Work Text:
it’s three am in the morning on a wednesday, when nene is woken by the sound of her phone going off.
she thinks she imagined it at first, but then it dings again, and she rolls over to pick the device up from her desk.
emu: nene-chan!!
emu: are you awake?
nene blinks at the message on her screen, suddenly wide awake. she sits up, already typing her reply.
nene: yeah. is something wrong?
nene runs her hand through her hair, smoothing it down as she waits for emu’s response. when it doesn’t come immediately, she chews her lip nervously.
swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, she reaches for the cardigan thrown onto her beanbag. in the middle of the action, her phone dings again.
standing, nene checks the message.
emu: um… don’t be mad but… i’m outside.
“outside?” nene repeats out loud, squinting at the screen.
she didn’t mean…
nene rushes across her room, throwing the curtain open to her window.
it takes her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but she finds her almost immediately. if it hadn’t been for emu’s messages, nene wouldn’t have believed her own eyes.
but sure enough, a figure with familiar pink hair stands on the pavement just outside nene’s house. emu is already watching her window, waving cheerfully when nene appears.
nene curses softly, leaving her window and slipping quietly out of her room. it wasn’t the first time emu had visited her at such an ungodly hour, but usually she would text nene beforehand, checking to see if it was okay.
the visit was too sudden. something must be wrong, nene thinks as she sneaks out of the house, jogging towards the front gate.
her girlfriend turns at the sound of her approaching, her signature grin making its way onto her face.
“nene-chan!!” emu says, throwing herself into nene’s arms the moment she passes the gate.
nene stumbles at the impact, but returns the hug nonetheless “emu?? what’s going on?”
emu lifts her head, eyes sparkling as she giggles “i missed you”
nene softens, the concern leaving her body as she tightens her arms around emu’s waist “it’s three in the morning you know” she chides, but there’s no bite to her words. there never was where emu was concerned.
and emu knows it too, as she grins up at nene without a hint of remorse.
“actually… i had something i wanted to show you as well” emu admits after a minute, ducking her head shyly.
“hm?” nene responds, tilting her head.
emu moves away from her, but only to link their arms together. nene reaches to intertwine their fingers, earning another grin from her girlfriend.
nene doesn’t ask where they’re going, just allows emu to pull her gently along the path. the dim streetlights were their only source of light, but nene was sure that even if she tripped, emu would be there to catch her.
after walking for a while, emu diverts off the footpath, and nene blinks in surprise when she realizes where they are.
the small playground not far from her house was usually alive with children running from one piece of equipment to another. but now of course, it was empty.
emu pulls her to the pair of empty swings, unlinking their arms to sit down, leaving nene missing her warmth.
she sits down in the other swing, blushing lightly when emu takes her hand again almost immediately.
“this is what you wanted to show me?” nene asks, amused.
emu giggles, shaking her head as she squeezes nene’s hand gently. then she tilts her head upwards, and nene, confused, follows her gaze.
nene’s breath catches in her throat, understanding immediately what emu had meant.
the moon was missing tonight, leaving the sky only illuminated by the billions of stars. away from the streetlights, the stars seemed to surround them entirely and nene found herself starstruck by the sight.
“it’s so pretty” she breathes, unable to look away.
“very pretty” emu agrees quietly from beside her.
after another minute of taking in the sight before her, nene reluctantly tears her eyes away to look back at emu. as she does, she finds emu is already looking at her, a gentle smile on her face.
nene flushes pink, eyes darting down to their joined hands. emu giggles.
“i thought you brought me here to look at the stars” nene mumbles.
“i did” emu replies.
nene huffs, looking up at her, embarrassed “then why are you staring at me?”
emu smiles again, the soft kind of smile nene had come to recognise was reserved for her and her only.
“because you’re the prettiest star of them all nene-chan!” emu says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
nene feels her cheeks warm again, suddenly grateful for the darkness surrounding them.
“that’s so cheesy” nene mumbles, covering the uncontrollable smile making its way onto her face.
emu only laughs in reply, once again knowing there was no bite to nene’s response. she swings their hands gently between them.
nene watches the movement, a surge of confidence overtaking her. she pulls emu’s hand up, lowering her head to plant a small kiss on the back.
still holding onto emu’s hand, nene looks up at her girlfriend hesitantly.
emu is looking at her wide eyed, a blush matching nene’s spread across her cheeks. nene blinks, then giggles.
“nene-chan!” emu complains.
“sorry sorry” nene smiles “payback”
emu chews the inside of her cheek, hitting nene playfully with her free hand. then they both dissolve into giggles.
nene always felt like she was floating with emu. the world around them would disappear, and she would often lose track of time.
tonight was no exception. nene had forgotten the time, the chill of the night and the fact that they both had school in the morning. none of that mattered to her then, as they both turned their gazes back to the sky above, hands still joined together between them.
for now, it was just nene, emu and the starry sky.