A/N: So just pretend this fic takes place like the first or second night of their band camp. Honestly, they gave us so little in the last episode about the layout of the camp, I don't feel bad basically leaving things as they are. This is probably a little OOC, but I had the idea and wanted to run with it, so here we are. I hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated!
-o-o-o-o-o-
Neither girl sees Asuka enter, their eyes glued to their music sheets, or hear her footsteps as she approaches, the sounds of their instruments filling the room.
The deep tones of Kumiko's euphonium shrivels and croaks as it dies when her music is snatched from its stand. Beside her, Reina stops playing as well.
"Wha-?!" Kumiko says, too shocked by Asuka's actions to properly articulate her indignation.
"What's the meaning of this?" Reina asks calmly, though there is an edge to her tone. For someone who often has little affect, she is surprisingly bad at hiding her irritation.
Asuka points to the clock on the wall. The big hand rests just above the eleven. Kumiko's eyes widen, and when she turns back to Asuka she notices that she's in her pyjamas.
"I appreciate that you two are workaholics, practicing in your free time," Asuka says, squinting at them, her vision compromised without her glasses. "But we can hear you. And I think I can speak for everyone, when I say stop. Go to bed. You're keeping everyone up."
Kumiko laughs nervously, scratching the back of her head. She scuffs her toe against the floor. "We lost track of time. Sorry."
"I'll say." On the way out, Asuka adds with a wave, "And don't wake me up on your way in. I can't promise I'll be this nice next time."
"I guess we should call it a night then," says Kumiko, as she begins to pack up.
Reina nods and follows suit.
Kumiko grabs her cleaning cloth and does a perfunctory once over all the places her hands touched. There are two things that are reliable about Japanese summers. First, they are hot. Second, they are humid, humid, humid. Everything she touches becomes greasy. It's gross.
For a while the only sounds around them are the insects outside until Reina asks, "All set?"
Reina is standing there with her trumpet case in her right hand, waiting.
"Yep!" Kumiko clicks the latches on her case closed and stuffs it into its bag.
She shoulders the heavy load and nearly walks into Reina's outstretched arm. Reina's face is turned to the door away from Kumiko, her expression a mystery. Reina wiggles her fingers impatiently. Kumiko swallows a lump, like she does every time.
Kumiko doesn't know what started this behavior: Reina demanding they hold hands. Always wordlessly, always impatient. It could have been because the festival. It could have been because of her insecurities about Taki-sensei. She's afraid to question it. Afraid that the answers might make it stop. She's afraid how she will feel if it does. Reina typically waits until they are alone, which seems to be an awful lot lately. In public, she's more subtle. It's little things. Like bumping thighs when they sit next to each other. Her hand lingering on Kumiko's shoulder longer than is strictly necessary to get her attention – when all she has to do is say her name, but she chooses not to. And every time, Kumiko swallows a stone into her stomach that dissolves into flitting butterflies, all the while her heart is pounding in her ears.
Before, Kumiko had been running from Reina, but now she is running towards her. It is a strange juxtaposition, one that she hasn't completely adapted to.
Kumiko takes Reina's hand lightly, conscious of her relentlessly sweaty hands. She isn't sure why she cares so much if Reina finds her hands sweaty and gross, even though Reina always links fingers with her like she doesn't care, pressing their palms tight against each other. Actually, Reina's hands are sweaty too. It's summer, after all. Kumiko doesn't mind.
From depositing their instruments in the storm room to crossing campus, they let go just once for Kumiko to remove the strap to her euphonium bag. All the lights inside the other buildings are off. It's as if they're the only two people here.
Kumiko lags slightly behind as they make their way back to their lodgings. Her sweat-soaked shirt clings to her skin. She grabs the hem with her free hand, trying to fan in air. It's heavenly cool against the concentration of sweat trapped beneath her bra band.
"It's so hot," says Kumiko, stopping at the fork in the path that separates the building they're sleeping in from the bathhouse. "And I'm all sticky. I think I'm going to bathe before I go to bed."
"That's a good idea." Reina nods, turning to face her. "I will too."
Eh?!
"Why do you look so surprised?" Reina tilts her head to the side. She has one eyebrow raised, and one corner of her mouth is quirked into a tiny, amused smile. "Did you think I don't sweat? I'm human too, you know."
"N-no!" Kumiko shakes her head. Her grip on Reina's hand tightens, and she waves the other in front of her in a bit of a panic. "I mean of course you're human, it's just—um—"
"Are you self-conscious?" Reina asks. She sounds more concerned than judgmental. "Our middle school locker room had a communal shower too. We're both girls. There's nothing weird about it."
"Maybe not, but..." Kumiko trails off, the words dying in her throat. But what?
It's true. This wouldn't be the first time she's showered with other girls. And yeah, she guesses she is a little self-conscious. She's had no hint of the growth spurt she'd promised herself she'd get, and she worries that even though she's already in high school her figure is still childish. Though she's got nothing on Midori, she reminds herself, but it does little to comfort her. Not to mention that while Reina and she were in the same year and same club in middle school, they had never actually shared a homeroom. So they had never had P.E. together. Which means this would be my first time seeing Reina naked.
Reina's jaw drops open. She gapes at Kumiko, unblinking. Her face turns every shade of pink, finally darkening to a bright red. She emits a high-pitched rasp from the back of her throat, like her words have been ground to dust and that is the only sound she knows how to make anymore.
Shit. "...I said that out loud, didn't I?" Kumiko wants to die. Right then and there.
Reina releases her hand, and clutches at her forearm. She whips her head to the side, trying to find anything else to look at. She clears her throat.
"S-said what out loud? I wasn't paying attention." Reina's voice cracks on every other syllable.
"Ah, n-nothing," Kumiko says weakly. She's grateful for Reina's efforts but she knows there is no way they can forget about it that easily.
"I s-see... W-well, in any case, I'm going to go shower." Reina whirls around and begins marching towards the bathhouse.
As her back retreats down the path, Kumiko looks for the nearest utility poll to bash her head against. She resigns herself to going to bed sweaty.
"Kumiko!" Reina calls out.
Reina is standing in the entryway, partially turned to face Kumiko. Her face is still red. She chews on her lower lip. It's kind of cute.
"Are you coming?" she asks, barely loud enough for her voice to carry to Kumiko's ears.
At first Kumiko isn't sure she heard right. She blinks, expecting Reina's profile to disappear as if it's a mirage. Her face warms, and she is sure she's blushing. Something tells her, that if she goes now, they may not leave the bath the same as when they entered. But her heart flutters. Whenever she gets close to Reina, it invigorates her and scares her at the same time.
Given what Kumiko has just blabbed, it almost sounds like Reina is inviting her to see her naked. No, that isn't it, Kumiko tells herself. She's probably just trying to act normal. I should go along with it.
"Y-yeah," Kumiko answers, careful to keep a normal pace as she follows Reina inside.
There's a small entry area with two corridors on either side, one leading to the boys' bath area and the other to the girls'. Reina flicks the lights on as they make their way to the girls' shower. There's no one here but the two of them. Kumiko tries not to think about that. About being alone with Reina. Completely naked. She shakes the thought out of her head.
Before the shower room, there is a cubby room with multiple rows of cubbies and benches. In all her effort in trying not to think, Kumiko accidentally follows Reina into the same row, instead of stripping on the other side of a wall of cubbies.
Kumiko freezes like a deer in headlights as Reina widens her eyes a little at her. Reina quickly turns her gaze firmly to the wall as she unzips her skirt. It's not like it matters. They're about to be naked together anyway.
Kumiko, by some miracle, snaps back to her senses. She peels her shirt over her head. Her bra is damp from all the sweat. Conscious of Reina's impressive bust, she sighs at the shallow valley between her own breasts as she reaches behind her back to unhook her bra. Only just big enough to wear a bikini, she thinks. Unlike Reina. She peers over her shoulder at her. Reina catches her eye, igniting a flame in Kumiko's cheeks – her whole face burning red. She doesn't dare look again.
The shower is one open room without any privacy dividers. There's a giant drain in the middle of the floor and the walls are lined with multiple low shower heads with stools beside them and house-supplied soap and shampoo. Kumiko B-lines for a shower head in the corner, deliberately giving Reina the pick of any spot as far away as she wants.
She jumps when Reina takes the stool immediately next to her.
"W-what?" Reina stammers, looking away and crossing her arms around her middle defensively, just below her breasts. The action pushes them up. "Do you not want me to sit next to you?"
Reina shifts a little, her arms squeezing her breasts closer together.
It has to be unintentional. They have a really nice shape, Kumiko thinks. She'd never be able to do that with her bust.
"That's not it!" Kumiko is quick to say. She forces herself to look at Reina's face. "You just surprised me is all. I was spacing out. You can sit next to me. If you want."
"Okay," Reina says slowly as she turns on the water.
Kumiko does the same. She washes her face first, hoping to wash away her wandering gaze and the terrifying thoughts that have been coming with it. Reina is bound to catch her at some point and the fallout from that would be catastrophic. She doesn't even want to imagine the conversation that would take place.
The soap is not very effective. As she rinses it off and reaches for the shampoo, she notices Reina already lathering her hair. Reina's eyes are closed, her arms raised to rub the suds into her hair.
She has a really graceful neck too. Kumiko follows the rivulets of water that dip into Reina's collarbone, that spill over and drip between her breasts. The little droplets of water that cling to her skin, that roll over her supple nipples. They look so soft to touch.
Reina's lashes flutter as she rinses the shampoo from her hair. Kumiko zips her head away, staring at the wall before Reina opens her eyes.
Kumiko rubs her hands over her face, then runs them through her hair. She closes her eyes as she works the water and shampoo through her hair. She tries to let her tension evaporate with the hot steam and the aroma of lavender soap that curls around her. She thinks about what they had for dinner. It was better than she had expected.
When she's finished shampooing, she snaps her eyes open, feeling a little invigorated. In her peripheral she catches Reina staring, her eyes swimming with longing. Her gaze, however, is not on Kumiko's face. Reina's eyes are cast downwards – aimed directly at her chest. Kumiko's creaks her head jerkily to face Reina, to be absolutely sure of what she's seeing. But Reina notices the movement and abruptly averts her gaze.
"Were you just looking a-at me?" Kumiko squeaks, with a slightly disbelieving laugh. She expects Reina to deny furiously. She folds her arms over her breasts self-consciously.
"S-so?" Reina spits back, crossing her own arms over her chest. Her gaze flits between Kumiko and the wall, her face completely flushed. "You were looking too. Before. ...I saw you."
Kumiko's jaw works fruitlessly to project words from her throat. What is she supposed to even say to that? Caught red-handed, she may as well come clean. Besides, Reina is guilty of the same crime.
"Sorry," says Kumiko, her voice barely above a whisper. She shuffles her knees against each other. "It's just that... I haven't grown since middle school, and you're so –" she swallows, "so big."
"Huh?"
Despite Kumiko's own dancing gaze, she catches Reina's eyebrows disappear into her bangs.
"I'm sorry. I know it's weird," she apologizes again.
"I was just thinking mine were too big," Reina confesses.
"No way!" Kumiko slaps her barefoot against the tile, suddenly fired up. "Your breasts are perfect! I wish I could have breasts like yours!"
"R-really?" Reina sucks her lower lip between her teeth. This girl who so rarely appears shy. It's really cute when she does that. She gives Kumiko a small smile. "I was just wishing I could have breasts like yours."
"Mine?" Kumiko unfolds her arms and looks down to confirm they are talking about the same thing. "But they're so small."
Reina shakes her head. "Not at all. Mine get in the way sometimes. Plus, yours look like they would fit perfectly in my hand."
Kumiko blinks. Wonders if she got water in her ears. Reina's face slowly becomes the picture of horror as she realizes her wording. She frantically waves her hands in front of her.
"I don't mean my hands! But just – you know – like your boyfriend's hand or something..." Reina trails off.
"R-right." Kumiko forces a laugh. She holds up and examines her hand. "I don't think your breasts would be too big to fit..."
"Kumiko?"
"Yeah?"
"Hold out your hand." Reina clutches her stool and scoots closer, the legs scraping against the tile.
Kumiko obeys. Reina reaches out, and splays her hand against Kumiko's. If only by a couple centimeters, Kumiko's fingers are longer.
"Maybe not," Reina mutters.
"Maybe not what?"
"Wait. Did you not mean to say that out loud?"
"Say what?" Unease creeps up Kumiko's spine, dreading what embarrassing thought she's accidentally revealed this time.
"When you were looking at your hand."
"Oh." Kumiko wants to run – to hide. But Reina's fingers have laced through hers, sealing her fate. Her grip is so tight Kumiko can feel her own pulse.
"I think you have a point," Reina begins to ramble, her voice shaking, "because boys' hands are usually bigger than girls', right? So maybe I shouldn't be worried. Your hands are bigger than mine, so that's why you'd think so. Makes sense."
"Yeah, I guess." Kumiko's voice quakes.
"Would you tell me honestly if you thought they were too big?"
"Of course," Kumiko swallows, tries to add levity by forcing another laugh.
"You have that look on your face." Reina frowns.
"What look?"
"That look that says you're thinking something stupid, but you're not saying."
"Gee, thanks."
"What is it?"
"I'm not thinking anything."
Reina leans forward. "You are."
"I'm not."
Reina straightens. She takes a deep breath. Kumiko tries not to watch the rise of Reina's chest as her lungs fill with air, and the fall as she exhales.
"Let me guess: something like 'there's no way to tell just by looking,' " says Reina with a surprisingly straight face.
Kumiko's face turns so red, the color nearly crosses her vision. "N-no! I definitely wasn't thinking that!"
"Your face says otherwise."
Was I thinking that? Kumiko is speechless, racking her brain for the answer.
Reina shifts on her stool. She nibbles on her lip, avoiding eye contact.
"Okay," she finally says in a tiny voice – barely audible over the stream of hot water from the shower.
"Huh?"
Reina takes her hand back. "You can touch," she mumbles. "And tell me if you think they're too big, okay?"
This whole conversation is weird, and feels like it should be out of character, or that it's not actually happening. But this is the same girl who invited her on a spontaneous hiking trip, asking her to lug her heavy euphonium up a mountain. Who when poking her in the forehead, didn't stop there, but traced a line down her nose all the way to her Cupid's bow (1). So maybe this wasn't a dream.
"Okay," Kumiko replies in a dazed voice, surprising herself – almost missing her own answer over her heartbeat thundering in her eardrums.
Reina scoots just little bit closer and gives Kumiko a determined nod.
Kumiko's body moves on auto-pilot. She touches the tops of Reina's breasts – waiting to be told to stop because Reina changed her mind. Nothing. Just smooth skin beneath her fingertips.. She cups Reina's breasts gingerly. They feel nice. As if there is static on Reina's skin that tingles down Kumiko's arms, diffusing warmth through her whole body.
Reina's eyelids slide shut. She arches lightly into Kumiko's touch, pressing her breasts into Kumiko's palms. She emits a tiny gasp when Kumiko gives a tentative squeeze. Her breasts really are soft.
Kumiko watches all of Reina's reactions with reverent awe. If she's not imagining things... Reina is enjoying this? Experimentally, Kumiko ghosts her thumbs over Reina's nipples. Reina shudders, a little whimper spilling from her lips. She arches further into Kumiko's hands. She almost forgets why she's doing this in the first place.
"Your breasts are amazing," Kumiko tells her.
"Really?" Reina's eyes flutter open, remaining half-lidded. Her pupils are wide and her face is flushed. "They're not too big or anything?"
"They're not."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Kumiko assures her, withdrawing.
"Why'd you stop?" Reina asks suddenly. Then she hastily slaps her hand over her mouth.
Looks like I'm not the only one with that habit, Kumiko thinks.
"I figured you'd want me to, since I answered your question," says Kumiko slowly, her words sticking to her tongue like molasses.
"Oh, right." Reina's face falls a little.
"Did you not want me to?"
"I didn't say that!" Reina counters, completely flustered. "What makes you think that?"
Kumiko had no idea she could be this much fun to tease. "You sounded a little disappointed."
Reina's mouth thins into a line.
"You're not going to deny it?"
"It felt good," Reina mumbles after a long silence, looking down at their feet.
Kumiko's heart crashes into her rib cage. She had not expected that answer. Not in a million years. "Sh-should I keep going then?"
"If you want... I won't stop you."
Kumiko reaches for Reina's breasts again. They do fit really nicely in her hands. She catches the hardened peaks of Reina's nipples between thumb and forefinger. She gives a little pinch. Kumiko's name escapes Reina's throat, riding on a loud moan. Kumiko continues to play with the sensitive flesh, illiciting a series of noises from Reina that echo off the walls to come back and reverberate across the surface of Kumiko's skin, teasing out an ache between Kumiko's thighs.
"It's kind of hot when you say my name like that," she admits softly.
Reina puts her hands on either side of Kumiko's face, snaring her attention. She searches Kumiko's features, pulls her so close their noses are almost touching.
"Did you mean to say that out loud?"
Kumiko swallows. "...Maybe."
"Kumiko."
"Reina."
Reina presses her lips to Kumiko's so lightly it can hardly be called a kiss. It's up to Kumiko to seal it. She lets go of Reina's breasts and wraps her arms around the other girl's middle, pulling her into her lap. Reina tangles her fingers in Kumiko's wet hair, while the other hand maps Kumiko's chest. It really does feel good to be touched like this.
"What the hell did I say about waking me up again!?" Asuka's yells from the other room.
Reina springs off Kumiko like they've been flipped to the wrong ends on a pair of magnets just in time for Asuka to round the corner.
"Last I checked, showering does not involve yelling." Asuka glares at them through the haze of steam.
"S-sorry, Asuka-senpai!" Kumiko scratches the back of her head – it tingles pleasantly everywhere Reina touched her. She grapples for an excuse. "I slipped and fell. So that's probably what you heard."
And just like that most of Asuka's anger dissolves. "Oh. Well in that case, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good. Now go to bed. And definitely don't wake me up a third time. Even if it's an accident," Asuka warns before turning around and leaving.
"That was way too close," Kumiko sighs.
"She's right, though. We should probably go to bed."
"Yeah..."
The rest of their shower proceeds in uncomfortable silence. But this time, when Reina holds out her hand like she usually does for the walk back to the lodgings, Kumiko doesn't hesitate to take it. And this time Kumiko is the one to lace their fingers as they leave the bathhouse in their matching bathrobes.
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(1) - The Cupid's bow is the part of your upper lip directly beneath your nose, where the lip sort of dips downwards and it looks like you kind of have two peaks. That's what it's called because it looks like a bow. Most people have it, but some don't.
This may turn into part of a seven deadly sins series, but I make no promises. We'll see. (If you're interested in following me to see if that happens, follow me as an author. They will not be posted as new chapters to this fic. I repeat, follow me as an author, not this fic.)