They lounged around on the couch, almost halfway through with the bowl of buttery popcorn and a few minutes to spare before the credits pop up onto the television. Seiko has her legs resting on top of the coffee table, Naomi sat next to her with an arm around the curly haired girl's neck. Beside her was Satoshi, blankly staring at the screen and probably zoning out.
Yoshiki throws a popcorn kernel at him, and it bounces off of his cheek, landing onto the floor. The brunette replies by doing a delayed flinch, rubbing the salt and butter off of his cheek. "What was that for?!" The bleached blonde snickers and he high-fives the spectacled boy next to him. Both boys sat on the floor, on one end of the couch chair.
Mayu sat on the other side of the chair, occasionally getting up every so often to stretch her legs. Sitting on the floor was strenuous, especially when she slouched. She quietly watched the screen without a peep, but laughed whenever Kishinuma or any of her other comrades were acting rascally.
Shinohara cheekily grinned at Satoshi's reaction, and Naomi elbows him, telling him to "cut it out."
"Aw, c'mon, Nakashima! Loosen up, will 'ya?" Yoshiki laughs, clutching his stomach. He continues to watch the movie in somewhat interest, even though the cover box said it was to appeal to ten and up audiences.
Nothing was really happening, really. Maybe a couple of guns and digitally edited in explosions, but all of those things were old.
Ayumi tumbles down the stairs in a frenzy, ponytails undone and laptop underneath her arm. The black haired boy turns to look at her, and gives her a questioning look. She waves Morishige off in reply, huffing when she gets to ground level. "Did I miss anything?"
"No, not really. It's going to end soon, hurry up." Mayu replies, softly smiling at her. Ayumi bounces onto the couch next to Satoshi, leaning closer towards the screen. Bright flashes of light occur with the protagonist saying some inspirational quote, hair flowing in the wind and eyes sharp as knives. The credits roll and the blue haired girl mopes, disappointed that she missed the movie. Seiko pops the last popcorn puff into her mouth, rolling it around with her tongue, chewing and swallowing.
"It was such a good movie too… ah, well. I could watch it in my spare time," Shinozaki waves off, crossing her arms and making a confident stance.
"Let's get back to our games!"
They go upstairs into the blue haired girl's room, scattered about with blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. Ayumi glances down at her list, announcing, "Alright, who has the slip that says, 'Cat Scratch?'" She looks around curiously, gaze focusing on Yoshiki when he mutters, "I do."
"Alright, everyone make a circle around Kishinuma."
Yoshiki tenses up, but blinks when Ayumi grabs his shoulders and places his head in her lap, and he looks into her blue gaze, as dark as the abysmal ocean. She massages his temples with her thumbs and index fingers, as gentle as they were. The class rep rubs small, repeating circles and tells him to close his eyes. He reluctantly obliges.
"Focus on my voice, and my voice only." Yoshiki nods, jaw clenching.
"There once was an old lady who owned a cat. The cat was very nice. It meowed and purred. One day, the cat got hit by a car and died. Cat scratch, cat scratch, cat scratch." Her voice was barely above a whisper, breath tickling the bleached blonde's nose. He listens intently, and feels a hand intertwining within his.
"The old lady got a new cat. The cat was very mean. It hissed and clawed. Cat scratch, cat scratch, cat scratch." Ayumi continues, cupping Yoshiki's face. her hands are warm, or maybe it's just his cheeks.
"One day, the cat got hit by a car and died. The old lady decided to not get anymore cats. Cat scratch, cat scratch, cat scratch." Her voice is quiet now, as soft as she could be at the end, chanting 'Cat Scratch,' three times.
"Now imagine, You are walking through a dark alley late at night. You are the only one there. The ground is slick with rain. The alley is filled with garbage cans and litter."
Probably after school, maybe some garbage from the gym teacher or classroom troubles. Yoshiki slips in between two brick walls, shoes splashing in the rain water puddles. The cement is wet, garbage cans surrounded by flies and a putrid odor. Trash and litter scattered at the area near them.
"But then you hear something. A movement in the garbage cans. You pick up your pace. You want to get out of the alley fast."
A rustle from the garbage cans was heard, and the metallic lid flies off, crashing to the floor. Yoshiki shivers, and walks a little bit faster, past the trash and past the jittery garbage can.
"But then you see something. Red eyes. Glowing red cat eyes. They are the eyes of an enormous cat. You run, but the cat chases you and jumps on you. It scratches you, one, two, three."
It stings, it burns, but only for a split second. Yoshiki imagines himself touching his back, checking for the claw marks. There is no feeling, no ripple of skin where the cat dug its claws in.
"Cat scratch, cat scratch, cat scratch! Kishinuma, get up!" He jumps and feels the fabric of his shirt swiftly riding up his back, revealing a bit of his stomach. Ayumi gestures everyone to come and see, and their eyes widen in awe. Satoshi curiously touches one of the marks, rubbing the skin around the area that was scratched. Yoshiki hisses and bites his tongue, toes curling inside his socks. Ayumi smiles at her work.
Seiko squeals. "Ooh! That's so amazing! How'd you do it, class rep?" Naomi rolls her eyes, nudging the curly haired girl with her elbow to calm down. Seiko looks at her, coyly smirking and tickles her, and the brunette is in a fit of laughter and giggles.
"That must be makeup or something you put on him, right?" Morishige decries, clicking his tongue at the mark. He taps his back once, twice, and the grey eyed boy swats his hand away. Mayu shakes her head, and places her hand on his shoulder.
"Nope! It's all real, Shig." The brunette grins up at him, and he replies with a shaky laugh, faint blush appearing onto his cheeks.
The grey eyed boy pulls down his shirt, groaning. Yoshiki sniffles and goes downstairs to get a drink of water. Ayumi nods. A splash on his face from the kitchen sink, a swig from the plastic water bottle. His face is hot, tongue warm but mouth dry. He's standing over the sink, hands grasping the counter. Ayumi managed to get down the stairs quietly, without a creak. She stands on her tippy toes and places her chin on top of Yoshiki's bare shoulder.
"You alright?"
"Yeah," he breathes, and the blue haired girl grabs his hand and leads him back upstairs.
ive been writing a lot recently and im happy (link to thing here: www . scaryforkids cat-scratch) remove spaces because ff net is picky with the co ms
also i hope my ""subtle"" pairing choices appeal to u.. if not hmu with a pairing and ill try to incorporate it into this mess! this chap/ story in general was mostly about pairings but like. these games are sparking them to happen rite