☆☆ WRITTEN IN JULY OF 2019 ☆☆

A/N: Sooooooo first off, I want to thank HyruleEmblem for requesting this! Because of you, I got to see a really cool/funny anime. :) I am sooooo sorry it took me so long to write it. Either way, I do hope you like it! Basically, a real quick rundown of the plot is this: 

You're in that weird singing/music school dem boys in the anime go to, and you end up getting close to Tokiya, albiet not without "irritating" him. One day, you end up reconnecting in an unexpected way, and together, you rectify a past wrong.

Now, without further ado, here goes! 

Enjoy! <3 

{{ONE MORE THING: The song at the top ("Help Me", by Alkaline Trio) more than less embodies what I feel like could be 'their song'. The lyrics have a lot of references to stars and music halls and singing so why the hell not include it? it's one of my faves so I thought I'd stick it in. (It makes me think of a lot of stupid weeb stuff, as I am a loser.) haha}}

________________________________________

Snow filtered down past the criss-crossing lattice work on the window nearest your bedside. Green vines fashioned from expensive materials coiled around rich red roses, curling down alongside purple irises and vibrant orange tulips. Onyx thorns poked out in a select places while elsewhere, pristine flecks of brilliantly etched golden sunbeams brought on brighter visions of a new day as they blended into a sapphire brook, emphasized with diamonds shaped like white-capped waves breaking free into opal clouds nestled atop jade hills. Crafted masterfully from a variety of sources including a few genuine gemstones, the artwork glimmered and sparkled in the amber glow of the faux flame flickering in the emerald shaded lamp on your desk, as you turned your head up, gazing ruefully at the glow of the moon. You needn't open the latch on the beautiful, albeit ostentatious stained-glass window to look outside, for a skylight was fitted above both beds in your dormitory, so you could see what you hoped to one day become: a star. 

A shadow fell over the west wing of the school, and you knew that meant a heavier onset of frost, snow and possibly rain was on its way that night. The light of the stars would be obstructed by the thick, dark clouds steadily forming overhead. Ironically, though perhaps befittingly, the blanketing, foggy, translucent sheets of precipitation that would shield the little glimpses of luminesce that remained above you reflected your current state. You were lost. You hadn't been able to do what you came to do. You hadn't sang, played the piano, the viola. You weren't able to compose a thing, and you'd been in school long enough. You felt alone, terrible, and disappointed. 

Your last exam was a disaster. You grew so nervous that you fled the stage, crying, and everyone saw you. How were you possibly supposed to become an idol when you couldn't even make it over the first hurdle? This was the easy part, wasn't it? It was your first year. Hell, it was your first term, and you already felt like a failure. An outcast. 

"A joke." You exhaled. Shakily, with a great, shuddering sigh, which melted into a groan, you looked down at your hand. Your fingers gripped the sides of a fountain pen, hand resting above a mostly blank page. "A joke!" You snorted. "I've been here all evening and haven't managed to come up with a SINGLE lyric!" You laughed, though there was certainly nothing funny to cause you to do so. "I might as well just write down "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", but with my own super clever, Mozart-prodigy twist on the lines." You bent over, turning the page over as to not totally wreck your hour(s) long, pathetically short concerto should you find the inspiration to return to it later. 

"Dwindle, Dwindle, dying star, 

How'd you think you'd get this far? 

Don't you know you've flown too high? 

Here your dreams have come to die. 

Dwindle, dwindle, dying star, 

Should've known you'd fail." 

"Damn it!" You hissed as you crumpled up the paper, tossing it onto your roommates empty mattress. She'd gone out with a friend. They invited you, but you weren't in the mood. How could you be? "You idiot!" You swore again. "You couldn't even make that old children's song rhyme! Why are you even at this school? UGH!" You threw your head back before standing up, wrapping yourself in the silk robe your mother had bought you to take with you when you moved in, "to make you feel special" she had said, "like a painter, a poet, an artist. Fancy, eh?" You loved her. Coming back home, admitting you'd lost, seeing her face, that was too much to think about that night. You whined once, before flopping down on your bed as the darkness of the midnight gale closed in around you. 

Your dreams prevented you from sleeping soundly. 

________________________________________

You awoke to a flurry of excited yelps, exchanges of happy words and the smell of peppermint and chocolate. Then, much too suddenly and unexpectedly, someone forced their face wayyyyy to close to yours. 

"{Y/N}!" A bell-toned, songbird voice rang in your ears. "It's officially here! The Twelve days of Christmas have started!" 

"What are you talking about, Kiyoko?" You rubbed your eyes. The sound of your voice reminded you of the low growls of thunder that rattled your desk-drawers open only hours ago. How had the storm passed so quickly? "Christmas? It's..." You grew more alert. "Oh. Shit. It's the twenty-third!" You started to get up, but swayed a bit as you were forced to sit back down. "How did I lose track of time so badly?" You said it to yourself, but she took it as an openly answerable inquiry. 

"I guess it's because you were up here, beset by doom and gloom, wallowing away in your own misery." She held out a steaming cup of what you'd been inhaling before. You peered down through the steam kissing Kiyoko's pretty pink fingernails. Dark cocoa peeked out from underneath fluffy whipped cream topped with flecks of shaved chocolate and sprinkles of candy cane bits. Likewise, a full-size stripped confection teetered on the edge of the ivory mug. You took it, cupping the porcelain in your hands. 

"Thanks." It came out sarcastically. Your roommate pursed her lips. 

"Why are you still so sad?" She raised an eyebrow, flicked her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and folded her arms. "You're bumming me out." 

"I'm..." You looked at her and grinned. "Wrong." She furrowed her brow. 

"Come again?" 

"Wrong. You're wrong, Koko. The Twelve days of Christmas don't start until Christmas day. You're early. So, don't expect your present yet." You found it easier to smile than you thought. Being playfully coy always perked you up. "Not that I got you anything anyway." 

"Right." She scoffed. "Then what's that?" Her focus shifted behind you. A large, terribly concealed oversized stuffed animal sat in the corner, it's arms encircling what was clearly a bag of homemade sweets. "I think it's a tiger, or, or maybe an ocelot. Oh! I think it's a panther. It is black. Duh. No tiger then. I think...okay. It's a jagu-" 

You cut her off. "You ruined the surprise." You folded your arms and turned your head away, closing your eyes and sticking your nose in the air. "Now I'm keeping Sasha for myself." 

"You named it?" She let out a light laugh. "You know I'm going to change it, right? I think it's a boy." 

"Did you check?" You opened one eye. Then, after a brief moment of puzzled, full on eye contact on part of Koko, you winked.

"Oh! Gross, {Y/N}." She shook her head and laughed more deeply that time. So did you. You felt better. Kiyoko made you feel better. "Drink your hot chocolate, then put on that cute getup of yours and come down to the music room. Everyone's down there." You nodded and dutifully sipped your breakfast before shuffling into the bathroom, shedding your pajamas and hopping into a steamy, refreshing shower. The night had grown colder, and your heater ran out just after you fell asleep. 

________________________________________

"Hey! {Y/N}! More than one excited face greeted you upon your descent into the music hall that morning. The grandiose "classroom" echoed with the rancor of upbeat girls and boys, excited for the end of the semester. Now that exams were done, and most everyone had done well, (lest you be reminded) nothing was more fun than a party. This one was impromptu. 

"You look so cute, Koko!" You smiled, striding over to meet your friend. "You wore something green? I thought pink was the only colour you ever dared wear to a mixer." 

"Oh ha ha." She stuck out her tongue. It did nothing but make her look cuter. Decked out in a flashy leather  jacket over a soft cashmere eau de Nil sweater and white jeans, Kiyoko looked great all the way from her curly flaxen hair to the red undersides of her coal black stilettos. "Pink is a springtime shade for me anymore. But enough about yours truly. You're the one shining today!" She whistled. "God God, {Y/N}! You look hot!" 

You felt your cheeks flush as you glanced around rapidly, searching for one face you hoped at least showed some signs of agreement. He wasn't anywhere nearby. You exhaled. "You think so?" You glanced down. You decided to put on a dress, and it was safe to say it suited you well. A slinky, shimmery ruby gown hugged you from collar to ankle, and every time you moved the light made you sparkle just a little bit with every step. Wrapped around your shoulders was an emerald scarf, which glittered alongside the shiny silver earrings embracing your ears. A matching diamond necklace encircled your neck. You looked up. "I thought it might be too much." 

"Are you kidding?" A young man's voice broke in. "We're the flashiest class I know." He held out his hand. "Can I get you a drink from the table with the somewhat fourteen odd ice sculptures on it?" 

"Thanks, Otoya, but I already had a significantly satisfying desert in a coffee cup this morning. I actually want to go look outside, if you don't mind." 

"What?" He took his hand away as your roommate leaned her head around the boy she'd come to see. "Just a second, Ren." She swatted his hand away. "{Y/N}," she began. "You just got here." 

"I didn't get to see the snow yet." Your reply was already distant, as your focus had already shifted. A piano in the far corner of the room shined in the morning light, though no one was seated before it, a sight which was not altogether surprising, but odd, in a sense, as you'd expect at least one of the ambitious students around you to take up the chance to entertain everyone. Every chance is a chance to shine, right? All the worlds's a stage... The window behind the piano was huge, and through it, you could see the expanse of what the dreary night before had brought on. Diamond like fields, glistening snows shimmered all around you, and you drifted ever closer to the view. 

"Ah, don't worry about her, Otoya" You were only faintly paying attention to Kiyoko any longer. "She's gone off to La La Land again. Come on, Ren, let's go get some punch." 

________________________________________

You were outside. Birds chipped high above in the treetops as you followed the small stream that ran alongside the school down through the soft white hills that morning. Over a bridge, you crossed, bemused and delighted at the sight of roses peeking through the softer coats of snow that met them in the night. Beside the clicking of your heels on the sidewalks, already cleared away by the capable staff of the academy, stood a few lilies, tulips and irises. The water ran with a pleasant sound, and the sunbeams which broke through the clouds lit you up in a way that no one could deny was beautiful. Though, you couldn't see it. Come to think of it, you never truly saw yourself in the proper light. You had more than one person tell you that, but you never believed it. 

You stopped, huffing. "Well, I guess I'm alone then." You exhaled, then turned your attention to the sun. You hummed a bit, but you didn't sing. At least, not at first. Then, you let yourself feel it a little bit, the courage that brought you there in the first place, and you actually managed to sound nearly ethereal. 

"In the darkness of the night

The moon shines. 

In the eye of the storm, 

I find my sanctuary. 

Through fear 

Comes strength, 

In doubt, 

resolution. 

Confusion is all I know, 

I struggle to find the light. 

Yet, deep inside a fragile heart, 

I know 

I'm meant to shine. 

In the darkness of the night, 

The moon shines. 

In the eye of the storm, 

I find my sanctuary." 

The crunch of snow startled you. You veered around as someone stepped into view. "The melody wasn't bad." Your face felt hot. "Actually, it was beautiful. So was your voice. The lyrics need work, but the improvisation, was...pretty good. Why'd you suck so bad last week when you can dish out a siren song like that when no one's watching?" 

You stammered in your attempt to reply. "I-I-I-I..." You didn't expect him of all people to be there, alone, outside in the damn cold at eleven a.m. "Tokiya!" 

"That's my name. Good morning to you, too {Y/N}." He sighed. You held your breath. He looked stunning in spite of the grumbly look on his face. Warmly wrapped in a heavy, dark red pea coat with shiny gold buttons up the whole of the front, with a (somewhat feminine) fur collar, he rubbed his hands together, blowing softly into them after speaking to you. 

"Did you forget your gloves?" You exhaled, shakily. 

"Are you scared of me or something?" Damn it! You were already caught off guard. Now, you hardly wanted to be called out. "I just complimented you. If I recall correctly you used to be far more outgoing." 

"You..." You soured. "You called me annoying." You sounded meaner than you meant to. Well, sorta. "You told me to leave you alone, that I was...loud and...stuff." 

"Yeah. You were." He reached in his pocket, retrieved a pair of knitted mittens and put them on. 

"Why'd you take them off?" 

"Answer my question. Do I scare you?" 

You were annoyed now. "No! You don't scare me! You hurt...me." You didn't want this. You didn't want to add insult to injury. "It was because of you that I got so freaked out before the exam!" 

"What?" Tokiya's expression softened. Now, he looked concerned. "I...what I said...really?" 

"Never-mind, Tokiya. It's not  a big deal." You turned to leave. "I'm going back inside." 

"Fine." He replied, looking down at the snow. "For what it's worth, though, I never thought you were untalented." 

You shook your head as you retreated, heading back to the party with the rest of your friends. 

________________________________________

{{There is a brief flashback here. It's mostly in italics.}}

"{Y/N}." A knock at the door. "A letter came for you." 

You'd been trying to work on better lyrics for the impromptu song you'd sang earlier that day, with next to no progress. What little success you'd made was thwarted when you thought back to what happened. It hurt you to think about it, but he wasn't wrong. 

Tokiya. You were so excited when you first came to school. You practically skipped around, and nothing seemed to be able to get you down. You laughed, joked and played with your classmates, until one of them snapped at you. 

You remembered where it happened. It was in the room they'd stored the same piano from the party in during the summer, right before the fall term began. When you first started, it was still there. Your teachers hadn't taken it back out for rehearsals. So, you decided to use it. Though, when you went back after discovering it was free for the taking, you found someone else there. 

"Heyyyy, Tokiya!" 

You'd been so excited. 

"What's up, Prince Charming?" You should've seen that he didn't want to talk. "Are you practicing? The big end of term exam is already on the mind, eh? I feel ya. I'll probably ya know, blow everyone away. I think you'll probably do better than me, but I mean, that's still a chance, right? I think I can-" 

"Shut up. God! You are so damn annoying!" 

"Tokiy-" 

"You can't sing. You can't do anything right except bother me. Leave. Go away, please." 

You left crying. You never knew how much it affected you until your conversation that morning in the gardens. Was one little comment all it took to break your spirits? Really? Were you that fragile? 

The exams came, and you supposed, in the end, perhaps you were. 

"Kiyoko?" You raised your head, your memories could wait. You opened the door as your roommate stepped inside. 

"Thanks. I forgot my key, again." 

"Who's it from?" 

"Not my business." She shrugged, then ginned. "Open it and see." 

________________________________________

You couldn't believe it. You were sure it was a trick. But you forced yourself, one foot in front of the other, one step, one more step, as you walked through empty halls to a room you never wanted to go back into. 

You opened the door, and poked your head inside. 

"Hey." A laugh. A laugh?  "Do you think I'm going to bite you?" 

"Why did you invite me here, Tokiya?" You opened the door and pointed at him. "You're a jerk! I don't trust you at all!"

He smiled and raised his hands. "I'm sorry I said what I did. It's still kinda true, though. But," He gestured for you to come inside. You hesitated. He repeated his hand motion. You stood still. "Oh for the love of-" He got up. 

"What are you.." 

"Just...here." He forced you down on the bench, in front of the stately black piano, and to your great surprise, sat down beside you. "What I was going to say is..." He paused, and tilted his head to the side. For a moment that seemed far too long, he looked at you. Then, he looked down at his hands. "You did annoy me, like a lot." You rolled your eyes and raised up a bit. He moved closer to you, and placed his hand on your arm.. You stood there, frozen in place. "Still, I'd rather see you talking and laughing than haunting the halls being miserable. I half expected you to start wailing back in October." He smiled. "if what I said really affected you months later, then we've got to work on some stuff." 

"We?" You raised an eyebrow. "you and me?" 

He nodded. "Regardless of the competition between everyone, it's pretty clear none of us want to get ahead by burning bridges. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. Would you let me play you my version of  that song I heard you sing?" 

You were more than surprised then. 

"Your version..." 

"I think..." he shook his head "and I can't believe I'm saying this...but" he smiled again. "For that project in February, where we work together on a song, would you be my partner?" 

You snorted then mumbled an apology. You nodded once before you could find your voice again. 

"Of course I will." 

"Good." You sat back down beside him, as he began to play. The melody was the same. "You did a good job, you know, coming up with this..." louder, the music rose, filling the small expanse of the room. He stopped when he noticed you glancing nervously around. "Everybody's gone now, since there's something happening at the other music hall, you know, the really big one, so no one will hear the song and try to steal it," he laughed. You did as well. No one would do that. "So, are you too scared to sing?" He paused, bent over and pulled out a notebook from his bag. "I wrote some lyrics." 

You nodded, again, before finding your voice once more. "Sure..." you held out your hand. "Partner." 

Instead of shaking it, in a singular, uncharacteristic gesture, he pulled you into an embrace. 

You stayed like that for a moment, before breaking away. 

There was one stupid rule at school. 

You couldn't fall in love. 

Well, they didn't say anything about love during breaks. 

It was a little too soon for that anyway. Though, by the last Day of Christmas that January, it wouldn't be that far fetched to say your 'partnership' with Tokiya would go places. 

You felt like a star then, and eventually, he'd be the one to make you really shine. 

_______________________________________

Yayyyyy. Okay so I HOPE that was good. I wanted "your" personality to be more upbeat throughout the whole of the story, but I thought this plot was cute and I didn't know exactly how to tie the whole thing together without incorporating a moment of weakness. 

Well, let me know if anyone has any other requests! I'm probably gonna be slow in doing them, but still, send them in if you want! I always cherish the opportunity to write new things. 

Much love! 

To all! 

~ BRI ♡♡♡