Falling
Author: Anita
Fandom: Takarazuka RPF
Characters: Tsukishiro Kanato / Akatsuki Chisei, Kazama Yuno, Umino Mitsuki
Genre: yuri, romance
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Chisei thinks she's finally found the one for her in
Kazama Yuno. Yuno, despite their year-long relationship, started
displaying worried over Chisei's tightness with Tsukishiro Kanato. But
it's normal to message one of your best friends nonstop, right? To make
it worse, the two are to spend month apart when Chisei and Yuno find a
confession Kanato wrote in the past, and Yuno is convinced Chisei was
the intended recipient. How can Chisei prove to Yuno she's imagining
things and maintain both her girlfriend and her friend who's also a girl
when it's no secret she considers Kanato the most beautiful woman ever?
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Falling
Chapter 6
Going to the bar had been the right idea to save the night. As far as dates went, it could sound like a failure, because they had forgotten anything programmed to be with other people instead of finding somewhere more private. But had it been for real, they were Ari and Reiko, they would still have had a great time in the small bar they had found. For some reason, many of the costumers were foreigners, and more than one woman seemed to think the two were brothers.
The make-believe mixed with beer were enough to quiet Ari’s mind, and she could just have fun forcing Reiko to use her lines on the people there.
“You’re so beautiful, but you still need one thing to be perfect,” Reiko had tried on a black woman, who they later found out was from Angola. “To be in my arms.” The Angolese had been delighted, though she wasn’t a lesbian as it turned out, and she joined them in the flirting tutoring, nonetheless.
It got harder to count glasses once they were already in a group of five, and each gulp someone gave was a remembrance for them to drink some as well. When a Suede man joined them, he made sure to pay for rounds for everyone in the group while trying to pick up Ari—he gave up upon finding out Ari wasn’t Reiko’s little brother, but a woman, and paid them another round to compensate for the misunderstanding.
“If beauty were time, you’d be eternity,” the Suede contributed to Reiko’s increasing list on her phone. “But why are you here and not there?” He pointed at an Asian girl, probably Japanese, who’d come with a couple visibly in love. “She looks miserable in the middle of her friends’ date. Just go!”
Ari tightened the grip on her glass as Reiko’s eyes landed on the girl. She was cute and really looked like she could use a way out of being the third wheel. Even if she were straight, she’d probably agree to talk with someone, and a few drinks later, who was to know…
“I’m not looking,” Reiko said with a smile. “I’m actually training it for someone specific. We went out the other day and it was boring, according to Ari-chan here.”
“Oh, you’re a couple!” exclaimed the Indonesian woman Reiko has also tried her lines, even though her wife had been sitting next to her the entire time. “Why didn’t we notice it before?”
“I told you that!” her wife complained. “But you never listen… I told you they were together just having fun, but you had to be all sad about already being with me, like you’d take her if I weren’t here.” Neither of the two gave any indication which of them was “her”, but Ari had a feeling it could only be Reiko from the way the night progressed.
The group laughed so loud at the admonishment, nevertheless, that Ari didn’t even hear what Reiko said to the two. She’d probably explained the one she loved was someone else, because the couple looked disheartened.
“So, you’re helping your friend get some?” The Angolese frowned at Ari.
“You should see the two, they’re the best fit. I’m just helping them make it official. It’s like they skipped being girlfriends and are now married.” Ari rolled her eyes. “This is a mission to spice it up.”
“Hm…” The wife of the Indonesian didn’t explain the reason for the satisfaction transpiring from her tone.
Ari wanted to scream at her she too would rather be Reiko’s pairing, but it hadn’t worked out years before. Who’d choose not to be hers?
“Arinko here also has a wife, you know?” Reiko had lain her head on the bar despite it being wet from so many glasses they’d all already had. Ari wished she could do something, but they’d been separated long ago, now two people stood in her way.
“Girlfriend, and not even we are as close as Reiko-san and Umi-san.”
“Hm…” the Indonesian’s wife said again. Not elaborating, again.
“How about, ‘When God made you, he was seriously showing off’?” The Suede was holding out his smartphone and not hiding that he’d just googled the line.
“Lend me!” Reiko seemed refreshed after the one-second nap and took his phone so fast he was left blinking with his hand hanging empty. “Why didn’t you all show me this list before? It’s perfect! I didn’t need the whole night taking notes.” She walked to Ari’s side without hiding she was reading from the screen. “I’m so bad at flirting…” She pouted. “Why don’t you pick me up instead?” She winked.
The group cheered through Ari’s lack of response.
“That one is good, if you’re close to this girl,” commented the Angolan.
“The next round is on me then!” Reiko proclaimed throwing her hands up. The Suede recovered his phone just before it for discarded in the process. “Last one, though. Since my crash course was unneeded, we can go home now. Right?” She’d reappeared by Ari’s side and bumped her hip. “Here, this other one.” She paused, maybe to remember another from the online list. “Do you have a name?” Another pause. “Or can I just call you mine?”
The others laughed, but Ari just felt dizzy. A thought went through her head: if only she could record the last few minutes and replay it whenever she wanted…
“You didn’t like it?” Reiko looked confused, while drinking from her beer.
“No, it’s great. I just maybe had a lot,” she half lied. The two had drunk much more than they’d ever done at least together. Did Reiko even like beer?
“Do I know you?” Reiko asked suddenly, still excited with the new repertoire. “I just want to show my mom what my girlfriend—” She pouted. “I messed it up.”
Ari gave a shy smile. She’d love to be shown to Reiko’s mom as her real girlfriend and not just the friend who’s a girl. And she shouldn’t be thinking like that. It was like her mind had gone a few years back since the beginning of the night, and she’d never gotten over it. Reiko was too pretty to be alone with, that was the lesson.
“Two truths and a lie.” Reiko surprised her again. “This is hard, I need to come up with the truths…” She thought while taking a long gulp. When Ari was sure she’d forgotten what she’d been about to say, she continued, “I’ve got two eyes, I’m in Takarazuka, and I love you.”
Tasting the fake declaration of love for a while, Ari just looked back at her. Her thoughts were already too messed to form any good comeback. Thus, she drank more too.
Reiko slapped her own cheek, almost making Ari choke at the suddenness. “I can’t believe I did it again. I don’t have two eyes! I have three eyes! And I love you!”
If that were a movie, Ari would have spat her beer this time. That was so cute! And even though Reiko was drunk, even though she was just practicing, those words were still for her. Ari was taking what she could at this point.
“Those were two lies… Because I said I don’t have two eyes.” Reiko stared into nothing for a long moment. This time, she did forget what she was doing and just had more beer. “I think we should head back. I just remembered we have…” She looked around, aware that the group was listening. “We have work tomorrow.”
Why the secret-agent feel? Didn’t they know they were otokoyaku? Was it supposed to be a secret? Most importantly… “I don’t really want to go home,” Ari complained. She was enjoying that Reiko had once again turned to her for the flirting. And the more alcohol, the less she had to think of it.
“C’mon, Ari.” Reiko pulled her sleeve. “Finish that glass and let’s go.”
“What about our friends? And you’re still just doing the pick-up lines. What about everything else? You need more for flirting!”
Reiko’s eyes were again glazing over. “I’m…” she mumbled and then yawned. “…sleepy. Too sleepy, I mean.” Her hands were on Ari’s shoulder while she waited, moving around the fabric of her shirt. It was just like a caress, but without her meaning to do anything like it. She was probably behaving like a baby who puts itself to sleep through repeated movements. But Ari’s skin pricked like on fire the more conscious she was of that connection. How could she finish the half glass she needed to when Reiko was…
“Okay, I’m done,” she lied, putting her beer down. “Let’s get to the hotel.”
“My room or your room, whichever is the closest.”
Teasingly, the Indonesian pulled Ari’s hand to make sure she saw her winking. Her wife also gave her a thumbs-up.
“We’re… in the…” We’re friends and that’s okay? We’re out here on a work trip together? Ari had no idea how to form a sentence, or how to explain. She could barely walk forward because Reiko had decided to use her arm as a pillow.
“Don’t forget your coats, sweeties.” The Angolan was pointing at their original seats, from before the group had grown.
“I’m too hot…” Reiko murmured against Ari’s sleeve. “I think I need a cold shower.” She fumbled at the spot on Ari’s shirt with closed eyes. An image of them inside the tub formed, and Ari had to use extra energy to push it away and keep going while carrying their coats and Reiko out of the bar.
Outside they lucked out and quickly found a cab. Reiko was out the moment they sat inside. Fortuitously, she managed to wake up when they got at their destination. The five-minute nap had worked a miracle, for she was not only talking again but also leaping through the way, as if she’d gotten a cup of coffee. “What’s your favorite silverware?” she asked as they got to Reiko’s doorstep. “I’d love to spoon.” And got closer, holding her with both arms.
Because Ari had been carrying their coats, she was feeling a little cold now they’d gotten out in the night. That was the only reason she’d allow Reiko to continue whatever antic that was.
“What did you think?” Reiko’s breath tickled her ears.
It was still just a pick-up line, and Reiko didn’t seem to evolve from that, but Ari couldn’t process anything else. She was drunk, she was tired, she was in the most amazing place in the world. Her head just acted on its own, landing against Reiko’s shoulder. From all reactions she could have predicted to that whimsiness—not many with how her brain was drowned in liquor—, Reiko’s was very far. She could have just pulled away, pretending nothing happened. She could have apologized for hugging Ari. She could have reprimanded Ari for being drunk—pot to the kettle, but two wrongs won’t make a right. Regardless, she did what could have never happened in all senses. She pulled Ari even closer, enveloping her whole body until they were almost a single thing.
Ari’s heart was beating so hard it was painful. Her mind wasn’t blank, it was a mess of all the wrong thoughts. She was too conscious of Reiko’s skin, warmth, breasts. Breasts! She really didn’t need to learn the exact sensation of her breast brushing against hers. Her bra wasn’t thick enough, and her nipple was hard from the cold. Ari’s surely was too, to the point it ached, but for a more inappropriate reason. Before she could understand what Reiko’s intention was in that awkward, lustful hug, she’d pulled away and held Ari’s face, fixing the strands of hair that had gotten to Ari’s eyes. Reiko’s gaze locked on her mouth as her fingers teased lips apart gently.
Ari should have stopped everything back at the bar, but now was the final warning. Nevertheless, her body now rustled against Reiko’s, enjoying every movement to feel all she could, and her lips too moved toward hers.
It wasn’t a kiss slow in the beginning, as if testing new territory before building up. It was a full-blown kiss with the intensity of a million-year hunger. They were too drunk to stop it, but not as drunk as not to know it would be over any moment. Someone would have to stop them. Of course, something that pleasing, that fulfilling couldn’t exist. Ari was getting what she could never have had. Her dreams hadn’t begun to describe the sensation that were Reiko’s soft lips, her hair in Ari’s fingers, her skin, the touch of the slight elevations that were the many moles on her face. She looked so grand and felt so tiny in Ari’s arms… Her shoulders, her waist, her hips were remarkably small. Maybe they’d already combusted, because everything was hot and humid, she couldn’t breathe properly. Or she didn’t want to and waste any of their borrowed time together.
Because thoughts were already coming back to her, getting through the barrier of oblivion the taste of Reiko’s mouth on hers had created. Thoughts poured through. Of the love declaration to Umino she’d found in the knit cap. Of how Ari had already gotten over Reiko, or assumed she had. Of Umino telling her about their lukewarm date but talking on the phone with Reiko with the expression of a teenager in love. Of how it all had started with her plan.
Stop. She didn’t want to remember that. That’s the only thing that couldn’t come back to her mind. Give that kiss just a few minutes more. Give her a few minutes more of drunkenness, stupor, inconsequence. Because she wasn’t sure she could pay for what she was doing. Thus, she wanted to stand against that apartment door while feeling Reiko’s weight try to melt their bodies together. Just a little more… Just a little…
But tears already ran down, and Ari was crying. For she had remembered plenty. Even though she’d fought strenuously not to, the numb, the void gifted to her by the alcohol had conceded enough room for the facts. She barely took notice that she’d parted from the kiss, Ari just knew it had been her. There was just too much that was wrong, that couldn’t be patched back with a simple “I was too drunk” excuse… For she wasn’t drunk, not anymore.
She’d just forgotten about Yuno.
“Ari.” Reiko’s throaty voice came as a whisper, making it impossible to ascertain what tone she’d meant to use.
“You… should get inside.”
“We…”
Ari bit her lower lip and nodded. “We drank too much, I know.”
Turning her face away, Reiko squatted to get something from the floor. Their coats. Ari had dropped them somewhere between the hug and the kiss, but that was just an assumption since she couldn’t remember anything that didn’t taste Reiko. “Here,” she offered Ari.
“Are you okay to be alone, maybe you could call Mayu-san or Chinatsu-san.”
“That’s a good idea.” Reiko eyes were still on anything but Ari. “And you, can you get back?”
“I’m fine.” She felt her cheeks burn. She really was fine, the shame from realizing she had betrayed her girlfriend, the one person had been warning her about this, had sobered her up. But she couldn’t say that aloud, so she just repeated. “I’m fine, yeah.”
“So… good night, Ari.”
“Yeah, good night.”
Reiko raised her head looking straight into Ari’s eyes for the first time, about to say something. But all the air she’d breathed in left her in a rasp exhalation. “I’m sorry about this. Please, let’s not think about it.”
What else could Ari do but nod?
To be continued...
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