Chapter Text
It’s a usual summer day when Kirito announces he’s going to move away.
They’re all eleven years old, bright-eyed naive children who would never suspect otherwise. The sun’s out, there’s birds chirping in the trees, and they’re all playing by the river on the forest floor. That is, until Kirito stops them both with his earth-shattering news.
“What?” Alice echos Eugeo’s thoughts as she freezes on her spot in the shallow waters. Her blue eyes are wide, almost betrayed, and Eugeo can only imagine what’s going on in her mind right now. He’s on the same boat as well.
“My mom got a job offer in the city,” Kirito mutters. He’s stopped swinging his legs from his spot on the rock and is staring down. “Apparently it’s a lot. We’re moving in two weeks.”
“Two… weeks?” Eugeo hears Alice whisper. She pauses for a bit before shaking her head, and splashes back over to the bank. “How long have you known!?” She sounds offended. Her hands are on her hips.
“About a month now,” Kirito quietly responds. He avoids her gaze.
There’s a silence between the three, as if they’re all taking in this sudden information. It feels off to Eugeo, as there’s never been an awkward moment around them before, but here they are. He shifts between his feet, and starts looking over at the water’s edge until he hears a sniffle.
It’s Alice.
She’s clenching the hem of her dress tightly into her fists. Her blonde hair covers her face, but he sees her lips wobble and she takes in a loud sniff. She’s obviously trying to fight back the tears that are gathering at her eyes.
“I—” she breaks. “Y-you can’t! That’s stupid, you can’t move. We won’t let you! We’re supposed to all stay together!” she childishly proclaims. For a moment, Eugeo thinks she’s going to stomp her foot on the ground too, and as quick as Alice is about to cry, Kirito jumps out from his rock and gathers her into his arms, doing his best to comfort her. She wails.
Eugeo can feel himself feeling similarly. What sort of life was there if Kirito wasn’t there along with him and Alice? They’re his best friends, and he knows he’s much closer to them than his own family. If it wasn’t for them, if Kirito is really going to leave them…
The thought is unimaginable.
Hearing Alice cry isn’t making the situation any better, and Eugeo can see Kirito’s eyes getting misty. He tightens his grip on Alice. Eugeo can feel his own eyes getting teary as well but…
“We’ll still be friends,” Eugeo finds himself saying.
Alice moves out of Kirito’s arms and wipes at her eyes. “H-huh?”
“We’ll keep in contact,” Eugeo continues. “We’ll even write letters! It’s just— You can’t—” he forces himself to take a deep breathe to stabilize his voice once again. “We’re not gonna let you leave us.”
Kirito blinks at Eugeo’s words, and then wipes at his eyes too. The other boy forces out a grin, making his way over to Eugeo. He wraps an arm around Eugeo’s shoulders and playfully ruffles his hair. “Of course! You’re stuck with me after all!”
Eugeo scrambles out of Kirito’s grip. “Stop that!”
Alice lets out a soft giggle, quiet at first until it gains volume, and they’re back to normal again.
It’s right after that that they spend every waking moment together until Kirito has to leave. Promises are exchanged, and they give Kirito both of their addresses and phone numbers. None of them have their own phones yet (and it’s not like Eugeo’s parents can afford him one anyways), so they swear to send letters, with stickers and bright markers and all.
And so when Kirito leaves, instead of feeling sad, Eugeo feels hopeful. Of course it’s bittersweet, but he knows Kirito treasures his friendship with them as much as they treasure his. And when the car drives off, right next to Eugeo’s side is Alice who’s hand is still raised from her goodbye, even though it’s now long gone. Despite this, Eugeo doesn’t doubt they’ll all meet again someday.
After a year though, Kirito stops responding to their letters. Eugeo tries not to let it bother him for too long.
But who is he kidding? Of course it does.
The reunion is abrupt and sudden. It all starts in a single classroom.
They’re seventeen years old, and Eugeo tries not to feel anxious without Alice by his side. The city is big and vast. He barely knows how to work the train system and the amount of people over here is completely different from Rulid. It’s a culture shock for sure.
He’s glad to have Alice experiencing this with him though, as he can tell that despite her confidence, she’s a bit anxious too.
But right now, she’s left for her class, and the teacher is leading him to his own classroom.
“Make sure to make your introduction quick alright?” his new teacher curtly says in a no-nonsense tone. She doesn’t turn back to look at him. “We have a big lesson today and we can’t waste any time in class.”
“O-oh um, of course,” Eugeo gulps, trying his best not to trip on his feet. Some students passing them by in the hall look at him in curiosity. He tries not to bump into one of them.
When the teacher stops in front of a classroom door, she sighs, but then finally turns to face him. Her stern features soften, probably from seeing how nervous he looks. “You’ll be fine,” she comforts. “It’ll be over before you know it.”
He nods once again. And then she walks on in.
Eugeo awkwardly stands outside, waiting for the signal. He hears a girl telling everyone to stand up, probably the student rep or something, and then the teacher speaks. He waits for her to nod at him through the door before he takes a deep breath and steps inside.
The classroom is not too small, but not to large either. There’s a bunch of expectant faces staring into him though, and he really really wishes he could sink into the floor and just be invisible for once, but of course, he can’t.
It doesn’t help when he nearly stumbles onto the floor from nothing but air. It earns him a few giggles. Eugeo forces back a groan.
He notes that there’s a guy with his head down though that’s wholefully uninterested in Eugeo’s presence and is taking a short nap instead. At least he didn’t see Eugeo’s blunder, but it also makes him feel a bit self-conscious. Maybe he’s really that boring?
It doesn’t really matter though , Eugeo thinks in the end when the teacher tells him to introduce himself. He pauses for a bit to emotionally prepare himself before he begins.
“Uh…” he starts. His brain is running a million miles per hour. What was he supposed to say? His hobbies? Interests? His year? No, everyone here is the same year as him, that would be useless information. Maybe something simple?
“Hi… I’m Eugeo. N-nice to meet you!”
His voice cracks mid-sentence. God damnit.
However, before Eugeo can mentally judge his own screw up, the guy with his head down abruptly stands up. He doesn’t look too different from everyone else to be honest, with black hair and dark eyes, but he certainly calls a lot of attention with his sudden movement. The chair he was sitting on screeches as it moves and it falls back with a loud thud. The guy’s notebook falls off his desk and his hair is disheveled, but there’s something off with him.
“Eugeo!?” the guy practically screams. Everyone stares at him.
There’s an awkward silence.
“That’s um… that’s my name, yeah.” Eugeo tries not to wince. Now he really wants to sink into the floor. Was his name that funny? “Is there something wrong with my name?”
“You— Eugeo, no you can’t— is that—” the other boy stutters, his mouth flapping wide open.
The rest of the students start murmuring amongst themselves. The brunette girl next to him has her face buried in her palm, as if she is trying not to sigh. The boy is still stuttering through his words, this time pointing at Eugeo while he’s at it.
The teacher finally speaks up. “ Sit down . Now is not the time.” She slams a notebook back down onto her desk. Everyone in the class jumps, including Eugeo himself.
“If you’re so enthusiastic to greet our new student, you and Asuna can show him around soon. I hope that would suffice, Kirito?”
“Y-yes, sensei.” The boy sits back down with a sheepish look on his face.
But he still doesn’t stop staring at Eugeo.
What was this guy’s problem? Was there something on Eugeo’s face? Was it his hair? Eugeo doesn't want to think that he’s offended someone already , and hopes the boy doesn’t blame him from his embarrassment. Judging from what the teacher just said, he’d have to meet up with him later too. Hopefully this Kirito guy isn’t the type of person that—
Then all of a sudden, Eugeo is eleven again, with Alice and a faceless boy by his side, back at the same river in the same forest with the same promises and—
Oh god.
He looks at the boy again.
It really is Kirito.
It’s on the way back home from school that Alice starts to tease Eugeo.
“Sooooo,” she obnoxiously starts, tilting her head to the side with a smug grin on her lips. Eugeo groans.
“No Alice, we’re not talking about this now.” He quickens up his pace but she easily catches up with an extra skip on her step.
“Yes we are, I’m just erm… curious , y’know? You seemed pretty stricken when he pinned you to the ground,” she snickers. “Getting hot and heavy already, why don’t you. At least let him take you out first like a proper gentleman.”
Eugeo chokes. “What the— Alice!?” Did she really have to word that in such a manner?
She laughs at his pain and spins back around to walk in front of him, her steps seeming more lively than before. Some friend she is. He sighs when he manages to fall into step with her.
To see her making fun of him like this is irksome. It’s not like he’s ever seen Kirito in that light, especially since their relationship right now is so new. Eugeo just doesn’t want to rush it, is all.
He isn’t going to mention how his heart had beaten when Kirito had wrestled around with him. Eugeo digresses.
“Like that’s even possible,” he finds himself saying instead. He remembers those old childhood days in Rulid and all those times when Kirito would drag Eugeo around to find things to give to Alice. Whether it be frogs, or flowers, or whatever. Must’ve been some sort of courtship attempt or something. Briefly, he remembers his own minor crush on Alice back then as well, and almost laughs at the irony. “Besides, didn’t he use to have a crush on you ?”
“I mean, maybe he did, sure. But you were the one he always spent the most time around. Partners in crime and everything, always getting into trouble,” she teases.
“Oh please , if anything it was me who kept you both in line,” Eugeo argues with a roll of his eyes.
“Yea, yea, keep telling yourself that,” she says with a mocking pat on his head, nevermind the fact that Eugeo is taller than her. She grins. “I still think of you both as the same stupid kids that I grew up with, so you’re just gonna have to live with that.”
“Ugh, whatever…”
They continue walking in silence for a while until she breaks it once again. “Besides, if he does end up liking you in that way, you deserve it. Being in a relationship and all that after what you’ve been through,” she says, and though her tone is teasing, he can tell she’s genuine. He knows he’s talked to her about his longing for validation and approval, and briefly remembers the lonely holidays he’d be forced to spend alone if Alice isn’t around.
His family has worked him to the bone as of this point. But he still wants to make them proud, despite their aversion to him. It’s strange really.
“Maybe this new school is a good place to be around,” Alice finishes. She grasps at his hand, probably in an attempt to anchor him, or maybe even herself. “I’m glad I convinced my family to bring you along. I wouldn’t have wanted to leave you alone back there.”
He smiles, not knowing where he went to deserve such a great friend. “Thanks Alice.”
“And Kirito is the only one that I’ll ever give my stamp of approval to!” she announces as she lets go, grasping onto her bag tighter. She turns around, and then her lips quirk up a notch. “But just don’t do anything erm… dirty when I’m around ok?”
Nevermind, he takes it all back. Alice can die in a hole for all he cares.
He meets other people too, besides Kirito’s group of friends.
There’s a burly upperclassman that takes him under his wing, once he apparently finds out that Eugeo is a “country bumpkin” just like himself. His name is Gorgolosso, certainly a mouthful itself, and Eugeo definitely trips up the pronunciation a lot in the beginning.
Eugeo isn’t going to lie, he was very intimidated by him at first, and gets flashbacks of kids being shoved into lockers in high school films, and wonders if he’s going to be a victim of that at first when they meet in the gym during clean up time (seriously, what was an upperclassman doing there anyways?). But the older boy just treats him with a giant teddy-bear like smile and introduces him around the school.
There’s also another upperclassmen that Gorgolosso is friends with too, who is named Sortiliena. While Eugeo isn’t as close to her as he is with Gorgolosso (something about her is just so… untouchable), he finds her presence to be comforting. It’s a shock when he finds out she’s the student council president of all things, and even more shocking when he finds out that Kirito also is good friends with her and teases her without a care in the world (how many people does Kirito know again?).
Lastly, there’s two underclassmen that he meets, two girls named Ronye and Tieze. Ronye is the quieter of the two, but compared with the rambunctiousness of Kirito’s entire group, he finds her to be very sensible and easy to get along with (especially compared to Alice’s mischievous nature). Tieze is also a delight to be around, and is more outgoing than Ronye, but in a positive and optimistic way. The two girls are very close friends with each other, and it’s rare to ever see them apart.
There’s also the weird notion that the red-headed girl might, just might have the tiniest of crushes on Eugeo, especially seeing how red she gets whenever he gets too close to her. But surely that couldn’t be. Eugeo isn’t anything too special and she can do better.
And of course, there’s Kirito himself.
Despite all of Eugeo’s new friends, he finds himself enjoying his time with Kirito the most. It’s almost like he’s never left, with Kirito’s impish smiles and hair ruffles. Throughout the months of October and November, Eugeo finds himself scrambling around to prepare for the upcoming Sports and Cultural festivals, and Kirito seems more often than not, very excited to participate. Even if it means volunteering Eugeo (much to his chagrin) into various events.
“Eugeo and I can help out in the relay!” Kirito had proclaimed with a raised hand when Asuna had asked for volunteers to represent their class. For some reason, no one else had any complaints.
Eugeo had buried his head into his arms and let out a groan.
He had to admit though, that it was pretty fun, spending even more time with Kirito and all of that. Kirito had forced him to go out on jogging sessions afterwards, but Eugeo wouldn’t call those exercises as jogging. If anything, they were more like sprint sessions where he raced against Kirito instead. They both were always rather competitive anyways, and Eugeo isn’t going to take a defeat face down (never mind the fact that Kirito won, but it’s 6-7 now. Eugeo can easily catch up in no time).
He isn’t going to admit though, that he probably enjoys spending time with Kirito too much. It’s probably part of the reason why Eugeo likes him so much—
Wait. Wait what?
Eugeo shakes his head quickly to rid himself of such a thought.
It’s when they’re preparing for the upcoming Cultural Festival after the Sports Fest that Kirito brings up Klein’s Christmas party.
“A Christmas party?” Eugeo questions at Kirito’s casual mention. He stops from his position on the ground as he’s cutting out multiple scraps of hard papers for decorations.
Kirito looks a bit sheepish, though Eugeo isn’t sure why. “Yea. Klein usually hosts one each year and I— we wanted to invite you guys.”
Eugeo ignores Kirito’s blunder. Must’ve been a slip of the tongue. “How many people are gonna be there?”
“Just our regular group of friends and maybe a few others. It’s gonna be pretty small anyways. You can invite other people to come over as well though.”
Huh, other people? Tieze has mentioned about not having any plans for Christmas. Perhaps he can bring over her and Ronye. Both of those girls do know Kirito and Alice anyways, so it’s not like it’s going to be awkward.
Eugeo gets so lost in his thoughts that he almost doesn’t hear Kirito finishing his sentence. “There’s gonna be a Secret Santa too, so make sure you tell us early who you’re gonna invite. I think Sugu’s handling the slips this year.”
He blinks. “Oh, really?” He finds himself somewhat nervous about the idea of a Secret Santa. It’d be better to get someone like Alice than say, Klein. What if he gets someone he doesn’t know well and accidently gives them a bad present? He still feels like Kirito’s friends are well, Kirito’s friends instead of his own so…
Kirito probably senses Eugeo’s anxiety quickly after though, as he smoothly wraps an arm around Eugeo’s shoulders. “ Relax man, nothing to worry about. In the end, this is all for fun!”
Eugeo tries not to think about how close Kirito’s voice is to his ear. He slowly starts to flush.
Kirito prattles on, completely oblivious to Eugeo’s problem. “During the first Secret Santa, and this was like, a few years ago when we were still in junior high, I was really excited for the Christmas party. Had me and Sugu decked out and everything and I made sure we had the perfect presents. Turns out, I had Liz as my Secret Santa, and you know what she gave me?”
His voice had trailed off into a hushed-pretend whisper at the last part, and Eugeo almost shudders. Almost. Hopefully his voice doesn’t shake. “W-what did she g-get?”
It didn’t shake at all. Nailed it.
“She got me a bubble wrap costume. Said I could wear it for the next Halloween,” Kirito scoffs. He lets go of Eugeo’s shoulders and crosses his arms. “ And she got an inflatable unicorn horn for my cat. So we could match.”
Now that Kirito isn’t so close anymore, Eugeo finally feels more at ease. But then—
Wait. Something doesn’t add up.
Eugeo raises an eyebrow. “Hold on… but, you don’t have a cat. Don’t you?”
Kirito rolls his eyes. “ Now you see what I’m talking about? Half of my present was basically useless. I ended up giving the unicorn horn to my next door neighbor. It was so awkward…”
Eugeo can only imagine a 13-year old Kirito handing off such a present to a faceless neighbor. Knowing Kirito’s luck, the neighbor probably didn’t have a cat either, but he doesn’t have the heart to point that out to him. “I… I see.”
“Yea, you see. I still ended up wearing the costume for the next Halloween though, but that’s besides the point!”
The costume was probably made out of cheap material anyways. Does bubble-wrap even count as a costume? Was it just taped together? Eugeo ponders. He then smirks to himself as an idea forms in his head.
“So I’m telling ya,” Kirito ends. “It’s not like you have to take this too seriously, so there’s nothing you should worry about—”
“You probably deserved it anyways.”
Kirito stops mid-sentence, his jaw still open. He whirls around at Eugeo. “Excuse me, what?”
Eugeo feigns innocence and pretends not to hear him. Obviously he’s gonna keep teasing Kirito. “ And you’re probably bad at giving out presents. So Lizbeth’s surprise was probably for a just cause.”
Kirito looks dumbfounded and continues to stare at Eugeo. For a moment, Eugeo stumbles. Did he overstep? Was that too much? But then Kirito’s face twists into a mischievous and prankish expression.
“Why you— You’re really asking for it, aren’t ya?” Kirito’s fingers start to waggle and he starts to shuffle closer to Eugeo. This can only mean one thing-
“Wait, nonono, not this again!” Eugeo protests, but he finds himself laughing instead (he also notes there’s a dull ache on his cheeks). His eyes slam shut as he scrambles of from his spot on the ground with his hands, using his legs to kick at Kirito’s body away while he’s at it. Mentally, Eugeo prepares himself, but for some reason—
Nothing happens.
Eugeo opens his eyes, and instead, Kirito is still at the same spot. His hands are down and there’s that dumbfounded look on his face again. Kirito’s eyes are wide open, and his eyebrows are shot up, almost disappearing behind his bangs.
And then, Kirito abruptly coughs and he looks away. The back of Kirito’s neck begins to turn pink.
Eugeo takes a glance at him. “Erm… Kirito?”
No answer, except for another cough.
Eugeo tries again. “Hey, something wrong—”
Suddenly, Asuna kicks open the door. In her arms are several boxes full of props for the Cultural Festival, ranging from uniforms to papers and all sorts of other materials. “Do you two boys mind?” she starts with a loud huff. “You better be finished with cutting up those decorations or else Liena-senpai will—”
She then stops on her tracks, looking at the scene in front of her. Eugeo can’t help but note how awkward it is now. “U-um… Hi, Asuna?”
Asuna looks at Kirito, then back at Eugeo again. “Is Kirito alright? Did you do something to him?”
“W-what? Of course not!” Eugeo splutters. “What would I even be able to do?”
“You’d be surprised,” she vaguely responds. She puts down her boxes on a nearby desk to approach Kirito, and then kicks at his side. “Hey, wake up. We’re not done with you yet.” She looks at the pile of hard papers that’s splayed out beside him. “You’ve barely even done anything. Eugeo’s done more than you,” she ends with a reprimand.
The kick must’ve shook Kirito out of his reverie, as he perks up and shakes his head. The pinkness dies down. “Yea, yea, I’m on it,” he replies as he half-heartedly grabs at a nearby pair of scissors.
“You better be. Just do what you can until 5,” she says. She snickers afterward. “Hopefully Eugeo keeps you in line. Try not to enjoy yourself too much!”
Kirito wheezes. Eugeo isn’t sure why.
Without another word, Asuna marches off and slams the door shut. Kirito, on the other hand, groans out loud, but seems to be embarrassed. Eugeo, after a moment of contemplation, decides to push it to the side.
It probably isn’t anything too important.
The Christmas party is strange.
If Eugeo thought that Kirito’s behavior was strange during the last month in November, then he should’ve known that it got about ten times worse during December.
They’re still close, him and Kirito, but Eugeo can’t help but feel that there’s some sort of… distance between them now. There’s a sense of awkwardness that Eugeo notes, with Kirito’s now constant stutters and stumbles, which are nothing like the casual nonchalance he had exhibited around Eugeo earlier. And it gets worse as the month of December goes on. Eugeo hopes it isn’t something that he personally did.
For some reason though, when Eugeo questions Alice about this, she tells him not to think too much on it, only telling him to stop worrying. But despite this, of course he still worries.
The Christmas party only adds onto his suspicion.
Sometimes, it’s like nothing has changed, with Kirito lingering close to Eugeo’s presence and comforting him from his insecurities. Like the time in the kitchen right after that embarrassing mishap Eugeo had with Tieze (he still can’t get over how awkward that confession was, and while he had half the mind to lie and appease her, he couldn’t do that to her), or when Kirito had so thoughtfully given him his present (who’d have thought it was Kirito who was his Secret Santa).
But then the other half of the time, it’s like Kirito is outright avoiding him. Because after Eugeo gives his own present to Yuuki and looks for Kirito, he makes eye contact with him to continue their conversation again, only to have Kirito scurry off without another word.
Maybe it was something he did.
Eugeo must’ve been sulking on the couch pretty bad, because Asuna soon sits down next to him. “You look sad,” she starts with a hand on his shoulders.
He jumps but then glances to the side. “I’m not sad, I’m just…”
“Worried? Concerned?” she finishes. She leans back onto the sofa to make herself more comfortable and lets go of his shoulders. “Sorry for interrupting your time with Kirito by the way. It looked urgent back there.”
For a moment, Eugeo can’t help but wonder how she’s not dying from embarrassment after her fall in the kitchen. If he were her, he’d probably never show up his face at this house ever again.
But Asuna isn’t Eugeo, so he instead sighs. “It wasn’t anything that important. Besides, I don’t know what’s up with him myself. Sometimes he’s all over me and then other times it’s like he can’t stand to be around me. It’s…” He tries to find the right word to describe his feelings.
Painful? “Frustrating,” he chooses in the end instead, but it still doesn’t sit right with him. “Maybe I did something to him, I don’t know.”
There’s a slight pause between them, until he hears Asuna huff under her breath. “That stupid idiot…”
“What?”
“Nothing just— it’s nothing personal about you, don’t worry about that,” she says. “Kirito gave you that scrapbook present, remember? He worked really hard on it, so of course that means you’re important to him,” she then reassures, eyeing at the scrapbook on his lap.
To be honest, he had almost forgotten about that. “It was really nice of him…”
“He called me a lot back then too, trying to figure out how to organize it and such and to print out the photos. At one point, he was gonna go all out and get a camera too, but I told him you wouldn’t have wanted him to waste too much money on you.”
Yea, she’s right about that.
“Just…” Asuna pauses, placing a finger to her lips. He can tell she’s deep in her thoughts, trying to find the right words in her mind. “Just give him time. He’s been trying to set up something for you all night, but he hasn’t been able too, besides the present. So I bet he’s embarrassed.”
“He’s setting something up?” Eugeo wonders. What’s that supposed to mean?
“Oh, I bet you’ll figure it out eventually,” she giggles as she rises up from her spot. She dusts off her dress, though he bets she’s still as impeccable as always. “Kirito will be happy to see you though, like he always does.”
Eugeo isn’t so sure about that, but he’ll trust her.
“Also, just to let you know.” Asuna winks at him. “He’s right outside at the porch. You should go talk to him.”
From that last note, she leaves, leaving Eugeo alone with his thoughts.
It takes Eugeo a while to get his bearings together and confront Kirito.
He plans out what he’s going to say. How he’s going to nag the information out of Kirito. How he’s going to ask Kirito what he did to offend him (if there’s anything at all of course). How his behavior has been affecting Eugeo lately (nevermind the pile of insecurities and uncertainties and doubts of “did Eugeo even deserves such a friend or not?”) Or if Kirito really cares about Eugeo at all (because did he? Or did he ever?).
But when he sees Kirito standing outside, back facing him, with the snow fluttering out in the background, Eugeo’s mind blanks out.
There’s a lot of words that Eugeo can use to describe Kirito. He’s mischievous and laid-back to a fault, along with a strong sense of adventure. It’s almost impossible to ever give Kirito a “no” for an answer. Yet, despite these traits, there are also times where Kirito is actually not that good with words and can be rather direct. He’s what Eugeo could sometimes describe as a “dork,” who for reasons that Eugeo can’t fathom, nerds out on computers and is actually quite smart if he puts his mind into it.
But to Eugeo, problems or not, Kirito’s main trait that Eugeo appreciates and treasures the most would be his kindness. Call it vague or boring, but had it not been for that, Eugeo doesn’t think he or Alice would have ever felt so welcomed in Aincrad Academy in the first place. It reminds him why Eugeo likes him so much.
And yes, Eugeo is going to admit it this time. He does like Kirito. Perhaps a bit too much.
Eugeo feels a rush of fondness as he quietly lets out a smile, his previous angst momentarily forgotten. Maybe… just, maybe…
Before he knows it, he’s approached Kirito. “Asuna said you’d be out here.”
Kirito jumps, obviously not expecting Eugeo to be right there next to him, but he greets him with a nod. Some snow falls onto his head, standing out against his dark hair.
Eugeo ignores the urge to brush it off and continues to speak. “Thanks for having you and your friends invite us over, really.”
Kirito looks confused, and raises an eyebrow. “It’s only natural. You’re our friends. Why wouldn’t we invite you both?”
Eugeo supposes it’s understandable to be confused, at least from Kirito’s point of view. So instead Eugeo goes off on a tangent about the Christmases he and Alice would spend together in Rulid instead, insinuating on other times he’d spend it by his lonesome. As he speaks, he studies Kirito’s various expressions, as it morphs from confusion to displeasure to then, surprisingly enough, a soft tenderness.
And when Eugeo thanks him, with that soft look and all, it takes everything Eugeo has to not fidget under such a gaze. He can practically hear his own heart beat.
“There’s also um… something I need to say,” Eugeo then finds himself stuttering. For a moment, he’s panics. Is he really going to confess now out of all times? When he obviously wasn’t coming out here to do that in the first place? Though it’s easy to see that Eugeo has obviously gotten carried away by the mood around them.
He supposes he should just do it to get it over and done with. And Kirito’s still tender gaze still causes his heart to beat. So he continues on and grabs his hands. He hopes Kirito doesn’t feel his own hands trembling. Hopefully it’s not sweating either.
“I, um— God, this is much harder than I expected it to be, um…”
Maybe it isn’t too late to back out. Eugeo can probably just say something about how happy he is to be Kirito’s friend again, but just putting it into different words. Perhaps he can call Kirito his best friend, but Kirito already knows that. God what to say, what to say…
In his own discomfort, Eugeo avoids eye contact. Side to side. Up and down.
Wait… Up?
That can’t be what Eugeo thinks it is.
There’s a mistletoe.
If Eugeo wasn’t panicking before, he’s definitely panicking now.
Gods, his awkward mishap with Tieze was enough, but Kirito too? Did Eugeo do something to anger the gods of this universe? Eugeo was only planning on confessing, not something like this! It isn’t like Eugeo has had a lot of experience either! Eugeo can feel a bright blush creeping its way onto his cheeks. Great, now Kirito’s gonna think Eugeo has planned this mistletoe thing to steal a kiss from him without consent and then their friendship is gonna be ruined and—
Before he knows it, he’s being pulled into a kiss.
And then the rest is history.
It’s on the way back home from the party that Alice starts to tease Eugeo.
But this time, Kirito’s with him.
“Finally!” Alice proclaims. “Literally everyone was wondering how long it would take until one of you finally fessed up! So, which one of you was it.”
For some reason, Eugeo isn’t sure how to answer as he only blinks in response. Next to him, is Kirito, who only squeezes his hand. Kirito’s voice sounds embarrassed. “It was Eugeo…”
“Wait, for real?” Alice snorts. Really unladylike, but she probably doesn’t care. She shakes her head, feigning disappointment. “Kirito, I can’t believe you… And you were the one who planted all those mistletoes around the house. You have any idea how hard it was for me to avoid those?”
Eugeo stops. Kirito. And mistletoe? Did that mean?
“Seriously?” Eugeo gasps. “That was you ?”
So that time with Tieze, and Asuna’s strange behavior with the chair, and that other mistletoe when Kirito was giving Eugeo his gift? Was this what Asuna had meant earlier?
Kirito awkwardly laughs. “Haha… I was erm… actually planning on confessing to you tonight with those mistletoe, but I pretty much failed every time I tried.” His face then morphs back to his usual impish smile as he pulls at Eugeo’s arm to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. “But hey, it all worked out in the end right? I knew I could count on you!”
Eugeo tries hard not to flush. He fails miserably.
Ahead of them, Alice gags. “Ugh, I told you Eugeo, to not do anything dirty around me. And this is how you thank me?”
“Wha— Alice!?”
Kirito then scoffs at Alice. “Oh please, not like you were much of a help for me back there. You were basically making fun of me when you found me earlier.”
“I don’t know what you mean. Besides, that idea was pretty stupid to begin with, when you could’ve just, I don’t know, just asked Eugeo in the first place.”
“Aww c’mon Alice,” Kirito pouts. “I wasn’t thinking straight. Can you blame me?”
Both Alice and Eugeo stare at Kirito unimpressively. Kirito seems unaware of the accidental pun he must’ve made as he continues to rant on.
“Besides Alice, one day, you’re gonna get a crush of your own. And we’ll see how well you handle it, because I’m telling you, it’s not that easy!”
Alice swiftly recovers, obviously rising up to his competitive remark. “Well, I can guarantee you that I’ll be a lot more level-headed than you were. So you’re gonna regret those words sooner or later!”
“Please, I’d like to see you try!”
And as Kirito and Alice continue to childishly bicker on (would not! Would too!), Eugeo can’t help but roll his eyes. Somehow, despite their loud voices, the background around them is serene with the drifting snow and dark skies and everything in between. It makes him reminiscent of Rulid once again, and soon reminds Eugeo of how thankful he is to have two of his best friends with him, all three of them together once again.
And with Kirito’s hand still grasped in his, Eugeo wouldn’t have had it any other way.