There is no other way I can describe this except that it is FLUFF. PURE, HOT-OFF-THE-PRESS, UNADULTERED FLUFF.
"Hey."
The school bell had just shrilled its last warning when she slid open the door to the classroom, and Futaba could not help the seed of warmth that bloomed in the pit of her stomach at the sound of his voice. She blinked against the mid-morning light that came into the empty room in soft rays, pupils contracting, trained on the dust motes that circled above the boy's dark head like a halo, and she snorted to herself, knowing he was far from innocent. She watched him turn to regard her from his lazy perch on the desk.
She met his steady gaze, leaning lightly against the doorway as she replied, "Hey yourself. What're you doing here all by your lonesome?"
He lifted his shoulders briefly before glancing bemusedly around the classroom, from the chairs that were piled neatly on row upon row of desks, to the potted plants slowly wilting by the window sill, to the cupboards and the coat rack which stood empty in a corner—concrete reminders of how his high school days were finally over. His gaze lingered on the blackboard in the front of the room, every corner filled out with colorful, full-blown caricatures and messy scrawls of salutation from well-wishers.
The corners of his lips rose gently, his eyes crinkling in affection as he read. "Reminiscing. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I'm going to miss everyone—the class, the teachers, hell, even Peach."
Futaba pushed herself off the door frame, stepped past the threshold and made her way to the back of the room where he sat. Her voice was tinged with slight disapproval when she said, "And yet here you are, holing yourself up in the classroom when you should be out there with everyone else while you still have the chance!"
She halted just an arm's length away and clucked her tongue. "Your brother was looking for you, you know. And Kominato-kun too. In fact, he was pretty upset when you suddenly disappeared after the ceremony."
When his eyes—reflective ebony against soft pools of grey—flickered back to her, and his arms reached for her automatically, her heart thumped solidly against her chest, a sound so loud she could've sworn that he heard it. Emboldened, she stepped into the space between his legs, blushing to her roots as she dropped her eyes to their hands, her own swallowed in his much larger ones completely. She followed the pulsing lines of jade on the back of his hands, traced the curves of his callused fingers which were linked tightly, perfectly in hers like it was the most natural thing in the world.
He chuckled, a throaty, melodious sound that shot tingles down her spine and spread to the tips of her toes, and she brought her eyes back up to his. "Yeah?"
She grinned. "Oh yeah, you could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. All he wanted was to have his picture taken with you, and you bailed on him!"
Kou laughed again, turning her hands over and over in his. "That guy acts as if he'll never see me again. He'll have plenty of chances to satisfy his photo frenzy over the break. Besides, he already took loads before the ceremony." He complained.
Futaba shook her head, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Yeah well, the picture could've been an excuse. After all, maybe your best friend just wanted dibs on your second button." She teased, waggling her eyebrows.
"Mm-hm." He responded nonchalantly, distracted by her hands. She pouted.
"By the way, Kikuchi-kun wanted to say congra—" she squeaked, a sound that embarrassed her thoroughly, but she could not help it; in one swift motion, he had brought her hands to his lips, pressing a light kiss to each of her knuckles as he went. She sighed quietly, her knees turning to jelly.
In the back of her mind, she wondered, how sly of him.
She pressed on, swallowing an imaginary lump in her throat; she tried to ignore the sensations that his soft, warm mouth left on the back of her hand. "He—he says congratulations. I mean, all right, he never mentioned you 'cause I think he still hates your guts after all this time, but he was congratulating me, and I guess that by association, he was congratulating you too. Oh, and he told me not to mention it, but I feel it's only right to tell you that he—MABUCHI KOU, DID YOU JUST BITE ME?"
She wrenched her hands from his grasp, hastily wiping the offended finger on the fabric of his uniform. Kou regarded her playfully, swiping his tongue over his lower lip. He smirked. "I'm sorry, what was that about Kikuchi?" He prompted, propping up his elbows to stare pointblank at his girlfriend.
Futaba pulled back, disgruntled, mumbling something about cats rubbing off on their owners. "Nothing you need to know." She murmured.
"Aww, come on, Yoshioka." He laughed, and his hands curled around hers once again. "Hey, I'm sorry." He said, although his tone held no remorse at all. Futaba looked resolutely away.
Kou would have none of it, and he prodded on, tugging lightly on her hands. "Hey, Yoshioka. Look at me. Yoshioka-san… sama." She could hear the teasing in his voice, and struggled to keep a stoic face.
When it seemed apparent that she would not crack, he stopped. Then with a sigh, he bent down to press his lips to her hair. "Futaba."
At the sound of her name, her face brightened instantly. She turned to him.
"Yes, Kou?" She said in sing-song, stretching out the syllable though she knew it'd push his buttons.
Kou rolled his eyes good-naturedly, as if calling her by her first name wasn't anything out of the ordinary. However, the hint of red that crept up his ears and left a hot flush in his cheeks gave him away. "What were you saying about Kikuchi?"
"Oh that!" She exclaimed, and then shrugged her shoulders in feigned nonchalance. "It was nothing, just that he kissed me." Kou stiffened, his grip on her tightening, and she watched him for a few seconds before she laughed. "Oh relax, it was on the cheek, you dummy. And besides, I was giving everyone hugs and kisses. It might be the last time we get to see everybody together like this, you know? While some are staying in town, most of us are moving away for college… maybe even for good. I just wanted to leave everyone with good memories."
Although Kou would have rather kept her lips to himself, he seemed satisfied that his former rival was not the only one on the receiving end of her... farewells. The tension visibly leaving his shoulders, he leaned back on the desk. "Yeah? Everyone, huh? And where's my kiss? I want good memories too."
Futaba rocked back on the balls of her feet, swinging their linked hands mischievously. "Well, with you playing hide-and-seek in the school building and what not, I couldn't very well give it to you, now could I?"
"Well… you found me now."
She nodded at the fact. "Yes, yes I did."
"So what are you waiting for?" He looked at her expectantly.
"Hmm?" She murmured, untangling her hands from his to slide over the length of his shoulders, fingers burrowing into the soft tufts of hair curling around his nape. "Oh, I was just getting to that part." She grinned wickedly.
Kou leaned forward in anticipation, lightly touching his forehead to hers; his own hands traced circles that burned fire along her waist before coming to rest firmly on her hips. It was starting to get ridiculous how the mere weight of his hands on either side of her made her shiver despite the many layers of clothes she had on.
And then, there was his scent-a gentle, comforting quality that reminded her of morning dew and summer rain. Futaba desperately fought the urge to press her face against his neck; the smell of him was enough to send her senses ablaze as he tugged her surreptitiously closer.
Still, she could not help the sigh that escaped her when she breathed him in.
He was so close now, their noses just barely touching; his breath came like a warm caress on her face. Her lips stretched into a sly smile, she nudged his nose aside to sneak a quick peck onto his cheek. "There."
Her actions were met with a low growl as he circled a swift arm around her waist, bringing her flush against his chest. He grumbled into her ear, "Tease."
And she shook against him, her laughter the most beautiful song to Kou's ears. When the giggles finally subsided, she reached up to brush a hand along his chin, tilting it downwards while her other hand cupped his face.
"My, my, impatient aren't we?" She joked, but the look in her eyes was anything but as she rose onto her tip toes, and that was signal enough for him as he met her halfway.