"Are you sure this is all you want for your birthday?" The raven haired girl placed a cup of coffee before her blonde friend and took a seat beside her.
"This is fine. You're usually busy mochi making, so spending some time with you is a special treat in itself," Midori responded as she took a sip of the dark liquid. Despite the quality coffee and the ambiance of the coffee shop, the seats were never seen occupied all at once. This gave the owner the freedom to tailor the music toward the mood of the evening, and for Midori, that wasn't the worst thing.
"I still make time for friends! You're the busy one nowadays, studying and all in college." Tamako took a sip, only to repel from the drink and cup her hands over her mouth. "It's gross, Midori!"
"Well, some amount of bitterness isn't bad." Midori stirred her drink and handed her friend a napkin with the other.
"Midori, you sound like an old man." The obsidian haired girl responded. The blonde grabbed her friend's cheeks and pushed them together in response.
After a series of giggles, the girls returned to their drinks, dew from their hearty exchange brimming their eyes. Midori was the first to speak. "Actually, for my birthday, I was hoping we could talk,"
"We're talking now," Tamako responded, pouring milk into her teacup. If it wasn't for the physical limitations of the teacup's volume, Midori was certain Tamako would have helped herself to the entire carton.
"About Mochizou."
Without looking, Midori knew her friend's face flushed red, but she looked up anyways. She'd never give up the chance to see Tamako's disconcerted expression.
"H-he's doing okay." The blonde rested her hand on cheek, pressing her friend to continue.
When Tamako continued with her task of mixing and pouring milk, Midori continuted. "So… how far have you guys gone?"
Tamako slammed the milk on the table. Her ears were bright red. "Midori." Tamako turned her head, and Midori's only regret that day was not bringing a camera to capture all of her friend's flustered expressions. "You're shameless."
The blonde bit back a laugh in consideration of her friend. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just curious. It's been a few months since you guys have been dating and I was wondering how fast things were moving."
Tamako took a moment to control her racing heart. Honestly, Midori was something else. "We've gone on a few dates and stuff," her friend mumbled, twisting the ends of her skirt. "This one time we hugged at the park… and we… held hands."
"Have you guys kissed?"
Tamako stood up from her chair and prepared to bash her head against the wall. She was halted by the coffee shop owner, who was concerned about the wellbeing of the building as well as the decisions of his customer.
"Midori. College has changed you," Tamako said, returning to her seat.
"I thought it was a pretty normal question to ask a friend," she apologized.
"… We have," Tamako responded moments later. The girl's sapphire eyes never left her drink, but they glowed with the remembrance of a tender memory.
Midori felt something twist in her chest. If Midori had beaten Michizou in anything, it would be creating the spectrum of expressions on her mochi-adoring friend. Being her closest companion since 4th grade, Tamako has always gravitated toward Midori in times of happiness and sadness. But the expression carved into her friend's face right now was one Midori knew she could never create. "I'm… very happy for you two," she mumbled. Midori strained a smile. "So, what was it like? Was he a total klutz at it," the blonde continued, prompting her friend to reach an even deeper shade of red.
Tamako leaned over hugged her friend, burying her face into Midori's shoulder. This time, it was Midori's face who flushed. He arms flew around aimlessly, which prompted Tamako to lean in closer and clutch onto her friend even tighter. "It's your fault for bringing this subject up. I'm really embarrassed right now, so you're not allowed to see my face."
"I- I see. If this makes talking easier, that's fine." Although Midori was dying to see the expression Tamako wore at the moment, the hug wasn't a terrible bargain either.
"It was… fluffy," Tamako described. "When it happened, I felt like melting. My heart fluttered, and I felt butterflies in my stomach." Tamako nuzzled into Midori's shoulder. "It's not a bad feeling."
Midori was grateful for the current position because Tamako wouldn't be able to see if she cried. She reached out and patted her friend on the back. "That's great, Tamako. I'm happy for you."
No words were exchanged for a while. How nice it would be, Midori thought, if the soft smile she felt pressed against her shoulder was caused by a memory created by Midori. She took in the flour-scented hair of her airheaded friend, who tenderly watched over the mochi every morning but paid no attention to her dessert stained fingers as she brushed away strands of hair. She felt like a criminal, enjoying herself in her friend's arms in a manner that was all but platonic. It wasn't her moment. It wasn't her smile. But just this one day, on her birthday, Midori thought she would let herself indulge in the moment.
Finally, her friend's arms loosened, but Midori leaned in. "Please, a little longer."
Silence passed. Tamako's hand traveled up to Midori's hair. The smaller girl wrapped her fingers around the blonde silky tresses. Midori felt a smile against her neck. Her heart froze.
"Tamako… what are you doing?"
The other girl stopped in the midst of stroking her friend's hair, much to Midori's distain. "Sorry! It was quiet and your hair was there. It's just… so silky… and beautiful. I've always wanted to touch it."
Midori's heart skipped two beats and she almost forgot how to breathe. "Tamako, you're shameless."
Midori pulled away from their embrace. Although she missed the warmth of her friend's body pressed against hers, being able to see her flustered friend made up for it.
"Well, I think it's about time we head back. My grandpa's waiting for me to get back so he can throw me a surprise party."
Tamako's pigtails seem to stand up. "Surprise party? Isn't it supposed to be a surprise?"
Midori giggle and took the cup of coffee off the table. "Well, may have accidentally found the presents in the closet." Midori downed the remaining liquid in the cup. Her nose wrinkled in displeasure. It was a lot sweeter than she remembered. When she placed the coffee back on the table, she was met with a cherry red Tamako, though this time, it wasn't from teasing.
"Midori," Tamako pointed to the cup with a shaky finger. "That was my coffee!"
"Huh?" The blonde looked down to see that the milky brown coffee had disappeared and her own cup of black liquid remained on the table. "M- my bad!" The blonde commented. She felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of drinking from her friend's cup. "Here, you can have the rest of mine." Midori grabbed the carton of milk poured it into her own drink, but Tamako stopped her, grabbing the untreated cup coffee and chugging it.
She placed the cup back on the table weakly and wiped the residue off her lips with her wrist. "Now we're even. I got to try something Midori likes..."
Midori almost had a heart attack at that moment. "You're embarrassing."
"Oh, I made her blush," Tamako exclaimed proudly.
It wasn't the most well-organized birthday, but Midori could easily say this was the best birthday ever.
Ya'll have no idea, my heart is in shambles because of Midori and Tamako. Tribute to Midori from my gay heart. Enjoy!