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Girls Deserve To Be A Little Pudgy.
"You become more and more beautiful when you stop trying to become someone else."
- Bloom for Yourself, April Green
Futaba's POV
"It's finally summer break!" Futaba said as the classroom erupted with cheers after the teacher had said their finally words of wisdom, as they called them ("Don't do anything illegal or that would disappoint your parents! Also stay in school, some of y'all drop out during the summer even though it's your last summer as high school students.") before the bell rung for the start of summer break.
Futaba had went back to her unladylike habits after her and Kou started dating. Although she remained feminine in some aspects, but some habits never died. Her eating habits for example.
She started eating more after her and Kou had that conversation in the nurse's office about each other not eating enough. So much so, he passed out during gym class. It was their agreement and he held true to it, she realized it after she had forgotten her lunch one day and Kou offered part of his to her.
As Futaba started to put away her things for the summer, Murao and Makita met her at her desk, already done packing up. "I started packing up once he started giving advice about having a safe and responsible summer." Murao said as she rolled her eyes playfully and smiled. Murao no longer talked as monotoned as she did when they first met.
"What should we do for summer? It's our last summer as high school students." Makita asked. Futaba once thought that she was the prime example of femininity until she saw how her expression quickly changed from being happy to anger when her sweets were taken from her.
"What about a beach trip?" For their first year they had taken a leadership trip to strengthen their bonds as a group then went to Nagasaki as a class/grade trip. So it would be a first going as the 5 of them. (Assuming Kou and Kominato say yes to the invitation.)
"We've never been to the beach together before!" Makita's eyes seemed to light up and sparkle as the wheels and possibility of beach trip together turned in her head. Futaba stood up and pushed her chair under her desk.
"What's this about a beach trip?" Kou and Kominato came to where the girls stood.
"We're deciding what to do for the summer since this is our last summer all together." Futaba spoke to the two of them.
"Ah, that's right." The mental realization dawned across Kominato's face. "We are graduating this year!"
"Did you just realized that?" Kou and Murao harmonized together, realizing they said the same thing then shrugged.
"You guys aren't nice at all!" Kominato pouted. Murao and Kou laughed as they watched him pout.
And with that, the beach trip was decided. To the water!
•••
After a train ride over, where Futaba slept on Kou's shoulder the whole way there and probably drooled a little. They were finally at the beach.
"The beach~!" Both Futaba and Kominato chorused throwing their arms up in the air.
"You have to get changed first before you run out there." Kou called out to his girlfriend.
After months of going back and forth and misunderstandings and even a short term relationship the two of them were finally together. It took a long time and effort but they were never going back to how things were before.
•••
Kou's POV
The first time, Kou really noticed Futaba was the day she decided to play cops and robbers with him and some of their junior high friends. It was a miracle she agreed to join to begin with.
It was him that proposed the game after all. Since he didn't want to go home to the fighting and the constant noise. Seemingly relentless throughout the night.
The atmosphere changed at home as time continued.
Slightly, hoping, praying that it would one day go back to normal and how it was before.
Yet it never did.
The noise persisted and so did the fighting.
Until one day it stopped.
The noise became quiet and the silence took over.
One day, Kou had fainted during gym class and was surrounded by the smell of disinfectant and the sound of silence.
He woke to Futaba peering down at him until she backed off when she realized he was awake. She rummaged a nearby drawer for bandages for her swollen jammed finger from volleyball. When he woke and was surrounded by the silence and the smell of disinfectant. This time, he didn't want to run the moment the smell hit his nose.
He was relieved in a way. For this time, he was no longer transported back to the long days that stretched into nights of him sitting by his mom's side. Watching her deteriorate from the cancer in her lungs as the strong and fearless woman he once knew.
Being taken and slowly slipping past his finger tips. She was close enough to hold in his arms, but not close enough to save.
"I don't like seeing women get too skinny." He told Futaba once after he had confronted her about her not eating much anymore.
They made an agreement that day for both of them to eat more. They both upheld their end of the agreement.
Futaba started to buy more bread at the school bakery and Kou started eating more as well. No longer passing out and ending up at the nurses office.
It's been a couple months since their agreement and how Futaba glowed.
Her bikini was light pink with white polka dots that came down in a v.
For months, Kou watched Futaba slowly loose herself after she started dating Touma. She ate less, wore more makeup, talked less, and made her personality small enough to fit in someone's palm.
Today, she glowed and shined under the hot sun. Laughing and smiling just Kou always wished he could always see her doing.
Being happy.
"Kou!" She called at him, waving her arms in the air like one of those blow up inflatables you would see in front of a car dealership.
"Coming!" He called back. Walking towards where her, Makita, and Murao stood, Kominato standing beside him.
Makita had just got off of the phone with her boyfriend, Haruhiko Uchimiya or how his friends called him, "Ucchi".
Her bikini was floral and matched her personality. Willing to grow and survive wherever the wind took her. Her sun hat gave her a round ring around her feet.
Murao was the opposite, her bikini was plain black as she talked monotoned most of the time. But slowly, she changed as well.
"Kominato as those really pineapples on your swim trunks?" Murao asked trying to hide her smile behind her hand. He was in fact wearing pineapple swim trunks.
After that, Kominato made a beeline sprint for the water like a kid in a candy store. "Come in already! It feels great!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted towards his friends on shore. They followed behind, leaving their belongings and sun hats on shore.
For lunch they sat at picket table at one of the outdoor restaurants they saw when they first arrived. Kou and Futaba sat on one side while Murao, Kominato, and Makita sat on the other.
Kou once heard Futaba muttering about how much she hated that her stomach rolled when she sat down. How she wished she could take some scissor and chop it off.
Today on the other hand, she paid no mind to it. She laughed with her heart and the last thing was on her mind was her insecurities of the things she wanted to change about herself that she deemed "imperfect".
Kou watched and stared at her as he wanted her glow under the bright sun and its rays. She soon noticed he was staring.
"Something wrong, Kou?" She asked when she noticed him staring.
"Not at all." He replied as he saw their server make their ways towards them. "You're so beautiful." He wanted to say, but his pride wouldn't allow him.
For today, she paid no mind to the insecurities that swallowed her whole some nights. For today, the droplets of water on her skin glistened as she laughed and smiled.
For today, she was happy and that's all Kou could ever want.