puppycrush2 | week two

[heh. . . he shields himself a bit from those water droplets (more for show than anything else) but doesn't yet retaliate. maybe he'll get her when she least expects it!!]

Yana-chan is way braver than that.

[he says that with such confident certainty]

A few small waves have nothing on her.

[but even so. . . as she approaches the water, he does as well, instinctively reaching out to rest his hand against her back. support!!]

[ oh if only he knew just how much of a coward she--

startles at the touch on her back, hopping forward and pivoting poorly on her heel in the sand because SAND PHYSICS SUCK, barely grabbing onto will for support.

.........

that could've been a total disaster right at the start. ]

Tsukinoki-senpai says you can die in like, a couple inches of water. It's what makes Dazai and Mishima's affair with the creek extra exciting.

[ please she's so embarrassed she's speaking utter nonsense. ]

[oh my god, Anna??]

[she grabs onto him for support, and he grabs one of her shoulders in return, just to make extra sure she doesn't fall]

Well, sure. If you lie facedown in it.

[but they aren't going to lie facedown in the water, are they?? are they??? at any rate. . . once Anna rights herself, Will hooks his arm around hers so they're linked together. so they can acclimate themselves to the night ocean at the same time!!]

Are Tsukinoki-senpai, Dazai and Mishima friends of yours?

[ great he knows that tidbit of information she had to find out reading her senpai's works. he's nice and warm next to her like this, so naturally she's going to lean more into him. ]

Tsukinoki-senpai's the Vice Prez... well, former now -- she retired to focus on her final year's exams, but she was the Vice Prez of the Literature Club. A really forceful woman, but her writing was nice. Dazai and Mishima are... writers? I guess? That she writes about.

[ literature is

it's really not her strong suit. shout out to thinking this club was about flowers at one point. ]

They're a couple, or something like that, reincarnating across time. Kinda romantic.

[HELP DOES SHE WRITE FANFIC ABOUT FAMOUS JAPANESE AUTHORS I'M DYING. not that Will can make that connection because he isn't from Japan, but. you know]

[she leans into him, and he finds himself leaning back. just slightly! he still needs to maintain balance so he can step forward, toes dipping into the wet sand as the water gets closer and closer. . . close enough to lap at his ankles, a rush of cold coursing through him, causing him to shiver and pull her a liiiiittle bit closer]

It sounds romantic.

[the idea of couples meeting across time, and again and again and again. . .]

Like soulmates, right?

[ She Does And They're Rated XXX.

it's her turn to giggle at his Experience with the water. not so tough now are we, will. but oh, soulmates. talking about it while standing together on the beach at night, the moon casting her pale gaze on the blah blah blah... ]

So you've got that concept, but not seven days in a week? [ how are these related, anna. she's teasing. ] Right, like soulmates.

[ so romantic. does it exist? hopefully. be nice if it did. anna lifts her free hand, wiggling her pinky. ]

They say that people who're bound by fate like that have a red string tied around their pinkies, connected to one another. That's why when you promise someone something, you shake on it with them.

[ probably. ]

[I'm so proud of her]

[Will lets out an indignant little huff at that, but he's being playful!]

The number of days in a week and the narrative concept of soulmates are two different things.

[please!! it's not his fault everyone else uses a weird calendar. seven days a week. unheard of. disgusting!!]

[but now that they're in the water, and Will finds himself sloooowly getting used to the chilly temperatures. . . he shifts from one foot to the next, wiggling his toes so they catch the sand a bit. it's tempting to splash at her in REVENGE for the little splash she sent his way, but no. he is still biding his time. the moment is not right, though it will be soon!]

[also: she holds up her pinky, and since pinky promises are also not foreign to him, he hooks his own around hers on instinct as he listens to what she says]

Oh, really? That I haven't heard of. . . which is interesting, because we do have this.

[and he gives her hand a little shake! a pinky shake]

[ hello? cute? she's getting used to the water too, which should mean it's crab hunting time, but will... looks even more handsome than normal with the moonlight falling on him like this. it really catches in his eyes. ]

I guess some things are universal. Do they say that if you break a promise, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles?

[solemnly]

And that's why I never break a promise.

[it is not the reason he doesn't break promises— that is only because he is a man of his word. but he is also a man with a sense of humor, so he can't resist the tease]

[it may be prime crab hunting time, but Will seems perfectly content to stand in the waves like this, linked pinky-to-pinky, watching as she smiles right up at him. not that he is much taller than her, but still!! it's a great vantage point. . . and the shadows the moonlight casts across her cheeks are rather lovely]

. . . ah, you know— [not to change the subject, but!] I didn't think we'd get to see the beach together so soon.

It makes me happy that you remembered.

How could I forget? Silly. It wasn't that long ago...

[ in the grand scheme of things, is anything "long ago"... but she pushes her hair behind her ear and plays with the end of it. ]

I missed the sea, too. It feels nice to be back.

[ even if it isn't her hometown's by far -- she can tell that much -- it's nice. anna might release his pinky, but that's only so she can hold his hand better... shy as the hold is, slow and testing. not that she thinks he won't take it, but it's a little like their second kiss. ]

[it is a bit like that second kiss. . . more confident than the first, but still shy and uncertain. that thought strikes him rather suddenly as her fingers brush against his palm. she's so brave about asking for what she wants, but sometimes— she does it so gently, so subtly. it's endearing]

[with a breath, he takes those fingers in his own— linking their hands together loosely, but firmly enough that they won't fall apart]

Did you spend a lot of time at the ocean back home?

[he asks. and then he starts walking, feet kicking up small ripples of foamy water as he does so. being linked, hand-in-hand, means that he is taking Anna with him, of course. but a moonlit stroll across the beach. . .]

[it's a little breathtaking, isn't it?]

Edited 2024-11-20 03:39 (UTC)

[ oh... she'll follow of course, led along by the warmth of his hand. it could be cold as winter and anna doesn't think she'd feel a bit of it. truly breathtaking. but she beams at the question. ]

Every summer! My friends and I go pretty often when the weather's nice, too... I went with the Lit Club last time as part of our retreat. We were canning goods, or something like that. I don't get it. But we all wrote something before the weekend ended!

[ what canned goods and writing have to do with each other she has no idea. but that's what they said. ]

Everyone's stories were so fun to read... To be honest, I've been getting hit after hit of inspiration from everything here, so I'm super ready to write the next part of mine. It's a continuous story about a girl who's doing her best to win the heart of the guy she likes, from nervous beginnings of being unable to even say "hello" to the real fight for his affections!

[ of course it's a romance short ]

[OF COURSE IT IS!! but he likes that, you know? she's so genre-savvy when it comes to romance that it's clear she is passionate about the subject. as if her hard work in the competition hadn't made that obvious enough]

I didn't know that you were a writer, too.

[immediately interested as he gives their joined hands a li'l cutesy swing]

When you're finished, can I read it?

[because as she very well knows by now, he loves to read

[ oh did she not mention that? wow, just like his king thing, definitely comparable, ]

Sure! I mean, I don't know... how I'll get it to you, but sure. I'll figure something out.

[ maybe. she can ask the producers. or something. or use her wish on it. would that be silly. she loves their swinging hands though, she'll keep it up with him... it's nice. ]

So, can you swim?

You'll definitely figure something out.

[after all, they're both here, right?? it shouldn't be that hard for her to reach him after the competition is over!1 even though. . . he'll be much, much busier]

[. . .]

[LET'S NOT THINK THAT FAR AHEAD]

[at her question, his gaze flickers out further towards the ocean, taking in the horizon]

I can. But if we go swimming like this, we'll have nothing to change into afterwards.

We can always just strip down and go in our underwear. Bikinis are basically just that anyway.

[ hello ]

In front of the cameras?

[HELLO???]

What about them?

[ sorry ]

[ANNA???]

[h. help]

If you really want to go swimming, then. . .

[he supposes. . . it's not a horrible idea, probably???]

[ ... he's so cute... ]

We can swim at the house. Or if we wanna come back, we can -- it's not like this is gonna be our only date, right?

[ haha. she's swinging his hand as she pulls him along again. happy. ]

Besides, there's tons we can do here! Make sandcastles, find seashells, sit and watch the waves... Take your pick, Will-kun, I'm pretty good with any of the above.

[ as long as it's with him. ]

[oh thank god. MILD RELIEF. . .]

[gives her hand a li'l squeeze, almost like he is scolding her for teasing him, before he begins to walk again]

I hope you haven't give up on crab hunting, because—

[because there is something scuttling across the wet sand a few feet in front of them. hello!!]

[ OH!!!!!!

anna pauses, pulling will to a stop as she watched where it goes. lowering her voice. now they're on a mission. ]

They bury in the sand, so you gotta see where they go and then find the holes. Crabs are surprisingly tough to catch unless you surprise attack them.

[ no, she just sucks at it actually, ]

[Will isn't a seasoned hunter, but he has taken down monsters for bounties before, so. . . ! when Anna lowers her voice, he does the same, all the while slowly unbuttoning his. . . vest?? hello???]

We don't have a net, but having something similar would make them easier to catch.

[DETERMINED!!]

We can use my vest.

[it's gonna get wet and dirty]

[ it is

but there are crabs on the line, so. ]

Good thinking, Will-kun. I'm thinkin' we get twenty or so crabs as a start.

[ as a START??????? oh the camera crew is going to have so much b roll of just them chasing crabs around. ]

[CRABS ARE MORE IMPORTANT, HE CAN DO LAUNDRY WHEN THEY GET BACK]

Twenty is a good number. [HE IS DETERMINED] On the count of three, we'll rush it. Okay?

One, two--

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