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When Touko first saw Haru, the shock of it was enough to make her do a double-take, glancing disbelievingly at her own girlfriend hanging onto her arm. “Y-Yuu?!” She exclaimed. Touko’s gaze flitted back and forth between the two of them, almost ignoring Sayaka, who looked intensely uncomfortable next to her girlfriend.
“Yes, Touko-senpai?” There was a big grin on Yuu’s face, as though she had been looking forward to this exact response. “Come on now, we still need to introduce you.” Squeezing her arm lightly, Yuu brought the two of them closer so they could get the rendez-vous started. “Saeki-senpai! Haru-chan!” Yuu called out, waving enthusiastically with her free hand. “Haru-chan, this is Touko-senpai, my girlfriend. Touko-senpai, say hello!”
Touko didn’t reply. Her mouth was still agape in a non-characteristic stare at Haru’s uncanny appearance. “Oi, Touko-senpai! Don’t be rude,” Yuu berated, turning to chop her girlfriend on the head. “Ah?” Touko blinked. “Oh — I’m terribly sorry! Nice to meet you, I’m Nanami Touko. You must be Edamoto-san?” Her ears were flushed from embarrassment.
“Hii~ Yes, that’s me. Yuu-chan and I look alike, don’t we?” Haru said cheerfully. Beside her, Yuu giggled. Swallowing down her nerves, Touko stammered, “Well, yes, I was a bit taken aback…”
The exchange went on for a little while, before they finally got moving and made their way to the restaurant. The meal passed quickly, pushed along by the lively conversation. By the end of it, Touko thought she and Haru had made fast friends. But it was time to go.
“It was nice getting to know you, Haru-san,” Touko said warmly. “It reassures me that Sayaka is in the care of someone like you.”
“Oh, me too! Thank you for today, Nanami-senpai. I’ve always been curious since Yuu-chan has told me so many stories — “
“Haru-chan!” Yuu’s face was flushed, but she didn’t deny it. “Alright, Touko-senpai, let’s go.” Turning, Yuu tugged half-heartedly on Touko’s hand as she jokingly made to walk away.
“Wait, I want to hear this!” Touko protested, even as they all began laughing at their antics. “Yuu~ don’t be mad~”
“I said we’re going!”
“Aww, it was just a joke, you guys!” Haru laughed. “Well, it is getting late, so Sayaka-senpai and I will be heading back to the dorms now. We’ll meet again another time!”
“Indeed,” Sayaka added. “I’ll see you soon, Touko, Koito-san.”
They parted ways after another round of goodbyes, Yuu and Touko walking towards the station, while Haru and Sayaka went the other direction to the university dorms not too far away.
An hour later, they arrived at Touko’s place.
It was a snug, cosy apartment for one person, with only a few personal touches to make it feel like a home. A well-organised desk that nonetheless felt cluttered from the sheer volume of papers piled up on it; a bed at the other end of the room, one that they had quickly learned could comfortably accommodate two people. A stove was tucked away in the corner, and in stark contrast to the desk, the sink was beginning to pile high with unwashed dishes.
“Touko...have you been eating well lately?” Yuu commented suspiciously, peering at the precarious hill of kitchenware. Touko blushed. “I-I have! Well, it’s true I haven’t cooked much recently…don’t, don’t look at me like that…”
“Hmmm…” Yuu maintained her baleful glare at Touko for a while longer to let her displeasure sink in. Wordlessly, she plodded over to the messy kitchen area, and began to pick up the dirty bowls. Stained with instant ramen sauce, no doubt. Behind her, Touko cried out anxiously. “Wait, Yuu! You don’t have to clean this up, I’ve just been busy…”
“It’s fine,” Yuu replied nonchalantly, already turning the faucet on. “I know classes are tough on you, Touko, so I don’t mind helping. Honestly, I wish I could do more to support you.”
Touko was undeterred. “Let me do something, at least,” she pressed. Yuu sighed in mock exasperation. “Sure, sure,” Yuu said. “Then, dry them and put them away for me, please?”
The two of them fell quiet as they found their rhythm working to clean up the sink. The sounds of scrubbing and the clattering of the dishes filled the space. After what seemed like an eternity, Touko slid the last plate into the cupboard, and Yuu finally shut the tap. The incessant hiss of the faucet was abruptly cut off, leaving the room in silence.
Their eyes met. The silence grew deafening, as they both felt their pulse quickening, their breath getting shallower. Slowly, the two drew close to each other. Reaching out to take Touko’s hand in her own, Yuu gently stood on her tiptoes — as she often did — to meet Touko’s lips with a delicate kiss.
Warmth flooded through Touko’s chest as they kissed, making her giddy with sheer contentment. She laced her fingers together with Yuu’s, her other hand clutching at her girlfriend’s sleeve.
It had been so long.
Yuu sighed blissfully when she withdrew, leaning back in to wrap her arms around Touko in a tight hug. “I missed this,” Touko heard her mumble. Resting a hand on Yuu’s head, she whispered, “I missed you, too.”
“I want to lie down…”
“Okay.”
They tumbled onto the bed, the long day finally taking its toll on their bodies. Slender arms went around Touko’s torso again, and Yuu squeezed herself flush against her girlfriend.
“Mmm…”
“What are you doing?” Touko asked, bemused at Yuu’s actions. “You’re a lot more clingy than usual.” At this, Yuu glared at her, pouting cutely. “Touko, you…!” Huffing in annoyance, she promptly buried her face in Touko’s chest and squeezed harder.
“Ouch — Yuu — can’t breathe — “ Touko wheezed, her hands moving to nudge at Yuu’s head. “Idiot!” Came the muffled reply. But the vice-grip on her torso loosened to a more comfortable pressure, and Touko sagged in Yuu’s embrace as the tension left her. With a soft sigh, she raised her hand to run her fingers through Yuu’s fluffy hair, stroking and petting her head, almost like a cat. Even as the thought crossed her mind, Yuu purred contently, the vibration from her voice rumbling against her chest.
Cute . But right now, there was something more important.
“…What’s on your mind?” Touko whispered. She could tell by now that something was up. “Yuu, look at me.” Golden eyes blinked up at her, and she could see the nervousness in them. Further down the bed, Touko was aware of Yuu’s feet fidgeting anxiously, shuffling against her. She slid her own legs over, slowly intertwining them with Yuu’s to calm their motion. Ah, she blushed .
Hesitantly, Yuu opened her mouth to speak. “Today…was really fun. You finally got to meet Haru-chan. And it’s the first time all four of us got together…”
Touko nodded. “I really enjoyed it too. Sayaka…I’m happy for her. Even though I turned her down back then, I couldn’t help but worry…but it looks like she’s going to be just fine. Haru-san is such a nice girl.”
It didn’t escape her attention when Yuu tensed up at Haru’s name. “…You get along well with Haru-chan, don’t you?” Yuu spoke in a carefully measured tone.
Touko blinked in surprise. Well . This was unexpected… “Yuu, are you jealous?” she blurted.
“What? No!” Yuu’s eyes widened in shock, and she pulled away from Touko to give her an indignant stare. Under Touko’s relentless gaze, however, she had to look away, and her expression turned bashful. “I was just…possessive,” she finished lamely. Touko had to fight to keep the grin off her face. “Really,” she deadpanned.
Yuu pouted. “I’m serious!” She protested. “I…Touko, you know I trust you. Completely. I would never, doubt you…even thinking about such a thing…!” Yuu’s body was trembling slightly, and her breathing picked up in pace. “Shhh,” Touko interrupted quickly. With one arm she hugged Yuu close to her, fingers smoothing over Yuu’s hair in a comforting rhythm. “Yuu, I know. I love you. I know you trust in my love…and I will never do anything to break that trust.” Touko bent her neck to plant a kiss on top of Yuu’s head. “So, talk to me?”
A small nod. “S-sometimes…” Haltingly, Yuu began to speak. “When I think about the future, I get scared. Of what might be, what might not be…if, we might eventually drift away from each other…” Yuu squeezed her arms a little tighter. “I don’t think I’m insecure. I believe that no matter what happens, we’ll still be ‘Yuu and Touko’. I believe that the bonds we’ve made, will still be there between us for a long, long time…”
“Yuu…”
“It’s just, these thoughts cross my mind once in a while. They make me uneasy. But when I think back to just about you, it all feels like it’ll work out somehow. Right here, right now…I’ve never been happier. Touko…I love you.”
“I understand. Me, too…I love you, Yuu.”
“Mmn…”
For a moment, they held each other, simply basking in the other’s presence. Eventually, Yuu started talking again. “About Haru-chan…I wasn’t really jealous of her. We might look similar, but we act very differently, after all. But, we haven’t been able to see each other very often, and seeing you talk so much with Haru-chan — it made me want to make you pay more attention to me. I, I didn’t feel left out!” Yuu amended hastily. “It was just me being…selfish. Is that bad?” Yuu asked quietly, her face turned towards Touko with a pleading look.
Touko smiled wryly. “…If you say that with such a cute face, there’s no way I could say so, Yuu…besides,” she leaned in closer, sliding her hand down to cup Yuu’s cheek. “I don’t think I have the right to call you selfish…” With that, Touko gave Yuu a tender kiss. Their lips met over and over, each one threatening to steal their breath away.
“Touko…” Yuu was panting, and her desire showed clearly on her face. “Then, can I be even more selfish? Just for tonight?”
"Whenever you want…you can be as selfish as you want…I’ll respond."
"I love you, Touko…"
"I love you too, Yuu."
As Yuu smiled back at her adoringly, Touko felt in her heart that everything would be alright.