Own writing, not all pairings actually really feasible.
2. Love: Rina/Domo, 237 words
Domo’s laughter was always that much more audible, her eyes that much brighter, when talking to Alina. Her emotions came pouring out, she smiled with her mouth open and her teeth visible, her stutter faded. Her arms loosened and dropped so that she carried her books at her waist rather than clasped to her chest. She tucked her hair behind an ear, or fidgeted with it, until Alina tied it back for her. Her hands clasped just a little too tightly, sentiments rested a little too heavily, on the phone while she talked about everything and nothing at all, in the way that teenage girls do, and could have her entire mood change from just a few minutes talking.
She worried about it a little of course, when she noticed. When she started to have other friends and her face didn’t always feel so warm, when she just couldn’t talk to them in the same way, when they didn’t understand the same way. All that happened, though, was that she tried a little harder. But her face flushed in different, less pleasant ways, and she found herself walking a little further away because it just didn’t feel right to walk close in the same way. It just wasn’t the same.
And Alina’d just smiled when she’d stuttered this out, trying to explain, and then she kissed her.
Domo, of course, didn’t think to anything but kissing back.
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5. Seeking Solace: Ambros/ Aila, 228 words
She had to admit to watching him sometimes, when he was happily laughing with Lilly, swinging about the children he loved so much. She had to admit a twang of jealousy, comparing that family to her own. It wasn’t much use wondering if it’d be different if she hadn’t moved in with him so soon, if she had aborted the baby. These things couldn’t be changed. Those were the decisions she’d made, and if she wasn’t happy it was her own fault.
Still, she dreamed sometimes of living here herself, singing as she hadn’t since her baby had been born, almost a decade ago now. She dreamed of this life for herself, curled at the end of a day working for herself, doing things actually worthwhile, rather than the mindless filing and copying day-in day-out. And the loving husband, strong and warm and comforting. It made her flush to think of Ambros’ adoring look turned on her, his passion turned to her. Part of it was shame, but not all. She didn’t fully understand his staying, to be honest, the way he tried to pull her away from her own home. He was a hypocrite, plainly, but he loved Lilly. He loved his home, and all she could really do was covet it, and spend some time in that quiet when it all got too much at home.
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6. Break Away: Ambros/ Aila, 193 words
“I still love him.” Said with a helpless shrug, looking away from his eyes, joyless smile. “Besides, who else is there for me? Living alone isn’t really an option with my income. And terrible for the environment.” He heard the small exhalation of air as she raised her head back to him, still refusing to look, squeezing her shoulders in towards her chest. He ignored the wretched attempt at lightening the mood, refusing to release his grip on her wrist.
“What about me?”
That made her look, finally. He could see the whites of her eyes, more blue and red now than white, especially against the purple bloodshot bags, something to do with vitamins, one of the B’s… a connection to the kidneys? Think of that rather than of killing Kern for the pain he put her through. Aila touched his jaw to stop him grinding his teeth without thinking.
Well, what about him? Aside from the fact that he’s married too? Aside from the fact that Lilly’s absolutely foul to him? And aside from the attraction that any normal girl’s going to have to a guy like that?
“And what about Lilly?”
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42. Standing Still: Ambros/ Teija, 133 words
People stare at them while walking past. Circling back for forgotten items, and the pair were still there. Standing still, leaning against the tree, watching right back, talking quietly to each other. Lost in their own world, the fronts that everyone in their lives are so accustomed to slipped, quite out of character. No animated gestures, no running around. Teija’s shoulders have relaxed and slid back. Talking seriously and calmly, eye-to-eye and those smiles narrow and wry. They stand by a bank of bright yellow-orange daffodils and artificially fertilized green green grass, but not a word’s been said about those things. The present isn’t the topic for today. Somewhere a band is performing, or a radio playing, but there’s no singing, no dancing. Everything is quiet and the birds sing and fight unheeded.
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46. Family: Ruki/Teija, 112 words
Ruki just shook his head.
“That’s it then? You can say ‘no’ so ******** easily after all of this, after so long as best friends? More, ******** it Ruki, friends don’t do that type of thing at all! I’m not going to have you break my sister’s heart just because you don’t want to have a relationship with a guy! You don’t even ******** know her! Don’t push me away.”
Stalemate. They stared each other down, as Ruki didn’t even try to speak, fighting down panic and uncertainty. Teija just glared, refusing to move from his viewpoint this time. But he was quiet this time.
“Are breasts really that important to you?”
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60. Rejection: Rex/ Ruo, 154 words
Rex’s grin was predatory. “There’s a few too many coincidences where you’re concerned.”
There’d been antagonism between them from the beginning, from the moment they’d been introduced by Toma. Ruo had behaved like a spoilt brat whose favourite toy had been stolen, and Rex had happily rubbed it in his face. That had resulted in a few bruises and cuts of both sides.
Then Toma had left, for one reason or the other, and they found themselves again at dagger heads, over Lilly this time. Ruo had been the first to be rejected, of course. Just not her type. He hardly ever was, when he liked them. Rex was confident, but now sat on the park bench, alone. Smoking, obviously not his first since sitting down, and with a bit of a grin on his face, despite everything, as Ruo lowered himself. Rex offered the pack.
And they sat there for a while, peaceably.
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87. Food: Lilly/ Ruo, 156 words
In Lilly’s world, invalids were force-fed chicken soup and fresh fruit. Unless they were vegetarian, in which case tomato soup was substituted for the former. Unfortunately for Ruo and his latest diet, this world was Lilly’s world. It didn’t matter to her that he was worried about overeating (“there’s nothing on you”), that his mother had been overweight really (“well you’re certainly not”), that he knew he was losing his looks (“nonsense, and really, even if you were, anorexia is not the way to combat that”). All his worries were one after another shot down by her no-nonsense attitude and that stubbornness that was at least a match to his.
And her damn superiority wasn’t helping him to feel better. A sarcastic comment about her children rebounded somehow painfully to her husband. Their usual battles of wit were parodied by this delirium of his.
Because it really did have to be delirium making him desire her.
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94. Last Hope: Ralph/ Teiya, 216 words
It was a sordid game they played with each other.
There were times when they could almost believe it all. There were times when everything seemed to finally fit, when the whole dream really became within reach. When she rested her head on his lap while they both read; when her long dyed hair tangled and spread and caught on the door or the chair or wherever and her little whimpers were cute, and he found himself kissing her. She gave a nervous little smile but for a second he could have sworn that dazed look was in her eyes again. Sometimes they talked about it. Most of the time they just weren’t able, they knew what the other was thinking, after all. Anyone else would probably have said these two made a better couple this way anyway. They knew differently. Ghosts were the basis of the relationship, better broken entirely, but entirely impossible.
He knew it as he lathered himself with the soap that just smelt wrong on him.
She knew it as she forced herself to smile inanely while really not meaning it.
They both knew it as he tried and failed again to make love to her.
It was a sordid game they played, but at least they played it with each other.
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95. Advertisement: Ralph/Lilly, 210 words
Now, how on Earth was anyone supposed to react to an offer like that? Although hardly the romantic occasion that she’d dreamed about, Lilly knew that she was looking at an offer she wouldn’t receive twice. She knew marriage was not in the least about love, other factors taking precedence, but this- this was certainly novel. The freshness of not having to maintain a pretence of love or lust to get into the man’s wallet, albeit limited. No chance of her being able to charm her way in or out of any situation, but then no real reason for her to need to do so. Without that pretence, all she need do is save the showing off for him. This surely should be labelled an arrangement rather than a marriage, but she supposed that he could hardly advertise for the position he was looking to fill. There really was a fine line between an escort and a gold-digger. Unlimited fun, as long as she expected the same on his side, no romantic relationship save for in public, an allowance, and intelligent conversation with someone who had language skills, as a sharp contrast to the men to whom she was actually attracted. Really, it wasn’t particularly even something to be considering.
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99. Solitude: Ambros/Rex, 327 words *cheats* there’ll be a proper one sometime; I really just can’t get my head ‘round it, and you cheated too.
Solitude was a rare thing in this place. He hadn’t expected quiet; the buzzing of all that electricity was enough to ruin those hopes without any people involved, but a little solitude? Weren’t cities supposed to be alienating things, lonely amongst all those people? Even in the parks, he couldn’t sit for more than a few minutes without someone passing him and calling out a ‘good morning’ or good afternoon’ or ‘lovely day!’ Or whatever. In a city this big, he despaired at not being able to find a little patch of solitude, even for just a few minutes. All he wanted was some space. Away from the doubts of his girlfriend and her ex and the ex’s boyfriend and that busy house and reminders of his inadequacy, no matter how she tried to deny that. A little time to actually think about what he was doing, and how really wrong it should seem but really, really didn’t. Not while it was happening at least, and it was making her happy and wasn’t actually hurting anyone, but. It was just wrong.
No matter how he was actually enjoying it. He didn’t want to think about Rex’s hands in his hair, or his teeth on his neck, or the relief of being able finally to utterly let go without worrying about breaking anything.
And the only place he could really find to himself was leaning out of this window, when the others were in the kitchen or something and there was a bit of fresh air along with the tobacco smoke. He looked out morosely at the cityscape, and the yellow light polluting and obscuring the night sky, and his eye was caught by the ash falling from his cigarette, down to the garden below. He hadn’t noticed that before. But Rex usually had gardens after all, he remembered. It made sense, and anyone who fought hard enough to get any garden here couldn’t really be too horrendous.
RKO Marvais Community Member 
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