november yumary otp prompt challenge!

forest path

Mary had never been a hopeless romantic. She hadn't really been interested in relationships until she realized she was gay, and even then, it was never anything she was seeking. She was too busy and too driven toward her goals to get tangled up with feelings.

Not that any of that mattered when Yumeko Jabami showed up in class that day.

She swirled a hurricane in Mary's heart, a battle against her logic and her emotions. It was always obvious what was going to win, but Mary didn't expect to be this happy because of it.

Now, she walked hand in hand with Yumeko in a forest behind her mansion. The crowds of leaves above protected them from the dim sunlight. It almost looked like stained glass on the dirt forest path their boots followed.

Mary rarely found moments of peace. When she did, it was hiding in a nap or checking off the final box on her list of assignments. That type of peace relaxed her shoulder blades and coaxed a sigh of relief from her lungs.

Yumeko's soft hands grasping her's, gently swinging as the continued forward, was a totally foreign type of peace. Mary's heart felt in sync with Yumeko's, a beautiful duet. Her heart glowed like candles when the power goes out, and a permanent grin tugged at her lips.

The forest was completely silent, save for scurrying squirrels and rabbits. The other animals were hibernating in burrows and tree trunks. In a calming way, it felt nice to be completely alone with Yumeko in such an open space.

Mary wasn't the outdoorsy type either. She didn't take walks in the morning or go camping in the summer. Looking back on it now, it was probably because her parents never forced her to go outside.

Mary used seasons as checkpoints for school rather than for the weather. Her favorite, like many other exhausted students, was summer. She isn't pulled in a million different directions in the summer; she's only pulled toward one: her bed.

It's autumn now, and school has started. It's the time for long-sleeved uniforms, back-to-school shopping, and rewiring your brain to function for 8 hours after being on shut down for months.

Yumeko had a more whimsical approach to it. She loved fall for the cozy clothing, and the blue frost coating her grass in the mornings, and the holidays at every corner.

"It's also the season I met you in," Yumeko had said sometime in their walk. It was the only time Mary was thankful for the icy air flushing her cheeks red.

Mary is starting to understand her Yumeko's perspective. She was wearing a beloved sweater she'd been longing to wear for a while now. It was cold enough for long-sleeved clothing, but not enough for multiple layers. In Mary's opinion, that was the perfect medium.

The orange and brown leaves were pretty to look at, but not nearly as much as the beauty walking next to her.

Yumeko looked so happy that Mary's heart swelled. Her eyebrows gently raised, and wonder-filled eyes gazed upon the scenery above them. Her smile spoke serenity to Mary, too raw to look away.

Red eyes met her own. They seemed to look even more endeared. Yumeko squeezed her hand lovingly, and butterflies swarmed Mary's inside

Who would've thought she'd be fawning over the girl who made her a house pet? Neither of them, of course.

"I have another reason I like fall," her gaze fell to their shoes, crunching shriveled leaves as they stepped.

"Ah, I should've known you wouldn't stop at five-hundred," Mary jabbed, the other laughing bashfully.

"Yes, number five-hundred-one of why I love fall so much," she said with a sarcastic attitude. "is because I get to spend it with you this year."