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Rin was going to flunk his plants test. He felt it in his bones. And in the red marks that Yukio scribbled more and more impatiently on his homework. He felt it when the words and pictures in the textbook swam in the lamplight and his notes that ended up filled with drawings of Kuro sleeping. Feeling hopeless, he tried to distract himself by fiddling with the bottled clover Shiemi had given him. He leaned back on his chair’s back legs and closed his eyes, wishing that there would be an easier way to study, a way that didn’t involve books or notes or red marks.
His phone buzzed. It was unusual for anyone to call him at this hour. He flipped his phone open, expecting Yukio calling to say he had overtime again and then Rin would have to go out to drag him back before his brother fell asleep in the hallway again.
Instead, a soft, slightly wavering voice came through. “Hello?”
“Who’s this?” Rin asked.
“Ah! Rin is that you? I-it’s Shiemi. Sorry for calling so late.” Rin shot up straight in his chair, bumping the desk. Kuro opened one annoyed green eye, but went back to sleep.
“Shiemi! I didn’t know you had my number! What’s up?” He started to feel uncomfortably warm in his sweater. Did the heater turn on? Did his room even have a heater?
The line was silent for a moment except for the sound of light breathing. “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
“No!” Rin blurted. Then he saw his pile of papers on his desk. “I mean, I wish I wasn’t. I gotta study.”
“O-oh, that’s ok!” Shiemi sounded disappointed. “I was just hoping you could come over. I need a bit of help in the garden. But studying is important!”
Rin’s brain went into overdrive. He wanted to help Shiemi even if that meant he’d have to burn a hole in his wallet bribing Yukio with expensive fried fish to leave his room… But that wouldn’t be enough. He needed an excuse to argue with.
Shiemi’s speciality was plants. This test was basically made for her. Rin’s hand was shaking too much from excitement. He held his phone with both hands.
“Wait! I want to help you! But I need a bit of your expertise in exchange.”
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The next morning was a clear, sunny day. A chilly late fall breeze rustled the trees in Shiemi’s garden, trees that were still full of vibrant green leaves despite the season. Rin came dressed somewhat to impress, but without making it too obvious: he wore a light colored hoodie under a red flannel and a simple, unripped pair of jeans accessorized with a dark belt and a leather bracelet. Shiemi was in her usual traditional dress: a seasonal muted dark green kimono with a white and orange maple leaf top layer for warmth.
They sat together on a bench, huddled side-by-side to conserve heat. Rin was trying to take notes on a notebook while Shiemi held small potted versions of plants that were on Yukio’s study guide list. His younger brother had seemed surprised that morning to hear Rin come up with such a genius study plan. He grinned to himself at the recollection.
Shiemi introduced her plants to him, naming them each one by one. Rin recognized the succulent-looking plant with long fleshy and spiky leaves that she used to treat naberius wounds.
“This one’s called aloe and it’s good for burns! I like to call it Sancho-san because it sounds like a strong name for a strong plant.”
Rin nodded. Strong plant, aloe, good for burns. Got it.
Shiemi held up a leafy plant that smelled good. “This one’s a basil! You probably already knew that since you like to cook.” She giggled.
Rin blushed, then nodded for her to continue. "It's tasty."
“Its oil is good for ointments!” She brought out a few other herbs to compare and contrast each other. Rin listened attentively, but by the third or fourth leafy plant, he couldn’t keep up.
All he noticed was that they were incredibly well-taken care of. Actually, all her plants looked really healthy. Leaves were vibrant and glossy and large. The few flowers that were still in bloom were deeply saturated and their petals were all evenly formed. Rin might not have done well on his previous tests on plants, but he did know a good cooking ingredient when he saw one. The best tasting ingredients came from fresh and healthy plants like these. He bet that Shiemi’s vegetables must taste incredible, though his stomach had a different memory.
After rambling for a few minutes, Shiemi noticed Rin was taking fewer and fewer notes. She gave him a bashful smile. “Oops, sorry this must be boring for you.”
“No! Keep going!” Rin said. “I like listening to you talk. Maybe your enthusiasm will help me remember better!” They laughed at his silly remark, making Rin’s pen roll to the ground. He bent over to pick it up when a patch of bright yellow caught his attention. Shiemi had been covering his view of it on the bench. He pointed to the flowerbed. Flowers the size of tennis balls with dozens of small petals swayed atop dense dark green leaves.
“Hey, what are those gold flowers over there?”
Shiemi turned around to look, making her pale blonde hair flutter around her face like thin strands of grass. Her hair clip glinted with the change of angle. It was a pastel orange maple leaf that matched her jacket.
“Ooh, the chrysanthemums?” Shiemi got up and moved over to them. “These ones right?”
“Chris and the who?” Rin tried to repeat, following her. He bent down to sniff them. They were beautiful but didn’t have much of a fragrance.
“Hehe! Chris-an-the-mum! Some people call them ‘mums’ for short.” She rattled off their uses in flower arranging and in teas. Usually they were a deep gold like these ones, but they came in pink, orange, and even green. Her mother was planning on drying their petals to sell.
Rin felt like drying such a beautiful flower was a waste. He reached out to cup a large one in his hand. It filled his palm and tickled his fingers.
“Hey, what’s this thing in the middle?” he asked, prompting Shiemi to kneel on the ground with him. Instead of letting her look at it, he bent the stalk towards her head. The flower’s gold was darker than her hair, its unique texture contrasted with her straight locks.
“Huh?” she blinked. The dust in the air caught the rays of the late afternoon sun, the bloom softening her features. (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)
“Stay like that for a moment.” Rin rummaged for his phone and flipped it open. “Look at me?”
She did, her grassy eyes looking straight at him. He blushed. He could never get used to her puppy-like gaze. She blushed as well, unsure of how to hold herself, but eventually she settled into a position.
“O-okay!” She gave him a small smile, her droopy eyes squinting until her lashes crossed into each other. Rin wished he could stop time right there so they could enjoy each other’s company forever, but he guessed a simple photo would do.
Snap! The ancient phone’s sound effects were startlingly loud, making them both jump. Rin looked at the photo. He frowned, it was really crappy. Shiemi poked her head over to see.
“Aw, I was hoping it’d look nice,” he groaned. “Guess I can’t expect this old brick to compare to reality.” He glanced out the side of his eye at Shiemi. To his surprise, she had a very serious expression on her face. Her mouth was puckered up, reminding him of the time they were on a mission at Mephyland together.
“Is… is there something wrong?” He asked, suddenly realizing he should’ve asked more clearly for her permission before taking the picture. “Do you not like it? I can delete it.”
“Let me try!” She took the chrysanthemum stalk out of Rin’s hand, her soft hand brushed against his as they traded positions. He let go, but felt a strange residual electric sensation where their skin had touched. She raised the flower to her bangs, eclipsing her maple leaf hair clip. Looking at it like this, the flower was comically big, but somehow, he felt like it suited her personality in a way too.
He gave her a big goofy smile which made her giggle.
"What!" He frowned indignantly. His eyes darted around the garden.
"Nothing!” she squeaked. “Just take the picture!” In his flustered state, he accidentally took two pictures.
"Achoo!" She sneezed right as he clicked the button the second time. Rin took one look at the resulting shot and fell over laughing. Shiemi gasped, covering her face. (≖︿≖✿)
“Ahh!!” She squealed, lunging for his camera. “Nooo!”
“Nyahahah! This face!” He rolled over the concrete to dodge her flailing arms. She chased him around the garden, at first going for his phone, but eventually they both forgot why they were running. Shiemi drove him into a corner, but he leaped up onto a large tree branch and stuck his tongue out. “Come catch me if you can!” He teased.
Shiemi rolled up her sleeves. She jumped on a raised bed, and was surprisingly nimble as she leapt to a low branch.
“W-wait no! I didn’t mean it!” Rin scrambled back down before she could slipp in her wooden sandals. “I’m down, I’m down!” He went back to wait by the chrysanthemum bed.
A sudden force rammed into him from behind, making him trip forward. Fallen petals flew up into the air.
“Oof!”
“Ah!”
Rin looked back. Shiemi had tripped over a rock trying to tag him. She clutched onto his flannel as she looked up with wide eyes. “Sorry!” Her hair clip was slipping, causing her bangs to cover her eyes. He bet he looked a bit disheveled as well.
Rin just smiled and let her make her way off him. “Heh, you got me good. Are you okay?” He leaned forward to check her hands, and then her face.
“I’m fine! O-oh!” Rin pushed some of her hair back to re-clip her little maple leaf. When he leaned back to admire his handiwork, Shiemi was frozen in place, her now unobscured eyes sparkling like round emerald pools. The sunlight sprinkled gold flecks into the green.
”Ah!” Rin squeaked, throwing his hands up in the air like goalposts. “S-sorry I should've asked first!"
The pools turned to upturned moons as she smiled. "It's ok! Thank you, Rin." She grabbed his hands this time, flipping them over. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
Rin looked to the side, focusing on her fence instead. His heart pounded in his ears, and he was unsure if he’d be able to keep from making an embarrassing face if he looked back at her. “Aw, a small fall like that wouldn’t do anything to me-” He sucked in a sharp breath.
“You have a big splinter! Oh no, it’s all my fault.”
“No it’s not! It doesn't hurt. It’s the ground’s fault so don’t worry about it.” He tried to take his hand back, but her grip was strong. His eyebrows raised, unsure what that warm sensation that grew from his chest was.
“I have to treat it before it gets worse!” She summoned her little greenman to her side and began cleaning his wound.
"Ow!" He yelped dramatically. If he was going to be taken care of, he might as well enjoy it.
Shiemi gasped. "I thought you said it didn't hurt!" Her eyes were filled with worry. Rin suddenly regretted pretending.
"Ahahaa… just kidding~" He leaned back lazily. Seeing him relax, she went back to work. Her brows furrowed in a way that made Rin want to smooth them out.
Shiemi plucked the splinter out in one swift motion.
"Eeeyow!" This time, Rin yelped for real, but as soon as the pain bloomed, it was blanketed by a soothing cool gel.
"This should help!" Shiemi shuffled back awkwardly now that her task was done. Rin used his free hand to grab her sleeve.
"Shiemi. Thanks." He plucked a stray flower petal out of her hair.
"O-of course, anytime!" She patted his head and a bunch of golden petals came raining down before fluttering away in the breeze.
Rin's notebook sat forgotten on the bench as the two of them chatted away long into the evening.
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When Rin returned to the dorm, Yukio was sitting at his desk munching on the fried fish Rin made for him. He seemed to be in a good mood for once because he turned around to look at him as he said, “Welcome back, Nii-san.”
“'Sup.” Rin flopped down on his bed and threw his backpack at his chair, missing entirely. He smiled as he gathered up his comforter into his arms.
“Had a good time studying?” Yukio asked.
"Huh?" Rin looked at him with a blank face.
Yukio's face started to scrunch up, which Rin knew was going to turn into his tired tutor scowl. "Studying? With Shiemi?" Yukio continued.
Oh. Memories of last night flashed back into his brain like he was struck by lightning. Another flash, this time fear, caused Rin to fall out of bed trying to persuade his twin, or rather convince his twin that he hadn't spent the whole day goofing off (which they had, but Yukio didn't need to know.)
"Wait waitwait, don't get mad. We did study! And then we did some other stuff after, that's why I forgot!"
Rin quickly brought out his phone, hoping to distract Yukio. "Here, wanna see pics of Shiemi? You know you do." He clicked through the chrysanthemum pictures. "This one's my favori- hey! Give that back!”
"Seems like you finished studying quite quickly." Yukio said. The light from his laptop made his glasses shine, keeping Rin from seeing Yukio's expression.
That night, Yukio went to bed late, but he slept soundly through the agonized wails of his idiot brother.
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