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-Friday-
Alone under a set of high school stairs, Ranma had just finished throwing away the classroom's trash to the bin when he sensed a presence behind him. He turned instantly, shifting into a defensive position and looking for an enemy. Or one of the stubborn self-proclaimed ‘fiancées’.
His eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw…
“Akane?!”
“Shhhh!” She held a finger to her lips.
Okay…?
They crouched shoulder to shoulder, further under the concrete stairs’ shadow to hide from passersby’s view.
“I need a favor! Please ask Hiroshi and Daisuke to come to Yuka’s place with you tomorrow for a sleepover.” She whispered at top speed.
“Why?” He whispered back.
“It’s more natural that way. I really want to help… a friend! Oh, Sayuri is coming too.”
Ah… Akane and her big heart. Always assisting others.
Ranma already knew he’d accept anything for her. He’d always struggled to stay on the sidelines if the girl he cared for was up to something or in any kind of trouble. More so after almost losing her at Ryugenzawa to the forest ranger jerk. Nevermind after the disastrous almost-wedding, coming back from China. When she’d implied that he’d said ‘I love you’ –he hadn’t, not out loud!– and he just kind of denied it and ran after the Nanniichuan water. In hindsight, he felt really crappy at how he’d handled the situation. Not that he was ready for marriage after just turning eighteen. But Ranma was trying to compensate by being extra nice to her lately.
Yet that didn’t mean he had to make it too easy for her.
“Any more orders, boss?” He teased in an overly serious voice, spy movie style.
She frowned at him. “Actually, yes. It’s a potluck, so everyone should bring something for dinner. And you need sweatpants!”
“Are we working out?”
“No, but it's a pajama party. And you usually just strip in the summer.” She turned to face forward, avoiding his eyes. “Do you want the other girls to see you with just the tank top and underwear?”
She kind of had a point, but… “Your sisters see that all the time.”
Akane blushed. “That’s… more like family.”
Ranma felt his cheeks burn too as he replied with a noncommittal grunt.
Little moments like that showed he wasn't the only one aware of his feelings and what would happen in the future between them. Even if things hadn’t changed much on the exterior.
What would it take for that to happen?
-Saturday-
Ranma sat cross-legged in the foreign but cozy living room and took a sip of cool Mugicha so as not to bounce his leg in irritability. He already wished he’d chosen a spot farther from the connected kitchen. From his position, the smell of the remains of the nefarious dinner they’d just eaten still reached him. Mocking him.
The spacious residence hosted the planned party. Three girls: Yuka, Sayuri, and Akane. Plus three boys: Hiroshi, Daisuke, and himself. Four, if you included the shiba dog somewhere in the garden that had made it its life mission to bark like a devil-possessed beast at random intervals. Yuka’s mother, the actual homeowner, had left town for the weekend.
Everyone had received Ranma's chahan dish favorably – of course, heh! Then, Akane’s part of the meal has inspired cautious looks. But she'd brought curry, which she could manage! So, after trying it, his classmates soon ganged up on Ranma, accusing him of having ‘defamed’ Akane’s cooking skills for no good reason. He’d never lied, though! Most of her meals were health-threatening bad. Yet how could he say that with strong enough conviction and still get to eat the actually good curry she’d put so much heart into for tonight?!
He’d take walking on an actual tight rope with a cat following him anytime before going through that situation again. That’s how hard it had been to take the nonsense and shut up.
Ranma’s instinct told him the real trouble would start from now, however.
In a force to be reckoned with, the girls had insisted on a ‘Truth or Dare’ game linked to a spinning bottle on the floor. They’d soon moved a low table in the living room to make space between the long sofas, so the six of them could sit in a circle on the big plushy carpet.
As Ranma sat next to Hiroshi, he noticed the girls eyeing each other for a moment before rushing into specific positions.
Akane took his empty side. She looked really cute, wearing a very girly white and pink pajama. Funny that she’d made him wear proper long sweatpants. Her pajama pants were short, with flowy frilly stuff that didn’t hide that she had legs for days. Likely soft, and definitely fit. Ranma felt a spark of pride at seeing the bruises on her shins since they proved her training efforts. He was in no mood to show that, though.
“Want to be near to sneak to me the real poisonous cookies you must still be hiding somewhere?"
He regretted his words as soon as he’d let them out. Come on, forget the food fiasco already and be nicer! You do like her close to you! And she’s been really nice all night, unlike the guys.
Surprisingly, Akane didn't say anything, even though her glaring made it obvious she was holding some well-deserved complaints. She may even be a little hurt.
Not that Ranma wanted to be scolded, but why did she hold off?
Yuka clanked on an empty glass bottle to gather everyone's attention. “The rules are simple. One spins the bottle in the middle of our circle and asks Truth or Dare to the person who gets pointed by the bottle at the end of the spin. If that person chooses Truth, the spinner asks a question to them. If Dare, the chosen one completes a challenge instead. After the question is answered or the challenge is performed, that person spins the bottle, and we move on to the next. Clear?”
Nods all around. Some more excited than others.
“Also, all ‘Dares’ are ‘Kiss the one you like the most in this room’.” Yuka announced with a flourish.
“Why?!” Ranma exclaimed as everyone else nodded around him. Even Akane had nodded. Seriously?
“‘cause it’s my house!” Yuka threw him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Well, then I’m out!” Ranma tried to stand, but Akane grabbed his arm and forced him back down, looking him square in the eyes.
She spoke with her barred teeth low enough only he could hear, “You promised!”
“How about some more margin? The chosen one can switch from Truth to Dare and vice versa if they don’t like it.” Yuka suggested, dripping condescension.
Ranma couldn’t tell how that helped, yet he didn’t like breaking a promise to Akane. And before he could oppose again, Sayuri spun the bottle, which slowly stopped pointing at… Daisuke.
“Truth!” The chosen one shouted with a big smile.
“Have you ever wanted to kiss a girl in this room?” Sayuri raised her eyebrows mischievously.
A shiver ran down Ranma’s spine. Not that he cared for his pal’s answer, but he didn’t like the direction of the game at all.
“Yup!” Daisuke’s eyes went to Akane. What? “I wouldn’t!” He shot a look at Ranma, raising his arms in peace.
The asshole had done that on purpose, and Ranma had to swallow hard not to jump on him. Akane must have felt him tensing, since she let out a deep sigh.
Daisuke hastened to move the bottle, which stopped pointing at… Yuka.
“Truth or Dare?”
“Dare.” Yuka sang out.
Walking on hands and knees, she passed in front of Daisuke and went straight to Hiroshi, kissing him on the lips. The guy right next to Ranma looked surprised at first, but soon reciprocated charmingly. Going so far as to put a hand behind her neck to deepen the kiss with tongue.
Wooooh-kay I did not see that coming. Ranma angled his body to the opposite side, uncomfortable with the scene right next to him.
His friends separated in a satisfied sigh while others cheered, and he turned to spy on Akane. She was giggling and, when she noticed his eyes, she winked at him.
“You knew!” He whispered.
Her smug shrug confirmed it: That was the ‘friends help’. Akane had been smoothing out the night for Yuka’s –plus Hiroshi's– sake all along.
But reaching the goal didn’t pause the evening. So, when Yuka made space for herself next to Hiroshi, misplacing Daisuke in the now-empty slot on the carpet, she spun the bottle.
Ranma stared at it as it stopped… pointing right at him.
“Truth ot Dar-?” Yuka started.
“Truth.” He cut in, already frustrated and wanting to be done with this.
“Are you a virgin?” She batted her eyelashes with an innocence no one would buy.
“EXCUSE ME?!” He didn’t want to reply to crap like that. So what if… “I change to Dare!”
Everyone “oooo”-ed, and when he turned to Akane, he saw her inhale sharply, eyes wide.
He kept his cool and just extended a hand to her, palm up. She eyed it warily and put her hand on his, trusting him overall. Then, wasting no second and definitely not analyzing how much he liked their hands touching, Ranma let his lips lightly contact the back of her hand and let it go.
Their same friends who’d whooped now groaned and called him childish. They may have a point, he felt his cheeks heat up even at such a simple kiss. But he couldn’t agree with them out loud.
“There were no rules on where the kiss goes!”
Sayuri tsk-ed and turned to Yuka. “Well, at least he admitted to liking Akane the most. Nice try!”
“But isn’t that obvious? They’ve been engaged and in that will-they-won’t-they limbo for like two years!” She argued with her friend.
“And denying it at every turn still!!” Hiroshi interjected with a dramatic sigh.
Even if Ranma itched to leave more than before, pride and the promise rooted him down. Besides, the rules were ‘kiss the one you like the most in this room’. Small commitment. Who else was he supposed to kiss?! Especially with such idiots in the house. Should he have gone out and grabbed the crazy dog? No. Even he knew that crossed a line beyond insulting. And Akane should be aware of his true feelings already. So he hadn’t revealed much. On the contrary, he’d remained safe. Smart even!
While the others kept discussing his move, he eyed Akane, but he couldn't read her expression. What he observed, though, was her shoulders lowering a bit as she looked at her feet and hugged a pillow tightly. Sadness. …disappointment? Huh. At what? At his choosing to kiss her? Impossible. Or did she want more right then and with that audience?!
Ranma stopped scratching the back of his head and spun the bottle to stop being the center of attention already. Even so, with his mind still distracted he unintentionally used too much strength, extending this agonizing game time. The glass rotated for so long that some even yawned. An eternity later, the cursed item stopped pointing at… Akane. No such thing as luck for him tonight, really.
“Truth or Dare?” Ranma asked, slowly.
“Truth.” Chin up again, Akane gave no signs of hesitation.
Of course she’d choose Truth. He ignored his own spark of disappointment, too.
Ranma looked directly at her and she held his gaze. He truly tried to come up with any irrelevant question to play safe and not piss her off with any embarrassment or whatever. But as his eyes got lost in the vivid brown ones…
“Where would you have kissed me if you’d chosen ‘Dare’?”
Crap.
The room went silent for what felt like a full minute. Not even the dog barked from the outside at the moment. Akane’s mouth hung half open in surprise.
Then, all at once, everyone except her whooped louder than before. Hiroshi even went as far as to elbow him in the ribs. “Smooth Saotome, already assuming she’d kiss YOU!”
“NO! Shut up! I change my questio-”
Akane put a hand to cover Ranma’s mouth, and he held still for a moment. When his head stiffly turned to face her, sweat had already gathered on his brow. But when he saw her face, she didn’t look angry. She’d blushed and was… trying not to smile?
The small hand on his lower face then changed shape so only her index finger touched him. Right on his lips.
Ranma forgot how to breathe.
Their friends went nuts with louder ‘OOOOOOOOOOO’s, but he was unable to process. Frozen as Akane moved on and spun the bottle as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The game continued for a couple more rounds. Yet Ranma didn’t even react when Disauke also kissed Hiroshi – on the cheek! – just to annoy the guy. Yuka laughed at it, making Hiroshi indignant, though not offended enough to let Yuka leave his side. He kept his arm on her shoulders at all times.
No, Ranma remained muted until it was time to wind down for sleep.
Because Akane would have kissed him on the lips.
*
*
*
The three girls had gone to sleep in Yuka's room a couple of hours ago while the guys stayed in the living room. Daisuke snored from the longest sofa, loud and unashamed. Hiroshi was supposed to be in a sleeping bag on the carpet, but had disappeared some time ago to who knew where. Lastly, and also assigned to a sleeping bag set, Ranma shifted the side he was lying on for the twentieth time. Until he gave up and stood to pace around the connected kitchen.
He didn’t want to wake Daisuke, though he doubted that would happen even if a bomb exploded, so Ranma used his martial arts skills to lower his aura’s presence. Sadly, the technique didn’t lessen his inner unease.
Had he been a coward? Should he have gone for her lips in the first place? In front of everyone?!
A flushing sound distracted him and, moving to a corner of the kitchen, Ranma spied a shadow in the corridor. Could he be lucky this time…? Yes!
Akane’s silhouette stood there with a fist on her chest. Her body turned slightly from facing one side, and then to the other, repetitively. She seemed to be pondering whether to turn to the right, back to the girls’ bedroom, or to the left, towards the living room and kitchen area. To him?
I see…
Ranma made a decision then, or a semi-decision at least. To take one step closer.
Thinking his voice may spook her to a scream, he approached the corridor’s entrance and let his aura be known instead. She caught it instantly and shifted in a defensive pose in his direction –smart girl–, only relaxing her shoulders when she realized it was him.
He walked towards her slowly and tilted his head toward an empty room he’d spied earlier.
Ranma eased the door nearly shut behind them so as not to make a sound with the lock. The studio’s desk was rather big for the room size, so they just stood there, face to face, at less than three feet apart and in silence. They hadn’t turned on the light since that would filter out to the corridor. The street light’s diffused glow filtering through the window behind Akane illuminated the scene pretty well. Pretty indeed. The blue glow surrounding her silhouette suited her.
Even if he’d been the one to call her in, though, he still didn’t know what came next exactly. That was too many steps to plan ahead. And he certainly didn’t dare do what he wanted to either. So, he conjured up the courage to say what seemed to be right in his heart, and his words came out as confident, strong, and steady, as he felt. He stumbled all over, basically.
“Akane, I…Ugh… I’m sorry about what I said about… the cookies… And… my… Sorry about my question?”
She frowned and crossed her arms in front of her. “Why?”
Danger!
“The curry was okay!” He rushed to add.
She sighed, but didn't uncross her arms yet.
“And… the question was… I mean…it was too personal.” Ranma fought the urge to play with his thumbs.
“Isn’t that the point of these games?” She kept staring at him, unimpressed. “Well then, can I ask one question too?”
“...okay?”
After her mouth opened, though, no sound came of it. Suddenly, she started looking around nervously. The arms in front of her shifted form, hands under her pits.
He disliked seeing her somewhat shy or scared like this. ”It’s alright. Ask anything.”
Akane’s eyes flicked from the floor to him for a while longer before she finally spoke.
“Is my hand really where you wanted to kiss?”
Ranma’s body froze, but his eyes replied for him, looking directly at her lips for a fraction of a second. Having seen it, she grinned, smug. Damn, did she look lovely when happy.
“You are cute,” He blurted out in a low voice just meant for himself …that could still travel in the small room.
Ah! What’s wrong with me!? This was the second time today already! Did the tea have some sort of tongue loosening feature today? There had to be magic reasons!
At least Akane liked the compliment and gifted him with her best smile. Check and mate to his heart!
“Would you do it?” She batted her eyelashes and moved her body slightly side to side, cute-ning up even more. “...kissing me.”
“You want me to?” He sounded dumb even to his own ears. His expression probably looked worse.
And his heart was beating too fast as the situation had grown too… too much… too much whatever this was! But she was the tempting light to his currently turned mosquito brain. Case in point, he’d also grown to stand closer to her without even realizing. So close she didn’t have space to cross her arms anymore and had to tilt her head up to look at him. So close that he could feel her warmth.
Instead of replying, Akane took a deep inhale and closed her eyes, chin up. Brave, yet with pink tinting her cheeks and a light tremble to her body.
At the sight, Ranma’s breathing became shallow. With all the kissing mentions tonight, added to all their relationship history and deeper feelings… There was nothing he wanted more in the world than to kiss her. So, very slowly, he lowered himself down until his lips dared graze hers at last.
He kissed her. Shy and delicate.
She kissed him back. Tender and warm.
The lips he loved teasing angry or seeing widen up on a big laugh were even better in touch than he’d ever imagined. Soft, and smelling lightly of fresh mint and lemon.
When Akane’s arms went around his neck and she held his back, Ranma realized how much he also needed her nearer. He embraced her, one hand spreading between her shoulder blades and the other across her waist, pulling her to his torso. They kept kissing each other. Sweetly brushing and pressing their lips together, and unhurriedly growing to taste them.
His tongue was just tracing her lower lip when a louder-than-before snore made him jump and return to reality. Freaking Daisuke! And then the dog outside started randomly barking at night again, obviously.
Ranma almost growled and barked back. But, like a proper human being, he painfully made his body separate from Akane instead. To a degree at least. He couldn’t manage to let her go completely, so his hands stayed on her waist. Her hands had slid down to stay on his chest, also not leaving him.
“Let’s get back.” He looked at the crack in the door. “Hiroshi is nowhere to be found and…”
“He’s with Yuka in her parents' bedroom.”
Ranma snapped her head to Akane, who was biting her lip to hold a smile.
“Wh-? He… they … oh…” His cheeks heated up.
“Guess you’re not thinking stuff like that yet… virgin!” She giggled.
“Shut up with that already!” He hissed-whispered. “Who knows what my mother would do if that spreads!”
“If that matters to you, then perhaps you should change the situation.” Akane raised her eyebrows in a playful challenge, messing with him.
“You volunteer?” Ranma fought back.
Just to instantly wish to disappear from embarrassment, but tried to hold strong in his challenge too. Akane faced down, blinking fast and looking even shyer than before. Guess she hadn't expected that reply from him either. Join the club.
They stood tense until, eventually, she looked at him again and spoke in a very very low voice. “Maybe someday… But first, can we kiss some more?”
Akane’s eyes shone with a touch of warm amber, her cheeks were still rosy, and her lips looked plump, a bit swollen from prior kisses. The light-colored pajamas felt soft under his hands. They showed how sweet and feminine she was without hiding a bit of her physical strength. Her short hair caught an ocean of blue highlights from the window behind her, and, while it looked a bit disheveled, that just added to her natural beauty.
An angel.
“I do love you.”
The words he’d kinda denied in her room before the almost-wedding were released at last. Though even if the confession had been unplanned, he didn’t regret it. He’d never be able to. Less so as he saw her eyes growing teary. And her lip corners lifted.
Scratch all prior thoughts.
THAT ONE was her most beautiful smile.
-end-