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Aika was waiting for Zira, and she was starting to get concerned. If it were anyone else, she would probably also be a little bit annoyed, because she was really excited for this! It was her first homecoming and she didn't want to miss a SINGULAR second!!! She wasn't because…it was Zira. Everything was different with them. Everything.
She decided to wait just five more minutes before looking for her; when those passed, she got off the bench, and just as she was going to try to find her to see if anything was actually wrong, she heard Zira’s voice from behind her. Relief washed over her immediately.
“I’m here! I’m here! Sorry I’m late!” They yelled out in between their panting, bended over with their hands on their knees.
“It’s okay! I’m just glad you’re-“ Aika abruptly ended her sentence, just now fully taking in Zira.
The dress Zira was going to wear was lavender and was going to be paired with gold bangles and moon-shaped hair beads. That much Aika had already known. Zira had texted her about it. They hadn't sent her an an actual picture of it though, even when Aika had begged, claiming that their short description basically encapsulated the experience of seeing them in it and there would be nothing wouldn't Aika wouldn't already have known. (And Aika also knew they wanted it to be a surprise. She usually hated those, but again... it was Zira). So, Aika let it go and believed Zira was right. After all--it wasn't like seing Zira in one beautiful dress was gonna, like, change the trajectory of her life or annything.
Aika now knows that both of them were wrong.
Because what she hadn’t known about the dress was that it faded slowly into a violet at the bottom. What she hadn’t known was that it was backless and tied into a bow at the back. What she hadn’t known was that when Zira was wearing it her nails were going to be painted black. What she hadn’t known was that there was going to be a shy smile on Zira’s face. What she hadn’t known was just how beautiful Zira would look in it. What she hadn’t known was the way the experience would make her heart race and cheeks burn. If this was a show, there'd probably be a pink overcast, hearts everywhere, including in Aika's eyes, and unicorns prancing around or something.
“Sooo…what do you think?”
“Y-you look amazing," Aika stuttered out. Huh, that’s odd; that rarely happened. She wasn't used to feeling flustered enough for tht to happen...weird.
“You do as well”. She said with her eyes trained on the ground while fiddling with her fingers. “Now, let’s get going”.
⊱ ─ ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ ─── ⊰⊱ ─── ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ ─── ⊰⊱ ─ ⊱
Badump
Badump
Badump
Aika’s heartbeat was getting louder and louder by the second, and she couldn’t figure out why…It had started when Zira had shown up to the dance in that gorgeous gown and had only gotten worse since then.
The purple looked beautiful against their dark brown skin, and the shy smile on their face only added to their glamour. Aika never wanted to take her eyes off them. And now, they were dancing, and Zira’s hands were on her back, holding her close. Aika could feel the warmth of those hands through her dress.
The lights behind Zira were making it look as though there was a halo around her head, which fit, because she looked like an angel. But that didn’t explain why she felt as though she had run a marathon—metaphorically speaking, of course; she could run 10 marathons without her heart racing.
“Aika? You okay?”
“Uhhh Aika?” Wow, had her name always sounded this sweet coming from Zira’s mouth? How had she not noticed this before…
“Aika? Aikaaaa?”
“Huh? Oh! Uh yeah! Sorry I was just kinda zoned out for a second”
“Okay, but if you start feeling overwhelmed or anything, I don’t mind! You’ve done it for me before; I wouldn’t mind doing it for you," Zira said. It made her want to smile. They were thoughtful like that.
Then her eyes adorably widened, and she quickly added, "Not to say that I’d just be doing it as a favor! Even if you hadn’t done it for me I would still do it for you, just because you’re my friend. It’s not like um transactional”, they explained, their voice having been reduced to a murmur. As Zira waited for Aika to respond, their eyes nervously darted around the room, lingering on the bright red exit sign and black door.
This time Aika did smike; it was always adorable when Zira got nervous, and was used to the warmth that spread across her chest whenever it happened. The urge to pinch Zira’s cheeks and cover her with kisses was a bit newer, though.
But that’s a normal feeling to have towards your friend, right?
The dance continued, and Aika couldn’t take her eyes off Zira for one second. She’s always been somewhat in awe of Zira, sometimes it was also accompanied by a slight underlying jealousy, this was different. Honestly, it was “different” most of the time, it had been a while since it hadn't been “different”.
She didn’t wish to be in her place; she just wanted to admire her and was grateful that she got that in the first place.
Eventually Zira got tired, and the music was starting to get too loud, even for Aika so they decided to step outside.
The air was refreshing, especially after being surrounded by smelly teenage boys. It was quite windy, making Zira squint her eyes, most likely because it was drying out her eyes. She should really get some eye drops, her eyes were always at least a little red. Whenever Aika pointed it out Zira would always quickly dismiss it, saying something about how they don’t work on them. Which if they’re not lying about she should really get checked out. Sure it might now be the biggest issue in the world but Aika would feel much better knowing it isn’t even a small one. She just wanted her friend to be okay, who wouldn't want that?
Zira turns to her, a small smile on her face. It certainly didn't help with her current predicament. “Today was really nice; I don’t usually like dances, but having you there with me made it worth it," came their sweet voice, even though their actual smile was small; their joy was obvious in their voice and sparkling eyes.
Aika realized she had forgotten to respond, too busy having gotten lost in those same eyes. “Oh—me too! I mean It probably would have been kinda fun anyways but you being with me made it even better”
Zira’s smile softened at that.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, Zira watching the stars and Aika pretending to do the same while sneaking glances at her every few seconds. Aika had already told her how beautiful she looked once already but saying it again was absolutely necessary she reasoned, so she opened her mouth and—
Hoshi burst through the door; she sighed, already knowing what was coming.
“Aika! Get in here right now! Eclipse just blew the wall off!” Why did that white boy always have to ruin everything?
Aika was already pushing herself off the wall, although begrudgingly.
As she went back outside, she didn’t look back. If she had, she would have noticed Zira's longing gaze and pouty lips.