Summary: (Canon-AU; this will be a 'parallel reality')(Slow friendship-romance) It doesn't have to make sense to others, and it doesn't have to make sense for them, either – but that's okay, because labels are overrated anyway. Still though, secrets will come out sooner or later and what doesn't break a friendship, only makes it stronger... "What kind of balls?" "Baseballs."
Note: Chapter lengths are not pre-determined and are to be posted as they are written, hence updates may be unpredictable. At present, this is to be a snapshot-like series. Storyline told in snippets. (And there WILL be a storyline!)
All recognisable appearances here are the conjurations of Akira Amano and the team behind Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Unless otherwise stated, the only thing 155cm owns is Nakamura Yukiko, and even that's debatable – she's a fairly free spirit.
Yukiko taps her foot, the warm breeze ruffling her skirt slightly as she nudges her bag between her feet. She's waiting for Takeshi to return from helping Gokudera and Tsunayoshi carry a massive project (something about an extra-terrestrial sensor, solar power and... peanuts?) over to the Occult club.
Gosh, their friendship is so ridiculously cute now that they've gotten over Hayato's 'I-kinda-hate-you-but-crave-acceptance' thing. Privately, she's glad to note that Hayato has friends outside of the two boys, opting to spend some lunchtimes with the others in the Occult club and even a few with people from the science clubs. He still refers to Tsunayoshi as 'Tenth' and looks at him like he's one of the most precious things on earth, but it's a big change nonetheless.
So, that's one thing sorted. Now that Gokudera's not about to blow a gasket at Takeshi any time soon, she can focus on something else.
The warm air is tepid and muggy, but she pushes herself off the wall regardless when she notices a familiar figure approach. Raising a hand, she greets Takeshi with a simple wave, not having the energy to spare to do anything else.
"Sorry I'm late, Yukiko!" Takeshi cheerily calls, and a couple of the surrounding students do a double-take at the school baseball star addressing that weird lazy girl so casually.
Naturally, she ignores them. It'd be hypocritical of her to not practice what she preaches, especially after giving Hayato a verbal dressing down on self-confidence and all that. "Apologise properly by splitting an icypole with me," she says instead, looping her arm through his and dragging him out of the gates.
She's been craving a ramune icypole for weeks, and she'd eat it all herself but the other half would melt by the time she finished the first. It's quite tragic, but luckily she has Takeshi here to share it with her.
"Ramune?" He guesses easily, allowing himself to be tugged down the road.
She gives him a withering stare, and he laughs as they enter the local convenience store. "You could have changed your mind about chocolate cones!"
"Heck no, they're annoying to eat." Yukiko shudders. Those accursed things have too many bits of rubbish to dispose of, and she hates carrying unwanted things around.
(Her school supplies are the sole exception. Textbooks are too expensive to dispose of so callously.)
"We're also going to stop by the florist and the grocery store." Yukiko mentions once she has happily split the icypole with Takeshi (the slightly bigger piece obviously going to her, why would you even ask) and chucked away the wrapper.
Takeshi's eyebrows raise in bemusement. "Are we going grocery shopping?"
She shakes her head gravely. "No. We're going to buy a bouquet and a fruit basket, then go to your restaurant."
"Huh? Is there some sort of special occasion?" Takeshi wonders, raising his icypole to his lips and biting a chunk out of it.
He scarfs his half down in record time, and when he starts eyeing Yukiko's she turns away defensively. "No, you haven't forgotten anything important," she says airily, "but you are going to have a good, long talk with your dad."
"I am?" He blinks, pouting slightly when she moves her icypole away from him and sticks it in her mouth. "I thought we're going together?"
Shaking her head, Yukiko finally finishes off her icypole, savouring the last sweet fragments that slide down her throat in cool bliss. "No. I'm going to barricade the door and hide in your room whilst you talk to your dad about what nearly happened the other day."
Yukiko knows that she doesn't need to specify what she's talking about. It's been the elephant in the room between them for a while now, lingering on the forefront of their minds, tapping persistently for entry in every one of their conversations.
Takeshi's flinch is barely perceptible, but she's watching for it and thus does not fail to catch the apprehension that flashes in his otherwise bright features. His smile seems a little strained, but to his credit his footsteps don't falter as they continue on their original path. "Is that the plan?"
Yukiko pauses outside the florist, arm unlooping from Takeshi's as she crouches down to eye the rather sad selections on display. "You're going to thank me for this later." She says as she eyes a bunch of yellow chrysanthemums. "Especially since I'm paying for all this."
Beside her, Takeshi stills.
Yukiko knows that Takeshi doesn't want to talk to his dad about his near suicide attempt. Knows that he doesn't want to face that awkward conversation, doesn't want to have to recount a situation that the he of the present cannot fathom going through with.
Honestly, she can understand.
Takeshi doesn't like getting caught in the past, prefers to keep moving, facing forward and never backward because to look back would mean facing a pathway that has long crumbled.
But Yukiko remembers a little boy roughly the same age as herself, grasping desperately onto the hand of his father with the same hand that had slapped her aside. This necessary conversation won't be pleasant, but it will be okay. She thinks. Probably. Hence why they're buying flowers and fruit, to butter up his dad.
Takeshi crouches down beside her. "Can we buy milk, too?"
"Ugh, fine."
Yukiko looks up from her perch on Takeshi's bed, duvet pulled back so she's not crushing the quilt and with her legs out in front of her, sock-clad feet wriggling teasingly in Takeshi's face as he plops down on the carpet beside her. He sits so his back is leaning against the side of the bed, and Yukiko frowns before shuffling so she's sitting on the edge beside him, feet planted on the ground.
"Well? How did it go?" she asks, absentmindedly setting down the baseball comic she had found lying around in Takeshi's room. There's been a big boom in sports manga recently, and even though Takeshi is (against popular belief) not really a comic book reader, she's not surprised he had stopped to purchase this one.
He shifts, bringing his knees up and resting his chin on them. Takeshi is wordless in his movement, and Yukiko cannot help but to feel apprehensive by the silence.
"Takeshi?"
Still nothing. If she listens carefully, she thinks she hears a sniffle.
Leaning down, she tries to peer into his face, "Takeshiiieeee!" Emitting a loud squeal that is certainly not befitting of her usually unflappable character, Yukiko flails to keep her position as Takeshi hooks an arm around her middle and drags her down onto the carpet.
"Ouch, you could've broken a bone or broken my hip and you would've been the one wheeling me around for the rest of my life…" she starts ranting, but she's cut off by Takeshi's loud laughter. "Are you making fun of my near demise?" she glares, raising a fist threateningly towards him, but she's not really angry because there's a certain relaxed feel about Takeshi's shoulders, and his expression is so clear and free that she feels her lips involuntarily twitch into a smile in response.
Instead, she shuffles to sit beside him on the floor (which is really what he was after in the first place, he could have just asked), leaning slightly against him as they fall into an easy silence.
There's a yell from downstairs. "Come eat, kids!"
Yukiko immediately scrambles to her feet, expression exuberant. "Food!" Takeshi's dad makes the best sushi.
Before she steps out of the room, Yukiko feels a set of fingers wrap around her wrist.
"Yukiko."
"Hmm?" She turns to face him.
Takeshi smiles at her, and she feels the world stop for a moment.
It's nothing romantic, like reaching a certain epiphany that her every being revolves around him. It's not like she's struck dumb by his handsomeness, either – Takeshi's physical attractiveness has been something she's always accepted as fact without being affected by it herself, after all. She's not about to go salivating after her best friend – that's just weird.
What renders Yukiko speechless is the fact that he's smiling. An honest smile that's different to his usual easy grins. It doesn't stretch as wide as they do, nor does it shine as bright, but what's special about his smile is the purity of the joy that gets translated through it.
"Thanks, Yukiko." With that, he grins and everything goes back to normal.
Shrugging it off, she responds easily, " I knew you'd thank me."
a/n:
I can't believe someone actually did review after my somewhat pitiful plea but ! to that anon, you actually made my day, thank you so much! Honestly I can't see the same thing happening, but I'd still be happy with a small readership - it's not about the number, but about the people reading! if everyone were as sweet as you, then I'm excited and rich as can be :D
ok, 155cm will stop being cheesy with that
only a couple chapters left of speeding through daily life/establishing yukiko, then (i think) at chapter 10 we're bringing in mukurooooo! with changes. what those changes are though... hmmmmm...