Work Text:
“Fate is a funny thing, huh? It’s pretty weird too though. Who knew that after all this time, many years after graduation, we would be talking once again? Heck, we’re even under the same roof.”
Those exact thoughts came through Akiyama Mizuki’s mind as she stared calmly at the ceiling, whilst resting on a heap of large pillows of cats, bears, sharks, and such. It had been quite some time since she reunited with a certain friend. Well… Maybe longer than “quite some time.”
After graduating from high school in the same year, they eventually grew distant as the future had other ambitious plans for them. Mizuki was set to become a professional fashion designer, much like her sister, while taking up modelling as a pastime. Her friend, meanwhile, came to be the renowned keyboardist of Leo/need, a sickeningly cute girl who loved friends, family, and music dearly. It was wondrous for them to meet again when that same girl entered the modelling business like she did. However, after such a long time, she had clearly looked like someone different.
She looked tired, cold-hearted even, as if she were to awaken at 4 a.m. every morning for interviews and photoshoots, especially the latter. Much of the blinding studio lights caused her to develop the tiniest dark circles under her eyes, only enhancing the themes for her sessions in the spotlight. Despite her serious looks though, she was still the bubbly, cheerful girl that adored the faces of her friends and family, with especially more smiles for people like Mizuki.
It was only a matter of a few months when they decided to buy out a living space together.
Up until present time had they developed a domestic relationship together. You wouldn’t exactly call them “girlfriends,” but you wouldn’t call them roommates either. Especially given how they haven’t spoken in a few weeks now. As it came, Mizuki’s friend had been working around the clock, attending photoshoots and band rehearsals with barely a break. She wasn’t the one who came up with this, but did follow suit for the success of her career and her band, and her weary states only made Mizuki worry more. She couldn’t deny that she was worried, and after her aforementioned words, her smile dropped and she exhibited a defeated sigh.
Within her thoughts about her friend draining herself out for the sake of “reaching for the heart” or “speaking through song” or whatever else was said, she thought if she should check around for any moment to converse with her. It had anyways been weeks since they had a proper conversation.
With a hopeful smile, she stood up and took a quick stretch. She whimpered hesitantly during it, but it made sense given the hour spent laying down pondering about her lovely friend. Next was to check her room.
~~~
As fate had turned up, she was there. Inside the bedroom was the beautiful, weary friend that Mizuki would spend her days dreaming of. She appeared to be laying down on the floor, flat on her stomach as she slowly swung her legs and poked at a video game controller. Seeing her press the buttons and move the joysticks around in such a mundane state made Mizuki quiet by the door. She was worried, yes, but really couldn’t help but feel drawn to her presence. Since moving in together, she would sometimes feel shy just by seeing her.
Her hair flowing down her shoulders, the gentle curves and contours of her body, and those delicate hands she loved to caress and hold…
It was almost like butterflies flew around her, their wings flapping at a certain momentum for the wind generated to stroke her face, as well as whisper that familiar, lovely name to her ear.
“…Tenma Saki,” they whispered.
The pink-haired at the door could only smile and blush to herself, grateful to have met such a disgustingly adorable young woman all over again. It was then that all her troubles had been evaporated into thin air, and all she knew was that she had to talk to her. Nothing else mattered at that moment. All she had to do was put up a smile and walk in.
And that’s exactly as the flustered girl did.
“Wow~ Who’s that cutie breaking into my house, huh? Surely it isn’t the fabled Tenma Saki that all those magazine articles talked about~!”
The blonde-to-pink-haired girl only put down her controller and turned her eyes towards the approaching homeowner. She looked deadpan as she had to push through yet another photoshoot, but managed to put up a smile and turn her head instead. In truth, she was happy to see her “acquaintance.”
“So what if I broke in and decided to rest here? This room was so well decorated, I couldn’t just leave it without life~”
“Well, thief or not, you certainly stole my heart just by being here~! Where have you been all this time?”
“Ugh… Don’t get me started. It’s a good thing you’re doing this for the fun.”
As she spoke, the girl who once laid flat had turned around and sat upright. Her back was tilted as her arms kept her up from the mat, additionally complemented by her curled right leg. She continued speaking as Mizuki leaned down towards her, up on four limbs to reach the same height as her beloved.
“I have to wake up at four in the morning just to get hit with tons of studio lights. Ugh… So blinding. I mean, look at the shadows under my eyes now.”
“Aww, but I’m starting to find them cute. It only shows how hard you’ve been working. Then again, I haven’t been catching up with Leo/need’s plans for a while, so I don’t get why you need to push yourself so much.”
She lets out a content sigh before her right hand reaches towards one of Saki’s curly twintails, spinning it around her finger.
“Really though, you should take care of yourself more. You’ve been doing wonderful up to now, my love~ You deserve it.”
Saki’s continued smile looked tired, but Mizuki can still feel her warmth and affection from seeing it. She only blushed again when feeling her hand rest upon her cheek.
“Oh, you. Always with those cheesy words, huh? You’ve been watching too much romance anime, I’m sure of it.”
Saki’s eyes are half-lidded as she can’t help but gaze at Mizuki in return.
“But hey. You’re here with me, and I couldn’t be happier. But it’s more like I should say… Hm. I’m home, my love~ How about that?”
“Yeah… Welcome home, Saki, my darling~!”
Their last kiss was about a month ago, and as much as they grew into that surfaced desire, they at least had to go easy with it. They closed their eyes and each slightly parted their lips, the pink one leaning in to kiss the blonde one at a moderate pace. Saki’s hand slid down the smooth skin of Mizuki’s cheek to pull her further by her neck, in turn pushing her flat on the floor again.
You wouldn’t exactly call them “girlfriends,” but you wouldn’t call them roommates either.
~~~
Fate works in wondrous ways, as Mizuki thought. One moment, you’ll be thinking about that special person. The next, you’ll have entered said person’s room and deeply kiss them for as long as time could permit. Then, you’ll stand in the kitchen and share a quiet, peaceful time, whilst surrounded by the lingering smell of hot cocoa.
Saki sat by the counter with both of her slim hands around a mug, sipping and watching as marshmallows flowed along the surface of the hot drink. She couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh, basking in the euphoric moment between her and her admirer.
The pink-haired admirer in question stood on the opposite side of the counter, her arms resting on it while she gazed at the other girl. She laughed subtly at the sound of her quiet whimper.
“Haha~ You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“You don’t need to reply to everything I say or do, you know. Then again it’s you. Would you even listen?”
“Not at all!”
The anticipated one leaned forward onto the counter, eager to strike conversation.
“So, how’s work been going? You know. Modelling and Leo/need. You used to look more cheerful than this, and used to update me whenever. But you look different. What’s going on?”
She was right. Saki couldn’t find time for the last while to talk about work and the stress she put on herself. Her smile fell off, but she wasn’t sad the slightest bit.
“Sigh… It’s been okay for the most part. I don’t hate it, but since my change in image, my schedule’s been packed.”
“A change in image?”
“Yeah… At first, me and the girls wanted to reach for people’s hearts with our music. We wanted to show our fans the feelings we felt, and tell them that despite any problems they’re facing, that they can overcome them. Eventually, image came into play with sharing our feelings, and I decided to accept offers for modelling to extend our reach.”
She continued to speak while Mizuki only felt drawn to the story.
“The others were a little against it when I first told them, but give it a year, and they now support it after seeing all our new fans. If music can touch hearts, so can expression and body language.”
“Well that’s really admirable, actually. But… Haha, you still didn’t answer the question about that change in image.”
“Simply put, I was heavily recommended to take more of a powerful, serious impression than the cutesy, bubbly me everyone knew. This was a year into the job. It’s working, but… You know. Tiring.”
“So… The early morning photoshoots weren’t a joke…?”
“Nope. Not one bit.”
The worried feeling resurfaced as Mizuki looked down on Saki’s hands, hoping to hide her returned expression.
“…I’ve been working nonstop. Photoshoots, interviews, band rehearsals, stuff like that. Early morning until late in the evening. It’s no wonder my eyes look like that, haha.”
“Oh…”
“But I’m fine, really! It’s been paying off, and I couldn’t be happier. You don’t need to…”
Her eyes turned up towards Mizuki’s eyes peering down. The face she sees isn’t so distraught, but isn’t pleasant either.
“…Worry about me too much…”
“…”
Seeing the tired girl catch her in her worried state, Mizuki’s hands slide closer to the other pair in front. Her delicate fingers caress the skin on the back, eventually interlocking the dips between each finger with the same ones before her. She does so as she speaks softly.
“Saki… You know I’m worried about you, right? You’ve been working so hard without realizing, to which you now look physically exhausted. Don’t you remember everything from before? Your time in the hospital?”
Saki’s eyes widen the slightest amount at the listen of Mizuki’s words, recalling long-gone memories of her childhood and junior high.
“You’re saying it’s all okay, and I want to believe that, but what if you draw yourself out more, to the point of collapsing? You would feel like you’re in junior high all over again. How could I forgive myself if that happened, if I couldn’t get you to take better time for yourself?”
“Ah… H-haha. Mizuki, it’s okay. Really. I…”
“Saki.”
Her eyes widened more as Mizuki’s hands interlocked hers perfectly, Mizuki herself inching her head closer to show the obnoxious girl her distraught state.
Saki then realized that Mizuki was more worried than ever.
“Saki, listen to me. I love you. You know that. And I’d do anything to stop you from hurting yourself. So, please… Please just listen to me. Reject some offers, and… Put more time to yourself.”
Each of the eager girl’s hands tightened, enhancing her plea for her adored one to take more time for herself. Saki, however, was completely oblivious to it until now. For the time after her change in public figure, she set off personal time and health to contribute to the success of her beloved band.
But with what Mizuki was saying… Did she really want to keep going that way?
“Would you do that? …For me?”
“…”
It was only a matter of seconds for it to all make sense to her. And at the least, she felt bad. She didn’t want to disappoint the girl opposite to her, who she anyways hadn’t spoken to for the last few weeks or so. She could only imagine what was going on in Mizuki’s mind, as her eyes gazed into her for some kind of hope that she would listen to her, the basis for each other’s “love.”
This wasn’t a serious discussion with frustration or anything of the sort. It was only a moment of genuine thought between them, yet she felt inclined to say something back. So, she closed her eyes for a brief few seconds, which didn’t matter since now, she had already made a decision.
She opened her eyes at Mizuki again, smirking in an effort to remove her worry.
“…Fine, I’ll take some extra time off this month. Just for you.”
Mizuki understood her genuine answer and feelings quickly, her previous feelings dissipating yet again as she slowly formed a smile.
She was glad. She really did love her.
“…Yeah. That’d be great… Thank you.”
A couple of seconds of gazing at each other later, Saki scoffs and leans back against the counter’s stool, her hands wrapped around that mug of savory hot cocoa again.
“Really now, how are we not dating? All this affection, yet we still haven’t decided on anything.”
“Do we really need to? It could just be our own special friendship!”
“Whatever you say~”
Saki finished the rest of her drink, whereas Mizuki walked around the counter towards her. She spoke her next lines with the added benefit of her hand caressing Saki’s soft cheek, Saki only looking up at her with a continued smile.
“Hey, Saki… Do you believe in fate?”
“It’s what brought me and the girls back together. Feelings too, but yeah. You could say so.”
“Well, in that case…~”
Her face inched closer to the girl who remained seated, their pink eyes gleaming whilst both the girls’ lips stood breaths apart.
“It just so happens that fate brought you home today to see me~! Why not we… Embrace it while we can~?”
Saki only let out a low laugh, putting her mug aside and tugging on Mizuki’s collar. She quickly shut her eyes when pulling Mizuki in for a searing, surprising kiss, the embraced girl’s shock muffled by the feeling of their lips against each other. She pulled away only a couple of seconds later for a quick breather.
“Huff… Huff… Ah…~ Haha, your lips are so warm.”
“You put your love into that hot cocoa. I’m just returning the favor, my love~!”
“Yeah, well…”
Mizuki took longer breaths to recover from the quick intensity, eventually returning a seductive smile. Her hot breath pushed against Saki and aroused her more, as if a spell were cast on her.
“…I can show you so much more of my love, even if we’re only kissing.”
Saki was able to feel this love through words alone, laughing and almost whimpering against Mizuki’s parted mouth.
“Haha…~ Let’s take this love to your room, my pretty pink darling.”
She let out a sweet, intoxicating sigh as she thought more of the girl in front of her. After so long, Saki felt glad to be next to her lover again, basking in the sweet, viscous love between them, as sweet as honey itself.
And it was now a matter of breaths before they both pursued this aforementioned “fate.”
“I will not be holding myself back~”