A/N: I do not own these characters. This is entirely a work of fiction :) Anyway, this fic contains most of my headcanon about this couple. If you have other suggestions or feedbacks, you could pm me or leave me an ask :) Also, if you see errors in this fic, my apologies! This fic is unbeta'd since my beta is quite busy with her personal stuff :(
Enjoy!
Nozomi sat at her desk reading her book. She's in a corner of her classroom at whatever middle school. She didn't bother to remember its name because she knew it would be pointless anyway.
She will be transferring to another school by the end of the week.
For the 2nd time that year,
Because of her parent's work.
"—Really? You went there? You're really lucky you get to travel often. I wish my parents would—"
Nozomi's eye twitched. A furrowed brow marred her usual mask of indifference. She closed the book she was reading and stood up, her chair making a loud noise. Her classmates looked at her, confused byher sudden movements. She pretended not to see them and exited the room.
One of the things she really disliked was how someone could easily say that people who travel often are lucky. That travelling brought a sense of accomplishment when you experience new things and meet new people. That overcoming challenges, such as finding a certain address in your new town, would give you some of the greatest joys of all.
Because Nozomi thought otherwise.
It's not that she hated having to experience new things or meeting new people.
No.
It's that she didn't like how people took for granted the fact that they have a permanent home they can always return to.
Because she didn't have that privilege.
She didn't like the challenge of finding the nearest convenience store from her new house. Or that she had to remember the name of their new landlord and their new address in case she got lost. Or knowing small details like which corner to turn and what street her house was located.
She had been doing that for more times than she could count. And frankly, she was tired of it all.
She hated the idea of having to move from town to town. To meet another set of people whose names she never bothered to remember. To always brush off her Mama's questioning of how she didn't have that many friends. Or to prepare dinner alone because her Papa told her that they would arrive home late.
But she couldn't complain.
Because she knew her parents are working really hard to make sure that there is food on their table. That they send her to school for her education. That they provide for her wants and needs.
She doesn't want to be selfish.
It wasn't in her nature to burden others.
So she pretended to be okay with everything. She brushed off her classmate's offer of friendship in favour of books and solitude. She reasoned out that it was pointless and that nothing would come out of befriending the people she would eventually leave behind.
No one even cared to understand her.
In middle school, Nozomi learned that any form of friendship is temporary. That it's just an anchor that could pull her down. A tie that she eventually needed to cut loose.
She knew that three or four years from now, her classmates wouldn't even remember her name.
She didn't even bother to unpack most of her things because she knew that one call from her Papa's company means that she would have to get used to another environment.
And leave the one she currently lived in.
Nozomi liked to think that she preferred to be alone.
But every time she sees her classmates play and go home together, a pang in her chest reminds her that she's being dishonest with herself.
"Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Ayase Eri. I hope we can be friends."
Nozomi stared at the girl in front of her. There was something in her that caught Nozomi's attention. She studied the girl. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Cold demeanour.
When she walked the hallways of Otonokizaka High School, Nozomi thought that nothing would change. That she would just have to endure another year of isolation. That she would just have to keep to herself and not do anything to attract unwanted attention.
But seeing the blonde girl survey the classroom with her cold exterior and calculating eyes helped spark something inside Nozomi.
For the first time, she met someone that she wouldn't mind being friends with.
"You seem happy today?" Her mom asked her when she got home from school. "Did you meet someone and made new friends?"
"No." She answered, smiling. She put her bag down on their couch and helped her mother prepare their dinner.
But I'm planning to.
Nozomi spent the next few weeks watching the girl. She found out that they were kind of the same.
Both of them protected themselves by distancing from others. They couldn't fit in that easily. The girl's awkwardness and strong character, together with Nozomi's weirdness, made them clash with other people. It got Nozomi thinking that, maybe, Ayase Eri was lonely like she was.
Nozomi was used to meeting different kinds of people. She could easily identify if a person was putting up false appearances.
And while observing Ayase Eri, she discovered that the blonde had put up a very big wall around her. A wall that her classmates couldn't even budge.
But, she couldn't cheat a person like Nozomi.
That's when she decided that she would very much like Ayase Eri to be her friend.
The class had just let out. Students had gone to their respective clubs or to their homes. Nozomi, meanwhile, had other plans.
When the bell rang and the students started to exit the rooms, she immediately gathered her things. She looked around their classroom but the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen. She darted towards the hallways and saw Ayase Eri going down the stairs.
She ran to catch up to her.
"Excuse me!"
The girl stopped and looked back at her with a furrowed brow. "Who are you?"
"I-I. . ." Nozomi stuttered, doubt lacing her words. She averted her eyes and looked down.
Don't be scared. Just introduce yourself.
Nozomi composed herself and directed a smile to the blonde. "I'm Tojo Nozomi."
Ayase Eri could only stare up at her, surprised by Nozomi's friendly introduction. Nozomi moved down the stairs to stand beside Eri.
"Do you want to go home together?"
It took a while for Eri to answer her, still hesitant about the sudden introduction. ". . .Sure."
She tried to sound casual about it but Nozomi could see that the girl's lips lifted a fraction.
That was how their friendship began.
As the days continued, Nozomi saw herself spending more time with Eri. They always spent lunch eating together. On their free times, conversation flowed easily between them. If one of them is on class duty, the other would wait for them to finish. They made sure that they always go home together.
Although they haven't called each other by their first names or gone to each other's houses yet, Nozomi liked to think that her friendship with Eri is progressing, albeit at a slow pace.
"What?"
They're currently walking side by side on their way home. Nozomi kept on stealing glances at Eri's profile. At first, the blonde ignored it, thinking that Nozomi was just being her weird self; but, after a while, it made her uncomfortable so she eventually asked.
"I just thought that your hair looked really nice when the afternoon light shined upon it. It's like you're glowing."
Eri stopped on her tracks and stared dumbstruck at Nozomi. She looked too innocent, as if unaware about the things she had just said. It took Eri a long time to process that the comment really came out of her friend's mouth. When it registered, her face burned from embarrassment.
"God! You can be blunt sometimes."
Eri subconsciously brushed her bangs away from her face. She started walking briskly, leaving Nozomi behind. Seeing Eri's reaction made Nozomi smile. From that point onwards, she made it her mission to tease the girl when an opportunity presented itself.
She's just too cute.
They continued to walk, with Nozomi behind Eri. She appeared to be calm but her jerky movements indicated that Nozomi's words affected her. Nozomi smiled even wider because of it.
Nozomi liked to think that she prefers to be alone.
But watching Eri's back and thinking about their time together made her retract those thoughts.
"What is that?" Eri asked, pointing towards the cards Nozomi was holding.
The teacher left a while ago, leaving the students with their study period. Eri was busy with copying notes from her book until her curiosity got the better of her.
"Tarot cards," answered Nozomi without looking. She had been switching between shuffling her deck and reading a Tarot guide book for a while now. The noise she was making distracted Eri from her studying.
"I can see that. I mean, what will you do with it?"
"I'm learning Tarot Card reading."
"Why?" Eri stopped writing her notes and set her things aside. She faced Nozomi and stared at the cards she was holding, still unsure about her friend's actions.
"I saw it on the TV and liked it."
Eri arched her eyebrows in question. Nozomi looked at her out the corner of her eyes. Her lips curved into a small smile.
"I just like knowing about the potential outcomes of things. I like the reminder that the universe is big and I'm just a small part of it, but I can still have an influence on things and vice versa.
Nozomi stopped playing with the cards and placed it neatly on top of her guide book.
"I mean, I can't control the future but I like the sense of somewhat knowing how things affect each other and all that. It's helping me have a sense of purpose."
Eri frowned, still bewildered. "I don't get you."
"Just think of it this way, it's like a comfort blanket. It gives me a sense of security." Nozomi explained, giving her friend a soft smile. She pulled out her math textbook and started taking down notes.
Because I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up losing the things I value now.
Nozomi didn't want to think that her friendship with Eri is only temporary. These past few weeks had really made her happy. She didn't have to think about doing things alone because she had Eri to accompany her.
It made the ache in her heart subside.
They may still have their walls around them, but slowly but surely, she had been building windows around it for Eri to enter.
That counts for something, right?
"Tojo-san. Can I ask you a question?"
Today, they were assigned together for cleaning duty. Nozomi was cleaning the chalk board, while Eri sat on one of the front desks, waiting patiently for Nozomi to finish her task.
"Yeah."
"Why haven't you called me by my first name yet? We have been friends for a while now."
It made Nozomi pause. She looked back at Eri who was leaning her head on her hands and eyeing her.
"Do you want me to?"
Nozomi was sporting a shit-eating grin and Eri could see that her eyes were shining with mischief.
"I-I was just asking! I didn't say that I wanted to!" She quickly backtracked, her face turning a light shade of crimson. She huffed and crossed her arms, directing her attention elsewhere.
"You're lying! I could see it in your face . . . E-ri-chi!~" Nozomi teased, emphasizing the last syllables. She got her desired effect when Eri abruptly stood up and gathered her things. Nozomi could see that her friend's face was red, even reaching the tips of her ears.
"Whatever. I'm going to leave you now."
Nozomi's grin turned into laughter when Eri exited the room.
As Eri strutted into the hallways, she could still hear Nozomi's laughter from their classroom.
Nozomi continued her cleaning, still smiling to herself. She wasn't even bothered when Eri left the room.
She knew that the blonde would be waiting for her outside the school's gate anyway.
"I'm home!"
"Nozomi, come help me in the kitchen."
"Okay!"
Nozomi deposited her bag on their living room couch and entered their kitchen. She saw her mother grab things from the fridge. She quickly approached her and took some of the load her mom was carrying.
"Where's Papa?" She asked as she unloaded the ingredients on the table. She grabbed one of the knives from the rack and started cutting the carrots.
"He said he'll be a little late but he promised to have dinner with us."
"Okay."
Her mother looked at Nozomi. She observed her daughter hum to herself while peeling some of the potatoes. She smiled and went back to the stove.
"How's school?" She asked while stirring the contents of the pot.
"The usual."
". . .you've changed since you entered Otonokizaka."
"Really?" Nozomi stopped mid-cut and looked at her mother blankly. Her mother flashed her a smile, ". . .I didn't notice."
"Yes. You smile often."
Nozomi went back to her previous work. A comfortable silence enveloped the kitchen. Nozomi was too focused on forming shapes on some of the carrots; she almost didn't hear her mom start speaking. If it wasn't so quiet, Nozomi would have missed her mom's words.
". . .I'm glad you're having fun here."
She looked back at her mother, a slow smile forming on her face.
Me too.
Thank you for reading! You can drop me an ask or pm me! I won't mind. My tumblr link is in my profile :D Also, I'll try my best to update every 4-7 days (depending on my mood and my interest -_-). Don't worry! I'm not the type to abandon my work :)