Chapter Text
Kumiko slapped her cheeks, staring up at the tiny building she would have to get used to calling home. It was run down, the apartment would be a nightmare to clean up, but it was hers. It was hers and it was Reina's. The thought crossed through Kumiko's mind several times before, especially when she was packing up her things, but it didn't strike hold of her until the day had finally arrived.
They had made it into the Tokyo University of Arts, they had made it together. Kumiko struggled where Reina seemed to glide without effort through the rigors of learning the musicals arts. Who was she kidding? Reina had already become a master by the time she reached high school, Kumiko had only been pretty good. It was motivating then, when Reina had cupped Kumiko's face in her hands and told her she wanted to go to college with her, but Kumiko knew Reina wouldn't settle for anything less than the top.
High School was behind them now, and the first days of class were ahead of them. Kumiko let out a sigh, she wasn't looking forward to unpacking all of her things, not that they had much space. Their apartment was only a single room and a bathroom, but this was how everyone got started right? Kumiko became giddy, the thought of sharing such an intimate space with Reina forced a smile onto her face.
"Kumiko."
Kumiko jumped, Reina's voice pulling her out of her fantasy world and back into reality. Reina's voice was calm, barely that above a whisper as it hit Kumiko's ear.
"Are we going inside? We still have to unpack." Reina said, holding the last of her boxes in her arms. Her trumpet was strung over her shoulder in its case.
"Oh... Oh! Yes!" Kumiko stumbled over her words, rushing up into the apartment. Boxes were stacked to the ceiling. Boxes holding blankets and towels and dishes. Kumiko couldn't contain her excitement, even in the cramped space of their apartment. Her hair bounced against her shoulders as she pulled one of the boxes down, opening it up. Dishes needing to be placed in cabinets, blankets and futons to be laid across the floor. Their funishings were cheap, but it was all they needed.
Reina placed things with purpose behind her, tidying up as she went along. Empty boxes accrued in the corner of the room, their things taking up more and more of the room as the sun descended across the sky, coating the room in a soft, orange glow.
"Orange suits you." Reina said, breaking the silence without warning, running her fingers through Kumiko's hair. Kumiko froze up at her touch, relaxing only moments after when she placed her hand over Reina's.
"You think so?" She said, the light of the sun cast over by the shadow of Reina. Reina's hand found its way to the back of Kumiko's head. Reina's fingers found their way intertwined with Kumiko's. Reina's lips found their way to Kumiko's.
It was far from the first time they kissed, but it was the first time it didn't feel like it had to be their secret. The first time Kumiko felt like she could kiss Reina back. She pushed her body against Reina's, wrapping her arms around her waist before Reina pulled her lips away.
"You're cute." Reina said, looking at Kumiko with her eyes half closed, her mouth cocked into that knowing smile.
Kumiko smooshed Reina's face between her hands, looking down at her.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be saying that to you." She complained, pulling Reina's face up until their forehead's pressed together. Kumiko smiled, a laugh escaped from her before she pulled her hands over her mouth. "I still remember..."
"Hm?"
"The first time I told you you were cute." Kumiko said, sitting down on their empty floor, watching as the sun descended past the tokyo skyline. The room was cast in a soft, blue light as the two girls sat beside each other, their hands coiled around one another.
"You were still interested in me? Even after what I said about Taki-sensei?" Reina sounded sure of herself, sturdy even. Kumiko could only smile, watching the night sky, knowing that even Reina probably felt her own nerves, perhaps not at the time, but in distant retrospective memory.
"I called you hot before I called you cute."
"You're terrible." Reina said, a thin smile forming on her lips as she clutched Kumiko's hand tighter. "We should put down the futon. Class starts tomorrow."
Kumiko nodded, pulling the folded up futon over to the center of the room. The second futon was for show, only taken out when their parents or friends were over. No, this bed was theirs. This bed, this room, was their private sanctum, a sacred territory upon which none may trespass, but most important was that here, only here could Kumiko say that Reina was hers. This room was the only place that Kumiko could say aloud that Reina was hers, and that Reina could say what Kumiko longed to hear.
"You're mine." Kumiko said, staring into Reina's eyes as they lay beside each other, dressed in only the loosest of sleepwear.
"What?"
"You're mine." Kumiko said, beginning to snicker, repeating the sentence over and over as her laughter slowly rose into a raucous laughter. A heavy pounding came from the floor below and Kumiko covered her mouth, Reina joining her in muffled laughter. The joyous ecstasy of sharing a bed with her love after all these years running through her.
"I can't sleep, let's play." Reina whispered, lifting Kumiko's hair from her face. Kumiko wiggled beneath the sheets, her hips pushing against Reina's. She moved her face towards Reina's, closing her eyes. Reina snatched up her trumpet case, throwing her dress back over her body as Kumiko remained, waiting for a kiss that was already long gone.
"Eh?"
"Are you coming?" Reina asked, looking down at Kumiko with those luminescent eyes, reflecting the subtle tones of moonlight. In her dress Reina presented herself as a lunar princess, leaving Kumiko to wonder if she was but an Earthling peasant, toiling in the dirt around Reina's feet. "I asked, are you coming?" Reina repeated, her expression reflecting her serious tone.
"Oh!" Kumiko picked herself up from the bed, throwing on a pair of shorts and an oversized sweatshirt as she lifted her Euphonium case onto her back. It was heavy, but she had gotten used to the weight over the years. Pain had become sexy, after all, though that may have only been when Reina endured it. They walked in silence through the streets, weaving through quiet homes while the lights went out around them, families drifting away into sleep.
It wasn't until after a time of walking in silence, content merely with each others company, that Reina finally found a place to her liking. A desolate bench far from the cries of civilization, lit beneath the soft, blue light of a street lamp.
Reina placed her trumpet to her lips, and Kumiko placed the Euphonium to hers. Together they played, their hearts pouring through their instruments, filling the empty night air. They had practiced many times before, but the times they had played together for the sake of playing were distant memories before tonight. Kumiko's heart fluttered with hope as her notes coiled together with Reina's, their melodious entanglement alone in the vacuum of the empty summer air.
Reina took Kumiko's arm, pulling her against her body as she lowered her trumpet. The fireflies sparkled in the air around their lingering embrace and Kumiko felt Reina's heartbeat against her own. Kumiko touched Reina's cheek, bringing their lips together. Reina tasted of her mouthpiece, the metallic flavor clinging to her tongue as they kissed.
"Let's go home." Kumiko said, holding Reina's hand between her own. "We have class tomorrow, after all." Reina responded to her words with action, standing up and wrapping her arms around Kumiko's head. Three years and Kumiko was still as in love with Reina as she was back then, when she grasped Reina's hand and accidentally asked her to the festival.
It was back then when Kumiko understood why Reina's anger and rejection of her at the end of middle school had cut so deep. She had been too immature to understand the extent of her feelings, the subtle differences between friendship and a love absolute. Here in Reina's arms was where she belonged. Here, Kumiko was home.