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It has been too far of a long day, from multiple head turning classes, helping with extracurricular activities, going to practice, helping with part time jobs, and the list goes on. Ran was now taking a breather in a calm evening train after finishing up business from a flower arrangement convention she had just attended as a sponsor. She leaned her back against one of the train’s doors, and sighed as she grabbed on to the metal pole next to her. She couldn't wait to get back home and lay down on her bed and get a good night's rest. All she had to do was wait for a couple of train stops and then it shall be hers.
She enjoyed the quiet environment of the train. It wasn't as crowded as she thought it would be at this time, and the way the train swayed slightly as it was heading for its next destination was somewhat relaxing. So relaxing that she felt if she sat down, she would instantly fall asleep so she remained standing. Ah, she should listen to some songs. With that thought in mind, she popped an earphone in her ear and shuffled her playlist. Good, now she can focus on the songs instead of how very tired she felt.
Shortly after, the doors to the train opened at the next station and people started coming in. Not that she cared really. As long as people minded their own business and it wasn't too crowded, then she wouldn't pay attention to them. It's not like someone was going to talk to her anyway.
“Um..”
Really? Just when she thought she would have a quiet ride home, someone just had to stand right in front of her and call out to her. The train has a fair amount of space, why did they have to be right in front of her. Whatever. Ran didn't really do anything; in fact, she did quite the opposite. She kept her eyes closed and ignored the girl in front of her and just let her focus be on the music in her ears, or at least … she tried to.
“Mitake san..?” Her eyes popped open once she realized who was talking to her and immediately let her gaze fall upon the slightly shorter girl a few inches in front of her. Oh, she felt like a total douche for ignoring the heck out of her in this way now that she knew who it was. She mentally hit herself a couple of times before taking off her earphones and finally giving the girl a small nod.
“Ah, Minato san. Going home?”
“Yes..you too?”
“Mhm..”
It was a little quiet after that, the train moving once more and Ran took this opportunity to look at her rival from head to toe. She was in quite a fancy attire, even having lipstick and heels on which was a sight she never expected to experience at all. She suddenly felt her throat go dry, and with a gentle swallow, she forced her gaze away so as to not make her mind go crazy more than it already was. “You're uh, well dressed, minato san... Were you at some kind of event?”
Ran tried her absolute best to sound confident but there was no doubt that her voice was just a little wavering than usual. Yukina didn't seem to notice though, which in all honesty was quite a good thing.
“Yes. Roselia had a photo shoot and I stayed back with Harumi- san after that for some consultation.”
“I see.. you uh, you like nice.”
Curse her inability to speak properly in front of her. Even so, she could see that Yukina was chuckling a little at her, resulting in Ran’s cheeks getting a tad pink. It was embarrassing but seeing her rival smile like that somewhat made it worth the while.
“fufu. Thank you, mitake san.” Yukina tracked, and Ran could have sworn she saw her upperclassmen’s cheeks were a little red, although just for a split second. She might be imagining things though.
“Mitake san, you look a little tired. Long day?”
“Ah, yeah. A little..”
“I see. Make sure you rest well when you get home,ok?”
“y-yes. Thank you.”
Another stop; the door on the opposite side slid open and about a dozen and a few people entered the carriage, which did spark some worry in Ran. Though, it seems she was not the only one that was feeling that way.
“It's.. getting quite crowded.” Yukina said as she looked around in a concerted manner, just slightly coming closer to Ran as to avoid the other passengers as much as she could, which was fair really. It was rush hour now, so there was no doubt that people would just continue to come in. Seeing the troubled look on the lavender haired face, Ran carefully parted her lips to speak.
“Um..” she took a few steps back until she couldn't anymore and hesitantly called out to Yukina to try and beckon her to come closer so as to get away from the amount of people. However, before she could say anything, more and more people started entering again. Her wandering eyes had witnessed Yukina getting shoved from behind and due to the sudden impact of it, the girl tripped forward without any chance to stop. Luckily, Ran was there to soften the blow, Yukina’s fall stopped gracefully from landing on the steel pole by quickly holding on to her junior’s shoulders instead. Unluckily for Ran, she had come to realize the abrupt closeness they suddenly have which caused her to hold her breath; despite the loud chatters and the number of people on the train, all she could hear was silence and the ringing of her heartbeat in her ears and all she could see was Yukina.
She could not peel her eyes away from the alluring amber gems that were staring right into her very soul, taking a small gulp to kind of redeem herself, not that she could in the slightest. But it seemed that Yukina did instead, quickly letting go of her and stumbled back apologetically.
“Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't-”
What was she apologizing for anyway? If it was for making her feel like her heart was going to stop beating right then and there, then yes. She should be sorry for almost killing her. However, she knew what Yukina was implying and she couldn't blame her really. After clearing her throat and looking away, Ran simply shook her head. “It's okay. Don't worry about it. With a crowd this big, it’s bound to happen.” Ran mumbles. “I'm just glad you're unhurt.”
It was a little embarrassing, but it was the truth nonetheless. Yukina was also relieved, by the looks of it, her gaze falling to her shoes instead. God, why did she have to be so pretty and cute at the same time? “Mm.” The shorter girl nodded, gently placing one of her side bangs behind her ear. It sinked in that things are starting to get a little awkward, for both of them, no one is looking at the other now. But that didn't last long, for the train started moving again and due to Yukina not having anything to hold on to, she lost her balance and bumped into a few strangers and again apologizing to them as well. That did make Ran look up again and she didn't like what she was seeing one bit. Yukina didn't seem to notice them but there were a lot of eyes on her, teenage girls admiring her from afar and creepy old men trying to forcefully come closer to her after Yukina bumped into them and the latter was the last straw for her.
Without a second thought, Ran immediately grabbed onto Yukina's wrist without prior warning and pulled her closer to her. Of course, her actions had without a doubt startled Yukina greatly, yelping a little in surprise and quickly looking up at Ran because of it.
“M-mitake san?” Conversely, Ran couldn't look at Yukina at all, her cheeks felt hot and her eyes darted across the train car,mostly to hide her embarrassment but also to monitor the looks her senpai was getting from almost everyone on the train. Still, she had to give some sort of reasoning for doing this all of a sudden so she said the first thing she could think of.
“It's dangerous for you to be standing like that without good footing. You..you can hold on to me instead. F-for now, I mean.” Ran mumbles embarrassingly to Yukina, and seeing a couple of girls giggling at her just made it even more flustering. God, she wanted to jump out in front of the train and just end it all. She was a little nervous that Yukina would reject her offer or find it disgusting; but to her surprise, the girl was already a few millimeters away from her, holding onto her blazer tightly from the sides and giving her a small smile “thank you. I'll do just that.”
Out of all outcomes, Ran was not expecting Yukina to come *this* close to her, if not at all. Even so, she was the one who told her to do so so she wasn't going to complain; quite the opposite actually. She found her own arms sliding down and wrapped around Yukina’s waist, also pressing her closer to her own body. It was like she was in a fever dream; not knowing why she did what she did but, there was one thing for certain: she wanted her. She wanted to protect her and keep her for herself and no one else, and that strong feeling of hers just overcame her mind and body and she was not thinking rationally at all.
“M-Mitake san..”
Still, she won't let her go and she won't back off at all and similarly, Yukina had the same thought process; the clutch she had on the younger’s blazer suddenly turned into a skin-tight hug, making Ran flinch in place. As flustered as she was to their current situation, a part of her really enjoyed this kind of intimacy if you will, but there's one thing for certain; it was bad for her heart. She could feel her heart thump so fast and so loudly, she was having a hard time remembering how to breathe correctly. Being close to someone she loved in this way was not something she thought she would experience, the warmth of the hug and the sweet scent of lavender and vanilla took her mind for a loop.
“fufu..”
“..?!”
Hearing Yukina chuckle softly again made her come back to her senses and realize that the girl’s ear was, before she knew it, pressed tightly with such a bashful face to her chest and she knew in that moment how very dangerous of a reality that was. “Mitake san, your heart is beating so loud.”
She knew it. Of course she'd be able to hear her heartbeat in that position. Even Ran could hear it after all, so to know that Yukina was purposefully doing so had only made her nervous.
“W-whose fault do you think that is?!” Ran’s voice cracked as she looked away from Yukina for the umpteenth time today, trying her best to subdue the throbbing of her heart but to no avail.
Another chuckle.
At least someone is gaining fun from her suffering, that's just great. It also appears that Yukina had no intention of letting go and is still continuing to hear her ticking time bomb of a heart. Since when was Yukina the clingy type? Sure, she did initiate hand holding from time to time but she never was this close. Come to think of it, the girl was never the one to let go of her hand first. During the viva live event, she held hands with her until they got to the venue itself..and even when Kasumi suggested to hold hands, Yukina was the first one to reach out for her hand and quite tightly as well. Could this girl possibly like acts of physical touch? it was a mystery really, but it was too much of a hassle to think about it like this.
Before she could say anything, she felt Yukina freeze in place, actually looking a little concerned right now, which caught her attention.
“M-minato san? What's wrong..” The lavender haired, pulled her face back and looked off to the side. It looked like she was a little hesitant to talk but, eventually she opened her mouth to speak. “I…missed my stop.”
It was said in a quiet and low voice, as if she was embarrassed of herself for making such a mistake. It was understandable though, if Ran didn't look up and see that the next stop was hers, she probably would have forgotten too from how distracting Yukina was. Still, the thought of her rival having to change trains and get into much more crowded ones just made her lose her sanity. Without a second thought, she grabbed onto Yukina's shoulders with a serious look on her face, making sure to get her whole attention.
“Then, come to my place! …. for today.” She felt her cheeks burn, but she wasn't going to take back what she said. Still, she couldn't even look her way.
“With how you uh.. look right now it's probably best to stay away from crowded places, to um make sure you're safe. I- I mean it's pretty late and all too..” Having seen the stares of people around her, she figured that Yukina going alone would be dangerous. Yeah, that's all there is. It's not like she said that to get her to come over so that Yukina would be hers and hers only. Nope. Of course not.
Amber eyes were now fixed right at her wavering Ruby ones, a somewhat sly smile appeared on her visage, almost in a teasing manner if you will. “How.. do I look like.. right now?” She mutters under her breath,just enough for Ran to hear, deliberately moving closer to her right now. “Hm, mitake san?”!
“I- uh- u-um..” Ran gulped down nervously and if it weren't for the train stopping and its doors opening, she could have fainted right then and there. Without any time to lose, she turned around and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the train as best as she could, though it seems that Yukina was willingly following her either way. “T-that doesn't matter, let's just go!”
Ran wasn't really focused on what happened during their way home, but the only thing that was distinct in her mind was the tight grip Yukina had on her hand… and the occasional playing of her fingers.
However, the only thing she knew for certain
was that she had fallen in love with her all over again.