Chapter Text
Ena was very rudely woken up by her phone buzzing under her pillow. “Ugggghhhh…” She rolled over in her bed and shoved a hand under her pillow to grab the stupid electronic slab that was the cause of all her current problems. By the time she got her phone in front of her face and opened her crusty eyes, she could only see the words “fashion gremlin” on her screen for half a second before the call times out.
Eh, it’s just Amia. Probably didn’t matter. She let her face flop back down on her pillow and tried to get some more sleep.
Her phone, still in her hand, started buzzing again.
Oh, fuck this. This call had better be important or she’s going to rip her in half. Ena rolled back on her back and answered the call. “What the hell do you want, Akiyama?”
<Wow, feisty much? I haven’t even said anything and you’re already tearing into me!>
“You’re the one who decided to call me at…” Ena pulled her phone away from her ear to check the time. “08:15? What the fuck are you doing waking me up this early on summer break?!”
<Well you see, Enanan, I’ve come here with a tantalising offer. One that you certainly can’t refuse.> God, she could just hear the smirk on her face.
“Get your point across in the next ten seconds or I’m hanging up and blocking you until next week.”
<Ehh?! But it’s only Tuesday!> Mizuki cried out.
“Tick tock then, asshole.”
<Okay, okay! You don’t have to rush me… This previously online-only clothing store I like is having its first in-person location debut today at noon, and I need someone to come with me to stop me from blowing my entire paycheck on dresses. Wanna come with?>
“Maybe? Lemme check something…” Ena got up to walk over to her bedroom window. The instant she opened it, she had to flinch away from a gust of hot air. “Holy shit is it hot out today. Absolutely not.”
<Ugh, come ooooooonnn, Enanan! Here, lemme send you some pictures of their accessories and blouses.>
Ena let out a huff, but checked her text messages anyway. A few images rolled in, and unfortunately, she had to admit that Mizuki had gotten a good sense of her style. “That is a cute choker… and those earrings would go great with my new belt… but no! I’m not gonna risk heat stroke just for this. Besides, you said I can order these online anyway, right? What’s the website?”
Mizuki giggled through the phone. <Not gonna tell you unless you come with, Eh~nah~ nan!>
“Bitch. You remember I’m the one who taught you to reverse image search so you could get art permission for your character fancams, right?”
<Gasp! You wound me. Deeply.>
“Did you just say the word ‘gasp’?”
<How about this? I’ll take you to this café my friend keeps recommending to me if you tag along. My treat. I hear they make some really good pancakes…>
Damn it. Amia’s got her right where she wants her, and she knows it. “Ugh, fine.”
<Great! I’ll give you an hour to get ready, okay?>
Ena’s eyes shot open wide as the last dregs of sleepiness were flung right out of her body. “An hour?! Didn’t you say this thing opened at noon?”
<Yeah, but you know these things get lines that start ages before the thing happens. There’s probably one or two people already waiting, so hop to it!>
Ena let out a long groan. “Why am I still friends with you…”
<Well obviously it’s because you love me~>
She tapped the ‘end call’ button in place of dignifying that with a response.
“ENA, YOUR DIPSHIT BESTIE’S HERE!”
The girl finished the last little bits of detail on her eyeliner before marching downstairs to where her brother was being an annoyance. She walked right up to Akito and lightly smacked him over the head. “Agh, watch it!”
“Only I get to call my friends dipshits. You didn’t even let her in?”
“It’s to differentiate. I only have Toya, but you have Akiyama and Momoi. Idol girl’s Hotshot Bestie, and the goblin is Dipshit Bestie.”
“‘Differentiate’? Where’d you learn a word that big?” Ena pushed her brother out of the way to get to the door and open it. She took one look at Mizuki, turned back to Akito, and said, “Actually, you get full rights to call this one a dipshit. What the fuck are you wearing , Amia?”
Mizuki was standing out in the sweltering summer heat, dressed in a medium length skirt, a cropped blouse, and a goddamn black leather jacket . “What, does it look bad?”
“No, you idiot, I’m worried about you getting heat stroke! Get inside and take that thing off before you get cooked from the inside out.”
Mizuki looked startled for a moment before her expression returned to normal, and she flopped over on the couch. God, is Ena that bad of a friend that people are genuinely surprised when she’s actually worried about people’s wellbeing? “Eh, I run pretty cold. Back me up here, Lil’ Bro.”
Akito, famous for his totally 100% normal body heat regulation, glanced over at Mizuki. “Looks fine to me.”
“You wear four layers in the spring and autumn. You don’t count.”
“Three and half. I tie one of them around my waist.”
“The fact that you think that’s a ‘gotcha’ proves my point even further.”
Mizuki waved her hand as if to physically brush away her concerns. “I’ll be fine, Ena. I brought a thermos full of ice water and everything.” She pulled the bottle out of her purse and wiggled it around to emphasise her point. “Did you put on sunscreen?”
“Yeah? I actually prepare for bullshit hot weather, unlike you .” Ena jabbed. “Don’t you know it’s gonna be thirty-four degrees out there?”
“Thirty-four and a half, plus some wind,” Akito chimed in. He opened the front door, dressed in a long-sleeved pullover hoodie. “I’m heading off to grab lunch with Toya. Have fun with whatever you’re doing, dipshits.”
Akito slammed the door on his way out, and Mizuki turned to face Ena. “Ready to go?”
“Are you seriously going to wear that?”
“I told you, I can handle the heat!”
“This coming from someone who puts ice cubes in her instant noodles.”
“Th-that’s different, okay? Food heat isn’t the same as weather heat!”
“Heat is heat, and the hot water you’re gonna end up in by wearing that is gonna be my problem. But if you insist .” Ena pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling the oncoming headache that was Akiyama Mizuki. “Just don’t come crying to me when I leave you dying on the pavement instead of calling an ambulance.”
The gremlin in front of her grinned. “I’ll be the cutest dead body you’ve ever seen! Now come on, we’re gonna be late!”
Ena wiped the tail end of what must have been a full liter of sweat from her forehead. “Hhhhhamia,” She moaned between deep, heavy breaths, “When theeeaaaaauuggghhh… fuck are we gonna be at th’front? And how the… huff… hell’re you still fine? You should have passed out in… hooouuuggghhh… in that thing ages ago!”
The artist had no idea whether or not the number of hours that had passed in this line could be counted on one hand, and checking would probably make her feel even worse. While she was nursing a headache and having trouble keeping her eyes open, Mizuki seemed perfectly content wearing her leather jacket under the searing summer sun. The girl tapped on her phone, and cheered, “One block from the storefront, Enanan! Just keep marching and we’re golden!”
Ena leaned on her friend’s shoulder and made a grabby motion at her bag. “Gimme th’rest of your water. Mine’s all out n’ y’seem perfectly fine without it.”
“Ena, you drank the last of it almost a full block ago.”
A well-timed gust of burning wind punctuated her suffering. “FFFffffffuuuuuuuuckk.”
Mizuki started rubbing Ena’s back, which, while being nice emotional support, wasn’t really making her feel any better physically. In fact, her stomach felt like it was filling with butterflies and her heart rate was actually going up a little bit. Was it how close and caring Mizuki was acting at the moment, or the oppressive heat of the sun doing things to her body and brain?
Ena’s stomach chose that exact moment to do a triple axel, and she had to hunch forward and cover her mouth to keep from spilling her guts all over the pavement. The taste of breakfast and bile threatening to jump out of her floated around on the air inside her mouth.
Definitely the heat.
“‘Zuki,” she mumbled, “Know how I said I din’ wanna get heestroke?”
Mizuki tightened her grip around her shoulders and held her upright. “You gonna be alright?”
Ena leaned further into her, mostly for stability. “...maybe? ‘M gettin’ a lil dizzy…”
“Okay? Uh, maybe sit in my shadow? Try and keep yourself out of the sun.”
With a little help, Ena plopped herself down underneath her friend. The shade helped a bit, but the warm winds blowing through the streets were not doing her any favors.
A minute later, the line in front of them started moving. “C’mon, Enanan!” Mizuki cheered, holding out her hand. “We’re getting closer!”
Ena grabbed her hand to pull herself up. Back on her feet, she took a few steps forward, but it still felt like her brain was spinning inside her skull. She felt her foot cramp and trip over nothing. Time slowed to a crawl as she started to fall to the ground. Was the heat cooking her brain stopping her from feeling things as fast, or were near-death experiences just like they were in the movies? It didn’t really matter right now, because everything was starting to go black.
If this is how she died, she’d definitely have to rip whatever was waiting for her in hell a new one.
When Ena came to, she wasn’t at the fiery gates of hell. Nor the pearly gates of heaven. No, she was lying down in a shaded alleyway with something cold draped over her torso and another cold something pressed against her forehead. She opened her eyes, and though her vision was blurry, she could make out the color pink and a glowing pale blue light. She could hear someone talking, but her grogginess made it all muffled. “Ugghhh, wha happened?”
The talking stopped, and a second later, whatever was being held against Ena’s head clattered on the ground by her shoulder. Whoever was there with her muttered the first set of words she was able to make out: “She’s awake.”
Ena rubbed her hands against her eyes, and once her vision was clear, she saw Mizuki crouching in front of her. The girl fumbled around with her purse for a bit. After a few seconds and one or two curses under her breath, Mizuki turned back to Ena, and the glowing from her hand had stopped.
Ena officially had no goddamn idea what was happening.
“Hey, Ena. How ya holdin’ up?”
“Feel like shit.” Her headache, dizziness, and upset stomach hadn’t let up, but at least she had a reprieve from the heat.
“Here, hold this up against your head.” Mizuki handed Ena her water bottle, and she had to hiss in a breath when she grabbed it. For some reason it was damn near freezing to the touch.
“Fuck d’you do this thing?” Ena held it against her head, and recognized it as the cold object that Mizuki had pressed against her head earlier. Shit, was that helpful. It was like she cut the pressure in her skull in half.
“Stay here, okay? I’m calling someone to pick us up.” Mizuki took a step out into the sun to continue the call on her phone.
“Got it.” Ena took some time to get herself sitting up comfortably. As she did, she took a glance down at herself, and saw that Mizuki’s jacket was draped over her.
At some point between her passing out and her waking up, Mizuki had decided that the best thing to do when treating heat stroke was to add another layer of clothes.
“What the fuck?”
It was at this moment that Ena remembered that the thing draped over her body was cold. She pulled the leather coat off herself and held it in her hands, and sure enough, the cooling feeling was coming from the jacket itself. Lifting it up revealed that there was a lining with some really complicated stitching that was glowing a pale blue.
Whatever it was, it certainly didn’t look like electronics. She’d worn one too many Halloween costumes with light-up accessories to know what that kind of flexible wiring looked and felt like.
Right, feeling. Ena reached out her hand and gave the glowing threads a touch, just to see what would happen. Before she could even process it, her hand had flinched away from the intensity of the cold. That stitching felt like ice . “Oi, Amia!” Ena called out loudly. Well, as loudly as she could when her brain felt like it was going to actually explode. “Hell’s up with your clothes?!”
The girl froze up for a second, like all her nerves had been replaced by whatever fucked up thread was in her jacket. A moment later, she continued talking to whoever was on the other line.
There was no way she didn't hear her. Not with that kind of response.
“Mizuki? Hello? Anybody home?”
More talking. More standing still, turned away. More avoidance. More ignoring.
Ena pushed through her dizziness and headache to march right up to Mizuki. “Yeah, two more blocks past the American fast food place, and we’re in the alley before the next major street.”
“Akiyama, explain what the fuck is going on!”
“I’m standing out in front so you don’t miss us,” Mizuki continued. Not even shushing her for the sake of the call or acknowledging her questioning. Normally, Ena would've been fine with all this secretive bullshit. But this?
Something wasn’t quite right with the world itself, not just one person’s feelings. And she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Ena reached out to grab Mizuki's free hand, and holy shit was that thing cold. It wasn't quite as cold as the water bottle she'd been holding, or the glowing threads in the coat, but it was pretty far up there. Surprised, she flinched and ripped her hand away with a yelp, and Mizuki let out a gasp and did the same. “U-uh, see you when you get here.”
Mizuki hung up and slipped her phone into her purse, and just kind of stared at Ena awkwardly, waiting for something to happen. Even though Ena was the one that was physically the most helpless at the moment, seeing as she had struggled to even walk over to confront her, Mizuki’s expression made it clear that she was the one feeling trapped.
Ena huffed angrily and crossed her arms. “Just tell me later, okay?”
Mizuki let out a big sigh of relief. “Okay.”
“I’m serious. Whatever your personal secrets are, that’s all happening on your own time. But ever since that whole situation with that thing Kanade calls her dog, there’s been some impossible bullshit going on. You know more than you’re letting on and I’m not coming away from this with no answers.”
Mizuki shrunk away a little bit at that, and Ena’s anger reflected back at herself a little bit. She settled for draping the weird cooling jacket over her shoulders and once again grabbing Mizuki’s freezing hand, making sure to keep her grip this time. “I’m not gonna drop you over this, dumbass. Neither will K and Yuki if you tell them too. You got that?”
“...how do you know?” The girl’s voice sounded so small, so frail, like a stray cat trapped in an alleyway being offered food by a hand it didn't trust. “How do you know that, when they learn that I’ve been hiding something so important from them, long after the point where I should’ve said something?”
“You know what they’re like. Those two are as stubborn as I am, and they’ve already got it in their heads that they like you. You’re fine.”
Mizuki was quiet for a few seconds. Finally, her shoulders slumped and she turned her head away. “...okay.”
Ena leaned over on Mizuki’s shoulder. Her head was still spinning, and it definitely wasn’t just from the heat. Give her a break; she’d passed out not too… long… ago…
Shit. Today was supposed to be a fun outing. “Sorry for ruining your shopping trip, Amia.”
“Are you kidding? I can always order online. I’m not gonna leave you high and dry for a discount on shipping!” Mizuki responded. “Besides, it wasn’t exactly your fault that you couldn’t handle the heat. I had to cheat with magic to stand a chance.”
“Magic, huh?” That explained both a lot and nothing at all. But before she could think about it any further, a chunky pickup truck with a couple of tiny scratch marks on the paint pulled up to a stop.
The passenger side door opened and a girl with black and blue hair hopped out. “No one needs a hospital trip, right?” Then her face lit up with recognition. “Hey, aren’t you Akito’s sister?”
Oh, it was her dipshit brother’s singer friend. The one whose dad he started a fan club for, if she remembered right. “Yeah, I think we met once before? Wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Need to get your memory checked, Enanan? She’s my friend too! That’s how you two met in the first place,” Mizuki teased.
“Well sue me for halfing a have-mel - err, having a half-melted brain. See? Can’t even speak right.”
“Everyone okay out there?” A deeper voice called out from the truck.
“No bodies to clean up out here, dad!” The dark-haired girl then slung an arm over Mizuki’s shoulder. Ena really hoped someone would say her name soon so she didn’t have to ask. “Well, if no one’s dying and it’s heat stroke instead of anything contagious, whaddya say we head back to the shop? We’ve got air conditioning and iced drinks.”
Mizuki looked at Ena with a smirk. “I did say I was taking you to a café, didn’t I? Let’s hit the road!”