Work Text:
Miyako hummed as she warmed her cold hands around her mug. She took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet aroma of mini marshmallows, whipped cream and hot cocoa. The friendly chatter around her wasn’t too loud or distracting. Instead, the pleasant buzz added to the merry atmosphere of the cafe. She was always happy to spend some of her time in here, but today she was especially happy to be here. The reason for that was simple:
While snow was falling outside, Miyako got to share a mug of hot cocoa with her best friend in her favourite cafe.
“I imagine you’ve been well, Io-chan?” Miyako asked her friend as she took in the sight of her. Miyako could describe Io’s appearance today as nothing more than ‘exceptionally cute’. She continued; “Very well even, if the way you look is anything to go by."
Io giggled and smiled as she nonchalantly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Thank you. I’ve been well since the last time we spoke, yes. Going by your logic, you must have been well as well, Miyako-chan.”
A hint of a smile touched Miyako’s lips as she brought her mug to her mouth and sipped her hot cocoa. It had taken them four years of friendship for them to get used to calling each other Miyako-chan and Io-chan. Four years of friendship which Miyako treasured greatly.
“I’m glad to hear it. And yes, I’ve been well— no, great, even. Something special happened just the other day.” Miyako paused to take another sip of her drink; Io’s eyes lingered on her expectantly. Miyako was smiling from ear to ear when she placed her mug down again. “Brother called me ‘sister’ for the first time.”
“That’s great, Miyako-chan!” Io beamed, grasping Miyako’s hands from across the table. Miyako held her breath as Io almost knocked over their hot cocoa in the process. “I know how strongly you’ve been wishing for Yamato to call you his sister. I’m happy for you.”
Miyako blinked at Io’s sudden outburst of enthusiasm, but she didn’t pull away. Needing just a moment to recollect her thoughts, Miyako stared at their hands. She remembered the day Io had grasped her hand and announced she would be her friend like it was yesterday.
Io followed Miyako’s gaze and quickly pulled her hands away as if she had just burned them. “Ah, I’m sorry! I… I’m just very happy for you, Miyako-chan.”
“Mm, thank you. As expected of my brother, there was no hesitation in his voice when he called me ‘sister’. One would think he has been calling me his sister all his life judging from the way he said it.”
Miyako had been reborn to this world as Yamato’s actual sibling. Their new memories of growing up together proved as much. They were brother and sister, and yet... Yamato had always referred to her by her name. Not once had he called her his sister. Not until yesterday.
“It was quite a surprise to hear him call me that. I wonder what changed. Maybe Hibiki rubbed off on him? It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Mmhm. I think it’s good for them both they became this close.”
Miyako was happy to find Io agreeing with her on that. A moment of silence fell over them in which they enjoyed their hot cocoa and let their minds wander.
Hibiki and her brother sure made an interesting pair. Together with Al Saiduq they had been on many trips to foreign countries in the past four years. Which brought Miyako to a question she had been wanting to ask Io for a long time now.
“Io-chan, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Miyako broke the silence. “I’ve been saving this question for you. You’ve been enjoying studying at your university and I didn’t want to take that away from you. However, now that you are in your final school year I hope you will give my proposal some thought.”
Io titled her head and smiled patiently. Miyako could tell from the look of her face that Io didn't know what she was going to ask her. Even so, the sparkle in her eyes told Miyako that she wanted to hear it.
“You weren’t there at the time, but I was the one who gave my brother the idea of traveling around the world. Back when he still had his duties as the head of the Hotsuin family and the leader of JP’s, he could not leave Japan under any circumstances. I knew so well about what he desired because I had the same desire as well."
“Io-chan, I want to see the world together with you. Would you join me on my travels?”
Io’s eyes opened wide and her cheeks turned a beautiful rosy colour as Miyako’s words dawned on her. She parted her lips slightly as if wanting to say something, but no words passed her lips. She avoided Miyako’s gaze as she tucked another lock of hair not-so-casually behind her ear.
“Miyako-chan…” Io finally spoke, her voice wobbling with emotion. It seemed like she had much more to say, but the words got stuck in her throat.
“I don’t need your answer right now,” Miyako said calmly. “I wanted to make my proposal. You can take however long you need to tell me if you will join me.”
Io lowered her eyes and shook her head. Miyako told herself not to jump to conclusions. It would hurt if Io didn’t want to go with her on her travels, but she had said no such thing just yet.
It wasn’t like she was asking Io to go on a short three day trip to a nearby country. No, her proposal was nothing of that sort. Miyako wished to see the world together. Essentially, she was asking for a year or maybe even years of her time. Time she would not be able to spend with her family or friends. Miyako knew how much she was asking of Io, but at the same time she really did not want to be told ‘No’.
In the silence that followed, Io brought her mug to her mouth and finished her hot cocoa. When she placed her mug down she also reached for her wallet. In one smooth motion, she rose from her chair and placed some money down on the table.
“I’m sorry,” Io said hurriedly as she put on her coat. “I have to go.”
Before Miyako could do as much as raise her hand, Io had had turned around and fled. Miyako couldn’t have foreseen this. The way Io was acting was nothing like her! It wasn’t like her to run away at all, so Miyako wouldn’t let her.
Miyako left some money on their table as well and quickly followed after her best friend. Barely having had the time to put on her coat properly, she didn't stand a chance against the bitter cold outside. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms as she looked around, searching for her friend.
Fortunately, Io hadn’t gotten far. Maybe she hadn’t expected Miyako would follow her, or perhaps she secretly wished Miyako would stop her? Either way, Miyako wasn’t going to complain.
“Nitta!” Miyako yelled loud enough to be heard by her friend. As if to be under the Dragon Stream’s control, Io immediately froze. That made things easier. Miyako had caught up with her in no time at all. “What’s wrong? Did I say something inappropriate? If so, I apologize.”
Although Io was no longer running away, it felt only natural to grasp her by her wrist. This scene felt… familiar. This time, however, their roles seemed to be reversed.
Slowly, Io turned around to face Miyako and when she did, Miyako examined her silently. Io’s cheeks were flushed and the tips of her ears were red. She couldn't tell if Io's face was a lush colour from the cold or anything else. Here and there, snowflakes had already caught in Io’s hair. Why had she thought of that as precious? Even now, Io’s eyes were the same beautiful, warm brown as always, but she refused to look straight at her as she spoke.
“No, I’m sorry. You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Io explained, keeping her head low. “I’m happy you asked me to join you, I really am, but… I can’t come with you.”
Miyako softly bit her inner cheek to stop herself from repeating what she had told Io before. She would give her friend all the time she needed to make a decision, but if the decision had already been made, then she had to accept it.
“…I see. That is unfortunate, but I understand. Your family and friends are very precious to you. I can image why you would find it hard to be separated from them for a long time.”
Miyako let go of Io’s wrist, but to her surprise Io took a step closer and closed her hand around hers. Io was looking straight at her, determination burning in her eyes. She was close. Very close.
“No, no. That’s not it. You don’t understand.”
“That appears to be the case, yes. Please, explain your reasoning to me.”
Miyako had expected Io to back off at this point, but to her surprise she didn’t. She stood firm before her and spoke clearly.
“…I like you, Miyako-chan. Ever since the day we met, my feelings for you have only grown stronger. I was so happy when you told me you would be my friend.. I thought I could never be happier than I was back then, but just now when you asked me to join you on your travels… There’s nothing I would love more. To see the world together with you is more than I could ever wish for, but I… I just can’t.”
Io fell silent. While this had been the perfect moment for Miyako to speak, she didn’t. She could tell there was more Io wanted to say. Miyako had decided she wouldn't interrupt until Io finished speaking. Io realized this and after she had taken a moment to recollect herself, she continued.
“Why can’t I? That should be obvious, right? If we were to spend so much time together, then surely I would come to confess my feelings for you and then we couldn’t be friends anymore.” Io paused to sigh softly and avert her gaze. “There’s nothing I can hide from you. Now that I’ve told you all this, I understand if you no longer want to see me.”
“It has been around 6 minutes and 54 seconds since I asked you to join me. For you to worry so much about a trivial thing in such a short time is almost admirable.”
“…Huh?”
Miyako’s words left Io completely dumbfounded. Miyako smiled as she raised Io’s chin up gently with her free hand. The muffled sounds of chatter in the nearby restaurant seemed to fade out and the stars only shone for them as they had their first kiss.
The kiss was chaste and brief, but most of all warm. While Io didn’t return it, Miyako wasn’t pushed away either. When Miyako broke the kiss and took a step back, she felt a flush of warmth rising in her cheeks. The smile she offered Io only lasted for a moment.
“…Was that not satisfactory? I’m sorry, I have no experience in this. Or perhaps I should have—”
Words were left unspoken for Io suddenly flung herself at Miyako and stole her lips. At the impact, Miyako almost lost her footing. She would have if she hadn’t grabbed Io by the front of her coat to hold her balance. Desperately holding onto Io for support, Miyako closed her eyes and slowly eased into the kiss.
Miyako hummed softly as a warm feeling spread through her chest. The feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to her, but she had never felt it so strongly before. This had to be it. This had to be… love.
The kiss ended as abruptly as it had started. Even after Io had broken the kiss, Miyako held onto her as if her life depended on it. They stared into each other’s eyes in silence for a long time until finally Miyako spoke.
“We both need some practice, it seems. I would be happy to go on this journey with you, Io-chan.”
“That could be just one of the many journeys we could go on, if you will have me?”
Not having expected such a reply, Miyako took a step back and let her friend go. She watched as snowflakes swirled down into her view and got caught in Io’s hair. Without a second thought, Miyako raised her hand and lovingly brushed any snowflakes in her friend’s hair away. Io smiled her warmest smile and Miyako returned it happily.
“Let’s go where the wind takes us, but for now… let’s go home.”