melodiesoflife | 005 Arrows of Love | Porcelain Dolls Aren't Scary

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005 Arrows of Love | Porcelain Dolls Aren't Scary

Who: Raven, House C-04
What: Guess who's back, back again. Raven's back, tell a friend!
Where: House C-04
When: May 10
Warnings: Creepy dolls, shounen outbursts, fluff, idk?

Raven had come to terms that he'll inexplicably fall into Crystal Stasis at literally any moment. It put a damper on things, and slowed him down significantly on a few of his projects. Since he had no real way of controlling it, Raven chose to overlook the inconvenience.

[ House C-04 ]

His first stop was home, naturally, all the people he kept in contact with lived under the same roof after all. Be it unintentional (or not) poor Ichigo might find an unwanted surprise lying comfortably on his bed. A gift given to Raven from Rukia, though it had been buried in the mix of all his other belongings during the move. That would be a discovery for Ichigo alone to experience, as Raven was busy doing other things around the house.

Raven was prompt lazily in one of the kitchen chairs as he went through the letters that had been left by his moogle. Having been absent for so long, this form of communication was a somewhat good way to catch up on missed events. The large pile of letters would take some time to go through, and he considered interrogating his roommates for more targeted details.

Among the things he had on this list of what needed to get done, meeting up with Rukia was one of them. Instinctually he went to check her room first, it was still early in the morning and any obligation she might have had for the day hopefully wouldn't have taken place at such a dead hour.

"Knock, knock~" He greeted in that nonchalant tone of his.

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Rukia was dozing, caught between that space of deep sleep and semi-consciousness. Ordinarily she would be up at this hour, adjusting the collar of her clothing, showered and ready for the day. For some reason, she felt like sleeping in. She had stayed up a little late the night before, so that wasn't unusual. It would be a while yet before she recognized that her weariness was the first symptom of something worse.

The knock on the door carried her past the border of sleep, forcing her to at least be aware of the waking world, and she grunted in petulant annoyance at being denied a few extra minutes of sleep. Her mind was foggy and didn't yet register the owner of that voice beyond 'male.' Who was trying to coax her out of bed this early? She rolled onto one elbow, rubbing the heel of her palm against her eye to clear away the clinging remnants of slumber. "It's not locked," she called out, her voice creaking.

And that would be how Raven would find his 'lovely' girlfriend, sitting up in bed wearing rumpled Moogle-print pajamas, her black hair untidy and sticking up at a dozen different angles. She blinked and blinked again, trying to get her faculties in order.

Raven allowed himself in when she stated the door was unlock. It was probably a good thing that he prepared breakfast earlier so she could look forward to a nice cooked meal this early in the morning. The archer stood in the threshold between the hall and the room as he graced her with his signature grin.

"Is that how ya greet yer long lost love?"

Did he feel guilty for uncontrollable absences? Yes, and if he had it his way, there wouldn't be any at all. That wouldn't stop Raven from at least trying to mend his disappearing acts.

Rukia froze in mid-rub, her other eye wide as the moon itself. Wait... He was awake? He was really awake! Her worry this time wasn't nearly so drastic as it had been the first time she'd discovered him in crystal stasis. So long as no one was assigned to replace him in their household, she had reason enough to believe he would wake up again.

And here he was. She couldn't think of a better reason to be awake and out of bed.

With a wide grin she threw off the blankets and leaped off of the bed. She stumbled only once in her haste, but it wasn't enough to stop her from flinging her thin arms around his middle and embracing him warmly.

"Better?" she smiled, closing her eyes as she rested her temple against his chest. Because she was definitely feeling worlds better now that he was back.

In the long list of romantic novel cliches, this was probably her first natural one, and it meant she was growing. Raven was happy for that. Raven returned the embrace as his arms wrapped neatly around her small frame.

"That's more like it." He approved warmly. With the door open, she would be able to smell enticing aroma of the pancakes that he had went through the trouble of making. They were mixed with strawberries and cream, similar to how he typically made his crepes. Guaranteed to make a deliciously sweet breakfast.

And that was why Rukia still had no idea that Raven wasn't fond of sweets.

It took her a while to notice the good smells, happy and warm as she was in his arms. She'd missed him. The sound of his voice, the gentle strength of his form when he held her, even his scent. She chuckled, nestling against him.

A few moments later, it was the coffee that tickled her senses first. It didn't take too long for the sweetness of the pan-fried batter to reach her after that. Rukia pulled her head back. "You made breakfast too? How long have you been up?" This morning was getting better and better, for it was no secret at all that she was a big fan of Raven's cooking.

She might soon learn. Within the kitchen he also went through the trouble of making different batches of food. One for him and one for her. He had pancakes, too, of course. Although contrary to hers, his were simple and plain, and didn't have anything sugary that decorated it like he did hers.

"Since four." That was when he awakened from his crystal stasis after all, and despite having been 'asleep' for a month, he didn't feel rested at all. Raven would likely meet the day with a nice long nap some time in the afternoon when it was warmer. In the time being, he would spoil Rukia the best way he could before they would have to part ways.

"It's gonna get cold." Raven mentioned as he gently broke from the hug. His rough fingers slipped into her palm as he calmly clasped her hand into his and guided her to the kitchen.

"A fate worse than death for someone I know," Rukia chuckled. But he'd been awake at such a dreadful hour? That must have been lonely. "You're not tired?" Her hand gravitated toward his almost instinctively the moment his fingers moved. Their hands fit well together, she thought. She liked the callouses he bore, and the contrast of his dusky skin against her porcelain complexion.

It might have looked far more romantic if her hair was combed and she wasn't wearing pajamas, but such things mattered little, especially after they'd been apart for so long.

She really was turning into a love-addled fool, she sighed happily to herself. It was normal to get twitterpated with her first love, that much she knew for a certainty.

"Does it feel as if time has passed for you, or does it all pass in an instant?" she asked out of curiosity, claiming her seat...

...and dragging it around the table so she could sit beside him while they ate.

Along with her pancakes was a nice hot mug of coffee, mixed with a type of homemade creamer that was meant to make it taste like vanilla. They had tea all the time, so he figured changing it up this once couldn't hurt.

Raven slid comfortably in the chair next to the one she just dragged over. He handled the utensils and took a moment to think of how to respond. Having experienced the phenomenon twice now, he was starting to develop a baseline for it and its effects (or lack thereof). "It doesn't feel like any time has passed." Which is why he was able to function so early in the morning without dragging.

Raven broke his pancake into the size of a bite, and ate it dry. Even syrup was too sweet for him, so he didn't add any.

That was the first real hint that Rukia picked up on about his culinary habits. She looked at her stack of pancakes, decadent and dripping, more visual art than mere breakfast, then looked at his. Unadorned. Simple. Just like his old room. Rukia shook her head with a small smile. Maybe he just liked simple things.

"It's been a little over a month again. Such a bad habit," she chided him teasingly, carefully carving out a triangle from the pancakes with the side of her fork. "But I'm relieved that it just happened with no explanation, rather than the result of an accidental death." Temporary or not, that would have been a bitter pill to swallow.

"So what are your plans for the day?" she asked, before popping the layered bite of pancakes into her mouth and savoring the fluffy berry-flavored treat.

The archer chewed his contents lazily before swallowing. Raven broke apart a few more pieces as he responded to her. "A month huh?" Good to know, it meant that he wouldn't have to comb through months worth of time to catch up to where they were today. Raven paid no regard to the second comment, both because death wasn't a subject he was fond of (theoretical or otherwise) and so he could favor the question that came after it.

"Make up fer lost times." In translated terms, digging through old mail and inquiring about the past month with Yuri and Flynn to get a better idea of what he's missed out on. "Maybe sleep the day away. What's the day have in store fer ya?"

Raven took another bite of his meal.

She waited until she was finished chewing, chasing down the pancakes with a sip of sweetened coffee. It was excellent, but she never really expected anything less when Yuri or Raven took command of the kitchen.

"I need to stock up on some supplies, as I promised Barkeep that I would help him explore the sewers. It'll likely take a few days." Judging by the resigned look on her face, it wasn't exactly a venture she was looking forward to. But Raven probably knew by now how far Rukia was willing to go for the sake of her friends. There was little she would not do for them.

"I also need to get you caught up on current affairs, so I'll need to sketch up some appropriate illustrations." It wouldn't be intentional, but somehow she would be able to make Palitutu's dreadful report about the assimilation of their worlds look kind of comically adorable. She smiled, sitting primly in her chair as she cut another stack of triangles. "Perhaps later I'll take a nap on the couch with my boyfriend."

Well he wasn't going to stop her from doing what she needed to do. Even if their moments were short, it just meant they would have to catch up at different time. It was more convenient now that they lived under the same roof. The archer gave a sincere smile.

"When ya have the time." Because like he originally intended, there were other networks he could gather from. It was better he took from multiple sources anyway, as it provided a more thorough report. Old habits he continued to use to this day.

"I'll be sure ta make room." It wasn't like he took up that much anyway, and she took even less.

"Tch," she chided him, chasing a forkful of pancakes around the plate to mop up the whipped cream and berry sauce. "Even if I didn't have the time, I would make time for your sake. Do not doubt this." As if he would. She just wanted to make sure he knew that he mattered to her.

When she finished eating, she sat back in her chair and smiled at him, nodding once to confirm their plans. "After lunch, then?"

Were she not so dedicated to her responsibilities, she would have tossed out all of her plans to spend the day with him. But he had much to catch up on himself, she knew, and their worlds still needed saving. There had to be balance between her needs and her responsibilities.

When he was finished as well, she stole his plate to stack it on top of hers, carrying them to the sink for washing. If he cooked, she cleaned. That was just how it went.

So even the dutiful Rukia made exceptions. It was somewhat unusual to have someone go to such lengths in his stead, but he was adapting well enough to the growing development.

Raven pondered at the suggested time frame, recalling if he had any sort obligations to attend to. Ones worthy of skipping a nap and noon, and the archer couldn't think of a single thing. "Sounds good." He agreed.

Cutting up several pieces of pancake, Raven ate most of what was left one his plate, but not all of it. He wasn't that hungry, but it would awkward for her to just to eat by herself.

When breakfast was over and the dishes were clean, they parted ways. Rukia kissed his cheek before she went out the door, a gesture that was quickly becoming a tradition. Noon might have seemed like it wasn't that far away, but six hours was a long time, and Rukia had a great deal of work to do.

When she returned home at a quarter past noon, the appeal of a nap had intensified greatly. It was a little unusual to be this tired in the middle of the day, but she figured it was probably a mental thing brought upon by making plans to take a two-hour break dedicated to sleep.

Rukia slipped off her sandals and hung up her sword. Her ninja garb didn't have any armor she needed to remove, and the loose black fabric was comfortable for many tasks, including sleep.

She had no difficulty whatsoever taking her place on the couch, letting herself slide down next to Raven with an arm draped over his side. Her other hand strayed almost instinctively to rest on top of the blastia core hidden beneath his shirt. She nestled against him with a sigh of relief, warm and satisfied now that they were together. She'd missed this...missed his scent...missed him.

"Did everything go smoothly?" she asked, her ankles neatly crossed as she allowed her legs to rest against his.

Ideally Raven would have been asleep by now, savoring what energy he managed recuperate. Chances were, Raven would be out cold by tonight if he wasn't able to rest now. Just was the ways of living on Crystallis, not that it was entirely a bad thing.

The arched muffled a soft hum as she crawled onto the couch next to him, indicating that he was conscious to some degree. Lazily, Raven took the arm resting at his side and laid it around Rukia's frame. Raven lightly embraced as a means to keep her close and prevent her from accidentally rolling off.

"Smooth as a whistle." Not quite that smooth, but considering the circumstances and what luck he has in this setting. It went well all things considered. "What about you?"

"I accomplished nearly everything I set out to do," she replied with a smile. Even though they'd done this before, there was still a flush of pink that brightened her cheeks as he held her against him. She'd been shocked into complete stillness the first time it had happened on that chilly November night. Obviously, now that they were dating, she had less reason to think of such a thing as improper. They were merely sleeping beside one another. There was nothing truly lewd or inappropriate, and she'd missed sharing this kind of closeness with another person the way she had as a child.

But there was still one last thing on her checklist before she could rightfully call it time for a break. Rukia lifted her chin, a slight gleam of mischief in her dark eyes, as she reached past his ear. It took her only a moment to find the tie in his hair and tug it loose, upsetting the messy ponytail to let his dark grey locks fall across his face, artfully framing it in the way it had that had first set her heart aflutter all those months ago.

She wound the tie around her wrist with a nod of satisfaction. Mission complete.

The archer gave a grunt as his hair loosely fell what felt like all over the place. He didn't fancy having it down, as it was always down as Schwann, whom he disassociated himself from. Raven would manage as long as it remained unkept, and messy. Besides, they were on the verge of napping anyway, as they lazily rested upon the sofa in the family room.

"Was that everythin'?" His voice soft, it was easy to tell he was drifted off. Raven was more than exhausted, so it wasn't a surprise that he was finally starting to sleep. Whether Rukia was serious about napping with him or not didn't bother him anyway. He would be the dutiful boyfriend and spend time with her, even while napping.

Rukia smiled, her expression softening to match the tone of his voice. Her cool fingertips brushed away the locks that drifted too close to his eyes, then smoothed across his cheek. "Indeed," she answered, completely satisfied. She could tell him that he was handsome, but he was more than keenly aware of this fact, and aware that she was aware. He was also tired, and she could hear it in the creak of his voice.

She ducked her head to rest comfortably beneath his chin and closed her eyes with a sigh of utter contentment.

"I missed you. Welcome home."

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005 Arrows of Love | Porcelain Dolls Aren't Scary

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