A/N: On ANAI Discord, we started a weekly game of chance in which the winner gives writing and art prompts to the losers. When I lose, I write for one of the prompts. If I like what I make and it fits here, I'll post it.

Round 3 Casino Prompt: "Getting warm out". ANAI characters doing some summertime activity together. (All Tags / Any AU)

set in Homura's first hot summer after years of mild spring

§ x § x §

"No."

Madoka silently sipped her soda as they sat at the cafe table. She watched the others try to convince Homura to go to the summer festival at the biggest shrine in town. It wasn't going well against Homura's stonewalling and hate of heat.

"C'mon, Stranger Danger, you can't hide inside all summer," Sayaka tried.

"I did all my life and can continue to do so," Homura rebutted as she opened the lid of her drink and started tipping ice into her mouth.

"It would take drastically more effort to overexert yourself in the heat like you did before you became a magical girl," Mami reasoned. "You don't have to worry about that."

"I don't care."

"Listen, I know you haven't done summer and heat in goddamn forever," Kyoko said, "but it ain't like you to avoid a challenge."

Homura scowled and rolled an ice cube around in her mouth.

Madoka wouldn't have thought to frame it as a challenge. Good move.

"You've started handling it better," Sayaka said. "You're... what's the word...?"

"Acclimating," Mami said between sips of her boba tea.

"Yeah! That!" Sayaka said cheerfully. "And it'll be at sunset so you won't even be hit by much sun!"

"It's still hot," Homura argued.

"But not as hot as walking home after school," Kyoko pointed out.

Homura stared at her grumpily over her cup as she shook another ice cube into her mouth.

"What if we went closer to the end of the festival, when it's been all the way dark for awhile so it's cooled off more?" Madoka suggested.

Homura hummed doubtfully around her ice.

That wasn't a hard no. It was progress. A slip. Something to work with. Which the others immediately latched onto.

"You can have fun in actually *totally* no sun!" Sayaka said with cheerful determination.

Homura hummed doubtfully again.

"You need to get out more and have some actual fun in your life," Kyoko drawled.

Homura glared at her. "I've been getting out with you. I have fun."

"You need more," Sayaka argued.

Homura huffed and took another ice cube. Everyone stewed in silence for a bit, thinking hard.

Sayaka perked up. "What if we invite Karin, Yuzu, and Toshiro? Toshiro can be a walking air conditioner for you!"

"*If* he'd come," Homura said skeptically. "He's busy with his responsibilities and also hates heat."

"I think he might come if you asked," Mami said with a smile.

"And if not, Karin could get him to come," Kyoko said slyly.

"I'd rather not torture him," Homura said drily. She shook her cup to loosen ice and stared at it to avoid looking at them.

"So ask him yourself before you ask Karin and Yuzu, *obviously*," Kyoko said with a shrug.

Homura rolled her eyes.

"*If* he would come, would you go with us?" Sayaka asked intensely, leaning forward over the table to stare expectantly at Homura.

Madoka pouted at Homura. "Pleeease?"

Homura shifted in her seat and avoided her eyes. "I suppose," she said sulkily.

Madoka smiled in victory with all the others. She looked at Sayaka and saw her eager plotting face before she masked it with plain happiness.

Karin would be getting a call no matter what Homura did.

§ x § x §

Madoka and the other girls waited in High Spirits for their friends to arrive. Homura stared into the distance, expression like the condemned awaiting execution. When the others came and most of them eagerly greeted each other, Homura and Toshiro exchanged looks of resigned mutual suffering. Madoka would have to make them have enough fun to distract them from the evening heat.

They took the train to the shrine and wandered the festival wherever Sayaka and Karin excitedly led them. Homura stuck close to Toshiro, who kept his icy reiatsu raised to create an area effect of chilliness. Madoka walked beside Homura and sensed her emotions: reluctance, hesitation, yearning. Madoka decided to try to spark her out of the limiting emotions and into action.

Madoka took Homura's hand and swung it. "Have you ever been to a festival before, Homura?" she asked cheerfully.

Homura was quiet for a moment then said, "Once. When I was very young. My father had to carry me. I barely remember it. It's been so long..."

Madoka smiled softly and tried to project warm emotion. "Is that part of why you were so reluctant about coming? Not just the heat?"

Homura avoided her eyes.

"You should make up for lost time," Madoka said. "Make new memories. I know you want to remember them more. Maybe this will help."

Homura hummed doubtfully.

"And let yourself have fun with your friends," Madoka said. "We worked so hard to convince you to come because we want to make you happy. Like the museum and La Vie Land and laser tag."

Homura and Mami had been terrors at laser tag. They had all been glad they were on their team. The other team hadn't stood a chance. And that was with Homura and Mami holding back so the others could have some fun, too. And what fun it had been!

"She's right," Toshiro said. They jumped, having forgotten he was next to them providing the chill. "They're trying with you like Karin constantly tries with me."

"You still resist, though," Homura said. "You act like you're being forced sometimes. Like earlier."

"Yeah, I had to warm up to being here and I'm still not quite there," he said slowly. "I'm a work in progress still stuck in the responsibility. You're free now. Let yourself be free."

Homura looked up at the starry sky in thought. Madoka and Toshiro left her to it.

Karin suddenly shouted from several booths down. "HEYYY, HOMURAAA, YOU NEED TO WIN ME THINGS AT THE SHOOTING GAME! AND BATTLE MAMI!"

Homura took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked toward Karin. Madoka and Toshiro followed her. Karin gave Homura a hopeful stare with gleaming eyes.

"What do you want and how many targets need to be shot?" Homura asked as she glanced around the booth and returned Mami's challenging smirk.

Karin told her. Homura took the gun and methodically achieved the goal. Karin cried victory as she claimed the prize. Yuzu politely asked for a different prize. Homura got it for her and returned Yuzu's wide smile with a small one of her own. Then Mami and Homura got into a prize-winning contest as a small crowd gathered to watch. They earned various prizes and gave them to kids in the crowd for awhile, the booth owner seeming to both appreciate their constant stream of money and worry about his prize stock. When Toshiro drily suggested they should let someone else take a turn, they put down the guns and turned away, both smiling. Homura smiling.

Yes!

Kyoko strolled up with two paper boats full of takoyaki sticks. She held them out to their group and drawled, "Want some?" around the stick in her mouth. Everyone took one and ate as they stood around and considered booths to go to.

"Balloon darts," Sayaka declared.

Madoka grinned. She knew her friend. "Your turn to dominate a game and make a booth owner cry?"

Sayaka grinned and pumped her fist. "Sayaka Miki, master of throwing sharp things!"

"That's not terrifying at all," Toshiro said flatly.

Everyone else took their turns at darts first. Most were average, Homura and Mami actually did poorly, and Madoka was above average from years of tips from Sayaka. Then Sayaka stepped up and destroyed the board of balloons. Another crowd gathered and another round of distributing prizes happened. Sayaka was triumphant, a wild grin on her face. They all smiled at her in amusement. Even Homura.

Yes!

Homura seemed to have eased into actually having fun, smiling more as the night went on. They all did terrible at the goldfish-scooping game and Homura smiled at Karin and Sayaka's over-the-top despair. The only one of them who won anything at the ping-pong tossing game was Kyoko, who seemed surprised by her wins. Homura smiled at Karin and Sayaka's over-the-top marveling and jealousy. Her face was relaxed between booths and when they got food and sweets. She had let herself go.

When Homura was playing the plastic fishing game with Yuzu and Mami, Madoka and Toshiro stood behind her as usual. Madoka caught his eye and gave him a victory smile. His lips quirked briefly before he went back to watching the game.

They clustered together in the crowd to watch the ending firework show. Homura craned her head back, colored light flashing across her peaceful face. Madoka took her hand, swung it, and leaned forward to look her in the eye. She smiled brightly and asked, "So did you have fun, Homura?"

Homura looked at her, blinked slowly, then gave her a soft smile. "Yes. I did."

The light of affectionate victory warmed Madoka's soul as she and Homura turned back to watching the fireworks until they faded into darkness.