Nightfall dimmed the vision of those around, only allowing the gleaming light from the moon to shine through. A planet so far away lit the memories of many, all without wanting a single thing in return. Perhaps if it could request one thing, it would be for those to truly live with what little it could give. It did watch over those who lived in its light.

What was supposed to be a normal night, falling asleep in bed to a blinding phone screen, soon turned to something much more exciting for Riko.

Riko had placed her hand over her mouth, giggles racking through her body as they tried to escape her. With her other hand she attempted to help You sneak in through her window, barely any success on the sneaking part.

You was always known for never planning anything, but rather going with whatever her heart commanded her to do. With that being said, it came to no surprise when Riko got a text moments before she was going to rest her eyes that You was on the last bus to her house.

Riko's mom had warned her a lot about You's inability to think before her actions, saying it would cause her more trouble than good down the line, but the excitement of it all was something Riko always wanted.

She needed it, she wasn't sure if it was the rush of going against the rules, or perhaps someone like You in her world to break her out from her continuous cycle of life. Whatever it was, it brought an unquenched thirst to her lips that only You could satisfy.

You knew what Riko felt like, because similar to her she needed someone like Riko in her life. She was so spontaneous, yet all of her memories were on her own. It was a vicious cycle she had grown used to. There was no need for others at first, as You believed she knew it all. Yet, to be brought down to reality, of how lonely she truly was on her own, would only take a look into Riko's eyes.

Much like how she was doing now. You could see how hard Riko was trying to hold in her laughter and as she watched her, You joined along with her.

You laughed even when her hand slipped from the window frame and she fell onto the floor, rolling on her back. With Riko's bed being so close to the window though her legs landed on top of it while You stared at the ceiling that was littered in tiny glow-in-the dark stickers. Riko mentioned she had placed them there when was younger.

Riko couldn't handle it anymore as she fell to the floor with laughter, leaning back against the bed as she held onto her stomach. Such a sight brought even more joy to You.

Their bodies shook from silent chuckles attempting to be masked. No one would be able to tell they were laughing so hard from the outside unless they were in that room with them. Riko would not have enough time to control herself to get out some type of explanation to her mother anyways.

Their smiles stayed etched to their cheeks as the moments passed, with soft puffs of giggles to escape every so often.

Finally, Riko composed herself enough to get out her words. She leaned her forward, hair falling over her shoulder like a curtain, as she looked at You on her back,

"What are you doing here? It's late."

You shrugged before placing her hands behind her head,

"I wanted to see you, that's all."

Riko's hair fell in front of her vision, since there was no hair pin to pull it back. Softly, she tucked her strands behind her ear as she smiled at You. There weren't enough words in the human dictionary to describe how badly You wanted that to be her own fingers.

"Well, I'm seen. What's your plan now?"

"To keep looking."

It was just like You to always know and express what she wanted, not that Riko could relate. But right now, Riko knew exactly what You desired and she wasn't entirely sure how to process it herself.

Little by little Riko had noticed the subtle changes in their friendship, but a part of her turned a blind eye to it. Whether it was the lingering stares, the additional physical contact, or even purposely taking the wrong bus so they could spend more time together after school. Riko could only explain it as You wanting them to be better friends, that's all.

There was no reason for You to like her, as Riko had always thought. It was just a fantasy she had played out in her head, the bad boy falls for the good girl trope was always her favorite to read anyways, right after the kabedon section in the book store.

You got up though, softly scooting herself closer to where Riko had rested by the bed. She brought her feet inwards, keeping them close to her as she looked towards the floor. Though her face was hidden, Riko could see her ears barely tinted pink as they peaked from her curly hair.

"What's wrong, You?"

You turned her head only to face the bedsheets behind Riko. Their thighs touched and while You tried to play it off that she was grabbing the sheets cascading from the bed, her arm rested by Riko's hip, bringing them closer to one another. It brought a light jump from the young girl as her shirt had ridden up, letting their skin touch under such an intimately quiet moment.

You's voice broke through their rising tension,

"I don't really know how to do stuff like this. B-But, you don't have to say anything. Honestly, I don't even really know what to say myself but... It's just, lately, you've been on my mind."

Riko could feel the space between them slowly closing. You didn't dare to look at Riko as she pushed forward but she kept her pace slow and steady, almost waiting to see if Riko would back away.

"What are you-?"

You finally glanced at Riko's eyes, stopping her sentence midway. She looked so innocent under Riko's stare, like a child being scolded for doing something she shouldn't be doing. You shifted between Riko's lips to the honey in her eyes, silently asking permission as she moved closer. The tension was almost killing Riko.

Riko could feel You's shaking breath against her lips. She watched You and how tense she was, arm slightly shaking against her hip while her eyes tightly shut themselves out from the world. With her last bit of confidence, You whispered just loud enough for Riko to hear,

"Can I?"

Rather than thinking the situation over, such as how their friendship would never be the same or even how possibly disappointed her mother would be with her. Riko instead didn't think, she lived.

Riko brought her arms over You's shoulders, making sure to trail her hands up her forearms along the way. Running her fingers into You's curly hair, Riko pulled her onto her lips.

Neither of them exactly knew what to do, all they knew about kisses was that lips were supposed to be on lips. Which was so far a success, but the way You's tongue ran gently between Riko's lips for a moment before leaving was a feeling she needed again, desperately.

As You backed away from Riko it was safe to say that there wasn't a steady heartbeat within that room.

Riko took a small breath. Her hands went from You's hair down to her shoulders, lightly dragging her nails into the fabric as she attempted to calm herself once more that night.

As Riko raised her head, slightly opening her mouth to speak, You quickly stepped in,

"W-Wait!"

You threw her hands up, slightly covering her face, and Riko was able to see how truly embarrassed she was. Her entire face ran red, all the way down to her neck as she sputtered out her words,

"L-Like I said, you don't have to say anything, especially if it's just to make me happy! This was kind of sudden, I know, so I'd rather you think about it, about us. I have, for a long time, at least."

Riko wanted to say she liked You, she had for a while if it wasn't already painfully obvious, but You would most likely take it as her giving into whatever she wanted. Instead, Riko was okay with waiting a bit. Especially now that she could see how embarrassed You could truly get. The possibilities of future teasing were endless now.

Riko placed her hands in her lap, trying her best to not let her happiness be too overbearing. It wasn't everyday her feelings were reciprocated from the closest person in her heart but that didn't mean she could dance with happiness just yet, that would have to wait. Yet, one question still came to mind though,

"What about you? I'll be here thinking about us, but what will you do?"

You smiled at Riko. Her cheeks were still pink from earlier. Reaching forward, You brought her fingers to Riko's hair. You softly pushed the fallen strands behind her ear before looking into her eyes,

"I'll adore you, just like I always have."


A/N: Chapter 20... Wow. I would like to quickly say thank you. Whether you're reading this for the first time, popped in and out between the updates, or even have read every single chapter, I appreciate it so much.

I did not think I could think of this many YouRiko stories but wow anything is possible I guess lmao.

Shout out to nobody for updating the YouRiko tag for months when I first got into them, if it weren't for that I wouldn't have started writing. As of right now I've brought over 70k words in the YouRiko tag, and there are still so many more that are in the process. How exciting :o !

Anyways, as always, Yousoro and out ( ‾▿‾ )ゞ