Chapter 7

Interlude to Broken Dreams

August 18th

Midnight

A familiar warmth spread through Mikoto's side from where she lay. Blinking wearily, she gazed up at the ceiling as she let her mind drift. Her chest tightened when she felt Kuroko nuzzle further into her. Inhaling shakily, she shut her eyes as she willed herself to calm down.

Though she had been in this situation countless times before, the realization and acceptance of her feelings made it so that the embarrassment that she usually felt was replaced by longing; by love.

Mikoto carefully extracted herself from Kuroko's grip and maneuvered until she was sat at the edge of the bed. She rested her elbows on her knees and stared down at her hands.

She was...so tired. Tired of fighting, of hiding her feelings; of keeping herself from something she had wanted for a long time. Resting her head in her hands, Mikoto once again took a deep breath, internally chastising herself for how weak she had been up until this point.

Once again, Touma's words played through her head. But not only his, Saten-san's as well. Here she was, about to turn seventeen, yet still unable to be honest about her feelings. Lifting her head, she hesitantly turned to look back at Kuroko. Her brows furrowed when she noticed a bit of unease on her kouhai's face.

Shifting back onto the bed, Mikoto carefully positioned herself next to the younger girl and gazed at her features in contemplation. After a moment, she reached out to gently stroke her fingers along Kuroko's cheek.

She almost jumped out of her skin when Kuroko mumbled, "Onee-sama." Afraid that she had woken the girl, she pulled her hand back as if she had been burned. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as she waited to see if Kuroko would stir only to sigh deeply when she noticed that the younger girl was still fast asleep.

"Onee-sama..."

Mikoto's eyes lit up before they softened when she realized Kuroko was once again dreaming about her.

She really does love me, huh?

Swallowing, Mikoto reached forward again, hesitating only slightly before wrapping her arm around Kuroko's waist and drawing her closer. Kuroko's body was soft and pliant under her touch and Mikoto had to close her eyes as she pressed against her.

Giving herself a few minutes to gather her breath, Mikoto lowered her head to the junction between Kuroko's shoulders and nuzzled the soft skin there. She knew she was indulging a little but after years of denying herself, she felt that it was okay.

She ran her fingers along Kuroko's cloth covered back before slipping her hand under the girls shirt and spreading her fingers out. She raised her head so that it was situated above Kuroko's and held the younger girl tighter.

Finally, she let herself relax and drifted asleep.

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Kuroko jolted awake at the sound of her alarm. She grimaced, remembering only then that she had forgotten to turn it off. They had only gotten to bed around two that morning and her alarm was set for six.

Sighing, she attempted to roll over so she could turn it off only to find herself held down. A blush spread out along her cheeks as she lifted her head to meet the sleeping face of Mikoto. Mikoto's breath came out in soft puffs as the older girls chest gently rose and fell.

Despite the fact that Kuroko regularly clung to Mikoto, it wasn't often that she found herself being held. It was a nice feeling, if not a bit disconcerting. While Mikoto had grown out of electrocuting and hitting her, the older girl still by no means actively encouraged physical contact between them.

In their years together, her Onee-sama had become a bit kinder with her rejections. Since Mikoto was a light sleeper, often times she would simply shrug Kuroko off and turn to her side so that they weren't touching.

Kuroko still wasn't sure which method she preferred; which method hurt less. Physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil she experienced at those soft dismissals.

Though her Onee-sama had been acting kind of strange these past few days, Kuroko knew better than to immerse herself in the feeling of being in Mikoto's embrace. Her alarm was on snooze but she knew it would go off again in a few minutes and that Mikoto would quietly but blatantly push her away once she had awoken.

Kuroko was about to teleport out of Mikoto's hold when she heard a soft, "Don't."

Her heart lurched as she hastily looked up. She blinked when she noticed Mikoto staring at her.

"O-onee-sama!" Kuroko stuttered out, her blush returning. "You're awake?"

Mikoto's eyes narrowed slightly at her words. Anxiety swirled in Kuroko's stomach as her heart pounded in her chest. "I-I am sorry." She mumbled, scared that she had accidentally angered her Onee-sama. "I forgot to turn the alarm off before-"

"Did you sleep okay?" Mikoto interrupted.

"Ahh..." Kuroko frowned, unsure how to reply, confused by the fact that Mikoto hadn't moved away yet. She licked her lips, taking a moment to consider Mikoto's words before responding with a simple. "Yes."

The girls arms slightly tightened around her frame. "You looked like you were in pain last night."

Mikoto's voice was soft, worried; like nothing else mattered to her right now other than Kuroko's well being.

Kuroko didn't know how to react to it.

Her silence prompted Mikoto to lean forward until their foreheads were touching.

"What's the matter?"

Flustered at their close proximity, Kuroko's eyes lowered once more as she stuttered out a reply. "I-I am okay, Onee-sama. Please do not worry."

She hoped that Mikoto would just drop the topic. Though her bruise from earlier still ached, she did not wish to burden her with such trivial matters. Her minor wound would heal in a few days and wasn't a cause for concern.

Mikoto was uncharacteristically silent after that and Kuroko found herself tentatively raising her head once more.

Her flush deepened when she noticed the contemplative expression on Mikoto's face as she regarded her. A few moments passed before Mikoto released a small sigh and moved onto her back.

Before Kuroko could react to the loss of contact, the older girl repositioned her arm so that it was around Kuroko's shoulders and not her waist.

Mikoto gently tugged her closer so that her cheek rested against the older girls chest.

"Alright," Mikoto started, her voice softening once more, "but let me know if that changes."

A small yawn escaped the older girl as she squeezed Kuroko lightly. "In the meantime, let's get some more sleep. I turned off your phone already."

Kuroko nodded against Mikoto's form. Though she doubted that she would be able to sleep, she closed her eyes anyways, attempting to indulge in Mikoto's warmth before it was, inevitably, taken away.

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In the other room, Ruiko and Kazari were whispering to one another about the two girls.

They had taken residence in Kuroko's room during the night, which was why Mikoto and Kuroko had slept together.

While this wasn't initially part of Ruiko's plan, she was happy it had worked out that way. Though she had to admit, she was a bit worried.

Her eyes drifted shut as she brought her mug of coffee to her lips and took a small sip.

"Do you really think they'll be okay?"

She reopened her eyes at Kazari's question. Lowering her cup, she huffed a little before shrugging. "It depends. Shirai and Misaka-san are both really stubborn. But!" She raised her finger cheerfully. "I think Misaka-san is finally ready to confess."

Kazari hummed as she gazed despondently at her own cup. "Actually, I think the one we should be worried about Shirai-san."

"Ah, true." Ruiko released a small laugh, misinterpreting Kazari's words. "Shirai-san is so...overzealous in regards to Misaka-san. She may not let Misaka-san confess fully before jumping her."

"That's..." Kazari turned to look at the room their friends were currently residing in. She frowned as she lowered her gaze back to her cup. "That's not what I meant, Ruiko-chan."

Ruiko tilted her head in confusion as she eyed Kazari's despondent form in concern. "What do you mean? Shirai-san has loved Misaka-san for so long. I'm sure she'll be estatic once Misaka-san finally tells her she loves her."

"Mm, maybe." Kazari ran her finger along the edge of her cup. "But something tells me..." she took a deep breath. "that things won't go as smoothly as we hope."

Ruiko gazed at Kazari in worry. "Is something wrong, Kazari?"

Kazari her lip, her hand tightening around her cup before she brought it to her mouth. "Just-" She paused a moment before continuing. "Just that things aren't that simple anymore."

"Kazari...?"

Kazari forced a smile as she met Ruiko's eyes. "Promise me something?"

"Anything." Ruiko said forcefully, wanting nothing more than for Kazari to stop acting so strangely.

"No matter what happens, promise me you won't get involved any further."

Ruiko's brows furrowed as she stared at the other girl. A moment of silence passed before she whispered. "What aren't you telling me?"

Kazari's hands tightened around her cup. "Shirai-san is going through a hard time right now. So please just...just promise me that you'll let them figure things out on their own?"

To her credit, Ruiko only hesitated a moment before solemnly nodding. "If that's what you want, Kazari." She reached over to place her hand over the other girls. "But you can talk to me about anything, you know?"

A small smile lifted Kazari's lips as she squeezed Ruiko's hand. "Thank you, Ruiko-chan. I know." Her eyes drifted back over to Mikoto's room. "It just isn't my place to tell."

And Kazari couldn't, even if she had actually wanted to. She didn't want to fully crush Ruiko's hope and joy for their friends.

There was a simple truth that she had learned growing up in this world.

That was despite best intentions, things always got worse.

Before they got better.

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AN: Birthday prez for mah bud. Also thanks GreatSnapper for beta-ing, you a real MVP man.

I will most likely finish this story. It will just take a bit of time. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I appreciate the support. Until next time

xxx