Sketchbook Romance
A/N: This was a prompt given to me by sister of the pharaoh. Thank you!
"If I am being honest, I didn't really like him in the beginning."
That was the way I decided to start off to my principal of all people, on how I ended up in his office with a cut under my eye, and a bruised lip. I mean, all things considering, I wasn't too bad off, but then I was called in to the principal's office, whom I normally get along with—I'm the class representative and VP of art club, so I meet with him a lot under much more pleasant circumstances—to give an explanation on why the art room became the setting for an amateur MMA match. I didn't want to come off as super petty, and since I was so worn out anyway, and hey, Principal Yamada was normally a pretty understanding guy, I decided to start from the beginning.
"Who didn't you really like?" Principal Yamada asked, looking just as worn out as I felt.
"Dark-sempai, the guy in my sketchbook," I admitted, not above blushing. The whole thing was super embarrassing, by the way. I could not imagine my pride recovering after this.
Principal Yamada had my original sketchbook in his hand, seeing as how it was evidence on the whole Art Room Fiasco. When he opened it, he groaned at me. I couldn't blame him. The guy in my sketchbook had given him so many problems since he was a first year, and at least two girls were in his office for getting in trouble from fighting over him every month.
"You mean Mousy-san?" he said it in a way that basically screamed, not you too, you should have known better! And he had a point, I should have known better.
"Yeah, I know," I groaned right back. "Look, do you want the full story or not?"
Principal Yamada took off his glasses and wiped them, something he did when he was in an awkward situation. Which you know, didn't make me feel all that great. It's not like I wanted to be there, or was having the time of my life or anything. I mean, it was certainly better than thinking about the consequence of having this one guy know my humiliating secret, but whatever.
"Alright, Harada-san, go ahead."
I took a deep breath and settled comfortably in the chair I was sitting on. This was going to be a long one.
"Alright, like I said: if I am being honest, I didn't like him in the beginning."
To be entirely truthful, I had a crush on his younger half brother, Niwa Daisuke. We had been classmates since middle school, and while Niwa isn't some stud like his older brother, he is super nice, loyal, crazy thoughtful, and just an all around good guy. So I sort of crushed on him during our second year of middle school. So when I found out Niwa was in the art club, I joined right away.
"Are you telling me this story goes back to nearly two and half years ago?"
"Principal Yamada, it'll get good. Just wait a bit."
As it turned out, I was total crap at landscape art, which happened to be Niwa's forte, but I really owned portraits and still life. I mean, I didn't even know I had that sort of talent, and being in the art club really honed my skills, and I ended up really liking it, so I stayed. Anyway, because of art club, Niwa and I worked a lot together on projects, which was great because we got closer and became friends. However, on one particular project (a giant banner and posters advertising the cultural festival), we were really behind and hungry, so Daisuke-kun—I got to call him by his first name!—suggested we go over his house, and my stomach growled loudly so I agreed. It turned out he didn't live that much further from me.
That was when I met him.
At his house, I was introduced to Daisuke-kun's mom, dad, grandfather, and his older brother from his mother's first marriage. Mousy Dark, two years older and devastatingly good looking.
"I thought you liked the younger brother."
"Look, even you have to appreciate Dark-sempai's looks, and please don't interrupt!"
And while at the time I liked Daisuke-kun, even I couldn't help but be a bit speechless at Dark's looks. He was incredibly tall (at least a foot taller than my five-three stature), and lean, with obvious muscles on his arms and back—he was wearing a tank top, so I noticed big time. Then there was the hair, all messy and close to a dark violet, which complimented his dark amethyst eyes that looked at me with intensity. However, just because he was the most handsome person I had ever seen in my life, I didn't swoon the way my sister nearly did when she met him a week later. But regardless, that was when we met.
"Dai-chan, who's your cute friend?" He winked at me. I turned a little red, since I never had a guy, especially one who looked like him, flirt at me, even if it was in jest.
"This is Riku-san, she's working with me on that project I told you about for art club," Daisuke-kun answered cheerfully. It was so obvious that Daisuke-kun loved and admired his brother. "Riku-san, this is my brother Dark-nii."
Since I am one of the most polite people on the planet, I bowed. "Hello, I'm Harada Riku. Daisuke-kun, I didn't know you had a brother.
"He's a first year in high school, so you wouldn't have seen him. And you and I have only been in the same class and art club from this year, so I'm not surprised you didn't know."
"But had I known I would have had such a cute kouhai, I would have stayed back another year," Dark said, his voice very deep. I only smiled politely.
"He's kidding." Daisuke-kun rolled his eyes. "He may not look it, but Dark-nii is actually really smart."
"What do you mean that I may not look it?" Dark asked, pretending to be hurt. Daisuke-kun ignored him and went downstairs to get snacks. That left me alone with his older brother.
I'm not a very extroverted person, but Dark was, and began asking questions, like how I liked school, which high school was I going to apply to next year, did I have siblings, if I liked art that much; all normal questions. It was pretty easy to talk to him, despite his intimidating looks. He was dead set on advertising his high school, since it had a great art and photography club, which is why he chose there.
"Oh, so you like photography?" I asked.
"Yep, I love art, and while I am shit with drawing or painting, I definitely know how to capture life on photo and film. My specialty is people. I love getting reactions." He was definitely passionate, which I mildly found to be an attractive quality. "If you don't mind, I would love to get a reaction out of you."
That was when the warning signs went off. "Um, no thank you."
"Are you sure? Because I think you'd make the cutest reactions." The way he was saying this was so weird. Was it flirting or harassment?
"Um, no, I am not really good at that sort of thing. You should meet my sister, Risa. She's my younger twin sister, and super cute."
"I don't know. I just have a good feeling about you. You're the kind to have the best reactions."
"Well, I don't." I was getting kind of annoyed at that point, because I had just met him, and he was super good looking, and I was pretty sure he was making fun of me. Let me tell you, getting made fun of wasn't something I liked. I was already wondering when Daisuke-kun would come back with snacks so we could get working on our stuff, and I would be able to leave. Being around this guy was starting to really wear on me.
"I bet I can prove you wrong."
"He is incredibly persistent."
"Principal Yamada, you have no idea."
"Ha! Try me!"
That was a mistake on my end, because I let him get to me. I'm super competitive and apparently aggressive if you ask any of my P.E. teachers, so I'm pretty easy to taunt. I knew this, and I still let myself fall into his trap. So Dark did prove me wrong.
By kissing me.
On the lips.
I should probably mention that it was my first ever kiss that I may or may not have been saving for Daisuke-kun (like the opportunity would ever come up! I was delusional, whatever), so I freaked out by slapping him in the face. After doing that, I heard a click, and Dark-san winked at me with his shit-eating grin and red cheek, holding up his smart phone. He flipped it over so that I could see my red, wide eyed photo.
"See, this is the best reaction I've ever gotten. Thanks, Riku-chan." Then he just walked out of the room like nothing happened.
At that moment, Daisuke-kun came in with a tray of snacks, looked at my flushed and stiff face, and knew something was up. "Did Dark-nii do anything weird?"
I didn't say anything. I couldn't even think of anything. I just avoided making any eye contact. How do you tell your crush that his older brother stole your first kiss? I mean, it was so embarrassing to even admit it happened to myself. Either way, Daisuke-kun rolled his eyes and offhanded said, "Don't let whatever he does get to you. Dark-nii sometimes likes to mess around with people."
And that said everything I ever needed to know. Dark was a player! That made me more furious since I was hoping my first kiss would be with someone special, but it instead got stolen by some player who only did it to see how I would react. The worst part of the whole day was that Daisuke-kun allowed Dark to take pictures of us working, something of a project for him for photography club, so I still had to be around the pervert. But the nail on the coffin of the night was when Daisuke-kun admitted to having a severe crush on my sister, and I don't even know how I didn't just die right there and then. I was pretty sure that being swallowed up by a black hole would have been preferable than working on a giant banner in Daisuke-kun's room while he went on about my sister's many amazing qualities while his perverted jerk of a brother documented my heart breaking into a million pieces.
When I went home, I decided to continue to be friends with Daisuke-kun and try to avoid his brother at all costs.
The key word: try.
Which of course didn't end up being possible. Dark suddenly showed up to our school to drop of his younger brother, which he never did before, and then walk to his high school which was only a block away. And since Risa and I got to school at the same time Daisuke-kun did, Dark always had to try to make small talk with me. Then he showed up at our school cultural festivals. And he showed up to my soccer matches. Then he showed up at our random outings. He. Was. Everywhere.
To speed things along, Risa ended up getting a crush on Dark on the account of him being everywhere. Then in our last year of middle school, Daisuke-kun finally confessed, and she went out with him at first to be kind. Then somewhere along the way, she fell for him for real. I guess she was won over by his dedication, loyalty, and overall thoughtfulness, which I can't blame her for. That was how I got over and said good bye to my first love, and hello to one of my best friends.
By the time we had to take our entrance exams, we all chose Dark's high school. Daisuke-kun wanted to be part of their amazing art club, and I partially agreed for the art club, and the rest was to stay with Risa, since she was going wherever Daisuke-kun went. After I took the test, Risa and Daisuke went on their date, and I was going to go home until Dark found me outside the building.
"Riku-chan," he greeted me with a wave. Already, a ton of my fellow test takers looked at me with envy. I was around Dark so much (you know, since he was everywhere) that I was used to the jealous glares. I mean, if only they knew…
"Why are you here?" I asked. I never made things easy for him after the whole First Kiss Incident. I wasn't always rude, but I was never sweet with him either.
"It's my high school." He was walking with me, and I had just spent too many hours of extreme brainwork to argue against him.
"So you've told me about a million times when Daisuke-kun told you we would all be taking the test."
"I'm excited for you guys to go here. Even if it's just for one year, I want to be able to spend more time with you." He always said stuff like this to me. It was infuriating, especially since I knew that I couldn't take anything he said seriously. Risa was convinced that he was not always joking, but she also thought Daisuke-kun was not worth crushing over a few months ago, and look at her now.
"Really? Because it's not like I look forward to more girls getting the wrong impression about you and me again." I groaned at him, making it very clear that the last few years of getting harassed by some girls, have rumors spread about me, or being asked to personally deliver love letters for him were not exactly my idea of a good time. Thankfully, whether it was Risa's calling them out on it, or my obvious opinion of Dark, the girls never bothered me for too long.
"And what impression do they have?" Dark asked, even though he knew full well what I was talking about. I only complained to him about it every day when I asked him to tone down the flirting or stop all together. Did he ever listen? Please, as if.
"They think we are together. Or that I like you, and can make you do whatever I want. As if that were true," I commented drily.
"Wouldn't that be the day…"he said with a smile. I only rolled my eyes.
We were nearly at my house when he pulled out something from his jacket pocket. It was wrapped in tissue paper and tied together by a tiny, purple ribbon.
"What's that?" I pointed when he tried handing it to me. He didn't answer but told me to open it. I complied, and found a pretty charm, decorated in colors that reminded me of a sunset. When I saw the writing on it, I had to laugh. "Is this a good luck charm to give to test takers?"
Dark smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I had every intention to wake up and be here early before you took the test, but I didn't so I will give it to you now, and it is luck for getting in."
"But I already took the test. And I know I'm getting in."
"Riku-chan, just pretend, please," he pleaded. I only rolled my eyes, but attached the charm to my bag.
"Whatever. Do you want to come in for tea?"
"No, I can't this time; I have to meet Krad in a half hour."
I just shook my hand at him. "Wait, I have to give you the book you lent me. I finished it. " I was about to run into my house, when his hand held my wrist. I spun around, but his face gave nothing away. He was being unusually serious, but I was not exactly sure why. "Um, is something wrong?"
"Riku-chan, what do you think of me?" he asked suddenly, not letting go of wrist at all. The question itself surprised me. Dark and I talked about a lot of stuff (you know, since he was everywhere, and it had been nearly two years already), but he never talked about things like this. At least not with me.
"I don't understand what you're asking," I told him slowly. For some reason, looking at his face was difficult, so I opted for his hand, still fastened around my wrist in an iron lock. "I think you're a good guy, if that's what you're asking about."
"You think I am a good guy?" he repeated. I nodded, still super confused. "So, what kind of relationship would you say we have?"
What was he on? I never really thought about any relationship with Dark, seeing as how I was annoyed with his presence for the first year I knew him. But he didn't seem like he would like that answer, so I just shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I guess friends."
He finally let go of my wrist, and smiled again. I breathed a sigh of relief seeing him back to normal. "You think we're friends?"
"Yeah, I do." And thinking back on it, we probably were friends somewhere earlier in the road. Maybe it happened when we were talking during the awkward moments our siblings left us to go make out whenever we hung out.
"Yeah, I'm glad, Riku-chan." He still kept on smiling, like I just told him Christmas was celebrated twice a year, or something. Anyway, I gave him his book, and he left, and then about a few weeks later, all of us celebrated getting into our first choice high school.
Which brings us to the beginning of my first year of high school.
I shouldn't have been surprised when I came here and found out Dark was the most popular guy in school. And probably the biggest flirt, since he always smiled at every girl bold enough to approach him. He called them all princesses, and Risa, Daisuke-kun, and I had a fun time mocking him when he wasn't around for that. It was the first time I saw Dark surrounded by all these people, and I'd come to realize that school was his kingdom and he was the king.
"Hearing you say that makes me feel a little bad, Harada-san."
"Sorry, Principal Yamada."
The great king still hung out with me though. He made trips to the floor of first years in between classes, and the four of us had lunch together, sometimes with my friend Satoshi, who was in the art club with Daisuke-kun and me, sometimes with Krad, another third year like Dark. As usual, I was targeted for mild harassment over my friendship with Dark, but after I made things pretty clear, it stopped after a week.
Like I said, I joined art club again with Daisuke-kun and Satoshi (Risa opted for drama club). Somehow, under a mysterious recommendation, I was made Vice President, with President Aoi as my leader. Aoi was a second year, cool and had a personality that was similar to Risa's, which is probably why we got along. Anyway, at one particular meeting about four months after starting high school, we were all wondering on how to improve on drawing anatomy. Then someone suggested it.
"We could ask Dark-sempai to model for us!"
I slid low in my chair. Just because we were friends didn't mean I wouldn't be embarrassed having to stare and draw his perfect looks. But I was in the minority, since all the girls got super excited. Daisuke was conveniently with the landscape crew, and Satoshi and I rolled our eyes together. Satoshi never said it out loud, but he wasn't fond of Dark for whatever reason.
"Oh, but how would we ask him? If only Niwa-kun did portraits…he would ask for us…"
I tried to be smooth about sliding under the table, but Aoi –sempai easily pulled me up from my shirt collar. I managed to forget her crazy strength.
"Harada-chan, you're friends with Dark-sempai, right?" she asked innocently, but I could tell she was being very calculating. The other members of the club nodded. I felt bad for Satoshi, being one of the three males in our portrait group, and the other two were Dark fanboys as well.
"Yeah, we are…"I answered nervously. Satoshi just shook his head.
"Best friends practically? Yes?" Aoi-sempai was super determined. I nodded dumbly, and she smiled wide. "Then, as vice president, would you carry out your duty and ask Dark-sempai to model for us?"
I didn't even get to answer because the rest of the club started thanking me, and so I went home that day stuck with the task of asking Dark to model for us. I complained to Satoshi, who had no sympathy for me. He went on about how I didn't even say no, and now this was my punishment. I liked Satoshi, but he was rather cold sometimes. I pointed this out to him, but he only laughed.
"Do you want me to warm with you? I can be."
"No, you're just making fun of me."
I also tried to push the task off to Daisuke-kun, who flat out refused me, much to my surprise. When I argued that it would be for the club that he was in, he only told me that I was the one assigned to it, and not him. Also, he worked on landscape only, so it didn't matter whether Dark was there or not. Which was true, but I didn't like it.
"Besides, Dark-nii won't say no to you."
"He's going to laugh at me."
"No, I think he'd be very happy. Especially if you asked."
Then he continued to make out with my sister. Which I thought was pretty rude, but I just went upstairs to Dark's room, and he let me in graciously. I sucked it up and asked, and Daisuke-kun was right, he was pretty elated.
"You want to draw me?" he asked, still dressed in his uniform.
I was superbly embarrassed, but I nodded. "Everyone in the club does. We could really improve on our anatomy skills, and if you were our model, it'd feel like fun instead of frustrating." I was not sure if he knew how mortified I felt from saying all that since he was all smiles.
"I'd be happy to do it!"
"Are you sure? It's for about an hour with only a few breaks in between. It can be exhausting, and I don't want to put you out," I warned him. But he just shook his head and beamed at me.
"No, that's fine. If it's for Riku-chan, I don't mind. It'll be fun."
And so that's how Dark, most popular guy in school, became the model for the art club. We agreed it would only be for two weeks, three days per week. Overall, it didn't go too bad. All the girls, no matter how excited they were, calmed down and worked like pros. Dark was also the perfect model, surprising no one, by the way. He heard our pose requests, and complied beautifully. Even though I had known him for so long, getting caught up in his beauty was something else. All his muscles were toned and tight, and his limbs were gracefully long. His eyes were intense with concentration, and his cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut a person. He was also super friendly and charming during our breaks, so it was easy to see how everyone was so enamored with him. By the end of the hour, we were all tired, and Dark was still just as friendly.
"That was pretty fun," he told me while I handed him a juice. The others were comparing their work, and Satoshi got called by the president to get snacks.
"I'm glad you thought so, Dark-sempai. I was worried you'd be uncomfortable. Thanks a lot for this." I was super thankful for it. I was also sure it won me huge points in the art club's favors department.
"It's really nothing. I like being able to spend time with you like this. Plus, I like seeing you get into your work.
A hand reached out with a sweet chocolate stuffed croissant. Dark and I looked surprised, as it turned out to be Satoshi, looking as stoic as ever. He came back with snacks for the club, but I was a bit touched to see he had gotten me my favorite bread from the convenience store, especially since this was not allotted for in our budget. I took it gratefully, since I used my lunch break to set up the club room.
"Thanks," I said. Then I narrowed my eyes. "Why the niceness? Is it because I called you cold?" I was totally teasing, since Satoshi was easy like that, but he just shrugged in a blasé manner.
"I told you I can be warm to you." Then he stalked off to the others, helping pass out napkins for the juice.
I ate my bread in silence. All the while, I could feel Dark stare at me, relentlessly. He did that sort of thing often, and I never got a direct answer from him whenever I asked. This time was different though. He seemed pretty furious for some reason, even if the anger was muted. Since he was all smiles not too long ago, I was pretty curious for the sudden change in his mood. When I raised my eyebrows at him, his look softened. He'd known me well enough to know that I was asking after him without needed to say anything.
"Nothing…you and that kid, Hiwatari, are you guys close?" he still sounded pretty mad, though he tried to hide it. I paused in my chewing to look at the direction he was facing. Satoshi was hanging by the wall, drinking his juice and willfully ignoring everyone in the art club. He was weird like that. Dark was a social butterfly, and Satoshi wouldn't join a group even if you held him at gunpoint. He was also a big stick in the mud, and it was any wonder we got along. He was always nice to me, and pretty okay with Daisuke-kun, but he mostly kept to himself.
"You mean Satoshi? I don't know, I guess. I mean, we're friends, and I am the only one he ever really talks to aside from your brother." I finished my chocolate croissant. Somehow, Dark looked angrier. "What? Did you want a piece?"
"You call him Satoshi, like it's nothing. You call my brother by his first name. But I was always Dark-san or now, Dark-sempai." He even pouted, which I thought was cute but out of place on his face. Either way, I could not believe that he was complaining about something so trivial.
"But you are my sempai," I countered.
"You can just call me Dark!"
"Like in front of people? No way, I'd sound rude!"
He sighed and looked mad angry, narrowing his eyes at Satoshi, and I was feeling pretty exasperated, because who complains about stuff like that? Weirdoes, that's who. And egocentric, narcissistic, perverts. However, since I preferred a happy Dark over a moody one, I compromised.
"How about this: if we're alone, I'll call you Dark. Around people, you're sempai. Deal?"
He did perk up considerably. "Okay, I like that. Try it now."
I looked around, and we were definitely out of earshot from everyone else. "Hi, Dark." I instantly covered my face with my hands. I was mysteriously embarrassed by it all. But it made Dark happy, since he laughed, and my chest felt really tight, which was a bit concerning to me.
"Thanks, Riku-chan."
He got up to talk to the others, and Satoshi came to talk to me, but I couldn't really pay attention. I just kept clutching my heart, and wondering why I was suddenly so happy, and why my heart rushed when he said my name the way he did.
"The more I hear this, the more I worry about your obliviousness."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Continue, please."
After the first week, Aoi-sempai decided we need to work on our partner drawings. She suggested we find a partner to model beside Dark, one who will compliment him, and be able to pose with him at his caliber. At that, Dark promised to convince Miho-sempai to join, and the remaining boys looked pleased at that, except for Satoshi, who never looked pleased—except for that one time I spilled charcoal all over myself.
Uno Miho, third year student, and Dark's classmate, was the beauty of the school. She was nowhere near as social as Dark, but she was just as gorgeous, with long black hair, milky white skin, and deep eyes that scared me if I managed to make contact. She was also tall and had a willowy figure, and could probably model easily if she wanted to. If Dark was the king of the school, then she was queen, and everyone wondered why Dark never asked her out, considering she confessed to him every month apparently.
To the surprise of no one, Uno-sempai agreed, and so she and Dark came to the art room, promptly after school. She didn't greet us and only talked to Dark, but no one else seemed to care. We got started right away, the first pose being Dark on one knee, kissing Uno-sempai's hand with a tender look on his face. Everyone started sketching right away, but I froze on my spot, unable to really grasp at how I was feeling. I was furious and hurt, though there was no reason for me to be. Satoshi noticed right away and threw an eraser at me.
"Riku," he called to me, his voice very low. I threw the eraser that hit my cheek back at him. I was not happy to see he caught it effortlessly. Regardless, I nodded and began to work.
That day, I didn't want to talk to Dark, which worked out since Uno-sempai had no intention of leaving his side. He looked at me apologetically, and I just waved like I was not offended. Uno-sempai looked at me with contempt, so I scurried away from them quickly. I walked home with Satoshi that day, and he could tell something was bugging me.
"Is everything alright?" Satoshi asked. He never beat around the bush. I sighed and scratched my head, wondering what was wrong and how to explain it.
"I don't know. I mean, yeah, everything is fine, but I don't feel like everything is fine, you know?" I hoped he would be able to understand, because that was the best explanation I was going to be able to give him.
"You make no sense sometimes."
"You make no sense sometimes."
"Oh, you got me. I am so hurt, especially coming from the girl who stepped in the chalk bucket the other day."
"You saw that?"
"Naturally, I couldn't make it up if I tried."
I blushed from the memory of it. "Well, that's embarrassing. You didn't tell anyone did you?"
Satoshi made a motion like he was locking up his mouth. "I will take it to the grave."
He sounded so serious about it that I couldn't help but laugh. It seemed to do the trick, since I felt loads better about the day. Satoshi didn't join my laughing, but he smiled, which I told him was super rare, and I should take a picture and sell it to the girls of our class to make a hefty profit.
"Take as many pictures, but don't give them to the girls." The very thought made him feel awkward. I laughed anyway.
"All I'm saying is that I'm pretty sure you'd be just as popular as Dark-sempai if you smiled more at people."
He stopped in tracks and looked at me with a very determined expression. My laughter quickly died. "Do you really think that? That I am as handsome as Dark-sempai?"
If I looked as taken aback as I felt, he didn't say anything. "Um, yeah. Is that a surprise to you? That you're good looking?"
"You find me good looking?" The question sounded really petty, but he looked like this was the most important question in the universe, which is what stopped me from bursting out in laughter. I didn't know Satoshi was this insecure. Of course, it turned out I was very wrong.
"Yes, I do."
He paced around after I said that, which made me really nervous. Satoshi had always kept cool, so seeing him act like this was a whole new experience for me. Finally, he stopped pacing and faced me directly.
"I'm not confident that I will receive a favorable answer, but I can't keep this to myself any longer. Riku, I like you, and I want you to go out with me."
I had nothing to say. My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped, because I did not see that coming at all. Who would?
"No one suspected it? Are you really sure?"
"Well, Risa says she knew it. She claims she has the best observation and intuitive skills."
"I shudder to think at the possibility if she put that sort of energy into her schoolwork."
"You don't have to answer me right away. Take some time to think about it. A week, and then I will hear your response. But I like you and would be good to you. I can be there for you. And you find me good looking, so I think you can be attracted to me. And those feelings can grow. Just, think about it."
The rest of the walk home was awkward. Seeing and telling Risa about it was awkward (and she said she called it and saw it coming, and I just ignored her since I had no energy to deal with her), and being in my room and thinking about it was awkward. The day was a whirlwind of emotions, and there were two things I would have normally done.
1. Tell Dark. And since I would have rather died, I went with option two.
2. Vent out by sketching it out.
So I grabbed my sketchbook and opened it on the page I worked on back in the club. Uno and Dark looked really good together, and the more I looked at it, the angrier I got. I guess I was really jealous. Uno-sempai was gorgeous, probably the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in real life. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was definitely not ugly, but I fell into the cute category. Short, auburn, pale skin, brown eyes, and only five-three, I was no match for the ethereal and graceful Miho-sempai. No one would have ever imagined me posing with Dark the way she did earlier.
I don't know if it was the jealousy, but I imagined it. And drew it. Dark's pose remained the same, but I replaced Uno-sempai with myself. I worked pretty hard on it, nearly two hours worth of work went into it. When I got done, I screamed into my pillow and had every intention of throwing it out. I mean, it was so silly.
But the more I looked at it, the less I was able to throw it away. I was good, and so I made the drawing look really good, even if I wasn't as pretty as Uno-sempai. I decided since I worked hard on it, I would keep it, and destroy it on my deathbed or something. I was still admiring it when I heard a knock on my window. I froze. There was only one person who was dumb enough to climb up to the balcony of my room in the middle of the night.
"What are you doing here?" I asked after opening the window. Dark climbed in effortlessly.
"Dai-chan told me that Hiwatari confessed to you!" he exclaimed, looking very sweaty and attractive, and really out of breath.
"Did you run here or something?"
He looked momentarily annoyed. "Never mind that, is it true?"
"How does Daisuke-kun know? Oh my god, Risa must have told him. What a traitor!"
"So it's true," Dark commented, grabbing me by the shoulders. I tried to ignore the frantic beating of my heart. "What did you tell him?"
"Nothing, he didn't give me a chance to answer." I could not believe that he was actually asking me questions about this. It was so humiliating. I wanted to just close my eyes and pretend this was all a very awkward and mortifying dream. "He said he'd wait a week."
"And?"
"And that's it." I carefully pried his hands away from my shoulders; he was squeezing them pretty hard.
"Do you like him?" He was being annoyingly persistent on the topic. Why he found it so fascinating was beyond me.
"I like him as a friend. I never saw him as anything more. Look, are you okay? You look like you're having a heart attack."
He relaxed a little and sat on my bed. I thanked the heavens I put away my sketchbook before I opened my window to let him in. "I'm fine. I suddenly feel very exhausted."
"I can make you some tea. Would you like some?"
Dark sighed into his hands and looked back at me. "Yeah, tea would be great. Can you add something sweet to it?"
"Honey?"
"Yes? I mean, yes, please."
So I made us some tea with snacks included, and Dark seemed to have returned to his normal self. We got to talking, since we didn't get a chance to that day, and I realized how much I missed talking to him, even if it was just for a day. I couldn't help but get caught up in his eyes and voice, and the way he laughed made my stomach do Olympic flips inside. When he said goodbye, I almost wanted to cry, because I didn't want him to leave. I wanted him to stay by my side forever. That's when it hit me.
"Oh crap, I have a crush on Dark."
"I am so glad you realized that. It would have gotten very ridiculous if you kept on denying it."
"Your comments are not being appreciated."
I told no one. There was no way I was telling Risa, because her big mouth would tell her boyfriend, and then Dark would know, and I'd have to move and change identities. Satoshi was out of the question since he said he liked me, and I still didn't know how to navigate that. And no one in art club would be trustworthy. The only thing that had any evidence was my sketchbook, which contained more drawing of Dark and me together, mimicking the poses they did in art club. I couldn't help it, it was like a disease! But, I always felt better after drawing them, and they made me feel good about myself, so I continued. Now there were drawings of Dark carrying me like a bride. And Dark embracing me as if he were about to kiss me. And Dark caressing my cheek. And Dark looking like he was kissing my neck…
"You don't have to describe them all. Your sketchbook is right here."
"Sorry."
This went on every day for the nearly the whole week. Then we reached Friday, the last day of Dark and Uno-sempai's work with the art club. I was careless. Daisuke-kun had forgotten to give Dark a textbook he needed, but he had to do some work for our homeroom teacher, so I was asked to go to the third year floor and hand it to him myself. I agreed, but forgot I needed to see Aoi-sempai for an art club budget plan during the break, and so I rushed to the third floor with my bag open. Of course I bumped into someone, no other than Uno-sempai.
"I am so sorry!" I cried and bowed my head as I was helping her pick up her and my things. Up close to her like this, she was even more beautiful than I thought. Another pang of jealously hit me hard.
"You're Harada-san from the art club," she said, her voice firm and lacking any friendliness at all. I gulped, feeling pretty frightened of this gorgeous girl. "Dark-san says you're his best friend. He talks about you often."
I tried really hard not to look pleased. "Well, we're friends. And have known each other awhile." I got up, and she had her things gathered. When she stood up to her full height, I felt even lower.
"He has talked about you for some time now. Since our first year here."
"We've known each other since then."
Thankfully, I didn't have to continue to painful conversation, since Dark saw and rushed over. His face lit up and instantly ruffled my hair when he stood close enough to do so. Normally, I wouldn't have minded, but doing this in front of Uno-sempai felt dangerous, and even though I harbored a crush that was the size of Jupiter, I tried to look impassive.
"Riku-chan, what brings you here?" Then he looked at Uno-sempai and was further confused. "And talking to Miho-san?"
Using some latent ninja skill (yeah, right), I pulled out his textbook and handed it to him. "Daisuke-kun said you forgot this. I only ran into Uno-sempai."
She only stared hard at the papers in her hands, and I had no time to talk any more. Dark thanked me, and after promising to see them both later in art club, I ran back to Aoi-sempai and spent the rest of the school day feeling anxious.
It didn't hit me until I was in art club. I turned my desk, my bag, and everything I had upside down looking for my sketchbook. Satoshi and Daisuke-kun helped me look for it, with no such luck. I instantly wanted to cry. Thankfully, Dark had a quick meeting with the photography club, so I still had time before needing to get down to business.
"Are you sure it was in your bag, Riku-san?" Daisuke-kun asked with a frown. I nodded with gusto, feeling like I was going to cry.
"I always make sure it's with me."
"Maybe it fell out earlier today?" Satoshi added.
Then I figured out it did. When I bumped into Uno-sempai.
"Oh no," I exclaimed. "Oh, no, no, no, no!"
"Riku-san, what's wrong?" But not even Daisuke-kun's gentle voice could calm me down.
That would be the worst. What if she had seen it? What would she say? Would she tell Dark? Oh god, I was going to die. I really was going to die. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daisuke-kun step out, but I didn't care. I felt like my head was about to explode, and any minute now, I was going to cry. Which I absolutely hated. I was not a cute crier. Usually, my nose gets all red and runny, and my eyes always swell up…it's just the worst.
"Harada-san, I need to talk to you."
My heart stopped. The voice was easily recognizable, but I was in denial. "Satoshi, is that Uno-sempai asking for me."
Satoshi looked at me with concern. "Yes…is everything okay?"
I stood and smiled at him. "Yep."
Uno-sempai didn't wait for me to agree to talk to her, so I just followed her to the corner of the room, near the supplies for charcoal art. Everyone else was just goofing off while waiting for Dark to show up. I was so happy he was not here for this.
"Um, actually sempai, I wanted to ask you if you happened to pick up my sketchbook. I might have dropped it when I bumped into you earlier." I was polite, it was sickening.
Uno-sempai just glared at me. "You mean this?" She held up my sketchbook. Open to the first imitated drawing I made with Dark and me. My entire body seemed to be made of lead.
"Um…I just drew that as a joke," I hastily explained, keeping my voice low. "I was just curious."
She still didn't hand me my book. Instead, she sneered at me. "You have a lot of drawings like this for it being a joke."
My face burned instantly. I had no words for that, and she noticed easily. It was so not fair. I was such easy prey and stood no chance. Already, my heart felt like breaking into millions of pieces.
"So you like Dark-san?" The sneer deepened. "That's the biggest joke I've heard so far. I mean, just look at you. You're just a child."
I blinked, trying to keep the tears from falling. Already, my throat burned, a sure sign that the waterworks were just around the corner. But I couldn't help it. Everything she was saying felt so true. It was exactly what I'd been thinking for the last couple of days.
"I mean, do you really think these drawings are able to happen? No, they can only happen with me. You're nothing. You're just some little girl who is clinging on to Dark-san, and soon, he will get tired of you. He just hasn't because he's too kind. But soon, you will learn that it is me who belongs at his side."
I shouldn't have said the next bit, but she made me so mad. She went off assuming about my relationship with Dark (I mean, I cling on to him? Please, for the first year I'd known him, I tried to shake him out of my life!), and insulting me, making me feel like I had no worth. Now, I was insecure, but I was also no fool.
"Do you really? Because he's rejected you since you were in your first year. Dark's too nice and is friends with you, and that kills you doesn't it? If anything, you're the little girl who is clinging on to him.
That's when she slapped me. Hard.
It was heard from all across the room. Everyone stopped, and the art club had never been quieter. Uno-sempai turned bright red, her eyes narrowed and lip curling in fury. My cheek burned from the impact of her slap. I didn't think she had it in her to pack a mean slap like that.
"You bitch! How dare you?" she yelled.
Risa stepped in between us, shaking with rage. It turned out that Daisuke-kun went to grab her earlier when I was first upset, and so she saw the whole thing. "How dare you slap my sister and call her a bitch? I don't care who you are! No one messes with my big sister!"
Uno-sempai had no patience for this. She shoved Risa out of her way to me, and my poor sister fell down to ground, hurting her hand to break her fall. This pissed me off. As Daisuke-kun and Satoshi ran to help her up, the other were murmuring about Uno-sempai looking crazed, but I didn't pay them attention. It was one thing to mess with me, but Risa is off limits.
"Hey, don't you dare push my baby sister!"
And that's when I threw the white paint at her. She did not like that at all (who would? White paint is hard to get out of hair). She flung my sketchbook away, and lurched for me. I fell in the chalk bucket (again, only this time, it wasn't just Satoshi that saw) and cut under my eye with one of the blades used to sharpen the charcoal. I got up and ran across the room, throwing charcoal pencils at her. Everyone started screaming and moving out of the way, and Aoi-sempai stepped out in a flash. Uno-sempai caught up to me and pushed me against the easel, bruising my lip. I pulled her down her hair, and watched her trip and fall into some clay. The room was turning into a disaster, and finally Satoshi held me back, while Daisuke-kun held on to Uno-sempai for dear life.
"This is when I came in."
"Yeah, but someone else did too."
Aoi-sempai had grabbed our principal, and Dark had showed up, picking up my forgotten sketchbook that was flung across the room before Uno-sempai and I got into it. My heart shattered. He looked at the drawing and then at me. His eyes were wide and his lips in a thin line. There was no amusement or care in his expression. I looked away, crying silently at that point.
"I want an explanation for this!" Principal Yamada bellowed. Satoshi finally let go of me, and I steadily walked up to Dark. Without saying a word, I took the sketchbook from his hand, the pieces of my heart spreading out and cutting every nerve of my body.
That was it. My life was over.
"And so here we are," I finished lamely. I knew he was going to see Uno-sempai after me, and I hoped her story was shorter than mine, since it was sunset, and Principal Yamada looked worn out.
"Yes, here we are," he sighed. "Look, Harada-san, we don't condone violence in the school. But you were provoked and didn't deal with the first blow. At most, you and Uno-san will have to write a formal apology to each other and both of you will spend Saturday cleaning up the art room alone. I trust this won't happen again, will it?"
I held up my hand in surrender. "I promise to not get into fights with seniors over a boy again. I learned my lesson."
"Good," he said pleased. He leaned forward again, not done with me yet. "And Harada-san, in terms of your feelings for Mousy-san, I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet."
I just stared at him stricken. "Principal Yamada! Can we not?" I was already humiliated. I didn't need love advice from my principal of all people.
"Just from an outsider point of view, I don't think you've lost. Now go home and clean up. I want you in this school tomorrow for your punishment in the art club."
I smiled at him, grateful for the light sentence. "Thank you."
Satoshi waited for me by the entrance. I waved and we walked home together. The walk was silent, but I still felt like I owed him an answer, even if it was sooner than he asked. I just knew that I couldn't go out with him while having feelings for Dark, even if my heart was broken. I needed time to heal after all.
"Satoshi, I want to—"
"Stop," he interrupted. We paused and stared at each other. I could tell Satoshi was resigned. "I know what you're going to say, and that's fine. Forget about my confession. I just want to be friends."
I took a step back, surprised at this turn of events. "Are you sure?"
He nodded somberly. "I know that you don't see me that way. And I want you to be happy. Whether it is with me, or someone else, or no one if you choose it."
I grinned at him. I couldn't help it. After the day I had, it felt good that someone was being super good to me. I would not have deserved Satoshi. Someday, he'd have a crush on someone who would be worthy of his affections. I'd make sure of it.
"Thanks, Satoshi. You're a great friend."
"Yeah. I don't think you can do better than me."
I playfully punched his shoulder, and we walked back. For the first time that day, I felt a little better, and maybe thought that I would easily get over all the events that happened. Because yeah, I had gotten in trouble, and Dark knew my secret so I would have to avoid him forever and live with the knowledge that he wouldn't be mine, but I had great friends. I had Daisuke-kun who cared about me enough to look for the one person who could help me. I had Risa, who would stick up to the queen of the school for me. And I had Satoshi, who put me above his own feelings for the sake of my happiness.
I was going to be okay.
I was wrong.
After I talked and ate with Risa (who apparently was not surprised that I liked Dark. "Even you couldn't resist him forever."), and showered, I went to my room to relax a little, and maybe distract myself. Then I heard the familiar knocking on my window. And since there was only one person who was dumb enough to climb up to the balcony of my room in the middle of the night, I panicked. I tried to hide, but he knew me better.
"Riku-chan, I know you're in there. Risa texted me to tell me when you'd be free to talk."
That traitor! Feeing ultimately betrayed, and since I couldn't really avoid him forever, I opened the window. Dark let himself in easily, and I had to look away before I was caught up in his overall attractiveness. He didn't seem angry or confused. In fact, he looked like he was having the time of his life. Though, considering my day was shitty, I couldn't fathom what he had to be so happy about.
"So," he began. "About earlier…"
"I'd rather not!" I cried out. I back away nervously. "I…I had a long day. A really, really, long day. And I'd rather not talk about it. I just need a break from talking about it, because if I have to rehash the events one more time, I am just going to scream. So, can we not talk about today?"
Dark was silent for a solid thirty seconds before breaking into a grin. "That's fine. We don't have to talk."
He went down on one knee, took my hand, and kissed it, his face gentle and tender.
I didn't say a word. I only continued to watch him. Next, he pulled me into an embrace that lasted for at least a minute. I couldn't hug back; I was in shock. He didn't explain himself at all. Finally, he looked at me, took a breath like he was trying to gain courage, and began to kiss my neck.
That's what broke my shock.
"What are you doing?" I asked rather breathlessly. The places he kissed on my neck felt like they were on fire.
"This is what you drew," he told me in a heavy voice. Heavy with what?
I pulled away from his instantly, feeling incredibly hurt. This was not what I needed at all. "Are you making fun of me?" I felt a rant creeping up in my throat. So did Dark because he held up both hands in protest and tried to edge in an explanation, but I had enough.
"I don't need you to make fun of me! I get it. Yeah, I drew those pictures. I drew them because I was jealous, and so I wanted to see how it would be if it was with me and not Uno-sempai. And yeah, I like you. I like you a lot. Maybe I've liked you for a while now, and I just didn't realize it until now. But is it wrong to like you? I'm sorry if it bothers you, but I won't burden you with my feelings. I'll try to get over you, so you don't need to make fun of me to tell me you don't like me!"
I was crying at this point, which I already explained, it is just the worst. I was ready to kick him out, but Dark only pulled into a hug, and before I could fight my way out, he kissed me. It was mostly wet because I had been crying, but he didn't care, and frankly, neither did I. There was so much passion into his kiss, which should not have shocked me, since Dark was always passionate about everything he did. His hold on me grew tighter, and I felt my hand in his hair, and one trailing under his shirt and up his back. He moaned into the kiss and I gasped, leaving him free to explore my mouth with his tongue. I'd never felt anything like this before, and the shivers went from my mouth all the way down to the tips of my toes.
I needed to breathe eventually, so we broke away from the kiss, but Dark never let me go.
"Now that was way better than our first kiss," he whispered hoarsely. I felt my face creep up.
"If I'd known that this was how you kissed, I wouldn't have done it sooner." My breathing was still catching up to me. Dark smirked.
"Oh, I can do more than just kiss."
I instantly flushed and looked away, still in his arms. "Shut up."
He laughed and pulled me closer. "You're dangerous. Pretty soon I won't be able to hold back. I've got two point five years worth of pent up emotion that is ready to get out."
"Hold up! Two and a half years?" I asked incredulously.
Without letting me go, Dark just threw me a sardonic look. "Risa was right. You were completely oblivious. I gave myself away so much. I was being so obvious."
When I didn't answer, he rolled his eyes. "Riku, I've been in love with you for almost two and half years. Since we first met, and I kissed you in my brother's room. It got worse the more I got to know you. I never wanted to let you go."
That was getting to be pretty obvious since I was still in his arms. But I was floored by his confession. I would have never dreamed of a world where Dark actually seriously liked—no, wait, loved—me. This day was just a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was barely keeping it together.
"When I saw your sketchbook, it gave me hope that maybe, finally, you felt the same way. That maybe, you got to know the real me, and liked me for real. I always knew you were attracted to me, but I wanted you to be able to like me for who I am. Those sketches, they made me so happy. I was going to properly confess to you tomorrow, after you finished with your punishment. But then Risa told me you believed I would reject you and avoid me forever, so I had to come to set you straight."
He let go of me and got down on his one knee again. Taking my hand and placing a gentle kiss, he looked at me, flashing a killer smile.
"Riku, I love you. I have since I met you. Will you go out with me?"
I nodded, almost crying again from happiness. "Yes! I love you too!"
That did it for him, and he ended up carrying me to my bed, and got on top of me to kiss every part of my body. Then he kissed my thighs and I let him kiss me in a place I would never let anyone but him touch. I saw galaxies explode when I closed my eyes, and he looked so proud that he did it again, just to prove he could. He slept over, and in his arms, I felt like nothing could ruin me now.
And yeah, I was late to my Saturday punishment, but at least Uno-sempai apologized, so we were cool.
And I definitely got targeted again by his fangirls, but they stopped after a week of me not caring.
And Satoshi was pretty weird about it all at first, but he was super supportive.
And Risa and Daisuke-kun became unbearably smug about the whole situation, but we all just ignored them.
Nothing could ruin me, because every time Dark kissed me, I knew where I belonged.
As far my sketchbook went, I gave him the first drawing of us, which he framed. Because he said looking at it made him aware of where he belonged, too.
Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah: Wow, this ended up being 21 pages long, which is the longest anything I've ever written on ffn. Either way, thank you to sister of the pharaoh for the fun prompt, even if I wrote it half a year after you suggesting it. I hope you enjoyed this one shot! And thanks to everyone else for reading. This has no beta, so please mind the mistakes. I'll eventually go back to fix them. Please let me know if you enjoyed this, or if there is any other DArkxRiku prompt you'd like to see come to life. Thanks again!