#SNIFFLES. WAH. I LOVE THEM ALL SO DEARLY

[cognitosclowns]

the gang with like. a S/O with an almost overwhelming amount of pets, that's always covered in fur?? like, not JUST cats and dogs, but anything you can imagine... some are probably illegal???? they have snakes and spiders, mice, fish, a whole ass racoon they found in the dumpster?? managed to get a turtle and sea creatures too. you walk into their house n it's just.. a zoo.

AWEEEEE <3333

SFW THIS IS SO CUTE!! Wrote as X Reader just bc it's easier for my poor little pea brain

Gigi

STARTING WITH HER BC. I HC HER ALSO BEING A COLLECTOR OF ANIMALS. AND I LOVE HER DEARLY.

we see that her right swipe profile she's sitting on a tiger and I just. I'm obsessed with the idea that she has a shit ton of pets that she loves so dearly <33

PLEASE you and her probably ended up becoming friends from swapping animal care tips + design ideas,, and it just,, grew from there. mwa mwa mwa.

MSNDS DW ABOUT OWNING ILLEGAL PETS SO DOES SHE. She 10000% has a crocodile. they're so big and dangerous and absolutely gorgeous.

SHE LOVES PUPPIES SHE LOVES PUPPIES IF YOU HAVE PUPPIES SHES GONNA CRY.

You know how Rafe was like 'oooo you have no tells so mysterious you're hiding so much' NO that goes out the window when she sees a pubby. She is screaming in lowercase and making Scrunchy Hands at it

Usually she's super particular about stuff touching her outfits (they're expensive and she hate having to replace stuff) but. when she sees an animal. no she doesn't care anymore smdnsmd

AAA <3333 you and her strolling through her private aviary,,,, her gifting you a bird to take home <33 probably one of her favorite doves, for the symbolism <333

Reagan

she is. very concerned about the logistics of this,, how do you find the time to take care of them all she could never MSDNSMD

She definitely prefers more,, independent animals? Lizards, cats.

That isn't to say she'll be mean or anything to more affectionate animals, she just isn't as fond of super energetic dogs getting all up-close.

(she does think they're super cute running around <3 from a distance smdnsmd she'll absolutely curl up on the couch and watch your doggies play)

Her face scrunches up when she sees your turtles. hm. unpleasant memories.

<3 when she's stumped on smth, she talks to your fish. The lights are all super dim and soothing, and it's nice to talk to smth that doesn't talk back!!

they're also super nice for when she can't sleep - just going into the basement, sitting on that cozy couch, sprinkling in a bit of food. Cozying up to watch them swim around until she can drift off,,, <333

MAYBE,, even you sitting next to her,, rubbing her hand until she's off <33

JR

not a fan of dogs - Rand sicced one on him when they were younger. 0/10, you might be able to warm him up to the puppies but,, he still gets pretty jumpy around full-grown dogs

Definitely prefers cuddling up with one of your kitties <33333

OH you know this prissy little rich boy is gonna buy you your own zoo. like a PROPER zoo that's solely yours that you can,, visit whenever <3333

yeah it's a little extra but shh gifts are his love language MSNDSMD.

He'll constantly offer to get you new stuff for them, even as you insist 'everything still works perfectly, there's no need to replace it'

HES STUBBORN THO SO YOU'LL GET AT LEAST,, A FEW THINGS GET SWAPPED BEHIND YOUR BACK. It's ok everything works way better now

OH if you have a fish pond that's gonna be his jam. Sitting out there, tossing in feed... feeling them suck on his fingers all stupidly,, <3333

aaa <33 you joining him out there, quietly talking about your days <3 his work clothes a little undone, looking all peaceful and happy <333 gbrbrbrbrbr menfolk SORRY SORRY NEXT PERSON

Brett

Watching Brett interact with a dog is like. reintroducing a rescue animal to its pack MSNDSM

LIKE HE GETS ON THE GROUND AND SCRAMBLES AROUND ON HIS HANDS AN KNEES WITH THEM AND EVERYTHING. HES SO CUTE AND INTO IT. HE LOVES PLAYING WITH ANIMALS.

He isn't afraid of bugs!! or spiders or rats!! He finds all animals so cute. He used to talk to the spiders in his room when he was younger :')

PLEASE <333 he gasps whenever he sees your pets. he will become best friends with all of them before the day is up. You've been betrayed they love him so much now.

problem they all go BATSHIT WHEN HE APPEARS.

HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE IN EYELINE THEY KNOW HIS SMELL YOU CAN HEAR EM ZOOMING FROM DOWN THE HALL.

THE HOUSE SOUNDS LIKE A ZOO SERIOUSLY EVERY BEASTIE STARTS SHRIEKING.

HE GETS ABSOLUTELY TACKLED whenever he visits. He's learned to jump outta the way bc otherwise he's gonna get absolutely Stampeded lmao.

GOD the cuddle piles. He will literally just lay on the floor and the animals will flop on top of him. He dissolves into giggles, but that doesn't deter them. Truly the most disney princess ever.

Andre

OH YOU KNOW HE'S RUNNING AROUND LIKE A KID IN A CANDY SHOP

He loves animals he double loves FUNKY animals. Lizards Reptiles Bugs Snakes Weird Fish

HE WAS TOTALLY A DINOSAUR KID. Watches the og Jurassic Park obsessively, that was totally his jam - loves your birdies and lizards <3333

he 1000% will swap cool fact with you >:) he got his bachelors in biology babey!! He's a smart guy and nothing's more fun than talking Science with his baby <3

sigh. yes he makes a Pussy joke when you introduce him to your cats. yes he has that shit-eating grin on his face. yes you love him MSNDMSD

Expect to find him. just. sitting in front of the gecko enclosure staring head on at them.

'we're communicating'

'you aren't communicating shit'

'we're communicating'

MSNDMSND he's chaos and will absolutely help you with chores. He might even collect Samples (nothing harmful, ofc) from em to make New Funky Shit (tm) in his labs - it's great to have fresh options available!!

Myc

He's learned not to question your shenanigans at this point MSNDSMD when he sees you smuggling Test Animals out in tote bags he just grabs a basket and starts grabbing gerbils. Partner in crime babey

ohhhh dogs don't like myc dogs do not like myc nononono

cats too. most mammals seem to have an Aversion to him. They won't outright attack, but they get super pissy. Something about his scent.

it's fine tho bc he isn't a fan of em either - fur, yknow? Doesn't mix well with gooey tentacles

it's the DEAD opposite for your fish - they follow him around and crowd the corners of the tank trying to reach him when he comes over. He absolutely messes with them a little, moving from side-to-side of the tank and watching them scramble around.

yes he'll read your pets minds if you pester him enough. They don't think in the same Format as humans - it's more Vibes Based than actual coherent thoughts.

FUCK BUGS FUCK BUGS FUCK BUGS ABSOLUTELY FUCK BUGS

he's gonna scale you like a fucking tree if he sees a spider. he doesn't even care if it's locked up, keep that shit away from him

He's definitely more of a,, lizard-fish-amphibian type of guy!! No fur to stick to his tendrils, low-maintenance, doesn't mistake his tentacles for chewtoys

Glenn

he misses petting dogs

HE LOVES SEEIN EM THOUGH

esp bc he had,, a bunch of different dogs growing up to help with the farm <333 he's got such a southern boy softspot for em

AAA <333 if you mention loving fish. expect his face to go pink

he knows you didnt mean it like that he knows you didnt mean it like that but it doesn't matter it's in his head now and it's never getting out. Doesn't even matter if you're dating his brain is latching onto that so hard

FUCK BUGS PART 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

you'd think smb who was literally in the army wouldn't be afraid of bugs but NOPE HE WILL JUMP OUTTA HIS SKIN IF HE SEES YOUR TARANTULAS

on a similar note. please keep cats away from him they will eat him. like EAT him they will hunt this man for sport i stg MSNDMSD

AAA <333 IF YOU HAVE LIKE,, FARM ANIMALS??? like cows sheep chickens piggies?? HOGS??

the fucking nostalgia knocks him OUT he has been in the city too long. please let him help you with chores, he's missed it so much

Alpha-Beta

hush don't think about the how

He's. actually kinda impressed? quietly tho he has appearances to keep up. You'll see those clever little eyes dancing around the tanks, the

PLEASE you know he'd pretend to be all High and Mighty 'oh animals only love you for your food' but the SECOND you turn your back this silly bastard is gonna be cooing over one of the kitties that are rubbing against his leg.

He's gonna,, a bit hesitant to pet them at first because Oh Fuck It Is So Fragile And I Am So Strong, but after you shove a puppy into his arms. He Is Fine He Is Content.

literally just sit this man with a small animal he will be absolutely entraptured it's delightful

OH I can absolutely see him giving you some extra care tips. Babey he's got the whole internet in his brain he's,, absolutely got some Super Niche Info to improve your pets quality of life.

He's so,, warm and his body hums a bit,,, like the purr of a cat,, it draws them to him.

the first two he's calm, then 5, then 7, then the whole bundle is curled up against him and he looks absolutely Distressed smmdsdnms

AAA <333 this was so cute and soft <33 lmk if you had smth else in mind, and feel free to add more ideas!!

[mobagehelllocal]

“dati” ver ii - kalim, vil, idia & malleus

A/N: Wah, this got so long I had to split it into two parts ;u; So here’s some information if you didn’t read ver i, and went straight for ver ii! 

 The Reader, is different from the actual MC of TWST! 

“Dati” is a pretty difficult word to translate, because it’s just one word but--it can mean so much.  For the sake of this story, you can interpret its meaning as “a long time ago”. 

Due to the general premise, the reader is female! 

The prologue for ver ii “dati” is the same prologue for ver i! 

Link to the concept design for the uniform!

Inspired by: 

“Dati” by Sam Concepcion, Tippy Dos Santos and Quest. (I encourage you to listen to it OR read the English lyrics.) 

“If You Can Dream” by the Disney Princesses. (I would link both but my posts dont appear if I do that ;u;) 

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!~ 

Other versions: ver i (riddle, leona, azul), ver ii (this)

--

"--as you already know. We held a school-wide meeting about the week long exchange program with the all-females private school, Garden Academy. Professors Divus Crewel and Mozus Trein accompanied our delegates to Garden Academy this morning,” Dire Crowley peered at his students through his black mask, “while Professor Mozus Trein stayed with our delegates, Professor Divus Crewel escorted the delegates from Garden Academy to Night Raven College.” 

Excited whispers broke out in the crowd. Crowley cleared his throat once, then again--before everyone settled down. The Headmaster huffed audibly at that. 

“I’ll be using this morning meeting to introduce the delegates,” Crowley turned to the left side of the stage. He motioned at Crewel who was standing back stage with a Garden Academy professor and her students. “Now then, please give a hand for--” 

In the crowd, his eyes widened. 

--

In turn, you were pretty excited too. You had held off telling your friend about you coming to his school because you wanted to surprise him. 

All you girls had been assigned to a particular dorm, not to sleep in--but rather, to experience. Each dorm in NRC (much like GA), had their own unique culture. So, to truly experience the college meant you all needed to immerse yourselves in the different dorms and their cultures. You had to sneakily reconfirm with him what his dorm was, to make sure you got assigned to the correct one. 

And now that you were here...

“Alright ladies,” Professor Radcliffe said kindly, “we will reconvene here at 5PM to return to the dorm Headmaster Crowley so generously set aside for us.” 

“Yes Professor.” Radcliffe eyed all of you girls, before she sighed with an exasperated smile. You were all very excited, and doing very little to hide that. 

“Okay, I know you want to go--but one last thing,” you all let out loud, false and very unladylike groans that Radcliffe ignored. “Remember to be beautiful--” 

“At heart.” you all recited, familiar with your school’s motto.

“Go on then,” Radcliffe finally said, “the dorm heads and their assistants should be waiting outside for all of you.” 

With a cheer, you all parted ways.

Kalim‘s eyes brightened as he caught sight of you again.

“Jamil! Jamil! Look!” he tugged on the other boy’s sleeves as he pointed you out to the crowd. “So it really is [Name]!”

“They did announce her full name on the stage, Kalim.” Jamil said rather blandly, not that Kalim was affected by his exasperated tone. 

“Kalim! Jamil!” Your uniform--the pale green of House Water Lily, the House of Passion--swished around you as you came to a stop before the two boys that you hadn’t seen in ages.

“It’s been awhile.” You reached for their hands and clasped them with yours--at which both boys blushed. While Kalim gave you a goofy smile, Jamil instantly looked away. 

You had spent a couple of months as a child in the Land of Hot Sands because your parents were just beginning to expand your family owned restaurant--Tiana’s Palace--into that country. You had met Kalim, then Jamil because your parents were business partners with Kalim’s father. 

It was hard not to enjoy their friendship. Kalim--was fun loving and easy going. Jamil--was calm and attentive. When you were getting exhausted by Kalim’s energy, Jamil knew when to step in and what to say to calm him down. They were perfectly balanced, and you remembered them fondly.

Needless to say...

When it had been time for you to return to your country, there were a lot of tears. 

-

“Sniff... why are you leaving?” Kalim cried, “I thought we would be friends forever!”

“I--I don’t want to leave too!” you shook, snot dripped down your nose.

“Kalim... [Name] has to go back.” Jamil said slowly, but even his eyes were glassy and wet.

“Wah!” You sniffled as you wrapped both of your arms around the two boys who became so dear to you. 

“I--it’s not like we won’t meet again!” Jamil protested, as he too began to truly join in the crying fest.

“Waaah! Don’t leave [Name]!” Kalim wailed loudly. 

“B--but I can’t stay.” you sobbed. “I tried already...” 

(Behind you the adults were chuckling to themselves at the drama the kids were causing... had they not realized they could just ask them to keep in contact...?) 

(But to a child, the world seemed infinite. It didn’t seem to have an end. 

To the three of you, it truly felt like a final farewell.)

“Promise, we won’t forget each other?” you demanded as you pulled back. The two boys shared a glance through their tears and turned back to you with a determined nod.

“Promise we’ll always be friends, no matter what!” Kalim said. In turn you and Jamil nodded pretty determinedly. 

Then you and Kalim turned to Jamil--you waited for him to make a promise too. He flushed at suddenly being put on the spot, before his eyes light up and he said--

“Then we promise--to meet up again, one day? Here?” 

You and Kalim nodded vigorously at that. 

As your parents took you a way, you all wailed pretty loudly. 

“You can see them again one day.” your mother had said, confused. 

“But it doesn’t mean I won’t miss them when I can’t see them.” you said in a solemn tone. Your parents exchanged looks amused looks.

“I’m surprised you got so attached to those two.” 

“They were fun to play with.” 

“I’m sure they were sweetie. Now get some rest.” 

-

There was some time where you all attempted to exchange letters--since the MagiCam had yet to be developed to a point where international instant messaging was possible. 

However... 

Children were fickle creatures.

Within a few months, you all eventually found something of more interest than a friend from a distant place who you might not see again.

Your interests in each other waned away, until it became a distant, fond and somewhat embarrassing memory. 

That is until...

-

“Hey [Name], did you sign up for the Night Raven College exchange program?” You looked up from the recipe book that you were reading.

“Yeah I did, why?”

“Did you know the model, Vil Schoenheit goes there?”

“Who is Vil?” Your friend gasped dramatically before she rolled her eyes. “Figures you wouldn’t know who Vil Schoenheit is. Come here.” She showed you pictures of Vil’s MagiCam account. There were some photos of the school, and rarer still--photos of other people aside from Vil himself. 

Which, you know--if you had a face like that, you’d totally fill your MagiCam with just selfies. 

“Oh Sweet Evangeline,” your friend sighed dreamily, “NRC boys are definitely cuter than RSA boys--and I swear I’m challenging all the RSA stans to try saying otherwise over my dead body--” You snickered at her rant, before a certain photo caught your eye.  

“Oh is that...” 

“Oh holy Evangeline--” your friend began to wheeze. “I think these are all the Dorm Leaders for this school year--” she clicked onto the photo to open the post. Your friend was right--Vil had noted that this was this year’s NRC Dorm Leader list. 

“Malleus Draconia-- naturally. Vil Schoenheit--NATURALLY.” your friend giggled in excitement, “Oh, I guess Leona Kingscholar is repeating a year... No idea who Riddle Rosehearts, Azul Ashengrotto or Idia Shroud is--and this guy is--” 

“Kalim Al-Asim.” you whispered. If you shut your eyes, you could hear the wind whistle, the laughter of two boys, the joyous shrieking of a girl--and a magic carpet ride across the wide expanse of the sky. Your friend arched a brow at you.

“Do you know him?”

“I think I do.” you hesitated, the sound of laughter still rang in your ears. “I’m pretty sure I met him when I was a kid... when I travelled around with my family.” 

“Oooh, you should totally try and see if he remembers. He’s cute.” 

“We were kids.” you tried to explain to your friend but she only waved a dismissive hand. 

“You aren’t now. Also childhood romance trope is so cute, you gotta let me see it first hand.” your friend grabbed your phone and typed in the tagged username of Kalim Al-Asim. 

{”Hi Kalim! Do you remember me? I’m [Name] [Surname].”}

{”Like [Name] [Surname]? Like Tiana’s Place? Yes! Oh Sorceror, how’d you find me?”}

{”Well funny story...”}

-

And the rest was history.

Jamil took awhile to come around, but you had a video call with the two, and after naming a particular embarrassing moment--Jamil had easily been convinced that it was actually you. 

That had been a few months before the actual exchange, and you chose not to tell them about your part in it so you could surprise them once you got up on stage.

Surprise them you did.

The moment they announced your name, Kalim shouted, and Jamil had face palmed. 

It was another memory to add to the ones you held dearly. 

Now you were seated in Scarabia’s dorms, as you happily enjoyed the grand feast and parade prepared by Jamil and Kalim. 

As Kalim flopped onto the seat next to yours, he shot you a wide grin.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” 

“I am!” you hummed, “I haven’t been anywhere close to the Land of Hot Sands recently...” you put your spoon down and smiled. “The food is really good too! This is the best version of your cuisine that I have tasted. My compliments to the chef for sure! I’d love to take a peek at the recipe.” On your other side Jamil choked, and you turned to him with a confused expression. 

“Are you okay, Jamil?” you asked, concerned.

“Hahah, he was probably surprised at the praise! Jamil cooked everything after all!” 

“Woah, you did? We definitely should exchange recipes.” with a particularly red face, Jamil nodded his assent before he excused himself.

“I hope he’s okay.” 

“It’s fine! He’s having a hard time expressing it, but he’s really excited to see you.” Kalim peered at you curiously. “I am too, of course.” 

“Same.” you agreed. “It’s a little sad we lost contact.” 

“Well, finding each other now was pretty fun! So I think it was worth it.” You giggled in response.

“I’ll have to agree with you, Kalim.” 

You both turned back to the front to watch the parade when Kalim spoke up again.

“Hey [Name]?” 

“Hm?”

“This time... let’s not lose each other, okay?” You turned back to Kalim, surprised at the change of his tone. You couldn’t help but let your expression melt into a soft one.

“Mhm! This time... let’s keep those promises.” You two shared a grin, as the parade finished off with fireworks.

--

When Vil saw you hop up onto the stage, he had definitely been surprised. He hadn’t expected to see you--though now that he thought about it, it had been so out of the blue of you to ask him about whether or not he was in Pomefiore.

Then again he had been busy with other things... So he hadn’t thought too much on it. You were, after all, the type of person who brought up something from ten years in the past simply because you suddenly remembered it. He had assumed it had been something like that.

Vil stood with Rook by his side, his arms crossed as he waited for the Garden Academy students to exit the Mirror Chamber. Once you finally appeared in the crowd, your eyes instantly met his.

“Hi Vil.” you greeted--uncharacteristically nervous and shy around him, dressed in the pale purple colors of House Chrysanthemum--the House of Artistry.

At the sight of you, Vil’s lips instantly curled up into a beautiful smile.

“Well if it isn’t my number one fan.” he raised a hand and began to rub a finger against a purple mark on your cheek. “paint got to your face again.” Your tense shoulders loosened as Vil greeted you the same way he always did.

“Whoops.” Vil shook his head, and as he pulled back he noticed that your skirt and your sleeves had faint splatter marks of paint--and on your wrist--

“You need to stop writing on your wrist, dear one.” he chided gently, though used to your antics, he easily unclipped his magic pen from his breast pocket and began to cast a spell to clean you up.

“Is it that obvious? I really did try to clean up...” you complained, but you let Vil fuss over you--as he normally did. There was no stopping him until he was satisfied. When he finally pulled back, he nodded in an approving manner.

“Vil, did you like it? Was it a good surprise?” you looked up at him with curiosity shining in your eyes, and he let out a soft chuckle.

“Yes. It was a pleasant surprise. So we’ll be spending a whole two weeks together...” he mused.

You were a person he had grown up with, and the person he regarded as his dearest friend. Much like him, you had an eye for art--except while his art focused on himself as a model and actor--yours came in the form of paintings.

Your identical passion for beauty made the two of you attached at the hip. You were the one whose opinion mattered the most to him--because there was no one whose opinions he trusted more.

“Ohoho, Roi de Poison, who is this?” Rook peered curiously at you, he had never seen Vil react like this before...

Well actually he had. Whenever Vil was on his phone--but Vil never explained, and no matter how Rook tried, he never figured it out.

“This is my best friend, [Name]. We’ve been friends since our childhood.” Vil’s lips curled up, “She’s also--” Vil looked at you for a moment, and you nodded. Vil then mentioned your MagiCam account, and Rook’s eyes popped open in surprise. He knew that name--you were one of the most popular artist on MagiCam. Rook knew that you and Vil followed and liked each other’s works, but there had been no hint to the of your relationship with Vil.

He studied Vil curiously.

For someone who was never afraid to share what he did to the public’s eye, you were an incredibly well kept secret for Vil. From what he knew about you on MagiCam--you were a very private person who was never one to share your photos. Why, he knew that Idia Shroud from Ignihyde was a fan of some of your otaku related works--he had heard from the man that one of your quirks was that you chose to never appear in fan gatherings. You were incredibly mysterious.

To realize that--that person--

He eyed you curiously. You were far different from the women that Vil would often be seen hanging out with. As a model, he had a pretty extravagant social life. He hung out with people as glamorous as him and you--

Well, to put it plain and simple, you weren’t anything like that.

“So Vil, where do we go first?” you asked, Vil turned his gaze away from the analytical glint in Rook’s eyes, to smile at you.

“I’ll show you the gardens, I’m sure you’ll love them.”

-

After Vil had bid you ‘good bye’ as you and your classmates returned to your designated dorm, Vil looked at Rook with an annoyed expression.

“Alright Rook.” the Pomefiore Dorm Leader crossed his arms, “what is it?”

“What’s what?” the other third year raised his hands defensively.

“You kept staring at [Name] earlier with that look in your eye... I don’t like it.”

“I was just thinking... she was a very well kept secret.”

“A secret..?” Vil arched a brow. “She isn’t a secret at all. As you remember, she’s also incredibly famous on MagiCam.”

“No, I do mean, she’s a secret of yours, Roi de Poison.” Rook smiled, and Vil’s eyes narrowed in turn.

“I don’t understand.”

“You never mentioned her on MagiCam.”

“That was by her request. She wanted to build up her own audience.” Vil explained.

“Hm... that’s interesting.”

“What is?”

“I do believe...” Rook’s eyes slipped open. “That your friend is hiding something from you.

-

Vil didn’t like to believe what Rook told him, but he did wonder to himself how he could miss it.

You had considered each other best friends--yet he never noticed how you truly felt. The next time he caught you (because for some reason--it was as if you knew he wanted to talk to you about something important--and he had a difficult time catching you), he asked you if you could spend lunch together in private. You had happily agreed.

Once you two had sat down together in one of the gazebos in NRC’s gardens, he placed down the basket of food.

“Ah! Vil, it looks really good~” you said, happy.

“Yes, and you’ll see it’s all healthy too.” he smiled--how could he not, in your presence? As you two began to eat, you chattered on about what you’ve seen and liked about NRC so far. While he did listen--he can’t help but have his thoughts drift off to Rook’s statement.

Could you really be hiding--?

“--Vil? Is something wrong?” you put the utensil down, and studied your friend with a worried expression on your face. He felt a little guilty--your usual absent minded but happy expression was twisted with the furrow of your brow, and the downward slope of your lips.

“No it’s...” he hesitated a moment. He thought for a second how you were the first person to ruffle him in a long time. “I was thinking... we’re both big influencers now--in fashion and in the arts.”

“Alright, I’m listening.” you nodded.

“Why don’t we do a collaboration? While you’re still here. We have a week left.” He offered, and you furrowed your brows.

“I don’t know Vil--as alike as our fields are, our audiences can be pretty different.”

“Do you... well, do you not like sharing about me on your page?” Vil hated this. As an influencer, he was used to being loved and hated. There was a time when the comments got to him--but now, he’s able to brush it off with little problem. With you though--well, he was always going to be emotionally invested in you. So, of course you could make him feel this insecure. He hadn’t felt like this for such a long time--and it’s certainly much worse than he remembered. You looked alarmed.

“What? No, no! Of course that’s not it.” you frantically shook your head as you reached your hands out to hold his.

“Then why? I was happy that you didn’t want to mix business with our friendship... but well... something made me realize that we don’t have a relationship on MagiCam at all and...” Vil paused, and you rubbed the back of his hands gently. “And you’re so important to me [Name]. So I want to share that with my followers too.” Your cheeks turned red at that and you looked down on your laced hands.

“It’s just...” you inhaled sharply, “I... well, I know you have a certain image to uphold and--and I don’t want to be someone who would cause people to criticize you.” you pulled your hands away to gesture at yourself. Paint splattered blouse, ink on your wrist and hair--an absolute mess. “I mean look at me... and look at you. People have a hard time imagining we’re friends and--and well... I know the type of fans Beauty influencers can have. I don’t want to get criticized because I know you’ll defend me and I don’t want that to negatively affect your reputation.” Your eyes flickered away, and he could swear they were slightly wet.

Of course.

Rook was wrong.

Rook had assumed that perhaps you simply hadn’t wanted to be associated with Vil Schoenheit. While that was technically the truth--you weren’t doing it for negative reasons. You were just looking out for him--thinking about the best for his reputation.

“Like right now--I really wanted to see you, surprise you--so I impulsively joined the exchange program and couldn’t back out. I was worried about how people might see us hang out together... I’m worried about how what your fans will think...”

However, there was no way in hell that Vil Schoenheit would let you put yourself down like this.

“Okay, no.” he interrupted, and you looked up at him--confused.

“Vil?”

“I won’t allow you to look down at yourself like that. I appreciate that you care about my reputation but--” he takes your hands in his and looks you in the eye. “[Name], you’re more important to me than that.” your eyes water up, and he kept speaking.

“Sweet one, you were always my number one fan--even before my career really took off, you were the one who cheered me on. You were so sure I could do this, even when I had my own moments of weakness. You believed in me when no one else did.” Vl scowled, “So I’ll always be on your side too, alright? It doesn’t matter to me what they all think.”

“But... you really worked hard to get to where you are.” you said weakly, “It can happen super quickly...”

“I am not Vil Schoenheit for nothing.” he said in response, “besides--you are beautiful [Name].” your blushed intensified, and you ducked your head. “Do you not believe me? I know beauty when I see it--and I know you are.”

“Vil... please stop, you’re embarrassing me.”

“No I will not. I will keep telling you this until you know this. I refuse to let someone I consider beautiful, look down on herself like this. Alright?” He reached out a hand to lift your chin. Your eyes were wet, and you bit your lip as you nodded hesitantly.

He smiled, pleased.

“Vil... I’m sorry for not... well...”

“No, I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner. What type of best friend am I, that it took someone else pointing it out for me to realize it?” You giggled at that.

“Well, to be fair--we are best friends. I know how to hide it from you.”

“And you better stop hiding these things from me, alright?”

“Yes, of course.” you nodded, a grin finally lit up your face. Vil’s smile turned gentle.

“Now, how about we think of a collaboration project?”

--

As you stepped out of the Mirror Chamber, you immediately move in the direction of a familiar blue flame.

“Hello Ortho.” When Ortho looked up, he beamed brightly.

“[Name]!” He wrapped his arms around you, which you reciprocate with an elegant smile.

“It has been awhile, has it not?” you mused, as you let go of him. You quickly smoothened the pink skirts of House Eglantine--the House of Sophistication. You turned your head from side to side and your brow raised as you realized that a certain man wasn’t here.

“Ortho, where is your brother?” Ortho gulped nervously, and behind him--one of the Ignihyde student’s gadget began to shake. Your eyes narrowed.

“Is your brother holing himself up in his room again? On such an occasion? Which requires his presence as a dorm leader?”

“Uh...” Ortho glanced away nervously before he met your gaze again. “Yes?”

“Ortho!” squeaked the gadget, “you could defend me!”

“Sorry big brother... but you also brought it onto yourself.” Ortho said quickly, and your lips twitched at that. “There’s no point in lying to [Name].”

“That’s true.” you could hear Idia squeak from the tablet at your response. “Take me to his room.”

“Alright [Name].” Ortho agreed easily.

“Ortho!” Idia wailed, “on whose side are you on?”

“For once, not yours. Sorry big brother.” Ortho eagerly looked up at you. “Will you tell me some stories?”

“I also have pictures.” you offered and Ortho cheered. You turned back to the the tablet.

“Prepare yourself Idia.”

“I’m going to die.”

Your childhood best friend mourned, and your lips quirked in amusement.

Despite it all, you had missed Idia especially because...

Your lips twitched downward for a bit, before you immediately composed yourself.

You really didn’t want to upset Idia after all.

-

As he heard you begin to tell Ortho some stories from your school, Idia began to frantically run around his room, and cleaned up as best as possibly could.

After all, you weren’t a part of House Eglantine just for show.

Like him, you were the daughter of an incredibly old and wealthy family from the Isle of Lamentation. In your childhood, Idia, who had always been shy--attached himself to you, when you had protected him from some bullies. Ever since, he just followed you around.

For some reason, you chose to stick around with him--despite how different the two of you were.

He was an absolute shut-in who preferred to play games and watch anime from the comfort of his bedroom.

You were a popular socialite amongst the elite of the Isle of Lamentation--known for your beauty and intelligence. You were also recognized on MagiCam for your love of travel. In fact, you were often transported all over Twisted Wonderland because tourists locations wanted to be on your account. 

Again, he really didn’t see why you stuck around.

A lot of his friends when he was younger--those seeking to befriend the Shroud Family’s heir--had given up on him when they all realized that he was difficult to communicate with.

But not you.

Ever since he attached himself to you--you had seemed to attach yourself back for no reason. You willingly called himself his best friend (and despite how different you were--he’d admit that you were the only friend he had that he could consider as a best friend--), which could hurt your social standing because of how insanely beloved you were--but you didn’t care (and of course, you’re also the type of popular kid that could never make yourself unpopular).

Don’t get Idia wrong.

He didn’t hate you.

You were patient.

You were kind.

You were understanding.

Idia definitely had a crush on you, and he didn’t know what to do with it--because he had such a hard time finding something about himself that you might be attracted to.

You were like the true hidden route to be conquered on a dating simulation game. First he would need to find a way to ensure that he were on the right path. Then next, he needed to complete a bunch of prerequisites to be able to even access this hidden route.

Your difficulty level was EX.

He had spent most of his childhood by your side--

‘but why does it feel like I know nothing about you?’ he frowned.

Truth be told, Idia had an idea on why. He had been very selfish with you. Nobody had been willing to talk to him about his interests in real life--except you. That’s why he talked to you about his games or robotics--because it’s different when someone in real life is the one doing the listening to you. In the process of that, he felt like you knew more about him than the other way around and it made him guilty.

He was guilty he didn’t hear you out often but the thing is--you never really shared. 

“--Idia.” he felt a hand press against his forehead, and he fell backwards with a screech. You put your hands on your hips as you looked down at him with an arched brow. “Well, at least I know you aren’t running a fever.” 

“You--you’re here!” He squeaked, “Already?”

“I am.” you looked around, and noted how messy his room was. Instead of commenting however, you began to move around and pick up his things. When you noticed he still hadn’t moved, you turned to him with an arched brow. “Come on Idia, I’ll help you.” 

“Ah... Okay.” He looked up at Ortho in confusion, and it seemed that he was also stunned that you hadn’t gone straight into a lecture about his responsibilities as you normally would. 

-

Idia considered himself a terrible friend, but he wasn’t so terrible as to not notice that you weren’t... well, at max HP. Sometimes he thought you would get angry, but you would instead sigh, and just avert your gaze. 

When you were in public (because Idia was worried okay? So he kept an eye out for you too--) you seemed to interact normally with your peers. The fans you had in NRC--were dealt with your normal grace. 

However, when you would visit Idia, you would grow quiet--and thoughtful.

It was, literally, killing him. 

Was it him? Were you mulling the idea of cancelling your support together? 

Idia sincerely didn’t know what to do if this was real. 

So one time when you were in his bedroom, you suddenly got a call. You looked down at your phone, furrowed your brows in that way that Idia hated--and left the room. 

“You should speak with her, brother.” Ortho suggested, a frown on his face. “she seemed really down recently.” 

“I mean... what do I even say?” Idia squeaked. 

“I’m not sure.” Ortho shrugged, “but I can tell your concerned brother, so just do it.” 

-

Idia gathered all his courage, and moved to follow you. As he turned down the hallway he heard you speak.

“--I don’t want to marry Adonis.” 

Idia immediately froze, and stood in place as he heard your one sided argument--with who he assumed--was probably one of your parents.

Alongside with being the most popular socialite of the elites in the Isle of Lamentation, you were also the most desirable waifu--ahem--he meant bachelorette.

Idia knew this because it was one of the only times you ever complained about it. Your parents were pleased with how popular you were, and the amount of marriage offers you received. You had told him that since you were pretty young, you weren’t really being forced to chose now.

“But I’m sure the pressure will be different when I grow older.”  you had sighed. Idia hadn’t known what to say--and the most he could do was put a hand on your back. 

“There... there?” he asked, with a frown. He really hadn’t known what to do. You looked up and met his eyes before laughing.

“Sorry to bother you about this Idia.” 

‘No, it’s okay! I don’t mind!’ was what he thought, but you stood up. 

“Venting helped a little. Thank you for listening.” you picked up your things and stared at a frozen Idia. “I think I’ll go home now. I’ll see you... later.” 

He should’ve tried to stop you--but he just... blanked. He should’ve tried to say something--anything to cheer you up. Heck, maybe you would’ve liked for him to ask if you wanted to game a little to get your mind off of it. 

“I’m serious mother... Adonis doesn’t respect women--I won’t...” you paused, “I won’t feel safe... I know father thinks he’s the best option but... I don’t really want to talk about this right now. I’m in Idia’s dorm...” you stopped again. 

“Mother...” your voice was shaky, and Idia’s hands fisted in his coat. “No. Stop talking about Idia like that.” Idia tensed, and turned his head. “... It’s not about that, he’s my friend. My best friend. I won’t allow you to talk about him like that.” 

Idia had an idea on what the elite of the Isle of Lamentation thought of him. They looked at him with respect because he was the heir to the Shroud Family, they also acknowledged his skills with technology... but otherwise? He was considered eccentric. 

The reason your family did not mind your relationship with him--is because it brought them a certain esteem. That their daughter was the only one who the next Shroud heir would actively communicate with. The Shrouds were still one, if not the most powerful family in the Isle after all. 

“Bye.” 

Idia flinched, and he frantically looked around for a place to hide.

“Idia?” He looked up and noticed that you were looking at him with a startled expression, before it slipped to an exhausted one.

“You heard...?”

“A bit.” he croaked out. “Is that... why you were so sad?” 

“You noticed?” He frowned at that.

“Of course I did... we’re... friends, right?” you studied him carefully, and he felt like he was in a boiler room or something--he was sweating a lot. 

“Yeah we are.” you then slid down to the ground, and tucked your skirt underneath you. You looked up at him expectantly, and he hastily sat down next to you. 

“So they’re pressuring you right now.” Idia stated.

“Yeah.”

“With Adonis.”

“Yeah...” you groaned, as you raised your hands to your temples. “they could’ve chosen anyone.. but they chose that narcissistic... arse.” 

“Who are the other offers?” Idia asked, and you mumbled out a bunch of names he recognized. Hey, he might not be active in the social sphere, but he was aware on who was who. 

“Adonis is...” Idia paused, “well in terms of social standing, I guess.” 

“Yeah. Unless someone of higher status proposes, there’s nothing I can do.” you mumbled. 

“What about me?” You whirled your head to look at Idia. “W-what--? You?” You cleared your throat, “I mean...that... I...” 

“Oh.” Idia blinked in surprise. “No! NO! Wait! I meant, why--what was your mother saying about me?” Your face flushed red, and Idia found your flustered expression cute. You rarely showed that face. 

“Oh you know, same old, same old.” you grumbled as you fanned your face with a hand. “Just... criticizing you... and all that.” 

“Well... I can guess what she said, and... she’s probably... not wrong.” You turned to him with the same ferocity that you had done earlier.

“No Idia, don’t you dare speak of yourself as that. Don’t you dare listen to the elites on Lamentation. They couldn’t be even more wrong about you.” 

“But--”

“No buts.” you narrowed your eyes, and he flinched at the sight of your fury. “You are an amazing person--you’re smarter than they think and you create some pretty amazing things. Sure you could stand to go out more and make friends--but when you’re focused on your craft...” you paused, and you expression softened. Idia wondered what you were remembering. “You are so amazing. I hate how they don’t see that.” His breath hitched.

“You really mean that?”

“Of course I do! I love you--your work.” you coughed in response. The two of you went silent, before you sighed and picked yourself up. He looked up at you, and you shot him the same sad smile you had--all those years back, when the problems of today seemed like distant nightmares. 

“Thank you for listening to me, Idia.” you said, “and I’m sorry to bother you with my problems.” 

“I... I’m your friend right?”

“... Yes.” 

“So please... don’t worry about it [Name].” he looked away uncomfortably. “I may complain sometimes...”

“Sometimes?”

“Okay, all the time.” he said grouchily, and you giggled--which made it all the more worth it. “...even if I complain all the time--you’re still my precious friend.” 

You smiled, leant down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

When you pulled back, Idia was stuttering, and turning red. 

“Thank you, Idia.”

- 

After you left Ignihyde, he sat back at his computer and began typing out an email.

For you--whose smile was so precious to him...

Idia knew that he liked you. A lot.

He probably already loved you really. 

And judging from the way you reacted--

maybe it was mutual...?

-

Dear Lord and Lady [Surname],

The Most Ancient and Noble House of Shroud would like to extend an offer of engagement between your daughter, [Name] [Surname] and our heir, Lord Idia Shroud...

--

"Oh no.” one of the Garden Academy students, dressed in the aquamarine colors of House Sage--House of Spirituality, turned to Lilia with a frown. “We’re missing one of our fellow House Sage classmates... give us a moment, we’ll go find her.”

Lilia’s lips only curled upward.

“Would her name happen to be [Name] [Surname]?”

“Yes.” the student blinked in surprise. “That would be her.”

“Ah.” Lilia smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s fine. I’m sure he’s gone to find her already.”

The Garden Academy students shared a glance.

-

The most Malleus knew was that majority of the Student Body had gone off to the Mirror Chamber for some event. He didn’t know, after all, he hadn’t been invited.

So he had decided to go on a long walk, internally unamused that he was once more forgotten when he sensed it--

Your presence.

It was in the gentle caress of the wind against his face, in the rustle of the leaves, and in the soft warmth of the sun.

One moment he was incredibly unhappy, and in the next second--he felt your magic touch his.

It was like a ripple--and it soothed his entire being.

You and your magic--he wondered if you knew the extent of your effect on him.

He began to walk deep into the forest.

He paused in his step as he caught sight of you. You had sat down in a patch of sunlight in the small meadow. You were surrounded by some creatures of the forest--from bears to deers and rabbits. You looked completely serene--as you should--after all, you were one of the most powerful nature fae living. Coming from your head were horns--but nothing like his. Yours were shorter, and much more like tree branches. As you hummed idly to yourself, a few birds fluttered forward and decorated your horns with small flowers. Your smile brightened the clearing, and the birds--pleased--chirped a song that you instantly began to hum along with.

How he wished he could draw closer to you without disrupting the peace--animals didn’t do well with Malleus. They inherently knew how powerful he was--and though the same could be said about what they sensed from you--your powers were much more attuned to nature in itself. To be by your side--it would be peace for the animals.

‘ He could understand. By your side, there were no pressures to be anyone else other than himself.’  

As he stepped into the clearing, all the animals turned to look at him, and tensed. You blinked in surprise at their actions, before you turned your head to see Malleus at the far edge of the small clearing you were in.

“Mal.” you greeted, your startled expression slipped into a sweet, happy one. “It has been a long time.” Malleus inclined his head. “Won’t you come close, dear friend?” you raised a hand, beckoning him to come closer.

He eyed the animals around you warily.

“I don’t think they will enjoy that.” You let out a soft laugh at his deadpanned statement. Your laugh seemed to instantly calm most of the animals down (he could feel his tensed shoulders unknot too). You looked around you and began to speak to them.

“Now now everyone--Mal is a dear friend. I grew up with him. He’s a good person. Won’t you all please be patient with him?” The animals around you shuffled uneasily.

You looked up again and gestured for Malleus to draw closer once more. Malleus approached slowly at first, and once he realized that none of the animals would be disrupted, easily slid down beside you. One of the male deers leaned forward to sniff him--and Malleus held as still as possible. Apparently satisfied, the deer relaxed beside Malleus. Around him, the animals slipped back to their relaxed states.

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” One particularly ambitious rabbit hopped up onto your lap and peered inquisitively at Malleus. You smiled, and began to brush your fingers through the animal’s hair.

“[Name], not that I’m unhappy to see you but...” He began, “what are you doing here?”

“My school, the Garden Academy is having an exchange program with your school.” you peered up curiously at your childhood friend. “Did you not hear?”

“As per usual, I do believe people have forgotten to inform me.” he frowned slightly. “Then... this would be the event being held at the Mirror Chamber, then?” You nodded.

“The event should still be ongoing.” Malleus eyed you curiously, but you spread your arms wide in response.

“The trees told me that some creatures were excited to see me.” You said--and the animals all made noises of agreement, “so I thought to visit them already.”

“Will your classmates and teacher not worry then?” You giggled at his questions.

“I appreciate the concern Mal but.. there’s nothing here that can harm me.” you said simply, and he hummed in acknowledgement--you were right.

You were perhaps the one person Malleus could consider an equal.

You had grown up side by side--and he was more than aware of your power and capabilities.

If there was one person who knew him as well as Lilia--it was you. You had seen him at his best and his worst--you were there when he could barely control his own magical power. He hadn’t been good at dampening his own energy back then--nobody ever approached him out of fear for the amount of power he had. The only one who bothered to interact with him had been Lilia, who had been his designated caretaker and...

And you.

You had no reason to be by his side when he had been his most volatile.

But you had been there.

And you stuck by him with no hesitation.

“How about you?” You glanced at the dragon fae from the edge of your eye.

“Ah. I wasn’t invited.” he answered with a sigh, and you could see the discontent in the almost, unnoticeable, wrinkle between his brows. You--who knew him so well--could spot the tiniest giveaways to Malleus’s moods--it was a skill you were proud of.

You were someone who occupied an almost identical role to Malleus. All that differs from the two of you is the type of magic you possessed.

As a dragon fae, and a descendant of the Witch of Thorns--it was easy to predict the type of power Malleus would eventually manifest. Draconic transformation and dark magic. This made people fear him, and dislike interacting with him.

As a nature fae, and a descendant of the Spirit of the Willow--most knew that you would grow to have power attuned with nature. It explained why you could speak the language of the trees and flowers--why animals adored you. To others--people saw you as harmless.  

Perhaps in the beginning, you hadn’t really thought too much of your similarities. As years passed however--you realized how unfair the world was to Malleus.

They never saw the boy who sneezed and set Lilia’s hair on fire, they never acknowledged the man who treasured his Gao Gao Dragon toy--because it adored him as is. They didn’t allow Malleus to make mistakes, they didn’t allow Malleus to be vulnerable. They refused to see past this idea of a strong magician and the title of prince.

You reached forward and cupped his cheek. He turned to look at you quizzically.

“Then... should we have our own event?” You smiled, a tad bit more mischievous. You looked down at the animals. “Would you be willing to help out, my friends?”

The bunny in your lap twitched its nose in response, and a lot of the animals eagerly leaned closer.

“An event, like a party--to celebrate our reunion?” You glanced at Malleus to see him look on in curiosity. It seemed like the animals understood the idea of a party and began to move. You noticed the the female animals were the ones who specifically pulled you away, and when you glanced at Malleus--you noticed the the male animals began to surround him. He shot you a desperate look, but you only laughed.

“Let’s have fun!”

-

The male animals had weaved flowers together on top of Malleus’s head. Another animal had gotten several leaves, and put them together to form a long cape. He had no idea how the animals were doing it--but he just assumed it was because you were magic.

One of the birds flew over, and chirped loudly--which the animals took as a sort of signal. They all stopped and studied what they had done to Malleus. They began to make displeased noises, until one of the deers pushed a long stick towards Malleus. When he picked it up, he looked to the animals to see that they were all still unsatisfied. To humor them, He unclipped his pen from his breast pocket and waved it. He used the foliage that had fallen to the ground to decorate the stick--and craft it into a staff similar to his own.

“Is it good?” he asked, and the animals all vigorously gave their assent. At that, he could feel his lips curl up. The bird chirped again, and the animals snapped into action. One of the bucks nudge Malleus forward with his snout. “Ah, is it time to go back?” the birds make a pleasant chirping sound, and he allowed himself to be pushed back into the clearing.

He found himself in the clearing again--with all the male animals standing by his side. He thought briefly of what an amusing sight this probably was, until another bird chirped from the opposite side of the clearing. He raised his gaze that way, as a bunch of female birds flew in, and dropped flower petals onto the ground. The smaller animals came in first, followed by the younger fauns--and finally--

You stepped forth into the light of the clearing, and he found his breath caught in his throat. While the flowers on his form were restricted to his crown--the animals had chosen to decorate your whole form with it. Unlike the flower crown you were wearing earlier--this one had a train that fell to the ground, and billowed around you--making you all the more ethereal. Escorted on either side by the tall, elegant form of does--you resembled the idea of a Fae Queen with her animal court. As you came to a stop beside Malleus, you giggled at his surprised expression. He felt something tug on his pants, and when he looked down--he found a squirrel made exaggerated gestures towards you.

“Ah.” he looked up and met your curious gaze. “You look beautiful, [Name].” And he did mean it--for the centuries that he had known you, and the centuries he had yet to share with you--he knew that one thing would remain constant--the way you made his heart skip a beat, and the way you were beauty in everything you did.

“Thank you, Malleus. You look handsome” you blushed. That’s when you were both nudged forward by the deers, and were now much closer. One of the deers, snatched the staff in his hand. The birds fluttered around you, pulling your sleeves into place until finally--both you and Malleus were moved to a waltz pose. You stared into each other’s eyes, stunned. Malleus wondered briefly is animals were truly capable of sensing feelings he had--that even he had yet to fully comprehend.

“Shall we?” he offered, and you beamed in response. The birds began to sing, and the two of you proceeded to dance in the clearing.

“I think they enjoyed themselves, too much.”

“Did you have fun?” Malleus asked gently, and you smiled.

“I did but...” you curiously peered up at him. “Did you have fun?”

“I suppose I did.” He mused.

The other animals watched on--pleased.

Though neither of you saw it--blissfully caught up in enjoying your dance--they did. They could see the future King and Queen of Faeries.

--

[ohpapiseo]

i wanted to tell you, but... [jinyoung x reader]

As promised to @brittbrat2017, this is something she requested in private and so I have delivered... I haven’t really proof-read this, nor have I written in ages so here we go...

pairing: Jinyoung (GOT7) x reader genre: transgender, coming out, intersex, LGBT+, romance and angst with happy endings I guess?

Unbeknownst to you, Jinyoung was looking at you as you got dressed. Never did you fail to surprise him on special occasions, and today was no different. He knew that you preferred comfort over style any time of the day, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t dress up every now and then. He looked at you as you picked out a nice chain to go with your well-tailored blouse and black trousers (later, Jinyoung would realise that they were actually jeans).

You were putting on your eyeliner, when Jinyoung walked over and looked at you in the mirror. You hadn’t paid him any mind for a minute while you were finishing your eye makeup, only turning to look at him once you were done.

Jinyoung knelt down in front of you, giving you a small smile. “How do you feel about meeting the rest of the family?” “Ugh. Obviously nervous, but if they’re all as nice as you then I don’t think I have to worry.” You let out a chuckle. Jinyoung’s eyes lit up at the sight of you laughing, and he too smiled.

“They’re lovely. You’ve already met my mother. And then you’ll be meeting my older sisters for the first time. Fair warning, babe, but Boyoung noona is a little… well, let’s just say she doesn’t really think before she speaks.” “Oh, a woman of my own heart.” You grinned, turning open your little bottle of lip gloss. “Sounds like we’ll get along just fine.”

Before you could get the lip gloss on, Jinyoung pulled you closer to him, his lips brushing against yours and then he kissed you, pulling back after a few seconds to see your eyes closed. You opened them to an expression of adoration, amazement, awe. He loved you so much he couldn’t explain it with words, he hoped you could hear his heart speak. And you couldn’t help but return the feeling with a smile of your own.

It turned out that you had nothing to worry about after all. With a bright smile, Jinyoung’s mother made you feel welcomed into their home as if it were your own. She treated you like you were her own daughter, and you enjoyed being fussed over and adored by a motherly figure. It had been long since you had seen your parents, so you enjoyed the attention.

Jinyoung’s sisters were quick to warm up to you as well, immediately taking your contact details and promising to take you out on dates when Jinyoung was busy with his vocal teaching.

“And we’ll go shopping as well. Get you some cute dresses! I bet you’ll get Jinyoung whipped with these, for sure.” Boyoung whispered, giving you a wink. You turned pink at the comment, and Sooyoung sighed, smacking the younger sister behind the head.

“Give it a rest, you’ll make her hate us!” “No she won’t! You won’t right?” Boyoung looked at you eagerly, and you shook your head quickly, giving her a nervous smile. “Oh no, not at all…”

And Mr. Park (because you were too intimidated to call him by his first name), although he looked stern, he was very kind to you as well, asking you questions about what you studied and what your plans were for the future.

“Dad…” Jinyoung sighed into his hands. “Come on, whatever she does she’ll figure it out! This is why Yugyeom stopped coming to visit, Dad’s always asking whether he’s got his university stuff sorted out.” “What? No harm in being curious.” Jinyoung’s father shrugged, returning to his meal.

“Don’t worry, Jinyoung, it’s fine.” You put your hand on top of his, giving him a reassuring smile. “I like talking about what I do, anyway.”

Jinyoung relaxed, giving you a smile of his own. He blinked for a minute, realising that there was some sauce on the side of your mouth you hadn’t seemed to notice.

“One second…” Jinyoung picked up a paper napkin and brought it to your lips, wiping away the food and sauce from the corner of your lips. You looked at him with a slight blush, a little embarrassed at him having done this in front of his parents and sisters.

Sooyoung and Boyoung both let out excited squeals, clasping their hands together as they looked at you and Jinyoung with shining eyes.

“Wah, you’re so manly, Jinyoung-ah…” “Yeah, he is, right?” Boyoung grinned, giving Jinyoung a wink. “I mean, honestly… you’re so suited to be a guy, and I’m so happy for you, Jinyoung, really.”

You raised a brow at the remark, looking at Boyoung curiously. She turned towards you, looking back in equal confusion.

“Because of Jin’s transition and all. Being a guy really suits him.”

You glanced towards Jinyoung, who closed his eyes. You could practically see the emotions of shame, sadness, regret, all emanate off him in waves. He used to be a woman. The Jinyoung I knew used to be a woman...?

The tension was definitely felt in that room then. Pained looks in the eyes of the parents and the other sister. Boyoung realised that Jinyoung hadn’t told you himself that he was transgender and she had basically outed him to you.

You felt numb. How could he have hidden something so big from you? What made Jinyoung feel like he couldn’t trust you with that? You both had been dating for almost three months, how did he even hide it so well? You both practically lived with each other, too.

Anger, sadness, betrayal, you were overwhelmed by all these emotions, but you took one good look at Jinyoung and knew you couldn’t let his family feel upset for this.

“N-No-” You were lying through your teeth, but you didn't care anymore. “No, that’s not it. I know about it… He was just very reluctant to tell me, when we started being friends, so I assumed that you didn’t know anything. I apologise for making such a hasty conclusion-!”

You bowed your head apologetically. You could see the relief wash over many of their faces, except for Jinyoung who was now looking at you guiltily. He opened his mouth to speak, but you opened your mouth to interrupt.

“But with how much Jinyoung talks about you when we mention family… I should have figured it out for myself.” You gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “He loves you all dearly. And I know you all love him as much. I just am a kind of person that jumps to assumptions.”

Mrs. Park shook her head and reached out to pat you on the shoulder. “I understand your concerns. Because a lot of parents don't treat their children who want to change the way we did. But we have always supported Jinyoung, and we always will.”

You were walking a few feet ahead of Jinyoung, and he was making no effort to keep up either. There was a heavy silence, the distance between you growing to a near point of no-return. The walk to the subway was a good fifteen minutes, but right now, it felt like an eternity.

You stopped in your tracks, turning around to look at Jinyoung. He too had come to a standstill, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffling to stop the tears from overflowing. The sight was heartbreaking, but at the same time, you couldn’t bring yourself to offer him comfort.

“Why are you letting me follow you?” His words caught you off-guard. You looked into his eyes, and immediately felt his resolve waver.

“Why aren’t you angry?” He asked in a broken voice. “I lied to you. I’ve lied to you for three months. But you… you told my family that you knew. You could feel their awkwardness, their impending disappointment, maybe, and you averted the situation. I don’t deserve it.”

You let out a sigh, turning around fully to walk towards him, until you were looking right at him.

“Why aren’t you just… giving me the shouting I deserve.” Jinyoung sighed agitatedly, walking towards you.

There was no hesitation, no fear in your voice as you spoke. “I’m intersex. On paper, I’m legally female. But biologically, I’m not a woman, neither am I a man.”

Jinyoung stopped in his tracks, his eyes widened as he tried to process your words. You looked at him calmly, even tilting your head to a side as you studied his expression. His jaw clenched for a minute, the betrayal reflecting in his eyes as much as it did in yours earlier.

“So, how do you feel when I said that?” You looked back at him, waiting for an answer silently. Jinyoung paused for a minute, before giving you a sad smile again.

“I understand. While you’re pissed off, you can’t be angry because you’ve got your secrets too.” Jinyoung looked over the bridge into the river. “I’m upset but I’ve got no right to express it.”

You nodded, coming closer to him as you stood by the railings. “So why didn’t you tell me, Jinyoung?”

He closed his eyes, thinking of the right words to say. You brought your hand to his cheek, making him look at you.

“I always wanted to be honest. And every girl that I tried to date? I’d always tell them the truth. I was born a woman. Now I’m a man after a successful transition.” Jinyoung’s eyes welled with tears as he spoke, finding it hard to bear the shame of his actions, you could tell.

“And then?” You asked patiently, but you already had a feeling what the answer was going to be.

“And nothing. We got distant, we broke up, we stopped seeing each other. We stopped being friends. I don’t know if it was worry over the sex, scared of what people might think or just blatant transphobia. But whatever it was ended up in me becoming hurt.”

“And then I met you.” He whispered slowly. “You were just so… right. So beautiful, so amazing, on the outside and the inside. And I was scared that if I told you about my transition, you’d leave. And… I know it was selfish. But I just wanted you. I wanted to be loved by you. I was scared of rejection. And if you turned me down, I don’t know what I’d have done…”

You nodded slowly, unconsciously looking down at his chest, hands wrapped in the scarf around his neck. “I understand. And while I’m not entirely happy, I understand your reasons. And… we’ll work through it. I’m not upset with you being trans, Jinyoung, I only wished you would have been honest about it.”

Jinyoung took your hands in his, planting small kisses along your knuckles, a grateful smile on his face.

“I will be more honest from now, babe. I promise.”

You smiled. You believed him, knowing Jinyoung wouldn’t go back on his word and hide anything from you. The two of you stayed huddled together in silence, listening to the sound of the river below, resting in the warmth of each other’s embrace.

Jinyoung slowly glanced at you, asking quietly, “About being intersex… why didn’t you tell me?” “Well… I didn’t think it was really important.I just never talked about this. I’ve never had to, or felt the need to.”

Hesitation flitted across your expression, making him raise an eyebrow at you suspiciously. You shook your head at that, retracting your own statement. “I mean… no, it’s important. I just can’t talk about it well. I was chosen to be a woman. My parents wanted a daughter, legally, on paper… whatever you call it.”

Jinyoung let out a breathy chuckle. “Ha. We’re a lot more alike than we thought, I guess.” “You aren’t wrong. Though… I didn’t really get much choice on my gender. I’m seen as a girl. Which is not all bad, honestly.” You sighed, a wistful smile crossing your face as he caressed your face in his palm. “I just wish I had a choice at the moment. Because legally, what I am is a female.”

He frowned at your words, shaking his head slowly. “There’s always a choice. Whether people acknowledge it in a few months, or a few years, or never, you always have a choice.”

You pondered upon his words, realising that he was right. Your heart trembled at the thought of saying how you felt, and how much you yearned for freedom.

“And you’ll love me still? Even if some days I want to dress like a man? Not like a tomboy… a man?”

He grinned at your words. “Yes. Of course.” “And if I wanted to chop my hair off one day, but wear a wig the very next?” “Heck yeah. We can get colourful wigs if you wanted.” “Ha! Yeah, we could…” You grinned at him as he ruffled your hair playfully.

“And you’ll… love me? Always?” “Always.” Jinyoung whispered back, lowering his head to kiss you softly, his lips warm against yours, hesitant but also so certain. Really, there was no one that knew you or understood you better than Jinyoung, and it made you wonder why you were scared of how he’d react to you.

“It’s okay.” He whispered your name, kissing your forehead gently. “You had your reasons to hide it. As I had mine. And we’ll work through it.”

You nodded slowly, looking up at him with glazed eyes, you were sure. “I’m scared.” “Sometimes, the way to overcome fear is… well, fear.”

A snort escaped you, which you couldn’t help. Jinyoung deigned to chuckle with you, before pressing his forehead against yours.

“I’m really sorry.” He murmured, looking downcast for a moment before he had a hopeful smile on his face. “And, I’m here for you. Whatever you decide, for yourself, I’ll be here to support you.”

You gave Jinyoung a smile, nodding in determination. “I’m sorry as well. And the same goes for you, Jinyoung. I’ll also be here for you with whatever you decide, and here to support you.”

“Always.”

[ryqoshay]

Happy Life: Revelations

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Words: ~3k Rating: Heavy T or mild M, depending on your description there of AU: Angelic? Time Frame: Early college; likely Yohane’s 1st and Riko’s 2nd year Story Arc: “Revelations” Revelations My Angel

List of all HL scenes

Author’s Note: I didn’t want the title to be blatant spoilers, so it was off to thesaurus.com where I clicked a few times... and I found this idea. I hope it works as intended. “What is going to be revealed?”

Yoshiko dropped her pen, threw up her arms and stretched.

“Ready for a break?” Riko asked from the other side of the table.

“Yup.”

“Alright.” The older girl smiled. “I’ll go make some tea.”

“Thanks, Riri.” The younger girl replied, letting herself fall back onto the floor where she sprawled out lazily.

Riko giggled at the display before getting up. “I’ll be right back.”

The two young women had been busy studying since they arrived home earlier in the afternoon. Using Riko’s room to study had become a bit of a tradition as it lacked the distractions of the television and game systems of the living room as well as the general clutter of Yoshiko’s room. There was also more available study space than in the music room. However, the room still held its share of distractions for Yoshiko, ones that it had taken a lot of conscious effort to not only overcome but also to avoid revealing to Riko.

And on the topic of such distractions, out of the corner of her eye, Yoshiko spotted a not-so-well-hidden book that was undoubtedly from Riko’s not-so-secret manga collection. Heck, she barely had to move to reach it under the bed.

It often amused Yoshiko how her roommate continued to insist on keeping half of her manga collection a secret. Everyone knew at this point, and for the most part, nobody cared. Really, only Mari and Yoshiko ever teased her about it. And ironically, it was with them that Riko had become more relaxed in keeping everything perfectly hidden, though that might have been more because she lived with Yoshiko and Mari regularly did not announce when she was coming over. With everyone else, however, Riko insisted on having everything perfectly hidden from all but the most discerning eyes; particularly from her fellow former second years.

Yoshiko smiled to herself as these thoughts crossed her mind and she pulled the book towards herself. Then, she glimpsed the cover. Was that? She pulled it close for a better inspection. It was! The next volume of the series she had recently started following on one of her digital manga sites! She hadn’t even realized the new volume had been printed. This meant she didn’t have to wait the delay time for them to upload it. Yoshiko felt almost giddy as she opened the book and started reading.

But wait, this meant that Riko read this series as well. Sure, it had no shortage of the romance that the redhead loved so dearly, and it was centered on two girls, her favorite type of romance. It even had quite a fair bit of the more suggestive stuff she not-so-secretly sought, which was probably why she had not included it in her collection out in the living room. However, so far, the main reasons the series had earned its mature rating were the rather graphic fight sequences. Of course, if the romance side of things continued to progress, perhaps that would end up matching the maturity rating? Still, the high adventure, action, fighting and such genres had always been more of Yoshiko’s thing.

“Yocchan…” Riko’s voice came from the doorway.

“Thanks for the tea, Riri.” Yoshiko replied, not looking away from the book. “It smells delicious.”

There was the sound of a tray being set down before the book was snatched from her grasp. “Where… did you find that?”

Oh… Oops… Yoshiko looked up to see the other girl blushing madly and chewing her lip nervously. Cute. She thought. By the gods, did she love seeing the redhead flustered.

“Riri,” the blue-haired girl sighed dramatically, “if you don’t want Yohane to find these things, you gotta hide them better. I mean I can see a couple dozen more from here.” She made a point of turning her head and tilting her chin to indicate her view under the bed.

“D-don’t look…” Riko pulled her blanket down in a vain attempt to obscure the other girl’s view.

There was no holding back the laugh that escaped Yoshiko’s mouth. “But seriously, Riri, you should have told me you liked that series.”

“Huh?”

“It’s one of my favorites.” Yoshiko pushed herself back up into a sitting position and turned to face the other girl. “And don’t tell me you’re surprised. A series about an angel that falls to earth to live among humans? How could Yohane pass up such an amazing theme?” She grinned. “And the girl she ends up staying with is amazing as well, but I think there is more to her than anyone else realizes, maybe even herself.” She couldn’t help getting excited as she spoke about the story.

“And she’s incredibly adorable. And kind. And talented.” Yoshiko continued. “I can definitely see why the angel fell for her. She is almost as as perfect as the most elite of Yohane’s own little demons.” She nodded her approval. “But geez, they’re both so dense!” Her shoulders slumped. “How has neither noticed that the other loves them? It’s so obvious!” She threw up her hands in exasperation. “See, that’s what I don’t get about all those romances you love, Riri…” She glanced over at the other girl, who she suddenly realized hadn’t said anything in a little while. “Riri?”

Riko’s blush had spread to her ears and she immediately looked away when her gaze met the other girl’s.

Yoshiko sighed and started to stand up. “Sorry, Riri, I didn’t mean to embarrass you that much. It’s just too much fun teasing you about your tastes in manga.” She took a step toward the redhead. “But I thought you might want to talk about this series since we both like… why are you backing away?”

“I’m fine…”

“That’s… not what I asked…” A confused expression crossed the blue-haired girl’s face. “And I wouldn’t believe you if it wa…. Wah!” Her foot caught something and she lurched forward. Windmilling her arms did nothing to correct her balance. “Riri, look out!”

Thump

Yoshiko’s palm impacted the wall, preventing her from falling.

“Y-Yocchan…” Riko murmured.

“Sorry, Riri…” The younger girl replied, looking up. Oh, wow…

That was not an expression Yoshiko was accustomed to seeing on the older girl. Riko stood, back pressed against the wall, clutching the book to her chest, blushing fiercely, and staring at her intensely. However, her eyes were not wide from fear, rather with a mixture of surprise and… something else… Yoshiko couldn’t readily place it, but it caused her heartrate to increase and heat to rise in her cheeks. And by the gods did that something make Riko look cute. Cute and, dare she think it, sexy? Yoshiko swallowed, suddenly aware of how dry her throat and lips felt… lips… Riko’s lips… She swallowed again.

Slowly, Riko closed her eyes.

Oh gods… Yoshiko felt her breath hitch as not only did the other girl’s adorableness skyrocket, but something clicked in her mind. Kabedon. It was nowhere near ideal since Yoshiko was shorter and leaning forward awkwardly as she had only intended to catch herself and not barrel into the other girl, but their current position still strongly resembled the position so often depicted in the popular romance manga of the day.

Riko tilted her chin down, just a little.

Was Riko expecting something from Yoshiko? What normally happened in the kabedon situation? Wait, was Riko expecting Yoshiko to kiss her? Oh gods…

No! Bad idea! A voice in Yoshiko’s mind yelled. You’ve lived with her this long. Don’t screw things up now by doing something stupid… or… stupider than usual…

Yoshiko felt her eyes close as she leaned forward. Despite knowing it would not end well, that her dismal luck would win out in the end and ruin things, a tiny glimmer of hope in the back of her mind wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, Riko felt similar to her.

Yoshiko felt softness on her lips. Warmth radiated out into her body from the point of contact. However, despite the wonderful sensation, the war continued to rage within her. Pull away! Push deeper! Flee now! Fight on!

The arm Yoshiko was using to support herself wavered as it had been holding at an odd angle. No… Then, before she could scrape together a solution, it gave way. Yoshiko fell.

“Umph!” Riko grunted as her head was shoved against the wall.

Yoshiko winced as their teeth clashed against each other.

Something shattered in the fallen angel’s mind. Her eyes snapped open.

Oh no…

Reeling back, she tried to assess the situation but her vision was already starting to blur as liquid collected in her eyes. Was she crying?

“Yocchan?”

No. That was not the voice of someone losing themselves to bliss. Then again, who in their right mind would be lost in bliss after that fiasco? But what was that she heard? Sadness? Disappointment? Please don’t let it be anger.

This was wrong. Why in the nine hells had she done that?

“Yocchan?”

She didn’t remember turning away, but she did feel fingers brush against her arm as she retreated. And the next thing Yoshiko knew, she was in the hallway, headed for the exit. No time to mess with shoes. She could barely see as she fumbled with the doorknob.

“Wait!”

Finally, she pulled and glimpsed a thin beam of light from the other side…

“Yocchan!”

Thump

A hand slammed into the door, wrenching the knob from Yoshiko’s hand and snuffing out the light. Yoshiko turned the other way.

Thump

The other hand planted itself on the other side, trapping the confused girl.

“Yocchan why… hey, are you crying?”

Yoshiko sniffled. “I’m sorry, Riri…” She began to blubber. “I don’t know why I did that but I get it if you’re mad at me and hate me and…” want me to move out… her mind continued as her voice died in her throat.

The hands that, a mere moment ago, had so roughly slammed the door, gently descended to the shorter girl’s shoulders. Then they pulled and Yoshiko found herself in a tight embrace.

“I don’t hate you, Yocchan.” Riko said sofly. “I don’t think I ever could. To be honest, I was actually a little excited there for a moment when I thought you were trying to act out a scene from my manga. I mean, it was awkward, but so adorably you that I couldn’t help playing into it. Then you kissed me.” She started running her fingers through the other girl’s hair. “And it was wonderful…”

Yoshiko hiccuped. Did she hear that correctly? Riko had called the kiss wonderful?

“But then you ran away. Why did you run, Yocchan?”

Why did she run? Panic. But why had she panicked?

“… I was scared…” Yoshiko finally admitted after a moment.

“Of me?” Was that a hint of concern in the other girl’s voice?

“No, of losing you…”

“Oh…” Riko’s voice dropped to a whisper. “… the same…”

“Huh?” The same? Did that mean…? Yoshiko’s mind raced. Say something! Something other than huh!

Well, she had come this far. She didn’t think she could make things worse. Riko said she wasn’t angry and apparently felt the same. Perhaps it was time to just go for broke.

“I… lo…” Gods, why was it hard to say? “I love you, Riri…” She finally got out.

Riko gasped as she pulled back from the hug. She stared at the younger girl before her lips started to quiver and tears began to gather at the edges of her eyes.

“Riri?”

“…The same…” The redhead’s voice shook as the first tear slid down her cheek. “… I was right…”

“You mean you…?”

“Yes.” Riko nodded. “Yocchan, I… I… oh what was the point of practicing?”

Yoshiko couldn’t help a small laugh as she realized that she wasn’t the only one who was nervous and had a hard time saying those words. However, even if the words were not spoken, the intent was clear enough. Her confidence back on the rise, she closed the distance between them once again.

“Yoccha…?” Riko was cut off as lips were pressed into hers.

There was a lot less awkwardness this time, and significantly more desire. Emotions that had been ignored and repressed for months, years, came up from the depths to finally be acknowledged. And through the flood of new sensations, a sense of familiarity made itself known. When Riko’s hands roamed across Yoshiko’s back, it was if they had done so hundreds of times before. And as Yoshiko threaded her fingers through Riko’s hair, it felt as natural as breathing. Breathing… air… Yoshiko pulled back with a slight gasp.

“Yocchan…” Riko said in a plaintive tone, pulling her close again.

Oh, to hell with it, she could breathe later. Yoshiko gulped down one more breath before tilting her chin back up to meet Riko for another kiss. Part of Yoshiko wanted to scream and jump for joy. She was kissing Riko, the girl of her dreams, for the third time in about as many minutes. And she was reciprocating! And she was… wait… what?

“Riri?” Yoshiko questioned, pulling away as she felt fingers fidget with the hem of her shirt.

“Mmm…” Riko closed the distance again.

Yoshiko gasped as skin met skin but continued to press up into the kiss. Well, if that’s what Riri wants… and she’s initiating… Yoshiko could hear her heart trying to hammer its way out of her chest as she brought her own hands down the bottom button of Riko’s shirt and quickly undid it. No negative response. She continued with the second, the third…

A new sensation threatened to overwhelm Yoshiko as Riko’s tongue glanced across hers. Oh gods… this is the point where she would wake up in a cold sweat… Yet, she continued her way up the line of buttons as Riko’s hands continued to dance across her back. She reached the final button. She hadn’t awakened. Everything was still happening. However, she had to be certain.

“Riri…” Yoshiko pulled away again, earning a whine from the other girl. When she had established eye contact, she asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes…” Riko responded without hesitation, her voice heavy with what Yoshiko hoped was desire. She leaned forward, this time bypassing Yoshiko’s lips so she could speak softly into the younger girl’s ear. “Yes, I’m sure.” She breathed. “I’m very sure. I want this.” Her fingers found the clasp she sought. “I want you, Yocchan.”

Yoshiko felt her confidence rising once again. And with it, the desire to do anything and everything, even the more… eclectic things from Riko’s hidden collection, just so long as it was with Riko.

“Are you sure, Yocchan?” Riko returned to her prior position so she could see the other girl’s reaction. “Do you want me as well?”

“Yes.” Yoshiko nodded. “I want you, Riri.” Gods, I’ve wanted you for so long…

Now assured in her actions, Yoshiko unfastened the last button. At the same time, a barely audible click sounded from behind her as the clasp was released. Immediately, two sets of hands began a fervent mission to explore undiscovered territory.

The blonde leaned back in her seat and smiled. “Finally.”

Yoshiko stared at the ceiling as she tried to catch her breath. Her body still tingled with unfamiliar sensations as her mind continued scrambling to process everything that had just happened in the last… however long it had been. She glanced over at the girl beside her.

Beautiful.

Riko also lay on her back, red hair splayed out across the pillow while her chest rose and fell in a manner that indicated that she was also recovering from their recent activities. Then she turned her golden eyes to Yoshiko and smiled. Yoshiko’s heartrate increased. By the gods did she love that smile.

“That was wonderful, Yocchan.” The older girl murmured.

“Mmm…” Was all of the agreement the younger girl could muster.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I might wake up at any mome… Ow! Hey, Riri?” Yoshiko protested as she felt her arm being pinched. She looked over in time to see the other girl wince as she pinched her own arm as well. “Wha…?”

“We’re not dreaming, Yocchan.” The redhead turned onto her side to face the blue-haired girl before reaching out to run her hand across the spot one Yoshiko’s arm she had just pinched. “That really happened. We really…” her cheeks flushed a bit “did… all that…”

Yoshiko was about to laugh at the adorable reaction when her mental replay suddenly paused on a decidedly-less-than-positive reaction Riko had given earlier. “Riri, I’m sorry, I…” How to describe it?

Riko’s finger moved up to Yoshiko’s lips. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, you don’t have to apologize.” She smiled gently. “That was just our first time…” she pursed her lips in thought “first several times actually, but whatever,” she shook her head “so we’re both still learning. We’ll learn more the more we continue.” She paused for a moment before a surprisingly smug smirk crossed her lips. “Say, Yocchan…” She slid in close to whisper again in the blue-haired girl’s ear. “Do you want to learn more now?”

Yoshiko didn’t respond verbally. Instead she reached over, placed her hand on Riko’s shoulder and gently pushed the redhead onto her back. Quickly, she shifted herself up into a position above Riko. The smugness had disappeared from Riko’s smile, replaced with more genuine excitement and anticipation of what was to come. She reached up and pulled Yoshiko down into a kiss.

Yoshiko’s eyes opened slowly. Even in the darkened room, she could tell this wasn’t her bed. As the rest of her senses sluggishly kicked in, she could just make out the sound of gentle breathing from somewhere very close. She blinked a few times and was able to make out the figure of a girl laying next to her.

Riko. That’s right. That’s whose bed this was.

Between them, Yoshiko noticed a particular detail; Riko’s fingers poking out from under the blanket. Slowly, tentatively, Yoshiko slid her hand up until it covered the other girl’s. She froze as Riko suddenly murmured something unintelligible in her sleep, but relaxed as the redhead squeezed her hand.

Smiling, Yoshiko closed her eyes again and let sleep return to her.

Author’s Note Continued: “Happy Life: Apocalypse” was also a possibility I considered, insofar as this is the end of the world as Yohane and Riko know it. A lot will change now; most importantly, they no longer have to hide or ignore their feelings for the other.

Also, for anyone who reads my other fic, HtHaN, they might note a striking difference in the pacing of the relationship development. HtHaN has a scene that focuses on the first date, another on the first kiss and yet another on the first time the two say “I love you.” And I still have yet to get around to writing anything that doesn’t simply refer to the first time they are physically intimate. However, unlike NicoMaki, which, for lack of better words, is bogged down a bit by Maki’s naïveté and both girls’ self-consciousness, Yohane and Riko have both been actively fantasizing about things for months; years on Yohane’s part.

Riko is obsessed with romance manga and I headcanon she spends a lot of time daydreaming about various scenarios that might play out between herself and a partner. This partner more and more often ends up being Yohane once the two move in together. And for her part, Yohane is also no stranger to imagining grand scenarios of her own as she continues to maintain her fallen angel persona. It is not hard to imagine her also dreaming about doing various things with the girl on whom she has a crush.

Like with HtHaN, I do intend to backtrack and write some scenes that better address the mounting tensions between these two girls, but I am still hedging some bets on details that might, or might not, be revealed in the movie. That said, if I have an idea that I believe does not rely on these things, I will happily write it before the movie is released.

Finally, I would apologize if the timing of this scene squanders the whole “will they/won’t they” thing, but honestly, I did that a while back with other scenes.