GIYUU's POV

I felt as if I could float away at any moment. It didn't matter that I was sick, or tired. Y/N was finally in my arms; she loved me—she said so herself. My heart was practically bursting right out of my chest as I cuddled her in my arms, kissing the top of her forehead every once in a while, full of nothing but adoration for her. But even so, I questioned everything in the back of my mind. I had noticed a slight change in her affection toward me after homecoming was over. Maybe it had just been a coincidence? But everyone (mostly the girls) had been acting differently toward me since that night. Who knew the power that resided in nothing but a simple suit! So, that led me to wonder——did Y/N only say those things because I had been given the designated title of being "attractive?"

I shook my head, getting rid of the negative thoughts that clouded my mind.

"What's wrong?" Y/N asked out of the blue.

Did she read my mind or something?
"Nothing," I attempted to assure her, "Nothing at all."
She frowned.

"I-If you don't like me, you don't have to lie just because I'm your best friend and you don't want to hurt my feelings," she said, "I'll understand, really."

Dumbfounded, I stared at her blankly. But then I put one of my hands on her lower back, pulling her impossibly closer as I locked lips with her once again, this time kissing her with more passion, more fervor. Even though we were as close to one another as possible, I wanted to be even nearer to her, I wanted to envelop her even more. I yearned for her everything—her smile, her body, her laughter and spunk, her sparkling eyes, her beautiful heart.

She has turned me into such a hopeless romantic.

I pulled away from her, gripping her cheeks with both of my hands. Both of us were nearly out of breath.

"I don't like you, Y/N, I love you," I promised her, "I swear, I'm not lying."

———

Y/N's POV

The next morning, Giyuu was in much better condition. I was so thankful that I wouldn't have to survive another school day without him. Except, I had a feeling that things would be a bit different since we were finally "together".

I held his hand as we walked through the doors, heading to our first hour history class. A gaggle of girls immediately sprinted over to him when they spotted him. It seemed he had become quite popular ever since homecoming. Of course, I had already been made aware of that fact due to everyone's sudden concern for him when he was out sick.

"Tomioka!" One of the girls shrieked, "I made you cookies! I'm so glad you're feeling better!"
When she touched his upper arm, I felt my blood boil. Had none of them noticed that it was my hand Giyuu was holding? I instinctively gripped her wrist, forcing her off of him. She glared at me, practically throwing daggers out of her eyes.

"What the heck, L/N! What's your problem?"
I narrowed my eyes, irritated beyond words.

"Don't touch him again," I spat.

She crossed her arms.

"And what gives you the right to order me around?"

I clenched my jaw, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

"He's my boyfriend," I stated nonchalantly.

I felt Giyuu tense up at these words. Technically, we hadn't officially decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend—rather, it had just been a silent assumption. The girl looked between Giyuu and I a few times, before rolling her eyes.

"Whatever," she scoffed, clearly dejected, "Come on, guys, let's go."

Once they were gone, Giyuu sighed of relief.

"Thanks, Y/N," he said, "But... do you really want to be my girlfriend, or were you just bluffing?"

I could have hit him over the head with my backpack right then and there.

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed, "I wouldn't just tell you "I love you" and kiss you twice if I wanted to stay friends!"

A great big smile appeared across his face.

"Okay."

He kissed the top of my head, causing my body temperature to rise.

"Not in public!" I squeaked.

He furrowed his brow, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"But I thought you just said it was official..."
I exhaled deeply.

"Yeah, alright," I conceded, "I did say that. And I meant it. Now, let's go to class, or we'll be late."

Hand in hand, we strolled down the hallways as people glanced at and whispered about us. When we entered the classroom, I could feel Rengoku staring at us. Ashamed, I tried to avoid his gaze, but I just couldn't. Much to my surprise, however, when I did find the courage to look in his direction, he was beaming.

I suppose he's the one who convinced me to accept my true feelings in the first place.

Even if I was formally with Giyuu, Rengoku was still special to me, so I smiled back and threw him a small wave.

———

For the remainder of the school day, I felt like a celebrity. Everyone, especially the girls, kept on running up to me, asking me if I was actually Giyuu's girlfriend. I couldn't believe how much their attitudes toward him had shifted! Only a few days ago, he had been invisible to practically everyone, and yet, they were fawning over him like he was a god. Even though I understood the reason why, I couldn't help but feel infuriated. So, I clung proudly to his arm, and held my head up high, proving to everyone that I was more than happy to be with Giyuu, not because of his looks or newfound popularity, but because of the love we shared with one another.

As the two of us entered the Student Council meeting room, both Shinobu and Kanroji threw us dirty stares.

"So," Shinobu spat, "Are you two really together, now?"

I slowly rolled my eyes, glaring at the clueless girl.

"Yes, Shinobu," I said flatly, "We are."

She sighed of annoyance and then grabbed Kanroji's arm, dragging her to the opposite side of the long table, where they sat, as far away from us as possible.

Those two are so irritating!

"It's been such a weird day," Giyuu whispered to me, "Everyone's acting like I'm so special all of a sudden. I don't think I've ever had this many eyes on me. It's kind of stressing me out, to be honest."

I ran a hand through his few unruly strands of hair, which, as usual, were unwilling to be slicked back into his ponytail.

"I know, but, you don't need to worry about it too much," I assured him, "I'm right here."

His face noticeably softened at my words, and I could tell he was thinking about kissing me right then and there. I leaned into him but then he suddenly pulled back. His eyes had flickered toward someplace else, and I turned around to find he was looking at Rengoku, who was entering the room.

"I think he still has feelings for you," Giyuu told me, referring to Rengoku, "My plan worked a little better than even I anticipated."
I felt a lump rise into my throat. I had never meant to break Rengoku's heart. If only I'd been smart enough to realize my true feelings about Giyuu before getting involved with someone else. After all, everybody's emotions deserved to be protected and cared for.

———

After we returned to our dorm, Giyuu and I vigorously worked on homework. He helped me with my trigonometry and in return, we worked out our history essays together. After the long evening of brain-racking work, both of us were ready to sleep and rest our tired minds. Before bed, he took a short shower, the bathroom light keeping me awake. But when he came out of the room with his long, wet hair and a somewhat see-through white t-shirt, I practically pounced on him. As I embraced him, I could feel all of his toned muscles, and I melted as his kind arms returned the hug lovingly.

"Can I sleep next to you?" I whispered, hopeful.

I felt him nod gently.

GIYUU's POV

Y/N and I slipped into her bed and she nuzzled her face into my chest, enveloping me with her touch.

"Goodnight, Giyuu," she softly said, "I love you."

"I love you too," I responded, and pulled her as close to me as possible, squeezing her tightly as though someone was trying to take her away from me.

I never understood stories about love, or romance. But I could finally see why they were precious to so many people. The feelings I experienced when I was with Y/N were unexplainable. But they were also pure, like a shining ray of sunlight. She had burned away all of my darkness and demons with just a simple word. I had never been one to show emotion before she came into my life. I just felt... nothing. It was as if I'd gone completely numb. But she changed all of that in a heartbeat, and made me feel seen. Rather than judging me because of my flawed heart, she fixed it.

So, there we laid, amongst an entire galaxy of unknown beings and things—it spread for lightyears, beyond even the dimmest stars.

And yet, we'd found each other all the same.