(a/n: inspired off of a post on tumblr that was some kind of headcanon on gogo being a closet captain america fangirl? don't remember exactly. but something like that. also NERDS. and yeah technically fred is the one who nicknames gogo but... oh well.)

Gogo has always been a fan of Captain America.

He is vintage, he is old-fashioned, and he wears a tacky suit that couldn't possible look good on anybody, but Gogo is still a fan. He is one-directional, he is technologically inept, he is traditional, but Gogo is still a fan. There is something about his unwavering goodness that is refreshing—something Gogo covets, something Gogo aspires to be.

But Gogo could never be Captain America. Gogo chews bubblegum in class and speeds around on rollerblades and talks back and dyes her hair purple. Gogo is the very opposite of Captain America and everything he stands for.

So Gogo buries her comics and her trading cards and her movies deep in the confines of her closet and resolves to forget about Captain America.

(but she still dreams)

::-::

Gogo reaches high school, where she learns about electromagnetics. She watches in awe as her teacher demonstrates a disc that boomerangs back to its magnetic receptor.

Unbidden, she thinks of Captain America and how Captain America could throw his shield. She curls her toes and chews her bubblegum a little harder and wonders if she can be Captain America in a different way.

(she practices her throws)

::-::

Gogo reaches college and she meets Not-Captain America.

He is Asian and tall and wears a baseball cap wherever he goes and he looks nothing like Captain America. His eyes are warm and his smile is contagious and he can be a bit of a goofball and he acts nothing like Captain America. His name is Tadashi Hamada, and he does not seem anything like Captain America when she first meets him in the Institute lab.

"Hey," he says brightly. "I'm Tadashi."

"Gogo," she says shortly.

"Awesome," Tadashi says. "So, what're you working on?"

"Project," Gogo says, narrowing her eyes into a clear stop-bothering-me glare. "Physics."

He chuckles. It's warm and full of life and Gogo is pissed because he suddenly just glows or something, like his baseball cap and muted jacket and brown skinny jeans have meshed together and achieved some kind of beautiful oneness. Gogo is pissed because Tadashi Hamada is annoyingly handsome.

"I didn't mean your class," Tadashi says. "I mean, you know, in the long run. For the end-of-the-year portfolio."

Gogo evaluates him for likelihood of plagiarism. Then shrugs. "Discs. Electromagnetics."

His eyes light up. "No way. Can you toss them? Like Captain America's shield?"

Gogo stares. Captain America? She thought she was the only one who had any interest in the vintage hero. She thinks of her comics and her trading cards and her movies locked in her closet and enthusiasm bubbles out of her mouth in an unstoppable flood before she can hold it back.

"Yeah!" she blurts. "Yeah, like the shield. You know, he can toss it, block with it, dig with it..."

"That's so cool," Tadashi beams. "Best of luck, Gogo. Seriously."

He turns to leave. She speaks before she realizes she's speaking.

"What about you? What're you working on?"

Tadashi Hamada's smile fades and the slightest hint of a shadow touches his eyes. "I guess you could say I'm working on a J.A.R.V.I.S," he says quietly.

Gogo's tongue freezes in her throat and she does not know what to say. So Tadashi tips his cap (in a stupidly charming way) and returns to his desk, quietly getting back to work.

(because creating a j.a.r.v.i.s. only comes out of blood, sweat, and the death of a loved one)

::-::

Not-Captain America begins to turn into Captain America. Gogo can't pinpoint exactly when it happens. It's almost as if she just opens her eyes one day and suddenly realizes, oh, he's Captain America.

He goes for coffee runs late at night to help all the students dosing off at the lab because he's Nice.

He always evaluates both sides of an argument because he is Just.

He encourages everyone's unique talents because he is an Individualist.

He flushes bright red whenever anyone mentions anything remotely sexual because he's Traditional.

He hates getting too much attention because he is Modest.

He fights for his friends because he is Loyal.

Tadashi Hamada is Captain America and Gogo can't help but hate him just a little bit, because Tadashi can be someone that she's always wanted to be.

(it's hate, she's certain)

::-::

It's the traditional post-finals celebration dinner and the six of them are lounging around a wide table at the Lucky Cat, exchanging ridiculous stories over platters of chicken wings and bowls of spiced rice. It's gluttony mixed with exhaustion—a potent combination that turns them into a helpless gaggle of giggling toddlers.

Fred is the one who brings up childhood heroes. Of course he is; he loves comics to the point where he practically lives in them. He recites a beautiful soliloquy about the awesomeness of some character that Gogo has never heard of. Then, surprisingly, he points right at Tadashi.

"Yoooo, Tadashi," he drawls, drunk from lack of sleep, "Who's your hero?"

And the table turns to Tadashi, intrigued, and Gogo hates that she's sitting on the edge of her chair because she's intrigued, and Tadashi blushes and rubs the back of his neck, staring holes into the table.

"Uh, Peggy Carter," he says.

Silence descends on the table as everyone works to sync the name with a face.

"Peggy wotsit now?" Wasabi says confusedly.

"Peggy Carter!" Tadashi says fiercely. "She had a monumental role in founding S.H.I.E.L.D, she worked with Howard Stark, she was one of the best agents in the history of comic books, and she did all that in the 1940s—I mean, it's amazing, she's amazing—" He's waving his hands, mouth opening and closing wordlessly in his newfound excitement.

"Whoa there, lover boy," Gogo says flatly.

But instead of retreating, instead of blushing even deeper, Tadashi Hamada leans forward, eyes blazing. "She's just—she gets stuff done, and she doesn't let people walk over her, you know, and despite what everyone tells her, she knows what she's capable of, and..." Suddenly rid of his energy, he slumps against his chair with a quiet sigh. "Sometimes I wish I could be like Peggy Carter."

The statement slams against Gogo in its familiarity.

I wish I could be like...

And Gogo draws empty circles into the table with her finger, too deep in thought to pay any attention to the outside world. The silence is only broken by Fred's sudden exclamation:

"Oooooh, that 40s chick who had the poisoned lipstick!"

Gogo rolls her eyes.

(and when fred asks her, she refrains, because if she picks captain america after tadashi picked peggy carter, they would have a bit of a problem)

::-::

After the dinner, Honey skips back to the dorms with her and they talk a bit about chemical metal embrittlement since it has something to do with metals and something to do with chemistry. That leads to a discussion about special metals. That leads to a discussion about Captain America's shield. That leads to a discussion about Captain America.

Before she can stop herself, Gogo is babbling on and on about how great Captain America is, how much she wanted to be like Captain America, how much she wished that she could help the world the way that Captain America helped the world. And Honey Lemon absorbs all this and nods and smiles at just the right parts. But when Gogo is finished, when Gogo finally summons the discipline to clap her mouth shut, Honey poses a single question.

"Do you want to be Captain America, or do you admire men who are like Captain America?" Honey asks curiously.

Gogo opens her mouth because she knows the answer.

She knows the answer.

She knows...?

(she doesn't know)

::-::

Gogo doesn't understand why, but Tadashi starts to make her feel... strange.

They're simple events, totally unrelated to her, and it makes no sense in any way, shape, or form why she should feel affected.

But when Tadashi proffers his arm to help an elderly woman cross the street, Gogo's heart skips a beat.

And when Tadashi is stooped over his desk, caught up in his studies, Gogo feels her stomach squeeze.

And when Tadashi waves some news article in the air, passionately saying, This isn't right, we've gotta fix this, Gogo's face burns.

She swears that she sees this aura around Tadashi Hamada that is red and white and blue and glimmers like a river of silver snow. She swears that she could very well see him at the front of an army, an eagle cutting his path through smoky mountains. Suddenly, Tadashi Hamada is Captain America and Captain America is Tadashi Hamada.

And in her mind, Gogo curses Honey Lemon to the moon and back.

(that's what she tells herself)

::-::

It's the end-of-the-year portfolio showing, and all the students line up to show their current progress.

The first one on the stage is Wasabi. He's working towards a wall of plasma, but currently, he's made just one beam. He neatly slices an apple in half—exactly in half—and everyone claps.

The second one is Honey Lemon. She throws a ball of condensed chemical formula at the ground, and it explodes into a soft, pliable cushion. Perfect for fires, Honey says. Everyone claps.

Then it's Gogo's turn.

She takes a slow breath and pulls herself to the stage, presenting her disc with grandeur as she straps the magnetic receptor across her arm.

"This," she says, "is what I've been working on."

And she flings the disc as hard as she can out the window. She waits for a second, then two, then taps the receptor—and the disc comes soaring back, sliding into place with a solid click. Not too much force. Not too much weight. A perfect catch.

For that one moment, she feels strong. For that one moment, she feels righteous. For that one moment, she is Captain America, standing on the stage with her chin lifted high and her stance invincibly grounded. The students clap and she smiles with giddiness.

Then a boy in the front row turns and whispers loudly, "That's all? A frisbee?"

Tadashi, who's sitting just behind him, stands up with his eyebrows pulled into an angry line, but Gogo shakes her head ever so slightly. He sits down, but he's clearly fuming. Gogo turns her attention to the intruder.

"Hey," she says curtly. "You."

The boy returns her gaze challengingly. "Yeah, sweetheart?" he says.

She briefly wonders why Tadashi's shoulders tense up, but eventually passes it off as unimportant. "This isn't just a cute little boomerang." She holds her arm out and spins it in place. "Electromag suspension. Zero resistance."

Then she takes out her ace.

She reaches into her portfolio case and withdraws a simple frame with two smaller discs affixed to the bottom: a scooter. She crouches down, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"Zero resistance," Gogo says, "means you go fast."

And she kicks off, shooting around the stage, making impossibly tight turns, working in jumps and spins like an Olympic figure skater. On a whim, she tosses her shield out the wind, twirls the scooter beneath her feet, and grinds to a halt, perfectly catching the shield with her magnetic receptor.

"Also note," she says, raising an eyebrow, "that the receptor does nothing to your keys, electronics... or belt."

Silence. The boy in the front row stares, jaw slack in amazement.

"I'll be working on a bike next year," Gogo says coolly. "Thanks for the audience participation." Kid.

She returns to her seat amidst a standing ovation. Honey Lemon is clapping her hands wildly; Fred is whooping in congratulations; even Wasabi is grinning proudly. But when her eyes turn to Tadashi, she finds that he is only staring wordlessly at her, frozen into his chair.

"Um... well?" she says, feeling unusually timid.

Tadashi clears his throat and opens his mouth. He says nothing. He clears his throat again.

"You did..." A cough. "I mean, you were really..." Another cough. "You almost looked like..." He pulls his cap over his face, but it doesn't hide his scarlet ears. "Uh, good job."

It's a compliment, but for some reason, Gogo finds herself disappointed. "Thanks," she says crisply, and sits down.

(tadashi doesn't stop blushing for the rest of the night, even when he makes his own presentation)

::-::

It's the holidays and Fred is hosting some kind of comic celebration party at his humble apartment. (He claims that he doesn't need to stay there and that he technically owns the whole complex, but Gogo just rolls her eyes because that's ridiculous.)

Gogo attends the party. It's not because they're watching the old Marvel classics. It's not because they're watching the very first Avenger movie, Captain America. Oh, no, not at all.

And it is most certainly definitely not because Tadashi Hamada is going.

Definitely not.

So she winces when Honey squeals, "Oh my GOSH, Gogo, you look so NICE!" followed by fluttering in excitement and some incomprehensible chattering that Gogo cannot, and will not, understand. Gogo meets Tadashi's eyes from across the room and something about his gaze makes her suddenly feel shy.

"Right," she says, clearing her throat. "Well, we starting the movie?"

"WAIT. I need a picture!" Honey sings, snatching her phone from her bag. She raises the screen, beaming delightedly at the camera. "Say 'Tadashi!'" she says with a wink.

Gogo's mouth opens. "What?!" she yells. A horrifyingly treacherous blush spills into her cheeks, and at that exact moment—

Click.

"Awwwww, you look ADORABLE!" Honey says cheerily.

"Honey—" Gogo spares a glance to the other side of the room, but thankfully, Tadashi is deep in conversation with Fred and Wasabi. "Honey, what the heck?" she hisses.

"Just look at how cute you are!" Honey bubbles, and thrusts the phone at Gogo.

Gogo's first thought is that it's a good picture. Of course it is; Honey is remarkably skilled with her phone—but something about it seems to breathe life. Gogo looks at the snappy, fitted blazer thrown over her button-up, the earthy trousers that are actually her size, the dressy slip-ons over her feet, all topped with the newsboy cap pulled over her blushing head. Gogo almost can't recognize herself.

"You know who I should send this to?" Honey says brightly, snatching the phone out of Gogo's hands. "Tadashi. I think Tadashi would love this."

Gogo's eyes widen and she reaches for the phone, snarling. "Give it back, Honey," she says warningly.

"To," Honey reads out as she types, "Tadashi... Hamada. And..."

Gogo's hand shoots out like lightning, but Honey wheels around, jabbing the screen with a triumphant thumb.

"Sent!" she proclaims.

Gogo freezes, face burning up to her ears.

"Honey," she says flatly. "I will kill you."

"No, no, you'll be thanking me later," Honey teases lightly.

Gogo lunges at her. Honey shrieks.

(the movie goes forgotten and tadashi's phone never rings and gogo is ready to kill honey lemon twice)

::-::

After the party, Honey practically shoves Gogo out the door and unceremoniously orders Tadashi to "see her back." Gogo protests violently. Tadashi looks like a forlorn puppy. Gogo shuts up and Honey giggles, sending a not-so-subtle wink in Gogo's direction before she slams the door in their faces.

So now they're walking down the deserted streets of nighttime residential San Fransokyo, breathing in the icy air and looking at anywhere but each other. But the silence becomes too weighted for Gogo to bear, so she finally forces some garbled words out of her mouth.

"You look nice," she says. Her tone doesn't waver. She's proud.

Tadashi starts slightly, but she can't see the extent of his reaction because she can't bring herself to look at him. Not him and his uncapped head, him and his casual blazer with the sleeves rolled up his lithe arms, him and his fitted beige trousers and his telltale mint sneakers and his ugh everything. It's silly, it's shallow, it's everything Gogo never thought she would be... until she met Captain America.

"You look nice too," says Tadashi after a moment of deliberation.

Gogo snorts.

"No, really," Tadashi says, this time a bit earnestly. "You look exactly like... like..."

"A boy," Gogo finishes, quirking an amused smile.

"No, no, you look—you look really adora—stylish, I mean." Tadashi laughs, although it's a bit rushed, as if he's covering up nerves. "I was just thinking, you know, you'd probably look better in my clothes than I do."

Gogo flushes deeply at the compliment, despite telling herself not to. Impossible, snorts the voice in her head. Tadashi, with his tall frame, cut shoulders, trim waist, perfect proportions of every facial features? Gogo doesn't judge off of appearance, but she's certain that he could be a model if he so pleased. Heck, he's handsome enough to distract her. She knows that she'll never look as stylish as him, nor is she interested in doing so.

And suddenly Tadashi pinwheels backward, waving his arms in a frantic flurry. Startled, Gogo turns around.

"Oh, crap, crap, crap, no, I didn't mean it that way!" Tadashi blusters. "I'd never think of—oh, crap, Gogo, I'm sorry, you didn't think—"

Gogo frowns and slowly sorts through his words, trying to understand what this boy is saying. But apparently, Tadashi takes this completely the wrong way.

"I never—I could never think of you so—I'd never do something like—I mean—" Tadashi seized the hair on his head in a strangely helpless gesture. "I really admire you, Gogo, I'd never even dream—think—dream, too, I mean—"

She stops him there. "What are you talking about, Hamada?"

Tadashi freezes, eyes wide as saucers. "You... uh... aren't offended?"

"I can't be offended if I don't understand what you're saying," Gogo says with a wry smirk.

"Great!" Tadashi blurts, flushing deeply. "Great, just... okay, take everything I said in the past few minutes, and ignore it all."

She feels a tiny prick of disappointment, but shrugs it off. "Sure."

"Except—except that you look stylish, of course. Because you do." Tadashi shoves his hands in his pockets and becomes very interested in the concrete beneath their feet. Gogo's tongue ties into knots and her heartbeat flutters in her chest and this is stupid, what is this?

"You said..." She clears her throat. "You said you admire me?"

The instant the words are out of her mouth, she wants to hit herself. Digging for compliments. Could she possibly be any more pathetic?

But Tadashi seems to seize the opportunity with vigor. "Yeah," he says, grinning. "You know, the portfolio showcase? You were just... you were so confident, and so calm, and you walked all over that kid in the front row." He chuckles throatily. "It was incredible. Really. You don't second-guess yourself, you just go for it. I kind of wish I had that, you know? That kind of courage."

Gogo pulls her cap over her face because her cheeks are turning even redder. She works to find words to say, to communicate just how much his compliments have touched her, but she can't find herself able to say anything. And she feels bad because she admires Tadashi Hamada, but it isn't because he's Tadashi Hamada, it's because he's Nice and Just and Traditional and Captain America. It isn't because she sees a man or a scientist or an older brother or a hardworking student, it's because she happens to like the proportions of his body and the lines of his face and how he wears his clothes. Everything she likes about Tadashi Hamada is shallow and he doesn't deserve it.

So she decides to shove it away. All's of it. Feelings, crush, whatever, locked in the back of her closet like the comics and the trading cards. She'll be a friend to Tadashi Hamada, and a friend only. A fool he needs, a foil he wants.

Maybe something along the lines of Margaret Carter.

(she refuses to see the irony in this decision)

::-::

The new school session begins and Tadashi is spending almost every night in the lab, tinkering away at something that Gogo catches glimpses of, but never as a cohesive whole.

They also start joking. She doesn't remember how it first starts, but it's suddenly there, and present, and she doesn't want it to go away.

"On your left," Tadashi smirks as he passes by to grab a tool from his desk.

She returns the favor when Tadashi is groaning over some kind of problem in the metallic frame he's building. He briefly demonstrated a soft robotics arm at the portfolio showcase. Now, it looks like he's constructing a full body.

"The bugs never go away," Tadashi complains.

"Cut off one head," Gogo says with a smirk, "and two more shall take its place."

That draws a laugh out of his sleep deprivation.

(but they never play too close to the fire)

::-::

Midterms hail an especially late night for Tadashi. Gogo enters the lab to find him crumpled on his desk, snoring lightly, his signature baseball cap askew on his head. She nudges him, but he doesn't stir. The papers scattered beneath his cheek are heavy with graphite—sketches and notes and random little doodles on the dog-eared corners. She spots a playful squiggle of Captain America's shield on the paper and smiles to herself.

Then Tadashi stirs and shoots upward, rubbing groggily at his eyes. Gogo instantly feels a twinge of guilt—like she shouldn't have been watching him sleep, like she was stepping in on something private—but she covers it with a brusque question.

"Hamada," Gogo says. "Were you here all night?"

Tadashi blinks owlishly, squinting to focus his vision. "Gogo?" he mumbles.

"The one and only," Gogo says drily. "What are you doing?"

Tadashi stares blankly for a moment, then jerks as if his head was attached to a string. "I was working on my J.A.R.V.I.S," he says quietly.

Curious, she sneaks a glance to the notes beneath his arms. A large, plushy figure stares back at her, with two little eyes and no mouth. A rubbery marshmallow supported by a flexible frame.

"Soft robotics," Gogo echoes.

Tadashi smiles. His pride shows through the bags under his eyes. "A huggable nurse," he says.

His tone is light, but there is grief behind his words. Advanced artificial intelligence and medical capabilities and an approachable exterior: Gogo senses the weight of everything, the weight of the ultimate caretaker and what it possibly could mean.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she says. It's inadequate, but it's there.

Tadashi stares at the pages for a long moment.

"Guess I'll get going," Gogo says.

She heads to the door. Tadashi's voice stops her in her tracks.

"It was my parents." His voice is hollow. "Our parents, I mean. Me and my brother." His face is turned away from her, but his chin is sinking into his chest. "They were in a car accident."

She understands the offering of his trust and she's touched by it, despite its heavy weight. "So J.A.R.V.I.S. can help you?"

He laughs, but it's bitter. "It's kind of late for me. But... maybe he can help other people."

His breath is harsh and Gogo senses that he carries wounds that have not yet closed. She pulls up a chair and sits beside him. His face is turned away, but she catches the glisten of something wet on the outer plane of his cheek.

"Hey," she says, softly. "I'm sure he will."

Tadashi says nothing. Gogo silently takes his hand and cradles it in both of hers, wishing that there would be no need for any J.A.R.V.I.S. in the world. They sit there in the quiet, thinking words that they cannot say, as time spins on and the sun rises lazily into the sky. Tadashi finally relaxes and surreptitiously rubs at his eyes.

"Thanks, Gogo," he murmurs. The corner of his mouth pulls up just slightly. "I assure you, I don't do this often."

"There is not a man or woman, no matter how fit he or she may be, who is capable of carrying the entire world on their shoulders, " Gogo quips back.

Tadashi's smile broadens.

Gogo clears her throat and stands up. "Better get to class before—"

Then Tadashi suddenly leans up and presses his lips briefly into her cheek. She barely feels the impression of his mouth before he draws back, smiling so sweetly that Gogo's heart is racked in her chest.

"Thanks," he says. "Really, Gogo, thank you."

Then his face colors rapidly and he sprints out the door, leaving Gogo clutching her cheek in bewilderment.

(and for a moment she is peggy carter)

::-::

"On your left," Gogo says in the lab.

Tadashi grins and steps to the side, but as she reaches for the drill, his fingers unexpectedly brush over hers. Tingles race up her arm in a rebellious wave and Gogo freezes for a moment.

But Tadashi doesn't bring it to attention. He simply returns to his desk, writing studiously over the newest version of blueprints. He doesn't even spare her a glance.

Maybe it was just an accident, Gogo thinks. Maybe it was all a mistake. Maybe that kiss on the cheek was a mistake.

(or maybe tadashi is gathering his courage)

::-::

A week passes and Tadashi suddenly approaches her, seemingly oblivious to the curious gazes from everyone in the lab. He's fidgeting slightly and his signature cap is lying forgotten on his desk. He shoves his pockets into his pockets and clears his throat a little too loudly.

"Um," he says. "Hey, Gogo."

"Hi," Gogo says warily.

Utter silence has descended over the entire lab.

"What do you think of taking a walk?" Tadashi asks casually, a bit too casually, as if he's trying hard to not faint on the spot. "You know, clear your head, get a little break..."

Honey squeaks in excitement. Gogo glares in her direction.

"Why not," she says smoothly, grabbing her jacket from her chair and marching out the door.

The campus is all but silent, brightly lit with solar-charged bulbs that pulse gently against the moonlight. Gogo keeps her pace brisk, partially because the air is cold, partially because she's afraid of what might happen if she stops. The adrenaline surging in her is constricting her lungs.

"So," Tadashi says.

She glances at him. He's stopped beneath the nearest tree, something folded in his hands. A sheet of paper. Gogo coolly raises an eyebrow, but her pulse is racing inside her throat.

"So?" she repeats.

Tadashi unfolds the paper and thrusts it at her. It's a colorful poster that's advertising some kind of special event.

"So," Tadashi blurts, "There's, uh, this special screening downtown, and they're showing the first and second Avengers movie, by 5th and M, this Friday night at 7..."

He trails off, cheeks reddening.

"So... yeah."

Gogo tries to say something, but her mouth has run completely dry. Tadashi pales at her silence and babbles on, clasping his hands behind his back—dropping the poster in the process.

"I figured you'd—whoops, crap—let's—no never mind—" He glances away, wincing. "Well, I thought, because of Captain America and everything, you'd like those movies—I mean, I do too—the movies, I mean! I like the movies! And, well, I dunno, I thought—"

There's something adorable and endearing about the way he shuffles from foot to foot, blushing like a schoolboy, and Gogo grins broadly even as the excitement pumps through her veins. "I'll see you at seven," she says.

"Yeah, it's okay, I totally underst—wait, what?!" Tadashi gapes at her like he can't believe his ears.

"Seven," Gogo says. "That's when the screening starts, right?"

The grin that crawls up Tadashi's face is almost blinding. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"See you then," Gogo says. His grin is infectious. She feels herself smiling.

"See you then," Tadashi echoes, and he laughs, deep and throaty and genuine, and Gogo feels the sudden urge to pull him close and kiss him on the lips. It's ironic, really: she wanted to be Captain America, he wanted to be Peggy Carter, and somewhere along the way, they got into a bit of a mix-up.

But she wouldn't have it any other way.

(she eventually does kiss him, but that's a different story)

FIN
s.d.g.

(a/n: i was really tempted to write an ending where they set the date but it doesn't happen because tadashi dies from the fire and it would've been a perfect parallel to peggy carter and captain america but no. happy ending. for once. if i can't have it in canon i can darn well have it in my headcanon.)

BONUS.

It's the end-of-the-year portfolio showcase again, and Tadashi is bouncing nervously in his seat, hands tangled in his pockets. For the first time, he has something real to show—something real, but very buggy. Gogo notes his jiggling leg and short, sharp breaths, so she quietly places a hand on his shoulder.

Tadashi's name is called. He breathes out between his teeth and stands, smiling weakly at Gogo.

"Wait," Gogo says crisply.

She snags the front of the shirt and pulls him down, pressing her lips against his. They're warm and slightly calloused and Tadashi is grunting with surprise, but only a second passes before his arm snakes around her waist and pulls her closer. She feels drunk, giddy, dancing on the clouds, and barely manages to pull herself away before she drowns in the heavenly feeling. Tadashi only stares at her, aghast.

"Go get 'em," Gogo says crisply.

Tadashi grins, grins so widely that his face looks like it'll split in half, and he turns and bounds up the stage.

(but honey snagged a picture just in time and proceeds to tease them incessantly)