Colors of the Heart

"...." Hibiki opened his mouth to retort rather quickly, though it remained open for a moment or two before...he shut it again, and then opened it as if he actually had something to say...but...

Nothing was coming out...

Why was nothing coming out?

Of course he was offended! Why would he... Why would he not be!? She could feel the relation he had to...to... Osamoto!? How could he not be offended by that!?

With his shirt stripped off of him, his eyes followed Miyako as she moved to stand before heading over to the towel rack. Stand? Gh...Ah...

He did as asked, standing before he went about getting his pants and underwear off; he needed...warm right now... Maybe he could just bury himself in bed after...after all of this...

Miyako snuck a glance over her shoulder as she wrapped a large fluffy towel around her body before nabbing one for Hibiki, amused entirely by his inability to respond. She had won!

Otter - 1

Tsun - 0

Reaching up to her chest, she did a small hard to follow motion with her hand and forced the flowers on the tattoos to bud back up instead of being bright bursts. Then she bounded back over to Hibiki with her necklaced star bouncing on her chest, amusement and happiness just pouring from her as she reached up to drop the towel on his head. Rubbing his hair softly to dry it, Miyako was smiling all the while despite his obvious freaked out state.

"Mm, I am having trouble deciphering this particular dialect of Tsundere. Maybe its cause you are so happy to be told you are related to him and have obvious family ties?" Playful Otter was go and her smile was teasing just a bit as she giggled.

Miyako was amused, even he could tell that...she was more amused than she should be! It wasn't funny! He was...He was of course offended! He was just so offended that he just couldn't find the right words to convey how offended he was!

Hah!?

"N...Not true!" That was not-! "That's not right, and it's not Tsundere!"

Absolutely not! He was not a damn tsundere, and he was not happy about the relation like that, that wasn't true! It wasn't, damn it!

"Excuse me then. This dialect of Hibibnese, a subdialect of tsundere that is entirely and completely his own." Miyako was giggling too much now, she had to stop the floof drying of Hibiki's hair because she was leaning forward and the towel slid to his shoulders while she still held it.

"You can't say that if I called Muika and asked, there wouldn't be a story that was similar that Yuki-nii did. I promise there is probably some I am forgetting!" Her giggles overwhelmed her, she let go of the towel and brought her hands to her lips, trying to deal with this denial ridden man.

Sometimes dealing with him was way too funny! Miyako couldn't help but be immensely amused.

"Gh-!" I-It was not a damn subdialect of Tsundere! It... It was... It was just...

...

It was not a damn subdialect of Tsundere, damn it! Tch-! It wasn't, and he knew damn well it wasn't, why did everyone just-!

...Gh...

If she called Okura and... That... That was besides the point... Or at least Hibiki tried to excuse that it was... S-So what if there were...similar situations -- s-so what if...if there were...

I-It wasn't that amusing either! Miyako was finding this entirely too amusing!

"Is too one! Hibibnese is a very obscure one, but it exists!" Miyako read his mind, seeing the thoughts written on his face after their time spent together. He was a bit easier to read now, though it was a pain at times... Right now though was silly so it was easy!

Miyako lifted up her hand, one finger extended and booped his nose. "You're a sweet Tsun, but a tsun."

"Aaand even if you refuse to admit it, you love Yuki-nii a lot a lot! Not as much or the same way as me, but you love him and you can't deny it without lying. You don't like outright lying~ A tsun who is really honest? How straaange." Giggling more, Miyako hopped back out of the way of any reprisal before running off towards the exit of the bathroom while giggling fiercely. Escaaaape the Hibib wraaath!

"Gh-! It...It is not-!" It wasn't damn it! It was not some subdialect! It wasn't even tsundere talk! He wasn't a damn tsundere, no ifs, ands, or buts about it! He wasn't!

A swee-... He wasn't a tsun!

"I-I'm not a-!"

Before he could even properly get out the retort, a weak one but it wasn't like he gave a damn, Miyako began to giggle further as she continued on the topic of Osamoto and the whole damn family thing. T-That wasn't-!

It-!

"O-Oi!" She just ran the fuck off! Laughing no less!

Miyako was immune to his tsun ways and unfinished denials! She just continued giggling, bounding away much like a playful otter who stole a dog's favorite toy. Skipping through the door way, she paused before leaning back and settling her hands on the frame. Her head peeked in, green eyes filled with mirth after that 'oi' given to her... And then she stuck her tongue out at him. "Bleeeeh. Whats a tsun like you gonna do? Oi at me? Hahaha!"

Having given her parting blow, she let go of the doorframe and bounded away with a happy shrieking giggle again. She won! Now to go dry off and clean up the upstairs, it was such a mess.

Hibiki couldn't do anything to her now, she'd ruined hiiiim~

Retorts are useless unless one can properly say 'em.

Hibiki attempted to come up with a retort, attempted to stop Miyako in her tracks as she ran off laughing. Sh...She'd just stuck her tongue out at him! H-Hah!? She just... She had just...

Gh-!

He felt a rather large urge to give chase, but what was the point when she was likely already upstairs by now! Plus...what the hell would he even do if he caught her? Gh...g...

Damn it!

Hibiki ripped the towel from his shoulders, moving to wrap it properly around his waist before letting out a huff...gh...g...

Without another word he headed out of the bathroom, he'd deal with his soaked clothes later...for now he needed warmth...lots of warmth... He was freezing...gh...g...

Unfortunately for Hibiki, Regalia was spread out across the whole bed. She had gotten large and long in the past few months and would be the size of a small dog by the time she stopped growing. Between him and his bed was also all of Miyako's painting and work items. A large, trap filled area complete with Miyako herself.

She had scrambled up the stairs to get away but was sad to see no 'Biki chasing her...

All the fight had gone out of her, so she just moped around cleaning up with the towel on her head.

Pouting, she was pouting. He'd not played... he'd just... just... Weh. She sighed and tossed trashed magical papers into a bag. The bracelet of hers would have to be put back on soon so she could make proper containers for the other items that couldn't be tossed or shouldn't be. Like the paints and the gloss...

Miyako was too mopey to do it now...

Hibiki headed for the stairs, intending to go straight to bed but... Miyako was... H-Hah? Why was she moping? She was..definitely moping right now... The whole atmosphere about her said so; he blinked, and blinked again, having stopped at the top of the stairs as she worked on cleaning up the area.

"...." He looked to the bed, an eye twitching to see Regalia was hogging the whole damn thing.

...Alternative then...

Stepping over to Miyako, he waited just a moment until her hands were free before scooping her up, immediately moving back down stairs and to the couch. Before moving to seat them at the couch though, he took one of their heavier blankets and threw it over there and once seated he worked on bundling the both of them up in a two-person blanket burrito before resting back.

Mmn....

Miyako continued to mope, finishing with all the vital clean up as she set aside the bowls and containers of the special ink stuff. If it was on the floor it could be knocked over...

Sighing softly, she was too wrapped up in her own little world to even notice Hibiki's ascent to the upper part of the apartment and squeaked as she was scooped up. Her eyes turned to stare for a moment, going limp as usual before she looked away and puffed up a cheek.

Even as he carried her down the stairs she stayed pouting, completely intent on moping. He even wrapped them up in a big blanket together... and the moping stayed. Miyako didn't once look at him again, just laying silent and limp in his arms.

This didn't make up for not playing! One didn't ignore a playful otter! He could use her for body heat all he wanted but he wasn't getting anything else!

Still moping...

Hibiki blinked again, and waited to see if Miyako would snap out of it but even as the moments passed she gave no hint that she might... She was just pouting, and moping as they sat there...

...

Reaching up, his hands took her cheeks, lightly pulling at the unpuffed one and attempted to poke at the one that was puffed up. "...Miyako..."

He continued to poke and prod her, his hands moving from face to her hair as he attempted to get some reaction out of her, and ruffling it up rather than stroking it like he typically did.

He was too late with his actions! Too late! How dare he do this now and try to be cuute!

"...mmph..." Miyako let out a grumpy pouting sound, trying to keep her cheek puffed up despite his poking and distracting other cheek pulls. She was determined to mope! Very determined! Not even her name could remove her mope!

She won though, able to keep her cheek puffed up with obvious effort though his hands slid into her hair and... and rufffled?! Miyako squirmed lightly, grumpy and moping and growling as he ruffled her hair up. "MRRRRRR!"

Nononono! It was hard to stay mopey and pouty and grumpy! It was so hard! She could do it though, she had to do it... He couldn't win this round...

"...Miyako..." Hibiki called again, still ruffling up her hair as she continued to pout and make noises to match at him. She'd managed to keep her cheek puffed, but he'd expected her to just puff it back up if he'd succeeded anyway...

He continued to mess around with her hair, messing it up completely before one hand went back to her puffed cheek.

"Miyako..." The hand in her hair moved finally, wrapping around her waist to pull her closer before he leaned his head down, resting it on her shoulder as he continued to poke at her cheek. "...Miyako..."

"Mrr." Miyako gave him another sound as he called her name, the ruffling not stopping even as she protested with wiggles and grumpy growls. It seemed her plan was not working but she was trapped here! How could she escape the blanket burrito!?

Her hair... her hair was truly ruined though, all floofed up and messed up before he began poking her cheek... WELL THIS TIME SHE WAS PREPARED! She let that cheek deflate, puffing up the other side and tilting her head just slightly away.

"Mrrrrrr!" Telling him what she thought of all that name calling, Miyako was finally shocked as his arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. Her wiggles stopped and as his head settled on her shoulder, all puffing of the cheek disappeared.

Looking away for a moment, she sighed and let her head fall forward. He won... In the saddest, mopiest otter voice ever she explained, her head hanging forward in abject defeat. "...You didn't play with me..."

...Hah? He didn't...play with her?

From when she ran off? That had been playing? He hardly had any way of reacting then... "What was I supposed to do if I even chased? Mind's...drawing a blank..."

Hell if he had chased and caught her... What then?

Either way she would have won... It was a one sided battle and he'd already taken damage in it.

"...Sorry..." He hadn't...really known, understood... He'd just been...well...whatever one could describe his previous state... Gh...g...

"This? ...Tickle me? Kiss me all over till I give in? The chasing is a fun part too..." Miyako went more limp, falling forward with a soft whine even though he was holding her. She'd just bend forward, dead, supremely dead.

No playing when she'd been super playful... her life... was useless... there was no joy in it...

"...mrr..." His apology merely got a soft, sad broken otter mrr of acceptance. She sighed softly, continuing her broken, mopey otterness with utter lifelessness. "...and I didn't get more compliments on my magical tattoos afterwards... this isn't all it does... I put lots of designs in the ink so I had options..."

So much work and all she'd gotten was an aroused freak out and initial, attempting to soothe and distract compliments.

Maybe she should go show Muika? Muika might appreciate it...

He...hadn't thought of those options...they hadn't come to his mind when she'd run off; he'd just stood there in stunned...stunned-ness... He didn't know how to describe it... gh...

The tattoos though? More compliments...? Hibiki blinked; she had mentioned other designs, a-and yeah...he'd been distracted when he'd complimented her first, but...

"...Those compliments I gave...even then I meant..." He'd meant them, even if he'd had something else on his mind. He'd said amazing, great...and it certainly was a pretty incredible idea she'd had, and the final product to match...

H-He'd just been...distracted...

He'd meant what he said though...

"...mrrrrrrr..." Miyako still hung loosely in his arms despite his reassurance, life gone from her broken and ruined form. She was a failure as an artist, a failure to evoke any sort of proper response from her hard work.

Attention grabbing in all the wrong ways...

Not even able to entice into silly playings...

Mopey, overly dramatic otter had taken hold and settled in her body, intending to be there for the long haul.

H-Hah?

"M-Miyako...?" She just...continued hanging there limply; he was...he was trying here! He had meant what he'd said back then! He had! He'd meant what he said about the tattoos, if he weren't distracted he would have given her the same response...just less drawn out!

I-It was hard for him to just...outright show emotions still...he was trying, but...

"I-I meant what I said...about the tattoos being amazing...y-you had a...an...incredible idea...and y-your work paid off...mn..." He moved the arm around her some, as if nudging, but he wasn't sure what more to do...

"Bleh..." A lifeless bleh was given to him, though his words did get some response at least. Miyako didn't think her work had paid off at all...

It really hadn't...

His nudging caused her to flop more, but this time to the side as her hair covered her fair and she overly drama ottered her moping.

B-Bleh!?

That was all he got!? Bleh!? He'd meant his words, and he meant them now as he repeated them! Hell, he was even trying to say more than he had earlier! How did that deserve a bleh!?

"M...Mi...ya...ko..." Rather than nudge this time, he moved from side to side a bit, flopping her around if she decided to just keep lying there all limp like that.

Bleh!? All he got was a damn bleh!?

"I-It's a billion yen idea-! L-Like the animal ears people would likely k-kill to be able to...to have somethin' like that-!" He added, still flopping her around in his arms. "Mi.ya.ko...."

Miyako was content to be mopey over his words and actions, he'd ignored her earlier even after she'd...she'd... Done that super...amazingly nice and awesome thing for him... She hadn't had to, she'd gotten riled up too...

And no nothing towards her other than holdings she'd initiated...

Flopping around lifelessly even as he said her name, his words did get a slight tensing of her stomach and upper body before she fell utterly limp again.

"...you...really mean that? It's...that cool?" A bit of hope entered her voice but the rest of her body didn't follow suit just yet.

"Of course I mean it." Just like he'd meant everything else he'd said... He wasn't one for words, but...he meant them when he said them, when he could manage 'em... He couldn't properly react towards the tattoos and all before because of his problem, and after he'd gotten riled up through teasing and couldn't really think on it then either...

...Now with Miyako limp in his arms he could get out what was needed.

"I meant what I said, Miyako... Might...not always say things at the right time, but...even though I was distracted due to issues then... I meant it...and I mean it now..." He continued, trying to explain a little bit.