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Hiori walked alongside Isagi in the school hallways, listening to whatever she had to say this morning. Hiori couldn't count the number of times she wanted to space out and be in her own world. Still, against her better judgment and being voted the best listener by all her friends, she felt inclined to provide short responses as Isagi spoke in paragraphs.
Usually, Hiori had to force herself to be interested in what Isagi had to speak about, but the topic on hand made her ears perk.
“You know who Itoshi Rin is, don’t you?” Isagi asked, sliding a hair tie off her wrist. She began to tie her hair into a high ponytail so she had it ready for practice. “What’s her deal?”
Hiori hoped Isagi didn’t see the way she stiffened up. “What do ya mean?”
“You don’t see it?” Isagi questioned. “She’s just… standoffish. And rude..”
“I mean, everyone has bad days,” Hiori replied, desperately trying to keep herself from blowing a fuse. “I’m sure she didn’t mean anythin’ she said to ya. Don’t let it get to your head.”
Isagi laughed. “You’re better than me. She gave me a stink eye when I was at practice and I didn’t even talk to her that entire day! Seriously, what’s her problem?”
“Maybe that’s just how she is,” Hiori shrugged, playing with the zipper of his jacket. “She is a good player.”
“She’s an amazing player, it’s just her personality that’s the problem.”
“I think her personality isn’t bad, actually.”
“…How do you know that?” Isagi asked with a raised eyebrow. “Have you talked to her before?”
“Ya could say that,” Hiori chuckled absentmindedly. “I-”
Suddenly, a familiar and very recognizable voice called out to her. “Hiori.”
There in front of them stood the one and only, Itoshi Rin. Her long greenish hair flowed just a little bit over her waist, messy with a few strands sticking out in multiple areas. Anyone would look at her and think she’s nothing but a crazy delinquent who does nothing but get into meaningless fights, but when Hiori sees her with a bandaid across her nose bridge and a busted lip, her heart skips a beat.
“Rin,” Hiori blurted out. Was it possible for the insides of her hands to sweat just because she was in front of a pretty girl? Hiori tried not to seem too obvious in front of Rin, considering they had just seen each other not too long ago. “Hi.”
Rin didn’t respond for what felt like hours. She stood there, her expressionless face staring into Hiori’s for an awkward amount of time. Or it looked like it was awkward to outsiders. To the both of them, they’ve shared many silences together before, but that was still a secret to everyone.
It’s not like they tried to keep it a secret. It’s just that they didn’t tell anyone and nobody found out. Hiori assumes it’s because the thought of Rin being in a relationship at all would be impossible to imagine.
It’s a good thing Rin had such a difficult personality, anyway. Hiori didn’t have any competition.
Rin reached inside of her pocket, pulling out a blue pen.
Hiori looked at it for a moment before the gears started turning in her head. “Oh! I gave ya my pen before class!”
In all honesty, Hiori hadn't forgotten. She knew she would see Rin later on during the day, away from watchful eyes, so Hiori didn’t know why Rin was approaching her now all of a sudden, but she made an educated guess that it had to do with something Isagi said.
It’s not like Rin didn’t have other opportunities to give her pen back either. When Hiori and Rin had met up in the bathrooms by complete coincidence and not at all orchestrated by a simple text to each other, Rin could've given her a pen back then. Then again, maybe they were too distracted to remember anything about the pen.
“Thank you for returnin’ it,” Hiori kindly says, her fingers brushing against Rin’s as she reaches to grab it.
Rin hums in response, a strange glint in her eyes that Hiori recognizes. Hiori doesn’t break away from her gaze, holding it for as long as she possibly could. Then, Rin walks past her and Isagi without a second glance.
Isagi scoffs and turns her head, watching as Rin walks away. “What the hell was that?”
Hiori didn't know either. She couldn’t figure out why Rin wanted to say something to her so badly. She highly doubted it was because of a pen. That wasn't like Rin at all.
“…She gave me a pen back,” Hiori replied after a beat. “I lent it to her in my last class.”
”Yeah, but why was she acting like that?” She asked and looked at Hiori. “You didn’t see the way she was looking at you?”
Oh, Hiori saw. She didn't think she was that obvious.
Hiori shook her head mindlessly. “You’re readin’ into it too much.”
“Am I?” Isagi whispered to herself in doubt. Hiori felt a tiny bit bad for treating her friend like this, but she had priorities to take care of. And right now, Isagi was on the edge of figuring out what Rin was to her. “Yeah, you’re right. Rin is impossible to read, anyway. She’s always been unpredictable.”
Hiori nodded along. “But that’s what makes her special, right?”
“What?”
“ What ?”
______
Hiori Yo is in love with Itoshi Rin. If that wasn't already obvious.
And not to put words in Rin’s mouth, but Hiori’s pretty sure she feels the same way.
“I didn’t know ya got into another fight,” Hiori said as she walked over to her. “Shidou?”
“Who else?” Rin scoffed, picking at the scratch on her cheek. “She’s aggravating.”
Hiori giggled and grabbed her wrist. She tugged her onto the steps of the stairs, pulling her down to sit next to her. “I wasn’t gonna scold ya. You already know how I feel about this.”
Rin narrowed her eyes, turning her head to the other side to hide her face that was blooming red. “…You’re annoying.”
“By the way, why’d ya walk up to me earlier?” Hiori asked, dismissing Rin’s obvious failed attempt at insulting her. “Aren't we keepin’ this relationship on the down low?”
“ You were the one who almost gave it away.”
Hiori raised her hands, showing her palms defensively in a playful manner. “I was defendin’ ya!”
“Isagi was catching on.” Rin rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
Hiori shrugged, feeling unbothered by the fact. “I feel like she’s even more suspicious, considering the stunt ya pulled earlier.”
“My stunt? All I did was return a pen.”
“Which is a nice thing for someone to do. Doesn't really fit your whole vibe.”
Rin glanced at her with an offended glare. “Why are we still talking about this? Do you want to be public or something?”
Hiori gestured indifferently with a smile. “I wouldn't mind it. I don’t really care if we’re private or public. As long as I have you, I think I’ll live.”
Heat rushed to Rin’s face as she struggled to keep her expression neutral. “You’re corny.”
“Ya like it,” Hiori let out a soft laugh, moving her hand to rest it on top of Rin’s. “I haven't heard any complaints.”
Her eyes narrowed sharply, still trying to disguise her bashfulness as stubbornness. “You think you’re so funny.”
Hiori flashed a teasing grin and leaned in closer. “Am I not?”
Rin didn’t cower or back away. Instead, she lets a few seconds pass by in silence. Her gaze flickered to Hiori’s lips several times and it seemed like Hiori knew. It was as if they could reach each other’s minds. Or they were both being obvious and neither one of them wanted to give in first.
They were close enough to feel the warmth radiating from each other. They’ve shared a few fleeting kisses here and there, so Rin doesn’t know what she was so nervous about. Secret kisses when no one was looking or in empty classrooms still made Rin’s day better and she knew whatever was about to happen was going to make her feel over the moon .
Rin wasn’t very good at holding back.
It only took Rin two more seconds max to finally connect their lips together. It was like an invisible magnetic pull drew them together. Who was Rin to stop it?
With a simple squeeze of her hand from Hiori, Rin prided herself on being able to achieve something like this. Hiori’s lips trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anticipation. With a soft sigh coming from Hiori’s mouth, Rin takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
The world around them softened into a hush, silencing everything near them. No urgency or rush, their lips guided against one another without a care.
Hiori’s hand rose to cup the nape of Rin’s neck, her thumb tracing circles around her jaw. Rin returned the same gesture, running her fingers through Hiori’s hair. Rin pulled the hair ties out of Hiori’s pigtails, letting her cyan hair fall onto her shoulders.
There wasn’t a crashing pull or overwhelming feelings that were too much to handle. They both liked it this way. Calm and peaceful with no one to both them.
Rin sighed into the kiss. I wish we could stay like this forever-
A gasp was heard.
It wasn’t from Hiori or Rin.
They both sprang apart from each other like they'd been shocked, their eyes wide and breath caught. Rin whipped her head around to see the eyes of the culprit who caught them while Hiori covered her lips with the back of her hand as if that was going to undo the panic in her face.
Standing in front of the stairs at the top, frozen and paralyzed with surprised eyes, was Nanase. Someone who absolutely wasn't supposed to know about them . No one was supposed to know. It’s not like they didn't think people would support them, half of their friends were into girls, anyway, but Hiori and Rin both prioritized privacy.
The silence was louder than it needed to be.
“I-” Nanase spoke carefully and in a rush. She looked very obviously rattled. “Wow. I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry!”
She took a slow step backward before bolting up the stairs.
“Wait- Nanase !” Hiori called out, scrambling to stand up, but she was gone the moment Hiori stood on her two feet. She sighed loudly, looking down at Rin with a defeated expression while trying to seem unaffected. “…Guess it's not a secret anymore.”
Rin looks away. “It’s whatever.”
“I’m gonna-” Hiori points behind herself at the stairs where Nanase sprinted away. “Should I go catch her?”
Hiori was already preparing herself to chase after her friend, but when she felt a hand grip around her wrist, she glanced down at her girlfriend with a questioning gaze.
“It doesn’t matter,” Rin mumbled bashfully. “If Nanase wants to run her mouth, then let her.”
Hiori tilted her head as her eyes started to widen. She sat down next to Rin again in a flash. “What do ya mean? You don’t care if she tells people? What happened to privacy?”
“I just-” Rin huffed, desperately attempting to find the right words to describe her feelings. “Whether people know or not, it wouldn’t matter.”
“How so?”
“We’d still be together either way,” She states. “The only difference is that everyone would know. Some people may talk, but why the fuck should I care? It’s not anyone’s business except ours.”
A cheeky smile crept up to Hiori’s lips. “So you’re sayin’ that ya don’t mind if my friends know about us?”
“Let them talk all they want.” Rin rolled her eyes. “It’s not like they have a relationship.”
With a soft smile from Hiori, their lips met once more. Content and certain, Rin’s hand comes up to thread her fingers through her hair again. A satisfied hum escaped Hiori’s lips as she deepened the kiss with the tilt of her head.
Hesitance and fear were thrown far away from their bodies as a soft sigh slipped from one of their lips. It’s a bit difficult to tell who it came from, considering how distracted they were at the moment. The hands and fingers weaving their way instinctively around each other didn’t make it any better.
It was funny that they acted like they had all the time in the world. It was easy to get lost in something like this. The kissing, the touching, the warmth of each other. Something about it was addicting . Like a bad memory, you want to forget it, but it remains in your head no matter how much you want to get rid of it. Except Rin, nor Hiori wanted to ever forget this. They wanted the spark they obtained from kissing each other to continue to exist until they grew old.
And sooner or later, the word would be out that Rin and Hiori were in a relationship. Or maybe Nanase wouldn’t tell anyone. Either way, they’ll be okay. They made sure of it.