Chapter Text
Hidden away in an alley close to Galaxy’s entrance, Ran slumped against the wall, looking up at the winter night sky.
Usually, Ran didn't bother getting early to the venues. Early enough to grab a good spot among the audience? Sure. Early enough that not even the bands performing had arrived yet? Never. Yukina brought it out of her, all these new feelings of anxiety and excitement.
On her hideout, Ran absentmindedly watched puffs of breath rise up illuminated by the faint glow of the nearest streetlight. It was calming, like how it felt to stare at flowing water as it filled a tub or count sheep before sleep. Like the world had stopped and everything was fine for a while.
The sound of crinkling paper broke her reverie.
She looked down and found she’d been squeezing the bouquet she was holding. A sigh escaped from her. Any second now and the flowers would meet their new owner, there was no delaying the inevitable. Even if she didn’t work up the courage to confess, she still had to do something with the bouquet.
For now, Ran would allow herself to idly stand there and brood over her creation for a little longer.
It was rather small and simple: a background of light lavender roses and lemon leaves accented 3 pink gerbera daisies and a few white heather sprigs, their stems wrapped up in a cream colored paper and a pink bow to keep everything in place.
Though Ran had only ever arranged a couple bouquets before, some Ikebana principles worked for this. She used the two weeks since the invitation for planning and acquiring the flowers she’d need -taking into account it was winter, so few flowers were available-, and the sudden passion for an extracurricular project had greatly interested her dad, much to her dismay. At least he had the decency to keep quiet, but anyone with experience would’ve guessed right away the message this bouquet basically screamed.
Uh, if only he’d left Tokyo for his exhibition a week earlier, she wouldn’t have had to embarrass herself like that and lie about it being a simple 'good luck' gift or a fancy christmas present.
An influx of people let her know it was closer to opening time. If Ran was lucky, she’d be able to discreetly greet Roselia and forget about the bold statement she had so carefully crafted with only one person in mind.
Ran took one last breath before walking the rest of the way to the livehouse, trying her best to cover the flowers inside her jacket as she quickly passed Rokka’s ticket inspection -It didn’t work, earning Ran a weird look from the young guitarist. Aside from that, everything was… ok, but the sight of no more familiar faces could be either a relief or a red flag. Ran would have to push on.
It technically wasn’t allowed but she carefully made her way to the backstage corridor that led to the backstage rooms. If anything she was just… showing her support for Roselia! Yeah!
Uh, no, that only made her sound like a groupie...
The changing rooms weren't hard to find. Ran stood by the door, struggling to pick up any activity inside.
“We could’ve at least waited for Sayo,” a familiar voice whined. Bingo. Ran remained hidden, there were only a few people there and none of them paid attention to her.
“Lisa... Sayo said she would be running late.”
“Ah I know~” There was the rustle of a bag. “But it’s so sad to not have the whole gang together!”
“It gives us time to warm up.”
“Tsk, Yukina, you’re no fun~ I’m going to see if anyone’s come yet.” Lisa’s voice approached. Oh no no no. Ran pressed her back against the wall, closed her eyes and prayed she’d go unnoticed. “Oh Ran, you’re here!”
Life wasn’t so kind. “L-Lisa-san!” Ran let out a shriek that surprised both of them. She coughed into her hand, returning to her usual pitch. “I thought I’d, um, visit.”
Lisa glanced down at the bouquet in Ran’s hand. Oh crap, she’d forgotten. Ran rushed to hide it behind her back but the bassist was now grinning broadly, knowing sparks in her eyes.
The clicking of heels came closer behind Lisa. “Why is there so much noi- Mitake-san?”
"I found a little visitor~" Lisa chuckled.
“... Hey.” Ran stiffly raised her free hand.
Lisa scanned the scene, a smile never leaving her face. “I’ll go outside for a moment, let you two talk~ See ya~” She winked at Ran as she walked past her. Ran cursed whatever god she had angered to give her such bad luck.
“You came.”
She turned her head to Yukina's voice. Yukina was lightly tugging at her own sleeve and she looked… pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah I- I wouldn’t miss seeing Roselia play live.” It was honest. “Moca gave me the ticket a few days ago.”
Yukina relaxed her shoulders. “I’m glad.” Hah, Yukina had been expecting to see her? This… didn't make Ran's stomach flutter, no sir, of course not.
Their moment was cut off by a band trying to get past them and into the room. Yukina moved from the doorway, getting closer to Ran. The bouquet felt heavier than ever behind her.
"I have something… for you, actually, um…" Ran sheepishly extended her arm, avoiding Yukina’s gaze. "It's not much but-"
Yukina smiled and put her hand over Ran's. "They're beautiful, Mitake-san. Thank you." She took the flowers, and Ran hoped to burn the warmth of Yukina’s touch into her mind once again. Yukina delicately ran her finger across a daisy's petal, eyes half lidded in contemplation. Ran blushed and gulped. If Yukina kept making faces like that she would surely explode.
"I'm- We're counting on Roselia to give us everything you've got."
"Same as always?" Ran's old band's motto was unexpected. It would've been annoying coming from anyone else but the glint in Yukina's eyes as she peeked at her was familiar: this was a challenge she welcomed.
Ran nodded firmly, a proper response failing her. "Same as always."
"Ah! Ran-chan and Yukina-san! Hi!!" Ako's loud voice could be heard at the end of the corridor, they -as well as some other people in the place- looked into its direction. Ako was barely out of highschool, but she still skipped around with the same energy and demeanor as a child. Yukina shook her head affectionately at her drummer.
Ran shuffled on her feet. "I guess I have to go now..."
"I hope to hear your thoughts after the concert."
"Mm-hmm. Good luck, Minato-san."
Ako finally reached them with Rinko in tow, telling Ran only Tsugumi was missing from the Afterglow gang and that they were all outside. Ran excused herself shooting Yukina one last glance, their eyes met almost instantly sending a chill down Ran's spine.
Without time to lose, she started briskly walking back. Ran had a live to review.
"It has been a while but they haven't lost their spark at all!" Himari cheered as she led Afterglow backstage through the crowd.
"Right? They all looked super cool. A performance like that sure fires you up!" Tomoe followed.
Tsugumi quickly nodded and clasped her hands together. "I had only heard the arrangement from Sayo-san but the new song was very potent."
They were all right. Roselia had never been one to do things halfway, and no matter how many shows they put up or in which venue they played, they always shone the brightest in Ran’s completely unbiased opinion. She wasn’t ready yet to admit it outloud, but she was convinced there would never be a ‘Best Roselia Show’ when all of them were the best to date.
Few bands managed to get your heart pumping every time you heard their songs. Few bands managed to leave the permanent mark of their sound in your soul. Roselia just happened to be one of them.
Roselia also happened to have a very specific person at the helm.
"Ohoho~ A little bird told me good old Ran here helped with the lyrics~" Moca nudged Ran, getting a huff from her.
"Really? I knew it!" Himari turned, pointing at Ran and almost making Tomoe trip. "You and Yukina-san were onto something meeting in secret like that!"
"I-It was nothing like it!" Ran sputtered.
"Hii-chan, Hii-chan~" Moca put her arm around Ran's shoulders, resting her full weight against Ran. "Don't kill her yet or we'll have to hold a funeral instead of our Christmas dinner."
"Oh yeah, weren't we gonna try out a Ramen place after this?" Thank god for Tomoe’s one track mind. “You think Roselia would like to join?”
While their three friends got into a discussion about plans and food, Ran used the distraction and the closeness to softly bonk her head against Moca's and whisper, "thank you."
Moca didn't answer, joining instead the other's conversation, but she sank into the touch. Ran understood.
When they got to the changing rooms -which were bursting with people compared to earlier- they were welcomed at the entrance by Lisa and Ako hugging everyone. It was normal for them to be this lively, Ran supposed, but even Sayo and Rinko were smiling broadly, satisfied with the show. Post-live excitement was a very real feeling and Roselia hadn't performed in months, so it was understandable.
Ran looked around.
Someone was missing and unfortunately the person that must’ve known of her whereabouts was on Moca-hugging duty. The words came out anyway. “Where’s Minato-san?”
“Yukina? She went to talk to a staff member. Somewhere over there.” Lisa signaled with her head to the other end of the corridor, Moca moved slightly to devilishly grin at Ran. “Why~? You miss her~?”
“Ohhh get it Ran~” Moca cooed and Ran glared daggers at both of them. They were a dangerous combo.
“Ahaha, sorry sorry~” Lisa rearranged the way Moca was draped around her like a baby koala. “Though if you do go find her, could you tell Yukina it’s almost our turn to get inside? It would be a shame if she missed dinner because she was late.” Ran always wondered how Moca and Yukina had survived to adulthood. This was the answer.
“Sure. Anything else?”
“Just make sure to come back~” Ran rolled her eyes at Moca’s addition and left Lisa to chide her girlfriend. She had better things to do.
Navigating the crowd was a challenge. Despite her appearance, Ran wasn’t the strongest and she didn’t appreciate getting pushed around like a doll. At least it thinned out by the end, so she took the seemingly empty corner to the staff room entryway.
She almost bumped into someone.
Ran put her hands defensively in front of her “Sorry I- Minato-san!”
“Mitake-san, be careful, we could have crashed.” Yukina crossed her arms but her frown softened, the dim light overhead framing her perfectly, just like stage spotlights. “What are you doing here?”
“I was... looking for you.”
“Oh.” It was quiet. Yukina looked taken aback.
“You were missing so I thought- Uh, nevermind.” Ran facepalmed, opening and closing her mouth a few times, choosing her next move while Yukina simply stood there. “B-back there, it was a nice liv- Mmn!” The world became a white blur.
It was more a crash than anything else, but Yukina’s lips were definitely on her own and her hand was fisted on Ran's sweater to keep her close.
Broken as quickly as it had started, the kiss' ghost was still in Ran’s mind waiting to be processed as she froze in shock. Ran stared at the shorter woman with wide eyes and Yukina had the nerve to ask, “is something wrong?”
‘Is something wrong’?!
What was Ran supposed to do? Cry from how ecstatic she felt? Die from embarrassment? Get angry at Yukina for not asking first? Too many things ran through her mind and none of them could answer the question.
When no answer came, Yukina's eyes dulled and she withdrew her hand, which fell awkwardly to her side. She opened her mouth to say something -not that Ran would’ve heard, her heart was beating too loud for that- but was immediately cut off by Ako arriving at their corner.
“Yukina-san, there you are! The changing room is free so-” Before Ako could continue, Ran turned on her heel, shoving her out of the way and scurrying down the corridor. Ran's brain was screaming at her to do the thing she knew best: run away.
Ran hurriedly walked past her friends, thankful for the multitude and making sure to stay close to the opposite wall to avoid the risk of being caught. They called out to her anyway, but Ran knew that if she looked back, they’d keep her.
Apologizing for ruining their Christmas plans was future Ran’s problem.
Her heart was still beating a thousand miles per minute. A few hours ago it would've been justified by her run back home, but now it was just the adrenaline from the memory. Laying on her bed and intensely staring at her bedroom’s ceiling didn't calm her down one bit.
Post live excitement. That was the only thing that could explain what had just happened to Ran.
So, Yukina Minato, her rival who had once not even spared a glance in Ran's direction back in their highschool days.
Yukina Minato, lead singer and songwriter for the up and coming rock band Roselia.
Yukina Minato, no doubt one of the most beautiful women Ran had ever seen in her life.
Yukina Minato... had kissed her.
Saying she was conflicted would be an understatement.
It would've been fine, great, even! But Ran grew up on borrowed shojo manga from Himari and Tsugumi and when she tried visualizing the scene, it was often after a heartfelt confession, or a romantic date, or something cheesy like that, not in the back of a dim lit corridor and definitely not a surprise kiss.
Every time she remembered how Yukina had abruptly pulled her in, how sloppily their lips had fit against each other letting her briefly taste Yukina… Ran's breath hitched. The roughness of the whole affair was something she had tried to save for her most embarrassing fantasies, not a first kiss.
Three knocks on the door dragged her from her trance, almost making her jump from the scare. She was sure she was alone in the house.
“Raan~ You there~?” A muffled voice. Moca? What was Moca doing here?
Ran lifted her head to look at the door and hesitated. Moca could be as much of a threat as she could be great support, but she had helped enough, so maybe Ran would take her chances. “Yeah... The door is open.”
Moca slowly opened it enough to lean on the doorframe. “Hiya~” She still wanted to sound playful and nonchalant, but something in the stiffness of her crossed arms told Ran she knew something was wrong. Whether or not Moca knew exactly what had happened, Ran would need to find out.
But first… “How did you get in?” It was like them to deflect when it came to serious topics. If Ran asked outright, Moca would flee the scene.
“Your dad gave me the spare key in case you got yourself locked out.” Moca shook the small keychain, making it jingle. “Oops, and I almost forgot~ Tsugu sent you some food but I cannot promise it’s complete anymore. Moca-chan has a fee for her services, you know~”
“Hm.” Ran eased herself back into the bed.
“And Hii-chan is mad that you ditched us out of the blue like th-”
“She kissed me...” Ran muttered. If Moca wanted to waste time, too bad for her.
Moca blinked slowly before standing straighter. “What?”
“She kissed me!” Ran flailed her hands around as she tried to expand on it. “Uh, I don’t even know. One second we were talking and then...” she trailed off as Moca sat on the edge of Ran’s bed.
"On the lips?"
"Yeah."
“Damn.”
“Y-yeah…”
They spent several seconds in silence. Moca decided to break it. “I- huh. I did notice she couldn’t stop looking at the flowers you gave her but-”
“How did you know those were from me?” Moca shook her head. “You cut your stems in a very distinct way~” This earned her a glare from Ran, so her friend smiled back sheepishly. “Ok ok. Lisa told me.”
That explained it, though Ran didn’t know how to close this conversation, for both her’s and Moca’s sake.
“I don’t know what to do...”
Silence. Moca stared into the distance, seeming so oddly pensive it threw Ran off with the unfamiliarity of such an expression in her friend's face. Until Moca mumbled something. The only thing Ran understood was the final, "... New Year's party."
"Huh?"
Moca's eyes widened, she must've been talking to herself, then. "Kokoro-chan invited us to her New Year's party, said it's gonna be the 'event of the century'~" Moca sighed when Ran didn’t seem amused. "Lisachi is gonna drag Yukina-san anyway. You could talk to her then, it gives you a week to think about it."
Ran shrugged. She wasn’t so convinced yet but, "I could… try."
"You do just that~" Moca stretched and yawned. "Anyway, I need to get my beauty sleep. Hope you don't mind me crashing here~" she said as she unceremoniously fell on top of Ran, not caring for the latter's protests. "Nighty night~"
"Wait. No, Moca! Don't- Uh..." But her friend was already out like a light. Moca was only lucky she was so light and Ran was used to being used as a mattress.
Immobilized, Ran was left alone with her thoughts again.
She needed to find a way to make things right.