Day 11: Reading
Kinshiro was walking towards the front gates when a blond blur raced towards him.
"Kinshiro-senpai!" Yumoto stopped a split second before crashing into him. "Can you come tutor me after school today? Please?~"
Kinshiro stumbled back; he hadn't even said hello and the kid was already begging him for favors. Clearing his throat, Kinshiro said, "Do you not have any others you can ask?"
"Naruko-senpai and Kinugawa-senpai are busy; you're the only other genius I know!"
Kinshiro blushed, flattered. "Doesn't Yufuin get perfect scores?" He was infamous for them.
Yumoto huffed and rolled his eyes, "Akoya-senpai would shave his head before En got the motivation to sit down and teach someone."
Kinshiro chuckled. He noticed Yumoto staring at him with a dopey grin on his face. "What?"
"I re~ally like your smile." His voice was dripped in sincerity. "So, will you tutor me?"
Kinshiro's face flushed. He looked to the side, hoping Yumoto wouldn't notice.
"I suppose I could…"
"Yay!" Yumoto jumped up, wrapping his arms around Kinshiro's waist. "Thank you, senpai! My place or yours?"
"My place is no good," Kinshiro lied, "Is yours okay?" In all honesty, he was just curious as to what Yumoto's room was like.
"Okie dokie! I'll walk you down after school. See you then!" Yumoto skipped off. Kinshiro watched him, wondering what exactly he had agreed to.
The day passed by as unexciting as the next. Kinshiro allowed Akoya and Arima to leave early. When Kinshiro finally locked up the Student Council room, Yumoto was right outside the door.
"Are you ready?" he asked, rocking on the balls of his feet.
"Quite." The walk back to Yumoto's was surprisingly quiet. Not awkward, but comfortable in a way. Yumoto hummed to himself, eagerly waving as people they bassed, but he didn't say much to Kinshiro. Kinshiro didn't mind. He wouldn't know what to say anyhow.
"Gora is out shopping; we've got the place to ourselves!" His voice was...calmer? Yumoto was still happy and energetic, but he seemed more relaxed, toned down a notch.
The house was decorated simply. Small bursts of color appeared in the form of house plants, probably Yumoto's idea. They walked up a flight of stairs.
"And this…" Yumoto opened the door, "Is my room!"
Kinshiro looked around. "It used to be an attic." Yumoto had said.
It was...unexpected, in some ways. The bed was small, covered in a mountain of stuffed animals, which Kinshiro had predicted. However, there was also a bookshelf, desk/easel combo, and a small antique piano.
"You can look around," Yumoto sat on the piano bench, pulling an ottoman near him in a makeshift table.
Kinshiro directed his attention to the bookshelf. He was shocked at the collection. Advanced textbooks on the sciences, psychology, biology, complex theories on the universe. Poetry of all sorts, Dickinson, Frost, Shakespeare. Art books and YA novels and manga were wedged in between Sherlock Holmes and The Count of Monte Cristo and Wuthering Heights. The pages looked worn, the spines broken in.
"When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions," Yumoto said casually; he had his history book in his lap, "Hamlet."
Kinshiro turned to the desk. Scattered over its surface were dozens of assorted pencil sketches and paintings of various types; acrylic, watercolor, pastels. Kinshiro realized the paintings and portraits out in the halls were painted by Yumoto himself.
Kinshiro dabbled in painting too, but he was nowhere near as versatile, flexible, as Yumoto was.
Said blonde was chewing on the end of his pencil thoughtfully. Kinshiro's eyes drifted to the piano behind him. Surely, like everything else in the room, it wasn't just for show.
"Do you play?"
Yumoto looked up; he smiled brightly and set the textbook down. He spun around on the bench and cracked his knuckles, winking. He started playing. It was a tune Kinshiro didn't recognize, and for good reason, as Yumoto seemed to be making it up on the spot. Each melody flowed into the next, as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to play. Each note was precise, each song was intricate and harmonious. Yumoto's hands were a blur.
He finally wrapped up his song in a neat bow. Kinshiro then realized that because Yumoto improvised, no one would hear that beautiful melody again. It's my song.
"Anyways, we should get to studying, right?" Yumoto cocked his head to the side.
Kinshiro blushed. "Studying! Right-that's what I came here for-okay!" He cleared his throat and followed Yumoto, who had stood to sit on the bed.
"What do you need help with?" Kinshiro asked.
"Mostly memorization, basically. I get the ideas, but the details just don't stick, you know? I can tell you why they fought the war and what led up to it, but I don't know any of the dates or names of the battles."
"How do you think I should help you? What works best for you?"
Yumoto rubbed his chin. Kinshiro tried to ignore the heat from being so close to the other, their knees touching, or the way the light played off of his profile, making him look older, his hair more golden.
"I think I do well when I can see and hear something specific. Like, putting a little picture next to the word so I can remember? It doesn't work when I do it, though."
"Flashcards, then?"
Yumoto perked up. "I'll get the index cards!" He hopped up and seemed to dance on the way to his desk. He pulled out a stack of index cards and a bag of colored pens.
"It'll take me a while to do this. Are you okay with that?"
"We have time. I'll just finish up this book we have to read in Lit." Yumoto gestured to a thick novel, a bookmark tucked snugly in a page towards the end.
Kinshiro dutifully made the flashcards. Red for battles, blue for dates, green for people, etc. He worked quickly, finishing after a few minutes. He glanced up to Yumoto, blushing art what he saw.
The blond had one leg crossed over the other. Hunched over his book, his face was that of concentration, subtly changing emotions as he read, silently mouthing the words. A pair of glasses rested on his nose. Kinshiro stared. Yumoto looked like...a work of art. He lifted a finger to his lips, tongue darting out to wet the tip. He gracefully turned the page. His eyes widened; he gasped. Eyebrows furrowed in frustration, he finished the chapter, closing the book angrily and flopping backwards on the bed.
"I can't believe this. What a cop-out plot-twist." Yumoto muttered butterly.
Kinshiro chuckled. "I finished the flashcards, by the way."
Yumoto blushed. He sat up, sitting Indian-style on the bed, facing Kinshiro.
"Can you read the cards aloud?" Yumoto asked.
Kinshiro complied. He read out the information in a smooth, even voice. Yumoto seemed entranced.
He finished reading the last card. Yumoto stared, eyes distant. Suddenly, in a quick jumble of words, Yumoto repeated the information he'd heard, word-for-word.
"Yumoto...you're amazing." Kinshiro said breathlessly.
Yumoto blushed. He looked away sheepishly. "I'm not that great."
"Nonsense! You are a math genius, you read advanced science theories, you enjoy the classics and can quote them by heart, and you are a musical and artistic prodigy!"
Yumoto's face turned redder. He his his head in his hands, peeking through his fingers with an embarrassed grin on his face. "Oh, stop that, you!"
"It's true!" Kinshiro was at a loss for words, "I never knew any of this about you. You...you're so complex."
"I could say the same about you, Senpai." Yumoto tried to turn the conversation away from himself. "I don't have your passion, or attention span. I'm excitable where you are serious, loud and talkative where you pick your words. You demand respect, Kinshiro. I admire that about you."
Kinshiro blushed, but refused to let Yumoto get away without knowing how talented he was, dammit! "But you are social, Yumoto. In times where I stumble over my words, you smoothly talk your way through everything. You belong wherever you go, where I need time to adjust. I've seen the way you handle people; no one, and I mean no one, can defuse a problem like you can. You are amazing, Yumoto Hakone."
Yumoto smiled. "You win this one, Kinshiro. You're way too good at debates. Wait, whoops!" Yumoto giggled.
"You have such a nice laugh." Kinshiro said offhandedly, more to himself than anybody.
Yumoto blushed once more. "You're embarrassing me, Senpai!" he laughed. He playfully shoved Kinshiro. Kinshiro shoved back. Soon, it escalated into a wrestling match. Yumoto won.
"Cheater!" Kinshiro said breathlessly, "Tickling is definitely cheating!"
"All's fair in love and war!" Yumoto was sitting on Kinshiro's back, smiling victoriously.
"With you, I'm never sure which is which."
Yumoto blushed. Kinshiro used the opportunity to flip the blond over, pinning him to the bed.
"No fair. Distracting me with pretty words." Yumoto's eyes glittered mischievously.
"All's fair in love and war~" Kinshiro practically purred. He smirked deviously.
Yumoto leaned up.
And kissed him.
Kinshiro's mind shut off after that point. All he would be able to recall would be somewhere along the lines of "warm", "sliding", "soft", "panting", and "those little noises he made that should be illegal because of how cute they are good god."
"I'm so glad." Yumoto confessed, "I was trying really hard to impress you."
Tutoring sessions became a regular thing.
Day 12: April Showers
A/N: I did a deep cleaning of the bathroom and went to a father-daughter dance. Then got distracted by Jason Ritter vines. I'm sorry this one's kind of late. Now I'm very tired.
