dappledleaves | meme for pocky /high school AU meme

You did.

[ Oria isn't a sore loser, so he'll accept that. This time. ]

When do you even get the time to brush up on your game skills? It always feels like you're burying your nose into a book.

Oh, when you're out I guess.

[ On dates and other things. Like his meetings. Very gently and carefully he'll brush Oria's hair out of his face. Soft...]

Club activities don't take up that much of my time either...

[ Oria eyes Sinclair's fingers moving to brush the hair out of his face. He normally doesn't like it when people touch his hair, but he finds that he doesn't hate it as much when Sinclair does it. Perhaps it's because he does it with care. Perhaps it's because Oria knows his intentions—

...

Does he really? Oria looks past the fingers, up at Sinclair's face. He's very soft—his heart is too. ]

Could it be that you're actually a genius?

[ He tries to laugh it off like he usually does. ]

Please. [ Sinclair drops his hand, smiling down at Oria in bemusement. They've known each other for so long and...really, no one outside of his family knows him better]

You know that's wrong.

Okay, fiiiine. You're so hardworking and know how and where to apply things. Better?

[ He reaches up and lightly pulls on Sinclair's cheek. ]

...somehow that sounds terrible when you put it like that.

[Or Sinclair is just bad at taking compliments, even from a childhood friend.

Also, owwww his cheek. Sinclair pokes Oria's cheek in turn, making no move to shove Oria off his lap. It's nice]

How is that bad?

[ He stops pinching his cheek to pinch his nose instead. ]

I meant it genuinely!

By pinching my nose--?

[ Sinclair will snatch at Oria's hand and pull it down, looking skeptical. Try to take your hand back now]

Because—

[ Ah. That sure is his hand being pulled down like that. Oria keeps the grin on his face though, and laces his fingers with Sinclair's after correcting the hold. ]

—my words mean something when they're for you.

[ Is he flirting like usual? His natural tendencies? Or is that a genuine compliment? ]

[It's hard to tell sometimes, isn't it? But Oria had never told him nice things he didn't actually mean.

Sinclair finds his cheeks reddening anyway. This is just how Oria is, he tells himself. It doesn't stop him from squeezing Oria's hand gently]

Mm... you've always been like that.

That's right! I have!

[ Oria laughs a little, feeling the squeeze of their hands together. ]

Does it bother you?

No. [His smile grows a little, honest and warm. It's never anything but with Oria] I like you as you are.

[And if most people would balk before saying these things, Sinclair never has, at least, not with Oria.]

[ Ah.

It feels strange to be told that with so much sincerity, but he knows that Sinclair means every single bit of it. That's why there's a small bit of pink on his face and a lot of sincere gratitude when he says the following: ]

Thanks. I'm glad you do.

[ Oria wonders why Sinclair hasn't dated yet... ]

[Oh. He wasn't at expecting Oria to respond like that. He goes a little pinker, but his smile doesn't waver as he rubs his thumb over the back of Oria's hand absentmindedly]

Mm. That wont change, you know.

[No matter what happened...]

Did you want to keep playing some more or did you just want to rest?

[ Sinclair is so soft, and that's one of the reasons why Oria enjoys his company. Soft and sincere, a deadly combo when applied effectively. ]

You should finally go and do your homework.

[ Oria already finished his before the classes ended for the day, so he's not pressed about his. ]

Ah. [Sinclair glances over at his books on the table] ...I forgot.

[Genuinely, despite his earlier despair over it. He gives a little huff and lets go of Oria's hand]

Then you need to let me up.

I dunno... your lap makes a real fine pillow.

[ He laughs, but eventually lifts his head from the lap. ]

There you go. Now you're free to be held hostage by your paper. Good lap pillow by the way. 10 out of 10.

[There's that teasing he was expecting. Sinclair waits for Oria to move before he gets up and returns to his desk. He's still red, but he shoots Oria an exasperated look for that as he picks up his least favourite book in the world and opens up his laptop]

Uhuh. Of course it is. I actually stay still.

[Does Oria say that to everyone he uses as a lap pillow...he's not going to think about that.]

Are you saying the others don't?

[ Though that's the last teasing for now, unless something else happens. Oria will leave Sinclair alone for now. Has he really had other lap pillows? Who knows? Does it matter? He seems pretty content with himself as he starts scrolling through the phone. ]

I'm saying you don't. [ But once the book opens, Sinclair gets pretty into it after all, marking a few key pages as he begins to type up the essay rapidly. It needed to be good enough so he would be left alone for a good few days barring any further mishaps. This is his penance]

[ His penance for something Oria caused, yet he doesn't feel bad. He supposes that means his quality time with Sinclair has decreased in favor of his essay, but he can wait. ]

There's nothing wrong with not staying still, you know!

Really?

[ Sinclair makes a distracted encouraging noise, but he really is in the zone now.]

[ Oria knows that sound—it's when Sinclair is very much focused on something. That's why he doesn't give him a verbal answer, because it's not worth his attention right now. He simply watches the back of Sinclair's head, admiring how fluffy it looks and how soft it must be to run his fingers through it. And maybe, just maybe—

...

Oria frowns a little. He wouldn't want to lose Sinclair more than a lot of things in the world. It's not worth taking that risk. He looks back at his phone ago, trying to see if anyone wants a fun time at a date.

But it's really never what he actually wants.

... ]

[ It takes some time, but Sinclair does finish his essay sooner than most people would - Oria was correct. German is his speciality, and German literature especially so. The rest of his homework gets done too after that and when he finishes, it's dark out]

I'm done. Finally.

[He really would have been done faster if it weren't for that essay. He rubs his eyes and shuts his books. He had been getting a lot of pings from the school messaging app, but he had simply ignored it.

Besides...]

[ Oria was taking a nap face down on the bed with his glasses off, but he hears Sinclair speak and gradually wakes up. He's a light sleeper. After yawning and putting his glasses back on, he looks over at Sinclair from the bed lazily. ]

Mm... you're done?

[ That nap was essentially a time waster, since Oria knows that he can't stay up too late anyway, regardless of how many naps he gets in the day. ]

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