It is starting to get difficult to study.
While it is true that, with all of this 'School Life of Mutual Killing' stuff going on, there should be no reason to study. But when the library opened up… Kiyotaka Ishimaru saw no reason not to take advantage of it. After all, he did need to keep his mind sharp! The thought of going back to a real school after this and not having kept up on his studies makes him shudder.
However, the other regular in the library happens to be Byakuya Togami. And, Ishimaru has learned, if Togami is somewhere, Fukawa is not far behind, just standing behind bookshelves, quivering, watching him. While she's not making much noise apart from the occasional giggle or whimper, it is starting to get distracting.
So distracting, in fact, that he is going to have to ask her to study with him, if only to get her to stop just standing there. A library is a precious resource that should not just be used as a place to be. It is a place to study, as Ishimaru uses it, or a place to read, as Togami uses it. Though Ishimaru is not quite sure what, exactly, Togami is reading, it is none of his business to ask.
So, when he enters the library and sees Fukawa standing behind a bookshelf, he strides forward quickly and with purpose, tapping her on the shoulder. She whirls around, panicked.
"Hello," Ishimaru says. "I was wondering, perhaps, if you would like to study with me today!"
"There's no school right now," is the first thing she says, averting her gaze. "And a-anyway, why would anyone want to study with me? I'm b-busy-"
"Study with him," Togami says, not even looking up from his book. Fukawa sighs, but it seems like more of a lovesick one than an exasperated one.
"I-if he tells me to, I have to accept," she says, looking half-ecstatic that Togami spoke to her, half-annoyed. It occurs to Ishimaru that she may be half-annoyed at him, and then dismisses it. He is simply trying to get her something to occupy herself, that's all. He is just trying to better her.
"What would you like to study first?" Ishimaru asks, setting a stack of books on a table. Fukawa sits across from him, fiddling with the ends of her braids. He only has one of each book, not really expecting her to do anything more than run out of the room when he spoke to her, so he has to sit next to her. He does so, scooting so that they can both see the book. "I have several different subjects that we could study! I have History, Physics, Trigonometry-"
"I don't care," Fukawa mutters, sneaking a glance toward Togami. Ishimaru wonders what her intellectual capability is, or if she is simply good at literature. He decides to go with the easiest of the subjects he brought – History is easy, all it requires is memorization and comprehension, and by writing such popular novels, Fukawa obviously has some comprehension skills.
Also, Ishimaru enjoys History. It is interesting, after all.
"Let us start with History!" he says brightly, trying to cheer her up. She looks so sad all the time. She looks back at Togami, and Ishimaru is afraid that he will have to ask Togami to leave. If he keeps distracting his study partner, then he will definitely have to go.
Ishimaru takes the book off the stack and opens it. He has been working through this book steadily, and is approximately a fourth of the way through it. He taps Fukawa's hand, and she jumps.
"What?" she mutters, chewing on her thumbnail. Ishimaru sighs.
"You do not seem very focused!" he accuses. "I have opened our book."
Suddenly, she freezes. "He's gone," she says, and Ishimaru is inwardly grateful. With Togami gone, perhaps they will finally be able to get some studying done. He has already wasted three minutes.
When she tries to stand up, he takes her hand and tugs her back down. She blushes a little.
"No matter," Ishimaru says. "We can still have our study date without him! In fact, I believe we will be more productive without his distracting presence a few feet away."
"A-a date?" Fukawa says. She stuck on that word. Ishimaru feels himself flushing a little. He did not mean it that way, but it appears that she is going to take it that way. He has never been on a date with anyone before, and he is not sure if this is how it is supposed to go.
However, it is better than it could have been.
"Well," he manages. "That is what you call a-"
"I shouldn't be going on a date with anyone other than-"
"We really should be studying-"
"A date, are you trying to make a fool of me-"
"Fukawa!" Ishimaru finally says, slamming his palms down on the table. She freezes. She'd been standing up, worrying and bright red and he was sick of it. All he wanted was to get some studying done. She is ruining his plan, and she needs to stop. "You need to sit down. We are here to study, not to fret over meaningless things."
"So it is just meaningless to you!" she says in a voice far too loud for a library. While it's true that is own voice was a bit loud just a bit earlier, he needed to quiet her. It was necessary. He shushes her, and she grabs onto his hands. He feels heat rise to his face.
"T-that is not permitted-" he manages to stammer out. "Physical contact- public displays of affection are not-"
But now she's looking at him with tears in her eyes. He knows that he's not going to get her to study, even with Togami out of the room, and he also knows that he's going to have to study in his room from now on. He sighs.
Her hands tighten around his and she leans closer. She's as nervous as he is, it seems. "Have you been kissed before?" she asks in an almost hushed voice. He swallows. There's an audible click in his throat when he does so.
"T-that is inappropriate talk for a school setting," he says, and she just looks at him, waiting for his answer. He does not want to answer her. Ishimaru came here to study, not to have his hands grabbed by a strange girl with braids and a tendency to go without showering. It's not like he doesn't like Fukawa, he does, he really does, but what he does not like is being distracted from his studies. "I believe that we should get back to studying."
"I knew it," she mutters, eyes downcast. "You were making fun of me. Just like everyone else. Just- just saying that you want to go on a date with me and then not even wanting to look at me."
"No, no, that's not it! I…" he trails off, forcing himself to look away from the textbook and back into her eyes. "Would you like me to kiss you?"
It's against so many rules. It's against so many rules to kiss in school, but he wants his hands back and he wants to get back to studying, so he gives her a quick peck on the cheek, not quite sure what he's doing, and turns back to the book.
"Now, in 1964…"
Ishimaru is always so much fun to write.
Anyway, this was requested by an anonymous asker on Tumblr, who wanted a fukawa/ishimaru, so here it is!