"Is it really that bad?" Madoka looked worried. Her usually cool demeanor was gone and replaced with a look of genuine concern.
"Madoka," Ayako sighed. "Madoka, Madoka…"
"Would you quit saying my name and answer my question?"
"Madoka, I get that you have the whole pink hair thing going, but that is no excuse for a white turtleneck." Ayako laughed, "I don't think there are any excuses for a white turtleneck…"
"I'm just going to meet an old friend later," Madoka protested. "Not a date or anything."
Ayako rolled her eyes.
"But seeing an old friend you should look your best," Ayako explained as if quoting a universal law of nature. "You want them to think you have it all together." She stood and looked Madoka up and down again. "You don't," she hooked a red fingernail under the fold of Madoka's turtleneck sweater, "Want them to know that you're a single nerd that steals clothes from her grandmother's closet."
Madoka blushed as Ayako ran her finger along the fabric around her neck. Ayako didn't seem to notice, however, as she had moved on to evaluating the state of Madoka's skirt.
"And plaid, really?" Ayako scoffed. "Are you a schoolgirl?"
Madoka's blush deepened.
"Let me take you shopping." Ayako offered decidedly. "You have got to get some new clothes."
"That's really…" Madoka faltered.
"Madoka," Ayako interrupted. "I care about you enough to keep you from going out in that. Seriously."
"Ugh, fine." Madoka conceded. "I'm not meeting my friend until tonight, so I have a few hours."
"Great!" Ayako smiled widely, as she usually did when she got her way.
"I was planning on going home and taking a nap…" Madoka mumbled.
Ayako laughed, "The old lady clothes turned you into an actual old lady?"
At that moment, Monk appeared in the doorway.
"Ayako are you talking to yourself again?"
Ayako rolled her eyes.
"No, Takigawa."
"Then who are you calling an old lady?"
Madoka stifled a laugh at this comment.
"Me, I'm afraid." she clarified in Ayako's defense. "And she's not wrong in the slightest."
"I'm taking her shopping for some more flattering outfits." Ayako explained. "I'm trying to get my scout badge for assisting the elderly."
"Hey!" Madoka's face flushed as she tried in vain to find a suitable retort.
Ayako, however, had already gathered her jacket and purse and was standing at the door.
"Are you coming, grandma?" she giggled. "Wouldn't want you to miss Bingo night!"
"Okay, okay." Madoka shook her head, laughing a little despite herself. "Goodbye, Takigawa-san!"
Monk shouted goodbyes to both ladies as Madoka followed Ayako out the door.
"Right," Ayako said as they reached the parking lot. "Your car or mine?"
Madoka shrugged.
"I'm fine with either."
"Mine, then." Ayako decided, leading Madoka towards her small, red car.
The inside of Ayako's car was pristine, Madoka observed, and smelled faintly of rosewater and of Ayako's cinnamon perfume.
"Do you have your car detailed every day?" she asked, incredulously.
Ayako laughed as she fastened her seatbelt.
"Hardly," she smirked. "I just take good care of the things I care about."
Madoka nodded, trying not to let her face show that she had recently cleaned an exorbitant amount of stray receipts and spare change out of her car and tried in vain to get out several cola stains.
Ayako tapped her fingernails against the steering wheel as she waited to turn out of the parking lot.
"So," she glanced at Madoka quickly. "This person you're meeting up with, are they cute?"
Madoka's face scrunched up in a confused expression.
"I'm sorry?"
"Is this a romantic meet-up or are you just getting back in touch with an old schoolmate?"
"Oh, um," Madoka stammered. "She and I are just friends."
Ayako raised an eyebrow.
"So she's not cute or…"
"She's straight."
"And you're not, I presume?" Ayako had her suspicions, but had never confirmed anything with Madoka. She could tell that Madoka worked hard to appear mysterious. And Ayako would be lying if she said that was not a turn-on…
"Um," Madoka forced a grin. "Is there a reason you're asking?"
Ayako laughed.
"I'm just trying to get to know you, Madoka." she shook her head. "Seriously, I don't bite."
"I'm sorry." Madoka frowned. "I'm just usually not very open about these things."
They drove in silence for an entire minute before Madoka spoke again.
"I'm bisexual." she whispered. "But it's not really something I shout about so I was just surprised you guessed."
"Oh, honey…" Ayako's voice took on a condescending tone. "You have pink hair and you're unironically wearing a turtleneck. If that doesn't scream 'bisexual' I don't know what does."
Madoka blanched.
"How can you tell these things?" She was genuinely fascinated. "Seriously, how?"
Ayako shrugged.
"There's a lot you can tell about a person by the clothes they wear." She paused, giving Madoka a sideways glance. "That, and you've trimmed your nails before your last two blind dates."
Madoka made fists in order to hide her nails. She not sure what good this would do besides make her feel less self-conscious. She worked hard to keep her love life from interfering with her work. Had it really all been that obvious?
Ayako laughed but said nothing.
"Do you pay that much attention to everyone?" Madoka asked. "Because, if so, you should really consider becoming a detective."
"Well," Ayako blushed slightly. "I pay attention when I feel like I should." she explained vaguely. "Not to everyone, but certainly not just you."
Madoka's face scrunched unconsciously as she considered this vague statement.
"Who else, then?" she prodded. "Monk? Don't you fancy him?"
"Monk?" Ayako scoffed. "He's tall but that's about all he has going for him."
Madoka frowned.
"Really?" She considered. "He's super nice and not unattractive…"
Ayako shrugged but did not elaborate as she pulled her car, now, into the mall parking lot.
Madoka wondered if she had misjudged Ayako's taste. She was sure that she and Monk were going out, if not very close to doing so.
Ayako raised an eyebrow at Madoka as she parked.
"What are you thinking about?"
Madoka shook her head quickly.
"Nothing!" she assured. "I was just thinking about how you and Monk were always taking the piss out of each other, that wasn't flirting?"
"I've been taking the piss out of you all afternoon." Ayako deadpanned. "That wasn't flirting."
"Oh," Madoka frowned. Maybe she had been wrong about that too.
"Come on, grandma." Ayako laughed, getting out of the car. "Let's find you some suitable clothes."
Madoka stepped out of the car and followed Ayako into the mall. Truth be told, she hated clothes shopping. She could never find anything suitable that was not criminally overpriced. She was also a few inches taller than most girls in Japan, so most clothes that did fit her were too short to be appropriate.
"Let's check here first, yeah?" Ayako indicated a small boutique.
It was not the first place Madoka would have chosen, but she saw a few items in the window that looked quite stylish. She nodded, deciding that she would trust Ayako's taste for the day. What could be the harm?
"Try this on first." Ayako ordered, holding out a bright pink bra and panty set.
"I'm- I'm sorry?" Madoka shook her head frantically. "You don't know my size!"
Ayako rolled her eyes.
"Soon as I'm done with you, you're going to need cute panties for whoever is taking off the hot clothes I put you in." Ayako explained. "You'll thank me later."
Madoka frowned but said nothing.
"But you're absolutely right, we should have you properly measured - Ma'am!" Ayako called one of the attendants over.
"Yes?" The employee smiled at Ayako and Madoka in turn "What can I help you with?"
"This woman needs a proper fitting." Ayako explained, indicating Madoka.
Madoka awkwardly raised a hand in greeting.
The attendant nodded.
"Right this way, then!" she began towards a fitting room and motioned for Madoka to follow.
Madoka obliged, but sent a harsh glare back at Ayako as she went.
"Have you had a fitting before?" the attendant asked her as they stepped into an unoccupied dressing room.
Madoka shook her head reluctantly, seeing no point in telling a lie.
The attendant smiled.
"That's okay," she said, closing the door behind them. "It'll be worth it, I promise."
The woman asked Madoka to take off her sweater so that she could get a more accurate measurement. Madoka agreed, easily confident again with Ayako safely in the other room.
The woman used a pink measuring tape and measured Madoka's bust and shoulders before nodding and excusing herself to go and find something suitable.
Madoka heard the woman's muffled voice outside the fitting rooms talking to someone who sounded like…
Oh god.
Madoka blushed. Ayako was helping the woman choose bras for her to try on.
There was a knock on the dressing room door and Madoka reached to open the door to let the attendant back in. However, she was surprised as Ayako herself pushed her way through the stall door.
"Ayako?" Madoka was stunned, hugging her arms to her chest. She was still not wearing a shirt. "What did you do with the attendant?"
Ayako held out a small stack of pink, lacy bras and panty sets as she shamelessly appraised Madoka's chest.
"I guessed right, you know?"
"Excuse me?"
"The attendant told me your size and I was right with my guess before you were measured."
Madoka shook her head in disbelief.
"Have you been paying that much attention to my bust, Ayako?" Then she paused, an idea crossing her mind. She crossed Ayako to stand in front of the dressing room door, gaining confidence as she saw Ayako's confused expression.
"Ayako," Madoka leaned against the door to keep it closed. Her hands were on her hips, she was no longer trying to hide, though her sweater remained folded on the bench beside her. "Were you flirting with me?"
Ayako's surprised expression remained.
"What do you mean?" Her voice remained cool.
"I mean," Madoka leaned forward slightly, smirking as she saw Ayako's gaze flicker downwards as she did so. "Earlier when you said you weren't flirting with me, you were lying."
"How would you know?" Ayako crossed her arms defiantly.
Madoka shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe it's just the fact that I have a Masters in criminal psychology." she said in a passive tone. "I'm usually pretty good at telling truths from lies."
Ayako inched herself closer to Madoka, smirking.
"Why didn't you call me out earlier?" Her eyes narrowed. "Do you usually only confront people about their crushes when you're shirtless?"
Madoka's eyes widened, but she quickly gained composure.
"I can put my shirt back on if you want me to." she stated calmly.
"You can leave it off." Ayako shrugged as if she were indifferent, but she definitely had an opinion.
"Does that mean that you were flirting or…"
Ayako sighed.
"Actually, no, I'm really not the flirting type." she explained. "I believe in being more straight-forward. I don't like to waste time in any sense."
"I've figured that out by now." Madoka laughed, despite herself.
"That being said," Ayako paused and stepped forward, closing the gap between Madoka and herself even more. "I do really like you." She hooked her arm around Madoka's bare back and pulled her away from the dressing room door.
Madoka shivered, feeling Ayako's nails gently against the skin of her lower back.
"I like you even if you dress like my grandmother." Ayako said quickly before pressing her lips against Madoka's.
Madoka gasped. She was hoping for some kind of confession, a yes or no, but this… This was something else entirely. She groaned slightly as she leaned into the kiss, wrapping an arm around Ayako's neck to pull her down closer.
Ayako laughed as she pulled away, seeing that her magenta lipstick had transferred messily to Madoka's lips.
"Here," She reached into her purse and dug out a silk handkerchief. She gently dabbed the pigment from Madoka's lips. "Sorry about that."
Madoka giggled, looking down at her feet.
"Next time," She looked back up to meet Ayako's eyes. "Wipe off the lipstick before, okay?"
Ayako raised an eyebrow.
"Next time?"
Before Madoka could answer, she was startled by a knock on the dressing room door.
"You ladies doing alright?" the attendant asked.
"Oh!" Madoka stifled a laugh. "Yeah, I'm just trying on one more option!"
"Alright," the attendant called. "Let me know if I can help you with anything else!"
As soon as they were sure the attendant was out of earshot, both ladies let out a giddy laugh.
"Oh my god," Madoka buried her face in her hands. "Did we actually just do that?"
Ayako laughed, "Yes, we did." She reached up and moved Madoka's hands away from her face, taking them in her own. "And we are about to do it again."
hello! I am updating twice in one week! don't get used to it, though, I had my first day of classes at University today so I'll probably be too busy to write soon enough. I really, really hope you enjoyed this. thank you so much to Sam/Tiffo for help with ideas and to Hannah for being my beta. I'm avoiding writing yasune angst so I decided to work with a few rarepair stories. can I just say... I am in love? I am completely obsessed with ayadokes, okay. am I the first/only one? please love them! I recommend writing a story for this ship at least once because it is so much fun I swear. let me know if you do because I would love to read it! please, please rate and review if you have the time to do so! thank you so much for reading!
love, Bee
