Butterflies In My Stomach [Nino Nakano x Male Reader]

Chapter 13: COURAGE

"You ready to go Nino?" Y/n turned to her with a smile.

Nino, as confident as ever, gave him a smirk. "You bet. Just don't go screaming like a little kid if something jumps out, okay?" she teased, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she looked down the darkened path. She seemed completely unfazed by the spooky atmosphere, her usual bravado firmly in place.

Y/n chuckled. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" he quipped back, feeling a bit more at ease now that he knew Nino wasn't nervous.

Nino rolled her eyes playfully. "Please, I've got this. Besides, you're the one who might need protecting," she said, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

Y/n grinned, enjoying their banter. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm with you then," he said as they began walking down the path, their footsteps crunching against the gravel.

As they moved deeper into the woods, the light from the entrance faded, and the night grew darker. The lanterns flickered, casting shadows that danced on the trees. The sounds of the forest seemed to grow louder, and the wind rustled the leaves in a way that made it seem like they weren't alone.

"Still doing okay?" Y/n asked, glancing over at Nino.

Nino smirked, unfazed. "I'm fine. This is nothing."

Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes ahead, causing Y/n to tense up slightly. Nino, on the other hand, remained calm. She stepped forward confidently, ready to face whatever it was head-on.

To their surprise, a couple of their classmates, dressed up in ghostly costumes, jumped out from the bushes with loud "BOO!"

Y/n jumped slightly, but Nino didn't even flinch. Instead, she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the two would-be scarers. "Really? That's the best you could do?" she said with a smirk.

The two classmates laughed, realizing they didn't get the reaction they were hoping for. "You're no fun, Nakano!" one of them joked.

Y/n and Nino continued down the path, the light of the lanterns casting eerie shadows on the trail ahead. The night was calm, aside from the occasional rustle in the bushes. 

As they rounded a bend in the path, they were suddenly met by two figures who jumped out from behind a tree, their faces obscured by grotesque masks. 

"Nnnggh!" Yotsuba's muffled voice came from behind the layers of bandages she wore while she waved her hands in front of her dramatically. Fuutarou, beside her, was wearing an equally hideous mask that resembled some sort of ghoulish creature.

"Gotcha!" Fuutarou declared, his voice slightly distorted through the mask.

"Not at all," Y/n sighed, "You still look fugly."

"Yeah, I agree..." Nino narrowed her eyes.

Fuutarou froze for a second, then slowly pulled off his mask, revealing a deadpan expression. "Wow, thanks. Remind me never to ask you two for a confidence boost."

Y/n chuckled, nudging Nino playfully. "Maybe we should give them some tips on how to really scare people. We could charge for our expertise."

"Yeah, right," Fuutarou muttered, shaking his head. "I'll leave the scaring to someone else. You two are impossible."

With that, he took Yotsuba by the arm, and they both turned to leave. "Good luck with the rest of the test of courage!" Yotsuba called out, waving as they sunk into the bushes.

As Fuutarou and Yotsuba disappeared back into the woods, Y/n turned to Nino with a mischievous glint in his eye. He quietly crouched down, pretending to check something on the ground, a plan already forming in his mind.