Title: Camellia
Date: February 12, 2015
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Hibi Chouchou characters.
Give this flower to the one who has taken your breath away. Enchanting and spellbinding. And Atohira was beginning to realize all the lovely qualities that made Shibazeki Suiren Takane no Hana. But the loveliest of all qualities was that she reminded him of someone else.

Pairing: Atohira x Suiren kind of… but totally shipping Atohira x Ichi

Warning: boy x boy because who can resist Atohira x Ichi?

Intro Note: Hi! So this is my first fic here (just in time for Valentine's?)… I'm crazy nervous especially since there aren't many fics in this category, which is surprising because Hibi Chouchou is such a popular manga. And I just had to write this fic the moment Atohira and Ichi were introduced and doing that whole tv on and off scene. Well, please enjoy this read!

Camellia

What was so good about Shibazeki Suiren?

Granted… she has a pretty face and a lovely voice.

… But that's about it, right?

And compared to that pitifully small list of 'good qualities', Atohira could think up of a hundred and more qualities that made her less endearing than her Takane no Hana nickname suggests. Because what was so cute about a girl who never smiles? She couldn't hold a proper conversation, and utterly fails as a member of a functional society with her speech impediment. Although, he couldn't imagine what they'd even converse about… she was about as dull as a doorknob. Besides, girls were troublesome…

But compared to yesterday and the day before, he found himself thinking about her more and more but a little less than he would tomorrow.

Because he had to wonder…

"Are you having a concussion?" He asked out of the blue, after sitting (more like butting in) at their customary table in the usual café.

And those pretty eyes blinked.

He didn't fight the urge to roll his eyes.

It wasn't just good manners to reply when being spoken to, but it was also basic human decency to at least acknowledge when someone is addressing you. She didn't seem like the snobbish type… and if she was just shy, then this was new levels of shyness that deserved to be addressed by a psychologist or a prescription of pills.

He turned towards her boyfriend, "What's so good about this girl?"

… And talk about another quiet one.

The pair sitting in front of him really were two birds of the same kind.

He didn't bother trying to suppress a worn out sigh before sipping away the rest of his sparkling lemonade. A nap would've been more productive than the fifteen minutes he spent sitting in this café. So it was a relief that ordering a drink and a small snack was 90 percent of the reason why he usually dropped by (the other ten percent was mainly to tease the younger Kawasumi).

"Well, see you around." He stood up and straightened out his high school blazer. And without a glance back, he turned towards the exit doors… but there was a small itching in the back of his head. And a faint seed of curiosity… So he angled his head the slightest, catching the smallest sight of the strawberry blonde haired girl.

And to his surprise, she was capable of smiling…

… at least in front of that little brat Kawasumi.

A breathtakingly beautiful smile…

And thoughts of his kouhai's pretty little girlfriend continued to slowly invade his mind.

And maybe she wasn't completely dull… not if he was just the tiniest bit interested.

But then again, she did have that whole speaking issue. Girls were generally troublesome… and she was undoubtedly one of the most troublesome girls he's ever encountered. Besides… he was certain that she would never smile towards him… at least not that smile.

The Kawasumi brothers were so alike, yet at the same time nothing alike.

They were both socially awkward… but they were different kinds of awkward. The younger Kawasumi tended to get weird and withdrawn around the female race, whilst the older Kawasumi tended to just be aloof towards everyone. They were both the serious type… but the younger Kawasumi had a certain innocence to his demeanour, whist the older Kawasumi just didn't bother with trivial things. It was fun teasing the younger Kawasumi… Kawasumi Ichi on the other hand was too straightforward to tease.

And Kawasumi Ichi was always blunt:

"What's wrong with you?"

He rolled over to face his best friend's bedroom wall rather than his best friend's broad back, the mattress always a little too firm for his liking yet the perfect level of comfort.

"Just thinking about gender roles."

There was silence, which Atohira greatly appreciated. And he knew that Ichi wouldn't question him further on this topic. The light haired brunet knew when to prod and when not to, and it felt like Ichi probably knew what was on his mind to begin with. The older Kawasumi's ability to understand him was unlike any other on this entire planet Earth.

"Wanna get curry?" … The older Kawasumi was a mind reader.

"Let's go."

"I like you."

And even though she said her name and introduced herself barely a minute ago, he just couldn't for the life of him remember her name. But giving her a look-over; he supposed that she was a fairly pretty girl… maroon red coloured hair, outgoing personality. But she really didn't stand out from any other redheaded girl with a cheerful temperament.

The only thing that really caught his eyes was her uniform… it was the same as that girl's.

The same navy coloured blazer and plaid skirt as that strawberry blonde haired girl's.

And he had to wonder… what was he looking for exactly?

What kind of girl would truly grab his attention entirely?

And he could picture her… Strange, because Shibazeki Suiren had very little qualities that he found enticing. She was just a pretty face… Yet at the same time there was something about her. Something that he didn't mind…

"Will you please be my boyfriend?"

… Oh right.

There was still this girl to deal with.

"I don't want a girlfriend right now." He replied bluntly, already taking a few steps away.

But he felt a tug against his sweater, "Are you really not interested in having a girlfriend?"

He had to admit that this one was pretty persistent.

It was troublesome.

Girls were troublesome.

"No, I don't want one." Did he have to spell it out? Besides… "Don't you like Kawasumi?"

"He's got nothing to do with me anymore…" She didn't look away. She wasn't just a stubborn girl, but also strong. But it didn't mean that she wasn't still troublesome…

"I only want to focus on karate right now."

And her grip on his sweater loosened.

Her hands dropped to her sides, "I'll cheer for you."

And he walked away.

"What's wrong with you?"

It was that same harshly candid question.

But he had to give it some thought… Although there wasn't much to consider since that particularly enchanting smile was the only thing that was haunting his thoughts these days. And unfortunately, that smile was extremely rare and only meant for that one person…

"Your brother's annoying." He finally replied.

And the older Kawasumi brother didn't bat an eye, "Cake?"

"I know a good café."

Atohira reasoned that he was stepping into the usual café for a good old fashioned milkshake. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had a habit of hanging out there with her friends after school. And it wasn't like she was always there whenever he was there. She could have left already… but there was a small chance. Not that that was the main reason why he decided to drop by in the first place.

And he didn't bother scanning the room.

She was there… sitting at the usual spot with that short haired friend of hers.

And he took a seat, immediately feeling the harsh glare of the strawberry blonde girl's friend.

He ignored the fierce scowl, "You're Suiren-chan right?"

And the pretty girl in front of him prettily blinked her pretty eyes.

"Can I call you Suiren-chan?" He asked aloud.

She was unresponsive.

"You're a mute?" He arched a brow.

And she shook her head.

Finally! At least now he knew for certain she wasn't deaf.

And he had to admit that he didn't hate sitting here. Sure, she was still troublesome… but he didn't mind it. And there was just something about her… Perhaps it was her quiet demeanour or the tranquil atmosphere that surrounded her. But sitting across from her almost felt like sitting across from-

"Atohira-kun." It was the younger Kawasumi brother.

He regarded his kouhai, "Don't make your girlfriend wait for you."

And a heavy blush covered the bespectacled teen's face, as well as Suiren's.

… Admittedly, she was more than cute.

As he stood up to leave, he glanced over at the younger Kawasumi feeling his grin widen.

"Suiren-chan, anytime you get bored waiting I won't mind talking to you." He gave the now trembling girl a wink.

The younger Kawasumi brother was blocking his path.

And he could feel his grin disappear.

… Seriously. These two were probably the most troublesome couple ever.

"Please refer to her as Shibazeki-san."

And teasing Kawasumi Kouha was one of the greater joys in life.

This was just too funny!

He laughed, "Are you in elementary school or something?"

But the younger Kawasumi held his ground, and it was kind of adorable… like a baby lion trying to roar for its first time.

"Whatever, whatever." He waved his kouhai aside, still unable to stop his laughter as he exited the café.

… But that rosy blush covering her face was a new expression that caught his interests.

He supposed that girls who were a little shy could be a good thing too.

And he realized that he never did order that good old fashioned milkshake.

"What's wrong with you?"

It was always that same question.

And he couldn't blame Ichi, because he hasn't been himself these past few days… Specifically after she had caught his eyes.

Because she had a pitifully small list of 'good qualities', and Atohira could think up of a hundred and more qualities that made her less endearing than her Takane no Hana nickname suggests. Because what was so cute about a girl who never smiles? Except she does smile… an enchantingly beautiful smile, but for that one person alone. And she couldn't hold a proper conversation. He couldn't imagine what they'd even converse about… except she was interesting. Even when she had nothing to say, he didn't mind it. And he had to admit that there was something about her… a type of aloofness and frankness that reminded him all too much of…

He kept his eyes trained on the older Kawasumi's broad back.

A snigger escaping through his lips.

… Why didn't he notice this sooner?

She was exactly like Ichi!

This was all too funny!

And of her pitifully small list of 'good qualities', Atohira had to add her similarity to Kawasumi Ichi…

… Except that that was a pretty extraordinary quality.

In fact… that was everything.

The older Kawasumi spun the chair he was sitting on around, "Your face is red."

And his best friend's mattress was always a little too firm for his liking… yet it was the most comfortable bed he's ever lied on.

"Wanna get yakiniku?"

And it always felt like Ichi understood him to the point where words weren't needed.

He could feel a tug against his lips, "Only if you're paying."

The older Kawasumi's face remained impassive, "… Then ramen."

"Stingy." He chuckled.

And even though some people would view a cheapskate as a 'bad quality', Atohira had to add it to the infinitely long list of Kawasumi Ichi's 'good qualities'. Because he couldn't think of any characteristic the light haired brunet possessed that would be in any way negative. And sure, Ichi was never much of a talker… but they didn't need to talk. They had an understanding between them that didn't need words. And yes, Ichi was always serious… but he liked the light haired brunet's frankness and straightforwardness.

All of the older Kawasumi's 'bad qualities' were just made all the more endearing… at least in Atohira's eyes.

There weren't any secrets between them, and if there were then those secrets were trivial. And Ichi tended to ignore trivial matters… the light haired brunet was simple, easy and undemanding. Kawasumi Ichi was the opposite of troublesome.

And he followed the older Kawasumi out of the room and down the stairs.

His eyes never once leaving that broad back.

And he didn't even realize that they passed by the younger Kawasumi until his kouhai spoke: "Your face is red."

"I know already." He grumbled (the younger brother really was starting to get on his nerves), "Ichi said the same thing."

The bespectacled teen confusedly blinked, "… I was actually talking to aniki."

If his face wasn't red before, it was now.

And the heavy sounds of his heart beating were the only thing he could hear.

And compared to yesterday and the day before, he could hear his heart beat louder and louder but a little less than it would tomorrow.

The End.

Note: That's right. Atohira x Ichi-niisama. I'm surprised there aren't more fics with this pairing.

Well, please tell me what you think!

Thank you so much for reading!