Shelter from the Rain
Apr. 17th, 2019 09:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyanderenekoWord Count: 1,179
Summary: It’s rare for Nova to forget to bring an umbrella with her, especially when there’s rain in the forecast, but with the help of her boyfriend’s resourceful ingenuity the possibility of making it home without getting drenched isn’t entirely out of reach.
*Author’s Note*: Strange summary but I promise the fic is worth it lol. It’s about me and my magnificent tanuki boyfriend, Yasaburo! I haven’t posted any writing for my ship with him until now, and honestly it’s waaaaaaaay overdue. He’s from one of my fave series ever, the art direction and story and characters…everything, it’s just so wonderful, and it’s been one of my fave anime for a while. I’m sad it’s so underrated and I definitely encourage more people to check it out if you can! This particular plot was partially inspired by this gif (or the ep it’s from, anyway) because this scene always stuck out to me and I decided why not. I hope you enjoy!
Rainy days had a subtle charm in Nova’s eyes. Overcast afternoons in general were a relief to her, a setting that eased her tenseness and calmed her mind. Sure, it could be argued that the world turned dull and dreary on such occasions, transformed by a monochrome overlay that sucked the life out of everything it touched. But to Nova, the patter of raindrops against pavement and the solid white-gray sky were breathtaking illustrations of tranquility. Sometimes the darker shades that colored the rolling clouds looked as if they were verging on silver, a delicate and rare color that dazzled her any time she had the pleasure of seeing it.
There was a caveat to her enjoyment of such occasions, however; she was usually only able to reap their benefits from indoors. She much preferred to take in the mystical midday scene by means of a nearby window, conducting her observation from the convenience and comfort of a vantage point that was dry and warm. She’d never been fond of the idea of getting her clothes wet, and subsequently having the fabric weigh heavily and uncomfortably against her skin. The sensation was unpleasant to her in every way, and as a result she strove to avoid it at all costs. In line with her desire to keep herself from winding up in such a predicament, she did her best to carry an umbrella with her almost everywhere she went, as often as she could; weather was notably finicky and unpredictable, after all. There was no guarantee that even on a sunny day she was truly safe from the threat of a storm suddenly stirring up and descending upon her.
That impulsivity was a concern for more than just her, an untrustworthy variable that posed a more serious risk to the wellbeing of a select few others who found themselves at its mercy. But today, apparently (and luckily, although that description was still up for debate) the sky only felt like showering the city in a steady curtain of rain, foregoing the accompaniment of any kind of extraneous wind or the occasional startling background noise. It was still rain, though, and Nova found herself in the clutches of a frustrating dilemma, one born from her own lack of forethought. A simple instance of forgetfulness that meant she was going to have to face the one ill-fated circumstance she always planned so carefully to thwart.
“You didn’t bring an umbrella?”
“I forgot it.” He didn’t have to sound so incredulous; the insinuation in his tone was a little insulting. It wasn’t like she’d willingly gone out of her way to make such a mistake.
“That’s unlike you.”
Her fists tightened, but she did her best to let her frustration fade. She had no one to blame but herself, and the consequences were solely hers to bear. There wasn’t any point in taking it out on him, although if he was intent on pushing her buttons, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back from retaliating accordingly. Staring out into the rain, she steeled her irritated nerves and prepared to take her first step. If she could walk quickly and duck under awnings as she went, maybe the damage wouldn’t be too bad.
“Hey, you don’t have to do that,” Yasaburo interrupted, grabbing her by the shoulder.
An ear swiveled as she turned to face him curiously. “What do you mean? Do you happen to have an umbrella I don’t know about?” She was fairly confident she hadn’t seen him carrying one all day.
“I guess you could say that,” he answered cryptically, and as she turned the rest of the way around, she found not a person standing before her, but an umbrella. Yes, a single, simple umbrella, balanced on its end and leaning towards her a tad as it started getting off balance. Catching it out of reflex, she lifted the unusual item and examined it more keenly, squinting suspiciously.
“You know, this is kind of weird,” she pointed out in a lofty voice. “Actually, it’s very weird. Completely bizarre—”
“And it only makes it weirder if I respond to you, right?” His inflection was clearly playful, and she knew he knew that she was mostly being sarcastic. Mostly, that is.
But what kind of judgment could she really afford to pass on her boyfriend, who also happened to be a shape shifting tanuki, when she herself was a supernatural creature of comparable eccentricity? Besides, he was using his powers quite virtuously, helping her out of the goodness of his heart. It was a wonderful heart, she’d determined long ago, one that she was still a bit surprised she was able to occupy any space in. In her opinion, it needed to be reserved for important things, and the idea that she was one of those things…well, she tried not to argue with him about it too much. Taking Yasaburo at his word was always better than trying to decipher the complicated inner workings of his mind, especially since it was so rare for him to keep things to himself.
“It does, but only if we get caught,” the young girl replied, opening the unique object before venturing into the downpour. “And I have to ask, does holding you like this tickle or anything?”
“No, not necessarily,” he answered nonchalantly, as if the topic of their conversation was as normal as anything else. “It’s kind of hard to explain shapeshifting dynamics to someone that hasn’t done it.”
“Don’t bother wasting your breath,” she shrugged, strolling along with an amused smile on her lips. “I know it’s something I’ll never truly understand. I can only be a cat or a human, and both of those things aren’t very useful points of reference when it comes to trying to explain how it feels to be an object.”
“Maybe someday I’ll be able to teach you,” he mused. “I mean, if Benten could learn how to fly—”
“Alright, time to change the subject.” Nova wanted to omit the use of that woman’s name as much as possible. “Thank you for coming to my aid so chivalrously. Your quick thinking saved me from having to incur the wrath of the unyielding, unforgiving rain.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Yasaburo chuckled. “But you’re going to have to make it up to me for all the suffering I’ve been made to endure?”
“Made? Excuse me, weren’t you the one who—”
“I won’t ask for much.”
He was teasing her again, and she knew better than to fall for that kind of bait. With a self-directed sigh she agreed to his request and continued her leisurely trek through the city. Talking to the boy that had become an umbrella, taking refuge under the canopy he’d created for her…it really was an unfathomable spectacle. But that was to be expected from the kind of relationship that was shared between two mythical creatures who just happened to cross each other’s path one day. Two individuals that were ultimately brought together by the fastidious frivolity of fate.
Summary: It’s rare for Nova to forget to bring an umbrella with her, especially when there’s rain in the forecast, but with the help of her boyfriend’s resourceful ingenuity the possibility of making it home without getting drenched isn’t entirely out of reach.
*Author’s Note*: Strange summary but I promise the fic is worth it lol. It’s about me and my magnificent tanuki boyfriend, Yasaburo! I haven’t posted any writing for my ship with him until now, and honestly it’s waaaaaaaay overdue. He’s from one of my fave series ever, the art direction and story and characters…everything, it’s just so wonderful, and it’s been one of my fave anime for a while. I’m sad it’s so underrated and I definitely encourage more people to check it out if you can! This particular plot was partially inspired by this gif (or the ep it’s from, anyway) because this scene always stuck out to me and I decided why not. I hope you enjoy!
_____
Rainy days had a subtle charm in Nova’s eyes. Overcast afternoons in general were a relief to her, a setting that eased her tenseness and calmed her mind. Sure, it could be argued that the world turned dull and dreary on such occasions, transformed by a monochrome overlay that sucked the life out of everything it touched. But to Nova, the patter of raindrops against pavement and the solid white-gray sky were breathtaking illustrations of tranquility. Sometimes the darker shades that colored the rolling clouds looked as if they were verging on silver, a delicate and rare color that dazzled her any time she had the pleasure of seeing it.
There was a caveat to her enjoyment of such occasions, however; she was usually only able to reap their benefits from indoors. She much preferred to take in the mystical midday scene by means of a nearby window, conducting her observation from the convenience and comfort of a vantage point that was dry and warm. She’d never been fond of the idea of getting her clothes wet, and subsequently having the fabric weigh heavily and uncomfortably against her skin. The sensation was unpleasant to her in every way, and as a result she strove to avoid it at all costs. In line with her desire to keep herself from winding up in such a predicament, she did her best to carry an umbrella with her almost everywhere she went, as often as she could; weather was notably finicky and unpredictable, after all. There was no guarantee that even on a sunny day she was truly safe from the threat of a storm suddenly stirring up and descending upon her.
That impulsivity was a concern for more than just her, an untrustworthy variable that posed a more serious risk to the wellbeing of a select few others who found themselves at its mercy. But today, apparently (and luckily, although that description was still up for debate) the sky only felt like showering the city in a steady curtain of rain, foregoing the accompaniment of any kind of extraneous wind or the occasional startling background noise. It was still rain, though, and Nova found herself in the clutches of a frustrating dilemma, one born from her own lack of forethought. A simple instance of forgetfulness that meant she was going to have to face the one ill-fated circumstance she always planned so carefully to thwart.
“You didn’t bring an umbrella?”
“I forgot it.” He didn’t have to sound so incredulous; the insinuation in his tone was a little insulting. It wasn’t like she’d willingly gone out of her way to make such a mistake.
“That’s unlike you.”
Her fists tightened, but she did her best to let her frustration fade. She had no one to blame but herself, and the consequences were solely hers to bear. There wasn’t any point in taking it out on him, although if he was intent on pushing her buttons, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold herself back from retaliating accordingly. Staring out into the rain, she steeled her irritated nerves and prepared to take her first step. If she could walk quickly and duck under awnings as she went, maybe the damage wouldn’t be too bad.
“Hey, you don’t have to do that,” Yasaburo interrupted, grabbing her by the shoulder.
An ear swiveled as she turned to face him curiously. “What do you mean? Do you happen to have an umbrella I don’t know about?” She was fairly confident she hadn’t seen him carrying one all day.
“I guess you could say that,” he answered cryptically, and as she turned the rest of the way around, she found not a person standing before her, but an umbrella. Yes, a single, simple umbrella, balanced on its end and leaning towards her a tad as it started getting off balance. Catching it out of reflex, she lifted the unusual item and examined it more keenly, squinting suspiciously.
“You know, this is kind of weird,” she pointed out in a lofty voice. “Actually, it’s very weird. Completely bizarre—”
“And it only makes it weirder if I respond to you, right?” His inflection was clearly playful, and she knew he knew that she was mostly being sarcastic. Mostly, that is.
But what kind of judgment could she really afford to pass on her boyfriend, who also happened to be a shape shifting tanuki, when she herself was a supernatural creature of comparable eccentricity? Besides, he was using his powers quite virtuously, helping her out of the goodness of his heart. It was a wonderful heart, she’d determined long ago, one that she was still a bit surprised she was able to occupy any space in. In her opinion, it needed to be reserved for important things, and the idea that she was one of those things…well, she tried not to argue with him about it too much. Taking Yasaburo at his word was always better than trying to decipher the complicated inner workings of his mind, especially since it was so rare for him to keep things to himself.
“It does, but only if we get caught,” the young girl replied, opening the unique object before venturing into the downpour. “And I have to ask, does holding you like this tickle or anything?”
“No, not necessarily,” he answered nonchalantly, as if the topic of their conversation was as normal as anything else. “It’s kind of hard to explain shapeshifting dynamics to someone that hasn’t done it.”
“Don’t bother wasting your breath,” she shrugged, strolling along with an amused smile on her lips. “I know it’s something I’ll never truly understand. I can only be a cat or a human, and both of those things aren’t very useful points of reference when it comes to trying to explain how it feels to be an object.”
“Maybe someday I’ll be able to teach you,” he mused. “I mean, if Benten could learn how to fly—”
“Alright, time to change the subject.” Nova wanted to omit the use of that woman’s name as much as possible. “Thank you for coming to my aid so chivalrously. Your quick thinking saved me from having to incur the wrath of the unyielding, unforgiving rain.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Yasaburo chuckled. “But you’re going to have to make it up to me for all the suffering I’ve been made to endure?”
“Made? Excuse me, weren’t you the one who—”
“I won’t ask for much.”
He was teasing her again, and she knew better than to fall for that kind of bait. With a self-directed sigh she agreed to his request and continued her leisurely trek through the city. Talking to the boy that had become an umbrella, taking refuge under the canopy he’d created for her…it really was an unfathomable spectacle. But that was to be expected from the kind of relationship that was shared between two mythical creatures who just happened to cross each other’s path one day. Two individuals that were ultimately brought together by the fastidious frivolity of fate.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-06-28 02:32 am (UTC)