Chapter One
Hatsune Miku refused to believe it when Luka told her: "I love you."
But there they were, behind the school after class because the rosette requested to talk with the shorter girl, making sure she chose a place where few students went and no one would see them. The pale winter sun hung above them, a lazy, blinding disc high in the unusually warm atmosphere. Three words lingered overhead, the tension around them increasing as only shocked silence greeted the older student's confession.
Miku froze, her teal eyes growing wide with immense surprise, feeling like sudden ice had seeped through her veins and was binding her down to the spot. She gathered the will to say something, anything back, laugh this off as some kind of bad joke. However, mouth slightly agape in the midst of a non-existent response, her words just wouldn't come out as she stared up at Luka, whose sky blue eyes darted nervously between Miku's disbelieving gaze and everywhere else. A deep red blush was splashed across the taller girl's cheeks, much darker than her pink hair as her heart was beating a mile a minute, but anyone could see through her poised stance and honest gaze that she was completely serious.
"I…" the pigtailed girl mumbled unsurely, the dubiety inside her fading as she tried to accept the situation. "I'm not sure what to say…"
The turquoise-haired 16-year-old was certainly very popular, and quite a few boys had mustered up the courage and confessed to her in the last few years, all of whom she rejected. As she walked through the hallways, she knew there were many more people who had their eyes on her. But she never expected this. She never expected Luka to confess to her, much less to be… gay.
Under the shadow of her bangs, the pink-haired girl's aqua eyes were still laced with gentleness and determination. "Even if it takes some time, I'd like to know how you feel about—"
"I don't love you," was Miku's simple, indifferent answer.
"O-Oh," the other girl couldn't help but breathe out despondently (after all, what had she expected?), gaze slightly downcast but brightening up again a few moments after. "I see. Perhaps you'd like to try and get to know each other better, then?"
"I don't usually date people," the tealette declared, putting on that innocent act with the soft voice that everyone knew so well, but her words were laced with coldness. She grew stiff and fidgeted subtly. "Much less… girls."
She blurted the last word out like it offended her. Of course, how could Luka have been so foolish? It was highly likely that Miku was straight, given her reputation with boys. What did she think would happen, that the other girl would immediately admit she loved her back and jump into her arms with tears of joy? She mentally scolded her optimistic self for thinking unrealistically. Rejection was fifty percent of the deal, and she had simply managed to land on that half.
"I understand." Luka tried her best to hide the despair that started to well up and replaced it with a tender smile, while looking at the girl in front of her, who had shifted her gaze to the side uncomfortably. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you can always talk to me."
A few agonizingly slow seconds ticked by on an invisible clock before the turquoise-haired girl finally murmured, "I'm sorry, Luka." Those were the last three words spoken to her by Miku for the next four days, before the younger girl abruptly turned and left Luka standing there alone and disappointed, three words that may as well have answered her confession.
Miku knew she didn't feel the same way, even after the girl confessed to her out of the blue—she didn't swing that way, after all—but Miku couldn't deny that the older pink-haired girl was definitely very attractive. From her long rosy hair to her pretty face—lighthearted, yet with a hint of rare maturity—smooth skin, and curvy, feminine physique (she knew guys who would definitely find her sexy), Luka was indeed quite a looker. Topped with a decent personality too. Perhaps some curiosity was in play here, but she was certain that was all it was.
Miku couldn't say she loved Luka, but she had to admit that she felt something between them.
[a feeble fire is lit at the edge of my heart; without my knowing, it spreads into burning passion]
In the coming school days, all Luka wanted was for the painful six hours to end. Weekend seemed like an eternity away as classes resumed, work piled up, and glimpses of a teal-haired girl amidst the blurry crowds became the focus of her thoughts for an entire day. All she wanted now was to forget about Miku. It was clear she didn't feel the same way and likely never would. Luka had her mind set on accepting it as unrequited love, no matter how distressing it would be (made even more difficult since they had more than one class together; God just seemed to hate her). She knew she wasn't doing the best job of hiding her broken heart when her best friend Meiko, who had no clue what even happened, commented with concern lacing her tone that Luka seemed to be acting very out of it.
"Love problems?"
Luka could only stare into Meiko's warm cocoa eyes and smile at her soft voice. And she laughed. A quiet, split-second laugh that wavered and came out more bitter than she intended.
"Rejection problems."
So there she was, hugging her knees in a loose tank top on her living room couch at dusk while her college-student best friend who was patient and supporting as always was forced to listen to a high schooler's insignificant problems. Luka remembered apologizing more than once, but every single time, Meiko would shake her head and tell her that's what friends were for. Which only made the rosette feel guiltier. As if she didn't talk about herself enough.
"Don't give up on love. Forget this Miku and meet some new people. I'm sure you'll get over her in no time," the brunette piped up, as exuberant and calm about the situation like she had been every time Luka dropped her cool, mature façade and complained about something. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Meiko grinned encouragingly, to which Luka had to smile back. "There are lots of fish in the sea!"
Maybe it was okay. Maybe Luka was already getting ahead of herself. Maybe it wasn't even love, and therefore she should stop overthinking the whole episode. So she listened to her friend. Rejection happened all the time, and moving on was the right choice.
Miku, on the other hand, never thought something as trivial as someone she barely knew—a girl too, for that fact—confessing would send her mind spinning every time she thought back to that day, or render her attention divided for nearly the whole week. Distracted and unable to remember even a word of what the teacher was saying as she waited out a long and tedious history class, her gaze would unknowingly drift over to a certain rosette who sat a few rows ahead of her. And occasionally, that rosette would happen to flash a glance back, to which both of them instantly turned away as they got caught, one blushing and one not wanting to admit what she just did.
The turquoise-haired girl clenched her teeth and tried her best not to think about her for the rest of the class. It was a hard task indeed, and the silky-smooth voice of Luka answering a question, interrupting Miku's short-lived triumph, didn't help. Perhaps she had been a bit too harsh when rejecting her. Luka seemed like a kind, abiding girl, and it almost made Miku feel guilty. However, she had to be aware Miku couldn't lie just to please her, since that would mean pretending to feel something she doesn't and living with an even bigger burden, as well as building a relationship on a foundation of dishonesty. Besides, the teal-haired teen wasn't into relationships. They were too much work for her, too much dedication and commitment and effort to handle. And the heartbreak that was bound to happen in young love, she didn't need any of that. After all, she had popularity, she had loyal friends, she had more than enough guys who would jump at the first chance to be with her, and Miku didn't like to boast but even she was aware she wasn't bad looking either.
Twirling a pencil absentmindedly in her hand, the girl propped her head up on the back of her hand and stared disinterestedly at the front of the class, the teacher's words travelling through one ear and out her other. Why am I so hung up over this?
Just what was it that Miku felt? She knew it wasn't love. Heck, it wasn't even like. She had always been attracted to guys and could never imagine herself in a long-term relationship with a girl. Even considering it made her cringe inwardly. But she could appreciate the sight of Luka. Humans were naturally attracted to anything that pleases the eye. And she could appreciate the odd feeling inside her that awoke whenever her eyes drifted to the pink-haired girl.
The desire to explore. Maybe that was it. She was young, and for lack of better words, a teenager with raging hormones and a lust for experiments. She could be straight, but also have bicurious phases. That was completely normal, wasn't it? Her friends had made out with other girls before, but strictly for the purpose of fun or experimenting or even to impress their crush, not because they actually had feelings for the girls.
If Miku thought this way, a relationship might even work out between them. Not a real one, of course, but a short-term one only for the sake of both of their desires that could end anytime they felt like it. Luka said she loved her, so she must've wanted it, and it made sense that she would agree to anything Miku proposed. And her? Well, the younger girl realized she simply wanted the thrill of trying something different and new, while still keeping control over what happened between them as to not let it get too far.
Miku would tell Luka tomorrow, and she would make it very clear what she wanted.
[my butterfly flapped about aimlessly, leaving behind some powder on your hand]
Four days had passed since the day of Luka's confession. And although she never expected it to be easy or quick to get over the turquoise-haired girl, she was convinced Miku was still on her mind more than she should be, and she wouldn't deny that when she was alone, she still secretly fantasized about what it would be like if they were together, if they held hands and kissed and touched and whispered things only they'd know to one another like characters in unrealistically sappy teen romance novels. But given that she was positive nothing would happen between them, and since she hadn't gotten in too deep, moving on couldn't be that difficult.
At least, that's what Luka thought as she looked forward to a peaceful weekend, before a certain someone approached her on Friday afternoon after class.
The group of friends who seemed to follow Miku everywhere weren't present that day. Luka was wandering the outskirts of school grounds, leaning against a fence at the edge of the field near the trees that surrounded the decently sized stretch of grass, distractedly watching the boys playing soccer while her minded flitted off to somewhere else like a busy sparrow with a short attention span. That was when a voice sounded from behind her, familiar and alluring.
"Luka, may I talk to you?"
The rosette whipped her head around to come face-to-face with the one person she didn't think she'd see, immediately mesmerized by the captivating teal eyes of none another than the girl she had just been daydreaming about, half of her surprised and the other half oddly delighted. She almost didn't want to resort to that conclusion in the fear that she misread the situation, but still, she couldn't help the excited fluttering feeling in her chest whenever Miku was present.
Is it possible she changed her mind?
"Sure, go ahead!" Luka invited eagerly, smiling shyly but clinging onto that last string of hope that maybe, just maybe, something would happen.
Miku felt her lips curve upward in a pleased, mischievous smile. She wasn't nervous. She had nothing to be afraid of. The upper hand in this situation was hers. The pigtailed girl tilted her head up at Luka and stepped closer, making the taller girl's body grow warmer.
"Ah, not here," the tealette murmured, flashing suspicious glances around at the students nearby. They seemed to be minding their own business, but it was too risky since they were within earshot. "Come with me."
What Miku didn't know was that she didn't need to constantly smile or talk in a purposefully enticing manner or trail ghost touches with her fingertips on Luka's arm or side or thigh as she spoke. The pink-haired girl would've dreamily abided by her every wish anyway. But putting her charm to good use, Miku decided to put in a little extra just to make sure she had Luka in the palm of her hand, even if Luka was practically hers from the start. She grinned to herself as she felt the older girl's gaze linger on her from behind, while she led them away from any prying suspicions or spying eyes.
Miku suddenly turned around as they arrived a little further into the trees, and Luka was forced to quickly snap out of her trance, almost bumping into the person in front of her as she stepped back with a soft flush.
"I have an idea to propose," the turquoise-haired girl announced, arms locked behind her back, looking up at Luka with a devilish idea masked behind a pleasing smile. Said girl, of course, could only nod silently, urging her to go on as her heartbeat quickened. Miku continued smoothly, saying this as if it weren't a big deal at all, "I've given your confession some thought and came to a good conclusion."
Why, of course I'd love to be your—
"How do you feel about being friends with benefits?"
—Fuck buddy…?
This time it was Luka's turn to stand there frozen with wide eyes, mouth dropping open but no words coming out. All the thoughts she had were either lost amidst the rapid spiralling of her brain that was in a state of shock at the moment, or caught in her throat which suddenly felt unusually dry. This certainly wasn't where she had expected the conversation to go.
Friends with benefits? The voices inside her head were practically screaming bad idea, but her mind and her heart were in a serious battle of confliction. I want to be her girlfriend, not the girl to bang whenever she feels like it!
"Miku, I-I don't think that's—"
Luka's hesitant words were interrupted by a fierce kiss as Miku swiftly closed the distance between them. All she could feel was the softness of Miku's lips contrasted by the bold and intense atmosphere, the unseen trail of fire that blazed wherever Miku touched—her fingertips making butterfly-light dances—on her hot skin, from her jawline to her neck to her chest, her own desires flaming up and clouding her sense of logic, and all she could think was ohmygodthisisreallyhappening.
After several seconds, the turquoise-haired girl pulled away from a red-faced and breathless Luka, a smug grin lighting up her face. Miku leaned in closer on her tip-toes and whispered, her hot breath tickling Luka's ear, "You were saying?"
The rosette just smiled, still panting slightly, blushing from ear to ear as the other girl's words sent chills through her body, all rationality lost at this point.
"I think we could try it out."
A/N: Welcome to Magnet, a romance/angst/drama fic in which the characters are high school students, Miku and Luka being in the same year but the former starting out as 16 while the latter is 17, a few months older. The setting is similar to a modern American high school, as I'm not very familiar with how Japanese schools work, and so more readers can relate.
Rated M, which means there will be some sexual content and other serious topics.
Support, feedback, and all that good stuff is well appreciated.
Asta la pasta and until next time. c: