What we didn't see during the camping trip...
Winning
Chie stirred in her small space within the tent. The air felt humid to her, and it didn't help that Yukiko was squishing her against Souji's breathing frame. She honestly didn't understand how Yukiko moved so much in her sleep; it was just baffling. Yosuke was on Souji's other side, quiet as a mouse. Why was she the only one having trouble sleeping here? She jumped a little in her gym clothes as Souji rolled over, facing her now with a peaceful face. She heaved a sigh of relief, thankful he hadn't woken up. Why was she the one sleeping by a boy anyway?
As she stared at him, she realized she really did like his face; it was clean cut, uncomplicated. She studied him, regardless of the fact that she'd memorized his facial features long before this point, but it was something she found herself doing in class too. Everything he did she took notice of; her eyes were like puppets on a string connected to his movements. The way he held his pencil, the ease at which he took notes, the silly habit of wiping his paper meticulously when there was nothing to write, and the grace at which he stood from his desk at the end of the day: all of these small details made her appreciate him more and more every day.
She blinked at the sound of Yukiko muttering in her ear, "Where's the water hose…" before she turned her back toward her. Chie suddenly became very aware of how warm it was in the tent with all four of them there. Souji's face and body were merely inches from her own, and everything was suddenly very claustrophobic, why?! She sat up abruptly, unzipping her jacket slightly to let in some air. She was sweating like mad, a cold sweat that chilled her spine. She glanced back at Souji, then Yosuke and Yukiko. None of them had stirred. Hugging her knees, Chie wondered when she began having these feelings for Souji. She wasn't really one for silly crushes or anything to do with romance and togetherness…
She supposed it was just the kind of person he was. She was pretty sure Yukiko was starting to like him to, and neither of them had ever really had a boyfriend before. The thought unnerved her. She looked back at Souji's sleeping face, unaware and unconcerned about silly things like this. Chie felt totally out of her element when near him; it was nerve-wracking.
Biting her lip, she twisted her body, trying to position herself comfortably without touching anything. She practically was on top of him, but her face felt so red she could barely think. What was she doing?
She wanted so badly to take him for herself. Yukiko could have any guy she wanted, so why did she have to have this one too? She resented herself at the moment for thinking such a thought, but knew it was really how she felt. That other part that she thought she had conquered and accepted was still there. If there was anything she'd want to win over Yukiko, it was Souji. She had become close with Souji first, and it bothered her that someone else could snatch him away.
She leaned down, closer and closer to his face, until they were mere centimeters apart. She wanted to so bad. She wanted it! She wanted it to happen right now! But she felt this lump catch in her throat and she hesitated, one minute, then two, before carefully retreating and lying back in her designated space. A quick break in her breath let out an anguished, almost inaudible sob as she tried to recompose herself. She calmed her breathing, the way she did during training, and focused on kung fu movies she wanted to rent. She wanted this night to just be over with so she and Yukiko could just leave. She wanted to forget she had almost done that. She wasn't a coward who snuck in a kiss in the dark. She was stronger than that. She was stronger…
...
Yosuke stared into the darkness of the tent, waiting for Chie's breath to finally become steady and sleep, his heart twisting harshly at the thought of what he's just seen. He clutched as his gym clothes tighter as he waited for morning to come and take away his hatred and jealousy toward his best friend.