A/N: Hi everyone! This is just a short little oneshot for a dear friend of mine on Twitter, Nate! It's his birthday today so I wanted to give him something special! Please follow him on Twitter: TheBluRenegade. He's such a sweet and awesome guy so go follow him~
Happy birthday, Nate! I hope you like this~
...
She found her on the roof, standing at the far end near the metal safety railings. The sky was a dark midnight littered with millions of sparkling stars, but her attention was only set on the girl that lay beneath them.
She started towards her, moving slowly as to not startle her with the heavy footsteps that her shoes could bring along the tiled floor, and soon enough she was stopping a few feet from her. The words tickled her throat as she fought to say them, but she squashed them back into the depths.
"Nozomi...?"
The older girl on the floor turned towards her, surprise written on her face that she could make out even in the darkness that surrounded them, before it melted and gave way to a stunning, comforting smile. "Ah, Umi-chan! I didn't expect to see you here,"
The bluenette let a soft smile cross her lips. "Everyone's looking for you, you know? Honoka wanted us all to go out for dinner,"
Nozomi nodded, before letting her gaze slip away to the sky once more. "I'll be there in a minute," She paused momentarily, and Umi could see a mixture of longing, content and sadness creep into the third year's dazzling turquoise eyes. "...I just wanted to grab one last glimpse of the stars from this rooftop before I leave,"
Oh. Right.
In her curiosity and concern to find Nozomi, Umi had momentarily forgotten exactly what today was, despite all the times it should've been running through her mind. It was, after all, kind of hard to forget with all that had happened.
"Mind if I join you?" The bluenette asked almost timidly. She knew that she should probably be somehow persuading Nozomi to come back with her to the school gates where the others were waiting, but she also knew that she couldn't rip this last opportunity from her friend's hands. That wouldn't be fair. And it was worth it for the smile on the older girl's face to brighten, eyes twinkling like the shining stars above.
"You know you don't have to ask, Umi-chan~" Nozomi teased lightly, gently patting the space next to her before letting her head drop back to the roof tiles. The second year still standing felt a small blush cross her cheeks, slowly lowering herself on to her back and resting beside her friend. Her gaze lifted to the beautiful black and bright balls of gas in the air, and she felt her breath catch in her throats at how such a simple sight could appear so..breathtaking. She felt privileged all of a sudden that she could lie there and share this beauty with the girl she considered not only a close friend, but the mother figure she had when her own mother was nowhere in sight for the day. It was thanks to her, as well as Honoka, that she was able to show her true colours and experience the wonderful things that came along with love and friendship.
"I'm gonna miss it here, y'know?" Nozomi's voice rang out clear as a bell, disrupting the younger girl's thoughts, but when she turned to look at her, the purple haired third year's eyes were glued to the sky. "I'm...I'm gonna miss walking through the halls every morning and heading to class; going to the Student Council Room; meeting in the club room to discuss our next moves or costumes; coming up here to practice every day... I'm really gonna miss it," Umi could detect the tears in the other Muse member's voice and fought between comforting her or letting her continue. "...I'm gonna miss seeing all of you most of all!" Through the darkness, she could see tears drip down her cheeks, staining the pristine vest they all wore over their shirts, and she ached to comfort her again. This time, she didn't hesitate.
Her hand moved sideways and in mere seconds she had grasped Nozomi's within hers, lightly squeezing. The older girl looked slightly shocked at the initiated act to soothe her, but she accepted it and Umi felt her squeeze back with just as much force and warmth.
They sat in simple silence for a while with just the stars in their eyes, hands grasping each other tightly so the other wouldn't disappear suddenly. Then she spoke,
"I'm going to miss it too,"
Nozomi's eyes swivelled round to meet hers, a small smile crossing her lips. She didn't say anything for no words would capture the meaning of what she truly wanted to say. And Umi was fine with that. Instead, she chose to smile back.
A beeping from her pocket interrupted the comfortable silence they had fallen into, and a quick glance showed that the others were searching for them. Nozomi let out a low chuckle before pulling her hand free from Umi's and moving into an upright position. The bluenette felt the loss of warmth at once and wanted to grasp the hand back, but restrained herself and also sat up.
"We should head down now, right?" The third year murmured to which her junior nodded. They both stood up and made for the rooftop exit. It was only just before the door that Umi felt her hand being grabbed and her fingers entwined with another's. Nozomi simply smiled.
"I'm glad I met you, Umi-chan,"
A smile mirrored on the bluenette's lips as her heart pounded at the small, yet so sentimental words. "I'm glad I met you too, Nozomi,"
They took the final steps and headed towards their friends that waited for them at the bottom of the stairs, hands still clasped and hearts light. And when they reached the bottom, the smiles never left their faces.