"So, what do you think of Yumi-san?" Suki asked between slurps of food court noodles.

Lillian totally had to pinch herself and check for deja-vu. A week had passed since Miss Yu's freaky rooftop bonfire and here she was: another random-ass meeting at the mall for lunch, another honking-big ramen bowl to keep Suki's big fat ass from collapsing; now, that same simple question, only this time, Suki's cheery smile came with a buggy twitch in her eye. The twerp was looking for permission to vent.

"Honest to god, I can't stand that bitch."

And the floodgates opened wide.

"She keeps going through my manga collections, folding back the covers and dog-earing the pages!"

"She keeps rifling through my purse 'n totally smoking all my cigarettes!"

"She strapped a sponge to my yaoi paddle and used it to wash her back!"

"She used up my mini-fig paints for her 'art sketches'! Freakin' amateur hour, by the way."

"She leaves her dirty clothes on the bathroom floor!"

"She totally lets the trash pile up!"

"She eats my snacks!"

"She drinks my beer!"

Suki paused. "Her cooking's still oishi."

"Totes awesome," Lillian agreed. "But that's totally not the point! She keeps making these creepy-ass sex comments around me, shit about 'discipline' and 'mommies'. Like, gag me with a spoon!"

"At least she talks to you. Every time I ask her something, Yumi-san's voice goes super high and she starts saying all this weird alien stuff."

"Suki, she's speaking Japanese."

"But what? Last night she kept bugging me at supper - Suki-chan, shio o watashite kudasai. Chigau! Shio, shio! It's like she's mad at me or something. Mou! What did Suki-chan ever do, desu?"

Lillian looked over Suki's brown-baked skin, her chalky eyeliner and bleached blonde hair, all gift-wrapped in a Hello Kitty jacket. "No freakin' idea."

"Have you talked to Zoey-senpai about her?"

"Omigod Suki, it's exam season! Zoe's up to her eyeballs cramming for tests. Like, if it's not in a textbook, it's invisible. Plus, every time I gripe, it's always 'Lillian, show some support for your coven sister' or 'Lillian, she needs a safe space to express herself'. Freakin' unbelievable! Like, maybe if I find a magic beer bottle, Zoey'll give me a free pass to be the biggest piece of shit ever."

The negativity towards their senpai made Suki frown. "Ano... maybe if we talk to Zoey together."

Lillian nodded. "Yeah, like, get a roommate intervention going. We'll totally do it tonight. Just as soon as we get back from Madame J's shop."

Payday had finally freakin' arrived. Time to nab Zoey's perfect yuletide gift.

Back at the loft, a knock on Zoey's door interrupted her study session. "Kiddo? You streaming in there?"

"Studying. What is it?"

A ray of light pierced into the dark room. Miss Yumi entered in her slacker sweats and hoodie. "Hey, you got any cash?"

"Cash?" Zoey spun around. "I topped up the grocery fund Wednesday. Are we-?"

"Naw, groceries are good. Still on budget. It's just... well, the beer."

"Out already?" Zoey swore she'd bought a case during the weekend.

"Yeah, I think Lillian really went through the stash."

Zoey searched her cluttered desk and spotted something green behind the plate of Japanese sweets Suki had prepared for her study session. "Twenty dollars. That enough?"

"Plenty!" Miss Yumi snapped the money into her pocket. Then she frowned. The room's only illumination came from Zoey's desk lamp. "Kinda dark in here."

"Precisely. I've set up a crystal barrier around my workspace. By limiting the light to the desk area, I can keep my mental energy from dissipating. Every neuron in my brain is now laser focused on studying."

"Uh huh. Hey, I know that textbook. Cramming for physics?"

"Miss Stone gave us all a mock exam. If I can finish this, I'll guarantee my 'A' average." Now, if I can only figure out these equations…

Her frustration didn't go unobserved. Humming curiously, Miss Yumi stole a peak over Zoey's shoulder. "This'll be a cinch. One second."

Two minutes later, Miss Yumi returned, hands on her hips like a superheroine making her big debut. She'd certainly handled the costume change: hair up in a messy bun, gray sweats exchanged for a white blouse, an orange sweater vest and a tight jeans skirt. "Tada! Miss Yumi, physics tutor extraordinaire!"

Zoey wasn't sure about the appropriateness of black stockings with garters for tutoring. "Thank you but I can handle this on my own."

"Like shit you can." Miss Yumi rolled up her sleeves and rolled up a spare chair to the desk. "C'mon, lemmie have a look."

Zoey rolled her eyes - the first of many times tonight, she assumed - but slid the textbook so it rested in between. Miss Yumi buzzed with excitement. "Okay, so for this problem here-"

"Suki, keep the friggin' rock in your purse already!"

The bus was hitting potholes like they were going out of style and every bounce hammered a nail through Lillian's heart. Bad enough their wallets were two hundred dollars lighter but did the twerp have to hold the dumb Heart in her lap like a tablet? "Like, the last thing we need's for you to have an 'oops' and then we come home with a bajillion little obsidian fragments!"

"But it's so kirei! Whaa, I keep thinking of senpai's face once she unwraps it!"

"About that. We should like, keep the wrapping low key - newspaper or something. Then we add our names: 'From Lillian 'n Suki', right?"

"Hai!"

Gotcha, Lillian thought. No way in hell Suki would give up top billing on their super-special awesome present. That could only mean one thing:

"So, what else're you getting Zoe for Yule?"

To her credit, Suki's eyes only popped for a moment – the superhero, stunned as her mask was ripped away. Maybe she'd always been expecting to be caught, cause the kid gave one of her cheesy "eh-heh-heh" laughs as she fished through her purse.

A rectangular piece of cardstock exchanged hands. "Ano, it's just the rough draft," Suki forewarned.

~Solstice Surprise~
This coupon entitles the bearer to unlimited free hugs and cuddles!

Trade in anytime, anywhere!

To: Zoey-senpai From: Suki-chan

Lillian didn't know whether to laugh or vomit. It was so cheesy, so disgustingly lovey-dovey! So Suki!

"You know that Zoey thinks you're just friends, right?"

"Mm, we talked about it. Still, this is my way of letting senpai know that… when she's ready for something more, her kawaii manga-writing kouhai will be there, waiting for her!"

Suki's dreamy sigh broke for a bemused look. "Does that bother you, Kuroko-chan?"

Huh? Me 'n Zoey? Lillian pinched away another case of deja-vu. "Like, whatever. I'm totally chill the way things are."

Lillian's violet fingernails stroked her smart phone. She gave a happy shudder thinking of Agent Z's latest photoset - post-shower selfies where Zoey used a towel to carefully cover the bare minimum of her body. A towel Lillian had rubbed all over herself the night before the shoot.

Suki checked a final time. "So you're okay if I…"

"Totally chill." Let Suki chase her dumbass fantasies. I got me all the Zoey I need.

"-and that's the final question!" Zoey dropped her pencil, leaning back in her chair with a satisfied "phew."

Finished! Miss Stone had teased that the assignment would take an entire week to crack but Zoey had it wrapped up and double-checked in a single night! All thanks to a certain ex-teacher with a grand, goofy grin on her face. Zoey shook her head in disbelief. "So you actually do know your physics."

"Hey, I didn't spend six years on that master's degree for nothing."

Evidently not. Tonight, Miss Yumi had been animated, energetic. For every challenging concept, she'd shared an easy-to-understand analogy. She'd rooted for Zoey, offered constructive criticism at every difficult step. "You were so different from on campus, a whole different person!"

Miss Yumi smiled as though she'd expected that comment. "Honestly, I can't stand teaching in a classroom. So impersonal. It's like I'm herding you kids through a sausage grinder."

"I know, right? Post-secondary education is so rigid, so structured. There's barely any supports for marginalized learners or students with disabilities!"

"Teaching small groups, tutoring one-on-one like this… I feel like I'm in my zone. Like I can make a real connection."

Zoey nodded vigorously. Personal! It has to be personal! "You know, Miss Yumi, I used to think you were absolutely problematic. Now I see you're more... nuanced. You've struggled through so much and there's so much to admire about you!"

"Aw, thanks, Zoe. I used to think you were a pretentious snowflake but you're actually kinda cool."

"Um... thank you."

The compliments hung awkwardly in the air.

"Anyway, I'm glad to have you as part of our coven."

"Happy to be here! Meeting you, it's like I know what's important again."

"Good to hear." Zoey returned to her textbook. Aiko watched her work, smiling.

"Hey, those contacts. They prescription?"

"I'm actually pretty near-sighted, why?"

"Dunno." A pause. "You'd look really good in glasses."

"Really?"

"Yeah, here." Miss Yumi removed her eyeglasses, offered them over. "Try 'em on."

Zoey did so. "Whoa!" Her eyes widened at the sudden blur. She had to push the lenses down to her nose to actually see and it stunned her when the world refocused. Miss Yumi… she looks younger without glasses.

"How do I look?"

Miss Yumi tapped her chin in appraisal. "Dunno. Hard to say at this distance."

Then she leaned close, so close she had to rest a palm on Zoey's armrest for balance, all the while flexing that care-free grin. "Oh yeah, you'd kill it as a glasses girl."

The way she grinned, it was like she didn't realize their noses nearly touched. Zoey's mouth went dry. "M-Miss Yumi?"

"Yeahhh?" The scent of mint toothpaste overpowered Zoey's nostrils. She swallowed.

"Your glasses, they're convex lenses. Aren't you farsighted?"

Miss Yumi kept her place. Kept her smile. "Huh, I guess I am."

Then she cupped Zoey's cheek and pressed their mouths together.

Zoey's heart stopped.

The world stopped.

The sudden ringing from her ears swelled over every ambient sight and sound from the bedroom. There was only Miss Yumi.

Kissing her.

Pressing into her; nudging Zoey's mouth open until her tongue could slip inside: swirling, tasting; delighting. "Mmmh..."

Pink lips parted with a smack. Time resumed. Zoey's heart resumed and its terrified hammering racked her chest.

Miss Yumi opened her eyes. "Damn… I was craving some dark chocolate."

And before Zoey could catch her breath, she leaned in and kissed her again. "M-miss Yumi-"

"Aiko," she corrected, a hot whisper in between wet snaps of their lips. "Call me Aiko. Actually, don't talk at all."

The next kiss – hot, heavy, hungry – threatened to overwhelm Zoey altogether. A timid whimper escaped her throat and Aiko seemed to find it endearing.

"Hey, ever done it with an Asian chick before?"

Ever done it? Paralyzed on the spot, Zoey could only shake her head 'no'.

Aiko grinned. "Let's make this fun, okay?"

Then she reached for the desk lamp and clicked the light off.

"I spy with my little eye, something that is ... pink!"

Lillian slumped her head against the bus window. "It's the rock, right?"

"Aww, how'd you guess again?"

"I dunno, you just picked it the last five turns!"

The goth girl sighed and checked the time on her phone. What shitty luck, getting stuck in a traffic jam.

Well, at least the boss has it just as boring with her studying...

Heavy lips smacking in the darkness, the muffled moaning of mouths against skin. Shaky feet shuffling across the floor; back banging into the wall.

Deprived of light, Zoey could only hear and feel: Aiko's hands tearing through her hair, Aiko's lips kissing down her neck; Aiko's arms winding around her shoulders to explore the clasps of her corset, pulling her closer, closer -

Zoey broke away, panting. "Wh-what're you-?"

She immediately regretted clicking on the room lights. Against her jerky gasps, Aiko was barely winded, barely phased; smiling as she licked her hungry lips. Zoey hadn't realized how much younger Aiko looked without her glasses, with her hair shaken free of its messy bun. She hadn't realized how much long, raven black hair could tie her stomach into knots.

"Where are we going with this?"

Aiko didn't answer, she only wolf-whistled in reply. "Damn, kiddo, your stomach is tight!"

Zoey glanced down, startling at the sight of her bare belly. Only her small, yellow crop top, less than a sports bra, remained to cover her chest. My corset!

"Looking for something?" Miss Yumi rubbed the yellow wrap up and down her chest, a reminder of where the hot leather had been pressed just seconds ago. She raised the garment to her face to inhale, then added her trophy to the collection of ripped-off clothes on the floor.

Zoey spied her goggles, her choker, an arm sleeve and Miss Yumi's sweater vest. Those Asian hands had been busy in the dark and they were only getting started.

Zoey blanched as Aiko's fingers slipped under her jeans skirt and shimmied down her underwear, purple and lacy. "Phew, I am soaked. How 'bout you, kiddo? Need me to get those off?"

Zoey backed away. "This is - how's this happening? We're roommates, we're coven sisters! What's -"

"What's not to get, kiddo? We're in your room, we're getting our clothes off; let's keep this going."

Zoey went numb. Her mind was a panicky jumble, racing to evacuate, to find a safe space. She didn't notice Miss Yumi's approach until the Japanese woman took her fingers, nipped the rim of her arm sleeve and used her teeth to tease off the remaining covering.

Zoey broke free but it cost her another piece of clothing. Miss Yumi rolled her eyes and spat the sleeve to the floor.

"Zoey, you know what your problem is? You spend way too much time thinking. Just… let go. Enjoy the rush. You're enjoying this, right?"

Zoey swallowed.

Shaking her head, Miss Yumi approached once more. Her grip was forceful this time. One hand snatched Zoey's wrist while the other seized the lapel of her blouse, yanking the snap buttons open and exposing a lacy, violet push-up bra. Zoey's palm met skin in a glorious shudder.

"Yeah, just like that, kiddo. Mmh… feel me up."

Warm, Zoey trembled as her hand moved under Aiko's guidance, digging into the softness of her breast. Her legs were knocking, goosebumps were creeping up her belly but Aiko was warm. Miss Yumi smiled and hushed her.

"See? It's not a bad thing to feel this good. C'mon, I haven't fucked in ages. How long's it been since you brought someone over to spend the night?"

"I - I haven't -"

"Seriously? All these months and you've never brought a guy to the loft? C'mon, Zoey, we both need this. I know you're aching for something better than shlicking yourself for the webcam. Help me out. Let me do you right."

Zoey felt ready to faint from heatstroke but Miss Yumi's offer wasn't finished: strutting backwards, she sat herself on the edge of Zoey's cot and spread her legs wide. Zoey sucked in a breath as Aiko's jeans skirt hiked past her waist, bunching up like a denim belt. Two fingers began stroking roughly. Miss Yumi's first moan almost broke Zoey.

"Ohhh! Mm, c'mon, Zoey. You got me this wet. Let's finish the job."

"I…" I did this? Aiko wanted her? This older, experienced woman was calling for her, craving her; touching herself because of her? Aiko Yumi, who'd known first-hand the ways of higher magic. Aiko who knew intimately the magic you could strum out of the human body with the perfect touch.

"I… need to go." Her ears ringing, her head jumbling. Random flashes of orange and pink. Purple and black. She had to get away. "I can't do this."

Aiko's lusty chuckle followed her to the door. "Are you sure?"

And as Zoey's hand caught the doorknob, she froze.

And hesitated.

"Lousy, no-good transit bus..."

It was dark and late when Lillian finally slammed the apartment door and stomped into Miss Yumi's familiar clutter. Dishes on the dining table, sweaters on the couch. Freakin' whatever!

Her phone had died hours ago and her temper was at its limit. All she wanted was to shut herself up in her room with a cold beer and her headphones blasting Sabaton but Miss Yumi had to go and screw that up too!

"Oh my god, are you serious?" Lillian jabbed her finger into the kitchen. Suki, skipping happily in La-La Land, bumped into Lillian's back and looked too. The otaku girl gasped.

Miss Yumi, kicking back against the counter in shorts and a baggy tee, swigging from a very familiar bottle while she savored spoonfuls of a very familiar convenience store cup.

"My beer!"

"Suki's pudding pop!"

"Like, that was totally my last one!"

"Mou! I was saving that!"

Miss Yumi batted an eye at the oncoming storm. "Oh, hey ladies. Dinner's in the fridge." Then she went back to her treats, so extremely pleased with herself.

But the promise of dinner wouldn't save her tonight. Lillian, already on the warpath, found herself shoved aside. It was Suki who stomped into the ex-teacher's face to lay down the law.

"Miss Yumi, you can't just take our stuff without asking! You borrow our special stuff, you eat our food... wait, that shirt..."

Lillian recognized it too: #AbolishICE. Only one member of the household stenciled social justice hashtags onto her tops.

The shirt, Miss Yu's messy hair, her shit-eating grin. Lillian's stomach dropped. No... no freakin way...

Poor Suki-chan rattled on obliviously.

"That's Zoey-senpai's shirt! Now you're even taking our clothes without asking! Well I've had enough, desu! Zoey? Zoey-senpai?"

Lillian tugged at the otaku girl's shoulder. A very bad feeling was creeping up her spine. Um, Suki? Like, maybe we should take a walk..."

"No!" Suki wrenched away. "We all need to talk now! Zoey? Senpai?"

"Mmph?" Lillian cringed as the bedroom door creaked open and a sleepy-eyed Zoey shuffled out, dreadfalls tangled and legs bare. She'd tossed on a white, snap-button blouse clearly not from her wardrobe.

"S-senpai?"

Zoey didn't hear them, didn't seem to notice them. Eyes half-lidded, her achy legs shuffled forward in a daze, seemingly magnetized to her stolen t-shirt. "Mmh, there you are," she murmured to the thief.

Then Zoey draped herself over Miss Yumi's chest.

A small, startled squeak escaped Suki's throat, the cry of a small animal caught in a snare. Zoey squeezed her arms around the Asian woman, humming the same dreamy smile Lillian had suffered all night from moony little Suki-chan. She pushed up on tiptoes to plant a kiss on the older woman's lips.

Suki's purse and the two hundred dollar rock inside hit the ground with a whump!

The noise made Zoey's eyes fluttered open, softly, then wide, aware for the first time of her audience.

"Oh... hey, girls."