Work Text:
"Ehh?" Tome said, almost dropping her ice cream. "You just ran into Takane-san?"
"Y-yeah," Mob said, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "I didn't, ah...I wasn't trying to…"
"Lemme guess," Tome said, leaning back on the bench. "You saw her and decided to 'just happen to' pass by her. Right?"
"Wh-- no! No, I didn-- I..." Mob sputtered, then trailed off quietly. "I thought you couldn't read minds, Tome-san…" As she spoke, Mob leaned forward so her hair would drape around her blushing face. Unexpected benefits of her hairstyle.
"I can't, Mob, you're just dumb as hell," Tome said. "Anyway keep going."
"I didn't intend to say hi, but...she ended up recognizing me and chasing me down," Mob said.
"She chased you down? Oh, jeez...She didn't like, say anything rude, did she…?" Tome said, thinking about the rumors she'd heard about Takane Tsubomi being somewhat...difficult when she couldn't understand something.
"What? No way. She asked me to stop somewhere and get a milkshake."
"...what."
"Yeah, and then she asked me about...me, and like...my hair, and stuff…"
"And?"
"Well, the weirdest part was when I told her that I styled my hair like hers--"
"--WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER THAT?--"
"--she was like 'really?' and she stood up from the table--"
"oh my GOD, Mob, I can't believe you're still this boneheaded--"
"--and she leaned in close to my ear and whispered that it looked a lot better tied up."
Tome stopped her ranting dead in her tracks, and her head slowly turned to look at Mob.
"She what."
"Yeah, then she gave me her number, left money for the shakes and left."
"Oh my God."
"What, is that bad?"
Tome collapsed off the bench onto her knees, keeping her ice cream carefully balanced despite her dramatic pose.
"Mob. Mob you're so stupid."
"What?! What did I do?!"
"Mob she's a lesbian."
"What?"
"Mob she's gay. That's why she was never into you before. Because she's gay, for girls."
"Oh…" Mob said, leaning back. "Darn…"
"Darn? What do you mean darn?"
"Well, I mean…" Mob started. "If she's into girls, then…"
Tome leaned back onto her ass and just licked her ice cream, waiting for Mob to come to her senses.
"...Wait…"
"Did you get it."
"...No, wait, I…" Mob pulled out the piece of paper with Tsubomi's number on it. She tapped the small heart written on it with a finger. "Wait. No, wait."
"She might be getting there, folks. Let's see if she can cross the finish line."
"No! Wait, no! No hold on, wait!" Mob said, holding the paper so close to her eyes that she couldn't even read it.
"Mob, if you're a girl, and she's gay, plus she gave you her number AND paid for the shakes…"
"Tsubomi-chan is gay for...me?!"
"Ding ding ding ding, she's done it, give the girl a prize…" Tome said, ringing an invisible bell.
"No hold on! Wait! Wait a minute!" Mob said, waving her hand in front of her face wildly. "No, but I'm...I'm a girl but I'm not, like…"
"Not what?" Tome asked, squinting her eyes a bit. She could tell where Mob was going with this. Time to cut her off at the pass.
"Not…" Mob trailed off. "not like, a real…"
"You wanna be a girl, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"And we decided-- we ALL decided, you, me, the big hair guy, the jock club-- we decided that if you wanted to be a girl, that you were a girl, right?"
"Yeah, but Tome-san--"
"And that no matter what, you were gonna be a girl as long as you wanted to be one. No ifs, ands, or buts. Right?"
"Yeah, but Tome-san--!"
"And that means that even if YOU don't think you're a girl, we're gonna tell you how wrong you are!" Tome said, standing up and gently grabbing Mob's collar. "Got it, ya bastard?!"
"...Been hanging with Onigawara-san more?"
"Shut up," Tome said, letting go. She was still bristling a bit. Time for a new tactic. "Mob, what I'm trying to say is like...How are you feeling? Talk it out."
Mob nodded, her back straightening involuntarily. She'd practiced this with her friends so many times that her body started to react on its own to the prompt. Her breath slowed, and her heart calmed down, though not by much.
"Sorry. Thank you, Tome-san."
"Don't apologize."
"So-- er, thank you."
"Now say what's on your mind."
"I want to be a girl."
"Good, keep going," Tome said, sitting back down next to Mob. She wiped her free hand on her skirt to make sure no ice cream residue was sticking to her, and then grabbed Mob's hand, squeezing gently.
"Nobody will think I'm a girl even if I want to be one."
"You've already got a ton of people who will prove you wrong."
"I...still like girls."
"You can do that. Is the hand bothering you?"
"No, it's good," Mob said, squeezing Tome's hand back. "Umm, Tsu...Tsubomi-chan is…"
"It's okay Mob. You're safe."
"Tsubomi-chan wouldn't...like me...since she knew me before."
"Mob, you have her number. Her number. Did you have her number when you were a boy?"
"No…"
"Did she ever buy you shakes when you were a boy?"
"No, of course not…"
"But you're a girl now. And she did both of those things within like five minutes of seeing your face!"
"It was more like twenty minutes, it took us a bit to get to--"
"The point being, Mob, that she gave you more attention within the space of 20 minutes of meeting Girl Mob than within the however many years of knowing Boy Mob."
"Huh...that is a big change, yeah."
"Mob not only is she a lesbian but she's a top. You can't let a chance like this get away. I won't allow it!" Tome said, suddenly reaching for Mob's phone.
"Hey, what--!" Mob said as Tome opened her phone and began tapping on it. "Ah, ahh--! Hold on!!"
"Hey. Tsu-bo-mi-channnn…sparkly heart emoji." Tome muttered as she typed. "Sorry. For. Not texting. I. Was. Being. A big. Dummy--"
"Hey!"
"Any. Way. Can I. Take you out. Somewhere. To pay you back. Forrrr...the shakes. Milkshake emoji, milkshake emoji...sparkly heart."
"I-- I wouldn't use that many hearts--!!"
"Purple heart, orbiting heart, kissy face--"
"NO THAT'S TOO MUCH!!" Mob yelped, trying in vain to reach her phone. Tome pressed her foot into Mob's stomach, pushing her away while Tome finished typing.
"Trust me Mob she'll love it--"
Tome was cut off by Mob's phone pinging as Tsubomi's response came in.
Tsubomi-chan
Ooh, hi Mariko-chan!
Tsubomi-chan
That sounds great. Don't worry about paying me back for the shakes though, okay?
Tsubomi-chan
Wanna see a movie tonight?
"Mob, do you wanna see a--"
"YES!!"
"Yes. That sounds. Great. 100 emoji. Sparkle heart emoji. Kissy emoji."
"AHH I'M GONNA SEE A MOVIE WITH TSUBOMI-CHAN!?"
Mob's phone dinged again, almost making Mob jump out of her skin.
Tsubomi-chan
Sounds great! I'll meet you there. I'll wear my new lip gloss too!
"She's good," Tome said, eyebrows furrowed in amazement.
"Why? I--is that notable?"
"Oh my god," Tome said, facepalming. "Would. Love. To see it. Up close. Winky face. Sparkle heart."
Tsubomi-chan
So bold, Mariko-chan!~
Tsubomi-chan
Or should I say Tome-san?~
Tome jerked her head up and looked around.
"Oh, shit, she's really good! Is she nearby?! Have we been compromised?!" Finding nobody, she returned her eyes to Mob's phone.
Tsubomi-chan
Heehee. Just kidding. I'm glad Mariko-chan has such good friends.
Tsubomi-chan
But Mariko-chan, you better keep your promise…(kissy emoji)
Tome just stared at the phone screen for a moment, stunned into silence.
"W-well? What did she say?"
"Mob, I take it back. She might be too strong. Even for you."