#he gives me this bouquet with the romance ‚ affection ‚ and innocence meanings | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jimlingss · 4 years ago

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Sugar and Coffee [17]

Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18

➜ Words: 4.6k

➜ Genres: 99.5% Fluff, 0.5% Angst, Pâtisserie school!AU

➜ Summary: It isn't hard to be a pâtisserie chef, but it's not a piece of cake either. It seems like for you in particular, life keeps throwing in one wrench after another. It always finds ways to make your sweets bitter. The cherry on top is Jeon Jungkook — a rival with a sensitive sweet tooth who always finds ways to complain about you.

cr.

Marriage seems to be the ultimate goal for many. And you have to admit its appeal — cute invitations tucked onto tables by bouquet centerpieces, flowers blooming and budding all around the aisle and arch, long trains of wedding dresses, the tulle of the veil, the glowing smile of both bride and groom radiating happiness. Love is in the air and it’s hard to hate it. It’s difficult to remain bitter. For a brief moment in time, you forget about pushing the idea that romance is sickly — that the emotional dependency will cripple you when affections inevitably run out, that the imminent insecurity and jealousy will only act to lower self-esteem, that heartbreak is always impending. Just for the slightest of seconds….you forget to hate love. “Jungkook, Y/N! Get in here!” Sejeong eagerly motions you over and you exchange an expression with the boy beside you before scattering over hesitantly. Yet, she fervently welcomes you, shuffling over and draping her arm around your shoulder. Jungkook stands beside you, smiling wide for the camera. “One. Two. Three.” The wedding photographer snaps several pictures of all four of you. “Is this okay?” you ask in a slight murmur in-between shots, still worried considering you didn’t really have a place in this wedding. The only people you know here are the two of them, Jungkook, and Chungha who was somewhere preparing to walk down the aisle. “Of course, it is!” Namjoon zealously assures with a grin. “You guys are our official wedding cake makers. We can’t forget about you two.” “Chungha requested that we take as many pictures as we can. She won’t mind, trust me.” Sejeong smiles, excited for her sister’s wedding, and she squeezes your shoulder. “It’ll be a great way to look back on the memories.” There are a few more pictures taken and when the photographer gives the ‘okay’ sign, the married couple enthusiastically runs out of the frame. “Okay, now just our two interns!” You and Jungkook awkwardly scoot together, but then the photographer raises his head and suggests you both to go even closer. And that’s enough for Jungkook to throw his arm around your shoulders, pull you close enough that you nearly stumble into his chest and he flashes a grin as the camera snaps while your expression is still stunned. The next picture, you stand on the tips of your toes with the hopes of overcoming Jungkook’s height and teasing him later on for being short. But he quickly notices you and his grip on your shoulder tightens, attempting to pull you down for the following photograph. “Hey, don’t try to push me down!” You try to shove his hand off, but the effort is futile and Jungkook giggles. “You’ll never be taller than me, Y/N.” “Psh.” You stay on the tips of your toes, putting your hand over your head like that’ll somehow create the illusion your height is greater than his. But then Jungkook goes on his toes as well, lifting up his chin. The two of you laugh, using one another to keep balance and stand as high as possible. Namjoon and Sejeong grin at your banter and the photographer is smiling as well, continuing to take pictures at different angles and distances with no end in sight. “You got something on your nose, Jeon,” you lie. “What?” His heels touch the ground again and his hand lifts to his face. You steal the opportunity to jump straight up as high as you can, putting your hands on his shoulders. The wedding photographer captures the picture, then one of Jungkook turning his head in shock as you’re still in the air. Then the one where you’re descending and he opens his arms, catching your fall. And the one where you turn to each other, smiling wide as you gaze at each other. The photographer doesn’t say that these are the best candids he’s taken. “My name is Jung Sowon and this is Stand By Me.” The woman with the sleek, long, black hair stands at the stage. The band begins to play behind her, drums and guitar crescendo. The wedding singer parts her mouth to sing the first note and the melodic song fills the venue. “When the night has come. And the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we'll see.” You linger by, watching and swaying to the rhythm. “Would you like some champagne, ma’am?” A familiar voice beside you interrupts the music, but it’s a smooth timbre that you recognize. You turn to find Jungkook, offering you a flute of bubbling champagne and you laugh, taking it. “Thank you, good sir.” Jungkook’s dressed in a classic suit — white shirt, black blazer and trousers, shoes and tie. It’s simple, but it makes him look good, hugging his form well. You can’t help musing that he cleans up well. But maybe that’s because you helped him do his hair. It’s combed down as usual, but with the bangs slightly curled in, a bit of his forehead peeking out. Jungkook was screeching this morning and whining like a baby, afraid your straightener would burn his skin, but you’re glad you held him down and did it. You’re in a blue dress yourself, one that stops at the knees and is ruffled at the neckline. You didn’t think you looked particularly special, but by the way Jungkook was staring at you earlier, you’re not sure what to think anymore. “The ceremony’s starting soon. We should go.” You follow his lead, sipping on your champagne. “Hey. Don’t get drunk. It would be embarrassing.” He scoffs, playfully eyeing you. “Who do you think I am?” A grin spreads into your face. “I’m just saying.” The two of you find your seats at the left, near the back. The parents of the groom and bride gather together too, taking their spots at the front rows and the other wedding guests begin trickling into the garden area. You lean over to Jungkook, keeping your eyes straight ahead, but murmuring underneath your breath, “When do you think it’ll be over?” “I don’t know. Half an hour to an hour? Why?” “I’m kind of hungry.” “Course you are,” he says back but then begins looking around. “Do you want me to ask one of the waiters to bring around those appetizers again?” “No, I’m fine.” You giggle. “I was joking. I’ll be fine, Jungkook.” But concern lingers in his eyes. “Are you sure?” “I won’t starve,” you assure, not knowing he would take it so seriously. Jungkook is attentive to you these days and you’re not sure how to feel…… No. That’s not entirely true. You do know how you feel. But you won’t say it out loud. Instead, you focus your attention on your surroundings. The venue was absolutely lovely. It was still a part of the resort, but in a more secluded area that’s away from the prying eyes of tourists and resort guests. A few meters away was the ocean. The tide that was kissing against the shore, saltwater bubbling and fizzing every so often. It was the best of both worlds — the man-made garden inside the tent gorgeous and contrasting against the beach background outside. The floor is verdant grass, soft underneath your feet, and the flowers are in full bloom and wrapped around the ceiling and wedding arch. The reception area you had peeked at earlier was even more incredible. You can’t wait until the sun sets and the fairy lights turn on. “This is actually so nice,” you sigh out, speechless. “You know, for the longest time, I wanted a garden wedding too. Like pink peonies would be one of the themes or focuses or whatever. They bloom during late spring, early summer, so that would be perfect since the weather would be good too.” Jungkook glances at you. “Do you still want that?” “I’d probably never get married, so it doesn’t really matter.” You shrug to him, snapping back to reality. “Why not?” “Love’s gross,” you mutter quietly as the last people take their seats. “Plus, no one wants me.” “I want you.” Jungkook says it forthrightly, without a beat of hesitation, instinctively. As if you asked him what his name was. You look at him, staring wide-eyed. Jungkook gazes back at you, unwavering. Your heart stutters. And you quickly look away from him. “You shouldn’t joke about that kind of thing.” He sulks. “I’m not.” But none of you are able to speak another word. The music interrupts when it begins. The classic wedding march plays and everyone turns around to watch the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down the aisle with bright smiles. Sejeong and Namjoon wave at the two of you as well as they stride past. And soon, Chungha is the one walking down with her arm hugging her father’s. She’s in a beautiful, white ball gown, practically glowing as the trail of her dress follows. The woman looks the happiest she’s ever been and as envious as you are, the joy is overwhelming. Her soon-to-be husband is wiping at his eyes and when they meet, they hold one another’s hands, giggling. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” The officiant addresses the couple, reading a long passage from his book for twenty minutes about what love and marriage means. Then there’s an exchange of vows and it becomes emotional as they read their professions of love to one another. You feel the sting of your eyes that you try to dispel away. You forgot love could be so innocent and comforting. For so long, you’ve demonized it in your mind, discredited the emotion as silly mistakes. But with the way the couple stare at one another underneath the arch — so genuinely in love — you realize you had forgotten love could be so sincere. Not every love ends in heartbreak. Not every relationship ends in heartache. You had forgotten. And you find yourself stealing glances at Jungkook. “Sometimes I wonder how it’s possible that I became so lucky. That I was there on that day. At the right time. And I met you,” the groom inhales a soft breath, staring at his soon-to-be wife. “Not everyone can marry their best friend, but I’m happy to be one of them. There’s no one I’d rather become a family with than you.” The rings are exchanged as tears pool in eyes and then the pronouncement of marriage is made. After the kiss, the closing remarks are said and everyone stands up, cheering at the newly married pair. Chungha is laughing, her husband grinning hard and they run down the aisle together. Love is in the air and you’re glad that you’re experiencing it with Jungkook by your side. // Weddings are stressful when you’re the planner or the couple, but it’s fun as the guest. One of the perks that you and Jungkook especially have is being able to pig out at the table without having to mingle or interact with others. It’s not like you know anyone here, so the pair of you have resided by the snack area. “The catering company didn’t do a bad job.” You lick off your fingers. Jungkook hums and then turns to you with his arm extended. You look down, finding him holding a chocolate strawberry and immediately, your lips part. He feeds it to you and you taste it on your palette while shaking your head. “Not as good as yours.” “Of course.” Jungkook grins, relishing in your praise. “Where’d you find that?” “Don’t freak out.” He pauses, letting you suffer in suspense on purpose. “There’s a chocolate fondue fountain over there.” Immediately you whirl around to where he’s indicating and an audible gasp tears from your throat. Jungkook’s eyes crinkle in mirth and he follows after you, chiding you not to run. The milk chocolate is falling at three different tiers, grandly cascading downwards in a smooth liquid. You grab a plate and begin to stack skewered strawberries, marshmallows, banana slices, rice krispy squares and pretzels onto it. And the two of you end up crowding the fountain, dipping the food in one at a time to indulge. “God, I love chocolate.” You could drop dead right now and ascend to the afterlife fulfilled. Jungkook holds back a laugh. “Don’t eat too much. You’re going to ruin your appetite and get a stomach ache.” “Doesn’t matter,” you dismiss quickly. “I’m living my best life here, Jeon. I could die happy right now.” “You better not.” He smiles. “I still need you around to cover for me when I mess up.” Jungkook has more of a sensitive sweet tooth than you do, so he slows down his chocolate consumption sooner than you even have plans of halting. But he enjoys watching you eat, filling your cheeks with chocolate-covered fruit and sweets. He feels satisfied somehow when he watches you consume to your heart’s content. He eventually starts dipping what’s left on his plate to feed you, not allowing it to go to waste. “Ah.” Your lips part and he feeds you again, but this time, the chocolate accidentally drips onto Jungkook’s hand. He curses, pulling up his white sleeve to not get it stained, but before he can grab a napkin to wipe himself off, your hand clasps around his wrist. Without thinking twice, you pull his hand to your mouth and you lick off the chocolate. Your warm tongue runs along his skin, cleaning the mess. It takes only three seconds. But in the meanwhile, your pupils flicker up to look into Jungkook’s. Directly. Boldly. His Adam’s apple visibly bobs in his throat. Sweat begins to collect at his hairline but by then, you’ve already let go and turned away. You’re nonchalant. Your attention returns back to the chocolate fountain and you’re fucking humming, continuing to pig out. Jungkook cusses in his mind. You’re a vixen. A damn witch. But there’s no time to react or linger. Not when you’ve obviously moved on and haven’t thought much about your action. Not when the married couple arrives at the reception area and everybody takes their seats again. “Thank you everyone for taking the time to come here for us.” Everyone raises their glasses of champagne. “We really appreciate it.” “I’d also like to thank my older sister, Sejeong, and Namjoon for making such a beautiful wedding cake.” Chungha grins. “It was a surprise, but it’s better than I could’ve ever imagined and it was one less thing to worry about, so thank you. I knew I could trust you.” “Please,” Sejeong says aloud, “It’s my job.” There’s shared laughter and the bride carries on, “And thank you to Jungkook and Y/N as well for helping out with my sister’s shop and making the cake. I’m sure it would’ve been a lot more stressful without your help.” You’re bashful under the attention, but soon enough, the speeches and toasts move onto different people in the room. The maid of honour shares a long story about how the couple met and the best man wishes the pair a wonderful future. Not long after, the food finally gets served as the wedding singer continues her performance. You get mashed potatoes as an appetizer and steal part of Jungkook’s scallop dish. He feigns a glare, but then the two of you are splitting each other’s food family style to get a variety of tastes. The main course consists of filet mignon for Jungkook and pumpkin ravioli for you. You enjoy the meal for the most part, only slightly uncomfortable by the old woman in a floral dress who keeps glancing at you and Jungkook with a smile. And right before dessert is served, the stranger across the table seems to crack. “How do you two know the bride and groom?” her voice croaks as she nosily asks. “Oh. We just helped make the wedding cake.” “We’re the bride’s sister’s interns,” Jungkook adds. “Nice to meet you.” Her dainty, wrinkled hand shakes your hand and Jungkook’s. “I’m the groom’s great aunt. Such a lovely wedding, isn’t it?” “Yes, it is.” “The food’s great too.” The old woman's eyes glimmer of mirth. “So how long have you both been together?” You choke on your ravioli — Jungkook wheezes mid-sip of his water, coughing and sputtering. He pounds his chest. The pair of you look at one another, eyes rounded and wide. “Oh...we’re not...uh….” “No need to be shy.” Her hand bats the air. “There’s no need to hide anything, don’t worry.” “Umm...well, we’ve known each other for a while now,” Jungkook says and you give him a look. Technically, it’s not a lie. “Are you both considering getting married any time soon?” The proposition gives you whiplash, but after working in the food industry for so long, you’ve perfected maintaining a calm disposition. Even if the smile you offer is stiff. “Oh, no. We’re still very young, so I don’t think so. Not at all.” “There’s nothing wrong with getting married when you’re young,” she tells. “Back in my day, kids got married at eighteen. Right out of school. Better early than never was always my motto. If you know you’re good for each other, there’s no point in waiting.” “Uhhh….” You’re not sure what to say to that. Luckily, Jungkook jumps in and easily uses his infamous Jeon charms. “If I propose too soon, she’ll get bored of me. I’d prefer to keep her on her toes a little while longer.” The old lady laughs heartily. “That’s a dangerous game, boy. If you don’t put a ring on it soon, she might just run off with another boy and you’d surely regret it then.” He shakes his head. “She wouldn’t. It may not look like it, but she’s head over heels for me. She’d come chasing me.” That seems to poke the old lady’s funny bone, but your mouth has dropped open. “I would not.” “Sure about that?” Jungkook smirks impishly. “I might just run off with another miss if you’re not nice enough to me, Y/N.” “Psh. I’d like to see you try, Jeon Jungkook.” “You two are just too cute.” The old lady sighs wistfully. “Reminds me of my late husband and I. I know love when I see it.” The meal eventually ends and the old lady wobbles off to mingle at another table with people she’s more familiar with — but as she bids farewell, she chides Jungkook to marry you already. And when she’s gone, he shifts to wiggle his brows at you. You tell him that if he gets down on one knee tonight, you’ll slap him. Fortunately, Jungkook has no such plans. Instead, the pair of you spend your time watching the sunset on the beach. The sky is painted in tangerine and rosy hues, the ocean reflecting the horizon and once it becomes dark enough, all the fairy lights flicker on. The venue becomes illuminated by the dim and soft mosaic of colours. You feel ticklish and pink inside — stomach full of food, alcohol making it easy to loosen up, the amorous atmosphere a hatchery for hopeless romantics. You watch the first dance, listening to the smooth voice of the wedding singer and the warm sounds of the band. “Wise men say only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you.” The bride moves in sync with the groom, her dress gliding across the floor. Their hands are clasped together, feet moving slowly, eyes staring at one another. It’s magical to be an observer and it makes you wonder what it’s like to be there, to know you can live the rest of your life with the person you’ve chosen. When the others trickle onto the dance floor, you watch them too. And Jungkook soon returns, having gone to the bathroom and then taking a quick walk around. He finds you enjoying yourself in a rare carefree state, simply swaying to the melody in your seat. His smile becomes tender. “Go dance.” You scoff. “I’m not going to dance by myself.” “Then dance with me.” Jungkook takes your hand, pulling you up on your feet. “Come on,” he convinces when he sees your reluctance. “This is the only time I’ll ever dance. Are you really going to give up on this chance?” You let him pull you on the floor right as another song begins. It’s an older song — another slow one — fuzzy sounds that melts all around you. The wedding singer’s voice is sweet, drums providing a steady beat. The staccato of the bass is resonant and velvety with the lithe sound of the piano. “Stars shining bright above you. Night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’. Birds singing in the sycamore tree. Dream a little dream of me.” But what should be romantic is terribly awkward. Jungkook’s hands are placed tensely on your waist while yours are plopped on top of his shoulders. It’s as if you’ve been propelled back to the past — fifteen years old at a school dance with your crush, not sure where to look, how close to be, how to touch one another and be polite about it. You wince when he steps on your foot. “Ow.” “Sorry.” “I thought you danced, Jeon Jungkook.” The boy’s brows knit together. “Who says?” “I thought you could do everything,” you tease and this time, he’s the one lightly scoffing with a small smile tugging at his lips. Soon, Jungkook steps on your foot again and you mutter cusses in his ear. It makes him laugh, but you swear the third time he steps on your toes, it’s intentional. “Say ‘Night-ie night’ and kiss me. Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me. While I'm alone and blue as can be. Dream a little dream of me.” The crowd on the dance floor is moving together — old married couples and the young ones holding each other securely to kids twirling with each other. Eventually, the music relaxes you enough that you melt into Jungkook’s arms and he falls into a rhythm, no longer stepping on any toes. Your arms are looped around his neck, your fingers locked together. His hands are tenderly on the dips of your waist. The two of you sway with one another. There’s nowhere to look but directly into his eyes and you find his gaze fixed onto yours. As if your irises are the most interesting kaleidoscopes in the world. Jungkook makes you nervous. He makes your palms sweaty, your steps unsure and seemingly unpracticed. “Can you stop looking at me like that?” you murmur. In this party of people, only he can hear you above the music. It’s much too intimate. “Like what?” “Like you love me.” “But I do love you.” He tugs you closer and you search his eyes, brows furrowing unintentionally. You quietly scold him, “You can’t say that, Jungkook.” “Why not?” he asks in a whisper. “Because what does it mean for us?” “Can’t friends love each other?” “I—” “I’m kidding.” Jungkook smiles gently, the corners of his mouth quirking. “Well, not really.” The slow song encases you and Jungkook into a private bubble. The dim lights make his doe eyes sparkle even more than usual — like there are actual stars captured within them, like he’s snapped a picture of the night sky on a Summer night and kept them there. “Stars fading but I linger on, dear. Still craving your kiss. I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear. Just saying this.” You never realized how much you love Jungkook’s eyes. “Hey, can I ask you something?” he pipes up again in a gentle murmur as to not disturb the delicate moment between you two. “It’s not about me, but I have a friend who doesn’t really know what to do...” “What is it?” “He’s in love with his best friend who’s head over heels for some other guy and is still heartbroken over him even after so much time has passed. My friend really loves her, but he doesn’t want to ruin the friendship they have because it’s important to him.” You hum a low note, corners of your mouth pulling. “Well, if this best friend is dancing with your friend, sharing the same bed together every night, and spending their days together, she’s probably not heartbroken after that guy anymore.” Jungkook’s grip on you tightens, not too much that it hurts, but securely enough to keep you from floating away. He swallows hard. “So you think he should go for it?” “I think he should take it slow,” you hum. “Even if he values their friendship, once you’ve caught feelings, there’s not much you can do. I have personal experience on this topic, so I would know.” “Would you now?” A boyish grin spreads into his cheeks, one that makes him look even younger. “I think this friend of yours should take his chances.” You lean your head on his shoulder, relishing in his body heat. “Sounds like his best friend might just agree.” Jungkook holds you close. The two of you sway together, enjoying the moment. “Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you. Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you. But in your dreams, whatever they be. Dream a little dream of me.” The fuzzy song fades as it ends. The last note holds the air. And with it, the spell breaks. You pull yourself away from Jungkook’s arms, offering a small smile. It’s awkward, so you quickly turn away to return to your spot at the table. But then…. There’s a call of your name— “Y/N.” As you spin around, Jungkook tugs you in by your waist. Your lips meet his. Your mouths collide together right as another song begins — one you don’t pay any attention to, where you can’t even discern the lyrics. Not when your heart rate is pounding in your eardrums. It’s a soft brush of the surfaces of your lips, a timid touch, but soon, you’re eagerly deepening the kiss. You’re surrounded in Jungkook and everything that is him — the scent of fresh laundry and his cologne, giving into the velvet texture of his soft lips, reveling in the warmth of his skin that brings heat onto your cheeks. Your hands slink to the back of his neck, sinking your fingers into the little hair there. Your eyes shut and Jungkook sneaks in a long peek at you, soaking in your pleasured expression before his own lids flutter closed. Your nose bumps together and he easily tilts his head, kissing you tenderly, but eagerly underneath the pretty lights. Jungkook kisses you and kisses you, like it’s all he’s ever wanted to do. But really, he should’ve done this a long time ago — maybe that time underneath the mistletoe all those months ago. So he makes up for the lost time, tasting your lipstick curiously, smearing it shamelessly, getting it all over his own mouth. It’s hot, breathy, and when the pair of you pull apart, the thin thread of saliva between your mouths break. You stumble back on your heels, catching yourself on weak knees. You try to remember how to breathe properly. Jungkook’s own chest is heaving and he shakes his head, wearing an infectious smile. He wipes his lips wet with your saliva haphazardly with the back of his hand. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do that for.” You laugh, grabbing his tie roughly. You tug your best friend closer. “Then shut up and do it again.” The both of you are in the middle of the dance floor, underneath the lights, but none of you pay any mind. This time when Jungkook kisses you, he’s grinning against your mouth and you can’t help but smile too.

#bts fanfic #bts scenario #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fluff #jungkook scenario #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #aaaaAaAaAaAaAaaaAAAAHhhhhHHHHHHHHHhhhhHHHhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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hs-devote · 4 years ago

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iv. láthi: the mistake

Moodboard * Content * Masterlist

Disclaimer:

All characters and situation in this story are fictitious. Resemblance to any person living or dead is only God knows.

chapter iii. láthi: the lie

iv. the mistake The pouring rain is the first thing Y/N hears when she opens her eyes, the cold wind outside coming through her window makes her pulling her blanket up until her neck, not caring about making someone lying next to her whining of losing the warmth from the thick blanket that wrapped his body earlier.

She stays still, cocooned her naked body to keep the warmth and turn her back to Harry, who seems no longer bothered by the cold that morning. Yet, he stirs a little in his sleep. Unconsciously wrapping his arm around her hips and bringing her closer.

Y/N really wants to fall asleep again, but the dream she just had earlier a bit bothered her.

In the dream, she was standing alone in the middle of a hallway in a massive castle with a high ceiling that she could barely see it. She was just there alone. When she stepped her foot to find about what was the place, she saw a large bright ball approaching her along with several small balls twinkling. She didn't know what it was, but they seemed to want to lead her out of the place. And that’s what she did.

Once she got out, the light balls were no longer there. And now, she saw the endless ocean with thick fog covering its surface. She could faintly hear the flow of fast water stream.

She was confused.

Where was she?

“Your Majesty.”

She never snapped her head this fast, hearing someone addressed her with such a title. She was the only one there, who else did they mean if not her?

She found a girl who appeared to be a maid, looking at her timidly. The young girl looked scared, but scared of what?

Y/N hadn't yet had time to open her mouth, yet someone embraced her from behind and made the maid leave immediately.

“Darling..”

The voice.

She recognised the voice.

Unfortunately, when she wanted to turn around to see who was holding her, she awoke from her sleep with extreme confusion.

What's the meaning of that?

She blinks her eyes when she feels her neck being kissed from behind, making her slowly turn around and find Harry staring at her with his sleepy eyes.

“Good morning, love.” his lips draw a small smile, “You wake up first.”

“Mhm,” she hums softly while brushing away his unruly curls from his forehead, “The pouring rain woke me up. And it's cold.”

"Cold? I should be the one who feels cold because you took the blanket." he groans, snuggling closer to her warm body. Y/N laughs softly, her hands stroking his cold cheek.

“Are you hungry? I want to make something before my granny wakes up.”

“Sometimes it makes me feel a little bad when your grandmother is sleeping in the other room while we have sex and try not to be noisy. Yet, at the end of the day, we couldn't hold back the screaming.” he speaks softly while his arms creeping under the blanket and rubbing Y/N's hips with his thumb, “I hope she's not traumatized.”

“You're such a filthy animal when it comes to sex.”

“That's why I prefer my place.”

“Harry..”

“Okay, okay.” he chuckles, “Go make something delicious, I'll wait here.”

Y/N just rolls her eyes before picking up her discarded clothes on the floor and get dressed. Before she leaves the room, she doesn't forget to give her man a delicate kiss on the lips making the man's heart soars in affection.

When she gets to the kitchen, she's surprised to see Ilitia who had prepared the breakfast on the dining table. With a small smile, Y/N comes closer to her grandmother and give the old woman a kiss on the cheek.

“Buongiorno nonna.”

“Mia cara..”

"I just wanted to make something for breakfast but it seems you beat me first." Y/N hums while sitting on the chair nearby, looking at Ilitia who just turn off the stove. The grandmother just smiles while taking off her apron.

“Non preoccuparti! I knew you were going to wake up late. So, I thought I could do something for you and Harry." she shrugs, "Are you not tired? Your scream was loud last night."

“Nonna!”

Y/N's face flushed red when Ilitia teases her while wiggling her eyebrow, she blushed even more after her grandmother gives her the I-knew-what-you-did look. Were they that loud last night?

“I thought you were already asleep.” she mumbles under her breath while fumbling with her fingers, avoiding the eye contact with her dear grandmother who just admitted that she heard they had sex last night. Well, this is not her first time hearing her granddaughter having sex with the guy named Harry, but what she heard last night kind of traumatized her. She doesn't know this horny couple could be wild if they wanted to.

"I did, mia cara. But, the way you guys screamed hurt my hearing and made me awake.”

Y/N slumped her shoulder in embarrassment, in the bottom of her heart, she promised to be more careful and maybe keeping their hands off each other when Ilitia around.

"My dear. I know I have no experience with love and things like that but are you sure? Are you sure about him? Because Harry is the first man you take home and I see you really into each other. I just don't want you to get heartbreak if something goes wrong."

This is the first time for Ilitia to talk seriously to her granddaughter, the look on her face so careful and concern. She doesn't want her only granddaughter to feel hurt from choosing the wrong person. This is the first time Y/N has shown she really likes someone and it seems that her feelings are much deeper than Ilitia thought.

"I really, really like him. I've never felt like this with anyone. He's a good man and.. I'm really happy with where we are now."

“Nonostante non ci ufficializzi.” she adds with a sad smile.

It's right. They admitted to liking and adoring each other, not hesitate to kiss each other and even have sex. But, Harry never openly make their relationship official as a boyfriend and girlfriend. That's all enough for her. The most important thing is they admit their feelings and her feeling isn't one-sided.

She really wants Harry to make official of their relationship, yet she understands that he's not someone who's outspoken about romance. Just each other know where they stand, what they feel, and all set. They're in a relationship. But, is it a boyfriend-girlfriend thing? She isn't sure.

One thing she knows and the matter is.. they live the relationship as it should.

While Y/N is happy yet a little worried about her relationship with Harry, the legal wife of him, Selene, is angry and also worried about her husband. She had just returned to Centauri with anger fueling her chest. She just catches her Harry whom she loves so much, sneaking behind her back with another woman and seems to have feelings for that woman. Not just a woman, a mortal human who is far below them. What even human compares to Goddess, like her?

She doesn't know what her husband was thinking and seeing in that woman. She's much honourable than that creature.

She wants revenge, yet she doesn't want to get her hands dirty. She has to gather a lot of evidence before carrying out her plans.

Fine if Harry doesn't want to be honest and listen to her.

Like she said before, she would make him regret for ignoring her.

“Kynigos!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

One of her trusted men immediately approaches her when the Goddess calls him. He bent down for a few seconds before returning to his feet like a tough fighter.

“I have a mission to carry out. Bring Khosaid, Aharo, and Helios to the throne room now.”

The man just nods, leaving a smirking Selene who's plotting something inside her head. She has hundreds of plans to get Harry back into her arms and deter him. No one can take her husband from her. No one. . . . .

Selene is wondering out loud.

What kind of human could make her husband turn away from her.

She doesn't know the name, doesn't know anything about her but her face.

She admits that the human is beautiful, but still she’s more beautiful she thinks, and look innocent. Yet, behind the innocence, the human is even worse. She doesn’t know how Harry got hooked on his secret lover.

And she wants to know.

That’s why she’s now standing a few metres away from a certain flower shop. According to her spy, the girl works as a florist, also she just found out that her Harry often buys flowers there. So, she thinks it all started with him buying flowers and they met regularly. If it isn’t her husband’s affair, she won’t want to come down and mingle with the humans on Earth. Selene avoids that very much.

“Hello, can I help you?”

What a coincidence.

The woman she was looking for, is standing in front of her with a smile formed on her lips that she hated. The lips that her husband savoured beside her, the lips that she's sure did something more than just a kiss..

“Do you have Anemones?” Selene quickly pulls her focus back, doesn’t want the woman to be suspicious since she almost throwing a glare, “The red ones, actually.”

“Yes, we do. How much do you want?” Y/N immediately put on her gloves and looking for a scissor, not realising that her new customer had been gripping it for some reason.

“Make it a bouquet.”

"Sure! Let me find my sci– Oh, thanks!" Before she finishes her sentence, Selene quickly holds out the scissor right in front of her. To her surprise, her customer seems to be pointing the scissor in front of her face rather than holding out because how quick it was in her face.

“My.. darling said this is the best flower shop in Syracuse,” Selene begins, her eyes staring at Y/N who’s picking up her order, “And now I know.. why.”

“I think your boyfriend is too much. But, thank you.” Y/N smiles, “I guess he once bought flowers here?”

“My husband,” Selene corrects her, “And.. yeah, I guess. He often buys flowers here. Or I could say, always.”

“Your husband? You’re so lucky then, having a romantic husband.” she beams while tying up the Red Anemones, “I should have known him if he always buys flowers here.”

“Mhm. You could say that.” Selene silently rolls her eyes, feeling sick of this nonsense talk. But, she has to be patient so she can get what she wants. Her eyes looking at the woman in front of her closely, from the head to toe. She doesn’t find see anything interesting about Y/N, and why could her husband be attracted to her, get into her trap, and was lulled into forgetting the fact that he’s a married man.

“You’re lovely, you know that? It’s a bit embarrassing you work just as a florist.” Selene shakes her head, “I wonder, a lovely girl like you must have a boyfriend already.”

“Something like that.” Y/N chuckles, handing out the finished bouquet to her customer.

“Ooh, he’s lucky then.” hums Selene, “Or.. you are lucky then. Because I believe, Italian man is so damn romantic.”

“He is,” her cheeks flushed, indicating that what Selene said is true. She smiles shyly and it makes Selene feel even more annoyed, “But, he isn’t Italian. So..”

Enough.

Selene no longer wants to hear the words from the woman in front of her. The Goddess immediately take the money out from her pocket and gives it to Y/N without asking the price. She quickly leaving the confused Y/N without saying another word.

Did she say something wrong earlier? Y/N wonders.

She shrugs. Maybe the woman is in a hurry, she thinks.

Not long after, she sees from a distance that Harry had just closed his car door. With a blinding smile, the man walks towards her with something in his hand.

“Hi!”

“Hi, Harry.”

The man quickly gives her a peck on the lips, before he hands her a paper bag from his hold, “Here, I brought you lunch.”

"Why?" Y/N smiles, slowly take the bag and peeked inside.

“I know you sometimes forget your lunch. Then I stopped by at the nearest restaurant before I got here.” he shrugs, “That habit will get you sick. And I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Thank you,” she grins, “Come inside. We can eat together behind the counter, Mia will be here soon.”

Y/N grabs Harry’s hand to follow her inside. Luckily, her boss didn’t come today so she can freely sneak him inside without any worries.

“You’re off tomorrow, right?” he asks when she’s taking out the lunch box, “I want to take you somewhere.”

“Yep,” she confirms, “Where to?”

“It’s secret.” he winks, “But, you’ll definitely like it.” . . . .

Y/N has an off day today and like Harry promised yesterday, he takes the advantage to take her out for a date. A date like normal humans usually do. It’s just one day trip in Marina di Ragusa, yet he already rented a private boat for both of them to enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean Sea until the sunsets. When they arrive at the port, someone was waiting for him. Harry and the person talk for a while and soon give him the key, and not forget to wish them a nice trip.

“This is unusual,” Y/N hums while they walk to their boat, “But, I like it.”

“Oh, you’re going to love it once we hit the water.”

The man carefully helps her to climb into the boat, with the help of the dock clerk of course. Once he joins her in behind the steering wheel, he puts the key into the ignition, letting the engine to roar and ready to sail.

“Ready?” he averts his gaze to the girl next to him, lips forming a smile seeing her looked all giddy and excited.

“Of course!”

He shakes his head of how cute she is. After the dock clerk gives him a clear to sail, he doesn’t hesitate to show his skill to drive a boat expertly. In fact, he’s so carried away by the sea breeze hitting his face as they started to move away from the dock, and makes him pick up the speed.

“You’re expert at driving a boat, huh?” Y/N teases him, her eyes occasionally glance at him while looking at the distant coast.

“One of my hidden talent, actually.” Harry jokes, before making a sharp turn that caused the water splash over them. He let out a laugh while Y/N groans because her clothes are wet a little.

“I told you to bring spare clothes, didn’t I?”

“All of this was planned, wasn’t’ it?” she pouts, “You wanted to get me wet so you told me to bring spare clothes!”

“We’re on the water, so it makes sense if our clothes get wet.”

“I know, but – Harry!”

She screams as the boat suddenly accelerated, making her startled and reflexively grabs his arm. When they slowed down in the middle, she slaps his hand on the wheel.

“You want to knock me overboard?” she glares at him, “Don’t do that!”

“You have to see your own face!” he giggles, “It was funny.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Good thing that you’re still on your seat. If you were standing, you could fall in and drown.”

“Sometimes I can’t trust you behind the wheel, you know?” she murmurs under her breath, and now looking out over the endless expanse of the sea, “And now we’re in the middle of the sea. What we will do?”

“Technically, not.” he shrugs, “Well, I just want you to feel the calm water. Isn’t this calming?”

“It is, H. But, I’m just afraid that if we run out of fuel and cannot come back.” she laughs, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow.

“We can swim. I’ll hold you tight if you can’t swim, though.”

“How romantic of you.”

“Second to none.”

Y/N chuckles at his silliness. The way his unique thinking always amazes her, and it seems Harry always has his own thought. And sometimes, she cannot guess it.

“I just want to cherish our time together. I just want to be alone with you and enjoying each other’s company.” he starts, “I know sometimes the world doesn’t work the way we want but I’m always here for you.”

“Harry…” she coos, “I know the world is too hard and cruel sometimes but I’ll always be by your side. No matter what.”

She doesn’t know where this comes from, him talking like this isn’t his usual. Like there’s something he tried to convey implicitly, it’s clear from the way he looks at her. He doesn’t smile, lips pressed together but his eyes are so soft.

“Promise?” he then cheekily put his pinky finger for her to intertwine, and of course she happily locking their pinky’s together.

“Always.”

Harry lovingly grabs her face and kisses her dearly. Both of them closed their eyes, letting the moment drown between them. He smiles into the kiss as does she. Still locking their lips together, tasting each other, and melting their feelings into one.

They hurriedly untied their lips when the boat rocked suddenly, making them laugh.

“We shouldn’t be here to long,” Y/N nervously giggles, “It seems the ocean hates us.”

“Fine then, we’re going back to the coast.”

Before he drives them back, he pulls her head towards him and kisses her forehead.

“What was that for?”

“You’re just too cute.”

From the very distant dock, the woman can see what’s happening with her own eyes. She understands what’s going on between them, their feelings, yet she has to make a decision before it’s too late. . . . .

“You’re one step closer, Your Majesty.”

"You're very close to your destiny but you haven't realised that."

“You must be careful.”

Harry gasps when he opens his eyes, watching the huge waves roll away from him as if it had finished delivering the messages. His eyes wandering at the reflection of the moon on the surface of the ocean before his eyes. Then, he remembers Centauri, Selene, his mission. And.. Y/N.

Sweet sweet Y/N.

How come he likes a mortal human, especially he already has a wife who’s always waiting for him to come home every day?

How could he believe that the human made him fall in love with her?

How could he feel carried away and complacent, making him forget his wife when he was with Y/N?

Those kisses, those touches, their skins against each other.

Their lust for one another.

The desire.

Harry knows what he committed, yet he couldn’t stop.

He cannot.

What if Selene finds out? His people and his realm know that he's cheating with a mortal human and having affair?

They won’t blame him.

They’re going to go after Y/N, and he doesn’t want that. But, he doesn’t want to let go of her.

While Harry was standing on the beach and contemplating his thought, Y/N was arguing with her grandmother who suddenly forbade her to be close to Harry without giving a definite reason.

"Why are you suddenly against my relationship with Harry, granny? You never said anything before?" Y/N asks quietly, staring at Ilitia who's looking at her with a gaze she cannot interpret. Ilitia just sighs, paused for a moment to choose the right words to say.

“I just.. there’s something wrong with him that I feel but I can’t really say. Especially, I don’t want you to get hurt later because he didn’t say anything about your relationship, did he?” Ilitia gives her a plea look, “If he’s good man, he’ll make clear what kind of relationship you two have.”

"He's a good man, granny. He takes care of me well. He's always nice with you and why don't you like him?" she fights, "I thought you like him.."

“I do, mia cara. I just–”

"If you don't want to tell me, I won't listen to you." Y/N stomping her feet before leaving Ilitia like a grumpy child. She doesn't understand why Ilitia suddenly forbids her to see Harry even though her grandmother seemed fine before. She gets suspicious since Ilitia won't tell her the reason behind of all this and she thinks it's odd.

When she just steps out from her porch, she sees Harry who just gets out of his car. Her mood gets lighten seeing him who comes to her house.

“Harry!”

“Love..”

The pair kiss each other immediately when they get into one another’s arms. Y/N smiles into the kiss, feeling the joy while Harry stroking her hips with his thumbs. They break the kiss shortly after and putting their forehead against each other.

“What are you doing outside on nights like this?” he hums, rubbing her nose with his own.

“I kinda.. arguing with granny for some reason.” she puckers her mouth, making him give a quick peck on her lips before backing away.

“Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Granny asked me to stay away from you.”

Harry is the one who frowned this time. He didn't mishear, did he? Why on earth did Ilitia ask her granddaughter to step back on him? He made no mistake. Why?

"She doesn't have a valid reason yet she still remains adamant against our.. relationship." she answers his unspoken question, "And that's why I'm here."

“Want me to talk with her, love? Maybe there was something she was doubting about?”

“Are you sure?”

“Gladly.”

Without another word, Harry takes Y/N's hand to follow him from behind. Slowly, he opens the door and finds Ilitia pacing in the living room – looking all confused and anxious.

“Good evening, Ilitia.”

“Granny..”

“Mia cara!”

The old woman quickly pulls her granddaughter from Harry, making the young couple shocked by her act. Ilitia stares at Y/N and him in turn, before standing to shield Y/N from the man who just escorted her granddaughter back home.

“You better go home, Harry.” Ilitia warns him, “And please, never come back.”

“Did I something wrong, Ilitia?” Harry confusedly asks, “Why are you suddenly like this?”

“I don’t like you.” Ilitia scoffs, “My granddaughter is better off without you.”

“Granny!” Y/N cries out, “Why did you say that? You were fine with him before. He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Ilitia, I apologise if I made a mistake. But, please. If you don’t like me, please tell me the reason so I can fix it.”

"The way you can fix it by staying away from Y/N, and forget her." Ilitia hiss, "I don't want my granddaughter to get hurt if she's still with a man like you."

"You're talking nonsense, granny. You don't even have a clear reason why I–"

“Y/N Y/L/N!”

Y/N flinches. This is the first time in her life that her grandmother yelled at her and called her full name. She's sad and ashamed by the way Ilitia treats her like a child. Never once was Ilitia like this before. Her heart sink and her tears are ready to burst. Before Ilitia and Harry see her crying, she quickly leaves them both to burst into her room, making them both hear how loud she slams her door.

"Ilitia, I don't know why you hate me so suddenly. If I made a mistake, then I'm sorry. But, please give me a chance to prove to you that I won't hurt her. We both love each other and…"

"Love?" she scoffs, cutting him off, "Are you sure about that? Don't tell lies to me. We both know what's your intention; you're just fooling around with Y/N. My granddaughter's future is bright even more if you stop this nonsense. Whatever you're having with her is just bullshit!"

“Excuse me?”

“I know who you’re, Harry. Don’t fool me.” she pushes him out, which makes him wonder why this old woman is strong enough for her age, “Just leave before you regret everything. I just want to protect my Y/N.”

Harry winces as Ilitia slams the door right on his face, making the hanging pot next to it rattling. He doesn't understand what Ilitia told him. What makes him even more confused, why did she dislike him so much? He was always nice to her and didn't do anything wrong. He's always trying to please her beloved granddaughter and makes a nice impression on her.

Maybe Ilitia was just tired and had a lot of thoughts that made her like that. He hopes tomorrow everything will be fine and back to normal. He wants Ilitia to like him because he knows how much that means to his Y/N. . . . .

When Harry opened his eyes this morning, he felt something strange.

That day was gloomier and sorrow, as if a storm was coming. The sun even seemed shy to shine on the Earth, dark clouds clustered over the sky. And when he passed the shore, the waves looked fiercer than usual.

And, he doesn’t know why.

The unexpected scene a few days ago between him, Y/N, and Ilitia still nagging his mind. He hasn't met Y/N again because he doesn't want to annoy her grandmother, meanwhile, he also gives Ilitia time and space to calm down.

He was thinking about what caused Ilitia to despise him.

He and Y/N never quarrelled, he never made her cry. Their so-called-relationship is fine. Then, what?

Then, he remembers Y/N’s face that night. She looked sad, obviously wanting to cry yet she holds back. He never saw her so sad, he always saw her smile and laugh even when she was tired.

Oh, Harry misses her.

He misses her smile, her laugh. Everything.

He hadn’t seen her for days, but during that time they’d been texting each other. He couldn’t call her because she was worried that her grandmother would hear them. He also couldn’t see her at work since, according to Mia, Y/N asked to take leave. When he confirmed it to her, she didn’t deny it. Ilitia forced her to take leave because her grandmother knew Harry would try to see her.

But, on that day, his heart forces him to meet her, whatever the risk. He hopes that during the few days he didn’t see her, her grandmother will soften up on him a little.

So, he takes his keys and quickly drive to her house.

On the way Y/N’ house, he then remembers his wife who hadn’t sent him a message like usual. Every week, he would receive a roll of parchment about his wife’s longing letters, and that made him feel less lonely. Selene would tell him her daily life or whatever she wanted to tell him.

But, that feels like it’s been a long time.

She stopped send him the letters since his return to Centauri that time.

And he wonders, why.

However, with Y/N by his side, his loneliness was relieved. His void of love and affection is perfectly fulfilled because of her. That woman always showered him with care, attention, and.. love.

Love is a strong word, Harry knows that.

But, he feels it. He feels it towards her.

Yet, his heart hesitated. How could he love two women at once, at the same time? How could he fall in love with another woman when his wife is always waiting for him at home.

That's what made Harry never clearly declare his relationship with Y/N. He never makes their relationship official as a boyfriend and girlfriend. She knows his feelings and so does he. Their feelings aren't unrequited, and that's enough for him for their relationship.

It’s like he’s having affair. And he’s very well aware. However, he cannot let her go. He’s addicted to the woman. He sounds selfish, he doesn’t want to lose Selene if she finds out, but he also doesn’t want to let Y/N go.

He knows his behaviour hurts the two women, and he wants to be selfish and keep them around. He cannot imagine losing one of them, or both. He loves them too much to lose them.

Strangely, it only took a few weeks for him to fall in love with Y/N, but it took years for Selene to win his heart.

Although there is some Selene's behaviour that he doesn't like, but he cannot deny that it was Selene who never got tired trying to capture his heart. While many females threw themselves at him, she remained patient and tried until he finally melted at her.

Meanwhile, Y/N.

The darling, sweet Y/N.

She didn’t overtly show her efforts to win his heart. Yet, her shy and sweet gestures that melted him. She has this factor that made him unable to get the woman out of his mind, and let her creep down and capturing his heart.

If Harry likens his wife to a fierce woman, Y/N is more shy one who’s gentle and very careful with everything. They’re very different, and he never knew he could fall in love with two opposites females.

Nevertheless, he doesn’t want to think about it now. All he thinks are his longing for Y/N. He cannot wait to see her.

When he arrives at her house, he gets out of his car with a smile painting on his lips. He didn't forget to buy a basket of her favourite flowers when he stopped by the middle of the trip. He's a little confused to see her door is wide open. Were she and Ilitia having guests? But, their house looks deserted.

With confident steps, Harry rushed inside. Yet, his frown gets deeper when he sees the living room was messy. Everything scattered on the floor. Something must have happened.

“Y/N?”

“Ilitia?”

He calls them loud but no one answered.

This is strange.

He’s getting inside, seeing the kitchen and dining room empty. Then, he sees Ilitia’s bedroom which the door is closed. His mind begins to diverge, thinking about nonsensical things. His heart starts to race fast when the house feels even more empty with the two hosts nowhere to be found.

Then, he faintly hears dimmed sound from Y/N's bedroom. Without thinking twice, he immediately runs and seeing the door was open. His eyes found a scene unfold that makes him feels the time freeze and everything stopped. *

oops... 👀

#harry styles #harry styles au #harry styles series #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles writing #god harry styles #romance #fanfiction #mythology

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uwurakax · 4 years ago

Text

teardrops on my guitar ♡

pairing: semi x f!reader ♡

genre: angsty // unrequited love // pining ♡

summary: it was like the plot of any rom com; two kids, a boy and a girl who were best friends since childhood and inseparable. you fell in love with him, and maybe he could’ve loved you too. such a shame he grew feelings for someone else ♡

word count: 1.7k ♡

author’s note: i love the pretty setters so much why am i doing this t-t which one next? lolol jk - not proofread sry. also wtf tryna write this on the train then some nub slams into my seat from behind dude u wot ♡

♡ (inspired by teardrops on my guitar by taylor swift) ♡

“What’s this?”

“A flower duh”

“But.. why...?”

“My dad gives them to my mum. He says he loves her after”

“But why are you giving it to me?”

“Because we love each other right?”

“Yeah”

“And one day we’ll get married and stuff”

“Hahaha, yeah! And then you give me all the flowers!”

A sweet memory, one from many years prior had always managed to pop into your mind at the most random times. You wished it didn’t, an adorable and innocent reminiscence had no place here, only offering confusion and complications. Semi Eita is your best friend, you wouldn’t let your feelings ruin your friendship with him.

Sometimes you’d wonder what would happen if you did actually confess to him. Wondering if he actually did remember the childish promise the two of you made. Neither of you had known of the power and meaning of the words uttered between you at barely 6 years old. The innocence of it all turned into something different.

Something deeper.

You also wondered if he would’ve looked at her. It was way too easy to fall into the mindset of ‘if I had told him, would he have looked at me the way he does her?’. ‘If I said my feelings sooner, could he have held me the same?’.

If I had told Semi I loved him, would he kiss me like that too?

There was way too many ifs going through your head, it was a marvel you could concentrate on anything else. At least during these moments your heart had some reprieve, a minuscule break of the pain you had to endure everyday you saw him with her.

Everyday during lunch, she sat next to him. The couple sitting opposite you at the table and you absolutely loathed it. It didn’t seem fair, the two of them being all lovey dovey, the sight of a picture perfect couple. Flaunting the perfect love they shared to anyone and everyone who saw. It just sucked that you were in the front row.

Everyday at practice she was there, cheering on Semi. Her yells and squeals echoing against the court walls. They easily overshadowed your silent ones. She’d jump excitedly next to you, clapping and screaming for the team. If you squinted, you could’ve pretended that the warm smile he threw over at the both of you was for you only.

You knew better though. Knew that any affection of love held was hers, and only hers. Knew the cheeky winks and blown kisses were reserved only for her. Knew that the uncontrollable feelings you felt for your best friend would never be reciprocated.

For only small moments, you could delude yourself into believing that Semi Eita had loved you the way you loved him.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Jogging towards you, you handed Semi his water bottle, a small smile tugging on your lips. He wasn’t looking at you though. Honestly he never looked at you anymore, not with her around. Even when she wasn’t his eyes scanned for her. Like nothing else even mattered as long as she was there.

You had to hold back a sigh, quietly watching as he stared at her with such loving eyes. You wanted to hate it. Absolutely despise the way he looked at her, but you couldn’t. He looked so happy. Like a scene from a romance movie, he eyed her as if she was the sun, and everything just revolved around her. The whole nine yards of feeling goosebumps and a quickening heartbeat, Semi felt it all.

You wondered if she even knew the adoration he held for her. Despite her back being turned, despite the fact that she was engaged in conversation with someone else, Semi was undeniably smitten.

“You know, I think she’s the one” Semi whispered to you. This was the harsh reality of it all. No matter how much you wished, Semi Eita just wasn’t meant for you.

“You think so?” You tried to hide your exhaustion, numbness taking over your body. You could still feel the pinpricks of heartache however, no matter how much you tried to push it down. And sooner or later, it would overwhelm you until you buried your face into your pillow and cried til you fell asleep. That was a problem for future you though.

“Yeah, I do” he smiled wistfully at her, your heart fracturing little by little. You knew that look all too well. The look of longing, admiration and pure love. Recognised it all to well, because it was the way you looked at him. In class, at lunch and during practice. Whenever he wasn’t looking, you’d lower your wall by the tiniest bit.

You weren’t unknown to the fact that she looked at him exactly the same way too.

Whenever he was concentrating on his work, his serves or chatting with his friends, she’d gaze at him with the same affection that was unknown to Semi himself. It wasn’t hard to be envious. Not just because you were in love with Semi too, but to find something so special was so incredibly rare.

“I’m really happy for you Semi, I’m glad you found her.” You looked away, not wanting Semi to see your face. Sure that if he saw your eyes, he’d see the heartbreak swimming beneath the glistening tears that had just barely started to form.

“Semi!” You heard her squeal, bouncing her way to the both of you and throwing herself in his arms. It truly was unfair how they seemed to meld together so well. Like ying and yang, the moon and tides. You couldn’t have one without the other, so complimentary in existence.

You tuned them out, not wishing to subject yourself to anymore heartache for the day.

“You should join us Y/N! We don’t hang out much and I wanna get to know Semi’s best friend more” she smiled. Her wonderfully radiant smile beamed at you. Pearly whites shining under the lights, it was like God himself blessed her, an invisible spotlight on her at all times. Guess God really did have favourites, and she was impeccable.

“Ah I’d love to but I really have to get this homework done or I never will. Plus don’t wanna intrude” you shyly said. You didn’t know how much you would’ve been able to take.

“Alright fine but next time! Gotta promise ‘kay?” She giggled and snuggled up to Semi’s side.

“Of course, it’s a promise”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

You were slow packing up your books and pens, the lunch bell normally alerting your body to speed your way to your lunch table to prolong the little break you did get.

When you finally did make it to your friends, you noticed Semi hadn’t arrived yet, and the only open seat was next to her. With a quiet sigh, you reluctantly sat down.

Opening your school bought bento, you picked at the egg, too exhausted from everything and just not being in the mood to eat.

“Y/N, you alright?” Her super sweet and feminine voice rang in your ear. Honestly, it was just grating to you now. You plastered on a fake smile.

“Yeah, sorry just super tired” you continued to stare at your food, probably looking like you hated the mix of meat and vegetables. Just for today, you didn’t want to pretend to be okay. Pretending that you were happy for your best friend. Pretending that you weren’t in love with him. Pretending that you didn’t hate his girl even though she did nothing to warrant any form of hatred from you.

“Guess who!” You saw Semi over your shoulder, playfully covering her eyes and hiding one arm behind is back. She giggled out his name, pulling his arm off and giving him a quick peck. You had to fight the urge to roll your eyes, their public display of affection eating away at you, and making you more infuriated and annoyed.

Semi pulled a beautiful bouquet from his back and handed them to her, her eyes widening in surprise.

Flowers huh?

“Wow Semi, these are gorgeous! But you didn’t have to..” she stared starstruck, unable to look away at the assortment of flora. Pinks, reds and whites decorated the bouquet, and were wrapped in a gorgeous purple cellophane.

“I know, I wanted to. You do give flowers to the person you like right?”

And just like that, your heart completely shattered.

She gave Semi another peck, thanking him for the thoughtful gesture.

You quickly arose from your seat, throwing your napkin and chopsticks into your bento, packing it up and quietly leaving the table.

“Hey, where are you going?” Semi called out to you, both of them looking at you curiously.

“Sorry, just need to go to the bathroom real quick” and you scurried off, throwing away your barely eaten meal with a bit more force than necessary.

When you finally made it to the bathrooms, you slammed the door and leaned your back against it. You started to inhale deeply, the once cute memory that brought you happiness now only gave you pain. You pulled the toilet lid down and sat, not caring if it wasn’t as hygienic as it should’ve been.

Curling your knees into your chest, you buried your face in them and let out the anguish and hurt that had been waiting to spill over. The hot burning tears that you only had yourself to blame for, because you were the idiot who fell in love with their best friend.

You cried until your eyes felt swollen and heavy, the constant friction of repeated rubs on the sleeve of your blazer added to the redness in your eyes. You looked down at your black polished school shoes, unaware of how much time had actually passed. It didn’t matter anyway.

Steadily, you got up from the seat. Once you left this bathroom stall, you’d never cry over Semi Eita ever again. You’d be the best friend, the one who would always be happy for him; and you wouldn’t fake it this time. You’d actively and attentively listen to him about his relationship, no longer going to feel bitter. You’d smile and cheer, and be the most supportive you could be, how you should be. They deserved that.

You’d let Semi go.

Perhaps tonight, with the newly made promises to yourself, you’d finally be able to get some sleep.

#haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #hq!! x reader #semi x reader #semi x you

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queenharumiura · 4 years ago

Note

K N I F E B R A T (valentines day alphabet meme)

Taken from meme: [x] ||Accepting|| ((I love what you did there playing scrabble))

K : KISS. is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?

Haru--- is probably a bit clumsy at first, and I’d probably chalk that up to a lack of experience, initially. She probably enjoys giving small kisses on the cheeks or on the forehead, and she doesn’t shy away from it. I think of it as: “People give little kids kisses on their cheeks/foreheads all the time, or on their injuries. Haru, the professional babysitter has no reservations.” Kissing on the lips is a more intimate ordeal, and she’d probably be more awkward about it at first. In that regard, she’s not the best, realistically speaking.

I think in time she’d get used to it, for sure. The more she becomes comfortable with her partner, the more she eases into things. Haru is what I call a passionate bean. She’s got her heart on her sleeve and she’s never ashamed of her feelings. As such, if she’s comfortable with doing so, expect her to give her lover a lot of kisses, which range from innocent pecks to something a bit more--- yeah. Take that as you will.

Will say, if her partner allows her to kiss them a lot without any word of rebuke or what have you, fully expect her to kiss a lot. She will not hold back showing her affections if she’s not told/shown that it’s bothersome. You have no issue with her showing you with affection? THAT SOUNDS LIKE F A I R G A M E to her!

N : NAUGHTY. what is your muse like in bed?

Okay look, Neo and Haru are both prudish okay? Gimme a break and be patient through my BIG AWK TM. //wheeze

Anyways, in general, Haru probably does move around a bit in her sleep. I do see her being an active dreamer, so she may occasionally move in her sleep. I don’t see her being a violent sleeper by any means, but she will probably roll about in her sleep. She is not the type to sleep like an inmoving log in bed.

Her bed is a comforting place, so she would probably like to just hang out in her bed sometimes, lost in her thoughts before drifting off into sleep. Reflect on what happened during the day and sleep with a smile on her face. She likes to focus on the good things in life, after all. She also likes to read a lot, so I wouldn’t put it past her to read in bed before bed.

I know that’s not what this question was really asking but--- let me warm up to it. //sob

So—in the case of what she’s like in bed while she’s in a relationship… well—she certainly likes skinship, that’s for sure… meaning she would love to cuddle. So if her partner liked cuddling, she’d love it. Big spoon, little spoon? Whatever, she just likes being in the presence of her partner. It’s super comforting to feel the warmth of her partner and maybe being wrapped around in said warmth. I don’t put it past her to enjoy the scent of her partner either--, haha.

Uh. So like. Yeah--- um. In regards to what this question is REALLY asking. Haru is a prude. I think we know this. Simultaneously, she’s passion incarnate. Yeahhhh so, assuming we get where I’m going with this--- Haru would be kind of awkward in bed at first. Probably a bit stiff and nervous, not going to lie. Will she freak out a bit? I--- can’t… say that… she won’t. For a woman who is unafraid to show her emotions, she can come across as very shy and hesitant because of her prudish nature.

Though—Haru is also pretty adaptable and she doesn’t usually take long to get used to things. So uh—that is to say—if she eases into it, she’d be pretty open to… yeah. To put it bluntly, if she’s given some time (wouldn’t take that long, I don’t think) to emotionally acclimate herself to it, she would be… eh… active. She’s passionate, okay? Don’t look at me. Admittedly, knowing her, she’d slowly experiment with different things. Would she explore different outfits and the like? She would. She really would. Shame? Don’t know her.

I’m sure she’d adjust to her partner, but—uh… I guess… in general, I do see her to be the type who likes to kiss a lot and she wouldn’t be silent… to put it cryptically. Like, she’d give words of… um… affirmation? Of her feelings, anyways. If you ever doubted she loves you, get ready to start undoubting now. She uh- probably vocal in the non-verbal way too… if you catch my drift.

So I guess it’s a way of saying she goes from very shy and a bit skittish to being very open and kinda bold… I guess?

I will stress that another big thing about this too is that Haru is also a bit conservative in nature. Preferably things like that would wait until marriage. Normally, it would be so. If she’s been in a relationship with someone for a while, I can see her probably relaxing how strict she is about it. Another thing is that if she doesn’t think that her partner would want to be married in the first place, she’d likely let the whole ‘wait until marriage’ thing go. She has this image that many people in the mafia probably wouldn’t want to get married for one reason for another, so it’s like—mmmm a thing she’s come to terms with. So if she thinks her partner is the type, yeah she could probably be coaxed into it. If she sees her partner as the type that wants to get married, there is a very big chance she’ll be like ‘Nah son, you’re waiting.’

I : I LOVE YOU. does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

Oh, it’s so easy. The moment she recognizes her feelings towards someone to be love, she has no reservations about being like: I LOVE YOU!

F : FLIRT. is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

The way that I see it, Haru tend to be very in your face about many things, including her feelings. If she likes someone, it’s very obvious. I do see her to be the type that may tease, but that’s how she is with anyone. She is very playful, so she likes to occasionally troll around and tease people. So her flirting is probably just her outright saying what she feels, or occasionally teasing the other person. Does that mean she’s good or bad? I—I don’t know. I think the only way you can answer that is if her flirting is effective, and so far, the track record isn’t good, haha.

E : EMBRACE. does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

Answered here: [x]

B : BOUQUET. does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

Haru would like flowers, yes. She finds them pretty, and they’re a great source of inspiration. Not only that, flowers tend to have meanings associated with them and that’s such a romantic concept to her. I do think she would have studied a bit of flower language because she finds flower language to be romantic.

As for her favorite, I think she likes a lot of flowers, and probably very equally to each other for various reasons. Some she may really like for their meaning, some others she may like because of how aesthetically pleasing they are, and others she may like for other miscellaneous reasons (ie Carnations as they are the flowers you give to mother’s on Mother’s day). I do think she would really love roses though. She also thinks Sakura blossoms to be extremely pretty.

R : ROMANCE. is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

She’s a romantic, for sure.

A : AFFECTION. how does your muse show affection?

Haru is pretty obvious with her feelings, so she’s pretty open about the object of her affection. She tends to be more--- energetic and passionate when it comes to whatever she’s devoting her feelings to. This doesn’t necessarily have to be directed at a human. She can direct the same level of devotion to a passion project. Haru is extremely dedicated and loyal to whatever she’s dedicating her energy towards, and this can be seen in many ways when it’s directed at another human.

It can definitely be seen with her friends, but Haru will do absolutely what is within her power to have fun and support her friends. If anyone is struggling through with something, she’ll always try to figure out in which way she can help. Sometimes this involves her suggesting a tolerance competition, or offering to teach you how to swim, or gathering friends to dress up as shrine maidens to wish you speedy recovery. Haru would absolutely be that friend that would show up to your games and cheer you on if you were an athlete. Watch her bring out the pom poms and give you a cheer!

Haru is also a food oriented person as much as she is big on skinship. She would show her affection through things like food, and this is evidenced in the way she would wake up early to make big bento boxes for Tsuna when she could. She also wouldn’t shy away from giving out hugs, or clinging onto someone’s arm. A lot of what she does is big and loud, and painfully obvious. Still, she is capable of more lowkey things as well. I do think she would’ve calmed down a bit as she grew older. She may find more tamer ways of showing her affection.

I do think that Haru is also the type who loves to gift people things as a show of affection. Communication is also a big thing with her. Whether she bickers with you or teases you, that’s her way of showing her affection. For some, she bickers with them as a show of affection (ie Gokudera) and for some, she may just tease them or crack jokes with them (Ie Tsuna, Gokudera). All that said, she’s always supportive of those she cares for.

Being mindful (or ‘useful’ in general) is a big thing of being a Yamato Nadeshiko, so she would probably do her best to consider what would be appropriate ways of showing her care. So the way she shows her affection can change subtly from person to person, but ultimately, she shows her affection outwardly and obviously. Sometimes she’s warm, sometimes she’s a bit prickly, and sometimes she’s just an energetic cheerleader.

T : TRUE LOVE. does your muse believe in true love?

She believes in true love, yes. At least, in the sense that she believes that she can truly love someone whole-heartedly and they would feel the same for her. That’s the ideal and the goal. She thinks that there has to exist a person out there who loves her. She’s seen a person who can whole heartedly have their heart set on a single person and be unwavering in their devotion towards them.

There has to exist a person who can look at her like that too. She knows for sure she can look at someone that way. Her first love didn’t work out, but the ocean is wide and vast. Surely she’ll find someone one day.

#Belacedia #Meme answered #answered ask #thanks for the ask!#Neo speaks #((//HARD WHEEZE AT N))#((The one I looked at and started sweating at hoping no one would ask lol))#((Sorry for me being a big awk bean))#Suggestive tw #((I think that tag should count tho I was a bit cryptic about it but alksdjflkasjdlf))#Long Post

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lemonsandstrawberries · 5 years ago

Text

Two Hundred and Ten Roses

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), MCU,

summary: Steve is away for a secret mission during Valentine's day and Tony definitely isn't pouting about it, so seeing a surprise from his husband definitely didn’t improve his mood.

length: 1 767

a/n: Happy Valentine's day! Please accept this fluffy piece as an expression of my love to you all! 💜

——————–

Two Hundred and Ten Roses

A romantic dinner in a fancy restaurant. An evening spent wrapped in blankets and watching TV. Maybe a special breakfast served in bed. There were many ways to celebrate Valentine's day with your loved one.

Tony didn't get married to spend Valentine's day alone.

Granted, he never really cared about Valentine's day. He and Steve showed each other plenty of affection on a daily basis (Tony was sure of it, they both heard complaints from various team members) and Valentine's wasn't an exception of it.

Just seeing the romance pouring out on him from every corner, was reminding him, that this day he would be spending alone as his stupid husband had been sent away for some stupid classified mission to a stupid secret location. That was another reason why Tony felt so bitter - he and Steve didn't make their relationship official and on paper to still have withheld information about their spouses' location. Stupid safety protocols.

The whole day was stupid.

But Tony definitely wasn't petty about it. No, he was a man of science and had work to do, and was above such trivial thing as Valentine's day.

So, when he entered his workshop and was hit with an overpowering smell of roses and saw the biggest bouquet ever standing in a vase in the middle of his workshop, Tony didn't know what to think of it. There was a note attached, simple and to the point.

'Happy Valentine's day, sweetheart. Love, Steve'

Tony ran his hands over the not fully bloomed roses, feeling the delicate petals and breathing in the sweet smell, reading the note over and over again. There was some fuzzy feeling growing in him and a sarcastic remark about the sappiness of it all to mask his true feelings, but there was no one he could deliver the snappy comment to. Before Steve had left they made a deal, that Steve would be the one calling Tony. So, Tony put the note aside, made sure that roses had plenty of water and got to his work, occupying his mind and thinking that, that maybe today won't be so awful after all.

It was well into the afternoon when Tony’s back started to hurt from hunching over the blueprints and saw an icon with Steve’s name flashing in the corner of one of his screen and a characteristic melody of an incoming call.

“Friday, connect me,” Tony sat back in his chair, waiting for his husband’s face to show on the screen.

"Hi, babe!"

“Hiiiiii - dear God, you look awful,” Tony blurted out, the sight of Steve’s close up face taking him by surprise. Battles were not glorious, and despite the healing factor, last rough days were taking a toll on his husband's face - his eyes were circled, hair hung miserably, and as usual, in extreme conditions, Steve didn’t have time to shave, a dark, thick beard covering his jaw.

"Happy Valentine's day to you too," Steve laughed in good humor. Even his laugh sounded strained and tired.

“Sorry,” Tony said quickly, trying to fix his earlier outburst. It was always comforting when Steve managed to find time to call him during his secret missions, but seeing Steve all worn did worry Tony. “Happy Valentine's!” Tony smiled, finally sounding properly happy.

Steve’s smile dimmed into something subtler before his face became serious.

"Before we talk, I have to inform you that this conversation is wiretapped."

“I know, I know,” Tony said dismissively. Safety protocols, yada yada. He knew the drill. “Is Gary listening to us again? Hi, Gary!”

"No, Gary quit after last time," Steve chuckled, referring to the agent who was assigned to the infamous wiretapping on the superhusbands, something all agents dreaded. Cleaning sanitary facilities was easier. "Now he can’t look me in the eye. Today it is Karen’s turn."

"Hi, Karen!" Tony waved at the screen, "happy Valentine’s!"

"Oh, I am sure she is having a blast. We had a flood this morning and I ate breakfast from a tin can."

“Sorry to hear that, baby,” Tony cooed. Maybe Steve was used to rough military life, but it didn’t mean he enjoyed it. If anything, it was getting harder and harder to sleep on the cold ground, while he had a comfortable bed and a warm husband to snuggle with back in New York.

"I am gonna survive," Steve smiled and Tony hoped that he better, as he didn't plan on becoming a widower any time soon. Or ever. Just for now, he would keep that thought to himself, to not tempt fate. “I wanted to ask, did you find your gift?"

“It is hard to miss,” Tony laughed. Two hundred and ten crimson red roses on long stems in a crystal vase. The whole bouquet took over a square meter out of his workshop and was easier to jump over than walk around. Just to be sure, Tony made Friday scan the roses and count them three times. He had tried asking for a fourth count, but Friday put herself on mute. The reason was that, that the number didn’t add up for Tony, he couldn’t think of any reason why Steve chose that number of flowers. “They are beautiful, thank you. Just why two hundred and ten roses?”

Steve folded hands together under his chin and looked at his husband with love, Tony could feel all the way from the screen. Steve liked symbolics in their relationship. His favorite flowers to give to Tony were daisies because he claimed that Tony was cute and small like a daisy but also was resistant and stubborn, just like the innocent looking white flowers able to grow in harshest conditions. Their wedding rings had hidden gems, Tony’s had a blue sapphire, Steve’s had a red ruby, to represent their superhero colors. There was no way Steve ordered two hundred ten roses on random.

"I got you two hundred and ten roses to represent each and every pound of you I love and cherish."

Tony stared. And stared. And started some more before losing it again.

“What the hell, Steve?!” Tony yelled in outrage. Steve just smiled brighter, as if enjoying this situation. Well, he always claimed that angry Tony looked like a puffed out cat. So cute.

"I know I might have been a little off with your weight -"

“Damn straight, you are,” Tony hissed.

"-so I added an extra ten roses to count in your winter weight."

And it became tense again. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that Steve was just teasing him. It was working beautifully. Years of marriage meant that they knew exactly how to push each other buttons.

“If you weren’t God knows where and I wasn’t sure when I see you again, I would totally hang up on you,” Tony gritted out through his teeth.

"I love you too, butterball," Steve cooed, blowing him a kiss.

“Steve!” Tony protested, feeling that his face became heated from embarrassment. Tony knew he wasn’t overweight. Chubby at most. He was thick in all good places. Places Steve seemed to enjoy on a daily basis. “Don’t embarrass me in front of Karen!”

"I am pretty sure that at this point Karen hung up on us," Steve laughed.

“Good, because I planned to give you all of this,” Tony motioned to himself, “once you will be back, but now you won’t get any.”

Steve narrowed eyes. "Like you will be able to resist this," Steve slowly raised his eyebrows and pressed lips together, jutting them forward. Tony tried hard not give up and let the playful jab be forgotten so easily, but he had to admit that his husband’s seductive face was quite a success. "Uh, hold on, babe," Steve said, leaning out of the camera view, exchanging a few words with someone, before coming back into view. "Sorry, Tony, I have to go."

“Is everything alright?” Tony asked, alarmed that Steve wanted to cut him short so abruptly.

"Yeah, it’s fine, just a meeting about strategy," Steve smiled, trying to ease his husband. "Will talk tomorrow, okay?"

“Okay. Stay safe!” Tony added hurriedly.

"I will."

“You would be safer if I was there with you.”

Steve’s eyes softened. That was true, but Steve was glad it wasn’t happening. Tony was safe back in New York and didn’t belong out there on the battlefield. This was good.

"I know, babe," Steve agreed.

“And not just because it was scientifically proven that a sufficient layer of fat can make one almost bulletproof -”

Steve laughed, interrupting Tony’s ramble, not expecting his husband to poke fun at himself.

“I love you, babe," Steve smiled, grateful for the short moment with his husband. It was good to see him, even briefly.

“I love you too,” Tony said and the screen turned black, the connection cut off.

Looking at the empty screen, Tony sighed, sinking into his chair. The smell of roses was strong and all around him, and became a painful reminder of his husband stuck somewhere far away from him in a state of constant danger. He needed something to fill up the void in his heart and remembered that before Steve had left for his mission, he prepared an array of homemade food and stuck in the freezer, saving Tony from constantly ordering takeaway or burning the pots. A tray of lasagna sounded especially good. He could save his work, go back to his quarters and mope over layers of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce with meat, or he could do something even better.

“Hey, Fry,” Tony looked at the ceiling, where one of the cameras to Friday’s system was located. “Let the team know that I am putting one of Steve’s lasagna in the oven and if someone wants a piece, they should come to the shared kitchen.”

“Okay, boss,” Friday replied, passing the message to the Avengers currently present in the compound and Tony could almost hear Thor and Clint sprinting in the kitchen direction. Tony stood up, thinking that he should get some nice bottle of red for him and Natasha to drink, Bruce was all set up with his weird, green teas. He could always count on Vision and Wanda to prepare something sweet, as the pair went through cookbook after cookbook, trying all kinds of recipes. Maybe he could reach Peter and invite him to swing over for a piece. Wonder what Pepper and Happy had planned, he should call them too.

After all, even if he couldn’t spend Valentine’s day with his husband, nothing was stopping him from spending it with his family.

#stony #steve rogers #tony stark #SUPERHUSBANDS #valentine's day #fluff #domestic fluff #chubby!tony #weight acceptance #weight gain #stony is an old married couple #fanfic #fanfiction

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sparrellow · 5 years ago

Text

diamrem

Rin was not the Little Mermaid, not an Ariel, not some tragic, beautiful fish-girl. However, she was cursed, and she was doomed to be half-fish for the rest of her life (barring some miracle happening before she turned 18).

rating: T genre: romance/fantasy/fluff/humor/a smidge of angst ships: primarily rin/len, a whiff of gumi/miku words: 8,458

No one knew how, or when, or where, Rin’s family’s curse began.

Her mother went through it. And her mother’s father went through it. And her mother’s father’s mother went through it, too. But the curse always followed the same set of rules: don’t touch water in front of another human, and fall in love before the age of 18 unless you want to be a half-fish forever.

They were both the most challenging set of rules to follow, especially with unpredictable weather, compulsory school swimming carnivals and a face only a mother could love. Rin only had about 15 seconds flat to dry herself before turning to some human-experiment-with-tuna-gone-wrong in front of every other person around her.

Bath times were not fun, and required some tricky maneuvering with a wet towel and a bathtub and lightning-fast reflexes.

Thank god her family doctor didn’t ask questions when giving her a note to excuse her from any water-related activities she had to participate in at school, having been familiar with her mother’s ‘afflictions’. (He probably knew more than what he was letting on, and god knows what her mother had said to persuade him). Something something ‘severely allergic to the chemicals in water’ did the trick, usually.

But of course. Then there was… the uh, sad Swan Princess-like situation with her falling in love with someone before the age of 18, or else becoming a mermaid forever. And it couldn’t be like, a fake or forced or one-sided situation. It had to be, like, real -real love. Like the other party had to feel actual romantic love for you, and you had to reciprocate it.

That was, um, big yikes. Rin had pretty much signed that off as impossible, considering her ‘puberty glow-up’ was yet to come and she was nearing her 18th birthday very soon. Besides, the boy she’d been pining for for the past, uh, eleven-or-so years was so much as oblivious to her affections.

Oh, woe.

Her mother had tried her best to comfort her and guide her to a more positive way of thinking, claiming, “You never know what’s right around the corner.” But her birthday was now ‘right around the corner’, so all hope was dwindling fast.

She wouldn’t even get to graduate high school. That was sad. Plus, the seaside near her town was definitely not nice, and the thought of having to swim in that polluted hot-mess made her feel even more miserable than before.

This curse sucked. (But that was the point of a curse, she supposed).

When her friends at school asked her what she wanted for her birthday during November, she couldn’t help but answer with somewhat cynicism, “True love’s first kiss.”

Gumi blinked at her, before turning to look at Len, who seemed to be taking her answer very seriously. He tilted his head, then asked Gumi, “Is it a perfume or makeup brand or something…?”

Rin wanted to slap him for being so… so Len, but Gumi just gave him this look. “Do you have peas for a brain? The girl meant a literal first kiss.” She then thought for a moment. “Although, that’s a super out-of-character request from you, Rin.”

“It’s complicated,” was Rin’s simple, yet vague, answer, before she turned away to lean her head on her palm and look out the window like a pensive anime school boy.

Her friends were discussing something heatedly with each other under their breaths for a moment, but she wasn’t bothering to eavesdrop. Gumi knew as much that Rin had a very sad crush on Len, but she was a good enough person to never tell. Come to think of it, the girl knew a lot of people’s secrets.

Hmm.

Len stepped around into her field of vision with a very serious expression. “Do you mean a thimble?”

“Enough already!” Gumi barked, yanking him backwards by the collar. “You don’t need to answer that.”

“I wasn’t going to,” she said.

Gumi’s eyebrows met in the middle of her forehead, a concerned look crossing her face. But before she could mention what was on her mind, the homeroom bell rang, and the pair had to skedaddle back to their desks, probably up in arms trying to figure out her cryptic request.

But it was alright. Rin already knew she wasn’t going to get it.

She was going to be a fish.

“You know, you’ve… seemed kind of down, lately,” Gumi said offhandedly one afternoon, as they were taking a drink break during track and field club.

Len was off goofing around with some other boys in the club, currently in headlock and receiving a noogie from fellow classmate, Kaito.

Rin took a sip of her water, careful not to pour it down the front of herself and cause panic. “I’ve just got things on my mind,” she said. “18th birthdays are pretty big in my family.”

Gumi raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. Tradition or something.” Of course, Rin hadn’t told anyone the truth. Everyone thought she was just kind of odd and hated swimming. Even though she trusted Gumi, a big ball of everyone’s secrets, she just couldn’t imagine the absurdity of such a situation, and that daunted her a little. Besides, she was kind of embarrassed by the whole fish-body thing. It wasn’t as cute as it looked in movies.

She still didn’t know how her mum broke the news to her dad about the whole curse-thing, especially since it would also affect their children. She’d never even gotten around to really asking about how it all went down.

“I didn’t realise it was big for you,” Gumi said, tucking her knees up to her chest and casting a look over at Len being a gremlin with the other kids. “Is that why you came out with the whole true love’s first kiss thing?”

Rin nodded.

“Are your parents going to like, betroth you to some random guy or something if you don’t find a boyfriend beforehand?”

Rin snorted. “No. No. Thankfully, no,” she said. “It’s nothing like that.”

Gumi eyed her. “Alright. As long as you’re not being forced into some child-bride situation.”

“I’m not,” Rin said, giving her a solemn look. “I’m not. Seriously.”

Her friend then smirked a little, looking back over at the other club members. Len was now doing handstands and showing off to the underclassmen. Some girls were cooing over him or something.

“So, what about Len?” Gumi asked, sounding very casual although it was definitely a strategic maneuver.

“What about what about Len?” Rin asked back.

“Why not confess to him? If you’re so worried about the whole true love kiss thing?”

Rin hated how Gumi suggested it so smoothly, like it was absolutely nothing, but she knew this girl had it planned. She frowned. “Confess to him? Are you mad? I’d rather stick my hand into a bouquet of cacti.”

“Why not?” Gumi pushed, glancing back at her. “Who’s to say it would turn out poorly?”

“What, did you ask him if he’d say yes?” Rin raised an eyebrow at her.

Gumi smiled coolly. “No. But you know, it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Rin huffed. “It would hurt my feelings.”

Of course, the conversation ended there because Len came jogging over to flop down ungracefully onto the grass beside them. After taking some huge gulps of water from his bottle, he looked over at them with a grin.

“What’s up, ladies?”

“The sky,” Rin and Gumi answered in unison.

“Did I interrupt an important discussion, or something?” he asked, sensing the remnants of Rin’s discomfort.

Gumi didn’t wait for Rin to answer. “Just girl things,” she said.

Len screwed up his face, pretending to be disgusted. “Eww.”

“Periods, periods, periods,” Rin then chanted. “Boobs, boobs, boobs.”

“Hey, I’ll always join a conversation about boobs,” he said, earning him a whack over the head from Gumi. He winced, but kept his grin the whole time.

“Well, unfortunately you and I don’t have much to bring to the table, so Gumi’s the boob expert here,” Rin jested.

Len took another swig of water, swallowed hard, then said without the bat of an eyelid, “Small boobs are just as valid as big ones, Rin.”

Gumi applauded slowly. “Wow, an award-winning statement from Mr. Len here. Making those girls swoon.”

He winked at her. “You know I’m a chick magnet.”

“Unfortunately,” the two girls chorused, both unimpressed by his confidence.

“Okay, okay. Today’s Pick On Len Day. Fine. I get it,” Len said, rolling his eyes. He tossed his bottle to the ground and stood, stretching his legs. “Watch me go beat my track record,” he added over his shoulder before running off to join the group.

Gumi looked at Rin with a sly expression, before jumping up to jog after him.

Rin rolled her neck and sighed, following suit.

It came very suddenly.

One day at lunch, Len said, with a mouthful of fried rice, “You know, Miku’s kind of cute.”

Rin choked on her broccoli and Gumi paused, chopsticks stuck in her mouth as she looked at him with wide eyes.

Len blinked innocently. Rin reached for her water through a coughing fit and Gumi set down her chopsticks to pat her on the back.

“What makes you say that, Len?” Gumi said, sounding very confused.

He shoved another spoonful of rice into his gob and leaned his head on his hands, looking over at said classmate—a very pretty girl with long, teal pigtails. “Well, you know, just look at her.”

Rin was stewing. This was like a double-whammy punch to the gut. Her appetite for lunch had completely vanished.

They followed his gaze and watched the girl, who was chatting with her friends across the classroom. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and then, as if sensing their eyes on her, glanced over in their direction.

Len gave a friendly wave, and Miku smiled back sheepishly.

Oh no.

“I… guess,” Gumi grumbled, turning away. Her ears were pink.

“Don’t you think so too, Rin?” Len asked, now looking at her.

Rin was packing away her half-eaten lunch. Hesitating, she chewed on her lip. She could be petty and disagree, but what would that do? Besides, it was true. Miku was super cute. “Er… yeah,” she answered.

“Do you know if she’s dating anyone?” Len continued, unknowingly driving the knife deeper into the wound.

Gumi cleared her throat. “No. She’s not.”

Len seemed pleased by this answer. “Hmm.”

It was then Gumi looked over at Rin, with a somewhat apologetic look. What was happening here?

Rin took the initiative, biting down on her wound. “So, you want to ask her out?” she asked in a weak voice.

Len burst into laughter. Nervous laughter? Rin couldn’t tell. But his outburst seemed to have surprised Gumi, too. “What? Me? Ask her out? No,” he said. “I’m probably not even her type.” This time he looked straight at Gumi.

Rin opened her mouth. “Okay. So… why…”

“Len,” Gumi interrupted, in a tone that meant business. “Can you walk me to the vending machine downstairs? Those creepy guys are bothering me again.”

Len raised his eyebrows. “Again? I thought they’d been dealt with.”

“Well,” she said. “It’s happening again and I’m thirsty. Please.”

He shrugged, muttering something under his breath Rin didn’t quite catch, and the pair of them then disappeared, leaving her to sit alone and wallow in her feelings.

Well. That was a bad time.

Rin wiped her mouth with her handkerchief, slid her lunchbox into her bag and wandered off to go cry in the bathroom.

A few days later, Len dropped by her desk between classes and did this strange spin-maneuver before asking her if she wanted to go to the beach on the weekend.

Rin glanced outside, then back at him. “The beach? This weekend?” she echoed. “Len, it’s December. It’s going to be so cold.”

He planted his hands on her desk and rocked back and forth. “So? It’s still nice out.”

“What do you even want to do there?” she asked. “It’s not like we can swim or anything.”

“I dunno. I just thought it’d be a nice break from all the stress of exams. We can hang out. Build sandcastles. Collect seashells. Eat ice-cream. Maybe even visit the aquarium.”

“Eat ice-cream?” Rin felt cold just thinking about it. “I hope you’re ready to share your jacket with me, then.”

Len grinned. “So it’s a yes?”

She sighed. “I suppose. What about Gumi?”

“Oh, right. She said she’s visiting her grandparents this weekend.”

“Sucks,” Rin said.

“What, am I not good enough?” Len joked, faking a pout.

“I need someone to help me pick on you,” she said with a grin.

He pretended to be hurt, gasping and clutching at his chest. “Rin, you’re such a bully. Always picking on me…” Then he switched back to normal mode, as if remembering he still had to go to his next class. “So, Saturday afternoon?”

Rin nodded.

He gave a thumbs up. “Sweet. Let’s head there after club finishes.”

Then Len hurried off to his next class.

Gumi stopped Rin in the hall a few hours later, with her class materials tucked under one arm. She wiggled her eyebrows at her, smirking. “Saturday afternoon, hm?”

“How did you know?” Rin asked, although not surprised she knew as much.

“Oh. He asked me first,” was her simple answer. “Maybe you should… you know.”

“‘You know’ what?”

Gumi made some incomprehensible motion with her free hand. “You know, like… make a move.”

Rin rolled her eyes. “After what happened on Tuesday at lunch?”

“What happened on Tuesday at lunch?” Gumi asked, confused, before she remembered the more-than-awkward conversation. “Oh. Oh. Rin… no. That conversation was… hm. Something different.”

“Something different?” Rin repeated. “Like what? Sounds like the guy has a crush.”

Gumi then massaged her forehead, apparently hard-pressed over this topic. “It’s… no. Not that. I’ll talk to you about it later. After school.”

Rin raised a questioning eyebrow. “Alright.”

They said their goodbyes and went separate ways to their next classes. Of course, Gumi never did follow up on their conversation after school.

Saturday afternoon came in the blink of an eye, and soon Rin was tagging along after Len as they took the bus to the oceanside.

Len was blabbering about some anime he was watching on TV last night, with dudes and swords and swords and dudes. She wasn’t entirely listening, just staring at the side of his face and thinking back to Tuesday’s mishap.

That was when she asked, out of the blue, “Len, do you like Miku?”

Len was caught completely off-guard, stopped his monologue about his sword-dude anime and spluttered, “Um, what? What are you talking about, Rin?”

Rin shifted in her seat, cramming her cold hands between her thighs for warmth. The question had been on her mind all week. It was almost killing her. “You know. You were talking about her a lot at lunch the other day. I thought you might like her.”

He turned red, and began to shake his head, laughing somewhat nervously. “Me? Like Miku? She’s, y’know, pretty and all… but uh…”

She leaned forward in her seat, raising an eyebrow. “You like her.”

“No! I don’t know where you’re getting that, Rin.” He seemed to be getting a little desperate, tugging at his ponytail. He looked at her with a somewhat serious expression. “It wasn’t—I don’t— I don’t like her. I mean, she’s pretty and that’s great, but… I like someone else.”

Two emotions hit Rin at once like trains colliding on a track. One was relief that he didn’t like Miku; the other, a swell of dread in her chest as it dawned on her that he did like someone (and it definitely wasn’t her).

Rin couldn’t help but ask, “Who?”

Len blinked at her, surprised by her lack of shame in asking such a personal question. “Well, that’s a secret. It’s not like you’ve told me who you like, anyway.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s no point in me talking about it to anyone because it’s never going to be reciprocated, anyway,” she muttered. There was a moment of silence between them, before she asked, “Does Gumi know?”

“Um…”

“You don’t have to lie to me. Gumi knows everyone’s secrets. I won’t be offended if you’ve told her already.”

He tugged at his scarf, shrugging his shoulders a bit. “Yeah… she knows.”

Rin thought for a moment. Well, if Gumi knew… why would she be encouraging her to ask Len out, knowing she’d be rejected?

Sometimes the logic of that girl made little sense.

“Does she know who you like?” Len asked back.

“Of course she does.”

They fell into silence after that, pondering the many secrets Gumi knew of one other, but never shared.

Eventually, Len started the conversation up again as they got off at their stop. “So,” he began casually, digging his hands into his jacket pockets. “Have you actually got anything you want for your birthday? I’m considering the last answer you gave was a joke.”

It wasn’t, but anyway. “Nope,” Rin said simply.

“Nothing? Not even like, a video game or some jewellery or something?”

A video game couldn’t be played in the sea, and jewellery would only rust, so. “No, nothing at all,” she said.

Len frowned. “Usually you have something you want.”

“Yeah, well,” she said, glancing at the store windows as they walked down the street. The smell of salt was getting stronger, and the wind was picking up. “Not this time.”

“God, you make it hard,” Len said, half-joking, but half-serious. “How about a party? Are you going to have one?”

“Nah,” Rin answered. “I figured this year should be quiet. And no— no surprise party. I’ve already laid that flat with Gumi, too.”

He pouted at her. “You’re no fun.”

Rin looked at him. “Sorry,” she said, in a tone that definitely was not apologetic.

“How about universities,” Len changed the subject. “Have you decided which ones you want to apply for, yet? The deadline is coming soon. Next month.”

To be honest, Rin hadn’t even cast one thought in that direction. Anything beyond her 18th birthday was lost to her. She was completely and utterly mentally prepared to just turn into a fish. University was out of the question.

“I haven’t,” she answered with a sigh. “What about you, though? You wanted to move to a bigger city, right?”

Len nodded. “Yeah, well, can’t stand being here. I was thinking somewhere in Sendai or Sapporo, or maybe even Tokyo, but it sucks knowing you might not be coming with. Gumi’s got her heart set on Sendai, though.”

Rin screwed up her face. “Tokyo’s too big. Sapporo’s nice, though.”

“Yeah? Thinking of a university there?”

“No.”

“Aw.” He bumped shoulders with her as they walked along, the sparkling blue of the sea coming into view. “There it is,” he said, as if witnessing something truly magnificent.

Rin eyed her mortal enemy, the water, as they made their way down to the sand. There were hardly any people around; just two idiots standing on the beach in the middle of winter.

A cool breeze blew through them, and she shivered. God, she was not looking forward to the freezing cold temperatures of the deep blue.

“Frozen yet?” Len asked with a laugh, noticing her folded arms. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heat pack, placing it into her icy hands. It felt so good to touch. “Good thing I brought a few, eh?”

Rin was a fool not to bring them, but that was her. She never prepared for the weather properly at all. “Thank you,” she mumbled, her cheeks burning.

They began their venture down the coast, picking up shells in the sand and tossing rocks into the water. Soon, they reached an empty jetty. They sat on the very end, their legs dangling over the water; a good five-or-so metre drop into the ocean.

She gazed down at the foam as the waves crashed against the muscle-covered posts of the jetty, droplets of seawater almost hitting the soles of her shoes. A part of her just wanted to throw herself in, but with Len there, that wouldn’t be a great situation.

Their shoulders and thighs touched. Len was jiggling his leg against hers, not really bothered by their proximity. Their feet knocked together as they swung them back and forth.

They didn't really talked much, just watched the horizon as the clouds rolled by. Rin had to fight the urge to lean her head on his shoulder. Don’t do it. Don’t do it, Rin, she practically yelled at herself, as a wave of sleepiness hit her.

“Hey, Rin,” Len said, his tone a little odd.

“Mm?” Rin answered, her eyelids betraying her.

“Um, you know, I…”

Whatever he was going to say next was drowned out by Rin’s yelp of surprise as something launched itself with her back. She almost fell forward, but somehow Len caught her before she toppled completely into the water.

When they turned to look, it was some small, fluffy white thing with a pink tongue and big, dark eyes. Not a moment later, someone came running over, panting.

“I’m so sorry,” the person said, and the voice sounded oddly familiar. “I didn’t realise there would be— oh.”

Both Rin and Len looked up at their face. To Rin’s utter horror, standing behind them… was no one other than Miku.

Miku had recognised them too, and now had a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry,” she apologised again.

Len seemed pleasantly surprised. “Oh! Miku. Fancy seeing you here.”

She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, yeah. I usually walk my dog along here. But I wasn’t really expecting to see anyone at this time of year.”

Miku’s dog was licking and slobbering all over Rin’s hand. It was cute, but… the situation was not.

Len then stood. Rin followed suit, not wanting to be the only one sitting.

Miku gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry about my dog jumping on you. She gets a little excited about strangers. Not a very good guard dog.”

She returned a polite smile. “It’s fine. What’s her name?”

“Tinkerbell.”

Len snickered. “Cute.”

“Anyway,” Miku said, motioning for Tinkerbell to come over and attaching a leash to her collar. “I’m sorry again for disturbing you two.”

“It’s fine,” Len said with a dismissing wave of his hand. “We were just hanging out." Then he paused, a look crossing his face like he just came up with the most brilliant idea. "Actually, Miku… would you like to grab ice-cream with us?”

Rin was ready to launch herself off the side of the jetty and just let the waves carry her off. This wasn’t how she was expecting her afternoon with Len to turn out. God, what the hell, Len? she wanted to cry.

Was the boy being overly nice or was he like, strategically asking her for ice-cream for… some other reason?

Miku seemed to perk up at Len’s suggestion. “Oh, really? Are you sure? I’d love to!”

“Of course. You’re cool with it, aren’t you, Rin?” Len checked her face with a grin.

Rin didn’t have a choice. She forced a smile and a thumbs up, and announced in her most fake-enthusiastic voice, “Yay, ice-cream!”

So they started their venture back toward the main street in search of some ice-cream. As they walked along the beach, Len and Miku went ahead, deep in conversation about some favourite TV show they had in common.

Rin faded into the background, until reaching a complete stop on the sand. They’d already walked ahead so far, they wouldn’t even notice if she’d left. So she did. She turned and walked the other way, and took the bus home.

She knew it was the wrong thing to do, and when Len called her about half-an-hour later in a panic, thinking she’d been kidnapped or something, she felt even worse than she did before.

“You should’ve said something,” he said. “I was running up and down the beach for about ten minutes calling your name.”

“I’m sorry. It was urgent and I just… didn’t want to interrupt the conversation…” Rin had come up with some pathetic excuse about feeling sick all of a sudden and running off, although that was no better than the truth, probably.

Len sighed, apparently frustrated. “ Rin,” was all he said.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“Well, are you home now?” he asked, ignoring the apology.

Her phone had rung just as she was getting off the bus, and now she was walking home. “Almost,” she said.

He was quiet for a moment or two, before he said, “Okay. Well, I hope you feel better soon.” Then he hung up.

Wow. He was definitely pissed.

Rin sniffled and wiped at her eyes, which were starting to leak tears. This sucked. Maybe if she wasn’t a ticking time bomb with this whole ridiculous mermaid curse thing, she’d be okay, the whole situation probably would have never happened, and she wouldn’t be so… pressed and upset about… everything.

She knew Gumi would hear about it, so there was definitely another lecture coming her way. Thinking that just made her cry even more about it though.

When she got home with swollen eyes and a blotchy face, her mum tried to ask about it, but she just told her it was nothing, and crawled into bed and watched sad romance movies all evening.

Gumi did eventually call to lecture her, but it wasn’t as bad as she was expecting. When Monday finally rolled around, Rin anticipated the worst, expecting Len to give her the cold shoulder, but miraculously, the boy just acted as normal.

When Rin was alone with Gumi for a few moments, she asked, “What did you tell him?”

Gumi looked at her innocently. “Hmm?”

“Len doesn’t hate me, despite everything. So what did you say to him?”

She glanced around to check for the boy's presence, before explaining, “I just told him what you told me the other day. About your birthday situation. He seemed to calm down after that. You better be thankful I did damage control for you.”

“I am,” Rin said. “Thank you.”

“You know, he's still in a tizz over your birthday present,” Gumi added. “He wants to buy you something and was trying to get an idea out of you on Saturday. Can’t you just like, give him something? ”

Rin grimaced. “The thing is, I really don’t have anything I want.”

“Jeez, Rin.”

“I know, I know…” she said, hanging her head. “Look, if he’s so adamant about getting me something, can you just make a suggestion to him or whatever? Like, I don’t know, pretend I told you what I want. I don’t really care.”

Gumi gave her a look. “You’re really giving me this power?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, I could literally tell him you want new underwear or something.”

Rin shrugged. “That’s fine.”

Gumi smacked her forehead. “You know, he’d totally try buying you some.”

“Really?” Rin tried to imagine the boy waltzing into a lingerie store, but couldn’t picture it. “I’d think he would turn to ash as soon as he looked at lingerie.”

“You’d be surprised,” was all Gumi said.

Just as the conversation came to a lull, Miku appeared with a worried look on her face.

“Rin!” she said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? When you disappeared on Saturday, Len and I were so worried!”

Rin was taken aback by her intense concern, gawking at her face for a moment or two. “Ah… yeah… I’m sorry. I felt sick so I just went home. I’m sorry for not saying anything.”

“Len mentioned something about that,” Miku said. “The poor guy was close to tears before he tried calling you. Well, I’m glad you’re safe and feeling better, at least?”

“Oh. Yeah. I am. Thank you.”

Miku smiled and gave her shoulder two rough pats, before retracting her hand and turning to face Gumi. “Hey Gumi,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Gumi went stiff. “Uh. Hi Miku,” she responded, in a strange monotone voice.

“How was your weekend?” Miku asked.

“It was… um. Fine. And you?”

“Well, I’m sure you just heard about it when I was talking to Rin, but it was good. It was too bad you couldn’t be there too.”

Gumi swallowed. Her ears were turning bright red.

What on earth was Rin witnessing here?

“Yeah,” Gumi said. “It was too bad.”

Miku then cleared her throat, and looked at both of them. “Well, I’ll see you two around!” She gave a wave, then bustled off to do… whatever she was doing.

Rin looked at Gumi, who was still staring off in the direction Miku went, although she was no longer visible. “So, care to explain what just happened?” she asked.

Gumi jumped, turning back to Rin. “Wh— huh?”

She gestured in Miku’s direction. “You know… like. I’m getting some weird vibes from you right now and I’m not really sure what to think of it.”

Gumi shook her head furiously. “It’s nothing. It was nothing.”

Rin raised an eyebrow. “ Okay.”

It was definitely not just nothing, though.

The thought finally came to her in the middle of lunch like a freight train colliding with a wall. Rin gasped, dropped her omelette, and jumped up from her seat.

Both Len and Gumi stopped eating to look at her. “What’s wrong?” Gumi asked.

Rin didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at Len and said, “Len. Can I speak to you in private?”

Len glanced at Gumi with a look of uncertainty, before setting down his chopsticks and standing, following her out of the classroom.

“Um… what’s up, Rin?” he asked, once she’d pulled him around a corner that was void of people to eavesdrop. He looked very nervous for some reason.

Nevertheless, Rin ignored that and blurted, “Does Gumi have a crush on Miku?”

“Oh.” Now he seemed very surprised. “Um.”

Rin didn’t need a verbal answer. The look on his face told her enough: Yes.

“Oh boy,” Rin said. “All this time I was thinking you had a crush on Miku. This is new. Wait. How come you know about this?”

Len blinked. “Er. Well…”

“Did Gumi tell you?”

He nodded.

Rin frowned. “But she didn’t tell me.”

“Uh,” he said. “Well, Rin…”

“She knows almost every secret of mine but she wouldn’t tell me she has a crush… on Miku . Everyone has just been keeping me in the dark!”

Len winced. “Rin.”

“Yes?”

“I basically traded secrets with Gumi.”

“You what?”

Len rubbed his neck. “So, like. She really wanted to know who I liked, but I refused and said to her only if she told me who she likes. So she told me. And she threatened me to not say anything to you. Anyway, you know, I talked to some people… found out Miku has a thing for Gumi, too. I’ve just been trying to kind of… get them together, but… ah. I’m sorry. You must’ve been really confused.”

Suddenly, everything began to fall into place. “Wait, so… so that’s why you were talking about Miku at lunch the other day?”

He nodded.

“And that’s why Gumi made you come with her to get a drink.”

Len looked sheepish. “She was mad.”

“Wow.”

“So… is that all you wanted to talk to me about?”

“What?” Rin asked. “I mean, yeah. That was all.”

Len looked disappointed. “Oh.”

Then she suddenly remembered about what happened on the weekend. “Oh. And—Len.”

The disappointment on his face melted away for a moment. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry, I really am sorry about the weekend,” Rin said. “I didn’t think about anyone else but myself in that situation. I didn’t want to make you worried, though. I’m really sorry.”

Len’s gaze softened. He reached out and placed a hand on her arm. “It’s okay. Gumi told me about your circumstances, so…” he trailed off, thinking. “Besides, I guess you were a little confused by me inviting Miku to eat ice-cream with us so suddenly. You probably didn’t know it was for Gumi’s sake.”

She laughed. “Thank you for worrying about me, Len.”

He smiled at her. “I couldn’t not worry about you, Rin.”

There was a brief pause between them, as they stood awkwardly, staring at each other’s faces. The silence was filled with tension—or maybe she was just imagining it.

Len then spoke again, averting his gaze away from her face. “You know, Rin, I… um…”

Whatever he wanted to say next did not come, because a certain green-haired girl stomped up beside them with her arms crossed.

“There you are!” Gumi exclaimed, standing in the space between them. “What are you two doing? I’ve been waiting 15 minutes for you to come back. What’s going on?”

Then she noticed the look on Len’s face and faltered. “Wait. Did I… did I interrupt something?”

Len cleared his throat. “No. It’s fine. You didn’t interrupt anything.”

Gumi glanced at Rin, who shrugged her shoulders. “Are you sure? Because I—”

He held up a finger. “Nope. It’s cool. But Rin knows you like Miku.”

She went blank for a moment, before her eyes narrowed. “You told her?”

“No. I guessed it,” Rin answered quickly, to save Len from being gutted like a fish. “I dragged him out here to ask about it… and then I apologised about the weekend. That’s all.”

Len nodded. “That’s all.”

Gumi was red. “Both of you are so— difficult.” She threw up her hands in frustration, then turned around and walked off.

“Is she okay?” Rin asked.

“Probably,” Len responded. “Thanks for speaking up for me, though.”

“No worries,” she said. “By the way, what did you want to say before? It seemed pretty serious.”

Len hesitated, his lips pressing into a straight line in thought. Finally, he said, “You know what? I can’t remember. It probably wasn’t important.”

“Oh.”

They then followed after Gumi. But Rin couldn’t help but keep thinking back to what Len was about to say to her.

“So, what are you doing on your birthday, Rin?” Gumi asked. It was T-minus five days until Sunday, her birthday, the dreaded day.

Rin picked at her lunch, not feeling very hungry. “Not much. Probably just going to stay home… do nothing…”

“Well, that’s sad,” Len said. “Why don’t we hang out or something?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. My parents don’t want me to,” Rin lied. Of course, her parents could care less about her meeting with friends on her birthday, but she also had the strange curfew of sunset (her deadline for finding a lover before becoming a fish forever).

“Oh,” Gumi and Len said in unison, sounding disappointed.

“How about next weekend?” she suggested, although there wouldn’t be a next weekend. But if it made her friends happy, she’d plan it, even if it wouldn’t end up happening.

“Next weekend is good with me. Gumi?” Len looked to Gumi.

She nodded. “I should be free.”

“Sweet. Let’s go bowling or something,” Len suggested. “I mean, it’s your birthday, Rin, so we can do whatever you want.”

“Bowling sounds nice,” Rin mused aloud. “Karaoke would be fun too.”

“Oh yeah! Let’s go to karaoke as well,” Len agreed. He then glanced over at Gumi with a sly look. “Shall we invite Miku?”

Gumi grimaced, her ears reddening. “I don’t need you two hooligans being my wingmen.”

“Why not? You’re practically always trying to be my wingman,” Rin said.

Gumi jabbed a finger in her direction. “You watch it, Miss Rin. I have the power here.”

Rin backed down, holding her hands up. “Okay, okay. Jeez. Maybe you should just try asking her out.”

“And don’t use my advice on me,” she added sulkily, folding her arms over her chest.

“Wow, she tells you that too?” Len asked, guffawing.

Rin rolled her eyes. “Like every day.”

He held up his hand. “Same. High-five!”

She gave him a high-five across the table, to which Gumi just rolled her eyes. “You two are just… so… unbelievable.”

“Unbelievably awesome,” Rin corrected. She and Len gave each other another high-five.

Gumi put her head down on her desk and groaned.

The pair chuckled.

“So… what are your folks going to do with you on the weekend?” Len asked, steering the conversation back to her birthday.

Rin sighed. “Dunno. Dunno anything, really.”

“That stinks,” he said.

“Yep.”

Gumi lifted her head. “I’m still worried you’re like, being married off or something and you’re just not telling us.”

Yeah. Being married off to the sea, Rin thought.

Len found this speculation incredibly upsetting. “Being married off? Are your parents really that cruel to do that?”

“No,” Rin said. “I told you, I’m not getting married off. It’s not related to my relationship status in any way.” It totally was. “Stop spreading rumours about me, Gumi.”

Gumi ignored Rin, patting Len on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, if you get there first thing in the morning, Len, you might be able to wrestle down all her potential fiances and come first place as her suitor.”

Len swatted her hand away, a light blush dusting his cheeks. “Shut up.”

It was then that Gumi shared a secret wink with Rin. She didn’t know what that meant.

“Well, regardless of your plans on Sunday, still expect us to call you and sing happy birthday in horrible discordant voices, at least,” Gumi said. “It’s tradition, you know.”

That part was at least true. The trio had been doing such a thing since middle school.

Rin smiled. “Of course. I’m looking forward to it.” She was really looking forward to hearing from her friends for the last time. They wouldn’t know that, of course.

“Anyway, I’m still for inviting Miku to your birthday celebrations, if you don’t mind,” Len said with a shit-eating grin.

Gumi waved her chopsticks at him threateningly. “Len, I swear to God, I will harvest your organs and sell them on the black market.”

Then the day came. The morning started off rather ordinary, with Gumi and Len calling her at nine to sing happy birthday. Of course, she burst into tears on the phone, panicking the pair.

“What’s wrong?” Gumi asked.

Rin sobbed hideously and wiped her face with the palm of her hand. “I’m sorry. I just felt really happy. That’s all.”

“Really?” Len asked with skepticism in his voice.

“Yeah. Dunno. Just feeling a bit emotional today. Thank you for calling me, guys.”

The two were quiet for a moment. “It’s what we do, Rin,” Gumi then said, her voice gentle. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine. My parents are calling me, so I should probably hang up now.” That was a lie, but she couldn’t stand the conversation any longer.

“Okay,” Gumi and Len chorused, although they, too, sounded a little downhearted.

“Have a nice birthday, Rin,” Len said.

“Thank you. Bye.”

She didn’t wait for their replies. She hung up and began to cry again.

Her mother came into her bedroom a few minutes later, a look on her face that meant motherly-business. “Rin,” she said gently. “Are you sure you’re fine with this? You can still meet with your friends. You don’t need to avoid them.”

“It’s fine,” Rin sobbed. “It’s better off this way.”

Her mum sunk down onto the bed beside her, taking the phone from her clammy hands. “I know… I know it’s really hard for you. And I don’t know what to say or do. But… whatever happens, you’re still our daughter. And we love you, fish or not.”

She whimpered into her wet sleeve. “I wish I didn’t have to be a fish.”

“I’m sorry for giving you this curse,” her mother said. She reached out to rub her back. “I’m so sorry.”

Then her mother was crying too.

The day chugged at an impossibly slow pace, as if wanting to draw out the pain and suffering even longer.

Rin sat in her room most of the day, staring at her feet and legs and thinking, This is so fucking stupid. What the hell. She only emerged once or twice to use the bathroom, and to pick at a piece of her birthday cake.

Her parents had given her presents; one was an expensive waterproof phone case, and the other was an underwater camera. They made her cry again; although, they were somewhat thoughtful gifts considering the unfortunate situation.

When it hit four in the afternoon, she picked herself up from her bedroom floor, gathered what she wanted to take with her to the ocean, and set off to the beach. Her parents cried, and she did too, and she walked with her head down in the late afternoon sun.

Once the sun fully set, Rin would become a mermaid, and would never see her human legs again.

She sat on the edge of the jetty she once sat on with Len, and waited with her knees tucked up to her chest, listening to the ocean waves and the cries of the seagulls overhead. It was growing colder and colder as it grew darker and darker.

It was only about five minutes or so of sitting and waiting when Rin heard the sound of running footsteps behind her. She assumed it was some person out jogging, but they grew closer and closer, until she could hear someone panting very heavily.

She glanced behind her, and was surprised to see Len, doubled-over a few metres from her.

“Rin,” he gasped, stumbling over. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Huh,” she said, quickly wiping her wet face.

Len saw her red, swollen eyes as he grew closer and stopped in his tracks. “I went to your house to surprise you, but your parents said you were here. I ran all the way from your house because the bus wasn’t coming for another hour, and your parents said it would be too late to wait any longer. I don’t really understand, but…”

Rin couldn’t help but begin to cry, yet again. “Oh, Len…”

“You’re not going to like, kill yourself, are you?” he asked, with the most serious expression she’d ever seen on him. “The look on your parents’ faces… it was like you had died.”

She laughed, although it was nothing to laugh about, but the whole situation was just so absurd she had no other way to react to it. “No, Len,” she said. “I’m not going to kill myself.”

“Then why…” he asked, edging closer.

“You want to go for a swim?” she asked him, although she was joking (just a little).

Len looked at her like she was crazy. And she was. “Are you kidding me? We’d both get hypothermia.”

Rin thought about that. “Hmm. You’re right.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

“Only if you tell me who you like,” she jested.

Len was speechless, but it seemed he was taking her seriously.

There were only about fifteen or so minutes left of daylight, so Rin stood and turned to him, now serious. “I have a secret. Not even Gumi knows it. Can you keep it?”

He went wide-eyed and nodded, swallowing.

She reached out for his hand and started pulling him back toward the beach. “We have to go somewhere no one will see me.”

“Er… why?” he asked.

“You’ll see.”

They jogged up the beach toward the rocks, and Rin began climbing over them to a more secluded part of the beach. Len seemed rather confused by it all. Finally, she reached a shallow pool of water that would demonstrate enough.

“You have to promise you won’t scream or do anything weird,” she told him.

Len just blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. He nodded wordlessly, but she could tell there were questions just dying to come out.

Rin held a finger to her lips, then slipped off her coat, throwing it over some dry rocks. She’d already prepared for her assimilation into the sea, and had a bathing suit on underneath her coat. She began to descend down into the pool, the water lapping at her ankles, then her calves, then her thighs…

He seemed to panic at just this alone. “Rin, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”

The water was ice cold, so cold it was painful. She winced and closed her eyes, ignoring Len’s cries. Soon, that familiar, warm sensation spread through her lower body, over her arms and ears and back.

Len went dead silent, and she opened her eyes to look at him.

His eyes were the size of saucers and his mouth was hanging open. “You… huh.”

“This is why I could never participate in the swimming carnival,” Rin said.

Len sank down to his knees, clutching at his hair in shock. She waited for him to get the words out, this time. “You… you’re a mermaid?”

She stretched out her webbed fingers, and said very lifelessly, “Surprise!”

“I’m… excuse me. You’ve been a mermaid this whole time?”

Rin shrugged. “Ever since I was born. It’s a family curse. Whenever I touch water, I grow a tail, and it sucks.”

“A… curse?” Len echoed. “How is it a curse?”

“Well, that’s the whole reason why my 18th birthday is the worst thing ever,” she said. “Why I’ve been so sad. Why my parents were probably crying when you knocked on their door. I’m going to become a mermaid forever, Len, as soon as the sun sets on my 18th birthday. Today.”

He seemed very distraught over this fact. More than she was expecting, really. “What? Why? Isn’t there something to break the curse, like—like in fairy tales or something?”

Rin sighed. There were only like, two minutes left of sunlight, as far as she knew. “Yeah, but it’s too late now to break it.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Well, like in fairy tales, to break the curse I need a true—”

“A true love’s first kiss,” Len finished, with a look of realisation. “You were being serious. God! I’m such an idiot!”

Rin opened her mouth to ask, “Why?” but much to her surprise, he tore off half his clothes in about five seconds flat and jumped into the freezing cold water, splashing her in the face, before launching himself towards her.

It was definitely a horrifying moment, until Len slapped his hands on either side of her head and leaned in for the kiss.

Of course, there were a million thoughts swirling through Rin’s mind as he kissed her, one of them being, Dang, this was definitely not as romantic as I’d imagined. But then again, Len was kissing her, like actually kissing her on the lips, and that was something she’d been pining for for the last 11 years, although it could’ve come just a little sooner.

Just as she was getting over the initial shock of it all, he pulled away. “Did it work?” he asked, trying to look down for her tail.

Her scales glittered through the surface of the water, and his face fell in disappointment, his hands dropping to her shoulders.

“Was I too late?” he then mused aloud, but what Rin wanted to know was how did he know she liked him back?

Wait.

Gumi…

Rin felt a strange tingle down below, the same sort of tingle she felt when she was turning back to a human.

Immediately she panicked, because she was about to become half-naked in front of Len.

“Er, Len, um, Len,” she said.

He looked at her, confused.

“I need you to like, not look at the lower half of my body for the next five minutes or so, because you’re going to see something you maybe want to see, but I don’t want you to see until we at least get to like, third base or something.”

“What,” he said.

But Rin needed not to give him a more specific explanation, because at that moment, the fabric of her torn-up bikini bottoms floated past.

“Oh.” Len immediately distanced himself, crawling back onto the rocks and shivering. He covered his eyes. “Just tell me when.”

On cue, her tail disappeared for the last time, her scales shedding and filling the pool, looking like glitter in the twilight. She ran her now-normal hands over the surface of the skin on her thighs, an immense sensation of relief filling her chest like fireworks.

Rin clambered up onto the rocks, and the cold winter wind hit her bare skin. She slipped and shivered as she reached for her coat, pulling it on hurriedly in a desperate attempt to get herself warm. It did very little to help, though.

“Okay, okay. I’m decent,” she said to Len, who seemed more relieved he could now reach for his dry clothes. His teeth were chattering, and for a moment, she felt a pang of guilt for having dragged him into this mess.

She decided to call her parents to rescue them from the cold. Her mum was more than relieved to hear her asking for pickup, no questions asked. She probably already had a feeling things would take a turn for the best after Len came by.

They climbed over the rocks, back toward the main beach, in shivering silence.

“I’m sorry,” Rin said to Len, as they stopped for a moment on the sand. “Now you’re freezing because of me.”

“I’ll gladly lose a limb or two to frostbite to save you,” he said through gritted teeth, and she wasn’t sure whether he was joking or not.

Rin slicked her wet hair back. “Okay, well. Let’s run a few laps to ensure we have blood flowing to all our limbs. You can demonstrate to me your best time.”

Len groaned at the idea, but got into position. He reached out for her hand in the dark, and she grabbed it, feeling his ice-cold fingers against her own. “Gumi told me to tell you,” he said in between shudders, “that we’re both insufferable.”

“Well, she better eat her words, because it’s her turn to confess next weekend,” Rin said breathily, before she launched herself forward, dragging Len along with her.

They ran, hands together and soaking wet in the middle of winter, until warm blankets and hot chocolate came to the rescue.

Thankfully, no one lost any limbs or became a fish forever that night (or ever).

fin

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atopearth · 4 years ago

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The Legend of Dragoon Part 2 - Platinum Shadow

Since Doel told us to venture to Tiberoa for answers, it's time we got a change of environment! No more Serdio and war~ but crazy princesses! Hmm, was Princess Emille a fake? Hmm, so the Moon that Never Sets is called that because it's not affected by time such as day or night, and when it glows red after 108 years, a Moon Child appears, but I guess so does the Black Monster? Btw, Albert is such a dork that it's so cute lmao, I loved how when they were talking about how Haschel's daughter and Dart's mother are both called Claire, and whilst Rose was saying it was impossible for them to be related considering their appearances, Albert starting going on a rant on an analysis of the possibility and how their skulls were different lmao. And omgg it's kinda crazy, but I never thought about the possibility of a Dragoon Spirit getting stolen by thieves! Sad that I can't level up my Dragoon level now lol. It's kinda crazy to think that such a beautiful green and flowery town like Donau has been taken over by bandits... I guess it's understandable why Lynn (Mayor's son) would go to the Gehrich Gang's Hideout to persuade them to get lost, but seriously, that's so dangerous and highly unlikely to work! Ohh okay, the gang hasn't taken over the city yet, just very hostile and leaving their people there I guess? Meru is such a happy ball of positivity and beauty loll. I used to always think she was super pretty and cute though, she's also really strong! I wasn't too fond of her Additions but I guess her cuteness makes up for it, and she's a pretty hilarious person lol. I see... Princess Lisa knows through astrology that Princess Emille is somehow related to the Gehrich Gang and it even told her to never hand over the moon, probably meaning the Moon Dagger heirloom that will be passed on to Princess Emille soon. Btw, lmao at how well Meru and Haschel get along, they're both like kids getting excited over the royal dinner feast hahaha. It's kinda crazy though, if Lisa can see so many things through astrology, I guess there is a good reason as to why this whole town worships the stars so vehemently.

I honestly didn't expect/completely forgot Gehrich was Haschel's former disciple that got kicked out for not using martial arts with a good heart. It's kinda saddening that he ended up a leader of bandits, but I guess at least in the end, Haschel found him and was able to make him understand that the Rouge School arts weren't to be used for things like this... I didn't realise that Kongol actually followed Emperor Doel for a good reason! Emperor Doel told him that he wanted to make a land where all species could be equal, and Kongol believed in his strength in being able to bring that, but now that he was defeated by Dart, he wants to understand Dart’s strength now. I didn't think that the humans actually killed all the Gigantos aside from Kongol in this place/home of the Gigantos. You would think that since they were oppressed by Winglies before, they would understand the pain of losing people, but no, they killed them... I feel sorry for Kongol, he just wants to fight against bad people like the ones who killed his family and friends... Speaking of Kongol though, him saving the gang by holding that super heavy stone axe/pillar that came from that humongous status was crazy! He even flung it away so easily! I'm not sure how we defeated him before considering he had strength like that lol!

Aww so nice to see Lynn and Kate's wedding! Also really cool to know that whilst Dart and party were gone, the Mayor and all the adults rose up and went against the bandits in town and successfully kicked them out! Nice to know that Dart inspired them to do their best to protect their own town. Shana catching the bouquet was cute. Omggg, I can't remember but dang, you get Kongol's Golden Dragoon Spirit at the rip off market seller in Lohan! It's 1000G which is easy to get by now but wow, apparently you can get to near the end of the game without even realising this is where you get it! Which kinda sucks tbh lol. Apparently there were hints but it must have totally flown off my head because I had no idea lmao. I honestly can't believe King Zior is even allowing these bandit friends of Emille to be knights for the ceremony, like is he crazy or is he a fake? Or does he need to allow all this to save the real princess? Dodging the bandit guards to get to Princess Lisa and the real Princess Emille aren't too hard, but I do admit it's annoying haha. Wow, no wonder it was practically impossible to find the real Princess Emille, she was locked inside a magical dimension within the portrait of herself in her room! Wow, boy am I glad I stocked up on Healing Breeze because Lenus aka fake Princess Emille does crazy damage to all! She has so many turns as well! Maybe it would have been easier if my Albert actually had the SP to turn into a Dragoon though lmao, but still, she's pretty nuts haha. I knew I didn't remember wrong, Meru is a Wingly just like Lenus (since Lenus could tell), but I guess it's understandable of her to hide it from the party for now. Hmm, so after the defeat of the Winglies, the three countries Serdio, Tiberoa and Mille Seseau were formed, and the surviving Winglies sent a divine object of the moon as a proof of peace. Anyway, I guess King Zior was too blinded by his love for his daughter Emille that he didn't care what she was like to realise it was a fake lmao.

Aww it's so cute to run around with Shana on the Queen Fury. Lmao at the chopping vegetables mini game, legit thought it would give me something good after winning but it gives me 1G LOL. All my hard work for a scrap lol. I love how enthusiastic and hardworking everyone on the ship is though! They're so passionate about their work whether it be cleaning or shoving fuel etc, they're really trying their best to catch up to Lenus (and get the Moon Dagger back). Sometimes I feel sorry for how blunt Shana is about her feelings towards Dart but he's just constantly thinking about the Black Monster etc. I guess it's understandable though, he probably thinks that if he starts thinking of stuff like romance, he wouldn't be able to fully focus on the war and everything. I really enjoy talking to all the different sailors with the different characters though! It's so cool how some of the dialogue changes haha! Lmaoo at Meru annoying Dart and Shana to play with her because she's bored, yet when you talk to her with Rose (and she tells Meru they can train together), Meru says she'll behave hahahaha. I wonder what made Rose change if she says that she used to be as innocent as Shana, only caring about her love and hoping that it'll bear fruit? Did Rose's partner die and that's why she tells Shana to never let Dart go? Omg..to think that 25 years ago, Haschel's harsh training caused Claire to accidentally end up killing her training partner since she tried her best to fulfil her father's expectations of her as the heir to the Rouge School... He shouted at her to get out of his sight and lost her forever... It's quite terrible... Lmao at Kongol just ignoring Meru if you talk to her with him hahahah. LOL at Meru throwing a pillow at Albert! Guess he's the easiest to bully even though he’s a king lol. Hahahah I love how everyone sympathises with Dart being the babysitter of Meru when she forces him to run around with him on the ship lol. The Phantom Ship looks really cool but scary at the same time! It's kinda cool how ghost knights protected Shana from skeletons. Okay, that mini game with the chest is so not worth the time lol! It's so hard to guess! Anyway, I checked the rewards and it really only gives you crappy stuff that I don't care about lol, don't need Ultimate Wargod because I can do my Additions just fine anyway lol. So, is the princess of Mille Seseau that this whole ship tried to protect from the Black Monster 18 years ago actually Shana? Rose is probably the Black Monster, but is Zieg the first Red Eyed Dragoon that she supposedly fell in love with but couldn't save for some reason? Was Rose a part of the Dragon Campaign 11,000 years ago? Her and her comrades seemed to be fighting Virages or something? They all died and Zieg turned into stone? I guess you can see why Rose is so attached to Dart if they're so similar. But I wonder, did the Black Monster appear because Rose wasn't able to control the insanity of the Dragoon due to her grief of losing her friends or something?

Lmao when Rose said she'd annihilate all the monsters to protect Pete and his mother (people who saved Dart and Rose after they fell off the Queen Fury when the Phantom Ship sunk). Hahahaha Pete was so funny to say that Rose should confess to Dart because he saw her take care of Dart lovingly in the cave. Hahahah I love how you can go to the hot springs in Fueno and the person soaking in it screams lmaoo. Aww it's so cool and cute how the merchant for the item shop and the weapon shop are the same person! He just goes upstairs to talk to you if want weapons lmao. I love how happy and hyper Meru is to see Dart and Rose alive haha. Aww, it was really sweet of Dart to hug her since she was crying and he felt bad for worrying her. Lmaooo at Meru, Haschel and Albert peeking in on them though lol!!! I think it was really cute how when Dart caught them, they all ran away, but Meru came back to close the door for them lmao. Honestly though, despite how much of a damsel in distress Shana is, I think she really warms up to you as a character. Sure, she's weak and everything, but she's just really sweet and normal, it's hard to not like her. She has that warmth to her that the others lack. Ohh, so Lenus had the Sea Dragoon Spirit! Anyway, she was so much stronger before! Her Dragoon form is so much easier to manage lol, she should have just stayed in her Wingly form. Poor girl though, she gave her life for Lloyd but I honestly doubt he really appreciates it. I think Dart was really touched when Shana ran to protect him when Lenus tried to kill Dart with the last bit of her strength though, it was kinda cute. Lmao at Meru being so happy for truly being a part of the gang as a Dragoon now though haha. Aww it's so cute how Albert was so enamoured with Princess Emille. I can understand though, she's really graceful, beautiful and kind, who wouldn't like her?! But I think the whole family is great! I love how King Zior didn't care about Dart and them not being able to retrieve the Moon Dagger because he believes that it's just a symbol and isn't as important as them being the heroes that saved all the town's from the terror of the Sea Dragon and the fake Emille. Awww, it's so cute how Dart has finally realised his feelings for Shana but he keeps getting interrupted when he wants to tell her lmao. Shana is so brave though, she totally and straightforwardly told him again that she loves him and that it doesn't matter if he views her as a baby sister. I hope they get together soon! Lmao at both Haschel and Meru being kids stealing food from the kitchen hahaha. Albert bonding with Emille in her room was so adorable lmao. Rose chuckling to herself thinking about things was so cuteee, I love how soft she is becoming now. Kongol training in the training centre being happy that he's got friends of different species now was so adorable too. Aww, Princess Emille is willing to wait for Albert to come back from his journey! They're so sweet! Aww he finally got to tell Shana that her wish is the same as his whilst she was wearing a beautiful dress~~ Such a cute and happy banquet!

Overall, this chapter was really nice. I loved the whole Wingly introduction to the story, getting to know more about Rose, but also interacting with Meru and Kongol! I really love how cute everyone is and how different they all are, but how nice they all work together. Btw, I farmed Shana's Dragoon level to 5 to see her skills and dang, White Silver Dragon does damage and heals you to full life! Pretty strong! It was so easy to farm it on the Phantom Ship btw, since you have access to a save point, resting and constant monsters lol. I just wanted to see it before Miranda came along because I remember not liking her lmao. I think the best thing about this chapter is seeing everyone’s growth as a character, mainly Shana and Rose because Shana solidifies her resolve to be beside Dart no matter what, whereas Rose is warming up to everyone (especially Dart) whether she likes it or not. Another cute thing I loved to see was Albert finding his love Princess Emille, they’re both so wonderfully graceful and I find it adorable how Princess Emille loves listening to Albert when everyone else thinks he talks too much in a long-winded way hahaha. I also really liked the Queen Fury part because it really helped to understand everyone’s worries as well as what they’re searching for on this journey, it just made me understand them a bit more individually and I really enjoyed that. Now I feel super bad for hating Kongol as a kid when I was young just because he was ugly LOL, I was such a vain kid! Kongol is like such an innocent, pure and kind guy, I love him lol. Technically though, I love all the characters already haha.

#the legend of dragoon #legend of dragoon

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x0401x · 5 years ago

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Flower Symbolism in Tsurune

The amount of plant representation in this franchise has considerably increased with the release of the DVDs and KyoAni’s latest spring campaign, so it seems more than appropriate to make this kind of post right now. This post has been bettered thanks to @bowcrazy. Most of the symbolisms refers to individual characters, so I’ve separated them by the official character line-up order.

I’m gonna start with the ones that represent everybody.

Yesterday-today-tomorrow: I’m guessing that this one is the flower that appears during the opening and ending. They seem to also be the ones appearing behind Minato in the DVD bonus artworks as well, so I’ll get to them below soon enough.

Iris: This one is mentioned twice in the novel, and in one of those mentions, they seem to refer to the Kazemai boys. It has many meanings, the most common ones being faith, hope, wisdom, courage, valor and admiration. In Japanese flower language, they’re associated with good news, glad tidings and loyalty. Gifting someone with irises normally means “your friendship signifies so much to me”, and they’re often used in Japan on Boys’ Day.

Now, the flowers below are the ones shown behind each of the characters in the artworks that come with the DVD/Blu-ray sets.

Sen & Man

Amaryllis: Stands for pride and self-confidence. Its message is “if you’ve got it, flaunt it”, and boy, are the twins arrogant. But here’s what’s truly interesting about this flower: it’s normally associated with one-sided feelings, lmao. The red ones, like most red flowers, are linked to passion and love, be it requited or not. I really wanna try to pretend that Senichi staring at Shuu in that artwork instead of ahead like his brother is doing has absolutely nothing to do with this, but damn, it’s hard. I won’t lie; this kind of depiction of the Kirisaki trio (literally every single thing about it) had been on my official art wishlist for a long time.

Shuu

Tulip: Its general significance is “perfect, enduring love”, but there’s also a variety of other meanings to it:

Undying passionate love, whether the passion is spurned or returned

Royalty and a regal nature

Forgotten or neglected love

Abundance, prosperity, and indulgence

Charity and supporting the less fortunate

There’s probably no better flower to describe Shuu’s character. The undying love surely refers to archery *cough* and Minato *cough*. He does have a regal, noble-like nature, and has been overflowing with talent from the very start. The neglected love might be a reference to his family, but it might also apply to Shuu hitting a wall at the end of volume 1. The part about charity and supporting the less fortunate is probably an allusion to Shuu growing softer and helping out the twins after Manji gets target panic. Moreover, the tulips behind Shuu in that artwork are white, which are used to claim worthiness.

Nanao

Osmanthus: The flowers that represent the Kazemai boys have very similar meanings and I’m pretty sure that’s on purpose. The osmanthus signifies happiness, good fortune and prosperity. This flower is known for being attention-grabbing due to its strong scent, and that may refer to Nanao’s popularity with girls. It’s also nicknamed “emperor’s flower” and “emperor’s jasmine” in some languages, which might be a reference to how Nanao is depicted as prince-like in the novel.

Kaito

Cornflower: This one also stands for good fortune and prosperity. However, it has a special focus on friendship as well, and considering that “friendship” is the keyword of Kaito’s character arc, it only makes sense. This flower comes in a variety of colors, but there are only blue and pink ones behind Kaito. The main people of Kaito’s character arc and development other than Kaito himself are Nanao and Seiya, so the colors surely represent the two of them respectively. The fact that the crushing majority of the flowers is blue is without doubt a purposeful detail.

Ryouhei

Peony: Yet another good fortune and prosperity flower. They also carry the meaning of bashfulness. The ones behind Ryouhei are red, which is considered a symbol of luck. The message of peonies is “striving to act honorably” and “sharing one’s love with others to improve their lives as well”.

Sunshine child exists to bless everyone. No news here.

Seiya

Daisy: This one has different meanings depending on its variations, but the generally accepted meanings are innocence, purity, new beginnings and true love. Giving daisies to someone also normally means that the sender might be keeping a secret.

Daisies are often used to represent motherhood as well. The ones behind Seiya are English daisies, which are often paired with primroses in order to symbolize motherly love.

Minato & Masaki

The symbolism resolving around these idiots comes in a set and it’s literally impossible to separate them since one either also applies to the other or is about one’s feelings regarding the other.

I’ll start with the flowers on the DVD/Blu-ray’s artworks.

Jersey lily: Lilies carry a variety of meanings, but red ones stand specifically for passion. Jersey lilies, on their own, normally represent:

Perseverance and resilience

Happy memories

Brilliance, radiance

The messages of jersey lilies are “you have a lovely smile” (Minato would tell you about it, lmao) and “I look forward to when we meet once again”. Now the last one was a punch to the gut.

Yesterday-today-tomorrow: This one is also known as kiss-me-quick, and the irony is ridiculous. It’s a flower normally associated with the stages and the passage of time, as the name denounces. In Japanese flower language, it carries the meaning of:

Good fortune, just as everyone else

Inconstant, fickle person

Passionate

That’s a very Minato-like flower, considering how much he wavers and how open he is to doing the unexpected. The passion part goes without saying.

Now on with the novel stuff.

Oak: The trees surrounding Yata Shrine. It stands for wisdom and strength.

Bamboo: Minato compares Masaki’s shots with bamboo sprouts at some point. They symbolise resilience and inspiration.

Cherry blossom: The story begins with the first day of school, which means spring, which means cherry blossoms everywhere. There also seem to be cherry flower petals raining all over the DVD/Blu-ray artworks, which makes me believe that this flower applies to all the main characters. Still, Kirisaki doesn’t show up until the cherry blossoms are already gone, and Minato meets Masaki for the second time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, so I dare say the flower applies to both of them in a very particular way.

This flower is used to remind people that life is short yet beautiful, often represent gentleness and femininity, and symbolize the short-lived beauty of youth. They’re also an allurance to new beginnings and the start/renewal of a cycle, since they are a common symbol of the coming of spring. They’re usually an allegory for romance as well, but plot devices aside, I don’t think this one should be considered.

Azalea: Amongst other things, they mean “remembering your home with fondness or wishing to return to it”, “caring for yourself and your family”, “temperance and emotional evenness”, and “delicate/developing passion”. The part of remembering home with fondness and wanting to return to it definitely refers to archery, and I’m pretty sure that this is emphasized by the fact that the chapter of the novel in which azaleas are mentioned is titled “Home”. “Caring for yourself” surely refers to both Minato and Masaki, but “caring for your family” might refer to Masaki alone in this case, since he was shooting in order to send his grandfather’s soul to rest. Temperance and emotional evenness surely refers to Masaki alone, lmao. Delicate and developing passion, though, refers to the two of them without a doubt.

In Japanese flower language, the message of azaleas is “take care of yourself for me”. Now this is an extremely fascinating piece of information, because Minato and Masaki basically act like that with each other all the time, both conscious and subconsciously. Masaki is always giving Minato advice on how to improve not only his technique but also his life, and all Minato learns from him never fails to turn out useful for very personal matters, and normally serves as Minato’s trigger to solve each and every one of his problems. In contraposition, Minato never shies away from showing how important Masaki is to him, which always instigates optimistic changes on Masaki as a person and influences on big decisions in that have impact not only in his life but also on Minato’s (because literally everything one does affects the other at some point). In a way, one usually takes the initiative to care for himself after receiving positivity and affection from the other.

Spotted bellflower: Bellflowers are a symbol of gratitude and unwavering love. For some reason, the author specifies spotted bellflowers, which are known for their heart-shaped leaves.

Primrose: Minato seems to be holding a bouquet of primroses in the newest art for KyoAni’s spring campaign, and rather than representing him, they most likely represent his feelings. This one has the connotation of something special and of telling somebody you can’t live without them. Its main meanings are youth, love, new beginnings, rapture, new life, blindness, birth/rebirth and supertition, and if this shit doesn’t make y’all flashback at the speed of light to Minato and Masaki’s encounters at night in Yata Shrine, I don’t know what would.

But wait. It gets worse.

Primroses are a representation of the many stages of life, but they mostly stand for youth due to also representing the incapability to have a realistic image of the world when we are in love, as the initial moments of love have people in reverie and blind them a bit. Another meaning that it carries is the fact that there’s an end to each life on this planet. All of that seems to bring back not only the nights in Yata Shrine but also the truck accident and what happened afterwards.

These flowers also seem to apply to volume 2, since they symbolize our fallacies about love and other people, which both lead to disappointments and teach us important lessons. It also stands for protection and safety, and that might as well refer to the entirety of both volumes.

Victorians consider primroses as a symbol of bashfulness, inconsistency, young loves, and neglected merits. The message of primrose is “I cannot live without you”, and Minato literally can’t live without a certain somebody, so it seems legit enough.

#tsurune #tsurune kazemai koukou kyuudoubu #narumiya minato #takigawa masaki #takehaya seiya #fujiwara shuu #onogi kaito #kisaragi nanao #yamanouchi ryouhei #sugawara senichi #sugawara manji #kyoani #kyoto animation #morimoto chinatsu #ayano kotoko

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antihero-writings · 5 years ago

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Reminded by a Flower—Pandora Hearts fic for Phmonth19, Rainsworth Trio, Day 6: Flowers (Full fic)

Fic Title: The Simplest Gifts

Chapter Title: Reminded by a Flower

Fic Summary: Christmas may not be the happiest time for the Children of Misfortune, still, sometimes it's the simplest things that can bring joy

Notes: This was a Christmas fic I started during Phmonth18 last year. I wasn't able to write Break’s chapter for it, so I decided to use one of the Phmonth19 prompts to finish it this year! Oh, and you dont need to have read the other chapters to understand this one!

Fic:

Kevin crouched beside a flowerbed. Most of the flowers were white, especially considering the snow, but as he dusted off the frost he found a single red bloom amongst the rest.

“Which of them is to be tonight’s victim?” a voice only he could hear said behind him.

He glanced over to the group it was referring to, which probably looked like a lavish dinner table to the Chain.

Christmas had taken over the town. Evergreen trees were set up like well-decorated sentries at the corners of streets, a large one guarding the town square. Candles, tinsel, ribbons, bells, and other assorted decoration had claimed shops and houses as their own, inside and out. There was barely a person without a candy cane, gingerbread or other cookie in their mouth. The children were especially affected by its cheer, making angels and fights out of the cold.

People did litter the area, carolers, rich folks in suits and fancy dresses, chatting in benches, poor people in rags sharing bread and a smile, kids slipping and giggling as they fell on on the ice, families, parents holding their children’s’ hands, friends drinking together.

The world rarely looked so alive, so…merry. Often he wouldn’t care, his eyes glazed with the potency of his goal…Today was different.

He returned his gaze to the flora, reaching down and picking the red bloom.

“Master?” Albus asked.

*****

He had never seen the place so alive. The manor, the family, always radiated a sort of warmth, but the glow of the assorted candles, the fires in their places—picture perfect, like everything else— the reflections in the ornaments and plates glittering like the sunset on the ocean were enough to make anyone feel the cheer of the time of year. The sweet scent of pine flittered down from the trees, the aroma of cakes, gingerbread, and other treats drifting in and out of each room. The hubbub of party guests, along with music, floated in the air like butterflies drawn by the lamplight.

Kevin stood by the door, his eyes sharp, surveying the room, the guests, like a guard dog, always trying to find a threat, never fully relaxed. It was his job of course, but the festivities didn’t appear to interest him in general. The guests, with their fanciful dresses, words, and smiles, didn’t seem to notice the young man either, like he was just a decoration, a painting in black, white, and red, on the back wall.

Two did notice him, however: a rather large man, with a brown—greying—beard, wearing a nice black suit, (the tie only slightly askew), with a white flower on his lapel, a smile on his face, and a little girl with short blonde hair sitting on one of his shoulders.

“Roman-sama,” Kevin bowed to his master. “Do you require my services?”

He laughed a little. “No, no…Well, yes. Actually…seeing as it’s Christmas, little Emily wants to give you something.”

Kevin blinked, as if waiting for the punchline. The thought that his master’s daughter would give him, a servant, a gift for Christmas, was at the least improper, at the most mad.

Upon seeing the quizzical look on his face, Roman grinned. “Come now, it’s Christmas!! Will you not allow one little gift?” he leaned over and spoke behind his hand, (though she could probably still hear him), “if you don’t accept, the little tyrant might just get offended. We wouldn’t want that, would we? Who can tell what her majesty’s ruling would be?”

“Please, I couldn’t possibly accept—”

“Keeviin!!” The little girl moaned. “Just let me do something nice for you, you dummy!”

He blinked. He knew The Sinclairs to be both benevolent and stubborn, but this was something else.

“My apologies, Ojousama,” he bowed.

The little girl had been attempting to hide something by keeping it behind her father’s back. Roman now lifted her off his shoulders, giving her to the floor. She pattered up to Kevin and offered him the gift with the innocent smile only little girls are capable of.

It was a red flower.

He blinked, reaching down and plucking it from her hand.

“It’s a…I forget what they’re called. But I’ve only ever seen these flowers be white. I’d never seen a red one, and it made me think of your eyes!”

The aforementioned eyes widened.

“See, I’ve never seen a person with red eyes either! I think they’re really pretty…and I just thought maybe you and the flower should be together!” She put her hands behind her back and swayed back and forth.

Others had noticed his eyes too...’noticed’ was a bit of an understatement. At her age he often got bullied for his strange appearance, but as he grew older people would often avoid eye contact, or seem very uneasy beneath his gaze…and those were some of the milder reactions.

“Well, what do you say?” Roman said like someone had just complimented his young son. Kevin cleared his throat and spoke properly and simply. “Thank you…I appreciate it,” he added when she continued staring at him.

She grinned, giving a small curtsey. “Good. Then I won’t have to behead you for your impudence!”

Something of his expression must have shown his shock because her father laughed, patting her head, ruffling her hair, “Always the little jester, this one.”

“Father! You’ll mess up my hair!” the Sinclair girl put her hands on her head, scowling at him.

“Sorry, sunshine!”

She took his hand, dragging her father back out into the party.

“We’ve leave you to keep manning the fort!” Roman saluted, and Emily waved.

Kevin leaned back against the wall, twirling the stem, watching the petals twist like a dancer in a red dress, trying to hide his smile.

*****

Kevin twisted the stem between his thumb and forefinger.

The same flower, but the times were so different.

A lot can change in a year.

“Master?” Albus asked again.

Kevin stood, looking the way of the painting-like scene the Chain looked at as a menu.

“It’s Christmas,” he said softly.

On this day last year, he was in a warm manor, the knight of an even warmer family. On this day last year he was a part of these traditions and games, even if on the sidelines.

Now he was cast out of that world, and no fires warmed his skin, no glittering lights peppered his vision, no candy or cake gracing his tongue…Not that having come now could sooth the ache in his stomach.

“And?”

His eyes darted from the twirling children to the twirling petals in his hand.

But others could still enjoy the warmth of this day. Even he was alone, and cold, his eyes attuned to the dark, others still gave each other gifts, and told stories, and ate sweets in the firelight. Others still had families they could sit with, and who they would be devastated to lose…especially tonight.

He began walking forward, tossing the bloom to the ground, it landing like a drop of blood on the snow.

“I won’t be killing anyone tonight.”

*****

“Break! Break!” the little girl toddled up to him, her feet carrying her as fast as they could in the snow, causing her to nearly topple over in her oversized coat. “I—” she panted, “I found something for you!”

She held up the bouquet of unevenly picked flowers like a trophy of war.

“Mother said you’re supposed to put flowers on people’s graves.” Sharon explained once she’d caught her breath, “I don’t really know what that means, but I made sure to pick the prettiest ones I could find.”

He blinked at her, taking them in an almost ginger way. It took him a moment to notice the red bloom hiding, slightly wilted, amongst the white.

“Do…Do you like them?” she asked, drawing circles in the snow with her boot.

He tried to smile, “Yes. Thank you, Sharon.”

Reim caught up with his friend, then gasped when he saw the makeshift bouquet.

“Sharon! You shouldn’t have picked those! I was just reading somewhere; the red variety is very rare!”

“You have nothing better to do then read about flowers?” she put her hands on her hips, “Why not pick up a book about something exciting,” she flourished with her hands, “something that will actually strengthen your mind… like a romance novel!”

“Shelly told you you’re not ready to read those!”

As the children squabbled—(he tried not to smirk at their fight…he’d slipped her that romance novel)—Break carried the bundle to said graves.

He pieced out the group, setting a few blooms on each, until only the red one was left.

As he let it drift onto the last stone, he murmured, “Merry Christmas, Emily.”

*****

Break strolled through the frosty Pandora garden. Reim had left his notebook back here—(…either that or someone hid it from him)—and he had commissioned (more like drilled) everyone in a nearby radius to help him look for it.

The garden was mostly barren at this time, though there were a few flowers that bloomed in winter. In particular, white blooms lined the pathway near the ground. He thought nothing of them until he rounded the corner to find a bit of a disaster on the pathway:

Petals were strewn about the stones, the stem in fractured pieces, like flower had offended someone, and this was their revenge.

Break knelt down and picked what was left of the bloom, guessing exactly who had decided to take whatever frustrations he had out on the innocent flower—(he made a mental note enhance those frustrations later).

“Oh, there you are Break!” Sharon ran up to him, hugging Reim’s notebook to her chest, “I found—Oh! What’s this?” She knelt down, observing the crime. “Who would do such a thing?”

“I think a rat may have gotten in here.”

She frowned, standing back up. “That’s too bad, I would have liked to put it in a vase. I think I remember someone telling me the red ones are very rare variety. It’s pretty... It kind of reminds me of your eye.”

He tried to laugh it off, crushing what was left of the flower and standing, joining her to return Reim’s property, thinking all the while it probably reminded Vincent of his eye too.

*****

“What is it, Sharon?” Reim asked.

She had stopped, before proceeded to running off to a nearby patch of flowers.

He couldn’t recall their name, but when he caught up to her, he saw that they were white flowers, blending in to the surrounding snow. Sharon knelt down before them and plucked one.

The one in her hand, however, was red.

“It’s been a long time since I saw a red one of these,” she said softly, twisting it in her finger.

“Yes,” he leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a better look at it, “I believe they’re quite rare.”

She proceeded to add this red flower to one of the bouquets she was carrying.

“My apologies for the detour,” she mentioned properly as he helped her back up.

They finished the rest of their journey, stopping before the graves. She knelt down and set one down at each respectively, removing the red flower and carefully placing it on top of the headstone.

His wife tried to smile as she said, “Merry Christmas, Mother. Merry Christmas, Break.”

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