Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Hahh… Hakaze-senpai makes it look so easy,” Mao Isara says, her voice a slight whine on the wind as she finally finished her ascent up the cliff.

Ritsu Sakuma glances over her shoulder as if she hadn’t been watching her girlfriend the entire time, admiring her every move. Even as Mao approached their blanket with slumped shoulders and messy, salt-kissed hair, Ritsu could hardly hide her smile.

“You looked great out there,” Ritsu’s smooth voice was barely audible on the wind, but Mao could pick the sound out anywhere.

“Really?” she asks, her expression lighting up as she sets down her borrowed surfboard and works her arms out of the thick wetsuit. “Were you watching?” she asks as she sits down beside her girlfriend. Despite the chill from the sea, Mao filled the space near Ritsu with nothing but warmth.

“Of course I was,” Ritsu says, turning her phone around to show Mao the photos she had taken.

She almost regretted it when she saw how Mao’s expression went from ecstatic to deflated in a matter of moments. Ritsu had a tough time working her phone for several functions still, but the camera was something she mastered the moment Izumi gave her the suggestion of capturing Mao’s most candid moments. Now photos and videos of her occupied the vast majority of Ritsu’s storage.

Her skills with the camera had frozen Mao’s expressions of surprise and defeat whenever she would bail.

“Ritchan, is that really all you got?”

Ritsu’s heart melts at the nickname, and she accepts her phone once more when Mao hands it back, clearly not satisfied with Ritsu’s skills as a photographer.

“Of course not, Maakun.”

Ritsu angles her phone away so Mao can’t see the sheer number of photos Ritsu would definitely comb through and stare at for hours later as she scrolled through her photo library. Finally, she came across one of the longer videos she took a few minutes into Mao’s practice session. She turned her phone over to Mao once more as she tucked her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them to watch her reaction.

Mao’s smile bloomed brilliantly as she watched the video of her first and only success for catching a wave. It was rocky. She lacked balance and bailed quite early, but she had actually been able to stand and ride the wave for a few meters before the crash came.

“Hey… I actually look… good?” Mao said, her voice riddled with uncertainty.

Ritsu couldn’t hide her amusement as she shifted to be partially behind Mao, on her knees now so she could reach the top of Mao’s hair and tenderly run her fingers through its now gritty texture.

“You always look good,” Ritsu whispers into her ear flirtatiously, earning herself a playful swat as Mao grew flustered.

“You know what I mean,” she glanced towards the video once more as it began to replay with a smile. “I didn’t think I would look so stable on it. I felt like I was completely off balance…”

Ritsu listened as Mao continued to talk in surfing terms that she didn’t quite understand, but she didn’t care. She may not understand everything about surfing, but she did understand the shift in Mao’s tone when she spoke of something she deeply enjoyed; the way her speech grew rapid as if she couldn’t get her words out in time to keep up with her thoughts; the way her hands motioned as if they were an integral piece to explain the process; the way her tone of voice grew the slightest bit higher and she spoke louder as she gained confidence with the subject… Ritsu didn’t want it to end.

She let Mao talk as she finished undoing the twin braids she had fashioned into Mao’s short hair earlier that day that the wind and tide had already pulled apart and felted. Despite her hair still being wet and difficult to work with, Mao didn’t wince because her hair was being tugged once. Ritsu handled the task with care, taking the time to gently work out small knots in Mao’s hair as she slipped her fingers through it.

The touch made Mao tense bashfully at first, but she quickly fell victim and softened to the gentle tugs at her hair and the light rose and bergamot scent of Ritsu’s perfume. She leaned lightly against Ritsu’s shoulder as her hair was gathered once more into two dutch braids at the top. When she ran out of things to say or became too nervous that she was prattling on, Ritsu would ask questions in that hypnotically light voice of hers to urge Mao to continue.

She found herself releasing the tension of her body into the tide of Ritsu’s embrace as they fell into a comfortable silence, now sitting side by side with Ritsu’s fingers gently combing through Mao’s hair now that the braids were snugly in place once more, and Mao’s head on her shoulder. Mao found her hand brushing along Ritsu’s lower back and settling on her hip, thumb lightly caressing the white fabric of her cotton dress.

Perhaps it was the silence or the scent of Ritsu’s perfume on the gentle wind, Mao felt her heart hammer away as if attempting to carve Ritsu’s name into her ribs with a chisel. The sudden sensation overwhelmed her, making her grit her teeth as her cheeks warmed. They were so close. Surely this should be close enough? Mao tried to hide her face, her cheek softly pressing into Ritsu’s collar bone as her grip tightened ever so slightly on her hip to draw her in closer.

“Maakun,” Ritsu gasps.

Mao shoots upright, the apologies immediately flowing out of her mouth as she lets go of Ritsu. “Sorry! Sorry, Ritchan, I didn’t-“ Reason followed shortly after her reaction, sharpening her focus on Ritsu’s expression.

Her mouth was held open in a moment of amazement, its corners curled up in a slight smile as her red irises were ignited to embers by the sun. Mao’s heart melted as she took all of her in; the way her long black hair swirled with the light gusts of wind, the way her chest rose and fell as she drank in the beautiful red and purple hues of the sky.

“It’s beautiful,” Ritsu says when Mao lightly removes Ritsu’s sunhat, her voice light as the ocean spray, sinking straight into Mao’s heart.

“Beautiful,” Mao agrees, her fingers running through Ritsu’s hair serving as a siren call for the other to nestle into her side, head now resting on Mao’s shoulder. Mao replaces her hand on Ritsu’s hip, and Ritsu reaches one of her hands across her chest and over her shoulder to lace it with Mao’s.

Ritsu gazed at the world’s sun while wrapped up in the arms of her own. An all too familiar feeling pooled at her stomach as she clutched onto this moment all she could. Mao held her just as tight.

What did I do to deserve this?

The unanimous thought eclipsed both of them when Ritsu caught Mao’s gaze with her own. One beat. Ritsu leans closer ever so slightly, her goal clear in Mao’s mind. Two. Mao can’t help but look away, heat flooding in her cheeks as her heart thrummed in her throat. The angelic little giggles that tumbled out of Ritsu’s mouth had Mao’s cheeks burning even warmer, her hand gripping Ritsu’s waist a little tighter.

Mao knew Ritsu would never push her, she instead gently touched her nose to Mao’s jaw, slowly breathing her in with a fond air of amusement.

Mao’s eyes slowly drifted towards the sun once more, just in time to see it wink past the surface of the ocean, leaving a soft pinkish purple glow in the sky that would soon fade to a deep blue. A feather-light hand against her cheek made her realize that her lip had been an unfortunate victim of her teeth. She looked down to see Ritsu peeking up at her, an amused smile still gracing her expression.

“Careful with those pretty things, Maakun~” Ritsu hums in that sing-song tone that always meant trouble and caused heat to rise to Mao’s cheeks once more. “They’re mine.”

Mao swallows down her embarrassment as a hand comes up to gently clasp the hand at her cheek.

“Are they now?” She asks, her attempt to keep her voice even made it low and quiet.

Intrigue immediately bubbled inside Ritsu, her eyes sparkling in delight. It was rare for Mao to match her energy when she was being overly flirtatious. It made those all too familiar butterflies flutter delightfully in her tummy. She smiled wide enough to hurt her cheeks, but neither of those things were uncommon when she was around Mao.

The hold Mao had on her hand was light enough for Ritsu to still be able to move her own gently towards Mao’s lip so she could run her thumb carefully along Mao’s darkening bottom lip.

“They are,” she murmurs, her own voice matching Mao’s now. “All mine.”

The distant crash of waves against the cliff face and the soft hum of the evening wind faded out of existence for Ritsu as Mao leaned down to finally close the space between them. Little sparks traveled up her spine, igniting in her head as Mao’s lips pressed against her own. Ritsu let Mao lead, relaxing and following her flow, and Mao took her time to savor every little movement, every little taste, the warmth of Ritsu’s lips seeping into her own. Every little sensation was perfection to her.

It ended with a soft breath between them. Ritsu’s cheeks hurt as they struggled to express the full extent of her joy. She tilted her head, connecting her forehead to Mao’s and basking in her presence for a moment longer. Mao willed her heart to calm itself, but she doubted that would ever be possible — not when the girl in her arms and heart was none other than Ritsu Sakuma.

Ritsu willed her trembling to settle, pressing herself further into Mao just as a gust of wind washed gently over them.

“It’s getting chilly, isn’t it?” Mao asks, a nervous tremor to her voice.

Ritsu was thankful for the excuse, nodding along to Mao’s words.

“Come on,” Mao says, gently nudging for Ritsu to get off of her lap, “we should start heading back. It’s getting dark and I don’t want to get you home too late.”

“Well, you should know vampires thrive in the dark, late hours,” Ritsu says in a low voice, a hand delicately tracing the sculpt of Mao’s neck to her shoulder, her lips brushing against the other side of Mao’s neck as she spoke.

The absolute tremor that quaked up Mao’s spine and ended in heated cheeks ripped laughter from Ritsu, her abdomen aching with the sheer force of it. Pretending to be frustrated with her reluctance to move, Mao retaliated by scooping her girlfriend up princess style, replacing Ritsu’s giggles with a yelp of surprise. She clung to Mao for a very brief yet very satisfying moment, one that made Mao’s chest puff with pride.

Ritsu won, though. She always won. One satisfied hum with her hand lovingly tracing Mao’s jaw as her lips sweetly pressed against Mao’s cheek had Mao melting all over again. More of Ritsu’s giggles grace Mao’s ears as she carries Ritsu to the car.

“My valiant knight,” she teases.

“Isn’t that your role?”

“Sometimes it’s nice to be the princess for a change. And who wouldn’t want to be Maakun’s princess?”

Mao smiles bashfully as she gently sets Ritsu down into her seat, kissing her head before pulling away to stand upright.

“Then, wait here while I prepare your royal carriage, Highness,” Mao says, bowing dramatically.

Ritsu leans against the door of her sister’s convertible she most certainly did not steal for her date with Mao.

“Hurry back before I miss you~!” she calls melodically.

Mao waves her off, returning to their date spot to collect their belongings onto her surfboard. Once everything is secured in the back seat, Mao slips into the driver’s seat. She huffs a soft laugh at the hand that was already settled on the gear shift, and laughs harder at the wide grin that overtook Ritsu’s eager expression. Ritsu’s head leans happily against her shoulder after the car started and Mao’s hand landed on hers.

“What a needy girlfriend,” Mao sighs, her tone filled with nothing but amusement and affection.

“Only for my Maakun,” Ritsu responds, her smile clear in the sound of her voice.

Mao was thankful for the darkness of their route when Ritsu’s lips landed on and warmed Mao’s cheeks more than the sun ever could.