Title: Hot Chocolate
Genre: Modern high-school AU, gen/romance
Chars: Ryuuki x Shuurei, some Reishin
Length: approx. 1,400 words
Rating: E for Everyone
AN: Originally written for Thea for the Saiunkoku_fic holiday fic exchange, November 2009. Cheers!
There she was!
Ryuuki peeked around the corner and flipped back again in a flash, his long, high ponytail whipping around as he plastered his back to the wall. Hopefully she hadn't seen him!
The corridor into the Juniors' wing was almost empty, apart from the one person he sought.
Her beautiful, long dark hair was pulled back in its usual clips and bun that day, as she returned from the last of her extra-curriculars to get her books before walking home. (He knew she'd been with the drama club that afternoon, helping with the orchestra group since they were short-handed. Not that he'd been watching her the last ten minutes or so. From the back row of the auditorium. Hunched down low in his seat so no one would notice him and order him to get out… Again.)
Ok, he could do this.
And he would not come across as a stalker, he promised himself, working himself up. Unlike that weird Vice Principal Kou he often saw hanging about, sneaking around corners, watching the young woman across from him…
Speaking of…
Ryuuki glanced around quickly one last time, just to be sure the strange VP wasn't spying again, and with a deep breath, stepped around the corner as casually as he could, clutching the small gift in his hand, tucked a bit behind him so it was out of the girl's immediate sight.
He could do this.
The sound of his steps tapped on the new tiled floors as he approached her, and hearing them, the dark-eyed girl turned to see who was coming.
"Hm? Sempai? Are you looking for someone?"
His brain stalled, too enthralled to actually (finally!) be standing in front of her to speak for a moment.
"Sempai?..."
Her dark brows rose slightly as she watched him, one of her hands on the bag inside her locker, the other on the door. Was something wrong, her look asked? She faced him now, her Prefect uniform as tidy as it was when she'd arrived that morning, her school shoes already traded for her winter boots, her scarf hanging loosely around her neck. In their shared AP Economics class, he'd admired the back of her neck, the wavy dark hair that fell loosely across it from her bun at times, the curve where neck met her shoulder, for hours. But he'd never had the courage to speak to her.
Until now.
"Uh…"
…And he was still working on that.
"Sempai? Can I help you…" Her expression had turned concerned.
"Ah, uh, Shuurei! Hi," he stumbled, one hand reaching nervously behind his head to scratch just under his ponytail. He could do this!
"Um, I was just wondering, do you like candy canes?"
Shuurei tilted her head slightly to the side as she listened to him. "Candy canes?"
"Yes! I have one, but I don't really eat them, so I wondered if you did."
"Yes, I suppose. We often—."
His so-far-hidden hand sprang forward, presenting her with the treat.
"This is for you!"
Reaching out tentatively, Shuurei smiled at him curiously. "Thank you, sempai. But why--."
"I thought you'd like it. And, would you be free over the holidays? To maybe get a coffee? Tea?"
He hoped his voice hadn't cracked.
Or sounded desperate. Desperate was bad. Girls could practically smell it when a guy was desperate. It was the most effective date repellent never created.
Startled, she just started at him a moment, before continuing her earlier comment.
"—we often stick candy canes in our hot chocolate, actually. When we go skating at the lake. Do you know the place? The pavilion with the little café?"
He had no idea.
"Yes, of course!"
… So he would outright lie. In his defense, he didn't realize he was lying at the time, because if she'd asked him to go join the freshman ballet recital and wear a tutu, by the gods he would have done it. He would agree to anything she asked.
He would know where the pavilion was by the weekend, though. He'd ask his brother. Seiran knew everything. He'd call him as soon as got home. Maybe sooner. This was very important.
"I work there on weekends and through the holidays… I'm usually busy," she said apologetically, and didn't miss how the light in his eyes fell a bit at that. She really couldn't afford to take the time off work, though, with the exam period coming. But…. "Would you like to come out for a bit?"
Was she blushing? Her cheeks were going a bit pink and she was looking a bit self-conscious-yet-trying-to-be-brave, then back up at him hopefully.
His heart skipped a beat. Yes, she was definitely blushing.
"I think I can make it – when's your break?" Striking a balance between calm and eager had never been harder for the young man, but he did it.
"I'll check the schedule and call you, is that ok?"
And yes—yes! That was definitely a smile! She was smiling, smiling at him! The excited teen wanted to dance, but held back.
He'd never written his phone number so fast in his life.
Deed done, he nodded (almost automatically tipping into a bow before he stopping himself), and waved goodbye.
"See you this weekend," he smiled, and then walked back towards the Seniors' wing.
Yes, this was going to be a fantastic weekend!
It was only when he reached his own locker and reached inside for his jacket that he realized he hadn't introduced himself. Did she know who he was?…
Wait a minute. Did she even know his name?
"Argh!"
Poor Ryuuki banged his head against the door, several times, in frustration.
She had probably gone by now, too…
Luckily, he had given her his number, but…
With a sigh, he grabbed his bag, shoving in his books sullenly, and prepared to leave.
--until he noticed he still had nine candy canes left from the box he'd purchased the day before.
An idea percolated in Ryuuki's mind a moment before he grabbed them and rushed back to Shuurei's locker.
* * *
Ripping and tearing noises echoed down the otherwise silent, mostly abandoned halls.
From the same corridor Ryuuki had lurked in earlier that afternoon, a weary librarian restrained (and muffled) a sadistic, wrathful Vice Principal who lunged at the young man currently 'desecrating' (his words) his immaculate niece's locker. The locker he'd personally chosen (and had feng-shui approved!) for her specific use. The one he'd made sure he could see from three different security cameras, which he'd installed a sky light above, and which basked in the flattering glow of northern light, even in the depths of midwinter.
It was now--!
Angry tears built behind his eyes. That ruffian! How dare he! Death!
(Now, now, soothed Shouka. Remember, we discussed this…)
Detention! Detention for months!
With some effort, the librarian managed to tug his younger sibling back towards the main office with the promise of tea and home-made steamed buns.
The ripping, tearing, taping noises continued a little longer, until they were complimented with a rousing, "There!", and the sound of rapidly departing bootsteps.
* * *
When she arrived at school the next morning, Shuurei was surprised to find a rather large cluster of her fellow students milling around, staring at her locker.
And when she got there, she could see why.
She wasn't usually one for gossip, but it was hard to ignore when the subject was oneself.
Apparently she'd had a visitor.
An artistic one – she'd never seen a vandalized locker in her private school before, but there it was, in all its graffiti'd glory.
Nine candy canes had been turned into reindeer (complete with pipe-cleaner antlers) and taped to her locker, leading a childish, origami-and-paper-cut-out Santa's sleigh: each abstract reindeer had a letter written on its back, and they spelled out the artist's name very clearly.
"S-H-I R-Y-U-U-K-I."
Just to be extra-obvious, he'd even drawn a small, cute, cartoon-ey version of himself dressed as Santa, leaning out the back of the sleigh and waving a phone.
… and the whole Christmas-party were heading towards a crudely drawn shack on a lake.
When she looked very carefully at the Ryuuki-Santa, she thought she saw him wearing ice skates. Or boots. Or boots with skate blades on the bottom. She'd have to ask him.
…later that weekend.
~ fin ~
AN: … am so tempted to have a one-shot follow-up to this, where Shuurei's teaching dork!Ryuuki how to skate, and consoling him over hot chocolate when he falls on his bum. XD
Posted January 21, 2010. MM.