Work Text:
Lumine was drenched and soaked to the bone when she entered the dance hall. An unhappy look decorated her face, her clothes plastered to her frame as she trudged towards the change room with her duffel bag of, hopefully, much drier clothes than the one she had on.
“Look at what the cat dragged in,” Scaramouche snickered, straightening from where he had been stretching in order to peer at her. An amused smirk was painted on his lips. It’s clear he found her current state entertaining and Lumine had to remind herself that violence should never be the answer to her problems. “Though, you look better this way than you’ve ever looked all year, Viatrix.”
But violence can definitely be an option.
Lumine dropped her bag and stalked off towards his direction with an eerie smile. The way she rolled her right sleeve up definitely had nothing to do with what she planned to do next.
Definitely not.
“Ms. Viatrix, may I remind you that physical attacks against other students are not permitted at the academy?” Ms. Gunnhildr said sternly. When Scaramouche struggled to hide his smirk, Ms. Gunnhildr directed a disapproving look towards him and narrowed her eyes. “Similarly, Mr. Raiden, may I remind you that provoking students to attack you are not permitted either? I’ve seen the two of you at my office enough to know the pattern of interactions between you two.”
Scaramouche scowled.
“Well, if the two of you have no defense for yourselves, we can move right up to your penalty,” she slid over two pieces of paper towards them. “I trust these are satisfactory?”
Lumine picked hers up and scanned its contents with a small frown. It seemed to be a week-long schedule made up of vastly volunteer work with a few ‘relationship-building’ exercises drafted for the two of them.
Day 1: (Morning) Help out with lunch preparation at the Academy’s kitchen; (Afternoon) Volunteer work at the Academy’s greenhouse
Day 2: (Morning) Help out at the nearby senior’s home by running Bingo activities; (Afternoon) Couple’s Beginner Embroidery Class
Day 3: (Morning) Couple’s Scavenger Hunt; (Afternoon) Escape Room
Day 4: (Morning) Couples Yoga; (Afternoon) One-on-One: Open-Communication
Day 5: (Morning) Help out at the Food Bank; (Afternoon) Review and Reflection with Ms. Gunnhildr
“Um,” she glanced up from the schedule and met their Principal’s eyes. “Sorry, but aren’t some of these couples activities? We’re not exactly a couple.”
Ms. Gunnhildr nodded. “I understand that, however, we find that couple’s activities tend to be the quickest way to build trust and form a camaraderie between two disagreeable individuals.”
“Right,” she trailed off, staring at the list of activities reluctantly.
Beside her, Scaramouche muttered, “This is so stupid.”
He’s said it loud enough that there’s no way Ms. Gunnhildr missed it, but the woman just smiled at him patiently. “I’ll see the two of you here early morning then. Do note that if you choose to not attend, I will only continue to add more days to this schedule, thus lengthening the time of your penalty. As such, I recommend that you both participate to avoid extensive penalty.”
Lumine ducked her head. “Yes, Ms. Gunnhildr.”
She could only hope that this week would breeze by in a blink of an eye.
Day 1: Morning
“So, lunch preparation, huh?” Lumine spoke up as her and Scaramouche stood in front of Ms Gunnhildr’s office, waiting for her to arrive. “This shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Shut up,” Scaramouche bit out. Dark eyebags lined his eyes and he looked absolutely exhausted. It’s clear to Lumine that he didn’t get much sleep the night before. He certainly was grumpier than usual. “It’s too early and you’re being too loud.”
“Aw, did the little prince not get enough sleep?” she mocked, leaning forward until she’s almost nose-to-nose with Scaramouche.
Up close like this, she could see pretty specks of indigo in his eyes, making them pop despite the dullness from his fatigue. Stunned, Lumine continued to stare until she was suddenly greeted with a not-so-gentle hand to her face and shoved away.
“Yeah, so what of it?” He grumbled, swatting at her as she tried to lean in once more. “Stop, I don’t need your face in front of mine this early in the morning. You’re too…”
“Too..?”
“Too bright. It hurts my eyes.” He finished, rubbing his nose exasperatedly. He glanced at his watch and, noting the time, begun to tap his foot irritably against the floor. “Where is she? It’s been, like, 20 minutes.”
Across from him, Lumine slid down the wall and onto the floor, and shrugged. “She’ll come around eventually. Lunch prep starts soon and I doubt she’s the type to forget something like this.”
She did come eventually.
After about another forty minutes of waiting, much to both Scaramouche and Lumine’s chagrin.
Lunch prep was uneventful other than the fact that Scaramouche could apparently cook well.
When asked, he’d only shrugged. “My mother can’t cook and I certainly won’t eat anything Hinako makes. So, of course I know how to cook.” His eyes narrowed and he smirked, leaning closer to her face and watching as her cheeks began to redden from their close proximity. Cute. “Don’t tell me you lack skills in this area, Viatrix.”
“Shut up.” This time, it’s Lumine that ended up shoving a hand to his face and pushing him away. “Ever heard of personal space, Raiden?”
Day 1: Afternoon
“Do you even know how to pull weeds? Heck, do you even know which ones are weeds, Raiden?” Lumine clicked her tongue when she saw Scaramouche wrap his fingers around another potato plant’s stem. “Nope.”
His hand switched to grab at another potato plant, causing Lumine to sigh.
“Not that one either.”
This time, the hand hesitated before reaching for one of the short plants.
“Ding ding ding! You got it,” Lumine leaned down to where Scaramouche was kneeling on the ground, her hands on her knees as she scanned the assortment of plants in the box. “You should be good as long as you don’t pull anything that looks like these two.” She pointed at the two potato plants he had reached for earlier. “But when in doubt, just ask. I’d rather not get scolded because one of us messed up.”
Scaramouche rolled his eyes and tugged on the weed as he spoke, “I can tell the difference between two plants so don’t worry, I won’t make the same mistake again. Besides, my sister loves plants. As long as I know what not to pull, I’m good.”
“Sister?” Lumine tilted her head. “Oh, Hinako, right?”
“No,” was the curt response.
“I didn’t know you had another sister.”
“I don’t.”
Lumine held back the urge to trottle the gremlin beside her. Doing exactly that was what got them here in the first place. But still! He just said he had a sister who loved plants! As far as she knew, Hinako, a young girl two years their junior and someone who bore a striking resemblance to their mother, was his only sister.
Frowning, she straightened up and crossed her arms, annoyed. “Okay, sure. Well, as long as you stick within this box you should be good. If you go to any other planter boxes, come talk to me first. The others might not contain potatoes and you might end up digging some other vegetable up.”
“Hn,” he grunted.
She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation before stalking off towards the tomatoes.
Thankfully, nothing other than weeds were pulled out. It seemed Scaramouche was willing to swallow his pride to make sure they didn’t make another mistake.
Who knew.
Day 2: Morning
Lumine clapped her hands, drawing the attention of every senior citizen in the room. “Okay! Do you all understand the instructions on how to play Bingo? If there’s any questions just raise your hand and we’ll come to you.”
No hands were raised and Lumine smiled. Gesturing towards Scaramouche who sat by the bingo wheel, she shouted, “Scaramouche here will be drawing the numbers and I’ll be calling them out twice along with writing it down on a white board to hold up. If you’re unable to hear me or see the board, please raise your hand and I’ll repeat it again. Alright, we’ll be starting now!”
Scaramouche sighed quietly to himself and spun the bingo wheel until a ball came out. He held it out towards Lumine, who quickly scribbled it onto a large white board before he placed it on the boards that kept track of what was already drawn.
“I - 30! That’s I - 30!” Lumine called out as she held up the sign, tilting it around slowly so everyone in the room had the chance to glance at it.
He couldn’t help but gaze at her from the corner of his eye, looking bored out of his mind. This was a dreadfully uninteresting event, one not even worth capturing his attention or worth much energy on his part other than rolling the wheel and holding it up for Lumine to see.
Such a boring event. The animated girl beside him, however, was anything but.
Maybe it’s the way he was suddenly being forced to be in such close proximity with her without it ending up in violence that he couldn’t help but take notice of the way she seemed to shine so brightly, drawing everyone’s attention seamlessly without even appearing to notice it.
“Raiden, what’s the next one?”
It was easy for his gaze to move towards her the moment she entered any room, and it was even easier to keep watching her as she flitted around, dazzling and charming everyone she came into contact with.
Her blonde hair seemed to shine like gold under the fluorescent lights, her amber eyes shining so brightly and joyously that Scaramouche wished he could capture that gaze and leave it to only gaze upon him.
“Raiden?”
He knew he’s not the only one following her with his gaze. There’s no way someone like her could ever be ignored. In the end, even he ended up trapped with that charm of hers.
A part of him wants to keep her eyes on him and him alone. He’s not sure when these thoughts had begun to creep into his mind, but he knew he was helpless in the face of it.
“Scaramouche? Hey, snap out of it.” A gentle flick to his temple brought him out of his thoughts and he frowned, twisting to flick Lumine on the forehead in turn. “Ouch! Hey!”
Scaramouche ignored the cooing of the elderly around them, too satisfied at the red spot that began to form on the girl’s forehead even as she rubbed at it with a pout.
‘That was pretty cute too,’ A traitorous part of him whispered, but he ignored it vehemently and pretended it never existed. That was a thought he did not want to explore any time soon.
Scaramouche reached for the handle of the wheel and spun it once more until another ball dropped. He held it out to Lumine who quickly reached for the marker and copied the digits onto the clean board. Holding up the board once more, she called out, “B - 12! That’s B- 12!”
Day 2: Afternoon
“Ouch!” Lumine yelped as the needle once again pricked her finger, drawing another dot of blood. She pulled her finger away and examined it with a scowl. This was around the fifth time she’d poked herself with the embroidery needle and her embroidered lilacs were beginning to look less like flowers and more like a clump of purple goop. The only thing she could find to be happy about her work was the fact that it remained free of any blood despite the amount of times she’d drawn red. “This sucks,” she mumbled.
Beside her, Scaramouche sighed and placed down his embroidery hoop. Leaning towards her, he grabbed the hand with the wounded finger in a surprisingly gentle manner and drew her finger closer to him to examine it himself. The downturned lips expressed his displeasure and Lumine pressed her lips, turning to gaze anywhere else but him.
Her eyes landed on his own embroidery and she had to stifle a gasp.
It was gorgeous.
A beautiful blue jay made entirely out of thread sat at the center of the hoop, perched neatly on a snow-covered branch with buds of cherry blossom around it. It was simple but stunning — clearly this was not the first time Scaramouche had ever touched an embroidery needle.
Somehow, Lumine wasn’t as surprised as she should’ve been that Scaramouche was talented with needlework. It seemed like something a guy like him would be into. He was just so pretty that some days that Lumine couldn’t help but envy him. Thick, full eyelashes framing almond-shaped eyes in a rich purple shade, a perfect nose, and delicate, soft pink lips — it’s no wonder people couldn’t help but stop and stare whenever he walked in the room.
He was a breathtakingly beautiful man.
“Oi,” her thoughts were shattered when he flicked her on the forehead for the second time that day.
Scowling, she rubbed at the tender spot again, hoping to ease the sting from his flick. She did notice, however, that it was much gentler than it had been earlier though she doubted he’d lessened the force on purpose.
“Anyone home?” a sarcastic voice spoke out, tugging at her by her hand to catch her attention. He’d been holding her so carefully that she hadn’t even noticed he had yet to let go of her.
Lumine rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m home.”
“You sure? It seemed like it was emptier than it normally is in there,” Scaramouche smirked. Raising her hand until it was eye level with her, he gestured at the wounded finger. “Be more careful. I’ve wrapped a bandaid on it while you were off in LaLaLand, but it won’t do you any good if you keep poking yourself.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Mhm,” Scaramouche patted her head gently before pulling away to return to his embroidery.
It didn’t seem as if he’d noticed the action he’d just done, too invested in his needlework, but Lumine certainly had.
Her flustered state did not do her own work any favours and, when the time came to exchange their works with each other like the instructor had instructed the class earlier, Scaramouche had simply wrinkled his nose at what he was given.
“Er, thanks,” he muttered, eyeing The Gloop like it would leap out and eat him were he to look away. “For…whatever this is.”
“It’s a lilac,” Lumine said helpfully.
“Right. A lilac.”
Day 3: Morning
“Morning,” Lumine yawned as she arrived at the door to the principal’s office with a bag slung around her shoulder. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she sat down on the floor beside where Scaramouche stood and leaned against the wall with a groan. “It’s way too early for this.”
“You’re telling me,” Scaramouche grumbled, his hands cupped around his thermos of black coffee. “Why is today much earlier than the previous ones anyway? The sun isn’t even up.”
“Not sure, but Aether wasn’t too happy with having to drive me to school this early,” Lumine sighed. Flickering her eyes at the guy beside her, she eyed the cup he held with thinly veiled interest. “Hey, is that coffee?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I have some?” she asked hopefully, straightening where she sat and looking at him with expectantly.
Scaramouche thought about it then shrugged, bending down slightly to hand her the thermos. “It’s black though.”
“Don’t care,” Lumine waved off and took a sip of his drink. Her nose wrinkled in a cute way at the taste and Scaramouche held his hand out, expecting to be given his drink back. Surprisingly, she continued to drink it, grimacing at times at the bitter taste. She didn’t seemed to be willing to let go of his drink any time soon and he sighed, jamming his hands into his hoodie pockets and sliding down the wall to settle beside her.
He didn’t mind letting her drink more of his coffee — it’s not as if this was the only cup he’d had today.
“Archons, this is so nice,” Lumine sighed, leaning back against the wall and cradling the thermos in her hands. “Do you mind if I drink the rest?”
“Go ahead,” Scaramouche muttered, leaning his head back and tilting it upwards to the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he told himself he’d just rest them for just a few minutes.
A few minutes turned into five then ten then twenty, and before Lumine knew it, Scaramouche had passed out beside her, his head leaning dangerously close to hers. His dark bangs hung over his eyes, covering them from view, causing Lumine to frown and set the now empty thermos down beside her.
Gently, Lumine carefully pushed the strands of hair to the side where she could tuck them behind his ear. When they failed to hold due to their short length, she dug into the front pocket of her bag and pulled out a few colourful hairclips, pinning them on him so the hair would stay out of his way. She was about to pull away when she noticed the way his thick lashes contrasted against his porcelain skin, his features for once rendered soft rather than the constant tenseness and irritation she often saw on him.
Her eyes flickered downwards.
His soft, pink lips were open as he let out quiet, even breaths. Raising her hand, her thumb hovered above his lips, just a centimeter away from touching it when she suddenly grew aware of what she was doing. Reddening, she hurriedly pulled her hand away and looked anywhere else but in Scaramouche’s direction.
‘Archons, what am I doing? Am I going crazy because he was surprisingly nice enough to give me his coffee? Gah!’
When Ms. Gunnhildr arrived and the event finally started, Lumine found that she couldn’t quite meet his gaze. Her inability to do so seemed to frustrate Scaramouche since it made it much harder for him to communicate with her.
Still, it only seemed to be a problem when it concerned him, for she was making eye contact just fine with Kaedahara.
‘What is her problem?’ Scowling, he stomped over towards her and firmly grabbed her wrist. He tugged her away from Kaedahara and towards the other end of the hall, annoyed at the way Kaedahara chuckled at his actions.
“Wha—?”
“Come on, I already found the next lead. You don’t need to ask other people for help on our hunt,” He muttered, irritated.
“Ah, okay, um. Bye Kazuha! I’ll talk to you later!” Lumine called out, waving her other free hand at her friend.
Kazuha waved back, amusement glittering in his ruby eyes. “Of course. We’ll talk soon.”
Scaramouche did not end up letting go of her wrist throughout the rest of their hunt. If anything, somehow, his hand had slid down until it was tangled with hers and they’d ended up walking around the halls of the academy with their hands clasped together and flushed cheeks.
Day 3: Afternoon
“Listen, I’m telling you the answer has to be inside this box,” Scaramouche tapped the locked box in front of him. “All the clues are pointing towards this.”
Lumine shook her head and gestured at the framed piece of art hanging on one of the walls. “No, clearly it’s this one. See? There’s a number combination on the side that we need to find a code for. I already know it’s one of those frames with a hidden storage behind it. They always do these kinds of things in the movies.”
“And I’m telling you that that’s stupid. Not sure if you could tell, but this isn’t exactly a movie — it’s an escape room,” Scaramouche rolled his eyes before sliding the box towards her. “Tell you what, if the answer isn’t in this box then I’ll treat you to a meal after all of this, deal?”
“And what if it is in there?” Lumine asked suspiciously.
Scaramouche smirked. “Then you treat me to a meal. Is that fair?”
“That’s fair, but we better set a price range that way we don’t break the other’s wallet,” she proposed, finally sitting down on the seat across from her companion and leaning towards the box to examine it. “And before you say anything, I know you’re rich but I don’t want to eat at an expensive restaurant either. It makes me feel uncomfortable and, frankly speaking, everything is double the price for half the serving size. No thanks.”
He nodded and started to fiddle with the box. “Fine, we’ll work out the range after we get out of here.”
In the end, neither were right but Lumine’s picture frame had been the one to lead them to the final clue whereas his box had turned out to be a dead end.
“Well, neither of us won,” Lumine laughed as they exited out of the escape room and made their way into the lobby. “I guess neither of us gets a meal.”
Scaramouche clicked his tongue and glanced away to side. “Let’s consider it your win since your frame led us to the final clue. I’ll treat you to a meal of your choice, how about it?” he muttered, watching her from the corner of his eye.
“Oh, uh, sure?” Lumine smiled shyly. Scratching her cheek, her eyes flickered to her feet, “I mean, I won’t say no to a free meal as long as you’re offering.”
“It’s settled then,” Scaramouche declared. “You can tell me where you want to go after this is all over.”
“Promise not to back out?” Lumine stopped in the middle of the hall and teasingly held up her pinky finger.
Scaramouche stopped, gazing at the finger in thought before flickering to look at Lumine. Her cheeks were flushed once more, her cheeks only growing a deeper shade of red the longer he stared at her without doing anything. Here, in the dim light inside the building, he felt comfortable enough to let his eyes roam across her face, pausing at parts of her that he found to be, dare he say it, beautiful.
“Um,” Lumine cleared her throat and began to drop her hand, looking beyond embarrassed. “Nevermind, sorry, that was childish of me—“
His own pinky finger looped around hers.
Raising their hands up, Scaramouche examined it quietly before his gaze fell on her once more.
“Promise,” he leaned in and whispered his word like a secret, and Lumine held back a shiver, her eyelashes trembling as they fought to remain open rather than closing like instinct told her to do.
‘Pretty.’ He thought and, for once, he didn’t try to stifle it.
Day 4: Morning
Scaramouche grunted as he struggled to copy the post of the yogi in front of them. In contrast, Lumine was seamless in the way she moved, as elegant and as graceful as a swan while he fumbled around like a clumsy frog.
“Alright, now that warm up is done, we will be moving into pairs. Please make your way to your partners,” Eula, herself, made her way to where Amber sat at the front of the room. “Remember, if you do not feel comfortable doing the position due to your lack of skill, please raise your hand up and we will provide you with an alternative.”
Lumine chuckled awkwardly as Eula ended up below Amber, holding her up by her legs while Amber held herself up by gripping onto Eula’s shins. “Um, what. This is beginner’s yoga, right?”
“This is the Yogi Box position. I know this is a lot more challenging than what you may have expected, but bear with me. If you can do this position then we’re certain you’ll be able to accomplish the rest,” Eula instructed. Somehow, she didn’t seem out of breath despite the weight she held above her.
Scaramouche groaned. “I can’t even do a downward dog. You expect me to do that?”
After a bit of a struggle, they somehow managed to accomplish it.
“I. Hate. This,” Scaramouche huffed out as his arms began to shake. “Viatrix — Lumine — Get off.”
Lumine slowly lowered herself before awkwardly prying her body from atop Scaramouche’s. “Sorry, am I too heavy—“
“Shut up. My arms are just weak,” Scaramouche scowled, sitting up and rubbing his forearms wearily. “Give me a month or two and I’d be able to do that easily.”
“I doubt we’ll be doing this a month or two from now,” Lumine let out a short laugh, dropping to lie beside him on the yoga mat.
Scaramouche followed her and laid down, turning his head to face her, an amused grin on his lips. “You never know what life has in store for us, Viatrix.”
She giggled and turned her body fully to face him, bringing her face only an inch away from his, the tips of their noses close to touching.
Scaramouche swallowed when he noticed her amber eyes flicker downwards briefly to his lips before coming back up to meet his.
“Call me Lumine,” she whispered, the breath of it gently caressing his lips.
This was unfair.
She was unfair.
Day 4: Afternoon
“This is kind of awkward,” Lumine giggled nervously. She fiddled with her fingers, a bit uncomfortable with the way they were seated face-to-face with nothing between them to distract her.
Scaramouche watched her intently, his face devoid of emotion.
“Aha, um, maybe I’ll start first, I guess?” Lumine glanced at the white board a meter away beside them.
Number 1: What made me want to fight with you
“Uh, I guess, you just kinda always hit the right buttons. I just always seemed to lose my patience whenever you made fun of me in a way I never did with others. As for why…I’m honestly not sure. Maybe you’re just good at pissing people off? Sorry, I know that’s not a very good answer,” Lumine scratched her cheek, feeling very naked and vulnerable in front of him.
They were the only two in the room, Ms. Gunnhildr having booked them an empty room to do this reflection between them. She had said it was to make them feel safe with divulging their feelings to each other and to make communication easier.
If anything, the silence and the few objects in the room only served to make Lumine more uncomfortable. Without them, there was nothing to distract her from the man seated across from her nor to use as a mechanism to prevent herself from becoming too vulnerable.
Here, she would be unable to hide behind fake pleasantries and empty words.
Here, every single word she said would be heard by Scaramouche and vice versa no matter the volume of their voice.
Here, Lumine would find herself baring a bit of herself she’d not told anyone outside of her twin.
And here, she would hear the answers she so desperately craved from the very man she wanted them from.
Do you hate me?
Day 5: Morning
There’s a tension between them.
Lumine doesn’t know what exactly brought it on. Was it from her almost touching his lips while he slept the other morning? Or was it from the way he gazed at her in the afternoon on the previous two days, looking as if he was ready to kneel down and worship her very self; a diety in front of his violet eyes.
Or, perhaps, it was from their conversation yesterday. A conversation where they both bared their hearts and their feelings not just about each other, but their family, their friends, and the very life they currently lived.
Either way, she was finding it very hard to concentrate on the meal bags she was packing. Across the room, it seemed Scaramouche, too, was finding it difficult to stay on the task.
After the third bag filled with a few too many bags of cucumbers, the Academy’s Food Bank supervisor finally shook her head.
“Maybe that’s enough for this morning,” Noelle smiled awkwardly as she pulled out another bag of cucumbers to add to the pile of five sitting on the assembly desk. “You guys seem to be a bit distracted — oh! But it’s okay, I’ll check off your slips and let Ms. Gunnhildr know you guys did your best! We all have our rough days, after all!”
Lumine sighed and folded her arms over her chest, disappointed in herself.
Across from her, Scaramouche did the same though he looked more irritated than disappointed with himself.
They were nearly done with their penalty. If anything, she should be happy, but instead she felt like…this.
Why?
Why, why, why?
Like an echo, Scaramouche heard the same words whispered within his heart.
Why, why, why?
Day 5: Afternoon
Scaramouche dropped onto the seat in front of Ms. Gunnhildr, feeling thoroughly drained and exhausted in all aspects.
Mentally and emotionally, he was still reeling from his conversation with Viatrix — no, Lumine — yesterday. Physically, he was just tired. And socially, well, this was the most social activities he’s done in a single week than he probably has done in his entire life.
He’s still pleasantly surprised it lasted him this long to start feeling a bit socially drained as, usually, he’d begin to feel it after a full day of socializing. He’d managed to last an entire week before he’d begun to feel the drain. Scaramouche was slightly impressed, but also a bit hesitant to wonder and perhaps admit that it might’ve been due to the company he had been keeping recently.
A cursory glance to the left and it confirmed the one thought that had been on his mind since he woke up this morning feeling drained.
Now that he was much closer to her than he had been this morning, he could see it. The exhaustion in Lumine’s eyes and the tired slump of her shoulders. There was a trace of eyebags under her eyes, which he hadn’t noticed until now, and she looked moments away from falling asleep.
It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had felt drained from this week.
“Well, you two look exhausted,” Ms. Gunnhildr smiled apologetically. “I’ve heard reports of all you’ve been doing throughout this week and, might I say, I’m very impressed with the both of you. Zero records of fighting and a lot of positive praises coming from the instructors, supervisors, and audience you had for each event.
“Now, as much as I would like to push our review and reflection until next week to allow you two to get some much needed rest, I believe it might be better to do this now so you’re both able to rest well during the weekend without having to worry about this. Do forgive me. I’ll try to keep it short so you can both get home and into bed soon.”
Ms. Gunnhildr slid out another two pieces of paper towards them.
Scaramouche grabbed the onee closest to him and scanned it, sighing when he noticed it was a written review and reflection of the events they had done throughout the week.
“I know, I know, writing things out may not be appealing, but I don’t think the two of you have enough social battery left in you to have a verbal discussion. This is the next best thing I can offer you two. Feel free to keep it short, but try to write enough to convey your thoughts on the entire thing and what you learned from your week together.
“Once you’re done, we can do a vote and see whether you’re agreeable to exchanging papers. Now then, please start.”
Scaramouche glanced down at his paper, grabbed one of the pens Ms. Gunnhildr had placed between them, and started to write.
1. What did you learn from Day 1: Lunch Prep & Volunteering at the Greenhouse? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Lumine during this event?
Lumine is easily impressed by people that can cook. She’s not so bad herself, but I guess she was surprised I could cook.
I’m terrible at gardening despite having Nahida as a pseudo sister. Lumine, on the other hand, is quite good at it. I wonder if she has a garden at home.
There’s a lot of things I didn’t know about her, and her about me. I guess that helped change my perspective on her.
2. What did you learn from Day 2: Seniors Bingo & Embroidery Class? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Lumine during this event?
Lumine can be loud. Somehow, I’m not surprised at all by this. She suggested using a white board to write the drawn numbers for bingo, said that it would help those who may be hard of hearing since she doesn’t know sign language. I hadn’t even thought about that but looking back I’m sure many people were thankful for that.
Embroidery class was interesting. I’ve had experience embroidering before so it wasn’t anything new, but clearly Lumine Viatrix is poor with her hands. She made…something. A lilac? I’m not sure. It kind of looks like a glob to be honest. She pricked herself with the needle at least five times probably. I lost count. I ended up having to treat her finger.
She should never be allowed near a needle. Ever. But. I admire her for continuing to try despite it all.
3. What did you learn from Day 3: Scavenger Hunt & Escape Room? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Lumine during this event?
No comment on the Scavenger Hunt. I do realize now that he was probably just trying to help, but. Forget it.
I owe Lumine a meal. Escape Rooms are unpredictable and I learned a lot of things that day that I don’t particularly want to divulge to the principal of my school.
Pretty. She’s…pretty.
4. What did you learn from Day 4: Partner Yoga & Open Communication? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Lumine during this event?
I’m not flexible enough for Yoga despite doing dance. Lumine, on the other hand, is plenty flexible. I heard she might’ve done gymnastics when she was young? Also, that wasn’t a beginner’s yoga. What the heck was that.
Open communication…opened up a lot of things between us. I don’t want to say anything on this paper out of respect for her privacy and, well, I don’t think I need to tell you anything. It went well and that’s all you need to know.
I learned a lot.
5. What did you learn from Day 5: Food Bank? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Lumine during this event?
I was too distracted by my own thoughts. I guess yesterday afternoon’s activity still weighs heavy on my mind.
I’m tired and exhausted and drained and I just want to go home.
Lumine is tired and exhausted and drained. She needs to go home.
6. What would you say was the most important thing you learned from this event?
A lot of things. But mainly that there’s something important I need to tell Lumine.
Scaramouche finished his sheet, turned it over, and slid it towards Lumine’s direction.
“Mr. Raiden, you have to wait until you both agree to share—“
“It’s fine,” Lumine interrupted in a tired voice. She exchanged her sheet with Scaramouche’s and slid her own towards him. “I think we’ve reached an understanding.”
Ms. Gunnhildr raised her brows but folded her hands atop the desk and kept quiet.
He grabbed Lumine’s paper and began to read it quietly. The more he read, the more his thoughts whirred a frenzy inside his head.
1. What did you learn from Day 1: Lunch Prep & Volunteering at the Greenhouse? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Scaramouche during this event?
Surprisingly, Scaramouche can cook very well. I didn’t really expect it. I thought that, since he’s rich, he probably had people cooking for him so imagine my surprise when I found out he could cook. I tasted it too. It was delicious and I hope I can try out more of his cooking in the future. I don’t know how I’ll ask him to cook though, but maybe the meal he owes me would help? Scara, since you’re reading this, can you give me an answer?
The Greenhouse was kind of funny. I thought Mr. Perfect would be incredible at identifying plants vs. weeds, but it seems I was wrong just like I was during Lunch Prep. Scaramouche is terrible at identifying plants but he was willing to learn and ask questions. I admired that he was able to put himself out of his comfort zone to do that.
Yeah, it showed that I needed to remove and preconceived notions about him and to be more open minded. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about him. What right did I have to judge him with what little I did know?
2. What did you learn from Day 2: Seniors Bingo & Embroidery Class? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Scaramouche during this event?
He gets distracted easily. I think? I’m not sure. He was kind of lost in thought at the beginning, but after a while he was a lot more present in the moment. He’s on top of things and was always able to catch any hands raised that I might’ve missed.
Scaramouche is wonderful at embroidery. I’m not sure if that’s because he was taught it at a young age or if he just decided to dabble on it out of his own volition. Regardless, the blue jay he had embroidered was gorgeous. I currently have it displayed on the wall of my room because of how pretty it is. In contrast, the lilac I had made looked like an ugly mess. I’m honestly embarrassed.
3. What did you learn from Day 3: Scavenger Hunt & Escape Room? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Scaramouche during this event?
He was a little funny during Scavenger Hunt. I had my suspicions as to why, but I might just be a bit full of myself. Still, it was kinda amusing.
The Escape Room — ah, we both lost that day. We made a bet between our choices of items and whichever one had the final clue, they would be treated by the other to a meal. We both lost, but Scaramouche suggested that I won since my clue led to the final clue. I’m still not sure if this is fair, but I’m always open to a meal!
He’s pretty considerate. And surprisingly, he seems to require a lot more attention that I thought he would.
4. What did you learn from Day 4: Partner Yoga & Open Communication? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Scaramouche during this event?
I thought that since we were dancers we would both be pretty flexible. Scara is not. We tried though. We did the Yogi Box then the Superman pose then the Buddy boat. It was crazy. I felt a bit shy about how heavy I might’ve been since I know lifting a fully grown human isn’t easy, but also because I just…am conditioned to be self-conscious by society, I guess, but he shut down train of thought down immediately. It was…surprisingly really nice. Thank you.
Open Communication was. Interesting. So many things learned and so many secrets divulged. What was said there will never leave our mouths or that room. I found that I understand Scara a lot more now. It was a bit awkward at first, but I think it did the both of us good.
He’s really kind. And strong. I respect him and admire him. I hope things continue to only go up from here for him.
5. What did you learn from Day 5: Food Bank? Did anything eventful happen? Is there anything you would take away from your interaction with Scaramouche during this event?
We were both tired. I felt bad because I kept putting too many items in each bag. Once, I think I put like five bags of cucumbers. No one needs that much cucumbers. I don’t think salads or spas need that much cucumbers. It’s a lot of cucumbers.
Anyway, I’m glad Noelle was really nice and allowed us to leave early. I can see the exhaustion on Scara’s face and I know my face doesn’t look any better. I just hope we can get some rest after this is all over.
6. What would you say was the most important thing you learned from this event?
You know when something is front of you and you’re just too blind to see it? Or, maybe, you know how it’s crazy how much things can change when you give yourself and others a chance? When you get to know someone for who they truly are rather than what you’ve perceived them to be all this time?
Yeah. It’s crazy.
I need to tell him.
Scaramouche stared at the last sentence then, slowly, looked to his left where Lumine sat, gazing at his own last words.
“Are we done here?” he asked Ms. Gunnhildr. His eyes remained on Lumine’s side profile, taking in the way her fingers tightened ever so slightly around the sheet in her hand, the way her eyes seemed to follow the same last sentence over and over again.
“Well, I suppose so, yes. I was hoping to review your sheets with you, but—“
“May we go?” Scaramouche interrupted. He asked only to be polite as he’s already getting up and slinging his bag across his shoulder with one hand while reaching for Lumine’s wrist with the other, tugging at her until she’s standing beside him, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip. His gaze landed on Ms. Gunnhildr. “Please.”
Ms. Gunnhildr looked stunned. Nodding hesitantly, she pointed at the door. “Er, yes. You two may go. I-i suppose you could keep the papers as well.”
“Thank you,” Scaramouche said and headed off, intent of getting to the car park and into one of their cars so they could finally speak to each other privately. They had a lot to discuss between them.
“Scaramouche,” A soft voice murmured and he glanced back. Lumine gave him a watery smile, her eyes starting to fill with tears. “Did you mean it? Those words?”
The instinct to reject it, to deny it, was strong but he shoved it down his throat along with the poisonous words that would no doubt accompany it. It had been all he’d learned after being betrayed three times before, but spewing that towards someone kind and genuine like Lumine was a sin in and of itself. She didn’t deserve such vitriol towards her.
“Yes,” he ended up saying and quickened his pace, pulling the girl behind him towards his car. It was much closer and, quite frankly, he didn’t have the patience to wait for Lumine to fumble for her keys. With a click of the button, he’d managed to unlock it without pause. Scaramouche then ushered her over towards the back seat, sliding in after her. Shutting the door and locking the car once more, he shoved the key into the cup holder on his door to get it out of the way. With that done, he turned to face her only to be pulled into a tight hug.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, her voice wobbly. “Just. You said all those nice things on the paper and, and yesterday when we talked. I — and you called me pretty.”
“Because you are,” Scaramouche muttered in turn, wrapping his arms around her tightly and burrowing his nose into her hair. “You’re really pretty Lumine Viatrix. Pretty and kind and gentle and caring. There’s a lot more adjectives to describe you but that’ll take up too much time.”
“Oh my archon, Scaramouche,” Lumine giggled pulling back just a bit to make eye contact with him. “You’re actually kind of a dork aren’t you? You’re gentle too.”
“Shut up,” he whispered, leaning closer towards her. His eyes were half-lidded as he stared at her and Lumine felt her heart flutter. “I’m not like that towards just anyone.”
“Oh?” she whispered back, a hand reaching to thread her fingers into his hair. “Then who are you like that to?”
Softly, gently, Scaramouche murmured, “Just you” before he closed the gap between their lips.