Chapter 12: Starshine

                                    

                                          
OOC (out of character) A/N: Hey, sorry I've not been updating daily, shit has starting coming up and I've been losing motivation some days. It's alright, after this we got 2 more chapters! [that's right, not 1, 2. ;)] Thanks for sticking around.

I woke up that morning feeling more refreshed than usual, which is odd. 

I didn't exactly go to sleep at the earliest time, but I still feel better. "Maybe I should continue staying up late." I mutter to myself, half-jokingly. Oh, right, Mom is leaving today, just stayed the night. I make my way to the bathroom to check if Dad is still asleep. Surprisingly, he's not, and he's just woken up. He turns to face me.

"Oh, Y/N, you're up early. Looking for your mother, I assume?" I nod. "Alright. She wanted to sleep on the couch, so I assume she's in the living room." I thank him for the directions and go to the living room, to find out he was right. Mom immediately notices me and wraps me into a tight hug.

I squeak out of mild pain. She loosens her grip before speaking. "I'm glad you came to talk to me before I left." She steps back, and I take a good look at her. She's dressed in her business attire, which most likely means that she's just about to leave. Glad I didn't oversleep.

Dad comes into the room, and quickly picks up that he was just in time. He gives Mom a hug, and I can see him shed some tears, clearly not ready for her to go yet. She gently cups his cheeks in her hands and gives him a warm smile. "Don't worry, dear. I'll come visit at the next opportunity, alright?" Dad gives a small smile, and Mom makes her leave.

Timeskip.

I go to the convenience store to visit Orion. After all, I didn't see him yesterday as I spent it with my parents. Of course, I'm wondering how he's doing. I notice him standing outside the door, instead of at the register like usual. Upon seeing that I'm there, he widens his eyes and books it into the store.

Huh, what's that all about? I go inside, and at first glance, Orion isn't there. After looking around, I notice his visor sticking out from behind the register. Lo and behold, there he is. He gets up sheepishly and meets my eyes. "Uh, hey. Didn't expect you to be here, sorry." That sounds awfully suspicious.

His body language is completely different from before, as he seems to be more reserved and quiet. "Agh, I planned on it being today, why is it so hard?" He mutters under his breath, but I still hear it. "What did you plan on being today?" He jumps a little, surprised that I heard him, and takes a few steps back.

"No worries, Y/N, I'm alright." He forces a smile, but I see through it. I stare at him to let him know that I know what he's trying to do. He sighs and steps forward again. "Maybe this just isn't the place to do it."

I raise an eyebrow at him. What is he planning on doing, and why would the scenery matter? Maybe I'm just being suspicious for no reason, and it's all okay. "Do you want to... go on a walk, Y/N?" He gives a shy smile, and I reluctantly say yes.

Timeskip.

Eventually, we go to the secluded place once again. Geez, I've only been here twice, and it feels nostalgic regardless. He sits on the ground, and motions for me to do the same.

"Well, why'd you bring us here?" He sighs and fixes his posture. "I thought it'd be easier to admit if I changed the scenery, but I guess I was wrong once again." I think for a moment. What could he possibly have to admit? He takes my hand in his, and I feel a gust of wind.

Wait, that's not a gust of wind, that's someone whispering... Dummy? Orion closes his eyes and starts to speak. "I... love you, Y/N." I'm a bit taken aback, but it's probably not what I think it is. I play dumb for confirmation, and chuckle a bit. "I love you too, Orion, you're a great friend." He furrows his brow.

"I know you're playing dumb. You know exactly what I mean." My face heats up, does he really mean it in that way? He open his eyes and takes my hands in his. "I know it may be hard to grasp, but I mean it. This may be a fanfiction where I'm written to have feelings for you, but even if I try and find a bigger meaning to all of this, I can't deny it forever." I feel myself beginning to smile.

He notices this, and I watch his expression soften. "Well, Y/N? How does this confession of mine make you feel?" I'm at a loss for words. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. Eventually, I muster the courage to tell him that I feel the same way, and his face heats up. 

"I see. I'm glad that you feel the same, hun." He smiles, and I can barely contain myself.  He mutters under his breath, and suddenly it feels like it's just us two. My heart races, and I lose control of myself. I quickly hug Orion, and he appears to be taken off guard. "I love you so much, starshine, I can't even begin to tell you." I get out the words quickly. 

"Starshine, is that what you plan on calling me?" He hugs me back. "Well then, I certainly won't stop you. I love you too."

Timeskip.

I get home later that night, completely off my rocker. I'm practically bouncing off the walls before Dad comes in to stop me. I speedrun getting my words out, and he starts laughing. "Took long enough, eh? I'm happy for you, Y/N." I hug him before heading into my room. 

I struggle to go to sleep, excitement and pure joy are what's keeping me up. I get my phone out of my pocket to check my contacts. Scrolling, scrolling... there. I find Orions contact number, and change the name to 'My Starshine'.
I smile at myself, proud of the pet name I chose to give him. He truly is a star, isn't he? Eventually I calm down and prepare myself for bed, unaware of the i̸͉̟̓̂m̶͖͎͛̋̕p̸̩̈́̈e̷͇̍͆n̵̟̣̬͝d̵͓̦̈́̓͝į̶̜̼̓̆̇n̶̬̣͉͂̚ğ̸̯̮̠̈ ̷̰͐̈͑d̶̥̿̓ͅó̴̩͊͝o̷̜̘̽m̴̲̯̥̅̂̎ great adventures I'm going to go on in the future with Orion and Dummy.

Today was a good day.