Feel Again (Kise x Reader)

Small Talk

 His sisters knew something was up when he put in wasabi flavor chips in his bowl instead of cereal during breakfast that morning. And the fact that eating it didn't bother him at all (which they both knew was absolutely unusual) made them worry even more. He was up too early too, and that wasn't something he'd usually do either. 

"Are you okay?" one of them asks. 

"I'm leaving." 

Before they could even ask anything else, Ryota Kise headed to school. 

The sun was beginning to rise from its peaceful slumber, but the boy was not feeling as bright as the morning star. 

It was 5 AM. He knew well that people  would not go to school that early. He wanted to avoid the crowds of people that wanted to talk to him (or follow him) and shoot some hoops. Thinking maybe, just maybe, that would make him feel better.   

He wasn't able to sleep well the night before. 

He got too stuck in his thoughts that he couldn't find the will to close his eyes and drift into dreamland.

He wanted answers. 

Answers that he surely wouldn't find so easily. 

 It has been two days since he got anywhere near her, a week since she's done something nice for him, and months since she last hung out with him with all the bantering and laughing.  

He just doesn't get it. 

He rummaged through his locker to get his basketball shoes and slipped them on. 

The sound of things hitting the ground with little metal banging snapped him back into reality. His golden eyes searched for the cause of the ruckus and found a girl who was picking up some things that fell out of her locker. 

He could make out boxes of chocolate and some wrapped boxes. She took them one by one to put them all in a bag. She arranged some things in her locker before closing it. She leaned back on the cold metal and slowly slumped down on the marble floor. 

He stared at her. 

Kise wasn't sure if he should approach her, afraid that he'd get sassed on again. He gently closed the locker door, careful not to disturb her. 

When the lock clicked, her head snapped towards his direction. 

"Ryota?" 

Shit.

He turned around slowly to face her.

"(F/n)?" 

She scoffed when he went ahead to call her by her first name. 

"What are you doing here so early?" she asked in a tired tone. 

"...Nothing. I was thinking of practicing." 

Her (e/c) eyes searched his face for hints of dishonesty but found none. 

"I see." 

(L/n) closed her eyes. 

He didn't look away from her, hoping that she might keep the conversation going for once. When a few minutes passed and only the sound of the clock ticking was heard, he decided it was time to leave. 

"Ryota, can I go with you?" 

Kise was surprised. Genuinely surprised. He couldn't hide his feelings on his face. 

'Was this really happening?'

 "Are you serious?" 

She stood up and smoothly strided over to his spot. 

"Yeah." 

He blinked twice, trying to will his brain to absorb what was currently happening.  

"O-okay." 

The walk to the gym was awfully silent. Too silent for Kise's liking. He remembered how she used to keep talking. She just never ran out of anything to say. He didn't know why he was starting to feel awkward about starting a conversation. He knew his palms were getting sweaty. 

"H-hey," he managed to stutter out. 

She looked up at him. 

"Yeah?" 

"Why are you here so early?" 

"My parents left for a business trip today. They woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep. I got home late too," she yawned before she continued, "so I'm really tired." 

(L/n) rubbed her face on the end of her jacket's sleeves, as a way for her to wake herself up. She gently slapped her cheeks too. 

"I thought it's better to go early to skip unnecessary things. Like having idiots ask me out." 

"What about Kasamatsu-senpai?" 

 She looked at him with an inquiring expression on her features. 

"What about him?" 

"I saw you guys go out yesterday," he offhandedly mentioned. 

"Oh. That." 

Quiet began to rule them once more when he realized that he shouldn't have said such a thing. The girl would think he's creepy. She'd think he's weird. He sweated more in anxiousness. Never had he felt such a thing before. 

The birds began chirping. The sun was filling the sky with its bright light. Some students began to come in too. 

The stillness between them was beginning to heighten his senses and it didn't make him feel any more comfortable in his current situation. 

"Everyone's been telling me that I've been going too far." 

"W-what?!" 

He was panicking deep inside.  

"Even Tetsu-kun reprimanded me about it." 

"About what?" he asked. 

"My attitude towards you. So, before you say anything, I'm sorry and–" 

"Oi! Kise! (l/n)!" Kasamatsu called as he ran towards them. 

"Senpai," (l/n) said as she bowed. 

"I see she already talked to you. Did you tell him yet?" 

"Tell me what?" Kise asked. 

"She's going to babysit the team from now on," the older male replied, obviously proud of himself and his achievement. 

"Y-you were able to convince her to be a manager?!" 

"Wow, you got that faster than I expected," (l/n) commented. 

"But what about coach? He didn't want us to have a manager remember?!" 

"Because he didn't want your idiot fans to fight over the position. She's qualified for the position, though. She doesn't favor you, she's a responsible student council member, she's well-known for being smart and she's pretty cruel in her own right. Everything the old guy could ask for!" 

"Thank you, senpai. That's pretty sweet of you to say that."

"Shut up." 

Kise watched the two of them start a bickering session. He wasn't sure if that morning was as bad as he initially thought it would be. 

'This is great.'

He has a great opportunity he wanted to grab.