Summary: Confessing your love is always difficult, but some times are far more difficult than others...
Genre(s): Romance/Humor
Character(s): Ritsu T., Mio A., Tsumugi K., Yui H., Azusa N.
Pairing(s): Ritsu x Mio
Story Type: One-shot
Disclaimer: I do not own K-ON!
* Always Tomorrow *
The wind gently blew through the grounds of Sakuragaoka High School. The sakura trees swayed with the wind, casting wavy shadows across the ground as pink cherry blossoms mixed with the golden orange gleam of the late afternoon sun. The wind settled down and all was silent, save for a few casually chirping birds. The sun shone off the sparkling windows of the school building, where a light and musical melody lightly floated out from the small third floor. The sound of a deep bass was accompanied by the thumping of a drum set. A guitar was played with electrifying intensity and passion, whilst another accompanied with a more calm and controlled rhythm. Lastly the artificial, though still beautiful, sound of a keyboard floated out, wrapping the entire ensemble into a cacophony of tone and depth. All were in perfect unison and harmony, however, every so often the bass would go off pitch suddenly, and as time passed it became more frequent, causing the entire song's melody to become awkward.
Mio Akiyama was having a hard time keeping her bass in-sync with the rest of the Light Music girls' playing; her fingers kept slipping and tangling in the strings. This was not due to a lack of skill, however, but from a lack of concentration. Mio's distracted gaze kept glancing over to Ritsu as the boisterous girl hammered away on her drums, giving it her all. Even though Mio kept messing up, a growing smile spread across her face as she admired the brunette.
'She's always so lively and energetic,' Mio thought as her gaze followed Ritsu's swift and powerful drum beats, Mio's distraction causing her fingers to jam awkwardly into the bass strings once more. 'It's like she has no other care than drumming when she's like that...' Her gaze lingered on Ritsu and she had long since stopped caring that her performance was quickly degrading. 'She looks so happy and content,' Mio thought as she looked up at Ritsu's grinning face, her own smile growing wider.
Suddenly, Mio became painfully aware that the other girls had stopped playing. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she did not even notice that Ritsu was not playing anymore either and now stared back at her. Mio blushed furiously and stopped playing, then looked around as the other girls stared at her strangely.
"W-what?" Mio blurted out as their eyes seemed to bear down on her. Yui giggled lightly at Mio's cutely embarrassed blush; however, Tsumugi and Azusa's expressions were more concerned.
"Are you alright, Senpai?" Azusa asked worriedly.
"You seemed really distant," Tsumugi added in concern.
"Was it Ritsu-senpai? You were looking over at her," Azusa continued right after Tsumugi.
Mio physically backed up a step, feeling as though she were being interrogated. She looked over at Ritsu, who gave her a goofy grin.
"Couldn't have been because of me, Mio's playing was far worse than mine today," she commented with a light laugh. Before Ritsu knew what was happening, Mio was on her, and a moment later Ritsu had a large, angry lump on her head.
"What was that for?" Ritsu cried as she grabbed at her head pitifully.
"For distracting me!" Mio replied in a huff as she crossed her arms, a dusty blush still on her face.
"Well, maybe that's enough practice for today?" Tsumugi suggested as she went over to prepare the tea as if on autopilot.
"Alright!" Yui cried as she grabbed Azusa by the hand and dragged her to the table, much to the junior's protest.
Ritsu got up from her drum kit and headed over to the table as well. However, Mio remained behind, absently staring at the now vacant stool, Ritsu's drum beat still resonating in her mind along with an image of the lively girl.
"Mio? You coming?" Ritsu's joking voice pulled Mio from her thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," Mio replied awkwardly as she walked over to join her at the table.
As soon as Mio sat down she immediately found her gaze directed across the table at Ritsu. Mio began to visually take Ritsu in as she had done before, her mind becoming adrift in a sea of thought. Not even Tsumugi setting a plate and teacup in front of her could break her from her reflections. It seemed like only recently to her that she had begun to notice Ritsu more. All the little things that made up the lively girl seemed to jump out at her more and she found herself enraptured by the brunette. Ritsu suddenly laughed loudly and cheerfully as she and Yui tormented their poor resident junior. The sound of Ritsu's mirth brought a small smile to Mio's face. Ritsu turned her attention towards Mio as her laughter died down.
"What?" she asked with a large smile on her face, her voice still holding a bit of laughter.
"What?" Mio repeated back at the brunette as she came out of her daze.
"You were staring at me with a dreamy look on your face," Ritsu teased in reply. Mio's face lit up in embarrassment.
"N-nothing, it was nothing..." she mumbled in reply as she slumped down in her chair, her eyes keenly set on the grain of the table. Ritsu simply shrugged and returned to helping Yui lovingly pester Azusa.
* K-ON! *
Soon, it was late in the day and the girls began to prepare for their daily departure.
"We're going on ahead," Ritsu called out to the other girls as she stood at the door with Mio at her side.
Tsumugi and Azusa waved the girls off, though Azusa had an annoyed pout on her face, likely due to the overly affectionate senior who was draped across her, a sly grin plastered across her features.
Ritsu and Mio left the room and exited the school together. The sky had become overcast and gray by then, preventing the sun from shining down on the pair as they began their trek down the sidewalk, heading to their respective homes. Oddly, neither girl spoke to the other; they simply walked side-by-side down the sidewalk in complete silence. Internally, however, Mio was abuzz with thought.
'C'mon, Mio, you can do this...' Mio told herself as she glanced over at Ritsu. Ritsu looked calm, though a small smile was ever present on her face. Mio gulped as her face slowly began to redden.
'I-I can't!' she mentally cried as she clenched her eyes shut in frustration. Mio nearly jumped when Ritsu finally broke the silence.
"Mio, you're being awful quiet, what's up?" she asked as she casually glanced over at her friend. Mio gulped again as her blush deepened.
'You can do this...' Mio encouraged herself as she took a deep breath.
"Well, I was just thinking maybe..." Mio began, but could not bring herself to confess her true feelings to Ritsu. "...Would you like to go somewhere?" she blurted out instead, sounding innocent and friendly.
'...Will you go out with me?'The words Mio had truly wanted to say echoed in her mind.
"You know, we really haven't spent any time together lately," she continued with a warm smile.
'Because I've always really liked you, Ritsu...'
"Sure, sounds like fun!" Ritsu replied as she grinned in excitement. "How about I get ready and meet you at your house?"
"That sounds great," Mio replied as she smiled in return. However, her eyes quickly became downcast and her smile fell as the pair fell back into silence once more.
'Why wasn't I able to tell her..?' Mio mentally berated herself as her mouth twisted into an unhappy, disappointed frown.
* K-ON! *
Mio raced around her room, the butterflies in her stomach fueling her obsessive desire to pick out the right outfit to wear on her impromptu 'date' with Ritsu.
'But, can I really call it a 'date'..?' Mio thought as she held up one dress, modeling it against herself in the mirror, then trying another. 'I have to tell her tonight, I can't keep getting scared...' she thought as she stared back at her reflection in the mirror. 'It's like I've always loved her...why did I never see it before?' she mentally continued as she slipped out of her school uniform. 'She's always been there for me, always cared about me...but what if she doesn't feel the same?' Mio thought as doubt nagged. 'No, no, I can't think like that...I'll never be able to tell her.'
"Oi! Mio! You ready?"
Mio's heart jumped into her throat as Ritsu's voice floated up to her room from the entry hallway.
"J-just a minute, Ritsu!" Mio called back shakily.
Mio quickly found a matching skirt and blouse and threw them on before hurrying down the stairs to meet Ritsu. Ritsu was wearing a pair of shorts with a t-shirt and an over-shirt, her hands casually stuffed into her pockets as she awaited Mio's arrival.
"So, where would you like to go?" Ritsu asked as Mio came bounding down the stairs. Mio stopped for a moment and blushed lightly as she admired Ritsu's appearance.
"Mioooo?" Ritsu jarred Mio out of her thoughts, causing the black haired girl to blush as Ritsu gave an amused laugh.
"I didn't really think about it, what about you?" Mio replied.
"Hmm, well-" Ritsu began but was cut off as a loud crack and boom echoed outside.
Ritsu and Mio both walked into the living room and peered out of the window. A torrent of rain was now falling from the stormy skies, pattering against the window and ground.
"...Well, so much for that idea," Ritsu said jokingly. Mio, however, looked rather disappointed; she had been excited for her 'date' with Ritsu.
'No, this is my chance, I have to tell her tonight...' Mio thought as she put on a determined face.
"Well, we can still make the most out of tonight," Mio said as she turned to Ritsu. Ritsu nodded in agreement and seemed to think for a moment.
"We could watch a movie or something," she suggested.
"I'd like that," Mio replied with a smile then turned from the window and headed straight for the television and the DVD shelf next to it.
"So! What're we gonna watch?" Ritsu asked as she made her way over to the couch and lazily flopped onto it.
'What should I pick?' she thought as she perused her movie collection, a few good movies catching her eye. Then, an idea struck her. 'No...that's too silly, it won't work,' she told herself as she threw a quick glance over her shoulder back at Ritsu, who was reclining casually on the couch. 'But...what if it does?' Mio felt conflicted for a moment, but the possibility that her plan could work was enough for her to pick the most unlikely personal choice from the shelf.
"How about this one?" Mio asked as she went over to the couch and showed her pick to Ritsu, a genuinely excited smile on her face, though not due to her choice of movie.
A comically disbelieving smirk spread across Ritsu's face. "You sure about that, Mio?" she asked in an amused tone with a subtle chuckle underneath.
Mio looked indignant for a moment. "Y-yes! I've seen it before, it's good!" she replied haughtily as a light blush played on her cheeks.
"Alright, Mio, whatever you say; but don't say I didn't warn you," Ritsu warned lightheartedly as she leaned back against the couch. Mio turned and went back to the television and looked down at the movie she held in her hands.
'This'll work...this'll work...' she mentally repeated as she opened up the case and put the horror movie in the DVD player. Mio gulped as she set the case down and went to turn the light off, feeling as if she were killing her only source of hope in the room. Then, as the implications of her decision began to sink in, she shakily walked back over to the couch and sat down next to Ritsu.
'But, it'll be worth it...if it works,' she thought as she subtly stole a glance at Ritsu's face as the movie began. This did not pass unnoticed and Ritsu glanced over at Mio curiously, causing the black haired girl to quickly avert her gaze, thankful that the light was off so that Ritsu could not see her reddening cheeks.
* K-ON! *
An hour into the movie, Mio was already nearly pale from fear and curled up on the couch, shaking like a leaf; her knees were pressed firmly to her chest and whimpers occasionally escaped her lips as she chewed on her fingernails, all thoughts of a plan wiped from her mind by that point. Ritsu, by comparison, was completely engrossed in the movie, completely fascinated by the gore and horror. She was torn from her reverie, however, when Mio let out an especially loud whimper, causing her to look over at the terrified girl and see how frightened she was.
"Mio, are you alright?" she asked, even though the answer was obvious.
Mio bolted upright at the simple question and nearly passed out, shaking like a leaf. "I-I-I'm f-fine."
Ritsu gave an amused but sympathetic smile as she scooted closer to Mio and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder.
"You really need to stop getting scared so easily, Mio," Ritsu said jokingly as she held onto her.
Mio's shaking gradually began to subside as she took a deep comfort in being held by Ritsu, despite how innocent the intent. Her blush played up again as she began to steal school girlishly shy glances at Ritsu's face, though the brunette was too distracted by the movie to notice.
'I-I knew my plan would work...' Mio told herself, smiling in self-satisfaction. 'She's so protective and kind...though she can be really stupid sometimes.' Mio stole another longing glance at the brunette. 'But...she really is sweet...'
Mio tore herself away from Ritsu's visage long enough to take a glance back at the movie, but immediately regretted it as a horribly scary scene played across the screen. Mio shrieked, and, out of pure reflex, practically leapt into Ritsu's arms, causing the brunette to cry out in surprise as she was pushed down onto the couch. Mio was now laying atop Ritsu, shaking in fear, her face snugly pressed against Ritsu's chest.
"Hey, hey, Mio, it's alright," Ritsu said soothingly as she laid her hands on Mio's back comfortingly.
Just then, another thunder bolt streaked across the sky outside, lighting up the blackened sky and sending a bright flash through the television as the power vanished in an instant. Mio shuddered violently as the room was thrown into total darkness, the silence palpable and heavy as there were no longer any electronic noises to fill the void. Mio clung to Ritsu even tighter, shaking and whimpering.
"Mio, calm down, I'm here," Ritsu said comfortingly as she began to rub Mio's back to calm the terrified girl down.
Mio began to relax as her body became more aware of the fact that she was lying on top of the girl for whom she had such strong feelings. Mio breathed heavily, from both her residual fear and the strange feeling that began to build in her stomach.
'T-this is my chance...' Mio decided as she gulped nervously, her breathing now coming in short bursts as her chest tightened.
"R-Ritsu..." she stammered out as a blush grew on her face.
"Hmm?" Ritsu replied passively, never letting up on comfortingly rubbing Mio's back.
Mio shivered at the sensation, but quickly regained her thoughts. "I...I-I have something I've been wanting to tell you..." she began slowly and nervously.
"What?" Ritsu replied curiously.
"R-Ritsu...I-" But before Mio could finish, the power suddenly flickered back on.
Mio became overwhelmingly aware of her position atop Ritsu, particularly the location of her face. She bolted upright and froze stiff, a glowing blush practically melting her face.
Ritsu sat back up more slowly and casually, giving Mio a perplexed look. "What were you gonna say, Mio?"
"N-nothing! Nothing!" Mio replied quickly as steam visibly rose from her overworked brain.
"Alright," Ritsu replied after giving a short laugh then suddenly stood from the couch and stretched her limbs before burying her hands in her pockets.
"Well, Mio, it's late, I should head home," she stated as she glanced out the window at the pitch black night and drizzling rain.
Mio rapidly bolted up from the couch and stood in front of Ritsu. "B-But you can't go!" she replied on frantic impulse. Ritsu was taken aback as well as Mio, who was surprised by her own actions.
"I really need to get home, Mio," Ritsu repeated as she gave a small, amused smile.
Mio gulped again as a blush began to play up on her features once more. "But...it's raining! You can't go out in that, Ritsu," she lied, quickly covering up the true reason behind her desire to make Ritsu stay. "Why don't you sleep over tonight?" she suggested as she smiled at her ingenious plan.
Ritsu glanced back out at the stormy night, then thought for a moment. "Sure, why not?" she replied at last with an excited grin. Mio's smile grew at the prospect of spending even more of the night with Ritsu and finally getting her chance to confess her feelings.
The short silence that followed was suddenly broken as Mio heard a vicious grumbling sound that threw her mind back to her prior fright at the hands of the scary movie.
"R-Ritsu, did the movie come back on..?" Mio asked slowly as her face paled, however, her voice trailed off when Ritsu blushed and rubbed her head sheepishly.
"I haven't had dinner yet..." the normally boisterous brunette confessed in quiet embarrassment as her stomach emitted another low growl.
Mio simply stared for a moment then giggled in amusement as the color returned to her face. "I see, well, how about we eat then?" Mio suggested as she made a move towards the dining room.
"Yeah!" Ritsu cheered, pumping her arm into the air as she came up beside Mio. "How about I help you?" she offered as she peered over at Mio questioningly.
"Oh, no, I can do it myself," Mio replied casually. 'Fixing dinner for Ritsu...' she thought blissfully as a stereotypical candle-lit dinner scene played out in her mind.
"You sure?" Ritsu asked. Mio vigorously nodded in reply, the fantasy still playing through her mind. "OK then," she replied, on the verge of an amused laugh at Mio's strange enthusiasm.
Ritsu took a seat at the dining room table as Mio made her way into the adjoining kitchen and began to gather up ingredients for their meal. Several minutes passed and soon Mio was overseeing a sizzling pan, casually stirring the contents with a pair of chopsticks.
'I hope Ritsu enjoys my cooking...' she thought with a small, confidently delighted smile. 'It's almost like I'm her wife or something...' she thought as she smirked in amusement, but suddenly she stopped stirring the pan as the thought resonated with her deeper desires. 'Me...Ritsu's wife..?'
Mio's gaze grew absent as a scene played out in her mind. She saw herself in a wedding dress and Ritsu in a tuxedo, their arms locked as they made their way out of a church, freshly married. Flower petals rained down upon the pair of them and wedding bells chimed in the background.
Mio was brought back to reality as her face popped into a crimson blush and steam visibly billowed from her head when she realized the nature of the thoughts she was having. It was then that she realized that the wedding bells were really the timer she had set, which had been ringing for quite awhile now. She then noticed that black smoke was billowing around her and that the food she had worked so hard to prepare was burning in the pan.
"Ahhh!" Mio cried out of instinct as she ripped the pan from the stove.
"Mio! Are you alright?" Ritsu's concerned voice floated in from the dining room at Mio's cry.
"Ah! Yeah, Ritsu!" Mio cried back in a panic as she tried to salvage the remnants of their meal.
* K-ON! *
Ritsu eyed the black substance that covered the plate before her with suspicion as Mio sat down beside her, her head hung low.
"Uh...You sure nothing happened?" Ritsu asked warily as she poked at the mass, almost certain it had poked back at her.
"I'm sorry..." Mio mumbled as tears filled the corners of her eyes. Ritsu saw how truly upset Mio was and forced an excited expression.
"Are you kidding? It looks great!" Ritsu cried over-enthusiastically as she snatched up her chopsticks and shoveled a load of the questionable meal into her mouth. Her attempted enthusiasm shattered as she began to chew, her face draining of color in the process.
"Ritsu..?" Mio said in concern as she observed Ritsu's reactions with shimmering eyes. Ritsu knew she could not let Mio down and, through sheer force of will, gulped her mouth full down.
"Delicious..." Ritsu wheezed out as she gave Mio a shaky thumbs-up. Mio's teary expression transitioned into a small smile.
"You're such an idiot..." she said softly with an appreciative smile as Ritsu grinned stupidly. Mio then gave her ruined meal a glance before deciding to spare Ritsu any further torment. She had earned it.
"How about we just order something?" Mio suggested as she stood from the table.
"That sound's great!" Ritsu replied, too excitedly, as she leapt from her chair. Mio rolled her eyes in exasperation before heading for the telephone.
The pair ordered pizza and retreated back to the living room, Mio shakily putting something less scary on the television as she was still jumpy from the movie. Ritsu was now seated on the floor, chomping on her fourth piece of pizza at the coffee table.
"Man, I'm stuffed!" Ritsu cried in satisfaction as she fell back against the couch, propping her head up against it. Mio observed all of this from her position on the couch. A few minutes passed as Mio and Ritsu aimlessly watched the television until Mio noticed Ritsu give a wide yawn then glanced up at the clock and saw that it was extremely late.
Mio stood up from the couch, causing Ritsu to look up at her. "Ritsu, It's pretty late, we should go to bed."
Ritsu slowly got to her feet as well, comically hunched over as though her stomach were weighing her down. "Alright."
"C'mon" Mio gestured as she rolled her eyes dismissively at Ritsu's antics then turned and headed out of the room.
* K-ON! *
The two girls made their way up the stairs and into Mio's room, where Mio turned on the light with an interesting amount of haste, which caused Ritsu to giggle to herself.
"We should get ready for bed," Mio suggested as she went over to her dresser to retrieve a pair of pajamas, though her mind was more pre-occupied with the prospect of having to change in front of Ritsu. 'It feels so awkward changing in front of her now...'
Ritsu nodded and immediately headed over to Mio's bed, removing her over-shirt as she went, and plopped down on the mattress, bouncing lightly on the springs. She then began to take off her shirt, tugging the garment over her head with an audible pop as she shook her hair. Mio found her pajamas and turned back around, but quickly averted her eyes from Ritsu's body as a blush came over her face.
'I can't even look at her like this anymore...' she thought, vexing at how her feelings for the brunette were affecting her.
"Hey, Mio."
Mio was broken from her thoughts by Ritsu's voice, causing her to instinctively turn her attention back to the boisterous girl, who was now standing in front of the bed, a hand idly on her hip. Mio's face popped into a deep blush as Ritsu had now removed her shorts and was truly half-naked.
"Do you have some pajamas I can borrow?" Ritsu asked, ignoring or not noticing Mio's embarrassment.
"A-ah, yeah, top drawer..." Mio mumbled in response as she cast her gaze to the floor and pointed towards her dresser before quickly making her escape towards the closet.
"Thanks," Ritsu replied with an appreciative grin and softly padded over to the dresser before loudly beginning to root around for the desired garment.
Mio saw her chance in Ritsu's distraction and rapidly began to remove her own clothing, keeping her back to the brunette as she slipped out of her blouse and skirt. However, Mio halted just as she was about to slip into her pajamas as she heard snickering and giggling behind her.
"Oh~ho~ho~, what do we have here..?" Ritsu snickered loudly, causing Mio to turn to see what Ritsu was up to.
The color instantly drained from Mio's face as her mouth fell open and she let out a horrified gasp. Ritsu had a large, amused grin plastered across her face as she examined the pair of blue-striped panties stretched out between her hands.
Ritsu noticed that she had caught Mio's attention and cast her amused grin over at the black haired girl before giving her an approving thumbs-up. "I knew you had it in you, Mio!"
Tears of horrified embarrassment welled up in the corners of Mio's eyes as she began to visibly shake. "R-R-Ritsu!" she wailed as Ritsu only grinned broader at Mio's embarrassment.
"What? They look good on you," Ritsu teased as she stuck her tongue out playfully. Mio's face turned paper white as she froze like a statue made of pure essence of humiliation.
"You going to get changed?" Ritsu commented slyly, painfully bringing Mio back to the fact that she was still standing in front of Ritsu in her underwear.
Mio's face went from ghostly pale to cherry red in a single radical color-change as she whipped around so that her back was facing Ritsu once more, her arms defensively pressed against her chest. She quickly grabbed her pajamas and dashed from the room, locking herself in the bathroom and changing as she desperately tried to bring her emotions and heart beat back under control.
Ritsu was still clearly amused when Mio came shuffling back into her room, now fully clad in her pajamas.
"You alright?" Ritsu asked as Mio slowly made her way back towards her closet to retrieve a futon.
Mio summed up as much of her dignity as she could and put on a brave, unfazed face as she passed Ritsu. "I'm perfectly fine."
Ritsu tried not to laugh as she saw right through Mio's facade.
Mio rummaged around in her closet for a moment before coming back with her arms filled with a messily rolled up futon. She paced back over to Ritsu and proceeded to unceremoniously drop the futon at Ritsu's feet.
"Oh? Giving me the futon treatment now?" Ritsu said jokingly to Mio's rigid expression.
"No, you can have the bed, I don't mind," Mio replied indifferently as she knelt down and began to smooth the futon out on the floor.
"You sure about that?" Ritsu asked, a tone of amusement in her voice.
"I'm sure," Mio replied without looking up, the same, apathetic tone in her voice.
"We could just share the bed," Ritsu said slyly, an amused grin forming on her face. Mio's face instantly lit up and she quickly stood to her feet.
"W-we're not kids! T-the futon's fine!" she replied in a quick, flustered huff. Ritsu's grin cracked into laughter as she pointed at Mio's embarrassed expression.
"You should see your face!" Ritsu managed between fits of mirth.
"Ritsu..." Mio said slowly as her face darkened and, with a firm shove, she sent the surprised Ritsu stumbling backwards and onto the bed.
"N-no! Mercy, Mio-sama!" Ritsu cried in mock fear, shielding herself as Mio descended upon her, eyes gleaming.
* K-ON! *
"You win..." Ritsu said weakly as she held her wobbly arm in the air in defeat. Mio smiled in smug victory as she stood at the edge of the bed, her arms crossed.
"We need to stop wasting time and get to bed," Mio said in an authoritative tone as her mature side kicked in and she returned to her abandoned futon.
"Yeah, yeah," Ritsu replied in a weak, passive tone, her hair band askew and her hair a mess from her thrashing.
Mio proceeded to fix up her futon as Ritsu simply discarded her hair band and set her messy hair free. Once preparations for bed were done, Mio stood, went to the light, and flicked it off before returning to her futon and slipping herself in.
"Good night," Mio called over to Ritsu, who had already firmly buried herself into the bed.
"Night" was the muffled, mumbled reply that Mio received. Mio gave a small smile before snuggling deeper into the covers and pulled the sheets up to her neck.
Mio lay in silence, her mind blank as she stared up at the ceiling, feeling oddly energized from her earlier play with Ritsu. Her ears absently took in the patter of rain on the roof and window as the storm continued to rage outside. After awhile, Mio began to feel her eyelids droop as sleep began to overtake her. But, just as her eyes were about to close, a blinding flash lit up the room, casting a ghastly shadow across the ceiling, and was followed shortly by a loud boom that shook the house.
Mio's eyes flew open, her heart pounding in her chest. 'W-what was that..?' she thought in panicked fear. Mio began to shake like a leaf beneath her covers as she brought them up to her nose. 'I-I'm sure it was nothing...' she told herself, though even her mental voice was just as shaky. Mio tried to push the shadow from her mind, but soon the fear that the figure had evoked dredged up scary memories of the movie from earlier that night.
'Why did I have to make myself watch that movie..? Now I'm seeing things!' Mio mentally cried as tiny tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Mio jerked as another crack and boom sounded outside. 'Get ahold of yourself, Mio, it's nothing, it's nothing-' Mio's self encouragement was cut short as another flash and boom sounded outside, this time illuminating an even more monstrous figure across the ceiling.
Mio gave a terrified squeak as she bolted upright, shaking violently. Her eyes instantly went over to her bed where Ritsu lay sleeping and she got to her hands and knees, her covers draped around her as a shield, and quickly crawled, trembling, over to the bed. Mio raised herself to her knees as she reached the bed, securely bundled in her sheets.
"R-R-Ritsu!" Mio whispered in urgent fright to the fast-asleep girl. Ritsu shifted in bed and mumbled an incoherent reply. "Ritsu!" Mio whispered again, a little harsher, and also shook Ritsu's sleeping form vigorously.
"Huh..? Wha..?" Ritsu mumbled out in confusion, still more than half-asleep.
"Ritsu! There's something outside the window!" Mio whispered urgently as her lips quivered in fright.
Ritsu slowly sat up, her eyes half open. "What's wrong, Mio..?" she asked, the exhaustion in her voice clearly indicating that she had not understood Mio the first time.
"There's something outside!" Mio repeated in urgent fright. Ritsu awkwardly rubbed her eyes and peered at the window, Mio's gaze following hers, but there was nothing there.
"I don't see anything," Ritsu replied drowsily. "Go back to sleep..." And with that, Ritsu flopped back against the bed and immediately fell back asleep, her chest rising and falling in light snores.
"R-Ritsu! Don't fall back to sleep!" Mio pleaded in distress, but Ritsu was out cold. Mio remained at the side of the bed, silently shaking and mentally distressing over her predicament.
'What do I do..?' she thought as she glanced between Ritsu and her futon, which seemed so far away. 'I can't go to sleep now...' she thought, as she was far too scared now to sleep. Mio's heart stopped and her ears perked up as she heard a faint scratching at the window. Her mind began to race as she tried to figure a way out of her situation and then an idea clicked as she gazed at Ritsu's sleeping form.
'I can't sleep alone...I-I have no choice...' she told herself as she nodded her head slowly as if agreeing with herself. Mio gulped hard as she shed her protective layer of blankets, feeling as if she were suddenly naked, and lifted up the sheets covering Ritsu. Mio, nervous and blushing lightly, slowly, carefully, and quietly crawled up into the bed with Ritsu.
'I-it can't be helped...' Mio thought as her blush increased the further she got into the bed, until finally she was completely under the covers and beside Ritsu. Mio attempted to keep her distance as she lay beside Ritsu, but she was still nearly up against the brunette's side. She felt awkward being in such close proximity to the person she loved, but her fear had at least subsided. Mio's heart slowly beat as she lay motionless, her gaze fixated on Ritsu's sleeping face.
As time passed, Mio felt her awkwardness melt away into soothing comfort from being so close to Ritsu.
'Her face is so cute when she's asleep,' Mio thought as a small smile overcame her. 'I'm glad she could sleep over, tonight really has been fun,' she thought as she mentally changed subjects. 'She really was messing with me a lot earlier too,' she thought curiously as she recalled Ritsu's antics from the night. 'Teasing me a lot...somehow she knew just what to say...' Suddenly another, direr thought struck her. 'What if she already knows how I feel..?'
A feeling of dread, and at the same time relief, filled Mio as the prospect that Ritsu already knew how she felt became more and more plausible based off the brunette's behavior. However, Mio's smile suddenly fell a little as that thought caused another thought to come up.
'But...I never got around to confessing how I feel,' she thought sadly, as that had been the original goal of the night.
Mio's thoughts were interrupted as Ritsu suddenly shifted, causing Mio to freeze and not even breath as she feared the brunette had awoken. Then, Ritsu turned on her side, her face coming dangerously close to Mio's and her arm draping over Mio's side. Mio's face went red for the hundredth time that night and she pulled her head back in alarm as Ritsu's face grew too close for her to handle. A few moments passed and it became apparent that Ritsu had no woken up, allowing Mio to calm down, but then the issue that she was now locked in a position of being nearly fully pressed against the brunette presented itself. However, as Mio calmed down, she began to feel far less awkward about her proximity to Ritsu; in fact, a strange feeling began to well up inside her. Mio gulped, her throat feeling dry and her face feeling incredibly hot as all she could do was stare into Ritsu's peacefully sleeping face.
'I...never did get to tell her...' Mio absently thought, her head feeling light and airy as her face heated up even more. Ritsu's lips were slightly parted and they began to look very inviting to the flushed Mio. 'She is asleep...I guess it couldn't hurt...' she told herself as her heart thumped excitedly in her chest. Slowly, Mio pressed her lips forward the short distance towards Ritsu's lips, but then hesitated for a brief moment just as her lips were about to lock against Ritsu's. A pang of regret, doubt, and guilt hit Mio as she gazed at Ritsu's lidded eyes.
'No...our first kiss shouldn't be like this,' she thought as she changed course slightly and pressed her lips against Ritsu's smooth cheek, releasing her pent up passion.
Mio savored the feel of her affectionate gesture for a moment before gently pulling back, a smile on her face as she felt content and happy. She snuggled into the covers, now fully enjoying the feel of Ritsu's arm across her side, and even feeling so bold as to gently bring her own hand up to rest on Ritsu's side. Mio gazed at Ritsu's face one last time before slowly closing her eyes.
'I guess there's always tomorrow...'
END
Author's Commentary: Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading, and all feedback is happily welcomed!