Akaashi walks toward his class, a bouncing Bokuto beside him, chatting enthusiastically. With each stride, Akaashi finds himself numbing his senses more and more. Just ignore him and you'll get through it, Keiji.
He turns into his classroom, then takes his seat. The little owl-like boy sits right beside him, still talking. He never shuts up. Shoot me now. Thank God it's the last period. Then, you walk in, being the cute girl in his class--well, more than just cute, but he could never admit that. Not aloud, at least. Not when his eyes occasionally flick to those thick thighs, or those wide hips. The rolls hat he daydreams about. NO. For the sake of his own dignity, he'll filter his words and thoughts. His eyes follow you as you take your seat in front of him. Even from the back, your figure is mesmerizing. He blinks, then looks down. Staring is rude.
Other students flood in, the teacher enters, and the bell rings. Like the good student he is, he gives his attention to the lecture, but occasionally looks back at you, smiling a bit.
At the end of the lecture, the teacher gives the entire classroom a grin. "This week, I'm assigning you guys a project. You will be working in pairs of two."
Bokuto starts bouncing. "Akaashi! Let's team-"
The teacher holds up his hand, silencing the boy. "And it will be entirely random. I will draw two names at a time, and they will be the pairs. It's good to work with somebody new every once in awhile."
Akaashi gets mixed feelings. He would love a break from Bokuto, and a partner that actually helps instead of adding more work. But, at the same time, he doubts anyone else could deal with him. He's difficult and moody. Can't retain information easily. And when he's frustrated? Forget it. Bokuto gets paired with the emo kid, which has Akaashi cringing . This is gonna go up in flames.
"Keiji Alaashi," the teacher says, having Akaashi look up. "And Y/n L/n. Would you look at that? I don't think you two have even talked to each other. This is a great chance to make friends." The elder man winks at Akaashi, causing him to slump into his seat.
I called her cute one time in front of this geezer.
Others are paired up and the assignment is explained. At the end, you turn yourself in you seat and smile.
"Looks like we're paired up" you tell him.
"Yeah, looks like it." You're so much more beautiful up close.
"My grades aren't exactly the best, so I hope I'm not too much of a burden on you."
He shakes his head a bit. "I work with Bokuto every time, you can't possibly be a burden."
You giggle into your hand."Bokuto-Kun is a very special and unique person."
He frowns. "He's an idiot, is what he is."
You giggle again. "I was trying to be nice."
"And I wasn't."
"Well, aren't you a big ray of sunshine?"
You maneuver around so that you re sitting in your chair backwards, revealing even more of your thighs. You have shorts on, but even so, he still sees the shape, which is enough to make his head spin. You fold your arms on the back of your, and then rest your chin on them.
"It's nice to officially meet you."
"Likewise, I suppose." He tries to play it cool. Be nonchalant. He can't have you think he's a loser. "I have volleyball practice after school every day, so I hope you don't mind studying late at night. I get out around 6?"
Your eyes grow ever so slightly, and only for a moment. But he catches it.
"Uh- m- my parents wouldn't let me stay out that late."
"Then I guess I have to go to your house."
He knows exactly how this sounds. But, the assignment is unavoidable and there aren't very many options. Besides, seeing your home doesn't sound like a bad idea. He could meet your parents, see your room, your bed. He stops himself by clearing his throat.
"The assignment shouldn't take too long. It's just writing a short story in English. It can't be too hard." He was never more wrong.
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Sitting on your bedroom floor, Akaashi stares blankly at a wall.
"I have no creativity." he mutters to himself.
In your desk chair, you fidget a bit. "Some people have more imagination than others."
"D- do you have any ideas?"
You pause a moment "An ugly girl falls desperately in love with her handsome classmate. Fate keeps pushing them together, only making her feelings grow stronger and stronger. Heck, he even starts to show a bit of interest. So, one day, she works up the confidence to confess... but then gets rejected. Come to find out, it was just some stupid bet he made with his friends."
"And?"
"And nothing. That's the end. Not everyone can have a happy ending. Besides, in what world does someone ugly actually get into a genuine relationship with someone pretty. There's always a catch"
"What's ugly to some, can be pretty to others."
You shake your head. "That's doesn't mean anything."
"No, it does. Everyone always says the girl I like is ugly." A bit nervous, he licks his lips. "But I find her to be just.. ethereal. Everything about her is perfect. And, yet, the other guys pick on me, saying she's beneath me."
You fidget a bit. "Okay, fine. An ugly girl can have a pretty boy take interest in her. Do you want them to get together in the ending, Akaashi-Kun?"
"Yes."
"Alright, fine. Whatever. How good is your English?"
"I'm fluent. Why?"
"I can't speak any English whatsoever. I tell you what to write and you translate it."
He nods. "That sounds good. But you really don't speak any English?"
You shake your head. "I told you. My grades aren't that good."
"That kinda defeats the purpose of this assignment. It is for English class."
Seeming bored, you place your chin in your palm. "Do you wanna pass or not?"
"Fine, fine. Well do it like that."
"Great. So let's start on ideas for a plot line."
He nods, and starts pulling out his notebook. "What all do you think it needs?"
"A lot", You shrug. "Since we're writing her falling first, let's do from her point of view. Also, it's just easier for me to write from a girl's side."
You get up and sit beside him, making his heart pound. "The beginning should be a bit more backstory without throwing too much information in the reader's face. Perhaps a scene? I sat in the back of the classroom, all the way in my usual corner. It was comfortable. Felt like home after these two-and-a-half years of high school. In front of me sat the same boy who's been here since junior high. Tall, dark hair, beautiful eyes."
You run your hand through your hair. "How does that sound? Gives a good introduction, and room to explain the crush without being something silly like I, whatever the heck my name is, have a major crush on a boy I've known since middle school. He is tall and blah blah blah. That's just silly and sounds immature. It's a story, not a Disney monolog."
"You sound like you know how to write?" He tilts his head to the side.
"Yeah, I do a bit of writing. I'm not great or anything, but between the two of us, I'm our only hope for it."
"Gee, thank you."
"You're welcome. Now let's buckle down. We'll start with basic plot point, okay? We have a week, so let's take our time. He nods. "Okay. Let's do this."
--------------
You're asleep, face pressed against the notebook, pencil still in hand. You had finished maybe a paragraph, and its after midnight. How can he feel comfortable sitting in a girl's room so late? And he cant just leave. Not without letting you know first. But he can't wake you up. What if you have a hard time falling back to sleep? And, besides, you're so cute like this. So what should he do?
Finally, you stir, squeezing your eyes shut as you seem to come to. Finally, they flutter open and meet his, soft and pretty with a hint of sleep behind them.
"Did I fall asleep?" you ask groggily.
He nods. "Yeah. You passed out."
You sit up, pressing your palm to your forehead. "Sorry. Can we call it a night? I need to get some sleep."
"Yeah, of course." He stands up. "I'll just gather my stuff first. Do you want to keep the notebooks here, or should I bring them home?"
You wave your hand. "Keep them here."
"I'll work on the Japanese draft as much as I can since you have volleyball. When it's done, I'll just give it to you for translation."
"Sounds good to me." He picks up his bookbag. "I'll head out, then. Keep me updated, okay?" "Mhm." Your head falls back to the table. "I'm just gonna sleep here...I don't think my legs could hold me."
With a chuckle, he asks, "Would you like me to carry you?"
You think for a moment. "Sure."
He's taken by surprise, just standing as he stares at you.
"Well? Are you gonna carry me or what?"
"Uh..."
You smile. "Just go home. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
He node. "See you in class."
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You walk right into class, just like every day. With every step, your thighs rub, bringing his eyes straight down to them. I really need something better to do before class.
"Good morning." you greet him, sitting backwards in your chair.
For the love of God. "Good morning." He forces his eyes up to your beautiful face. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, I got a good two hours after you left." You yawn a little, covering your mouth as you stretch a bit.
"Two hours? That means you only got two-and-a-half last night."
"Twice as much as usual."
"That's not healthy."
You shrug. "That's why I sleep in class."
"Which is why your grades are so low."
"Oh, hush." You hand him a box. "I baked these this morning. They're yours. If you wanna share, share. Keep them to yourself, go ahead. Throw them out, that's fine, too."
He opens the box, finding a batch of cookies. "No way I'm sharing."
You grin. "Make sure your team gets jealous."
"Couldn't dream of anything else-"
The door swings open, revealing an energetic Bokuto. "HEY HEY HEY!"
And there goes my alone-time with Y/n.
-----------
Akaashi is translating the story into English. It's absolutely beautiful. In Japanese alone, it sounds amazing and could get a passing grade. He has to do it justice. He just has to. The boy is the silent type, who's arrogant and even a bit rude. She's the sweet naïve type, who's blind to all his faults,. She's so in love that she refuses to accept anything wrong with him. It doesn't matter what he does to her. She still loves him no matter what. It's slow and builds up with every paragraph and every time skip. And they do end up together, because he slowly changes. Grows warmer and warmer. Kinder and gentler. He becomes a good guy, who learns to treat her right. She loves him and he loves her. The ending is what gets him. In it, the main protagonist remembers that the boy was never real and her sheer loneliness has gotten the better of her. She sits on her bed and covers her face, crying into her hands. It was heartbreaking.
Clearing his throat, he gets to work. After reading it, he can better change the language. He works quietly and swiftly, though careful and thorough. It takes him the rest of weekend since he goes over it several times. On Sunday, he types the final draft and prints it out, ready to give it to his teacher. Your group will get the highest grade He knows it. Between your perfect plot and his flawless English, you just have to. He's sure of it.
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He's depressed. Since the project was finished, there hasn't been any reason for the two of you to talk. It's sad and painful and just completely drives him mad. He sees you in class every day, and every day, you act as if he's not there. Should he say something? Make the first move? Perhaps he could suggest you watch his practice. You like to write, don't you? Maybe he could ask you to write a volleyball story, and inspiration could be an excuse for you to watch.
"L/n-San", Akaashi says before third period starts.
"Yes?" you say, pulling out your notebook and pencil case.
"Have you ever written a story about a sport?"
"Yes."
His heart begins to sink. "Which sport?"
"Volleyball."
"Why volleyball?"
"Well, our school has an amazing volleyball team."
"No other reason?"
"No. Why do you ask, anyway?"
"Oh, no reason."
