Heart Stitches ([SAO] Alice x [Female] Reader]

Chapter 12: Call out for help instead

Alice along with company waves Keita away,

Watching him teleport back to the Town of Beginnings to buy the house they all agreed and have wanted for 2 months after pitching and grinding in enough Col.

Eugeo stretches his back, yawning slightly before he leaned on one of the pillar walls place around the Teleportation Monument in a square formation. He closes his eyes just a bit, needing to rest his eyes after being waken up by Kirito when he was practically dragged downstairs at the Inn.

He opens them as half lidded, seeing Alice's braid at 1/3 of his vision while the rest of the 2/3 was the guild members discussing something with Kirito scratching the back of his nexk in the familiar sheepishly way that signals he's feeling hesitant but doesn't want to speak due to bad timing.

Eugeo continues to stare at Kirito's awkward movements, feeling his vision blur around him until it just focused on Kirito. He knows it's rude to stare at people from afar like this, but something about Kirito interested him, a lot.

And especially more than just a bromance thing, it felt more like sudden tingling embarrassment blossoming in him whenever Kirito would just be Kirito, especially if it proves he hasn't changed a bit from his quirky attitude.

Eugeo could hear his heart pound really loudly that Alice could've heard it, clenching his chest tightly like he's telling it to shut up. It listened, but instead it just accelerated instead of increasing its volume, so Eugeo couldn't tell what's worse.

His heart pounding loud enough that you won't even need a stethoscope to hear it, or it beating so fast that he could hear it through his own ears that makes him felt all fuzzy inside with a fluttery feeling suddenly in his stomach.

He places a hand on his cheek as he tore his eyes away from Kirito, feeling his face become sweaty and warm, swearing he could literally see pink the longer he stared at Kirito. He looks down to his right, before looking back at Kirito who was talking with Sachi with normal vision.

Kirito was the one who agreed the most to helping Sachi, seeing how she was so afraid to fight and death itself. Eugeo heard from him that he could see himself in Sachi that reminded him of the first day where this all began, which makes sense.

Whenever Kirito would see himself or anyone else he holds dear in someone else, he would literally protect them until he or they fall, which both aren't so appealing to Eugeo. But for some reason, seeing Kirito this close with Sachi saddened him a bit.

Maybe it's because of how long their friendship is that it's strange to see him and Kirito connecting less? That's what Eugeo assumes since the tightening feeling in his chest technically points in that direction, but also another that he can't name from the unfamiliarity.

Suddenly, he was remembering their childhood when a small Kirito flashed just for a moment in present Kirito's place. He blinks rapidly, shaking his head slightly with an awkward mumble, catching Alice's attention.

She turns her head slightly at him, looking curious about his sudden mumblings of incoherence, her face silently asking him if something is up with how much the eyebrows were raused and her mouth like a pouted dot.

"Ie Alice, the light played a trick on me"

She looked half convinced, seeing how he looked half awake when she approached them at the table this morning. So she turned away, not wanting to push for now.

"Alright, we'll all go to just a higher leveled dungeon! We'll surprise Keita with more rare materials as a bonus for the house!"

Both Alice and Eugeo hear Ducker call out enthusiastically, pumping both of his fists up at the sky in a determined manner. Both of the blondes looked at Kirito, who was staring at them with his smile a bit crooked, showing he was half okay with this decision.