A/N: Actually I don't know why I put an A/N. I don't have anything to say except I don't own LoveLive! nor the characters. Please if I did, there'd be more focus on Nozomi and Eri (and they'd be definite canon).
Chapter 2. Something New
How they ended up in the bed from the kitchen was a blur. How they stripped down to their undergarments was an even bigger mystery. The only thing that Eri was sure of was that there was intensity between her and Nozomi. It was the type she hadn't felt before, at least not in this context. If their kisses and touches had been sweet before, now was pure passion. This defined passion. This… gave her no room to think. Eri surprisingly had a hard time catching up to Nozomi's assertiveness. Whereas the blonde was still a tad shy and more experimental, Nozomi asserted immediate dominance. She was claiming her love. She was claiming Eri.
That is, until she decided to stop.
Eri looked at her questioningly, albeit out of breath. She noted how much she missed Nozomi's weight on top of her as the said girl sat up abruptly. She missed the tingle, the touch. She missed Nozomi's lips. She followed Nozomi and hoped the girl would kiss her again like before. She whimpered when a finger stopped her.
"Are you sure?"
It was such a simple question. But it was a powerful one. By one question, all of Eri's senses woke up with an alert. They would be crossing that line. That realization hit Eri like a freight train. She gulped and gripped onto the sheets. She hadn't noticed she was shaking until Nozomi held her in an embrace.
"We don't have to rush…"
Nozomi stated. Eri wondered – worried, more or less – if that was disappointment. As if Nozomi knew of her worries, the twin-tailed girl gave her kisses: One on the lips, one on the forehead, and finally one on the nose. She received two more, one under each eye. Her eyes must have been teary. Nozomi had a tendency to do that.
"I know, but… I want to…"
Nozomi kissed her again.
"But you aren't ready."
It was a statement. Nozomi knew, and of course Eri knew. While she was pleasantly surprised by how intense their love could get, Eri was still surprised by the extent of it. It was exciting. But it was new. Eri didn't know the extent of how much Nozomi knew of… this, but it was definitely unknown territory for herself. She could go only so far with no knowledge. Of course she had Nozomi to rely on, but she didn't want it to be disappointing. Well, she didn't know what to expect so she couldn't really be disappointed… but what if it was something she actually didn't like or if she wasn't good for Nozomi? Not that she worried Nozomi would stop loving her if this went awry… but it was natural to want to be the best to someone you loved. And though she didn't admit it often, Eri knew she was a tad of a perfectionist. When matters came to Nozomi she wanted it to be perfect. She sighed and hugged her girlfriend.
"Erichi…"
Eri merely mumbled something of a reply into Nozomi's shoulder.
"I'm more than happy that I'm with you. This… isn't something we have to do unless you want to. Unless you're ready."
Eri didn't utter a word. She just held tighter to the twin-tailed girl. She appreciated Nozomi's unending generosity. Nozomi was Eri's anchor – her reason for stability. Despite the level-headedness and charisma she was known for, she was an utter mess under stress and handling emotions. Why else would she be shaking at the thought of expanding her relationship with Nozomi? What would the girls think of their of their ex student council president as such a scaredy-cat? Actually cross out that thought. She never wanted the girls to find out about this side of their relationship. Especially Kotori.
"How about we just call it a day and sleep on it for now?"
Eri agreed quietly as they cuddled underneath the sheets. Once they were all settled, she realized they were only in their underwear. She further buried herself under the blankets. Nozomi giggled at her embarrassment.
It had been a week since that day. And yet Eri could not concentrate in class, much less think of anything else. Her notes consisted of unintelligent… were these words or doodles? She couldn't really tell herself. Unfortunately, her state hadn't improved by lunch. And Nico obviously noticed.
"Are you going to eat your lunch by staring at that empty spoon?"
"Huh?"
"You're holding an empty spoon."
Nico mimicked Eri's pose.
"With a mouth half open, staring into space. Here, this is what you look like."
Nico then mimicked Eri's face. Despite the fact that it was herself that Nico resembled, Eri uncharacteristically snorted at how ridiculous Nico looked. When Nico gave her a glare, she apologized amongst her giggles and actually started to eat. But she didn't get more than a bite because she stopped when Nico asked if anything was wrong. She wouldn't say anything was wrong per se, something was on her mind but not wrong. So of course, Eri promptly answered that everything was fine and continued to eat. Much to Eri's surprise, however, the black-haired girl didn't let the topic slide as she usual did. It surprised Eri even more her friend hit off the bat and asked if it had to with Nozomi. Eri stuttered that no, it did not. Nico snorted at that of course. The short girl sported her condescending smirk.
"Oh please. You're always like that when it comes to Nozomi."
"I hate you, Nico."
The sunset was pretty. It had a tint of purple that reminded Eri of Nozomi. It was the same shade her hair sported right out of a shower. Nozom's hair had this indescribable sparkling beauty from the water. And when the water drops reflected under the sunlight… Eri wondered to what divine being she owed to be able to see such a beauty every day. It was a blessing that this beauty was hers, and she was even more grateful to be the beautiful Nozomi's. On one hand she was happy with where Nozomi and she were in their relationship and had appreciated Nozomi's words of that night. On the other hand, it was as if something had been awakened inside of Eri. Something… that she couldn't control or suppress. It could only be quenched by the passion she felt that night. Nothing was as exciting, as thrilling.
Nico had been surprisingly calm and gave actual advice this predicament of Eri's. The advice was actually so sound that Eri thought perhaps she was making too big of a deal out of it. Where and how Nico had that wisdom, Eri decided to ask of later if she ever decided she wanted to know more of her friend's private life. For now, Eri was busy mentally preparing herself to bring the conclusion of that discussion up to Nozomi later, back in the privacy of their bedroom. For now, she waited for Nozomi's class to end.
"I think we should try again tonight."
"Huh?"
"I want us to try… that… again."
"Erichi, really, we don't have to rush."
"We're not… I'm not rushing! I really do want to."
Eri was frustrated. Nozomi was treating her like a child. No matter what she said Nozomi thought it was too fast.
"Alright. I might still be a bit scared but that doesn't mean I'm not ready."
Nozomi changed expressions. Her face once frustrated, was now intrigued. Whether that meant good or bad, Eri had yet to know. She decided it was good when she received a kiss and was pushed onto the bed. She dimly noted that she once again ended up on the bottom.
"We're not going to do it tonight."
Nozomi stated as they pulled away for air. The blonde started to protest, but her partner shushed her.
"We're going to do something a little differently."
Eri was confused. So when Nozomi told her to act as she asked, she did.
