please don't go (megumi x reader)

7

As you were undergoing your own turmoil regarding your feelings towards Megumi, a friend was going through the same thing as you, but much more subtlety.

When Nobara asked him what his type was, he couldn't just say that it was someone like you— because it is you. If he did, that would've been the stupidest thing to do. Saying something vague was the best option, but it still made him so flustered to the point where he wanted to delete his entire existence, especially since you were sitting right next to him. His head was practically spinning the entire time.

But it didn't even matter.

Junpei knew that you had feelings for Megumi for a while now. He played it off like he didn't suspect a thing, but having it be confirmed on the day of the party was almost too much for him to bear. Your blushing face was permanently etched into his mind, and hearing you basically say that you like Megumi made Junpei's heart feel as if it was being ripped out of his chest. He's a master at hiding what he's truly feeling thanks to all those bad experiences in high school, but he was absolutely, and most definitely, deeply affected by this.

Junpei had the urge to distance himself that night by focusing on other things like tending to the decorations and was even contemplating on leaving early. He had a gut feeling that Megumi felt the same way, but he tried everything he could to not want to believe it. Seeing you two in the same room at the same time forced him to imagine the two of you dating. The thought of you being with Megumi made him feel a pain in his chest, but despite what he felt, Junpei wanted to ignore it, and ultimately decided not to leave. It would have been a selfish thing to do for you, for Megumi, and for his friends to leave just because he's sad, was what he believed.

When you left the room to go to Yuuji's balcony, he noticed that Megumi was watching you leave. He wanted to go. He wanted to go with you. If he didn't beat Megumi to it, he knew that he would forever miss the chance to tell you how he felt. Junpei desperately controlled himself to not step ahead of Megumi, because he understood that you and Megumi had mutual feelings for each other. So, as he sneakily stared at Megumi making his way to you, he accepted that he never had a chance in the first place.

Acceptance was such a painful feeling.

He wanted to tell you how much you mean to him. If he hadn't talked to you on the first day of class, where would he be now? As he watched you and Megumi get closer each day, Junpei wished that you looked at him with the same eyes as you do with Megumi. He wishes he was in his place, just so he could have the opportunity to hold you and tell you how much he cared about you— as more than a friend.

Junpei was afraid that this would happen.

He knew it. He knew that if he got too close, he would end up getting hurt. From the moment he met you, he just wanted to be friends. But as time went on and he saw what a wonderful, beautiful person you are, he wanted to be something more. As a friend, you accepted him for him, so it's not your fault that he started feeling this way, it just magically happened.

There's literally no explanation for it. The exact moment when he started harboring feelings for you was unknown.

When the contest had ended and everyone was just chilling, his vision was a bit too blurry to find you. However, he did remember you and Yuuji holding Nobara up and taking her outside. Junpei couldn't recall when everybody else left, but the image of Maki taking Megumi home popped into his mind. After everyone left the birthday party, Junpei and Yuuta were the only ones left, aside from Yuuji, in the apartment. Junpei drank a little too much during the drinking contest, so he decided to stay there so that he wouldn't show how much of a mess he was to his mother. Yuuta was sobering up by the minute, but Inumaki forced him to stay there as well to prevent a potential vomiting accident in his car.