[He means to give her confidence, but the gentle squeezing has the opposite effect, it seems; her face is a rosy red by this point, made painfully obvious on her pale complexion.
[... So what she's hearing is dragged Shuji on her quest to court John without considering his feelings.
Sounds like par for the course. Gods, can she be that stupid? She looks immediately abashed, ashamed, and--
And then to her surprise, it's nerves that come out on top, crushing the rest of her emotions under toe. Sometimes she's slow on the uptake, but this is... a love confession in its own way, however surprising it is.
Eyes on the floor, voice still shy:]
... I never thought you'd like a girl like me, to be honest...
[There's a flinch at the sound of John's name, like being dumped in ice water.
Things haven't changed, after all - she still needs help with that, knowing she'll only mess up on her own. Words aren't her strong suit when it matters.
... Very much like right now, still holding hands, unable to think through the wall of her emotions. After standing silently for a couple of moments, she stops trying to think of a verbal reply alltogether.
[The waiting in silence is the most awkward part, Shuji thinks, and then corrects that opinion because Sakura has kissed his cheek.
Her lips are exactly as soft as he'd imagined - no, softer - but he can't properly appreciate the moment because he's lost in a haze of confusion, in why and but I thought and does this mean.]
...Sakura...?
[Right now, he needs Sakura to help him, because he has no earthly idea what's going on..]
[Blurted out because it's important, and it's true, and both she and Shuji need to hear it, she thinks. She glances down nervously at their joined hands, fingers giving a gentle flex underneath Shuji's]
[Said with giddy delight as the truth starts to seep in -- Shuji likes her and they both like John. It's almost too perfect, in fact. She's afraid it will shatter under scrutiny, and so mentally pulls back and allows the moment to be what it is.
... Which in this case means kissing his cheek, again, a little peck of encouragement and because suddenly she can do it as many times as she likes.]
[ so john probably responds with some time that he's off his shift at work and will be right over. if it's shuji texting him, he doesn't need more info other than a time and place to rush over. ]
[ and— perhaps predictably, john-san is absolutely, 100% oblivious. he literally suspects nothing. unless he walks in on sakura and shuji in some weird compromising position (he did knock a few times, you know)-- he's only bursting with cheer at the prospect at seeing his beloved friends. and, uh, other embarrassing feelings he'll take wit him to the grave.
so he enters, his work apron from earlier still tied about his waist. he offers them a wave. ]
Yo! What's the occasion?
[ not that he needs an "occasion" to hang out with them, anyway. ]
/comes in late with starbucks so old it's evaporated ;A;
Believe her, she tried to be once Shuji sent the text with a time and place, but then the minutes ticked by, and the weight of her choice started to settle on her shoulders, and the moment that door opens is when Sakura nearly bolts off the couch and into the bathroom to hide.
... She does not do this. But only because she'll leave a mess in her wake.
Also because she'll have to leave town forever.]
-- Uh, no occasi--
[MMmmm false]
A small occasion.
[Also false, just slightly more true. Sakura looks to Shuji as if begging for death]
[Shuji is altogether not surprised that Sakura isn't ready for this. He one hundred percent believes that she's trying her best, but if it were easy for her to confess to someone, they wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.
Normally, Shuji isn't the greatest at being straightforward about his feelings either. But Sakura is more anxious than he is, and so his Mom Friend Override goes into effect.
He clears his throat.]
We wanted to ask you out on a date. ...A romantic date.
[Dear god in heaven Shuji just went for it with all the subtlety of a bullet, and Sakura makes a weak noise in the back of her throat like she's been shot.]
-- U-um!
[Staggering to her feet, not looking at either of them.]
-- I... need to do something!
[Tea? Tea! Except the kitchen has no door, that's a terrible place to hide, she is going to flee to the bathroom and lock the door behind her.
[ john goes completely still. you see, there are a few words that have him stunned. "we." "romantic." "date." he's too confused for the smile to completely vanish. he misheard, right? he feels like he can't hear anything over the sound of his heart hammering away in his chest. ]
[ oh. and sakura-- she's running away. ah. and there, she's... gone. ]
[ in their defenses, if john weren't rooted to the spot, he might be backing away slowly towards the exit. he feels his face beginning to flush pink, damnit. he folds his arms over his chest, shifts his weight as he passes a scrutinizing gaze over shuji. and the bathroom door, too, which is apparently currently acting as a stand-in for sakura. ]
Oh.
[ still-- what. he's shocked. ]
[ it'd be... too mean to be some sort of coordinated prank. he doesn't think they would lie to him? eventually, after a few more beats of silence, his mind slowly catches up with his thoughts. ]
I don't... [ no, wait. ] You're for real 'bout this?
Neither of us are cruel enough to joke about this.
[He understands John's disbelief, because it's similar to his own when Sakura kissed his cheek. But at the same time, he can't imagine them toying with John for their own amusement. Has he even met Sakura?]
You don't need to rush a reply. We just wanted to tell you together... well, as together as we could manage...
[ his face is on fire now, the noise of his blood thudding in his ears. of course he knows what his answer is, of course he does. he glances between shuji and... the stand-in door, again, like it should tell him all the answers he seeks. ]
[ when he finally forces a reply, it's not as articulate as he'd like. ]
I mean. [ his speech halts. ] ... It's just, the sorta thing that seems to be good to be true?
[ argh. ]
Just.. both of you askin' me out. [ no, wait. ] Tryin' to do that, anyway, at the same time.
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crowspace2018-03-16 10:55 pm
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[He means to give her confidence, but the gentle squeezing has the opposite effect, it seems; her face is a rosy red by this point, made painfully obvious on her pale complexion.
She hasn't pulled her hands away, either]
You're very important to me, too.
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There's a pinch of pink on Shuji's cheeks too. As long as he doesn't acknowledge it, it's fine.]
That makes me really happy. So - um. Do you want to give it another try...?
1/2
[She nearly forgot herself, and eyes finally snapping away from the floor, she glances at Shuji in embarrassment]
I have to ask you ou--
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[H-hahaha... haha... haaaaaa....]
I mean, you'd never-- sorry, I didn't mean to imply...
[Can she die yet?]
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...I mean, um, ahaha, you weren't really... asking...
[They're both gonna die.]
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You--
[She stops, not sure if she trusts what she heard, staring at Shuji in wide-eyed nervousness. She picks her words slowly.]
... You'd say yes if I meant it...?
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...If you meant it, then... Yeah.
[He doesn't do any of that, because he can't lie to the girl he likes.]
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Sounds like par for the course. Gods, can she be that stupid? She looks immediately abashed, ashamed, and--
And then to her surprise, it's nerves that come out on top, crushing the rest of her emotions under toe. Sometimes she's slow on the uptake, but this is... a love confession in its own way, however surprising it is.
Eyes on the floor, voice still shy:]
... I never thought you'd like a girl like me, to be honest...
[She still hasn't let go of his hands.]
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[...He's still holding her hands. He should really let go of her hands. He does not let go of her hands.]
S-sorry, this isn't... really helping when I'm supposed to be helping you ask John out...
[He's a moron.]
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Things haven't changed, after all - she still needs help with that, knowing she'll only mess up on her own. Words aren't her strong suit when it matters.
... Very much like right now, still holding hands, unable to think through the wall of her emotions. After standing silently for a couple of moments, she stops trying to think of a verbal reply alltogether.
And leans up to kiss him on the cheek]
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Her lips are exactly as soft as he'd imagined - no, softer - but he can't properly appreciate the moment because he's lost in a haze of confusion, in why and but I thought and does this mean.]
...Sakura...?
[Right now, he needs Sakura to help him, because he has no earthly idea what's going on..]
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[Blurted out because it's important, and it's true, and both she and Shuji need to hear it, she thinks. She glances down nervously at their joined hands, fingers giving a gentle flex underneath Shuji's]
But... I... I can like both of you, can't I...?
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[So if it's not allowed, he's in trouble.
But this is 2018, and their friends all have better things to worry about than whether three people who like each other do things like kiss. So- So-
So he gives her hand another squeeze.]
Can we tell him together?
[Maybe between the two of them, they can work up the nerve.]
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[Said with giddy delight as the truth starts to seep in -- Shuji likes her and they both like John. It's almost too perfect, in fact. She's afraid it will shatter under scrutiny, and so mentally pulls back and allows the moment to be what it is.
... Which in this case means kissing his cheek, again, a little peck of encouragement and because suddenly she can do it as many times as she likes.]
I mean, I'm pretty sure he likes you, so...
enter john!!
I'm sure he likes you, so between us we've got this covered.
Let's go find him.
[John shouldn't be too hard to track down. If nothing else, Shuji can probably just text him and ask.]
ENTER JOHN
[ and— perhaps predictably, john-san is absolutely, 100% oblivious. he literally suspects nothing. unless he walks in on sakura and shuji in some weird compromising position (he did knock a few times, you know)-- he's only bursting with cheer at the prospect at seeing his beloved friends. and, uh, other embarrassing feelings he'll take wit him to the grave.
so he enters, his work apron from earlier still tied about his waist. he offers them a wave. ]
Yo! What's the occasion?
[ not that he needs an "occasion" to hang out with them, anyway. ]
/comes in late with starbucks so old it's evaporated ;A;
Sakura is not ready for this.
Believe her, she tried to be once Shuji sent the text with a time and place, but then the minutes ticked by, and the weight of her choice started to settle on her shoulders, and the moment that door opens is when Sakura nearly bolts off the couch and into the bathroom to hide.
... She does not do this. But only because she'll leave a mess in her wake.
Also because she'll have to leave town forever.]
-- Uh, no occasi--
[MMmmm false]
A small occasion.
[Also false, just slightly more true. Sakura looks to Shuji as if begging for death]
hugs you both
Normally, Shuji isn't the greatest at being straightforward about his feelings either. But Sakura is more anxious than he is, and so his Mom Friend Override goes into effect.
He clears his throat.]
We wanted to ask you out on a date. ...A romantic date.
[He feels like he should probably clarify that??]
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-- U-um!
[Staggering to her feet, not looking at either of them.]
-- I... need to do something!
[Tea? Tea! Except the kitchen has no door, that's a terrible place to hide, she is going to flee to the bathroom and lock the door behind her.
... Doing great, guys.]
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[ oh. and sakura-- she's running away. ah. and there, she's... gone. ]
[ john's left to stare at shuji. ]
... What?
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...Honestly, I'd like to hide in the bathroom too...
[Why are they both like this.]
We both like you. A lot. ...A lot. So we were going to ask you out together, but, um, that just happened.
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Oh.
[ still-- what. he's shocked. ]
[ it'd be... too mean to be some sort of coordinated prank. he doesn't think they would lie to him? eventually, after a few more beats of silence, his mind slowly catches up with his thoughts. ]
I don't... [ no, wait. ] You're for real 'bout this?
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[He understands John's disbelief, because it's similar to his own when Sakura kissed his cheek. But at the same time, he can't imagine them toying with John for their own amusement. Has he even met Sakura?]
You don't need to rush a reply. We just wanted to tell you together... well, as together as we could manage...
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... That bathroom door ain't opening though.]
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[ when he finally forces a reply, it's not as articulate as he'd like. ]
I mean. [ his speech halts. ] ... It's just, the sorta thing that seems to be good to be true?
[ argh. ]
Just.. both of you askin' me out. [ no, wait. ] Tryin' to do that, anyway, at the same time.
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