So, an interesting chapter with a bit of a spin for you lot because I love the number nine too much to be normal about it.
My thanks to everyone who's enjoying the story. Especially: Tora3 and MinervaDesu108 for the reviews, though the latter confused me a bit! And eunoiapaint from AO3 for the wonderful comments on every chapter! Also, thanks to WimpyFox and the guests for the kudos (AO3)
12 ways: Loving eyes
Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful.
Tetsurō isn't going to lie. She isn't beautiful in the traditional sense. She isn't the ideal of Japanese beauty. She isn't petite. She isn't thin. She doesn't have soft, straight and glossy hair. Her eyes aren't that big. Her mouth isn't small at all. Her legs aren't thin. Her butt isn't small and firm. Her breasts aren't average either. Her skin isn't porcelain white. Her laughter isn't quiet. Her eating style isn't tidy and timid. Her personality isn't of a perfect housewife.
But, damn, Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful.
And Tetsurō knows that he's been staring at her from afar for a while now. Probably like a total creep. But, he just can't help it. She's beautiful and captivating and amusing and annoying and he can't stop. He loves her messy dark hair, those untamable curls all over the place. A total bedhead. He likes the round, expressive eyes that are always overflowing with emotions. Windows to the soul is right. He loves her tan skin, like light coffee in the winter and even darker in the summer. He likes the full mouth which is always stretched into a smile, frown or some other expression. He loves the way she's an open book.
He hates that she isn't so around him.
So, Tetsurō forgets about his own dignity and lets his filter go down the stream. Soon enough, despite the telltale butterflies in his stomach, heck, it's more like a zoo in there, he's teasing her, goading her into arguments and bugging her endlessly. She gives as good as she gets and Tetsurō thinks that he might've just fallen in love. But, Sakurano Chiharu isn't all about her attractively thick thighs, illegally beautiful butt and a fiery, argument-ready, personality. She's also about those little, caring moments, that nobody notices. But, Tetsurō does.
Because Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful and he can't look away.
He sees her pull Kenma's sleeve slightly so that he wouldn't bump into people as he's walk-playing. He notices her put an eraser on her friend's, Akari's, desk when she whines about losing her own. He spots her placing an extra towel next to Yaku's water bottle, because he likes an icy one and a dry one. He notes that she also takes care to move Kenma's bag behind the coaches' bench when he discards in at the gym entrance, so that a stray ball or diving body won't smash his PSP. He sees her washing and drying their jerseys, before carefully folding them, every morning, even if she doesn't have to unless they have a game. Something about them being in the same locker as their gym clothes. Speaking of, she also places foot powder in their gym shoes. Every morning.
God, Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful.
She's simply a beautiful human being. And Tetsurō, the idiot that he is, doesn't realize that his fascination with the second-year manager might be something more until Kenma pulls him to the side one day before practice.
"You're making her uncomfortable." Tetsurō hates that she'd go to Kenma with her problems, but he also understands. Chiharu is the foil to Kenma's shyness with her extrovert personality.
"Alright, alright. I'll try not to bug her too much." Maybe he's overdone it with his teasing and impromptu lunch dates.
"It's not that." Kenma finally looks up at him, those amber eyes fixing him in place. "You're staring." And the setter walks away, leaving a horribly blushing Tetsurō, who's just realized that fact himself. He's… staring… And he's bugging her. And he enjoys her company. And he's thinking about her constantly. And he's an idiot. The raging zoo in his stomach at the very thought of facing her again tells him everything he needs to know. He's beyond attracted to her and he hopes that it's just that, a fleeting attraction. But, even Tetsurō knows that he's lying to himself.
Because Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful, and not just on the outside.
But, Tetsurō understands that, despite dealing with a clowder of unruly volleyball playing boys on a daily basis, Chiharu is a girl. And, if he was making her uncomfortable with his staring, there was only one thing to do.
So, Tetsurō forced his eyes to wonder everywhere other than towards Chiharu. He looks at her only when it was necessary, and even then, he allows his gaze to wonder to the side. It is almost physically painful. When she'd talked to him just a day or so ago, something or another thing about Shibayama being in more games and Yaku being more careful because of the Spring High coming soon, it had been actual torture. He'd been staring at her long enough to know exactly what kind of a face she was making with each sound to leave her mouth and every shuffle of her clothing or jingle of her phone strap. He knew every gesture and wanted to see it, but he couldn't. Kenma's words kept ringing in his head. He was making her uncomfortable. He was staring. So, he forced his eyes to look outside the window at the soccer club practice during lunch break, something about a match coming up, and faked a laugh when she asked him what he was so focused on. 'Scouting for new training techniques' he'd fibbed. Seriously, Tetsurō, you are stupid. And how could he not be around her? His brain short-circuited more than he cared to admit.
Because Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful.
And, after a week or so, it doesn't matter that he can't stare anymore. It's because every time he closes his eyes, he sees her. The messy curly hair, the dark eyes full of emotions, the tanned skin smelling of coffee and coconuts, the beautiful thighs and a butt he shouldn't even be looking at and that annoyingly infectious laugh he loves hearing. His own personal torture doesn't stop at just closing his eyes.
She infects his dreams not at all innocently.
Tetsurō isn't as experienced or well-read on the topic of the birds and the bees, unlike everyone thinks. Sure enough, he's a teenage boy who's had a girlfriend or two. And, he's surely been introduced to more than a few adult videos online. However, he's never really gone too far into physical intimacy with his relationships, contrary to the popular opinion. There was always a little voice in his head, telling him that 'no, not now' in a strangely Kenma-like tone. There were thoughts about it, various thoughts, but never actions.
So, when Chiharu invades his dreams in her birthday suit Tetsurō almost caves in and goes back to staring at her. But, Kenma's voice, whether the actual one or his own version of a monotone conscience, reminds him that she was uncomfortable with his staring before. So, he goes back to torturing himself. Tetsurō figures somewhere along the way of his painful journey that he must be a horrible masochist or something. After all, his own mind gives him a perfectly replicated Sakurano Chiharu in his own jersey and underwear only, smelling of coffee, coconuts and tangerines to wake him up almost every morning by caressing his chest as she sits on his lap.
Damn him. Damn her. And damn Kenma for saying something about the staring.
So, when Kenma speaks up during lunch hour with only the two of them in his classroom, Tetsurō feels like he's been released from metaphorical chains.
"You're making her uncomfortable." The setter says in his usual monotone voice, eyes not leaving the game. It's a new one, judging by the number of 'game over' tones that come from the PSP.
"Seriously?" Tetsurō sighs, head dropping onto the table with a thud. It's probably going to leave a mark, too, right in the middle of his forehead. Maybe it will spell out 'sexually frustrated idiot', too. "How so?" His voice is muffled by the surface of the desk.
"She says you won't look at her." Kenma replies. "She thinks she's done something wrong and that you're mad." The game rings out and the setter shuts down his PSP and grabs his lunch.
"Perfect." Tetsurō grumbles. "Just fucking perfect." For once, Kenma doesn't comment on his growing habit of using the word 'fuck' in his vocabulary. Instead, the setter swallows, drinks some water and spills some wisdom which Tetsurō has no idea where the anti-social kid picked up.
"Would it kill you to talk to her properly, Kuroo?" Kenma's voice has taken on a dangerous note and Tetsurō looks up. There's a frown on his friend's face. "Don't stare at her from afar, but look at her when you're speaking. And don't glance at her breasts or look at her behind when she turns to leave." Tetsurō feels a smirk growing on his face as his friend's cheeks heat up. Gosh, Kenma's grown. "And if you do have to stare at her, at least tell her an excuse or something. Don't just be a creep."
"Alright, love guru." Tetsurō teases.
But, the next time he meets Chiharu, he does his best. He looks her in the eyes while talking to her, doesn't allow his gaze to wonder down or out the window and forces his brain to fight through the short-circuiting. And, she looks happy. She looks like she's comfortable again. But, Tetsurō can't help himself with Chiharu. Because he's an idiot, perhaps. Or, maybe just because it's her.
Sakurano Chiharu who is fucking beautiful.
"Do you know about cat kisses?" He asks her one day as they're walking towards the train station, sans Kenma. He wanted to go buy a new controller because Lev and Yaku somehow broke the old one. Chiharu looks up at him with wide eyes.
"Cat kisses?" She asks. Tetsurō nods. She told him once that she really wanted a cat but her mother never allowed it because of all the cat hair that would be inside the house. Still, he thinks that she might find the information interesting, despite him having ulterior motives, as always.
"Yeah." He grins. "When a cat looks at you, they just stare, unblinking, you know?" Chiharu nods. "And when they do that slow blink it's called a cat kiss."
"Awww." Chiharu coos and Tetsurō makes sure to file the sound away in his brain. "That's adorable!"
"Isn't it?" He laughs.
So, the next time he catches himself staring across the room at her, Tetsurō forces all the animals from the zoo inside his stomach to take a chill pill. They're at Kenma's, the whole team, playing games after a study session. Chiharu is behind the counter and she's just finished pouring more juice for an eager Inuoka. He's on the other side of the room, on a sofa chair, lounging and nursing his defeated pride after Kenma kept wrecking them all. Chiharu fills her own glass and takes a sip and despite the yelling boys in between them Tetsurō can't tear his eyes away from the sight.
Because Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful.
She looks up, catching his gaze and Tetsurō swears that his heart stops for a moment. His breath catches in his throat at the way her lips open slightly in shock. But, he holds her gaze, unblinking, inviting her to take up the staring contest challenge. Of course, she does. She's Chiharu. She always rises to his jibe. Then, with a sly smile, Tetsurō slowly closes his eyes and gives her a long blink across the room. When he opens them, she's flustered, cheeks red, eyes wide and her glass almost falls to the floor, causing her to scramble to catch it. By the time she collects herself, Tetsurō's forced his eyes back on the TV screen. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her arm rise to cover her blushing cheeks and nose with the back of her hand. And Tetsurō knows that this is just fine.
Because Sakurano Chiharu is fucking beautiful and she knows that he thinks so, too.
Loving eyes – your cat might stare at you or give you a 'cat kiss' (slow blink) to show their affection
That's all for now!
Omake:
Kenma enters the locker room, not expecting that kind of welcome. Yamamoto is waiting for him like a cat preparing to pounce.
"Oi, Kenma, finally!" Says their ace and the setter can already see the trouble with a capital T. "Listen…" The other boy's arms are around his shoulders suddenly and he's pulling Kenma further inside with a conspiratorial look on his face. "I heard from Kuroo that you're good at giving that kind of advice… So, you know… Help a brother out!" Yamamoto looks beyond eager and Kenma can see Yaku leaning in to listen and Inuoka and Lev are suspiciously quiet.
"What kind of advice?" Kenma decides that it's best to play dumb. Yamamoto, however, doesn't seem like he'll be easily deterred.
"You know, that kind." He shakes his head. "About girls, man, girls. You get them." His arms still aren't letting the setter physically escape the embarrassing conversation. "So… Tell us the secret." There is a silence where Kenma is well aware of the whole changing room's attention focusing on him intently. A knock from the door saves him, thankfully.
"Are you guys done?" Chiharu calls for the team. "Nekomata-sensei sent me to get you."
"One second, Chiharu-chan." Yaku calls out. And the boys all go back to changing quickly, even Yamamoto. Kenma is surprisingly speedy and ducks out first.
"Oi, the love guru ran away!" Yamamoto's yell sounds beyond desperate behind him.
Love guru hehehe Somehow, I love writing about Kenma… Idk why…
I was listening to John Legend's All of me while writing this~
On the more important side, is anyone interested in beta-reading my Kuroo/OC multi-chapter story?
