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The meet is on a Saturday morning, the black track field absorbing the sun’s heat, making the runners feel three times as hot compared to the fans watching from beyond the fence. Arashi is competing in the 4x200 relay. Despite her appearance, she actually packs lots of speed in her legs, and is able to take the lead her teammate lost before the baton was passed to her.
No thoughts run through Arashi’s mind as she sprints towards the finish line. She’s hardly focused on the ribbon in front of her, and instead looks out into the stands filled with people cheering. Sports stadiums are different from live venues for Arashi. One has thousands of people wanting her attention, wishing her luck; the other couldn’t care less about her.
She used to feel a sense of happiness standing on the winner’s podium, she would stand there with a proud smile on her face as her picture was taken; however, instead of pride, she felt nothing. On stage Arashi sings for her fans, and for her unit-mates, but whenever she tries doing something for herself, the glee she feels while singing is nonexistent.
The breeze along with the layer of sweat on her forehead cools Arashi off as she begins to walk to the locker rooms to change. Families surround athletes who poured their hearts out racing. Mitsuru’s parents, brothers, and sister shower him with love and kisses after he ran the mile; Adonis and his three older sisters have a gathering filled with love and pride after he took home gold in javelin.
Arashi stares in envy looking at all the happy families, but she isn’t overly jealous. She knows that if her family were to come it would take away the beauty of the day. Despite feeling empty, Arashi is able to walk back to the building with her head held up high.
“Naru-chan!”
Arashi didn’t need to turn around to know who was speaking.
“Mika-chan…Oh my! Are these for me?”
Arashi stares lovingly at the ‘bouquet’ of flowers in Mika’s hands. They’re all different, it seems like they were just picked out of the school’s garden. Some still have roots attached to the ends.
“They are, I jus’ wanted to show ya that I support you. Oshi-san gets flowers from his friends, and I dunno, they’re pretty like ya.”
Mika’s squinted eyes are staring down, unable to make eye contact with the beauty in front of him. Arashi takes in the sight in front of her, speechless. She overlooks the deplorable attempt of a bouquet and admires the thought and effort Mika put into it.
"N-Naru-chan? Yer kinda makin' me nervous here...aaa…are they too dirty?" Mika rambles. Arashi's lack of response worries Mika, and he begins to shake the flowers to get rid of some of the soil that is still stuck onto the roots.
"Oh my, I'm sorry! ...I was just so deeply moved that I blanked out for a bit. Thank you, Mika-chan. Honestly, it makes me really happy that you did this for me."
Arashi takes the flowers and holds them close to her heart to show how the dirt doesn’t bother her, and how much she loves them.
Just like that, Arashi forgot about the lonely thoughts she was facing. Knowing someone was watching her compete, cheering her on made the whole day of sweating worth it.
Mika accompanies Arashi and waits outside the locker room for her until she's out of the sweaty uniform.
As he waits he watches the other families pass by. He noticed other athletes had flowers too, much more beautiful and grand than the ones he had picked himself. All of them were wrapped in bows or tissue paper and looked like they were prepared with much more love and care than what Mika had done.
The two head back to the dorms where they both walk into Arashi’s empty dorm.
Arashi takes some time to cut the stems of the flowers a little shorter and rearranges the bouquet to where it looks rather elegant compared to what it was before.
While she works, Mika stares at her. He feels slightly embarrassed that she had to fix the flowers, and his mind keeps scolding him for presenting her with such a mess. A strange noise slips from his mouth.
“Nyaghh, shoulda jus’ listen ta Oshi-san…” Mika says under his breath. His face is hot from his feeling of messing up. His fingernails are picking at his cuticles.
“Hmm? I missed what you said, Mika-chan.” Arashi places the vase filled with water and the flowers in the center of the coffee table and joins Mika on the couch.
“Oh my! Mika-chan, you shouldn’t do that to your skin!” Arashi takes Mika’s hands into hers and she grazes her fingers over where he was picking at.
“You look troubled my dear, what’s bothering you?”
Mika’s gaze is still directed downwards, but Arashi won’t have it. She lowers her head below Mika, so they are making eye contact. She smiles at him with her beautiful closed smile.
“Nghnnn…” Is all Mika says to Arashi.
“That won’t do…Come on, Mika-chan, dance with me and celebrate this happy day!” With his hands still in hers, she stands up and pulls him with her. She begins to hum a tune of classical music, and leads Mika in a waltz.
Despite being an excellent dancer on stage, Mika is losing his feet with Arashi’s swift and graceful movements. He can’t match her footsteps, and stomps on her feet many times. Ignoring the stinging in her toes, Arashi continues with a smile, happy to be with Mika.
It would be a lie if she said she was good at hiding her feelings for the boy in front of her. Though she has never admitted it, her subtle hints of “If you keep doing that I may fall in love with you” Have never been caught on by Mika.
Even now she can feel her heart beating out of her chest. She knows exactly what it is about him too. His clumsy behavior, his devotion towards those he likes, slightly melancholic singing voice, his breathtaking beauty… Every detail about Mika, big and small, she adores so much.
Arashi’s left hand is on Mika’s waist while his is on her shoulder. Both of their right hands are held together as they continue to spin around the room.
“I never learned how to do this Naru-chan…”
“Oh? Not even with that Oshi-san of yours?”
“Wha? No he wouldn do somethin this romantic with me…”
“Why not? You two are partners after all.”
“Yeh, but it should be reserved for a lover, y’know?”
“And what about me, Mika-chan?” Arashi says, her movements slowing down. “If I’m dancing with you right now, does that make me your lover?”
Under his breath, Mika sighs “A lover would get you better flowers…”
Arashi’s movements cease all together with a giggle, and she guides Mika to sit next to her on her bed. To think poor Mika was all worked up over a silly bouquet of flowers.
He was just like her, getting all sad because she thought no one cared enough to come watch her race.
How naive of both of them.
“I love the flowers, Mika-chan. Do you know why?”
Mika didn’t reply.
Arashi uses her pointer finger to direct his chin upwards, so he’s looking at her rather than the ground.
“Because they’re from you.”
“But Oshi-San said they’re bad! And the flowers yer teammates got were much prettier. And I said the flowers I got ya were pretty like y, so I basically called ya ugly.” Mika pushes Arashi’s hand away and goes back to sulking downwards.
He thinks to himself that he should’ve taken Shu’s advice:
“Non! You plan on plucking those deplorable things? That poor girl. Go to the store and buy some.”
He had thought they would be more meaningful if they were directly from him.
“Oh my~ Mika-chan, I’m hurt you think I’d care about what your Oshi-san thinks. I’m even more hurt that you don’t care about what I think.”
Mika finally looks up on his own, his eyes widened with small tears threatening to run down.
“Of course I care what ya think! I jus assumed you didn’t like them because ya had to cut em up and fix em.”
“Mika-chan, I like anything that comes from you. Do you know why?”
Mika shakes his head.
Arashi wants to lean in and kiss him. She wants to so badly, but she wants Mika to feel the same.
“I’m in love with you. Everything you give me is precious.”
The words felt like a sin in Mika’s ears, it sounded like a curse he wasn’t supposed to hear. He didn’t know how to react, and he knew whatever he did next would threaten their friendship.
“I-I’m so sorry Mika-chan! I shouldn’t have said that, I hope you won’t hate me!”
Arashi’s hands cover her mouth as she babbles on how much she regrets what she has just done. She feels like she could cry. How could she have said that as if nothing would change?
She stands up and goes to leave her room, unable to look at Mika. She wants to stay and talk it out but she can’t bear to see the way Mika must be looking at her.
As she places her hand on the doorknob, she feels the cold boney hands she spent most of the past hour holding on top of hers, stopping her from opening it.
She turns around with glossy eyes, but they’re suddenly closed. She didn’t realize it at first, but Mika is standing up on his toes to place his lips against Arashi’s.
He did so without thinking. No way in a million years would Mika think to kiss someone, let alone the most beautiful person in all of Yumenosaki.
Even with all the maintenance Mika goes through, his lips are still chapped and aren’t as glamorous as Arashi’s gloss-covered lips that are so soft against Mika’s.
Neither of them have ever kissed anyone before, so it’s messy, Mika accidentally uses his teeth a bit too much and even though they feel so much emotion, they aren’t connected for more then two seconds.
Arashi pulls away, not wanting to overwhelm Mika, but he follows her up, wanting to keep it going.
For it being his first time, he’s very touchy. His hands move from Arashi’s and go to her waist. His body is pressed against hers, and she is backed into the door behind her.
Even though she has tears running down her cheeks, she can’t hold back a smile. With her hands cupping Mika’s cheeks, she can feel his smile too.
When it’s time to pull away, their smiles don’t cease. They hug and take in the happiness of the moment.
“I feel so happy with ya, Naru-chan! I never thought a beautiful girl like you would like me. I’m so happy!”
Arashi wants to jump with glee, but she contains her excitement and instead places wet kisses all over Mika’s face.
“I hope you know how to treat a woman, Mika-chan! I’m very high maintenance~. But I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend!”
Mika pulls away from the hug, shocked by her words.
“Nyagh? Boyfriend? Really?”
“Yes, yes! We are dating now! Our fans will be delighted to hear, don’t you think?”
Mika’s heartbeat can be felt in his arms, his brain is running a million miles an hour, but he can feel one thing for sure—happiness. He feels silly for stressing, but he is glad he did because it led to this.
For the rest of the day two can’t let go of each other, they stay clinged to each other’s side, wondering how neither of them were able to pick up on each other’s feelings.
They choose to forget all the embarrassing pining from the past and focus on the real gift in front of them—the present.
Mika likes Arashi.
Arashi likes Mika.
They couldn’t be a happier couple.