⊱ 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 ⊰
When you got back inside and sat down, you were on the outside of the seat since Kazuha had already taken the place beside the wall. You and Gorou tried catching up on the conversation, but you were still confused.
"Okay, wait. Y/n, we have a question for you," Thoma said.
"What?"
"If we were all stranded on a deserted island and we were out of food, who should we eat first?" He asked.
"What kind of question is that?" You chuckled. "And does this include Gorou?"
"Yes."
"Hm..." You hummed. "Yeah, probably Gorou."
"Wha- Why me?!" He yelped.
"Because Thoma could cook your body to perfection and it's not like I could kill Kazuha or Ayaka," you answered.
"So if I couldn't cook, you would kill me..."
"Maybe not. Depends on whether you're willing to kill all the bugs on the island or not."
"Well if it keeps me alive, then yes!"
"Then yeah, Gorou's dead," you shrugged.
"Okay, but I could build a raft to get us off the island," Gorou pointed out.
"Oh, you're a builder now?" You smirked.
"Well I probably could, I'm good at fixing stuff."
You narrowed your eyes and glanced at Ayaka, then Kazuha.
"Hm... Kazuha could give me therapy so I don't go insane, so... Ayaka, I'm sorry but..."
Kazuha was a bit confused by your assessment. He didn't think you actually considered him your therapist...
Ayaka gasped, "You would cannibalize me?"
"I'm sorry!" You cried dramatically, reaching to grasp her hand from over the table. "I didn't mean it! I take it back, I would sacrifice myself."
She giggled and squeezed your hand, "Good thing we're not really in that scenario, then."
"Yeah, 'cause I would cannibalize Y/n too," Thoma said.
"I feel insulted," you replied.
"Sorry, but everyone else has something to offer," he apologized.
"I can be entertainment!" You huffed.
"Oh, so now you're trying to save yourself?" Gorou chuckled.
"Yes."
"What about you, Gorou? Who would you sacrifice?" Ayaka queried.
He hummed as he considered it. He didn't know your friends very well, but if you were telling the truth about them in your assessment, then it was a pretty easy decision. Obviously, he couldn't kill Kazuha, and Thoma was a good cook. You were... you, but he didn't want to accidentally start a fight with you about something so stupid.
"Probably you," he decided.
Ayaka wiped an invisible tear from her eye, "Wow, it seems I'm worthless to this group."
"I'm sorry, but I'm focused on survival!" Gorou defended.
Thoma hugged Ayaka from the side, "Don't worry, I'd kill all of them first."
"Simp."
"Y/n, I swear to god-"
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"Y/n L/n, is it? I've heard much about you from your fellow soldiers."
"Let them go."
"Not until you defeat me first."
"Fine then. Prepare yourself, Kujou Sara."
"That was better!" Yae interrupted. "I still have a few details to work out in the fight scene for you two, but I'll finish it up tonight. We'll continue tomorrow, you all can take a break until the bell rings."
You exhaled and sat down on the edge of the stage as everyone began talking amongst themselves. You almost got lost in thought before Gorou sat beside you and nudged your arm with his elbow to attract your attention. You looked over and he turned his head out of embarrassment for what he was about to say.
"I was just wondering if you'd be willing to come over to my house to practice after classes. I thought it might be easier in a private space... For me, at least."
You thought about it for a moment.
"Hm... Sure," you shrugged.
"Really?" He brightened up. He was glad you agreed, since rehearsing in front of other people in class or the teahouse was starting to overwhelm him. His ear twitched and his tail started wagging, causing you to laugh.
"Your emotions are showing, Gorou," you snickered.
"Oh-!" He grabbed his tail and blushed out of embarrassment. "Sorry."
Why was that actually kinda cute? You thought.
"It's fine."
It was a bit refreshing to be around someone who was always honest, whether he wanted to be or not. You never really cared for that fact much since you disliked him before, so you used it to make fun of him, but since you were starting to get along with him, it was... nice.
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"So when did you two start dating?"
"We're not dating, Shirou," Gorou rolled his eyes, though his ear twitched at his brother's comment. "She's just here to practice for the play."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Huh."
"...Um, anyways," you cleared your throat. "Where are we doing this?"
"My room would probably be the best for privacy, but I understand if you don't-"
"Got it," you said, walking up the stairs. You knew where his room was since you'd been invited to his house before and Hina forced him to show you his bedroom.
Gorou hurried after you, leaving Shirou in the living room, and followed as you entered his room. Luckily, he tidied up in the morning since he was already planning on asking you over. Didn't want to risk it if you said yes. You sat on the edge of his bed and glanced around, seeing a few trophies lined up on two of his shelves.
"What are all those for?" You queried. "I don't remember them."
"Some of them are for archery competitions. The other ones are mostly from gymnastics," he answered, closing the door and taking a seat beside you. "One of them is for the spelling bee from fourth grade."
"I'm still mad you won," you grumbled.
"Well, you still got the second place trophy, so that's gotta count for something."
"I feel like you're rubbing it in my face."
"Maybe a little bit."
"Jerk," you playfully punched his arm. "At least I was first place in the fifth grade one. Revenge."
"Took a while to get revenge for something that really doesn't matter," he chuckled.
"Whatever," you rolled your eyes. "So what did you want to start on?"
You took your backpack off as you awaited a response, pulling your script out of your bag. You set it on the floor as he did the same with his.
"Well, I thought we should probably work on the... confession scene. Y'know, since it'll probably be the worst to act out and we haven't really touched on it yet."
"Makes sense," you shrugged, flipping through the pages of the script. "Sure."
You both read over the lines and quickly memorized them before turning to each other. You shifted so your entire body was facing him and he scooted away from you.
"...Uh, you know we're supposed to be closer together, right?" You asked. "Is it that embarrassing for you?"
"...Yes."
"Well you're the one who suggested it, we could just do something else," you smiled at his odd behavior. "I do think we need to work on this, though..."
He took a deep breath and moved closer to you, "I'm fine."
"If you say so," you muttered, glancing down before looking into his eyes, waiting for him to start.
He calmed himself and got into character as he stared into your eyes, feigning a loving gaze. He took in all your features and he was reminded of just how pretty you were. There was barely any way to ignore it with how intensely you were looking at him. Being alone, so close together with such a pretty girl... It made him a bit nervous, even if it was you.
"...Y/n, can I tell you something?"
"Of course... What is it?"
He raised his hand and held your cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. You noticed his ear twitch and had to suppress the urge to smile because of it.
"I think you're beautiful," he exhaled quietly. "You're gorgeous. More than anyone I've ever seen before. And you're so smart... It seems like you always know what to do, even when you have no idea what's going on, but you still constantly manage to push through. I admire you for that... More than you could ever understand."
He was so convincing, you almost believed he meant it.
"W-What? I don't..." You furrowed your eyebrows and placed your hand on his. "What are you saying?"
Gorou could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He'd gone over his lines in the confession scene by himself, but it was so different when he was looking straight into your eyes. And he'd never said the words of his next line to anyone before. His tail swished behind him, though you were too engrossed in his eyes to notice. You were strangely nervous as well. Your face was starting to heat up and you honestly hated it. You found it embarrassing. You braced yourself for his next statement.
"I'm in love with you, Y/n."
"I... I'm in love with you too, Gorou."