far, far away

Soseki watched with no small amount of amusement as Maya opened the envelope. You would think it was made of plastic with the difficulty she was having with it. The paper bunched and curled, making it difficult to tear, and before he could offer help, she had tore it open in a wild frenzy. It was a wonder the letter was even left intact. 

“You sure showed that envelope, cupcake.” Soseki grinned at her. “Let’s see what it says.” He reached over and picked it up, holding it out so they could both see what was written. 

Mr. Yamamato,

This is my final reminder. Your book signing is coming up soon at the Black Cat Books bookstore in the city. The Path To Here is the main book that will be featured but I suspect others might come up given your prolific works. All you need to do is show up. I’ve taken care of everything else and sent an additional reminder to your email. Email me your confirmation as soon as possible.

Don’t make me come down there and get you.

Best regards, Michiko Kato Editor for GB Co.

The “locked in a room” trope forces characters to spend time together, often characters who normally wouldn’t. It can help them learn about each other and develop their relationship in a positive way, or it can be disastrous. Feel free to add more! Send one for our muses: 

“Soseki…” Maya said, her tone still lingering with the last breath of laughter. “You haven’t even opened it yet!”

Oh, she knew very well the lengths he went through to avoid his editor. The stories were practically legend. Was this her subtle way of telling him to get his butt back in gear? Or maybe Maya just took pity on the poor woman he worked with. Her motives may have been a mystery, but her smile was as clear and innocent as the sunrise as she slid the letter closer to him with her fingers. 

“There can be anything in this envelope, you have no idea~ Something fantastic, or terrible, or unexpected, or totally expected…” Maya raised her eyebrows at him as she tried to make the content sound as tempting as possible. 

This was his ideal afternoon. Next to Maya, spending time with her, maybe reading. He wouldn’t be opposed to going out either. There were a bunch of interesting rumors to follow up on in the area and beautiful sites to see. He’d love to see them all with Maya.

“Nope, sorry, that’s not what you win~” she said before she took a gulp of hot chocolate. Of course, Maya would’ve been happy to hold Soseki’s hand anytime, but messing with him was just too much fun to pass up. (This is what he got for making her all embarrassed.)

She lowered the mug and licked the top of her lip, giving him a smirk.

“You win…” Maya looked around the room as she tried to think of a prize. Spotting an unopened letter off to the side on the table, she grinned before picking it up and placing it in his waiting palm.

His hand retracted to curl around the warmth of his mug. He lifted it to take a sad sounding sip of hot chocolate, eyes on her. Look at how sad he is. Surely this pout would tug at her heart strings. 

Her thoughts raced with every reason why he would change his mind and reject her, but all of them were halted by a kiss so gentle and sweet, Maya couldn’t help but believe (for a split moment) that she was someone beautiful and lovely to deserve being treated with such delicacy.

Even as he pulled away, Maya felt the lingering tingle of his lips on her skin. She looked from his face to her hands, and then moved away to cup her cheek in embarrassment. Maya felt herself burning up under her palm, and realizing how hard she was blushing only made her blush more.

“Well…” For once she couldn’t find words. “Fine, I guess you win then~” Win what, she wasn’t exactly sure. Win the debate that hot chocolate was perfectly fine without marshmallows, win her agreement in thinking fish desserts were deliciously edible, win her heart and mind and feelings a thousand times over with the kind of ease that almost made her think he began dating her by sheer accident… it didn’t matter. He could choose any which one.

Her admission made him chuckle, the sound rumbling from his chest, and one hand cupped under his chin so he could stare at her. Suddenly, his eyes widened “What do I win?” His tone lifted excitedly. “Oh, I know what I want!” Soseki knew exactly what he wanted. Moving his arm from his chin, he laid it outstretched towards her, palm up.

“Just because something has cinnamon, almonds, and sugar in it doesn’t mean it’s a dessert.” Maya straightened so she could look him in the eye, her eyebrows becoming a practical line as her face hardened into a firm expression.

“When something is a dessert, you feel it.” She lifted her hand and patted the area over her heart. “Right here.”

But it seemed Soseki had his own defenses. Her eyes widened in a mix of curiosity and horror as a vision of an ice cream sundae with an entire fish instead of a banana appeared in front of her.  The fish turned its head to look at her, and in a blink it was Soseki’s face leaning in with a wide grin.

On instinct she smacked both her hands onto his cheeks.

“I never tried fish pie because my grandma only makes good food~” Even as she stated the blunt truth, her smile remained as sweet as ever. For added defense, Maya leaned her head against his shoulder.

“You seem like the kind of bub whose gonna get whacked if he keeps runnin’ them one-liners.” She tried her hardest not to smile, but when she glanced up to finally look at him, one couldn’t help but creep its way across her face.

“Don’t be shocked if you start getting anonymous sweets in the mail–Oh! I can totally picture it!” It didn’t take long for Maya to fall out of character.

“Like, my grandma makes these delicious jelly rolls, and I could probably damage one so the strawberry filling oozes out of it like blood.” The moment the words left her mouth, she frowned. Somehow, saying it out loud made the act seem excessively cruel. For Soseki, but mostly the pastry.

“No, actually. I would never send you a jelly roll. You wouldn’t know how to treat it with the respect it deserves. But Kiki, maybe there is some kind of dessert you like?” Maya tilted her head to the side in thought.

He did his own mafia-accent. “Oh yeah, sweetheart? That sounds like a threat ta me.” 

Of course, only Maya would become sad at the thought of making a jelly roll ‘bleed’ and then, in the same breath, excuse someone of not knowing how to treat said jelly roll with respect. 

A cake without sugar? He consider it for a moment and then nodded. “I wouldn’t mind trying it. Especially if you made it.” He knew Maya wasn’t the best cook, but he knew she could be the best cook. Or maybe he was a little blinded with infatuation.

( assorted prompts that are all bedecked with christmas themes. from salty, to ecstatic, to indifferent - feel free to change up the context, pronouns, or words ! )

“Soseki!” she finally managed to squeak. Her shoulders were still shaking as she shifted out of the blanket to wipe her face with her apron.

“Oh my GOSH! You’re going to get it for that!” Despite her threat, Maya’s cheeks were rounded out fully from the huge smile on her face. It took a few moments for her to settle back in again, and when she finally did, she slid the mug toward her body.

Her reaction, and the not so subtle threat on his life, was worth the pun. Soseki laughed, hand covering his mouth as he watched her try to keep her hot chocolate contained. Maya was entirely too cute when she laughed.

“Ahhh, I knew you weren’t as innocent as you look.” Soseki took a small sip from his mug, tentatively testing the temperature. Still too hot. “You may have Castanet fooled but I know the real Maya.” He put his mug down so he could press his hand to his chest.