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‘Life is so monotonous,’ Jirou thought, sighing as she gathered her orders and made her way to the front of house, ignoring Kaminari’s playful antics as usual. She wanted some spice, something that would take away the endless boredom that had begun to plague her life. Sure— she had her job, her friends, her band— but what did all of those things mean to her if she didn’t feel any joy when she came home at night?
She mounted her bike, pedaling away amongst the streets of Mustafu, gliding around the corners like she knew them like the back of her hand. Her earbuds were playing some new English punk music that was all the rage in America and England right now, head bobbing along to the beat as her legs moved in a rhythm all their own. The wind was whipping her face, a pleasant sting that grounded her to reality.
She stopped by the first address, a local law firm where the suits paid good money for quick service and Satou’s pastries. The exchange was brief, letting her get back to the next order in record time, not that she was timing herself (oh, but she totally was). The next two deliveries went just as smoothly; the little old granny whose hands don’t allow her to make pastries like that anymore, and the mother who is too busy with twins hanging off her hips to make herself a nice treat, so damn it, she was going to buy herself one.
She left the small apartment complex and hooked a left, a wide grin on her face. Now, all she had to do was get back to the shop, clock out, and then the rest of the day was hers to enjoy. Momentarily, she closed her eyes, basking in the warm rays of the run caressing her cheeks, and when she opened her eyes, she felt her heart stutter and a pit form in the recesses of her stomach. There was a beautiful blonde woman walking right in her path, and at the rate of speed she was going, she wasn’t going to be able to slow down in time.
“Watch out!” Jirou yelled, and the blonde looked at her, doing the most ridiculous thing ever— she stopped. Jirou tried to swerve to avoid hitting her, but it was all for naught. Seconds felt like hours as they collided, and Jirou prayed to every God that would listen that she didn’t break a single bone in this gorgeous woman’s body. The Goddess, as Jirou was now referring to her as, collapsed, she fell on top of her, bringing not only her weight, but the weight of her bicycle down on her as well.
They laid there in the aftermath, wheels spinning and the Goddess groaning in a dazed sort of way. Great— what if she gave her a concussion? And Jirou? Well, she was too scared to move, body in a form of shock itself. She also felt comfortable as she was cushioned by this woman’s body, a feeling that she had long since missed. A feeling she had long since craved.
Reality quickly set in, however, and she shot to her feet, throwing the bike off the two of them, making sure to avoid letting it collide with anyone else, and offered her hand to the Goddess, hoping she would at least take the kind gesture from her and let Jirou help her to her feet. Some deity must be listening to her silent pleas, because the other woman took her hand, Jirou hoisting her to her feet and trying not to blush like a fool when she realized she towered over her short stature.
“Like, ohmigosh! That was totes nuts, right?” the Goddess said, brushing the dust off her skirt and Jirou felt the blush on her cheeks deepen as she took in just how gorgeous this woman really was.
“I am so sorry, ma’am,” she started, hoping that the apology would be a good place to start before she begged for forgiveness.
“Pfft, ma’am? Puh-leaze. Don’t call me ma’am. Camie is fine enough if you gotta call me anything,” the blonde— no Camie— said with a wink saucy enough to make Jirou’s throat dry.
“Well, Camie, I am so sorry about hitting you with my bike. Please let me make it up to you. Can I take you out for coffee this weekend?” Where was this even coming from? What was this confidence that had blossomed within her to ask a complete stranger out on a date? A stranger she just hit with her bike, nonetheless.
“Oooh a date, you say? Sounds bold. I def like the thought and sound of that. I’m game.” Camie’s smile made Jirou’s heart stop momentarily, she swore, before the cadence switched to double time. “Let me give you my number, cutie, since you’ll need it.” Jirou scrambled to grab her phone, letting Camie type in her contact information before shooting her a quick text so she would have hers as well.
“How does Saturday at 11 sound?” Jirou asked, hoping that it wasn’t too early for Camie. It was band practice day, so she couldn’t really push it back too late, but she would make it work if need be. She could already hear the grief from Tetsutetsu she would get if she moved practice back.
“11 sounds wonderful. Do you have a place in mind already, or do I get to pick it out?” Camie asked, and Jirou contemplated this. She really didn’t mind where they went, as long as it wasn’t Sugar Rush, so she guessed she didn’t care if Camie picked the location.
“You can pick where we go. I just ask that we don’t go to Sugar Rush, only because I work there and I’d rather not go there on my day off,” she laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as she explained herself.
“OMG don’t worry at all, babes. I totes gotchu there. I will find another coffee house for us to go to, no problem. Anyway, I need to get going to class, so I will text you and catch you later. Bye bye, cutie pie,” she sing-songed, blowing Jirou a kiss before taking off, leaving her dazed and confused.
As Jirou got back on her bike and headed back to the shop, there were a couple realizations she had. One, she had a date on Saturday, two days from now, and she was completely and utterly unprepared for that. And two, she did not beat her fastest delivery time. Damn it.
~~~
What Jirou had forgotten in her Camie-induced brain haze was that Thursday nights were also band practice nights. When she came rolling up to Tetsutetsu’s house, she grimaced to see that she was the last one to arrive.
“Nice of you to finally arrive,” Tetsutetsu teased as she entered the living room with her bass strapped to her back. “We were about to send a search party out for you.”
“You mean you were. I know Fumikage had faith in me,” she snapped back playfully. “Sorry, today was a long and wild day at work like you wouldn’t even believe. No Ei?” she asked as she surveyed the room and noticed that they were missing their resident actor.
“Nah. Another long night of filming for him. That, and you know how he’s been pining after that guy from your work. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t concocting another plan to try and see him.” Tetsutetsu shook his head, but the grin on his face said otherwise. He was happy for his cousin.
And Jirou had no room to talk, considering the predicament she was currently in.
“Well, the night’s not gonna get any younger. Let’s get this show on the road,” Jirou announced, pulling her instrument out of her bag and setting up. Tokoyami nodded quietly and finished tuning his guitar, and Tetsutetsu got positioned behind the drumkit, ready to go. Once all three were in position, Jirou nodded at Tetsutetsu, who counted down, clacking his drumsticks together before they drove into the music.
Jirou let herself be taken away by the beat, fingers gliding over the four, thick strings of her bass, as she danced out a little rhythm to accompany the song. Her mind, however, was stuck on images of a tall, flaxen-haired goddess named Camie to really pay too much attention to what she was doing, missing some notes and missing her cue when to start singing.
“Stop!” Tetsutetsu cried out after Jirou’s fourth fuck up in a row. “What’s gotten into you today, huh Kyouka? This isn’t like you to be messing up so bad. It’s not like we are just learning this song for the first time.” She knew he didn’t mean to be, but his tone was chastising, and it was making her feel small.
“Did something happen today that we should know about?” Tokoyami asked, and Jirou hesitated. Should she tell them about Camie? She didn’t think she would be met with ridicule by her two closest friends. That, and she had been dying to tell someone about her what she feared may be a concussion-induced dream.
“Well, I may have met someone today,” Jirou started before launching into the tale of how she quite literally ran into Camie. Delight was evident in Tetsutetsu’s features, and Tokoyami kept an impressive poker face, as per usual. Once she finished relaying her tale, she waited with baited breath to see how her friends were going to handle this.
“Our little Kyo’s got a date! That’s so exciting!” Tetsutetsu teased, throwing an arm around her and pulling her close. She struggled in his grip, but the smile she was wearing was contagious.
“I think it is admirable that you asked her out, so well done, my friend. Just try not to let the nervousness rule you.” Tokoyami’s advice was solid, but she still felt that seed of nervousness sprouting in her stomach. Camie was beautiful and outgoing— two things Jirou didn’t quite see herself as.
“Thanks guys. I just hope this coffee date goes well so I can maybe see her again.” She knew it was already too soon to be thinking about future dates with Camie, but damn it, she was smitten, alright?
“Why don’t you bring her by after you get coffee for band practice? Chicks dig a good band practice, and you can extend your date,” Tetsutetsu offered, and Jirou immediately liked the sound of that idea. Coffee with the cute girl AND getting to show off her special skill set? As long as Camie was down for it, count her in.
“Thanks guys, you’re the best,” Jirou smiled. “Now that that’s over, let’s get back to work.” Her tone brooked no room for arguments, and with the nerves out of her system for now, she was ready to get down to business. They had a gig to prepare for, after all.
~~~
Saturday came quicker than Jirou was ready for, but she also felt prepared for this given the constant flow of communication she and Camie had had since the day she hit her with her bike. Camie was funny, intelligent, and witty; all things that Jirou looked for in a woman. And it certainly didn’t hurt that it looked like she came strutting off a runway either.
Jirou was waiting outside the unmarked coffee shop, a local mom-and-pop joint that had been around for ages and served the best iced matchas that Jirou had ever had the pleasure of tasting in her short years on this planet. She was thrilled that this was the place Camie chose, but it was no surprise really— this place wins awards year after year from the university population.
“Hey babes!” Camie called out, breaking Jirou out of her coffee shop induced thoughts. Jirou’s mouth ran dry as she took in the gorgeous woman waving at her as she ran toward her in a pair of designer jeans, a cashmere sweater, and boots that went up to her knees. Suddenly, Jirou felt extremely underdressed in her torn jeans, flannel, and combat boots, but she refused to let this get her feeling self-conscious.
“You look fantastic, Camie,” Jirou said, smiling at her like an idiot.
“You’re looking fire yourself, boo.” Camie smiled back, reaching out to take her hand and squeeze it. Jirou expected her to let go, but was pleasantly surprised when she twisted their fingers together and led them inside.
The atmosphere was calm, a nice change of pace from work, and Jirou immediately loved that this was the vibe that they were going for for their date. They got to the counter, Jirou ordering an iced matcha latte and Camie an iced chai latte, and they argued about who was going to pay, before Jirou had to remind Camie that this was her treat for hitting her with her bike. The cashier looked a little horrified at that, but the couple brushed it off, opting to focus on the fun time they were having.
Once they had drinks in hand, they decided to take them to-go, heading towards Tetsutesu’s house, since Camie was more than thrilled at the prospect of going to see Jirou’s band practice. And Jirou, still feeling bad about the other night, wanted to make sure she wasn’t late this time.
“You’ve got a little something on your lip,” Jirou teased, pointing to the foam from the chai on Camie’s upper lip. Camie gave her a sultry little stare, one that had Jirou gulping.
“Wanna clean it up for me?” she asked, and Jirou swore her heart stopped. Before she could analyze, and reanalyze what just happened, she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed Camie, licking away the foam before leaving a deep kiss on her lips. Camie sighed into the kiss, free hand gripping Jirou’s hip and she swore this was what heaven was like.
“All better,” Jirou whispered, pulling away and trying not to pant like a dog on a hot summer’s day. She had more decorum than that! Camie smiled at her and wove their hands together as they finished walking to Tetsutetsu’s.
“Hey, T, we’re here!” Jirou called out as they entered the house, and they heard him grunt out from the bedroom an ‘okay cool,’ meaning he probably was just getting up and ready for the day. She knew that Tokoyami would be here soon, so that meant that they would be able to start on time, if not early. She wasn’t counting Ei, of course.
“How long have you been a band?” Camie asked, following Jirou around the house until they got to the practice room. She took a spot on the couch, getting comfortable and whipping her phone out.
“I want to say almost four years now. We formed when we were eighteen. There’s four of us, but I’m not sure if Ei will be here today. He’s been pretty busy with work lately,” she explained, tuning her bass and setting up. Tokoyami walked in, birdmask safely perched on his face to obscure his features. Camie blinked at him once, and Jirou hoped that this wasn’t about to be a problem.
“Love love LOVE that mask, ohmigosh! Like, where did you get it?” Camie asked, and Tokoyami whipped around to her, startled to see her on the couch, even though he knew Camie was coming. She launched into a spiel of Camie-talk before Tokoyami could get a word in, and Jirou laughed, watching the man struggle while he tuned his guitar and turned bright red from all the attention.
“Well, you look happy,” Tetsutetsu whispered to Jirou as he joined them in the room, and Jirou nodded at him. He nodded back before turning his attention to Camie.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Tetsutetsu, but you can just call me Tetsu or T. That right there is Tokoyami. And you already know Jirou. My cousin Ei won’t be able to make it again today. But, we are Dark Shadow,” Tetsu announced to Camie and she squealed in delight.
“My name’s Camie! This is totes so fuckin’ cool. I can’t wait to hear you guys play,” she said the words to everyone, but her eyes were trained on Jirou. And while that should make her nervous, she felt emboldened, ready to play for her. She was still charged up from the kiss earlier, so she was ready to move mountains, if needed.
The three of them took their positions, and when the countdown commenced and the first cymbal was hit, they started in on their instruments. Jirou closed her eyes, swaying along with the beat, pretending she was dancing with Camie. When it was her cue, she opened both her eyes and mouth and began to sing, her voice filling the small room. She could see the goosebumps rising on Camie’s arms from where she pushed the sleeves of her sweater up, which was a good sign all in all. Jirou pushed herself farther and farther as she sang and played, showing off for Camie and loving the reactions she got from her.
The song came to an end, and Camie was up on her feet giving them a round of applause. Jirou’s cheeks were red from exertion and the praise, but she knew at that moment that she was extremely happy and wanted to continue the momentum. As they kept up their practice, the three of them showcasing old band classics and new works for Camie, Jirou realized this was the happy place that she had been dreaming of. And for the first time, in a long time, Jirou was truly, and utterly, happy.