aruhimeswritingnest

[aruhimeswritingnest]

Francis visits Henry’s grave every year. Alone.

No one else does — no one else wants to. Charles avoids the topic entirely. Camilla sends Francis clipped replies when he brings it up. Richard pretends he never gets the messages. But Francis marks the day like a liturgy. Like a holy feast. Like penance.

He books the same suite in a faceless hotel. Wears the same black coat. Packs the same silver lighter — an old one Henry once admired in passing. It’s all performative, of course. But what is Catholicism if not grief wrapped in ritual? He fasts before the visit. Doesn't drink the night before. He makes the trip feel like confession.

The grave is unmarked, just a patch of earth in a neglected corner of a rural cemetery, the kind no one visits on purpose. Francis had to dig to find out where Henry was buried. Had to call someone’s widow and lie. But now he knows, and he treats it like a secret shrine.

He kneels every year. Gets the dirt on his trousers, on his coat, lets the damp seep into his bones because suffering feels closer to prayer when it’s physical. And he talks.

Not to Henry. Not really. To God. To himself. To something between the two.

"You ruined everything, you know," he says once. "And so did I."

He breaks off. Lights a cigarette. Doesn’t smoke it. Leaves it burning at the grave like incense. The first year he did this, he left a bottle of scotch. Last year, he left a page torn out of a Latin prayer book. This year, he doesn’t bring anything. He just sits.

And he waits. For something. A sign. An answer. Forgiveness.

But Henry is silent. Always was. Even now, dead and buried, he’s still the one with the upper hand.

And Francis — Francis goes back to the hotel, vomits in the sink, lights another cigarette with shaking hands. He doesn’t cry. Not anymore. It’s been years. But his hands won’t stop trembling.

That night, he goes to mass. Sits in the very back. Doesn't take communion.

He knows better.

[aruhimeswritingnest]

huge shout out to this little kid for writing my favorite poem

[aruhimeswritingnest]

huge shout out to this little kid for writing my favorite poem

[aruhimeswritingnest]

one summer wish

riku/yushi / riyu / 쿨융 flash fic.

general, no archive warning applies, alternate universe–highschool.

established relationship, fluff.

just two high school boys ditching class to go to the beach.

/ / /

“Next time, we’ll go back here, but at night.”

Yushi used his index finger to make patterns on the damp sand. He didn’t have to look at Riku to know that he must be looking far at the sea, trying to define the blurry line separating the water and the sky, with his mouth forming a not-quite smile yet it was enough for Yushi to know that he was in bliss.

Still drawing meaningless patterns with his finger, Yushi indulged him and hummed. Riku had always been the romantic between them, while Yushi was more practical yet creative. Yushi would find out a way to build strong sandcastles, while Riku would build a normal one, but he’d add two blobs of sand in front of its door. “It’s us,” he’d say, and Yushi would blush and try to kick them to the ground out of embarrassment. He never did, though.

They had always wanted to go to the beach alone, just the two of them, even though they never really did something to make it come true. They were too occupied with their studies. School, studies, club activities, tournaments for Riku, training camps for Yushi. The beach had always come up in their late night calls, wondering if they were brave enough to take their bikes right now and just go, without telling their parents, brothers, or sisters. Riku was always the one proposing the idea, but he was also the fastest to decline, because he knew Yushi would actually do it.

“It’s far, Yu-chan.”

“It’s doable,” Yushi said, dead serious. “We can always take a break in between.”

And, when Riku finally gave in, they were already halfway through their senior year. They had grown taller than the first time they came up with this idea. Yushi thought it was fascinating—the way Riku was the first to run towards the water, despite his complaints of being too hot and too tired; the way he ditched his bike and took off his shoes and immediately rushed to the shoreline; yet he waited for Yushi before they submerged their feet into the saltwater together. Yushi called it being whipped, Riku called it courteous.

They stripped down their uniforms and left only their thin shirt they wore underneath. It was in the middle of the week and they needed to keep them clean for school tomorrow. They took a lot of pictures; Riku filming Yushi, Yushi filming Riku, their failed attempt at making both of them appear on the screen together with the phone’s back camera. A lot of blurry pictures, too, but it was evident that they were grinning and laughing in each of them. Someday they would rediscover these old files, wondering what on earth gave them the motivation to ditch school on Thursday and bike for two hours to the nearest beach from their area.

But, also, when Yushi dragged his thumb, hovering over his laptop screen to caress the digital copy of their young smiles, he realized that it was what youth was. To make careless mistakes and to mend it with twice the effort. Not that that impromptu beach trip was a mistake—sure, they were scolded by a lot of people when they came back hours later, with uniforms dirtied by sand and two unexplained absences from the school attendance list, but both of them never thought it was a mistake. Miscalculated; but never a mistake.

It was also the question that came out from Riku’s mouth when he peered through his phone screen, recording Yushi who was teasing to lift up his shirt, going bare-chested completely.

“Is this youth, Yu-chan?” his voice was dripping honey, even through the crappy speaker of his old laptop. The camera swayed as he giggled, and Yushi, too, was giggling a few meters away from him.

“There’s no need to think hard about it,” Yushi on the video yelled, beating the sound of the wind. “We’re still young! Come on, come here—”

Yushi on the video ran towards the camera, and there was a shriek followed by a series of giggles, and the camera was pointing towards the sky.

[aruhimeswritingnest]

the rabbit spirit's bride

onri / 숀쿨 / sion/riku

general, no archive warning applies, supernatural, japanese mythology and folklore.

domestic fluff, established relationship, bunny spirit!sion, human!riku.

this is a part of my not-yet-written concept: sion as bunny spirit! I plan to write this as a proper fic later, but this is all I have for now.

there's also a fanart by me :)

/ / /

Nowadays, when Sion was finally free from his shrine duties, he would quickly transform back to his rabbit form and hopped away towards his own humble dwelling, not too far from the shrine ground. Some elders would sneer at him, but not unkindly, while many of those who were younger than him would giggle and, occasionally, groan because of envyness. Why the god’s favorite child already had a partner, and why it was a human, even!

Mating with humans wasn’t unheard of, yet it required more effort than to marry a fellow spirit. Some began with determination, only to be dispirited in the middle, and eventually they stopped trying altogether. Some were still trying, and these were the ones that the god favored the most. Some were content to tie the knot with another spirit, and this was okay. Some were—well, only Oh Sion was like Oh Sion, but it was a story for another time.

In his rabbit form, Sion was faster and nimbler. With his small figure, he went through dense bushes easily. This forest had been his house for a long time—he knew the way like the back of his hand, both the normal route and the rabbit route. The tall trees hovering above him were even taller when he wasn’t in his human form, yet it gave him a sense of security. In human’s ears, the lush forest was silent, yet in Sion’s ears, it was peacefully noisy with murmured hymns, small animals titterings, and the heart of the forest itself beating quietly underground. These were more profound when he was a rabbit—that was one of the reasons why he preferred his rabbit form.

In his rabbit form, Sion was able to sneak up on people—this was his other reason. His soft paws were natural sound insulators, he could hop around quietly without anyone noticing, even the wild rabbits, those without the god’s blessing.

Carefully, he hopped into his small front yard. He heard cheerful noises from the back and he was itching to join as soon as he could, but he patiently creeped in as slow as he could. He was back early and ran as fast as he could just to surprise Riku.

It seemed like the ruckus came from the backyard, where they hung their laundry. Sion tread softly from the side of the house, and he was very confident that he made no noise when he did so. Yet, before Sion could even get his front paw to touch Riku’s ankle, Riku turned his attention at him and smiled widely.

“Welcome back, Sion,” he grinned, bouncing some of their bunnies on his embrace. So, that was the noises were about. “You’re early today.”

Still in his bunny form, Sion huffed, wiggling his nose. It made Riku squeal—he picked his husband up, balancing him between their children. Sion failed in surprising Riku yesterday, and he failed today, too! He had to level up his sneaking skill, apparently.

It could wait, though. Sion wriggled himself higher to rest in between the crook of Riku’s neck. For the rest of today, all he wanted to do was cuddle with Riku and their kits and nothing else.

Riku seemed to notice this mellow mood, so he only laughed softly and walked inside with everyone in his embrace. “Come on, let’s prepare for dinner together.”

[aruhimeswritingnest]

Fight (to the point of no return?)

onri / 숀쿨 / sion/riku

general, no archive warning apply

angst, hurt no comfort, established relationship

can you tell I’ve been reading A Little Life?

/ / /

Even in this kind of situation where he was supposed to think about a way out, the uncomplicated way to untangle the thread, Sion couldn’t help but think that Riku was very, very lovely. Even though he was currently a bundle of mess on their sofa, his eyes were dark red and hollow, and his cheeks were glistening under the lamp. He was no longer weeping, for that Sion was relieved, because, even though he was angry, his heart still broke at the sound of him crying.

Sion stood on a few steps away from the sofa, giving both of them the spaces they needed.

“I’m going to Yushi’s.” Riku’s tone left no room for argument, and as he stood up to get his things, Sion didn’t even have the power to catch his wrist or run after him. Sion watched Riku enter their bedroom, and walk out, and walk quickly towards the front door, and only when it was slammed shut did Sion fall on the floor, knees first.

At least he knew where he was going, Sion chanted in his head. At least he knew where to look, where to go. At least he knew Yushi would smother him with hugs and casted Sion with endless curses. And Daeyoung, the sweet, naive Daeyoung, would still inform Riku’s whereabouts even though Yushi had forbidden him.

They fought often, sure, but Sion could count the occasion of slammed doors and leaving houses with just one hand. The last one before this was just a week ago. It also ended with both of them shouting and Riku leaving for Yushi's.

A hollow devotion, Riku had accused him today and a week ago. An insincere man. And perhaps because it was Riku who said those to him, he started to believe in it, even though he didn’t want to. Maybe he was right. Riku was always right.

After three hours, the text from Daeyoung never came.

[aruhimeswritingnest]

Angel Baby

onri / 숀쿨 / sion/riku

general, no archive warning applies, mentions of slashed wounds, description of pain.

drabble, pre-relationship, meet-ugly, strangers to a prospective relationship, hurt-comfort.

basically this is what comes out of my mind after Troye's Angel Baby randomly came on shuffle.

now on ao3 too.

/ / /

It stings—that was Riku’s first impression of life. 

Oh, no, no, don't get him wrong—he had been alive for approximately twenty years now, but most of the time he felt like he was only floating on still water. He hadn’t given up on his dreams, not exactly. It was just—when the only thin string that put his whole life together suddenly slashed, tying the loose ends together was not a simple task. At that moment, the only option he had was to run away. So, that was what he did.

And he floated in some kind of lake—and he thought this part of his life wasn’t worth mentioning.

Yet, Riku was now back on land. He currently sat on a worn-out sofa with his legs spread out, still in his black tank top. His ripped jeans were even more ragged because of the fight earlier. The blood on his right knee seeped through the thin fabric. Somehow, the dark stains made the jeans look even cooler, Riku thought offhandedly.

“You don’t have to do this,” he rasped. A glass of water on the low table beside the sofa was still untouched. “You don’t even know me.”

The guy who currently kneeled beside the sofa sneered lightly. “Do I have to know people’s names before rescuing them from bullies?”

“Rescuing,” Riku raised his eyebrows, his tone mocking. “That’s the word you choose? Rescuing from bullies?”

“Deep down those damned thugs were just a bully,” the guy replied simply. “And, yes. I’d like to think that what I did was a rescue. A princess in need. A lovely one, rather.” He laughed softly. “Tell me if it hurts.”

Riku’s frayed jeans were carefully folded up, revealing a nasty slash on his calf. The bleeding had stopped, but since Riku refused to go to the ER, the wound was still wet.

He jerked his leg when the person dabbed a wet gauze to clean the skin around it. “Fucking hell, you—”

“I have a name,” the person calmly gripped Riku’s legs, preventing him from shaking more.

Riku shut his mouth. He didn’t curse further—he only clutched the sofa’s armrest as his legs felt like it was being torn apart, the water curiously felt like it burnt his skin even though he knew it was just tap water.

“Breathe deeply,” the person said. He folded another clean gauze and soaked it with water before cleaning the wound. “You have more than one cut—we should’ve gone to the ER. I don’t have a proper first-aid—”

“Don’t.” Riku cut him. “I swear I’ll fucking run away if you call an ambulance.”

The person finally looked up from his legs, but Riku couldn’t see him clearly. All his efforts to shut up despite the pain made his eyes blurry with tears. There were no sobs and curses escaped his lips, but he couldn’t help the tears running down his face. Riku refused to wipe his face, even with his hands.

The guy who saved him reached out to take a box of tissues and offered it to him, but Riku didn’t take it. He only stared—his mind was currently too busy processing the pain in his legs to think about anything else. Sighing, the guy took a sheet and wiped Riku’s wet cheeks.

“You—”

“I have a name.” The guy repeated, still carefully wiping Riku’s face dry. He avoided the split lip—also stained with blood—and tossed the wet tissue on the pile of dirty gauze on the floor. “You’ll need to be careful in the shower, don’t get this one wet. It’s already bad because we’re running under the rain earlier, but I’ve done what I can.” He stood up, checking his smartwatch. “I’ll go to the pharmacist down the street to buy some ointment. And dinner. Don’t go running around.”

“You really don’t have to do this,” using his less-painful leg, Riku stopped the guy from walking away. The guy raised his eyebrows and Riku admitted his defeat. He mumbled, not quite meeting his rescuer’s eyes, “Sion.”

The effect was immediate—the sullen, sour expression on Sion’s face was gone, replaced with a wide smile. His face brightened up so quickly that Riku suddenly felt embarrassed.

Sion moved closer to the sofa, bending down to carefully stroke Riku’s forehead with the back of his fingers and tucked stray hairs back behind Riku’s ears. His breath brushed Riku’s temple when he said, “don’t go running around. Wait for me.”

Then, Sion patted his head several times before he took his wallet and went out. Riku strained his ears, but he didn’t hear the sound of locks turning. Sion seemed confident that Riku wouldn’t make his escape while he wasn’t around. He even left his phone.

Riku sagged on the sofa once he was alone, sighing deeply. It wasn’t like he could run anyway. The leg with the deep slash wound was still numb in pain. Even though he knew he could walk if he tried hard enough, somehow the leftover perfume smell on the sofa bound him tight to the chair. It was Sion’s—Riku recognized the smell when he rudely whispered in his ear earlier.

The tiredness was starting to seep down his bones—his entire body was aching. Amidst all the pain, somehow Riku managed to fall asleep leaning on the sofa’s backrest. He didn’t wake up when Sion came back a while later. He didn’t know how Sion’s face was twisted from a fond smile to a darker, painful expression as if the bruises on Riku’s body were also present on his own.

“I’ve found you,” Sion kneeled, cautiously rubbing Riku’s defenseless fingers. He didn’t stir. “It took me too long, but I’ve found you.”

[aruhimeswritingnest]

shorthands for dumbassery that i have grown to love deeply

"how dare you say we piss on the poor" in response to someone misinterpreting your post

"_ isnt gonna fuck you" for suck up behavior

"woah. should we tell everyone? should we throw a party?" for who the fuck cares

"and what if the world was made of pudding" for when would this ever matter.

"and sharks are smooth both ways" for a group of people heatedly arguing with 1 guy who is fucking with them all

".. but its about a witch in the alps finding her lost cat" for someone trying to sanitize something to the point of absurdity

[aruhimeswritingnest]

Another complaint we get is that when we plant trees, we only plant small trees which isn't equivalent to the ones we chop down. And it's like... the trees are small because they're younger. I promise if you go to the older parts of town you'll see that they do not stay small.

[aruhimeswritingnest]

more and more (on and on)

A short genderbent riku/yushi / riyu fic that nobody asks for. Read on ao3 here!

Major tags: No Archive Warnings Apply, Genderbend, High School AU

Summary:

It wasn’t like they kept their relationship a secret, yet curiously the rumor that the Maeda Riku was single was still circulating around the school, even among the first grader. She wasn't single, obviously. And Yushi knew that first-hand, because she was the said girlfriend, goddamnit. But somehow this got into her head for too long and it spiraled into something bad. —in which Yushi punched a random girl because she was jealous (and she ran away after yelling an apology).

Putting the yuri in yuriku :) this is kinda no-plot-just-brainrot kinda fic. I don't know anymore...

[aruhimeswritingnest]

started watching this japanese show where they take in requests and they try to help out with whatever the request is. and in this one the guy says that when he was in middle school, he always heard the girl across the street playing her piano, and although he only met her in person a few times, listening to her play her usual song was a great comfort to him growing up, especially getting to hear her slowly get better at playing.

the guy now was an adult and taking a break from college, and began to feel really lost in life, and he kept thinking back to when he was in middle school and hearing her play the piano every day. so his request was to hear her play it again. and he and the show's crew literally go back to his old place, and miraculously the girl still lives in that same house across the street, and even more miraculously the people who currently live where he used to allow him to go back to his old room where he used to listen to her play. and they all agree to recreate his middle school memory for him.

the girl comes home from her part-time job and she plays the piano, although she tells them it's been 4 years since she's ever played and is worried she won't sound good, and the guy sits by the window, and he just listens. and like. just imagining reliving that moment when you were younger, listening to a near-stranger play a song across the street every day, feeling a little less lost because of it, and returning to that as an adult when you need it most and everyone being kind enough to let you savor it again even just for a moment... i wanted to start bawling i wont lie. this is the song she played. im going to go lie down about the humanity of it all

[aruhimeswritingnest]

tangible/intangible

a riku/yushi / riyu / 쿨융 flash fic

general, no archive warnings apply, fluff? ghost?? or not?? very random. what is even this fic.

cw for a drop of blood near the end and scratched skin, but nothing's serious.

just....idk

/ / /

“Why do you know so much about me?”

Once the question was thrown out, it couldn’t be dragged back. Yushi watched as Riku’s grin rapidly shrunk on his face until his lips were shut close, forming a thin line. Yushi had never witnessed this kind of expression on Riku’s face, he was instantly alarmed.

“Why do you think so?” Riku asked. His tone was as quiet as the humming desk fan on Yushi’s study table. Unimposing, easy to overlook.

“We’ve only known each other for a week,” Still fully clueless, Yushi was talking as if he was approaching a stray kitten. “I’m glad that you really understand me—but sometimes it feels like we’ve known each other since we’re four.”

Somehow Yushi didn’t like the look on Riku’s face right now. He was close enough for Yushi to just lean in and squish his face, distorting the odd, ugly expression onto the ones he usually did; the ones Yushi usually loved. Close enough for Yushi to realize that there was a layer of mist clouding Riku’s eyes, ready to turn into heavy rain and thunderstorms. Yet Riku remained quiet.

“Riku.” Yushi was actually frightened now. He nudged Riku’s knee with his. “Say something.”

“Shouldn’t you know the answer yourself?”

“What?” Yushi didn’t understand. “I don’t understand.”

“You should—” Riku exhaled a long breath. When he lowered his head like this, Yushi had always envied Riku’s black, silky hair. Yushi loved nesting his fingers there, sometimes combing through it slowly. Sometimes Yushi felt like Riku’s hair was like a doll’s hair. The expensive kind. “You really don’t know?”

“What should I know?” As usual, Yushi looked for their fingers and linked them together like an anchor. “You’re scaring me. What should I know?”

“Think, Yushi.” Without resisting Yushi’s tight grip, Riku leaned in. His eyes were comically huge from Yushi’s angle, but it only made him resemble a doll even more. This close, Riku’s long fringes tickled the bridge of Yushi’s nose. “You never told your mother about that one time you saw your father with another woman—don’t gasp—you only talked about it just once. Think, Yu-chan.”

“But, that was six years ago.” Somehow Yushi felt like he was hanging onto a ghost. “And I never talked about it with anyone! Not even Sion—Riku, how did you find out?”

“You’ve mentioned it once, Yu-chan. Just once—before you bury it with other painful things.”

“Once, yes,” Yushi frowned so hard he was starting to have a headache. “Just once, but it wasn’t even a real pers—Riku?”

When a person pulled out a small boat’s anchor from the water, the boat would gently drift away, moving with the water current and the wind. It was as if Yushi was taking his time rolling up the anchor, and Riku was the boat, ready to be taken away by the water.

“Who did you talk about it with?” he asked. “You need to say it.”

“It was my friend.” But it wasn’t—it wasn’t a real friend. It was a made-up friend. I have no friends so I desperately made up one—

“Three time’s a charm, Yu-chan.” Riku was smiling now, but Yushi felt something was wrong. His hand was holding onto nothing, but Riku’s hand was right there, under his touch. “If you love me, don’t even think about it.”

Things were slotting into their right places. “You are my friend.”

Riku nodded, “Yes.”

“You are here.”

“Yes,” his voice was softer now. “I am here only because you think I am.”

And just with that, the anchor was lowered back into the water. Riku was a swaying boat no more. When Yushi’s nails dug into the skin of his arms, he just let it happen. The pain was real—the way Yushi scratched his arms left a tangible mark on his being.

“Does it mean that we’re really old friends?” Yushi whispered.

“Do you hate it?”

“What are you talking about?” Yushi’s nails dug even deeper into Riku’s hands. “You were molded for me. You’re perfect. How could I hate you?”

Riku let a drop of blood spill on Yushi’s white bed sheet. He was smiling, though. “You’re stuck with me now, Yu-chan.”

“And I couldn’t be happier,” he leaned forward, not stopping even their noses bumped together.

[aruhimeswritingnest]

Something that I get chills about is the fact that the oldest story told made by the oldest civilization opens with "In those days, in those distant days, in those ancient nights."

This confirms that there is a civilization older than the Sumerians that we have yet to find

Some people get existential dread from this

Me? I think it's fucking awesome it shows just how much of this world we have yet to discover and that is just fascinating

[aruhimeswritingnest]

17/03/2025

Added 933 words into the docs and part 1/3 is done! Yay!

One of my mutual offered to review the game mechanism and she said it's understandable enough. But I'll still need to give this to other people who aren't familiar with RPG game at all, but I think I'll wait until I finish the whole arc first.

Reading update: after Mist, I picked up 괴담출근!! A risky move, since the novel is not finished yet ;w; It's been consuming my free time lately.

I’m currently reading Forces of Temptation, and just like how it usually went, I have this strange urge to write unlimited flow fic, with the wishies as the main casts, of course. With this sudden burst of energy, I completed the Necessary ThingsTM roughly, such as: the game mechanism, the plot, the plot twist, the resolution, and each character backstory. I still have some things to figure out, tho, but I’m confident I can find the solution later (since that problem won’t appear until, like, the third instance from the whole story).

Now what’s left is writing the first draft.

As I reread the whole plot points, I realized that this is kinda a huge project? I was slightly burdened with the amount of possible chapters that I’ll write, lmaooo, but I know those are necessary to create a complete story.

I’m still reading Forces of Temptation, so as long as I haven’t finished the book, I think I’ll still get this secondhand excitement that will keep me writing. It’s also helping that FoT has 300ish chapters, and I’m currently on chapter 121, so still long long way to go!

I just hope I can finish this ;w;

[aruhimeswritingnest]

16/03/2025

Added 473 words today! I also figure out some points to even out the plot, hopefully it can work well.

I also decided to break out the first chapter into several parts, mimicking the general danmei format, and to make the process easier for me too. So far, I've decided that the first arc will have three parts. Let's see whether I stick to the plan or add more parts in the process.

Some reading update: after finding out that FoT's translation isn't completed, I looked around and decided to read Mist! It's an interstellar-themed unlimited flow, and the main concept is focused around time traveling. It was really cool, and I finished everything in just two days 😭

I’m currently reading Forces of Temptation, and just like how it usually went, I have this strange urge to write unlimited flow fic, with the wishies as the main casts, of course. With this sudden burst of energy, I completed the Necessary ThingsTM roughly, such as: the game mechanism, the plot, the plot twist, the resolution, and each character backstory. I still have some things to figure out, tho, but I’m confident I can find the solution later (since that problem won’t appear until, like, the third instance from the whole story).

Now what’s left is writing the first draft.

As I reread the whole plot points, I realized that this is kinda a huge project? I was slightly burdened with the amount of possible chapters that I’ll write, lmaooo, but I know those are necessary to create a complete story.

I’m still reading Forces of Temptation, so as long as I haven’t finished the book, I think I’ll still get this secondhand excitement that will keep me writing. It’s also helping that FoT has 300ish chapters, and I’m currently on chapter 121, so still long long way to go!

I just hope I can finish this ;w;

[aruhimeswritingnest]

consider it done

onri / 숀쿨 / sion/riku

general, no archive warning applies, office au (yes based on that nctzone new theme), pre-relationship, meet-not-cute?

intern!sion and employee!riku

/ / /

As an intern, Sion had to clock in early—checking papers on the photocopier, cleaning glass boards in every meeting room in his department’s floor, watering the plants in his department’s head manager’s room… What’s next?

He mentally crossed out every item in his intern-checklist in his head, frowning as he exited the manager’s office with a half-empty sprayer. Engrossed in his thought, Sion wasn’t aware that there was someone who was walking directly at him. By the time he realized the other’s presence, it was already too late—

“Ow!”

“What th—I’m sorry!”

Luckily, the sprayer in Sion’s hand, now rolling on the floor, didn’t accidentally sprayed them both, or both of them would need to spend the rest of their working day with a soaked shirt.

The one who bumped into him was obviously another employee. He wore a striped dress shirt, tucked into his pants neatly. However, his shirt wasn’t buttoned up to the collar and his blue tie was loose, as if he had tugged on it repeatedly. There was a fallen leather tote bag nearby, a few papers and a pair of glasses popped out from it.

Being the intern, Sion immediately tried to retrieve the scattered belongings, ignoring the pain on his knees. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you! Here’s your things—”

Sion’s brain slightly short-circuited when he saw the employee who ran into him. With his hand awkwardly extended in the air halfway, Sion gaped a bit before immediately closing his mouth. Oh, this employee was cute.

The said employee brushed his own knee and took the tote bag from Sion’s hand. His tanned face was slightly red, but Sion might be imagining things.

“No, I’m sorry too. I walked without thinking.” Probably feeling bad, the employee noticed Sion’s plant spray and took it. He shoved it into Sion’s hands quickly. “Here. I’m sorry again!”

And with that, that cute employee rushed towards the front door, exiting the office. Bewildered, Sion stood still in his spot, holding a half-empty sprayer while looking towards the door’s direction. He only snapped out of his thoughts when another, different employee came through the same door, greeting Sion with a cheerful voice.

“Sion-ah, good morning! You’re so early!”

“Jungwoo-hyung,” Sion still holding his spray. “Who’s that person leaving this office in a rush just now? Do you know?”

“Huh?” Jungwoo raised his eyebrows. “Ah, I saw someone but I didn’t see their face. A janitor?”

“No, he didn’t wear the usual uniform. I didn’t see his ID either—ah. Nothing.”

Confused, Jungwoo patted Sion’s shoulder twice and left to his own desk.

Sion didn’t see the guy’s ID because it was one of the things thrown out from his expensive looking tote bag. It was still lying on the floor, concealed by a nearby potted plant. Sion saw its plastic card holder reflecting the lamp just now. He picked it up, his heart racing.

Maeda Riku, the ID stated. There was a work number written at the back.It looked like Sion needed to return this ID to its owner. Sion grinned to himself, feeling giddy for no reason. Consider it done.

[aruhimeswritingnest]

Parker Library, Cambridge