PROJECT CRUSH ( kunigami )

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[y/n] kicked a pebble as she walked past the school gates, pondering over whether she should greet Kunigami or not when she saw him in class. They were partners for the history project, so it wouldn't be weird to suddenly acknowledge him, right? It would be an act of friendliness.

Let's do it, [y/n] settled. Silently, she prayed that her resolve would not result in her crush labeling her as a freak.

"Morning," a familiar voice behind her said.

[y/n] whipped around, her eyes slightly widening at the sight. Dressed in the standard uniform that every boy wore at her school, Kunigami Rensuke approached her with his hands sunk into the pockets of his coat. Although a thick, red scarf hugged his neck, the tip of his nose and cheeks had blossomed pink from the chill of winter.

"G-Good morning!" [y/n] chirped back. She excused herself for the stuttering, blaming it on the freezing temperature and not from the sheer shock of Kunigami greeting her.

Kunigami blinked and then buried his face into the red fabric. "It's cold out here; let's talk inside," he said. He began trudging forward to the school doors.

[y/n] nodded in response, too elated and cold to form any words. She skipped over to his side and matched her stride to his. Their steps made satisfying crunching noises from the frozen ground. Winter ASMR.

Kunigami took out his bare hand and reached out, fingers trembling as it wrapped around the handle of the door to the building. He pulled it and stepped aside to allow [y/n] to head into the warmth first. [y/n] mumbled thanks as she walked inside.

Just when Kunigami was about to follow, a trail of students began filtering in as a single line. Some appreciated his gesture, while a few did not as they were too busy talking to their friends or too shy to murmur two words. [y/n] couldn't help but laugh softly at how Kunigami awkwardly stood there.

"My hand is freezing," Kunigami grumbled as he finally slipped through the doors. He had plunged his poor hand back into his pocket the moment he had the chance.

"Hopefully they'll warm up soon." This would be easy since indoors it was like the air was hugging them instead of biting.

Kunigami nodded and rubbed his hands together as they walked to their classroom. Kunigami was stopped a couple of times by his friends, and now [y/n] was the one feeling awkward waiting for him. She counted the number of tiles until the conversations were finished. Kunigami apologized each time for keeping her behind and said she could go on without him after the fourth conversation.

"I don't mind waiting," [y/n] assured him. Kunigami seemed to remain unconvinced despite her response.

A couple more tile readings and they finally reached their classroom just as the bell signaled the start of school. Kunigami smiled at [y/n] before heading to his seat.

The beginning went by fast. Her teacher took attendance quickly and silently. "You have the entire class time today and tomorrow to work on your project. I'm giving you this much class time because I will be strict when grading." She scanned the room, squinting at a few of those who refused to listen to her words. "Use your time wisely," she advised once more.

Textbooks thudded loudly on the desks. [y/n] brought out her own from her bag just as Kunigami appeared and sat before her. The girl who sat in front of [y/n] had removed herself when the students were dismissed to work with their partners.

"My hands are still cold," Kunigami whispered as if his hands being numb was a secret between the two.

"You can put them under your thighs. I do it all the time," [y/n] suggested. She flipped to page 98.

"I don't think it's possible to flip pages of your textbook while having your hands under your thighs, [y/n]," Kunigami chuckled.

[y/n] sighed and held out her hand. "Let me see them."

"See what?"

[y/n] raised an eyebrow. "Your hands."

[y/n] missed Kunigami's reaction because she was too absorbed in her thoughts. She wasn't sure what she was about to do or why she was doing it. The phrase "think before you speak" that was drilled into her brain since five had jumped out the window. Now she had to endure the consequences.

Although the voices inside her head desperately called out for her to stop and put an end to this nightmare (was it really a nightmare though?) while the other shamed her and piled her with insults, they were all drowned out by the overwhelming feeling in her gut. [y/n] felt the flutter of butterflies in her stomach as her fingers came into contact with his. A tingling sensation, the same one mentioned uncountable times in books, tickled her arms as she cupped his hands with her own. His hands were--

"Liar!" [y/n] exclaimed. She thumbed his palm, a frown immediately appearing on her face. "Your hands aren't even that cold." She brushed her knuckle over the back of his hand, the skin shockingly warm against her icy touch. Well, his hands were not exactly warm, but they were definitely warmer than hers.

Kunigami frowned. "No, your hands are warmer than mine," he argued.

[y/n] rolled her eyes. "Oh please."

"No--"

Kunigami grabbed [y/n]'s hand and laced his fingers through hers. "Feel that? Your hands are warm against mine."

[y/n] did not respond, frozen at his gesture. They were holding hands. Holding hands. Or one hand, to be exact. But they were still holding hands but only one hand.

"[y/n]?" Kunigami called out, innocent to his actions.

Confusion for five seconds. Realization for four seconds. Scramble for three seconds. Inch away for two seconds. Still for one second.

The embarrassed two worked on their project silently. The tip of Kunigami's ears was flaring pink while [y/n] kept blinking rapidly, trying her best to process what had happened. There was no mental abuse this time; there was simply nothing. [y/n] vaguely focused on her textbook and scrawled down notes. When she finished her part, she spoke up.

"So, um." Not the voice crack--

Kunigami peeked up from his textbook but didn't say anything.

[y/n] bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm done with my research; I'll start writing it down. I can also take the poster home and finish it there. I can write yours as well." Why do you sound like a rapper? Talk slower and stop mumbling.

"It's fine," Kunigami said, raising his head to her level. "I can do it myself."

"It'll be faster if I did it all by myself."

"Don't worry, we'll be able to finish it before the end of class tomorrow."

[y/n] blinked and gave a nervous grin. "Alright then."

[y/n] was only able to write down for four countries before the bell rang. She was putting back the Sharpie she was using into her pencil case when she heard the usual "Rensuke!" from Kunigami's friend. Day 2 working with Kunigami was officially over.

"Hey, [y/n]."

[y/n]'s eyes met Kunigami's. It felt like everything would collapse if she said anything, so she waited for him to continue.

"I trust you, and I hope you can trust me." Kunigami's face was unreadable, and his exit left [y/n] in her confusion.

Perplexed, [y/n] stared at the spot Kunigami was at until everyone left. Her teacher's sharp voice was the thing that brought her back to reality.

What a strange day, she thought, as she shoved her belongings into her backpack. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

노트: *walks on to stage* *taps mic* *clears throat* hey guys what's up-- OW OW STOP THROWING YOUR NONEXISTENT BLUE LOCK MERCH AT ME GOD OKAY I'M SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SIX MONTHS AND SORRY FOR ALL THE ERRORS AND CRINGE-- HEY STOP BOOING