Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Karane Inda sped walk to her next class determined to get there on time and without fuss. But in the next second, as she was passing a t section of the halls, she crashes headfirst into another student. The books they were both holding respectively went flying in different directions as they both fell backwards, landing with a thump. A sound across between a growl and a groan escapes Karane’s lips as she rubs her head where they had hit. That was definitely going to leave a mark.

“Geez can’t you watch where you’re –” she trails off as she looks up to lock eyes with the student she had just ran into. A zing like feeling went through her settling itself in her heart, as a blush formed across her cheeks. The girl she recognises as Hanazono Hakari, with hair as pink as her blush, stares back at her with the same expression of confusion and lovesick panic she held. Hazel eyes stare into dreamy emerald ones as they hold each other’s gaze for what feels like forever. The sound of the second bell rings throughout the school rudely interrupting the staring contest. Karane curses under her breath, and quickly goes to gather her and Hanazono’s things before offering them to her, while simultaneously avoiding all eye contact whatsoever. The blush covering her face rebuts the annoyance of the scowl across her lips. Hanazono takes her things back, still gazing at Karane, and mumbles a thank you, and without looking back Karane scurries off to her next class, heart thumping loudly in her chest as she does so.

Karane was about ready to bang her head on her desk as she realizes that both her and Hanazono share the same class, and what made it worse was that her spot was seated almost directly behind her. Curse her luck. Hyper aware of the pretty girl behind her, Karane can’t help but discretely look over her shoulder to admire the girl, with a slight frown on her lips. That perfect pink hair sitting neatly just above her shoulders in a cute bob, with those flower clips, are they clips, pinned into the back of her hair adding to the whole vibe of hers. God she’s cute. Her eyes trail down her neck before catching a glimpse of bare skin and looking away a blush tinting her cheeks. Best not to look to far down. Not even seconds later Karane goes back to discretely admiring the girl, taking in each of her perfect features until she settles on her eyes, which are staring directly back at her with an amused expression. How did she know, she thought she was being discrete, guess not. Little to Karane’s knowledge Hakari has also been carefully studying the other girls features as she had admired hers, much to her ego’s excitement. The entire rest of the class was spent like that, both girls gazing at the other before their eyes caught and then looking back to the front of the class that neither were paying any attention to.

By the end of it Karane’s heart was almost about to burst out of her chest. Why was Hanazono staring at her so much? Karane decided to ignore the fact that the only reason she knew was because she was doing the same thing and went headfirst to ask Hanazono that exact question by grabbing her by the arm before she could run away like it looked like she was planning to do.

They stand face to face in an abandoned hallway, the tension between the two thick enough to cut through with a knife. Karane goes to say something but before she can Hanazono holds up a hand and the thought dies in her throat. Hakari knew the other girl would be a stuttering mess if she even tried to speak so she goes first and states in an accusing voice “I know exactly what you’re going to say and before you say it, I would like to say that you were doing the exact same thing.” She points her finger at Inda at the last bit. Inda bits her lip looking away before saying “I – It’s not like I was admiring how beautiful you looked or anything.” Hakari looks back at her dumbfounded, she thought she was going to have to work harder to get that answer out of her but apparently the girls a tsundere. She smirks, her ego inflating at the praise. Maybe if I tease her enough, she’ll admit to liking me, she thinks. While Hakari was working on all the ways she could get more praise out of Inda, Karane was mentally kicking herself for so obviously admitting to her gazing. God damnit brain why the hell did you have to make me say something so embarrassing, please don’t do anything any stupider than that.

“So why were you staring?” Hanazono finally asks, biting back a grin.

“Be – Because it’s not like I like you or anything.” Inda snaps, before a look of utter horror crosses her face at the realisation of what she just said, and she starts turning various darker shades of red. Hakari gives up on hiding it and huffs excitedly a smug look on her face, and a blush tinting her cheeks. She watches as Inda proceeds to melt into a stuttering mess, trying poorly to refute the obvious. Eventually she gives in with a defeated whole-body sigh.

“Well … if the feelings mutual do you want to go out somewhere on the weekend?” Inda mumbles becoming an almost entirely different person and taking Hakari back with her sudden boldness. Hakari starts to process what happen, she didn’t think she would even get her to ask that, but apparently the key was to embarrass her so much she couldn’t do anything about it. Hakari made a mental note of that, before putting a finger to her lips humming lightly as she mock ponders the idea. Inda nervously plays with her pig tails waiting with bated breath for her answer. As cute as she is looking like newborn kitten, she would give her the answer she hoped for. She lightly hits Inda’s shoulder “I do want to go, but where?” She asks tilting her head as she does.

Karane obviously hadn’t thought this far, she hadn’t really thought at all throughout this whole exchange. She racks her brain for a place to go, eventually settling on something she thinks they both might like. “Well, there’s this aquarium that’s close to here if you want to go.” She suggests fingers crossed behind her back, refusing to look at Hanazono’s expression in case there was one of disgust.

Hakari nods to herself locating the place in a mental map “Of course, I’d love to.” She giggles slightly a thought popping into her head that she decides to act on. She leans close to Inda and whispers in her ear “See you then.” She pulls back seeing a rebooting Inda and struts off with a pleased expression and a blush on her cheeks.

Karane stands there for a minute or two brain struggling to put together what happened. She just asked someone out, she did that. Her mind trails back to what Hanazono just did her hand slowly reaches up to the ear Hanazono had just whispered into, it was burning red with a blush. If she could fall any harder for her, that was the moment when that happened. So many panicked thoughts rushed through her head, she was eternally grateful that she had the rest of the week to figure everything out and get her heart in order by the time they go out, she didn’t want to expose herself more than she already did.

Then a simultaneously a thought hit them both. I’m going on a date?! What do I wear?

Chapter Text

Although neither girl would admit, it took them the entire rest of the week to pick out their outfits, Hakari more so as she had spent the entirety of the day prior, being dressed in numerous odd and borderline weird outfits. She eventually had, somehow, steered her dotting mother’s attention towards picking an outfit out for a date, while simultaneously avoiding the barrage of questions she had for her, knowing her mother they have been knocking around in her brain ever since she was a baby. The result for the outfit was an almost white dress with pink stripes that hugs her curves and comes in just above her knees, a de-saturated purple handbag, and lavender slip-ons. Much to her mother’s disappointment she left her hair alone only swapping out the white flowers with ones to match her dress.

It was the day of their date, and a certain tsundere wakes up hours before she needs to get there just to get herself enough time to properly get herself in order. Her outfit consists of a grey crop top showing off her midriff, denim shorts cut off just before the knee, green sneakers and to top it all off an oversized throw on sweater. She had also put her hair up into a ponytail with her signature bow still sticking out at the top. She double, triple, quadruple checked over her outfit before shaking off the nerves and rushing out her room and out the house before any of her family could say anything to her. Even if it was to wish her luck in the weirdest but most endearing way possible.

Once reaching her destination she checked her phone realizing she had arrived earlier than she had intended. Nerves set in, and doubt creeps into her mind before noticing a ridiculously expensive car pull up on the curve.

As Hakari steps out of the vehicle, she notices a distracted Inda making quick glances her way, and saunters over. It takes the girl a second, but she goes back to her usual state of being, with her crossed arms and furrowed brows, giving Hakari a once over stating “It’s not like you look good or anything.”

“I could say the same” came Hakari’s reply. Inda grumbles in responds and grabs her hand, eliciting a surprised noise from Hakari, and half drags her to the entrance. As it turns out Inda had booked ahead giving them a head start in the line, she certainly knows how to treat a girl.

Karane finally lets go of Hanazono’s hands regretting it as in doing so she missed the soft touch of Hanazono’s hand doesn’t know what to do with her hands, electing to shove them in her pant pockets. The first date awkwardness washes over the two, before Hanazono speaks up and gestures for Karane to follow her. “It’s not like I want to look at fish or anything.” Karane states, following Hanazono regardless but is surprised to see when she stops dead and turns back to look at Karane in a way that makes her immediately regret her words.

A smirk takes its familiar place on her lips, and she says in a sultry voice “If you want you can always spend this date inspecting me instead of the fish.” The effect is immediate, and a burning blush covers her face in red, and her voice comes out in stutters trying to back track her words, eventually finding it pointless and suddenly finding the fish a lot more interesting, much to Hakari’s amusement.

Soon a pleasant silents sets in only to be interrupted by Inda’s occasional remarks about an interesting looking fish.

Looking around the place it was huge with water surrounding them on all sides except the floor. In the area they were in, most of the fish were of the smaller kind, yet they all looked so different and unique, some had frilly fins that, spun like dresses in the tranquil water, a few were almost completely black except for a few scales that glowed like algae in the sunlight. A small shark came along causing the schools of fish to part seamlessly for their arrival. The spectacle causes numerous sounds of wonderment to echo through the halls, as children pointed excitedly at it, one of those people being a certain tsundere who was enamored by the display, looking over at Hakari with a look of baffled excitement as she too points out the shark that came by. This causes a stifled giggle to come from Hakari and a huff from Inda, who mumbles something under her breath, likely along the lines of ‘it’s not like I care or anything’.

As the girls turn the corner Hakari notices a café with a steady stream of customers coming through ordering drinks in takeaway cups. Realizing it would be perfect, especially since one of them has been excitedly watching the fish swim through the man-made habitat with the excitement of child. She goes over to poke Inda in the ribs, causing the girl to jump and turn rapidly almost hitting herself with her ponytail.

Pointing towards the café Hakari asks “Do you want anything?” Inda’s stomach chooses that moment to grumble in turn making the girl hesitate before giving her reply “Orange juice” she pauses before finishing in an almost whisper “please.”

Pleased with the response Hakari goes over and orders for them both getting an iced coffee for herself. Once their made she brings it over to Inda who is standing extremely close to the glass, and hands her orange juice to her, deciding against making any more comments about her childish nature, what can she even say as everyone likes orange juice occasionally. The girls stand in a peaceful silence leaning slightly against the cool metal railings running along the glass. The glass room they were in suddenly went slightly dark and both turned their head to see a manta ray gliding effortlessly through the water, the other sea creatures scatter away from the majestic creature. Sounds of amazement fill the halls yet again, ignored by the two girls as they drown in calmness the ray forms around itself.

Hakari turns to see Inda bewilderingly gawk at the beauty of the creature, smiling mischievously to herself she pulls out her phone to take an inconspicuous picture of the girl, the sound of the phone’s camera shutter snaps Inda’s attention towards her and an annoyed look crosses her previously peaceful expression, so much for inconspicuous.
“Delete that right now.” Inda threatens reaching to grab the phone of Hakari who dodges and locks her phone earning a growl from the other girl.

“Why should I?” Hakari asks mockingly, leaning towards the other girl. Karane stumbles over her words trying to find a decent excuse, secretly she wants to see the picture as she rarely takes them, so seeing one where she is most likely excited would be a change. Not that she would tell the other girl that.

“Because I told you so.” Karane responds, taking longer than she wishes. This gains a firm shake of the head from Hakari.

“Not buying it.” She says, she unlocks her phone again an idea forming in her head and sets the picture to her new lock screen, she’d been meaning to change it and now she had an excuse. She showed her lock screen to the girl in front of her. With a smug look on her face, she declares “It makes for a good lock screen.”

Karane gives up, opting to ask for the picture on a later date or finding a way to steal the girls phone and send the picture to herself.

A while later the girls make it to the end of the aquarium, a small souvenir shop sits right before the exit with plush and key chain versions of the sea creatures. “You go ahead I’ve got to get something.” Hanazono tells Karane, turning towards the shop. A thought crosses her mind before she rejects the notion, ‘no she wouldn’t’ she thinks and walks through the exit, waiting outside the building.

It wasn’t long before Hanazono emerges from the building and spots Inda. She rushes towards her, grabbing one of her hands, pushing a squishy object within them. “A thank you gift, for taking me on this date.” She responds, upon seeing the confused expression on her face. She sees Inda studying the thing, more specifically it was a small squish able key chain of a pufferfish, it suited her tsundere nature. It was obvious that Inda saw the subtle jab towards her nature but doesn’t acknowledge it. Hakari bought a blob fish for herself, to match the fishy nature of the two.

“It’s not like I’m thankful or anything” she says, crossing her arms.

Hakari sighs and shakes her head disapprovingly “I won’t take that.” She says enunciating each vowel. “I know you can give me better than that.” Karane stares at Hanazono, who doesn’t look like she’s backing down, with her signature scowl before looking away a blush forming on her cheeks and mumbling “Thanks.”

Hanazono seems determined to tease her as, while smirking, she dramatically puts a hand to her ear mockingly asks, “I’m sorry I didn’t quite catch that, could you perhaps repeat it.”

Karane feels about ready to combust and yells, louder than intended “Thank you, geez.” She watches as Hanazono grins from ear to ear and pulls out her phone, in a pleading voice and tilting her head to the side, she asks “One more time for the camera?”

“I swear to God, you self-righteous …” she trails off with a growl as Hakari almost doubles over with laughter and mumbles under her breath “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

A look of terror covers her face as Hanazono perks up grinning with renewed vigor, she leans in close enough for Karane to feel her breath tickling at her ear as she whispers, “You’re the cute one here.” With sudden confidence Hakari decides to press a kiss to Inda’s cheek, when she pulled back, she saw a rebooting girl and at that moment the car that came to pick her up pull’s ups. Hakari waves a goodbye in Inda’s direction and saunters to the car. Getting in the back seat, her hands come up to her face where a blush had formed, and she giggles excitedly to herself.

Karane has a similar reaction, cupping the cheek Hanazono had kissed and opts to not bite back the grin that extends from ear to ear as she dreamily watches the car drive off.

The next school day both girls are seen with the key chains attached to their school bags, holding hands nervously, playful banter exchanged between them.