She blinked once, twice and then opened her eyes slowly. Very slowly as the feeling of light hit her eyes and she felt for a blanket to pull over her face. The fabric she reached for was a lot thinner than what she was used to and looked up at it as it was supported by her forearm. The light was able to shine through and that was strange. She felt the mattress beneath her wasn't the same either; it was a lot harder than usual. She blinked again and then slipped her hand over and felt something damp. The damp fabric made her jump a little that she lift the blanket away and saw a bed to her left. The legs of the bed, anyway. And then she saw a desk. And then she saw a bag. It was her bag. But this wasn't her room. When she saw a pair of legs and who it belongs to, she realized. Oh. Oh.
"Oh, look who's awake,"the red head mumbled and smirked at the brunette. Makoto sheepishly grinned and pursed her lips. "Good morning, Rin-chan,"Makoto greeted and smoothed the blanket over her lap as she sat up. Rin shrugged and stuffed her towel down her handbag. She hung the strap over her shoulder and turned to the girl. "I'm gonna be heading out now, classes are starting in thirty minutes,"Rin explained. "You'll be fine on your own?"Makoto furrowed her brows and fiddled with her hands. "Y-yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks."
When the girl left, Makoto felt a bit out of place. She slipped out the mattress and checked not to step into anything. But no; everything was neat and organised. Like a doll house, Makoto noted. It was…kinda cute. She took off the jacket and folded it neatly on Rin's bed. She pulled the mattress to the supply closet, hoping nobody was awake yet. The clothes she was wearing were a bit too worn out and she decided to get quickly on the move, even if the room was comfortable and she didn't get such good sleep.
She rummaged for her phone as she stepped down the stairs and pulled it out when she walked down the hall. There was a message from Haru and she clicked on it but felt a bit uneasy when she read it. Ren and Ran have been asking for should probably get over here. The message was sent over an hour ago and Makoto felt bad. If she just got up earlier she would've saw that message. If she got up earlier she would've properly talked to Rin. If she got up earlier she wouldn't have to get over to her house right away.
She replied the other by saying she was on her way home and the other replied saying they were waiting. When she got in the car and placed her hands on the wheel, she hesitated. But then she told herself to move and then she hesitated again. She could get out of the car and back into the dormitories and stay there, safe and sound waiting for Rin. Or she could go home and hold the twins tight, keeping them safe and sound from everything else. She hesitated. Then she took a minute to get out of the drive way.
The air was clear and clean over her skin and under her arms and down her waist. She moved fast but also slowly and felt the soft vibrations from under the floor and around her and moved within them. She step forward but it felt like going back. She felt light and almost none-existent but then, when she step back, she smelled the same rush she smelt the night before. It smelled like vanilla and ocean breeze and then she felt the weight on her shoulder and up her neck. She could hear a faint mumble and a whisper and she remembered. She stopped to snap back into reality.
"Is something wrong, Matsuoka?" Mikoshiba asked, concerned and walked over to the girl that was practically chewing on her lip. The red head shot a look to the teacher and took a breath. "I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well,"she explained under her breath and stretched her arms up to the ceiling. The teacher tilted her head and then leaned a little. When Rin glared at her for taking an inappropriate sniff, the teacher took a moment to grin. She started to chuckle and Rin was a bit uneasy when it turned to a hoarse laugh. The teacher then slapped the girl behind the back and told her congratulations that she'd "become a woman" and Rin practically wanted to slap her across the face when she strode over the room just laughing and praising. Laughing and praising.
This was the week that Rin and her other classmates had multiple classes and it tired her out a bit too much. One was theory, the other was history, the other was music and then it was natural environment and then it was back to dancing. And then it repeated and repeated and Rin wanted to collapse on the stairs. But, sitting down on the stairs, in the quiet amongst the girls that chatted and gazed and pranced, Rin breathed in the smell. It was the same smell; vanilla and ocean breeze. But it different somehow. She felt out of place around this school but when she takes a minute to stop thinking..she felt comfortable. She felt familiar. Like vanilla and ocean breeze.
At the end of the day, when she slipped into her bed sheets and held unto her jacket that she felt under her arms, she realized that wasn't there today. Neither was Makoto. But then she remembered and she felt her shoulders getting tense and she grabbed for her phone. A couple of messages from her brother, spam, spam, spam and then a message from Mikoshiba. But nothing else. Her shoulders became less tense and she told herself Makoto was probably okay. She a tall, pretty and charming girl; she'll be fine.
Or maybe she won't. It was a whole week later and no sign of Makoto. Not even Haru was showing up to the lessons. Rin tried to push the thoughts of the brunette back and away from her mind, but when she stared up at the ceiling from her comfy bed, she kept thinking about the tears stains on her jacket. It wasn't fair, really. Rin knew if Haru didn't babysit the twins that night, Makoto would've gone to her. They're practically sisters and anyone could see it from space. That's why Haru never showed up, Rin guessed. Because that robotic alien was comforting Makoto. That made her itch get bigger and bigger and she took a big breath as she stepped out.
"Hey, Ryugazaki,"Rin called. The dark blue-dyed haired girl turned to the girl that strode. She tilted her head as the redhead got closer. "Yes, Matsuoka?" Rin stopped and stared. She felt stupid for asking the costume designer for a favour, but she did say she owed her one for taking Nagisa home safely, so why not? Oh, right, because it's embarrassing. "Could you maybe take me to Makoto's house?" The violet eyed woman didn't say anything for a moment and furrowed her brow. "Why? Is something wrong?" Rin pursed her lips and felt her shoulders get tense. She hoped there wasn't.
"Can you just take me there, no questions asked?" Rei fiddled with the keys in her hands, still staring at the red head and twisted her lips. "Get in,"Rei mumbled and turned back to her car. Rin thanked the world that was over and done with and then slowly walked around and climbed into the car. Rei glanced at Rin at least twice when she started the car and drove out of the parking lot.
"What is your relationship with Makoto?"Rei asked simply and Rin wanted to climb out of the window. Something about Ryugazaki put off Rin. She didn't like how her violet eyes peered at her through her red glasses. "We're friends,"Rin mumbled and cupped her chin as she placed her elbow on the window pain. Rin didn't like it when she said that word. That word still didn't feel right and she wanted to spit it out. Plus, she wasn't sure if they were still friends.
The drive was a bit awkward and it felt like the two didn't want to say anything. Sure, Rin helped the two a bit with the blonde's pregnancy, but other than that they were out of each other's way. Nagisa would poke at Rin about her little interest in Makoto, but that was all. And Rei was her costume designer and nothing else. But when Rin climbed out of the car and hesitated walking further, Rei gave her a sympathetic look. "She's been waiting for you, y'know." Rin blinked and looked back at Rei with a 'huh'. "Check your phone,"Rei said as she moved back and then turned around to drive off.
Rin stood there for a moment and then she reached in for her phone. Two messages from her brother, spam, spam, spam, Mikoshiba…and then there it was.Hey, Rin, if you're not busy, can you maybe come over? It was sent on Wednesday and Rin felt like the biggest shit on earth.
The house was bigger than what she remembered and she hoped that there won't be a butler answering her knock. She glanced around and stuffed her hands in her pockets and took a big breath. Her itch was getting all over her neck and then down her spine when a certain dark haired girl opened the door. The pair of blue eyes peered at the other and then she leaned back a little, still holding unto the knob. "Bout time,"she said bitterly and then walked away, leaving Rin a bit astray. Although she wanted to snap back at the other, she left it and walked into the large entrance.
She gazed around the whole room and felt intimidated by the décor and pained tiles and all the marble details. Rin knew Makoto's family was rich, but damn. This was more than rich. This was owner of dance company rich. She then saw a long, big, wide stair case and felt for the railings as she stepped on each of them. She looked at each of the beautifully painted pictures and at the vanilla coloured walls and how out of place she felt. She then looked down the hall and didn't know which door to choose. Then she remembered something. Three doors down, to the right.
She then did what she remembered and held unto the knob tight. This was probably wrong, totally wrong but oh well. If was going to make her lost then she might as well be lost until she found something. Luckily she did find something when she opened the door; a sobbing Makoto. And that wasn't something that scratched her itch.
She didn't know what to do. The sobs and whimpers made Rin feel uneasy and when she stepped closer and it went quiet, she felt even worse. "M…Makoto,"Rin whispered. The brunette rubbed her palms on her face and then sniffed. She then looked over her shoulder at the red head and pulled her knees to her chest. "Ri…Hi,"she mumbled and pursed her lips. Rin looked around the room and tried not to question the sanitary conditions of it. She then glanced back at the brunette and felt her heart pour and she didn't like it. "What…what happened, Makoto? Are…are you okay?"
The brunette took a breath and then looked away slowly, arching her back to stuff her nose between her knees. "My…"Makoto croaked and Rin took a step forward. It wasn't normal, seeing charming, pretty and comforting Makoto arched and sniffing like she'd been crying for a decade. Rin stepped a bit closer and then sat next to the girl on the mattress. "My…"she glanced at the other, "…my mom left us." Rin didn't say a word and just flung her arm around the other girl's shoulder and let her rest her head on her shoulder.
"T-t-this i-isn't the f-first t-time,"the brunette spat and sniffed. Rin didn't like the stains on her jacket, but didn't say a thing. She just listened and hoped that the crying would end soon. "B-b-but I'm n-not s-sure i-i-if she'll c-come back,"she shivered and more tears fell. Rin wrapped the other arm around her and pursed her lips. "S-she t-took m-m-my dad's c-credit card a-and bank c-credit. S-she threatened to t-take a-a-all of his m-money. I-I'm s-sure she w-w-will,"Makoto furthere explained and wrapped her arms around the red head. "B-but if she d-does then w-we'll e-end up-p-p homeless,"she sniffed and Rin rubbed her hand on the girl's back.
They sat like that for a while. Rin felt steady, rubbing the girl's back and feeling less and less tears streaming down her shirt. She pursed her lips when the girl leaned back and kept her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Hey,"Rin started, but didn't know what to say. She remembered when she was little, in the hospital, sitting on those big white plastic chairs, waiting for someone to say something.
She would wait for anything form anyone. Just anything. And when she sat there, staring into Makoto's big puffy and teary eyes, she said the one thing she always waited for. "You're going to be fine, Makoto. You'll be just fine." When the brunette didn't say anything, Rin felt even more bad and the itch crawled up again. "T…thanks, Rin,"Makoto mumbled and rubbed the back of her hand under her eyes. "I needed that." Rin let her go of her grip and then felt a bit awkward for a moment. "So..um..do I smell mackerel?"
"Ew, Haruka. I don't want to eat mackerel again,"Nitori whined and grabbed the spatula from the dark haired girl's hand. Haru glared at the silver haired girl and folded her arms. "You don't have to eat it,"Haru mumbled. "Neither do you,"Nitori replied. "Neither do I,"Rin said from the counter. The two looked over at Rin and then back at the dish. Rin took one look at the plate of fish and wanted to gag. "I hate fish,"she muttered and then stepped around the counter. She sat next to the sink and glared at Haru that tried to sway the dish in her direction.
"Where's Makoto?"Nitori asked as she wheeled around the counter. Rin kicked her legs and chewed her lower lip. "She's still up in her room. She said she'd come out in a bit,"Rin felt a bit smug when Haru looked back at her a bit shocked. Well, she guessed she was a bit shock. That plain face was hard to figure out. Nitori just smiled as she smeared peanut butter over a slice of bread. "That's great. She hasn't come out of her room in a while. Can't blame her, either."
She pressed another slice on the other and leaned back into her seat. She then chewed into it and grinned at Rin. "It's really nice to see you again, Matsuoka-san,"Nitori chirped and the red head smirked. "Yeah, you too,"Rin said half-heartedly and leaned back. She then glanced at the dark head and then back to the silver head. "So…how do you know each other?"Rin wanted to start, but felt awkward when Nitori blushed a bit. "We're…we're,"Nitori glanced at Haru that chewed her mackerel.
"We're dating,"Haru said simply and Rin blinked. She blinked a couple of times and then stared back at the girl in the wheel chair. Nitori grinned sheepishly and then took another bite in the sandwich. "We've been dating for a year now,"Haru added and stuffed the mackerel in her mouth. Rin stared at the two that stood across from one another (well, Nitori sat, but that might sound rude) and shared a glance or two. They didn't seem like they were dating at all. "Congrats,"was all Rin could say and thanked the world she heard footsteps from behind.
"Hey, guys,"Makoto said softly and smiled at Haru's wave. "Are you hungry, Makoto-san?"Nitori asked sweetly and Makoto smiled. "No, I'll be fine." She then glanced at the red head and could feel the dry stains on her cheeks. "Are you, Rin-chan?" "Nah, I'm not hungry, thanks." Makoto walked around the counter and looked over her shoulder at the red head. "Are you sure?" Rin looked at the girl's soft tea-leaved green eyes and felt her itch fading. "Yeah, I'm sure."
The little girl climbed out of the car and thanked her teacher for taking her home. "It's pleasure, Ren-chan,"the teacher replied and looked over her shoulder at the little boy. "Are you okay, Ran-kun?" The little boy nodded and then slipped out of the seat and stood next to his sister. "We'll be fine. Thank you again, Nagisa-chan." The blonde nodded and then drove off. Ran took his sister's hand and then lead her to the front door. "Do you think Nee-chan will be okay?" Ren didn't answer.
The two looked up in surprise when Rin opened the door and then reached up to her shoulders to pull her into a hug. The red head smirked at the two little kid's chatter and pulled them into her arms. "Okay, okay,"she hushed and felt the familiar weight of her brother when he was little and chattering. Wait, he was still a little chatter box. 'Come on now, your big sister is waiting for you. She made you some nice dinner." The two looked at Rin and held unto her strong arms tight. "Is Nee-chan better?"Ran asked and Rin gave him a soft smile. "Yeah, yeah, I think she'll be fine."
The rest of that night was a nice one. Although Rin didn't want to admit it, she liked the family-feeling the three gave off. Makoto's fussy behaviour, Ren's constant boasting and Ran's oblivious but sweet nature. The twins constantly pulled Rin back when she said she had to leave and Makoto would distract her with her charming nature as always. It wasn't like Rin didn't like their behaviour, she just thought she wasn't welcome. But it felt like anyone was welcome here. It was nice. It was simple. Rin almost felt like smiling.
It took a while to get the two to settle down and into bed. They kept chattering and thanking and distracting but Rin said if they didn't go to sleep they would be bitten up and gobbled down. They went to sleep giggling and fidgeting but they went to sleep soon after that. Makoto walked down the stairs, gazing at the red head that stuffed her hands down her pocket. "They really like you,"Makoto said and smiled when Rin looked back at her.
"I guess I like them sort of too,"Rin shrugged and smirked at the brunette. "Y'know, I can babysit when you're busy. I get you're concerned for them and all the sentimental crap, but you still got college to worry about, y'know,"Rin suggested and Makoto stopped walking down the stairs and stared down at the girl that stopped a moment later. "That..that would be great,"Makoto folded her arms and kept smiling at the 19 year old. "Thank you." Rin smirked and shrugged. "Hey, do me one favour." Makoto nodded. "Stop saying 'thank you'. I'm just being human."
Rin decided not to leave just then (even if it was around 10pm) and accepted a hot chocolate from Makoto. It was raining outside and the two heard all the pitter patter from under the roof on the porch. The two didn't say anything and Makoto inched a bit closer to the red head and grinned at her cup. "Today was nice,"Makoto mumbled. "It means a lot that you came today, Rin-chan." Rin looked over at the girl and tilted her head. "It's okay. I was kind of worrying about you anyway,"she slipped and felt embarrassed when the girl grinned even brighter.
"You were worried about me?"Makoto looked up at the girl and Rin rolled her eyes. "No, I was worried about Haru's over cooked mackerel. Of course, I was worried about you,"Rin elbowed the girl and inched a bit closer. "We're friends, remember?" Makoto smiled weakly and said a low 'yeah', looking back at her cup. Rin blinked and then furrowed her brow. "Is something wrong?" Makoto shook her head and shrugged. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that..no it's stupid."
Rin rolled her eyes and sipped on the cup. "Who cares if it's stupid, tell me." Makoto fidgeted a bit and then leaned back. "I don't know, but I just don't like that word…" Rin rose a brow and leaned a bit closer. "What word?" Makoto pursed her lips and felt her cheeks tint a bit. "I don't know. That word 'friend' just doesn't seem to fit…When I think of friend I think of people like Haru and Nagisa or even Rei, but I just.."she glanced at the red head, "..I just don't think of you." That hurt Rin a bit, but then she realized. Oh. Oh.
"I..I feel the same way,"Rin whispered. Makoto leaned forward and looked back at the girl. "I just don't see you as a friend..I see you as something else,"Rin mumbled and fiddled with her hands. "Me too,"Makoto added and blinked when Rin looked back at her. The two stared at each other for a moment and then felt for one another's hands that lay on their knees. When Makoto held Rin's hand tight, the red head glanced up for the girl and leaned a bit closer. Closer. And then closer.
She wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in closer. The brunette pulled her in her lap and squeezed her sides tight. Rin parted her lips and bit into the other's lower lip and then pulled on the back of her shirt and let out a moan and then another. They pressed against one another and Makoto leaned a little forward. The brunette smoothed her hand over the other's leg and felt for under Rin's shirt. They pressed and squeezed and felt and when Rin moved back to take a breath, they took a look at one another. Makoto's neat ponytail was loose and messy and Rin's hair was all over the place.
Rin slowly smoothed her hands over the girl's arms and Makoto sheepishly moved her hands away from the rims of Rin's bra and looked down at the red head's knees. "Ri- "-Ma," the two stopped and pursed their lips. Rin looked up and then down and parted her lips but then shut them again. Makoto felt a bit ashamed and clasped her hands together. "I..I'm.."she didn't know how to end that. Rin blinked and then glanced up at the brunette.
"Makoto, I'm sorry. "No, I'm sorry." Rin shook her head and then pulled her hair back away from her face. She sighed and then looked back at the brunette that tilted her head at the girl. "..are you sorry?"Makoto slipped and Rin twisted her lips. "Well..I..I didn't hate it,"wow, Rin. Real smooth and charming. Makoto rubbed her shoulder and pulled her strap back over her other shoulder. "I..I didn't hate it either…" The two shared a look and then looked back a their knees. Rin pursed her lips and couldn't help but look back at the brunette again.
She took a breath and then leaned in to slid the hair away from Makoto's face. She tucked the strand behind her ear and gave a small grin at the brunette that looked up at her as well. The red head placed her hand on the other's shoulder. Makoto closed her eyes slowly when Rin pecked her lips and then smiled when she pulled away. "A…another one,"Makoto whispered when Rin leaned back. The red head blinked, but didn't question. She then leaned back in and pecked her lips again. And then again. And then again. And again. Again.
They were kissing and squeezing and pulling and Rin hardly realized that the rain stopped. They were lonely. They met one another. It was late. They were tired. They kissed. It was simple, really. Or maybe it wasn't simple at all.