Chapter Text
Little puddles of melted snow followed Chie as she walked in and out of her new apartment. Yukiko began unboxing her things as Chie focused on the heavy work, because Chie thought it best to not risk their fragile things being dropped. She brought in the final box and kicked her boots off by the front door. Snow was stuck to her heels and her nose was blaring red. They hadn’t really thought about the disadvantages of moving in winter, because the excitement of living together got in the way of thinking sensibly.
“Hey, Chie,” Yukiko called from the other room, placing a jewelry box on their dresser. “Doesn’t this place smell funny?”
“I haven’t noticed anything yet.”
“It’s like…” She paused and walked around the room, sniffing the air dramatically. “New House smell.”
“Of course it does, it is new!” Yukiko laughed and started placing her clothes in her dresser. Chie began unpacking her posters, and occasionally she’d hear Yukiko making a loud sniffing sound around the room. She stared at an old photo of her and Yukiko from middle school, and felt her heart flutter. They had changed so much, yet Chie experienced the same happiness with Yukiko as she did back then. Except, maybe it was a bit different…
Towards their last years of high school they felt themselves growing closer, which they never perceived to be possible. There was a sense of awkwardness between them after discovering each other’s true feelings, especially for Chie. She noticed herself constantly inching closer to Yukiko, and was nearly convinced Yukiko was inching closer too. She had hoped placing her hand on Yukiko’s thigh would be subtle, but her face became red enough to resemble her sweater. A seemingly endless stream of denial and stammering followed, until they slowed down enough to be true to themselves and each other.
“Are you crying, Chie?” Yukiko’s voice snapped Chie out of her playback of the beginning of their relationship and tinted her cheeks red.
“No; why would I be crying?”
“Your nose is running and you’ve been staring at that picture of us for a long time now!”
“It was just cold outside, that’s all.” Yukiko leaned onto Chie’s shoulder, looking at the picture sat in the box. Her body began to shake slightly as tears filled her eyes and sobs broke the room’s silence. “Yuki? Yukiko, are you crying?” Suddenly, the two were flat on the floor, Yukiko burying her head in Chie’s chest and wrapping her arms tight around her. She let her cry against her, a few tears escaping her eyes too.
“I love you Chie.” Just as she had calmed down, Yukiko let out a whisper that shook Chie’s resolve. She smiled as a few sobs escaped her lips and hugged Chie closer to her.
“I wouldn’t want this with anybody but you, Yuki.”