☆ opposites attract | saiouma fic ☆

twenty-seven | realization

☆

Confused, Makoto slightly tilted his head. "I don't mind telling you, of course... but why? You usually don't ask these kind of questions, do you think you might like someone?"

"Yeah... but I'm not completely sure, you know? That's why I want to hear your experience, because you and mom seem to love each other a lot." Shuichi reluctantly admitted, having a seat next to him.

"Okay, I got it. I'll try my best, let's see..." Makoto began, humming as he thought up an answer. "There wasn't really a specific moment where I fell in love with your mom. It was just something that gradually snuck up on me, y'know? If I had to pick one time where I knew I wanted to marry her, though, it'd be when she felt comfortable enough to take her gloves off in front of me for the first time."

"Really? So... what did you feel in that moment?"

"I felt a lot of emotions. At the time, we were already dating and we'd do a lot of stuff that couples did, but to me, taking her gloves off showed a whole other level of trust. That was all I wanted. I wanted her to trust me, and confide in me whenever she needed to, because... she's already been through so much. I wanted to make it all easier for her, and I would do anything to reach that. I knew I finally did it when she showed me her burns."

"I see. So it's just like... you want to make her feel safe and loved? Like you can be her safe space?"

"That's exactly it. When you love someone, you love them with everything you have. She used to be a lot more emotionally closed off, but as time passed, I got her to come out of her shell. I got her to laugh a lot more— and, God, her laugh is beautiful... I've seen her when she was angry, sad, happy, it didn't matter. I loved all of those sides for what they were. To this day, I still do. Honestly, things got so much better after you were born— all of our friends were so excited to meet you, and we never went a single place without you..."

Makoto began to ramble. This was no surprise, his favorite topic was his family, and he'd brag about Kyoko and Shuichi to literally everyone he knew. Even if it was to Kyoko and Shuichi themselves.

"Oh, but I'm talking too much, my bad!" He finally came to a stop. "About this person you like... do you want to tell me about them?"

"Well, um..." Shuichi let out an exhausted sigh, allowing his head to fall onto Makoto's shoulder. "After listening to what you said, I think I might really like him after all. I want him to trust me, and I want to make him feel safe and loved... whenever his hand does something as simple as just grazing mine, I always find myself wanting the touch to last a little longer. I want to hold his hand, you know? But that'd be really weird to just ask, right?"

"That depends. How do you think he feels towards you?"

"Well, he's pretty touchy and affectionate, he teases me often... but it's hard to tell if he really means it or if he's just joking. I don't know anymore. In a way, it kind of hurts when he tells me he's just kidding..."

Makoto frowned. "I see, that's not really good. Would you want to tell him how you feel? How long have you known him for?"

"Um... technically, I've known him my whole life. But realistically, I've known him for a little over a week now."

"Huh?" Makoto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "He's a boy, he makes jokes often, you've technically known him your whole life, but realistically, a little over a week? Now, correct me if I'm wrong, that definitely sounds like Kokichi..."

Shuichi stayed entirely silent. The two of them began to have a bit of a staring contest, Shuichi's face getting redder and redder by the second. He was a little afraid to admit the truth.

"Shuichi. No way."

"Dad. Yes way."

After hearing that, Makoto kind of just... started malfunctioning. He was overjoyed by this news, but extremely shocked at the same time. "That's... that's great! But you're sure about this, right?"

"Yeah... I like him. I'm sure of it now. But this has to stay between us, okay? Promise me." Shuichi said with a sense of urgency, offering his pinky to Makoto.

"Yeah, I promise." Makoto nodded, pinky promising Shuichi. Yes, it was a childish gesture, but extremely effective. "I'm just... surprised. I wish you luck with your crush on him, okay? Tell me if you need help."

"Yeah... thanks, dad." Shuichi smiled.