A/N: Written for Femslash February 2015, HaruMichi prompt #11 Trapped Together/Huddling for Warmth
Bad Day
Haruka tore around the corner panting, eyes casting about desperately for somewhere – anywhere – to hide. What she saw was a blind alleyway with no way out. She swore.
But then, luckily, she spotted Michiru's big, boxy, incredibly cumbersome and ugly car parked on the side of the road. Haruka hated Michiru's car the way connoisseurs of fine vintages hated crass commercial wineries, but right now it did have one particular feature that was of great interest to Haruka given her current circumstances – a large, roomy boot. And providentially she also had Michiru's spare set of car keys.
As to what exactly Michiru's car was doing parked here all by itself Haruka didn't really have time to consider. As fast as she could, she found the keys, popped open the boot and tumbled into its welcoming shelter, looking anxiously over her shoulder the entire time.
She heaved a sigh of relief as the boot slammed shut over her head, and then almost immediately let out the most high-pitched shriek of her life as she felt something snake out and touch her hand.
"Haruka, it's me," a familiar voice whispered.
"Michiru?" Haruka hissed. "What are you doing in here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I'm hiding from that blonde girl I raced in the arcade earlier today. She's been following me ever since the daimon attack. I can't get rid of her."
Meanwhile, outside of the car, Minako raced into the alleyway in Haruka's wake, love hearts bulging from her eyes. "Oh Haaaruka, pleeeese can't we race again? I know you feel this pulsing, desperate love burning just like I do—"
Breaking off abruptly as she was confronted by the blind alley, she said forlornly, "what? Where did he go? I can't believe this; he must be here somewhere," and immediately commenced what sounded like a rather terrifyingly thorough search of the area.
In the boot of the car, Michiru was quivering dangerously in a way that suggested she was trying very hard not to laugh.
"Don't you dare give us away!" Haruka breathed, somehow managing to find Michiru's ear in the dark.
"Oh but Haruka, don't you feel this pulsing, desperate love burning?" Michiru whispered back, and somehow when it was Michiru's voice whispering those words with her lips practically against Haruka's cheek, the phrase didn't sound nearly as ridiculous as it should have, and Haruka's response wasn't anywhere as adverse as it should have been.
"She's only saying that because she thinks I'm a guy."
"Right. And it's not like you gave her that idea or anything so you could flirt with her." Michiru's tone became short and clipped with irritation. "Honestly, Haruka. I don't know why you always have to do this. Do you not understand the importance of our Mission? Do you think you really have time to be flirting with every pretty girl you meet?"
"You're the one who told that girl and her friend we weren't lovers; thus pretty much giving them permission to declare open season Haruka-wise. So this is partly your mess too, Michiru."
"I told them the truth. We're not lovers."
"Right we just work together and go to school together and live together and eat together and basically do everything together including sleeping in the same bed—"
"Which was your idea, Haruka."
"Only because when I was sleeping in the other bedroom your nightmares would wake me up, and when I went into your room and tried to wake you up you'd just cling onto me like a limpet and keep right on sleeping. I mean, since I was ending up with you practically every night anyway it was just easier and more efficient—"
"You like sleeping in my bed." There was just a hint of smugness in Michiru's tone.
"What I like is uninterrupted sleep…And, well, me being there does seem to help you sleep too, and with the Mission and everything…"
"So you'll stop sleeping with me once the Mission is over?"
"I—What?" Even though Haruka's awakening had only happened within the last few months, she could hardly even remember what her life had been like before Michiru and the Mission, and the sudden jab of disappointment she felt at the thought of not having a reason to be with Michiru constantly was uncomfortably sharp.
"This Mission won't last forever. I won't always be getting nightmares as disruptive as the ones I'm having now. You won't have to keep sleeping with me if that's your only reason."
"But there'll be another Mission after this one, right?" Haruka was horrified that she actually sounded kind of hopeful.
"All right. Let me check this again. You want the freedom to flirt with whomever you like but you want me to tell people we're lovers so they don't get too serious, and you think that we actually are lovers because of how we're currently sharing our lives, except that we don't do anything remotely romantic or lover-like with each other, and even you sleeping in my bed is an on-the-job necessity and nothing else, though you don't exactly sound like you want to see the end of it. Did I miss anything?"
Haruka's mind was all a-whirl. She decided the best way to answer was to avoid the question.
"Can you tell me again why you're in this boot? Because I don't think you answered before. All I wanted to do was have a nice quiet hiding session until that blonde girl went away. Not…Not discuss the status of our relationship. You can't even discuss something like that in the boot of a car; it's ridiculous."
There was a short silence during which Haruka listened to what was happening outside in the alleyway and Michiru sulked. Even without being able to see her, Haruka knew she was sulking. No one else could make being trapped in a tiny space together feel so utterly uncomfortable just by virtue of not saying anything.
"I think that girl's gone now," Haruka said. "I'm going to try getting out of the boot. Is there an inside lever?"
"Unfortunately not."
There was a bad sinking feeling in Haruka's chest. "But there's some other method for opening it from the inside, right?"
"Not that I've found during the short time in which this boot has been my abode."
"Did you know there was no way out when you locked yourself in here?"
"Obviously not, Haruka," said Michiru, sounding annoyed. "And I might point out, it doesn't seem to have been something you considered either."
"But it's not my car! Of course I wouldn't know. And I didn't exactly have a lot of options available."
Haruka hurriedly clamped her mouth shut as she heard a gaggle of girls' voices startlingly close, all chattering excitedly about helping Minako find the cute boy she'd tragically lost somewhere in this alley.
"Oh no, she's come back and she's brought friends," Haruka groaned.
"She's certainly persistent," Michiru agreed darkly.
Haruka stretched and shifted, trying to find a slightly less uncomfortable position in the limited space available, but she couldn't see a thing and the boot was perhaps even more squishy than she realised since she immediately encountered a very warm Michiru right up against her, practically beneath her, in fact, while her hand accidentally brushed over a soft swell of flesh and a hammering heartbeat.
"Uh – Sorry," Haruka husked unsteadily, wondering if the air was starting to run out as she was hit by a sudden dizzy spell.
"That's – that's okay." Michiru's voice sounded shaky.
"Minako!" came a piercing voice from out in the alleyway. "We've searched and searched. There's no cute boys anywhere. I think you're delusional."
"I'm not delusional, Rei!" Haruka's worthy pursuer insisted. "Usagi saw him too. He's real! And he's mine! As soon as we find him. He definitely went into this alley. There must be a hidden dimension or a secret underground club for hot boys or something. Don't give up, everyone. We will succeed!"
"At this point, I think you should start fearing for your virtue," Michiru murmured, and for a confused moment Haruka wasn't quite sure whether Michiru was talking about the blonde Minako girl or something else, because that was most definitely Michiru's hand resting on the back of her thigh. True, considering the position they were in, there probably weren't many more places for Michiru's hands to go, but still.
"I guess if they find us I'll have to ask for your protection."
"Humph. I should just let them all carry you off and have their wicked way with you."
"Well, I'm still not a guy so I'm probably safe."
"I might point out that when most of the female population of Mugen discovered you were a girl, it didn't exactly slow the tide of love-struck fans."
"Oh don't even go there. What about that gymnastics champion at our school who's been walking home with you practically every afternoon for the last two weeks?"
"What's wrong, are you jealous?"
"Ha. Like I'd be jealous of someone who can't even do a proper double back flip."
"She can do a very tolerable double back flip. Not as good as yours," Michiru conceded at Haruka's furiously offended snort.
"Can we go back to the question of why you climbed into this boot, Michiru? You still haven't told me."
Deliberately ignoring the query, Michiru said wistfully, "I'd rather walk home with you, you know, but you always get swamped at the school gates at home time."
"That's hardly my fault," Haruka said, though her heart skipped joyfully at Michiru's admission. Now that she was in possession of this most important information, she made a mental note to meet Michiru outside of her final classes in the future and thus avoid any fans, so they could always walk home together. She also recognised she'd been very successfully distracted, but for the moment she was too happy to care as fantasies of sly hand holding and rainy day umbrella sharing wafted through her head.
"In the same way, I suppose, that it's not your fault that you leave your smelly gym clothes all over the house. Really Haruka, for someone willing to shoulder the fate of the world, you have an astonishing inability to take responsibility for everyday things."
Jolted out of her happy fantasy land, Haruka responded, "what about you and your sheet music? You leave piles of it lying all over the floor. And what about when I tripped over a whole bunch of the stuff and crashed into your easel and sent paint flying everywhere? You know we're never getting the security deposit back on the apartment, right?"
"You're worried about the security deposit? You destroyed the painting I was working on!"
There was something in her partner's tone that reminded Haruka of the fact that even though Michiru might do a good impression of seeming like a reasonable human being most of the time, she was in fact an easily offended and deeply passionate creative genius who, as far as Haruka could tell, appeared to regard the importance of art as being right up there somewhere with the necessity of breathing. And Haruka had been responsible for destroying one of her creations, however accidentally.
Making up for its loss was probably impossible. After all, what could she offer in apology? Another drive in her car? Somehow Haruka didn't think that was quite going to cut it.
"About the painting," she said uncomfortably. "I know I can't fix it, but if there's anything I can do…"
Haruka shifted again, trying to ease the cramp starting up in her calf, which perhaps proved to be her most unfortunate decision yet today, since somehow her leg ended up sliding in between both of Michiru's as she spoke, and Michiru gave a kind of surprised jerk and a gasp that Haruka put quite a bit of mental effort into not interpreting.
"Anything, Haruka?" Michiru asked softly, in a voice like the promise of paradise.
Haruka was suddenly acutely aware of all the places where their bodies were pressed together in the tiny space, and she couldn't help but realise how very close Michiru's lips were to her own. She was also more turned on than she wanted to admit; far more than was dignified in the circumstances, especially considering it wasn't even happening in one of her (much nicer) cars.
"I think you've misunderstood," she insisted, going for firm and instead achieving dry voiced nervousness.
She felt Michiru tangle a hand into the short strands of hair at the nape of her neck, and she was sure, she was almost sure, she felt the beginnings of a kiss, but their tiny cramped universe suddenly titled sharply and they both went rolling with the force of gravity; Michiru landing on top of Haruka heavily so that Haruka got an elbow in the ribs and a mouthful of hair.
Unfortunately, Haruka also hit her head on the inside of the boot – hard – the loud smack reverberating in a way that was sickeningly loud.
"Haruka?" Michiru's worried voice said immediately. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I hit my head. I think…No, I'm sure it's bleeding. And I'm also pretty sure we're being towed."
Her suspicions were confirmed as an engine started up and their car began to move, though obviously not under its own power.
Michiru took her hand. "Hang on, okay? We'll be taken to a lot or a garage or something, and there'll be someone there who can get us out…"
Haruka grunted, feeling rather woozy. She could feel the wet sticky patch of blood on the side of her head spreading alarmingly fast. "Michiru? I think I'm about to pass out…" she managed, before she did just that.
Haruka woke up in a private hospital room with a massive headache, a bandage around her head, and an anxious Michiru sitting by her bedside watching her.
"Urgh," Haruka said. "You managed to get us out of the boot. Well done."
"It was easy. As soon as we stopped I just started yelling and hammering on the inside of the boot. Someone soon heard."
"What on Earth did you tell them?"
"Nothing," said Michiru calmly. "I just thanked them for their assistance in setting us free and asked them to call an ambulance for you."
"And they accepted that did they?" Haruka asked with extreme scepticism.
"The Kaioh name commands a lot of respect. And discretion when necessary. Anyway, more importantly – how are you feeling?"
"I'll be fine. But seriously Michiru – what were you doing in that car boot? You can't not tell me after all this."
Folding her hands neatly in her lap, Michiru looked out of the window with a pensive expression. "I just happened to park there, and when I got out of the car I heard that Minako girl chasing you and I didn't want to see what was going to happen, so I hid in the boot."
"What? You didn't want to see me getting mauled by an enthusiastic long haired blonde girl?"
"Well." Michiru continued reluctantly. "To be more specific; I rather feared you might enjoy the mauling. That was the part I didn't want to see."
Michiru glanced back to Haruka with all too obvious longing and then quickly covered it with businesslike poise.
"I'll go and find the doctor and see about getting you discharged. They said you didn't have to stay overnight."
"Michiru, wait!"
Haruka's voice was urgent, making Michiru freeze half way out of her seat.
"Yes, Haruka?"
Their eyes met. Haruka immediately found her tongue heavy, her breathing laboured, and her hands twisted into the hospital bed sheets. "I…Thank you. For everything."
For a moment, Michiru's eyes darkened in disappointment before she smiled. "You're welcome," she said softly.
On Haruka's first day back at school, it poured with rain. She'd taken two days off at the doctor's insistence (though really at Michiru's insistence) and hadn't gotten the chance to walk to school with Michiru that morning since Michiru had gone in early to practice her violin and after two days of being cooped up Haruka had wanted to go running, regardless of the rain.
Haruka had actually been pretty jittery and impatient all day. She remembered clearly Michiru's admission during the car boot interlude about wanting to walk home together, and now that she finally had the opportunity, Haruka was determined to ask her in the right and proper manner.
And it was even better that it was raining, because Haruka had the perfect umbrella she could ask Michiru to share; sturdy and big enough that it would keep the rain off of two people but not so big that they wouldn't still have to huddle together closely somewhat to ensure they remained fully dry.
Only that afternoon when Haruka opened her locker at home time, she stared into an interior space from which her perfect umbrella – or indeed an umbrella of any kind – was terribly and distressingly absent.
She rifled with desperation through dog-eared school books and dirty gym clothes, but no, it really wasn't there. Someone had stolen her umbrella and with it her one chance at true love and lifelong happiness.
And then she looked up to see Michiru with the gymnast of inferior double back flip fame. The gymnast had a smug expression on her face and was holding onto an umbrella with obvious intent to wield it protectively over her Michiru's aquamarine head.
Haruka gave them a scowl, slammed her locker shut and stormed out of the school into the rain, ignoring the multi-coloured umbrella solicitations coming from every quarter. She slowed as she reached the gates, a drenched and miserable figure, her usual gaggle of fan girls mostly scared off by the deluge.
"Haruka!"
Turning incredulously, Haruka saw Michiru hurrying after her, stray curls clinging wetly to her forehead.
"It can't work, Michiru," Haruka burst out despairingly. "I could never be good enough for you. I can't even remember to bring an umbrella to save you from the rain. What sort of life would we have together?"
Michiru's eyes widened in shock for a moment, before settling into an expression of fond exasperation.
"You idiot. You leant me your umbrella weeks ago. Don't you remember?"
"Oh," said Haruka, taken aback. "Um, no. I don't remember that."
With a despairing shake of her head, Michiru rearranged the clutter of school satchel and violin case and sadly wet sheet music in her arms so that Haruka saw she was holding the folded-up umbrella as well.
"You'll need to take it," Michiru prompted as Haruka stared at it stupidly. "I don't have that many hands."
"Right, of course." Haruka dived for the umbrella enthusiastically and opened it out over both of them while the few stalwart fan girls still lingering looked on longingly.
Now ensconced with Michiru in a happy circle of dry protection while the rain streamed down and dripped from the umbrella's points, Haruka said very seriously, "Michiru, would you like to share my umbrella and walk home with me?"
Michiru's whole face lit up with happiness and Haruka didn't think she had ever seen anyone so breathtakingly beautiful. She was almost certain her fantasy about the handholding might have come true then as well, if not for the fact that Michiru's arms were still too full of things. But what happened instead might have been even better, since Michiru leaned up against her and placed her head on Haruka's shoulder, closing her eyes with a sigh like she'd finally reached home after an unimaginably long and weary journey.
"Yes," she said simply.