Nijimura laid wide awake in his bed pondering about the universe and a thousand more questions.
What lies beyond the Solar System? More stars? Will they change their mind and consider Pluto a planet again? Why is it that all the other planets were named after Roman gods? When will the Martians pay a visit to our planet? Is there really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? What really happened to the dinosaurs? How the hell did they go extinct? Why am I even thinking? Why didn't Santa build his workshop at the South Pole? Why are violets blue? And blackboards green? What does red really symbolize? Love or hate?
Red.
Nijimura's thoughts drifted off to a certain redhead; something he's been trying not to do. It was the very reason why he kept his self busy with random questions in the first place. He wanted to stop his self before he could get any deeper, before it could get too hard to turn back.
I'm giving you an excuse to be with her more than necessary Izumi had told him on that night when she insisted on driving him home. An excuse? To hell with that, it's a torture.
------
"That guy's been going to practice a lot lately, isn't he?" Aomine remarked looking at their silver-haired teammate.
"Zaki-chin is not being Zaki-chin," Murasakibara commented.
"I wonder where the real him went," Aomine said.
"Why don't you just rest yourselves instead of wasting your energy there?" Midorima told them.
"You're starting to sound like Akashi-the male one- are you trying to take his place?" Aomine reclaimed.
"Of course not, you idiot," Midorima grumbled.
"I wonder where Akashicchi is now," Kise butted in. They fell into silence after the blonde's statement. Akashi Seijuuro just suddenly stopped coming to school and then his twin sister just suddenly appeared days after; it was just too strange. It was barfing sounds from their sixth man that broke their silence.
"Kurokocchi!" Kise and Aomine quickly tended to the teal-haired teen.
"What the hell? He's still throwing up?" Nijimura asked his face twisted slightly in mixed surprise and disgust.
"He'll be fine, Senpai," Aomine assured their captain. Their raven-haired captain just sighed and gave them his signature scowl.
"Just make him rest afterwards," he told them. Nijimura sat down on the nearest bench to rest his self. He had started disliking break time during practice because he's got nothing to distract himself with. Break time had become the time when his eyes wouldn't even need to look for Akashi because he had always managed to see her when he starts to think about her. Just what the hell was he supposed to do with his self?
"Senpai," he instantly straightened his back when he heard her voice just behind him, but slouched almost right after. He leaned his head backwards to look at her and was surprised to see her face upside down hovering over his. Shit, is it just me or are her cheeks really red?
"What, Akashi?" he asked. She narrowed her eyes at him for a couple of seconds before she draped a towel over his eyes making him lose sight of her slightly flushed cheeks.
"Nothing, it can wait for later," the sound of her footsteps got softer and softer as the distance between them increased. Nijimura straightened his neck and let the towel fall on his lap. He tried to stop his self from following her with his eyes; sadly, it had become an unbreakable habit.
***
Akashi could almost confirm the feelings that were welled up in her chest. She could hear her heart beating loudly, but she can't succumb to those feelings, definitely not now. She's got more important things to do. Really, like what? An inner voice asked. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She didn't have an answer.
She really needed to deal with these troublesome feelings soon.
-------
When Akashi was about to pick up her bag, she noticed that the zipper was slightly opened. She was sure she closed it properly; she always does. Who could've been brave–foolish enough to mess with her bag? She checked her things, but none was missing except for a single notebook. Akashi went back to her classroom; she just had a hunch that the culprit would show up there. She had always been right with her hunches.
Akashi reached her classroom and went inside to lean against her table facing the door. She instantly shoot a glare towards the door when her ears picked up the sound of footsteps.
"Looking for this?"
"Haizaki," she said calmly, but deadly. Haizaki leaned against the door with her notebook in hand. "Actually, I was waiting for you,"
"Too smart," Haizaki scoffed, "Smart girls can be boring you know that?" he went inside the classroom taking slow steps. Akashi just kept a straight face; against this guy showing any sign of weakness was the moment you lose. Not that she has weakness.
The silver-haired teen placed her notebook at the table in front of her. "You're so quiet, why? Too scared to even speak?"
"Too scared? Can you even hear yourself?" she asked still with a neutral expression crossing her arms against her chest.
Haizaki quickly went in front of her pushing her against the table she was leaning on with their legs between each other. Akashi had to uncross her arms to support her weight against the table as his body pressed against her. There was no place to move for the redhead. She cursed the slow reflexes of her current state. Haizaki held her wrists tightly.
"What now? Waiting for your knight in shining armor to come?" he whispered to her ear. His breath tickled her, but it wasn't pleasant.
The next thing he did made Akashi consider the thousand kinds of torture he deserved before he goes through the doors of death. His lips captured hers as his hands went from her wrists to her face holding it still as he kissed her. She tried to push him away but he just forced his lips deeper on her. His kiss was rough and forceful. It made her shudder when she felt his tongue trace her lips.
She mustered all her strength and succeeded in pushing him away before he could finish tracing her lips; the table behind him was pushed by his weight. Her breath was ragged and deep; her shoulders rose and fell with every breath. She quickly grabbed the nearest sharp object –which just happens to be a pair of scissors in her desk.
"Hey, I was just curious how you taste like!" Haizaki explained as if it would save him from the redhead's wrath. Akashi's mind was too clouded to even listen. "Or were you saving that for Captain?"
Without further ado, she assaulted him with the scissors and managed to make a cut across his cheek even when he evaded her attack. Haizaki however, didn't seem threatened, if any, he seemed even more amused. Blood had started come out of his cut and hurt like hell, but it didn't stop the smile that was creeping on his face. He's mad.
"The next one won't be a miss," she warned him. She looked at him darkly; she almost seemed like a different person. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion except anger.
"Eh? But I could give you a better kiss if you as--"
"And I could give you a better beating if you try," Nijimura's voice was accompanied with heavy footsteps. He stood between the two with his face frighteningly calm. He immediately noticed the cut on Haizaki's cheek and the scissors in her hands. What the hell?
"Get the f*ck out," Nijimura surprised his self that he hadn't punched this guy, that he hadn't beat him up until he was beyond recognition.
"Are you jeal--"
"Get the f*ck out," Nijimura repeated in a sharper tone. The raven-haired teen's hands were tightly clenched into a fist; his knuckles were already white and he can't gnash his teeth any more than he was already doing. Nijimura looked ten times scarier than his usual self, but Haizaki would never admit that loudly.
Haizaki trying not to show any sign of weakness just smirked at him before leaving.
Heavy silence filled the room. Nijimura could hear each breath Akashi took and even as she exhaled. His back was towards Akashi; he didn't want her to see how angry he was. He opened his fists into open hands, but his hands were shaking. He tried to calm down as he took deep breaths. Or maybe counting from one to ten would help. Silently, he started counting in his mind: One thousand one... One thousand Two... One thousand thre-- F*ck that! That little bastard kissed Akashi, how am I supposed to f*ckin' calm down?!
"You let him off unscathed?" Akashi asked gripping the scissors in her hand more tightly. She believed that Haizaki deserved a much more painful treatment than just a cut across his cheek. He kissed her... And it wasn't even a good one. Not in the very least. She didn't like it. She wiped her wet lips with her sleeve and just wanted to give that insolent fool the punishment he deserved.
"Because if I didn't, I might've done something worse," he replied. Like attempted murder. Nijimura was never known for controlling his self, and he was never really fond of holding back. He actually commended his self for not impulsively beating up the crap out of Haizaki He might have broken some of Haizaki's bones had he landed an attack on the bastard.
He finally faced her when he was sure that his scowl wasn't as bad as before. He saw her glaring darkly at his chest (being more than a head shorter and all). Seeing her show this much signs of anger was enough to calm him down. He cursed his self for having such a twisted logic. No, it's not twisted; if she's angry then he has to be calm to make her calm down. Okay, so much for defending that reasoning.
He wanted to kiss her and just make her forget what Haizaki did. I really want to just kiss her right now. But of course he didn't, or he might be next victim of Akashi's scissors.
He took her hand that was holding the pair of scissors and tore the item off her grip. He placed the object at the nearest table then focused on opening Akashi's clenched hands. He opened her palms and held them tightly to make sure she won't close them into a fist again. Somehow, he was glad she was angry because he wouldn't have held her hands like this if she weren't clenching them so tightly with anger.
"Calm down," he whispered. He held her hands together and brought it up to her chest level. Her hands were so small, and even seemed a lot smaller in Nijimura's larger hands. Her hands her shaking, probably still with anger.
She closed her lips tightly into a thin line and went from glaring to his chest to glaring to her hands enclosed in his hands. Akashi's anger dissipated gradually as the warmth of his skin seeped through her. He held her hands firmly, but not too tight to hurt her.
"I am calm," she replied her eyes fixed on their hands. It wasn't exactly a lie; she was calm, though her breathing was still quite heavy.
Nijimura pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't know what the hell he was thinking. Maybe it's better that he didn't know or he might not have hugged her in the first place.
"No, not yet," he whispered to her hair. What shampoo does she use? Smells nice. He was careful with his grip on her, afraid that he might crush her if he would tighten his hug even just a little. She's really so small; he would've thought she was just some small and fragile girl who needs protection if he didn't know better. He knew better; he knew that if he hadn't come earlier things might have turned bloodier. Haizaki and Akashi were two people he wouldn't want to fight seriously; he didn't want to be guilty for incapacitating a silver-haired bastard.
He wanted to protect her; he wanted to be that person whom she'll count on. But who's even worthy to protect this redhead? She's Akashi.
"Senpai?"
"Just shut up and calm yourself down. A hug has many positive effects you know, and it's free," he smiled a little to his self. He was glad she didn't try to break herself free from the hug.
Akashi could vaguely remember when was the last time someone had held her this close, the last time she had felt this warm, this secured. She buried her head into his chest. She could hear the rapid beating of his heart, and she was sure that hers was just as fast. She held onto his blazer as she felt his hand go up from her back to the top of her head.
They didn't know how long had they been standing there. Had it been a few minutes? They both thought at the same time, but both concluded that it doesn't really matter.
"Are you calm yet?" he asked breaking the silence. Akashi shook her head. She didn't want it to end yet; she wanted it to last longer. She wanted to savor the moment. She wanted Nijimura, and he doesn't need to know. She decided to be selfish... Even just for now.
Nijimura's brains went into an overdrive as he soon realized his real situation. The girl he's been trying to avoid to fall for... was in his arms right now. He was almost sure that if he won't let go soon, he might not want let go anymore. His grip around her tightened ever so slightly, bringing her closer to him.
Akashi felt it how his grip tightened around her. He's warm, and that warmth had reached up to her insides. She might be falling... Or maybe she already had. He might be the same. He might feel the same. Even if they did feel the same, what happens next? Sooner or later she'll be Seijuuro again; she'll follow whatever her father says again. She'll be back on the way she was, so he too, should be.
Nijimura might have fallen for Seira... But not for Seijuuro. I am Seijuuro. And besides, feelings are fickle, and she's not fond of taking her chances. Even if she may have such a higher chance than anybody else... So she says,
"Don't fall for me," she said softly but she was sure he heard it as his arms around her even tightened more bringing them closer. That came out of the blue, but he knew what she was trying to say. He wished he didn't.
He could almost feel daggers stab right through his chest, but still he chuckled softly before answering, "I won't,"
He knew it was silly to believe silly things, but as if it were enough to make his agreement to her invalid, he still did it. Another twisted logic, maybe?
And so as he answered, she wasn't aware that his fingers were crossed.