It is 7:15 AM and Kiyotaka Ishimaru is standing in front of Touko Fukawa's door.
They had planned on meeting for breakfast at seven. Seven. Seven-fifteen was a far cry from seven, and now Ishimaru himself was missing valuable time with his classmates to wake this girl up. It really wasn't fair, but if he was to be a good hall monitor, he must be willing to take responsibility for everyone, and that included the late ones.
He knocks, three sharp raps that echo around the hall. The door creaks open and Fukawa peeks around it, biting down on her thumbnail. "Good morning!" Ishimaru says, smiling brightly. "We are starting breakfast, and we would like you to come!"
"No you wouldn't," she mumbles around her finger. Ishimaru blinks.
"Of course we would like you to be in attendance! We're all in this together, are we not?" he asks, his smile slipping a bit as she shakes, whipping her head from side-to-side violently. Her braids fly out, and Ishimaru reaches forward in an attempt to calm her down.
She shrinks away from his touch, spit flying from her mouth as she yells for him to leave her alone. He lets his hands fall back to his sides, smile entirely gone from his mouth.
This is one situation where he does not know what to do. At least Oowada will get up when Ishimaru tells him to; he grumbles and whines and threatens, but he gets up and heads down to the cafeteria. Fukawa... well, Fukawa is certainly something different.
"Please," he says, looking straight at her. "We cannot start our meeting until everyone is in attendance. We need you there."
She sighs, and Ishimaru refrains from making a face. It isn't becoming, or age-appropriate, but he really just wants to... to stick out his tongue or something, he doesn't know. But, he doesn't. He simply watches her, hoping for a favorable reaction.
Eventually, she begins to inch out of the doorway, carefully shutting the door behind her. She's still nervous, chewing on her thumbnail like she has a personal grudge against it. Ishimaru's own nails are perfectly clipped, squared off and blunt. He's about half a foot taller than her. It's enough to make her leery around him, though he isn't near as tall as her precious Togami is.
Fukawa is certainly an interesting classmate.
"Shall we proceed to the cafeteria?" Ishimaru asks, and she gives the barest of nods. It's quiet... while it should not be loud in the halls, there isn't any harm in friendly conversation when there's no class going on. He wonders what he should talk to her about. School? Her talent, perhaps? Friendly conversation has never really been one of Ishimaru's strong suits. "So, you are Super High School Level Literary Girl?"
She nods. That's it. There isn't any other indication of where he should take the conversation. He hasn't read any of her books. To be honest, they seem a bit too trashy for his taste. He does enjoy the occasional fiction read from time-to-time, but usually it is a classic with some academic merit. Nothing like that preposterous fishing love story she wrote.
"How does that affect your schoolwork?" he asks, and she stiffens. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. He's sort of curious, though, because if one is writing all of the time, how would they have time for school? Perhaps she has an alternate schedule of some sort that makes time for her writing. That must be it.
She hasn't answered his question, but that's okay. She may just be more comfortable writing than speaking. Maybe if he asks something about her writing she'll open up a bit, though.
"Have you written anything since coming to this school?" he asks. She hesitates, then shrugs. He doesn't know what that means. He's so bad at reading social cues, though, he probably just missed something along the line. "How do you like it here?"
She mutters something, but he doesn't quite hear it. He leans toward her.
"Hm?" he says, and she says it louder.
"I enjoy... being with my prince..." she says, blushing a little. He's fairly certain that she means Togami. What she sees in him, he'll never know, but at least he seems to know how to hold himself properly, unlike some others at this school. "Everyone else is out to kill me, though. I know it."
"I do not think anyone wants you dead," he says, and she makes a face. "I know that I certainly do not. You are an interesting girl."
She blushes at this, and he wonders if he's made a mistake. Still... it wouldn't be too bad to have a friend. She says something inaudible, but it sounds like a thanks, so that's what he takes it as. He smiles at her, and she looks away, still blushing a little.
They arrive at the cafeteria. It's 7:20.
He is so late, so very late, even though he has an excuse. He moves to enter the cafeteria quickly, and then turns back to face her at the last second. "Ah, wait," he says. She pauses. "Be on time tomorrow morning! Punctuality is an admirable trait."
i didnt even know this was a pairing until it got requested by someone on tumblr, but it's sort of interesting! it was easier to write than that naegami one, too, and i actually really liked writing it.
it was probably because of ishimaru actually god i love that boy.