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The clock on the bedside table glowed a faint blue. Diya blinked sleepily as her vision focused and she made out the numbers. 2:14 . She blinked again, suddenly feeling more awake-- this wasn’t her clock. Or her bedside table. Or bed.
She went to sit up, feeling anxiety build in her chest, when she felt a warm pressure on her arm. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust as she turned her head, but when she finally made out an image relief flooded through her. It was just Min, limbs sprawled over her bed and laying on top of Diya’s arm.
Diya found herself hesitating to pull her arm away, instead growing distracted by the other girl. Her hair was sticking up at the back, bangs messy on her forehead, mouth wide open and drool on her cheek. Maybe it was odd to find the sight charming, but Diya just smiled fondly at her girlfriend.
It was rare to see Min like this. Completely relaxed, completely calm. During the day there was always a line of tension running through her. Maybe baseball was an exception-- Min was always full of excitement and energy during practices and games. But Diya knew Min well enough to see the way she sometimes shoved her hands deep in her pockets to keep herself from nervously fidgeting, to see how she bit the inside of her cheek or ran her hands through her hair.
Diya shifted in the bed, trying to ignore both how her arm had fallen asleep and the heat rising in her cheeks ( wow, she really looked at Min more than she thought ). Sleepovers were exceedly rare between them, she reflected-- they only happened when someone’s parents were away. Tonight, she remembered, Min’s parents were attending some wedding out of town. Jun was home, but Min had sworn him to secrecy (or at least, that’s what she told Diya. Diya had nodded and pretended she hadn’t heard her threatening him several minutes beforehand).
Coming back to the present, Diya’s comfort was rapidly decreasing. Her fingers tingled with pins and needles, and her mouth was bone dry. With a sigh through her nose, she used her free hand to gently lift Min’s shoulder so she lay on her side, and she was able to wiggle her arm free. Min mumbled something, but still seemed to be asleep. The tension left Diya’s shoulders and she flexed her fingers as she rose from the bed.
Min always left the bathroom light on during the night, but Diya was still wary of the cluttered floor as she approached it. Somehow, she reached the door without stepping on or stumbling over anything, and she let out a relieved sigh as she stepped into the bathroom. She twisted the handle on the sink and cupped her hands under the water, the tap water satisfying her thirst. She half-heartedly dried her hands with a towel, and had almost shut the door behind her when she saw herself in the mirror.
Light from the bathroom slipped through a crack in the door, neatly cutting her reflection in two. She looked at herself-- baggy shirt that went to her thighs, messy hair, hands still damp. She hastily rubbed them on her shirt before reaching up to tie her hair back, hoping to tame the locks with the scrunchie on her wrist. Immediately, hair fell from the ponytail at the back of her head to frame her face, and Diya pushed it behind her ears. Behind her reflection, she saw the blankets shift on the bed, and she turned as Min sat up and rubbed at her eyes.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Diya asked as she turned, cautiously stepping back over to the bed. She was careful to keep her voice low, but still let out a hiss when she stepped on something sharp.
“Kind of?” Min sounded unsure. “Don’t worry about it, though. It’s fine.”
Diya just nodded as she returned to the bed. She sat to face Min, who let out a huff as she pushed her bangs off her forehead, only for them to fall back in her eyes.
“Do you want a hair tie?” Diya asked, holding out the extra one that had been on her wrist. Min looked away and grumbled something under her breath, too quiet to hear. “Huh?”
“I don’t know how… how to, uh, use one.” Min didn’t make eye contact, rubbing the back of her neck. The gesture caused the collar of her too-large shirt to slip off her other shoulder, and Diya’s eyes lingered on her bare shoulder for a beat too long before she cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks warm.
“I’ll do it for you.” She offered.
“We’re gonna go back to sleep, you don’t have to.” Min rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Besides, my hair’s in my eyes all the time, it doesn’t bother me.”
“But…” Diya trailed off, stumped for a valid excuse. If she was being honest, her curiosity had been piqued-- she realized that she hadn’t ever seen Min with her hair back.
“But what?” Min’s voice had a teasing tilt to it, and she smiled lazily at her girlfriend. She seemed more awake, and Diya was torn between feeling bad about it and thriving-- Min actually seemed relaxed. Serene, even.
Diya took a deep breath, breaking eye contact to look at the corner of the room. “I wanna.” She paused, dared a glance at Min. She said nothing, but her facial expression hadn’t changed. Diya took that as a sign to continue. “I don’t know what you look like with your hair tied back.” She finished shyly.
“Oh.” Min blinked. “Well, if you want to, I guess you can. But your hard work is gonna be ruined the second I fall back asleep.”
Diya looked up and laughed quietly. “That’s fine. Can you… come closer?” She waved her hand, and Min scooted forwards. They sat in front of each other, legs criss crossed. With gentle hands, Diya tilted Min’s head forward so that the other girl was looking down. She grabbed her bangs, carefully pulling them back off of her forehead and swiftly using the hair tie to keep the hair in place.
“All done.” Diya murmured, and Min looked up again.
“Feels weird.” Min scrunched up her nose. Diya didn’t respond, instead reaching up and gently pressing her fingertips to Min’s forehead. It felt like skin. Diya wasn’t quite sure what she had been expecting.
“Okay, this calls for payback time.” Forehead scrunching beneath Diya’s fingers, Min reached up and swiftly pulled the scrunchie from the other girl’s hair. She huffed out a laugh as she pulled the stolen scrunchie onto her wrist, smiling slyly. “Now we’re even.”
Diya’s hand dropped to push her own hair behind her ears. The gesture made something change in Min’s expression, something shift in her suddenly intense stare, and she felt abruptly shy, heat rising in her cheeks. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re pretty.” Min stated bluntly. “You look like a princess.”
Wow, Diya’s cheeks could grow warmer. “Thanks.” Was all she managed to get out. She half wondered if she should compliment Min back, but suddenly two hands pressed to her face and her breathing hitched.
“Can I kiss you?” Min asked, face mere inches away.
Feeling almost robotic, Diya nodded stiffly. She forced herself to breath, shoulders relaxing after a moment. “You don’t… You don’t have to ask.” Her voice came out soft, on the verge of trembling.
“I just didn’t wanna freak you out.” Min followed up. Her tongue flicked out over her lips for a split second, and Diya felt her eyes lingering on the other girl’s mouth before she looked up.
It made her chest warm that Min cared. Min, who held her hand under tables when she was nervous. Who threw the perfect pitch. Who was there to push her hair behind her ears when her own hands were full. Who was kneeling in front of her, hair pulled back from her face, cheeks a little red, hands warm and solid on both of Diya’s cheeks.
Instead of a thank you, Diya leaned in and pressed her lips firmly to Min’s, fingertips reaching up to rest daintily on her jaw. One of Min’s hands slipped back, fingers tangling into Diya’s short hair. Diya felt her entire body lean forward, closer to Min, and her free hand found a spot on Min’s bare shoulder, where her too-large shirt had once again slipped off of. Her fingers spread across the skin there, and her other hand cupped Min’s jaw with more confidence.
Min’s tongue suddenly skated across her bottom lip, and Diya inhaled sharply through her nose, heart beating a little too rapidly and nerves teasing the edge of overwhelming. She leant back, nudging Min away with the hand on her jaw and breaking the kiss.
“Was that too much?” Min asked immediately, looking at Diya with furrowed brows.
“Um… maybe a little?” Diya’s hands awkwardly fell to her sides, and after a split second Min’s did the same. “...Sorry.” She tacked on, feeling bad.
“Nah, I should be apologizing.” Min stared glumly at her lap. “I should’ve, like, asked or something…”
Diya frowned, trying to think of the right thing to say. She took Min’s hand in her own, looking down at it as she tried to form a coherent sentence. “I, um. Like kissing you. I’m just, um, nervous, and got kinda overwhelmed.” Her voice came out quiet, and she cleared her throat before continuing. “Don’t feel bad.” When she glanced up, she made eye contact with Min, who was giving her the same intense stare as before. Inhaling deeply, Diya forced herself to push past her nerves and give her girlfriend a hesitant smile.
She wasn’t quite sure how effective it was, and for a split second she worried her words hadn’t changed anything, but then Min’s shoulders relaxed and she returned the smile with a crooked one of her own. Min took Diya’s other hand in her own, so that she was holding both of them.
“Thanks.” She said shortly, and Diya nodded, feeling the last of the tension leave her chest. The wave of relief was enough to make her fall sideways onto the bed, aware of her own exhaustion now that her nerves were gone.
Min laughed quietly, mimicking Diya and lying on her side to face her. “Tired?” She mused, quirking an eyebrow.
“Mhm.” Diya nodded slowly, focusing on Min’s face.
“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Min asked.
“You’re pretty.” Diya echoed Min’s compliment from earlier. I want this to be the last thing I see before I sleep.
“Shut up.” Min immediately grabbed at the pillow from beneath her head as Diya laughed at her response. She wildly shoved it towards Diya’s face, and the girl was just able to see the other’s blush before closing her eyes and preparing for impact.
(Obviously, Min took care not to actually hit Diya, and obviously, the whole thing ended in a pillow fight, and obviously, Diya kissed Min on the cheek before they finally fell asleep again.)