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Ryoko Mochizuki was a lot of things.
She was kind, almost to a fault. She was by far the nicest, sweetest, most caring person Minako had ever met; like a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day, or a blessing from the universe itself. She was so full of love and compassion that it hurt Minako’s heart, like she’d ingested too much sugar and made herself sick. She had never met someone with as much love for life itself as Ryoko, and she sincerely doubted that she ever would—even her smile was bright enough to illuminate even the darkest of nights. Or maybe that was just Minako’s way of looking at her. She wasn’t quite sure.
But, as sweet and loving as she was, Ryoko was also… naïve, to put it bluntly. She was so full of pure kindness that she often didn’t realize that other people didn’t share that mentality. She was so quick to help others that she didn’t stop to consider whether or not there was an ulterior motive, and that blind trust had spawned more than a few issues. Minako distinctly remembered her spending tens of thousands of yen on scam-games at a festival because she felt too guilty to leave the woman at the stand, and then having to drag her away from an old man trying to sell her on a pyramid scheme on the ride home. Sometimes, she worried what would happen to her if she wasn’t there to keep watch.
So, when Minako overheard a certain argument taking place, she knew exactly what had happened.
Ryoko had run off somewhere after class, and, really not wanting to get caught in another one of Aigis’ blunt warnings about how dangerous she was, she chose to wait outside the classroom. Minako was sure she looked awkward right now, but she would rather that then hear the word ‘dangerous’ one more time. She loved Aigis, but it was starting to get on her nerves. How could someone so full of love and joy be dangerous? She didn’t understand. Maybe something was off with her programming.
So, she stood outside the classroom, her hands in her pockets and her headphones blasting loudly enough to drown out most of the passing conversations.
Most of them. But she still managed to catch Ryoko’s name being thrown around by someone standing next to her, and she took out one of her headphones in both curiosity and worry.
“No, dude, she’s totally my girlfriend!” A guy argued aggressively to a group of what looked to be his friends. Normally she wouldn’t have wasted her time listening to stupid fights like these, but she didn’t like the direction this conversation seemed to be going. “She asked me out to coffee! At Chagall! No way that wasn’t a date.”
Ah.
Yep, that sounded like Ryoko alright. Minako tugged at the wire of her headphones to keep herself calm, hoping she was missing some sort of context to all of this.
Ryoko… didn’t seem to realize when guys were flirting with her. At all. Which was not only a miracle considering the way she effortlessly and perfectly flirted with Minako like she’d been training for it her entire life, it was also quite unfortunate given that the school’s entire male population seemed to have a massive crush on her. She’d even overheard a few girls say that they’d date her if they could, which totally did not make Minako jealous at all. Nope. Not one bit.
Minako would need both hands to count the amount of times Ryoko had accidentally flirted with someone she didn’t mean to. She was so happy to talk to people that, unfortunately, her joy and that blindly bright smile of hers tended to be misconstrued.
But it had never gotten quite to the point of other people thinking she was their girlfriend. Minako took a deep breath. Hopefully there was more to this that she just hadn’t heard yet.
“She asked me the same thing, Hayato,” another boy interrupted, seeming a bit more calm than the first one. “And she told me my jacket looked nice on me. So I think she’s into me.” Minako tangled her headphone wire around her finger. Okay, well, maybe they weren’t talking about Ryoko. Maybe her name being brought up was unrelated, and there was another girl that was oblivious enough to social norms that she would accidentally—
“Well she lets me call her Ryo-chan! A girl only lets her boyfriend call her nicknames like that!” Right. Minako sighed quietly, biting her lip. Turns out her suspicions were correct after all.
She knew immediately that it wasn’t anything malicious. In fact, that thought hadn’t even crossed her mind until she’d tuned out the conversation entirely. Honestly, the idea was so ridiculous that it made her laugh. Ryoko cheating on her? Mhm, okay. Was the sky green? No, of course not. Minako immediately knew that this was all a giant visual-novel style misunderstanding, (…Not that she’d played any of those, of course) because it was Ryoko Mochizuki she was talking about. She loved Minako more than anything else in the entire world. Loved her more than life itself, loved her more than she thought she deserved. Ryoko would never do anything like that on purpose—of course she wouldn’t. And Minako knew that deep in her heart.
“Oh, Mina!” Ryoko called out to her as she rushed over, her smile melting through Minako’s worries in the same way it always did. The group of boys immediately began to walk away; seems they didn’t want an answer to their burning question after all. “Sorry I took so long! Apparently today wasn’t actually our day to use the clubroom and—Well, nevermind. How are you?” Her smile was so bright and loving that Minako’s stomach churned thinking about what she was going to have to tell her. She almost didn’t want to, knowing just how horrible and guilty it would make her feel, but she also didn’t want this to escalate even further. It was for Ryoko’s sake, she told herself, trying to ignore her own jealousy. It's so she doesn’t get herself in any trouble.
…But the horrible, stomach-churning thought of anyone else trying to claim her beautiful girlfriend as their own was definitely a motivating factor.
“Can I talk to you?” Minako asked, taking out her other headphone to focus on the conversation. “Alone?” Ryoko cocked her head, her bright blue eyes shining with confusion.
“Is everything okay?” She asked cautiously, and Minako hesitated for a moment.
“Overheard something,” she decided to answer after a few seconds. She realized a bit too late that such a vague answer most likely only served to make Ryoko more worried, but she didn’t want to elaborate in fear of being overheard. Rumors about Ryoko spread impossibly fast thanks to her status, and Minako really didn’t feel like getting both of them outed due to her own carelessness. She extended her hand out to Ryoko, hoping it would help calm her fears. “Wanted to talk about it.”
“Okay…?” She seemed confused, but took Minako’s hand regardless. “Let’s go to the music room, then. It’ll be empty since there’s no meeting today.” Though Minako had never been the best at recognizing people’s emotions, even she could clearly hear the hesitance in Ryoko’s voice. God knew what was running through her head right now, but it certainly wasn’t good. Her hand was shaking ever so slightly, and Minako frowned at the feeling. Usually she was the one with the sweaty palms and trembling legs, not the other way around. She interlocked their fingers and began to lead her downstairs to the music room, walking faster than she normally would have. She did so in hopes of getting there faster and being able to calm Ryoko down as quickly as she could, but judging by the death-grip that she had on her hand, it seemed to have the opposite effect she wanted. Minako pushed the door open as soon as they reached the room, shutting it behind them and looking up into Ryoko’s eyes.
…
She swallowed nervously, her eyes scanning each and every one of her features like she hadn’t seen them a million times before.
Minako had never seen Ryoko so scared before. Even on the day she’d confessed her feelings with a shaky voice and her eyes looking in every direction except Minako’s own, she hadn’t looked quite like this. Her hands were shaking, she was noticeably breathing heavier, and those beautiful blue eyes Minako found herself lost in so often were widened with so much fear that it hurt her heart.
She hated it. Hated seeing someone so joyful and loving look so terrified. Hated the fact that it was because of her words. She should’ve just gotten it out of the way when she could’ve.
“It’s okay,” she reassured before Ryoko had said anything at all, not wanting to see her this scared for another second. She let out a quiet breath of relief, though she still looked scared out of her mind.
“What’s wrong, Mina?” Ryoko asked with a frown, seemingly ignoring what she had just said. “Did I do something?” She squeezed Minako’s hand, and she squeezed back twice. I love you, she tried to say through her soft touches. I love you and you didn’t do anything wrong.
She bit her lip. She had to bring it up somehow, but…
“…There’s like five different guys that think you’re their girlfriend.” Okay, maybe not the best way to say it, but ripping the bandaid off now would save her from having to look at Ryoko’s horrible frown and terrified gaze any longer. “Just wanted to, uh, let you know.” It was more serious than that, but phrasing it that way made Minako feel less selfish about it all. She knew that her concerns weren’t selfish in nature, but Ryoko treated her with so much care and compassion that she felt terrible for even managing to have an issue with her to begin with her.
Then Minako reminded herself that, had she not brought it up, Ryoko probably would’ve gotten herself beaten up by that group of boys. That made her feel a little better about rushing to tell her.
“Huh?” To Minako’s surprise, Ryoko seemed completely surprised and confused. Was she really that oblivious to it all? She knew that Ryoko wasn’t aware of the extent of it, but did she really not have any idea what was happening? Hm. Maybe she was more naïve than she thought. “What do you mean?” She looked more confused than concerned now, her brows furrowed and her eyes widened. Minako bit her lip as she racked her brain for the best way she could phrase this.
“Did you… invite a guy to Chagall?” She decided after a few seconds. Ryoko nodded, though her confusion didn’t dissipate. In fact, her face seemed to light up a little, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“Mhm! He overheard me playing the piano after school and seemed really interested, so I asked if he wanted to come grab coffee after school.” Ah. Well, that explained it. Minako frowned slightly, seeing just how happy she was to have made a new ‘friend.’ If only that boy felt the same way. “What does that have to do with what you were saying?” Minako tugged at her headphone wires with her spare hand. She led Ryoko over to the bench in front of the piano, figuring this would be a conversation best had sitting down rather than standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. “Is everything okay, Mina?” She asked again, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. She was scared and confused right now, but she still cared more about Minako than herself. She really didn’t deserve her. “You’re acting strange. What’s up?” Minako really, really didn’t want to have to be the one to break this to her. She was so happy existing in her own little bubble, and imagining how guilty she would feel upon hearing the truth made Minako feel sick to her stomach.
But she had to. She knew she did. Otherwise this would only end up even messier, and about half the school would think Ryoko was their girlfriend. And no, that thought totally didn’t make Minako jealous. Not at all.
“Guys think that kinda stuff is flirting,” she explained, looking downwards onto the blindingly white tile lining music room floor so she didn’t have to see Ryoko’s expression. “He thought that was supposed to be a date.” Though she wasn’t looking at her, the gasp Ryoko let out was enough proof of how she felt. Minako’s stomach churned.
“Really?” She asked, and Minako nodded solemnly. She finally looked back up at Ryoko, and she looked so defeated, like a puppy caught in the rain. Minako winced. “Oh,” she continued with eyes widened, her brows furrowed and her voice wavering. This was exactly what she had expected, yet it was still so painful to hear. She’d never heard her sound this sad before, and it made her wish she’d never said anything at all. “Oh Mina, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay,” Minako cut her off, because hearing her sound this upset for even a second longer very well could have been fatal for her. “I know you didn’t mean to.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Ryoko tore her hand away from Minako’s, which made her gasp quietly. That was another first—Ryoko loved physical affection just as much as she loved her—so Minako’s heart ached as she ripped her hand away as if her touch was suddenly poisonous. “I still hurt you. You—You said this happened with multiple people, right?” Minako gave a shaky nod. Ryoko dug her nails into her skirt, gripping the ends of it with a type of frustration she’d never seen in her before. “I’m so sorry, Mina-Mina. I didn’t even realize.” Hearing that particular nickname made Minako dig her own nails into her skirt, only because covering her ears and hiding under the piano wasn’t a socially acceptable option right now. Ryoko only called her that when she was being especially clingy, usually when they were cuddled together in Minako’s bed and she had her arms wrapped around her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. Minako loved it more than she could ever verbalize, replaying the sound of Ryoko’s soft whispers and gentle kisses to her earlobe in her mind whenever she felt down, but hearing her say it like this was simply… wrong.
“It’s okay,” she repeated again, hoping it would finally get through to her that it was fine and that Minako wasn’t mad at her in the slightest.“You didn’t know.”
“But I—” Ryoko cut herself off, her grip on her skirt tightening. “I should have known, though.” She looked up at Minako, and, though it may have just been her imagination, she could have sworn she saw a single tear welling up in her eye. Minako tugged roughly at the ends of her hair, deciding that was a safer option than her skirt. Seeing Ryoko cry was like seeing the sky turn red, or the sun dry up and wither away. It was unnatural, it was horrible, and she wanted it to stop. “Some of them asked me if I had a boyfriend, and I said no because I have you.” Oh. Minako winced slightly upon hearing that. She couldn’t help but feel a little bad for those boys now. She knew it was an accident, but she also knew that she’d be a little hurt if she accidentally got led on by the sweetest, most gorgeous girl on the entire planet. “Oh, and that one guy probably thought that me complimenting his cologne was flirting too, didn’t he?” Minako choked on her own spit.
“You what?” She didn’t think this could get much worse, but here they were. Was she really that naïve, or was it a cultural difference? Either way, Minako bit back the slightest laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Only Ryoko could manage to find herself in a situation like this, though she did have to admit that the thought of her telling some random guy that he smelled nice made her the tiniest bit jealous.
Then she remembered all of the nights she’d spent with Ryoko’s arms tangled around her like vines, having sweet nothings whispered into her ears as she held her so close she could feel her racing heartbeat, and that jealousy quickly dissipated. That guy could have his compliment; it would never compare to what Ryoko was like when she was actually flirting.
“It was strawberry-scented, and it smelled like the perfume you wear sometimes,” Ryoko mumbled with a defeated frown. Oh, right, that perfume she’d borrowed from Yukari to cover up the Tartarus smell that sometimes lingered for a few days after an operation. Minako hadn’t even paid any attention to what the scent was, only that it made her smell less like death and melted Shadow, so the fact that Ryoko remembered it made her feel a little more flustered than she cared to admit. “I… probably should have realized that he would have taken it the wrong way.” Ryoko sighed, looking at her with pursed lips and teary eyes. “I’m so sorry, Minako.” Somehow, hearing her full first name was the worst part so far. Ryoko hadn’t called her that since before they started dating, since before they really knew each other at all. She had never been Minako to her; she had always been Mina, Mina-chan, pretty girl, sweetheart, Mina-Mina, Koko, or about a trillion other nicknames that made her face burn hotter than the sun itself no matter how many times she used them, but never Minako. She assumed it was supposed to make her take the apology more seriously, but she already had taken it seriously. In fact, she hadn’t even needed one in the first place. She’d just wanted to let her know what was happening before it got worse, with maybe a sprinkle of jealousy thrown in there for extra motivation. She didn’t need Ryoko to apologize, and she definitely didn’t need her doing it with tears in her eyes as if she had done something completely unforgivable.
“Stop apologizing,” Minako scolded, and though her voice was more authoritative than she wanted it to be, she knew that she wouldn’t get through to her if she kept her normal tone. “It’s fine.” Her voice softened, her hand reaching out for Ryoko’s once again. She thankfully didn’t pull back this time, and Minako interlocked their fingers. “I know you didn’t mean to. It’s not your fault. Stop saying you’re sorry.” Ryoko sighed softly, as if a thousand pound weight had been lifted off her chest. Minako smiled; it seemed she finally understood.
“Thank you.” Ryoko smiled back, but it was different from the one she usually wore. It was shyer, more nervous. It was strange to see, but Minako couldn’t say she didn’t find it cute. “I’m so thankful that you trust me. When you told me, all I could think about was how horrible you must have felt. You must have been heartbroken, weren’t you?” Her eyes were still teary, and she squeezed Minako’s hand gently, as if reminding her that she was there for her. Without thinking, as if her body was acting independently from her brain, she raised her other hand to wipe Ryoko’s tears away. She was beyond embarrassed as soon as she came to her senses, but the teasing she would get for retracting her hand now wouldn’t be worth it, so she kept it in place.
“I wasn’t,” she answered as she wiped away Ryoko’s remaining tears. She cocked her head in confusion, clearly not expecting that answer, and Minako swallowed nervously. “I, uh, knew it was an accident. Knew you wouldn’t cheat or anything.” Even though it was a simple and truthful statement, Minako still found her cheeks growing warm at the admittance. I know you love me too much, she wanted to say, but the embarrassment it brought her was too much for her to say it out loud. You love me too much to ever treat anyone else the way you treat me.
“Mina…” Ryoko stared into her eyes, which were now shining with the same love and affection she was used to seeing in them. Minako smiled softly. “I’m… I’m so grateful that you trust me that much.” She hesitated for a moment before leaning in and kissing the top of Minako’s forehead, giggling to herself as she did so. Minako’s smile only grew in response—looks like she was back to her normal self after all. “I love you too much to ever cheat on you. I’m glad you know that.” Minako choked on her own spit, falling backwards against the piano in an act of pure and total grace. How did she take the words right out of her mouth? And how was she saying it with such a straight face!? This was so unfair! “Aww, what’s wrong pretty girl?” Ryoko asked with a stupid smirk as if Minako wasn’t already about to go into cardiac arrest. “You don’t have to be so embarrassed, you know. It’s just the truth.” Minako narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“This is how I knew,” she mumbled out half-consciously, not particularly expecting nor wanting to be heard, but of course, Ryoko’s ears perked up like an excited puppy upon hearing her speak.
“Hm?” She asked with such a neutral tone that Minako couldn’t tell if she was teasing her or not. Not that it mattered—she was pretty sure she was about to wildly embarrass herself anyway.
“This is how I knew you weren’t doing it on purpose.” Minako’s eyes were locked on the floor, worried that she would keel over and die if she had to look at Ryoko right now. She traced the outline of the tiles with her eyes, focusing on them rather than her heart actively trying to kill her. “You don’t talk to anyone else like that.” And if she did, Minako wasn’t sure how she would handle it. She didn’t like to consider herself a jealous person by any means, but Ryoko tended to burrow herself into her heart and make a home there, which caused her to feel things she didn’t normally feel. And if she ever overheard Ryoko talking to anyone else the way she talked about her, intentional or not, Minako knew she’d experience a type of jealousy she’d never felt before in her life. It was a good thing she knew she’d never have to deal with that.
“Ohhh.” Ryoko giggled, cupping Minako’s cheeks and tilting her head up to meet her gaze. Cool. As if she wasn’t flustered enough already. “Well, yeah, of course. You’re the only one I’d ever talk to this way.” She smiled softly, keeping her hands on Minako’s cheeks. Minako smiled back bashfully, her body temperature uncomfortably warm. “Besides, I doubt anyone else would react as cutely to it as you do.” In a cool, confident act only befitting the leader of S.E.E.S, Minako choked on her own spit. Again. Her vision went cloudy for a moment, her heart beating faster than she was pretty sure was possible, and she started to wonder just how long she had left before Ryoko’s words actually killed her. She gave it a month. “Oh, before I forget!” Minako took a shaky breath in and out. Whatever this was, she wasn’t sure she was going to survive it. Before she had the chance to say her final prayers, Ryoko reached into her uniform pocket and pulled out a small, heart-shaped piece of chocolate adorned with a small red bow. “You already said that you forgive me, but take this as one final apology.” She held it out in her hands, gesturing for Minako to take it.
“Did you… make this for me?” Was her first reaction, which, in retrospect, was a stupid one. Of course she did; it's not like any store around here sold perfectly handmade chocolates like this. Her second reaction was, once the reality set in that Ryoko handmade her a heart shaped chocolate, was to smile like an absolute idiot and take it from her hands like she was handling an ancient treasure.
“Yep! That’s why I stayed after school yesterday. Told you I’d make it up to you for not being able to walk you home.” Ah, that was why she’d been so weird yesterday. Normally Minako wouldn’t have questioned something as simple as Ryoko staying after school, but she’d seemed so weirdly mysterious about what she was actually staying for that she couldn’t help but get a little curious. It made sense now, but, if she was being honest, Minako was a bit surprised she’d managed to keep it a secret for an entire day. “Well, it was technically both me and Fuuka who made it, but she did most of the work. She said you helped her learn how to cook, so she wanted to help me make something for you. She told me it was okay if I told you I made it all by myself, but I didn’t want to discredit her like that.” Minako turned the chocolate around in her hands, examining it carefully. She made it with Fuuka, huh? A few months ago that would have set off about a thousand alarm bells in her mind, but she had actually become a fairly good baker as of late. She started to gently unwrap the bow, not wanting to tear it. “Turns out I’m not that great at baking myself. Did you know that you’re not supposed to take the egg out of the shell?” Minako froze in place for a few seconds, trying to comprehend if she had just heard what she thought she heard.
Why was she even…?
Nope, she decided as she continued to unwrap the bow. Not gonna ask.
Minako set the fabric of the bow aside when she was done with it, and stared at the chocolate for a moment. She wanted to eat it before it melted in her hands, but she also wanted to admire Ryoko’s (well, apparently mostly Fuuka’s) handiwork. She popped it in her mouth after a few seconds of mindless staring, and found her smile widening. There was nothing overtly special about the taste itself—just a basic dark chocolate flavor with thankfully no eggshell in it—but the fact that it was handmade for her was enough to make it the best chocolate she had ever eaten.
“Is it good?” Ryoko asked her, and Minako nodded as she chewed. “Aww, I’m so happy! I realized that I didn’t actually know what kind of chocolate you like, so I took a little bit of a gamble. I’m glad it worked out.” She smiled with relief, as if she had been expecting Minako to not like the taste. She wished she could get it through Ryoko’s head that she could have poisoned the damn thing and it still would’ve been the best chocolate she’d ever had. “C’mon, let me get a taste,” she said with a giggle and a smirk, and Minako cocked her head in confusion. Was she not supposed to eat the whole thing? Did she make another one to taste-test herself? Was—
Ryoko leaned in, stealing her lips in a kiss.
Oh.
Minako very nearly choked on the chocolate in her mouth—at least it wasn’t her own spit this time—as she tried to kiss back despite her shock. Even with the amount of times something like this had happened, the amount of times Ryoko had kissed her out of nowhere whenever she had the opportunity, Minako still never expected it. She wasn’t sure she could ever get used to something like that, considering just how warm it made her feel inside. How could she ever just get used to the prettiest girl on the planet kissing her so suddenly? That was an impossible ask.
Ryoko pulled back with a stupidly bright smile on her face, as if Minako’s lips weren’t the exact same ones she’d kissed a thousand times before.
“I love you,” Ryoko said quietly against Minako’s lips, her own cheeks flushed a light pink. “Thank you for forgiving me.”
“I love you too,” Minako managed without shyness this time, finally swallowing the piece of chocolate. “You never needed to apologize in the first place. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Still.” Ryoko pressed yet another kiss to the top of Minako’s forehead. “I don’t want you thinking I love anyone else other than you.” Minako shook her head.
“I never thought that.” She pressed a kiss to Ryoko’s cheek, feeling completely intoxicated by their closeness. Maybe she did poison that piece of chocolate after all. Even if she did, this was a fine way to go. She'd welcome it, actually.
“I’m glad.” Ryoko stood up from the bench, offering Minako her hand, which snapped her out of her temporary daze. “I don’t want to leave, but we’ll miss the monorail if we don’t go now, and your dorms are such a hassle to get to without riding it.” Your dorms. Minako found it amusing that she was beyond the point of asking for permission to come over. She practically lived in Minako's room at this point, much to Aigis' dismay.
“You’re coming over?” Minako wasn’t sure why she even asked when she already knew the answer. Force of habit from when Ryoko visiting her dorm was a rare occurrence, she supposed. She was glad that was a thing of the past.
“Of course," Ryoko said, her voice dripping with affection as she squeezed Minako's hand. “I still want to show you that you’re my one and only.” With the way she was looking at her as if she was the only other person with the world, Minako didn't need any proof. But she was sure as hell going to take it.