Thinking Out Loud
(Chiba x Hayami)
Disclaimer: I don't, and never will I, own Ansatsu Kyoushitsu/Assassination Classroom.
Song: Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran
A/N: Nowadays I try to avoid too romantic romance (it doesn't make sense, I know), but well, I can indulge on fantasies every now and then. If the line above hasn't informed you, this is a songfic. If you haven't seen the music video to it, I suggest you watch it, my imagination totally went wild when I imagined Hayami and Chiba doing the dance.
Nakamura was one of the first persons Chiba talked to in Class E for various reasons. For one, they've been classmates since 1st year and they were also aware that both of them loved music. However, they quickly established that their tastes were too different.
The result was very ironic: the two music lovers of the class never talked to each other about music. Chiba thought the same rule applied today.
When he arrived in class at the same time as Yada, said girl was immediately called over by the group huddled around Nakamura's seat.
"That dance really makes the song beautiful, you ever tried something like that, Touka-chan?" he heard Kurahashi ask. Chiba didn't really know why but he kept eavesdropping on their conversation instead of tuning them out.
"I know the basics of ballroom dancing but it's not really my cup of tea. I'm more into modern and pop dances. Rinka probably can, her dance range is wider than mine," as if on cue, the door opened to reveal the newly-arrived tsundere sniper. "Rinka! Good morning. Check this out!"
Hayami stopped by the group and watched the video on Nakamura's phone.
"What do you think of the dance? Did you ever dance like that?"
"A mix of ballroom and contemporary. It's nice," she answered as she put down her bag. "I've done both but not a lyrical partner dance like that."
What no one realized was that the cogs of Nakamura's (genius? Ingenious? No one can't decide which side) brain had already started moving since Hayami arrived. "I have an idea."
The blonde gently but firmly herded Kurahashi aside to reveal her seatmate, Mimura. "Yo, what do you think of an adaptation of Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud for that music video contest?"
"How did you even know about that?" the future director barely prevented himself from falling over due to shock.
"You're already building your portfolio, right? This is a good opportunity," she disregarded the question and instead shoved her phone to Mimura.
"Wow that is nice. It's different from the usual too. I can already think of scenarios for this," he said after getting a feel of the music video. The people in the conversation, plus Chiba who was still involuntarily listening in, didn't even realize they all waited for him to speak up. "But where would I get people to star who can dance something like this?"
They all turned to Nakamura who had a devious smirk on her face. "Rinka, what do you think of helping our friend here?"
All eyes aware of the conversation turned to saucers as they switched to the stoic sniper. Nothing could have prepared them for her answer. "As long as I've got enough time to learn the dance, I can do it I guess," her voice was even as always.
With the exception of Nakamura, all of them must have blinked 4 times, mouths agape. It was Mimura who broke out of it first as a fully grateful and excited smile crept up on his face. "Will you really, Hayami? There's 2 months left though, and I need enough time for editing, will that be enough?"
"You survived creating that hour-long video in a few days in Okinawa, you can do a 4-minute one for sure," Nakamura gave him an assuring pat albeit a little too strongly. "She already agreed so you better start planning."
"Rio-chan's right, especially if you want some changes in the choreography," Yada smiled supportively at Hayami. "I'll help too."
"And you should decided on Hayami-san's partner too," Kataoka then spoke up. "I'm not sure about the boys' dance skills but maybe Maehara-kun or Isogai-kun can do it."
"I have an even better idea."
'Oh, no,' Chiba inwardly groaned. He should have known his gut had been warning him against Nakamura since earlier. He gulped as said blonde turned to him with what he saw as a sinister smile.
"Chiba-kun, I think you'd be perfect for it," her voice laced with flattery and malice.
"I'm not a dancer."
"So is Ed Sheeran; he pulled it off, what more an assassin?" she waved her hand dismissively.
"Won't the fact that my expressions can't be shown be a problem?" he tried again.
"The point is to improve Mimura's skills. He should be able to direct you and film you well," he turned to Mimura who looked deep in thought but nevertheless agrees. "I know it's not your genre but you can deal with it. Rinka's most comfortable with you too. Just give in."
Chiba turned to Hayami this time. She seemed like she didn't really care less but looked back at him. Something told him she agreed with Nakamura. He sighed in defeat as he switched back to Mimura.
"I'll try I guess. I hope I don't cause you to fail, though."
Once more, Mimura's lips curved into a grateful and this time elated smile. "Thanks, man. And everyone too. I promise to give this my all."
"I still need to learn the choreo. Yada and I will teach you after we finalize it. You should watch the video for now," Hayami said to Chiba who grunted in response then looked up the video on his phone.
What started out as Mimura's project soon became a class affair with almost everyone wanting to help out. Itona and Yoshida agreed to help with the equipment while Sugaya was enlisted for the set design. Korosensei's offer to be the star was rejected. ("Sensei, it's a dance." "Sensei, your face is even more problematic than Chiba's.")
"I hope this doesn't bother you too much, Hayami. We really need Okajima for this."
Everyone can feel the internal exasperated sigh that Hayami wasn't showing at the thought of she was sure was her supposed tsundere persona's number one fan.
"Don't worry about me, you may focus on the video. Yada and I will be done with the choreography by the weekend," Hayami responded before turning to Chiba. "We'll start practicing after."
Chiba was a little in awe at the unusual display of initiative from his partner. She'd always been dependable whatever the situation but she seemed especially reliable with this project. Maybe because it was dancing.
Chiba felt anxious that he might ruin this if he can't match her. He focused on rewatching the video for the n-th time.
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Chiba had just had dinner when Hayami sent them a video, informing them that she and Yada had already finished the choreography. As soon as he was done watching the video demonstration by the two girls, he was struck with the realization that the two had been at it since that morning. It was Saturday and he knew the two had only started yesterday after class.
His feet started moving before his mind did. "Ritsu, can you give the directions to the dance studio in this video?"
"Roger that!" Ritsu replied cheerfully in his phone. Without waiting for her to finish, he headed out of his room, down the stairs, and out of his house, offering his mom a short "I'm going out for a bit" along the way. "Chiba-kun, Kimura-san is running laps at the park along the way. Should we pick him up?"
"Did Korosensei ask you to assist with his novel-writing efforts?" he asked disbelievingly, understanding what the AI was suggesting. He still dropped by the park though, and half-asked, half-dragged the speedster to join him, vaguely stating where he's going and something about helping out.
They arrived at the studio just as Hayami and Yada got out of the building, surprising the two. "What are you doing here?"
"That's what I'm asking—" Chiba cut off Kimura quickly, handing a drink bottle he managed to buy along the way to each girl.
"You two were here all day," it was a statement, just a tiny bit admonishing.
"We got a bit carried away," Yada laughed sheepishly. "Couldn't help finishing the whole thing."
"That reminds me, are you alright with starting tomorrow?" Hayami asked him.
"I'm alright with it but you two must be tired. Best to go home now. Yada, Kimura'll walk with you," Chiba said, using the emotionless tone he uses when he takes the lead during assassinations.
"I am?" Kimura pointed at himself with wide eyes before sighing in defeat. He turned to Yada with an outstretched hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'll walk you home since I live nearer to you. I'll carry your bag too."
The speedster walked on ahead, slouched in defeat, muttering something about "how many times do I tell them there's nothing going on?" as he adjusted the pink gym bag around his torso. Yada followed the boy after giving the sniper combi a cheerful wave.
"Must you really tease him?" Hayami asked as they watched the retreating figure of the two. "You can be petty sometimes."
Chiba just shrugged as he turned the other way, leading her to walk back home. He knew that nothing was going on between the two friends but it felt pretty nice to have someone on the same boat. Hell, he wasn't going down alone.
Without a word, he held out an arm to his companion, silently asking for her bag. The gesture was by no means about gender-stereotypes and they were both aware of it. Hayami also recognized the hint of pleading from him.
She relented and relinquished the gym bag to him. "Speak, Chiba," she commanded.
'Ah, she noticed,' he smiled inwardly. He should have known his partner (looks like he had to add 'dance partner' to the list) would notice that something was bothering him. "I.. wanted to, uh, contribute too," he spoke out after much hesitation. He had felt a little out of place when the core group of the project had a meeting and he was the only one who was there but didn't have anything to say during brainstorming. Even Hayami was fully active during the whole thing.
Hayami didn't respond, waiting for him to be comfortable enough to speak out more.
For that, he was grateful. "You were here all day creating that choreography while I just waited," a hint of frustration laced his voice, one that only Hayami would have caught. Catch it she did. "I guess that explains the sudden urge to do this."
He slightly nodded his head between them and shrugged the shoulder carrying the bag to indicate that he was referring to him walking her home.
"Hn," she hummed in contemplation. She clutched the bag he was still carrying and held a bit of the weight. "Okinawa, remember?"
It was her actions and her smile that made him remember. It's okay not to be able to do everything. It's okay to let others do what you can't. He smiled back, grateful. "Thank you," he said as he gave back her bag.
"I should be the one to say that," ("You're welcome") she took a step back. "See you tomorrow."
Heaviness lifted, Chiba used the walk back home to study the video she had sent. He should have been focused on Yada who danced his part sans the lifts but instead his eyes were fixed on Hayami. 'She's amazing,' he thought.
He must have been more transfixed than he thought for a vital aspect of the dance escaped him. It only occurred to him when they met the following day at the same dance studio.
"Let's get started," true to their adult-like nature, the sniper combi was immediately down to business.
"My, my, you two, I'm not really sure if this will do you better or worse," Yada remarked, already foreseeing interesting things to happen.
It happened at the second step.
"And then when you meet in the middle, you reach out to each other," instinctively, he followed Yada's coaching and reached out his hands to Hayami who did the same. It only registered when their hands met.
Suddenly he was too aware of Hayami and her hand in his. They were smaller than his own and softer than he would have thought for an assassin who wields a gun so well, not that he'd ever actually thought of what her hands felt like. That was just the thing, he'd never thought of contact with her and now he was feeling quite conscious, of it and of her. For all his supposed maturity, he realized it was the first time he was aware that she was a girl; not a sniper who happened to be a girl, but a girl, period.
"No, not like that, like catching her in your arms," Yada's voice and touch brought him back to reality. He was glad he hadn't pulled back from Hayami during his short trance as Yada moved both their arms to the right placing.
Chiba and Hayami had averted their eyes from each other, both barely aware of Yada. If it hadn't sunk in before, it has definitely sunk in now that this dance required too much physical contact.
But they weren't regarded as the most professional in the class for nothing. They moved on, doing their best to focus on the job like they weren't affected by the skinship.
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Not. He was totally affected. Chiba inwardly groaned. They'd been working on the dance for a week now and though they were able to move on to the following steps, he kept on making mistakes.
He wasn't having that much problems with the lifts but he was having a hard time with those parts where their faces were too close or those that were essentially hugging. He could have chalked it up to not being used to having his personal space invaded but it was more than that. He was too conscious of Hayami. Funny, their classmates were for once off their case ("eh, they'll be acting all stiff and professional again, we'd sooner catch Korosensei than see a development with those two!") but he was feeling more aware of Hayami than those times their friends were forcing him to evaluate her as a girl rather than a sniper.
"Okay, you two are the last pair. Begin!" Karasuma instructed and the sniper combi simultaneously fired at the targets for their monthly marksmanship test. 10 rapid shots later, both bulls' eye marks were almost torn into cleanly. "Chiba Ryuunosuke. Hayami Rinka. 100/100. Only ones to get it perfect this month."
"There's a reason they should be the finale, it's quite pressuring to go after them, you know," Nakamura commented with no contempt.
Chiba looked at Hayami and smiled at her. "Good job," he praised. Last month only he got it perfect. Hayami had improved her accuracy and even made the same clean shots he was known for. They did that personal arm bump of theirs.
'Okay, that wasn't awkward. I should be okay at practice later too,' he thought as they walked back to the group together.
The heavens must be mocking him. It was the transition between summer and fall so the weather was alternating between bearable and too hot. Today just happened to be the latter.
He was stretching at the studio while waiting for the two to change. He turned to greet them as soon as he heard the doorknob click but no words fell out of his mouth as his eyes grew wide.
Shorts. Hayami was wearing tight dance shorts paired with a tight tank top that allowed the straps of her sports bra show. She was always wearing leggings that reached either her calves or ankles and fitted t-shirts before. Today made him realize just how form-fitting all of Hayami's dance clothes were.
He was glad his bangs covered his eyes and the girls didn't notice he was basically ogling Hayami's clothes.
"Let's start with a run of what we learned so far, as always," Yada said with a clap. The two went to their starting positions.
Chiba tried to focus on the steps and not on how much skin his partner was showing.
"Chiba-kun, tighten your grip or Rinka might fall," nervously, he followed as instructed and laid out his palm more fully on Hayami's bare thigh.
He couldn't help but notice that it was smooth yet firm, a product of her background in jazz dancing and the assassination training.
"And then you pull her left leg, your other hand acts like you're strumming a guitar," why, oh why is it always her legs? "There, then lean in your head towards her."
Too close. They were too close. Hayami was holding on to his shoulder and the way Yada leaned his head towards Hayami's made their eyes (or her eyes and his bangs) too close. He dropped his gaze but then he was met with the exposed skin of her shoulders, neck, and the area below her collarbones.
He retracted his head a bit, his fingers strumming the air above the skin of her thigh. He'd been doing this since they started, avoiding directly touching her if he could. For now the two allowed him, focusing instead on them getting the dance learnt. He knew it wouldn't be allowed at the actual thing so he had to get over it somehow.
It's not like they haven't ever had physical contact before. They've been partnered at almost everything ever since the assassination classroom began, even in warm-ups and sparring matches. But Chiba realized they probably never had actual skin to skin contact in those. It made him more aware and a little distracted on the following day's gym class.
Just his luck, the training agenda for the day was one on one sparring. Their new gym uniforms thankfully covered them from head to toe but Chiba still couldn't help avoiding making actual contact with her.
It caused him to be mostly on defensive, too focused on observing her whole body watching out for her attacks.
He ducked to avoid the leg she swung at him. 'That uniform fits her perfectly,' he thought distractedly. He saw the chance to sweep a leg to knock her off the one foot she was still standing on but he hesitated, causing Hayami to see it beforehand and switch to her other foot with a step back. She used the momentum to then push his shoulders to knock him off, quickly following up with her knife poised against his throat.
"You win," he surrendered, swallowing nervously as he tried to scoot away from her slight straddle.
"You'd think we'll be comfortable with each other by now," she said as she got up. She faced him and laid out a hand, a reassuring smile gracing her face.
It served to both make him realize he's being too unprofessional and calm him, knowing that she understood his awkwardness.
He gratefully accepted her hand. "Thanks," she's there to help him, he knows.
"Another round?" he replies with a smile and they're back to a battle stance.
He managed to sweep her off her feet this time and even caught her when she fell over him. Still holding her aboveground, he took advantage of her attack and quickly poised his knife against her throat.
Hayami made a sharp intake of breath. "Looks like you really followed my advice to work out," he loosened his left arm which had been carrying her whole weight to let her down gently. "You win this time."
"First time ever," he added. They dusted the dirt and grass that stuck to them in silence.
"I'm glad it was you," she spoke out after a while. He didn't need to look at her to confirm that she was talking about the dance but he still did. They shared a glance that continued the conversation wordlessly.
"Keep your hands to yourself, pervert!" the two whose moment was broken looked over to the class gymnast who was furiously attacking the gigolo.
"It's a sparring match, how the hell do I do that?" Maehara retorted incredulously. He caught Okano's attacking leg in defense. "Your legs are freaking deadly! I have to block them."
"Pervert!"
"I just told you I'm glad it was you, right?" Hayami asked her dark haired companion.
"Hn," he grunted in the affirmative.
'Cause, honey, your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen
And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory
Gradually, Chiba got more comfortable with the dance and they made significant progress with it.
To save time, Mimura started their acting workshop for them to work on simultaneously during dance practice.
"Just do until the part you've already learned for the camera test, we're just trying to get a feel of the set for Sugaya," Mimura instructed. It was the first time he was checking on them. The main team, Sugaya, Okajima, Yada and the two stars, stayed behind in the classroom after the bell, it will be the filming location.
Mimura, Yada, and Sugaya stayed at a side as the two took to their positions. Okajima took another spot with his camera ready.
Chiba was a bit nervous, it was the first time they had actual audience, but he steeled his nerves to focus on the execution of the steps. He made just a few mistakes and their execution was not yet perfect.
Hayami on the other hand danced gracefully and as always, not allowed herself to do a half-assed job. 'Leave it to her to give it her all even in practice,' Chiba inwardly smiled.
Mimura persuaded Okajima and Sugaya to leave after the camera test (2 girls in fitted dance outfits and Okajima in the same room was not good) and started his pointers immediately. "I know you're still learning the dance so you're focused on the steps but you need to start working on your expressions. To put it bluntly, you need to look in love."
He was met with 2 blinking faces, albeit one wasn't shown. Who gave him the idea to let the 2 stones of the class to star again? Right, Nakamura. Maybe he should have just asked her and, he didn't know, maybe Karma, instead. Though those two only have evil for an expression.
"I'm not looking for 'can't get enough of you' love, that's why we changed most of the almost kiss parts of the dance. I'm looking for 'I see my future with you' love, an appreciation of each other. The dance is not about the dance, it's about the feelings, like the steps are just the results of what you want to convey to each other, not the other way around," he patiently but sternly explained. "Stop looking at each other's feet or hands, look at the face, the eyes. Convey through facial expressions."
"Uh, what about…" Chiba trailed as he pointed to his own face. The bang-covered face whose features were mostly obscured.
"There is a way. Even without revealing your eyes, your feelings can show. You too, Hayami, stop controlling your face. If you two can just let go and try to will yourselves to openly show your emotions, instead of expecting the other to understand your thoughts just like you two usually do," Mimura smiled at them encouragingly. "Just appreciate each other. You can even focus on something you greatly like on the other, doesn't exactly have to be romantic."
Mimura let that sink in for a while before he stood up. "Yada, I'll leave it to you to watch for that during practice. I'll check on you guys again on Friday like this," the other three stood up too and he regarded the main stars again. "Just enjoy the project too."
They continued the dance practice there, although they were noticeably quieter today. Nothing much was done on the expression front too.
They went back to practicing in the dance studio for the following days, Yada doing her best to coax them to showing emotions.
"We're done with the whole dance now. We're on to memorizing and polishing and also working on your expressions," she announced. "Let's do another run, try to be more comfortable with looking at each other's eyes."
There was something about keeping their gazes locked in each other that made it more intimate and not just because Yada was not letting up on the proximity anymore. This time fingers weren't allowed to simply ghost on skin and lifts were full on embraces.
They were too focused on the act of keeping their gazes locked despite the awareness of the proximity and intimacy of everything than on conveying emotions through the gaze.
"Well at least they can keep eye contact and they're more comfortable with each other now," Yada offered to Mimura during their next session with the whole team.
"They're still too focused on the actions," Mimura said, a finger tapping his chin repeatedly. "But there's something, I just know there's something more they can do."
Chiba was getting restless and he knew for a fact Hayami was too. They're pretty sure they can do the dance flawlessly by the time of the actual filming but getting the right emotions to show was hard.
He sighed as he took his cup of black tea. They were in a café Isogai was working part time for, taking the day off from practice.
"So how's the project going along?" Kataoka asked Mimura.
"We're almost down with the dance. Sugaya's pretty busy with the design of the set," Mimura responded.
"Extra tea for the hard at work," Isogai dropped by, pouring tea into their empty cups. "Okajima, I sure hope what's in that camera is safe to show in public."
They all laughed, save for the stoic two who just smiled in amusement. Okajima hurled out retorts to the charming ikemen who was called away to various tasks.
Chiba was seated diagonally across Kataoka and noticed how the female class rep's eyes followed her partner. He continued discreetly observing her. There was something in her expression that told Chiba she wasn't just admiring the way Isogai was fluttering around the café doing various tasks effortlessly. She was thinking more about how she's proud and grateful for her co-leader. It wasn't simply her eyes, it was the way her whole face lit up.
As he sat there thinking Mimura was right about it being possible, Chiba felt a tap on his shoulder. "Just like that," Mimura gently said to him, motioning subtly at the same girl.
Chiba pondered upon it until the practice the following day. The way Kataoka was focused on Isogai was etched in his mind, and Mimura's words kept ringing in his ears. 'Focus on Hayami. Appreciate her.'
When he stood there in his starting position across the room where Hayami was, he blocked out everything: Yada, Mimura, Okajima, and the cameras. The music barely registered in his mind though his feet started to move. He trained his eyes at Hayami, never straying even when they came face to face.
Hayami was caught in his gaze, feeling the way he's studying her immensely yet couldn't look away. Chiba met deep green eyes. Pretty, green, cat-like eyes.
She spun in his hands, her hair brushing through his fingers. He remembered her hair fell in soft waves when down from her pigtails.
Holding her close as she danced her way to him, he noted the one thing that was so obvious yet he never took special attention to before. She was pretty. His partner was really pretty.
The one good thing about the dance was that Hayami did most of the dancing while he had plenty of parts standing there watching her twirl, waiting for her to come to him. And watch her he did. She was graceful, dancing came natural to her as sniping did.
He didn't even realize a smile had formed on his mouth as he thought of her dancing while firing away her pistols.
"I knew it!" Mimura whispered as he directed Okajima to close in on Chiba's face and the soft smile. "The reason I agreed with Nakamura's suggestion is exactly this. Who else can communicate better without words?"
A lift and Chiba spun Hayami in his arms, fully supporting her weight, her legs locked around his waist. It was the most intimate portion of the dance and also the most difficult as it required the most strength and balance from him. A smile once again graced Chiba's face, congratulating himself and his partner for pulling it off.
For once it was Chiba who was more comfortable with the dance, Hayami a bit conscious and shy at Chiba's openness. Encouraged by him, she smiled back as she used her upper torso's strength with his support to lift herself up once more in his arms.
Mimura was satisfied. Chiba easing into the role was leading Hayami to open up too. There were still lots of work to do but they'll make it, he knew they will.
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
After considering weather forecasts, filming was held on a Saturday. Everyone wanted to help out so that they could watch but the only help Mimura allowed for those not explicitly involved was with clearing out the classroom after Friday's class.
"McDonald's at 12," Hayami's message was the first that Chiba read when he woke up that morning. He didn't have to ask to know that she's referring to the one just near Kunugugaoka Station. He got there first, though she arrived less than 5 minutes after.
Their greeting was a mere nod at each other, wordlessly going to the counter to order their food. They took a seat at a table in a less crowded side of the place, eating silently while facing each other.
It took him no later than his second bite to realize that this was her way of encouraging him. Almost all of their classmates had something to say to soothe his nerves since yesterday and while the thought was appreciated, it served to frazzle him more. This was the thing he appreciated most about her, she understood him the most even without saying anything.
"Is it okay to eat like this before dancing?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Hn, we probably won't get to eat dinner until after filming, it's better to store energy now," she answered, her tone even as usual but her mood light. "We'll burn half of it climbing that hill anyway."
He nodded in agreement as silence fell upon them once more.
"Want to order extra fries for later?" it was suggested as a joke but was agreed upon anyway. They hid it from the food they bought for Mimura and the others who were there since morning, setting up the location and the equipment.
The two of them rehearsed lightly outside as they waited for Yada's team, who immediately separated them upon arrival. Yada shooed Chiba to the boys' restroom to change into his costume while the girls locked Hayami in the changing room.
Kanzaki worked on her makeup while Kurahashi attended to her hair. The white dress she wore was from Kayano, modified by Hara so that the ends fell in various lengths. It was simpler and less risqué at the bodice as compared to the one in the original music video.
Kayano was reluctant at first when she said that she had a dress that would probably match what Mimura was looking for because it might not fit Hayami for the latter was 'curvier' (Kayano was biting her lip furiously as she said it). Yada insisted it was better since it would look sexier on Hayami that way.
It wasn't meant to be a bustier but the difference between Kayano's forever 0 and Hayami's C made it like one.
Chiba waited out in the hallways, Mimura giving him last minute director's pointers. His outfit was picked out by Isogai to match what was in the original, black pants, white long sleeves, and a black vest.
"Just like before, block out everything else, focus on…" Mimura blinked once, peering over Chiba's shoulder. "Hayami."
Chiba turned around to meet his partner. They've already done a dress rehearsal yesterday so they already saw her in the dress. But Hayami wearing the fitted and flowy white dress, made up with her wavy hair down was a different sight altogether. It served to remind everyone that the stoic sniper who didn't prefer standing out was one of the prettiest in the class, definitely top class in looks.
"You're a damn lucky man," Okajima blurted out with a smack to Chiba's shoulder.
"Uh, you should save that line for their wedding, I think," Mimura deadpanned. "And don't go having a nosebleed."
Surprisingly, Okajima can block out his perverted side when the situation calls for it. He didn't bother Hayami during yesterday's rehearsal even though the dance allowed the dress to flip and completely display Hayami's legs. But still, one can never be too sure with Okajima.
"We did a good job, didn't we?" Yada proudly prodded for a response from the boys.
"Oh, it's Bitch-sensei, the classy version," Itona… probably meant that to be a compliment, but alas, his sharp tongue. Hayami's hand curled up into a fist in an attempt to calm herself down.
"What do you think, Chiba-kun?" Kanzaki quickly interjected.
"Ah," he grunted in surprise and speechlessness. All eyes turned to him waiting for his response.
He was tongue-tied a little too long and missed the beat completely. "We should start with rehearsal before the sun comes down," Hayami announced to end the non-discussion.
"Okay, last rehearsal before official filming. We've got a long night ahead of us but after that it's done. Chiba, Hayami, remember what we're going for, love expressed through dance, you're restricted in this old classroom right now but someday you'll be more free and your stage will be bigger," Mimura briefed them for a final time. "Okay, get in there. Everybody else stay out of the windows, we can watch through the monitors."
"Wow, beautiful set, Sugaya-kun," Yada praised when they looked at the monitor showing the scene inside. "It's our classroom but it's different. It's pretty and somewhat romantic, like those in scenic music videos."
"The right lighting can make the right pieces look scenic," the artist replied with a proud grin. "Would be better if Okajima's not there though."
"Give him a break," Mimura said as they all laughed. He then held the mic. "Rehearsal take. Lights ready. Cameras ready. Action!"
Like the professionals they were, Chiba and Hayami snapped into their roles as soon as Mimura's voice boomed in, blocking out everything else except the dance and each other.
Chiba focused his eyes on Hayami's as the music flowed in from the speakers. As they stepped towards each other, he mused about what he should have a few moments ago in the hallway. She was beautiful. Itona was right in that it was like Bitch-sensei when she first wore Kanzaki's clothes, except Hayami didn't make Kayano's clothes look erotic. She made it classy and womanly.
Chiba didn't think he'd ever use the word in anything else besides house and buildings' designs, but it was the perfect term, 'she's beautiful,' he made it known to her with a smile as soon as they met each other in the middle.
The responding smile and shine in her eyes told him she got the message and that 'you don't look half bad yourself.'
Her hands in his held close to his chest, he thought of her marksmanship he admired so much. She thought of his unrivalled accuracy.
Dipping her, he told her she's amazing for always being reliable and helpful, that she can rely on him this time. She told him he's amazing and smart and that she knows, he can rely on her too, it's okay for him not to do everything.
A hand hooked on one bare knee, he lifted her to spin her. 'It's okay if you can't keep talking, just the fact that you try is more than enough.'
She placed her hands on his shoulders for support. 'It's okay if you can't always find the words to respond, I can talk for the both of us.'
Forehead rested above hers, hands on her waist, a grateful and appreciative smile in his face. 'Thank you for understanding me the most. It means a lot to me.'
Hands encircled around his neck, a gentle look in her eyes, their bodies swaying just like in a regular slow dance. 'Thank you too, for everything. I'm glad I met you.'
They did several takes after the rehearsal run for the various angles. They were only able to take a longer break when they were done with the required takes inside the classroom.
"That was really beautiful," Kanzaki commented as she retouched Hayami's makeup.
"What the others would give just to watch this live," Yada amusedly remarked as she patted down Chiba's face for sweat and oil control.
"I wonder how long it'll take before Mimura-kun's threat loses its effect on them?" Kurahashi giggled. Everyone expected the others would still find their way here anyway, Mimura just hoped they hold back until the last take.
"Am I right on time?" Okajima almost dropped his camera when the yellow octopus appeared beside him from nowhere.
"Korosensei! Watch where you're popping, we almost lost precious footage," the pervert reprimanded the fellow pervert.
"Sorry, the big, bright "keep out" sign placed on the roof was removed so I took that as my cue to arrive," it was placed there by Mimura for exactly this reason. Though the initial offer was refused, Mimura found a way to still feature their teacher in the video (he acquiesced just to stop the whining).
The other filming location was the wide open field that served as their training ground.
"Perfect weather forecast, Ritsu, thousands of stars tonight," Mimura said as he looked up at the clear skies.
"I could have helped you through CG but natural looks better," the purple-haired AI responded from his laptop screen. "Nice idea for the moonlight too."
Korosensei was asked to be the moon seeing as the beautiful moon should have completed the scene but he had caused it to be permanently crescent and losing half of its light. It will be borderline ghost photography but he can make the moon appear full again.
'Those tentacles can do anything,' Chiba thought, watching their teacher shift into an almost blur to fade as a moon, his tentacles glowing to create the effect of a moonlight.
'Probably takes a lot of effort to maintain that while floating in the air,' Hayami thought.
They started the filming under Koro-moon. It was there in the open field and the vast sky overhead that Chiba finally understood Mimura's concept. Indeed, he felt more free here, his actions felt bigger and more pronounced.
Hayami always gave it her all but she seemed like she's putting more into the dance here too.
He probably won't be a dancer after this but Chiba was feeling grateful to Mimura for choosing him. He saw Hayami in a whole new light and appreciated his partner more than ever.
The last take was a full shot and Chiba took advantage of it to convey his thoughts to Hayami without Okajima or Mimura hovering close to them. They laid there on the grass, under the light of the thousand stars, hand in hand. As the camera panned out, he squeezed her hand. She returned it.
"And… CUT!"
A flurry of shots came from the surrounding bushes and trees.
"Couldn't help watching at the last take, huh," Mimura shook his head. Everyone knew everyone else was already creeping up the mountain by the time they started filming at the field. At the last take, no one could hold it in and watched the performance, though did their best not to disrupt.
"You'd all be hungry by now," Hara said as she patted the boxed bentos she and Muramatsu worked on.
And of course, everyone found the opportunity to assassinate their teacher. Using the filming as a distraction, they agreed on Mimura's cue to launch the attack. Yoshida immediately directed the lights at Korosensei as the bullets were fired.
The octopus knew this won't be centered on the sniper duo seeing as they wouldn't be able to access their weapons immediately so what he should look out for was close range attacks. Right on cue, he felt rather than saw Itona charge at him. 'Clever, utilizing Itona-kun's physical skills, but still, not today, kids,' he thought as he leapt away just as the boy entered his vision.
"It should be 'kill me under the light of a thousand stars'," Hayami remarked as Chiba helped her to her feet. They hurriedly left the battlefield as the real clincher of the night fired.
Now that wasn't something the mach 20 teacher expected. 'You're all improving,' he thought proudly as he evaded Kanzaki's bullet, barely an inch surviving.
"Regretting not getting her to star in your project?" Yoshida teased Mimura as they all looked in awe of the other beautiful sniper of the class. "I know who you voted for in that list in Kyoto."
Mimura's cheeks reddened as he spluttered. "Hey, you voted for her too!"
"Speaking of the Kyoto Favorite Girls Ranking, it's featured in the latest drabble," Fuwa had a gun on one hand, the other showing a thumb up.
"Uhm, Fuwa-san, never mind the plug, you aren't even supposed to know about the list," Nagisa reminded the ever-plugging girl.
The others came out of their hiding spots too.
"Well, it's a failed attempt again but we can always do better next time," Isogai said to everyone. "On the other hand, it's a successful shoot, Mimura, congratulations."
"Thank you to everyone for helping out and supporting this project. Especially to the team, thank you," Chiba, Hayami, Okajima, Sugaya, Itona, Yoshida, Yada, Kanzaki, and Kurahashi all nodded at him encouragingly. "There's still the editing after this but that one's my solo battle. For now, there's food prepared for everyone so I'd like to declare it now, that's a wrap!"
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are
Everyone save for the stars themselves pestered Mimura for the finished product after that. Even when he was done, he refused to show them the video, asking them to watch it when released for the official contest.
"Mimura! It was me who suggested this whole thing to you," Nakamura complained. "We weren't allowed to take pictures so we have no shots of our favorite couple here, who by the way are acting all professional again."
The two who were watching the whole debacle from their seats just looked at the pointing finger.
"I mean, this is all you gave us," she jabbed said finger at her phone screen showing a screen capture of the first scene of the dance, the two at opposite sides of the room. "I need more from where this came from, release Okajima's memory card, dammit!"
"If you want more from where this came from, you can visit the author's profile and check out the ChibaHaya fics she'd written."
"Uhm, Fuwa-san, that's too blatant," Nagisa deadpanned.
Privately, Mimura had showed Chiba and Hayami the video first.
"Wow is all I can say," Hayami stated, her eyes a bit wide in pleasant surprise. "You're good at this."
"It's a privilege," Chiba said with a supportive tap to the director's shoulder.
"I should be the one thanking you two for working hard for this," Mimura responded. "Oh, and thank you, Chiba, you allowed me to capture your eyes."
Hayami turned to Chiba with a questioning look. He had shown him her eyes during one of the takes outside. It was a part where he had to hold her face close to his, she knew he purposely allowed his bangs to fly enough away for her to see his eyes. It came with a message. 'I trust you.'
She didn't realize though that he had let Mimura capture them too. Chiba just smiled knowingly at the both of them.
For the two of them, it felt a bit weird not meeting up every afternoon to dance. Everything was back to normal.
On the day the official video was released, Hayami asked Chiba to train together. While everyone else was wherever watching the video, the two of them were in the target shooting area.
"Been so long," Hayami said as she tested the gun in her hands.
"Yeah, but nothing beats this feeling," Chiba agreed as he fired a few shots. All hit the bulls' eye.
They moved on to have a one on one match after that, limiting the battlefield to the training grounds for easier clean up after. Shots were fired, bullets were evaded, some not. Feet leapt to the air, torsos twisted, legs rolled on the ground.
Chiba watched in fascination as Hayami gracefully moved with guns in her hands, making it seem like a dance, a dance he didn't notice she had pulled him into too.
They continued until they were both tired, they didn't even realize the day had turned into the night until after they dropped to the ground, panting. They laid there side by side in the middle of the field, once again under the same star-filled sky. He didn't know how long they've been there until a single thought came to his mind. 'This is nice.'
This time it was her who first reached out to hold his hand and squeezed softly. "You're thinking out loud," she simply said.
He returned with a firmer squeeze.
Maybe it's all part of a plan
The video won 3rd place. There was some cash prize from it which Nakamura had convinced Mimura to use to treat the class.
"Was that your aim all along?" Mimura had agreed since it was not his goal anyway and he was able to earn it because of the help of the whole class. "All of it was part of your plan?"
"Not the part where you wouldn't show it to us until the contest release," Nakamura had answered with a devious smirk on her face, quite similar to the one that started all of this in the first place.
Several years later, they would know the meaning of the smirk in a wedding where the video was once again shown.
"I can't believe you used me just for your wedding gift," Mimura shook his head at the blonde.
"Relax, at least you saved money on getting a wedding gift too," said blonde just waved her hand dismissively at him.
The newlyweds just shook their heads at the energetic blonde who was only now noticing that for the tiniest second, a glimpse of the groom's eyes could be seen in the video.
Maybe it's all part of a plan indeed.
Author's Notes: So, don't say I didn't warn you. This is the sappiest I've been since my Gakuen Alice fanfic Holiday with Love (though I beg to disagree that that one is sappy), but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make Hayami dance a lyrical dance. Can you let me know what you think?
And about the plugs, oh my gosh, I don't usually plug like that (I think I never plugged in-story like that), but I found those lines by Fuwa too funny. I think I wrote that more for the laughs than an actual plug. Though if you haven't read my other ChibaHaya fics (I've already written several), please do so if you want some ChibaHaya fix (there's too little of them).
Lastly, I'd like to thank those who supported my Valentine's special 7 Years (and also the other fics). I already have an idea for the White Day response fic for it, I'll be working on it after publishing this.