disclaimer: disclaimed. dedication: no one, or at least no one yet.
warning(s): this is sort of a vent fic. i'm a little beyond disorientated; a little rusty and a little experimental, so hopefully when i sober up, things will be as fine as i thought them to be.
please excuse the mistakes. i just kinda really don't give a shit anymore. thanks in advance.
possible questions answered:
- yes, this will be a series of stranger AUs;
- yes, you can request any stranger AUs;
- i'd rather you send requests through pm rather than review.
it'll be more fun that way; less spoilers, less drama, less disturbed viewers, etc.
- and no, i don't bite
unless you're cute then how the fuck am i supposed to resist :(
#1: Weird
"Please Misaki! This will be the last time—I promise!"
"Sakura, I'm really sorry", she stated dismissively—almost hopelessly—as she avoided the other girl's eyes on purpose, "but I really don't see the point in me having to come with you on your date with—"
"I-It—it's just that I just wanted to give Kuuga-kun the charm I made for him", Sakura broke through in a quiet voice. "I don't know—I just thought if you could come—I know that I'm being really selfish right now but it's just that feel less nervous with Misaki even though Kuuga-kun and I have been dating for quite some time now—it's just that I feel—"
And that was when Misaki sighed. Having the heart of the stereotypical shoujo manga heroine who always had a weak spot for her friends (which she quite literally was), Sakura's eyes of pink tourmaline were one of the things that she couldn't resist; and she let them coax her into enveloping the shorter girl into a hug.
She patted her head gently.
"It's okay, I'll come with you. I'm sure you'll do great. You'll do your best, and I know that that brat will love it."
(She ignored the voice in her head that told her that she'd regret it.)
"It'll all go well."
—
some kilometres (probably)
—
And it did go great actually—if you ignored the part where she had the urge to peel off the singer's eyebrows in annoyance because even the way he breathed angered her, or the part where he had tripped her on purpose; it all went great if one were to look through Sakura's eyes and if you and I were to base it all on whether the pink-haired was successful in giving the charm she had crafted to the one and only Sakurai Kuuga—it was great alright.
But that was all to it, and not wanting to call spending one of her precious days of rest a waste, she walked her way to the nearby bookstore, knowing that she'd find a sense of solitude in the fresh and musty smell of wood and thick books.
There'll be no one to come home to anyway, she reminded herself. It had been more than a few months since she had started living by herself after all.
(And in her heart she had apologised to Sakura when she grabbed her phone in resentment and changed his contact name from Sakurai Kuuga to fake punk bitch don't answer this shit. In her defence, she didn't block his number—and she felt that that'd been really considerate of her.)
(She'd treat herself for such a thoughtful act.)
—
forty-seven centimetres
—
"You okay?"
"GAH!"
The girl swished her head violently that it almost snapped, searching for wherever the hell that silky—wait, silky?—voice came from, only to be met by a pair of half-lidded emeralds.
(They'd made her instantly feel as though she was being mocked.)
"Shh", his finger came to rest on his lips. "You can't shout when you're in a place so quiet", said he. "And isn't it tiring to sit on your legs like that? Honestly, crouching suits me better", he gestured to himself in the act. "But yeah, you okay?"
Realising that she had drawn herself attention, Misaki swallowed, gingerly standing up to sheepishly bow in apology, before turning to the person before her.
"Y-You gave me a fright, you idiot! And who—who the hell are you?!"
She had thrown manners out of the window since he approached her, and she hissed lightly (obviously, because they were in a bookstore), cross that the damned fool had the audacity to interrupt her at an intense moment—and was he—was he laughing at her?
"I'm sorry—you were just—the way you looked when you were reading—"
He's laughing at you, her mind concluded, the nerve of this man-bitch.
How dare he suddenly interrupt her reading and then proceed to ridicule her?
Shoving the book back in place, she was about to walk away when she felt a light tug at her cardigan—
"Wait, I'm sorry. Can I at least make up for it over tea?"
—
eight metres, maybe
—
Ayuzawa Misaki stood by the rink as she waited for the blond to order, eyes lost in the seemingly endless white that stretched far and wide. She was almost forgetting why she had been here, almost drowning in the occasional shouts and screams—and she's trying to remember the last time she had laughed like that, but she doesn't, and so she frowns.
Almost.
Almost.
Almost.
.
.
"Here. Matcha, right?"
"Uh, yeah", Misaki answered lamely.
And just like that, they sipped their milk tea in silence, a distance of half a metre between them as both leaned on the railing.
"So—"
Somehow, she was relieved that he had finally spoken, because if she were to be honest, her head had been hurting from hesitating to turn to steal a glance.
(It was too tempting, but her pride said so otherwise.)
Huh, so he hasn't left after all.
"So?"
(And somehow, she's no longer mad—she's trying to remember if she ever was in the first place.)
"Well, since we're here, wanna try ice skating?"
"What?"
They both knew though, that she had heard him the first time.
"You know, ice skating. And if the "what" was to know why, well honestly, I don't know—it's just that I've never tried going, and since we're here, I thought, might as well try it out."
"Doesn't it occur to you", she raised an eyebrow at his words, "that we're both strangers?"
"But it's not like there's any sign that goes "strangers not allowed to ice-skate". Everyone's a stranger to one another. That man giving people their skates knows not a single thing about them—except for their sizes when they tell him."
It didn't go past her that he didn't even try to get her name.
"O-Obviously!" she huffed. "But stop twisting my words—you know what I mean! And what you totally said doesn't even make much sense—no it doesn't make any sense. If you put it that way, then that means that no one can buy or whatever or anything—"
"But you're still gonna go ice-skating with me", he smiled.
His lips pursed ever so slightly, and Misaki had to return to sipping her drink to stop staring.
(Though none of them pointed out the fact that she had been letting the last boba fly up and down through her straw.)
Floop floop, went the tapioca ball.
(He had thought that it was actually pretty cute.)
She narrowed her eyes at that. "W-What makes you so sure?"
"Because you like things that are free."
"Who doesn't like things that are free—and what do you mean by that?"
He had watched her stiffen; feeling her suddenly switch from poised to circumspect, orbs of fiery amber suddenly more vigilant, as if waiting for him to mess up so that she could have a reason to leave. Although he did find it rather peculiar, and even amusing (more so, actually), how she hadn't left his side despite all that had been all but usual, that was, everything that had happened so far.
(No. Don't. Fuck. This. Up.)
Though he did rule out his responses to their current situation the most anomalous to occur from today; to hang out with a complete stranger was already a thing on its own, but why this woman had caught his attention or why he had the sudden want (just a few nudges away for it to be a need, really) to know her—that had been another.
And to add to the list, why for the first time in his life, Takumi doesn't want to screw up.
"Well fine, if you're not going to answer."
She then suddenly turned to leave, and when he felt a part of himself sink—that too was unnatural on its own, he later thought—did she sprint towards the other direction, uncaring of what others may think as she shouted, "Then—the last one is a rotten egg!"
Takumi caught his breath before letting out a low chuckle; and he didn't know why, really, but he could swear she'd already won—since earlier this day when he had seen her close to tears, body trembling as if she was about to faint while she read Hawking's Cujo—
She's already won him.
—
half a metre, and then zero
—
The first time she's stepped on the ice was something Ayuzawa thought to be phenomenal.
She had never felt so helpless; almost as if her death was upon her, and as if to make up for all the scowls she's made in her life did she laugh her ass out, spewing out words that had her receiving disapproving glances from the other skaters save he, before involuntarily dragging whatever or whomever the hell was in her flailing arm's reach down with her—and he didn't seem to mind as he too let out peals of laughter, caging her petite figure in his arms as he cushioned their fall with his body.
(And thank heavens for Japan's climate that he had to be dolled up in a pretty winter coat, for the impact would've given him a good bruise—and ironic and as punny as it was, not even the rink's ice would be able to help.)
"W-Why", she laughed, "why is it so f-funny?! This sensation is killing me—ah—"
"You've never gone ice skating before either?"
"I haven't! We need one of those—those assistant penguin things the kids are pushing", she heaved, her face red from both the cold and from struggling, before she let out another hearty laugh.
"I'll get you one then", he chuckled, supporting her back as he helped her sit on the ice. "Just wait here so I can get you one of those assistant penguin things", he winked, smirking as he got up without so much as breaking a sweat.
(She chose to shake it off when he proceeded to pat her head before skating away. Surely, she'd been dreaming when he'd touched her.)
"S-Stupid idiot."
(She'd told herself that she'd only gotten flustered because it was unfair that he was able to get the hang of skating in a span of a few minutes. Yeah, that was all to it.)
—
twenty-something metres
—
By now the young maiden had made progress, holding on to the rails as she waited for him to return, although still determined that she could move around by herself. And she might've been successful in doing so, really, had a certain navy-haired boy chosen not to rudely interrupt her—who was none other than Hyoudou Aoi himself.
"Goodness Misaki-chi", he greeted, "it's almost embarrassing to see you here—though even more so to see you so helpless."
"Aoi-chan?!"
He winced when she landed on her derriere.
"Yes, it is in fact me, Misaki-chi. You need some help?"
"N-No, I can do just fine! Ugh, where is he anyway?"
"He?" Aoi asked, obviously curious as to which male his Misaki-chi was referring to. As far as he knew, the only guy who ever got near the man-hating girl was Shintani Hinata, and if he wasn't mistaken, the glut was all the way cooped out and helping out in his grandparents' farm. "What do you mean by—"
"Here, I got you one."
(Well, if that didn't answer his question.)
"Huh?"
And then Hyoudou Aoi realised that a young man around Misaki-chi's age had approached them, clad in a sage green winter coat that hadn't been zipped to reveal an almost form-fitting white tee, as well as faded blue jeans that did nothing but emphasise his height.
The man had a cold expression, his piercing emeralds almost intimidating; there had been an unidentifiable expression on his mien.
Aoi was sure he could bet that this man was a model of all sorts—hell, the cross-dresser could smell any hunk from a mile; and this guy—no—this man, that was certainly the offspring of a pirate and an angel, stood out from everyone else. The man had an aloof expression as his eyes met Aoi's—almost as if he'd only looked like that when he saw the boy.
(Had he been in his lolita getup, Aoi wouldn't have felt diffident breathing the same air as he—but being in his school uniform that highlighted his lanky figure had made him a little insecure, prompting him to swallow hard and bury his balled fists in his blazer pockets.)
In a flash, Aoi dipped down to speak so that he wouldn't be able to hear. "Who the hell's the hottie and why the hell is he—wait, is he with you?"
Unsure of what to say, Misaki scrambled around for words that were safe to use, cautious of the knowledge that the simpleton of a boy would freak out if he knew that she'd spent her day with someone she didn't know. "Yeah, we're—well, we're ice-skating. Hehe."
Wow Misaki, con-fricking-grats for stating the obvious, a voice in her head had sighed.
Aoi's forehead wrinkled; she knew that he was just a few seconds away from phoning the cops.
Shit.
"W-Well, is there a problem with that? Uh, you haven't met him but he's my—"
You see, Ayuzawa Misaki had planned it out in a matter of seconds, and she was even a little too proud of herself for coming up with this one, actually. She would smile nicely and say that the blond was a friend, and then proceed to ask both guys to introduce themselves. She conjectured that it was the safest route to go (and she could even get his name—a real genius, win-win plan)—
"Excuse me", the blond spoke up, putting the skating aid between the two, "but if you could just leave my girlfriend alone?"
—had he chosen to shut up.
(Girlfriend? What?)
Her head was still processing his words when the dark-haired boy held a finger up, halting all processes that had been running at the moment. "Y-Your—your girlfriend?" He asked the blond, unknowingly backing away. "S-She's your girlfriend? This girl here is your—your g-g-girlfriend?"
And when she finally came up with a half-assed answer, Ayuzawa Misaki found herself being incapable of getting words out of her mouth—and then she lost all chances of explaining herself when Aoi had half-shouted something incoherent, and skated away, making his way to the exit.
"Y-You!" she pointed at the blond. "W-Why did you say that?!"
He looked at her quizzically. "Uh, because I got a skating aid?"
"N-No! After that, you idiot!"
He smirked. "Obviously, I don't know your name, so what else could I say?" He laughed, raising his voice higher to mock her. "Leave my cute stranger alone!"
"S-Stupid!"
(He called her cute—the first ever guy aside from Hinata to call her cute.)
"Stupid idiot!"
(He fucking called her cute! Shit!)
"How's this—" he leaned down to her level. "I'll let you punish me after we finish ice-skating—you won earlier after all."
"D-Don't say things so carelessly!"
—
nineteen centimetres—
.
.
"Ah, so he was a friend of yours", Takumi nodded through her explanations as he took a long lick from the ice cream she had treated him to.
She didn't mind the fact that they were approaching the height of Japan's winter, and he found that he didn't either.
("Ice cream's great no matter what time of the year", she'd said. "Same goes for hot chocolate and tea—any kind of tea." He'd later write that down.)
"He is a friend of mine", she retorted, taking licks from her own, "and you obviously freaked him out."
"Ah, I'm glad."
She looked at him. "That you obviously freaked him out?"
It was silent when he paused and got a napkin from his pocket, before he wiped the skin near her lower lip. There had been a smear of some chocolate ice cream; and he held out the white material for proof, handing it to her without so much as a word (much to her embarrassment).
"That he wasn't checking you out."
The smugness in his voice was a little too evident.
"S-So what? T-That doesn't mean anything!"
"If you had a crush on someone, wouldn't you be relieved to know that they're single?"
"W-What?"
"A crush—if you had a crush on someone, you'd obviously be glad if you find out that they're single."
"Stop saying nonsense, you idiot! And j-just because I said that he was my friend that doesn't mean I'm single!"
He snorted. "As far as I know, no one hangs out with a random stranger when—"
"That's because no one actually hangs out with a stranger—because they're strangers", she cut him off.
"Then what about blind dates? Or even just first time dates in general? And you just totally excluded one-night stands—that can offend some bastards, you know."
(He had a lighthearted laugh at that.)
"T-That's a different thing!" Her voice softened to childish mutters. "I don't even know what's with me today that I had tea and went ice-skating with someone I don't even know—and I don't know what's with you either, so if you're trying to kidnap me, then just say so so I can—"
"Come home with me?"
"No, stupid! So I can call the cops and get you locked up so that you wouldn't be able to continue your wicked deeds", she sighed. "This whole thing is so weird. You're weird. Even I feel weird."
He smiled when she let out a soft, "I don't like feeling weird."
"Then let's not be strangers so that you wouldn't always have to be wary around me. Wanna exchange names? I'll even give you my number."
Usui Takumi watched in silent admiration as her cheeks reddened, almost as if she were a child hesitating to share her toys.
And then he was suddenly aware that he might've hit a spot.
"You don't have to if—"
"I'm sorry if I shouted at you back at the bookstore", she blushed. "You were just being nice I guess, and I had to be really rude to you. But really, thank you so much for being kind. Honestly you're the first person I know who takes strangers out for tea and ice-skating—"
"Hey, don't apologise. It was my fault for shocking you, and honestly, I don't know how anything can get more spontaneous than this, really", he mumbled in assurance, "so... I guess you're not the only one overwhelmed. And also, you're the first person I've ever taken out for ice-skating, or even tea at that. But you're more than welcome for that."
Sure, she sighed in her head, because you probably take them out for coffee.
"Do you say this to every person you try to get with?"
Takumi smiled. "Only with you."
"And you've probably said that before too, but I don't know—don't you just think it's weird—like for all I know you could be trying to kidnap or murder me but somehow I don't feel the need to run away!" she blurted out. "I just—I don't know... it's even weird that I'm pointing out how it's weird. Weirdo."
"Don't worry—you don't have to owe me anything about you. I just want to know three things though. Would you like to guess what?"
"W-What? My name? My number? My three sizes? Because you should know that three sizes don't count as one", she managed to say with a straight face, though he could see how she had been clenching his teeth.
"Now you're just being coy", he grinned, "but I wouldn't mind knowing."
"N-No I'm not! It's just what everyone's after nowadays! Even the other day I—ugh, forget it."
"I know, and you're right", he smiled. "But if it helps, the first one is whether you had fun today and the second is whether you regretted it or not."
She was embarrassed—but somehow it didn't matter at the moment. "And the third?"
"I'd like you to honestly answer those two questions first, because the third depends on that."
Misaki could only be reminded of her sixteen-year-old self—that Misaki would've had more sense, honestly.
"Well obviously I had fun! And..." she bit her lip, "...no. I guess I don't regret it."
(Really—way more sense.)
"Then, would you like it if we were to hang out like that again?"
And then it had been hushed for some time, though he didn't dare repeat his question, preferring to bask in the quietude rather than pursue the state of discomfiture that was to be born—that was, through a silent rejection.
"No", she finally said.
"Oh."
There it is, he thinks to himself. You blew it. You fucked up, you brainless bastard.
"I'm sorry—I just—I wouldn't want to hang out like that again... I guess."
He was more than vexed at how he had messed up when it was a first for him that he didn't want to do so.
You stupid shit. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid piece of shit.
"It's okay, I understand—"
"It's just that my butt still hurts from today, okay!" she suddenly exclaimed, abashed as she continued to speak. "So I don't want to go ice-skating any time soon, but I wouldn't mind... you know... like a less strenuous activity."
The blond let out a breath, the air before him fogging as he did. "You are so sly, you know that?"
"What? Hey, if you're gonna say I'm weird or whatever because I agreed to hang out with someone I don't know, then you're not any better!"
"No, it's not that..." he bit his lip. "I just thought you rejected me."
The young man grinned in relief, glad that the night had come to surround them so that she couldn't see his cheeks warming.
And somehow he wasn't surprised anymore; never in his life had he ever got thrown off his balance, but hell, this woman he didn't even know made him do things he'd never done that he knew that he had to come to terms with the fact that he had to accept that it shouldn't be a shock anymore that he'd feel things he'd never felt before—and for once he had felt elated—he was a little more than grateful.
"S-Stupid..."
It hadn't been dark enough though, and Misaki didn't miss him turning his head to conceal his embarrassment.
Well that's a first.
"So..." he began, breaking the silence as he held his hand out to her, "let's walk you home?"
He watched as she eyed him suspiciously, hesitantly taking his hand as he assisted her in getting up. He looked at the bench they chose to settle on.
(He smiled when it came to his attention that the distance between them had decreased.)
"Is this how you try and get my address so you could kill me when I'm asleep?"
"Maybe."
"Hmph. Rude."
"Then, this is where I give you my name so you can alert the cops about me. How's that work for you?"
She pouted, and he ruffled her hair with his free hand.
"Usui Takumi. My name is Usui Takumi."
Both had come to realise that their hands were still intertwined.
"I guess you could call me Ayuzawa. Ayuzawa Misaki."
(Yet neither had chosen to let go.)
.
.
.
—and then zero.
a/n: unrealistic, but then again it's fiction. though I wouldn't say it's impossible. ;)
(and oh, i've read cujo, and it really wasn't that scary imo; it's just that it's the only horror book i've read.)
but that doesn't mean you can be stupid and actually get kidnapped trying to flirt with a passerby—please, just no to the clouds of noes, please don't get yourself killed :(