Chapter Text
Since Kanamori had to get up earlier than the others, she set an alarm, which all of the others groaned awake once it went off. “I warned you last night,” Kanamori said groggily, sitting up and taking her glasses off the floor and putting them on her face.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would be this loud,” Asakusa muttered, clutching her stuffed bunny close to her chest and putting the covers over her head.
Mizusaki, instead of trying to go back to sleep for a bit, knew she better use the bathroom before Kanamori got ready. Asakusa and Doumeki, also realizing this, immediately ran after her and tried to shove past each other so the other could use the toilet first. Since Mizusaki had a head start, she made it in first and almost shut the door directly in Asakusa’s face.
“You better not take long!” Asakusa complained while hitting the door while Doumeki sat defeated on the floor.
Kanamori sat on the futon, wondering how they could be so energetic this early in the morning. But… She was glad that not much has changed since high school. She smiled to herself and stood up, stretched, and got out clean clothes from her bookbag.
“Mi-zu-sa-ki!” Asakusa complained, scratching at the door as if she were a clingy kitten who couldn’t bear to be separated from its owner.
“Okay, okay, I’m done!” As soon as Mizusaki opened the door, Asakusa rushed in and pushed her out in one foul swoop.
Mizusaki almost tripped over Doumeki, who was bracing herself, but managed to step over her and regain balance. Doumeki sighed a breath of relief and stood up, moving away from the door before she actually gets stepped on.
Kanamori went over the events of last night in her head, hoping that it wasn’t a dream, that Mizusaki really did feel the same way. A light blush appeared on her face, making her ears red. Though, nothing is official, so she’ll have to worry about that after finals.
Mizusaki walked back into the living room to see that though Kanamori’s face was covered by her hair as she rustled through her bag to retrieve clothes, her ears were red. She wasn’t sure if she should act natural or romantic. Kanamori noticed Mizusaki standing there, spaced out and was concerned- did she regret confessing last night? Did she lie to make her feel better?
“Uh, Mizusaki-“ She spoke up, waving her hand to get the other girl’s attention.
“Oh! Sorry, was I just-“ She couldn’t say that she wasn’t feeling awkward around Kanamori, that might give her the wrong idea. “I was just thinking.” She gave Kanamori a nervous smile.
Asakusa, finally done in the bathroom, allowed Doumeki in, but noticed the two talking and decided to hang back.
“… Mizusaki, what time are your finals today?”
“Oh, uh,” She scrambled to pick up her phone from off the floor and check the finals schedule, “1:00 and 3:45 for final critiques in two of my art classes.”
‘Okay, good, that gives us time to talk alone before I go back to campus and have lingering anxiety for the rest of the week on how she feels about me.’ “Do you want to walk to the station with me? Just me and you?”
Mizusaki looked up from her phone, happy she asked. ‘She must be nervous about this too.’ “Yeah!” She ran up to Kanamori, clinging onto her arm and smiling. She was happy for any time they get to spend together.
If it were anyone else, Kanamori would have told them to get off immediately. She knew Mizusaki liked physical contact, especially when it came to Kanamori. “Tch,” The taller girl blushed and ruffled Mizusaki’s hair, purposely messing it up. And if it were anyone else messing up her hair, Mizusaki wouldn’t have been very happy, but because it was Kanamori, she was more than happy.
---
Kanamori was on her phone, checking the eizouken twitter, which was still active thanks to Mizusaki and Asakusa sending her progress pictures and updates on their current projects. She was waiting for Mizusaki to be done washing up and getting dressed.
Doumeki, who was on the couch and on her laptop, slid her headphones off her ears to rest around her neck. “So, are you gonna ask her out?”
Asakusa, leaned against Doumeki and eager to know the answer, was shaking her arms excitedly, “You gotta!! You have no idea how sad Mizusaki would get whenever you left after we would hang out! You’re like her biggest motivator!”
“…” Kanamori locked her phone and crossed her arms, “I don’t appreciate other people sticking their noses in my business.”
“Aw, c’mon Kanamori! You know you want to, you just gotta go for it!” Asakusa stood up, practically yelling.
Kanamori rushed over and put a hand over her mouth, “Shut it, she might hear you!”
Asakusa pouted, but was also glad that she wasn’t put into a headlock like Kanamori used to do.
“This is why I asked her to walk with me to the station, alright?! We need to figure stuff out, but not right now!” She replied in a more hushed tone. “Besides, it was easy for you two because you got along from the moment you met and bonded throughout being in the club, I just managed your lazy asses most of the time. I don’t know how or why she even likes me.”
Doumeki nodded, “That’s fair. Considering Mizusaki is still a model, you might also have to keep it on the down low, huh?”
“Yeah… I just- Never mind, that’s something her and I need to discuss.” Kanamori replied. It’s not like that hadn’t crossed her mind. In fact, that was one of the reasons she never directly asked Mizusaki how she felt about her. She’s a talented animator and a well-known model, and Kanamori was just some tall, lanky asshole.
Before she could self-deprecate any further, Mizusaki stepped into the living room fully dressed and ready to head out. Kanamori stared at her for a moment before realizing it, and made direct eye contact with Mizusaki. They both quickly looked away, Mizusaki blushing much more obviously than Kanamori.
“S-so, shall we head out?” Mizusaki asked as she walked past Kanamori and over to the door where her shoes sat.
“Yeah.” Kanamori replied, grabbing her bookbag and putting her shoes on before following Mizusaki out the door.
---
“So,” Mizusaki muttered as she balanced while walking on the curb, unsure of what Kanamori wanted to talk about, “What’s on your mind?”
“Uh, I mostly wanted to talk about our relationship going forward, but we should probably save that for after finals so we aren’t distracted during our finals.”
“Oh?” Mizusaki tilted her head slightly. Kanamori seemed kind of stressed out, but she wondered if it was just because of finals, or if it was about the relationship stuff. “Hey,”
“Hm?” Kanamori turned her head and Mizusaki gave her a peck on the cheek, “Hey! What if someone saw you doing that?!”
“You’re really pretty, you know that?” Mizusaki replied with a sparkle in her eyes, a big smile on her face, fascinated with Kanamori.
Kanamori hadn’t expected that at all, which was obvious by how red her face was right now. She didn’t have enough time to keep her thoughts and feelings in check, and now she looks like a love-struck idiot. “What… Do you like about me anyway?” she asked, continuing to walk, Mizusaki in tow.
“Well, I like that you’re able to put someone in their place, stand up for yourself and others, and even if you seemed mean or strict when yelling at Asakusa and I, I never thought that. I noticed that what fueled you to push us was actually you trying to motivate us. You would, and still do, compliment our art, our abilities, and you actually care about the finished product. You wanted us to do animations that worked for us instead of us not being satisfied with something and have a hard time working with the story and ideas as a result. You kept us on track, for the most part, and would point out flaws in designs and stories. You really worked with us in a way that somehow allowed us to get each project done, even if it was right before the show.” While she was talking, Kanamori’s pace got slower and slower until she was completely still. “I don’t know what we would do without you.”
“That’s… You read right through me.” Kanamori muttered, as if she were defeated. She stared at the ground, trying to process all of what Mizusaki had said.
“Not only all of that, but you let me cling to you, you listen when I complain about school or modeling issues or whatever. You’re genuinely kind to me, and you’re only truly a softie when you’re with me. It’s not easy to be vulnerable around people, so any time I’ve cried in front of you, that was pretty personal, you know?”
Kanamori’s heart was beating as if she were running a marathon, her chest and face burning. “I, don’t know what to say…”
Mizusaki smiled and grabbed her hand, “C’mon, you’re going to miss the train!” she started to run, pulling Kanamori along.
“Shit… Shit! I’m going to be late!” Kanamori realized, picking up the pace and running ahead of Mizusaki, their hands were definitely going to be really sweaty.
---
By the time they got to the station, Kanamori actually had about ten minutes to spare, and they used about two of those minutes catching their breath. Their lungs burned and their legs were sore, but they were laughing about, well, whatever. What matters is that they were happy. Kanamori had the idea to put her hair inside a beanie (with Mizusaki’s help), her bangs still out, and her glasses up. This way, she looked less like a girl to others around them.
Mizusaki tucked a few stray hairs into the beanie, “Text me when you get to campus, okay?” Her fingers traced down Kanamori’s neck and she rested her hands on the taller girl’s shoulders. She couldn’t tear her gaze from Kanamori’s stunning gray eyes, they were so cool. Hell, every part of Kanamori is cool, but something about her eyes just solidified it.
“Mm,” Kanamori nodded, looking into Mizusaki’s eyes. They were so beautiful, especially in the light. She doesn’t know why, but Mizusaki’s brown eyes just made her so weak. Her heart was burning. She set her hands on Mizusaki’s waist and pulled her a bit closer.
Everything in the background seemed to fade out. Any noise, movement, talking, people, no longer seemed to exist. In this moment, it was just Mizusaki and Kanamori. They kissed, and most of Kanamori’s fears and worried disappeared.
Once they were apart to take a breath, Mizusaki muttered, “One more time,” though she didn’t need to say that, as their lips were already almost touching.
Coming back to reality, it was really embarrassing to kiss in front of a bunch of strangers, but it didn’t look like anyone even noticed or cared. Since Kanamori is about as tall as a guy, and had her hair tucked in, no one would pay much attention if they thought it was a guy and a girl anyway. Mizusaki didn’t really like hiding stuff like this, but it was necessary for the time being.
“I’m serious, don’t forget to text me when you get on campus,” Mizusaki said as she composed herself.
“After that? Trust me, I won’t forget.” Kanamori had her hand partially covering her red face.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
A voice over the speaker announced the arrival of the train Kanamori was taking, and with that, Mizusaki hugged her close. Kanamori wrapped her long arms around the shorter girl, and Mizusaki burrowed her face into the other girl’s chest for a moment.
“I’ll text you. Be careful walking back, okay?” Kanamori said while holding Mizusaki’s hand.
“I will! I’ll see you after finals.” Mizusaki smiled and squeezed Kanamori’s hand before letting go.
“See ya after finals.” Kanamori smiled back and waved as she got onto the train.
Once the doors closed and the train started moving, Mizusaki already missed her.