#like i mean Suzu and Yuzuri? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

onedivinemisfit · 3 years

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FREE TO COLOR LINEART MASTERPOST PART 1✏️💝

(Eternal WIP lol)

I will be pinning this post to my blog for easy finding, and collect all my available linearts in a list. I’d have made a page, but redirect pages don’t show on mobile so this is the better decision. It’ll probably take some time to fully update, as some of my linearts are strewn all over the place ^^; Like, the rule will be, if the art isn’t listed here, I do not have the lineart. Maybe I never saved it, or it has been lost. I apologize beforehand for this.

All the art is in PNG format. This means that if you use software like Clip, SAI, PS, or even Gimp, they will recognize the transparency (the blank spaces) and be easy to color. If anyone needs to load the pictures in different formats, let me know and I’ll have them reformatted for your needs~ And ofc if you color traditionally, just print em out :)

“NSFW!” - means the works are mature and by clicking the link you regard yourself as old enough to view the image.

I only ask that you do not take credit for my work, or resell them for profit, thank you.

AnS;

* Hakizana Racy Kiss Lineart (Haki x Izana)

* Hisakiki Kiss Lineart (Hisame x Kiki)

* AnS Main Girls Lineup Lineart

* Happy Family Ice Cream Chibis Lineart

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 1 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 2 Lineart (NSFW!)

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 3 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 4 Lineart (NSFW!)

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 5 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 6 Lineart (NSFW!)

* 2019 Obiyukiweek Day 7 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obiyuki Chapter Cover Redrawn Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Happy Family Witcher!AU Lineart

* Obiyuki Sword Stab Lineart (tw: blood and gore)

* Happy Family Walkies Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obiyuki Awkward Balcony Scene Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Happy Family Good Morning Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Shirayuki and Yuzuri’s Secret Lineart

* Obiyuki Bingo 2020 Role Swap AU Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* AnS Newspaper Captions Lineart

* Happy Family Soiree Redraw Lineart

* Obiyuki Pregnant Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Necromancer Shirayuki Lineart

* Obiyuki Nursing Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obiyuki From Far Away Redraw Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Mitsukiki Angst Lineart (Mitsuhide x Kiki)

* Obiyuki Lap Sleepies Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obiyuki Vette Family Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Shirayuki Profile Manga Redraw Lineart

* Kageya Manga Redraw Lineart

* Obiyuki LotR!AU Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2021 Obiyukiweek Day 2 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2021 Obiyukiweek Day 3 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2021 Obiyukiweek Day 4 Lineart (NSFW!)

* 2021 Obiyukiweek Day 5 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* 2021 Obiyukiweek Day 7 Lineart (Obi x Shirayuki)

* AnS Catwalk Ladies

* Lilias Bathhouse Manga Redraw Lineart

* Mitsutorou Carry Me (Mitsuhide x Torou)

* Little Izana and His Cat

* Swordswoman Kiki

* Necro!yuki and friends

* Promo redraw teatime (Obi x Shirayuki)

* AnS manga whole page redraw (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obi admiring her (Obi x Shirayuki) (NSFW!)

* AnS vol 25 redesign

* Obiyukimadness22 Awkward Bathtub Bonding (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obiyukimadness22 Final (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Silk and Daggers Shirayuki

* Ryuu dress-up doll base

* Ryuu dress-up outfit

* The Slap

* Phantom Thief Shirayuki

* High Schooler Obi

* Suzuri Tent Hook-up (Suzu x Yuzuri) (NSFW!)

* Gal pal Massage (Torou x OC)

* Obiyuki Happy Spy Family

* Three sides of a Shirayuki (NSFW!)

* Obiyukiweek22 angsty hug (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Obiyukiweek22 panel redraw (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Shirayuki’s dorm room

* 2016 Zenyuki anime ending (Zen x Shirayuki)

* 2016 behind the scenes at Lilias (Haki x Izana)

* Obiyuki ESO!au heroes

* Accidental First Kiss (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Sleepy Kiss (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Whipped Cream Kiss (Obi x Shirayuki) (NSFW!)

* Fox Hand Kiss (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Sailor Shirayuki

* Moon Kitty Garack

* Sailor Kihal

* Sailor Torou

* Sailor Kiki

* ObiyukiBingo23 Rimworld (Obi x Shirayuki)

* ObiyukiBingo23 Hanahaki (Obi x Shirayuki)

* ObiyukiBingo23 Baby Fox (Obi x Shirayuki)

* ObiyukiBingo23 Summer Camp

* ObiyukiBingo23 Googly Eyes in Class (Obi x Shirayuki)

* ObiyukiBingo23 Sailor Moon OP Redraw

* Obiyukibingo23 Bruxayuki’s Confession (Obi x Shirayuki)

* Concubine and Envoy’s First Meeting (Obi x Shirayuki)

Hakuouki;

* Chizuru Headshot

* Oni Chizuru Headshot

* Sen-hime Headshot

* Oni Sen-hime Headshot

* Big hug (Iba x Chizuru)

The Witcher;

* Coral at the Thanedd Ball

* Aen Elle Wedding (Ciri x Eredin)

Witch Hat Atelier;

* Main cast headshots

The Moomins;

* The Groke Redesigned

Apothecary Diaries;

* Lipstick Lovers (Mao Mao x Jinshi) (NSFW!)

Mao;

* Tender hug (Mao x Nanoka)

Fire Emblem;

* Lysithea Swordtember

* Linhardt Swordtember

* Ashe Swordtember

* Bared Byleth (NSFW!)

W.I.T.C.H.;

* Fire Emblem Crossover

Vampire Game

* Princess Carry (Ishtar x Darres)

Rings of Power LOTR;

* Family headshots (Sauron x Galadriel)

Original Art;

* Flower maiden

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rekutopia · 4 years

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In which Shirayuki met Obi's assistant

A part of the Flatmate AU

“I’m going to install the cabinet today,” Obi suddenly said as he arranged their used plates and mugs into the dishwasher.

“It’s about time we do it – the empty space is slowly getting on my nerves.” Shirayuki placed the half loaf of bread back into the bread box and glanced at the clock. It was already a little after ten. “But then you’ll need to hurry. You only have three hours until the quiet hours. Or do you plan to do it in the afternoon?”

She heard Obi snort and she rolled her eyes. Quiet hours. It was one of those typical things in this country which took Obi a while to get used to. She could understand why, though. Surely there are people who want to take an undisturbed nap after lunch on a Sunday, but sometimes it limits other people’s time to do things in their homes, like playing music, or installing kitchen cabinets. Especially when they only have Sunday to do these stuff.

“Nah, I’ll do it in a bit. Won’t take that long. Besides, I’ll have an assistant,” Obi said, smirking.

Shirayuki frowned. This was unlike Obi. Usually he would have told her days before if he needed her help. “I can’t be your assistant, Obi. I’ve already promised Yuzuri to accompany her to this coffee exhibition, remember? Unless you could wait until I’m back? I can’t tell you for sure when I’ll be back, though...”

Obi chuckled, “Of course I remember, sweetie. Don’t worry, it’s–”

Just then the building’s doorbell rang. Obi grinned at Shirayuki. “I’ll get it. That should be my assistant.”

Shirayuki watched as Obi slammed the dishwasher’s door closed and trotted to the front door. He pressed the buzzer to let the person in and waited until they arrived at their floor. Who could that be, Shirayuki wondered. Obi rarely talked about his friends, other than Suzu. And even then, it was always in a work context. She wondered whether they were even friends outside of work. Creeping to the corridor Shirayuki hid herself behind the wall and peeked around the corner, just as the door opened.

“Right on time, Aki-chan!”

“Hi, Obi.”

Shirayuki’s eyes widened. The assistant was a big guy, half a head taller than Obi, muscular and proud of it, judging from the tight tee he was wearing. A second later he was pulling Obi into a tight embrace, his platinum blonde hair a stark contrast to Obi’s dark one. His face was beautifully carved, with a high nose bridge and thick, hard angled eyebrows. His eyes were closed and a huge smile was on his lips, showing a row of pearly white teeth.

Oh wow.

Obi’s chuckle brought her back from her fascination. “Why are you hiding, sweetie? C’mere. This is my friend Aki-chan. Aki-chan, meet my flatmate, Shirayuki.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Shirayuki,” the guy shook her hand excitedly. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

A pity I can’t say the same about you, Shirayuki thought. “Nice to meet you, uh, Aki...chan?”

The guy laughed. Even that sounded infuriatingly charming. The corner of his eyes crinkled as he continued to smile at Shirayuki. “You can just call me Aki. It’s embarrassing enough that Obi uses ‘-chan’ on me. I mean, it’s not that I look like a little Japanese girl, right?”

“U-um…”

Obi slung his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Aww, come on, Aki-chan. It’s cute, and you’re cute!” He poked Aki’s cheek playfully and Aki pretended to bite his finger. “Besides, ‘Aki’ is also a Japanese name, so, why not?”

Shirayuki suddenly felt out of place in front of the two guys bantering about proper use of names and name ender, like a third wheel on a date, though this wasn’t one. Or wasn’t it? In any case, Shirayuki could do without watching her flatmate flirting with a hot hunk and started to head back to the living area. She had to get ready to meet Yuzuri anyway. She almost managed to escape to the bathroom when a hand on her arm stopped her.

“Whoa there, young lady.” Obi was scowling at her. “I wasn’t sure this morning but now I see it clearly. What’s wrong with your feet?”

Damn, she was found out. She had been hoping that Obi wouldn’t notice her slight limping. The pain had started yesterday after work. She had been wearing ballerinas that day, on Yuzuri’s insistence.

Just what do you think you’re wearing?! This is your first lunch with him! You know how extremely little time Zen has! You can’t waste time going to your locker to change shoes! Just wear these today, they’re lady-like but don’t have heels so you should be fine!

But Shirayuki was not fine. Not at all. Apart from the numbing pressure she felt on her soles at the end of the day, intermittently there was a pricking pain at the base of her right big toe. She was assuring herself that the pain was only temporary and that it would go away after she cushioned her feet in her comfy sneakers today.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a bit of pain. It’ll go away soon.”

To her surprise, Aki stepped forward and squatted in front of her. He looked thoughtful as he eyed her bare feet. Shirayuki held back the urge to curl her toes and hide them from his scrutiny. “Have you been wearing too small shoes lately? Your skin looks raw in some places.” Then, to Shirayuki’s horror, Aki reached out his hand towards her and she took a step back in reflex.

“Really, it looks worse than it actually is. Don’t worry about it.”

“Hmmm…” Aki stood up slowly, looking unconvinced. He threw a glance at Obi, then back at her. He jerked his thumb at Obi, raising his eyebrows. “You do know your flatmate does physio?”

Well, duh. It’s not like Shirayuki hadn’t considered asking Obi for help. But Obi deserved his rest. She just couldn’t let him work 6 days a week and have her as an additional patient on a Sunday. Besides, she wouldn’t know how to feel if he said no. Hell, she wouldn’t know how to feel if he said yes. Shirayuki would never admit to anyone, not even to Yuzuri, that she sometimes dreamed of having Obi’s lovely fingers roaming over her body, caressing her tenderly, squeezing at the right places–

In any case, she was worried that things could turn awkward between them.

Before she could protest she heard Obi say, “Why didn’t you tell me, sweetie? I’d be happy to check it out for you.” Did she just imagine it or did he look slightly dejected?

“You’d better listen to him,” Aki said, rubbing it in. “And he’s really good at massages, right Obi?”

Shirayuki wanted to ask how he knew that. She was also curious whether it was common practice for Obi to give others treatment outside of work. But she couldn’t find the appropriate words without sounding so nosy, so she just sighed, resigning to her fate and promised Obi she would let him take care of her later.

*****

Seven hours later Shirayuki found herself laying on the couch with her right foot resting on Obi’s thigh. The door to the balcony was open, letting some breeze in. It would still take a while until the sun set, but at least the air had cooled down a little.

Obi’s fingers probed carefully, stretching her big toe away from the rest. His hands were so big they looked almost comical encircling her foot. From time to time he looked questioningly at her, searching for signs of discomfort.

Shirayuki hummed quietly, keeping a small, reassuring smile on her lips. She did feel a little embarrassed at the beginning – her feet being not her favourite body parts – but Obi’s pure professionalism put her at ease.

Her eyes wandered back and forth from Obi’s focused face to his clever fingers. She had never seen him in such a concentrated state before. She didn’t think it was possible for her flatmate to look even more attractive than usual, but today she was proved wrong.

Watching him work, Shirayuki wondered whether this was how Obi’s patients felt during their sessions. She wondered whether he would be that one talkative, flirty therapist everyone was fond of. She also wondered whether the way his long, slender fingers moved ever made any of them felt ...aroused. Just like how they made herself feel now–

A twinge in her chest jolted Shirayuki back from her musings. Where did that come from? She should stop being ridiculous. Obi is gay. The hot assistant from this morning was another proof.

She mentally shook her head and drew her attention back to Obi, who was lecturing her. Well, actually he was lecturing Yuzuri. He had been going at it for a while. Good for Yuzuri that she wasn’t here. He would have chewed her ear off.

“–sure she works more at the back office, but she’s your coworker! She should know how much time you spend on your feet! To let you run around in flats like that! In borrowed flats! You both may have the same size, but every person’s feet are different! Borrowing shoes should be made illegal! I can’t believe you did that! Thank goodness it was only for one day! One day was bad enough! You could’ve seriously injured yourself–”

His words were scolding but his tone was soft, worried. “Hey, are you even listening to me?” He ground his knuckles into the middle of her sole.

“Ow-ow-ow-ow! I’m listening! And for the last time, I’m sorry!”

Obi sighed. “Promise me you’ll never do such a stupid thing again? If you’re worried about wearing clogs to your future lunch dates I’ll get you a nice pair of Birkenstocks, okay? Those are closed shoes, so your prince would never ever see your cupcake print socks.”

Shirayuki flung a cushion at Obi’s head. “He’s not my prince! And it was just a lunch, not a lunch date. I've only known him for a little more than a week!”

Obi hummed, smirking and not at all convinced. Shirayuki desperately searched for a way out of the embarrassing conversation.

“A-anyway, I’ve been wondering. Is Aki a model?”

“Huh? Aki-chan?” Though he seemed surprised by the drastic change of subject, Obi decided to humour her. “Does he look like one to you?”

Shirayuki raised a brow. Doesn’t he look like one to you? “W-well, he’s very handsome, a-and very well built, just like those male models from the magazines, so I thought...”

“Heee…” Obi’s smirk grew wider. “And here I thought your type is more of a delicate, classy looking bocchan like your prince.”

Shirayuki gritted her teeth in frustration. This change of subject was not working well. To her mercy, Obi dropped his teasing, though not his smirk, and answered her question. “Believe it or not, Aki is also a physiotherapist. He works at that big health centre near the main station.”

Ah, a fellow physiotherapist. That explained his actions this morning, Shirayuki thought. “I see. And how did you two meet?”

Obi gently replaced her right foot with her left one on his thigh. “Let’s see...We met at that training I went to in January. We had to work in pairs and he was assigned to be my partner. It wasn’t long before we found out that we both speak English and immediately after that we kind of clicked. It turns out he’s also from here. So we’ve been staying in touch since then.”

“Oh, then you’ve known each other for quite a while.” Shirayuki wondered why Obi had never mentioned him to her before. Though she was burning with curiosity, Obi must have had his reasons, so she held back her questions. “Is that how he knows how good you are at massages?” she asked instead.

Obi shrugged. “He and I help each other sometimes. Being in the same profession we know the problem zones well, so it’s more or less for practical reasons.”

“He’s right, though. You are amazing.” Shirayuki winced and groaned as Obi put the right pressure on the right spot. When she looked up again she thought she saw a tint of pink blooming on Obi’s tanned cheeks. “Why, sweetie, you know it’s always a pleasure for me to satisfy all of my patient’s needs,” he gave her a wink. Shirayuki threw another cushion at him and he dodged, laughing.

Adjusting her position on the couch, Shirayuki thought about the new gained information. Now that she knew more about the hot assistant, there was only one more thing still nagging at the back of her mind.

“Say, do you often give treatments outside of work?”

Obi pursed his lips. “Nah, why should I work for free? I mean, I’d totally do it for a friend if they asked, like Aki–” His fingers suddenly stopped working and he gazed intently at Shirayuki. “Speaking of which, you haven’t told me the reason you didn’t come to me?”

Shirayuki cursed inside. That was an unexpected turn of the conversation. “I-I…” Think, Shirayuki, think! “...I didn’t want to bother you on a Sunday,” she settled for the safest answer she could think of. It was the truth anyway, at least one of them.

“Hmmm…” Obi tickled her sole and Shirayuki pulled her foot away with a yelp. When he turned to her his expression was kind. “Next time don’t hesitate to come to me, okay? Even if it’s on a Sunday. I’ll always have time for you.” Then his expression turned stern, “Though, I forbid you to come back with this kind of stupidity again, you hear me, young lady?”

Shirayuki gave him a mocking salute. “Yes, sir!”

“Good. I’ll go grab the salve for your chapped skin.”

Shirayuki watched Obi disappear into his room and then blew out a long breath. That was close. She hoped Obi believed her. It’s not like she could tell him she didn’t know how to handle getting turned on by the view of him massaging her feet. She patted both her cheeks firmly.

Better order that Birkenstock soon.

——————–

Notes:

I’m not participating in the ObiYukiMadness20. It’s just a coincidence that I’ve started writing again during this event. Basically I just want to write some ObiYuki domestic fluff.

In case any of you is wondering, Aki is American born Finn and is based on the Finnish model Otto Seppäläinen.

Coffee exhibition do exist.

Guess in which country this was set? :D

Big thanks to @claudeng80 for beta-reading <3

#myfanfic #akagami no shirayukihime #obiyuki #flatmate au

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realtacuardach · 4 years

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Breath of Life (Obiyuki Kissathon)

This is my first entry for the Obiyuki Kissathon, hosted by snowwhite-andtheknight! The prompt was a “from death” kiss. Thanks to the Obiyuki discord, especially jhalya and sabraeal for their help! Enjoy!

***

"Incredible," Zen marvelled, his breath clouding in front of him as he leaned back in the stirrups and gave Shirayuki an admiring look. "To fuse seed and stone until the plant is no longer poisonous, but a beacon!"

Shirayuki shook her hair out of her eyes, feeling the brush of her ornament's tassels against her flushed cheeks. "Well, I can be stubborn as stone myself, I wasn't about to give up and let everyone down. And I had lots of help - Suzu and Yuzuri and Ryuu and Obi…"

Her voice trailed off a little in thought, and Zen smirked before nudging his horse's flank against hers. "I'm losing you, Shirayuki."

She straightened up, her flush bright enough to stand out against the redness brought by the harsh winds. "I'm here, I'm here!" She shot him a playful glare. "And I'm hardly yours to lose anymore. How is Kihal?"

Zen flushed in a gratifying way. "Kihal's fine - although she was sad to miss the chance to visit you. But she couldn't leave the messenger bird trainings."

"I thought that was you, your highness," Kiki wryly commented from atop her steed, "you certainly have spent a lot of time looking out at the training sessions." Her eyebrows raised and the corner of her lips lifted as Mitsuhide appeared to oscillate between amusement and scandal.

Scandal was appearing to win out, and Mitsuhide was opening his mouth to interject when a snowball hurtled out of the trees and struck him squarely in the shoulder. Only his experience in horsemanship kept him upright, and he leveled a righteous glare into the surrounding forest. "Obi!"

The only response was another snowball, this one hitting him in the center of his forehead. As Mitsuhide sputtered and started scrubbing out the snow embedded in his hair, Kiki reached for her sword, placing her scabbard in front of her face protectively as her eyes skimmed the woods. Obi apparently valued his life more than the chance to surprise attack her, as his next snowball whizzed nearly past Zen's ear, painting the tree trunk near him in a splatter of white.

"Obi!" Zen called, his attempt at sounding stern undermined by the undercurrent of laughter in his voice. "Get down here!"

Obi smoothly descended from the trees, landing in a crouched bow in front of them, and looked up at his master with a toothy grin stretching from ear to ear.

Zen shook his head wryly, grinning back at the sight of his immediate knight and friend. "Is that the best way to greet your fellow knights?"

If anything, Obi's grin broadened. "Keeps me in practice, Master. And keeps Mitsuhide on his toes!"

Zen laughed, the sudden tension draining from his shoulders as he relaxed into the saddle; beside him, Shirayuki let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was a blessedly nostalgic feeling to see Obi teasing his master - it was an occurrence that hadn't been seen for the past few months. Obi had taken the dissolution of the romance between second prince and herbalist even harder than the two themselves, for some reason that he had never told her. Although he had treated Shirayuki much the same as ever, albeit with a delicacy for the first few weeks that was better suited to handling fragile seedlings, Zen had experienced what it was like to deal with an Obi who was all business. He had done his job and done it well when his services had been required, but that was the only time he would interact with Zen. Gone was the teasing and quips; the immediate knight's words were short, clipped, and to the point, and then he would vanish with a brisk nod until summoned again.

Zen had tried to be understanding, but his dismay and uneasiness about the situation could easily be read between the lines of any correspondence between him and Shirayuki. In a way, she knew that Obi was just being protective and she appreciated the steadfastness of her friend; however, she wished he could understand that she herself felt that it was for the best. Zen would always be her first love, but the two had grown, both together and apart, to find that their friendship felt more right than pursuing a romance which had cooled and dissolved with the passage of time.

At last, she could see her friends all interact without a blade of sorrow stabbing her in the stomach. And, with Zen, Mitsuhide, and Kiki so far away most of the year, their times together were rarer and even more precious to her than before. She would stomach the sorrow if it meant seeing it, but it was a relief to have it gone.

Obi fell into step beside their horses in his usual controlled lope, the leather of his uniform creaking in time with the horses' hoofbeats in a way that was familiar and comforting.

"Where's your horse, Obi?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Back in the stables."

Zen's attendant clicked his tongue in disapproval. "You really should have it with you on patrol," he said, "it helps when you need to get quickly about the perimeter."

Midori, a new guard just out of Obi's training sessions that had been riding a few lengths behind the others, almost fell off his horse in his eagerness to come forward. "Sir Obi, you can use mi-"

Obi held up a hand and shook his head with a smile. "Not necessary, Midori." He looked up at Mitsuhide. "And when you know how to ride a horse on fortress walls, I'm all ears. Otherwise, it's quicker for me to - "

His words cut off suddenly, and his head suddenly moved to the side with the sharpness of a hawk scouting out its prey. His muscles grew languid as he looked around, before coiling like a panther about to pounce.

Zen frowned, looking around himself. "Obi, what is - "

The next few seconds were a blur. Without preamble, Obi leapt into the air, a flash of black leather and tanned skin as he passed before his master and mistress and towards the trees. The telltale twang of an arrow being loosed plucked the air and Obi's hand closed in a fist as he landed in the snow. "Archer!" He growled as he took off towards the trees, feet barely touching the ground as Mitsuhide and Kiki swiftly dismounted and followed afterwards, with the new guard enthusiastically if belatedly trailing behind them.

Zen, never one to sit back and let others fight his battles for him, swung down and hooked his horse's reins on a nearby tree branch. "Stay here," he cautioned the herbalist before disappearing into the woods.

And Shirayuki, never one for following orders when she felt she could be more of use disregarding them, slid off her mount and checked to make sure her ever present satchel was secured to her waist. She gave the horse a reassuring pat on the nose before making her own way towards the others.

She found them at a tall tree, Zen and his attendants surrounding the trunk and glaring up like hunting dogs who had treed their quarry. The quarry in question was a young man who already looked somewhat worse for wear, his clothing disheveled, a swelling already forming at the corner of his jaw, and his quiver dangling from his shoulder by a torn leather strap. He looked like he was about to faint; the only thing keeping him upright was Obi's tight grip on his shoulder as the knight leaned against the trunk, his other hand clamped on his own upper arm.

Obi crooked his head in question to his comrades down below, who responded with a decisive nod. He coughed before saying with a levity that didn't match the steel in his eyes, "Looks like there's only room up here for one of us. And you're not supposed to be here, anyway, so…out you get."

And then he let the archer go.

It was only a few feet to fall, and the snow was lightly packed so it was cushion enough, but the archer still had the breath knocked out of him as he attempted to stand before Mitsuhide's imposing stance encouraged him to stay still.

"Who are you?" Zen asked the man who had begun to manage a defiant grimace.

"Just a simple archer," he spat, "what is the meaning of this?"

"Why were you shooting at us?" Zen persisted.

The man shrugged. "I guess my hand slipped. I certainly wasn't trying to shoot anyone here, your highness."

Mitsuhide stepped forward. "You don't seem to have anything to keep your catch in, no bag or cords."

A tinge of nervousness appeared in the archer's eyes before he blinked it away. "I'm something of a novice, this is the first time I've gone out hunting."

A tongue clicked up in the tree branches, and they looked up to see Obi shaking his head mockingly down at the archer. "Don't sell yourself short," he interjected, holding the arrows and quiver in one hand while he examined them closely, "this quiver's got some good wear on it, and these arrows certainly look like they were made by someone with experience…" He took the hand from his upper arm, and the dark smears of blood on his palm made Shirayuki's heart stutter. Smoothly, he took the arrows in both hands before snapping them in half. "Oops."

The archer groaned as Obi dropped the quiver and splintered arrows in the snow.

"Couldn't have done that riding a horse," he mused casually, which was met with a snort from Mitsuhide.

Obi then swung himself down onto the ground, his boots landing right in front of the group, sending snow into the stranger's face. The archer flinched back while Shirayuki flinched forward at the sight on the dark stain growing on his armor, spreading from where the arrow had pierced him.

"Obi!" she gasped, stepping forward as her hands reached for her satchel.

He wrenched the arrow out and looked at it with distaste. "I'm fine, Miss," he assured her, "just losing my touch. I used to be able to catch those." He held up his hand so the others could see the line scored through the palm of his glove from the arrow's flight, a red line already beginning to well up. "It barely hit me, but still. I'm getting fat and lazy, how am I going to get the guards to listen to me now?"

Given that the one guard present looked about ready to faint in awe, Shirayuki didn't feel he had much to worry about in that regard.

"We should go," Kiki said, "he may not have been working alone, and we have more resources to persuade him up at the fortress." Her face gave nothing away, and the archer's face paled. Mitsuhide wrenched him to his feet and secured his wrists behind him. Obi gently shook off Shirayuki's attempts to examine or dress the wounds.

"They'll keep until we get inside," he grinned good-naturedly, "and then you can unleash little Ryuu and all the other herbalists on me."

Shirayuki gave in reluctantly, if only to speed up the process so they could return to the pharmacy for proper assessment and treatment. Obi walked behind the rest, keeping watch for any other movements that would give the presence of potential accomplices away. She turned back a few times to check on him, but only got a cheeky wave and grin in response. So she swallowed the persistent feeling that something was wrong and focused on the return trip, letting the familiar cadence of his footsteps calm her frazzled nerves.

Her mind froze for a moment before thoughts began to hurtle past at dizzying speed. She shouldn't be able to hear them here.

In the fortress, in town, in the castle back at Wilant, the steady clip of his boots striking the floor was a familiar sound that at times provided her with a great deal of comfort. But she wasn't used to hearing it outside, where he could perch on stone walls, jump from branch to branch, or track through grass or leaves or snow with the silence of a shadow. She shouldn't have been able to hear him.

She felt a bolt of unease, which only intensified as the brisk, efficient pace began to sound much slower and heavier. She couldn’t keep herself from turning as his steps began to loudly crunch behind her, and the bolt became a stabbing fear.

The increasingly loud and belligerent complaints of the archer had drowned out the sounds of Obi’s breathing, but with her eyes focusing on him with clinical scrutiny, she tuned out all other sounds. Shirayuki winced at the pinched look his eyes had taken as his mouth gaped almost laughingly wide, the air whistling in and out of his mouth in shuddering gasps. She gripped her reins hard and pulled her steed into a stop, just like he’d taught her. “Obi?”

Obi raised up a hand to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Miss, I’m - “

And then he dropped into the snow, his limbs splayed out like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

“Obi!” She screamed, and the others turned in shock as she nearly fell off the horse trying to get down.

“Sir!” Midori cried equally loudly, rushing over to Shirayuki’s side just in time to help her turn Obi over, to expose his mouth and nose to the air.

“We need help,” Shirayuki said, pulling her satchel in front of her, “Midori, go to the pharmacy and bring back a stretcher.”

She was never more grateful for their respective trainings, in hers for her ability to give clear directions despite emotional duress, and in his for his ability to swiftly follow them.

Snow kicked up from the horse’s hooves as Midori rushed the remainder of the way to the university. The others rushed over, paying no heed to the whining of their prisoner as he was dragged along.

Zen took in the figure of his fallen friend, a gleam of fear in his eyes before it reforged into steel. He glared daggers at the man now being forced to the ground at his feet. “What was on the arrow?”

The archer narrowed his eyes in response. “I don’t know what you - “

Zen’s sword sang as he pulled it from his scabbard, and the grips of his retainers on the enemy’s shoulders tightened until their knuckles were white. “Spare us your lies - what have you done to my knight?”

The archer looked around, and was met with fire in Mitsuhide’s eyes and stone in Kiki’s. He swallowed and slumped. “You might as well say your goodbyes.”

“What?”

“The arrows were poisoned at the tip, and I wasn’t given any antidote.” He looked up at Zen with malice. “We weren’t planning on taking prisoners.”

Zen lunged forward with a growl and Mitsuhide blocked him, giving his liege a look and shaking his head. The prince relaxed, somewhat unwillingly, and took a deep breath.

“Luckily for you,” the archer felt the sting of steel against his throat and looked up at Kiki`s unyielding stance and blade, “we do. Although how lucky you are remains to be seen.” Mitsuhide joined her and placed his blade at the other side of the man’s neck.

Zen stood in front and glared down. “What. Poison. Did you use?”

Shirayuki had been listening to all that was going on behind her, as she checked on Obi’s state. Her fingers felt for his pulse (slowing considerably and distressingly thready) and hovered over his mouth to feel the breeze of his breaths. She didn’t let her hand tremble as she pulled the leather away from the arrow wound in his arm and the score on his palm. No infection that she could see…

“Poison,” she whispered as she scrambled around for a moment, trying to find the quiver where Obi had dropped it when he fell. She pulled out a broken arrow, the blasted arrowhead blessedly intact, and examined it carefully. The poison came off on her gloves and she sniffed tentatively. “No smell…”

“I don’t know,” the archer spat, “something to do with frogs.”

“Frogs,” Shirayuki repeated to herself, and shut her eyes and tried to remember if she had seen anything like that in her books. Her heart froze as her mind focused on a page that she remembered Yuzuri showing her. “Curare.”

She could hear the rush of people from the university as Obi sagged into the snow completely.

…

The rush back to the clinic and the pharmacy was a blur for Shirayuki. Between the other herbalists and the onslaught of guards, Obi was quickly swept onto a stretcher and borne to the warmth of the clinic.

Yuzuri ran out to meet them and began jogging besides Shirayuki. “What happened?”

Shirayuki panted beside her. “He’s been shot. With curare. I need the catspaw you brought back from your last trip.” She came to the split in the halls where she had to go one way for the greenhouses and other for the clinic, and dithered a moment. She didn’t want to leave him, but -

Yuzuri shoved her towards the clinic. “Go,” she barked, fear making her voice brisk, “I’ll get the catspaw. You get to your man.”

Despite the urgency of the situation, Shirayuki stumbled, her cheeks burning hot. He's not my -

But Yuzuri was already gone, and out of the corner of her eye she could see the stretcher making its way towards the clinic. She broke into a run and nearly crashed into the clinic doorway. Ryuu looked up where he was setting up bowls and pestles on the nearest table, a cluster of trainees hovering nearby.

“I heard what he was poisoned with,” he said plainly, “and I thought I had better be ready. You can observe,” he continued flatly as he looked towards the trainees, “when we’re finished. This will be a delicate procedure.”

The trainees filed out quickly, and Shirayuki looked at the master herbalist and felt her heart sink at the stress building up between his eyes. She walked over and squeezed his arm. “We can do this. Obi is strong, and we know how to help him.” Ryuu let the corner of his mouth tilt upwards before it sank back into a pensive frown. Somehow the comfort didn’t feel complete without Obi following it with an arm slung around their shoulders.

“Here’s Sir Obi!” Midori yelled as he ran into the room ahead of the other guards carrying the stretcher.

“And I have the catspaw!” Yuzuri shouted as she ran after them, her fist lifted in triumph.

Shirayuki clapped her hands together once. “Let’s get to it.”

As the pounding of pestles started behind her, she took it upon herself to peel away his glove and torn sleeve for easier access to the wounds. A sick feeling pooled in the pit of her stomach as her hands ran over the muscles of his arm that were now relaxed to the point of near stillness. He shouldn’t look like this.

She swallowed hard and began cleaning the skin around the wounds, keeping an ear on the progress of the catspaw poultices. The sleeve kept rolling back over the arm wound and, in a fit of frustration, she ripped the cloth back to the point where pieces came off in her hand.

Oh, she admonished herself weakly, he really likes this shirt.

If you wanted my clothes off so badly, Miss, she could almost hear him saying, all you had to do was ask.

Shirayuki continued to clean the skin, willing herself not to be undone by how badly she wanted him to be awake and saying that to her. A mortar was stuck in front of her and she blinked up at Ryuu.

“We ground the catspaw,” he said, “does it look ready?”

He would know as well as she that it was, but she appreciated what he was doing. She nodded and smeared a liberal does on a bandage before plastering it on his arm, Ryuu moving in sync to wrap the arrow score for safe measure.

“And now we wait?” Shirayuki asked, one hand gripping Obi’s wrist to check his pulse while the other brushed the hair dripping with snowmelt out of his face.

Ryuu pulled up a chair and stared intently at their wounded knight. “Yeah.”

Time passed painfully slowly, although it should really have been just a few moments, as the two kept vigil. Shirayuki kept the twin heartbeats of hers and Obi’s pulsing at the back of her mind, as she wondered what the others had gotten out of the archer. Were they safe? Did they need to grind more catspaw in case of another attack? Where were they? Why wasn’t Obi waking up?

His pulse pushed more and more slowly against her thumb, and she counted under her breath the moments between them. It kept her mind steady and focused when all she could do was monitor the situation and wait. She turned to ask Ryuu to check outside the window to see if anything else had happened when she froze. She wasn’t feeling anything.

“Obi?” She held her hand above his mouth. Nothing. She drew her hairpin from behind her ear and held it over his face, watching the tassels for movement. Nothing. Her heart stopped.

His heart wasn't beating.

"Ryuu!" She barked, and the younger herbalist jolted in his chair. "He's not breathing, and I can't find a pulse." She rolled up her sleeves and climbed up on the bed beside him. "I'm going to start compressions, go get help!"

Ryuu ran out of the room so quickly that his chair overturned. Shirayuki could hear his steps and shouts fading away, but turned them out as she fell into the rhythm of compressions.

Sweat dripped down past her ears as she felt the impact of his muscles and sternum reverberating in her shoulders. He was supple and strong, and she hoped she wouldn't crack his bones. If he had to be bedridden because of this, she would never hear the end of it.

Oh, I'm easy to get into bed, Miss.

She leaned down. One breath, two breaths.

This wasn't right. Obi wasn't supposed to be like this. She had felt the muscles of his chest against her several times over the years they'd spent together, whether it was when he caught her if she stumbled, or when she'd leaned against him to avoid the bustle of a hectic, crowded town square. He was warm and strong and always ready to spring into action. Now he was limp and cold and -

She leaned down. One breath, two breaths.

She missed his warmth. The warmth of his corded muscles that made her feel so safe. The warmth of his ready smirks and smiles when she needed to see them most. The warmth in his eyes when he regarded her, especially when he didn't realize she was looking. The warmth that she had only recently realized filled her heart to overflowing when she saw him -

She leaned down, blinking back tears. One breath, two breaths.

"Please," she whispered as she resumed compressions, the tips of her fingers growing icy as the fear stabbed her heart. "Please, Obi…"

He didn't answer. He had never ignored her before, even when he'd felt brave enough and secure enough in their relationship to have disagreements.

She leaned down, her lips trembling against his. One breath, two breaths.

"Please!"

She resumed compressions, although she could barely see now. The trained professional in her knew that she was fatiguing rapidly and was emotionally compromised, and that for Obi's sake, she needed for someone to relieve her soon. But...she could not bear to let go of him.

She stopped a moment to catch her breath. Her arms were quivering and her compressions were becoming irregular, which was not in Obi's best interest. Her hand felt for his pulse, and found nothing.

"Obi," she whispered, longing to curl up into him and to wake up from this nightmare, "please don't leave me."

She shook the tears from her eyes and steeled her shoulders again to resume pounding his chest when she felt something stirring beneath her palms. She leaned back in surprise and looked at his face, his eyes still closed. She grabbed his wrist, paused for a torturous moment - and then nearly fainted with relief at the weak but steady rhythm beneath her fingers.

Shirayuki slumped forward, resting her head on his chest to hear that blessed beat for herself. His chest rose and fell for a few seconds before he began to cough, causing her to bolt upright. “Obi! You’re awake!”

Obi’s eyes opened just enough for her to see the glint of gold, and he smiled weakly. “‘Course. I couldn’t leave you, Miss.”

Relief and joy coursed through her in a rejuvenating rush, leaving her feeling almost as intoxicated as Roka fruit liquor. The relief was so great, that she leaned forward and, against all medical and rational knowledge regarding a patient recovering from respiratory and cardiac arrest -

Kissed him.

Obi let out an involuntary gasp as Shirayuki nearly fell on top of him, but his heart beat strong - if not a little fast - against her palm as she leaned down. The medical veneer having been discarded now that he was safe, she let her senses flood her as she brought her lips down to meet his. His mouth, windburned and slightly chapped at the top by the harsh Lyrias winters, felt warm and right and perfect against hers. He grunted a little as her nose crashed into his but she didn’t care, her heart jumping as her top lip slid between his. She retracted back apologetically. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, brushing her hand across his face.

Then her sense came back and she yanked herself away, color flaming in her cheeks. “Oh, Obi, I’m so sorry!”

Obi grinned up at her as he gasped for air. “You take...my breath away, Miss.”

Really, if he hadn’t been recovering she would have smacked him. She pulled herself back further, hiding her face in her hands.

“Hey,” his voice gentled as he pushed himself up on one elbow. She was so spellbound by the look in his eyes that she didn’t notice his hand winding its way through the tendrils of her hair at the back of her neck. “It’s okay. Besides,” he grinned cheekily as he brought her head closer, “I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

Shirayuki’s eyes widened. Then she blushed as she let herself sink down as he pulled her slowly back towards him. Tears sprang to her eyes as the look of naked adoration in his gaze as he craned up to meet her, sealing their lips together. Although she and Zen had kissed many times over their relationship, this was beyond any sensation Shirayuki had ever known. Their hearts beat in unison, and everything was heat and fire and a feeling like coming home.

They separated for air, and she traced her fingers across his cheek, his jaw, the scar over his eye, revelling in the feeling of warmth and life. For his part, he appeared to have run out of energy to do more than lay back and purr under her ministrations like a contented housecat.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” she whispered.

“Never,” he promised, “I’m yours as long as you want me.”

She was about to show that statement the kind of appreciation it deserved, in lieu of the words her heart was too full to speak yet, when the door creaked behind them.

“Is that really,” Suzu asked from the doorway, “the best way to treat respiratory - ugh!”

“Stop ruining the moment!” Yuzuri scolded, removing her elbow from his side. “We waited too long for this! Speaking of which,” she held out her hand, “pay up.”

The next few moments were filled with the sounds of grumbling and gold changing hands. However, the two on the cot were too occupied to care.

***

I hope you enjoyed!

#obiyukikissdraft #obiyuki #Snow White with the red hair #akagami no shirayukihime

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claudeng80 · 4 years

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Pen Pals, ch. 2

Once a problem has been identified, the next step toward resolution is to solicit feedback with an eye toward identifying solutions. Ryuu and Suzu would be no help and asking Yuzuri and Obi is far too dangerous, so Shirayuki turns to her pen pal for advice.

***

Dear Unknown Guard,

As much as I’d love to argue with you, I’ve been forced to admit that you may have a point. I don’t get out much, except for work, and I’m not going to be in Lilias forever, so I should definitely experience what I can while I’m here. Do you have any suggestions for me? Anything I should try?

***

Dear Mysterious Scholar,

Given your reaction to my earlier suggestions, I suspect you need to work up slowly through the basics before attempting advanced shenanigans. Have you considered taking a picnic up to the lookout point in the crags? I’ve been told you can see everything from there, all of Lilias and Wirant and, on a clear day, all the way to the ocean. That part might have been an exaggeration, but it sounds like an amazing view.

***

Suzu says he’s good with maps, so he’s in charge of navigating. Yuzuri packed the picnic that Obi carries, and Shirayuki walks with Ryuu so that when he gets distracted by plants along the trail, they don’t leave him behind. For the most part, it just means they get distracted together, speculating about the variant aconites and discussing the soil mix they’ve been using down in the greenhouse. Her pen pal was right. She’s needed this, a change to get out of her routine and do something fun. It’s impressive how, knowing only what she’s told him in letters, he can diagnose her so well. She’s been so fortunate.

Ryuu pauses again, inspecting a clump of malformed leaves on another aconite, and Shirayuki takes the chance to stretch, spreading her fingers out against the blue sky. The breeze curls against her wrists, and she breathes deep.

When she looks down again, Obi’s there waiting, looking pleased. “Suzu thinks we’ve got about another mile to go. How are you holding up?”

Her calves are a bit tired, but no worse than she gets standing over a particularly long chemical process. His hand hangs relaxed by his side, and she wonders what he’d think if she reached for it, curling her fingers around his broad palm and squeezing. “I’m great. I really needed this, and I’m so glad you wanted to come along.”

He’s just staring at her smile, and it takes him a second to respond. “Good.” He swallows, and he’s himself again. “I’d heard it was nice, just didn’t think you’d be interested. Hope the view’s worth the walk.” His boots shift on the rock. “Come on, little Ryuu, we’re getting left behind.”

Ryuu drops the leaves and falls into step beside Obi, and Shirayuki stands a second watching them go. The aconite stem bobs gently, swaying back into stillness as they crunch into the distance. Ryuu’s tight stride takes him twice as many steps to go the same distance as Obi’s loose saunter, and her heart swells in her chest watching the contrast. In the distance, up the slope, Yuzuri and Suzu are bent over the map, bickering. She can’t see it from here, but she knows Suzu’s thoughtful frown, Yuzuri’s bared teeth. She wants to explode with fondness.

Obi looks back. “Problem?”

“No problem!” Shirayuki charges up the trail, feet slipping a bit in the loose rubble, and Obi laughs as she skids in beside them. Clarines opens out before their eyes and, just for a moment, everything is perfect.

The problem waits for them to start setting up their picnic spot, the trailing wisps of mist giving way to a thunderstorm pounding over the peak. The picnic blanket bells in the sudden wind, dragging Shirayuki a step toward the cliff before it’s ripped from her hands. Obi grabs at her elbow as Suzu and Yuzuri tackle Ryuu, bracing against the stinging onslaught of rain. The sodden blanket whips over the edge into nothingness, and water pours into Shirayuki’s eyes as she watches it go. That could have been her.

Obi’s voice is so close to her ear the warmth of his breath cuts through the chill. “We need to find shelter.”

He’s still that close when she turns to answer, his hair comically flat and his eyes amber in the dim light. “We didn’t see anything on the way up.”

“Come on, you two, we need to get down from here!” Yuzuri’s voice cuts through the roar of rain and wind, and they all struggle onto the path.

The way down is endless. Shirayuki’s calves are burn constantly, the soles of her feet throbbing every time her boots lose purchase on the slick rocks. The only good luck is that they’re out of the wind, shielded by the very mountain they’re sliding down the side of. Obi’s backpack bobs in front of her, shedding streams of water with every step. Lunch is a loss. Their outing is a disaster. Giggles bubble out of her with a spray of rain off her lips, and she can’t stop.

The longer it rains, the more running water cascades down the trail underfoot. Her giggles subside to chuckles, then rise to a shriek as she loses her footing. Water pours into her boot as she slides toward the dropoff, not knowing through the deluge whether she’s a few feet above a switchback or perched on the edge of a cliff, and then she’s caught.

Obi’s arm around her ribs is just on the right side of painful, but he’s steady and secure and she knows she won’t be falling over a cliff when he’s holding her. He’s always in motion; she knows he can be this immovable foundation as well, but it’s so easy to forget. “I owe you another,” she says, her voice barely a whisper from the way she’s being crushed.

Her leg slides along his as he lowers her down, the ground steady under her feet again. As though the weather’s been waiting, the rain slacks for a second, enough that she can hear him loud and clear. “Don’t scare me like that again and we’ll call it even.” She’s still for a moment by his side, supporting her own weight again but still pressed against him, before she realizes she’s the one keeping him from moving, her hand clutched in the sodden fabric of his shirt.

He shudders as she lets go, probably from cold water running down his pants, another thing she feels sorry for. She doesn’t go far, though, grasping his hand with her own. His fingers are wrinkled and chilly, but she feels steadier instantly. “Is this all right?”

“It’s one way to keep my heart from stopping,” he answers, blunting the sarcasm with a gentle squeeze. He doesn’t let go.

They’re nearly back to Lilias when the rain finally slows to a drizzle. Suzu stares at the lingering clouds as though challenging them to come back and finish the job. Yuzuri strips off her shirt to wring it out, which sends Ryuu into an unexpected burst of speed nobody else has the energy to keep up with. Yuzuri laughs, and Shirayuki wishes she were wearing as many layers so she could get away with the same. It’ll just be a few more minutes back to their rooms, then she can bury herself in dry towels and hot tea for as long as she needs.

Her stomach growls, too loud to miss, but the Lilias gate-guard hails them before Obi can start in with the teasing. He looks them up and down, from Yuzuri’s wrinkled overshirt to the stream of water still pouring off Shirayuki’s ponytail, and his mouth twitches more than once as he takes in the full sight of Obi. “What happened to you?” He pauses a second, still fighting the laugh they don’t need to hear to know is there. “Sir?”

Shirayuki frowns. Obi’s in no hurry to defend himself, looking like his thoughts are miles away in Yuris or Tanbarun or the other side of the sea. He’s going to look bad in front of his men if she doesn’t do something, and it’s not like any of it was his fault. “We got caught by a storm on the lookout trail,” she says. “I’d heard the view was amazing.”

“Oh, it is!” His attention is caught entirely, now. “You can see the ocean on a clear day! But you really need to check the weather predictions first. I thought everyone in Lilias knew that.” He presses his lips together, a single snort escaping, and waves them in. “Welcome back. Better luck next time.”

Obi’s sigh is prolonged. “I guess I learned something,” Shirayuki pipes up before anyone can start blaming anyone else. It was her idea. “It was a good idea, though. We’ll have to try again sometime.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be dry again,” grumbles Suzu, turning off toward his apartment.

Yuzuri peels off a minute later, waving as she calls back, “Who’s up for the bathhouse later?” Obi flashes her a rude gesture, and if Shirayuki weren’t so tired she’d agree.

Obi’s room in the barracks is in the entirely opposite direction, but she knows better than to even try to convince him she doesn’t need an escort. “Do you want to come up and dry off?” She has extra towels. Space would be a bit tight, but he wouldn’t have to drip all the way across town where every single guard would see him.

It takes him a second to answer, standing by her building’s door. It bothers her, the second he needs to react every single time she tries to offer him something. He’s constantly unprepared, always surprised at every gesture. And then his first reflex is always to turn it down, which is why she’s not offended that he shakes his head. His cheeks are more colorful than usual, and she makes a mental note to watch him for fever for the next couple of days. “I’ll just take care of it in the barracks,” he says, but doesn’t go anywhere.

She stands there, waiting. He should go get dry, and she’d certainly like to as well, but she’s not moving until he does. Another drop of water coalesces out of his hair, and he wipes his cheek on his shoulder. It feels like he’s waiting for something, a tension in the air buzzing between them just a little closer than usual, within hand’s-reach-

His hand. She drops it as though she’d closed her fingers on one of Lata’s crucibles. “Don’t catch a cold,” she orders as she spins and runs for the door.

***

Dear Mysterious Scholar,

Perhaps my last suggestion was offered a bit too hastily. A hiking party got caught in the rain on that trail recently and completely drenched. Ruined their picnic and everything, and people almost died on the rocks on the way back down. Please check the weather report before you try climbing. I’d really hate to be the cause of something happening to you.

***

She’s not about to tell him she found that out the hard way. She does have some amount of pride, after all.

The weather takes a cooler turn once the clouds have blown through, enough that Shirayuki and Yuzuri can face the thought of a visit to the hot-spring bathhouse without shuddering. Shirayuki sets her towel aside, wincing at the way her cold fingers sting in the water.

A wave of sulfur-tinged water washes across her mouth, and she opens her eyes to Yuzuri, far too close. “Finally, we’re alone,” she says, and Shirayuki doesn’t know where to look. Yuzuri’s face, usually the only safe place for her gaze, is so feral with glee it makes Shirayuki uncomfortable. It’s going to be trouble, somehow. “You can explain now.”

“Explain what?”

“What you’re doing! Coming out of the lab to go drinking with me, suggesting hiking trips? It’s unusual for you.” She leans even closer, sending another wave over Shirayuki’s shoulders. “Holding hands with Obi?”

“That was practical!” Her voice comes out far too loud for her audience being six inches away. Heads on the other side of the pool turn, and Shirayuki sinks into the water down to her chin. “I almost fell off the trail. He was keeping me safe.”

“Obi always keeps you safe. You should let him get you into some trouble instead.”

“I’ve explained to you before-”

“Yes, your prince back in Wistal. You’re working toward a future together, blah blah blah. I do listen, you know.” That’s not what it sounds like to Shirayuki. “But are you happy now?”

***

Dear Unknown Guard,

Do you ever feel like you just can’t make people happy? I’ve been trying all kinds of new things and my friend refuses to be satisfied. She doesn’t appreciate that I’m making an effort, even when she’s the one responsible for the most embarrassing experience I’ve ever had in a public bath and the six new hangover remedies I now have memorized. Instead all she wants to do is talk about men, and when it comes to me, one in particular. And it’s not the one who’s waiting for me, it’s a friend who I’m sure has never looked at me that way in his life, and that’s just fine!

***

Dear Mysterious Scholar,

Here’s the question. Are you trying new things for her approval? Or for your own good?

I’m sorry to hear she’s being difficult. I have friends who do exactly the same, constantly hassling me about a particular friend, and it’s a real pain. Clearly she’s in the wrong, if you say so, although I have to argue with you on one point. He’s looked at you that way. I don’t know either of you, but he has. You can trust me on this.

But if you’re not interested, that is what it is. What’s this about someone waiting for you?

***

Dear Unknown Guard,

Maybe “waiting for me” was the wrong way to put it. I have an understanding with someone far away- we write to each other and someday we’ll be together. We’re working toward it. I just don’t bring him up in conversation because people don’t understand.

If we’re going to talk about this, I have to ask. Do you have someone special?

***

“Thinking about the master?”

Shirayuki’s elbow scrapes against the railing as she pushes herself out of a slump. It’s a beautiful evening, mist rolling off the mountains lit in the last orange of the setting sun, and at least for a while she had the balcony all to herself. It’s a private place for thinking in silence, and it would have been a good place for missing Zen if that were what she’d been doing. Instead she’s been asking hard questions about her life and the quiet isn’t offering a lot of answers. “I haven’t heard from him in a while,” she says.

“He had that conclave, right? And then the state visit from, um-”

She doesn’t remember either. This conversation already sounds like so many they’ve had before. The details change, but the facts don’t. “Right, them. I know he’s busy. But even Raj writes more often.”

His eyebrow lifts, sending the scar on his forehead hiding under his hair. “Did you really just compare Master with Prince Raj?”

“You can never tell him I said that.”

“My silence can be purchased with baked goods.” Obi’s spine curves as he leans against the wall, deceptively relaxed. She knows better. “Shall I come back later?”

The last arc of the sun slips below the mountain’s edge, the naked concern in Obi’s face fading along with the highlights and deep shadows. As the light settles into a more uniform dimness, she shakes her head. “No.” She doesn’t need to stand and stare into the dark when she can be down in the market getting dinner with Obi. “Let’s go eat.”

#fanfic #in which shirayuki has a pen pal #I'm going to come up with a title at some point before chapter 6 #i swear

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k-itsmaywriting · 4 years

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Adrift in the Snow (2/2) : Three Months

Shirayuki watched Obi’s back as he ran to into the training grounds. She could already see Obi’s sheepish smile when Makiri’s voice comically boomed in the morning air, even though she could see the trainees were still busy shoveling the previous night’s snow off the grass.

She turned toward the pharmacy and continued on her way, short-cutting through the snowy courtyards.

As she walked into the pharmacy, Suzu gave her a blank look. “Did your meatball soup send you into a food coma, Shirayuki? You’re five minutes late.”

Shirayuki grimaced. “Sorry, I was just…” with Obi, she doesn’t say. Well, not like Suzu would be particularly surprised, just mildly disappointed, probably. It was just that it wouldn’t have been a good excuse. Especially since the reason she was five minutes late and not two was because she was grabbing his face and…

She blinked. Oh, she really…she really just…

Kissed his nose. For no reason. Other than feeling overwhelmed with fondness for him.

Her face suddenly felt too hot for how cold it just was outside.

Suzu raised his eyebrow. “You were just…?”

Shirayuki shut her mouth tight. “Food coma. From the soup.”

She scurried past Suzu to throw herself to work before he could ask anything else.

——————–

The remaining winter is the longest two months Shirayuki has lived, yet once it passes, she is caught surprised.

She and Ryuu write to each other. It’s still strange to think he’s not by her side anymore and misses him dearly. But even so, she knows he’s thinking about them as much as they are him.

Otherwise, the days go by the same they did before. She has shifts in the pharmacy, she studies in the library and goes to Pavilion Market with her friends, and Obi is with her through it all, just like he always has been.

She doesn’t drift aimlessly anymore. Even though she’s still finding where forward is, there is ground beneath her feet where she can walk and wander knowing she’s surrounded by love. Knowing that even though home is where she and Obi are together, home is also in the snow and shadows between the pillars – where she knows the campus like the back of her hand. A place for both of them to stay and know there are others waiting for them.

It lets her wait for the storm clouds in her head to clear. To hang up the sun so she can see around her better. It is then that she truly sees, notices, and falls in love with the shadow that’s protective and forever present by her side no matter where she goes.

——————–

On the last night of the season, the market is crowded.

Waves of people cross the roads in all directions, yet as soon as they leave the academy gates, Kirito dives straight into the crowds. Suzu and Yuzuri fumble and chase after him, half-exasperated and half-excited to enjoy the market themselves.

Next to her, Obi chuckles. “Kirito’s always going to be that energetic, isn’t he?”

“We all love him for it anyway,” Shirayuki laughs. “Come on, let’s go catch up with them.”

She steps closer towards the crowd and purses her lip – the rush is so much bigger than usual. She looks at Obi over her shoulder, watching when he tilts his head in question.

Holding her breath, Shirayuki takes his hand in hers and pulls him along with her. She fixes her gaze forward onto Suzu’s blonde head bobbing in the crowd – he’s almost as easy to find in crowds as Mitsuhide – and tries not to think about how warm Obi’s hand is or how much she never wants to let go of it.

Every moment with Obi feels like ice thawing on the first morning of Spring. Warm and golden. But it’s strange – nothing about that feeling is new. But…but…

Ever since that morning she kissed his nose, every time he calls her Miss, she feels as though she’s just been kissed. Her heart feels warmer and warmer every single time he hands her a mug of hot tea or a bowl of chilli. Or wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on her head every time they sleep through a cold night together.

The warmth has become so much she hardly knows what to do. Like it’s about to burst out of her chest and all she can do is try to hold it all in, or else she’ll do something silly like kiss him again. Because that seems to be all she can think about these days.

“—iss….Miss!”

Shirayuki snaps out of her daze. She turns, apology already on her tongue because what was she even thinking. He can follow her without her holding his hand.

But Obi is pointing towards a stall a few metres where they just came from, and it takes Shirayuki a full three seconds to realise the others are standing there, while she’s brought him all the way to the fire in the town square.

She coughs, a blush high on her cheeks while Obi laughs. And the sound of it, brighter than she’s ever heard, makes her heart skip, as he holds onto his stomach. She can’t even be embarrassed anymore if something so little is making him laugh like that.

Obi snickers, “What? Are you cold—” He suddenly freezes when he turns to her – “…Miss?”

Something unreadable passes through Obi’s eyes, and it is only then that Shirayuki realises she’s smiling at him. Oh god. She feels heat rise from her neck. She must’ve been looking at him like she’s obviously—

“Shirayuki! Obi! There you are!”

They both jump, pulling their hands away from each other’s. Her gloves stick a little to the sweat on her palms, suddenly chilly against the winds that brush past.

Yuzuri bounds up to Shirayuki and pushes a hot mug of punch into her hands. “We thought you two were right behind us. Who knew you were already here?”

Shirayuki smiles sheepishly, taking a sip from the mug. “Sorry. I was sure I was following Suzu. But turns out it wasn’t actually him.”

Yuzuri chuckles. “Sure, tall and handsome blonde with foxy eyes. You can really find them everywhere here, can’t you?”

She’s about to ask what she means by that, but not before Kirito turns his head and seems to notice something about her. “Big Sis!” he yells, “Are you sick?”

Everyone looks at Shirayuki, and if she didn’t look sick before, she probably does now.

Yuzuri gently presses the back of her hand on Shirayuki’s forehead. “Woah, you do feel really warm. Did I accidentally give you an alcoholic punch?”

“I think so!” Shirayuki yelps as she grabs Yuzuri’s wrist. “Let’s go get another one!”

She has to stop herself from slipping on snow or barrelling right into a passerby as she escapes Suzu’s hold on, I might have the non-alcoholic one and Obi’s Miss, just give it to me!

She passes right by the nearest punch stall and instead pulls Yuzuri into an alley between two stores. There, she lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding in, watching it billow into the cold air above her.

Yuzuri plucks the mug out of Shirayuki’s hands and takes a sip. She gives her a flat look. “This is the alcohol-free punch.”

Shirayuki sighs, taking back the mug. “I…needed an escape.”

“An escape?” Yuzuri asks, narrowing her eyes. “From what?”

“From…” She thinks back to just a few moments before. The weight of Obi’s hand in hers, of her heart when she had made him laugh, of the air when they had looked at each other like they were at Lord Eisetsu’s dinner party all over again and…

Shirayuki’s heart hammers once in her chest, sparks flying through her. “Oh.” She looks down into her mug and tries to breathe. “Oh.”

Suddenly her head is clear. And before Yuzuri can ask, Shirayuki looks up at her again and says without an ounce of hesitation, “I’m in love with Obi.”

It feels natural saying it, feeling it. It all makes sense to her now.

Meanwhile, Yuzuri stumbles back and stares at Shirayuki like she had just slapped her in the face until the wheels in her head finish turning.

“You’re what?!"

Just as Shirayuki’s about to say it again, Yuzuri says, “Okay, now I know who you were escaping from.” She pauses, coughing into her fist. “I mean, took you long enough.”

Shirayuki’s jaw drops. “’Took you long enough’? What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Please,” Yuzuri snorts, “Everyone heard about what happened at Lord Eisetsu’s manor. Does pretending to be lovers ring any bells? Staring passionately into each other’s eyes?”

“Anyway!” Shirayuki interjects, hoping Yuzuri doesn’t notice her cheeks flushing in the dark. “It’s just…become so much that I don’t know what to do. I…I once felt so much for him at once over something really little that I even…” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “…I even kissed him.”

Yuzuri loudly inhales.

“On the nose!” Shirayuki squeaks. “And I didn’t even process it until I got to the pharmacy that morning!”

Yuzuri’s head is in her hand, and Shirayuki is unsure whether she’s laughing or hugely disappointed in her. Or both. Her hand scrubs down her face. “Shirayuki, you’re going to kill that boy. Or is he already dead? Do we know that? Have you at least talked about it? Because he’s going to convince himself it was all a dream if you don’t.”

“We haven’t,” Shirayuki confesses. “I don’t even know how we would. Not when he doesn’t feel the same.”

For some reason, that makes Yuzuri quiet. She narrows her eyes at her like any second now Shirayuki will tell her she was just joking. She’s not sure why, though, because even though she hasn’t exactly been thinking about whether he loves her the same way, she wasn’t joking. But she’s terrified of being right, nonetheless.

Yuzuri’s expression softens. “Well, as much as I want you to, I can’t make you tell him.” She sighs. “But if you’re ever really thinking about it, I think you know better than anyone where honesty and sincerity gets you. And when it comes to you two, it’s always a good place.”

Shirayuki smiles. “Thanks, Yuzuri.”

Yuzuri holds out her mug. “To being in love, I guess.”

They cheers to it.

——————–

As it turns out, no single time feels right to tell him.

Shirayuki knows that, logically, conversations about feelings have to be dragged up to the surface. They do not flow – she has to take a leap.

But sometimes she feels like she’s more ready to jump out of another tower than that.

So she tries to say I love you in other ways. She says it in her head every time she waves goodbye when they part ways just for the day, missing him until they see each other again in the evening. It’s in her voice when she calls his name and in all her ‘thank you’s, in the lingering stares and smiles she leaves for him when he’s not looking.

For a while, it’s enough for her. She’s happy with what they have. She doesn’t have to say the words to let it bring light and warmth into her small world, to hopefully return to Obi what he’s given her.

Until, of course, a time when the words are all she has to explain it.

——————–

Shirayuki’s unsure of just how many hours she’d spent in the library, but she’s certain that she does not want to go to bed until she’s found at least something on the latest swarm of insects that’s been targeting all their plants in the stockroom. She’s been searching since dinner, and if her grumbling stomach is any indication, it’s long past midnight.

She’s quite close to have searched every single book in the zoology section, save for the top corner by the far window. But she’s not done yet.

As she drags the nearest wooden ladder towards her, Obi says, “If that last corner is a no-go, it might be a good time to head to bed. Shidan did say he’s going to ask the zoology department about them tomorrow.”

“I know,” Shirayuki sighs as she begins climbing. “But it’d just be faster if we got to the bottom of the issue now. The first two times we found them, we thought it was our fault, but I’m really starting to think differently now that I found them again just this morning.”

“And in completely different boxes too. Think there’s a pattern between any of them?”

She slips a few books out of the shelves and checks their contents before cradling them in one arm. “Not at the top of my head. Though, it might be worth asking Yuzuri if she has any ideas.”

“The greenhouse has its work cut out for it this year, it seems,” Obi says. As Shirayuki twists to step down the ladder, Obi suddenly gasps. “Miss, don’t move—!”

It’s too late. Shirayuki drops her weight onto the rung beneath her and hears a thick snap. Her feet are on air, and then she’s falling. Her heart lurches to her throat like a scream as she reaches her hand out.

Obi is right there – his arms wrap around her waist and she presses her hands into his shoulders, barely steadying herself. He looks up at her right as her head falls forward, and their lips meet each other’s.

Shirayuki’s eyes widen just as Obi’s does. But they don’t break apart. Shirayuki fell and it’s absolutely ridiculous that they’re kissing now but so help her—

She closes her eyes and pushes all her weight into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. A small yelp escapes from Obi’s throat. Shirayuki suddenly opens her eyes, settles a hand back onto his shoulder and pulls away. “I’m so sorry, are you—"

Obi loosens his grip just so and Shirayuki’s feet tap onto the floor. He catches her gasp in an open-mouthed kiss, hands on her hips gently pulling her closer until her chest is pressed flushed against his.

Weak in the knees, Shirayuki lets herself fall – stumble back. Obi follows her, taking only a breath before kissing her again and again, even when her back is against the bookshelf and her foot knocks a book. Heat sparks and flares in her veins until she’s pulling him to her by the collar of his jacket and he’s humming sweetly against her mouth.

She wants him. And she wants him to know that…

“Obi…” Shirayuki breathes. She moves her hand from the back of his head to bracket his face, thumb resting right against his cheekbone as she pulls away. “I…I have to tell you something.”

Obi’s shoulders stiffen. He’s still so close but all of a sudden, he looks scared. Almost remorseful. For a moment Shirayuki feels him try to slip from her grasp, but stays just long enough to ask, “Wh-what is it?”

She breathes in deep, lets the air fill her chest as she braces herself. “I love you,” she says softly.

Obi freezes, eyes as wide as saucers. “Miss?”

“And I know that’s a lot,” Shirayuki gulps. “Because we’ve been together for so long but never like this. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same—"

“I love you too.”

Confession sits heavy in the air between them, weighing on both their hearts.

Shirayuki stares at him, unsure whether to smile or cry. “Really…?”

His eyes mirror hers, just as shocked as she is, and she can’t help but wonder why. He ducks his head, staring at the ground. “To tell you the truth, I’ve loved you for so long it’s harder to pinpoint a time when I didn’t.”

She tightens the grip of her fingers in his jacket. “Oh…”

So this is what Yuzuri meant.

His words play over and over again like an old tune in her head. Every single time she hears it, she sees another memory of him and wonders how she couldn’t have known. She wonders how many times he’s told her he loves her without the exact words the way she has.

She thought she couldn’t fall anymore, but seeing the way he looks now, vulnerability laid bare in the molten gold of his eyes, waiting, she realises she couldn’t be more wrong.

“Obi?”

“Yes?”

She takes another breath, tries to keep her voice stable despite how much her heart itself is shaking. “Will you call me by my name now?”

His mouth snaps shut as he turns his head to face her. His heart races beneath her hand, and he swallows. “If you want me to."

She smiles at him, and watches as pure, unfiltered light enters his eyes despite the dark of the library past midnight – it’s a good enough answer.

“Then I love you, Shirayuki.”

Shirayuki kisses him again. Softly and…and it feels right. It feels like breathing. Like kissing him is the most natural thing in the world and there is no one else who can make her feel the way he does. It feels like a new hello, goodbye and thank you, among a thousand other meanings that only they know.

He pulls away, and Shirayuki looks bashfully at the floor, cheeks hurting from how wide she’s smiling. “We should pick these books up and leave before we get kicked out.”

Obi laughs under his breath, giddy. “Okay.”

——————–

When the trees in the campus courtyards begin to bloom, Obi and Shirayuki are to leave for their second mission together.

“A mysterious illness has been spreading throughout the north-western region of Clarines,” Shidan explains. “There haven’t been any fatalities yet, but citizens have been reporting symptoms that raise some concerns for us. His Majesty Izana has asked for you two to visit the affected villages and find a cause, and hopefully a cure.”

Shirayuki blinks. “Only the two of us?”

“Wilant Castle is on the way.” Shidan smiles. “Ryuu will accompany you from there. We’ll be needing some of Clarines’ best, after all.”

She turns immediately to Obi by her side. She can see in the light in his eyes and the way he stands taller that she’s just as elated as she is.

Just one week later, they leave Lilias.

At the campus gates, Shirayuki pulls gently on her horse’s reins and looks back over her shoulder. The entire medical research department, Yuzuri, and Kirito stand in the doorway leading to the courtyard, waving goodbye under the early morning sun.

It’s everything she’s always wanted for all these years, she thinks. A place she can learn and pursue her passions every day, unafraid of any limits. A place to stay and to have people waiting for her no matter where she goes. Who she’ll wait for no matter where they go.

Shirayuki fights back her tears. She’ll be back home soon enough.

Obi is right by her side, waiting. “Ready, Shirayuki?” he asks.

She faces forward and stares down her next path. Determined.

“Yeah,” she says. “Let’s go.”

#obiyukikissdraft #'When One Stops The Kiss To Whisper “I’m Sorry Are You Sure You-” And They Answer By Kissing Them More'#akagami no shirayukihime #obiyuki #HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS HOPE YALL HAVE A GOOD ONE #akagami no shirayuki hime

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obsidiancorner · 5 years

Text

When Terror Knocks

ObiYukiBingo ‘19

Ghost Hunters AU

Word Count: ~3900

***Note: Guys, this gets dark. This is your warning: Torture is implied. Not detailed but it’s there and it’s enough. Read responsibly.

A tale about what happens when three friends go Ghost Hunting in rural Southern Clarines.

Shirayuki groans as she rolls out of the backseat of Suzu's Jeep, landing in an overgrown grassy field. She has been cramped up with the equipment for hours. Her muscles are tense, knotted from the time spent contorted around various bags and boxes and, to make matters worse, she really has to pee.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Yuzuri chimes in her ear as she works to start unloading gear.

Looking at the watch on her wrist, Shirayuki groans again. "It's after midnight, crazy," she grumps through the groggy haze the unrestful nap left hanging over her. "How long was I out? No, wait. I don't want to know. Better question: where are we?" She cranes her neck to the right, then to the left taking in the wide expanse of nothingness that surrounds them. Well, not nothing.

Corn. There was lots of corn around them- sprawling cornfields, with stalks already knee-high, as far as the eye could see. Well, wherever we are, she muses to herself, they're sure to have a bountiful harvest. It isn't even the fourth of July yet…

Behind her, Suzu answers, "Southern Clarines, about an hour South of Yurikana."

Shirayuki turns to face him. She wants to ask how she can help since he is grunting under the strain of carrying a particularly heavy-looking box. The question dies on her tongue as she catches sight of a dilapidated three-storey warehouse-looking building, sitting alone in the middle of Certified Nowhere.

A chain link fence with barbed wire banded around the top falls to shambles on the perimeter of the property. There are gaping holes in the fence, where wire had been cut and peeled back. Some parts of the fence were simply rusted clean through.

A cold shiver of dread runs down her spine and the hairs on her arms and neck raise. Her heart races and her breathing quickens. She was way in over her head. When they asked if she wanted to come along on a ghost hunt, she thought they'd visit some old graveyard with a tempestuous past or something. She hadn't expected someplace that looked like just standing near it is to tempt death or, at the very least, a potential run-in with Tetanus or asbestos.

And they are going inside?

She knows she is useless to the unpacking because she knows nothing about any of the obviously expensive equipment or how to properly handle it. She just stands there, staring at the building, oscillating between gaping and closing her mouth with audible clicks. This is not her element. She is sure she looks every bit the fish out of water she feels like.

Trying to get a hold on the steadily increasing dread taking over like mint on a lawn, she pulls her eyes away from the beginning and continues looking around. She still has to pee.

Several yards from the fence definitely not keeping people out, stands a towering oak. No cars are coming down this neglected stretch of country road. The trunk is wide enough to obscure her body twice over...

That's probably as good as she's going to get to something resembling privacy.

She dances over to Yuzuri and whispers, "pee. Tree. Bye," before bolting for the unfortunate tree.

From there, even the building was blocked from view. Thank the gods for small miracles.

When she's done and has herself as right as possible, she turns around the tree, stopping dead in her tracks when she sees a young man, not much older than herself peering out the second storey window.

She shivers.

She clears the distance between the tree and where Suzu and Yuzuri stand over the equipment, contemplating what to take in and what to lock back up in the Jeep, faster than she has ever ran before in her life.

Panting hard, she doubles over and braces herself on her knees in a desperate attempt to get precious oxygen back into her now-deficient bloodstream. Whatever Suzu had been saying, he stopped mid sentence upon her arrival.

"What's up, Yuki? You look like you've seen a ghost," Yuzuri teases, prodding Shirayuki in ribs sore from exertion.

She manages a weak laugh and mutters, "creepy outdoor noise, I think." She doesn't know why she keeps what she saw to herself.

It may have been to not sound insane. Maybe she didn't want to get their hopes up? Whatever the reason, she kept the man to herself. He hadn't given her a menacing or dangerous feeling. He probably wasn't even there at all. She is just nervous and probably saw a reflection and panicked like a child.

That's it.

It was a trick of the moonlight shining bright overhead.

Her face heats with embarrassment and is thankful that Yuzuri and Suzu have gone back to an impassioned debate over what equipment is sufficient. It means they won't notice the blush undoubtedly riding high on her cheeks.

When her breathing returns to normal, the other two are packing up the Jeep with whatever cameras, flashlights, and other equipment she could only guess at were reluctantly being left behind.

"What is this place?" It's a trepid question she doesn't really want the answer to but she can't stamp down the urge to ask.

"Back in old Clarines, this was the equivalent to what is now a maximum security prison." Suzu adjusts the backpack on his shoulders, squaring up and setting off for the concrete death trap.

Shirayuki shivers. Again. Yuzuri hands her a flashlight, a voice recorder, and a gadget to check for electromagnetic fields. She wraps an arm and Shirayuki's shoulders and they set off in pursuit of Suzu's quickly shrinking figure.

Hoping quaking in fear won't be her trend for their excursion this evening, she swallows hard. How a building alone can feel this intimidating, this menacing, is beyond her.

What she does know is that she will probably be sleeping with the lights on for a while.

_____________________

They entered the building where on the side where a small, single story set of rooms cut a much less imposing figure in the still night. A small bathroom was off to the left. A desk and chair sat next to a forest of filing cabinets sitting at odd angles from each other. Suzu chose the convenient desk to set up their "base" and got to work laying out the equipment from his pack.

The door separating the supposed office area from the much larger cell area was suspiciously absent. Not on the ground, not hanging off hinges that could no longer support it. Missing entirely, with holes ripped out of the plaster where the hinges had once been.

Suzu stepps through first and mutters, "oh my."

Yuzuri scrambls past him, coming to a stop when she got past him. "Oh… dear."

It was an agreement with Suzu that promised a certain level of discomfort. Steeling herself against her urge to march her scaredy-pants butt right back to the Jeep and wait for them there, Shirayuki follows them into the cavernous former prison.

Oh my, indeed.

They were all silent as they digested what they could see as they panned around with their flashlights. Along the long wall to their left, three rows of cells still stood. The rest of the room had been gutted of the cell structures, an undertaking that would have been no small accomplishment since, even back in old Clarines, walls were made of solid stone and steel and other metals were strengthened through tempering processes advanced for that time in history.

In the center of the room, a small shack-like structure of concrete had been erected, standing stark against the cool dark grey masonry floor. The metal door sported a padlock and deadbolt, all three corroded under age and use. There were no windows to peek in and an indeterminable stain leaked out from under where the door hugged the stone slab flooring, where it winds into a drain near the wall not far away.

The long wall they stood closest to is yellowed with age and has pegs and hooks hanging out of it at curious intervals. Three levels of windows set deep in the stone walls seem to shy away from the light of their flashlights, determined not to give up any of the building’s secrets. A catwalk, suspended from the ceiling, split the wall twenty feet in the air, likely used to keep a simultaneous eye on the second and third levels of cells on the opposing wall.

They hadn't been in the dismal building longer than five minutes before the battery on Yuzuri's camera needs to be switched out. It had gone from full, to low, to off in what may have been a whole minute. Yuzuri mutters something about ghosts and battery drain but Shirayuki doesn’t catch it with a different sort of preoccupation.

She feels eyes she can't see following her every move as they systematically explore sections of the ruined building. She can’t place the exact reason for her trepidation but it makes her feel weak kneed. She barely breathes, barely even blinks. It feels like she’s surrounded by something ravenous; it feels like every display of weakness, every ounce of her fear, is laid out for any spirit of yesteryear to dissect and feed upon.

The most discomforting concept is Yuzuri and Suzu not feeling it. With no concern at all, they move systematically down the long line of the room without needing to look over their shoulder while harboring an expectation that someone will be there.

Yuzuri, more subdued than usual, quietly asks questions into the mic of her voice recorder. Shirayuki stands nearby, not wanting to interrupt but wanting to stay close. “Come on Shirayuki, give it a try,” Yuzuri prompts, pointing at the recording device tucked into her fist.

“O-okay.” Shirayuki walks several paces away, keeping between where Suzu is looking at something and Yuzuri is preoccupied talking to anyone they can’t see. “H-hello,” she stammers. “Is anyone here with us?”

No answer. Of course there wasn’t going to be an answer. Before she had fallen asleep in the car, Suzu had talked at length about playbacks and blah, bah, blah. She had tuned him out then but mostly, she just feels silly. She might as well be attempting conversation with a wall or the filing cabinets back in the office.

__________________

After that first attempt, she decides to leave it on as something of a journal of the evening but ignored it otherwise. If nothing else, it can serve as evidence of her reluctant participation this time should they ever ask her to come along again.

Without her realizing, Shirayuki has broken away from their little group. She has moved to the far end of the room near wear a small door by the cells sits tucked back into a corner. She looks around, finding Suzu and Yuzuri no longer in sight. “Yuzuri? Suzu,” she calls out.

They don’t answer and adrenaline surges through her like ice in her veins, both freezing her and urging her to move. But where and why? The compulsion is sudden but so intense she can feel it like a hand at the small of her back.

The door to the office room on the far side of the room and obscured by the small room, a phantom she knows can't possibly be there, swings closed with a loud crack. The echo reverberates it's vague threat for an unnaturally long time in the mostly empty chamber.

A deep baritone voice shouts something in the distance and Shirayuki’s heart stops. That wasn’t Suzu. As, more incomprehensible yelling from the baritone voice echoes through the space, Shirayuki scoops up her flashlight and the moment her hands close around the battery barrel, it flickers before obscuring everything in shadow.

"Over here, Miss," someone calls to her.

Given the choice between whoever called her 'Miss' and whoever is barking out what sounds like garbled gibberish, she chooses the 'Miss' man. Fumbling in the pitch dark her eyes can't seem to adjust to, she is drawn closer to a reflection of light glowing dim like cat eyes.

"Yes, Miss, over here. This way" he coos at her like one would a crying babe. His voice is soothing, calm but pressing her to keep moving toward him. "You don't want to be caught out here right now."

Shirayuki is uneasy, distrustful. But somewhere in her gut, she knows this is the safest option. As she gets closer, a cool hand wraps around her wrist and he pulls her to him. He crowds into her space and turns her around, eyes still shining in what minimal light they can pick up.

She moves back to put some distance between them and he advances on her again. His hold on her wrist isn't tight, she could break it if she wanted to. She considers it briefly but the other man yells again, closer this time, and the chilled fingertips at her wrist pulse tighter for the briefest instant before he pulls back entirely.

A door quietly clicks shut behind him. "Okay. We will be fine in here," he says, picking up her flashlight and giving it a smack against his other palm. The light flickers into a too-dim for normal existence that feels more like an illusion rather than reality. It bleeds out into the room, just enough to banish all but the most stubborn shadows cast by furniture.

Golden eyes stare down at her under long lashes and short, messy hair and Shirayuki blinks a couple times to dispel any figments of imagination. His eyes, still an unearthly yellow, remain locked on her. His hair is still messy and his clothes, they're old- the type of old that boasts of speakeasies and swing dancing. It's the type of old that went out of style shortly after bootlegging became a defunct profession.

"We… we'll be fine in here?" She looks around the room and an aching dread seeps deep into her bones. "What about Suzu and Yuzuri?" Spinning a slow turn around the room, she takes stock of her surroundings just in case. Alone in a room with a strange man is not a place to not be formulating some form of plan should things go awry. She'd learned that lesson years ago.

On the far end of the small rectangular room, a chest with a hinged lid sits in one corner directly opposing a table with various instruments as oxidized as everything else in the building. "There's nothing in here to help you get out, if that's what you're looking for," he says, causing Shirayuki to whip around to face him. "But you're friends are fine. They went into the other room."

His explanation is less than comforting but every line of his body is smoothed into a lazy lean as he props himself up against the wall- even as someone stomps closer to their hiding spot. She must show her disbelief on her face because he slouches further as he adds, "from what I gathered, the lady's machine died and the gentleman wanted to swap some gadget out for another one. This will all be over in a few minutes. Don’t think about it too much."

Indistinct bellowing from right outside the door seems to rattle the very walls and a couple chips of plaster falls from the ceiling with muted plinks. She doesn’t understand how someone on top of their hiding space can neither hear them or be heard properly by them. It’s disorienting. The man across from her simply drops to a sitting position, seemingly unbothered by what is happening outside the room as he crosses his legs and tucks them tightly in front of him.

Realization crests over her like dawn over an open field. He's making himself smaller, less imposing, and it's for her own benefit. He knows she’s scared and is keeping his distance making it obviously impossible for him to get to her without her having time to get away- not that she has anywhere to go with that man thumping around outside.

"Who are you," she asks. She's still hesitant but she turns from him to take a seat on the chest on the far end of the room. When she turns around, she doesn't miss how his eyes flick to the box she's seated on, a darkness muting the gold and passing by like a whisper, before he looks back up to her.

"You can call me 'Obi,' Miss." His lopsided smirk is charming but the tightness in his voice belies his discomfort.

It takes a concerted effort to ignore the muffled shouting of the man stalking around outside. But if he couldn't hear her temporary roommate, this Obi character, when he was lingering right outside the door, reason dictates they are safe to speak now.

"What are you doing here?" At her question, his eyes grow distant and slide down her slight frame before settling on the box she sits on once again. The smirk recedes to a thin-set but natural line.

"I live here, Miss." It sounds casual but feels loaded. There's something more, something he isn't saying.

"You live here, in this building," she presses. It's hard to believe anyone would stay in a ramshackle place such as this, regardless of circumstance.

"In a manner, yes," he shrugs, obviously not wanting to be interrogated on his living arrangements.

"Okay… so who's th-" her question is cut off by a loud thump on the wall, dropping another piece of plaster from the ceiling. Shirayuki jumps at the sound but watches as the plaster falls. Instead of hitting the ground, it drops between the even lines of a grated drain on the floor. The floor, she realizes, is streaked in some places and pooled in others with the same dark stains that reach out from under the door and toward a similar drain on the other side of the wall.

Belatedly, she realizes where he had taken her. "O-Obi…?" She hates how her voice shakes but she looks over at the assortment of tools and instruments on the desk, finally recognizing some of them. Thumb screws, clamps, pliers, knives, lay forgotten.

Obi hums at her as he shrinks further into the wall, eyes moving between her and her perch. Back and forth. Slowly. It’s as if he is trying to not draw attention to his preoccupation with the chest itself or that where they are is someplace the word ‘terrible’ is a too-generous descriptor.

"Obi, what is this place?" She doesn't really want to hear the answer but she needs to know.

"A former prison, just like your friend said before you all came in." It's a dodge. It's a truth but not the whole truth, she knows. The yelling outside stops and heavy feet retreat into the distance but it barely registers when… Wait.

"How do you know what Suzu said outside," Shirayuki asks, squinting at him. There’s no possible way for him to know that.

He looks down and away from both her and the crate she sits on, settling on the drain in the center of the gently sloping floor."I was watching… and listening."

She can't help the gasp. He’d been there for all of it… but how? There were only the three of them outside. Just the three of them and the-- "Were you the person in the second-storey window?"

His head wrenches back up to her, his eyes piercing and fiery but- but guilty, too. Her heart spasms painfully in her chest and she fists her hands in her shirt as if that will stop the ache. "But that window…"

"Is somewhere in the vicinity of sixteen or seventeen feet off the ground," he finishes for her. "Yes."

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Sixteen or seventeen feet off the ground with a catwalk above it but nothing below until the ground level floor... "Obi, I'm going to ask you again: what is this place?"

He winces.

"Obi."

"Officially: a former prison," he supplies again, looking at the door with a palpable longing.

"And unofficially?" She's not in a mood to play games. She just needs an answer. A real one. And she needs to go find Suzu and Yuzuri and convince them it's time to go.

"Unofficially--"

Any explanation he would have given her is cut off by the door swinging open, revealing the fearful expression on her friends' faces. She looks back to Obi or, rather, at the wall he had been sitting in front of.

“Shirayuki,” Yuzuri screeches, running in. She pulls Shirayuki down from the box with a little too much force and wraps her up in a tight hug. “Oh my gods. We were so worried about you. You just disappeared on us.”

“How did you even get in here,” Suzu asks, swinging the door lightly to and fro as he studies the locking mechanisms on the door. “This was locked up tight when we first walked in.”

Shirayuki has no answer. There’s nothing believable- at all- about what had happened. What could she possibly tell them. She just shrugs with a weary weakness she hasn’t felt since her grandparents passed in a car accident when she was a teenager.

She must look petrified enough because they don’t press anymore. Yuzuri just tucks her into her side, coaxing Shirayuki’s head onto her shoulder as she pets her hair in long strokes. Suzu is already wearing his backpack as he heads out of the small room. As they leave the building, no one says a word. The silence extends all the way through repacking the car.

Shirayuki climbs up into the cramped back seat of Suzu’s Jeep and, when she turns to get one last look at the building, she can see Obi looking out at them through the same second storey window he had been in when they had arrived. One hand lifts to wave before disappearing back to his side. She can’t help returning the gesture.

________________

Two days later, Shirayuki’s phone vibrates as she reads over the most recent failed Google search for that rundown, middle of nowhere hell-site.

Call me when you get this.

Shirayuki hits the call button on the top right of the message display. It only rings once in her ear before Yuzuri picks up. “Yuki,” she sounds distressed but Yuzuri can have a flair for the dramatic.

“You wanted me to call, Yuzuri?”

“Yeah. You let your audio run until we left the other night. Your voice is on it but nothing else… who were you talking to?”

Before she can answer, her search results yield an answer. An article from the Yurikana Tribune dating back to 1928- the height of Prohibition in Clarines catches her eye. “I gotta go, Yuzuri. I’ll call you later.” She ends the call before Yuzuri can respond and stares at the big, bold letters of the article title before her.

“Police Raid on Former Prison Reveals Notorious Crime Boss’ Dungeon of Terror”

Under the headline accompanying the rest of the identified victims, is a picture of a young man the age she is now. A young man with unique eyes, obvious even in black and white, and a familiar smirk. The name beside the picture is only a first name: “Obi.”

#obiyukibingo2019 #obiyuki #warnings apply #please read them and take care

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another-miracle · 5 years

Text

the meaning of isolation, an Obiyuki fic

He does not remember stepping foot into the pharmacy. Warm wind brushes past his ears and he lets the weight of the girl in his arms sag minutely. He is immediately greeted by a flurry of limbs clawing at his coats, brushing at his hair.

Unwittingly, a snarl escapes his throat and he tightens his grip on his Miss. The hands back off, startled. He can’t bring himself to care. Stalking to the nearest bed, he lays her down gently before grasping at her freezing hand.

He isn’t one to pray, but the ragged breaths passing Shirayuki’s lips and the white, white skin of her face very near brings him to his knees.

Inevitably, he is chased out of the room. Curtains draw a barrier between him and Shirayuki, and nothing but a hand on his shoulder paired with a grim smile on Ryuu’s face keeps him from tearing down the fabric and returning to his Miss’ side. At every clang of metal, he bristles, alert, ready to pounce. If any of them even so think of hurting her, of not saving her - regardless the countless assurances that they will try their best - the sound of medical tools against steel trays will not be the last thing resounding in their ears.

Obi sits with his knives clenched in his fists. He buries his head between his knees, the hilts of his daggers digging into his scalp. Attempts to slow his breathing are thwarted by each person entering and leaving the room and with every minute that passes, he feels himself becoming smaller and smaller. The crushing reality of a world without his Miss hones in on him, forcing him into a corner.

It is lonesome, he supposes, once one has forsaken isolation.

“Eat.”

Obi looks up. A bowl of hot soup packed with potatoes and carrots is shoved in his face. Obi’s stomach growls in response.

“I’m not hungry,” Obi grouses, burying his head once more.

Yuzuri sighs.

“Look, you’re helping no one by starving yourself,” she scolds. “You haven’t eaten in days! When Shirayuki wakes up, she-”

His hand flies up and covers her lips.

“Don’t,” he breathes. “It’s my fault she’s like this. It’s my fault she’s in there struggling two nights in a row to stay alive- I don’t- please- just stop.”

Obi’s lungs feel like they are being squeezed dry. It is something he is almost accustomed to now, though he will never be used to losing his Miss. Regardless, the hand on his head is warm. He swallows down the cracking in his chest.

Yuzuri’s voice is soft. “It’s also because of you she has a fighting chance.”

Then, arms go around his shoulders and she whispers, right in his ear.

“Thank you, for bringing her home.”

It takes another night before the curtains are drawn back.

Ryuu emerges first. His face gives nothing away but Obi can see it in his tired eyes that something has changed- for the better. Immediately, Obi’s shoulders sag and a small smile pulls at his lips.

Ryuu settles down next to him on the floor.

“...it took us awhile, but her condition seems to have stabled,” he mutters. He huddles close, mimicking Obi’s pose of the past few days, his unruly head of hair the only thing peeking out from between his arms. When he looks up, Obi can swear there are tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

“She’s safe,” Ryuu chokes out, a familiar grating of throat sounding from his tinier frame.

Obi’s arms fly around Ryuu and the smaller boy sobs into his chest. He leans his forehead heavily on his locks, gripping him tight before looking at the direction of the bed.

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget he’s not the only one scared to be left behind.

Once Obi finds Ryuu nodding off and convinces him that his bed in the next room is much more comfortable than his hard, manly chest, he musters up the courage to sit on the chair by Miss’ bedside.

She looks much less pale than when Obi saw her last. Her hair, while mussed up after hours of treatment, falls vibrantly on the white sheets. Obi tucks a strand caught in her lip behind her ear and is delightedly met with a flutter of eyelids. He sighs in relief, chin falling onto the pillow next to her head.

“Miss,” he calls into the sheets. “Miss, wake up.”

No response, nor was Obi expecting one. The other pharmacists told him it may take another day at least for her to wake up.

In the meantime, Obi takes the opportunity to poke at her cheek. “Hey, you took too long to be okay. Now I’ve got to wait a whole day before I can scold you.”

Obi turns his head and reaches for her hand tucked beneath the sheets. It’s warm.

“You shouldn’t have done that, you know?” Obi bites out. Tears begin to form before they stream down the side of his face onto the pillow case. He runs his thumb over her knuckles. “I could’ve taken care of myself. I’m your bodyguard, remember?”

Obi brings her hand up and brushes his lips over her fingers, then kisses her forehead. He stares at her a moment longer before finally allowing himself to close his eyes.

After a four-hour long nap, Obi is awoken by the incessant cries of his stomach. With Ryuu materializing next to him within said four hours, Obi concedes and decides to leave the room to retrieve some of that soup from yesterday. Ryuu sends him off with a small smile, and a slight assurance that he’ll be the first to know when she wakes up. Obi ruffles his hair before walking off.

Upon arriving at the dinner hall, he receives a punch from Yuzuri and is pulled into a headlock by Suzu. Both scream at what an idiot he has been and rush to dollop him up a bowl of soup. They sit him down in between them and watch like hawks as he spoons soup into his mouth till the bowl is emptied. Obi laughs at their antics and they cry because they thought they were going to lose him forever. He smiles and nudges both of them in their sides, though silent. If there is some truth in that statement, he isn’t going to kill and tell.

Yuzuri and Suzu continue bickering back and forth about Obi’s imaginary future escapades should he be lost forever, and Obi goes to wash his bowl in the sink. Just as he rinses off, the dinner hall door slams open and Ryuu stands there, breathing heavily. Obi’s eyes widen before he breaks into a run.

He sprints down the hallway and comes to an abrupt stop in front of the pharmacy room. Taking a deep breath, he pushes the door open. He enters the room to see her step away from the bed to him.

Smiling, she waves. “Hi.”

He keeps his arms locked to his side.

“Hi,” he breathes.

She laughs, but immediately her smile grows pained and Obi scurries to get her back on the bed.

“Miss, please. You’ve hurt yourself enough for my sake.”

Shirayuki looks up at him, eyes soft. She reaches for his hand - he immediately grips it tight. She sighs, “I just wanted to protect you. There were too many, and you were letting them get too close.”

There are no words to explain the frustration he feels. “Miss, I know what I’m doing. I’m just doing my job.”

“And I’m doing mine!” Her cheeks flush with petulance and Obi is never more relieved for the colour splayed along her cheekbones. “I’m protecting what I treasure - the herbs, the medicine, and the people I love!”

Obi’s heart hurts at her declaration. “Miss… You don’t have to protect me. I’m meant to be disposable. These hands-” he raises both of hers, “-aren’t. You save lives, Miss. Don’t give that up for someone like me.”

“I saved you, didn’t I?” Shirayuki persists. “That has to count for something.”

Obi shakes his head while grinning. Be that as it may, he’s just glad to have her alive. “We’ll agree to disagree. I’m just happy you’re safe.”

At this, Shirayuki relaxes. She settles on the bed. Gripping at his hand once more, she tugs him to look at her.

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you,” she says, eyelids drooping.

A soft laugh. “What for?”

“Without you, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Obi sits heavily onto the chair next to the bed. Slowly, he brings her hand up and presses it against his forehead. The prayer that passed his lips seems like nothing but a distant memory now.

“And I, you, Miss,” Obi mumbles.

#obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #but what exactly happened you say?#find out never!#because i'm too lazy for backstory #but it's pretty obvious i suppose #wheeee #yixin's fic

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kirayaykimura · 3 years

Text

It was an unremarkable Tuesday afternoon. Spring had still not sprung in Lilias, so Yuzuri had dragged Shirayuki into a tavern beyond the walls to complain about her terrible date the night before. And also to get some lunch.

“All I’m saying,” Yuzuri said as she claimed a table near the back of the tavern they’d ducked into, “is that I would like to be attracted to someone I actually like. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

“It’s not,” Shirayuki agreed easily. She didn’t really understand how Yuzuri could be attracted to someone she didn’t like on a personal level, but clearly it was possible and Shirayuki didn’t want to invalidate that.

Apparently Yuzuri had been on a date with the “hottest man anyone has ever seen,” but answered every question with a long, extended, “Uh,” and then ended the night by asking if she wanted to bring him back to her place because he was technically homeless at the moment. (“Obviously I said yes,” Yuzuri had explained. “I mean, he was indescribably attractive. But I would like my mind stimulated as well, you know?” Again, Shirayuki did not know, but she nodded all the same.)

“It’s like my body rebels against me,” Yuzuri said. “I could be talking to the dullest man alive, but somehow my vagina will perk up and say, ‘Hi. Hello. I would like to meet you.’”

“Maybe you should train your vagina to stop jumping on people.”

“Like, take Suzu for instance,” Yuzuri continued, in full rant mode. “Sure, I could fuck him, but can I have an actual conversation with the man that doesn’t end with one of us wanting to tear our own hair out? Absolutely not.”

“Thanks.”

It wasn’t Shirayuki who had spoken, but a man behind her. She turned to find Suzu leveling them both with an unimpressed stare. It made sense that she’d missed him: his back was to their table and the restaurant was dimly lit on top of them being slightly snow-blind from their walk over, but she still felt bad. Even if Yuzuri hadn’t been talking about him, she hadn’t said hello. It was impolite.

Apparently she was the only one who felt bad, though. Sounding completely unashamed, Yuzuri said, “Oh. Suzu. When did you get here?”

Judging from the papers spread all over the table in front of him, he’d been there the entire time. Suzu simply gave Yuzuri a long, quiet look, then turned back to his papers.

“Anyway,” Yuzuri said, “my dating life sucks. How’s yours going? Let me live vicariously through you and your disgustingly perfect royal romance.”

Right. She’d forgotten to tell Yuzuri. Oops.

See, Shirayuki had meant to tell her basically the second it had happened. She and Zen had sat down for dinner in a nice inn down the road, eaten a bittersweet last meal as a couple before mutually agreeing that things weren’t really working out, and then she’d walked back to find Yuzuri and tell her everything, both because Yuzuri loved a bit of good romantic gossip and because Shirayuki didn’t really feel much of anything and she wanted to see if that was normal. But then she’d run into Obi first and was waylaid trying to console him about her break-up and it was all very distracting.

“Oh no,” Yuzuri said, obviously semi-correctly reading Shirayuki’s face. “What happened?”

“We broke up,” Shirayuki admitted.

“Are you okay? Do you need to cry? Do you want me to kick his ass? I mean, I know he’s technically my prince but I’ll do it.”

“No, no.” Shirayuki waved a hand to get her to stop. “I’m totally fine. It was all very amicable. It just…didn’t work out.”

Yuzuri eyed her. “You do seem fine. Why aren’t you a mess?”

Shirayuki shrugged. She had no idea how break-ups were supposed to go since this was her first. Maybe this was just how she reacted to them.

“So are you stuck here?” Yuzuri asked, leaning her chin on a wrist. “Are you considered an enemy of Clariness?”

“No!” Shirayuki said on a laugh. “We’re still friends. I think we both realized that we’d spent so long apart we didn’t know how to be together anymore.”

“You’re so well-adjusted it makes me sick,” Yuzuri groaned.

“Sorry.”

“See, that would be nice, to stay friends after a break-up. But I can’t bone down on my friends so there’s no friendship to save in the aftermath. I mean, we already covered Suzu.”

“I thought my problem was that I was hot but insufferable,” Suzu drawled.

“Why are you eavesdropping?” Yuzuri asked. She rolled her eyes at Shirayuki. “See? Insufferable.”

“Sure,” Shirayuki said, “but maybe it’s different with sex involved?”

There was a pause, then Yuzuri asked, “You never slept with Zen?” over the scraping of chair legs behind her as Suzu turned to their table.

“I’m not going to pretend I’m not listening in,” Suzu said. “You dated this man for how long?”

“Four,” Shirayuki said slowly, “years?”

The deeply judgmental silence that statement was met with pushed her to say, “Not every relationship needs sex! We were perfectly happy to take things slow. It was nice. But then one day he showed up for a surprise visit and I couldn’t remember that last time I even thought about him, let alone wished he was there, and also I was kind of annoyed I had to stop what I was doing to go out to lunch with him which is probably not what you should think about your boyfriend and then he wasn’t anymore. My boyfriend, I mean.”

Yuzuri blinked. “Wait, so does that mean you’re still-”

“I’m not answering that.”

Suzu whistled.

“Anyway,” Shirayuki said, “maybe that’s why we’re fine. Maybe you only get one or the other; physical or psychological attraction.”

“Or maybe one comes before the other,” Suzu said. “With your prince, the physical attraction never came so your relationship petered out. But maybe you’re out with a friend one day and they do something unexpected that catches your eye. For instance, they tuck their hair behind their ear but a little of it misses and sits just in front of their ear and you think, ‘I want to tuck that hair back properly,’ and then you’re left thinking about how it would feel to have your fingers in her hair, close enough to-” Suzu cut himself off abruptly. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, maybe this sort of thing takes time is all I’m saying.”

Amused, Shirayuki said, “If all it took was being friends with someone and noticing things about them, I’d be dating Obi.”

Yuzuri and Suzu stared silently at her for the few seconds it took to process what she’d just said.

“No,” Shirayuki said. “That’s not how this works.” She liked Zen. Liked Zen, she reminded herself. Past tense. And look where that got them: her heading down one path while he headed down another in a completely different direction. When she thought about her future and what she wanted to accomplish in her life, Zen wasn’t the end goal anymore. Neither was Obi, for that matter, but that didn’t mean Obi wasn’t there every step of the way, in every scenario her mind could conjure up. He was there. He’d always been there. She couldn’t imagine her life without him in it, and she hadn’t been able to for a very long time.

“I think I should marry Obi,” Shirayuki said after a lengthy pause.

“Hot damn!” Yuzuri said, smacking the table lightly with her palm. “That was a hell of a leap, but I’m into it. Go get your man.”

“This is a bad idea probably,” Shirayuki said, already standing.

“Only if you don’t mean it,” Suzu told her. His sarcastic edges softened just slightly when he smiled up at her. “Good luck.”

Shirayuki nodded numbly, then took off for…Obi’s post? She’d never really had to go looking for him before. Mostly, he found her. However, on the rare occasion she did go looking for him, she always had to ask multiple people where he’d gotten off to because he was never where the last person had seen him last. It might be a good thing in this case, though. It would give her time to come up with a good argument for marrying her (which so far consisted of, ‘I don’t want to go through life without you and I just realized one (1) minute ago that I think maybe I think you’re pretty and maybe if we give it some time you could think I’m pretty in the same way?’ As arguments went, it could use some work).

The moment she stepped through the gates and flashed her I-belong-here badge, she asked the attendant, “Have you seen Obi around?”

“Sorry, ma’am,” the boy said with a slight bow, “I have not.”

Another knight passing by slowed and asked, “You’re looking for Obi?”

“Yes, have you seen him?”

“Not in person, but I hear he’s on a hot date.” The knight winked. “You might have to fight her for him.”

She stood, rooted in her spot, while the knight strolled on as if he hadn’t just upended her entire worldview. As far as she knew, Obi was single. Was he dating someone she didn’t know about?

No, he would have told her. This had to be a first date. Like that time he was set up with that guy’s little sister. He wasn’t interested; this was just a favor to a friend. She forced her feet to move, one in front of the other, and pick up her pace. It wasn’t a real date, but if it was a real date, she should get in there sooner rather than later and stop things before they got too far. He deserved to be happy, absolutely, but she could make him happy too. They always had so much fun together.

She asked another knight where Obi was and followed his directions into an unfamiliar wing with a lot of closed doors. Thankfully she wasn’t forced to knock on them at random until Obi answered because she rounded a corner and found him leaning against a doorway about halfway down the hallway. His back was to her, but she’d know that back anywhere. The toned lines of his body. The easy sprawl that hid his frankly alarming reflexes. The short hair that somehow always managed to be just slightly messy, as if, like the rest of him, it refused to be completely tamed.

She followed his gaze out to a woman at the end of the hall, too far away and gone around the corner too soon to make out more than lanky and brunette.

Obi turned away once she disappeared, and his fond smile morphed into something more surprised and pleased when his eyes caught on Shirayuki.

“Miss!” Obi said. “What are you doing in this neck of the woods?”

There were a lot of things Shirayuki should start with, but instead she blurted out, “Don’t marry her.”

“Okay,” Obi said easily. Then, “Who?”

“The woman you were just with.”

Obi cocked his head to the side and said, “What?”

“The woman just now. Don’t marry her. Because-“ she took a deep breath, “you should marry me.”

“What?” Obi yelped.

“I know. I know you’ve never thought about it before-”

“Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on just a-“

“-I just realized it ten minutes ago, but think about it. Nothing has to change. We can stay exactly the way we are now. I just-” she paused to collect her thoughts. She really should have thought of a better argument on the way here. “-I don’t want to go through the rest of my life without you in it.”

“Okay, I have no idea what’s happening here,” Obi said with a slight shake of his head, “but you never have to.” The smile he gave her was soft and small and made her feel like she was standing in the mid-summer sun in the middle of winter. “You don’t have to marry me to keep my by your side, Miss. I’m there no matter what.”

“But it’s different with you than it is with Zen, or Yuzuri, or Ryuu. You don’t feel the same to me as they do. That means something, right?”

Obi looked stunned, and for the first time she started to doubt herself. Maybe he’d only ever seen her as his friend and here she was pushing these other ideas on him.

“I didn’t think any of this through on the way here,” Shirayuki admitted.

“That sounds about right for you,” Obi said, amused. “Always jumping in before that big brain of yours can catch up.”

“Right,” she said, wishing that big brain he swore she had would come back online and tell her how to immediately abort mission and save at least a little bit of her dignity. “So let’s just forget this ever happened.”

“Do you want to see her?” Obi asked before Shirayuki could take more than half a step back. “The girl I was just with?”

Not even a little bit. What the hell?

“Come on.” He took her hand, and she pathetically found herself committing the feeling of it to memory. They rarely touched and she was sure it was going to happen even less now that she’d botched…whatever the hell she’d just tried to do, so she wanted to remember the exact placement of his callouses, exactly how much bigger his palm was than hers. He led her down the hall, then another before stopping just outside a small mess hall, where he pointed to a knight - Shaumaker, she thought, maybe - and a, well, girl on the far side of the room. She could only see their profiles, but-

“She looks young,” Shirayuki said before she could think better of it.

“She is,” Obi said, clearly trying not to laugh. “She’s twelve.”

Shirayuki turned to him with wide eyes. She hadn’t thought he was the type to-

“I was babysitting!” Obi clarified quickly.

“Oh.”

“Well, we called it hanging out. She’s getting to the age where she doesn’t want a babysitter, but her brother still didn’t want her running around a place with inattentive scientists and large men with dangerous weapons unsupervised.”

“That seems wise.”

“Yeah.”

They stood quiet for a moment, watching as the girl and probably-Shaumaker chatted merrily.

“So,” he said, casually leaning back against the wall and pulling her in until she stood toe-to-toe with him, “you wanna marry me?”

She looked down at their hands - still entwined. That was a good sign, right? He’d said no before, but at least he wasn’t repulsed by her. They could get past this.

“Sorry,” she said. She willed her hand to let go of his, but her hand wouldn’t cooperate with her brain. If this was all she got, she was going to savor it.

“What brought this all on anyway?”

“Yuzuri.”

“That explains it.”

When she gave him the quick run-down of what had occurred at the tavern, she’d expected him to laugh at her and the whole ridiculous situation, just like he’d been doing since she showed up in front of him. Instead, the thumb he’d been casually sweeping along the base of her own thumb stilled and his ever-present smile disappeared into something serious. Before she had time to be truly worried, he asked, “What do you notice about me?”

His eyes were almost all pupil as they held on hers, and she felt a pleasant shiver run through her body. She had no idea it could feel this good to be wanted by a man. Usually when someone looked at her with such blatant desire, it made her want to run as far and as fast as she could. This still made her heart speed up, but, instead of running, she found she wanted to plant her feet on either side of his and lean in closer.

“You’re attracted to me,” Shirayuki said before she could think better of it.

Obi nodded once.

Wait. Pushing through the chemicals currently making soup in her brain, she asked, “If you’re attracted to me, what’s the problem here?”

That broke the spell. Obi laughed, and Shirayuki shook off the pull she felt towards him. She took a step back, finally releasing his hand. As long as he let her see him laugh - completely uninhibited, no walls up - she thought she could be just fine with however the rest of this conversation played out.

Obi settled into his normal, fond expression as he said, “I didn’t want you to think you needed to do anything in order to keep me around.”

“I didn’t think that.” Shirayuki paused. “Well, until I heard you were on a hot date from one of the guards outside.” At Obi’s raised eyebrows, Shirayuki said, “I now realize that was a joke.”

Obi huffed out a laugh.

“I was serious, you know,” Shirayuki said. Some of that earlier nervousness made itself known again, but it kept to a low, manageable simmer. She trusted Obi to handle her heart carefully. “I think I realized something today that I should have realized a long time ago. You’re my best friend, Obi. You’re my favorite person. This is more than enough for me.” She paused, watching him for understanding. When he nodded, she continued, “I know I sprung all of this on you, but if there’s a chance you might be open to more in the future, I would like to try, too.”

Now that it was all said and done, she felt a blush steal across her face and…yep, there it was. The old urge to run away.

“Okay,” she squeaked, “that’s it. I’m going to go now and let you think about it.”

Obi snagged her wrist before she could move and hauled her into his chest.

“Wha-” was all she got out before Obi said, “What if I told you I’m open to more right now.”

She leaned back just far enough to look up at him and say, “I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

Obi laughed again, but quieter this time. She felt it more than she heard it, which was kind of a strange feeling that she wanted to experience again and again for the rest of her life. He raised the hand not gripping her wrist to cup her cheek and told her, “No pressure, and without being pressured, I am going to kiss you now.”

“Okay.” Shirayuki nodded slightly. “Yeah, that-“

Obi’s lips cut off her nonsense ramblings, but that was honestly for the best. This was a better use of their time. Instead of overthinking everything, she let her mind go pleasantly blank aside from oh. She must have unconsciously mouthed the word too because suddenly Obi’s tongue was sweeping in through her parted lips and that should have been weird, but instead it made her shiver pleasantly again. It got even better when she tentatively flicked her own tongue out heard Obi lightly groan.

He pulled back some time later. She hadn’t even realized she was leaning forward to not break the kiss until she felt him smile against her lips. She felt him rest his forehead against hers.

“What made you think I’ve never thought about it before?” he asked.

He expected her to think after that? To process words?

Obi chuckled and pulled back just far enough that their faces weren’t touching anymore and waited, looking like he knew exactly how frustrated she was that she had to use her lips for something other than what she really wanted to be doing at the moment.

“What do you mean?” Shirayuki asked.

“Well, you keep implying you think I’ve never thought about marrying you before.”

“Wait, have you?”

Obi titled his head and made an enigmatic noise.

“You have?” She planted her palms on his chest and leaned back. “How long?”

Obi hummed. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll tell you in my vows.”

#i was writing that other fic where shirayuki is demisexual and doesn't realize she's attracted to obi #and part of this was the original conclusion but it didn't fit but also it was too funny to me to not do anything with it #snow white with the red hair #my fic #i apologize for the numerous typos i'm sure are in here #somewhere in this fic is a spinoff of yuzuri and suzu getting the ans version of married in vegas #and they wake up hung over as hell and yuzuri is like 'my life is a series of bad decisions'#then they have to learn how to live with each other because yuzuri refuses to get a divorce #(and suzu's been in love with her the entire time surprise!)#meanwhile obi and shirayuki watch the mess unfold like 'how? how did they beat us to the altar?'#obiyuki #i just really like the idea of shirayuki getting an idea in her head and running full steam ahead #which is absolutely canon and very funny when applied to 'obi you should date me'#the weekend voice *obi's into it*

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sabraeal · 3 years

Note

Consider: Obi is green-red color blind

A Color by Any Other Name

Written for @aeroplaneblues for a surprise birthday gift! Many months ago she mentioned wanted to see a colorblind Obi, and I said, WELL WHAT A GOOD EXCUSE TO WRITE THIS PROMPT JOANNA GAVE ME. I hope your birthday is a good one, filled with a lot more nice surprises!

“Are you ever going to introduce me to your guard friends?” Suzu asks around a mouthful of dumpling. “Or are you embarrassed?”

To say Obi is unprepared, would be an understatement; there’s a pork bun lodged between his teeth, his gloves not only coated in pig grease but also far less effective against steam than he’d thought they’d be back when he’d just grabbed a plump little blob off the stall. He’d laughed off Suzu’s concerns about protective equipment; after all, if smiths use leather gloves, they’ve got to be just as good as an oven mitt.

They aren’t. Not to mention the roof of his mouth starting to have a real good think about peeling off and having a vacation. Maybe even with someone who doesn’t eat entire dumplings straight from the basket.

“Wha?” he manages eloquently, nearly drooling spicy meat drippings onto the street.

“I know I’m not cool like they are,” Suzu continues, warming to his new thesis. If his sudden flush of confidence is any measure, he’s spent more of time composing his arguments for this than Obi’s ever seen him work on his actual defense. “And I’m no good with a sword. Or fists. Or really any implement that isn’t a scalpel, and any opponent that isn’t already anesthetized. But I am very smart.”

There’s a thoughtful pause before Suzu adds, “Some people do enjoy that, you know.”

What Obi knows is that this kid tried this conversation on for size in front of Yuzuri, and she didn’t even bother to warn him as a courtesy. See if he buys her any more meat-on-sticks when she’s ‘left her purse in the lab’ now.

“That’s not--” he takes a hurried minute to swallow-- “not what’s happening. I didn’t...”

Even know you knew I didn’t work for the pharmacy. His teeth clamp shut around that winner, and its friend, I didn’t think you lot would want to hang out with a bunch of men without degrees. Not only would that encourage Suzu to make a scene right here, right now, but if it got back to Jirou-- well, if he thought Suzu could turn any day into a disaster, the lieutenant would make that seem like a vacation.

“I didn’t think you wanted to,” he settles on instead. Similar enough in feel, if...creatively edited. “You scholar types tend to flock together.”

“Well, sure,” Suzu murmurs, stymied, “but we’re friends too, aren’t we? If all my friends are your friends, then all your friends should be my friends.”

Only an academic could talk about arithmetic with that amount of confidence, especially the kind that involved transitive properties and letters, and all sorts of things that made Obi’s head spin.

“Well,” he hums, one boot scratching his calf. “You would know.”

Suzu whirls on him, staring down his long fox-snout of a nose. “You mean it? You’ll really...?”

“Sure. If that’s what you want.” He twitches his shoulders, more casual than he feels. “It’s fine if it’s you.”

There’s always been a lazy lilt to Suzu’s eyes, but it disappears now, all the sleepiness gone to surprise. “Me? You wouldn’t want to bring anyone else?”

“Well, definitely not Kazaha.” The glares he’d get bringing that twiggy pedant into the guardhouse might be enough to drop him dead on the spot. “And Yuzuri would be too popular.”

Suzu grimaces. “The number of admirers she’d get from a wink alone...she’d be unlivable.”

He can see it now, her ponytail bobbing with a buoyant glee, giggling through every painstaking penned line from her fan club-- “Think of all the bad poetry.”

“Honestly, that might make it worth it. At least I’ll feel better about not knowing the difference between a quartet and a quatrain.” Suzu takes a thoughtful bite of him bun. “And you couldn’t bring Shirayuki, of course.”

“Right.” Not a one of them could be trusted to keep their lips sealed; she’d hardly have to take a breath and someone would call her Obi’s lady, or ask how they met, or whether she’s still Mistress behind closed doors--

But Suzu wouldn’t know any of that. “Wait, why?”

“Well...” He has the grace to look chagrined about it, whatever it is. “You know. Her hair...?”

“Oh.” Obi shrugs. “Sure, I guess.”

“You guess?” Suzu stares. “Shirayuki has a non-zero amount of stories about being kidnapped for looking like a candied apple, and you guess there might be a fuss about bringing her ‘round to the guardhouse?”

“Well, none of you acted weird about it,” he snips, hiding his annoyance behind a bite of dumpling. “There’s no reason they will.”

“Of course no one at Lilias acted weird, Obi!” he squawks, arms flailing as he talks. “You couldn’t pay them to look at anything but their own project. But when a bunch of normal men with eyes and, uh, other working appendages see a cute girl with red hair and a soft voice, they’re gonna go crazy!”

His palm hooks around his shoulder, thumb digging into the hard knot at his collarbone. “Aw, come on. It’s not that special.”

“Not that--?” Suzu whips around, eyes round as dumplings. “Obi, she’s the only person I’ve ever seen with red hair.”

“You don’t get out much,” Obi deadpans. “No offense.”

“That’s not--” Suzu grunts, throwing up his hands-- “She’s the only person anyone’s ever seen with red hair!”

“Her dad’s is kind of red.” That observation wins him an unimpressed look, one that says you’re missing the point. “And Yuzuri had blue hair when I met her. That’s way more interesting--”

“It was dyed!” Suzu wobbles over to a wall, sitting with his head in his hands. “Shirayuki has a hair color so rare that the birth records in Clarines haven’t noted it in more than fifty years! And you think Yuzuri dying her hair with woad is more impressive.”

“Well, even her natural color is brighter than Miss’s. Not--” he waves a hand between them, quelling-- “that Miss’s hair isn’t nice enough. But I’d think that people would pay more attention to that.”

“...Brighter?” Suzu murmurs after a long moment, stilted. “Obi, could you tell me what color that sign is, right over there?”

“The one for the tea shop?” He wrinkles his nose. “Why--?”

“Just...indulge me for a moment.”

“All right.” He squints up at the moon cresting over a wolf’s head. “Blue.”

“Right, and, um, that coat over there.”

“Yellow.”

“Right.” Suzu’s voice is tight, stressed. “And what I’m wearing?”

Obi squints. This one’s a little harder, but he’s confident when he says, “Green.”

“Ah, right.” Suzu stands, a unsteady on his feet. “That would explain that, then.”

Obi blinks. “Explain what?”

“Obi,” Suzu begins, with all the gravitas of both a grim prognosis and a terrible joke. “You can’t see colors.”

It’s not the first time Obi’s played hound to his prey’s fox, but there’s something distinctly unsettling about it being Suzu that leaves him lagging behind, unsure of himself. Especially with the way he scurries through the concourse, bounding toward the mess hall with this idea caught between his teeth like chicken feathers.

“I can see colors just fine,” Obi informs him with far less confidence than he’d like. “Some of them are just hard to tell apart. Weren’t you and Yuzuri arguing yesterday about whether salmon is orange or pink?”

Suzu waves a hand at him, dismissive. “That’s different. Salmon’s both orange and pink, and what color it looks most like has to do with the composition of your eye-- and it’s pink by the way, with orange undertones--”

Between the two of them, Obi knows who he’d trust to know their colors. “Uh-huh.”

“You can’t make out red and green, which is different entirely, and--” the doors to the mess burst open beneath his hands, a noise lost in the din of a hundred scholars trying to share the same table-- “YOU GUYS WON’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST FOUND.”

The whole of Shidan’s lab-- minus the man himself-- have taken up right by the door, bags and coats piled to save them their places on the bench. Suzu makes short work of the pile on his seat, haphazardly shoving them to the floor as he sits.

Kazaha peers at him and ventures mildly, “A new way to avoid finishing your thesis?”

“No,” Suzu hums between his grit teeth, “but I have found out--”

“I don’t think we need to do this,” Obi murmurs, handing Miss her muffler. “It’s not--”

“Obi,” he intones with far more gravitas than his name has ever strictly deserved, “can’t see colors.”

“Not at all?” Kazaha turns those sharp eyes to him, like he’s a specimen under glass. “Just black and white?”

“I can see just fine,” Obi huffs, tossing Yuzuri her coat before he slides onto the bench, knee knocking into Miss’s in a way that puts his heart through its paces. “Suzu is just making a mountain out of a molehill.”

“Is that so?” he hums with a grin. “Then what color is Shirayuki’s hair?”

He stifles a sigh. It’s best to put all this to bed now, before he’s stuck playing what’s this color for the next two years. “Red.”

“What’s the point of this?” Yuzuri yawns, already bored. Obi shoots her a grateful look, glad that at least one of them isn’t going to play Suzu’s game.

It’s too bad he’s already puffed up with unearned confidence, like an evolutionist at a botany lecture. “And what’s the color of Ryuu’s cloak?”

He knows it by heart-- how could he not, when the two most important people in this city wear matching ones-- but still Obi glances up, anticipating a trick. Ryuu stares back, confused and guileless. “Blue.”

“Great, good.” Suzu’s grin stretches from ear to ear. “Now what color is your scarf?”

Obi’s fingers knot in the fabric, the weft tickling the pads of his fingers. “Well, it’s...sort of reddish, isn’t it?”

This is the wrong answer.

“It makes so much sense,” Yuzuri murmurs in wonder. “You really don’t know how ugly Suzu’s outfits are. That’s why you still hang out with him.”

“Hey!” Suzu pouts. “That’s not very nice.”

“No, that has nothing to do with color, it’s the cut.” Anxiety spikes through him. “But wait, it is red isn’t it? My scarf?”

“No,” Miss murmurs at his side, cheeks flushes. “Obi, it’s...it’s green.”

He stares down at it, trying to imagine what that might look like. “Green.”

“It looks very nice on you!” Her small fingers wrapping in the fur at his elbow. “It’s your color, really.”

“Oh, sure,” he murmurs, faint. “I guess it matches my eyes.”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘it has nothing to do with the color?’“ Suzu’s hands fly to his hips, brows drawn tight over the long line of his nose. “My clothes are just fine.”

“They aren’t.” Obi leans in next to him, grin feeling thinner than it should. “But I hang out with you anyway, which means you know we’re really friends.”

Kazaha rubs at his chin, where his ode to Shidan’s goatee is failing to thrive. “You know what this also explains?”

Obi blinks. “What?”

“All the black.”

It’s not Kazaha that says it, oh no. That would be too merciful for a mortifying moment out of his life. Instead it’s low and feminine, and when Miss Kiki leans out from the other side of Miss, it’s like a siren emerging from the depths, teeth bared to tear a man to shreds. “What an interesting thing I’ve learned today.”

“Miss Kiki! How--?” He gulps. “Why--?”

“I came to deliver a message from Wirant,” she drawls, too pleased. “And it seems I’ve earned myself a fine tip.”

“No,” he breathes. “You can’t-- you’re not going to tell Master, are you? Or Sir?”

“Oh,” she hums, looking particularly hungry for manflesh. “I certainly will.”

“Oh, there there.” Miss pats his back, the sensation lost among the dozen layers of clothing between them. “I’m sure Kiki won’t tell them, not until you’re ready! You asked her not to.”

“I think that just means,” Obi mutters, voice muffled by his arms and the wall he’s throwing himself over, “that she’ll just enjoy telling them more.”

“Ah...” He doesn’t need to see her to know her grimace. “Yes, that’s...probably right.”

He lets out a heavy, dramatic sigh. It helps a little. So does a bit of flailing.

“They won’t make a big deal out of it,” Miss says, changing tack. “It hardly changes anything! I’m sure they’ll just forget as soon as she tells them.”

He peeps one eye over his elbow. “That’s easy for you to say, you haven’t spent the last half an hour playing What’s That Color.”

“Well,” she wheedles, “they are scholars.”

Obi groans, loud and long, which doesn’t help; but it echoes out over the rooftops, returning back to him, which does.

“How...?”

Miss hesitates, a gloved finger pressed to her lips. He sighs, already braced for the onslaught-- how didn’t you know? how did you go so long without knowing your colors? how do you find people if you can’t even tell what hair color they have--?

“How did you notice?”

Obi lifts his head, unblinking. “What?”

“How did you notice?” Miss repeats, more firmly this time. “You’ve spent your whole life this way, haven’t you? It must have taken something really special to realize there was more than what you see.”

“Uh.” It’s nice that it’s darker here, that it’s cold. He has perfect legitimate reasons to be flushed. “Well, it was Suzu really. He mentioned that--” his teeth clamp down around his words, not letting them out without a hasty edit-- “that people think your hair’s pretty special, and I said I didn’t get why...”

Miss stiffens beside him, a statue that breathes, and he hastily adds, “Not that you aren’t special, Miss. It’s just, the red...”

“Right.” The words comes out stilted, strange. “You can’t see it. You actually...haven’t ever seen it.”

A silence settles on them like a wool blanket; not one of those nice ones at the castle, or the fleecy ones Miss stockpiles like one day the North might run out of sheep, but the itchy, coarse-woven ones of his childhood. Uncomfortable and smelling faintly of animal.

“So,” he coughs, fixing his gaze out over the city. “What did Kiki want?”

“Oh...” Miss shifts, mouth pulling into a guilty grimace. “She came to tell me that the Queen Dowager has invited me to dinner. Tomorrow night.”

His brows raise. “Well, well.”

“Don’t,” she murmurs, head giving the barest shake. “It’s not like that.”

“Are you sure?” He shouldn’t press, but if he doesn’t, no one else will. “After you told Master--”

“I told him a list of reasons why I thought I would be a better ally as a friend, and not as a...” Miss loses steam, letting her words sigh into the air. “I’d like to believe this has to do with my work with Phostyrias.”

He watches her, careful. “But do you?”

“I don’t know,” she says, which is as good as any no.

Obi’s barely stepped into the Protector’s solar when Master asks, “What color is my jacket?”

His head swivels, delivering a glare so flat carpets would be jealous. Miss Kiki only hums, shoulder lifting in a disinterested shrug. “I said I was going to tell them.”

Fair enough.

“It’s blue,” he deadpans, flopping onto the cushiest divan. He’s too long for it, his boots spilling off one arm a idling over the floor. “Apparently I can see that one just fine.”

According to Miss, at least; she’d unearthed a slip of a book from the university’s library, outlining the limits of his sight. Little Ryuu had pored over it for a day before showing up at his door, flushed faced and nervous.

Garrack always told me I had nice eyes, he’d admitted, lingering at the threshold. I was hoping you could see them.

Cross as he is about the whole thing, Obi can’t regret that. He might not have Miss’s hair, or Suzu’s coat-- thankfully-- but Ryuu’s eyes would always look true to him.

“But not red.” Master’s mouth twitches, far too entertained. “Or green.”

“I do see them,” he protests. “They just...don’t look very different to me.”

Just another shade of yellow and brown, if those books are right. Which they are, since he’d always thought so. Subtly different, like the way Suzu and Yuzuri fought over salmon, or Master and Miss Kiki would dither over chartreuse. Just enough that he’d been able to eke by on keeping his mouth shut and a fondness for black.

Still, there’s nothing worse than finding out something new about yourself this late in the game. Especially when--

“What about the curtains?” Master inquires. “Can you see those?”

--Especially when it’s so endlessly entertaining to everyone else. “I can see them,” he grumbles, sinking further into the cushions. “Just because I can’t see some colors doesn’t mean I’m blind.”

“Then what about the note?”

Obi rolls his gaze to where Sir perches at his desk. “Huh?”

“To our red-haired guest.” Sir coughs, a flush working its way up his neck. “It’s just-- you wrote that.”

“Oh, His Grace told me that one.” A lifetime ago, it seemed. “‘The red-haired girl, you’ll know her when you see her, I’m sure.’“

Master winces. Obi can admit his talent doesn’t lie with impressions, especially ones of dour old men.

“Right,” Sir presses, voice oddly tight. “But you don’t see-- I mean, how could you find a girl that looks just like everyone else?”

“Ah...” He grimaces, scrubbing at the top of his head. “Well, I just looked for the girl who didn’t belong. It--” he hesitates, suddenly aware of Master’s eyes on him-- “didn’t take very long.”

Master’s frown belongs above one of those prie-dieu, to remind penitents that forgiveness isn’t absolute. “What is that supposed to--?”

“So what does she look like?” No one could say that after a decade of dedication, Miss Kiki doesn’t know how to do her job; she deflects Master’s brewing sour mood with the ease of a professional. “What does her hair look like to you?”

“Uh.” He clears his throat, tugging at his collar. “I wasn’t lying when I said I bought my scarf to match...”

There is a stillness to the room that is too much, too pitiful. Much as he hated it, Obi would much rather be a joke than a charity case.

“Huh,” Sir grunts, gaze still fixed to his neck. “Now I wonder what we all look like to you.”

“Well, I sort of wonder what you all look like to yourselves.” Obi let a sigh float wistfully through his lips. “At least I know that me and Miss still have the same eyes.”

There’s silence again, but this one buzzes, filled with words no one dares to say.

“What?” he laughs, nervous, pulling himself upright. “Don’t we?”

Sir grimaces. “Ah, Obi...”

Miss is quiet when they walk the walls home that night, the winter stillness making the silence and heavy as any drift. Her mouth is pursed, not with anything like anger, but something closer to consideration. As if there’s words back there she’s sorting through, trying to compose a thought that just won’t come.

Well, she should know: she won’t get anywhere if she doesn’t air a few of them out to look at. “Something wrong, Miss?”

She blinks, shaken out from wherever she gone away. Her mind palace, maybe. Suzu’d told him about those once, with busts and painting and curtained alcoves. What she’d do with a place like that, he couldn’t imagine, but if anyone asked, he’d put his money on hers having apothecary drawers instead, and gardens too. The kind with half crumbled walls, ivies curled around every stone. Cluttered desks piled high with books, and one of them with curtain drawn to let its owner nap the afternoon away.

“Oh,” she breathes, finally. “No, no. Nothing’s, um, wrong. I was just...thinking.”

He lifts a knowing brow. “So something is wrong.”

“That’s not what I said,” she informs him, primly. “I was going over my meeting with Haruto, and...”

Her lips snap shut around the words, distress narrowing her eyes. “And...?”

“She didn’t know about my work,” Miss huffs, arms wrapping tight around her chest. “Or, she did, but only what Zen had told her. Which...”

Was far less than the whole of it. He’d heard that part of her argument that night, try as he might not to. “So she invited you as Zen’s ally?”

“No.” The word is colder than any he’s ever heard fall from her lips. “That I wouldn’t mind-- I’m still trying to be his ally, after all, and if she saw me as an asset...” She shook her head. “No, she wanted to meet his...paramour, even if she didn’t say as much.”

Obi grimaces.

“And even that wouldn’t be so bad if...” Miss took a deep, steeling breath. “When I came in, after all the curtsies and pleasantries, she said, your hair is just as red as he said it was.” Her knuckles are white where they wrap around her elbows. “All those years, all those letters, and the only thing he thinks to tell his mother is that my hair...”

The rest is lost in a sigh, a cloud of mist swirling off the wall.

“It must really be something,” Obi deadpans, gaze following it off the edge. “Since it makes all these people forget how smart you are.”

She’s watching him; he can feel it as she sidles up to where he stands, hands unclenching from her arms and splaying on the crenellations instead. “Obi, you really can’t...?”

Miss hesitates, falls silent. He lets her; she’s put enough words in the air to sort through, and now all she needs is time. Obi’s happy to give it to her.

Especially since there’s a rabbit down there in the dark. A small one, moving slow, hind legs churning like clockwork winding up. It’s nose digs into the snow, snuffling around, searching--

“Can you really see better?” Miss asks, startling him back to the wall. “In the dark, I mean. That book said you could.”

“Well, after the past couple days, I’m a little shaky on what’s normal.” He jerks his chin over the edge. “Can you see the rabbit down there? Right by that sapling?”

She blinks, pressing in close. “The what? It’s just...dark out there.”

“Well,” he says, grin tight on his lips. “There’s your answer.”

Miss settles back on her heels, one hand already cupping her chin. “It makes sense. Without the distraction of color, your movement tracking must be much more acute...”

Obi only half-manages to stifle a laugh. “Seems like it definitely distracts everyone else.”

Miss goes quiet; almost too quiet, enough to make his teeth sit on edge. The seconds tick by, and Obi might play at patience, but it’s not in his nature. He glances down, just from the corners of his eyes, but Miss is already watching him, eyes strangely shuttered.

“Obi,” she says, so clear his name rings in his ears. “You don’t...? My hair, it’s not...” Her mouth works, quiet, before she manages, “It’s not anything to you?”

Anything special, she means. Because that’s what he said so stupidly last night, nothing special.

She’d tied it up tonight, finagling the strange looping knots that were partial to the queen’s court, but already some of it’s worn loose, slipping from its pins. “It is,” he murmurs. “I like it.”

She huffs, unimpressed. “But you can’t see it, not really.”

“Of course I can see it,” he laughs, weary. “Maybe not the color, but that’s fine. I like it because it’s yours.”

She ducks her head, and Obi might not be good at colors, but he can see her cheeks flush in the lamplight.

“Miss.” Her gaze lifts to his, no longer shuttered, just full. “Can I ask you something?”

Her breath catches. “Anything.”

“Be straight with me,” he pleads. “We do have the same eye color right?”

“Obi!” Miss‘s laughter bubbles bright with betrayal as she hops down the stairs after him. “Obi, please--”

“Let me grieve, Miss,” he grumbles, hands shoved in his pockets. “I’ve been a real champ about the rest, but let me have this.”

“Obi!” She catches him round the wrist, mouth twitching as she turns to him. “Is it really so bad that they’re gold?”

“No,” he mutters sullenly, shoulders slumped enough that with two stairs between them, they’re nearly the same height. “It’s just...”

Her eyes flutter wide with curiosity. “Just...?”

“It’s fine enough that they’re unique.” He spits the word with more venom than it deserves. “I just I wanted this one thing in common.”

“In common?” Miss blinks. “You mean, me and...?”

Obi would lay down his life for his mistress, but even she can’t ask him to do this, to lay down his pride for her to walk on.

“Oh!” She flusters, limbs fluttering in the air between them. He’s half-tempted to turn away again, but she grabs his face and holds him steady, her cold, slender fingers caught behind his jaw. “Just-- just one moment...”

“Miss?” he wheezes. This is entirely too close, too much--

“Yes!” He breath flutters over his lips, her own parting in a celebration of teeth. “That’s it. I see it. There’s a little, right there.”

He blinks. “A little what, Miss?”

Her teeth flash around the word, “Green.”

It’s cruel to throw a starving dog a bone, but he snaps it up anyway, heart nearly clogging up his throat with hope. “D’you mean it? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Really,” she promises, her nod serious and officious as any she might give Little Ryuu. “There’s a thread, right around the middle. Green. Just like mine.”

“Oh.” His own hands raise, leather muting the feel of her skin, but-- Master always told him about the red thread that bound him and Miss together, that drew them toward their fated meeting, but this-- Obi will take this too. “Thank you, Miss.”

She smiles, eyes shining bright in the lamplight. “No, Obi, it’s my pleasure.”

Not much different between green and red to him, anyway.

#obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #my fic #ans #this request has been sitting in my box since 2017 #when i FIRST started joking about this au #and i always meant to get around to it #but obviously my last few years have been filled with some things that have perhaps kept me #from being able to do all the things I meant to 🤣#but once Anne brought this up again #I knew i had a very good excuse to finally get this thing out in the world #AND HERE IT IS #it takes place some amount of time after the current arc

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bubblesthemonsterartist · 5 years

Note

Promptathon: Shirayuki is very happy for Obi. Really, she is! Honestly. (Shirayuki/Obi, Obi seems to be taking a big step into his future... without her?)

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

A different retelling of Chapter 96. Takes place in Our Place in the Stars right before Sway with Me.

The first time she came here, she was a girl. A mere nineteen years summers - wide eyed, anxious, and filled with uncertainty. At her side, an equally tentative and much shorter mentor had hugged close. That their arrival had been uninspiring would have been an understatement. The thick sheets of snow; the unimpressed scholars; the bare rooms with their simple cots and dressers. And, worst of all, no Zen.

But this place…

From the moment she first stepped through its heavy oak doors, weighed down with worry and gut gnawing with more than hunger, she knew that she’s had found a reminder of who she once was.

The wait staff had been kind, seating them as close to the hearth as humanly possible and yet still neither she nor Ryuu had been unable to shed their outer garments. And just the same as now, the air had been heavy with beer and simple fried dishes. Though nothing made in this kitchen was remotely similar to what was prepared in her grandparents – the waitress had to describe the dishes one by one, patiently explaining which were the regional specialties and which were inspired by further north than even here – the wave of familiarity had soothed her stomach and warmed her heart. Here, in a land full of strangers and useless to anyone that didn’t know her (and that was everyone), she was closer to her childhood home than she thought she would ever be again.

The sound of the restaurant clatters around them, filled with happy cheers and laughter and the memories of that first day and every day that came after. Obi’s arrival. The moment she declared that she, too, would aim for Wilant. Giggling over drinks as Yuzuri swore that Shirayuki would be able to bear more than a single glass and still walk home at the end of the night before her tenure at Lyrias ended. Obi betting against that promise. Endless working lunches and dinners and then even breakfasts with Suzu and Lata and Shidan, picking through details while stuffing their faces after two meals skipped faster than was wise.

But no matter the memories, no matter the happy days, it still doesn’t change the way her empty stomach sours at the thought of food now.

Between them both, Zen is the one among them the least versed with the shape Obi’s disapproval takes - she does not think Obi had the nerve to do more than tease in Wistal, and even then it was more difficult than he would ever let on. But she, on the other hand, who has had years of direct opportunity to accumulate, ah, mishaps, was well aware that even the gentlest of hearts had bridges one must not cross.

So it is not a surprise when Zen is the first one to break the ice wall of silence. “Well, um, Obi-“

“We’re sorry,” Shirayuki breaks in to save him, because she is. Really, truly, she is.

Zen won’t have her taking the blame, though she wish he would. “It was my mistake. I was the one who said we should follow you.”

Smile pursed tight in a way that reminds her eerily of Makiri, Obi shrugs, lazily picking through a bowl of nuts the waitress brought with their drinks. “No worries. It’s perfectly fine.”

Fine. The word is flat. Lifeless. And really she’s just the worst friend. The absolute worst. She knows how Obi values his privacy, how little of himself he shares. She’s spent the better part of four years now drawing him out and- and the times that it was him and not circumstances that made him speak of his life beyond her and Ryuu and the Olin Maris were precious, a gift of trust, and now they went and stole them from him-

Zen straightens, leaning across the table and later she thinks that he must have been trying to dispel this awkward air, because that’s the only reason one would possibly want to stay on this topic. “So, when did you noti-”

A pistachio nut cracks between two long fingers, the sound crisp and sharp. It sends her back to Tanbarun. To the Sunday markets when the fowlers brought more than eggs to hawk. She remembers her first time there, standing half nestled in her grandmother’s skirts as they shouldered their way through the crowds to pick out the plumpest bird. Her small hand had reached out, pointed, and the man had swooped it up into a flurry of squawks and feathers and frantically beating wings. It was fast, over in not nearly a second, the snap of bone swift and clean and-

It sounds exactly like that.

Swallowing, Shirayuki fiddles with the fringe of her skirt and Zen is painfully silent as Obi washes down the nut, his eyes level and dead. Swishing the beer between his teeth, the weight of his ire lays even heavier, and- Oh god. Shirayuki looks away. He’s really mad, oh no.

It’s the giggle that tips her off. Then the snort. Then Obi is in full hysterics under her and Zen’s startled gazes, head thrown back and palms slapping the table. He’s- he’s making a scene, and if she had a heart to be embarrassed, she would be, but she can’t when she doesn’t know what it means.

“I can’t do it,” he giggles, tears glittering in the corners of his eyes. Every few words escape between little gasps of air. “I mean. You guys were hiding? And it was funny you were acting all weird about me? So I played along! But let’s stop here. I’ve got to stop.”

The pressure lifts from her chest, but not entirely. Obi wipes the moisture from the corner of his eyes with the heels of his palms.

“So,” she ventures, uncertain. “You’re not angry?”

Obi snorts, a fit of giggles nearly starting him up again. “No way!” he laughs, waving his hand. “I was walking aimlessly on purpose!”

That… certainly sounds like something he would do.

But before she can comment on it, and because he apparently he didn’t learn from his last try not two minutes ago, Zen presses, “Then who were you meeting at the base?”

It’s almost funny the way Obi’s face goes from amused to annoyed. Almost. Sighing, he hides it behind his drink. “Straight to the point as soon as the awkwardness passes, huh?” Obi grumbles into his cup. His eyes don’t return to theirs, instead stalling in the depths of his drink, and Shirayuki’s heart gives a single pound when his cheeks go a shade darker.

“Well.” He chokes out something affecting a grin and it’s not unlike the smile he gives her when she removes a bandage. Tense. Pained. And entirely fake. “Well, she was my partner for a marriage meeting!”

Shock… would be a word for what she is feeling. If shock could strike you to the gut like this. Her chest feels strange, too, like her heart isn’t beating in her chest like it should. Zen isn’t speaking, either, and Obi’s cheeks go darker, his mouth opening to no doubt fill the silence with something other than this.

Another, brighter voice makes it so he doesn’t have to. “May I take your order?” the waitress breaks in.

“Ah, right!” Shirayuki stutters, tearing her gaze away and up. Then, because clearly it’s her job to lighten the mood by stating the obvious, she adds, “We haven’t ordered yet!”

~ ~ ~

“Let’s see,” Obi drawls, picking up his tankard. It’s his third and he has shown no hint of slowing down. But he also hasn’t pressed her or Zen about still being on their first. “She’s the younger sister of one of the knights here. He’s been bringing it up over and over since way back…“

The strangeness in her chest turns into a lurch and she presses her forefingers to her pulse under the table. Counts her heartbeat in time to her breath. Does the math. That’s months of him thinking about this. Months of him measuring himself to decide if he- if he wants-

“…And that brings us to today!” Obi shrugs. “That’s all.”

To think, it was that long. That long about thinking of something so important and he didn’t-

Tell her.

“What kind of person is she?” Zen asks, because her chest isn’t feeling strange enough as it is. She takes a quick gulp of her own drink in lieu of rubbing her sternum to soothe the ache.

“Eh?” Obi rucks his mouth up, considering. “Ah, mm, she’s a few years younger than me. Her older brother is full of energy and she doesn’t seem to know what to do with him. They seem to be close. I think she’ll find a good match soon. We talked a little about those dinner banquet gatherings they hold for young people.”

Zen nods, mouth full of food, but Shirayuki just… sits there. Staring at him. With her mouth slightly agape. And she wishes she had some elegance in these matters, because this was- a big deal! She should be happy that he was- was trying. That he thought himself well enough - good enough - to move forward.

“Miss?” Obi prods gently, smile nervous and stretched thin. “You haven’t said anything.”

“Ah.” The breath comes out in a surprised puff. She hadn’t- she didn’t notice that she had been holding it all in. “You went so far as to hide it. I thought that maybe she had some sort of situation surrounding her.”

Obi’s smile slaps off clean and then he ducks his head, as guilty as a scolded dog. “Ahh, I see.” He shakes his head, but he’s hiding from her. “No. It wasn’t an issue with her.”

Shirayuki’s heart clenches. Maybe this place was too open. Maybe they needed to go someplace more quiet-

“When I’m dealing with something outside my comfort zone,” Obi begins, body rounding in on itself, and she almost drags him out of this bar right then and there. Here, the lighting is too poor. She can only see the tension in his jaw when he flexes it, the sharp arch of his cheek cutting light and shadows, the shy glimmer of gold as his eyes avert from hers. The rest is hidden behind his drink. “It’s like my senses dull. There was no reason to hide it, but with my mind stuck on it like that, I felt like I couldn’t face you.”

“That makes sense,” Zen says, infuriatingly patient for a man who just minutes ago was not. “You’re not the type to jump off unfamiliar scaffolding, after all.”

Shirayuki’s jaw goes slack and she- she’s never been so inspired, not since their first meeting, to shake him. To pull him aside and ask what is wrong? It had been like this ever since their reunion. Well, not their reunion in particular, but the three of them. Every song sung a chance to scoff, every observation an opportunity to launch a barb. It had been- not entirely unforeseen, not when they took their short trip south and certainly not when Zen invited himself up to Lyrias for several weeks. Zen has always been jealous, nipping at the heels of anyone who spent more time with her than him. He was like that with all of his people and kept each one of them as close as his brother would allow. But- she was growing weary after weeks of it without end.

Obi, this time, like all the other times, laughs, no better than Zen in falling back into his patterns from- from before and her heart sinks. That he would hide the strike behind a joke was one thing, but this time, his hand climbs out from beneath the table, grasping for his shoulder-

-before falling just short and plopping down on the surface of the table.

Shirayuki stares at it. It’s been… years, she thinks. Perhaps. Since she saw that motion. It has her swallowing down on a scream, tearing her gaze from it to Obi’s face where the lines draw tight around his eyes. She wonders if it was obvious before as it is now that his smile is a lie.

“You’re right!” Obi laughs. “Of course.”

“In any case, people are asking after you, huh?” Zen asks with a sigh. “That means I should probably introduce you formally at this point.”

“Oh no Master,” Obi holds up both hands in protest, and Shirayuki wants nothing more than to join him in that objection. “That’s not necessarily.”

He’s adamant, shaking his head. “As your lord, it’s my responsibility. I honestly should have done it years ago,” Zen says, plucking at his hair. “After we got your first, ah-“

He cuts off with a wince, guiltily, a delicate flush creeping up his neck.

Shirayuki doesn’t think she wants to know. But her mouth had never been good with holding back a question. “First…?”

“First, uhm-” The flush deepens, red blotching his cheeks, “-courtship letter.”

“What?”

Surprisingly the one squawking is her. When her eyes snap to Obi for confirmation that her ears were working properly, he’s just as surprised as her, his jaw hanging from its hinges.

“Courtship?” he asks faintly, and oh- oh, she did not need to know the way his voice sounded when it he has been so thoroughly wounded. “Letters?”

Zen clears his throat, looking everywhere but the two of them. “Yea, uh-“ He straightens a little, ducking past her startled gaze to look Obi square in the eyes. “It’s only natural, first as my messenger and then as an immediate knight that you would gain some interest.”

Obi goes a shade paler, a sickly sheen dotting the edge of his forehead. His eyes are distant, faded, but his smile is still in place, his motions still attentive, and-

“Wait,” Shirayuki steps in. “How many? When did they come? After we left for Lyrias?”

Zen winces and continues not to look at her. “It doesn’t matter,” he chokes, intent on Obi and no one else. “When I return, though, I’ll bring them with me. We can go over them.”

It’s only because she knows him so well that she can hear the breathlessness of the reply, the panic snapping on the heels of the words. “Of course, Master.”

“In the meantime!” Zen smiles, stretching his arms over his head. “We should start training you for court. Get you a wardrobe, even. Just because we’re behind doesn’t mean we can’t catch up!”

“Wait!” Obi straightens, hands splayed out across the table. “There’s no need-”

It’s rare that Zen strengthens his voice with them, making his words less a request and more a demand. “There’s every need, Obi.” They both straighten, shocked, and a small smile of the Prince they know tugs at his lips. “They’ll be inviting you, you know? To those dinners. I don’t want them to have reason to think you’re anything less than an ideal companion.”

“Well,” Obi laughs, and she wonders if Zen can hear what she does. Or if they’ve changed so much that the language spoken beneath the words is lost to him. “I was already invited before. We all were.”

That gets a reaction. “Shirayuki, you too?” Zen yelps, betrayed. “This is the first I’ve heard of it!”

“It was a luncheon!” she chirps helpfully, kicking at Obi’s shins under the table. She catches his lips twitching around his drink, pressed once again to his mouth, and- and-

Fine. They were even now. She spies on him. He tells on her. Even.

Also, as much as she hates to admit it, Zen’s is… endearing when he pouts like this. “It’s not an issue of time of day… I mean, that matters, but that’s not it!”

They went exactly once, is what she wants to say. After a repeated outbreak of a stomach virus seemed to center on one banquet hall in particular. She hadn’t even done much aside from collect samples under the cover of their ruse. It had been easier than expected, and all the gentlemen had been so nice, even if she did smell like cold meats and cheese for a week after.

“I wanted to turn down the invite, but Miss insisted!” Obi objects over her thoughts, like a liar. He hadn’t wanted to go, yes, but she had not asked him to follow and neither of them had particularly enjoyed the experience regardless. The entire afternoon had been him dodging away from soft hands and sweet voices while she alternated between glowering at the kitchen and Obi’s would be suitors. “It made it very hard for me to come up with excuses to not entertain partners at a party just for that purpose.”

Zen gives him a flat look. “You sure have confidence in your popularity.”

You would, too, Shirayuki thinks. If you had seen him at that luncheon.

Obi ducks his head coyly, lashes fanning across his cheeks as he lifts his mug. “I understand how much I’ve got from past experience,” he grins. “”I’ve got some talent in lighting a flame.”

If Zen catches the inference, he doesn’t let it show. For her part, she just… wishes he wouldn’t joke like that. Not when-

-Not when he was… thinking about a wife.

“…Did you try that at the dinner party?” Zen drawls, eyebrows raised.

Obi sputters. “I did not! I was with the young Miss!”

And that, she thinks, may be the only time that her presence dissuaded him from anything.

#bubbleswrites #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #obiyuki #i too am going quite until june so i can work on original fiction #so this is my last post for a little while!

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infinitelystrangemachinex · 5 years

Note

POV

Obi doesn’t know what he was looking forward to the most. The yoga itself? Nah. He hasn’t told anyone - and he’s not going to, he knows when to flex and when to look a guy in the face who knows that he could flex if he wanted to - that he’s going to the advanced session later tonight by himself. His workout on the obstacles yesterday doles out automatic perscriptions for, like, black diamond yoga. This is just the bunny slopes.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Suzu grow steadily redder in the face with every passing second, bent sideways I’m-a-Little-Teapot style, one arm akimbo. He looks like he needs... the restroom. Bad.

“You okay?” Obi stage whispers, aghast.

Suzu grimaces. “Is it normal for my ribs to feel like salad tongs trying to pick up a porcupine, or is that just me?”

“Dude.”

“Seriously, what position is this?”

“Pose, Suzu,” Yuzuri groans at his side. “Say pose. Pose.”

“Dude, this isn’t a pose.” Obi’s eyes widen. “This is still just, like, stretching.”

Suzu’s eyes drift shut, releasing himself to his own agony. “Thanks for checking up. Gonna just stand here and die now.”

Obi turns to his other side. He can barely feel the stretch, so he reaches for the floor, finally feeling something in his thigh and shoulder pull tight. Out of the corner of this eye, the miss is stretching horribly wrong, all crooked at the hip, cheerfully feeling no stretch at all, by the look on her face. He hasn’t got the heart to correct her.

“Group yoga was your idea,” he reminds her with a grin, almost flipping his head upside down so she can see his face. He’d find himself charming, if he was her. “Feeling at one with yourself yet?”

“It’s not as hard as I was afraid it’d be,” she tells him happily, if politely. Always so polite. He could scream loud enough to shatter every last one of the studio’s floor-to-ceiling tinted windows right now if he wanted.

“You don’t say.” They shift into a doubled-over stretch, fingertips touching the ground. Obi’s palms flatten easily to his yoga mat and he goes up onto his toes, knees tight, calves wailing. “Still good?”

“That’s just not fair,” she gasps. He can see her trying to copy him, but her knees keep wobbling, bending when they should be locked in place. Her hair is totally flopped over at the roots, touching the ground.

Things were going so well with her. Swimmingly, even. Tanbarun was months ago by now, but it’s starting to feel like it will always have happened just yesterday, every day for the rest of his life.

His screwups all have that one thing in common. They stick.

Doesn’t mean he can’t indulge in what he was really looking forward to. When they eventually shift into cobra, he arches his back perfectly, clenches his glutes for added effect.

The miss gives a little eep behind him as one of her elbows gives way. He bites back a grin.

Suzu whistles softly. “Now that’s what I call inspiration.”

#meme #my writing #myfic #bubblesthemonsterartist

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dan-de-leon · 5 years

Text

A Valentines one-shot ficlet for @squidpro-quo

Happy Valentines Day!!

"I really love the OT3 with Zen/Obi/Shirayuki, something with the three of them would be amazing! I'd rather not get anything with abo au or explicit sex"

I hope this is alright >_< This is my first foray back into writing after a 5 year hiatus. I’ll probably post this on AO3 when I have time later.

Have a lovely valentines!!

Untitled - a short omake?

The crew have some introspective thoughts and musings about the nature of their lives as they hear about the plot of Yuzuri’s latest obsession.

------------

There was a strong feeling of foreboding in the air. While Zen never liked trusting in such, he unwittingly fell into the same bad habit that his old manners teachers tried and failed to whip him out of all throughout his younger years: paying more attention to the weather than the words of the person he’s engaged in conversation with.

It certainly was the kind of day that couldn't decide whether to be bright or dreary. The snow flurries already stopped and zen's throat was no longer aching. Yet he was warned to stay aware of his health. Mainly since it would not be good for the image of their beautiful city if royalty got sick there all the time.

He pushed a bereft yawn down his lungs; no matter how much the gray seemed to begin looming over those blue skies, it would not fit if he were to yawn in the middle of shirayuki's cheerful and (altogether too) bubbly friend's dialogue. Something about romance novels? Everyone seems to be paying attention though. And who is Zen but a master at staying alert.

"The writing is superb! It delivered way more than I expected," she barely stopped herself from sighing, "my only objection was that it ended too soon."

Shirayuki, patiently listening beside him, was serene and hardly disheveled as usual. Despite her busy schedule and tendency to overwork, she always looked immaculate, whatever the situation. Meanwhile, her friend paused to glance at him. Was that a smirk he saw, just now? No. Yuzuri faced Shirayuki once more, though with a question obviously directed towards him. He braced himself.

"Though, of course, with your highness being around, this type of excitement must be humdrum nonsense, right?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. And then held his breath right after- causing a cough to sneak up on his already much-abused throat. He put a fist before his mouth and coughed once more for good measure.

"What? No! Not at all. What are the main points?"

This seemed to encourage the young girl. She gave a wider grin before resuming with her discussion.

"Oooooh, it had all the best elements!! Right, Suzu? There's the forbidden romance between the prince and the lowborn lady, him rescuing her from pirates and unruly bandits-"

What?

That one landed way too close to home for him to keep being comfortable. His foot fidgeted. He glared at it to stay. Put. The many times Shirayuki got into trouble because of their situation still made him feel guilty to this day. But he would not ask her to stop, nor would he presume to imagine that he would ever be able to order her to do so.

He glanced at Shirayuki. She was frowning, but only a smidge.

-------

Shirayuki didn't really pay attention to what was being said. That said, she had her head in the clouds the whole time (considering that they were gray, growing, and halfway covering the sky).

That is, until she felt a tickle in her back. It wasn't too uncomfortable -- only enough to make her want to scratch at it. Fine, it was reeeeally uncomfortable. What material did they make herbalist clothes from nowadays, poison ivy?!

She blinked. She was sure she HAD heard the last portion of yuruzi's monologue, but who could really blame her for being a tad bit (note: a LOT) distracted?

"The prince carrying the lady bridal-style-"

A memory of a warm hand gently wrapping over her waist

"-stolen kisses-"

The sun on her face. That warm spring day. The feeling of her heart pounding, as she felt the pain and simultaneous joy of a first kiss from a very attractive young gentleman.

"-dangerous enemies, as skilled as knights appointed by the crown!"

Come to think of it, they haven't really experienced any danger for those two whole years they've spent in lyrias, haven't they? It was like time stopped and it became normal, to not think about the castle. Shirayuki never had any trouble with petty distractions when there was work to be done. The time here went by so rapidly, since she always had the next project to work on. And once Zen returned, it was like time started moving once more.

And WHY on earth was that prickly feeling in her neck starting to burn? Shirayuki gave in and scratched at her neck. It wasn't the right spot, but it was close enough for the time being.

-----

Suzu was giving him that look again.

While he appreciated time spent with their friends in Lyrias, their teasing looks have always been his constant adversary and longtime companion. He should be used to them by now. He's never reacted before, and them goading him won't make him do so now.

The bubbly girl was being blocked from his view by Shirayuki's slender back. He didn't want to stare, really. She was right there. He couldn't help it. Honest.

"-she even got kidnapped! By the worst type of bandits imaginable!"

He remembered those days. Nonstop action, enough that he could barely breathe. Is he softer now, milder now, tamer now, in comparison? Has this place officially defanged him?

"The lady's true love, saving her in the nick of time!"

He'd never dreamed of that role before. But if he did, would it actually make any difference?

And of course, the prince and the lady's knight, both madly in love with her!"

Suzu's stare was penetrating him now. Not to mention, Zen switched from looking at Shirayuki to looking at him, too.

He sneezed. Everyone jumped.

"It's getting a bit cold. How about we head back in for some warm tea?"

Everybody seemed only too eager to provide assent.

And thus, their whole group started trudging back to the warmth of the kitchen, with the sound of Yuzuri's chatter providing a comfortable ambience. -----

Lyrias was practically a fortress. And thus, it was not too easy for anyone to just jump in and take any random person from the inside. So it was just Shirayuki's luck that she is the unfortunate person caught in the crossfire, yet again.

Some man (she had no idea who, he just blindfolded her and wrapped her up) knocked her out cold while she was checking out books in the extensive library. How and when they got inside, she did not know.

She was still blindfolded. Her hands were tied - but carefully. Whoever did this must've known her status, and didn't want to get in trouble for knocking her around too much. She was famous around here for being a friend of the crown, after all.

Now, what options do I have?

While her body might have just gotten used to the lack of movement that came with indoor work, she will not let it be a reason for her to lose that same tenacity that drove her to run all the way to another country just for the sake of avoiding the selfish wishes of a once famously spoiled man.

Shirayuki checked all her senses. Her sight was out, obviously. She wriggled her hands - still tight. She smelled the air - the heavy musk of being in a wooden room. But- and her tongue darted out, tasting the air: why is it sweet?

Footsteps

And- they're getting closer.

This didn't bode well for her. She had to think of a solution, and fast.

Shirayuki knew the walls tasted of moss. This moss was lightly useful for providing a light tonic when collected, dried and placed in boiling water. They collected those flowers in the spring.

Fresh, though, and in wintertime, means the tiny leaves will release a certain powder when shaken.

The door opened, and Shirayuki kicked the wall. She held her breath and hoped to god that the man had large nostrils like most other hooligans here in this city.

--------------

Shirayuki had been in her lonesome all morning for some reason.

Normally Obi would be beside her. Yet today of all days Zen required him to be present for sparring practice. Man-to-man bonding, as they called it (though kiki would raise a finely manicured brow at this insinuation)

When he finally escaped for just a tad bit and ran through his usual shortcut (rooftops, what else?) to get to his mistress's haven, he was whooping for joy. The plan for the rest of the day? To provide any help for her in the best way he could.

Yet- what was this feeling of dread? He tried to sense for her presence in the library. His breathing evened out, and he stretched out his hearing to pinpoint the exact place she was supposed to be. This was a relic from days spent listening for the cadence of her heart amidst the roar of a snowstorm upon castle walls. He would recognize her even from the next room.

And yet, none of those abilities could help him out if she wasn't present in the room.

He sniffed the air. There was the light permeating smell of old books and cement. And something else - the residual scent of herbs, from days when Shirayuki brought samples to cross-check with books.

There was a bad feeling rising now, like a crested wave almost reaching the breaking point. He rushed to her oither hangout spots - finding none, he sought out the usual suspects for her attention. None of them have seen even a single strand of her famously bright red hair.

And thus, he had to report to Zen

------

"Shirayuki is missing."

Zen wanted to facepalm. Wasn't Yuzuri talking about this exact situation mere moments ago?

"I guess at least the plot is consistent, huh?"

"Master, you said something?"

"Nothing. Let's go rescue our fair maiden."

#ANSValentines2019 #squidpro-quo #ans valentines #fic-exchange #snow white with the red hair #obiyukizen #zenyukiobi

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ruleofexception · 6 years

Text

Ch. 4 (SoulM8, AU!)

SoulM8

He's fucked. Oh man is he fucked.

How did one beer turn into… this?

Fuzzy thoughts press through the alcohol induced haze that's clouded his brain, but the only one that seems important is that she might walk around the corner any second and see him like this. Which would be… not something he wants.

Grabbing the edge of the sticky countertop and pulling himself up to peak over it, relief crashes through his veins.

She's still distracted.

For now.

But, it’s only a matter of time before her or Yuzuri decide they need another drink and head to the kitchen. He needs to get out of here.

"Suzu." Ignoring the grunt that floats up from the star-fished human on the floor, he glances over his shoulder, shifts and nudges the guy with his knee. “She can’t see me like this, man.”

"Y'know wha?” Suzu snorts and rolls his head to the side, his eyes glassy as they desperately try to focus on him. "Who cares, dude. Yuki’s yer Match. Love is bound to hap’n.”

“I care! She doesn’t even know sober me. I don’t think she’s ready for… for this. I’m an asshole.” Lowering himself to the floor, he rests his head against the cupboard and groans as the room starts to spin. “Is it possible to fuck up a Match? Cause I think I could.”

“Pft. Stop bein’ a bitch.” Blinking blearily, Suzu jolts his arm up and points somewhere over Obi’s shoulder, though he’s almost certain the motion is meant for him. “Yer a cool dude, my dude. An’ Yuki’s a cool dude.”

The guy may be drunk and half naked on the kitchen floor, but he could have a point. This whole SoulM8 thing seems to be legit… And although he’s never really been great at dating, Shirayuki is his Match. It’s different now, right?

So, just because he hasn’t taken her on a proper date yet or figured out what her favourite cereal is, doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world? It doesn’t mean he should be embarrassed about having one-too-many drinks with one of her best-friends, right? Maybe she’ll even be happy to see he’s getting along with Suzu?

Suzu snorts again and starts to squirm; from the flying limbs and clear struggle, Obi’s guessing that he’s trying to sit up. It’s not going so well. Grunting, he continues to flail. “Listen, just… be cool dudes, but together.”

“I don’t know how to do that, man.” Shutting his eyes and lightly banging his head against the cupboards, his hands clench nervously. Tonight he’d been planning to actually talk to her, like a decent human being, like a good Match, and instead he’s been drinking with Suzu and talking about her.

Fuck.

Maybe he can find a way to work up the courage to call her tomorrow after his hangover passes and some of his pride finds its way back to him. But tonight? Right now? He needs to get out of here, before he finds a way to truly make an ass of himself.

“Sure yah do. Besides, didn’t yah read the fine print before you got that thing?” Peeking over at Suzu, who’s now sitting and grinning dumbly at him, he refrains from cursing again. “Accordin’ to science, yer exactly what Yuki’s been waitin’ for fer almost a decade.”

“Ha, yeah, great. No pressure there…” how could he ever forget that he’d made her wait that long?

Huffing loudly, Suzu reaches forward and punches him, encouragingly.

Before he gets the chance to slur some other Match nonsense, Obi growls, “Suzu, you don’t get it. The only reason I got the stupid thing is because-” biting down on his tongue, he cringes. Now’s not the time to bring up Torou or Deadre or any of that past bullshit. “Look, I just don’t know what I’m doing. I never have. I was hoping getting this shit would help, but I seriously think that it might be broken, because honestly, Shirayuki is… well she’s just… she’s so… I don’t know, she’s-”

“Standing right here?” A light giggle causes his eyes to widen in surprise and shift to where a sparkly set of purple toenails are curling nervously beside him.

“Ah, shit.”

Well, this certainly isn’t what he’d expected to happen. Not even remotely close.

Honestly, he thought for sure that Yuzuri would have kicked him out as soon as he’d been caught mumbling all that gibberish about Shirayuki; he may not have known her for long, but he does know that she doesn’t put up with shit like that. Especially when it involves Shirayuki.

But, instead of being kicked out, he found himself being coaxed out of the kitchen and through the house, by none other than Shirayuki herself.

It had been strange out first - her tiny hand sitting effortlessly in his as she dragged him behind her, going from room to room. He’d been hopeless to do much more than stumble along, dazed and in awe that she was still holding his hand. It didn’t even matter that she wasn’t saying anything or that his stomach felt like it was full of intoxicated butterflies. It didn’t matter, because touching her just made everything feel... right.

Even with the house still spinning from all the drinks, everything felt right, for once in his life.

And he would have been happy to follow along behind Shirayuki for the rest of the night, in a spinning house, if it meant she’d keep holding his hand.

The only time they’d stopped their trek through the house was when she yanked him into the bathroom. But, after a few brief awkward minutes spent swaying in the small space, she eventually groaned, slipped her hand into his once more and started pulling him towards one of the bedrooms.

He’d nearly had a panic attack.

Which is really saying something, because before all this SoulM8 shit, if a beautiful woman had been pulling him towards the bedroom, he wouldn’t have been able to move down that hallway fast enough. But with her… he wants to do this right. It already feels like she got the short straw in this Match, since she’s pretty much the closest thing to perfection he’s ever encountered and he’s… well he’s not.

A gentle touch, brushing against the tops of his knuckles pulls him from his thoughts and back into the small, unfurnished bedroom she’d locked them in.

Looking down to where Shirayuki’s fingers are still laced with his, he shivers as her free hand runs thoughtfully across his knuckles, before trailing down to his wrist where the same summer-green of her eyes, dances across the tiny screen. “I wondered, you know…”

“Ah, wondered?” Brows furrowing and still trying to fight off the haze of alcohol and panic, he blinks rapidly to clear his vision and looks up from their joined hands to stare at her.

A partial curtain of red hangs between them, her gaze downcast to where she continues to explore the device on his wrist. He’s not entirely sure she’s looked at him since they’d been in the kitchen, and even then he’s not sure she was really looking at him, since he’d been desperately trying to avoid making eye contact with her.

Nodding slightly, she smacks her feet together nervously and squeezes his hand. “Yeah… That day, in the supermarket, when you were being a… a butt.”

“I can’t beli- wait, wait… Did you…” chuckling and ducking his head down to try and catch her eye, he’s surprised to find a grin pulling at his lips.

It’s not that he’s surprised at the grin itself, but rather at how natural and easy it is to be around her. Fuck, he’s known her for less than a month, knows almost nothing about her and yet spending time with her feels as though he’s known her for years.

“Did you just call me a butt?”

“Yes!” A soft giggle swirls around him as she tips her head back and moves to brush her hair out of her face; a brilliant summer green gaze smiles up at him and her cheeks flush. Donning a fake pout, he bites at his cheek to keep himself from smiling any wider. “Well you were! You were being rude, but when I turned around to tell you to go away, I… ah… well you were just so… so...”

“I was… what?” Leaning closer and bringing a hand up to cup his ear, he allows the grin to break free. Eyes wide and squeaking shyly, she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and shakes her head. “Sorry, didn’t quite catch that. You were going to yell at me, for being a butt - your words, not mine - but I was just so… what? ”

The room grows quiet, save for the nervous shuffling of her feet; twice, she opens her mouth and meets his gaze, like she’s finally found the words, but both times she’s quick to close it and look away. Panic starts to bubble up and the notion that maybe he’s taken it too far begins to worm its way into his mind. He needs to fix this.

“Hey,” Squeezing her hand and chuckling, he bumps her shoulder gently. “I’m just curious. If there’s something I shouldn’t be doing, or something that bugs you, I want to know so I don-”

“Distracting!” A painful blush sits high in her cheeks and she squeezes her eyes shut before taking a deep breath, “Obi, you were… you were very, ahm, distracting. But, uhm, in a… ah, a good way.”

A mixture of surprise and pride flits through him. He’d really only been teasing her before, not realizing that she’d actually thought he could be something more than just an asshole bugging her at the grocery store. “You really thought that?”

“Yeah, I really did.” Humming she runs her fingers across his wrist again, raising goosebumps along his arm. “I was trying to see if you already had a SoulM8, but you were wearing a long sleeve… And I thought about asking you, but then you went and opened your stupid mouth again.”

Grimacing, he watches as her hair starts to slide out from behind her ear - strands of it fall forward, trying to form a curtain between them again. “Not one of my finer moments, I assure you.”

Nodding, her thumb runs soothing circles around the SoulM8 and she sighs before looking back up to meet his gaze. A sad smile teases at her lips, “You know, you’re actually why I booked the removal appointment?”

To say he’s shocked would be an understatement. All he can figure out how to do is shake his head slowly, since his lungs don’t seem to be cooperating and his stomach is threatening to spill everything he’s consumed in the past 24 hours.

He had been the reason she was at the clinic? She was there to get it… to get it removed?

Oh, holy fuck.

That’s why she was there? It makes sense, probably should have pieced that together before just now, but... fuck.

She was there to get it removed and... and he’d gone in to get it installed, all because of the same fucking conversation? What if he hadn’t decided to get it done? Where would they be now? Certainly not sitting on a bedroom floor, holding hands and matched.

“I… I’m so…” Fuck, he’d very nearly ruined the only good thing in his life without even realizing it. What if he’d missed the appointment? Or changed his mind? It’s getting harder to breathe and his shoulder aches. Maybe he should leave her alone for a while. Try and process everything. Call her tomorrow. “I just… fuck.”

Shifting his legs, he means to let go of her hand and push himself up off the floor, but he seems to have lost control of his limbs; they all feel heavy and useless. Not even his free hand has the ability to fist in his hair like he needs it to.

Stomach rolling again, he can’t bear to look at her. What had he done? He knew that the conversation hadn’t exactly been stellar. In fact, he’d left the supermarket feeling utterly defeated; she was the reason he finally decided to go and get the SoulM8.

She was the reason he was getting it and he was the reason she was removing it…

“Obi, breathe. It was a good thing.” he nearly startles when her hand moves from his wrist, to his cheek, gently turning his face towards hers, until an understanding, concerned gaze searches him. “I’d been thinking about it for a while… you just helped me realize that I didn’t want to wait another 3 decades, hoping that this thing would tell me who I was supposed to end up with. Meeting you made me understand that this thing on my wrist didn’t have to define me.”

“But I…” Catching his breath isn’t working and his shoulder aches with an intensity he’s never felt before; and although she’s smiling tenderly at him, running her thumb along his cheek, he can’t seem to move past the fact that he’d been the reason she was willing to get it permanently removed. “I almost… and you wer-”

“Yuki?” A loud knock echoes through the room, Yuzuri’s words slurring through the thick wooden door. “Yuki, you in here? C’mon, play beer pong!”

Shit, he’s not ready to go out and face the rest of the party. He doesn’t want to leave Shirayuki’s side - not when there’s still so much to be said. She needs to know how he’d gotten to that point in his life. Needs to know that he’d never meant to push her so close to removing it.

“Yup! Be there in a sec, Yuzuri.” Dropping her hand from his cheek and giggling shyly, Shirayuki bumps his shoulder. “Look, Obi, I’ve thought about it a lot, since it happened, and I want you to know that I wouldn’t change anything about that day.”

The fingers laced between his give one final squeeze before they release him and a moment later she’s on her feet, bouncing slightly in an attempt to get her blood flowing again. Watching her shake out her hands and smile down at him is oddly comforting, but the twisted knot that is his heart, continues to throb painfully behind his ribs. If he doesn’t find the words, soon, she’ll walk out that door and he’s not sure he’ll know how to bring this up again.

A shaky breath fills his burning lungs and he’s no longer sure if the spinning room is alcohol-induced or his anxiety over this whole situation. Thoughts burrow into his mind, digging up questions of what-if’s and he desperately wants to talk to her about what had happened that day and why, but all he’s able to manage is a whispered, “Nothing?”

She’s at the door now and he half expects her to just open it and join her friends, ignoring his quiet question, but slowly she turns to face him and steals the breath from his lungs all over again - but this time, it’s simply because of the way she’s smiling at him.

Scrunching up her toes and shaking her head slightly, she giggles, “Nope, nothing.”

Aside from the muffled music coming from the hallway and Yuzuri’s insistent hollering for Shirayuki, the room grows quiet once more. An odd sense of relief, he’s not sure he deserves, comes over him and the pain in his shoulder, dulls. Shirayuki stands there, hand on the doorknob, and sighs.

“Now, I need to know…” a mischievous grin pulls at her lips and she cracks the door open to let music flood into the room, “Are you going to come be my partner or am I going to have to fend for myself out there?”

#obiyukiweek2018 #day 4 #free day #obiyuki #ans #akagami no shirayukihime #mild language #soulm8 au #*forcefully boots out of drafts*#here #take this nonsense #*climbs back in trash can*

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