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The line between friendship and romance was thin, and at some point the two had crossed it without realizing. Just like everything in their relationship, it’d happened naturally without the other thinking about it. It happened when their short hugs turned to embraces that neither wanted to leave, or when he would pull her closer as she fell asleep instead of shifting awkwardly under her weight. The boundaries were pushed constantly, and neither seemed to bat an eye at it. In fact, it was as if they couldn’t tell. They’d just always been so close.
Others began to notice before they had. Hinata would sneak away to have his lunch break with her and his classmates took notice. Nanami left early so she could see him after class and her classmates took notice. They walked on and off campus together, hand in hand, and bystanders took notice. But when one by one they confronted the duo, “No, we’re just friends.” .
Hinata noticed it first. It was when she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder, and he found himself resisting the urge to press a kiss to her forehead. That certainly wasn’t what friends did, so why was it such a natural reaction for him? Maybe it’d been a momentary lapse of judgement, he was just tired. So he shrugged it off.
The following day, her fingers intertwined with his as they walked to school. He felt sparks in his hand and his cheeks reddened. This was couple activity, wasn’t it? No wonder they’d been accused of being one for so long.
“Nanami-san?” She gave a half-hearted response but kept her bleary eyes glued to her phone screen. “Why do we hold hands everyday?”
At first, he wasn’t sure if she’d been listening, as she continued playing her game. She didn’t really look at him until the stage was cleared, and her screen shut off. He watched as she looked up at him through thick lashes, blinking through her confusion as she hummed. “Well… Why wouldn’t we? Your hand is warm, and it’s a nice reminder that you’re still walking beside me.” Her expression stayed soft, and she stated it as if it were an obvious answer before she turned back to her phone.
“But, you know people think we are a couple now,” He said as he felt the heat on his face increase.
“And? Is that bad?” Her attention was still on her game, but by the look of frustration etched on her features he knew she was focused on their situation. Her lips pressed together into a firm line as she mulled over her next few words, but eventually decided to stay silent. Instead, she slipped her hand from his and cupped her phone with it. “There, the problem is solved.”
Hinata stared at her a moment, watching as her frustration was taken out on the game, her thumbs tapping fervently at the screen. He’d been with her- in a platonic way, of course- long enough to know when she was angry. “Nanami-san?”
She didn’t look up from her phone. “I have to go to class now, I’ll see you later.” Her reply was curt as she continued past him, and he knew very well that whatever she hadn’t said was what was bothering her. But whatever it was, it would have to wait. She was adamant about going ahead to class, so he’d ask during lunch. He could wait that long.
_____
When class finally seemed to let out, Hinata trudged to where he’d normally meet his friend. The entire morning he’d been running through the incident, and no matter what trail of thought he followed he always concluded her mood shift had something to do with what he’d said about them being a couple. But after that, he’d found nothing.
Speaking of nothing, arriving at where they normally met, she wasn’t there. Which wasn’t a new occurrence the brunet supposed, he’d just have to go meet her in her classroom and wake her up from the nap she was most likely taking.
And that’s what he’d done, dragging his feet with his head lost in the clouds as he thought of what possibly was upsetting the gamer. When he’d reached the classroom, however, he didn’t spot her in her normal seat. She was instead standing off in the corner, one of her classmates beside her as they spoke.
“...He’s probably embarrassed to be around me,” Nanami said in a soft voice, tugging her eared hoodie over her hair. “I do have a silly talent… And I guess I zone out a little…” She murmured, causing the classmate- a red head with a camera- to gasp and grab her shoulders.
“Don’t you say that! There isn’t anything wrong with you, he’s lucky to have you as a friend!” She said loudly, causing Hinata to frown and quickly hide behind the wall beside the door. So they were talking about him.
“But…” She trailed off again, which was odd because she normally completed her thought before she did so. “Koizumi-san, I don’t know… I guess I was a little silly to think we’d be in a relationship.” Nanami pauses and Hinata assumes Koizumi must be doing something. But he can’t seem to quite care enough what she’d done, because what Nanami said was much more pressing. She said it was silly to think they’d be in a relationship. We, she’d said. We as in he and her.
“I need to go meet him for lunch. I’ll talk to you afterwards, right?” Nanami’s voice snaps him out of his trance, and he panics for a quick moment. There’s a few mumbles that he couldn’t make out before their footsteps are padding through the classroom and he has to pretend he wasn’t eavesdropping. Which means backtracking a few steps and running into Nanami as she exits the class. Her face plants firmly in his chest, and they both stop dead in their tracks.
“... Oh, hello Hinata-kun,” She murmurs into his shirt, not needing to look up at to see him at this point. “Did I keep you waiting?”
His cheeks are red, and he watches as Koizumi shoots him a glare before leaving. “Ah, yeah, I was just on my way because I figured you’d fallen asleep.” He said but as he looks down at her and her soft blush, her words ring louder in his ears. She wanted them to be in a relationship. That’s why she’d been hurt, she thought he was embarrassed to be seen with her.
Then it ties back to him. He hadn’t thought those words would have such an impact on her, but he certainly hadn’t meant what she’d taken from it. But he couldn’t outright tell her what he’d meant- or that he’d been dreaming of a relationship with her from the moment he’d set eyes on her- without her knowing he’d eavesdropped.
Not like she’d care, but-
“Hinata-kun, do you know what you want to do for lunch?”
Lunch? Oh. It was his turn to bring lunch, and he’d forgotten to make anything.
But it’s perfect! Take her out to eat, and tell her how you feel! It’s the perfect way to tell her without letting her know you’d listened to her!
And he listens to the impulsive, irrational part of him. “Let’s go off campus for lunch.”
She blinks and stares up at him. “Can we do that? What if we are late back to class?”
“Oh well,” He continues on his impulse and smiles at her. “I forgot to make lunch, so I suppose I don’t have much of a choice.”
A smile graces her features after a moment’s hesitation. “...I guess you can lead the way then.”
_____
She doesn’t have her game out, and he wonders if it’s because of what happened earlier. Her eyes are on the table as she waits for their food. Hinata can’t take his eyes off her and clears his throat. Her eyes dart to him and he bites his cheek because that impulse has gone quiet.
“Is there something wrong, Hinata-kun?” She glances through her long lashes and he realizes he’s never felt more at home and yet more in love at the same time. And with his realization, the impulse is back.
“Yeah, I think there is,” He starts and her eyebrows furrow. “Do you think you can help me?”
“Sure…” She hesitates, her face scrunching in concern.
“I think I’m falling in love with my best friend, and I made her think I was embarrassed to be around her,” He said and he felt his heart pounding against his ribcage, only to increase when he watched her look of shock and the way her cheeks flooded red. “How do you think I tell her that I love her?”
She smiles and it’s wide and warm, nothing like the sleepy smiles she gives him when they walk home. “I think… You did a really good job right now, but earlier I’d have to say you lost points.” She hums, and Hinata rubs the back of his neck.
“Well, I was nervous and I panicked. I was sort of… In denial.”
She smiled in a coy way, shaking her head. “That answer doesn’t change it, but you’ll be able to earn bonus points if you go with me to the game store after school.”
And it seemed like with that nothing changed. Because in reality, the line between their friendship and romance was very fine, and even with a new title to their relationship, the border constantly shifted.