crowspace | god only knows we don't need history

[Shuji had come to the conclusion a while ago that he was hopelessly in love with Sakura and Oda.

Not having one of them didn't seem right. He couldn't imagine himself dating Sakura and having Oda not be involved, or dating Oda and leaving Sakura on the sidelines. Maybe it was greedy, but he loved both of them.

And he knew them well enough to know that if he asked one out first, the other would immediately shut out all possibility of dating either of them. They'd wish the couple happiness and hide any painful feelings they might hold.

So, the only way to do it was to ask both out at once.

Which is why he'd invited them both to his apartment. He'd told them that he was inviting the other over and that he had something to talk about with both of them, and fortunately for him, they'd both agreed to come.]

Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee?

[Which left him here: fidgeting and trying not to show his nervousness as he addressed the guests in his living room.]

[ odasaku doesn’t understand why he was invited here. clearly it’s because shuji’s his friend and so is sakura, but there’s still something that makes his stomach do summersaults.

maybe it’s because he has no idea why he’s here. or maybe it’s because both his crushes are underneath the same roof, making his heart beat at a hundred miles per hour, his mind static. hell, he barely manages to catch what shuji asks him, and he’s left blinking blankly for a couple of seconds while he processes what’s being said.

oh—]

Uh... coffee. If you don’t mind.

[The fact Shuji thinks she can drink anything without spitting it up from nerves is frankly adorable, and one of the things she likes about him.

... Best she not think about that, however, and especially not with Oda sitting right next to her on the couch, close enough to pick up hints of his body warmth.

And she knows damn well why she's about to have a bad time today, why her fingers are nearly tied into knots as her hands sit on top of her lap. The answer's so very simple, but it's why it's just as easy to viciously shove it under the rug and set it all alight as she smiles, smiles, smiles...]

No thank you, Shuji-kun. I'm okay.

[Yep. Just keep smiling]

I don't mind at all. I'll be back in a second.

[A second to duck into his kitchen and start the coffee, and a full minute after that to take deep breaths and try to make himself calm down enough that he can actually ask Oda and Sakura what he wanted to ask them. Deep, cleansing breaths.

...It's ufortunate that that leaves Oda and Sakura awkwardly sitting next to each other without their host.]

[ odasaku’s eyes follow shuji as he disappears off into the kitchen, then goes right back to staring at his lap. he can feel sakura’s presence so very close to him, to the point that he could lean a little and touch her— but he doesn’t. he knows how private she is and doesn’t wanna break past those boundaries without permission.

a glance to the side proves their distance (or lack there of) and oda feels his cheeks grow warm. she may be smiling, but sakura’s emotions are basically a raging storm underneath—a bundle of nerves and anxiety.

he knows he shouldn’t, but still, he can’t shake away the feeling to simply hold her hand in his. he wants to dispel her anxieties and get her to relax. for the first time, the silence between them feels heavy and awkward. it’s a feeling odasaku loathes, and he feels forced to speak in order to fill the silence. ]

Maybe Shuji’s gonna come out and tell us that he’s from space.

[Sakura's eyes also follow Shuji out the living room, his lack of presence made all the more obvious by how Oda and herself just... sit there, stiff as rocks at the beach, like there's an ocean between them instead of two inches. Her hands rope into her skirt.

It's not normally like this. Silence has always been their domain, a shared secret between them that very few people can understand, but it feels alien to her suddenly. There is no finding her voice, she laments, ready to huddle under the weight of it until Shuji's return -- only to hear that Oda's chosen to be the bolder of them today.

It's a terrible, terrible joke. It also gets her to smile a little, her giggle tinged with relief.]

After everything that happens here? That wouldn't be the strangest thing I've heard.

[Deep breaths have done as much for Shuji as they're going to be able to, so it's after that that he returns. He can't look either of them in the eye.]

I put the coffee on, it'll take a minute. I, um. I invited you here because I wanted to ask you both something...

[He knows the flush on his face isn't from the process of heating up coffee. There's nothing that he can do about his blush standing out so much, and if he puts this off any longer to try to calm down, he may never say what he needs to say.]

I - I like you both. Romantically. [He has to specify or one of them will somehow interpret this as platonic.] So... so, would the two of you go out with me?

[ well.

thank god that oda doesn't have the coffee in his hands, because it would have definitely ended up on the floor. though on the outside he doesn't look much different from his usual, deadpan self besides a slight tilt of the head, on the inside he might as well be a computer having a BSOD.

there must be some sort of punchline. oda stays silent, waiting for it or for an airplane to fall from the sky and into the room.

it never comes. this is an actual love confession. and before odasaku can stop himself from speaking, he says: ]

If Sakura's alright with it.

[ and he's looking away, trying to ignore the way his face turns red when he thinks about being in a relationship with the two people he's harbored feelings for. ]

[Oda's waiting for a plane to crash.

Sakura... uh, she's waiting for the moon to fall, that's how outrageous the confession sounds, and it takes her a few beats longer to get the picture, that Shuji isn't poking fun at them (not that he would ever). Her plastic smile drops into wide-eyed shock as she stares at the crimson covering Shuji's cheeks.]

Eh?

[-- oh dear lord and then Oda is saying such things right next to her, like they're already in a relationship and he needs her permission first. With a squeak only dogs can hear, the girl's head swivels so quickly it nearly dislodges off her shoulders, along with her heart trying to beat its way through her ribcage. God save her soul because she is going to die--]

Eh?

[... She might need a moment, guys, she's been reduced to single syllables. Her face is cooked, the type of bright red that could leave a sunburn. After another babble of incoherent syllables, both English and Japanese, she

grabs the nearest pillow and buries her face in it]

[Oda's reaction is so understated, so quintessentially Oda. Quick to adjust and always putting things he wants in terms of other people. Sakura is so expressive in comparison, especially when she's flustered.

He loves both of them so much.

Still with pink in his cheeks, Shuji sits down in between them.]

You don't have to answer right now, I-I know I kind of sprung this on you.

[YOU THINK]

[ the fact that sakura reacts that way only accentuates oda's own embarrassment, and the fact that shuji goes and sits right between them doesn't help in the least.

needless to say, his cheeks are definitely a bright red and part of him is still waiting for that plane to crash so he can wake up from this bizarre dream.

but he's doing his best to keep his cool. his absolute best. whether it's succeeding or not, is another question. ]

I think... that's an understatement.

[There wasn't that much space between her and Oda to begin with; once Shuji sits, Sakura feels her shoulder bump into his, prompting a weak noise and her face further pressed into the pillow. Like she's trying to escape through the sweet embrace of death.

Which she won't do, that'd be rude. Eventually her face will peek out, looking shyly to the side.]

... But. [Mmmm. In a muffled voice:] I'm probably not very... I mean, I'm not very experienced with dating.

[She heaves a sigh, reluctance seeping into her voice, like she doesn't really want to say any of this but feels compelled to do so anyway.]

Odasaku-san would be a better choice.

That's not true.

[To the last part, because there's no doubt that Sakura isn't experienced at dating.]

You're wonderful. You're determined and brave and kind, you're someone who's been there for me in some of the hardest parts of my life, and you're cute as hell.

Oda's amazing and so are you.

[...plus he thinks Oda's dated like, once, but that isn't something he should say out loud. Oda can say that if he wants to.]

Shuji's right.

[ he's liked sakura for quite some time now, and it's difficult not to see how she's become one of the few bright lights in his dreary life. and he's not going to sit around and let her talk herself down. ]

You're amazing Sakura. It's always nice to spend time with you, whether it's watching movies or being berated on having eaten curry more than once a week.

[ a pause as he gulps, and he reaches his arm out to gently place his hand on sakura's knee. ]

Besides, I'm no good at dating either. So we're on the same boat, no?

[Her cheeks are so red that the color has spread to her ears, and that's to say nothing at how she squeaks faintly when she feels someone touch her knee. A quick check over the curve of the pillow reveals it's Oda, and really, both of them saying these things--

It's not fair.]

... Mmhmm. [With a hum, Sakura slowly divorces herself from her pillow, trying to look less nervous about this entire thing. It's obvious she's not unhappy; just embarrassed and still sorting through the initial whiplash of her emotions.]

I... I mean. [Picking at her fingers, she glances shyly from the corner of her eyes] Of course I like you both. I just... never thought anything would come of it.

[it's strange to think she's... gotten so lucky.]

[Sakura being just unhappy and not upset is a good sign. Sakura returning his feelings is a great sign.]

So, I like you both, and Sakura likes us both, and Odasaku...

[He agreed to date them if Sakura was okay with it, but with Oda Shuji can't be sure if that's an admission of feelings or just going along with what makes them happy.

Now his attention is turned on Odasaku. He bumps his shoulder against his possible-boyfriend's, waiting to hear a confirmation.]

Isn't it obvious...?

[ odasaku turns red in embarrassment over having the attention focused on him, blue eyes averting both shuji and sakura. the hand on her knee retreats to his own lap, tapping out a rhythm out of nervousness.

it'd be silly to say that he hadn't thought about this situation a couple times at least. it's an easy solution for when you have two crushes but all of those times were only daydreams. now that they're reality...it's suddenly a hundred times more difficult.

but, after a while, odasaku manages to find his words again and he nods. ]

I've liked you both for a while, now. I just didn't think...this would be anything more than a dream.

[Shuji is... far too brave, in some ways, having been bold enough to ask both of his crushes out. That's something Sakura doesn't think she could ever do.

It's why her smile is soft and empathetic at Oda's reply -- she gets it. A happy ending doesn't seem possible even when it's staring you in the face.

So she when she leans in to kiss Shuji on the cheek, Sakura nods in Oda's direction, indicating Shuji should kiss their silly boyfriend for her]

[Shuji's cheek is red where Sakura kissed it. Luckily the other cheek is red, too. It'd be silly to only be blushing on one side.

He understands the meaning of Sakura's nod, and so he lays a kiss on Oda's cheek, since she can't reach him herself. A domino effect of kisses.]

You're amazing. Both of you.

[He loves them so much. It's not bravery to confess to them both - he just couldn't do anything else.]

Edited (it's my tag and I'll fix it late if I want to) 2018-04-24 03:01 (UTC)

god only knows we don't need history

asking two people with no self-esteem out (shuji->oda->sakura)

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