Work Text:
For the past few weeks, Test Tube had been finding every excuse imaginable to get Fan into the lab. Need someone to hold a clipboard? Fan. Need someone to pass her a screwdriver? Fan. Need someone to watch an experiment she'd already run a dozen times before? Fan.
Most of the tasks were things she could easily do herself. In fact, many of them barely qualified as tasks that required a second person at all. Yet somehow, every few days, Fan would find himself getting a text asking if he was free to help her with something.
Not that he minded. Fan genuinely loved spending time with Test Tube. Whether they were working on inventions, talking about random interests, or simply existing in the same room, he always enjoyed being around her. He had noticed that the jobs she asked for help with seemed unusually simple lately, but he'd never questioned it. Maybe she just liked having company while she worked.
That seemed reasonable enough. At least, that's what he thought. Tonight was no different. The two of them had spent hours in the lab together working on a small calibration project that Test Tube absolutely could have completed by herself.
The realization hit her the moment they finished. As Fan organized some tools nearby, Test Tube stared blankly at her workstation.
...I did not need help with that.
Not even a little. She slowly adjusted her glasses.
Actually... I haven't needed help with most of these things.
Her stomach dropped.
Her eyes widened. Was that why she'd been inviting him over so often? Not because she needed assistance. Not because she needed a second opinion. Not because the projects were too complicated. Because she wanted him there. Because she liked spending time with him. Because every time he left, the lab felt strangely quieter than it used to. Test Tube immediately shoved that thought away.
People liked spending time with their friends all the time. That was normal. Fan was her best friend. Of course she'd want him around. That wasn't weird. That wasn't suspicious. That definitely wasn't—
The thought was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Well, now that's done, do you want me to go get you a coffee or something?"
Test Tube nearly jumped out of her chair. Fan was standing right there, smiling at her. How long had she been staring into space?
"S-Sure!" she blurted far too quickly.
Fan blinked. "Oh. Okay."
Her face immediately burned. Why had she said it like that? Why was her heart suddenly beating so fast? Why was she suddenly hyper-aware of how nice his smile was?
Fan simply laughed and gave her a thumbs up. "You got it."
Then he headed toward the door. The second it closed behind him, Test Tube let out a long, horrified groan and buried her face in her hands.
"Oh golly."
She wheeled herself backward across the room.
"No, no, no, no."
Her mind replayed the past several weeks. Every excuse she'd made to get him into the lab. Every conversation she'd stretched out longer than necessary. Every time she'd checked her phone hoping he'd text. Every moment she'd found herself smiling because he was nearby. The evidence was beginning to pile up, and she hated how obvious it suddenly seemed.
Test Tube shot upright.
"Okay."
If there was one thing she trusted, it was science. Science had answers. Science had data. Science was objective. Feelings were messy and unreliable. So she'd use science. She immediately rolled a large whiteboard into the center of the lab and uncapped three markers at once.
"If this is a crush," she muttered, "there will be measurable evidence."
Across the top she wrote:
FAN ANALYSIS REPORT
Then underneath:
[Hypothesis: Potential romantic attraction toward Fan.]
Her hand froze.
The words alone made her face turn bright red. She squeaked, quickly underlining them anyway.
"Scientific integrity," she mumbled. Soon the board was covered in charts, graphs, percentages, and observations.
Observation #1: Heart rate increases when Fan compliments me.
Observation #2: I invite Fan to the lab significantly more than any other contestant.
Observation #3: I think about Fan outside of scheduled interactions.
She paused.
Then reluctantly added another.
Observation #4: I may have memorized his coffee order.
A beat.
"...And his favourite movies." Another pause. "...And almost every little thing about him."
The marker slowly lowered.
"Oh."
That probably wasn't helping her case. She quickly scribbled a large question mark next to it. Across into the back room, the coffee machine hummed quietly.
Test Tube stared at the board. The evidence was becoming alarmingly one-sided. Her calculations currently suggested an 87.3% probability that she had a crush on Fan.
Golly. How had she not noticed this sooner? More importantly, why was she only realizing it now? Fan could walk back through that door at any second. Test Tube quickly grabbed her phone from the workbench and snapped a photo of the whiteboard. Evidence preserved.
Then she immediately erased everything. Within seconds, the whiteboard was spotless again and wheeled back into its usual corner of the lab. Just in time. The door opened.
Fan stepped inside carrying two coffees, one balanced in each hand.
"Delivery for the scientist." He walked over and handed one to her with a grin. "Here you go! Oh—" His smile faded slightly. "Jeez, are you alright, Test Tube? You're sweating a lot."
Test Tube nearly dropped the coffee.
"F-Fine! Hah—haha!" The laugh that escaped her sounded painfully forced. Before Fan could say anything else, she raised the cup and immediately gulped down nearly the entire thing.
Fan stared. The coffee had to be scorching hot. "...Okay then."
Test Tube set the empty cup back on the table with shaking hands.
Fan slowly sipped his own coffee. Clearly something was wrong. This wasn't normal, even by Test Tube standards.
"So..." he began cautiously, "did you need any more help tonight? I don't mind staying."
"Nope!"
The response came far too fast. "All good! Completely good! Extremely good!" Her glasses were starting to fog from how warm her face had become.
Fan blinked.
Test Tube pointed frantically toward the couch. "S-So you can just go sit over there and use your laptop! Relax! Browse blogs and stuff!"
She waved her hands. "W-Weren't you telling me about that Paper and OJ fanfic you were reading last week? The slow-burn one? Why don't you work on that?"
Fan couldn't help but laugh. "Pfft. I already finished that one." He walked over to the couch and sat down. "I'm onto a Nickel and Balloon slow-burn now." He opened his laptop. "It's pretty good, honestly, but I think the author could characterize them a little better."
Normally Test Tube would have immediately asked for details. Tonight she was far too busy trying not to combust.
Fan glanced up from his screen. She was standing completely still. Staring at absolutely nothing.
"Test Tube?"
She jumped. "Huh?!"
Fan's concern deepened. He closed his laptop halfway. "Are you sure you're okay?" His voice softened.
"You're acting kinda strange tonight."
Test Tube's heart nearly stopped. Strange. She was being strange. Of course she was being strange. She had just discovered she apparently had a gigantic crush on her best friend and now said best friend was sitting ten feet away reading fanfiction while looking incredibly concerned about her wellbeing.
Fan stood from the couch and walked over.
"Hey." His expression was gentle. "You know I'm always here for you, right?"
The sincerity in his voice made something in Test Tube's chest tighten. That wasn't helping. That was making everything so much worse. Because now all she could think about was Observation #17:
When Fan says supportive things, I feel like I'm going to explode.
Test Tube swallowed hard. "Y-Yeah." Her voice came out smaller than intended. "I know."
Fan smiled, and somehow that made it even harder to breathe.
Test Tube immediately spun around and buried herself in one of her inventions. Focus on the machine. Not Fan. She adjusted a few wires that didn't need adjusting, checked a gauge she'd already checked three times, and stared very intensely at a blinking light as though it held the secrets of the universe.
Behind her, Fan remained standing. He wasn't buying it. Something was clearly bothering her, and while he wasn't going to push if she didn't want to talk, he couldn't just ignore it either. Test Tube was one of his closest friends. If something was wrong, he wanted to help.
"Wanna hear about what I'm reading?"
Test Tube nearly jumped. "O-Oh! Sure!"
Fan smiled and leaned against one of the lab benches. "It's an enemies-to-lovers slow burn."
Fan continued obliviously. "So Nickel is constantly mean to Balloon. Like, ridiculously mean. They're always arguing and getting on each other's nerves."
He unlocked his phone. "But here's the thing, Nickel secretly has a huge crush on him and doesn't even realize it."
Test Tube froze. The wrench in her hand stopped moving.
Fan laughed. "Crazy, right?"
Her eye twitched.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Not relatable at all.
"Nope. Not relatable. Completely irrational behavior," she said far too quickly.
Fan raised an eyebrow. "...I didn't say it was relatable."
"Oh."
"Anyway..." Fan scrolled through the chapter. "I feel like the author could've written them better. Nickel's way too self-aware."
"Self-aware?"
"Yeah!" Fan nodded. "Like, he notices way too quickly."
Test Tube's grip tightened on the wrench. "Some people are just... slower."
Fan shrugged. "Sure, but if you're constantly wanting to spend time with someone, thinking about them all day, finding excuses to hang around them, getting nervous around them..."
He paused. "...you'd think they'd figure it out eventually."
Test Tube nearly dropped the wrench, her face was burning, she felt like she couldn’t breathe for a moment.
Fortunately, Fan was too busy reading to notice. "Still," he continued casually, "it's interesting to analyze."
She stared at the invention in front of her. Nothing was computing anymore. Not the machine. Not the conversation. Not her own brain.
Fan turned off his phone. "Anyway, enough about fanfiction."
Thank goodness.
"What are you working on, TT?" His eyes lit up immediately. "I always love hearing about your inventions." And there it was. That look. That genuine excitement he always had whenever she talked about science. Like everything she made was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.
Test Tube's heart performed several dangerous and scientifically concerning maneuvers.
"O-Oh. Right." She cleared her throat. "This is just a prototype energy stabilizer."
Fan's eyes widened. "Just?"
"Well, yes."
"TT, you say 'just' like normal people say 'I made toast.'"
She couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.
Fan grinned. "There it is."
"Huh?" She panicked.
"That laugh." He pointed at her. "You've barely smiled all night."
Test Tube immediately stopped smiling.
Fan laughed. "And now it's gone."
"Oh golly." Test Tube covered her smile, why was Fan making her feel this way?
"There it is again." Fan moved closer to look at the invention. Close enough that their shoulders almost brushed. Test Tube's entire body locked up.
"That's really impressive, though," Fan said softly. "Seriously. You always make the coolest stuff."
The compliment hit like a freight train. Suddenly she couldn't remember how breathing worked.
Fan glanced over. "...Test Tube?"
"Mhm."
"You haven't moved for like twenty seconds." Fan raised a brow, a little concerned.
"Mhm."
"You okay?" He questioned.
"Mhm."
"That's not actually answering my question."
She squeezed her eyes shut. Meanwhile Fan was becoming increasingly concerned.
He'd been trying to distract her, trying to get her talking about things she liked, but somehow every attempt seemed to make her even more flustered. He genuinely couldn't figure out why. And unfortunately for Test Tube, every kind word, every smile, every moment of attention was only making the realization she'd had earlier feel more obvious.
"Test Tube, I'm starting to get a little worried about you tonight." Fan gave her a small, gentle smile.
"Why don't we take a break? We could pull out the couch and watch a movie on my laptop. You've been working all day, you probably just need to relax for a bit."
A movie. On the couch. With Fan. Test Tube felt her entire train of thought derail. A movie meant sitting next to him. Close to him. Potentially sharing a blanket. Her heart immediately began hammering against her ribs.
Oh golly.
How had she not figured this out sooner? How had she gone this long without realizing she had a crush on him? It felt so obvious now. Every late-night lab session. Every excuse to invite him over. Every little moment she'd looked forward to seeing him. Every time he'd smiled at her and somehow made her day better. She felt ridiculous.
"O-Okay..." Her voice cracked slightly. "Sure."
Fan's smile widened. "Awesome."
Meanwhile Test Tube's brain was busy imagining approximately six hundred possible scenarios and none of them were helping. As Fan started moving toward the couch, she found herself wondering something she'd been desperately trying not to think about.
Could Fan ever feel the same way? They were incredibly close. Closer than most friendships. They spent countless hours together. Trusted each other with almost everything. But that didn't necessarily mean anything. Best friends could be close. Best friends could spend all their time together. Best friends could care deeply about each other. Her stomach twisted. What if that was all this was to him? She rubbed her arm nervously.
Fan was already pulling out the couch bed and adjusting the cushions.
"You stay there." He pointed toward her workstation. "I'm gonna grab some blankets from upstairs so we can actually be comfortable, kay?" His smile was warm and effortless. The kind that always made her feel a little better.
She managed a faint smile in return. "O-Okay."
He gave her a quick thumbs up before disappearing through the lab door.
The second he was gone, Test Tube released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Finally. A moment to think. Or panic. She immediately pulled out her phone and opened the photo she'd taken earlier. The evidence. The embarrassingly accurate conclusions. Then she opened her notes app and quickly started typing.
Potential Outcomes if Fan Learns About Feelings
Outcome A: Fan reciprocates feelings.
Probability: Unknown.
Potential consequences: Happiness. Excitement.
Outcome B: Fan does not reciprocate feelings but remains friends.
Probability: Unknown.
Potential consequences: Extreme embarrassment. Recovery possible.
Outcome C: Friendship becomes awkward.
Probability: Terrifying.
Potential consequences: Catastrophic.
She stared at the list. The problem was that she genuinely didn't know. For the first time in a long time, there wasn't enough data. No equation. No experiment. No proven answer. Just feelings. And feelings were messy. Her eyes drifted away from the notes. Because if she was being honest with herself… She really liked Fan. Not just a little. A lot.
He was kind. Patient. Funny. Incredibly thoughtful. He always seemed to know exactly what people needed. He never made her feel strange for being herself. When everyone else thought she was weird, Fan had simply accepted her. Actually, accepted wasn't even the right word.
He liked her quirks. He liked hearing her ramble about science. He liked spending hours in the lab with her. He made her feel appreciated. Valued. Special.
Test Tube swallowed. Maybe she'd been feeling something for longer than she'd realized. Maybe even back then. The stargazing nights. The long conversations. The moments she'd always dismissed as admiration. Maybe it hadn't been admiration at all. Maybe she'd just been too oblivious to see it.
A groan escaped her.
"Why am I only realizing this now..."
Her fingers tightened around her phone. There had been so much speculation over the years. People constantly assumed they were dating. People making jokes. People asking questions.
Both of them had always laughed it off.
We're just friends.
The answer had always been so easy. So automatic. But now...
What if Fan liked things exactly the way they were? What if he had never considered anything beyond friendship? What if she told him and ruined something wonderful? What if he didn't feel the same way? What if he did?
Her mind spiraled faster and faster.
What if.
What if.
What if.
There were too many variables. Too many unknowns. And for perhaps the first time in her life, Test Tube couldn't calculate an answer. Then she heard footsteps approaching the lab again.
Test Tube yelped. Her phone nearly flew across the room. In record time she locked the screen and shoved tossed it back to her lab bench.
Fan walked back inside carrying an armful of blankets. "Okay!" he announced cheerfully. "I found the blankets."
Fan smiled as he walked back over, arms full of blankets. Test Tube immediately covered part of her face with one hand, trying to hide just how flustered she felt. It didn't work. Not that Fan noticed. He simply dumped the blankets onto the pull-out couch with a dramatic flop.
"There. Maximum coziness achieved."
Test Tube laughed nervously. "O-Oh. Right." She carefully walked over, twiddling her thumbs the entire way.
Fan climbed onto the couch first and patted the spot beside him. "C'mon."
Test Tube swallowed. Then awkwardly climbed up beside him. She deliberately left a respectable amount of space between them. A perfectly normal amount of space. Definitely not because she was suddenly hyper-aware of Fan's existence.
Fan didn't seem to notice. He grabbed his laptop and started scrolling through his movie folder.
"Hmm..." A few seconds passed. Then he glanced at her.
"You won't be able to see the screen from all the way over there."
Before she could react, he scooted closer. Test Tube's breath hitched. Her heart started racing again.
Why am I being like this?
They'd done this before. Dozens of times. Movie nights in the lab weren't unusual. Neither was sitting close together. Neither was sharing blankets. Neither was ending up half-asleep leaning on each other after some ridiculously long movie marathon.
That was normal. It had always been normal. So why did it suddenly feel different? Just because she'd finally acknowledged her feelings? Logically, nothing had changed. Emotionally, however, everything felt different.
It was infuriating. She silently cursed her own brain. Fan finally selected a movie and clicked play.
The opening scene of Project Hail Mary appeared on screen.
Test Tube couldn't help smiling. Of course it was this one. Again.
This was probably the third time he'd watched it this week. Fan had a habit of becoming completely obsessed with things he loved, whether it was a blog, a fanfiction, a song, or a movie. And for some reason, Test Tube found that incredibly endearing.
The movie began. Slowly, Test Tube started to relax. The familiar story helped. The familiar setting helped. And sitting beside Fan… Well. That was helping too.
After a while she glanced over at him.
"Why do you like this movie so much?"
Fan perked up instantly. She'd activated one of his favourite topics. "Oh, that's easy." He pulled his knees up slightly. "Grace and Rocky kinda remind me of us."
Test Tube froze. Fan didn't seem to notice.
"They're both completely lost and isolated, but then they find someone who understands them." He smiled softly. "They trust each other." His eyes remained fixed on the movie. "They make each other feel less alone." A faint blush appeared across his face. "I know that's kinda cringe."
He laughed awkwardly. "It's just... I dunno." Then he quickly looked back at the screen. As if embarrassed he'd admitted that.
Test Tube's heart practically melted. She noticed the blush immediately. Unfortunately, that only created about fifty new problems.
Don't overanalyze it. Her brain ignored that instruction instantly. Maybe he was embarrassed because he'd compared them. Maybe he was just emotional.
Maybe—
Stop.
Grace and Rocky were friends. Best friends. Rocky literally had a mate back on his planet. Fan probably meant exactly what he said. Nothing more. Nothing less. Still… The way he'd said it made her chest feel warm.
"I-It's not cringe."
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Fan looked over.
Test Tube immediately realized she had not planned anything beyond that sentence.
"I..."
Her mind blanked. Words failed. Thoughts collided. Panic ensued.
Then, somehow, the worst possible sentence escaped her mouth.
"I think we're more than that." Silence.
The movie continued playing in the background. Neither of them heard a second of it.
The second the words left her mouth, Test Tube wanted to launch herself into space.
Why did I say that?
She hadn't finished analyzing the situation. She hadn't gathered enough evidence. She hadn't calculated probabilities. She hadn't run a single simulation. This was reckless. This was scientifically irresponsible.
Fan froze. His entire face immediately flushed hot. His brain stalled so hard it practically blue-screened. For a moment he simply stared. Then he looked away. Then back at her. His hand moved to his mouth as he nervously chewed on his lip.
"As..." He swallowed. "...in?" His voice came out quieter than intended. Confused. Hopeful.
Fan wasn't willing to jump to conclusions. Not when it involved Test Tube. Not when one wrong assumption could make things awkward. But his heart was suddenly beating so loudly he was worried she could hear it.
Test Tube could practically feel the moment hanging in the air between them.
The movie continued playing. The laptop illuminated their faces. Neither of them was paying attention anymore. Because for the first time in years, the question neither of them had ever dared ask was suddenly sitting right there between them.
Test Tube had already stepped halfway off the cliff. At this point, she might as well jump.
"A-As in..." Her voice wavered. "W-We..." Nothing. The words refused to come out.
Her brain was running a thousand calculations a second, and somehow every single one ended with her freezing up. Across from her, Fan wasn't doing much better. The truth was, he'd had feelings for Test Tube for a long time. Long enough that he'd stopped letting himself think about them. It had simply been easier to assume she wasn't interested in him that way. Easier to stay friends.
Because their friendship meant everything to him. And now, after years of carefully avoiding that line, it suddenly felt like they were both standing right on top of it.
One wrong step. One wrong assumption. One misunderstanding.
And what if things became awkward? What if he ruined the best friendship he'd ever had? But at the same time… Maybe this explained why she'd been acting so strangely all evening. Maybe she was trying to tell him something. Or maybe he was completely misreading everything. The uncertainty was driving him crazy. Slowly, Fan shifted so he was fully facing her now.
Test Tube looked back at him. For a moment neither of them spoke. Her glasses had completely fogged up again.
Fan couldn't help smiling. Honestly, it was kind of adorable. Without really thinking about it, he reached forward and grabbed the edge of one of the blankets.
"Hang on."
Test Tube froze.
Fan gently wiped the fog from her lenses. The gesture was so casual. So natural. Yet somehow it made both of their hearts race.
"There."
The glasses were clear again. Test Tube blinked. Now she could see him properly.
Fan could see her eyes too. For a moment he completely forgot what he'd been trying to say. His breath caught in his chest. Then the first thing that came to mind slipped out.
"I've always liked the way your glasses look on you."
Test Tube stared.
Fan immediately wanted to hide under the couch. He continued anyway.
"They make your eyes look bigger." His face grew warmer. "I-I mean..."
Great. Fantastic. "I like your eyes." Silence.
Fan internally combusted. He'd read enough romance fanfics to know that wasn't exactly a smooth line. How was he somehow worse at this than every fictional version of himself he'd ever read?
Meanwhile Test Tube's entire flushed.
"You..." Her voice came out tiny. "You like my eyes?"
Fan nodded.
Immediately, a nervous giggle escaped her. "Wwuehehe..." She covered her mouth with both hands, trying and failing to hide the huge smile spreading across her face.
Everything felt ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. She was a scientist. A rational person. A logical person. And yet here she was, getting flustered because Fan liked her eyes. Fan couldn't help laughing softly. The sound made her giggle even harder. Neither of them were particularly smooth. Neither of them knew what they were doing.
But somehow, sitting together beneath a pile of blankets, blushing over the simplest compliments imaginable, felt more genuine than any perfectly rehearsed confession ever could. And for the first time that night, neither of them felt quite as nervous as before.
"Test Tube..." Fan's voice came out quieter than usual.
She looked up at him immediately. "Hm?"
Fan opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. This was somehow harder than any speech he'd ever given.
"Do you ever... think about..." He stopped. Nope. Couldn't do it. His face flushed. "Did you know there are over a thousand fanfics about us online?"
Test Tube blinked. Then immediately snorted with laughter. "Really? That many people ship us?"
Fan laughed nervously. "Apparently." The tension eased slightly.
Then Test Tube surprised herself. Before she could overthink it, she reached forward and gently took his hands.
Fan froze. His heart nearly stopped.
"D-Do you read them?" she asked softly. "The fanfics."
Fan's face somehow became even redder. "S-Sometimes!" He immediately buried his face in one of the blankets.
"I mean—not all of them! Some of them! A few of them!"
Test Tube giggled.
"They're kinda cute, okay?" The admission hung in the air. Fan nervously rubbed his thumb against hers. Most people would've found that embarrassing to admit.
Instead, Test Tube looked strangely delighted. "Really?"
"Really."
A small smile spread across her face. For a moment neither of them spoke. The movie continued playing in the background, completely forgotten.
Then Test Tube looked down at their joined hands. "D-Do you..." Her voice grew quieter. "Ever want any of that to be real?"
Fan's brain immediately stopped functioning. Completely. "I—uh—"
His mouth opened. Nothing came out.
Test Tube immediately misinterpreted the reaction. Her eyes widened.
"S-Sorry!" She pulled back slightly. "Was that too much?" Words started tumbling out faster and faster.
"I've never really done this whole flirting thing and I didn't exactly have time to research it properly and maybe I skipped several steps and—"
"Test Tube."
"N-Now I'm making things awkward and—"
"Test Tube."
"Maybe we should just stop talking about this and watch the mov—"
"Test Tube."
She finally looked up.
Fan was smiling. A nervous smile. But a genuine one. "N-No." He squeezed her hands gently. "You're okay." He laughed shakily. "I'm just... really nervous."
Slowly, she relaxed. "As am I." Their eyes met. Neither looked away. For several long seconds, neither spoke.
Then Fan took a deep breath. "W-Well..." His heart was pounding so hard he was convinced she could hear it. "Would you..." He swallowed. "Want to kiss?" The question came out small and uncertain.
Like he was afraid she'd disappear if he said it too loudly.
Test Tube's breath caught. "Y-Yeah." A smile spread across her face.
She shifted a little closer. Fan did too. The movie continued playing quietly in the background, long forgotten. Neither of them had paid attention to it for several minutes now. Everything felt strangely still.
Fan's heart was racing so fast he was sure Test Tube could hear it. He leaned forward slightly, and she mirrored the movement without even thinking. Their eyes drifted closed. The distance between them disappeared. When their lips finally met, it was gentle and tentative, both of them nervous and unsure, yet completely certain they wanted to be there.
Test Tube's hand found its way to the side of Fan's head, and for a few precious seconds, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. Then they slowly pulled apart. Both immediately stared at each other. Neither of them knew what to say.
Their first kiss. Not just with each other. Their first kiss ever.
Fan could barely process what had just happened. Test Tube looked equally stunned.
And yet neither of them wanted the moment to end. Fan laughed softly, his cheeks burning, and leaned forward again. Test Tube smiled and met him halfway.
This time it felt a little easier. A little less frightening. When they finally pulled back again, they found themselves holding each other's hands, both smiling so hard their faces hurt.
"Wow." Fan let out a breathless laugh. "That was better than any fanfic."
Test Tube immediately giggled. "Really?"
"Really."
She ducked her head, unable to stop smiling. For a moment they simply sat there, enjoying the fact that this was actually real.
Then Fan's expression softened. "Test Tube?"
She looked up. "Hm?"
His hands tightened slightly around hers.
"Do you..." He swallowed. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Test Tube's eyes widened. For a second she just stared at him. It was a lot. But despite that, the answer came easily.
"Y-Yeah."
She squeezed his hands. Then immediately added, "I mean— if you're sure! W-We don't have to!"
Fan laughed. Even now she was worried about him. "I want to." His voice was quiet. "I've wanted to for a while."
Test Tube felt her heart skip. "A while?"
Fan laughed. "Maybe a long while."
That earned a laugh from her. A nervous one. "I only figured mine out today."
Fan blinked. "Seriously?"
She nodded. "I kept asking you to help me with things in the lab."
"Oh."
"Things I absolutely did not need help with."
Fan started laughing. "Ohhhh."
"I know!" She buried her face in her hands. "It sounds so obvious now!"
The two of them laughed together before Test Tube's smile softened. "I was scared."
Fan's expression immediately became gentle. "Scared?"
"Of ruining what we had." Her fingers intertwined with his. "You mean so much to me, Fan."
His smile faded into something warmer. Something sincere.
"Test Tube." He squeezed her hand. "You could never ruin us." The certainty in his voice made her chest tighten. Fan took a breath. There was something he'd wanted to say for a long time.
"I love you."
The words came quietly. Without hesitation. Without doubt. "Whether you're my girlfriend, my best friend, or both." He smiled. "I just love being with you."
Test Tube's eyes immediately watered. Not from sadness. From relief. From happiness. From finally hearing the thing she'd been too scared to hope for. A shaky laugh escaped her. Then she threw her arms around him. Fan laughed in surprise before hugging her back tightly.
"I love you too, Fan."