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Entry tags:

haruka,
michiru

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[ Monday afternoon. they've had enough time to recover from their latest training session -- Haruka's back is just a little sore -- and she supposes she did promise, or at least, allude to being willing to consider it.

so here she is in Michiru's apartment again, still unchanged from her school uniform, bag slung over her shoulder, about to have her portrait painted. she didn't really feel any particular need to do herself up for the occasion, and maybe she should have, but hey-- if Michiru expected that much of her, she should've gone ahead and said it.

Haruka glances around. not uncertain, of course, just unfamiliar with the workings of this whole thing. ]

So, how are we going to do this?

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[ Michiru lifts her eyebrows, holding one hand out, palm toward Haruka. ]

Not just yet. You can see when it's finished, alright?

[ in response, she presents Michiru with a pout so exaggerated in its childishness that you couldn't possibly believe it's genuine. ] So that's how you're going to be, huh... fine, then. [ at which point she stops trying to retain the expression ] So what's for dinner?

[ She absolutely doesn't believe it, not for a second- but she does laugh, just slightly, her expression cracking just a little as she presses her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. ] Do you like stew? I've got some ingredients I need to use. [ And it's hard cooking a meal for just one. ]

Yeah, sure! [ in all honesty, anything Michiru makes is fine by her -- she's a good cook, and Haruka is, admittedly, a bit hungry. ]

Edited 2012-11-05 04:25 (UTC)

[ Michiru heads to the kitchen, there, sort of expecting Haruka to follow her. ]

Mm. You're different than what I expected, you know.

[ Way to just be all Honesty Hour up in here, Michiru. ]

[ and Haruka does, sure enough. that statement gets an eyebrow raise out of her-- it's not the sort of thing she was expecting to hear from Michiru, all the more so with no discernible precedent. ]

That so? For the better, I hope. [ though the words are her usual teasing-nonchalance fare, her curiosity manages to seep through. ]

[ Michiru busies herself with the stove, by carefully preparing ingredients. She's not looking directly at Haruka, though her tone is still pointedly light, almost teasing. ]

I never thought the woman I spoke to on the ship after my concert would ever let me paint her.

[ Haruka had prepared herself for some lighthearted jab or another, maybe about the composed vibe she gives off but then proves incapable of sitting still in a chair and keeping quiet for an hour, or how independent and self-sufficient she looks while the most use she can be of in the kitchen is reaching the high cabinets. those are all things she could've easily laughed off -- even if there's more truth to them than she would've liked, they're so minor and inconsequential that there's no need for her to pay them any mind.

this, though, was something wholly different. it feels so far away from her, now -- their first meeting, their conversation on the ship -- and with how comfortable she is being around Michiru, it may as well have been a different person altogether back then. but in reality, it's only been a mere few weeks, and it was her, the exact same Haruka Tenoh, selfish, cowardly, cold, and unnecessarily cruel. Haruka would like to think that she's changed since, and that she will change much, much more from this point on, but really? it hasn't been nearly enough time for her to claim, and much less honestly believe, that that part of her is gone. she wants it to be, she wishes it were, but it's still there, just lying dormant within her.

and even if it were gone now -- it doesn't come close to erasing what she did. ]

Yeah. [ it's small, awkward, and severely lacking on every level. Haruka falls into a brief silence, teeth digging into her lower lip as she searches for something more to say. ]

I'm not proud of that.

[ The smallness of Haruka's voice catches Michiru by surprise. She hadn't meant to seriously chastise or scold her; she'd expected the other girl to laugh, to make some dismissive comment about it and brush it off, and she realizes only belatedly how it may have sounded.

Haruka had been scared - of course she had been reluctant, a little cold. But when danger had really presented herself, hadn't she taken her wand and transformed without complaint? That was a more important measure of character than initial fears and brusqueness. ]

I'm not proud of everything I've done, either. [ Michiru hands her two plates and some silverware, a silent request to set the table. ] We're lucky that those moments don't define us, hm?

[ Haruka doesn't understand how Michiru can be so forgiving when she can't even consider herself deserving of it. but it ignites a warmth in her chest, sends a slow smile sprawling across her lips. ]

... That's right. [ she takes the dinnerware -- her fingertips brush against Michiru's, momentary and insignificant -- and then turns away, going about setting the table with her usual quiet neatness. ]

[ Michiru's fingers curl- she has to swallow an almost longing murmur, and she turns to actually start making dinner. ]

I told my parents that we had met. My father was very impressed!

Ah, really? [ she places a fork against the table with a clink. ] The circumstances of our meeting must've been pleasant.

Mmm. [ Michiru chuckles at that, remaining at the stove. ] We met after one of your races and were fast friends.

[ with the table set and nothing more to do, Haruka moves to stand at Michiru's side, watching her with her head tilted and hands planted atop the counter. ]

Sounds nice. [ it's almost a little wistful. ]

[ Michiru works quickly and efficiently, casting a sideways glance to Haruka. She doesn't know what to say to that. ]

It does, doesn't it.

Well-- [ her voice lightens ] nothing that can be done about it.

[ a beat. Haruka smiles at her a little. ] It might sound naive, but even as things are, I can't say I regret it.

[ Michiru's heart flutters a little in her throat and she swallows it down. Silly, childish, but she returns the smile. ]

Why do you say that?

Mm, how to put it... [ in thought, Haruka rocks on the balls of her feet, leaning further over the counter before straightening back up. she's looking at the wall more than she is at Michiru. ] Well, my life before I met you was comfortable, there's no denying that. And I'm sure I look like the sort of person who shouldn't rightly want for anything, but... I wasn't happy. It was all I knew, and I was scared by the thought of leaving it behind, but I wasn't happy. I needed something more. A purpose. And now that I've found it, all the trivial things I used to fill up my time with -- I don't need them anymore.

It's probably presumptuous of me to say that when I don't even know anything about being a real soldier yet, but I'm glad for it. It feels like... no matter what fate has in store for me, I'd rather accept it than run away again. Because even if it means my life is cut short, it wouldn't have been a waste.

[ she scratches the back of her head as she reestablishes the eye contact, a bit self-conscious. Haruka could never tell Michiru about the nights she'd spent curled up in her bed, screaming soundlessly into her pillow this isn't what I want, this isn't me -- she could never get across the full extent of what this means to her -- but this is still more than she'd be willing to share with anyone else, and it leaves her feeling the slightest bit vulnerable. ]

[ And Michiru is, in short, absolutely floored by Haruka's candor. She stands there for a moment in silence, processing what she's just been told- perhaps showing respect for the other girl's words? It wasn't what she was expecting to hear. They were partners, yes, and part of that involved trusting each other with their lives, but she had never thought that Haruka would be so frank with her.

Some of her surprise, too, comes from how much what Haruka said resonates with her. She understands, understands it better than she's ever understood anything else, and softly, carefully, she steps forward and leans in to very gently touch her fingertips to her wrist. ]

I think we'll make a great team.

[ That's all there is to say, right? Gentle and sincere, but she swallows hard, pulling her hand back. ]

Let's eat.

[ Haruka is prepared to be chided -- for taking their duty too lightly, for looking at it from too emotional a view -- but instead she's only met with soft, quiet understanding, and the next moment she can't even believe she expected anything else.

of course Michiru would understand.

she doesn't even notice the tension that has accumulated in her shoulders until it melts away, as if drained by Michiru's touch. with both hands, Haruka pushes herself away from the counter, straightening up. ]

Yeah.

[ More and more, it became apparent that Haruka was the partner that Michiru had always dreamed of. More than that, even, and she takes a breath to steady herself as she serves out the food. ]

Do you have any other plans today? I don't want to keep you-- I can probably finish the rest of the painting alone.

It's fine. I can stay. Besides, I want to see it when it's finished.

I don't know that I'll be able to finish it today. You might need to stop by again tomorrow.

Edited 2012-12-03 16:29 (UTC)

That's fine, too. [ she settles into a chair, crossing one leg over the other. ] I can make the time.

[ Michiru tilts her head at her again, expression shuttered, but she forces it to soften and smile. ]

The drive over doesn't bother you?

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WHOAH i thought.... i had tagged this i also didn't finish that sentence??

COME INTO MY ARMS

:3