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Dating has been very kind Nijika to Ryo.
Nijika never thought it would be so simple. It took her a whole year for her to admit to herself that she wanted Ryo. Liked her, romantically. Take the biggest scammer she knows to dates and pay for them. Kiss her, cheeks and lips and all. And then it took her another year to tell Ryo that, because whenever she thought of taking her feelings forward she would be plagued by thoughts on how it could all go wrong.
All the doomed scenarios of Ryo rejecting her feelings and avoiding her and their band and their friendship falling apart. Or their relationship turning sour after they started dating, and the band and their friendship falling apart. And her band and their friendship meant more to her than anything in the world, so she kept her feelings hidden.
Nijika wasn’t the first one to confess. It was Ryo, one fine day while they were lounging on Nijika’s bed and watching some anime on music with two girls’ falling in love. And even though the moment was slightly ruined by Nijika beating her up after Ryo proposed they went on their first date at an aquarium to match the leads, even though the nearest aquarium was a 3 hour train drive; Nijika felt relieved after finally revealing her own feelings in turn.
And that isn’t to say that they never had fights or issues. Ryo was still berated for being lazy and a spendthrift. Nijika on occasion got too snappy on trivial things. Small road bumps involving a good few minutes of passive aggressive fighting; which were resolved soon enough.
All in all, their relationship wasn’t the trainwreck Nijika’s darkest demons feared it would be.
Because it was Ryo. The girl she’s known for more than half her life. They already had that chemistry. Those grounds of understanding and trust that couples typically work towards.
(Another bonus was that they never had to make the painfully small talk of favourite foods and zodiac signs during dates)
They didn’t waste much time in revealing their relationship status to the band either. Nijika thought secrets would only hurt the band’s unity, and really, what was the harm in telling them? Ikuyo had long since moved on from her infatuation with Ryo. Hitori had caught suspicion of Nijika’s feelings towards the bassist long back, and told her she would be rooting for them. In the end, the only real threat to the revelation of their relationship was Seika’s eyes as she asked Nijika to exit the room so that she could administer Ryo the typical shovel talk.
So dating has definitely been generous. Nijika liked being a girlfriend, and more so, Ryo’s girlfriend. And she loved having her as her girlfriend too (for the most part, anyways).
The perks of dating weren’t bad either. Ryo’s hand was bigger than hers, which was very helpful during winters when the chills bite her skin. Nijika was apprehensive towards PDA but gained a certain thrill towards sneaking small kisses in between practice sessions, or their shifts, or really any place where she was sure that even for a second there were no eyes on them. Nijika swore to secrecy to not tell anyone this, but Ryo was a huge sucker for cuddling under the covers; quietly wrapping her arms around her and mumbling ‘stay’ any time Nijika would try leaving.
But also, when it came to physical affection, they never went…past cuddling and kissing.
Which wasn’t an issue. Covering the bases was never a parameter of defining a relationship and they both were well aware of that fact. They could have had sex and still would never have fallen in love. And they will still be very much in love without it. Intimacy was just…a part of a whole.
But they…wanted to. Nijika’s been attracted to Ryo even before falling for her; and Ryo has definitely had her fair share of salacious dreams and fantasies centered around Nijika. Whenever they made out, they could feel their hands itching to explore more and more . Even the sounds they made were in moderation, careful to not slip too much desire into it even though self control was getting harder with every kiss.
1.
It all culminated one evening in Ryo’s living room. Nijika’s head on Ryo’s shoulder, they decided on seeing a lesbian vampire film that was recently released and was strongly recommended to by one of Nijika’s classmates.
Ryo and Nijika were the kind of couple that actually saw the movie in front of them while it played. Neither of them particularly had the time to watch the movies they wanted to, with the band and Ryo’s several part time jobs and Nijika’s University timings. So when they scooped time to watch a movie– there was an unspoken decision that they’d rather actually watch it. They still had each other’s presence even if they didn’t have their tongues shoved down each other’s throats, which was all that really mattered.
This day, though, it was different. Different because in this movie the vampire and her prey, a princess, were in the princess’ bedroom with their hands all over each other. And they were...taking each other's clothes off. They tripped their way to the princess’ bed, arms so tightly wound against each other it was impossible to make out whose limbs were who’s. Amplified moans and groans rang across the living room as the vampire on screen started sucking on the blood of her prey, and while it was never explicitly shown- it was pretty evident what all went below the shot.
They had never seen an erotic scene together. All their movies were pretty PG-13, and the closest they’ve ever been to seeing erotica on screen was a 5 second montage of a man and woman taking each other’s shirts off– which obviously did nothing for them.
That couldn’t be said about the scene in front of them.
It extended for an excruciating minute and a half. Ryo’s jaw was agape as it played out and her shirt felt clammy and suffocating. She clutched at the couch arm– throat dry, red faced, hot blooded. She peeked down and Nijika was in a similar state of fluster, holding up a pillow to her face and squeezing her thighs together.
The scene ended and the story went back on to ruthless sword fighting scenes, but the damage was done. Ryo finally found it in herself to reach out for the water bottle on the coffee table in front, downing nearly half of it in one go to quench her sudden thirst.
“What…a scene…” Nijika whispered.
Ryo couldn’t mutter more than a simple “yeah”
Ryo looked down at Nijika and saw her biting her lip, shuffling on the couch, eyes darting left and right. Very typical of her when she wants to add something to the conversation but cannot. Ryo decided to try taking the brunt of the conversation off her.
“Nijika” she started, taking a deep breath, reminding herself that before lovers they were- and still are- best friends. She had to have some confidence in their connection “have you ever…thought…us…”
Nijika, thankfully, caught on to her question before she felt like she needed to elaborate.
“Can’t say I have not…”
A double negative answer with puffed out cheeks was less straightforward than Nijika’s usual way of answering. In other words, she was embarrassed. Bashful. Adorable .
So adorable that Ryo couldn’t help but shift back so that she could face her. And two seconds later, cup her cheeks and kiss her fully on the mouth.
It all went naturally from there. Nijika circled her arms around her neck and Ryo dug her hands at her waist, pulling her closer. Ryo let her push her weight as they slowly descended to the couch. They broke their kiss briefly to shift their bodies more comfortably into the width of the couch before resuming. At some point Ryo had snuck her hands under her shirt and it rode all the way up to her chest. Nijika parted to let her discard it from her body and started making a work of Ryo’s shirt buttons, dragging her fingertips across every new inch of skin revealed to her so intimately for the first time.
“Ryo~ I brought you and Nijika dinner~”
A sharp gasp escaped Nijika’s lips.
She shot up and hastily scrambled away from the couch and made a dash to the washroom, her shirt in hand. Ryo buttoned her shit as much as she could before her mom entered the room.
Mrs Yamada suspected nothing thanks to Nijika’s quick escape. When they met up with the band the next morning, it was like nothing had transpired between them.
However, something did happen. There was no denying the passion that sparked between them. It rang through Ryo’s head whenever she found a moment to herself. In the slow hours of her convenience store shift, or in her room, or during the train rides; when she was alone with her thoughts, she could only think of the scene in the movie. Envisioning such ardor between her and her girlfriend, dreaming of all the ways they could have gone if it weren’t for the interruption.
2.
They found themselves alone after almost an entire month. Before Ikuyo and Hitori got even busier with their entrances and the band’s auditioning at various summer live festivals, they all needed a small break before they crumbled under pressure. Ryo’s mom drove them again and this time Ryo especially made sure she didn’t stay in there.
The beach was fun and relaxing. Ikuyo, ever the social media crazed, made them build a sandcastle gorgeous enough for her account to get enough likes to make up for the fewer posts she’s been putting even since she got into her third year. Satisfied, all four of them then lazed around on their floats in the water.
At night, Nijika found their entire stock of barbeque meat empty. Ryo tried asking her mother about it, and her response was that she was ‘offended by how quickly Ryo asked her to leave them be’, and took all the food with her. While Ryo battled it out with her mom, Ikuyo offered to go to the nearest grocery store.
“It’s only a few minutes away” Ikuyo said, “I think a walk will suit us, don’t you Hitori?”
Nijika was about to offer to drive herself, but seeing the excited look on both their faces at the prospect of spending some private time along the picturesque sea shore; she let them go.
“Did Mrs. Yamada get it out of her system?” Nijika chuckled as Ryo smashed her thumb on the end call button on her phone.
“She had left us the meat, apparently. It’s just…” Ryo opened the cabinet at the very bottom of the kitchen right beside the sink. “Ah. There it is. At the very back”
“Wow…speak of being petty” Nijika commented. Ryo simply shrugged
“It hasn’t been long since Ikuyo and Bocchi left, we can still call them”
“I think it’s best not to interrupt their time, you know?”
“I know, that’s why I’m doing it” she gave a catty grin, opening the contacts on her phone to make the call.
Nijika snatched the phone away from her “Don’t be such a spoilsport. Let them enjoy their alone time”
Nijika braced herself for a counter attack from Ryo to get her phone back, but instead Ryo smirked and stepped towards her girlfriend nonchalantly. Ryo was towering over her as she said in a husky, low voice
“Speaking of alone time…” and gracefully dipped down to kiss her girlfriend. Her thumb ran across her cheek and her free arm wrapped around her waist. With a small tug Nijika was pulled flush against her chest, and Nijika reached up to entangle her fingers in her hair.
A soft moan escaped her lips as Ryo’s hands traveled to her hips. Nijika took her chiffon coat off and Ryo knelt just a bit to hold Nijika’s thighs. Nijika understood the cue (she somehow always got Ryo’s cues. Be it split second glances during performances or here. Which, maybe, went to show just how well they work with each other) and jumped, wrapping her legs around Ryo’s waist. Ryo didn’t have enough strength to hold onto Nijika for too long, so she stumbled her way towards the dining table and placed her there gently.
Ryo made sure Nijika’s knees were parted enough for her to fit in as they continued. Nijika was propped up on one arm and the other one traced the outline of Ryo’s lips as they took a second to catch their breaths. When they continued, their kisses were significantly less harsh; though the reason could be that part of Ryo’s mind was preoccupied with finding the string ends to Nijika’s bikini.
Holding one of the strands in her hand, she looked at her girlfriend directly in the eye
“May I…?”
Nijika chuckled fondly “I already told you that day, I want this”
Ryo kissed her more passionately this time round, slowly rolling her hips against hers, groaning at the friction between them. The bikini came undone, barely clinging onto her breasts. Nijika’s own hands palmed at her breasts above her swimsuit. Short of breath, they parted once again. Ryo placed her forehead against Nijika.
“We should…definitely…shift to the bedroom” Nijka said in between breaths. Ryo agreed and stepped back, allowing Nijika to hop off the table.
As Nijika found her footing, Ryo was already halfway up the stairs.
“Why are you doing all thi- we don’t have too much time on our hands” Ryo whined as she saw Nijika tie her swimsuit again.
Nijika looked at her hands when she was done fixing herself up. She raised them apologetically
“Sorry, I’m just used to readying myself before heading anywhere. And the grocery store is around half an hour for a round trip on foot. I’m sure they won’t be returning soon”
And just on cue, the front door opened with a smug-faced Ikuyo holding a deflated Hitori balloon in her arms.
“A girl tried to flirt with her” was all the explanation she gave before heading to their shared room. Nijika sighed, flopping on one of the dining chairs. Ryo grumbled a litany of curses under her breath and stomped all the way to the bathroom and slammed the door with a loud thud. Nijika would have found that small tantrum of hers incredibly cute if she wasn’t filled with frustration to the very brim.
3.
About another two weeks later, their band practice was cut short by a signal on their phones warning them of an oncoming storm. Hitori and Ikuyo quickly packed their belongings and rushed home before the trains stopped. Ryo jutted her bottom lip and joined her hands in plea, and Nijika sighed in defeat and decided to let her stay the night.
“We had to close the place soon enough anyways” Nijika shrugged, covering her drum set. Ryo put her bass in her case and pushed the speakers and pedals to a corner of the studio. Nijika stretched her arms and neck.
“My muscles have grown all stiff” she lamented. “My arms feel so sluggish when I play these days”
“You should book a massage appointment this Sunday” Ryo offered “My mom knows someone, I can get her to give you a discount”
Nijika raised an eyebrow “Knowing you, if you really knew someone who gave you a discount on massages I’d have seen your face during practices only half of the time. Or maybe you’d have quit the band altogether and spent all your money on massages instead”
Ryo gave a offended gasp, yet continued in her trademark monotone “I can’t believe you’re accusing me of something this bad”
Nijika only squinted her eyes at her, unamused.
“If you should know, I do go to her from time to time. But massages are fundamentally very boring. Eventually you get tired of remote silence in the room. And all the songs they have are just overrated elevator music” she placed her hands on Nijika’s shoulders and pressed on them “but I think this would do you good, Nijika”
Nijika shuddered under her touch. Ryo was about to leave to switch off the lights of the studio when Nijika held her wrist.
“No– just,” she pressed her lips together “please, do it again”
“Do…it?”
“That thing you did to my shoulders” she pressed her hand in demonstration “it felt nice”
“Ah” Ryo continued what Nijika asked of her. Rubbing her shoulder blades. Pinching her collar between her four fingers and thumb in round motions. Giving a pleased, relieved hum, Nijika leaned her head on her girlfriend’s torso. Ryo was warm and her abs felt like a mattress behind her head.
“That’s the spot~” Nijika moaned when Ryo pushed the pad of her thumb against a knot on her back. Nijika kept moaning and groaning as Ryo worked her hands across her back. It felt like floating on a cloud. She could feel her shoulders lighten, like the heavyweights on them were slowly being chipped off to the ground. She kept demanding and praising her in a low, raspy voice.
“Thank you so much for doing this, by the way” Nijika hummed, bringing one of Ryo’s hands to her lips and kissing her palm.
Ryo was about to say something coherent, but her response was eventually a splutter and cough akin to a dying engine. Nijika swivelled around and held her arms.
“Everything alright?”
When she looked up, she found Ryo completely red in the face. Sweat was already forming on her forehead, despite the chill in the room. Her lips were parted and her breathing sounded heavier than normal.
It didn’t take Nijika more than a few seconds to administer her reaction. She smirked devilishly at the realization
“Don’t tell me you got excited”
Ryo squeaked at that accusation. Nijika looked at her through half lidded eyes, partly from passion, partly from drowsiness, and clenched her shirt and yanked her down. Ryo went on her knees to reach face level, and Nijika leaned in until their lips were not farther than a hair’s breadth.
“Hey” Nijika smiled. Ryo’s eyes flickered between Nijika’s eyes and lips. She could feel the desperation in her gaze. Ryo gulped and croaked a low “Hey” in return.
Nijika pulled her by her collar and brought their lips together. The kiss was gentle and slow, owing to Nijika’s relaxed demeanor. Ryo pulled Nijika’s scrunchie and her hair fell on her back; long, silky, lovely golden. From her collar her hands went up to her hair and held it to angle her head and deepen the kiss. Nijika undid all her shirt buttons and took it off. She slid down her chair and pinned Ryo on the floor. In between kisses, she got up and chucked away her own crop top and Ryo made quick work of unzipping her skirt. The clothes got discarded on the floor away from them. Nijika held her chin and tilted it up to gain access to her neck, placing butterfly kisses down its expanse.
As she found a particular sweet spot on the junction of her neck and collar and began sucking and nibbling on it, she was washed over by a surreal feeling that they were well on their way towards doing it in the studio. The STARRY studio, nonetheless. Nijika’s second home, their workplace. Maybe all rockstars grew bold enough to try such experiences in semi public places. The thought made Nijika smirk against Ryo’s shoulder.
How very ‘rock’ of them, indeed.
She drew in a sharp breath in between gritted teeth as Ryo held her hips and swayed them back and forth in time with her own (ironic, since Nijika is usually the one leading the rhythm). At some point, Nijika helped Ryo out of her jeans and that too joined the pile of thrown clothes around the studio.
“Wait-” Ryo whispered, slightly pushing Nijika back. “Isn’t this bad for your back?”
Nijika choked in disbelief. “For the love of god, please shut up” she hissed and kissed her even rougher, making sure her mouth was one occupied solely on this.
Ryo’s hands fiddled with the lace of Nijika’s panties. Nijika broke the kiss to give her a firm nod. She set her forehead against Ryo’s shoulder as Ryo peppered small kisses across her collar and started taking it off.
“Nijika, I hope you’re done in there” came a loud voice from outside the studio. Nijika, unable to make any comprehensible sounds other than dry wheezing, pinched Ryo on her arms to force her to answer in lieu.
“Almost done, Manager. Just…showing her wrestling moves”
“I- Whatever you’re doing, just get it done within the next five minutes or else I’m locking you up. We need to shut this before the storm comes, you know”
After the footsteps faded out, Ryo tried pulling Nijika back in only to be pushed away and have her unmount her body.
“She said we had five minutes”
Nijika scoffed “You think five minutes would have been enough?”
“Of course” she puffed up her shoulder and smiled.
“Where do you even get that boundless confidence?” she murmured, putting her skirt and shirt back on. Checking everything again, she redid her ponytail as Ryo finally took the hint and started dressing again.
As they both left the studio, Nijika grinned
“Oh, and by the way, good luck with my big sister”
“W-Why?” Ryo asked, already terrified.
“‘Wrestling’ is a very popular excuse couples use to justify…well. Hope for the best that she didn’t catch onto the double meaning”
“Wh-What if she d-did?” Ryo stuttered, wide eyed from fear.
Nijika rubbed her chin in thought. “You’d probably get another shovel talk soon” she concluded and whistled away, leaving Ryo shuddering with the memories of the first time she got that.
4.
The next time was in Nijika’s room. Seika told her she was going to meet a few of her past bandmates for the evening so Nijika only had to make food for one. Nijika texted her girlfriend immediately after this news, asking her to bring some pudding for them on the way.
Whatever hopes Ryo had coming to Nijika’s house when Seika wasn't present were crushed once she went in the room and saw Nijika crouched over her study table, focusing on a bunch of math problems. Nijika smiled apologetically and assured her she’d be done soon enough. But after more than half an hour of Ryo scrolling aimlessly through social media, she noted that Nijika was not even halfway through solving the problems.
Ryo got off the bed and got a hold of the problems on the table. She took the textbook and skimmed through it.
“What are you doing?” Nijika asked.
Ryo shushed her “Let me focus. If I can channel enough energy in learning this chapter I will be able to help you”
Nijika scoffed “You think you’ll be able to help me?”
Ryo didn’t answer. Nijika rolled her eyes and went back to her homework. About 5 minutes later, she heard Ryo say
“Substitute the integral variable with a trigonometric value”
Nijika looked at her in absolute astonishment. She blinked a few times before turning back to her problem.
“How am I–”
“See, here” Ryo took a pencil and starting writing it down for her in one of the columns “replace the variable with a cosine and use the trigonometric identity we learnt in high school”
“You actually remember those lessons?”
“Just for now. Now, it simplifies, and viola!”
Nijika was left spellbound. She knew Ryo had always been a bit of a genius when it came to both studies and music, but seeing her prowess never failed to impress her. Ryo, however, was not impressed with how much time Nijika was wasting staring at her slack-jawed in disbelief. She lightly hit her head and scolded her to “Focus, we need to finish this soon”
About another 45 minutes later, they both were finally through with the last question of the homework. Nijika sagged to the floor and closed her eyes, arm draped over her forehead. Ryo banged her head against the table and mumbled something on the lines of “I’m so glad I didn’t choose the university route”
“Well…now that that nightmare’s over” Nijika got up, jogging on the spot to fix her cramped legs, “I’ll go set up dinner”
“No.”
Nijika looked over her shoulder.
“No?”
“No.”
“Why, no?”
“Because I don’t want to eat dinner right now”
“We can have the pudding”
“Nadda”
“Okay, then” Nijika sat on her bed “What do you want right now?”
Ryo turned her body away from the table and towards the bed. She kept her hands on either side of Nijika’s thighs. And that’s when Nijika knew exactly why Ryo wanted to skip the dinner business.
“How long will it take for the Manager to come back?” Ryo asked in a quiet voice, tracing Nijika’s jaw with a finger.
“She didn’t specify, but she did say she’ll be out for dinner so…about an hour?”
“That’s more than five minutes”
Nijika laughed and brought her face close “Definitely more than five minutes”
Ryo wasted no time in climbing up the bed. She took Nijika’s clothes off with such ferocity they nearly tore. Nijika wasn’t much better herself, eagerly straddling her lap to zip down her long frock and fiddle around with her bra hook. Ryo successfully had her beneath her by the time her frock and bra were off. Nijika’s fingers glided along the goosebumps on her arms and her eyebrows scrunched in concern
“Do you need a blanket?”
Ryo shook her head “I’ll be alright”
Feeling shy at Nijika’s gaze on her now topless body, Ryo bent down. She started her journey on her body; placing small pecks starting on her neck, to her sternum, down to her belly, revelling in the way her back arched under her kisses. She picked up her knee and flung it over her shoulder, now kissing along the inside of her thigh. Nijika’s legs shook in anticipation and her hands crumpled the bedsheets hard enough to leave creases that’ll need to be thoroughly ironed later on.
The phone rang.
They didn’t know whose it was and neither of them checked. They just laid there, frozen, looking into each other’s eyes with pent up desire they didn't want to bottle yet again. When the ringing stopped, Nijika pulled Ryo back in for a kiss in an attempt to set things in motion once more.
The phone rang again.
Nijika swung her legs and went down the bed, crawling on the floor to reach her phone and check.
“It’s my sister” she said, looking at the caller ID. Sighing in exasperation, she picked up the phone.
Ryo couldn’t make anything of the conversation solely by hearing Nijika’s side of the conversation. However, her going “I’ll be there” in the end was all she needed to hear to bury her head in one of the pillows and grumble in annoyance.
“I’m so sorry–” Nijika started, remorse oozing out of her voice. Ryo waved her hands dismissively. Nijika knelt against her and held her hand.
“My sister is ‘batshit drunk’ and no one can take her home right now” She kissed the back of her hand “I’m so sorry I have to leave”
“I’m not angry at you for being a good sister” came Ryo’s muffled words “I’m just…irritated by things starting and not ending”
“So am I” Nijika whispered. Ryo still had her face stuffed with her pillow, so Nijika lightly scratched on the nape of her neck to get her attention. She gave a short peck on her lips.
“Want to stay the night regardless?”
Ryo showed a thumbs down “My work uniform is at home…I have to take the morning shift tomorrow”
Nijika breathed out a sad ‘oh’. She smiled wistfully and gave a last kiss to her forehead before heading for the door, asking her to lock the door from outside when she left.
The following days were nothing short of maddening. A gentle brush of fingers, arms against arms, hand against knee, lips against cheek, any skin against skin really was enough to drive them absolutely insane. Their skin burned– hot, and scalding- wherever the other touched. It made them jumpy and jittery and agitated. Many high pitched ‘sorry’s were exchanged between them for no reason at all. Even Ikuyo made an off-handed comment on how Nijika- the most composed member of the band- crashed into her drum set more in that following week than Kita has even seen her do so in the entirety of the time they knew each other.
The band only grew busier afterwards. They were invited to more live shows. Nijika had to meet a graphic designer to aid her in drafting an album cover for their first album. Ryo was still stuck in driving lessons. Nijika personally took it upon herself to fill in the gaps in her schedule and teach Hitori enough to at least pass her grade while Ikuyo focused on getting a decent rank in the entrances.
Whenever Nijika and Ryo did get some time alone, it was mostly on dinner dates; or late at nights when they were so exhausted that they couldn’t do anything but snuggle up and sleep. (And Seika was still there on the room next to Nijika's)
And it’s not like Nijika complained that she couldn’t meet her as privately as she could. She still cherished and savoured every moment they had together. Life and dating has been so kind to her these past few months.
Just this once, though, she selfishly wished for a little more kindness. Just this once.
+1
They were invited to yet another live performance at a relatively popular live house which was a two hour train ride from ShimoKita. So were their fellow band SIDEROS, and it was always a pleasure to meet them and learn about the latest band scenes through them. The performance itself went swimmingly. Hitori didn’t feel as stiff onstage as she usually was despite being in a completely new venue, and played much better and more confidently; something which made Nijika’s chest swell in pride and admiration.
The problem came after the live, though. Ikuyo had cram school the next morning, so she apologized to SIDEROS for not being able to see their performance and left as soon as Kessoku Band’s show ended. Hitori collapsed on the back room sofa after their live, a little green on the face, so Ikuyo offered to take her with. Nijika and Ryo joined the audience to watch the rest of the performances and network with the other bands.
(Somewhere between the second-to-last and last performance Ryo sneakily held Nijika’s hand, interlacing their fingers together. Nijika kept it that way until the lights turned back on in the end of all the shows)
On their journey back they had to change train lines at a station. However, the night’s concerts and thrills proved to be a bit too much for their bodies, and somewhere during the train ride they had dozed off against each other. Nijika’s eyes blinked open at the sound of a dog barking, and she sleepily took in her surroundings.
Seeing their current station and the train line map above her, she shook her girlfriend in panic.
“Ryo! Get up! We missed our station!!!”
Ryo yawned and got up from Nijika’s head. The train stopped just after and both of them decided on at least exiting this station. Nijika went over to the map on one of the pillars to trace all possible routes to reach back to ShimoKita before the trains stopped for the night.
Nijika huffed, “Well, guess we can’t go home tonight”
She turned around and found Ryo already asleep on the floor. She poked at her sides to stir her awake, snarling at her
“You can’t just sleep here!”
Ryo drowsily retroted, “A true musician has slept at least one night on the streets. It’s like a rite of passage. Very rock, you should try it”
Nijika twisted her ear and forced her up on her feet “I don’t care about your twisted world view on how constitutes an ideal musician, it’s very unsafe for women our age to sleep like this” she used all her strength to drag Ryo out of the station “Let’s just find a cheap hotel for the night”
Ryo used the Maps app on her phone to locate the best option they could take– a small hotel owned by a woman in her 50s. It was pretty cheap and affordable if they didn’t take the breakfast amenities. They walked through the street holding hands, making small talk about the shows that night, the music they’ve been listening to, tales of Nijika’s University classmates, planning the future of their band. It was almost reminiscent of when they were first friends. Just the two of them with nothing but big dreams and hopes for the future of the two-membered band they had back then. The usually expressionless Ryo had a soft smile on her face throughout the conversation.
The owner of the hotel was nice and the room was good enough for the money. Well sanitized, even the bathroom was clean and the shower and taps worked. Nijika set up the futons while Ryo brushed her teeth. They didn’t have a change of clothes and her jeans felt very itchy on her legs, but she told herself it was only for a night. She had dimmed the lights and tucked herself into the covers when Ryo came out.
To her surprise, Ryo completely ignored her futon and wordlessly snuck into Nijika’s. She didn’t give any explanation, any reason. She kept looking at Nijika, getting more comfortable in the futon till she was fully covered with the blanket. Nijika shuffled back to give her space. In the dim light of the room, her citrine eyes glowed. Chest heaving with each breath, gaze never leaving each other's, the entire scenario felt very...scandalous. Mischievious.
“Do you have enough space?” Nijika asked, first and foremost. Ryo’s response to it was a tiny nod. She delicately moved her fingers across her cheeks and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Laughter erupted in little bouts from Nijika’s chest, and her childlike giggles made Ryo raise an eyebrow in question.
“No reason” she assured Ryo “I just…feel happy. That’s all”
Ryo couldn’t contain the lovestruck, dopey grin off her face at that. She threw her leg around Nijika’s waist, locking her in position, and drew her into a kiss. Nijika made a keening noise at the back of her throat as Ryo’s hands ran over her shoulders and down to her waist, pressing her closer to herself. Nijika broke the kiss off with a gasp at feeling Ryo’s cold hands against the skin of her stomach. She rolled over so that Ryo was on top of her, reaching for her hand and lacing their fingers together. Nijika didn’t know if they were just smiling against each other’s lips or kissing, but it definitely felt nice.
Nijika’s suspenders were unclipped and she had her hands fisted on Ryo’s band hoodie, ready to take it off when Ryo placed a finger on Nijika’s lips
“Do you think the old lady’s asleep yet?”
Nijika’s face twisted sourly “Why would you feel the need to bring her up right now?”
“I really don’t want to get interrupted again” she said, gazing into her eyes with such intensity it nearly overwhelmed her.
Nijika smiled softly and shook her head “Even if she were awake, I don’t think she’ll be allowed to, or even want to be here”
“So…it’s just us?”
Nijika nodded
“Did you tell the Manager you were here?”
“Of course I did!”
“And the rest of the band?”
“They’re already asleep. I’m sure they wouldn’t care right now”
“You should tell them so that they know” Ryo suggested with a serious face “I paid an entire lunch and dessert’s worth of money for my share of this room. If we paid for privacy I'd say we should get our money's worth”
“Getting our money's- This isn’t a love hotel, you know?” Nijika scoffed at her incredulity
“So you want to stop now?”
Nijika rolled her eyes fondly and held the ends of her hoodie and pulled it over her head.
The night bled into the morning and they found themselves asleep in a messy tangle of limbs, softly snoring as the daybreak sun's slowly illuminated their room.
(They’ve had their roadblocks; but dating has, once again, definitely been kind to them.)