Normal For Friends…?

*crunch* *munch*

The sounds of freshly made—and now freshly eaten—tonkatsu and rain lingered together as the downpour battered against the apartment window. Outside was nearly all grey, and the last of the mountains had been obscured behind a curtain of pouring water.

Hinoka let out a content sigh and leaned back into the couch, still fresh from the showers they'd both taken after getting caught in the deluge.

She could feel the cool fabric of her borrowed pajamas against her skin and the heavy weight of a full belly. The room was cool as the aircon struggled to reduce the humidity, and a comforting smell of cherry and citrus clung to everything.

It was nice.

"Hey, Miyami?"

"Mn?"

"Thanks for having me over for lunch. You're a pretty good cook for a bird."

"…!"

A sharp elbow jabbed her in the ribs, causing her to laugh at the sudden backbone her senior had developed.

"Oof. Hey, that actually kinda hurt."

Miyami gave her a pout before sticking her tongue out at her and typing out a quick message on her phone.

*ping!*

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 >> That's what you get for teasing me! <(￣ ﹌ ￣)>

 >> I might be your cute senpai, but that doesn't mean you can always bully me without any consequences. ( ˘ •ω• ˘ )

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Hinoka snorted as she dived back into the messaging app, feeling the urge to fight back on Miyami's turf for a change.

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 > When did you start proudly proclaiming yourself senpai? Last time I checked, you shriveled up whenever I called you that.

 >> (´; ω ;`) I'm trying to get better. To be more brave.

 >> (｡ŏ﹏ŏ) I'm not very good at it yet, though.

 > You're fine. I'm just teasing you. Also, you're already very brave.

 > You are my cute and brave senpai. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

 >> S-Stop that. You're making me blush!

 > Heh. That's the goal. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

 >> HINOKAAA!

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She was brought back to the atmosphere of the comfy room with a not-so-comfy shake of her arm as Miyami tugged on her sleeve.

"Okay, okay, sorry." She chuckled before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "You're right. You're not just a cute and brave senpai, you're also an amazing and talented one. I mean, I already mentioned it, but your cooking is seriously delicious."

"…!" The dark-haired girl's face turned bright red at the compliment, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish—or perhaps more like a penguin—out of water. She averted her gaze and started fiddling with her hair, twirling the ends in her fingers. After a few moments, she grabbed her phone and typed a new reply.

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 >> Thank… you…

 >> (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ I'm glad you like my food so much.

 >> Um, that actually leads me to a question if you don't mind.

 > Sure, go ahead.

 >> Would you like to start sharing dinners as well? You know, since we already sort of do that with our lunches at work. (*￣▽￣)b

 > Huh?

 [[ MIYAMI IS TYPING… ]]

 >> I-it's totally fine if you say no. I just thought about it randomly when buying groceries. And well, we've already been eating together basically every day now, we're becoming closer friends, we're basically neighbors, and it'll help us save on food costs…

 >> …is that okay with you? (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

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"…" Hinoka blinked as she stared at the messages, her mind taking a moment to process them. Miyami's face had grown red once more, and the girl's hands were clenched tightly around her device as the rain battered against the glass.

Hinoka quickly plopped down into the couch, letting out a muffled groan.

"Ugh, you're way too adorable."

Miyami let out a startled squeak at the comment, then another one as Hinoka rolled over to face her.

The two of them locked gazes.

"…Hey, come here for a sec." Hinoka's heart thumped hard as she impulsively opened her arms and made grabby motions toward the girl.

The way too sweet Miyami just pointed to herself as if asking, "Me?" And then, when Hinoka nodded, she carefully slid into her arms, confused but curious.

The two of them shared each other's warmth and softness before Hinoka suddenly pulled her in even closer, both of them now lying on the couch together.

"…eep!"

Miyami's chest was pressed against hers in this new position, exchanging heartbeats. And before Hinoka knew it, she'd wrapped her arm around the girl's waist too, feeling the slight bump of her tail bone as she instinctually began stroking her back.

"…!" Miyami let out a soft mewl-like noise in surprise and shivered as Hinoka ran up her spine. The pressure on her chest increased even more as the dark-haired woman buried her head in the crook of her neck.

*pant, pant*

The soft noise elicited a curious glance from Hinoka, and her eyes widened at the sight. Her friend was quivering in her arms, her face as pink as carnations.

"…" It was at that moment when Hinoka's self-realization finally hit her like a ton of bricks.

Crap. What was she doing?

The scent of cherry and citrus filled her senses, and Miyami's breath flowed against her skin. Hinoka was now hyperaware of the way their legs were tangled, how their body were pressed together, and how their heat mingled.

Damn it, her stupid impulses! She thought she was getting better at this.

'Okay, calm down and act cool. You are a mature adult, just like Miyami. You can handle this. Just apologize and get back to talking about the dinner arrangements.'

However, no matter how hard Hinoka tried to will her body to move from this position, it wouldn't budge. It felt as if her muscles had locked in place, and her voice had vanished.

Why was it always like this?! Why was it so difficult to control herself?

"H-Hinoka…?" Miyami's soft, gentle voice broke through her thoughts, her breath tickling her ear.

"Y-yeah?"

"Um… this is… normal for friends to do, right? I-I… I've never really been this close to someone before, so…"

"…" Hinoka paused at the obvious question.

No. No, it wasn't. This was way more than just friendly, and Hinoka definitely knew that.

She'd had friends in high school and university, and none of them had ever cuddled together like this. None of her previous relationships had ever been like this either. She'd always do something impulsively stupid and mess things up before anything could really start.

It had always been that way. Her impatience, her recklessness, her need to get things done without thinking about the consequences—it always ended up hurting those around her.

And it was happening again, now. She was dragging this poor, brave, innocent girl into her mess of emotions, and taking advantage of her.

*poke*

Hinoka blinked as she felt a soft jab at her cheek, her attention drawn back to the woman in her arms, finger outstretched. The two of them locked gazes, amber meeting brown, and Hinoka could see the uncertainty and worry reflected in those eyes.

Right, she needed to answer. It didn't matter what her own stupid brain thought or did. She had to do the right thing and respond.

"Uh, y-yeah. Yeah, it is," she lied, her voice coming out like a wisp, her other hand fidgeting with Miyami's hemline.

W-what?! NO! That wasn't what she was supposed to say! What the heck was she doing?!

"…I-is it really…?" Miyami asked again, the undertone of tension still on her face, even though her body had begun to relax.

Hinoka's instincts continued to betray her, eroding at her conscience as it urged her to indulge. The softness of Miyami's hair against her skin, the warmth of her body pressed up against hers. The scent of her, the smell of her, the potential taste of her…

Hinoka bit her lip as that last thought faded out.

DAMN IT! What was she doing?!

She was a pervert. Miyami had only been trying to be a good friend, and here she was, fantasizing about her!

This was it. She needed to stop this NOW before it got any worse!

"S-sorry, Miyami!" Hinoka blurted out, abruptly pushing the girl away from her and off the couch in the process.

"Kyaaa!" Miyami shrieked, tumbling to the ground with a soft thud.

Hinoka winced at the sight and quickly jumped off the sofa to check on her.

"SHIT! A-are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down beside the girl to check—that had been way more forceful than she had intended. However, as soon as her hand made contact with Miyami's body, she jerked away, and a startled noise escaped her lips.

Hinoka quickly withdrew her hand and held it to her chest as if she'd just been burned.

Her world fell apart.

Crap, crap, crap. She'd done it again. She'd screwed up. She'd ruined everything!

"I-I'm sorry!" she yelled, jumping back up on her feet and turning around to leave. "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to, I just—I'm sorry. I took advantage of you and your kindness. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Hinoka could feel the heat rise and tears well up as she tried to make a quick exit. It was still pouring out there, but she could just run through the rain to get back home. Sure, she would have to make sure to take extra special care of Miyami's spare pajamas afterwards when she returned it, but that wasn't important right now.

She couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't be a danger to Miyami.

She had to leave—

*grab*

Hinoka stopped midstep as she felt her hand tugged back. She turned and saw Miyami half-kneeling on the floor, her hand clutching hers desperately beneath disheveled hair and clothes. The girl was panting heavily, her face flushed as if she'd just channeled everything in her being into that grasp.

"…!" Miyami opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, she furiously typed something on her phone with her free hand.

*ping!*

"…" Hinoka felt the phone go off in her pocket, and she wavered as her emotions ran rampant. The wetness on her cheeks had begun to flow down, and her vision was getting blurry.

She shouldn't open it. She shouldn't look. Miyami was probably telling her to get out of her apartment—maybe even to never show her face in front of her ever again.

*ping!*

*ping!*

*ping!*

Hinoka swallowed as her phone buzzed in her pocket again and again. With a trembling hand, she pulled out the device and unlocked the screen to confront the inevitable. There was no use putting it off.

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 >> Hinoka, what are you doing?!

 >> You can't go out in that weather! You'll get soaked!

 >> And it's dangerous! What would happen if a car didn't see you?

 >> That's too scary to think about. Just sit back down. Please.

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"…" Hinoka stared at the messages, not knowing how to reply. These were not the rebukes she'd been expecting.

How was this happening? Why was Miyami being so kind?

"H-Hinoka?" Miyami's soft voice broke the silence, her grip on Hinoka's hand tightening slightly. It was clear she wasn't going to let go until the girl stopped trying to run.

"P-please. S-sit. Let's talk."

"…" Hinoka guiltily looked away, not wanting to meet Miyami's gaze. The dark-haired girl's usual timidness wasn't gone, but it had suddenly become overshadowed by something else. A strength she hadn't expected to see in the girl with a voice as quiet as silence.

"Please," Miyami urged again, gently pulling her back toward the couch.

Hinoka tried thinking of different things to do to avoid it, but her impulsive body had finally started to listen to Miyami's words, and she found herself being pulled back to the couch. The rain continued to batter on the glass, and the coolness of the room fought the heat on her face.

"…" The two sat in awkward silence as Miyami began typing out some more messages.

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 >> Hinoka, I'm not angry or anything, I promise. I was just a bit startled by your sudden push.

 >> I know you didn't mean it. You were only trying to give me space.

 >> So, don't be sorry. Don't apologize. It was nice to get a little bit closer, even if it was just for a moment.

 >> (o^ ^o)

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"…Huh?" Hinoka blinked, feeling even more bewildered as she read the messages.

This wasn't right. Why wasn't Miyami kicking her out? Why wasn't she angry?

"B-but I took advantage of your hospitality," she protested, trying to find some reason for Miyami to be mad at her. "I basically groped and sniffed you."

"…" Something else stirred in Miyami's gaze as her lips upturned themselves, and she typed a response.

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 >> And? So did I. You smelled nice. Very warm and comforting. 10/10

 >> (*・ω・)b

 >> You also gave me a nice back rub. 10/10, would like to experience it again.

 >> (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)

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"I—" The air rushed out of Hinoka's lungs at the messages, and her mind blanked. She couldn't believe what she was reading.

Miyami had actually enjoyed that? Even the sniffing part?

The dark-haired girl let out a soft giggle at her reaction and leaned over, playfully poking Hinoka's forehead.

"I… forgive you."

The tiny voice that had just come out of her felt like a soothing balm on a burn, and Hinoka's shoulders sagged with relief.

Did Miyami really mean that?

Did she really forgive her?

"Y-you sure?" Her voice shook as she stared at her friend, looking for any sign of falsehood in her face. But there was nothing.

Just a smile.

Miyami didn't say anything more, just leaned over and gently hugged her. Her arms wrapped around her waist and her head rested next to hers.

It took Hinoka several more seconds, but eventually she understood.

"…"

The wall of emotion she'd been holding back burst, and tears poured from her eyes like a broken dam.

This cute, precious, incredible person—she didn't deserve to have Miyami in her life! How was she even real?! How did someone so sweet and caring even exist?!

Miyami's hummed lightly as Hinoka continued to cry, and her hand reached up to gently pat the ponytailed girl on the back.

Hinoka's tears didn't stop falling, but the warm pressure rubbing up and down her skin began to soothe her as the rain continued to fall outside.

It was nice.