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It’s like, 5 pm, and Nobara’s last class ended almost 45 minutes ago, she should be back at her apartment already, legs thrown up on Megumi’s pretentious ass coffee table, trashy magazine in hand. But nooo, she was held back again to ‘discuss’ her lack of engagement or wasted potential or… something… she can’t remember, she wasn’t listening.
With a huff she takes a turn toward the nearest exit, hand running through her shoulder-length hair, stopping just before her destination to peer up through the skylight. That's another fucking thing, the weathers changed, she can feel the chill through her now-too-light jacket before even opening the damn door.
Fuck it
the exit bar makes a loud thunk as she presses forward, stepping out into the now grey late afternoon. The only thing Nobara registers other than the chill of the cool wind, is the slender figure leaning against the bike shed in the courtyard, head tilted forward toward their phone, cropped forest green hair obscuring most of their face.
If you were to accuse Nobara of noting how perfectly windswept that hair looked, or how well the clothes hung on the figure's body, she’d probably letter bomb your parents home.
after a quick mental mapping of the nearest alternative route off campus, and the realisation she'd used one of the building's one-way exit doors, she continues on her path. besides, Nobara Kugisaki never backs down.
“Shit, thought I caught a whiff of daddy issues in the air, it all adds up now!” Nobara's tone laced with fake enthusiasm, like she’d finally figured out the answer to an impossible question.
the figure looks up, standing to turn toward the source of the verbal assault, upon clocking the perpetrator, Mai Zenin rolls her eyes, a sneer working onto her face before moving to lean back on the bike shed. Seeming to deem the other girl as no threat, Mai looks back down to her phone, face expressionless, uninterested as she speaks
“Oh, bite me, Kugisaki”
“you’d enjoy that too much, wouldn’t you?”
now she's facing the right way, Nobara can at least see any physical reaction to her words, watch her face keenly, map any change, any variation. Mai still hasn't looked up
“anything to get you to shut the fuck up for a minute”
at this, Nobara flared her nostrils, squared her posture, and marched her way over to Mai, staring her down. Well… staring her up?? It's usually no issue for her to intimidate those taller than her, she's had plenty of practice, but for some reason the 4 inches between them almost throws her off balance. That thought is quickly discarded, lips curling up as she speaks, jutting her finger to point at Mai’s chest, barely an inch away
“just because nobody gives a fuck about you, or anything that you say, doesn’t mean everyone else has to take a vow of silence”
Two beats passed with simply an amused smile thrown in response, brown eyes seem to grow lighter with a challenge, almost taunting Nobara into another comeback, as though the first attempt was barely worthy of acknowledgement
“the fuck are you doing out here anyway Zenin? I know it’s cloudy but i didn’t think you were allowed out before dark” the words more of a statement than a question
Mai sighs, finally pockets her phone and looks up before taking a step forward, essentially closing all distance between them, refusing to back down from the shorter girls advance, sucking air through closed teeth, a harsh hissing noise before speaking
“oof… i know you’re barely bathroom mirror height, but those roots are shocking ” voice careful, almost sympathetic, Mai tilts her head slightly and pointedly stares down at Nobara, forcing the girl to look up at her, “pretty sure the art department has step stools, might help, since you obviously haven’t taken a proper look at yourself in a while”
Nobaras jaw tenses visibly, hands folding into fists at her sides as she stares back, beginning to open her mouth in retort but retracting before any words come out, a huff leaves her lips as she tries to calm herself enough to fight back
“This is nice, you really do talk too much. I almost... like you like this” tone painfully teasing, teeth flashing in a smile, a finger brought up to curl a few strands of bright dyed hair
she’s not sure who moves first, but now she’s on her toes, one fist scrunched into the other girl's shirt, Mai's hand on her cheek, and their lips roughly shoved together.
once,
twice,
three times,
a small movement apart, retreating hands
a moments silence, only punctuated by the almost palatable confusion in the air. Nobara is the first to look away, gaze moving to the floor
“if i say something… do you promise not to be a complete bitch about it?”
Nobara was shocked to hear any voice, let alone when she finally registers it as her own, not used to the sound when laced with uncertainty.
a short, rather rough laugh erupts from Mai’s chest as she raises a hand to clutch over her heart
“God, you're funny. I will literally never promise to not be a bitch about anything”
having to reign in the childlike desire to stomp her foot and scream, Nobara's head snaps up, steels her gaze to bore back into Mai “you are so fucking insuffera-“
She knows who moves first this time, feels her jacket collar being yanked up to guide her lips back to Mai’s. Feels the pressure on the side of her neck. The strain in her feet as she's pulled back onto her toes
once,
twice,
hands take their place on the taller girls hips, open this time, heads turned for a better angle, lips loosen
three times,
four,
Nobara wants to finish her point, she knows they need to have a discussion, and she hates being interrupted. She bought a fucking squirt bottle last year to use whenever her excitable friend Yuji cut her off, yeah, Nobara really hates being interrupted.
But there's a gasp, a tongue pushing into her mouth, a firm hand moving to hold her jaw, long fingers now resting on the back of her neck, pulling her body impossibly closer.
She figures she can be patient this once.
Across the yard, a large hand is held out palm up, shaking slightly from the force of deep laughs racking an entire body “pay up brother!! you make this too easy!”
Yuji looks on disbelievingly, moving in an almost mechanical way to pull out his wallet and slide Todo a couple bills, still frozen in place until a heavy arm is thrown over his shoulder, laughs still violent enough to shake them both, before the larger boy turns, taking Yuji with him and walks them in the opposite direction.
“… i’m like… completely lost.. i .. i thought they hated each other?”
“I’m telling you bro, the lesbian psyche like… works different”