Work Text:
Ena groans as she squints at her latest design assignment — she's supposed to create a mock-up for an outfit inspired by her favorite season. She thought an intro course on fashion would be fun, but it's proving to be one of the most time-consuming classes she's ever taken. You'd think working on a design late in the evening would fire up her usual creative juices, but, alas, she's getting nothing done tonight.
Right now, she's mulling over a pink dress, the kind that could be paired with a denim jacket or sun bonnet or perhaps both. But something isn't quite right. Is the low blouse-y shoulders? The dress's length? Not enough ribbons? Too many ribbons?
"Maybe it's the wrong shade of pink," she mumbles.
Her thoughts drift to her loud, annoying, very pink, sometimes cute, and definitely-better-than-her-at-fashion best friend. God, they would rock this kind of dress. Not that she's been imagining them in it or anything. Absolutely not.
They've been living together as university housemates for a little more than a year now, and Ena still can't quite understand what's going on in Mizuki's pretty little head.
Hang on, back up, maybe don't call them pretty as fuck in your internal narration, Ena chides herself.
(It doesn't work. She knows she'll still call them pretty. Pretty as fuck, even. Can't believe she actually doubled down on that. Goddammit.)
"Enanan~?"
Speak of the devil, and they will come, dressed in their favorite white and blue blouse, a leggings-and-skirt combo that definitely paired perfectly with whatever boots they were wearing before, and a familiar blue ribbon to keep their hair up. They're standing at the door, arms crossed behind their back like they're nervous about something.
But how the hell do they make that kind of nervous energy look so adorable? What did Ena think about them again? Cute as heck? Or was it pretty as fuck? Shut up, internal Ena.
She's really gotta work on suppressing her gooey gay thoughts.
Ena sighs. Leaning back from her desk, she cocks an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Pouting, Mizuki plods over and kneels beside her. Almost like a little puppy, Ena realizes. Which is weird, considering they say they're like a cat. But she can already imagine the little floppy dog ears and waggling tail as they crawl under her desk and — wait.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Mizuki lets out a long sigh and buries their face in her lap, and Ena yelps at the sudden contact. She immediately squeezes her thighs together, face burning as red as a tomato.
"Don't do that! I—"
"Play with my hair," they mumble, waving their hand around without looking up. Eventually, their fingers find her wrist, and Mizuki gently plops her hand on their head.
"Mizuki?"
"Play with my hair," they insist again, their voice even more muffled by Ena's skirt. It's tingly down there, the feel of their breath and vibrations of their voice somehow pleasant.
It doesn't help that Ena has the biggest gayest crush on Mizuki, but she'll go die in a ditch first before they ever find out about that.
After contemplating to play or not play with their hair, Ena lets out a huff, then gently unties Mizuki's ribbon. They quickly shake their head around — still nestled in between Ena's thighs, making her yelp again — to let their hair cascade down their shoulders.
"Mi-zu-ki!" she nearly yells, tensing up.
"Please."
That distinctly desperate tone sends a jolt straight through Ena's heart, and she lets out a short breath to gather herself. Damn Mizuki for being so damn emotionally vulnerable. There's no way she could kick them out of her room now. Not that she was going to, but she wanted to use the possibility against them at least once. But it's fine. It's fine.
Her fingers weave through Mizuki's hair slowly, carding through all the knots with gentle tugs. "What's wrong?" Ena finally asks.
They groan and simply nuzzle into her touch.
"Mizuki," she says again, stern.
"Nothing," they respond in a voice softer than usual. "I'm just a little down."
Her hand pauses before she begins to run her nails along their scalp. "You seem more than a little down," she murmurs.
"It's like that sometimes," they say simply. Mizuki shuffles around against their makeshift pillow, and Ena can't help but smile as they close their eyes and slow their breathing. "Don't think about it too much. I just wanna be here right now."
"Okay," Ena mumbles.
Ever since they moved in together, Mizuki's been a little more open about everything. They haven't been the most communicative, but they would never have done anything like this back in high school. And it's not like Ena's the most emotionally available person either.
Baby steps for both of them, but it's still progress.
"More head scritches," Mizuki mumbles, their voice laced with exhaustion. They flail their hand around again, searching for Ena's.
"What's the magic word?"
"Pleeease, your highness," Mizuki says as cheekily as possible while half-asleep.
"That's right. Good girl," she says in a low, playful tone.
"Ena~ I'm not a dog," is their tired giggly reply.
After a satisfied stroke of the little not-dog's head, Ena feels her shoulders finally relax. Her eyes glance up at the design assignment on her screen, then down at the sleepy dork on her lap. She laughs softly as she continues to rub their head. Maybe having a lap doggy around would help her focus on her art projects.
They lapse into a gentle rhythm, with Ena managing to work on her assignment one-handed and Mizuki sprawling across her lap like they're totally dead to the world. She can't really believe how easily they fell asleep in such an uncomfortable position, but maybe that's just how they are. She supposes that they really do act like a needy puppy more than a cat, huh?
Well, at least Ena's almost done with her assignment. Just a few more finishing touches on the already-too-pink-but-she'll-just-add-more-ribbons dress, and her work will be done for the weekend. A certain pinkette definitely didn't inspire her to go all-in on the design. At least, not that she'd admit it. Absolutely definitely zero chance she'd admit it.
"I saw some old high school classmates who bullied me before."
Ena freezes, all thoughts of her assignment flushing out of her mind.
"They didn't say anything, but they looked at me funny when I passed by."
Ena swallows hard and inhales sharply to stop her blood from boiling over. She's been much better about controlling her temper but hearing something like this brings her right back up to the point of a blow-up.
As if sensing her rage, Mizuki lifts their head, sporting a small, melancholic smile. Ena takes another breath — those sharp pink eyes have a way of reaching right into her soul.
"It's okay, Ena."
"...Okay."
Their smile widens a little as they lay their head down on her lap again, and Ena immediately returns to playing with their beautiful pink locks. Their hair — longer than it was in high school — has been untangled for a while now, but Ena likes how soft and fluffy it feels, and she's sure Mizuki likes the touch too. At least, she hopes so. Besides, they wanted it in the first place.
"I don't care about the opinions of those kinds of people anyway," Mizuki mumbles.
"But it still makes you sad."
"Mhm."
Ena closes her eyes and imagines the young, innocent, angry teenager she once was. Then she opens them and glances down. Both of them say that they don't care, but, really, how could they avoid the feelings that push them over the edge?
"Yeah. I get that."
"I only care about your opinion — whether you like me and accept me." Their head suddenly snaps up and hits the bottom of Ena's desk. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"You idiot. Why'd you go and do that?"
"Uh, I meant... I care about your opinion and also the opinions of my friends. Of which you are one of my friends," they quickly add, rubbing their neck. Their face turns the prettiest shade of pink which, Ena hates to admit, looks really cute on them and also she's jealous that they can look so naturally cute like that.
"Mizuki..."
Against her better judgment, Ena leans down and pulls them into a hug, and Mizuki freezes for a moment before relaxing into her touch. They quickly make themself comfortable in her chair, and Ena takes a deep breath as the faint scent of sweet vanilla washes over her.
"You know I'll always be there for you."
"I know," they mumble, resting in the crook of Ena's neck. They squeeze her gently, and Ena feels her heart soaring. "I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea or anything."
Ena rolls her eyes but squeezes Mizuki back anyway. She's trying her damnedest not to take anything Mizuki says as possibly romantic, no matter how desperately she wants to.
Instead of answering, she runs her hands through their hair again and rubs the spot they hit.
Then Mizuki giggles. Right in her ear, the sound intimately soft and way too loud all at the same time.
"You like touching me, huh, Enanan~?" they ask, breath hot on the shell of her ear.
"Oh, shut up," she mumbles back. She's glad that Mizuki can't see her face — she's 90 percent sure that her face is somehow even redder than before. It'll probably catch on fire at this rate.
"It's okay! I like it when you touch me!"
"Geez, Mizuki! You make it sound lewd!" Ena stops her thoughtful rubs and instead smacks their shoulder as hard as she can.
"Ow!"
"Now shut it or I'll do that again," Ena mutters, tangling her fingers in their hair again. It does comfort her to touch them, as much as she'd hate to admit it. She'd particularly regret giving Mizuki another thing to brag about.
Mizuki simply laughs, and Ena can feel the hollow rumble in their chest. It's a nice, pleasant vibration, and Ena closes her eyes as she nuzzles closer to them. She relishes the cool touch of their hands and the calming rhythm of their breaths. Even their heartbeat — which feels like it's beating just as fast as hers — brings a sense of peace to her mind.
After a moment, Ena feels her own hair played with, and soon enough, her little side braid comes undone, and the locks of her hair fall over her face. Their slender hands play with her hair, pausing and untangling any knots they come into contact with. Their chest vibrates again as they begin humming under their breath, and they continue to squeeze Ena like they're lovers snuggling after a long day of work.
It's... nice. Really nice, actually.
Honestly, the only thing that would make it all better is kissing Mizuki.
...Ugh, what the hell did we say about gooey gay thoughts, internal Ena?
"Mizuki?" Ena finally whispers, leaning back to look them in the eye.
"Mm?" Mizuki's eyes flutter open, and they flash an innocent smile at her.
Holy shit, this is a terrible idea.
"I..."
I would like to kiss you right now.
Ena swallows the deadly sentence and glances at her computer, still displaying her assignment.
"Uh, I wanted to know, what do you think of my design?"
"Hm?" They crane their neck around, and their eyes light up as they stare at the screen. "Oh! It's cute. Very... not you, actually."
Mizuki shuffles around, opting to sit forward on her lap this time, their back and shoulders resting gently against her chest. They scooch the chair closer and start fiddling with the mouse and keyboard, apparently awestruck by her design. Ena would've probably been more elated to hear Mizuki's praise except she's sort of busy being shocked at the sensation of Mizuki pressed up so casually against her. That kind of turned her brain off.
"I like it though!"
Ena blinks a few times, then shakes her head to snap out of her reverie. "I was trying to step out of my comfort zone."
"Caaaan... I assume a certain very cute pink friend of yours inspired the design?"
"Oh, shut it! You did nothing of the sort."
"I'm glad you agree that I'm your very cute pink friend!"
"Who the hell else would you be talking about? Don't flatter yourself!"
"Okay, okay~" They giggle a little, and Ena feels every last shake of their shoulders. "Well, I think it looks good. Seems fine to submit."
"Just fine? There aren't too many ribbons, are there?"
"Silly Enanan~ you can never have too many ribbons!"
"Oh my God, why the hell did I ask you for advice?"
Mizuki leans back, totally relaxed, catching Ena off-guard as her chin slots perfectly against the the crook of their neck. They flash her a shit-eating grin, and Ena sighs, already preparing a comeback for whatever stupid thing they're about to say.
"Because you totally made that dress for me to wear! Obviously!"
But Mizuki and their very kissable lips are way too close, and Ena nearly misses a beat snapping back.
"Could you get any more vain?"
"Girl, you haven't seen me at my peak. All of this is merely depression and emotional avoidance."
"Ugh." Ena rolls her eyes. It's great that they've become more open and communicative, but that also means they're much more comfortable making self-deprecating comments.
"Submit it, submit it! Then you can stop fussing, and we can cuddle for the rest of the day."
"But I feel like I could make something better."
"So? It's just for a class assignment, right?" Mizuki shrugs, making Ena chin bounce. "It's good enough, and you don't need to waste time thinking about it."
"I didn't expect to hear that from you of all people. You're just as much of a perfectionist as I am."
"Teehee~" Mizuki sticks out their tongue and once again, Ena can't rip her eyes away from their mouth. "Well, if you really wanna work on making it better, we can do it together. Give it some time, do some revisions, and then let me handle making an actual prototype!"
"You'd really do that?"
"Of course! Anything for my sweet Ena~"
"Geez, Mizuki," Ena mutters, leaning forward to grab the mouse. She fumbles around, clicking various windows before figuring out where the submission page is. "You'd think they'd make these websites easier to navigate..."
"Hurry! I want snuggles!" Mizuki cups her hand, and her mind immediately blanks at how perfectly theirs fits over hers. They take full control of the mouse, quickly submitting the assignment, nodding when they see it's confirmed, and shutting down the PC.
"Ah! Wait!"
"Nope! You're too slow!" Mizuki says with a proud, once again shit-eating smile. They hop to their feet, spin around, grab Ena by the wrists, and pull her up in one smooth motion.
"Mi-zu-ki!"
"Snuggles!"
Ena doesn't even bother struggling as Mizuki tugs her along toward her bed. She doesn't squeak in shock when Mizuki gently pushes her onto it. She does, however, have enough awareness to gently bop Mizuki on the head when they lay on top of her, resting conspicuously against her breasts.
She's got half a mind to chide them about it, but they just look so cute and comfy that Ena doesn't want to make them feel that bad about it. One bop is good enough. Instead, she winds her arms around their shoulders and scratches near the base of their neck, drawing a content sigh from them.
"Geez... you really love to move at your own pace," Ena mumbles as Mizuki giggles against her chest.
"Mm-hm!" They lift their head, chin resting near the top of her sternum. "Enanan?"
"Yes, Mizuki?"
Their cheeks go pink, and Ena cocks an eyebrow.
"Can I kiss you?"
"Huh?" Ena blinks a few times, then feels blood rush to her own cheeks as her heart shifts into overdrive. It's barely been a minute since they laid down — isn't Mizuki aware of that thing called "setting the mood"?
"I want to kiss you. But I also want to make sure you're okay with it."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course! So? Whaddya say?"
Ena looks away and keeps her eyes trained on the ceiling, trying to avoid any and all eye contact with those sharp pink irises. "If you want to."
"I already said I want to, silly! But do you want me to?" Mizuki leans closer, crawling up her body and not letting Ena hide away so easily.
"I said it's fine, idiot."
"That's not what you said!" Mizuki says, their usual smile simultaneously annoying her and melting her heart.
"Ugh, you—"
Ena groans and throws hers arms around Mizuki's neck, tugging them closer. Mizuki just smirks more.
"Ever the stubborn tsundere, aren't you?"
"Oh, shut up!"
She growls quietly, then smashes her lips against Mizuki's. It's not pretty or elegant but the sensation of their soft lips molding against hers still sends fireworks blasting through her brain.
Mizuki somehow manages a giggle before returning the kiss, filling Ena's heart with even more love and excitement. Her fingers clutch soft pink locks, and she pulls them closer, not wanting to leave even an inch of space between their bodies.
She stifles a moan as deft hands explore her body, starting from her thighs, tracing patterns across her hips, stomach, and waist. Her thighs shift awkwardly as Mizuki presses their hips against hers and moves their hands toward her chest. Mizuki manages to land a gentle grope on her soft pancake-y flesh — wait, that's an insult to her boobs, isn't it? — before Ena breaks the kiss and shifts to smack them on the back.
"Mizuki!" she gasps, face flushing red.
"It felt right!" Mizuki says back, grinning from ear to ear as they shoot up to a sitting position. "And so did your boobs! Ena, you—"
"Ahh! Shut up, shut up!" She slaps their arm a couple of times as her reddened cheeks deepen a few more shades.
"Okay, okay!"
Mizuki doesn't stop giggling as they lay back down, pressing their bodies together, their forehead resting against hers. Ena squirms under their weight and tries to look everywhere but Mizuki's face.
"Idiot," she mumbles, pouting.
Her eyes widen as the smirk on Mizuki's face grows. "Yeah? Well, I'm your idiot," they murmur.
Before Ena can counter with her snappy response — she planned to say something clever like, "You dumbass," "You fool," or maybe another "You idiot" — Mizuki closes the gap and presses their lips against hers.
Instead of a mad, furious race, they've set a slow, methodical pace to enjoy the journey instead. The sparks return and explode behind her eyelids, and the butterflies finally decide to find a home in her stomach. Her nails dig into Mizuki's shoulders as their hips grind against hers over and over again, eliciting a low moan. Suddenly, Ena's dizzy, overheating, and close to imploding.
Mizuki breaks the kiss with a gasp for air, and Ena suddenly feels a few degrees colder. She tugs on their shoulders to drag them back, and they start giggling, their face flushed red as they curl up against her side.
"Wow!"
"Yeah. Wow."
Just as Ena's reveling in the moment, Mizuki props up on their elbow, grinning, and says, "Why didn't we do this before? Kissing you is awesome."
She throws a glare, and they just stick their tongue out. "I can't help it!" they exclaim. "The heart wants what it wants." They emphasize their words by clutching at their chest dramatically, then falling back onto the sheets and nuzzling against her neck.
Ena sighs and leans over to plant a kiss on the top of their head. "Yeah, yeah," she mutters, rolling onto her side to pull Mizuki into a hug, their head resting against her chest. Mizuki starts giggling again as they squeeze around her waist, and Ena runs her hands once again through their soft locks.
She's sure they can hear her heartbeat — she certainly can, what with it thundering in her ears — but, for once, they're not making some unnecessary comment about it.
"Thanks, Ena," they murmur, their voice laced with gleeful exhaustion.
"For what?" she says back, matching the quiet lull of Mizuki's tone.
"Taking care of me."
Ena chuckles, then kisses their ear. "I have to. You're an idiot who doesn't take care of themself," she says without any of the usual bite.
"Maybe it's because I want you to take care of me!"
"Fine, fine. I'll take care of you. I'll even fight those guys that bullied you."
"Hehe, I'd love to see that." Mizuki shifts a little bit in her arms, digging their head even closer against her chest, as if they don't want to be even an inch apart. "I feel really... safe, I think, when I'm with you."
"Good. That's what I'm here for," she whispers, planting another kiss on their bangs.
"And I like the sound of your voice."
"I'm glad." She kisses their temple.
"I like it when you hold me like this."
Ena squeezes them tighter, then kisses their cheek.
"And I really like your face."
"Um, Mizuki—"
"I also think—"
Face flushed, Ena pulls back and gently flicks Mizuki's forehead. "Stop, stop! This is too much emotional vomiting!"
"Okay, okay!" They're silent for all of 10 seconds before piping up again. "Um... Ena?"
"Yes?"
"One more." They smile sweetly before planting a soft kiss on her nose. "I love you."
"Oh!"
Ena mumbles under her breath before pulling them into a tight hug again, smothering them completely so they can't see her face.
"I love you too."
Mizuki simply starts giggling like the little shit that they are, and Ena sighs, rolling her eyes as they both drift away into a gentle, comforting sleep.
She can't wait to wake up holding the cutest pink dork that ever existed.