Hotaru was bored.
All the sappy, romance movies all seemed alike to her. The boy always gets the girl. The boy. Stupid boy, she thought darkly. She glanced at Chibiusa and was amused to see tears in her eyes. Shaking her head, she looked at the movie screen, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
What exactly happened at the house, she thought to herself. After she had gotten out of the shower (and had properly dressed herself) she went downstairs to find her friend in the kitchen, with her head in the freezer. Completely baffled, Hotaru had tapped Chibiusa on the shoulder, startling her (which, in turn, startled Hotaru). The pink haired girl blushed at the look of puzzlement her friend was giving her and she started mumbling about needing ice for her water. This statement further confused the older girl, seeing as how there was not a glass of water in sight. She decided to let it go, however, and when she asked if her friend was ready to go, Chibiusa more or less yelled “Hai!”
As they walked to the movies, Chibiusa kept talking about one thing or another, as if nothing happened. Hotaru stayed silent, as if in compliance.
She wasn’t really sure what was happening between them but Hotaru was determined to resolve it. Everything seemed to go wrong when she walked into her room with naught but a towel. Maybe she really made her friend uncomfortable. The senshi of silence furrowed her eyebrows deep in concentration. She had to make this right, she couldn’t lose her best friend over something this trivial…it’s a good thing she never mentioned her true feelings to the princess…
Hotaru continued looking at the screen, unaware that she had gained an audience. Chibiusa had been stealing glances at her brooding friend, suddenly very conscious of the panic that had settled itself in her stomach. She’s thinking about earlier, Chibiusa thought, quite suddenly. She knows, maybe she knows…does she know? The younger girl considered the possibilities. After the freezer stunt, she couldn’t see how Hotaru didn’t confront her right then and there. The pink haired princess smacked herself, thinking about her I-need-ice-for-my-non-existent-cup-of-water-lie.
“What an idiot,” she whispered. Hotaru, after watching her friend smack herself, grew slightly concerned. She leaned over.
“Chibiusa-chan,” Hotaru breathed in her friend’s ear. Chibiusa jumped slightly upon hearing her name, blushing profusely when she felt the older girl’s breath on her ear. She felt butterflies in her stomach and a very unfamiliar burning below her waist. This all happened in a matter of seconds and she could only muster a “Hmm?” for a response.
“Chibiusa-chan, are you ok? Do we need to leave?” Hotaru’s voice was incredibly low and Chibiusa found herself unable to form a coherent thought. She did realize, however, that if she turned slightly to the right, their lips would be touching. Somehow, this newly acquired knowledge did nothing to calm the future princess down.
As for Hotaru, she could feel her resolve slowly slipping. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten so close to the other girl, but she was genuinely concerned. The older girl closed her eyes as she waited for her friend’s response. What was this need she felt? Why did she feel so good, being so close to her? She inhaled the pink haired girl’s scent, finding it completely intoxicating. This was not good…
Chibiusa still couldn’t talk, so she tried shaking her head to say “No, we don’t need to leave” but she had barely moved when Hotaru jerked herself upright. Both girls took deep breaths then turned to each other as if to say something, but people begin getting up and leaving. The movie was over.
The pink haired girl stood up, laughing nervously. She stretched her arms upward, the hem of her shirt moving up slightly to reveal pale skin. She was pleased to see Hotaru’s eyes lingering on the exposed spot and she subconsciously stretched a little higher. The dark haired girl quickly glanced away, a small blush gracing her features. Chibiusa smiled, glad that she wasn’t the one blushing for a change. What does that mean? she thought to herself.