Work Text:
“Sir… we’re in public… we can’t be doing this…!”
Those were the last word Castorice read from her limited-edition omnibus BL before a heavy slam that shook the table in front of her startled her from her thoughts. She couldn’t help the squeal that came out of her mouth nor the jump from her seat as a result.
Someone was very much near her…! She was used to being discreet about reading anything explicit in public, but never once was someone so close to her as she read. Without her noticing as well? She was about to get caught red-handed…
Just as that thought came to mind, with reflexes as fast as lightning, she slammed her book shut and reached out for her bag to stuff it in. But before she could, she noticed a box wrapped in white giftwrap in front of her and a hand on top of it, each finger tapping along its surface.
A hand with many rings decorated along its fingers and sharp nails paint black. A hand she’s all too familiar with…
She sighed. Thank God, it wasn’t a stranger who’s image she’d have on the back of her mind of for the rest of her life as she apologized for reading such a vulgar book in public. Some would argue that the person beside her was far worse than a stranger, however.
She composed herself from the mess that was her mind and looked up to greet the face she knew was there.
Cipher: the woman she had been in a relationship with for the past one month, two weeks, and five days (as this is her first relationship, Castorice couldn’t help but keep track of the exact date and time they have been together).
Said woman wore an expression that was the definition of mischievous. She had something planned… Then again, when does Cipher NOT have something up her sleeve? Still, Castorice had been with her long enough to know whether she was serious in what she was about to do. And at that moment, her face read that something exciting was about to happen.
“Ms. Cipher, what is the meaning of this?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Cipher’s voice was classy, sassy, and catty as usual. “Don’t you know what day it is?”
… Impossible… Castorice was not mistaken! She searched for her phone to make sure that wasn’t the case. “No…! Our anniversary isn’t until– “
“It isn’t that, Princess, calm your horses.” Cipher grabbed her phone off her before she could panic more and started tossing it in the air with one hand. “Seriously? I thought out of all people, our little romance queen would be the one to figure it out…”
“What do you mean?” When Cipher ceased her tossing, Castorice reached out to snatch her phone back. “March 14th…” In an instant after reading out loud the date, she knew the occasion. “It’s White Day!” Of course, how could she have forgotten?! The gift in front of her made so much more sense! However, something else didn’t add up…
As she looked at the present, she remembered a month prior that it was also Cipher who gave her an enormous gift on Valentines Day. “… But according to tradition, men, the traditional gift bearers on Valentines Day, are the ones who are supposed to give gifts to women…”
“To tradition.” When Castorice looks back up at Cipher, she laughs and wore a shit-eating grin on her face as she gestures between the two. “Has someone forgotten how this relationship of ours is nowhere near tradition?”
… She’s right. Sometimes, especially in such a flustered state, Castorice blabbers out whatever’s on her mind and does not think before speaking. Her bashful mistake made her even more embarrassed, and she had an obligation to apologize for her error. “My apologies, Ms. Cipher.”
“That’s ‘Cipher’ for you! Don’t make me sound like that bratty teacher of yours.”
“Professor Anaxa?” She didn’t mean to blurt out his name, but it had been a while since she thought of her… unique professor. “Do you know each other, Ms.– ah, Cipher?”
Cipher clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes as she leaned on one side of her body, her hand resting on her hip. “Does that really matter?” The sour look she had on was soon erased however with her usual, snide self. “But… speak of the devil…!”
… A game was brewing in that mind of hers, and Castorice was not ready for it.
Before she could process what Cipher could be planning, the gift she was given was snatched from her sight and she was dragged out of her chair and onto her feet. She would’ve fallen face-first into the ground if it weren’t for Cipher pulling her into a certain direction right as she had gotten up from her spot. “Don’t open that gift yet, Princess, I have another one to give you!”
“Wh– what is it, Cipher?!” What in the world could she be planning that had incentivized her to change locations!?
“You’ll see.” A sly, hyena laugh came out of that smile of hers. Whatever Cipher was planning, it must be neither good nor innocent. “You’re gonna absolutely lose your freak! But we have to be quiet… and quick! Otherwise, we’re gonna miss it!”
Castorice took one, deep breathe and steeled her nerves as she exhaled what remaining breath she had left. She must stay focus. She will not be led astray by Cipher for the umpteenth time.
Let us meet outside my lab at 4:30pm.
A
Phainon read the note over… and over… and over again like it was going to change at any moment if he read it hard enough.
He was not ready for what was about to come. He had not met with Anaxa in almost a week, whether that was in-person, through call, or through text, he had heard zero from him.
To say Phainon was worried was as much of an underestimate as an underestimate could be. Did he do something wrong? If so, what DID he do wrong?!
His nerves were indescribable. At any moment, he could keel over and puke if he wanted to. The last thing he wanted to do was to screw up his and Anaxa’s relationship and upset the man. Though, if Anaxa was ignoring him, it meant he’d already fucked up the latter statement, right?
‘… Kill me’. That was what was the thought running through his mind a hundred times over. Waiting for Anaxa was killing him every second and even when he arrived at the meeting place, Phainon felt like he was going to explode the moment he laid eyes on him.
In any normal circumstance, that would result in fuzzy feelings and giddy emotions elating in the air around him, but now, Phainon felt closer to death than ever before.
And that’s when he heard them. Footsteps.
No amount of preparing was going to ready him in what was about to come, but there was one thing Phainon knew: he had to do this. He couldn’t bear standing in the unknown anymore or getting ignored by Anaxa every time he tried to contact him. He didn’t know what was going on and because of that, a strain in their relationship was forming, which was growing stronger and stronger by the second.
When mint-green hair came into his view, it took less than a second for the owner to appear in front of him. Looking down, he saw the scowl and irritation clear as day on his face and his name escaped Phainon’s lips before he could even process what he wanted to say. “Anaxa…”
Even as much as breathing appeared to piss Anaxa off. The furrow of his brows further creased as his glare turned into one that was threatening than one that was annoyed. “I knew you were a fool, but I never expected you to stoop so low… I expected you to be smart enough to at least get the hint.”
Maybe if Phainon had done something, he’d know why Anaxa was upset, but he hadn’t. In fact, it was Anaxa who summoned him here. “… What…?”
His eye narrowed further and the words he spat out were harsh and intimidating. “Do you want to act ignorant now?!”
“No, not at all!” He was so confused. And scared. He didn’t know he was even capable of pissing off Anaxa so hard. “Anaxa, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Anaxagoras. Get it right.” He didn’t break eye contact as he reached into his pocket and handed Phainon a small piece of paper. He held and gave it to him like he wanted as little contact and connection between them as possible.
That had Phainon’s chest twist in an uncomfortable knot with his heart sinking into it. He could’ve broken down on the spot and ran away (and a part of him wanted to), but more than anything, he wanted whatever was between them to be resolved.
When Phainon grabbed the piece of paper, Anaxa made quick work in moving his hand back to his side. Phainon did his best to ignore how that made him feel and instead focused on the note that was handed to him.
Anaxa!
Please meet me in front of your lab at 4:30pm! I have something special to give you <3
Happy White Day & I love you,
P
“Anax– “ He wanted to cry. He didn’t know what he was looking at. The handwriting on the note looked like his, but he had no recollection writing it, let alone delivering it to his office. “… Professor, I don’t know what this is. I didn’t write this!”
When Anaxa raised a brow, looking at him like he was crazy, Phainon’s hand jumbled around for the note he was given. “I have a note from you too. Did you write it?”
When he held up the piece of paper for Anaxa to see, it took less than a millisecond for it to be snatched out of Phainon’s hands and be in Anaxa’s possession instead.
He squinted his eye to at the writing and Phainon watched his iris move to read the words written… and then a tsk. “That damn cat woman…”
“Who…?”
“Cipher. She’s one of the teachers here.” He crumbled the paper with his hand and put it in his pocket. (… What if Phainon wanted to keep that…? He didn’t, but Anaxa didn’t even try to give it back or consider him doing something with it.) “And she’s a troublemaker. This is one of her little tricks.”
“I see...”
“If that’s the case, I’ll be– “
“Wait!” Before Anaxa could walk away any further, Phainon reached for his wrist and grabbed it with more might than he needed. Anaxa’s head snapped back to glare at him, but that didn’t deter him from his objective. “Professor… why have you been ignoring me…?”
“…”
… He’s not saying anything…! Phainon should’ve expected that to happen, so he knew he had to move the conversation along if he wanted to get anywhere with it. “I…please tell me, I don’t want this to stand between us.”
The was a moment of silence.
A moment of silence before a chuckle came out and a smirk formed on Anaxa’s lips.
… He was… laughing?! “Are you that determined to make this work?” Anaxa pulled his wrist back from Phainon’s grasp and moved his arms to his chest to cross them. “We have not been in a relationship for long, but we have known each other for much longer. Going back to those times is something I am not opposed to.”
“Of course I’m determined, I like you a lot, Professor.” Anaxa was right in that they weren’t in a relationship for that long yet; it had been two months max since Phainon confessed and asked to be in a relationship with him.
It had not been long since they started dating, yet Phainon was determined to be with him for the long run. He had liked Anaxa for far longer than that time, so to let miscommunication come between them…? There was no way in hell he was going to let that happen! “You just have to tell me what’s wrong, I can take it, I’m not as dumb as you think I am.”
“…”
There were still no words, though Anaxa’s expression dropped the rigor it once had. Phainon used the opportunity to question him further. “… Professor…?”
“Are you so determined that you would ruin your career over it?”
“… What…?”
“…” Anaxa fell silent once more and tried to walk away, but again, Phainon didn’t let him leave, getting a hold of his shoulder and turning him around. Anaxa looked annoyed at him once again, but he didn’t ignore his desperate attempt to get his attention. “… Stubborn as always…”
His heart couldn’t handle the feeling of being at fault, but Phainon persisted. “… Please…”
Anaxa looked up and Phainon did his best to show him how important everything was to him. Resolving their tension, their relationship, Anaxa himself… They were all things that Phainon held dear to his heart, and he’d go to the ends of the earth if it meant having to resolve any issues hindering those matters.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
After a while, Anaxa’s expression dropped, and he exhaled a deep breath out. “… Fine…
“The other day, I was approached by Ms. Caenis. She told me some students overheard me talking to you over the phone about ‘some date’ and to ‘not be so obvious in public as anyone, especially those enrolled in OU, could be around’ and suspected I was talking to a student. She then approached me about the situation.”
… Not good… Phainon had an idea where his story was heading, and he, of course, didn’t like it. He knew who Ms. Caenis was; she was Anaxa’s supervisor who was the start of most of his complaints whenever he rambled about them to Phainon. And based off what Anaxa had said about her, she’d seem like a pretentious, arrogant, bitch of a collogue who used her status as supervisor to her advantage to spite those around her. “… What did she say?”
“She said if I do not explain everything to her right then, she would report me to our boss and revoke my position here, as well as any future teaching positions if she got her hands on the right evidence.”
“What?!” Phainon jumped and his eyes were blown wide once Anaxa finished explaining everything. “But those students overhearing you were mere ‘word of mouth’ as far as she could tell; she has no proof otherwise you were talking to me!”
To go to such drastic measures as well over something that was no less than and assumption?! Phainon knew she was crazy, but it was amazing experiencing her schemes first-hand and becoming a soon-to-be victim to them. He could tell, also, that Ms. Caenis didn’t report them for the sake of any well-being’s for any teacher or student. All her ass wanted was to have control over anything that was within her grasp!
Her arrogance made Phainon at a loss for thought. But he did remember one thing: up until now, he had not heard of any of this happening. “No one approached me about this… How come I never heard anything?”
There was a pause between them and Phainon swore he saw Anaxa’s shoulders stutter. He seemed hesitant to speak, but he did soon after. “… Because I never said your name out loud during that phone call, and I left out mentioning you despite Ms. Caenis’ excessive nagging.”
“But why…?” The whole debacle was half of his responsibility just as much it was Anaxa’s, so he couldn’t wrap his head on why neither he nor Ms. Caenis approached him during that point till now.
Anaxa tsked at his questioning, raising a hand holding nothing as he tilted his head to the side and questioned Phainon further. “Do I really need to spill it out for you? Also, Ms. Caenis is the type of person to not only take out her opponents, but anyone else in relation to them as to ruin them in every possible way. You may be young and a student, but that does not escape you from her clutches.”
“Anaxa…” He didn’t know why, but Phainon had the sudden urge to hold Anaxa close. And what is he but a man that would never back down on his words?
When he stepped close and wrapped his arms around Anaxa’s slim body, he could feel him flinch at the surprise contact. That made him want to hold him even closer, as he rested his head on his shoulders. “… I will never let anyone take me away from you…”
“Y– You idiot!? Don’t you know anyone can– “
“I don’t care.” He knew what Anaxa was going to say, but he didn’t let that lead him a stray. To hell if anyone saw them like this; the embrace was so warm to him, Phainon hoped the feeling was shared to Anaxa. “I want to protect you… You shouldn’t have to bear the burden alone, Anaxa… Even if they expel me from this and any future schools, I want to stand by your side…”
“…” Anaxa was still stiff in his arms, but his words came out as a soft whisper. “… Idiot… Can’t you use that brain of yours for once?”
“… Please, explain it to me…”
“…” Anaxa didn’t move a single muscle, so much so that Phainon thought Anaxa choked on the words in his throat. But he was determined to wait.
And wait he did. For what felt like the umpteenth time today, Anaxa spoke after a long beat of silence. “… You may not care whether you get expelled, but have you become so dense as to not consider how others may feel?”
“… Anaxa…” It was involuntary the way his name escaped from Phainon’s lips. In the face of the public, Anaxa was a harsh, strict, blasphemous man capable of criticizing anyone around him who dared challenged his beliefs. Even when they started dating–experimenting in being more intimate and vulnerable with each other– Anaxa never let his guard down. Phainon never took it to heart because he understood that was who Anaxa was as a person.
But at that moment, he felt all the sentiments off him: his past avoidance and actions, his tense body, his quiet, uneasy voice; Anaxa went through those measures because he wanted to protect Phainon (using distance as a way of protection was a method Phainon was all-too familiar with).
Every ounce of doubt, regret, and sorrow that clouded his mind vanished in an instant, and that feeling overwhelmed Phainon as he pulled back from his hug to look at Anaxa’s face instead. He held his porcelain-like cheeks in his hands and made sure Anaxa was staring at him as well before he confessed his words. “I love you so much…”
“Wha– “ Anaxa’s shoulders rose as the immediate blush spread across his face and went as far as down his neck. If Phainon could relieve his shoulders off any clothing, he’s sure he’d see that they’d be tainted pink as well.
Before he could further indulge himself in that thought, he felt Anaxa grab one of his wrists like he was going to attempt to pry them away. However, once they were placed there, there was no force whatsoever in pulling his hand away. Instead, Anaxa held onto it like he was using it to ground himself.
He was… so, so cute… Phainon felt himself flush as well. Did Anaxa hold onto him so he could spread and disperse the heat of his flush? He wasn’t sure of the answer, but regardless, it did no less to dissipate the growing flutter that threatened to rip his chest apart.
Even though Phainon was starting to feel overwhelmed from the sudden whiplash of emotions, those were not the straws that broke the camel’s back for him.
Looking down at the face he held, he saw the expression Anaxa wore: he was red-faced all over, his eye–staring into Phainon’s own–and brows narrowed, and his lips were twisted in a way where he looked perplexed, but not uncomfortable…
Anaxa looked like an angry cat that didn’t know what to do with his emotions… How many times was Phainon going to describe him as any word relating to ‘cute’ under the sun? Those thoughts were what made him blurt out an irrational request, one that he was sure Anaxa was going to refuse. “I want to kiss you so bad…”
When Anaxa’s face contorted into obvious refusal, Phainon begged further. “Please let me.”
Anaxa’s expression didn’t change as he–as Phainon thought– turned down his offer. “Have you not considered we could do this at a different time and place?!”
“I have, but I want to right now…”
“…” Phainon wanted him to answer. And he continued to stand in silence and stared at him until he soon did. Anaxa looked reluctant, but his expression softened by the time he spoke. “… Fine, but don’t be a brute. That could be saved for another time.”
Another time… Those words made him even happier as they felt like Anaxa’s silent apology.
When it came to emotions, Anaxa was never one to tell his feeling out loud. Instead, he leaned more towards either showing them with action or saying them in hidden meanings. It was something Phainon understood long ago and accepted even now.
Rather than feeling hurt that Anaxa ‘couldn’t be fully himself or honest around him’, Phainon saw it as the complete opposite, even finding it charming and amusing the way Anaxa would express his feelings without being so outward about them.
Regardless, it was another way of Phainon adoring Anaxa. He needn’t think further in the current situation.
When he leaned down to close their distance, Phainon’s first thought was to celebrate inside his head–in good time, things would turn to how they once were, and he couldn’t be more ecstatic–, however, upon further notice, something made him stop in his tracks.
The kiss Phainon gave him was one of warmth, but under his lips, Anaxa was far too tense. Phainon had to pull back to inspect his person.
He didn’t kiss him back as his lips were in a tight line, his shoulders stood up straight, and his arms were right by his sides, his hands holding onto nothing as the knuckles turn white from him clutching them so hard.
Seeing him in a state like that sent a wave of sorrow within Phainon’s heart. Did he do something wrong? Self-doubt was the first thing that flooded his mind, but he didn’t wasn’t to think about that right now. Anaxa agreed on kissing him, so it couldn’t have been that.
Phainon didn’t know why he was so tense, but the reason didn’t matter to him. All that did was trying to make him feel good.
He moved one hand to soothe the tension Anaxa build up on his shoulders and another to hold and cradle the side of his face, using a thumb to smooth out the wrinkles Anaxa had in his closed eye that he shut so tight.
“… Relax…” Phainon kept his voice quiet and gentle as to help Anaxa do as he says. There was no reason to feel so uneasy. That’s what he hoped he had conveyed in his actions.
It took a minute, but the words seemed to reach Anaxa with enough time.
He exhaled a deep breath, making his shoulders slack and the stress from his face released as well. He titled his head down and he breathed in and out some more before looking back up at Phainon with a look as stoic as he can make it be.
Phainon knew, however, that his expression meant otherwise. ‘I’m ready’, that was what Anaxa was saying to him, and Phainon couldn’t keep in his smile from how happy he was.
He leaned back in and this time, he felt Anaxa melt into his lips.
… This was perfect… In an instant, he was reminded of a familiar feeling he was deprived of for a week, and the wave of relief that hit him was enough to knock him off his feet.
Phainon pulled back to tilt his head for a better angle and to snake a hand around the back of Anaxa’s neck as to pull him in closer and prevent him from trying to escape his grasp; that took no more than a few seconds for Phainon to do before he dived back in for another kiss.
He felt the shock that was sent through Anaxa on his lips, but nevertheless, the feeling between them was mutual.
Phainon pulled him closer once more and he used his free hand to push against the glass of the lab room window behind Anaxa as to be as close to him as possible. He went in to deepen the kiss and felt Anaxa attempting to keep up with his tempo.
It was a cycle. He would pull back, just to go back in and kiss him again right afterwords. Phainon wanted to indulge in this as much as possible.
He knew all he asked from Anaxa was ‘a kiss’, but if he didn’t pull back all the way, what’s the harm in peppering him with more?
Though, he wanted to do much more to Anaxa… He wanted to push his tongue past his lips, leave marks on his neck, turn him around, strip him off any clothing, and take him whole on the very spot they stood until he struggled to gasp out Phainon’s name. But he knew of Anaxa’s wishes a moment ago.
Not now… not yet… That’s how Phainon reassured himself, no matter how much the heat of his body wanted him to give in.
He kept kissing him until he felt the breath escaping Anaxa’s lips hit his own a little harder than normal. When he felt that hot breath, it took all his willpower for Phainon to pull away (though, he still wrapped Anaxa in his arms and held him with grace).
They both took the time to breath and catch their breathes. Phainon didn’t know how much time had passed, but if they had to stand there just to breathe, it must have been a while.
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Anaxa’s; he used this time to think for a moment.
About what…? Phainon didn’t even know the answer. Any though that came across his mind went nowhere, and the more her tried to think, the more air-headed he felt.
So, he thought of nothing. He thought until he felt a shift from under him.
Anaxa’s movements woke him up from his endless mind and he lifted his head and opened his eyes.
He seemed to have composed himself by the time Phainon looked his way. He wore his usual, impassive expression and stared at him, waiting for him to say or do anything.
Phainon didn’t have anything though, but that didn’t seem to faze Anaxa as he was the one to speak first. “… Do you have any other questions?”
“… Are you ok…?”
“I’m fine. Anything else?”
“Oh, uh…” Phainon had hoped he would clarify why he was so nervous earlier, but considering this was Anaxa, he shouldn’t be so surprised.
The way Anaxa went back to his usual self after they had shared such an intimate moment together made the flush on Phainon’s even more apparent. So much so, he struggled to find words on what else to say. He settled on something, however; a question that, even he, didn’t know any kind of answer to. “What are we gonna do now? About Ms. Caenis too…”
Though to his surprise, Anaxa knew what to say. “No need to worry about her if we keep this discreet. I have blackmail of my own of her that I used to threaten back.” He smirked, looking proud that he gave Ms. Caenis a taste of her own medicine. But it soon faded, dropping to a frown, and he spoke once more. “Though, now that she knows, she will do any means necessary to keep her secrets hidden while also attempting to expose mine.”
That made Phainon light up and determined, as he stood up straight and held Anaxa tighter. “I won’t let her do that you!”
“Like I’d ever let her lay her grimy hands on me.”
“Right, that’s reserved for only me.”
Anaxa cringed at his cheesy words. “Get that mind of yours out of the gutter…”
“I never said anything about it being dirty…”
“Then what else is that supposed to mean…?!”
Phainon couldn’t hold back the airy laugh that was within his chest. “I’m only teasing you.” He placed his hands on Anaxa’s shoulder and pushed him to give themselves some space. He looked down at him and saw his face start to morph into an impassive one once more.
Their usual banter was back… That fact made Phainon look back at the years he had known Anaxa and reminisce when he would (and still does) follow him around like a dog, rambling about whatever came to his mind, even if Anaxa was critical of him in doing so or of the points he had made.
Phainon took a strand of hair that fell to the side of Anaxa’s face and pulled it back to rest behind his ear. “… I love you.”
“Hm…” Anaxa’s response was lacking to the average person. But to Phainon, he knew what he meant; it was a quiet reassurance, his way of saying ‘I love you too’.
That lit a fire inside of Phainon. He was determined to protect Anaxa at all costs. “I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll figure this out together. Just… don’t hold back on telling me anything, ok? I could never be mad or upset at anything you do… And there is no burden I won’t be able to handle as long as you’re by my side…”
Another hum came out of Anaxa and he nodded at Phainon’s words. “As you wish.”
Phainon thought he was done, but Anaxa continued to speak. This time, it was him reassuring Phainon. “You are a smart, capable man, Phainon. I did not hold back information from you because you weren’t. And since you are, I assume you do not need me to spill it out to you again on my reasoning as to why I did as such?”
He knew now. And that reminder made him feel giddy once more. “… I want to kiss you again…”
Anaxa’s glared at him, but its bite did not come anywhere close to what it was prior to their make-up. “You had your chance here. If you want another one, you will have to wait until we are both in a more secluded place.”
“Right!” Phainon didn’t want to hesitate and wanted to leave and indulge in Anaxa’s words. “Uh, are you busy right now…?”
“… That cat woman scheduled this meetup at the perfect time… This is the time when I get ready to leave.”
“Perfect!” If Cipher were here, Phainon would offer to treat her to any restaurant she pleases on going to as a thanks for her help in meddling their relationship. He would have to ask Anaxa for her contacts, but for now, he wanted to look at Anaxa and Anaxa alone. “Do you want to meet in my place right now then? I forgot it was White Day today. Let me treat you!”
From the look of things, Anaxa seemed he was over Phainon’s overenthusiasm, as he sighed and furrowed his eyebrows. “I suppose… We will meet there then, as I still must head my office and gather the last of my things…”
“Ok! I’ll see you then, Anaxa…!”
“Likewise…”
“Sheesh, what was all that about…?”
“Cipher… what did you do…!?”
The two of them sat in silence in the dark lab classroom up until Phainon and Anaxa had left. They were hidden under a table that was up against the wall that was adjacent to the one the other two were on the other side of. Above the table was a window they couldn’t see out of, but that didn’t matter as any voices coming out of that hallway were heard clear if one were to be up against it.
That was the predicament Castorice and Cipher were in. If it were up to her, Castorice would, in no way, accept eavesdropping on other people’s conversation. However, with Cipher being Cipher, dragging her along one of her little schemes, she had no choice but to go along with it. It was either that or Castorice having to deal with getting up in the middle of Phainon and Anaxa’s argument as their situation was getting more and more serious. She, without a shadow of a doubt, had neither the courage nor disrespect to do that to her fellow friend and former teacher.
That didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to be there in the first place, however. Castorice turned her head to glare at Cipher, who she saw her expression and raised both her hands by her head in defense. “Nothing! I just left a note for that Scholar Boy and Prince Charming to meet here!”
“That’s obviously not the case!”
“I may be a liar, Princess, but I’m telling the truth here.” She put her hands down, one on her hip and the other flat on the ground, as she leaned towards Castorice and continued to stare her down. “As someone who has a partner as lovely as you, I would know better than to mess with a lover’s quarrel. I just… happen to pull a prank on them at such an unfortunate time…!”
As she leaned closer, Castorice backed away. She grimaced as Cipher seemed to find amusement in her reaction. “You shouldn’t be messing with them in the first place, Cipher.”
A puff of air escaped her lips in a pft and was replaced by laughter soon afterwards. “You sure have it in you to criticize someone like me for doing this sort of thing, don’t you?” She backed off and opted to lean back on the wall while looking at her with that sly, shit-eating grin of hers. “Whatever, it seems my little trick worked out in their favor, so who’s complaining!?”
Castorice was. Cipher would say that every time one of her vile pranks somehow ended up in her favor. “If things turned out differently, you could have done irreversible damage.”
“Well, they didn’t! So, let’s not worry our pretty, little heads over it, alright?” To make herself even more clear, Cipher moved a hand to flick Castorice square on the forehead.
Castorice sighed as she rubbed the spot Cipher hit her. There was no point in changing her mind because it was impossible to do so. All Castorice could do was agree. To give Cipher some credit, she wasn’t wrong… “… Sure…”
“Great! Then I hoped you liked my gift, Princess Homebody.” She sat up straight and grabbed a hold of Castorice’s hand. She held it like a prince would for a princess and stared into Castorice’s soul, her classic smug smile forming on her lips. “It may not have turned out how I planned it to, but that fujo-filled brain of yours doesn’t mind a little angst, no?”
Before Castorice could process what was going on or figure out what she was planning, Cipher leaned down and planted a kiss on the skin distal to her knuckles.
The gesture was a soft one–one so unlike the sly, troublemaking cat–that Castorice couldn’t help but blush and be swooned by her demeanor.
“I…” She still wanted to criticize her previous antics, but the words got twisted in her tongue and what came out instead was her praising Cipher’s efforts. “… I appreciate the gift, thank you, Cipher…”
Cipher gave a catty laugh to that as she got up from off the ground and stretched her body head to toe. “Then let’s get out of this dump, shall we~?” She cracked her knuckles before extending a hand to Castorice. She smiled down at her, but it was one of joy and whimsy rather than of mischief and trickery.
Getting out of there… that was something Castorice could agree with her on. The sun was about to set soon, and she had been in campus since the morning she left home to get there (and Cipher knew as well; she was the one to pick her up from her dorm after all).
She was exhausted and needed time to relax, but by the look of Cipher’s face, she had plans to treat her somewhere special.
Before she could think twice on anything, however, Castorice’s body thought faster than her mind and she accepted the hand that Cipher offered her. She was pulled off the ground and she felt a warm body wrap around her arm.
Cipher would hold and walk with her like that all the time, with her head resting on Castorice’s shoulder and her face snuggled up against either her face or neck.
In so many senses, she was no different from a cat… and a cute one at that. It was a thought Castorice would never, ever say out loud in front of said cat lady, but one she had it regardless.
Castorice enjoyed Cipher’s company (she could be soft and gentle if she so chooses). And even though all she wanted to do was to head home and crash out in bed, she couldn’t help but indulge herself in Cipher’s plans (she couldn’t miss out on her first White Day either, the romance-lover in her would never live it down!).
So, when she pulled Cipher closer to her own body and looked at the face staring up at her, she nodded, indicating that yes, she was ready for what she had in store for her.