Work Text:
Suo couldn't pinpoint when his feelings had changed.
One day, Nirei had simply become the person he would walk out with after class, the one whose excited rambling made the journey feel shorter. He had a habit of talking with his hands whenever he got carried away, his entire face brightening whenever he spoke about the people he admired and somewhere along the way Suo had begun noticing every little expression before he even realized he was watching.
"...Suo?"
He blinked, pulled from his thoughts to find Nirei looking at him curiously. "You've been really quiet. Was I talking too much?"
"Not at all," Suo replied with a gentle smile. "I was thinking."
"About what?"
The answer slipped out before he could dress it up.
"You're rather cute."
Nirei froze, his cheeks blooming scarlet almost instantly. "C-Cute?! W-Where did that come from?"
Suo watched him stumble over his words, equal parts horrified and flustered, and felt an unexpected warmth settle in his chest. He'd really come to treasure moments like this more than anything else.
Somewhere between ordinary conversations, shared walks home, and Nirei's unwavering kindness, he'd fallen in love without ever noticing.
...Ah.
So that was it.
Suo simply waited until Nirei finally caught up to his side again, still mumbling embarrassed protests under his breath, and continued walking as though nothing had changed.
Even though, to Suo, everything had and he found he rather liked it.