puppycrush2 | week three

[HE WROTE HER!! A LOVE BALLAD!!!]

[he doesn't expect her to pick apart the themes of his story, though. this is not literature class, and essays analyzing the intent of his work are not required. the ballad. . . it only gets him partway there. it opens the door, and makes the things he wants to say in after it a little. . . easier. but he still needs to muster up the courage. . . to be truthful about why he did this]

[he sees her foot move, a half step in the direction he does not want (away from him, to some place he cannot follow, no matter how much he may want to), and his breath catches in his throat]

. . . I did. [softly, but with that sort of firmness in his tone that comes with absolute certainty] For you.

[he shared it with absolutely no one, not even when interrupted during his writing. it was for her, and she is the only one who gets to see it]

And-- um, thank you. [some pink blossoms on his cheeks as he fiddles with his book, running his gloved fingers across the spine] I don't think I'm the best at. . . expressing how I feel through verbal words.

[his eloquence is only rank three! he has debated other king candidates back home, but some of them probably went poorly]

It's easier when I put quill to parchment. [. . .] But you deserve more than that, too.

[she deserves to hear it directly from his lips, and he thinks. . . maybe now, he can say it]

Edited 2024-11-26 18:50 (UTC)

[ she knows, she knows, but she can't help it. why all this? if only because she can help him be a better king...

...

not that it explains their time together in the embrace space last week. none of that was for king stuff. she's tried wrapping her mind around it time and time again and nothing. she's tired of trying to work it out.

... so... if will wants to explain it, then... ]

Fine. I'll, um. I'll hear you out if you've got something to say. And... I won't leave like I did last time.

[ since she doesn't really have anywhere to go here. ]

[even more of the tension seeps from Will's shoulders at that. he exhales deeply, bundling his journal to his chest, one arm wrapped around it to keep it close, right over his heart]

. . . I think I made it too complicated last time. So. . . this time, I'll keep it simple.

[a pause]

I'm falling in love with you.

[another beat]

-- and I know it's really fast! I know it hasn't been that long!

[and then he starts speaking quickly and awkwardly, almost like he's afraid his words will be suffocating. that they might chase her away, especially if she does not feel the same]

But I've never felt this way before. And I don't really know how it works, or whether it can really happen so quickly, but when I think about--

[he stops himself. lifts his hand to his chest, fingers curled into a fist]

When I think about. . . this warm ache in my heart I have every time I'm with you. . . it has to be-- [no. that's not right. that makes him sound like he isn't certain. and he is]

[he shakes his head]

[he lifts his chin, features determined, jaw set]

No. . . that's definitely what it is. I'm completely sure of it.

[he hadn't been so sure when Tsukasa brought it up. he didn't know if it could really. . . happen so fast. but whether it does for other people or not doesn't matter]

[because it happened to him, and that's the important part]

[ anna doesn't move, doesn't breathe, as will's words tumble out. at the very first confession her face blooms red, the chilly air biting her cheeks fiercely, and her heart staggers. in the quiet of the night it feels impossibly loud.

is

it okay, then? to nurture that bud of hope that'd sprouted at some point? when things had become routine -- not in a bad way, but in a way where she looked forward to the end of the night when he made sure to bid her goodnight, to the morning when she might see him again -- and anna thought that maybe, maybe it had begun to feel more than a little real. the things she couldn't explain seem cast in a clear light now. that which she kept denying to herself weren't just probable, they were true.

her hands squeeze the railing again, then... one lets go, the other sliding as she inches back towards him. stops a bit from him still, ducking her face from his view a bit as she tries to

figure herself out, what to say and how to feel. she'd been ready to just be friendly and that be it. cordial if nothing else. play the game, work out the next match, and...

... and what. ignore what happened between them? the good and the bad, when she still couldn't get his face out of her mind? anna had never been good at letting go.

when she finally speaks, it's with a tremble that betrays her emotional state. ]

... Did you... really think that what you said before was a confession, Will-kun? Because if so, it sucked.

[ anna thinks of what she told asa. the formula of a romance story. but movies and reality are different; the end might not be so happy. maybe more like lala land, bittersweet at best.

but she doesn't want bittersweet. she wants to be sick over it. ]

I've been worried for almost a week now, [ as she looks at him through her bangs, red and teary eyed, ] about what was and wasn't... real. Between us. Because of-- our plan, and... and how eager you were to have me to yourself.

[ which is so, so the stuff of her dreams still. yes, it's fast. yes, it's sudden. but anna knows what love is like. she's been in love before. she didn't want to say anything, so wary was she of misinterpreting will and his inexperience and falling flat on her face about it, but-- ]

[ -- but he's falling in love with her. he's completely sure of it.

anna still can't believe it, her free had coming up to tug her scarf over her mouth. not unlike will's own nervous tics. ]

... Stupid. You're so stupid. They... call it love at first sight not because it's actually at a glance, but because it happens so swiftly. You just... fall. And fall hard. Because of something they said, or a smile meant only for you, or... or because of a goodnight kiss.

[ god. if that doesn't sound a little pathetic. but that tease taken too far... had been a spark, flamed further by his consideration, his care. the way he looked at her when she was looking at him and even when she wasn't. her heart aches. that choice, one not put upon by the rules of necessity... one he'd wanted to indulge... ah.

but of course will might not have known. his life hasn't been sunshine and roses the way hers has been in comparison -- anna knows she's... a minority in the normal department, just not how much of a minority.

god, she feels suffocated. but in such a good way, beet red and lightheaded. as if he'd kissed her silly without kissing her at all. ]

... Sorry, I've... never responded like, positively to a confession before, 'cause all of the guys were shallow about it... thinking I was easy, and stuff like that. Pretty people problems. So I don't know what to says beside, um. Yeah. Me too. To you, I mean. I wanna be your match, perfect or not.

[ she's got no room to talk about will's own fumbles before when she's lamely replying like this. she knows. she wants the ground to swallow her up too. ]

[ah. . . she. . .]

[she. . .]

[. . . she!!!]

[it doesn't matter that Anna's response is fumbled. Me too, she says, and that's all Will could ever ask for. and suddenly, it's like. . . someone flipped a switch, the way he stands up a little straighter, expression brightening like the city lights laid out before them, eyes twinkling like stars in the sky]

[Me too, she says. I wanna be your match, perfect or not.]

[. . . if asked, Will probably wouldn't be able to pinpoint the moment he stopped pretending. perhaps it was the embrace space that second week? the thrill of being able to steal her away, and everything said between them while they basked in each other's company. or maybe. . . every little thing between them had just. . . built upon something before, until suddenly he was faced with something so much bigger than himself. sharing with her his novel, telling her about his dreams, confiding in her his secrets. . . chasing crabs on the beach, and eating her rendition of redgrass-roasted bidou, and sitting on the couch watching that movie, and observing her work so hard to find everyone's matches, and--]

[. . . maybe it was a little bit of both. a combination of that spark, and all of the kindling around it that allowed it to burn into a roaring flame]

[and he reaches out for her hand, grasping it tightly in his own gloved fingers. he doesn't do much after that, because. . . for now, just holding it is enough]

I feel like I could fall and fall and keep falling forever and I'd never be able to stop. [but he likes that] But I don't want to stop, so it's okay.

. . . I want to be your match, too. Perfect or otherwise.

[ her fingers twitch in his grasp, as if not expecting to be held (but why wouldn't they be? if nothing else, this; if nothing else, this), and anna huffs in annoyance, other hand coming up to flick will's forehead. ]

See, that? What you said just then? Perfect. Full marks. You were doing so good ceremony night, my heart was about to fall right out of my chest, and when you said the rest of that...

[ another sniffle, and she wipes at her eyes. ]

I thought... I thought that I was right, and I'd been fooling myself, and... I couldn't explain-- everything, sure, but... I couldn't keep pretending I wasn't in love with you, if you didn't feel the same way.

[his smile fades, but only in bemusement. his grip on her hand is as sturdy as ever, as though rooted in place, never letting go]

The rest. . . [a beat. I'm sorry he has to think about it]

[but]

[he. . . he gets there]

About-- [wanting to learn from her. . . to be a better king? gods. he had meant it, truly, and he had thought she would be complimented. especially in the wake of being told that she could add nothing to his cause. . . when she has done the most to build him up. but. . . actually, if she took it as him meaning he only wanted her around for that purpose, then. . .]

-- Anna, I'm so sorry.

[quickly, insistently, he takes a step forward, to close some of the space between them]

I should have. . . said it then. But the moment didn't feel right, and I hadn't finished my ballad, and--

[and!! he was an idiot!!!!]

Edited 2024-11-27 05:52 (UTC)

And you're an idiot, I know. You're forgiven, okay? It's not like you've ever confessed before...

[ don't worry, she knows. she says it with frustrated affection, but she knows. god, her name... it really does sound so different when it's his mouth forming the word. warm and affectionate, filled to the brim and then some with-- with love, oh my god, with love.

anna hesitates, just a little, in that shy way he's come to know, before she closes the rest of the distance between them and takes his other hand, squeezing both. ]

So. You gonna ask me out, or am I gonna have to do it again? It's rude to keep a girl waiting.

[!!!!!]

[he has to tuck his travel journal back into his coat pocket before she can take that other hand, but when does. . . he meets her halfway, squeezing just as hard as the first]

Anna. . .

[this!! is important!! he can't just say "will you be my girlfriend," that's not enough!!]

Will you stand beside me. . . so I can keep falling more and more in love with you with each passing day. . . and be my girlfriend again?

[because it's as he said before. he could keep tumbling into this warmth for ever and ever and never reach the end. but who would ever want to?]

Properly, this time.

[ actually the normal suck would have been fine

her heart aches in a good way. it isn't pounding hard now, free of nerves as it is, but it feels likes it's so full of warmth that it's about to burst. anna tilts her head up to kiss him softly, then breaks it to give him the obvious answer. ]

Yes, Will-kun. I'd love to.

[aaaaaaaaaaaaah]

[she tilts her head up to kiss him, and he leans in to meet her, even though he doesn't have to go far (short people. . . problems??). and even after she draws back to give her response. . . his heart feels so light and free that he isn't even thinking about his next actions]

[which is exactly how he winds up wrapping his arms around her tightly, scooping her feet off the ground, and twirling her— all with his nose buried affectionately into her neck. er. . . scarf]

You've made me the happiest I have ever been, Anna—!

[ help ]

That's-- so not true, shut up! There's gotta be happier times!

[ she's just embarrassed, words filled with laughter, and anna's voice touches on mischievous just a little. ]

Besides, you can't say that now. What if I make you even happier in the future?

[Anna's feet touch the ground again moments later, and Will draws back. . . only to press his forehead against hers, eyes closed]

Then that day will be the happiest I have ever been. As will the next time, and the next time, and--

[she gets the idea ]

Okay, okay! I get it! Sheesh, you're so much.

[ but

she really does love it. it's everything she'd ever dreamed of and more.

... can she really be so lucky? but she is, even if it feels unreal; anna stares at will in such close proximity and wraps her arms around his neck, just to make sure he's not just a dream. oh, like he ever was. ]

Will-kun. I know you don't remember a lot about your childhood, but... did you have any dreams? Something you wanted to do or be when you grew up.

[a questioning noise, and Will's eyes flutter open a few moments later, bemusement flickering in the backs of his irises]

Dreams. . .?

[the idea strikes him as. . . strange. dreams. . . something he wanted to do or be when he grew up. . .]

[. . . nothing really springs to mind, does it?]

No. . . not really, actually. Why. . .?

'Cause I always wanted to be a bride growing up.

[ steve had told her that kind of intensity scared guys off. but it's still the truth. there's additions, now. but it's still something she wants. ]

Don't promise me anything, but that's... the sort of future I'm looking towards, that I wanna share with the person I love. Pretty simple, huh? Just like the rest of my life.

[ but it isn't said in a self-deprecating way, it's just. fact. ]

[oooooh my god. his face LIGHTS UP like a Christmas tree, bright red visible even in the poor night lighting. but. . . he knows she isn't bringing this up because she as expectations. they may have fallen fast, but. . . she knows he has things he needs to accomplish bac home, and he knows they are young]

[but that doesn't stop him from imagining her in a white dress, smiling up at him with a beautiful bouquet in her hands, the sunlight bouncing beautifully from her deep blue locks--]

[. . .]

[a few sakura petals begin to descend upon them from above. WHERE DID THOSE COME FROM?? at any rate, he clears his throat and smiles]

Perhaps. . . it is a bit simple. But. . . [a small shake of his head] It's still a beautiful dream, Anna.

And you should keep believing in it until the day it comes true.

[ hahaha he's so

she loves him, god. she loves him. if only... it could last a little longer than two more weeks. maybe her wish will come in handy for that. but she doesn't want to think of it, exhales her worries, and sways on her feet. ]

I will. I just thought you should know in advance the serious girl I am, since Steve-kun said that stuff like that scares guys off.

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1/? idk i'm sorry for your inbox peace

2/3 actually your inbox is spared

3/4 OOPS ONE MORE

THERE FOR REAL I'M DONE

1/2 just for u

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