heart pounding in her chest and filling her ears.

Tamaki had never been confessed to before. That was easy to believe. He had barely met people who found his behavior tolerable and, in his mind, he was lucky enough that Mirio and [name] had merely stayed by his side for as long as they did. Tamaki wanted [name] to be by his side for a long time.

She was his safe place.[1] When she had avoided him, Tamaki felt like the world was going to come crashing down over his head. But even when she had done something that had made Tamaki uncomfortable, [name] was quick to apologize, the guilt obvious in her face.

Tamaki had never confessed to anyone, but he knew it took twenty times more guts than he could ever hope to have. Maybe [name] was in the process of leaving, but how could he let her, after how brave she had been? How could he let her, when she was the only one who could tame the butterflies that fluttered madly inside his stomach? When she was his safe place?

Gently, Tamaki pulled [name] back towards him. Words were failing him, so instead he wrapped his arms around her upper back, holding her against his chest. She was warm, just like the last time he had hugged her[2]. He could feel her lips against his collarbone, breaths even warmer than her skin seeping into him as he buried his nose into her hair.

She stood motionless for a moment, confusion paralyzing her. [name] still wasn't really sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn't want to pull away before he did. So she settled with wrapping her arms around his torso, taking fistfuls of his shirt. "You don't have to give me an answer if you don't want to," she murmured, words a pleasant vibration against his chest. They were muffled, but [name] was sure that he could hear them just fine.

Tamaki let go of her, and she took the hint, stepping away from him. He chewed his lip nervously, struggling to find the right words to say. "I-I have an answer..," He finally whispered, averting his eyes. It was difficult for him to look at her without feeling flustered and his words catching in his throat.

After watching him struggle to form any coherent thoughts, [name] sighed. "Take your time. You don't have to give me an answer right away," she reassured him, sending him a small smile. Even if she was being rejected, Tamaki was her friend and she didn't want this to change anything, as selfish as that sounded.

He covered his face with his hands. With his vision filled with the darkness his palms trapped, he thought about the smile she had given him. He felt his heartbeat calm, but the blush that dusted his face and tips of his pointed ears persisted. "Y-You're my sa-safe place," he stated weakly. "I l-like you, t-too..."

[name]'s cheeks darkened a shade, a smile blooming on her face. She slid her fingers under his and pulled his hands away from his face, laughing slightly when he seemed to blush even harder and look away. She looked down at his hands, her fingers still wrapped around his, then looked back to Tamaki with a smile. "I'm glad."

[1]- This is an allusion to chapter eighteen where he says this again. While traditionally, people borrow Tamaki's metaphor of the sun, I thought that the reader didn't quite fit that metaphor, so I went ahead and gave him a new one lol

[2]- Chapter Fourteen.

a/n: i don't really have much to say about this one. it was 100% unplanned, so it's kinda short, but it didn't really fit into the last chapter without some careful maneuvering.