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There was a spring in her step as she walked towards the nearby neighborhood. With a backpack, full of clothes on her back and a bag full of snacks, Tenma was on her way to a sleepover. Not only that, but a sleepover to the Tsurugi’s. And she was ecstatic… scratch that even more than ecstatic. She felt like Sasuke, getting ready for a game of catch.
When Tenma was in front of the correct house, she paused and took a deep breath. She was only a tad bit nervous. A tad bit anxious of what was to come. Just like she was a tad bit too close to Tsurugi than being just friends. She knocked on the door.
It was a minute before the door opened, Yuuichi's tall figure replacing the dark wood in front of her. He smiled at her, gently, opening the door even more.
“Hi, Tenma! Please, come in!”
She nodded, bowing before quickly entering the house. There was a certain warmth to the house that Tenma suspected was from the siblings themselves. It seemed sparsely decorated to the point where she couldn’t tell if there was even a single picture on the walls from where she was standing, yet she felt incredibly cozy. She smiled at Yuuichi, holding out the snack bag towards him. He raised an eyebrow.
“Snacks. For you and Kyou.”
He chuckled at her, shaking his head good-heartedly. Despite that, she felt some sort of quiet embarrassment.
“Thank you, darling. There was no need, but I appreciate the gesture. I am sure Kyouka will too.” He looked in the bag, smiling even more brightly now. Tenma knew she was blushing, yet tried to keep her smile. “Why don’t you go into the living room while I put these in the pantry? My sister is there anyway, she insisted on cooking dinner. You know how she is.” There was a familiarity in the eyeroll that followed and she wanted to snort. Luckily, she didn't. Mere nod was her only reaction.
She headed towards the room, the older Tsurugi passing by her back. There was a quiet humming, a deep and smooth voice so familial that her heart skipped a beat; it was coming from the small kitchenette in the corner of the living room.
In between counters and appliances, stood Kyouka’s tall figure. Her hair was up, strands escaping her bun here and there. Her makeup was still on, her eyes shimmery and dark. She was pretty like this, but then again she was always pretty for Tenma. She got closer.
Amber eyes turned towards her, a single thin eyebrow raised in question. There was a small, miniature even, smile on her lips. Tenma leaned forward, her hands on the counter separating them.
“Hi, Kyou. Whatcha doin’?”
She rolled her eyes, leaning forward towards her. Her hands, so close to her own that she felt the heat radiating off of them.. “Sewing, obviously.”
“Obviously” there was a beat of silence, where she intertwined their pinkies together. A blush grew on those pale cheeks she adores. “So what are you cooking?”
“Just… trying out some recipes. Not much.”
“So, a lot of stuff again. Got it!”
Kyouka rolled her eyes again, not moving her hand. She looked towards the door before getting slightly closer, her voice low. “Are you excited, sweetheart?”
There it was. The pet names again. It had become a habit of hers in the last few weeks; to make a blushing mess out of her and grab another win in their silly rivalry. It was infuriating, but that is not to say Tenma did not enjoy it. On the contrary, she adored it. There was something intoxicating in Tsurugi’s dark timbre calling out to her in such a precious way. It made her stomach flutter and head light.
“To spend time with you? Always.”
The pink dusting on those pale cheeks proved a small win for her. She chuckled, getting a tiny bit closer as Kyouka frowned, still not letting go of her pinkie though.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be all pouty, Kyou!” There was barely audible grumbling, but before she could ask for her to repeat, Yuuichi came into the room.
She liked Yuuichi, he was easy to talk to and extremely knowledgeable on all things soccer. So it wasn’t a surprise when she found herself on the stool next to the counter, him opposite her as they discussed the match between the USA and Japan. This time without any interference from the future, thank you very much. The younger sibling quipped a commentary or two in between sounds of sizzling and cutting, occasionally giving them each a spoon to try the food. Tenma could swear that they would be all full with only the testers she was giving them.
It wasn’t until around an hour later when the meal was finally ready and Kyouka left the comfort of the kitchen to move to their side, gesturing to her brother that he can get the table ready.
“I’m going up to take a quick shower. You coming up to put your stuff, Tenma?”
There was a small moment of quiet before she nodded slowly, following her friend for she was already on her way the second she saw a sign of a nod.
Both of the siblings’ rooms were on the second floor. Their names, written on the doors, in the prettiest calligraphy Tenma had ever seen. Kyouka opened the door, revealing a room that was semi-familiar at this point. From the old wardrobe with its creaking doors to the desk that served more as a vanity with its jewelry stands that were upcycled from old candle holders, and shoe box, full of makeup. The walls, full of designs in charcoal pencils and posters were soon surrounding her, as she trudged inside.
“You added new sketches?”
There was a small hum as her friend was looking for clothes she wanted to wear, opening and closing shelves on her barely stable dresser. She stood up, a pile of clothes in her hands.
“My brother bought me a new sewing machine, so I can experiment a bit more. Just have to find the right fabric.”
“We can look for it together.”
Maybe Tenma shouldn’t have said this. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut because there was something incredibly attractive in the way Kyouka tilted her head, eyebrow raised and a dangerous smirk on her lips.
“Can we now, sweetheart?” Tenma was burning, her face red like a tomato. Tsurugi snorted. “Going now. Don’t burst a vein.”
With that she made her way out of the room, leaving Tenma huffing. She knew she was the one who started this game and yet this was mean.
“Weirdo!” she puffed out, throwing herself on the bed and landing on her own backpack. Oh yeah, it was there too. She made sure to take it off properly, leaving it at the foot of the bed, before swiftly proceeding to lay down again. Her eyes met the beady ones of a plush wolf, opposite her. “She is so weird.”
***
There should be a writing on paper, an etching on every wall in this house. Maybe even every stone in the neighborhood. All of them should note down what a massive dumbass Kyouka is.
What was she thinking? What even was that line? ‘Can we now, sweetheart?’? Who even says that?
There was a loud thud as she hit her forehead against the tiled wall in front of her. It was cold. Matter of fact everything in this shower was cold. The hot water had stopped a while ago, not her thinking, though. Well, more like overthinking. But Tenma made her talk without thinking sometimes, which always somehow bit her in the ass.
There was a knock on the door. A gentle thing compared to the loud bang of her head. She stopped the water, head poking out of the curtain.
“Yes?”
“Kyou, I don't mean to rush you, but you've been in there for like almost an hour at this point and we got worried. Is… Is everything alright?”
Shit, she didn't notice that. Quickly pushing the shower curtain away, she grabbed her tower.
“Yes. Just… Just give me a minute to get dressed. You two can start eating.”
“Oh, okay. I will just go downstairs then… Are you sure you don't need anything?”
There was a groan as an answer and apparently that was all Tenma needed to understand, for her voice did not come out again.
Kyouka got dressed as swiftly as she could, scrunching up her hair after. She probably was not going to be able to straighten it today, so might as well have nice curls for now, right? It didn't take her long anyway, with her more than sparse curly hair products. If she had to guess she was out in 20 minutes.
There was a pleasant chatter as she was walking down the stairs, her brother discussing a Raimon strategy enthusiastically. If she had to guess, Tenma was smiling, mentally, or maybe physically, noting down all the changes Yuuichi would make. It made Kyouka smile, for all the fun they make of her, they are still her favorite people on this planet. She reached the end of the staircase.
“Hi… Sorry for the wait.”
There was something tender in the view in front of her; something cozy in their smiles, in the food, in the little heart shape her rice was in. She moved forward, a barely contained smile ready to burst on her face as she took her place next to her friend, her brother opposite her. Wordlessly, she took Tenma’s hand in her own under the table, squeezing it tight for all the feelings she struggled with right now. She hoped she understood it.
“There was no need to wait for me. The food is probably cold now.”
Yuuichi scoffed, his eyes pointedly avoiding their hands under the table. “Don’t be ridiculous, Kyouka ”
“Yeah, don’t be ridiculous Kyou!”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she picked the chopsticks with her free hand. “Let’s just eat…”
***
“Your food never fails, Kyou!”
The bed creaked under Tenma’s weight as she threw herself on it, her hand on her stomach. She grunted softly, before slowly turning towards Tsurugi. Propping herself up with her hand, she looked at the other girl. Kyouka was sitting on the desk, looking at her intently; her hair was almost dry, curls framing her face. She made a gesture for her to come closer.
The bed creaked again. Tsurugi’s face was inches away now, the curls Tenma loved so much falling on her face, tickling the exposed part of her chest and collarbones. She pushed them behind her ear, careful not to pull any of the piercings she had. She ran her thumb across pink cheeks.
“You know you aren’t actually looking at me, right?” Kyouka grumbled something, still not quite looking at her. She chuckled. “Come here, Kyou.”
She lifted herself more, pulling her closer. There was a slight tremble in Kyouka’s lips as they met. Soft lips pushing against Tenma’s. Her friend closed her eyes, long eyelashes tickling her cheeks. She resisted the urge to smile, instead opting to get up slightly more. Her friend squeaked and that was her breaking point. Tenma smiled… Okay, more like laughed… okay more like she interrupted their kiss with a cackle so loud that Yuuichi probably heard her.
Tsurugi fell to the bed, face so red that one might think she has a fever. Tenma joined her, smiling as she nuzzled her head in the crook of her neck. After a push or two, her friend gave up and she snuggled even closer.
“Come on, Kyou! Don’t be angry! It’s just… You sounded like a stepped on chihuahua.”
“W…Well, you surprised me. I just didn’t expect it.” She was stumbling over words, embarrassed enough to not even attempt to look at her. “I-”
One thing Matsukaze Tenma was, is fast. Before Kyouka could even finish her sentence or even realize what was happening, Tenma climbed on top of her. She was practically squashing her, but it wasn’t something unusual. She pecked her lips, making her stumble upon her words, before shutting down completely.
“It was cute. You are cute, Kyou.”
Kyouka blinked once, then twice before quickly crashing her lips into Tenma’s. This kiss was faster. Faster than any of their other ones at least. Their kisses were usually shorter, initiated by Tenma herself, so this was a bit of an unknown territory, but then again what wasn’t with them? After all, they kiss on a weekly basis at this point and yet if asked they were just best friends. Tsurugi pulled away.
Their faces were red, labored breaths taking turns filling the silence around them as Tenma laid on her shoulder again. Kyouka put her hand on her waist. They stayed like that for a while.
Tenma was the first one to prop herself up, her face looking less like a tomato and more like herself. The same couldn’t be said about Tsurugi.
“Are we… Are we going to watch ‘But I’m a Cheerleader’?”
Kyouka smiled softly, her canine teeth flashing. She nodded, propping herself on her elbows, still balancing her weight on top of her.
“I promised you, didn’t I? That and for you to do my hair… If you still want to, of course.” Tenma smiled, nodding excitedly. “Do you want any snacks?”
“I am still so full because of how much food you made!”
“Keep complaining about that and I am going to salt them too much on purpose.”
“I am not complaining! I am very grateful that you make all that food. I just overate!”
“Get off of me.”
***
Kyouka was sitting on the ground, her eyes on the colorful screen in front of her. She was fighting sleep at this point, for Tenma’s hands on her scalp were incredibly relaxing. She knew that she was Dutch braiding her hair, but can’t she do it faster, preferable before she fell asleep.
“Hey, Tenma. Are you nearly done?”
There was a hum before the answer came, she was probably busy watching too. “Yeah, yeah. Just… a minute.”
Resisting the urge to sigh, she turned her attention back to the TV. She had watched this movie, like hundreds of times already, not that she was complaining. It was an underrated classic as Kariya liked to say. But she also knew the plot a bit too well and it did nothing to keep away the tiredness. Part of her wondered how she or Tenma would look in a cheerleader uniform. She guessed that Tenma would look great, her enthusiasm probably standing out amongst everyone. She’d probably catch her eye immediately. She thought for a bit of the conditions they met under and what would happen if they were different. Would she love her as much then? Or would they fall apart like her and Ryuu?
The thought buzzed in her head, until a cheerful voice brought her back to reality.
“Done! What do you think?”
There was silence as she got up, both of them were simmering in anticipation, albeit for different reasons. Kyouka looked at herself in the big mirror near the door. She touched it a few times, unsure of what to say. After a minute or so, she turned around.
“I look like a cheerleader now.”
“Well, I wanted to be on theme!” A sigh from Kyouka, made her frown.. “You don’t need to keep it. You can just undo it now.”
“Back off. I didn’t say I'd do anything like that.”
Tenma smiled, jumping to hug her immediately after she sat down.
They sat side by side after that and if Kyouka drooled a bit on her shoulder because she dozed off, well that was no one’s business but their own.