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It had been less than a year since Sua had first locked eyes with a pink haired individual in their tiny glass boxes.
That was her first surprise.
An array of colors splashed around in the stoic girl’s vision as Mizi’s intense golden eyes stared back at her, pressing herself against the glass as if she could get any closer to reach Sua. It was hard to believe that such vibrant colors could exist in such a dark space. But at the same time, the bright hues were relaxing and pleasant. Sua found herself drawn to it. Sitting up, Sua reached out and pressed her palms against the glass over where Mizi’s hands were.
She leaned forward and felt the cold hard glass as she tapped her forehead against Mizi’s, taking in the sight of wonder before her.
At the time, Sua could describe the view as mesmerizing.
---
Less than a year later, Sua lost track of how many times Mizi had kept surprising her.
One time, Mizi placed her glasses over Sua’s face and almost considered running around the Anakt Garden blind because she liked how the glasses looked on her (despite her not being to see Sua’s face anyway but Mizi insisted that she looked good). Another time, the energetic carefree girl tackled Sua so hard that they rolled in the green grass of the garden together and almost fell into the river. Moments like these almost make Sua’s cheeks hurt from laughing.
But for some reason, what Mizi did today really caught her off guard.
Mizi had suddenly grabbed Sua by her shoulders and pressed her lips against Sua’s cheek. Any thought Sua had before was completely wiped blank. It was just for a few seconds and when Mizi pulled away, her glasses glinted when she giggled.
Sua’s hand absently started to over over the cheek where the girl pecked. “...what's so funny?”
“Nothing!” Mizi touched her mouth and Sua could spy a bright white smile peeking from between her finger tips. “You just have a really pretty expression on your face right now.”
Those words were nothing new to Sua, especially if it was coming from Mizi. But for some reason, perhaps the way Mizi said it with such a smile, it made Sua’s heart almost stopped. The girl’s finger twitched, gently scratching her noticeably hot cheeks. “Really? What about my expression is different?”
“Well…” Mizi leaned forward and poke Sua’s other cheek with a playful grin. “Your face is all red!”
Sua furrowed her eyebrows. Is that really it? Before she could open her mouth to comment, Mizi pulled Sua’s hand away from her cheek and squeezed it.
“It’s really pretty.”
Her piercing gold eyes enforced the earnesty of Mizi’s words. But there was some doubt lingering in Sua’s mind. How could redden cheeks really make such a difference? It’s not like Sua has never seen something like that before. She had noticed reddened cheeks on the other kids before but they were less than remarkable.
What was surprising though was how much Sua is hanging over this.
Being called pretty is a common occurrence for the girl. So often that it feels cold to her. But whenever the word comes out of Mizi’s mouth, it takes on a whole different meaning that makes Sua’s chest thump.
Perhaps she has different eyes than everybody else.
Then, a certain blushing ugly guitar rat flashed in Sua’s mind and her smile immediately dropped.
Mizi blinked at the sudden expression change and tilted her head. “Sua?”
“Nothing.” Sua shook her head and smiled again as she interlaced their fingers together. “If you say so, Mizi.”
Mizi's eyes can’t be that different.
---
She thought that it was going to be a one time incident.
But Sua found herself falling victim to Mizi’s same antic almost everyday. The sneaky girl kept making sure that Sua was off her guard before wrapping her in a warm hug and brushing her lips on the flustered girl’s cheek. Then, she would always pull away and laugh as Sua would stand frozen every time.
This was not good for her heart.
Sua was sure that she would get used to it by now but it was proven time and time again that it was far from the case. Words of protest would just die in her throat whenever she hears the pink girl’s laughs. There were times where she would try to turn her head away but Mizi would grab her burning cheeks and exclaim that she wanted to see her expression. Much to her nonexistent reluctance, just by wanting to hear Mizi’s laughs again, Sua would always obliged.
That was until one day Sua finally was able to get her words to form on her tongue. “Mizi…”
Mizi pulled away from their embrace with the same bright grin. “Sorry, Sua!” she said through her playful giggles. “You look so cute! I can't help it!”
That explanation wasn’t enough for the endless amount of heart attacks that Sua had to endure. A pout started to form on her face and Mizi took notice. She tilted her head with a lopsided smile. “I just want to keep admiring your expression again and again.”
Just.
What expression is Sua making?
The curiosity that had been bubbling inside since Mizi first started her antics had started to boil over. Sua’s hands moved on their own as she grabbed Mizi’s shoulders. The white fabric creased from how tightly she gripped onto them.
Just what was Mizi seeing?
Or rather…
Mizi jolted from her sudden movements and Sua raised herself on her toes.
What does she look like in Mizi’s eyes?
Sua pushed down on Mizi’s shoulders and pulled her in. Just as quickly, she leaned in and pressed her lips against Mizi’s soft cheeks. She let herself hang for a second or two before pulling back and the warmth instantly dissipated between them.
Mizi just stood there dumbfounded. Sua could practically see the gears stuttering in her head.
The pink girl blinked and then immediately yanked back and clawed down on her hair, hiding her face. Her movements were so fast that she accidentally knocked off her glasses and they fell between her feet.
Sua tilted her head and frowned. She took a step forward, ignoring the glasses. “That’s not fair… you get to see my red face but I don’t get to see yours…?”
Mizi didn’t answer, insteading opting to anxiously continue to comb her pink hair in front of her face. For once, she was speechless.
Sua took another step forward to shrink the distance between them again. She reached out and carefully brushed some of Mizi’s hair to the side. Mizi tense up with her hands hung in the air. Her fingers twitched but made no effort to stop Sua.
Sua cupped the flustered girl’s face, tilting it so she could get a better look of her.
Mizi’s face was beet red. Her pink eyebrows quivered and she darted her eyes to the side to avoid eye contact. Sua on the other hand, couldn’t take her eyes off Mizi's face. She could feel the heat of her cheeks enveloping her palms in a comforting warmth.
This sight was…
“Pft-”
The girl flinched at Sua’s voice and instantly tried to hide herself in her hair again. But before she could, Sua got herself back on her toes and tapped their warm soft foreheads together, taking in this sight of wonder before her.
She let another light giggle slip out and that finally brought Mizi’s eyes to meet her own.
It really was such a beautiful expression...