Adjusting your duffel bag on your shoulder, you rang the doorbell of your best friend's house and waited for her to answer. You could hear the thumping of rushed footsteps inside growing closer and closer until the door unlocked and was thrown open, revealing a sight for sore eyes.

"(F/n)!" Saeko cried as she threw her arms around you and pulled you into a tight hug. The way her body felt pressed against yours made you blush slightly, and you gave her a warm greeting before she grabbed your hand and yanked you inside the house. "Ryu, where are you? (F/n)'s here!" she shouted into the house, her boisterous voice bouncing off the walls. Turning back to you, she offered, "You can sleep in my room, so I'll take your bag to put in there!"

"Thanks!" you chirped and handed her your belongings. Trying not to watch her as she pranced down the hallway in a cropped, black tank top and a black pair of form-fitting yoga pants was nothing short of a challenge. When she disappeared into her room, her brother emerged from his and quickly rushed over to you, whisking you up off the floor with an overzealous hug.

"Alright!" he yelled, "Are you ready to get your ass kicked in Super Smash Bros?"

"As if I'd let you win," was your quick retort as you patted his closely shaved head so he'd put you back down.

Your challenge fired him up even more, and he sprinted into the living room to turn on his Switch so the two of you could play together, as per usual. "Hey!" Saeko's voice thundered from inside her room, "You losers had better not start without me!"

With a chuckle, you joined your friend's younger brother on the couch and picked up the controller he had already set down on the table for you. Saeko rushed around the corner, holding her ample bosom in place with her hands as she tossed herself onto the cushions beside you, sandwiching you between herself and her brother. Times like this reminded you that neither of them had a solid understanding of personal space, but, luckily, you didn't mind.

After meeting Saeko in high school, the two of you had quickly become inseparable, maintaining your close friendship despite parting ways to go off to different colleges. Her home was practically your second given how often the two of you would hang out when you had still lived in the area. Because of all the time you spent together, you were also close with her younger brother, Ryuunosuke, and your relationship with him was defined by competitiveness so ruthless that it was comical. However, he respected you since you often accompanied Saeko to his games and helped cheer him up in the rare moments when he was down.

Over the years you spent with Saeko, your feelings of amity towards her had started to develop into something else. Nobody knew you had a crush on her since you refused to let yourself entertain the fondness you harbored for her. You telling yourself that your connection couldn't surpass friendship was a defense mechanism intended to prevent both of you from getting hurt by losing one another due to rejected feelings or a failed relationship. A confession was just too risky, since you didn't even want to imagine living in a world where the two of you weren't involved. You had each supported each other through difficult life transitions and she was a truly irreplaceable friend. You knew that if you lost her, you would never find anyone else like her.

Each time you came over to her house for a sleepover, though, it had become more challenging for you to keep your emotions hidden. The intimate conversations you shared in the darkness of her room before the two of you drifted off to sleep always made you want to admit your feelings for her. Hearing her lament about her struggles to find love made you want nothing more than to embrace her and tell her that she already had it from you. Instead, you would console her, telling her someone would come along and sweep her off her feet since she was such a good-looking woman, but that she should distract herself with her job and school, though it pained you to do so.

"Hah! Ryu, you suck! I thought you'd been playing this game like a madman during break!" Saeko taunted, reaching past you to stick her finger in her furious brother's face.

He had come in last place.

"Rematch! I was using a new character!" Saeko's head of blonde hair bobbed beside her gorgeous face as she laughed heartily at her brother's dismay, making his fire burn even brighter. "Choose a map!" You shoved Ryu's face away from yours when he leaned across you to bark orders at his sister. Instead, she kept guffawing and wiping tears from her eyes, so you pressed a button on your controller to choose an arena instead, launching the three of you into another round of intense gameplay.

Following another defeat, Ryu threw himself onto the ground dramatically, pressing his face into the rug atop the polished, wooden flooring. "How is this possible?! I was using my main!"

"I'm gonna treat myself to an ice cream bar for being the champion!" Saeko announced, lifting up her arms and flexing them in a joking manner that elicited a giggle from you, "You want one, (f/n)? You beat him too!"

You nodded in response to her offer before seating yourself on the ground beside her devastated brother and placing your hand on his back to comfort him in your normal, backhanded way. "Now, now, Ryu. It's not your fault that the map was too small for you to stay on."

He released a long, drawn-out groan at a volume that was soon trumped by that of Saeko's from the kitchen. When your head whipped around, you saw her hands on her cheeks as she regarded the freezer with horrified, brown eyes. "We're out of ice cream bars?!" It didn't take long for her to turn and give her brother a searing glare. "Ryu! I told you to pick some up on your way home from your friend's house yesterday!"

A nervous chuckle escaped his lips as his hand flew to the back of his neck. "Heh. I forgot."

In a few, short minutes, Saeko had slipped on her leather jacket, grabbed her shopping bag and keys, and slid on her shoes by the doorway. Citing that she couldn't last the rest of the day without an ice cream bar as her reasoning, she left the house to make a beeline for the convenience store and collect another boxful. In spite of your offers to accompany her, she refused, saying that you took too long to decide what you wanted and her brother always tried to sneak extra snacks in the cart. You knew for a fact that she wasn't lying, so you'd both let her go on her own and remained in the living room instead.

"Hey, (f/n), can I talk to you about something?" Ryu's voice echoed from beside you, making you turn to face him. 

With a small smile, you responded, "Of course! Need help with girls again?"

A slight blush rose to his cheeks as he ran his hand along the back of his prickly head of hair. His eyes shied away from your expectant gaze as he admitted, "I... Well, there's someone who likes me, but... I don't really feel the same and I don't know what to tell her!"

You hummed in contemplation, placing your hand on your chin and watching the Saeko's character in the game flaunt her victory on the television screen. "I mean, how you say it depends on the kind of girl she is; but, knowing you, you'll probably be abrupt regardless of who you're talking to..." you thought out loud, "But that's not a bad thing! Just be honest. You could say something like, I know you have feelings for me, and you're a great person, but I'm not really looking for a relationship to come out of this. I hope you understand." Pointing your finger at him confidently, you sat in silence and waited for his input.

He took a deep breath, as if he was summoning up every ounce of courage in his body, and shouted, "I see you have feelings! You're a great girl and super cool, but I don't want a relationship! Hope you understand!" He bowed his head deeply to you and refused to lift it back up again.

A small whimper of disbelief escaped your mouth as you processed his words. When you realized what he'd said, you felt rage boil within you. "Did you just use my advice on me?" you cried. He gave no response, so you lunged towards the couch, grabbed a pillow, and began battering him with it. "You didn't even repeat it right! And what the hell are you thinking? I don't have feelings for you, dumbass!"

"What?!" he screamed, leaping up from where he'd previously been curled up into a ball as you smacked him relentlessly with the cushion. "You don't have a crush on me?!"

"God, no!"

"Well, you don't have to say it like that!"

Tossing the pillow onto the floor and slumping against the couch, you regarded him with a look of pure defeat. "What ever gave you the impression that I was into you, Ryu? I know you come up with these fantastical ideas often, but this one's pretty farfetched, don't you think? I'm way too old for you!"

He waved his hands frantically and stammered, "B-But Saeko's always telling me every time she makes plans with you, you ask if I'm gonna be there! A-And, and, you always wanna hang out here! You hardly ever invite her over to your place! So, I thought you liked me because if you didn't, why would you be doing those things, huh? Huh?!" Leaning down towards you, he pressed his face against the side of yours, much like a nosy dog getting up in its owner's business.

You pushed him away and hissed, "Idiot! I have feelings for your sister, not for you!" As soon as the words left your mouth, you clapped your hands over it and pulled the collar of your shirt over your face with embarrassment. Nervously, you opened your eyes, which you had clenched shut, and saw that Ryu was now sitting down next to you, his hands pressed together underneath his chin and his elbows resting on his knees. "I was always asking if you were going to be around because I was wondering if I was going to get to spend time alone with Saeko. I rarely invite her over because my apartment's out of the way and I don't want to inconvenience her. Please, Ryu, don't say anything."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, almost sounding hurt.

"What do-"

"I would've been your wingman!" he shouted with agony, clutching his chest, "I could've helped you get her months ago, (f/n)! Why have you been suffering in silence?!" His arms wrapped around you tightly, bringing you flush against his body, which was burning with as much heat as a furnace from getting all worked up over your secret.

You didn't get the chance to respond before your moment was interrupted by the sound of keys twisting in the lock of the front door. "You've gotta cry, Ryu; make it look like I'm comforting you," you whispered quickly.

"Hell no!"

"You can pull all those other theatrics, but you won't cry?!"

"I'm a man, (f/n)!"

"You said you'd help!"

"I'm back!" Saeko called, bringing your argument to an immediate halt. You wrapped your arms around her brother and patted his head gently, forcing him to go along with your plan anyway. "What's going on? Did Ryu lose again?" she asked curiously as her chocolate brown gaze landed on where you sat, huddled together. Her priorities were clear, however, since she rushed to put the ice cream bars in the freezer before approaching you with two in her hand and sussing out the situation.

"Ryu was just having a little trouble figuring out how to let a girl down gently. You know he has such a big heart, so he's upset about it," you lied, accepting the treat she offered you.

Her eyes widened and you hoped her brother couldn't feel the rapid pace with which your heart was starting to beat at her presence. Plopping down onto the floor beside you, she patted Ryu's back firmly to console him. This was his cue to start up the drama, so he whined, "She's just such a nice girl, but my heart belongs to another! (F/n), being the caring and responsible person she is, has already given me great advice. But, I'm gonna go over to Noya's house to get his opinion!"

He slowly rose to his feet with an overdramatic look of angst on his features and rushed out into his room to grab his jacket and sweats. Once he'd prepared himself for his big exit, he slid on his shoes and said his goodbyes before stepping out, leaving you and Saeko alone in the house.

"Poor kid. Doesn't have the best luck with girls, does he?" she sighed and got back up again to grab the remote for the television.

Before you could agree, your phone lit up and distracted you for a moment as you read the message that had appeared on your screen.

ryu

UR WELCOME!!!!

A quiet chuckle bubbled in your throat at reading his message and realizing why he'd made such a hasty getaway. To answer Saeko's thought, you said truthfully, "He deserves better."

She smiled brightly, making your heart race even faster, and took a seat on the couch, patting the empty spot next to her. "Well, now that he's not here, we don't have to deal with him complaining about putting a chick flick on!" She dug into the ice cream bar she was holding in one hand as she scrolled through Netflix with the remote in her other hand, searching for a feel-good movie to put on.

You tore away the wrapper of your ice cream bar and took a few bites, letting the wonderfully sweet taste fill your mouth. The two of you made light conversation and commentary about the movie you'd both agreed on once she put it on. As much as you wanted to watch it and pay attention, you found that it was more challenging than usual for you to keep your eyes off of her.

The way her entire, beautiful face lit up every time she laughed. The fluttering of her thick eyelashes every time she closed her entrancing brown eyes with delight after each delicious bite of her ice cream bar. The way her earrings glistened in the light shining in from outside the window with each brush of her blonde hair behind her ear. All of these aspects of her combined with her beguiling smile and the lovely sound of her voice were more than enough to make your feelings for her beg you to let them be heard.

Because you were watching her so intently, you were quick to notice when she missed her mouth slightly with the last piece of her favorite treat, creating a small dribble at the corner of her lips. Without thinking, you mentioned, "You missed," and reached towards her mouth to brush away the ice cream threatening to slip down her chin with your thumb.

Doing this made her pause and look at you. At first, she appeared slightly taken aback, but she seemed to relax after her initial shock at your touch. Even after you'd finished, her gaze still lingered on you, making you realize just how vulnerable you were to her charm. How you'd been able to keep your feelings to yourself for so long was beyond you.

Without warning, her lips were on yours in an instant. They were cold from the frozen treat she'd been helping herself to, but they felt soothing against yours because of it. Your hand moved to the side of her face to pull hers closer to yours and deepen the kiss, and you felt her cool fingers ghost along your neck before she pulled away and regarded you with a satisfied smile.

You were speechless, much to your dismay, and Saeko chuckled when she saw that she'd taken your words away with her kiss. "What's with the face, huh? Come on, you can't just sit there looking all cute like that and expect me not to kiss you!" she teased.

"Huh?" you uttered rather stupidly.

"Don't you remember that my brother and I are known for wearing our hearts on our sleeves? (F/n)! I've had the most massive crush on you and I know you like me too! Admit it!" she challenged, pressing her finger against the center of your chest.

"I..." you began slowly, searching for the words you'd been wanting to say, "I do really like you, Saeko, and I have liked you, but I guess I'm just a little shocked that you actually feel the same way."

Now it was her turn to regard you with a look of confusion. "Why?"

Swallowing your fear, you admitted, "Well, because you're just so beautiful and I thought you always saw me as a friend rather than as a love interest. I could just never imagine someone as perfect as you are falling for me."

She scooted closer to you and wrapped her arm around your shoulders, pulling you in for another strong kiss. It was as if she was trying to alleviate your insecurities and assumptions with her affection, and it was working. Instead of subconsciously keeping your distance from her because you thought she was out of your reach, you allowed her seize your heart, which had been aching from having to keep your feelings hidden for so long.

"(F/n)," she spoke after breaking the kiss, "Give yourself some credit. You're gorgeous and you had me hooked from the first day I met you, so, honestly, we're stupid for waiting this long to confess to each other."

You chuckled as a deep blush burned your cheeks. "Well, we can both thank Ryu for finally fulfilling his desire to become a successful wingman," you informed her with a smile, "I told him about my feelings for you and that's why he left so suddenly."

"Bless that kid; love him to death," Saeko sighed with relief. Grabbing a blanket draped around the back of the couch, she unfolded it and covered both of your bodies with it. "Now, get over here so we can watch this movie together like proper girlfriends." With a giggle, you wrapped your arms around her, basking in her warmth and the comfort you felt with her body against yours. For the rest of the evening, the two of you snuggled together to enjoy each other's company and watch television in peace after having finally gotten your feelings off of your chests.