Luka had no idea where she was going. In fact, she would have considered herself blessed if she knew anything about what was happening. Lily had barged into her place and dragged her out without even giving her the time to get properly dressed. So there she was, being dragged by the arm, in her comfort wear: sweatpants, tank top and hoodie. She counted herself lucky that it wasn't even remotely cold that night. But she was being led who-knew-where...and for that, she didn't feel so lucky.
"Lily, please do the thing where you simply communicate," she plead. She'd ask 'where are we going?', 'what's our destination?', 'what are you planning?' and 'why me?' multiple times in various formats, to no avail. Lily replied the same way she had the previous times: merely a sly grin.
Even when Luka managed to start walking on her own instead of being literally dragged by matching Lily's incredibly fast pace, the blonde still didn't let go of her arm. She had done this only a few times prior, and each and every time, the speed and lack of information was 'So that you don't over think the situation, you little worry-wart'. Luka appreciated her best friend's efforts in trying to get her to do new things, but the mysterious nature of every event also made her over think. Then again, she had to hand it to the blonde that she had enjoyed the last time it had occurred. Lily had brought her to a group of people neither of them knew, and they had driven to the middle of nowhere to have a midnight barbecue. It was so incredibly random and out of place, Luka would have refused if she had known anything about it prior to it actually happening. It was only thanks to Lily simply getting her there that Luka got to have fun.
Ah, but it was a mystery once again, and Luka was questioning everything once more.
"Lily...please," she said after another minute of silence. The city was dark and quiet. At least she was still in the same city she lived, but she had never been in this area.
"Don't worry, Luka!" Lily finally indulged her with a laugh. "You'll love this, I swear!"
The pinkette thought of another barbecue under the night sky, and her mouth watered. She doubted that was the plan, though.
"Please be more specific, dear friend of mine."
"Dear friend of mine, you'll love this. Trust me," Lily parroted.
Luka huffed.
"Does it imply food?"
"Maybe," Lily had put extra weight on the 'a', sounding very delighted and naughty. A happy delinquent, she was.
"Sport?"
"In a way."
Luka huffed again.
"Please tell me."
"Not a chance in the world. Don't worry, worry-wart, we're almost there."
Sure enough, not two minutes later, they dived into a series of alleyways. While Luka was silently questioning her choice of friends they delved deep into a maze lit only by the moon and the occasional window. Soon they emerged in a small urban clearing of sorts, an intersection of about six or seven different alleyways. A whole group of people were already there. They were gathered around a small lantern and a deep plate, and where exchanging funny stories, if their laughs were any indication.
Lily greeted them enthusiastically while her friend stayed behind. They weren't from the barbecue. They were an entire new set of people to warm up to and abandon for the rest of her life. At least they seemed friendly.
"Come on, Luka!" called Lily. "Get your butt over here!"
The pinkette reluctantly joined her friend. The others were all young and friendly looking. They received her warmly, some even introduced themselves. In the middle of the group, the platter lied empty.
"So...what's happening?" she asked.
A roar of laughter replied. Lily chuckled and explained that her friend had no idea what was going on. They nodded, still chuckling.
"Now's the part I explain," Lily said with a grin. "Half of us will put our house keys in the platter. One shake later, and the other half will take one key each."
Luka raised an eyebrow. She had her key in her pocket, but felt reluctant about some stranger taking it.
"And...?"
"And the one who's key you got, or the one who got your key, is your lucky companion for the rest of the night!" the blonde announced dramatically.
Oh.
Luka didn't have to think twice about what Lily could have meant precisely. She knew her blonde friend as well as Lily knew her. Lily meant sex. This was some sort of one-night-stand organization.
"What?!" Luka hissed. "No WAY, Lily!"
She was seething, positively outraged!
"Aw, come on Luka! Even you need to get laid every once in a while!" Lily winked as she spoke, before she turned around and watched as people placed their keys in the middle of the platter.
Luka reached into her pocket and held onto her keys like her life depended on it. Oh how she loved her dearest friend but she was NOT doing this!
"What's the matter, Luka? It's just a bit of fun!" teased Lily.
After Luka remained in a stunned silence for a few seconds, she stopped waiting for a reply and turned back to the group. "She'll be taking a key, then!" she announced. A few groaned, and one more put her keys in the platter. They shook the plate a bit, and Luka watched as Lily started selecting a key.
But no, she would NOT be taking a key. Lily could ask what was wrong as much as she wanted, she was never going to tell her that she simply wasn't up to sleeping around like that. An even bigger element to her stubbornness, and the last thing she would ever tell her friend, was that she refused to have her first time with someone she didn't know at all. She had dated before, yes, and Lily knew that, but they had always broken it off always right before 'getting lucky', as her friend would have put it. Either way, no matter the 'how's or 'why's, she wasn't going to tell her friend she was a virgin. She was sure it would only encourage Lily to push her right into some stranger's bed.
So she stood to the side awkwardly as the keys were all picked up. People gradually left the scene, some cheering. In the middle of it all, Lily had disappeared too. Minutes later, Luka was suddenly all alone.
"Goddammit Lily," Luka hissed. She was still furious. Not only had she been dragged away so swiftly, but Lily had just left her so, and in the middle of nowhere. Only the lantern remained, lighting up the little alcove, in the middle of the city. Next to it was the plate, empty, shiny and forgotten.
She pushed aside the anger, the sadness, the fatigue and even a bit of shame as she took the lantern. She'd use it to light her way out of the maze, she figured. Her phone was home, and without Lily as her seeing eye, she was lost and blind. As time ticked towards one in the morning, she worried about finding a way home at all.
She had no way out of the maze. If she had participated in the game, at least she would have had a way out. But no, she hadn't gone along, so she was left on her own.
"Fucking hell. Last time I'm ever doing this kind of shit," she swore, boiling mad, scared, and bitter. She promised herself that Lily was never going to convince her to do any spontaneous activities ever again. Or at the very least, limits were to be imposed, but Luka wasn't ready to stand back enough if just for that.
She turned around a few times, and eventually forgot from which dark passage she had arrived. Swearing like a sailor, cursing her roommate, sure she was damned from the start because she allowed Lily to be her friend, eventually anger receded and sadness took over.
Luka sighed deeply. She set the lantern down and sat against a wall. She was tired, resentful, almost heartbroken. Looking up, her sorrow only increased when she saw that the city's lights had totally drowned the stars.
For a few minutes, she sat there. Her eyes where stuck to her shoes. She kicked a stone every now and then. She'd watch it as it rolled around before coming to a halt. Then she'd kick another. Then she noticed that one stone was a little too shiny.
Luka emerged from the drained stupor to focus on the glimmering...metal? She stood, and realized that it was a key. Of course, one had to be left if they had been an even number. But...why was she alone, then? Whose key was it?
She picked it up, and saw that one of the key chains had an address written on it. The owner would have had to be incredibly dense to write their address on their key, she thought. Might as well invite a pick pocket to her home. At least, that was her logic. All of her keys were only differentiated by color and shape; she never wrote anything on them. If her key was to be lost, let it be lost and useless to any who would find it.
But this person had their address right on their household key.
She shrugged. Lucky that she'd found it instead of some idiot. She had nothing to do anyways, and was far too sour to simply go home. A little well-meant adventure would clear her mind, she thought.
Emboldened by the new goal, she randomly picked an alleyway and felt pure joy when she emerged on a familiar street. She looked at the address again. The name rang a bell. Making a very, very wild guesstimate, she chose a direction which seemed correct and headed that way.
Luka wondered if she might find a couple from the group earlier at their house. Maybe as they left, the lucky fisher had dropped the key. ...sounded like something Lily would typically do. Maybe they'd realize that they had dropped it, and had turned around to find it. Maybe she'd cross them.
Luka wondered if one of them could be Lily. If she was, she'd slap the shit out of her, she thought. Or maybe, she'd turn around; she didn't want Lily to find her alone with no 'partner'.
She realized that she had been wrong about the direction and made a u-turn.
Luka wondered what would have happened, had she been insane and/or reckless enough to try the silly game out. Literally anybody could have taken her key, or she could have taken anybody's key. Eh, no matter who it would have been, it would have been a stranger.
Luka wondered how she'd be greeted at her destination, if at all. She wondered if anybody would be home. She doubted it.
She found a street she recognized, because she used to buy her groceries there before a new one had opened up closer by. The address written on the key had to be nearby.
Luka eyed the familiar shops, feeling slightly nostalgic. She remembered walking around there with Lily when they were younger. The toy shop they liked was gone...
Ah, there it is. Luka looked at the name of the street as written on the key chain and on the plaque. A match. She entered the street, and counted the buildings.
Eventually she found the right one. The lights were on, and she had no idea if that was a good sign or not. She wasn't one to be unnecessarily shy though, so she rang the bell.
The door didn't open right away. Luka, still asking herself dozens of questions, stood patiently. She heard commotion on the other side of the door, so someone had to have heard her. It was late though...she sincerely hoped she wasn't interrupting anything.
When it finally did open, Luka realized she hadn't prepared any kind of speech.
"Ah, good evening," she stammered.
"Hello," the girl replied. She was probably a few years younger than Luka. She was teal, Luka realized. Everything about her was teal.
"Euh, um..." she apprehensively held the keys, abruptly shy. "I was out this evening, and I found your keys. I didn't have much to do so...euhm, I brought them back."
She realized that the girl was examining her from head to toe, and remembered that she was wearing her nothing-to-do-all day clothing. If it was two things, it was comfortable and unflattering. Self-conscious all of a sudden, she held up the keys, as if to divert the attention from her baggy outline.
It worked; the tealette eyed the keys. But Luka didn't expect confusion to cross her features.
"Those aren't my keys..." she said.
"...ah," Luka looked around. The address was correct, she was sure of it. "Yet..."
Despite this, the shorter girl stretched out her hand, as if to take the keys. She hesitated though.
"May I?" she asked.
Luka nodded and handed them to her. She examined them, before a smile emerged.
"Ah, these are Gumi's keys!" the tealette said with a giggle. "I'd forgotten; she wrote my address on them. 'Like that a kind person can bring them to a friend, and a criminal can bring them to the wrong lock!'"
The girl laughed, a hand covered half of her face.
"Sorry...she's simply silly like that," she explained. "But thank you very much for bringing them here. I'm sure she would have missed them."
Luka had watched all this in some form of dumb trance.
"You're welcome," she said, thoughtlessly.
The teal girl pocketed the keys, but didn't leave her.
"Hey, it's really late out," she started. Luka had to admit she had no idea how late it was, other than it was surely past one in the morning. "Need a place to stay for the night?"
Luka was brutally reminded of what had gotten her into the situation in the first place, and the offer suddenly sounded off. Had it been any other situation, and she would have taken it gladly; she was exhausted. But with that back story...
"Oh, I'm not sure I-"
"Please. You returned a silly set of keys at two in the morning. If anything, you deserve a medal," the tealette smiled. "I don't have one, so a favor should do. If you really can't sleep here, let me at least give you something warm to drink."
Luka considered it briefly.
"Alright."
The girl's smile widened.
"Wonderful! My name's Miku," she held out her hand.
Luka shyly took it. Miku.
"I'm Luka Megurine."
"Nice to meet you! Please, come in."
Miku stood aside, and Luka entered the home.
It had gotten chilly out! She hadn't realized that the temperature had dropped so sharply. Her fingers felt numb all of a sudden; they were frozen. A warm drink definitely sounded like a good idea right then.
Miku made her way to what Luka supposed was the kitchen. She refused to stay there so awkwardly, so she followed after removing her shoes.
The lights weren't dimly lit or searingly bright, but shone warmly. The house was pleasant, if only a bit small. At first glance it was tidy, but then she spied a blanket and a few bowls in front of the television. It smelt of popcorn and some kind of chips.
A movie was paused on the television. Apparently Miku had been watching some black-and-white classic, because Luka couldn't identify the actors at all and there was a distinct lack of color.
Miku emerged from the kitchen and turned the screen off. She was wearing a tank top very similar to the one Luka was wearing under her hoodie, and shorts and slippers. All where different hues of blue or green.
"Tea's getting ready," she said. If she felt anything about having such a messy setup in front of the screen, she didn't show it. She did however pick up the bowls. Either way, Luka was distracted by the thought of nice, warm tea. As the tealette headed back to the kitchen she said, "Sit down, make yourself at home."
Luka sat on the couch, on the right side, away from the blanket. There were no other seats available she could see, plus it looked mighty comfortable.
And it was. Luka practically melted into the cushions, and realized how truly cold and tense she had been. Her toes were freezing. She eyed the blanket, and wondered if she dared lie down and pull it over her.
She hesitated a few seconds before indulging herself just a bit. She pulled her legs on the couch and pulled the blanket up to her waist. Her comfort clothes might have been comfortable, but they weren't the best at keeping her warm.
Miku joined her not a minute later, just as Luka feared she might doze off. She was so tired. The idea of staying at a total stranger's house seemed more and more appealing, if it meant staying away from the cold and avoiding a possibly long walk.
The tealette laughed at the sight of her guest. Just as Luka was about to pull together some form of apology, Miku handed her the tea before sitting on the other end of the couch in a similar manner, under the blanket.
"...thanks..." Luka said, simply holding the cup. It almost burned, but she loved feeling her fingers warm up.
"You're welcome" Miku drank her tea in small sips, but in a quick enough succession that Luka hesitated to start a conversation.
She realized that she had no idea of Miku's family name. But she was young, and so frail-looking that Luka doubted any kind of serious problem could emerge from her situation. Frail...wasn't the right word. Maybe slim, or elegant. She had modest curves, but was very attractive; captivating even. Luka held her tea tightly, but forgot she was holding anything.
"So how did you find Gumi's keys?" Miku asked.
Luka clenched her mug, counting herself lucky that she hadn't tried drinking it yet.
"Oh, that's silly," she waved it off, literally, with her left hand.
Miku grinned.
"That means it's an interesting story," she said with knowing eyes. She sat straight up, and gestured in such a way that Luka understood she wanted her to tell. The way she held herself was almost regal, considering their position on the couch. With her head up high, shoulders wide, she was sitting proudly in her domain.
"Pff..." Luka took a sip, trying to stall, avoiding her gaze. Miku wasn't having any of that, and watched her. Her eyes shone. Luka wasn't going to get far at all. She knew it. "Well, I was out with a friend of mine. We got separated, and I was lost. I found the keys, and since I didn't have much better to do, I thought I'd go and return them. Well, return...bring them, apparently."
Miku rolled her eyes, letting her know without words that she knew that wasn't all there was to the story. But she continued drinking her tea, letting her go.
The tea was delicious, though. Luka took another sip, consciously that time, and commented on its flavor.
"It's vanilla," Miku said. "My favorite."
Luka nodded, making a mental note to purchase it sometime.
"So what do you do?" the tealette asked.
"I'm currently living with a roommate," she considered how much she'd say. She decided to omit her impulsive nature and her extended absences. "The one who dragged me out today. Otherwise I'm unemployed, graduated, and bored out of my mind," she completed. "How about you?"
"I'm living off my parent's money mostly, graduated, employed at the pizzeria just next door at minimum wage," she said, mirroring Luka's reply. The girl grinned, and Luka wondered what kind of fun she was finding in such an arid conversation. The pinkette didn't try to continue the dialogue, and tried not to focus too much on how Miku looked at her. She felt her stare on her skin.
"I know where Gumi went tonight," Miku said, out of the blue.
Luka spit out some of her tea.
"I, euh..." she stammered, tea dripping from her chin onto her sweatshirt. Ignoring it, she even used her sleeve to wipe her mouth. She blushed, realizing her actions. "You mean she went to that...that thing?" she stammered, hoping the tealette hadn't noticed her semi-barbaric habit.
"Yeah," Miku grinned, impassive.
Luka could see her do the mental math. If Luka found her key, then it meant that she had been there too. Of course, Luka finding it randomly was a perfectly viable option right until she spilled the beans and admitted she knew about it too.
What could she say? Try to defend herself by saying that she had been dragged out to that event? Try to make Lily a believable character; meaning the kind of person who brings their best friend to those things with absolutely no warning? All that would be in vain, of course, because people were quick to make the wildest asssumpti-
"So you're single?"
Oh.
"...yes?" Luka blinked, nonplussed. "but...but I didn't know I was going there. I was dragged out there by my friend..." she started, but realized that Miku didn't care.
She cared if she was single.
Oh.
Luka blushed. While she wasn't new to relationships, she was certainly new to those strange situations. She had no idea who this girl was. The question of when Miku had come to the mental conclusion 'Luka was also at the plate of fuck buddies' bugged Luka more than it should have: was it at the door, while making tea, or when seated right beside her? Luka wanted to ask, but...oh, what was the point.
"I swear I didn't mean to..." She didn't finish her sentence. Did she mean to say 'go out at all'? Or 'find her keys'? Maybe 'find you and stay over'? Either way, she was stuck on a deliciously comfortable couch in her worst wear, stained in tea, and a tealette was eying her with the most adorable grin.
Luka shyly dove straight into her tea. She refused to let her eyes out of the mug. But then she felt something touch her toes under the blanket and she squeaked. Miku laughed.
"Ha, that was adorable!" she exclaimed. "Are you ticklish?"
Yes.
"No."
Miku grinned and finished her tea. Luka tried to do the same, but didn't get so far by the time Miku spoke again. The tealette was stretching, and Luka could see she was repressing a yawn.
"You know, I'll refuse any declination towards my invitation to you staying over."
Luka would have been worried if it wasn't so obvious that Miku was a humorous, harmless character.
"I'm afraid that-"
"Ah, ah," Miku stood to put her tea on the table, but returned under the blanket as quickly as humanly possible. She even snuggled deeper and stretched out till her legs touched Luka's.
"Does this bother you?" she asked, very quiet all of a sudden.
"...no."
"Good," Miku was totally under the blanket, ready to fall asleep.
Luka watched her, her tea once again forgotten.
Miku did fall asleep, and very deeply. Luka was stuck on her couch with tea, which was cold by the time she'd remembered it.
The fact that she was half-cuddling with a total stranger didn't seem to affect her sleep at all. Her breaths were deep and even. Her lips smiled when totally relaxed. That long teal hair of hers was everywhere; on the back of the couch, over the armrest, and on the floor. Yet Luka had never seen anything so elegant. Her fingers eventually gripped the blanket, pulling it up to her chin, covering her almost completely.
Luka realized she'd been staring. The clock said it was three in the morning. She'd been staring at Miku for almost half an hour.
Gingerly, she leaned forward just enough to put her mug on the floor, making sure that she didn't let Miku's legs slip off of hers.
The lights were still on. Miku turned, but Luka remained relatively trapped.
The pinkette steeled herself and managed to get the legs off of her and stood. She hesitated. First, she put the mugs back in the kitchen, and turned off the lights there. Only the light in the living space remained, basking the entire home in a dark, orange glow. Miku tossed and turned some more, quite restless all of a sudden.
Luka wondered if she could just leave. She went so far as putting her shoes back on, before hesitating, realizing that the door would remain unlocked. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered her so much, but suddenly she felt very attached to the tealette, and inexplicably so.
She opened the door, stepped outside, and shut the door behind her. The cold hit her like a whip. Her eyes and nose hurt, her lips seemed to chap instantly.
She turned around and read the name above the address.
Miku Hatsune.
Luka stared at it for only a few seconds before she entered the household once again. The cold was too much, the walk would be too much, and Miku was too much. She pulled her shoes off haphazardly and entered the living room, rubbing her hands together. Miku was lying on her back once again, feet sticking out, nose dipping under the blanket
Luka looked throughout the apartment and found the tealette's bedroom. She left the light off, turned around, and went back to Miku.
She froze, but then decided to go through with her plan. She lifted the smaller girl, who hardly seemed to notice, and carried her to the bedroom.
Carefully, she tucked her in, and took the blanket back. Then she made her way to the couch, turned off the light, and almost instantly fell asleep.
Luka woke up with a start to Miku tickling her nose.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty!"
"Wh-"
Luka looked around in semi-panic before remembering where she was. With a groan, she lied back down.
"That was kind of you to bring me to my bed," Miku said. "But you really didn't have to."
"Sorry," Luka mumbled. "Didn't know...what to do..."
Why shouldn't she have? Should they have shared the couch? Or...?
She yawned, feeling surprisingly well rested. It was sunny outside; it was probably noon already, she thought.
"Since you were so kind, I've prepared a brunch," Miku said as she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Sorry for just barging in last night," Luka mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I just...had nowhere else to go...nothing else to do..."
Miku appeared next to her with two plates. Luka smelled the french toast. She wouldn't have called that 'brunch', but in any case, it was welcome. It smelled delicious.
"No need to apologize, you know."
The tealette sat, and Luka had half the mind to make room for her. The shorter girl handed her a plate, which the guest took after sitting up.
"If anything, you're the best and most polite person to quote-unquote 'barge in' to my house," Miku said with a smile.
She started eating, so Luka followed her example and did the same. It was good.
"Still, last night must've been underwhelming if you had been playing that game," Miku added after a while.
"Please, I wasn't even playing," Luka replied, her tone even. "I was dragged along. I just stayed behind and found the keys."
"So you're disappointed that you ended up in a stranger's house anyway?"
Luka looked at Miku for the first time that morning. The tealette was still wearing that same tank top, that same smile.
"Not at all."
The younger girl smiled.
"Disappointed in the lack of sex?"
Luka chuckled.
"No, not yet."
Miku laughed.
"You're in a better mood in the morning, aren't you?"
"I'm in a better mood when I'm rested," Luka replied, waving a piece of french toast in the tealette's direction. "Especially after getting over the fact that my best friend practically abandoned me after pulling a number from the 'one-night-stand-lottery.'"
Especially after realizing that Miku wasn't just a dream.
Miku laughed again.
"Do you often end up in situations like these?" she asked.
Luka didn't have to think for a second.
"No. But this is the first time I ended up with someone like you."
The tealette smiled, the pinkette blushed.
"You're sweet."
Luka wasn't sure she heard Miku say that, but it only made her blush harder.
She focused on finishing her toast, but couldn't truly get her mind off of the young woman sitting next to her. She felt her on the couch from the dip in the cushion, from the warmth seeping through the blanket to her legs. Once again, the tealette finished her meal before Luka did, and set her plate on the table. Luka watched as she stood, observed how she leaned over.
When Miku sat again, Luka snapped out of it and finished her toast in a single bite. Miku noticed and stood again. She took her plate and Luka's to the kitchen.
"Thanks," Luka said the moment she finished chewing. She stood, and put the semi-folded blanket on the couch. "I'm afraid I have to get going, though."
"You have something scheduled later?" Miku asked as she walked back towards her.
Luka thought for a moment.
"Not really. I just want to get out of your hair."
Miku raised a brow.
"Do you really?"
"Euh..." Luka gulped. "That is, unless I'm no-"
Miku stood in front of her, on the tips of her toes. They were eye to eye, faces so close Luka could almost feel her.
"Trust me, sweetheart, you're not bothering me at all."
Luka blushed. They were so close...
"Thank goodness."
She put her hands on Miku's shoulders, and almost despite herself they went up Miku's neck to her cheeks, pulling her closer.
They kissed. Miku's arms wrapped around Luka's shoulders, locking them together. When they parted, Miku smiled wryly.
"What if I told you," she whispered against her lips. "That if I'd gone to that little party and seen you there, I would have been interested in more than a one night deal?"
"I would have agreed," Luka's words were barely more than a mere breath.
"Terrific."
Luka had to remind herself not to forget about thanking Lily for dragging her out once again.
First one-shot in a long time. Finally decided to get back into writing, so this is one of many stories I'm working on right now.
Many, many thanks to Jak656 for the beta-read!
I hope you enjoyed. :) If you have any constructive criticism, please leave a review!