[PP-F21] A Forge By Any Other Name, Would Be Just As Warm

[Oikawa 1]

Her gaze lingered along his own. Longer than it had ever had before. The flames licked at the edges of hers, highlighting the contrast of her blue irises against the heat of the orange fire. Her words slipped out. Softened with un-surety as she shifted her sights to that of the door. It was hard to say if she wanted to leave. Actually it wasn't. Out of discomfort grew the comforting thought of leaving to make things easier for him. She was still thinking about him despite what he said. Stubbornness was trait they seemed to share in that regard. However, her next words surprised him.

"Okay. I'll stay."

Quietly the words hung. Disbelief was what he felt, but neutrality in his usual grin is what he showed. To say he was expecting her to still make an exit was an understatement but he was glad that he seemed to have finally got through to her in some capacity. He could see the gears were still turning in her head. No doubt the confession and his concerns running rampant through her thoughts. Perhaps he could have picked a better time to reveal his feelings but he was never one to really hide his feelings in that regard.

His grin revealed relief at her decision and he hoped that her question wasn't determining factor on if she would change her mind or not. Gesturing back to the chair, he answered. "As I mentioned earlier, I would more than likely stay here for the night. I have some crafting things to handle anyhow. The bed is for you." He still had no plans of implying anything more. He was content with just knowing she'd be somewhat squared away until morning. He wanted her to rest. She needed it more than she let on and even if she didn't think she'd find herself dozing off, Oikawa reasoned that when your body was exhausted enough, it would do the work for you. He would be more surprised if she truly found a way to get no sleep but he kept that to himself.

"I'll show you the room if you're ready." Petting the cub, he beckoned for the cub to follow. "This way."

@Mari

Edited May 6, 2020 by Oikawa

[Mari 1]

Mari followed Oikawa quietly behind him. Her eyes on King who walked between Oikawa's stride - tail and body wrapping around his legs as he walked. Mari briefly wondered how Oikawa didn't fall over - only to have him half-step to recover from a stumble. Mari snorted to hide an amused laugh at the action. Despite the heavy feeling in the air...she still felt she could smile at such actions. That...was good right? It meant they would still be friends, right? She rose her eyes to stare at the mid of his back - and how she could see the muscles in his shoulder blades move with his walk.

...They would still be friends, right? He said they would be, and Mari knew she shouldn't have anything to worry about but it didn't stop the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Mari unknowingly reached out, a trembling hand to grasp his wrist as it swung backward. "Oikawa..." She said quietly, waiting for him to turn and look at her. "You promise you won't hate me after this, right?" She asked. She knew - she knew but she had to hear it from him if she were to calm the voices of hatred in her head.

@Oikawa

[Oikawa 1]

The floor creaked softly beneath their weighted steps. The smell of the furnace managing to linger in the air far deeper into the house than Oikawa preferred. King walked alongside him. Forming figure-eights in-between his gait as he nearly stumbled over the snow leopard cub. The stifling chuckle from the girl behind him offered little redemption for how embarrassing it looked. Letting a light laugh echo out himself, he nudged the cub to walk to his side rather than through his legs.

As they reached the neared the room, he felt a soft tug at his wrist.

"Oikawa..." 

Turning around, he faced Mari. The dim light of the candles lining the hallway highlighting her cerulean eyes in the flickering light. Her freckles seemed almost non-existent, though he actually liked them on her. She was hesitant, but slowly the question she held shook loose.

"You promise you won't hate me after this, right?"

"I didn't hate you then, even when we were at odds. I don't hate you now and I never will." He was curious as to why she asked, but thought better of asking her outright. He figured if there was more to it, she would address it when she was comfortable with it.

The door to the bedroom was slightly opened. Pushing it open completely, he gestured to the room. "For you miss," he said simply.

@Mari

Edited May 10, 2020 by Oikawa

[Mari 1]

He turned to look down at her, the slight fluttering of his cape billowed with a flourish. His golden eyes, glimmering with the flickering lights around them - holding an unbridled warmth behind them. In the smallest of ways, they reminded her of Alkor, a liquid colour akin to rich honey. But these eyes whilst so similar, were also so vastly different. They weren't distant - they didn't gaze through her. They weren't cold. She felt if she held them too long she'd drown, or burn.

"I didn't hate you then, even when we were at odds. I don't hate you now and I never will." 

Mari exhaled, and her body drew in another sharp breath - gasping for the air it so sorely needed. Mari hadn't realized she had been holding her breath so long. For the briefest second she wondered why they ever needed to breathe in a digital world but it was quickly replaced with the unyielding worry that wracked her small form.  She wanted to believe him, irrevocably so - but past experiences painted a different story. Mari broke her gaze away from him. "I hope so." She whispered beneath her breath as they started walking again. 

Oikawa paused as he pushed open the door, gesturing for Mari to step into the room. Before her was a large rectangular four poster bed with black sheets, adorned with gold trimming and frayed edges- much like his appearance, the room had an overal Egyptian aesthetic. It was different - but it felt comforting to step over the threshold into the room. Like the rest of the house, the room was massive - and Mari couldn't help but wonder how lonely it must be to have all that space.  "Thanks...for this..." Mari said as she approached the bed and ran a hand over it. The sheets felt soft, plush - Mari honestly could not remember the last time she had slept in a bed. Maybe the first few nights within Aincrad? "I'll, see you in the morning - right?"

Oikawa gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be here." He told her before quietly exiting. Mari waited till she could no longer hear his footfalls before she stared at the bed. Mari decided that today would not be the day she  broke her streak of sleeping on the floor. She didn't really much feel like she deserved it. Instead - Mari sat with her back against the bed  and sighed as she bought her knees to her chest. It was quiet, perhaps too quiet.

How many days had passed like this? It felt like everyone around her was moving forward, moving on. Leaving Mari lonely, lost inside. But - that was her own fault, wasn't it? Oikawa had just poured his heart out to her and she practically ripped it out and stomped on it. He said he wouldn't hate her- but how could he not? Mari pressed her face into her knees, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. If he did hate her - would it really be so bad? One by one, people would eventually move past her - but .... as long as she stayed smiling as they turned to look back things would  be okay. She wouldn't falter - she wouldn't show weakness.

'Hic'

A small sob shook her body. Right. That's what she was. She was there to bridge the gaps between everyone, tending to the wilting flowers of the world - and when they bloomed she'd step back. Because they wouldn't need her anymore. She'd be able to retreat back to the confines of her tent - and that, was where she could stay till she was called upon again.

...I don't want that. I don't want to be alone.

Despite her telling herself that was how it would be, how it should be - Mari couldn't help but be terrified of that suffocating loneliness. She didn't want to be alone anymore. Thinking about it felt like there was a vice exerting a painful pressure around her heart. But that would pass...right? 

Right?

Mari wasn't sure how long she was alone with her thoughts, but at some point. Maybe minutes, or hours after - she had falling into an exhausted heap upon the floor beside the bed. Face wet with tears she didn't dare shed in front of others.

@Oikawa

Edited May 12, 2020 by Mari

[Oikawa 1]

'...With bated breath' was a phrase Oikawa had always heard but never quite understood until now. What was mere seconds of interaction, felt like several minutes of suspense. Her chest had risen, but not yet fallen. And for once he could say with surety, that she had awaited his response 'with bated breath'. And in what felt like milliseconds, it came to a head. Her gaze broke away from his own. The unsure tone in her voice comfortably lacing the words from beneath her breath.

Oikawa was perplexed. Not hurt, but confused yet understanding of her choice of words. So really not even confused. Distrust is a hard habit to break and no doubt between her past and now, a lot of distrust has piled up along the way, even if it wasn't of his own accord. Oikawa let the moment drift. He had zero reason to make a fuss of her stance. If he was in her shoes, he no doubt had been the same way. And the confession doesn't help. The thought of it almost made him regret telling her so soon. She needed time to heal and be at peace, and here he was adding fuel to the flame. But alas, what's done is done. All that mattered now was making her comfortable and feeling loved, friendship-wise, one day at a time.

Her palms ran the edge of the bed. The darkened sheets barely sinking beneath her touch. Her gaze shifted about the room. No doubt taking in how absurdly large it was for one person. Her lips drawn into an appreciative grin as she thanked him. "It is truly the least I could."

"I'll, see you in the morning - right?"

"I'll be here," he reassured her. Ensuring that nothing was out of the ordinary, Oikawa turned to leave. Looking back briefly, he wished her a goodnight and closed the door behind him. For a moment he paused. For a moment he wondered if what he had done was right. There was no guideline for being a good friend. He wondered if he had crossed the line. Would she even find the 'want' to sleep if she felt uneasy about staying. His mind always diverted to worse case. A trait he always hated as it caused him to overthink. But to what degree is it overthinking if it's true?

He expelled a sigh. His steps creaked against the floorboards with each step as he made his way back to the hallway in front of the forge. The room was just barely in sight, but not enough to be his sole focus. Though a peculiar sight caught his eye. In a wadded tuft of fur, King snuggled up to the door and laid down. A grin fixated itself upon him. Like father, like son he mused. The cub was just doing what came natural to them both, protecting and caring for those closest to them.

King's ears soon perked up. Oikawa glanced over to the cub. Maybe Mari had called his name and he hadn't heard it. Rising from his seat, Oikawa quietly made his way back down the hall. Whatever had caused King to take guard at the door had subsided. His hand graced the knob, the door slowly swinging open to reveal the ginger fast asleep on the floor. Typical Mari, he thought. Even with a bed as comfortable as his own, she still sought out the floor out of habit.

Plucking the black sheets from the bed, he gently laid it over her small frame. The rising and falling of her chest evidence that she had in fact fallen asleep. King wiggled past him as he snuck back into the hallway. The cub curling up alongside the girl and settling in for the remainder of the night. Oikawa nodded to the cub as if to say, 'she's in your hands now', and closed the door.

He resumed his perch shortly after. His eyes began to fall. Exhaustion washed over him like a sudden wave. His eyes quickly fell to the heavy comfort of warmth enveloping his frame. And though his mind remained active, it couldn't override his body's need for sleep. Dawn was on the horizon anyhow, so he hoped she had found comfort enough to at least let her eyes rest. Even if only for a little while.

@Mari

[Oikawa 1]

THREAD REWARDS

SP: 2 Each (1 Page + 1 Quarantine Bonus)

COL: 200 Each (+400 1 Page)