Date: June 30th, late evening
Rating: G
Summary: The all-too industrious Atobe decides Sanada needs to enjoy more of the "teenage" lifestyle.
Sanada had tried to put the recent events that had attracted the news to the very back of his mind, to the best of his ability, so he would cease to ponder over the reasons one would pull a stunt like that. As enlightening as Atobe's words had been, Sanada spent most of the day pondering over the journal entry, and by early evening the absolute last thing he wanted to think about was philosophy - even with the large, heavy book sitting dauntingly on his desk where Atobe had placed it after Sanada voiced interest that morning.
Instead, he tried to put forth all his energy into the small pile of homework that was slowly dwindling - now, all he had left was an assigned reading textbook that he was already far ahead in, anyway, but had been trying to finish it before the lessons on each chapter would begin. Pulling ahead in homework could now wait. Leaning back in his chair, Sanada allowed his arms to flop over the backrest, his eyes sliding closed as his head tilted back slightly. It was probably nearing the time when he would typically begin getting ready for bed (even if he didn't necessarily fall asleep immediately afterward considering he had no choice but to get up later in the morning)... but moving was the last of priorities. Idly, he wondered what exactly Atobe was up to, but he figured that if the other boy wanted to share, he would do so eventually.
With the book gone, clearing a great deal of space on his desk, Atobe was able to put his feet up on the desk, resting his heels on the corner of the desk with his legs crossed at the ankle. His chair was pushed back enough that he could keep his legs straight and his laptop was rested on his legs as he browsed through the list of names he had been compiling since the week before. It had not been terribly difficult for Atobe to acquaint himself with every female member of the student body - all too easy, really - and getting names, phone numbers, a little personal information had posed little challenge. He was well ahead on his class assignments (with the exception of the god-knows-what Mukahi had in store for them), so he spent the evening compiling the list neatly in a word document where he could compare notes on the various girls.
He had a feeling he could guess the type Sanada would prefer... as well as the sort that he would think he would not prefer but would find himself attracted to nonetheless. He was going to be a tough nut to crack, in any case; he would most likely dismiss the idea entirely - after all, it was something that Sanadas didn't do to the best of Atobe's knowledge. How Sanada Kazuki and Hanako ever met... Atobe pushed the thought aside, leaning back further into his chair. Lately, he really had been dealing with some stubborn, troublesome sorts. This might be a step in a positive direction for Sanada, in any case.
At the very least, maybe it would remove some of the strangeness between them. No doubt Sanada was completely oblivious to it all, but Atobe could not help but feel the tension in the air between them, thick like walking out into the sun on a humid summer day. Best to redirect Sanada's attention... just not too much. They were finally getting somewhere, after all.
After relaxing for a couple of minutes, Sanada finally sat up straight in his chair again, collecting the small group of notebooks and loose papers into one pile, and setting the couple of textbooks on top. If he played his cards right, he wouldn't need to do another night of pure studying for a couple of days, at least - and he could focus his attention to other things such as his training regime that he felt as though it needed to be revamped once more with the changing of the seasons. He could spend more time outside in the shade if he wanted to; once the rain settled down, at least, and the warm summer heat settled in properly.
Coming to a smooth stand, Sanada stretched his arms above his head languidly before shuffling over to his bed, sitting down atop the covers as his attention focused on the back of Atobe's head. For the past few days - weeks, really - Sanada had honestly and genuinely felt himself growing warmer toward Atobe. He couldn't explain what it was, but it was as though the other mutant were slowly gaining his trust, and properly this time. While he always had trusted Atobe when it counted, he hadn't honestly trusted Atobe with his friendship until now. It had been a long and bumpy road, and sometimes it seemed as though they took one step back for every step forward, but Sanada was feeling more comfortable in his surroundings, even if there were a few kinks they had yet to work out.
Out of curiosity, Sanada asked seemingly out of the blue, "What are you working on?" To the best of his knowledge, Atobe was quite ahead in their assignments, so he highly doubted it was homework... but a word document was open with text very obviously typed on screen.
"Your future," responded Atobe casually, saving the document and turning his chair so he could face Sanada. He let his legs rest properly with his feet on the ground and stretched his arms up above him, yawning. "Tiring work, really." Once more, his fingers fell on the keys of the keyboard, though it was out of comfort and habit more than anything else, and he scanned over the screen - briefly taking in each name and various attributes as he did. In particular, a couple of the girls had been particularly well suited to dating someone like Sanada and he might try to start out on one of those first to see how it would work out before he tested the possibilities with the more questionable options. It would give him something to take his mind off of the current circumstances, in any case - with the attack on the clinic over the weekend and the subsequent reaction of the mutant community... it would not be long before he would be hearing from his father about how he should learn from it.
Atobe paused for just a moment too long, his expression becoming serious as his mind drifted off to the prospect of talking to his father about everything that had happened over the past few weeks, but it was quickly replaced once more with easy confidence that so often graced his features. "I think it's time you took your first step into manhood."
Sanada didn't miss the brief appearance of seriousness that graced Atobe's features, but he didn't so much as comment on it, instead responding with a rather confused expression of his own. Step into... manhood. That hardly seemed like a topic that Sanada wanted to be brushing up on with Atobe of all people, and the older mutant had a feeling that he was not going to like what Atobe had to tell him in the least. Unfavorable discussions with Atobe never seemed to end well - especially a discussion about his so-called future of manhood.
"Oh?" He didn't say anything further, fixing his eyes on Atobe's, giving him a hard stare. With many, that particular stare would be enough to scare off even some of the most strong willed people - but, once more, that was never the case with Atobe, though it never hurt to try.
If that look had ever intimidated Atobe, it would have ceased to do so long ago... Sanada really did not like the direction this conversation was taking if he was giving him that look in hopes it would stop Atobe. Honestly, Sanada ought to have been thankful - Atobe's original plan was far less pleasant than the one he settled upon after giving it a bit of proper thought. The whole scheme had initially been cooked up late at night was he was in desperate need of sleep and it certainly showed with what he planned to do, then - he was simply going to arrange a date for Sanada and give him no choice but to go out and be a teenager for the evening. His better sensibilities kicked in, thankfully... for Sanada.
"I've done a great deal of research," the blonde boy explained, glancing down at his computer screen briefly. "I'll have you know that I've spoken to every female student in the school in the past three days." Not that there were really all that many to pick from... but Atobe had last been at an all boys school, so this was like estrogen heaven by comparison. "And I've found that a good number of them do indeed both find you attractive and would be interested in dating you... of them, many also expressed that they would be interested in dating me which may have fouled up the responses in general. Regardless, you are popular with the girls, as is to be expected."
Just as suspected - Sanada really wasn't going to like this conversation. There was a part of him that wanted to just skip his reaction of total indignance that Atobe would go ahead and put so much thought and effort into something that Sanada really wasn't interested in for a great deal of reasons, and immediately veto the mere suggestion of dating one of these female prospects. Of course, Sanada always found that the female students were very likable people - he had absolutely no issue with having a polite conversation with one when the time called, but never once had he entertained the thought of going on a... date. That was his brother's forte.
His infamous stare never once leaving his face, Sanada said flatly, "And?" The knowledge that he was popular with the girls was something Sanada hadn't ever heard, before - he did notice the occasional giggles and playful whispering into a friend's ear, but it had never been something he had paid much mind to. There were too many other important things: like homework and training, and trying not to brutally murder Atobe when he got like this. "Why should I be interested in this?"
Sanada's reply was not as severe as it could have been... Atobe still highly doubted that he had any interest at all in the prospect of dating, but at least he had not flat-out rejected it without Atobe even having the opportunity to talk. "Well, you're at that age." With a shrug, Atobe smiled in the face of Sanada's hard expression. "You could probably stand to get out a couple times a week - just to do something a little less... productive. I know you're thinking that it's ridiculous and you don't have time to be dating, but it really does have its benefits. Just think, you could get away from me for a couple hours on the weekends. It'd be like a heaven-sent gift." With a chuckle, Atobe shook his head and glanced down at his own lap. "You said it yourself earlier today - life is far more colorful than black and white. Why not add a little pink to the mix?"
Before he could help himself, Sanada responded dryly, "The color of love." Admittedly, there was a part of Sanada - albeit a very small part - that was interested in the idea if only for the prospect of getting away from Atobe, but there were other ways to do that - going home to visit his family, for example... though Atobe seemed to come along every time Sanada did such a thing, there was no reason why Sanada didn't just go on his own if he wanted some time away from his roommate. With the idea of dating, while Atobe would be out of the picture, there would then be a girl that Sanada would then have to somehow do things together with without boring her to tears... which would probably be a difficult feat considering many of the activities Sanada took interest in. Therefore, the answer was 'absolutely not.' "However, I'm not interested in dating a girl at this moment."
...Actually, that was something Atobe had not considered. "Should I have been taking down notes on male students, instead?"
That was not a reply Sanada had been expecting - it was his own fault for saying "girl" in particular, but still. "Excuse me?" The hard stare melted into one of pure confusion as the words registered in Sanada's mind properly, shifting just slightly before wiping the look off his face, clearing his throat. "No, of course not. What I meant is that I'm not interested in dating - period."
Now that was an interesting reaction. At least it ruled out the theory that Sanada played for the other team (unless he was in denial - Atobe would know if Sanada was lying to him). There was really no use in asking why the older mutant was so against the prospect of dating, Atobe could just as easily quote back the reasons himself, and it was not going to do any good arguing those reasons into the ground, so he might as well use the good old surprise tactic to see if he could at least get Sanada to think about it in a slightly less... disagreeable light. Smiling warmly, Atobe ventured, "What if it was me?"
Once more, Sanada could only stare at Atobe, and this time in more confusion. Why would he ever, ever consider dating, of all people, Atobe? "I don't know if that was meant to change my mind or not, but of course I'm still not interested if it were you." It was not a wholly unappealing thought - in vastly different circumstances (such as if Atobe were female), Sanada might have even been agreeable after some expected reluctance.
An appreciative laugh tore from Atobe's throat - he had expected to hear just that, but it was surprising that Sanada's expression remained so level. When he could finally get the fits of laughter under control, Atobe commented, "So you see, there are certainly worse fates than going on a date with a girl from class just to get out and have fun. You could find yourself stuck with me for the evening." And with that, it was no longer a choice - Atobe was going to find the girl that was best suited to Sanada based upon his observations from earlier in the day... his first pick was a girl named Sachiko that had been very forthright with him, was fun, but also seemed to share Sanada's sense of tradition. She could potentially be a good match for him... though Atobe also had his suspicions she might be playing for the other team, herself. "I actually already have someone in mind, as it were."
Yet again, there was another small part of Sanada - also, once more, a very small part - who was rather curious to know who Atobe would deem fit to go on a date with Sanada... knowing the other boy, he probably would be exactly on the mark and would somehow choose someone who was just perfectly suited for Sanada in all the right ways. But even with that small, lingering bout of curiosity, Sanada was still not going to be quick to agree. Rather nonchalantly, he asked after a moment's pause, "Who may that be?"
That was a bit more like it - Atobe had managed to pique Sanada's curiosity. "Sachiko-chan, I'm sure you've met her, whether you remember it or not. She's in our year, very good looking, playful, kind, thoughtful... she also comes from an old blood family as I understand it. Quick as a whip, too - I had to keep on my toes when I was speaking with her." Really, Atobe had half a mind to date her, himself, if he were interested in that sort of thing or furthermore had time. Quite frankly, it was hard enough keeping up various connections to foster the relationships he would doubtlessly need somewhere down the line. It never hurt to be well-connected, in any case.
Sachiko... the name did sound rather familiar, and Sanada could at least attach a fuzzy face to her name, though he couldn't remember anything about her beyond what she looked like. He probably hadn't ever had a proper conversation with her beyond the casual formalities; it was possible they even shared a class without him knowing. "I see. The name sounds familiar, but I don't know anything about her beyond what you've told me." Folding his arms across his chest, Sanada looked a bit thoughtful as he wondered out loud, "Was she one of the girls who were... interested?" Not that Sanada was interested himself.
It was a great inner struggle for Atobe to keep from rolling his eyes at his roommate. He should have known. "Well, she was hardly shy in admitting she found you attractive. I'm sure if she was asked kindly she would not hesitate to go on a date with you." But that was the real trick, wasn't it? Atobe would really be proud of himself if in one night he could not only convince Sanada that dating was a worthwhile activity, but also to actually ask the girl on a date himself rather than forcing Atobe to arrange things or even worse yet waiting around for Sachiko to do the impossible for a female Japanese teenager and ask Sanada out, instead.
Admittedly, one of the reasons why Sachiko seemed to be an okay prospect was the fact she apparently came from an old blood family, as well. If Sanada had ever expressed interest in dating to his family, that would've been one of the main requirements for a girl he would bring home - not out of disrespect for any who didn't, but for the fact the Sanada family did take tradition very seriously, and that could be difficult for one who was not used to such upbringing to be introducted into. "Hn. I see." But why was he even considering this? Making a face at himself, Sanada sat up straighter on the bed, and restated, "But I'm not interested."
"Is that so?" In one smooth motion, Atobe closed the laptop, lifting it from his lap to set it on the desk, instead. "Well, then, forget I said anything." As though the conversation had never begun, he made his way over to his dresser and got out his pajamas so he could get changed for the night, silently counting down in his head to the moment when Sanada would respond. With any luck, his curiosity would eat away at him just enough that he would take the bait and ask for more information... or at least would actually approach Sachiko when they next shared a class. Still counting, but otherwise not minding Sanada, Atobe changed out of his uniform and put on his pajama pants and a comfortable t-shirt with a stylized print of the Ryuhana logo on the front in red.
Sanada watched Atobe, though he didn't really see him as he mulled over Atobe's words. Maybe Atobe was right - maybe it was about time Sanada did something that wasn't just school and training, and act like the age he was supposed to be... even if it meant entertaining a girl without boring her to tears. It probably wouldn't hurt to attempt one date; if it didn't go as Sanada hoped, then he would be able to drop the issue under the pretense of at least trying it out. This Sachiko girl did seem to be like a good choice, anyway - he was sure she would be understanding if he said he wasn't interested in it after one date. He was falling into Atobe's trap and perfectly aware of doing so as he finally said, "Okay, fine. Can you tell me more about her?"
Just as Atobe had reached "one," in his head, too. Atobe couldn't help a sly smile as he turned back to Sanada, looking him over appraisingly. "Of course. What would you like to know?"