Chapter Text
…
Mizi
“Sua, wait up!”
“Hehe, I’ll always wait for you, even if you’re a little slow.”
I pant slightly as I catch up to Sua, trying not to slow her down.
“Did you not sleep enough?”
“I did… But the talent show’s just around the corner, I can’t sleep now!”
Sua gives me a dazzling smile as we walk, brushing a strand of hair off the side of her face.
“We can practice together tomorrow if you’re that worried, silly.”
Sua holds out her hand to me, which I take with a huge smile. Finally, reunited with my other half. This time, I won’t just remain the innocent, naive girl. …I can’t lose you again. Not like that.
…
Ivan
“Why didn’t you just leave with me that day?”
My tone is less accusatory, and more… curious. Though I’m sure he’ll bristle at my voice regardless, considering his mood as of late. I sigh as I sit next to him, his uniform shirt undone at the top, a button gone. Maybe he’d snap at me if I tried to help him fix it.
“Was I not enough for you?”
“I’m sure you were perfectly fine on your own, Mr. popular.”
“Hey, that meetup wasn’t fun without you. They were trying to tease me about you again, the usual.”
“They?”
Of course that’s what catches your attention.
“Yeah. Mizi and Sua.”
On this Earth we remain still untouched by aliens. We haven’t even seen them yet. And I doubt we ever will. That’s for the best, for Mizi and Sua. And selfishly, me too.
“...”
“Miss them?”
Till shakes his head, his head tucked into his slumped over form.
“Cheer up~ And if you really wanted to see them, you should’ve just tagged along~”
…Not that I want you guys to get close again. But if it makes you happy, anything’s tolerable. I might have to lie to them, to tell them that we’re dating, if Mizi doesn’t get it already.
“You’re annoying.”
“Haha. You’ll miss out on music class if you keep on moping, though.”
“I don’t want to go.”
Ever since Till’s gotten his memories about our past lives, he’s been oddly despondent. After all, his Mizi doesn’t exist in this lifetime. She’s in Sua’s arms, and going to a girl’s only school, besides. There’s no chance for him to win her over anymore, to close the gap, and I’m sure he knows it too.
“Feels weird, doesn’t it~?”
I trail my fingers over the slightly warm skin of Till’s exposed neck, no trace of the shock collar that was perpetually glued to it for the majority of his past life, nor any trace of his name, no longer inscribed into his skin.
So I did free him in the end after all
“Ugh, wipe that smirk off your face. Go away.”
He pushes me away, but I can’t help but catch the slight pink tint on his ears, my eyes widening, my smirk steadfastly stuck to my face as I lean in closer to him.
“Ah, get off me-”
My lips press against his, thankfully warm as I tilt his head up, savoring the reassurance that his body against mine provides. I can practically feel the downpour of rain around me again, although there’s none to be found this time.
“Look at me.”
I can’t ever find the reason why you’d choose her in your teal eyes. She’s lucky, you know. How laughable, that I’d still be begging you to spare me a glance in this life too.
But oh, your gaze is still oh so consuming.
“We never finished our duet, you know.”
“...Yeah.”
“Come on, let’s get to music class.”
“Tsk.”
He follows me anyway, which is gratifying.
…
“A shaking paradigm… I don’t care if my world turns upside down…”
Till strums his guitar almost experimentally with his pick, his fingers pressing into the strings before he shakes his head and notes something on a piece of sheet music sprawled out in front of him. Thankfully, I was able to get the music teacher to agree to lend me the room for afterschool “club activities”.
“So studious.”
“I’m trying to focus, idiot.”
“Right.”
I watch him for a moment longer until he speaks up.
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Nope.”
“Q-quit looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“...You know. Just turn around.”
He goes back to singing, but his voice is… oddly softer. I make a show out of pointedly looking out the window, but turn to look back at him once I’m sure he’s gotten tired of staring at my back.
“I wanna know all about you…”
Of course you’re singing that song again. Is it for me this time? Please, let it be for me.
“The edelweiss of my feelings that blossomed because of you…”
I absentmindedly hum the matching part, not exactly in my vocal range, so I lower it. The only sad part about this is that I can’t be Mizi for him. I won’t ever be enough to love in his eyes. What makes her so desirable in your eyes? Can I change that for you?
“I don’t wanna stop. Don’t think this time’s enough, cause you baby still it’s not enough, for me alright?”
And for once, he sings with me, his eyes still not quite meeting mine, but his voice flat against the notes I sing. He’s just saying it.
“Don’t leave me.”
“That’s not in tune, you know.”
A pause, he glares at me, a faint pink across his cheeks as he gathers his sheet music from the floor.
“I know.”
I can’t stop the smile that’s probably spreading across my face as I help him grab the last couple of sheets right out of his reach. My eyes graze over the lines of what we just sang, and indeed, he didn’t sing the correct notes, after all.
“Yeah, I won’t leave you.”
I offer him my hand, and his hand in mine is all that I need to float away again.
“So you’ll let me kiss you again?”
“Hey, that’s not what I said!”
“Yeah, you don’t want to let me go.”
That earns me a pinch to the cheek, but I’m more than happy to let him get his way, this once.
“Till?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for finding me again.”
“Urk, you’re being gross again. Just go back to being an idiot.”
…
I poke his cheek, his eyebrows furrowed as his hands grip onto my shirt like it’s his.
“Wake up.”
He mutters something intelligible, probably something along the lines of ‘no’ and ‘Ivan’. I manage a sigh, but it’s hard to not just wrap myself around him again, giving in to his demand for some more sleep.
“Thanks for coming back to me.”
“Stop being mushy to me when I’m half-asleep.”
“But you won’t let me when you’re awake.”
“Go away.”
I pull him into my arms, the sheets around us surely rumpling as I give him a grin.
“You’re being smug again.”
“Yeah.”
“Idiot.”
Till awkwardly wraps his arms around me. Surely he can hear my heart racing, if we’re this close. I absentmindedly trail my fingers over his neck.
“Okay, that feels weirdly familiar.”
“Mm…?”
Of course it would. The strings I’ve pulled to help you sometimes threaten to pull me under. Somehow, it’s all worth it in the end, seeing you like this in the end.
“Your neck looks nice.”
I can’t help but laugh at the disgusted look he gives me, but I have an inkling that it’s just for show. After all, his ears are pink against the white pillow. It’s almost odd seeing like this for me, after so many days of seeing his body weakened after the aliens would call him.
…
Sua
It was probably my fault that you broke in that other world… It torments my dreams. My selfishness, in my haste to make sure you’d be forever by my side. But I still can’t help but smile at you who smiles back at me, because I know that you can’t let go of me either. It’s relieving, in a way, because you don’t mind.
“Hehe, you’re the one spacing out during class now, Sua.”
She teases, her school uniform mirroring mine, minus her slightly crumpled collar. I reach out to smooth it back to its crisp state, ignoring the obvious stares of the other students.
“There.”
“...Thanks.”
A soft silence settles over the two of us as I watch her turn pink, her eyes quickly flicking back to her notes in an apparent effort not to stare.
“Want to go somewhere after school together? I’m sure Ivan would go, and Till will eventually come around.”
“I… Um. Can we just go alone? I just want to spend some time with you, singing again…”
Yes. Of course. Just like old times, you and me, forever together.
…
Till
Till Win
It’s this again. I can’t… Don’t leave me. Don’t go. Please. I’m sorry. Would anything have changed if I’d accepted your feelings earlier?
My fingers brush his ever colder face. It’ll never be warm, even if I press my knuckles gently, almost experimentally, into his cheek, trying to draw a reaction out of him. His white suit stained with crimson seems to glower at me. This is my fault. It’s my fault for getting you so dirty.
“You won’t let me win this fight just like this, right…?”
I drop my hands back to my side when it’s evident he won’t just get back up to throttle me back.
This time, I’ll stay by your side, I promise.
And then I jolt awake. I must’ve fallen asleep in his arms… Again. It’s his fault for being so comfortable to sleep on… Yes. Definitely, I don’t have a soft spot for this annoying idiot. I push the offending arm of his off me, and he makes a noise that sounds like a sleepy protest.
“You’re heavy.”
“Sleep in a little with me, then.”
And for once, I cave. Even Ivan looks shocked, but ecstatic nonetheless.
“You’re still heavy.”
I get a delicious sounding laugh in return as he pulls off me somewhat, amused, but still not backing down. I’m half sure he’s doing this so I can’t escape, my words lost in his embrace.
…I still can’t bring myself to hate it, though.
…