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Tsuyu laughed with her friends as they walked back to the dorms from a tiring—but fun—school festival. Ochako was waving her hands wildly as she described what desserts she’d eaten while Hagakure enthusiastically nodded along.
Momo and Jirou were holding hands as they quietly talked, and Mina was skipping, uncharacteristically silent. Tsu looked up at the orange sky as she thought about what to say to her friend.
“Hey Mina, you’re usually more talkative. What’s on your mind, kero?” She asked, never one to sugarcoat or hide what she was thinking.
Mina stumbled, but quickly caught herself as her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. “Ah— uh, it’s nothing Tsu! But, um, could you meet me outside the dorms in an hour?”
Tsuyu nodded. She would never pass up an opportunity to be with the bubbly pink-skinned girl. She still thought that Mina was acting oddly, but decided not to comment.
“Great! See you then!” Mina said with a grin, her skin returning to its normal shade of delicate pink. It seemed like a small amount of whatever was bothering Mina had lifted, and she started chattering excitedly with Hagakure.
Tsuyu smiled. She was just glad that her close friend felt better.
The girls arrived at the dorms, and went up to their separate rooms to change and decompress. Tsuyu went up the stairs, and once she was in her room she quickly changed into her favorite leggings and her frog hoodie. Tsuyu set an alarm for one hour, taking care to set the volume high, and jumped into bed with little fanfare. She laid on her back, the quiet secluded atmosphere allowing her to sort through the memories of today.
Tsuyu’s eyes drifted closed, and she savored the feelings the day had brought her. The exhilaration of performing for such a big crowd, and the zinging emotions that set her nerves alight bouncing around underneath her skin as she heard Jirou pour her heart out into her singing. The fatigue that had weighed her down afterwards, but the satisfaction of knowing that she had made people happy.
She remembered wandering aimlessly around the festival with Mina, the pink haired girl pulling Tsu along to examine practically every booth and display. Tsuyu would follow Mina, wherever she wanted to go. No matter what.
The hour passed quickly, and the alarm Tsu had set went off. She hopped off her bed, and stretched her arms above her head before padding down the stairs, catching bits of noise from her classmates as she went.
The quiet chatter of the dorms filtered through her ears as she slipped her shoes on, opened the door, and jogged over to where Mina was standing nervously. The other girl had a light pink cropped hoodie on, with black leggings similar to Tsu’s.
“Hi, kero,” Tsuyu greeted.
Mina jumped, and turned around quickly. She smiled wide as soon as she saw Tsuyu.
“Hey! Follow me, I’m going to bring you somewhere,” she said with a sparkle in her eye.
Tsuyu nodded, and started walking alongside her friend. It was twilight outside, since the sun had just set. The stars were starting to show and everything tinted with a stunning dark purple hue.
It was steadily getting darker, so Mina pulled out a flashlight and the bright beam illuminated their way into the forest.
Mina led the two of them forward, along a well trodden path. They deviated a little, but Tsuyu wasn’t worried. She trusted Mina. The smell of fresh earth tickled Tsuyu’s nose as they went further and further into the trees.
Once again, Tsuyu found it odd that Mina wasn’t talking. She wanted to mention it, but didn’t want to ruin the moment so she said nothing, only observing her friend with slight concern.
As they walked along, the only sounds that Tsuyu could hear were Mina’s soft breathing, and the chirping of cicadas. Mina soon sped up her walking, and grabbed Tsuyu’s hand to pull her into a grassy clearing.
Mina turned her flashlight off as they walked further in, since the moon illuminated the ground.
“It’s beautiful,” Tsuyu whispered.
Mina nodded, and fidgeted with her hands nervously before taking a deep breath.
“Tsuyu, dance with me,” she said.
Tsu’s eyes widened a bit in surprise as Mina walked close, and grabbed her by the hands. The only thing Tsuyu could focus on was the loud beating of her heart, and how warm and safe she felt in Mina’s arms.
It all felt like too much and not enough. Tsuyu wanted to pull away, wanted to maintain a barrier in this precarious relationship. She wanted to get closer, and allow herself to get enveloped by Mina.
Tsuyu was on a cliff, and she hadn’t realized how close she was to the edge of admitting her feelings. She could walk away, or she could dive off and sink deep into love.
The choice seemed obvious, and Tsuyu allowed herself to get pulled into orbit around the sun that was Mina.
The other girl led them around the clearing in a slow dance of sorts. Tsuyu was tripping over grass and rocks, while Mina practically glided across the ground. The frog-like girl stared hard at her own feet, trying her best to not mess up. She failed, pitifully so, but Mina didn’t so much as flinch as her toes got stepped on by Tsuyu’s clumsy feet.
Tsu determined that Mina must’ve been a fairy in a past life because of how graceful she was. Tsuyu could watch her dance forever, lost in the steps.
The stars got brighter in the sky, and the green haired girl swore that she could hear them twinkling softly as she got spun around slowly, once, twice. She could smell the flowers at the edges of the clearing, and watched as little blades of grass got crushed by the soft steps of two pairs of feet.
Tsuyu wasn’t sure how long they spent dancing together, as Mina kept leading them into different slow sequences as the moment stretched on. Tsuyu slowly but surely was pulled closer and closer towards Mina, until she was tucked safely into the other girl’s chest. It was warm, and it was safe, and Tsuyu felt more content than ever before.
Mina tilted Tsuyu’s head up with her hand. Her hand was calloused from months of training and corrosive acid, but they were soft all the same. Tsuyu felt her face heat up as she stared into Mina’s gold and black eyes. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Mina whispered, “I love you.”
Tsuyu’s heart started beating loudly again without her permission. Tsuyu thought about her feelings before answering, tentative but confident.
She thought about how her heart beat wildly whenever she was alone with Mina. She thought about how she would gladly drown if it meant being able to swim in her feelings for Mina. She thought about how Mina had set up all of this, just for her. Just for Tsuyu, just for the two of them. She had her answer, and it seemed like the obvious one.
“I love you too,” Tsuyu replied. The furious beating of her heart grew louder and louder, Mina’s obsidian eyes drawing her further and further in.
The stars were twinkling loudly again, and Tsuyu mentally captured the moment and all of its intricacies to savor till the end of time. That moment, that day, was absolutely perfect, and she doubted even Mina could beat the experience she’d created ever again. The thought made her smile.
“Can I kiss you?” Mina asked softly.
In lieu of an answer, Tsuyu leaned in to close the tiny gap between them.
Mina’s lips were soft, softer than Tsuyu could ever imagine. They tasted slightly of strawberry, which was the flavor of chapstick that Mina favored.
They separated for air, and stared into each other’s eyes again, before leaning back for another kiss. And another, and another, and another. Tsuyu couldn’t explain in words how much she had wanted this. Whatever this was.
She wanted this until she was old and withered. Soft kisses with the girl she loved under the moonlit night. Warm and romantic, but just as exciting as the whole experience was now.
They broke apart again, and Mina giggled softly at Tsuyu’s bright red cheeks.
“You’re so cute, did you know that?” Mina teased.
“You’re much prettier than I am,” Tsuyu responded. She took great glee in the fact that Mina’s cheeks darkened.
“So, um,” Mina took a deep breath, “doyouwanttobemygirlfriend?” She asked in a single breath.
“Of course,” Tsuyu responded with a happy ribbit.
Mina grinned, and leaned in for another kiss which Tsuyu happily obliged to her newly confirmed girlfriend.
They lost track of time as the two of them stood under the moonlight together. Tsuyu’s legs were starting to get tired from standing, so she pulled Mina down onto the soft grass. The frog girl leaned against Mina, and the two of them looked up at the stars, holding soft hands in a loose grip.
“Today has been a perfect day,” Mina said.
Tsuyu nodded in agreement, and cuddled closer to Mina.
No more words were exchanged as they fell asleep under the blanket of the dark night, stars and moon reflecting bright light on the pair