Karaoke and Kisses

The karaoke was over. The cats had been thoroughly played with. The post-stream tweets had been published. It was now well after midnight, and Reine and Kiara had fulfilled all their responsibilities. Kiara’s trip to Indonesia was purely for leisure, but the streamers knew they wanted to share their experience with their audiences- to an extent. Now it was time to relax and focus on themselves.

“Ooooh, your cats are just so cute, Weine, almost as cute as Chonkers and Smoothie,” Kiara said as she laid on her stomach on the floor of the cat room, attempting to pet both MC and CM.

“Hey, my cats are just as cute as any! Besides, I haven’t met your cats yet, so I can’t compare them yet,” Reine retorted with a pout. Reine would defend her cats to the death, but seeing Kiara stretching out for Handoko just out of her reach softened her up. “Haha, with all of you on the floor it’s almost like I have three cats living here.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t that be nice…” Kiara drowsily mumbled. She still wore her cat ears, and as Reine looked at Kiara’s sleepy face she couldn’t help but wonder if her three favorite things in the world were together right now.

“You all look so cute together, with your cute wittle ears twitching and your wittle noses touching,” Reine’s speech devolved into even more incomprehensible uwu talk, eventually solely becoming mewling noises. This only stopped when Reine noticed Kiara’s eyelids had shut, clearly exhausted from the weeks of work in Japan on top of an 8 hour plane ride and braving the traffic of Jakarta. Despite having a childish nature, Reine knew she would have to be an adult here.

“It’s pretty late, Kiara, and I can see you falling asleep. How about I call a taxi to bring you back to your hotel room?” Reine herself was feeling the stress and fatigue of being an idol. Without the energy brought by singing with her closest partner, Reine knew she was in danger of dozing off too.

Kiara’s response was non-committal, “Mmmhhmmhffm, I can’t get up. Cats.”

“Come on, Kiara, roll over. I’ll help you up.” Reine grabbed onto Kiara’s shoulder and turned her over, allowing Kiara to extend both arms into the air like a toddler.

“Pick me up, Weine.”

“Fine, fine,” Reine smirked amusedly at Kiara’s reaction, and grasped both of her outstretched hands. “Oh my, off collab double hand holding, how spic-” Reine’s joke was interrupted by a combination of underestimating her own strength and overestimating how much effort it would take to lift Kiara off the ground. Kiara seemed to fly up off the floor, crashing into Reine and pushing the both of them back so Reine was pinned between her desk and her friend. Kiara’s body was completely pressed along Reine’s, with absolutely no separation between them. Reine could feel the squish of Kiara’s breasts against her own, their legs intertwined, and Kiara’s hands gripping her arms, her own hands finding themselves on Kiara’s hips.

Recovering from the shock, Reine opened her eyes, “Oh my god, Kiara are you oka-” Her voice was stopped by Kiara’s face centimeters away from her own. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, and her cheeks flushed. For a moment time stopped, and the only thing that existed in the universe was Kiara, so close yet somehow so unreachable. And then, the spell was broken.

“Anjing lu, Reine! You have to be more careful with a delicate idol like me!” Kiara opened her eyes and straightened herself up, playfully pounding her fist against Reine’s upper chest. “Tonjok! Tonjok!”

“Sorry, Kiara, I didn’t mean to-”

“Ah, it’s fine, whatever. Help me get my bag together before you call a taxi. I’m still wearing your clothes” Kiara turned away and started heading out into the hallway, unaffected by what had just occurred. “Come on, come on, Reine! You put my bag in your room, right? Show me!”

Reine had to snap herself out of the haze that being so close to Kiara put her in and followed her out the room. “R-right, it’s just down the hall, follow me.” Reine silently cursed herself for having such a maiden’s heart, which now felt like it was trying to jump out of her chest. Kiara would only be in the country for a short time, and with so many other members to meet, this would probably be the only time they would be alone together. Bemoaning her poor luck and circumstance, Reine resigned herself to being a good friend to her secret crush. After nothing happened in the Maldives, Reine had hoped things might go differently this time, but for now Reine just wanted to focus on getting Kiara back to her hotel.

“It’s this room here,” Reine tried to say as calmly as she could and opened the door. Kiara immediately entered to look for her bag, but all thoughts of the search disappeared when she saw Reine’s bed.

Without a word, Kiara threw herself onto it, burying her face into the softest sheets she had ever felt.

“I guess the HoloEN house really does have awful mattresses, haha. I know you’re sleep deprived Kiara, but you can’t fall asleep yet.” Reine, already feeling depressed from unrequited desires, was running low on patience for Kiara’s antics. “Don’t make me pick you up again, we saw how well that went last time.”

Kiara laid motionless on the bed, only granting Reine a muffled groan in response. Reine crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side, striking a pose that would put any tante antagonis to shame. It was now very late, she had a million projects to work on, and the accumulating stress of life was starting to overflow. With a stern voice, Reine called out Kiara’s name.

An irritated groan was followed by Kiara turning her head and extending her left arm. “Fine, but help me up again, for real.” Reine couldn’t stay mad at her and walked over to Kiara's prone form, blue and teal eyes on her curvy body, but primarily on the outstretched hand and soft fingers. She could still feel the echoes of the touches those fingers just placed. The entire distance Reine was distracted by such thoughts, and so did not notice Kiara’s unwavering purple eyes and resolved expression, locked in on Reine’s face.

Reine reached for Kiara’s arm but was surprised by the sudden speed and strength from the Phoenix as Kiara instead grabbed her by the forearm and pulled Reine down into the bed. For the second time the two girls were face to face, but now their eyes stared into each other’s.

“I’m too tired to travel anymore, Reine, and your bed is so comfortable.” Kiara’s left arm kept a tight grip on Reine, and she raised her right hand up to gently caress Reine’s shocked and blushing face.

“I-I-I’m glad you like it, b-but what did you pull me down for?” Reine could barely get the words out, all semblance of sense and logic leaving her brain.
How can being this dense only make her even cuter, Kiara thought to herself. “I don’t know how much more I’ll be able to see you on this trip. I missed you so much after the Maldives and Japan, I don’t want to miss a second if I don’t have to.” Kiara’s fingers moved up Reine’s cheek and into her hair, entwining her lavender locks around her hand. “You are always my number one, Reine.”

No amount of fanfiction had prepared Reine for this. This was real, this was happening. Kiara was in her bed, holding her, and it wasn’t a dream this time. Always cool under pressure, Reine did the thing was best at when receiving advances from a girl: panic and overthink. It felt real in their shared Maldives bed and in the Tokyo karaoke booth too, she wasn’t going to fall for it again.

Her voice was high-pitched and her breathing erratic as she tried to respond, “I-I-I-I’m really happy to spend all this time with you too Kiara and I hope we can have a good time together and with all the others too and we can keep making good memories and good stream content and that we can continue to get along and have a good time and I hope that nothing bad or weird will get between us and-”

Reine’s rambling was cut off by Kiara placing her finger on her lips. “There, there, Reine. My Reine. My…Reine… You don’t have to worry. I know. I understand.” Reine wasn’t aware of the tears in her eyes until Kiara wiped them away. “You don’t have to worry.”

She was very much aware of the sensation of Kiara’s lips on hers. Her entire being of existence was centralized onto that one point of contact. All of her life, all of her thoughts, her dreams, her future, her worries, her love was localized into the kiss. Kiara broke off the kiss, bringing Reine back to Earth. The Peafowl kept her position, lips pursed, her mind not catching up to her body. She was not sure exactly what just happened, only that she wanted more.

“You liked that, huh?” Kiara asked with a self-satisfied smirk, her sleepiness no longer holding back her natural exuberance.

Reine could only manage to tightly put her lips back together and muster a small nod, too embarrassed to form words.

The bashful expression caused Kiara to laugh and rub their noses together. “I love you, Reine.”

Reine had heard this countless times before. She had told herself that those other times were different from hearing the real thing, but hearing it now Reine knew that everytime Kiara had said it before she meant it just like she did now. A red string of memory flowed through Reine’s mind, linking every
shared moment with Kiara from debut to today. Her pupils narrowed in her wide open eyes, her white circles changing shape into hearts.

“If that was supposed to make it easier for me to talk, it didn’t work,” Reine whispered. Her brain, body, and heart were overloaded.

“Why don’t you tell me what you want to do with me tonight? How about something small to start?” Kiara whispered back. Her hand had stopped gripping Reine’s arm and moved to her lower back, pulling her in closer in a fiery embrace. Her other hand was softly stroking Reine’s hair.

A million options ran through Reine’s mind. Instead of thinking, Reine chose to follow what she was seeing. Kiara’s perfectly shaped mouth seemed so warm, wet, and inviting, the impression of the kiss still taking center stage on Reine’s soul. And just passed her lips rested her tongue. Reine had fantasized about Kiara’s tongue plenty of times in the past in the safety of solitude, but that could not compare to having the genuine thing. Her body told her she wanted that tongue everywhere on her body. Her brain told her to start small. Her heart told her this was the moment she’s been waiting for.

“Maybe we could French…um…French…” Reine’s words caught in her throat.

“French? French what? French toast? It’s a little late to be thinking about breakfast, isn’t it Reine? Or did you forget I’m Austrian?”

Both girls laughed at the joke. The kind of laugh that cleanses your spirit, washing away all doubts, insecurities, and fears. When they both finished laughing, Reine looked at Kiara with a smile and said, “Close your eyes.”

Kiara obeyed, closing her eyes and tilting her chin forward, happy to let Reine take the lead. Reine took a moment to look at Kiara’s face. It was the face she probably knew the best, but in the light of the situation, it felt like she was seeing it truly for the first time. The tender contours of her cheeks, her orange bangs, the small smile she always seemed ready to give. It was a face she could look at for the rest of her life.

Dismissing her final doubts, Reine leaned in closer.

Giving a kiss felt different than receiving one. It filled Reine with a sense of purpose and power. She was in control of this expression of love, and Kiara was willingly receiving it. It was intoxicating. She wanted more. She kissed her again. And again. Her hands clung to the back of Kiara’s upper body and head. Reine wanted to throw herself completely into Kiara. Sensing Reine’s hunger, Kiara slightly opened her mouth, teasing Reine’s lips with her tongue. Months of frustration were unleashed by Reine at this simple provocation. Reine thrust her own tongue into Kiara’s mouth in an aggressive tangle. There was so much of Kiara to discover, so many unexplored avenues of both her body and person.

In her intense passion, Reine rolled both of their bodies over so she was positioned over top Kiara. Doing so ended their kissing battle, both girls left flustered and gasping for air. Reine saw in Kiara a wild excitement gazing up at her, rewarding her for the effective French kiss, and daring her to go farther. The change in position broke Reine from her illusion as she noticed Kiara’s ample bust through her sweat soaked shirt. Lying on her back with her arms around her neck gave them a new definition that ignited a fire within Reine. It also made her realize Kiara was still wearing her borrowed clothes.

The day was especially hot, and Reine realized with a poorly timed sense of cleanliness that their clothes were going to dirty the (very expensive) sheets.

“Ah, Kiara, our clothes, I don’t wear day clothes on the bed, especially in this weather!” Reine quickly sat up, still straddling Kiara’s waist underneath her.

“Oh my, Weine, are you saying you want me to get naked? So forward for a girl who was afraid of a kiss a few minutes ago. Well, if it’s you, I guess I don’t mind,” Kiara teased, and started lifting up her shirt.

“Wait no, that’s not what I meant,” Reine’s denial trailed off as Kiara was suddenly shirtless and pinned down beneath her. The valley of her breasts, the thin line down her abdomen, the excellent hip bones were all on display before Reine, rendering her speechless.

“I can’t get these pants off if you’re sitting on me. And it’s not fair if I’m the only one that’s naked, Reine. Or did you expect me to undress you too?” Kiara purred with a sultry expression. Despite being on the bottom, Kiara maintained her control.

A shock of electricity shot through Reine. “Do it,” Reine demanded in a deep, gravelly voice, moving both arms down on either side of Kiara’s head.

The effect on Kiara was immediate. At the sound of Reine’s voice, her body quivered involuntarily. With a small whimper, Kiara got to work on the buttons on Reine top while Reine kissed along Kiara’s forehead and ears. Reine playfully bit at Kiara’s earlobe, causing her hands to shake. Despite this, Kiara was able to take off Reine’s black crop top.

“The pants, too,” Reine ordered directly into Kiara’s ear with the same voice. Kiara let out a small gasp as she moved her hands downward, struggling to unbutton and slide Reine’s pants off of her. Reine was doing her best to maintain her persona of the top, but feeling Kiara’s hands slide down her hips, butt, and legs caused her to break character. Her joints went weak, and she collapsed down on top of Kiara, smashing her chin against Kiara’s nose.

“Ah shit, I’m so sorry Kiara, are you alright? I’m such a fucking mess, every goddamn time, dammit!” Reine knew she messed up, as she always did, ruining what could have been, should have been, the greatest night of her life. Her fists clenched in anger and she turned away from Kiara. She felt cursed, and wanted to yell at the world and herself.

“Reine. Look at me,” the voice cut through Reine’s negative thoughts like a knife. “Look at me, Reine. My Reine. It’s ok, you’re ok, I’m fine.” Kiara, still on her back, held her nose, but her eyes and smile showed no pain, only love, “Come here, put your head on my shoulder.”

Reine sheepishly adjusted her body up and nestled her head into Kiara’s shoulder. Both girls wrapped their arms around each other in a loving embrace. For a minute, Reine just let herself be held by Kiara. She let her past mistakes and failures not exist for a minute, holding on to this safe feeling before it slips away. “I love you, Kiara,” Reine said in as quiet a voice as she could.

“I know you do, Reine. I love you too,” Kiara stroked Reine’s hair and lightly massaged her back. “We still have the rest of the night. And, if you would have me, we could have many more nights in the future. But you have to promise me something.” At Kiara’s words Reine looked upwards to her. Kiara was already looking at her, fully determined, and said with no half-measure, “You are an amazing person, Reine. More amazing than you know.” Kiara’s flattery prompted Reine to blush and break eye contact.

“Look at me, Reine. I want you to hear this. And I want you to really understand it,” Kiara was stern but not forceful. Reine furtively resumed eye contact with her friend. Were they still friends? After this, what could they even be called?

“You are a beautiful person, Reine. You are kind, smart, funny, you work harder than anyone, and you’re also super hot,” Kiara’s praises rolled off her tongue as naturally as her favorite idol song. There was no hint of deception, no false praise, it was all from the heart, and each word struck at the center of Reine’s heart.

That didn’t mean Reine could just accept it so easily.

“That all sounds nice, Kiara, but it doesn’t make any of it true, and it doesn’t make the bad things about me go away,” in a quieter voice, Reine added, “and I bet I’m not the only one you say these things to.”

It came out harsher than she had intended. And one look at Kiara’s concerned face made it apparent she needed to apologize.

“I’m sorry, Kiara. I didn’t mean it like that. I know you care about me, and I care about you a lot too. Maybe too much. But it’s just not so easy for me to just believe all these nice things. I’m always so worried that people are just telling me what I want to hear and that they’ll move on from me when I don’t interest them anymore.” Reine’s honest emotions poured out. The tears in her eyes welled up once more, and her grip on Kiara tightened, becoming more desperate. She lowered her head down into Kiara’s chest, hiding her face.

Kiara stayed silent through Reine’s outburst, gingerly stroking Reine’s hair, taking out the tri-feather hairpiece. She was not offended. They were fears and worries she knew only all too well. Maybe that was why she empathized with Reine so much. They were two different people from different parts of the world and different backgrounds, but in some ways they were the same. Two feathers from the same plumage.

“Pavolia Reine,” Kiara’s voice was slow and kind. “Apology accepted. There. That’s all done. I’m sorry you feel those things about yourself. I understand it’s hard to shake those thoughts. I know they keep me awake, too.” Kiara paused, allowing Reine to catch her breath. Kiara didn’t know it, but a small corner of Reine’s conscience noticed that their heartbeats had synchronized.

“But you have to trust me when I tell you that the things I tell you are true. You are wonderful. In every way. Maybe you don’t believe me right now, but I’m not going to stop telling you until you believe it. You don’t have a choice! You’re not getting rid of me.”

Kiara accentuated each sentence with a kiss on the top of Reine’s head.

“And sure, maybe I play around and flirt with the other girls a little too much, but none of them make me feel the way you do. No one. You make me feel like I can do anything. You make me feel perfect the way I am. And I want to make you feel the same way.”

The words seemed like a song to Reine. The most beautiful song she ever heard. Her eyes were still wet, but it was enough to get her to show her face to Kiara.

Kiara took her moment. “I want to give all of myself to you, Reine. My body, my soul, all my love. And I want you to take it from me. And that goes both ways. I want all of you. Every inch, every moment.”

Reine found her voice, “That sounds pretty good to me.”

Kiara’s words had pierced through Reine’s mental defenses. It was like someone turned on the lights for the first time in her life. And with her improving mood, Reine suddenly was aware of the states of undress they both were in, and the way their legs were pressing up their inner thighs turned another light on.

“Good,” Kiara kissed her on the nose with a smile, “but before we get back to the good part, I need you to promise me something.”
Reine held her breath in eager anticipation.

“I need you to promise to have confidence in yourself, to love yourself as much as you love me. I want to stay with you for as long as possible. For always. But I want you to believe me when I say I love you, and I want you to mean it when you say you love me.”

Unlike much of her life, it was not a hard decision.

“I can do that and more, Kiara.”

“Why don’t you show me?”

Reine kissed Kiara with all the passion of her being, declaring her love and commitment without a word.