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At some point, Reo decides that Nagi’s dorm bed is absolutely awful for an athlete, and decides to take her home instead. Reo announces this to Nagi precisely when they reach Nagi's dorm, and then shoves her inside to pack an overnight bag.

In all honesty, Reo is so enthusiastic about it and she's got that crazy gleam in her eyes that it makes Nagi have a feeling that there might be ulterior motives involved—after all, a bed’s a bed, right?—but it doesn't seem like Reo's aware of them, so she shrugs it off. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Reo's house is pretty crazy, but it's nice when Reo's around. 

As Nagi attempts to look at her closet, Reo excitedly rocks back and forth on her heels, bouncing in place with far more energy than someone who's just finished an excruciating amount of practice and also biked two people to the dorms should have. 

“Oh my god,” Reo says, practically vibrating. “You’re gonna love it! I just had a new bed put in one of my bedrooms—this incredible mattress that took waaaaaay more paperwork than necessary to get imported—but I just know you're going to love it, treasure! You're going to have so much fun, it's gonna be the best sleepover you've ever had!”

“It's the only sleepover I've ever had,” Nagi replies,giving up and just throwing in the first set of clean clothes she sees. “So it's the best by default, I think.”

Reo groans loudly, stamping her foot petulantly against the floor of Nagi's dorm once before stomping her way over to Nagi and grabbing her shoulders. She squeezes them in a vice-like grip, staring Nagi down. Nagi is not particularly sure what Reo's huffy about this time, because it's not like she said anything wrong —she really hasn't ever had a sleepover before. Well, unless you count Choki…but Choki was more of a roommate-friend, so it wouldn't count as sleeping over because Choki didn't really have a place of his own. 

“That hurts, Reo,” Nagi says. Reo does not let up on the squeezing. 

“Nagi,” Reo says, tone gravely serious. “I’m going to show you the best night of your life.”

Nagi blinks, shifting her hands on the strap of her still-open backpack. “What,” she says. 

With zero warning, Reo shakes her violently, shoving Nagi back and yanking her forward at a rapid speed. Nagi can almost feel her brain rattling around in her skull. 

“Nagi!” Reo whines, still not letting up. “That's so tragic! Do you not know how tragic that is? What do you mean this is your first sleepover? Are you trying to drive me nuts?”

“No,” Nagi says. “Not really. Reo's good enough at doing that on her own.”

Reo gasps dramatically, pinching Nagi's cheek as penance for her transgression. “You cheeky little thing! No, it's not about that , it's— Nagi, it's your first sleepover! With all your friends, and stuff, and it's like— important! It's a big responsibility!”

“Friend, singular,” Nagi hums. “Unless Choki is invited.”

“No, I don't wanna share you with Choki,” Reo says, shaking her head. For some reason, her stomach does a funny little twist at that. “It’s a girl’s-only sleepover.”

Nagi turns over to where Choki is sitting on the windowsill. “At least let me cover his ears first. He can hear you…”

“And what? Abandon him to wake up in the middle of the night alone? Wow, ice-cold, Nagi…” Reo pinches her cheeks again. Nagi's starting to get the feeling that she just really wants to do that. Reo continues, “I'm just being nice and letting him know. He can come next time, if he wants. But today's special!”

“Today's special?”

“Mhm! It's a double first sleepover,” Reo says, grinning. “ And my parents won't be home! Isn't that awesome? We can do anything we want! Well, within reason. I'm not allowed to ride any of my sports cars or bikes outside the Mikage track, booooo , but anything else is fine.”

Nagi chooses to focus on the easier question rather than the little voice in her head ringing a big ol’ bell screaming Reo's parents aren't home! You guys can do anything! Alone! In Reo's place! because she's fairly certain Reo's under surveillance 24/7 even if her parents aren't around. “Reo's never had a sleepover before?” 

Reo freezes, and looks a touch sheepish. Cute. “Uhm,” she says. “Well. Kinda. It's not like I don't have friends or anything, it's just— I just— it's different with you, okay! Shouldn't you be honoured to take one of Mikage Reo’s firsts like this?”

Nagi nods. She absolutely is. 

“Ugh, Nagi, those are so drab!” Reo huffs, glaring at the sweatpants and hoodie she's just yanked off Nagi as if they've personally wronged her. “Don't tell me these are your sleep clothes?!”

“Reo’s looking through my clothes, uwaaaah…” Nagi whines as Reo shakes the offending clothes violently. “I'm gonna tell Baaya that you're a perv.”

“I am not a perv , you ass!” Reo exclaims, rolling the clothes Nagi put zero effort into packing into a sizable ball and tossing it into the laundry chute across the room. It makes a beautiful arc over Nagi's head. “It's not pervy to check out your partner's nightclothes!”

“No, Reo, that's exactly what a perv would say in a manga,” Nagi says, staring at the afterimage of Reo’s cool three-pointer. “Like, you know, when they get caught by their love interest and they're all like kyaaa, it's not what you think , and that's level one— but Reo's way beyond that. Reo's delusional too, so that makes you a mega -perv.”

“First off, what kind of manga are you reading,” Reo asks, sounding genuinely concerned. “Secondly, I basically pack and unpack your gym clothes and uniform and bag every single day because you won't do it yourself. It's not new for me to be rifling through your clothes.”

“Ah, Reo didn't deny it…” Nagi whines, flopping backward onto Reo's bed and melting into the unfairly plush mattress. “Are you just gonna keep me naked forever, then? It's cold…”

“You're not naked, Nagi. You're in your bra and boxers,” Reo says, rolling her eyes. 

“That's basically naked,” Nagi says. “Anyone would think so. See, Reo this is why you're a total weirdo.” 

“You’re a total weirdo! You’re the one who didn’t think so in the first place!” Reo proclaims, placing one hand on her hip as she scolds Nagi. “You literally answered the door like that once! I had to shove you inside, and then you had the audacity to complain that I was being forceful!”

“Reo picked me up and chucked me on the bed like a plush toy…” Nagi hums. “Usually it takes a bit more effort for Reo to carry me…was Reo seriously scared that time? Poor Reo…”

“Anyways,” Reo says, rolling her eyes. “I had a feeling this might happen, so I had something prepared! Close your eyes, okay?”

She can hear Reo rummaging around in what sounded like tissue paper, the rustling accompanied by little huffs of satisfaction that nake something warm curl in Nagi's chest. Reo got like this sometimes, all focused and determined about the strangest things, and Nagi always found herself genuinely curious about what went on in that perfectly coiffed head.

"Okay, you can open them now," Reo announces, and Nagi's eyes flutter open to find her holding up what could only be described as the most unnecessarily coordinated set of sleepwear she'd ever seen.

"Reo..." Nagi started, then trailed off. The pajamas were beautiful, obviously expensive, and clearly chosen with the kind of care that made her chest feel tight. "These look like they belong in a fancy store window, not on me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Reo said indignantly, though there was a faint flush creeping up her neck. "You'd never seen these while going window shopping— I had them custom-made.”

The set that Reo holds out to Nagi is quite possibly the fanciest thing Nagi has ever worn and probably will ever wear in her entire life. It's lavender, for one—a soft, delicate purple—with white lace detailing and little ribbons. The top is a flowy thing with thin straps and a giant bow at the centre. The straps have little ribbons on them too. There's also shorts, which have even more lace and ribbon. There's even a fluffy purple eye mask and matching slippers with, of course, more ribbons. It's a whole thing. Reo must really like ribbons. It's also very princess-y. Nagi kinda feels out of her depth.

“Uhm,” she says. “This is too fancy…I can't do it myself. Reo, help me?”

Nagi doesn't need to ask twice, because Reo's eyes are already sparkling with excitement, obliging with a cheery arms up, Nagi! before the words are even out of her mouth. 

Reo proposes a bunch of sleepover activties—which turn out to be a combination of things she read online and also just her bucket list items—but Nagi really just wants to sleep. Unfortunately, that idea is vetoed by Reo. Even if the pajamas are very soft and super comfortable and Reo is very soft and super comfortable, the boss uses her executive order to deny that idea, no questions allowed! 

Nagi concedes, on the condition they get to do something simple, and Reo heems and haws about it, but she eventually does propose watching a movie, which Nagi happily takes. Apparently, they have a whole theatre on Reo's floor. It's, like, ginormous. Nagi's sure most regular theatres also aren't this big. Also, Reo's has fancy ass massage chairs and reclining seats and self-heating and self-cooling cupholders and also two of the seats can separate and/or join on command to make a little bed. 

They settle on a romance movie because Nagi likes romance movies. Reo's expression makes it pretty clear she doesn't believe that, but, like, it's true. Nagi thinks they're chill. There's not much thinking you have to do about it, right? If they're meant to be, they'll find each other over and over again, no questions asked. Love’s kinda awesome like that. 

The movie they put on isn't as good as Nagi's favourite, but it's something that's been popular recently—and is also critically acclaimed, because Reo refuses to watch anything that's not—and is suitably silly, but the cinematography is obviously better. Reo keeps pointing out weird plot shit, but she does like the set design and the camera work and stuff, so she settles into the movie after a bit. Nagi has been invested since the beginning, and their first arc comes to a conclusion with a swell of romantic music and—wait for it—a kiss .

"Reo," Nagi says, watching as the male lead cups the female lead's face in his hands before kissing her for the first time. "They're always doing that."

"Doing what?" Reo asks, glancing over at her.

"Kissing," Nagi says. "Like, constantly. In every movie.”

“Well, yeah,” Reo says, shrugging. “That’s kinda part of the pull of the whole genre. Audiences love watching people kiss. It sells, so there’s more.”

"But like..." Nagi frowns, trying to articulate the thought that’s nagging at her. "Do people actually kiss that much? In real life?"

"I wouldn't know," Reo says, and something in her tone makes Nagi look over at her. There’s a tightness around her eyes that hadn't been there before that makes Nagi's stomach churn. "I don't exactly have a lot of experience with…that."

“Oh,” Nagi says, and there’s a little bit of a tightness in her chest. “It just always looks so..." She trails off, not sure how to finish the sentence.

"So what?"

"Nice," Nagi decides. "I think. They always make it look like it feels…good? Dunno, I've never done that."

There's a long pause, and when Nagi looks over, Reo is staring at her with an expression she can't quite read. And Nagi can usually read Reo pretty well, because her expressions are as big and as loud as the rest of her—but, this time, Reo’s feelings look like they' re curling in on themselves, hiding from Nagi. Nagi doesn’t really know how to feel about that. 

"Never?" Reo asks, voice shaky.

"Never," Nagi confirms. "I didn’t really know anyone aside from Reo before. Like, it was just me and Choki—but Choki’s my friend, so it never came to my mind—and in the end I never had anyone to kiss. But now I'm looking at you, so I'm thinking about it. So, Reo, what’s it like?"

Reo opens her mouth, then closes it, then opens it again. "It's..." she starts, then stops. "I mean, I've kissed people, but it was never really... it wasn't..."

"Wasn't what?"

"Good," Reo admits quietly. "It was just something you're supposed to do, you know? Like a box to check off. Kiss someone at a party, kiss someone you're supposed to be dating, whatever. But it never felt like...like it does in the movies."

There's something bitter in her voice that made Nagi's chest ache. She knew about Reo's roles, the carefully constructed persona that came with being the Mikage heir. It made sense that even something as personal as kissing would get wrapped up in those expectations, but the thought of it still made Nagi’s stomach twist. Kissing was supposed to be this big, romantic thing, right? So why did talking about it make Reo look a lot like she never wanted to do it again? It was weird. It made Nagi feel weird. 

"But what did it feel like?" Nagi presses. "The physical part, I mean.”

Reo's for a long moment, her gaze fixed on the screen where the protagonists were now gazing into each other's eyes with nauseating devotion. "Weird," she says finally. "Kind of...wet? And not particularly pleasant. I mostly just wanted it to be over."

"Huh." Nagi processes this, comparing it to what she was seeing on screen. "They don't look like they want it to be over."

"That's because they're actors, Nagi. It's their job to make it look good."

They go back to watching the movie, but Nagi finds herself paying more attention to Reo than to the screen. Reo is sitting very still in her spot, scooched a little further away from Nagi than usual, her hands folded carefully in her lap, but there's something tense about her posture that wasn't there before.

"Reo," Nagi says during a quieter scene. "Hey, Reo."

"Mmm?"

"Reo, are you listening?"

"Yeah, I'm listening," Reo says, but she's still staring at the screen.

"Reo," Nagi says again, more insistently. "Reo, I wonder what kissing feels like. Like, really feels like, not just movie kissing."

That gets Reo's attention. She turns to look at Nagi, and in the soft glow of the screen, her cheeks are definitely pinker than they were a few minutes ago. "I told you, it's never been that great for me," Reo says.

Nagi shifts in her chair, turning to face Reo more fully. "Reo," she says, and she's not entirely sure what she's about to say until the words are already coming out of her mouth. "Show me."

"Show you…what, exactly?"

"What kissing feels like," Nagi says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Reo knows about kissing, and I don't know about kissing, so Reo should teach me."

Reo goes very, very still. "Nagi," she says carefully. "That's not— you can't just—"

"Why not?" Nagi asks, genuinely confused. "Reo teaches me lots of things. How to tie my ribbon properly, how to do my hair, how to play soccer, how to not fall asleep in class…why can't Reo teach me about kissing?"

"Because," Reo starts, then stops. "Well— Because— Nagi , kissing is different . It's not like tying your ribbon! It's…intimate."

"But we're intimate," Nagi points out. "We're best friends. We tell each other everything. We sleep in the same bed sometimes. We've seen each other naked. How is kissing different?"

Reo opens her mouth, then closes it, then opens it again. "It just is ," she says finally, but she doesn't sound convinced.

"Please?" Nagi asks, and she knows she's being unfair because Reo can never say no to her when she uses that particular tone. "Just once? So I know what it's like? And then when I want to kiss for real, I'll know how to do it properly."

Something flickers across Reo's face at that—something that looks almost like pain—but it's gone so quickly that Nagi thinks she might have imagined it.

"Just once," Reo says slowly. "For— for practice ."

"For practice," Nagi agrees, though something about the way Reo says it makes her chest feel tight.

Reo is quiet for a long moment, and Nagi can practically see her thinking it through, weighing pros and cons the way she does with soccer strategies. The way she does with everything, like she can't handle not having an iron grip on the situation. Nagi wonders if Reo realises this is already out of her hands. 

"Okay," Reo says finally, swallowing. "Okay, but we need to establish some ground rules."

"Rules?" Nagi whines, because of course Reo would want to make rules about kissing.

"Yes, rules," Reo says firmly, though her cheeks are definitely red now. It's cute. "This is just practice, okay? Just so you know what it's like. For when you meet someone you actually want to kiss."

There's that tightness in Nagi's chest again, sharper this time. The idea of kissing someone who isn't Reo feels weird and wrong in a way she knows the name of, but can't quite place on her tongue yet.

"Okay," she says instead.

"And we don't tell anyone about this," Reo continues. "It's just between us."

"Got it. I won't even tell Choki."

"And if you want to stop, you just say so, okay? No questions asked."

"Reo," Nagi says, exasperated. "I don't wanna stop. I wanna kiss you. It's just kissing for now, right?”

"It's not just kissing," Reo mutters, but she's already shifting out of her chair. "Come on, let's... we should probably pause the movie."

Nagi obediently reaches for the remote and pauses the screen, leaving them in the soft, dim lighting of Reo's theatre room. Suddenly the space feels much more intimate, much more charged with possibility.

"How do we do this?" Nagi asks, looking between Reo and the chairs they'd been sitting in. "Do we stay here, or...?"

"The bed, probably," Reo says, then immediately turns even redder. "I mean, it's more comfortable. For positioning. Not for—! not because—! it's just for comfort, okay?”

"Okay," Nagi says, completely unbothered by Reo's flustering. 

She gets up and lets Reo drag her up off the couch and back to her bedroom. She pads over to the bed, settling cross-legged in the middle of the mattress. The pajamas Reo picked out for her shift and move with her, and they're super light in a way that makes Nagi feels like everything's all floaty. Reo follows more slowly, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed like she's afraid to get too close. The v-cut of her shirt is severe, and as she shifts around, it drops lower down her chest. Nagi is suitably distracted. 

"Reo's being weird," Nagi observes.

"I'm not being weird," Reo protests. "I'm being…careful."

"Careful of what ?"

Reo doesn't answer that, just scoots a little closer until they're facing each other on the bed, close enough that Nagi can see the way Reo's breathing has gotten slightly faster, the way her pupils are dilated in the low light.

"So," Nagi says. "What do I do?"

"Just..." Reo starts, then stops, biting her lower lip in a way that draws Nagi's attention to her mouth. "Just follow my lead, okay? And remember, this is just practice."

"Just practice," Nagi echoes, though the words taste strange in her mouth. Well, if Reo needs to hear it, that's fine. 

Reo nods and scoots even closer, close enough that their knees knock together for a second, sending a sharp spark up Nagi's body. She reaches up and gently cups Nagi's face in her hands, her palms warm against Nagi's cheeks.

"Like this," Reo says softly, her thumbs brushing over Nagi's cheekbones. "The first thing is positioning. You want to be close enough that you don't have to strain, but not so close that you bump noses."

"Okay," Nagi breathes, and her own hands come up almost automatically to rest on Reo's waist, just above the waistband of her velvet pants.

Reo's breath hitches slightly at the contact, but she doesn't pull away.

"And then," Reo continues, her voice barely above a whisper. "You  can just…lean in. Ah, but do it slowly. Let your eyes close, maybe. And…"

She trails off, leaning closer, and Nagi finds herself mirroring the movement automatically. Their faces are only inches apart now, so close that Nagi can feel the warmth of Reo's breath against her lips. Selfishly, Nagi decides not to close her eyes. She wants to see Reo. She really wants to see Reo. 

"And?" Nagi prompts, though she's not sure why she's whispering.

"And then you kiss," Reo finishes, and closes the distance between them.

The first touch of Reo's lips against hers is soft, tentative, barely more than a brush of contact. But even that gentle pressure sends something like electricity shooting through Nagi's entire body, making her fingers tighten involuntarily on Reo's waist.

Reo starts to pull back, probably to ask if that was okay, if Nagi wants to stop, but Nagi follows her movement, pressing closer, asking wordlessly for more, moee, more. 

And Reo, mind reader that she is, gives it to her. The second kiss is deeper, more sure, Reo's lips moving against hers in a way that's instructive and encouraging and absolutely nothing like the perfunctory kisses Reo described having with other people. This kiss has intent behind it, purpose, like Reo is trying to tell her something important, but Nagis brain is melting into a chorus of want and need and Reo all mixed into one pathetic body. 

Nagi is a quick learner, always has been, and kissing turns out to be no different. She follows Reo's lead, lets herself get lost in the soft pressure of lips moving together, the way Reo's breath mingles with hers, the little sound Reo makes when Nagi tilts her head slightly to change the angle.

When they finally break apart, both of them are breathing a little harder than they should be from such a simple kiss. Nagi feels dazed, light-headed. 

"Good?" Reo asks, her hands still framing Nagi's face.

"Mmm," Nagi hums, then blinks up at Reo with wide, star-struck eyes. "Reo, I don't think I got it right. Can we try again?"

Something flickers across Reo's expression—surprise, maybe, or something that looks almost like hope.

"Again?" she asks.

"I'm a quick learner," Nagi says. "But I want to make sure I understand properly. For when I need to kiss you for real."

That shadow crosses Reo's face again, but she nods. "Okay. Again."

This time, Nagi is the one who initiates, leaning in with more confidence, more certainty. She's watched enough movies to know that kissing can be more than just pressing lips together, and she's curious about all of it—the way people's mouths move together, the way they hold each other, the way they look at each other afterward like they've discovered something precious.

Reo meets her halfway, and this kiss is different from the first two. Less inhibited, more free. 

Nagi feels the tip of Reo's tongue brush against her lower lip and instinctively parts her lips in response. Maybe it's because the way she's seen in movies a thousand times but never understood until now, and maybe it's because Reo kisses with an intensity that Nagi's never felt before—and Reo's tongue, warm and wet isn’t really asking so much as it's telling Nagi let me in, let me in, let me in , and who is Nagi to deny Reo anything?

The feeling of Reo's tongue sliding against hers makes her make a soft sound of surprise and pleasure, her hands tightening on Reo's waist, pulling her closer. Nagi's sure her hands are probably digging into her wait by now, but Reo seems to have zero problems with that, only responding by tilting her head to deepen the kiss even further, and Nagi thinks dimly that this is definitely not just practice anymore, but she can't bring herself to care.

When they break apart this time, they're both flushed and breathing hard, and there’s barely a centimetre between them. They're breathing each other's air, really, and Nagi already wants to dive back in. 

"Better?" Reo asks, but her voice is rough in a way that suggests she already knows the answer. She's a little bolder now, and Nagi likes that look on her. 

"Better," Nagi agrees, then pauses, studying Reo's face. "But I think I need more practice."

"More?" Reo asks, and there's something almost desperate in her voice.

"Mmm," Nagi hums, already leaning in again. "I want to be really good at it. For when I kiss the person I like."

She feels more than sees Reo tense at that, feels the way Reo's hands tighten slightly on her face.

"Right," Reo says, but her voice sounds strained. "For the person you like."

They kiss again, and this time there's an edge to it, something almost urgent in the way Reo's mouth moves against hers. Like she's trying to memorize the feeling, or like she's trying to prove something. Nagi doesn't know what to make of it, but she likes it, likes the way Reo kisses her like she means it. She likes the way Reo is more rushed this time, the way Reo nips at her lip and licks at the inside of her mouth like it's hers to take, and honestly, if not Reo’s, then it's nobody else's ever. 

This continues for several more kisses, each one longer and deeper than the last, until Nagi has completely lost track of time and space and everything except the feeling of Reo's lips on hers, Reo's hands in her hair, Reo's body warm and solid against hers, pressed flush from lip to flip, waist to waist, chest to chest. It's only when Reo suddenly pulls back, putting several inches of distance between them, that Nagi realizes how thoroughly they've gotten carried away. Her lips are swollen and tingling and there's a warm, fluttery feeling in her stomach that definitely wasn't there before. 

At some point, she's clambered onto Reo's lap, straddling her, and Reo's pressed back against the headboard, all flushed and messy, lips glistening with spittle, her shirt has slid down one shoulder revealing that her flushed cheeks extend all the way past her chest, and her her hair is messed up so cutely that it makes Nagi want to tug at it more. 

"I can't ," Reo says abruptly, holding Nagi an arms length away, her voice thick and her eyes bright. "I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" Nagi asks, confused and a little hurt by the sudden distance. He brain is still booting up and loading in. 

" This ," Reo gestures vaguely between them. "The practice thing. I can't— you want to kiss someone else , Nagi. You want to learn how to kiss so you can kiss someone you actually like, and I can't help with that, okay? I’m… I’m selfish. I like kissing you too much."

Nagi stares at her, trying to process what Reo just said. "Too much?"

"Yes, too much," Reo says, and she sounds almost angry, though Nagi doesn't think the anger is directed at her. "I like it too much, and that's not fair to you, because you're trying to learn and I'm— I'm not capable of thinking about this as practice for someone else anymore."

"Oh," Nagi says quietly.

"So we should stop," Reo continues, though she doesn't sound like she wants to stop at all. "Before this gets weird, or complicated, or..."

"Reo," Nagi interrupts softly.

"What?"

"Who said I wanted to kiss someone else ?"

Reo blinks at her. "You did. You said you wanted to learn how to kiss for when you meet someone you like."

"No," Nagi says patiently. "I said I wanted to learn how to kiss so that when I kiss someone I like, I'll know how to do it properly."

"That's the same thing," Reo says, but she sounds less certain now. “...isn't it?”

"I don't think so…?”

There's a long pause while Reo processes this, and Nagi can practically see the moment when understanding dawns on her face.

"Nagi," Reo says carefully, "who do you want to kiss?"

"Reo," Nagi says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I want to kiss Reo. I was practicing so I could kiss Reo properly."

The silence that follows is so complete that Nagi can hear her own heartbeat, can hear the distant sound of traffic from far below Reo's enormous windows.

"You want to kiss me?" Reo asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Obviously," Nagi says. "Reo is the only person I want to do anything with. Why would kissing be different?"

"But you said... you said for when you meet someone you like..."

"I already met someone I like," Nagi says simply. "I met Reo ."

Reo stares at her for another long moment, and then her face crumples into something that looks like relief and joy and disbelief all mixed together.

"You idiot," she says, but her voice is warm with affection. "You absolute disaster of a person. Do you have any idea what you just put me through?"

"What did I put Reo through?"

"I thought you wanted to learn how to kiss so you could go kiss some random person," Reo says, scooting closer again. "I was trying to teach you even though it was killing me, because I wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn't with me."

"That's dumb," Nagi says matter-of-factly. "Why would I want to kiss a random person when I could kiss Reo instead? Reo is much better than random people."

"Much better?" Reo asks, and now she's smiling, that brilliant smile that makes Nagi's chest feel warm and tight.

"The best ," Nagi confirms. "Reo is the best at everything."

"Not everything," Reo protests, but she's leaning closer again, drawn back into Nagi's orbit like she can't help herself.

"Well, everything important," Nagi insists, and then, because Reo is close enough and because she can, she leans in and kisses her again.

This kiss is different from all the others. There's no pretense of practice now, no careful instruction or tentative facades. This is just Nagi kissing Reo because she wants to, because she likes the way Reo tastes, because she likes the little sounds Reo makes when their tongues slide together, the sharp inhales she takes when her hand slides up her shirt just right.

When they break apart, they stay close, foreheads touching, breathing the same air.

"So," Reo says softly. "I take it you don't need to be practising anymore?"

"I didn't really need practice since, like, kiss two," Nagi admits. "I’m Reo's genius, afterall. I can do anything…I just wanted to kiss Reo, but I thought Reo wouldn't want to kiss me unless I had a reason."

"You don't need a reason," Reo says, her hands coming up to tangle in Nagi's curls. "You never need a reason with me."

"Good," Nagi says, and kisses her again, soft and sweet and full of promise. "Because I want to kiss Reo a lot."

"How much is a lot?" Reo asks against her lips.

"Mmm," Nagi considers this. "Like, all the time. Forever, maybe.”

"That can be arranged," Reo murmurs, and then they're kissing again, and Nagi thinks that maybe romance movies got it right after all. Maybe kissing really is the most important thing in the world, when you're kissing the right person.

And Reo is definitely, absolutely, the right person.