Work Text:
"Senpai, are you going home?"
You heard a voice call behind you, seeing Midori as you turn around. The boy was panting lightly, looking like he ran a short distance just to get to you.
"Uh? Midori? It's a little late, you're still at school?"
"I was going to ask the same thing." The brunette walks up to you. "Morisawa-senpai made us all practice until late today. What about you?"
"I was sorting some papers. There's a lot that comes with being a producer that I really overlooked when I chose this course..." You sigh, laughing a little as to not darken the mood.
"I guess it does. Are you going home now?"
"Sure am! Today was so tiring... Oh, but I'm sure you're tired too, so I won't complain too much!"
And yet, there was something about Midori's monotone voice that always made you feel a little brighter. Just being around him seemed to make you feel better.
"You can complain if you want to." He looked up at the sky, the sun setting down. "It's about to get dark, isn't it?"
The boy looked away for a second, his face getting a little red subtone that made him look even more beautiful than he already is.
"If you want to..." He mumbles nervously. "We can go home together... Only if you want to, of course."
"Oh!" You exclaim, surprised. "Well, I can't say I don't want to... But aren't you tired already?"
The boy looks back at you, only to look away right after, saying something in a silent voice.
"Oh... You're not really... Bothersome, you know..."
Midori walks a few steps ahead, hiding his flustered face. You can't help but smile at his sweet actions.
"Thanks, Midori!" You walk to him, excitedly.
"Wich way is your house?"
You two walk together, not talking. Usually, silences like these would make Midori nervous, wondering if he's bothering the other person. But now, he was calm - well, as calm as anyone can be walking along the person they like.
Now that the sun was setting down, the sky just looked so beautiful. But Midori wasn't looking at the sky. Stealing little awkward glances to the side, hoping his senior wouldn't notice, Midori just couldn't not look at you.
The way the golden light of the sunset shone in your face. The way the calm autumn breeze made you hair move in just the right way. The way your eyes looked up at the sky - and oh, your eyes. How could he not love those eyes? If there was one thing Midori was sure of, it's that he loved those eyes.
It's that he loved you.
"Is something wrong?" You ask, noticing the boy looking at you.
Midori jumps up, surprised. "Ah! Sorry! I was just distracted!"
His face getting red, he catches up to your side. You let out a little laugh.
"What is it?" He asks.
"Sorry. You're just really cute, you know?"
"Huh?" He stops, shocked. Cute? Is that what you thought of him? But how could you? He was just so tall and awkward, Midori considered himself the furthest thing from cute.
"You're so cute, Midori!" You smile. "You look so cute when you get flustered and you're always helping me out. I mean, you're walking me home when you live in a completely opposite way!"
"Wh-!" Midori got completely red. "I didn't know you knew!"
You laugh. "I thought you were going to say something!"
"You..." He sighs, his face still blushing. "I thought you wouldn't let me walk you home if you knew."
"Yeah, I felt really bad...!" You pause. "Still, that just makes it even more sweet that you did it, right? Thanks for always being so kind to me."
"Ah..." Somehow, that phrasing made him even more embarassed. He wanted to say it now more than ever.
"You know... You look really pretty in that, uh... That sunset."
Saying that took all his courage. And seeing your eyes widen and your face blush like that, he felt like getting his heart beating a hundred times a second like that was worth it.
"That's..." You try to form a phrase, embarassed - it was so unlikely for Midori to say something that bold, it took you by surprise. "Th- Thanks..."
It's now or never. A sunset in the middle of autumn, his heart beating faster than ever, his hands sweating cold, you both looking really red. Midori had to say it.
"Senpai..." He paused. The boy felt like he was about to explode. And having his eyes locked in your eyes - those beautiful eyes, Midori just couldn't help himself from getting extremely nervous.
"I like you."
His eyes widened.
"I like you, Midori." You repeated yourself. Your heart was beating so fast and that was probably the hardest thing you ever had to do, but you wanted to say it.
Midori's mouth open in shock, the boy wasn't saying anything - there's no way this was happening. The person he was in love with for so long... revealing to be in love with him too? He simply couldn't process that someone would ever like him. Let alone someone like you.
"Are you going to say something or is this your way of rejecting me?" You laughed nervously.
"Ah!" He exclaimed as your voice brought him back. "I... Is... Are you serious or...?"
"What? Of course I'm serious, are you trying to invalidate my feelings?" You pouted, trying to make yourself seem a little less nervous.
"I..." You had never seem Midori this flustered. At this point, Chiaki should watch out on his position as Ryusei Red.
"I... I like you... too!" He exclaims with all his might, taking all his courage and putting all his strenght in confessing. "You're always so kind to me, and you're always trying your best at everything. A- And you're the most beautiful person I've ever met! And I... I like everything about you. I really, really, really like you."
Once again, Midori seemed to beat you at your game. You could feel your face burning and you knew that both of you looked exactly how you would expect two dumb and awkward teenagers in love to look: red and nervous.
You couldn't even say anything - how could you, after he said all that? You would definitely not be able to win what the boy said.
But as you looked at the beautiful blue eyes of the tall boy walking closer to you, you knew what to do instead of letting words come out of your mouth.
And as the sky beautifully mixed into colors of red and yellow, as the first stars started to appear, and as the autumn leaves flew carefully with the wind, Midori loved you.