So this one was an idea I got forever ago and also wrote forever ago. It ended up being long enough to be its own oneshot. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.
Distant Fondness
Whenever there is news of a new play being performed by professionals at the theater in town, it's no surprise that all of Seishou's students catch wind of it immediately and proceed to become extremely excited.
Sometimes, the school arranges field trips to bring the classes to such events, but when the academy doesn't make those arrangements, most of the girls tend to make their own weekend plans to go and see such plays with their friends, both for entertainment and for educational purposes.
The current play that has been announced is Hamlet, but what's going to make this version all the more interesting than any other they've seen before is that it will be performed by an all-female cast.
The news has everyone bustling through Starlight Hall this morning as they're getting ready for classes.
Maya sits in the lounge area enjoying her morning tea. Claudine is beside her with a cup of coffee, and together they listen to their friends' enthusiastic comments.
"That's gonna be such a cool play!" Karen exclaims.
"Right?" Mahiru agrees. "We've all seen it a bunch of times already, but never before with an all-female cast!"
"It'll be really neat," Hikari says.
"Perhaps women playing the roles will make it a bit less boring," Kaoruko yawns.
"The original wouldn't be 'boring' if you actually paid attention," Futaba mutters.
Their chatter is idle, but of course no one is more excited for this event than Junna. As an avid Shakespeare fan, she's been trembling with anticipation since the moment the news came to them, and presently is holding a tea cup in her shaking hands, which causes Nana to gently lean in and support her so she won't spill it.
"Junna-chan? Are you actually going to drink your tea, or…?"
"I can't believe it," Junna is muttering. "As if it wasn't amazing enough that it's Shakespeare, but Hamlet? And to top it all off it's going to be played by an all-female cast? That's entirely new. That's unheard-of. It's going to be so incredible!"
"Nope," Nana sighs. "Junna-chan is still in her own little world. We have no idea when she'll be coming back, so please leave a message after the beep!" Nana eases her roommate's untouched tea cup from her hands and back onto the table, smiling pleasantly as she listens to Junna's rantings.
Maya is just finishing her own cup when Karen poses the idea of going to see the play as a group.
"We could all go together!" she says. "It'll be out for three weeks, right?"
"Yeah!" Mahiru smiles. "We could even go this weekend!"
"Ah," Futaba frowns. "That won't work for us. Kaoruko and I are going to a bike show. Maybe the two of us could go next weekend?"
"Oh," Nana says. "And Junna-chan and I would probably have to wait until the last weekend with all the arrangements we have to help Class B with…"
"What?!" Junna wails. "You think? We'd have to wait until the end?"
"Calm down, Junna-chan! We'll get to see it either way! But we promised Class B, remember?"
"Y… You-re right…"
"Aww…" Karen whimpers. "So it looks like we'll have to go separately. Well then, we can all discuss it once we've all seen it! No spoilers until then!"
"That's right!" Junna says sternly. "None of you are allowed to say anything when I'm present! Understand?"
"Heh," Nana chuckles. "Even Class Rep Hoshimi Junna-san gets worked up sometimes, huh?"
As Maya puts down her tea cup, she sends a casual glance in her own partner's direction. Claudine is the only other one who hasn't spoken yet on the matter. Right now she's making an amused expression from behind the rim of her cup as she listens to them all, but it's clear she hasn't thought about seeing the play for herself yet.
Naturally, Maya takes this socially-acceptable opportunity to ask her out on a date.
"Saijou-san?" she says a bit softly, so only Claudine can hear. "Would you perhaps be interested in going to see Hamlet with me at some point? It will surely be an invaluable experience for us both."
Claudine blinks and looks at her before taking another sip of her coffee.
"You're right. It's imperative that we see this play, not only as performers, but as women. Ah, but it can't be this weekend. I've got something to start preparing for."
Maya nods.
"Very well."
"And it can't be next weekend, either," Claudine says. "I'm going somewhere."
Maya blinks curiously now and tilts her head.
"Going somewhere? May I ask where?"
And Claudine replies as if it's the most normal answer in the world.
"France."
Everyone keeps talking for a moment, though Maya has fallen dead silent. Claudine takes another sip from her coffee. And then it's as if there's a delayed reaction, and everyone suddenly exclaims all at once.
"Eh?!"
"What did you say?"
"What!? Kuro-chan's leaving?!"
"To France? That's kind of big!"
"And far!"
Maya's a little relieved she'd already put her cup down, because she feels it might've slipped through her fingers at hearing the sudden news.
"S-Saijou-san? You are… returning to France?"
Claudine is clearly startled by everyone's reactions. Eyes wide, she slowly leans forward to put down her coffee.
"Ah, I guess I didn't mention it to you guys yet. It must've slipped my mind."
"Slipped your mind?" Kaoruko blurts. "How can something as huge as going to France slip your mind?"
"I have a lot going on," Claudine defends calmly.
In dire contrast, Karen jumps up from her seat and rushes across the room to throw her arms around Claudine dramatically, knocking them both backward into the couch.
"Kuro-chaaaan! Don't go! You can't go back to France! Stay here with us!"
"K-Karen-chan!" Mahiru squeaks. "Be careful of the drinks!"
"And my spine!" Claudine wheezes. "Karen, calm down. It's not like I'm going back forever."
Karen is already blubbering crocodile tears.
And to be honest, Maya had been feeling just as worried all this time, but of course she didn't express it quite like her exuberant classmate. She's grateful to Karen for being able to do those sort of things in her stead.
Even so, hearing Claudine say those words now lifts a weight off Maya's chest. Karen also lifts her head and sniffles.
"Y…You're not…?"
"Non!" Claudine huffs. "Of course not! I'm only going back for a few days next week to celebrate my Maman's birthday."
Everyone in the room breathes a huge collective sigh of relief.
"Geeeez!" Futaba whines. "Say that sooner, Kuroko!"
"I was going to!" she says. "But then Karen knocked the wind out of me!"
"Uuwuuu, sorry…" Karen eases herself back. "I'm just glad you're not leaving forever, Kuro-chan."
"Of course I'm not. I'll be back by the following Tuesday."
With the misunderstanding finally cleared up, everyone slowly starts getting ready to head to Seishou.
"Still," Junna says. "That's kind of unexpected that you'd leave during school."
"I don't really have a choice," Claudine replies. "Her birthday isn't close to any of our breaks. I'll just be gone next Thursday through Saturday and get back Sunday morning. Hopefully the jet-lag will wear off then and I can come back to classes by Monday."
"Going to France for only three days? That's expensive, isn't it?"
"No price is too high if it's for my sweet Maman."
As the group begins filing out, Maya lingers behind just a little, still a bit surprised by the news. It didn't happen last year, so she assumes Claudine had probably missed her mother's birthday in order to focus on her first year at the academy. But now with her near-perfect attendance record, she can afford to miss a few days at her leisure.
Even so, it's still a little shocking for Maya to hear.
"Maya-chan?" She nearly jolts at the sound of Nana's coaxing voice. As they walk at the back of the group, Maya turns to her.
"My apologies, Daiba-san. I was lost in thought."
"It's okay. I think we were all a bit surprised to hear that from Kuro-chan! This is the first time any of us will be leaving the country during school time, after all."
"Yes," Maya agrees. "I know she's gone back during spring break before, but…" She tapers off, now looking up to Claudine's back. Nana moves in to nudge Maya's side gently.
"It might be a little tough without her, right? But don't worry, it'll only be for a few days!"
"Yes, you're right."
And that won't be until late next week anyway. For now, Maya does her best to simply continue with her routine as per usual.
But now that she has the knowledge that Claudine will be leaving in the back of her mind, Maya finds herself staying even closer to her than she normally does. She inches her chair a bit closer at lunch, follows her a bit more closely in the hallways, and holds onto her a bit more tightly as they dance and practice during lessons.
When classes have ended, she stays as late as possible with Claudine in the studio to practice, then accompanies her for dinner and their showers.
Which are all things she always does anyway at this point in their relationship, so Claudine thinks nothing of it. Not until later that night when they've retreated to her room for bed, and Maya suddenly becomes extremely clingy. More so than usual, and that's already saying quite a bit.
It's one of those rare nights were Claudine actually wouldn't have minded a bit of heavier kissing and things of that nature, but Maya doesn't seem to be in that sort of mood. Instead, she just wraps her arms around Claudine, buries her face in her chest, and doesn't let go. Claudine is a little concerned at first.
Did something happen with her parents again? Is she upset about something?
She tries to think back to the day they'd had in school, but she can't recall anything that might've made Maya act this way. Claudine holds her close for a few moments, rubbing up and down Maya's back gently as she rakes her brain for answers.
Maybe she's just tired? Was her baumkuchen stale tonight?
As she's trying to think, Claudine can feel Maya's grip on her torso gradually strengthening, until it's getting difficult for Claudine to breathe. Grimacing, she has no choice but to ask her out loud.
"M-Maya…?" she wheezes, trying to do this cautiously. "Is there… perhaps something on your mind…?"
Maya's immediate response is to squeeze her even tighter, and Claudine nearly sputters.
"No…" Maya's reply is a small mumble against her collar.
Claudine huffs as best she can.
"You're… a terrible liar… You must know that by now…"
Maya simply presses even closer, and Claudine feels like her ribs might start bruising soon. She gives a weak little tap to Maya's back.
"All right… we're going to talk about this… but first… I really can't breathe-"
"Ah." Maya looks up now and loosens her vice-grip on her. "I'm sorry…"
Claudine gulps in a few breaths now that her lungs can actually expand properly, though she pats Maya's head to let her know she isn't upset with her. When she's finally recovered, Claudine cups her partner's face and coaxes her to look into her eyes.
"Now then, would you care to tell me what's been bothering you to the point where you feel as though you need to break my ribs? Did something happen? If your parents are pressuring you again I swear I'll-"
"No." Maya shakes her head quickly, though she is admittedly very happy that Claudine is getting so protective of her like this. She smiles a little bit at that, moving her hands a bit more gently up her partner's sides and back. "It's nothing like that. It's simply… ever since you told us your news this morning, I've been feeling a bit… strange…"
Claudine blinks.
"My news? Ah, about going to France next week? Are you worried about my flight? There's no need for that. Planes these days are safer than probably any other form of transportation, you know. There's no need for concern."
But Maya shakes her head.
"Well… I am a bit worried about that as well…"
"Don't be." Claudine kisses her forehead sweetly. "I'll be fine. Nothing's going to stop me from going to see my Maman and Papa, or from coming back here to you. Okay?"
Maya dips her head again and nestles back up against her chest.
"Yes…" She starts squeezing her tighter again, getting as close to her as physically possible.
Claudine is still puzzled by her behavior though. She spends another moment rubbing Maya's back and shoulders to try and soothe her, as she feels Maya is still unsettled about something.
But if it isn't about the flight, then what…?
And then it hits her.
And as soon as Claudine knows the answer, her heart starts to flutter and skip and backflip all at the same time as a strong warmth blooms in her chest.
"Don't tell me…" She threads her fingers through Maya's hair, caressing her cheek. Claudine nuzzles her head gently as she stakes her guess. "You're… going to be lonely without me, aren't you…?"
In response, Maya just squeezes her tighter than ever before.
And if she'd been physically able to find breath enough to chuckle, Claudine might have, but as she is now, only a faint little wheeze slips free.
"Oh, you poor thing... Come here."
She returns Maya's hug with equal force, and they crush each other to themselves. Claudine starts to pepper little kisses to the crown of her head and along her hairline, humming bemusedly.
"You're going to miss me, aren't you? You're going to be lonely without me, aren't you?"
Maya doesn't say anything. She just hugs her tighter and lets out a withering little sigh.
Claudine half-wheezes and half-coos as she cradles Maya's head to her chest.
Yes, most of the time she was annoying and infuriating and smug and hot-headed… But every once in a while, Maya would just be so sweet, so precious, so adorable…
Claudine kisses her a dozen times all through her hair and atop her head, though it's gotten to the point where she can't breathe again, so she's forced to gently ease Maya's grip around her sides. When she can, she heaves a long sigh.
"I can't exactly cancel these plans… But believe me, I would if I could. I didn't know it would make you this upset. I'm sorry."
"No-" Maya pulls herself back again and looks up at her in earnest. "Of course I wouldn't expect you to stay just for my sake. I may be greedy, but I would never be so selfish as to ask you not to attend your own mother's birthday."
"I know you wouldn't," Claudine soothes her, petting gently down her back. "But now it's going to kill me knowing that you'll be here by yourself, sleeping alone for three whole nights. But don't worry. I'll still be able to text you internationally."
At that, Maya frowns and looks down.
"No… My parents would never pay for international texting. Especially not for only a few days."
Claudine huffs.
"Then I can cover it for you. It's not a problem."
Maya smiles now, but shakes her head.
"I couldn't let you do that, Claudine. It's all right. I will simply have to find out some way to survive those three days without hearing from you."
"Désolée…" Claudine cups her cheeks and gives her a kiss on the nose. "But until I leave, I'll do my best to shower you with enough affection to hold you over for those three days. So long as we're not in class. How does that sound?"
Maya sighs and gives a nod before burrowing back into the crook of her neck and squeezing her again. Claudine hugs her back, though she can only handle the death grip for so long.
"Maya…? My ribs are going to break..."
"Ah- I'm sorry." Maya loosens her hold a little, but even after she falls asleep that night, she doesn't let go of Claudine at all.
Claudine doesn't let go of her either until morning, but even then she keeps close to Maya as they get ready for classes, offering her multiple hugs, and Maya accepts every single one with gusto.
Claudine walks a little closer to her than usual in the hallways, and touches her hand a lot under the table at lunch. All things she'd typically get irked at Maya for doing, but since Claudine knows how Maya is feeling and she is the one needing to provide support for her, Claudine does these things gladly now.
She doesn't even scold Maya or challenge her as much during their dance lessons, nor does Maya fool around and tease her as often as she normally might.
All of their friends more or less catch on with what's happening between them, and they find it rather sweet.
And of course, as soon as the two of them are alone again at night, Maya gets clings to Claudine as if her life depends on it, no doubt trying to savor her warmth and make it last for the nights she'll eventually have to spend without her.
And this altered little routine of theirs continues throughout the week, and all the way into next week.
Maya continues being particularly needy and clingy behind closed doors or when no one else is watching, and Claudine takes pity on her and accepts every time. Though, of course, she's actually enjoying it very much, too.
But by Wednesday the following week, Maya's heart sinks when she walks into Claudine's room that evening to find her suitcase packed and ready. Claudine notices she's staring at it and gently takes Maya's hands to turn her away.
"We've still got one more night," she reminds her. "Are you sure you want me to wake you up before I go? I'll have to be up before 5, and you'll still have classes-"
"Yes," Maya replies without hesitation. "Please. I want to see you off, Claudine."
"All right." Claudine kisses her softly, then guides her to bed.
They curl up together, and Maya cuddles up as close as possible. Her heart's pounding nervously because she knows Claudine will be leaving her in the morning, and she's worried about her flight and the fact that she won't be able to text or call her for three whole days.
Claudine almost feels guilty for leaving her to go have fun in France. She runs her hands all up and down Maya's back soothingly, breathing a sigh.
"I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."
Maya whimpers softly.
"No… I apologize," she mutters against her chest. "I'm being selfish… You should enjoy yourself, Claudine. Don't worry about me."
"You're making that kind of impossible," she says. "I'd worry regardless. But you'd better not let my absence affect your performance in class, Tendo Maya. If I come back to find my partner's slacking, I won't be happy about it."
Maya presses closer to her. Hearing Claudine say that makes her realize the truth in those words.
In the past, Maya had never let her performance be affected by anything or anyone. But she's fallen so hopelessly for Claudine and become so unmistakably attached to her that she realizes Claudine is the first and only person to actually be able to affect Maya this much now. She'll really have to work hard these next few days not to get distracted without her.
"I won't," she murmurs. "I'll be ready and waiting for you, Ma Claudine."
"Glad to hear it." Claudine gives a nod of approval over her shoulder and kisses her head again. "Now let's get some sleep. We'll both be up early tomorrow."
"Yes…" Maya sighs a little sadly, already dreading the time she'll have to spend without her.
Claudine can tell she's still bothered by it all, so she hums for Maya and rubs her back for a while, until she falls asleep. Claudine follows shortly afterward, knowing she, too, probably won't be sleeping all that well the next few nights.
Maya wakes very early that morning to the sounds of an alarm beeping.
A sense of dismay floods through her as she realizes Claudine will soon be leaving her. Her head still feels so fuzzy from sleep, but her stomach is already churning with nervousness, more than she's ever felt before any play or performance.
Defiantly, she cuddles closer to Claudine, hugging her tighter, pressing up against her chest. She's been listening to Claudine's heartbeat all night long, but she wants to keep listening just a second longer, and another second longer…
She hears a small moan bubble up from the back of Claudine's throat as she wakes, shifting beneath Maya's weight to reach for and silence the alarm. Maya squeezes her eyes shut, refusing to let her go. She feels gentle hands draping across her back and tapping softly.
"Maya~?"
Maya turns her face to hide like a little kid.
"Claudine…" Her voice is cracked and tired and miserable. But Claudine chuckles softly.
"Don't worry. It's only 4 right now. I set one alarm just to wake myself up a bit, but we've still got another hour before we have to get up."
Maya lets out a long, relieved sigh. One hour. She still has an hour left with her…
She feels an intangible pressure being lifted from her shoulders now as Claudine begins to card sleepily through her hair, stroking gently to put Maya at ease. Maya whimpers, happy that she still has a bit of time left with her, but knowing it won't be nearly enough.
She pouts as she snuggles up to her, not looking forward to the next three days at all. She closes her eyes, but doesn't let herself fall asleep again. She wants to stay awake and savor these last few moments together with Claudine, breathing in her sweet scene, feeling her breathe, listening to the soft pulse of her heartbeat…
And with each passing minute, she just dreads hearing that second alarm. She tries not to think about it, as if doing so might will into existence that it doesn't go off and that Claudine won't have to go. Even though Maya had said she'd try not to be so selfish, she really is hopeless…
Claudine hugs her and rubs her back all the while, kissing her head every now and again.
And even though she doesn't glance at her clock, she can sense when the alarm is nearing. Her heart starts to beat a little faster from the excitement of going back home after so long. But it also aches for Maya.
I hope the others will be able to handle her while I'm gone…
She'd already asked Nana specifically to keep an eye on her and make sure Maya didn't get too lonely, and Nana had happily and dutifully agreed. And although most of her is sad about having to leave Maya behind when she's in such a state, there's also a part of Claudine that thinks it's just adorable.
Surely, the renown Tendo Maya would never show such vulnerability to anyone else, and Claudine takes a bit of pride in that.
The two of them doze lightly for a while longer. Maya enjoys it as much as she possibly can, until she can just feel that the final alarm is coming. Every minute brings them closer to the blare, to the inevitable, to Claudine leaving. Maya just hugs her and hugs her and hugs her more, until the dreaded beeping of the alarm clock finally comes. Claudine heaves a sigh and reaches out to silence it. Maya doesn't let go of her, even as Claudine slowly sits herself up.
"Tendo Maya-san?"
"No…" Maya buries herself deeper into Claudine's chest. "I'm afraid I suddenly can't hear."
"Come on. You had weeks to prepare for this. I've got to get up."
"I implore you to reconsider."
"Don't be so dramatic." Claudine gives her another little squeeze and kisses the top of her head, then gradually begins prying Maya off of her. Maya moans in dismay, but eventually relinquishes her grip on Claudine.
The bedside lamp is turned on as they slowly start to get to their feet. Claudine heads to the bathroom to get changed and ready, leaving Maya to wallow on the edge of the bed. When Claudine returns, dressed in cuffed pants, a blouse, and trench coat, Maya's heart both lifts and sinks at the same time. Claudine smiles hopelessly, rolls her eyes, and walks to her to pull her into another embrace.
"It's only for three days," she reminds her. "Goodness, who knew the mighty Tendo Maya would have separation anxiety like a newborn puppy?"
Maya locks her arms around Claudine's waist and burrows into her stomach.
"This is your fault, Saijou Claudine," she mutters. "You are the one who made me this way…"
"Then I'll take responsibility by coming back as soon as I can." She kisses Maya's head again, then coaxes her back enough to bring her to her feet. Claudine kisses her lips now, channeling her affection directly. Maya sighs against her mouth and kisses back meekly. Claudine scoffs.
"Oh, please. I know you can do better than that. Give me a good one to send me off, would you?"
"But of course."
Claudine's request gives Maya a bit of her spunk back, and she kisses her a little more fully now, conveying just how ardently she's going to be missing her for the next few days. Claudine lets her have her way, down until the last possible second before she finally has to step away.
"That will have to do for now," she says. "We can continue when I get back, oui? My car will be here soon to take me to the airport."
Maya slumps.
"I regret being unable to go that far with you," she sighs.
"We can't help it," Claudine says. "But you can be sure I'll be texting you down to the last second, okay?"
"Yes…"
"Don't make that face. You're already making this plenty difficult for me."
"My apologies." Maya tries her best to smile. "Please enjoy your time with your family, Claudine."
"I will," she nods. "But just know I'll be missing you every step of the way." She leaves a kiss on Maya's cheek to prevent her from pouting even more. Maya's response is to cling to her once again. Claudine gives her as much time like this as she can until her phone buzzes to announce the arrival of her taxi. She pats Maya's head, and with a heavy sigh, Maya lets her go, but she remains clinging to Claudine's arm as she takes up her suitcase and heads for the door.
Maya walks down the quiet, early-morning hallways with her partner toward the dorm's exit doors. She'd expected to see a few teachers and staff there to see Claudine off and make sure she got to her taxi safely, but Maya hadn't expected all seven of their friends to also be waiting there in various forms of sleepy disarray. Karouko is slung onto Futaba's side, just as Karen and Hikari are leaning against Mahiru. Only Junna and Nana seem to be fully awake, until Karen spots Claudine and Maya and bursts into tears.
"Uwaaah, Kuro-chaaaan!"
"Karen-chan," Mahiru soothes her. "We went over this, remember? She'll be back on Sunday."
"Oui, ne t'inquiète pas." Claudine smiles as she reaches the group. "I'll be sure to bring you back some souvenirs as well."
That cheers Karen up pretty quickly.
"Oh! Really? From France?"
"No, from Italy," Futaba snorts. "Yes, from France, dummy. That's where she's going!"
"It's so exciting!" Nana claps. "Please take lots of pictures!"
"But of course," Claudine smiles.
Each of them take turns hugging her and wishing her a safe trip while Maya stands back and doesn't say a word. Only after Nana has finished her hug and Claudine has had a word with the adults does she finally turn back to Maya and open her arms one more time.
And normally, they would agree to keep such intimate moments private. But as things are, neither cares about other people being present right now.
Maya goes to her and slumps against Claudine for one final hug, a good and tight one. And somehow they manage to leave kisses on one another's cheeks without the teachers noticing, though they do hear a few groans from Kaoruko and a few squeals from some of the others.
Claudine gently pats Maya's back and murmurs to her.
"I'll be back soon."
Maya squeezes her waist.
"Have a safe trip. I shall be anxiously awaiting your return, Saijou-san."
"I'm sure you will be," she chuckles. "Don't worry. My return will be worth the wait."
"Without a doubt."
At last, they part for the final time now, and it takes Maya some great amount of self-restraint not to pull her back in again. She stands still and waits with the others as Claudine heads for the doors with the teacher escorting her out of the building. Claudine turns back to them all with a smile and a wave.
"Well then, everyone, adieu~"
"Bye, Kuro-chan!"
"Be safe!"
"Have fun!"
"See you soon, Kuroko!"
"Goodbye!"
They all wave and see her off, and a few of them like Maya get a bit teary-eyed, but only Karen actually cries. They watch Claudine get into her car, and then it drives off. The teachers come back in without her, and that's what really makes it set in for Maya.
"She's gone…"
"Only for three days!" Nana says cheerfully. "Maya-chan, don't look so sad! She'll be back soon!"
"Yes. Of course."
"Come on," Junna says. "We can all get back and sleep a little before classes start."
Everyone agrees, and they start heading back together. But where everyone else has their roommates and partners with them, Maya feels so lonely.
But of course, Nana is there pulling her into a side-hug instantly and walking with her, and Kaoruko casually saunters up to Maya's other side.
They head back to their rooms, and Nana offers to let Maya come with them to theirs.
"We could set up a little space for you on the floor," she offers.
But Maya politely declines.
"Thank you Daiba-san. But I will be all right. I shall go back to rest on my own before classes begin."
"Are you sure? All right, then."
But Maya doesn't retreat to her own room. She goes back to Claudine's, and she doesn't plan on going back to sleep, either. As soon as she enters, she can already hear her cell phone buzzing where she'd left it on the nightstand and quickly hurries over to open it. Claudine has already sent her several texts.
I'll bet you went back to my room, didn't you? That's fine. Just make sure you clean everything up before you leave. You're not going to sleep there every night while I'm gone, are you? That's a little pathetic, but also sweet, I suppose…
As Maya reads her words, she can hear each one in Claudine's voice perfectly. A smile is already forming on her lips, and she can feel tears rising up behind her eyes. Just then, another text comes through.
You're not crying, are you, Tendo Maya? Please tell me you aren't.
Maya chuckles as she sits down on the bed and types out a response.
Not at all.
And then the knowing reply.
You definitely are.
Maya turns off the lamp and slowly lies down on her back to continue texting Claudine until she arrives at the airport. They chat as Claudine waits for her flight, up until the last moment, at which point Claudine sends her final message.
All right, I'll be boarding in a moment. I know it will be difficult, but do your best in my absence, all right, Tendo Maya? Je t'aime.
Maya starts to cry again a little as she quickly types back.
I love you, too, Ma Claudine.
After that, she doesn't receive any more texts. Maya rests her phone on her chest and stares up at the cream-colored canopy of Claudine's bed as the first few rays of milky morning sunlight begin pouring through.
And thus begins the longest three days of Tendo Maya's life.
She falls back asleep that morning for a short while before Claudine's alarm goes off to wake her for classes. And as soon as Maya regains consciousness, only to roll over in Claudine's bed to find its rightful owner isn't there, it feels like an arrow's been shot through her heart. But she recalls Claudine's words, how she can't allow her absence to affect Maya's performance during classes.
So Maya determinedly pushes herself up, makes Claudine's bed, grabs her phone, and then heads back to her own room to get ready for the day.
It's a rather difficult day, as she'd anticipated. Not seeing Claudine at breakfast, or in the hallways, or in classes really is strange. Maya tries thinking of it as if Claudine were simply sick and taking the day off from classes, and that actually works for the most part.
Maya has as normal a day as possible with her other friends, though the illusion she's created for herself of Claudine being confined to bed with the sniffles is effectively ruined when everyone else inevitably just wants to talk about what Claudine might be doing right now on the plane, or if she'd already landed in France.
When it's time for dance class, Mahiru happily offers to be Maya's partner. And Maya appreciates it very much, and actually finds it very beneficial to have a change of pace every once in a while. Of course, she misses having Claudine being the one to accompany her, but it's been quite a while since she'd gotten the opportunity to experience someone else's style alongside her own.
So she uses this chance to her advantage and adjusts her technique to better match Mahiru's or Kaoruko's or whoever else switches in order to be with her now. Her performance doesn't suffer in the slightest, and Maya feels Claudine would be proud of her if she could have seen her dance with the others.
Somehow, Maya makes it through her first day sans Claudine without a hitch, though once classes have ended, it does get rather lonely to stay in the studio to practice by herself. If not for how dearly she cared for Claudine, she might've thought it was a bit of a setback to be so affected by someone else's presence or absence.
It just goes to show how much Claudine had changed her life by becoming a part of it. And of course that goes for all of her friends, but Claudine in particular.
Maya practices by herself for a while, and can't help but imagine Claudine is there with her, going through the same motions. Once or twice, she feels she even hears a familiar huff or sigh or chuckle.
She practices until she's satisfied, then heads to the showers. But it's a little odd to find some other classmate in the stall beside her now, to not hear Claudine's lovely voice humming or singing merrily beside her. And when Maya steps out and changes, there is no one there to dry her hair for her or brush it, and no one for Maya to do these things for either.
So after tending half-heartedly to her own hair, Maya heads to the mess hall for supper. Thankfully, her friends are all there waiting expectantly for her and welcome her over.
"Ahh~" Karen sighs. "I wonder what Kuro-chan's eating for dinner right now."
"Actually," Mahiru says. "Japan is seven hours ahead of France. So Kuro-chan is probably only just finishing her lunch right now!"
"Really?!" Karen blurts. "So does that mean Kuro-chan went back in time?!"
At that comment, Nana chokes a little bit.
"I guess you could say that…" she murmurs. But Nana quickly perks up again to change the subject. "Maya-chan, how are you feeling? Were you okay today without her?"
Maya looks up from her bowl of tempura and gives a small smile.
"Yes. Though I have to admit it still doesn't feel entirely real."
"I know what you mean," Junna agrees. "It's so weird to think we just sent her off this morning."
"It was morning for us at the time," Hikari says. "But now she's only having lunch. I remember it being kind of like that the day I transferred here from England."
"Oh, that's right!" Karen says. "Hikari-chan is a time-traveler, too!"
"Say, Karen-chan," Nana grunts. "Your food is gonna get cold."
"Ah! You're right!"
Maya smiles a little before taking another bite of her own food. She can't help but glance to her side where Claudine normally sits. But instead of a cute little huff from her partner, Maya receives an amused smirk instead.
"Oh~?" Kaoruko muses. "You've got it bad, don't you, Tendo-han? Still looking around for her, eh? I'll bet you've talked to her a few times when she wasn't even here, yes?"
"Don't tease her," Futaba scolds. "At least Tendo can function without Kuroko. Same can't be said for you if I were to leave for three days, Kaoruko."
"H-Hey!"
Maya enjoys their antics as per usual, but the fact that Claudine isn't sitting beside her now makes her sigh. She lets her mind wander and thinks about what her partner might be doing right now with her parents on a beautiful day in France.
And after they all finish eating and wish each other goodnight before heading back to their rooms, Maya actually goes to her own and not Claudine's.
She reads a little as she gets settled in, but before long finds herself getting restless without Claudine to nestle up against. It isn't long before she can't focus on her book and puts it away, then turns off the light and simply curls up beneath the blankets.
It feels so terribly lonely to not be able to wrap her arms around Claudine, to breathe in her scent or listen to the warmth of her pulse. There have been a few nights for room inspection where Maya would have to tough it out by herself in her own room, but at least then she'd had comfort in the knowledge that Claudine was just across the hall.
But tonight she's halfway around the world.
She almost reaches for her phone to text her until she remembers she can't, not unless she wants a notification for an international text to be sent to her parents' phone bill.
With a very weighted sigh, Maya closes her eyes and just tries to imagine Claudine there beside her. She's been with her so closely for so long it's actually a rather simple feat to trick herself into remembering her scent and her presence, if she just closes her eyes and focuses hard enough.
Eventually, through these means, Maya manages to coerce her mind and drift into slumber.
The next morning she wakes alone, and immediately recalls that Claudine still isn't here. It's Friday for Maya, so she has to get ready for classes on her own, and is left to imagine Claudine seven hours behind her, still asleep in her luxurious soft bed back home in France.
Today is her mother's birthday, so Maya sends out a silent wish that Claudine will enjoy herself to the fullest. Meanwhile, Maya will work hard in her classes and take sufficient notes for her partner.
After getting dressed and ready, Maya slings her bag over her shoulder and exits her room, then subconsciously walks to Claudine's door to wait for her. She knocks and calls out for her, and must stand there for a full ten seconds before she remembers, then swiftly continues on her way. As she's walking off briskly, she's suddenly joined by Futaba and Kaoruko.
"Oh my," Kaoruko purrs. "Tendo-han, that was quite pathetic, don't you think? Did you already forget Kuro-han isn't here?"
"Oy, Kaoruko, cut her some slack," Futaba says, poking her in the forehead. "Mornin, Tendo."
Maya does her best to ignore Kaoruko's comment and the blush that's risen to her cheeks.
"Good morning Isurugi-san, Hanayagi-san."
"Fu fu~" Kaoruko grins. "Don't fret, Tendo-han. Kuro-han will be back in just a few more days. I'll be sure to let her know how desperately you missed her~"
"Kaoruko!"
But Maya takes no offense to the comment. She merely sighs.
"I'm certain Saijou-san is already aware of how much I miss her…" she mumbles.
The three of them meet their friends in the lounge and then have breakfast together in the mess hall before heading to school. Like yesterday, Maya keep stealing glances at Claudine's empty seat, and her ears naturally tune in whenever she hears one of her classmates mention her name. There are a lot of girlish sighs today as well.
"Ah~ Saijou-san is still in France, right?"
"Yes! She's so lucky! I wanna be in France right now instead of history class…"
"I hope she takes pictures to show us! I wanna see the Eiffel Tower!"
Maya feels a smile on her lips as she listens, and envisions Claudine at some gorgeous mansion having cake with her parents, speaking one of the most romantic languages on earth. She sighs, wishing she could be there with her…
But as soon as classes begin, Maya can more or less hear Claudine shouting her name scoldingly to pay attention.
She takes diligent notes throughout the morning, though at lunchtime she still finds herself looking around for Claudine, and during dance lessons she has to remember that Hikari is her partner for today instead. Like yesterday, Maya alters her steps and movements to best match her new partner's, to best bring out Hikari's radiance and improve their overall performance. Her body is just so used to moving alongside Claudine's, it's a bit of a challenge to be mindful now and not let herself move on autopilot.
And that's good for her, she knows, because it's best to keep things fresh and experience different partners. Again, she appreciates getting to work with someone else, and thanks Hikari with an honest bow in the end.
But of course, she still misses Claudine.
Luckily, instead of Maya practicing alone after classes today, all of her friends conveniently decide to stay as well, and they work on a few numbers together. Maya is glad to have them there to keep her mind off her loneliness.
She offers advice and demonstrations to help the others through their numbers, and also goes over a few lines of dialogue from a play they are reading in class. They all keep her company for supper and retreat to the showers with her as well, and afterward Nana invites everyone to the lounge for a movie night and snacks.
Maya of course joins everyone, though she has a lot more room on the couch now without Claudine beside her. Kaoruko must notice, because she tactfully takes up that space herself by lying down and stretching out her legs. Futaba just shoots Maya an apologetic look, but Maya smiles back.
She really does enjoy herself with everyone for the fun evening, though it's inevitable that she keeps looking behind herself to make a comment to Claudine every now and again. By the time the movie is over, it's nearly midnight, and everyone is happily tired.
"All right, everyone," Junna says. "Time to get to bed. Even if it is a weekend night, we still need to rest properly."
"And!" Karen says loudly. "Only one more day until Kuro-chan comes back!"
"I'm glad," Mahiru smiles. "I've really missed her."
"Me too," Hikari says.
"We all have," Kaoruko hums. "But there's a certain someone who's missed her more than all of us combined~"
"Aw, don't tease her, Kaoruko-chan!" Nana says defensively. She moves in to Maya's side and wraps an arm around her. "Of course Maya-chan misses her the most! It'd be the same for any of us if our partners were gone for a while, right?"
"Yeah," Futaba agrees. "And like I said, you of all people wouldn't survive, Kaoruko."
"I most certainly would…"
Maya has to admit she feels a lot better with all of them there to reassure her. Only tonight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night are left now, and then Claudine will come back to her. Maya's heart flutters just to imagine seeing her again.
For now, though, the girls wish each other goodnight and head their separate ways.
Maya goes to her own room, but only picks up her phone and then exits again. By now, the hallways are empty, which allows her to silently make her way across to Claudine's dorm instead.
Maya pushes her way inside and closes the door behind herself before slowly making her way to Claudine's empty bed. With a soft sigh, she sits on the edge and opens her phone to read over the last few texts Claudine had been able to send her.
You're not going to sleep there every night while I'm gone, are you? That's a little pathetic, but also sweet, I suppose…
Maya smiles, once more able to hear the words as if Claudine has spoken them from right beside her. She hadn't slept in here last night, so that means she's only a little pathetic to be doing it tonight. Slowly, Maya pulls down the covers and gets settled before reading over Claudine's last text to her.
I know it will be difficult, but do your best in my absence, all right, Tendo Maya? Je t'aime.
Maya stares at those last few words until the screen goes dark. She puts her phone aside and closes her eyes with a sigh.
"Je t'aime, Ma Claudine."
And even though she knows Claudine can't hear her, and is probably only just wrapping up her mother's birthday celebration right now, Maya can still feel Claudine's response in her heart.
Miraculously, she manages to survive the second night without her partner, though when she wakes to Claudine's bed, and Claudine's scent, and a single golden lock of Claudine's hair on the pillow beside her, Maya's heart aches.
And unlike the previous two days, she doesn't have classes to help keep her mind occupied today. Maya would love nothing more than to laze about in Claudine's bed all day and night until her return tomorrow, but she knows that isn't proper conduct, even for a lovesick person. She only lies there for about an hour that morning before getting up and making the bed.
Only one more night, and then she'll be able to sleep here with Claudine beside her once more.
Maya picks up her phone, reads over the texts again to motivate herself, and then heads for the door. She ensures no one else is in the hallway to see her exiting Claudine's bedroom before she scurries out and back to her own.
After getting dressed into something comfortable, she meets her friends for breakfast. There's a strange air around them all, that kind of atmosphere the day before an exciting event, where you wish you could just hurry through it all, but you can't. They're all missing Claudine by now, even Kaoruko. But the time won't move any faster, so they still have to make it through the whole day somehow.
With no classes and no Claudine to busy herself with today, Maya has no choice but to take her time with the usual chores and laundry. She also accompanies Nana and Junna to town to buy some groceries and things, and is appreciative of her friends for making sure she isn't alone today. Even the group who had initially said they would be going to see Hamlet this weekend decide to stay here at school instead.
They all have lunch again, deciding to sit and eat outside for once to enjoy the weather. A while later, Karen suggests heading to school to do some practice, and naturally everyone agrees and joins in.
Maya busies herself as such in the rehearsal room, but it's very difficult for her to not look at the clock every few minutes and just hope the day will be over soon.
By dinnertime, everyone is feeling that little bit of emptiness after three days without Claudine, as if one crucial piece had been removed from their puzzle. As everyone is picking at their desserts, Mahiru finally speaks up.
"Well, we made it!" she says. "Kuro-chan will be coming back tomorrow!"
"Finallyyyy!" Karen wails. "I've missed her so much!"
"What time?" Hikari wonders.
"I think she'd said a little before noon?" Nana says. "But that's only if her flight isn't delayed or anything like that."
"Right," Junna nods. "It's always possible with international travel that something like that could happen. But hopefully not."
"I should hope not," Kaoruko says. "If Kuro-han's return gets delayed, I don't think Tendo-han will survive."
"Oy," Futaba elbows her roommate. "Don't brush it off onto Tendo. You miss her too, Kaoruko."
"Perhaps a bit."
"Really? Remember last night when you were tellin' me you miss getting to talk to her about the plays we're readin'?"
"A-Aahhhhh, Futaba-han! I told that to you in confidence!"
"Oops, my bad~"
Everyone chuckles a little at Kaoruko's expense this time, and Maya does have to admit she truly feels so much better now that the majority of the wait is finally over.
"Hanayagi-san may be right," she says. "If Saijou-san's return is delayed at all, I just might go a bit mad."
"I think we all will," Junna agrees. "I know she's having fun with her family and all, but…"
"I know what you mean, Junna-chan," Nana says, patting her shoulder. "Kuro-chan's parents are her family of course, but so are we!"
"Yeah!" Karen blurts. "We're all Kuro-chan's sisters! I'm definitely a big sister!"
"Ehhh?"
"Hah?"
"No way, Karen."
"I agree. Karen-chan is a little sister."
"Awww what? No way! C'mon you guuuuys…"
"My point exactly."
"Banana is a big sister."
"So is Hoshimi-san."
"And Mahiru! She's got, like, ten younger siblings for real."
"O-Only four…"
"I would say I'm one of the oldest as well~"
"No way, Kaoruko-chan! If I'm a little sister, then so are you!"
"Eh? Absolutely not."
"Nah, I agree."
"Traitor!"
"Maaaaybe you can be a middle child with me and Tendo."
"Hikari-chan would be a little sister too, I think."
"Agreed."
"Yeah."
"Huh?"
"And that's exactly why."
They all discuss this topic in earnest and state their reasonings for each claim. Even Maya offers a few allegations here or there. They end up getting so into the debate that they stay until the staff tell them the mess hall is closing and the girls have to leave.
Ultimately, they've decided that the age order of their family of nine sisters goes as follows: Mahiru, Junna, Nana, Maya, Claudine, Futaba, Kaoruko, Karen, and finally Hikari.
They spend a little time together in the lounge again, mainly discussing more about their newfound family tree of nine sisters for a while.
And at long last, the final hours without Claudine are upon them.
Maya feels both anxious an at-ease somehow, really truly hoping nothing will hinder or delay Claudine's swift and safe return to them.
Everyone heads off to bed with plans to be up early tomorrow to welcome Claudine back. Maya excuses herself to the bathroom first, then when the halls are empty tiptoes to Claudine's room once again. And it's the same process of re-reading her texts, imagining her voice, cuddling into the pillow that still has the faintest lingerings of her scent…
Maya hugs the blankets to her chest, imagining Claudine is in her arms tonight.
Only a few more hours, she reminds herself.
She's so excited and giddy and nervous she doesn't fall asleep for a while. She just keeps thinking of Claudine, most likely getting ready for her last night of sleep in France, probably already packed and ready to return to Japan tomorrow, though once she lands her times will be very jumbled.
Maya can't wait. This time tomorrow, she'll have Claudine back in her arms once again.
Maya curls up tightly and heaves one final sigh before her mind finally allows her to drift off as she dreams of Claudine's return.
Maya wakes three hours too early, but can't possibly make herself fall back asleep, so she simply lazes around in Claudine's bed for a while, heart pounding with excitement. She re-reads Claudine's texts yet again, knowing she must be on her flight back by now.
Maya gets herself up and tidies the room before heading to her own to pick out a change of clothes. In addition to that, she goes to the plastic shopping bag she'd brought home from her trip with Junna and Nana yesterday. She'd put all of her food items away already, but at the bottom of the bag remained a small package of balloons. Maya takes this with her as well.
She then heads to the showers early, before anyone else is even awake yet. She sings as loudly as she can, letting her voice fill the entire room and echo off the walls; a demonstration of just how happy she is.
By the time she's finished, gotten changed, and dried and brushed her hair - which she's gotten a little used to doing by herself without Claudine to do it for her the past few days - Maya retreats to the lounge to wait for her friends to wake.
With Claudine set to return around 10AM, everyone else is up by 7 from sheer jitters. They greet Maya with sleepy smiles, and when Maya reveals her package of colorful balloons, they all agree to help her blow them up and set up a little welcome-back scene for their friend.
The atmosphere of the room is heavy with eager anticipation and excitement as the girls spend time blowing up the balloons, tying them, and then placing them all around. Of course Karen blows a little too hard on one and it ends up popping, and though it startles everyone, it has them all laughing seconds later.
The final few hours wind down, and thankfully the wait is made to feel a little less arduous now that everyone is together to make conversation.
By 9, Maya's eyes are more or less glued to the clock indefinitely while her hands clutch her phone in her lap, just in case Claudine can manage to send her a text when she's landed in Japan and being driven back to the school.
It's now when Maya begins to feel more nervous than excited, almost as if she's meeting an admired celebrity for the first time. She has no idea why her stomach is backflipping like it is, but somehow, her friends manage to explain it for her.
"Tendo-han?" Kaoruko pokes her shoulder. "Why do you look like you're going to be sick? Why are you that nervous? It's just Kuro-han."
"Non-non, Kaoruko-chan!" Nana chimes in. "She's not 'just Kuro-chan'! She's our Kuro-chan! And some might even argue she's Maya-chan's Kuro-chan, right?"
"Oh~ I suppose that makes sense."
Maya can't think of any kind of response or reaction to give for that, so she simply lowers her gaze to her phone once again.
But Nana is absolutely right. Of course Maya is feeling so nervous and happy.
Because it's Claudine. Her Claudine is finally coming home.
Everyone loiters around the room for a while longer, chatting excitedly as they wait for the clock to strike 10, or for a teacher to come and fetch them. Maya continues looking between the clock and her phone, too frazzled to even realize she could just look at her phone screen for the time and save her neck the whiplash.
It's just about 9:45 when they all hear footsteps coming down the hall. Everyone looks up, assuming it's just a random classmate, but they seem to be coming straight to the lounge. Junna puts a hand to her chin.
"It's probably one of the teachers coming to get us and bring us down to the lobby to wait for Saijou-san."
"Or!" Karen whispers loudly. "It is Kuro-chan and she's back early to surprise us!"
"I don't think so, Karen-chan," Mahiru says gently. "We'd be able to hear her suitcase rolling."
"Aw, I guess you're right."
"Either way," Maya says, pushing herself to her feet now. "We should start heading down to the lobby to wait for-"
But just before she can finish, Maya is cut off by a high-pitched, sing-songy voice.
"Bonjour~"
"Oh, hi Kuro-chan," Karen says. "We were just going to the lobby to wait for-"
And then everyone does their double take and realizes it is, in fact, none other than the one and only Saijou Claudine standing before them now, with her one hand holding the suitcase she'd very clearly carried down the hall so no one would be able to hear it rolling, and the other hand suspended over her shoulder after a trademark toss of her curls.
After a shocked, stunned beat of silence, everyone suddenly shrieks all at once.
"Kuro-chan!"
"Saijou-san!"
"Kuroko!"
As all of her friends scream and squeal, Claudine puts her suitcase down calmly and presents them all with a charming grin.
"Oui, but of course! The one and only! Are you sur- ah- w-wait a second-!"
But her pleas can do nothing to stop her friends from stampeding over all at once to welcome her back. Karen reaches her first, throwing herself at Claudine with such force she absolutely would've bowled her clean over if not for the fact that Mahiru and Hikari have run in to Claudine's other side to counter-balance the impact.
"Kuro-chaaaaaan!" Karen squeals. "You're back?! Since when?! It's not even 10 o'clock yet!"
Claudine laughs and does her best to wrap her arms around all three of them somehow.
"That was a ploy from the start. I'd always been scheduled to arrive at 9:30. I just wanted to make you all think it was later and then come in to surprise you. It must have worked."
"You smell like France," Hikari mumbles.
"France?" Mahiru giggles. "Hikari-chan, what does that even mean? Either way, we're so glad to have you back Kuro-chan!"
"Merci. I'm very glad to be back."
By now, Futaba and Kaoruko have wriggled their way past the other three.
"All right, quit hoggin' her!" Futaba grunts. And even Kaoruko agrees with a whine.
"Yes, it's our turn now!"
Futaba wriggles in between Hikari and Mahiru while Kaoruko grabs Karen by the scruff and removes her before the two of them get full access to Claudine.
"Kuro!" Futaba grins, nuzzling into her collar. "Welcome back!"
"How cunning of you to trick us like that…" Kaoruko mumbles against her shoulder.
Claudine chuckles and hugs them both.
"Je suis désolée. But I wanted to have a little fun with all of this, too."
She gives them both a good squeeze, but it isn't long before Nana has scampered up with Junna in-tow. Futaba takes the hint and releases Claudine, but Kaoruko stays nestled up as if content to fall right back asleep on Claudine while standing like this. It takes both Nana and Futaba to pry her off before the next pair take their turn.
"Welcome back, Kuro-chan!" Nana loops both arms around her and squeezes her exuberantly, earning a small squeak from Claudine.
Junna is a bit more gentle with a looser hug.
"Nana, take it easy."
"It's fine," Claudine says. "Tres bien! I've missed you all." She puts an arm around each of them, and even Junna now adds a bit of force to her hug.
Since the moment Claudine had appeared, only Maya hadn't budged from her spot across the room yet. When everyone else had rushed over to her, Maya had remained rooted in her spot, still trying to process it all.
It's taken her this long, until all seven of her other friends have had their turn welcoming Claudine back, to realize it's real and true.
Her first bit of movement is to open up her fingers and allow her cell phone to drop onto the couch. Her eyes have gone wide, and no matter how many times she blinks the image in front of her doesn't disappear. It isn't a dream. She's sure of it now.
All at once, her friends turn back to look at her. Nana smiles and waves her over.
"Maya-chan!" she says. "Kuro-chan is back!"
And that's the final push she needs, the final confirmation to flip the switch and get her legs moving.
There's no shame, no hesitation, no need to feel like she should be refined and composed like always. Maya runs across the room, and the others all make way for her. She rushes straight into Claudine, throwing both arms around her as tightly as she possibly can, enough to knock her partner back a few steps, and if Claudine hadn't already been in the process of lifting her arms to catch her, Maya's certain they both would've crashed to the floor.
Claudine yelps softly in surprise at the earnest force of the impact, but she manages to keep her balance and make firm purchase around Maya's sides, giving her a good hard squeeze. She chuckles softly and rests her head against Maya's.
"As always, you have no shame and no self-control, Tendo Maya."
Maya's face is starting to hurt from how much she's smiling. Her senses are being flooded with Claudine's presence, which they've been missing for what seemed like so long.
Her scent is a bit hidden beneath whatever smells had clung to her from her flight and the drive from the airport, but under it all is the unmistakable sweetness that is Saijou Claudine. Her voice, which Maya had imagined in her ear for the past several nights, is now clear and crisp at her cheek, with that familiar little fluctuation in her tone. And her warmth - her wonderful, comforting softness - spreads through Maya's entire body in only seconds, pooling at her chest and wrapping gently around her heart.
Maya almost feels like she might cry, and she has to keep her eyes closed for a long moment as their embrace continues and she finally pulls up her voice.
"Welcome back, Ma Claudine…"
Normally, she'd never use the pet name in front of others. But as things are, to Maya, she and Claudine are the only two people in the world right now. And with how everyone else has started clapping and cooing, no one but Claudine hears her anyway.
Maya lets out a sigh long enough that it's as if she's been holding it in since the morning Claudine left. Thankfully, Claudine doesn't seem to have any intentions of letting her go just yet. Maya locks her hands and fingers together at the center of Claudine's back, nestling into the side of her neck. She hears a chuckle and feels a soft pat on her back, then a small murmur in her ear.
"I missed you too, Tendo Maya."
They have their moment together, with Claudine bashfully avoiding eye contact with the others who keep giggling, until Nana finally claps for attention.
"All right, everyone! Let's all sit together and listen to Kuro-chan tell us about her trip!"
"As you can see," Junna says, motioning to the balloons all around. "We'd planned on surprising you, but you beat us to it, Saijou-san."
"That's right!" Karen says. "Tendo-san got you these balloons and we all helped blow them up! Happy birthday, Kuro-chan!"
"Karen, it's her mom's birthday," Hikari says helpfully.
"You two…" Mahiru sighs. "These are to welcome her back, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
"Either way," Claudine says. "I love them. Merci, everyone."
As everyone slowly starts making their way to the couches and chairs, only Maya and Claudine remain unmoving, mainly because Claudine literally can't move with Maya on her like this. She gives her another pat on the back.
"Maya-san? We're going to sit down now."
"Oh-" Maya lifts her head and slowly eases back, but she doesn't fully remove herself from Claudine just yet. As their friends all have their backs turned now, their eyes meet.
Maya feels a rush of emotion in her chest at finally getting to be close to her once again. She opens her mouth to say something, but she immediately forgets what, because Claudine is already leaning in to cup her cheek and steal a quick kiss. By the time Maya registers what's happening, Claudine has already pulled away and picked up her suitcase handle to start bringing it inside.
"Let's save the rest for later," she says with a wink.
Maya can't even make a sound as Claudine takes her hand and leads her into the room.
Karen and Nana have gathered up all the balloons and now present them to Claudine as she puts down her suitcase and takes her rightful spot on the couch with Maya beside her. Claudine thanks them all as she accepts the twenty-or-so colorful balloon strings and puts them between her knees, letting them float up above everyone's heads so she can still see them properly. Maya makes sure to press as closely up to her side as possible, sort of looking like Kaoruko typically does with Futaba.
"So!" Nana beams. "Tell us about your trip, Kuro-chan!"
"How was your birthday?"
"Karen-chan, it was her mom's birthday."
"Oh yeah. Aha, sorry I didn't get a lot of sleep last night! I was so excited!"
"Me, too."
"Me, three."
"And us."
Everyone nods in agreement, and as Claudine turns to face her, Maya dips her head as well. Claudine smiles.
"Well, I'm flattered you'd all lose sleep over me. I didn't rest a wink on the plane or in the taxi either. But my Maman's birthday was wonderful! We had a very nice brunch and dinner, and even went here!" Claudine pulls out her cell phone and begins swiping through photos. She stops to show them all a photo of a massive, intricate golden castle. Everyone marvels in amazement.
"Wow!" Karen yelps. "Kuro-chan, is that your French house?!"
"I hope not," Junna scoffs. "Unless she's secretly a princess."
"Non-non, Karen," Claudine says, waving her finger. "It's the Château de Versailles."
"The who-what-what?"
"It means 'Palace of Versailles'," Mahiru jumps in. "We talked about it in world history class before…"
"We did?!"
As everyone heaves a collective sigh, Maya takes the moment to sidle up a bit closer to Claudine.
"It's beautiful," she murmurs. Claudine smirks.
"You should've seen it when I was there. It was glowing even more than usual," she says with a confident flip of her hair. Maya smiles back, slowly returning to her old self now that Claudine is there to prompt her.
"Such a shame you've taken your radiance away from it and brought it back to us."
"No matter. I suppose Tokyo Tower could use some, right? Oh, and I brought these back for everyone." Claudine bends down to unzip a pocket of her suitcase, then fishes out a small package. She opens it and reveals eight keychains, all of the Eiffel Tower. As she passes them out, the girls can see each is engraved with the girls' names on them in Japanese.
"Wow!" Nana gasps. "Kuro-chan, these are so cute!"
"And they have our names?" Mahiru squeaks. "H-How?"
"They're custom-made," Claudine says proudly, puffing up her chest.
"Custom?" Hikari mumbles. "Wasn't it expensive?"
"Bien sûr que non - not at all. I'd wanted to bring back some macarons or mille-feuille, but my bag space was limited."
She passes Maya her keychain last. Maya holds out her palms as Claudine hands it to her. Maya marvels at the tiny details of the mini Eiffel Tower and admires the elegant font used for the characters of her name. Though she has to wonder if everyone else's also have tiny hearts engraved on the back. She glances at Claudine, and judging by the way she huffs and looks away, Maya can infer her answer.
Once her souvenirs have been given out, everyone thanks her, and then Claudine continues recounting her trip.
Everyone leans forward and gathers around as Claudine shows off more and more photos of France, and tells them all of the few places she managed to visit with her parents in such a short amount of time. She describes her small celebration for her mother's birthday, and then everyone starts asking more about her house in France, her bedroom, her property and things like that. Claudine gladly accepts her turn in the center spotlight, speaking excitedly and passionately with a sparkle in her eyes all the while.
Maya only partially listens, simply because she's so engrossed in Claudine's presence and enthusiasm; she's absolutely glowing.
They all listen eagerly all the while, chiming in on occasion with connections or questions. By the time she's finished covering the events of her trip, Claudine is nearly breathless, and then asks them about what they've been up to in her absence.
"Not much," Junna admits. "It's just been the same old, for the time being."
"Fairly boring without any performances going on at the moment," Kaoruko sighs.
"You didn't miss much," Futaba agrees.
"But we sure did miss you!" Karen says.
"That's right!" Mahiru nods, already reaching out to offer Karen a tissue as she starts sniffling. "It felt so strange without you here, Kuro-chan."
"We're glad you're back," Hikari says.
"Oh!" Nana claps. "And don't worry! Maya-chan and I took turns taking notes for you, so we've got you covered!"
"Indeed," Maya smiles. "And if you would like, I could show you the new things we went over in dance class."
"Merci," Claudine smiles back. "Though, perhaps later…" She's interrupted by a sudden yawn, and a big one at that.
Maya remembers she'd mentioned she hadn't slept on her flight, or in the taxi. Which makes her wonder when the last time she actually rested was. Claudine's yawn effectively spreads to Maya, and in seconds it's being passed around the entire room.
"Goodness," Claudine sighs. "You all weren't kidding when you said you didn't sleep either."
"Well," Junna says. "It's the weekend, so we might as well take advantage of it and get some proper sleep."
"Well said, Hoshimi-han…" Kaoruko yawns, slinging herself over Futaba's back. "Futaba-han, piggyback to bed?"
"Guess I don't really have much of a choice, huh?"
"K-Karen-chan! Hikari-chan! Don't sleep here! Let's go back to our room!"
Junna and Nana help Mahiru rouse the other two, and in the meantime Claudine gets to her feet with her balloons in one hand and Maya's hand in the other. Maya stands with her, but then awkwardly lets go of her hand; although she has every intention of following Claudine back to her room right now, she still puts in some amount of effort to keep her distance from someone who isn't actually her roommate. Claudine gives her a curious look as she picks up her suitcase instead, but before Maya can respond, Futaba calls across the room to them.
"Tendo, you're not foolin' anyone. Just go with her."
"That's right," Kaoruko says from Futaba's back. "You've been terribly pathetic all this time without Kuro-han. Go back and enjoy her now~"
Maya stiffens a little, refusing to look at her partner.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean…"
"Oh please!" Kaoruko grumbles. "You were like a motherless puppy for three whole days!"
"All right, that's enough!" Futaba interjects. "I'll take Kaoruko away now. See you guys later." Futaba carries her roommate out of the lounge, sparing Maya anymore of her comments. But the others end up chiming in as well.
"Kaoruko-chan's right, Kuro-chan," Karen yawns. "Tendo-san seemed pretty down without you."
"Karen-chan, you're the one who kept crying," Mahiru reminds her.
"Well, yeah! But I feel like Tendo-san missed her even more."
"She didn't stay for extra practice as much," Junna says.
"And she hardly smiled at all," Nana mopes briefly to demonstrate, but then brightens up again. "But now that Kuro-chan's back, she can't stop smiling!"
"Oh~?" Claudine purrs. "Is that so, Tendo Maya? Did you really miss me that badly~?"
Maya has to bite her lip now because she realizes she really is still smiling, as Nana said. She glances quickly at Claudine, who is managing a smirk now in spite of her evident exhaustion. Maya inhales sharply, but she doesn't even have the energy to try and put up a front about this matter.
"Indeed it's very true. I missed you a great deal, Saijou-san."
And everyone - Claudine included - had more or less been expecting her to deny it, even though they all secretly know the truth already. But the fact that Maya is honest about it and admits her true feelings is unexpected to say the least. Claudine's smirk fades and a blush spreads across her face immediately.
"M-Mechante va! Even when you aren't trying, you still manage to do this sort of thing…"
"Pardon?" Maya asks innocently. "What do you-"
"Quiet!" Claudine thrusts her handful of balloons at her and looks away. "Just- take these! I swear…"
Maya cracks a chuckle and accepts the balloons in one hand, then subtly steps closer to Claudine and loops her other arm through hers.
They follow the others out of the lounge, waving and mumbling softly that they'll see each other later in the afternoon. Claudine rolls her suitcase toward her room, and Maya follows quietly. Claudine pauses at the door and turns back to her.
"You didn't actually sleep here every night, did you?"
Maya waves her handful of balloons behind her, and they all wobble against each other.
"Only two nights."
"Stalker."
Claudine rolls her eyes as she opens the door, but Maya doesn't miss the tiny curl to her lips to show she's rather flattered.
Maya follows her into the bedroom she'd spent the past few nights in and woken up in this morning. With a sigh, Claudine puts down her suitcase to unpack later and looks around.
"At least you kept the place tidy," she mumbles. "It's so strange. It feels like it's been weeks since I've been back here, but also like I never left at all. It's crazy to think I was just in France yesterday… Today's Sunday, right?"
"It is," Maya confirms. "I can only imagine your jet-lag."
"It's awful. I might sleep the rest of the day away, to be honest."
"I would gladly accompany you, if you'd have me."
"Please," Claudine scoffs. "How could I turn you away knowing you've been pining for me like a lost puppy all this time? I'm getting changed and then I'm going to bed, and at this point if you don't join me I'll take offense."
Maya dips her head.
"Then I shall gladly."
Claudine nods, then removes her trench coat and ventures to her dresser to pull out her pink nightgown. Maya respectfully turns away, crouching down to loop all of the balloon strings together and tie them to the handle of Claudine's suitcase. By the time she's finished, she hears a grunt from behind and turns to see Claudine has gotten dressed and is looking extremely impatient to get into bed now. But first, she opens her arms.
"Come on," she mumbles. "Thinking about you sleeping here all by yourself is making me feel guilty…"
Maya can't even hope to conceal her glee. She has no need or energy for pride right now.
Getting to her feet, she wastes no time in going to Claudine and joining her in another long, tight embrace. Maya might've tried to sneak in a smug comment or two, but she finds she's just too tired and happy and relieved to bother. Instead, she simply buries her face into the side of Claudine's neck and the softness of her hair, sighing softly.
"I am very glad you have returned to me safely, Ma Claudine. Welcome back."
"Of course I did," Claudine mutters. "And I'm glad you managed not to fall apart completely without me."
"I assure you, it was no easy feat."
"Someone's being awfully honest…" Claudine folds her arms a little tighter around Maya's shoulders. "And if I'm being honest as well… I missed you, too…"
Maya purrs.
"Tell me more. Did you lose sleep?"
"Not nearly as much as you did."
Claudine pushes her back playfully, but instantly brings her to the bed instead. She pulls down the blankets and flops down, and Maya is right behind her.
They both slip their legs beneath the covers and come back together like magnets, clinging to one another to make up for lost time. Maya breathes out sigh after sigh with a smile on her face all the while. She latches onto Claudine and doesn't relinquish her hold even a little, and only presses even closer when Claudine pulls her in.
"Gosh," Claudine wheezes. "You really are hopeless, you know that? If I didn't know any better, I'd say I've discovered your weakness, Tendo Maya."
"Not at all," Maya hums. "You only make me stronger, Ma Claudine."
Claudine blushes and groans again.
"You're insufferable... But I missed you." She brings one hand to Maya's cheek and tilts her face to an angle before leaning in for a long kiss. Maya kisses back, drinking her in, fulfilling the ache that's been tugging at her lips without Claudine's to grace them for three entire days.
In spite of her fatigue, Maya holds out for a long moment until Claudine is forced to pull back for air. Panting, she glares at her with a slight pout.
"So greedy…"
"My apologies," Maya murmurs. "But I've waited patiently. I deserve a reward."
"Mechante- You're unbelievable!" Claudine quiets her with yet another kiss, and Maya chuckles against her lips. She would love nothing more than to keep up her usual antics with her, but notices the current kiss is quickly interrupted as Claudine's jaws part in yet another yawn. Claudine eases back, shaking her head tiredly with her eyes half-lidded.
"Give me a moment," she murmurs. "Even if you are infuriating and you did wait impatiently for my return… you did still miss me more than everyone else combined. And I… appreciate that…" She leans forward to kiss her again, just a small one this time. Maya smiles and pecks her back, but now she's the one to draw away.
"Ma belle princesse, you can hardly keep your eyes open." Maya removes one hand from her near-crushing embrace on Claudine and moves it up to gently caress her cheek and hair. "I've had my reward for now, I assure you. If I truly apply myself, I should be able to wait until we wake up for more."
"Why, you…" Claudine huffs, but can't chide her much more than that. Her bed feels far too wonderful, and Maya feels far too warm for any more bantering right now. She'll just have to continue giving Maya a piece of her mind later. But for now… "Fine… We're going to sleep…"
"Please."
Maya kisses her eyelids in turn as Claudine finally closes her eyes. She nestles close to her, tucking her head against her chest. The second Claudine's heartbeat fills her ears, Maya suddenly feels all of the compiled exhaustion of the past three nights crash down on her all at once. Her sweet scent fills Maya's lungs once again, and then her fingers being stroking gently through her hair and all down her back…
Maya whimpers in her bliss, more than willing and prepared to sleep the rest of the day away with her like this.
Claudine might've acted a bit in front of the others, but now she's definitely giving away just how badly she'd missed Maya as well. Her arms are locked just as tightly around Maya's back as Maya's are around hers, she continuously nuzzles against her head, and her heart just sounds so fast and happy in Maya's ear.
For a long moment, they simply lie there, consciousness fading, soaking in each other's warmth and presence at long last.
By this point, they've both recognized the danger of being apart for longer than three days. Neither even wants to imagine it. It's a little pathetic, but so much more endearing.
Maya keeps herself awake just long enough to listen as Claudine's pulse begins to slow, and her breathing settles into something more rhythmic. Claudine makes an adorable little moan in the back of her throat, and a moment later Maya hears her whisper against her hair.
"Bonne nuit… je t'aime… Ma Maya…"
And it feels like it's been months since Maya has heard those words. Her heart leaps and twirls and skips all at the same time, and all she can do is cuddle up closer and do her part to reply.
"Bonne nuit, Ma Claudine… je t'aime."
She hears one last long exhale from Claudine, as if she'd been making sure to keep herself awake until she heard Maya say it back. The second she does, she drifts off into a deep and happy slumber.
Maya gives her one last squeeze and lets out a similar sigh before finally following suit.
And finally, all is right with the world again.
A/N: Honestly just an excuse to write pining, clingy, puppy-dog Maya and it somehow became 15k. I had fun with the random things that popped into my head while writing, like the bit of who would be the older/younger sisters in the group, and Karen mentioning timezones as "time travel" and Nana choking ahaha. Hope you enjoyed the fluff!
Please review!