Work Text:
White collared shirt? Check. Tacky vest? Check. Ripped jeans? Check.
Ichika breathed a sigh of relief as she examined her outfit in the mirror. Luckily, it didn't look bad. Which jacket should I wear on top..? It had to be something to fit the look, a third layer despite the fact that it was not very cold out. After some consideration, she selected a patched green and brown one.
"Ehh… It'll have to do.." Ichika said to herself while sticking a pin onto the front and eyeing the clock. It was about time to leave, so she jammed a wad of bills into her pocket and rushed out the door. Once she was out of the house, she turned left on the sidewalk and started to walk toward downtown.
Her fast pace was dictated by how anxious she was for today’s outing. The band planned to hang out this Saturday, but Shiho and Honami both canceled yesterday. In light of this, Ichika resolved to make the most of the time she would be spending with Saki this afternoon. She liked Saki in a different way than she did the other two, and there had been a little spark between them lately. All there was left to do was subtly convey her feelings, and maybe that spark would light the fire.
Or so she thought…
It was quite a walk to the meeting place but nothing Ichika hadn't done before. The buildings lining the blocks gradually got taller and denser as she became surrounded by the urban environment. On the way, she even passed a cute boutique selling flowers. It stood out in the midst of the already lively city, and the sunflowers on display especially caught her eye. They kind of remind me of Saki… They both grew under and represented sunshine.
After some more contemplation, Ichika sighed and fished some money out of her pocket. Minutes later, she walked out of the shop with a small sunflower pin attached to her jacket. Of course, it would be inconvenient to transport real flowers, so she had to settle for this.
Saki jumped and ran up to Ichika enthusiastically upon her arrival at the meeting place. "Icchan! Heeey!" she greeted while pumping her fists in front of her.
"Hey, Saki. It's a nice day out, isn't it?" Ichika replied.
"It sure is, but isn't that too many layers for this kind of weather? Still, you look great."
"Thanks.. You look really pretty." Saki's face lit up and she quickly embraced Ichika in a tight hug. Though surprised, she hugged back. Saki kept on talking when it was over, but Ichika’s mind was on other things. That was a pretty long hug, right? Most friends don't hug that long, right? She was pulled out of her thoughts when Saki’s ramble led to her commenting on the pins.
"These are so cute! Where did you get the sunflower one? Oh and the rainbow one!" she asked. Ichika didn't usually wear pins, but today was a special occasion.
"Uh- I just bought the sunflower one," Ichika answered, pointing in the direction that she got it in. "And the other.. I've always had it." She had owned it for a long time, but never actually wore it anywhere; it just wasn't very subtle.
"Ohhh, so you support.. What was it? LGBTQ? I’m an ally too!!" Ichika clenched her teeth as Saki's words delivered a punch to her gut. I’m too subtle, l have to try harder to get my feelings across to her.
After they finished their conversation, they began pacing down the street aimlessly. "Icchan! Let's go in here!" Saki shouted while swerving to the side and dragging Ichika through a pair of open doors. It didn't take her long to catch wind of the familiar atmosphere; the muffled sounds of electric guitars through the walls, the seemingly endless racks of colorful instruments.
"I didn't know you like visiting these places," Ichika said.
"Not usually, but I thought you'd want to.” Ichika smiled softly at Saki’s words, there’s no way she could say no to that. This is a store she particularly liked anyways - the employees were always nice and let her try the guitars.
“Oh they have CDs here? I love this album!” Saki said while pointing at a green and yellow one. Ichika took mental note of the title for later - she’d have to listen to it on her own time, maybe even try the guitar parts too. “Which ones do you like, Icchan?”
Ichika scanned over all the albums until she landed on one of her favorites. The cover depicted a girl in a field of dandelions whispering into the ear of another smiling girl.
“I like this one a lot,” she said while pointing at it. Saki examined it and smiled.
“It’s so cute, these girls look like such good friends!!” Another gut-wrenching string of words. It’s okay, that doesn’t mean anything. I can keep trying..!
“Yeah… I’ll sing you my favorite song from the album.” Saki followed Ichika like a duckling while she browsed the nearby guitars and obtained permission to play one.
“Yay!” Saki exclaimed while Ichika struck the first chord. She prepared herself for the rest, gathering her strong feelings into this love song. “I could drown myself in someone like you ♪ I could dive so deep I never come out ♪ I thought it was impossible~ but you make it possible~”. She went on and on, putting more passion into it with every verse until she had the attention of everyone in the store.
By the time the song ended, everyone was struck with silent awe of her performance, Saki even almost had tears in the corners of her eyes. Yes! I got my feelings through to her! Satisfied with herself, she laid down the guitar and stood up from her seated position when Saki grabbed her hands.
“Icchan, you were so cool!”
“Thank you,” Ichika said abashedly.
“Ahh, if you were a guy, you would be such a great boyfriend!”
…
Just as fast as it arrived, Ichika’s cheerful mood faded. She slowly hung the guitar back up and faced the exit.
“Let’s go.” This is a sign I just need to give up... They kept walking together, and when they left the store, Saki held Ichika’s hand and laced their fingers together. It brought about a surge of emotions she couldn’t quite describe. Maybe.. Maybe I’ll suspend disbelief a bit longer.
“Where should we go next?” Saki asked.
“Maybe the park over there?" They agreed and then walked through the grass to find a place to sit, which ended up being the edge of the small fountain. "I walked a long way to get here so I'm kind of tired." Saki nodded and gazed out at all the people walking by.
"It's fun hanging out with you, we're just living life in the moment!" Saki said. That was a very Saki-like thing to say, but there was still something to be learned. Maybe I just need to seize the moment, as she said. Her thoughts began to snowball after that. How would a more direct approach work here? What if she said something like…
"I like you Saki"?
Saki turned to face Ichika, looking surprised. Wait- did I say that out loud?
"You're so sweet Icchan, I like you too!" she nearly shouted. Those were the exact words she wanted to hear, but why did it seem like they meant something completely different?
"No I mean- I want to be more than friends!" Ichika blurted out. There it was - her confession came cascading off her tongue.
"Oh- you want to be… BEST FRIENDS? YES!!"
Ichika's mouth hung open in disbelief. She was either being neglected, or Saki seriously didn't get it. She had a pure spirit though, so she would certainly approach the situation honestly. This left just one option…
Ichika’s face burned, all her courage would be in vain if she didn’t do something. Little by little, she leaned forward. Every nerve in her body told her to go back, but she kept inching her face closer to Saki’s. She hadn’t kissed anyone before, but in the heat of the moment, it was all she could think about; something that would be impossible to misinterpret, even by this bulletproof heterosexual.
It was over before she could even think about what it felt like. She pecked Saki on the lips and then turned her head away in shame, eyes fixed on a random blade of grass while her mind blanked.
“I-I’m sorry…” Ichika said.
“It’s okay, I was just surprised…” Saki’s shocked expression transitioned into a smile. “I haven’t kissed my friends since middle school, that’s all.”
As much as Ichika should have expected it, Saki’s words were vomit-inducing. Maybe fate was real, and this just wasn’t meant to be…
“Are you okay? You don’t look so good…” Saki asked. How perceptive of you.
“I’m fine, actually we can go if you want,” Ichika suggested while standing up in an attempt to escape the strained atmosphere.
“Oh, I have a fun idea. We should have a sleepover! We haven’t had one in forever!!”
Based on how today’s date had gone, it didn’t sound like the best idea… “Sure, sounds fun,” Ichika answered despite herself. She couldn’t let her bad mood spoil Saki’s fun.
She couldn’t let her bad mood spoil Saki’s fun, she couldn’t let her bad mood spoil Saki’s fun… Ichika kept telling herself this over and over like some kind of mantra. They had gotten back to her house a few hours ago, spending some time eating snacks and talking about music again. Besides the time when Saki tried to get in the bath with Ichika, their sleepover was pretty uneventful. It was relaxing for them to spend time together- almost relaxing enough for Ichika to forget what happened earlier that day. At least until it was time for them to sleep and Saki’s futon remained untouched.
“Good night Icchan~” Saki said before dozing off. Her arms wrapped around Ichika’s waist and she nestled her head on her shoulder. This is something they actually used to do when they were younger, so it normally wouldn’t be weird, but Ichika couldn’t take her mind off of her colossal failure from earlier.
“Good night,” she replied. Other than the fact that it took her a little longer to fall asleep than usual, it was a pretty good night.
“Hey.. we have to leave soon. Wake up..” Ichika said while tapping her friend. They had forgotten about today's band practice being earlier than usual. Normally, Saki’s sleeping face would have filled her heart with joy, but today it was strangely lackluster…
Saki stirred for a moment and then sat up. “Huh… what time is it?”
“We have to leave soon.” It took a while to get her out of bed, but in time they stepped into the crisp morning air and headed for practice. Yesterday, she was psyched to be alone with Saki, but they didn’t have that spark anymore… It was best to just accept it rather than getting hurt trying to break through Saki’s rock-solid exterior. She’s not my type anyway, Ichika rationalized. I prefer cool, quiet girls.
“Hey Saki-chan, Ichika-chan,” Honami greeted as they walked in with their instruments. She sat in a chair by the wall smiling. Ichika groggily walked in a few feet and looked around, resolving to work hard with the band today.
Soon, they had all their instruments ready to play, but something was still missing.
“Is Shiho-chan running late?” Saki asked. As Honami was about to answer, Ichika felt a light gust of air from the door. Shiho strolled into the room and looked around.
“Hey.”
Her outfit was really nice today, a green, unbuttoned plaid shirt over a tighter black one, as well as a necklace and shorts. Her neck-length gray hair, her olive eyes… Had Shiho always been this fine?
Suddenly, a flash of color caught her eye; it was a small rainbow-colored sticker in the strap of Shiho’s guitar case. Had it always been there? I wonder…
“Why are you staring at me? Do you need something?” Shiho asked.
Ichika blinked a few times and glanced over at Honami and Saki, who were engrossed in a conversation with each other. “Uhm… I was just wondering if you’re busy tomorrow, Shiho-chan?”