Tsubaki was restless, and for once, the steady rhythm pounding out of the nightclub loudspeakers only exacerbated her anxiety rather than soothed it. She looked left, she looked right. There were people everywhere. The was to be expected of ALTER EGO, of course. The nightclub was exclusive to members only, but it still saw more than its fair share of customers on any given night. Tonight was no exception. The only difference was that, for once, Tsubaki was in the midst of them.
But… maybe it was a mistake coming here… Tsubaki brought a hand to her face, a wave of self-consciousness suddenly washing over her. The irony was not lost on her. She'd come to ALTER EGO tonight for an escape from all of her worldly worries, and yet, if anything, the bar only had its own unique way of teasing out some of her deepest, darkest fears.
Although, perhaps that's what I get for coming to a gay bar… Despite herself, a tiny smirk spread across her face. There were a lot of things Tsubaki worried about on a daily basis, but one recurring thought that was pursuing her with unusual insistence was her desire for a girlfriend. Maybe it sounded silly, and Tsubaki would've rather been caught dead than admitting to any sort of romantic longing, but she was never able to lie to herself for very long. She would tell herself she didn't care, that she wasn't lonely and didn't need, or want, a girlfriend, but she still came to ALTER EGO just the same. And she wasn't just there for the music or the drinking either.
Tsubaki's grip tightened around the small satchel slung over her shoulder. Inside, there was only a blue rose and a gift card to a sports shop that wasn't too far away from ALTER EGO. She felt like a fool, but it was her hope that the flower and card would be sufficient tribute if she found anyone who actually caught her eye. As of yet, however, although there were plenty of fish in the sea, none of them stood out to Tsubaki.
This was a stupid idea… Tsubaki looked at the floor in shame, but even though she berated herself, she went further inside.
ooo
At the same time, Aoi Miyake made her way through the back entrance. She helped some of the workers move equipment to and fro. She was not performing tonight, but she was friendly enough with all the staff by then that they were used to seeing her around, on-stage or not.
"Shouldn't you be enjoying your night off, though?" Masaki quirked an amused eyebrow when she caught sight of Aoi walking along with several microphones and wires tucked under both of her arms.
"Oh, uhh, yeah, I was planning to… Later…" Aoi shrugged and gave Masaki a strange, slightly strained, half-smile. It did not answer Masaki's question, but she decided not to pursue the matter further. She and Aoi had worked together long enough that Masaki trusted her.
And, Masaki thought, smirking to herself, I suppose I should expect a degree of… eccentricity in any who frequent ALTER EGO. That's just part and parcel of being a part of a gay bar! After all, Masaki was not the most conventional or mundane of women either, from her flamboyant personality to her extravagant uniform, eyepatch and all.
And ironically enough, even though Masaki didn't know it, "gay troubles" were exactly what was plaguing Aoi. It was a feeling she didn't fully understand, but as well as her life was currently going, Aoi still felt restless for something. It was a deep-seeded longing, but she didn't even know what she was looking for.
I don't think just being here will help me sort it out, either, but the familiarity of ALTER EGO is nice. Maybe it'll give me a starting point?
As Aoi set the microphones down, her hand brushed over her pocket, and suddenly, the restlessness returned. Inside her pocket was a blue rose and a gift card to a makeup store only a few blocks away. Maybe it wasn't the most original idea, but poor, inexperienced Aoi didn't know what else to buy. She wasn't very feminine herself, so she wasn't sure what most women liked. The rose and card seemed safe, though. Now she just needed someone to give them to. There were plenty of fish in the sea, but how did she know which one would want to be reeled in by her?
ooo
Hiiro shook her head, smiling ruefully as she rested her jaw on her hand.
How were either of them accepted into university? Her smile was fond and exasperated as she watched Aoi and Tsubaki from the bar. They were both wandering the club, but on completely opposite sides.
Hiiro had tried for weeks to get the two birdbrained lovebirds to realize that they were into one another, but the "birdbrain" part of the equation seemed to override the "lovebird" part. Even now, despite the fact that they'd both come to the same bar at the same time for the same reason, they were completely lost in their own, separate worlds. It felt like watching ships pass in the night… repeatedly.
"I don't know how much more I can take," Hiiro chuckled. For just a second, it seemed like Aoi and Tsubaki would finally cross paths, but second later, Tsubaki changed courses and she and Aoi passed one another without even realizing it for the umpteenth time. Hiiro finally turned her attention away from the two useless lesbians in front of her to look at the gay disaster beside her.
Nagisa was busy digging into her heaping helping of fries and chicken bites.
"Nagisa!" Hiiro sighed.
"What? I said you could have some!" Nagisa spoke through a mouthful of chicken, pushing her plate closer to Hiiro.
"Not that!" Hiiro sighed again. Looked like it was up to her to captain the ship, not that that was anything new.
When she could bear the obliviousness no longer, Hiiro finally asked that Nagisa go fetch Tsubaki and bring her over to the bar.
"I'll find Aoi," she said as she slid off her barstool.
Nagisa shoved the last fistful of fries into her face before giving Hiiro a thumbs up. "I 'et I'll 'ind Tsu'ki firsss!"
"It's not a race, Nagisa," Hiiro shook her head and crossed her arms, chiding the other woman gently, but it was too late, Nagisa was already gone.
Hiiro watched her run off. Well, I suppose I'd better hurry, then. Even though it wasn't a race, that didn't mean she wanted Nagisa finding Tsubaki before she found Aoi. Since Hiiro knew Aoi better than Nagisa knew Tsubaki, however, Hiiro wasn't too terribly concerned.
ooo
Sure enough, Hiiro and Aoi were already in the middle of a friendly conversation all their own when Nagisa finally came running over, dragging a very flustered, surprised, irritated Tsubaki after her.
"Awww, man, what?! How did you find her first?!" Nagisa complained. Tsubaki, meanwhile, froze up. So did Aoi. Hiiro only smiled smugly. The next hour was nothing short of pure gold for Hiiro and Nagisa, but pure torment for Aoi and Tsubaki.
The conversation started between all of them, but intentionally, over time, Hiiro and Nagisa phased themselves out of it, watching Aoi and Tsubaki try to talk to one another without any help. It was every bit as cringey, awkward, and hilarious as Hiiro and Nagisa anticipated.
"Want some?" Nagisa whispered jokingly as she held out another order of fries to Hiiro. It really did help solidify the, "I'm watching a funny rom-com, but IRL" vibe that she was going for. Hiiro politely declined, but she was no less entertained than Nagisa.
It was clear that there was much Tsubaki was just dying to say, but a mix of her anxiety and Aoi's unfailing obliviousness made the task nigh impossible. Every time she tried to compliment Aoi, she started stuttering and blushing so badly that it was hard to understand her. But even when she managed to speak clearly, every compliment flew right over Aoi's head. She took them all with a smile, but continually brushed them off casually. She was just trying to be humble, but in the process, she was missing some very blatant remarks and signals from Tsubaki.
It truly was incredible. There were plenty of fish in the sea, but fate decided to pair together two of the most oblivious. Trying to reel them in was no small feat and Hiiro and Nagisa (but mostly Hiiro, since Nagisa seemed more reeled in by her fries) were hard at work trying to tie their red threads of fate together. Tsubaki always looked a second away from just running away, and Aoi was as dense as ever.
Find each other, you sweet, beautiful, useless lesbians! Hiiro prayed silently, and at last, her prayer was answered (somewhat). Aoi and Tsubaki were still useless, clueless lesbians, but they brought up the gift cards.
You'd think the fact that they both thought to do the exact same thing for the exact same reason would clue them in that they're a good match, but ehhh… Nagisa might've been enjoying her fries, but she was still paying some attention to Aoi and Tsubaki. By the end of the night, they were still in an awkward verbal tango, the gift cards lying forgotten by their elbows. The gift cards…
Hiiro and Nagisa both suddenly looked at one another at the exact same time and nodded solemnly. It's a service payment.
A minute later, they'd slipped out of the bar, the gift cards slipped into their pockets. They felt a little guilty, but the way they saw it, Aoi and Tsubaki were the least likely people to notice. They couldn't even notice their feelings for each other! Besides, it wasn't as if they couldn't just buy more gift cards. There were plenty of fish in the sea!
AN: TFW you see a meme and immediately think "LITERALLY RONDO THO" and it's such a powerful, visceral mental image that you immediately bang out this entire fic in like an hour. That being said, sorry for any typos or OOC moments!
Also yes, inspired off the Tumblr post from lesbiandaydream that can be found by googling: "me, a femme, tacking a rose and a sports bar gift card onto a fishing line and casting it out into a lesbian bar"