#astrumstilla

The truth? She may have made too many valentine treats to spare. She'd gifted plenty to the girls. The boys too. Their neighbors. Anika was already checked off her list. Anya. Her co-workers. Some classmates. So, as tempting as it was to keep the leftovers to herself, she knew she still had one more person to see. "Hey knock-off Avril. You alone?" she asks on the brinks of a laugh. "Here." She holds out the box of treats in one hand and a flower in the other. "Happy Valentine's Day."

          Alone? Of course, he is alone. This holiday is for loved ones and partners, and Avil’s made quite sure that there’s no space beside him for anyone like that. He doesn’t need, nor want, loved ones, so on Valentine’s Day, he makes sure to lay low and evade any festivities if he can help it. The bench outside of Marlow’s shop is one such place he finds refuge, but it’s perhaps not as effective as he thought since Alys could find him (not that it is very hard to). 

           Avil isn’t expecting Alys to come forth with kindness. Such sweet emotions have very little room in their usual modus operandi, so when he hears her voice, his immediate instinct is to get defensive. Just as he’s prepared to spit sharp words at her, they vanish at the sight of.... a box? And a flower? For him? 

          Nothing short of bewilderment crosses his face, like he’s found himself with the rug snatched right from under him. This isn’t... them, this isn’t what they do, so to be met with such a generous act from the very girl he’s fought with more than once, he’s not sure how to respond. The gifts are handled with care as he takes them, but he’s quite sure the box has to be a prank. Something is going to jump out at him surely. That would be more fitting, wouldn’t it? 

          Wordlessly, Avil tucks the flower behind his ear and slowly removes the top, bracing himself all the while. However, there is... nothing. Just little sweets. No fake spiders. No jumping toys. Just... chocolate. From the girl that should hate him the most. 

          He takes one of the treats, inspects it for just a moment, then takes a bite. Sugary cocoa blooms on his tongue, and he doesn’t take notice of the stinging in his eyes. After a moment, he quietly scoots over on the bench, patting the empty space next to him. Alys can hardly be called a friend, but... perhaps she can be beside him, just for today.

"Why are you so obsessed with me?"

      “Are you delusional or being serious right now?” The words left him without a second thought. The girl’s straightforward question kinda irritated him. Maybe because he disliked her and because they didn’t know each other super well. So.. how dare she assume such bullshit? She was probably just messing with him━ still. 

“ i’m so tired of being a human & being able to read , i just want to be a raccoon. or jared , 19. “ he lowers his head onto the book , groaning quietly as to not disturb anyone in the library; except those sitting close to him. what on earth possessed him to choose trying to learn math knowing he barely even knew the multiplication table was beyond him.

if he weren’t so busy , trying to catch tarantulas ( those damn fast fuckers ,,, ); it would’ve gone completely unnoticed. & it did , for a couple of seconds as he only replied with a casual “ oh really ? how nice. “ but then he froze up , the spider bit him & he lowered the switch before looking over at alys.

“ -- huh ? come again ? “ ryou blinks at her , mouth partly agape as brows turn into a confused frown. the words do take some time before they connect properly , but by then he’s just. frozen up. shooketh to his core , if you may. there were a lot of assumptions of alys , such as being an empty bitch; but having a crush on him would’ve never crossed his mind in a million of years.

“ well that’s embarrassing for you. have you raised your standards since then ? “ he chuckles , going back to playing on his switch. but after a second , he announces that he’s going to get some snacks & drinks; for both , of course. after yeeting away the switch , making sure it didn’t break , he leaves.

but once ryou’s out of the room , he can feel cheeks immediately heat up. there’s a feeling in his chest that’s concerningly unfamiliar. he can’t even tell if it’s good or bad. thoughts that had never previously occurred pop into his head , visions of the two that he’d rather bury 50 feet underground together with his body. oh my god.

is he dying ? is this what death feels like ??

     dead snakes are the one thing that easily lulls orochi into a somber state. his particular attachment to the animals was often met with disgust or fear, but it has never once stopped him from doing what he saw fit. and that meant he would stay here, mounding up dirt over the mini-grave and surrounded by other scaly companions even as a blonde woman stops to observe.  “ ------ if you have something to say, then say it. “

“ never ! “ muffled through squished cheeks , ryou struggles but to no avail as alys doesn’t even budge on top of him. partly due to being afraid he’ll hurt her though , just because he’d never hear the end of it if anything did happen on her behalf. there’s been enough trips to the hospital….

“ i refuse ! “ ryou yells back at her , still wriggling beneath her. “ you’re emptier than my fridge ! “