sweetdevil | 39th ♫ | cover it all up in a little bitter sweetness

39th ♫ | cover it all up in a little bitter sweetness

2020 VALENTINE'S ❤ CALL ME OUT

μ
The Caligula Effect

BB
Fate

Brynhildr
Fate

Brynhilde Pendragon
Original

Honoka Kousaka
Love Live!

Karin Miyoshi
Yuki Yuna is a Hero

Rin Asunaro
Shelter

Sophie Summerhelm
Original

Yuri
DDLC

Yuuri Wakasa
School-Live!

A WHOLESOME CMO FOR ALL YOUR VALENTINE'S SCENARIO NEEDS!!

This can be any kind of Valentine's related nonsense you like, shippy or otherwise!! Just pop a comment down below shouting out one of the lovely ladies above (or any other girls you know I play) and let's play out some wholesome mushy Valentine's nonsense.

Need a prompt? Check out one of the memes below!

Shameless Shipping Meme Prompts ❤ Fluff Scenario Meme Prompts ❤ Affectionate Physical Contact Meme Prompts

'most active' design by mistojen

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[ So much has changed since she'd landed on Midgard that sometimes Rin can hardly believe it. Her time here has only been a fraction of the time she spent in the VR and yet, already, all that seems like a distant dream and Midgard in the here and now feels infinitely bigger -- infinitely more real.

It helps that she's finally started school. It's still just a few days a week, but the normalcy and the routine of it is wonderful. She'd been a ball of anxiety at first, dithering and a little mistrustful of everyone's kindness and friendliness. But thinking back on it now almost makes her laugh. The walls she'd been only just peeking over have gradually been brought down and now she spends her days laughing and talking with friends. Her friends.

But then...

Then there's Shoji.

Thinking of it in those terms makes her feel a little cruel but she can't pretend there's no divide in her mind between her other friends and just... Shoji. It'd been simple enough at first – Shoji was the first real friend her age she'd made on Midgard so of course he'd be special. But the more time that passes and the more of it they spend together, the more that specialness takes on a bit of a different meaning. Maybe it's a cliche for her heart to be pitter-pattering over the first boy she could really call her friend, but that doesn't mean it isn't happening. And maybe the old Rin would've been content to pretend it wasn't, but she's not quite as much of an anxious mess anymore. She's going to jump on the first chance she gets to do something about it.

... well, that's easier said than done. Valentine's Day is more or less the perfect opportunity, and Rin spends days getting prepared for it. She designs and scraps more chocolates than she can count and eventually forces herself not to get worked up about the looks. Chocolate is chocolate! It's all about the feelings and the effort you put in, isn't it?

So when Valentine's Day comes around, she's all prepared. She's given out chocolates to all their friends but she hasn't found the opportunity yet to hand over Shoji's. It's still sitting in her bag and she's been checking it in a dizzy every time she has a second alone to make sure it's still intact. The chocolate's fine, but she worries that, even with the two of them alone and heading home, she's never going to find the right time to give it to him.

She's bogged down by this thought the whole way back to the train station and it certainly doesn't do anything for the awkward atmosphere between them. It's only when Shoji asks about her audition that she visibly perks up, broken out of her fretting if only for the moment. ]

Oh, um... they actually got back to me yesterday. They said I passed the first round of auditions and they'd be getting back to me to tell me when the in-person auditions are happening.

[ Despite herself, she feels a bashful little smile warming the expression on her face. ]

I know it doesn't mean much, just passing the first round... but it feels kind of amazing even just getting this far. Someone listened to me sing and they really thought I was worth giving a chance to.

Aha! See, see? I told you you'd ace it! It may just be the first round, but that's usually the toughest part.

[ His expression beams with pride, in both himself and his prediction coming true and that he's happy for Rin being a step closer to her dream. He laughs at the sudden outburst of joy, hunching forward to show his smile and to see her expression. She's quiet and reserved ever since he met her, and it's been a subconscious goal of his to see her smile more often. And with that, he flashes a mellow smile with a pink tinge on his cheeks, earnestly saying: ]

You've come a long way. I'm proud of you.

[ He straightens up as the train slows down to a soft halt. The gates open as people start exiting, with Shoji taking the first step inside the train . The car is pretty empty, with plenty of seats. Saving Rin some space beside him has become a normal occurrence with them, with his excuse is that so he can protect her. But lately he's realizing that, while true, he also just wants to be close to her. He too feels a connection with Rin that he can't find with his other friends. At first he just think it's because she's a fan, but now he's become more her fan than the other way around.

The train hums as the doors seal shut, leaving Shoji and Rin alone in the train car. He'll let a while pass in silence before he inevitably gets bored enough to mess with Rin. Wearing a straight face, he starts playfully bumping his elbow against her's ]

[ With her eyes full of Shoji's earnest face, Rin finds it's harder than usual to avert her gaze. It's her instinctive response when shyness takes over her, and though she can feel the heat of a blush colouring her cheeks, she also can't quite make herself look away. ]

I've still got a long way to go, you know. You can say that again when they offer me a spot.

[ She doesn't really think it'll happen. She's a soft-spoken girl, maybe not plain but a bit too timid to really shine under the spotlight. But she keeps that to herself. It's hard to be down on herself like that in the face of Shoji's earnest support, but most of all... she wants Shoji to be proud of her. And when he grins at her like that and tells her he knows she'll do it...

It kind of really feels like she might just be able to.

It's a relief to be able to step onto the train and break away from his gaze, though. She still has the chocolate clutched tightly in her bag, and it feels like when he looks so directly at her like that, he might be able to peek past her eyes and see the chocolate bouncing around in her brain. It's so much easier to keep it on lock when they aren't face to face.

So it's with a little sigh to herself that she settles into her set beside Shoji. It seems funny for her to be so comfortable with physical closeness like this when just having him meet her gaze sends her into such a tizzy but it's... well, just that. Comfortable for her. When you spend seven years alone in space, you learn to appreciate all the little nudges of contact you can get.

Which is why her mouth softens into a little smile when she feels Shoji's elbow nudge against hers. Without giving any indication that she's noticed what he's doing, Rin carefully reaches over with her opposite hand and gives him a little poke in the side. Two can play at that game. ]

When that happens then, I'll make sure to do that.

[ He replies to her first few words, confident she'll get that spot anyway. That timidness is adorable, which he thinks could be her charm point. Shoji doesn't see her as plain, but that could just be his bias talking. And he thinks even if she didn't get the spot, they can just make music together. That's his fallback plan in this scenario with Rin should she not succeed in auditioning for this group. It's not the same as performing on stage as an idol, but at least she can still make her music.

When he feels her fire back from his playful way to pass the time, he tried harder to keep a straight face only for him to end up with the same soft smile she's wearing, especially with that poke on his side taking his ticklish self by surprise. Biting his lip, he replies with not one, but two elbow nudges! All while bracing himself from Rin prodding at his rib again. ]

[ Rin's always had a terrible poker face, even when she was younger – anything she feels, it gets broadcast to the world at large, no matter how much she tries to keep it under wraps. Rin herself might be quiet, but her feelings are loud and clear. Right now, though? She's determined to keep a totally straight face. Because this feels just a bit like a game and when she's playing against Shoji, she doesn't like to lose.

... she's certainly not doing very well, though. Shoji might be able to keep a passably neutral face, but Rin's lips are pursed tight to try and fend off a smile, but it's obviously fighting to come through with the way her eyes are creased at the corners. Neutral she is not. But she's not giving up!

So she'll respond with a two-fingered poke to the side, intentionally seeking out a particularly ticklish spot. Take that! ]

[ Shoji pre-emptively fires back with three light elbow nudges at the same time he was struck by those finger pokes. Being a fighter, it's become frequent for him to be tender in some places that got hit a lot in sparring. Add his ticklishness to that, and it results in a victorious Rin. He breaks his calm and snickers into a laugh, half-raising his hands in surrender ]

Okay okay, you win you win.

[ He leans away, still in defensive mode but enjoys their silly exchange anyway. The train soon arrives at the next station in a very short time, closer to Echo's downtown area. Hearing the announcement over the intercom, Shoji got an idea. ]

By the way, you got plans when you get home?

[ As straight as she's trying to keep her face, once Shoji laughs and offers up his surrender, Rin's own face relaxes into a smile as well. At the back of her head, she's still a whole knotty tangled mess of nerves over this Valentine's business but at least here in the moment with Shoji, she can make herself relax just a little. ]

Once I get home? Nothing really. To be honest, I was so worked up about giving out chocolates today I couldn't really think about what I was going to do after.

[ She gives him a sheepish smile – in part because it's silly for her to be so worked up about chocolate and mostly because she's so incredibly, painfully aware that Shoji still doesn't have his. She's working up to it. Hopefully. ]

Ahhhh...

[ The subjects of chocolates reminded him of his questions earlier, bringing back those same thoughts he had prior to boarding the train. But he pushes them out and thinks of what he was planning to tell her just now, with his mind being indecisive about inviting Rin to do this anyway when it's a bit on the dangerous side. ]

Your house must be pretty chill to have them let you do nothing.

[ He chuckles, standing up and cocking his head towards the door to invite Rin to follow him. This isn't the station they normally part, but whatever Shoji is planning it's closer to downtown. ]

Come on. I wanna show you somethin'

[ He's just winging it right now. Even if she didn't feel like doing what he's thinking of, at least they get to steal some time and spend it together before going back home. He steps out of the train and guides the way, doubting Rin would have been in this part of the city before like he has. Matching paces, he leads her out of the busy station and onto some overpasses looking down a neighborhood that's very much like a Japanese city. Osaka or Kobe, more specifically, as this neighborhood is mostly populated by people from those cities back on Earth. ]

Just around the corner is something you might have seen before...

[ Shoji follows the path of the overpass. It's about a two blocks away before they see it - bright neon lights peeking in between buildings. A canal in the middle with elevated streets bearing large signs together with holographic and animatronic spectacles. Greeted by the smell of food even before they start descending to the street on a long flight of steps, Shoji lets Rin take in the sights and sounds of a replica of Dotonbori. ]

I never got the chance to see the original back on Earth...

[ He said somberly, but with optimism that the one on Earth was no less gorgeous than the one his eyes see right now. Shoji looks to Rin with a tender smile, slowing his pace slightly so Rin can have time to take it all in ]

But it's nice that they rebuilt it here for people like us to see, y'know?

[ Pretty chill, huh? The idea gives her pause, because... things seem so much busier than they had back home with her father. There's always something to do or someone to talk to or somewhere to go. Her father had loved her with an intensity that'd burned him inside out but that same love had driven him inwards, towards his inventions and away from Rin. She could never resent him for that, but it meant the house was sometimes quieter and emptier than she would have liked. The contrast between her home now with Sofia couldn't be more different, and the idea of it being chill strikes her as funny.

She doesn't get a chance to say that, though, or to express her surprise that they're getting off here instead of somewhere else. She's never gotten off at this station before, so she has no idea what she's expecting to see. But she trusts Shoji and so she follows him without complaint, curious to see what it is that he's so eager to show her. But all the anticipation can't prepare her for what she sees when she turns the corner and the sudden flood of lights and sounds steals her breath away.

For a second all she can do is open her mouth and close it again, too shocked to say anything. But then her brain finally kicks into gear and she manages to stammer something out. ]

It... it's even brighter than the old one...

[ Or so it seems to her. She'd only seen it once as a child so maybe the memory has dimmed with time – or maybe the replica is brighter because she's here and seeing it with Shoji. ]

[ Shoji only know little of Rin's life with her father, not wanting to pry too deep into it so soon and not wanting to overwhelm Rin by making her remember something depressing. But he assumed he was a good man who raised a good daughter as much as he could. Much better than his own father, no doubt.

Shoji focuses on the thought of what he's seeing right now. The smell of familiar street snacks and the neon lights managed to take Rin's breath away, but he was more drawn to the look of her when she sees it. Finding himself staring a split second than normal, he turns his head away with a proud smirk on his face. ]

It is, huh? They're probably using more high-tech lighting this time around?

[ He laughs with that speculation, inviting Rin to follow him some more towards a more specific place in the neighborhood - a small commercial building with yakitori stand on the ground floor. ]

This one is a favorite. Good place to go to after school, kinda recharge my growing brain with some meat skewers. But up top is someplace I frequent more than the snacks.

[ He points, showing the logos of the different businesses occupying and leasing space in this small building. He shows on in particular called Mori Music Studio, and flashes a keycard he has for it. Opening the door to the building and going to the fire exit stairs instead of the elevator, Shoji welcomes Rin to a humble music studio that looks sort of like an apartment that's been refurbished to look like a recording studio. Shoes off, Shoji steps inside by the front desk with a stack of business cards and the company logo on the wall ]

There's only so much you could do with a tablet app so I go here to record some sounds I couldn't, or sound packs I have to download and pay for.

[ Once inside the studio proper, he lazily points to the instruments nearby and the huge sound board by the recording booth. Making himself at home, he plops down on the big computer chair and waggles his brows at Rin ]

What do you think? I can ask to get you a keycard if you just want to come in here and experiment. Get some practice in too.

Edited 2020-03-07 18:53 (UTC)

[ The entire time they're walking through the streets together, Rin's head doesn't stop swiveling. It feels like for everything she looks at, she's missing out on a hundred other things just as interesting and she can't take it all in quick enough. But there's a smile on her face too and she feels a sense of almost giddy excitement at the realization that there's been a place as pretty as this so close to home all this time and she just never knew. So, who knows what else could be waiting around the city for them to find?

That fluttery feeling of excitement carries her up into the studio with Shoji and the smile doesn't leave her face the whole time – at least not until he makes the offer to get her a keycard too and her smile makes way for total surprise. ]

Ah– really? I could have one?

[ It sounds like genuine surprise rather than at attempt at being gracious – the studio is so small and quiet and for some reason, it makes her thing of the VR. It'd been a place that had been only hers and even though it'd been lonely, she couldn't pretend she would have easily been able to just bring someone else in to something that belonged just to her. And yet, here Shoji is, offering that as easily as anything with a big smile on his face. ]

W–would that really be okay?

Yeah, I don't see why not.

[ Shoji replies, lifting his foot up to the chair like he lives in this studio. He definitely feels at home here as much as he is in the apartment he shares with his older brother. Shoji taps the computer by the soundboard, making it hum to life and show a multitude of music related apps ready with a tap of the screen ]

We can probably make something low-pressure in like, I 'unno, 30 minutes? Or we can just listen to some of the many sample beats or WIPs we have over here while we think of a topic.

[ Shoji scoots over and pulls a second chair, moving the tablet a little closer for Rin to see it better. ]

[ Rin automatically reaches out to settle herself down into the seat and sink comfortably into the routine of making music with Shoji – she's so used to it now that she barely has to even think about it, but just before she does, she hesitates. Because it strikes her out of the blue that here in the studio, with no one else around – this is her chance. It's private. It's out of the way. And Shoji's just offered her something so wonderful and personal without a thought and she has something for him but she's made him wait and –

Oh god, she just has to go for it, doesn't she? ]

Um– actually, first before we do, I actually... I–I mean, I meant to give you this before, but it never seemed like the right time and–

[ She babbles like this as she roots through her bag and then all in a flourish and without giving him any warning, Rin pulls out the neatly wrapped box of homemade chocolate and sort of... brandishes it at him, for lack of a better word. She's looking anywhere but at his face – if she meets his eyes, she's certain she'll explode. She's certainly blushing enough. ]

H–here... it's f–for Valentine's...

[ Shoji's mind has forgotten about the chocolates as he tinkers with the tablet, picking out soundbytes that he remembers off the top of his head that reminds him of Rin. He feels that the girl is hesitating about something, so he glances over his shoulder just before she talked and he blinks in wonder.

Then her words stammered out of her innocent lips that made Shoji's brows lift as his eyes widen in realization. His stomach sinks as heat rose from it, warming up his skin, especially on his face. Is it really what he's thinking of? Then, as if time slowed down, Rin takes out a beautifully decorated box from her bag that made Shoji feel stunned for a moment. His jaw loosened, watching Rin look away from him as she presents the box to him. ]

Uh...

[ At a loss for words, he glances to his sides too before accepting the box with a pinch of his thumb and finger. He soon joins it with his other hand to show his full acceptance of the gift, feeling his face turn hotter as he too was unable to look at Rin for very long. ]

Tha- Uh, thanks. I appreciate it.

[ He winces internally. He's smoother than this, and he knows it. He can flirt with some of the hottest girls at school and yet this petite and adorable girl manages to take the words out of his mouth and make him want to look more than just a playful boy. He shakes his head, sighing his worries away and finding the fortitude to look at her directly with a tender smile. ]

Really, I mean it. So uh, can I?

[ He asks shyly, asking for permission to open the box that he started unwrapping anyway as his nerves took over his motor skills. He chuckles, nervous as he slowly slips the ribbon off of the box and his heart feels like it's punching itself free from his chest. Wanting to just relax himself, Shoji just kept opening the box until the chocolates are revealed to him ]

This is, oh man, this is nice Rin. I like it. No- Wait. I love it? God...

[ He can't stop himself from smiling and shaking his head, letting his nervous energy out through his grinning lips with small chuckles. He feels so blessed to be given this, for no other reason that it's from Rin ]

[ Rin turns red. She turns scarlet. She burns with a blush that's so fierce she's certain that there are infrared satellites in orbit suddenly picking her up from out there in space. She hadn't even thought to rehearse what she was going to say once she'd handed the chocolates over and never even imagined where the conversation might go if he accepted them. Just the very idea of handing them over had been a massive mental hurdle to clear and now that she's on the other side, she finds herself floundering. ]

It's– well, you can tell it's homemade chocolate, so um... I hope it tastes good, I hadn't really made a lot of chocolate before and obviously I couldn't ask you what your favourites were without ruining the surprise, or–

[ Okay, okay. She's rambling. She needs to find a nice middle ground between No Words and All Words, which is going to be much easier said (or rather, not said) than done. Rin takes a deep slow breath, holding it for a moment to try and make her racing hard slow down a little and then she continues, her words slow and deliberate. ]

Well. I know I gave out a lot of chocolates today, but these are the only handmade ones. They're not– they're not obligation chocolates or friendship chocolates, they're. Um. The other kind.

[ She's looking pretty much anywhere except at Shoji right now. ]

[ He manages his composure, bringing it back by reeling it in from wherever it was trying to run from. It wasn't just for him and preventing himself from looking foolish in front of her, but it was also to help calm Rin a little too. One last smile with a soft sigh, and Shoji looks at her. ]

Times like this I wish I was as smooth as I am in my imagination, hehe. But it's hard to come up with something to say when your brain is too busy feeling like the luckiest guy in school.

[ He pauses for a moment, looking at her and waiting for her eyes to look his way. Even a glance would do. Shoji speaks just as soon as she does so ]

I accept it, Rin.

[ He rewords his initial response, clearer in his intention and return of her feelings. He had his hunch earlier, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. But now that she gave him some handmade ones in the privacy of this studio, he says her name with a renewed feeling when he hears it in his own voice. ]

[ Though she can't believe it's physically possible, Rin's blush – somehow – intensifies. The tips of her ears are red. The sides of her neck are red. She didn't even know she had so much colour in her. She can't hold Shoji's gaze for long, even though she tries – as soon as he gives his response, Rin has to cover her face for a moment and try to bring her expression back under control. Relief and excitement rush through her one after another, leaving her feeling jittery and supercharged.

Finally, she reaches out to take hold of the back of the chair Shoji had offered her before and lowers herself into it on shaky legs. And then, so suddenly that it surprises her, Rin laughs. ]

I... um... I really hadn't planned past that part. I got so worked up about giving you the chocolates that I don't even know what comes next.

So do I.

[ He laughs nervously, shaking his head and shrugging. But his smile lingers, as is the redness of his face. Unable to hide his joy of this moment and how his brain just kept on keysmashing to think of anything else, Shoji looks at the chocolates to help him think of something. Once his mind calms, he holds out his hand ]

Change of plans. We can make something some other day, but would you let me take you to dinner tonight? Just outside with the street food stalls. All classy and shit.

[ He shakes the chocolate box ]

Then this could be for dessert, how about that?

[ She'd have to text Eclair and say she won't be home for dinner! ]

[ Rin's brain sort of sputters to a halt for a moment as she registers what that means – yes, it's off the cuff and yes it's pretty quick, but – would that count as their first date, then? She's only just confessed and Shoji's only just said yes, and even if it's only going out to one of the food stalls and spending the evening hanging out together it's still a date and then all in a flurry, her mind goes flurrying back into action and Rin laughs again, too delighted to keep herself composed. ]

Um– y–yes! I'll have to call home and let them know but... y–yes, I'd love to!

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39th ♫ | cover it all up in a little bitter sweetness

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