Chapter Text
"We talk and talk about love, but it's above the clouds"
"Truth or Dare" should be called something else. The name was misleading; yes, you asked the other player "truth or dare?", but the truth-to-dare ratio was skewed. Choosing "dare" was discouraged in its own culture; no one wanted to do a shitty dare, and coming up with a good one required either complete genius or total stupidity. So, removing "dare" from the options of "Truth or Dare" leaves the party with a game more accurately described as "Truth or Truth".
This is where Mizuki Akiyama fucked it up further. In their particular circumstance, coaxed by Ena into playing Truth or Truth, sitting on her somewhat recently mowed dwarf sized lawn like a couple of middle schoolers, they had to make up half their answers or risk ruining their life. Thus, their game of Truth or Lie, starting to teeter on Lie or Lie for poor Mizuki Akiyama, in which Ena truly to the bottom of her heart still believed they were playing Truth or Dare, felt awful and gut wrenching and misleading and terrible.
"Like...what's your type ?" Ena asked, complete with a hair twirl and batted eyelashes. Dammit Ena.
Other than the new form of torture, it was a nice evening. They were cloud watching in hopes to "be artistically inspired", since Ena was in an art block. The sun was setting. The grass was pokey. Ena was stunning.
So continued their game of Lie or Lie.
"Cute people, obviously~! Someone who's gonna buy me lots and lots of cute fashion~"
Mizuki liked shoulder length hair. They liked girls shorter than them despite wanting to be short themself. They liked girls who got teased easily and gave Mizuki a hard time when they did. People who were honest but kind...sweet with a little kick.
"Ugh, keeping your heart in your wallet is such bad taste," Ena huffed, rolling her eyes. "I only care about personality . I'm not superficial and I listen to my heart. Alright, ask me Truth or Dare."
Typical Ena to answer her own question. She loved to talk...well, Mizuki loved to listen.
Ena was going to pick truth. Mizuki would bet money on it.
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
There we go. Mizuki wanted so badly to laugh at the predictability of this game.
"Uuuu...I can't think of one!" Mizuki rested their head in their hands, pretending to look stumped. Stalling would annoy her. "Ummm...hmm..."
Ena plucked at some grass on the lawn. Her yanks were brutish.
"...Oh! What's your chest size? Heheh."
Invasive. Awkward. Weird. Ena was self conscious about her bust, she'd surely let the game go. If Mizuki was really lucky, it would be so offensive she'd realize she hates Mizuki and never talk to them again.
"M-mizuki! What the hell kind of question is that!?"
Mizuki was such a bad person.
"You have to answer the truth~!!"
A pause. Sigh. Ena crossed her arms, grass falling on her sleeve. She gave Mizuki a once over. Another pause.
"...i'm a B cup, alright? B32. I would normally be offended, but I'm bigger than you, A-kiyama!" The look on her face was a blend of snarky, entitled, and proud. Did she just...guess Mizuki's cup size?
Okay, Mizuki really laughed this time.
"That was so stupid," Mizuki wheezed. They covered their mouth by habit, practically trembling. Ena told them to stop laughing so hard, blush tinting her ears red.
Ena was a good friend.
"...Ugh! Forget it, truth or dare?"
Mizuki's heart sank as they remembered the game. They were having fun for a second there.
They wiped the smile off their face and tried to look relaxed. They settled on crossing their arms since it was getting cold.
"Truth."
"Okay, this is gonna be a serious one," Ena prefaced, re-tucking her skirt over her knees. She must be cold, too. Cons of being outside when the sun sets. "What do you want to do after high school?"
Yeesh, sore subject. They didn't like thinking about the future. Truth is, college was gonna be rough. They would have to room with some dude if they couldn't commute or scrounge up the money to get an apartment. If they even wanted to go to college. If they had a future...
"Somewhere local. My sister goes abroad but that's too much for me, haha. Maybe I can go to a trade school and become a beautician." It sounded nice enough. Ena seemed to like the answer.
"I can so see you doing that," She waved her hands around dismissively. "You know, I always imagined you going into the fashion industry. Like, designing clothes or becoming a model or something."
A model? Sounds like a nightmare. Ena seemed sincere with the compliment, though.
It made Mizuki feel like an asshole. A change of subject was for the best.
"Let me guess, you want to get into an art school?" Mizuki would bet money she would say Musashino or Tamabi. In general, any of the best art schools in Japan.
"Hey! Wait your turn to ask me a question!" Were they still doing this?
"...Truth or dare?"
"Truth." Of course. "...Musashino is my dream school." Bingo. "That's like, a competitive art school in western Tokyo. My grandfather went there. I don't know. I need to get better so I can get in." She looked up at the sky. Mizuki's gaze followed—was there really anything up there? It was that funny time between sunset and night, too dark for clouds but too light for stars. Well, almost. Mizuki could see clouds in the horizon if they squinted—they were cirrus. Whispy. Didn't look much like anything.
"Well, that's why we're out here, right? Artistic inspiration!" Mizuki bumped shoulders with Ena. "Don't doubt your skills."
Ena would make it in. Of course she would. Her art was beautiful.
"I think I want to ask you..." Ena started, lingering on her thought. Oh, now look who was skipping over the formalities. "...about, like, you. Tell me something super personal. Something you would never tell anyone else."
Unfortunate.
"Haha." Lie or Lie was a terrible game. They could back out and say they couldn't think of anything. Maybe come up with something that sounds about right to be personal, but wasn't really. They could say they have some stupid fear—the dark, maybe? Or maybe an allergy to some weird, uncommon food?
Ena hadn't lied once. She never did, not even when she said she'd stay by Mizuki's side forever.
This game was cruel.
Her eyes were so expectant...
"I'm in love with someone."
Ena got quiet.
Mizuki looked up again. It was getting colder, the clouds were gone.
"Oh?" What a half assed attempt at sounding disinterested. Ena sucked at Lie or Lie. "Who?"
Mizuki's heart was pounding. They felt sick to their stomach.
Ena wasn't even breathing. Dammit, could she be any more obvious...
Ena didn't like them. Ena thought she did, but you can't like someone you don't know. They were the one with unrequited feelings.
Mizuki let out a fake snort.
"Ahaha! Sorry, sorry, I wanted to see your reaction."
They were. They were so sorry. Ena was paying the price for Mizuki's selfishness. They wanted her in her life forever. Stupid Mizuki.
"T-that's...!" Hurt burned in Ena's gaze. "That wasn't funny at all! Mizuki, you idiot!"
"I know, I'm sorry!" They laughed again. "I wanted to shake it up a little."
"That's not how Truth or Dare works! Seriously, I'm so mad at you right now!" Ena slapped Mizuki hard on the arm. It stung. "You're getting a dare as punishment."
The statement broke every possible rule in Truth or Dare.
Ena's gaze was surprisingly weak. Weak in that Ena way where she made up her mind about something and didn't like it.
"If you ever do fall, like...in love with someone...you have to tell me about her." Their eye contact was charged. Heavy with something. Ena didn't correct herself.
"Her", huh?
Whatever game Ena was playing with them right now, this should be called Truth or Dare.
"I won’t~"
Mizuki chose truth.
Ena gritted her teeth, but the tension in her face released. "You--!"
So I've got a shot, huh ? That's what Ena was thinking. It was splattered all over her face.
"The clouds are beautiful tonight, tehe." Mizuki stood up, brushing the dirt off their skirt.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ena huffed. "And, God, you can't even see them!"
"Use your artist's eye! Look above!" Mizuki's tone was teasing, but they felt the worst they had in weeks. How awful they were to the person they loved.
Ena would stop feeling this way eventually. Maybe Mizuki would, too. Then finally— finally —Ena would leave them like everyone else.
If only Mizuki believed that.
The dummy was complaining about grass on her butt. It was dark, but their eyes had adjusted just fine.
The night sky was stunning.
Above the clouds, no longer in sight, Mizuki could see the stars.