Archive of Our Own

Agott, for all her talk about competence and planning, had made a grave mistake.

Every fox has his day, people would often say, and regrettably, today turned out to be that day for Agott. Even after spending the entire week stressing over the agenda for her one-month anniversary date with Coco, mapping out every cute cafe and scenic walking route, she ended up completely forgetting to check the weather forecast before stepping outside.

Now, a sudden, violent downpour had drenched them both to the bone. Heavy drops fell like an iron curtain, washing away Agott’s happiness (and to some extent, her composure) and laying bare her oversight. She could feel the damp chill seeping through her jacket, but the cold was nothing compared to the hot spike of guilt in her chest. She had wanted today to be utterly perfect, a sincere testament to how much she cared for Coco, but instead, they were currently drowning in the middle of the sidewalk.

Beside her, Coco ran in a frantic blur of motion. She clutched her muddy shoes tightly in one hand while her other arm hugged her bag against her chest, desperately shielding the laptop inside. Her greenish-blond hair was soaked through, plastered to her cheeks and stripped of its usual silky shine. Gone was the comforting scent of fabric softener—a scent Agott secretly adored and had spent entirely too many nights longing to bury her face into. But that wasn't what was important; Agott was currently bracing herself for the inevitable disappointment, or worse, the polite, strained reassurance that Coco wasn't upset once they'd arrived at their destination—Agott's apartment.

In short, Agott was thoroughly screwed.

But still, despite the gloomy sky pressing down on them and the absolute ruin of their clothes, Coco was still smiling so brightly it was almost blinding, as if the rain wasn't worth frowning over because they were still spending time together. And Agott couldn't help but stare, even if said rain almost hindered her vision completely.

Every time Coco's bare foot splashed carelessly into a deep puddle, accidentally sending a fresh shower of dirty water onto Agott’s already ruined trousers, a soft, breathless laugh bubbled up from her chest, completely free of restraint. It was not fair. Coco should have looked miserable and unkempt, shivering, and not unlike a drenched cat by now. But as she pulled a few paces ahead and spun around to look back, she managed to dissolve the rest of Agott's world into background noise.

Time itself seemed to stall, the heavy rain suspended in mid-air, granting Agott a fleeting, breathless moment to just look at her.

She is entirely too good for me, Agott realized, a sudden, fierce rush of affection squeezing her heart so tightly it physically ached. Just, how could someone take a ruined afternoon and effortlessly turn it into a memory this beautiful?

"Agott, hurry! We don't want you to catch a cold!" Coco called out, her voice ringing clear over the roar of the downpour.

"…"

Agott felt the last remnants of her frustration melt away into the rushing water at their feet. She supposed she should have known better than to worry. This was Coco, after all. Even under the cold weight of the storm, she would always, inevitably, shine brighter than anyone else.

"Sorry for interrupting!"

Agott unlocked the front door and shuffled into the dim, quiet apartment, kicking off her shoes and peeling away her heavy, drenched socks. The damp floor of the foyer bit into her bare feet, cold and biting, but her mind was far too occupied to care. She felt along the wall for the light switch, her head pounding with a mix of exhaustion and lingering embarrassment over how horribly their anniversary date had gone. Coco had assured her along the way that she didn't mind having a date in her apartment, but Agott still felt the urge to bury herself under the suffocating weight of incompetence.

Behind her, Coco followed suit, adjusting her own soaked footwear on her hand before kneeling on the chill tiles to neatly align both pairs. It was a habitual gesture Coco made every single time she visited, no matter how many times Agott had told her not to.

"Coco, I’ve told you a hundred times, you don't have to do that," Agott grumbled petulantly. The sight of Coco, shivering and dripping wet, made Agott's chest ache. She hurriedly dropped to her knees beside her, hands reaching out to take over the chore.

All she received in return was a light, fond laugh that echoed softly in the dark entryway. "I’m just trying to make sure neither of us trips later, just in case!"

Agott paused, her fingers catching on the heel of a shoe. She stared silently at her girlfriend’s rain-streaked face—at the faint shiver running through her shoulders and the wet lashes clinging to her skin—while wondering how she had even managed to catch such a perfect woman to be her girlfriend, until a sudden, overwhelming impulse completely took over her mind. Forgetting her usual reserve, Agott reached out, brushing back Coco’s damp bangs to expose her cool forehead.

Coco froze in surprise, her eyes widening. Without thinking twice, Agott pressed a soft, hesitant kiss right between her brows, taking in the faint, lingering warmth of her skin.

"Thank you," Agott murmured against her skin, holding Coco's gaze for a heartbeat longer before pulling back with an embarrassed smile.

"Y..." Coco mumbled back under her breath, a sudden flush dusting her cheeks as she quickly looked away, seemingly fascinated by the floorboards. "You're welcome."

Not wanting to dwell on Coco's rare, bashful reactions lest it showed up on her own face, Agott pushed herself up from the floor and unzipped her heavy jacket with a grimace. The fabric was practically waterlogged, weighing a ton while dragging cold moisture straight into her shirt, and Agott hurriedly dumped it on the floor. Turning back, she extended an open hand toward Coco, who blinked up at her, momentarily lost again.

"Your bag," Agott said as an explanation. "I know it’s supposed to be waterproof, but we should still double-check."

Realization dawned on Coco's face. Gasping, she hurriedly scrambled up and handed the bag over like an offering. Agott took it effortlessly and turned toward the living room, completely unbothered by the trail of water dripping from her clothes and pooling onto her own clean floorboards. Behind her, she heard Coco's soft, pained sigh—most likely mourning the inevitable cleanup waiting for them once they were dry.

"Go take a warm shower first, Coco," Agott called out over her shoulder, already unzipping the bag to inspect the laptop inside. She couldn't bear the thought of Coco catching a cold, not when this whole mess was her fault to begin with. "I’ll go right after you."

A cheerful "Alright!" echoed back as Coco scurried toward the small hallway leading to Agott's bedroom to grab a change of clothes.

Setting the bag on the dining table, Agott carefully wiped down the outer casing, checking every seal and port. Thankfully, everything seemed completely dry, but her perfectionism wouldn't let her rest until she was certain. Opening the lid, she pressed the power button with bated breath, holding her own chest still.

The fan whirred softly to life, and the screen flickered, illuminating the dim room with the bright, familiar photograph.

It was a close-up selfie of their little group—herself, Coco, Richeh, and Tetia—crowded tightly into the frame while Tetia strained to hold the camera high. They had taken it the afternoon their university acceptance letters arrived, celebrating the milestone with a spontaneous trip under the blooming cherry blossoms.

Looking at it now, a fond, helpless smile slipped past Agott's defenses. Then, her smile dropped, and she frantically glanced at her surroundings. She almost caught herself a moment too late, clearing her throat and smoothing her expression as a flush of embarrassment crept up her neck. Thank goodness Coco was in the shower. If she had caught Agott softening up over a wallpaper, Agott would never hear the end of being called "so cute" and "such a softie."

Burying the embarrassing thought as deep as it would go, she powered off the laptop, closed the lid, and set it safely on the table. She turned back toward the front door, letting out a long, weary sigh at the terrible sight of the entryway. Water was pooling over the hardwood, and she knew she needed to fetch the mop before those muddy footprints could set into stubborn, permanent stains.

.

.

.

As the mop dragged in rhythmic, soothing tracks across the floorboards, Agott let her mind wander, running through every single detail of how badly the evening had strayed from her vision.

Today was supposed to be their one-month anniversary. It probably wasn't a grand milestone to anyone else, but to Agott, it mattered immensely because she hadn't really gotten the chance to spoil Coco ever since they started dating. Hence why she had spent the past week planning how they would spend the entire day after class in each other's company. She had also picked the perfect location, jotted the timing down to the exact minute on her notes app, and pictured an evening where Coco wouldn't have to worry about a single thing and could focus her whole attention towards Agott.

But of course, a sudden turn in the weather just had to completely dismantle her efforts, reducing a week's worth of hard work to a trail of water on her living room floor.

Who was she kidding, though? She should've been more careful in the first place.

Agott stopped mid-stroke, leaned her forehead against the cool wooden mop handle, and reached out a hand to massage the bridge of her nose. The frustration was suffocating. It was entirely her fault. She had been so consumed with crafting a picture-perfect ideal date that she hadn't even bothered to check something as ridiculously basic as a weather forecast. She felt a sting of deep self-reproach as a stray drop of rain fell from her damp hair, splashing onto the freshly mopped tile below.

But spiralling wouldn't fix anything. Since her own carelessness had ruined the plan, the sole responsibility fell on Agott's shoulders to salvage what was left of the night.

And this might be for the best. Now she could spend her time with Coco at her apartment with no one else to bother them.

"..."

Actually, how could she miss this? Her girlfriend was inside her apartment right now. Just the two of them. While this definitely wasn't a first-time occurrence, the reminder that this was their first anniversary inserted some kind of pressure into Agott's senses.

Because wasn't this like… a perfect opportunity for Agott to create the right mood for their first kiss?

Agott stood up straight, taking a deep breath and forcing her mind into a pragmatic mindset. Yes, she would not mess this up. Let's see, a movie on the couch, maybe? It felt a little low-effort for an anniversary, but at least it was warm, dry, and safe from the storm raging outside. Or perhaps they could just sit together at the dining table, talk, and order something comforting. Agott faintly remembered she possessed a romantic, scented candle somewhere in the kitchen cabinets.

She glanced up at the wall clock: 5:12 PM. If she pulled out her phone and ordered takeout right now, the food would likely arrive at the front door just as she finished drying off. It wasn't the lavish date she had promised, but as long as it kept Coco warm, fed, and smiling, Agott was determined to make it count.

Still, ordering delivery felt far too much like settling for a cheap backup plan simply because her brain had run out of ideas. She wanted tonight to feel intentional, a clear proof that she had poured her heart into making their anniversary special. Besides, ordering takeout in this weather would only end up futile.

Agott wracked her brain, her gaze drifting past the couch toward the small kitchen alcove before finally settling on the refrigerator door. The sight sparked a sudden, almost-forgotten memory. Just a few days ago, Tetia and Richeh had barged into her apartment entirely unannounced, lounging around like they owned the place and spending twenty minutes commenting on how Agott had lived her life like an average university student with the worst eating habits ever. In response, Agott had insisted that she was living just fine, thank you. But in the end, Tetia had taken the matter into her own hands and marched down to the local market to stock the fridge herself, completely ignoring Agott's will as the owner of the apartment.

She didn't know that suppressing her emotions that day would end up in her favour. Agott mentally patted herself on the back and promised to tell Tetia and Richeh that she loved them. But that was for a later time.

For now, she needed to focus on what was in front of her.

"Maybe we... can cook something?" Agott mumbled under her breath, the thought slowly taking root. Cooking was admittedly not her strong suit, but working through a simple recipe together in the warmth of her apartment might actually make the night feel wonderfully cozy.

A sudden wave of heat rushed to her cheeks, and she fiercely fought down the urge to grin at the image of the two of them standing side by side at the stove. It felt so intimately domestic—almost like a newly married couple settling into their shared life.

Shaking her head to force herself back to reality, she finished the last couple of passes with the mop, gave the hem of her damp shirt a firm wring over the sink so she would finally stop dripping all over the floorboards—an action that she should've done earlier— and stepped into the kitchen. She reached out, took hold of the fridge handle, and pulled it open to peer inside.

Her lips twitched into a subtle, triumphant smile.

This could work. Tetia had left behind a full jar of rich sauce and a fresh box of pasta neatly tucked away on the top shelf. They could prepare portions of spaghetti. It was a simple recipe and practically impossible to ruin, even for someone who rarely touched kitchen utensils.

Satisfied that she had finally managed to piece together a real plan for the rest of their evening, she let the fridge door swing softly shut.

Agott walked down the softly lit hallway toward her bedroom, the muffled, steady hum of running water echoing from behind the bathroom door.

"Coco?" Agott called out, raising her voice just enough to carry over the noise of the shower. "Did you find some clean clothes to change into?"

A slightly drowned, enthusiastic "Yeah!!" echoed back through the frosted glass.

"Alright," Agott replied, her tone softening despite herself.

Feeling the ice-cold fabric of her own shirt clinging uncomfortably to her ribs, she quickly grabbed a fresh, oversized set of sweats from her dresser and a comfortable shirt. Clutched tightly under her arm, she headed toward the guest bathroom down the hall to finally wash away the exhaustion, eager to return to the warm evening waiting for them both.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Agott rubbed a bath towel over her head, her damp dark strands clinging softly to the nape of her neck. She had changed into a simple blue shirt and a pair of comfortable sweatpants, the soft, dry fabric an absolute relief after hours of wearing soggy clothes. With the towel draped lazily around her shoulders, she started down the hall toward her bedroom to grab her hairdryer, a bit dazed and intent on finishing her post-shower routine.

Then she crossed the threshold into the living room, and every thought in her head abruptly screeched to a halt.

Coco was sitting right there, curled up in the middle of the couch.

Her greenish-blond hair was already fluffed dry into a soft halo, and her cheeks bore a faint, adorable flush—undoubtedly from the warm steam of the shower. The moment she sensed Agott's presence, Coco looked up, her face instantly melting into a bright, blindingly welcoming smile.

"Agott! You're done with your shower," she exclaimed happily, shifting on the cushions. "Let me dry your ha—Agott?" Coco paused mid-sentence, tilting her head in quiet confusion.

Agott certainly didn't hear a single word that came out of Coco's mouth. Her mind had completely short-circuited. Scratch that—she was actively dying; her very soul was being drained from her mortal vessel in real time. Her usually capable brain completely stalled, incapable of processing the sheer sensory overload of the scene playing out before her.

In all her meticulous planning for today, Agott thought that she had accounted for every variable—but she hadn't expected this. She had never calculated the possibility of walking out of the bathroom to find Coco nestled on her couch, looking impossibly warm, soft, and content. And worst of all, Coco was wearing Agott’s clothes.

Repeat that: Coco was wearing Agott’s clothes.

The shirt slightly tilted off Coco’s right shoulder, exposing a bit of skin in a way that made Agott silently offer a prayer of gratitude to the entire history of textile manufacturing for existing. It was an overwhelming level of domestic intimacy, a breathtaking kind that Agott had never mentally prepared herself to handle. Her chest felt tight, her pulse hammering wildly against her ribs as she stared, completely paralyzed.

Is this… is this the so-called girlfriend's shirt effect?

Coco’s brows knit together in genuine concern when she received no response. "Agott? Are you okay? Your face is completely red... You didn't catch a cold, did you?"

Stars above, Agott thought desperately, her hands clenching tight into the soft texture of her towel. If only Coco knew that it wasn't the cold but her, who was slowly but surely killing Agott just by sitting there looking like that. But there was no universe in which Agott could ever voice that aloud, so she forced her lungs to work, swallowing hard and trying to regain a shred of her dignity. Fighting with everything she had to force her skyrocketing heart rate back down.

"Ahem."

Agott managed to drag her feet a few steps closer to the sofa. Coco tilted her head again, a tiny frown forming on her lips as she noticed Agott stubbornly avoiding direct eye contact, her gaze pinned firmly to the floorboards.

"Agott, are you okay?"

"I… feel a little bit lightheaded. Probably from the shower," Agott managed to force out, her voice stiff and utterly awkward.

"That isn't good! Here, let me dry your hair for you!" Coco exclaimed with sincere distress evident in her tone. She patted the cushion she was currently sitting on repeatedly, motioning for Agott to position herself in a way Coco could easily dry her hair.

"…"

There was just no way Agott could admit the truth out loud.

She couldn't possibly explain that she was completely losing her mind because Coco was currently wearing her absolute favourite shirt—the one featuring Ace Attorney’s Klavier Gavin printed boldly across the front. The soft fabric draped over Coco's shoulders so naturally—granted, they have similar builds, after all—but all Agott could focus on was the realization that she was never going to be able to wear this shirt again without instantly remembering how Coco had used it before.

Ah, and that she couldn't talk to Coco without having the urge to glance at the blonde man from her favourite media. Let alone initiating a kiss!

Damn it, she swore internally.

Still, Agott prided herself on her immaculate self-control. While chanting the national anthem in her head on a desperate loop, she cleared her throat, smoothed out her expression as best she could, and dropped down onto the floor right in front of the couch, surrendering to let Coco dry her hair for the very first time.

Suddenly, Coco let out a giddy laugh. Agott refused to admit she was curious about what Coco found so funny—but it was most likely Agott's evident, flustered misery anyway. Shifting forward, Coco gently positioned her legs so they cradled Agott's head from behind, remaining comfortably seated on the sofa cushions while Agott rested her back against the base. Agott closed her eyes and decided to completely yield to her girlfriend's touch.

"I'll dry your hair quickly so you don't have to sit on the cold floor for too long!" Coco announced cheerfully, plugging in the dryer and getting straight to work.

Truthfully, Agott found a strange sense of relief in staring strictly at the hardwood floor between her knees. After all, if she kept her eyes down, she wouldn't have to look up and see Klavier Gavin's printed face staring back at her, silently judging her for being so hopelessly, dizzyingly weak for her girlfriend.

Yeah, this is probably for the best.

As the hairdryer whirred to life, Coco’s fingers proved to be impossibly gentle—just like the rest of herself. She threaded through the dark, damp strands with meticulous care, careful not to pull on a single tangle or hurt Agott's scalp. The warm, steady air, combined with the slow, rhythmic sweep of Coco’s hands and the faint pitter-patter sound of the endless rain outside, was dangerously soothing. It melted away the last lingering stress of the ruined date, and by the time the loud whir of the dryer finally died down, Agott was floating comfortably on the very edge of sleep.

Coco leaned down, her soft palm gently patting Agott's cheek twice to wake her from where her head had slumped against Coco's thigh.

"Agott, we're done!"

"Ah, right..." Agott mumbled, her voice thick and gravelly with drowsiness.

Fighting the heavy pull of sleep, she pushed herself up from the cold floor and collapsed onto the couch right beside Coco with a long, heavy sigh. A beat later, before Agott could even settle into the cushions, Coco leaned over, closing the distance between their bodies, almost like she had planned to envelop Agott in a tight hug, but decided otherwise.

"Thank you for lending me your clothes," Coco murmured into her shoulder instead, her voice full of immense gratitude.

The reminder that Coco was currently draped in her clothes made Agott choke on her own saliva all over again. The slight weight of Coco’s warm body pressed firmly against her side, combined with the undeniable scent of Agott’s own citrus shampoo wafting off Coco's hair, was entirely too much for her frazzled nervous system to process. Agott was convinced she was about to spontaneously combust right then and there on her own living room couch.

Yet, before she could lose her lingering composure entirely, the distance between their bodies was created just as suddenly, and Agott barely managed to stop herself as she was about to frown. Coco had decided to pull back, her weight lifting away as she pumped both of her small fists in the air, a wide, energetic smile breaking across her face.

"So!" Coco declared, her bright eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Should we figure out what to eat now? Should we try cooking something ourselves?"

Agott blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in energy. She stared at Coco—and by extension, stared directly into the smug, printed face of Klavier Gavin plastered across Coco's chest. It was absurdly surreal. Here was her favourite fictional prosecutor staring back at her while her cute girlfriend waited for a response.

Was Coco… doing this on purpose?

With the apron strings tied neatly around her waist, Coco stood before the cutting board with the intensity of someone about to perform surgery. On the counter lay an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a single zucchini, and the box of pasta Tetia had left behind.

Determined to help—even after Coco had gently let her down that she could cook just fine without her assistance—Agott stepped up right behind Coco, pressed herself against her back, and hooked her chin firmly over Coco’s shoulder.

There was a painfully awkward silence surrounding them.

Yes, Agott was fully aware that she was acting ridiculous and completely unlike her normal self. But believe her, she wouldn't do this either if only Coco had chosen any other shirt in Agott's possession, instead of the one she was wearing right now.

That's right. Agott was currently standing behind Coco in an attempt to avoid facing the design of Coco's shirt. Call her ridiculous all you want, but this was a serious business for her.

Meanwhile, Coco had stayed frozen since Agott insisted on hugging her from behind, the knife hovering awkwardly over the onion. A second passed. Then two. Agott remained rigidly in place, entirely unmoving.

Coco tried to take a subtle step to the left to reach the garlic. Agott stepped with her, moving in total unison like a shadow glued to her spine. Coco tried to take a tiny step to the right. Agott matched it instantly, her chin digging even tighter into Coco's shoulder with unyielding stubbornness.

"A-Agott?" Coco squeaked, her voice pitching way up as a bright flush rushed up her neck. "What... what are you doing?"

"I am standing here," Agott said flatly into the crook of Coco's neck, refusing to budge an inch.

"I can see that!" Coco stammered, her shoulders tense with confused, flustered energy. "But why are you glued to my back? I can't even move my arms!"

"It's a completely normal way to watch someone cook," Agott insisted stubbornly, trying her absolute hardest to sound logical and composed, even if she knew she was anything but. "Besides... I wanted to hug you from behind. Why are you making a big deal out of it?"

Coco let out a squeaky, breathless laugh, completely overwhelmed. "I'm not making a big deal! You're kind of… blocking my movements, and you never act like this!"

Well, she had a point.

But Agott couldn't possibly tell Coco that she was fighting for her absolute life right now. Standing behind Coco was her only salvation. From here, she could bury her face in Coco's soft hair, breathe in her scent, and enjoy being close to her without having to make direct, mortifying eye contact with a certain blond man judging her actions all the time. This was the very embodiment of killing two birds with one stone, in Agott's humble opinion.

She was genuinely proud of this strategy.

"I am assisting," Agott grumbled defensively, though she finally relented enough to loosen her grip just a little bit. "Just keep cutting the onion."

"…"

What followed was the most awkward culinary effort in history.

At some point, when Coco needed the bottle of olive oil from the upper cabinet, Agott refused to step aside and loosen her hold. Instead, she reached an arm over Coco's shoulder in an unnecessarily arching stretch to grab the bottle herself, trapping Coco against the counter in a weird human-cage way.

"Agott…!" Coco subtly tried to protest with her cheeks flushed, but she let her girlfriend be as she ducked under Agott's extended arm.

"This is much faster," Agott justified, her posture stiff as a board as she handed the oil over, looking everywhere but in Coco's general direction.

.

.

.

"You are acting so weird today," Coco said with a soft giggle, leaning against the counter and watching Agott aggressively whip the pasta sauce with way too much energy. "Did something happen?"

Agott paused for a second, but decided to shake her head in denial in response. "It's nothing."

I'm so sorry, Coco, Agott pleaded silently, her heart wrung with guilt as she watched the upset expression filling her girlfriend's face once again. She knew she was single-handedly ruining their cooking date. Coco must've been looking forward to this, and here Agott was, slinking around her own kitchen like an erratic cat in some strange beef with an imaginary cucumber. But she had no choice.

She could not risk making eye contact with Gavin. Her survival depended on it.

Thankfully, despite Agott’s inexplicable dodging and questionable movements, the meal itself was somehow coming together without a single hitch, undoubtedly thanks to Coco's skill and patience.

"Okay, the pasta is ready!" Coco announced, carefully holding the heavy pot with two oven mitts. "On three, we pour it into the colander, okay?"

Agott nodded and stepped in to grab the pot handles alongside her, keeping her head tilted at an angle toward the steam rising from the sink. "One, two, three," they chimed in unison, tipping the pot together and watching the cloud of warm steam billow up into the dim kitchen.

As the last drop of water drained, Coco set the empty pot down and turned toward Agott with a beaming, radiant smile. "We finished it!"

Before Agott could react, Coco held up her hand for an enthusiastic high-five. Agott raised hers in return, their palms connecting with a crisp, satisfying snap.

Coco’s smile in that fleeting second was so dazzling, so overwhelmingly bright that it nearly blinded Agott on the spot. Looking at those joyful, sparkling eyes in such proximity, she was suddenly hit with an insurmountable, dizzying urge to lean down and kiss her girlfriend until they both lost breath.

Panicking at the sudden surge of affection, Agott jerked her head away, forcefully averting her gaze somewhere to break the moment.

It was a big mistake.

Her eyes landed directly on Klavier Gavin's face, and it felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was doused right on top of Agott's head. The blond prosecutor seemed to stare right back at her through the fabric, his smirk and joyous expression looking full of objection, somehow.

Agott's eyebrows twitched, a sudden urge to beg Coco to change her shirt almost overtook her senses.

"Agott?" Coco asked gently, tilting her head as she caught Agott glaring intensely at her. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," she snapped a bit too quickly, moving her gaze toward the ceiling as naturally as possible and grabbing two plates from the counter. "The pasta is getting cold. Let's move to the dining table."

"…Okay?"

Dinner turned out to be a total success, mostly thanks to a strict rule Agott had set up months ago: no talking while eating. It was a rule she’d originally made up out of nervousness back when they first started hanging out, just to keep herself from rambling like an idiot. She’d grown to resent her past self for it lately because she actually loved hearing Coco talk, but for tonight, it was an absolute lifesaver.

They sat across from each other at the small table, the quiet clinking of their forks against the plates the only sound filling the room. Agott kept her head down, taking bites of her pasta as nonchalantly as possible. Across from her, Coco was happily munching away, humming softly to herself and totally oblivious to the absolute mental breakdown Agott had just suffered in the kitchen. Agott stole a glance up through her dark bangs, letting out a long, silent breath.

This is great. Coco doesn't suspect a thing. Hopefully.

Still, behind her calm face, Agott’s brain was running overtime.

As she had explained before, tonight was supposed to be the night for them. Their one-month anniversary. She had spent a whole week carefully planning how she was finally going to steal Coco's very first real kiss on the mouth. In the 2.0 version of her original plan, it was supposed to happen right in the middle of their sweet, domestic cooking session. She’d pictured it so clearly—the low lighting, a charged moment over the stove where she could smoothly lean down and kiss her girlfriend.

Clearly, it didn't work out because Agott had glanced at Coco's shirt by mistake.

But not all hope was lost. Agott had already moved on and invested her remaining sanity in the upcoming movie date.

After all, she had spent fifteen minutes before her shower digging through her usual streaming site to pick out the absolute worst film she could find. It was a slow, painfully predictable, unbelievably cheesy romance movie, where the plot made zero sense, and the lines were so bad it was practically a crime, but that was the entire point. It was custom-tailored to bore Coco out of her mind within the first ten minutes. And once Coco stopped paying attention to the screen, they’d naturally start chatting in the dim, warm light of the living room... the conversation would drift into soft teasing... and then, inevitably, they would kiss.

It was a great backup plan.

Agott bit the inside of her lip, fighting with everything she had to stop a silly grin from breaking across her face as she carried their empty plates over to the sink.

When she turned around, she nearly melted on the spot.

Coco was already working hard on the couch, building what could only be described as a giant plushie fortress. She had completely raided Agott's bedroom, dragging out every stuffed animal Agott owned, and was now carefully lining them up all over the cushions. Right in the middle, she had tucked Agott's favourite Owlcat plush under a soft throw blanket, making the cozy little nest look utterly irresistible.

A sudden, heavy warmth flooded her chest so fast it made her breath catch. Watching Coco fluff the pillows with so much dedication was almost too sweet to bear. All the lingering stress from the rain, the ruined date, and the stupid failed kiss just completely dissolved.

Just wait, Agott told herself, forcing herself to be patient while smoothing down her clothes and taking a confident step toward the couch.

The movie is going to work, and tonight is still going to be perfect.

.

.

.

The movie was working. In fact, it was working so well it was almost funny.

Ten minutes into the film, the cheesy background plot and painful dialogue had already done their job. Coco was fidgeting on the couch, her eyes darting around the room, completely checked out but clearly didn't want to say that she was bored out of her mind. Agott sat beside her, practically vibrating with pride. Everything was lining up according to plan. All she had to do now was wait for Coco to start talking, build up the mood, and smoothly execute the rest of her plan.

But of course, as with everything else that involved Coco, disaster once again struck in the most unsuspecting way possible.

In the middle of a painfully dramatic monologuing scene on screen, Coco suddenly turned toward her, and Agott clenched her fists in anticipation. She looked up with wide, hopeful eyes, tapping the edge of Agott’s thigh. And then…

"Agott... can I lay my head on your lap?"

Wha—?

Agott’s eyes widened to the size of the dinner plates she just dumped in the sink. Her brain completely froze, going dead silent for a full three seconds.

A lap pillow? Now?! This wasn't in her plan!

She opened her mouth to sputter out a polite, logical hesitation, but before a single word could escape her lips, Coco deployed the most effective weapon of humankind, a.k.a. her puppy eyes. Her brow furrowed just a tiny bit, her lower lip pouting out in a silent, irresistible plea.

Damn it, Agott screamed internally.

And to no one's surprise, she caved instantly.

"I... fine. Go ahead," Agott managed to squeak out, shifting back against the sofa cushions.

Coco beamed in response, immediately curling up and letting her head rest gently right across Agott's lap.

Realistically speaking, this moment could actually be called the absolute peak of romance. It was a sweet, intimate, and impossibly domestic cliché where the love of your life rested their head on your lap, letting go of the burdens on their shoulder to stare at their loved one's face. Even in Agott's case, Agott could just bend down and kiss her girlfriend right now if she cared. But in reality, Agott was in a more dire, life-threatening pinch.

She was trapped.

After all, if she looked down, her eyes would be forced to choose what to stare at. On one hand, Coco was lying right there—looking unbelievably beautiful, and at the same time, dangerous to Agott's fragile sanity. On the other hand, because Coco was lying flat on her back, Klavier Gavin's printed face on the front of the shirt was also now pointing straight up at Agott like a target. Every single time Agott tried to shift her gaze even a millimetre, she was met with those familiar dark blue eyes staring right back into her soul.

Stars, help her.

Agott forced herself to stop panicking while taking a slow, shallow breath. She reminded herself that she was an adult and was in control of her own body. She could just pretend like she didn't care about the added weight on her thighs and focus on the movie.

So she did just that, missing the way Coco had gone oddly quiet.

Agott stared at the TV and pretended to care about the dialogue being spoken so hard her eyes started to water, but the sheer physical presence of Coco resting against her lap was impossible to ignore. After a few minutes, like magnets of opposite polarity, Agott's body seemed to betray her self-control. Almost entirely on instinct, her hand reached out, fingers softly brushing a few stray strands of greenish-blond hair away from Coco's forehead.

The soft texture of Coco's hair under her fingertips made Agott's heart do a strange, fluttering flip. Forgetting the TV, Agott let her gaze sink into Coco's face.

"Mm.. Agott—" a mumble was heard.

Coco was looking up at her, her lips moving as she said something. But strangely, Agott couldn't hear a single word. The ambient noise of the living room, the dialogue from the movie, the hum of the drizzle outside—it all just faded away into static. The cells in Agott's brain had completely given up on rational thought, utterly fixated on one single person: Coco.

When Agott moved her gaze to read her mouth, her eyes were trapped on the sight of Coco's lips. They were soft-looking, moving gently, framing words that Agott was far too spellbound to process. It felt like an invitation. A thick, undeniable moment suspended in time. Agott’s breath caught in her throat. She slowly began to lean down, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird, convinced that this was it—the moment she had been planning for all night.

Then, the static cleared, and Coco's voice cut straight through the fog.

"Agott... do you not like me wearing your shirt?"

Agott blinked, snapped instantly back into reality, and froze mid-air. "What?" she gasped, her voice cracking as panic surfaced. "Where did that come from?"

Coco fidgeted on her lap, a small, awkward laugh escaping her lips as her eyes darted to the side. "Tell me if I’m just being self-conscious..." she began, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of the borrowed shirt. "Because... well, I really thought you liked how I looked in your shirt when you first came out of the bathroom. But I’m not so sure anymore."

Agott felt the blood drain straight from her face. "Coco, that's—"

"You keep avoiding my gaze," Coco cut in gently, her tone laced with awkward confusion. "And then in the kitchen, you kept clinging to me in all these strange ways... I tried thinking of every possible reason that could be making you act like that, but I couldn't come up with anything else. So this… this was the most plausible reason I could come up with."

Coco trailed off for a second. Before Agott could even attempt to construct an answer to dig herself out of the grave she had dug, Coco reached up with both hands. Her warm, soft palms cupped Agott's cheeks, gently but firmly forcing their eyes to meet.

"Or..." Coco continued softly, her brow furrowing with genuine worry. "Am I making you so uncomfortable that you feel like you can't even tell me what's wrong?"

Agott was completely stumped. Silence, save for the movie's faint soundtrack in the background, stretched heavily across the living room as she stared down into Coco's earnest, worried eyes. Agott’s own gaze quivered—not from panic anymore, but from an overwhelming wave of guilt.

She had known, rationally, that she had behaved out of the ordinary. She had known she was acting like an absolute weirdo all evening. But she had been so stubbornly hyper-fixated on her own silly embarrassment, so caught up in her own head over a stupid shirt, that it hadn't even crossed her mind how it might look to Coco. She had made Coco feel self-conscious. She had made Coco wonder if she was somehow not enough of a safe place for Agott to share her problem with, especially on their anniversary.

Agott blinked again, the sudden lump in her throat making it hard to swallow. Slowly, she reached up and gently took hold of one of Coco’s warm hands where it cupped her face, guiding it down until Coco's palm rested flat against the center of her chest. Right over her heart. 

Coco said nothing. She didn't press or demand a quick answer, only staring openly up into Agott's eyes, patiently giving her all the time in the world to explain at her own pace.

"Can you... can you feel that?" Agott mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. "My heartbeat?"

Coco frowned for a second, clearly surprised by the sudden question but acquiesced anyway. Concentrating intensely on the frantic rhythm pulsing beneath her palm, her eyes widened as the realization settled, and a delighted, melodic laugh bubbled up from her chest.

When her laughter finally subsided, she nodded, a sweet, teary smile spreading across her face. "Yes. I hear it. It's beating so fast."

Agott smiled in relief for a moment before averting her gaze, utterly blinded by how dazzling Coco looked in that moment. But she wasn't done explaining yet. Slowly, she dragged Coco’s hand further down, placing it right over Coco’s own stomach—right over the fabric of the shirt.

She cleared her throat, her face burning. Agott couldn't believe that she was having this talk with her girlfriend on their anniversary. "You were right. About earlier. I... I really do love the sight of you wearing my shirt." She intentionally left out the part where she wasn't just liking it—but that the sight was actively driving her insane, threatening to short-circuit her entire brain every time she looked at her. Instead, she took a shaky breath and decided to surrender the truth.

Because today was their anniversary, Coco deserved to know more about her; everything there was about Agott.

"The problem isn't on you, Coco," Agott confessed, her tone stiff with deep embarrassment. "It's... it's who is on the shirt."

Coco raised her eyebrows in complete confusion. Releasing her grip on Agott, she raised her head from Agott's lap, back on her heels, and tugged at the collar to look down at the graphic printed across her chest.

"This guy?" Coco asked, tilting her head.

Agott buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled behind her fingers. "It's Klavier Gavin. My favourite character."

Coco stared at the prosecutor on her chest, then back at Agott, her expression carefully blank, and Agott wanted to bury herself in a ditch from embarrassment. Her girlfriend clearly had no idea what the big deal was, or how a fictional man could possibly cause a major relationship crisis like this, so the silence stretched. 

"..."

"..."

"I wanted today to be perfect!" Agott blurted out in an attempt to defend herself when the silence became too unbearable, her cheeks blazing as she finally looked up. "I had this whole plan! I was going to... to kiss you! For the first time! On our anniversary! But every time I tried to get close to you, or look at you, or build up the right mood, I kept having to look at him! The idea of my absolute favourite character staring at me while I try to kiss you is horrible! I couldn't do it!"

Having confessed her most ridiculous, humiliating secret, Agott braced herself for the impact. She fully expected Coco to burst out into uncontrollable, wheezing laughter at how absurdly dramatic she was being.

"I am so sorry, I know it's a stupid reason—" Agott turned her head to face her girlfriend—only to freeze.

Coco wasn't laughing. In fact, she wasn't even smiling. Coco had grabbed the fabric of the shirt with both hands, staring down at the printed face with her lower lip caught tightly between her teeth, her brow furrowed in a look of intense, shared frustration.

Then, she suddenly sat up straight, her eyes widening as if a lightbulb had just flashed inside her head.

"Agott! Can I go to the bathroom for a second?" she asked in a rush.

Agott blinked in total surprise, her brain completely lagging behind the sudden shift in momentum. She gave a slow, reflexive nod, barely opening her mouth to speak before Coco scrambled off the sofa. Without wasting a single breath, Coco sprinted straight down the narrow hallway toward Agott's bedroom, the rapid patter of her bare feet echoing through the quiet apartment.

Agott was left sitting frozen on the couch, thoroughly winded by the sudden flurry of movement.

Once the bedroom door clicked shut in the distance, the heavy silence of the living room rushed back in. Agott let her shoulders slump, burying her face deep into her palms as a long, miserable sigh escaped her lips.

Where on earth had she messed up?

She let out a quiet, hopeless laugh at her own question as the answer immediately slapped her in the face. She had messed up right from the very beginning. Right—the darn weather. She had forgotten to check the weather app and ended up ruining her own plan. Then she had managed to turn a harmless shirt with her favourite character attached to it into a full-blown catastrophe. This anniversary had been a complete disaster from start to finish, and she had single-handedly ruined every single moment.

Great. Just great, Agott Arklaum.

A terrible, heavy weight settled into her stomach. Was Coco packing up her things right now? Was she getting ready to leave in frustration? Agott felt a strange wave of relief wash over her as her eyes drifted to the dining table, noticing Coco’s laptop still sitting safely near the edge. At least Coco couldn't storm out without coming back to the living room first, which meant Agott would get one final chance to apologize and try to fix this mess.

She felt a hot, stubborn tear prick at the corner of her eye, but before she could even wipe it away, rapid footsteps came pounding back down the hallway.

Agott whipped her head around, her lips already parting to blurt out a desperate plea for Coco to stay, but the words died straight in her throat. Before she could even attempt to stand up, Coco marched right up to the edge of the sofa, reached out, and pressed a firm hand straight against Agott's shoulder, forcefully shoving her back onto the cushions.

"Uh—!" Agott gasped in sheer shock.

Without giving her a second to recover, Coco promptly dropped right onto her lap, making herself completely at home as though she didn't want Agott to run away.

Not that Agott would ever want to, anyway.

Agott’s eyes widened as she immediately took in the change. Coco wasn't wearing the same shirt anymore. She had swapped it for another item from Agott’s wardrobe—this time an oversized, plain charcoal grey shirt. The soft fabric slightly drowned her frame, making Coco look nothing short of divine.

"Coco…?" Agott managed to say in her confusion.

In response, Coco looked up at her with burning determination, yet a tiny, serious frown still etched onto her features. But as she adjusted her weight on Agott's thighs, her eyes flicked down to her own hand, realizing she was still tightly clutching the folded Klavier Gavin shirt she had just taken off.

"Ah, I forgot to leave it in the bedroom," Coco blurted out instead of explaining her actions, her frown breaking for a fraction of a second.

Agott could only blink, her usually sharp, quick-witted brain completely stopped working. She watched, flabbergasted, as Coco leaned sideways over Agott's lap and carefully set the folded shirt down onto the wide armrest of the couch. Coco then made a very deliberate, dramatic point to turn the fabric face down, smoothing out the wrinkles to make sure the printed graphic was thoroughly hidden, ensuring the fictional prosecutor couldn't possibly observe them anymore.

Once satisfied with her work, Coco turned back, placing both of her palms flat against Agott's shoulder again. A bright, tender smile broke across her face then, her eyes sparkling with undeniable affection.

"You wouldn't mind kissing me now, right?" Coco asked softly, her voice running sweet and low.

Agott felt a wave of heat rush straight to her face, her cheeks blazing so hot her entire skin felt like it was on fire. She cleared her throat awkwardly, trying with everything she had to pull together the scattered pieces of her composure, even though her heart was pounding against her ribs, which would definitely be classified as severe tachycardia.

"I... yeah," Agott stammered out, her sharp edge completely melting into something gentle. "I suppose... it's fine now."

Without waiting another second, Agott let go of her self-control and reached up. Her long fingers carefully brushed past Coco's warm cheeks and cradled the back of her head, gently tilting her chin. Agott leaned in, closing the small gap between them at last.

Woah. Agott felt as if her mind was being turned into mush.

Their lips met in a kiss that was soft, hesitant, and breathtakingly sweet. It was everything Agott had spent weeks imagining, completely dissolving every last trace of her residual embarrassment, anxiety, and frustration in a single heartbeat. They parted for just a fraction of a second, their foreheads resting together as they caught their breath, before Agott leaned right back in, thoroughly addicted. She pressed her lips to Coco's for a second time—deeper and overflowing with all the silent affection she had been bottling up all day.

Kissing was amazing. Agott was discovering in real time that she didn't want to stop kissing Coco if she could help it.

When they finally pulled apart, their warm breath mingled together in the space between them. Coco let out an endearingly small, breathless laugh suddenly, her head sinking forward to rest comfortably in the crook of Agott's neck.

Agott felt her entire chest swell with a feeling so new and overwhelming it made her dizzy. Gathering her courage, she slid her arms around Coco's waist, pulling her flush against her chest and burying her face into Coco's soft, greenish-blond hair. 

"Why are you laughing? Was it... bad?" Agott murmured into the dim room, her voice laced with a vulnerable worry.

Coco shook her head slightly against Agott's shoulder, her arms wrapping snugly around Agott's neck, holding her tighter. "No," she mumbled in response, her words muffled against the fabric of Agott's clothes. "Not at all. I've been waiting for this all day."

Agott froze, her heart skipping a beat. "All day?"

"Mm-hmm," Coco confessed softly, her cheek pressing deeper into Agott's shoulder. "Even before the rain... And definitely after you kissed my forehead in the entryway. I was trying so hard to drop hint after hint so you'd catch on that I wanted you to kiss me."

Agott held her breath at the sudden, breathtaking confession. The realization that Coco had been longing for this just as desperately as she had sent a comforting warmth straight through her entire body. Tightening her hold around Coco's waist, Agott pulled her even closer and closer, sinking deeper into the sofa cushions as the lingering chill completely melted away into the warmth of each other's arms.

Once the tension left completely, Agott let out an exasperated sigh into Coco's neck, her shoulders slumping with a mix of relief and embarrassment. "I feel so stupid," she mumbled. "I completely ruined our evening just because I was losing my mind over a shirt. Letting my obsession with... with not wanting our first kiss to happen while being watched by my favourite character... it's absurd."

But before she could spiral any further into self-deprecation, Coco pulled back. She reached up and cupped Agott's face once more, her warm palms framing Agott's cheeks and gently forcing her to look up.

"It isn't stupid, Agott," Coco admonished softly, her tone firm. Her unwavering eyes locked onto Agott's anxious ones with genuine sincerity. "The only thing that actually bothered me in this whole ordeal was how you didn't tell me what the problem was. I just want you to talk to me when something is bothering you... so please?"

Agott blinked, momentarily paralyzed by the sheer intensity in Coco's gaze. Just like always, Coco was at her absolute brightest when she was determined about something, her golden eyes practically glowing with earnest affection. And Agott was only a weak, weak woman when it came to her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," Agott whispered sincerely, her pride melting away entirely as she leaned into Coco's touch. "I promise... I'll tell you next time."

"Thank you!" Coco's expression softened into a radiant smile, and before Agott could say another word, Coco leaned in to capture her lips again, leaving nothing but the full feeling of love and affection.

One kiss melted into another, and then another. This time, it was unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world. They kissed until their breaths grew shallow and their lips felt tender, lost in the dim atmosphere of the living room and the long-awaited payoff of an exhausting night.

When they finally decided it was enough kissing for one evening, Coco reluctantly extracted herself from Agott's lap, sitting back on the sofa cushions and stretching her arms with a satisfied hum. She glanced back toward the TV screen, where the painfully boring romance movie was still quietly playing.

"Well," Coco said with a small, sheepish chuckle, "we ended up completely ignoring the movie, and I kind of feel bad. Should we pick something else to watch for the rest of the night?"

"Uh..." Agott gulped, a sudden nervous twitch catching her throat. A large part of her wanted to just nod and pretend she had genuinely tried to pick a good film. But the fresh memory of Coco's request—to share what was on her mind, no matter how silly—nagged at her conscience.

Taking a slow breath, Agott cleared her throat. "Actually, about that movie. It was... intentional."

Coco paused, turning her head with a raised eyebrow. "Intentional?"

"I chose a boring one on purpose," Agott confessed, her cheeks turning pink all over again as she stared down at the floor. "I deliberately searched for the most boring film... because I figured that if you got bored, you'd turn to talk to me instead, and then... we'd kiss."

For a second, the room was silent. Then Coco let out a laugh—a laugh so bright, as though she was utterly delighted, and it echoed through the entire apartment. Agott tried to hold onto her serious expression, but seeing Coco doubled over, clutching her stomach in pure amusement, made Agott's own lips curve upward. Before she knew it, a soft chuckle escaped her chest, and she found herself laughing right alongside her girlfriend.

Wiping a stray tear of laughter from the corner of her eyes, Coco leaned back against the cushions, her breath settling into a warm, happy sigh.

"That reminds me..." she murmured, her eyes flicking over to the armrest where the folded shirt lay face down. "I actually picked that shirt out of your closet because I thought the character... Klavier Gavin, was it? He looked so cool. Will you tell me more about him?"

Agott’s eyes instantly sparkled at the request, her posture straightening in surprise. "Wait... do you actually mean that?"

"…"

Coco leaned in close, closing the distance between them once more to drop another sweet kiss right onto the corner of Agott's slightly swollen lips.

"Yes," Coco whispered fondly, her smile resting against Agott's cheek. "I want to know more about you."

And that was how she found out that she and Coco were a perfect match, as Coco immediately became obsessed with Klavier Gavin as well.

Agott supposed that this was the best possible ending for their anniversary date.