#**sips

A few days prior, Nomiko had met him in the design studio, like she said.  And he had something for her to test out, like he said.  He had her old costume, modified and outfitted with a hood, and she was eager to try it on. 

Nomiko was by no means a shy person, nor was she all that modest, so she was opting to change right there to save time.  As she was changing, he pointed out a web of scars on her back, asking her if she’d gotten it from some sort of training accident or something.  She froze, her demeanor shifting from confident and normal to scared and fidgety.  She’d given him a short “yeah” as an answer, and after that she said.. Very little, eventually excusing herself from the studio to go to class.  

After that, she... She didn’t avoid him, per say.  But her efforts to talk to and get along with him seemed less frequent.  It wasn’t until they met again to talk more about their joint project did they finally reunite.

She’s sure he’s forgotten, or didn’t care to think much about the scars, or how she reacted.  But it’s eating at her that he saw, and that she lied.  And she’s always lied about it, but something in her thinks it’s time she tell the truth about it.  The reason her back is crossed with thin white scars.  

“Hey, uh-”  She says, breaking the silence as he went over his notes and she went through some costume sketches.  “..M...My dad.”  She mumbles.  “My dad did it.”  

@universemerging​ sent  “You are the most smoochable person there is, y’know? I’m gonna smooch you so much.” Quinn to Itoshi, them,,,

From... A meme.  I don’t wanna track it down.

“Yeah?”  Itoshi looks up at Quinn, expression a little coy.  “That’s big talk from the most kissable person.”

Itoshi is finally starting to feel more... Normal, after what happened to him, now about a month prior.  He was making progress in his therapy, he was even doing well in school now that it was back in full swing.  And he had Quinn, who made it all so much easier.

They spent nearly all of their free time together, teaming up in class- Whatever he could do to keep them close to him.  Like now, they’re in his dorm room, taking a break from watching vine compilations on Itoshi’s phone to... Yeah.  

Quinn is looming over him, and he feels his face get hot as it often did when the two friends got like this.  Friends.  Is that what they are?  After all of this?

They never really.  Brought it up.  It was such a big conversation.  Well, it seemed like a big one.  Itoshi is happy with the way things are but... There’s a little part of him that wants something more... Affirming?  He can’t even think, not with Quinn’s lips ghosting over his face.  

He catches them in a proper kiss, pulling them down pretty much flush to his body, rolling over so they’re side by side but face to face.  He holds the kiss, his brain alight with thoughts and feelings- stuff he’s been processing with Miss Rinkan, and things he’s just been fretting over-

He breaks this kiss suddenly, words blurting out.  No thoughts.  Just words.

“Hey, Shouta?”  She peers into his classroom, glad to see there aren’t any students in there at the moment.  “I need to... Talk to you about something.”  She walks in closing the door, “It’s about Eri-”  She quickly puts her hands up, “She’s totally fine, nothing happened to her, she’s perfectly fine- In fact, I think she’s doing really well, but.. There’s something.”

She walks over and sits on top of one of the desks opposite his.  “...When I was watching her last night, she...”  She tries to ignore how giddy this ‘news’ makes her feel, and how correct and right it felt.  Because it wasn’t right- this wasn’t what her role was.  She was a teacher, and educator- a counsellor.  She can’t go around letting any dear child who she’d die for call her ‘mama’ no matter how happy it made her feel.

“...She uh... She called me mama.”