please do not copy, translate, transfer, or claim any of my work! If you would like to, please ask me. If i say yes, please give me credit

Clarisse had been rotting in her guilt for days.

Marinating in anguish of her own decisions and suffering the consequences of her actions. she couldn’t breathe.

clarisse was well aware how upset you would be with her, no doubt she was expecting a shove off and a bit of attitude from you— but no, you’ve been blowing her off completely.

You were very hurt by her words, but something else burned inside you. A flame of anger. You currently despised charisse- even if you truly did love her deep down, you couldn’t stand to be in the same room of her.

the daughter of ares had tried relentlessly to apologize for her cruel words and poor decision, but her apology was shot through deaf ears. having being blown off by you for days, she was fed up. Her heart was swollen with desire for you, she needed you to forgive her, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go without you.

she stayed up at night with the regret chewing her skin raw, replaying how she acted and what she said, regretting her actions and even more so her words.

Being ghosted by you was something she, frankly, never thought she’d have to worry about. She was one for unkind words, it’s not the first time she’s spoken cruelty to you— just.. not specifically about you, to your face.

Her once unshakable confidence and snarky demeanor was shattered into millions of pieces , scattered where the trail of your friendship had been. The dining hall, the sparing arena, her bedroom— everywhere she stood unshakable with you beside her was now filled with a deep , itching sense of regret and anger.

She was pissed, to be frank. At herself, but also; at you. Who did you think you were? ignoring her? acting like she didn’t exist? It made her unbearably angry— uncomfortable.

Her thoughts were in a whizz.

The sound of her spear being slammed into another campers shield was loud enough to break her from her temporary trance— her eyes flickering to the now fallen boy on the floor, glaring up at clarisse. oops.

“What’s wrong with you?” the boy, Allo, son of Artemis, barked at her, standing up. Clarisse felt a vein poke from her forehead, her composure that was barely there to start with was now almost completely gone.

“What’s wrong with me?” she bit back, slamming her spear into the floor “What’s wrong with you? You’re the son of Artemis and you can’t handle a bit of a fight?” she snapped, her voice raising.

Allo scoffed, mumbling something about her being an ass before he dropped his shield onto the ground as well, successfully passive-aggressively falling onto her spear, before he made a face at her and left.

Clarisse bit her tongue, closing her eyes and taking a breath- she couldn’t wring his neck, no. at least.. not here.

her thoughts quickly drifted away from the irritating situation and back to you, of course. Your face clouding her mind. yes, there is absolutely no doubt that she was pissed , pissed at you— but… she wasn’t. she was just… she didn’t know how she felt.

Clarisse bent down to pick her spear up, her head elsewhere.

She’d never thought about her feeling of you— or, for you. she never put much thought into how jealous she was, or how much your validation and attention meant to her. how your words and praises made her feel so good.

that’s just how she was, right?

Clarisse placed her spear back into the weapon holder, removing her breastplate and placing it over the hook alongside the other armor, her feet dragging her to the dining hall, signaled by the lunch bell.

her dark brown eyes quickly scanned the vicinity , and immediately found you. You sat with Percy , as well as grover and annabeth, the group chatting amongst each other, and you occasionally chiming in, though… she noticed how upset you looked, how hurt you were. And, that familiar feeling of regret chewed her chest out, because no matter how much she covered her guilt with anger and blame, she knew your expression was her fault.

She scoffed, looking away; filling her lunch tray up with food, though she was the last thing but hungry. She wanted to desperately talk to you- not matter how much she denied the fact she wanted to, but she knew it was no use, you’d brush her off like you did the last few times— and she was not going to… beg for you.

she wasn’t.

no matter how badly she wanted to.

—

You poked your food, percy and his friends chatting away about some quest they were going to sneak out to do.

Normally, you’d be super invested and obviously guide them to, you know— not to do that, but.. you couldn’t find it in yourself to care.

Clarisse’s hurtful words stabbed your soft heart like a dozen of tiny little needles having a birthday party in your most fragile organ.

You were beyond upset, her face , her words— the won’t stop replaying. she basically called you a whore. She basically called your siblings whores, your mother. It was so.. wrong. so mean. but.. you couldn’t help but want to amend, to just pretend it never happened, to shove it down and go back to normal.

You knew that that wouldn’t happen anytime soon though. You knew she was upset at you— which just made you even more upset. You loved clarisse. You did; no matter how much you wanted to desperately deny it, deny how you were in love with your stupid.. asshole friend.

the worst part is, you knew she loved you back.

It wasn’t something that was big fat secret, no matter how much she wanted to deny: Everyone knows clarisse is too busy to do relationships, and too scared to acknowledge her feelings.

You heard the familiar chatter of her voice, your eyes automatically flickering up to find her , sitting at her usual table surround by siblings and friends. you could see she was bothered, and you knew she was upset about the whole situation, but too mighty to admit to it. you scoffed under your breath, standing up.

the group you sat with looked to you as you stood grabbing your tray, “I’m gonna go,” you said, smiling at them “let me know how your plan goes, okay?” you said, to which they bid farewell to you, and you scattered off to place your tray elsewhere and back to your room, where you can sulk in peace.

clarisse watched you go, her eyes following you like a key in a lock, her body itching to follow you. to mend— to.. apologize.

she bit the inside of her cheek, chewing it. she shouldn’t. she wouldn’t. she was too proud.

…

fuck it.

clarisse stood up, leaving the table without a word, leaving her tray behind as she followed after you.

what was she doing? following you like a damn dog. shit. she was pathetic.

she quickly caught up, grabbing your arm before you could open the door to the Aphrodite cabin.

she hated how she relished in the feeling of your skin on hers.

She watched as you turned around; apon the realization it was her, you tugging your arm from her grasp. she bit a scoff.

“what?” you mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

The cold seeped into clarisses fingers, even through the sleeves she had pulled over her hands. You two stood beneath the sun, even if it was cloudy, it’s never felt so cold before. The distant chatter of other campers was nothing but background noise, nothing in the face of your own little silence—sharp and heavy, like glass about to break.

clarisse kept her eyes on the ground. Her breath came out in clouds, white against the yellow of the sun. She hated this. Not the silence—the waiting. She knew what she had to say. She just couldn’t make her mouth move. Her pride clung to her like armor, welded tight across her chest.

You were silent as well, your arms folded, your eyes downcast, not looking at at clarisse, but thinking about her— that only made it worse. made it harder.

Clarisse had always been sharp. She knew how to protect herself—with sarcasm, with distance, with fire when needed. She had spent years building herself like that, careful, brick by brick. And then you showed up , and didn’t ask her to take it all down. you just looked… at her in a way that made it hard to keep pretending the walls were comfortable. That she was comfortable inside them.

And—god, clarisse knew she’d been cruel

she shifted on her feet, heart pounding. Her mouth felt dry. The words were right there—but every time she got close to saying them, something inside her recoiled. If she apologized, it meant admitting that you mattered. That she’d hurt her. That what she felt—this mess of affection and fear and something terrifyingly close to longing—was real.

She wasn’t good at real.

Still, you hadn’t walked away. clarisse had half expected you to storm off, or worse, say something kind and final. But she just stood there, quiet, giving you space to be brave.

clarisse took a deep breath. “I was... mean,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

you didn’t respond, not right away.

“I shouldn’t have said what I said.” your eyes flicked to her, then away. “You didn’t deserve that. any of that..”

Silence again. clarisse pressed her teeth into her bottom lip. That should be enough. It was an apology, wasn’t it?

But it didn’t feel like enough. Not for this.

“I…” clarisse hesitated. The next words felt like stepping off a ledge. “I get.. i don’t know.. upset sometimes. When people get close. It’s not you, it’s me being—” She shook her head. “Scared. Of how I feel. About you.”

you sigh.

“clarisse— i.. know you speak with words,” you said causing the girl to bite a scoff “But what you said, isn’t so easily forgivable— you— you can’t just expect me to forgive you for what you said and act like nothing is wrong,” i told her.

clarisse sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I know,” she said in a bite “but i’m trying, okay?”

“try harder, then,” you retorted , still not facing her. she scoffed at that.

“I.. ugh. fine. Just.. listen, okay? i’m..” she sighed again..

That finally made you look at her, was she actually going to say what you thought?

“.i…” fuck. should she say it? she didn’t want to— she shouldn’t.. but..

“I like you,” Clarisse finally said, each word like pulling teeth.

The air between you two seemed to shift. your face be and less upset—your eyebrows drew together not in anger, but in something gentler. Compassion, maybe.

Relief.

“You could’ve just said that,” you said in a mumble, letting your arms unfold and fall to your sides.

Clarisse scoffed, breathless and sharp. “Yeah, well. I suck at saying things.”

you turned toward her fully now, stepping a little closer. “You’re doing fine.”

clarisse blinked. “You’re not mad?”

“I was,” you admitted. “i still am— and.. what you said was.. really mean, and i was really hurt. but... I get it. I know you’re not used to this.”

clarisse felt the weight in her chest shift, not vanish, but lighten. “I’m trying.”

“I know,” you said. “thanks for trying.”

clarisse looked at you—really looked—and this time, she didn’t look away. The cloudy sun cast a soft glow over your face, your eyes a warm kind of steady. There was no sadness or anger in them now. Just patience. Hope.

♡ at first; he wasn’t even able to touch your arm without physically flinching away.

♡︎in his defense, he’d never had a girlfriend, and then the one time he really, really likes a girl— she actually likes him back; just as much!

♡︎lowkey has a staring issue. You’ll just catch him gaping at you every now and then, mostly in shock at the reoccurring realization that he gets to call you his girlfriend

♡︎can’t call you his gf. physically it won’t come out of his mouth.

♡︎super gittery! Always nervous around you(it’s cute!) he’s always kind shaky from how nervous he is.

♡︎FLIPS OUT when you hold his hand; is scared on how to hold your hand back. What if he holds it too tight and hurts you? what if his fingers are in a weird position? or his hands too sweaty?—

♡︎gets really embarrassed when you reassure him that it is, indeed, okay for him to touch you. not that he’d do so without asking… ever.

♡︎later into the relationship, he’s still shy, nervous, not really used to actually having someone to call ‘his’.

♡︎THE SWEETEST BOYFRIEND EVER, though. ahhhhh!

♡︎treasures you. treats you like a princess— like a queen.

♡︎first time you kissed him, it was on the cheek; he froze. literally went from ice cold in the winter air, to boiling hot. every single cell in his body flaming. he felt a pop in his chest and he swore it was his heart exploding.

♡︎his face is always either rosy pink or tomato red, no matter what you do. touch his arm? blushes. compliment him? fumes. kiss him? he explodes—

♡︎if i’m being fr… he’s a bad kisser; and he knows it. he’s just so nervous, so, so shy— his lips are so stiff and awkward, he doesn’t know what to do or how to move.. not to mention the fact your hand on his bicep was sending electricity through his whole body.

♡︎still, so sweet.

♡︎loves you so much. he literally cries when he gets home from dates because he loves you so much.

♡︎ definitely can’t do anything without some kind of permission; doesn’t kiss you, doesn’t hug you, call you, text you, without consent. he’s scared of over stepping.

♡︎ eventually, though, he gains enough courage to text you first— if he’s feeling studious; he might even call you.

♡︎definitely squeals and kicks his feet at every text you send him.

♡︎ his home screen on his phone is the one you sent him after your first date. you were kissing his cheek, and his face was so red it was absolutely humiliating.

♡︎every single feminine thing he sees in public reminds him of you.

︎♡︎buys you around 10 gifts a week! Super sweet things; your favorite candy, cute things like keychains and cute, surprise action figures.

♡︎ definetly buys you dior makeup. Palets, lipgloss.

♡︎ you get a new bouquet of flowers every 6 days! Your favorites, cute pink flowers. He knows you love them.

♡︎any time you say you think something is cute either online or in person, you always receive it in a cute bag in-front of your dorms door the next week or so.

♡︎ since you started dating him, you’ve been absolutely glowing in femininity.

♡︎his mom, ABSOLUTELY adores you!

♡︎she mentioned marriage the first time izuku introduced you to her, and you’ve never seen his face so red.

♡︎you love inko just as much— she’s your favorite! and izuku loves your relationship with his mom, your mutual affection is so sweet to him.

♡︎overall, such a sweetheart. his mom raised him right. he treats you so good, and he’s such a respectful boy you die every time he comes near.

shoto was never the best at expressing how he felt. he struggled with words and the proper tone and emotion to put behind the construct that left his mouth, confused and frustrated with himself when the person he spoke to would walk away upset.

so, that’s why he’d opted to the more silent side. unknowingly, a lot of the time his eyes spoke for him.

Shoto had been staring at you all day.

of course, at first it was a little flattering, but now you are wondering if you had something ugly or something your face, like un-blended or smudged makeup; but when you checked, you found nothing.

Ashido and Hagakure had noticed to, teasing you about how the handsomest boy in the class was staring so hard at you. but honestly, you felt a little nervous. why was he staring at you? did you actually have something on your face you couldn’t see? did he hate you? was he planning your downfall?

your thoughts continued to flow as you sat at a lunch table with toru and mina, who were gushing about your current issue. and, as if on cue, your eyes caught sight of a familiar pair of heterochromia’s. you quickly flickered your gaze down, swallowing. gosh, you couldn’t stand this! what was his problem?

“y/n-chan, how’s your secret admirer holding up?” Hagakure teased you, and you couldn’t help the embarrassment that caused a ticked in your cheeks. “do i really not have anything on my face?” you touched your cheeks, to which mina shook her head with a sigh. “Don’t you get it? he probably likes you!” she whisper shouted, almost sounding like an exasperated mother. You shook your head;

“I don’t think so. Todoroki-kun?” you said, flicking your eyes behind toru only to catch said boys eyes, who stare shamelessly at your face. what part? you couldn’t tell.

you looked away, “i don’t like this.” you huffed, covering your face with your hands. Mina and toru looked at eachother (kinda) and then back to you.

“is it uncomfortable?”

“it’s weird!” you shouted a little too loud, quickly covering your mouth when a few people glanced your way. Mina groaned, expanding her body over the table. “Just, like, ask him why he’s obsessed with you.”

Toru laughed, “yeah! ask him why he keeps staring.” she says, pausing for a moment. “how long has he been doing it, anyways?” her question makes you think. Sure, it was awfully obvious today, but now that you think about it, for the past few weeks, every time you’d look in the direction shoto was in, your eyes would meet his. You’d assumed it was coincidence, sending a smile and then turning away. but, as of recently, his glances have tuned to minute long stares.

“hmm.. i used to catch his eyes a lot for around two weeks, but i think that was coincidence,” you hum, placing a finger to your chin, “this whole staring thing really just recently started this week, I guess.”

Mina sat up, laughing with her whole chest. She gave you a look, and you raised a brow. “I get it.” she sighs out, dragging her breath dramatically. “He thinks you’re cute!” she squeals, and you wish you couldn’t feel the warmth spreading to your neck and the tips of your ears. “why else would he be staring? if you insist he doesn’t like you, then he definitely thinks you’re cute.” she said casually, like she was a confident detective who cracked a case.

Toru put her hands together, “that makes so much sense! i mean, you are really cute, Y/n-chan!” she reached over and squeezed your cheeks, causing your eyes to water. “exactly!” Mina added, looking at your face closer. “Long eyelashes, soft skin— and oh!” she gasped dramatically, slamming her hand in the table— you jump a little, hagakure, too.

“It’s them!” she points to your cheeks, and you send her a confused look with a small tilt of your head. “Your dimples!” she states like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

you send her a look of surprise, unsure of her words. “think about it, he’s always staring in hopes to see you smile, ‘cause when you do— your dimples show like the sun in the sky!”

you rub your cheek, “are they really that obvious?” you murmur, sighing. “so… what? do i go up to him and— what? smile?” you ask in disbelief, and mina nods like a wise monk. “why not? mina is right. he probably thinks you are super cute and pretty, and can’t help but stare!” hagakure chirps.

“okay, stop, your making me blush!” you gush, and your smile makes Mina cock her head to the side— and of course, shoto is staring right at you. she was always right.

“after class, go up to him and ask him why he’s been staring. if you do I’ll buy you three Daifuku!” mina bribed, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Me too!” hagakure added to the bet, and you turned serious.

“deal.”

that’s how you ended your clutching your schoolbag tightly, a little tremor in your hands as you watched todoroki put his books neatly in his own bag, toru peaking behind the door with mina, giving you a thumbs up.

with a shaky sigh, you approached him. before you cautiously approached his desk, his eyes flickered to you. Your face heated lightly with how his eyes darted across your whole face before latching to your own eyes, staring. your throat felt so dry.

You cleared your throat, smiling at him softly before you spoke.

“Hi,” you managed, and you swore you heard one of your friends giggle in the back. Shoto didn’t say anything back, he simply stared at you. has he no shame?!? your face was sure to be at least a little pink, and you fiddled with your keychain.

“I.. um… i was wondering if there is something wrong with my face?” you ask with a low tone, expecting a reaction but not really getting one. “I’ve noticed that you been looking at me a lot— n-not that i’m accusing you, of course!— i-i just wanted to know if there was something wrong with my… face…” your voice died down as he stood up slinging his school bag neatly over his shoulder.

“My apologies. I didn’t know it would make you uncomfortable,” he said, and you felt steam blow from your ears from embarrassment. “N-no! that’s not it— i’m just curious—“

“I just couldn’t seem to look away from you.” he admits shamelessly, almost like he didn’t know the weight behind his words. You looked at his side profile when he turned his head, “I.. think you are very pretty, and I couldn’t look away.” his honesty hit you like a bus, and he apologized a final time before walking past you, leaving the room through the open door.

you stood there, completely and totally awestruck. Todoroki shoto, the most beautiful boy— ever— thought you were.. pretty? No, very pretty?

Sitting at your vanity and doing your makeup was always a priority before going out with your boyfriend, Katsuki. Though, the nut didn’t seem to get it through his head why it was that it took you as long as it did.

curling your lashes, you looked at yourself through the reflection of your vanity, seeing Katsuki glaring at you through the mirror as well.

“You done yet, or what?” he barked, grumbling under his breath as he scrolled on his phone, hiding his chin away in his hoodie.

“Hm.. almost.” you hummed, batting your lashes into the mirror, gently using your finger to curl them up and using the curler once more.

Katsuki was heard scoffing, as he continued to lay on your bed, “Tch. when you say that it takes longer.” he grumbled, looking at you through the reflection of the mirror.

you hummed, focusing on your makeup. “than it seems like you answered your own question, kats.” you said to him, gently applying mascara to your lashes.

He watched, his face resting as he followed the fluid movements of your hand moving with the mascara, coating your lashes in a thick paste of black. he grumbled.

“it’s not like you need at that shit, anyways.” he said, looking back to his phone, scrolling on what you could only assume to be twitter or something like that.

“awe,” you cooed, playfully. “are you calling me a natural beauty, katsuki?” you asked him, fluttering your lashes a little before coating the bottom ones with mascara as well.

“yeah, yeah, whatever, jus’ hurry up.” he scowled, looking up at your reflection before flickering his eyes back to his phone. he continued to sit comfortably on your bed as you finished your makeup, looking yourself over once before reaching into your drawer.

katsuki’s red eyes followed your movements, watching you retrieve a pink, cute lips gloss bottle from your vanity. He watched you closely as you applied the lipgloss to your plump, pink lips, rubbing them together with a ‘pop’, before smiling into your reflection, with a successful nod. He watched you spray your perfume, and stand up.

he didn’t say anything as you stood up, brushing your hair behind your shoulders and placing your white purse over your shoulder. You wore low rise jeans with a cute, white shirt with lace trim. He likes it; not that he’d admit it. ever..

“Okay,” you hummed “I’m ready now.” you smiled at him, looking as he laid on your bed. He let out a gruff huff of air, tucking his phone back into his hoodies pocket, and shuffling off your bed, standing up.

you smiled as he rose to his full height; and his eyes flickered to your newly glossed lips.

“what’s up, kats?” you ask, “you’re not complaining anymore.” you said, looking at him. He squinted his eyes; silent for a moment, before he bent down to kiss your lips— he didn’t often do this, so it was a sweet gesture. you hummed against his lips, and he moved them a little before pulling back.

“what was that for?” you asked, with a tilt of your head, and looked at the lipgloss that coated his lips now, as well.

“what’s with that?” he asked you, raising a brow.

“with what?” you retorted,

“that lipgloss.” he said “it’s new.”

you grinned at him, letting out a soft laugh, “oh? so you noticed.”

“of course i did, idiot.” he scoffed “I’m not dumb.” he said, and licked the lipgloss off from around his lips “it’s cherry.” he commented, looking at you.

“just how you like it, katsuki.” you said, kissing his cheek. He grumbled, looking away. “whatever.”

“aw, don’t be a tsundere!” you teased him, as you two walked out of your room.

it was nights like these that you knew he had difficulty with sleep.

the soft, considerate patter of socked feet against the tatami floor, aimlessly wandering through the butterfly estate. usually, you’d be a rather deep sleeper, but you know that the days prior events were to no doubt owe tanjiro a sleepless night. so, you kept awake, listening for those soft padded footsteps.

you slipped out of bed, quietly and carefully opening and closing the shoji of your room, delicately delivering yourself to the kitchen. you didn’t know where the burgundy haired boys current location inside the estate was, but it was only a matter of time before he showed up.

and, like a moth to a flame, he turned the corner as you were poring the tea. His expression held one of surprise, clearly not expecting to see you awake at this hour. You sent him a kind, tired smile, placing down the tea pot and offering him a freshly filled cup.

with shaky hands he took it, though his face held confusion. “can’t sleep?” you asked softly, holding your cup with both hands as you await his answer.

He nods, and if the eye bags were anything to go by you knew he needed this tea remedy immediately.

“yes,” he replied bashfully, smiling at you. you ignored the lunge in your chest. “you?”

“I suppose you could say that.” you retort, a closed eyed smile left your expression before you could stop it. you couldn’t tell him you were up and waiting for him, could you?

You fixed your posture, taking steps forward and passing the sleepless boy, motioning for him to follow you. He did so, sloppy almost spilling his cup as he trailed after you.

The two of you walked outside, following along the engawa until you had a proper view of the full moon. You sat along the engawa’s edge, patting the empty space beside you. tanjiro sat down beside you. he was close.

You both allowed your legs dangle over the edge, the two of you sipping your own tea in the soft noise of cicada and cricket songs.

you failed to notice the lingering gaze of the kamado boy in your peripheral vision, too pre occupied with your own thoughts of him. Tanjiro was awestruck, to be frank. the way that the moonlight encased your face was nothing less of ethereal, the most beautiful thing he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing.

in honesty, the young boy was ready for sleep. his body ached and his time was well spent during the day, but it wasn’t the nightmares of prior demons that clouded his mind. it wasn’t the dread that ate at him at night, or the fear that itched his bones while he lay down. it was you. his mind was completely, and utterly flooded with thoughts of you. and, he wasn’t sure how to cope.

His racing mind could barley keep up with his heart, rocking his body back and fourth like a shishi-odoshi under heavy water. he couldn’t think. he couldn’t breathe. it was suffocating.

but, now, as he sat beside you under the moonlight, his suffering was all worth it. you were really something, weren’t you?

Tanjiro knew you had no trouble sleeping at night, he’d asked you before how you slept. He knows you get up to make him tea. he knows you care for him. so why does it bother him when you refer to him as kamado-kun? why does it ache him when you introduce him as your friend, why does it burn when you say goodbye or good night?

Now, he was unknowingly, fully staring at you. you felt the intense pressure of his eyes on you, and with a soft expression you turned to face him, though worry was no doubt littered in your irises.

“kamado-kun?” like a deer shoved out of bright light, he snapped back to reality. your eyes traced his face, brows furrowed in concern as you watched him. your gaze made him feel warm.

“a-ah, i’m sorry, y/n-san,” he blurted out, scratching the back of his neck, his eyes bashfully trailing back up to the full moon. you smile, although he couldn’t see.

silence followed after his words, and it was different. something unfamiliar traced the air, something awfully familiar. tanjiro’s heart beat soundly in his chest, and his eyes fluttered shut. from exhaustion or realization he couldn’t tell, but he knew he enjoyed it.

“The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?”

tanjiro’s throat swelled at your words.

He jolted, shooting his eyes open— quickly fixating on your face, only to find your eyes searching his. Tanjiro had heard that phrase before, from reading a few books and even takes of stories, but he didn’t think much of it.

a declaration of love. could it be?

he couldn’t find his voice, helplessly trying to find a response with the lack of his vocal cords in the time he needed them most.

he stared into your eyes like a helpless boy, and you couldn’t help the peachy blush dusting your cheeks.

“yes, it is.” he finally choked out a reply, though his voice came out hoarse and dry, you held your smile.

“the moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it, tanjiro-kun?” you repeated, this time barley above a whisper. Tanjiro hadn’t realized how close you’d gotten until you were only inches away, but respectful enough to notice.

his mouth was closing and opening over and over again, not being able to find the right thing to say.

“yes.” he whispered, staring helplessly at you. his eyes dipped to your lips, soft and plush as they held a smile.

“tanjiro-kun?” you called in question, soft and quiet as the moonlight lit your face. an angel.

“y… yes?” he didn’t know what else to say— he couldn’t say anything else. he didn’t know how.

“can i kiss you?” your question held a tone he hadn’t heard before. soft and delicate, but laced with something that was different. something he wanted.

he nodded, just barley, cheeks warming as your smile didn’t falter, but grew. and slowly— so slowly— you lent forward.

it was so slow, patronizingly slow. the time it took for you to carefully and delicately place your lips on hush— but when they finally met, it was euphoric.

your lips were so soft, so warm, tanjiro felt like he was melting under the warmth of the sun, even as the moon shone high in the sky. He kissed you back, unsure and shy, be he did the best that he could.

it only lasted a few seconds, but it was like a dream. and the blush on both your cheeks were hidden by the darkness of the moon, and just your facial features were illuminated by the light it generously radiated.

when the soft embrace ended, you felt like the breath you took after reached every corner of your lungs, scratching your fibers in extent to freedom. You could breathe, and you heard tanjiro breathing, too.

slowly, you slid your hand against thengawa and embraced your hand with his, intertwining your fingers. he squeezed your hand, reassuring and shy. You looked at his eyes, and although you couldn’t see much, you knew he was thinking deeply.

but, you didn’t think any words needed to be said. the kiss you shared said more than a thousand words.

and when you both looked back to the moon, hand in hand, you began to think maybe it wouldn’t hurt to say them aloud, too— but, it seems he beat you to it.

windy afternoons were always the most troublesome.

especially in spring, between the brink of winter and summer, when the temperature is warm but the breeze is oh so cold, leaving someone who was minding their business to be left as victim of the weather, not sure what emotion it might be feeling that day.

unfortunately, itadori was one of those said people. so he found himself lounging inside Jujutsu high instead of his usual hobbies he took part of outside, instead occupying himself with manga he’d found lying on the couch side table.

he chewed on a strawberry pocky as he read, awfully invested in the story of the book in his arms, even though it was the third volume. who knew he would be so invested in a shoujo manga?

“hm? you’re here too?” Gojo’s voice rang playfully across the walls of the lounge, causing the pink haired boy to jerk his head to the side to meet the teasing gaze of his teacher.

“ooh, gojo-sensei,” he greeted, watching as his teacher lazily took a seat beside him on the couch, relaxing in the soft cushions.

“why’re you here? i thought you usually get lunch out.” he rose brow at his teacher, who’s smirk failed to fade. “same reason as you. it’s too windy!” he whined, scratching his head as his head pointed upward, only to pause for a moment before turning to face yuji.

Itadori couldn’t see his teachers eyes, but knew they were on him. “where’s y/n-chan? you two are always together.” satoru’s tone had a hint of something yuji couldn’t quite place his finger on, and so he decided to ignore it. “She’s with kugisaki. they went shopping.” he grinned at the thought, unaware of the absolute teasing eyes that were trained on the glint in his own eyes.

“ah, girls,” Gojo tsked, crossing his arms, looking straight ahead. “especially nobara.” he hummed, pausing a few before turning back to his student.

Satoru smirked and scooted closer, Yuji side glancing him at the mischievous smile on his face. “so, itadori-kun,” gojo mused, “what’s your relationship with y/n-chan?” the white haired man almost laughed at the confused expression on itadori’s face, he swore he saw question marks on either side of his head

“huh? what do you mean?” his head tilted to the left a little, “we’re friends.”

gojo hummed, nodding his head as if he understood. “really? i wouldn’t have thought that.” he put a lengthy finger to his chin, holding in his amusement. sometimes his student was so oblivious.

“hah? why?” itadori nudged, looking more and more confused as the seconds continued. his sensei shrugged, “i guess because you two always seem so close, i mean— i would’ve thought you two were boyfriend and girlfriend!” satoru said those two words loudly, quickly looking to yuji in excitement to see the absolutely bewildered look that was likely to be on his face, but was only met with a neutral one. gojo’s joy fell. damn kids.

"oh. well, we're just friends, it's not like that with me and her, you know?" he said back, his eyes glistening over as they usually do when he talks about someone he cares for, but his were extra bright when talking about you.

"Why not?" gojo mused, continuing to milk the subject.

Itadori shrugged, “We just.. we've known each other too long, I think." his reply came with a low tone to it as he flipped to the next page of the shoujo in his lap, unaware of the buzzing man beside him.

Satoru hummed again, silence followed for a moment before he spoke, putting his hand to his chin. "So, you wouldn't go out with her if she asked?"

"I didn't say that.”

yuji’s response came as natural as a human breathes, his voice was smooth and steady— almost like he’d wanted to say it. ah, satoru was right once again, utahime ows him 500 yen for sure.

with that, he stood up, and Yuji’s eyes moved to the menacing smirk on his teachers face. “Ah, well, you should ask her out.” he said with a laugh, “i’m sure she’ll say yes!” he slapped the top of itadori’s head before he dashed out the open door, leaving the boy to ponder.

though, sometimes yuji wasn’t the smartest boy.

but… he did wonder what his teachers goal was. Yuji didn’t like you like that… did he?

you were his friend, someone he loved, so much.

someone he loved.

he loved.

loved.

you.

he loved you.

with the realization, the shoujo he had in his lap was long forgotten as he walked out of the room.

♡︎☆♡︎☆

you sighed, placing a few of Nobara’s shopping bags on the table. really, where does she get the money for all this?

“ah, finally,” kugisaki kicked off her shoes, plopping on the couch of the lounging room with an exasperated sigh. You sat down at the table, flopping your arms over the wood and placing your head down, cheek on the side as you shut your eyes. shopping was exasperating.

“have fun, n/n-chan?” Nobara teased a little, knowing that you were exhausted. you nod, a little laugh left your throat as you did so.

you shut your eyes, breathing slowly. as you began to drift off, the shoji door suddenly slid open to reveal Itadori, who scanned the room.

“Ah! Itadori-kun, you should’ve gone with us, you— hey!” Nobara was cut off when he suddenly reached for you, hauling you to your feet. You blinked away, gasping as you were pulled out of the room. “Hey! get back here! where are you taking her, hah?!” Nobara’s calls were left to deaf ears as your friend dragged you down the hall, “Itadori-kun! what’s going on?” you yawned a little, eyes watering some at the end, as you waited for his reply. but it never came.

you couldn’t see his face, but you could tell he was in thought. he suddenly pulled you behind a wall, releasing your wrist from his grasp and letting out a deep exhale. you rose a brow.

“Yuji, what’s all this?” you cross your arms, looking at his face. His eyes were looking at your own, yet they seemed so far away, so distant. “i need to say something.” his reply came out as his usual voice does, but it was different.

"What? What's so important you couldn't say it infront of kugisa-" you were cut off when his lips met yours, a sqeak left your mouth with the sudden action, eyes widening at the unexpected moment. your cheeks heated wildly when he pulled back, but he seemed just as shocked as you.

“I just kissed you." he breathed out, almost like he couldn’t believe it himself.

“You just kissed me..." your voice came out hoarse, and your throat was as dry as it sounded.

"I just kissed you." he says again, looking at your lips, dazed.

"Why did you just kiss me?" you stutter out, heart racing inside your chest wildly, suffocating you.

"I just wanted to try it once to know what it felt like, and it felt...good. really good. I'm gonna kiss you again." he announced, looking determined as he met your eye. you absolutely exploded into different shades of red, breath hitching as you saw him step closer, your hands coming to grip the end of your skirt for support.

"o-okay!" you shut your eyes, missing the pink that dusted yuji’s cheeks as well.

with the sweet scent of newly blossomed flowers and tree leaves, the smell of spring weaved into the breeze as needles knit clothes, steady and soft, creating something beautiful.

with the change of the season came a change of emotions, twisted and unwelcome, the feelings inside Megumi’s chest become more of an abnormality than his irritating classmates.

with the exception of you, of course.

with the change in year, came the change in visuals. with the leaves of spring littering the ground, Megumi found himself with a heavy burden. a suffocating feeling, a gnawing sensation.

The boy wasn’t one for allergies, his immune system lived up to its name— so, when spring came around and he suddenly began to feel short of breath and warm, he wondered if maybe he’d grown into allergies. the thought was disturbing.

Cherry blossom trees littered all over japan, but it only seemed his ‘allergies’ decided to act up in the strangest times. Sometimes, in class. others, outside.

but, what surprised him, is that when he walked along the most heavily pollinated roads, his allergies showed no trace.

perhaps, he’d thought, he wasn’t sensitive to the blossoms, but something else.

what could it be?

“Megumi-kun!”

the suffocation of his closing throat was surprising, and he felt almost as though he could drop to the floor— claw and beg for air, a desperate attempt really— but, instead of that, he subtly turned afoot and faced the call of the voice.

you walked over to him, the pounding of his heart in its prison rang throughout his body like a scream in an empty cave, shaking him.

the smile on your face was radiating, sweet and soft like the petals of a sakura. warm and gentle, like the tender kiss of the sun on cold skin. Your eyes were bright, like the stars in the sky on a dark night. like the reflection of the sunset on a river, shining so bright it hurt.

Megumi didn’t reply, he couldn’t find the words, silence engulfed his mind and soul, and he hoped he wasn’t gaping at you. that would surely be embarrassing.

“where are you going?” you ask, voice littered with a hint of genuine wonder, tilting your head in that cute way you do when you’re curious. Your eyes squint the smallest amount, skeptical of where he was going, brows furrowing in wait for a response.

Megumi swallowed the lump that grew in his throat, choking him.

“the store.” those two words felt like he’d just screamed the best he could with no effect, helpless and unable to do what he wants. Two words were all it took for you to light up like a candle.

He watched your curiosity and wonder construct into joy and excitement, putting your hands together a front your chest. “ah! do you mind if I tag along? I was going to do the same.” Initially, fushiguro wanted to say no, his allergies were pretty horrible, but he couldn’t find his voice to deny your request.

the breeze spoke for him, shuffling his hair around and allowing him to subtly nod his head. and as you clap excitedly , beginning to talk about whatever it was you thought he would find interesting, he couldn’t help but stare at you. your voice was a melody unlike anything he’s ever heard, a song that was more beautiful than the songbirds that sing good morning. more beautiful than the sounds of the sakura petals hum in the spring.

from jujutsu high, the nearest convenience store was about a ten minute walk. though, with you, it felt like seconds.

before the blacked haired boy knew it, the bell to the automatic sliding door opened, and you were quick to ask him what he came for.

“what did you need to get, gumi?”

that nickname had him on another planet. orbiting a in a separate galaxy, far, far away. Once again, the poor boys allergies acted up. throat sewed so tight he couldn’t breathe, heart beating so fast it shook his whole body. was it really this awfully warm in the store? was it him? or was it the hand you had around his arm?

“ah! i know. it was shonen, right? for yuji-kun?” how did you know that?

Itadori had basically begged him to go the store to get him the weekly shonen because he’d been banned from the store a few weeks ago, and he just couldn’t go without the manga. Eventually, despite fushiguro’s protests, itadori successfully managed to convince Megumi to do his dirty deed.

Fushiguro nodded. He swallowed, and he swore it was the most difficult action he’d ever taken. Why were you so close? he could smell you.

you smelled like the sakura blossoms.

“i knew it!” you shook your head, releasing the soft grip you had on megumi’s arm to tuck some hair behind your ear. “Well, i’m here for a few snacks.” you bashfully admit, motioning towards the fridge.

“I’ll be quick, so you don’t have to wait!” you say, smiling as you walk off. Megumi’s eyes trail after you, his heart beating in his throat.

these allergies were ruining his life.

After a moment, he made his way over to the books. The latest shonen was on display above all others, beside a shoujo. two opposites, yet they rival eachother perfectly.

He reached for the shonen, grabbing it from its stand and flickering his gaze to the shoujo as well.

would you like something like this?

sometimes he catches you reading manga. they always have silly romance titles and a couple on the cover. do you like shoujo? or do you prefer shonen like itadori-kun?

without his permission, megumi’s hand reached for the shoujo. it was labeled ‘when the heart beats for someone, it’s the words ‘i love you.’’ he stared at the cover with a blank face. why was the title so long? He looked to the shonen, ‘Fight Or Die!’ this one was pretty self explanatory, but with a short title.

He put the two books back to back, walking over to the checkout. He wasn’t sure if he’d give the manga to you, but if he did he’d hoped you’d like it it. he thinks you would.

before he bought his things, he glances to the food area.

you were in deep thought, apparently. brows furrowed, cheeks slightly puffed, eyes squinted— the face you made when you were highly focused or confused on a subject in school, megumi recognized it all too well. he waits a moment, thinking. should he buy your food? he did walk with you. but, he had limited money and was already buying two books. how much was food at this place again?

he was deep in thought by the time you finished, approaching him with two items in your hand. “Ready?” your voice knocks the breathe from his lungs, stealing his air like you were on the moon. he nods.

He watched you pull out your wallet, and before he could offer to pay— “are you going to put the manga down?” your voice held the smallest tint of tease to it, taking the books from his hand and adding them to your bill. was he really about to let you pay for his books?— even though, technically only one was his. You didn’t seem to catch onto the covers as you paid, thanking the employee and turning around to face megumi.

he was almost embarrassed when the second you turned around your eyes locked— was he really staring? you smiled, grabbing your snacks and allowing him to grab his books, bidding goodbye to the store employee as you exited through the same door you entered by.

Silence followed for a moment as you two walked, but it wasn’t the suffocating kind. it was… nice.

Megumi reached into his pocket, retrieving around 500 yen, stopping in his tracks and holding the coins to you. you looked at him confused.

“For the Manga,” he clarified, holding up the books. You sent him a close eyed smile, reaching to his had— but, instead of taking the money, you closed his fingers around his palm, shutting his hand into a soft fist. “No need, it’s my treat.” you clarify, holding a thumbs up. “oh!” you say suddenly, holding up a small pack of two Yuki ichigo.

Now, it was megumi’s turn to be confused, brows furrowing as he subconsciously tilted his own head, black hair shifting lightly. Cute!

“It’s for us to share, if you’d like.” you offer with a shy smile , one he didn’t seem to catch onto. “I wasn’t sure what flavor you liked, so i got a two pack. one is strawberry and the other is…” you turn the back of the plastic, not seeing a name. “… it doesn’t say. but… hopefully you like strawberry because it’s yuki ichigo.” you chuckle a little nervously, a little flustered you’d not checked both flavors. Megumi likes strawberry, so you didn’t choose bad.

“I like strawberry.”

your face absolutely exploded into one of relief and joy, “But i can’t accept it.” your expression fell just as fast, a small frown on your lips. megumi watched, shuttering.

“You already paid for my Manga.” he said, looking to the two books. separating them, he put the shonen in his bag and nervously held the shoujo.

“I… thought that maybe you’d like this.” his voice came out much calmer than he thought he would, and he couldn’t find it in himself to meet your eye.

what kind of guy was he, really? he wanted to give you something, and you ended up paying for it.

a gasp from your lips made his eyes flicker up, breath being once more stolen from his body as the expression on your face lit up.

“I love this one!” you replied happily, taking the book from his grasp and gently brushing your fingers against his. “Thank you, gumi.” you smile fondly, and only then, does megumi see the small tint of peachy pink on your cheeks.

was that.. blush?

with newfound courage, you smile, stepping on your toes.

Megumi’s breath caught in his throat as you got closer, eyes watching you like a magnet, and heart pausing when you placed a soft, warm kiss the the tense jaw of the black haired boy. Your lips were so smooth, he could smell your cherry lipstick. he could feel the lipgloss mark it left on his burning skin.

it was only then, under the sakura tree in early may, with the sun shining on your face and the shoujo he’d thought you’d like in your hand; did he finally realize that his thing he’d been feeling, it wasn’t allergies.