#araki you sly one

[lolobizarreadventuresshatpost]

Old shitty joke got relevant again, smh

[le-amewzing]

PTO

These two have been on my mind for a long time, so I'm happy to have found the inspo to write them! -w-

Fic: "PTO" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: established!Masako Araki/Alexandra Garcia, Himuro Tatsuya

Rating: light T

Words: ~3,310

Summary: There are a variety of things spinning around in her American girlfriend's head. Still, Masako can't stay annoyed when Alex's zigzagging train of thought leads her…here.

      "Ah, Coach… There's someone here to see you."

      Masako exhaled and, with some concerted effort, dragged her eyes from the scene on the court, where Murasakibara set a poor example for the first years by milling about while he didn't have the ball in his possession. She glanced at her team's new captain—and did a double-take at that practiced smile. "Himuro…"

      Almost imperceptibly, the beauty-marked teen's smile widened. The only giveaway was the twitch of said beauty mark.

      Masako's grip tightened on the hilt of her shinai, which rested against her right shoulder at the moment. Himuro's smile was all the warning she'd get, even as she turned her head and—

      "YAHOO~ Masako~"

      Unfortunately, everyone's attention diverted from basketball practice at Yosen that evening once their blond, foreign guest came prancing indoors. But Masako didn't let her players dawdle for long, swinging her bamboo sword around to smack the tip against the floor with a resolute THWACK that brought them back to their senses. Several of the first years literally jumped at the noise, but the second and third years got right back on track. And all without their coach needing to utter a word.

      Which was good, considering Masako would need to reserve her energy for the blonde sidling up to her now. "Are you surprised to see me?" she asked the jet-haired coach.

      Masako sighed as the other woman gave Himuro a gigantic hug. "Alex, are you even here to see me? Or are you here to see one of your protégés?"

      "Ah, but that's the brilliance of Yosen—two birds, one stone!" Alex chirped. She pouted when Himuro unhooked her arms from his neck. "Tatsuya…!"

      "Not in the middle of practice, Alex," he said, tiredness leaking into that smile as he stuck to Japanese with his mentor. Masako had noted him doing that more since Alex first turned up in Japan last year, during the rare instances she traveled up north…around the same time the former professional player began flirting with the Yosen coach, actually.

      Masako narrowed her eyes at the sly fellow.

      Himuro, for his part, ducked her stare and shrugged away from Alex. "We can always catch up later," he promised the taller woman, and he jogged to Murasakibara's side before Alex could protest.

      Alex's pout lingered for a few more seconds. But then she turned towards Masako. "So, Masako—"

      "Himuro's right. Not in the middle of practice." She faced forward and tried to give her students her full attention, but it wasn't long before Masako darted her dark eyes up and to her left. "You know better than to interrupt."

      Alex grinned. "…maybe. But someone keeps her shinai instead of her phone glued to her hand."

      "No phones at practice—for both student and coach alike."

      The American heaved a sigh. "Then what point is there in texting you that I might drop by?" She lifted her left hand, noted how red her bare fingers were, and rubbed her hands together and blew on them for warmth. She shoved her hands back into her coat pockets after and fought back a shiver. "Ahhh, Akita is so cold…!"

      Masako shook her head at the sight. "Of course Akita's cold. It's November, in the snowiest region of Japan. This is the polar opposite of California and you're not dressed for the climate."

      Alex glanced at her long coat over her jeans. She at least had her coat zipped up all the way today, but Masako would bet a full tank of gas for her motorcycle that the blonde had only a t-shirt on underneath. Alex chuckled and shrugged it off. "Well, I might not be dressed for the climate, but that just means you can warm me up later…"

      Masako ignored her flirty words and glanced at how things transpired on the court. Himuro had them going through passing drills, so she decided it was all right to move her attention elsewhere…such as turning around to the benches along the wall by the doors connecting the gym to the general arts building. She rested her shinai against the wall for a second while she rummaged in her bag. Once she found her prize, Masako grabbed the shinai and marched wordlessly back to Alex on the sidelines. She thrust the small item at the blonde.

      "A hand warmer…?" Alex blinked. Then she shook off her surprise and kneaded the pack to activate it. Alex held the gift between her chilly hands and bumped shoulders with Masako, half leaning on the shorter woman. "Aww, you do care."

      At that, Masako grimaced. She didn't like being doubted same as she didn't like having to repeat herself to her team.

      "But, hey, that whole you-warming-me-up thing wasn't a joke, just so you know." Alex tucked the hand warmer into her left pocket for now and linked her right arm with Masako's. She continued while they watched over practice together, "I actually came in person because I thought a surprise might better convince you."

      "Liu, good connection!" Masako called out to the third year. "Murasakibara, watch the space around you…!" She gritted her teeth, half in annoyance that her Kiseki player clung to old habits and half with trepidation over her girlfriend's words, but— "All right, I'll ask: Of what do you need to convince me?"

      Alex's grip on her arm tightened by a hair. "Well, you're as stubborn as they come. So…" She cocked her head Masako's way. "Take some time off," she coaxed.

      Annoyance, anxiety, anger—none of that came to mind. Instead, Masako offered up a flat expression and an immediate, "No."

      "What? Why?!"

      "Why do you have to ask, why?!" Masako gestured with her shinai to her students. "It should be obvious!"

      "Masako-chan…!" Alex tried, tacking on the honorific and drawing it out in a cutesy pitch.

      But the jet-haired coach would have none of it. She pulled her arm free with a huff. Once more, she gestured to practice. "We may be winding down, but we've still another twenty minutes of practice left. You've got a hand warmer and you've said your hellos, so you can leave now, Alex."

      Alex blubbered, though, in response, and Himuro hustled over to the pair. If her incoherence were words, then he understood the matter and glanced as his coach.

      "You can see her out, Himuro."

      But he gave her a timid smile this time, as well as a one-armed shrug. "I will, but, Coach…taking time off might not be that bad?"

      "Do you want to end practice today with laps?"

      He paled but pushed on. "All I mean to say is, breaks can be good things. Especially for people who go…above and beyond," Himuro finished, though that pause clearly felt like a delay while he searched for a polite way to rephrase "overboard."

      Masako narrowed her eyes at him for the second time that day. "Direct that advice only towards those who actually go overboard." She let her eyes wander towards their second-year center.

      But Himuro needn't look to know who she meant, and he nodded in agreement. Instead, he focused on Alex and ushered his mentor back through the outside doors through which she'd come, and finally practice was peaceful once more.

      Alex's interruption seemed like a fever dream when practice wrapped. Masako left the boys to clean up, entrusting Himuro to lock up behind them, and she returned to the faculty room to catch up on odds and ends.

      There wasn't anything pressing waiting for her at her desk. As the P.E. teacher, she had a handful of get-out-of-class excuses to sort through, but too many of the reasons were rehearsed or reused these days, even for this time of year, so the task was a breeze to complete. There were a few reports due soon…and meetings to schedule…but those either needed input from other teachers or simply could wait, so Masako packed up.

      She went past the gym on her way to the employee lot and double-checked that Himuro had locked the doors. A firm tug confirmed it, so Masako hurried to her car.

      They hadn't had a good, proper snowfall yet, so nothing much had built up, but it was cold, and Masako relished the warmth once her car had the chance to heat up after a few minutes of running the engine. She pulled out of the lot and took the right to head home, but she caught the first red outside the school. Not the worst thing in the world, since she had the heat on full blast.

      On the passenger seat, her phone chirped with a new text.

      Masako glanced at her purse and how her phone lay partway out the opening… …well, this light was a long one, so it couldn't hurt to check, right? Still, Masako checked the surrounding, nonexistent traffic before picking up her phone and reading Alex's message:

-HEY! U should b done by now~ If u r, then I'm nearby at Ichiyan's

      Oh. Alex was at the ramen shop close by? Masako wondered why it surprised her so much…although, given the way Alex popped around Japan, checking in on Himuro and on Kagami or following up on interesting games and upcoming star players or even traveling for themed cafés for her favorite anime, Masako actually knew precisely why she was so stunned. Alexandra Garcia wasn't someone who liked to sit still for very long.

      Masako didn't bother replying to the text, knowing Alex would see she'd read it. Besides, Ichiyan's was a ten-ish-minute walk in good weather and quick drive in the scant traffic she had at the moment. Barely three minutes after seeing Alex's text, Masako rolled up on the little hut just as Alex exited the shop, takeout in hand. "We're not eating here?" she asked when Alex climbed into the passenger seat.

      Alex leaned across the console and planted a lingering kiss on her lips—warm and salty, like the ramen she'd just finished—before settling back and buckling up. "Masako, it's cozy in there, but their walls are still thin as hell. I got double, though, and it'll still be plenty hot back at your place."

      Masako briefly touched her bottom lip before blinking herself free from her stupor and getting them back on the road. She found it in her to smirk at the mention of her apartment. "I take it that means you're staying over?"

      "I have an invitation with no expiration date," Alex quipped, and her grin stretched from ear to ear, which Masako glimpsed out of the corner of her eye when they paused at a crossing.

      Yosen's coach shook her head but didn't deny the fact. "I'm guessing you stopped in Tokyo first?"

      "Mm. To see Taiga, yes, as well as check in with Seirin…" Alex stared out the window. "They let me study their practice for a while, and it got me thinking, so I dropped in on some practice matches Shutoku had, too."

      "Shutoku?"

      "Yeah. That Midorima kid who's Taiga's age. He and Seirin's Hyuuga…they're both shooting guards, same as Tatsuya."

      Well, that wasn't news to Masako. But she frowned when Alex huffed.

      "Tatsuya—is good. But Hyuuga's disciplined in his own way. And then Midorima—"

      "You don't even have to finish that thought. Training them or going up against them—the Generation of Miracles more than lives up to that moniker." They arrived at Masako's apartment complex, and the coach turned into her spot alongside the left side of the small building. She cut the engine and gave Alex a sly look. "But if you come up with some idea of special training for Himuro like what you gave Kagami last year, I wouldn't turn it away."

      Alex blinked and burst out laughing. "Ahhh, Masako…!" She swiped at her eyes. "While I do think Tatsuya's between a rock and a hard place—well, I'll think about it. Tatsuya's stubborn, so he'd also have to accept me training him."

      Damn. She hadn't thought of that.

      Alex hummed to herself as they got out of the car and headed inside. Her voice reverberated in the stairwell, though, causing Masako to shush her, but that only sent Alex chuckling again. She kept at Masako's heels as the shorter woman unlocked her apartment door on the third floor.

      "I know you like a challenge, but does the idea of trying to coach Himuro right now really amuse you that much?"

      "Oh, I stopped thinking about that five minutes ago. Even if I whipped up a training menu for him, the Winter Cup's too close."

      Masako shrugged out of her coat and blazer and hung her outerwear and Alex's up. They both changed into slippers and Masako undid the first few buttons on her Oxford. "Then what?"

      Alex placed their takeout on the nearest counter and took a second to tie up her hair. Then she slipped her arms around Masako's waist from behind, sighing contently as she pressed against the shorter woman's back. "Thinking about Akita. And Tokyo. And California. Shinkansen—and wishing we had that in America."

      It wasn't too difficult to follow her line of thought, given all the travel Alex did. Masako shuffled (hard to do little else with her girlfriend attached to her back) into her living room to tidy up a bit, and her eyes glanced at the small messenger bag that lived to the right of her TV stand. The bag was one of Alex's "go bags," something she liked to leave in the places she frequented most.

      "…although I will say, shopping in Akihabara is almost like coming home," Alex said. She laughed.

      Masako snapped out of her thoughts. Wait, how had they gone from travel to the shopping district? "You don't have any bags with you, though…"

      "Yeah, I left my haul at Taiga's place. I'll take care of the shipping another time or have Taiga do it for me." She squeezed Masako's midsection. "I did have a train to catch, after all."

      Masako half smiled and pecked her cheek, but then she disentangled herself from the blonde's embrace and went into her kitchenette to grab spare napkins at the very least. She checked the takeout and found it'd kept its temperature, and the shop had thrown in chopsticks, so they could dig in. "If you'd waited a bit, you'd be here closer to the Winter Cup, though."

      "Hmm… I've never been skiing in Akita? Or snowboarding."

      She stared at Alex with one eyebrow quirked. "And you think I have?"

      "Potential date idea, Masako."

      "More like something to add to a bucket list."

      "Ohhh! A bucket list! That's a good idea. Hey, hey, what else is on your list? Me, I wanna climb Mount Everest, I think… Go fishing in Thailand…" She tapped the end of her chopsticks against her chin. "Hmm, maybe pet cheetahs, but I think you can do that at a zoo in Australia, probably not on a safari…"

      The more outlandish Alex's items became, the easier it was for Masako to picture them. The younger woman hadn't been allowed to stay a professional player in WNBA, but she'd kept her physique intact and, on the rare occasion, even coaxed a rare one-on-one match from Masako. So an Alex weathering blustery conditions up a mountain's peak or fishing in clear waters or finding herself at home petting domesticated wild animals—yeah, it all sounded very much like the Alexandra Garcia she knew and loved.

      "…and…well, less a bucket list item—"

      Masako slurped some noodles and lifted her head. When Alex didn't continue, she lowered her chopsticks. "If not a bucket list item, then—?"

      Alex reached across the kitchen counter, where they stood on opposite sides, and lightly placed her fingers on Masako's wrist, her thumb tracing a tiny circle along the bone. "Masako, come with me to New York City."

      Her eyes widened as she stared at the taller woman. Even though Alex had told her earlier to take time off, this time the invitation hit differently. "…what?"

      Alex's smile was small but no less bright than usual. "It would be my treat. But." She took a breath and ran her free hand through her fringe. "I've been back and forth between here and home a lot since last winter, setting up Kiyoshi with the right doctors and accompanying Taiga and some of the Seirin seniors to visit him… But I don't have only L.A. contacts. I have NYC ones, too. And going back to California wasn't only about helping Taiga's senpai get treatment." Alex paused and something flashed in her eyes, an odd mix of envy and pride, perhaps, as she continued, "Part of it was to introduce Taiga to a few scouts. And, yeah, there are some people from New York who want to meet him and didn't get to last time, so I'll be chaperoning a bit, but my ideal plan to spend my time isn't all business."

      Masako jolted when Alex paused a second time for emphasis, because this pause came with a subtle squeeze, and Alex stroked the underside of her wrist, as well. Masako jerked her hand away on impulse, but Alex caught her fingers before the other woman was out of reach.

      "I actually really want to see the city lights with you, Masako." Her teal eyes softened behind her pink frames. That look was akin to a nonverbal, "So say 'yeah,' for me?"

      The jet-haired woman's mouth popped open in a small "o" and she licked her lips while she tried to sort her thoughts as the last few minutes replayed, back and forth, in her mind. Still, no matter how well she tried to situate herself when faced with Alex's true surprise, Masako came up dumbfounded. So, she settled for her argument from earlier. "What—What about my coaching? I can't just up and leave, Alex."

      "And Taiga wouldn't leave Tetsuya and Seirin for long unless absolutely necessary. But the Winter Cup's more than a week away. So don't worry. We'll go on holiday. Just—a long weekend. What do you say?"

      What was there to say? A tiny part of her, the part that enjoyed waving her shinai around at school, was doubtful about the logistics. And yet…

      If their schedules could work out… And Alex—her lackadaisical Alex!—was putting her heart into arranging this right before crunch time. Then…

      "…I wonder what New York's lights look like in person, too," Masako answered, entwining her fingers with Alex's.

      Alex's entire face lit up. She tugged Masako to the side, away from the counter and closer, pulling Masako flush against her and indulging in another kiss. But this time, Alex pushed her glasses up into her hair and deepened the kiss.

      Butterflies stirred in her stomach—both at having Alex so close in so long and at the idea of them being in New York City soon—so Masako let go of Alex's hand and hooked her arms around the other woman's neck instead.

      But that was a different kind of invitation for Alex. She had one hand sinking fingers into Masako's hair while the other undid the buttons of Masako's shirt from the bottom, tugging the blouse free and fussing with the fasteners on her pants, too—

      Masako broke the kiss and clonked her forehead against Alex's, stalling that hand. "Alex. Dinner will go cold."

      She received a whimper in reply.

      Yet Masako held firm, and she kissed the sore spot on Alex's forehead. "I simply want to eat with you. Then I'll make good on the me-warming-you-up thing you suggested earlier this evening," she added, hating how badly her cheeks burned as she echoed the blonde's sentiments.

      Alex gaped at Masako.

      (Needless to say, it was the fastest either of them ever had wolfed down ramen in their lives.)

Done for the 5, 10, 20, 50, 70, 100 Fandoms Challenge as well as the If You Dare Challenge (for prompt #933: New York) in the HPFC forum on FFN, as well as for minifemslashfeb 2023 (scenario 4: "One more word on this topic and I'll kill you"—*lol* it was implied) on tumblr. So! I'm slowly writing more for KnB. While I enjoy the femslash ships for it, I haven't written any of them, so that changes now. The title, btw, is a bit of a twofer: PTO being paid time off (a vacation!) or place, time, occasion (tho usually the order there is TPO for time, place, occasion XD). Alex is especially bad at TPO, tho, wanting to be smoochy wherever and whenever, *lol*, but I think Masako would adapt to her without real trouble; Masako's good at training the unruly types, after all. XDDD Let's see… Little mentions of fav charries and implications of Muramuro/Murahimu and Kagakuro for me, *lol*. Also, just, Himuro being a sort of matchmaker and wingman btwn Alex and Masako? I can't get enough of this idea. ;D I'm also here for Alex throwing around her moolah and whisking Masako off to wherever they wanna go. They deserve it. Ahhhh, this A/N is just me dithering about Garciraki and is gonna get worse if I don't stop here, so.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this! Check out my other KnB fics if you liked this, too!

~mew

[shoichee]

Strawberry Jam

Part 2 of the Pun Fest collection!

Murasakibara x f!Reader

Word count: 3992

Synopsis: The Yōsen’s basketball team is trying to help out a poor manager’s love life.

Note: I went a little too crazy with this;; it is definitely longer than Kise’s prompt (i’m so sorry my bb)

»»—————　☼　—————««

Everything about Yōsen was grand and lofty, from their buildings, their interiors, their tuition, and even their students… quite literally.

A huge downside of attending there, though, was the location of the campus itself: Akita. The biting winds were extremely harsh and unforgiving, particularly when temperatures dropped below negative numbers as snow continued to pile up even more imposing walls than the famed “Shield of Aegis.” Luckily, as the new manager of Yōsen High’s basketball team, you often got to accompany five towering starter players, where you gladly took advantage of their heights to protect yourself from the harsh weather. 

Still, if you had the choice to either confess to Murasakibara or to stand outside in an Akita blizzard for a few hours, you’d dash to the latter option with no hesitation.

You don’t even know why you fell for the purple-haired giant of all people.

Was it because his intimidating stature contradicted his laid back personality?

Was it because your heart panged for him when you witnessed, from your seat, him giving his all against his match with Seirin, only for him to leak tears of frustration at losing? 

Was it because shortly after, when you joined as a manager to get a head start training for next season (as per Coach Araki’s request), Murasakibara gently ruffled your hair before he went to get his umaibo sticks? 

You wanted to deny those pervasive thoughts that were taunting you recently for falling in love so easily, but you shook your head before you patted your cheeks to figuratively slap those inner gremlins away.

“Chibi-chin?” Murasakibara lazily turned his body at an angle towards your direction. “Did the snow fall on you too?” 

You could feel your cheeks flush even through under your mittened palms. Himuro flashed you a concerned gaze of his own. “I-I-I… sorry! I was just trying to warm my head?... up? uh—” You paused for a bit, trying to salvage your excuse. “T-there’s always so much a beanie and an earmuff could do to keep… warm?”

“Hnn, I guess so,” he said, giving a quick once over to your figure. “You’re so red, chibi-chin. You look like strawberry jam from this yummy bun I ate just now.”

“Atsushi,” Himuro turned to him exasperatedly. “You don’t compare people to food you just ate. It’s not polite.”

“Oh well, Muro-chin.” He walked on further out of the school gates. “See you too, Chibi-chin.”

“Mura-kun, you always call me that,” you pouted. “If you call me that just because I’m shorter than you, then you might as well start calling that to everybody.”

“But you’re Chibi-chin,” he insisted. “Muro-chin is Muro-chin…  Kuro-chin is Kuro-chin… Sa-chin is Sa-chin…” he continued to go off on a mumbling tangent as he chewed on his next pack of biscuit sticks, walking away to finally head for home. You and Himuro were left alone together.

“So, about Atsushi-kun… pardon for me asking but… do you—”

“H-H-Himu-kun, have the other members left home already?” you turned to him, having a premonition of where the conversation was heading to.

He blinked owlishly for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah… Coach didn’t want to risk everyone getting sick and missing out on drill days later.”

“Ah, I’m glad. Although… it’s a bit sad that our 3rd years are leaving so soon—”

“What’s this about 3rd years?” You whipped your head around to see Fukui and Okamura trekking through the soft snow in your direction.

“Fukui-san? Okamura-san? What are you two doing here?”

“Argh, studying in the library stinks,” Fukui groaned, cracking his neck. “Especially when the library’s heater broke earlier. We were all told to just go home.”

“Well, now that you two are here after you interrupted our conversation, let me ask our manager-san again,” Himuro turned to you with a genial smile, but you knew that face hid something truly unpleasant.

“Oh, manager-san,” he slowly started. The 3rd years were silently looking at each other in confusion. “Could it be that you fancy someone romantically?”

It took a few seconds for the question’s implications to heavily sink into everyone’s minds like heavy-duty boots on fresh blankets of snow.

“E-e-e-e-ehhhh??” All three of you screeched out in a dissonance of shouts of disbelief. 

“W-W-what??”

“Himuro, what the hell?”

“N-N-NO GIRL WILL EVER LIKE ME AFTER ALL!...”

“I just had a feeling is all,” Himuro reassured, but if anything, it panicked you even more. “If you didn’t like anyone, then maybe it was just my imagination.”

This was it. You could easily deny everything with a “that’s ridiculous!” or “I would never!” or something of the sorts, but when you were about to rebuke Himuro for being so preposterous out of nowhere, all those words dissipated at the tip of your tongue.

“I… you…” you started, mouth leaden with meekness as 3 pairs of eyes, all shining with anticipation, were on you. “Himuro… you, uh—ugh! You’re right… I guess I do… like someone…”

“HEEEEEEEEEE…!” Okamura bursted into tears again. “Why doesn’t anyone like me?”

“Oi, captain! Just get rid of your chin!” Fukui apathetically glanced at him before patting his back with mocking consolation, and Okamura only sobbed harder in response.

“So who do you like, if you don’t mind me asking?” Himuro gently interrogated further, leaning closer to your face to gauge your expressions. You knew that sly smirk meant that you weren’t going to be able to worm yourself out of this.

Damn it, why is he being so insistent about this?

You sighed. There was no turning back now… 

---------

“MURASAKIBARA???” everyone clamored around you. Chaos ensued once again when you timidly confessed your deepest secret, and as they all processed the new information in their own ways, you stared at your furred boots, praying for the snow to swallow you up whole and cleanly wipe away all traces of crimson hues from your face.

Okamura really lost it now, going into incoherent despair of never-ending questions of what Murasakibara had that he himself didn’t, while Fukui, for once, was not bullying the poor Yōsen captain but instead standing wide-eyed in shock at you. Himuro had been tilting his head with a finger to his temple, pondering about something that you knew, once again, was not going to turn out to be good news for you.

“Why don’t you confess to hi—”

“A-absolutely not!” At your outburst, Himuro furrowed his brows in utter confusion.

“Why not?”

“Himuro, are you crazy?” Fukui, barely recovering from his stupor, answered for you. “This guy has nothing but food in his brain!”

“Well… Atsushi could be like that most of the time, but—”

“Himu-kun,” you sighed. “Just forget about what I said a-alright?” Hearing them talk about how Murasakibara had nothing in his heart except for his snacks dashed your hopes in your prospective love life. “I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow.”

As you walked away from the boys, head down from either the cold or dejection (or perhaps both), they turned to each other with fierce glints in their eyes, almost reminiscent of the serious aura they gave before their Seirin match.

---------

“Okamura-san? You’re here alone?” You walked up to him before school after surveying that neither Fukui nor Himuro were in the near vicinity. “Well, I guess it’s still a bit too early for anyone to come.”

“Well, uh—” he stammered. “We all decided to individually help you in getting closer to the brat.”

“H-huh?”

“A-as captain, I must be the first one to offer advice from senior to underclass… man?”

You huffed in apprehension but you appreciated that your teammates cared enough to go out of their ways to help you in your love life. But you were afraid of what was in store for you. Very much afraid.

You really weren’t prepared for this unforeseen development.

“Um…”

“Uh, erm…” he stuttered. “R-right! I-if I had a girl who liked me, I’d hope for her to offer me a bento lunch, or maybe a love letter? Or ch-chocolates and a plushie if it was Valentine’s…”

“That… that’s cute and all Okamura-san, but…” you began, flustered. “But this is Mura-kun we’re talking about. He’d only be interested in the lunch and chocolates, but he wouldn’t think too much of a girl giving him free food.”

He instantly teared up, and from an outside perspective, he looked like he was being personally rejected by you.

“I-is that why I’m single?” he sniffed into his sleeve.

“N-no! That’s not it!” you comforted him. “Without a doubt, someone will come to love you one day! Be patient and keep pushing, Okamura-san!”

As you tried to pat his arms in consoling him, a certain looming purple-haired mop overshadowed you both.

“Chibi-chin? What are you doing?” He was munching on a bag of potato chips. “Oh?... Captain?” Both of you jumped out of your skins before leaping apart to provide distance from each other.

“Chibi-chin, I didn’t know you were close to him.”

“Th-that’s not!—” You stammered, but what were you going to say? 

Sorry, the captain and I were just talking about ways to fix my love life? 

Don’t worry, we’re just figuring out ways for me to get close to you? 

Sorry, but he, of all people, was helping me find out a plan to confess to you?

With every excuse you tried to concoct in your mind, your cheeks burned brighter and brighter.

Murasakibara didn’t miss the way you grew timid in his presence again and how you always seem to be so hesitant whenever you spoke with him. He sighed before shoving an non-frozen ice pop to your lips before walking past you.

“Better hurry up, Chibi-chin,” he drawled. “I’ll go look for Muro-chin.” With that he trudged away.

You held the mango-flavored pop in your hands. Wasn’t this his go-to flavor?

“Sorry I wasn’t able to help much,” he moped. He scratched the back of his head while looking at his feet.

“Okamura-san, I’ll be sure to keep your suggestion in mind!”

The warning bell echoed throughout the hallways. “I guess that’s the bell. Well, see you!” You both waved to each other before you went to your respective classes. You made sure to gulp down the pop before you went to your seat.

---------

“Himu-kun! Just what are you guys planning?”

“I don’t know what you’re implying, (l/n)-san,” he feigned, glancing at you glowering at your desk next to his.

“Mura-kun totally has the wrong idea! He probably has a horrible image of me now, and I’m never gonna make eye contact with him again—”

“Just because he saw you and Okamura together? Atsushi isn’t that dumb.” 

“But we never talked alone together until this morning!” 

You groaned as you opted to faceplant your desk and hoped for a catastrophe to hit Akita and take you out of your misery. At the very least, you hoped that the deities would spare you and fastforward time to the end of the school day, so you can scurry home with no further incident. With your chin still on the desk, you stared at the wall clock; it was still only morning break.

“If you can’t confess to him directly,” Himuro hummed. “Why not use pickup lines? They still get the point across.”

“The only reason why they work for you is because you’re popular yourself. All the girls fawn over you.” You then propped your head against your hand, nodding towards a close group of girls whispering and peeking at your—Himuro’s—desk seatings. “See?”

“They’re always like that, though. That doesn’t mean they’re interested in me like that.” You resisted the urge to groan again.

Himuro turned his attention to the back of the classroom (the action went unnoticed by a brooding you) to see an equally sulking Murasakibara, who had been staring holes at the back of your head ever since the start of class. A silent chuckle escaped his lips and his eyes twinkled with unabashed mischievousness.

“Himu-kun?” you looked out of the corner of your eyes.

“Hmm?” He turned to you before giving a smile that meant he was up to no good. You were about to question his motives before your mind went blank after he gently tousled your hair. “Don’t sweat about this so much, (l/n)-san.”

“Ah…” That was rather out of nowhere, but you figured he was trying to cheer you up. “T-thanks.” 

At that, you gave Himuro a tiny, genuine smile.

Himuro swore he sensed a drastic spike in hostility directed towards the back of his head.

---------

The gods must have really hated you, because today just felt like it was crawling by even slower than usual. 

It was barely lunchtime.

There was still a shower of drifting snowflakes outside, so everyone was still cramped up indoors filled with stuffy air of artificial heat.

You didn’t mind it that much; you were going to use the time to head over to the library to check out some books for your literature class. 

“Himu-kun, take care of my stuff until I get back, okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, sure.”

As soon as you stood up from your desk to leave, you noticed Murasakibara getting up from his own seat to head over towards you guys. In a panic, you made a bolt towards the door and slid it closed. 

Phew. You laid back against the door for a second to regain your composure before you strolled to your destination.

---------

“Atsushi,” Himuro greeted him.

“Hnnn.” He plopped onto the empty seat directly behind Himuro. 

“You’re making quite a harsh frown.”

“Che, I’m gonna crush you, Muro-chin,” he grumbled, furrowing his brows. Himuro lets out a soft chortle before reaching into his bag.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, Atsushi,” he replied. “But would you want some snacks? I brought extra.” His hand pulled out a pack of wafer cookies. Murasakibara immediately perked up.

“I’m gonna eat lots and lots~” he drawled, before taking a handful of cookies and throwing them haphazardly into his mouth.

---------

“(l/n)-san, I hast found thou.”

“Liu-san?” You turned your attention from the book to said person behind you. You were still idly thumbing the pages.

“I hast something to talk thee about.” 

When you found out a couple of weeks ago about why and how Liu started speaking like that, you honestly didn’t know whether to punch Fukui for pranking the poor 2nd year to speak old-fashioned Japanese or shake hands with said-prankster because that was a golden scheme.

“What is it?”

“Is it true that thou fancy Murasakibara?”

Okay, you’re definitely going to punch Fukui the next time you see him. No one else could’ve told Liu except him.

“H-h-huh? Not you too!” Your fingers halted on the held book.

“If thou like him, why don’t thou grant him dinner?” he inquired, tilting his head slightly.

Well, that’s not a terrible idea but… 

“I would, Liu-san, but I don’t think he’ll see that as a romantic action. Food is food to him.”

“That’s a shame,” he bowed his head. “Sorry that I canst not grant thou much help. I wish thou good luck on thy endeavors.”

“Thank you, Liu-san,” you gave him a smile and a returned bow. “I’ll keep your words in mind.”

He gave a chagrined smile of his own before he left you to your own devices.

---------

Finally, the dismissal bell echoed throughout campus. You were flouncing around with newfound determination to catch a certain snitch in one of the class-3 rooms. Sure enough, an ash-blonde haired student casually strolled out of his classroom before he bumped into a bloodthirsty you.

“Gah! You?—”

“Yeah, me,” you narrowed your eyes at him. You lowered your voice into a harsh whisper. “You told Liu about this ordeal? Who else did you gossip this to?”

“Ack—no one! I swear! I just told Liu because I figured he had some solid advice! He hasn’t told anyone, I made him swear to keep quiet!” He immediately begged for forgiveness, putting his hands up together in a plea with his head bowed. You sighed. 

“I guess it can’t be helped,” you muttered. “He said to take Mura-kun to dinner, but that just falls into the category of ‘food.’”

“But isn’t there a saying of ‘getting to the stomach to get to their heart?’ It definitely applies to him without a doubt.”

“So what’s your idea, Fukui-kun?” You huffed, crossing your arms. “Let’s get it over with. Everyone has been trying to give me some type of suggestion today and I figured that was your ‘plan’ from the get-go.”

“Alright, let’s walk out of the building to the gate while we talk and while the weather is still manageable.” 

---------

“I’m sorry, say that again?”

“Why don’t you say some jokes or puns to get a laugh out of him?”

“I know you’re a pranking type of guy, but you can’t be serious right now.”

“What? You wanted to get close to him, right? Friends get each other to crack up.”

“Ugh.” You slapped your mittened hands against your face and leaned your head back to stare at the dreary sky, a perfect portrayal of the inevitable doom you’re going to have to face. 

Gods, please don’t torture me any further like this.

---------

“Muro-chin? Is that Chibi-chin and Fuki-chin?” Murasakibara stops to stare at the pair.

“Huh, I didn’t know they were still here,” Himuro said, trailing closely behind the titan. 

“He’s bothering Chibi-chin, Muro-chin,” he scowled. “I’m gonna crush him.”

“Atsushi,” Himuro hurriedly interrupted. “We’re already taking a detour to the convenience store to get your umaibo sticks… If we stay here any longer, then we’ll be forced to walk straight home instead because of the weather.”

“Hmph.” Murasakibara reluctantly turned away from you two in favor of a prospect of having boxes of snacks in his arms.

Himuro gazed at the pair before he caught up with Murasakibara. 

He’ll be damned if he can’t get you and Mura to at least see heart to heart with each other.

---------

“Thanks Fukui-kun, but your suggestion sounds flimsy at best,” you sweatdropped. 

“There’s also the saying of ‘don’t knock it until you try it,’ (l/n)-san,” Fukui retorted. He had a sullen look from having his idea immediately shot down. The two of you continued to walk out of the school gates in awkward silence before you gave in.

“Fine, fine, sheesh,” you sighed. “I’ll… think about it… Happy?”

“Yes!” He whooped and pumped a fist to the air.

---------

Even though the snow let up today, there was still a frigid chill in the air, especially since it was still the morning, but you willed yourself to wake up earlier to prepare to finally confess and just get it over with before Murasakibara figured something was up. You could tell that he had already been suspicious of your behavior, after all.

Your school bag was beyond bulky to carry, drawing attention from other curious onlookers as you trudged yourself (and your cumbersome bag) to Yōsen.

7 a.m. should be early enough right?

All you have to do is wait until Murasakibara shows up, do your confession, and then book it. 

Easy. Very easy. So easy that even Fukui could do it. Very easy, quick, easy… easy… NOT easy, NOT EASY—

You took an exaggerated inhale to gulp in as much cold air as possible. You couldn’t back out now. Otherwise you’d look like a fool carrying around a big bundle for no reason. 

You glanced at the time. 7:39? Had time passed by so quickly? Why couldn’t the deities do this yesterday?

Before you drown yourself in your pitying thoughts and what-ifs, you noticed your grapehead crush waddling near you, lazily blinking away the last remnants of sleep.

“M-Mura-kun!”

“Ohh? Chibi-chin…” He turned towards you as you rushed to him, eyeing the huge bag on your shoulder. 

“I have something important to tell you!” Okay, here goes… 

He continued to stare down at you, curious to see you fumbling through your bag and muttering “you got this” and “it’s okay” to yourself. He tousled your hair, causing you to still your hand and short-circuit whatever cohesive plans you had in your head for this moment.

“I-i-i-i—what are you doing?”

“Yesterday you said that your head gets cold a lot, Chibi-chin.” Well, that, but he was trying to elicit the same smile you gave to Himuro after he comforted you the same way.

“A-ah, well, it’s not as cold today!... so…”

Ah, he only made you furrow your brows more. Did he make you even more upset?

His hand was still on your head before you gently pried it off. He frowned.

You took a huge breath and exhaled, leaving a warm, puffy trail of translucent mist behind. 

And he thought you looked prettier than usual like that, your hair slightly disheveled from his touch… and your scarf, earmuffs, and hat making you look fuzzy… with a veiled mist framing you like a picture… 

“Mura-kun,” you breathed out, once again letting a hazy cloud escape from your lips. You approached closer, tugging on his sleeve to get his attention.

“Hnn?” He really should be paying attention, considering the fact that this was the first time in a while that he got to speak alone with you.

“H-h-here!” you took his sleeve and shoved something soft (and fuzzy too, coincidentally?) into his arms and he gazed down to see a… large, fluffy plushie? He examined the bear with a childish wonder before he noticed a small card attached to it. 

His heart beating uncharacteristically fast, he gingerly opened the card:

Are you a doughnut, because I find you a-dough-able. ♡︎

A boyish smile creeped its way onto his face.

“W-w-wait, and…” you stuttered, already losing confidence. “While I think that you’re already a Mura-snacki-bara… I would still, um, take? you and me? out to eat… together?” At “you and me,” you lamely pointed at Murasakibara and yourself to make it really obvious. You’re cringing at your own ineptitude to be smooth about this.

You then embarrassingly took out a handful of coupons for different stores and fast food restaurants and waved it to his face frantically before you shoved them in his hands.

“And… and… u-u-um—I like you—I like you very much!”

Murasakibara now has the biggest shit-eating grin plastered across his face, his eyes shining with utter joy. 

“Chibi-chin… you really feel that way about me?”

At his question, you hid your face behind your hands, bracing yourself for rejection.

“Oiiiiii, Chibi-chin,” he whined, bending down to gently pry your hands off your face. He stared intently at your face even as you averted your eyes.

“You’re as red as strawberry jam.”

“H-h-hey!—”

And he kissed you.

---------

“Told you that Atsushi likes her back.”

“Move, gorilla! Your butt chin is in the way!”

“Thou should'st get rid of thy sideburns too.”

“HEEEEE…! Why is everyone so mean? How are the 1st years getting more attention and popularity than me?...”

“Shut up.”

“Keep silent.”

---------

“I thought you liked Okamura, Chibi-chin.” 

“Eh?”

You were walking hand in hand with Murasakibara to the nearest convenience store for his daily supplement of umaibo sticks.

“You were huddling up to him and being red the other day.” He turned away, pouting. 

Oh. Ohhhhhh.

“Atsu-kun, you dummy,” you giggled. “The team found out I liked you, so they were trying to help me.”

“Ehhhh?”

“Actually, I—uh, used a combination of all their ideas when confessing to… you.” It was your turn to turn away, your index finger scratching your cheek shyly.

“Hmph, Chibi-chin~” He tugged on your arm, his voice clearly filled with relief. “I’m hungry.”

“Yes, yes, Atsu-kun.”

Maybe having nosy Yōsen team starters wasn’t so bad.

Maybe having the deities being so fickle with your days wasn’t so bad either.

And maybe the weather in Akita wasn’t so bad if you could always cuddle up to Murasakibara’s side from now on.