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Trivial things such as preferences of the seasons weren't much on Tomoe's mind before. Why would they? That was a problem for the humans. With their fragile bodies, everything seemed to be an obstacle for them in one way or another—the elements of the weather for example. They couldn't handle neither heat, nor cold. The wind seemed to make them sick and even weaker—same thing with humidity.
It made him wonder how they've survived for so long like that.
In the past, he wasn't able to feel much of the weather. Obviously, he was physically able to feel the sensations—whether it was hot or cold, dry or humid—but it just did not affect him the same. He doesn't know if that was more of a curse or blessing, and until very recently, he didn't know how much he was missing.
The gentle caress of the spring winds, the calming hug of misty grass in the morning, the touch of the first snow in the winter—these simple sensations filled him with more joy that he could imagine.
He couldn't say the same thing about the unforgiving gaze of the summer sun.
It was not his first summer, far from it. He has lived through so many of them, that it's hard to keep track by now. But, he supposes, this was his first summer in his new form.
This brings him to his current predicament—stuck inside the shrine with nothing to do but melt within the suffocating grasp of the summer heatwave. His whole body felt like a ticking sweaty time bomb. He couldn't even lay down in peace, because of the uncomfortable moist sensation of his clothes sticking to his skin.
He tried all he could think of. Drinking cold things that were more ice cubes than liquid, opening all the windows in the shrine in hopes that it would let the slightest breeze in—hell he even put cold towels on himself! All to no avail.
The annoying thing was that Nanami had insisted—practically begged him to come with her to the pools with Ami and Kei. He felt like such a fool, but at the time he couldn't bring himself to come in between their hangout. Especially when the last time they met had probably been about a year ago.
But despite his annoyance, a small part of him was glad to leave Nanami to catch up with her friends in peace. Even if he was figuratively and literally getting cooked in his own sweat.
At least, she is having fun.
He knew that there was one more thing that he could theoretically do in his situation—change into something lighter. Something with thinner, airier fabric, that at the very least was not going to marinate his entire body. His last attempt.
It was not difficult to think of something so simple. Far from it.
The real problem was—he had no idea what this piece of clothing would be. He had sweated through all of his summer yukatas in a matter of days and even if they were tiny bit better than his normal kimonos, they were still not thin enough for this stupid weather.
He needed something even lighter, but there was literally nothing.
The only thing he could think of, was to raid Nanami's wardrobe, since he was out of options. Normally he would not allow himself to even entertain the idea of rummaging through Nanami's stuff. She wouldn't mind—probably—but it still felt too invasive. Like he was infringing on her space. But—
Desperate times called for drastic measures.
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He was not entirely sure what he was looking for.
When he'd set out to search Nanami's wardrobe, the only thing he had in mind was "something light"— but that was the extent of it. He did not consider the sheer amount of clothes that Nanami would have. Frilly tops in multitude of shades, see-through shirts, blouses—both meshed and non-meshed, tank-tops, skirts with varying lengths, patterns, and textures. Shorts—denim and from fabric. Swimsuits, both full-length and two-piece.
And, oh, the dresses.
Where on earth should he even start? He didn't consider just how many options he would have.
He needed to stop for a second and think. Functionality couldn't be the only thing to guide him—he needed to think about the aesthetics too.
Maybe something with a more muted, neutral color? But he knew that this wasn't exactly Nanami's style—she liked her bright, saturated colors. Ones that demanded your attention and made you look—and Tomoe really loved that style for Nanami, it fit her personality perfectly. But for him? Not exactly a good match.
He supposed that was something that he would have to make peace with. At least partially.
The second important thing—knowing what piece of clothing to look for.
One thing was certain—he couldn't have anything sticking onto his body. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl. After all, he was trying to avoid having to peel away whatever he was wearing—only for him to end up where he had begun? No. Absolutely no way.
That helped narrow his choice significantly, for better or worse . No blouses, shirts, and any kind of top. It would be silly to wear just the shorts or skirts on their own, so—
Dresses. That was his only real option.
A part of him was excited at the prospect of it. There was just something alluring about it—as if there was something physically pulling him to try more stuff like this. He couldn't name this feeling. No matter how hard Tomoe tried to figure it out, he was left empty-handed. It made him feel embarrassed. Like there was something about him that he was missing?
But no, that's not quite what he meant. He is happy with the way that he is currently—both with the way he presents and perceives himself.
Still, he couldn't help but think about that day. When Nanami put those things on his face. It made him feel different to how he does normally, as if he was introduced to part of himself, that he didn't know about.
Now is not the time to be dwelling on this.
Instead, he focused his attention back to Nanami's wardrobe. Hanger after hanger, he was met with dresses upon dresses, both old and new. Some he remembered having seen before, others—doesn't really know when Nanami got them. Amongst them all stood a simple blue ankle-length dress. He slowly took it out of the wardrobe to give it a closer look.
"Tomoe? What are you doing?"
His eyes darted to the source of the sound. Nanami was standing in the door frame, head peaking from the creaked door. Her hand was still resting on the doorknob.
"Nothing." He tried to clumsily put the dress back where it was. "How was your hangout?"
"No, no, no, don't change the topic! I saw you!" She beamed with excitement, eyes going wider by the second. "Show me what you have there!"
"I'm not changing the topic! All I did was ask a question!"
He could not believe that he was stupid enough to stop paying attention to his surroundings! How had he not thought of locking the door?! Anybody could have entered, the spirits, Mikage. Mizuki. He never would have been able to live this down.
Thank god that it was Nanami.
"Plus, I was just cleaning our room. It was too stuffy for my liking."
"Sure, sure, in this heat. I definitely believe you." He could feel her giving him a look from head to toe. She knew that something was up, and he didn't like it. "Like I didn't see you try to shove my newest dress into the wrong spot of the dresser! At least try to be little more gentle with it! It was so expensive, I had to set aside money for it forever! Also—" She grabbed the hanger from where it was sticking from. "—you know that I hate when you lie to me. Just tell me what you were doing. I promise that I'm not going to be mad at you."
Ah, he made her upset. Even though she was trying to hide it, the hurt in her eyes was obvious. "I'm sorry, Nanami—" He felt his chest tighten. "—it feels so stupid to say it out loud."
"It's okay, Tomoe. Take it easy." Her eyes were glued to him, waiting for an answer. The curiosity was apparent too, but mainly he just felt ashamed. "I'm not going to judge you, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Fine, I suppose you're right."
"I'm always right!"
"I just—" He let out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding. "—I felt really hot and I wanted to try one of your dresses." Tomoe waited for her reaction. Maybe she'd scorn him for doing something like that. Or she would be amused by how silly this whole thing is.
"I knew it was something like that!" Or all of his assumptions would be wrong, judging by the enthusiasm in her voice. "And you wanted to try the blue dress! Such a good choice! I'm proud of your taste." She kissed his cheek. It always made him melt.
"You're not mad at me or anything of the sort?" Of course he knew the answer now, but he couldn't help but ask to make sure.
"Are you kidding me? This is so so exciting! I have wanted to do something like this with you for the longest time!" She was practically bouncing with how excited she was. At least, she seemed to be enjoying it. "I can't believe this is the thing that you were so nervous about!" She handed him the with her dress and gave him a light push. "Shoo, go change now. And don't forget to be gentle with the dress!"
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The dress felt amazing on him. He knew that it was going to be light, but did not anticipate just how much better it actually would be. The top part was the perfect balance of stretchy yet loose—hugging the crevices of his chest, but also thin enough that it didn't make him be overly aware of it. The lack of sleeves gave him mobility that he didn't realize he was missing.
The structure of the top, combined with its shape and pattern perfectly emphasized Tomoe's waist. And then the beginning of the bottom made his hips ever-so-slightly fuller.
He expected the bottom part of the dress to be stuffy and to make him feel even hotter, but to his surprise it fluttered as he moved, which resulted in a small current of air.
It genuinely took him aback how much he adored it.
The same could be said about Nanami, too, if her expression was anything to judge by. Her eyes were open wide, to the point Tomoe worried that they might fall out. Her mouth was curved in a huge smile, stretching from ear to an ear.
A second later, she let out a loud scream—loud and full to the brim of awe. "Gods, Tomoe! I cannot believe my eyes!" In an instant, she darted to his side. "You look gorgeous!"
"Really?" was all that he could manage.
"Really, really!" She nodded her head. "You should take it for yourself—I insist!"
"Nanami—"
"I don't want to hear any of it. It's yours now."
"I can't have this. It's something that means a lot to you!"
"And you don't?" Her eyes narrowed playfully. He knew where this was going. "Plus, it's not like I'm not getting anything out of it."
There was no point in fighting her. It was more than obvious that she had made her mind already. The only thing left for him was to just accept it.
"Alright, alright. You made your point."
He certainly wasn't going to complain about it.