Work Text:
“Enanan~” Mizuki whined as Ena logged onto nightcord. She couldn’t be late, it was only 20 past 12. She was early. Surprisingly.
And... so were they...
She sighed, placing her head in her hands as she was tempted to log off. Or never unmute herself. Pretend Akito’s curiousity got the best of him and he wanted to know more about the group.
But that was flimsy at best.
Besides. Mizuki knew him and spoke with him often in school, well whenever they attended.
“Yes Amia?” She asked muting herself, feeling a headache forming.
Where were K and Yuki when she needed them?
“Enanan! How was school today?” they asked, their excitement seeping into every word. Every word rushed and exaggerated as she heard their chair squeak, as if it was vibrating from their excitement.
Disgusting.
“It was school.”
Simple. Brief.
They sighed on the other side, “Did you... see anything?”
She stopped her sketch, she had homework to complete and do. But she was very interested in what they were after. They weren’t usually so... indirect in her experience. So why the hesitance.
“No.”
“Really? Enanan! You need to be more observative!” they scolded lightly, and Ena could imagine the pout on their face.
“Why? What was I meant to have seen?”
“Did Akito not tell you?”
“No, he isn’t back from practice.”
They huffed loudly, “I told him and An to make sure practice ended early for him to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because...” they trailed off unsure, “There’s a snow festival in our school. And I want to go with you. There’s a big snowball fight and my friend, Rui, is performing and you didn’t go to our last one but.”
Ena sighed, she wanted to laugh admittedly. But she didn’t, she clamped down on that thought as it was a long time since they had asked her to go out. It was strange and created a nice feeling in her chest.
“When is it?” she asked easily. Flippantly. Acting as though she didn’t care and her heart wasn’t warm. This was right. She hated to disappoint them, they got all pouty and since they worked together more than she worked with K and Yuki (Mizuki needed her art to match their ideas, she needed their ideas to match her art), it would serve them well to keep everything up and all right.
There was no ulterior motive. None at all.
“Really?! Enanan~~~ you’re my favourite~~~, my partner in crime, my other half, my everything who I will do anything for~~~”
“Oh really? Then... Buy me cheesecake.”
“Deal.”
“I didn’t finish-“
“I work. I have a job. I have money. I can do it. I’m grown.”
Ena laughed heartily. “You’re grown? You’re like two.”
They pouted, “At least I don’t have to catfish online.”
“I do not catfish!”
“Yes you do.”
“I do not!” she yelled back defensively.
Mizuki laughed as Ena heard someone join the call, she was unable to defend herself from their slander. She was going to scream. She was absolutely going to kill them one day alongside Akito. Because God they were so irritating with their shit eating grin she couldn’t see, but she knew it was there.
She knew them too well to pretend it wasn’t with how cheery they were to greet Mafuyu.
It was like their idea for secret Santa. That too lead to their shit eating grin being plastered on their face, their voice going obnoxiously high she would rather die than listen to it continuously.
Yet, she did love it deep down.
#
Ena sighed as she wrapped herself up in her brown coat, her scarf scratching her cheeks, her fingers frozen in the gloves. She was shivering next to Akito.
The only good part about this event would be she wouldn’t have to attend classes tonight, although she still had art school later on. But at least she didn’t have to study English today. She despised it.
“Enanan~~” Mizuki yelled happily, jumping onto her back as she nearly fell forward, Akito grabbing her arm to prevent her from smudging her makeup in the snow.
“Ah, Mizuki!” she screeched as they stood in front of her, pink hair tied back, cream ear muffs covering their ears, their pink eyes alight with happiness.
They looked like a Goddess, utterly ethereal.
They were wearing a cream coat over a pink jumper dress, black tights and boots. Their face was still their everyday make up but with a touch more highlighter than normal.
Ena huffed loudly as she glared at them, their soft smile, their apologetic gaze as they latched onto her arm.
She was going to kill them.
“Akiyama, why are you so loud?” Akito asked as An toddled over to them, holding hot chocolate close to her chest and in her gloves.
“Because! Its the snow festival and Enanan’s here!” they exclaimed happily as An laughed loudly, with Akito holding his ear closed. Ena rolled her eyes as their hand slipped down her arm into her own hand.
She took it reluctantly.
“I’ve never seen you this happy Mizuki.” An stated flippantly.
“I’m always happy,” they insisted cheerily as Ena fought the urge to scoff.
“Right...” Akito trailed off as Toya wandered over to them.
A small smile on his face as Tsukasa tagged along with Rui and Nene. Akito groaned aloud and Mizuki’s smile brightened.
They unlatched their hand from hers, the cold biting her slightly as they reached up to hug Rui.
Familiarity.
Pain.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he stated as Mizuki unwrapped their arms from him and wandered back next to Ena. Happiness apparent on their face.
“Why wouldn’t I attend the snow festival?”
“You seem like the type to hate the cold,” An stated, drinking her hot chocolate.
“I do not!”
“You really do Akiyama,” Toya joined in as Mizuki bent down and pouted into Ena’s shoulder.
“Just because I’m a summer baby, doesn’t make me a winter hater,” Mizuki argued, smiling into the crook of Ena’s neck letting the girls warmth heal them as she took their hand. “So, when is the infamous wonderland by show performance?” they asked, spinning to Tsukasa and Rui who nodded their head in Ena’s direction, Tsukasa having come across her once when he visited the night school to see if he liked it.
He didn’t.
“Excited are we Mizuki?” An asked, raising a brow and sending a teasing look to them as Mizuki scoffed, leaning onto Ena.
“Yes I am! And what about it!”
Everyone laughed once more and Ena felt a smile on her face as she looked over at them. Their large pink eyes and the energy they radiated, warming her up entirely as she continued to stare. A look of horror on Akito’s face as he watched her gaze.
She looked away. She was unsure what that was about, she was just dying of the cold.
That was right.
“Enanan, you’re cold!” Mizuki exclaimed, having stopped talking to An about her partner and where she was since she was an unofficial Kamiyama student. Especially, after that newspaper article on An’s basketball game*.
They bounded over and placed their hands on her cheeks, causing Ena to splutter and Rui to paint the snow brown from spitting out his hot chocolate that burnt into the snow. She felt her face heat up immensely as Mizuki fused over her, mumbling things to themselves that sounded very smart and scientific and factual.
They must’ve been hanging out with Mafuyu too much or watching a new anime that talked about medicine and health. She needed Mafuyu in this moment as her heart pounded, fighting to escape her rib cage and she felt lightheaded with how close Mizuki was to her face.
She could see everything. From their one pink eyelash that was long and extended, to the soft flecks of gold in their eyes as they looked to her as if she had hung the stars for them and them only. She had also noticed the way their forehead creased when focused and confused, their lower lip jutting out to look like a pout. So kissable and perfect and-
“Maybe you shouldn’t have come if you were under the weather,” Mizuki suggested, a tone of longing in their voice as they stepped away. “Your forehead is sweating and you look really cold.”
Ena zoned back to reality, pulling her gaze from their lips and back to the rest of their face. Moving her jacket to fan herself as she felt heat pulsate through her body. Mizuki looked to Akito, who was deep in conversation with Toya and An, rambling and ranting about something that kept causing An to curl over and die.
Tsukasa and the others had left since they had to prepare for their show. It was only them two, just Mizuki and Ena.
“I’ll take you home,” they stated, they had left no room for argument like Ena usually wanted as they tugged her home, keeping her hand in their grasp. Liking the feeling. It was right, like their life was a puzzle where they didn’t fit, but here? Locking their hands with Ena and leading her away was perfect. Even if they wanted to stay. Rui and An would understand, they always did. They never judged them, they just would have to ask for a video of the performance which they were upset about but they would never express it as they fussed over a sick Ena.
Mizuki led Ena up the stairs to the Shinonome apartment as the brunette refused to look at them, looking everywhere but them as she opened the door for the two of them. Warmth hitting them immediately as they nearly stumbled backwards and out the door as they took off their shoes and coat at the door. Snow dusting their hairs as they dusted off the white flecks from Ena’s as the girl puffed up indignantly.
“Sit down, I’ll make you something,” Mizuki stated, noticing the kitchen that was right next to the living room. They were home alone a lot, they were confident (and competent) enough to manage to make a drink and maybe some food for the sick Ena.
Ena said nothing, but she didn’t protest and followed their instructions. Lying on one of the orange couch facing the TV before turning it on and texting Airi a simple ‘SOS!!!!’ before pretending to be engrossed in the show as she tried to prop herself up to see Mizuki in an apron and cooking in the kitchen. Heat rising to her face as she tried to figure out her emotions and feelings.
Airi had described this to her once before, love. It was simple, it was complex and different. It was a heat that ignited you from the inside and kept you warm as it’s little flame burns brighter and stronger, burning the candle full but wax was still there. Creating and spawning and-
“Here you go, I don’t know how you like it…” they muttered shyly, placing a tray on the table full of fruit that were articulately cut, powdered sugar, two hot chocolates (one clearly Amia’s based on the caramel and biscuit shavings as well as the thickness of it) and small little pancakes that were not perfect, but Ena loved them nonetheless.
“I know you’re not a crepe fan per say, but we only had enough batter for this,” Mizuki explained taking their drink and sitting on the chair opposite her before jumping up. “BLANKET!” They exclaimed, jumping out the seat and giving Ena no explanation as she wrapped her head over her feelings and her traitorous heart.
They returned, a huge quilt in hand (that came from her bedroom) and placing it over them, tucking her in all warm and snugly since they thought her to be sick with some actual illness. Sick with a flu or fever instead of love and disgust.
To do that, they had gotten close to her face and Ena noticed a small smudge of cream on the corner of their lips. She reached up and cleaned it, normal. Her fingers lingering on their lips was abnormal, but that was fine. That was okay.
She didn’t know what possessed her, maybe she was truly sick and delirious, but she closed the gap between them. Tentatively pressing her lips against there’s, nothing more than a peck on their lips before they tilted their head, cusping her cheek and kissing her passionately. Heat flooding her immediately as she ignored the TV talking about More More Jump’s recent song. It was all white noise as her fingers fisted together, squeezing the quilt as her other hand hung limply by her side before Mizuki trailed down and held it, still cusping her cheek with their left hand, running it over her skin softly.
It was magical.
They pulled away, breathless and hesitant. Ena wanting to dive headfirst into them, into their love as they looked to her. Lost but with a small smile on their face before getting closer to her, kissing her forehead and nose, “You weren’t sick, were you?”
“I was,” Ena insisted, frowning as they laughed at her.
“I don’t believe you princess.”
“Really? How can I convince you?”
“Kiss me senseless again.”
And Ena didn’t wait to reach up to them and pull them close. She would do that gladly, no need or promise of a cheesecake reward as she had forgotten all about the world outside. The snow ball fight Akito and An tried to start if the snow on the balcony from snowballs hitting the window and breaking were a clue.
But that was fine. Ena was content this way.