[AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a sequel to my other fic, "Ranma Takes a Trip", but you don't really have to read that one-shot to understand this one. Akane's in college, Ranma came over and took shrooms, I think the fic otherwise speaks for itself and stands on its own. I hope you like it!]
When the alarm clock went off in the other room, Akane Tendo was shocked in sudden wakefulness, cast out of a dream she could no longer remember, but had felt comforting.
As her mind struggled to come to terms with the waking world, Akane began to piece things together.
First, the alarm wasn't in the same room as her. But that was strange. The alarm clock should have been on her bedside table.
Second, this wasn't what her bed felt like. It was too soft, and there was a fluffy wall or something to one side.
Third, she wasn't alone. There was another body entwined with hers on...wherever she was. And it was a body that felt very familiar. The shock of red hair she could see out of the corner of one eye made that point a little more obvious for her.
One plus one plus one equals three.
She wasn't in her room, she was in the living room.
On the couch.
With Ranma Saotome.
Oh, and they were each somewhere between half-naked and completely nude.
Akane felt sweaty and sticky and...not shocked. Flashes of memories from the night before came back to her, slowly.
Ranma had come over, been at her apartment for the last few days, and after she had helped him through his first time taking hallucinogenic mushrooms, they had kissed.
They had made out.
They had sex.
It wasn't their first time together. Akane hadn't made an effort to count the number of times she and Ranma had let their passion bleed through, regardless of what state Ranma's body was in at the time. (That's a lie. This is the fifteenth time.)
It had been good. A blush settled on Akane's cheeks. Very, very good.
The alarm was still going off, and Ranma was still snoring.
She could think about this later. Disentangling herself from Ranma as best she could, and trying not to stare too much at his bare chest, Akane got off the couch and sprinted into the bedroom.
Sadly, she was in such a hurry to smash the snooze button, that she'd forgotten just how strong she was. The button was pressed...just as the entire alarm clock shattered into a thousand pieces.
Akane stared at the remains of the electronic device and sighed. "I'm almost out..." This was a common enough occurrence for her that she'd taken to buying the clocks in bulk.
Making a mental note to put in another order when she got her next paycheck, Akane focused on what was more important: getting ready for work.
Half an hour in the bathroom was followed by ten minutes in the bedroom, until she finally emerged looking as good as she ever did. At the very least, Akane thought the bookstore uniform was pretty cute.
Looking in on the living room, she saw that Ranma had rolled over a little, his bouncy chest snuggled into the couch cushions, but he was still dead asleep.
Akane would have liked a chance to talk to him, before she went to work. But...there'd always be next time. She had to tell herself that. She had to believe it. Especially because part of her didn't.
Throughout her morning at work, Ranma was occupying far too much of her thoughts.
It was all just...a little infuriating.
That damn cycle, that is what it all came back to. Ranma arrived, crashed at her place, sometimes they had sex, and then he disappeared. Considering he'd just made the trip to take the mushrooms, Akane was sure he'd be gone.
Which was fine. (No, it isn't. It's not fucking fine. He can't keep doing this to me! He can't just waltz into my life, make me love him again, and then run away!)
It was fine.
She had to be fine with it.
Because the only other options were cutting ties with Ranma, or trying to make him stay.
And she wouldn't do that to him.
Ranma's freedom was everything to him. He'd spent too much of his life being hounded by people trying to run it for him. Any collar, even one from her, would chafe at his throat.
So when her shift was over, she walked home, ready to cry, call Kasumi or Ukyo or Nabiki on the phone to vent, and then she'd try to forget.
Until the next time he came. Then, they'd do it all over again.
It was torture, but it was better than not having him around at all.
Akane climbed the flights of stairs that led up to her floor, and opened the door to her apartment, ready to take the blow.
"There you are, 'kane! Geez, you were gone forever."
Tears beaded in the corners of her eyes, but Akane wiped them away, hoping Ranma didn't see them.
He was...still there. Shirtless. In her kitchen. Making lunch.
"Hope you don't mind, I kinda raided your cabinets to find something I could cook. Udon okay with you?" Akane nodded, blankly, and he grinned at her. It sent a strong thrum of tightness through her chest, the same way it did when they were teenagers. "Cool, because it's almost done."
They ate lunch together, sitting across the table, and...
...it was just a day. Akane did homework. Ranma worked out. They watched some cooking show on the couch together.
They were like they always were. There was some sniping, a little bickering, but it was comfortable.
Some part of Akane was still a little disappointed. That old pipe dream, that Ranma would actually take what they had seriously, would put some effort into trying to win her over, wouldn't really die.
But it was stupid to hope for that. Just as stupid as hoping she'd see him after leaving for class the next day...if he was even still there when she woke up.
The extra day was unexpected. It was nice. But it was just one day.
Until it wasn't.
He was still there. In the morning. After class. After dinner, which he cooked.
Akane's fears persisted, but so did Ranma.
Days became weeks.
Weeks became a month and a half.
Ranma stuck around.
They never talked about it. Some part of Akane was still scared he'd disappear for no reason, especially after they'd have an argument.
But he never left. That scared voice got quieter and quieter.
And sometimes...sometimes it did feel like things had changed. Small, intimate touches from him. More quick kisses, from both of them. Warm looks that Ranma would try to hide or deny. Nights spent together.
Akane had to start wondering...were they dating? Or together? Or whatever word symbolized that their on-again, off-again flirting had turned into something stronger?
She wanted to ask him. To get verbal confirmation about what they were to each other.
But she didn't. After all, what if starting that conversation was the thing that made him leave again?
Still, after months of this, some of Akane's friends from university noticed she was staying home more often, and invited her out for a night at the bar.
It really had been a while, so she'd agreed to the idea, and told Ranma when she got home from school that she'd be gone for the evening.
She hadn't expected him to ask, "Can I come too?"
"Oh!" Akane's mind raced. Was there any reason he couldn't come? "Sure, if you want to."
Ranma smiled, but there was something fragile about it. He was nervous.
That was strange. He'd known Yuka and Sayuri in high school. "Should I get...dressed up?"
"I think you'll be fine, as long as you don't show up in a gi."
"All girls?"
"Co-ed, so you can go like you are or grab some hot water first."
Ranma thought about it, before running to do just that.
In no time, they were both ready to go. Akane was wearing as much make-up as she ever did, matched to a dress she'd gotten as a gift from Kasumi. Ranma was wearing the same clothes he'd shown up to her door in, but they looked good on him, and they were freshly laundered.
"You look nice," Ranma told her, and though he wasn't looking right at her, he was blushing.
She beamed at him. "Thanks."
They were just about to head out the door, when Akane thought of something. "How...am I going to introduce you to my friends?"
"You've never told them about me?"
"Nope."
"Huh...'old friend' okay with you?"
They left in good spirits, but as it would turn out, the topic they'd been dancing around would be the least of their worries.
Six hours later, the door to Akane's apartment flew open, and they were shouting at each other.
"-n't read your mind, Akane!"
"You could have asked!" She slammed the door, and while it was still intact afterwards, she'd definitely just woken up half a dozen neighbors with the deafening sound the impact made.
Ranma was pacing, and even through the filter of her anger, Akane could see he was torn between regret and defensive anger. He ran a hand through his hair, which had turned red after a 'demonstration' he'd put on for some of her skeptical friends. For the first time since he'd started staying with her, Ranma looked genuinely unhappy with his cursed form. "I'm getting some hot water."
Instead of following him into the bathroom, Akane stood there, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. (This isn't...he didn't mean to embarrass me. I shouldn't be so upset about this.)
But she was.
When Ranma came back to her, taller and broader in the shoulders, it looked like he was trying to cool his own head. "Listen, 'kane, I'm sorry." It was the first time he'd said that during the argument.
And...it gave Akane further pause. Ranma Saotome didn't apologize often. "Thank you."
Unfortunately, he'd kept up his bad habit of not stopping while he was ahead. "You're right, I coulda asked, but...I didn't know I needed to, y'know? How was I supposed to know your friends didn't know about any of it?"
(Is he trying to back out of his apology?!) No, no he wasn't. He was bringing up a good point. "You're right, I...without me telling you ahead of time, you wouldn't have known it would be an issue." Akane couldn't help adding, "That said, once you brought up the topic I was hinting pretty hard to drop it."
"Come on, Akane! You know I'm terrible at picking up that kinda stuff!" He was right there, but that didn't exactly soothe Akane's nerves. Ranma sighed. "I'll...try to do better? I'm pretty perceptive, I should be able to tell when you're throwing hints at me."
That...actually impressed her. Akane felt the need to respond in kind. "I can also work on being less subtle. If it works better, I can be direct, or ask to speak to you in another room and just tell you."
The tension that had been between them started to ebb away. They could both feel the argument was over. Or at least, the angry part of it was.
But they still had more to say.
"So, uh, why don't your friends know about me? Or the fact you're a martial artist? Or any of the other things you haven't told them?"
That was a hard question to really answer. "It wasn't...it isn't like I'm hiding it from them. Or hiding you from them. It's just...not come up?" (There have been so many times I could have told them. So many times I almost did. But I didn't want them to know.)
His jaw set, and Akane's heart fell. He could tell she was full of shit. "The fact you were engaged in high school didn't come up? To a guy who was cursed by a magic spring? The complicated web of people liking other people, the blood feuds it was causing, none of that was really worth sharing?" Ranma let out a breath so harsh it almost sounded like a curse. "Just say that you're ashamed of me, I can take it."
"I'm not ashamed of you!" (When did I become the bad guy here?) "I'm...it's just a lot. This was a fresh start. Far away from Nerima, where no one knew about all the drama. It was nice...not being seen as a girl who can crush bricks with her bare hands. Or as a girl engaged to a guy because of some deal their dads made."
She watched as he seemed to chew that answer a little, before looking away from her. "Sure. I get that. I overreacted."
It could have ended there. But Akane's defenses were down, and the question slipped out. "What are you doing, Ranma? I can't...I don't think I can take all this waiting for it to happen."
"For what to happen?"
He didn't understand.
"For you to leave again." The words came out harsher than Akane had intended, but they fell where they did, and she continued, unable to stop herself. "It's been good. It's been...it feels like a dream, and that makes it worse, because at some point we're going to have to wake up."
"Says who?" There was heat in Ranma's voice, and Akane was surprised to see him step closer, looking a little shaken. "Akane, you've really been wondering if I was gonna just leave? This whole time?"
"Yeah?" It was shakily spoken, as unsteady as Akane's legs. (What is he saying?) "I mean...you always have before."
Ranma laughed, but it was a little wobbly, and she didn't think he actually found this funny at all. "Guess I know how you were feelin' before." Tentatively, he reached out, taking Akane's hand in his own. Their fingers intertwined, though neither really knew who started to do it first. "You should have asked me. I would have told you...I don't plan on leavin'."
What.
"What?"
"Did I stutter?" He squeezed her hand as he issued the challenge.
By this point, Akane felt like she was actually about to collapse. "Can we move this to the couch?"
Suddenly seeing how unstead Akane was, Ranma helped her there, and they sat a lot closer than they usually did. Akane found herself wanting to lean on his shoulder, to feel his solid presence. But she didn't. There was still too much between them.
Her brain was still trying to catch up to what he was implying. "Are you saying...you're moving in with me?"
"No, I'm sayin' I moved in like two months ago." He opened his mouth to add what she was sure was a very clever (and hurtful) comment, but he actually managed to close his mouth before it got out.
"Okay. So we're roommates now." Akane tried to latch onto that word. It meant something. They could be that, right? "Um...it is a one-bedroom apartment, Ranma. Are you sure you're okay living with me? I feel bad about you sleeping on the couch."
She wasn't the only one having an anxiety attack. Ranma looked scared and shaken and like he might cry if she said the wrong thing. "Well, I mean, we share it together sometimes. Your bed too, once and a while."
"Oh, you're right, that's..."
But he didn't stop talking. "I mean, we're more than roommates, right? Because, uh, I kinda thought we've been together for a while. Like...boyfriend/girlfriend together. Please tell me I'm not imagining that."
"We've...we're...?" Akane genuinely wasn't sure which words she was going to say next, the filter that was supposed to regulate them was out for repairs. "But we never talked...I thought you were just..."
Ranma flinched, and Akane dully realized that one had stung. "You thought I was just what? Playing around with you? Mooching off you, using you, having fun?"
The way he said the words made Akane see part of the problem. Ranma...didn't want to become his father. It was something they'd talked about, more than once. And she'd just implied they were damn similar indeed.
Akane didn't even try to stop the tears from falling down her face. "No, Ranma, that's not it! I just...I hoped that you might want to do something like that. But since we'd never put a name to it, I was...and I was scared if I did bring it up, you'd want to leave..."
He growled, the sound guttural and rough. "Damnit, Akane! I..." His voice trailed off, she watched him collect himself. "Do you want to be with me?"
"Of course I do!" She didn't even have to think on how to reply. "Do you want to be with me?"
"Do you see me staying over at-" Good sense prevailed, because he snapped his trap shut before he got her name out. "Yes."
They came together, breaking past an invisible wall that had been keeping them apart for the entire time they'd known each other. Akane leaned on his shoulder, putting an arm around his waist, and Ranma kissed the top of her head, blushing.
It was strange, how nervous they were both feeling. They'd had sex so many times, but after a while, sexual intimacy had come easily to them. It was mindless and passionate and simple.
Romantic intimacy was so much harder. It involved lowering defenses too far, opening each to be hurt by the other in ways that could sting forever.
But it also felt good. Akane let herself just close her eyes, and think. (Ranma...is my boyfriend. I'm his girlfriend.) They were things she never thought would come to pass. Some part of her felt victorious. (Take that.) The images of all the other women who'd fought for Ranma's favor flashed through her head. She'd won.
She wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Was he picturing Kuno and Ryoga's crestfallen expressions? Judging by the tight smile on his face, she was pretty sure she couldn't be far off.
It would have been easy for her to just dive into the romance headfirst. Instead, she asked, "So, if you're going to be living here for the foreseeable future...I would appreciate some help with money?"
The only big difference to her budget from Ranma's presence was the food he was eating, and even that was beginning to become more than her budget could cover. As it turned out, grocery shopping for two was a lot harder than it was for a solo household.
Still, she felt bad asking. As far as she was aware, Ranma had maybe five thousand yen to his name, if that.
But he didn't blanch at the request. "Gotcha. I'm sure there's some tournament prize money I can snag, or I can look into teaching a class, or something."
The half-formed ideas were delivered with that offhand, confident air that Ranma tended to use with things he thought would be easy.
Rather than burst his bubble on how it was more than likely he'd have to work somewhere normal, Akane just told him. "I appreciate it."
"Uh..." Ranma clearly had something to add as well, but he looked a little awkward bringing it up. "We should probably...work on talking more?"
She couldn't help it. Akane just started laughing, the sound a little wet from the crying she'd been doing. "Yes, Ranma, I definitely think that's a good idea." She wiped her face clean, and sighed. "We're a lot better than we were in high school, but...I think this whole evening made it clear we have room to go."
Ranma smiled at her, and Akane let herself swoon, just for a moment. She had loved this idiot for longer than she cared to admit, and they were finally going to take it seriously.
"One last thing," Ranma said, and he was really blushing, his cheeks as red as his cursed form's hair. "Are you...okay? With my curse and everything?"
The question made Akane want to keep laughing, but she didn't. It was pretty clear to her that Ranma was risking something by asking this. The answer he would get from her meant something.
So she didn't make a joke about realizing she was bisexual years ago. She didn't brush off the topic. She just told him the truth.
"Ranma, I like you. Hot water, cold water, that doesn't really change anything. You're the same person. You always have been, even if other people never saw that."
He didn't cry, but she could tell it was damn close. Instead, he joked. "Well, I wouldn't say it doesn't change 'anything', y'know?"
She did. Now he'd gotten her blushing. "Yeah, well...I enjoy myself either way." In fact, though she'd never tell him, Akane was starting to think she might prefer the nights when he was a redhead just a little more.
"Did you want to head to bed?" He asked it casually, but Akane could tell there was nothing casual about it.
This talk...it was going to change things. They could either pretend it hadn't, or they could embrace it.
Akane knew which she was going to do.
"Sure thing. Let's go to our bed."
As they walked into the apartment's bedroom together, Akane knew this wasn't going to be easy.
Time had dulled some of the rougher edges on both of them, but they were still Ranma and Akane. They'd argue again, probably worse. They'd say things that hurt each other. They'd make mistakes.
But they were trying. That meant something.
And as Akane went to sleep with her boyfriend cuddled up against her chest, leaving her as the big spoon, she pushed away all her doubts and her fears and her insecurities, just for a little while.
She was with Ranma. He was with Akane. That was worth a lot.