spinatalltale | [WEEK 4, THURSDAY NIGHT PRE-CURFEW: Akira]

[WEEK 4, THURSDAY NIGHT PRE-CURFEW: Akira]

[she moves quietly towards Akira and Raven's hut after nightfall, but before curfew, silently hoping that Raven's absence means it'll be empty save for Akira. careful observation of his demeanor throughout the day revealed to her that his strength was wavering-- worry, a dash of panic, and most importantly fear, was etched into every single feature, to the point of where that spark in his eyes she admired so much was completely invisible]

[she didn't like it]

[. . . but she didn't know what to do about it, either]

[this wasn't her area of expertise. hell, just a few short weeks ago, she would've taken one look at that expression and kept her distance, allowing him to deal with his emotions all on his own. but her feet carry her before she can really think about it, and before she knows it, she's outside his door, standing with her hands linked behind her back and her expression neutral]

[she sucks in a deep breath]

Hey, Trickster! You home?

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[oh]

[fuck]

[there isn't denying his intent-- as bad as Magilou is with feelings, she's not clueless. and a good retrospective look at everything that's led them here would easily tell her that they've always sort of been careening towards this]

[right?]

[fuck]

H-- hey.

Don't do anything because of a frayed heart that you'll regret, Trickster.

I'm not.

[...]

My heart's frayed because of the regrets I already have. [this place has given him so many. so, so many.]

I'm trying to prevent any more of that. [his heart isn't supposed to do this. this place is making him question so much about himself, but this—]

Isn't it the only thing I'm allowed to have a little agency on? [in how he feels, at least. he would never push her into something she wasn't into or anything—but he thinks magilou already knows that without him having to say it.]

[yeah. he doesn't have to say it for her to know]

[there's a pause on her end when he finishes talking-- a lengthy pause, like she's struggling with her answer. like the part of her that just wants to bolt because too many feelings and the part of her that wants to stay are fighting with each other, and who the heck even knows which one will win out in the end]

[she doesn't. she doesn't do this. she's honestly never had an interest in it. her devotion was at first to the Abbey, and then to absolutely nothing but her own whims, and then to Velvet's ideal world. she's always been an outsider. an observer. someone who watched but never meddled, someone who never got involved in the affairs of humans]

[so this is. . .]

[. . .]

[aaaah, fuck it. there's a good chance he'll be dead by Sunday, and that thought still feels like ice in her veins. and he's here, talking about regrets, talking about actually living despite everything, and she can't help but think about how that's the best part of him]

[her favorite part of him-- even when compared to the fire in his soul and his will to keep fighting. the part of him that drew her in again and again and again]

[she lets out a short breath]

I don't know what you're waiting for, then.

For that.

[oh?

akira's truly a gentleman thief, through and through. even in the most conventional method of stealing a heart—or perhaps by winning it, or mending it—he approaches it with respect. with consent. he didn't want to force this one her, not when akira's known all along how difficult her heart would be to move.

and really, he hadn't been trying to win her over this way. he just wanted to be honest, but she's taken so many steps on her own to do things for him.

he has to pay it forward.

even if something in him says it's wrong—not because of magilou, but because of himself—he has to do what he feels is right. it's the only time he can, because most of his experiences here have forced him to go against his own beliefs just to ensure survival long enough to help other people. this is the one time he has some agency, and magilou is egging him on.

so he won't waste the chance.

so his hands shift from their spot over hers, and akira moves them until they mirror one another. his hands are gentle, fingers slender and dexterous as he brushes some of magilou's bangs from her face—and then? he goes for it. it's brief, chaste and hardly lingering in the least, but his lips press against hers for that short moment before he draws back.

it's fine.

this is fine.]

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

[it feels like another jolt of electricity, similar to the one she felt that day on the beach when he pinched her arm. which, come to think of it, was probably the start of it all. not this, per se, but the start of her actually attempting to reach out to people with warmth and affection the same way they had reached out to her. it's just. . . somehow, Akira managed to seize that opening and worm his way past the rest of her boundaries without her even noticing]

[or. . . maybe she did notice. it had been pretty painful, after all. it still was, in a lot of ways. maybe she noticed, and just chose to let it happen? it's all pretty fuzzy right now]

[she inhales sharply when he leans in, fingers curling against his cheeks, and then his mouth is on hers and she thinks she might accidentally punch him in the shoulder on reflex?? but somehow, she manages to hold herself back. . . which is good, because the contact is far too short and he's gone already and she feels cold enough to shiver]

[. . .]

[she doesn't say anything. it's unlike her to be rendered speechless, and yet. here she is, saying nothing. but that's okay]

[that smile and the way it actually fills her cheeks and lights up her eyes for once says everything for her]

[it's unlike her, but akira knows better than anyone else that sometimes? you really just don't need words.

when he pulls back, he can see something so warm and sincere in her expression that he actually smiles right back reflexively; almost as if he can't help himself but smile seeing it.]

...There's no way I could regret that.

[it makes his heart feel a little less frayed. even though these terrible things still weigh on him—being granted this much agency, seeing magilou's expression—

even akira can hardly believe how much he's grown to like her, but hasn't that always been his way? those who don't traditionally fit in, those who are shady, those who can be a little sadistic—he's always drawn to those types. and now, their lives are on the line, and he'd regret more not pursuing something before his life ends.

of all the choices he's made since being here—this is probably the only one that's actually felt right.]

[god he really is unfair. do-gooders have always made her itch, have always made her smile curl in a wry and mocking manner. this island. . . it's made her so damn soft, endearing her to people like Akira who wished to selflessly save the world, and not in the empty and pointless manner that had driven Artorius's actions. people who live, just as Velvet and the others, and live undaunted by the ugliness of this game. it shouldn't be surprising that she finds herself here with the one person who lives the most out of all of them. the one person who has actively tried to help her pick up the pieces of her own broken self]

[maybe this place has made her soft, but maybe it's also helped seal some of the cracks caused by Melchior oh so long ago]

. . . I don't get you.

[and before he can respond, she drops her hand from his face and shoves him by the shoulder]

Hey. Don't go thinking I'm some blushing or demure maiden, here!

[annnd there is the tsun]

[he likes the tsun too, so akira just chuckles softly. she's helping? somehow, she's helping, even if it only gets his mind off things for a little while.]

I like that you're not either of those things. [shrug.] I still don't regret it.

[AUGH]

[and she's back to facesmooshing]

I still really don't get you! And you still piss me off.

I didn't ask for this!

[tsun tsun]

I didn't ask for it either, but here we are.

[okay, but what if he, smooshed face and all, leans in to kiss her again to shut her up?

... c:]

[a h]

[stop!! cheating!!]

[she wasn't expecting this one, so she tenses immediately on contact. one hand drops to his collar, fingers curling in the fabric, as though to pull him closer. and she's receptive for all of one second until. . . ]

[she breaks away and jams her hat over his head, pulling it down far enough to obscure his eyes and everything]

[the problem here is that he's still smiling under that hat, amused.

clearly, she doesn't hate it when he does that, even if it's also clearly flustering the hell out of her in a magilou sort of way.

(she's... cute?? she's cute.)]

Ah. Now I'm the villainous witch.

. . .

Eh. It's not a very good look for you.

[. . . she isn't letting go of his collar]

It's because I'm a Joker and not a witch.

[probably. this is fine? he's not bothered by it, in any case.]

You're too much of a do-gooder to be a witch.

[she's just saying!!]

Not enough of a do-gooder to not be a Trickster, though.

"Do-gooder" and "Trickster" aren't mutually exclusive.

[:3c]

"Do-gooder," and "criminal" don't usually go together either.

[just saying.]

But they also aren't inherently mutually exclusive.

[her band of criminals saved the world. criminals are the best heroes]

[. . . at any rate, her fingers flex around his collar one last time, before they drop away]

Hey.

Don't take this the wrong way, but--

[and hesitation]

[...?]

But...?

[explain, magilou.]

. . .

This-- hurts.

[not in a bad way, so she elaborates using an analogy they've talked about before]

Like when you stomp on your foot after it's fallen asleep on you to get it working again.

[ah. it's like that, huh?

he draws back enough so he can take her hat off and put it back on her head; he'll even tilt it downward so she doesn't have to look at him.

especially since he's going to cup her cheek in his palm gently and rest it there.]

It just means you have to keep working at it until the pins and needles stop, right?

[thanks, Akira]

[she sucks in another sharp breath, and after a moment of tension, tilts her head into his palm]

Uho. . . what smooth lines you have there, Trickster.

[it's only half teasing. the other half? is muted, but fond]

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