#dayscorch

--- ↪ prompt. ( silent actions. ) / @dayscorch

" whew .... finally, we're here. " ryouta exhales with relief, setting the bags down once they manage to make inside the lobby of the hotel they were staying at during their stay out of town. ( a little get - away trip, koto suggested .... to help the them, including yuri, relax and finally spend time together after working so much. ) well ... less of a suggestion, more like koto's demand after insisting ryouta takes a break from being the typical workaholic he was. admittedly, his lack of sleep, excessive amounts of caffeine, and concerning amount of all nighters pulled weren't the healthiest decisions to make. he resigned to his fate then. besides, it was difficult to say no to koto's puppy - dog eyes.

stretching to loosen up his stiff muscles after driving around in the car all day, ryouta watches the way yuri's tail excitedly wag while taking in the sight of the hotel lobby. he looks ready to sprint around the entire space and take in all the new smells .... taking that as his cue to hurry along and sign into their designated room, ryouta makes his way over to the receptionist to confirm their stay, room key now in hand.

" alright, we're on the second floor .... let's go to the -- " before he could even finish, koto was already lugging all of their bags in her arms. some of the other guests within the lobby follow after her with their wide, shocked eyes ... an attendant looked ready to offer a helping hand until it was evident she didn't need any in the slightest. ryouta awkwardly scratches his head, glancing at the receptionist whose mouth was agape in surprise as well before giving her a polite nod. " uh, anyways ... thanks for your help. have a good day. " he quickly follows after koto, with yuri barking happily not too far behind them.

❝ Really? Are you sure the sole reason isn't the latter? Not that I would take offense to that, of course, you can touch them as you please. In fact... ❞

His fluffy tail is flicking now, laying in wait.

" have you really never gotten on a skateboard before ? " hands tucked into the pockets of his cargo pants, he looks down at his mother with a perplexed raise of his eyebrow. then again, she didn't seem like the type of have skateboarding as a hobby ... he hops down from his own with a small ' hup ' before planting his foot atop of it to keep it from rolling off.

" i learned how to skateboard when i was like ... twelve. yoru's the one that bought me my first one. it's pretty easy once you got the hang of it. ... did you wanna hop on and give it a try ? "

@dayscorch / sc.

koto texting this to ryouta with a “ do you think this outfit is too loud ? “ / coming for ryouta today

Something's wrong.

Not so much with the door that appears out of thin air, but rather the body that barely crosses the threshold. Hands, still gloved despite being blood-soaked, grasp for purchase wherever available. Be it the newly varnished door frame, brass handle, or the floor where dirt gives way to vinyl.

Genki all but pulls herself through by the skin of her teeth. She's losing a concerning amount of blood. Can barely maintain the manifestation of doorway to this place without sending herself somewhere completely different. It takes the remainder of her strength to kick the door shut. First time's a complete whiff. Second attempt lands hard enough to rattle the door closed.

⟡ ݁. ⊹ ₊ unprompted ✦ @dayscorch ₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡

As Koto's fingers weave through dark strands, Ophelia settles back against her with a fleeting serene sigh. The movement not enough to disrupt the careful work being done, merely enough to settle more fully against Koto's presence. Warmth rests at her back, while long-wavy have slip through patient fingers and water laps quietly against white acrylic.

There are few things in this world capable of coaxing such complete contentment from the celestial. Not because she places any particular importance upon beauty, nor because she spends much time concerned with her appearance. There is only one part of herself that has ever received such devoted attention, her hair.

Hair holds things. The passage of years. Wisdom earned through triumph and mistake alike. The marks left behind by those who have been loved deeply enough to change us, and those whose absence continues to ache long after they are gone. Every joy carried forward. Every grief survived. The countless small moments that gather within a soul until they become a life.

When Ophelia first opened her eyes to this world, she possessed no memories to call her own, no forgotten past tucked away within the corners of her mind. Yet she had her hair. Dark and impossibly long, trailing behind her like a thread connecting her to something she could never quite reach.

Perhaps that is why she has always cared for it so carefully. Perhaps some small part of her has always hoped it remembers for her. Not names or faces, only traces: the touch of light, the whisper of stars, the lingering warmth of impossible love. The essence of her maker, the reason for her cursed creation.

Koto's arms encircle her waist and her voice cuts cleanly through the haze of distant reflection.

❛❛ I love you, Ophie. ❜❜

A soft laugh escapes her, quiet and disbelieving in the gentlest sense of the word. ❝ I love you too. ❞ There is no grand revelation within it. No dramatic declaration. Just the simple offering of a heart that has long since made its choice.

She turns just enough to find Koto's gaze, her smile small and impossibly fond. The life she had occasionally imagined for herself, one woven from mundane years and ordinary milestones, dissolves like mist beneath the gift of the present. She thinks, instead, of the woman beside her. Of careful hands in her hair. Of laughter echoing through steam. Of arms wrapped around her.

Leaning forward, she presses a kiss to Koto's lips, lingering there for a heartbeat longer than necessary before reluctantly drawing away. A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. ❝ I think it's my turn to spoil you now. ❞