𝑅𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑘𝑎✧𝐾𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑖 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑚𝑖 𝑋 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑂𝑛𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑠

✧𝐾𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑖 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛✧ 𝐾𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑖

2337 words ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kirari was a woman, distracted.

Distracted. Divided. Not inattentive, but pulled away from her responsibilities by a force she couldn't name and couldn't say she cared for, either. She wasn't exactly a stranger to romantic inclinations — fantasies, sudden flings, slow-burning inclinations that died the moment her attention was called elsewhere. Predictably, the few relationships she allowed himself were short-lived, at best distasterous at worst, but she didn't have a problem with that. If anything, Kirari appreciated it. She'd always thought of company as optional, and what little loneliness she was still capable of feeling could be drowned with a generous glass of wine. She wasn't one to linger. She tried not to overstay her welcome. She'd been sentimental, once, too emotional for her own good, and she'd learned her lesson. She didn't intend to change.

She didn't want to change.

And yet, here she was.

Distracted.

She couldn't think. She couldn't focus. It was all she could do to look like she might've been trying to read the most recent document left on her desk – this one from Sayaka, a directive for the transfer students or new rules she needed her to review or another vague, important report that she probably would've dealt with weeks ago, if she'd been able to concentrate.

She made a half-hearted effort to straighten her back as the door to her office began to open, but Kirari dropped the act quickly, abandoning it completely by the time she heard the sound of heeled boots against hollow tile, caught a glimpse of a familiar (albeit, rarely used) catalyst, searched for eyes and found the cover of a thin book, instead, your face still buried in your newest novel as you stepped through the threshold, not bothering to knock. It was you. She should've known it would be. Who else did she deserve?

You, the new former treasurer replacing Kaede. You, the latest addition to the Hyakkaou student council. You, her current, infuriating, unshakable fixation.

You, the new addition who hadn't paid her so much as a passing glance since your arrival, much to Kirari's frustration.

You didn't look at her. You rarely ever did, but it hurt more than it usually did, today, as you dropped another form onto her desk, letting it replace the greeting you'd forgotten to offer. "Yuriko needs you to sign this," You started, laying out your priorities clearly, a skill Kirari was beginning to resent. "It's just next year's budget for the traditional culture club. If you don't want to read it, I think I'll be able to look the other way."

She glanced over the rows of numbers, the messy hand-writing, the columns of meaningless gibberish that blended together into a mess of ink and digits, and took your suggestion, scrawling her name across the only blank line. It was a lost cause, especially with you in the room. Especially with your unoccupied hand resting on her desk, your fingertips idly tapping an unsteady rhythm into the wood, and all she could think about was who she'd be willing to kill to feel that hand pressed against her cheek.

She considered asking you, for a moment, giving you an order and hoping you'd absent-mindedly obey. She thought about touching you, or running her fingers through your hair, or pulling you into her lap and mumbling sweet-nothings into your ear until someone else dragged you away.

She thought about a lot of things. Then, she said, "I take it your silence comes at a price?"

"Do I seem that selfish to you?" You were selfish. You had to be selfish. If you weren't, then surely you would've been kind enough to put her out of his misery months ago. "I like helping people. Just remember this when I need a favor from you."