All characters belong to ASW. Tsubaki is loosely based on her 'first draft' version; it's increasingly common knowledge that Noel was her love interest originally, and knowing that I think it's a pity they changed their mind. Tsubaki deserves better than Jin, the new 'Master Of Romance', but as it's the closest we're getting to an Official Couple, I have to make do.
Do I think Noel's a lesbian? Not really, but I refuse to ship her with either Ragna or Jin (because...you know...incest. Yuck), and there's a distinct lack of male alternatives who have anything to do with her, and the nearest, Carl, is too young. I've already done one with her and Makoto, so it's only fair that Tsu get her turn at the table.
Don't worry; despite the chapter title, Noel Edmonds definitely isn't appearing in this story! :)
The Vermilion Residence, Switzerland, June 2197
BGM: Flos
Due to some rather imaginative and original pranks by the student body, allegedly involving the ventilation system, some laxatives and a really hot, really suspect chicken vindaloo, the NOL Academy had to be closed for a month for decontamination purposes, so all the student body was sent home for the duration. For an establishment that only ever closed very briefly around Christmastime, this unexpected summer break had left its students at a complete loss as to how to occupy their time. In the midst of this upheaval, Noel rushed around the Vermillion family residence, putting some finishing touches to the place before everyone arrived, and rushing to get the broom when she inevitably knocked stuff over because she was a massive klutz. She was thankful it was going to be such a nice day; the Vermillion household hall was quite brightly decorated, with the walls of this hallway a bright shade of yellow, something at odds with the age of the couple who called it home who one would imagine would be of more sober taste. Her parents were going away for a couple of weeks; some family business they needed to tend to was all they would tell her. Noel had asked if she could invite her school friends over for company while they were away. And as an only child, albiet she already knew she was an adopted one, her parents did tend to give her a lot of leeway.
It was early afternoon when the first taxi pulled up outside the mansion door. The family may have fallen on hard times recently, but they still had the resources to afford the upkeep on a big fancy house and the attendant staff. Makoto and Mai were the first to arrive; Mai was living in Shinatsu for the time being while she decided on a more permanent home, and as Makoto was born and bred there it made sense for them to get the same flight. Mai had rather kindly paid for Makoto's ticket, knowing that the latter couldn't really afford it. Makoto hefted both their suitcases out of the taxi's boot easily, one of the advantages of being a beastkin with the attendant strength. Makoto wore a figure hugging black T-shirt with pale brown shorts while Mai wore a dark green vest top with black knee length skirt. Noel herself was wearing a flowing dress of pale blue or possibly lilac hue, with dark blue and red flower and petal motifs.
"Hey Noel!" Mai gave Noel a hug, while Makoto found a spot to drop the suitcases and followed suit with a much squeezier one."Ooh! I've missed you so much already Noellers!"
"Okay, okay! Not so tight please!" Noel was struggling to breathe.
Once the greetings were over with, Noel showed them both to the rooms they'd be residing in; Mai would be sharing with Kajun, while Makoto and Tsubaki would be sharing too; same arrangement as in school, only no Noel, who'd keep to her own room for the most part. Sure, if they fancied a slumber party there was nothing to stop them all piling into one room. It made Mai a little more comfortable, but also a little sad, knowing that her 'stalker-that-turned-out-to-be-not-so-bad' Shiori wasn't able to join them.
Once Makoto had deposited the cases, she flagged down Noel, "We found out when we got out of baggage; Tsubaki's flight was delayed by a couple of hours. Some kinda power outage has frazzled traffic control and all the comms." She had the furthest to travel so that made it even worse.
"Oh dear. How did you find out?"
"Must have been a bulletin released through the NOL branch." Mai concluded; it was certainly the quickest and easiest way of getting the news out; they had their own reserve generators if the city's main power grid ever went kablooey as well as their own comm equipment.
Makoto saw Noel's crestfallen expression, "Hey, chin up Noellers. It's not like she's cancelled completely on us. Let's get some drinks." She pulled out a bottle of Gin, "It's a nice day, it's screaming out for a G&T and some finger food."
"So does that mean.."
Makoto about faced, "NO! Mai Natsume, would you please quote for me Fundamental Rule of the Universe #1."
Mai mock saluted, "Noel Vermilion is not allow to cook anything. Ever." She liked Noel's cooking, though she also knew she was the only one who did...well, apart from Hazama, but they didn't know that yet. Makoto got out a couple of large bowls and started filling them with whatever she could scavenge from the fridge and cupboards, leaving Mai and Noel to head outside and set up some chairs.
BGM: Lakeside
An hour later, Kajun arrived in a blue T-shirt and purple shorts. No one was entirely sure where exactly she came from; she was always awfully coy about that. The three girls were sat on the rear patio, admiring the vista of sloping greenery that gave way to thick forests and from there to white capped mountains in the distance, having a good chit-chat and soaking up the sun while it lasted. The weather here could be terribly fickle. Makoto tanned quite easily, and had made sure to pack a bikini so she could soak up the sun while she was enjoying the unexpected free time. Mai less so, and Noel got burnt under a bright lamp. Even Tsubaki tanned easier; the joke was that those two were between themselves singlehandedly responsible for maintaining a demand for Factor 50 suncream.
"Ah, this is the life." Makoto sighed, luxuriating in the beaming sunshine. "I really wish we could do this more often. Having so little in the way of vacation time is a real drag. Sometimes I really hate the Academy."
"Yeah, I do feel we're massively overworked a lot of the time." Mai added, her head stuck in a book.
"Afternoon ladies!" Kajun hollered as she made her way over. The staff had already moved her cases to Mai's room, so she had no reason not to find a seat and plonk herself down. "So, how are we all?"
"Spiffing, my dear Kajun. Positively spiffing." Makoto spoke in a mock posh accent. "Here, have a Pimm's, my good fellow. Mixed it myself." Makoto handed her a glass of the vibrant liquid. She took a tentative sip, "Hmmm, very refreshing." She finally selected a seat between Mai and Makoto and pulled out her Tablet; most computers these days had holographic screens and suchlike, allowing for much smaller devices while still doing all the stuff expected of much larger machines of old.
"Anyone fancy watching a movie?"
"Good call!" Noel cheered, "What've you got?"
Kajun scrolled through the list, "Let's see..."
"And before anyone suggests it, no, we are not watching Pitch Perfect again. I had more than I could tolerate the first time I was made to sit through it. I almost ran out of sick bags." Makoto quipped.
"...Aw. Then how about...Frozen?"
"Not again." Noel moaned, "We've watched it like 20 times already. It's getting kind of samey now."
"Twilight?"
"Breaking Wind!? No chance!" Mai was not putting up with that again.
Kajun held her head in her hands. I'm sorry I ever opened my mouth.
Makoto's ears pricked up, "Hey, have you got "The Brain That Wouldn't Die"?"
"What?...Oh no, I can already see where this is going." Kajun waved her hands in front of her in an attempt to stop that train of thought.
"Come on! Everyone loves Jan In The Pan!" Kajun's' face suggested she didn't.
Noel frowned, "Okay...hmmm...Do you have Street Fighter?"
Kajun turned sharply, "OF COURSE!"
"YES! YES!" Mai was pumping her fists in the air.
Makoto's grinned, "And we all know what today is?"
"Tuesday!" They all shouted in unison.
It was late afternoon when the taxi carrying Tsubaki finally arrived. With no word on how much she was delayed, or even if the flight had to be cancelled, they were starting to get a bit worried.
Tsubaki was wearing a royal blue sleeveless dress with white trim along the hem of the skirt which ended just above her knees. She also sported a small necklace with the Yayoi family crest on the end.
"Oh Tsubaki! You look wonderful." Noel gushed.
Tsubaki went a little red in the face, "Heheh , thanks Noel. That's really sweet of you to say so. You look very nice yourself." She sighed, "But right now, honestly, I feel a bit rotten. That flight was not something I want to experience again any time soon."
"Oh...errmm...so, are you hungry?" Noel asked.
"Absolutely starving." Came the reply, "Haven't eaten since I left home." Makoto stepped forward with a plate of potato chips, "Here. Dig in." Tsubaki delicately took a few.
"Oh, come on! You're in vacation with your friends! Wolf 'em down!" Makoto grabbed a fistful and jammed them in her open gob. Tsubaki just shook her head before popping a few in her mouth.
Once she had finished swallowing, she asked, "Excuse me Noel, but where can I put my cases?"
"You're rooming with me, so I'll take 'em. Courtsey of Nanaya Bespoke Porter Services." Makoto hefted the two cases over her shoulders and strolled inside, the rest of the gang following, relieved that the last one of their circle of friends had finally arrived, tired but safe.
BGM: Comedy
Having taken some time to grab a shower and a brief nap, having been up early to catch a flight that left late, Tsuabki was making her way though the culinary quartets when she heard Noel's voice.
"Oh, where is it?"
She sounded a bit distressed, so Tsubaki thought it wise to investigate.
"What have you lost Noel?"
Noel gesticulated with her hands, "Oh, I dropped one of the stupid short skewers I was going to use for the snacks later." She stuck her head back under the cupboard.
"Skewers? You mean cocktail sticks?" It was important to know the proper name of everything you might find in the kitchen to avoid confusion, particularly when such accoutrements were mainstays at dinner parties for the well-to-do. Sadly, Noel didn't seem to appreciate that lesson.
"Here, let me look."
A thump as Noel hit her head on the underside, "Oww! No! It's fine, I can find it myself."
Tsubaki stormed towards her, "Noel! Stop been so stubborn and-"
Noel chose that moment to remove her head and look up, and in doing so managed to get her head hooked in the hem of Tsubaki's dress, and get a view that many red blooded guys would kill for. They held this tableaux for about a second before Tsubaki realised just what Noel was likely looking at.
"Eep!" Tsubaki backed away, hands pushing down on her dress reflexively, "Noel!"
"Aah! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" Noel was waving her hands in front of her, as if trying to stave off some retribution. Tsubaki looked absolutely aghast, words failing her. Flustered, she just huffed and stormed off.
"What'd we miss?" Mai stuck her head around the door frame, Tsubaki having stomped past the rest of the gang, to see Noel's face stuck in 'completely mortified' mode. And a small trickle of blood coming out of her nose.
"Ah, wardrobe malfunction." Makoto guessed from Noel's reaction. Little else would set Tsu off like that, given her very conservative attitude. And it was a historical fact that Noel did have that sort of reaction to it a couple of times in the past.
But there was something in Tsu's body language that seemed a little off to Makoto. Her usual reaction was Righteous Indignation and a stern lecture on how utterly uncouth it was. Her reaction just then told a different story. Deep embarrassment, like the sort when someone you had a crush on got to see a little too much. But Tsu was straight, wasn't she?
Eh? This doesn't make a lot of sense.
BGM: Mistletoe
Everyone had got a good dose of sun. Tsubaki and Makoto were in the kitchen mixing up some cocktails. Tsubaki thankfully had gotten over the embarrassment of before. As everyone had drunk a little, Makoto felt she might be able to get to the bottom of Tsubaki's romantic interests, considering it didn't take much to loosen her tongue. She was so hush-hush about who she liked, it was like some kind of mystery that just begged to be solved; even trying to get her drunk had wielded no results thus far. From what she had observed, she and Jin Kisaragi, the head of the student council, spent a lot of time together, and she was perhaps the only person in the whole school he treated with any respect. She was aware they went back many years. The whole scenario screamed 'Childhood Sweethearts'. On the other hand, the incident earlier had clearly distracted, even perhaps upset, Tsubaki more than Makoto's believed it should've.
Makoto poured a shot of alcohol into each glass, "So, you and Jin. Any progress?"
Tsubaki put the mixer bottle down with a bit more force than she intended, "Makoto, how many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing going on between me and Jin Kisaragi. We're just friends." she snapped. She ended up knocking the bottle over, spilling the liquid in the worktop. Tsubaki scrambled to find the kitchen roll to absorb the mess; while she tried to pretend she, as a proper lady, was the epitome of grace and poise, when it all boiled down to it, she was just as clumsy as Noel, "Now look what you've made me do!"
Makoto huffed and rolled her eyes, "Jeez, sorry! So, is there anyone you like?"
Tsubaki sighed, "Well, yes. There is, if it'll get you to stop jumping to completely inaccurate conclusions." She was still flustered from before.
At last! We're getting somewhere now. "Ooh, who is it?" Makoto's ears pricked at the possibility of juicy revelations.
"Well, they attend the academy. They are in our year."
"Do they know you like them?"
Tsubaki's head dropped, "I dunno. I guess I can never find the right way to tell them. I've been attracted to them for a while now, but I'm scared."
"What of?"
"Well, I've never actually... how do you put it? 'Asked anyone out' before. I don't know what to say, give them an indication that I'm interested. I'm just apprehensive about trying and making a complete mess of it, offending them or scaring them off and ruining any further chances with them...I guess I just don't want to hurt her feelings."
Makoto looked downward, "Yeah...wait a minute." Her face twisted into a smile, one that screamed 'Future Blackmail Opportunity'. "You just said her feelings."
"What? No, I said 'their'."
"Tsubaki, these ears never lie. I know what you said." Makoto twitched her ears, while Tsubaki just looked dismayed, "Hey, it's no big deal, I just never has you down as being into other girls is all. So, who is it?'
"(Sigh) Well, she has blonde hair, she-"
Lightbulb!
"It's Noel, isn't it?" Tsubaki went bright red, as red as her hair, "See Tsubaki? I can read you like a book. So that's why you were so flustered before. Aw, I think it's really sweet that you like her that way. Go get her. I would."
"I just...I dunno if she feels anything like that for me."
"Oh, come on! What's the worst that can happen?"
"How long a list would you like? She may be scared off and not want to speak to me again. She could think I've only been her friend all this time to try and charm my way into her pants. She-"
"Okay okay, I get the point. But look at it this way; you've been invited to hers for a vacation, we already knows she loves your company, now is as good an opportunity as you're ever going to get. You know that Noel isn't the sort to hold it against you. She's the sweetest, most loving person we know. Besides, nobody in school has ever asked her out. She's probably just as clueless about the finer points of seduction as you are. Anyways, she'd like the companionship, as would you. Trust me, I know loneliness when I see it. And at any rate, I think she owes you for the free show you gave her earlier." Makoto smirked. Tsubaki shot an accusatory glance, "Oh come on Tsu, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out why you stormed out on her earlier."
"Makoto, please. You're just making me feel worse about this. This doesn't feel like the right time."
"So when will be the right time, hmm? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? Never? You and I both know that, no matter how much you build yourself up for it, you just can't do it. You're too reserved. I would almost say emotionally repressed." Makoto glared, "If you don't tell her on your own, I'm doing it for you. You have till the end of the day."
Tsubaki was really beginning to regret telling Makoto about her romantic woes.
"Here Tsubaki, take a swig of this. A bit of alcohol helps." Makoto handed her a hip flask, "Back in the day, they called it 'Dutch Courage'." Whatever it was, it burned her mouth, nearly causing her to gag on it. "You know your biggest problem? You over think things. You worry too much. Stop fretting and just go with the flow. You'll know, feel, the right moment to tell her." Tsubaki steeled herself, "Go get her girl. I believe in you. In both of you."
It was early evening, and Makoto and Noel were prepping some more snacks. They sure were getting through a lot of food today. In spite of her own lethality when doing the cooking personally, Noel actually had pretty good taste when she just gave advice. Makoto noticed Tsubaki in the next room and gestured her over.
"Listen, I need to pop out for a moment. I can leave you two to finish up, can't I?" She gave Tsubaki a wink before dashing off. "Go for it." She mouthed.
Tsubaki swallowed hard, "Hey Noel."
Noel turned and smiled, "Oh, hi Tsubaki. Listen, again I'm really sorry for before. I just-"
"Oh, that? It was an accident, no need to apologise Noel. Just have a bit more care about who's where in future, okay?" She may have let it slide, but it didn't stop her face going red again.
"Yes ma'am!" She mock saluted, "Do you need anything?"
"What? Oh no. Just wanted to talk."
"What about?"
"Well, I don't know how to tell you this." She shifted uneasily, "Noel, you've become a very close friend of mine over these past couple of years. The truth is...I've been having these, I dunno, thoughts, gah, feelings about you. I'd like us to be more. I guess what I'm trying to say is..." here goes nothing, "..Noel, I think I'm in love with you."
"You're...in love with me?" Tsubaki, shame faced, nodded.
"If I may, I'd like to...to kiss you, Noel." Tsubaki blushed. She moved slowly towards her. Noel looked like a deer in the headlights, too dumbstruck to respond. Tsubaki wrapped her arms around Noel's waist, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. That broke Noel out of her stupor.
"Tsuba...baki?" She stuttered
"May I kiss your lips?" Noel nodded, wrapping her own arms around Tsubaki's shoulders as their lips gently met. It lasted a brief moment before they broke away. They stared, confused for a couple of seconds before Tsubaki devoured Noel's mouth, their eyes closing as they deepened the kiss, and the two began making out in the middle of the kitchen. For those brief moments, Tsubaki thought she was in Heaven.
Oh God. I must be dreaming. I have to be dreaming. I'm definitely dreaming...I'm not dreaming. I'm actually kissing Noel. And she's kissing me back.
Her kiss tasted like Strawberries. Sweet, Succulent Strawberries. Tsubaki loved Strawberries, especially chocolate covered strawberries. She devoured her kiss, almost knocking the poor girl over in her eagerness. Her hand began rummaging behind Noel's back and found their way down to her shapely ass, grabbing a handful of that peachy posterior, and Noel was returning the favour. After all the times Noel had inadvertently let Tsubaki see up her skirt (which inevitably lead to poor Tsubaki promptly having a little nosebleed of her own and desiring to find a quiet corner for some 'me' time'), she finally had her hands on the prize.
"Mmmmmmmm..." she moaned
"Mmmmmm..." Noel was evidently in heaven too.
"Mmmmmm!" Tsubaki moaned with a bit more enthusiasm
"MMMMMMMM!" Noel was really getting into this.
They finally broke off their kiss. Tsubaki just stopped there motionless, speechless, breathless, her heart racing. She felt really light-headed all of a sudden. The room began to spin, then everything went black.
"Tsubaki!"
Noel stood and watched Tsubaki, who looked to be in a complete daze. Her eyes began to roll into the back of her head. And with a happy sigh, Tsubaki fainted.
"Tsubaki!" Noel managed to catch her before she hit the floor. The sound of her scream brought the others running. Makoto took Tsubaki's weight while Mai and Kajun tried to stop Noel freaking out. They needn't have worried; Noel was being surprisingly cool under pressure, "I'll go get help! Makoto, set her down over there!" She gestured to the sofa in the adjoining room. The Beastkin easily lifted Tsubaki over her shoulder while Noel sprinted out of the room to get the family doctor.
BGM: Stardust Memory
Tsubaki had been given the once over by the Vermilion family's doctor; her blood pressure was a bit low, but Tsubaki had just come off her period, so other than that ultimately there was nothing wrong with her. After talking with Tsu herself it was decided that she was okay to carry on as normal. A bit of rest and she should be fine, but an early night was recommended.
Noel sat at her bedside, watching over her as she slept. Noel did have to admit, Tsubaki looked really cute like this. She gave her cheek an affectionate stroke.
"How is she?" Makoto asked.
"She was up and about briefly an hour ago. I guess I'm just happy to let her rest." Noel watched gooey eyed, trying to imagine herself and Tsubaki snuggled up together.
Mai perked up, "Hey, you know what happens in fairy tales, right? A sleeping Maiden can be awoken by her true love's kiss!"
Kajun caught on to the potential for sappy romantic moments, "Oh, just like Sleeping Beauty!"
Alarmed, Noel shook her head, "What!? You guys, I really don't think-"
"True Love's Kiss! True Love's Kiss! True Love's Kiss!" They chanted in unison.
The more they chanted, the less Noel felt able to resist. She gave into the inevitable and landed an absolute smacker on Tsubaki's lips. Tsubaki quickly responded in kind, to muted cheers from the peanut gallery.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Noel whispered as Tsubaki opened her eyes.
"Hey, Princess Charming." Noel blushed as she helped Tsubaki to her feet.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hungry again. Does that count?"
Noel gave her a kiss, "Appetiser." She clarified.
Click.
Noel and Tsubaki turned to see Makoto, Mai and Kajun all with their phones out, and all taking pictures of them.
"Okay...just find the file...and upload."
Noel's jaw hit the floor, "Makoto! Don't tell me you just put that on the internet!?"
Makoto burst out laughing, "What? Of course not! Even I'm not enough of a troll to do that. I have just saved it as my new desktop though."
Tsubaki looked confused, "What? Why?"
"Because it's a moment I want to treasure; the moment my two best friends found out the love of their life was staring them in the face all along." She placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Love of our life? Makoto, don't you think it's a bit early to be making that assumption." Tsubaki quizzed.
"No. Call it gut instinct, but I think this'll last." Makoto gestured for the gang to leave them be for a while.
"Tsubaki, I want to know. When did you begin to feel this way about me?"
"Well..hehe...it was...it was the moment I first layed eyes on you were being bullied by those harlots. I was spellbound... mesmerised even. I suppose you could call it 'Love At First Sight'. This really pretty blonde girl before me." Uh-oh. She was entering Romance Novel territory again.
"I never saw myself as anything special. I mean, I'm not very good at school. I'm not a great athlete. I'm nobody. You think I'm really pretty?"
"It's what I just said, isn't it? Yes I do. And it's only gotten better since we first met. Back then you had such sad eyes. I saw you, and I just...I just had to get to know you. To make you happy. There's... something I can't quite put my finger on, but your smile seems so much brighter now. And I'm so glad I did."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Coz the beauty here.." she stroked Noel's face, "...is nothing compared to the beauty in here." She gently layed a hand over Noel's heart, "You've always stood by me. Even when I've let my frustrations get the better of me." Tsubaki chuckled, "Which is often. I'm sorry."
"Hey, we'll have no apologising from you! Well, I have you to thank for that." Tsubaki looked confused at Noel's response, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be the person I am now. I'd still be...the cowering , lonely, deeply unhappy girl who just wanted to disappear and never be noticed by anyone. But because of you, I was made to feel like I was worth something. To someone...I don't know if or how I could ever repay you for that."
"But you've already repayed me. I was so lonely too before I met you and Makoto, and later Mai and Kajun. All I ever wanted was someone to call a friend. You've been so much more to me. You all have. I guess we can call ourselves even."
Noel blushed, "Tsubaki, I don't know what Makoto would say to this, most likely get the wrong idea, but...would you like to bunk with me tonight?"
Tsubaki spluttered, clearly not sure how to articulate her question; is this just to snuggle up or are you asking to have sex with me? It's not just Makoto who's getting the wrong idea here!
"It's just I'd like to know the feeling of waking up in the morning in the arms of someone I love, or they in mine."
Tsubaki, now understanding Noel's intentions, recomposed herself, and nodded, before breaking out into a grin.
"That sounds... delightful."
"So I'm bunking alone, eh?" The other three peeped from behind the door, like something out of a slapstick film; Makoto at the bottom, Mai the middle, Kajun on top, until the point were Physics finally caught on and they all fell over in a heap. All three quickly git to their feet and dusted themselves off.
"I guess I never thought of that..."
"No biggie. I can room with these two." Kajun and Mai nodded. Makoto handed some glasses to Noel and Tsubaki before taking one from Kajun, "So, a toast, and three cheers for the new couple!"
"HIP HIP HURRAY! HIP HIP HURRAY! HIP HIP HURRAY!"
BGM: Pinky Promise
Noel, already in her night clothes of a white T-shirt and green shorts, was sat on her bed, finishing brushing her hair when Tsubaki entered the room in similar attire, only in pale blue, "Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked.
"Oh, stop being such a worrywart. I told you before I wanted you here with me." Noel shuffled over to let Tsubaki get into bed. Noel, on the right side of the bed, lay on her back while Tsubaki snuggled up to her on her side, taking the left. She smiled and started lovingly stroking Noel's hair, which earned a sigh of pleasure from her new girlfriend.
Noel turned and gazed into Tsubaki's eyes. There was something about those deep blue orbs that Noel just found so soothing, like the quiet sea at night,, almost lulling her to sleep right there and then.
"Hey, could you sing for me?" Noel said sleepily.
Tsu giggled, "What? Would you like a lullaby? Don't you think you're a little old for those?"
"No, I just want to hear your voice." She tried to stifle a yawn. Tsubaki laughed again, and obliged.
"They say we're young and we don't know.
We won't find out until we grow.
Well I don't know if all that's true
'Cause you got me, and baby I got you
Babe
I got you babe
I got you babe."
She was rewarded with the sight of Noel's eyes closing and watching her gently drift off to sleep.
Tsubaki settled down, draped her arm over the slumbering girl's stomach and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Good night, Noel. Sweet dreams." Today had been a good day.
Makoto was walking past Noel's room, having just been to the toilet. She decided she'd sneak a peek at the new lovebirds. She was treated to the sight of Noel being little spoon to Tsu's big. Both were sound asleep, and Tsu, true to form, was snoring. Not loud, but still audible. Makoto stifled a snicker.
...I could, but she's in denial about the fact. She'd never believe me anyway.
Makoto rolled her eyes and carried on down the corridor and back to the warmth of her own bed. Mai and Kajun had to change plans and were now sharing a bed, which they had done in the past and were completely fine with. Makoto spared one last glance at the full moon before turning over and laying still, enjoying the silence.