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Spring
It was a quiet day at WEEKEND GARAGE. Most people weren’t keen to be out and about when it was raining cats and dogs, even on Vivid Street. Of course, there were a few dedicated regulars, and even some unfamiliar faces (presumably just there to keep dry), but outside of that it was deserted.
Not that An minded; slow days were nice in their own way. The steady rhythm of water against the roof and the lack of customers made side work a quick task. The only real issue was that she and Kohane were supposed to go check out the sakura trees today, but her disappointment was easily washed away by the pleasant atmosphere. Besides, Kohane would probably still show up before her shift ended, so it wasn’t all that bad.
An stared out the window, going through her mental to do list while she admired the condensation dripping down the fogged up glass. Any dishes not in use were already washed, everything had been restocked, and floors were the closer’s job, which pretty much left counters.
“Alright,” An hummed to herself as she grabbed a cleaning cloth and spray bottle from under the sink, when suddenly the bell on the door rang.
She glanced up, about to welcome the customer, but could only stare. “What are you..”
There in the half open doorway, stood Kohane with a jacket held over her head with her arm, and drenched head to toe, like she had been standing outside for an hour with no umbrella.
She laughed, eyes closed and smiling ear to ear, “Sorry I’m late.”
An dropped the cloth on the counter, abandoning her task in favor of rushing to Kohane’s side.
“Kohane, wha-” An paused, noticing the hasty rise and fall of Kohane’s chest, “Did you run here??”
Kohane nodded, out of breath, “Once I realized the rain wouldn’t die down, I decided to just run for it.” She dropped her hand, allowing the jacket to dangle at her side, then glanced down at the water dripping onto the welcome mat, “I guess it didn’t help much though.”
Well, she didn’t seem upset at least. An stepped forward, reaching to cup Kohane’s cheek—it was cool to the touch.
“Jeez,” she muttered, brushing away the droplets that clung to Kohane’s eyelashes with her thumb, “you’re completely soaked.”
“An-chan,” she covered An’s hand with her own, leaning into the touch, “do you still want to see the cherry blossoms?”
An blinked, “Huh?”
She found it hard to believe that Kohane was serious, but she was staring An straight in the eyes, somehow glowing despite the rain, smoldering determination showing through her unflinching smile.
“Right now?!”
Kohane nodded without hesitation before tugging An out the door.
…
By most people’s standards, the weather was terrible outside.
Thick, clouds blotted out the sun, painting everything grey. Streetlights shined through sheets of rain, and muddy puddles lined the streets. Waterfalls formed from gutters, pooling near the overworked sewer drains. Flower stems bent under their own weight.
Any sane person would have been inside reading a book, or drinking tea, or listening to music, or really doing anything that wasn’t running down the street with no umbrella, but apparently An was not a sane person, so she was doing exactly that.
Kohane led them to a brick plaza before pulling An into a sharp turn and up some stairs, slowing down so neither of the girls slipped. They stopped when they reached the top, taking a moment to catch their breath.
“We’re here.”
An looked up, finally paying attention to her surroundings.
The sakura trees were oddly beautiful in the rain. Heavy drops shook the blossoms, and thin branches swayed in the wind. Petals fell to the ground, some floating in puddles, while others stuck flat to the pavement, some still spinning in the air.
It was breathtaking; there was nowhere else she would rather be. Even if her clothes were clinging uncomfortably to her back, and her shoes squished when she walked, and the humidity was raising the temperature by a couple degrees, An didn’t mind. She could always hang her clothes up to dry, and the rain would keep her cool, but there would never be anything exactly like this again.
It struck An that she and Kohane were the only souls in sight. It was like, somehow, on a day where no one else would try to see it, the storm had decided to put on a show for their eyes only: a one time special cherry blossom viewing for the two of them.
Something squeezed An’s hand, dragging her out of her daze.
“It’s pretty, right?” Kohane gazed at her expectantly.
An nodded, “But I do kinda wonder why you brought me out here without warning like that.”
“Oh,” Kohane’s eyes widened, suddenly looking a lot less sure of herself. “It’s just, our plans got pretty messed up, and I thought..” she tilted her head downwards, avoiding An’s eyes, “Should I not have?”
An shook her head and giggled, bending over to glimpse Kohane’s expression, “You worry too much, Kohane; I would’ve had fun no matter what.”
Kohane's gaze followed An as she walked toward a neighboring tree, plucking a flower from a low hanging branch and twirling it between her index finger and thumb. The overcast skies subdued the vibrant pink to a muted, calmer color, but it looked nice all the same.
She studied it a moment before touching the petals to her lips. She threaded the stem through the buttonhole in Kohane’s collar, leaning forward to pair the gesture with a matching kiss.
An leaned back, admiring her handiwork, then nodded, “It suits you.”
“Ah,” Kohane’s eyebrows raised, eyes darting to the side. Her voice was hushed, “thank you.”
“It’s getting kinda late, huh?” An sighed after a pause, reaching up to pat Kohane’s head, “Wanna spend the night with me?”
Kohane hummed in response, letting her eyes fall closed and standing up on her toes to lean into An’s touch. A faint smile played on her lips.
“I would love to.”
---
Summer
By this point, Kohane really should have been used to An’s sporadic behavior, especially when said behavior included dragging Kohane off in some random direction with little to no explanation until after the fact. It was a habit Kohane could trace back to when they first met but could never quite get used to, mostly because she couldn’t predict when it would happen. This time was no different.
There was nothing notable about where An stopped, except that it was.. somewhere else. The satisfied look on her face told a different story, though.
“I thought they could use some privacy, you know?” An nodded her head towards the two boys under the umbrella.
She seemed proud of her teasing despite the fact that the subjects of it were far out of earshot.
“Ah..” Kohane nodded in agreement, glancing back to see Akito brushing some sand out of Toya’s hair. It was probably a good idea to leave them alone.
An grinned, grabbing Kohane's hand.
"Here," she ticked her head in the direction of a booth a distance from the shore. "This way."
Kohane followed without question, letting An pull her forward. She took the chance to take in her surroundings.
The booth in question looked just like all the other shacks selling food and beach supplies scattered along the beach, but it was significantly less populated. There were a few people standing at the counter, but the surrounding area was largely empty, most likely due to its somewhat inconvenient distance from the water. That and the lack of seating. There were a couple palm trees around providing a bit of shade at certain angles, but that was about it outside of the structure itself. Despite all that, it was a welcome change of pace. As much fun as Kohane had been having, it was nice to be alone with An for a bit, and the lack of crowds was much appreciated.
The afternoon sun beat down on the two of them, but Kohane still enjoyed the feeling of sand under her feet and An’s hand in her own. An slowed her pace as they neared their destination, squeezing Kohane’s hand to get her attention. The already short line was basically gone by the time they got there.
“What can I get for you today?”
An turned to Kohane. Unfortunately, she hadn’t really been paying attention to the menu.
“Oh! Um,” she glared at the signboard in front of her. It thankfully only had about five options. “May I just get a lemonade?”
The cashier nodded, turning to An.
“And you?”
An hummed, chewing the inside of her cheek.
“One melon shaved ice.”
“Got it, that’ll be seven-hundred yen.”
Kohane started to search for her wallet before remembering she left it at the umbrella, but An was already paying by the time she looked back up. An glanced at Kohane through the corner of her eye, shooting the blonde a discreet wink. Kohane opened her mouth to protest, but quickly realized it wasn’t worth it, instead busying herself with admiring the small sprouts of grass pressed up against the wooden wall in front of her.
They had already picked a spot by the time their refreshments were ready. It was shaded by a palm tree that kept them hidden from view of the small beach shop. Considering how far they were from the shore and the shelter of the trees, they were pretty much alone.
An lowered herself to the ground, resting her back against the wood. Kohane furrowed her brows.
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I’m gonna have sand in my shorts anyway,” An shrugged. “May as well rest my legs for a bit.”
She patted the spot next to her wordlessly. Kohane thought it was somewhat dubious reasoning, but she was tired enough that she didn’t particularly care. She sat next to An, partially pulling her knees towards her and leaning her head on An’s shoulder. Condensation dripped onto her legs in stark contrast to the summer heat as she felt an arm snake its way around her waist.
It was hot, An’s shoulder was warm, and Kohane was tired. Her eyelids suddenly felt a lot heavier than before; it couldn’t hurt to close them for a second, right?
She soaked in the quiet ambience. The sound of waves breaking in the distance, the rustle of leaves, and the whisper of the soft breeze carried away Kohane’s consciousness.
“Woah, careful,” a voice floated through the air; it felt like only seconds had passed.
An’s body shifted as a hand gently held Kohane’s in place, steadying it, but careful not to move so much that she would fall. Kohane’s eyes fluttered open, dragged out of her drowsy stupor by the unexpected movement.
“You tired?”
Kohane lifted her head, a soft smile coming into view before anything else. She glanced up to meet An’s eyes, but found it hard to look away when she did.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up, just didn’t want you to spill,” An gestured at the lemonade with her head. “Want me to hold it for you?”
“Oh,” Kohane pulled her eyes away to look at the cup in question. “No, I’ll drink it.”
She brought the straw to her lips, attempting to drink it as quickly as possible. She could hear a stifled giggle from the left and turned to face the source.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s just-” she bit her lip, trying to keep a straight face, “you really are just like a hamster.”
“An-chan~” Kohane protested.
An only laughed again, however, as she moved to tuck some stray hair behind Kohane’s ear.
“Cute. Really cute,” she murmured, fingers lingering where she had touched the other girl.
Kohane could only stare, suddenly noticing the way An’s eyes seemed to glow from the patches of sun sneaking through the leaves, the subtle pink tinge to her cheeks, the crows feet forming from her smile, how her lips looked so soft from this distance. Her breath hitched, a familiar spark lighting in her chest.
She was glad they were alone.
“Hey, An-chan.”
An seemed to notice Kohane’s shift in demeanor as soon as she spoke.
“You want something?”
“Hmm,” Kohane lifted her head, pressing An’s palm into her own cheek and leaning into the touch. She didn’t let go.
She twisted the half empty cup into the sand next to her with her other hand, taking a brief pause to steel herself. She took a breath in, sliding her hand first to An’s wrist, then continuing down her arm. Her eyes continued where her hand couldn’t reach, first tracing An’s shoulder, her neck, her jaw, and finally landing on her lips.
An blinked, eyeing Kohane up and down.
“Oh,” Her blush was much more pronounced than before.
Maybe she shouldn’t have been openly staring, but the idea that she could fluster An just by looking at her the right way did little to discourage her.
“Is this alright?”
An turned her head to her left, studying the sand next to her, but making no effort to escape.
She nodded sheepishly, “I don’t mind.”
Kohane peered at An curiously. It was somewhat strange for her to not take initiative, but the lack of rejection eased Kohane’s mind.
“Then,” she shifted her weight to her knees, leaning forward and using her free hand to coax An’s eyes back onto her, “I want to kiss you.”
She could practically see An’s breath hitch.
“Haah,” An tilted her head, melting into Kohane’s touch. “You know you don’t have to ask me for that, Kohane.”
Oh, right, An had mentioned that before, hadn’t she? Then again, Kohane’s ‘request’ was less of a question and more of a statement. It didn’t really matter either way; Kohane had her answer.
She leaned forward, angling her head to the side and brushing her lips against An’s. An’s fingers tangled themselves in her hair, pulling Kohane closer, sending tingles down her spine from where they touched. She finally kissed An, a sigh pushing past her lips as she tugged An towards her, fingers pressing into the back of An’s neck. It felt amazing.
The flavor of watermelon still lingered on her tongue when Kohane pulled away. Her thumb grazed An’s cheek, lingering in reluctant indecision. As much as Kohane didn’t want the moment to end, Akito and Toya would probably start getting concerned if they were away for too much longer.
“We should go back.”
“Hmm,” An paused, “maybe we should.”
Neither of them moved, not wanting to be the first one to break the atmosphere. It was kinda funny when Kohane thought about it. This wasn’t their first kiss, and it certainly wouldn’t be their last, but here she was, treating it like some momentous occasion. Then again, maybe everything related to An was special—even if just a little bit.
“Alright,” she sighed after a drawn out pause, “come on, let’s go.”
---
Fall
“Here, I need to make a stop.”
An opened the door to the familiar cafe and pulled Kohane inside. A few regulars called out to them as they passed through, some asking why An was there on her day off, some complimenting the two girls on their group’s most recent performance, and others teasing them about their linked hands. An laughed, proudly displaying their intertwined fingers.
“You jealous?” she asked with a cheeky grin.
No one was, but she didn’t care. If An thought they should be jealous of such a perfect singing partner and girlfriend (she hadn’t formally disclosed that part yet, but she doubted anyone would be surprised), she didn’t mention it.
“What do you want this time, Kohane?”
Kohane stared at the menu in deep thought. She had pretty much tried all the drinks on the standard menu, so An could only guess she had run out of ideas.
“If you’re having trouble you can always order off the secret menu; it’s reserved specially for Kohane’s only. Or you can just get a seasonal drink.”
Knowing Kohane, the latter was much more likely, but her adorable giggle easily justified the cheesy joke.
“I’ll just get a pumpkin spice latte. I trust you with the toppings.”
An smiled, “Got it, be right back okay?”
…
Kohane was quietly sitting at the bar, fiddling nervously with her hair pins while using her camera app as a mirror when An came back.
Cute.
“Need help?”
“Oh!” Kohane jumped, “You’re back.”
An flipped the phone face down from the other side of the counter, leaning on her elbows.
“They look nice,” An nodded her head in Kohane’s direction as she placed the coffee in front of her.
“Ah.” Kohane’s hand hovered near the clips. “Thanks.”
“You ready?”
Kohane nodded, putting her phone back in her bag and grabbing her coffee.
An pushed up off the table and waved goodbye to Ken before following suit.
“Alright, let’s go,”
…
Stopping for snacks was a good idea An decided as she watched Kohane take a bite of her caramel apple from the corner of her eye. Somehow, she successfully managed to avoid getting any caramel on her nose.
“How is it?”
Kohane nodded, looking like she was in pure bliss.
“Glad to hear it,” An smiled before taking a bite of her own dessert.
“I didn’t even know this place was here.”
“It’s good right?” An stated excitedly, “They have cider and stuff if you wanna come back some time. Want a bite?”
“Mmf,” Kohane shook her head, cheeks puffed out. She held her hand up to her mouth. “Phank you.” She swallowed, clearing her throat. “Do you want some of mine?”
An decided not to point out Kohane’s embarrassment.
“Nah, I like the crunch from candy apples better. Thanks though.”
Crisp air filled An’s lungs with each breath, and with it the scent of warm drinks and maple syrup from vendors on the street. It was like everyone collectively decided that it was too nice out to stay inside. An was inclined to agree.
There were a lot of things that An liked about fall. The bright colors reminded her of Vivid street, and it was finally cool enough that she didn’t have to sacrifice comfort for style. Plus all the seasonal activities and foods, and the general cozy feeling that seemed to permeate throughout the later months were always a plus.
The jumbled footsteps and conversations of passersby faded as the girls walked. They fell in and out of idle chatter as they ate, accompanied by creaking branches and the rhythmic crunching of leaves under their feet.
Eventually, An went to throw away the trash, but something caught her attention from the trashcan where she was standing: a stone fountain peeking out from behind some bushes.
“Hey, Kohane,” An called out, “over here!”
Kohane followed An to the small clearing, more details coming into view as they drew nearer.
It didn’t look dirty, but An could tell it was old by the amount of coins lining the bottom. The surrounding grass was yellowed and taller than the more well trodden areas but still relatively well kept. Low hanging tree branches crept dangerously close to the top layer, fallen leaves dancing on the surface of the water.
The fountain itself was plain and somewhat small, but something about it stuck out to An. Maybe it was because of all the wishes people entrusted to it, or maybe it was just that it was out of the way of other park goers, but she felt drawn to it.
She dug around in her pocket for a moment, hand emerging victoriously a few seconds later with a five yen coin. The coin rang as it spun through the air before landing in the water with a quiet plip. An closed her eyes as it sank. She didn’t particularly believe anything would happen, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to try.
“What did you wish for?”
An brought a finger up to her lips, “It’s a secret,” she smiled, “everyone knows it won’t come true if you say it out loud.”
That was a lie.
Kohane knew full well that An wanted to sing with her forever; An had made sure of that herself. In fact, pretty much anyone who had talked to An long enough to know who Kohane was knew, so naturally, An’s wish was far from secret.
An knew that. She was sure Kohane knew too.
Kohane giggled, eyes softening in a sickeningly sweet smile, “If you say so, An-chan.”
Something touched An’s hands, filling the gaps between her fingers perfectly. She glanced down at her and Kohane’s interlocked fingers, noticing the way warmth seemed to pool in her chest. It was a simple gesture, but it still made An giddy all the same.
“Aren’t you gonna make one too?”
Kohane shook her head and turned to face the fountain, “I’m pretty sure we have the same wish.”
“Then,” An’s eyes flitted to the side to meet Kohane’s, “do you think it’ll come true?”
Kohane’s eyebrows quirked up before her face scrunched into a frown.
“Of course I do,” she paused, contemplating her next words. “We... are talking about singing together, right?”
An’s thoughts stalled, caught off guard by how serious Kohane sounded. She could only nod.
“An-chan,” Kohane started, sandwiching An’s hand between her own and pulling them to her chest before continuing. “You’re the best partner I could ever ask for; there’s no one else I want to sing with.”
Kohane’s eyes fluttered closed as she brought An’s hand to her lips, planting a kiss on An’s finger.
An’s eyes widened.
“There’s no way your wish wouldn’t come true,” Kohane uttered, warm breath tickling An’s knuckles.
Kohane’s words hung in the air. They pushed all the thoughts out of An’s head, rendering her useless to respond. She couldn’t pull her hand away, couldn’t say a word, could barely even breathe.
Surely, she looked ridiculous, flushed and stumbling for words, but when Kohane opened her eyes, she only smiled, like An was the most perfect thing in the world, like An was her world.
“Kohane..” An took a deep breath in, “You-” she scraped her mind for any response, but gave up soon after, instead settling for a deflated sigh.
Maybe Akito was right when he called her a glass canon.
A chuckle rang out from beside her, “Too much?”
“No,” An shook her head. “Never.”
---
Winter
As much fun as skiing was, Kohane was definitely happy to be back at the lodge. Spending an entire day on the slope was exciting, but she sort of felt like she might collapse from fatigue. Her entire body was probably going to hurt tomorrow.
Also it was cold. She didn’t notice it at first, but as the adrenaline wore off and she settled down, she became acutely aware of the melted snow in her gloves and jacket, and she really wasn’t a fan. Wet clothes and extreme cold don’t mix well.
Thankfully, Kohane was not wearing said wet clothes anymore, instead draped in a fluffy white bathrobe over a swimsuit that An practically made her bring. It seemed like a stupid thing to bring on a ski trip, but An had insisted.
Kohane was grateful she had listened; there was a hot tub outside on the terrace of their shared room, a detail of ski resorts that never came up since last year’s trip was a single day. Or maybe it had and she had just forgotten. It didn’t really matter either way.
Kohane turned her head to see An at the counter with two mugs, and hot chocolate mix.
“Do you want me to wait?”
“Don’t worry about it,” An grabbed an electric kettle from the cabinet and began filling it. “I’ll be right out.”
“Alright,” Kohane turned back to the sliding glass door, hyping herself up to open it.
Frost nipped at her toes as she skittered across the ground to the hot tub. It probably would have been better to wear shoes, but at least there was no snow, so she would live. Besides, once she was in, it wouldn't really matter anyway.
God, it was cold though.
She hastily removed the bathrobe and jumped in, submerging herself as fast as possible. Goosebumps disappeared where the water touched, the chill abandoning her body with a shiver.
An was absolutely angelic for suggesting this.
The view was breathtaking. Snow capped peaks easily caught the remaining sunlight, casting everything in an orange hue. The clouds looked like pink cotton under the gentle glow of the setting sun, and nearby trees turned into sharp silhouettes.
Kohane closed her eyes, allowing the warmth to soak into her skin. Her shoulders relaxed, tension seeping into the water and disappearing with the steam. She leaned her head back onto the rock behind her, listening to the swaying leaves as cool air brushed against her face.
Her trance was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps against tile, followed by a somewhat forceful clank of ceramic next to her ear. She startled forward, turning her head to face the sound, but got splashed in the face soon after.
Well that was less pleasant.
“Ahh, sorry Kohane!” a dry hand wiped the water out of her eyes. Or tried to, rather, it only sort of worked. “Hold on-”
Kohane blinked, squinting to try and find the bathrobe on the side of the hot tub.
“It’s fine,” she patted around, but still couldn’t find it. Weird, she was sure she had left it there. “Um, could you..”
“Here.”
Something soft patted her eyes, gently rubbing away the moisture as hand guided her other arm back under the water.
“Your arm’s all wet; you’ll get cold.”
Well, An wasn’t wrong per say, but still, she didn’t have to do that. Then again, that’s sort of just how she was. It was better for Kohane to just accept her fate.
An pulled the cloth away soon after, pushing Kohane’s bangs up with her fingers.
“Did I get all of it?”
Kohane paused, studying An’s gaze.
She loved the way An looked at her. No one else could convey adoration like that with just one look. Honestly, Kohane wasn’t even sure An knew. Every smile, from blinding to a barely perceptible quirk of the lips made Kohane’s heart skip a beat. She was definitely blushing.
“You don’t have to look so concerned, An-chan,” Kohane leaned forward, bumping her forehead against An’s for a moment, before returning to her previous position. “But yeah, I think so.”
Something pressed into Kohane’s side, tugging her closer so she was shoulder to shoulder with An.
“You don’t have to sit so far away, Kohane~” An whined.
Kohane blinked. She didn’t know that less than a foot counted as ‘far away,’ but you learn something new every day she supposed.
“I think you have a skewed definition of far away, An-chan.”
An only nuzzled into the side of Kohane’s head, pulling her until she was practically in An’s lap.
“I dunno, I think it’s pretty spot on,” An sighed, pressing her lips to the tip of Kohane’s ear.
It was a miracle that Kohane had survived An’s affection long enough to build up a resistance (somewhat). She just couldn’t comprehend how she had managed to not have a heart attack from pure sweetness. It was even more of a miracle that she had learned how to return it.
“Hmm,” Kohane leaned back, planting a kiss on the corner of An’s mouth, “maybe you’re right.”
She didn’t miss the way An’s arms tightened around her.
“I love you.”
Kohane’s breath hitched, heart catching in her throat. She could never hear it enough times. Even if An told her at every chance, showed it in every touch, it still made her heart pound.
“I love you too,” Kohane whispered, nestling into An’s collar bone.
It wasn’t particularly comfortable, and her neck was going to hurt later, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. The steady rise and fall of An’s chest, and the sound of her pulse as she rested her chin on top of Kohane’s head made it worth it.
Warm sunset tones darkened to purples and blues. The moon peeked out from behind the mountains as remnants of sunlight lingered, clinging to the sky.
Kohane took a deep breath in, sinking into the familiar stillness of it all. Maybe to some, it would seem boring compared to blinding lights and pounding bass, but she didn’t mind. There was something serene about the mundane; she could stay there until the stars were the only thing lighting up the sky.