Chapter Text
It was one of those days.
When Akane would be even more irritable than usual. Instead of the usual bickering they’d get up to after a slightly offensive yet inane jab directed at her, she’d flat out ignore him or tell him to shut up. Not that he paid that much attention, spending everyday with the tomboy would have anyone notice some changes is all.
That said, he’s not about to let the issue drop either, he’s already invested enough thought into this - impressive for something unrelated to martial arts, mind you - so during lunch break, tactless in a way only he can manage, Ranma asks “What’s gotten into you? Cheer up, I even ate those cookies you made earlier, there’s too much salt in them by the way.”
Akane gave him a long look. She seemed a bit tired or in pain (a knot forms in his stomach. He mentally waves it off as being hungry, what else could it be? Thinking about that tomboy when he could be eating lunch, sheesh), but he wasn’t going to take silence for an answer, so he pressed on.
“I’m not try’na start shit with you, okay? I just wanted to know why you’re…” he trails off awkwardly, scratching his head.
Akane observes him. Where wide eyes once sat on his usually smug dumb face, his eyes appear much softer, contemplative even - very unlike his carefree self. He notices her gaze and quickly returns to his lunch, stuffing food into his mouth without seeming to actually savor it. He’s probably worried - hah, that’s a good one, Akane. Maybe this time, she’ll let him in on it without twisting his arm.
She takes a sip of her juice box and levels him with a look - the kind that would roundhouse kick him if he said anything flippantly ignorant, stupid Ranma and his foot in mouth syndrome.
“I’m just on my period, okay?” She notices a grin forming on his face - God, he’s insufferable. She points her chopsticks at him “and you better not say anything stupid about a girl’s hormones or I’ll-”
He playfully puts his hands up in mock surrender, the jerk “Hey hey - I turn into a girl too! How bad can it be? Is it worse than a kick to the nuts? Highly doubt it.”
And there it was. Girl curse or not - he will always be a dumbass. Luckily, this can turn into something interesting, something she’s wondered about him for a while now. That idiot will eat his words.
“Oh, really? Why not stay a girl for a month and prove it?” Akane returns a smug look of her own. Their discussion has attracted some looks from their classmates, equal parts curious and apprehensive.
Ranma huffs indignantly, chews for a few seconds in contemplation and squints at her self-satisfied expression. Who is she to act like he’d already lost? That does not sit well with him, so he rises to the challenge “Sure, whatever. A month, you say? It’ll be over before you even notice anything. A period ain’t nothing, I tell ya. And if it was, I’ll wager it’s not even half as bad as Ryoga’s punches.”
Akane snorts, of course his masculinity has to intrude on this matter - and the irony was lost on him too. “Spoken like a man among men. The kind who’s about to experience his first period. Want me to hold your hand?”
“Ha! You think you’re so funny” Ranma flushes a bit in embarrassment, pouts at his food, and looks at her again. This time, he notices a lightness to her mood, perhaps she’s not as irritable as before. That’s sort of a good thing - anyway, moving on - “I handle pain better than you anyway” Akane’s rolling her eyes, great. “You’ll have more reasons to be jealous of my constitution soon.”
”I wouldn’t talk big if I were you. Better finish up before lunch period ends, you dummy.” She grins as she swipes a tangerine from his lunch.
Ranma hurriedly eats the rest of his food with the stubborn image of her smile etched in his mind.
oOo
”FUCK-”
“Shut up, Ranma. I’m trying to do my math homework.” Akane says in a very bored fashion, not even looking at the pigtailed bundle of misery currently occupying her bed.
“There isn’t even ANY blood yet and I feel like shit”
“Wow. To be vindicated this fast.” Ranma groans at her, so Akane decides to throw her a bone. “Drink some tea, do some stretches or whatever. There’s also something else that could help but I’d rather not tell you”
Ranma perks up at that, and obstructs Akane’s view with pink eyes and even pinker hair “Do tell, Miss Akane”
Akane boops her nose playfully with a pen, smiling impishly “Wouldn’t you like to know? Sorry to break it to you though, but you’ve signed up for the full experience when you took up that challenge. It’ll be cheating if I helped you”
“Cheating my butt! You just want to see me suffer!” Ranma huffs and dramatically falls back into the mattress.
Akane chuckles as she opens her drawer, rummaging around before tossing something at her - which Ranma nimbly catches mid-air.
“Chocolate?”
“Yeap. It can help some. And if it doesn’t, something sweet can distract you from the pain.”
”Heh, be careful Akane, if you eat too much of these - Big Hip Blues will return as a record breaking hit!” She clears her throat, looking every part the clown “I still remember how it goes, want a live performance?”
“No thanks, unless you want a live performance of my big hips crushing your windpipe and killing you.”
Ranma turns red at the mental image and sputters “I-it’d be awful if I died from that. Yeah, as If that’s gonna happen!”
Akane rolls her eyes and throws a pencil case at her “Shut up! you’re getting crumbs and spit all over my bed-sheet. Gross.”
“And whose fault is that?” Ranma sticks her tongue out, and of course she throws the candy bar out of the way to some corner of the room. Ugh.
The blue-haired girl stands up and stares her down, an arm braced on the headboard as she leans into her ”Yours. For being so reactive.”
Ranma swallows and looks up. To pretend there isn’t tension would be ridiculous at this point, this is a game they always play. Ranma would usually back down, too nervous to press more buttons that could result in a fight, or some other consequence he’s unprepared for. This time’s different though, it could be her stupid hormones, slight delirium from how close the other girl is, but something causes her inhibitions to loosen, eyes pleading in the same way a man in free-fall bereft of a lifeline would.
Breaking eye-contact, she confesses “I feel dizzy when you’re so close to me, Akane. You should back up a little.”
Akane rests her knee on the mattress as she shifts around, placing her other hand on Ranma’s side, until she effectively cages the smaller girl. She gently whispers, “Dizzy? In what way?”
The pink-haired girl shuts her eyes, blush rising from her cheeks up to her ears. Her chest heaves in an effort to catch her breath, heart beating faster than it ever has before. To speak a word felt impossible, so she wordlessly grips the sheets beneath her.
“Ranma, I can’t read your mind” Akane dips her head until her cheek rests on the other girl’s shoulder, cuddling her “Is this okay?”
The weight upon her feels strangely comforting, so she nods, and brings up both arms around Akane. She’s never held her like this before.
“So long as you don’t mind, then I won’t” Ranma smiles, small droplets of water forming at the corner of her eyes. Why has it taken her this long to reach out for her again?
Akane intends to follow through with that affirmation, unlike the last few times they’d been interrupted and nothing had come of it.
First things first
“Let me lock the door. I’ll be back” Akane strokes her cheek as she rises up, stealing away warmth and comfort with excruciating gentleness.
Those few seconds apart felt like hours. In that short repose, Ranma realizes how screwed he truly is.