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?
Previous Chapter | Chapter 15 | Next Chapter
Falling
Chapter 15
Reiko’s face of pure shock was the first thing that made Ari wonder if she had done the right think running to her apartment late in the night with her hair still wet from her bath. She should have at least applied some make up, brushed her hair. But her mind was filled with a clock ticking away the time she still had to spend with the woman she loved. It wouldn’t be the last they were together, but the last she could just enjoy the feelings she’d suppressed for years. Why on earth had she sent her away?
“Are you drunk?”
Reiko’s blunt question made her laugh. Drunk on love wasn’t only a terrible cliché, it was borderline offensive on several levels. And yet, it was the only thing on Ari’s mind. She ran a finger through her humid hair, which was thankfully short enough not to give her much trouble fixing on the spot. “Not the best weather to go out with my hair like this, but I’m sober.”
“You’re panting, with crazy eyes and wearing a pajama, Ari. I hadn’t been able to take in your hair yet, but you do know we’re about to enter the final stage of rehearsals and catching a cold would be the worst.” Reiko still looked up and down, probably searching for what else she hadn’t “taken in”. She herself was wearing normal clothes—not the casual ones from the date, but a gray cardigan over a white T-shirt and black pants—and smelled like soap and shampoo. “Ari? Did anything happen?”
Anything? How could she put this into words? That it was about what hadn’t happened. “You know how it’s still today?” Ari waited until she nodded, which took longer than expected. “I was thinking how I shouldn’t have sent you home so soon, but it was unfair to ask you to come back, that’s why I’m here to cash in the rest of my day with you before it’s midnight.” She only breathed when finished, afraid she’d chicken out.
Silence followed, and a cold wind made Ari shiver, her bare legs wanting to jump in vain to escape it.
“Your day?” Though Reiko pondered for a moment, she motioned for Ari to go inside. “I can’t believe you’re here in a pajama…” she muttered while locking the door at their back.
The house wasn’t as warm as Ari’s, but now the smell was right. She closed her eyes to feel more of it. It was the smell she’d been longing for.
“What do you mean your day with me? Are you some Cinderella? Because I’m no prince.” She smiled, her features becoming gentler. “Do you mean our date? You want to continue?” Her frown as she spoke out her train of thoughts was the cutest. “And you’re in your pajama too…”
Third allusion to her pajama, maybe the outfit had been a success. Grinning, Ari opened her coat more and showed the dog print on the front. “It’s actually yours. Well, mine, but it’s the one you gave me.”
“I am aware, but it’s still a pajama dress when it’s almost winter. Also, you were outside wearing it.”
“Could we not waste more time repeating the word pajama? I’ve already wasted too much thanks to my idiocy.”
“I don’t even know how we’d continue the date… You’re not taking a walk in that or going into any bars. Above all, we have rehearsals tomorrow!” She took a moment until her rapid breathing slowed down. “And I have no idea what midnight has to do with any of it.”
She knew Reiko had never set a deadline, just that they would be on a date. That was something Ari had internalized, that for that day only she’d allow herself. The problems, she’d deal with them tomorrow or the day after or in a month… “But can I stay with you as if it never ended?”
Reiko’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes searched Ari and her cheeks reddened. “Never as in…” She gazed at the floor between them, “Forever?”
Ari’s laughter echoed. “Not like that, silly! Just tonight. I told you, midnight.”
Something unreadable crossed Reiko’s face while she considered. “Isn’t that too late?”
“You don’t need to stay awake the whole time.” She wouldn’t mind at all having permission to watch her sleep, but Reiko was already too discomposed for her to push further flirting this soon.
“It’s not just me; you also need to be early at the theater.”
“Yes, Mom. I will.”
Reiko tilted her head. “How is this different from any other day? Aside from you wearing a dress…”
She hadn’t come in the pajama on purpose. Had Ari really planned it through, those were the last clothes she’d have picked, even after those Yuno had given her. The remark made her feel self-conscious for a moment, but she had to use well each tick of the clock and leave thoughts for later. “Because I’ll be kissing you, for one.” She went as close as she could to Reiko and waited for a reaction. When nothing happened and they remained so close that maybe Ari’s heartbeats could be heard, she kissed Reiko. Just a touch, a light brush of lips. Enough time for the other party to run. Which Reiko didn’t do.
Instead of at least chastising Ari for all that crazy talk and actions, she had closed her eyes for as long as their lips remained together, opening them slowly, with fluttering eyelids. Reiko inhaled for a stretch. And their eyes met. At the same time, Reiko took another step and as it was impossible for them to be any closer, her leg had instead enveloped Ari’s. Hands held her back. And at last, they were kissing again.
“I’m really not understanding you…” Reiko said while heaving and caressing Ari’s face.
She grimaced. “I don’t want to understand myself today, that’s the thing.”
“I wish I could just make it stop hurting for you.” Reiko’s words carried disgruntlement, and Ari hated to make her feel like that.
“I’m not. Not right now, I promise.” And she kissed her again. She didn’t want to make her feel the cause for her anguish, even though she was in some degree, and it would be hard to ignore the fact. Yet, she still wanted Reiko to be happy above all. She’d been heartbroken even before she realized she was in love, so she would be okay. But Reiko had finally gotten together with the woman she loved, it had taken many years and Ari didn’t want to threaten it any more than what she’d been given.
“You know,” Ari spoke while staring at Reiko, “I just want this to be a happy night, like this has been a happy day. So, stop being so intense, or it’ll make me feel bad.”
“I just…” Reiko stopped, maybe remembering the request. She gave a weak smile and pulled Ari for a hug. A long but gentle embrace that made Ari’s tears well up.
Ari did her best to hide it quickly and encircled Reiko’s neck with her arms, as if they were about to dance. “Thank you for this.”
Turning her face away, Reiko muttered, “You shouldn’t be thanking me.”
“You rescued me in the park, spent the whole day with me and are rescuing me from myself tonight as well. Don’t say it like you don’t deserve it.” Ari rested her head over Reiko’s shoulder, her cheek touching Reiko’s neck.
“I really don’t.”
Ari wasn’t sure if she’d really heard those words and if that had been what Reiko said—she had no idea what she had meant. Did this relate to her talk with Yuno? Or with Umino? No, Ari promised herself that they wouldn’t get in the way of that night, that she’d have until midnight to just enjoy what was coming to her. Determined to accomplish it, Ari closed her eyes and began swaying Reiko in the rhythm of a song that was playing in her head. She couldn’t tell its title or where it came from; surely, it was something they’d heard in the park. Nevertheless, she continued the slow dance, and Reiko followed her lead.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
As the house grew colder and more silent, Ari opened her eyes. The movie they had streamed ended, and the television was still on for about half an hour before turning off on its own. She thought she’d be feeling worse now, but the last hours had been too amazing it was like the inebriation remained in her system; she couldn’t help but feel bliss as she observed Reiko fast asleep in her arms. She’d been gone since before half of the movie, with her head lying just on Ari’s shoulder, but every ten minutes she’d move to a more comfortable position. She’d probably found the best one, because she hadn’t done it for over half an hour and just lay over her chest, almost touching her breast area, her right arm holding Ari’s waist. She couldn’t imagine what Reiko took her for, Umino wouldn’t have been large enough to fit in that position, though as girlfriends, she could just be on her breasts.
“What am I thinking now?” Ari asked in a whisper, while doing her best to remove herself from the couch. She wished she could carry Reiko to her bed, because sleeping all night there wouldn’t be comfortable, but that would entail in waking her up, and she preferred not to risk it. Thus, she just pulled as many cushions as she could reach and repositioned Reiko to embrace them instead.
After dancing to the imaginary song and kissing a little more, Reiko had offered to prepare them a late-night snack—it was just a little past nine, but they had had dinner too early. The two cut themselves some fruits and decided to choose a movie. “That’s a very date-y thing, no?” Reiko had commented after suggesting it, as she opened the catalog of her streaming service.
Ari tried not to think of the expression “Netflix and chill” and sat by her on the couch; she failed to concentrate on the titles because the expression had occupied all her head. But no, kissing was the farthest they would go, because that was what they had already done back in Fukuoka, so nothing would effectively change because of the crazy proposition Umino and Reiko had come up with to compensate her double heartbreak. She also couldn’t imagine having sex with Reiko as everything was. She did want to, but it was going too far, pushing it too hard. Still, her mind would dream of Netflixing and chilling through Reiko’s consideration of each title she showed on the screen.
They didn’t kiss after that. It was clear that Reiko was already exhausted, her eyes closing even while eating a strawberry. As the movie progressed, the night transformed into a friendly sleepover. Not that Ari had any intention of sleeping in her apartment.
After choosing what they would watch, she had asked if it was okay to sit close, which made Ari chuckle. “You never asked that before, and now it’s a date you’re worried?”
“You’re right.” She nodded awkwardly. “I guess it would be awkward to stay too far apart, if this is a date.” Then she scooted closer until their hips were touching. It took a while for her body to relax more against Ari’s and Ari had enjoyed all the seconds of the progression.
“Are you enjoying… the movie, I mean… This movie…?” Reiko’s speech slurred, and it had only been fifteen minutes into it; she was using all her might to stay awake.
Ari faked a yawn. “Today was long…” The words were true at least, and Reiko had no idea how true they were. Also, one of the reasons she wouldn’t sleep this easily. Reiko had murmured some more, mostly comments about the movie, but they became spaced until she was only hmm’ing in her sleep.
Now in the dark and fumbling for where she had dropped her phone—as long as it wasn’t under Reiko!—, Ari reminisced it and envied Umino for being allowed it whenever she wanted.
“Oh.” She noticed she never had her phone with her, she’d left it in her apartment in the rush to get here. That would make it difficult to call the cab service she liked. Though her eyes fell on Reiko’s device forgotten by the plate with their leftovers, Ari shrugged. It would be a long walk, and she was wearing a dress in a cold night, but the energy she’d spend going home on foot would do her great. She wouldn’t have thought twice before using a friend’s phone… bringing Reiko back to that category was something—one more thing—she needed to work on.
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