Chapter Text
Title: An innocence in loss.
Pairing: Abeno Haruitsuki/Ashiya Hanae
Rating: K+
Was he too obvious? Maybe too obvious.
Probably.
Definitely.
He glances behind him again. Or attempts to for about .5 seconds before he chickens out and turns back. A new record!
...No, this is definitely very awkward and obvious. He sighs as he drops his head to his desk and groans in frustration.
There’s a comment from the teacher and stifled giggles, but he just. Doesn’t care right now.
Mostly because he can’t feel his face. He didn’t sleep at all...
...Huh.
...The desk felt...nice. Nice and cool. It was getting warmer outside, recently, and it felt nice against his cheek.
Huh.
For some reason, it’s hard to keep his eyes open. Though, technically, he actually does know why.
He grimaces a little, just a little, but it’s too comfortable to keep up.
It takes a while to open his eyes again.
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“....Wuh!”
And he sits up in his chair abruptly, regretting it immediately when his head starts to spin. "Hurgh!”
“You okay, Ashiyan?”
“...F-Fusshi.” Ashiya says, looking at the boy, “What...?”
“You fell asleep during class.” Is Saga’s input as he slides into the seat next to him.
“Yeah, that was rare! Usually, you’re so full of energy, even if you’re Hanae-chan of the Nurse’s Office!” Fushimi says.
"...Yeah...it's been a while since I heard that too." Ashiya admits. At first, he moves to swipe something from his forehead, then covering his yawn with a hand, "Sorry. I haven't been sleeping well these days."
"Bad dreams?" Saga asks and immediately Ashiya stiffens.
"...Kind of. Yeah?" Ashiya says, carefully. He seems to be playing with his hair even more now, "Yeah!"
"So it is bad dreams?"
"I mean, I wouldn't really call them bad? Or dreams? They're technically dreams..." Ashiya says , fumbling for words, "I mean, they're definitely dreams!"
"Maybe they're daydreams?" Fushimi suggests.
At that, Ashiya seems to pause and consider something. Then, his cheeks flush red and he very quickly says, "Absolutely not! They're definitely dreams!! Dreams that are definitely not caused willingly by my subcon- aack!"
And Ashiya, who'd be reaching behind himself all of this time, loses balance and falls off his chair.
"Ashiya??"
"Owww."
"Are you okay?"
"I can't feel my face."
"Y-you can't feel your face after falling on your back?"
"F-Fuzz...on my face..."
A heavy sigh. "What are you doing?"
And Ashiya freezes up again.
"Abenon~! You came to get Ashiyan?"
"Yeah. Is he alive? I'll drag him to the Nurse's Office if he isn't."
"I'm alive!! Geez." Ashiya shoots up like a beanstalk and subsequently stumbles again, holding out his arms in front of him, "Whoa!"
"Be careful!" Abeno barks at him, "And quit fooling around and get over here!"
"O-okay!"
Ashiya dashes towards the door, giving Fushimi and Saga an awkward two-armed wave.
Kind of odd.
Almost as if he were holding something.
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Ashiya had never related more to the expression 'Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire' more than he had now.
Abeno was still staring at him, even as the Mononokean briefed them on what he had to do today, even as he vacantly pet and apologized to Fuzzy for almost dropping him so many times in class.
And he was trying very hard to act normal, honestly he was. But then, it was hard to do that when he could barely meet Abeno's eyes. It made for awkward greetings and an awkward atmosphere in general.
Is everything alright? The Mononokean asks with an air of concern and that seems to kickstart Ashiya's brain back into gear.
"Yes?!" Too loud, oops.
" I-I mean." Ashiya coughs and avoids the line of Abeno's glare, "I mean, yes. Everything's fine."
Are you sure, Hanae?
"Yeah. I'm fine!" He tries a smile.
"...Hm."
...Hm?
......
.....Hmm???? What was that supposed to mean? Ashiya looks back quickly over to Abeno, and he's the one who's averting his gaze, thinking about something.
"Anyway, we should get going-"
"Ashiya."
"Yes?!" Again, whoops.
"Before we go anywhere, we need to talk."
Silence. Ashiya stares at him for a long while, mouth gaping like a fish.
Finally he manages, "Am I fired?!"
"Ha?!"
"A-are we d-discussing my cause of termination?!?"
"...Why are you speaking so formally all of a sudden."
"I always talk like this!"
"Whatever, just get out!"
"D-don't push me!!"
My oh my. ( ‾́ ◡‾́ )
He manages to read that off the Mononokean's scroll before Abeno kicks him towards the nijiriguchi, and he crawls through it just fast enough before Abeno does the same.
"Ow! Abeno-san?"
"What exactly is wrong with you?"
This is when his heart kicks into overdrive. Ashiya can already feel his face heating up.
"N...what is that supposed to mean?" Ashiya's about to deny it immediately, but in a rare moment of reflection, he thinks that saying no so quickly would make Abeno suspicious.
...If he wasn't suspicious already. Abeno's still staring at him with a scowl, though really that was more of his default expressio. In fact, it was usually why it was hard to tell sometimes what exactly was bothering him, despite being so clearly irritated.
"Why is your default expression so terrifying?!"
And he said that out loud.
"What did you say?!"
"I-I mean, nothing's wrong with me!!"
"And I'm supposed to believe that?!" Abeno retorts. He sounds actually angry now.
Ashiya flinches at that and he looks away.
"See, this is what I'm talking about." He thinks he hears Abeno say that.
"Eh?"
"Nothing. Whatever it is you're dealing with, just make sure it doesn't interfere with work."
"...Okay."
....
....Like he was able to just let it go like that.
"Abeno-san?"
"Hmm?"
"That...uh. Remember that time that we were at the Legislator's party?"
"Yeah? So what?"
"That...did I..." Ashiya falters again, under the weight of that gaze.
It made him remember.
Remember certain dreams.
"D-Did I do something?"
Abeno blinks, "Something?"
"...Never mind. I didn't, huh." Ashiya sighs, "That's a relief."
"Exactly what kind of thing are you talking about?"
"Nothing. I'll, uh, go grab Fuzzy."
"Right."
And Ashiya scrabbles back through the nijiriguchi, Abeno sighs and turns away.
"Something, huh."
The wall behind his back and a hand pressed over his own.
The closest anyone had been to him...in such a long time.
"..."
Impudent fingers over his shoulders, barely focused eyes. The scent of sake on his breath.
And still, that dumb grin.
Even before he feels those lips on his.
"Something...huh."
Something restless in his heart since that time.
Abeno tries not to think about it.
"What a convenient word that is."
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