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“Come on, come on!” Hattie giggled excitedly, pulling Mu along by the hand with an energetic bounce in her step. “We’re gonna miss it if we don’t hurry!”
“Alright, alright, I’m hurrying!” Mu chuckled as she quickened her pace to keep up with the shorter alien girl.
Tonight was the first time in decades that the planet was due to have a meteor shower. The last one had occurred before Mu was even born, and therefore this would be the first one she’d be able to witness. Of course, when she’d told Hattie this, the brunette’s eyes had widened in shock, immediately recounting all the times she’d experienced showers back on her home planet and enunciating how Mu simply had to see one for herself. With how much she’d hyped it up, and with the absolute giddy joy on her face as she led the other girl toward the Mafia Town (or well… post -Mafia Town) clocktower, she couldn’t help but feel the smallest bit excited herself.
Okay… maybe a bit more than that.
But it definitely wasn’t because of Hattie. Of course not. It definitely wasn’t because she was holding onto her hand in a way that felt like something more tender than just a simple grip. It wasn’t because of the reflexive fluttering in her heart when she turned her head to glance back at Mu with the most genuine elation shimmering in her cerulean eyes, as if she were someone really special… as if she wanted to be doing this with no one else in the world…
She nearly had to shake her head to clear the irrational thoughts racing through it. NO, don’t think like that, we’re just going to watch some dumb space thing, this isn’t a romantic movie, for peck sake.
But as Hattie hopped onto the rope knot and hoisted Mu up close to her, a protective arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist to keep her from falling as they rose to the peak of the clocktower, she couldn’t help the slight blush that crept onto her cheeks, and she had to hold back a groan of frustration. She was incredibly thankful that her mustache did a decent job at covering most of the agonizing redness.
When the lift reached the peak of the tower, both girls hopped off and into the bell chamber, Hattie instantly continuing to pull on Mu’s hand as she bounced onto the lookout platform they’d built when they were still just kids. “Come ooooooon! It’s almost time!!” she urged in a sing-songy voice, and Mu couldn’t help but laugh as Hattie plopped herself down on the edge, her legs dangling over and kicking energetically. She really did never lose that child-like wonder, Mu mused with a smirk as she sat down beside the brunette, letting her own legs hang down, as well.
The two of them sat in silence for a long moment, and Mu let her gaze drift out to the calm, night sea, watching the reflections of the stars twinkle in the gently-rippling waters. With Hattie’s hand warm in hers, their fingers laced gently together in a comfortable pattern that Mu would never dare to break, the blonde couldn’t help her mind from wandering again.
The image of this same beautiful sea being tainted by the mafia’s ships, gathering in smoggy swarms on the horizon, had been long-imprinted in her mind as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. Her family, her home, her people, all being taken from her in an instant, as if it were something out of a nightmare. She lived in spiteful solitude in that little cave on the beach for years on end, plotting her revenge, relying on what little she could scavenge to survive. She prayed, every day, that one day she would wake up in a cold sweat and everything would just be back to normal. But the days had simply rolled on. The pain kept coming, the mafia held strong, her plans never worked, and she remained alone. It had felt like it would never end.
And then Hattie came along.
And, just like that, the entire world was turned on its head.
The mafia became a little less violent, the waters felt calmer, and the air felt breathable again. Those that were usually assaulted on sight felt safer and were finally allowed peace in their own homes. The populous became more diverse, to the point where actual shops now thrived in the town, and Hattie herself had even pitched in and opened one of her own. At last, after so many years, the island finally felt like home again. All thanks to a little alien who happened to get stranded here. A little alien who seemed to have stolen the hearts of everyone on the entire planet with only a single bright-eyed smile, taking the worst of the worst and showing them how to care. With how much good she’d done… how had Mu ever thought she was selfish? There wasn’t a selfish bone in the girl’s body.
It was Mu who had been selfish, who had tried to judge an entire planet for sins she didn’t understand. And yet… despite all that, here she was, hand in hand with the girl she’d tried to genuinely kill five years ago, forgiven as if she’d done nothing wrong. How on earth did she deserve this…?
Suddenly, Hattie gasped as her free hand reached up to grasp excitedly onto Mu’s arm, snapping her out of her thoughts in an instant. “Look look look! It’s starting!!” she squeaked as she let go of Mu and pointed urgently up at the sky. Mu followed her gaze, tilting her head back to look up at the star-studded abyss. A few seconds passed with no sign of anything, but as she was about to look away, a sudden bright streak lit up the darkness, disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived, and Hattie took a sharp breath as her fingers tightened around Mu’s. The streak was followed by another, and another, before the entire sky was covered in racing lights.
“Woahhh…” Hattie breathed, “This planet gets so many…”
Mu pulled her eyes from the sky for a moment, glancing over at the brunette beside her. Her eyes were wide as she gazed up at the shimmering void above them. The glow of the meteors reflected vividly in her bright blue eyes, dancing and shining with every movement, the slight golden sheen of her irises even more pronounced in the light of the stars. The gentle ocean breeze pulled at her tawny hair, ruffling it ever so slightly and causing her to release a soft breath of air as she finally let herself briefly blink.
Her gaze never left the stars as she leaned forward to rest her cheek in her hand, humming with a mystified smile. “It’s beautiful…”
No… you’re what’s beautiful, Mu thought with a flutter in her heart, unable to pull her eyes away. Unconsciously, she felt her grip tighten slightly around Hattie’s hand, and the brunette blinked as she turned to look at her with a smile. Such a soft smile… why did she have to look at her like that? With a gentleness that made her feel safer than anything, with eyes filled with endless stars that she could get lost in forever, with an innocent tilt of her head that filled her with such an undeniable fondness that made her want to hold her and never let go.
It really was hopeless, wasn’t it? It was stupid to keep denying it as if the feeling would just go away if she willed it hard enough.
Barely thinking, her free hand drifted up to gently tuck a loose strand of the brunette’s hair behind her ear. Hattie’s eyes fluttered shut briefly at her touch, and she hummed with a smile as she leaned unconsciously into Mu’s hand. When she reopened her eyes, they were filled with such a genuine fondness that Mu’s breath almost hitched. This was so perfect… how many times she had dreamt of a moment like this, she couldn’t even count. Should she…? She couldn’t, could she…? What if Hattie didn’t… What if it ruined everything? But… what if she never got a chance like this again…? She couldn’t keep hiding it forever. She had to just…
Before she could think anymore, she was leaning forward, cupping Hattie’s cheek in her hand, and finally, finally, Mu pressed her lips against the brunette’s.
Hattie made a soft noise of surprise, her grip reflexively tightening around the blonde’s hand, and Mu felt her heart rise into her throat. Was that a noise of discomfort? Was this where the alien’s view of her completely degraded? She had to physically restrain herself from shaking in fear. She should stop. She should apologize. She should–
Before she could bring herself to pull away, she felt Hattie’s grip loosen again, and her heart skipped a beat in anticipation. She held her breath, waiting for her to recoil, waiting for the inevitable rejection and disgust...
...And then Hattie sighed into her lips.
Her fingers relaxed, her jaw loosened, and Mu felt her smile .
She didn’t know it was possible to feel this much overwhelming relief.
In an instant, every thought of fear and embarrassment melted away, and she practically felt like she was flying. Never in her life had she felt so light and warm. It was like something straight out of a dream. Was it a dream? With her eyes closed, it was genuinely impossible to tell. If it was, she never ever wanted to wake up.
After a moment that felt like an eternity, they parted, eyes fluttering open to look at each other. Mu had never seen such a mystified expression on Hattie’s face. Her mouth hung half-open as she gazed at the blonde, the galaxy reflecting in her gentle eyes even more beautifully than it had before, and she felt like she was in a trance. There was silence as they simply found themselves lost in each other’s gazes, at a loss for words, before Hattie let out a short breath with a nearly-inaudible “...Wow…”
Her voice began to pull Mu back into reality, and the realization of what had just happened finally started to sink in, causing her face to flush. She’d actually done it. The exact thing she’d been so nervous over for the past who-knows-how-long, the thing she’d been sure would break them apart forever, that would make the alien girl hate her instantly… She’d done it, and, god… the amazed sparkle in Hattie’s eyes, the stunned smile that sat frozen on her lips… She did that. It almost didn’t seem real.
“Hattie… I…” Mu began in nearly a whisper, slowly moving her hand from the brunette’s cheek to hold onto her other hand. Her heart raced as those sapphire eyes studied her face, the words seeming to catch in her throat as she tried desperately to push them out. “I-I just… I really…” She paused for a moment, too long of a moment, and finally let out an embarrassed sigh. “I-I really like you… I have for a long time, a-and I… I couldn’t just… not do anything about it again.”
At her words, the corners of Hattie’s mouth drifted upward, and she let out a breathless laugh. Her hands held tighter onto Mu’s as she looked at her and her smile grew even wider. “Mu…” she breathed, and her breath suddenly hitched. The stars in her eyes wavered as if they were being reflected in tiny oceans, and Mu realized that tears were now gathering in them, threatening to overflow.
Panic welled up in her chest in an instant. “H-hey, I… I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to…” she stammered, worriedly reaching up toward her face, but the brunette simply laughed and met her hand with her own.
“No, no, please… don’t apologize, I just…” Hattie pressed her palm against Mu’s and gently laced their fingers together again, settling their hands back down between them. She shook her head as she laughed again, overwhelming emotion bleeding into the sound. “I-I’ve never been in love before… but… this… you… it feels so different , and warm, and free, and… and right … and I just…” She smiled, gentler now. “...This… this must be what it feels like.”
Mu nodded with a small chuckle of her own, grinning along with her. “Y-yeah…” she agreed softly as she let her thumb rub slow circles into the other girl’s hand. “...I know…”
Hattie hummed as she glanced down, watching Mu’s movements for a moment, and her hand squeezed a slight bit tighter. “I… u-um…” she stuttered suddenly, her voice growing quiet. Her eyes flicked up to meet Mu’s, but then pulled away again as her face flushed. “D-do you think we could…” The words seemed to be sucked away, and she looked uncertain. Instead, she took one of her hands from Mu’s and shakily pushed her own hair behind her ear, just like the blonde had done earlier, looking up at her again with a wavering, crooked smile, her voice practically a whisper as it returned. “Y-y'know… t… try that again…?”
Mu blinked for a moment before the words clicked, and vivid blush flooded to her own cheeks as she let out a flustered chuckle. “Y-yeah… yeah, of course,” she breathed, nodding almost too vigorously and prompting another giggle from Hattie. The blonde gazed at her for a moment, trying awkwardly to figure out how to best do this a second time (she was so embarrassingly inexperienced), and settled for reaching up to hold the brunette’s cheek in her hand again. At least that was a familiar place to start. She let out a soft noise and pressed heavily into the touch this time, giving Mu the affirmation she needed to guide the other girl’s face close to her own, and, with a final glance toward each other’s lips, the two found themselves swept into another kiss.
This time, both of them were instantly more relaxed, and Hattie hummed contentedly. Her lips were warm and soft on Mu’s, and the blonde felt herself let out a reflexive sigh, her breath more shaky than she’d expected. She wasn’t nervous anymore, that had melted away as soon as they’d touched, but now her heart raced with a blissful excitement as she let her arm drift to wrap around Hattie’s waist. The brunette’s breath hitched slightly at the touch, and she quickly reciprocated with her own hand sliding up to experimentally rest on Mu’s back, sending a pleasant shiver up her spine.
This has to be a dream, she thought hazily, the feeling of Hattie’s other hand ever-so-gently settling on her shoulder causing her head to swim. This can’t be real… after all this time… finally…
Suddenly, the feeling of the soft breath on her face became more ragged, and Hattie’s side shuddered beneath Mu’s hand. Only a second later, something warm seeped between her fingers on Hattie’s cheek, and, as she realized a distinct wetness now accompanied it as well, Mu’s heart instantly clenched in concern. She drew back slightly, lingering close to her face as she studied it. The tears that had been gathering earlier now streaked freely down the brunette’s cheeks, new rivulets dribbling down as her eyes flickered half-open to look at Mu, her hands reflexively gripping at her crimson cloak to make up for the lost contact.
“Hey…” Mu murmured, her thumb brushing at the tears, “...why are you crying?”
Hattie simply gazed at her for a moment before a smile crept onto her slightly-parted lips, which released a breathy sob as she blinked to free another buildup of tears. “I-I’m sorry… I’m just…” She held her breath as her fingers tightened around Mu’s cloak, and then let it out with a shuddering laugh, her smile growing into a genuinely giddy grin. “...I’m s-so happy… ”
Relieved, Mu smiled along with her, the emotion too contagious to resist (god, she was so beautiful when she laughed). Shifting her hand to weave her fingers into her tawny hair, she gently pulled her forward to touch their foreheads together, earning another giggle. “...Me too.”
She rested there for a moment, still shaking, before she suddenly leaned in and captured Mu in a tight, desperate hug, burying her face in her shoulder as her back heaved with quiet sobs. “I-I’m so glad I s-stayed here,” she cried, her voice semi-muffled by Mu’s cloak. “I d-don’t know what I-I would’ve done… I… I don’t…” A louder sob forced its way from her throat. “I-I don’t know where I’d be without you…”
The shock from the abrupt embrace quickly faded, and Mu’s arms moved to hold the brunette close, stroking her back slowly in a feeble attempt to calm her. “I’m glad you stayed too… So, so glad,” she murmured, letting her own face nuzzle into Hattie’s scarf. The scent was comforting, and she sighed distantly. “...I don’t know if I’d even be here without you.”
After a long moment of silence, Hattie’s sniffles faded, and they drew apart to look at each other again, her arms only slightly loosening around Mu. Neither of them could quite bring themselves to look away, and Mu couldn’t help but let out a soft snort of laughter. “Y’know, it’s funny… You brought me out here to see the meteor shower, but now I almost forgot about it entirely.”
Hattie blinked in surprise before gazing at her with a sheepish smile. “I… I kinda forgot too.”
Another period of silence, and they were still staring at each other.
“Not gonna go back to watching it now? I thought you were super excited to see it.” Mu smirked and narrowed her eyes with a playful tilt of her head. “...Or am I just so captivating you can’t bring yourself to possibly look away?”
Instantly, the brunette’s nose scrunched up at her words and she had to fully cover her mouth to prevent the wheeze of laughter that nearly knocked her off the platform. “Shut up, you absolute dork!”
Mu only grinned as her grip on Hattie’s waist tightened, bringing them flush against each other, and they exchanged a knowing smirk before their lips were pressed together again, holding each other close as if the breeze could sweep them away at any moment.
Neither of them cared much about the meteors anymore, anyway.
