Work Text:
The soft sound of pencils scribbling filled the air of Kurumi’s room.
Kurumi glanced up from her homework, looking at Naoi, who was currently fidgeting with her pencil, trying not be be rude by just pulling out her phone 30 minutes into the study session.
”… if you wanna go home, you might have to do it soon, the rain is coming down pretty hard and the forecast says there’s a high chance of thunder” Kurumi mentioned to Naoi, looking back down at her work.
Kurumi’s homework was finished 10 minutes into studying, and she had already corrected anything that needed looking over, she just wanted to spend some time beside Naoi, without having to run around or be somebody she wasn’t.
it was a nice break from it all, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t value the time she got to spend with Naoi, even if it was just something as simple as being in each others presences.
“Yea, prolly… maybe later” Naoi couldn’t be bothered to give a real response, hardly acknowledging the question to begin with.
After another hour of working and intermittent chatting, the rain had only gotten heavier.
”you can’t walk to the station in that weather, Naoi, you’ll end up with a flu” Kurumi wasn’t sure when she dropped the honorifics on Naoi’s name, but Naoi did it first so she didn’t really see an issue with it.
”uhhhh I’ll just put up my hood-“ Naoi tried lifting her jacket hood to gesture towards it, only to remember that she had ripped off the stitching on it and tore off the hood entirely awhile back, out of irritation when it kept touching her back on a particular bad day.
”uhh ill just walk really fast, dont worry about me”
“Naoi, I’m being serious, you’ll get a cold if you leave the house like that” Kurumi insisted
“what’re you, my mom?” Naoi immediately brushed off Kurumi’s concerns
“… if you get sick you’ll have to stay home, which means you’ll have to be around you’re dad when he wakes up, hungover, at midday. Do you really want to be around that while also having a fever?”
Kurumi considered it a bit of a dirty move, but if it kept Naoi out of that weather, she’d do it 100 times over.
”… finnnee, but bringing that up is bad out “ Naoi reluctantly agreed not to go out, but she would definitely be slagging Kurumi on her negotiation methods in the future.
Naoi then asked; “wait, what do you want me to do though? My dad sure as hell isn’t coming to pick me up. And your mom is out right now (and for the foreseeable future)” Naoi added, still not sure how she was expected to get home.
”you can just stay here, can’t you? I mean, my house is close to school, so getting there tomorrow isn’t an issue, and we’re pretty similar in size so I’ll just lend you clothes for tonight.” Kurumi suggested, hoping Naoi wouldn’t make a fuss and would just take her up on the offer.
”… I mean, I guess, I don’t see a problem with it if you don’t” Naoi didn’t really see a problem with any of that, she was just surprised Kurumi would offer it so easily.
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"the bath's finished running, ill be out in bit, if youre hungry theres snacks in the fridge" Kurumi informed Naoi while turning off the faucet.
"got it!" Naoi yelled back, glancing over her phone screen towards the bathroom.
Naoi looked back to her phone screen, trying to turn it on despite knowing fully well that her phone died almost an hour ago.
Naoi lay flat on Kurumi's bed, turning her head to the side and noticing the faint,but sweet scent that her pillows carried. She quickly dispelled the thought, instead focusing on the noise of the thunder, bellowing outside of the small bedroom window.
For a reason Naoi couldn't remember, or maybe for a reason that never existed to begin with, heavy thunder always reminded her of her childhood, mostly spent fighting with her parents, peers or herself. The violent and constant, yet unpredictable sounds were probably the explanation for that.
Naoi tried her best to ignore the creeping feeling of anxiety and dread she associated with thunder, but it was of no use with nothing to distract herself with, her strong feelings eventually getting the better of her, leading her to run to Kurumi for support, not that she'd let Kurumi know that.
Naoi hesitantly knocked on the bathroom door, waiting patiently for Kurumi’s response.
“yeah?” Kurumi’s attention snapped towards the door.
“…can I come in?” Naoi asked sheepishly
“what? No, I’m still in the bath” Kurumi was surprised to hear how small Naoi’s voice sounded
“I know, I meant like- Can I come in to be with you? In the bath, I mean” Naoi tried clarifying that she didn’t want to be with Kurumi for the sole purpose of being together, but the specification did nothing to help her case.
”… why? I mean- I guess, sure, but how come?” Kurumi’s responded hesitantly, not sure if Naoi was planning something.
”… I’ll tell you in a sec” Naoi opened the door, staring at the ground to avoid eye contact at all cost.
She faced away from Kurumi and awkwardly undressed, dropping all her clothes into a pile beside Kurumi’s neatly stacked and folded uniform.
she walked over to the bath and stepped in carefully, already feeling more relaxed without the heavy sound of thunder and pounding rain.
Naoi sat close to Kurumi, not intentionally, Kurumi just happened to be near when Naoi got in.
”… so, how come you were so eager to get in the bath? I could’ve gotten out in like- 5 minutes if you told me to” Kurumi questioned.
Naoi was debating on how honestly she wanted to answer, not wanting to lie and potentially deal with the consequences, while simultaneously wanting to avoid any uncomfortable questions related to the topic.
Ultimately, she decided that she trusted Kurumi enough to tell her atleast this.
”… the lightning was really loud. It was.. bothering me.”
“So, you came all the way in here, just cause the lightning was a bit annoying?”
”… okay, maybe I dislike it a bit more than that” Naoi mumbled
“If you’re afraid of lightning, you can just say that” Kurumi responded calmly, she wasn’t trying to mock Naoi, she was just letting her know that she could be honest.
”I’m not afraid of it, I just get a bit nervous or anxious sometimes when I hear it” Naoi argued
“… isn’t that like- the definition of a fear?”
“Yeah, whatever. Call whatever you want”
there was a long moment of silence, before Kurumi prompted Naoi with; “d’you want me to wash your hair?”
”… what? No, i can do it myself.” Naoi immediately shot her down, even if it did sound kinda nice, and comforting… and it would make her smell like Kurumi’s pillow- nope. Weird thought. Nobody thinks that about friends. Stop it.
“…I mean, I guess it’s no harm, if you really want to.” Naoi agreed in the most noncommittal manner known to mankind.
”okay, one sec” Kurumi reached over for a bottle of shampoo, putting it on the bath wall beside her. She put a hand on Naoi’s shoulder, gesturing for her to turn around so Kurumi can wash her hair.
In the process of doing that, she felt the weakened, rough texture of scar tissue, taking the opportunity to properly acknowledge the damage done to the majority of Naoi’s bicep, tricep and upper pectoral, the injury making the muscles look slightly smaller than those of her healthy arm.
Kurumi acknowledged it was probably too sensitive of a topic for Naoi, so she didn’t ask any unnecessary questions. She applied some soap to her hands and wet them, rubbing the mixture into Naoi’s hair and scrubbing it into her scalp, trying to not accidentally scratch her.
”… what time is it?” Naoi asked randomly, she probably didn’t care, but it was better than silence.
“I think it’s around 10 now” Kurumi replied, scooping water into her palms and rinsing the soap off the Naoi’s hair.
She used her hand to wipe the foam off the back of Naoi’s neck, occasionally brushing off of her shoulder in the process.
“… I know you’re being all conscious of my arm and all, you don’t have to worry or anything. You can ask whatever about it, just stop being all awkward about it.” Naoi stated straightforwardly.
”… is the skin more sensitive to pain? Does it break easier? Does that lack of collagen and the ruptured vessels make it more prone to infection and less receptive to reparative proteins, lowering muscle growth?” Kurumi asked in quick succession
“yes, kinda, and no clue, look it up yourself” Naoi responded to each question in one go, suspecting Kurumi to know more about this than her.
”Does it hurt a lot? Are the nerves receded enough that you can’t feel lighter sensations?” Kurumi asked
“it doesn’t hurt a lot, the pain just feels more… pinching, if that makes sense. And I don’t really know, I don’t pay attention to that sorta thing”
”fair enough.”
“… do you feel self conscious about your scar?” Kurumi asked one last question, this one more gently than the others. She absentmindedly dragged the back of her nails over Naoi’s back and shoulders while they talked, hardly noticing herself doing it.
”yeah, sometimes. It’s less the fact that I have the scar, more the way people treat me because of it. They think I got into some traumatic accident that made me sensitive. It’s annoying, I’d rather they just acknowledge it and get over that shit.” Naoi responded honestly, getting that built up annoyance off of her chest.
”… sorry if I ever did that. And, thanks for telling me that.” Kurumi’s voice was softer now. She gently wrapped her arms around Naoi’s waist, leaning her head on her shoulder tiredly.
Naoi couldn’t move. She didn’t want to move. She awkwardly rested her hands on her thighs, now painfully aware of everything she does.
Naoi laid back against Kurumi’s torso, leaning into the warmth of her body. The two lay together in the bath until the water ran cold.
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Once out of the bath, the two got changed into pajamas, avoiding each others gaze like their lives depended on it.
Naoi, who only had to throw on a light T-shirt, got into bed first, watching Kurumi absentmindedly, occasionally being snapped out of her thoughts by a strike of thunder, or a short period of particularly intense rain.
Kurumi fidgeted with the buttons on her night shirt, eventually giving up and leaving the top two undone, the reason clearly being the chew indents on the buttons, which likely caught of the fibres of the shirts fabric.
Kurumi lay unnecessarily close to Naoi, turning off the lamp and lifting the blanket over the two.
Naoi, who was now trying to sleep, would flinch at each strike of lightning, which was mostly just irritating her more than anything else at this point.
Kurumi tentatively wrapped her arms around Naoi’s waist, which was reciprocated shortly after, by Naoi reaching her arm up Kurumi’s torso, bringing them close enough that Naoi could only breathe by resting her head over Kurumi’s shoulder.
kurumi could feel Naoi’s breathing steady, and her pulse slow to a more consistent pace
as Kurumi felt her consciousness slip, fading into sleep, she heard a voice so vulnerable, she would’ve sworn it had come from anybody but Naoi, mumbling “…-love you, Kurumi..”
it was gentle, probably some Naoi hadn’t even registered having said. But to Kurumi, it meant the world to her.
Kurumi responded carefully, her voice tender and somehow even quieter than Naoi’s; “…- love you too, Manaka…”
The only way she knew Naoi heard her was from a gentle tug on her shirt, and the sound a Naoi’s heartbeat picking back up for a moment.
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