puppycrush2 | week two

Ohhh! So that's how it is!

[God.

He buys this with his whole ass.]

Incredible... so that's how you did it. Ah, I probably wouldn't get any confessions either way [QUITE FRANKLY, HIS REPUTATION AT SCHOOL IS TRASH EVEN IF HE'S PRETTY] so that isn't an option for me, though.

[ why would she lie? she isn't but this isn't the whole truth either.

anyway despite her first impression anna is?? actually bewildered??? ]

Really? But you're so handsome on top of being a gentleman.

Ah, thank you! That's very kind of you!

[........ though he kind of... looks a little sheepish at that.]

I do get along well enough with my peers, I think... [He's actually pretty likeable at school, it's just.

It's just...]

But I'm afraid I have a bit of a reputation these days for being... [..........]

[..... gloom.......]

Ah, no matter how hard I try, I end up in a situation where I'm causing everyone trouble...

[RUI....]

[ oh dear. she'll pat his hand with her free one. there, there. ]

Aw, come on, what's wrong with that? Causing others trouble is just what happens when people care about you... and maybe it's because you're trying to avoid it so much that it ends up happening anyway.

[that's very sweet, Anna, but--]

... Sometimes explosions are involved...

[ANYWAY THEY'RE AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE.

Time to order drinks! And snacks, if they want them. Tsukasa is digging into his pockets for Currency to pay for it, because that's polite. Presumably production gave it to him. Beats me.]

Ah, you order first, Anna-chan.

[ ........................ tsukasa-kun are you ok

oh hello!!!!!!!!!!!! order time!!!!!! ]

See? A total gentleman!

[ anyway. sorry. whatever snacks they've got is what anna's ordering, genuinely, heavier on the sweet side ("because as long as they're in small amounts, you don't gain weight"), and then just water ("to balance any bad calories"). because that's how it works. clearly.

okay. tsukasa's turn ♡ ]

[LMFAO well. Anna's got snacks way covered, so Tsukasa satisfies himself with just getting himself water too.

It's just like.

... Even just looking at Anna's pile of snacks makes him feel like he's Had Enough.

Regardless, he'll pay, and then move to help her carry at least a chunk of the snacks.]

I imagine the show should be starting soon. Shall we find our actual seats? [instead of being Themselves about it.]

[ sorry? is he not getting his own? why does everyone assume she's in the business of sharing... the thing is she doesn't hand things off to people they just need to do what she does and assume it's for them and take one.

so in that sense yeah this is also tsukasa's. ]

Lead the way, Tsukasa-kun! I'll be riiight behind you.

[ actually quite excited now she's definitely totally forgotten her embarrassing display earlier.

no it's still on her mind but she'll canonically trauma dump on him after the show. ]

[oh good he'll be ready, canonical trauma dumps is how we handle things in this house.

Anyway he is just legitimately carrying her snacks for her, because he gives them back as soon as they're settled in their seats. Which are... pretty good! Not the most incredible seats, but decent. Production didn't skimp out at least.]

Ooh, it's starting!

[PLAY TIME!!!

It is... well, it's a happy play. A romantic comedy, starring twists and turns, misunderstandings and musical numbers about hoping the other lead will see them for who they really are.

Tsukasa is Engrossed the whole dang time.]

[ anna gets into it too, chomping down on her snacks quietly as the play goes on. utterly Enraptured. edge of her seat.

plays are so good actually??? she's totally vibing with it??? she really gets the leads' struggles... maybe she might even be tearing up at the sadder laments -- no she is, she's gonna be a cry baby by the happy end. ]

[It's okay, she's not at all the only one. Tsukasa isn't loud (like...... the only time), but he's plenty emotional as he watches too. Bright grins when things go well, the occasional tears in the corners of his eyes as a particularly sad lament hits just right...

This is what shows are all about. This... is what he wants to achieve...!

And it's always good to reaffirm that for himself.

By the end, after the clapping and the curtain call, Tsukasa turns to see how Anna is doing properly, and--well, smiles to see her so emotional.]

They're incredible, aren't they? [Plays. The actors. The stage. All of it.]

... Hey, Tsukasa-kun... they can't use this footage since you're in it, right?

[ what

an odd question. ]

[... Hm?

It is an odd question, but aside from a quizzical tilt of his head, he just answers it.]

That's most likely right. There's no real reason for them to use it, since your relationship with the other contestants is what matters for the show.

[In fact, even if these dates are also recorded, there's much less of a crew here than on Anna's other dates.]

Good.

[ just because

she still doesn't want everyone else to know. back home, within her friends' group. anna breathes in, hanging her head lower so her expression is obscured. but her hands are tight as they clasps each other. ]

... I said I turned down a lot of confessions, but... I was pretty much rejected myself. No, not pretty much -- I was dumped, plain and simple. By my childhood friend, who I thought would never find anyone else to fall in love with.

[ a soft, pained laugh. ]

Not that he ever thought about me that way in the first place, probably.

[... Oh.

So that's where the raw emotion in that portrayal came from. She was acting from true life--from her life, from a moment that has been this meaningful to her, all this time.

And how could it not be? Maybe there are endless incredible people here from all sorts of worlds, but a broken heart is a broken heart. That's the same across worlds, he has to believe.]

... I see... so that's why...

[... Hm...]

Did coming here help at all? [The show. The play. Their little acting stint--any of it.]

Mmhmm. I met Will-kun, after all.

[ and

she does mean that sincerely, she already knows that, even if some tears drop onto her dress, voice shaky. ]

He's-- everything I could ever want, Tsukasa-kun. I can't imagine he's not my match, but even if he wasn't, I... I wouldn't accept that. I came here because I thought I was ready to move on from Sosuke-kun, but I'm almost more upset that I am? If that makes sense?

[... Oh. Oh.

He may not be terribly experienced when it comes to love, but they've all experienced heartbreak, haven't they? In some form or another. And from the sounds of it...]

This Sosuke-kun... was he one of your dreams?

[Grow up together, be childhood friends into lovers into marriage, and... have that sort of picturesque life?]

He was my only dream, [ she chokes out, and she can't stop the tears now.

for the first time in a while, anna yanami cries. ]

I wanted to marry him! For over a decade-- a whole decade of my life, that's all I wanted!

[ she inhales sharply, pressing her hands to her face and shaking her head. ]

... But that's not my problem here, Tsukasa-kun. It's part of it. But it isn't the whole.

[... Ah.

He shifts a little so that he's in front of the cameras, and it's mostly his back--truly unusable footage. There's so much he could say to that (so much that resonates and aches when he thinks of losing your only dream for ten years)... but.

There's more, she says.]

... Will you tell me the rest?

... Mmhmm.

[ she doesn't mind. he's outside it all, this isn't an interview, so... it's fine. she lowers her voice anyway. ]

It doesn't make my feelings any less genuine, but... Will-kun and I aren't together because we like each other. It's because I'm helping him gain publicity, so everything we do is to show off the sides he wouldn't normally be able to from day one. It was my idea, so I'm really reaping what I sow, but I like him way, way too much. I really do.

... But... there's no way, you know? That I could say any of that to him, when he has so many people depending on him becoming king, when he's going to be in a whole other world -- I'm trying not to think he might seriously like me back, but he makes that hard too.

[ and that

is the crux of her issue, so soon, so early into this all things considered, is just how much she likes it and him and there's really no one else on her mind even if she should try just in case someone else is better suited to her and she does not care ]

[... So that's how it is. She lost her whole dream, came on here, found someone new to love, and agreed to date them for pragmatic reasons.

But... that's not how these sorts of stories go, is it? Of course she fell in love.

And Will... has Will, also...?]

... Are you sure you can't tell him?

[He gets it, he really does. Will's got so much going on that Tsukasa can't even imagine. This whole different worlds thing is wild, and he and Anna are probably the most normal people here.

But... there's value in that, too.]

You're really kind, Anna-chan, and you don't want to put too much on his shoulders, right?

But... I think heavy problems like this are easier to solve when you're working on them as a team.

[And maybe there isn't a solution to every single problem--but at least that way, you're still not alone.]

... I don't want to be rejected again. If I say something, and... the look on his face tells me he doesn't feel the same, then I...

[ ... ]

[Well, of course there's that. He can't say for sure which way Will's feelings tilt, especially given all of the responsibilities he has.

And yet...

... They only have four weeks here, right? And he definitely doesn't want Anna to leave here with any regrets.]

... Are you going to keep it to yourself? For the rest of your time here?

... Yeah. I'm not brave, Tsukasa-kun, whatever anyone else thinks.

[ she's a whole coward actually. but she can be brave in a different way, smile resigned and helpless. ]

Will-kun has to see the bigger picture too, if he's gonna be king. I'm here to make sure of that.

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