sunshine - bokuyachi

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Summary: Having his attention for even a fraction of a second winded her, made her feel like there was no one else in the world.

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The deciding factor, for the first couple of days that she knows him he is the most intimidating boy she has ever met. Bracingly large, with height to spare and this loud and booming voice. He is never still, fingers perpetually flexing at his sides and eyes restlessly flickering to and fro; he has this energy, snapping at the edges, fizzling underneath the surface, bright and intense and thick in the air. Every word commands attention, and every burst of laughter jolts right through her, yanks a silent gasp through her teeth. It's so nerve-racking, simply being in the same room with him, that she often avoids doing just that. Should the boys happen to be running out of water or fresh towels, she'll be the first to jump to the task.

It doesn't help he's so terribly friendly, on and off the court he is face-splitting grins and bouncing laughter, this brilliant circle of golden warmth—too much exposure to his sunshine left one breathless, dizzy with his all-encompassing smiles. Having his attention for even a fraction of a second winded her, made her feel like there was no one else in the world.

And this must be the worst part about it, how so very easy it is to believe herself utterly smitten with him. How so very easy it is to fall right into him.

The deciding factor, those brief moments in which he is quiet, eyes far too focused, his brow furrowed in concentration—shirt clinging to his skin in his sweat and face flushed with exertion, tipping his head back to swallow half the contents of the water bottle she's offered up. She watches his Adam's apple bob, his fingers hang open at his side, his chest expand; jumps a little when he finally tips forward to pop his mouth off the nozzle wetly. He wipes his chin with the back of his wrist, and his eyes lock on hers.

Everything freezes.

All she can think, mind going to white static, is how pretty his eyes are. How scarily intense.

And then his face softens, her heart is hammering against her ribs and this kind smile is curving his lips. She can't even bring herself to return it, her voice catching in her throat with a faint squeak.

It all crowds in on her, it's like he's cornering her. He's so tall and big it's like he's taking up all this space—larger than the room itself, every breath he takes a shouting thing. Her lungs are giving in and in those moments, she is the center of the universe, the only thing that's ever existed, every ounce of his attention settled on her and her alone, it is so incredibly humbling, so crushingly overwhelming she feels herself begin to fall into him all over again—

And then it's over, some boy from some team is calling him by name and he can't possibly refuse a challenge. It runs through his bones.

She comes back to herself in a rush, and realizes she's holding his bottle.

She has the strangest impulse to drink from it.

.x.

"Well, he's Kou," his manager shrugs off when she very timidly asks about him. "Not much more you can say about him. He can be a handful if you let him, but he's a good guy. Outside of...all this, he's pretty cool to hang with. Loud, obviously, but he's funny and strange and interesting."

She attempts for casual, face burning. "He seems...nice."

The manager considers this, glancing up at the ceiling and then meeting her gaze decidedly. "He doesn't have a girlfriend."

"N—I didn't—" she hurries to deny, hands waving frantically.

But the other girl isn't buying it, a half smile lazily plastered on her face. "He wants one, he just really sucks at talking to girls. Don't let him scare you, he absolutely means well. Just be certain of what you want from him, he's dense. He needs it spelled out or he's not gonna pick up on it."

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