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Today is Mikage Reo’s birthday, and it is going to be perfect.
For one, her parents were going to be overseas for work, which meant not having to jump out of her bedroom window to avoid the shitty, grandiose celebration she was forced to sit through every year.
Though, she had built a respectable routine of sitting pretty in her seat, entertaining guests—business partners of her parents, and classmates she did not care for—for a good hour before she jumped into the arms of Nagi who had been waiting patiently beneath her bedroom window.
While Reo did enjoy the thrill of the escape and how fantasy-like it was, she would much prefer spending the whole day with her girlfriend of two months and three days. Hence, when her parents delivered this supposedly devastating news during dinner, Reo had merely nodded solemnly as her fingers typed away furiously beneath the table.
Me: NAGI.
Me: ARE YOU FREE TOMORROW?
treasure: oh
treasure: reo’s running away again ₍ᐢ. ༝ .ᐢ₎
Me: I’m not.
Me: Not this time, anyway.
Me: My parents aren’t going to be home.
Treasure: oh ic
treasure: see u tmr reo
treasure: ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡
Me: See you, Nagi! ❤︎
Reo had chewed her lips swollen and bloody trying to keep the smile off her face. She had ducked her head, letting her bangs shield her face, pretending to be dismayed, up until she was dismissed from the dinner table. If she had screamed into her silk pillow once alone, well, nobody had to know.
ᯓ★
Once outside Nagi’s apartment, Reo raises her hand to ring the doorbell, but it hovers over the bell, refusing to make contact. She clutches her purse tighter, apprehension running through her veins. Maybe, she had been too early. The sun had barely risen over the horizon and she was already there--outside of Nagi’s door and fully dressed. Would she not look overeager?
It would not be too far off though. She had gotten up at the crack of dawn, buzzing with excitement as she got ready for the day. She had taken a long bubble bath with her favourite pomegranate body wash, and braided her hair into pigtails, adorning it with white bows. Then, she curled her uneven bangs and put on her lucky, cherry-coloured lip gloss. She was ready and out her door before the clock even struck seven.
“My my, you look so beautiful, Reo-chan!” Reo turns to her side, startled. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she had not noticed Nagi’s elderly neighbour leaving her apartment.
“Good morning, Miss Kobayashi,” Reo greets bashfully, as she looks down to scrutinize her outfit. She had put on her favourite purple sundress adorned with frills at the hem, paired with a cropped, white cardigan. She had liked the way it looked when she put it on at home, but now, she cannot help but wonder if it was too much.
She does not know why she is nervous, it was not their first date, not when they have been on six officially, and thirty-four unofficially. But, it was her birthday, which meant it had to be perfect. It has to be.
“Is there a special occasion today?”
“Oh, yeah it’s—” The sound of shuffling and a loud click cuts Reo off, and she turns back to the door only to be met face-first with a sleepy Nagi rubbing at her eyes, hair sticking out in every direction possible. She is wearing her Miffy sweatshirt, the one Reo had gotten for her when she had caught wind of Nagi’s devastatingly empty wardrobe. Reo feels a smile blossoming unconsciously.
“Reo, happy birthday,” Nagi yawns as she falls into Reo’s open arms, wrapping her own tightly around Reo’s waist. Reo peeks at Miss Kobayashi from the top of Nagi’s head, smiles sheepishly, and is met with her knowing smile. She mouths “Happy birthday” in return as she retreats back into her apartment.
With that, Reo looks down at Nagi and feels her smile widen, “Why are you awake so early, my treasure?”
“Mm, I heard Reo,” Nagi frowns as Reo pushes her until she is standing upright again and leans down when Reo cups her face in her hands, planting a soft peck on her left cheek.
“Oh, did I wake you?” Reo smiles against her cheeks when Nagi hums in assent. She wraps an arm around Reo’s waist again, a small smile gracing her lips when she hears Reo huff.
“Yeah, so you have to take responsibility…and dress me up,” Nagi mutters, voice trailing off as she nuzzles her face against Reo’s shoulder.
“Let’s go then, my dear zombie Nagi,” Reo smiles playfully, pushing Nagi back into her apartment.
“Yes, boss.”
ᯓ★
“What did you plan for today, Reo?” Nagi lies on her bed unmovingly and watches as Reo pilfers through her closet, a serious frown set upon her face.
“The aquarium! I realised we haven’t been there yet,” Reo exclaims as she pulls Nagi into a sitting position. She manoeuvres Nagi's hands over her head, pulls the grey sweatshirt off, and puts her in a bluish-white cropped tee. Nagi slips on a pair of white jeans and gives a small peace sign when Reo nods approvingly.
“How do you want your hair?”
“Mm, whatever Reo wants.”
“Good answer, my treasure!” Reo smiles playfully and begins braiding Nagi’s hair like she did with her own. Nagi’s hair had grown significantly since they met, from the short, uneven wolf cut to its now shoulder length. She had not bothered trimming it like she usually does, simply because Reo liked toying with it. Reo smiled at the thought of it.
Once she tied on silky purple ribbons on the ends of Nagi’s pigtails, she tilts her head slightly and admires her handiwork. “Makeup?”
“Nah,” Nagi shakes her head, “hassle to take off.”
“Okay. At least put on some lip balm,” Reo reaches for the lip balm on Nagi’s table, waving it in front of Nagi’s face.
“I don't like the feeling of it,” Nagi pouts, and Reo smiles endearingly.
“What about this,” Reo whispers playfully as she inches closer to Nagi, her legs caging Nagi in. She cups Nagi’s face and leans forward to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. Nagi grabs her waist and leans in to deepen the kiss.
Nagi frowns when Reo pulls away and lets out a laugh, “You have lip gloss on you now, treasure.”
“Whose fault is that? Take responsibility,” Nagi pulls Reo back in for another kiss, most likely wrinkling her dress, but Reo’s laugh is still sweet and loud against her lips.
ᯓ★
“Ah. It’s crowded,” Nagi says and tightens her grip on Reo. She cannot lose her girlfriend in the crowd of overactive children and sleep-deprived parents. She looks around and tries to navigate the overwhelming blue.
“I had gotten up early to avoid this too,” Reo huffs, a pout decorating her face. She turns to glare at Nagi who merely shrugs her shoulders in return.
“Reo started it.”
“What do you want to see first?” Reo squints at the pamphlet she took from the front counter, trying to make out the layout of the aquarium. “There’s sharks, oh but they’re near the exit, maybe not. There are orcas too--” Reo’s mumbling is cut off by Nagi dragging her along, a determined glint in her eyes.
“Nagi?”
“Reo, look,” Nagi says. Reo looks past the glass and laughs.
“Of course, you would want to see them first,” Reo replies. There are seals sunbathing on land, others swimming and performing tricks in the waters. Reo places her free hand on the glass enclosure, trying to get a closer look at all the seals.
She zooms in on one, pure white and freckled with brown spots around its belly. It is lying with its stomach in the air with its big, black eyes blinking blearily. “Ah, I found you, Nagi!” Reo points at it excitedly, and Nagi looks, before turning back to Reo with a small pout on her face.
“I don’t look like that.”
“Yes, you do,” Reo giggles. “Look! It even has your freckles,” Reo thumbs at Nagi’s cheeks, mapping out the sunspots on her face. Nagi closes her eyes and nuzzles against Reo’s palm.
“It’s not on its face though,” Nagi retorts when Reo pulls away.
“Did you forget? You have freckles here too,” Reo pokes Nagi’s stomach playfully and Nagi flinches away from it, but she does not let go of Reo’s hand. She has not let go since they left the apartment, Reo notes giddily.
“Then, that one is you,” Nagi gestures at the seal slapping the sunbathing one in excitement, “because we’ll be together in every universe.”
“Even as seals?”
“Of course, Reo will find me somehow.”
“Wow, my girlfriend is a romantic? Who knew,” Reo smiles affectionately, squeezing Nagi’s hand softly. Nagi squeezes back.
“Mm, just for you,” Nagi nods seriously, and Reo breaks out into laughter once again.
ᯓ★
They wander around the aquarium, visiting the penguins performing tricks, “That’s us, Nagi!” exclaimed about a pair of baby penguins waddling around unsteady, side by side.
Followed by the jellyfish, illuminated by rainbow LED lights and “Reo, look. It’s us.” mumbled with full earnesty. Reo had tilted her head in silent confusion, and when she realised what Nagi was talking about, she whacked her softly on the head.
“Oh, It’s us,” Nagi whispers into Reo’s ears, gaze fixated on a pair of stingrays, swimming around one another. Their movement was so fluid, it resembled a waltz.
Reo hums in agreement, “Like our first dance right? You were so good, I think even my parents were impressed.”
“I had a good teacher,” Nagi says.
“Mm, the very best one, you mean,” Reo replies, resting her head on Nagi’s shoulders as they watch the stingrays dance.
Eventually, they start finding their friends in the sea creatures as well. Isagi in a lobster kicking around a tiny rock, Bachira in a dolphin clicking and whistling excitedly, and Barou in a pufferfish.
“Wait, why?” Reo asks.
“It looks angry and homophobic,” Nagi says as she snaps a photo of the pufferfish glaring in their direction.
Reo peeks at Nagi’s phone, and laughs.
Me: pufferfish.png
Me: u
king: Kill yourself.
ᯓ★
When they reach the sea otters, Nagi’s eyes widen comically large, and Reo giggles.
“Just like Bonobono right?” Reo smiles, and Nagi nods quickly.
“That’s Reri, that’s you, Reo,” Nagi points at a sea otter, floating on its back. Her face so close to the glass, as she stares at the sea otters.
“Mm, where’s her Bonobono? Where’s my Nagi,” Reo asks, her eyes fixed on her girlfriend’s sparkling eyes. Nagi had been so many of her firsts--her first friend, her first crush, her first girlfriend--and Reo thinks she might just love her forever. There must be a million fish in the pools of the aquarium alone, but Reo would not trade her seal-lookalike girlfriend for anything else in the world.
“That one,” Nagi says, and Reo turns to look. There is an otter floating beside the one Nagi has claimed to be Reo. Its eyes are closed shut, but its left hand is reaching for the other’s right. Reo smiles brightly at the sight and watches transfixed as they float side by side.
“Reo.”
Reo waits, but she is met with silence, and Nagi has dropped her hand. She turns to look, only to see Nagi fidgeting nervously and refusing to meet her eyes. One of her hands rests on her nape, while the other is outstretched towards Reo, clenching a velvet box tightly.
“Happy birthday, Reo.” Reo remains silent, cradling the velvet box in her palms. She opens it gingerly, only to be met with a pair of matching rings. A gold band, adorned with a bright, glimmering diamond, Bonobono cradled one of the diamonds, while Reri cradled the other. Reo looks back up at Nagi, who is watching her carefully.
“Nagi, these are…promise rings?” Reo asks, her voice shaking uncertainly.
“Yeah. Reo promised right, to stay together forever,” Nagi grabs her hand, playing with her fingers as she staunchly refuses to meet Reo’s eyes.
“Nagi,” Reo inches closer and closer, and drops Nagi’s hand. She presses her palm against Nagi’s cold cheek and kisses her deeply.
“Thank you, my treasure. I love it,” Reo whispers when they pull away, just a sliver of space between their lips.
“You do?” Nagi exhales in relief, and Reo huffs playfully.
“Of course! Put it on me,” she instructs, and Nagi nods quickly.
She holds Reo’s left hand gently, slipping the Reri ring onto her ring finger, and Reo does the same. Stretching her fingers, Reo stares at the ring in awe.
“Where did you even find this?”
“Got it made,” Nagi turns away, a small flush adorning her cheeks. Reo’s smile widen as her heart beats faster than she thought possible.
“Happy Birthday, Reo.”
“Thank you, Sei.”
ᯓ★
operation: stop reo from confessing
Nagi: i did it
Nagi: [image attached]
Bachira: CONGRATS NAGICCHI !!!!!!!
Bachira: INVITE ME TO UR WEDDINH
Bachira: I COULD BE YOUR FLOWER GIRL
Isagi: Meguru, they aren’t getting married…
Isagi: That’s a promise ring
Nagi: not yet ₍ᐢ. ༝ .ᐢ₎
Barou : Shut the fuck up
Barou: Don’t be gross in public
Chigiri: are we ever going to change the gc name??