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akaashisupremacy · 4 years

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Chasing Springtime (Winter)

Tsukki x fem!reader/Oc

Summary: Kei Tsukishima, now in college, is still not very good at feelings. How can he ask a childhood friend if she has feelings for him too?

Notes: Kaori Miyahara is an original character, but readers are free to put themselves into her shoes! This is my first fic and I love museums. There will be more chapters to come and let me know if you have any feedback.

Read the other instalments Chap.1 (Ao3) || Chap. 2 (AO3) || Chap. 3 (A03) || (A03) || Chap. 5 || Chap. 6||

Winter || Sendai City || Dec. 31 2018

Akiteru Tsukishima passed by the Rouge Sweet Shop before he headed to the Sendai train station. Today was a Saturday and one of the last days of the year. The streets were buzzing with activity despite the cold winter morning and people were traveling left and right to go home for the New Year.

As he exited the store and stepped foot on the next corner, he heard a familiar voice paired with clacking of boots on cobblestone streets. He discreetly peeked from the corner of the alley to find his brother, Kei Tsukishima with a young woman beside him.

“I’ve never been here before. It’s closer to the station than I thought,” said Kei.

Akiteru took a quick peek at his companion. Her face was hidden by Kei’s tall and broad frame. He could see the outline of her dark blue coat and heeled boots. Her frame was long and lean and her hand rested on the crook of his elbow.

With his back still pressed against the wall, Akiteru stood in astonishment. Who was this woman that his brother was seeing? How did they meet? Did they meet perhaps through work? Maybe she was from the press or an organizer or maybe a model?

It could be Kaori Miyahara, their former next door neighbor whom Kei went to the same school with. Besides his best friend Tadashi Yamaguchi, he spent most of his time with her before she left the prefecture. Kaori was pretty enough, granted she looked a bit homely the last time he remembered her. However this woman, although he could barely see her, was much more sophisticated.

Scuttling to the station to make his train, he continued wondering who this mystery woman could be. He would not be able to ask his brother. Kei would kill him for being nosy.

The next morning Kaori walked up to the ticketing booths just as Tsukki barely arrived. Today was January first. They were headed to the suburbs for their own separate festivities. Tsukki was scheduled to spend the day in his family home and Kaori was going to the temple with Hitoka Yachi.

“What time are you meeting Yachi at the temple again?” he asked while she was filling up her train card.

“9:30 I think.” she said, slipping her bill onto the machine.

“I’ll stay at the station with you until she arrives. We’re leaving quite early.” he offered.

The train station was similarly crowded as the day before. People flocked to and fro heading to visit temples with their friends and family as was customary for the first day of the year. Kaori was not particularly religious, but many establishments were closed so Yachi suggested they do a visit and spend the rest of the day at her home.

Kaori had switched out her usual dark blue trench coat for a warmer black army jacket.

“Are you excited to be heading home?” she asked him. Tsukki could be indifferent to his family. He was not as close to them as she was with her mother.

He shrugged his shoulders underneath his heavy coat, “I’m alright. Honestly, they’ll probably just ask nii-chan if he found a girlfriend yet.”

They walked towards their platform together. Kaori tapped her leather boots on the platform. She wore extra socks today because she was going to be outdoors for the morning.

“Do they ever ask you if you’ve found someone?” she looked at him curiously.

“Not really, I think they’re more concerned about my brother because he’s older. He’s handsome and friendly and everybody likes him so they wonder why he’s single.“

Growing up his brother had always been the family’s golden boy. Akiteru was smart, athletic and good-looking. Everybody liked him. Tsukki admired him more than anyone else.

“Maybe he's seeing someone but he just isn’t saying” she said raising her brows, her eyes wide at him.

“It is none of my business.” he yawned. Tsukki didn’t like it when Akiteru pried. He didn’t care what his brother did in his spare time either. Mid-yawn, he remembered something in his coat pocket.

“Speaking of which,” he pulled a white envelope out of his coat and handed it to her. “Here.”

Tsukki stood, waiting for her reaction. He was calm on the outside but his heart was pounding. His hands were scrunched inside his pocket.

“What’s this?” she asked, inspecting the sealed envelope. In all his excitement, he forgot to tell her what the envelope contained. No wonder she looked confused.

“It’s for you - my kohaku. You can use it as scratch paper for your temple visit. It’s probably not any good.” he rambled sheepishly, looking away as she tried to meet him in the eye.

Kaori looked startled. The written confession was at least half a year late. Why now? She turned to Tsukki, who was flustered and trying to hide his blushing cheeks by raising his coat collar. She reached out to try to touch his cheek. He swatted her hand away.

Kaori had started her goodbyes with a few close friends the other week and by Friday, everyone knew she was moving at the end of the semester. Her classmates had begun leaving her presents - letters, trinkets, photos. During their only semester in High School, Kaori told herself that she would tell Tsukki about her leaving during their lunch break if he had left anything on her desk for her.

The two of them had grown apart and Tsukki hadn’t bothered to carve out any time for her. He was always busy, busy, busy. It was like he had put their friendship on hold. Kaori’s invites had been rejected so many times that she no longer wanted to initiate spending time together.

When she arrived at school on her last day, it took all her willpower to stop herself from running to her desk. Walking over to her seat, she saw nothing. He had left her nothing.

She knew it had been silly to hope of course, but she couldn’t help herself. She was clearly desperate for any gesture from him. She would’ve settled for anything. They’ve barely spoken in weeks. He was caught up with his new team and he must have forgotten her. A goodbye present would give them a chance to talk, for her to say goodbye but there was nothing. The whole situation made her feel like he was pushing her away.

Now she had a letter from him - something she had wanted to receive from him before she left. She didn’t know how to feel now that she actually had it.

“When was the last time you’ve visited a temple and used a scratch?” she asked, laughing at his attempt to hide his face.

“Are you actually nervous?” she teased, raising a brow while holding the letter with one hand, “Well you shouldn’t because it’s too late to reject your letter.”

He explained to her that he had meant to give it to her during the summer, but they had the argument in her apartment so he didn’t need it anymore. Kaori honestly would have still liked to have received it especially since he had already written it out.

“I was about to throw it out, but then I decided to just give it to you since it’s sealed. You can read it later.” he said, taking the envelope and sliding it into her bag.

Kaori was trying to cover her mouth as she giggled at him. She rarely saw him so flustered. Their train arrived and he pulled her into the carriage. Kaori managed to find a seat. Tsukki stood in front of her as the train trudged on back to his hometown.

Her mind wandered back to their first Sunday after her birthday. They were visiting another museum, casually walking in between hallways when Tsukki brought up some questions.

“Can we call this a date?” he asked, leaning back into his heels casually with his hands in his pockets.

Kaori tensed up. She looked left and right, any place away from his eyes. She forgot about re-labelling their Sundays. In fact, she hadn’t even thought about any of the changes that might happen in their relationship after he confessed.

“We can still call it a field trip. It’s okay.” Reading that she was not ready for the conversation, he gave her an out. She stood awkwardly beside him, visibly uncomfortable and in deep thought.

“Kaori, you don’t have to reciprocate. You know that right? If you don’t like me that way, it’s okay. I’ll take the time that we have. You’re my best friend. It’s more important to me that we spend time than be in a romantic relationship.” he nodded softly.

Kaori remembered feeling astonished. In her other relationships, the boys were always asking for her answers, her affection, her thoughts. Tsukki only asked for time. She guessed that because he has their friendship he didn’t need romance to be around her.

“Except for the moving away from Miyagi part. I’ll only move with you if we’re together.” he clarified, “I’m not a martyr.”

“Really?” she perked up, “You wouldn’t be upset if I can’t love you back?”

“But you do love me back,” he nodded genuinely, “It may not be romantically, but I believe you do.”

Kaori did love him. She thought about how she would deal with things if she was the one who was clearly in love with him while he was unsure. Would she still want to spend her free time with him?

“Yeah, I do.” she murmured.

He was still her best friend even if he was with someone else, that wouldn’t change. She would find a way to get over him. She would definitely still go out her way to see him, particularly because she didn’t know if they would still see each other if she moved away again. Making the most of their time would be her priority too.

“Can we keep calling this a field trip for now?” asked Kaori before they entered the first gallery, “I need more time.”

“Of course,” he said, “Just be sure when the time comes that you don’t play with my feelings. I don't want you to hurt me.” His voice gave away a sliver of vulnerability. There was no trace of disappointment in his face, just acceptance and an overwhelming sincerity.

Kaori nodded while heading into the exhibit hall, “Let’s go.”

｡★ 🎀 ------------------------------------------------------------ 🎀 ★｡

While their mother was preparing the New Year dinner in the Tsukishima household, Akiteru found himself hostage to his parents’ favorite pastime.

“Akiteru, you should be considering your future more. Find a girl to settle down with. You’re almost thirty.” said the boys’ mother. His father brooded over the conversation behind his newspaper.

Akiteru loved his parents, but he wanted to excuse himself any time his parents brought up marriage. He was ready to switch the topic when his younger brother entered the dining room to get some water from the sink.

“You should really have started bugging when I was younger Okasan,” he turned towards his younger brother, “You should set up Kei with someone. Wouldn’t want him almost thirty and still single like me.”

“How did I get involved in this conversation again?” sighed Kei, turning to his mother and older brother who were on the dining table slicing vegetables. Their father lowered his paper in interest.

Akiteru had his chin on the back of the chair, looking fairly mischievous. Although Akiteru was five years older than Kei, it didn’t always feel like he was the older brother.

“Do you want us to help you find someone too?” his mother asked him sincerely, putting down her knife and wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

Kei tried to keep his composure. “No, thank you. As you may know, I’m still in school. I would rather study than date.” he shot his brother a cold look, sarcasm ringing in his voice.

“I think Onii-san’s case is more urgent,” he added, glaring at Akiteru who was grinning widely while he chopped up some cabbage.

“You should start dating.” suggested Akiteru, “It becomes harder to meet people once you’re working.”

Kei had enough. This was as much as he could take from his family.

“I’ll be in your room.” sighed Kei, walking back. “I think you should be more concerned about yourself.”

Akiteru could hear Kei lock his door.

While Tsukki was busy hiding from his family at home, Kaori was on her way back to the city after a day with Hitoka. She stepped into the train and immediately sat down onto the heated seats, delighted to beat the winter chill out of her bones. It was past dinner time and the train was rather empty. The city had been so crowded in the past few days. The near empty train coach was a nice change of pace.

The train left the station and shuttled along into the night. Tsukki sent a message with a photo of the moon from his window.

Tsukki: The moon is out tonight. It’s really pretty.

Kaori looked out into the night sky. The moon was bright and full. It looked like a disc hung among the stars.

Kaori: It is. Would be a great night to just watch it and drink some hot tea.

He sent her a piece called Moon-Spotting by Belle Chen. Kaori had heard of the piece, but she could not find herself attracted to it because she found the voiceover distracting.

“The voiceover is from the NASA archives. You should listen to it. Like sit down and really hear it out.” he suggested.

The piece opened with a piano improvisation that mimicked the twinkling of stars hung in the night sky followed by the voice of a man spoken through a speaker with plenty of white noise, “An ancient legend says that a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o there for 4000 years… “

“…it seems she was banished to the moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband

You might also look for her companion. a large Chinese rabbit standing on its hind legs in the shade of a cinnamon tree….

The name of the rabbit has not been reported…over…”

The recording finished and the piece ended with a variation of the opening. The piece was serene, sweet and with a hint of melancholy. She found herself smitten.

The piece was an obvious reference to the two of them. Chang-o was Kaori, who was Chinese while the moon referred to Kei. “Tsuki” in Tsukishima was the Japanese word for moon. He had gone through her favorite musician’s discography and found an ode to her, a small gesture in celebration of their first evening of the year.

Kaori: Banished is a harsh word.

Tsukki: You used to feel like being here was like a punishment tho.

She chuckled a bit to herself. Remembering his letter in her bag, she took the piece of paper out of its envelope and began reading it. Tsukki had demurred from her reaction to it. She almost forgot about it.

The letter was rather short, which disappointed her a bit because she liked long letters. To his credit it was direct and earnest. One of the excerpts read:

“When I was younger, I didn’t really mind that you didn’t return my affections. It was enough for me to admire you and for you to let me be around you. I wanted you to be happy. I’d prefer that over you being stuck with me.

If you can’t love me back, as long as you’re in Miyagi and you keep Sundays for our museum trips, I’ll be okay. You won’t be back here forever so give me this time.“

Reading his letter reminded Kaori how scared she was to lose their friendship when he first confessed. They had associated much of the happiness with each other during Junior High that it felt like a waste to just risk it and possibly end their friendship.

Still she was warming up to him. She couldn’t deny her growing attraction to him. Although he remained indulgent, tactful and whiny, he had also grown handsome, articulate and more athletic. He could be more enthusiastic, truth be told, but there was no replacing his sinceri with her. Even when he tried to hide it, she easily sensed his unabashed devotion to her.

Kaori placed her headphones back on. She played Moon-Spotting again and reread the letter.

｡★ 🎀 -------------------------------------------------------------- 🎀 ★｡

The new year came and went which meant the two athletes were back in their training regimen.

Kaori heard a light banging on their gymnasium door. The rhythmic team had their own gym to practice and it was far from the newer and fancier gyms she used to have at camps when she competed in elite. Nevertheless it was good enough to be considered home for her university years.

“It’s open!” she said, tapping the door to find Tsukki just outside.

Practice ended some time ago and most of the team had cleared out of the gym. Kaori and a couple of juniors who competed as individuals had opted to stay behind to brainstorm their next season’s music choices. Although Kaori occasionally competed in team events too, she mostly competed in the individual events with a few other girls.

Kaori had on her varsity jacket with her usual training attire composed of compression shorts and a fitted shirt. Tsukki quickly stepped foot into the gym and closed the door shut. Her clothes looked freezing.

“Is it really ok for me to be here?” he asked discreetly. Kaori had invited him the other day to drop by and see some new routines in the works.

“Well, since Coach isn’t here the rules are more lax.” she winked.

She gestured at two other similarly dressed team members bent over their phones and speakers on the floor.

“Kanako! Yuki! This is Tsukishima, he went to watch our competition last month.” she announced, putting away her jacket on a bench.

“Oh, are you the one that brought in a team to cheer for Kaori? Nice to meet you. I’m Yuki.” said the girl dressed in a white Nike shirt.

“That was actually my vice-captain. He saw me sneaking out after the game and decided to drag some of our team with him.” he apologised sheepishly, “Apologies for the ruckus.”

“Don’t be sorry. We love a good crowd! We’re sure Kaori appreciated the applause.” Kanako grinned slyly at Kaori.

Kaori didn’t seem fazed by Kanako, “They knew where to clap too! I really hate it when people clap during the quiet parts of my routine.”

She joins her two friends on the mat and hands her phone to Yuki.

“Anyways, we’re experimenting with different pieces of music for next season. I’m playing around with stuff for my hoop music. I might just get an exhibition routine I can perform for non-competition events because I have lots of music I like that aren’t good for competition.” said Kaori, playing with the hoop around her waist while Yuki sets her phone up with the black speakers on the floor.

“How about you show him our strongest frontrunner?” suggested Yuki, “The soundtrack from the Last Emperor suits you so well. Then after that, I wanna go next. There’s something I want to try.”

Kaori scrambled to a different part of the floor and waited for Yuki to signal her before she got into her starting pose. Kanako whispered to Tsukki that they hadn’t stitched the music together yet so Yuki would jump from one piece to another. The music was in part composed of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Rain” and the “Endroll” of the film, which sounded like a summary of the film’s music. Yuki would fast forward some parts while signaling to Kaori on when to stop and continue. The cuts were jarring.

The Last Emperor was a film about the last emperor of China named Pi Yu. It followed the deterioration of his imperial power from a “Son of Heaven” into a common man. The strings expressed his loss of power projecting a sad kind of fading grandeur.

Kaori was an earnest performer. She readily emoted and enlarged her movements when the music called for it. She was more subtle when the music softened. Her jumps were still light and crisp. There were parts of the soundtrack that were vast and imposing, yet her performance filled most of them with ease.

After she finished, she hopped over to her friends with her hands on her hips, “So there!”

“I like that the best.” nodded Yuki.

“I feel like I can throw myself into the music,” agreed Kaori.

“Tsukki, you’ve been really quiet. You usually have opinions on these kinds of things. Do you really have nothing to say?” Kaori asked, nudging him on his side.

“I’m not really a gymnast.” he said, neutrally.

“Never stopped you before,” she retorted, “Anyways, your opinion is still valid. Not everyone watching will have a strong gymnastics background either. There will be people in the audience like you.”

Kanako and Yuki widened their eyes at each other, trying not to giggle.

“That’s true, we respond differently from a routine of course, but we like to bounce it on non-gymnasts to gauge their reactions.” urged Yuki.

“The Last Emperor medley does suit you well…I just worry that it’s so big and grand. The horns sounded so full and heavy.” he said, carefully.

Kaori nodded as she mindlessly rolled her hoop around herself. “I worry about that too, that I won’t be able to fill the music. Sakamoto is such a big name too, I feel pressure to do his work justice because I’m passionate about his music.

“Kanako says that we can just sub out the really heavy bits of the recurring melody with a lighter version if it’s too much.”

“Other than that, I think it’s a good challenge for you. You handled Sakura, Sakura pretty well. This is bigger and darker. If you’re working towards your performance, this piece should be a good choice.”

“True! I love the piece too! I get goosebumps just listening to it.” said Kaori brightly. She handed the chord for the speakers to Yuki, who was already busy looking through her playlist.

“We’ll take the extra space there.”

Kaori led Tsukki to the back of the mat far away from the part Yuki was settling herself into.

“Actually I have another piece I want to show you. It’s too short for a competition piece, but maybe I can use it for fun events.” she said, handing him her phone and speaker.

Kaori tried out a couple of starting poses before cueing him to start the music. The twinkling opening notes of Belle Chen’s “Moon-Spotting” fills his ears. His eyes widen, mouth slightly ajar. She winks at him as the voiceover from the NASA archives reporting about a girl on the moon interpolates with softly played piano music.

“An ancient legend says that a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there for 4000 years…” the voiceover announces. Kaori spins with her leg extended back and the hoop around her body.

“It seems she was banished to the moon because she stole the pill of immortality from…her husband…” she throws her hoops at the word “moon” and catches it when the voice trails off.

Tsukki stood in astonishment as Kaori danced her way through the piece. The music did not have the usual highs and lows. The voiceover was also in English, a language not many people were good with in Japan.

“So what do you think?” she said, taking her phone back.

He was quiet.

“I…mmm…” he managed to mumble.

Tsukki did not know how to react .

“Your jumps are still kind of low,” he said, crossing his arms and lowering his eyes.

Kaori rolled her eyes and impatiently tapped her foot, “Come now, that wasn’t what you were going to say a minute ago.”

Tsukki swallowed before he spoke, “I like it. I really like it.” Kaori rejoiced internally at having Tsukki own up.

They both looked away for a minute. Kaori sensed that he was a little overwhelmed and surprised by her gesture. She accepted that that was the most reaction she’d get out of him for now. Sighing deep down, she wished he was more expressive at times.

Tsukki changed the topic.

“Can you still do the flexible back thing where you catch the ball?” he asked.

“Yeah! Now it’s just a fun party trick, but I don’t compete with it anymore. It strains my back too much.” she said, tossing the ball up in the air towards him.

Tsukki’s reflexes alerted him to the direction of the ball. He lunged to the right and dug the ball out with a gentle underhand serve. The ball went up. Kaori caught it with her back folded against her hind.

“See?” she said, with a twinkle in her eye. She put the ball back down and bowed.

Tsukki laughed. Kaori smiled. It was one of the few tricks she did that elicited a reaction out of him when they were younger. He’d pretend to be unimpressed with the skills she had picked up, but when she threw this one out, he couldn’t hide his amazement and smile.

“It’s still so crazy to me how you can do that.” he said, shaking his head.

“If you didn't spend all your time at school and volleyball maybe you could’ve learned it too.” she smiled, bouncing the ball on her sternum and catching it with her palm. She bounced it on her chest up high.

Before Kaori had the chance to catch the ball again, Tsukki jumped up, casting a huge shadow over her and spiked the ball down. The ball she used was lighter than a volleyball. Nevertheless a forceful sound reverberated through the gym causing Yuki and Kanako to turn their heads.

“I’ll be fine.” he smirked, “Gives me more reason to come to your competitions.”

Yuki and Kanako were still finishing up when Kaori and Tsukki headed out. Tsukki was back in his casual wear while Kaori was still outfitted in her varsity windbreaker.

“My brother thinks I’m dating a model,” he murmured, “heard him asking about the type of people I meet as part of being a pro-player.”

“Are you?” she piqued, looking up at him teasingly.

“Would you count yourself as a model?” he asked.

“Not really,” she shrugged.

“I’m too short to be a proper model. Or does he cluster everyone shorter than him into one category of height?” she asked, linking their elbows together as they walked out of the school campus.

“I think you were in heels when he caught us,” he thought carefully.

Just before they went their separate ways home, he slid his hand down to hold hers. Tsukki cupped her cheek and briefly planted a kiss on the top of her head. Kaori smiled. It took Tsukki months to get comfortable with any form of public affection. Now that he was finally comfortable she felt like the affection he gave her doubled.

Tsukki looked up from the kiss and saw his brother across the street, staring right at him with his mouth ajar.

｡★ 🎀 --------------------------------------------------------------- 🎀 ★｡

At the end of their museum trip where Tsukki asked if they considered them to be dating, she asked about their plans for the next weekend.

“Can we go to The Spot on our next Sunday?” Kaori asked him.

Tsukki thought about her question for a bit before he answered, “Sure, but it’s a bit far and we’ll have to walk most of it…”

He kept listing the inconveniences involved, but all Kaori really heard was the word “sure”. She had been wanting to go back since her first year and the chance has finally arrived. She felt a buzz of excitement.

The bushes had been left to grow tall and the patch of grass that guests they had flattened out from visiting regularly was long gone, still the view was amazing and the summer wind remained cool. She stretched her arms while the breeze ruffled her hair and her short, orange summer dress. Her dress seemed a bit short for the temperature but she didn’t mind too much.

Tsukki positioned himself under the shade of his favorite cherry blossom tree and began reading a book on his phone. As soon as he laid down, she was sure he would be asleep in minutes. Taking out two bottles of tea from her bag and a small container of cookies, she had eventually placed herself beside him while she did her crossword puzzles. The long travel there was definitely worth it.

The afternoon sun was still high in the sky casting short shadows onto the ground in the shape of the leaves and branches. Kaori laid down to look at the komorebi. This was one of her favorite parts about the spot. When she stood, she could see the entire city from where she was. When she was down, she had a full view of the surrounding trees and the sky. It felt so long ago since they last laid side by side.

Tsukki had rolled over to her side and pressed his head onto her left shoulder like he used to do when they were younger. He had longed to clasp her hand but had been too afraid to actually touch her. This was his compromise. He had contented himself this way.

Towards the end of Junior High, Tsukki would do this gesture more and more often. Despite knowing what it probably meant, Kaori had pretended to not notice. She had known knew that she would have to move away soon and she had wanted to keep their relationship the way it was. Goodbyes would already be difficult as they are.

At that time she was also aware that her parents might divorce. Her home life could be tumultuous and her gymnastics career was rather stressful during her season. School and her time with Tsukki had been was her slice of peace. He had made her happy. She did not want to upset him by telling him she was leaving or directly saying that she did not reciprocate his affections.

Kaori turned sideways too and nuzzled his head on her neck. Resting her chin on the top of his head, she closed her eyes and pursed her lips. Her gesture felt simultaneously awkward and filled with warmth and pleasure. He hesitantly put an arm around her waist. He didn’t draw her near. Instead his hand sat on the fabric of her dress. They laid still with the wind ruffling their hair. She could feel him melt under her touch.

Kaori had been shivering from the gusts of wind that had been was blowing all around. With her eyes still closed, she felt Tsukki shuffle a bit to take off his denim shirt and wrap it around her back (he still had a long white sleeved shirt on). The denim was still warm from his body. His scent calmed her down. In a few minutes she was asleep.

Tsukki felt drowsy, but he forced himself to stay awake. He didn't know how long her arms would be around him. It would pass by all too quickly if he let himself sleep. Keeping still, he let himself stay buried in her neck as she slept beside him under the shade of the tree.

When she began to rouse, he dreaded her pulling away. They returned to reality and he would have to let go now. He knew she was awake but did not move. He didn't mind. Anything to make the moment last just a little longer.

Kaori’s arm had begun to feel numb. She had pulled her arm back to readjust herself. Tsukki had clung back onto her, re-burying his face onto her neck.

“Can we stay like this just a few more minutes?” he mumbled, holding onto her waist.

His request caught her by surprise. For as long as she had known him, Tsukki reveled in looking tall and intimidating. Even when he was asking to spend time with her, he would act like it was her idea to do so, thus maintaining his facade of indifference.

“Ok, let me just readjust my arm.” she said, relaxing her left arm and looping her right around his neck. Her hands carefully played with the locks of his hair, moving back and forth at the back of his head. He sighed in contentment.

After what felt like an eternity with Tsukki’s head on her chest, Kaori sat up to read. Her legs were stretched before her with her knees bent ever so slightly to accommodate Tsukki’s head. After napping in her arms, he has now decided to put his head on her lap. She was worried that if she straightened her legs, his head would roll off her lap see under her short orange dress where she would accidentally flash him and therefore ruin the moment. She was half-tempted to take the denim shirt he had put around her back to cover her legs.

Exhaling loudly, she thought she would never be able to recover from that kind of humiliation. She would have banned him from all her competitions to cope. Luckily, he didn’t seem to hear her sigh because he had his headphones on.

Moving her book subtly, she looked at him as he guided her fingers through his hair. Although Tsukki rarely asked anything from her, lately he would knock his hand against hers and bump her shoulders when they walked. It was like he was craving for a semblance of touch.

They didn’t talk much all afternoon. It was if they were afraid to break the spell they had fallen under. However the weather was beginning to cool and sunset would set soon. Their slice of silent paradise was ending.

“It’s a long way back.” murmured Tsukki, “We should leave in ten minutes.” He didn’t look at her as he talked. Instead, he began to play with her fingers with his left hand, while he held the book he was pretending to read with his right. He hadn’t turned the page of his book for 10 minutes. There was no way he was actually reading. Kaori couldn’t fault him. She hadn’t been reading either.

“Sure,” she nodded. In a passing moment of courage, she bent down to give him a kiss on his cheek. His eyes widened as she pretended to go back to reading. Her heart was racing, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him. It felt exhilarating to kiss him.

He put his book down and gently pulled her face back down to his. She pulled away getting ready to stand and said, “Ten minutes is up.”

“We don’t have to leave now.” he said, hastily sitting up and looking a little upset. Though she tried to look as unconcerned as she could on the outside, Kaori wanted to chuckle. He was so easy to rile up.

“We should go.” she insisted, feigned standing up, “It’s getting late.”

“We can stay another ten minutes.” he argued.

“Ok, ten more minutes,” she feigned her sigh, sitting back down beside him. Tsukki sat awkwardly beside her with his legs in front of his chest, not knowing what to do next. She was perfectly indifferent as she opened her book. He closely stared at her as if wishing something would just happen.

“What?�� she asked, turning towards him with her book in hand.

“Nothing,” he said, looking away pouting furiously with his brows furrowed.

“Alright, alright,” she put down her book and drew his face in for a chaste kiss on the lips. He smiled while pressing his forehead against hers, their noses barely touching. From the side of her eye, she could see him helplessly smile.

“So is this still a field trip?” he asked, cheekily.

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