Author's note! This will be from Narancia's third person perspective this time! It's a bit different than what I usually do, but it'll make sense! For you Miniature Tigers fans, you'll know the theme! The reader is also female for this!
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Narancia was humming to himself as he drove Fugo's car to your house. While everyone else lived in the same apartment building, you were already paying rent to live in a small villa home just north east of the apartment, so you still were within jogging distance of the building. Plus, repacking and moving everything into a new place wasn't really ideal. After all, you just moved from a different building on the complete opposite side of town. Why move again? The rent wasn't too harsh, and your check payed more than enough for it. It was quite a gangster's paradise.
Over the past eight months that you had been apart of the team, Narancia found himself growing a big crush on you. What was there not to admire? You were super pretty, had, though not the most powerful, a useful Stand, and had a determination that rivaled Bruno's. On top of that, you were one of his best friends. Both you and Fugo would tutor him, Fugo handled mathematics while you took the history and language portion. Your teaching style, while not violent or aggressive as Fugo's, was very compatible for someone like Narancia, someone who wasn't very good at learning things perfectly. Were you a teacher or historian in a past life? Who knew?
The shorter dark haired boy had been thinking about the perfect time to tell you about how he truly felt. It was mid June, the prettiest time of year in Italy. Flowers and trees were in full bloom, and everything was busy and bustling with life and beauty. Those beautiful sceneries and vibes made Narancia feel a little better as he continued driving the car. He hadn't told Fugo where he was going, just that "it's personal, but really important." Fugo had reluctantly let Narancia borrow it on the condition that he did Fugo's chores and study extra hard for a week.
Within a few minutes, your house was in view. The course of fate had brought him here, and now he needed to know the answer! Parking the car on the side of the road, as there were no parking spaces on the type of street you lived on, Narancia hopped out and stood on your front lawn, walking to your door.
Narancia's hands were shaking pretty hard. He was really gonna confess to you! Right? Oh god, could he even? His stomach's butterflies were fluttering and flittering around, making it impossible for him to focus. What if you don't like him that way? What if you like him, but not like like? What if you're just friends? Should you two just stay friends? This was so confusing and difficult for Narancia, and he was basically winging it all by himself himself. He wanted some sort of help or reassurance, but it was too late for that. Narancia was already at your doorstep by the time he was considering a wingman, and he couldn't back out now. After all this time, he couldn't just run away at the moment of truth!
Narancia had such strong feelings in his chest for you, but really didn't know how to convey them. He never really had much experience with dating or anything of the sort, and this new romantic world scared him. So many things could go wrong, and if something did happen, would you even look him in the eye again after this? He really didn't want to lose you, not another friend lost because of a mistake Narancia made. He was finally in his own kind of family, a group where no one would abandon him. This was what he lived for! And if he lost you, Narancia didn't know what he would do. Losing people was not something he wanted to do again.
Before he pressed the doorbell, Narancia retreated his hand. Maybe he should check if you're home first? It wouldn't do any good if you weren't home and he was kind of ready to confess. Backing away from the front door, he went around to the side of the small house and saw your room's light shining. Walking to the side of your house, he snuck into a bush and peeked his head out, only to be met with something he really didn't expect.
You were in there, but you weren't working, or studying, or doing anything out of the ordinary. You were undressing, bottom before top. Unbeknownst to you, a certain boy was watching you through the uncurtained windows. Sliding off your skirt, your legs clothed in your stockings were revealed, and Narancia's breath hitched. Should he really continue watching? It might be considered creepy and weird! But, despite his three braincells yelling at him to go back to the front porch, Narancia stayed. He was curious. Why go back? This was an opportunity he couldn't miss, right?
Lifting a leg up and propping it on your bed, you slid off the first stocking, then the other. Since you thought you were alone, you didn't dress up immediately. Unbuttoning your uniform's coat, your bust popped out unexpectedly. Was the uniform so restraining? Your poor chest! Narancia's cheeks became emblazoned in red when he saw your arms grab the bottom of your shirt and lift up, revealing more of your body until it came off. The shirt was thrown to the side, and now it was time to release yourself from the bra. Turning your back to the window, you unclipped it and put on a more comfortable bra. Even though he only saw your side and back, Narancia was blushing the brightest red he had ever blushed before. He just saw your bra and your top half! This was not was he expected to see at all this evening.
Narancia finally used one of his braincells to think about what to do now. It'd be awkward for him to talk to you now that he saw you undressing. What was he to do? Half of him wanted to march back up those porch stairs and still confess, while the other half wanted to run back to his car and drive home. Why was this decision so hard to make? It rattled about in his head, making him overthink things way too hard. The what if situations popped back up. What if you knew he was watching, and was hiding the secret from him? What if you hated him after he confessed? What if you really did say yes, only to be bored by him and his inexperience? Was this really what he was supposed to do? Why wasn't life giving him the answers he needed?!
After sitting in that bush for a good minute thinking, he decided to suck in his gut and do it. He was gonna do it, and nothing was gonna stop him! Nothing in this whole wide world was gonna prevent him from hearing the words he needed from your mouth! With a less than courageous skip in his step, he made the way back up your porch stairs and stared at the door. The future was behind it! With his hand still shaking, his finger neared the small metal button. Why was his confidence suddenly gone? Dread filled his gut, and all the courage from his pep talk earlier was gone. Without even registering what he had done, Narancia pressed the doorbell.
The sound of the small bell struck him out of his fearful trance. Hearing the sound of footsteps running about in your room, Narancia didn't have his fire anymore. He had to get out of there, for the sake of your friendship with him! Running as fast as he could, Narancia bolted to his getaway car and sped off, feeling sick to his stomach with the fear you saw him running away. The stars in the night sky were twinkling calmly, with nothing to fear. Why couldn't Narancia be like a star and shine bright like them? Why did he have to be a human with all these complicated feelings and emotions? Why!
Narancia drove until he reached a cliff overlooking a beach. Parking the car in an actual parking spot, he got out and walked up the hill, trying to calm himself down. Just breathe and slow down his racing heart. The grass under his shoe made little to no noise as he trudged along that lonely hill to an equally lonely tree, to be leaned against by an even lonelier boy. Everything on and in this cliff was lonely, it seemed.
Taking a seat on the grass and leaning against the tall oak tree, Narancia looked up to the stars and began counting them. For every star he counted, he'd apologize out loud to himself and no one in particular about his mistakes. This was his way of redemption, for now. He couldn't face you or anyone right now, his bad feeling wouldn't go away. Narancia just really needed some time, though he didn't really want to be alone, if that made sense. Someone to talk to who wasn't someone he had messed up with. What a thankless thought!
As Narancia sat on that cliff and counted the stars, apologizing softly into the night, he realized that he had up and doorbell ditched you, and that realization made him feel worse. How could he have just run off like that? How cowardly of himself! After all of that prep and work to build himself up, a doorbell crashed that all down? How pathetic. Narancia really didn't like himself at the moment, burying his head in his knees as he pulled them up to his chest.
"I'm sorry (Name). I'm not brave at all. I'm just really stupid in the end, no matter how much you coach me and smile at me. I just can't do this. This isn't easy at all, why did I think it would be?"
Like a sudden shooting star, a voice startled Narancia from his pity party. "What are you apologizing for, Nara?" In shock, Narancia shot his head up and saw exactly who he didn't want to see. There you were, standing with a light coat and sweatpants, with that angelic look in your eyes. The ones that always made Narancia feel better, though right now it was crushing him even more. "Where did you come from?" Narancia choked out, confused and a little scared. How had you appeared so suddenly? Was saying your name enough to summon you? If he rubbed a magic lamp, would you come out like a genie?
"I heard the doorbell ring and went to answer it, then saw someone speed off. I followed them to here. I guess that was you. Why'd you ditch me? I was gonna answer." You said with a joking smile. If only you knew Narancia's internal turmoil! Well, maybe you would know, or maybe you wouldn't. Narancia forced a small grin on his face, before sombering up his expression. "I, I ditched cause I was afraid." He murmured, not quite loud enough.
"Can you say that again Nara? You're mumbling."
"I said I ditched cause I was afraid!"
"Afraid? Afraid of what?" You asked, unknowingly provoking Narancia's heart to lose all composure and beat faster and faster. It was beating so fast and hard Narancia thought it was gonna beat out of his chest. "I was afraid of asking you something." He said, a little bit above a murmur. Oh god, why did you have to follow him? He was going to have a heartattack at this point! "Aw, Nara, you don't have to be afraid to ask me questions. Go ahead, ask me your question." You said serenely, expecting a question about math or maybe history.
"Do you like or like like me?"
Those words stunned you. This definitely wasn't what you expected at all. Did Narancia ask if you like liked him? He meant as in a crush, right? "Please, tell how you feel." He said, looking down. The boy really was scared. This was the moment that would change his relationship with you forever. What happened next was going to curve his future's path in either a good way or a bad way. If only he could read the future, maybe then he wouldn't be in this situation.
A hand cupped around his cheek, making him look up. Narancia's eyes were glossy with tears that wanted to fall because of his fear. His fear of change and fear of losing you. "Of course I like like you, Nara." Those seven words made the angel's harps in Narancia's head pluck away. You really liked him? Not just ordinary like? Like like? Was he dreaming? No, he couldn't be. He still had to do Fugo's chores, that couldn't be a dream. His heart, though calming down, was still beating rather fast, but not from fear this time. It was the overwhelming emotion of joy. This feeling, it was a relief to the constant pounding of dread from before.
His arms found their way around your waist, his head buried into the crook of your neck. Instinctively, you put your arms around him, hands on his back and hair cascading over his shoulders. The boy you found yourself gravitating towards ever since you both met was in your arms, and he was yours. The emotion filled voice of Narancia filled the air around you.
"Tell me, do you like me? Just say you do."
"I do."
⭐ like or like like? - end ⭐
this was super cute to write for our tangerine boy! at first I was gonna write about a date night with him, but then I realized that this was a much better plot than how I originally planned. for those who don't listen to Miniature Tigers, this story was based off their song Like or Like Like! It's my favourite by them, and I felt happy with how this turned out. This song makes me think of those awkward teenage romances, because not everything can be totally chill. In the end, Narancia got his happy ending and I got to finally write something based on a song! I recommend listening to Like or Like Like or reading through the lyrics, this oneshot is heavily related to the song's story!
word count: 2420