Chapter Text
Y/N was not okay.
She’d not been okay for the past few weeks, really. Not since she had that amazing date with Kiibo that ended with him crashing and passing out on her front porch and then literally flying away. He had definitely tried to kiss her, that much she was sure of. And she felt so bad because he was obviously trying so hard to make it a good date. And he succeeded. I mean, she got to spend a good chunk of a two-hour long movie with him sitting in her lap and his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck. That was enough to make her a very happy girl. But that wasn’t all: he then took her out to her favorite restaurant and paid for it all, enduring the prying stares of total strangers just for her. He even went so far as to give her these beautiful earrings, which she hadn’t taken out since he’d given them to her. It’s just when it came to kissing her goodbye… he got nervous. It wasn’t his fault he overheated. But he was obviously beating himself up about it—the way he avoided her as much as possible at school made it obvious.
She did some good hard thinking, and she had made up her mind: she didn’t want to bother him with this anymore, even if it meant she had to wait years for him to finally kiss her. She’d wait. She never meant to upset him this much, and she hated the possibility that she had put it in his head that their current relationship wasn’t enough for her. She just wanted him to be happy. She just wanted him. It didn’t matter if they did nothing but watch grass grow and do calculus—it would be enough for her because it would be with him.
With conviction strong in her heart, she decided to finally confront Kiibo, and she wasn’t letting him get away, or running away herself, until she told him exactly how she felt. No unfinished thoughts, no interruptions, no nothing. She sent him a text to meet her after school at a local park. She didn’t want to talk at the school and risk a teacher (or Kokichi, for that matter) sticking around after hours and interrupting them. She was getting all of this out, and she was getting it out today.
She went to the park directly after school, so she’d be there when he showed up. She sat on a bench near the entrance and waited, watching the trees and passersby and listening to the soft chirping of the birds. It did wonders for her nerves. She felt confident that she could really face him and tell him everything.
She told him to meet her at 4:30, so she ended up waiting for quite some time. So much so, in fact, that she had dozed off by the time he got there. She felt a light tap on her shoulder, luring her out of her nap. There stood Kiibo, already red and fidgeting. “I-I’m sorry I’m late. I… I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”
Y/N rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned. She checked her watch, finding it to be 5:00 already. That was odd. He was never late to any of their hangouts or dates. Usually, he ended up arriving really early. Y/N supposed it was a testament to just how embarrassed and distressed he was. She felt a little piece of her heart break for him. “No, no, it’s okay. I got here early.” She stood up and stretched, popping the joints in her neck and back. Once she was done, she was focused and alert once again. “We need to talk.”
He fidgeted under her intense gaze. “Y-yes, you said as much in your text. What is it?”
She looked around and saw that there were still quite a few people around. She wanted absolutely no distractions. “First, let’s go somewhere more private.” She took his hand and began walking deeper into the park. Had she been anything but hyper-focused on her mission, she would have noticed that Kiibo was absolutely terrified. He was sweating and smoking and it only seemed to get worse with every passing minute. The park was rather large, so Y/N was able to find a bench in a clearing that was completely secluded. She plopped down and patted the space next to her. “Sit.”
He did as he was told, a faint rattling sound coming from his shaking legs and hands. “S-so, um…” He cleared his throat. “What do you need to talk to me about?”
She turned her whole body to face him and took a deep breath. He swallowed nervously. She took both of his hands in hers and pinned him with her intense gaze right into his eyes. “For starters, we need to talk about how you’re avoiding me.” He began to protest, but she held up a finger, silencing him. “And don’t try to deny it. I know you are. It’s not that difficult to figure out. So, can we agree that you’ll stop doing that? That there’s literally no reason why you should be avoiding me?” She gave him a pleading look. “I’m your girlfriend for God’s sake, Kiibo. You don’t have to stop talking to me just because you did something kind of embarrassing.”
“So you agree it was embarrassing…?” He seemed to shrink in his seat.
“I’m acknowledging that you find it embarrassing.” She ran her thumb over his knuckles comfortingly. “Can we agree on that? Can you stop avoiding me?”
“Y-yes, I can. I’m sorry, I just……. didn’t know how to talk to you.” He averted his eyes to the ground.
Y/N smiled. “The same way you always do, silly. Nothing’s changed. These kinds of things happen. It’s not your fault—you didn’t intend to crash. It’s okay.”
He perked up at that. A small smile began to find its way onto his lips. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Her eyes grew serious again. “But, Kiibo, that’s not all that I needed to talk to you about.”
He met her eyes, his smile dropping and being replaced by another nervous expression. “What… what else is it?”
She took a breath and paused, contemplating how she should phrase it. “Kiibo, I… never want to make you do something you aren’t comfortable with. And I don’t want you to agonize over something just because I want it. But more than anything, I never, never want to make you think for even a second that you aren’t enough for me exactly the way you are. That anything we do isn’t enough for me or that I need you to do anything to make it enough for me. Honey, do you know what I’m talking about?”
He blinked owlishly. “You’re… not breaking up with me?”
“What? No!” Y/N balked. “Why on earth would you think that?”
He blushed. “I-I don’t know it’s just that you were acting so serious and you never act like that and, I-I may be wrong but isn’t it usually not a good sign when your significant other says, ‘we need to talk’?” He ducked his head and looked up at her. “It, uh, had me worried.”
“Okay, I can see that now. No, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m sorry for making you worry.” She gave him a half-smile. “But, baby, do you know what I’m actually talking about?”
“I… think I might…”
“Then you know that you don’t need to get all worked up over this kiss stuff?” She squeezed his hands. “When I mentioned it, it was just to let you know that it was an option if you wanted to try it. It was never my intention to pressure you. It’s okay if you’re not ready and it’s okay if you just don’t want to. You don’t have to force it. These kinds of things just… happen.”
“But I do want to!” His abrupt outburst startled her. “I really, really want to do this with you, I just… don’t know if I can.”
She smiled, understanding. “That’s okay too. We don’t have to rush anything. We have plenty of time—we can go as slowly as you need. I can wait.”
He was quiet for a long moment. The silence actually started to make Y/N sweat a bit. Did she say something wrong? He began to speak. “…That… makes me feel a lot better, actually. I… thank you.” He smiled at her. “Thank you for always being so understanding.”
“Of course.” She took one of her hands out of his in favor of stroking his cheek. “You mean so very much to me, Kiibo. I’ll always try my very hardest to understand you. Though…” She smiled wide. “I’ve found that it’s usually not all that difficult to do.” She stood up and offered him her hand. “Well, now that we’ve got all that cleared up, would you maybe want to walk with me for a bit? I hear there’s going to be a fireworks show later. Plus, the stars are really beautiful from out here if you’d be willing to stay until dark.”
“I think I’d like that very much.” He took her hand and stood as well, but he didn’t let go. Not that Y/N minded.
They strolled through the park together, hand-in-hand. They were far enough in that they didn’t really have to worry about any of the usual staring, so Y/N was able to fully enjoy herself, really drinking in and appreciating her time with Kiibo. He loved being out in nature, and it was evident in the way his eyes lit up when they saw a new plant or heard a new bird call. He was like an excited little kid, and it was absolutely, completely, undeniably adorable. It was no wonder that Y/N fell for him, even if he was a robot. She just listened fondly as he rambled random facts about all the different flora and fauna.
With the days getting shorter and the nights longer, it didn’t take very long for night to begin to fall. They found a small clearing slightly raised above the ground around it, not quite big enough to be considered a hill, but the perfect spot for firework-watching and stargazing. They settled down in the grass side-by-side and waited expectantly.
Y/N could hardly contain her excitement as the first firework shot off, spraying red and gold sparks throughout the sky. “Kiibo, Kiibo, look!”
They watched as more and more vibrant embers colored the sky, Y/N making quiet little noises of amazement all throughout. At some point she began to feel eyes on her, but when she turned to look at Kiibo he was staring straight up at the fireworks, though she could’ve sworn that his cheeks were pinker than usual.
The show didn’t last for very long, but it was still lovely. Before leaving, however, Y/N flopped down in the grass flat on her back. She stretched her arms out to Kiibo, opening and closing her hands in a “gimme” motion. “C’mere, lay down with me!” She grinned giddily.
He hesitated but complied, laying down on the grass beside her, careful not to get any plants or leaves stuck between his joints. He folded his hands together on his stomach and looked up. He gasped. “Wow. You were right. I… don’t think I’ve ever seen the stars this clearly before.”
‘He’s just so cute,’ she thought. Those big blue eyes wide with awe and curiosity made a warm, thick feeling bloom in her chest. She looked back up to find that his awe was not unwarranted. High above them, trillions upon trillions of bright little specks of light could be seen peppered throughout the sky, like grains of salt spilled over a dark countertop. The constellations were vibrantly visible, much to her delight. Her grin widened. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” he breathed airily. “It is.” They lay in silence for quite some time, appreciating the stars, the cool air, and the quiet around them. Y/N saw Kiibo stir slightly out of the corner of her eye. “Do you think you could… tell me a bit about them? Like… those constellation stories you talk about sometimes?” he murmured.
Y/N smiled softly. “Of course.” She scanned the sky for something of note. “Oh! We’re in for a treat tonight! Look right up there.” She pointed to one of the dots in the sky. “See that star? The one way brighter than all the ones around it?”
He hummed in affirmation, his bright eyes urging her to go on.
“That’s Sirius. Or Sirius A, or the Dog Star, depending on who you ask. It’s the biggest and brightest star in our entire sky, even more so than Polaris, the North Star. It’s so recognizable, in fact, that ancient civilizations used to use it for navigation. Do you want to know why it’s called the Dog Star?”
“Yes please,” he said, entranced.
She found his enthusiasm all too adorable. She continued. “It’s because it’s the primary star in the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. If you look closely, it kind of looks like a dog, with Sirius as the nose.”
“I see it!”
“Mhmm. Now, if there’s a Canis Major, then there also has to be a Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog. Look over there, just a bit to the side of Canis Major, at those two really bright stars that look like a line. Those are Gomeisa and Procyon. They and a few other stars clustered right around there are Canis Minor.”
“Wow… They look kind of like they’re… following something, almost.”
Y/N giggled at his awestruck tone. “The ancient Greeks thought that too. In Greek mythology, Canis Major and Canis Minor were the two hunting dogs of the Hunter Orion. Right there, that really bright line of stars, that’s Orion’s Belt, where the Horsehead Nebula is located. From there, you can see the rest of Orion. There’s his feet, and his chest, and right there’s his bow.” She grinned cheekily at him. “You wanna know how the ancient Greeks thought he got all the way up there?”
“Yes!” Y/N couldn’t tell whether the stars in his eyes were a reflection, or if they were from him.
She turned to look back up. “In Greek mythology, Orion was a great hunter, and good friends with the goddess of the moon and the hunt, Artemis. He was so good in fact, that he began to boast about how he could hunt down all the creatures of the earth. This made the earth goddess, Gaia, very angry, as boasting always does in Greek myths. She got so mad, that she sent a giant scorpion, the constellation Scorpio, to kill Orion. He tried to defeat the monster, but he found that none of his arrows could pierce its armor. To escape, Orion jumped into the sea. Artemis’ twin brother, Apollo, tricked Artemis into shooting Orion while he was still in the ocean, saying that his shadow was that of a horrible villain. When Artemis realized what she had done, she begged the other gods to bring Orion back to life, but they refused. So, she decided to place his body up in the sky, so that she could always see her dear friend.” She smiled to herself as she finished the story, her voice wistful. “Or, at least, that’s one version of the story. The Greeks weren’t very good about keeping their myths consistent.”
Kiibo looked contemplative, staring up at the constellation. “That’s… kind of sad.”
Y/N shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Most Greek myths are. They’re meant to teach lessons.” She thought for a moment. “But…… there is one I can think of that’s a bit happier.”
Kiibo perked up at that. “Really? What is it?”
Y/N smirked, a teasing lilt finding its way into her voice. “It’s a love story.”
“It is? Can you tell me? Please?” His wide, eager eyes reminded Y/N very much of an excited child. She found it incredibly endearing.
She chuckled. “Okay, okay. Look all the way over there, at that really complicated network of stars. It’s kind of hard to find. See it?”
He squinted up at the sky. “I’m… not sure.”
She scooted over a bit closer and pointed. “Right there. That’s Andromeda. She was the wife of the great mythological hero, Perseus. He’s right over there, along with Andromeda’s mother, Cassiopeia, and his valiant steed, Pegasus. It’s a really long story, so I’ll just skip to the good part.”
Kiibo objected faster than lightening. “No! I want to hear all of it! Please? We have plenty of time!”
Y/N was a bit taken aback by his sudden outburst, but chuckled warmly, nonetheless. “I suppose we do. Okay. Andromeda was the beautiful princess of Palestine, the daughter of King Cephas and Queen Cassiopeia. She was so beautiful that Queen Cassiopeia began to brag that she was even more beautiful than the sea nymphs, all of whom were children of the god of the ocean, Poseidon. This angered Poseidon, so he sent a terrible sea monster to terrorize and ravage Palestine, destroying everything. The gods demanded that Andromeda be sacrificed to appease Poseidon’s rage, so she was chained to a rock and left to be devoured by the monster.”
Kiibo gasped. “That’s awful! This doesn’t sound like a love story at all!”
“Just wait. I’m not finished.” Y/N smiled. “While Andromeda was chained to the rock, Perseus just so happened to be flying by on Pegasus. He was struck by her immense beauty and immediately fell in love with her. He went to King Cephas to ask for her hand in marriage. The king agreed, so Perseus slew the monster and saved Andromeda.”
His face lit up. “And then they lived happily ever after, right? Like they do in fairytales?”
“This isn’t really a fairytale, Kiibo, it’s a myth, so not quite. At Andromeda and Perseus’ wedding feast, it was revealed that she had already been promised to another man. This man, Phineus, tried to claim her as his own, so Perseus had to turn him to stone using the head of a gorgon he had killed during his adventures, Medusa. Then they lived happily ever after. And when they died at a ripe old age, the gods honored them by placing them, Cassiopeia, and Pegasus, all in the night sky, so they could be together forever.”
Kiibo smiled, his face softly illuminated by the stars and the moon. “That’s good, if maybe a little gory. Thank you for telling me. I have to say, I like that story a lot better than the other one.”
Y/N turned to look at him, admiring the way the soft light danced across his pale face. “So do I, Kiibo. So do I.”
They lay in comfortable silence, just taking in the breathtaking view. After a little while, Kiibo whispered, barely audible, “Y/N?”
“Yes, Kiibo?” she whispered back just as quiet.
“Do you… do you think that…” His cheeks glowed a faint red in the dark and she heard him swallow. “Do you think that we could be like that? Like Perseus and Andromeda?”
Y/N was surprised by his question. “In what way?” She thought for a moment, mulling over his words. “I know I certainly don’t need any saving, but if I ever do, I wouldn’t mind if you did the honors.” She smiled warmly.
“N-no, not like that. Not that I wouldn’t want to be your hero, but that’s… not what I mean.” Y/N gave him a confused look, prompting him to go on. “I-I mean like………… forever. Like they are.”
That surprised Y/N even more. She had to think about it for a little bit. Forever was… a long time. Did she really feel that strongly about him? She examined him. Usually, out in nature he stuck out like a sore thumb. But now, in the dark lying on the grass with the soft pale light of the stars and moon shining down on him, he looked like he perfectly belonged. The metal of his body glinted in the dim light, as though he himself was one of the twinkling stars they had been admiring all night. He looked………… ethereal. Otherworldly. And so so far beyond her. Beyond anything she could ever hope to understand. Yet, she still tried. She’d gone with him to his repairs, she’d listened to him ramble about his functions, she even picked up and read a few books on machinery and robotics. But more importantly, she’d tried to understand him. His hopes and dreams, his feelings he was still trying to make sense of, his fears, his aspirations. She’d been a friend and a confidant, and now, a partner. But why? Was that enough to warrant forever?
Because he was so sweet. All polite and caring and nervous energy, and it made her heart absolutely melt. The way he blushed at the drop of a hat, that curious sparkle he always had in his eyes, the quiet (or sometimes not-so quiet) determination he always carried himself with: they turned her insides into pudding and her legs into jello—soft and thick and sickeningly sweet.
Because he tried so hard. All the time. And he never gave up. Because he wanted to learn and grow and understand, and she wanted to support him. Give him anything he needed. Teach him everything she knew and grow with him. To have more nights like this—moments like this. Lying in the grass and talking about ancient Greece and the stars and how their stories intertwine. Because she knew there’d be an unholy fury in her belly if anyone tried to take all that from him, belittle and demean him. Because she knew she’d do anything for those big blue eyes of his.
Because the cool feeling of his palm pressed against hers strengthened her yet made her so so weak. It grounded her yet made her feel like floating, her heart and stomach lost somewhere in her throat. It flooded her with peace, yet at the same time brought about this deep, intense want for something she couldn’t quite name. Something that only lessened yet grew worse when she leaned closer to him. The reason why the comforting gesture of running her thumb across his knuckles was more for her than anything else.
Lying there in the grass with the stars shining above them, drinking in his softly anxious and expectant expression, she realized it all at once: she loved him. It was because she loved him. Truly, madly, deeply, profoundly. That unnamable feeling that had overtaken her weeks ago in the courtyard, the same one that overtook her now, had a name: it was love. The same love of Perseus and Andromeda, that toppled monsters and rebuilt kingdoms. That same powerful, frightening feeling was hers now. But she wasn’t afraid. Because it was with him and for him and from him and everything of him. And she suddenly realized that she’d been in love for quite some time now.
And that, that certainly warranted forever.
Her face broke into a wide, toothy smile. “Yes, Kiibo. Yes I do.”
He blinked, then a slow, stunned grin grew on his lips. He let out a long huff of air. “Really? I… I think so too.” He reached into the grass between them, finding her hand and lacing their fingers together.
She melted into the touch, her heart welling up with that indescribable emotion (‘Love! It was love!’ she yelled in her mind). She turned onto her side to fully face him, unable to contain how wide her fluttering grin had gotten. “Hey, Kiibo?” She held on to that elated, flickering feeling in her chest. “I have something I need to tell you.” Because, by God, she needed to tell him otherwise she thought she might die.
“Hmm? What is it?” He turned onto his side as well.
She reached out and cupped his face, running her thumb just under his eye. Her smile grew and the feeling bubbled in her chest at the little noise he made. She poured all the warmth she felt into her gaze and voice and she breathed, clearly, plainly, “I love you.”
His eyes grew impossibly wide, and his mouth formed a perfect little ‘o’ shape. The smooth synthetic skin of his cheek heated under her hand, and she could make out the deep crimson hue of his face. His expression melted into something softer, his lips quirking upwards to form a dizzy grin of his own. “I… I love you too. So much.”
She didn’t think her heart could swell any more, but it did. Her eyes locked onto his, and she was once again struck by just how beautiful he was. His smooth skin, and his pale, shimmery hair gently blowing in the wind just begging for her to run her hands through, and those eyes. She could’ve cried they were so beautiful, so perfect. All big and round and innocent and shinning. They made her heart weep. Whatever room that was left in her body was filled with that strange longing she had grown all too familiar with.
She removed her hand from his and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. It was just as soft as it looked, if not softer, and she wanted more. She brought her hand to cup the other side of his face, and she felt like she was holding the whole world between her hands. Those beautiful, breathtaking eyes widened again, and she just had to say it. “You are so beautiful.” Her voice sounded raspy, even to herself.
“W-what?”
She inched closer, her eyes darting down to his lips. “You are so so so beautiful. Just breathtaking. And I love you so much. So much. More than I’ve ever loved anything in my entire life.” Her voice cracked as she began to choke up. She felt the sting of tears welling up in her eyes, a few escaping and flowing freely down her face.
“Hey, hey, don’t cry. I love you too—please don’t cry.” He brought his own hand up to her face to wipe away the few stray tears that had fallen.
“I’m sorry, I just… I love you.” She let out a little, breathless laugh. “I love you. And I want to be with you. Always, all the time, forever. And I’m just… so happy.”
He smiled softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I feel the same. I’m… happy too.”
She had been slowly moving forward, their faces now barely inches apart. Her eyes darted back down to his lips, and she took a long breath. She heard him swallow. Her throat and mouth were suddenly all-too dry, and she licked her parched lips to help alleviate the feeling. “Hey, bab—”
He rushed forward and then his mouth was on hers and she completely forgot what she was going to say but it didn’t matter anymore because he was kissing her and nothing mattered except for the soft glide of his lips against hers. They were cool and smooth and exactly how she had imagined them yet somehow better. Her eyes slipped closed. She was lightheaded and dizzy and it felt so good, so right, so perfect. It was over all-too soon. He pulled away from her, eyes half-lidded and cheeks softly glowing pink. “Was…” He swallowed and licked his lips, his voice raspy. “Was that alri—”
She grabbed the back of his head and yanked him into another kiss before he could finish. The high-pitched squeak he made was muffled into her mouth, and it made her smile. She tangled her fingers in his hair and she felt more than heard the low groan he made in the back of his throat. His hands wandered down her sides to her waist, pulling her closer. She climbed in top of him, straddling his hips so she could be closer feel him better kiss him deeper. She pressed her chest up against his, shivering at the feeling of the cool metal and his hands running up and down her sides and her hips and her back, restless.
She broke the kiss for only a second, to take in a few shaky breaths and whisper, “I love you,” against his lips before diving back in. She poured every want, emotion, and feeling she’d ever had for him into the kiss—the one she’d waited for for so long. Fireworks even bigger and brighter than the ones they had watched earlier went off in her brain, and she was so totally and completely overwhelmed with how much she loved him in that moment that she didn’t know how to do anything but touch him and kiss him and let him know how much she loved him.
In a moment of boldness, she quickly swiped her tongue against his bottom lip. He made another one of those beautiful and adorable sounds, but that wasn’t quite was she was looking for, so she did it again. This time he gasped, and she was able to slide her tongue inside of his mouth, lightly stroking the underside of his tongue. He whimpered almost pitifully. He tasted slightly coppery and metallic, but she loved it anyway. His tongue tentatively poked at hers, copying her. She moaned deeply, encouraging him to go on. Emboldened by her reaction, he gently sucked on her tongue, coaxing another loud moan out of her.
She parted from him, panting heavily, the faint tingle of electricity lingering on her lips. She grinned giddily, looking him right in the eyes. He looked a bit dazed but smiled back, just as elated. She began to pepper his face with little kisses—his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, his chin, she even pressed a few cheeky pecks to his jaw and neck, and a few more to his lips. He giggled. “H-hey, s-stop it.” He leaned away half-heartedly, but she just kept on showering him in sweet kisses, her hands holding his face in place. She gave one last, long, loving kiss to his lips, pouring out everything for him. She loved him. So so so much. So much that she didn’t understand how she ever didn’t know it. She felt it deep inside her bones, her heart, her very soul. And she brought all that to light in this one kiss.
She pulled away. His eyes remained closed for a moment, before they slowly fluttered open, staring at her in awe. “…. Wow,” he breathed. “That was…….”
Y/N’s smile turned soft and warm. She brushed a lock of hair out of his face. “I know.”
He smiled blissfully, looking at her with a bit of disbelief. “I… I can’t believe I was so nervous about… that. That was… amazing.” His cheeks flushed lightly, and he ducked his head, looking up at her bashfully. “Can… can we do it again?”
She chuckled and brushed his cheek again. “Yes, Kiibo. Yes we can.” She grabbed both of his hands and linked their fingers together, giving him a sweet smile. She leaned forward and gave him another long peck on the lips. He smiled into it and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
When they parted, he was grinning at her like he’d just won the lottery, eyes shining. “I love you, Y/N.”
“I love you too, Kiibo. C’mon. Let’s head home.” She climbed off of him and got to her feet, offering him her hand. He took it and pulled himself up. They walked back to Y/N’s house together, hand-in-hand and Kiibo’s head resting on her shoulder. She really meant it. She loved him. And that was more than enough to warrant forever.