Work Text:
Agott's mind was her place of solace, it's private and unrestricted. It wasn't long ago where it was clouded with thoughts of inadequacy, and judgement even to others; but lately those clouds had cleared and were replaced by the blinding after-rain light that was Coco. She had learnt all too well to disconnect her thoughts to her behaviour, so she found it reasonable to let herself indulge in whatever thoughts arose of the girl.
They were in the living room alone. Agott and Coco were positioned against the sofa, after a long round of chatting and laughter with Tetia and Richeh. Soon after the two girls left, the latter looking especially drained, Agott noticed Coco's head nodding and flinching, eyes bleary. Her eyes softened at the display before her. She's cute when she's sleepy.
“Coco,” she whispered, not wanting to scare the girl, “the other two already left, let's go back.”
The other girl stirred, head tilting and looking at Agott adorably. “I don't have- mmmh… Too tired… Giiive me some time?” Coco let out, the word ‘give’ getting elongated by a tired yawn.
Agott's own eyes teared up from suppressing the spreading yawn. “You'll just fall asleep, you'll get a cold like this."
“I don't get colds from sleeping differently…” Coco said, much too relaxed. “Please?” Agott was already half-convinced from Coco's cute sleepy mannerisms and speech. But once Agott felt the girl lean on her and drop her head on her shoulder, that scale was easily weighed down to favour the fully-convinced end. She looked down at the girl in shock, her face warming up at the affection. After a few seconds, she untensed, letting herself rest her eyes as well.
When Agott awoke, she instantly remembered the state she and Coco were in. Her head lifted off of the other girl, slowly to not awaken her, and looked down at her. The lamp in the living room was still open, the sphere of light highlighting Coco's peacefully sleeping figure. Agott's mind could only think of one thing, how beautiful the girl was. She doesn't know how long she watched Coco, only that it felt like seconds until she noticed her eyelids moving and beginning to open. Her head moved to look up at Agott, they must look terribly domestic right now, she's glad Tetia wasn't here. Wait, domestic? Get your head out of the gutter, Agott.
“Good morning,” the girl mumbled sleepily.
“It's still dark out,” Agott said, gesturing her head and eyes to direct Coco to look out the window.
Agott watched gently as the other girl looked to confirm the statement to then move her eyes back onto Agott's. Beautiful when she sleeps, beautiful when she wakes up, beautiful looking up at her face, bea-
In Coco's eyes, she watched Agott look at her unblinking and unmoving for almost 10 seconds before asking curiously, “What are you thinking about?”
Agott's mouth opened in autopilot, “Beautiful.” Did she just-
“Did you-”
“NO! I m-mean. That… that's not what I-” Agott panicked, shoulders tensing up and face crimsoned to an almost alarming degree. She placed her hands on the carpet to wiggle away from the other girl.
It seemed like Coco was fully awake, as if energised by those words. She quickly scrambled to her knees to crawl to the escaping Agott. “That was for me, right? Say it again! A compliment! From Agott! Agoration! Agaffection!” Her eyes became wider like a puppy, and face became unbearably close.
Agott's eyes darted back and forth between Coco and the floor, still attempting (and failing miserably) to create distance. “Coco, please stop…” she whined.
“Not until you say it again.” Coco replied quickly and determined. The girl was already giddy from that one word. She needed more.
Agott grumbled. She stilled in thought for a moment, before proceeding to look at Coco's eyes with an expression of fear, embarrassment, and a trace of longing.
“You're…” Coco perked up, “You're beautiful.” Agott's fear was quickly displaced, because Coco was beaming at her, ears tinted pink.
“Thank you, Agott. You're very beautiful, too.”
What in the world was happening right now? Agott thought, hands moving to hide her face. Coco calling her beautiful? Was she still dreaming?!
“I- I'm, uh, going to go back, now.” Agott replied bashfully, standing up. Coco nodded as if saying she will come too, before copying that movement. She walked behind Agott like a duckling until they reached the intersection of their workspace. “Sleep well, Coco”
“Mhm, you too.”
In Agott's room, she was curled up in a ball thinking of that moment again and again.
In Coco's room, she was restless, kicking her bed and giggling to herself.
The atelier inhabitants were gathered around the kitchen, serving themselves from the pots that awaited them.
“I'm hungry enough that I could eat a Coco,” Agott said in a very normal tone.
Coco giggled, and the other atelier members looked dumbfounded. “Please don't eat me. I don't think I'd taste very good, and I have a lot to live for.”
Agott stilled for a moment, processing her previous words before exclaiming, “A goat! A Liongoat! Stars. No.”
“Liongoats are omnivores like us, Coco probably has some similarity in texture at the very least,” Richeh added.
“Do I need to lock my bedroom door tonight?”
“I'm sure we can resist our urges for tonight! Right, Agott?” Tetia joked.
“R-right.”
Tetia became smug. “Uh oh, that didn't sound very convincing.”
Agott was at her desk when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Coco nearing her almost instantly.
“Agott! Do you mind looking over this spell for me?” she asked, her voice excited. She did this often, and maybe it was her finding a way to enter Agott's space or maybe it was simply an easy way to learn fast. Either way, Agott didn't mind it. In fact, she enjoyed these moments.
Agott patted the spot beside her, and Coco placed the paper in front of her. Agott took a moment to analyse it: the sigil, the keystones, the balance and effect.
It was well-done, and Agott didn't hesitate saying a very jumbled, “I like you did well.”
Coco watched curiously, and with a hint of amusement, as Agott facepalmed, “Apologies, I meant: I like you, you did well.” Forget facepalming, Agott now slumped over her desk with a groan, and in pure embarrassment. How did she butcher that correction so confidently? She sighed and sat back up, pushing away the blush and the sight of Coco's own one. “I like IT, you did well,” Agott managed to voice, successfully, in a borderline robotic way to ensure no more mistakes were let out.
Coco smiled, leaning closer. “You like me~”
Agott choked. “That was clearly an accident, Coco.”
“Was calling me beautiful, and thinking of me during dinner enough to use my name an accident too?” Coco teased. Agott groaned at that, she refused to let herself get cornered by this girl's banter.
Her voice grew in confidence. “Do you want it to be purposeful?” she whispered, also entering Coco's space, both girls a breath away. Agott's heart began to hammer against her ribs at the proximity.
She saw Coco's eyes dip down, and-
“OHH COCO, AGOTT~” they heard on the other side of the door, quickly flinching away from each other and faces deeply flushed. Tetia slammed open the door. “We're having a picnic, let's goooo!”
Just as fast as she appeared, Tetia leapt back downstairs. Coco turned to Agott. “That was… a little bit of a shock.”
“Tell me about it.” Agott's mind was still dwelling on that moment before, they were really about to kiss there… Does that mean Coco felt the same way? What does she do now? Has their relationship changed from that near-action alone?
Coco's hands and eyes moved to Agott's fingers to gently fiddle with them, before looking back up. “You're coming outside with us, right?”
Agott smiled, she'll overthink this a little later, shifting her hands to take ahold of Coco's. “I do. I- I mean, I will.”
“Getting a little ahead of yourself there,” Coco joked with a giggle, pressing her slightly trembling lips against Agott's cheek and leaning back.
Agott blushed deeply, taking a moment to watch the other girl's eyes, impossibly soft and shy at the same time. The sensation, a warm tingle, on her cheek did not leave even after both girls stood up hand in hand to go downstairs. She was a mess.
After that moment, it seemed like Coco's physical affection for Agott grew by the day. And Agott was loving it.
At first, it was Coco testing the water with their hands: playing with them and interlocking them. Agott managed to win one of those battles of affection by laying a kiss on the girl's knuckles and caressing the spot with her thumbs.
Then it became head bumps and cheek kisses, in fact, it became almost a daily routine in the morning with both girls acting as initiators.
Then it became hugs: like long ones while Agott worked on her spells, short ones scattered around and passionate ones they shared hiding from the atelier members.
And now it was cuddles, the cramped beds leading them to feel even closer. Agott was not safe from becoming the little spoon and being doted on by Coco. She didn't mind, though. It was one of those nights, and Coco spent her time tracing Agott's scalp with one hand, her other arm around Agott's waist — keeping her close.
Coco felt the girl turn around. “I would have courted you properly,” she stated.
“Sounds like a formal endeavour,” Coco replied sweetly.
“It's only natural for an Arklaum. Although,” she pressed her nose against Coco's, “I'm much too impatient for those traditions. And I can only imagine the mess of words that would come out of my mouth.”
Her eyes focused down to Coco's lips, as they moved, accompanied by that wonderful accent, “Those little mistakes have already worked on me, I'm sure that this courting of yours would have been just as successful. I love you, Agott.”
“I love lips,” Agott responded, Coco giggled at the unmistakable focus the girl had, listening as Agott shyly corrected herself like always. “You... I love you.”
Agott could feel her chest beating rapidly, and didn't dare move a muscle. Coco understood, closing the gap herself.
It was light, and tentative, but that easily transformed as the two pressed deeper together, not wanting it to end. The sensation was addictive. Agott felt the breathing from Coco's nose, knowing the girl could keep going just like that; but Agott herself felt like she was drowning in honey even with the ability to breathe in it, sweet but her rapid heart and adrenaline refused to let her focus on her own breathing. She gently separated herself from Coco, letting herself breathe, and eyes opening to the sight of Coco's own. Her expression looked both patient and impatient, becoming adorably relaxed when Agott's lips returned to hers.
After a few more shared kisses, varying in length, the two blissfully closed their eyes and let sleep overtake them.