Archive of Our Own

Sunrise in Sana’s office was often accompanied by a greeting from the front door—keys tiredly working their way in, jamming uselessly at first before the bearer cursed quietly under her breath and finally stumbled through. The night shift was grueling, but this was what Mumei chose, so the weariness was as normal as Sana having stayed up long enough to hear it.

What wasn’t normal was the heavy slam of a shoulder bag meeting the couch’s armrest that dawn, and the even heavier slam of a young woman diving headfirst into the sofa so she could muffle her strangled frustration with a throw pillow instead of waking up everyone else in the household.

Sana peeked around the corner of her door frame, azure blue still tucked behind her ear and fingertips laden with lead dust. Despite only having had a nap in the past 24 hours, the first thought that crossed her mind was, Well. We’ll have to do something about that, Meimei.

Soft footsteps fell on deaf ears as Sana tiptoed through the living room on her way to the kitchen. She wasn’t exactly known for being subtle, but judging by the relative quiet in the rest of the house despite the smothered screeching emanating from the sofa, there was probably nothing to worry about. Upon reaching it she turned on the sink, rubbing graphite from her nails while glancing at the tiled countertops around her. 

They had an electric kettle, but it must’ve been camping out in someone’s room at the moment because her brief reconnaissance yielded no sign of it. She then reached down to dry her hands on a hanging dish towel only to find those missing too, and she made a mental note of making some time to figure out whose laundry they got lost in this time. Hm…maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow is Saturday! 

The artist smiled to herself. Even if weekends didn’t make a huge difference in terms of workload for her, it was still a chance to catch up with the other girls, possibly. It was hard when most of them were busy with their own irregular work schedules, but some chance was still better than none.

She wiped her hands on her smock, humming a little tune as she took a pot from the cupboards and filled it with water. After metal met stovetop and she managed to coax one of their functioning burners to life, Sana opened the overhead cabinet that held their collection of morning pick-me-ups to distract herself from the special brand of monotony known as waiting for water to boil. 

Coffee…coffee…ooh, I haven’t seen this blend before! Wait, no…decaf for Meimei…but they’re not named, so I’m not sure which is which…  

The pros and cons of sitting through a certain redhead’s stern admonishment should she get it wrong floated through her mind for a few moments before she shook her head and thought better of it. Instead, she slid the various containers of grounds and instant powders around till she came across a few canisters wrapped in some sort of homemade orange packaging. ‘Caramel pumpkin cinnamon spice…with apple!’ they advertised, in pretty floral handwriting. She stifled laughter at the naming scheme and the little fruit stickers dotting each label, reminding herself to pilfer a pinch of Fauna’s latest creation at some point before her fingers finally grazed some tea packets nestled in the back. Um…let’s go with green. So she won’t crash too badly later. The pot started bubbling up right as she made her choice, and she carefully switched off the flame and poured its contents into two large mugs before placing the teabags in to steep. 

When she returned to the other room with caffeine in tow, the figure on the couch had quieted down to the point of questionable wakefulness. Mumei’s body lay curled in on itself, expression still hidden behind tangled hair and the pillow pressed to her face.

Sana contemplated fetching a blanket to tuck her in and then resigning herself to the fate of downing both cups on her own before she saw the brunette’s shoulders shake just a little. Gently, she placed one mug on a coffee table coaster and moved to settle down with her own on the other end of the sofa. 

Mumei let out a small squeak when she felt the couch dip beside her. She lifted her head an inch or so, catching sight of the steaming cup on the table before a nervous “uhm” escaped her lips and she buried her head back into the cushion, deciding it was simply too embarrassing to turn and make eye contact with whoever had caught her in the midst of her wallowing. 

“Welcome back, Meimei.” 

Upon hearing the nickname and the warm, mellow voice that accompanied it, she allowed her shoulders to relax just a bit. It seemed she’d at least avoided waking someone in their shared home who wasn’t an early riser…though neither her nor Sana really fell under that category either. ‘Super-late sleeper’ was perhaps a better descriptor. She peeked to her right to see the woman in question sitting next to her, awash in the faint daybreak-blue blanketing everything in the room at the moment. A mug was lifted to her upturned lips, and her eyes flicked to the table next to them, then back at her. “I made one for you.”

Slowly, Mumei unwound herself, tossing her knees over the edge of the couch and grasping at the drink. The warmth of the ceramic mug soothed her trembling palms and anchored her just enough for her to take a small sip without spilling.

When the floral, familiar taste slid past the back of her tongue, she realized just how dehydrated she’d been and almost burned her poor taste buds trying to gulp in greater quantities. Sana scooted closer, rubbing the other girl’s back through her sudden coughing fit. “Take it slowly, Meimei. The tea’s not going anywhere. Not on my watch, at least.”

“…Thank you,” Mumei managed in response. Truth was, her voice was hoarse from more than just the slight bout of choking, but she couldn’t talk about that. Even though this wasn’t the first time she’d found Sana awake when she came home, the artist definitely looked like she could use a rendezvous with her comforter right about now. The smock thrown almost haphazardly over what Mumei recognized to be a pair of Sana’s favorite pajamas painted the story of someone who had gotten caught up in her work right before bed. Who knew how long she’d actually been awake for… “I hope I didn’t interrupt you.” 

“No no,” Sana waved it off with her free hand, accidentally jostling the pastel pencil out from behind her ear while doing so. It fell unceremoniously to the low-pile rug at their feet. When she set down her tea to retrieve it, her back made a funny little sound and drew forth a wince from the artist as she slipped the drawing utensil back into her smock. “I was thinking of stopping for the night…er, the morning, anyway.”

“…But you must be tired.” Mumei’s voice was quiet, and she averted her eyes. “Sorry for keeping you up.” 

The touch of forlornness coloring her tone wasn’t lost on Sana. She knew the other girl’s despondency couldn’t all be out of consideration for her sleep schedule, but Mumei was flighty. If she asked her about it directly, the simple action of pointing it out might embarrass her and cause her to avoid the topic completely. The opportunity to soothe her worries would once again be lost to her bastion of an enigmatic smile, which, cute as it may be, was quite the impenetrable shell. Hmm…this is tough.

Admittedly, Sana wasn’t much for deep, tiresome decision-making. She already gave minor things like what drink to start the day with enough thought without also having to fret over another person’s well-being hinging on the outcome. It wasn’t because she didn’t care…rather, maybe she cared too much. Like a certain fictional seer in the childhood sitcom reruns she used to catch after class in her school days, her mind liked to consider every possible outcome when assessing her actions, and it made her unhappy if most of them didn’t look good. She preferred not to think about it too much when that was the case…but still, she couldn’t do nothing. The thought of Mumei going to bed so bedraggled tore at her chest, even though a nice shower and some shuteye were decent remedies in their own right. 

In the midst of her introspection, she maintained enough awareness to notice that Mumei had started using her as a headrest, despite the lull in their conversation and the half-finished cup of tea cooling in the girl’s lap. It was only a ghost of a touch, brown hair barely brushing against the crook of her neck, but it was there, soft…dare Sana call it trusting. So Mumei couldn’t be that pressed for solitude at the moment, right…?

She snuck a hand into her smock and started rummaging around carefully, trying not to disturb their quiet equilibrium. It would be good to find out what time it was, see if there was an opportunity to entertain an idea she had, so she dug through the nest of pencils and questionably-clean acrylic sponges in search of her phone. When her fingers happened upon a small metallic object though, a lightbulb went off in her head. This was an arguably better find. 

After all, there was nothing like ripping off bandages of indecision by leaving everything up to chance. That view she held in common with the other Aussie they lived with, though she didn’t feel like interrupting Bae’s beauty rest just to borrow a part of her extravagant dice collection when the decision before her only needed two sides. She took out the coin—a penny left over from a trip to the convenience store, maybe—and gently tugged the mug from Mumei’s surprisingly firm grip, pressing copper into her palm instead. After placing the cup on the table next to hers, she turned to face the other girl and took her hands, now shaking again ever so slightly, into her own. 

“Shh, listen…” she whispered as softly as she could, choosing not to comment on the stray droplets that had started staining Mumei’s work uniform. “Heads, you hop in the shower while I make us a simple…dinner?…Breakfast? …‘Brinner’? And we, I don’t know. I can give you a reading in your room or something. Draw the curtains and light some incense—at least until you fall asleep. Tails…tails we um……” She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, willing the popcorn ceiling to offer her an answer. “…Tails, we hit up the mall!”

At first Sana thought it might’ve been too silly, as when she looked back, Mumei’s shoulders were quivering again and she was afraid she’d upset the girl further. But her ears were soon met with nothing but breathy, bemused laughter.  

“The mall,” Mumei wheezed. “The options are we either sleep, or go to the mall.”

“Yes!” Sana beamed, happy her suggestions were being considered. “Doesn't the mall sound like fun?”

“…It does sound like fun.” Mumei took a chance to peek at Sana through her bangs, wanting to let the other girl know she was being sincere despite the moisture on her cheeks. “…Wouldn’t sleep be funner for you, though?” 

“Nuh-uh, this is for you, Meimei,” Sana chided lightly, moving to ruffle her hair. The girl yelped as her already disheveled ponytail became a lost cause. “Besides, it’s Friday. You have tonight off, right? You should live a little.” She paired her encouragement with a grin.

“Mm.” Mumei smiled, too—it was very hard to not meet the other woman halfway in this regard—and flicked the coin up, metal glinting in the dim morning light. She’d intended to only give it a light toss, but either her strength had returned to her all of a sudden or the thing spontaneously gained a mind of its own because it decided to make a break for it over the back of the sofa. Mumei scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground only to be held back by Sana trapping her waist—“Noo Meimei, you still have so much to live for!!” she teased—and the two of them nearly went over the edge too, the couch rocking off its front legs for a stomach-dropping second before settling back down with a hefty thud.

Desperately, they clamped hands over each other’s mouths to stifle the chortling that would have definitely woken everyone else up if the mini furniture-quake hadn’t already. After an intense moment of trying to quiet their inner buffoons, they decided to redirect the excess energy towards speedrunning the coin hunt before one of others exited their room to give them a piece of their sleep-addled mind. A few moments of sifting through the rug’s fringes later, the two of them finally came upon their answer.

“Huh. Would you look at that.”

—

Appropriately dressed for an outing and both blinking with the sort of half-lucid awakeness that usually only plagues those with red-eye flights, Sana and Mumei stepped out of the metro tunnel and into the broad daylight of the local marina. The coin had answered vaguely in the form of getting wedged between two floorboards, so Sana simply asked what Mumei wanted to do, and she answered with a wish for a day in town. 

They’d stayed awake on the hour-long train ride to their destination by playing iSpy, which somehow devolved into Mumei choosing bizarre targets from the scenery whipping by outside once they used up every object of interest inside the railcar. It was contrary to the fairness of the game, but Sana found it immensely funny when, after giving a couple dozen lazy guesses, she gave up on one round only for Mumei to say the thing she’d been spying was a billboard ad for a horror movie they’d passed by 5 minutes ago. 

Upon arrival, they found the harbor and accompanying plaza well decorated for summer festivities, string lights criss-crossing their way between roof rims overhead and a large fountain spewing out streams of water that periodically wet the garland-adorned sea lion statues in the center of it. The same flowers from the leis lined the sett-paved streets in raised wooden planter boxes, and the two whiled away their time walking to the clothing store Sana wanted to visit by admiring them closely, Mumei stopping to collect stray petals and ornamental fruit off the branches now and then.

Sana couldn’t help but try to come up with creative names for the various species they came across—“…Are you sure this one is called a ‘shark-berry’?” “Of course, Meimei!”—and she silently hoped the easily-fascinated brunette would remember some of her ‘special’ suggestions to bring up to Fauna sometime. It was partly because she was never one to pass up an exasperated scolding from the biologist, but she was mostly making conversation to take Mumei’s mind off of things, whatever they were. It was good to see the other girl walking with some pep in her step again. 

A very storefront-typical diiing-dooong greeted them when they made it, Sana holding open the glass door for her companion to step inside. Like a little villager from the social simulation game they both liked, Mumei immediately zeroed in on some random rack of garments, wrist clasped in one hand behind her back as she made small mesmerized noises and tilted her head now and then while browsing. “So these are the kinds of clothes Sana likes.” 

Sana let the door swing itself shut and patted down her pastel letterman and skirt, amused that Mumei would draw that conclusion when she wasn’t wearing anything remotely close to the leotards and elegant dresses on display in front of them. All things considered though, the girl had a knack for getting her hunches right. “I mean, yeah, I do like them. But I mostly brought you here cus I think some of the other stuff would suit you, Meimei.”

“Welcome in—” A well-dressed lady came to greet them before pausing and regarding Sana with familiarity. “Ah, good to see you again, Sana. Welcome, welcome.” Mumei glanced at them curiously as Sana exchanged a few words with the other woman, whose beret and expensive-looking crossbody purse made her seem like more than just a sales associate. She made eye contact with Mumei and winked, which caused the latter to bail out on observing and seek refuge in the coat section until Sana finished the conversation and came looking for her. 

“There you are! I wondered where you went.” 

“The lady winked at me,” Mumei replied, as if that explained everything. 

Sana’s eyes crinkled in amusement as she chuckled in response. “Did your heart thump? Ina does that to people. She was teasing me earlier too, saying ‘So you’re not alone today! For a while there I thought you planned to keep this place your best-kept secret. Not that I mind, but we could always use more cute girls visiting,’ yadda yadda. She’s not wrong, though.” Sana moved to pet Mumei’s head a bit, the latter’s cheeks having taken on a nice flush. 

“You usually come here alone?” Mumei redirected, embarrassed with being the topic of conversation. 

“Yeah. Though aren’t we all alone sometimes?” Sana’s hand fell back to her side.

Mumei felt like that was more of a statement than a question. “Mm…”

“You’re not bothering me,” Sana reassured her quickly, before Mumei’s thoughts had even finished forming. “I want you to be here.” 

Mumei didn’t have time to ponder on it further, as a small mountain of clothes suddenly plopped its way into her arms. When did she go gather all of these?, she wondered as she found her body guided towards the changing rooms by a very enthusiastic, very excitable Sana.

“Enough talking Meimei, it’s time to get dressed up!”

—

“Um. I’m—”

Sana looked up from her phone where she was sorting through pictures to add to “Mumei-zing Fashion Show,” her latest brilliant addition to their household’s shared online storage hoard of digital memories. She tilted her head and leaned back on the chair Ina had courteously dragged over for her, stretching out her limbs. “Hm? You don’t like it?”

“No, I really like it,” Mumei replied, fingers toying with the buckle of the form-fitting denim overalls she was currently dressed in. 

“That’s great then!” Sana gushed, snapping another image for the album. “You look so good in all of these! I think even Kronini would get off her high horse for just long enough to agree that the Magic Mirror would favor you today,” she winked.

“That’s the problem,” Mumei whined, the heel of her boot tapping on the tiled floor. “It’s too much. How am I to choose? It’s not like I’m made of money, and work’s hardly even worth it, anyway…” 

Sana stood up with resolution. “Why don’t I just get them for you, th—” 

“No, absolutely not,” Mumei cut her off. “Please don’t feel like you have to.”

“…But I want to.” A sly smile crept its way onto Sana’s face and Mumei stepped back defensively, spreading her arms out as if to protect the clothes still sitting in the changing stall. “Hey, Ina~?” Sana made a show of calling out.

“Please,” Mumei pleaded, diving back through the curtain. “I’ll buy a few so don’t—I’d hate to have you waste your hard-earned money.”

“It’s not a waste. It looks good on you. Besides, I finished some commissions recently, so I definitely have enough for you.”

The sound of clothes rustling was the only thing that escaped the stall for a minute. Mumei then peeked her head back through the opaque drapery, hair ruffled from having hastily pulled her white blouse back on. “…There’s no getting out of this?” she whimpered.

“I mean, unless you want them for a birthday present—then I’m sure we can delay the shipment. But I think it’d be cruel to make you wait a month when you look so good in them right now. Summer doesn’t last forever, you know!” came Sana’s lighthearted, uncompromising response.

For a moment, there was no reply. But then the curtain slid open to reveal a resigned but determined-looking Mumei, face just a touch red and several articles of clothing piled up in her arms. “I’m going to get you back so hard, I’m going to—ugh, yourbirthdaywaslastmonthdarnit…Christmas! I’m coming for you. Mark my words. I don’t care if I have to work this shi—this crappy job for another holiday season.”

Sana smiled fondly, helping her take part of the pile as they walked—well, Mumei marched —over to the register where Ina was waiting, amused. “I’m looking forward to it, Meimei.”

—

The two decided to leave the outlet area soon after, but not before picking up some pastries from a small eatery nearby. The granite pathway that had previously held them up gave way to creaky, salt-sprayed planks as they ambled towards the waterfront, where opportunistic gulls took up watch along the eaves of the restaurants and souvenir shops up ahead.

Their shopping bag packed with new outfits dangled off one of Sana’s shoulders as she took her time wandering. She peeked through windows and ran her hand over A-frame sales signs here and there, not really paying attention to them, just giving her body something to do as she nibbled at her food and soaked in the morning sun. Frankly, she wasn’t particularly hungry—lack of sleep messed with her appetite, and there were a few half-empty chip bags next to her easel at home that had already borne the brunt of her midnight munchies—but she was never one to pass up a confectionary. 

Mumei walked next to her with her own snack clasped between her fingers, some sort of filled, powdered donut. She pecked at it now and then as her gaze flitted between the pier’s more notable features—a fancy outdoor dining area here, an arcade of sorts there. A large ferris wheel in the distance with a comparatively small shadow, at least from this angle in the near-noon light. That same light glancing off its gondolas and into the waters below.

Anything to keep her mind occupied.

Every few minutes, she found herself outpacing Sana and had to consciously adjust her speed to fall back. Though her restlessness piqued Sana’s worry, the latter made no comment on the matter as she continued strolling at her own leisurely pace. The legs of someone who stood in front of a canvas all day didn’t turn into lead that easily, and besides, having several inches on Mumei meant it wasn’t much of an issue keeping up.

But she was admittedly a little tired. Perhaps something about the shopping had tuckered her out. It was the first time she’d taken in so much in a long while after all, especially at this particular time of day. Though the silent browsing was peaceful, the sound of waves lapping at her thoughts lulled her into a drowsiness only interrupted by the cries of seabirds now and then.

“What did you get, Meimei?” Sana made an effort to stir conversation after a spell of quiet, lethargic munching.

Mumei looked down at the half-eaten pastry in her hand, a little jam dribbling out from the side she’d finished eating. “…I don’t know.” She quickly swallowed her mouthful so she could take another bite. It was sweet—she knew that much. “I just pointed at something that looked yummy and then gave them money.”

Sana craned her head over to get a better look. “Is it strawberry?” 

“Maybe.” The girl paused her chewing, as if holding the food in her mouth a bit longer would help her identify the taste. She pursed her lips, thinking. “Maybe it’s raspberry.” 

“Maybe it’s blueberry?” Sana nudged at her playfully. 

Mumei thumbed off some of the bright-red jam that had collected at the corner of her mouth and licked it off. “Maybe it’s lemon,” she laughed, holding up the remainder of the snack to Sana’s face. “Want some?”

The taller girl’s eyes twinkled as she bent down to take a small bite. 

“What do you think?”

“I think that’s the best lemon donut I’ve ever had,” she giggled. She then held up her own treat to Mumei. “But I bet you’ll never guess what this is.”

It was very obviously some sprinkle-laden wedge of fudge. Mumei smiled as she bit into it, accidentally catching one of Sana’s fingers as collateral damage. 

“Ouch!”

“Oopsie~”

Sana drew her hand back, taking the rest of the brownie between her teeth before moving to massage her poor index. “I should’ve listened to Fauna when she said not to feed the animals,” she lamented, though a grin played at her lips. She watched Mumei blink and observe her closely as she swallowed the last bits of cocoa crumbs. “Ah well. Sharing is caring, right?” she yawned contentedly upon finishing. 

Without warning, Mumei shoved the last bite of her donut into Sana’s mouth, too, the latter squeaking in surprise as Mumei took the opportunity to grab her hurt hand and give it a tiny, apologetic kiss. “I’m going to say…that’s the tastiest piece of Sana I’ve ever had,” she replied solemnly, as if confirming her answer on a game show. 

A few seconds passed before her mask cracked and she grinned, snatching the bag off Sana’s shoulder and running off towards the entrance of the shiny-looking entertainment center situated at the end of the pier. “Come on, sleepyhead!” Mumei called out to her from up ahead. “Let’s have fun!” At the establishment’s doorway, the girl spun around brightly, bags clattering against the side before she waltzed in. 

Sana took a moment to clear her throat, but it was hard to do so when she was laughing enough to almost keel over in the middle of the boardwalk. When the mixed taste of sweets and affectionate banter finally left her tongue, she reached her arms up and stretched, a smile gracing her features. This place might’ve been familiar enough for her to navigate with her eyes closed, but it had been quite a long time since an outing here had felt so pleasant. The fatigue and concern that had snuck into her veins were no match for the promise of further good times waiting up ahead. She jogged after Mumei once she’d caught her breath, endearment tugging at her heart. 

I will as long as you are, Meimei.

—

“Oh my gosh it’s so cuuuuute!! Look at it! Meimei look at that one!” 

Mumei felt herself squished like a human stress ball for the twentieth time in the last five minutes and she wondered if Kronii would find it funny or at least relevant if she were to refer to herself as boneless from this point forward. She had to admit that everything Sana was looking at was very very very cute though…but they were also trapped behind the glass of very hard-to-win crane games. Still, that was a 3:1 ratio of ‘verries’, so it was worth a shot for the girl who’d literally bought her a whole new wardrobe earlier, right? 

“I’m going to get some quarters.” Mumei made a motion of rolling up her sleeves even though they weren’t long enough to roll, and Sana responded with an amused “Okay!”, her eyes fixated on a machine filled with poyo-pink puffballs. They were going to gamble and it was probably going to be bad, but she might as well enjoy seeing Mumei try her hand at it.

The thing with claw machines was that they made such fun little satisfying sounds every time you loaded them up and they had those misleading little “Buy 5 Plays Get 1 Free!” deals too, and they played such upbeat music when the claw was swinging around and especially when it was dropping, and they always made you feel like they were sure to grab that plushie into your waiting hands when they successfully clamped one. 

And then the plush slipped out, because apparently it either weighed a ton or acted like it was slicked with marmalade the second the crane started helicoptering its way back.

“I. Am going. To lose it.” Roughly eighty quarters in and it was taking every ounce of willpower in Mumei’s petite body to keep from jiggling that damned machine into submission. If it were sentient, it would surely be fearing for its life. 

Next to her, it was taking every ounce of willpower for Sana to not start snapping photos for a new album she was tempted to call Mumei’s Malding Moments. She had given up trying to soothe the girl with “It’s okay Meimei, I don’t really need it” several plays ago, and it seemed like the brunette now had a personal vendetta against any and all things gacha-related…but she wasn’t stopping. Not that there weren’t tips and tricks to these sorts of games, but if there was a method to the madness of playing till you broke (or were broke), they hadn’t reached it yet, and honestly, Sana was starting to feel a little bad. She placed both hands on Mumei’s shoulders before the latter could insert her next 5+1 attempt, and Mumei flinched as if being broken from a trance. 

“Earth to Meimei. Still with me?” 

Sana started tugging her away from the machine, but Mumei being Mumei was rather stubborn and refused to budge. She growled like she’d been personally insulted and wanted to give that flimsy claw a piece of her mind. “If I don’t win one with these next few I’m going to exchange another twenty.” 

“I hope you mean twenty quarters and not twenty dollars,” Sana replied a little worriedly. “Besides, we should probably stop trying soon.”

“But this isn’t even a fraction of the amount you spent on me earlier…” Mumei muttered. 

“You’re still on about that?” 

Mumei felt the grip on her shoulders tighten just a little before her body was spun around. Sana eyed her earnestly now that they were facing each other. “You know I already won the best prize of all, right?” 

She almost stumbled back, aghast. “When did you win something…? And where is it?”

“It’s right here!” Suddenly the floor went sideways as Sana swung their garment bag over her shoulder and gathered up Mumei’s knees in one arm and back with the other. “No more plushie-grabbing for today!”

“Wha—Sana!” Mumei sputtered, trying to wriggle out of her grasp and failing miserably. “That’s not fair! I let you get something for me so you should at least let me do the same!”

“B-but!…” Sana swiveled her gaze around the establishment, as if desperately trying to form some sort of escape plan. Her eyes caught sight of a few screens flashing with the words ‘Breadfish Bonanza’ or something to that effect. “…But I wanted to go fishing with you!”

The girl flailing in her arms threw a suspicious look in the aforementioned games’ direction before returning her stare to Sana’s face. The latter only grinned back, eyes sparkling. “Please? I’ll let you get more coins if you play that with me.”

Mumei mumbled something about Sana being ‘completely unfair’ before sighing, her limbs going limp. “…Fine, but we should go to the prize corner first and pick out something to target because I will win something for you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

—

After they’d perused the exchange shop—everything worth winning cost like a million tickets, obviously—the worker behind the counter smiled amiably before sending them off on their way with a fresh roll of coins. “Never seen you try to get something from here. Good luck, Sana.”

Mumei blinked at the staff member before feeling her left shoulder socket suffer an excited jerk towards the machines in question. “C’mon, Meimei!” Before she knew it, Breadfish Bonanza was blinking enticingly in front of them and Sana was already shoving coins in.

It didn’t take them long to start racking up plays—it was one of those games where the longer you went at it, the better you supposedly did—and the flimsy sticks that served as casting rods for the co-op game were really starting to take a beating. It made Mumei afraid they were going to need to pay for equipment damage at some point, but seeing the other girl so into it made Mumei feel like trying to keep up with her eagerness, at least for Sana’s sake.

“Oh my gosh! I caught another Common Breadfish!” Sana exclaimed when another derpy loaf-encased green bass appeared on the screen. It was literally the worst catch, but she didn’t seem to mind. Luck-wise the games didn’t feel all that different to Mumei compared to the accursed skill cranes…but at least Sana was enjoying herself. 

That was what she wanted most at the moment. Mumei felt guilty for neglecting the other girl’s feelings earlier, as it probably wasn’t pleasant watching her rage at the claw machines for who knows how long. But her guilt was further compounded by her gradual realization of just how tired Sana was that day. 

It clicked when she felt Sana’s hands shake a bit as she put her back down earlier, made sense in how slow Sana ate as she lazily streaked fingers through the dust of the old shop windows they’d passed by that morning. How even Ina had made sure Sana had a place to rest while waiting for Mumei at the clothing store, and how she had sometimes caught Sana resting her eyes when she opened the curtain between outfits, before the other girl had noticed she’d finished changing.

Even after the observation had sunk in, she still hadn’t known what to do on their walk besides pitifully waiting up for Sana when she noticed she was no longer next to her, and trying to give her the rest of her food before running off towards…towards what, exactly? Someplace to wake her up? Somewhere energetically taxing and rage inducing? It was stupid. If she was more considerate, she would’ve chosen the gondola ride or something.

If she was more considerate, she wouldn’t have asked to go out in the first place.

Air exited her lungs in a rough exhale as she felt resentment tangle up her gut. Part of her cursed the absentmindedness…or perhaps it truly was ‘forgetfulness’, as others put it…that seemed to always get her into trouble. What right did she have grumbling about people neglecting her presence and feelings when she was out here mucking up theirs? It was no wonder why things were how they were.

“…Meimei?” 

She blinked, realizing she’d been staring into…into nothingness for some time now. “Hu-…hm?”

“Hey,” Sana peered at her, concerned. The other girl wasn’t holding onto her pole anymore, instead crouched slightly in front of Mumei and moving to press a hand to her forehead. The brunette was torn between flinching and freezing up as she felt fingers smooth out the scowl on her face. 

“Anger doesn’t suit you,” Sana whispered softly. “At least, not in a place like this.” She let out a small huff of a laugh, one that barely masked her fretting. The girl was bad at hiding her expressions, and this wasn’t an expression of happiness. “Want to play a punching bag game?” she suggested, a little helplessly. “I’d rather you set it free than leave it to…to sit and eat at you like this.” 

Mumei felt more than saw Sana move a hand to gently contest her for the pole she was gripping onto white-knuckled. She pulled back on it sharply, reflexively. “No…it’s…” I can fix this. I don’t want her to feel like this. I can just forget about—

————————————

) ! ! !   WINNER   ! ! ! ( 

————————————

Some garishly-campy congratulatory banner flashed epileptically on the game screen all of a sudden, accompanied by fanfare so loud Sana startled and almost fell over backwards. 

“…O-oh!” went unheard from Mumei’s lips as relentlessly booming audio and a variety of richly-detailed baked goods filled the screen. A massive red-finned creature snaked its way between the pastries, apparently representing the game’s highest jackpot. Mumei almost dropped her pole out of shock. “D-did we win?”

A huge quantity of tickets started whirring its way out of the machine, and Mumei had about half a second to think about how displeased Fauna would be if she saw all this wasted paper before she found herself scooped up in Sana’s arms again. “Yaaaaaaaay, you won Meimei!!”

She curled inwards into the hug. If there were a way for her to clip into the vast expanse of space for just a moment to gather her feelings and escape all the noise pollution, she would, but hiding in Sana’s embrace was the next best thing. “No… we won,” she mumbled almost inaudibly. “I’m doing this for you, after all.” 

Sana’s voice exuded nothing but warmth as she shook her head, nuzzling into Mumei’s hair. “But you should take credit for your work and achievements! I’m proud of you, Meimei.” 

Something about the moment was overwhelming—she didn’t know if it was the tight hug or the jarring dissonance in mood compared to her earlier one, or maybe it was the growing anxiety that there were probably more than a few people glancing over now wondering just what the hell was going on. But mostly she felt the praise pouring out of Sana’s heart sink deep into her own chest, melting through her frustration. She ducked her head even lower to keep her growing feelings from wetting the other girl’s neck.

It was completely silly to cry over an arcade game, she thought, and she felt like she was in one of those boomer casino commercials where the old couple just struck it rich and cheered ecstatically over something as dumb and vexing as money. Money that determined people’s worth, a worth that was always out of reach for someone who had to set aside time she’d rather be spending on something else just to slave at a taxing job she took on to keep herself afloat, and to keep from burdening her housemates. Housemates whose concern and pampering she surely didn’t deserve at all. 

Such catharsis was a faraway dream for the girl who sometimes wished she was as invisible as she was treated. But wrapped up in Sana’s arms with that gaudy music still playing in the background and little meaningless slips of paper piling high at their feet, Mumei felt…like maybe her effort was worth something for once. 

Like maybe her effort was real.

—

“Poyo~!” 

The beachball-sized plush they’d exchanged their winnings for—which was also adorned in the most adorable nightcap, Mumei noted—made contact with her face once again as Sana planted another kiss to her nose with the stuff anim-…stuffed pink whatever-it-was. Sana looked more than pleased, though, so Mumei decided putting a smile on her face was worth the emotional rollercoaster their little endeavor had cost her. 

They were seated outdoors at a small table in the warm pre-evening sun, at some cute diner where Sana thought it’d be fitting to get dinner to celebrate. Their main courses long done, Sana had tacked on a mixed drink and Mumei dessert, just for fun. Sana swirled her straw around, demeanor as bubbly as her cocktail, and Mumei couldn’t help but get caught up in the merriment produced by her anecdotal stories involving the video game the plush was from. 

“And then—and then after sucking up those poor little guys I died! Completely squished!” Sana recounted, bursting into giddy laughter. “Isn’t that terrible?”

Her happiness was awfully infectious, and Mumei found herself giggling despite the adrenaline from the arcade rapidly evacuating her bloodstream. She took another bite of coffee cake and immediately perked up. “Yes, that is unfortunate and wow this cake is nice.”

“Can I have some?” Sana asked. Mumei held her fork up, and the bite disappeared behind a flash of white canines. 

Sana’s eyes widened after savoring the flavor for a moment. “Oh no!”

“Oh no what? What’s wrong with it?” Mumei shoved the plate away a little, concerned. 

“Does coffee cake have coffee? Bae is going to kill me!” she wailed. 

Mumei pursed her lips to keep her amusement inside. She wanted to point out that if Sana had meant to avoid overloading her with caffeine, maybe tea wasn’t the best thing to offer first thing in the morning. That probably wouldn’t make her feel any better, though. She patted her hand instead. “There, there, it’s okay. I chose to eat it.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Maybe she’ll just beat me up then,” Sana laughed, accepting the excuse without complaint. She sat back and relaxed again, picking up her glass. 

The easygoing manner with which Sana went about life made her reliable in Mumei’s eyes. The freedom to do what one wanted without worry only belonged to those who could back it up with skill and confidence, after all. Somehow, Mumei doubted she had enough of either. She contemplated her work ethic over the cream and caramel crumbles still on her plate, partitioning the remainder of the slice into even-sized chunks. There was only so much she could do if she was forever shackled to the routine and menial…

“Penny for your thoughts?”

She looked up and regarded Sana with surprise, noting the copper coin twirling between her thumb and forefinger. “You held onto that?” 

“Yeah.” Sana tossed it up and caught it a few times without checking the results. “…To be honest, I’d kind of avoided talking about this all day.”

Flip, catch. 

Flip, catch. 

“I wanted to cheer you up first, but…” Flip,

She put her drink down, holding out her palms so the coin would fall within. 

…Tails.  

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “…I guess I didn’t do a great job of that, seeing as you’re still lost in thought.”

The penny slid over till it tinked softly against Mumei’s plate. Sana started drawing her hand back across the worn tablecloth, but she decided to pause midway, still reaching out.

“…How can I support you, Meimei?”

The bitterness of the coffee aftertaste intensified on Mumei’s tongue, and she swallowed with difficulty. This was oh, so wrong. She hadn’t wanted to make Sana feel this way. “You’re already supporting me, though.”

“But you’re sad. I can feel it.”

I’m sad because retail is a pain and everyone who decided night shift should pull double duty during sales season should just f—should just do it themselves.

I’m sad because all I do is think about how to pursue other things instead of focusing on what I have.

I’m sad because people look down on me. 

I’m not sad because you did bad cheering me up…

The frustration she harbored towards her laundry list of gripes fell short of the heartache she felt upon seeing Sana fix those eyes on her, a gaze filled with as much patience and kindness as there was disappointment in herself for not having done more. Surely it should be reversed. Compared to Sana, Mumei had been nothing but selfish.

At least you made today worth remembering for me, she wanted to say. But that was too pitiful. It merely highlighted her misery. Mumei could only offer a lopsided smile. She didn’t know how to fix anything now, didn’t know how to reassure Sana in a way that didn’t feel inconsiderate or disingenuous even to herself. “…You helped me more than you know,” she tried regardless. “I’m not that sad anymore. Honest.” 

“I don’t want to press, but…” Sana still looked conflicted. “Is it something to do with music? Or with work? With us, even,” she waved her hand around to refer to those not present. She then lowered it, losing some of her assuredness. “…With me?”

Mumei pushed around the cake bits on her plate. That was a lot of questions to sift through. “Music, is…”

The last summer night she’d had off swept into her head for just a moment. Guitar had been harder since she’d picked up a steel acoustic from the local shop, but she felt like she was finally ready to diversify from nylon. She yearned to sing along with it in the way she wanted to be heard, but it couldn’t be too loud, never too loud—not at the tender hour of 2 am in the dense neighborhood they lived in. Not when she shared a wall with Sana and a house with all the other girls. And her room was kind of hot at that time of year, but carpet ate up sound, right? So that was where she’d practice. That was where her free time went. 

“…It’s all I want to do,” she admitted. “Work, though…” 

No memory of her shifts in that infernal packing center would be pleasant. She’d tried to run from those thoughts with choice distractions today, with Sana and their outing and some time to herself only to be haunted by bitterness wherever she went anyway. She was done with it. “I don’t get paid enough for anything I put up with there. Or at all. I,” she exhaled, a chill seeping into her skin. It was summer, but that evening still came with its vulnerabilities. “I feel like I’m not…dependable like you all are.”

“Where’s this coming from?” Sana leaned forward, sobering up. “Whose world do I need to destroy?” she added, half-joking, half-menacing. 

“It’s not world-ending, nothing like that,” Mumei assured her, moving to fork another bite. Talking about her worries always made them seem silly. She bit down. What else did she expect?

She was small and silly and she ought to keep her thoughts to herself rather than trouble Sana with…trivialities. But “don’t worry about it” lay stuck in her throat because Sana had given her the penny, had given her a precious day of free time so she could at least make an effort at explaining.

Mumei’s gaze wandered to the bag of clothing, mind following them back to that morning in Ina’s shop, where Sana had quickly and easily offered to gift her the world, and now she was volunteering to end it for those that simply made her feel bad. Just like that, and Mumei knew Sana was good on her word, too. Her place of employment sucked, but frankly…nothing made Mumei feel more incompetent than being aware of how different she was from those she cared about most. 

When it felt so hard for her to make rent on time some months while Sana made it seem so effortless—and she was a woman of the arts, too—so she felt doubly worse when Sana or any of the others tried to waive away her worries by volunteering to cover for it. It’s not jealousy, she always told herself. She just didn’t like feeling indebted. She didn’t like feeling like she was the only one in their cohort to come out of school without her life together. 

Sana traced her gaze to the outfits they’d picked out, suddenly looking a little guilty. “Oh no, did I make you buy these when you really didn’t want them?”

“…I didn’t even buy them!” Mumei retorted. It came out more harshly than intended. She made a note to mind her volume, but Sana had already recoiled. 

Her next words came in whispered guilt. “I really do like them. But I feel bad that I can’t do the same for you, at least not right now. I feel like all I’m good for is things involving dumb luck, or being oblivious. It comes off as cute for some reason…and even then, that’s only to some. It’s hard to see myself as someone worth all of these things…”

She blinked back regret, and the day before her melted into the slate-gray walls of a warehouse coming to life in the corporate night. The noise around her was methodical, all the lights artificial. Her body ached in the same way it did on every shift. She would sort and shut a hundred boxes with clear, sticky tape only to welcome into her arms a couple hundred more. If only she could do the same to her head.

>Damn, how many time’s the boss gotta show her how to fill these things. Now we gotta unpack ‘em all, do it again. I was planning on clocking off a little early today.

<At least she’s a looker.

>Why doncha ‘look’ at all the extra work we gotta do cuz of her, airhead.

If only she could do the same to her heart.

She didn’t realize she’d been gritting her teeth till Sana’s hands came up to cup her cheeks. The other girl had dragged her chair over just for that, apparently. “Hey, hey. Stay with me, Meimei. Clenching your jaw makes it hard to enjoy cake—I would know.” The sympathy in Sana’s honey-yellow eyes only served to constrict Mumei’s throat further. 

“But you don’t know, you know?” She tried to swallow, but to no avail. It was too much. Who cared if her words were barely intelligible at this point. She reached up to brush that sympathy away. “You’re already so…capable. I look up to you so much. You don’t know how it feels to be unseen when it counts, and only noticed when you wish everyone else would forget it.” 

I’m the first person who wishes she could forget it.

“But Meimei…” 

She jolted, feeling hands tug softly at hers. Between them, Sana had taken her into her palms, grazing the spots on her fingers well-worn by all the sleepless nights she’d long lost count of, tracing the rough patches where metal threads had marked her skin. The length of her index, the tips of her nail beds…all meeting the digits of an artist stained with acrylic callouses of her own. “I feel you here.”

She felt Sana trace the surface of her cheeks with the back of her hand, and then with a napkin. Felt herself blink at the other woman through dark circles as she felt hands comb through her hair, a mess of a mane tied into a semblance of structure held together by only a single feathered scrunchie. “I feel you here,” she repeated, till weary locks came undone.

And when Sana had finished retying her ponytail, it felt a little taller, a little tighter this time. Mumei’s head felt a little lighter even as the muddy thoughts kept roiling. Sana sat back, moving a hand to settle on her own chest. “…And I feel you here, Meimei. I really do.” 

Mumei slowly, cautiously pulled her knees up, hiding within herself. It might’ve been unreasonable, rude, even, to do that when Sana had bared her heart…but she couldn’t help it. She felt too vulnerable, almost. “I don’t want you to feel me there,” she murmured. “It hurts me to see that all I am in your heart is a source of worry.” She closed her eyes, taking in a deep, shaky breath.

A ball of soft pink felt made contact with her forehead, between her drawn knees. Sana eased her legs down as she tucked the plush into her chest. “If I’m too much…you can hug him, at least.” Mumei hesitated for a moment before pressing the offering close.

“Now…I think it’s you who doesn’t understand,” Sana went on. There wasn’t so much challenge in those words as there was an unwavering, persistent warmth. “The worry is because I love you. Does that hurt so badly?”

Mumei felt her heart ache. It throbbed in irony, stumbled in protest. “I would rather you not worry, but…” 

It doesn’t hurt, does it? She wanted to sink into her seat, or maybe take off into the vast atmosphere. Deprived of pity, separated from the kind of compassion that usually made her feel useless, Sana’s steadfast, dogged affection was perplexing to Mumei, especially since she usually had trouble staying grounded in much of anything. But it didn’t hurt. Something in her wanted it, even. Afloat in her vacuum of discontent and uncertainty, she wanted nothing more than to grasp at that tether.

“Did you know,” Sana continued, as if she sensed her inner turmoil, “Did you know I look up to you, too?”

The look on Mumei’s face must’ve expressed enough skepticism, because Sana smiled and didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she followed up with, 

“What is sunrise to you, Meimei?”

What a strange question, she thought. All around them the sun was already setting, the dusky light calling forth pervasive dread in her mind till she remembered she had no work that night. But the anxiety still haunted her.

“Shh,” Sana soothed. “Sunrise.”

“…It’s relief. It’s coming home. It’s…exhaustion. It’s my bed.” Mumei recited each feeling and image as it came to her. “...I really miss it,” she admitted.

“That’s home, for you,” Sana agreed. “Though…I bet I miss my bed more.” Her lips formed a gentle, teasing grin. 

Mumei laughed in spite of herself. It was small but it was there, chirped from behind the plush’s nightcap. 

Sana regarded her fondly. “Want to fight me on that?”

Mumei brought the plush down an inch, mustering up a smile. “No thank you.” And then, softly, she corrected herself. “...I guess first and foremost I put my bag on the armrest.”

“So it’s not always throwing…” Sana mused.

Mumei grimaced, then finally started letting the frustration go. “…It’s not always throwing,” she nodded. “Sometimes, it’s just putting.”

“I see. And then…?” 

“Then it’s my room.” Mumei paused, contemplating her next words. “…It’s where I go to sleep.”

“Playing guitar while you’re sleeping, huh.” A smirk grew on Sana’s face that she didn’t make any effort of hiding. “Sing yourself any lullabies?”

“Wh-no-how do you know that?” The plush was nothing but an armrest now as Mumei leaned forward, a little accusing, a little mortified.

“It’s because sunrise for me comes with enjoying your playing and singing,” Sana replied, laughing. It was a full, unreserved laugh, affectionate despite being apologetic. “I’m sorry if it was private. A few inches of drywall isn’t a lot, I’m afraid.”

“Why don’t you tell me I’m being too loud?” Mumei hissed, trying to ease herself out of the embarrassment. 

“Why?” Sana asked. She gestured matter-of-factly. “I love it. I love hearing you. I admire you. I look up to you.”

Mumei grumbled. “That again. You look up to someone who’s not even responsible enough to have a steady curfew, let alone considerate enough to avoid disturbing you. Sure.”

“Cus I know you have more to live for than where you currently are,” Sana countered softly. “What’s not to admire about that. You struggle, but you’re always trying for it. You have a song to sing and a story to tell, and I think that’s really, really lovely.”

Every bit of protest on the edge of Mumei’s tongue fell back at those words, wrapped up and sent away. Mumei didn’t know how to respond. A steady rhythm built up in her chest.

“You know,” Sana continued after giving it a moment to sink in. “I have something I’m living for. You know what it is because I’m always doing it. And so does Fauna, Kronii, Bae. We’re all just doing what we think suits us…” She absentmindedly reached for the bag of clothing on her chair to make sure it was still there, then pushed it under the table. “…and I guess steady work does have its perks.” 

Slowly, Mumei reached down and placed the plush on the bag, too, nestling it between the handles. No more resentment. No more hiding. “You don’t like it, though?” she echoed Sana’s words from earlier. 

“Sometimes it’s not about liking,” Sana replied. She was focused on something far away. “You can come to like a lot of things. But humans get complacent when we’re somewhere halfway decent. We’re all at least a little afraid of change.”

Dusk fell on their surroundings. Mumei shivered as solar lights and strung-up decor tried to take up the slack the sun left behind. Lampposts flickered to life. Somewhere, an amp squeaked, someone setting up for evening performances.

Sana noticed her shudder, then took off her jacket. “Take this. It probably doesn’t fit you as well as what we got today, but we can’t disturb the little one now that you put him there.” She nudged the bag with her foot as she held the letterman out.

Mumei tugged it towards her body. “What about you?”

“I run warm.” Sana crossed her arms, rubbing at her shoulders. “Though it can get cold here even in the summer, if I remember correctly.” 

Mumei didn’t find it entirely convincing, but Sana had already returned to looking at the horizon. Mumei pulled the sleeves around herself and followed her gaze, past the edge of their table, past the waiters mopping up and the influx of new patrons till she caught sight of the torrid bay. It reflected, in its own messy way, the glimmer of the night sky’s first greeting.

The look on Sana’s face seemed dull in comparison for once. It made Mumei want to give the jacket back, were she not already wrapped in it. “If you could change something,” she took up their previous thread of conversation with a whisper, “what would it be?”

Sana turned back towards her, then scooted her chair over more so that it bumped against hers. They sat side by side that way, facing away from the establishment and each looking towards the waterfront with their own thoughts for a few quiet moments. Even the waiter stopping by to refill waters thought better of disturbing them, merely setting their bill down on the table gingerly before leaving. 

Sana leaned against the shorter girl’s side as she reminisced. “I like music, too, you know. And the songs the stars make.” She shuffled in her seat, re-crossing her legs. “I miss listening to them.” 

Little by little, the expanse of her yearning unfurled before them. “If I could change things, I’d like to go hear the sounds of nature again, do more walking, take more hikes. Sometimes I think of asking Fauna if she knows a good place, but I know she looks at that kind of thing all day already. I want to give everyone a break when we actually have time to spend together…”

I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, Mumei thought, though she admittedly had never considered it. She supposed it’d be a little annoying if she wanted to relax with someone and all they wanted to talk about was work-related stuff. But then again…that probably varied from person to person.

“And I miss giving readings from the cards I’ve collected over the years,” Sana continued, making a well-practiced shuffling motion with her fingers. “…You know, that’s what first prompted Ina to start up something here. That little idea I gave her long ago, when we were in school together. Before I transferred and met you guys. We used to be friends.”

“You still are, right?” Mumei replied, tucking her head into Sana’s shoulder. Something about that wording felt too lonely.

“…Maybe.” Sana tilted her head to the side a bit, making room for her. “I wonder if visiting every few months and teasing her about her gacha luck online is enough for that, though.”

Mumei spent a minute processing the response. The earlier conversation had made her tired, but she finally felt calm now, knowing she wasn’t the only one venting, knowing she was being confided in and that her time was coveted. “I suppose relationships are ever changing,” she concluded.

“The amount of dust in our living room speaks to that,” Sana commented wryly. “Makes me wonder if I spend enough time with you all, too.”

The comment cut a painful swath through Mumei’s chest. “That’s not all on you.” Her fingers brushed against Sana’s, a silent gesture of acknowledgment and apology.

“Ahh, the amount of times I’ve had dinner by myself lately…” Sana complained lightheartedly while taking Mumei’s hand into her own. “Thank you for fixing that tonight, by the way. Though it really is no one’s fault.”

“I didn’t fix anything,” Mumei murmured. She was surprised to feel the coolness of metal nestled within their hands.

“You did.” Sana squeezed at the coin between them, if only to cement the sincerity of her next words. “We’re all travelers, Meimei, voyagers in this vast journey through space.” She reached out her other hand to gesture broadly at the night canvas. “…Even though we might sometimes feel stuck on the ground, I know you’ll fly, one day. But in the meantime, you don’t have to be perfectly ‘capable’ or fix things to be worth staying up for. I think it’s already inspiring enough that you’re chasing those dreams and yet made time to sit here with me.”

“It’s nothing special,” Mumei responded, doubtful even as her heart soaked up the flattery. “I’m not anybody…really. There isn’t any reason to think that anyone else wouldn’t do this with you.”

“But you’re here with me.” Sana unthreaded their hands briefly to flip up the coin, as if it could be as simple as that. 

Heads. 

“You’re either here, or you aren’t. And I haven’t spent a day this nice with someone in a long, long time.”

Mumei turned her head only to be met with Sana’s bangs brushing against her own, the warmth in her eyes arresting her in place. 

“Like I said, I want you here. I treasure you. So thank you.”

Thank you. 

I love you.

Mumei hoped her tug at Sana’s neck and the touch of her lips was enough to convey the depth of those words.

Judging by the way Sana laughed and pulled her in closer, it’d been well worth the gamble.

—

Evening in Mumei’s mind was often muddled by the sort of dreary discontent that had her wishing the stars mocking her from outside her corporate prison were all but a fictional concept. But that evening, she wouldn’t trade them for anything. She could resume her battle with confinement and assertiveness some other time. Sitting next to Sana in their little compartment and watching the world fall away at their feet, her head was quieter than it’d been in months.

Sana lay against her, not unlike how they’d ended up at dinner but this time Mumei had to press a palm to her lips to prevent herself from giggling at Sana’s sleep-induced mumbling. The vodka or whatever had been in her drink seemed to finally do her in, and even though the other girl had been the one to suggest taking the ride, excitement flashing in her eyes at being just a smidgen closer to the cosmos than she usually was, it seemed she couldn’t keep them open once they’d gotten in and had to wait more than a few minutes for other passengers to unload. But it didn’t matter. Mumei had done a lot of thinking that evening, and now she appreciated the opportunity to unwind by taking the next few moments in slices, in broken waves. 

It was certainly a city. Mumei didn’t know if she’d just seen enough of civilization as of late or if the day’s mental exhaustion had chipped away at her curiosity, but that was all she could really muster as a reaction. She supposed the ebb and flow of urban traffic and the metro line running its course was at least interesting. Maybe the billboard would still be there if she looked for it on the ride back. 

Sana always liked to talk about how small things looked from up high. Apparently she’d lived in a pretty tall apartment complex at some point, before they’d met. It wasn’t a bad way of seeing things, Mumei thought. And…maybe the issue wasn’t in thinking of her challenges as small, but rather in believing small things weren’t worth anyone’s time. It was small moments like these, after all, she wanted to keep with her for a long time. 

She sought to remember the details of the moment as if she were jotting them down in a journal. The way yellowed, aging lights flickered atop some of the rooftops down below. The way the old was interspersed with the new, heavy machinery slumbering among existing and half-finished buildings. The way vessels small and large swayed in the darkened water, sails fluttering in the brisk night breeze. The way some family in the neighboring cabin was having a hard time controlling their kids. They sporadically knocked on dusty panes, making the most of their evening as well. 

Their own passenger car had some cobwebs in the corner. Mumei remembered that Sana had once told her the spiders in her hometown weren’t to be reckoned with. Whatever their size, she hoped the ones in the car with them were also enjoying the ride. She readjusted herself so she could tuck her boot-clad legs into the corner of the seating area, stifling a yawn of her own. Even without any windows open, the scent of salt persisted in the air. The wind outside snuck in through some of the more poorly-sealed gaps and brought a whisper of whatever song the courtyard band below was belting out. Mumei snuggled her head backwards into the crook of Sana’s shoulder, leaning against her and wondering if she could pick out the pervading melody with enough practice.

And then, a sudden crackle drew her attention to distant sparks.

Her companion stirred next to her, still muttering to the inhabitants of her dream. “Mm…whatdoyoumeean a wedding cake is too much to eat by mys—hahh,” she yawned, blinking herself awake. “Oh my goodness.”

“Good morning,” Mumei chuckled. She pointed at the fireworks in the distance. “Look, you didn’t miss any stars.”

“Mm…good morning,” Sana mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. “Pff—those aren’t staaars.” Sana stuck out her tongue once the bursts of light registered in her vision. 

“Maybe to some they are.” Mumei redirected her forefinger towards the clouds that had started building up above. “And maybe we’d soon have a hard time seeing the real ones, anyway.”

“True.” Sana settled her chin on top of Mumei’s head, humming good-naturedly. “If you can’t buy a trip to the stars, then I suppose homemade is fine.” 

The artificial hue lit up the cabin once more as they passed the crest of the ride in peaceable silence. The bay below reflected each smattering of burst powder for a few moments before fading away into the night, like the rest of this evening soon would. 

Mumei tilted her head back. There was one last thing she wanted to etch into her memory before that happened. Sana hovered above her, head tilted to the side as she met her gaze warmly.

The starlight gleaming in her eyes was one thing she wished to never stop indulging in. “You think we’ll get a chance to do this again?” she murmured.

“What, see the fireworks? Mmm…” Sana mused, absentmindedly moving a hand to card through Mumei’s bangs. “If we come back before the summer ends, maybe. Although I’m not sure they always have them.”

“No, I.” A pause. The gondola stopped and mirrored her suspended breath.  “I meant…” It seemed her tongue was too stubborn to process the request. The feeling of fingers tenderly stroking through her hair certainly wasn’t helping.

Sana blinked. Mumei could see the gears turn in her head as several thoughts made revolutions. “You mean you want to come back…?” she guessed again.

“…With you,” Mumei finished for her. “Or we can go anywhere, really. You’re the important part,” she managed to clarify. Somehow, she found compliments easier to put forth than requests. 

A faint blush made its way onto Sana’s cheeks. “…You sure you have time for me?” 

“I’m the one asking, right?” Mumei tilted her head back down, embarrassed. “…I’ll make time.”

“Then how about we go to the park on nights you want to practice.” Sana wrapped her arms around Mumei’s body, made a motion of strumming a chord. “That way you can still do the things that are important to you.”

“Those have closing hours,” Mumei replied, a bit crestfallen. It wasn’t as if she wanted to shut Sana down—in all honesty, it was quite the appealing suggestion—but it was unfortunately something she’d thought of before. 

“Only for people who can’t run fast,” Sana responded easily. Judging by the way Mumei started trembling in her arms, she’d either hit it out of the park or made her cry. Sana was willing to bet on the better of the two outcomes this time.

“What are you gonna do while I practice, though?” Mumei managed through her mirth. 

“I can always bring my telescope, or I could join you in singing, too. We could take on space stuff, like Sinatra or Owl City.” 

“Owl City,” Mumei wheezed. She was on the verge of a giggle fit again, but she felt warm knowing that Sana really had been listening in on her playing. “Does Fireflies even count as space-related?”

“I dunno, but you might have to help me…I haven’t sung in a long while, so my big voice might just be the cause of their extinction.” A pearly-white grin made it apparent that Sana found the prospect amusing.

Mumei reached up to pinch both of Sana’s cheeks. “Won’t we definitely get kicked out of the park at that point?” 

It was getting harder and harder to tell if their gondola or the next one over was more energetic at this point. The car rocked to and fro as the girls continued their back-and-forth teasing for the rest of the ride. “Wait,” Sana struggled to breathe as they made their descent, “So is that a yes? On the date, I mean. Before we take the train home and fall asleep and end up at the last station and panic and need to get picked up and forget about it.” She was laughing so much through her run-on, it was a miracle Mumei even deciphered it.

But she did. It was just that kind of night, the kind Mumei had made sure she would remember. 

Her eyes shimmered. “A homemade date sounds wonderful.”

—

Omake

—

Making their way back to the station, the two girls chanced upon the fountain they’d passed by that morning. Its spray was illuminated with the light bursts that still permeated the night sky. Sana paused in front of it for a moment, thoughtful.

A glint flew through the air as the penny arced its way up to join the others of its kind within—but Mumei leapt to snatch it before it hit the water. Sana struggled to hold the smaller girl’s body back from splashing in. A passing breeze brushed fine mist into their faces as she managed to pull her away.

“Why?” was all Sana could ask through her amusement. Mumei was back on her feet again, in front of her. 

“I want it,” she replied, simply. “I wish to keep it.”

Sana’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “What for?” 

“I want to return the favor.” Mumei turned away, hopping from one stone brick to the next and tracing a pathway back through that morning. “…Even moreso than just having you with me on my ‘journey’...when you’re sad—and I hope you aren’t too often, but when you are—I’ll take this out. I’ll give it back to you, then. I want to be the one to cheer you up. That’s my wish. You think we can make multiple wishes on this?”

I don’t need a wish for you to make me happy, Meimei.

But she decided to humor her anyway. “Let’s find out,” she responded in turn. Sana took Mumei’s hand and the two went forth into the star-flecked night.