thoughtformed | Closed Log

Entry tags:

Closed Log

Who: Sheska and Koizumi
What: plans, dinner, panic, dating
Where: the police station and Sheska's apartment
When: Tuesday, July 9th
Warnings: cuteness may ensue

Now that school was out, Koizumi finds himself working at the police station nearly every waking moment that he isn't busy with Kyon or Haruhi. It's hard work, and most of his fellow officers are definitively not people he would have normally chosen to spend time with, which doesn't make the job any easier.

Nevertheless, he manages to come in to work every day, not just with a smile on his face, but a genuine smile. And the reason for that is because the first person he sees when he walks in the door - as well as the last person he sees before he leaves for the day - is almost always Sheska, greeting him brightly and optimistically, with a smile to rival one of his on her face. It's not really something he's considered, but it makes his day considerable brighter, to have that smile to look forward to, both coming into work and in the middle of his shift. Even the days she's not working, he's encouraged by the thought of the smile she would be wearing when he walks in.

So it is that Koizumi enters the police station at 6 in the morning, a wide smile on his face as he greets the receptionist.

"Good morning, Sheska-kun. How are you today?"

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"Ah! Certainly!" She returns his smile with a certain amount of relief, and glances down at the happy dog spread across her friend's knees. "...Stay there a moment - I'll get them." In a few minutes she's knelt beside the coffee table and spread ten different boxes across it. Romantic comedies, adventure epics, a nature documentary, two children's animated features and something that might be a horror movie but looked like historical fiction - she organizes them into categories without even thinking about it, much more sure of herself now that she isn't tripping over her own tongue. "There! See anything you're particularly interested in?"

He visibly ponder them for a while, before pulling out the nature documentary and one of the animated children's features. "One of these two, I think.

Would you do the honors, Sheska-kun?"

He... actually was interested in the documentary? She'd mostly picked it up for her own watching over the course of the week, but he actually wanted to maybe see it? R-really? Was that a thing other people did? Other people than her, obviously, but she didn't really count herself among the masses. Less because she was special and more because she wasn't worthy of being a member. But there it was.

She blinks at him, a shy, wondering smile pulling at her lips, and slowly stacks the other movies to set aside. She's curious about the colorful little ponies, but... Perhaps they ought to go with something more intellectual.

"Well, I hadn't really expected anyone else to be interested in this, to be honest... ah... Would you really like to watch it?"

There had to have been enough people interested in it to make the movie in the first place, Sheska - you can't be the only one interested. Koizumi's stomach twists in a weird - though not entirely unpleasant - way at Sheska's shy smile, though nothings shows through to his mirroring smile.

"Certainly. Nature is a fascinating mistress, and... well, I find I get enough of action and adventure - of fiction, I suppose - in my life here on the island.

Admiring the intricacies and beauties of creation, on the other hand, is something I could stand to do more of."

She nods, snagging the disc and scooting over to slide it into the DVD player. "I should really take the time out to go walking in the woods or something. It looks beautiful out there. I've only been once."

No subtitles, in English, one episode, not the three per disc...

"Would you care for something to drink while we watch?"

"It is very beautiful. Perhaps we could walk out there together sometime. Besides which, it's been a while since I've visited Aisling."

He debates saying anything, but if they were going to have a real discussion about the topic, which they would both enjoy...

"Actually, would you mind if we put the Japanese subtitles on, if they have them? My English is fairly good, but I'm afraid to say that this is likely to be a little too scholarly and specific for my vocabulary.

Ah, I would, thank you. Do you have coffee?"

Edited 2013-07-13 07:19 (UTC)

"Oh!" She immediately backtracked and turned on the subtitles. "I didn't realize! Your English is so good, I didn't even think about it. How careless of me. I'm sorry! Yes, of course that's all right. Here, um, why don't you start and I'll go get us something to drink. Is dark roast all right?"

Mortified, she stood and handed him the remote, ready to flee into the kitchen as soon as she had his answer.

He lets out something of a breathless laugh at Sheska's immediate chagrin, smiling up at her genially. "Please don't worry about it, Sheska-kun. Really, sometimes I almost forget myself.

Dark roast sounds splendid."

Nodding uncertainly, she vanishes off into the kitchen to clatter about with the little one-pot coffee machine and tea kettle. While things brew, she prepares a snack tray, too, to keep her hands busy - homemade cookies of two or three types, some hard candies, sugar, sweetener, milk... is she forgetting anything? Ah! There's the kettle! A mug of tea for her, and a large mug of fresh coffee for her guest. Onto the tray they go, and she's back out in the living room, settling on the bit of the couch not occupied by a large, blissfully happy dog.

"There..."

By the time Sheska returns, Koizumi has his arms spread out on the back of the couch and is watching with undisguised interest at the documentary. He glances at her when she comes back in, and gives her a grateful smile at the smell of freshly brewed coffee, accepting the cup with his far hand. "Ah, thank you very much, Sheska-kun."

Sheska finds she can smile more sincerely again, less worried, seeing him so relaxed and engaged. Crossing her ankles, she doctors her tea and tunes in to the program. It isn't long until she's entranced, watching and absorbing... Later she'd have to re-watch this and write out a transcript. Maybe even get someone to teach her how to take still pictures of some of the scenes. She could include them as illustrations! She had two books she was working on at the moment, but another wouldn't be too large a strain.

Slowly, over the course of the film, the tension and nerves that always wrapped her eased off. Her shields came down. Her smiles and excitement became more and more genuine. Somehow she so rarely found a reason to worry when Koizumi was around. His very presence was soothing. She unconsciously wound up shifting when Rook finally took himself off the couch, sitting so that she could swing her legs up sideways onto the couch. It put her perhaps rather closer to her guest than was strictly appropriate, but Sheska was a very tactile person and she'd been mostly bereft of close physical contact for so long...

The night with Rudy had simply underscored that lack in her life. She'd tried to withdraw again to a more reasonable distance after she'd woken up to find him gone. But it hadn't been easy. With someone so gentle and calm and, well, obliging as Koizumi, it didn't seem such a transgression. And he didn't seem to mind.

As Sheska returns and the move progresses, Koizumi discovers - much to his surprise and enjoyment - that he is actually able to relax his barriers, the facade and persona that he wears constantly. It was a safety measure, for Haruhi and thus the entire world - but Haruhi isn't there. It's just Sheska, and he can't imagine any way that Sheska would endanger things by knowing that he was a little more real, had more personality than he would appear to have on the surface. Watching this film with Sheska is genuinely enjoyable, and it shows.

He makes occasional comments during the film, sharing insights as to the topic, or - even more occasionally - jokes regarding it. The content and conversation is stimulating - how long has it been since he's had a genuine intellectual conversation with someone, spurred by nothing but mutual interest, with no dangers or barriers involved? - but the real treat is when he can make Sheska laugh. He doesn't know what it is about it, but hearing that laugh makes him infinitely happier and more at ease - while at the same time he feels a fluttering sensation in his stomach. He dismisses it, his attention focused on the film.

He looks down at her at one point to make a comment, and is surprised to realize that she is right next to him, actually leaning against him. For some reason he cannot seem to fathom, he momentarily freezes at her proximity, while his stomach starts twisting into even more unlikely shapes. Luckily, she is absorbed with the documentary, and doesn't notice his lapse. He stares at her for a several moments longer, just noticing the brightness and intensity of her expression, and the feeling of her pressing up against him.

He turns back to the film, his original comment forgotten, but the hint of a true and happy smile curling around his lips. His lets his arm falls a little, wrapping around her shoulder. He isn't really sure what this is, between the two of them, but surprisingly, he feels no impulse to immediately figure it out. Whatever it is, it feels... comfortable.

Having an attentive companion to watch the documentary with made it so much better - and she would have enjoyed it on her own anyway! He's just as smart as she suspected, pulling out snippets of information and making intuitive leaps that she wouldn't have made on her own. Sheska needs to do more research, but she makes a private bet that he's right in most, if not all, of the particulars. And he's funny! She can't remember having been able to laugh so freely since the last time she spent the day baking with the Once-ler.

She actually feels comfortable enough to share some of her own insights and surprise. Koizumi knows how insecure she is and how strongly criticism affects her. He wouldn't make fun of her. Not even the sort of gentle fun that Sirius teased her with sometimes. He might even find what she had to say interesting!

By the time the credits began rolling, she is regretting not having a second one to put in, but it's getting late, and they haven't eaten yet. She stirs with a soft sigh and levers herself up off the couch to go collect the disc and put it away.

"Would you like to eat? I'm a little hungry," she confesses, smiling sheepishly.

While the film is fascinating, the repartee with Sheska - with both of them adding their own ideas and insights - is moreso. They occasionally go off on tangents, and build off of ideas that aren't, strictly speaking, directly related to the topic of the film - but they always make it back eventually, and even the tangents are enjoyable and compelling. For the span of a couple hours there, he completely forgets his troubles and the dangers of Haruhi, the police force, and the island. He is simply having a really good time with a friend. The past and the future can wait.

He stretches, languid and graceful - almost catlike - when the movie finishes and she gets up. "That would be lovely, Sheska-kun. I've become quite hungry myself." He's absolutely starving - he hadn't eaten a lot, and it had been a long day - though he hadn't realized how hungry he was until the movie was over.

Edited 2013-07-14 06:36 (UTC)

Oh... She wishes she could move like that. It's a little embarrassingly eye-catching. Sheska is so routinely clumsy... Ah well. Not much she can do about it right now, and her guest is hungry! That is something she can solve! Her smile brightens and she perks up, getting to her feet.

"Come on, then!" She leads the way into the kitchen and starts setting serving dishes on the little table. "There are plates in the second cabinet on the right, and silverware in the drawer, if you wouldn't mind..." Cold food, all of it. Maybe she should quickly find another recipe and do something warm as well. She just hopes he'll like this. Maybe it'll make him homesick. Maybe he never cared for food from home. Maybe--

He follows her into the kitchen, immediately moving to help. "Of course, Sheska-kun." He goes about setting the table and getting things ready. A smile curves around the edges of his lips when he notices both that she seemed to have done her best to make several Japanese dishes, and simply how much she prepared.

It's not as if he's surprised - it is Sheska, after all, he had predicted that she would go above and beyond - but that doesn't stop it from being incredibly nice and thoughtful of her.

As if reading the direction of her thoughts, Koizumi immediately comments to forestall her insecurities as she starts bringing out the food, smiling brilliantly at her. "Sheska-kun, I must say, you really have outdone yourself. Rice balls, agebitashi, and hiyashi chuka! You certainly know how to make me feel right at home."

Oh. Oh! He... He liked it? She had started to curl in on herself, but his praise had her opening up again, bright and happy, just like when she gave the correct answer in his class. "I have a few sets of chopsticks in the drawer as well, if you'd prefer," she offers. "I can't use them very well myself, but that's no reason you shouldn't if you'd like!" Leaving the sandwiches and vegetable tray in the fridge, then... The fruit might still be nice, though. There! She rattles off the different types of drinks, provides what he'd like, gets herself a drink and... Everything was ready.

It was a friendly affair, starting out with questions about Japan and his home there and some of the food-related research she'd done. She was particularly fascinated by the language and how one pronounced things, and wrote them down. At one point she sighs and remarks that she would love to learn how to write and read Japanese - it looks similar to one of the languages at home, but she never had time to study it herself. Only the translations.

He graciously accepts her offer of chopsticks - Americanized, but better than nothing. He's glad to see that his appreciation has shown through enough to get her to open up and smile again. It was a delicate thing, that smile, easy to suppress or shatter - but that simply made it more precious.

He answers her questions cheerfully, openly, and in depth, giving examples and telling stories. He's hit with a pang of sorrow and guilt as his past and memories hit him full force, his walls partially down - he doesn't know if that world even exists anymore, and if it doesn't it might be his fault. He hides it easily, enough, though - despite that, he's having a good time. And whether or not it was there anymore, they were good memories.

"I could teach you some Japanese if you like, Sheska-kun. I already have plans to practice it with one of the newer arrivals to the island, and teaching you would certainly challenge me to extend my knowledge of English."

Fascinated by his stories and enthusiastic about exploring tangents when he'll let her, Sheska is excited to hear about anything and everything from food to activities to technology to school to hobbies and play. But it's fairly clear that language, stories, literature and history are her favorite subjects. The possibility that he'll teach her Japanese brings her bolt upright with a brilliant smile to echo one of his own, practically vibrating with energy.

"Really? You would? Ah~ That would be wonderful! Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble? I'd hate to cut into your free time. You don't have much of it, it seems, and you should have a chance to relax, honestly."

"I'm quite sure, Sheska-kun." Sheska's joy and enthusiasm are charming and precious, and they overpower any guilt or sorrow that had been conjured by thoughts of home. Koizumi is left smiling and laughing and feeling more genuinely happy than he has in a long while.

"If the last couple hours have been any indication, almost any time spent with you will be relaxing, regardless of how we spend it." A couple moments after he says it, he blinks, thinking about what he just said. He hadn't seemed to really think about it before he said it, but now that he does think about it... it's actually true. It is a strange feeling, and unlike him. He is supposed to be the distant one, enigmatic and aloof - the one who keeps the balance. What does this mean?

The answer comes to him easily, as if he's known it for a while, and has simply stopped himself from realizing it. He likes her.

He blinks a couple more times in surprise. Oh. Oh, dear. He really likes her? As in, likes her likes her? ...yes. Yes, he does.

Well, that makes things... complicated. Now that he's reached that conclusion, it's too easy to confirm, thinking back on his reactions to her all evening, and the way he had spoken or acted simply to see her smile and hear her laugh. The flowers he had bought her, just because she's so cute when she gets all flustered. It's obvious, in retrospect.

He actually freezes for a moment, not sure what to do with this new information and awareness. So he likes her. That's not ideal, but it's not a complete disaster. It won't be hard not to mention...

Wait. Wait. Could she like him too? 'Impossible', is his first instinct, but thinking back on her smile and her laughter, her leaning up against him during the documentary, and just how relaxed she was being around him, possibly moreso than he's ever seen her before... evidence suggests that she might. Add in her current fascination and enthusiasm over his examples and stories, and how intent she'd been on his conversation earlier, he might even move that to 'likely'.

He sits there another moment, stunned, as he realizes that for once, there's absolutely no reason he shouldn't ask her out. The only people he's ever liked before have been unreachable, as gods while he was a mere mortal. Literally, in one case.

So he likes Sheska, she might like him, and there was nothing stopping him from asking her out? He sits a moment as all this runs through his head, quietly panicking.

Edited 2013-07-15 18:42 (UTC)

Sheska laughs, a blush creeping into her face again at the compliment, not-so-secretly elated that he'd even consider the option of teaching her, let alone actually find this whole thing enjoyable. "Th-thank you... You know, if you need another chance to just relax, I'm sure we could do this again sometime. Everything gets so tense at the office sometimes..."

Heeee isn't listening. But she had spent enough time around brilliant people in Central to know when a glazed look meant 'I've had a pivotal idea and am thinking it through' rather than 'Sheska you've talked too much just shut up'. Well. Mostly she knew the difference. This looks like the former, though, so she waits, head tilted slightly to one side. Finally she leans forward and stretches a hand across the table to lightly touch his knuckles. "Koizumi?"

Koizumi is extraordinarily cool-headed. He isn't really the sort to panic in any situation - he'd been calm and composed and cracking jokes when Haruhi had been on the verge of destroying the old world and creating a new one, in the middle of a literal Armageddon. But his life has been dedicated to protecting Haruhi and the world since age thirteen, so despite his charming personality, he has absolutely zero experience with a relationship of any sort.

He is therefore completely unprepared for the panic that takes him when he discovers his current situation - how hard it is to think, how scared he suddenly is to say anything. Is he afraid of rejection? Or perhaps he's afraid she'll say yes? He inwardly laughs a little hysterically at himself when he realizes that either way, he'd have no idea what to do. Everything is too confused, he can't figure it out.

Then Sheska's hand touches his and jolts him back to the present. Damn. She'd been speaking, and he's been completely ignoring her. He should apologize.

An abrupt calm takes over. He looks Sheska in the eyes, then gives her a small, gentle, sincere smile. Instead of apologizing, with no prior thought or premeditation, he mildly asks, "Sheska-kun, may I court you?"

Oh, there he was; awareness of his surroundings came back into his face, and then he speaks. Only the words he says don't make any sense. Not that they aren't real words. Individually they're all definite words, but the way he's strung them together don't seem to make a realistic sentence.

Sheska is left blinking, staring in complete bafflement. "I..." What? Ok, take this one word at a time. There were only five of them, it couldn't be that hard.

The idea finally sinks in with dramatic and visible results.

She yelps, going immediately and brightly pink, eyes wide and muscles suddenly stiff. Unsure what precisely she was going to say, she opens her mouth, but even if she had known, she was stuttering so badly that she couldn't actually have gotten anything meaningful out anyway. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shakes her head vehemently and swallows heavily, trying to regain mastery over her tongue.

"I-I'm f-flattered, sir, r-really, I... A-are you f-feeling okay? I d-don't..." she stammers, unable to meet his eyes and retreating in on herself in confusion. "I d-don't understand, i-is the island d-doing something again? I-I should check the N-Network..."

Edited (jiminy christmas...) 2013-07-16 02:42 (UTC)

Oh. Well... that fairly effectively answers the question. She isn't interested. Having regained his composure, Koizumi remains calm and collected, though he feels a sinking sensation in his stomach. Of course she doesn't like him that way. He should have trusted his instincts in this. Resigning himself to his usual position in relationships, he fervently hopes that he did not just ruin his friendship with Sheska.

He immediately attempts damage control, trying to mitigate the fallout of his idiotic question. However, though he could easily get by and have things go back to normal by blaming it on the island, he does not. However it affects their relationship, she deserves the truth in this. "Forgive me, Sheska-san. I spoke inappropriately." The abrupt shift in honorifics is pronounced, though he fails to notice it himself.

"It isn't the island. I just realized my feelings for you, and spoke without thinking. I understand that you're not interested. My apologies."

Edited 2013-07-16 02:47 (UTC)

She flinches at the sudden honorific, and looks up, woefully dismayed. Waving her hands apologetically, she almost reaches for him before pulling back hesitantly. What on earth does a person do in this situation? "Oh n-no, no, th-that's not it at all! I... I don't... Ah, this is a lot to process. It isn't... I've never... Um."

She's with Rudy! Sort of. Maybe? They haven't spoken much since that night, and that was over a week ago, and she doesn't really know what to think anyway and... Koizumi is younger than her, but so much more mature than most people his age, and he... he actually likes her? She likes him, that's certain, but... She never thought it was even an option! How do you even put this in words?

"I-It's not that I'm not interested... e-exactly. Um. I... I'm sort of... seeing someone at the moment? I think? A-and it's a surprise! I-I mean, I've never been-- Popularity was n-never one of my traits, and I... I'm not... I never thought - never dreamed - that there might be..."

She stops and shakes her head again. "I-I'm sorry. I'm not explaining this well at all. Um... I really am very flattered, and I... I l-like you. I'm blown away a-and this doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but... I really do like you. I just... C-can I think about it a little while?"

Maybe get some advice...

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