@pandaameii
After their date to the Halloween masquerade ball, Slightly had become more sure than ever that how much he liked Mei outweighed any fear he had of rejection. Of course the fear was still there, the ever-present anxiety thrumming through his veins of what if I’m not enough and what if she doesn’t want me, but the chance that Mei might return his feelings was well worth the risk that she didn’t. And if she didn’t, if he made a huge miscalculation and poured his heart out for her without reciprocation, at least he would still have her as a friend. Even if it would be awkward, for a while, to know he had a massive crush on her when she didn’t feel the same, he was confident Mei wouldn’t let it ruin their friendship in the long run—if there was anything he knew about her in the time they’d gotten close, it was how much she valued her friends. Still, he hoped for the outcome that would make them more than friends. He really, really hoped he hadn’t misread things.
Slightly had spent the past few months testing the waters and trying to figure out if Mei was feeling the same spark he was, and their date to the dance had him almost certain, but he knew there was always room to be proven wrong. He just had to take the chance anyway. He would have confessed and asked her out that very night, but after her biggest secret being revealed unintentionally, he was trying not to say or do anything that would disturb her calm for the rest of the night. Plus, he wanted to finish the song he’d been inspired to write for her that night—with the assistance of one fellow blonde musician. Said musician was a surprise guest for his show tonight, being planned to come on and perform with him at the end of the set, when he introduced a couple of new, unreleased songs to the audience. He spoke to the crowd, but his eyes were on a redhead in the wings.
“So there’s this girl…” He paused for the burst of whoops and hollers to die down, a smile spreading on his face. “She was singing one of my songs when we met, dancing in public and everything. She was so embarrassed that I saw her—she had no idea how cute it was. How cute she is! She’s the most adorable person I’ve ever met, I mean in every way. Everything about her…She's sweet and funny, too, and so smart. You know, the only problem is that I think she’s an even bigger fan of this one boy-band than my music? Well, I just can’t live with that. So this one isn’t my usual style, but I tried to write her a new favorite song...” The musical intro started up as he finished talking. “And it’s about her. Here’s the New Classic.”
The crowd screamed again for the obvious connection to his hit song Classic, and he began to sing. They went wild again as Bubbles of The Powerpuff Girls joined him onstage to perform the duet, but he made it clear after acknowledging her presence with a friendly nod and smile that his own performance was entirely dedicated to the girl backstage. Bubbles could entertain the audience while he pointed at Mei and sang You’re the new classic, and while he ran into the wings as soon as the number ended. He stopped in front of Mei, almost vibrating in anticipation as he blurted, “Mei, I really like you! I wanna date you. You don’t have to answer me if you don’t feel that way, but I just wanted to show you in the best way I know how, 'cause you really do inspire me—not just musically, but in other ways too. And I just wanted you to know, if you didn’t already, how special you are.”
