Note: written for the Livejournal community 31 Days, for the prompt "glorious eyes that smile and burn".
Older men are the only option worth contemplating. Boys their own age are stupid, immature, focused on nothing more than this minute or at a stretch, the next - and they smell bad. And look worse.
"My brother's older than us," Kyoko remarked after Hana's familiar diatribe, all innocence.
"Kyoko, please," said Hana, and Kyoko snickered. She knew how well her brother and best friend got along - quite well, in a two-cats-in-a-sack kind of way - and pushed the plate of biscuits between them closer to Hana to make up for teasing.
Hana took one, and stuck her nose in the air and thought determinedly of other things - Sawada flinging off his clothes again and displaying his un-classy boxers, or the slapstick comedy show his friends seemed to feel compelled to put on all day. (Boys their own age looked for attention in the most stupid ways!)
It wouldn't do to think about the crush on Ryohei, or Kyoko might really start teasing her, and would have every right to do so. The crush: a stupid, tiny, shapeless thing from over there - she gave a mental point to somewhere far away from her. It didn't help, as it ended up being an excuse for her thoughts to linger on Ryohei's face.
"UGH," said Hana, and slumped onto the table, waving a hand accusingly in Kyoko's direction. "How do you not notice?"
"Is this about your weight again? Don't be silly! A few biscuits aren't going to make you fat. You're thin, anyway."
Hana peeked at Kyoko, keeping her smile hidden behind her arm. All right, so Kyoko wasn't the most observant friend, but it would be impossible to think of ditching someone so sweet.
Then there was the terribly familiar thunder of footsteps on the stairs, and really, it could only be a good thing if Kyoko didn't know that Hana's views on older men came all the way from when she was nine and had come to the Sasagawa home to play for the first time.
"Shut up," she said, before Ryohei opened his mouth.
"As always, you know it's me even without looking!" (So would blind people, and deaf people could probably tell from the vibrations!) "You have good instincts, Kurokawa - but not about this weight thing!"
"My brother's right," Kyoko said, the traitor.
Hana sat up in frustration, looking at Ryohei where he pointed at her from the kitchen doorway. "How did you even hear us talking about that all the way from upstairs?"
"I have to fulfil my vow not to let Kyoko's very good friend do stupid teenage girly things!" Ryohei said, striking a pose.
"That doesn't answer the question at all," Hana pointed out, but without acid in her tone - you got used to that kind of thing if you spent time in the Sasagawa household.
Ryohei relaxed the pose, leaning thoughtfully against the doorframe. "Except for the hair and the make-up and that stuff. That kind of stupid girly stuff is okay. I'm talking about those diets that don't work."
"Thanks so much for the thumbs-up," Hana said. Kyoko rolled her eyes too.
"But!" He pumped a fist in the air. "You have to eat! It's important, all my boxing magazines say so!"
"I eat," Hana protested to the siblings. "But I have to watch my weight!"
"It's commendable that you want to stay in shape!" Ryohei said with a pleased nod. "You should join the boxing club!"
"You say that to me one more time, Sasagawa, and I—"
"But be careful." And he did that thing he did sometimes.
Ryohei's volume was miraculously down, to a quiet and measured tone. He walked over, his eyes fixed on hers, burning bright and serious and - so like him. It should have been impossible that someone like Ryohei could be so serious, but the trick was to remember that he wasn't a boy who said things to get attention: he was serious about everything, especially the stupid things, but even the amazing things.
Ryohei clasped her shoulder. "I don't want to hear you've made yourself sick the way some girls do! You have to take care of yourself, all right?"
It wouldn't be fair to make a snotty reply when he was being sincere. Besides, she couldn't breathe. Damn old stupid crush; Sawada's friend with the cow-print shirt was much hotter—Hana nodded.
"That's good to the extreme!" Ryohei gave her a pat on the shoulder. "And if you don't take care of your body, then I will!"
"Brother!" Kyoko groaned, and threw a biscuit at him before giggling helplessly. Hana slumped over the table again, mostly to hide her blush.
"What?" Ryohei said, puzzled.
This was really a die-hard stupid little crush. It was becoming a problem if she thought that kind of thing was cute.