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Atsumina
It took more effort than usual for Takamina to walk the final stretch of the hallway from the elevator to her apartment that evening. Her arms and face hung heavy as she recalled the day. On top of her regular schedule, murmurs had reached her about her solo being pushed back yet again and when she’d managed to get Akimoto-sensei on the phone, he’d evaded the subject like he usually did. Takamina pulled up at her front door and sighed, resting her forehead against the cool surface. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Akimoto-sensei; it was just that she was getting tired of waiting. And it was lonely, waiting by herself …
With a groan, Takamina shook her head to clear her thoughts of
her and gathered enough energy to unlock the door. She set her things down on the table mechanically, toed off her shoes with irritation, wondered briefly the merits of simply sleeping on her couch as she felt her her energy quickly fading. But then a soft “
Okaeri” reached her ears.
Takamina froze. She knew that voice. Knew it as sure as she knew her own heartbeat. Slowly, she raised her head, half-expecting to have just imagined the sound, the product of an over-worked mind, an over-stressed heart —
But there she was. Atsuko, with that soft smile, her hair tied up in a loose ponytail, her frame wrapped in an apron. And all Takamina could do was stare. She felt something build up and break down as she took in this unexpected but much needed sight.
Atsuko eventually scrunched up her nose at Takamina’s reaction. ”Too much?” she asked with a tug at the apron, reading the silence completely different than what Takamina had intended. Takamina managed to shake her head before reaching out to Atsuko, wrapping her tightly in her arms. Wordlessly, almost desperately, Takamina pressed their bodies together, taking refuge in that place where nothing mattered but the feel of Atsuko’s shoulder against her cheek, the small of Atsuko’s back underneath her hand, the warm breath atop her head. Takamina gasped at the intense emotion that suddenly overwhelmed her, felt tears pricking at her eyes and pulling her breath into an uneven rhythm.
Atsuko tightened her hold as Takamina cried, fiercely wishing that she had been with Takamina in order to try and curb Takamina’s mood before it had gotten to this point. It wasn’t often that Takamina fell victim to this kind of episode, where the light dimmed from her eyes as she tried to keep everything on her own shoulders. But not even Takamina could hold up under all that weight, resulting in nights like tonight. All Atsuko could do was hold her, with her cheek pressed against Minami’s head, murmuring soft reassurances into her ear.
After a while, Atsuko felt Minami’s breath even out and the grip around her waist loosen slightly. She felt more than heard Takamina speak, the word muffled against her shoulder. But the tone and the pattern Minami’s lips made against her skin was familiar enough for Atsuko to recognize the belated “
Tadaima.” She placed a kiss atop Takamina’s head before nudging her lightly. ”Hey, it’s going to get cold.”
Atsuko felt eyelashes flutter rapidly against her skin before Minami pulled away to look up at her in askance. Atsuko couldn’t help but smile at Takamina’s adorable wide-eyed face, and barely resists the urge to kiss her again. Instead, she lifted an eyebrow and asked, “You really didn’t notice?”
Takamina blinked again in confusion. But then she shifted her gaze over Atsuko’s shoulder and spotted the spread of katsu-don on the table. Takamina let out a squeal and hopped in excitement, eliciting a laugh from Atsuko. Then, just as suddenly, she paused and looked back up at Atsuko. It was an expression that made Atsuko’s breath catch in its openness and Atsuko was unsure how to react in the face of such intensity. She felt an electric strength in Takamina’s touch, though it was with utmost gentleness that Takamina cupped Atsuko’s face.
“One day,” Takamina finally said, her voice low and steady, “I will ask you to be the one I come home to.”
It was a statement Atsuko had heard before but not quite in that voice. That voice that had always been by her side, always stirring her back to life in those moments when she didn’t think she had anything more to give. And it was in moments like these that Atsuko realized just how much she would give for Takamina.
She reached up and intertwined her fingers with Takamina’s. “And you know what my answer will be,” she replied, a statement of fact, a promise.
Takamina’s smile turns into one of wonder, like whenever she’s released from a kiss. Doubt pulled at one corner though, she asked hesitantly, “You don’t mind waiting?”
Atsuko shook her head and pressed Takamina palm firmly to her cheek. Atsuko’s smile is one of contentment, like whenever she woke up to see Takamina beside her. ”I don’t mind waiting when it comes to you.”
Takamina glanced down, a blush reddening her face. But when she looked back up, Atsuko’s heart sighed with relief as she saw the light back in Takamina’s eyes. “I’ll try not to make you wait too long.”
Atsuko finally gave in to her urge and leaned in to brush her lips against Takamina’s, and whispered, pressing the words into Takamina’s mouth,
“As long as you always come home to me.”
Topic: mawaru: fic collection! New: Memory (renairin) 130131 (Read 3782 times)