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wintercovers · 7 years

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for @yanagay; tried to go for cute senior high with a dash of kin-chan and this is the result

“Hey,” Sakuno freezes, mid-conversation, mid-word, mid-breath. Ryoma’s voice is deep and too close to her ear and she needs warning for when he’s going to do such a thing. “Isn’t that my hoodie?”

Sakuno turns around, a no on her lips until she is able to note exactly how close Ryoma is to her. Too close for Sakuno to be the assertive girl she always wishes she could be. She swallows her no back down and has to turn back to the tennis court in order to answer him. She is meant to be better than this. This year, her newly seventeenth year, she was meant to change. It’s looking like it will take the year for her to change. “It’s Kin-kun’s,” Sakuno says.

And as if he could hear the conversation turning towards him Kintarou waves his racket in their direction from the court. “You promised, remember!”

Sakuno fists at the hem of the hoodie he loaned her. Tomoka elbows her in the side. Ryoma steps in to stand next to her at the fence and Sakuno can’t quite figure out if she’s uncomfortable because he’s too close or not close enough. Especially considering what it is she promised in exchange for the hoodie.

She takes a breath to compose herself. “Good luck Kin-kun!” She calls out, voice only wavering a little to betray the embarrassment she feels as people start turning in her direction. There are barely twenty people watching this spur of the moment pick-up game, but Sakuno feels like she’s under a spotlight when they all look her way. Four more well wishes to go.

She hopes Ryoma doesn’t get the wrong idea.

“How come you aren’t down there?” Tomoka cuts in front of Sakuno to talk to Ryoma, pointing down at the courts where a few other people are sitting around with rackets sitting between their knees. Sakuno wonders why she didn’t think the same thing when Ryoma first showed up. They’re only here because Tomoka heard about the pick-up games through someone in her Echizen Ryoma Fan Club group chat. Watching Ryoma play tennis was the only thing that got them out of their heated homes to brave to cold.

Tomoka promising to help Sakuno with the promise to herself to be assertive and brave is the entire reason Sakuno accepted Kintarou’s hoodie when he offered it to her because apparently, ‘just looking at you is making me cold’.

“I’m not allowed.”

Sakuno chuckles at Ryoma’s answer, the childishness in his tone enough to push her nerves to the side. She really needs to stop being nervous. She risks a peek because she can picture Ryoma’s face in her head but she wants to know if she’s right.

She is.

Sakuno has to cover a new bout of giggles with her hand. Ryoma frowns, his eyes seem to roam from where the sleeve of Kintarou’s hoodie drapes over the tips of her fingers then back up to her eyes, frown still in place. “I have a meeting next week and dad doesn’t want me injured before I go to it.”

Sakuno’s giddiness dims, her chuckles cease. “Good luck!” She calls out to Kintarou again, she doesn’t even know how he’s doing. She should care but she doesn’t. Meeting is what Ryoma called it, but Sakuno is fairly sure this is what her grandmother has been talking around for a few weeks now: Ryoma being offered a scholarship to an overseas university to play tennis. His needing to be uninjured for a meeting/, his actually following the advice… it has Sakuno thinking it’s the same thing.

This is why she needs to be brave, why she needs to be assertive. If she’s complacent in what she feels for too much longer Ryoma will be gone. Gone from her every day, gone from this city, gone from the very country in which she lives.

Sakuno shakes the thoughts away, the future is the future, now is now.

“Shame, Kin-kun would have liked to play you while he’s in town.” And it really is a shame, if Ryoma was on the court playing against Kintarou the game would be much better to watch. More entertaining. Some people enjoy a grossly one-sided match but Sakuno prefers the heart-stopping moments present only in a close game. Even when she’s the one playing she prefers it. Although, if Ryoma was down there playing Sakuno would feel a lot more conflicted about cheering for Kintarou.

Kintarou wins a point. It’s the first one Sakuno has really seen of this game, although it’s less Kintarou winning a point and more his opponent losing it. “This is easy Kin-kun, you’ve got this!” She almost feels bad for cheering, simply because it seems unnecessary. It takes a rare person to beat Kintarou in a match, and one of those rare people is standing next to her. “How come you came if you aren’t allowed to play?”

Ryoma looks at her, frowns at her— frowns down at the hoodie she’s wearing. Sakuno turns away, tugs at its hem, tries to pull it down although it doesn’t seem to want to stretch any further than halfway down her bare thighs. Her eyes track the wires of the wires of the fence but at the continued silence she casts her eyes back to Ryoma. Catches his eyes moving back up to her own. “Toyama wanted me to come. He said he had something for me.” Ryoma frowns again, this time at the embroidery across her left breast, then he turns away, seemingly lost in thoughts while following the ball down on the court. “I thought it was…” Ryoma trails off.

Sakuno chalks it up to him talking to himself but turns to Tomoka instead — her awkward, not quite wingman for the day — hoping for insight. Tomoka is usually her go-to when miracle of miracles she ends up messaging Ryoma. It’s harder to do the same thing in person and she might not have insight into Ryoma specifically but Tomoka’s far greater experience, with people in general, is what Sakuno is counting on to help.

Tomoka hunches her shoulders at Sakuno’s questioning look. Not much help at all in the end.

Sakuno wants to turn away, to give up for the day, to try something again on another day. Tomoka’s attempt to dress her to impress him have fallen to the wayside given the blustery cold and the subsequent wearing of Kintarou’s hoodie before she froze on the spot. Sakuno feels far more comfortable with the hoodie on than she felt earlier with half her body bared ‘to catch his attention’ with ‘something different’, but she also feels a little bad about how much time Tomoka spent planning the outfit for her — although Sakuno has to admit to herself that Tomoka’s clothing suggestions seemed a far better fit for a summer outing than one mid-January — and planning today for her.

Sakuno doesn’t think anything is going to come of it. It’s probably her fault. Her and Tomoka had been here first. Ryoma had approached them, approached her, chosen to watch the game by their side but then Sakuno is the one with no idea how to carry a conversation when nobody is aiding her and she hasn’t had adequate time to prepare herself in advance. Nothing of what they’ve barely talked about today has been a conversation she’s practiced in the dead of the night with Tomoka.

“He’s looking at you,” Sakuno looks to Ryoma who said it, who’s looking back but nods his head towards the court.

“Oh,” she says, “you’re amazing Kin-kun!” Kintarou stares a moment longer before serving. Yeah, even Sakuno can admit that one was weak. There’s nothing amazing about the way he’s playing in this match. If they were playing with different rules his opponent would have been chased from the court a while ago. As it is, it turns out this is the last point and Sakuno fell behind on cheering, fell through on her promise, Kintarou shakes his opponent’s hand and leaves the court stopping on the other side of the fence.

“Sorry,” Sakuno says when he stops in front of them.

Kintarou smiles, “I didn’t actually expect you to do it!” He laughs and Ryoma tenses beside her and Sakuno prepares for something to happen. Nothing does. “I’ll go get dressed and then we should get some food. If Koshimae’s not playing there’s not much point hanging around here longer.”

Kintarou runs back to the court side and Ryoma races around the fence to jump in and follow him. This is where something is going to happen, Sakuno is sure of it this time. She doesn’t get time to worry too much because Tomoka links their arms and walks them both to the court entrance as well. “We need to get a picture!” Tomoka says, “not everyone gets to hang out with Japan’s next best thing at the weekend. We could be famous, we’ll be in their biographies one day!” Sakuno ignores the words. Sure, a photo would be nice, but not necessarily for the reasons Tomoka is suggesting. Being president of Ryoma’s fan club for years on end with no end in sight is much more of a reason for Tomoka to be interviewed for his biography; if one were to even come.

Ryoma and Kintarou return. Arguing, as is usually the case. Sakuno doesn’t understand why when she thinks they have the potential to be actual good friends, but boys minds are not something she understands. She’s not sure anyone does.

“This one is mine!” Kintarou is saying, “see look at the size, it even has my name on the tag! That’s yours!” Kintarou points and in what seems to be slow motion Sakuno watches as both of them turn towards her. So slow is the motion, that she has time to see what they’re doing. Ryoma has Kintarou’s hoodie pulled down at the back collar, Kintarou’s hoodie, an exact replica it seems of the hoodie of Kintarou’s that she’s wearing now. In slow motion everything slides together: Ryoma frowning, the constant looks, of course they weren’t for her.

It had been so easy to believe the hoodie Kintarou had handed her was his own, the U-19 Japan stamped across her breast belonged only to him and a few others. What reasons would she have not to believe it was his own? He already has a boisterous personality, loud where Ryoma’s confidence is silent, she had thought his laughter at her sliding it over her head was because of the size, because he had convinced someone to cheer for him so he could look cool. No, no, no, all wrong. Kintarou had played her, had handed her Ryoma’s hoodie, to tease her, to annoy Ryoma, it doesn’t matter which.

Time speeds up and Sakuno’s face bursts into flame.

“It’s— I’m— Here!” She ends up on, none of her thoughts coming together into words. She can’t wear Ryoma’s hoodie. That’s too much, especially without his knowledge, without his permission. The thought of the warm embrace she’d been enjoying today coming from something of Ryoma’s is too much to handle without being prepared. She needs it gone.

Her hands pull up at the hem, her hair gets caught with it somewhere around her neck, the wind is catching at her skin and Sakuno wishes today had never happened. Why had she listened to Tomoka, why had she thought today might be different? At least at school, at tournaments, they have a set routine. This going out and dressing up — down? — specifically for Ryoma is where it had all gone bad. Pining is better than embarrassing herself in front of him by wearing his clothes.

“No!” Sakuno freezes, stops struggling to pull the hoodie from her tangled hair, stops contemplating ripping it out just to get this moment over with. “Keep it. It’s fine!” And in a turn of events completely unexpected, Ryoma pulls the hoodie back down slowly and even sets about trying to untangle her hair from the knot that’s formed. Tomoka probably has a brush on her, because she’s that type of person, but Sakuno would rather sit through Ryoma’s attempt to comb her hair back even if it’s still going to look like a mess afterwards.

Ryoma steps back, cheeks just a touch darker, from the cold or from her Sakuno will never know. She still feels like she’s on fire. Which is funny, now she has permission to wear the hoodie — Ryoma’s hoodie — she doesn’t even feel like she needs it.

“Keep it,” Ryoma says again. “For now, I’ll— I’ve been missing it for a few weeks now anyway,” he glares at Kintarou who only unleashes a smile warmer than the day, “a few more days is fine. I can pick it up some other time.”

Ryoma doesn’t glare this time, but he’s definitely looking at the hoodie again, his hoodie. He shakes his head and steps away, “I’m not going out to get food, though.”

“Koshimae!” Kintarou whines. “What’s the point of coming here if we don’t get to hang out and play!”

“You didn’t come here for me.” Ryoma answers. “I have things to do at home.” He continues walking.

Tomoka elbows Sakuno so hard in the ribs she winces and steps away from her. Sending a hurt look back at her friend Tomoka mouths an apology but points over her shoulder at Ryoma. “Follow him.” It’s said as whisper, but ends up harsh and loud and Kintarou laughs at it. Sakuno flushes even more because she didn’t need more people knowing about her hopeless crush and this is clearly more than enough for Kintarou to catch on.

“Yeah, go!” He laughs, “I think you wearing that had an effect!”

“Especially when it looks like you have nothing else on underneath!”

“That’s your fault!” Sakuno cries at her friend. “Who owns skirts this short? Who wears them in winter?” A silly question, because Tomoka, owner of skirts this short, is also a wearer of skirts this short in winter. “How are you not cold?”

“I can’t tell you,” Tomoka says, “that’s a part of the charm!” She winks and Kintarou laughs and Sakuno thinks only bad things can come from them being left alone together but she’s also been embarrassed enough for one day and staying with them is too much for her right now.

“I’ll bring your clothes to school tomorrow,” Sakuno says in farewell, rushing off immediately to chase after Ryoma before he gets too far away.

She does catch up, he offers her a silent greeting and they walk in silence. It could have been awkward, but compared to earlier, this is normal. Ryoma talks when he has something to say, and there’s not much for them to say now. In a couple of weeks there will be. Sakuno wants to know about his trial for university but she also knows it’s not meant to be public knowledge yet, she shouldn’t even know.

Sakuno wants to know where it is he’s going, what he plans to do, she wants to know if there's anything she can do to follow him without it being just to follow him. She doesn’t want to be that type of girl but she does want to challenge herself and watching after Ryoma all these years, being inspired by him and falling a little bit more in love with him in every moment they spend together is a challenge. Taking up tennis, trying to be more confident, making a habit out of asking to walk home with him when their schedules allow…

Ryoma makes the turn for Sakuno’s house on his own and Sakuno steps into place alongside him. The walk is too short. It had taken longer to get to the courts from Tomoka’s house. Sakuno wishes she lived further so that the moment could last longer, but she doesn’t, it doesn’t.

Ryoma doesn’t step past the gate to her house, so Sakuno takes the plunge to reach out and drag him up at least to the door. “Just wait,” she says, “I’ll give this back now in case I forget.”

“You’ve never forgotten anything,” Ryoma says, and Sakuno flushes from the compliment, but that’s not what she means here. Owning something this warm, this nice, of Ryoma’s, it would be easy enough to convince herself to conveniently forget she’s meant to give it back. Taking it off now is easier. “Why are you…” Ryoma doesn’t finish, just waves his hand at Sakuno’s de-hoodied outfit.

“Ah,” she really should have changed in her room and then come back down rather than taking off the hoodie in the genkan. “I stayed at Tomoka’s last night and she let me borrow some clothes.” Clothes being an optimistic term for what she has on. A tiny cut off cardigan, a top that barely covers the roundness of her chest — she’s still convinced the lace of her bra is hanging out the bottom — a bare midriff and a scrap of material Sakuno definitely wouldn’t call a skirt but that’s what Tomoka had called it.

“Right,” Ryoma is definitely blushing now. Sakuno might have enjoyed it were it not for being so exposed; because this is something new, something she hasn’t seen before. Her own self, able to make Ryoma blush. It’s nice, could be nice, if she could achieve it without being undressed. She has never even rolled up the skirt of her uniform. Her parents would never have let her out of her own house wearing these clothes and Sakuno wouldn’t want them to. “I’m not at school next week, but I’ll see you around after that.”

He waves, awkwardly. This is the closest he’s ever been to coming into her home and it’s like they’ve both suddenly realised it. He steps back and he’s at the gate before Sakuno braces herself for one final cheer, she was meant to do it five times in exchange for the hoodie. The first four had apparently been to the wrong person but she can right that wrong here.

“Good luck next week, you’ll do great and I hope you get it.”

Ryoma stops in his tracks, looks back at her. “You know?” Sakuno nods, expecting to be told off but instead gets a smile. “Thanks,” he says, bowing his head, “that means a lot. I always do well when you’re the one cheering me on.”

It’s too much. Too honest with the way he won’t meet her eyes as he says it.

Sakuno slams the door on the moment and collapses against it. She needs warning for when he’s going to do something like that.

#ryosaku #rse2016 #yanagay #this should have been up ages ago but the storms keep knocking out the power and phone lines ;;;;#meliae.fic

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