Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mary walked into the cafeteria for breakfast with a pair of black metal rimmed glasses sitting on her face.

She walked past the other students, making her way over to the Student Council table. Most students didn’t care, didn’t bother noticing whether or not Mary Davis was wearing glasses.

Riri noticed. Riri always noticed new details about Mary, and the damage was irreversible.

She froze, staring her down as she felt a blush creep up on her face. The mask hid it well, yet her ears betrayed her. Bright red, noticeable by her sister who simply raised a brow at her. Mary continued around the table, sitting down directly next to her.

Kira turned to Mary. “You broke her.”

“I noticed.” Mary finally glanced over at her malfunctioning girlfriend, leaning against the table with her head propped up.

“Since when did you wear glasses, Mary?” Yumeko leaned over, a grin plastered on her face. She got a disbelief look in response. “What?”

“Did you really never see the contacts container in our dorm room?” Mary rolled her eyes before looking at her girlfriend, “And you-” She poked her in the chest, getting a flicker of recognition in her eyes. “You should’ve also seen my contacts! I mean, come on, I keep them on the counter!”

“Why aren’t you wearing them?” Kira asked.

“Do you all have perfect vision to not understand how contacts work?” Mary huffed, earning a shrug from Kira and a giggle from Yumeko. “My contacts ran out, I scheduled an eye appointment for next week since I haven’t been there in like...four years.”

Riri finally seemed to come out from her daze, “Eye appointment?” Her voice was quiet enough to only be heard by the Council table.

“Eye appointment. You know...?” Mary shook her head with a sigh. Why would they know actually? Her girlfriend, her sister, and her sister’s girlfriend had perfect vision apparently. “Basically, they do a vision test and update my prescription. It doesn’t take long,” She shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “So, until then, I have to wear my glasses.”

“Great, Riri’s going to be distracted until then.” Kira scrunched her nose in irritation before focusing back on her own breakfast.

Mary took a few bites out of her own breakfast, a hum of satisfaction slipping out of her. It was enough to make Riri smile under the mask as she watched her girlfriend eat the breakfast she prepared. Suddenly, Mary dropped her fork. Confusion etched into Riri’s expression before seeing the hint of a mischievous smile appearing.

Uh oh.

“Hey Yumeko,” Mary leaned over to catch Yumeko’s attention. “Want to try my glasses on? I think you’d look great with them on.”

Yumeko’s face lit up, shooting up from her seat beside Kira. She slipped over without hesitation, practically bouncing in her spot as Mary slid her glasses off, handing them over to her. She darted back over to her seat, sliding them on.

“Kira~, how do I look?” Yumeko called for her girlfriend’s attention, which was currently stuck on her breakfast. Halfway through swallowing, Kira glanced over and immediately started choking, causing concern to shoot through her sister.

After a coughing fit, with Yumeko and Mary cackling beside her, her face was bright red. She hid her face in her hands, her demeanor crumbling over it. Yumeko cooed, attempting to pinch her cheek before her hand was swatted away, causing another set of giggles.

“What was that about Riri being distracted?” Mary teased, leaning on Riri’s armrest.

“Shut up, Davis.” Kira grumbled, attempting to ignore her girlfriend beside her. She was doomed, the image of Yumeko with glasses on etched into her mind with a single glance.

Yumeko pressed a kiss on her partially covered cheek before standing up, sliding the glasses off. “That was fun, maybe I should get my vision checked.” She stepped over to hand them back over to Mary before sitting back down, “I do think some things are blurry from a certain distance...”

“No, no, no.” Kira dropped her hands, a light smack being heard against the wood of the table as she turned to her girlfriend. Her blush had faded by the slightest, staring at Yumeko who had the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. “Your- your vision is fine. If anything, I’ll explain anything that seems blurry to you just...you’ll be fine.” She did not need to be distracted if Yumeko actually got glasses for herself. One time was enough.

Mary snickered, earning an amused look from her own girlfriend. “You two are so predictable sometimes, you know that?” She tapped Riri’s nose through the mask before resuming her breakfast.

~

Riri was blatantly staring, especially now in the privacy of their dorm room. She couldn’t help it, her girlfriend was mesmerizing. Especially with the new accessory that was halfway down her nose due to the pure focus she held.

Mary sat at her desk, glancing between the textbook and her notebook as she jotted down notes to memorize for an upcoming test. Since her desk sat on the same wall as the bed, it gave Riri an advantage. The advantage being she could stare at her. Mary let out a sigh, leaning back in the chair and pushing her glasses up.

“Are you going to keep staring?” She glanced over at Riri with her head propped up as she laid on her side. Her jacket was hanging on the back of her own desk chair, tie slightly loosened while her mask sat with the other ones she owned.

“I’m admiring.”

“You’re impossible.”

“You love it.” Riri argued, a smile appearing.

“I do.” Mary reciprocated the smile before glancing back at her notes. She could already hear the question on the tip of her girlfriend’s tongue, beating her to it. “I’m almost done.”

“Define almost.”

“Ten minutes?” She glanced back over at Riri, seeing a small pout. “Ten minutes, and then I’m all yours to cuddle with for the rest of the day.” With a nod in response, she leaned forward to continue her note taking.

The room fell quiet with the lack of conversation. Riri continued to stare, watching as Mary’s glasses slowly started to slide down her nose. It was cute. Mary let out a grumble in frustration, sliding them back up. Even if Riri wanted her to continue wearing them, she knew there were some downsides to wearing glasses.

Despite Mary calling her out the previous day for not noticing her contacts, she was actually painfully aware of Mary’s eye sight requiring external help. She noticed the contacts container, she noticed the glasses case that sat next to it on the bathroom counter. Riri had once grown curious one day and opened the case to see what kind of glasses Mary wore.

She just didn’t expect her own reaction to seeing them on her for the first time.

Now? It was hard to look away.

Riri might’ve been verbally reprimanded by Kira already for her lack of attention during one of their meetings. It wasn’t her fault that Mary looked good with glasses on, right? Her attention had been caught by Chad’s snickering, earning a glare from her to remind him of her position before the meeting resumed.

It was hard, but she focused on whatever her sister was saying instead of the woman that sat on the other side of her. Of course, now that they were alone, she was free to do whatever. Riri would waste every waking hour staring at Mary if she could.

“Can I join you for your eye appointment?” Riri finally asked, the question constantly bouncing around in her head since she was made aware about it. “To see what it’s like?”

Mary let out a hum before setting down her pencil, leaning back once again. “You can, but ground rules. Number one,” She held up a single finger, “They do a test where they puff air into my eyes, and I will jerk back as a reaction. I will not be injured though, so no scaring the poor people trying to do their job. Number two,” She made a peace sign, “Don’t make fun of me for being unable to read the letters on the screen.”

Riri blinked, “Why do they puff air into your eyes?”

“Mm, I don’t know.” Mary shrugged, “I just do it and they tell me my eyes are fine.”

“It doesn’t hurt?”

“No, not at all. I won’t be injured going to an eye appointment.” She stood up, pausing her note taking to sit down on the edge of the bed. She leaned back into Riri’s torso, “You just have to sit there and look pretty while I get my eyes checked.”

“Okay.” Riri sat up, placing her hand on Mary’s waist. She pressed a kiss on the smile she held, “I’ll miss the view though.”

Mary rolled her eyes, “You’ll still have another week or two after the appointment.”

“Really?” Riri’s eyes lit up as she rested her chin against her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Yes, really.” Mary placed a kiss on her forehead, “I can’t get new contacts the day of my appointment, it takes time to get them in.”

“Okay...I don’t really understand the letters on the screen thing though.”

Mary chuckled, tapping Riri on the nose before getting up to finish her note taking. They certainly weren’t going to write themselves...even if she wanted them to.

~

Mary stepped out of the car with Riri in tow. The driver was ordered to wait, since she insisted it would take an hour max, if that. She stepped inside - after her girlfriend held the door open for her because why wouldn’t she - walking over to the front desk.

“Mary Davis.” She said to the receptionist, an old woman who spared a single glance between the two before focusing on her computer monitor, typing away for a few seconds.

“Do you have your insurance on you?” The woman smiled softly. Mary turned to Riri to take her wallet out of her hands, noticing her looking around the unfamiliar place. That was a normal reaction for Riri Timurov; unfamiliar places were often deemed dangerous in her eyes.

Before she could walk away to continue towards the wall of glasses Mary had grown familiar with, she grabbed her wrist and intertwined their hands together to stop her. Riri, as said before by Mary, was like a toddler at times. Wandering off without a second thought, often to scope out a new place. Whether it was a lesson ingrained into her head or just her way of thinking in unfamiliar territory, Mary knew she’d be fine here.

It was an eye doctor’s office for Christ’s sake.

The old woman handed her insurance card back to her before handing her a clipboard. A couple papers to fill out. She nodded her head, said thank you, and pulled Riri over to the left room. The waiting room.

She sat down with Riri beside her, setting her wallet in the woman’s lap before crossing her legs, filling out the paperwork. The room was empty, a hallway sat on the right that they would eventually travel through once called back. She could see Riri lean towards her in the corner of her eye, identifying what the paperwork was about.

“This is because it’s my first time here.” Mary answered the unsaid question, “Back home, we used to go to our family friend who is an eye doctor. He gave discounts.”

Riri leaned a little closer to whisper through her mask, “Is it expensive?”

“Not with the insurance.” Mary clicked her tongue, “And no, you’re not paying.”

“But-”

“Riri.” Mary spared a glance, her eyes narrowed as she leaned closer. “I brought my wallet for a reason.”

“My wallet’s in the car.”

“It’ll stay in the car then.” Mary turned back to the paperwork, finishing it up before standing up. She walked over to the counter, returning the clipboard and paperwork before taking her seat next to Riri. Even with her mask on, she could tell she was pouting by the way her eyes seemed to be even more identical to puppy dog eyes. “Baby, I’m serious, it’s not that much. How about you make my favorite tonight and we can call it even?”

Her girlfriend’s expression remained the same. “That’s not how it works.” She huffed. Mary raised a brow in amusement.

“Then, how does it work?”

“I pay, and you sit there and look pretty.”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Mary wagged her finger, garnering a shocked expression to overshadow Riri’s pouty face. “I said you would sit here and look pretty today. It’s either this, or you can sleep outside.” She crossed her arms, watching as dread swallowed Riri whole as she began to frantically shake her head.

“No, no, no-”

“That’s what I thought.” Mary uncrossed her arms with a victorious grin, poking Riri’s cheek.

Riri stared at her, wide-eyed as she processed her options. If she paid, she couldn’t cuddle with her girlfriend for the whole night. If she didn’t pay, she’d be letting her girlfriend pay for her own stuff...for once.

Her head dipped for a moment, holding on to Mary’s wallet tightly. She could just switch their cards...no, Mary was keeping her close. There was no way for her to sneak out and grab her card. She was stuck with letting her girlfriend pay for her own eye appointment.

“Okay.” She sighed, raising her head again to see the soft expression on Mary’s face. She bit her bottom lip, fighting back the smile threatening to emerge. So...maybe letting Mary win every once in a while wasn’t a bad thing, especially if she would be looked at with the softest expression her girlfriend ever wore.

“Thank you.” Mary placed her hand over hers, the warmth spreading throughout her body. Yeah, it was worth it.

When Mary was called back a few minutes later, Riri followed behind, looking around the place. She tuned back in as the woman instructed her to sit down in front of two machines. Mary slid her glasses off, handing them over for Riri to hold onto. The first machine seemed to involve staring at a picture of a house? Or a barn? Riri wasn’t too sure.

The second machine was what Mary had warned her about. Despite her blindness, Mary glanced over at her to shoot her a look that read ‘Don’t you dare move’. Riri stayed put, watching as she lined up her right eye first.

A soft sound that Riri could assume was the puff of air Mary referred to as was heard, her girlfriend jerking her head back slightly and blinking a few times. She didn’t verbally react, and Riri didn’t seem to think it was enough to be considered painful.

So, she stayed right where she stood as Mary did her other eye.

“Alright, all done. Eyes look great! Now if you’ll follow me,” The woman smiled. Mary stood up, taking her glasses from Riri and sliding them back on.

“See? All good.” Mary smiled at Riri before pulling her along to follow the woman walking down the hall to one of the rooms. They entered a dim room, and Riri took her spot in a chair off to the side while Mary sat down in the heightened leather chair. The woman sat down at a counter with a computer setup, and while Mary was asked a few questions, her gaze shifted to the bright light on the opposite side of the room to where Mary sat.

It was a TV screen. White background with five lines of letters, the top was the biggest while the bottom was the tiniest. From where Riri was sitting, she could read it just fine. These must’ve been the letters on the screen Mary had mentioned, and from her distance, she could see the possible struggle.

Once the woman left, informing them that the doctor would be with them shortly, Mary turned to her. “Well?” She cocked her head to the side.

“The screen is bright compared to the rest of the room.” Riri glanced over at the equipment next to the chair, “What’s that?” She pointed at what she could only assume to be a bunch of lenses on either side of eye holes.

“That’s the test.” Mary answered, “He’ll move it in front of me to switch through the lenses to see which is clearer to me. I’ll have to read the letters a lot, and most likely get most of them wrong with my luck.”

Riri nodded, a comfortable quiet falling between the couple as they waited. When the eye doctor entered, a man who looked to be in his 30s, he said his hello with a smile on his face before sitting down at the counter. While he talked to Mary, she noticed that none of the people in this place seemed to be bat an eye at her wearing a mask.

Was it normal for people with masks to show up at eye doctors?

Then, the actual vision test begun. She listened as Mary read out the letters...and didn’t comment on how half of them were wrong.

Her E’s turned into F’s or L’s.

Her X’s turned into K’s. Her K’s turned into B’s.

Her W’s and V’s were swapped, which was understandable in Riri’s mind.

In conclusion, she definitely needed an updated prescription.

“Would you like to look at the selection of glasses today?” The eye doctor asked, turning to Mary. Riri looked at her, eyes practically pleading to let her see different types of glasses on her. She would definitely be unable to hide her reaction, but it would be fine. The place was mostly empty anyways.

Mary shook her head. “Nope, just the contacts is fine.”

Riri’s shoulders slumped by the slightest. When the man turned away, Mary spared her a glance and smirked. Oh. She knew.

“Alright, typically the trial contacts come in after about a week. Just give it time, adjust, see how you like them. If you think that there needs to be something changed, then you can come back and we’ll adjust them for you.”

The eye doctor said his goodbyes before leaving. Mary stood up, her glasses back on as she held out her hand. Riri tilted her head in confusion. “Wallet.” Right, she was holding onto her wallet. She handed it over before Mary smiled, taking her now free hand into hers.

They left the room, going back up to the front desk for Mary to pay. She continued to hold Riri’s hand, single-handedly opening her wallet, sliding her card out, and then proceeding to slide it back in and close her wallet once she was done.

After walking out, Mary spoke again.

“I could tell you were judging me with the letters.” Riri stifled a laugh, getting a light shove in response. “It’s not my fault that they all blend together! You know how many letters in the English alphabet look the same!?”

“You definitely needed that appointment.” Riri teased before opening the car door for Mary to get in.

Mary gave her a half-assed glare after entering the car. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Riri closed the door after she entered, signaling to the driver to start driving back to the school. “We don’t...have a couch.” She glanced over to see a smug grin on her girlfriend’s face.

“Exactly, so you better find one because that’s where you’ll be.”

“Mary- my angel.” Riri leaned over, pressing her face into Mary’s shoulder with a whine. “I’m sorry, please let me sleep with you tonight. I’ll be cold if you leave me outside, you wouldn’t want me to get sick, would you?” She was pouting under the mask, glancing up to see Mary staring down at her with a teasing, yet soft smile.

She leaned down, pressing a kiss on Riri’s forehead. “You’re cute when you beg.”

~

It was a week later when Mary went to collect her trial contacts. She was alone this time with the Timurov’s chauffeur since Riri wasn’t letting her pay for any other way of travel. It was fine, his name was Martin and she thought he was warming up to her slowly but surely.

Why else would he allow her to have the aux cord?

Plus, she got front seat privileges during the trip. A privilege that not even the Timurov sisters that he was assigned to got. That earned her bragging rights. She said goodbye to Martin and practically skipped to her and Riri’s shared dorm. She made it quick, since she knew lunch was ready and with that came one of Riri’s cooked meals.

She slid the glasses off, placing them back in their case before putting the contacts in. She blinked a few times, looking around the place to see if anything seemed off in her vision. Once she deemed it good, she headed out the door to the cafeteria. The place was bustling when she entered, passing by without an issue due to the black jacket she donned.

She sat next to Riri, noticing the crease between her brows as she flipped through paperwork. For once, her girlfriend didn’t seem to notice her presence. Mary glanced beside her to Kira and by extension Yumeko as they bickered about something. Classic.

“I’m just saying I think I need to get my eyes checked.” Yumeko pouted, “Don’t you want me to see?”

“You’re complaining that you can’t see small text across a gigantic cafeteria.” Kira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “That does not call for a vision test.”

“But...what if it spreads to the bigger text across the cafeteria?”

Kira glanced over at her girlfriend, seeing the pout form into a frown. She hated when Yumeko frowned. She leaned over, hand brushing a few strands of hair back. “Darling,” Mary forced herself to not gag at the loving voice Kira was using, “I will read you everything your heart desires, but I’m telling you that it’s normal to not see small text at a certain distance.”

She pressed a kiss on Yumeko’s lips, immediately splitting into a smile without fail. Mary gagged, immediately garnering Riri’s attention. She blinked, noticing the lack of glasses and questioning how long her girlfriend had been present without her knowledge. She leaned over as Mary took a bite of her lunch, a satisfied hum slipping through.

“How was Martin?”

Mary chewed and swallowed before answering, “Great, he let me sit up front.”

That caused Kira to whip her head around to Mary. Even Riri’s eyes widened. “He what? He gave you front seat privileges? We don’t even have those!” Yumeko patted her shoulder to remind her that she was still in a room full of other students.

“Wait- you don’t?” Kira snapped her attention to her girlfriend who fell into a fit of giggles, “Oh my god! Mary! We have front seat privileges before them!” She whisper-shouted across the table to Mary who also busted up into laughter.

Kira sunk down in her throne of a chair, staring at her food. “Riri...our chauffeur deemed our girlfriends as his favorites.” She grumbled, defeated.

Riri shrugged before turning back to Mary. As long as her girlfriend was happy, that’s all that mattered. She was a little sad that the glasses were gone now though, and the small pout must’ve been noticeable despite her mask covering it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll still wear my glasses before bed.” Mary tapped Riri’s mask, right on her lips. “Just for you.” She winked before returning to her lunch.

Riri sat up in her chair, smile wiping the pout off her face as she got back to work.

Evening couldn’t come fast enough.

Chapter Text

When she’s walking down the hall, when she enters the cafeteria, when she’s wandering around outside, Mary has picked up on one thing; every student’s reactions when they spot her. Either they run away, they steer clear, or they offer anything to her. She was, of course, utterly confused by this sudden change.

It had been happening all week, and on top of that, she hadn’t seen Riri since the Bet Gala. Riri, who stayed with her until being summoned by her sister, who seemed to have enjoyed their dinner date a lot, seemed to be avoiding her. She shouldn’t have felt so upset, it was just one date. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up at all, even if she did become sort of special since Riri talked to her.

“Hey Mary,” Ryan approached her as she walked towards the entrance of the school. He also seemed wary with her, what the hell was going on? “You good?”

“Um, yeah?” Mary’s forehead creased as she looked at him like he had just asked the impossible, “Why? Speaking of which, do you know why everyone seems to be avoiding me?”

Ryan looked around, almost as if checking to see if anyone would hear them. “It’s just, you have a bit of a...stalker.” And of course, Mary was only more confused by this wording, “The vice pres, she’s been following you, you know?”

“No, no I didn’t know actually.” Mary was taken aback, immediately looking behind her to see if said vice president was around, the same one she hadn’t seen at all and still hasn’t spotted. “Where? Are you fucking around with me or something?”

“No! Of course not,” Ryan also checked, and to his surprise, the person he swore was following her was gone, vanished. “I swear on my life, you can ask anyone around here! They’ve all seen her following you!”

“Right,” Mary slowly nodded, not at all convinced, “Well, I would ask if any of them would even talk to me, so if you’d excuse me.” Mary rolled her eyes before walking away. Riri stalking her? What a bunch of shit. She continued inside, turning corner to corner until reaching the hall leading to her dorm room.

The hall was empty, and as she heard her own steps echoing, she suddenly heard another. A singular misstep, like someone was trying to replicate her steps to avoid being seen. Mary came to a stop, and heard the sudden misstep again. She spun around, and to her surprise, was met with Riri Timurov, only about eight feet from her with her hands behind her back.

So maybe Ryan wasn’t bullshitting her. Maybe Riri really was following her around. Only one way to find out. Mary strode forward until a mere foot apart, “Riri, last time I checked, your dorm was the opposite direction.” Tilting her head with a smile, she was about to continue as she didn’t expect Riri to verbally respond.

“I know.” Riri’s voice was as soft as it was the week prior, muffled by the simple black mask she wore. “I wanted to see you.” Her eyes visibly softened, almost like she was relaxing just by being close to her.

Mary only let out a ‘hm’ in response for a moment. She took another step forward, eliciting a wide eyed response by how close they now were. “Is that why you’ve been following me around all week? Too afraid to come up to me?” She was only teasing, Riri couldn’t have been afraid of her. Riri was the sister of Kira after all, the vice president in the Student Council, Mary was no match for her. However, she had been proven wrong already today. Riri nodded in response, and it was Mary’s turn to be surprised. “What?”

“I-” Riri glanced to the side, taking a deep breath when Mary spotted the blush that was sneaking past her mask. Cute, she thought. “-didn’t know how you would feel.” She turned back, her eyes flashing a hint of sadness, “About seeing me again.”

“You don’t have the confidence I thought you would have.” Mary responded honestly, and Riri tilted her head in confusion. Almost like a puppy, maybe that’s what she was to Mary, a lost puppy. “I mean, you’re the vice president and you’re afraid to talk to a girl, but has no problem striding up to someone to crumble all of their hopes and dreams.”

Riri slowly nodded in response, eyes falling down to the floor. “You’re different than that.”

“I kind of figured.” Mary smiled, before hearing footsteps. Multiple footsteps, and Riri looked back up at her like she only had one choice; disappearing. “Ah-no, you’re not getting away this time.” Mary grabbed Riri’s arm, tugging it from behind her so she could comfortably grab her hand, “Come on,” Pulling the vice president along was certainly an ego booster, if anyone caught them it would sure put a dent in Riri’s reputation. Mary, surprisingly, didn’t want that to happen to her.

She entered her dorm room with Riri following behind, closing the door behind her. She turned around to see Riri looking around the room, “You share this dorm, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but Yumeko won’t be back for a while.” Mary sighed, plopping down on the bed and stripping her jacket off. “Sit.” She patted the spot next to her and Riri abided, sitting down without a response. Her hands were clasped together in her lap, her back straight like she was trained to sit this way, to remain sophisticated even if there was only one person in the room.

“I meant it.” Riri stated, turning to Mary. “You’re different. I...I don’t want to disappoint you, and I can’t read you like I can with others.” She paused for a moment, trying to decipher on how to explain her feelings. “I want to see you more, though, if that is possible.”

“What do you mean by see me more? You see me every day.” Mary knew exactly what it meant, she just wanted Riri to say it. She wanted Riri to properly ask her, even if it meant she stripped Riri down to a shy teenager talking to her crush. She wanted her to be that way, wanted to see the things no one else did.

“Like...a second date.” Riri confessed slowly, and Mary could only smile wider at the confession, “Would you-?”

“Yes.” Mary leaned in, carefully slipping her finger through the loop of the mask. Riri was shocked, but didn’t fight it. Mary unhooked one side, pulling it away enough to press a kiss on Riri’s cheek before hooking it back, “I’d love a second date.”

And later that day, when she slipped off her mask in the presence of her sister, she noticed a look in her sister’s eyes. “I see you were with your girltoy.” Kira commented before pointing her finger to her own cheek, “You’ve been getting along nicely.”

Riri felt a blush wash over her face as she glanced into a nearby mirror, seeing a lipstick mark on her cheek. “I didn’t notice.” Riri didn’t admit it to Kira, since Kira wasn’t one to talk all mushy, but Riri liked how the kiss mark looked on her. Maybe, just maybe, she’d have to get more from Mary.

Kira sighed as she noticed Riri deep in thought as she stared at herself. “Just don’t let her distract you from your work and I won’t get annoyed by it.” Riri glanced back over, nodding in acceptance.

After her talk with Kira, she began planning a second date with the kiss mark present on her cheek for the rest of the day, hidden by the mask she wore. A secret for only her and Mary (and technically Kira) to know.

Chapter Text

1; i was a human, breathing and thinking

It never felt familiar.

No matter how many times she stepped into this house that she was supposed to call home, it never felt like it. It was never home to her. She had discovered that home could be a human, could be another person, and she was torn away from her home a month ago.

Her father demanded that she stay with him for the entire summer while sending Kira to the dacha, away from her. He had made it clear that she would see no other soul other than him. That’s what he wanted. He wanted to control her again, he wanted to force her back into the mold that she was seeping out of.

All because a girl sparked a fire in her chest. All because a girl by the name of Mary Davis had climbed her way to the top with sheer determination. She had showed her what it was like to feel, to be human, hell - even to have hobbies. She showed her that it was possible for her to deter from the path that was laid out for her, she simply had to make a new path herself. Even when she discovered the truth, Mary still looked at her like she had hung the stars.

It was all ripped away from her.

She didn’t have time to warn, didn’t have time to react. It was already too late. Riri had been dragged away by the one person who made her feel, that made her realize she could love someone despite her past. She was practically a prisoner in this supposed home of hers, all because she felt human.

Riri had watched from the stairs when Kira stood at the front door, her luggage already in the car. She stood in front of her father, attempting to get through to him. To let Riri come with. All it took was a singular no. A single no, a single turn away from her. Kira had walked out without pushing. Riri didn’t bother questioning why the lack of goodbye hurt.

It didn’t take long for the cycle to restart.

The same abusive cycle that she had been sucked in before, one that would chain her to the ideas that her father pushed onto her. Be less human, don’t show any emotion, become ‘daddy’s little murder bot’. He wanted her ready for a seat that would never truly be hers. He wanted her to take every command without question.

He didn’t want her to react to the act of killing, to the act of betrayal, to the act of taking power. Her father wasn’t going to stop, and every single bruise that she received in the first month reminded her of that.

Riri stared in the mirror. She didn’t look like what she remembered. She didn’t look like the girl that had slipped out of the cage she was stuck in, meeting up with a girl who made her laugh. A girl who made her smile, who made her realize that there was more to life than what was laid out for her. Her perfume had long since faded from Riri’s sense of smell. Her image, however, would never fade. Riri had made sure of that in every second that they spent together. She spent every second in her vicinity memorizing every detail that made Mary Davis.

Riri didn’t even have it in her to cry for what she lost.

She stared at the bruise that she had for two days now. It sat on her cheekbone after she had zoned out for a moment too long. She doesn’t even remember the last time she slept well. Her dreams haunted her; dreams of freedom, dreams of the girl that she loved and yearned for.

She felt like a caged animal at times. Her door was locked from the outside when the clock struck midnight, unlocking at six in the morning when she would inevitably be ready for the day ahead. Except she was never ready, she just showed up like she was. She went through the days that blurred together, filled with the same act. Routine, discipline, training.

Her skills were sharpening, she could tell. She only did it for the chance of seeing her again. For the chance of seeing anyone again. Her father had emptied the place of servants, leaving only one other soul that Riri never saw. She knew they were there though, watching her every move.

Riri never stepped out of place. Out of place meant punishment, and she didn’t know how much more her body could handle. She had to endure it. She just had to, that’s all there was to it. If she endured it, if she lasted till the end of summer, she would see her again. Whether she meant her sister or Mary, she didn’t know.

She missed her sister on harder days. She wondered if Kira missed her as well. She wondered if Kira had rummaged through her room at the dacha, stealing clothes that she would deny being Riri’s. Riri never called her out for it, she knew she was practically the only person Kira truly had. That understood what she was going through every single day.

Riri had learned at the beginning of the second month that Yumeko had joined Kira at the dacha, accepting her father’s invitation from the retreat. Riri didn’t answer, answering meant punishment, but she did hope that Kira accepted Yumeko’s presence. She hoped that Kira was letting Yumeko close, even if close meant six feet away in the same room.

Kira needed someone. Riri couldn’t be that someone.

No matter how much her father tried, that stupid fire in her chest that burned with desire never went out. It never dimmed, it never raged, it simply stayed. Riri had long since given up on trying to put it out, and it seemed like her father did too. At least, that’s what she tried to convince herself. She didn’t want to imagine if her father was making Mary’s life harder.

No, why would he do that? Riri knew what he wanted, he wanted her to be a weapon, to be what others would fear. The fire burned, raged one night at the realization of what she needed to do. Riri needed to give into her father’s ways. It was the only way. She didn’t want anyone other than herself to be affected.

Her mask slipped back on, day by day, routine by routine. Riri couldn’t even recognize what she was doing anymore, she was simply just listening to orders. She did whatever her father told her to, and she could see the improvement.

Less bruises, less yelling, more praises. Praises that felt empty, that never truly felt like praises. They felt more like commands with the way he spoke, the way he always continued on afterwards with a reminder. “Don’t disappoint me.”

Riri never looked in the mirror anymore. She doesn’t remember when she last did. She doesn’t even recall what she looked like. But, she still remembered what she looked like. She remembered every detail, every quirk of her lips when she was trying to fight back a smile, every look in her eye that spoke so many words to her. Riri couldn’t forget, and she knew that the mask would never truly stay on.

It slipped in the last month of the summer after unfortunate timing.

She was doing so well, hearing so many praises and receiving less looks of disappointment. During dinner one night, she was told words that ingrained themselves in her head for the rest of the week.

“Your half-sister is coming home this weekend with Miss. Kawamoto. We will be hosting dinner, so do not disappoint me.” Her father spoke with a certain disinterest towards his daughter that he deemed a failure.

That’s all Riri could think about for the rest of the week. Expectant of visitors, more specifically, seeing her sister for the first time in two and half months. Would she look the same? Did she decide to alter her appearance? More importantly, did she make any progress with Yumeko? Did she let Yumeko in? Did she let herself be human?

Riri wasn’t oblivious. It didn’t take her long to realize that Kira liked Yumeko around. She never wanted to destroy her, she never wanted to destroy the chaos that was Yumeko. It was nice, it was refreshing, it was a challenge. Kira liked challenges.

The day came faster than she expected, or maybe it was because the entire week was the same exact routine. Every second passed had already repeated days prior. Her sister entered the mansion with Yumeko a step behind. Her father met them at the door before leaving for a quick trip, an unexpected one.

He had filled the house with servants again just for this day. Riri was in her room, she refused to face her sister when she couldn’t risk the mask slipping off. She was so close to freedom, so close to the new semester. Kira just had to wait a little longer. The routine was different today, she had nothing to do for once. So, after weeks of not looking in the mirror, she finally did.

Her bones were protruding from underneath her skin.

Her skin was noticeably paler.

For the first time since the start of summer, she finally questioned when the hell she last ate anything that resembled a meal. She couldn’t remember. When was the last time she slept fully? She couldn’t remember that either.

When was the last time she felt anything?

She already knew that answer, but she didn’t dare speak it into existence.

A knock at the door. A familiar pattern, one that had been used for years between the two sisters. Riri stood in her bathroom, not daring to move any closer to the door that she had locked herself. She heard the familiar voice of Yumeko, stripped from her usual tease and seductiveness. It sounded raw, like she was just as tired as Riri was.

That wasn’t possible.

“Maybe she’s sleeping?” Yumeko suggested, trying to ease the tension that Riri could imagine in Kira’s shoulders. There were too many times Kira thought that something happened to her sister. There were too many times she imagined her dead on the floor, all because she didn’t answer the door.

“No.” Was all Kira said. She knocked again, and with the urgency of a worried sister, she twisted the doorknob. Riri froze up. She didn’t know what to do. Riri couldn’t face her, not yet. She needed to keep the mask on, just for a little longer. If their father knew they interacted, after strict instructions to Kira not to, they would both be punished.

Another set of knocks, this time harder. Kira had practically pounded her fist on the door, the pain short-lived. Riri heard Yumeko’s voice, quieter this time. She couldn’t make it out, but she could imagine she was trying to calm her sister down.

The knocks stopped. Everything went quiet.

When her father arrived back home, dinner was set and ready. She finally unlocked the door after getting dressed, hiding away most of her skin and bones. Hiding away any bruises that might’ve been new or fading. Her mask hid half of her face, like she was taught it should.

She ignored the way Yumeko’s eyes felt like they were burning into her. Kira didn’t look, she refused to. Riri avoided them entirely, choosing to sit in her chair and either stare at her plate or glance at her father. Her father prioritized talking to Yumeko, never once showing Kira any ounce of recognition of her being home. Of her sitting at the same table as them.

Riri felt the mask slip when her father announced, “Well, Miss. Kawamoto, I am offering you the position of Vice President on the Student Council since Riri will be unable to join you this semester.”

The floor crumbled beneath her. She felt Kira’s eyes on her, she felt her hands twitch. Her expression stayed the same, but she finally glanced at Yumeko. Yumeko met her gaze. A realization settled deep into her stomach.

Riri was trapped.

2; now all i require is circuits and wires

Kira stepped into the somewhat familiar school. There had been no changes, but something was missing. Or rather, someone. Riri no longer stood by her side. She should’ve seen it coming, she should’ve known her father would keep them apart. That wasn’t even the worst part of all of it.

The worst was that she was scared for her sister.

Kira had only seen her during the dinner where Yumeko joined them, since her father sent her to one of their houses closer to the school afterwards. Yumeko had stayed with her. She saw that she was thinner, she saw that she was tired, but worst of all; she saw that she was back to being emotionless. She was back to being a shadow, a trained weapon in disguise. She was even worse than before though, like the life had been sucked out of her successfully.

Yumeko stood beside her as a reminder. Riri was gone, Yumeko was now the Vice President of the Student Council. It was finalized before the semester began, confirmed when the leaderboards flickered on to no longer show her sister’s name right below her. It hurt more than it should, and Yumeko could see it.

Her relationship with Yumeko could only be described as odd. She didn’t know what to label their relationship anymore. They had spent time together at her family’s dacha, discussing a multitude of things - sharing intimate moments that would go unsaid. One discussion that always popped up was Riri, and by extension, Mary. Yumeko had kept in contact with Mary, though she was barely acknowledged since she was practically ghosted the entire summer.

It wasn’t until the last week before school when they had their first conversation.

“Are you ready?” Yumeko asked.

“No.” Kira glanced over at her, “Forget the original plan, we need a new one.” They didn’t need to discuss what Kira wanted in the end, it was clear in her eyes. She wanted her sister back. She didn’t want Riri to be her father’s shadow, or even her shadow. She just wanted her sister, she just wanted the girl who had shyly confessed to her that she had feelings for Mary last semester. She wanted the girl that she could go to anytime she needed to rant, even if Riri wasn’t in the mood to respond.

She just wanted this damn void she felt to be filled with her sister again.

“And...what exactly do we tell Mary?”

Right. Mary, the girl that had reciprocated the love her sister gave her. The girl that would obviously notice the changes and start questioning things. She always questioned changes, Kira did not. Kira accepted them without question, but this time was different. This was too big of a change, even for her. She didn’t answer Yumeko’s question.

Kira stood in the open door, not daring enough to step into the empty room. It was still the same as when they left for the retreat. Some masks were left behind, one of which donned pearls. Recognizable to her, and undoubtedly recognizable to the girl her sister had fallen for. She didn’t even want to imagine Mary’s reaction when she came to school the next day.

She closed the door. Yumeko had refused to change rooms. She wanted to continue sharing a dorm with Mary because she knew she would need it. The comfort of another person in the same room. So, Riri’s room would remained untouched until her return. Kira was determined to bring her back.

It wasn’t until the next morning when she saw the state that Mary was in. She looked exhausted, energy drained from just being there, sitting in the Council’s office. The room was far too quiet, especially considering the other members.

They all saw what happened at the retreat, and now with Riri missing from the room, they were afraid to even acknowledge it.

So, Kira did.

“As you can see, we are...missing someone.” Kira didn’t need to say who, they all knew exactly who she was talking about. All eyes were on her, including the dark brown eyes Riri had stared into for hours. “My sister will no longer be joining us, and from now on, Yumeko will be the Vice President.”

Silence, the unbearable type.

She expected some type of reaction from Mary. She received nothing, not even a question. That scared her more than she thought, because she had a feeling that the moment this meeting ended; Mary would want answers.

Which is exactly what happened.

The others left in conjoined silence. Suki hadn’t even been on his phone for the meeting, Dori didn’t even twirl her knife - she didn’t even hold it. Chad had actually paid attention, and Runa sat there with a lollipop stick in her mouth, refusing to grab another. Mary sat there in her chair, still as stone even after they all left; leaving just her, Kira, and Yumeko.

She finally took a deep breath before speaking for the first time since returning, “Yumeko already knew, which means you told her something that you hid from the others.” Observant as always, “What the fuck happened?”

Kira didn’t want to answer, but Yumeko was in a rare form of silence. She was being left to speak, being left to answer for her sister’s absence. “My father did not want her returning.” She breathed out, staring at the fish bowl that sat in the middle of the table. Two mechanical fish - she was never allowed to have real ones. “I couldn’t even speak to her privately.”

Mary let out the most painful laugh Kira had ever heard. “So that’s it?! That’s the story you fucking give me?!” She stood up, and Kira finally looked at her to see the pain in her eyes. “I waited three months to finally see her, to hear from her, and you’re telling me she isn’t coming back.”

“I can’t give you another story.” Kira stated, attempting to stay as calm as possible. In that moment, it felt like she needed to be what her sister was to her; a pillar. Yumeko had already heard her pain, so it was time to let Mary be heard. She shook her head, forcing herself to not cry. “I didn’t see her the entire summer. I saw her once. I saw her when we sat at the damn dinner table when Yumeko got handed the position. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t do anything to change the outcome.”

Mary couldn’t argue regarding Kira not speaking. She saw what happened when she did, when she dared to speak against her father. She saw what happened when she finally snapped, and Kira was surprised Mary wasn’t currently yelling at her for hurting Riri. Kira hadn’t even forgiven herself and she didn’t believe she ever would, not until she spoke with Riri.

“Three months.” Mary spoke again, her voice cracking. “Three fucking months, Kira, just for you to tell me she isn’t coming back.” Her expression was cracking, she looked away before she actually broke down in front of them.

“I’m trying.” Kira didn’t take a step forward, she didn’t think she was welcome to. “I’m going to fix this, I’m going to bring her back.” She didn’t want to promise. She already broke her promise to Riri, she wouldn’t dare make another until she was certain that she would uphold it.

Yumeko finally moved, finally stood up to walk over to Mary. She was welcomed, stepping into her space and hugging the girl. Mary quietly cried onto Yumeko’s shoulder. The girl glanced over at Kira, a silent telling for her to stay quiet. For her to let Mary break down without hearing more.

The crying grew louder before the room fell quiet.

Mary’s breathing was ragged, but persistent. Kira stood, her body refusing to move. “You’re right.” Mary breathed out, finally pulling away from Yumeko. She turned to look at Kira, tears staining her face that she didn’t bother wiping away. There was a certain determination that burned through her in that moment, Kira saw it before. “You are going to fix this.”

That was it.

Mary turned and walked out.

For the first time, Kira had been given an order from someone other than her father. She wasn’t going to fight it though, not like she usually did when someone attempted to order her around. She was going to do everything in her power to fulfill this order. Not only for Mary, but for herself.

Mary let her pain out in the only way she knew how; gambling. She kept playing, kept winning, kept destroying the light in her opponent’s eyes. Kira let her. Yumeko let her. No one stopped her obvious coping mechanism, no one tried to. Students began avoiding her after realizing that they were allowing her to run rampant.

Kira continued to watch the cameras, a habit that would never die unless it was ripped from her. Yumeko stood beside her, but it would never be the same as her sister’s presence. They both knew that. They watched through the cameras as Ryan attempted to talk to Mary, attempt to get any conversation out of her. That was the biggest issue in the moment; Mary had practically gone mute. She really only spoke to Yumeko in their shared room, but outside? She was quiet, like she was trying to mimic what she missed most. Like she was trying to fill the void.

“She goes into her room sometimes.” Yumeko spoke, breaking the silence that usually appeared when they watched the camera views.

“I know.” Kira stated, “I’m not going to stop her.”

“I know you aren’t.”

Then, in the room with someone that she somehow trusted, Kira finally confessed freely to all of her thoughts. Everything she had been thinking of recently, everything she thought of before going back to school, everything and anything to do with Riri.

“I don’t know how to fix this Yumeko.” Kira practically whispered, “Riri’s withering away and I can’t do anything. She was thinner, did you notice? Her eyes were dead, there was nothing there. I wasn’t sitting next to my sister that day, I was sitting next to her fucking corpse.” Kira turned to look at Yumeko, her breathing growing inconsistent as she tried to avoid another breakdown. She lost count on how many she’s had, “I don’t know if I can save her.”

Yumeko’s eyes grew soft. She stepped forward, cupping Kira’s face as tears fell, staining her hands. She didn’t move.

“You’ll figure it out Kira.” Yumeko smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was a certain sadness in her smile, like she was trying to believe what she was saying. “You always do.”

“Do I?” Kira asked, her hands finding Yumeko’s waist as she pulled her closer. “I don’t think I can this time, not when I’m going against my father. Not when I’m not even allowed to see her or even speak to her. I don’t know anything that’s going on in that house.”

Kira glanced down at Yumeko’s lips for a split second. This wasn’t the time - or maybe it was, she didn’t know, she wasn’t taught when it was the right time to kiss your enemy turned partner turned possible lover. Yumeko noticed the glance, leaning in to connect their lips in a soft kiss. It was simple, it was short, it was enough.

“How about this.” Yumeko pulled away, pulling out her infamous chip that her parents had left to her from under her jacket. “Mirror side up, a miracle will happen and everything will fall into place. Mirror side down, we’ll struggle through this together and figure it out.” Yumeko’s smile was soft, genuine, even when talking about something close to a bet. Close to a gamble.

“Fine.”

Yumeko flipped the poker chip, allowing fate to decide.

3; ‘cause i had a fire, passion and desire

After the dinner with Kira and Yumeko, Riri didn’t see them again. It was devastating the way that one sentence broke her, the way it made her mask slip. She started making more mistakes, started receiving more punishments.

It didn’t matter if her nearly forgotten calendar said that school had started.

She wasn’t there.

She was trapped, trapped in a supposed endless loop of routine and punishments. The routine had changed after that day. Most of the servants were sent away again, one stayed and was ordered to deliver her food at the end of the day. At first, she barely ate, barely felt the need to. As the days continued, her plate was more and more empty after she finished. Her body started responding to the need of food again.

She never ate during the designated times where she sat at the dining table. On some days, she wasn’t even allowed to. Sent out for more training, for more of the same routine. Riri didn’t even realize two weeks had passed since school started for Kira. What was happening there? Was Kira still holding control without a problem?

Was Mary still there?

She knew damn well that Mary wasn’t okay. It was a feeling that settled in her stomach, one that wouldn’t go away. She couldn’t check on her, she couldn’t confirm how she was feeling. And the worst part?

Her image was starting to blur.

Riri was starting to forget the finer details of the girl she had fallen for. That she had been yearning for since she was ripped away from her. She tried, every night since she realized, to remember. To force herself to remember, to force her mind to stop forgetting details. She didn’t know when the bruises on herself started to be from her father or from the painful truth that she was forgetting the one person she wanted to be with.

That’s what truly broke her. Truly brought her to tears one night. She doesn’t remember the last time she cried, but it didn’t matter anymore. The last time she cried would be now, something she would have to forget about by morning.

How? How could she forget every detail she spent hours remembering? She practically worshiped Mary Davis, and yet after only three months, she was starting to forget. Pathetic. She shouldn’t be forgetting, she should be still seeing her clear as day. She could only imagine the disappointment in Mary’s face when she finally gets out of this prison.

Riri let out a broken laugh as she cried.

She wasn’t getting out of this damn prison. Not with her father constantly stringing her along a routine. Not with her father making sure she eats to keep her alive. It didn’t matter if she wanted out, it didn’t matter if she wanted to see someone else that wasn’t just her father; she didn’t get that privilege.

Riri thinks that’s when the anger started.

Her training became more of an outlet. More of a coping mechanism for the hell her life was. She fought with any weapon given to her, won any battle she was challenged to be in. Her father wasn’t disappointed, he didn’t seem to notice why she suddenly became more aggressive.

He didn’t care. To him, Riri was becoming the perfect weapon. A future assassin. She received more bruises during the training, but not from punishments. She didn’t care, the pain blurred together just like the days she lived through. She knew in the end that all of this pain was temporary. In a way, the only thing that could convince her to keep going was the idea that she would outlive her father.

In a way, she wasn’t too sure if that was possible. She wasn’t too sure if he would allow her to outlive him, because he knew the moment she did; she would rebel. It didn’t matter how much routine and training he hammered into her damn mind. That fire was still in her, impossible to put out. She was his only choice though, Kira had already been deemed a failure to him.

Kira wasn’t a failure to Riri.

Repeating days made her begin to forget. Repeating days made Riri forget her sister’s voice, made her forget Mary’s voice, made her forget every single voice except for her father’s. Repeating days made her start to forget the physical depiction of Mary, no matter how hard she tried not to. The memories were still there, but what was said? That was forgotten.

It’s what her father wanted. He wanted her to forget everything that made her love Mary, that made her have feelings. He wanted it all gone. Riri was still fighting, still trying to keep what she had left for herself. For the late nights where she just wanted to relive the memories, to forget for a moment that she was stuck here. He wanted her to lose all of it.

Riri just hoped that Mary would forgive her for forgetting. For spending all of that time memorizing her, only to forget. Her heart ached as the doubt flooded her thoughts. What if Mary was moving on? What if Mary was choosing to forget about her and find someone else?

Riri doesn’t think she would have a reason to live anymore if that was the case.

“You still haven’t fucking forgotten, have you?” Her father’s voice was edged, like one wrong move and her throat would be wide open for just standing there. “She will never love you, that girl will never love you like I do.” She didn’t react, she never did when her father went on one of his tangents.

She didn’t react when she felt the pain strike her ribs. When she was dismissed, her footsteps didn’t falter as the pain deepened from movement. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror again. She looked slightly human since she started eating again.

Riri thinks that’s when the anger worsened. Twisted into something that tasted bitter. Whenever her father would leave for a meeting, she would wander the house. To her father, it was just wandering. She didn’t walk into any room, she didn’t deter from her usual path. She walked in the middle of the hallway, not stopping for anything.

To Riri, she was thinking, mapping out a plan. That’s what Kira loved when it came to having her as Vice President. Riri came up with plans that Kira could never deny, they were always so perfect. When Yumeko had come into the picture, Kira never asked about her thoughts. About a plan. Riri had mapped out several that would end in Yumeko’s demise, but her sister never wanted to hear them.

Maybe it was a good thing in the end.

Another week had gone by before Riri had given up on plans. She couldn’t find a way out. She couldn’t find a way to ensure an escape without meeting her demise. Without meeting a bullet in her head. She didn’t want to risk it, not when she wanted to live.

She started dreaming of Mary again. She hadn’t for an entire month, but she started dreaming again suddenly. Like it was a sign, like it was the universe telling her exactly why she was still alive. What was keeping her sane. She woke up crying. Her body was starting to beg for the girl. Wanting to be held, wanting to be kissed, wanting anything other than the bruises and physical torture that her body had to endure.

That morning, she remembered something Mary had said. A random one-off comment that was never said again. Something that explained what Riri was going through in that moment.

“You’re like a quiet yearner type.”

She remembered her voice in that moment, the first time she remembered anyone’s voice other than the one she was stuck with. She felt butterflies in her stomach for the first time in what felt like forever. In reality, Riri felt butterflies in her stomach anytime she was around Mary. She was addictive. She was a drug.

Riri needed to relapse.

She needed something, anything of Mary’s. She wanted Mary. She wanted to hear her voice just once more, she wanted to see her one more time. Even just a picture, even just a voice recording. Something that would remind her that she was still fucking living. That she still had something to live for, that she wasn’t going to walk out of here in god knows how many months and walk into a dead end. Fuck, how long had it truly been? When was the last time it was just her and Mary? Alone in a room, laying in a bed that carried memories of just them.

She smashed the mirror in her bathroom. She couldn’t look anymore, she couldn’t stare at herself anymore. She wasn’t herself, she wasn’t Riri anymore. She was Arkadi’s daughter. She was Daddy’s little murder bot. She was nothing but a hollowed out body with organs that still seemed to function. That still seemed to want to function despite her trying to get them to stop. She wanted them to stop, she wanted to stop giving her father reasons to keep this stupid fucking routine up.

Every single day. It was the same fucking thing. Wake up, sit at the table for breakfast, go outside to train, sit at the table for lunch, listen to her father’s meetings, sit at the table for dinner, more training, actually eating, sleeping, repeat. All of it was on repeat. Nothing ever changed except for those stupid meetings. If it wasn’t for her damn calendar, she would’ve long lost track of the days.

Riri Timurov. A weapon, a hollow shell of a body, practically a corpse really. It was belittling to consider herself that, but it wasn’t far from the truth, was it? She had learned when she was younger that when you cage an animal for too long, they become more agitated when they aren’t in a proper environment. They start to bite, they start to attack, they start to rebel.

She thinks it was a Thursday. She couldn’t remember. The clouds were dark, rain was approaching. Rain couldn’t stop what was coming. Nothing could really.

Riri thinks, that on that random Thursday, the days stopped blurring together.

Riri thinks that was the day she snapped.

The mansion was empty. The only bodies present were hers and her father’s. Riri didn’t think, she acted. She acted because no one could stop her, she acted because she wanted out. She wanted to be free. She wanted to go home. She wanted to hear her voice, she wanted to feel her, she wanted to smell her, she wanted to see her.

Mary Davis, the girl who made her realize that she could choose her own path. And she did. She did by doing the only thing that wasn’t expected of her; stepping off of the path her father laid out for her.

The mansion burned around her as she walked, a flame that was spreading too fast. She had stood in the living room where her father slept, she had drugged him during lunch. She watched as he burned. She wanted him dead, she wanted to make sure he was dead.

It was raining when she stepped out of the mansion. Her entire body felt heavy as she kept walking, her clothes were going to be soaked. Hell, she might even get sick. She didn’t care. The rain wasn’t going to stop the fire that engulfed the entire mansion. The rain wasn’t going to stop her father’s body burning inside.

She fell to her knees on the concrete. She couldn’t understand why she was so exhausted. Did she not sleep last night? Was it still Thursday? She laid on the ground, slowly turning her body to stare up at the sky. At the clouds. The dark clouds that couldn’t put out the fire she started.

For the first time, Riri felt...relaxed. She felt like she could sleep for days. A raindrop fell on her lips. A raindrop fell on her lashes. Rain covered every inch of her, could practically drown her. It didn’t, it couldn’t.

She heard a voice, a familiar voice. One that she hadn’t heard in months, but god was it familiar. Her vision was blurring. She gave up, closing her eyes as she heard a familiar noise. Heels? She felt her shoulders being grabbed, and using the rest of the little strength she had, she opened her eyes to see a familiar blue lip.

Kira.

4; numb to the pain now, i knew what love was

Mary hadn’t realized she was rising on the leaderboard. She didn’t care. Nothing could bring back that infamous name that once occupied the spot below Kira’s name. It wasn’t until she was rank six that she finally stopped, mainly because Yumeko did it for her.

She didn’t try and fight it.

Mary didn’t realize that this was what love could do to you. She couldn’t even grasp the concept of forgetting Riri, of moving on from the girl that romanced her. She felt stupid at times, holding on to that little hope in her chest. Every single day, she wanted Riri to just walk back into that school and kiss her.

It never happened.

Mary was surprised she wasn’t failing school by now. She blames it on needing a distraction, on needing some part of her mind to stop thinking about her. Her body ached when she spent hours at her desk, hunched over as she attempted to forget for even a second. Her body knew what her mind wanted to forget, often times leading her back to that room. She doesn’t even remember when she got the key, she just remembers it sitting on her desk. A silent invitation from a certain someone who knew she was in pain.

She barely even talked anymore. It was like she wanted the silence to be comforting, like she wanted the silence to wrap around her. In some ways, it was comforting. It reminded her of Riri, which always twisted into something painful afterwards.

Was Riri okay? Mary had seen a small glimpse into the life that the sisters lived, she knew it wasn’t a good one. She knew they weren’t in the best situation despite their riches. Funny. She always envied rich people.

Maybe she watched too many movies.

Her dreams often consisted of the same thing; Riri coming back. Walking through the school doors, walking into the Student Council office like she was still the Vice President. Mary always woke up with tears already shedding. The whole entire situation started to make her feel insane when she stepped back to view the entire picture.

Riri killed three people. The driver, Blake’s father, Blake herself. And yet, despite the fact that blood was on her hands, Mary held them like she was afraid of letting go. She once got told that love made you do things you would never expect from yourself, and that would make sense considering the person she fell in love with. Despite the blood, Mary couldn’t find herself to be upset at Riri.

She knew it came down to one person.

Arkadi Timurov.

She didn’t need to question it, it was clear as day. She had heard it clear as day. The ‘gift’ he sent Riri, the bomb planted, waiting for detonation. Riri being the one to detonate it. What made it hurt more was the fact that Riri never denied it, Riri never denied anything regarding those deaths. She just accepted it, like that’s all she knew how to do. Like it was the only thing she could do.

Her chest hurt imagining Riri in pain. She was still alive, that was good, but it didn’t mean she was living. It didn’t mean Riri was happy, it didn’t mean she was taking care of herself anymore. God, Mary didn’t even want to imagine a malnourished, depressed Riri. She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey,” Yumeko began, a small smile on her face as she sat down on the bed. “You know...Riri isn’t going to be happy when she finds out you’ve been zoning out for almost a month over her absence.”

“Ha.”

Yumeko frowned, “I’m serious, Mary.”

“She doesn’t get to be upset over it.” Mary hissed, “She left me like this.”

“She didn’t want to.” Yumeko sighed, suddenly garnering Mary’s full attention. “Her father took her away, it wasn’t her choice. Kira tried to convince him to let Riri come with her to the dacha, but he denied.” Yumeko had heard all about it the moment she showed up at the dacha. It really didn’t take long for Kira to just start talking, and Yumeko simply listened to her rant. She needed it. “None of us knew he wasn’t planning on sending her back to school.”

I guess Mary didn’t realize how much pain Kira would’ve been in. She lost to her sister, she choked her out, but it didn’t stop her from caring. It didn’t stop her from wanting her sister beside her like always. Kira just wanted her sister back, Mary just wanted her lover back.

“How did she look?” Mary whispered, fear lining her voice. She really didn’t want to hear it, she didn’t want to hear the truth, but fuck, she needed something new. Some kind of update, even if it was an old memory to Yumeko.

“Do you want me to be honest?”

“Yes.”

Yumeko finally looked away.

“She looked dead.”

Kira couldn’t give her updates, other than “She’s not dead yet.” Mary noticed Kira was fidgeting more, disappearing more into her room where Yumeko most likely joined her. She never lost control of the school though, somehow she never thought once about losing it. She thinks it’s because if Kira lost control, all hope would be lost.

The Student Council continued to act accordingly. They listened more to Kira like it was their lifeline, like one wrong move and they’d be dead in an instant. They never had any quips, they never looked away from the President who was clearly exhausted. None of them wanted to say it, none of them wanted to tell her that it was showing on bad days. Even Suki, who practically worshiped Kira, didn’t have the heart to tell her that she looked exhausted.

Mary started waking up early. Before the sun rose for all to see, before students started to fill the halls. She sometimes wandered, sometimes ending up in her room, staring at everything like it was going to disappear. Sometimes she stole something from the closet, but never the jacket. Never the black jacket. It would wait until it was on the right shoulders again.

It was a Thursday. Early morning. She ended up outside, she ended up sitting on a bench as the morning air was cold and crisp. It hurt. She already heard the familiar steps of the Student Council President, choosing to act oblivious until she sat next to her. Kira never sought her out without reason.

“I might see her again today.” Kira finally spoke after a long unnerving silence, “My father called me last night, requested I show up to speak with him. I doubt it’ll end well, it never has.”

“...So, you might see her?” Mary stared out into the trees, not daring to look anywhere else.

Kira sighed, “I don’t think I will, in all honesty.”

Mary let out a broken chuckle, “At least you’re bring honest.”

Another round of silence, a little less unnerving this time. Kira stared at a tree in the distance, a piece of an arrow that had snapped inside the tree still visible. She never tried to fully pull it out, she just left it. A memory. Riri was beside her that day.

Kira hated the idea of fate, hated the idea of miracles. She never thought fate existed, she never thought there was any other path other than what was laid out in front of her. Her path was set before she ever existed. Miracles? Miracles were even worse. They were unexpected, they possibly ruined plans that she wasn’t aware of.

And yet, unbeknownst to Mary, Kira wasn’t acting on a plan. She was acting on the idea of a miracle.

Kira left halfway through the day, leaving Yumeko in temporary charge. With a lazy salute and a genuine smile, Yumeko watched as Kira left that day. Mary was behind her, gaining temporary Vice President power. It was strange, she never thought she’d have such a relationship with any of the people she called friends.

Mary laughed at the shocked faces of the other members when Yumeko said that she was in charge for the day. It was her first genuine laugh in months. Yumeko grinned, deciding to use that meeting as a way to break down a few walls between all of the members. It was nice watching as they gave some of their ideas, some of them were actually good. Yumeko jotted them all down, promising to talk to Kira about it. The atmosphere felt lighter for once, it felt like the others would slowly go back to their usual antics after this.

Kira called a little after four in the afternoon.

Mary heard a muttered “Put me on speaker,” before Yumeko set her phone down on the table. All of the other members were still present - Dori twirled her knife for once, Suki set down his phone to pay attention to Kira, and Runa had unwrapped another lollipop.

Yumeko didn’t have to tell Kira that the other Student Council members were there, it was almost like Kira could sense it. She acknowledged them all in a more affirmative tone, causing all of them to look around at each other. Kira was never affirmative.

“I will be gone longer than I expected to be.” Kira began, “Which means, Yumeko and Mary will stay in their temporary positions until further notice.”

Mary saw the worried look on Yumeko’s face. “What do you mean you’ll be gone longer? Did your father-”

“No.” Kira cut Yumeko off, suspecting what she was going to ask. The room fell silent again as Yumeko just stared down at her phone, no one questioned the almost-girlfriend nickname that she saved Kira under. “I called to order you, as my trusted Student Council, to reinstate Riri Timurov into the system.”

“What?!” It wasn’t Mary who shrieked, it was all of the other members except for her and Yumeko. Yumeko stared down at her phone, brows furrowed like she was attempting to decipher what Kira was saying.

“Is our beloved Vice Pres coming back?” Suki had been the one to ask.

“Yes.” Cheers were heard, but Mary was still quiet. Still processing what Kira was saying. Riri was coming back? What the hell happened then? Was the meeting with her father to tell Kira that her sister was coming back to school? Her thoughts were cut off when Kira spoke again, “You will see, no doubt very soon, that unfortunate circumstances have come up for us Timurovs.” With a deep breath that was heard over the phone, she continued, “The family estate burned down. My father did not make it and my sister is currently in the hospital.”

Silence.

Mary finally spoke. “Her condition?”

“Stable.” Kira answered, “She escaped the fire, minimal injury.”

“That’s our Vice President for you, strong as ever.” Dori twirled her knife again. None of them really cared for the death of Arkadi Timurov, that much was clear. Mary could tell though, they were all relieved and even excited to hear about Riri after months of silence. They would never admit it, but Riri was an unforgettable force. She was beloved by people she didn’t even realize liked her to begin with.

“So...can we visit?” Yumeko asked, mainly for Mary’s sake. She knew she would want to see the girl as soon as possible.

She heard a soft chuckle from their President, “I will text you the hospital when you can. She’s currently sleeping, I would rather not have her be disturbed.” Kira said before adding, “Besides family only at the moment. Davis should’ve considered putting a ring on her finger sooner.”

The phone beeped as the call ended. Mary stared in disbelief. Kira just fucking joked around with her, the sheer audacity of her! Still, for the first time in months, Mary felt relieved. Happy even. She couldn’t help but laugh a moment later before realization truly struck.

Riri was coming back.

5; eating and drinking, philosophizing

Riri didn’t know what day it was. She didn’t know what time it was. It was dark when she finally opened her eyes. She blinked, attempting to readjust to the darkness of the room. The only light came from the hallway, the curtains were drawn to hide what time it really was. She listened to the sounds of beeping; a heart monitor.

Oh.

She was in a hospital room. When did she get here? How did she get here? Last thing she remembered, she was laying in her driveway as her supposed home burned. Kira was there. Why was Kira there? Did she just imagine that?

Another light appeared, this time in the room itself. Riri turned her head to see a lamp in the corner. The light bulb flickered, but the sight was clear as day. A chair sat next to the lamp, a cushioned chair. Red. That wasn’t her sister’s color, more Yumeko’s, but Kira sat in the chair regardless of what color stained the cushions.

She looked tired, like she had been up all night. Or day. Riri still didn’t know. Was it still Thursday? Kira cleared her throat, standing up and stretching. She had been sitting for a while, that much was clear. Kira never stretched unless she had sat in the same position for hours. With that familiar click of her heels, her sister stepped closer until she stood right beside her.

Her sister stared. Riri stared back. There was a strange silence that loomed over them. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t a still silence either. It felt...full. Full of worry, full of unsaid words, full of a sister who had too much sleep and the other lacked it.

“House fire.” Kira finally spoke, her voice laced with exhaustion that reminded her of when Kira would stay up all night. She didn’t look at her, instead choosing to stare at the white hospital blanket that was surprisingly soft. Kira looked exhausted, genuine worried etched into her expression. She never liked hospitals. Hospitals meant a problem that she couldn’t fix.

“What?” Riri’s voice was hoarse, she doesn’t even remember the last time she spoke.

“Our home caught on fire.” Kira reiterated, her voice lacking the usual irritation that came with having to repeat herself. “Father died in the fire. The cause was faulty wiring, a shitty cause if you ask me. All it takes is a quick check, and the fire could’ve been avoided.”

They both knew that was far from the truth. There’s no avoiding the unexpected. There’s no avoiding a miracle in their eyes.

“You passed out from exhaustion after escaping the fire.” Kira exhaled, “Doctors noted bruising that couldn’t have come from escaping, that were too old to be from anything but...” Kira didn’t finish her sentence, deciding to form a new one. “They said you would be fine to leave after a quick checkup once you woke up.”

Riri listened, suddenly becoming aware of the bandages that wrapped around her ribs. They somehow hurt more when they were properly taken care of. Still, something was still bothering her after Kira explained what happened.

“Why were you there?” Riri couldn’t even remember what Kira was saying when she was falling into unconsciousness. She just remembered that she was there for some unknown reason. That she was getting soaked in the rain as she tried to talk to Riri.

“Father had called, wanting to speak to me about something.” Kira let out a chuckle, “Guess I’ll never know what that was about. Not that it matters anymore.” Riri noticed that Kira hadn’t looked at her since she began to speak.

Riri didn’t have to speak. The sisters were taught not to show any emotion, especially ones that would depict them as soft. They never shared feelings; the last time that even happened was when Riri confessed to loving Mary. Mary...surely she was aware of everything that was happening, surely Kira had already told her. Yet, she wasn’t here. There had to be a reason, she was sure of it.

Riri raised her hand, shaky, a motion that told her she wanted Kira’s hand to intertwine with hers. One of the many ways that they silently accepted each other, that they forgave each other for any wrongdoings. That they still loved each other in the end. That they were still sisters.

Kira was hesitant at first, staring down at Riri’s hand, bare of any accessories. She had a singular scar on the palm of her hand, small and faded. It wasn’t from any punishment or action, it was simply there. An accident with a kitchen knife when Riri was learning how to cook. To cook for her, for her sister that always liked things done a certain way. Riri always did it in every certain way that she had.

Finally, she placed her hand in Riri’s. Riri tugged her hand towards her, noticing a new ring on her finger. She knew every single jewelry piece that Kira owned and wore, but this one, this one was new. She was certain of it. It was a simple silver ring with a ruby. Red.

A smirk appeared on her face, “Where did this ring come from?” Her thumb tapped the ruby, the teasing clear as day as she glanced up. Kira bit her lip before looking away. Riri already had the answer.

Kira cleared her throat, ignoring the blush rising to her face. “It was just...a gift.”

Her sister glanced back over at her, slowly pulling her hand away. Riri just smiled in response. The air felt lighter, unsaid apologies and forgiveness hung around them. Riri’s mind drifted back to Mary in the silence. Considering Kira was the only one here, she either left or was never here to begin with.

“I was waiting for you to wake up before allowing anyone to visit.” Kira started, like she knew exactly what Riri was thinking. She most likely did, they were sisters after all. She cleared her throat again, like she was trying to avoid a certain topic. “Mary’s been...well, she could be better. She’s been waiting for you.”

Riri didn’t know when her heart started beating louder. She had been waiting months just to hear that. To hear that Mary was waiting for her, to hear that she still wanted her. Something washed over her. Relief? Guilt? Worry? She didn’t even know anymore.

“So, how about I call the doctor and get you out of here?” Kira smiled, “Or I can have her come here and see how much she affects you.” Kira cocked her head towards the heart monitor that was beeping rapidly. Riri shook her head a little too fast, hearing a real laugh from her sister before she walked out of the room.

Riri was staring at the entrance to the school with a certain heaviness in the air. She had already changed her clothes into more of the school uniform, and her mask was back on. Not for her father’s reasons, for her own reasons. She didn’t think she could say goodbye to her masks yet, she created a style from them and she wasn’t ready to part from it.

“Are you ready?” Kira stood next to her. Not a step ahead. She stood next to her like they were equals, and maybe, they finally were. Riri was beyond nervous, if her squeezing her hands tighter behind her back wasn’t already a sign. She didn’t even know what she would say to the girl she had been yearning for, but she knew she wanted to stare. To memorize. To re-solidify all of the details that blurred.

“I think.” Riri breathed out, suddenly aware of the fact that she was still breathing.

“I will handle the press, get them off our backs for a while. Then, when I have the time, I’ll begin dealing with everything related to father.” Kira explained before turning to her, “If...that’s okay with you.”

“You’ve always been better with that sort of thing.” Riri smiled under the mask before beginning to finally move. She stepped inside, noticing that the school was still the same as when she left. Her eyes drifted to one of the lit up screens that hosted the leaderboard, noticing her name right below her sister’s...and Mary at number six. She turned to her sister, raising a brow.

“Let’s just say she was coping.”

Riri stood in front of the Student Council office doors. Kira had already told her that Mary was going through some paperwork alone before leaving her at the doors. Deep breaths. Mary was on the other side, alone, waiting. Mary was waiting for her. Hell, she might’ve been expecting her.

She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it with a soft click. Mary was there, sitting at the round table. She didn’t look up, and at first Riri just assumed she was expecting someone else. Then she noticed the earbuds. She stepped forward, years of training to make her silent helping, as she stopped just short of the table.

Riri just kind of stared. Her mind was noting down everything she had forgotten, everything that slipped out of her mind due to the repeat of days and routine. Mary was still as beautiful as before. She still looked the same as before. Even with the black jacket that she previously wore with a facade, she now wore it with determination. With pride. With a reminder that she rose to the top again.

“Are you going to keep staring?” Riri snapped out of her thoughts to see Mary now looking at her, aware of her presence. There was a smile on her face as she stood up, setting the earbuds down, they weren’t even playing anything through them.

Mary was now in front of her, the details Riri forgot were in front of her. She cleared her throat to remind Riri that she asked her a question, and her response was a nod. Mary chuckled, and the noise felt like a reward.

Riri had suffered, she had gone through the same routine for months. She didn’t hear from anyone, she wasn’t allowed to. She didn’t speak to her sister, she didn’t speak to any of their staff, she only spoke to her father. Her father never laughed. He only smiled, and even that was laced with control and his deceiving nature. He trapped her, tried to make her call that burnt down place her home.

Her home was right in front of her.

“I’m sorry.” Riri finally spoke up, finally finding any string of words to say. She chose the confusing string considering the way Mary’s face fell for a moment.

“What?” Mary took a step forward, her eyes never leaving Riri’s. “Riri, there’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“I forgot.” Riri practically whispered like she was admitting to a sin, “I was forgetting you, I- I couldn’t remember your voice sometimes...I couldn’t remember all of the details I spent hours memorizing.” Her hand moved on it’s own, cupping the side of Mary’s face. Warm. When was the last time her body felt warmth? That prison was always cold.

Mary didn’t react to the coldness that touched her. She brought her hand up, more warmth, placing it directly over Riri’s. Riri was staring again, eyes drifting around her face and - were those her earrings?

“Well then,” Mary’s voice was soft. Riri had heard Mary’s voice in so many different ways, but it was always soft towards her. Like she wasn’t a weapon, like she didn’t just escape a torturous routine by breaking it - by burning it. “I guess you’ll have to whisk me away from this paperwork and memorize again.”

The days slowly went by as Riri fell back into the familiar routine of being Vice President. There were some new variables including Yumeko being in the Student Council...and in Kira’s life. Riri didn’t need to be constantly around her sister, she didn’t need to constantly orbit her anymore. That gave her more than enough time to be with Mary while Kira was with Yumeko.

Riri laid in bed one night, her arms wrapped around a sleeping Mary. She was still awake, listening and feeling the girl breathe into the crook of her neck. She felt warm again, even when she stood outside in the early mornings when the sun was still warming up the Earth.

She felt warm again simply because she was home.

6; inside was an ocean of soul and emotion

Winter had arrived at Saint Dominic’s.

Light snow was falling, covering the outside world with white. Classes continued, gambling continued, but one person was currently standing outside, deep in thought. Riri stood on the snow-covered sidewalk, staring off into the trees that were being coated in a light layer of snow.

She was cold.

The Vice President had wandered out with only a sweater to help fight the cold, not bothering going back to her room to grab better protection. She stood there in silence, letting snow flurry past her and sometimes land directly on her. She lifted up her hand, watching as snowflakes fell into her palm and disappeared, melting on contact.

Riri doesn’t even know why she was out there. She was most likely going to get sick, and would no doubt hear her girlfriend reprimand her for not wearing something heavier. Yet, her feet didn’t move to return inside. She remembers when she was a kid, watching as snow trickled down to the ground through her window. She was so excited anytime it snowed.

The snow was tainted red and she learned to never be excited again.

Now, the snow was pure white. No red, no blood, nothing was able to taint it except for footsteps. Her footsteps were already covered up, the evidence that she was outside long gone. Years later, snow felt peaceful. She could stand out there for hours, letting herself think in a familiar silence that was often associated with snow.

She doesn’t remember the last time she did it. She never bothered going outside in the Winter unless it was absolutely necessary, and most of the time her and her sister got sent to Russia for Christmas. Christmas was never as joyful as people made it out to be, at least in her household. Christmas was filled with meetings and coffee, not gifts and hot chocolate. They never watched movies that told tales about snowmen or elves or reindeer. It was just...bland.

The night before, Mary had come over to her dorm with two hot chocolates in matching mugs. After a short conversation a week prior about the lack of movies Riri had engrossed herself in, Mary took it upon herself to show her a few. So, after many years, she learned who Rudolph and Frosty were. It was warm that night, under the blankets with the one she loved. The hot chocolate had made her insides warm up after the first sip. She couldn’t even describe what she felt in that moment. A mix of an unknown nostalgia for movies she never watched and the happiness she felt by Mary simply being with her, she almost felt the need to cry that night.

Not because she was upset, not because she was angry, just because she was happy.

“Riri Timurov!”

Thrown back to the present, Riri turned her head to see Mary approaching. She held one of Riri’s expensive winter coat, and once she was finally beside her, she thrusted it into Riri’s chest. A silent warning about her getting sick. She smiled, even if it wasn’t visible due to her mask that she still had yet to give up - in her defense, she took it off when alone with any Student Council member. She took the coat, slipping it on.

“What are you doing out here?” Mary asked, turning her body to match what her girlfriend was doing; staring out into the woods.

Riri shrugged, “Just...taking it all in.”

Over the last couple months, Riri had slowly opened up more regarding certain things. Her childhood was a big one. Mary helped her fulfill any wishes she had due to her childlike wonder. Her wishes included children shows, old movies, and different snacks that she would have never had the chance of trying. “What was your childhood like with Winter? Christmas?”

“Bland.” Riri answered, feeling Mary hook her arm around hers. “Christmas was just business. I used to get excited for snow until father ruined that for me. He always disliked any positive emotion.”

“That much was obvious.” Mary rolled her eyes before glancing over at Riri. “What about Kira? Did you two ever celebrate Christmas here? You know, gifts and stuff?”

Riri shook her head, “We never spent Christmas here. Gifts meant we cared and loved each other, my father didn’t want that. He never wanted us to show that we could be soft, that we could be human. It meant we had a weakness.”

Mary hummed, slipping her hand down to intertwine with Riri’s. She gave her hand a quick squeeze before answering, “I think this year will be different.”

Riri knew it was going to be different. Her father no longer controlled them, meaning that for once, Christmas wouldn’t be filled with business meetings. Kira had been handling the business and politics side of things for the last couple months, giving them the free will to stay at the school over break. The rest of the Student Council had agreed to stay behind as well, deciding that it would be a lot better there than at their own homes.

They fell into a content silence as the snow continued to fall slowly, peacefully even. It never got worse, it never lightened up. It just stayed. Just like Mary.

“Why do you never ask me what happened over the summer?” Riri exhaled, her warm breath heating up the inside of her mask. Sometimes, when she fell into her own thoughts, they often brought her back to the fact that Mary never asked her what happened. She never attempted to find out, she simply just accepted the fact that Riri was back.

Said girl shrugged in response, “If you wanted to talk about it you would.” She turned to catch Riri’s gaze, “But, I’m not stupid Riri. A bit of a weak cover-up story was used, enough to deter the public.”

Riri blinked, “The...cover-up story?”

Mary chuckled, “Faulty wiring? Not the best cover-up story, it reminds me of the Sodder Children case.” Riri cocked her head, confused. “Right...I haven’t made you watch true crime videos yet. It’s a case regarding five missing kids that disappeared during a house fire. Claimed the fire was caused by faulty wiring when it wasn’t.”

“You’re saying you don’t believe...what the cause of the fire was?” Riri couldn’t figure out if Mary was about to say that she wasn’t a fan of arson or not. She couldn’t even read Mary’s expression, it was in a rare form of blankness.

“I’m saying it’s hard to believe when the only person who died was your father, and that all of the staff were reportedly off that day.” Mary shrugged, “If I can pry a little though...why did you do it? Why did you decide that arson was the best way to go?”

They fell into a silence that was disrupted by a gust of wind. Riri averted her eyes away, staring down at the snow as she thought about how to piece together her thoughts. Mary always understood, giving her time to think.

Her hand never left Riri’s.

“I wanted out.” She began, her gaze staying fixated on a random spot in the snow where a singular piece of grass stuck out. “That place was more of a prison than a home. There was no way of escaping without...” Riri let Mary piece together what she didn’t wish to say out loud, “I found my home, and I wanted to go back to it.”

“You found your home?”

“You.” Riri turned to face Mary, an undeniable softness in her gaze as she watched Mary slowly turn to look at her. Mary let out a chuckle, intertwining their free hands together. Her hand was cold, but Mary would inevitably heat it up in the end.

“I’m starting to think I know where your romanticism comes from.”

“...Where?”

Mary let go of Riri’s hand that she had been holding for most of the time, tapping her forehead. “Up there.” She responded, “You’re a romantic because you’re honest, Riri. One of the most important traits in a lover might I add.”

“I’ll always be honest with you.” Riri whispered before tugging her mask off, letting it hang around her wrist. She gently grabbed Mary’s now free hand to press a kiss on her ring finger. “I think I’m ready to head back inside now.”

“Are you sure? It’s chaos in there like usual.” Mary teased as she pulled Riri along, not giving her much of a choice. “Kira’s thinking about a Christmas tree, but I don’t think any of us will be allowed to decorate it.”

Riri slipped her mask back on with one hand, since the other was occupied in Mary’s still. “She’ll want it to look nice.”

“I know she will.”

Days later, Christmas had finally arrived. The school was practically empty, leaving the Student Council to celebrate together. They all gathered in the gambling hall where a seven foot tree stood, decorated perfectly by Kira and Yumeko. Gifts were dotted under it in various wrapping paper and gift bags, all with names on them.

As the gifts dwindled down, one was left with no tag. It was a small one, hidden under the tree. Runa picked it up, a questioning look on her eyes as she looked over at the President. Kira stood up, taking it into her hands carefully. She turned around to where her sister sat with Mary, holding it out for her.

Kira looked softer in that moment. Hell, she was wearing a blue sweater to match Yumeko’s red one, dawned with little reindeer and snowflakes. Riri, no longer dawning a mask in that moment, was wearing matching pajamas with Mary.

She accepted the gift, slowly unwrapping it after her sister sat down next to her. Kira was fidgeting as Riri opened the small black box, revealing two necklaces. Silver chain, attached to them was Russian words.

Always on one.

Forever on the other.

“We always said that when we were younger.” Kira said in Russian, clearly showing that this was a moment just for them. “When we needed something to keep us going on bad days.”

“We’ll always be sisters, forever and ever.” Riri repeated the phrase that they had last said before coming to Saint Dominic’s. They never uttered that phrase again, Kira had started promising different things after a bit of time spent as the Student Council President.

Mary and Yumeko exchanged looks. Neither sister knew that they had been slowly learning Russian, understanding a few of the words that they were sharing. Their respective girlfriends were the only ones who fully understood what their lives were like before.

Riri handed Kira the forever necklace, an offering that Kira accepted with a smile. Riri kept the always necklace, and no one questioned what the words meant after they put them on.

It was late, everyone else had fallen asleep around them as the Christmas movie continued playing. The Polar Express, a supposed classic that Mary chose since she was the only one who had experience with Christmas movies. Kira and Riri were the only ones left awake; Yumeko laid her head in Kira’s lap while Mary rested her head on Riri’s shoulder.

“You know I don’t believe in fate...or miracles.” Kira began, her voice loud enough against the volume of the movie that was being projected. “But...I trusted Yumeko and her poker chip to give me a miracle.”

“And?”

“And it worked.” Kira sighed, running her fingers absentmindedly through Yumeko’s hair, “You’re back, he’s gone, and we can do whatever we want now.”

“Are you sure we can do whatever we want? Isn’t there still the board and all of his associates?” Riri didn’t think that it was possible for them to be free from everything, just free from their father. They still had all of his unfinished business to deal with.

“Riri,” Kira looked over at her with a smile, “We are the most powerful people in this school now, even on the board. We can do whatever we want.”

Riri blinked.

“That’s terrifying.” She muttered.

“I know, but we’ll get through it together.” Kira pulled out the necklace that had slipped under her sweater at some point, “Right?”

Riri finally smiled and nodded, “Always and forever.”

Chapter Text

Click!

Riri leaned back, hiding herself from around the corner of the school building. She looked down, checking the photo she just took. It was nothing special, just a few students walking around outside. The school website needed an updated picture.

She crouched down, capping the camera lens before settling it down in her backpack with care. Her camera was a gift, an expensive one from Kira a year ago for her birthday. Riri would never treat a gift as anything but delicate. Zipping the backpack up, she pulled it over her one shoulder and started walking along the side of the school. She’d just go through the back entrance, like she always did when avoiding anyone.

Orange and purple swirled around in the sky as the sun’s last goodbye for that day before the moon took its place, shining throughout the night with surrounding stars. As Riri turned the corner to the back of the school, her gaze suddenly drifted up to one of the balconies. A single figure leaned against the railing, basked in the glow of the departing sun.

Mary Davis.

Riri had long since accepted that she was enamored by the Heart House girl. She doesn’t know when or where it started, she doesn’t even know why her heart chose her. Why Mary was the one she dreamed of, the one she always looked for in a room full of other students. Her ears always perked up at the sound of her voice, at the striking sound of her laughter, even knowing the difference between her heels and the countless other footsteps wandering down a hall. Kira had once said she was too far gone and to do something about it, yet she never could.

Talking to Mary was hard. Ridiculously hard. Riri thinks the idea of talking to her was deeply rooted in the high chance of rejection. Rejection was the last thing anyone ever wanted, her especially.

Still, she watched as Mary stared out into the endless stretch of forest. She let the strap of her backpack slide down her arm, grabbing it when the fabric met her hand. Riri set it down, unzipping it and bringing out her camera again. Her motions were automatic, pulling the camera higher to zoom in, capturing the sight.

Mary, leaning against the railing as the last bits of light from the sun caused her to glow like a candle in the middle of a room. A light source that would always cause Riri’s eyes to drift over, staring at the flickering flame to see if it would ever try to escape the place it was rooted in. Riri held the camera as still as possible, the camera shuttering as the scene was captured.

Held safely in her hands, the picture was now cemented, not only in her mind, but on the SD card inserted into the camera. She repeated the motions she performed earlier, sliding the camera back into the safety of her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder again.

She glanced up to see Mary was gone. Riri almost wondered if what she saw even existed in the first place, but she knew it did. She had the evidence, sitting over her shoulder, waiting to be seen again when she sat in the safety of her room.

Continuing inside, she walked along the right side of the hall, empty with dim lighting due to the time. Most students were closing in on their own dorms, ready for bed or the never-ending supply of homework. Riri arrived at her dorm, pulling out her key and unlocking it. Pushing the door open, she pulled the backpack off her shoulder and set it down in her desk chair.

Her room was nothing special, the dorm bland with a few added touches. Her love for botany was obvious the moment you entered, along with the books lining the shelves that showed her favorite way of passing the time. A few photos sat above her desk, favorites to be more specific.

There was a single Polaroid photo, depicting her sister outside surrounded by a flurry of snowflakes. Kira wasn’t facing her in the photo, but she could make out the side of her face peeking through the ink-black hair she possessed. The others were photos of nature, along with a single aquarium photo with Kira standing in front of a tank filled with different aquatic species. Her back was turned to her in the photo, but her presence was directly in the middle on purpose.

She took out the camera, opening her laptop that was always on her desk. She typed in her password before sliding the SD card out of the camera, setting it off to the side. She slid it inside of the SD card reader she always had plugged in, giving it a second to be read before the photos opened in front of her.

The first few were nothing special, just pictures around the school for the website to use. The last one, however, was the one she wanted to see again. The one that depicted Mary standing on the balcony, the glow of the sun causing her to shine like a star uncovering in the night. Sitting next to the desk on a stand large enough sat a printer, one often used by her when she needed to print specific photos or event posters.

The mouse cursor on her screen mimicked her finger’s direction on the mouse pad until she arrived at the ‘Print’ button on the top right-hand corner of the screen. With a simple tap, a new tab popped up with details she never adjusted after setting them the first time. She clicked the button on the bottom of the tab, closing it and listening as the printer kicked on.

The photo was in her hand moments later. She didn’t look away as her hand moved across her desk, grabbing one of the thumbtacks. Only after grabbing the plastic part did she finally look away, bringing the photo up against the wall. She pinned it, right in the middle of the others.

It stood out, just like how Mary stood out to her.

~

Kira rarely entered her room, but when she did, she always scoped the place out. Always looking for any new changes or differences like a puzzle to be solved. However, the new photo above her desk was painfully obvious. The contrast of colors compared to the rest of the room was enough to draw her sister in.

She leaned over her desk, eyes squinting as she took in the details of the photo. When she was done, she leaned back and turned to her. Crossing her arms, Kira had a disapproving look that only an older sister could have. “You need to make a move.”

“I don’t know how.” Riri responded, back turned to her as she slid two new books on her shelf. That’s the only reason Kira had come around, she just returned from a small trip in town and wanted to know if her younger sister wanted anything. Books were the answer she received.

“There’s so many ways to start.” Kira crossed the room, appearing by her side in seconds. “Even just a greeting, even just having a conversation with her. Anything is better than having a picture of her pinned above your desk.”

Riri sighed, her sister was right. It’s what led her to the current situation at hand; Mary was outside, walking with Yumeko and Ryan. Yumeko was, coincidentally, her sister’s girlfriend with a knack for constantly gambling. Whether it was for a slice of dessert or to simply play, she was always finding some way to do it around the place. Ryan could only be described by Riri as having a former crush on Yumeko and was just considered a friend of the girls he walked with.

Her issue derived from Mary’s two friends being there. If Riri was going to hold a conversation with her, she wanted it to be private at least. It didn’t feel right to just stroll up to Mary like they were friends, not when they felt light-years away from each other. They never had a reason to be in each other’s orbit.

She leaned against the old bricks, mindlessly scrolling on her phone and stealing glances of the trio in the distance. Riri was used to waiting, she lived in the constant waiting period people tended to experience from time to time. She thinks that’s why it was so easy to live with this crush of hers, even if on some days it was overwhelming, she still waited.

When she glanced up after a long period of staring at her phone, Mary was alone. Yumeko and Ryan had disappeared along with most of the students usually populating the outside area. A few stragglers were around, but her focus was on Mary.

Mary stared at her phone, brows creased as she appeared to be reading something. The sun was shining down, wispy clouds scattered around in bright blue. It was the appropriate amount of light to see every detail of the girl across the campus, standing in the middle of a sea of green.

Riri wanted to capture the moment. Even if she lacked her camera, her phone was a good enough placeholder at the time. She kept her eyes on Mary as she maneuvered through her phone screen, tapping on the camera app. It would be weird, she knew that, if she was caught taking a picture of her.

The picture was quickly aligned, the photo taken in silence. She didn’t bother checking it, pushing herself from against the wall and moving faster than usual to get away. Riri would need to try a conversation with the girl another day, but for right now, the captured moment was enough.

~

The time came when Riri was in the library, organizing a row of books with delicacy. She never liked the lack of organization, the lack of care anyone gave for the room. She always believed written words were better than digital, always worth preserving them on walnut shelves.

Mary entered the library with her backpack, noticing her before moving along to the table next to the open window. She pulled two chairs out, sitting her backpack on one before turning to the bookshelf behind her. Her hand lightly skimmed over different spines, stopping on a maroon-colored one. She pulled it out of its place before turning, sitting down in the other chair.

Riri wondered what the book was, the title hidden from her view when Mary opened it to a random page. She turned, the sound of the backpack’s zipper being heard before she pulled out a notebook, opening it up to a blank page and grabbing a pen. She left her backpack unzipped as she skimmed through the pages, jotting down a few words.

Riri turned after realizing how blatantly obvious she was. She knew it was rude to just stare with nothing else attached. She focused, tried to in reality, on organizing the many books in front of her. The only sounds filling the space was Mary’s pen on paper, the flip of pages, and Riri pulling and pushing books onto shelves.

The pen stopped, Mary’s hand frozen above the notebook page. Her head turned, watching Riri as she pulled a few books out, stacking them on top of one another in one hand. She stepped further into the crevice between two bookshelves, returning the books to their rightful place throughout the walnut shelves.

“You have an attention to detail.” Riri faltered, dropping a book and hearing a thump as it hit the wooden floor. She glanced over to meet Mary’s sheepish grin, “Sorry.” She stood up, walking over to Riri and picking up the book, sliding it back where it belonged.

“I don’t like disorganization.” Riri spoke, her voice soft against the fabric of her mask.

Mary took the next book in her stack, sliding it between covers similar to it. “I’ve noticed.” Riri was next, kneeling down and sliding a hardcover novel to complete a trilogy. There was only one book left in her hand before she handed it over for Mary to take.

“You also have an attention to detail?” Riri watched as Mary stared at the cover of the book before glancing around the shelf. A smile tugged against her lips before she pointed at a hollow space on the end of the shelf. “I’ll take that as a no.”

Mary let out a small laugh, slipping the book between another and the wood. “I only pay attention when I’m interested in something.” She started walking back over to the table, sparing a single glance to Riri. “Or someone.”

She sat back down at the table, resuming her note taking like the confession wasn’t lingering in the air between them. Riri watched her for only a moment longer before stepping out from between the bookshelves, taking her leave with no response.

She didn’t know what to say, her heart was beating too loud against her rib cage. The cluster of students walking by, chatting up a storm, wasn’t enough to combat the sound. Riri kept walking further and further away from the library that held the confession given to her. She would hold it dearly until she found a way to respond.

Ending up in the Student Council office, her sister noticed. Kira turned to her, seated in her designated chair as she watched Riri walk over to sit in her own chair. Her heart beat wasn’t as loud anymore. Kira continued to stare at her like she could hear it herself.

“What happened?” Kira finally asked, leaning back in her chair. Papers sat in front of her, the midnight blue pen she always used sitting on top of them. Riri cracked her knuckles before letting her hands fall into her lap.

“How did you confess your feelings to Yumeko?” Riri stared down at her hands as she became painfully aware of the mask she always wore. Mary had never seen her face, never seen what was hidden under the fabric, and yet she casually confessed to her in the walls of the school’s library.

“All I had to say was I like you too.” Kira responded, “I didn’t confess first.” Riri and her sister had something in common; the lack of taking authority when it came to love. Neither confessed first, they simply responded with their true feelings for the other.

Riri nodded before standing up, leaving the room without an interruption.

~

It was early, too early for any other student to be up except for her. Riri wandered outside, camera in hand as she planned to capture the morning atmosphere. The sun was slowly rising, the sky taking a light blue color. It had rained during the night, the smell strong and attaching to her as she walked on the sidewalk.

The forest was her favorite view in the early morning. Fog covered the top of the trees, basking them in a mysterious setting. The Earth’s natural sounds were always in fruition during the early mornings, lacking human-made sounds from blocking the planet off. She used to prefer the sounds of the planet they inhabited, but now she preferred the different tones of Mary’s voice.

Perhaps they could mesh together to create a serene atmosphere.

The camera shuttered a few times as she added to her collection of morning captures. She captured the sight of a few birds flying out of the trees, ready to start their day. She stood there in the grass, head down as she viewed the different photos on her camera screen.

Click!

She snapped her head up, turning to see Mary lowering her phone in real time. No one else was supposed to be up this early, yet they were. A soft smile was present as the girl checked the photo she took of Riri before sliding her phone in her pajama pants pocket.

“Are you possibly the mysterious photographer other students whisper about?” Mary stepped closer, her slippers pressing into the Earth before she stopped next to her. She didn’t turn to face the forest or the school, she stayed facing Riri.

“Possibly.” Riri answered, realization dawning on her a second too late. She wasn’t wearing her mask. She was exposed to the girl she liked, her entire face as clear as the sky was becoming. “What did the whispers entail?”

“Nothing in need of being repeated.” Mary shrugged, her gaze never drifting. “They simply intrigued another soul to wanting to solve the mystery.”

Riri glanced down at the camera. Mary had a picture of her, sitting in her pocket and readily available to anyone she’d let see it. The idea of her identity being exposed settled in her mind, tugging at her heartstrings. Regret began to boil deep inside of her.

“So, mystery solved?” Riri didn’t look up from the camera screen, the photo of the birds still showing. She didn’t want to look up and expose herself to the possible truth.

“For me, at least.” Mary responded before Riri suddenly felt a quick, light kiss press on her cheek. The regret melted away, the anxiety of the possible truth snapping in half. The possible truth was just a conjured up possibility, nothing more than a thought in her head.

She blamed the morning chill in the air for why a blush painted her face. Her mask wasn’t present, unable to hide the blaring truth to Mary. Riri didn’t dare look up, still staring down at her camera screen, dimming from the inactivity.

Footsteps were heard, fading the further they got from her. When she finally looked up, Mary was long gone, leaving her with the sounds of nature to fill the void.

~

Riri delicately held the photo in between her fingers, pulling the thumbtack out of the wall using her other hand to avoid losing the cherished picture to the crevice between her desk and the wall. She stared down at the photo again, the orange and purple contrasting the black created by the shadows of the light.

She slipped the photo into her inner coat pocket before walking out of her room, her mask covered in a dark gray checkered pattern. Riri walked down the hall, past the Council office and straight to the library. Walking inside, it was exactly how she expected it.

Mary was already there, sitting at the table next to the window. Notebook open to a new page, pen running along the printed lines. A new book sat in front of her that day, title still unknown to Riri. She walked over, letting the photo fall on top of the random pages.

The girl next to her paused, looking up at her before her gaze flickered down to the photo. She picked it up carefully, examining the photo’s details. The soft smile she had the morning before was present again. “I was wondering how long it would take for me to see this.”

Riri watched her set the photo back down on the pages. “You knew?”

“As I said before,” Mary stood up, turning to fully face her. “I only pay attention when I’m interested.” Her hands came up, cupping the mask she wore. She didn’t attempt to remove it, she let it rest between her hands.

A more shallow breath escaped her, the touch feeling warm despite the barrier. She could feel the tip of her fingertips, lightly grazing right below her fixated eyes. “You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to photograph.”

“You should do it more often then.” Mary leaned closer, pressing a kiss directly where her lips sat underneath the mask. It was soft, barely grazing her lips, but she felt every inch of it. Her eyes closed briefly during the contact, opening again when she no longer felt the pressure. “I like how you view me.”

“I like you paying attention to me.” Riri’s voice came out breathless after the indirect kiss. Mary’s smile split wide open into a grin after receiving such a reaction to the affection she gave her. She finally pulled her hands away, and the physical touch of warmth remained on Riri like a tattoo, permanently stuck to her even if she knew it would fade eventually.

“As much as I like the mask, I think I like it a little more when it’s off.” The grin faded back into the ever-present smile. Riri knew she could stare at the sight forever, but the need to eternalize it would always be there, embedding itself into her second nature.

“I’m not stopping you from removing it.” Granting permission to the girl in front of her, Mary took it. Slipping her fingers through the strings creating a loop around her ear, the only thing holding the mask against her face, she unhooked them from behind Riri’s ears and pulled the mask off.

Mary set it down next to the book without looking away from the sight in front of her. Her hands returned to cup her face, the warmth bleeding through her skin as Mary brushed her left thumb against her cheekbone. She leaned closer to the contact, eyelids fluttering shut as she focused on the feeling.

“Can I kiss you?” Mary’s voice was barely above a whisper, and if they weren’t in the secluded library, hidden away from the chatter heavily associated with the student body, she would’ve never heard her. But, she did. Riri opened her eyes, noticing Mary had taken a step closer.

“Yes.” Her hands moved on their own, finding their new home on Mary’s waist. She wasn’t wearing the school’s signature blazer, allowing her to feel the heat of her skin covered by the white dress shirt.

Mary leaned in, and without the initial barrier, her lips pressed onto Riri’s. She could taste the lip gloss Mary always close to wear, the flavor of cherry staining her lips. The kiss was shorter than she wanted it to be, but she knew what it truly meant. The sharing of feelings between the two, melted down to a physical connection that she would endlessly receive as long as they are together for.

~

Riri peeked out from around the corner of the building, noticing Mary sitting alone on a bench. She was reading a book, one that she had recommended her a few days prior. She pulled back, crouching down to her backpack that sat next to her on the grass.

She took out her camera, peeking around again to see the same sight. Riri zoomed in to the scene, adjusting the angle before landing on Mary directly in the middle. It was cloudy that day, the sun unable to shine bright to show off the one she loved.

Ever since the shared kiss in the library, and the many more after that, Riri was unable to stop herself from finding Mary throughout the day and snapping a picture of her. She wished to memorialize the girl she fell in love with, the girl who found a home in her heart.

At the end of the day, she would show the photo to Mary and receive a kiss with a compliment attached to it. She’d slide it into the photo album filled with many others that were differentiated with different settings, angles, and lighting.

Click!

Chapter Text

Mary was a ruler of a country by the seashore. Her trades and the country’s markets depending on the bustling ports to keep the country running, and for the last few years, she has been highly successful.

She became queen far too early, only being twenty when her father died and her mother wasn’t fit to rule anymore. Despite being young and having many in the kingdom both grieve and worry for their futures, she proved them all wrong over the years.

There was just one problem that plagued her during the first four years of her reign, and it was the assassination attempts. She was familiar with them, practically grew up with them, but these were towards her life. Not her parents. Sure she had bodyguards, but none seemed to quite keep up with the threats.

Two years prior to the present, her prayers were listened.

“Queen Davis, you have two visitors requesting your presence. They come from the fallen country North of us.” One of her guards stated after entering the throne room, bowing as always.

“The dictatorship?” Mary asked, stepping over.

“Yes, my queen.”

Mary hummed, glancing over at the maid she was talking to. She excused her before turning back to the guard, “Take me to them.” After another ‘Yes, my queen’ the guard turned and walked out with Mary following.

She brushed her braids back behind her shoulders as she entered the banquet room, spotting two unfamiliar women. They were dressed in dark clothing, one representing in a dark-blue dress while the other wore a black suit and a matching mask covering the lower half of her face.

As Mary approached, the two bowed. “State your business.” She motioned for them to rise again. The woman in the dark-blue dress stepped forward, her lip color matching.

“Queen Davis, I am Kira Timurov of the now fallen Timurov dynasty.” The woman, now introduced as Kira, turned slightly towards the other woman. “This is my sister, Riri Timurov. We come in peace and possible alliance.”

“Alliance? I do not wish to speak harshly of your recent grievances, but you have no ruling.”

“Trust me, there is no harm of speaking harshly about our father.” Kira smiled, “He shall know no peace, he was a terrible man and I am glad to see he has passed.”

Mary was slightly stunned, but moved past the feeling. They certainly had different viewings of their own fathers passing, but she assumed that came with being under a dictatorship. “You certainly speak with distaste.”

“Only towards the worst of them.” Kira responded, “You see, we come in search of a peaceful move. We do not wish to align ourselves with the newfound free land, and your kingdom has been known to be at peace with many others.”

Mary chuckled, “Peace? I think I deal with more assassins than love interests.”

Kira smirked, leaning forward. “Then allow me to vanquish those assassins. You see,” She leaned back, holding out her hand to motion towards her sister. “My sister has been trained by the very best and has been my bodyguard since we were younger. I may vouch that she can handle any situation, fast and silent, almost like the assassins you speak of.”

Mary crossed her arms, raising one to tap against her cheek. “Why is it that you are a former heir and she is a mere bodyguard despite being related?”

Kira’s smirk dropped, glancing back at her sister before turning to answer. “My apologies, I refer to her as my sister because I see her as such. In truth, she is my half-sister. Two different mothers, I hope I must not speak the truth out loud for you to understand.”

“You do not.” Mary took in the sight of Riri. She was still as stone, disturbingly so, and she did notice her eyes scanning the room when she entered. Even now, when someone entered through a side door and approached.

“Queen Davis and guests, my deepest apologies for the interruption.” The woman next to her wore a red dress, a lighter color than her crimson, and was actually her lady in waiting. Mary did not miss the way Kira practically ogled the woman.

“One moment,” Mary turned away, walking a few steps before stopping. “What is it, Yumeko?”

Yumeko’s eyes were stuck on Kira before Mary tapped on the shoulder, snapping her out of the daze she was in. “Apologies Mary, but the wine from the harbor just came in and they lost a quarter of the shipment from the rough seas.”

“How much is in the wine cellar?”

“Enough, I just did not wish to take from your personal collection.”

Mary hummed, “You may do so, I barely drink unless on an occasion such as this one.”

“Right away.” Yumeko bowed before taking her leave. Mary stepped back over, watching Kira’s eyes follow Yumeko until she was out of their sights.

“Yumeko,” Mary snapped her attention towards her. Riri’s was already on her, almost deliberately following her along with a scan of the room from time to time. “My lady in waiting. I did not expect such interests from you.”

“My apologies.” Kira bowed, ignoring the slight blush on her face.

“None needed.” Mary smirked, “It seems as though she may share the interest. Back to the matter at hand, however, you were saying you wish to...lend your sister off to me?”

“If it saves you the headache of assassinations, then yes.” Almost as if by command, Riri stepped forward to stand by her sister’s side. Her hands were behind her back, posture well practiced. “If you would like, you can test her in any way, but do trust in my word that you will be more than pleased with the results.”

An actual bodyguard would be nice in her opinion. Most of the bodyguards she’s had come in packs, and are often men. This would be a completely new experience.

“Luckily for you, I am holding a ball this evening. It would be a wonderful night to put her to the test.” Mary glanced over at Riri again, “Though, if I may pry to settle my curiosity, why the mask and lack of voice?”

“The mask comes from my mother’s wishes. If you are wondering if she still possesses her tongue, that is a yes.” Kira hummed, “She does speak, only when necessary.”

Mary finally stepped closer, towards Riri. She stepped in front of her, eyes dragging along her figure again before meeting her gaze. “I hope you don’t mind having a chatty queen then.”

Two years later, she could confirm Riri did not mind at all. She actually enjoyed listening to Mary talk, even if it was about the most mundane things. She was also, indeed, the best bodyguard she had ever had. She couldn’t count how many times Riri has saved her.

She also couldn’t count how many times she’s tended to wounds because of her. Or how many times Riri had to coax her through when she got injured because, despite being her bodyguard, Mary hated seeing her injured.

Mary could only assume that came from letting herself be too close and falling in love.

Many believed Mary would never have a ruler by her side, and they were right, because she’s content with what she had. She had a bodyguard who she danced with in every ball and slept with every night. If anyone outside of the castle knew, they certainly did not care.

~

It was another day of being queen, a banquet dinner being prepared to celebrate an alliance with a faraway kingdom. Many other rulers were planning to attend, which meant making sure that everything was perfect.

She entered the banquet room, listening to the familiar sounds of bickering coming from her lady in waiting...s. She had two, technically? Mary, in simple terms, gave Kira the title after her and Yumeko’s shared interest for one another bloomed into an actual relationship. For being a former heir, Kira did not mind it at all.

“Will they not enjoy a mixture of colors?” Kira questioned, “A different view, perhaps?”

“Kira, whom I love with all my heart,” Yumeko said through gritted teeth, “You don’t want to end up on the outside looking in, right? If not, I recommend continuing to go along with the colors chosen.”

Kira bowed her head, “Apologies, my love.”

“All is forgiven.” Yumeko pressed a kiss on Kira’s cheek before turning her attention towards the queen and her bodyguard approaching. “Ah! Mary, Riri, glad to see you out and about.”

Mary raised a brow, crossing her arms. “Why are you acting as if I am a homebody?”

“Since your weekly visits to see how the civilians are being treated turned bi-weekly.” Yumeko smirked, glancing over at Riri. “I wonder why.”

“Like you aren’t stuck in your room until the last minute before your schedule.” Mary rolled her eyes, “Is preparations going well?”

“As well as always, bickering included.” Yumeko poked Kira’s cheek, ignoring her attempts at pushing her hand away. “We should be done soon.”

“Wonderful, our first guests should arrive here shortly.” Mary glanced over at Riri, “Do greet them if I am not around.”

“How scandalous!” Yumeko exclaimed as Mary and Riri turned to walk away.

“Scandalous in front of her own sister, mind you.” Kira huffed, but they were already gone.

Mary walked with Riri by her side, continuing down the hall towards her bedroom. Riri remained, quiet and aware as always. She never reacted to anything outside of the privacy of her - their - bedroom. Of course, that’s exactly what Mary wanted; a reaction.

Stepping inside first, Riri scoped out the room like usual. It was a habit, one hard to break for someone so determined to protect the queen. Mary stepped in afterwards, shutting and locking the doors behind her before walking over to her bed. After ensuring the lock was secure on the balcony doors, Riri turned and walked towards her.

Hands came up, removing her mask that she set on the bed next to Mary. Mary would never be able to get over such a sight, not after the entire year they’ve been together. It felt like multiple if she included the entire year beforehand of a building tension between them.

“A shame to not see such beauty in every waking moment.” Mary hummed, watching Riri kneel down in front of her. She placed her hands behind her back, looking up at her with an expectant gaze. Mary lifted her heel, placing it right on Riri’s chest. “Have I ever told you how much I love this sight?”

“You remind me every time I’m in this position.” Riri’s voice was soft, she’s never heard it as anything but. She leaned down, pressing a kiss against her ankle. As delicate as if she was touching glass, Riri moved her leg slightly to continue kissing further up, slipping her heel off in the process.

She pushed the fabric of her dress, higher and higher until she reached her knee. Mary leaned back, hands pressing into the mattress as she stopped Riri with her other heel on her shoulder. “Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

“How could I?” Riri leaned back, her hand firmly placed on Mary’s ankle to keep her foot from falling. She turned, pressing a kiss on her ankle before removing her other heel, continuing to trail up her leg until she reached her knee again. She was stopped again by Mary’s foot on her chest.

“Who said I wanted you on your knees for this?” She cocked her head to the side, earning the sight of Riri licking her lips before she pulled herself up. She pressed her knee into the mattress beside Mary’s thigh, pausing for a moment.

“You’re going to need more bed than what you’re sitting on.” Before Mary could react, Riri lifted her up and pulled her further up the mattress. She let out a gasp before her back hit the mattress, meeting Riri’s lips in the process.

Mary’s hands found the back of Riri’s neck, one traveling further up to free her hair from the bun she wore. Riri’s hands were busy, traveling and pressing around the queen’s body to elicit gasps and moans as reactions, all muted by her mouth. Her knee shifted up to sit in between Mary’s thighs, earning a jerk of her hips in response.

Riri finally moved away from her lips, focusing next on her jaw and neck as she continued to kiss further down to her chest. Every inch of available skin was kissed and licked as she pressed her knee further up, earning the feeling of Mary opening her legs in anticipation. She kissed up to Mary’s ear, lightly biting the tip of it and hearing a hitch in her breath.

“Go on,” She whispered, “Ride me.”

Mary let out a groan, “At least lose the jacket first.”

Riri reluctantly pulled away, tugging her black suit jacket off to reveal the white dress shirt underneath. She leaned back down, connecting their lips as Mary began lifting her hips in an up and down motion, creating friction between her and Riri’s thigh.

Her nails dug into Riri’s back, a light hiss passing through their lips as she thrusted her thigh further. Mary moaned into the kiss before Riri pulled away, continuing to kiss down to her chest again. Due to the fabric of the dress, it was easy for her to tug it off Mary’s shoulders and allow her to free her breasts.

Peppering kisses between her breasts, she heard an annoyed whine as Mary continued to ride her thigh. She licked along the curve on each side before finally kissing to the nipple, taking the right one between her lips to suck. She earned a moan that was cut off by Mary’s hand, her other continuing to grip onto Riri’s shoulder like her life depended on it.

She let go of the right nipple, moving over to the left one to give it equal attention. She heard a muffled, “Ah- Riri-” before Mary seemed to bite the palm of her hand to keep her quiet. It was such a shame Riri could only hear the full capacity of her moans when it was night and the guards have long gone to rest.

She trailed back up, kissing Mary’s neck again as her hand slid down to press against her clit as she rode her. A louder moan, still muffled, slipped out as her hips jerked from the touch. Her grinding sped up the slightest, continuing to make contact with Riri’s hand as she thrusted her hips up.

The sound of knocking at the door was heard, and they both froze. Mary was out of breath, moving her hand away after letting out a groan of annoyance. “Queen Davis, the guests are beginning to arrive and are requesting your presence.”

Mary took a few deep breaths to regulate her breathing as Riri pulled her knee back completely, the loss of contact causing a whine from her. She swallowed, “I’ll be with them in a moment.” She called before hearing an agreement, followed by footsteps retreating.

Riri leaned down, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. “It looks as if we’ll have to resume this after the banquet.” She fully leaned back to sit on her knees, allowing Mary to sit up.

“I’m executing that guard.” Mary grumbled as she watched Riri slide off the bed, beginning to straighten herself up before they would step into the public eye.

Riri let out a chuckle, “We can continue this when no one will disturb us.”

Mary sighed, “We better.”

No one questioned when the queen arrived twenty minutes later, but the slight annoyance on her face was enough for Kira and Yumeko to laugh.

Chapter Text

Riri was still new to experiencing all the emotions that came with love. Luckily, she had a patient and understanding girlfriend who helped her understand these emotions.

It was another normal day in St. Dominic’s. She did her morning routine, attended the morning meeting they had, stayed behind to shower her girlfriend in kisses and compliments, and then continued on with the day. It wasn’t until lunch did things change, more specifically when Mary walked in from the main entrance.

She was usually accompanied by Yumeko or even Ryan, until they split off to go to two different tables. This time, however, she was alone. Running a little late to be precise, but Riri was sure her girlfriend, who sometimes didn’t have a good read on time, was just running behind for that exact reason.

Then, she was stopped in the middle of the cafeteria. Riri watched as a girl, who she was sure was in Diamond House, talked to Mary nervously. Like she was confessing feelings for her. She heard Kira and Yumeko comment on it, more specifically Yumeko saying, “Well, Mary has all the qualifications to be someone that people crush on. It’s normal.”

With the confirmation of what was going on, Riri felt a vile feeling building up inside of her. This was new, far from familiar and causing her to tense up at the sight. The thought to go up to them and stake her claim on her girlfriend suddenly pinned itself to the forefront of her mind. Why though? Why was she feeling this way? Why was she glaring at the nervous girl who just got turned down by a shake of Mary’s head?

She was fine with their relationship not being that well known, or at least confirmed to the public. Some students had their suspicions, some students had no clue, and she was fine with that...right? Was it...okay to feel this way? To feel this boiling feeling that wouldn’t go away?

Riri snapped out of her thoughts when Mary sat down beside her, the conversation long over despite her staring at the spot where it happened. Suki, who sat on Mary’s right side, leaned over to her with a grin.

“What was that about?” He asked, all cheery like he was about to get a new scoop for his story.

“Just a girl with a crush.” Mary shrugged like it was a regular thing, “Unfortunately for her, I have a perfect girlfriend right next to me who worships me every second,” She said as she turned to Riri, “Right, baby- Riri?” Brows furrowed in concern as she leaned over to her girlfriend, repeating her name to grab her attention.

Riri blinked, turning towards Mary’s worried expression. The feeling didn’t wash away completely, lingering in her body like a fire sizzling out. Except it didn’t want to sizzle out. It remained, even when she felt her defenses melt just by being looked at by her girlfriend.

“Riri,” Mary’s hand found hers in her lap, interlacing their fingers together and giving her hand a squeeze. “Everything okay?” Riri nodded, “Are you...sure?”

No, she definitely wasn’t sure in the moment. She didn’t want to worry her girlfriend though, so she nodded again and got a small smile in response. Mary blew her a kiss before pulling away, beginning to eat her lunch that Riri had prepared for her.

~

The feeling only returned in full force when the week continued, student after student confessing to having feelings for Mary. Hell, even some students - a lot actually - nervously confessed to Yumeko, who quickly rejected them with a smile to ease the blow. She always glanced at Kira, shooting her a lovesick smile before continuing on with her day.

What the hell was going on around Riri? Was it some bet she wasn’t made aware of?

When she was able to, her eyes found the leaderboard in the gambling hall. She read through every single side bet, and yet none of them explained the reason to why people were confessing to Mary and Yumeko.

Whatever this feeling was, Riri hated it. She hated the idea of staking some sort of claim on Mary like she was a possession, or worse, imagining her actually saying yes to one of the many options she apparently had. It caused concern to bubble up, mixing in with this unknown feeling. Her mind was mess, she felt like a mess for even thinking of any of this.

The storm inside of her must’ve been noticeable for Kira to pull her away from the railing of the balcony. When they were far enough from prying eyes, her sister looked at her with worry in her gaze.

“What’s going on with you?” Kira asked, crossing her arms. “You’ve been acting off all week.”

Riri glanced around, her eyes landing on her feet. “Why are people confessing to our girlfriends?” The question came out in a small voice, but at least it was out. She glanced up when she received no response, seeing Kira looking at her in surprise.

“Did you forget what month we’re in? What day it is?” Riri blinked, suddenly coming to the realization that throughout this time, she’s lost track of what day it was. Kira sighed before continuing, “Today’s February 10th. Valentine’s Day is Tuesday, Riri.”

Oh. Right, the holiday designed around love. It did made sense now to what was going on, but it still didn’t explain the feeling inside of her. The feeling that was practically feeding on her, causing her to feel dread any moment of the day. The only time it sizzled out was when Mary’s attention was on her, but even then she just felt shame.

She shouldn’t be experiencing whatever this feeling was. Mary loved her, and she wasn’t about to give up what they have for some random student confessing to her. No amount of flowers or chocolate or poured out feelings could change the fact that they loved each other.

“Did you ask her yet?” Kira pulled her out of her spiral, “Some girls like it when you ask regardless if you’re in a relationship or not. It shows that you care about these types of things.”

Riri shook her head, “...Did you ask Yumeko?”

“No, I didn’t have time to. She asked me.” Kira answered, clearing her throat, “You should ask Mary. You don’t want any miscommunication to happen because you didn’t bother asking her to be your valentine.”

Riri nodded, and the conversation ended with a pat on her shoulder and a reassuring smile on Kira’s face. They stepped back over to the railing, Mary’s eyes flickering up to her as if she was obsessively checking the spot since they left. A smile appeared on her face before she glanced away, continuing the game she was playing.

Later in the evening, when most of the students had retired back to their dorm rooms, Riri appeared behind Mary and tapped on her shoulder. Mary turned around, the confusion disappearing from her expression and a smile appearing. “Hi Riri.”

Riri leaned closer to ask, “Are you free?”

“Of course I am.” Mary hummed, “Why?”

“Follow?” Riri held out her hand in the same way she usually did when she wanted to lead Mary somewhere. Her girlfriend smiled, accepting the gesture before she was pulled out of the gambling hall. Riri lowered their hands, properly intertwining them as they walked through the empty halls.

She led Mary outside, following a stone pathway to a greenhouse. Riri’s greenhouse. Entering inside, the place was lit up with a small table in the middle. A bouquet of flowers sat on the table, along with a folded card. She stepped to the side, letting go of Mary’s hand to let her step closer, taking the folded card in her hands.

Opening it revealed the simple question, “Will you be my valentine?” The bouquet of flowers was a simple gesture in reality, mainly because Riri didn’t have time and decided to bundle up different red and pink flowers she had. Still, it was enough for Mary to turn to her with a smile on her face.

“Of course I’ll be your valentine.” She stepped over, wrapping her arms around Riri’s neck. “You didn’t have to...ask, you know? We would’ve been each other’s valentines either way.”

Riri nodded in response before pulling off her mask, “I know that, but Kira said it was good to ask.”

Mary pressed a kiss on her lips. Soft and light, enough to melt the worry of her leaving her after the countless confessions given to her in the last week. The vile feeling remained, but not as obvious now as Mary’s eyes were only on her. Her hands, her lips, her eyes, everything was for her to feel and see.

“She’s right- don’t tell her I said that though.” Riri chuckled, and the smile on Mary’s face was enough of a reward for her. “Thank you for the gesture, baby.” Another kiss.

“I love you.” Riri’s hands found their rightful place on Mary’s waist.

“I love you too.”

The rest of the night was spent with each other; Mary going on mini tangents about random topics she was passionate about, along with getting Riri’s more logical answers to said rants. A warm fuzzy feeling settled in Riri as the night stretched on. She knew whatever that feeling was, it was long gone.

~

When Valentine’s Day rolled around, some students were still asking their crushes to be their valentine. A normal thing, according to Yumeko who went on a whole rant about that very day to the Timurov sisters as they walked to breakfast. They walked inside the cafeteria without an issue, all taking their seats.

Mary entered through the main entrance, talking to Ryan before splitting off. As she approached the table, her eyes glancing down at her phone every once in a while, a student suddenly walked in her path. She stopped, glancing up at the guy with a little bit of malice attached to her gaze.

He awkwardly chuckled before saying something Riri couldn’t hear, opening up a big poster he held. From what she could see, considering he was blocking Mary off from her, he also held a bouquet from behind his back that he pulled out to show her.

Whatever it was, it caused a few gasps to elicit around the room, even garnering Suki’s attention. He perked up like a dog when his owner shook a bag of treats, immediately standing up to go see what the commotion was. He didn’t get very far as Kira threw a glare at him, getting him to sit back down.

The situation made the vile feeling physically punch her in the chest. It sprang back, hidden away until it needed to appear. And it needed to appear now. The feeling grew too strong, the urge to get up and throw the guy across the cafeteria was even stronger, but she was able to at least fight that feeling off. She couldn’t lash out, not even in this situation where the shocked silence was stinging her with each passing second.

Riri stood up, her chair screeching as she turned to walk away. She needed out, she needed to walk away from this situation. She heard Kira call for her, but it was already too late. Riri pushed the doors open, almost shoving Chad in the process as he came walking by.

What if Mary said yes?

Riri paused in her steps, standing in the middle of the hallway. Why would she think that? Why...why would Mary say yes in the first place? They were together, she wouldn’t do that to her.

She kept walking. She yanked her mask off the moment she closed the door to her dorm room, haphazardly tugging her jacket off and throwing it across her desk. Her mind was a mess, she didn’t even bother taking off her shoes when she fell onto her bed. She curled into herself, holding her head as if that would stop the feeling and thoughts currently running through her.

Riri doesn’t know how long she laid there for, curled up and blinking back tears, when the door opened and shut. She froze, becoming painfully aware how much her body hated the position she was in. The bed dipped behind her.

“Riri.” Mary’s voice was soft when she spoke to her, attempting to coax her out of this position she put herself in. “Hey, can you...look at me?” Riri shook her head, “Okay, that’s okay, we can just talk like this then.”

Guilt hit her hard. Riri never liked feeling guilty for just experiencing something, but she couldn’t stop it. She slowly uncurled herself, turning to lay on her other side and face Mary. It was start.

“Hi baby.” Mary smiled, “Can I ask what’s wrong?” Riri’s gaze flickered back and forth, from her hand laying in front of her to her girlfriend. “Can I...guess?” That got her a response, a slow dip of Riri’s head. “You are experiencing a new feeling, but instead of coming to me and asking about it, you bottled it up until you couldn’t handle it anymore.”

God, her girlfriend was good at this. Riri groaned, the feeling of guilt being overshadowed by how she felt ashamed from being easy to read. A part of her, the part formed from her many years under her father’s command, hated the feeling.

“You don’t like that people have been confessing to me the last week, have you?” Riri shook her head, “That’s understandable.” Mary sighed before laying down, making her the only thing she could lay her eyes on. Slowly, her hands came up to cup Riri’s face. “How do you feel when people say they have a crush on me?”

Riri thought long and hard about it. She didn’t exactly know what the feeling was yet, but the last she could do was attempt to explain it. “Upset...I think.” She leaned more into Mary’s touch, “I just- every time I wanted to walk up and tell them that you were taken...that you weren’t available to be with them.”

Mary let out a light laugh, one that made her heart skip. “And you don’t know what you’re feeling?” Riri shook her head. Mary leaned in closer, “Darling, that’s jealousy.”

“Oh...” Riri breathed out before suddenly asking, “Are you sure?”

“Mhm. You’ve never had an issue with us not being known to other students until this week. The multitude of confessions I’ve gotten can certainly make you feel that way...but,” Mary pressed a kiss on her lips before pulling away slightly, “There was something else, wasn’t there?”

Mary had learned to know when there were more thoughts plaguing her girlfriend, and Riri wasn’t about to escape this conversation without answering. With the truth, of course. She was apparently a horrible liar when it came to her girlfriend.

“I- I don’t know. Stupid thoughts would appear about...you leaving me for one of them.” Riri forced her head down regardless of Mary’s hold, unable to look at her after such a confession. She wasn’t one to have a fear of abandonment, but apparently coming to the realization that too many people had crushes on Mary could make her have one.

“Baby,” Mary raised her head, “All of those other students can’t compete with you. That bouquet of flowers that guy tried to hand me? A bunch of flowers with meanings that made no sense together.”

“I noticed...”

“They don’t put the details in like you do.” Mary’s thumb ran along her cheek, “They don’t take the time to think about what I’d want, they simply throw a bouquet of flowers or chocolates at me because that’s the norm. You, Riri Timurov,” She leaned in until their noses brushed, “You aren’t the norm, and I love you for that, along with every other reason I have for loving and choosing you every single day.”

Riri couldn’t help the smile from appearing on her face, pressing a kiss on Mary’s lips before burying her face in the crook of her neck. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Mary cradled her in her arms with no intent on letting go, “It’s okay to experience emotions, Riri, even the so-called ‘bad’ ones. We all experience it.”

“I don’t like being jealous.”

“And that’s okay.” Mary pressed a kiss in her hair, “I’ll remind you that I love you and only you every time. I don’t mind, as long as your head is clear and you’re okay again.”

“...What if you get tired of telling me?” Riri’s voice came out in a whisper.

“Trust me,” Mary began, “I won’t ever get tired of telling you that I love you. I’m in this for the long run, Riri.”

Riri pulled away, “What does that mean?”

A grin appeared on Mary’s face, “It means I expect a ring on my finger in the next few years, Miss. Timurov.” She laughed when Riri’s eyes widened, her face slowly turning red. “Oh, you’re so cute.” Mary cooed, giving her a kiss.

“You want to marry me?” Riri sat up, still processing the sudden confession.

“That’s the goal.” Mary sat up as well, her hand finding Riri’s, “Because once I’m married to you, we get to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Riri thinks fireworks just exploded in her chest from the realization that she could be with Mary for the rest of her time alive on this planet. She’s never imagined a better outcome in her life. Riri nodded, returning a kiss.

“Are we still good for this evening?” Mary asked.

“Yes.”

“Good, I can’t wait to see what you’ve planned.” Mary stood up from the bed, “Unfortunately, I still have classes to attend to.”

“Okay...” Riri sighed, “I’ll see you in the evening then.”

“See you then.” Mary smiled before slipping out the room, leaving Riri with the many images of a married life with her.

Chapter Text

Riri would consider herself a smart individual.

She passed every year of school with flying colors, every exam was perfected, and she had multiple honor role awards that she never saw. She had multiple tutors over the years, teaching her different languages and advanced math that she would never use a day in her life. Riri even read through the dictionary on multiple occasions - though that was more during her own past time than anything.

That, however, was all thrown out the window when it came to her girlfriend.

It didn’t matter how many books she read. It didn’t matter if she could recite the entire periodic table of elements backwards or translate an entire book into seven different languages, nothing could’ve prepared her for falling in love.

Because now, she was facing the consequences of being down bad.

Riri would consider herself a smart individual until the side of her, whispered in a small and almost needy voice, wanted her girlfriend, who just so happened to be in town with Yumeko that day. So, what would a completely sane person do? Not sit outside for an hour in the winter cold while it snowed with nothing but a Council blazer on. Then, the cherry on top, was denying that they were cold and that they had a “good immune system” to avoid getting sick.

Still, it got her what she wanted in the end. Mary cuddled with her all evening in front of the fireplace located in the Student Council lounge with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around them. She even made hot chocolate with the rainbow marshmallows that Riri would deny liking if she was ever asked about it. She had a reputation to uphold after all.

The next morning, she woke up alone. It was a rare occurrence now, but Mary still had her own dorm and was having a movie night with Yumeko. Riri woke up feeling hot, which wasn’t unusual in the winter with the school’s heating system. She had a slight headache - another rare occurrence - but nothing she couldn’t solve with modern medicine.

It was when Kira almost busted her door down that she knew something was wrong, because the sound was ten times louder in her ears. The drowsiness from sleep was still present in her body, the feeling forcing her to stay down.

“Riri! Do you realize what time it is-” Kira’s gaze landed on the body still in bed. She clamped her mouth shut, walking over to her sister. Without another word, she pressed the back of her hand on Riri’s forehead, a frown forming almost immediately. “You’re burning up.”

“I’m...fine.” Riri mumbled, ignoring the cold sensation of Kira’s hand. “It’s just warm in here.”

“Riri,” Kira sighed, her usually stern tone melting as she sat down next to her sister. “The Spade House dormitory is the coldest area in the school, and our heaters went down for maintenance last night. Your room is freezing.” Right on time, Kira shivered despite being bundled up in expensive clothing.

“I’ll just take medicine then.”

Kira shook her head, “No. I am ordering you, as both your sister and the President, to stay in bed until you’ve recovered.” She stood up, a stern look set in her eyes. “Do I need to get Mary?”

Riri let out a whine, “No, no, not Mary.”

Her sister raised a brow, “And why not?” Riri buried her face into the pillow, mumbling something incoherent. “Riri.”

“She’s going to be mad at me.” Riri’s voice came out in a whine again, like a child who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Kira blinked, shock flooding through her features. She’s never heard her sister like this, it was like a foreign language just came out of her mouth.

“Riri, she isn’t going to be mad at you.” Kira crouched down beside her, “If anything, she’ll be disappointed because you decided it was a good idea to stand outside for an hour waiting for her, then proceeded to lie about how long you had been out there for.”

“That’s even worse.”

Kira held back the urge to roll her eyes, “...Do you want her to come baby you or not?” That was enough for her sister to perk up, the idea of her girlfriend sweet talking to her and being all lovey-dovey - Kira felt the urge to gag - was enough for her to nod. “Okay, I’ll go get her. You stay in bed.” Kira let a genuine smile grace her already blue lips before leaving the room, closing the door softer than when she opened it.

Despite having Mary and Yumeko’s numbers, and could easily just text Riri’s girlfriend, a small part of Kira wanted to see her reaction in person. Totally not because she wanted to see her own girlfriend since she also slept alone. She wasn’t as bad as Riri...at least, that’s what she told herself.

Kira knocked on the familiar Heart House door, a few seconds going by before it opened. Yumeko immediately lit up from her tired expression, pulling her inside without another word. Before Kira had the chance to speak, a kiss was pressed on her cheek.

“Good morning baby,” Yumeko cooed, “What are you doing all the way over here? Did you miss me too much?” Despite how early it was, it was never too early for Yumeko to start her usual teasing fun. Kira didn’t even bother glaring, her insides all warm and fuzzy over a single kiss on the cheek and endearment she received.

She cleared her throat, “Where’s Mary?”

Yumeko pouted, “You aren’t even here to see your own girlfriend?”

“I-” Kira let her shoulders drop, a sigh escaping her lips. “I wouldn’t have come over here if I didn’t want to...” She mumbled, loud enough for Yumeko to hear beside her. She got her reward in the form of a smile, another kiss being pressed on her cheek.

“Can you two go be gross in your own dorms?” Mary stepped out of the bathroom, pajamas still on as she sat back down on her bed.

“Riri’s sick.” Kira stated, garnering her attention. “She has a fever and I don’t need work piling up. So, you can deal with your own girlfriend and I’ll make Yumeko work for once.” Yumeko practically deflated at the mention of having to actually work instead of gamble. Mary sighed, standing up and grabbing her phone.

“If it gets me the day off, sure.” Mary gave a lazy salute before slipping out the door, still in flannel pajama pants and a random band T-shirt.

“Baby,” Yumeko grabbed Kira’s attention - it really wasn’t that hard - and intertwined their hands together. “Will you wait outside until I’m ready?” Kira shook her head no, “Why not?”

“I have a lot of work to do.” Kira pressed a kiss on awaiting lips as an apology, “I’ll see you in the morning meeting.” Yumeko nodded, stealing another kiss and with that a bit of the blue lipstick her girlfriend wore. Kira knew she’d need to fix it once she left the room.

“I’ll see you then.” Yumeko shot her a grin before turning around, stepping into the bathroom to start her morning routine. Kira stepped out of the room, leaving her girlfriend to rush around like always.

When Yumeko finally walked out, ready to go, she discovered Kira leaning against the wall next to the door. Another grin appeared on her face, a tease ready to go before she faltered. As much she loved to tease her girlfriend, it was hard to when Kira did things like this. Yumeko had only asked a dumb question, and yet Kira had stayed despite the work on her desk.

How sweet.

Yumeko pressed a kiss on Kira’s cheek - not mentioning the now faint red mark present. “Good girl.” She patted Kira’s head, ignoring the alarming blush washing over her face. “Shall we?”

Kira opened her mouth, closed it, then attempted to speak again, only to clamp her mouth shut. She nodded and Yumeko could only smile wider. Her girlfriend could be so cute when she was rendered in complete shock.

~

Mary didn’t bother knocking, stepping inside the cold room. It wasn’t hard to spot her girlfriend, bundled up in bed with three blankets over top of her. Riri seemed to be fighting back exhaustion, throwing off the top blanket with a grumble.

“Now this is pathetic.” Mary grinned, walking over to her girlfriend. Riri noticed her, sinking further back into her bed. “Hi baby, a little birdie told me you had a fever.” She pressed her finger on Riri’s forehead, feeling the heat by a simple touch alone.

“I said I’d be fine after taking medicine.” Riri mumbled, pulling the blankets up to hide the lower half of her flushed face. Mary had that lovesick smile on her face that seemed to always be present when she was around.

“And...” Mary motioned at the bundle of blankets, “You didn’t make the attempt, did you?” Riri shook her head, “Why not?”

“...Kira said not to.”

Mary hummed, roughing up Riri’s hair and getting a whine in response. “I’ll go see what you have.” She pressed a kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead before walking into her bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet that was filled. She spotted a few fever reducer ones, most being liquid. She poked her head out of the bathroom, “Riri dear, why is most of the medicine in here liquid?”

“Kira doesn’t like pills.” She heard Riri say in response.

Mary nodded before stepping back inside the bathroom. She grabbed one of the only medication that wasn’t liquid - ibuprofen to be exact - before walking back over to Riri. She set the bottle down on the bedside stand, “I’ll go grab you a water from the lounge. Do you want to try and eat something?”

Riri shook her head before Mary gave her another kiss on the forehead, stepping out of her room. She turned on her side, staring at the bottle to keep her eyes open. She doesn’t remember the last time she had a fever, but she knew she hated it. The exhaustion weighing on her body, the fight to stay awake, it was all too much.

She closed her eyes, sleep taking over not long after.

Mary stepped back inside a few minutes later, seeing Riri fast asleep. She set the water bottle down next to the ibuprofen before sitting down on the edge of the bed. She pushed Riri’s hair back, allowing her to see her face more. She could tell that even in her rest, Riri was still not able to relax fully with her fever.

As much as she wanted her to sleep, getting medication in her system was her number one priority. She nudged Riri’s shoulder, watching her stir back awake. “You need to take medicine before you sleep the day away.”

“Mm, but I’m tired.” Riri closed her eyes again, resulting in another nudge.

“It’ll be quick, baby. Come on, you want to get better, don’t you?” Mary pushed back strands of hair, revealing more of Riri’s tired expression. She pulled away, opening the bottle and handing Riri a pill before holding out the water bottle, already open.

Riri lifted her head up enough, opening her mouth. Mary raised a brow but complied, popping the pill into her mouth before holding up the water for Riri to drink. Once she deemed it enough, she pulled away and let her swallow.

“Good?” Riri nodded before laying her head back down. “Okay, now you can sleep.”

Riri turned on her back, letting out a little groan. “It’s too hot.” Mary hummed in response, tugging down the blankets. It was only a few seconds later that Riri let out a whine.

“Honey, this is what fevers do to you.” Mary sighed, “You need to sleep off the fever, which requires you to be bundled up and sweat it out.” Her girlfriend scrunched her nose, “I know it sounds gross, but it’s the only way.”

Mary pulled the blankets back up, tucking Riri in. She looked cute like this. “Will you stay with me?” Her voice came out quiet, and Mary could only smile and kiss her on the nose. She might’ve had a strong immune system from years living in the countryside, but she was not about to kiss her girlfriend on the lips with a fever.

“I’ll be here when you wake up.”

~

Riri was in and out of sleep for a few hours, usually to turn or readjust the blankets before passing back out again. Mary sat next to her, running her fingers through her hair as she slept. The occasional text was received from Kira, wanting an update on her sister’s condition.

She was way too worried for a fever, but Mary knew where it originated from. She told her every single time not to worry, that all Riri had to do was rest for a day or two and it would be gone. That was until Kira proceeded to tell her that Riri always had a weaker immune system considering she was never exposed to germs.

Great. This was going to be fun, but hey, at least that meant she could take care of Riri for once.

Mary glanced over at Riri, who was leaning more towards her as she slept. It was cute, seeing her sought her out even when she was asleep. She continued to run her fingers through her hair, resulting in her girlfriend to move even closer to her.

After six hours, Riri finally stirred enough to actually open her eyes longer than five seconds. Mary was scrolling on her phone, glancing down when she felt a hand curl around her shirt. “Good morning.” She smiled, brushing down Riri’s hair, “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.” Riri muttered, tightening her grip on Mary’s shirt. She attempted to glare when she heard a light laugh in response.

Mary felt her forehead again with the back of her hand, “A little less warmer than before, that’s good.” Riri sighed, her love’s hand felt cold compared to her burning body. “Do you want to try and eat something now? It would be good to get something in your system.”

“Sure.”

Mary removed her hand, ignoring the grumble in response as she pulled up her delivery app. Since lunch had already passed and dinner wasn’t for a few hours, her best bet was off-campus food. “Soup?” She glanced over to see Riri nod in response. Soup it is.

After ordering, Mary decided to lay down, letting Riri lay her head on her chest. She continued to play with her hair, humming a song that was stuck in her head for the last week. Her sick girlfriend was surprisingly still conscious, shifting to rest her head on Mary’s shoulder instead.

“You can sleep again,” Mary said, her voice soft as she pressed another kiss in Riri’s hair. “I’ll wake you up when the soup is delivered.”

Riri shook her head, “I want to hear you.”

Mary melted, god why was it so easy for Riri to do that to her? Her girlfriend’s honesty continued to make butterflies appear in her stomach even after months of being together. She let out a soft sigh, resuming her previous motions of playing with her hair.

“Well, there isn’t much to say today.” She began, feeling Riri’s hand slide down to the hem of her shirt. “What are you doing?” There was no actual confusion in her voice, just a continued softness that she knew Riri liked.

“Skin.” Riri pouted. Mary had to hold back from actually kissing the pout off her face.

“Okay.” She pressed another kiss on the top of her head instead. Riri’s hand slipped under her shirt, a hum of satisfaction being heard. “Good?”

“Warm.” Riri confirmed.

Mary nodded before continuing what she was going to say, “Yumeko and I decided to watch Pirates of the Caribbean, a good movie in my opinion. After I told her that there were more movies she said we’d have to watch them, so don’t be surprised if I get stolen for more movie nights.”

“Pirates of the Caribbean?” Riri repeated, glancing up at Mary.

“Yup, exactly what it sounds like. Pirates, lots of them.” Mary tapped her nose, “You know, I think you would be Elizabeth in the movie. I would definitely be a pirate, coaxing you into the world of sailing the seven seas.” She let out a ‘yargh’ afterwards.

Riri laughed, before letting out a cough in response, “Elizabeth?”

“The governor’s daughter in the movie. She decides to join Captain Jack Sparrow and her love interest, Will Turner.” Mary explained, “We’ll have to watch it one of these days.”

Riri hummed, swallowing before letting out a small wince. “Throat hurts.”

“Soup can ease the pain a bit.” Mary grabbed her phone beside her, checking how long until the delivery would be made. “Just a few more minutes, my love.”

“Did you get the good soup?”

“Yes, I got the good soup.”

“And did you use my card?”

“No, and I don’t wanna hear any complaints.”

Riri sighed. Not worth fighting over it.

“Plus, I was thinking I could make you some tea. Tea can help with your throat, but we’ll have soup first before I leave you cold and alone for a few minutes.” Mary continued to stroke her love’s hair as she watched her fight to stay awake. “You know, this is what you get for not wearing a better jacket outside.”

Riri buried her face into Mary’s shoulder, mumbling out something she didn’t quite pick up. Mary tapped her head, trying to coax her to repeating herself. A few seconds went by before Riri lifted her head, a look of guilt on her face.

She swallowed again, ignoring the pain in her throat before spitting out the truth, “I was out there longer than I said I was, but I didn’t want you to be upset or worried so I lied.”

Mary smiled, “I know that, silly.” She pulled her to lay back down, her head on Mary’s chest before she continued. “You’re a bad liar when it comes to me.”

“Oh,” Riri mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

A knock on the door came before it opened, revealing Kira holding a bag. “You ordered?”

“I didn’t expect you to play delivery.” Mary smirked. Kira rolled her eyes before stepping inside, walking over to set the bag down on the desk. “There should be a chicken corn soup and a vegetable soup.” Kira hummed in response before taking both of the containers out, carefully opening the tops to avoid spilling.

Mary let the small smile remain on her face as Kira grabbed the plastic spoons out of the bag. “These bowls aren’t very sturdy.” She commented.

“Not to you.” Mary sighed.

“Just- I’ll be right back.” Kira disappeared out the door, leaving it ajar.

“It smells good.” Riri mumbled before shifting, moving to sit up. Mary sat up as well, pulling up the blankets to keep her sick girlfriend bundled up. She pressed a kiss on Riri’s temple before standing up, walking over to the desk as Kira returned.

She set down two bowls and actual spoons, according to her. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to being Student Council President?” Mary raised a brow at her.

“I was outside when it was delivered.”

Mary continued to stare at her with an amused look.

Kira let out a grumble, “Can’t I just check up on my sister?”

“She’s fine.”

“But-”

“No,” Mary raised a finger, “No, no. She’s fine, you continue being the scary President while she rests.” Riri let out a light laugh as Kira stood there in shock after being cut off.

She huffed, “Fine...just text me.” Kira walked over to the door, turning around to Mary.

“I will, now shoo.” Kira opened her mouth to retort, only to be cut off by the door closing. Walking back over, Mary poured the vegetable soup into a bowl before walking over, sitting back down with spoon in hand. “Open up.”

“What-?” Riri’s eyes widened, watching her girlfriend scoop up and softly blow against the soup to cool it off. Mary turned to her with a serious look.

“I said open up, open your mouth.” She scooted closer, holding up the spoon to Riri’s lips. Reluctantly, Riri opened her mouth and leaned forward to take the spoon into her mouth. “Is it good?” Mary asked after she pulled away.

“Good.” Riri responded before Mary lifted up the spoon again, taking it into her mouth before speaking again, “But, do you really have to feed me?” The blush on her face wasn’t from her fever, that was for sure.

“Yes, now say ‘ahh’.”

“Mary-”

“Say it.”

Riri pressed her lips together before sighing, “Ahh-”

~

Riri was in and out of sleep as evening arrived. When Mary deemed her in a deep enough sleep, she snuck out and joined Kira and Yumeko in the lounge. Kira sipped on her tea at the dining table while Yumeko shuffled cards beside her to play a game.

“How is she?” Kira asked, glancing up at Mary as she sat down on the opposite side of the table.

“Despite her weak immune system, the fever is going down faster than I expected. Hopefully by tomorrow she’ll actually be out of bed.” Mary sighed, propping her chin up in her hand as Yumeko dealt out cards to her and Kira. “Sore throats usually fade over a few days.”

“So...she should be up and about tomorrow?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.” Mary took her cards, “What are we playing?”

“Uno.” Yumeko responded.

Mary blinked before glancing over at Kira, “Do we not have the budget for actual Uno?”

She got a shrug in response.

As an hour went by, rounds were mainly won by Mary and Kira. Yumeko had a permanent pout on her face at the so-called alliance they had. She huffed, shuffling the cards. “This just isn’t fair.”

“Not our fault you have bad luck in Uno.” Mary’s phone suddenly went off, and she checked it to see a text message. A single frown emoji from the one and only sick person. She chuckled, responding back before getting up. “Well, I’ve been summoned.”

“Have fun!”

Yumeko waved her off as Mary walked out of the lounge, walking only a few doors down before opening Riri’s. The bedside lamp was already on, revealing a pouting Riri with a mess of blankets on top of her. She walked over, sitting down beside her girlfriend.

“Aww, baby did you miss me?” Mary’s smile was usually contagious, but not when Riri was determined to keep the pout on her face. She leaned down, kissing Riri on the nose. She pulled back to the pout still there. “Really?”

“You left.” Riri mumbled.

“I was just in the lounge with Kira and Yumeko.”

“Still.” The pout stayed.

Mary sighed, “What can I do to make you forgive me?” Riri hummed in thought before pulling her hand from underneath the blankets, tapping her bottom lip. “Riri, I am not kissing you when you’re sick.”

“Then I’m not forgiving you.” Riri turned her head with a huff.

“God, if I was petty enough the whole school would know you act like this with me.” Mary leaned over, giving her another kiss on the forehead this time before standing up. She crawled over to the other side of the bed, slipping under the covers.

Riri reached over to turn the bedside lamp off before scooting over, cuddling her girlfriend with a satisfied hum. That was before she started tugging at Mary’s shirt. “Take this off, please.”

“You’re lucky I love you.” Mary sat up, tugging her shirt above her head and chucking it to a random part of the room. She laid back down, letting Riri cuddle close with skin contact. “Good?”

“Warm.”

Mary shook her head, “I can’t believe you find me warm, but the blankets are too much.”

“Three blankets is too much.” Riri muttered, “You’re perfect.”

A smile appeared on Mary’s face, “Sweet talker.” She mumbled, pressing another kiss in Riri’s hair. She got a kiss on her neck in response, “Goodnight, my love.”

“Goodnight, my angel.”

~

Riri woke up the next morning feeling a lot better than before. She felt warm, the nice cozy warm that she was usually basked in when cuddling with her girlfriend. Bonus points for the lack of a barrier between herself and her warmth.

“I can tell you’re awake.” She opened her eyes, pulling away the slightest to look at Mary. Her girlfriend felt her forehead again, “You’re not as warm now, but we should check with the thermometer to be sure.”

“Mm, okay.” She unwrapped herself from Mary, letting her get up and throw on one of her random shirts. Mary walked into the bathroom, grabbing the thermometer and walking back out as she heard a beep.

“Open up.” Riri listened, letting Mary press the thermometer down below her tongue. She closed her lips, waiting to hear more beeps. Once the beeping started, Mary pulled it away to look at her temperature. “Ohhh, look at this, you’re all better.”

“My throat still hurts though.” Riri complained as she sat up, watching Mary return the thermometer before sitting down on the bed.

“Yeah, sore throats usually last a few days.” Mary ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to fix it, “As long as you drink liquids and take medicine, you’ll be alright.”

“So I have to leave my room?”

“Yes.”

“But I’ve never felt closer to heaven before being with you all day yesterday.” Riri fell back on the bed.

“Dramatic ass.” Mary rolled her eyes with a grin before moving, straddling Riri’s hips. “Baby, you don’t have a fever anymore, you know what that means?”

“I have to go back to being an actual student.”

“That...but also,” Mary leaned down until their noses touched, “You can kiss me again.”

Riri’s eyes immediately found Mary’s lips, “That sounds wonderful.”

Mary smiled, “I know it does.” She leaned down even further, connecting their lips. It escalated into a make out session. Riri’s hands ran up her thighs, lightly squeezing before continuing up to her hips.

That was until the door opened.

Mary jolted back, her eyes snapping to Kira in the doorway. She raised a brow, pointing her finger towards the sight. “You busy?” She couldn’t hide the amused grin on her face.

“Not anymore.” Mary rolled her eyes before moving off of Riri, sitting down next to her.

“Right...well, Riri, how are you feeling? Sick-wise, I mean.” Kira leaned against the doorway. Yumeko suddenly peaked behind her, resting her chin on her shoulder. She flashed a smile and waved at them.

Riri sat up, “Just a sore throat now.”

Yumeko gasped, “Great! That means you can come back, right? I’m not much for paperwork.”

“I know.” Kira sighed, “She tried to sneak away to gamble at least seven times yesterday.”

“Just seven?” Mary raised a brow.

“Yes. I was able to stop her.” The cheeky little grin on Yumeko’s face hinted at how she stopped her. Kira glanced away, ignoring the snickering coming from Mary. She cleared her throat, “I’ll see you at the morning meeting then.”

Riri nodded her head before Kira walked out, followed by Yumeko saying a cheery goodbye before leaving, shutting the door behind them. With a sigh, Riri stretched her limbs out and got up, stretching some more before starting to get ready. Mary watched as she wandered around, doing her morning routine.

Finally she paused at her masks, turning back to the woman still on her bed. “Which one?”

Mary got up, walking over to the collection. “You want me to pick?” Riri nodded. She hummed, tapping her chin in thought as she looked at each one. She glanced over at Riri’s outfit, which was just the normal uniform she always wore. Looking back, she picked out a black one with gold thread lining the edge of the fabric. “This one.”

Riri smiled, “Perfect.”

Mary reciprocated the smile, giving her one last kiss before putting the mask on for her. She patted the side of it, “Alright, you’re all ready to go be the Vice President.”

“I’ll see you in the meeting?”

“Of course.” Mary pulled away, “And remember to drink liquids when you can.”

“Got it.” Riri spared her one last glance before opening the door, leaving the room.

Mary sighed, she was not about to drink liquids when she could. Not with that mask of hers.

Chapter Text

“I’ve never experienced love.”

“I know.”

“I’ve hurt people.”

“I know.”

“I’ve killed people.”

“I know.”

Riri slowly turned her head, seeing that Mary was already staring at her. They sat in a gazebo, tucked away in the forest, away from any prying eyes. Away from the retreat, away from her father. She didn’t know how long they had been out there for.

Her mask was still on. The tear stains were clear, the bruises on her neck clearer.

“Why do you keep saying I know?” Riri questioned.

“You’re stating the obvious.” Mary retorted, a small genuine smile appearing on her face.

Did Riri even deserve that smile?

Riri ripped her gaze away, going back to staring down at her hands. They never felt like hers. This body she occupied never felt like hers either. She still felt Mary’s eyes on her, observing her. She was waiting, and Riri was too. For something worse, something to remind her of why she was deprived of love.

“Why aren’t you yelling?” She whispered, her voice was weak. He didn’t like weak.

“Should I be?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because...I’m not someone you want to fall in love with.”

“Too late.” Mary confessed. “Why are you saying this when you took the first step towards me?”

Riri hesitated, “I was being selfish.”

“Are you saying that because you were taught to think that way?”

“...No?” Riri looked over at her again, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Was I?”

“Not directly considering your answer.” Mary sighed, finally rerouting her gaze to the trees that stretched out for miles. “You don’t deserve this life.”

“Yes I do.”

“No, you don’t Riri.” Her name came out solidifying, her voice laced with a mixture of disappointment and determination. Riri almost winced. “You were born into this shitty life, and now here you are acting like it’s normal. It’s not normal.”

“It’s normal to me.”

“That’s the issue.”

A light breeze rustled the leaves in the forest that surrounded them. It was the only noise that consumed the silence that stretched between the two souls that sat under the protection of the gazebo. Neither knew if anyone was ever going to come looking for them.

Mary took a deep breath, her exhale audible. “What are you going to do now? He chose you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mary let out a chuckle, low and obvious. Riri didn’t know why she felt the need to hide her thoughts from the girl that she fell in love with. Mary wasn’t oblivious.

“I said, what are you going to do now?” Mary’s gaze landed back on her, a warning flashing in her knowing eyes. Lying wasn’t a good idea, especially after she hid things from her. Riri wanted to ask how Mary knew, how Mary figured it out, but this was the girl she had laid bare with once before.

Of course she knew.

“I want your permission.”

“To do what?”

“To come back.” Riri watched for any difference in her eyes. She found none except for the idea of what she was implying. “I am going away for the entire summer. Papa’s orders. I want your permission.”

“I want you to stop hiding first.” Mary stated, the light breeze returning. “You’re not asking for permission to just come back, Riri. What are you asking permission for?”

Mary’s phone buzzed, a familiar ringtone breaking the solitude that was held inside the gazebo. Her phone sat in the middle of them on the bench, face down. She reached for it, flipping it up to show Yumeko’s name.

She rejected the call, a flurry of messages popping up on her screen afterwards.

Mary turned her phone off, setting it back down in the middle of them.

She repeated her previous question, “What are you asking permission for?”

Riri broke their shared gaze, her eyes finding Mary’s hand that was pressed down on her phone. She felt the need to hold it, to feel her hand once more as she did countless times before. Mary was still looking at her when she flipped her hand around, a silent invitation.

Riri took it before finally answering.

“I want permission to set Kira and I free.”

“You still care about her?”

Riri looked up again, noting a drop of confusion in Mary’s eyes. “Yes. She’s in the same situation.”

“Even after-?”

“Yes.”

“Right...” It was Mary’s turn for her gaze to fall on their hands. Not quite intertwined. “You have my permission, for both of your requests. In return, I have a request for you.”

“Anything.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

Riri could easily decipher the worry in Mary’s voice.

“I won’t be.” Riri’s voice hinted at a quiet promise.

“I mean it-,”

“I know.”

“-and take back what you said at the start of this conversation.” Mary finished, her words jumbled together as she said them too hastily. Like she needed to get them out.

Riri blinked, “What?”

“You said you’ve never experienced love.” Mary shook her head, “Take it back.”

“Why?”

“Because you clearly love me. Selfishly even.”

Riri looked away, “I said it as past-tense.”

“You said it like it was the present.”

“It isn’t.”

“Then say it.” Mary stressed those three words, wanting to hear what might be the last words she hears from Riri for weeks. Or possibly, if all goes wrong, forever. She didn’t know if she was willing to live if she didn’t hear what she knew was the truth.

Riri turned her head back to meet Mary’s gaze. Her words came out in the rawest form, in the rawest tone that she had never heard herself use.

“I love you, Mary.”

Chapter Text

Snow covered the forest ground as she staggered, her hand reaching out and scraping along tree bark to keep her from falling. Each breath taken felt like her last as she kept stumbling through the snow.

The snow had been descending from the heavens nonstop for the last week. If it kept up, her entire body would be covered and wouldn’t be found for weeks, maybe even months. Each step felt like her last before she tripped on a root, causing her to fall. The snow continued to flurry as she pushed herself up, the pain in her side shooting through every part of her body.

She leaned against a tree, seeing the blood trail she left. Her clothes were a mess of snow, dirt, and her own blood. She doesn’t even remember if the bullet exited her body, or if it was still inside her. Each breath was met with pain, each movement met with the same fate. If anyone really wanted to, they could find her just by following the trail she left behind.

Was this it? Was this the fate tied to falling in love and choosing to be with that person?

She thought she was safe, she thought her father would never find out. Her father always found out though, it didn’t matter how much she tried to cover it up. His daughter, the one he molded into a quiet assassin, had fallen in love. The repercussions were simple and straight to the point; a bullet. Originally meant for her chest, but she moved just in time for it to only hit her side.

Dipping her head, she looked down at her hand that was keeping pressure on the wound. Did it matter anymore? She was going to die anyways. No one was coming to find her. She lifted her head, resting it against the tree trunk as she stared up at the sky. A mixture of different grays created the clouds above as snow continued to fall.

She closed her eyes, remembering the girl she fell in love with.

“Riri, when you get back, we’ll watch the rest of those Christmas movies, okay?” Her voice echoed in her head, the promise she made would be left unfulfilled. “Stay safe, I love you.” She never liked breaking promises, but the guilt would gradually leave the world just like her life.

Riri opened her eyes to tears, the warmth a contrast to the outside world as they fell and stained her shirt. Not like her shirt wasn’t already stained. It was cold, way too cold for her to be out there and survive. Too bad she was already dying.

“Riri.” She closed her eyes again, letting the voice she longed for fill her thoughts. “Hey, open your eyes, silly.” Confused, she opened her eyes to see the owner of the voice sitting next to her with a smile on her face. “There you are.”

“...Mary?” Her voice came out raw. Mary cupped her face, wiping the tears away. “What- what are you doing here?” She shouldn’t be here, she should be back in Canada spending time with her family during winter break. Why was she here?

“Keeping you company.” Mary hummed, her eyes trailing down her body. “Until someone comes, of course.” She met Riri’s gaze again, cupping the other side of her face and turning her head slightly. “You need to stay strong for me, Riri. I can’t have you dying in the middle of a forest, we still have so much time to spend together.”

Riri’s breathing was shaky, but still present. “I- I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” She leaned in, pressing a kiss against Riri’s forehead, “You have promises to keep, don’t you remember?”

“I do.” Riri dipped her head, staring down at the red dyed snow. “I- I just can’t. I’m- I’m bleeding out, Mary.” She looked back up to see she was gone. She could only nod to herself, she was losing her mind now. Is this what it was like to die? Was hallucinating the one you fell in love with a part of death?

She closed her eyes again, resting her head against the tree. Her ears suddenly perked up as she heard a distant sound. The sound was so familiar to her, she just couldn’t place it. Not until they drew closer, and she made them out to be sirens.

Sirens? Why were there sirens?

There was no point to an ambulance being called. Riri was dying in the forest. She doesn’t even know how long she dragged her feet for until she finally fell. She doesn’t know how far she made it, she just knew she wanted away from him. Away from her father, the man that would never receive any type of punishment.

But she did.

She received punishment for the act of falling in love.

Her head bowed, her eyelids growing heavier. She was dying. This was it. Riri Timurov, daughter of the unlawful and corrupt Arkadi Timurov, was going to die in a snow-covered forest with a blood trail leading straight to her body.

He would call her a pathetic sight.

“Riri!” Her thoughts scattered at the sound. The sound of snow being sloshed around as she someone ran through it was heard, closing in on her. White covered her lap as the person dropped to their knees beside her, throwing the snow that once preoccupied their spot around. “Riri, don’t you dare be dead.”

Hands found her shoulders, lightly shaking her before a hand pressed against her neck. Her pulse point. What she could only assume was a sigh of relief filled the air between them before she finally forced her eyes open, using the little strength she had to lift her head.

“There you are.” Kira. A small, grateful smile appeared on her face. “Just- just stay awake a little longer, okay? The paramedics are almost here.” She brought her hand up to push her hair away from her face, her eyes trailing down to the sight in front of her. “Oh Riri...”

Riri swallowed, ignoring the pain from her dry throat. She breathed out, slowly breathing back in to regain the air in her lungs. She doesn’t remember the last time she ever had to manually breathe, “Why- why are you here?”

Kira blinked, her gaze drifting back up to her sister’s face. “Why am I here? Riri, you’re dying. I’m- I can’t let you die.” She shook her head, fighting back her own tears. “How am I supposed to explain to Mary what happened? I can’t- I won’t be able to look her in the eyes and tell her.”

“She- she’ll understand. She knows...she knows how he is.” Riri pulled her blood-drenched hand away from the injury, only for Kira to press it back. Her hand remained on hers, beginning to be stained with her sister’s blood.

“No, Riri, she won’t understand. She won’t understand why you dragged yourself into a forest to die alone.” Kira sighed as the sirens became painstakingly closer. “If- if you die, then I’ll be alone.”

“You...have Yumeko.” Riri remembers when Kira finally figured out her own feelings, specifically for the chaotic girl that was all the way in Japan for winter break.

“I know, but she doesn’t understand like you do.” Kira cupped her face, her other hand remaining on hers. “If we’re using your logic, you have Mary. Didn’t you promise me that I would be the one to give my blessing for you to get married to her?”

“I’ve- I’ve promised a lot of things apparently...” Riri let out a strained chuckle.

The sound of footsteps approached the two. “Which is why I’m making sure you fulfill them all.” Kira smiled, not letting go of her hand as blood continued to bleed into the white.

The footsteps only grew louder as Riri closed her eyes for a moment.

~

Beeping was the first thing she heard when she gained consciousness again. She opened her eyes to bright lights, enough to make her wince and close them, blocking out the light that physically hurt. Footsteps were heard, walking from one side of the room to the other.

“There.” Kira’s voice was heard, “The lights are dimmed.”

Riri listened, opening her eyes to a much darker room. She took in the sight of a normal hospital room, but what caught her eye was the outside scenery. They weren’t in Russia anymore.

“You’ve been out for a few days now.” Kira started, noticing the confusion on her sister’s face. She stepped over to stand next to the bed, “Successful surgery, removed the bullet in your side, then when you were deemed stable enough, I had you transferred to Toronto.”

“What about father?” Riri turned her head to catch her sister’s expression, guilt shadowed by a level of blankness only she could achieve. Not even Riri was able to master that.

“He...fell.” Kira spoke, “Down the stairs, hit his head.”

“He’s...?”

“He’s dead.” She confirmed, “He was dead before the paramedics ever arrived.”

Whether or not Kira wanted her to know, Riri could piece together the rest of the story. It was something she’d accept, because in the end, they were now free. “Did you tell Mary?”

Kira smiled, “Of course I did.” Like clockwork, the door clicked open. Kira turned, “I’ll leave you two to talk.” She motioned for Yumeko to follow, closing the door behind them. Mary stepped towards the bedside, eyes trailing up her body until she met her gaze.

“Hey.” Mary let a small smile appear on her face.

“Hi,” Riri breathed out, taking in the sight of her girlfriend in front of her. “You look beautiful.”

“And you scared me.” Mary intertwined their hands together. The same hand, once stained red, was now clean. “When Kira told me what happened...I almost couldn’t believe it. That was until I remembered who your father was.”

“Yeah...but, he’s gone now.” Riri squeezed her hand, “Nothing can stop me from loving you now, not even death.” She smiled when Mary brought their hands up to press a kiss against her knuckles, “We still have those Christmas movies to watch.”

Mary chuckled, “Yes we do.” She leaned down, pressing a kiss against her lips. “I love you, and I promise, we will watch every single Christmas movie you ever want to watch.”

“You’ll have to show me many more then, for the rest of our lives.”

Chapter Text

When Mary received a text from Riri, a request to meet her in her dorm, she didn’t think much of it. She got up, telling Yumeko and Ryan she was going to skip and finish up homework. A lie that only Ryan believed, since Yumeko was well aware of her little thing with the Vice President.

It was a shared secret considering Yumeko had a little thing with the President.

Making her way through the empty halls, she arrived at Riri’s dorm. The number stared back at her as she knocked, waiting for either a text or the door to open. Neither happened, and she decided to test her luck on the door being unlocked.

It was. She walked in, since she had already knocked and Riri was expecting her anyways. Her dorm was the same as always except for the sight on the bed. Riri’s jacket had been peeled off, her mask was long gone, and she was fidgeting.

“Riri.” Mary grabbed her attention as she shut the door with a click. “What’s up?”

Riri didn’t respond, instead standing up and walking over to her. Without a word between them, she wrapped her arms around Mary’s waist and buried her face into the crook of her neck. Mary felt herself melt as she returned the embrace, running a hand up and down Riri’s spine.

“You said I could hug you whenever I wanted.” Riri muttered, “And I wanted to.”

Mary turned to press a kiss in Riri’s hair, “I did say that. I’m glad you’re using this privilege well.”

Riri hummed, pressing a kiss against her skin.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, silently soaking up each other’s presence. When Riri finally pulled away, she intertwined their hands together and pulled Mary over to the bed. Sitting down, she pulled Mary to straddle her lap before wrapping her arms around her waist again.

“And why did you want to hug me?” Mary asked after Riri buried her face against her shoulder.

“I missed you.” Her words came out quiet. Mary felt a fluttering feeling in her stomach at the confession before she wrapped herself around Riri, resting her chin on her shoulder.

“We saw each other last night.” Mary tried to argue despite the warm feeling. There was no reason to be arguing with Riri about how long it would take to miss someone. If Riri missed her after an hour apart, then so be it.

Especially if it got her in this position.

“I haven’t seen you all day.” Riri sighed, “How do I not see you despite being on the Council?”

“Because I can’t miss tests.” Mary retorted without missing a beat, “Besides, I got back my math test from the other day.” She leaned back, enough for Riri to move and lift her head.

“How’d you do?”

“Mmm, guess.” Mary tapped her nose, “And if you get it right, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Riri pulled her closer as she thought, “100?”

Mary chuckled, “I’m not that good, baby. Lower.” She slid her hands up to Riri’s shoulders as the girl stared up at her, eyes shining with pure love. God, it was so hard not to give in and kiss her.

“99?” Riri guessed, causing another snicker from Mary.

“You’re just going to keep going, huh?” Riri nodded, “Baby, I did not get anything above a 95.”

“94?” Riri rested her chin on her chest, staring up at her with wide eyes. Mary smiled and shook her head. Her girlfriend groaned, tilting her head down to bury into her shirt, “At least give me a range or else we’re going to be here forever.”

“Like you would actually complain about that.” Mary teased, “Fine, it’s a number between 86 and 92.”

Pulling away, Riri answered. “91.”

Mary leaned in, pressing a kiss on her lips. “Correct.” She whispered before Riri leaned forward to continue the kiss. Riri ran her hands down her sides, passing her hips before landing on her thighs. Her hands grazed the skin that she could reach before Mary pulled away. “You have a thing for my thighs, don’t you?”

Riri’s eyes widened as she glanced down to her hands, “...No?”

“No?” Mary had a smug grin on her face as she rested her forehead against Riri’s, “Then why are you always trying to touch them?”

“...They’re nice?” Laughter bubbled out of the girl straddling her, “Maryyy.” She whined, bowing her head in an attempt to hide her face.

“No, no, it’s cute. Really.” Mary pressed a kiss on Riri’s head.

“I’m not cute.”

“Says the cute one.”

Riri lifted her head and let out a huff, “You’re insufferable.”

“You love it.” Mary pressed a kiss on Riri’s lips before completely pulling away. Standing up, she brushed down her skirt before checking the time on Riri’s phone that sat on the bedside stand. “And it’s almost the end of lunch.”

“Will I see you after classes end?” Riri asked, still sitting on the bed.

“Of course, unless Yumeko drags me somewhere. I’ll text you if something changes, like always.” Mary hummed, “Now come here, give me a kiss before I go.” Riri stood up, stepping over to give her a kiss.

“One more hug?” Riri asked as she pulled away with a pout.

“Sure, only because you’re asking.” Riri’s pout turned into a smile before she wrapped her arms around Mary’s torso. Resting her chin on Mary’s shoulder, she felt her girlfriend’s arms wrap around her waist. “If anything, I’ll send Yumeko to go torment your sister.”

Riri chuckled, pulling away satisfied. “I’m sure she won’t mind.”

Mary smiled, turning to grab the mask sitting beside Riri’s phone. With a slight incline of her girlfriend’s head, she slipped the mask over her face and adjusted it before deeming it good. “Alright, I’ll see you later then?” Riri nodded before Mary walked over to the door. “Bye baby.”

“Bye Mary.”

Mary blew her a kiss before stepping out.