Futaba x Claudine drabble
- Tendo-san and Kagura-san are so perfect together!!
Their shrieks overlap the music sounding in the background as a brunette and a raven haired girl dance together around the practice room.
Claudine can’t help but flinch at it, her stomach churning as she observes with bitterness how the shining top star and the new star do a perfect twirl, moving in perfect synchrony while eliciting more shrieks from the rest of the class.
A heavy feeling settles on her chest upon being replaced by the raven haired girl. Maya, her eternal rival, is no longer her dance partner but another person's one. She doesn't longer dance with her nor looks at her with admiration but at somebody else...
The ash-blonde is no longer the classroom’s favorite girl but another one of them, another girl with no radiance whatsoever…
A long sigh escapes her lips as she looks down, counting the minutes for the class to finish before she gets out of there like a bat out of hell, not noticing a pair of violet eyes following closely her movements.
Once the ash-blonde is outside, she can’t help but intake a sharp breath of air, letting the cold air fill her lungs and calm the heavy feeling settled in her chest somehow, before she starts to wander through Tokyo’s cold streets with no particular destination in mind.
She doesn’t know how long she’s been wandering through the cold streets, until she comes across a lookout. Entranced by its beauty, she walks closer to the edge of the mountain it's in to admire the view before her better.
Another heavy sigh escapes her lips, before she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, the weight of not being anybody’s favorite, of being replaced and taken off her radiance, plaguing her mind.
Lonely tears roll down her face, falling to wet the grass beneath her as she opens her eyes again to gaze back at the streets below her, her feet carrying her more over the lookout's edge.
What if she lets herself fall? Would anybody care about it? Would anybody miss her? Or they would no longer care about her?...
The demons in her head seem to be winning the battle she has against herself, pushing her closer and closer to the edge with each word whispered as the wind lashes at her face.
She can feel the wind lashing at her with more strength, the streets below her feeling closer than they did a second before, before somebody grabs her by the wrist and pulls her backwards, making her trip and fall onto somebody's strong body, sending the both of them to the ground onto their rears.
- Are you crazy!? What were you trying to do Kuroko!?
The deep voice of a certain pink haired girl exclaims close to her ear, holding Claudine tightly against her body hoping she doesn’t fall off the mountain's lookout.
The ash-blonde can’t help but say as tears the tears she was holding until that moment stream down her face, her heart clenching in sorrow as she buries her head in Futaba’s chest, letting her hold her even tighter, rubbing circles on her back in the hope it can help her to calm down and shoo away the demons whispering in her mind.
They stay like that for what feels like an eternity, the pink haired girl holding the ash-blonde tightly against her body, feeling her sobbing calming down until only a stray sob escape the ash-blonde’s lips, snuggling into her friend.
- I'm sorry, Futaba. I didn't mean to scare you... I.. I didn't intend to...
Claudine whispers sorrowfully as Futaba brushes her long hair, shushing her.
- It's okay Kuroko, don't worry. Now are you going to tell me if anything has happened? I've noticed you haven't been yourself lately. You.... you seem to have lost your radiance...
A lump in her throat prevents the ash-blonde from talking, from telling her friend the truth of why she feels like that, of why she has been pushed into the background.
- It’s because of Tendo and Kagura, isn’t it?
Futaba states, feeling Claudine nodding against her as she tightens her hold around the ash-blonde.
- I... I’m no longer the best, I’m no longer anybody’s favorite… I no longer shine...
Claudine confesses quietly, hearing Futaba sighing heavily as she brings her hands to the ash-blonde’s cheeks to oblige her to look at her. She can only wipe her friend's tears away as she gives her a reassuring smile.
- You’re always gonna be my favorite, Kuroko.
Claudine clarifies, seeing Futaba shaking her head.
- Before Kaoruko. You’re my favorite, always, Claudine.
Futaba confesses, calling her by her name seriously, and soon everything in Claudine’s mind clicks. How the pink haired girl is always by her side, always looking at her. How she’s always trying to cheer her up or going after her to make sure she’s okay, or trying to dance with her and save her…
The ash-blonde can only smile coyly at her friend's care, before she rests back onto Futaba’s chest, letting her keep combing her hair while relaxing in her embrace.
Maybe she isn’t the best nor the top star as she used to be, maybe she isn’t one of the favorites any longer, being pushed to the background, but at least she’s somebody’s favorite.
Futaba can only smile softly as she nuzzles Claudine's head tenderly, hugging her tightly while they watch the beautiful view before them from a safe spot without any risk of falling from the mountain's lookout.
