Chapter Text
"Ah, good morning Nishikata!"
As she waved at him, Nishikata met her eyes, a blush immediately beginning to creep onto his face. He was unsure what exactly it was, but the mere sight of her, despite having grown up with her for years at this point, felt enough to drive him to sheer insanity. Every day, he thought she couldn't be any prettier than the day before, and yet, every day after, she would prove him hopelessly, entirely, completely, wrong- and she had no idea.
Unknowingly, he began to analyze just what it was about her that sent his heart into a rampant flurry. Perhaps, it was her smile... It seemed warmer today, even more so than the day before. It was like her smile had fangs, and his soul the sweetest blood of all mankind- like they had sunk into the depths of him as a person, and refused to let go. No, that feels too... dangerous to describe her smile. He was not very good with words, but he was sure, even if he'd been history's greatest playwright, he still wouldn't have the words to describe how and her eyes sparkled more- or did they always look like that? Were they always so inviting, practically begging, for his undivided attention- attention that he was far too willing to sacrifice? Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
His heart pounded in his chest, a familiar burning sensation appearing across the entirety of his face- it made even the air around him feel warmer. He was unsure how that was possible, how the raging thump in his chest could even affect the weather. Maybe he shouldn't have worn his winter uniform today after all.
"Y'know, if you keep staring at me like that, I might think that you like me, Nishikata."
"H-huh?" Nishikata furiously blinked away his dazedness to once again focus on his girlfriend's face, which he now noticed was far too close. In some time between his spacing out, she had leaned closer, their noses almost touching, her sweet smile evolving into an all-too-familiar mischievous grin. If it were possible, which somehow, it always was, his face glowed even brighter, redness overcoming the entirety of his complexion as he stumbled a step backwards to calm his erratic heartbeat.
They had been dating for approximately four months and sixteen days (but, who was counting, right?), and yet, there were times, seldom rare, where their relationship did not feel quite different from before the faithful day of that summer festival- but, this, was not one of those times.
"W-well, uh," Takagi's smile withered, just so slightly, in confusion at Nishikata's mumbling, as she tilted her head. Normally, he would shout in defiance, a scarlet aura clinging to him, and she would giggle behind her hands, feeling a hint of pride at flustering him so.
"Sure...," He finished weakly nonetheless, his eyes facing the cobblestone ground with such fervor that any onlooker would think the answers to the universe would be hidden amongst them. Takagi's eyes grew just so slightly wider, her cheeks flushed just so slightly pinker, and her lips turned up just so slightly. but, she could never let him realize that- that would be like admitting she lost. So instead, she gently laced her fingers through his, swinging their hands as she pulled him to walk with her.
"Wow, Nishikata!" she laughed, immediately making nishikata's head snap to face her. What's so funny? What did I say? I guess... I did really say that i like her, but we're dating! Of course, i like her! Was that too forward? Should I not have said that? Oh God... I just handed her a loaded machine gun of material to tease me with. He squeezed his eyes shut as he mentally cursed himself and internally panicked, all at once.
"I never thought you would be so honest! You're really growing up." he opened his eyes to once again see her leaning closer towards him, close enough to fluster him once again, but not close enough to make him want to step back. And that damned inviting smile was back, the gentle, kind, soft one that reflected only her most genuine thoughts. She's not... teasing me. Nishikata glanced down at their hands, woven together so perfectly and resisted the urge to chew on the inside of his mouth.
"We are, um, well," He pressed his lips together, once again looking away in embarrassment. "Dating... Takagi."
San, He finished in his mind, the feeling of dropping her honorific foreign to him. She had been calling him Nishikata since long before he had realized the true depths of his feelings, long before he had confessed to her, and long before he had asked her to be his girlfriend- but, despite how inseparable they were, the countless hours they had spent together, and that they were really, truly dating (a fact that Nishikata often had to remind himself of, sometimes still feeling unreal), he had never dropped her honorific. Takagi had never truly minded, lightheartedly teasing him for remaining so formal with her, but he wanted to. He didn't want to call her what everyone else called her (minus hibino and takagawa, who still called her 'Takagi-Chan'), he wanted to call her something that only he could.
Maybe..., he thought to himself, I could even call her by a nickname? he immediately, fervently shook his head of the idea, despite his subconscious feeding him pet names he had seen couples call each other in his various favorite shows and manga. No, no, no, no, no, no, that's way too embarrassing! but this train of thought grounded Nishikata back to reality, realizing a frightening fact.
Takagi had been quiet since he'd spoken. Suddenly, he froze. Was I too sudden? Maybe, it's not too late, I could just add her honorific now and pretend I was choking on air right after I said her name? Wait, isn't that kind of pathetic...
"Nishikata..."
"Yes!" He straightened, far more than necessary, his entire body becoming rigid and tense as though he were a soldier, ready for duty at the sound of her soft voice. He screwed his eyes tightly shut once again, anticipating the worst. Would she tease him? Would she laugh at him? Would she break up with him? No, she wouldn't do that, right?
Instead, he felt a light squeeze on his hand. his mind screamed at him, fighting to convince him that the pressure was Takagi trying to remove her hand from his, that it was all over, that he had ruined everything just with the absence of one small word. But, there was something calming about the slight touch that overpowered his overthinking. It was soft, yet firm, and comprehensively reassuring enough to slowly open his eyes to look over...
Takagi... was blushing?
And in that moment, he forgot everything about ever wanting to win against her- he would lose to her a hundred, a thousand- no, a hundred thousand times if it meant that he could see the soft pink that dusted her cheeks once more. And yet, quite unlike him, she held such deep eye contact with him despite her flushed cheeks, that he could feel himself flustering so hard that it made him want to break it.
"Keep... calling me that, okay?" He was almost so bewitched by the unforeseen sight upon him, that he almost didn't hear the soft words that she all but whispered to him. In all of his daze, he found himself slowly nodding.
"Until we get married, that is."
"O-okay..., wait, what?"
And the sound of her laugh, airy, light, and yet, completely and totally encompassed with sheer happiness, filled the space surrounding them. It melted him, so much, that it completely and totally irritated him.
Damn you, Takagi...