#futakuchi

​“kenji,” you said, your voice flat but carrying that distinct, tired authority that only student council presidents possessed. “i did not say that. in fact, i haven’t spoken to you since yesterday when you tried to convince me that the volleyball club needed a budget increase specifically for ‘industrial-grade hair gel.’”

​futakuchi didn’t even flinch. he didn’t drop the first-year either, though he did loosen his grip slightly. instead, he turned his head slowly, flashing you a smile so bright and utterly shameles that it probably could have powered the entire school’s electrical grid for a week. it was a gorgeous smile, which was the worst part. his eyes, usually heavy-lidded and brimming with pure, unadulterated mischief, crinkled at the corners in a way that made your stomach do a stupid little flip that you fiercely ignored.

​“wow,” he said, his hand flying to his chest in a display of theatrical agony that would have made a drama club captain weep. “gaslighting me in public. in front of the children, y/n? after everything we’ve been through? my heart is practically in ribbons on this linoleum.”

​the first-year scrambled away the second futakuchi’s fingers relaxed. you sighed, shifting the heavy folders in your arms. “we haven’t ‘been through’ anything except me denying your request to replace the school bell with a recording of you laughing.”

​“it would boost morale!” he insisted, immediately closing the distance between you. he didn’t just walk over; he sort of looms-slouched, bending his massive frame down so he could look directly into your eyes. he smelled like clean laundry and a faint hint of peppermint gum, a combination that was infuriatingly pleasant. “the student body is depressed. my laughter is a tonic. a cure-all. and you told me at 8:15 this morning that you’d consider it. right after you said i looked exceptionally handsome in this cardigan.”

​“you aren’t wearing a cardigan, kenji. that’s a school blazer. and i was in a finance meeting at 8:15.”

​“details, details,” he waved a hand dismissively, his fingers brushing against the edge of your papers. “the point is, your mouth said ‘no’ but your pupils said ‘kenji, you are the sun around which my little planetary heart orbits.’ i’m just translating for the public.”

​you couldn’t help it. a tiny, breathless laugh escaped your nose, and the effect it had on him was instantaneous and terrifying.

​futakuchi’s entire demeanor shifted. the mock-arrogance evaporated, replaced by a look of such raw, unvarnished adoration that it felt illegal to witness in a public hallway. his pupils actually dilated. if he had tail, it would be knocking over fire extinguishers. he looked at you the way a starving Victorian orphan would look at a loaf of freshly baked sourdough.

​“there it is,” he murmured, his voice dropping an octave into something dangerous and soft. “the laugh that keeps my blood pumping. do it again. i’ll give the first-year his bread back. i’ll give him my own bread. i’ll buy him a bakery.”

​“go to class, kenji,” you murmured, your cheeks heating up despite your best efforts to remain a stoic pillar of student democracy.

​“only if you promise to let me carry those heavy-ass folders after school,” he countered, leaning in just a fraction closer. a lock of his brown hair fell over his forehead, and it took every ounce of your self-control not to reach up and brush it back. “y/n said i’m the official student council pack mule. it’s the law.”

​“i never said that.”

​“there you go again,” he sighed, though his eyes were dancing with pure, liquid joy. “erasing our shared history. it’s a tragedy, really. a cinematic heartbreak.”

​the “y/n said so” rule quickly escalated from a mild annoyance to a full-blown school-wide religion.

​futakuchi was smart. he didn’t use your name to get out of trouble with teachers—he wasn’t that stupid, and he genuinely respected your position too much to actually get you in hot water. instead, he used your name to justify the most absurd, self-serving, and wildly romantic nonsense imaginable.

𓏵

​on tuesday, he took up an entire table in the library, sprawling his long legs across three chairs. when the librarian shushed him and told him to move, he solemnly claimed that you had prescribed him “aggressive leg-stretching therapy” to cure a sudden and life-threatening cramp, and that you had personally designated that specific table as a medical zone.

​when you marched into the library after hearing the rumors, ready to scold him, you found him actually studying. or, rather, attempting to study while drawing little caricatures of you in the margins of his notebook.

​“my leg is failing me, president,” he whined the moment you appeared at his side. he didn’t even look up from his drawing, where he was currently giving your cartoon self a tiny crown. “the doctor—you—said i need to keep it elevated. are you going to revoke my medical leave? in front of all these books? the literature will weep.”

​“get your feet off the chairs, you giant menace,” you whispered, though you pulled out the chair next to him and sat down anyway.

​he immediately complied, swinging his legs down with a speed that defied physics just so he could scoot his chair close enough that your shoulders touched. the contact sent a jolt of static electricity through your blazer, or maybe that was just your nervous system losing its absolute mind.

​“i knew you’d come check on your favorite patient,” he hummed, leaning his head sideways until it was resting on your shoulder. he was heavy, but you didn’t push him away. his hair was soft against your neck, tickling your skin. “did you bring the medicine? and by medicine, i mean the sweet, sweet sound of you telling me i’m doing a good job with these quadratic equations.”

​“you haven’t even started the quadratic equations, kenji. you’ve just drawn me with a cape.”

​“it’s a power cape,” he mumble-spoke against your blazer, his breath warm through the fabric. “because you hold the leash to my entire soul. that’s very powerful of you. highly commendable.”

​you felt a genuine, ridiculous bubble of warmth expand in your chest. it was impossible to be truly annoyed with him when he said things like that with such complete, unironic sincerity. he didn’t sound like he was mocking you. he sounded like he was stating a fundamental law of the universe. gravity exists, the earth is round, and futakuchi kenji belongs to you.

​“you are so dramatic,” you breathed, turning a page in your own textbook to hide the smile stretching across your face.

​“i am a man possessed by a vision of a future where you finally stop fighting destiny and go to the spring festival with me,” he said, his voice muffled by your shoulder. “y/n said i’m allowed to take her. she signed a permit. it was on pink paper. very official.”

​“i did no such thing.”

​“the gaslighting!” he gasped, lifting his head to look at you with wide, betrayed eyes. “it never ends! i am a victim of the system!”

𓏵

​by friday, the entire volleyball team had become accomplices to his madness.

​you walked into the gym to deliver the approved schedule for the upcoming practice matches, only to find the entire squad standing in a neat line. aone was at the end, looking politely neutral as always, while the others were grinning like sharks.

​futakuchi was in the center, spinning a volleyball on his finger, looking like he had just won the lottery.

​“ah, the commander-in-chief arrives,” futakuchi crooned, letting the ball bounce off his palm and catching it against his hip. “perfect timing. we were just discussing the new dress code you implemented.”

​you stopped dead in your tracks, eyebrows shooting toward your hairline. “the what?”

​“the rule where the captain gets to receive a high-five and a forehead kiss after every successful block,” moniwa piped up from the sidelines, looking halfway between amused and deeply apologetic for his successor’s behavior. “he says it’s for... aerodynamic efficiency?” he looks like he regrets visiting practice.

​“aerodynamics are crucial in high-level sports,” futakuchi said with a completely straight face. “and since the president is the ultimate authority on efficiency, she gave it the green light. didn’t you, my beloved leader?”

​you stared at him. he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his eyes shining with a frantic, eager energy that made him look less like a cocky athlete and more like a massive puppy waiting for a treat. he was so completely transparent about how much he wanted your attention that it was honestly a little bit overwhelming. it was like standing too close to a furnace.

​“moniwa,” you said, looking past the smirking captain. “please tell me you don’t actually believe him.”

​“oh, we don’t,” moniwa laughed, waving a hand. “but he refuses to practice unless we play along. he said his motivation is tied directly to the public acknowledgement of your shared ‘pact.’”

​“it’s not a pact!” you turned back to futakuchi, who had now drifted closer, his large frame blocking the rest of the team from your view. “kenji, you can’t keep inventing school board mandates just to harass me.”

​“harass? i am showering you with the highest honors a peasant can bestow upon his queen,” he countered, dropping the volleyball and taking a step into your personal space. his hands came up, hovering just an inch away from your waist, as if he desperately wanted to touch you but was holding himself back by sheer force of will. “and i’m not inventing them. i’m manifesting them. there’s a difference. it’s spiritual.”

​“you are a menace to society.”

​“and you,” he said, his voice dropping to that melt-your-bones register again, “are the only reason i haven’t burned this school to the ground out of sheer boredom. look at me, y/n. i’m a changed man. i haven’t insulted a single rival captain in at least forty-eight hours—yes yes, we didn’t have a game for the last forty-eight hours, but who’s counting? not me—all because i want to make you proud. that has to be worth at least one pity date.”

​you looked at him. his hair was damp from practice, a few stray curls sticking to his temples. his cheeks were flushed, and his chest was heaving slightly from the exertion of drills. but more than that, his eyes were fixed on yours with a fierce, burning intensity that made everything else in the gym fade into white noise.

​he was pleading. behind all the snark and the ridiculous claims of gaslighting lay a boy who was so utterly, desperately crazy about you that he was willing to make a complete fool of himself in front of his peers just to get you to look at him a little bit longer.

​it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for you, and it was absolutely terrifying in its sincerity.

​“it wouldn’t be a pity date,” you said softly, the words slipping out before you could fully process them.

​futakuchi froze. the smirk that seemed permanently etched onto his face vanished in an instant, replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated shock. his hands, which had been hovering near your waist, actually twitched.

​“what?” he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

​“i said it wouldn’t be a pity date,” you repeated, feeling a surge of bravery that definitely didn’t belong to a measured student council president. you reached out and gently took hold of his damp gym shirt, tugging him down just enough that he had to bend to your level. “if you want to take me to the spring festival, kenji, all you have to do is ask me like a normal human being. you don’t need to forge a decree from the student council.”

​for the first time in his entire life, futakuchi kenji was speechless. his mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. a bright, furious shade of crimson painted his neck and flooded his face, stretching all the way to the tips of his ears. it was a glorious sight.

​“i—” he gulped, his adam’s apple bobbing violently. “y/n. president. light of my life. ruler of my heart.”

​“kenji.”

​“will you please let me take you to the festival?” he asked, and for once, there wasn’t a single trace of mockery or sarcasm in his voice. it was raw and breathless and so sweet it made your teeth ache. “and maybe also let me hold your hand? and buy you those ridiculous giant candied apples? and tell everyone that you’re the best thing that ever happened to this miserable, grey school?”

​you smiled, a real, genuine smile that reached your eyes, and letting go of his shirt, your hand slid up to cup his jaw. his skin was warm, and he leaned into your touch instantly, closing his eyes like a cat basking in the sun.

​“yes,” you said quietly. “i think the student council can approve that.”

​he didn’t cheer. he didn’t gloat to his team. instead, he let out a long, shaky breath and folded himself forward, burying his face in the crook of your neck. his large arms came around you, locking at your waist and pulling you flush against his chest in a hug so tight it nearly squeezed the oxygen right out of your lungs. he was shaking just a little bit.

​“wow,” he mumbled into your collarbone, his voice thick with emotion. “she didn’t reject me. she actually likes me. moniwa, write this down. mark the calendar. this is the greatest day in human history.”

​“get back to practice, futakuchi!” moniwa yelled from across the gym, though he was smiling.

​futakuchi didn’t let go. if anything, he squeezed you tighter, resting his chin on your shoulder and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the side of your neck that sent shivers racing down your spine.

​“y/n said i can stay right here for the next twenty years,” he announced to the gym, his smugness returning at full force now that the panic had subsided. “it’s a new school regulation. direct order from the top. anyone who tries to pull us apart is committing treason.”

​you rolled your eyes, wrapping your arms around his broad back and hugging him right back. “i definitely didn’t say that.”

​“there she goes again,” he sighed happily, nuzzling your cheek. “the gaslighting is just endless. but god, i love it when you take charge.”

n: futakuchi’s so fine but i still want to strangle him sometimes.

kenji’s taglist

@cvntyandfasionable @averys-place @anzuuhoshi @rabbitcola @forgottensniper @katzline @michexoxo @han0vyc @depressinglyobsessed @ghostwifeyy @crystal-lilac @wensurr @suha-reads @olliesoxenfree @fiannee @eri0-0 @lazyruinsperson @sh0dor1 @palanggaaa @kuroofangirl67 @n1koolya @jjunnixzz @misasprout @estelleythegreat @thelittleshinybubble @oikawashairline @thebrokeperson101 @nigelology @shugochar

© showhay — don’t copy nor translate without my permission. i do not own any of the photos that i have used. credits to all the rightful owners !

“I was thinking of getting some flowers for my mom, but I don’t know which ones,” he thought out loud one day, sitting on the bench after a game with their municipal volleyball team. Aone was drinking from his water bottle and nodded for him to continue. “What’s your sister’s favourite flower?”

Aone eyed him for a second before shaking his head, making Futakuchi feel quite sheepish.

“Who’s your sister bringing to that family thing you guys had? She never talked about going on any dates, right?”

Aone sighed and shrugged, not particularly updated on your love life and preferring to eat his lunch in peace.

“Your sister just opened her new cafe! I happened to walk by this morning. Maybe we should go there, show our support.”

Aone pinned Futakuchi with a stern look and pointed down the street. “You should go.”

Futakuchi couldn’t believe the blunt answer and just sounded an awkward squeak in response.

“I’m not stupid,” Aone mumbled.

“Could I get a double burger and a large soda?”

You rolled your eyes and chuckled affectionately, putting the lid on a cup for a finished order as you turned around. A chuckle, Futakuchi thought, that’s not enough. “I thought you two might come around soon with some ridiculous order-“

As your eyes found a lone Futakuchi with a cheeky smile, you leaned silently to the side to check that your tall brother wasn’t hiding behind his friend. “It’s just me.”

Without answering, you walked to the end of the counter to hand off the order to the waiting customer, telling them to have a great day before moving back to the register where he waited. “I didn’t think you liked coffee.”

You spoke politely, with a soft smile that made Futakuchi crave more, greedily. “Wait,” he said, feigning surprise and putting his hands on the counter so he could lean over and look around the station. “You mean you actually don’t sell burgers here?”

A laugh slipped past you, but you covered your mouth. “Not many cafes do, I think.”

He smiled, cheeky as ever. “My bad. I got distracted.”

“Coward,” Aone grumbled into the phone the second Futakuchi picked up.

The brunette scoffed, making sure it rang clearly. “I’m working on it!”

“You spent an hour bothering her at work and still didn’t ask her out.”

“I’d like to think I was good company, anyway,” Futakuchi argued, exasperated but knowing he couldn’t argue much with Aone. If anyone stunted his attitude, it was his best friend.

“You get one week, and then I‘ll tell Koganegawa to shoot his shot.”

Futakuchi stared at the phone in his hand, which beeped rhythmically.

“That bastard hung up on me,” he whispered to himself in disbelief. The audacity.

Meanwhile, Aone was smiling as he hummed and watered his plants. It’s fun to instigate some drama every once in a while.

Futakuchi Kenji was not a coward.

But as of late, he sure was a simp.

As he entered your cafe, his breath hitched hearing you laugh well at something another customer said, waving your hand as if they had you laughing for hours.

“Y/n,” Futakuchi said, just loud enough that he was sure to get your attention, but not so loud that he would be yelling. “What’s up?”

You cleared your throat and wished the funny customer goodbye before moving to the register. Futakuchi sent the customer a look in passing before giving you his usual mischievous smile. “Back again?” you asked, smiling sweetly like you didn’t have his heart in a chokehold.

“Enough with the applause, I’m just a normal guy,” he cooed, as if paparazzi were snapping photos when he made his way to you. He leaned on the counter to be even closer as you laughed and almost let his eyes fall closed to enjoy it. “Everything alright here?” he asked instead.

You nodded, looking over the tables filled with the miscellaneous students, gossipers and business folks. “I’d say it’s perfect.” Your eyes travelled back to his again. “Now that you’re here too.”

Not many people could make Futakuchi blush. He looked down as if that would hide it when his ears were just as red. “That’s good.”

You tilted your head. “Can I get you anything?”

“A normal coffee and…” He leaned back up on his hands. “And a date.”

To say you were surprised… would be a lie. Your brother was not always the most subtle. Still, you couldn’t stop smiling at the fact that he finally asked. You chuckled happily and nodded, tapping on the screen of the register.

“One coffee. How would you like the date?” you asked. Futakuchi felt the constricted air in his lungs finally escape and was replaced with butterflies waving around his stomach. The cheeky look was back on his face as he gestured to show he was thinking about it.

“There’s a fair out by the beach? Friday night, if you’d like that.”

With a decisive nod, you agreed. “Perfect. I will get you your coffee now, then.”

“Thanks, pumpkin.”

He’s about 20 minutes late to work now, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

masterlist

You stifle a laugh at his groan as he grabs at his throbbing foot for but a second before continuing to squeeze through the large sum of people. Feeling his fingers slip on your puffer jacket, he wastes no time in practically yanking you forward, determined to not lose his grip, causing you to let out a yelp as your forehead collides with his shoulder. 

Rubbing at your forehead, you look up at the brunette, expecting him to at least mumble an apology, but are met with him simply eyeing overtop the crowd—likely to view where the crowd was the most scattered, he could see above most people after all—as if he didn’t just send you crashing headfirst into his surprisingly hard shoulder.

“Excuse me?” 

“Hm?”

“Don’t ‘hm?’ me! You could at least apologise for giving me permanent brain damage.” You make a point to hyperbolize the pain, as though it wasn’t already fading away. Only to be met with Futakuchi's index finger flicking at your forehead, just once, just enough for you to feel the graze of his (now dried) blood around his fingernail as it striked you. When did that happen?

“Don’t be ungrateful, you were the one begging me to come and help you survive this evening rush.” He said, attempting to sound annoyed, but the smirk on his face—now turned away—gave him away. Almost as if he was amused with the fact you wanted his presence so bad.

Not bothering to dignify him with a response, you decide to keep your mouth shut. Only speaking up after a few minutes of him incessantly adjusting his grip around your arm. “Are you planning on stopping anytime soon?”

“Don’t get mad at me cause you wore something that's impossible to grab on.” He said, making a point to adjust his grip with a little more fervor, making you roll your eyes.

You just barely manage to stop yourself from hitting his back upon noticing him suddenly halt at an emptier part of the mall. Just as you’re about to question him, he turns to face you, holding his hand out expectedly. “This’ll be easier.” 

Lowering your gaze to his open palm, you struggle to miss the clear calluses and bruising stretched from his fingers, all the way down to the end of his palm. Making you wince instinctively, almost in pity.

Futakuchi, however, pays it little mind, already so used to seeing his hands dirtied up. He raises an eyebrow and holds his hand out a little closer to you. “Well? Let's get a move on.” He probes, letting out an exasperated sigh at your silence.

Your fingers twitch at your sides, though you’re unsure why. Probably out of discomfort, yeah, definitely. It’d be uncomfortable to hold his hands, probably.

As you shake your head, Futakuchi cocks his head to the side, confused. “What? Is there a problem?”

“Nope, but I just… don’t feel like holding hands.”

That makes him let out a heavy groan. “Well I don’t feel like grabbing on your arm for dear life and having to adjust my grip every two seconds, this’ll be easier.” 

“No thanks.” You smile innocently.

“You know we’re gonna lose each other in this crowd,” he says peremptorily, a deadpanned expression plastered across his face. “I’d also rather not have to file a lost child report so—”

His words get cut short—or perhaps you simply don’t get to hear them with how a stampede of people suddenly dart between the two of you, and while you don’t recall consciously moving your feet, the next moment you get a moment to breathe, you’re in a part of the mall you can safely say you don’t recognise. At all. Leaving you with just your phone.

It takes him a good fifteen minutes to find you based on your rather vague description of your surroundings, and a lecture that was hard to take seriously when coming from him.

The dried blood around his fingernail is still there.

You wonder if it hurts Futakuchi when he spikes a ball. Such force slamming against a hard surface can’t be beneficial to his already prevalently callused palm.

Though it’s only when you watch his hand gliding through the air to stick onto his hip as he regards you, do you realise you’ve stopped paying attention to your homework.

But as you swiftly lower your eyes to the textbook resting atop your knees, pages only still spread open by your non dominant hand splayed across the middle of it does your focus shift away once more.

Almost as if expecting something, you squeeze the aforementioned hand into a fist, releasing it after a moment. Nothing. Is that the case for Futakuchi too? Even with the new bruise you (shamefully) had instantly noticed blooming across his index finger the moment you walked into the gym today?

“Yoohoo, anyone home?” You hadn’t even noticed his approach until he began flailing his uninjured hand in front of your face. Though, you’re not sure if you could call it uninjured, not with the calluses clearly visible on his palm, and with the gauze he’d applied yesterday after a nasty block binding his ring and middle finger together.

Snapping your eyes away from his fingers, you meet his gaze sharply. “What?”

He shrugs, crouching in front of you as his forearms lean on his knees. “Nothing, you were just staring off into space, and I’m gonna need your homework answers, so it benefits me if you get your work done.” He simpered.

You roll your eyes, flicking his forehead in the same manner you recalled him doing to you back at the mall a few days ago, only in this case, your index finger is completely fine. “Do your own work.”

“I’m kidding,” he drawled, mimicking the way you rolled your eyes in an overexaggerated manner. “You know I do my own work.” Not missing your raised eyebrow he sighed. “Most of the time.”

Giggling, your hand instinctively comes up to your mouth as you do, the textbook on your knees bouncing by the action as he laughs in tandem.

The two of you are only pulled away from the situation as Kogenegawa calls out ‘captain!’ in the endearing, lost puppy manner he’d always had. Causing Futakuchi to perk up, glancing back at the court as he stands up and jogs back on the court.

You don’t miss the way his bruised finger was tucked as he waved goodbye to you.

Similarly to how he doesn’t miss you mimic him, your index finger curling into the edge of the page of your textbook, though he found it hard to tell whether or not it was a conscious effort on your part.

As you approach the night market side by side with Aone, your eyes immediately find Futakuchi’s, and you can’t help but notice the way he almost instantly looked away, opting to breathe into his clasped hands.

He’s wearing gloves, leaving the state of his palms a total mystery, and you can’t help but frown as your fingers dig deeper into the pockets of your coat. You forgot your gloves, having left in such a hurry.

“You guys finally made it.” Futakuchi finally says as the two of you draw closer to the rest of the team, snow crunching beneath your guys’ feet. Straightening up, Futakuchi places his hands on his hips, though he only looks at Aone as he speaks. “Took you long enough.”

Aone simply bows his head silently as a way to apologise, the beanie on his head slipping into his eyes for a moment. But you don’t notice, eyes fixed on Futakuchi. Especially his gloved hands.

Eyes narrowing, you can’t help but wonder if he’d moisturised his hands that laid beneath the thick, knitted gloves on his hands. The cold weather could crack the many calluses atop them.

A crystallined snowflake landing on the bridge of your nose jolts you out of your thoughts, just enough to process the fact Sakunami was speaking to you, though his words barely reached you. As if he was underwater. 

Something about heading further into the festival, and the way he tilted his head to the side made it lucid that he was asking a question.

Not wanting to ask him to repeat himself, you simply nod—your frigid lips brushing against the inside of your scarf—and by a stroke of luck, you seem to have answered appropriately, with the way the others smile and begin making their way towards the bustle of the crowd.

Not wanting to be left behind, you quicken your steps, just enough to be close enough in the team's vicinity as you walk behind the rest of them, shrouded in your own thoughts.

You never noticed the way Futakuchi’s eyes would look back to get a glimpse of you and your lack of gloves, made apparent by the slither of your wrist sticking out from your pocket, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked away before anyone would spot him.

Were you really that interested in his hands?

That's the question that popped in your head as your feet absentmindedly carried you along the sides of the market, bathed in warm lighting and engulfed in lively chatter. Though those all slipped to the back of your mind when you lifted your head.

Breathing out, a small cloud of breath vapour fading into the air as quickly as it came. You find your eyes on the back of Futakuchi's head.

‘No, I’m not interested.’ You remind yourself, eyes squeezed shut as you shake your head hard enough for passersby to glance in your direction, puzzled. But you don’t notice, or care as you open your eyes once more, eyes trained on his brown hair, twinkling warmly as small snowflakes fall from it, his ears tinted red from what you presume to be the cold.

Lowering your stare, you stick a hand out from one of your pockets. Your fingers had gone red, and your nails brittle. It reminded you of him, admittedly. The mere comparison bringing a flush to your cheeks that hadn’t a thing to do with the cold weather.

Curious, you find yourself curling the trembling fingers into an experimental fist, at which you wince, biting your bottom lip just hard enough that a coppery taste floods into your mouth. How could he manage something like that on the daily?

You attempt to bring your eyes to his gloved hands, but your view is obstructed by the other guys walking between the two of you. But as your eyes land on one ungloved hand, you raise an eyebrow. 

His is just as damaged as Futakuchi’s, bruises, cracked calluses, and gauze decorated his hand. In fact, his is even worse than you’ve ever seen Futakuchi’s.

The revelation hits you like a bucket of ice cold water, how come you’d never noticed? You were hanging around the team constantly, yet you only seemed to notice when Futakuchi had knuckles split and bloodied from some careless, sudden move, causing them to scab and bleed, scab again, healing in time, only for the cycle to repeat.

You find yourself incapable of looking anymore, instead you just watch your feet carry across the heavy snow, dipping gently under your steps as the warm lamps colouring it made it seem more like the glistening stars overhead.

You don’t notice how there are far less recognisable footsteps ahead of you, or the way you still hadn’t returned your hand to your pocket, the cold air biting at the skin slowly fading purple as it stayed by your side firmly. Quivering like an autumn leaf desperately clinging to a tree in the harshest of weathers.

Not until you feel a gloved hand grab at your shoulder from behind. Harsh, gentle, and recognisable all at once. Enough to make your head turn expectedly for a familiar face.

And what a familiar face it is when you crane your neck to find a familiar pair of brown eyes and sideswept hair, dusted with snow. “What’re you doing?” Futakuchi asks, an eyebrow cocked.

You blink, your hand pointing ahead, where the rest of the team was. “Following you guys.” You say, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world as you turn your head back around to look at the crowd, only to find the team gone. Wait, where did they go? When did Futakuchi even get behind you?

“We all wanted to go to different stalls, so we left in pairs. You dummy.” He flicks at your forehead again, the same finger from last time. Only this time the pain is minimised from his knitted gloves covering his hand. 

“Oh.” You say, batting his hand away as you look to the side, bashful at your own absentmindedness and you can already hear the croak in your voice before you even speak. “I didn’t re—” 

“—Realise? I can tell.” He sighs, pulling his hand away from your shoulder. 

“You’ve been so lost in thought ever since you got here,” he comments, of course he noticed. “And you’re the one who’s been looking forward to this the most.”

You huff, digging your hand back into your pocket now that you felt the biting air against it. “Didn’t realise you were such a worrywart.” You tease.

“Usually you’re always nagging when we take too long—reminding us about how we need to get a good spot for the fireworks before they’re all taken.” He states, a finger pointing at the sky.

“And my opinion still stands.”

“Well they’re starting in fifteen minutes.”

“Huh—?” You furrow your eyebrows, mouth agape. 

Were you really zoned out for that long?

As if suddenly immune to the cold, one of your hands flies up to your mouth, aghast. “Why didn’t you say something earlier! We’ll never get a good spot now!” You exclaim as you look over the surroundings, your other hand raising to grab his wrist. Not his hand. 

Hearing him snicker, you turn back to him with a frown. “This isn’t funny!”

He shook the wrist you held, your grasp loosening before soon enough falling to your side once more as he placed a hand on your head, mockingly. “Don’t worry, for I—the amazing, incredible, and devastatingly handsome Futakuchi—have already secured a spot. The rest of the team is waiting there.” 

Letting out a sigh of relief, you smack his chest lightly. “Gosh Futakuchi, you scared me!”

“I know.” He smiles.

You attempt to maintain your angry facade, but the way he’s smiling so boyishly at you makes you unable to stay angry at him. 

Acting as if he won a prize, his gaze softens before he begins to slip his gloves off of his fingers, making your eyebrows furrow. “What’re you doing? It’s cold—”

“Your fingers are turning purple.” He comments bluntly, a smirk on his face before slipping off the other one as well.

Your eyes widen at his statement, looking down at your tremoring fingers, the tips already dusted a faint violet. “Oh!” Your hands fly to return to your coat pockets, but his fingers curl around both of your wrists, stopping you.

His fingers are cracked and cold. You can tell just by the feeling.

Shaking your head, you giggle. “Come on Futakuchi, it's just ‘cause they’ve been out of my pockets so long.” You attempt to reason, but his unamused expression makes you shut up.

“Yeah, but do you want to have your hands in your pockets this whole time? Besides, you want to record the fireworks, don’t you?” He says, releasing one of your wrists to line a glove up with one of your hands.

Too cold—and impatient—to argue, you allow him to slip the glove over your hand with a heavy sigh. “What about you?” You ask, glancing down at his hands.

You find it weird to acknowledge, but it feels a lot more like him when you’re able to view the various damages littered over both of his hands as opposed to when they’re concealed.

He shrugs at your question. “I’ll be fine.” He says before a warmth abruptly engulfs one of your hands as he moves to put the second glove on the other one. The frigidness melting out of your skin, the heat seemingly stretching to your cheeks while you watch his fingers flex as he rushes to put the other glove on.

Once both of your hands have been sufficiently covered, he smiles. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” You breathe, bringing your scarf up higher to hide your grin.

You don’t even realise how long you’ve been standing there until you notice his scarf swaying as he moves to step closer to you, his hand stretched out, palm up. Close enough for you to see the cracked calluses (so he didn’t moisturise them) and bruises covering it. “The fireworks are gonna start soon.” He reminds you. Though the words barely reach you as you scan the outlines of each blemish and injury on his open palm and splayed out fingers.

You wonder why your chest blooms with warmth as you look up at his face, breath vapour fanning from his mouth. Your silence causes a smirk to tug at his lips (and a blush he’d blame on the cold if asked about) as he gives you a onceover.

Flipping his hair with his spare hand dramatically, he chuckles. “Listen, I know I said I’m so very handsome and charming, not to mention way better than the mediocre fireworks you’re so eager for,” he drawls, looking down at you through his eyelashes, “but we should get going.”

Letting out an amused huff, you roll your eyes. “You never said you were charming.”

He blinks. “Yes I did.” 

“No you didn’t.”

“What did I say then?”

“You’re amazing, incredible, and devastatingly handsome.” You answer with ease, batting your eyelashes in an exaggerated manner as your voice raises an octave obnoxiously.

“Wow, how sweet of you. I know I am, but what an honour it is to hear from your lips.” Futakuchi teases, seemingly rejuvenated, making you realise you’d only fallen for his trap.

Just as you’re about to huff, he leans in a little closer, holding his hand out a little more insistingly. “In all seriousness, glad to know you pay so much attention to what I say.” He says, voice smooth as his pupils dance, looking within yours.

Your mouth falls open in an attempt to retort his ridiculous claim, but no words manage to escape as you come to the realisation that it really isn’t that ridiculous.

It’s completely, wholeheartedly true.

And that's the w̶o̶r̶s̶t̶ best part.

Moving his face away from yours, he raises his hand to take its place. A cheery smile on his face, “Come on.” He says, his voice so casual yet inviting all the same. You want to drown in it.

Suppressing a smile, you look back down at your own hand—specifically the glove layering it—with a curious glint in your eye. If you took his hand now, there’d be no direct contact. You wouldn’t feel the calluses, the roughness of his hand, his cold fingers between yours.

That would be good.

No, that should be good.

Right?

And yet, you can't help yourself from quickly taking it off of your hand, reintroducing your hand to the winter air once more, it’s freezing, painful, and aches for nothing more than to go back into the warm chasm it was trapped in before, and it's clear Futakuchi agrees with it, opening his mouth—likely to question your ridiculous action—before the sensation of your fingers, intertwining with his, befalls him.

And for once, he’s the one looking at your hand. A slow, genuine smile creeps onto his features as he looks back in your eyes and tugs you a little closer to him. “Well?”

“Let’s get going, then.” You smile, squeezing his hand, and you have to hold yourself back from giggling as he reciprocates the action.

His hands are callused, dry, and cracked. And they fit perfectly in yours.