Because You're You (Orange Pekoe, Girls und Panzer)

Conflicted

As Pekoe watched Alex and Vanilla disappear around a corner she hung her head low.

"Why does he have to like her so much? Why can't he see how I feel?..." Pekoe muttered to herself, slightly raising her head as she finished speaking.

(Orange Pekoe in head) "I know I shouldn't but..." She thought to herself as she jogged off after Alex and Vanilla, watching them from around the corner.

---Alex and Vanilla POV---

(Alex in head) "I can't believe I get to spend time like this with Vanilla! She even came and asked me to come with her!"

(Vanilla in head) "I guess I win this round after all~"

"S-So uh... where would y-you like to go Vanilla?"

"How about we go into the haunted house~" Vanilla answered with a smirk.

"W-Well uh..." Alex stuttered, not enjoying things like that as he got scared easily.

"You're not scared are you?~" Vanilla mused with a chuckle.

"N-No! L-Let's g-go in there then!" Alex replied, mustering all his courage to do something he wouldn't normally do.

(Alex in head) "I can't let her see that I'm scared..." He thought to himself as he entered the haunted house with Vanilla.

---Orange Pekoe POV---

"What is he doing?!" Pekoe yelled to herself, a confused expression covering her face "He hates jump scares and stuff like that..."

Pekoe continued to watch as the pair entered, the confused expression covering her face until she gasped loudly.

"She's making him do this! But why would she, she must know he really doesn't like that stuff..."

---Alex and Vanilla POV---

Since they'd entered, Alex had been on edge. Even just the darkened corridor and the expectation of something jumping out to scare him had filled him with dread.

"Scared yet?~" Vanilla mused, enjoying his discomfort.

"O-Of course not!" Alex replied, knowing that they'd almost made it through the whole house, he only needed to make it to the exit...

"Boo!" A large animatronic ghost wailed out, causing Alex to scream wildly.

"Ahhh!" He yelled as he ran out through the exit of the house and into the small courtyard near the front of the building.

Upon hearing this, Orange Pekoe let out a gasp once again peered around the corner, seeing Alex hunched over in the courtyard breathing heavily, a fearful expression covering his face.

(Orange Pekoe in head) "What did she make him do?!" She thought to herself as a worried expression formed on her face and she began walk towards him slowly.

"Wow~" Vanilla joked as she walked out of the house, causing Pekoe to return to her place behind the corner out of fear.

Pekoe wanted to go out and help him. She wanted to go to him and hug him tightly just as he had done for her, but she was too afraid to do it in front of Vanilla. Besides, she knew he liked Vanilla better than her...

"You really got scared and ran~" Vanilla joked as she began laughing heavily, causing Pekoe to furrow her brow.

"I... I..." Alex stuttered, not knowing what to say.

As Vanilla finished laughing, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Pekoe watching them from behind the corner. Her face immediately formed into a smirk as she proceeded to wrap her arms tightly around Alex.

Pekoe gasped upon seeing this and felt tears well up in her eyes.

(Vanilla in head) "I hope you enjoy the show~"

"That... That..." Pekoe muttered, closing her eyes and turning her head back around the corner.

"I-I'm s-sorry I got s-scared Vanilla I..."

"It's alright~ It was funny to watch you run like crazy and scream like a girl~" Vanilla said jokingly with a chuckle.

"A-Ah..." Alex tried to respond "I... I need to go to the toilet..."

"Okay then~" Vanilla responded watching him skulk away with a smirk.

---Timeskip---

After Alex was gone, Vanilla headed around where Pekoe was standing, still trying to contain her feelings about what she'd just saw.

"How'd you like that?~" Vanilla joked as she noticed Pekoe's distressed expression.

"E-Eh?... Y-You?!"

"What? You got something to say to me?..." Vanilla asked in a innocent expression upon noticing Pekoe's now angered expression.

"Everyone knows Alex doesn't respond well to things like that! So why would you make him go in there?!" Pekoe yelled as he gestured towards the haunted house.

"Because I knew the reaction would be entertaining~"

"You... You..."

"What? Does that upset you?~ That I'd treat your boyfriend like that~" Vanilla mused in a mocking tone as she stepped closer to Pekoe.

"H-He's not my..." Pekoe started, stopping herself as she began to think over what she was about to say.

"Oh~ So he isn't your boyfriend. But I know you'd like him to be~"

"W-What?! N-No!" Pekoe responded with a red face, feeling her heart begin to beat much faster.

"Well either way, you didn't seem to like me toying with him did you?~"

"Not at all!" Pekoe replied with an incensed expression, stepping right in front of Vanilla and looking up at her sharply.

"You better not try anything like that again or I'll tell him what you're up to!" Pekoe warned, finding new courage in herself as she was defending someone she cared about deeply.

"Well I wasn't expecting that, colour me impressed~"

"T-Thanks..."

"Well I guess I should stop playing with him then..."

"R-Really?..."

"Or maybe, I could tell him some of your secrets?~"

"W-Wha- M-My secrets?! You don't know anything about me!"

"I saw all I needed to earlier today. Your jealous expression as I stole him away from you was priceless~" Vanilla joked.

Pekoe gasped at her words and found her face begin to turn even redder.

"I..."

"So while you could tell him what I'm doing... I could tell him about your secret crush on him~"

"N-No p-please d-don't!" Pekoe stuttered, not wanting him to learn of her feelings for him from Vanilla.

"Or maybe I could tell him you find him annoying or that you hate him~"

Pekoe felt her heart begin to sink at her words.

"N-No..." She muttered as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Well then you better stay out of my way then..." Vanilla whispered to Pekoe as she turned and walked back towards the now approaching Alex...