Work Text:
The air sat heavy on Shiho’s shoulders, like she was watching a funeral procession.
In some ways, she guessed she was . Ichika lead them pitifully up to her room, her three girlfriends following closely, silent. Ichika cracked the door open and they all circled the windowsill, looking at the culprit of Ichika’s grim mood.
Shiho frowned at the single ceramic pot adorning the windowsill. Sat in it was a cactus looking worse-for-wear, only the top of it vibrant green while the rest faded away into a sickly brown.
Ichika sounded like she was going to cry, and she probably was. “It was fine last week. I just put it in a new pot…”
On the other side of Ichika, Shiho caught Saki’s eyes. Her girlfriend was about to laugh, but she was trying so hard to keep it in. Shiho could tell by the way her lips were pressed tightly together, somewhere between a grimace and a grin.
“Maybe you over-watered it?” Honami offered, practical as ever.
Ichika’s fears weren’t calmed, guilt shading her eyes as she hung her head. Shiho knew that she loved that plant—always giving them updates and pictures. Shiho did feel bad for her girlfriend, but at the end of the day it was a little comical that she had called them all over to look at a dying cactus.
“What do I do…?”
“We can go to the store and get a new one,” Shiho said. Ichika gave her a terrifying stare, like she had just offered to kill a small animal. “What? They’re usually on sale around this time of year.”
“How about for now we move it out of direct sunlight and see if that makes a difference.” Honami carefully lifted the pot, bringing it over to her desk instead.
“I’m less nurturing than a desert,” Ichika said.
Saki had to clamp a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, but she still hadn’t laughed out loud and she was being so brave about it.
“So…” Shiho said after they stood in mourning for thirty seconds. “Practice time?”
“I don’t think I can practice today,” Ichika said, glancing glumly at her guitar.
“Because of a… cactus.”
“Shiho!” Honami put her hands on her hip. “Ichika’s upset.”
“I can see that,” Shiho said. “Maybe practicing will get your mind off of the cactus?”
Saki took a dramatic, shaky breath in. “Maybe we should have a… day of mourning.”
Unfortunately for Saki, it was her own joke that did her in and she dissolved into giggles, Ichika’s mood darkening even further. Shiho thought Honami was going to scold her, but she also was fighting back a smile.
Their guitarist looked around the room, shocked that her girlfriends were not comprehending how dire the situation was. She looked betrayed, and Shiho was about to apologize when Ichika raised her voice.
“It’s going to die ! I’m letting it die like I let our friendship die—you don’t understand.” Ichika looked like Shiho had kicked a puppy instead of offering her 300 yen for a cactus.
Even so, her comment was enough to sober Shiho up (and almost sober up Saki).
So, there was more to the cactus than well… the cactus . Shiho was grateful, honestly, because at least assuring Ichika that they were still friends was easier than reviving a dead plant.
“Sweetheart,” Honami said, putting an arm around Ichika. She rubbed her forearm in a comforting motion, leading her away from the cactus and to her bed. “We aren’t going anywhere. And what happened in middle school wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m crying over a cactus,” Ichika said, sniffing. Saki offered her tissues from her desk, kneeling in front of Ichika and resting her head on her lap. Her girlfriend played with her hair, looking miserable. “This is so stupid.”
“It’s a little stupid,” Shiho agreed, earning an angry stare from Honami. She remedied herself by taking the open spot on the bed next to Ichika, moving her hair out of her face. “I don’t think our friendship ever died , it just went away for a bit. And we brought it back as something new.”
“Like when we go and buy a new cactus,” Saki said, Shiho nudging her with her foot. “Hey! All I’m saying is that it doesn’t matter what happened in the past and what mistakes we all made. At the end of the day, we made it work because of you. And you should give yourself more credit.”
“Thanks,” Ichika said, a bit of her usual self peeking through. “I guess we can practice today.”
“Nah, it’s a day of mourning, as Saki said.” Shiho kissed Ichika’s cheek, then fixed Saki’s pigtails. “Let’s go on a date. We can get yakisoba buns at the convenience store, then sit in the park. Deal?”
“Okay.” Ichika’s eyes lit up.
“I’m sorry that I laughed about your cactus,” Saki said, looking up at her girlfriend. “You just get very invested in the things you care about. It’s very sweet and cute of you.”
“I’ve cried over a lot less,” Honami assured. “Maybe it will get better, maybe it won’t. But you put your all into this plant, so that’s why it hurts to see it not doing very well.”
Ichika kissed her as well before sighing. “I’m so embarrassing.”
“You are also our kick-ass lead singer, so don’t worry about it.” Saki stood, offering a hand to Ichika. “Now let’s go take Shiho up on that date before she changes her mind!”