You and your friend walked into the frat house, surprised by all the people you saw. You knew there would be a lot of people there, of course – it was the most well-known frat on campus with the craziest parties – but you thought you got there early.
Regardless, you looked around, both of you giggling at how silly some of the frat guys' costumes looked, making you sure that they had to have either lost a bet or agreed that every single guy in the house would wearing something embarrassing.
About half an hour passed – your friend had since left you to go find her boyfriend, so you were left to your own devices. You weren't really doing much else other than keeping your drink securely in your hand the entire time, not wanting to take any chances.
"Hey, Ash Ketchum!" you heard someone shout from behind you, making you turn since you were dressed as the character. "You know how to play beer pong?" the frat guy asked. You nodded and he motioned for you to come over. "Come be Pikachu's partner," he said.
It wasn't until then that you'd even noticed someone else was dressed in a Pokemon-related costume, but it was clear once you saw him that it was meant to be an embarrassment – there was no way anyone would willingly sport a child-sized costume at one of the biggest parties of the year.
You couldn't help but snort softly, taking the last sip of your drink and throwing it into the trashcan before going over to the table.
"Nice costume, Pikachu," you said, stopping beside the blonde boy. His eyes widened and he blushed the brightest shade of red you'd ever seen.
~
You and Pikachu ended up winning your game of beer pong, but you decided not to play another round since you had a class pretty early the next morning. You found yourself outside on the back deck, sitting on the steps and looking up at the stars.
You were out there for a good amount of time by yourself – about 20 minutes to be exact – before you heard the back door open. You looked over your shoulder and found Pikachu coming outside, his steps small as if he were scared to be walking toward you.
The boy looked at you for a moment before softly asking if he could sit down beside you. You, of course, nodded your head, and he did exactly that.
It was quiet again, neither of you saying a word, before he finally decided to speak.
"I swear I don't always dress like this," he mumbled.
"Well, that's a shame because I dress like this all the time," you informed him, motioning toward yourself. The blonde boy finally cracked a smile, making you smile in return.
"That would have been more believable if you'd been dressed as a princess," he commented, becoming braver by the second. You looked at him despite the fact that you knew you were blushing.
"You calling me a princess?" you asked.
"Hey, if the glass slipper fits," he shrugged, lying down flat on the deck. You admired him for a moment before lying next to him, the both of you now looking up at the stars. "I'm Michael," he said randomly.
"Y/N," you recited your own name, "So, Michael. Do you actually like Pokemon or was this costume part of some bet?"
"It was part of a bet," Michael answered, "But I do like Pokemon too."
"What'd you lose?"
"It's stupid," he shook his head. You turned slightly to look at him again. He met your gaze and sighed lightly. "You're not gonna believe me," he told you. You shrugged, making him chuckle involuntarily. "My mates and I were out last week because I had to ask a the next girl that came out of the library on a date or else I had to wear a kid's Pikachu costume," he said, "And I was going to, but then I backed out."
"Why?" you wondered, "Was she not pretty?"
"No, she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
"Then why wouldn't you ask her out?"
"How would you feel if you found out someone asked you out because of a bet?" he countered. You couldn't help but laugh under your breath.
"Fair enough," you nodded, "But why not just explain that to her? The bet was just that you had to ask her out, right? Not that she had to agree."
"Well, it's a little too late for that advice now, don't you think?" he teased, poking your side. You giggled until he stopped, resting his arm back on his stomach. "Do you think she would have said yes?" Michael asked you randomly, "Like, if I explained to her that it was for a bet, but that I really did want to go out with her, do you think she'd still have agreed?"
"Maybe," you replied thoughtfully, "You seem like a really nice guy; I don't see why she wouldn't give you a shot." Michael was silent for a moment, making you shoot him a concerned look.
"You know the girl I mentioned?" he asked you, "The one I was supposed to ask on a date?" You nodded and he took a deep breath, looking back up at the stars so he didn't have to look at you. "It was you," he admitted, "You were the one who walked out of the library." You felt a smile pull at the corner of your mouth, blushing when you realized what he'd said earlier about that girl being the most beautiful one he'd ever seen.
"It's a shame you didn't ask me then," you commented, "As cute as you are, I don't think I would say yes to a guy in a child's Pikachu costume." You watched his eyes widen before he quickly sat up.
"Wait here," he stated, pushing himself to his feet and running toward the door.
"Where are you going?!" you giggled, but did as he asked while he disappeared inside. Michael bolted up the stairs, ignoring the questions he was getting from his brothers.
Once in his room, he practically tore the costume off and grabbed the first items of clothing he could find. He hurried to put them on – not wanting to keep you waiting alone outside for too long – and then, he was running back downstairs.
"Hey, Clifford, the party isn't over!" someone shouted as he passed them, "Why'd you change?!"
"Because I'm not about to ask a girl out while wearing that costume, Turner!" Michael called over his shoulder.
He made it to the back door, stopping and straightening himself out before calmly exiting the house. He was happy to find you still there in the same spot he left you in, only you were now sitting up.
The blonde sat back down beside you, trying to maintain the illusion that he wasn't out of breath from running around for a solid three minutes. When you looked over at the new presence beside you, you immediately started giggling.
"Your shirt's backwards, Mikey," you informed him, tugging on the tag sticking up between his collarbones.
Michael let out a deep sigh, but there was no doubt he was blushing at the nickname. He'd heard people – especially girls – call him Mikey countless times before, but something about it coming out of your mouth made his heart flutter and his stomach do flips.
"Would you say yes to a guy with his shirt on backwards?" he asked shyly.
"I'll let you know if that ever happens to me," you replied, doing your best not to smile. Michael took another deep breath in, letting it out slowly.
"Do you..." he cleared his throat nervously, "Will you go on a date with me?"
"Yes," you finally allowed yourself to grin.
He let out a sigh of relief, blushing when you leaned in and kissed his cheek. You had a saddened expression on your face as you sat back upright, making Michael tilt his head.
"I have a class at 9am tomorrow," you informed him, "I should leave before it gets too late." He nodded understandingly, getting up and holding his hand down to you.
"Do you live on campus?" he asked, "I'll walk you home." You smiled and nodded, telling him your sorority as you took his hand, letting him pull you up.
Michael let go of you, only to bring his arms into his shirt and turn it around so he was wearing it the right way. His arms came back out and his hand took yours again, tangling your fingers together. You smiled subtly, walking close to him as he led you back into the house.
"This isn't how I remember Pokemon at all!" you heard one of the frat boys exclaim as you walked through the kitchen.
"Maybe you weren't paying close enough attention," you countered before Michael could respond.
The guy laughed as you exited the room and made it to the front door. Michael nudged your arm, making you look up at him, winking at you when you did. You didn't say anything more – you just laid your head on his shoulder as he walked you back to your sorority.
Once you arrived, he took you up to the door. His hands started to feel sweaty against yours, but at that point, you weren't sure if it was him that was sweating, you, or a combination of both.
"So..." Michael cleared his throat again, "What... Uh... What time do your classes end tomorrow?"
"Noon," you replied.
"Would you...want to go to lunch with me?" he asked shyly, "I, um, I can meet you outside your lecture hall...if you want, I mean." It seemed like you had a permanent grin on your face when you were with Michael – even more so when he would get flustered like this.
"My class is in the library," you told him, "I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded rapidly, not even thinking before he was leaning in and kissing your cheek.
"See you tomorrow," he murmured before pulling away, letting go of your hand so he could walk back to his house.
"Hey, Mikey," you said, making him stop and turn around, "I would absolutely say yes to a guy with his shirt on backwards." He let out a quiet chuckle, chewing on his bottom lip as he watched you go into your house, waving at him slightly before you closed the door.
~
sure, i hate this title. but at least i hate it less than the other one i had.
happy halloween mofos