Kanan still found it hard to believe that You wore glasses. She'd known this fact for years, ever since they were children. As they got older, however, this fact became less believable. It just didn't seem to fit together. The strong, confident swimmer and heartthrob that You had grown up to be contrasted so sharply with the pensive, almost somber look she had whenever she had her glasses on. Maybe it was because she always wore her glasses at night, and she just happened to be thinking more at those times. Kanan didn't know, and she'd never asked. Still, it just seemed odd.
Hanamaru wearing glasses made sense. She was a short bookworm with a quiet - some would say 'lazy' - disposition. You was the complete opposite of that. She was cheerful and outgoing. Someone like her was not someone you would expect to be wearing glasses. Of course, Kanan always had to remind herself that those thoughts were stereotypes, and that anyone could wear glasses, regardless of attitude. It was a problem with eyesight. That didn't stop it from seeming weird, though. She just had to keep reminding herself.
They looked good on her, though. It wasn't something she'd thought about much until lately. Back when she was a kid, the thought of, "Hey, my friend looks bangin' in those spectacles" was not a thought that would've ever occurred to her. Then she was spending a lot of time in her formative years with Dia and Mari, leaving less time to be around Chika and You. Now they were all together in one big, happy idol family, allowing her time to really, truly think, "Hey, my friend looks bangin' in those spectacles."
The reason she was thinking about it that night was because she and You had gone for a late night swim together. Chika had been with Riko all day, so it was just the two of them. The reason Kanan had invited her to swim was two-pronged, but for both of them it was the same deal. She was feeling like a third wheel at times when it came to Dia and Mari, and she could tell that You was feeling the same way with Chika and Riko. This was a way for them to get away from all that and just relax. Plus, it felt like it had been forever since it had just been the two of them hanging out together. Maybe that had never happened before, so it was definitely way overdue.
The swimming had been fine - great, even. It was when they had finished drying off and were hanging together in Kanan's room that she truly noticed the whole 'glasses' ordeal that she'd gone on about for awhile. You had brought her glasses case, admitting that it was better for her to not strain her eyes when there wasn't as much light. That was fine, and Kanan understood that, but she hadn't really expected You to put on the glasses. It was dark outside, but the lights in her room were on. That wasn't supposed to be an issue.
Then You asked if she could sleep over. Kanan hadn't expected that, but she'd said yes before really thinking about it. That was what friends did, right? They'd slept over plenty of times when they were kids. They were younger then, though, and Chika had always been there. She couldn't ever remember sleeping over with just You and her, but when she realized what she'd gotten herself into, it made her nervous. That was probably because she had somewhat of a crush on You.
Okay, that was probably easy to see coming. It wasn't for her, though. They had just been friends, whether it was best friends or casual friends, but when they all came together in Aqours, it was like her feelings smashed into her all at once. Suddenly the simple things You did meant so much more. The way she stretched and worked out with the rest of the girls was that much more appealing to watch. The way other girls naturally gravitated to her, wanting to take a picture with her or give her a hug, made her feel more jealous than respectful. Things that were supposed to be normal became completely different out of the blue, and it all seemed to go full circle towards her glasses.
It seemed like such a weird thing to focus on, like there weren't tons of other impressive things about You that Kanan could jabber on about all day, every day. There was something about her glasses, though. Specifically when she wore them. That night she did put them on, though Kanan only noticed because she just so happened to wake up from her slumber rather quickly. It was a lucky unlucky happenstance. They had both gone to bed, and Kanan had fallen asleep rather quickly. However, she had that really annoying dream where it felt like she was falling. She couldn't see her surroundings - it was all black - but she could feel a force tugging her down, and when she hit... something, she didn't know what, it woke her up with a shock. After bemoaning the unwanted awakening, she noticed that You wasn't in the room anymore.
Frowning, she figured You must've gone to the bathroom, but she inexplicably felt an urge to check and make sure that was true. She pushed the covers off of herself and got up, going to the bathroom and gently knocking. There was no answer. "You?" Still no answer. That worried her, making her more awake as she tried to figure out where she could've gone. So she started to tip-toe through the house, trying to be as quiet as possible. Not only to not wake up her parents, but also to listen for any odd sounds.
There were no strange sounds to be heard, but when she made her way to the front door, she saw that You's shoes were missing. Her first thought was that You had stole away in the night, but the rest of her stuff were still in the room. She'd noticed it while leaving, so that probably wasn't it. But where had she gone where she needed shoes, then? Certainly outside, but why?
As quietly as she could, she unlocked the front door and opened it up, looking outside. She didn't see anyone out there, though. That meant she would have to try the back door, then. If she wasn't there, Kanan didn't know what she would do. So she put on her shoes and went around to the back, peering out the blinds to see if she could see her.
Yup, there she was. She was sitting on the docks, facing the ocean. Moving from the window to the door, she unlocked it and went outside, gently shutting it behind her. That was enough noise to alert You, though. She looked over with surprise, but relaxed a bit when she noticed who it was. "I thought you were still asleep."
"I was, but I woke up." Well, that was obvious, huh? She went over and sat next to You, taking off her shoes so she could dip her toes into the water. Glancing over at You, she frowned as she saw that familiar pensive look. She wished that she knew what it meant. Maybe she needed to ask. "So what's up? How come you're not asleep?"
"I was just... thinking, I guess." Of what, she didn't say. She just stared out into the ever-expansive ocean, the moon casting light on the calm waters. You looked really good with her glasses on. That was the crux of all the changes that were going on. Did that make sense? Probably not. The glasses had always been a small thing, and something that didn't seem to fit well with You's personality. Now they... well, they still didn't, but they seemed to fit anyway. They looked good: attractive, really. God, You was attractive. All the small things had banded together to rise as one, and to point out to Kanan that hey, she was crushing hard.
"Thinking about what?" Kanan tried prodding a bit more, hoping that You would open up more. She still seemed hesitant, though. "You can talk to me, you know? We're friends, aren't we?"
"Of course we are!" You's eyes widened, as if she really believed that Kanan was doubting their friendship. One cheeky grin from Kanan made her realize what was happening, and she shoved Kanan's shoulder while pouting. "Not funny. Okay, okay, fine..." She still stayed silent for a bit longer, trying to form her thoughts into a coherent phrase. "I've been... jealous lately."
"Jealous? Of what?" Kanan had never taken You to be the jealous type. In fact, with her penchant for having other people gravitate towards her, she seemed more like the one to make others jealous. At least Yoshiko, as far as she knew.
"Of how happy Chika and Riko are. It's so obvious how happy they make each other, and I... I just want something like that, you know?" Kanan's heart fluttered, hearing how You wanted a relationship like Chika and Riko had. That gave her hope that she didn't even know she wanted. If You wanted a relationship... why not with her? They'd been friends for a long time, and they were pretty similar in their likes and workout ethic. That had to count for something, right?
"So you've been thinking about getting in a relationship, huh?" Kanan squeezed You's shoulder, smiling. "You're really growing up, then."
"Aww, knock it off!" Pouting all over again, You pushed Kanan's hand away. "Besides, I'm only one year younger than you."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Kanan laughed, trying to figure out what else she wanted to say. "So... If you want a relationship, what kind of person would you be looking for?" She decided it was best to try and see where You wanted to go with it. That way she wouldn't be hurt too badly if she wasn't the kind of girlfriend You wanted.
"Well... I guess I hadn't really thought of it." You laughed sheepishly, kicking at the water. "I just wanted one, and figured the rest would fall into place. But... maybe someone who's into exercise. I mean, they don't have to be super into it like I am, but it'd be nice if they wanted to go jogging sometimes, or swimming. But we're by the ocean, so maybe that's easy to find? Haven't we all been in the water here at some point?"
"Probably, yeah." Her heart fluttered even more than before. That sounded a lot like her. She absolutely exercised a lot and was also basically a dolphin. Those were two points in her corner, and she couldn't think of anyone else who really fit that. "What about personality? Is there something there that you'd look for?"
"Someone who's chill. I'd be there for them no matter what, but it's nice to have someone who doesn't sweat anything. I like having things calm and fun." Okay, she could totally do that. That just sounded like her life in general, anyway. When Dia and Mari weren't arguing about some shenanigans, anyway. Could it be true that she actually had some kind of shot?
"That sounds really nice. You know, I feel the same way sometimes. Dia and Mari may argue a lot, but they really care about each other. That does seem nice to have... without all the arguing, I mean."
"Yeah, it really does." You kept staring out into the ocean, with an expression that was worryingly unreadable. What did that mean for their dating chances? Kanan didn't know. Maybe something was wrong and she was having trouble picking up on it. "Do you think you could ask someone if they liked you? Even if it was scary to do so?"
"I... maybe?" If she had that ability, maybe she would've said something by now. Maybe she would say it right now, to really get the ball rolling there. But she also didn't want to get rejected and have it harm their friendship. She'd already been too good at harming friendships in her short life. There was no good reason to make a habit out of it. "Do you have someone in mind already?"
"Maybe?" You sighed and laid back on the dock, holding her hands together behind her head. "It's just... weird, I guess. There's one girl, but I've known her for so many years. It seems weird to have things go farther than what we have."
"You're not talking about Chika, are you?" The words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
"What? No! I wouldn't try to get with Chika while she's with Riko!" You sat right back up, eyes wide. "I didn't mean her!"
"I didn't mean that you meant her," Kanan protested. "It's just that it sounded like her. I mean, how many other girls have you been friends with for many years besides her and me?" Hmm... Maybe You was referring to her. Yeah, that made sense. Under the moonlight, she could see a blush coming to You's cheeks. It was slight, but it was noticeable. "Unless you mean me."
"You? I, uh... That's... That'd be weird, right?" You laughed, but it was a strained laugh. The blush on her face was definitely more noticeable, and it made Kanan smile. She had a good feeling about where this was going now. "I mean, we've been friends for... forever, right?"
"Just like the girl you're talking about."
"Uh... Yeah, funny how that works." At that point, Kanan swooped in, leaning close to You and tipping her chin up with a finger. "Kanan... What are you doing?"
"I also have a long time friend that I've had in mind." Kana's voice dropped to a whisper, but You could hear her loud and clear. "I wasn't sure how I could bring it up with them, but now I think I do."
"How?" You's voice had also dropped to a whisper. Kanan smiled and gently grabbed You's glasses, removing them from her face and laying them on the dock.
"By saying that I feel the same way." Then she leaned in and kissed You, a slow, sensual first kiss with as much meaning as she could put into the non-verbal communication. It didn't take long for You to reciprocate, laying a hand on Kanan's shoulder to kiss her back. Though it wasn't the most intensive kiss in the world, You still seemed breathless when they finally broke apart.
"Wow..." You breathed out, wearing a goofy smile. "So you do... really?"
"Yeah, I do." Kanan couldn't help but to smile back, pulling You into a tight hug. "So, what do you think? Would you want a girlfriend like me?"
"Oh yes, absolutely." You laughed and leaned against Kanan, sighing contently. "You're perfect, really." Kanan beamed at that, closing her eyes and smiling brightly. This was absolutely perfect. "So you're sure it's not Chika?"
"Yup, pretty sure."