dappledleaves | meme for pocky /high school AU meme

[ When Sinclair receives the message, he doesn't hesitate to grab his own rain jacket and umbrella. It's rare enough for Oria to ask for anything so Sinclair doesn't think twice before texting omw as he jogs out the door.

He's instantly hit by a wave of rain by the buffeting wind and yelps, pulling his hood down lower and lowering the umbrella as he pushes against the wind and rain. Good thing he grabbed his jacket too. He makes for a light jog to the bus stop in question, his boots keeping him from sliding all the way across campus. It's a pretty precarious journey though and his pants are still soaked by the time he reaches the bus stop]

Oria--

[Sinclair has to shout to be heard over the rain as he closes the distance, ducking under the shelter too ]

I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long.

[ He studies Oria in worry, noting how soaked he was. Ah...Oria was in white...]

Geez, you got soaked badly.

[He'll do his best to help Oria by reaching out to cover his hands to keep him warm]

[ Oria had been trying to squeeze water out of his clothes whenever possible without undressing. It's hard, but he has public decency for this. Please. He wears the long sleeveless vest that he usually has on after squeezing the water out of that too. He may be wearing a white boatneck shirt, but at least that covers him a bit. The glasses are covered in drops of rain since there's nothing dry to wipe them with either, so it's a little hard to see clearly. ]

Thanks for coming, Emil. I didn't wait too long. I can't wait to take a shower...

[ His hands are a bit cold, which really must be because of the weather. The bought things are inside a plastic bag in which Oria did his best to completely seal it from the rain. ]

No kidding. Your hands are freezing.

[ Sinclair offers Oria his handkerchief to dry his glasses and face at least while he reaches for the bag. He's doing a very good job keeping his eyes focused on Oria's face.]

Here, I can hide that under my jacket at least.

[ It's not completely rainproof, but it'll do the job]

Oh, thanks.

[ Sinclair can take the plastic bag as Oria brushes his wet hair back so that he can actually see. There's no point in styling it now that it's soaked. ]

Let's start heading back.

[ Oria usually doesn't get sick, but when he does, he gets extremely sick. The rarity alone doesn't have Oria much concerned about his health for staying out in the rain for too long.

But then he sneezes. ]

[ Sinclair looke at Oria a little suspiciously and plants himself into Oria's side to keep some of him warm, even as he holds the bag under his jacket. The umbrella, Oria will have to hold]

...yeah. Before you get sick.

I won't get sick from some rain!

[ But then, ah... Sinclair is really close to him. He knows that Sinclair is probably doing this for warmth, but still. It feels nice. ]

This isn't some rain.

[ Oria is definitely freezing and Sinclair frowns, practically snuggling into Oria's side to keep them both under the umbrella and Oria warm. He doesn't mind that Oria is soaked through.]

[ It's a good thing that the umbrella is so big, otherwise both of them would have probably had a wet shoulder. Oria wouldn't have minded that since he's already soaked. What's some more when he's already soaked to the bone?

But he does feel the chill seeping into his bones eventually, even though it's not particularly chilly out. Sinclair is doing his best to keep him warm though, and that's enough of a deterrent from him to feel completely frozen.

An alert goes off Oria's phone, and he has it set to read-aloud mode, since he doesn't want to deal with touching his phone while soaked more than he has to. The phone says in an automated voice that there's a tornado warning and that it's advised to seek shelter immediately indoors. The heavy downpour and thunderstorms are a byproduct of the possible tornados that may be forming... Oria sighs. ]

Good thing we're not so far away. Today is such a bad time...

Geez...

[ Sinclair squeezes Oria's arm a little more]

That explains the wind earlier too.

[ But at least it's not too far now. ]

[ The two return to the dorms safely, and Oria immediately takes off his shoes, shocks, and long vest. There's a trail of water everywhere he goes, so he's trying not to make everything wet by walking all over the place. Good thing the floors aren't carpeted. ]

Thanks for bringing me here, Emil. I really need a shower or I'm gonna smell like the rain for a week.

[ He mumbles as he pulls out a big towel from the drawer. Their bathrooms are fortunately not community ones. There's one for each dorm room. ]

What about you? I'll try to make it quick if you are.

[Sinclair drops the soggy umbrella and his jacket down by the entrance, kicking off his boots at the same time]

I didn't get much rain, so I'm fine. Take your time.

[Oh. That wet white shirt is...something on Oria. He puts Oria's bag of things on his table. Maybe he can get some hot chocolate for them both. Lightning flashes just outside their window, and thunder crashes down, as the rain begins to pelt their window]

[ Oria turns to look at Sinclair while holding the big towel close to himself. Hm... ]

If you say so.

[ The kitchen, unfortunately, is community use. There's a kitchen for every floor. Just one. There's a vending machine in it too, and it has all that you'd want from it—hot chocolate packs, snacks, instant ramen... pots and pans are available for use as long as people clean them properly after each use.

Anyway, Oria goes in the bathroom, so Sinclair can mosey over to the kitchen or do whatever his heart desires.

It's just that after about ten minutes, the power goes out. ]

[Aaaaaaaahh. Sinclair yelps when everything shuts down. But luckily, the hot chocolate is done. Too bad about the ramen though. He squints through the darkened hall, cradling the hot chocolate cups and bag of marshmallows to his chest as he makes his way carefully back to their room]

--I couldn't get any ramen, but I've got hot chocolate. You're not stuck are you?

[Just calling out to Oria if he's stuck in the bathroom]

[ There's silence for a moment and then several seconds later, Sinclair is able to hear a deep sigh from the bathroom. ]

... I still have conditioner in my hair.

[ Then the water went out with the power. ]

Edited 2023-12-14 23:22 (UTC)

[Oh. Oh no. Sinclair checks his cupboard]

I've got some unopened water bottles. Do you want that? Otherwise I can try grabbing the kettle...

[Except the water is out and there's no guarantee the water dispenser is working]

Anything you can grab would be great.

[ Seriously. He can't afford to be picky right now. ]

The door's unlocked so just place it on the floor when you get them.

[ why is he suddenly so nervous? He grabs the water bottles and opens the door. He's careful to keep his gaze directed to the ground as he puts them down inside the bathroom]

I'll go see if I can fill up our kettle with anything too.

[And he'll just zoom out. aaaaaaaa]

Thanks!

[ He calls out before Sinclair zooms out. He picks up each water bottle and takes them to the bathtub where it doubles as a shower. He doesn't wash his hair out just yet, since he's still waiting for Sinclair to come back with extra water. He wouldn't want to drip even more water on the floor... so he just sits in the bathtub. It's really dark in here.

Not that it matters, since it's all a blur to him without his glasses. ]

[Luckily, the water dispenser is working, and Sinclair manages to fill it up. It's warm, because he mixed it with just enough boiling water to make it pleasant to the touch and carries it back, knocking on the door again to give Oria a heads up.]

I've got the kettle too, and candles. Should I bring it closer?

[He can do this without looking in the direction of the shower nbd. It's so dark...]

Edited 2023-12-15 03:47 (UTC)

[ Luckily for Sinclair, the shower curtain divides the two. Oria has it up despite the pitch blackness inside the bathroom. ]

I'll be fine without the candles, since I can't see much. Thanks though. It would be great if you could bring the kettle a bit closer so that I can grab it without leaving the tub.

[ It's definitely a moment of vulnerability, but he trusts Sinclair enough that he doesn't feel too bothered. ]

[ Oh, that's a relief. Sinclair fights a sheepish blush as he sets the kettle down just outside the shower]

I'll leave it here then. Um. Let me know if you need anything else.

[ He's aware of how awkward and vulnerable Oria must be feeling right now, so he tries to keep his movements quick so Oria can relax again.

He'll go back outside and wait in their room. He'll light some candles here since it's gotten ridiculously dark fast]

[ Even with their window, it's gotten incredibly dark outside, so there isn't much light. But still, at least there's something and the candles help a bit.

It takes a while with Oria and washing the conditioner out of his hair. He needs to be thorough and yet keep water efficiency in mind due to the limited amount he has, but he works with it. After that, he dries off, puts on an extra big t-shirt and sweatpants so that he can be incredibly lazy and lounge in the room. He doesn't see himself leaving any time soon. The contrast is quite something. ]

I'm done... what's that smell?

[ ... ]

Smells kinda homey.

Oh, the candles? Yuri gave them to me. She said she got extra and thought it'd suit me. It's nice, isn't it?

[Sinclair does Not Get it, but he does like the scent. It's a lot less intense than other candles, and it makes him want to curl up with a book under a blanket or something. If only there as enough light... He holds out the cup of hot chocolate for Oria to take. He had put it in the insulator bag and parked it next to the candle. It's not as hot as he would like it to be, but it's still pleasant to drink]

Here. I managed to keep it warm for you.

[It sure is something to see Oria with his hair damp and un-styled and Sinclair feels the urge to take a small towel and help Oria get his hair dry]

[ Sinclair experiencing a lot of things today and Oria is too, but for a different reason. Oria's smile is soft when Sinclair hands him the cup of hot chocolate. It's warm in his hands as he drinks some of it, sighing contently. ]

Ah... a nice, warm hot chocolate right out of the shower feels really nice.

[ And there's something about the candlelit atmosphere that feels cozy and comfortable. He wants to wrap himself up in a blanket or maybe hug Sinclair?

...

Anyway. His hair remains damp because all he could do was towel dry it and relatively brush it back so it doesn't get all over his face, but definitely unstyled. ]

Maybe you remind her of home.

You think so?

[He's a little distracted thinking why that would be the case. He motions for Oria to sit down and he gets up to get a small, fluffy microfibre towel to gently pat Oria's hair dry a little more. With his fluffy hair, he rarely uses the hairdryer, so he knows how to get it to dry faster without heat]

If your hair stays this damp, you'll definitely get sick.

[ He's a little wistful thinking of home. With Oria. This was home now]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject