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The sun was settling down somewhere below the horizon, emitting its tired orange glow across the sky to act as the curtain call on a long day. The atmosphere was still so full of energy, so filled to the brim with excitement - though the rapidly waning light gave way to a certain inevitability: the brightest stars burn out the quickest, and slumber comes even to the sun itself.
Nene was zoned out and daydreaming, busy tidying up after rehearsals; her and her fellow troupe members all sharing a place under that weary sky. They were at one of Phoenix Wonderland’s sister locations, sent as park ambassadors for yet more cross-promotional performances, and found themselves with days to spare before the shows began proper. Their troupe leader, loud and ambitious in equal measure, saw it fitting that they use this extra time to rehearse their upcoming show, to ‘attain perfection befitting a future star’.
While his delivery was (always) wanting, not one member of Wonderlands x Showtime had any objection. Everything about this situation was an incredible opportunity for them, and their enthusiasm for their craft was rivalled only by their dedication to one another as a group, and as friends.
“Neeeneeee-chan!”
The call would instantly shatter even the deepest of post-rehearsal concentrations; it was piercingly sweet, drawn out for as long as the girl's lungs would manage, and dripping with the single-minded affection and joy that could only belong to one person.
“E-Emu? What is it?”
“Look how many props I’ve picked up!” she beamed, Emu’s pride in her accomplishment blinding her to how much she just startled her considerably less boisterous friend.
“That’s great…” Nene paused, considering the exact ‘why’ of this conversation. “Did you want me to help you bring them back to the prop shed?”
“Nope! Just checking if you had any more laying around over here!” she squeezed her arms tight around the ones she was already carrying as she spoke. “I bet I could carry all these plus the ones you’ve got and still be back before the sun sets!”
A giggle and a soft smile escaped Nene at the idea of her friend’s proposal - much to the prop-carrier’s delight - albeit, chased with a sense of concern. “Maybe you should just stick to what you’re carrying now. I wouldn’t want you to trip over.”
Considering this a partial approval of her idea, Emu’s beaming grin turned to one of playful determination. Without her arms free to get in a running stance, she settled for getting her feet in position.
“I won’t let you down, Nene-chan!” were the last words she offered her best friend before sprinting off at top speed, leaving only dust in her wake.
“Ah! P-Please be…careful…” stumbled forth from the now twice-startled girl, unable to get a word in before Emu had made her mind up. “Emu…”
Interactions with Emu had always been very fast paced. Always full of smiles and laughter, and always straight-forward. In fairness, it was only about a third of them that ended in a self-imposed running race, but it was still hardly unusual. It was one of things Nene loved about her, bad as she could be at expressing it. Something she loved a lot, even.
It was caring as much as she did that made Nene concerned for her, though, especially since they’d arrived here. Rehearsals had been far from easy, and they would be physically taxing even if the troupe wasn’t giving it their all as they are. Emu was no exception, effortlessly shouldering her workload and seemingly doubling the effort she puts into making her friends happy. It certainly seemed effortless on her part, anyway. She had shown no signs of tiring, but surely she would be exhausted. There hadn’t been an awful lot of time for rest, and -
“Lost in thought, Nene?”
She let out a small yelp - that’s three times startled, now.
“Rui! Don’t sneak up on me like that.” The snarl in her voice eased away as she spoke once she fully registered who it was. Not that her attitude bothered him much, used to it as he was.
“Ah, my deepest apologies. I simply saw you standing here, staring at the stage, completely still. For a few minutes, I think it was? Whatever could have caught your attention, hmm?”
The sing-song tone in his voice was enough to put the bite back into Nene’s tongue. “None of your business. It’s nothing. I’m just tired. Wouldn’t anyone be?”
He chuckled softly, in that smug way he often does. “But of course. It’s just, the smile you had on your face made me curious. I assumed something must have happened. Forget I said anything.”
He was dropping the subject without much need for force, thankfully. Good. Under normal circumstances, she would have no trouble dealing with an unwanted conversation, but Rui has a way of prying into matters when he finds a thread to pull on. The particular thread he was attempting to unravel was one Nene had tried, and failed, to keep under wraps from him many times in the past.
“Say, didn’t Emu-kun run off in that direction? The one you were staring in, I mean. Did you have something to say to her?” His motive was barely hidden; the knowing look in eyes disarming any retort Nene could muster. Having known him for so long, she was certain he had her best interest at heart, but it didn’t make it any easier to talk about.
She fidgeted nervously and murmured words incoherent under her breath, before her glare and puffy cheek routine eventually deterred the would-be detective from his line of questioning. He walked away with a lazy wave goodbye, as he returned to helping Tsukasa with tidying up the stage. Nene, too, went back to collecting props to return to the shed, awaiting Emu’s triumphant return.
Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours. The sky had darkened, signalling a sure loss for Emu in her prop race grand prix, as she was nowhere to be seen at the finish line.
It would be inaccurate to say Nene was worried. No, she was sure nothing bad had happened; running that fast with so much baggage in hand was hardly safe, but she had heard no props crashing down to the ground or cries for help. Rather, what she was feeling was…impatience.
‘Where’s Emu? I thought Emu would be here. Hasn’t it been a long time since I saw Emu? I want to see Emu. I miss Emu.’
Her last thought stuck with her for a moment, before flowering into the lowered head and bright-red face of self-inflicted embarrassment - though, it had been the truth. What would seem like the blink of an eye to most felt like an eternity for the flush-faced girl, and as ridiculous as it made her feel to admit it, she did miss her already.
Surely, it was only because Emu had all but promised to make a quick return. The anticipation was just getting to her, naturally. A far less overwhelming truth to swallow than having to cope with the weight of her true feelings, at any rate.
There was clearly only one course of action. Nene would have to go check on her - as a friend. A caring friend, simply looking out for her, making sure everything was okay. That was all; she was just the more responsible one out of the two of them, and Rui and Tsukasa were much too busy to go in her stead. Nothing else to it. It couldn’t be helped, really.
Donning her mask of false motivation, she found herself on the move, giving a quick wave and an even quicker explanation to the boys about what she was doing. He returned to her an assurance that they were nearly done for the night, and that the two of them would join her shortly so they could go back to the hotel.
It would be accurate to assume the only one being fooled by her act was herself, the rush she was in being anything but subtle. Rui especially knew all too well how she felt about her hyperactive co-star: the way she stared at her when they were talking, and especially when they weren’t. The way the tone in her voice shifted compared to how she spoke to anyone else, how her harsh vocabulary softened in an instant. The poorly disguised excitement when a message from her came up on her phone. You’d have to be blind, or Emu, not to see it.
Before she knew it, Nene found herself in front of the storage area. She wondered if Emu would be impressed with how quickly she got here, and commemorate her as an honorary rival racer. Even so, there’s no way she could outrun her. Emu was well practised at sprinting towards people at mach-speed, and she was simply no match.
All of these thoughts were the idle musings of a girl suddenly quite unsure of how to announce herself, desperately procrastinating away the minutes hoping her problem would solve itself. ‘Oh hi, Nene!’ Emu would announce, leaping through the doors like a masked hero who had come to save the day. ‘Thank you for coming to check on me, but everything is fine! I just got super distracted setting up this wedding inside the storage shed. I love you, let’s get married!’
…Rather, that would be the optimal scenario. It would save Nene the trouble of learning how to communicate her feelings, not to mention figure out the best way to say ‘it’s nearly time to head back’. If she stalled much longer, Tsukasa would likely end up stealing the honour of being the one to fetch her, all straight-forward and full of confidence - that idea alone seemingly enough to get her to finally speak up.
“Emu? Are you there? It’s getting late, we’re ready to go back to the hotel.”
No response. None at first, anyway. Before she had the chance to call out again, a noise passed through the doors.
Snrrrrk…shuuuuu…
That was odd. She could’ve sworn what she just heard was…snoring? But why would there be snoring? This wasn’t the sekai, and she doubted Luka projected herself here just to take a nap. There was one other very obvious answer to the question, but…no. Surely, she wouldn’t have? Nene had her concerns that Emu was working herself beyond her limit and needed rest, but she hadn’t considered it could be to the point of passing out on a pile of props?...
And yet, as she sheepishly pushed open the door, what else would she find but just that. Slumber had indeed found the sun, much as her bright flames might betray the possibility.
Certain not to abruptly wake the little pink star, Nene tip-toed her way into the room, and knelt down beside her. “Hey, Emu. Can you hear me? We need to go…”
No response. A poke of the cheek, a light jostling. A pinch or two, for good measure. Still nothing. Not wanting to resort to any measures that might wake her too suddenly, she kept poking her cheek, hoping that repeating the same action over and over again would achieve a different result.
‘Such soft cheeks…’ the goal of waking her had fallen by the wayside, and she was transfixed on Emu’s gently resting face. ‘When she’s sleeping, she’s so…’
“Hoy, Nene! Emu! Is everything alright back here? Rui and I were becoming worr-” his words came bursting through the door like a particularly noisy gust of wind, and were met with a freezing cold glare and a shushing gesture.
It’s not as if Tsukasa could’ve known Emu was asleep, or that Nene didn’t appreciate his concern on some level. The distance the volume in his voice carries gave her a chance to not get caught looming over and staring at her sleeping friend. Did he have to care about them so obnoxiously though?
Any words he had at the ready hurried back down the troupe leader’s throat; he hadn't prepared any proclamations suitable for a slumber party. Rui emerged from behind Tsukasa with a tamber to his movements that would be best matched to a slide whistle, chiming in where his partner could not. “Ah, forgive us. We had no idea you were tucking Emu in for bed back here, Nene. Not sure I would have chosen this exact spot myself, but -”
“I wasn’t tucking her in. She was like this when I got here, and I can’t wake her up. She didn’t even stir when that fog horn yelled out for us.”
Tsukasa’s face slightly scrunched in response, though it was hard to tell if he was offended over being called a fog horn, or if the information that not even he could wake her had given him some pause.
This troubled expression was short-lived; his usual air of determination finding its place once more. “Well then! Regardless, we can’t leave her here. If Emu won’t wake up, then it falls to us to ensure she makes it back to the hotel safe and sound!”
“An excellent plan, Tsukasa-kun. I assume you mean to carry her, then?” Rui mused, with an all-but-audible hint of disappointment that their solution would be so simple.
“But of course! And with Robo-Nene back at the hotel charging, I will gladly take on the responsibility of transporting dear Emu, as expected of your troupe leader!”
Something about that statement fished out a reaction from Nene, with head drooped and eyes averted, the whisper of a sigh escaping her despite her efforts to keep these particular feelings under wraps. While successful in not drawing the attention of Tsukasa, presently preoccupied with being satisfied in his surely unmatched generosity, Rui was far too perceptive to let the gesture escape his notice. This solution was proving to be much more interesting to watch play out than he had anticipated.
“Far be it from me to deny you the rightful duty of a leader, though I did have an idea of my own, if you’d be willing to hear it?” Rui posed it as if he would wait for a response before continuing, but his scheming strut as he made his way besides Nene said otherwise. He planted both hands on either of her shoulders, gaze fixed ahead, presenting her in much the same way a used car salesman would. “I think Nene should be the one to carry her to the hotel. She came to me not long ago looking to improve her physical stamina, and this seems like a ripe opportunity for just that. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Nene’s eyes had gone wide, her gaze darting between each of her friends as she was placed at the centre of what she could reasonably guess was Rui’s newly hatched matchmaking scheme. And of course, Tsukasa was taking it deathly seriously, clueless to their director’s ulterior motive.
“Well, I can’t see why not, assuming Nene is fine with it.”
The ball was now firmly in her court. A silent expectation hung over the room, both boys staring at her, waiting, as Nene scrambled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t give her away. She couldn’t very well turn down the opportunity to hold a sleeping Emu; what are the chances something like this would happen again? A simple ‘sure, that works for me’ would suffice, but she had left them hanging for an answer long enough that something so straight-forward would seem suspicious. She had to think of something that made it sound like she had been thinking of something, but wasn’t the same something she was actually thinking of.
Cursing Rui under her breath, she braced herself to blurt out the only thing she could come up with. “I-I guess that makes sense…we’re in the same hotel room, too, so that’s probably…easier. T-Thanks, Rui.”
Perhaps on paper, Tsukasa knowing about her feelings for Emu wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Though to Nene, things seemed a lot easier the less people knew about them, in spite of the fact that her life became needlessly more complicated the harder she tried to keep them hidden.
The boys left Nene to pick up Emu as they waited outside the shed, per Rui’s suggestion - offered with a sly wink in her direction. Upset as she was to be put on the spot like this, he was…technically helping? Scooping up her sleepy friend, wrapped in a blanket to ensure a safe delivery, she found it hard to not appreciate the moment she had been thrust into. The Emu Otori, unrelenting ray of sunshine, nestled comfortably in her arms, head resting against her chest.
It was impossible to not be a bit insecure, the idea of walking amidst other people while doing this being somewhat imposing. But with her little sun so close, her heart felt light enough to float just out of reach of those anxieties, if just for the moment.
Carrying people, as it turns out, was not easy work. No matter how cute they were.
Nene’s limbs were all aching by the time she finally made it back to the hotel room and laid Emu down in her bed. The walk between there and the stage seemed so short just this morning; a whole person being in your arms can apparently exaggerate that kind of distance, even if they are slight and resemble a large bag of cotton candy.
That’s to say nothing of the embarrassment she was fighting. Emu’s presence alone was not enough to make walking through the hotel lobby, past the desk staff, with a highschool girl wrapped in a blanket like an oversized baby, a painless experience for Nene. While she was loath to relinquish the privilege of being designated sleep taxi, she did enlist the help of Rui and Tsukasa by kicking them in the shins until they came up with a solution - they opted for the unconventional but functional method of locking together side by side to create a kind of shuffling boy wall, to shield the girls from view.
Whether that was a brilliant plan or not was a little beyond her at that minute, finding herself lightheaded from the physical strain. Very lightheaded, in fact. She wondered if she had remembered to breathe properly on the way over, or if she was just too busy looking at Emu.
Suddenly, the weight she was putting on her legs felt much, much lighter. The room also seemed to be a lot more sideways than it had before, and one side of her body was a lot warmer than the other. Was she dying? She must’ve been dying, she thought to herself through the haze of exhaustion. At the very least, she’d die laying down next to Emu.
…Wait.
Laying down next to Emu? Was she truly so delirious that she thought she was -
‘Oh god.’
Nene may not have been truly dying, but she was on the inside. What she assumed was the final moments of her life was, in fact, nothing more than her falling over: legs long encumbered having gotten the chance to give up on standing. And though her thoughts had been moving rapidly, she herself hadn’t moved from beside Emu’s bed this whole time. So there she was, planted face-first right next to her new bed buddy, nearby body heat complimenting her own rising temperature levels as she burned up from humiliation.
She should’ve gotten up, right then and there. If the oxygen had been faster to start reaching her brain again, she may have. But as she tried to lazily lift herself up from the bed, she found herself entranced by the girl beneath her. This moment could be perfect, and Nene’s thoughts were just clouded enough to not worry about the consequences for once.
Like an oasis in the desert, Emu looked like the softest pillow she could imagine at that very minute, her own yearning for sleep chasing her weariness. ‘I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I just…laid down with her for now. I’ll probably wake up before her anyway, and she won’t have to know…probably…’
She was relying on the running commentary in her thoughts to guide her through these uncharted waters, because by this stage she was incapable of physically lifting herself up. It was really the only way to convince herself this was somehow a normal situation she got herself into.
Lowering herself as lightly as she could manage, she rested her head on Emu’s chest, and limply draped her arms around her. It was as if she had only laid herself down next to a giant plushie, and not the girl she was deeply in love with - Nene had gotten very good at telling herself those kinds of lies over the course of the last couple hours.
Very little short of Emu launching awake could keep her from passing out right that second, though there was something about her current position that delayed her crash for a little while longer. Another unexpected sound, but this time it wasn’t snoring coming through a crack in a door. It was much closer to her.
Ba-thump. Ba-thump.
Close enough that she could feel it. Rhythmic, peaceful.
Ba-thump. Ba-thump.
A heartbeat. Rather, Emu’s heartbeat. Nene’s ear was pressed right against the source of it, sending impossibly light vibrations through her body. As if the very essence of this strange, perfect girl was there for her, and only her, to lull her to sleep. As if love could make a sound, and find a way for their two hearts to communicate to each other, even when neither one of them could utter a word.
Nene’s breathing would involuntarily find itself matching the beat - steady, meditative breaths, coming so naturally after such an intense day. Her heartbeat found the same rhythm to march to in the process, like it was receiving every moment of unspoken affection and trying to show its gratitude through imitation.
There was a gentle exhale that fluttered across the top of Nene’s head, perfectly in sync with her own by now. The air in the room felt sweet, circling around them, drifting so comfortably in the bubble that had formed around the pair. The pulse of the sun forming the soundtrack for their own little universe, the flames of her warmth wrapping around the lost little mermaid, clinging now so desperately, blissfully, to the star her world revolved around.
Her heavy eyes betrayed her every instinct to never let go of this moment, the invitation for rest put before her too tempting to turn down even at a time like this. As sleep overtook her, she could’ve sworn she felt a hand running through her hair, the final strike against her waning willpower to stay awake.
‘Goodnight…Emu…’
Sunlight beamed in through cracks in the hotel blinds, the sun once more filled with energy and excitement. This small sliver of its vibrance, just a taste, though Nene received a face full of sunshine nonetheless.
“Gooood morning, Nene-chan! ~”
Well, it certainly didn’t seem like Emu was upset over being used like a cushion without being asked. Thank god - Nene may have just crawled into a cave and never come back out otherwise.
Their faces were mere inches apart from each other, some adjustments to their sleeping position having clearly been made overnight.
“E-Emu…good morning. Um…”
“Is something wrong? Did you not sleep well?”
Was she really not bothered by it at all? “No, I slept really well, um…but. Sorry, but you weren’t bothered that I…fell asleep in your bed?”
“Of course not! I love being close to Nene-chan. You’re super fluffy wuffy like a sheep and full of warmth and it makes my heart go all baboom baboom!” Her grin couldn’t be any wider. It seems like her mistake genuinely wasn’t a mistake, after all?
“Like a sheep?...” she giggled quietly, the pangs of worry she felt upon waking up largely dissipated. “...I see. Thank you for not being upset, I…”
Emu looked on expectantly, anticipating every word like nothing else was more important to her. In truth, at that moment, nothing was.
“...I like being close to you, too.”
Arms tangled around her that had previously gone unnoticed pulled her in tight, the two of them practically entwined, noses touching. Things were suddenly moving very fast, and Nene was bewildered as to why.
“Thank you for carrying me back here last night, Nene-chan.” There was an uncharacteristic softness, even seriousness, to her voice. What world did Nene wake up in, exactly, and what was going on?
“Oh, uh. Of course, it’s no problem, but…how did you know I was the one who?...”
“Just a feeling, mostly! I think I woke up at some point, because I sort of remember your hair bouncing around near my face, and I’m pretty sure I heard your heart going baboom baboom too!” Something about knowing Emu heard her heartbeat, too, made Nene’s face go bright red.
She continued on, the other girl much too flustered right now to say anything. “Nene-chan is always looking out for me, and trying to make me happy! It makes my chest feel all wuzzy fuzz-fuzzy, like it’s filled all the way to the tippy top with love, y’know?”
Nene nodded, mouth slightly agape, unsure of what was unfolding in front of her. “Emu…”
“But when it’s full like that, it makes me get all scrunched up when you’re not around. Like it’s too tight if I can’t let it all out. And I don’t want to feel that way anymore!” That seriousness was back, and increasing in intensity. “Being close to you while we’re all alone made me realise something! I only want it to feel like it does when I’m with you, all the time!”
There was a wavering shimmer to her eyes, as they welled up with tears. They were the kind of tears that begin to brim over when emotions you’ve wanted to see realised for so long finally spill out.
This was exactly what she thought it was, right? There was nothing else it could be. Emu had set the stage for her, and no amount of shyness would be a good enough excuse to not take this opportunity like the gift it was, even if Nene was barely understanding why it was happening immediately after she had woken up. It was time to bite the bullet.
“Emu, I…I feel exactly the same way.” She had rehearsed this moment countless times, though the circumstances meant any planned speech had flown out the window. “I think we should always be together. C-Close, like we are right now. We could be, um. You know. Like…girlfrie-”
Being cut off mid-sentence by Emu was hardly something new for Nene. No, it was the way she was just cut off, that was shocking to her very core. The distance between them had finally come to fruition, as their lips met in an embrace of long-awaited relief. It was a burst of joy and excitement that had grown impatient of waiting to find its release, that mellowed into a quiet sweetness. The feelings that their heartbeats had synced up became something so satisfyingly tangible. The faded but still recognisable flavour of grapefruit lingered on Nene’s lips as the kiss reluctantly broke; as if her head wasn’t rushing with thoughts already, that Emu had been wearing lip gloss in such a specific flavour could only mean it was meant for her.
“I think…I think I’m in love with you, Nene-chan!” So straight forward, even at a time like this. “Please be my girlfriend!”
It wasn’t common for Nene to smile in front of others. Emu had always found a way to make herself the exception to that rule, but this time, she had unearthed a treasure in Nene rarely seen: a wide, open mouthed smile, with the sweetest laughter her ears had ever heard. Emu could lose herself in her joy for an eternity, and seeing her genuine emotions pour out was like a light brighter than even the sun herself could emit.
“Emu…of course I will be. You don’t have to phrase it so bluntly, you know…” With the expression she had on her face, it was no secret that bluntness brought Nene a great deal of wonder, no matter what she actually said.
Like a small pink bunny snuggled tightly in her arms, Emu shuffled as close as she could, and nestled her head on Nene’s chest once more. As if confirming what it was she thought she heard when she jostled from her rest mid-transit last night, she gave a nod, content to listen to her new partner’s racing heart steadily slow down; a sure sign that Nene was beginning to accept that what just happened had, in fact, happened in reality.
“Emu?”
She looked up, vibrant pink staring at her, waiting with bated breath.
“...I love you, Emu.”
She let out a laugh of her own, much less reserved than Nene’s, reverberating through both their bodies. “I love you too, Nene-chan!”