notes: i wanted to make this longer honestly, but i feel as though that if i tried dragging it out it'd turn into a mess. so i left it as it was-and the end result, as you can see, is this. i'm not completely satisfied with how this turned out, but this is me testing the waters so to speak. it's the first time i've written for either enma or chrome too. i like these two together although they don't have much interaction in the manga (hardly any, if i recall correctly), so i don't have much to go on. i'll most likely end up writing for them again, however. also, this can be taken either way: friendship or romance. whichever suits you best.
It's his hair, she decides, that catches her attention.
She had looked up for a brief respite during a test, stretching her aching limbs when she saw it – a flash of red in the corner of her eye. Chrome had turned her head slightly, being mindful of the teacher, to get a better glimpse of whatever it was. It turned out to be someone – and not just any someone; Kozato Enma. The one boss hung out with quite often nowadays, the quiet one.
The one she defended back on the island.
She had blushed at the sudden memory; her boldness then had surprised even her, and ducked her head, going back to work. The matter was pushed to the back of her mind.
Now, several days later, she finds herself staring again at that shock of red hair. It's a rather pretty shade; pleasant to look at – and it differentiates from the norm of dull browns and blacks she finds herself surrounded with.
Chrome presses her pencil against the worksheet the teacher had handed out moments before; it leaves the smallest dot on her page. Concentration is hard to come by lately. Her mouth curves into a frown and she looks up, once again finding her eye drawn to red hair.
She doesn't realize she's been staring at Enma for longer than normal until a hand comes to rest on her shoulder.
"Dokuro-san? Are you alright?"
She jumps a little in her seat, much to the amusement of several others who snicker in the background. She directs her gaze to her feet, feeling heat pool into her cheeks. "Y-yes, sensei. I'm sorry."
The man nods, reassured, and moves on. She can feel her boss's concern from behind her, and hears Gokudera Hayato mutter something, to which Yamamoto Takeshi responds with a quiet: "Now don't say that; I'm sure it's nothing."
Chrome bites down on her lower lip and sinks lower in her seat; when class ends, she rushes out before Tsuna can call out to her.
She completely misses the garnet eyes that follow her swift departure.
―――
A few days later she's greeted by Kozato Enma outside the school gates as the last bell signals the end of the school day. She stops short, eyebrows drawing together and mouth forming an 'o' at the sight of him.
He shuffles his feet; one strap of his book bag is falling off his shoulder but she can't bring herself to tell him. Perhaps he's used to it.
"Dokuro-san," he begins, voice quiet and scratchy from disuse (she's noticed how he stays in the background during class, never raising his hand), "Um, w-would you like to come with me to Tsuna's? He's having a studying session and since we're in the same class I thought… we… could go together."
She blinks, lips parted in surprise. Her grip on her bag tightens and then loosens. She's been invited over before, usually by Kyoko or Tsuna himself, only to turn them down – she doesn't want to get in the way, doesn't want to make trouble for anyone – but this time feels different. Is it because the crass Gokudera Hayato isn't here to make a scathing remark, or because Kyoko isn't here to look at her with doleful, golden eyes? There's something about Enma that reminds her of Tsuna – not just the awkwardness with which he carries himself – but by the way his eyes meet hers: resolute and kind.
"I… would that be alright?" she asks softly.
He nods, now choosing to avert his gaze to his dirtied shoes. "Yeah."
"O-okay." She starts walking, following his lead. For a moment, all they hear are their own footsteps and the sounds of others students behind them – but those quickly diminish in volume the further they get from Nami Middle.
"Um—"
"Yes?"
"Y-you can call me Chrome… 'Dokuro-san' is a bit… formal."
He nods, then goes on to say, "Then you can call me Enma. Everyone else does so…"
She nods, clutching her bag with trembling fingers. Her palms feel sweaty and her cheeks are warm; this isn't like when Kyoko and Haru treat her to a cake at the shop they like downtown – this is different, somehow. (She wishes, then, for Kyoko to be here to nudge her in the right direction; surely she would know what to do in this situation—)
Enma walks slowly, as if taking each step with care. He keeps his head bowed, but raises it when he speaks: "I… want to thank you again. For what happened on the island, with – uh, Daemon Spade. Protecting me that time…"
"Oh." Chrome's eye flickers towards him then away – to the clouds overhead. "Um, you're welcome. I… I just did what I thought was right. And you're important to boss, so… it felt like the right thing to do."
He doesn't say anything; suddenly feeling as though she offended him, she adds hastily, "I-I mean, you're important to everyone, not just boss so—"
Enma, to her surprise, and a moment later, embarrassment, laughs. It's not loud, like Yamamoto's, nor is it high-pitched like Tsuna's (Reborn once mentioned Tsuna having a rather girly laugh, she remembers). It's soft, warm – something she wouldn't mind hearing again.
"I know what you meant. It's okay." He's smiling, she realizes. It's almost imperceptible but it's certainly there.
She feels her own lips curving into a smile of their own and her grip on her bags loosens – then drops completely as she lets her hand fall free.
She's certain of it now – it's a good thing his hair is such a pretty shade of red.