When he and Sayori separated for the day, the light pink-haired girl couldn't escape his mind.

Then again, how can she not be on my mind? he thought to himself. Today was so emotional… so long.

The day wasn't even over. Far from it, it seemed. It was late afternoon, he could tell, the sun's intense rays lessening quite a bit to a light and pleasant warmth. He wanted nothing more than for the day to end. After Sayori revealing her depression, and helping Yuri decorate a banner for the upcoming festival…

Sayori's confession of her love for him, and him returning the feelings…

The festival can't come soon enough. Maybe Sayori will be in a better mood then. I promised to spend the festival with her, after all… and as a couple, no less.

He planned to leave Sayori alone for the rest of the day. He thought that perhaps she just needed to spend that night and early morning to think on things. They didn't need to pursue a relationship so quickly. The festival was bound to provide a great time for them and the literature club. She'll have fun. She'll get out of her current state of anguish.

Right? He thought to himself in uncertainty. He paused at the front door of his apartment, the pure white door left open since the chance encounter with Sayori as Yuri left for the day. He felt cool air leaking out from the inside, reminding him that he left the air conditioner on and would need to turn it off. Cold nights were fast approaching, it seemed.

Or was it just his heart?

I should be happy… Sayori's words resounded in his head. But the rainclouds… They won't go away! But you know what's best for me, right?

I'll trust you, like I always have.

Her confession broke his heart. It seemed as though her words would linger on and haunt him for the rest of his life.

I… I love you so much…

…that I want to die!

Those exact words that escaped her lips felt like a knife.

Her cascading tears felt like someone twisted it.

"She couldn't have meant that… could she?" he asked himself, scratching the top of his head for an itch that wasn't there. He shrugged despite himself and entered his home without any more hesitation. He admitted he'd never be able to fully comprehend Sayori's anguish, but he found the resolve to do his best to get her through her bleakest days and darkest nights. She was counting on her new boyfriend, after all.

He moved to start making dinner for himself for the evening, but Sayori's words left a mark in his head and his heart. He couldn't help but shed a tear, guilt consuming him for not realizing her struggles until now.

How could I have been so stupid? he thought, wiping a stray tear that was making its way down his cheek. And why was I such a jerk to her?! I should never have made fun of her or said insensitive things to her, even if I didn't mean it. Could I have possibly contributed to her depression?

He quickly pulled out his phone from the pocket of his casual black jeans. The screen greeted him with his wallpaper: a better time, when he and Sayori were goofing off outside of the club, each having a genuine, unwavering smile.

He sighed the deepest sigh as he walked into the kitchen. "I'd do anything to see that smile again."

Forgetting dinner for the moment, he unlocked his phone and sent a text to Sayori.

I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for the festival, okay?

A moment later he sent another message.

I love you.

He didn't get a text back immediately, not that he really expected to. Sayori had so many things on her mind that simply reading and replying to a text was completely out of the question. He completely understood. A labored sigh escaped his lips as he finally started to make dinner.

A few hours had passed. He felt a little better now that he ate dinner, but his mind was still ever racing, not making any indication of stopping. He brushed his teeth and decided to turn in early for the night. Stripped down to a t-shirt and sweatpants, he unceremoniously dropped his entire body onto the bed, heaving another sigh in the process. That might've been the twentieth sigh I let out today, he inwardly said. He peered outside the window next to his bed and observed the house only a few doors down across the street. No lights illuminated Sayori's house, it appeared. He concluded that she decided to get some much-needed sleep as well, and rested his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.

He found it odd. Normally he spent long nights binge watching some of his favorite anime or reading his manga of choice, to the point that he walked to school with Sayori sleep deprived nearly every morning. She always criticized him for that habit. No matter how often she talked about that, he simply wouldn't listen.

Sayori always wanted to make sure that her best friend – and now boyfriend – had taken care of himself. But it was clear she wasn't taking care of her own self.

He tried his best to shake off those thoughts that continued to plague his mind. I'm tired. I just need to sleep…

Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't find comfort or solace in his own bed. No matter what position he took, or how he bundled himself in his sheets and covers, he couldn't fall asleep.

The one time I turn into bed early, I can't fall asleep. C'mon! he berated himself.

He knew all along why it was that he couldn't sleep.

It was Sayori.

Her adorable smile and cerulean eyes appeared in his mind, along with her trademark cheery disposition. It quickly shifted, however, to the sight that truly broke his heart. Tears made their descent down her face, a grim look of utter morose ever evident that replaced her normal, contagious smile. The image that penetrated his mind and very soul spelled out despair and desperation for it all to end. He checked his phone to see a few hours had passed since he went to bed.

Sayori… I'm so stupid! He wanted to scream at himself in pure frustration. How could I leave her alone, especially now?

His new thoughts quickly roused him from his bed. He then haphazardly threw on a navy blue sweatshirt and his tennis shoes, bolting downstairs and finally out the front door.

He walked out to the chill of the night. A slight breeze blew his hair slightly to the side as he marched to Sayori's house. It was nearly pitch black outside, only serving to chill him to the bone even more. The only things that illuminated the neighborhood were several streetlights, dull orange bulbs casting gentle light onto the road and sidewalks.

It was as if the night knew how he felt, how worried he was for Sayori.

After a few moments of the silent walk, he reached Sayori's front door. A part of him felt he should have called or texted her, letting her know he was coming over, despite how late it was getting. Shaking off the thoughts, he took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door. After waiting for what felt like the longest minute, he knocked on the door with more intensity and urgency, ending up even pounding on it at the end.

When no response came, he shook his head. Implications be damned, he turned the brass doorknob, surprised that it was unlocked. Opening the door, he slowly walked inside Sayori's apartment. He kicked off his shoes onto the doormat and felt the dark blue carpet underneath his feet.

Any sense of hesitancy faded from his conscious. This is something that a boyfriend would do, he surmised, a slight blush gracing his cheeks. Mustering his resolve, he walked his way up the stairs, his steps letting out the slightest creak. Once reaching the top, he stepped up to Sayori's bedroom door.

He softly knocked on the door, using two knuckles. No response came.

"Sayori?" he asked, using a gentle voice. Again, no response.

Not wanting to wait any longer, he tested the doorknob and found it was unlocked as well. Huh, she really does get lazy during her depression spells, he mentally noted. He slowly turned the doorknob and walked into the pitch-black room. The only sound was the soft, welcoming hum of a ceiling fan spinning, cooling off the otherwise warm bedroom.

He reached the light switch panel next to the door and turned on the light. What he saw gave him great relief… but only more concern after a brief moment.

Sayori laid on her bed, her eyes lazily half open. If she didn't look depressed earlier that day, she looked at her absolute worst. Her cerulean irises were surrounded by a slight red. Her hair was even more disheveled, her bow still lazily nestled at the top. Her cheeks were still moist from the tears.

He couldn't help but wonder if she spent the entire day crying her eyes out. Instead of joking like he usually would, he walked over to Sayori and knelt by her bed. If she didn't notice him walking into her room, she acknowledged his presence then. She slowly turned to look into his dull blue eyes.

Without a word, Sayori sat up from her bed. He couldn't help but notice she was wearing something he'd never seen before: a long-sleeve button up shirt that was buttoned up to the last three. She also sported a pair of red shorts that showed off her legs a bit. He noted that he could see her collarbone and she wasn't wearing a bra. He blushed a bit from looking and then turned his gaze back into her eyes.

"Sayori… hi," he greeted with a soft voice, trying his best to use a comforting tone.

Sayori sniffed and wiped her eyes in some false attempt to appear that she was feeling alright. A part of her was so happy he was there, and yet another made her heart break more and more.

"Why… why are you here?" she asked softly in response. "What did I do to deserve you coming here?" As she said that, her eyes glistened, making way for new tears.

Not sure what to say, he hesitantly reached out and lightly ran his hand through her messy, light pink hair before cupping her cheek. Sayori shuddered from the touch and felt a blush grace her cheeks. Struggling for something to say, he merely asked, "…What's wrong?"

"Me, don't you get it?!" she suddenly cried out, feeling her whole body shake with the heaviest of sobs. Sayori rested her head onto her knees and wailed.

"P-Please… don't waste your time on me!" she struggled to say without stuttering. "You don't need me now.

"No… No one needs me…"

If the sight could break a heart once, he felt it broke his a thousand times over. Maybe… maybe this is how she feels, being so helpless, he thought to himself. He took a seat next to Sayori on the bed and wrapped his arms around her petite form. Sayori then quickly wrapped her arms around him in return, crying into his shoulder. Feeling himself start to tear up, he rested his head on top of hers, but not before kissing her forehead.

He rhetorically asked, "Is this about what you said earlier? How you think you're weak, selfish, all that and more?"

"How I wish I could sweep all your worries away," he sadly mused. "But in reality you're the strongest person I know. How you've carried on your entire life with this burden is nothing short of a miracle."

Sayori kept crying. Unsure if she listened, he continued, "You're the most selfless, too. You spent the entire week making sure that I was socializing in the club and doing things that would make me happy. I'm grateful that you care so much about me."

"You're nothing short of amazing, Sayori…" He felt his voice weaken as more tears began to shed. "And that's what made me realize how much you mean to me. No matter what you say, or how you feel, I need you desperately. I can never go on without you!"

He let Sayori cry it out for a few more minutes, gently rocking her body in some small attempt to comfort her. "Do you remember what I told you this afternoon, Sayori?" He felt her nod a bit, still resting her head on his shoulder. He felt her excessive tears moisten his sweatshirt, but he'd let her cry into his shoulder all night if need be.

"You don't need to go through this alone… You don't. I don't want you to. And I won't let you. Seeing you like this hurts me more than you can ever know, Sayori. Remember all those poems I wrote this past week? They were written with you in mind. I didn't want to admit it then, but it's true."

Sensing that Sayori was done speaking for a while, he continued, "It took me this long to realize that I don't just care for you as a best friend, but someone I can share my life with. I want this so badly, more than anything. Don't you want it, too?"

He felt Sayori shake a bit less after his spiel. He brought a finger to her chin and guided her face to look into his eyes, still leaking some tears.

"I… really do," Sayori confessed softly. She left her arms wrapped around her boyfriend, hands loosely resting on the top of his back. The young man in turn rested his hands at her lower back in return.

"I promise, Sayori… that you'll never be alone again," he swore with a solemn look on his face. "I'll stay by your side forever. So you're stuck with me."

Sayori looked into his eyes. "That… is so sweet… and so unlike you."

He gently wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs, some confidence showing in his sad smile. "Yeah. I don't know what got into me there..."

Sayori responded with a slight murmur, "You were always sweet, though." She felt herself smile, the first time he saw it that day.

He shook his head and blushed a bit. "W-well… only to you." Feeling a bit encouraged, he then kissed her cheek. He didn't know how far to push it, given they were a new couple, but it felt right. Pulling away, he let a genuine grin form on his face.

He then cleared his throat, resting his forehead against Sayori's. "I'm gonna stay with you tonight. Heck… every night, if you want me to."

"That would be… nice," she answered with a shy smile.

"I'll head downstairs and sleep on the couch. Don't hesitate to call me if you need to, okay?" He then hesitantly stood back up from the bed and made his way to the door.

It was then that he realized that the floor was still littered with clothes and textbooks from that morning. "I can clean your room for you now if you'd like," he said with a short chuckle. He normally would have quipped about how messy she was but decided against it.

Sayori wiped her eyes with her palms and softly giggled. "I think it can wait."

He nodded with an amused grin. "I'll get you up in the morning and pick up after you, then. Like always."

"Meanie…" she replied with a cute pout on her face. "But thank you. So much…"

He nodded again. "Goodnight," he said as he opened the door and reached out for the light switch.

"W-wait!" Sayori blurted out. "Can you… can you sleep in my bed with me?" Once asking that she blushed several shades of red. "Please? I don't… I don't want to be alone."

His eyes widened at the request. Quite sure that she wasn't going to try something overly intimate, he nodded after a moment. "…Yeah, sure. I'm all yours. No funny business, though!"

Sayori smiled in relief as he shut the door and turned off the light. He then made his way to her bed. His girlfriend shifted as far into the other side of the bed as she could, lifting the blanket and covers for him.

"Your bed's a little small for the both of us, don't you think?" he asked jokingly as he got into the bed. Once in, he held onto Sayori's hand, interlocking fingers gently.

Sayori let out an amused giggle, which gave him some relief. "We could cuddle!"

He was a bit taken aback at how Sayori's mood seemed to have shifted in the matter of minutes. She was no longer crying. Perhaps she had practice, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile without anyone knowing how she truly felt. That facade went on for far too long.

"…Goodnight, Sayori," he concluded with another blush.

As much as he thought his girlfriend could've rested well, he felt Sayori squirm lightly every few hours and heard her sob as well. He didn't realize it was going to be the longest night for the young woman. But he promised to be there for her; there was no way he was backing out. He wrapped his arms around Sayori, closing the distance and letting her resume crying into his shoulder.

A few times throughout the night he swore he could hear her mumble something akin to, "Please… make it stop. Get… get out of my head..."

"I'm here for you, Sayori," he whispered into her ear.

It was going to be the first of many long nights, he assumed as he kissed her forehead. Just because he could comfort her that night didn't mean the rainclouds would simply dissipate.

Screw the festival, he thought to himself, stifling a yawn.

Screw the literature club.

Sayori needs me.

And I need her.

in vain i blame my trembling on the cold air

but i can't hide that i've relied on you

like yellow does on blue

(Author's Notes:) This is my first time writing something in nearly five years. Never expected my hiatus to break… but then I decided to play DDLC on a whim. Hope my writing isn't all too rusty. I pretty much wrote this to try and give a more in depth look into the night of Sayori's confession in an AU. I ultimately chose not to give the protagonist a name for the sake of not making him a self-insert.

All that aside, thank you for reading my one-shot. Feedback of any kind is welcome and appreciated.