For once, the respective CPUs of Planeptune and Lastation were spending the day together by themselves. Such a legendary, once in a life time occurrence was the stuff of legends, that even now, just to balance out such a moment of impossibility, elsewhere, their sisters, Nepgear and Uni were...
Well, maybe it being impossibly and legendary was a bit much.
Even so... It was something. For Neptune and Noire to be alone and not trying to tear into each other, rare in and of itself, but here they were, just sitting around, lazing about playing a game. Perhaps it had something to do with it being a particularly hot summer — the two CPUs had initially made plans to do... to do... well, they had planned to do something today, something full of spirit and competition, but Neptune had commented on how sweaty they'd get, Noire had gotten flustered, there had been ice cream in the fridge and some games to play, and before they knew it...
Somehow, now they found themselves zoned out on the couch playing a racing game, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Was the overzealous heat of the sun really all it took to solve the problems of the warring goddesses of Gamindustri? Someone should have tried breaking an air conditioner or something years ago if this was all it took...!
Whatever the case, it was all of this that had led to Neptune and Noire having a calm afternoon of calm moments just lying about on the couch.
It was during one such calm moment of particular calmness, that period of zen during a racing game that happens when players know the tracks well and are just zoned out and enjoying themselves, that Neptune suddenly found the urge to speak up.
"Hey Noire?"
"Huh? What?"
Neptune randomly speaking her mind wasn't a particularly unusual event, as Neptune had a big mouth and she was often prone to using it. If anything, it would be stranger of her to not be using her mouth to be doing something. No, what was strange, what made this more than just a little unusual, what was came out of her mouth when she spoke up next.
"You ever wanna confess to somebody? Like, you know... The whole dramatic wham, bam, sparkly flower petals, tell 'em you wanna shack up with 'em?" There was a pause. It was the most natural thing in the world — Neptune had needed to focus on the game so she could turn. "Hehe, whew! But yeah, yeah, so like, you ever just wanna do something like that to anyone?"
A beat.
A pin dropping would have sounded like the war horns of Lowee and Leanbox.
"Oh yeah, I guess I gotta know if you've ever felt like that about somebody else, huh? Have you?"
As far as she was concerned, Noire was fairly certain the screeching, halting, crashing noise wasn't just coming from what the fact that her racer had just careened off of the side of the track and exploded masterfully into the side of a building.
The thought that had spurred this question of Neptune's was surely just another random one of her crazy and random ones, Noire assured herself. Neptune never thought about things like that. It was just so... out there for her.
The twintailed goddess shook her head, letting her hair whipping around chase away any of those nasty, nasty thoughts. Shoo, she said to them, shoo!
"W-What, are you saying you have? That you've wanted to... to..." Oh, Noire couldn't even finish!
"Eeeeeeh, you're asking me? Noooiiiiiire... That's so bold!" Neptune seemed as playful as ever — just like her. Noire supposed she should have expected that from her. It was just Neptune after all — she wouldn't know what it felt like to have feelings for someone if they hit her in the face and declared they were on a limited time only flash sale. "I am a lady you know." She winked, sticking out her tongue playfully. '"Course I have!"
"Hmph, right, that's what I thought you'd sa-" Noire stalled. Again, she was fairly certain this had nothing to do with the virtual car in front of her. In no universe had she ever imagined Neptune would have responded to that question with an affirmative answer. She looked to her side, gobsmacked, sure she would see Neptune looking back at her with a "Gotcha!" expression on her face, but no, she didn't find anything of the sort there. "Huh?"
Neptune was focusing on the game. Her expression wasn't one of someone who had just told a big punchline — it was one of someone who had said something natural and true. It wasn't her usual Tryhard Mode face, saved when she really got into a game, but it was definitely one of her gaming faces. Noire had seem all of them enough times to be able to recognize them... N-Not that she looked away from the screen to see them often or anything, though!
More importantly! There was always the possibility Neptune was pulling her leg, of course — this was Neptune — but how could Noire figure it out without giving away that this joke might just be getting under her skin a little?
"Huh? Huh? What's with the silent treatment? Don't leave me hanging here! I can't spill my girlish secrets alone now- Have you or not?" Now Neptune was puffing out her cheeks and acting for the world like she was completely and totally on the level, which just frustrated Noire even more. She... She had no right to sit there and act like she was being honest at a time like this! It was indecent! There was no way this was the truth! Noire wouldn't accept it! Noire couldn't! "C'mon, I'm trying to make small talk here, but it's gonna be no talk if you don't respond. Gimme something to work with, would ya?"
... Unless...
... Could it be...? Was it possible...? Had the fates finally aligned...?!
Was Neptune... Wasn't this the perfect situation for a confession itself...?!
It wasn't like Neptune had said she had confessed to someone, she had said she had wanted to confess to someone! Those two things were completely and totally different, weren't they?!
Steeling herself, Noire took a breath and roused herself from her thoughts. Had her promised time finally arrived? She may have been a goddess of many, many years... But was she finally about to enter the springtime of youth she had longed for? Was this moment she had been dreaming of for so long? No, that wasn't the thing to ask, with this mood, what else would it be? She needed to still her maidenly heart! Was she ready for this? Was her heart ready for this? She didn't know if she was ready for this! It was too soon! She wasn't ready! Aaaah, Neptune, no, stop, stoooooppppp...!
"I don't believe you," she informed Neptune, her voice as cocky as ever, her eyes sparkling with challenge. She gave nothing away, not her pounding heart, not the mental version of herself frantically running around all over her heart's depths... Nope, none of it. "Why should I tell you anything about me if you could just be pulling my leg to get something out of me? It'd explain why today's been going so smoothly..."
She knew she was playing the role of the tsundere to a T right now. For her part, at least this time, she was doing it on purpose, but how could she not in this golden opportunity of a situation? Maybe, if she was lucky, ohhh, just maybe... Maybe she would lead Neptune riiiiight into her perfect confes...
"Today's going 'smoothly' 'cause we'd totally die if we went outside like we were gonna, Noire." ...sion. Or not. Unfortunately, Neptune just made a face and returned her focus to the game. "I'm a Pudding Type Neppymon, I'll melt if I go out there right now... Or worse, I'd get super sunburned if we went to the beach like we were going to. Who'd want Fried Neppen Wings? Not me!"
As she did her best to ease the crestfallen feeling that her time hadn't come... yet... Noire snorted. Trust Neptune to make everything about food and games somehow. Not that she disliked that.
"That's because you don't have any meat on you. It would just be the breading and bones." She informed her rival, smirking as she earned the reaction she had hoped for ("Whaaaaaat!?"). So maybe she'd gotten her hopes up for nothing — at least it had let her pull ahead in the race. "Now eat my dust!"
"Not if you eat mine first!"
Just like that, as quickly as it had been brought up, any talk of confessions and romance was left behind them in the virtual wind.