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Riri had not expected Anzu to get them out of this mess. Hell, they even would have excepted it if she had let them rot there doing the most boring tasks they had ever done in their life. But here she was, right in front of them. Angry and sad at the same time. As they changed into one of their human forms, Rio was shocked to hear her say thank you, to stand up for him, to make him a... romantic interest? Well, that could most certainly work. Sadly, it became clear that the wizard could not live in the same house, but did they ever need that? No, most definitely not. They could easily fend for themself. But still, every time they felt lonely, they returned to Anzu. Stubborn but sweet Anzu. Anzu who did not mind that one day they were a girl and the other were a boy. Hell, she did not even mind if they were a weird blob.
This day Rei Rei had promised Anzu to get a day off of forced romantic scenarios. Although was it more than a threat on her side that made them do it than anything else. But now Rei Rei sat alone between all the cat trinkets Anzu had. She felt a bit jealous. The cat did not have to do anything to get Anzu's love but got it nonetheless. She wished she could have that as well. It was a thought she never really fully explored. But since Anzu got her out of that place... Something had changed. Why was it that she now wanted to fight for her love as well? Was her own magic working against her? Or maybe this was the doing of Kate's magic. Rei Rei frowned. Brows knotted deep until the door of the room opened. Of course, Anzu cased her out, but she enjoyed it. She enjoyed being close to her. To hear her voice, to hear her laugh. Because behind those threats, there were kind eyes and it was a detail Rei Rei never seemed to miss.
Another day and Rio had plans. Where yesterday he would keep his distance he was now ready to attack. Only he got his objection a bit blurred. He was not sure what it was but he wanted the others to get jealous as hell. Something told him that if he had felt like a girl today he could have done even more as he then could find places where it was more usual for males and females to be separated (and the other genders to be forgotten). Then he could have Anzu all to himself or just have a girls' night where he would not mind if Saki would join. But today was not a day he felt like Rei Rei, he was Rio today and he would make that everyone's problem. He made sure he stayed close to Anzu, was touchy and winked at her occasionally. She would roll her eyes, push him away, make a statement that she was not falling for his tricks, but that was okay. Rio had fun. Rio liked being close to her like this, he would not want it any other way.
Riri was back in their yellow shape, bumped about their now useless wand. They should have been more careful but sadly this time it was their own fault for dropping it on the ground. If only there was no dog poo on the street, if only. Anzu laughed at first, but when she found a moping wizard on her bed she sat next to them. She comforted them, first with words then with a small pat on their head and Riri burst into tears. A hug later they felt calm again while snuggling against the girl's body. This was nice. They wished they could stay like this.
Rei Rei was determined to find Anzu the perfect outfit for a fun dinner with friends. Anzu had come up with her own idea but all were terrible. How could she think that she could wear cat prints when the boys would put in an effort into their clothing as well? It took a while but eventually, Rei Rei had the perfect outfit in her hands. Anzu was not convinced but after some banter, she changed her outfit. Rei Rei smiled and felt a blush creep up her cheeks, she was beautiful. But! Her hair still needed some work and Anzu let her. It was a moment of silence and Rei Rei carefully styled Anzu's soft hair. When she was done the two stood in front of each other. Rei Rei noticed one pluck of hair in front of Anzu's face and delicately placed it behind her ear. Her breath got stuck in her throat as Rei Rei looked into two beautiful red eyes when she asked if she looked fine now. Rei Rei could only nod, her heart was pounding in her chest. Was this how the others felt when they saw her? Was this Anzu's magic? She tried to shake it away but during the friend dinner, she could not keep herself from sitting next to her, to prevent others from having any sort of romantic interaction with her. Because the way Anzu looked at her was refreshing and let Rei Rei feel accepted.
Rio knew that there would be rough days but never knew he would become the shoulder to cry on. It rained outside as they were in Anzu's room. It seemed to be a room of comfort, a room of warmth. The others were still at training or working so here Rio was with a crying Anzu on his shoulder. If he could do anything he would take her sadness away. But the only thing he could do was rub her back and be there for her. To tell her that her cat had lived a good life and that he regretted to have them parted in what felt like a past life. To give her a small kiss on the top of her head that she did not even notice. If magic could get cats back from the dead he would if it would stop Anzu's tears. Whatever consequences it would have he was ready to face them for her. He was not prepared for her request though. A request to stay, a request to be forced into a backpack so she could use him as a support during school days? Rio was a bit confused and he tried to explain to her that he did not know if he could. She understood and gave smile saying he should forget the question.
Riri was not comfortable at all. One part because today she felt like a girl but was trapped in the form of a yellow ball. Another part because Anzu's bag was not a place to be. She wanted some time to grieve and apparently, that was making Riri's life harder. But she could not say no to those red eyes. She was into deep and she would fall down even further. As snow came and the boys rushed to keep Anzu warm, Rei Rei was there first with a scarf with a cat print. It was an awful design, to say the least, but she knew Anzu would love it. Lately, she was also wondering why she was getting nicer to her. But it was probably because the occurrence of forced scenarios had decreased. Even when this slippery weather called for so many opportunities.
Anzu thought Riri had given up. That the tiny wizard had no more plans. What she did not realise was that the plans had shifted. Riri was ready to take their steps. They never had someone like them for who they were and whatever gender they were. They were loved, maybe platonic but they did not care. That 0.0001% was enough for them. But they had to wait even when they would like to compute the plan. In their current form, they had to wait until they would feel the need to stay human again. Because even when their feelings stayed apparent when they were in this form it was hard to get things done especially when it contained influences from the outside world. But as days went on they did not feel like their other genders. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe it was because they were scared but it did get them Anzu's attention. She noticed they had not changed in a while. After some heated exchange in words and almost being kicked out of the window, Riri confessed feeling out of it. That they felt most safe at the moment in their yellow body. There was a look of surprise, a smile and a kiss on the top of their head. Riri blinked. They could ruin the moment by saying Anzu was developing feelings for them but it felt wrong to do that so they only showed their thanks by saying those words and kept it by that.
Rio tried to set Anzu up with one of the boys when they were having dinner together as usual. He wanted her to choose who to take with her to get some ice cream even though it was the middle of the winter. Anzu of course remembered the last time he tried to do this and dragged him along. Which was actually Rio's plan. He was nervous. He was really nervous. But he knew he could do this. She might be the romantic killer but he was a matchmaker. This was what he was paid for. A slippery piece of concrete and a catch later Anzu was in Rio's arms. She accused him of a plan to fall for him but there was not much force behind the words. Maybe it was because of the face Rio was making that she held back, but he could not say and helped her to her feet again, longing for a new embrace. As she stood again Rio picked up the knitted hat that had fallen off her head when she slipped. He placed it back on top of her hair, but his fingers lingered. One moment he was scared, they were in public he was- Oh, wait he could as Rio. It would not be weird. But Anzu would never let him, would she? But if he tried? His fingers brushed her hair to the side. As his words said she was beautiful again. She rolled her eyes, something he could have expected, followed by the question what plan his lingering hands had. Rio retreated before she could swat his hands away. All that effort had gone in vain.
As Rei Rei she could make more, the wizard slowly noticed. As a girl, Anzu was less on edge. That was with touching, she did not trust Rei Rei with any words. Which was fair after the boob size fiasco. But they could hold hands, stay close, stay very close. Anzu asked, it was with some hesitation, if she could help with her trying to put on some makeup. She was close, so close. And maybe that was what finally let her cross the line. Rei Rei blurted out that Anzu, if she had to be prepared for a love life, should practice kissing. Because the deadline was getting way too close for comfort. Of course, Anzu rejected the idea with a heavy voice but Rei Rei knew how to stir her and a deal was made. A deal that sent butterflies over her skin. Was it the anticipation of the kiss, was it the eventual kiss itself. Rei Rei promised to keep it quiet, a promise that led to another kiss. Rei Rei never thought to have a chance, but here she was having more chances than any of Anzu's potential matches had. Having gone further than any of them. She promised herself one thing that moment. Whatever happened, she would make sure that Anzu would not see it as platonic. Not when she was Rio, not when she was in her unspecified form. Anzu would come first and she realised that she always had been. She just hoped Anzu would put her first as well. And it seemed she would.