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Tendo Maya was beautiful, astonishing... brilliant. She was the brightest person that Saijo Claudine had ever laid eyes on, and there was no better proof of that than her performances. The passion, the drive, the movement, all of it was almost hypnotic in a way. Yet at the same time, she had trouble looking directly at her. For she was the sun, the brightest of stars, and Claudine was casted in her shadow... That's how it felt anyway.
It was true that the two were close. They were rivals, yes, but there was something more between the two of them. A form of respect, beginning to blossom into a larger whole. drawing them closer and closer together. It started as just an acquaintanceship, but soon evolved into a tight friendship, and then to something that... felt more than that.
The feelings themselves were a tad odd to experience for Claudine. She thought she would spend most, if not all of her time at Seisho, fighting for the spotlight from Tendo Maya. That woman was simply infuriating as is, with her prideful self always gunning for the top role in a play, just as Claudine would. And yet, over time, she grew closer and closer to Tendo Maya. The two would often compete, yes, but off of the stage they would simply... talk. And laugh, and discuss, and debate, and just have fun in general.
Yet those feelings blossomed from the first time they met, their rivalry, still remained within her.
And they would always flood over her whenever she saw Tendo Maya practicing by herself.
She was elegant and graceful, brute and strong, kind and caring, evil and sadistic. On the stage, she was everything. And to Claudine, she felt like she was just less than that, a watered down version of her friend. She practiced her whole life, participating in stage play after stage play... and yet Tendo Maya blew her out of the water every single time.
It would be incorrect of one to say that she was sick of it, quite the opposite in fact. Saijo Claudine was used to it. Used to looking at herself as just a lesser version of her friend, used to being the one in second place, used to being a dull star compared to her...
...
But that doesn't mean that those are the only feelings within her. Though she is used to it, she still longs for it. For that beautiful stage, the spot of the lead role. A role she would shine in for others, for Tendo Maya. She wanted that... she needed that. The shadow was dark, lonely, empty. She just wanted to be free of that, was that so much to ask for? It was pathetic, nothing but, and she would surely be mocked by Tendo Maya for even thinking about it, but she didn't care. She just wanted out, she wanted to be the light. She just needed to push herself... more.
Her body has ached ever since, practicing more than ever. But she hasn't stopped, and she doesn't want to. It's true. she could stop. She could take a break, she could take a moment to drink her water, she could take a moment to collect herself. But that would lead to her shutting down, being unable to continue practicing. She'd lose herself in that shadow again, unable to climb or leap her way out of it.
She shook the thoughts out of her head, thoughts of rest and relief. She didn't need them, she didn't need her limits. She had to keep pushing. Night after night after night. But it never seemed like it was enough... no, it WAS never enough. She could see her every day, that infuriating woman, practicing by herself in her off time and… she was beautiful. Hypnotic, adoring, brilliant, as she always has been... something that Claudine can't reach on her own... something she can't even hope to. She was Icarus, and Tendo Maya was the sun. She flew, flew, and flew closer, just to grasp a hold of that brilliance... but each time the sun would melt her wings, and she would fall... fall... fall... back to the ground, never to fly again.
She continued to leap across the room, never faltering, never stopping, despite the sweat covering her face. She doesn’t know how long she’s been at this, but it was beginning to darken outside. All the remaining students had likely gone back to the dorms to get their beauty sleep. Well, all except her that is. Despite the AC blasting, her skin felt as hot as ever, as if she had been standing in the summer heat for much too long. But that didn’t stop her from continuing her solo performance, she simply kept pushing through it. Her breaths were becoming more and more labored, her body began shaking every time she stopped moving for just a second, the floor beneath her seemed to glisten more and more thanks to the sweat pouring off her face, or at the very least it seemed like it did. Claudine could tell she was becoming more and more exhausted, that her body was reaching its limit… but she didn’t stop. She didn’t WANT to stop…
... How... Goddammit, how has it happened each time? Why can she never hope to achieve Tendo Maya's brilliance?! Even after all the training she did for countless nights, forgoing rest in most cases, it still wasn't enough...
Would it ever be enough?...
… No, this... this doesn't change anything. She can still do it. She can still surpass her rival, and become the lead she desires. Today was just a setback, that's all. Clearly she just underestimated Tendo Maya, that had to be it. She just needed to keep going. Keep pushing. Keep moving. More and more.
More
You can't stop.
More
If you stop you'll lose your rhythm.
More
Ignore the ache in your ankles.
More
Don't mind the sweat pouring from your body, completely soaking you.
More
The pain in your chest, in your lungs, it doesn't matter.
More
Don't stop, never stop.
More
You can surpass Tendo Maya.
More
You can mean something for once.
More
You don't have to keep coming in second.
More…
You just need to--
more…
You just need to... to...
more...
To... keep... what?... What's going on?
Is the pain numbing? Has Claudine's body suddenly gained weight? Because she feels heavy... strangely heavy... What on... what's...?
The light of the room seemed to brighten... did someone come inside?
She can't tell... something... something is wrong, the world feels so... far, distant. It feels like she's losing her senses.
Her body is shutting down. She can hear a familiar voice behind her, but her body won't move... why? Why won't it move?
She can do it, she can move, but now she can't? She doesn't understand. Claudine doesn't understand. Saijo Claudine doesn't understand...
And eventually, as though it were destiny, her body falls.
It crashes onto the ground.
Pain is coursing through her chest, her lungs.
Are those footsteps? She can't tell, everything seems so far off.
But it's followed by a voice... Who is that?
She tries to focus on it, her mind not all there...
"... ijo... Sai... an!... o-sa... Ar... ok?!..."
She couldn't hear it properly, as if she were underwater. She could only tell the figure had long hair.
Before she could comprehend it, the figure seemed to lift her up. She was hoisted by its shoulder... Where were they going? Were they leaving the room?... no, she couldn't leave yet, she... she still had to practice. She tried to reach for it, for the room, but the figure seemed to stop her. It kept taking her further from it.
No... stop... she needs to keep going, she needs to become more than what she is, she...
she... she... she...
The world fades more and more. she's barely there, as if doing her best to stay conscious.
Has the figure stopped moving? It feels like something has changed... was she on top of something soft? it was so hard to tell... but the figure was right next to her... what...?
But her thoughts stopped. She couldn't keep it up, even though she desperately wanted to…
Her mind faded away, as Saijo Claudine finally felt her eyes close, the world engulfed in darkness.
The fog that had nestled itself over Claudine's mind slowly began to clear, as her senses began to return to her. Her heavy body slowly grew lighter and lighter, as she began to feel the ability to move once more. Her chest was still in a rather unpleasant state, but she was nowhere near in the same pain she was in last... last night?
What exactly had happened last night actually?
She remembered the pain and exhaustion but, how could one possibly forget that? What she couldn't grasp was what exactly led up to it, or what happened afterwards. It was all a haze, though to be fair it did feel like she was still trapped in one.
The weights on her eyes began to lift, as her sight returned to her. The room was somewhat dark, what with the window blinds shit and all the lights turned off. But, Claudine recognized this place. It was the infirmary in Seisho academy, her body residing on one of the far beds from the door. But... wasn't she somewhere else last night? The uh... um... th– the room where everyone else practices. God, she couldn't even remember its name... That's where she was so, how did she end up here?
Her mind was still hazy, it was hard to think straight, as if waking up from a nap, but not getting enough rest. She attempted to move her hand to her head… only to find that something was clinging to it. No, not something, someone.
Looking down, Claudine was a bit surprised to see Tendo Maya, hands clasped around her own, and fast asleep. Though something looked rather... off, about her. To start with, her hair was unkempt, strands poking up here and there and, well, everywhere. The only thing keeping her hair straight was her bow. Along with that, for some odd reason, Maya was still wearing her casual clothes instead of her pajamas. Normally that wouldn't be so odd but, based on the room's lighting, it was clear it was either night, or very early in the morning. Why wasn’t she in her pajamas?... What was she doing here?... The last thing of note were Maya's eyes. Though they were barely noticeable, it looked like there were dark rings around her eyelids. as if she had had trouble falling asleep.
The sight worried Claudine a bit... What had happened last night?...
Her questions would soon be answered, however, as her movements seemed to awaken Tendo Maya. She groaned a bit, slowly opening her eyes, her hand still gripped onto Claudine's. She looked up to see her rival–her friend–wide and awake in front of her.
Claudine looked to Tendo Maya, still looking quite perplexed and very groggy. "Tendo... Maya...? What're you doing--"
"Claudine!" She didn't even get a chance to react as Tendo Maya wrapped her arms around her. The embrace was tight, very much so in fact. And Claudine was still having a bit of trouble processing the situation... It didn't help that her face was as red as a ripe, fresh tomato.
"Wh– What are you doing, you detestable woman! Why are you–"
Before she could finish her sentence, a wave of lightheadedness flowed throughout her, dragging her thoughts of her speech away, as she leaned back into the bed a tad. Tendo Maya seemed to notice as her grip loosened, but nothing more than that.
"How could I not, I've been worried about you all night! You collapsed right in front of me, remember?"
"I... I did...? I'm sorry my, uh... My head's rather fuzzy on what happened last night..."
Tendo Maya let out a sigh as she, hesitantly, let go of Claudine... Though she never did let go of her hand. "You were practicing by yourself in the practice room in the dark. I had planned on bringing you back to the dorms, but… you suddenly collapsed right in front of me. No matter what I said, you... you wouldn't respond. You'd just mumble to yourself." She seemed to strengthen her grip on Claudine's hand. "I... I was scared. I have never seen you like that, Saijo-san, I... I didn't know how to react." She took a breath to collect herself. "... I'm glad you're fine now, but... You had me scared to death. Even as I was walking you back here, you kept trying to go back to the practice room. It made me worried to no end."
Claudine felt a small wash of guilt wash over her... Tendo Maya's words rang through her head, clearing some of the fog. That's right, she was practicing, trying to push herself past her limit so that she could come out on top... But in the end, not only could she not do that, she made her friend worry in the process… She rubbed her eyes.
“So you brought me to… the infirmary?”
“It was the only place I could bring you, Saijo-san. I had to beg the staff to let me stay with you overnight so I could make sure you were ok.”
Claudine blinked in a bit of surprise. “You… Wh– why on earth would you do that, you detestable woman?! I’m fine, there was no need for you to–”
Almost as if on cue, the fog in her head returned, cutting her off short. She let out a weak moan as her body collapsed back down onto the bed. Tendo Maya was about to speak, but Claudine held up her hand to stop her. “There… there was no reason for you to… to do all this.”
“No reason– Do you hear yourself, Saijo-san? What do you mean I had no reason, I was scared out of my mind last night! I had no idea what had happened to you, I–” She took a moment to pause. “... What happened, Saijo-san. Please, at least tell me that, I… Seeing you like this, it hurts. I want to help, but… I don’t know how.”
The worry in Tendo Maya’s voice was evident. Had this been eating at her all night? Is that why she looked the way she did… did she even get any sleep at all? Claudine sighed and tried to downplay the situation to make things calmer.
“Tendo Maya, please. It wasn’t a big deal… It was just dumb, that’s all. A dumb reason, there’s no need to–”
Tendo Maya cut her off. “Ma Claudine, as I have stated a number of times now, you dropped right in front of my eyes for no apparent reason, and you are clearly unwell at the moment. I don't care about the why, what I care about is you... You mean a lot to me, more than others–”
“I know!... I know, it's just... it's nothing I just got carried away… that's all…”
“Carried away?... What do you mean by that, carried away on what?...”
“... You're really not going to drop this, huh?... heheheh…” Claudine began chuckling to herself, leaving Tendo Maya very confused, to say the least.
“Wh… What’s so funny?”
“Oh, it’s just… the great Tendo Maya, my detestable woman, caring about me like this. I must look so lame right now.”
“Lame? What are you–”
“I got caught up in it. The lights of the stage, the movements of the actors... and you. I got wrapped up in the shadow, casted by your brilliance again, despite all we've been through.” Claudine rubbed her head, trying to gather her strength. “I didn't want to be stuck there again, I didn't just want to be second. I wanted to be more, more bright, more brilliant. Like you... and then I saw you practicing by yourself. It was so blinding, much more brilliant than I've ever been. It... I don't know why it hit me differently this time but… I wanted to surpass that. Maybe I just wanted to finally beat you, or... maybe I wanted to be your light for a change."
Claudine laughs to herself… no, she laughs at herself.
"But in the end, I just pushed myself too far and landed myself here... haha, it's embarrassing, right? Utterly and completely ridiculous, just like me, right Tendo Maya?"
...
There was a moment of silence between the two. A moment that didn't seem to end. Claudine looked in the direction of Tendo Maya, only to see her expression. It was like a mixture of shock and a whole lot of worry. It looked like she was trying to say something, trying to form a sentence, something to tell Claudine to encourage her, but... unable to find the words. Claudine couldn't blame her, thinking back on what she just let out. She was so exhausted she let her mind wander into the deeper thoughts of her mind, and ended up letting more out than she thought she would... though she was still too tired to care. What she did care about was, why Tendo Maya looked the way she did. She couldn't comprehend it, everything she said was true, wasn't it? Why did Tendo Maya look so... perplexed?
"... Tendo Ma--"
Before she could finish her sentence, Claudine was once again caught in a sudden, tight embrace from Tendo Maya... well, to say it was tight would be an understatement. She didn't say anything, and she didn't move. She just hugged her, and nothing more... Claudine couldn't help but feel her face turning completely red, just as before.
"A-Again?! Why do you keep on--"
The uneasiness flowed through her head again. She felt lightheaded, her body felt heavier... but that wasn't the only thing that cut her off.
Tendo Maya interrupted Claudine's usual embarrassed outburst. "I'm sorry, Ma Claudine."
Claudine's face turned from embarrassment to that of confusion. "W-What?" Her head was still reeling.
"I... I should be doing more. More to comfort you, more to reassure you, but... I don't know how."
There was a brief silence. Claudine couldn't blame her for not knowing how to react. She didn't expect her to, anyway. She was too pathetic for someone as brilliant as Tendo Maya to properly care about, like she stated earlier. Lame. An utter embarra–
"But I'm going to try anyway..."
"... what?"
"I'm going to stay with you. Right here. As long as you need me to. I'll be right here... that's all I can think of to do, so that's what I'll do. I'm... I... I'm sorry I can't do more, Ma Claudine..."
Claudine didn't know how to react. A blank look of astonishment engulfed her face. An unexpected look. A surprised look.
Did... did she mean that?
She... she wont stop embracing her...
Does Tendo Maya truly care about her... that much?
The emotions--
The conflicting emotions--
Going from left to right in her foggy head--
To and fro--
Back and forth--
Left her open--
Left her feeling her body become weaker--
Her mind weaker--
She couldn't hold them back--
As she laid there, tears streamed down her face.
She didn't make a sound, she was too tired to. She couldn't properly do anything. Her body felt too heavy.
And yet–
She cried into Maya's arms
Not holding any of the tears back.
As she was embraced by the one she had cared more about than anyone else.
She didn't know how much time had passed. It had likely been hours. But, she spoke back up.
"Maya... puis-je te demander quelque chose?" (Maya... can I ask you something?)
"... Oui, Ma Claudine." (... Yes, My Claudine.)
"... Suis-je gênant?" (... Am I an embarrassment?)
"... Non, tu ne l'es pas, Ma Claudine." (... No, you are not, My Claudine.)
"Étais-je brillante?" (Was I brilliant?)
"Non, tu ES brillante, Ma Claudine." (No, you ARE brilliant, My Claudine.)
"Ahaha..."
"..."
"... Quoi... Que suis-je pour toi?" (... What... What am I to you?)
"... Tu es Ma Claudine. Tu représentes beaucoup pour moi. Et cela ne changera jamais." (... You are My Claudine. You mean so much to me. And that will never change.)
Claudine wrapped her arms around Maya. The grip was weak, she could barely ever keep her arms up by herself at the moment. They simply rested on the back of Maya, which she didn't seem to mind. Her whole body felt as weak, in fact... but as she cried, a smile did form on her face.
"... Merci, Ma Maya..." (...Thank you, My Maya...)
~~~
Claudine had no way of knowing how much time had passed since she and Maya had finally separated. She couldn’t even tell how long they had held onto each other, to her it just seemed like a long… comfortable time between the two. Her head was still rather hazy, even after all this time, and it was beginning to take some effort in order to keep herself awake and aware. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Maya was in the middle of talking with someone on the phone. Since Claudine had woken back up, she was arranging for a cab to drop by the school to pick them up, so that Claudine wouldn’t have to walk back to the dorms. She wasn’t opposed to the idea in the slightest, mostly thanks to the fact that compared to her bed back at the dorm, the infirmary beds were… rather uncomfortable. The only thing that worried her was having to explain the situation to everyone else, who were likely worried sick for the both of them. Maya reassured her that she didn’t have to stress over it, and that she would explain for her, but the fact still loomed over her head a bit.
Finally, Maya hung up her phone and walked back towards Claudine.
“Ok… thankfully, there was a cab close by here to the school. It’ll be here in a few minutes to pick us both up. Are you ready to leave?”
Claudine tried to shake the uneasiness from her head, and sat up on its edge. She rubbed her eyes. “Y-yeah, just give me a moment if you would, Tendo Maya.”
“... You know, you don’t need to stand if you can’t. I would be more than happy to escort you down–”
“N-No! It’s fine I… I’ll be fine.” Her face had a tint of red from Maya’s suggestion. Slowly, she stood up from the bed, right in front of her friend. She almost lost her balance, catching herself before she fell onto the bed in front of her. Her legs felt like noodles, as if they could wobble and bend over at any moment, and she’d collapse onto the floor. She was able to find her footing… if only by a little bit. Her body couldn’t stop wobbling, having trouble keeping her balance, and for all intents and purposes, she looked like she was drunk.
“S-See? I’m fine, there’s no need to worry about me! Now let’s… uh… get to the… van?”
“... Claudine, it is quite clear that you cannot stand on your own, and the vehicle is not a van, it’s a cab.”
“W-well, it’s not that far, right? It’s just outside the school, that’s all.”
“... Forgive me, Claudine–” Maya walked over in Claudine’s direction and, without warning, took her arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. “–But I am not going to watch you fall right in front of my eyes a second time.”
Claudine’s face somewhat flushed at Maya’s action. It wasn’t as flushed as it would normally have been, given how long the two had embraced each other… but she was still clearly embarrassed. “What– There is no need for this, you detestable woman!”
Maya simply chuckled in response. “What’s wrong? I thought it wasn’t that long of a walk, surely this shouldn’t bother you if it will only take but a moment?”
“I– Well– That’s– Y-You’re just using my own word against me here–”
“And it’s working, isn’t it?”
“That’s not the point you–!”
“Ahuhu… As fun as this is, we should make our way for the entrance.”
As much as Claudine wanted to argue against this infuriating woman, she couldn’t deny that she was right. If they wanted to make it safely back to the dorm, they would need to catch the cab, less they wanted to walk the whole way back. Doing so would simply be a death sentence for her as, despite her claims, she was nowhere near the condition to walk such a long distance. Plus, she was simply too tired to try and fight back against Tendo Maya’s hold. So, she simply nodded her head, and without a word the two began their descent towards the entrance.
The walk itself felt drawn out, the hallways seemed to extend for an infinite distance. Despite Maya’s help, it felt as if more and more of her energy was being drained out of her with every step. It all just felt so… tiring. She could feel her eyes fluttering, wanting to close shut, but she continued to keep them open. She didn’t want a repeat performance of her fall earlier today.
Step after step after step, the two got closer and closer to their destination. The hardest areas were admittedly the stairs, as the descent made Claudine feel as if she were falling forward. Hell, at one point she actually did, and almost tumbled down the stairs. She likely would have, were it not for Maya being there to keep a hold of her. A part of Claudine still felt helpless at the situation, wanting to do more, not wanting to lean on Maya for help… But she knew she couldn’t, she learned that the hard way.
She could feel her body getting slower and slower. By the time the two finally reached the front doors, she could barely keep her eyes open. Her whole body was straining, fighting, to stay awake. She just needed to reach the cab, she just needed to sit down in it and relax, she–
She… she just needed to… sit down… and–
Maya caught Claudine’s body as it began to fall over, the sudden jolt of the stop bringing her back to her senses.
“Claudine, you look like you’re about to pass out a second time. Are you alright?”
“... N-No, I’m not but… it’s right there, the cab it’s… right there… We just need to reach it…”
“... Yes, we’ll be there shortly. You can rest once we’re inside, alright? It will take a short while to reach the dorms, so you’ll have plenty of time to.”
Claudine weakly nodded her head as Maya strengthened her grip on her. She led her friend to the glass doors, holding them open and proceeding onward. The cool night air hit Claudine like a truck, sending a small shiver through her body. The small temperature drop did help her senses stay awake, as the two trekked on and on towards the gates. It was right there, right in front of them, the brake lights from the yellow car illuminating like a firefly in the night. They just needed to reach just a bit further… Just a little… bit further… Just–
Her mind skipped. If only for a brief moment. As if she lost track of everything, for just a few seconds. She shook herself, trying to regain her self, and found herself and Maya right at the cab’s door.
The cab doors opened on their own, as Claudine was gently placed inside the vehicle, Maya’s delicate touch ensuring she wouldn’t fall onto the pavement instead. She could feel the vibrations of the cab shake, as Maya closed the door right beside her. She watched, as the girl walked away from the window, away from her, but only for a moment as she appeared right next to her, on the other side of the cab. The car shook once more as Maya closed the door, shaking Claudine’s body in the process. She felt her body fall to the left, as her body began to lean against the door. She was too tired to correct her position.
She could hear the voices of the driver and Maya beginning to converse.
“...ere to, miss?”
“The Starl… dorm of Seish… cademy.”
Her hearing has started to fade once more, feeling like the world was slipping from her mind once more. Much slower than before, but still quite evident.
The cab jostled a bit, as the driver began driving off towards the girls’ home… And she could barely tell where anything was. Her body, her mind, were just so tired. Too tired to move from her uncomfortable position, too tired to even attempt to remain conscious, too tired to care about anything, too–
She felt a hand wrap around the back of her head. It was gentle, slender, soft, warm… nice to rest against. She could feel it dragging her body down, down, down, onto the other side of the cab. She felt her head become rested on something, soft and smooth. Though her vision was fading, she could barely make it out… Though the realization did take a while to dawn on her. Her head had been rested on someone’s lap. Maya’s lap.
Had she noticed how truly tired she was? Normally, she would fight intensely against the force, against Maya but… Even if she wanted to, she had to strength. No fight left in her. Her mouth remained slightly open, feeling Maya’s hand begin to caress her head in a slow, soft manner. As if she were casting a spell on her, Claudine quickly found the technique extremely effective. Her body became much harder to move not just because she was tired, but because she felt… comfortable. Like she didn’t even need to move, that she could just stay right here and everything would be alright.
She felt her eyes lock shut, her mind drowning away, but still remaining just the slightest bit conscious, likely thanks to the car’s movements. She never felt Maya’s hand leave the top of her head, rubbing it the whole ride back to the dorms. If she were sitting upright, Claudine would have likely leaned into the rubbing instinctively.
…
……
………
After some time, Claudine felt the cab slowly come to a stop. She felt Maya shake her body, an effort to try and help her wake up, but… She was just too tired. Everything seemed so distant, so far. She couldn’t really tell what was happening anymore.
… Suddenly she felt her whole body move on its own, supported by the silky smooth arms of, what was likely Tendo Maya. She felt her body be moved out of the car and into a… slumped position? It was as if she were being supported by only two beams, two very… comfortable beams…
Was Maya carrying her?
… It felt nice. So cozy and warm, she found herself continuing to drift.
She began to hear sounds from all around her. The sound of doors opening in front of her, the shuffling and scurrying of people around her, voices from all directions.
They were all muffled, she couldn’t hear a single one, but they seemed to grow quiet quickly, leaving only one voice to say… something to the group. She couldn’t tell what, she was just too relaxed.
She felt the voices drift farther and farther away, as if she were being moved away from them. The sound of Maya’s footsteps echoed through her head as she was taken farther and farther, before she heard the sound of another door open. She felt her body finally freed from the arms of Maya, as much as she didn’t want that, and felt her body laid out upon a soft, warm, thick mattress, the blankets enveloping her whole body. She couldn’t keep it up at this point, as Claudine finally felt herself drifting to sleep
The sound of birds outside and the hustle and bustle of the dorm quickly roused Claudine from her slumber. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to sit up, only to feel her body quickly collapse once again, her muscles beginning to ache a tad in pain.
Looking around as her sight returned to her, she recognized the room as her own, her bedroom, in the Starlight dormitory. Everything seemed the same, with the exception of a char right beside her bed.
… Wait, did Maya sit right beside her again while she was asleep? Then, where is she?
As if right on cue, her bedroom door opened to reveal Tendo Maya, a steaming bowl in her hands. She looked over to Claudine, a smile forming on her face seeing her.
“Ah, you’ve finally woken up I see.”
Claudine weakly nodded her head. “Just now, actually… What happened last night? I remember… leaving for the cab in front of the school and, the rest just seems like a blur to me.”
Maya set the bowl to the side for the time being as she sat beside Claudine in the chair she prepared for herself. “Yes, you fell asleep almost as soon as we stepped inside the cab. Or at the very least, you were barely conscious.” A slight, sly grin formed on her face. “Your sleepy expression was too cute, so I rested your head on my lap and helped lull you to sleep.”
Claudine’s face became flushed once more as her body jolted upward, still feeling muscle pains throughout it. “Y-You did what?!”
“Ahuhu, it was quite adorable. You were just so peaceful, I think you even started drooling a bit~”
Claudine could not even form words with how casually Maya was saying these things. “I– You– That’s– Wh– I mean–”
“Although, I suppose I did go rather far. By the time we had reached the dorm, you weren’t waking up. So I took it upon myself to carry you in my arms, and you looked so comfortable in them too–”
“I-I get it, you detestable, unlikeable, irritating, annoying, awful woman! I-I simply wasn’t in my right mind, that’s all–”
Claudine felt her head become extremely light from the yelling, as she felt her body collapse back down onto the mattress. Maya quickly cut the slightly flirtatious talk as soon as she did.
“Ah, right, we should leave this for another time. You are still unwell, are you not? Here…”
She reached over to the nearby dresser and grabbed the bowl she had set down earlier. Placing it in front of Claudine’s lap. She looked downwards to see the mysterious contents of the bowl, and was greeted with a freshly made, hot bowl of porridge, with some bananas added into it.
“Daiba-san helped me make this for you. Admittedly I would have loved to do it myself, but she insisted on helping me make it. She and the others have been quite concerned about you ever since I brought you in last night.”
Claudine stared down at the porridge, noticing its slight yellow hint created by the bananas added into it, likely by Nana. The smell quickly wafted through her nose, creating a delectable smell, enticing her to dig in straight away. She went to pick up the spoon, but still found her body rather weak from last night, plus her outburst a few moments ago. Maya stopped her slowly moving hand with her own, noticing how shaky it was.
“Claudine, please, I would rather you not add ‘burning yourself’ to your list of self inflicted injuries should you drop either the bowl or the spoon… I can always help feed you myself–”
“Wh– Why on earth would you do that?! Didn’t you say a moment ago that we were going to stop this kind of talk for now–”
“Claudine, I’m serious… I know how it sounds but, can you honestly properly lift anything right now? Given your current state? You’re already struggling to move as is, and I don’t want to see you accidentally burn yourself if you were to knock down the spoon or the porridge.”
Claudine felt herself about to object once more, but couldn’t think of a proper retort to Maya’s statement… she wasn’t entirely incorrect, it felt as if her body was made out of crumpled paper, weak and fragile as is…
“And… I already failed once to help you last night. I couldn’t really do much of anything.”
Claudine looked up towards Maya, a surprised look covering her face. Even now, hours later, Maya was still worried so much about her…
“I wanted to say more, do more for you then, when I first found you… But I couldn’t do much of anything except to wait for you to wake up. And even when you did I didn’t have any real way to help comfort you… So please, let me take care of you now.”
“Wait, what about classes? You can’t just stay here all day when we have school and plays and auditions to worry about.”
“Daiba-san and the rest helped me settle it with the staff, so I was able to get permission to stay behind and help care for you until you recover. It’s what I want to do, Claudine.”
… There was a moment of silence between them, Maya’s hand still clasped over Claudine’s. But eventually, Claudine was the one to respond, taking her other free hand and placing it atop of Maya’s.
“... I think I would like that, Maya… And you’ve done more than enough since last night. Were it not for you, I… I likely would have tried to walk right back to the practice room after waking up. You were the one who kept me safe that whole time, and… as long as you can, I… Um…” Her face began to flush as she realized what she was saying, and what she was about to say. “I well… wouldn’t really mind, uhm… you taking care of me while I recover because it would be really nice and would help a lot and I don’t know why I’m blurting all this out I–”
Maya felt a smile return to her face, listening to the now completely flushed Claudine ramble on with seemingly no end in sight. Quietly, she put a finger to her dear partner’s lips. “You could have just said yes, you know?”
“I– S-shut up! You were the one who brought up the idea!”
“Ahuhu, yes I suppose I was… I promise to help take care of you, Claudine. I won’t leave your side.”
Claudine returned Maya’s promise with a smile and a nod, as she tried her best to sit her body up so that she could eat… And were it not for her partner’s help she likely would have stayed grounded to the mattress. Maya picked the bowl up, and from there, helped the still weak Claudine to digest the hot, creamy banana porridge.
It was nice, not having to worry about things for once. Odd and bewildering… but nice. For once, things didn’t seem as blinding, or as dull. It was just a soft light, basking the two partners together, as they rested in the room.
… And it all led to that porridge being the best thing Claudine has ever tasted.