Work Text:
Rain pattered gently against the windows. Flames crackled merrily in the fireplace. The sweet, sugary scent of cookies baking drifted in from the kitchen. The whole thing was a picture perfect scene of domesticity.
It would be, anyway. Komaru groaned, slumping over against the throw pillows on the sofa. She ought to be happy about her brother and his fiancé coming to visit for the weekend, but all she could feel was frustration and dread brewing angrily in her stomach. Letting out another heavy exhale, she blew her bangs away from her forehead, watching through her eyelashes as they settled back down. Would it be too late to claim she had plans she forgot about?
Probably. It would be unfair to Makoto anyway. None of this was his fault. She didn’t object to seeing him at all. He’d always been a great brother to her, and it was about time she took a turn hosting. The problem was his fiancé. Byakuya was abrasive, to say the least. The first time she met him, Komaru thought Makoto surely must have gone crazy. It took a long time to warm up to him, but by this point, they got along as decently as anyone seemed to with him. So to claim that the problem was him in general wasn’t quite accurate either.
The problem was that her girlfriend used to be in love with him. ‘Used to’ being the operative term, of course. She knew Touko was head over heels for her now. They’d been together plenty long enough for her to know that logically. Still, there was an irrational side of her that worried those old feelings might reappear over the course of the weekend.
“What’s the problem? It’s not like you to sigh so much.” Whoops. Her brooding must have caught Touko’s attention. The steady clicking of her laptop keys had ceased, and she was now looking over at her, writing abandoned for now. “Don’t tell me you’re getting all worked up about this weekend again. We’ve been preparing for days.”
“No, it’s nothing,” Komaru replied, forcing an awkward chuckle. She relaxed her muscles, sprawled along the couch in what hopefully looked like a more relaxed position. Judging by the raised brows she was met with, her girlfriend wasn’t buying it.
“Really, it doesn’t matter. Sorry for bothering you,” she added for good measure.
“How am I supposed to just go back to work when you’re laying there looking at me like a kicked puppy?” Others might interpret the scowl painted across Touko’s face as insensitive, but she knew it was the opposite. She cared a great deal, or she wouldn’t have bothered pressing the issue at all. She was just a little prickly about it.
“Alright, alright. I guess I am a little worried. Not about getting ready or anything though.” Komaru paused. Touko stayed quiet, just watching her, as if wordlessly encouraging her to continue. So she dragged herself up into a sitting position, crossing her arms.
“It’s just...Look, you’re not allowed to laugh, alright?”
“Okay, I’m not going to laugh. Just get on with it.” Touko got to her feet, moving away from her desk to join her on the couch instead. They were close enough that their bodies just barely brushed against each other whenever one of them moved. It was comforting, reminding Komaru of all the reasons she pursued this relationship in the first place, and why she never typically doubted the strength of their bond.
“I hate sounding like the jealous girlfriend or whatever, but I’m just...nervous about spending so much time with Togami-san. Like, maybe hanging out with him a lot again will remind you of how you felt in high school...” She trailed off meaningfully, hoping she wouldn’t have to elaborate further. Touko, Makoto, and Byakuya had all been classmates, while Komaru was a year behind them and attended a different school. When the two of them first met, Touko had been crushing on Byakuya for years. Back then, there were times when Komaru felt certain she’d never measure up, that she should just get over her own crush.
“What?” There was genuine offense in Touko’s voice, and for an instant, she wondered if she’d messed up by saying anything about it. “T-there’s no way that would ever happen.” A hint of her old stutter crept in, and thanks to how close they were, Komaru could see the pink tint warming her cheeks.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Obviously. What kind of woman do you think I am? You’re my girlfriend. The inspiration for all my recent work. I could never have eyes for someone else.” She was blushing even more obviously now, and Komaru felt herself grinning, much of that tension and anxiety fading away.
“So I don’t have any competition to worry about?” she hummed, reaching over to take her hand.
“Not at all.” A little grumbly, looking away as if she hadn’t said it a million times before, Touko added, “I love you.”