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"Thwk"
Homura's arrow punctured the target an inch below its center. A small huff of displeasure escaped her lips, as she reached back to knock her final arrow.
"Thwk"
Bullseye now, her shoulders released the rest of their tension.
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Homura was second chair on Mitakihara University's Archery team. Typically, this would be quite irksome for her, but knowing who she was second to, she didn't seem to mind.
Emptying the last of her quiver, she took a glance around the empty auditorium. Voluntary practice was normally held outside. However, with the light snowfall, and accompanying winds, she felt like taking up a bit of warmth inside the range instead.
She thought back to a few hours prior, and her chat with Madoka. Before going out with Mami, Madoka had requested that Homura leave her hoodie in her archery locker, so she could pick it up tomorrow, and unbeknownst to Homura, patch it during home ec.
Wanting to get a good bit of practice in, Homura had already dropped off the hoodie in the archery meeting room, on her way through the range.
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Rummaging through her mind while cleaning up her less than perfect shots, Homura paused for a frame.
"Shit."
She mumbled to herself, having lost her train of thought.
"Did I double check the Anatomy Lab lights? Today was my clean up day too..."
The archers' sad attempt to conjure a "to do" list, was repetitively interrupted by the thought of the aforementioned conversation. Mind occupied, retracing the steps of their discussion, she recalled less of their talking, and more the look of Madoka's lips during it.
"Homura, focus. It's not like you guys havent..."
Her sentence trailed off of speaking to herself, as she internalized her thoughts instead. "Its not some middle school crush anymore. We've been together for years now. We've *been* together... even if we aren't... "together". Her asking for the hoodie could have meant so many different things, it's not even worth trying to figure out at this point".
“Okay"
She spoke aloud, redirecting her thoughts.
"I’ll double check the lab, make sure everything is safely away, then double check the meeting room on my way out."
Dashing her own hopes, Homura instead turned back to the task in front of her, and the absent thought of Madoka's hands.
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Sliding the door half open, Homura took a step into the Anatomy Laboratory. Large, smooth, black tables lined the border of the room in rows of two, while 60ish desks were arranged in rows, facing a large whiteboard in the front.
"Suppose I was worried for nothing."
Not bothering to turn the lights back on, or not wanting to forget, Homura began to make her rounds of the dark room, while Madoka crept into the corners of her mind.
After absentmindedly checking the hoods, cabinets, and desks, Homura stole a glance at Madoka's desk, seated next to hers. It was positioned just slightly closer to hers, putting the others out of alignment. She hadn't noticed its placement until now, when the room was empty. "How long has she-"
With desperate fervor to process the thought, Homura instead stifled her fantasy. "It doesn't matter either way."
She walked over to the desks and sat at her own, facing Madokas to the left. Homura's gaze landed on the cheap polished chipboard of Madoka's desk, and its pink contents slightly spilling from below. A low, exasperated, sigh escaped her throat, as she extended her hand to caress its surface.
"I'm sorry Madoka... I am."
With nostalgia and longing lacing her words, more memories of Madoka flashed throughout her mind. The warm tenderness of Madoka's skin under her hands. The pang of Madoka's canines, sinking into her neck. The drag of Madoka's nails down her spine. In a struggled effort to stand, Homura softly whimpered a begging plea to no particular receiver.
"Please..."
She peered down upon Madoka's desk with guilt ridden eyes, and took a step forward. Frustrated and exhausted, Homura lifted her skirt, and straddled the corner of Madoka's desk.
"Please..."
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"Thanks again for coming over to try my new tea, Madoka! See you soon!"
"I'll see you later Mami! I'm gonna head home before it gets too dark!"
Madoka, cheeks flushed from the cold, made her way back to MTKU.
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"Home" was putting it heavily. Madoka had a room in the MTKU dorms. Unlike the other girls though, as an RA, she had gotten lucky with her boarding placement. A majority of the dorm rooms were connected via a bathroom in the middle, in a jack-and-jill style layout. Madoka's room however, was the odd one out. Her room had a door directly connecting to her dormmates room, with locks on both sides, and a second door that connected the shared bathroom into a T shape. This meant the rooms were ever so slightly bigger, and easier to organize. This also meant Madoka had instant access to her dormmate, Homura.
Having known each other for years now, and having seen everything, their conjoining door was hardly, if not ever, locked. Typically, left propped open and forgotten about, with Madoka's dresser blocking it from fully opening.
An odd practice to others in attendance, but with the way Madoka was always in Homura's room, it was second nature for the two.
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As she lightly jogged back to MTKU, Madoka started mentally running through the rest of her day's itinerary.
"Okay so, Homu already said she would take care of today's notes, and the hoodie... am I missing anything? Hmmm... oh! I should probably double check that whoever used the Hall last actually locked up. Gotta be a responsible team leader!"
After checking the hall, and seeing the meeting room light was still on, Madoka made her way to the back.
"While I'm here, I might as well just grab the hoodie from Homus' locker... she doesn't need to know I got it early."
Homura's locker was already unlocked, its combo always set for Madoka, although no one else would dare test this. Madoka reached into Homura's locker and grabbed the black Hoodie, its sleeves embroidered with purple diamonds. As she went to close the locker door, a yellow sticky note on the inside of it caught her eye.
"Anatomy lab cleanup after school today and tomorrow!"
"Ah I forgot Homu had mentioned that... I guess she'll be home late then? She said she wanted to practice some more after class and cleanup, and the ranges were empty, so she should be gone by now, right?"
Madoka sat and thought for a second.
"I guess I'll go check the classroom too, just to make sure she didn't miss anything. She doesn't say it, but I know she's been at practice way more than normal to catch up to my accuracy. I hope she isn't pushing herself too hard..."
Madoka closed the locker and turned off the meeting room light. Walking out of the room, she held Homura's hoodie up to her chest, and gave it a slightly guilty whiff.
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"Huff.... huff........ ngh"
Walking towards the anatomy lab, Madoka heard quiet, heavy breathing from further down the hall.
"Mmmmm I don't like my odds of running into other students hiding and having... fun... but I should still check that it isn't someone hurt either. I'll just be quiet about it"
Madoka started a jog down the hall, silencing her footsteps as she went.
"Fu....... Ma...a.... hfff.. hfff..."
She slowed her pace rounding the corner, and as she did, immediately noticed the Anatomy Lab door cracked open, with the lights inside turned off.
"Okay... so this is probably some kids who wanted a room. Ugh, if they make a mess, Homus is gonna get blamed for it too. I'll double check who it is before anything, but..."
Walking to the sliding door, Madoka tilted just her head into the open frame. Eyes adjusting to the one emergency light, she could only make out a mid sized object near her desk.
"What the hell?.. that’s... *my* desk?"
She peeked further in, eyes wide as she watched this object sway... no not sway... rock, on the edge of her desk.
"Fuck.... Mad..ka.... huff.. huff.... I'm.... I'm..sorry...Doka... ungh!.... hfff...."
"Using *my* desk? Why me? Why *my* name?"
After witnessing a few seconds of this figure objectifying her image, Madoka grew furious, having heard enough. Stepping forward with mouth agape, fully prepared to tell this creep the hell off, she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes now fully adjusting to the room.
"Are those... braids?"
Madoka's gaze lowered to either side of the figure, now registering two black braids swinging rhythmically with it. She gasped in realization, as she recognised the figure's skirt. The *archery teams* skirt.
"Oh... oh fuck"
With the knowledge that she did in fact recognize that voice, Madoka stepped back just as quietly as she entered, her jaw practically wired shut.
"Please madoka... huff hff... I'm sorry...... huff....... fuck!”
Homura let out a small yelp, unable to control her volume.
Madoka ducked her head behind the class wall, as Homura froze in place. Pulling away from the desk, she gave a nervous glance around the room. Forgetting to, or too preoccupied to check the door directly behind her.
"ngh..."
Quieter now, Homura re-straddled Madoka's damp desk, dripping with guilt.
Madoka gawked, listening to Homura whisper to herself. A tricky habit the looper had picked up when they were younger, that constantly irritated Homura, and amused Madoka.
"God I..... I.huff......fu..ing ...mff….I... **** you."
That was all she could make out from behind the wall, before Madoka heard Homura's soft, deep, moaning start again, even more desperate than before.
"I really shouldn't be watching this..... but then again, she really shouldn't be doing this... soooooo"
Madoka, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself, popped her head back through the doorway, clutching Homura's hoodie to her chest with an iron grip. Bringing the prize up to her face, she took a deep breath, and locked eyes onto Homura's longing display.
The edges of her mouth curling into a poorly hidden smile, Madoka whispered to herself.
"Guess I'm not the only guilty one"
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Madoka's run back to the dorms was frigid and snowy, but she could only feel warmth on her cheeks.
"I stayed for way too long... she's gonna know somethings up."
In an attempt to contain her thoughts from bursting, Madoka tried to distract herself from Homura's previous showing of self-indulgence, to no avail.
"If I was only there for two or three..... how long was she-?"
Train of thought interrupted by a familiar chime, Madoka opened her phone messages.
"Practice ran overtime, headed to the store soon, will be late, eat without me."
"Huh. Well that takes care of that I guess."
A smirk crossed Madoka's face.
"Very convenient excuse, Homuhomu"
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In her own dorm room, Madoka flopped onto her bed, not realizing she was still essentially white knuckling the hoodie. Looking down, she barely loosened her grip on it, before grabbing her keepsake, and smothering her own face with it.
Thinking aloud and muffled by the soft black fabric, Madoka tried to process her day. More specifically, the events that ended it.
"Homuraaaa... couldn't you just be honest about what you want? For once?"
Homura's smell flowed through Madoka's sinuses as a small hiccup escaped her throat. She ruminated on what to do about her ex lover, and current teammate.
"Maybe I should say something? I mean I definitely can't mention the desk......."
With that thought, the sound of Homura's gentle, pleading, moans filled Madoka's ears again
"Agh!"
Madoka jumped out of the bed, settling on changing into some sleep clothes.
"I might as well get ready for bed if she's gonna be *that* "busy". Damn Homu.. taking so long to come home..."
After getting comfortable, Madoka crawled back into her bed, hugging the hoodie. The image of Homura's desperate grinding invaded and replayed across Madoka's mind, until eventually, it devolved into other thoughts. Suddenly Homura wasn't in her archery uniform anymore, or in the Uni.
Madoka drifted into thoughts of days past. The day Homura showed Madoka her surgery scar, when they first held one another, moments in broom closets and locker rooms. As her mind wandered, Madoka lost track of her hands. She recalled Homura's delicate skin. How lovely Homura felt to be inside of, to be close to. To feel Homura shake and cry under her. How safe and warm Homura was.
Another flash of her counterparts sins in the lab, and Madoka couldn't hold back any longer. She rolled onto her side, squishing the hoodie into her face. Croaking a soft moan, Madoka reached for the waistband of her "borrowed" diamond embroidered sweatpants.
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"Tk tk tk tk tk"
The sound of furious texting echoed the anatomy lab.
After sending off a convenient excuse to madoka, Homura tucked her phone into her skirt waistband.
"That should buy me at least a bit of time."
While walking back from cleaning up and closing the Anatomy lab, Homura ran through her mental "to do" list. This time, with a clear head. "Kaname knows practice ran late, so I just need to change out of uniform and hit the store on the way home." As she walked through the archery hall, Homura felt something nagging at the back of her mind.
“Didn't I leave the meeting room light on so I wouldn't forget? Why is it-"
Homura broke into a light, panicked jog as she got closer to the, now dark, meeting room.
Almost out of breath, she charged into the room, flicking on the light. Approaching and opening her locker, Homura saw that the hoodie she left for Madoka, pre-practice... pre anatomy lab checkup, was now gone.
“Oh fuck.... ohfuckohfuck please tell me she didnt... no there's no way. Just because she was in here doesn't mean she went into the main building. She probably just forgot something in her own locker, and grabbed everything on her way back from Mamis. Yeah. She's highly efficient even if forgetful, I'm sure that's all it was."
Now filled with her own hollow reassurance of being alone, Homura changed into her post-practice sweats. She tucked her archery uniform into her gym bag, and turned off the meeting room light.
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Homura was humming to herself on the trip back from the store. Doing everything in her power to forget the last few hours, she started to pre-plot her actions for her arrival at the dorms.
"I should try to be pretty quiet when I get back, I'm sure Kaname threw a fit that I'm late, and she'll probably be asleep from today's exhaustion. Maybe I should prepare us some dinner for a few days? That would take the cooking load off of her for a bit..."
She walked up to her room door, and shuffled around her, much-too-small-for-the-time-spent-out, grocery bags of vegetables, to grab her keys.
Homura gently placed the key in its lock and opened the door, peeking her head into the connected room with her ears perked for any sign of Madoka's consciousness.
Silence
"Good, I'm glad she ended up falling asleep. I'll just put everything away and cook in the morning then."
Now inside, Homura cracked their minifridge just enough to get the vegetables in, using her body to block any escaping light. She walked across the room, and tucked her gym bag from the day under her bed, one of the places her and Madoka agreed to never look through, in their shared spaces.
Finished tiptoeing around her room, Homura began her nightly routine.
"Doors and windows are locked, bathroom light is off, Kaname already fed Kyubey... and..."
Her thoughts hit a brick wall. The rest of her routine was checking on Madoka before tucking herself into bed.
"It’s fine. She doesn't know about today, and she won't know. You,, you cleaned fine. Just give her a look before you sleep. Just like normal."
Homura approached their shared doorway for the first time since getting home.
"Ah!" A small, muffled squeak, emanated from one side of the room.
"She *is* asleep, right?"
Homura stared through the doorframe into her counterpart's dimly lit dorm room. A single Card Capture Sakura nightlight in the corner.
Silence
She looked over at Madoka's bed against the back wall, before quietly brushing against the doorway. Checking for Madoka's breathing out of impulse and habit, Homura leaned into the pink room ever so slightly, just enough for her eyes to adjust and start to make out Madoka's frame on the bed.
Homura first noticed Madoka was hugging her hoodie to her face with one hand, and a smile crept across her face.
With a beat, a frown next.
"Damnit, are those my sweats? She for real needs to get her own. The hoodie is whatever but my-"
Interrupted in thought, Homura noticed the room wasn't as quiet as she thought it was.
Muffled, heavy breathing was coming from Madoka's bed.
"Homu..a.... mmh.....fu... ah!"
Another sharp whimper, and Homura glanced up at the full of Madoka's silhouette, realizing how heavily she was breathing. Her eyes fell back to the stolen sweatpants, and Madoka's free hand moving in them.
"*Did* she see me today?"
Unbeknownst to herself, Homura's frown widened to an ear-to-ear grin.
"I didn't expect to end my night getting to see... this. Did she really just say my name?"
Another moan from under Homura's hoodie obliterated her train of thought.
"Homu..unh..ra! Fuck!...haah"
Not knowing how much longer she could stand to watch, Homura turned to face her own bed, glancing around her room, and at the locked door.
Homura's room, unlike Madokas, was pitch black.
"God, why hasn't she said anything?"
Unable to string more than two thoughts together thanks to Madoka's own indulgence unfolding beside her eyes, Homura relented trying to think at all. Instead, she turned back to look at Madoka.
"Whatever."
The looper dragged her hand down into her matching sweatpants, and rested her weight fully onto the doorframe, no longer trying to hide herself.
Enveloped in a dichotomy of guilty & giddy, Homura couldn't help but notice that Madoka was too preoccupied by the thought of her, to notice her standing less than 10 feet away.
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Homura awoke to a pinhole of sunlight hitting her eyes, her blackout curtains punctured by Kyubey's claws. Choosing to ignore the night before, she instead meandered to the kitchen, mentally conjuring soup recipes along the way. Madoka rested in the doorway, eyes subtly locked onto Homura's morning daze.
"Good morning Homu"
Nearly jumping from her skin, Madoka being the only one to elicit this response, Homura whipped around to face the conjoining doorway.
"Oh, good morning Kaname. I didn't realize you were already up."
Now leaning into the room, Madoka began a stealthy attempt to Homura's side
"You should know by now I'm always up before you. How did you sleep?"
Still in willing, "blissful", ignorance, Homura answered halfheartedly.
"Well, Kaname, and you?"
"How many times have I told you to ca-" about to gripe about name usage for the umpteenth time, Madoka cut her complaint off. She had remembered the day prior, and realized Homura wasn't crying "Kaname" in the Anatomy lab.
"Ca- what. what's up?"
Searching Madoka's face for any sign of recognition, Homura danced on her self-cracked eggshells.
A brief yet noticeable silence
"... call me if you're gonna be late!"
"Oh. Oh I'm sorry I-"
Now desperate to change the subject, Madoka settled for "pitching one of her fits" instead, choosing to argue about something she really couldn't care less about.
"Practice ran late? What kind of excuse is that? *You're* the one who sets the time!"
"I'm sorry Kaname, I planned to make it up to you, though. I picked up some peppers and tofu while I was out, and some of those organic spring onions you like. I can take on cooking for a few days if you're okay with that? You know I can only really do stews and currys.. but I thought it... might....."
Homura shrunk into herself, saturated with shame and guilt. Her sentence trailed off as her eyes softened.
Madoka couldn't look at Homura's puppy dog eyes for two seconds before cracking.
"Okay, okay fine. You know I wouldn't really be that upset... I just missed you"
"Yeah I know..."
Homura gave a soft chuckle at the thought of Madoka in bed with her hoodie the night before, her puppy facade just barely cracking as she whispered under her breath in self satisfaction.
"Clearly..."
Madoka's eyes snapped to Homura, her now nearly clinging onto Homura's waist as they walked around the small dark dorm room, meal prepping.
"What was that, Homu?"
"Nothing! Ah ha ha nothingsorry. Just meant I guess I did too."
A smirk flashed across Madoka's face as she picked up on an opportune moment for some teasing.
"Did too? Did what too? Did you **miss** me, Homura?"
Homura immediately recognized her own lust fused words from the anatomy laboratory being used against her. After a failing to uphold her stone-faced composure, she managed to croak out a few "nonchalant" words
"Not what I said. You already know that answer anyway."
Madoka's lips broke into a smile comparable to the grinch himself.
"Yeah I do, you know I just like hearing you..... *say*... it." Madoka put just a bit too much emphasis on the word say, another breadcrumb left for Homura's pilgrimage to confession.
Homura knew better than to ask the only question ringing her ears.
"Tonight and tomorrow's dinners are almost done, did you have any other requests I could honor?"
"Not for the soup, no"
A flirtatious, repercussive chuckle flew from Madoka's lips.
Entirely willfully ignorant, and borderline indignant, Homura lightly shook Madoka off of her. She walked over to her dresser, and stole a glance at the gym bag under her bed. Gesturing to the dresser, she indicated to Madoka she needed to get ready, and not that she was shaking her off maliciously. She pulled her change of uniform out of the drawer, and started packing her backpack for the day's courses.
"Are you already good to go for classes today Kaname? I'm on cleanup for the anatomy lab again today, but I won't be training since I got home so late yesterday.
Madoka leaned onto Homura's bedframe, gaze having not once broken from her.
"Thank you Homu, yeah, I'm already all prepped! I also made us some of those shakes you like for breakfast. The non-blender ones?"
"Oh! Thank you. Let's head out then."
The two had silently mutually decided to bury the events of the previous day, both wishing to maintain the clumsy ballet of what was left of their "friendship".
"Let's."
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After making it through half the day, Homura and Madoka met up and walked into the anatomy room together. During the walk, Homura stifled a smile. She recognized the purple diamonds lining the sleeves of madokas undershirt. The undershirt which she was now desperately trying to hide.
Neither Homura nor Madoka had heard a word of anatomy lab, both mentally occupied by the other. Terrified of even so much as meeting her eyes, Homura glanced at Madoka's desk, now closer to hers than the day prior.
Anxiety locked up her brain, a mix of dread and adoration crossing her face. Despite her tremendous effort not to, Homura's eyes met Madoka's hands with an unrelenting stare.
She watched, as her team leader spent the entire lecture absentmindedly smiling to herself while gently stroking the corner of her desk.
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