#a very contemplative shirayuki profile

[batgirlsay]

Her Date’s Not Set

Wedding Planner AU Playlist for Obiyuki AU Bingo 2022 by @snowwhite-andtheknight

Would never have expected this “sad wedding” playlist to work for an AU, but I hardly had to make any edits to this one… just a slight edit to the title from “Company Calls Epilogue.” (I was tempted to call the playlist “Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride” though lol.)

In this playlist, Shirayuki is a wedding planner and is tired of planning weddings for others and seeing drama like the stories in the Death Cab and Eisley songs, so she doesn’t want a wedding of her own. Obi finds out about these feelings, and they talk things through during the two Alvvays songs and eventually decide what works best for them (the “unveiled clarity” in “Ambivalent Peaks”) by the end of the playlist.

Company Calls Epilogue- Death Cab for Cutie Company Calls- Death Cab for Cutie Cath…- Death Cab for Cutie Death of an Interior Decorator- Death Cab for Cutie Smarter- Eisley Archie, Marry Me- Alvvays Atop A Cake- Alvvays BWU- Tegan and Sara Ambivalent Peaks- Bad Books

 Summary lyrics are cited after the cut:

Company Calls Epilogue- Death Cab for Cutie

Synapse to synapse, the possibility's thin I'm dressed up for free drinks and family greetings On your wedding day The figures in plastic on the wedding cake that I took, were so real

You were the one but I can't spit it out when the date's been set The white routine to be ingested inaccurately

Company Calls- Death Cab for Cutie

I'll take the best of your bad moods And dress them up to make a better you 'Cause all the company calls amount to one paycheck

Synapse to synapse, possibilities will thin or fade And your wedding figurines, I'd melt so I could drink them in

Cath…- Death Cab for Cutie

Cath, she stands With a well-intentioned man But she can't relax With his hand on the small of her back And as the flash-bulbs burst She holds a smile Like someone would hold A crying child

And soon everybody will ask What became of you 'Cause your heart was dying fast And you didn't know what to do

Cath, it seems That you live in someone else's dream In a hand-me-down wedding dress Where the things that could have been are oppressed

But you said your vows And you closed the door On so many men Who would have loved you more

Death of an Interior Decorator- Death Cab for Cutie

Can you tell me why you have been so sad?

While you arranged flowers and chose color schemes

The girls were all there, they traded their vows The youngest one glared with furrowed brows They tenderly kissed then cut the cake The bride then tripped and broke the vase The one you thought would spend the years So perfectly placed below the mirror Arriving late, you clean the debris And walked into the angry sea It felt just like falling in love again

Smarter- Eisley

If I had one wish It'd be for you, and all your friends that didn't like me And if I had one wish It'd be that we had danced more at that apocryphal wedding

If I sound angry, I'm sorry This body can only cry for so long And if you want to blame me, then go on I'm smiling now cause I'm smarter than you think

I apologize for not telling you that my halo was cut from paper Sliced from the fibers that made up all the parts that we were together And even though I miss you, I'm thankful It's obvious that this war was futile

So put your hands together and clap for the painful choice you've made cause it's right

Archie, Marry Me- Alvvays

You've expressed explicitly your contempt for matrimony You've student loans to pay and will not risk the alimony We spend our days locked in a room, content inside a bubble And in the nighttime we go out and scour the streets for trouble

During the summer, take me sailing out on the Atlantic I won't set my sights on other seas, there is no need to panic So, honey, take me by the hand and we can sign some papers Forget the invitations, floral arrangements and bread makers

Atop A Cake- Alvvays

I lie on a sofa awake It's what you said last night You'd like us on top of a cake But you won't let me take a bite

Flowers arriving in fleets Can't we talk about this? Why let the State in our sheets? Can't we do without it?

Well, I don't mean to wind you up But I'd like to slow it down How do I remain a pup? If you put me in a gown?

What's it got to do with you? What's it got to do with me? How could I lose control When you're driving from the backseat?

BWU- Tegan and Sara

I love you I don't need a ring to prove that you're worthy You're under my skin It's easy, I don't need a lock to prove that you trust me I walk the walk To be with you

Save your first and last dance for me I don't need a white wedding Save your first and last born for me We don't need a white wedding All the girls I loved before Told me they signed up for more Save your first and last chance for me Cause I don't want a white wedding

Keep your name, you can keep your dates Keep your name, you can keep it all

Ambivalent Peaks- Bad Books

Can't find the forest Too stuck on trees But now you're invested So I'm left pretending It's all I can see

I asked for a window To open my cell You came as kaleidoscopes Climbing, colliding You came as yourself

Whether I'm ready Is not up to me

A clutch of hydrangeas A strange sort of peace In loss, I'm made certain Unveiled clarity It's you I will marry My lover, my family You always will be

But every word Seemed too small to speak So we watched the sky reach Ambivalent peaks We made our projections Present and free

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

obi finding kiki's scars, like under her arm braces, or wherever you like (big eyes emoji)

Prompts are currently closed while I catch up. I will announce when I am open! :)

A/N: Again, I am here, trying to work through my promptpile by offering you another sneak peak of a WIP. This time, it’s from a futurereveal or hidden scene of Best Laid Plans. 

Pairing: Kikiobi

Content warning: Reference to sex, adults making stupiddecisions while drunk, and frank discussions of past self-harm/cutting.

Mornings, as her father would tell anyone, have never beenKiki’s strongest suit. For a girl raised in the country, she was downright allergicto them, thriving only when her father sent her to the city or adjusting thewhole households schedule for her benefit. The days seemed brighter when shecould stay abed until noon, the nights more tolerable when she could hone herblade by moonlight.

Come dawn, though- Well, the early hours were made for the birds. And she was no bird.

She had gotten better with age, though, much to her father’s and Izana’s pleasure. Mitsuhide’s Sereg upbringing and total patience was capable of training even an owl to rise with the sun. He kept his voice soft, prompting both Zen and her into quiet contemplation, prodding them with the simplest of questions until they fully awoke, but still-

She hated them.

This morning might take first place for the worst among them, though. Groggy, her eyesbarely open through the crust of sleep gluing them together, only to slam shutthe moment light meets them.

Mother’s milk and father’s porridge, what was in that drink last night?

Moaning, Kiki rubs her face against soft bedding, handstangling in her own hair and finding a mess. Flopping, she turns on her side,away from the window, and glances down at her body.

Her clothes are gone.

Obi must’ve been here, then.

He’s not here now, though, and both her bed and her fireplaceis cold. Squinting at the clock ticking far too loudly upon the mantle, shegroans at the thought of waiting for two more hours for the maids to show upwhen all she needs is a simple drink of water. So she gets her arms underneathher, pushes herself up-

-and hisses when she’s rewarded with a sharp painshooting straight from her wrist to her elbow.

She’s already lowered herself back to the bed when shehears a familiar voice drawl, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You weren’texactly kind to it last night.”

Dragging her head across her pillow, Kiki flinches whenlight briefly blinds her, the familiar silhouette of Obi crawling through herwindow coming into relief.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice more muffled cloth than actual human words.

“Helping!” he chirps, grin on his face and really- Hermemories are a fog, broken pieces scattered by sensation and noise, but eachone that floats to the surface tells her that her behavior was barelyacceptable last night, even by Obi’s feeble standards. And yet still, he wavesa bucket and a nondescript bag of… something in her direction like he’s nothere to dispatch her. “I am a decent hand at first aid unless you want to explainour little adventure last night to Miss.”

Wincing, she flops her hand in his general direction.“Close the window. You’re letting in a chill.”

His smile thins, but he pullsthe pane shut, closing the curtain so the room reaches a level of dark that istolerable. Her eyes flutter shut gratefully. “Thank you.”

As always, he is quiet, crossing the room with thatunearthly silence that makes him more ghost than flesh and blood. It would bedisconcerting if she did not know him. Even more if he did not make apoint to allow the bucket and bag to make something of a sound when he set themon the bedside table.

“How’s your head?” he asks, hushed.

“Horrible,” she replies, and is pleased when that earnsher a little laugh.

“Yes, well,” he sighs. “Next time get something a littleless poisonous.”

“I was going off the seller’s recommendation,” sheprotests.

“For what? An early grave?” Liquid sloshes into acontainer somewhere near her head. “Water?”

“Oh gods, yes.” Peaking a single eye open, Kiki wraps herhand around the cool glass being pressed to her. She sips, careful because she’s not such a fool that she thinks her stomach is in muchbetter shape than her head. “Thank you.”

He hums, pulling the cup from her hand, and she is justdrifting off, just being pulled back under when her wrist jostles, the tug oflacings being pulled through leather straps loud in her ears, and she- shepanics.

“Don’t!” she snaps, fully awake as she yanks her handaway. It’s too fast and it jars, white hot pain lacing all the way to hershoulder this time; through each and every finger, too. It, embarrassingly enough, pulls awhimper from her.

The sigh registers through her pain, as do Obi’s mutteredwords about how no wonder miss complains.

“Fine,” he says, and when she opens her eyes again, he is settinga prepared ice pack back in the bucket. “But when your wrist swells up to thesize of a grapefruit and you have to be cut out of that wrist guard, I don’twant to hear any complaints.”

Kiki stares at him, frowning. His profile is sharp, noteven watching her out of the tail of his eye, and she wonders about the natureof words, how people abandon their vocabulary and adopt another’s. Just how manyare his, and how many- how many are- are hers.

Slowly, carefully, she uncoils her arm from itsprotective hold against her chest. “Sorry,” she mutters. “It’s habit.”

He stares at her, the pupils of his strange eyes bleedingwide in the dark, and it’s hard to meet them. Even now. But he doesn’t sayanything. For once in his life, he is silent. Instead, he just reaches out,tugging on the laces. “Let me know if it hurts.”

She doesn’t, even when it does. But he is being gentle with her, moving her arm no more than necessary until he peels the leather backand she lifts so he can pull it out from underneath her.

Cool air touches sweaty skin and Kiki cannot meet hiseyes so she stares at the pale skin, the rooms shadows and little hatch marks ofpink somewhat hiding the silvery lines of white scratching themselves up and downthe soft of her forearm. It’s been a while since she’s seen them last in full light. She wonders if she should count them like prisoner countshis days.

How long will it take him to notice? To say something? Although maybe- maybe he’ll explain it away in his head. Or yell. Or scold. Or leave. Or maybe-

Maybe he just won’t care.

“Sorry,” Obi begins, sitting on the edge of the bed. Takingahold of her elbow, he leads the bone of her forearm to lean against his thigh.And he is silent, spreading some sort of minty poultice leaves warmth over all it touches.

“Does that burn?” he asks.

Slowly shaking her head, Kiki replies, “No. It’s justwarm.”

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Good.”

Riffling through the pack, he pulls out a roll of gauze, unspoolingit before twisting it around her arm. This way and that, smooth and practiced,until her wrist is snugly wrapped.

“Has Shirayuki been giving you lessons?”

He doesn’t flinch at the mention of her name. His faceonly softens in that fond way that has always revealed his deepest secrets.“Not really,” he laughs. “More like I’ve been giving her reason to practice.”

“You should be more careful with yourself,” she tsks, notthat she has any room to judge. It just seems right to say so.

His smile grows more. “You don’t say.”

She watches him work. “You know,” she begins. “You’regood at this.”

He grunts, taping the binding into place. “There we go!”he quips, taping her once on the nose. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

Going cross-eyed for a second, she rolls onto her back, andstares at his handiwork.

“When the warmth wears off, you should switch over toicing it, but keep it elevated as much as possible,” Obi says, pulling out the ice pack again toillustrate the point. “I don’t think you’ll need to go to the pharmacy, but ifyou do-”

“You’re not going to say anything about it,are you?”

Obi’s eyes pull wide, mouth dropping into a frown. “Asmuch as I love Miss scolding me, I don’t actively seek it out, no.”

“No,” her lips twitch, before settling once again intosomething more sober. “That’s not- that’s not what I meant.”

“Kiki-jou.” Eyes sliding from her face, Obi lingers atwhat the bandages once again hide. “I’m the last person to judge someone fortheir scars.”

Kiki stares at him, suddenly breathless, and it’s- it’s like the first time she took a punch to the gut. The light headedness. The disorientation and the not-quite pain. How easily he had delivered it, how flawlessly, like he didn’t now hold her darkest secret in the palm of his hand.

“I’m just-“ He coughs, turning to stare at her headboard.“I’m just glad you’re still here. It would have been boring if I never had the chance to meet you.”

“I wasn’t-“ Kiki swallows, searching for her courage andfinding so very little. “I didn’t want to leave,I just-”

He’s staring at her now, and no longer do those eyes lookstrange, something foreign and terrifying like a creature you never would wantto meet in the wood. Instead they look just… curious. Just like she’sexplaining the movement of sword or a formation of an army and it makes iteasy, for once, for her to open her mouth. To give her voice the air and lightneeded to speak it.

“All my life,people have controlled me. My hair. My dress. My posture. Even the cadence and clip of myvoice.” Her throatfeels tight and she wishes he hadn’t taken that water away so quickly. She would like to hide behind it. “Even-even who I was to give my body to, who I was to marry wasn’t mine to choose, not at first. Not until-”

Kiki gestures with her arm, her tongue failing her. Ormaybe her throat just stings too much to allow herself to continue.

“I just- I wanted to be in control. Of just… one thing.”

She represses the urge to flinch when she feels Obi shift onto the mattress, but she jolts when his thumb drags beneath her eye. It pulls back and she’s shocked tosee them come away wet. Just a little.

“Did it work?”

The question gives her pause, more liquid leakingpainlessly from her eyes. “I thought it was, in the beginning,” she admits, surprising herself with her honesty. Tracingthe length of a scar from memory through the gauze, her lips tremble. But thenshe shakes her head. “But no. It didn’t.”

Sighing, Obi pulls himself the rest of the way up and into her bed, propping himselfagainst her headboard. She waits for the longest time for him to speak, andwhen he does, it’s with a level of lightness that she does not expect. 

“I guesswe’re not too different after all,” he says, scratching absently at his chest.

She doesn’t know what to say to that, but one of thoseclever hands of his finds her hair, picking at a gnarl they both earned her in the training yard last night.

“You’re a mess,” he mutters.

Her lips twitch, and her chest is… surprisingly lighter. “My problem seem like less of one whenI look at yours. Or Shirayuki’s,” she says, halfheartedly attempting to bat away his hand.

He bats her back. “Miss would say-“ Obi coughs out a laugh, a wet thingwithout humor. “Miss would say that it doesn’t matter. Our problems are ourproblems. If they’re big to you, then they’re big.”

Kiki looks at him, the softened lines of his face as he bringshis other hand to work on her hair. “That does sound like something she wouldsay.”

Obi peers down at her, his mouth settling into itscustomary grin, and it’s- nice. It’s nice to know that she didn’t ruineverything. “You’re still have to answer for last night, you know.”

Face falling, Kiki swallows a sigh. “Can’t I just blame it on the drinkand be done with it?”

“Kiki-jou,” his voice is thick with censure, tugging alittle harder than necessary on a knot. “I never pegged you for aheart-breaker.”

She smiles, a weary thing. 

If only he knew.