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๐
Infinite
ft. coffee heartburns
” Yeah, ์์์ “
–
“Did Kabuki’s bowl get filled before we came out?”
“His fat probably masses more than his bones and organs combined. I can hear the stairs creaking and wheezing everytime that furball’s coming down, he’ll be fine.”
“Why are you always so bodyshaming when it comes to him…”
Y/n ended up getting hot chocolate instead of coffee, not wanting to stir and flip around the bed all night. She was originally going to choose a popsicle, but her dear caring company gave her a friendly reminder (a threat that made the poor part timer cashier question whether he was actually being genuine) that it was freezing outside, and that he had no plans on chasing her around the house with medicine again. It was dark now. The street lamps switched on, illuminating the cold streets. Only the distant sound of roaming cars a few blocks away and their footsteps and ambient noises filled the empty space around them. Y/n stuck her tongue out with a scrunched up face after accidentally tilting the cup too much and allowing the steaming liquid to rush into her mouth.
Neither noticed the pair of cobalt eyes lingering on her glistening lips parted to allow the tip of her tongue out in the cold air.
“..I heard you like the Ballerina and the Tin Soldier.” An awkward cough came from the side. The art teacher fluttered her lashes together, dumbstruck by the words that just crawled through his lips. Did he just initiate a normal conversation without starting with an insult or a deadpanned statement??? “I take that back. Shut up.” “But I haven’t said anything..”
“Your face says it all.” He clicked, turning his face to the side. “Nevermind that. Your shoe choice is atrocious.” Y/n looked down and her jaw dropped.
Since she rushed to exit the house without thinking, on her left foot laid a worn black slipper with her bare foot out for the world to see. Meanwhile, the other was standing on a crisp white sneaker recently taken out of the shoebox. Sweatdropping, she jogged slightly to catch up with her roommate who had already moved up five steps ahead. “I’m honoured that you’re so interested in me to notice such detail~”
“The cashier was staring at you like you were high while we were at the shop earlier.”
“…Where’s the nearest highway.”
Pft.
Y/n glanced to her side. Under the warm yellow hue of the street lamp, his pale skin glowed like a makeup advertisement model. Scratch thatโ he looked… Divine. The corner of his lips ever so slightly tilted upwards to the darkening sky above, a hand shoved in his sweatpant pocket and the other holding a steaming cup spreading an earthy aroma to her direction. “You should smile more.”
Both were taken aback by the words that left her throat without much thinking. Y/n blinked and cleared her throat. “Um.. I meanโ it’s better than getting frown lines when you’re wrinkly. Just an expression change makes you look ten times more approachable!” She exclaimed before taking another thoughtless sip of her drink. The said mouthful was almost spat back out as she forgot the temperature of it. Scaramouche blankly gazed at her for another uncounted amount of steps. A tingle of chilly breeze entwined along their hair, as comfortable silence carried by the wind remained in the air once more.
After some time, a quieter voice interrupted the quiet. “โFor your question, yes. Ballerina and the Tin Soldier is my favourite story to this day. I actually have the author signed novel, it’s a collector’s edition since the author’s been dead since like centuries ago.” She exclaimed with pride entwined in her voice. He visibly perked up at her statement. “I have the original illustration version.”
“No way, I heard that was discontinued ages ago!”
Soon, all ambience and everything around them blurred out. Their conversation that bounced eagerly back and forth like children showing off each other’s toys at a show and tell drowned out anything else. Even Scaramouche’s usual monotone expression softened to an interested face listening intently. And as usual, Y/n’s mouth failed to receive a break longer than a few seconds, busy with rambling about every detail her brain could rack out. If it weren’t for the cup in her hand, her hands would already be flailing all over the place in visual gestures.
Kunikuzushi absentmindedly lingered his eyes on hers while she was still going on about something regarding the author’s background. The crisp air brushing against their skin, to their footsteps that had subconsciously conjoined together. The warm steam from the drinks.
His eyes flashed to the side upon seeing the flash of headlights in the corner of his vision. But to no one’s surprise, his companion just kept walking and blabbering at the same time. Scaramouche sighed in exasperated, hand shoving out the pocket.
“What are youโ”
“Commit suicide when I’m not here to get blamed by the police.” The car rushed past down the street as soon as his sentence reached halfway. Y/n made a perfectly shaped “O” with her mouth and gave him a thumbs up with the free hand of her wrist he grabbed. No further words, they started walking again.
For a reason no one could tell, both of them decided against on pointing out the fact that his hand stayed where it was for an unnecessary amount of time. The warmth bouncing between two skins felt like light never more radiant in the cold February air.ย
That moment, he could swear he felt infinite.
โ
The whole school was still bustling with the theatre performance preparation. All the classes that contributed heavily with the props and stage was given priority in tickets, then it was open for everyone. Everyone was buzzed up in cloud nine, except for two certain people that were drowning in misery. For the much more approachable-looking art teacher, the student director often came to give help. This didn’t happen to be the case for the unfortunate mr. Raiden poor Furina was absolutely terrified by.
Scaramouche, at one point โ he considered storming up to whoever the male lead playing student was to demand evidence of their so called grandmother’s funeral. Even demanding for a picture of them laid in their coffin was worth it. Because what the hell was this.
If this was a part of the original story, he would have already had every line by heart. But the scene tasked onto him was a cringey little spin-off of the characters that were reborn in another world, meeting once more and a few lines from the forewarning mentioned at the story’s intro. He sighed heavily at the thought of even more whispers that would circulate after a teacher and a student was involved in a romance role theatre play once this whole exposition was done and over with. Speaking of, before the weekend, he considered going up to whoever was in charge of the play and announcing that he would resign.
However, he ended up standing by the entrance of the performance hall and staring for a much longer time than what was originally intended. One of the background dancers toppling down during mock rehearsal and the entire stage erupting in laughter. A student loudly showing up with snacks and everyone swarming over to them like a swarm of bees.
In the end, the calculus teacher wordlessly exit the hall and returned back to his classroom with the lunch bell ringing. Whatever he was thinking of merely a few steps before soon got blurred from existence like the shore waves washing off the imprints on sand upon seeing the masterpiece his coworkers left behind.
His whiteboard was filled from the bottommost corner to its top with doodles that couldn’t have been made from one person alone in ten minutes. And the new bag of pink trash bag that was freshly shining from the garbage can by his door looked very familiar.
In the centre of the whiteboard, was a doodle of a h/c lady with an angel wings and a halo very prominently drawn blessing tiny figures below with a rain of candy. He knew it wasn’t from whoever was a few steps away from his class, the style and sketch length was different. Why did he memorize that woman’s drawing style in the first place???
That just meant she vandalized his things too much. Because he ever bothered to pay attention to such fatuous and childish behaviour. Scaramouche grumbled at the thought and grabbed the whiteboard eraser sitting on the magnetic basket and vigorously wiped the smooth surface.
After a while, he slid the chair he stood on back into the desk, quickly glancing to the door to make sure there were no witnesses.
A flicker of pink on the teacher’s desk caught his eye. Another note. This time, with pink candy patterns around the rim and a white bubbly middle.
–
Did you know:
If you pluck out all the veins of someone and lay it out in a straight line,
that person will die. idk i ran out of stuff to write down
->wana go for coffee after school??
–
…
He just wanted the coffee, and that was it. Suddenly, the green haired doctor’s diagnoses came flooding back into his mind.
” Mr. Raiden, until further examination – you are diagnosed with a crush. “
Crush? Don’t be ridiculous. He never felt romantic attraction in his entire life. And the next door teacher was just an annoying coworker he shared a house with.
…Why was she even the first one that popped into his mind?
He threw his head up and clutched onto his bangs, letting out an irritated huff. Scaramouche reached for the device in his pocket before begrudgingly pressing on the contact that always seemed to be on the top of the recently messaged as of recently.
–
Y/n
You
4 sharp.
Read at 12 : 19 PM
Y/n
yayy
Read at 12 : 20 PM
–
Caffeine is probably not the ideal drink of someone going through cardiovascular issue symptoms โ wait..
Kunikuzushi groaned silently upon the memories of the previous doctor’s visit that only ended with the gift of a blank mind and a strange pang in his chest. Crush, a fucking crush for gods’ sake. A word heard among the whispering lips of teenagers that have nothing better to do around their friends. The greatest nourisher of rumours and new stories that often even lasted years to come. But to those some that do not understand or haven’t experienced such concept yet, the idea can come as cheesy and immature.
Emotions, to some part, they follow logic called psychology. Then again, that wasn’t exactly a logic. But they normally rooted from exact reasons. If you’re hurt by someone you care about, you feel upset. When there’s something you like, you’re happy. Exceptions are the anomalies that was probably the bane of all misfortune in the world in a certain someone’s eyes.
The idea of love was corny and unrealistic. Just what do people mean to simply enjoy someone, sometimes even without a proper reason? What is the guideline for the requirement โ looks? Fitting into one’s ideal type? There was hardly any reason to stick around others if it didn’t serve a concrete purpose. He attended board meetings for work. He came to class everyday because he had students to teach and that is simply a job that needs to be completed that day.
He was going for coffee with that woman again because… Because…..
Greeting him in the trash can, Scaramouche glimpsed over to the two empty cups of black coffee he chugged down previously. The entire night was spent with wide eyes that refused to let a drop of melatonin register through his brain.
A third cup won’t hurt.
Turns out, it did. Very much so.ย
A few people miraculously unbothered by his snarky words commenting in the past that his blood probably included more caffeine than blood cells, Scaramouche was practically immune to coffee at this point. It took nearly triple the amount of a normal person’s need for it to do its effect on him after years of drinking it like water. But as of recently, he didn’t need coffee or tea to keep up at night. And now, he feared his heart would genuinely burn off if he took one more sip.
“Did you know bees love coffee?” A chirpy voice called back out to his drifting focus. She was on her third slice of cake in the cafe, the two other plates stacked on top of each other by her side. “So you’re basically a bee. Buzz.”
Scaramouche wordlessly crossed his arms. “Did you know rats empty out leftovers the extra second they’re left out? You’re a rat.”
“Hey โ I buy the food?!”ย “I cook that food.”
“Heheheh… You cooked. Get it??”
“Your brain is genuinely rotting from those teenagers.” He grunted with the millionth eyeroll that day. Y/n stabbed her fork into the air, missing her cake from not looking at where she was poking her utensil. The poor fork thrusted into the air multiple times as she refused to spare an extra two seconds to look down. “You talk as if you’re a middle aged teacher โ scratch that, your mind is probably from the middle ages instead.” The teacher huffed, finally successfully grabbing a bite of the pastry under her hand. “..And somehow you still look like a high schooler.” She added in a bitter mumble.
Her fork loosely pointed towards his direction as Y/n chewed on the food. “I’m still never forgetting you being scouted by an idol agency a few weeks ago, life is so unfair when it comes to face cards..!” She complained, recalling when they were both exiting the school building together some time ago (Y/n’s car got towed because it was parked in front of a fire hydrant so she had to take her roommate’s car) and he was stopped by an agency scouter standing around the school building. They probably had no idea he was a teacher in his mid late twenties. And this man just walked them off like it was an everyday occurrence?? Her company stuck his tongue out halfheartedly.
“They still haven’t given up after almost a decade… The next time those face hungry dogs come I’m tossing you to them as self defence.”
“…I have so many questions.”
“Be quiet.”
“Why do you always have something against me, I haven’t even said any of them!!” She complained in a jokingly whiney tone.
“Your eyes are noisy.” He took another sip of the drink. The art teacher’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
Ambient sounds of the coffee shop filled the void around them this time. Neither brought up the strange atmosphere of the walk last night nor Y/n’s state back then. For the better, probably. “Hello, can we get another plate of strawberry cake?” She waved over to the server, only to be interrupted. “โShe’ll be having a cup of water.”
“Hey, who are you to decide what I eat??”ย “When did you even finish three plates?!” He exclaimed with furrowed brows of disgust upon casting his eyes down onto the table. “I shouldn’t be shaming the cat when there’s been the bigger version in from of me all along.”
“I’m actually going to cry!!!“
From a few tables away, suspiciously dressed figures huddled together and stole glances to the particular duo’s table. Their phone often raising their cameras from the bottom of the table. The staff sweatdropped and considered calling security at the teenage looking people in comically cliche sunglasses and trench coats. (Itto insisted to match the vibe)
“Get that one get that oneโ look, is ms. L/n blushing?? She’s so cute..”
“Stop shoving me you big back, I had a great angle before!”
“Um.. Guys?”
“Hu Tao, s’just or did mr. Raiden smile?”
“Mm.. You’re hallucinating. Oh waitโ”
“Guy…”
“Yanfei what?”
“I think mr. Raiden is staring at us.”
They all froze altogether and slowly turned their eyes to the pair of violet indigo hues that were gazing directly back. His companion’s seat was facing her back towards them and currently sulking at whatever he said previously, so there wasn’t much way of her noticing. But that meant he had a perfect view of the strange little table near the entrance.
He brought a thumb to his neck and slowly dragged it to the side while maintaining terrifying eye contact with the entire group, proving their silent prayer that he didn’t notice gone useless.
“Good luck to whoever has math tomorrow.”
โโ
FANARTTTTT
frfruzan (i think..?) :
that caught me off guard when i was scrolling up the server for fanarts
mysticofficial_dc :
I dont think these were for notes but added them anyways bc LOOK AT THEM
s3nniistwr
kabuki in his arms ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
not_worth_it79
aww
Pls claim it in the comments if you see yours โบ๏ธ
I was gonna update in april buti i got this lung infection and was coughing like an old man thats long due to be in a coffin for like 2 weeks ๐ ty for waiting
2874 words
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