puppycrush2 | week three

[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.

I've known that from the very first day we met.

[like. she asked him out almost immediately. she is VERY serious, and he knows it!!]

But it doesn't scare me at all. You're kind. . . and thoughtful. Even if your dreams are big, you'd never use them to make me uncomfortable.

[she had waited patiently until he had figured out what the warm ache in his chest meant, after all. even if it meant she had to break things off at first to protect herself because she didn't he felt the same. . . she never forced him into anything. and he doesn't think she ever would]

[ mmmmmmmmm she really made an impression day one huh,

but it's one he liked, one he continued to like, one he fell in love with, so. it's not so bad. ]

My dreams are big? [ laughing. ] Right, like becoming king and unifying the tribes is nothing. You've got a lot on your shoulders, Will-kun, and... one good thing about my worries and stuff being so much smaller is that I can take a little bit off yours.

[ well. a shrug. ]

Not that I really know what I can do to help, but... I'm here for you anyway. Even if it's just to like, take a break for a bit off the campaign trail.

[MISS GO-GETTER!!!]

[and you know. . . Josuke had asked him a similar question. wanting to know how he could help in such a grand and ambitious cause. Anna is going to get the same response]

You can help just by being kind to those around you. [SO IN HIS MIND. . . keep doing what she is doing!] Changing the world. . . doesn't happen in a single night, or through the actions of a single person.

Those who live in the world must change with it.

[a beat]

[and then, more lightly]

But more personally speaking, you can help me just by. . . being you.

[and being with him! and making him smile! and giving him the warm fuzzies! that helps in more ways than he can put into words, too]

Spoken like a real revolutionary. And a romantic one at that.

[ fine, he earns himself a kiss. ]

Will you write me more poetry? I really did like it -- but ones I can keep, since I wanna read them over and over again.

[uuuugh wow his heart is SO FULL in this moment]

. . . of course.

[she needn't even ask. he probably would have done it, anyway. those words had come to him so easily, once he had played quill to parchment]

I'd be happy to, Anna.

And I'd like to eat more of the foods you did when you traveled, too. So you should learn to make do with the ingredients we have in the kitchen.

[ oh, she's laying on demands now. ]

[!!]

Oh. . .! I know a good meatball recipe. Hulkenberg taught it to me. We can make together, if you'd like.

[reasonable demands considering they are all RIGHT UP HIS ALLEYWAY OF INTERESTS]

[ she knows. that's why she's making them. ]

Sure! I'd like to learn how to cook all of your friends' favorites, actually -- gotta make a good impression when I meet them, after all. Not that it'll be hard.

[ she is

~wonderful~

after all. ]

When'd you get this, by the way? [ patting his outfit... ] I wanna take you shopping too, but it looks like someone beat me to the punch.

[ yes she's still jealous. she wants to dress him up... tf... this is her own fault but she wants find his style with him... ]

[SHE'S RIGHT!! THEY'LL LOVE HER!!! at least, that's what Will thinks. Anna and Junah would be best friends and that thought is actually a little terrifying, but it's fine. it's fine?? he can handle them! . . . maybe!]

[he blinks at her next question, glancing down at the trenchcoat and scarf as Anna pats his chest. if a little bit of pink decorates his cheeks at that. . . don't worry about it]

Ah. . . Ritsuka helped me pick it out earlier in the week. [a bit sheepish] She seemed like she was having a rough time, and she wanted to be "normal." So I asked the crew to let us go shopping somewhere.

[and that is how he discovered what a "food court" was]

[ tch!!!!!! ]

Ritsuka-chan's always stealing my thunder. [ puffing her cheeks a bit with a little pout.

and then curling her fingers into his scarf, letting them deflate. ] I made her curry for the same reason -- Tsukasa-kun said it was her favorite, but it turns out she likes it with coffee, not chocolate. I mean, I totally missed whatever made the mood weird, but she caught me up.

[ and

it's fine. it's okay. apparently. ]

[. . . it's okay, huh? he smiles at that, and a thought crosses his mind, sudden and quick]

[I still haven't told her. . . how I'm going to break the Prince's curse, have I. . .?]

[but that is not a conversation for now. the only thing he wants to focus on is her, and how things have changed between them-- for the better. another day. another week. it's something they'll have to discuss before this competition ends, but it doesn't have to be now]

I'm really glad you and Ritsuka are such good friends. She deserves to have someone supporting her. . . through everything she has been through. [genuine! and then, lightly teasing. . .] But we both had to ask the salespeople for help.

So you still have a chance.

[to help him find his style, since he is VERY BAD at it]

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