#hyperdissed

          Yuta jumps—still jumps when people touch him, because he still hates it. Even when Honoka brushes the hair from his eyes he’s afraid she’ll find a fleck of dead skin there, or notice that the skin is a little less even, or that his forehead wrinkles when he raises his eyebrows. He hates the gestures that Nico makes look so easy, and as he gets goosebumps from her fingers on his ribs as if he was a chalkboard her nails were digging into instead of his shirt, Yuta tries to imagine a future where he might throw himself so carelessly onto someone else, just because he feels like it. 

     It feels so far away, but there was once a time when he wouldn’t even have considered it. Yuta takes a breath—and he’s conscious that she can feel it just as he feels her—and the arch of his back relaxes slowly. 

     “Are you stupid?” He asks, but there’s no edge in his voice today. “That’s not how people hug.” And then Yuta raises his arms, twisting in hers and making a great show of being stoic and unmoved by her affection, so that she’s pressed up against his bony chest instead. 

BACK PRESSED AGAINST the wall, eyes wide in surprise, Tino looked down as Nico, a small wisp of a girl, proceeded to lock him in place with her arm. He stood between her body and the wall, with Nico’s palm pressing on the spot beside him. The look she had on told him how hard it was for her to keep a straight face, and the way she stood spoke of the slight physical struggle she was going through just to do this.

The ‘kabedon’, as Maki Honoka had put it–he could hear her voice saying it inside his mind again at this very moment–was an act done usually by the taller, more dominant male character in a drama or manga, whereby the female character stood trapped between his body and a wall, with one arm pressing forward to keep her in place. A “vulgar” tactic, she’d gone so far as to call it, and Tino never forgot that. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time it happened to him–and much like this instance, it hadn’t been his idea to initiate. However, while that estranged girl’s attempt back in second year had been more than a little awkward and funny, Tino couldn’t help but feel differently about this one.

For a second there–and don’t you dare call him out on this–Tino had felt his heart beat just a tiny bit faster. Immediately after seeing Nico’s attempt to hide her laughter, though, Tino pushed it back and chuckled, hoping against hope that his cheeks weren’t warming up too much. It felt nothing at all like what had happened years ago in that empty classroom with that person he barely knew. This one actually worked like it was supposed to, even if it did come from someone who couldn’t take it seriously.

Of course, Tino was going to keep that to himself.

“What are you doing, Nico?” he said, a ring of laughter punctuating his words as he brought a hand up to gently rub the top of Nico’s head. “Did Honoka-chan put you up to this?” He wouldn’t be surprised if she did. …Although he’d be less surprised if Nico, hearing about his latest writing session with Honoka, decided she’d try it on him herself.

…He secretly hoped it was the latter.

[ Outgoing Message ➜ 🌸 NICO 🌸]

DID HE EXPECT her to react in such a manner? Of course. That was precisely why he even thought of doing this in the first place! Did he expect to be complimented like that all of a sudden? Well, no. But it was incredibly sweet, and it only made him want to play along even more.

   NICO’S ALL FLOPPING PIGTAiLS AND A BRIGHT RED NOSE– falling back against an immaculate line of couch cushions at Yuta’s house. (Yuta keeps saying something about his father– and what kind of state the house needs to be in before he gets back– but Nico’s been too excited to listen– bouncing and looking around! she has so many questions– did he grow up here? does he have any personal stories about that table, or that pillow over there– or the big television!? Nico thinks he could fit a person inside it if he wanted!) Then she feels it. Yuta’s sneak attack! There’s a feathery brush of air on her wet forearms, the flapping noise of fabric as a blanket is draped on her from behind, then tugged securely so it enfolds her shoulders like a cape. A cape of softness and warmth.

   Nico squirms, rolls this way and that to take advantage of how nice it feels, until she’s all rolled up like a comfortable little burrito. At last she’s perfectly still– her eyelids dropping halfway– reminding her just how sleepy she was. Playing in the rain when she was already feeling sick was admittedly… a bad idea. Her parents told her so. But she did it anyway. Till she could barely even walk in a straight line. Yuta’s house is in the same direction as hers– he offered to look after her for a bit. It keeps surprising her, over and over, how nice he can really be. He’s a good soul, that Yuta.

   ❝Yuta-kun! Lay on the floor with Nico!❞ She whines for his attention when she notices he’s turning around, as if leaving to go get something, ❝We can stare at the ceiling and talk about our dreams until Nico falls asleep! That’s what friends do, right!?❞

          A part of him can’t really believe that be invited Nico Niiyama, queen of the Strange Animals division, into his own house, but it’s not like he could have just left her either. A stark contrast to all the neutral colours and cool, hard edges, Nico is a bright pop of soft warmth, even in her present state. He’s long past the stage where he feels the need to figure out the reasons behind Nico’s strange actions, but really. As Nico seems to stare at everything, Yuta pauses to consider anything that she might need. A blanket is easiest to acquire, and it doesn’t matter so much if it gets wet because the maid(s) can always just deal with it tomorrow. He removes the (mostly ornamental) blanket from where it’s draped over the back of a leather chair, as if trying to suggest some softness amidst the edges. He’s off to find tissues when her voice cuts through his efficacious plans. 

to say she wasn’t expecting any sort of celebration for her birthday would be an outright lie...  but it also wasn’t like she was expecting party poppers to go off once she stepped through the door.    past birthdays were always celebrated calmly–––  briefly.    there was never a big party for her,  since her parents  &  kacchon were the only people to have celebrated this day with her in before and even then,  it was never made out to be this big thing.    ❝     this… this is all for me?     ❞    she feels a bit foolish for asking since it obviously was all for her,  she’s just unsure of how else to express shock at the handful of party supplies nico has.    it’d probably be best just to be honest with what she’s thinking…    ❝     i really don’t know what to say other than thank you!    to be honest i’ve never had someone do so much for me on my birthday,  it’s such a new and exciting experience!     ❞