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Jagae hadn’t expected the sudden change in weather.
Then again, what else is new?
Between sailing, docking, setting up; then selling, bargaining and counting profit; a merchants day is filled with a routine of the unexpected.
Maybe a rope tied wrong on the way to, then maybe a lost item, or maybe an appointment that got her stood up for a lost and valuable twenty minutes.
But the weather? Recently, it’s been an uncalled, unpredictable and— most importantly— unwanted experience.
Things causing her to get stranded at a certain dock, and for whatever reason, it was always with a.. certain someone. Don’t say his name, less you wanna summon him.
So she’s learnt not to get her hopes up, and not to think about it much.
…
But— crumbs, what was up with all these constant meetings?!
He’d better not be tracking her and following her on purpose, because even though he’s annoying and greedy and ugl— ah, maybe scrap that last one— he wasn’t stupid.
One, he’d lose out on coin if he did wire his schedule around hers, and the witches knew he’d rather lose his life in the Duskgloom Seas than do that.
Two, they weren’t even close. Rivals sure, but not friends. Surely being around a business opponent was draining enough, much less following him.
And three, he simply knows better. Or at the very least, he should! He definitely knows she’ll have his head for doing something like that.
Perhaps she had too much faith in him, which is a weird idea within itself, but she found it wrong to think otherwise.
They were rivals because they existed and thrived within such a competitive game. That was enough context to know that both of their brains wire in ways alike.
Perhaps that was why they were so unbearingly similar.
Unless there was another reason for following her around like a lost puppy, but Jagae did not want to get into those possibilities at all, and because she was exceeding her limit of thinking of him per year.
Damn, she hated how well he got to her.
She was just making her rounds with her usual clientele, setting appointments and getting new requests, when a slight change in atmosphere prompted her to pause and look up.
The sky was white. Hadn’t changed since morning, but a deep feeling called out to her in the back of her mind.
The wind was blowing hard, and along with it came a familiar, damp smell.
She looked towards the direction it was coming from. A natural ombré from light to dark appeared beautifully on the horizon.
Beautiful, apart from the fact that the clouds were moving in fast, and an occasional low rumble would vibrate through the heavens.
From years of being on the sea, she felt a drizzle even before one became apparent to her.
She'd better get back to her ship asap. The papers in her possession were not something she could easily replace.
Though it seemed the oncoming rain did not wait for that to happen.
A small plip dropped in front of her, staining the reddish pavement into a shade of crimson within a single circle, the size of a coin. From there, another one fell, and then another.
The air became heavier as the raindrops descended more and more frequently.
Along with the fact they were not far from the shoreline, the clearness of the town became more blurry, the fog seeping into the breeze at a surprisingly pace, before it was watered down by the slice of rain.
She headed back towards her ship, but quickly realized that decision seemed to be more harmful than useful, as the rain was getting unusually heavy only minutes after the first drop reached the ground.
Jagae’s head was already soaked, so she instead set her eyes on a nearby overhang on a short building.
Somehow, that still was not close enough to stop Jagae from getting drenched by the rain.
Ah, what a pain.
With a short dash, she quickly got out of the rain and underneath some shelter.
She looked down at her clothes and sleeves. Already soaked, the heavy fabric hugged her body like a jumpsuit, sending an uncomfortable shiver through her spine.
Thankfully, she was hiding the documents under her arm. They weren’t particularly damaged, thank goodness.
She placed it on the dry ground next to her, a rock on top to keep it from getting blown away by the wind.
Jagae looked down at herself now. Soaked to the skin. The fabric of her clothes were now trying to fuse with her skin, and the sensation seriously gave her the heebie jeebies. She really should take them off.
Her hands eagerly made their way to the inner ties of her jeogori.
They were already dead weight, and she wasn’t fond of getting sick because of some wet clothes. Besides, who would be outside right now to see?
“My my, Captain Jagae, undressing so early? Shouldn’t you wait till after dinner?”
Annnddd speak of the damned devil.
A laidback, though somehow still charming voice cut through the rhythmic tapping of the rain.
Witches— AGAIN? Why must she go through two annoying storms at once? Isn’t the rain already enough, she silently complained.
Her rival, Manju Cookie of the Manju Guild, unfortunately appeared right in front of her.
Perhaps her uncharacteristic and consistent thinking of him spawned the fox exactly where she didn’t want him. She'll be sure not to do that anymore.
Despite her disinterest, at the sound of his voice, she regretfully jumped at the sudden spook. She watched as the cookie made his way over to her, a hand over his head.
Small splashes of water gradually got louder and closer to Jagae, before stopping dead beside her.
“Excuse me?” She scoffed at his suggestive but lame attempt to annoy her, watching him shake off any water from his tail and ears with a slight flicker.
Despite his.. ‘foolproof’ way to stay dry, his hair was just as soaked as hers, and the fur of his tail and ears were no longer fluffy, instead dripping water with each step closer. His clothes were also in the same condition as hers.
His kimono— which was surprisingly on his shoulders for once— clung to his hips and sarashi, his lean figure being much more accentuated than usual.
She was always aware that he was, but seeing it now..
Huh. She didn’t really pay much attention to it.
…
Ugh, what a weird description of him.
“Ah, did I surprise you?” Manju asked after settling in under the dry spot, the same carefree grin still lingering on his face despite the weather. His eyes examined the cookie in front of him, likely making the same observations she did with him.
Jagae rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling a slight sense of self awareness at his gaze, and crossed her arms in front of her body, blocking his view. “No, just misthought you were above getting stranded in heavy rain, though I’m not surprised you proved me wrong.”
“Hm, I could say the same for you.” He raised an eyebrow at the attitude, before diverting his attention to the sky.
He leaned a bit forward, his bangs getting hit by raindrops as he neared the edge of the overhang. The sky was still dark, and there weren’t any signs of stopping.
A sense of dread filled him as he sighed, before testing the strength of the rain with a hand, palm up to the sky.
“Quit that, you’re gonna get sick.”
He turned to his rival beside him, who was looking at him with absolute judgement. Her cold glare did not make him flinch however, instead he tilted his head at her, a smile growing on his face.
“Oho? Are you worried?” He teased, walking away from the edge of the overhang and leaned in towards her. He studied her face quickly, knowing she’ll push him away right after.
“I’m just not an idiot.” She shrugged, retreating back to lean on the wall behind them as she tugged at her clothes. “So? What are you doing here?”
Manju hummed, his ears relaxing. “The same reason you are. Coins don’t make themselves.” He shrugged back as his tail continued its rhythmic sway, watching her once more.
Jagae was not one who flaunted her body, no. Sure she was proud, but that lied more in her strength rather than her muscles. That said, Manju was always a curious one, oddly more especially when it came to her.
In other words, he wanted to see something that he has not seen yet.
He especially took interest in how she looked back at him in contempt.
“Oi, do you mind?” She deadpans. “Where’s your fucking dignity fox?” Her face flushed at the same time her irritation grew.
Aha.. seems he lucked out.
Manju cleared his throat, his ears standing up on edge before turning back towards the rainy street.
Averting his eyes however, was still not enough. The racket of shuffling and swishes of clothing kept his mind completely fixated upon her, and since he couldn’t see anymore, his mind decided to fill in the blanks.
His body heated fast, and at one point, he felt like he was on fire.
In a mental tug of war, Manju tried to distract himself with the pouring rain, but his thoughts pushed hard, until his curiosity pushed the words out of his mouth.
He needed to get this heat out somehow.
“Where’s yours? Surely someone in their right mind would never think to undress so publicly.” He noted judgementally, beating himself up in his head at his subconscious— and for the record, not intentional— need for poking at a wasps nest.
He felt a cold breeze blow on his face as a colder voice behind him laughed once in sarcastic amusement.
“I’m not trying to get sick. Besides, the street was empty until you got here.” She explained, pushing herself off the wall and moving closer to his side, watching the rain.
Manju turned his head over to glance at her, now that she finally let him get her in his immediate vicinity.
Jagae was no longer wearing her jeogori, instead it was folded and tucked under her now bare arm. What she was wearing, was a simple black tank top, the neckline being slightly lower than her collarbone.
Did I mention her bare arms? Because nevermind her waist and chest— even though they were very eye-catching to Manju— his eyes always seemed to linger back to her arms.
Like he noted before, he knew she was strong, but seeing it for himself— fuck.
If Jagae wasn’t already gorgeous in her usual fashion, then she sure as hell was now.
“And if I said I am also not trying to get sick?” He asked, his eyes not daring to move away from her.
Jagae scoffed, another mocking laugh escaping her. “Then I’ll still call you a dumbass because clearly, your kimono doesn’t have a use other than decoration.”
She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his hips, then to his still swaying tail, and finally to his face. Manju quickly willed himself to stop his tail from being so obviously affected by her attention, at the same time turning away from her to hide his flush.
Jagae chuckled at the sheepish sight of him, a light red hue growing on her face. “Next time I see you, you’ll have a cold,” she kept teasing.
Manju smiled softly, taking advantage of the sudden lighthearted air around the both of them. “Hm, such confidence,” he mocked back. “Too bad you’ll be wro—“
A sneeze.
…
Pfft!
A hearty laugh filled the space in between the ratatata of the rain landing on the roof tiles above them.
Jagae hunched over, her hands on her stomach as she violently shook in laughter. Manju’s ear twitched, his eyes glaring at her.
“What was that you said?” She cackled out between giggles. “‘Such confidence’? Take yer own advice Mandu!”
The onslaught of uncontrollable laughter kept going for a hot minute. Manju felt his patience slowly slip away. Too bad for that ‘lighthearted’ moment just seconds before.
“Enough of that racket— That was just a coincidence.” He exhaled, staring straight at her.
Jaga's giggles slowly died out as she watched his expression and body language with detail. His ear was flicking every few seconds now, and his tail was now sagging behind him. Her smile did not fade, only growing from the sight. Every now and then, a silent chuckle would involuntarily slip.
“Yeah, sure. As coincidental as seeing a fish in the sea.” She giggled at her own words, her amusement being at its peak.
Manju continued sulking beside her, not even keeping his smile on. His jaw clenched as he rolled his eyes away from her.
Catching her breath, Jagae moved closer to him, slightly huffing. “Haha okay, okay. Here, I’ll help you.”
She moved slightly in front of him, taking the fabric of his kimono on one of his shoulders, and pulling it down.
Manju flinched at the sudden movement, taking a step back and out of her reach.
“Wha— what do you think you’re doing?!”
Jagae, spooked at his sudden jerk, looked up at him confused. His face looked as if she just killed someone in front of him.
“… I’m helping you take off your clothes.” She stated, Manju’s face not changing at all. “..Clearly you getting sick is the result of having something cold and wet on.” She continued explaining, an eyebrow raised.
“But right here?!” He looked over to the side, his face now contorted into a.. shameful look, wait no, more like a.. flustered one?
She looked to his ears and tail for any better indication of what the hell he was feeling, since most of the time he never really noticed how emotionally connected they were to his feelings, which were Jagae’s usual trump cards when it came to dealing with him.
However, this time, they were both straight pointing up to the sky, a reddish hue blooming in the ducts of his ears.
A wave of absolute confusion suddenly hit her square in the gut.
“What do you mean right here? You wanna do it in the rain?” She tilted her head at him, her eyebrows now furrowed in the center of her temples.
A beat passed by, and Manju’s expression was still flustered, one that somehow just pissed her off. His moment of silence also contributed to her growing irritation. Was he just acting stupid or what?
After a moment, he finally spoke, in a very oddly soft tone. “Jagae— I knew you were bold but not this bold..!”
A terrifying image suddenly popped into her head at his words.
“What?!” She yelled, completely in disbelief. She stammered, her thoughts failing to make any coherent sentence from the sheer urge to slap the cookie in front of her. “What the fuck are you on about?!”
Manju looked at her once, a hand coming up to his face. He covered his mouth with the knuckle of his thumb, as a very sharp snicker filled the air.
“Heh, got you.” He stuck out his tongue, a nasty smirk on his lips as his tail swished behind him in satisfaction.
Jagae was suddenly from perfect amusement to the end of her rope.
“You piece of—“ her body moved before she could think, her hands already grabbing onto his collar.
Manju threw his hands in front of him as a shield. “Hey now! It was just payback.” He awkwardly chuckled, his usual grin back on his face.
She sneered before letting him go. She turned back towards the rain, her arms crossed.
He quickly fixed himself up, a chill running through his chest as the cold fabric came into contact with his skin.
“Don’t tell me Miss Captain Jagae is upset over a simple farce?” He came up behind her, an amused smile on his face.
“..the one time I decide to help you, and you do what?” Jagae grumbled.
Manju chuckled a bit. “Well then.. apologies for giving you a taste of your own medicine, I suppose..” he shrugged, as Jagae turned toward him in a spurt of anger.
“I wasn’t even trying to tease you!” She yelled, “All I did was state the obvious. It’s not my fault that I’m right.”
“That may be so, but we all have self control, don’t we? No need to laugh like a clown.” He snapped back, his eyes focusing on how her temper was beginning to show through her body.
“I’m not going to accommodate my feelings so that you won’t feel bad.” She said, surprised he’d actually expect such a thing from her.
He hummed in theatrical thought. “Hm, well then, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that exactly what you did back at the townsquare?”
“!”
Hehe, got her again.
Jagae opened her mouth to say something, only to close it. Her hands clenched into a nearly empty-controlled fist as she willed them to stay at her side.
“That was a completely different circumstance.” She managed to get out, sneering her head away from him, but her eyes were still locked in the face off.
Manju hummed in mock agreement, challenging her words with an eyebrow raised high.
“You..! It wasn’t even you that time!” She stomped a foot on the ground, cracking the pavement underneath it.
Perhaps that should’ve been a sign to stop, but Manju pushed on.
“Sure, but you thought it was me, didn’t you?” He smirked, a giggle slipping out.
Jagae exhaled in exasperation, a smile of disbelief and offense doing its best to keep her anger inside her body, and not reflected onto Manju.
The fox quickly sensed her temper about to overflow, and immediately took two steps back. “Now now, don’t get all gung-ho on me! Just stating a fact.” He shrugged again. “Besides, I don’t think someone unaccommodating to feelings would lie to detectives to avoid hurting my feelings.”
Ahh, this damned habit of his— he couldn’t help speaking his mind.
“Like I said Mandu, that, wasn’t, you..!” She snapped, her steam being evident in how she emphasized each individual word.
Yeah, unless he wanted to go home with a black eye, better he’d stop now.
“Ah well. To each their own.”
A moment of silence reigned between the two, as Jagae kept looking at him with a killing glare.
“You really piss me off Mandu.” She exhaled, turning back towards the rain.
“As do you.”
Fighting wasn’t going to give them any help. Unless getting drenched was okay with them, they were stuck together, again.
Jagae sighed as she glanced at the papers she had set down. She could potentially leave and come back when it was drier.. but since she was with the ever so curious buttershell fox, that wasn’t an option.
She assumed he also had a reason for staying here with her, otherwise he’d have left already.
She lowered herself down to the ground, sitting with one knee up, and resting her arm on it, once more watching the rain.
The sky lit up with a slight flash, turning the grey clouds momentarily purple.
A gorgeous sight; if only it was better received by being in a better mood.
Manju stayed behind her, doing who knows what, until Jagae heard a intriguing sound.
The fox had grunted, and she turned around to check why.
She was met with a sight of Manju without his kimono.
It was set folded neatly on the ground beside him, and now he was struggling with his sarashi.
It seemed the dumb fox had tied it on a side he couldn’t reach well. His arms were strained around him like he was bound by ropes. What was he thinking?
Or rather, what was she?
She had stood up from her arguably comfortable position, and shuffled behind him, her hands already moving to help him.
Ahh, what a hypocrite she was. Making a whole scene of ‘this is what I get if I try to help you’, and she goes and helps him anyways?
It was infuriating to her.
He reacted to the gesture with a little ‘oh?’, and his arms immediately took the chance to relax beside him.
Jagae quickly undid the knot, before handing the end of the bandages for him to deal with.
“Thank you.” He said softly, before the sound of movement restarted.
She went back to her spot, sitting down once more. She didn’t acknowledge his gratitude— false, more like she didn’t reply back— and simply stared at her hands.
Her fingers burned with a sharp heat, her face slowly getting the same sensation.
Fuck.. if that’s how she reacted to touching his bandages, how would she react to touching his skin?
The said thought was quickly crumpled into a ball before chucked across the town and into the atmosphere. Why would she even touch his skin in the first place?!
She quietly groaned at the annoyance, as the annoyance himself came to join her on the floor.
He sat beside her, his legs crossed. His tail continued swaying behind him, his ears relaxed.
Jagae discerned him from the corner of her eye.
His sarashi was off (finally), but not in a sense that she wanted it to come off, but in the sense that he was finally taking her advice.
Her eyes kept gravitating towards his now bare torso, despite her repetitive pulling away. She clenched her jaw.
Dumb fox.
“How long do you think this rain is going to last?”
He broke the silence, looking down at the ground in front of him. Miniature rivers and lakes formed on top the pavement, his scarlet eyes focused on them.
Jagae sighed, her eyes contrastedly focused on the sky instead. “Dunno, didn’t check the forecast.”
“Obviously.”
“Like you didn’t either Mandu.”
A bright flash illuminated their faces for a moment, and after a moment, a rumble shook the ground softly.
Ahh, what she wouldn’t give for a glass of juice in her quarters right now.
Her mind wandered, thinking about how worried her crew probably was. She has been going missing more often than of late, and it wasn’t any mystery that they’ve been worrying over it. Her bad luck had something to do with the person beside her, most definitely.
A soft shuffle brought her away from her thoughts, and she looked over to see that Manju had stood up, and was now backing away from the edge of the overhang.
His eyes were still locked on to the floor, not even noticing her gaze.
He looked tense. And if his face wasn’t a telling sign, his tail was.
It was no longer swaying behind him like a soft undertow of the seas. More like it was hiding behind his back..?
Things were already weird, but now this? Was he just trying to fuck with her again?
Jagae looked him over once more.
His ears were flattened on his head, his hands were gravitating towards his chest, and if she were to really strain her ears, she could swear she was hearing a growl of some sort.
He seemed to be looking smaller..?
“Mandu?” She involuntarily called out to him, but it seemed they landed on deaf ears. A sinking feeling began to become apparent in her stomach, though truth be told, it was probably there the second he stood up.
Okay, to hell with their rivalry towards each other. Right now, making sure he was okay came first.
If she was going to be joked on afterwards, then at least she’d know that things were still normal between them.
She came to stand on her two feet in a flash, then inching her way towards his side.
He didn’t even acknowledge her yet. Not a glance or a flinch from her sudden movement. Just kept his eyes fixated on the concrete in front of him.
Then suddenly, another bright streak of lightning painted the sky violet. Seconds later, a strong rumble echoed through the streets of the town.
He exhaled shakily, as he brought himself back to reality with a few blinks of his eyes. After conditioning them, they landed on a concerned Jagae standing right in front of him.
“Ah.. did you need something?” He asked, sweat revealing itself on his forehead as he looked at her face. Something wasn’t right, and it was about him, wasn’t it?
Jagae squinted her eyes at him, once again looming him over, bottom to top.
“Are you okay?” She asked, a softness radiating from her in a way he’s seen only a few times before. Once after that whole storm with that giant, and second after the events of the festival at the townsquare.
Usually, the most feeling it gave him was a short but sharp pang in his chest.
But right now, a strong ache resonated in his heart.
“..Are you worried about me?” He hummed, as his usual tone and smile pushed onto his face.
He wasn’t nearly as slick as he usually is though, as Jagae felt him pulling away again, distancing himself.
Ugh, she wanted to smack him. She’s seen him enough times to know him well. She knew he did such a thing often. What’s the use of pushing people away when they already know you like the back of their hand? It irritated her to another level.
Jagae cocked her head at him, a bit of her impatience slipping. “If you saw how you looked, you would be too.” She grumbled, though at the same time, taking a step closer.
Manju sighed, mostly in disappointment at himself. “It’s nothing. Just zoned out is all.” He quickly cut off the conversation with a wave of his hand. No use talking about this anymore.
But Jagae kept pushing, taking yet another stride towards him. Manju stepped back once instinctively.
She frowned. She halted in her current position, her eyes still staring straight into his.
This time, Manju averted his eyes.
At that, a thought came into Jagae’s mind.
Despite her worry, and despite how wrong and disheveled he looked, they weren’t exactly friends, were they? Just ‘pretending’, for the sake of their long term investments with that little king.
That meant her worry was not needed, and frankly, not expected either.
But oddly enough, it wasn’t a thought that felt right in her mind. It was heavy and disheartening.
Witches, he wasn’t just getting to her anymore. More like she was getting attached.
Way out of character for her, no?
“..are ya sure?” She finally asked after a stretch of silence.
He softly nodded. “Completely—“
Another loud boom echoed in the distance, as the shaking came faster this time.
Jagae’s first thought was that the storm must be nearing them, the wind and the rainfall picking up speed considerably.
Her second came straight from her retinas.
In front of her, Manju froze, the rest of the word catching in his throat, his tail reverting back behind him.
His throat bobbed up and down once, as he quickly closed his mouth and locked his jaw.
Yeah, no wonder that odd thought didn’t sit right with her. Her instincts were right. Something was wrong.
“Liar, you aren’t fine.” She blurted out, ignoring the shaking of his head as his response and finally closing the distance.
Close up, he looked sickeningly pale. Her mouth dried up as she grabbed his face by his cheeks and turned it towards hers.
From what she could feel from her fingertips, he wasn’t feverish. A relief, in its own sense.
He grunted at the forceful movement, his face utterly surprised at her.
“What are you—“ he yelled, pushing her hand off of him and again furthering the distance between them. It was futile however, since they were in a very limited space, and Jagae was not having with him at all.
She moved nearer to him, her face looking more determined than concerned now.
“Is it the storm?” She asked out of the blue.
Manju paused and stared at her. “Ah— huh?” He stammered.
“Are you scared?”
Perhaps her bluntness would’ve made other people angry at her, or maybe even to the point of hatred, but somehow, it gave Manju a sudden sense of comfort.
He didn’t stop stuttering though, still unable to answer her with a clear voice, when yet another roll of thunder sounded above them.
His breath hitched as he became restless at the sound. The still constant tapping and clicking of the rain made him feel as if he was out there, his skin tingling as phantom drops of water splashed on him.
Jagae watched him before declaring she couldn’t take watching him be so.. pathetic shortly after.
With one swift motion, she took Manju’s hand into hers, clasping it.
Unsurprisingly, that was what brought him back to reality.
She didn’t mean to at first— she wasn’t thinking. All her mind was focused on was returning Manju back to the irritating fox she knew, and somehow, that was how she responded.
Manju on the other hand, was currently completely aware of his place in the world. He remained laser focused on how gentle Jagae was holding his hand, how— despite the initial observation of her determined eyes— concerned the glint in her eyes glowed when perfectly face to face with him.
Another burst of light came from the sky, and Manju flattened his ears and hardened his body to physically stop him from flinching. Jagae saw it, and grumbled an annoyed hum.
“Idiot. How are you even a seafarer if you can’t even take a simple storm?” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he returned it with a piercing glare before squeezing his eyes shut in annoyance.
Just as he was about to snap at her, the rhythm of the raindrops suddenly muffled, and a small wave of soothingness filled his senses.
He looked up at Jagae, who had her hands on the backsides of his head.
She had reached up over his bangs, before slowly and softly guiding his ears downwards, flattening it well against his hair.
She was covering his ears.
“Better?”
Her words came out blurry and quiet to him, but he heard it nonetheless. He nodded ever so slightly, and Jagae seemed to relax at the confirmation.
Ah, no wonder her direct personality granted him comfort. She doesn’t hide things, and she hates to lie. All she does is genuine, even if she doesn’t realize it.
Witches, she had to be the most comforting person he knew, ignoring their banter and her attitude.
He finally relaxed, putting his hands above hers to quiet the sound even more. He leaned into her right hand, closing his eyes.
He felt Jagae tense at his touch, but he didn’t pay it no matter. Between the smell of the rain, his red bean smell and the smell of her (cocoa and seawater, most likely), he was in bliss.
Even as more strikes of lightning struck, he didn’t pay much mind to it, only acknowledging the one in front of him.
Jagae was the same.
Her surroundings were no longer a clear picture in her mind anymore, only the face parallel to hers.
She began noticing small things, like how his usual red eyeliner was now a light pink, smudged around his eyes, and how soft his damp ears and hair felt against her weathered palms.
Her cheeks heated up again, despite the winds and small bits of water blowing into her face.
She could get used to this.
“Why are you afraid of storms anyway?” She broke the silence, afraid she was going to do something that she’ll regret.
Manju opened his eyes at her, blinking twice. He hummed low, sounding akin to a purr as he thought.
“I’m not afraid of them Jagae,” he claimed. She felt his ear habitually twitch under her hand, a snicker escaping her at how transparent he was.
“Liar.” She muttered under her breath, taking advantage of his current hearing loss. He caught it anyways, an unamused look on his face.
He squeezed her left hand hard for a moment in payback, before talking again. “They’ve always given me weird feelings. It wasn’t until that day we met, with the strange giant in the waters that I’ve been responding to them differently.” He explained, surprisingly very compliant to her words.
“Maybe you died to one in a previous life, and now they’re trying to warn you.” She said, a mischievous grin on her face.
“What?” He tilted his head at her slightly, his hands tightening its grip around hers. The odd theory came as random to him, but instead he indulged. “Perhaps you just want me dead?”
She shook her head. “Not true.”
Manju leaned back on his heel. “Is that so? I could’ve sworn by the way you were acting that you did.”
She scoffed. “Please, I’m a good person. I wouldn’t do that.”
Now, he leaned in closer; in fact dangerously close, to the point Jagae needed to back up, lest their noses touch.
“How confident again. Why then, if you really are, if I were to die, would you go back in time to save me?” He grinned, his eyes gleaming with a bright curiosity.
She blushed at the proximity, and if it were any other situation, she’d push him right onto his bottom. Alas, her hands were sandwiched between his hands and his head, and she wasn’t too keen on removing them.
Besides, he was finally acting like himself again.
Instead, she returned the light banter (it’s actually flirting but the witches know they cannot admit that for the life of them) with a cheeky smile.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself now.”
He laughed out loud at that, returning to the original distance between the two. Not long after, she joined in with a light chuckle.
The rain was finally beginning to die down, the clouds clearing out to let a bit of sunlight through to the city.
Jagae looked towards the slowly lightening street, the rain still drizzling.
Manju must’ve followed her gaze, as he sighed.
He didn’t want this moment to end, but they were busy cookies. Any time they wasted should quickly be bought back.
Though, the time wasted here was ironically worth billions to him.
“Seems it’s about time to get back.” He said, removing his hands from hers.
He blushed, realizing the thunder must’ve stopped a long time ago, and yet she kept the physical touch.
Well, it wasn’t bad, so what’s the harm?
Jagae looked back towards him at the lack of warmth around the back of her hands. He expected her to let go of his head, but for some reason, she didn’t yet.
She stared straight at him, again observing his face with a surprising amount of warmth.
“You okay now?” She asked him softly.
Manju took note of how her eyes gazed at him, and took a mental photo. “Yes,” he responded. “Thanks for distracting me.”
He regretfully thought back to how stupid he must’ve looked to her. Luckily, it seemed they had gotten close despite that.
He brought his attention back to her and her hands which were still holding his head. Confused, he tilted his head.
“Jagae? I don’t think there’s lightning anymore.” He chuckled, but she did not move still.
She stood there, her eyes averted from his this time, looking like she was thinking about something.
She was feeling the same as him: she didn’t want this moment to end yet, weirdly enough.
Ahh, it wasn’t just that he got to her, or that she had an attachment to him was it? It was something else entirely.
After what just happened, her ability to ignore it has now gotten severely damaged.
…
..fuck it.
Manju watched her, still unsure of what to think of her silence. Was she mad now? Perhaps she had just realized who she was with and what she just did.
How disappointing, he thought, but it wasn’t surprising. A gloom washed over mind when Jagae suddenly looked up at him, using her hands on his head to make the fox return the eye contact.
Before Manju could think, she leaned in and..
An ever so soft and gentle press caressed his lips.
Her hands traveled down, letting go of his ears and now holding his cheeks, still guiding his head.
He froze, his ears and tail standing as tall as they possibly could, his eyes widening like plates at her.
As quickly as it happened, it was done, and the one who just did it was now collecting her clothes and the paper she’d left on the ground. She left the overhang with a run.
Manju stood there like a deer in headlights, his brain knowing exactly what had just occurred, and was replaying it over and over like a broken record.
A finger brushed over his mouth ever so carefully like if he were to rub it away, it would’ve never happened. His jaw tightened.
Then, a thought crossed his mind.
She knew exactly what situation she was in, and who was with her. No way she’d be confused on any of that information with the stunt she had just pulled and how deep in thought she was in seconds before.
That meant.. she was only completely willing to do that to him.
He couldn’t stop the blood rush from being discrete. He felt his face get red hot, and a hand grabbed at his mouth, shakily covering it.
Despite his flush, he couldn’t resist smiling.
He licked his lips, as a fat grin grew on his face. He retreated to getting his clothes and sarashi.
Is that how it is?
He chuckled, imagining how she must’ve looked, running away from him and the consequences of her actions. Bright red and cursing his name.
And to be fair, he wasn’t wrong.
Jagae was beating herself up in her head, a constant cry of ‘why did I do that, why did I do that, why did I do that?!’.
Yet behind all that, a warm feeling hugged her heart.
The both of them wouldn’t mind if it were to happen again.
The rain was just a new thing to add to the list of ‘things that remind me of you’.