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Happy 1st Anniversary, Hyarice!
Those four large letters emboldened by pink and purple accents and a big flowing banner donning Hyacine and Castorice’s smiling, flushed faces stares Hyacine in the face as soon as she enters the building. A second later, a loud BANG cuts through the air, and she is soon drowned in confetti.
She blinks, frozen in shock. Then, nerves get the better of her, and all those thoughts from this morning come rushing back to her in a mentally taxing avalanche.
It had been a year since Hyacine started dating the ethereal, gorgeous, shy, gentle soul that is her now-girlfriend, Castorice.
Oh, Aquila. She wishes she had Castorice’s grounding presence with her right now, but she knows she’d be even worse if Castorice was here.
She shudders, the mound of confetti shaking with her. Her friends are all shouting and whooping joyously, but their words fall on ringing ears.
The celebratory sounds die down slowly when they realise Hyacine soon became despondent. A singular, awkward “woo!” comes from someone in the crowd whose voice Hyacine doesn’t recognise. Not that Hyacine can focus on anything at this very moment.
There’s shuffling, exchanged glances, and then Hyacine feels well-manicured fingertips gently plucking confetti from her head, and another pair of hands brushing off her shoulders.
“You feeling okay, Cinny?” Tribbie asks somewhere down by Hyacine’s skirt, and she only knows she’s there by the rapid movements of Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon’s small hands making quick work of cleaning the confetti off there.
Hyacine gasps suddenly, the present flooding back into her bloodstream, reigniting her flesh with colour again. Aglaea and Hysilens, who Hyacine realises were the other two women helping clean her up, as well as the triplets give her some space as she clutches the flowery tote bag she’d been carrying and simultaneously dreading revealing the contents of to her chest.
“No,” Hyacine finally squeaks out. “Absolutely not! I– Oh, I should have spent more time on this… Why didn’t I spend more time on this…?”
Anaxa emerges from the crowd like a shadow, glancing at Phainon carefully as he goes, who grins uncertainly in response. Her teacher stares down at her, and what most would presume to be a horrifyingly judgemental gaze, Hyacine knows that Anaxa only stares at her with genuine concern right now.
She does not wish to worry any of her friends, especially at this very moment, but she can’t help furrowing her eyebrows in worry herself.
Aglaea places a hand on her shoulder, and she almost jumps out of her skin. “I am certain she will adore whatever gift you choose to bestow her with, Hyacine,” she soothes, voice as calming as a gentle wave. Hyacine feels her shoulders slowly relax. “No need to fret.”
“You’ve spent enough time working yourself to the bone over such a sentimental project in any case,” Anaxa cuts in, crossing his arms. Hyacine raises her sorrowful eyes to him, and something in his expression softens. He breathes an exaggerated but fond sigh. “She’ll love it, I’m sure.” A pause. “I’m always right after all. If you absolutely need to place your trust in anyone, it’s me.”
At this, Hyacine snorts a soft laugh. The room brightens immediately at the sound, and Hyacine flushes with embarrassment. “Y– Yeah, you’re probably right… Thanks guys.”
Anaxa raises an eyebrow, probably at the, well, use of probably, but decides not to comment again.
Before Hyacine can utter another word, Cipher pops out from around her other side, drawing another pitiful squeak from the smaller girl, as well as causing Hysilens to flinch away from Hyacine and glare at the cat woman.
“Well,” Cipher drawls, sharp, thieving nails inching closer to Hyacine’s tote bag. “I dunno about any of you, but I sure am curious about what our dear little Hyacine got for perfect little Princess Homebody.”
Hyacine quickly moves her bag away from Cipher’s snatching hands, though her much shorter arms can only go so far when Cipher just manages to reach around and grab the other side. “Cipher!!” She tries and fails to pull away her bag again, protesting as much as she can while Cipher giggles maniacally in her ears. “You’ll get to see it when the time comes!”
When she feels her strength beginning to waver, the weight on the other end of her bag lightens exponentially, and Cipher’s guffawing is cut off by a surprised yelp.
Mydei holds Cipher up by the collar, giving her a side-long glare. “Dei, what the hell?!” she hisses, swiping at him to no avail.
“Just leave Hyacine’s things alone,” Mydei mutters, though he doesn’t let up on his grip on Cipher, who crosses her arms and pouts like a petulant child. Hyacine hears Aglaea huff an exasperated, yet amused sigh.
“Thanks, Dei,” Hyacine breathes, earning a raspberry from Cipher. Mydei only nods.
Phainon clears his throat. “Well, we all gave a helping hand in providing ideas anyhow, right? Whose advice did you happen to go with?”
Hyacine doesn’t answer immediately, nibbling at her lower lip. Before today, she had already been planning on conjuring up something special for Castorice, but she couldn’t come up with anything perfect, and only managed to garner a headache from all of her extensive brainstorming.
So, she decided to text her friends on the matter instead, hoping that their endless nuggets of wisdom would aid her in this hopeless situation.
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hyacinthia created a group chat
The Hyacine Assistance Squad ‼️
Laea 🌻, Phaibon ☀️, Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦, Mr. Grumpy 🍷 <3 , Batman 👻, Trib-lets !!, Sillysilens 🐟, and Sillydra 👑 are online, 3 others offline
9:07 am, Thursday
You: Guys !!!
I really need help here…
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: whaghtsup
Laea 🌻: Did you seriously just awaken now, Cifera…
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: ,,,nol
ijm as figt as a kit on a stixk
Laea 🌻: Right.
Sillydra 👑: What appears to be the matter, my loyal subject?
You: It’s just…
Mine and Castorice’s 1st anniversary is coming up and I have no idea what to get her!!
I mean, it has to be perfect !!!
So… If it’s not too much to ask
Would you all be so kind as to give me some ideas ?? Pretty please (>人<；) !!
Laea 🌻: Ah… I see now.
Sillysilens 🐟: the blood of my enemies.
Or a grand feast. Either works.
You: Ohh…
I’ll… write down the latter!!
Mr. Grumpy 🍷 <3: not specifically in a relationship right now
but
i enjoy company over any sort of material pleasures
that or physical contact
You: Yes same!!
Like hugs cuddles and kisses???
Mr. Grumpy 🍷 <3: like a good punch to the gut
You: Oh.
Batman 👻: Hmph.
There is only one way to win over another’s heart, and that
is to discover the absolute truth of this world.
You: Really ??
Wow, I didn’t know it took that much for Phainon to win you over, Professor Anaxa!
He sure is on a strict regimen…
Batman 👻: …
Phaibon ☀️: Yep, I sure am :D
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: HAHHAGHAHGHAHAHAHGAHGHAHGAHAHHAGHAHAHGAHAGHJHDS
Laea 🌻: Cipher, it would do us all a favour if you went back to sleep.
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: nou
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: @hyacinthia gold
You: …Gold?
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: hehehgegeg
big shuiney mouethwatering juicy succulent round peices of gold!!1!!
Mr. Grumpy 🍷 <3: well that doesn't sound provocative at all
You: …Oooohkay…
I’ll write that down too!!
Though I'm not sure if gold is really a heartfelt gift...
Laea 🌻: So you are able to sound coherent when you have an object of intrigue guiding your mind.
Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦: yesn’t
Laea 🌻: Hm.
Well, as for me, I could always weave a beautiful dress for Castorice and yourself if you wish, Hyacine.
You: Oh!! I don’t want to make more work for you…
Besides, I figured, if anything is hand-crafted, it should be by me…
Ah!! That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the offer, Lady Aglaea!
Laea 🌻: It's quite alright, Hyacine. I wasn't offended.
Though if you change your mind, do give me a call.
You: Thank you!!!
Phaibon ☀️: For me, something made with love always seems to do the trick!
That could be anything, really. Food, crochet, desserts…
Anaxa’s an expert baker after all. Maybe you were lucky enough to inherit his skills?
Batman 👻: …It isn’t a terrible suggestion.
Laea 🌻: Of course you would say that.
Batman 👻: Because I have bared witness to Hyacine’s mess of a kitchen countless times before? Yes.
Laea 🌻: That and the fact that you appear out of nowhere and become tremendously biased whenever Phainon provides any sort of idea to the discussion! Yes!
Batman 👻: Hm. You're seeing things, as always.
Laea 🌻: Oh! So we're poking fun at my lack of eyesight now, are we?
I may be nearsighted but I am nowhere near blind enough to not be able to notice how obviously infatuated you are, to the point where it completely sways your opinion.
Even the blindest man can perceive your absolutely ridiculous approach to handling affection!
Batman 👻: I fear your point is contradictory.
Laea 🌻: I'll show you contradictory.
You: Ahahahah... That's enough guys!
Phainon’s idea actually is really helpful!!
Sillydra 👑: Hah! An amusingly simple problem dictated by amateur solutions.
Why bake, make, and create for your significant other when you can simply govern an entire world and hand it to them on a silver platter?
I thought that was what everyone strived to achieve.
You: Um…
Batman 👻: It is utterly foolish to assume Hyacine has any sort of dictator-worthy bone in her body.
Sillydra 👑: No one should judge a book by it’s cover.
You of all people should understand that much.
Batman 👻: I also understand my students.
Sillydra 👑: How unfortunate that your supposed understanding is disappointingly underwhelming.
You: Um!!!!
Well before someone explodes, thank you all for your suggestions/ideas/advice !!!
I appreciate it so so much
Professor Anaxa, I’ll be swinging by soon !!
Batman 👻: 👍
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“We’ll…” Hyacine raises her head to meet everyone’s eyes, suddenly nervous again. “Cross that bridge when we get there.”
Phainon grins brightly while Cipher clicks her tongue. “Roger that!”
Hyacine breathes a relieved sigh. Just when she takes another step forward to have a seat in one of the corner chairs and calm her rapidly beating heart, the huge ornate door swings open behind her and she yelps— is Castorice here already?!— before tripping over herself and falling backwards into the crowd.
Luckily, Phainon manages to catch her before she could hit the ground and suffer any physical injuries. She’s already contracted enough mental wounds to last an entire year, thank you very much.
She sways on her feet a little when Phainon gently pushes her upright. “You good, partner? Took a bit of a tumble there…”
Hyacine squeezes out a quick, “Yeah, thank you!” and darts her eyes to the entrance.
Oh, thank the heavens. It’s not Castorice after all.
“Reney?” Hyacine calls with relief, hopping forward and wrapping her arms around her enthusiastically. “You came!”
Cyrene lifts a hand to pat the back of Hyacine’s head, huffing with amusement. “I’m hurt you think I wouldn’t attend such a special occasion,” she says with a wink. “Besides,” she continues, carefully pulling herself out of Hyacine’s embrace. “Why was I last to be informed, hm? I thought we all agreed that when it comes to relationship advice, I’m your gal!”
“Eh?” Hyacine blinks, confused. “But… I thought you were…”
“Hmph…” Cyrene lifts her chin defiantly. “I had a hot date with very demanding requirements and freshly washed linen, so I had absolutely no idea that any of this was happening until hours later.”
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Reney !! <3, Grayie 1 ✨, Grayie 2 💫, and Kitty Cat 🪙≧◡≦ are online, 7 others offline
2:17 pm, Thursday
Reney !! <3: Huh??!?
Hey, why did no one alert me about this !!!!
Hello???
I was sleeping 😔…
Grayie 2 💫: dw cyrene
i had no idea abt this either.. sniffl..
Grayie 1 ✨: STELLE DONT LIE YOU WANTED TO PLAY 21 W ME
Grayie 2 💫: YEAH AND IT WASNT WORTH IT
THAT GAME IS AAASSS
Grayie 1 ✨: ITS ASS BC UR ASS
Reney !! <3: Sigh… I’m going back to sleep.
Grayie 1 ✨: wanna play 21 w us
Grayie 2 💫: dumbass
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“O– Oh,” Hyacine mumbles, cheeks heating up with embarrassment again. “I’m so sorry, Reney! Everyone gave such good advice that I instantly felt motivated and—”
Hyacine would’ve spiralled further if Cyrene hadn’t bursted out in light-hearted laughter, eyes crinkling with mirth. “It’s okay, Hyacine, I was just teasing you~”
Hyacine becomes visibly relieved by this, shoulders dropping instantly. “Thank goodness…”
“Buuuut,” Cyrene begins, newfound vigour sparking her every word. She jumps away from Hyacine, rummaging through her bag. Hyacine pokes her head around her side, attempting to see what she’s doing. “I’m sure you’ve already picked out what you and our dear friends would deem a perfect gift for your perfect girlfriend, but I assure you that you’re missing out on one crucial detail~”
“What is it?” Hyacine asks, worried. Could it really be that important of a detail? Maybe she should’ve waited for Cyrene’s reply instead of immediately going off on her own…
Hyacine jolts when Cyrene spins around suddenly, a pink blur of… something coming straight towards Hyacine’s face, and she squeezes her eyes shut instinctively.
“Tada~!” Cyrene exclaims, and Hyacine can hear her clap her hands together in front of her. She feels some kind of silky material tug at her chin, and blinks open her eyes one at a time.
Her friends have all crowded in front of her now, eyes watching her with mixtures of awe, amusement, and general confusion.
Cyrene stands with her hands on her hips, a proud expression lighting up her features. “The most perfect gift for Castorice is you, silly!”
Hyacine blinks, confused. She reaches up to touch the silky material tied around her head.
A round, bouncy, ear-like shape meets her palm. Hyacine’s eyes widen.
It’s a ribbon.
“No…” Hyacine breathes, heart tightening when she watches as the elaborately decorated doors slowly open in front of her eyes. “No, no, no!—”
Oh. There she is.
Hyacine feels her heart drop to her stomach, fluttering tremors throughout her body. Castorice.
Castorice still has one hand placed on one of the door frames, shyly glancing around the entrance. She’s wearing an elegant white dress, gradients of alluring purples cascading down her legs, while her hair dons a headpiece splayed with a mixture of purple and pink flowers. Her features betray gentle embarrassment, but when her eyes stop on Hyacine, a beautiful smile pulls at her soft lips.
That’s it, Hyacine thinks, somewhere in her frazzled mind. A droplet of rain against a raging storm.
Beautiful.
Castorice is utterly beautiful. Not just that either. She is breathtaking. As she is and as she has always been.
Hyacine’s stomach pits and she whimpers quietly. Hyacine realises throughout the torrent of emotions she’s gone through today and the flurry of faces she’s engaged with, she has truly missed seeing Castorice. Being near Castorice.
Gosh, her heart aches just to embrace her again.
“Hyacine,” Castorice sighs, as if only the gentlest of zephyrs carries her voice. “I—”
BANG!
Confetti shoots out from Cipher’s hand, spraying all over Castorice’s body. Castorice stands, frozen in shock as Cipher hoots joyously, pumping her fist in the air. “Heck yeah, I got Princess Homebody first!”
The entire room seems to blink in that moment, dazed. Then, music blasts from the speakers, and everyone moves forward to greet Castorice in a cacophony of noise.
Hyacine gasps, hanging back to grab her tote bag. She checks through the contents again, makes sure that everything’s still there, and breathes a sigh of relief.
Before she can even consider taking off the ribbon embarrassingly tied around her head, a familiar figure — oh Aquila, she’d never be able to recognise that figure as anyone else — patiently steps into her peripheral vision, hands folded behind her back. Long shadows cast over Hyacine like the light of moonbeams streaming down her back in the dead of night.
As much as Castorice shies away from such compliments (well, any compliment really), Hyacine allows herself a small, serene smile at the thought.
Her moon. Her death.
She blushes. Takes in a deep breath. And turns on her heel to face Castorice.
“Hey, stranger,” Hyacine says. She winces, her attempt at a joke overpowered by nerves.
“Hello,” Castorice replies, and the word itself is a smile.
Hyacine’s heart leaps in her chest. She’ll never be able to be rid of this feeling, will she?
…Then again, Castorice, during one of her more bolder moments, would probably consider Hyacine “cute” like this.
Her face burns. Stay on track, Hyacine!
She clears her throat, avoiding the intense gazes of everyone else in the room like the plague. “Castorice,” she starts, and hates the way that her voice trembles. She takes another deep breath in, steadying herself as best she can. “This entire year has been… spectacular. And it’s all because of you, because… you’re here with me.”
She raises her eyes to meet Castorice’s, and gosh if that isn’t a terrible idea because Castorice stares at her with such… awe. Like she’s the most interesting thing in the world at this very moment. Maybe she’s projecting, because that’s definitely how she views Castorice.
She shakes her head. Keep going, she assures herself, you can do this.
“So… so I guess all I’m trying to say is… thank you for giving me the time of day.” She huffs a nervous laugh. “Gosh, I’m bad at this… Today just means so much to me because it’s the day that we got together, and I wanted to get you something really special to celebrate such an occasion, but I was kicking myself over and over again when I couldn’t think up anything perfect so I decided to go to our friends and—”
Hyacine stops herself when she realises she’s rambling. Castorice blinks curiously, head cocked to the side, while her other friends watch on in a blend of worry and confusion. Hyacine sighs.
“Sorry, sorry…” she pardons, bending down to finally retrieve the long-awaited present from her tote bag. A resounding gasp is drawn from within the depths of the crowd, one that sounds especially Cipher-like… “It’s just… I really hope you like it.”
Castorice’s eyebrows raise steadily. She opens the box nervously presented to her, and Hyacine’s heart races in anticipation.
There’s a second of silence as Castorice quietly observes what lies inside, eyes glinting with careful recognition.
“Muffins?!” Cipher’s head pops out from Castorice’s side, gawking in disbelief. “Really? That’s what you decided to go with?” Her pout turns into a yowl when Anaxa bonks her on the head with a closed fist.
“Cupcakes, Catgirl,” he sneers, while Phainon pumps his fist in the air at the sight of the desserts. Cipher looks just about ready to maul Anaxa, before her entire demeanor stiffens when she takes a glance in Hyacine’s direction. She relinquishes with a groan and crosses her arms, tail swaying dangerously behind her.
Hyacine suppresses a giggle, turning her attention back to her girlfriend. Castorice freezes, then shuffles her hands behind her back suspiciously before steadily picking one of the cupcakes out, one of her hands still deliberately concealed. It’s a vanilla cupcake decorated with purple whipped cream, white beads, and butterfly toppers that reminded her of Castorice, while others had edible paper flowers. Hyacine made sure that every squeeze was precise, though that did result in making a mess of Anaxa’s home… while he’d already long forgiven her, she still felt terrible.
Castorice tenderly places her mouth around the dessert, Hyacine eagerly awaiting her reaction with every thoughtful chew. Her eyes widen curiously. “It’s truly delicious… I’ve never tasted anything this sweet before,” she says finally, and Hyacine takes this as a wonderful compliment, mentally making note that she should make sweet treats for Castorice more often. Castorice places the cupcake back in the box. “The decorations are a charming addition too. I’ll be sure to inspect them later. After…”
Castorice’s words drift off suddenly, amusement sparkling within those lilac-coloured depths as they flicker above Hyacine’s head. Hyacine wonders what she’s looking at, before she realises.
“…A ribbon?” Castorice ponders aloud.
Hyacine flares with shame then. She waves her hands out in front of her. “T– That’s nothing, really!”
Cyrene giggles beside her, materialising out of absolutely nowhere and tearing a high-pitched squeal from Hyacine’s throat. “Isn’t it perfect? Our dear Cinny here is your—”
“That’s enough, Reney!!” Hyacine exclaims, clapping a hand over Cyrene’s mouth. She sends silent but desperate mindwaves Phainon’s way, who thankfully sends mercy down upon her poor soul and drags his childhood friend away with a sigh as Cyrene yells muffled protests.
Hyacine hears a beautiful string of breathy chuckles fall from Castorice’s lips, and before she has time to process that, Hyacine feels the gentle but unmistakable press of those same lips against her cheek. The action knocks all the air from Hyacine’s lungs.
“It is perfect,” Castorice says, voice tender and warm and so undeniably close. Hyacine can feel Castorice’s lips quirk into a smile against her skin, as if she didn’t just commit murder on Hyacine’s already abused heart. “Thank you.”
Hyacine shakes her head, hoping that the laughter coming from around them is the overall good vibes accumulated in the room and not a result of Hyacine’s appearance. She places the box of cupcakes down on the table next to them. “T– That’s not fair, Cassie…”
Castorice’s eyes crinkle. “I would say that was a gift of my own, but…” She brings around her previously hidden hands, opening her palms for Hyacine to view. “I… wanted to get you something too.”
Hyacine stares with absolute wonder. There sat crocheted versions of both her and Castorice, nestled together in the small space of Castorice’s hands. Hyacine carefully picks up the two objects, bringing them forward to appreciate them in a closer view. It is then that she notices a tremble quiver through Castorice’s fingers. Castorice is shaking.
“Admittedly, I wasn’t sure if I should’ve crocheted the both of us…” Castorice shuffles on her feet shyly, fingers picking at nails. A nervous habit of hers that Hyacine only ever found endearing. “I thought it would’ve been rather vain, but I figured, well, if we ever missed the other—”
“It’s perfect,” Hyacine mutters, drawing a quiet gasp from Castorice. She casts her gaze up toward her beloved, giddy and thrumming with infatuation. “Thank you, Cassie.” She hugs the crochet Castorice tightly to her chest, though careful not to ruin it already. That would’ve put the final nail in the coffin of an already anxiety-induced day. “I love it! Mini-me and you are adorable together, aren’t they?”
A blush spreads across Castorice’s features, and she only nods in response. She looks to the side, as if contemplating something, and walks forward.
Before Hyacine knows it, slender arms drape around her side in a careful embrace. She smiles, moving both the crocheted versions of her and Castorice into separate hands to return the gesture. Castorice seems to relax in her arms, and presses a kiss to Hyacine’s temple.
Gee, she sure is affectionate today… Not that Hyacine would ever complain, but she’s not sure how long she’ll last if Castorice continues to give her such delicate attention.
“I like real us together more…” Castorice murmurs against her forehead. Hyacine’s heart skips a beat.
“…Me too,” Hyacine agrees. She tilts her head up, taking in the softness of Castorice’s gaze. She never would have imagined the day that the object of her affections could look at her so fondly. She nuzzles the top of her head against Castorice’s chin, earning a surprised breath of a laugh. “But we’re here together now, aren’t we?”
“…You’re right,” Castorice concedes, tentatively bringing a hand up to tangle her fingers through Hyacine’s hair. Hyacine leans into the touch, the room disappearing around her.
Castorice kisses her again, and Hyacine melts.