Commission for Mei! Thank you for commissioning me!
Enstars Arashi x OC (Mayu)
Pining; fluff; confession
Word Count: 3765
How did we end up here?
Arashi stood in absolute shock as she tried to process what was happening, her violet eyes blinking rapidly as she took in the sight of the sobbing pink haired girl in front of her.
“I know it changes everything! I’m so sorry! We can’t even be friends anymore because of this. It’s all my fault!”
“Mayu, calm down-” Her response was instinctive, a sign of their long and close friendship. Although she reached out to pat Mayu’s shoulder comfortingly, she was still trying to process the information herself.
After all this time… Is this really happening? I’ve wanted this ever since…
Her mind started wandering even as Mayu continued to babble her apologies. Of course, she wanted to respond to Mayu, and to tell her everything was going to be fine, but first…
First, she had to organize her own thoughts, and figure out how exactly things had ended up like this.
For her, it had all started on a seemingly uneventful day…
✧✧✧
“So where are you headed now?”
Mayu gave the Knight’s idol a smile as she slipped her belongings into her back, her silver gaze friendly as she responded.
“I’ve got to head to class. But I’ll see you later?”
“Of course~ We’ve got one of our girl dates planned today after all.” “You still haven’t told me what you planned.” “It’s a surprise!” Arashi smiled, hiding her emotions with practiced ease as she gently booped the pink haired musician on the nose. Mayu let her moment scrunch up momentarily before her features melted into an amused smile.
Cute. Wait, what am I thinking?
“Alright, alright. I’ll let you keep your secrets. I’ll see you later!”
“Have a good time in class.” Arashi’s smile melted away as her friend walked out of sight, her hand on her hip as she let out a quiet sigh. The third year turned away, brow furrowed slightly as she made her way towards the cafeteria, planning to get a quick snack as she waited for the pink haired girl.
She did look really cute… But I can’t go thinking about stuff like that now. After all, Mayu’s only interested in guys and she's been one of my closest friends ever since last year. We’ve even talked about being as close as sisters.
“Hello, how can I help you today?”
A cheerful voice briefly pulled her out of her thoughts, a quick order leaving her lips before she settled down into an empty seat, her eyes closed in thought.
There’s no need to dwell on this so much. We’ll just continue on like we always have. I like things the way they are. There’s no reason to change it up now.
At least, that was what she told herself.
Despite her internal claims, she couldn’t ignore the way her mind lingered on Mayu. The way she could vividly imagine her pink hair fluttering in the wind, her gray eyes glimmering kindly, and the bright smile Mayu seemed to have just for her.
She couldn’t ignore the way her heart fluttered at the thought of holding her hand, hugging her close, and maybe even…
“Here’s your order!” “Thank you.” The sudden arrival of her snack shook her out of her thoughts, the budding feelings quickly buried under her determination to keep their friendship normal.
✧✧✧
It worked for a while. Despite the feelings that seemed to grow every time they hung out, there was no noticeable change in the way she treated Mayu.
At least, she hoped there wasn’t.
Even with all intents to keep their friendship the same, Arashi found herself wanting to do more for Mayu.
I know Mayu likes guys. I know she just sees me as a sister. I know it doesn’t make sense! But maybe… Just maybe!
“Naru-chan? Are you listening?”
“Ah, yes, of course. I’m sorry. You said there was a new store you wanted to try going to, right?”
“Mhm!
“Then let’s do it! We have a lot of time to shop after all!”
She walked beside Mayu, her mind wandering briefly once more.
I wonder if we look like a couple to other people?
Her easygoing smile didn’t falter, keeping her thoughts hidden as she refocused on the girl she was walking with.
“By the way, should we have a sleepover tonight? We can try using some of the nail polish we bought today.”
“Sure! Maybe we can-?!”
Mayu’s eyes went wide when she felt Arashi’s hand wrap around her wrist, suddenly pulling her closer with a displeased look. The pink haired girl was confused, wondering if she had somehow angered her friend, when she noticed a large group of friends bustling past them.
“Sorry about that.” Arashi smiled as she let go of her, the warmth from her touch linger as the Knights member took a step away from her.
“They looked like they would run over anyone in their path. Are you ok?”
She looked up into the purple gaze, slightly dazed as she responded.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine! Thank you.” Mayu perked up when Arashi’s gaze sharpened with concern, letting a smile grace her lips as she reassured the older girl. Once Arashi was sure that her friend was fine, her shoulders relaxed, a sigh leaving her lips as she shook her head in slight exasperation.
“Geez, don’t scare me like that. Come on then Hime-chan, let’s get going.” “Right! By the way, what should we get for dinner? Or should we cook something at home?”
They fell into step with each other, a sign of how closer they were, as they continued their girl date, filling it with conversations that came easily. If she had looked closer, she would’ve noticed the way Arashi’s expressions changed throughout their conversation. The purple gaze softened ever so slightly as Mayu talked, the realization that would occasionally flash across her face, the briefest frown that flickered over her lips.
All the signs of Arashi’s feelings for the girl in front of her, completely unnoticed by the one who only considered her a friend.
At least for now…
✧✧✧
Mayu gazed out of the window as her teacher’s voice faded into the background, her mind wandering even without her realization.
I wonder if holding hands with a girl feels different than holding hands with a guy…? It’s got to feel different kissing and snuggling girls right? I wonder if it feels nice… Wait- why am I suddenly thinking about this?
Her brow furrowed slightly as she mentally shook her thoughts off, collecting her things as the bell signaling the end of the period rang. With the rest of the crowd, she headed towards the dining hall.
But still… I’m curious. Would you have the same problems when dating a girl as you would when dating a guy? Some problems would probably stay the same right?
“There you are, Mayu.” “Ah, Ristu? What are you doing there?”
She blinked down in surprise, eyes following the sleepy Knights idol in front of her, taking note of his relaxed smile. He yawned as he stood up, beginning to walk with her.
“Mmm. I was practicing earlier, but I got tired so I wanted to take a nap.”
“Was it even comfortable there?”
He shrugged, leaving the question unanswered as he turned his curious red gaze to her.
“Anyways, do you have an upcoming test or something? You looked pretty deep in thought.”
She hesitated briefly, glancing at the people around them as they settled down into a table.
“Well, I was just thinking about dating.”
Ritsu raised his eyebrows, leaning against the table as he suppressed a yawn from his lingering tiredness.
“You like someone?”
“No! No, it’s nothing like that. I was just thinking about what it would be like to date… Well, to date a girl.”
“Why are you suddenly wondering something like that?”
Before Ritsu could respond, another voice threw all thoughts out of her mind, surprise filling her expression.
“Izumi?”
“What, am I not allowed to be here?”
“I just wasn’t expecting you.”
He let out a huff, looking affronted as he explained how he was in Japan for a few days because of a job, and how he came to Yumenosaki to check on the juniors in Knights. Mayu nodded in understanding, listening to his grumbling as her eyes wandered around the cafeteria.
“Leo didn’t come with you?”
“Nah, that guy still has a project to finish over there.” “I see. Anyways I was just wondering because… Well, I don’t actually know. I’m just curious about it, I guess.”
“Try it then.”
Izumi seemed indifferent, his blunt words making her pause and blink in confusion. Ristu gave her a sleepy smile before putting his head down to rest.
“There’s no harm in trying it. Maybe you’ll learn something new from it.”
“Maybe, b- Oh! Ara-nee!”
Mayu’s gaze lit up as she waved to the older girl who had just walked in, unaware of the scarlet eyes that watched the exchange silently.
Well… I’m sure she’ll figure it out.
✧✧✧
Mayu clutched her pillow to her chest, struggling to catch her breath even as she laughed, affection for the girl beside her welling up. Affection that she herself had merely dismissed as affection she would feel for any friend.
No, not any friend. Her best friend.
Her best friend that she adored, her best friend that she supported, her best friend she wanted to see happy.
Her best friend who was currently telling her the most ridiculous story.
“No way! That really happened?”
“Of course it did! This isn’t something I can just make up, you know.”
“That’s insane. I wish I could have seen it myself.”
“I’ll take a video of it next time.”
“Do you think it’ll happen again?”
“Who knows? But if it’ll make you laugh again, then I definitely need to record it.”
“Eh?”
“You’re cute when you laugh.”
Mayu blinked, unsure of why her curiosities about what dating a girl would be like were resurfacing, sitting up as Arashi smiled. The model set her own pillow down and climbed out of the bed. She leaned in, giving Mayu an instinctive kiss on the forehead before pulling away, seemingly unfazed. Her controlled expression made it seem like she was saying and doing all of this as a friend, her feelings still kept in check as she shrugged on her coat.
“I have to get up early tomorrow for a job, so I can’t stay over tonight.”
Arashi talked normally, unaware of the shock that was sparkling in Mayu’s gaze.
“Make sure to lock the door once I leave, ok?”
“Oh- of course! Good luck at work tomorrow!”
The idol smiled at her brightly, and Mayu nearly put a hand over her heart, surprised by the feeling that was fluttering in her chest. Instead, she waved at her supposed best friend, her cheeks flushing the moment her door shut. She quickly locked the door before pressing her back against it, slowly sliding down to the ground as she cupped her cheeks.
What’s this feeling?
Dazed, her fingers brushed over the spot Arashi had kissed, the lingering warmth making her feel tingly as she suddenly remembered a seemingly off hand comment that Ritsu had made once.
“Haven’t you noticed? You get super excited whenever she’s around.”
Her cheeks flushed deeper, her heart thumping wildly as a realization dawned on her. In a panic, she pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she messaged the first person she thought of. When he didn’t reply, she started calling him, her mind swirling as confusion and realization swirled within her.
“DAMMIT IZU-CHAN THIS IS SERIOUS! PICK UP YOUR PH-”
At last, his sleepy and irritated voice came through the phone, vaguely reminding her of the time difference between Japan and Florence.
“You better have a damn good reason to be calling me over and over or I’m ending you when I get back to Japan.”
“IZU-CHAN! I NEED HELP! I'M GAY NOW?”
“What? Why are you saying that like you’re asking me? I thought you knew that already, this is what you’ve been calling me for?”
“THERE’S MORE! I REALIZED I’M GAY BECAUSE I LIKE ARA-NEE.”
“Are you being serious right now?”
She heard a sigh on the other side of the phone, his irritation still evident in his voice as he shifted in his bed.
“PLEASE. IZU-CHAN, HELP ME.”
“Ok, ok! Will you stop screaming already? You’re going to make me go deaf.”
His sharp tone helped her regain a semblance of sanity, and she sat silently, waiting for him to say something.
“Look, obviously I support you, and the others will too. You don’t need to worry about that.”
He let out a sigh, obviously relieved that she had stopped shouting, and somewhat resigned to staying on the phone despite the time it was for him.
“But really? Why her out of all people?”
“I… Well… She’s always looking out for me and things are just so easy when I’m with her! It’s always super fun and super comfortable, and I want to be even closer to her. Not only that but she’s also…”
Her voice shifted from panicked to romantic, not noticing the way Izumi let out another sigh. He swore to himself that he would teach her the meaning of sarcasm the next time he saw her in person, yet settled down to listen to her ramble on about her feelings. After all, she had chosen to come to him about this, and even if he would never admit it he was honored that she trusted him enough to call him before anyone else. It made him happy to have the chance to be an older brother figure to her.
“Alright, alright. I get it. Are you going to confess to her?”
“...I…” “Don’t rush yourself. You can take your time to think about it.” He stifled a yawn in vain, the muffled sound reaching Mayu through the phone. In her calmer state, she realized just how late it truly was for him and immediately apologized.
“Thank you for picking up Izu-chan. I’m sorry for spamming you. I promise you I will make it up to you when you come back to Japan!”
“Mhm… Just so you know, I’ll be holding you to that.”
“Ok!”
When they hung up, she moved from her position against the door, settling into her bed as she turned his question over and over in her head.
Am I going to confess to her?
✧✧✧
“I don’t want to do this anymore!”
Mayu ran out of the room in tears, ignoring the shocked expressions that were pasted on all their expressions. Even as she left she felt guilty, knowing that none of them deserved to receive the brunt of her tantrum, but she couldn’t help it.
“Yuyu-chan, wait-!” Arashi’s purple gaze was filled with confusion and distress as the pink haired girl fled the room. The silence that followed seemed deafening, especially in the wake of the tantrum they had just witnessed. She turned to her fellow unit members, her eyes wide.
“Did I… say something to upset her?”
Izumi and Ristu exchanged a glance, the black haired member letting out a slight yawn before slowly walking out of the room, leaving the explanation to the others.
“I’ll check on her.” “I’ll go with-” Arashi stopped when Izumi placed a hand on her shoulder, the slight shake of his head keeping her in place.
“Let Ritsu calm her down first. Then she can come back and explain everything to you herself.” “...Explain everything? Do you guys know something that I don’t?”
“...You’ll see.” That’s if Ritsu manages to talk some sense into her. I swear, she doesn’t think sometimes!
Despite his seemingly harsh thoughts, concern filled him, his blue gaze darting towards the door even as he and the others started to clean up some of the mess in the room.
✧✧✧
Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID! Why would you do something like that? I can’t believe I just threw a tantrum in front of EVERYONE! Over something so stupid too…
She let out a groan, burying her face in her hands, her tears still flowing as the last ten minutes replayed in her mind. Nothing serious had happened. In fact, the only thing that had set her off was Arashi mentioning Akiomi-sensei’s name. In her jealous fit of rage, she couldn’t even remember why, only that it had brought up her own feelings of insecurity and jealousy even if Ritsu and Izumi had repeatedly assured her that Arashi felt the same way she did.
“I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”
She hugged her knees to her chest, failing in her efforts to stop her tears as the sound of footsteps alerted her of someone else’s presence. Stubbornly, she kept her gaze on the ground, not even wanting to see who had followed her out.
“Then I’ll wait until you do.”
Ritsu’s quiet voice responded to her as he settled down next to her, keeping his word and waiting quietly while she calmed herself down from her meltdown.
“I am such an idiot.”
When she finally broke the silence she leaned back, resting her head against the wall that was behind her.
“We all lose our temper sometimes. After all, I’ve done something like that before too.”
Her lips twitched to show a hint of a smile at the memory of the black cat that had clung to Ritsu, and the way he had responded to it.
“Yeah, but that actually led to something good. All this did is hurt people and probably ruin my friendship with Ara-nee.”
“You don’t know that.”
Mayu rolled her eyes, meeting his red gaze with a huff.
“I acted like an absolute child. How would it not-”
“Mayu. Have you actually talked directly to her about anything?”
She fell silent, telling him all that he needed to know.
“Even after Izumi and I told you so many times…”
He let out a sigh that turned into a yawn, rubbing his eyes before nudging her gently.
“Come on, it’s about time you make things clear with her.”
“...Ok.”
The entire walk back to the room, Mayu felt as though her heart were going to burst out of her chest. Now that she had calmed down, the weight of her actions were falling on her, her guilt growing with each step.
“It’s going to be fine. No one will be mad.”
“I bet Izu-chan will be annoyed.”
Ritsu let out a chuckle, his hand on the door knob as he flashed her a smile.
“That’s normal though.”
She giggled in agreement, smoothing out her clothes as he opened the door.
“Ah, she returns.”
Mayu winced at the sarcastic tone Izumi greeted her with, lowering her head to look at the ground as she hugged herself.
“I’m sorry everyone… You didn’t deserve any of that. I just… lost control of myself for a moment.”
She turned her gaze to Izumi and Leo, bowing in their direction.
“I’m really sorry to ruin your visit back home.”
“Tch.”
“It’s ok! You must have been stressed, huh?”
Izumi merely crossed his arms as he gave her a look, silently telling her to do something about her feelings. Meanwhile, Leo just smiled cheerfully at her, not quite aware of the true reason behind her actions.
“Are you feeling any better?”
Tsukasa tilted his head, his gaze glimmering in concern until she nodded in response, prompting a smile from the King. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she stepped up to Arashi, timidly raising her gaze to look into the confused and concerned gaze of the older girl.
“Ara-nee… I’m sorry for lashing out at you.”
“It’s ok, but… Is everything ok? Did I do something to upset you?”
“No, it’s just-”
Her voice broke as her eyes filled with tears once more, causing Arashi to look at her in alarm.
“I-... I have feelings for you!”
“Wha-”
“And I felt really jealous when you mentioned Akiomi-sensei because I know you’ve admired and liked him for a long time, and I know I don’t have a right to be jealous, after all we’re not dating or anything, but I just- I can’t help myself! I like you too much to react and-”
Mayu took in a gulp of air in the middle of her rambling, tears streaming down her cheeks once more.
“I’m sorry! I know it changes everything and it’s all my fault! We probably can’t even be friends anymore! I’m sorry!”
“Mayu, calm down-” Her response was instinctive, a sign of their long and close friendship. Although she reached out to pat Mayu’s shoulder comfortingly, she was still trying to process the information herself.
After all this time… Is this really happening? I’ve wanted this ever since…
She had finally organized her thoughts and her memories, cupping Mayu’s cheeks just as the pink haired girl was about to pull away. It didn’t matter how they had got here, in all honesty, all that mattered was that…
They liked each other.
Of course, she still had her questions. When had she gone from being straight to also liking girls? When had she started realizing her feelings? How long had she been hiding this? But all these questions were ones that could be talked about later, once they were alone. Arashi smiled as she wiped the tears from Mayu’s cheeks, letting out a giggle as she looked at her softly.
“Yuyu-chan. Will you go out with me?”
The shock made Mayu hiccup, her eyes blown wide even as the last of her tears were wiped away by a gentle thumb. It was her turn to blank out, blinking rapidly as she processed the question that had just left Arashi’s lips.
“Huh? W-wait, what? Huh?”
Arashi giggled again, squeezing Mayu’s face slightly as she stepped closer. Joy was evident in her expression, and in every movement she made as she murmured quietly to Mayu, oblivious to the others who were still in the room with them.
“I’ve liked you for a really long time now. If I had known you felt the same way, I would have asked you sooner. So, Hime-chan… Will you go out with me?”
There was a moment of silence, laden with the tension of all the things they had yet to say to each other, things that were left for later as Mayu smiled brightly, her arms wrapping around Arashi as she pressed their foreheads together.
“...Yes. Of course.”
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