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secondhand-trash · 4 years

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The Many Times He Tried To Kiss You and the One Time You Kissed Him

Secret santa event (by @bnhaclaimedmysoul) the gift for @energi-ball

A/N: what’s Christmas without a fic about mistletoe and a title that is longer than my will to live?;) To the person who is getting this, I hope that you like this and I somewhat lived up to your expectations as your secret santa!

Description: Kirishima almost gave up on creating the perfect moment for your first kiss when the holiday cheer decided to give him a helping hand.

Pairing: Kirishima Eijirou x reader

Word count: 2017

You two had been dating for far too long for this to even be a proper concern but right now, Kirishima Eijirou was having the biggest inner conflict as to when was the perfect occasion to have your first kiss.

Now before you laugh, like literally everyone else when he did so little as brought up the fact that it had been months since you accepted his confession but you two had yet kissed, please consider how your boyfriend was literally one of the most precious human beings out there and for him to share that moment with you under a circumstance that was anything less than perfect would be a dishonor to him, to you, his family, his heroic moralities, and his utter most aspiration of the positive display of manliness.

Well, that was a bit extra, wasn’t it? But at least you get just why he was so torn now. The point was, he wanted it to be a moment you could look back on years later and thought of it with a smile. A sweet reminiscent of young love that blossomed into something more because although it was yet another thing that people teased him about, he had full intention to follow the manliest promise there could be, ‘hand in hand, till the day you grow old’.

Basically, if it does not look like a scene straight out of a rom-com, it was not good enough.

The first time he even had the urge to initiate anything was during one of the rare moments that you two had the classroom to yourselves. Classes had already ended and on this rare weekend where there were no training after school, everyone had eagerly ran out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang to latch onto the free time that they probably wouldn’t get in a very long time if the chance was missed.

You did not need to go out, the times when everyone else was gone and it was just the two of you was the time you treasured the most.

Sitting down at the desk in front of you, Kiri looked up at you whilst laying on your desk. The angle made him look like a little puppy and you were sure that you could not get anything done if he kept staring at you like that.

“What are you doing?” He asked, leaning his head on his folded arms as he tilted it to the side, watching you with curiosity when you pulled out a few pens from your bag.

There were a few things that could melt your heart. Seeing your boyfriend who was big and beefy and had every part of his appearance screaming pure display of masculinity being such a big contrast to the way he looked and acting like nothing less of a soft guard dog by your side took up most of them.

“Trying to write the cards that I have yet to finish.” You smiled and started scribbling on the few envelopes that you had prepared. School had been so hectic that you didn’t have the energy to sit down in front of a desk and use your hand to write after each long day. Your plan was to grasp at each spare minute you could get to see if you could actually get all of them done before break.

Letting out a soft hummed, Kiri gently grabbed the wrist of your writing hand and lifted it just a bit to see what you had written. There was a (badly) drawn doodle of All Might at the corner of the card and he chuckled, knowing immediately who the card would be going to.

“Is mine in there as well?” He asked, motioning to the many empty cards that were littering all across the wooden surface.

Would it be malicious if you tease him a little? “I’m not planning to write you one.”

“What?” He exclaimed and pouted, resembling the look of a child who was scolded, “Why?”

Your boyfriend was very easy to understand, no hidden agendas or honey coated words, only genuine feelings behind everything he does. Now that he had his head lowered and only his eyes peeking out from his arms, you were starting to feel bad. “What can I possibly write on yours when I already tell you everything I feel about you?” You said and tried to get him to look at you by poking the sharp edges at the top of his head.

“Yeah, but...”

“I’m just messing with you, yours was the first one I wrote.”

You grinned as he immediately sat his back straight, absolutely beaming at you. How adorable, you thought as you reached out to caress his cheek, feeling your own fluster even more as he leaned into your touch.

The sun was setting outside and the golden sun casted a warm glow to everything it could shine on. You looked gorgeous, your eyes sparkling with affection and the golden hour doing wonders to your skin. Not that you weren’t always gorgeous, Kirishima thought to himself and felt a slight warmth creeping up to his cheeks.

Kissing in an empty classroom with a sunset by the window was romantic, right?

When he slowly got up and leaned towards you, your breath hitched at the back of your throat. You shut your eyes tight in anticipation when his face was closing in on yours. You heart was pounding when you felt his hot breath on yours.

You screamed when the loud sound of the door sliding open startled you. You opened your eyes only to see that Kiri had fallen back onto the chair, looking equally startled as you were.

Stiffly turning your gaze to the door, you paled when you realised that the intruder of your moment was none other than your teacher who looked rather displeased and tired as usual.

“Can you two get this somewhere that no one would see?” Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temple as he speak, “Now leave, the campus will be closed in 5 minutes.”

Your face was nearly as red as your boyfriend’s hair when you hastily grabbed your stuff and walked pass your teacher as you two left the room.

You know what people say about bad things coming in threes? Only in this case, the powers from above decided that failing three times was not enough.

The second time he tried to kiss you, you were at an arcade. Kirishima simply could not help himself when you cheered as you hit the target, the excitement on your face and the way you were breathing heavily only added to how lovely you looked. When he wrapped one arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer, he was almost certain that this would be it. Until his hopes were rudely shattered when a small child pushed the two of your apart to reach his favourite game. Although he was smiling when the child’s mother apologized profusely, he was secretly screaming in frustration inside.

The third time it happened, it was right after training. Training to be a hero was rough, trying to be good at it was even rougher. As the alarm indicating that the time was up blasted through your ears, you could not control yourself but to lie on the cold hard floor and collect your breath. From the corner of your eye, you could see Kiri jogging his way to you with breathing just as irregular as yours. Sweat was dripping from his body and you had no shame in letting him know just how much you appreciated that sight. Nothing gets him going like knowing that you appreciated his form that he got from pure hard work. As he pulled you up from the ground, he helped you steady yourself onto the ground. You leaned on his shoulder, not caring about how he was covered in sweat and grim at all. When he leaned down, the both of you jumped in horror when the speaker suddenly started blasting from the top of your heads.

“CAN! YOU! TWO! BEHAVE! YOURSELVES! WE ARE STILL HERE????”

It was when the soul wrenching, ear piercing noise voice of Present Mic stabbed through your ear drums that you remembered that the training was watched by literally everyone in another room. They would never let you live it down.

By the fifth time, he had given up trying. Literally anything that could go wrong happened. Hell, he was sure that he slipped on a banana peel at one point and we all know that it was quite realistically impossible.

The odds were not on his side, and he had decided to just let it be.

Taking a sip of your drink, you laughed as you watch whatever shenanigans your classmates were up to.

When Mina suggested to hold a Christmas party at the dorm, no one expected it to turn out like this. Somehow, they had managed to completely revamp the yard in just hours time. You could barely recognize the space you live in when you walked in to see fairy lights hanging everywhere and a huge table set up in the middle with refreshments piled up on it.

It seemed like the holiday spirit was not enough to stop your friends from being chaotic. Bakugou was yelling at Midoriya as usual, but he still shoved whatever the green-haired kid gave him into his pocket. Sero challenged Kaminari to pour the entire bag of doritos in his mouth and someone should probably stopped them before someone die choking. Todoroki was attempting to create snow with the analysis of Yaoyorozu and Iida while Tokoyami sat at the side, saying that someone of darkness like him was not one for the cheer but you could see him smiling at the mess as well. All in all, everyone was having a good time and for the first time in forever, you felt more like an average teenager than a hero-to-be that lives on the edge.

“Not gonna join?” You smiled as you felt the sudden warmth that radiated next to you and looked to your side to see Kiri with an amused grin.

You shook your head with a laugh. “No, I much prefer watching.”

Humming in response, he followed your gaze to the rest of the class. They sure were a fun bunch to be around, no doubt.

His heart flustered when he felt a sudden weight on the side of his arm. Leaning onto him, you yawned as you smothered your face onto his arm. “I’m starting to get a bit tired.”

Gently tugging a piece of your hair behind your ear, he asked in no more but a whisper, “Want me to tug you in?”

“Please do.” You said and held onto his arm that was wrapped securely around your waist. As you reached the glass door to the indoors, there was a sudden shout from afar that made you snapped your head back in question.

“Oi, Kirishima!” Kaminari yelled with both hands around his mouth and gave his friend a big thumbs up, mouthing a good luck.

The two of you looked at each other, completely puzzled as to what made them so excited all of a sudden. Sero laughed and pointed at the top of your head. Following his pointing fingers, your eyes widened when you saw the small plant hanging at the door frame.

With the roars and wolf whistles from your friends, Kirishima looked down at you but avoided your gaze. “We can just go if you don’t-”

He was cut of by the crisp sound of your laugh. You cupped his cheek and he froze at the contact. You looked stunning under the lights.

“Merry Christmas.” You whispered into his lips before sealing the distance between you and him. He smiled as his hand found its way to the back of your head, savouring the much waited kiss. Although the cheers of your friends filled the air, it felt like it was just the two of you.

It could not have gone any more perfectly.

#bnha imagines #bnha imagine #kirishima x reader #kirishima eijiro #kirishima imagine #kirishima eijiro x reader #red riot #bnha x reader #bnha writers fest #bnha secret santa #bnha #boku no hero academia

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senzacaponecoda · 4 years

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(res conlangii)

Waiting on data to come in for schoolwork so I kind of doodled a plan for the syntactic evolution of Góoreta which is probably as good as it’ll get and the new draft for what will be Tantapty 2.0, which would be like Pa3aty 4.0 or something by now. 5.0, 6.

Góoreta is ancestral, and was modeled as pretty much a prototypical Nubian language; based on Old Nubian directly.

Góoreta is mixed SOVT/SVTO. T and V are generally fused (i.e. auxiliaries are rare) but SOV is slightly more primary and it’s reflected in how the verb is marked.

So the maximal noun phase is something like {en} {adjunct} {adjective phrase} root.stem-{sg/pl/col}-{nom/dir/gen/cop/abs} {adjective phrase} {adjunct}, {en} being an optional semantically empty determiner (syntactically it helps clue the listener in to a complex NP), {sg/pl/col} being the East Sudanic singulative/plural/collective number markers, the dir case being a combined accusative-dative, cop being the copulatory case, basically the marker for the more topical half of a copula phrase (as opposed to the part traditionally called a predicate, which is confusing when you’re talking about languages that don’t use a verb to express it). Leftward adjuncts and adjective phrases tend to be alienable, rightward tend to be inalienable/attributive. Compounds are thus backwards for an OV lang: manfire, not fireman. Possession is always marked rightwardly. Supplementation common.

Adpositions are chiefly prepositions, but adpositions that were promoted to conjunctions before Góoreta are postpositive.

The maximal verb is {adv} root.stem-{caus}-{pret}-{inch}-{pass/recip/mid}-{neg}-{admir}-{modal}-{fut}-[PNG]-{subj}

Already pluractionals would be lexicalized. Moods not happening in the morphology would be adverbial or like CP level or something. Verbs are mostly regular, with no supplemental stems coming to mind. Verbs however can be compounded, and a passive-perfective participle phrase WITH (adv) verb-POS tends to deliver stative sentence structures.

So a kind of overview of the whole sentence I got from a book on Egyptian might look like

where d is indirect object and A is adjuncts. Small is pronomial arguments and caps is lexically full. Cs are not mutually exclusive.

It seems that it’s necessary to have both a post-Góoreta NS creole and a pre-Tantafty Afroasiatic creole of the creole in order to “marry” it into the family as my goal originally was.

AA was probably already VSO~VOS, and probably ergative-absolutative. This initial hybridization would actually be crown to actual Afroasiatic, maybe being more of a hybridization with a Pre-Afroasiatic.

T would then be broken from V, and the cross-linguistic tendency for creoles to trend SVO (although this is maybe a European bias error since creoles tend to be half IE due to colonialism) is a compromise.

So new syntactic structure is C-S-s-T-V-o-d-O-A It basically follows Góoreta’s SVO style syntax. The new NP is {en} root.stem-{sg/pl/col} {adjective phrase} {adjunct}

Which loses the Nubian case system.

The new VP is

{aux=V-TA-M-Neg} root.stem.{inch/caus} {other mood} POS

Everything outside the domain of the inchoative broke off. The tense system would probably revolve around the now inherently unaccusative perfect i-VERB-POS forms and an un-i’d form derived from that. Maybe from núu (at) such as what forms a progressive in many languages. This has an advantage of preparing the verbal system for a harmony derived Front/Back ablaut.

Unfortunately Tantafty retaining an admirative mood seems unlikely.

This is when the Afroasiatic elements become dominate, and the stage of the language borrowed is roughly sister to the non-Ethiopian type Afroasiatic languages.

New syntax overform is like S-T-V-s-d-o-O-A. V-s tend to form a unit.

Despite Egyptian losing it, verbs inherit the prefixing conjugation as it assists the Ca1a22a3 unmarked form of present tenses (though, maybe, really, it should lose it, the same way Egyptian did.)

New NP is

{en}-cl.ABS root.stem.{sg/pl/col}-cl.ABS {(a) complement} {adjective phrase}-cl.ABS {adjunct}

Agreement is normalized. Number is lexicalized. Class is introduced. All nouns inherit the PAA absolutative case (-a), although case is not a feature of the syntax. Old nominative -u occasionally used, grammaticalized into something of focalized case. New number system starts to arise from dragging {pl} suffix with -cl.ABS irregularly. (a) represents a connective element, like {of}

New VP would be

{aux} {caus}-root.{inch}.stem-{modal}-[PNG]

Auxiliaries handle most issues. The new causative from AA supplants NS’s productively, the inchoative is detectable but fossilized, like English -Cle in words like rattle, dabble, nipple, etc. Some new modals have attached themselves between the verb and the PNG markers, from the possessive markers, at least in the perfect aspect. Old modals provide at least a new subjunctive.

4. ~ 5. (split as legit branch, then future Amizightization/Arabization)

Language eventually shifts into VSO syntax preferably. Old focalizing case used for SVO word order subject.

Word order is T-V.s.d.o-S-O-A

NP is

{D}(-case?)-[N][S]stem[S]

[N][S]stem[S](-case?)

where S is state derived from the connector/absolutative case.

Every draft of Tantafty/Pa3atic thus far has had case but I’m not entirely sure why it would even arise at this stage.

The nisbe could give rise to a kind of genitive-dative. But an earlier stage is likely to have had an et-ha-qadoyshim kind of accusative preposition. By now I want {en} to have become {lá} so it might be something that looks like l-á~an-á or something. The genitive-dative would probably have to go - l>r is what the negative for NPs is going to end up as, and ní would end up declining for something that governs it instead of what it governs. I could be silly and use d~ð, which looks both Imazighen-y and Modern South Arabian-y at the same time. I like the idea of German-style case-on-the-article-ness though.

Nouns would thus be VCCVC in form preferentially I guess. Irregular forms would be the main vestige of Nilo-Saharan - supplemental singulative-collective-plural forms.

For VP I guess that means a form like

{AUX} {caus}.stem.{modal}-[PNG] {adv}

The causative would be partially fossilized into the verb. The auxiliary would handle most of the weight, but probably as preverbs like in Egyptian or Nahuatl or so on as a VSO correlate. Although preverb-auxiliary-verb is likely too. Morphological moods I guess would be heavily reduced, compared to, say, Arabic or something.

The perfective/imperfective system should break into a new stative (like the present perfect), new preterite, new imperfect, and new “cursive” system, where cursive is habitual, gnomic, or the like. That’s taken from an Amazight language but kind of nicely lines up with how English distinguishes present perfect, the past tenses, the progressive, and the simple present. Auxiliaries from “come” and “go” add tense to the paradigm. New moods to be determined, probably areally based on Siwi and Arabic. Voice probably has to be grammaticalized from a verb/preposition instead of an Afroasiatic-y one. Likely a good place for stand? “He stands damaged by battle.”

It would probably be realistic for Tantafty to gain a prefixing conjugation from a suffixing conjugation Coptic style. The Amazight languages do interesting things to their prefixing and suffixing conjugations though and I might want to base whatever I do about the yaCvCCvC present forms on something like that, however. It might be that the whole present form from PAA collapses into just a gender distinction of the subject, which I’m leaning towards. Then PN agreement happens in the suffixes.

Vestiges of NS would then mainly be pluractional vs singulative verbs. I might be able to fit an honorific/emphatic mood in akin to Góoreta’s admirative, which I really wanted, but it can’t really be a direct descendant.

I like the idea of Tantafty having serial verb constructions (which it’s had for years now) and I like the idea of the creoles having compound verbs. Something like an atelic verb head and a stative resultative verb pattern might be doable for a lot of verb nuances, and end up with some weird compounds on the way. A random bit of what looks like Mandarin syntax I guess. This would be, like, the cut-break compounds.

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noradarhkpalmer · 5 years

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draw me like one of your french girls, miss darhk

Title: draw me like one of your french girls, miss darhk

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Nora Darhk/Ray Palmer aka Darhkatom

Warnings: Darhkatom gets a little suggestive

Summary/Notes: Ray finds out Nora can draw and then finds out she used to love to draw, so what does Ray do? What he does best of course. A big romantic gesture to fit the occasion.

I’m so sorry I fell behind on these! I had some personal health problems come up but I am going to try and catch up! This one is extra long! Enjoy!

Day twelve of 25 days of Darhkatom! Feel free to click the through the tag to see the others! Basically, I will be posted all loosely related (unless stated otherwise) fics for 25 days straight!

He had found the doodle when he was cleaning up dinner. They had had a quiet dinner in the galley while waiting for the rest of the team to get back from a mission. They sat there and talked, ready to get up and quarterback but also trying to enjoy a rare moment where they were the only two people on the ship. When Ray cleared the plates he noticed Nora had doodled on a napkin she hadn’t used. It was a profile of him, incredibly realistic, and Ray had tucked it into his pocket, reminding himself to ask her about it later.

Ray entered their room that evening once the team returned. It was now officially their room. It made him giddy every time he thought about it. Not only was that the only room Nora had ever stayed in on the Waverider but things were now sprinkled about the room that just made it theirs, rather than his and she just also happened to sleep there. Things like her houseshoes on her side of the bed, and Ray thought the fact that she wore them was absolutely adorable, she said it was because her feet were always cold but Ray didn’t care. He just thought it was one of the cutest things about her. Her books, the ones she brought with her and the ones she’d fabricated since were beginning to stack high in two stacks on Ray’s desk, which they now also shared. And of course her clothes were also in his closet, their closet.

He changed for bed and grabbed the doodle from his jean pocket before tossing the clothes in the hamper. Ray climbed into the bed next to Nora who was reading and humming quietly to herself. She looked up at him and smiled when he got in the bed.

“So ugh… I found something of yours after dinner tonight.” Ray handed her the folded up napkin and Nora took it with great confusion.

She opened it and her eyes went wide. “Oh I thought I had thrown that away with the rest of the food bits on my plate.”

“This is really good, Nora, and I’m not just biased because it’s a profile of me. You’re really good, have you ever drawn anything else or is this just some talent that is somehow magically wonderful the first time off?”

Nora smiled in embarrassment. “No… I used to doodle a lot as a kid, I was always drawing something, I much preferred it to playing with dolls or even reading, or playing with other kids. I stopped because I had a job to do but even when I got bounced around asylums and mental hospitals if I was able to have stuff to draw with I would, it usually wasn’t anything in particular but tonight you had moved your head to a certain angle and I don’t know, you maybe also had a look on your face and I just wanted to capture it and so I drew it.”

Ray placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re really good, I think you should do this more often. We can fabricate any art supplies your heart desires.”

“So I can what, draw you like one of my French girls, Ray?” She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks. I feel like I barely have time to read or spend time with you between missions. I don’t want to clog up all my free time by drawing stuff that doesn’t even matter…” She tried to put the napkin off to the side but Ray caught her wrist.

“Hey, your art matters. I have no idea what all you’re going to create or have created but it matters. If it’s important to you or ever was, it definitely matters. You’re allowed an outlet, if Zari can have her video games that probably will actually melt everyone’s brains one day, you can draw or paint or sketch or whatever you want.”

Nora looked away. “I’m sorry, Ray, but I just don’t have the heart for it anymore. This was a fluke. Just me trying to pass the time while you were nerding out about some science thing.”

Ray knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere trying to push her more tonight so he nodded sadly and let her toss the napkin in the trash bin. “Okay. I understand.”

xxxx

Apparently, Ray “understanding” meant he wouldn’t press the issue anymore that night. The next day, however, Ray spent probably too long fabricating sketch books of different sizes, fancy pencils, fancy colored pencils, erasers, and even some kits of charcoals and paints and pens. Ray knew he was probably going overboard but that was Ray Palmer’s MO, show love in absolute excess.

Ray neatly organized all of the art supplies while Nora was in the shower that morning and left it on her side of the bed and then disappeared to the lab to do work, slightly afraid of Nora’s quite possible negative reaction to the gesture.

Nora came back to her’s and Ray’s room now ready for the day when she saw what she hoped was not a giant pile of arts supplies on their bed.

She got closer and realized that it was.

Dammit Ray.

Nora picked up one of the sketchbooks and ran her fingers over it, remembering how most of the time in the asylums and hospitals she maybe had loose leaf paper and a dull pencil but she’d draw everything she wanted her life to be instead of a scared, demon possessed teenager. She drew herself as a princess locked in a tower, being saved by a valiant knight, that one had been recurring after getting her hands on an anthology of King Arthur tales, she also drew herself in a world where her parents were still alive, doing normal parent stuff like picking her up for school or decorating the Christmas tree. She drew the fantastical and normal, because back then, even the normal was pure fantasy to Nora.

Nora threw the sketchbook down and sighed. Ray’s heart was in the right place but hers just wasn’t… but she would try, for him.

xxxx

Nora figured she would find him in his lab, she had a small sketchbook tucked under her arm with a set of brand new and sharpened art pencils. She also had erasers and a small set of micron ink pens. She might not even do anything with the supplies but she would try, for Ray.

She saw him tinkering somewhere deep inside the chest plate of the ATOM suit and knocked on the open lab door.

Ray looked up at saw her there and then his eyes fell to the art supplies tucked under her arm and broke out into a full grin.

“I saw you got my present.”

Nora walked up to him and grabbed his chin gently to look him straight in the eyes. “I did, and you are so often what I don’t deserve, and I thank you for it.” She pulled him in for a soft kiss and patted his chest. “Carry on, I just wanted to watch you work.”

“And maybe doodle me, while you work?”

“Maybe.” She smiled and hopped up onto his workspace table and put the supplies in her lap. She sat there, just enjoying watching him work as she often came down to the lab to observe but then she got an idea and pulled a pencil out of the box, discreetly so he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing her actually trying, and opened to the first page in her sketchbook. She moved her pencil down the page, trying to get the perspective of him working on his suit correct. When she was satisfied she moved onto finer details, trying to capture the look of absolute concentration and amazement at his own invention on his face.

After a while the tinkering stopped but Nora kept tracing back over the same line, lost in the image of Ray on her paper and she felt someone touch her arm and she jumped. She looked up to see Ray standing next to her, trying to get a look at what she’d been drawing for the last hour.

Nora instinctively held the sketchbook to her chest so Ray wouldn’t see. “Can I help you, Dr. Palmer?”

“Just wanted to see what you were drawing.” He grinned.

“Well it’s not done yet so you can’t see it.” She gently pushed him out of her personal bubble and gestured for him to get back to work.

“Ah you want me back in the same spot so you can make sure you’re drawing me proportionally.” He started walking back to his suit and picked up a small wrench.

Nora smirked. “No, I know exactly how… well proportioned you are, Ray Palmer.”

“I am well aware that you do, Miss Darhk.” Ray abandoned his suit once more and went over to Nora, stepping between her legs and leaning down to kiss her gently.

Nora let the sketchbook drop and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him further.

They jumped apart at the sound of a cough and saw Zari standing near them, now holding the sketchbook.

Zari narrowed her eyes at them before speaking, “I better not flip through this and find naked drawings of Ray.”

Nora, now annoyed that her moment with Ray was interrupted used her magic to bring the book back over to her. “There aren’t any but the ones I have planned are all tasteful, and are for no one’s eyes but mine and Ray’s. Did you need something, Miss Tomaz?”

Zari, now slightly disgusted, shook her head and held up her hands. “Nope, getting the image out of my head of you guys recreating the scene from Titanic has taken top priority. I’m gonna go now.”

Nora laughed as Zari made her exit and tugged on the collar of Ray’s shirt.

“You… you have plans to draw me naked?” Ray asked, completely flustered.

Nora shook her head, “no that was just to get Zari to leave us alone, however, the more I’m thinking about it, the more I am liking the idea. Just not here,” she said and pulled him in for a deep kiss, the sketchbook forgotten again… but not for long.

#darhkatom #ray palmer #nora darhk #25 days of darhkatom #legends of tomorrow

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impalafortrenchcoats · 7 years

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Coming Apart On Top of You : Ch 1

Author: impalafortrenchcoats

Chapter: 1/?

Summary:

Seokjin is trying to piece together a life while tearing down his past one brick at a time. Namjoon is fighting to build his future while struggling to handle the present.

It wasn't a very convenient time to fall in love.

And when the skeletons in the closet are much more literal than most, the challenges of their relationship could prove deadly.

Ships: Namjin, Jikook/Kookmin, Sope/Yoonseok

Categories: Hitmen + Assassins AU, Coffee Shop AU, Non-Linear Storytelling

Chapter Wordcount: 3223

AO3 Link: here

It was late morning in the cafe when the man walked in. The morning swarm had finally cleared, and it was now the quiet before the sad, desperate souls of the afternoon crowd came stumbling in for their pick-me-ups. This was especially true for the pencil-pushers of the surrounding businesses, who came and left in a haze of overworked dead eyes. It really made Hoseok question whether or not to go into business like everyone else. Well, that was a problem for the future.

In the meantime, he was busy killing time, slowly refilling the straw stand one straw at a time, all the while contemplating the next part of his scheme to woo his ever aloof coworker, Yoongi. The first part had gone relatively well. After three months of working together, Yoongi finally knew his name and was no longer fucking it up.

Hoseok indulged in a giant mocha macchiato with coconut milk that day to celebrate.

Now, step two, small talk.

Okay, maybe that was too much. Best not get too greedy. One should always set realistic goals for oneself. Maybe just saying ‘hi’. That sounded good.

As he set about testing out different tones for the procedure, the familiar chime of the door rang and a tall figure ambled into the cafe.

Hoseok brightened when he recognized the man as a regular. He had only been working in the cafe for about five months or so, and he had no idea when the man started coming in for his coffee. But one thing was for sure, the man sure knew how to get the staff’s gossip mill going. A primary contributor to the constant gossip was the fact that, to this day, no one knew the man’s name.

At some point he was just dubbed Tall, Pink, and Handsome by some of the female staff, and the rather apt name stuck.

Nowadays, almost everyone who took his order just scribbled TPH on his cup, and that was the end of that. The man didn't seem to mind, and if the stories were to be believed, had even thrown a ridiculously cute aegyo at the person who had finally explained the meaning to him.

Hoseok was in the minority who decided to have some fun with the nameless one. After some hardcore nosing around and an aggressive application of his sunshiny charm, he had found out that the man had a soft spot for Disney, and the princesses in particular. He now made sure to write down some Disney character’s moniker on the cup, and when possible, he always tried to add a little bit of trivia.

It wasn't something that he would usually do for someone who was essentially a stranger, but Hoseok was good at reading people.

And something told him that the man was due some harmless joy in life.

It was easy to see when the man noticed Hoseok looking his way as he immediately smiled and waved as he made his way over.

Not to be outdone, he did his patented impression of the sun and returned the smile with interest, “Well, look who decided to show up! I was starting to think you were cheating on us with that new coffee shop down the street.”

The man gave a whinnying bark of a laugh before trying to give Hoseok a stern glare. It was completely ruined by the twitching of his lips as he tried to contain the smile, “How dare you question my loyalty, you uncouth rapscallion. I’ll have you know I was on a business trip and was barely holding it together without my beloved coffee. Your coffee beans were haunting my dreams.”

Hoseok snorted at the honestly cringe-worthy melodrama, “Uh-huh. So what’s it going to be today?”

“The usual. I need to get this body back on its usual regime. Something, something, my body, my temple, you know the drill.” He waggled his eyebrows at Hoseok and leaned on the counter, straddling the lines between social dumbass and creepy uncle masterfully.

Hoseok had to roll his eyes before saying, “you are so freaking lame, dude. This is why you're still single, even with that face.”

“Does your manager know you speak this way to your best customer? And I'll have you know I'm hot shit. Civilizations have crumbled for less beautiful faces than this!”

“Let no one tell you you don't have self-confidence.”

“Who needs self-confidence when you got this face?” He even puckered his lips for emphasis.

Hoseok sighed and just called it quits. It was up for debate whether or not this guy was serious, and despite his people reading skills, he truly couldn't say. Instead, he just grabbed a plastic cup and said, “So, one iced almond latte, right?”

The man hummed his approval before trying to lean over the counter to get a better look at the cup. He asked, “What about you? What's it going to be today?”

Hoseok quickly pulled the cup away from view, “Nuh-uh. No peeking! You'll see it when the coffee's done!”

He then proceeded to scribble on the cup for a bit before scuttling off to make the drink. As he went about his business with heating up the milk, he could see the man loitering rather cheerfully by the pastries. The image of the man’s avid interest in the new batch of lobster-decorated cupcakes gave him the perfect inspiration.

He smiled to himself and added a few more scribbles to the side of the cup.

“How about a hint,” the man called. “The anticipation is just killing me.”

“You never heard of ‘delayed gratification’?”

“Wow. ‘Gratification,’ you say? Aren't you confident today. I'll have you know, I've been spoiled. It'll take more that a sad cat doodle and a barely legible ‘Mufasa’ to please me.”

“That’s it. No more business trips for you. You get too uppity after them for any one’s comfort. And what do you mean barely legible!”

“I'm sorry. Your handwriting is no good.”

“You wound me.”

“I'll leave a nice tip?”

“You heal me.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and when Hoseok finally finished up the latte, he tried to make a heart in the foam, but it ended up looking more like a lopsided pear. Mr. TPH didn't seem to mind and quickly turned the cup around to see his writing.

Ariel

The dress worn at the dinner is a combination of all previous princesses’ dresses.

Hoseok felt the bright smile the man gave him was well worth the effort of trying to fit all that writing onto cup. He took a sip of his latte, before waving his thanks and slipping out the door.

Once again, Hoseok was left alone to wonder about the mysterious TPH. At least, Ruth would be happy to know the man had returned. A significant portion of the staff had been mourning the lack of handsomeness in their work life.

Oh, well. That wasn’t his problem. He really needed to get back to his game plan for Yoongi.

+++

Journal Entry 1

March 21, 2013

Okay, so how am I supposed to do this? This is a journal, just to be clear, not a diary. Fucking Seulji said this shit helps clear thoughts and shit, but I think it's just a girl thing.

Okay, fuck. I don't know. Hi, this is Park Jimin, I'm 21 years old, a dance major, oh, and most importantly, a royal fuck up. So much fucking up to be had, I have sowed and reaped the fruits of my fuckery. My crops of fuck ups is plentiful. Oh my god, this is so stupid. Don't ever listen to Seulji. She's the queen of bad ideas.

HOLY FUCK! This whole thing was her fault; what am I talking about? Okay. You know what?

Summary of my recent fuck up: I may have met the love of my life at the club last night, because shit those legs were to die for, the arms as well, oh my god, his face. Who am I kidding? I met God last night. But I also listened to Seulji, who is the devil, and got fucking wasted. And am pretty sure I told Beautiful that I was flexible as fuck, and I was super down to fuck.

And proceeded to prove my point by kicking my leg up, and basically did a vertical split on the man’s shoulder.

Then, the lovely icing on the cake, I'm pretty sure I barfed all over the poor bastard.

FUCK YOU, SEULJI, THIS IS MAKING THE MEMORY WORSE NOT BETTER!!!!

So, thankfully I don't remember shit after, but according to the she-devil herself, this guy probably really has the patience of God, since he apparently helped her drag my sorry drunk ass home.

And now, I will end my misery with ice-cream because fuck you, Seulji, journals don't fucking help.

Worst part is, I won't ever see Beautiful, again, and I'm hungover and don't even have the sore ass to at least say I got a decent lay for my troubles.

I hate my life.

+++

The entire office building was supposed to be empty by this time of night. It was nearing 2 AM, so the fact a lone glowing computer screen was lit in a sea of black screens was an anomaly in and of itself. However, the eerie cast of the light from the screen as well as the dim glow of the exit signs and secondary lighting system made the figure seated in front of a computer seem otherworldly in appearance.

Given the time, the man seemed unusually alert despite his eyes appearing glued to the screen in front of him. He sat with his back straight, motionless - waiting. The silence and stillness permeated everything in the sprawling emptiness of the office space. And time seemed almost frozen.

Then, in the distance, growing slowly but just as ominously and relentlessly as the sound of an oncoming train, echoes of screams drifted into the room, rising from the floors below.

It kept building, and the closer and louder it became, the muted blasts of gunshots and thuds of falling bodies became easily identifiable to the man’s ears.

Everything reached a crescendo, and as quickly as it came, the noises disappeared and silence rang once more.

The man let out a slightly shaky breath, but his face remained impassive as ever.

It was not until a ding from the hallway behind him alerted him to the arrival of the elevator and the subsequent hissing signaled the opening of said elevator doors, that the man finally moved, although it was just to take off his glasses and pinch the bridge of his nose.

Without looking, he spoke, “You’ve really gone and made a mess of things, haven’t you.”

Silence answered him, but this time punctuated by the hair-raising feel of eyes on his back.

He sighed and continued, “I've been waiting for you. Figured you would come here first.”

He didn't expect a reply. Instead, with slow and precise motion, he tugged a USB drive from the computer and placed it to the side, away from him, all the while still not turning around.

“I tried to warn you. Headquarters always know; they always find out. If anything, I was surprised you all managed to keep it quiet for as long as you did.”

Just as he finished speaking, a hand came to rest on his shoulder, sitting uncomfortably close to his neck. He was made all the more aware of the dire circumstances by the thumb running slow, easy circles on the back of his neck.

He swallowed again, “For what it's worth, they didn't hear it from me.”

Finally, he received a response. A soft masculine voice answered him at last, speaking in an unnaturally light tone. If anything, he felt he could almost imagine the gentle smile on the other man’s face, “I know.”

It was readily clear that this was the only reason why they were even speaking, and that he wasn't another casualty to the night.

“What are you doing here, Onew?” The man’s tone was still light, almost jovial, as if this was a surprise run-in with an old friend at the grocers.

Onew would have tried to relax more if the tang of fresh blood wasn't clinging to the other man like an overbearing cologne.

“I wanted to give you this,” Onew indicated the USB. “Everything you want is there. Locations of all offices and safe houses, the comprehensive list of everyone employed, everything you would ever need to wipe them from existence.”

There was a pause, then the other man gave a short laugh.

Onew stiffened when the next words out of the man’s mouth were right next to his ear, his breath tickling the side of Onew’s cheek, “Thank you very much. But I can't help but wonder why you're doing this.”

Ignoring the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, Onew tried to keep his voice steady as he answered, “My team. I want you to spare my team. We won't stop you; I'll take them out of this, I swear.”

The man hummed, the sound resonating through Onew from their proximity, “That would be a little incriminating for you, wouldn't it?”

“Then you would just have to be a dear and kill them all for me, if it's not too much trouble.”

He finally backed away with a snort, “Never thought you were the gambling sort.”

“Never thought I was either. Key thinks this is a suicide mission you're on.”

“How did you manage to convince him to go along with this?”

“I figure I would just say sorry later.”

Silence took hold of the room once more, and Onew waited on bated breath for the man’s decision. He almost wept in relief when, from the corner of his eye, he watched a hand take the drive.

“When I come for them, make sure you and your team are gone. If I see any one of you -”

“You won't.”

The hand on his shoulder patted him.

“How long do we have?” He couldn't help but ask.

“Now, now, Onew. That would be telling.”

Onew nodded. He didn't want to push his luck, this had already gone better than he had hoped. He felt the man back away, so he went to pick up his glasses.

“Oh, and sorry about the mess.”

Pausing in confusion for a moment, Onew put on the glasses and glanced to the side, taking in the dark, bloody handprint on his shoulder.

He shrugged, “It was an ugly shirt, anyway.”

As he listened to the man’s retreating footsteps, Onew turned to face him for the first time that night.

“Seokjin-ah,” he called and he waited for the figure to turn. “Please don't fuck this up.”

The man just smiled and nodded before disappearing into the elevator.

Onew sighed. Now he just had to figure out how to break the news to the rest of the guys.

+++

Good evening.

Tonight ten are dead after a fire broke out at a local office building on the outskirts of Seoul, bordering Namyangju. The building is one of many ran by Ayao Industries, a local shipping company owned by founder and CEO Lee Beomsoo.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours, when a skeleton crew had been reworking the building’s wiring in preparation for an upcoming remodel. According to the company spokesman, Cha Hakyeon, the fire had started when faulty wiring combined with materials on scene had resulted in the explosion which killed the men. Mr. Cha made it clear that all company personnel are cooperating with local officials as investigations continue.

Concerns regarding whether or not the building was up to code are central to the investigation.

This tragedy follows in the aftermath of another as Mr. Lee and family are still reeling from the loss of their son, Lee Byunghun, in a tragic car accident just three days prior.

Despite personal hardships, Mr. Lee remains adamant the company’s expansion efforts will continue, and construction on overseas offices in Vietnam will remain on schedule. The new location will be dedicated to his late son upon completion.

+++

Journal Entry 2 (Am I supposed to be numbering these?)

March 25, 2013

TALL, DARK, AND BEAUTIFUL SHOWED UP AT MY WORK TODAY!!!!

Apparently, I drunkenly invited him to the book signing, and Seulji gave him the details when I passed out.

Seulji. I may owe this girl some money. A lifetime of alcohol. My first born child. Nah, too much.

But I fucking owe her. O-W-E!

Can I just say drunk me is lame as fuck, though. A book signing? Really? They're giving out free snacks here, but I'm coming off as a real cheapskate, starving college student status notwithstanding.

Fuck, but the guy is hot as fuck. Like gorgeous. So, I already mentioned the hot bod. Like muy caliente. Burn me with your fire, hot, right? But, come on, I’m a realistic guy, and I know it could have been a combination of the club lighting and my beer goggles.

No. Not at all. Nope. He’s not just hot. He’s ADORABLE. He’s got these giant doe eyes and this boopable nose! Does he know he’s lethal cute! Like, he has this kind of face that should be dopey, but he fucken dodged that with a hard pass and slammed straight into wet dreams territory.

Basically, I don't know what he's doing coming to my crappy little bookstore really. Although, he did seem a bit out of touch. Who in their right mind would be that interested in hearing me talk about stocking books. He was probably just humoring me, honestly. I mean it's not much but it pays, not much I can do about that until I graduate. We can't all be international photographers or whatever.

At least I think that's what he does. We ended up ditching the book signing and he took us to dinner. I noticed some equipment in the backseat of the car and some camera stuff. It had gotten kind of awkwardly quiet, so I decided to break the silence by asking him if he had just come back from a shoot.

I think if there are any future outings, I might just have to suggest public transit because he clearly wasn't one of those guys who could multitask talking and driving. The guy almost missed a turn and drove straight into oncoming traffic. Yeah. I wasn't down for that kind of life. No Fast and Furious for this Jimin.

Also, he seemed kind of mad I asked. Though, A+ for hot side glare. I would put up with inexplicable mood swings, if I got to look at those eyes when things got hot and heavy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not easy, but a guy’s got to be honest with himself. And I've dated enough art sorts to know they could be moody.

He wanted clarification apparently, so I had to explain the camera and what not. Maybe he really didn't want to be confused with the film sort. Who knows with these art guys.

Dinner was amazing, and he paid. I think I'm in love.

Feed me. That's all I ask.

Aw, shit. I am easy.

Only down side of the evening was the lack of a kiss. I feel like a kiss after getting dropped off would be mandatory after our rocky start.

Considering the disastrous meet cute, there was no point to being coy now. I want my kiss, damn it.

Whatever. I got his number.

Now, I just have to check the bank and see if I could afford something nice for Seulji. She deserves it.

I take back calling her a she-devil.

+++

“Well? What is your plan for the situation?”

“We had our people on clean up. The fire destroyed most of the evidence. Even if something slips, we have some of the investigators in our pocket. The public won’t know the truth.”

“I really don't give a fuck about the public. How do we get rid of our little problem?”

“You say ‘little problem,’ I say ‘critical disaster.’ I don't think you're taking this situation as seriously as should be warranted.”

“He's one man.”

“He's one of our best men.”

“You said he could be trusted.”

“It seems I was wrong.”

“And now you're saying you can handle it.”

“I will.”

“Let's hope you're not wrong, again.”

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

juvi-lockster, dharyism, and allourheroes for cleaning up my mess!

Next Part: here

#bangtan #bts #bts fanfic #namjin #jikook #kookmin #yoonseok #sope #my fanfic #fic: coming apart on top of you #myfanfic

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athyrabunlord · 7 years

Text

Modern Fairytale

Summary: You felt it was love at first sight, akin to those fateful meetings described in fairytales. A/N: AU romantic and hopefully realistic sort of oneshot filled with cute sweet moments. Yes, this is the oneshot I mentioned some time ago. I’m just glad it’s finished x.x Ship: YouxRiko Words: 8,591

“The Sagami Bay sure is pretty…”

Watanabe You sighed to herself as she leaned back in her seat and gazed out of the window for the umpteenth time. When she first moved to Kamakura, she made it a priority to find the perfect place to chill an afternoon away. She was captivated by the city’s countless historical sites of course, but her inner Uchiura spirit still demanded a decent view of the sea.

And so, after quite a bit of searching, she was able to locate this small cafe by the bay. There was a comfy little couch situated by the window, allowing the viewer to appreciate the scenery as they enjoyed their afternoon beverage. Smiling, You took out a small sketchbook and began to draw from memory the places she had visited today before coming here. Her doctor did advise her to just follow her heart and avoid any situation that might cause her stress. Therefore, she tried not to put too much effort into her hobby, though the remnant of her professional sense still surfaced from time to time.

Ah, what would the shop owner think if she told the kind lady that she used to be a diver for the national team?

Shaking her head, You ignored the phantom prick at the back of her mind and focused on her sketch. Under her doctor’s recommendation, she travelled around Japan for sightseeing, anything that would not stress her mind and body. Not long after she began her journey, she fell for Kamakura’s ancient aura and settled then and there. The next step to help her recuperation was to decide on a hobby that would help her relax.

Well, what did she love best besides the sea? Designing and drawing! Now that she’s found the ideal place, she was able to sketch several pages daily, each one filled to the edge with details and creativity that kept her brain whirring. Perhaps, eventually, she’ll aim to become a freelance designer?

She paused and stared rather sheepishly at the Buddha statue she just doodled. She should really stop adding stylish accessories or one of these days, the divine presence above would punish her for real.

Just as she thought of that, something suddenly vibrated against her buttocks!

Her yelp garnered curious glances from the few patrons in the shop, so she waved her hand apologetically at them before scooting to the edge of the sofa seat. What was that just now? She dug under the seat cushion and soon found a cellphone stuck within the fold. The person who was sitting here must have forgotten it or it had fallen out of their pocket.

Either way, someone was calling the phone rather desperately as it kept on ringing. Seeing the unknown number, You deduced that the owner must be calling from a public phone and decided to answer it.

“H-Hello? Um, y-you’ve found my phone?” A clearly panicking female voice let out a shaky sigh. “Oh, I’m sorry for being so rude. You see, I have lost my phone and-”

Taking pity on the woman, You chuckled amiably. “It’s okay! I’m sitting at the sofa seat beside the window, at White Lily. You were sitting here, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I was there until I had to leave for a meeting… it was only now that I realized I don’t have my phone with me,” the woman laughed coyly, and You could practically feel her embarrassment. She was sure that the other woman must be blushing.

“Haha, things just happen sometimes. Don’t worry miss, I’m still at the coffee shop. I’ll wait here.”

“E-Eh? But I’m at Shinjuku and the next train won’t be here for another hour, so that’s more than two hours before I can make it back...”

“That’s okay, I don’t have plans for the day.” Or any other day really, You thought a little sadly. “Oh, unless you’d prefer that I just leave the phone with the shop owner-?”

“I’ll come!” The woman said hastily, her voice softening a moment later in mortification. “Erm, I mean, I’d like to thank you in person. If you hadn’t found my phone, there’s a chance that no one would’ve found and picked it up before the battery runs out.”

“That’s decided then! I’ll wait here for you, okay?”

“Thank you very much, um…”

“Watanabe You! Nice to meet you- well, technically we haven’t met, heh.”

The woman giggled softly, and You decided she was becoming fond of her voice. It was velvety with the kind of feminine grace that the former diver could never hope to achieve.

“My name is Sakurauchi Riko. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m very sorry about all of this and I promise I’ll make up for it.”

You found herself wearing the biggest grin after the call ended. Finally, she had something to look forward to! Though she was grateful for her peaceful ‘time off’, so to speak, she was worried that the uneventful daily happenings might make her restless down the road. She’s been a very active person throughout her life, so she needed excitement once a while to keep her spirit going.

She glanced at her reflection in the window and hastily fixed her messy bangs, for she tended to wear a cap to hide the bird’s nest she called her hair. In spite of her cute quirks, Sakurauchi Riko seemed to carry herself with dignity so You wanted to be presentable at least.

Once she was sure that her appearance was acceptable, she resumed sketching with zest. However, as time went by, she realized that she’s been doodling profiles of various women that might fit Riko’s voice. She imagined Riko to be around her age if not older, based on her mannerism. Riko probably had hair longer than hers, though it could be either wavy or straight.

Before she knew it, the sun was already making its descent and she had drawn many variations of the imaginary Sakurauchi Riko. Much to her chagrin, now that she reviewed her work, she had even doodled some bunnies on the side as if to characterize the woman.

She looked up quickly when she heard the door chime. There had been other patrons while she was drawing, but she barely glanced at any of them then, for her instincts knew it wasn’t the mysterious caller.

This time, though, she gazed attentively at the beautiful woman who just entered the shop. She was taller than You imagined or, rather, everything else about this stranger exceeded her expectations. She had cascading burgundy hair that reached her mid-back as well as a pair of amber eyes reminiscent of a shy cat.

After giving the shop a quick glance, the woman turned towards the seat by the window with slight hesitation.

Then she smiled.

“Hello. I’m Sakurauchi Riko, the one who lost the phone… you must be Watanabe You-san?”

You felt it was love at first sight, akin to those fateful meetings described in fairytales.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

“Oh! Sorry about that!”

“Mou, w-we’ve held hands before, it’s okay. Go ahead.”

Chuckling, You rubbed the back of her head and shyly squeezed Riko’s hand before taking the eraser. Riko smiled to herself, knowing that her cheeks probably matched You’s flushed ones as well. She shifted a bit so that she was sitting closer to the blue-eyed woman, which prompted the latter to grin and playfully deposit the eraser in her lap once she was done using it.

Riko felt so giddy that it was almost surreal. Surrounded by beautiful nature and accompanied by a fellow artist, she’s experienced and became addicted to the flavor of bliss. Here at the Kamakura Central Park, they’ve located a cool and shady spot under a particular tree and, soon, they fell into a comfortable sketching trance.

After receiving her lost phone, Riko had treated You to dinner for her kindness. To both women’s pleasant surprise, they chatted for a long time as if they were old friends and all that formality was quickly behind them. As they had similar hobbies, they had met up a few more times since then at the cafe and consequently had dinners together too. When Riko first suggested to go on a sketching trip, You had offhandedly replied “it’s a date then!”, which caused them to fluster. While neither commented on the topic, Riko was certain of their mutual attraction and even more so when You began to initiate more skinship after that.

Being the chivalrous and observant person she was, You would lightly touch her back when crossing streets and always made sure she was between the road and Riko as they walked down the sidewalk. In return, Riko would muster the courage to hold You’s hand or even boldly poke her soft cheeks at times.

“Ah, you’ve added a hat again, You-chan.”

“Hehe, you caught me!”

You saluted but made no move to erase the chic fedora she drew for the statue. Riko shook her head in exasperated fondness and simply admired her date’s creativity. While it might appear odd or even jarring at first glance, such sketches were actually refreshing and filled with personality, unlike her own detailed but very plain drawing.

She considered herself an introvert who preferred to enjoy peace and quiet rather than head out for parties. After graduating college, her friend circle had greatly dwindled and she only corresponded with the few remaining acquaintances once a while. It wasn’t as if she didn’t try, she simply lost confidence when people declined meet-ups or didn’t respond at all, which made her worried that she was intruding on their lives.

Therefore, she couldn’t believe she was able to get along with someone like You so well. Her heart fluttered every time the blue-eyed woman smiled at her - it was bright like the blue sky, encompassing and uplifting. It had been her source of inspiration since their chance meeting and she eagerly looked forward spending more time with You.

She didn’t recall ever being so enamoured with something or someone before. The closest instance she could think of was her infatuation with her viola, which steadily grew stronger over time until the instrument had become a vital part of herself. While she wasn’t certain exactly what she wanted, she knew that she wanted to know more about You.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that she’s been staring blankly at her sketch until You scooted closer, their shoulders almost touching. “Is everything okay, Riko-chan?”

“Ah yes, I was just, um, thinking about this song. Remember I’m learning how to play the kokyuu?” She hastily came up with half-truth. As a professional viola player, she’s interested in trying out other string instruments. Perhaps it was Kamakura’s atmosphere, or the matsuri she’s attended, she thought of trying out the traditional Japanese string instrument.

She’ll always be thankful for this impulsive decision, for it led her to inadvertently forget her cell phone when she rushed back to Shinjuku to meet with her colleagues.

“I see… oh! That reminds me,” You peered at her like an enthusiastic puppy. “I want to watch you play! I’ve been thinking about it ever since you told me you’re a violist and-”

As fate would have it, a sudden breeze blew her sketchbook several pages and revealed various doodles of Riko playing a viola. A deep blush quickly blossomed on You’s cheeks as she snapped her sketchbook shut. “Ahaha, hope you don’t think I’m creepy…”

Riko blinked, feeling the heat rushing to her own cheeks. “Not at all. In fact, I’m rather pleased you’d want to watch me play. Violas aren’t popular after all. They don’t shine like the violin and they don’t have the staple presence like a cello.” Kind of like me. “So it makes me happy to hear that you’re interested in violas.”

“Eh, then I have a confession to make. It’s not the viola but rather, you, I’m interested in-? Urk,” You plunked her face against her sketchbook though it wasn’t enough to hide her red face. “Forget it! I didn’t say anything!”

“Oh, You-chan,” Riko affectionately reached over to caress her date’s cottony hair. “I promise I’ll show you next time. Hmm, we can go to my studio in Tokyo?”

“Really? Awesome! A second date then~” Seemingly energized and placated, You grinned up at her with those beautiful blue eyes brimming with pure joy.

“Mhmm, a second date.” An odd sensation tugged at her heart strings then and she felt compelled to do something to relieve this tension between them. Realizing how close they were, she hastily turned to her backpack and took out her bento box. “Um, since neither of us are drawing anyway, let’s eat lunch?”

“Sure, I’m getting hungry anyway. The mind can’t work on an empty stomach!”

Their light-hearted picnic diffused that inexplicable tension somewhat, and Riko felt like herself again. She was very impressed by You’s homemade curry and would even deem it to be the best she had ever tasted. On the other hand, You unapologetically wolfed down several of Riko’s sandwiches and cheekily requested that she should make more next time.

“In that case, a third date?” Riko bashfully glanced at You, who promptly saluted. The former chuckled fondly as she poured cups of green tea from the canteen she brought and handed one to her companion.

“Riko-chan’s good at brewing tea too~”

“Mou, enough with the flattery.”

“But I’m just saying the truth? If only my tummy can speak, it’ll tell you how satisfied it is!”

“T-Then mine can speak for hours about how delicious your curry is!”

“Daww! Okay, in return for those amazing sandwiches, I’ll make some of my best omelette yakisoba next time too!”

Both satiated with the meal as well as their arrangements, the two artists returned to their sketching mode. However, unlike earlier, Riko was unable to reach that content peace as her mind whirred with endless possibilities of their future dates. Already, she was listing the dishes she was good at making and debating whether it would fit You’s preference or not. Before she knew it, her sketchbook was filled with doodles of a puppy wearing a captain’s hat.

“Ehehe, so that’s how you see me, Riko-chan?”

Yelping, she shut her book and pouted reproachfully at the grinning woman. “No peeking!”

“But you’ve always shown me your sketches…”

“T-That’s because, they were drawings of scenery and still life…” Riko trailed off, realizing that those random doodles were the first to ever grace those pages of rigid illustrations that lacked the liveliness she sought. Between her intricate drawing of the park and the cartoonish puppy, she definitely preferred the latter.

“Oh, hold still for a sec…”

Riko’s eyes widened as You gingerly picked off a leaf that must have drifted to the top of her head. Her hand lingered a little, pausing beside her cheek before it was hastily withdrawn. Their gazes met and, once again, Riko felt that strange spark between them. She was distinctly aware of her thundering heartbeats as she subconsciously closed her eyes.

Nothing happened, however, so after a few moments, Riko peeked at the other woman and discovered that her eyes were also closed. Combined with those reddened ears, You appeared utterly adorable.

Endeared, Riko couldn’t help but giggle. You’s cheeks darkened and her eyes snapped open. “W-What? What’s so funny?”

“You really are cute…”

“Huh, why’re you saying that all of a sudden,” You averted her blue eyes and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Besides, w-why didn’t you… um…”

At this, Riko felt her face heat up as well. “I- I thought y-you were going to- I mean, you took that leaf off my hair and…”

“Oh, but when you looked at me like that, I thought…”

They blinked and stared at each other for a moment before bursting into quiet giggles. That peculiar spark was still here, but Riko no longer felt nervous and allowed her instincts to take over. As if reaching a wordless agreement, they leaned in at the same time their eyes fluttered close.

Their first kiss was chaste and sweet with love. It was so innocently romantic that Riko felt like it was a scene from those fairytales.

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“Here’s your hot cocoa~!”

“Thanks, You-chan.”

Feeling extra playful, You pecked the unsuspecting Riko’s cheek as the latter accepted the steaming beverage. Just as she was about to flee, the taller woman grasped her shirt and pressed her lips against hers. Before she could react, Riko sauntered away like a victorious cat.

Chuckling, You hurried after her girlfriend and hugged her from behind, mindful of the hot drinks they carried. After a bit of snuggling and a few more kisses, they settled comfortably on the sofa. You unreservedly gazed at Riko up and down, pleased at the sight of her girlfriend dressed in her clothes.

How could someone look so appealing no matter what they wear? It was just a simple button-up shirt and sweatpants You dug out from her drawers, yet they appeared rather sensual with the way the fabric fit to Riko’s form.

You resisted the urge to grin with pride. Gah, who could blame her to be so giddy? This beautiful woman was her girlfriend, within arm’s reach in her humble abode.

She was thankful for the sudden rain when they were strolling through the park where they first kissed, as they tended to do once a week. By the time they made it to You’s place, they were quivering and utterly drenched. You was adamant in letting Riko shower first, claiming she would just wipe herself with a towel as she waited. Truthfully, she was not ready to take a bath with her girlfriend just yet, worried she might not be able to control her desires.

After they were both warmed up from the shower and clad in clean clothes, You suggested that Riko stay overnight since the terrible rain wasn’t letting up. Riko, though hesitant at first, agreed and appeared to be intrigued by everything in You’s home. As she sipped at her drink, her alluring amber eyes were sweeping over the few books, ornaments and photoframes that decorated the sparse living room.

Meanwhile, You couldn’t stop staring at her pretty girlfriend. Her lustrous burgundy hair was loosely tied into a sidetail that draped over her left shoulder, revealing the creamy neck that made You subconsciously lick her parched lips. With Riko seated so close, all You’s senses were filled with her scent, the warmth of her body, and her enticing lips ripe for the taking. Those brief kisses earlier in the kitchenette were far from enough.

Sheepish, she shook her head and took a slow sip of her cocoa. This was why she forced herself to decline in showering with Riko. Who knew what she might do? Frankly, she was worried about these frequent fantasies about her girlfriend, so much that she missed those innocent days when they could peacefully spend time together without her mind wandering. Sure, they had been a couple for some time now, but that only made You more fretful.

She didn’t want to screw up their relationship. She adored Riko dearly and refused to let this primal side of herself ruin the incredible connection they shared!

“Hehe, I like this side of You-chan too.”

“Huh?! W-What side?” She squeaked, frantic that her girlfriend read her inner thoughts.

Riko tilted her head, puzzled by her reaction, before chuckling. “I mean your glasses, silly. You look cute in them too.”

Since she was at home, she naturally took off her contacts and donned those black-framed glasses, not realizing Riko had never seen her wearing them before even though she knew of her bad eyesight. She fidgeted nervously under those warm amber eyes and placed her cup aside.

“Cute? Nah, I’m all about being ikemen,” she lowered her voice to what was hopefully a husky tenor and sent her girlfriend a roguish grin.

Riko merely giggled.

“Really? Not good enough huh?”

“You’re You-chan. I like you no matter what you do,” Riko smiled softly but blushed a moment later and tried to appear nonchalant by sipping her drink.

“Gah, com’ere you!” You gently extracted the cup from her protesting hands before enveloping her in a big hug. They stayed in this comfy embrace for a while, enjoying each other’s presence to heart’s content. It was amazing how this simple gesture was able to assuage any turbulence in one’s mind.

No words could ever replicate the effect of feeling your beloved’s warmth.

She recalled the day she watched Riko play the viola in the studio, of how the musician shined brilliantly with her instrument. Riko truly loved music, You could feel it, and that resonated arduously within her soul. She remembered how passionate she once was with diving, yet due to her condition, she was unable to speak in great details about it to Riko.

She wanted Riko to experience the same joy she had for the sea too.

As if sensing the air of melancholy, Riko shifted in You’s lap and brushed away the latter’s bangs before smooching her forehead. “What are you thinking about, You-chan?”

“Hmmm, nothing much,” You blissfully closed her eyes and smiled when Riko peppered her face with more kisses. “Okay, I was just thinking about how pretty you are when you’re in your musician mode.”

“What, I’m not pretty otherwise?”

“No! That’s not what I meant!” You hastily opened her eyes only to find Riko giggling in mirth. “Geez, you tease. You know what I was trying to get at… you seem to be a different person? You have that um, cool, sexy aura going on.”

“Cool? S-Sexy? That’s not what I was expecting.”

“Like, you seem to enter a whole new realm. You look confident and peaceful and, well, really happy?”

Riko’s cheeks darkened as she mumbled something. When You didn’t catch her words, she lightly flicked the former’s forehead in reprimand. “I said, I-I only think of you nowadays whenever I play the viola. That helps me concentrate and perform better…”

You’s chest was filled with warmth and fluff, as well as pride for being able to affect her girlfriend so positively. “I’m so honored, milady~” She giggled blithely against the crook of Riko’s neck, her nose nuzzling playfully until the latter squirmed.

“You’re tickling me,” she chided as she pinched You’s cheeks, stopping her.

“Sowwy,” she grinned unapologetically. “Riko-chan smells too good, I can’t help myself~”

“Should I remind you this is from your body lotion and shampoo?”

“Nope, it’s not that kind of aroma. I’m talking about Riko-chan’s own scent.”

“W-What? That sounds rather… improper,” Riko blushed and disentangled from You’s arms. She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and leaned over to the coffee table to retrieve her drink again. You could only gaze at her with a fond smile, mesmerized by her girlfriend’s graceful movements.

“Mou, stop staring…”

“Like I said, I can’t help it. You’ve completely captivated me, Riko-chan.” Though blushing, You said unabashedly as she meant every single word. Her heart had fallen for Riko since they first met, and this emotion only grew stronger as time went by.

Riko didn’t respond for a moment. Then, as if making up her mind about something, she tugged the scrunchie off of her sidetail before returning to You’s side. Smiling, she rested her forehead against You’s and gingerly cupped her cheek, caressing it with her thumb. “No, You-chan, I don’t think you understand how much you have captivated me.”

“Then show me?” You whispered with a slight tremor in her voice.

Riko kissed her then, so full of tenderness that she forgot how to breathe. All that guilt and worry of her inner fantasies melted away, leaving only the desire to show her girlfriend how much she adored her.

You interlaced their fingers, noting how nervous Riko was as well through the slight tremor of her hand. Wishing to reassure her, You chastely pressed her lips against Riko’s knuckles and hugged her close. They fumbled with each other’s clothes, clueless but eager, and kissed away any lingering hesitation. There was no need to fear, for they will explore this new phase of their relationship together.

Under the dim lighting and the comforts of her home, You discovered lovemaking to be every bit as dreamy as fairytales portrayed.

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“You-chan, are you awake?”

“Hmmm, nope.”

Riko tucked You’s head under her chin, smiling when her lover snuggled rather childishly into their embrace. She drew whimsical circles on You’s naked back, pleased by how the latter shivered under her touch. As if in retaliation, You sleepily licked Riko’s clavicles which brought out a mortifying gasp.

“Mou! You’re definitely awake...”

Pretending to be miffed, Riko extracted herself from You’s arms and adamantly ignored the latter’s whines. Once she was properly dressed, she carefully opened the blinds and smiled at the breathtaking sight that greeted her.

Uchiura was a quaint and beautiful little town, and she was saddened that their one-week vacation here was coming to an end.

The bed behind her rustled and soon warm arms slipped around her waist.

“Aaah~ can’t wait to be back at Kamakura, right, Riko-chan?”

Unable to answer truthfully, she merely nodded and played with You’s hands. After a moment’s hesitation, she began tentatively. “About your headac-”

“Yosh! Let’s make this last day the most fun one!”

Riko almost stopped You when the latter skipped away to the kitchenette of their rented room, yet the timid part of herself gripped her body. Swallowing down her words of concern, Riko sat down at the table in contemplative silence while You cheerfully prepared their breakfast.

When You had first suggested this trip to Uchiura, Riko was beyond happy that the former diver was ready to show more of her world. After all, You never fully explained why she decided to take time off and would change the topic whenever Riko inquired of her past. Thus, Riko was thrilled in exploring the town that You grew up and, for the most part, You was accommodating and took Riko to shrines, aquariums and even rented a cruiser while sharing various childhood memories.

However, the blue-eyed woman seemed keen in avoiding certain places, as if worried to run into anyone who might recognize her. Riko wasn’t too bothered by all this secrecy at first, for she was absorbed in anything that You showed her. For one, You taught her how to swim efficiently in the sea and how to make the snorkeling experience fun. Riko’s knowledge of swimming was basic and she had only ever been to the pool, thus she found You’s industrious methods to be fascinating. They swam with the fish, splashed water at each other and got touchy at seclusive parts of the beach a few times, relishing in such intimacy together.

Everything felt like a dream come true until the first night they returned to their lodging. Riko found You half-crouched in front of the sink, holding her head with a grimace. After taking a few painkillers, You seemed to have recovered from her headache. Riko let the matter drop but kept a careful watch on her girlfriend since then.

Their little vacation had resumed smoothly, though Riko noticed similar episodes when You thought she wasn’t looking. Whenever she brought up the subject, You would either close off or light-heartedly change the topic. Riko hoped she was only being paranoid, but everything about this was unsettling.

Just what was You not telling her?

Restless, Riko stood up from her seat, startling her girlfriend who was in the middle of pouring coffee into mugs.

“Riko-chan, what’s wrong-?”

She slammed her hand against the wall beside You’s head, cornering the shorter woman and forcing the latter to peer up with wide eyes. Riko was so ready to interrogate her then, those words already at the tip of her tongue, but that flicker of pure confusion in those blue eyes stopped her.

Perhaps, You just wanted this trip to be memorable and as perfect as possible?

Her resolve wanned and she fell prey to those cute puppy eyes. She tilted You’s chin and kissed her rather roughly as if to express her displeasure.

“Heh… you’re rather bold today,” You said hoarsely, the curve of her lips rather beguiling. “Maybe we shouldn’t leave the room so early-?”

“I don’t mind, You-chan, but you’re right with what you said earlier,” Riko fought down the temptation and merely embraced her girlfriend with everything she had, pained by her inability to help her beloved. “Let’s make this last day at Uchiura the best one ever.”

And it was. Rather than the beach, they headed for Awashima, a small island a short boat ride away from Uchiura, and dined at the top floor of a five-star hotel. Awed by the breathtaking view already, Riko was then brought to the Awashima Shrine where she enjoyed a different but just as incredible view of the sea. They spent the afternoon in a languid and content sort of sketching spree.

Truly, with the spectacular fireworks and peaceful stargazing afterwards, it was as if nothing was ever amiss and they were in paradise.

By the time they returned to Kamakura the next day, it was already evening and they were exhausted in a happy daze. After dropping the luggage to the side, You flopped onto the couch and pulled her girlfriend on top of her. Between a few languid kisses here and there, both were fine with just cuddling and resting within the comforts of You’s place.

The sense of familiarity almost lulled Riko to sleep when she felt You tense beneath her. Opening her eyes, she found You gritting her teeth and rubbing her temple. The magic from their trip dissipated, and apprehension filled Riko’s heart again.

“Headache again?” She murmured as if not to startle her girlfriend. As she reached for You’s head, her hand was gently but firmly pushed away as the latter sat up. “You-chan?”

“Haha, I probably didn’t have enough caffeine today.”

You only drank coffee from time to time, so this couldn’t be the reason. Riko knew she would be rather busy once she returned to Tokyo tomorrow, as this one-week vacation barely got approved

It was now or never.

“How frequent are your headaches, You-chan?”

Riko caught You flinching even though the latter laughed it off. “Must be the summer heat and all. It’s only recently that it’s happened, like I told you before. Now that we’re back here at Kamakura, it’ll go away eventually.”

Faced with such an earnest and almost pleading expression, Riko so wanted to believe her words and just let it be. She wasn’t the type to push someone if they showed discontent and she tended to shy away from any confrontation. For the sake You’s health, however, she knew that she needed to get to the bottom of this.

“Is.. there something you’re not telling me, You-chan?”

Blue eyes hardened. “What makes you think that?”

Gulping, Riko realized her wording didn’t sound good and fought against her instincts to back down. “Y-You seem to avoid talking about it, which I u-understand to an extent but, I’m just worried.”

The tension deflated from You’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, Riko-chan. I know you mean good but can we please just drop it?

And Riko almost agreed then and there. Almost. “Maybe you should go see a doctor-”

“No!”

She cringed, dumbfounded by such a hostile tone from someone who had been nothing but easygoing. She was about to apologize when You grimaced and covered her eyes. Determined, she reached for You’s hand.

“See, You-chan, we should go-”

Her hand was practically slapped away. “I already said no! T-This will pass, I promise. Just, s-stop, okay?”

It was You’s desperate, almost frantic tone that made Riko freeze in place. She wanted to stop, seeing how much this conversation pained her girlfriend, yet a part of her was frustrated and even a bit resentful. Didn’t You trust her enough? Was she not dependable? She didn’t want to invade You’s privacy. She was only trying to help, especially since she turned a blind eye to this problem during the vacation. The way You reacted just meant there must be something she was hiding.

Riko thought she knew You, but she didn’t, and that hurt more than she allowed herself to admit.

Taking a deep, controlled breath, Riko began slowly and attempted to reach for the other woman again. “I’m sorry, You-chan, but I really believe that you should-”

“How many times do I have to say it? No means no! Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

Akin to a cornered animal, You glared at her with distress rolling off her in waves. Stunned and hurt, Riko could only recall all those instances where her friends turned her down and brushed away her attempts at trying. Any smidgen of bitterness was washed away by a hollow sensation of fear and rejection.

Scared of making it worse.

Scared of losing everything.

How she wanted to simply pull You into a hug and protect her somehow, but she was too scared. Her arm dropped limply to her side and she turned away, unable to look at You anymore.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered so quietly that she wasn’t sure if You heard her. When she heard no response, she bit her lips to ensure no sobs would escape as she left the now cold home.

Riko discovered heartbreak to be just as devastating as when the illusion of fairytales ended.

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“I’m bakayou…”

You chuckled wistfully to herself, shivering a little from the breezy night air. She was only wearing a shirt and capri pants when usually, she would have added a few more layers due to her weakness to the coldness at night. Summer or not, she felt so dead inside because she couldn’t bring herself to care, not anymore.

She aimlessly strolled through the Kamakura Central Park, finding the rays from the setting sun comforting within this labyrinth of memories. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of her time here with Riko. The ache in her chest worsened and she rubbed her throbbing temples.

Regret at lashing out at her.

Even in that moment of emotional turmoil, You knew that Riko was simply concerned about her well-being. She never told the violist the reason she retired from diving, so how else would she have known?

Alas, You was merely human and succumbed to her fear. She had awful experiences with her former teammates from the swim team, even her coach, whenever she tried sharing her thoughts and feelings about her surgery and everything that happened afterwards. Since then, she tended to keep her emotions bottled up inside, deeming it pointless for she would just get invalidated or ridiculed anyway.

She was terrified of the same thing happening with Riko, but ended up shutting her out and ruining everything anyway.

“And I hurt her...”

She dug into her pocket for her phone, deliberating for the umpteenth time whether to call Riko or not. They hadn’t contacted each other since that episode and, while it hadn’t even been a week yet, You already felt like dying. She was unable to compose a decent text message and she always seized up whenever she attempted to call Riko.

Riko could be busy catching up, as the orchestra had an upcoming performance, or she no longer wanted anything to do with the person who was so vicious to her.

You swallowed painfully. She knew she must take the first step if she wanted to make this right. Dignity or pride be damned, this was her fault after all. Her legs soon brought her to the tree where they first kissed, for she hoped to be emboldened by their memories so she could finally make that dreaded phone call.

To her shock, the woman of her dreams was there too. Riko appeared to be deep in thoughts as she gazed at the tree, and flinched when she noticed You’s arrival. The consequent silence was unfamiliar to them, and so was the tension.

You dug through her useless brain for some sort of greeting while her eyes were trained on Riko’s form, afraid she might vanish if she blinked. What was she doing here, when she should be in Tokyo? Did she seem thinner? Has she been sleeping properly?

Before she could even open her mouth, Riko broke the silence in a timid tone, asking her the exact same things she just wondered. You was dumbfounded, for she did not expect her girlfriend to still care about her after what happened. Perhaps it was time to take the leap of faith. There was nothing wrong with exposing the vulnerable part of herself, not with someone who truly loved her.

She needed to face her own demons.

Since You didn’t respond, Riko lowered her eyes and excused herself. You snapped out of her daze and hurriedly closed their distance. Her hand closed around Riko’s wrist, tightly at first to ensure the latter would not leave, and carefully loosened her grip when she turned around.

“I missed you.” You blurted, embarrassed by how pitiful her voice sounded.

Several thunderous heartbeats later, Riko gave her a fragile smile and gingerly interlaced their fingers. “I missed you too.”

Relieved, You squeezed her hand and murmured. “There are many things I want to tell you, Riko-chan. Will you… listen to me?”

The taller woman nodded and led them towards the tree, where they sat down and leaned against the sturdy trunk. If it weren’t for the palpable tension and the darkening sky, it almost felt like their first date. You smiled wryly and drew strength from Riko’s warm hand.

She clumsily but full-heartedly apologized for her outburst first and, upon Riko’s acceptance, she began her story. It was nothing dramatic, at least not from her perspective, for it could have happened to anybody in her situation.

Due to her deteriorating eyesight, she took a break from diving and underwent a seemingly successful surgery. While she suffered darkness for a few weeks before she was able to take off her bandages, she was confident to return to what she loved doing without any aftermath.

Alas, she wasn’t as invincible as she believed herself to be. A terrible fear seized her every time she stood at the edge of the diving board. She could not pinpoint the exact reason, but the possibilities of having to return to the hospital or undergoing another operation and possible bout of darkness petrified her. As much as she yearned to relish in the triumph of a high jump again, the fear always rendered her immobile. Being the stubborn person she was, she ignored her doctor’s advice and kept trying, enduring the ridicule and even pity from any spectator.

Any attempt ended with her walking away from the plank in shame.

The last time she got anywhere near a swimming pool, she forced herself to make that jump in spite of her rigid muscles. Such reckless maneuver had only caused her to become hospitalized again.

“My doctor and psychiatrist suggested that I go travelling, to take the time off indefinitely to relax, and maybe discover what else I enjoy in life other than diving,” You weakly smiled at her speechless girlfriend. “That’s when I met you, Riko-chan.”

She determinedly ignored the prickling pain in her head and continued. “Those headaches are probably from stress, unwanted memories, or aftereffects of the surgery. I thought my… fear was only associated with diving, so I was surprised that it happened during and after our swimming trips in Uchiura. Perhaps it wasn’t from swimming but from guilt. My friends there and my family know all about my dream since I was little, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell them that I can’t dive anymore. I’ve lied to them that I’ve fully recovered. No one knew my full secret, until now.”

Riko tightened her grip on You’s hand. “These headaches, are they serious? Shouldn’t you return for check up...” She trailed off uncertainly, as if remembered what happened the last time she suggested that.

You gave her a small and reassuring smile. “Well, I am supposed to return for check ups, yes. I was told that it might be necessary for me to have another surgery-” She gingerly stopped Riko before she could freak out. “But I didn’t want to. And that was why I snapped at you. Again, I’m so sorry.”

Riko shook her head, her quiet voice still laced in concern. “It’s okay, now that I understand, You-chan. I’m just glad y-you’ve opened up to me.”

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Riko-chan. I was so scared of losing you that I didn’t want anything to ruin it… which I almost did by shutting you out. It’s not fair for me to do that. It’s not my place to decide for you. So, yeah,” You looked up into the sky, weary yet also felt like a weight had finally lifted off of her shoulders. “I-I’ve told you everything now.”

It’s up to you to decide if you still want to stay with someone as pathetic as me. You thought sadly.

“Remember what you’ve told me, You-chan?” Familiar scent filled her senses as Riko wrapped her arms around her. “You like how confident and happy I am whenever I play the viola. It’ll always be true - it’s thanks to you that I’m able to hold my head high and believe in myself. You’ve brought colors to my life.”

It took a moment for You to realize that Riko was crying.

“My bandmates or even other colleagues I’m not familiar with commented that I seem like a different person. They said I look happy, confident, and perhaps even shining,” she let out a choked chuckle. “See how positively you’ve affected me, You-chan? They noticed my change so acutely that they encouraged me to return here, to resolve whatever has been troubling me. I can’t play the viola properly, not without you.”

Tears silently trickled down You’s cheeks as she returned the embrace just as emotionally.

“You’ve become my world, You-chan. I w-want to be part of yours too, the good and the bad. We’ll get through this together, okay?”

She clung onto the woman who meant the world to her too. “I love you Riko-chan, I love you so much.”

You learned that she could not do everything alone, that she must believe in the power of their love if they wanted to persevere and overcome the trials in their path, just like the obstacles in fairytales.

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“You’ve reached Watanabe You’s voicemail~! Please leave your name and your number after the tone and I’ll get back to ya asap! Ready? Yousorou~! -beep-”

“... the performance was well-received. Our conductor and concertmaster were commended by the critiques, but for some reason they deferred the spotlight to me. Can you believe it? A mere violist like me, and out of ten violists too. I wish you could’ve been there to tell me how I did, then again, you would just praise me, wouldn’t you?”

Riko paused and swallowed any tremors in her voice before continuing in a relatively cheerful tone. “Anyway, our orchestra has been invited for a performance overseas and… I’ve decided to participate. Our leader has been kind, being aware of my situation, and told me that I could stay and continue my kokyuu studies if I wish. But that’s not what I’ve promised you, ne, You-chan?”

The jarring beep callously cut her off, signifying the end of the voicemail. She stared at the black screen of her phone for a moment and decided to put it away instead of continuing with her voicemail.

“I promised you that I’d put my life before yours, that you’d live vicariously through mine, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

She smiled painfully at the prone figure on the bed, lulled by the stable beeping of the heart monitor as she played with her beloved’s cool hand. You has always had a lower body temperature, so she hoped that she could warm her up this way.

And perhaps, that would help You wake up.

Sighing, Riko closed her eyes and rested her cheek against You’s unmoving hand. The operation was successful in removing the blood clots in You’s brain, and the surgeon seemed confident that she would make a full recovery too.

But that had been two weeks ago and You was still in a coma.

After their heart to heart conversation, Riko accompanied You to all the sessions she had with her doctor. While the process had been difficult and arguments did spark, they were always able to reach a truce. When the blood clots were discovered, You and Riko had a long discussion and ultimately decided to take the surgery.

You made Riko promise to continue on with living to her fullest no matter what happened.

Between her job and visiting the comatose woman in the hospital, Riko was exhausted but more determined than ever, strengthened by the torturous waiting and wondering. Her section leader and other colleagues were aware of this and gave her the space she needed, which she was very grateful for. Now that the concert was over, she had to decide whether to stay or go overseas.

Of course she would rather stay here with You, but she also respected You’s wish and the agreement they had. It wasn’t as if her trip abroad was permanent, and she had become acquainted with You’s childhood friends, who would keep her updated of You’s progress.

Nevertheless, she still wanted to be by You’s side when the latter regained consciousness.

Tirelessly, she left voicemails entailing her daily happenings, as if those messages would reach the comatose woman. It was the only way she could hear You’s voice, hoping to arrive at a decision through that familiar, energetic voice.

“Remember how we first met? You waited for me that day at the cafe, when you didn’t have to. So this is nothing, You-chan, I’ll always wait for you. I’m only gone temporarily - I’ll be back before you know it.”

Riko bit her lips when she realized she had subconsciously repeated the exact words You said before she entered the surgery room.

“I’ll be back before you know it! Then, we’ll go sailing on a proper boat since we couldn’t do it the last time we were at Uchiura. Look forward to it!”

“Yeah, you jerk, I really am looking forward to it so you better hurry up and take me there,” Riko choked from the memory and fell silent. She glanced at the open sketchbook on the bedside table, smiling nostalgically at her girlfriend’s characteristic style.

“There are so much of your world that you haven’t shown me yet, just as how I still haven’t shown you mine. So, please, wake up?”

Like the countless times in the past two weeks, her plea fell upon deaf ears. Overcome by emotions, she leaned close and gave You a soft kiss upon her forehead.

When she settled back down at her seat, she noticed odd spikes and waves from the heart monitor and EEG monitor. Taken aback, she immediately turned her attention back to You, whose eyes slowly opened and blinked.

Those blue orbs were just as brilliant and beautiful as she remembered. Though filled with confusion, there was a flicker of recognition in You’s gaze. She hastily reached for the emergency button but she never once broke eye contact.

‘Thank you for waiting for me’, You’s eyes seemed to say.

Riko learned that miracles truly can happen, just as how fairytales illustrated them.

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“The Sagami Bay sure is pretty…”

You hummed thoughtfully as she sketched out the scenery, adding as many boats around the bay as she pleased. She may have doodled a submarine and a pirate ship too, though she probably would have to discard them in the final draft. With the peaceful ambience at White Lily, the comfortable couch by the window and the soothing aroma of coffee, she was able to churn out pages and pages for her storybook.

Ah yes, she wrote and illustrated for children’s books nowadays. Should she tell the cafe shop owner that she worked as a freelance illustrator and designer now?

Blue eyes glanced at her reflection on the glass, noting her casual attire and her trademark cap. She dressed the same way as when she first came to Kamakura, didn’t she? Well, her messy hair was long enough that she had to tie it into a tuff of a low ponytail, and she had her black-framed glasses on.

Things had definitely changed, for the better too.

Chuckling, she placed the sketchbook onto the table and dug out another one from her backpack. It was slightly worn around the edges and the pages were crinkly as opposed to the crisp texture of unused paper. She whimsically flipped through the sketchbook, giggling at the various versions of Sakurauchi Riko, the different angles of the sceneries at the park, statues with contemporary accessories, and even drawings of the sea and shrines in Uchiura.

So many memories, each priceless and romantic, filled this simple sketchbook over the years.

Smiling, she turned her attention back to the incomplete one, her thumb fondly brushing over the title she inscribed onto the cover. You & Riko - a Modern Fairytale.

She couldn’t wait to finish this particular storybook and show it to her beloved.

The phone vibrated inside her pocket, pulling her out of her nostalgic trance. Her heart pounded with excitement as she eagerly answered the call.

“Ohayousorou!”

“Mou, You-chan, it’s already the afternoon…”

“It can be the morning whenever you want, Riko-chan, you just have to make it!”

The familiar giggle was like music to her ears. “Are you implying that you want some sandwiches for brunch later?”

“Maybe? It’s been so long since I’ve had them, I’m so jealous of your bandmates!”

“You do know that I’ve only ever made them for you?”

“Oh right,” You pulled down her cap in slight embarrassment even though Riko couldn’t see her reddened ears. “Wait, you said brunch later… you’re already at the airport? I thought you’re not coming back until later the night?”

“Silly You-chan, I’m not at the airport.”

The door chimed and instinctively, You stood up to greet the newcomer who had warm amber eyes, lustrous burgundy hair and the beautiful smile she loved so much. Though appearing sheepish, Riko radiated with sheer joy too.

“Surprise-?”

You closed their distance in a few quick steps, pulling the startled woman in a big hug and spun her around. They laughed and interlaced their fingers, the rings on their fourth fingers gleaming beautifully under the sun.

A gentle breeze brushed against the open storybook on the table, flipping it to a page with an illustration that matched the two women’s silhouettes, and a small passage scribbled beneath it.

Even if you think you’re a damsel in distress, a princess waiting for the prince to rescue you from your tower, you can still be someone else’s knight in shiny armor.

You meet someone, get to know them, experience the butterfly flutters as well as heated desires, overcome obstacles and resolve problems together. While not everything is as perfect as fairytales of storybooks, a happy ending is indeed possible.

Does that not count as a fairytale in its own right?

#athyra writes #Youriko #rikoyou #COMPLETE oneshot #omfg #that's an accomplishment right there #shitty writing tho #*cries #saccharine fluff moments #hetare you #purty riko #they embarrass me sometimes #hopefully realistic bits #research was done in several aspects for this oneshot #I'm exhausted D'X #kamakura and white lily are sorta easter eggs for SIF players lmao

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