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Shion didn't even know how she got yourself into this.
"H-Hey Shion.. so- could you take care of Meto for one day..?" Doto said hesitantly, "I promise he's not problematic! All you have to do is feed him in the morning and afternoon..."
She doesn't even like cats that much. But there's no turning back now, she agreed, and can't let Doto down.
Right after training, Shion made her way to Doto's dorm. After entering, she was met with a curious meow coming from a bed on the left. Meto, an orange kitty with a big white pattern on his chest, was sprawled on the bed like he owned the place. Shion sighed and approached the small fridge where Doto had said the cat food was. "I'm just going to feed you and go, okay?" She took out the can and glanced to where Meto was lying. "Right Meto-?" And he ... wasn't there. Shion furrowed her brows. Cats do be silent... huh?
That's when Shion looked around the room to estimate the position of Meto. The dorm is a small space, so she expected to find him quickly. Oh, how wrong she was. Shion closed the fridge and stood up. Only then did she notice she didn't fully close the dorm room like a complete dumbass.
"You've got to be kidding me!" She exhaled and bolted to the door. As she looked around, she saw a fluffy orange ball just casually walking down the hallway. Shion closed the dorm room and crouched. "Heyyy kitty kitty..." She said softly and as convincingly as she could.
Meto, as if he was doing it on purpose, started trotting still in his own direction. "Oh come here!" Shion stood up and went in pursuit after the cat, which unsurprisingly started running away from her. Shion is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
[ Meanwhile ]
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Orfevre slowly but surely made her way upstairs. Her afternoon was disappointingly uneventful. Half of the academy was away on a country trip, which included most of her friends as well as Dorijo. Not wanting to wander around the main hall without purpose, she decided to spend the rest of the day in her dorm. As Orfevre reached the floor where her dorm was located, she heard a weird stomping sound from the hallway crossing. Confused but still curious, she approached the corner. An orange cat stormed from the hallway and ran just through her legs. But the cat couldn't be that loud. That doesn't add up.
Well, her answer came running to her. Literally. Someone came at full speed just behind the cat and rammed straight into her, resulting in both of them ending up on the floor. Orfevre took most of the impact on herself, as the person running landed on her after falling. She rubbed her head with a grunt, clenching her eyelids. ". . .What were you thinking?!"
After recovering from the impact, with closed eyes, Shion pulled herself up, supporting herself with her arms. Wait. She knows that voice. Her eyelids flew open, only to see herself accidentally pinning Orfevre to the floor. Orfevre. Her crush- I MEAN RIVAL! Yeah totally. Mhm. Shion couldn't even breathe for a few seconds. Her face turned red, ears flew back, and she recoiled in the opposite direction as fast as she could. "I- I- I- I'M SORRY!"
Orfevre sat up and opened her eyes. Seeing Shion, her eyebrows went up slightly, and her ears moved forward. "Tsch. What even was that? I thought Kiseki made it crystal clear that running in the corridors is prohibited."
Shion was speechless for a moment. Only after a short while she spoke up. "I-I... I was trying to catch Meto... you know, Doto's cat..." Her ears moved forward as she started glancing around, looking for Meto. And there he was, sitting just a few meters behind Orfevre.
Seeing Shion's gaze lock onto something, Orfevre looked back and took in the sight of Meto. He was deliberately looking at both of them, as if proud of his work. This bastard. As Orfevre stood up, the cat started approaching her, even brushing itself on her ankle. "Hmpf . . ." She leaned down, grabbed Meto gently and handed him to Shion.
Shion took over the kitty, a small smile creeping on her mouth. "Thank you." Shion hugged Meto to her chest and started walking away.
While watching Shion walk away, Orfevre felt a weird sense of urgency crawling at her chest. After all, they're alone in the Ritto Dormitory, and will be until tomorrow. She could use this moment to... finally be genuine. Finally see if this feeling building up through the months was something more than a fleeting flame. "Shion." She called, almost commanding.
Shion turned around, a curious expression painted on her face. "...huh?"
" Would you mind if I joined you? I don't have anything more productive to do anyway. "
Shion raised her eyebrows in both disbelief and curiosity. ".. actually I wouldn't mind at all!" She smiled softly.
Both of them went to Doto's room. After feeding the cat and making sure there weren't any more places he could escape through, they both went to Orfevre's room. It was the primary choice since it was merely a few doors away from Doto's.
After entering, Shion took in the scenery it.. kinda was a generic Tracen Dormitory room, something Shion completely didn't expect from a living space of Orfevre. The main thing that stood out for her was many, and I mean a lot of plushies on the Tyrant's bed. It was almost ironic.
Orfevre closed the door behind them and noticed Shion glaring at the colorful, nicely arranged plusihes on her bed. " Is something wrong? "
"Ah!" Shion immediately snapped out and turned to Orfevre, a little flustered. "No, no... it's just- I didn't expect someone like you to have so many plushies... I- I mean I'm not saying it's bad-!"
Orfevre scoffed, but smiled a little right after. " You could say it's kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. " Orfevre walked past Shion and sat on her bed. " Come, you may sit. "
And so, Shion did as Orfevre said. She sat next to her, but kept a comfortable distance.
The silence between them painfully stretched out, even though in reality it was just mere seconds.
" Actually I- " They both said at the literally same time, which resulted in another few seconds of awkward silence.
"You go first." Shion said, moving her gaze to Orfevre.
Orfevre looked at Shion for a few seconds until she turned her gaze away. " I wanted to ask you something. "
"...what is it?" Shion tilted her head a little. Examining Orfevre further revealed to Shion that she was... a little embarrassed? Orfevre embarrassed? She must be mistaken, there's no way Orfevre would actually feel awkward around her. ...... unless- NO. There was no actual way Orfevre could feel the same about someone like Shion. She can dream.. NO! She doesn't feel anything special towards Orfevre. She hates her. After all, Orfevre is the light she chases after, she's on her mind every time she thinks about improvement. Shion is the one who knows everything about her, ranging from likes and dislikes to even her daily routine or how she reacts to different kinds of weather or- ..... oh.
" I was feeling weird for the past few months, " Orfevre started, avoiding eye contact at all cost. Something completely uncharacteristic for her. Her ears flopped back. " Not in entirely bad way, but a way that I don't fully understand. It's like you being in the same place with me just ... made me feel a weird sense of relief. On some nights, your voice rang in my ears like the best of all curses since I hate the silence of night. It comforted me in a way I do not understand. When I saw you having a worse day, I wanted to put to justice anyone who made you feel this way. It's hard to put it into words, but I think I lo-"
"I love you too." Shion interrupted.
Orfevre's ears bolted forward, she immediately turned her head to Shion.
What Orfevre saw was Shion- her face red up till the ears, eyes wide open and jaw so tense she might've cracked a tooth (she didn't). She held her hands tightly on her lap as if it was an anchor holding her in this material plane.
Orfevre opened her mouth slightly, trying to gather words that would make any actual sense, but she couldn't. This was just such a surreal scenario that she didn't have a prepared response. Orfevre's breath quickened, the pressure of the moment weighing heavily on her. Every second, doubts one after another started leaving Orfevre. Her mouth felt dry, her knees a little weak, even though she was actually sitting, so she didn't put any pressure on them. She slowly raised one of her hands and put it on Shion's cheek.
Shion practically didn't react, still completely in a state of stunned panic. Only her ears slowly flopped to the sides as a sign of comfort.
Orfevre's hand was undoubtedly shaking a little. She never felt so exposed and vulnerable and yet so... seen, so comfortable. Her breathing was anything but steady, but you could say the same about Shion. Though Orfevre was the one moving this moment even a little forward, she just couldn't move herself to anything more at this point. She knew if nothing happened, they would just stay in this weird state of limbo, and it would get only more awkward.
This is when Shion took the initiative. The abashment holding her back vanished and threw Shion forward wrapping her arms around Orfevre's neck. It closed the distance between their lips.
The kiss was anything but pretty. Full of chaos, confusion, but also unspoken emotions. They didn't know any better, it was their way of expressing what they couldn't for such a long time. They parted after a few seconds, but their mouths stayed just a hair's breadth apart. Their breaths mingled with each other, panted at an irregular pace as if they were kindred spirits.
They stayed together for the night, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. The whole thing was just so bizarre for the two of them... but one thing was clear. They have each other now, and nothing will change that.