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“Do you think this pattern is too much for me?” Ochako spins the sundress around, holding it to her body. It’s a pink gingham sundress with little bows tied on the front and on the straps. She squints at her reflection. “It’s Hagakure’s and she said I could borrow it, but I feel like I’m having second thoughts. I don’t know. Mina, what do you think?”
It looked beautiful on Ochako.
From her comfy spot on her bed, Mina opens her mouth to–
“Or should I wear shorts and this top!” Ochako switches the outfits out, throwing the dress down and grabbing a white blouse and blue jean shorts with flowers embroidered along the hem. “Like as a comfortable back up? What outfit fits better for a date?” she asks.
It’s their second year and Ochako has a date with a boy. Some boy in general studies, cool quirk, normal face. Mina couldn’t remember his name. Kato or Saito, something like that. She knows he’s nice and has asked Ochako out, that’s all that really matters to Mina.
After everything, there’s been a lot of buzz around their class. For a while, confessions would happen, sometimes more than once a week. Not like this confession has surprised Mina, Ochako is a catch. She’s super kind and pretty and one of the strongest fighters in their class. A boy would be stupid not to like her best friend.
Mina proposes, “ I think the dress looks really cute on you, ‘chako! Pink is so your color!” She kicks her legs back and forth on the bed.
Ochako’s holding up the dress in one hand and the shirt in the other. They’re both cute options, both highlighting Ochako’s personal style well. Her lips tighten together, “You don’t think it’s too much for a first date?”
“Of course not! Do you think it’s too much?”
“I–” She stares long and hard at her reflection and the dress. Ochako sighs and slumps where she stands. “ –I think I’m thinking too hard about this.” Her eyes look tired as she stares back at her reflection. “I’m gonna wear the shirt and call it done,” Ochako laughs weakly, tossing the dress back on the bed.
“If you say so…” Mina turns around and covers her eyes with her hands, giving Ochako some privacy while she changes. She taps her fingers over her forehead, “What are you guys doing anyway?”
There’s some shuffling around before Ochako answers, “We’re going out to that cafe in town. He said it’s his favorite so I figured I’d try it out!”
“That’s great! Sounds like a lot of fun! You’ll have to tell me if it’s any good so we can go together!” Mina calls out from her corner.
“Of course!”
Ochako finishes up changing and Mina faces her again. She’s combing her fingers through her hair, getting whatever last touches in before she leaves the dorm. Bracelets and a necklace are added on. Ochako brushes over her shorts one last time before putting her hands on her hips. “Well, that’s one thing out of the way. And now the rest,” she smiles grimly at Mina.
“What else is there? You’re gonna have a nice time with a nice guy at a cafe. That’s it! And if you wanna leave or it’s going super weird and you need an out, you know you can always call me or any of us!” Mina does her best to reassure Ochako. She doesn’t want to see her friend anxious over some boy.
The reassurance falls short when Ochako starts to pace the room. “I’ve never been on a date, I’ve never held hands with anybody, I’ve never gotten a confession ‘til now, and I’ve never even had my first kiss!” Ochako counts each ‘never’ on her fingers, exasperated. “If I’m freaking out over my outfit, how am I ever going to talk and sit with him?!”
Ochako leans forward and whispers out, “What if we kiss?” The realization must settle in because Ochako’s eyes widen in shock as she slaps her hands onto her cheeks, shocked by her own words out of her mouth and frowns, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I don’t think anybody ever knows what they’re doing,” Mina laughs. Sitting up, she clasps her hands together with an idea, “How about we practice?”
“Practice?”
“Yeah! I haven’t had my first kiss either so this way we can have bad ones together and so the real ones won’t be so scary.”
Ochako brings a hand to her lips. “There would be less pressure,” she offers with a soft smile.
“Exactly!” Mina pats the bed next to her for Ochako to sit. Doing something with a friend is the easiest and most perfect way to get through something. Even if it's something like kissing. It’s not like Mina hasn’t thought of this before, the easy way always seems so tempting, but her friends didn’t seem to have that solution like Mina. Most of them wanted to wait for a guy for their first kiss. And that was fine with her, she loved her friends and being with them more than going for the easy route.
Ochako sits next to her, holding and twisting her bracelets as a nervous fidget. Mina takes Ochako’s hands into her own, trying to soothe both of their nerves.
“It’s just a kiss.” She squeezes her hands.
“It’s just a kiss,” Ochako affirms, squeezing back.
“Uhm–close your eyes,” Mina mutters. She’s never done this before and yet she’s taking the lead. It all feels a little out of place, but she keeps going anyway.
Ochako nods, her cheeks are pink. It’s both of their favorite color. It’s pretty.
Her own cheeks must be pinker too because her face feels like it’s burning, but Mina presses the heat down and ignores it as she pushes into Ochako’s space.
Their lips touch for a second, both hovering over the other, scared. But then Ochako is the one to close the space between them, pressing their lips together with a squeeze of their hands. Mina’s eyelashes flutter as she lets out a little squeak of surprise.
First kisses are always described as awkward, stiff, or just bad. But this is worse than she thought because it’s not bad at all; it’s good .
Mina’s heart aches, pounding in her chest. Ochako’s lips are soft and all she can smell is her own perfume in her nose, but it’s different because it’s on Ochako. It’s better because it’s on Ochako.
It’s just a kiss, right?
First kisses are always described as fireworks and perfect and Mina didn’t really believe it, but now she thinks those are the only words she can use to describe it. Her heart and hands warm in Ochako’s hold; Mina doesn’t know what to do.
It lasts only a few seconds.
Despite her anxieties, Ochako is the one to make every move. She pulls away from Mina, eyes and smile wide. Mina doesn’t know what her face looks like right now, she can only hope she looks normal when she smiles back, her cheeks somehow warmer than before.
“That was nice! I’m so glad I got to do that with you. Thanks, Mina,” Ochako chirps, brushing her hair behind her ear. An action Mina can’t help but fixate on.
“Yeah, I’m glad too,” Mina admits honestly. She pushes down the butterflies again, the kiss is over.
Ochako releases her hands, grabbing her phone from next to her, glancing at the time. “Ah! I need to start heading to the bus!” She slips her phone into her handbag and skips to the door. She waves to Mina from the doorway. Her white blouse sits a little crooked on her shoulders and Mina thinks idly about the pink dress, if she’ll see Ochako wear it for real. “Okay, I’ll see you later! And don’t worry, I’ll text you if anything happens and I’ll tell you how it goes when I get back!”
Everything happens so fast; Mina can barely blink and Ochako is gone.
The door clicks shut.
Her hand is still raised in a weak wave.
The memory of the kiss floods back to her, the only thing on her mind. But is it really a memory if Mina can still feel Ochako’s lips? If she can taste Ochako’s strawberry chapstick? If her heart is still pounding?
Does Ochako feel the same?
The question jolts her out of her daze like ice water. What is she even talking about? Mina doesn’t know what to think, what to feel. The offer was impulsive and stupid, but Mina can’t seem to regret it. She gathers up all her blankets and buries underneath them, hoping to reach the center of the Earth, her face feels like lava.
One thought circles her head:
Fuck, I want another kiss.