You knew it from a young age, all clumsy feet and unwavering determination and persistence, when your hair didn't reach your knees but your chin. With your lofty goals you didn't have time to spare for many of the childhood games your peers played, boys chasing girls and girls chasing the boys on the backs of magazines, but even if you'd had a moment to spend, it wouldn't have been on that. You knew from a young age that the figures and faces that caught your eye and left an impression were always girls.
As you got older, you worked hard and trained, expending every bit of effort in you to curb that awkwardness, harness the confidence and composure befitting of a top idol. You pushed yourself to and past limits, climbing over them like walls and steep cliffs, and by the time you reached the other side, you could manage yourself. No longer clumsy, and awkward only in situations you never put yourself in. In leaving everyone behind below you as you ascended the figurative staircase you closed yourself off from your peers.
And then she came along.
From the moment you laid eyes on her, you knew she had the potential to surpass you one day. She was different from you. Talent, a natural inclination, compelled her rather than pure hard work. She had something you didn't, and it fascinated you. Before you even realized what was going on, you were falling for her, head over heels. She'd smile, her face turned up and eyes scrunched shut and cheeks tinged pink and you, you had to stand up and turn around before you said or did anything you might regret. Or she'd take your hands in hers, squeeze just a bit, and smile simply at you. Her eyes twinkled and her blonde hair was dyed with the setting sun and you felt your breath catch in your throat. It became more than just an attraction. You were—are in love.
Normally you wouldn't expect your feelings to be requited, but time and time again she reached out, came that much closer. You were vulnerable. More and more you began to let down your defenses, and you became awkward, shy, fumbling with unfamiliar emotions.
You didn't expect her to chase after you when you nearly gave in and quit, or more accurately, for her light to. And you could never have guessed that she would perform a love song upon your arrival. Lyrics telling of mutual love, mutual warmth, you understood. You were never alone in your feelings for a second. She had long since accepted them.
"Mizuki-san?"
You're pulled out of your thoughts to find just the person you'd been thinking about looking up at you. Her eyes are big and bright and she's blushing a bit, expectant. "Yes?"
"Can...I kiss you?" Your heart stops.
How do you respond? What do you say? Your face heats up. It's not as if you don't want to, you do, but...! "I-If you want to, I mean..." Your words trail off and you could cry. To think she once called you stoic!
Ichigo's smile stretches ear to ear, and she giggles. "You really are cute, Mizuki-san!" Your chest feels all fluttery; it always does when you're with her. Soon she's leaning in slowly but surely and your eyes are shutting, and through all the nervousness, you know there's no one else in the world you'd rather be with. Her lips are soft and you can't help but smile into the kiss.
You might have known from a young age that you liked girls, but you never could have imagined the one waiting for you when you got older.
