Two In One [PG-13; Koizumi/Otani]
Title: Two In One
Author: worblehat
Genre: Lovely Complex
Pairing: Koizumi/Otani
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Dedicated to goldie, if she reads it. For helping me get into an awesome series. ♥ I bet this will be AU as soon as volume 22 is scanlated. Let's pretend it's not though. Also, written for prompt_a_day.
Prompt: Duality.
Word Count: 2,204
It's awkward in the backseat, which smells like warm leather and smoke and feels as if it's going to melt. Koizumi asks Nobu's friend if he can't scoot up any further and he grunts something she doesn't hear. Muttering in audible annoyance, she flops back against the seat, wincing when her knee accidentally hits Otani's.
"Hey, watch it!" he says, glaring at her.
"It's too small back here!" she answers defensively. "If you moved your tiny legs off that way -"
"My legs are fine!"
"They're taking up valuable space!"
The argument continues until Nobu's friend - whose name Koizumi never does learn - threatens to throw them both from the car. Otani sulks and Koizumi sticks her tongue out when no one else is looking. When he elbows her in the side, she growls and everyone laughs.
At the beach there are only a few towels lined up, nearly-bare bodies soaking up the sunlight. Koizumi remarks on a few of them as they walk by, in confidence to Chiharu, who seems to falter on how to reply.
Otani is first in the water, only lathering on a few shallow coats of lotion before diving enthusiastically. Koizumi yells "hey, wait up!" but Otani isn't listening, laughing at her for being so tall yet so slow. A huge splash of water hits him in the middle of his face and Koizumi laughs. The others stay on the sand, taking their time to go in.
"They really do look good together," says Nobu, arms across her chest. "Don't you think so, Darling?"
Nakao nods, sliding one arm around her shoulders. He blinks when she bends at the knees, rifling through her bag for something that looks suspiciously like alcohol.
"Go get them to come out of the water," she instructs him, sitting on her towel and motioning for the others to join. It takes a few attempts to get Otani and Koizumi's attention, but soon enough they are sitting in the same circle as the others, dripping and smiling and confused.
"We shouldn't eat before we swim," says Otani, brushing his hair back from his forehead. Koizumi watches from his left, taking in the way his hair falls when it's wet and wondering if it feels soft or if it's just cold. She turns away when Nobu smiles at her knowingly.
It's been a month and a half and as much as she still sometimes tries, it's hard not to like Otani. As each week passes, she wonders if it's really only her that is starting to get that weird heart-fluttery thing she's only seen in the sorts of manga that Nobu has on her bookshelf. Otani is spending a little more time with her now, even walking her home two days out of the week without being asked - regardless of whether they go out as a group or not. She feels the support of the class each day, rooting for her, cheering her towards her goal. Still, it's difficult to feel confident when Otani is so unresponsive.
"It's not food," says Nobu with a giggle. The bottle looks dark in the sun as she shakes it around, leaning in playfully against Nakao.
Both Otani's and Koizumi's eyes go wide.
"I can't."
"I promised my mom."
There is a short silence before the rest of them break into laughter. Nobu passes the bottle to Koizumi first. "Just have a little," she says, "and you'll barely feel it."
"I don't know..." Koizumi protests, declaring herself unsuccessful when the bottle lands in her hands, cold and long. She casts a worried look at Otani, hands shaking; then lifts the bottle to her lips, taking one huge swig.
She is left coughing, Otani patting her back. She tries to say that she's okay, but that just makes her cough more. All she can do is hand over the bottle, which Otani takes, helping her feel better almost immediately. When she is able to sit up fully, her eyes teared with strain, she sees Otani's lips on the bottle as he too tries to drink a little.
He doesn't cough though his face does go red before he passes the bottle to Suzuki, who wipes off the rim before handing it to Chiharu.
Koizumi leans in. "Otani. Hey, Otani."
He coughs.
"Do you need me to hit you on the back?"
Otani lurches away. "What are you, crazy? Why would you hit me?"
"No need to get so defensive," she says dismissively. The alcohol moves quickly through her system, her eyes blinking as she tries to force the world steady. She looks up - at Nobu, Nobu's friend, Nakao, Chiharu and Suzuki, all of whom are talking and passing the bottle back and forth with ease. She wonders why it's only her that has the low tolerance.
"Koizumi," comes the voice from her right.
"Huh?"
There's nothing else, just the sound of something falling to the sand. Head spinning still, she looks over at Otani, who is snoring head-first into his own lap.
"Otani?!" she asks, trying to shake him awake. He mutters but she can't make anything out before he's snoring again.
"Help him," says Nobu and Koizumi nods. She reaches for his arms, trying to angle him differently so that he won't wake up with the worst back and neck ache known to man. It takes a few tries until she gets him into a suitable position; but then he falls again and she groans, having enough trouble supporting herself without trying to make sure Otani is okay. She wonders vaguely how someone so skinny and short can suddenly weigh so much.
"Will you be okay here?" asks Nobu as the others race off to make sandcastles, zig-zagging and falling over the sand.
"What?" asks Koizumi, but Nobu is already gone, calling for Nakao to wait. Koizumi wants to yell that this isn't fair but the sun is so warm and nice on her skin and someone is muttering something at her knee. It feels nice, the breaths that tickle and subsequently burn against her skin. Stretching her legs out into straight lines, she looks over at Otani, hesitating for only a short while before urging his head into her own lap, figuring it's better for him to lie down than fall over and taste a mouthful of sand a second time.
She knows it's the alcohol that lets her place pale fingers on top of his head, caressing it before sliding the fingertips along the scalp, the hair slipping in between. Otani's head is nice and with him like this, it almost feels as if she has a pet of some sort. Only Otani is nothing like a pet, at least not now, when Koizumi can't seem to stop dreaming about fireworks and discarded chocolate - dreams that confuse her and leave her frightened.
The transition from blurred awake to an alcohol-nap is so subtle that Koizumi doesn't notice her own eyes closing, just the spread of sand and towel beneath her back and legs. She moves a little and winces, wondering in the back of her mind why one of her legs isn't moving. Dreams and reality are hard to distinguish in those next few minutes. Koizumi feels something pulling, tugging and shifting - and then there's a hand, warm but limp at her hip. She blinks her eyes half-open, looking at the cause of invaded personal space.
She then closes her eyes, sure that she couldn't have just seen Otani, hair drying quickly, cuddling against her. Not even she sleeps that like that anymore, grabbing onto something and curling around it; yet somehow, it feels okay that it's Otani doing this, whether it's with her or not. She pushes back a few strands of hair, watching them move in the slight wind. Otani doesn't make any sound as his body shifts over closer, his snores faint now.
Koizumi forces her eyes open as she shifts a little, letting Otani's head rest between her shoulder and her chest instead of on the sand; wrist touching against the small of his back, not quite holding him but close to it. He doesn't stir and she closes her eyes, pressing a kiss to his forehead while breathing in, thinking about how she'd never imagined such simple things could make her heart feel complete.
It's different when Otani wakes, his cheeks a dark red. Koizumi's neck is the first thing he sees, followed by her arms and then her chest. He screams and she pushes him away, still half-dreaming. He looks and looks and looks at her, one hand to his mouth, heart throbbing almost painfully. He stays like that, frozen for minutes that feel infinitely longer. The alcohol leaves his throat sore and his limbs tired. He knows he won't be able to enjoy the beach today and he lies back down, wondering if he should push Koizumi off of his towel or what. His teeth bite into his bottom lip as he tries to decide.
In the end, he falls asleep again, warmed by the faint sunlight that is being quickly masked by grey clouds. The wind rises and he turns, body subconsciously seeking warmth, legs bent at the same angle as Koizumi's as he sleepingly spoons her between their towels.
At three-thirty, Nobu puts away the sandwiches and drinks, casting a look over at the two who are still sleeping. She shoos the rest of them off, leaving a note that they will be back later.
Koizumi wakes up next, looking around. She finds the notes and utters a loud noise of surprise mingled with rage. Otani is rubbing at his eyelids and grumbling about her waking him up from a good dream before he reads over - or, more correctly, around - her shoulder.
"So they just left us here?" he asks, eyes wide in shock.
Koizumi crumples up the note, tossing it at a watchful seagull.
The waves break quietly against the rocks further off to the right. Neither of them speak, though Koizumi starts when she feels something moving beneath her fingers.
"Crab!" she shouts.
Otani lowers his head in annoyance. "It's just my fingers," he says, his voice low. As if to prove it, he wiggles them.
"Well," she says defensively, "I wasn't expecting them so close to my hand."
Otani exhales. "How are we supposed to kiss if you can't even hold hands without freaking out?"
"It's not holding hands if you - ...what?" Koizumi blinks. "You mean you were doing that on purpose?"
Otani doesn't answer.
"But -"
"I'm going back to sleep," he says in irritation.
"Wait!"
Otani's wrist is surprisingly firm as Koizumi holds it, trying to look at him without shying away. It's difficult, her face burning under his questioning glance.
"Just...wait. Please," she asks, looking down at their hands. She's seen people hold hands before - Nobu and Nakao are nearly always connected somehow - but from this angle, it seems difficult, as if there's no way for two such different hands to fit together. Her thumb brushes against his knuckles and he sighs, placing his hand against the sand, palm-up and grabs hers.
The sun moves slow across the sky and Koizumi thinks about how warm Otani's hand is, and how it feels nice holding hers - steady and confident and rough. Chiharu's voice can be heard laughing quietly at something Suzuki says; Otani and Koizumi look at each other.
Koizumi wants this kiss - here, at the beach, against an almost-sunset, with Otani more fully awake than last time, at his house. Otani looks away and Koizumi's heart sinks; she waits for the moment when he will let go, knowing it will always come sooner than she wants.
"Koizumi."
When she turns to look at him, Otani's face is close, his eyes watching her lips. She watches as he runs his tongue quickly along his own lips, wetting them before leaning in, lifting his head to meet hers; she bends down a little, keeping her eyes open until their mouths meet, too shocked to do anything for several moments.
Otani's lips are nicer than she remembers, soft and wet and sweet. Her heartbeat rises and her eyes close when Otani's tongue sweeps out against hers. It's only one or two seconds but it's the most vivid physical reaction she can remember having, her face going hot and her body craving more contact, then and there. Behind closed eyes she can picture the way he looks, hair dry and soft, chest darkened by the sunlight, swimming trunks low at his waist; her stomach burns with want and fright.
She barely manages to pull away in time before the others wave. Otani doesn't let go of her hand, choosing to bury their still-interwoven fingers beneath the spot where their towels meet. Koizumi's face stays red the rest of the day and she doesn't focus on much else other than Otani's face, which lights up in kind excitement.
Their fingers finally break apart when Nobu's friend tells them to pack up for the ride home; coming back together three days later when Otani walks her home, his face almost as flushed as hers.
Author: worblehat
Genre: Lovely Complex
Pairing: Koizumi/Otani
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Dedicated to goldie, if she reads it. For helping me get into an awesome series. ♥ I bet this will be AU as soon as volume 22 is scanlated. Let's pretend it's not though. Also, written for prompt_a_day.
Prompt: Duality.
Word Count: 2,204
It's awkward in the backseat, which smells like warm leather and smoke and feels as if it's going to melt. Koizumi asks Nobu's friend if he can't scoot up any further and he grunts something she doesn't hear. Muttering in audible annoyance, she flops back against the seat, wincing when her knee accidentally hits Otani's.
"Hey, watch it!" he says, glaring at her.
"It's too small back here!" she answers defensively. "If you moved your tiny legs off that way -"
"My legs are fine!"
"They're taking up valuable space!"
The argument continues until Nobu's friend - whose name Koizumi never does learn - threatens to throw them both from the car. Otani sulks and Koizumi sticks her tongue out when no one else is looking. When he elbows her in the side, she growls and everyone laughs.
At the beach there are only a few towels lined up, nearly-bare bodies soaking up the sunlight. Koizumi remarks on a few of them as they walk by, in confidence to Chiharu, who seems to falter on how to reply.
Otani is first in the water, only lathering on a few shallow coats of lotion before diving enthusiastically. Koizumi yells "hey, wait up!" but Otani isn't listening, laughing at her for being so tall yet so slow. A huge splash of water hits him in the middle of his face and Koizumi laughs. The others stay on the sand, taking their time to go in.
"They really do look good together," says Nobu, arms across her chest. "Don't you think so, Darling?"
Nakao nods, sliding one arm around her shoulders. He blinks when she bends at the knees, rifling through her bag for something that looks suspiciously like alcohol.
"Go get them to come out of the water," she instructs him, sitting on her towel and motioning for the others to join. It takes a few attempts to get Otani and Koizumi's attention, but soon enough they are sitting in the same circle as the others, dripping and smiling and confused.
"We shouldn't eat before we swim," says Otani, brushing his hair back from his forehead. Koizumi watches from his left, taking in the way his hair falls when it's wet and wondering if it feels soft or if it's just cold. She turns away when Nobu smiles at her knowingly.
It's been a month and a half and as much as she still sometimes tries, it's hard not to like Otani. As each week passes, she wonders if it's really only her that is starting to get that weird heart-fluttery thing she's only seen in the sorts of manga that Nobu has on her bookshelf. Otani is spending a little more time with her now, even walking her home two days out of the week without being asked - regardless of whether they go out as a group or not. She feels the support of the class each day, rooting for her, cheering her towards her goal. Still, it's difficult to feel confident when Otani is so unresponsive.
"It's not food," says Nobu with a giggle. The bottle looks dark in the sun as she shakes it around, leaning in playfully against Nakao.
Both Otani's and Koizumi's eyes go wide.
"I can't."
"I promised my mom."
There is a short silence before the rest of them break into laughter. Nobu passes the bottle to Koizumi first. "Just have a little," she says, "and you'll barely feel it."
"I don't know..." Koizumi protests, declaring herself unsuccessful when the bottle lands in her hands, cold and long. She casts a worried look at Otani, hands shaking; then lifts the bottle to her lips, taking one huge swig.
She is left coughing, Otani patting her back. She tries to say that she's okay, but that just makes her cough more. All she can do is hand over the bottle, which Otani takes, helping her feel better almost immediately. When she is able to sit up fully, her eyes teared with strain, she sees Otani's lips on the bottle as he too tries to drink a little.
He doesn't cough though his face does go red before he passes the bottle to Suzuki, who wipes off the rim before handing it to Chiharu.
Koizumi leans in. "Otani. Hey, Otani."
He coughs.
"Do you need me to hit you on the back?"
Otani lurches away. "What are you, crazy? Why would you hit me?"
"No need to get so defensive," she says dismissively. The alcohol moves quickly through her system, her eyes blinking as she tries to force the world steady. She looks up - at Nobu, Nobu's friend, Nakao, Chiharu and Suzuki, all of whom are talking and passing the bottle back and forth with ease. She wonders why it's only her that has the low tolerance.
"Koizumi," comes the voice from her right.
"Huh?"
There's nothing else, just the sound of something falling to the sand. Head spinning still, she looks over at Otani, who is snoring head-first into his own lap.
"Otani?!" she asks, trying to shake him awake. He mutters but she can't make anything out before he's snoring again.
"Help him," says Nobu and Koizumi nods. She reaches for his arms, trying to angle him differently so that he won't wake up with the worst back and neck ache known to man. It takes a few tries until she gets him into a suitable position; but then he falls again and she groans, having enough trouble supporting herself without trying to make sure Otani is okay. She wonders vaguely how someone so skinny and short can suddenly weigh so much.
"Will you be okay here?" asks Nobu as the others race off to make sandcastles, zig-zagging and falling over the sand.
"What?" asks Koizumi, but Nobu is already gone, calling for Nakao to wait. Koizumi wants to yell that this isn't fair but the sun is so warm and nice on her skin and someone is muttering something at her knee. It feels nice, the breaths that tickle and subsequently burn against her skin. Stretching her legs out into straight lines, she looks over at Otani, hesitating for only a short while before urging his head into her own lap, figuring it's better for him to lie down than fall over and taste a mouthful of sand a second time.
She knows it's the alcohol that lets her place pale fingers on top of his head, caressing it before sliding the fingertips along the scalp, the hair slipping in between. Otani's head is nice and with him like this, it almost feels as if she has a pet of some sort. Only Otani is nothing like a pet, at least not now, when Koizumi can't seem to stop dreaming about fireworks and discarded chocolate - dreams that confuse her and leave her frightened.
The transition from blurred awake to an alcohol-nap is so subtle that Koizumi doesn't notice her own eyes closing, just the spread of sand and towel beneath her back and legs. She moves a little and winces, wondering in the back of her mind why one of her legs isn't moving. Dreams and reality are hard to distinguish in those next few minutes. Koizumi feels something pulling, tugging and shifting - and then there's a hand, warm but limp at her hip. She blinks her eyes half-open, looking at the cause of invaded personal space.
She then closes her eyes, sure that she couldn't have just seen Otani, hair drying quickly, cuddling against her. Not even she sleeps that like that anymore, grabbing onto something and curling around it; yet somehow, it feels okay that it's Otani doing this, whether it's with her or not. She pushes back a few strands of hair, watching them move in the slight wind. Otani doesn't make any sound as his body shifts over closer, his snores faint now.
Koizumi forces her eyes open as she shifts a little, letting Otani's head rest between her shoulder and her chest instead of on the sand; wrist touching against the small of his back, not quite holding him but close to it. He doesn't stir and she closes her eyes, pressing a kiss to his forehead while breathing in, thinking about how she'd never imagined such simple things could make her heart feel complete.
It's different when Otani wakes, his cheeks a dark red. Koizumi's neck is the first thing he sees, followed by her arms and then her chest. He screams and she pushes him away, still half-dreaming. He looks and looks and looks at her, one hand to his mouth, heart throbbing almost painfully. He stays like that, frozen for minutes that feel infinitely longer. The alcohol leaves his throat sore and his limbs tired. He knows he won't be able to enjoy the beach today and he lies back down, wondering if he should push Koizumi off of his towel or what. His teeth bite into his bottom lip as he tries to decide.
In the end, he falls asleep again, warmed by the faint sunlight that is being quickly masked by grey clouds. The wind rises and he turns, body subconsciously seeking warmth, legs bent at the same angle as Koizumi's as he sleepingly spoons her between their towels.
At three-thirty, Nobu puts away the sandwiches and drinks, casting a look over at the two who are still sleeping. She shoos the rest of them off, leaving a note that they will be back later.
Koizumi wakes up next, looking around. She finds the notes and utters a loud noise of surprise mingled with rage. Otani is rubbing at his eyelids and grumbling about her waking him up from a good dream before he reads over - or, more correctly, around - her shoulder.
"So they just left us here?" he asks, eyes wide in shock.
Koizumi crumples up the note, tossing it at a watchful seagull.
The waves break quietly against the rocks further off to the right. Neither of them speak, though Koizumi starts when she feels something moving beneath her fingers.
"Crab!" she shouts.
Otani lowers his head in annoyance. "It's just my fingers," he says, his voice low. As if to prove it, he wiggles them.
"Well," she says defensively, "I wasn't expecting them so close to my hand."
Otani exhales. "How are we supposed to kiss if you can't even hold hands without freaking out?"
"It's not holding hands if you - ...what?" Koizumi blinks. "You mean you were doing that on purpose?"
Otani doesn't answer.
"But -"
"I'm going back to sleep," he says in irritation.
"Wait!"
Otani's wrist is surprisingly firm as Koizumi holds it, trying to look at him without shying away. It's difficult, her face burning under his questioning glance.
"Just...wait. Please," she asks, looking down at their hands. She's seen people hold hands before - Nobu and Nakao are nearly always connected somehow - but from this angle, it seems difficult, as if there's no way for two such different hands to fit together. Her thumb brushes against his knuckles and he sighs, placing his hand against the sand, palm-up and grabs hers.
The sun moves slow across the sky and Koizumi thinks about how warm Otani's hand is, and how it feels nice holding hers - steady and confident and rough. Chiharu's voice can be heard laughing quietly at something Suzuki says; Otani and Koizumi look at each other.
Koizumi wants this kiss - here, at the beach, against an almost-sunset, with Otani more fully awake than last time, at his house. Otani looks away and Koizumi's heart sinks; she waits for the moment when he will let go, knowing it will always come sooner than she wants.
"Koizumi."
When she turns to look at him, Otani's face is close, his eyes watching her lips. She watches as he runs his tongue quickly along his own lips, wetting them before leaning in, lifting his head to meet hers; she bends down a little, keeping her eyes open until their mouths meet, too shocked to do anything for several moments.
Otani's lips are nicer than she remembers, soft and wet and sweet. Her heartbeat rises and her eyes close when Otani's tongue sweeps out against hers. It's only one or two seconds but it's the most vivid physical reaction she can remember having, her face going hot and her body craving more contact, then and there. Behind closed eyes she can picture the way he looks, hair dry and soft, chest darkened by the sunlight, swimming trunks low at his waist; her stomach burns with want and fright.
She barely manages to pull away in time before the others wave. Otani doesn't let go of her hand, choosing to bury their still-interwoven fingers beneath the spot where their towels meet. Koizumi's face stays red the rest of the day and she doesn't focus on much else other than Otani's face, which lights up in kind excitement.
Their fingers finally break apart when Nobu's friend tells them to pack up for the ride home; coming back together three days later when Otani walks her home, his face almost as flushed as hers.