Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chevreuse considered herself to be friends with the majority of her class. She got along with others pretty easily, and most people seemed to like her, which made it easy for her to talk to new people. Even those she didn’t talk with that much would wave at her or nod their head in acknowledgment occasionally.

So yes, she had many friends.

And you can quote her on this any time you want: it is very, very easy to find yourself crushing on friends.

Because if you stop to think about it, wouldn’t it make sense to date someone you were already friends with? You already talk to them and know their personalities… It's much easier than jumping into a relationship blind. But then there was always the underlying fear that if the friend found out, they would stop talking to you altogether.

Luckily, most of Chevreuse’s crushes were small and didn’t last long. For instance, there were a couple of weeks when she found herself looking at Clorande a little differently than usual. Or the time her gaze would linger on Lyney for longer than normal…

No matter how deep or passionate the crush, Chevreuse tried to keep her usual attitude around them. Afterall, it would do nothing to feed the fire when there was no hope of having an actual relationship with any of them. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

It would do no good to consider something that would never happen.

Chevreuse woke up to the too-loud birds chirping outside her window. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, light lazily filtering through her thin curtains. She was still under her covers where it was nice and warm, but…

Ugh, no use. She was already awake.

Chevreuse rolled over in her bed with her covers tangled around her body and blindly grabbed for her phone. She squinted at the too bright screen.

7:34 am.

With a loud and unhappy groan, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, dropping her phone on her bed for it to be lost in the comforter. It was too early to be awake on a weekend, but once she was up, there was no falling back asleep.

Chevreuse stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Strands of her hair were sticking up at random angles and the shadows under her eyes seemed darker than usual. She was wearing her purple pajamas with pale stripes and cats adorning it, her shirt wrinkled from sleep.

Chevreuse honestly looked like trash, but just thinking about getting ready for the day made her ten-times more exhausted than she already was. There probably wouldn’t be many people up right now, so she could probably dart downstairs real fast and grab something to drink.

Besides, would it really matter if anyone saw her? Who cares anyway, right?

Slipping on her slippers, she shuffled through the hallway, the dragging of her feet uncomfortably loud. Without anyone else awake, the usual chatter was gone. It felt like she was in an alternate universe or something. Like when you’re in a gas station past midnight and can’t find the person working the register.

The stairs creaked underneath her as she descended. Yawning into her hand, she walked into the very small kitchen it was almost just a counter and a coffee make I guess thats what you get in a dorm… she reached down and grabbed the coffee grounds from inside the cabinets. Or at least she would have if they were where they were supposed to be.

“I swear,” she muttered to herself, standing on the tips of her toes as she searched through the other shelves, “Why can’t people keep things in one spot?”

A slender arm reached over Chevreuse’s head, grabbing the coffee grounds hidden behind other boxes. “Sorry, I think Lyney used them last. Organization isn’t his thing, you know.”

Chevreuse yelped, spinning around to see Chiori standing almost uncomfortably close to her. Her hands let go of the coffee grounds and dropped into Chevreuse’s which she held out.

“Here you go, Chevreuse. This is what you were looking for, right?” she said with an almost illegally cute smile.

Chevreuse was undeniably flustered. Was it the proximity? The smile? Being shown human kindness which was a weak spot for just about anyone? Check all those boxes and more because her face was red and sweaty from all of those.

“Thanks,” she managed to choke out, taking the box from the other girl.

Chiori nodded, her small smile still present. “No problem.”

Looking the other girl up and down, Chevreuse felt painfully embarrassed. She hid her face in the coffee maker, pretending to be very focused on making her drink.

Chiori was already completely dressed and ready for the day. Her hair was tied into her usual overly complicated hairstyle and she was wearing a casual summer dress that somehow went well with her slippers. In a word, she was very pretty even in the ungodly hours of morning.

Meanwhile Chevreuse looked like she woke up from a coma, got into a fight with a raccoon, and lost.

“Chevreuse?”

She jolted before turning her head. “Yes?”

Chiori tilted her head, her eyebrows rasing. “Are you alright? Your coffee has been done for a couple of minutes now.”

Chevreuse looked down and yep, she was right, her cup was full and no longer steaming hot. “O-oh, whoops! Clumsy me!” she said awkwardly, trying to play it off, “Guess I’m not quite awake yet, huh?”

That much was obvious , she thought, mentally kicking herself.

Chiori seemed to buy it, thank God. “I know what you mean. I hardly got a lick of sleep last night.”

Chevreuse, the absolute monster who slept for a solid 11 hours, nodded in agreement. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Were you staying up studying for exams too?”

No. “Oh, yeah, I was! It’s probably going to be difficult for me since this unit hasn’t been my best,” she laughed, scratching the back of her head. “How about you?”

Chiori shrugged, the toaster popping behind her. “I’m not really sure how I’ll do. But it can’t hurt to be ready.”

Chevreuse quickly nodded. “Oh, yeah, I totally get what you mean.” She took a sip of her coffee (before even adding anything to it) and pulled away when her tongue got burnt. She went to the cabinets and fridge and grabbed the sugar, cream, and… Chocolate syrup. Only God could judge her, so zip it.

“Chevreuse, would you like a bagel too?” Chiori asked, holding up the bag. “There is one left and I was wondering if you would like to have it.”

Chevreuse’s brain basically short-circuited even though this was just basic friendly stuff. “Sure! I guess having nothing other than coffee can’t be good for you, can it?” She laughed. Too loud. Too long. Oh my God, shuddup, stop, you’re dragging it on too long!

Next thing she knew, she was sitting at the table with a lukewarm cup of overly-sweet coffee and a golden brown, toasted bagel. Chiori didn’t sit across from Chevreuse, but beside her, holding a butter knife and cream cheese in her hands.

“I didn’t know if you wanted any, but I brought it just in case,” she said, her smile making another dazzling debut.

Chevreuse barely managed not to sputter this time, finally regaining some of her practically nonexistent composure. “Thanks!”

She busied herself with breakfast to keep from talking more and making an even bigger idiot of herself. What was up with her this morning? Was it because it was morning? This amount of sputtering only belonged in a crappy, low-budget romance novel, not real life.

Her eyes ended up wandering over to Chiori who was happily munching on half a bagel and scrolling through fashion articles her phone. Up until now, Chevreuse never noticed how her mouth seemed to always have that curve to it, even when she was relaxed and not really doing anything.

Chiori must have felt her staring, turning her head and setting her phone down on the table. “Is there something wrong?”

Suddenly Chevreuse’s face felt like it was on fire. Should hands get sweaty that fast? That couldn’t be healthy. “O-Oh, nothing, I just…” she trailed off, grabbing at straws for something to say. Hey eyes darted to Chiori’s mouth again. “You just have some cream cheese right here.” She pointed to her own lip.

Chiori’s tongue darted out and wiped it away. She touched her lip briefly. “Did I get it?”

Why does it feel like there’s a furnace in this room?! “Yeah, you got it,” she said, a fake “calm” smile on her face to cover up her internal screaming of embarrassment. Her hands desperately reached out for her cup to take a long sip of coffee.

She was such a mess.

The rest of breakfast passed in silence. Finally, by some sweet act of mercy, Clorande came down the stairs (still in her sleep clothes, thank God) soon followed by Lynette a couple minutes later. Now that it wasn’t just her and Chiori, Chevreuse could finally calm down. Multiple people made this whole situation less awkward.

More people came down and then the usual chatter was partially restored. With everyone else looking as disastrous and trashy as she was, it no longer seemed like a big deal that her hair looked like a rat’s nest or how her pants still had an old stain that never fully came out no matter how many times it was washed.

Chevreuse was listening in on Navia’s and Clorande’s conversation when a hand tapped her shoulder. Turning her head, there were Chiori eyes peeking out over her reading glasses. Suddenly the flush from before was back on Chevreuse’s cheeks and her mouth hung open slightly.

“It was nice having breakfast with you this morning,” she said, only loud enough for Chevreuse to hear, “Let’s do it again sometime.”

All Chevreuse could do was nod dumbly (with her mouth still gaping) before Chiori had already walked away.

Chevreuse recognized the throb of her heart at that moment and automatically squashed it down, clapping her cheeks to her face and shaking her head lightly. Nope, no way, not gonna happen.

“Chevreuse? You look a little red… Do you have a fever?” Navia asked from where she was talking with Clorande, reaching out to touch her forehead.

Chevreuse snapped upright before she could. “Yep! No, I’m totally fine! I just, uh, remembered something I forgot to do.” She stood up from her seat, the chair loudly scraping against the tile. “It was nice talking to you! See you later!”

And with that, she was up the staircase with her dorm door slammed behind her before anyone could start asking her more questions.

Crisis: Averted.

No, this was just another crush. She had dealt with a bazillion of those before. This was not going to be a big deal because eventually, it would dwindle away just like the others or face the wrath of Chevreuse suppressing her emotions. She was just making a big deal out of nothing at this point.

Yep. Nothing else was going to come out of this.

~~~

Well, that was usually the case for most instances. But for whatever reason, this totally minor crush on Chiori had yet to go away despite the multiple weeks that have passed.

Most of the time she totally forgot her crush was a even a thing. Her school day would be going as it usually did and then suddenly something would sneak up and remind her. That something usually the root of the problem: Chiori herself.

Like the time when she came up behind Chevreuse during lunch and patted her head. No explanation, no obvious reason, Chiori just… Did it. And Chevreuse was too busy choking on her own tongue (and food) to ask “why!?”.

But it was a bit harsh to call the crush a “problem”. That could be taken as an insult and Chevreuse didn’t mean for it to be an insult. Afterall, she didn’t hate Chiori. She just couldn’t… Actually, no, that was a lie. She could see herself with Chiori, but it was just…

Chevreuse slapped herself in the middle of taking notes, startling Emile sitting on the desk next to her. She was thinking too hard about this! Stop digging an even deeper hole!

Okay, so this is how it was: Chevreuse’s friends with Chiori, she’s currently crushing on Chiori, but she just isn’t ready for any relationships at the moment and therefore would not act on anything. Besides, what were the chances of Chiori actually liking her back?

… Oh. Well, thinking about it that way made her just a tad bit depressed.

But again, it didn’t matter! The dumb crush would disappear soon and Chevreuse would go back to being her normal, crush-less self.

But as the weeks continued to pass, the chances of that happening kept getting smaller and smaller. Now, encounters with Chiori were daily, whether it was just a simple wave in the morning or getting a surprise hug from behind. Every time without fail, Chevreuse would turn red and trip over her words, effectively embarrassing herself.

She didn’t know how much longer her heart could take this. Chevreuse was even starting to lose sleep over this whole thing which was definitely not good for school.

After a month or two, something else happened.

Chevreuse hadn’t woken up at an ungodly early hour this time, but that didn’t stop her from going downstairs in her pajamas. On the weekends, everyone agreed that pajamas were the standard, almost even required.

All she did was quickly comb through her hair before leaving her room, hopping down the steps one at a time. The lobby was quiet this morning, only a few people talking to each other from their spots on the couch with the TV playing quietly in the background. Everyone else in their class must have gotten permission to go outside of school grounds for the day.

Chevreuse scanned the living room and frowned when she didn’t spot Clorande or Navia on any of the sofas. Maybe they were invited out by other people already? That was okay, Chevreuse had things to do today anyway.

… She actually didn’t, but she could make things to do!

Then her eyes got caught on the all too familiar curls of brown hair sitting on a stool. Chiori’s legs were swinging in the air as she stirred her drink, an uneasy expression on her face.

Chevreuse felt her chest lurch against her will. Was she alright? She looked nervous about something, but nothing came to mind as to what it could be. They didn’t have another test coming up, did they?

Almost as if she knew Chevreuse was staring, Chiori looked up at the staircase and met eyes with her. She must have imagined it, but she could have sworn Chiori jumped in her seat just before smiling up at her.

Well, it would be rude to ignore her.

Chevreuse took a seat next to Chiori, a handful of her classmates saying a short hello. Chiori pushed away her mug, the dark coffee inside barely touched.

“Good morning, Chevreuse.”

Chevreuse returned the smile. Was it too wide? Did she look bad without any makeup on? Oh God, the bags under her eyes must look atrocious. “Good morning to you too, Chiori!”

She must have imagined the way the other’s cheeks flushed.

There was a small moment where nothing was said before Chiori spoke up. “Um, I was wondering if I could ask you for a small favor…” she trailed off, her head down and hands fidgeting in her lap.

With a nod, Chevreuse replied, “Sure, what is it?”

Chiori pulled out her phone and held it up to Chevreuse, a picture up on the screen. “I was hoping you would come into town with me to get this. I know it’s nothing big, but Mr. Neuvillette wouldn’t let me go alone. I already got a permission slip, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

On the screen was a large snow globe. Inside the glass were three foxes of varying sizes perched on a singular rock, flowers blooming from the water. The smallest fox was on top of the largest back like it was getting a piggy-back ride. The pedestal the glass was on was painted dendrobiums and lilies.

“So… You want me to come with you?”

Chiori ducked her face down ever so slightly, her cheeks flushed. “You don’t have to if you’re busy today. I ordered it for a friend in Inazuma since her birthday is soon and I still have to ship it there, but it’s pick-up-only, they said.”

Chevreuse weighed her options. So she had nothing to do today and was being offered a chance to have one-on-one time with a girl she was mega crushing on. Plus, they were going into town and it was for a cause that made her tender heart melt. I mean, a birthday present for her friend? If she said no, that would practically make her a monster.

So what options did that really leave her with?

“Yeah, totally! It sounds like it’ll be fun, so I’ll tag along!”

Chiori let out a sigh of relief, her face relaxing as she lifted her head back up and put away her phone. “Thank you, Chevreuse.”

“Of course!” she said, a huge smile on her face. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous as all hell for this. “Just let me go get dressed and ready before we take off!”

Chiori nodded. “Take your time, we aren’t in a rush.”

“Just give me thirty minutes!” Chevreuse said, hopping off the stool and running up the stairs, “Be right back!”

Meanwhile Chevreuse was resisting the urge to beat her head against a wall.

Those thirty minutes ended up being forty-five as Chevreuse agonized over her wardrobe. How was she supposed to dress for this? Casual? T-shirt and jeans? Probably not sweatpants, that was too sloppy. Why were all of her shirts so faded and gross?

Well, what exactly was she dressing for? Wait, was this a date? Holy hell, was she going on a date right now? No, no way. This wasn’t a date, it was just an outing with Chiori to get a present for her friend. Her and Chiori. Going out. Alone. Together.

Holy shit she couldn’t believe she just agreed to this. She still couldn’t decide if this was the best or worst decision of her life.

In the end, she settled on a mint green pair of shorts, white tank top, and a matching unbuttoned flannel shirt to cover her arms. She was a little self conscious of them, so this was a good compromise while still looking sort of cute. All that and not like she was desperate to look good.

Another brush through her hair and a quick slap of concealer and she was bounding down the stairs, her face glowing while her stomach was a mess of butterflies.

Chiori was waiting for her in front of the building, typing something on her phone with the same uneasy expression from before. When she spotted Chevreuse, she quickly put her phone away and stood up straight, the smile back once again.

Chiori was wearing a pair of overalls with the cuffs rolled up and a large pocket sewn on the chest. Underneath she wore a light orange shirt with a brand name written across the top. Her shoes were just an old pair of white converse that somehow pulled her whole outfit together. Her hair wasn't tied up like usual, stray strands framing her face.

Chevreuse would be lying if she didn’t think Chiori looked like a whole snack at the moment. She kept that thought in the back of her mind, choosing to dwell on it later.

“You ready to go?” Chevreuse said, her hands together behind her back. She felt like she might explode with nerves, but kept up her happy smile anyway.

Luckily, she wasn’t the only one nervous, but was too busy panicking to realize it.

Chiori nodded her head and pointed outside the school gates. “There’s a train coming in just a couple minutes that we can catch. Do you have your pass?”

“Yep!” Chevreuse fished it out of her pocket with a grin. “Let’s go!”

They boarded the train in a peaceful silence, both of them too consumed with their thoughts to even try to start a conversation. Chevreuse hoped it wasn’t too obvious how anxious she was. If she kept twisting the hem of her flannel any more it would probably tear.

There was an announcement overhead just before the doors closed, the train starting with a jolt and swaying the passengers inside. Chevreuse accidentally bumped into Chiori, her hand reaching out to steady herself only to land on the other girl’s leg.

Chevreuse jolted upright, her face beet red and sweaty. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, it was an accident, I swear!”

“It’s alright, it was just the train,” Chiori said, face focused on the window in front of her.

If it was socially acceptable, Chevreuse would be beating her head on the glass until it shattered. Way to start this thing (date?) off. Let’s just feel Chiori up and then embarrass her. God, she was absolutely awful.

Okay, her mind popped in, but is this a date?

Chevreuse slapped her hands to her face again, her body overheating at this point. Chiori gave her a concerned look, but left it at that and looked down at her phone, typing away at something.

This wasn’t a date, it was just a nice, friendly outing. Why did Chevreuse always have to blow things out of proportion? She already rationalized this earlier that morning.

Running away from her thoughts, Chevreuse turned over her shoulder to look out the windows. She busied herself by looking at the skyscrapers off in the distance and tried to count them all. The sun was bright that day and the sky was full of full, fluffy clouds.

Chevreuse hadn’t checked the forecast, but she hoped it wouldn’t rain or the two of them might be screwed cause she sure didn’t remember to bring an umbrella.

Soon, the warm sun and vibrations of the train made her tired. She yawned into her hand and scrubbed at her eyes trying to stay awake. Sometimes she felt like she was a cat cause man… Those sunspots on the carpet in the middle of the day? Perfect napping material right there. Free real estate.

The train came to a stop, jerking everyone again. Chiori bumped Chevreuse’s shoulder gently, not saying sorry but instead smiling. Chevreuse faced forward and almost stood up before she was pulled back down into her seat.

“We still have two more stops to go.”

Chevreuse nodded while feeling stupid. She hadn’t even bothered to ask which stop they were going to. “Right, silly me!”

Yeah, just smile and laugh then maybe she won’t think you’re a complete and total moron. Solid planning.

The train started again just a minute later, Chevreuse having some restraint this time and not flinging herself all over Chiori. She noisily peeked over to the side where the other girl had her phone out, curious as to what she was doing on there. Thinking back, she had been typing on it a lot today.

Maybe she was talking to someone?

Wait, she was supposed to be hanging out with Chevreuse! Not texting someone else! All of her attention should be on her and nobody else’s because Chiori invited her to come with her, not some wannabe thot from class trying to mooch her girl away-

Okay, that was enough. Chevreuse pulled in the reins of jealousy running wild in her head, too tired to even bother unpacking all of that crap. Mooch her girl away… What the actual- Did that even- No, don’t dwell on it, just shut up.

But Chevreuse still wondered who Chiori could be talking to. Maybe it was her family? No, if they were in on the present, then why didn’t they come with Chiori to get the snow globe instead? A classmate, then? But who?

A voice popped up in the back of her head. What if she liked this person? Like-like, ya-know?

Wow, who knew you could feel jealous, depressed, and curious all at once? It was like a party of self-deprivation in Chevreuse’s head that second. It was starting to give her whiplash with how fast her mood was changing.

Glancing at Chiori’s phone screen again, Chevreuse caught a glimpse of the contact name before the other girl turned off her phone, sticking it back in the large front pocket of her overalls. If she could have, Chevreuse would have snapped her fingers. Darn, foiled again.

The train came to another stop. Just one more and then they’d get off.

The silence between them started to get to Chevreuse, but she couldn’t think of a conversation starter to save herself. What the hell do you do to engage with people?

Chevreuse turned to Chiori with her elbow propped up, leaning her head against her fist. “So,” she smirked in a flirty manner with a smooth wink, “Bread. Thoughts?”

Chevreuse tried hard not to slap herself, instead putting her face in her hands. No, that was so stupid. Was she always this awkward or was it just Chiori who did this to her? Oh no, this crush was so out of her control that it wasn’t even funny. Had any of her old crushes ever been this bad before?

A hand lightly touched Chevreuse’s back and she jolted upright, her stomach flipping when she was met with Chiori’s face so close to her own. “Are you alright, Chevreuse? We should head back if you aren’t feeling well…”

Oh God, she could see the concern in her eyes and she could basically count the number of eyelashes she had. Oh no, she was so gay- “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Chevreuse sputtered, waving her hands like a maniac.

She scratched the back of her head. “I just stayed up really late last night and so the vibrations of the train are making me really sleepy and so I’m just trying to keep myself awake but you know it’s really hard because the train is so comfortable, you know?” Oh my God. Stop with the word vomit!

Apparently Lady Luck wasn’t on Chevreuse’s side today because Chiori didn’t look all that convinced. “If you’re that tired, then maybe we should go back…” Her brow creased as she looked down, a sad look in her eye. “I’m sorry for making you come out with me when you weren’t up to it.”

“What?!” Chevreuse squawked, drawing the heads of half the other passengers in the train. She covered her mouth and nodded in their directions, apologizing silently. Christ, everyone must think she’s sunburnt because of how many times her face has been flushed today. There had to be some sort of health problems coming from this.

She shook her head and refocused herself. Chevreuse clapped her hands on Chiori’s shoulders, making the other girl snap her head up. “Chiori, you didn’t force me to do anything! I came here because I wanted to! It’s fun hanging out with you!”

Chiori’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

Chevreuse shook the other girl back and forth. “Of course I’m sure, why else would I be saying it?!”

“O-Oh, well… Thank you then, Chevreuse,” Chiori replied, her smile too wide for her face. “But if you really don’t feel well at any time, tell me.”

Chevreuse lightly elbowed Chiori, sticking out her tongue. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ve pulled too many all-nighters for this to even remotely affect me.”

The train jerked to another stop, Chiori bumping into Chevreuse again. This time though, she didn’t pull away. She just let her head rest against Chevreuse’s shoulder, not dignifying it with an explanation.

“So the next stop is ours, do you have your stuff together?” Chiori said, still not moving her head.

Actual human physical contact from her crush had made Chevreuse’s brain shut down, so it took her literal second to think of a response. “Ah, yeah, I only brought my phone and some money, so I’m good.”

“And your train pass?”

“I put it in my phone case. You know that thing people say how your phone can somehow mess with your card and make it not work? I’ve tested it and that is a whole dang lie. A full blown myth.” Chevreuse turned up her palms and sighed. “My mom made me paranoid for half my life and turns out it isn’t even true. What gives?”

Chiori hummed in response and Chevreuse shivered when she could feel it. “Well I’ve heard of it happening before. It once happened to my dad and he couldn’t get to work that day.” Chiori grinned mostly to herself. “I found it hilarious, but he sure didn’t.”

“So maybe your phone is a weak phone and my dad’s phone has radioactive abilities,” Chiori… Joked? Was that a joke? Chevreuse honestly couldn’t tell from how stone-faced she was as she said it, but laughed anyway.

“Maybe I’m glad my phone is weak because I can’t even imagine what I would do if I was your dad. I’d just lie down and die right then and there.”

“I think that’s a little dramatic.”

Chevreuse slapped a hand to her chest. “Oh, you wound me so. Such harsh words.” The train stopped for the last time right as she hit herself, making them both blink in surprise. “Chiori, I think I’m a wizard.”

Chiori chuckled, finally lifting her head from Chevreuse’s shoulder. Chevreuse let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, standing up and checking her pockets just to quadruple-check she had everything.

She took a step forward and felt her knee almost give out. Darn legs, all her muscles had suddenly relaxed after being tense for so long and now suddenly she was a newborn deer.

The two girls got off the train and exited the station, stepping into one of the many shopping districts in town. The streets were full of people of all kinds, some of them locals others tourists. Shops lined up and down both sides selling a variety of products. Chevreuse walked past one of the small food shops and felt her mouth water.

“Hey, Chiori, you want to share a crepe?” Chevreuse asked, already fishing her money out of her pocket. Sharing is caring, right? It’s not like she had an ulterior motive of not wanting to eat the whole thing herself and feel like a fatass. Plus, being generous to her crush… Made her heart flutter.

Wait, no crushing. That was a rule now.

Chiori held a finger to her chin. “Sure. What kind were you getting?”

“Oh, um,” Chevreuse looked up at the menu, not having looked at anything before asking, “Do you like strawberries?”

Chiori nodded, her face just as stoic as ever.

“Then how about the strawberry crepe?” Chevreuse said, not bothering to hide the way she looked at other people nearby eating the same kind. “It looks hella good.”

“Oh, should we put chocolate on it?” Hook, line, and sinker, that’s a yes, she gets to share food with Chiori!

“Hell yeah! One second, I’ll be right back!”

Less than five minutes later and with a lighter pocket, Chevreuse came back with their snack. It was wrapped in thin paper and held together with a strawberry sticker. The crepe was shaped into a cone with whip cream towering out of it, piled high with strawberries and drizzled with chocolate.

Chevreuse held up two forks. “The guy said it might be hard to eat, so he gave me these,” she handed one to Chiori, “You want to sit down?”

The sun overhead made Chiori’s face seem flushed. It wasn’t too hot out, but maybe it was because of the thick overalls she was wearing. She nodded and pointed to a table. “Let’s sit there, Chevreuse.”

They both took a seat and dug into their treat, Chevreuse holding it steady and Chiori nabbed a couple of strawberries off the top. She stabbed one and scooped up the cream onto it, happily munching it down.

This was so nice…

… And somehow sickeningly romantic.

But for whatever reason, Chevreuse allowed herself to revel in it. Maybe it was the way the sun filtered through the colored umbrella overhead or maybe it was just the sugar getting in her system. She cupped her cheek in her hand and took a deep breath in, wishing she could stay like this forever.

She snapped out of it when Chiori took the crepe from her hand, taking it in her own. “Is it okay if I have the first bite?”

Chevreuse blinked, taking a second to come back down to Earth from her momentary heavenly bliss. “Oh, sure, go ahead! I don’t mind.”

Chiori munched down and hummed happily at the taste, her eyes trained on the crepe as she munched away. She licked away some of the cream on her lip before handing the cone out. “Here, have some.”

Oh God, maybe it was really hot outside. Chevreuse pulled Chiori’s hand closer before taking a bite, hoping the other girl didn’t notice how clammy she was. She took another bite and let go of Chiori’s hand.

Both of them were too embarrassed to look each other in the eyes after that whole exchange, which was unfortunate...

Chevreuse cleared her throat. “That’s really good! Maybe we should come back here again.” Oh my God am I asking her out on a future date?!

“Yeah, their fruit is really fresh,” Chiori took another bite, “I wonder where they get it?”

The two of them kept up that awkward small talk until Chevreuse took the last bite, throwing away the wrapper. Now that it was almost midday, the street was overly crowded with people.

They headed down the street until they came to a fork in the road. Chevreuse was about to head left before Chiori grabbed her hand, taking her down the middle. “The shop is this way, actually.”

Chevreuse followed, her mind hyper focused on the feeling of Chiori’s hand holding her own. She never noticed until now, but they were actually larger than hers. And surprisingly soft…

Further down this road and the crowd started to thin out. Now there were less tourists and more locals, all going in and out of shops. One couple was walking with their child, swinging him with their arms. An elderly man sitting outside his store made eye contact with Chevreuse, glancing down at their intertwined hands and smiling as if he knew something they didn’t.

Even when the crowd was gone, Chiori didn’t let go. Call it indulgent, but Chevreuse didn’t move away from it either. They walked down the road side-by-side now, a bubbly feeling in both of their chests as they talked about mundane things.

“Did you notice Lynette’s new piercings?”

Chiori tapped her chin. “I don’t think so. Does her father know?”

“No!” Chevreuse snickered. “She’s absolutely going to kill her when she finds out. Or, actually, maybe not. I’ve heard she is pretty chill… Mine would actually kill me though.”

Chiori grinned at that. “I think my mother would be fine with it, but my father would flip,” she paused, “Mostly because my siblings would try to follow in my footsteps. Especially my brother.”

“How old is he now?”

“He’s ten. It’s a bit early, but he’s already going through his emo phase. Has the haircut and everything. Here, let me show you,” Chiori said, letting go of Chevreuse’s hand (much to her distraught).

Chiori fished into her overall’s pocket and pulled out her phone, quickly typing in her password. Chevreuse noticed she was still on the messaging app, but looked away and pretended not to.

After a couple of clicks and swipes, Chiori held up her phone. “These are my siblings. I haven’t seen them in a while since I moved away from Inazuma”

Chevreuse took the phone. On the screen she saw three kids. The tallest was Chiori, dressed in a flowy light pink dress. Next to her must have been her brother who hadn’t gotten his growth spurt yet. And just like Chiori said, he had the emo haircut. It covered one of his eyes and everything.

Then on the far right was most likely Chiori’s little sister. Chevreuse could say with all honesty she was the cutest kid she’s ever seen. Her hair was parted into two small pigtails low on her head, her eyes still full of childhood innocence. She wore a green dress that had a yellow sash in the middle, the ribbon dragging on the ground.

“Oh my gosh, they’re so cute!” Chevreuse wisperd. “What’re their names?”

“My brother is Samidare and my sister is Satsuki. My mom picked their names and my dad picked mine.”

Chevreuse could have sworn she was getting a toothache. “That’s so sweet! Here, have your phone back,” she handed it over, Chiori putting it back in her pocket. “I don’t have any sibling so I think it’s nice…”

“Oh,” Chiori started, taking Chevreuse’s hand back in hers, “So you’re an only child?”

Oh sweet gods above, she took her hand again was this a sign? Was she looking too far into it? One thing was for sure she was so hella GAY- “Y-Yeah, I’m the only one!” What kind of a response was that?!

Chiori hummed in thought, “I remember being an only child when I was younger. Then Samidare came in the picture. But I never disliked him, even if he tested my patience multiple times…” she sighed, Chevreuse trying not to giggle.

“Oh, we’re here,” Chiori said, pointing up at a shop sign. In loopy letters it said All Around the Globe. Just peering inside the window, Chevreuse could see all sorts of trinkets of varying sides.

Chiori pushed open the glass door, a high-pitched bell chiming above their heads. A sweet woman with bright pink hair piled ontop of her head ran to the counter quickly, brushing herself off.

“Welcome! How can I help you lovely ladies today?” she said cheerily, her lips shiny with lip gloss.

“Pickup, please. Under Chiori.”

The woman snapped her fingers with a wink. “Ah, I know you! You’re the one who wanted the custom order! I tell you, I had some trouble with it, but I managed.” She thumped her chest heartily.

“Feel free to look. I’m going in the back to get your globe, alright, Chiori?”

Chiori nodded. “Thank you!”

Chevreuse tapped the other girl’s shoulder. “One sec, I wanna go look at that other stuff she was talking about. Wanna come?”

Chiori shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Chevreuse shrugged. “Your loss.”

She bounded over to the racks, genuinely curious as to what other little things the artist made.
Hanging from the racks were all sorts of earrings, bracelets, and keychains. Chevreuse was particularly interested in the keychains because of their adorable designs. One of them was a small bee painted with a big smile on its face. There was another one with a flying pig.

She turned the rack and was surprised to hear some of them jingling. Picking up the bee, it rang through the shop loudly. Oh that was painfully cute.

The lady came back up to the counter at that moment, setting the snowglobe down carefully. “Here you go! I let my customers inspect it before wrapping it up, so have at it!”

Even from a distance, Chevreuse could see the amount of detail put into it. Although it looked larger in person than it did in the picture.

Chiori picked it up and shook it, seemingly satisfied. She turned it upside down and looked at the bottom of the pedestal. Chevreuse was confused at first until Chiori started twisting a knob and set it back down, a music box playing as the sparkles rained down in the globe.

The artist rested her arms on the counter, her head in her hands as she admired her own work. “It really is one of my favorite designs. And I hadn’t ever made a music box before, so it was fun to learn.”

Chiori smiled wide. “Thank you, it’s perfect.”

Chevreuse smiled at the exchange. The snow globe really was beautiful and the tune somehow matched with the design. It was childhood-like and familiar, but she couldn’t think of a name to save herself. She turned back to the rack when something caught her eye and an idea popped into her head.

“I’ll go ahead and wrap this for you. It’s kinda heavy, so be careful and don’t drop it, okay?” she said with another wink.

Chiori handed over the money and she was given the back, carefully holding it as to not jostle it too much. She turned around. “Chevreuse, are you ready to go?”

She ran over to the counter with her face suddenly pink, her hands hidden behind her back. “You go ahead! I’m just buying something real fast! I won’t be too long!” Was she rambling? She was totally rambling. It sounded suspicious even to her own ears.

And she could totally see it on Chiori’s face too, but she shrugged. “Okay. I’ll meet you outside.”

Chevreuse waited until the other girl was out the door before showing her hands. Down on the counter, she placed a small keychain she had gotten from a rack. It was a pear-shaped bell painted as a cat, the cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling. It smiled at nothing with its tummy painted white.

“How much does this cost?” Chevreuse asked a little too quickly.

The woman grinned, her gaze drifting out the door. “Is this a present for little miss Chiori?”

Chevreuse’s eyes looked out the door, relaxing when she saw that Chiori was just on her phone again. “Yeah.”

“You got a crush on her?”

“Yeah,” Chevreuse sighed out before even realizing what she said. But when it did register, she felt her heart leap into her throat and sputtered, “Wait, wait, wait! No, I mean- It isn’t- I didn’t!”

The woman only chuckled and smiled serenely to herself. “You don’t have to lie, I can see it from a mile away. Both of you… Anyway, go ahead and take it. Free of charge.”

Chevreuse blinked in disbelief. “Wait, seriously? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” she said with a small shrug, “Nobody else is gonna want it. Besides, I’m always a supporter of young love.” She picked up the bell and put it in Chevreuse’s palm, curling her fingers around it.

“Go have fun today, kiddo.”

Chevreuse, still in disbelief, nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yes! Absolutely! Thank you so, so much!”

Takeuchi just waved her hand, a grin still stretched across her face. “Hope to see you again soon!”

Chevreuse shoved the keychain into her pocket before pushing open the door with another loud chime of the bell overhead. Chiori’s head snapped up, eyes locking with Chevreuse’s as she hastily put her phone back in her pocket.

“You ready to head back?”

Chevreuse playfully kicked at the ground, her hands behind her back. “Yep,” she said, popping the p , “Let’s go.”

They walked back up the road they came, not holding hands this time much to Chevreuse’s dismay. The sky overhead seemed darker than it was before, dark clouds rolling in from the horizon. People were already taking cover inside shops, but the two girls pushed through oblivious.

They had made it back to the fork in the road when the first drops fell from the sky. One had managed to lands on Chevreuse’s nose just before the rainfall became heavier, the water already pooling on the pavement.

Their leisurely walking became a light jog and then a full-on sprint through the wet street, their shoes splashing in the puddles. Chiori almost slipped, but Chevreuse grabbed her before she fell, holding her upright by the shoulders.

“You okay?”

Chiori nodded, slightly out of breath. “Yeah, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Thank you.”

The cool water wasn’t enough to fight the heat of her cheeks. Thinking fast, she shimmied off her already half-soaked flannel and held it over Chiori’s head.

“Here, take this.”

Chiori took it, but snatched Chevreuse’s hand last minute, pulling her closer. They were suddenly pressed together side by side, their bodies cold. Chevreuse could see the flush of Chiori’s cheeks, feeling hers do the same when the other girl looked at her.

“Here, take one of the sleeves,” the Chiori said, lifting the other above herself.

“Oh, uh- Yeah, okay,” Chevreuse stuttered.

Now with their makeshift umbrella that in reality didn’t protect them from the rain at all, they continued sprinting, the store owners watching the two girls from the safety of indoors.

Even if the flannel didn’t help whatsoever, neither of them lowered their arms even for a second. It was the exhilaration of being so close to each other that numbed them, not the biting chill of the air around them. Even if they bumped into each other as they moved, they didn’t shy away. If anything, they grew closer.

The small moment was nothing. Hardly significant, if at all. But Chevreuse could feel herself high on ecstasy.

Eventually though, the moment had to come to an end. They reached the train station just in time to see their train pull away, just the two of them completely drenched and dripping standing on the platform.

Chevreuse let her hand drop, the soggy flannel dropping onto Chiori’s head with a slap .

“Oh God, sorry! I wasn’t thinking! Here, I’ll just take it back,” Chevreuse panicked, sloppily folding up the soaked garment and draping it over her arm.

“It’s fine,” Chiori said calmly, “It’s not like I’m not already wet.”

Chevreuse laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. My clothes feel like a second skin right now.”

Chiori glanced down and her face suddenly exploded with red, the girl snapping her head the other way. “Um, Chevreuse, you might want to put your flannel back on, even if it is wet.”

Confused, Chevreuse looked down at her own clothes. In the midst of her marathon through the rain with her mega-crush, she had completely forgotten what she was wearing. A light tank top plus water equals…

With a small, embarrassed yelp, she quickly tugged on her flannel and buttoned it up as fast as she could. Thank goodness they were the only ones at the station at that moment…

“T-Thank you, Chiori,” she choked out.

Chiori cleared her throat, her face still red. “It’s no problem. Here, let’s sit down. The next train should be here in just a couple of minutes.”

They took a seat at a (thankfully) dry bench, shivering. Chevreuse felt bad for Chiori since her overalls must be super heavy from all the rainwater. Plus denim took forever to dry, so she would have to change as soon as they got back to the dorms.

As for her… She would definitely have to do the same.

A chime sounded from the speakers overhead. Train B has been delayed by fifteen minutes.

Chevreuse slouched, her elbow resting on her knee and her chin resting in her hand. “Well ain’t that just great,” she said sarcastically.

Chiori simply shrugged, her body also trembling despite her trying to hide it. “It won’t be too bad.”

Chevreuse pouted. Sue her, she was impatient. Yeah, she knew it was because of the rain, but she was going to throw all the blame on the trains.

Or actually, no, she was gonna sue the rain. Yeah, she’s gonna square the hell up with a rain cloud since the weather decided to literally rain on her parade. Their date- Their outing was ruined now. They could have walked back holding hands again with big grins on their faces, but nooo.

She sighed long and deep. Cool metal pressed at her thigh from in her pocket and she touched it lightly. She still had that bell to give to Chiori, but now that she had it, she didn’t actually know when to give it.

Right now probably wasn’t the right time. Soaking wet, cold, and miserable waiting for a delayed train. Yeah, romantic.

Chevreuse closed her eyes. She would just hold onto it and wait.

She suddenly shot upright. “Oh crap! Is the snowglobe okay?! The wrapping didn’t get wet, did it?”

Chiori blinked, shaking her head. She held the bag in her lap, the plastic wrapped around multiple times. She opened it up, showing a styrofoam block. “She put it in this, but I wrapped it up in the bag just in case, so I think it’s fine.”

Chevreuse let out a sigh of relief, pressing a hand to her chest. “Oh thank goodness! Oh, and your phone too?” She fished out her own, holding it in front of her face. “Mine has a waterproof case, so I’m covered.”

Chiori grabbed her phone from her large front pocket, turning on the screen just in time for a notification to pop up with a loud buzz.

Lyney: hey! hows ur date going? Isnt it raining rn?

Immediately, the world went silent. Chevreuse snapped her head away, her mind-numbingly blank. Lyney texted Chiori… About… Date.

Then she felt her mind implode.

She jerked her head towards Chiori, the other girl’s face expressionless and pale, her hands gripping her phone tight as if she was trying to crush it. The phone buzzed again, but she didn’t look at the screen this time, instead squeezing it harder.

“Chiori…”

“You read it, didn’t you?” Chiori said, her voice low and sad.

“Uh- Y-Yeah, I did. But-”

“I’m sorry,” Chiori cut in, “I asked you to come with me and it was just some delusional fantasy and I hoped-” Her voice hitched. “I didn’t even stop to think… If you liked boys or girls I just…”

“I’m sorry for never stopping to consider your feelings, Chevreuse. You can hate me if you want to.”

“But why would I hate you when I feel the same way?!” Chevreuse yelled, quickly slapping her hands over her mouth.

Chiori stared openly, some of the light back in her eyes. “You do?”

Oh God, she had totally blurted that out without even thinking. “I-I mean, yeah, I’ve had a crush on you for about I think, like, a couple months? Maybe longer? I was trying to suppress it all cause like, I didn’t know if you’d ever return my feelings cause, I mean, I dunno, why would you? And I’m just super flustered and I don’t even know what I’m saying right now so I’ll just shut up,” Chevreuse ended lamely, her face beet red.

She totally just word vomited all over Chiori, didn’t she?

But the other girl didn’t even look phased, instead looking at Chevreuse with wide eyes, her mouth agape. It was as if Chiori was seeing her in a new light and honestly, Chevreuse felt the same. The air between them was warm and they both felt suspended in time.

Chiori went first. “So do you… Do you like me too?”

Chevreuse swallowed past the lump in her throat, her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest. “Y-Yeah. Yes. I really, really like you.”

Oh wow, she actually said it.

To Chiori’s face .

But unlike what she had imagined in the past, Chiori didn’t look disgusted. She didn’t look like she was seconds away from cutting Chevreuse off. She wasn’t brushed off. There was no ridicule. Instead, Chiori looked…

She looked so incredibly happy. And it only made Chevreuse’s heart beat faster.

And then suddenly there were tears forming from Chiori’s eyes, wet laughter bubbling up from in her chest as she wiped her cheeks.

Chevreuse shot up to attention, unsure what to do and letting her hands hover. “Oh God, did I do something wrong? Are you okay?”

Chiori sniffed and shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong, Chevreuse. I’m just…” she looked up with a huge smile on her lips, “I’m just so happy right now.”

Taking a leap, Chevreuse held Chiori’s cheek, wiping a stray tear from her face with her thumb. They were only a couple of centimeters apart, but somehow it was different this time. The tension from before was gone, Chiori melting into the touch and Chevreuse doing the same.

Hesitantly, Chiori held Chevreuse’s free hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. Their eyes were locked together, neither of them moving any closer, both holding their breath in wait.

Then, the train came rushing down the track at that moment, screeching to a stop.

Chevreuse forcibly had to rip her eyes away, suddenly overly conscious of how close they were together. She couldn’t see herself in the mirror, but she prayed to any higher being that her waterproof mascara pulled through and she didn’t look like a raccoon.

She felt’s Chiori’s hand tighten around hers before slipping away, grabbing the long-forgotten snowglobe and tucking her accursed phone back in her pocket. It was when the other girl pulled away and stood up when the cool air settled into Chevreuse’s bones, sending a shiver up her spine.

… She really wished that the train hadn’t chosen that moment to pull up. Talk about awful timing. Next on her square up list would be the conductor.

“Let’s go,” Chiori said, turning to the train.

Chevreuse jumped to her feet and followed, letting out a relieved sigh when she looked around the train. There weren’t too many people onboard, only the stragglers that hadn’t managed to escape the rain, just like them. So there were plenty of seats.

Chevreuse took the seat next to Chiori, suddenly feeling awkward again.

So… What now?

“Lyney was the one who encouraged me to do it, you know,” Chiori started, looking down at her lap.

The train lurched forward at that time, almost sending Chevreuse out of her seat. Christ, she really did need to fight this conductor. “What do you mean? Do what?”

“To ask you to go out on a- Or, um, to go in town with me,” she backtracked, quickly covering up her mistake. It was still too embarrassing for both of them to call it a date just yet.

Chevreuse blinked. “Lyney did? Wait, he knew?!”

Chiori ducked her head, scratching the back of her neck bashfully. “Yeah, I don’t think I was being too subtle. Plus, you know how he is. He basically picked me apart until he figured it out on his own.”

“And then he helped me plan this whole thing and…” Chiori trailed off, her voice growing quieter, “He kinda gave me the courage to ask you to come with me.”

Chevreuse pondered over this for a minute. “Well, I’m glad he did.”

“Really?”

Chevreuse nodded. “Well, yeah. For one, it was super fun hanging out with you, even if we did get rained on in the end,” she began, glancing out the window with a soft smile, “But also because if he hadn’t, then maybe we would have never…” Crap, she didn’t know how to finish it, waving her hands trying to think of a word, “You know!”

Yep. Way to say it, Chevreuse. Such a woman of words.

But now that they had… cough, confessed, cough, to each other, that just left a pile of unanswered questions. The one sitting at the very top being so what next? And right below it: are we… A thing?

“Yeah… I know what you mean,” Chiori said, snapping Chevreuse out of her thoughts.

“And so… All those times in the cafeteria and the,” she patted the top of her head in demonstration, “Ya’know, pats? Was that all…?”

Chiori’s face blushed all the way to her neck, the usually-stoic-now-flustered girl hiding in her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no! Don’t be sorry!”

“No, no, I probably weirded you out with all of that,” Chiori groaned, peeking out from behind her fingers, “To be honest, I didn’t really know what I was doing at first either. I think I just wanted to be closer to you, I just didn’t know how.”

Chevreuse hummed. “Oh, so that’s what it was. Well, that’s not the reason I was expecting.”

“What exactly were you expecting?” Chiori asked, finally lowering her hands.

Chevreuse stuck out her lips and lightly tapped Chiori’s knee with her own. “I dunno… Honestly the only thing I could think of was you were pranking me somehow.” She crossed her arms. “My dad used to make me flustered a lot when I was a kid ‘cause he liked seeing my face turn all red. Said I looked like a tomato.”

Chiori tried to hold back a laugh, but it ended up getting caught in her throat. “Well, he’s not wrong…”

“Now I’m being attacked from all sides! I can’t trust anybody anymore!” Chevreuse cried dramatically, throwing her hands in the air and catching the attention of the few other passengers. Except this time, she didn’t care as much.

“Well…” Chiori pressed her knee against Chevreuse’s, not moving it away, “I think it’s cute if you don’t mind me saying.”

The feeling of wet denim against Chevreuse’s knee for some ungodly reason sent her heart pounding and racing, seconds away from jumping out her throat and then possibly out the moving train. She looked down at the frayed ends of her shorts before pressing back, all too aware of how long it’s been since she had shaved last.

“I don’t think I mind.”

~~~

Chevreuse could not fall asleep.

She had been alternating between tossing and turning in her bed and scrolling through her phone for a couple of hours now, the clock stabbing her eyes as it told her how ungodly late it was. Well, technically early if you thought about it.

Meh, matter of perspective.

But seriously, she was exhausted, but her mind refused to give her even a second of silence.

After they had gotten back to the dorms, both of them had very awkwardly parted ways to go change out of their soggy clothes. It was obvious the two of them wanted to keep talking, but they also wanted to avoid getting sick.

Honestly though, Chevreuse would rather put up with some fever than have to deal with all this uncertainty sitting in her gut like a brick.

They hadn’t been able to talk about anything on the train ride. Mostly because the two of them were too scared, but also because it seemed too weird to do all of that in public. Probably for the best, but still.

Chevreuse grabbed the small cat from on her nightstand, the bell jingling loudly in her otherwise quiet room. She held it up above her head before sighing, holding it close to her chest.

She was half tempted to go beat on Chiori’s door and demand answers. Just because they confessed didn’t mean jack shit cause there was still so many details. Like, did this make them girlfriends? Holy shit, did she have a girlfriend now? Was she even ready for a girlfriend?!

Chevreuse took a deep breath. No, calm down. That was the whole reason she was awake was that she didn’t know if she had a girlfriend… yet.

She hugged a pillow to her chest and pouted, shoving her face in it. They made this whole ‘getting together’ thing seem a lot easier in books. Usually, it was just the two love interests saying “ey bby ily”, kissing, and bam, suddenly they’re married.

Then again… There’s no way that would be even remotely realistic. All those trashy romance novels she read in middle school have a way of coming back to haunt her.

Finally admitting she probably wasn’t going to get any sleep that night, she got up from her bed, pocketed the bell, and dragged her pillow with her, deciding to go get some water from the kitchen.

The hallway lights were dimly lit so she could see, but it still felt odd to be awake this late. She could hear snoring behind certain doors and smiled to herself, packing it away for teasing material.

The stairs creaked under her feet and she ducked her head down to look into the lobby. The TV was still on, an old movie with bad CGI playing on the screen. Maybe someone had left it on and forgot about it before going to bed.

Ignoring it, she stepped into the kitchen, turning on a light with a click of the lightswitch. She didn’t bother being quiet as she grabbed ice, knowing that nobody could hear her from up in their rooms.

There was a groan from behind her, right where the living room area was. She jumped and swiveled around, clutching her pillow close, ready to use it as a weapon.

But instead of an intruder or some cranky ghost, a familiar head of green hair sat up from one of the couches, long green hair unusually disheveled. The girl looked over her shoulder and met eyes with Chevreuse, both their eyes widening.

“Chevreuse?” Chiori said, her voice still rough from sleep, “What are you doing up?”

“I was just uh,” she cleared her throat, her mouth dry, “getting some water.”

Her voice sounded so loud to her ears. She couldn’t think of anything to say and judging by Chiori’s silence, neither could she.

Well, today was already weird as it was. Why not make it even more so? Doubt? Get out of town, it’s early morning. Nobody needs liquid courage when you have sleep deprivation.

Padding across the cold wooden floor, Chevreuse walked into the living room area, standing in front of the couch where Chiori had fallen asleep. The green haired girl looked up at her, hard to read as always.

Chevreuse realized this was the first time she had ever seen Chiori in her pajamas. They weren’t anything fancy, just a pair of sports shorts and an old, faded t-shirt, but she thought they looked great anyway.

“Could I… Can I sit next to you?”

Chiori scooted over and nodded, hugging one of the throw pillows to her chest. Chevreuse sat closer than she meant to, her thigh pressed against Chiori’s. And even if there was plenty of empty space left, she didn’t want to move away. Seemingly, neither did Chiori, the other girl even leaning in closer.

Chevreuse took a sip of her water before setting the glass down on the coffee table. She hugged her own pillow too, about to relax her head on Chiori’s shoulder before ultimately deciding not to… Even if she really wanted.

“What are you watching?”

Wow, idiotic question right off the bat. Well, that could count as the ‘can I sit next to you’ thing, but it fits too.

Unsurprisingly, Chiori shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. I fell asleep down here by accident after I turned on the TV. I didn’t watch it for very long because, well…” She ducked her face away, “I couldn’t really focus on it.”

Chevreuse huffed a laugh. “Trust me, I think I know what you mean.”

The TV continued to blare. Chevreuse turned her attention to it, but was immediately lost. The plot looked too complicated to fit in just a 2 hour period. Besides, she probably didn’t have the attention capacity for it right now.

“Chevre-”

“Chio-”

They both shut their mouths with a snap, their cheeks flushed. “Go ahead,” Chevreuse said.

“No, it’s okay, you go.”

Ah, crap. Was she ready for this talk? Probably not, but there was no going back. Crossing her fingers, she blurted, “So, I know we c-confessed to each other and all… Like, you know how I feel about you and I know how you feel about me it’s just…” Her sentence withered away and she took a deep breath, “What are we now?”

“What… Are we?”

“Y-Yeah,” Chevreuse stuttered, drawing her knees up to her chest, “Like, are we still friends? Dating? P-Partners?”

“I don’t think we are cowboys.”

Chevreuse laughed too long and too loud at that joke, her eyes tearing up. God, it was too late and she was just a whirlwind of emotions.

“Yeah, I don’t think we are cowboys either.” Genius contribution.

Chiori hummed to herself, kicking her feet. “To be honest, I don’t know what we are either. Don’t people usually become girlfriends after confessing?”

Chevreuse’s heart jumped into her throat. “Do you want to be?”

Chiori’s legs stilled. “I… Don’t know.”

Aaaand there goes Chevreuse’s high hopes crashing into the ground.

“I just feel like it’s all going too fast,” Chiori started, hugging her pillow tight, “I’ve never dated anyone before and I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t think I’ve ever liked someone like this before, either. I’m just confused.”

Chevreuse couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m just as confused as you are. I’ve never dated before either and all the romance novels didn’t teach me anything.”

Chevreuse could physically feel Chiori relax at that, her body leaning closer. “Well, at least I’m not the only one.”

“But I wasn’t lying, Chiori,” Chevreuse said softly, her throat tight, “I really do like you. I have for a while.” She turned to the green-haired girl, their noses almost touching. “And trust me, I know it’s scary jumping straight into things, so why don’t we just… I dunno, take things slow?”

Chiori blinked, her face illuminated by the flickering TV screen. “You mean… You want to be my girlfriend?”

“Well, we don’t have to jump right to that, if you don’t want to,” Chevreuse backtracked. “But I mean, I want this to work. You know, us .” She could feel the heat on her cheeks. “But I also want you to be comfortable with it.”

Chiori faced forward, looking down at her knees. “You know what,” she let her head fall against Chevreuse’s shoulder, “I think I would like that.”

Chevreuse couldn’t help herself, she smiled big and wide, letting her head rest against Chiori’s. They watched the movie together in relative silence, barely focused on the screen and more so with each other. Chiori was focused on tracing the lines on Chevreuse’s palm while the other was trying to lean in closer without the other one noticing.

It was comfortable. It was warm. It was new.

Chiori was the first one to fall asleep, her body curled up on one end of the couch and breathing slowly. Chevreuse was still awake, sipping on her water and barely registering the events happening in a different movie on the TV.

She shifted her body to the side and felt something hard dig into her thigh. Reaching into her pocket, she found the small cat bell from before, quickly closing it in her hand before it could make too much noise.

Carefully uncurling her fingers, she looked at it in the light of the TV. The curved smile and rosy cheeks made her smile softly. Looking at the now-asleep Chiori, she very carefully reached over and put the keychain next to her pillow, the other girl not even shifting in her sleep.

Satisfied, she curled up on her own side of the couch, her pillow tucked under her head. Chevreuse soon fell asleep to the sound of tacky sound effects and Chiori’s breathing, feeling her heart do flips in her chest.

She hoped Chiori would like her present in the morning.