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“Alright, I’m finished with the lyrics as you asked, K.”
Mafuyu uttered those words as she stretched her arms in your lap, your arms coiled comfortably around her stomach in a loving embrace. The two of you sat on your bed in the dark of night, the only illumination being from Mafuyu’s dim laptop screen and the moonlight peeking through the windows.
“Thanks, Yuki. I’ll give them a read soon,” a voice, presumably K’s, replied.
Nuzzling her hair before moving to the side of her neck, you gently pulled away and met Mafuyu’s gaze just for a slight moment as she turned away from her laptop to look at you. This gaze to some may seem cold, but you can perceive the underlying warmth and comfort behind her irises that she held for no one but you. A mutual love, indeed.
The two of you met initially on a whim when you went out shopping for groceries to restock. You almost dropped a bottle of cooking oil while grabbing one to put into your basket, but luckily, Mafuyu was able to catch it before it shattered. You were immediately drawn to her looks before you realized you were staring, and you apologized; the exchange was as simple as that. Though it seemed convenient that each time you’d come by to purchase more groceries to restock your household, she’d also be there. So the two of you slowly became acquainted with one another, and you also began to fall for her ever so slightly.
Biweekly shopping meetings soon turned into small dates, each time being a chance for you to peel back the mask she wore around herself slowly. You always knew something was off in her tone and in the smile she seemed to always force out of herself each time the two of you were in a public setting. Yet, you never overstepped her boundaries in any of your chats or chuckles, allowing her to slowly be more comfortable and honest with you at her own pace. Sure enough, she began to slowly edge the mask away, letting you deeper into her life. You steadily learned about Nightcord at 25:00, her family situation (albeit vaguely due to Mafuyu’s hesitance to discuss the subject further despite her words indicating that her relationship with her and her mother was healing), and how she is currently as a person. Mafuyu also learned about your history, struggles, and you as a person.
Despite Mafuyu starting to become more touchy and personal with you, you were unfortunately as dense as bricks when it came to some of her subtle and small gestures intended for you to pick up on. Yet, you also saw other signs she gave off and feared that expressing a wanting to take the relationship further would be something Mafuyu wouldn’t want to do with someone like you. Self-doubt plagued your mind despite Mafuyu being quite amicable towards you. Thus, months passed in a slow burn of you two getting closer together, both in the relationship and in love with one another.
It was a beautiful June that day. Yet, the two of you were sitting at Shibuya Park, having a quiet moment together after a day of strolling about the city. You’ll probably never truly know what went through Mafuyu’s mind at that moment—what caused her sudden surge in sadness—but you knew that it was a stressful time for her with her nursing classes. You slowly turned your head to Mafuyu, seeing a small tear flowing down her cheek as she stared into the sky. You could tell that drop of water was not one made from physical irritation of her eye, but rather was a prelude to a storm of emotions that soon rose out from her as she sobbed, leaning on your shoulder for some kind of anchor.
In that moment, you offered not words that would only fall onto deaf ears, but simply embraced the person you finally admitted to yourself you loved so deeply, letting her tears soak up into your cardigan as you let her ride her storm out. After a moment that felt like eternity, the tears dried from her face, and you both finally looked each other in the eyes.
In that instance, you and Mafuyu finally declared that you loved each other.
Though the initial days following that confession were days of silent comfort and embraces, you two eventually found your footing with each other. The rest of Nightcord could testify to how cute it was to witness you two during this time through Mafuyu’s texts and you being occasionally called by Mizuki both to tease you and to suggest more couple of things to do with Mafuyu. Usually, her tips would end up working to your dismay, which left Mizuki snickering each time you reported back to her.
Your small, quaint home—graciously gifted to you by your parents—was the perfect place for letting Mafuyu move in once your relationship became deep enough. Your parents said something about “learning independence” when they handed the property and its ownership over to you, but they were graciously willing to help out with the more complex aspects of managing bills and whatnot as you learned the process behind these “grown-up” tasks to do them yourself eventually. If only they knew that you’d be having your girlfriend living in your home too. Regardless of that, Mafuyu made herself at home where you lived, and the arrangement led to many adorable domestic moments between the two of you that you treasure so dearly when looking back on them. Though she did occasionally go back to Kanade’s for a bit to work on music or to catch up with Kanade’s housekeeper, Honami.
“I was thinking of calling it early today, if that’s fine with everyone? We can each work on our parts individually with the current work until tomorrow,” K continued, the audio audible through the speaker in Mafuyu’s laptop.
“I’m fine with that,” Mafuyu murmured.
“Yes, ma’am! Good night, y’all!” a voice declared from the speakers.
“Ugh, not so loud, Amia. Good night, everyone,” another voice subsequently groaned.
“Heheh, can Enanan’s precious ears not handle a little volume?”
“I’m more concerned about you being loud enough to wake up my whole house through my headphones,” Enanan huffed.
Amia snickered through the speaker before she audibly perked up.
“Oh, one more thing before we call it quits for tonight!” Amia exclaimed.
“What, Amia?” Enanan asked in a deadpan and tired tone.
A faint giggle could be heard from Amia’s mic before she spoke again.
“Have a good night, you two!”
Those were the last words spoken before Amia disconnected from the call. Your mind swam in bewilderment at how Amia seemed to have read your current thoughts.
“E-eh…?” K quietly questioned.
“I think Amia was referring to Yuki and me,” you responded, your voice being heard by the other two’s headphones.
“Ah, right. She always likes to tease you two every time we all meet up,” Enanan yawned. “I’m too tired for this… Goodnight, you three.”
“Alright. Sweet dreams, everyone,” K warmly spoke.
Everyone in the call soon disconnected for the night.
After saving and closing applications and shutting down her laptop, Mafuyu wriggled from your hug and crawled off the bed to set the device on top of the bedside cabinet.
You let out a small whimper as Mafuyu left your arms. Hugging her was irresistible to you, and you were always intoxicated by the warm feeling it gave when you held her in your arms.
“Hey…” you pouted.
Mafuyu looked over at you, being faintly illuminated by the dim moonlight seeping through the window.
“Is something wrong?” she quietly responded.
You shook your head lightly. You just missed having her in your arms, cherishing the feeling of having such a beautiful partner curled up in your embrace.
“…I was just feeling clingy, I guess,” you sheepishly replied before you motioned for her to come back into bed.
Mafuyu nodded at your words, quickly getting back into bed next to you as you pulled the sheets over the two of you. She scooted closer to your body, pressing up against you as comfortably as possible.
You took your arms and once more wrapped them around her, embracing her to cuddle. Mafuyu responded by letting both of your legs tangle with each other in a beautifully delicate way, leaving comfort for both of you. Her cool hands slid under your arms and held you firmly against her, her head resting slightly below yours. Mafuyu’s puffs of air tickled your neck as you finally embraced each other in a position that was heavenly to be in.
You could feel Mafuyu’s breath slowly ease into your arms, tension still in her shoulders. Perhaps it was college work? Maybe Nightcord? Whatever the case was for her tenseness, you wanted to ensure that she was comfortable before you slept.
“Are you stressed a bit, bun?” you genuinely asked Mafuyu.
The endearing nickname you gave her ever since you learned of her favorite animal still sticks to this day.
“A little bit. Nursing school has a bit of a workload,” Mafuyu replied.
“Mhm… I see.”
“Mm. It’ll be okay. I’m happy that I can help people,” Mafuyu continued with a small smile.
Hearing her words, you cupped the side of her face, brushing your thumb against her cheek. Each time you saw her express anything, it brought a burning warmth to your chest.
“Just let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m with you.”
Mafuyu fluttered her eyes, gazing at you like you were the most precious gem in the world. Despite her usually lacking in emotion, you’re able to bring out that side of her that she once thought she lost, even if only a fragment of what it once was. At least it proved that the two of you could bring the rest of her true feelings back together, no matter how long it took.
“Thank you. I always know that,” she whispered.
And you were content with that answer.
Mafuyu leaned her head up, closing the little distance between her lips and yours as she softly kissed you. The feeling brought sparks of tenderness and love into both of your hearts. Mafuyu pulled back slightly and intertwined her fingers with one of your hands before you continued to brush against each other’s lips.
You couldn’t tell if you were gaslighting yourself to perceive a flavor, but Mafuyu’s lips tasted of a faint floral honey. Perhaps it was some of the hair products and scents she used that were mixing up your senses. Maybe she just magically had a perpetual tang of lavender. Regardless of its origin, the taste of her lips emanated a vivid warmth in your chest.
When you eventually parted your lips from each other, you could tell how red Mafuyu had gotten from the heated exchange of kisses. Both of your hearts felt like they were beating out of your chests as your puffs of breath mixed in the cold air.
“...I love you.”
And that was all that needed to be exchanged that night.
The pair slept soundly through the cold night.