I'll try to get to the Romance bits for you guys, soon! Thanks for hanging in there!

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You were falling. You closed your eyes so you wouldn't have to see the drop.

As the ground grew closer, the feeling of wanting to live grew stronger, drawing a scream for help from deep within you.

Then, everything came to a stop; the ground stopped coming at you, the wind whipping at your body fell back to that lone breeze, and you lifted your head.

"What were you thinking?!"

It was Rin. He caught you. He saved you. He stopped you.

He pulled you back into your dorm room and you fell to the floor with shaky legs.

"Why'd you do that?! If I had gotten here even a second later, you'd be a pancake on the ground!"

You exhaled a shaky breath. "Because even without me, the stars would still appear, the sun would still come out, the Earth would still rotate, and the seasons would still change...so why not?"

"Don't give me that bullshit," he growled, "don't think for a second that your mother would sob for weeks after you're gone, and your father wouldn't pick up extra shifts at work to avoid the loneliness he feels without you when you go home, and your siblings! Imagine how they would feel knowing their sister is gone when they love you so much it suffocates them! And god, your lover would be heartbroken, knowing that they can't find refuge in your arms, and all that's left is traces of your life, and your scent! They'd fucking miss you, okay?! So don't say shit like how the world would keep fucking spinning and days would still go on, because without you, those people would hate every second of every day they no longer have you in their arms! So get a grip! You're someone's whole world, and you don't even know it!"

You couldn't help but laugh, to which he produced a rather unhappy scowl. "None of those things apply to me. My parents are dead, I don't have any siblings, or friends, or a boyfriend."

His anger didn't fade. "That doesn't matter! What I'm trying to say is that people care about you, even when you think they don't, okay?!"

"Who? Who cares so much if one person goes missing? It's not like anyone knows me."

You felt tears burn as you tried to fight them back. You failed, and the salty drops slipped down your cheeks.

"It doesn't matter to anyone if I go missing. I have no significance!"

Rin was mentally screaming at you, and you knew it.

You didn't mean any of the words spilling from your mouth. You knew he was right, you had every reason to live.

Didn't you want to see the world one day? Make your parents proud up there in heaven?

If you died now, none of those things would come true.

"Listen," he sighed and knelt down in front of you. He pushed your hair out of your face and moved to make eye contact with your downcast head. "I know things aren't going well an' all, but you can't give up now! What will your family think?"

You looked up at him through your eyelashes and he brushed your tears away.

"Besides, I care a lot about you, 'kay?"

Why did he have to be so damn cute?

He gave you a reassuring smile, and a big one, nonetheless. You could've sworn you felt your heart flutter like it was full of butterflies.

He understood you. He knew how you were feeling all this time, and you never knew.

You laughed lightly and rubbed the tears from your eyes. "Stop being so nice to me..."

"Not until you're able to be nice to yourself," he rubbed beneath his nose with his pointer finger sheepishly. He was still smiling at you in that comforting way of his.

You smiled faintly and raised your head. "Thank you. For saving me, I mean."

"It was nothin'," he stood up and pulled you to your feet, but your shaky legs refused to let you stand.

You almost immediately dropped, and he moved swiftly to catch you.

Before you could even comprehend what was happening, you found yourself pressed to his chest, strong arms wrapped around you.

Your cheeks flushed from the unexpected contact, and you could feel the pounding of his heart against you.

He was just as nervous as you, but you were also scared.

What if he decided to run from you, again? Treating you like you mattered one minute, then running away like you were a monster the next.

You didn't understand him at all, and you knew it.

'Guys are confusing...' you decided, a sigh escaping your lips.

Maybe you were just too young for boys. For dating in general, perhaps. Not like you thought you were capable of maintaining a relationship, anyway.

You eventually accepted the fact that he was hugging you - almost like he never wanted to let you go - and returned the gesture, snaking your arms around him.

You felt him relax, obviously relieved that he hadn't upset you.

You barely gave him time to think before you swung your leg at his ankles. You knocked him off his feet and released him with one arm, which you pressed against his chest, shoving him to the ground.

While he lay there confused, you made your move, grabbing his arm as you hugged it to your torso and bent it backwards, your legs across his chest to hold him down.

He yelped, both in surprise and pain from the wrestling move you suddenly decided to pull on him.

You didn't let up, wanting an answer. You didn't plan on relenting until you got one.

"Why'd you run?!" You demanded, keeping him trapped.

He hit the floor with his free hand like he was trying to tap out of the sudden match you started, but you weren't going to stop.

You leaned a bit further back, pulling his arm with you, constricting him like a boa. "Why'd you run?!" You repeated.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! My arm's not supposed to bend that way! Ow!" He yelped, and for a moment, you were glad your parents taught you basic fighting.

"I'll bend it even further if you don't answer me!" You threatened, accenting your words with another pull of his arm. "Why did you run from me earlier?!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was embarrassed! I came to apologize! Ow!" He kept hitting the ground with his free hand, practically begging for you to release him.

You hesitantly relented, letting go of his arm. You saw relief flood his expression and you got to your feet.

"Geez! I thought you were shy!"

"I am," you smiled, almost too kindly. "Up until you made me feel like a mistake because you kissed me and ran."

"I already said 'I'm sorry'!" He defended himself (and maybe his pride, too).

"Anyway, thanks for saving me, but you shouldn't be in the girls' dorms, you know."

"I got permission," he hummed nonchalantly as he sat up. "From Mephisto."

You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose.

"Yukio does that all the time!" He laughed at your actions, further irking you.

Did you want to be compared to someone you didn't like? No, you didn't.

You let your hand drop to your side. "Can you leave? It's getting late and I want to sleep."

"Huh? But I want to talk to you longer," he mumbled like he didn't want you to hear, but you were a bit glad you did.

"What about?" You sat down in front of him on your bed, looking down at him on the floor.

"Well, you know, stuff?" He tried, a hand on the back of his neck almost shyly.

"Um...?" The room fell quiet, and the tension in the air was suffocating.

"Well..." he broke the silence when it became too uncomfortable, "I actually have, uh, something to say? I guess?"

You nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"I, um..." he felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, worrying about what your reaction would be to his next words.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if I can say it," he sighed, disappointed in himself for flaking out.

"I'm not gonna judge you for it, or whatever," you sighed and stood up. "You want something to drink? We can head to the kitchen, if you want."

"Huh?" He didn't seem to be paying attention, and you noticed when his head snapped up in surprise. "Uh, yeah, sure!"

Curiosity was driving you mad, questions drowning your mind in possibilities.

Did he want to tell you he hated you? Did he want to say you should die? But why did he save you if he wanted you gone?

You let him out of your dorm room, and led him to the kitchen.

You were sure it was just you being stupid. Or maybe just your imagination, but you could've sworn you saw him reach for your hand, hesitating just before your fingers touched. Then, he let his hand fall back to his side like it never happened.

You walked into the kitchen as he took a seat at the table.

You could feel his eyes on you as you moved about the small area, boiling a pot of water on the stove.

You almost tripped over your own feet, anxious about what he was doing and why.

The loud, hiss-like scream of the now steaming pot startled you. You quickly took two white mugs out of the cupboard and set them on the countertop.

"Can I help with anything...?" Rin offered, and you shook your head.

"No, I'm alright."

You set a tea bag - your favorite kind of tea - in each mug before pouring the water.

"Do you want anything in it? Sugar? Honey?" You asked, your back still to the boy.

"Honey, I guess," he hummed the words, and you felt your heart skip a beat at the sound.

Why was his voice so soothing?

You put a spoonful of honey in his cup and stirred the drink until the sweet addition had dissolved in the hot tea.

You decided to just add a sugar cube or two (maybe six) to your cup and carried the mugs back to the table.

You sat down across from him, thankful that no one else was in the kitchen to disturb you.

You just had to know what Rin wanted to say to you.

You passed the boy his tea, and he mumbled a soft, "thank you," before taking a sip.

You brought your own mug to your lips, blowing on it so the tea would cool. You didn't want to burn yourself, thus embarrassing yourself with your reaction.

"So, what did you want to say?" You questioned, trying hard to keep yourself from sounding too curious.

In fact, you couldn't care less about what he had to say. Who cares if he doesn't like you?

Oh, right, you do.

You didn't know why, but you couldn't bear the thought of him disliking you. You didn't want to think too much on it.

Rin set the mug down on the table, holding it tightly in his hands like he was nervous. He clutched the mug until his knuckles whitened. He closed his eyes to clear his mind before taking a deep breath.

He opened his eyes.

"(Y/N), I like you."

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Yay! Romance!

I really hope you all liked this chapter!! I had a lot of free time, so I decided to update!

I'd also like to give a shoutout to Fearless-Otaku , because they're a loyal reader of mine, and super sweet! They vote on practically everything I write, and I'm so thankful! So thank you so much for all your encouragement! It means the world to me! You're so sweet!

And thank you to all the readers who vote, comment, and, well, read!

Teiko_Kuroko~<3