There's nothing quite like going back to the basics, huh?
Since I've been having a Neptunia craze lately, I decided to go back and just do a pure fluffy short fic, starring everyone's favorite Candidate pair, Uni and Gearsy.
Honestly, this felt… really nice to write. And cute. I really like these two.
Enjoy!
.
.
.
G.C. 2013
Planeptune's Basilicom, Nepgear's bedroom
.
.
.
Nepgear, Planeptune's CPU Candidate and younger sister of Neptune, felt completely miserable.
Her entire body ached, her skin pale and damp with sweat. Her throat was dry, her nose was runny, and she was dealing with the worst headache she'd ever had. These symptoms combined made for a girl who just had all the energy sapped out of her and could barely move out of her own bed.
Nepgear, Planeptune's CPU Candidate and younger sister of Neptune, had caught the flu.
"ACHOO!"
Nepgear sneezed, which was followed by a pained groan from her body jerking so suddenly. She plucked a fluffy tissue from a tissue box on the nightstand next to her bed, bringing it up to her nose and blowing all the unwanted mucus away before she dropped it in a small trash can that was overflowing with similarly snotty tissues.
"Ugh…"
This was, unfortunately, a mostly complete summation of her activities over the course of her day. There were small deviations, like her guzzling down bottle after bottle of cold water (courtesy of her sister), so she didn't literally dehydrate.
Neptune would have been here nursing Nepgear herself, and Nepgear certainly would have loved to be tended to by her beloved sister, but she couldn't. Not since she was all but chained to her work desk by Histoire to shave away the back-loaded CPU-related paperwork she had consistently put off.
That didn't stop her sister from ensuring Nepgear had all the tools she needed to take care of herself, though she definitely went a little… overboard.
Nepgear glanced at the mountain of cased water bottles tucked away in the corner of her bedroom, placed right beside at least fifty boxes of 'extra fluffy' tissues. Neptune had stacked them up as if it were some real-life version of Tetrisi before being practically dragged out by Histoire.
"Mm…" Nepgear wiped some more sweat off of her face, sighing miserably. She was just trying to enjoy her favorite mecha anime as much as she could, but the flu just made it… so… difficult…!
She was clad in her normal purple pajamas, while laying back against a plethora of comfortable pillows and tucked in a cozy comforter. She tried to make herself as comfortable as possible, but they could only help so much.
However, the flu wasn't the only cause of Nepgear's problems.
Nepgear felt a little selfish just thinking about it, but she… well, she would have liked some company while she was recovering. She knew, and even understood to an extent, that Neptune had her responsibilities to tend to, especially since Nepgear herself was too sick to help at the moment.
A part of her, a not-so-insignificant part, really wanted Neptune to ditch her work to care for her. Neptune certainly would have preferred that, but they had a nation to run!
B-But, it wasn't like Neptune was the only option available! Nepgear had plenty of friends! Some of them were in this very Basilicom! She could just call one of them to visit her, right?
Well, that would have been a good idea, if Nepgear hadn't already tried that earlier. Unfortunately, the universe had a sick sense of humor, and it ensured Nepgear's loneliness.
IF and Compa were simply too busy, though Compa genuinely wanted to take time off her hectic schedule in the hospital to take care of her.
Wouldn't that have been truly selfish? To take away one of Planeptune's best nurses from a hospital with sick people who truly needed all the help they could get, just to have her tend to the Candidate?
She couldn't have that.
At the end of the day, IF and Compa were people who had their own careers and lives to worry about, it made sense that they couldn't always make time for the Nep sisters.
That didn't mean she couldn't feel a little disappointed about it.
As for some of her other friends, well, they were all pretty distant. All of them had their own lives, some of them lived in other dimensions all together. It didn't feel right for Nepgear to call someone like Nisa, or Falcom or 5pb., all people who were incredibly busy with their own lives, as usual.
That left Nepgear with three options left, her fellow Candidates.
Her first thought went to Uni, but would she be willing to drop everything just to take care of her? Uni was a very busy person, intensely so. She often rivaled Noire with how much she worked, so for her to call Uni while she was likely in the middle of important CPU-related things? That didn't sit right with her.
Then there was Rom and Ram, and well… Nepgear did truly enjoy their company, b-but she didn't know if she could handle their usual loud, high-energy attitude while she was so sick. Rom was fine on her own, but those two were usually a package pair
Besides, Nepgear realized, she doubted that Blanc or Mina would be very approving of letting either of them near herself while she was sick. The same went for Uni.
Which meant Nepgear was all alone.
"Geez, do you have to look so miserable?"
"!"
Startled by the sudden, yet very familiar, voice, Nepgear turned her head around to find the source. Uni was standing by the doorway, leaning against the frame while she gave her fellow Candidate a frown.
"I know you're sick and all," she continued, ignoring Nepgear's shocked expression entirely. "But you look like you're depressed. It's bumming me out."
"U-Uni…?" Nepgear didn't realize how weak her own voice sounded until she called out the Candidate's name. She coughed into her hand soon after saying that.
"No, it's Noire actually." said the ravenette flatly, giving her a dull expression. "Of course it's me, dummy." Shaking her head, Uni moved away from the doorframe—after making sure to turn and shut the door first—and slowly walked towards Nepgear's bed.
"W-Why are you here…?" asked Nepgear. Not that she wasn't against having her for company (it was what she was wishing for the last few paragraphs, after all!) but her sudden presence definitely startled her.
"Because I wanted to see you."
"H-Huh…?"
They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Uni's cheeks tinged pinked and she looked at the floor. "D-Don't get the wrong idea! I just… W-Well, I heard you were sick so I… I-I mean, I figured you'd want some company, t-that's all!"
"Uni…"
"W-Wha…?" Uni glanced back up, noticing the warm, affectionate smile that the sick Candidate was giving her.
Ba-Dump
"I-Im glad that you're here, Uni…"
Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump Ba-Dump
"I-It's nothing, really…" Shaking her head, a blushing Uni sat on the edge of Nepgear's bed, her back turned to her fellow Candidate while she crossed her arms.
"D-Don't you have work to do, though…?" Nepgear coughed again, turning away from Uni as she did so.
"Who do you think I am, an amatuer?" Uni huffed at her, looking downright offended at the suggestion that she'd leave work unfinished. "I'll have you know that I already took care of all the work to be done today!"
"R-Really…?" Nepgear's eyes went wide in astonishment. "W-Wow, Uni is so efficient…!"
"A-And you know it!" The young ravenette proudly declared. She certainly wasn't going to admit that the only reason she was so efficient was because she was worried about Nepgear and wanted to see her as soon as possible…! T-That type of thing was better left unsaid! "B-But enough about me, um… h-how are you feeling…?"
It was a really dumb question to ask. Anyone could tell from a glance that Nepgear looked as sick as a dogoo, b-but nobody ever accused Uni of being good at conversation!
"A-Ah… ACHOO!" Nepgear sneezed, covering her face so that the snot didn't fly in multiple directions. "Ugh…"
"Here." Uni handed her some tissues, which Nepgear happily accepted and used to wipe her face and nose.
"I-I'm… I could be better…" Nepgear sniffled.
"... Do you need anything? A drink or something?" Uni suddenly got closer to Nepgear. Before the young Candidate could even react, she pressed her palm against Nepgear's sweaty forehead.
"A-Ah, Uni…" Nepgear flinched. "D-Don't get too close, you'll get sick too…"
"Don't worry about me, worry about you." said Uni curtly, moving her hand away after a few moments. "Geez, you feel like an oven. Here." She handed Nepgear a cold bottle of water.
Nepgear stared at it for a moment, then she pressed the cold bottle against her head. She smiled blissfully. "Ah…"
"... You're supposed to drink that, you know." All Uni did was shake her head at the sight. Nepgear gave her a sheepish smile in response.
"S-Sorry, I just felt so hot… I should have asked Neptune for an ice pack…"
"Do you want me to get one? I can leave and—"
"N-No!" Nepgear abruptly grabbed Uni's hand, pulling her back to the bed just as she was starting to get up.
"Gyah?!" Uni reacted appropriately to having her arm yanked back. Which is to say, letting out a surprised cry as her entire body was pulled towards Nepgear. What this meant for Uni, however, was that her face went straight into Nepgear's lap.
"U-Uni… please don't leave…"
"Mph…" Uni couldn't say much at first, since her head was burrowed in between the sweet softness of Nepgear's lap.
… When she realized where exactly her face was at, Uni blushed a deep crimson and quickly pushed herself upwards, breaking Nepgear's hold on her. "Gah! G-Geez, what's wrong with you?!"
"A-Ah, um…" Suddenly looking very sheepish, Nepgear formed a blush of her own and looked away. "I-I'm so sorry, I got ahead of myself, I-I'm sorry…"
"S-Stop apologizing, will you…?" Once Uni regained her composure, she gave Nepgear a tepid look.
Though, whatever lingering frustration Uni held quickly dissipated as soon as she saw Nepgear's face.
'No… don't get mad at her… she needs comfort right now…'
"... I'm not going anywhere, alright?" Uni tried her best to sound as assuring as possible. "Get that out of your head. I came here specifically for you, and I…" The young ravenette blushed, but she pressed forward. "L-Look, I'm not leaving, alright?! Not until you feel better, at least…"
"U-Uni…" Nepgear's lips trembled, her eyes watering as she looked at her.
G-Geez… this was a little worse than she thought, wasn't it? Uni had an inkling that her little flu was making Nepgear way more emotional, but she wasn't expecting this.
"... I-I'm not going anywhere…" Muttering, Uni moved away from Nepgear's lap, settling herself by Nepgear's side instead.
"U-Uni…?" Nepgear stared at, eyes going wide when she started moving under the covers. "D-Don't get near me, or you'll—"
"I said stop worrying about me!" Uni wasn't having any of it as she glared at her, fully settling into her bed with her. "I mean, yeesh, you're sicker than sick and you're sitting there asking if I'm okay. What is up with you?"
"A-Ah…" Nepgear looked embarrassed. "S-Sorry, that's just… how I am…"
"I noticed…" Uni sighed, shaking her head. Her heart was beating like crazy just being close to Nepgear like this, i-in her bed no less, but she had to suck it up! Nepgear needed this right now!
Deep breaths Uni, deeeep breaths…
"... What are you watching, anyway?" Since she was making herself comfortable in N-Nepgear's bed, she just started paying attention to… whatever the heck was playing on Nepgear's T.V.
"O-Oh, it's one of my favorites! Lurren Gagann!" Abruptly, Nepgear's eyes started shining as the topic was changed. "I-I was feeling nostalgic, so I put it on… I remember watching this with Neptune when we were kids…"
"Is that so…?" Uni only watched the screen with mild indifference. Nepgear adored absolutely anything relating to robots or mechs and the like. Uni, for the life of her, tried her damndest to get into it by her suggestions, but it never stuck with her.
But still, it made Nepgear happy, so it was worth it, right…?
"Don't you think it's cool, Uni…?" Nepgear asked her, her face shining.
"H-Huh? Oh, yeah, it's cool, I guess…" Uni shrugged at her, unwilling to look Nepgear in her stupidly cute face and tell her she didn't like it. "W-Well, I usually prefer slice-of-life over this stuff, though…"
"Really…?" Nepgear looked at her curiously. "Did you watch anime with Noire too…?"
"Well… no…" Obviously, Noire wouldn't have bothered doing anything like that with Uni when she was a kid. Even now, with their relationship becoming somewhat more stable and healthy after ASIC fell, they never really went as far as sitting down and watching anime together. "N-Not that I don't want to! But it's just… embarrassing…"
"O-Oh, I see…" Nepgear nodded. "W-Well, I think you should! I mean, w-who knows, Noire might like some of them?"
"... No offense, but that doesn't seem like her thing…" Uni couldn't imagine her sister being interested in stuff like that. She was a serious, hard-working woman. Something as silly as anime was beyond her, obviously!
"Well, you never know… hm…"
"Eh? Nepgear are you al—?!" Uni's concern was cut short when Nepgear suddenly leaned against her shoulder.
"Sorry Uni…" Nepgear mumbled. "Your shoulder is really cozy, I-I hope you don't mind…"
"!" Uni's face exploded in a bright red, her heart practically hammering against her chest as her entire frame shook. There wasn't a shadow of doubt that Nepgear was a little out of it, but she felt… so… nice…!
"... Nope, I don't mind at all."
Naturally, she wasn't going to do anything to disturb this brilliant phenomenon. Not in the slightest.
"..." Uni glanced at Nepgear's stray hand, close to the ravenette's own. She felt her hand tremble as she inched it close.
She glanced at Nepgear's face. She was focused on the anime playing on T.V., not noticing Uni in the slightest as she used her shoulder as a pillow.
Biting her lip, Uni went in and… took Nepgear's hand into her own.
"Mm?" Nepgear noticed, of course she noticed. She glanced down at Uni's hand, seeing it intertwined with her own, then she glanced up at Uni with the sweetest, warmest and cutest smile in the history of existence…
Then she squeezed Uni's hand.
"?!"
"Mm…" Maintaining her smile, Nepgear went back to watching T.V.
Was… was this real?! They were holding hands! Hands! This was skipping so many steps in their relationship! Heck, they didn't even have a relationship yet! Hand holding wasn't even supposed to be until at least the third date! Her heart couldn't take all of this just yet!
Nepgear didn't notice Uni's inner panic attack that she was having. For the first time that day, she looked completely peaceful just being near her.
"Uni…?"
"H-Hm…?" Doing her best to maintain her composure, Uni looked at her. "W-What?"
"I… I really appreciate you… being here, keeping me company…" She closed her eyes, a small smile on her features. "Uni… you're so amazing…"
"... W-Well of course!" Uni declared proudly. "I-I mean, I wasn't just going to let you be sick all alone, right? T-That'd just be… I-I wouldn't let that happen…"
Nepgear hummed. "You're so nice Uni…" She glanced up at her. "Will you… will you stay here with me tonight…?"
Uni's heart stopped.
It was one thing to be in Nepgear's bed with her. It was another thing to hold hands with her, watching her favorite anime and having the girl lean in on her all the while. But to sleep in Nepgear's bed with her? That was… that was…!
Uni glanced down at Nepgear, giving her the most reassuring smile she could smile during her panicked state and gave her hand a firm squeeze.
"... Of course I will."
Well, she managed to act like a love interest straight out of one of Vert's dating sims, and the way Nepgear looked at her in pure wonder and happiness was worth it.
"... Thanks Uni…"
"Y-Yeah… yeah, sure thing…"
Short and sweet. I didn't want this to be anything complicated, I just wanted to write something really simple and digestible for you all.
I was reminded of why I used to love Neptunia so much when I wrote this. It reminded me of 2015, when I first discovered this series and how I loved writing stories for this setting and these characters. I really missed this.
Time sure flies, huh?
Anyway, that's enough sentimental rambling from me. I hope you all enjoyed this little UniGear one-shot.
Did I mention that I like these two? Because I do.
Midnight Comet (Formerly known as YuriLover567)
