Work Text:
December 30th, 6:45pm.
These feelings...what do they mean?
The night air was crisp and cold. A light snowfall drizzled down from the clouds above, causing Mashiro to shiver underneath her scarf and jacket. Normally, she didn’t like venturing out at night alone, but there were a couple of things she needed, so she was walking to the nearest convenience store from her house. Maybe I could use this cold, snowy night for some lyrics…? She pondered to herself. Suddenly, her thoughts drifted elsewhere. To a certain person, a bandmember, a friend...a drummer....Lost in thought, she walked on. Why do I feel this way while I think of her? And why am I constantly thinking of her...jeez...
Blinded by her own thoughts, she came to an abrupt stop as she felt herself collide with someone in front of her. Oh, no! Did I bump into someone?? Collecting herself, her eyes adjusted to the frosty darkness to see a silhouette of someone who had fallen due to the collision.
“Ow ow ow….jeez, I should really watch where I’m going...” The girl’s voice was edged with slight pain from the fall. Mashiro could swear she had heard that voice somewhere before….
“T-tsukushi-chan?? Is that you?” There was no way it couldn’t be her. She’s heard that voice many times before. A voice that echoed in her thoughts constantly…
“Mashiro-chan?! It was you I bumped into?? Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?” Tsukushi sounded genuinely guilty, despite being the one that was on the ground still. Mashiro shook her head, relieved it was at least someone she knew. “N-no, I’m not hurt. I should be the one apologizing, though…Ah, here. Let me help you up.” Reaching out her hand, she was able to see Tsukushi more clearly now through the darkness. Her hair was down, unlike her normal pigtail hairstyle, and she wore a cute white hat on top of her head. Mashiro couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sight of her.
Taking her hand gratefully, Tsukushi stood up finally, brushing off her navy blue jacket, which had begun to collect snow on it. “What are you doing out so late?? Is everything okay? Anything I can help with?” She persisted with her questions, her gaze focused on the white haired girl in front of her. Her hair matched the snow that was lightly falling around them, and her blue eyes complimented it nicely. She couldn’t help but stare.
“Ah, yeah...everything is fine...I just needed to pick up a couple things from the store down the street. I didn’t wanna wait till tomorrow because of school, so…” Mashiro’s voice trailed off for just a second, glancing around at everything that wasn’t her friend’s hopeful stare. “What about you? What are you doing here? It’s pretty late by now…”
“Actually, I was doing the same,” Tsukushi chuckled awkwardly, as if ashamed for some reason. “My mom needed ingredients for her curry, so I kinda ran out to buy some without even thinking about it...jeez, now I’m just cold.” She hugged herself as if trying to give herself warmth, shivering a little. Mashiro laughed a little. “Well...how about we go together? Better than being alone out here in the cold, right?” Please keep me company. It’s so lonely out here…
“I’d love to! I can even help you find the stuff you need as well!” Tsukushi’s eyes were wide with excitement with the idea of being able to help her friend. “...Mashiro-chan..?” Mashiro was staring at Tsukushi silently with a small smile on her face. Tsukushi waved her hand in front of Mashiro’s face a little, trying to get her attention. “Yoohoo? You there? Earth to Mashiro-chan.”
“Ah!” Mashiro jumped a little as she snapped out of it, shaking her head to clear it. “S-sorry. Let’s go.” She began walking toward the direction of the store, embarrassment causing her not to wait for her friend as she speedwalked. “H-hey! Mashiro-chaaan! Wait up!”
-
After purchasing the items they needed, the two girls exited the store, satisfied with themselves - Tsukushi especially. “Fufu....did you see how much money I saved? I got such a good deal on these donuts!” She said triumphantly, holding out the bag containing her donuts in victory. It was even later now, and the snow was falling slightly more heavily. Both of them shivered.
“Brrr....winter is the worst, huh, Mashiro-chan? Really wish it was spring right about now…” She stopped as she noticed Mashiro was staring up at the sky, a solemn look on her face as she was lost in her thoughts. “H-hey...you okay?”
Mashiro looked back at her, thinking for a moment before speaking. “D-do you..maybe wanna... go for another walk? There’s a place I wanna show you. It’s right down near the river, it’s really pretty.” She didn’t wanna depart from her friend just yet. She wasn’t sure what it was, but something was telling her to stay with Tsukushi for just a little longer.
“Wha...I mean, sure, but...aren’t your parent’s expecting you back? I wouldn’t want to keep them waiting or anything..-”
“It’s fine. It shouldn’t take too long.” There was a smile on Mashiro’s face now. Tsukushi was always worrying about her. It was kind of cute.
“...Alright. If you’re sure, then I’d love to come with you. Being with a friend is better than being alone after all, is what I like to say!” Tsukushi puffed out her chest as she put both of her hands on her hips, as if proud of the phrase she didn’t coin. Mashiro giggled once again. “Aha, alright then. Let’s go, before it gets too dark…”
-
After reaching the riverbank after a decent walk, the snow had begun to clear. Patches of the starry night sky could be seen now. Tsukushi gazed out at the river, a wide smile on her face. “Wow, the river is pretty much frozen over. It looks so cool!” Mashiro smiled at her reaction. “Yeah...It’s always pretty, no matter what season it is. That’s what I like about it so much…” Mashiro wasn’t looking at the river, though.
Tsukushi hadn’t heard what she said as she tried getting closer to the icy water, looking up at the sky. “Come look at this! The sky is clearing!” The two girls stared up at the sky, marveling at how many stars rested up there. Too many to count.
After a few minutes of staring and thinking, Mashiro’s gaze fell onto the girl beside her. She stared at her purple hair, that had small snowflakes caught in it. Her earrings, which were butterfly shaped, probably because of her love for the band. Her eyes, which were bright and brown, had the reflection of the stars in them. Mashiro’s breath was cold and shaky, and a light cloud could be seen as she exhaled as she stared at her. “T-tsukushi-chan…there’s something I need to say.”
“Yeah? What’s up?” As Tsukushi’s eyes met hers, Mashiro suddenly began to panic a little. Why am I suddenly hot? I was cold beforehand, but now I’m all warm and my palms are sweaty. My hands won’t stop shaking, either. What is this feeling…?
Without thinking, she took a step forward, as if her body was pushing her forward on it’s own. Before either of them could say something, she could feel her lips press against Tsukushi’s cheek. As she pulled away, she could feel that her face was heated in embarrassment. “U-um..!! I like you! I like you a lot, Tsukushi-chan!” She could feel warm tears start to form in her eyes as she let it all out, embarrassed and panicky. She couldn’t go back now. “You’re always there for me! Whenever I feel all alone and helpless, you’re there! You’re always there…” Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt tears start to run down her cheeks. “Back when I ran away after Rui tried leaving the band, you chased after me! You helped me feel better after I was so confident I couldn’t! You always make me feel better about myself. Me, who’s boring and plain...and I love you for that!” She was crying really hard now as she let her pent up emotions spill out. She didn’t dare look at Tsukushi to see her reaction. She couldn’t. Not after this display.
Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her cheek. A thumb wiped the tears away, and she looked up in surprise. Tsukushi was smiling as she stared back at her. “Mashiro-chan...of course I’m always here for you. Why do you think I try so hard to help? Make sure you’re doing alright? How I always worry about you whenever you’re late for practice? I care about you, Mashiro. I’d be lying to you and myself if I told you I didn’t like you, too! Remember what I told you? How you helped me change. How I got that part-time job, all because of you. Because I wanted to better myself! I wouldn’t have been able to see that on my own. It’s all thanks to you, Mashiro-chan!”
Mashiro’s eyes widened as she noticed Tsukushi was crying, too. After hearing her words, she began to cry harder. But it wasn’t tears of embarrassment now. She was just happy she wasn’t alone anymore...and it wasn’t only thanks to Tsukushi, either, but to all the members of Morfonica. Mashiro could feel Tsukushi’s arms wrap around her as she pulled her into a hug. The two stood there in the cold as Mashiro cried into Tsukushi’s shoulder. Despite the tears, Tsukushi was smiling as she patted Mashiro's head. “Let’s be there for each other forever, okay? Even if it’s just the two of us.” Mashiro sniffled a little as she acknowledged her, finally hugging her back. She smiled, and nodded.
Is this what love feels like?