a/n: happy slightly belated mountainversary! writer's block is Evil btw. also i love y'all so much and i can't express how monumentally important hibike has been to me these past few years
Kumiko tapped her foot, trying to focus on the sound of her shoe hitting the tile, trying to ignore the sheer loudness of everything around her. She was certain there was a casino located somewhere at this hotel, but she wasn't about to look around and find out. Sitting below a ridiculously elaborate fountain fashioned after a waterfall, twirling a lock of hair around her finger until it started pulsing, she had just one reason to be there.
Reina Kousaka.
Tearing her gaze from her foot for a moment, Kumiko looked around at the milling crowd to see if she could make out Reina's distinctive figure, her dark hair cascading down her back, her trumpet case swinging at her side. It had been too long since they'd seen each other, and the circumstances of the traveling orchestra - namely, the constant shifting of timezones - made video calls nearly impossible. Long distance was not easy, they both knew it, but six months really wasn't too much time in the long run, not when the sapphire ring glimmered on Kumiko's finger and they had a flat in America empty, waiting for them. This was the end of it, the end of late-night texting and beds that felt cold and boundless in their space.
Natsuki: is she here yet?
Kumiko dug her phone out of her pocket and read the message over before tapping out a response.
Kumiko: nope
Kumiko: she's not late yet though
The hotel was dry despite the rushing fake waterfall behind her, and Kumiko squeezed her eyes shut to get the uncomfortable feeling out of them.
Natsuki: it's gonna be really fun, y'know
Natsuki: us being neighbors
Natsuki: you and me and kousaka and haz
Kumiko: haz?
She had to stifle a chuckle.
Natsuki: what?
Natsuki: can't i give my gf a cute nickname?
Kumiko: you're adorable
Natsuki: i'm not adorable
Natsuki: i'm badass and i'm your mentor and i'm the reason you've got such a nice apartment in new york since the rent's actually the stupidest thing here
Kumiko: and we're both very grateful
Reina was still nowhere to be seen.
Kumiko: what if she doesn't want this anymore?
Natsuki: then she's not good enough for ya
Natsuki: also you two already signed the contract and everything
Natsuki: that's like a marriage proposal
Natsuki: also you're literally getting married
Kumiko shrugged, then realized that Natsuki couldn't see her.
Kumiko: i guess
Natsuki: you /guess/?
Natsuki: ten years i've known ya
Natsuki: ten years and you're still a hopeless gay idiot
Natsuki: never change, kumiko
Kumiko: i'll try not to
Setting down her phone, Kumiko took to daydreaming about how to fill up their apartment - there'd be one bed, obviously, and she'd keep her cactus collection by the window so they could get sunlight. Natsuki had told her that there was a balcony so Reina could blast her trumpet out to the city skyline below.
Maybe I could take up the euph again, Kumiko thought, and the idea made her grin. We'd play duets. There'd be a cozy couch in the apartment, too, for the two of them to cuddle up on after long days. It'd be New York, all glitz and glamour from what she'd seen on TV, but it'd still be the two of them, Kumiko and Reina, special and against the world.
She couldn't wait.
Kumiko: and thanks again by the way
Kumiko: for arranging this and everything
Natsuki: hey, what're friends for?
Natsuki: anyway it's literally two in the morning here and i need to actually sleep so
Natsuki: call me when your plane lands
Natsuki: and
"Waiting for someone?" Kumiko's head snapped up so fast she feared she'd pull a muscle. Reina stared back down at her, an impish smile starting to trace her lips. Kumiko sprang up and pulled her into a close hug.
"I've missed you so much," she whispered, threading her fingers through the ends of Reina's hair, breathing her in, intoxicating as always. Her heart seemed to melt into a warm, golden mess.
"We have a plane to catch, don't we?"
"I guess we do."
Kumiko was glad to be out of the hotel, even if the airport wasn't much better. Holding Reina's hand in her own while dragging her suitcase in the other, it all felt like a dream.
"Nakagawa-san has the apartment ready for when we get there?"
"Mm-hmm." Kumiko paused. "Y'know, you'll have to start calling her Natsuki eventually. We're going to be neighbors."
"I'll start doing that eventually."
"Will you?"
"I will."
Kumiko wouldn't - couldn't - push her on that.
"You've been, right?" she asked. "With the orchestra. I remember you talking about that hotel room."
"It was . . . unnecessarily luxurious." Reina ran her palm along the handle of her suitcase, as if trying to relive the sensation. "But I could see the whole city from there. It was beautiful, all the twinkling lights - not unlike the mountain, really."
"Huh." Kumiko chuckled a bit, thinking warmly of that spot they'd spent their youth on, watching everyone below like queens of the world. "D'you think it'll be like that with our apartment."
"Probably not. Rent's expensive there."
"Blunt as always, Reina."
"Who's the one who asked me if I really thought we could make it to Nationals?" Reina prodded Kumiko with her elbow, and Kumiko felt herself falling in love all over again. "We're both terrible people, I suppose."
"I still can't believe it's been this long." Kumiko looked down at her hand, now joined with Reina's while the other dragged the bumpy suitcase. "I m-mean, who else do you know who marries their high school sweetheart?"
"Nakagawa-san."
"That's a good point." Kumiko paused for a moment. "They're, uh, they're not married yet, though. Natsuki said they're talking it slow. I think she wants Hazuki to 'experience New York's gay scene' before tying the knot."
"Is she afraid she'll leave?"
"I guess." Kumiko looked up at the pristine white ceiling, signs pointing to each terminal fixed to it. "Everyone's got a different way of dealing with stuff."
"All passengers on flight 527, please report to Terminal Eight," a robotic voice blared over the loudspeakers.
"That'd be us," Kumiko sighed, holding Reina's hand a little tighter. "Ready?"
"Certainly."
The plane ride was long and dull, with tiny glowing screens in the back of the seats burning themselves into Kumiko's eyelids. It wasn't all bad, though - Reina beside her, a ratty blue blanket covering the two of them, those were lovely things. Besides, she could sometimes see city lights out the window, when the night fell and they made it past the ocean.
Everything makes me nostalgic these days, huh? she thought, cupping her chin in her hand. Reina stirred from her slumber.
"Kumiko?" she murmured, voice thick with sleep.
"Hmm?"
"Good night." Reina closed her eyes again and went back to her position, leaning on the pillow in Kumiko's lap.
They arrived at one in the morning, though to Kumiko it still felt like it might've been around noon. Regardless, she was exhausted, leaning on Reina for support as her leaden legs dragged her through the cramped airport. It was surprisingly easy to find a taxi - not at all like Uji's sleepy nightlife, she thought idly - and Kumiko allowed herself to close her eyes for a little while until they reached the apartment.
Natsuki and Hazuki were already sitting inside when they got to the apartment. Rather, Natsuki was sitting inside - Hazuki was fast asleep on a pile of cardboard boxes. Kumiko blinked, too tired to really know what was happening at all.
"D-did we go to the wrong apartment by mistake?" she asked. Natsuki laughed.
"We were waiting for you, ya dorks!" she cackled. Hazuki kicked her leg in the air. Reina, with more energy than she'd shown on the whole trip, rushed to the window. Kumiko followed her, and gasped at what she saw. The city was lit up, glittering like a technicolor dream, alive and breathing with something unmistakable. Natsuki folded her arms, smirking fondly. "Nah, you're right where you're supposed to be."
a/n: thank you, hibike