SÄDÏSTÏC TŸPË [ OHSHC x MALE! READER! ] (OHSHC Fanfic)

67| Tangled Hearts

(A/N: Enjoy the 3 love interests, it's just some rough sketch, I'm too lazy(tired) to line art it... Enjoy! I'll put the one with bubbles at the end, y'all will understand want I mean at the end of this chapter, lol)

"Senpai, do you like me?"

The words slipped from the maroon-haired boy's lips just as the black-haired boy swung his axe down onto the wood. Startled, his aim faltered, and the axe struck the wood at an awkward angle. To anyone else, the sound of the impact would have drowned out the question, but for Mori, it echoed clearly.

Mori was still, the axe embedded in the wood as he processed (M/N)'s unexpected question. The sunlight glinted off his sweat-slicked skin, catching the surprise in his ebony eyes. For a brief moment, he looked less like the stoic figure everyone admired and more like a boy caught off guard, which was a rare sight.

(M/N), as if just realizing what had left his mouth, felt startled as well. His heart raced, a mixture of anxiety and disbelief washing over him. Had he really just asked that? The atmosphere thickened with unspoken emotions, the silence stretching uncomfortably between the two boys.

"Um..." The black-haired male finally lowered the axe, his expression unreadable but his brow slightly furrowed. He glanced at the maroon-haired kohai for a moment before looking down at the wood.

The silence was awkward.

Just as (M/N) was about to say, 'Never mind what I said,' Mori scratched the back of his neck slowly before looking at the maroon-haired kohai, a hint of blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"...Yes," he replied, his voice deep but soft and gentle, the words tumbling out almost before he could fully process them.

(M/N) jumped in surprise, then blinked, his face heating up as bright as a tomato. He was the one who asked, but why was he more embarrassed than the person who just confessed? Mori's straightforwardness was both refreshing and disarming. The question hung in the air like a fragile thread, poised to either bind them closer together or unravel everything.

(M/N) felt like his head was spinning from the rising blood pressure in his face, struggling to find the right words. Well, even uttering a word was difficult for him. Just as Mori opened his mouth to say something again, (M/N) flinched at the sudden sound of his little sister, Haruhi, calling out.

"Hey, (N/N)-nii! Aunt Susuzu needs you in the kitchen!" Her voice broke through the tension, shattering the intimate moment they had been sharing. Haruhi's head peeked through the window as if saying, 'Now.'

(M/N) felt a mix of relief at having an excuse to leave and guilt for not being able to respond to his upperclassman's feelings. He glanced at Mori, whose expression remained steady, though the flicker of disappointment was evident in his eyes.

"O-Okay, I'll be there!" (M/N) called back, the weight of the conversation slipping away as he turned toward Haruhi by the window. The fragile thread that had connected him to Mori seemed to fray in an instant, leaving him with a sense of unfinished business.

"Um, sorry, Senpai," he added quickly, feeling the urgency to excuse himself, though the heat lingered in his cheeks. "Let's... let's talk about it later."

Mori nodded, his demeanor still calm but with a hint of something unspoken lingering between them. "Take your time..." he replied, his voice steady, though there was a sound of disappointment in it.

As (M/N) hurried off to help in the kitchen, he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. His ears were red, and his heart pounded like crazy, it was the first time in years that his heart raced so fast.