So, a late oneshot for QoDS's birthday :) Please keep in mind everything in here is fluff, not intense passion. I can only write the former decently anyway. It's nothing compared to your fabulous work, but I hope you enjoy~
Rin had promised herself it was innocent. That it was strictly for comfort, and it didn't mean anything beyond that.
Back when she first met her roommate Gumi, she had been warned of the girl's predicament; she'd suffered night
terrors since she was young, and often woke up in the middle of the night crying inconsolably. The two had grown
close quick, and after a few months of rooming together, Rin offered to sleep in Gumi's bed with her so she could offer comfort whenever the terrors came. However, despite everything she tried, Rin could only offer fleeting touches and soothing words until Gumi exhausted herself enough to stop her wailing and fall back asleep. But finally, on one particularly bad night, Rin discovered what she believed to be a flawless solution.
"Gumi-chan, it's me, it's Rin." Rin cooed, stroking her shaking arm. Gumi writhed at the touch, her whimpering proceeding. It was barely midnight, and Gumi was going through another "episode". Rin had woken up a few minutes earlier, noticing that her roommate wasn't next to her in the bed. She discovered the green-haired girl under the covers, curled up in a ball and trembling. Rin had pulled them off her and tried to wrap her up in a comforting hug, but Gumi had only cried out when she felt Rin's arms and crawled to the other side of the bed. Rin's heart ached as she retracted her hand in response to Gumi's whimpers; perhaps the most painful part of these spells was the fact Gumi never recognized her. All Rin wanted was to help her see she wasn't alone and that she was there with her, but she only ever succeeded in frightening her more. And recently, Rin had noticed that Gumi was looking really sleepy in class. In fact, the teacher had even yelled at her for yawning too much, making Rin worry about how much the episodes were interfering with her rest.
"NO!" Gumi wailed suddenly, shaking her head adamantly, tears somehow leaking from her closed eyes. "Shhhh, it's ok." Rin told her, keeping her voice at a gentle, warm tone. Going for another hug, she carefully wrapped her arms around Gumi, feeling her struggle.
"I'm here, I'm with you. Listen to my voice. See, I'm your roommate, Rin. I love you, and I'll protect you." But Gumi kept struggling, as though Rin were some type of monster that was going to eat her. She flinched badly every time Rin touched her back or tried to stroke her face. Rin managed to rock her and hum a song, but it hardly calmed her down. She pulled back sadly, looking at Gumi's tear streaked face. Her friend looked both terrified and completely exhausted. And then, out of desperation and a desire to ease the pain, Rin leaned forward and kissed Gumi softly on the cheek. She didn't expect much of a reaction, but to her surprise, Gumi's cries stopped instantly as though she had pressed mute on a remote. Her muscles slackened, and she stirred a bit, opening her eyes to meet Rin's. Rin sighed in relief, recognizing the light green orbs staring back at her as the Gumi she knew and loved.
"R-Rin-chan?" She asked, her voice raspy from the crying.
"Hi there." Rin greeted gently, giving her a smile. Gumi shivered.
"R-Rin-chan, I just had the most awful d-dream." She managed, her voice quavering.
"I-I was so scared…"
"It's ok, Gumi-chan. I've got you now." She felt Gumi give a sigh of her own. Rin gave her a reassuring squeeze and then loosened her arms.
"How about we go get you a drink of water." She offered. "You can come with me if it makes you feel better." Gumi wiped her eyes.
"O-ok." She told her, taking her hand and letting Rin help her off the bed.
...
This soon became a routine with Gumi and her night terrors. Rin would get her into a hug, talk to her a little and then give her a gentle kiss on the cheek or the forehead. Gumi, in turn, was actually able to sleep through the night peacefully and returned to her cheerful, optimistic self, much to Rin's pleasure. And for a while, she didn't question how Rin was pulling her out of the terrors so easily, just thanked her profusely the following morning. It was Rin's little secret…but it wasn't going to stay that way for long. One late Saturday morning, Rin was pouring herself a glass of orange juice when Gumi walked in, still in her pajamas.
"Morning, sleepyhead." Rin greeted her. "Sleep well?"
"Excellently." Gumi replied, smiling and giving a stretch. "The night terrors have been ending so fast these days. I actually feel rested."
"I'm so glad, Gumi-chan." Rin smiled, taking a seat with her glass.
"How have you been doing it, anyway?" Gumi went on, retrieving a jug of carrot juice from the fridge and pouring her own glass. "Getting me out of the terrors, I mean."
"It's not that hard, really." Rin explained, taking an innocent sip of her orange juice. "I just give you a big dose of TLC, since you respond well to physical affection. It calms you down every time."
"That sounds accurate." Gumi replied. She put away the juice and took a seat next to Rin. "I remember how my mom used to do it when I was a kid." Gumi went on. "They were just as bad back then. She used to give me a kiss. Worked like a charm every time." Rin froze mid-sip, accidentally inhaling a bit of the citrus-y drink.
"That's an...interesting method." Rin managed, before bursting into a fit of coughs.
"You ok, Rin?" Gumi asked, watching her trying to suppress the coughing.
"F-fine." She replied after a moment. She'd hoped her face wasn't as red as it felt. Even after they finished breakfast and Gumi left to do some shopping, Rin couldn't stop thinking about the morning's events.
"I do it to comfort her." Rin insisted mentally. "And I want to comfort her because I love her and I don't like to see her sad…since she's my best friend and my roommate. It's normal, right?" That was the reason why she had offered to sleep with Gumi in the first place. But she told herself it wasn't romantic, despite the lack of knowledge she had in the field. Rin never really did like boys all that much. This was possibly due to her older brother, Len, who got amusement out of tormenting her when she was little. She shuddered, memories of being told horror stories and receiving "tickle torture" flooding her mind. As much as she knew that normal boys wouldn't be as aggressive with her, somehow the idea of living with one seemed uncomfortable, and thus did a romantic relationship. She finally decided it was best not to dwell on the thoughts, and pushed them away. They resurfaced, however, later that night.
The two had just finished watching a movie together, and were lying in bed after shutting off the light.
"I'm scared, Rin." Gumi mumbled in bed, playing with her hands. "I'm probably just paranoid, but…What if they come back? I've been sleeping so well, I'm worried."
"I'm right here, remember?" Rin assured her. "If they do come, I'll pull you out of it immediately."
"I-I guess." She mumbled, too tired to debate. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off. Rin stayed awake, listening to her roommate breathing softly beside her. Her thoughts wandered back to her question of romance earlier.
"I've never been in love…so what determines what it is to me?" She wanted to think she would know instantly, like in the movies. The movie Gumi and her had just watched had been a romance comedy, and even though Gumi enjoyed it, it only left Rin confused about her own feelings. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard familiar weeping.
"So early?" Rin thought, glancing at the clock reading "10:45". She looked down at the faint outline of Gumi, who appeared to be crying softly into the pillow.
"I won't let you enter the terror. I promise." Rin decided instantly. She rubbed Gumi's back, surprised when the green-hared girl didn't flinch, and leaned down to where her face was."It's ok, you're not going anywhere. I love you, Gumi." She whispered to her, before giving her a kiss on her left cheek. She paused a moment, then found herself kissing her other cheek and then her forehead. She'd never kissed her more than once, but she figured Gumi needed the extra comfort. She pulled back, freezing the moment she saw Gumi's bright, very awake green eyes blinking at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"R-Rin." Gumi spoke, seeming to be at a loss for words.
"G-G-Gumi-chan?" Rin blurted out. "You were awake?" She felt the blood rush into her face and backed over to her side of the bed instantly. "I-I thought you were having another episode…" She muttered, half to herself.
"No…I was crying because I was scared of falling asleep…" Gumi replied, speaking slowly. Rin hung her head, unable to meet her friends eyes. Her face felt like it was burning.
"I-It's not what you think, Gumi…I mean, it calms you down so-"
"Rin." Gumi said, sitting up and lifting Rin's chin to meet her eyes. "Do you…d-do you give me kisses every time I have a night terror?"
"Usually only one! And only on your cheeks or your forehead..." Rin quickly defended. Then she made her voice small, knowing her inability to lie to her friend. "B-but…yes, I do…"
"T-that's…" Gumi trailed. Rin cringed, expecting her to say it was disgusting, or wrong. She was ready for her to kick her out of the bed, or even request a new roommate. But she felt Gumi's hand on top of hers, and dared meeting her eyes."That's really sweet." Gumi told her genuinely. "Thank you so much, Rin." Rin couldn't tell through the dark, but she could've sworn she saw a tint of pink in Gumi's complexion. She stared at her, wide eyed.
"Your not upset with me?" Rin asked quietly. "I-I mean, I'd understand completely if you were, I never even asked and-"
"Rin," Gumi repeated.
"It's ok, it's ok, I get it. I just wanted to comfort you, but hugs weren't working and you wouldn't let me touch your back so-"
"Rin, I need to make up for something." Rin stopped.
"Huh?"
"You skipped something." Gumi explained, and Rin swore she saw her face get even redder. "Y-you kissed my cheeks and my forehead, but you didn't…" Rin barely had time to understand when she felt Gumi's lips gently meet hers for a soft kiss. She returned it, and the two broke away after a few moments, green eyes locked into blue ones.
"Thank you so much, Rin. I…really appreciate what you've been doing for me." Rin could barely process what had just happened, or what was going on. But she recognized a feeling of immense joy welling up in her chest, unlike anything she'd experienced before. She felt like the girl in the movie they had watched.
"Gumi-chan…" Rin trailed, before breaking into a grin and throwing her arms around Gumi in a tackle hug.
"Wow, hey, you'll make us fall!" Gumi protested through laughter, pulling them away from the edge. Rin pulled back to look at Gumi again.
"You'll never be stuck in another night terror for as long as you live." Rin promised her. Gumi returned the smile, and for a few moments of pure, clean joy, she truly believed it.
...
Ugh, I had night terrors as a kid, they are no fun. Anyway, happy birthday QoDS! Looking forward to reading more of your writing! :)