#(Akkun02)

[queenharumiura]

Continued from: [x] @vanaglorie

Haru had never quite put away her hobby for costume making even in college where time was that hot commodity everyone wanted more of- but she somehow always found the time to delve into her hobbies. It was a form of stress-relief as much as it was a way to exercise her creative-side.

Even if she wasn’t going to be the one wearing the costume, she still found immense enjoyment out of the process. Knowing that her costume would see some use in the end and someone would enjoy it, that’s even better! A college friend had asked her to help make a cosplay for a photoshoot she wanted to do later with some friends. It wasn’t exactly Haru’s realm of expertise, but that’s what made it fun and exciting.

She had her schedule planned out so she could work on her own projects as well as the cosplay, but then her friend changed the deadline on her suddenly and now Haru was left pushing this project up the list in an attempt to get it done on time. She called in a favor to Byakuran, asking him to pick up a few things for her while she was hard at work. When he arrived, Haru was incredibly grateful. “It sounds like you’re really busy again Akkun,” she’s carefully referencing the character sheets and the cosplay in front of her, trying to deduce how this clothing works.

“Haru’s sorry to ask you to help her pick some things up when you’re so busy. She’s trying to get this done for her friend. A moved up deadline because of scheduling error. Crunch time-desu…” She sighs. Luckily for him, she was so busy studying the reference images and the cosplay in front of her that she didn’t have much extra brain power to even think critically.

“Hahi? Ow-” she accidentally pricks herself with the needle. Setting the material aside to ensure she doesn’t bleed onto it, she applies pressure onto her finger to staunch the bleeding. “You’ve already done a lot for Haru, you should just rest after running all your errands. We may be young but we get tired too.” She looks down at the cosplay she’s been working on for hours now, “guess it’s not so convincing coming from me.”

[queenharumiura]

It was kind of funny how Akkun had known where to find the bandaids in her desk without needing prompting on where to find them. Even the way he so easily took her hand and started tending to it was all too familiar. Makes her realize just how common an occurrence this could be. She didn’t think about it until now, and the thought makes her chuckle.

“Haa… well, she is the one who is paying for all the materials being used. She did Haru a favor last month, so here Haru is working on this. Every hour Haru stops and thinks to herself, ‘was this an even trade’? She ponders on it for a few minutes before she continues working again.” The more she delayed, the longer she’d need to spend working on this project.

Looking down at the costume, “I only need a few more hours today and that should be it. She’ll come by tomorrow and I can do any adjustments that’s needed.” Soon… she’ll be freed from this.

“True, I sometimes find myself wondering where you get all that energy, but then I remember your diet mostly consisting of sugar.” She jokes. She was sure he also ate actual nutritious food. At the very least, if she ever brought an extra bento with her, she’d share it with him—so there’s that? She didn’t think that he’d throw away the bento she made for him, anyways, because it would take a real jerk to do that.

A tiny chuckle, “Thanks, Akkun. Really.” Both of Haru’s parents worked, so much of her childhood days were spent alone, waiting for them to return from work. That was why Haru had learned to become so self-sufficient and have the tendency of relying on herself only. It wasn’t something she was used to, having someone pay attention to what she needed and to make time out of their day to check in on her.

It wasn’t to say that her parents neglected her, but it was a matter of Haru acting like everything was okay in front of her parents as to not worry them. She didn’t want to be a burden to them. It was awkward at first, but she was learning to simply accept Akkun’s goodwill for what it was. “After this is all done, Haru can go back to spending more time with Akkun~ Wouldn’t that be nice?”

"Oh, it's not that big a deal. Seems like you could really use the help, anyway." Byakuran leans back as he Haru moves around the mess of fabrics and reference sheets in a tizzy, so that he doesn't get in the way. It was always quite the fascinating sight to see Haru work. She could get so focused; it was kind of cute! Even Byakuran could feel infected by her stress, if this wasn't already a rather common occurence. Now, he's learned that it's best to step back and let Haru do her own thing, and help in his own way.

Without even missing a beat, Byakuran is already reaching into one of the drawers in her desk and pulling out a box of band-aids with an adorable little bunny pattern all over them. "I really hope you're getting fairly compensated for this, Haru-chan. This looks like a lot of work." He says as he gently takes Haru's hand into his own and makes sure to clean off the small needle prick with a wipe, before wrapping the band-aid around her finger with practised motions.

“Don’t be silly, you know I never get tired~” It was true, in a way. The amount of sweets that Byakuran consumes on the daily is enough to power him through on pure sugar high alone. He chuckles at Haru’s attempt in advising him to rest even as she’s surrounded by the mountains of things she has to do for her costume making today. “And I did tell you that if you need anything, feel free to just call. I’ll be stopping by the shops again anyway.”

It’s a lie, of course, but Haru obviously wouldn’t know that. While his family obligations could be rather demanding at times, if she called, he would most certainly answer. It makes sense, doesn’t it? This is what good friends do for each other! “And I’m definitely grabbing you a little snack for later, even if it’s an excuse to check up on you to make sure you’re not stressing yourself to death over this.”