"I love it!" Lanzhu exclaimed, scooching in a little closer to Mia due to them currently sharing a pair of earbuds.
Mia's breath quickened as Lanzhu's shoulder brushed against hers.
"I knew you would," the blonde replied smugly, pausing the new track she had just finished writing on her phone. "I wrote it for you, after all."
"Thank you, Mia. I can't wait to perform it," Lanzhu replied, taking the earbud out and handing it back to her friend. The two locked eyes, both pleased, before Mia glanced away.
The light of the setting sun was streaming in from the classroom window, and Nijigasaki Gakuen seemed so quiet, save for the thudding that was still louder than normal in Mia's chest.
"Do you still think you'll be nervous before your performance tomorrow?" Mia asked quietly, her nerves tense; she knew she shouldn't but she hoped her friend's answer was "yes."
"I don't want to be, but I probably will be," Lanzhu admitted, sighing. "I always get a bit nervous."
Mia held her tongue for a second, carefully thinking about how to respond. She was happy Lanzhu would be nervous; Mia knew what calmed Lanzhu's nerves, and she was more than happy to help, but she didn't want to seem overeager.
"I can hug you before you perform, if you want," the younger girl offered quietly, turning away so that her friend could not see her face, which was quickly heating up.
Lanzhu's face, on the other hand, lit up at this suggestion and she wrapped her arms around Mia's waist, pulling her tightly against her.
"I would love that," the pink-haired girl said, resting her cheek on the other's head.
"Hey, I said before you perform, not now!" Mia stammered, but she made no move to push Lanzhu off of her.
The two sat quietly in the embrace, Lanzhu's smile fading somewhat as she stared at Mia's profile, the other girl still not meeting her eyes.
"Am I being… annoying?" the pink haired girl asked quietly, noticing Mia shying away from her. She had had issues in the past with pushing people away; Lanzhu was scared to think that it could be happening again, and especially with someone she cared about, like Mia.
The blonde girl quickly turned to look at Lanzhu and shook her head, her arms tightening around the taller girl.
"That's not it at all," Mia replied, trying to reassure her friend. "I'm just…"
She hesitated, afraid of what Lanzhu might say if she admitted how nervous her friend made her sometimes.
"You can tell me if I'm annoying you. I want to know," Lanzhu said, moving to break their embrace.
Mia grabbed Lanzhu's wrist and pulled her closer again, not wanting the two to separate.
Lanzhu's face wore a look of surprise and Mia turned to face her fully, locking eyes with the other idol.
"You are not annoying me," the blonde assured her, her cheeks tinted red. "You make me so happy."
Lanzhu's surprised expression softened to a smile as she leaned in closer again.
"I'm happy too," she replied, nestling her face against Mia's neck. Mia hesitated; she wanted to say more, to explain herself, but was terrified of making Lanzhu uncomfortable.
"I get nervous too, sometimes," she said under her breath, daring to reach out and brush her hand against the pink-haired girl's. "And a hug would just make me more nervous."
Lanzhu hesitated, listening to the thudding in Mia's chest as she continued to embrace her friend. It was unusual to see Mia let her guard down and seem vulnerable, given that she was usually so confident and relaxed.
"Are you nervous now?" the taller girl asked quizzically, taking notice that Mia's fingertips were oh-so softly touching her hand. She felt her pulse rise as she wondered if it was perhaps intentional.
"Yes," Mia admitted quietly, looking down at Lanzhu, whose head was soft and warm against her.
"Wèishéme?" the older girl asked quietly, wanting to know everything her friend was thinking.
Mia knew Lanzhu had asked her "why?" in Chinese and she sighed, deciding that even if it may make her uncomfortable, she wanted to let her feelings be known.
"Because you're beautiful and amazing," the blonde managed to respond with, her fingers no longer grazing Lanzhu's hand but instead intertwining with her fingers, holding her hand tightly in her own. "You're talented and confident, and sometimes a bit full of yourself, but I love that about you."
Lanzhu removed her face from Mia's neck and turned to look at her; Mia was surprised to see the embarrassed, incredulous expression worn on the pink-haired idol's face.
"Well, now I'm nervous!" Lanzhu exclaimed, squeezing Mia's hand in turn; the two locked eyes and stared at one another in the still classroom, silent aside from the deep breaths Mia was taking to calm herself.
"Sorry if that was too much," the blonde said quietly, breaking the silence. Her voice wavered slightly, and it pained Lanzhu to hear.
"It was exactly what I wanted to hear," the taller girl replied, daring to reach up and caress Mia's cheek in her hand. "Because I think the same about you."
She smiled and Mia couldn't help but smile back, her ears burning red at what her friend was saying to her.
"Yeah, but I mean it in a sappy way," the younger girl continued, reaching up and cupping the hand that Lanzhu had placed on her cheek. "I like you, Lanzhu. I want you to be my girlfriend."
Lanzhu's face was now tinged pink, clashing cutely with her hair color. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out; Mia waited patiently, the butterflies in her stomach swirling around as she tried to calm her nerves and prepare herself for her friend's response.
Lanzhu was usually so cool and confident, and it just made Mia like her more to see her let her guard down like this.
"I do too," came the pink-haired girl's quiet reply, and Mia's eyes widened as she tightened her grip around Lanzhu's hand, which was now very warm.
"So, you will…?" the blonde dared to ask, not sure if what was happening was actually real; there's no way things would actually work out so perfectly.
Lanzhu shook her head, and Mia's stomach dropped; the taller girl took Mia's face in both of her hands and leaned in close to the blonde, her expression still embarrassed but more serious.
"Bù huì ba," she muttered, almost agitated. "I never imagined you would be the one confessing to me, Mia. This is not how I thought this would go, so we're starting over."
Mia's brow furrowed, confused as to what the other idol was talking about. This seemed much more like the everyday usual Lanzhu she was used to, but she was still feeling nervous - while normally she would banter back with her friend, this time, she chose to stay silent and let Lanzhu do whatever it was she had in mind.
"I like you," the pink-haired girl declared, her lips only a few inches from Mia's, her breath tickling Mia's nose due to their closeness. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Mia couldn't help but laugh. Lanzhu just had to have the upper hand, as always, it seemed, but she wasn't mad about it. In fact, she couldn't recall a time she had felt happier than right now, with her face in Lanzhu's hands, and her friend's beautiful blue eyes looking so intently into hers.
"Of course, dummy," the blonde replied and she leaned in, closing the distance between the two.
Softly, Mia's lips met Lanzhu's, and they shared their first kiss. It lasted only a few seconds, but Mia felt like she had been waiting her entire life for that moment. It was over all too soon when the two pulled apart, each red in the face and unsure of exactly what to say.
"Well, I guess I'll put a heart next to your name on LINE," Mia said teasingly, breaking the silence that had been stretching between the two.
Lanzhu let out a laugh, and the two smiled, both a bundle of nerves and joy.
"The real problem is going to be breaking it to the club," she replied, and Mia shrugged, her hand finding Lanzhu's once again and intertwining their fingers together.
"I'll write a song about it or something," she said casually, and the two giggled again, each reveling in just how happy they were now that they knew how the other felt.
The next time the two performed, they shared a hug backstage, away from the other girls. It had made them nervous, but in a good way.
"Mia," Lanzhu whispered against the younger girl's ear, causing her to look up, silver eyes meeting sky blue ones.
"After this, I'll give you a kiss," the pink-haired idol continued, smirking at Mia before heading off to the stage as the first few notes of one of their group songs began.
Mia took to the stage while flushed a bright pink, trying her hardest to focus on the performance and not on the words her girlfriend had just said to her. It seems she won't be getting over her nerves around Lanzhu anytime soon.