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Feeling something soft and wet against her cheek caused Riko to unwillingly crack her eyes open. The light pouring in from the window across from the room made her want to do nothing more than shut them tightly again. But the hot breath beating against her skin in hard puffs beckoned her to do otherwise.
The wrinkled face of a pug hovered mere centimeters away from Riko’s. His eyes were wide and pleading as he let out a soft whine. Riko sighed, turning away from the dog and pulling a blanket over her head.
“Prelude… It’s still early,” she murmured from beneath the covers. This only enticed the dog to let out a small bark and shove his snout beneath the sheets in a vain attempt to get his master’s attention. “I know you’re hungry, but just give me a few more minutes…”
Prelude’s whines were insistent, and when Riko made it clear she was not about to budge from beneath the blankets, he grabbed it between his teeth and pulled at it himself.
Riko groaned as the covers slipped away from her, exposing her to the cold air and causing her to tense up. That was when Prelude took the opportunity to wriggle himself between her arms and bump his nose against her jaw.
Letting out a tired sigh, Riko finally caved. “Okay, okay,” she conceded, forcing herself into a sitting position. “I’m up.”
Seemingly satisfied with the results of his actions, Prelude grunted in approval as he jumped off of the bed and scurried out of the bedroom, toward the kitchen. Riko watched as he disappeared down the hall before rubbing her face with both hands—attempting to push away her exhaustion.
Forcing herself to move to the edge of the bed, Riko took a pause when noticing the current state of the room. Open boxes filled every corner. Stray clothes and papers were scattered across the floor. The new dresser was only half-way set up with a sloppy pile of untouched wood sitting beside it.
It had been less than 24 hours since she and Chika had moved into their new Tokyo apartment together. The traveling, organizing, and unpacking had left them so exhausted that by the day’s end, they surrendered to sleep before finishing much of anything, leaving the remainder of the mess for the morning.
Despite the fact that their new bedroom looked as though it had been hit by a cyclone, Riko’s lips curved into a smile. It may have been a little disheveled, but there was something endearing about it. It was something that made her heart flutter.
A small snore caught her attention, and she turned to look at the mess of orange hair poking out from beneath the covers beside her. Riko reached over, pulling the blanket down just the slightest to reveal Chika’s sleeping face. Locks of hair hung on top of her cheeks and nose in a tangled mess--strays sticking out in all directions on the top of her head.
Riko’s heart fluttered once more as she reached her hand out and stroked the top of Chika’s head, smoothing out the wild locks. Her smile softened as she watched Chika sleep, and for that moment she was completely content.
“That feels kinda nice…”
Riko gasped and retracted her hand when she noticed Chika now looking up at her with sleepy magenta eyes. With her flushing cheeks, she managed, “Oh…! Chika! I-I… I didn’t know you were up.”
Chika giggled, propping herself up onto one of her elbows. “Well, I wasn’t until a few seconds ago…” she yawned, rubbing one of her eyes with her fist.
Riko shifted, embarrassed. “Sorry…” she offered, reaching forward to push some more stray hairs out of Chika’s face. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Chika shrugged, leaning into Riko’s hand. “There are worse ways to wake up,” she murmured, then glancing towards Riko playfully. “What were you doing, anyways?”
Riko flinched. “Nothing. I was just…” She shifted, her cheeks dusting pink as she bit at her bottom lip, glancing away from Chika. “Noticing how cute your bedhead is.”
“My bed head…?” Chika repeated, and after a short pause she smirked. “Well, you’re one to talk, Riko,” she teased, grasping a piece of Riko’s red locks between her fingers.
Riko blinked, looking at the piece of hair Chika held. “Huh?” Suddenly becoming aware of how messy her own bed head must have looked, she gasped and began quickly running her fingertips through the ends of it. “Ah! Is it really that bad?!”
Chika let out a giggle, shaking her head. “No. Not at all. I like it,” she assured, offering a sheepish smile as she scratched her cheek. “I never really got to see you like this too much before. It’s like… your morning beauty or something.”
Riko grew flustered, inhaling sharply through her nose as her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. Picking up a pillow, she shoved it into Chika’s face. “Stop it,” she chastised as Chika muffled against the pillow in confusion. “Don’t say weird things like that!”
With a giggle, Chika pulled the pillow away from her face, giving Riko a toothy grin. “But it’s true!” she insisted, and Riko glanced away, feeling shy. “It’s kind of like… now I’m gonna get to see all different parts of you I couldn’t before. And that makes me happy, I guess…. And excited…” Chika scrunched her face in confusion, as if attempting to find the right word. “Hapcited? Is that a word?”
Riko felt that fluttering feeling in her chest again, and she realized that she may have been the only person in the world who could feel so light around someone who apparently didn’t know proper vocabulary. But somehow Chika’s weird way with words left her entirely weightless.
She sighed, reaching out and tapping Chika’s nose. “Maybe 'eager' is what you’re looking for…?”
Chika’s face lit up. “Yeah! Eager!” She agree, grasping Riko’s hand between the both of her own. “Like, eager we’re starting our own new story together!”
A small smile crept its way onto Riko’s face, and she lightly bumped her shoulder against Chika’s. “You’re such a weirdo.”
“Maybe.” Chika shrugged, giving Riko a wry smile. “But you’re stuck with this weirdo now.”
Riko let out a small laugh, leaning forward as she slipped her arms around Chika’s neck, touching forehead to forehead. “And I couldn’t want anything more.”
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End.