Scrambling Lines

Chapter 30

"Stop that, you are making me nervous."

Denki stopped crinkling the emergency poncho that he was wearing. He looked out the rain streaked passenger window of Katsuki's beat up Honda fit, thinking that nervous was too weak a word for what he was feeling.

"Sorry..." Denki mumbled.

"Don't be so worried, you'll do fine, Dunceface," Camie chirped from the back left seat. "She will definitely accept and reciprocate your feelings once you say whatever you have come up with to tell!"

Denki knew he should appreciate Camie's optimism for this but he could not bring himself to do that.

The 'whatever he has come up with" was the problem he was most worried about. Despite the combined hour and a half of showering, shaving, and general grooming that he was subjected to by everyone sprinkled with a vast array of advice from Shoto, Katsuki, and Enjiro, with all that time to think up witty puns and lines, Denki could not think of anything. He did not even trust his heart to speak for him because it would probably lead him to saying nonsense.

He was hopelessly lost on this front. However, they were now only 15 measly minutes to the airport, so he needed to think of something.

"If you don't know what more to say or if you don't know how else to finish your thought, just kiss her. I have done it before, it works." Shoto declared.

"That is probably because your girlfriend is the most understanding and accepting person in the universe." Enjiro had to shift to turn away from his window in the backseat to stare at Shoto who was next to him in the backseat, "Jirou, not so much."

It was good that Momo had to leave to accompany Kyoka to the airport, and that Katsuki can cram 3 fully grown people in the back of his car because otherwise they would have had to take 2 cars.

Apparently Denki telling Kyoka his true feelings was going to be the spectacle of the century, every person alive was apparently excited to see it. Denki would not be surprised if he caught them filming the confession to then send it to the group chat.

Denki was not asked if he was okay with this very personal conversation being made a public affair, the decision was probably made for him, like the shirt and pants he was currently wearing were.

It did not matter, he needed to focus. Time was ticking and Katsuki was driving closer and closer to what Denki was tempted to think of as his doom.

Denki tried to ignore the clamor of advice and encouragement that was still coming from the back seat, and tried to go back in his memories in hope of finding a sort of starting point. He could say they have been friends for a long time and he has had these feelings for a long time?

No, too corny and may freak her out.

'Remember that time when...' no, he may start on a rant in the wrong direction.

Just straight up saying it? I mean that would be ripping off that band-aid but then it would be stabbing it with a knife that got dipped in poison if everyone was actually wrong and Kyoka actually rejected him.

He could start with a pick-up line but will that make her laugh like before? When they were still speaking every other day?

Their relationship is like a dusty old mirror, so unclear.

Denki was still weighing his options when he felt Katsuki turn into the parking lot and come to a stop behind the crosswalk which led to the entrance to the airport. Then heard the click of Katsuki parking.

"Alright get out, she is coming this way, you can meet her on the crosswalk."

F*ck.

"Wait but I am not ready, just give me a few more minutes-"

"Nope, there is no time like the present," Katsuki reached and unbuckled Denki's seatbelt and started leaning over to open the passenger door for him, "and she is probably going straight to her gate, do you think you will ever see her again if she walks through those doors? No you won't; it is now or never, now get out."

Denki half stepped half stumbled out of the car because of Katsuki pushing him out of the door. He sheepishly walked over to the crosswalk, and kept shifting onto one foot and then the other as Kyoka, walking while looking at her phone, got closer with Momo.

35 feet. He has nothing. 30 feet. Nope, nada, nothing, just a complete vacuum of thought. 25 feet. He wishes he had something to do with his hands right now. 20 feet. No thought, brain empty. 15 feet, Momo walked ahead of Kyoka and must have wished him good luck somehow but he was too focused on how weird the droplets of water looked on his poncho. 10 feet. It is perplexing how one can realize one's brain is empty but with that realization it should not be still empty, theoretically, but it still is. 7 feet. It probably would be appropriate to say something at this point...

She looks up.