Kiyotaka Ishimaru rarely went out to eat – whether it was fast food or something more expensive and, honestly, better, he just didn't. Part of it was the money, part of it was lack of anyone to go out to eat with, but it was mostly because he just felt weird doing it.
Still, he had only a little bit of time to grab something to eat for lunch before he had to head back to his summer classes, so he ducked into a fast food restaurant to order something fast and hopefully not so unhealthy.
It was incredibly crowded, he noted as he clutched his tray. There was barely enough tables for everyone, and the only ones left were huge booths. He couldn't take up a whole booth by himself. He glanced around, wondering if he could maybe sit at one of the few tables they had outside, when his eyes fell on someone he recognized.
Touko Fukawa. She went to his school. He'd never really spoken much to her, but he knew her, and she knew him, and she was all alone, so he figured that he could go and sit by her.
He weaved his way through the crowd, making sure not to drop his tray or spill anything, and eventually made it over to her. He set down his tray and sat down across from her.
She lifted her eyes to meet his. "What?" she asked. Her voice was flat.
"Do you have someone coming?" he asked, wondering if maybe he'd stolen someone else's spot.
She snorted. "What? Of course not. Did you come over here just to make fun of me?"
Ishimaru blinked. "No," he said. "I came over here because there is nowhere else to sit and I know you."
She rolled her eyes again. "Naegi, Kirigiri, and Chihiro are sitting over there," she said. "Go sit by them and leave me alone."
Ishimaru glanced over and, yes, the three of them were over there. He was quite good friends with Naegi, he thought, but to get over there and speak with him would require more maneuvering through the crowd, and, anyway, he was fairly certain that Chihiro didn't really like him. "No," he said finally. "I don't think I will."
She was looking at him like he was insane, so he put on his brightest smile and kept speaking.
"How is your summer going Fukawa-kun?"
She scoffed. "What do you think?" she muttered. He waited for an elaboration, and she sighed and kept talking. "I've got deadlines looming over my head and I needed to get out of the house to think something. Then when I decided to go for a walk, stupid me, some idiot spills coffee all over me."
"Oh," Ishimaru said after a brief pause. "That doesn't sound like much fun. I have been working hard at all of my summer classes."
"Of course you have."
"What?"
"Nothing. Why are you here?"
"It is nice to spend time with classmates," Ishimaru said. He frowned a bit. "Frankly, I do not spend time with people much outside of school, though I am glad I decided to eat here today. I forgot my packed lunch at home and didn't have enough time to run back and get it, and it was nice to see a familiar face."
"Nice?" she asked. When he looked at her, she was blushing a little. He wondered what he'd said to make her blush. "I-it's nice to see me?"
"Yes," Ishimaru said after a brief pause. "Should it not be?"
"You don't mean it, do you? You're just trying to lure me in."
"Lure you in?"
She studied him, then pursed her lips. "Maybe not," she said grudgingly, like she wanted him to be making fun of her. He studied her for a little bit, then went back to his food. It was mostly silent. He was unsure how to keep going with the conversation. She looked like she didn't want to continue, so he decided to leave her alone. When he was done, he stood up.
"Good-bye!" he said brightly.
Her hand grasped his wrist quicker than he realized was possible and he jumped.
"Did you really mean it?" she asked. "That it's nice to see me?"
"O-of course," Ishimaru said. He swallowed. He felt himself blush a little. She got up with him, grabbing her tray as well and following him to the garbage can.
He noticed her following him when they were a few blocks away from the restaurant.
He turned around. "Do you need something, Fukawa-kun?"
"I- I was wondering…" she trailed off, blushing furiously, playing with her fingers. "If maybe… I could walk back with you… because… Byakuya-sama is off doing something during the summer…"
Ishimaru had no idea what she was saying. "What?" he asked. She froze.
"You were trying to lure me in!"
"No!"
"Then why did you ask me that like that?"
"What did I do? I do not know what you are asking of me!"
"O-oh," she said. She swallowed. He could see sweat beaded on her forehead, sticking hair to her face. "I… if I could come with you… now…"
"Okay," he said, still a little unsure of what she was asking, but now she was walking next to him instead of a few feet behind him, and that was preferable.
They walked in mostly silence until someone nearly ran Fukawa down and she leaped into Ishimaru from the side, knocking them both over. He yelped a little as he hit the ground with Fukawa on top of him and tried to catch his breath.
Fukawa was on him, her hands on his chest and her face just a few inches away from his. He felt himself blush. "U-um, Fukawa-kun," he said, trying to regain at least some of his composure. She seemed incapable of moving or speaking. She was completely frozen, mouth in a shocked 'o' and hands clutching the front of his uniform like a lifeline. They stayed on the ground for another few minutes until Ishimaru caught his breath and managed to sit up. Fukawa, dazed and uncomprehending, slid onto his lap. She still had huge handfuls of his uniform, and it was getting a bit uncomfortable.
"You saved me," she breathed. She studied him. He met her gaze, a little shocked. "A hall monitor, huh…"
They sat there for a few more minutes until Fukawa realized what was going on, jumped to her feet, and hurried away before Ishimaru could say a thing, leaving him on the ground in stunned silence.
This was requested by an anon on Tumblr, who wanted another ishimaru/fukawa!