Headcanons from before you two dated. Courting phase
Sano Mikoto ★ Crack, failed flirting, flustered Sano, Soft Sano
The blonde was just confused. He had no idea what he was feeling and how he would show it to you. He read every single romance manga and novel he could find; he's still hopeless.
Sano's first approach was to make conversation with you. Just a few 'How are you?' and 'What are your thoughts on this?'. It's honestly amusing to watch him try to prolong the conversation.
The yakubyougami's confidence wasn't as present as his anxiousness when he first approached you. 'This is just a normal conversation. Don't sweat it, Sano.' He tried to hype himself up as he walked towards you. The moment you turned to look at him, his eyes squinted at the sudden brightness. Why the fuck were you blinding him? It took him some time to adjust to the bright aura while you stood and watched him in confusion. “Are you okay, Mikoto?” Ah, there you were again. Using his first name so carelessly. The sound of it left him too flustered to continue talking—the conversation he had planned was completely forgotten at this point. Sano tried to stutter out anything that could save him, “I-uh, there’s a quiz tomorrow. Let’s study t-together later!” His words were too quick, and he ran away as fast as he could. You didn’t even get the chance to tell him you didn’t have classes tomorrow. Oh well, it gives you an excuse to be with him.
He started diving deeper into fashion. Despite lacking in that department, Sano began to look into fashion magazines to at least match your style. You always seemed to love to pamper yourself—making sure you looked your absolute best whenever the two of you hung out. He needs to up his game too!
Whenever you gave him gifts, he would have one for you the next day. He would scrape whatever money he had to make sure he could give you something in return. It wasn’t out of kindness like with the other gifts he received, but rather, a token of appreciation for your effort to get him something.
Sano stared at the new fox plush that sat on his desk—it had a teal bow wrapped around its neck, and a small card was placed neatly on the fox’s arm. ‘From yours truly! Thank you for the earrings, Mikoto.’ He seriously didn’t know you were this quick to give him a gift. The following day, he got you yet another gift, and so did you. This has become a cycle, and it seems like it won’t be stopping soon. Sano needs to get creative with the gifts he’ll give you in the future if this continues…
Did he learn how to do certain hairstyles just to do it for you? Yes. He remembered the time you complained about how hard it was to do certain hairstyles, and this man jumped at that opportunity to start learning. It was a rocky start, but he got the hang of it. He would do anything to impress you.
Will sit at the karaoke box with you even if you’re the only one singing. He hates going there, but he couldn’t turn you down every time you drag him along. He definitely saves all the videos you send after the two of you are home. He replays it before going to sleep, your voice being the last thing he hears before he falls asleep.
There was a time when you snatched his phone from him, and when he got it back, there was a new photo in his gallery. A photo of you and Mamekichi in his tanuki form. He had to physically stop himself from exploding. It’s the two people he deeply loved and cared about. That photo is still there even after you two became a couple; it’s his phone wallpaper.
He tries to flirt. He’s terrible. Has the cheesiest pickup lines, and he always seems so proud of it.
“Are you a camera? 'Cause all I can do is smile when I see you.” It was so sweet of him to try pickup lines when flirting became a no-go for him. You didn’t want to laugh, but it was just so cute. He had such a smug smile when he said it. “You’re so sweet, Mikoto.” You couldn’t hold in your laugh anymore, the smile on your face getting wider as his words settled deep in you. Sano was awestruck seeing you laugh so much; holy shit, you like this kind of thing. “Did the sun come out, or did you just smile at me?” Oh dear, he won’t be stopping anytime soon.
This man was determined to impress you; he had Seimei to help him practice singing. He was embarrassed when you found out about his secret lessons, but he still tried serenading you.
He's so obvious. People around him can tell he was crushing on you HARD. The red tint on his cheeks was a dead giveaway, and he would always avoid eye contact with you.
He arranges all your dates. I don't care what anyone says; he definitely would do this.
He insisted on going to the movies, and who were you to decline when he was pouting? The two of you settled somewhere in the middle with food on hand. You didn’t even know what movie you were watching, but you were certainly happy to be on another date with him. Once it started, you had a vague idea that it was a horror film—much to your disappointment. You weren't good with this genre at all, and he chose to watch this (he didn't know). A certain jumpscare made you jump in your seat; however, the hand that gripped your arm almost made your soul leave your body. When you turned to look at Sano, he was already hiding in fear. Didn't he choose this, so you were the one clinging to him? This was certainly unexpected. Throughout the movie, you were the one comforting him and making sure he had a hand to squeeze in fear. When it finally ended, he couldn't even look you in the eye out of embarrassment. You, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy horror movies more with Sano now.
When he finally asked to be your boyfriend, he didn't make it seem like a big deal. Just a picnic beneath the stars. He seemed cool, but inside, he was panicking and questioning if you liked this kind of confession.
“I like you. You already knew that, but I want you to hear it again. Just to make sure it'll reach you.” His voice was steady while his hands shook beside him. Sano didn't break eye contact as you stared at him in disbelief. You knew about his feelings from the start—you went on several dates already—but it was refreshing to see that he wanted to make sure that you knew. Words wouldn't be enough to tell him just how much you like him as well. In a second, your lips were on him. A quick, chaste kiss for your love to reach him. You didn’t wait for him to kiss you back when you pulled away. You could only hope that your feelings were clear enough. A second of silence passed before he moved to pull you back into a kiss. Stunned, your hands reached to grip his shoulder to ground yourself. He couldn’t believe this was happening, nor could you. Both of you could only relish the moment before pulling away breathless. “I like you so much, Mikoto.”