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Ave Mujica tour, take two. Mutsumi didn’t fully remember how the first one ended. When she asked Mortis she’d just said “bad!” Mutsumi was inclined to believe her, considering the band didn’t even survive their first tour.
Next to Mutsumi, Nyamu yawned. “God, I’m so tired.”
Little bits of adrenaline still buzzed in Mutsumi’s veins as she followed Nyamu to their hotel room, but it was already fading quickly. She’d changed and showered. Nyamu had taken great care to dry Mutsumi’s hair for her. That small act of intimacy was enough to have Mutsumi feeling warm and full of love. She couldn’t wait to nestle up to Nyamu and Umiri.
Nyamu swiped her keycard at the door. Inside, Umiri sat crosslegged on the bed, scrolling through her phone. A towel was wrapped around her shoulders. She was already dressed in her pajamas—a loose fitting shirt and shorts. Her earrings had been removed and set aside. Mutsumi wanted nothing more than to join her.
Just as Mutsumi started toward Umiri, Hatsune grabbed her arm. Her grip was tight before quickly loosening.
“Ah! Mutsumi-chan!” Hatsune said with a hopeful look. “I was wondering if you wanted to share a bed with me tonight.”
Nyamu grabbed Mutsumi’s other arm. “Uh, no. She’s sharing with us.”
This was exactly what Mutsumi had been worried about when Mortis told her about her new friendship with Hatsune.
“Mutsumi-chan, you don’t mind, right?” Hatsune asked.
”Muuko~ Tell Uiko you want to sleep with your girlfriends tonight,” Nyamu urged.
Neither of them let go of her. Mutsumi opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t quite find the words.
”It’s just one night,” Hatsune said, her smile coming close to slipping as she tugged on Mutsumi’s arm.
Nyamu glared. “That’s funny. I should say the same thing to you.”
"I'm Mutsumi-chan's friend. Why are you acting like this?"
"Just because you're her friend doesn't mean you get some twisted ownership of her!"
A loud, quick clap broke through the scene. Umiri stepped forward. “I can see you two are having a disagreement. Why don’t you ask Mutsumi what she wants?”
Hatsune and Nyamu both dropped her arms. All three sets of eyes looked at her expectantly. Mutsumi shrank back.
”Muuko, you can be honest. What do you want to do?”
Hatsune flashed a hesitant smile. “It’s fine, Mutsumi-chan. I won’t be mad.”
“I…”
Mortis rested her head on top of Mutsumi’s head. “Want me to handle it? It’s kind of my fault we’re in this situation.”
Mutsumi frowned. “It’s not your fault.”
”Sure it is! Hatsune-chan’s my friend.”
At first, maybe. The more time Mutsumi spent with her, though, the more they got along. Their music was even more in sync than before. She could do without Hatsune trying to squeeze her to death, though.
”Fix this,” Mutsumi said with a sigh. “Please?”
Mortis raised a finger in the air. “I have an idea!”
“Oh, here we go,” Nyamu said with a roll of her eyes.
Mortis stuck her tongue out.
Umiri stifled a laugh.
“What if all four of us shared a bed?”
For a moment, everything was silent as the other three girls took in Mortis’s words. Then, everyone erupted into protests.
“No way!” Nyamu yelled. “That’s a horrible idea!”
“I’m sure nobody wants to share a bed with me,” Hatsune said, laughing nervously.
“I’m not sure if all four of us could fit,” Umiri pointed out.
Nyamu turned to face her. “Your only issue with this is logistics?!”
Umiri shrugged.
“Listen!” Mortis said. “I think it’s a good idea. We can put her on the outside, then me, then you two.”
Hatsune waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “No, really! It’s fine! I can sleep alone.”
But if she slept alone, who would comfort her if she woke up from a nightmare? Mortis felt a small bit of responsibility for Hatsune. Mutsumi didn't need her protection anymore; Hatsune did.
Nyamu seemed to be genuinely thinking it over. “Umiko. Mortis.” She motioned for them to move further in the room. The three girlfriends huddled away from Hatsune. Nyamu wrapped an arm around both their shoulders and pulled them close.
“I know she’s your friend or whatever,” Nyamu whispered. “But I don’t want to sleep in a bed with her!"
Umiri hummed thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with Misumi-san.”
“Good. You can cuddle with her. Me and Mortis can share the other bed.”
Umiri gave her a mean look. “You know that’s not what I meant. My only issue is I don’t know if we’d all fit.”
Mortis looked at the bed. She’d squeezed the three of them into much smaller spaces. As long as they were close, there shouldn’t be any issue fitting Hatsune with them.
“If you guys really don’t want to, I guess it’s fine…” Mortis said. “But you know she’s going to be really sad.”
“Oh, don’t guilt trip me,” Nyamu complained.
“Uika-chan has nightmares most nights,” Mortis continued. “It’d be so sad if she had to wake up all alone…”
Umiri and Mortis both looked to Nyamu for her decision.
“I’m outnumbered here, aren’t I?” Nyamu rolled her eyes. “You’re seriously the worst.”
“You can say no,” Mortis said.
Nyamu sighed. “It’s fine. Uiko’s not that bad. Besides, she's… technically part of the band, too."
As they turned around, they were greeted with Hatsune’s sad expression. She looked so much like a puppy abandoned to live inside a cardboard box in the rain.
“It’s fine. I understand. Of course you wouldn’t want to share a bed with someone like me.”
“Oh my god. Can you at least let me get a word out before you start getting depressed?” Nyamu asked.
Hatsune’s shoulders slumped. She lowered her head.
“You can join. I guess.”
Hatsune perked up. She gasped. “Really?”
Mortis wondered what it was that made Hatsune feel so unwanted by everyone. What happened to her to bring her to this point? Maybe one day she'd finally explain. Until then, Mortis would stay by her side.
It took a bit of manuevering, but the four girls did, in fact, fit in the bed. The ordering had Umiri on the far side, then Nyamu, then Mortis, then Hatsune. Nyamu's arms were tight around Mortis's waist. Combined with Hatsune's vicelike grip, Mortis felt the air in her lungs being squeezed out.
"Too tight," Mortis wheezed.
Nyamu pecked a kiss behind her ear. "Sorry."
Hatsune lowered her head. "...sorry."
Mutsumi had to admit that it was a bit odd to have so many people in the same bed, one of which Mutsumi wasn't dating. It was a little bit too warm, and Nyamu seemed to be trying to pull Mutsumi away from Hatsune.
"G'night," Nyamu mumbled.
"Goodnight," Umiri called from the other side of the bed.
"Night," Mutsumi said.
Hatsune lifted her head up just enough to give Mutsumi a smile. "Goodnight."
Mutsumi shut her eyes. She was nearly asleep when the door to the hotel room opened. Sakiko entered the room. Hatsune attempted to scramble away from the others but Mutsumi’s grip on her was too firm.
Sakiko looked at the bed where four members of Ave Mujica squeezed in together. Then, she looked at the lone bed they’d left untouched.
“Uika,” she said. “I wasn’t aware you were joining Mutsumi’s relationship.”
Hatsune’s face flushed bright red. “I— I’m not! I just—“
“It’s quite alright. You don’t need to justify yourselves to me.” Sakiko climbed into her own bed, content to be sleeping alone. She pulled the covers up before promptly turning off the light.
“I don’t care what she says,” Nyamu whispered from over Mutsumi’s shoulder. “I’m not dating you, Uiko.”
Hatsune’s face nearly glowed in the dark room. “I wouldn’t want you to!” she whispered back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!"
“Nyamu,” Umiri groaned. She dragged her back before she could pick a fight. "Just go to sleep."
Mutsumi suppressed a smile. While she wasn't particularly interested in dating Hatsune, she was still a member of their band. More than that, though. She was a friend. Little by little, she hoped that Nyamu would come to see that, too.
Nyamu woke to Mortis clinging tightly to her. She wrinkled her nose. As much as she loved Mortis, this was a little much, even for her. Especially so early in the morning. Nyamu set a hand on Mortis's shoulder and gently pushed her away. Arms tightened around her in a vicelike grip. Nyamu coughed as the air was forced out of her.
"Seriously?" She looked down at the girl in her arms, but instead of Mortis's light green hair, she saw a blonde bob.
Uika loosened her grasp. "Sorry," she squeaked out in the meekest possible voice she could.
What kind of person would Nyamu be if she turned her away now? Not when Uika looked so pathetic. Well, more pathetic than normal, anyway. She always seemed to have that kicked dog look about her.
"It's… fine," Nyamu said.
Something about the way Uika clung to her reminded her of when she used to comfort her younger siblings. She wondered if Uika had any family or if they were all back on that island she used to live on. Uika had never mentioned siblings. Was she an only child?
Mutsumi stepped out of the bathroom. She locked eyes with Nyamu from across the room.
Caught red handed. God forbid someone show concern for their bandmate.
Mutsumi climbed back into bed on the other side of Uika.
"Do you want me to move?" Uika asked, glancing between them.
"You can stay," Nyamu answered. She set a hand on the back of Uika's head to guide her back into her shoulder. "Just this once." Nyamu was certain this wouldn't be the last time, but she would tackle that issue later.
Mutsumi smiled. She leaned over Uika's head to peck a quick kiss to Nyamu's mouth.
Uika lifted her head. There was a faint blush to her cheeks. "Um. Thanks for letting me sleep here, but do you mind… not kissing with me in the middle?"
Nyamu snorted. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea." She smirked. "Or are you just afraid we're going to kiss you next?"
Her face erupted in color. "What? No, I—!"
"And I thought you said you weren't interested in dating her," Mutsumi said.
Now it was Nyamu's turn to flush. "Of course I'm not! Where did you even get that idea?"
Umiri shifted behind her. "Can we sort out whether or not Misumi-san is joining the relationship in the morning? Some of us are trying to sleep."
Both answered at the same time, talking over each other in an effort to prove their innocence.
"There's nothing to sort out! She's not!"
"I'm not joining!"
"Wow," Mutsumi said. "You guys have so much in common already."
Nyamu huffed. "The next person who talks is going to sleep with Sakiko."
And just like that, the room fell silent.