Title: Blame the Fence
Author: shimasama
Pairing: Akane Narita and Subaru Yagi
Fandom: Hot Gimmick
Theme: #25 – fence
Disclaimer: I do not own Hot Gimmick. It belongs to Viz and Miki Aihara.
Akane blamed the fence. She blamed the people who put the fence up around the tennis training facilities. If it wasn't for the fence, she and her friends would be sitting on the hill overlooking the training facilities, watching lithe young tennis players in short shorts hit a ball back in forth. If it weren't for the fence, she wouldn't be in the Yagi's apartment, sitting across from the eldest Yagi sibling.
Subaru fiddled with his hands as if unable to figure out what to do with them. She barely even looked up at him, as she picked at her nails.
"A-Asahi will be here soon, N-N-Narita--"
"As you told me when I came in, Yagi-kun. I'll wait." Akane commented swiftly, still not looking up. She adjusted her school uniform, tweaking her skirt (hemmed a little shorter than it should have been) and flicking her hair over her shoulder. She felt Subaru's eyes on her, studying her every motion, and it made her really uncomfortable.
Guys stared at her all the time--she knew it, they knew it, it was a game she got to play with boys of all ages. But her best friend's brother? Not so much. Not the dweeb who she only saw when he came out of his room for another bowl of popcorn, headphones slung around his neck. His idea of a hot girl was always two-dimensional and blonde, blonde, blonde. Akane instinctively rolled her eyes at the thought.
Subaru caught that motion as well. "Wh-what?"
Running a finger over her lips to see if her lipstick was as long lasting as the ad implied, she didn't even look as she answered. "Nothing, Yagi-kun. Nothing at all." Sighing, she relaxed into the sofa, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Subaru was still staring. "Don't you have something to do? You don't have to keep me company."
"Oh! Oh. N-no. I can wait. At least 'til Asahi gets here." The words flew out of Subaru's mouth and surprised Akane. She hadn't known he could get out a whole sentence without stuttering, let alone one that made him seem... almost...nice.
Shaking her head to rid her brain of any such thoughts, Akane put up a hand and waved the older boy away. "It's fine, Yagi-kun--"
"Subaru."
She eyed him carefully beneath styled lashes. "Subaru." The name curled over her tongue comfortably. "Right. Anyway, it's fine. I've been here enough times, I can keep myself occupied." Like I was going to keep myself occupied with the entire tennis team.
"I guess... Maybe you want something to drink?" Subaru got up from his position in the chair across from her, tugging down his t-shirt and running his hand through his messy 'do. "A snack?"
Akane looked the lanky boy up and down. She felt him blush under her gaze, and he fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt as if she could see right through it. As if he's anything to be undressed. "A soda would be fine, Ya--Subaru. Diet, if you have it."
He nodded vigorously, already heading toward the kitchen. "Sure! Sure. Of course."
Hmm... Akane thought as he went, watching his lounging pants curve to his legs and surprisingly fit bottom. She smirked at the thought that managed to pass through her brain. Subaru in short shorts...
When he came back in the room he had two drinks in his hand—a soda and a bottle of water. He set the soda down on the coffee table in front of her and unscrewed the water bottle as he sat down across from her once more. Shaken out of her thoughts of the eldest Yagi sibling in rather flattering tennis shorts, Akane reached for her soda only to knock it on the carpeted floor.
"Oh! I'm so, so sorry." She got down off her seat immediately, panicking at not having anything to dry the mess with. Subaru said nothing, only disappeared into the kitchen only to reappear moments later with a roll of paper towels.
"It's fine. I do it all the time." He said, getting down on his hands and knees next to her. "Asahi more than me." He added, smiling at her as he padded paper towels into the carpet, trying to soak up the sticky mess.
"But it's soda…"
"Mom'll clean up the rest with the steamer I'm sure. I'll tell her I did it." He winked, and Akane realized how close they had gotten as they both tried to assess the damage. Not one to be cautious, and extremely grateful that he would take the fall for her, she leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"Thanks, Subaru-kun. That's really sweet of you." She got up with him, handing him back the roll of paper towels. He was bright red. "By the way," she added, as she heard a key being put into the front door of the apartment, "have you ever thought of taking up tennis?"