Work Text:
"Hey, Komaru,” Touko says, striding into her room as if she owns the place. Komaru automatically rolls over to make space on her bed.
“Read this. I don’t know what should happen next.”
Komaru sighs and puts down her manga. “I thought you writer types didn’t need the ideas of the plebeians?”
“That was yesterday!” Touko exclaims, face turning red. “T-today is a new day!”
“Haha, I’m just kidding.” Komaru gleefully stretches out her arms. “I wanna read my friend’s novel, now~”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re the bane of my existence?” Touko asks as she hands over the laptop. “Just read from this paragraph to the end, okay?”
Komaru nods as she begins to reading what Touko has written. As usual, the writing is profound without being overly pretentious, the characters practically leap off the pages, and the plot moves with a life of its own. Komaru admits that she prefers reading manga, but a well-written novel isn’t a bad selection for reading material, especially if it’s written by her crush best friend. And Touko really does have a gift. Komaru hums to herself as she reads, and wonders if she can convince Touko to support a manga adaptation of her work.
“Hey, this is really good!” Komaru exclaims when she finishes. “Also, don’t you think it’s pretty obvious that they’re going to kiss?”
Touko gasps. “But they couldn’t! Someone ought to interrupt them. This is not a trashy romance novel, it is a commentary on societal expectations of women in the early eighteenth century!”
“...right,” Komaru replies. She looks back at the words on the screen. “But how would they be interrupted?”
Touko growls. “I should’ve known better than to ask an otaku like you,” she sneers, grabbing her laptop. “People like you have no imagination.”
Komaru tries not to let the statement get to her, but there’s something about how irritated Touko looks that rubs her the wrong way. This isn’t like Touko’s usual jabs at her and manga. For some reason, the words cut into Komaru’s flesh like a knife.
“I’m sorry I offered to help, then,” she mutters. “I just thought that...never mind.”
She resolutely picks up her abandoned manga and opens back to the spot she had paused at. Not once does she let herself glance back at Touko.
“Komaru.”
Komaru refuses to look up. “Yeah?” she asks.
“Komaru, I...” Behind her, Touko is having another one of her internal debates about whether or not she should swallow her pride or leave the wounded feelings unaired and never talk about it. Komaru does not spare Touko a glance (she glances back at Touko like, maybe five times). She’ll work out how she wants to apologize. In the meantime, the average, ordinary, uncreative person that she is will be reading manga.
“I meant what I said,” Touko blurts out, and, okay, fine, Komaru didn’t want her heart today either. “Your imagination kind of sucks. But maybe you’re right. Maybe I should just let them kiss.”
Komaru’s head snaps up. “What?”
Touko’s face is rapidly turning red. “Your ideas suck! You have no imagination!”
Komaru laughs. “I know what you said the first time. Maybe I just wanted you to repeat it.” She closes her manga and slides over to Touko. “So you’ll take my advice?”
“Y-yes,” Touko admits. “Thanks.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Komaru peers at the story over Touko’s shoulder and watches as words rapidly add themselves to the page. “Now what?”
“Stop hovering,” Touko mutters. “You’re distracting me.”
Komaru flops back down and picks up her manga. “Let me know if you need any help, Touko.”
Touko fidgets. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course.”
Touko eyes her computer, then Komaru, then the computer again.
“Touko?”
“The kiss...doesn’t...seem right,” she mutters.
“What do you mean?” Komaru asks.
“Well, usually I just use my imagination, but this time it just feels cheap and fake!” Touko blurts out.
Komaru pauses. “I can’t help you. I’ve never kissed anyone.”
“Neither have I. Don’t worry.”
“Hey, Touko, can we kiss?” Her heart freezes as her brain catches up to what her mouth just said.
There’s a squawk from her friend. “Komaru! Don’t-don’t be so forward!” Touko exclaims.
“Sorry. I just thought it might help.” Komaru feels her face heat up. There is no way this is going to end well.
Touko scowls. “Of course you did.” She gently places her computer on the bed and moves over to Komaru. “We better get it over with.”
Komaru freezes as Touko leans over her and presses a kiss to her lips. It’s over within a second, but Komaru’s heart thuds loudly in her chest and she blinks owlishly up at Touko.
“Komaru?”
“Can we do it again?” she blurts out.
Touko is red, red, redder than a tomato, the tips of her tears turning scarlet.
“N-no,” she manages to say. “Once was embarrassing enough.”
Komaru has maybe five seconds to make up her mind before Touko retreats back to her computer. But today, today might be the kind of day where she should just follow her instincts.
She tugs on Touko’s wrist. “Can I kiss you?”
True to nature, Touko sputters for a few moments, before muttering, “I guess.”
Komaru leans in and presses a kiss on Touko’s lips. It’s another sweet, quick peck, and then she sits back and grins at how positively red Touko is.
“Thanks,” Komaru says, dumbly, because really, what else do you say in this situation? It’s the kind of thing that occurs in manga, not real life.
Behind her, Touko picks up her laptop and begins pounding away on the keys. Komaru sadly scoops up her manga and attempts to continue reading it, but her mind is occupied with the feeling of Touko’s lips.
“Do you think we could do...th-that again?” Touko asks softly.
Komaru turns around. “Of course!” She moves closer to Touko, but Touko puts a hand up.
“I mean...maybe on a different day. Like. A date?”
Komaru blinks again, then grins. “Touko! You want to date me?”
“...yes.”
Komaru throws her arms around Touko. “What about Togami?”
Touko shrugs. “He’s not as important as you are.”
“In that case, then, yeah, I thought you’d never ask.”