[A/N] Because there just isn't enough Toji x Hikari multi-chaptered fics.
[ Cover Art by 泉くれは on Pixiv ]
[Edit] Following some editorial advice and suggestions on my other fic, I've decided to edit a few orthographic and punctuation nuances here as well to aid with the flow and overall comprehension of this story. As I mentioned on the other one, please feel free to offer any further advice on either this story or my AsuShin one as it all helps me grow and improve. Thanks!
MADE A GIRL CRY
CHAPTER ONE
I can't stop the butterflies swarming around when his palm meets my cheek, his rough and tanned skin so warm against it I feel like my cheeks might melt. His face inches closer to mine. I tentatively look up to return his gaze through my eyelashes, and his lidded eyes close fully as his tongue wets his lips and…
No more than millimetres apart, Suzuhara speaks into the narrow distance separating our lips, whispering my name. Shivers roll down my spine in a set of pleasant chills, and my heart dances so fast in my chest that I'm not sure how my ribcage is holding it back. I can feel his breath, warm against my lips, and though it tickles, I close my eyes and wait for the collision of his lips against mine.
Ding, dong, ding, dong…
Hikari almost missed the monotonous chime of the school bell, indicating the school day had ended. It was also Friday, meaning Hikari didn't bother to fulfil her duties as the class representative in attempting to control the bustle of students. They barely listened throughout the week, let alone Friday; over half the class (though this was perhaps due to the small population to begin with) had run out the door hollering and cheering, already rounding up their friends to fill them in on any gossip.
The only students still left behind were those who took their time in packing their stuff away, though they were just blurry figures in Hikari's peripheral vision. Hikari hadn't noticed she was gazing right in the direction of Toji Suzuhara, who stayed sat back in his seat, his feet kicked up on the table and his hands lazily behind his head as he swung back on his chair, until her best friend's chest broke into her eye line.
With her hands haughtily on her hips, Asuka loudly joked, "Hello? Earth to Hikari! Is anyone there?"
Hikari couldn't help the pink flushing across her cheeks, the warmth buzzing around her body – but it was in no way the pleasant buzz her daydream had given her. This was just plain embarrassment. Before Asuka could figure out where Hikari's eyes were, Hikari quickly looked to the side, mumbling, "Asuka…"
But her best friend wasn't an Eva pilot for nothing – she was a genius, a college graduate at just thirteen. There was no use trying to hide anything from her. Asuka took two fingers shaped like scissors and used them to trace Hikari's line of vision, ultimately landing right in Toji's seat. Toji didn't seem to be paying any attention, though; the way his head was slightly down suggested he had probably fallen asleep.
Asuka looked back to Hikari, whose face was now beaming a bright red.
"Honestly!" Asuka bellowed, not caring to keep her voice down, "I don't get what you see in that one."
"Asuka! Not so loud!" Hikari pleaded, her usually soft voice having to battle to overpower Asuka's. Under her breath, Hikari muttered, "What do you see in Ikari?"
Asuka must have either not heard or was purposely ignoring Hikari's own dig at herself, because her face remained its perfect porcelain and her hands were still on her hips rather than anywhere on Hikari. "Look at you, drooling over him like a lovesick puppy. You spent all last lesson gazing at him. Aren't you the Class Rep?"
Hikari knew her best friend was only joking, but sometimes it seemed like she could get easily lost in translation.
"Why don't you just ask him out already?" Asuka suggested, her voice finally quieter as her tone changed to one capable of genuine advice.
"I-I can't do that! I can't just go up there and…"
"Why not?" Asuka cut her off, before sighing, "Let's talk about it on the way home. I need to get out of here."
Hikari swallowed hard, replying, "I can't."
"What?"
"I just need to do some things first," Hikari innocently explained, referring to all the final outstanding end-of-week duties she still had to do. Plus, she needed to wake Suzuhara up, and remind him of his own duties…
"Oh. Well, have fun!" Asuka nodded her head in Toji's direction. The smugness that crossed Asuka's features was one Hikari had seen before, and the tone in her voice was mischievous, again nothing unfamiliar. Before Hikari could respond, Asuka had bounced out of the classroom, past Shinji and Kensuke, Toji's two best friends. Hikari noticed the way Shinji's eyes followed Asuka as she left, wondering if Toji ever secretly looked at Hikari like that. It was a look she'd only seen in romantic movies, a look only described in all her teen magazines and young adult romance novels, one that she only saw on Toji in her daydreams… Hikari shook her head lightly, trying to remove the thoughts from her head. It was kind of funny, how Asuka would constantly advise Hikari just waltzed in and asked Suzuhara out, and she would even give advice on how to be more confident in her approach – yet, Asuka could never take her own advice, and just talk to Shinji about how she felt.
As quiet lulled through the classroom as only the four of them were left, Hikari could hear the faint laughter coming from Kensuke, who held his camera tight as he recorded his friend asleep. Shinji had an uneasy smile on his face, but a smile nonetheless; it was nice seeing him come out of his shell, even if it was being prodded by Aida, one third of what Hikari and Asuka liked to call the Three Stooges.
Hikari took a deep breath and donned her best Class Rep persona, forcefully ensuring no trace of pink was left on her freckled cheeks. Picking up a ruler, Hikari glided over to Suzuhara, her heart thumping in her chest the closer she got. She could feel three stares boring into her back – Aida's, Ikari's, and the lens of Aida's camera. Still, she had to remind herself she was now in Class Rep mode. Not only did she need to scold Suzuhara for sleeping in class (no matter how many times she had come close herself), she also needed to remind him of his own duties as it was his final day being on class duty for the week. Hikari suppressed the bounce that threatened to come into her step when she realised it meant spending the late afternoon into the evening with Suzuhara as she had her own duties, and ensured the sombre Class Rep mask stayed glued to her face.
Without warning, Hikari smacked the ruler onto Suzuhara's desk, and his eyes cracked open. He almost fell backwards on his chair at the snapping sound, and the expression that crossed his face made him look like he was about to have a heart attack. Hikari tried not to laugh at how Suzuhara looked like his life had flashed before his eyes, and instead pushed her amusement to the side with a bitter, "That's why you shouldn't swing on your chair!"
Now sat bolt upright, Suzuhara groaned, "Most men dream of waking up to a woman, but…"
Hikari smacked the ruler down on the desk again, but it only elicited a startled gasp from Suzuhara and muffled laughter from Aida, his hand on his mouth as to not ruin his footage with laughter.
"You've got duty," Hikari informed him, trying to keep her tone as cold as possible. She was sure the warmth of her feelings for him were melting through, but the tired look on Suzuhara's face told Hikari that she was still suiting her role perfectly. Good.
"Do I have to?"
"What do you mean, do I have to? Of course you do!" Hikari wasn't sure how she was managing to speak with her heartbeat pulsing in her ears and a lump in her throat, but she had been the class representative for the majority of her life – not just in middle school – and thus knew how to wear the label well, even if it meant acting a little in regards to how she felt for other students…
Suzuhara groaned, and his eyes moved to meet his friends', who were still standing in the doorway, as if asking them for help. Instead, Aida only snickered and waved theatrically, exaggerating both his movements and voice, "Seeya Toji! Don't have too much fun without us!"
Ikari only meekly added, "Bye, Toji." The two of them walked out, Aida's voice echoing down the hall for seconds after they left, though Hikari couldn't make out all he was saying. Too focused on Suzuhara, huh? The thought unsurprisingly resembled the voice of someone she knew – Asuka's.
The joy of finally being alone with her crush was clouded by the way Hikari noticed Toji's eyes weren't the glistening dark brown Hikari liked so much. They were dull, and lined with insomnia; obvious bags hung under his eyes. Hikari couldn't help the pang of sympathy when she realised Toji must have fallen asleep because he must have not slept the night before, and she definitely couldn't help the worry as she imagined several scenarios of why he would be so tired – staying up all night, worrying about his little sister, oh, he was just so kind and wonderful and handsome and…
"Hey, Class Rep," his deep voice and Osaka dialect broke through the fragile silence like a pin popping a balloon, and Hikari blinked in surprise. "You're not gonna lecture me for sleepin' in class, huh?"
"Um…" for some reason, Hikari didn't seem to process what he said at first. Her thoughts were elsewhere, and she couldn't deny it. "You look tired, Suzuhara. Is everyth…"
"Toji," his voice cut through, catching Hikari off guard again. She was really embarrassing herself in front of him now.
"What?"
"Toji. Just call me Toji."
Hikari's eyes lit up. She knew Suzuhara, no, Toji was a friendly person and he certainly wasn't one to care about the formalities of the Japanese language, opting to speak in Kansai-ben unless around adults, yet the fact that Toji wanted her to call him by his given name meant a lot to Hikari. It meant… he must consider her close! Hikari realised she had been silent for seconds too long when she realised Toji had one eyebrow raised in confusion, his gaze straight through her rather than to her.
Hikari coughed into her hand, trying to remember what she had been saying before Toji (yes! Toji! Hikari still couldn't believe it) cut off her line of thought. "Y-yes. Yes! Um, I was going to say, is everything okay? Because you look…"
"Sakura's fine," Toji's response, quick and sharp, must have seemed insincere to Toji as he quickly followed up, "They think she could be comin' home in a week."
"But… but that's great news!" Hikari smiled at him, and she felt a light glow around her body when she saw the smile – albeit small – on Toji's own face. His arms folded across his chest, he looked down at the floor, swinging lightly on one foot; Toji truly never listened. But maybe that was part of his charm, the charm that had grabbed Hikari and reeled her in so hard she landed head first.
"Yeah," Toji agreed, but there was nothing in his voice. It almost broke her heart to hear Toji so low, especially when he was delivering news as good as his sister recovering so well that she could possibly be returning home soon. "But I'm failin'. If I can't get my grades up, then I risk repeatin' the grade."
Hikari was vaguely aware of most students' grades, though she was mainly only truly aware of who was exceeding and excelling, and only slightly aware when people weren't hitting the mark, being the Class Rep and all. She knew some students were behind, including Toji, but she didn't know he was failing. She also didn't know why the thought worried her so much. Maybe it was the way his head hung down and his voice sounded nothing more than a sigh, dejected and resigned.
"Well, what do you need help in? I can help you out!" the words came out faster than Hikari's thoughts, tumbling out so fast that Hikari was surprised she didn't trip over any of the words – it only sounded rushed. Toji noticed, however, he definitely noticed; his surprised expression was proof.
"Gee, someone's enthusiastic…"
Hikari bit back any excuses that tried to surface, mainly because she didn't have any. "I mean it, Su… Toji… I can help you out, with anything you want!" She had to dig her fingernails into her palms to suppress the thoughts rising to her head. Hanging around Asuka too long was definitely corrupting her innocence.
It seemed the same thoughts crept into Toji's head as he smirked, only to quickly wipe it away when he looked down at the ruler left abandoned on his desk.
"You mean it?" Toji questioned, clearing his throat. He sounded a lot like Toji again – the lilt in his voice, the spark, the life… it was definitely getting progressively more difficult to hide her blush.
Hikari nodded, and bowed slightly. "Of course!" She took out a small, bright pink notebook decorated with cat stickers out from a pocket in her neatly organised bag, the matching pen in the ringed margin, and began to scrawl down some figures. She didn't notice the way Toji's gaze followed her hand.
She neatly tore out the page, taking care not to rip it or ruin the rest of her notepad. So organised, Toji thought, no wonder she's always been the Class Rep. He almost laughed at the vast difference between the two of them.
Hikari presented him with the paper, which had a phone number two pink lines above an address. "Here's my phone, and here's my address. This way, you can come over to mine sometime and I could… well, I guess I could tutor you!"
The smile Hikari didn't know she was wearing was infectious, spreading to Toji's face as he smiled back at her. She looks a lot cuter when she's not barkin' orders…
"How's 'bout tomorrow?" Toji asked, leaning back in his chair, trying to remain casual. His act worked, as Hikari kept talking the same as she had done before,
"O-Okay! Tomorrow morning?"
"No way," Toji scoffed, though quickly explained himself when he saw the corners of Hikari's lips fall slightly. "I won't be awake."
"Oh!" Hikari let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. "Then, tomorrow afternoon? Is one okay?"
"One is fine. Seeya then."
"You too… T-Toji…"
For the both of them, doing the class duties on a Friday evening didn't seem so daunting anymore. And for Hikari, she couldn't wait to go home, tell Asuka all about it, have a bath, and then see Toji again at her house! It was like a dream come true. She would get to spend time with him, alone, and he would have her undivided attention… Hikari was sure she had a smile on her face the entire time she helped Toji clean up the classroom. The aching and dimples in her cheeks were proof of it. Hikari forgot to care.