Ginger Honey Lemon Brew
She likes it when his hair is down.
This is the first time I've ever finished an AyanePin story. I've definitely attempted to do so many times before, but I never got around to finishing any of them. Haha. But with the way the manga's going right now, the lack of AyaPin development and fanfiction just drove me into a spiral of sadness. AyaPin's been my OTP for so long, that is, after I'd gotten over my KazehayaKuronuma high. Chizu and Ryu are kind of like the center of the manga right now, so I'm excited for what's coming next because I can feel it's going to be Ayane's turn.
Anyway, here it is!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kimi Ni Todoke. And I obviously do not get paid to do this.
Monday
She's trying not to stare, she truly is. But he just looks so different, she can't help but let her gaze linger for more than what's considered as casual or appropriate.
He's definitely feeling under the weather, apparent in the way he looks sloppy, or, well, sloppier, than usual. He was never known for a keen eye for style anyway. His eyes are puffy and his nose is flushed, a striking contrast to his skin, which lacks of the tan glow it normally has. He sneezes for what seems like the fiftieth time during this homeroom period and she asks herself if the fact that his students may catch whatever he has even registered in his head. She decides the probability is not very high.
His sluggish movements and questionable hygiene are not what shakes her, though—at least, not now.
Pin, known for his immodest personality, bright orange sweatshirt and bellowing voice, is wearing his hair down.
It's possible that, because of his cold, he'd become more out of it and ultimately forgot to style his hair. Or maybe his hair flopped every time he sneezed and he simply decided to forgo the 'do until he got this virus out of his system. Whatever the reason, Ayane does not like it.
She's dated quite a number of guys (whether that's tied with a negative or positive connotation is up to you). Sure, she's never actually liked them, but they were, essentially, the same: posh, well-versed with what's popular, mature in features and, most of the time, attitude. It's not that she necessarily has a type, but she does acknowledge their similarities.
Pin is... well, Pin. He's as immature, if not more, than the boys in her class and she still argues that he is not qualified to teach anyone, let alone be an adviser for a class in high school. He always styles his hair up, resembling that of a juvenile delinquent's or a porcupine. In fact, if he wore the school's uniform for boys, she doubts he'd even stick out because he's so much like them.
She's forced to re-evaluate these thoughts after her teacher decides to come to their class with his hair undone.
He looks so different with his hair rid of products. She supposes he's always had features that leaned towards youthful, which is probably why he could blend with Kazehaya and Ryu with amazing ease. He almost looks like an upperclassman with them when his hair's made spiky.
Today, Pin looks different. He still has traces of boyhood, which she doubts would go away any time soon, but with his bangs falling atop his forehead, he looks more serious. Respectable, even. Like a young and slightly intimidating teacher fresh from College. The look of maturity that he has today suits him so much. It's as if he hasn't really changed and, at the same time, he has so dramatically. It's so subtle that she wonders if she's the only one who has noticed—wonders how he could look so young and mature at the same time—wonders if he were like this all along—wonders how she hasn't seen it before—wonders if his hair is as soft as it looks.
When a chill runs down her spine, she tells herself it was caused by the cool air that passed through the open window and definitely not by something—someone—else.
His reddened eyes roam the class as he speaks of the upcoming sports festival. She hopes she was able to conceal the jolt she felt when he caught her eyes momentarily before spanning to the class once more.
This, Ayane thinks, is not good.
She mentally writes a reminder.
Ask mom. Lemon. Honey.
Tuesday
"What the hell is this?" He asks, his clogged nose clearly affecting his speech. He'd been rocking in and out of sleep on his desk in the faculty room when he faintly heard a student ask a fellow teacher of his whereabouts. Not more than ten seconds after he heard the shutting of a door, a thermos was placed unceremoniously on his desk.
A few steps to his right, Ayane tries her best to sound nonchalant, and to suppress the image of his bangs framing his face.
"It's supposed to be good for colds," she starts. "Drink it so you don't spread that virus to anyone in class."
Pin looks unconvinced, suspicious, as if he's considering that the creepy Kuronuma kid put her up to this in order to get rid of him. She holds his cautious stare (she's willing herself to win this battle for his own good—and of course for the health of her classmates. Because that's why she's here, isn't it? To cure Pin so he doesn't endanger anyone else? Yeah, that's it. Nothing else. Definitely no underlying meanings here.). Soon enough, he breaks from her gaze, unscrews the lid of the container and takes a sip.
She releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding when Pin closes the thermos and places it atop his desk once more.
He turns to her and there's a tiny upward curve on the right corner of his lip, a chunk of hair barely hitting his cheekbone.
"Thanks."
She gives him a tiny nod (and it's definitely not because she suddenly felt breathless and unable to speak), pivots a foot and walks away. She still dons a passive face when she exits the room and into the hallway full of students chatting away. She manages to escape to the school's rooftop without attracting any attention. She sits there for the remainder of the break, just collecting herself. She feels warm and hopes it doesn't cause her face to flush.
This is bad. This is really, really bad.
Because when Pin had turned to her with such a grateful and sincere expression, she didn't feel any fluttering butterflies.
No, what she felt was the entire animal kingdom rallying in her stomach.
She hopes the home remedy aids in his recovery, because she doesn't think she can handle any more of this.
Perhaps she could pay someone to put a tube of extra hold gel on his desk tomorrow...
This marks the end of my sad attempt. Haha. I love Pin though, regardless of how he wears his hair. But I personally feel that he looked so much more worthy of respect when we saw his hair down. Also, I am aware that in the series and manga, the gang did see Pin with his hair down. But for the sake of this story, let's just pretend it never happened. Haha. Tell me what you think! Flames are very much welcome if that's truly how you feel about my story! I appreciate any form of feedback.