Chapter 7
Finally Noticed
"First violin, once more! And would you finally register that there's a c-flat? And no accent on the first notes. Alright, one...two!"
Marco leaned back against his seat with his cello and grinned quite amused as he saw the sour expression on Ayane's face as the first violin had to play the meanest piece of music ever.
Those stupid shifts on her fingerboard just freaked her out. And why the hell were there just sixteenth parts while all the others just had a simple melody or just had to hold the note? Not fair. She flinched as the two violins in front of her decided to forget the c-flat once more and finally it was enough.
Hina turned as they had stopped, with her hair flying all around in a perfect movement and her red lips were pursed in annoyance.
"Would you finally play that right?!", she hissed at Aya and before she could respond, the pink haired concert mistress turned back to her notes. The Blondie glared at Hina's back unbelieving and then she huffed and let her eyes rest on her lap. Stupid bitch. Just because she was third chair? She had played it right!
She looked back up as Mr Whitebeard raised his baton to give a new upbeat for the next piece. But just as everyone had their instruments ready, he put his stick back onto his note stand.
"A small anecdote before we start the overture.", he announced and everyone sighed and set the violins, cellos, violas and woodwinds back down.
"You all remember Mister Rayleigh, right?" Ayane nodded to herself as the music teacher mentioned his fellow. Though the silver-haired man had been responsible for biology. He had left the school a few years earlier though.
"Once Mr Rayleigh assisted the brat of a choir leader in a concert and offered to turn the pages while he played a Serenade on the grand piano or something like that. However, as Rayleigh had turned it once, he sat down and skidded back with his chair. He fell along with the chair down the stage and right into a palm tree that stood casually next to it. And now we get started, refreshed and ready to give the pirate king a proper piece to sing to."
He lifted his baton once more, but all of his pupils stared at him until one started to snort at the hilarious situation and got the others to laugh as well.
"Gurarara! That was worth it, wasn't it, kids? And of course they put the poor plant back onto it's place." Mr Whitebeard rubbed his beard while he grinned at the happy faces.
"Alright, I decided otherwise, ten-minutes-break!" He laughed again as he saw the surprised looks and let himself fall down onto his own chair.
Hesitantly the students stood up and strolled to their cases to store the instruments in and get out of the stuffy room and to get coffee or tea and stuff. Marco put his cello onto the floor, the bow on top and went to fetch Ayane who just packed her violin up.
"Oh, hey Marco, how's it going?", she asked and smiled up to him as he stood next to her.
"Quite funny to watch you playing the same stuff over and over.", he grinned back and she scoffed.
"Yeah, I guess it is for you since you have nothing to do at all. How about we exchange instruments, huh? Wanna watch you becoming desperate when you see the notes."
Marco smirked and offered her his hand to get her back up onto her feet. But as she took his hand, he pulled her up against his chest and wrapped his arms around her back.
"You're so mean, first no breakfast, then you want to see me depressive...", he murmured into her ear, ignoring completely the fact that at least half of the orchestra could watch them.
"Marco, what are you doing?", she wriggled a bit in his grasp, her face, that was pressed against his chest, deep red.
"A little hug won't kill you, yoi.", he responded and found her stopping her resistance.
"But that's embarrassing...! We're not even a..." Ayane hid her face in his hoodie and he chuckled. "Would you want us to be?", he replied quietly and fully aware that it embarrassed her even more. Ayane was silent at that, but she felt her cheeks burn at the thought.
"If... if you're just playing with me, you better stop now...", she whispered and pressed with one hand against his torso.
"Aya, I'm not playing. I'm serious." His grin fell as he saw her doubtful face. This was what she wanted, right? Just why was she so nervous and frightened then? He was a great guy, if he wanted to he could have any female. Why her? She admired him and suddenly he showed interest?
"No, you're not." She shoved against him and he let go, too confused to mind.
"Huh? How would you know?", he asked and she blushed and began to fiddle with her sleeves.
"I really am serious.", he assured her and saw her cheeks flush even more. Just then she reached out and grabbed his hand quietly, her eyes averted though.
"Oh Marco~! Would you mind me playing with your cello a bit?" Suddenly a pink haired mob of hair shoved itself between her and Marco and Aya had to let his hand go.
"Hina, uh... yeah I suppose..." Marco stared at the sweet smiling girl in front of him, her evenly pink nails digging into his shoulder, leading him away from Ayane.
"You know, at first I wanted to play cello as well, but my parents had already bought a violin and so... but I never stopped admiring this instrument! The sound, it's just perfect! Sad that it's that expensive." Hina pulled the poor guy with her, her sugar-coated voice dripped with sweetness.
He quickly looked back as he got dragged off and found Ayane looking after them, caught off guard, but then she disappointed stared onto her feet, her hands holding onto her scarf. What was that?
She looked back up to Marco and bit her lip crestfallen as the concert mistress sat on his chair with the cello, he next to her, giving her instructions how she had to handle it. Hina's voluptuous red lips pouted while she created a terrible sounding note and as Marco bent down to correct the girl's fingers, Ayane looked away.
What, he told her he was serious and then he walked off with the next slut? Yes, right now Hina was a stupid slut. Just as she had thought he'd understand how she felt for him, that bitch had to interrupt and to steal him!
She did that often enough with every male she found acceptable. It was as though she tried to gather the guys around her to have a wide choice.
Finally Mr Whitebeard called the pupils back into the room and got to his note stand where he waited for them. Ayane took her violin, put the shoulder rest on it and grabbed her bow. Just as she stood up, Hina too went to her violin case, that laid unfortunately next to hers, obviously finished with molesting Marco.
"I hope you know that this was a warning. He's mine." She smirked with her perfectly done make-up-face and arrogantly looked at her from top to toes. "Way too good for you anyway." Aya glared at the pink-haired girl's back and mentally stabbed her with her bow. But she simply ignored the threats and shuffled back to her single seat.
Marco watched her and as he found her eyes on his, he gave her an apologetic look, but she instantly stared at her notes. Darn, he really hadn't wanted to leave her alone, but Hina hadn't let him go either. And now the chance had died.
"You look tired, are you okay, Marco?" Keimi let herself plop down next to him with her own cello and watched him sighing once more.
"Yeah, I'm tired of everything. Don't mind me.", he murmured and turned over the pages of the notes to the next piece. He readjusted his instrument against his legs and leaned back in his seat. He just wanted to have a real break now, alone with Aya in their hostel's room.
"Ew, what's that?" Shinya sniffed at the food that just had been brought to their table and she grimaced at the smell.
"Looks like something healthy, I fear." Ace warily poked with his fork into the crisp surface and raised one eyebrow.
"Vegetable perhaps?", Shin guessed and ignored the irritated sighs that came from Thatch and his stomach.
"It's green.", Ace supported her statement.
"Spinach-lasagne...", Ayane murmured, but nobody seemed to listen.
Finally Thatch just snatched the shovel out of Ace's hand and put a big portion into his plate without listening to the surprised gasps.
"What's those red thingies?" Shin stretched her neck to observe the content of his food as Thatch gave Marco the cooking utensil so he could help himself, too while the other idiots still argued if they now should take something or not.
"Those are tomatoes and now shut up and eat or let it be, Shin, Ace. Something healthy won't kill you.", Marco told them unnerved and the couple really got quiet.
Thatch hungrily shoveled the food into his mouth as Ayane too put something of the giant lasagna onto her own plate. As neither Ace nor Shinya showed any attempts of wanting to eat it, she put the shovel aside.
"How does it taste?", Shin asked, but as nobody answered, Aya looked up and found her friend's eyes on her.
"Uh... it's good...", she murmured and quickly let her eyes rest on the lasagna once more. Shinya talked with her, that was a good sign, right? Maybe they would simply forget that stupid conflict?
"Alright, I'll try it." Ace stared at his girlfriend who grabbed the shovel and lion-heatedly put a very small piece onto her plate.
"But Shinya...! You don't have to prove anything, I'll still love you!", he dramatically called out and grabbed her arm to prevent her from trying the food.
"I know, Ace, you're the sunshine of my life. But there are things I have to do." Shin took a deep breath as though she was about to fight in a war with Ace being the wife, who had to stay at home, probably pregnant and without any hope of her man coming back alive.
"Don't do it, please. What am I without you?!"
"Nothing, my angel." And with that Shinya shoved a fork with spinach, tomatoes and lasagna into her mouth. Ace gasped in fake shock as she bravely chewed on it while Thatch and Marco sighed and rolled their eyes at the emotionalism.
Aya however had to bite back a laugh and nearly choked on her own lasagna. Her cheeks were flushed red as she tried to suppress a laughter or even a smile.
"How are you feeling, darling?! Tell me!" Ace shook his girlfriend softly and laughed as she punched his shoulder.
"I'm eating, you dork!", she complained and even took another bite.
"It's yummy.", she told him finally and offered him a bite.
She fed him as he opened his mouth and munched happily. Ayane watched them for a while and then looked to Marco. She couldn't quite imagine doing that with him. He was more mature than Ace and Shinya anyways. He however seemed to have noticed her gaze and grinned at her with his lazy bedroom-eyes. Just like always.
"So... how's it going in the orchestra?" Shinya strolled next to her friend and tried to speak as casual as possible, as though she'd talk about the weather.
"It's fine I suppose. And with Mr Shanks?" Aya's voice was very quiet and soft as though she didn't want to say anything offending that would rip them apart once more. If she just hadn't started that stupid argument... They continued to converse in a very polite way and Ace grinned as he watched them while he walked next to Marco.
"Finally they're making up, huh? How was your night at Aya's anyway?" Marco shrugged and nearly toppled over as his friend flung himself onto his back.
"Hey! What'cha doing?!", he called out much to the black-head's amusement and just in time balanced their weight.
"Aw, come on, you have to tell me more. And I'll tell you what Shin and I did." Marco turned his head so he could glance at Ace with one eye and sighed. "Trust me, I don't want to hear how you made out." He pouted childishly, but still let himself get carried by the taller guy.
"We didn't make out, well maybe a bit, but... hey, you smelling that, too?" Ace sniffled and Marco tensed up instantly. Shit, the apple-blossoms.
"No, I'm sure you're just being paranoid. There's nothing to smell.", he gritted his teeth as he spoke, silently praying that Ace wouldn't get it.
"But something here sure smells girly. Y'know like shampoo or somethin'." He snuffled again in the air and then to Marco's complete horror at his hoodie. "Oh, that sweet smelling stuff... it's you! Got the wrong perfume, huh?"
He groaned as the pest on his back, his friend, began to laugh. "Like smelling like a marmalade, huh?" Ace finally let go of his friend's shoulders and plopped down with his feet onto the floor, still mischievous grinning and Marco decided it didn't matter anyway now.
"Actually it's apple-blossoms.", he grumbled and Ace continued laughing his ass off.
"Just what the hell did you do?!"
"I forgot my shower gel. No more questions now.", Marco cut him off and sighed happily as they had reached the room he still shared with Ayane.
"Alright my little apple tree, we'll see each other later I suppose? Or do you wanna do anything? There's a supermarket close to the hostel." Ace cooled down from his laughing fit quite fast to Marco's relief, cause just five meters behind them were the girls and they had noticed the black-head's laughter.
"Maybe tomorrow or so, let's see.", he answered and Ace nodded and patted his shoulder as a good-bye.
"See you.", Ayane mumbled to Shinya as they too had reached the room and slid into the room past Marco.
"Yeah, see ya!" Shin ran after her boyfriend and the blonde guy closed the door behind him. Aya was already back on her bed, she combed through her blonde strands and watched him as he cheekily made his way to her and plopped down on her mattress.
"Did you like the dessert?", she casually asked and he grinned lazily. "Yup, just have to love the chocolate stuff.", he replied. Then there was silence between them. Finally she looked up from her hair and watched him shyly as he pushed his shoes off and made himself comfortable on her bed.
"Did... did you really mean that?" He turned his head to her and raised his brows.
"What are you talking about?", he asked and she blushed.
"Uh... those things with wanting us to be... together?", she murmured. All of her previous courage was gone as she actually asked the questions she had collected in her head before. "What do you think?", he said and watched her reaction carefully. She buried her nose into her scarf to attempt to hide her red cheeks.
"I don't know... that's why I asked at all..." Honestly she was afraid of his next answer, if he would answer at all. It probably change something. Maybe she should have never started the subject again...
"Come on, Ayane. Get your brain working, yoi." Marco smugly smirked and tilted her chin up.
"I suppose I'll have to show you...?", he murmured and just plainly set his lips against hers in a small kiss. Her reaction was a lot stronger than he would have thought.
First her cheeks grew so hot that he thought they would be able to glow in the darkness, then one of her hands reached out for his hoodie and held him there. He couldn't help to let out a content growl as she kissed back, but then she pulled back, a bit too quick for his taste. She stared at him, unsure of what to do now, but he simply grabbed her and pulled her against his chest.
"Got it now?", he asked and she knotted her fingers into his clothes.
"Lucky girl, got yourself such a handsome boyfriend.", he chuckled as she bit her lip quietly and she looked up to him.
"Really?"
"Still didn't get it?", he grinned back at her happy, but still insecure face.
"And now?", she asked and he frowned. "Now what?" Aya blinked.
"That's what I ask you." He gave her a small peck onto her brow and she leaned against him.
"No idea."
author's note: Now they're together, but got no idea what that means. Poor guys. Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoyed the chapter :3
To The-Destroyer-of-vegetables: Reviews are always appreciated~ ^.^
