Fountain Rescue? (Tsubaki)

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If Tsubaki had just one single problem with Ouran Academy, it would have to be the senior high uniforms that they provide. The uniform for girls was a pale yellow dress that fell just below the knee paired with white stockings and maryjane shoes. It was reminiscent of styles from Victorian Era Great Britain, with stiff puffy sleeves and a classic A-line silhouette. The worst part, and Tsubaki's biggest complaint, was the stiff high-neck collar and little red bow that wrapped suffocatingly around her throat. Half the time it felt like she was drowning, and the other half of the time she was overwhelmed with a sense of claustrophobia she's never known before.

More than anything else, Tsubaki hated the clothes.

When the bell rings for lunch dismissal, Tsubaki is the first person out of her desk. She needs to do something. She needs to cool off, clear her head. Feet barely touching the ground, Tsubaki sprints down the hallway towards the back of the school. Her brisk strides lead her to the garden and a pale marble fountain surrounded by plants. Her body feels hot from running, and she thinks that here is as good a place as any to get some relief. Pulling off her ribbon and freeing her neck, Tsubaki is hardly able slip out of her shoes before slipping into the water.

She sinks down in the shallow waters, letting the coolness seep under her skin.

Closing her eyes, she tilts her head towards the sky and just catches her breathes in the scent of chlorine. It was refreshing in the water and she decides to stay here for some time. After lunch there was study hall, and the classrooms were too damn hot for a uniform this tight.

Time passes and Tsubaki's mind floats away to a place somewhere far away. By the time someone approaches her she is hardly awake. ”Hey, are you okay?”

Tsubaki eyes flutter open and she stares up at the person blocking her sun. ”Ah, sorry...” she mutters, looking them straight in the eye, ”did you want to lay here too?” Lazily she raises her hand up towards the stranger, fingers grazing his tie.

”You can join me if you'd like. The weather's hot but the water's cold.”

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Tsubaki nods her head yes. ”Mm. Is there a reason I shouldn't?” she challenged, not seeing the problem. It was hot so she needed to cool off. The most they could do is reprimand her or talk to her dad, and that was nothing new. An active believer in the pursuit of happiness, Tsubaki had always just behaved however she sees fit. ”Besides...” she begins with a giggle, ”the view's suddenly become quite pleasant.”

Smiling coyly, Tsubaki lets the moment pass in silence never looking away once.

The man standing above her was tall, standing at at least six feet. His features were sharp, and he held himself with a certain nobility that was rare to find in other guys the same age. His face is pensive, and she can't quite well grasp where his mind is, so she doesn't bother trying. Though she had no particular interest in him, Tsubaki acknowledged his good looks and she had time to kill before fourth block. ”So, do you have a name?” she teases, growing tired of the silence between them. ”It's rude coming up to someone without introducing yourself first. Or... is it that you'd rather I call you mine~♡? ”

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Tsubaki yelped, feeling her weight being swept up from out under her. Though initially she tried to resist, her lithe figure was no match for the firm body that held her, and she quickly gave in. ”Hey~ you could have at least given me some warning for that.” Tsubaki pouted, pale lips curving upwards into a smile short after. What an absolute killjoy. Well, at least he seemed like a good guy. Tsubaki liked to think that she had good judgements when it came to these sorts of things. Patting her hair dry with the towel the stranger had so unceremoniously thrown at her, she listened quietly to the small shift in her surroundings. Papers rustling, a light breeze, and staleness of the stranger—Takashi Morinozuka's deep voice.

”Hm~ such a long name,” she noted, dully craning her neck up to look at the man. ”Then, I'll call you Takashi.” Tsubaki stated as if it were a decision as simple as breathing in air. Takashi was a significantly less of mouthful than Morinozuka-san. Everyone was given a first name for a reason, and she had never been one for formalities. Even with her family it was rare for Tsubaki to call them anything but their name.

”Ne, Takashi, you're kind of weird. You know that?”

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”No. Takashi sounds best.” she decides, without a second thought. Quickly drying off the last section of raven dark hair, she looks up at him, a coy smile dancing on her lips. ”Takashi,” she repeats, leaving the very last sound of his name to hang in the winter air. She laughs, ”sorry, but I don't think I've ever been good doing what everyone else does.”

Nodding her head, her laughter dies down to a giggle. What a boring guy, making such a reply with a stone cold straight face. ”Mhm. Says the one one who was swimming in a fountain,” Tsubaki repeats, ”but honestly, I think that the guy over there pretending to be normal is even weirder than me~” She points straight at the senior, twirling her finger.

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