Summer is too hot.

Eli remembers the first summer she had in Japan, when she still has to get used to the weather. Russia is mostly dry but everything here is so humid, which translates into her nose suffering. She spends most of her time sniffling and that's when it's on the good days, when it isn't completely clogged and red. Those days, it felt as if all her sister and her did was complain and whine about their noses and how uncomfortably sticky everything got when their air conditioning went out for even a slight moment.

She's never been more glad for air conditioning until now. When it goes out for even a slight moment, Eli can't help but feel that moment of dread, knows that even Arisa fears that moment too, when the both of them tense up with horror. When their mother scolds them for running the AC all the time and they hear that telltale beep of the AC being turned off, it's as if their whole world shuts off too. The next few minutes is the creeping dread of anticipation, as Arisa and Eli look at each other and begin contemplating whether laying on the cool tiles of their kitchen floor is worth the extreme chastisement of their mom. By then though, it's too late, and the stickiness sets in, as the both of them wipe the sweat from their heads and groan to each other.

Then the bugs! Eli discovers the joy of living in a somewhat tropical climate, when all the weird centipedes and spiders and things get into her house. At least she can say she's screamed less than Arisa. And those aren't even the best part.

The cicadas.

Eli likes to think she's pretty ambivalent toward animals and insects in general, but never has she hated anything more than cicadas whenever summer rolled around. It took her so long to get used to their chirping and even then, she still wakes up sometimes because it's just so noisy. Arisa is so lucky she's a deep sleeper, Eli has to admit with envy.

Even after living here for two years, her nose is still runny and everything feels too hot. It's too humid and stuffy, Eli thinks, not for the first time, since, well, coming here. She recalls the days when she used to be able to breathe without feeling like her nose was dying. Spring is the worst of it though, when every other second is punctuated by her sneezing all the time to the backdrop of colorful petals flying through the air. Allergies are terrible.

If Eli really thinks about it though, it isn't the heat she can't stand (okay, partly), it's all the moisture.

If it wasn't for going to Otonokizaka, Eli would have never wanted to stay here for an extended amount of time. She wanted to see her grandma's alma mater, yes. But she couldn't anticipate the drastic change in temperature, even though it was really obvious in hindsight.

And now, she has to go to school to work on student council duties. Sighing to herself, she gets ready, dragging her feet across the house. She steps down to put on her shoes and nearly trips, her sudden shout of surprise echoing through the house. Arisa happens to be walking through at that moment and immediately goes to her side to help her. Her sister has a laugh at her expense though, remarking how strange it is to see a ballerina trip on her feet. Eli sticks her tongue out in response as she closes the door.

Instantly the wave of heat smacks her in the face. She gasps with surprise and all the energy she had leaves her in that moment. It feels like there's a heavy weight on her and she wants nothing more than to run back into her house. Her feet feel burdensome like bricks, as she drags them through the heat, one by one. One foot right after the other, she repeats as a mantra to help herself. The faster I get there, the faster I can get done and go home, she thinks hopefully. Ah, wait –

μ's practice today, she remembers with a horrified groan.

Eli feels like laying down in the middle of the road and never getting back up. It's the heat, the heat is making me think I can do anything, she'd think later.

Sadly, Eli's unfortunate willpower and pride win out in the end, as Eli finds herself in front of the school (and also because Eli can't think of a good excuse to tell anyone if anyone stopped to ask why she was laying in the middle of the road in the first place nor could she handle the extreme embarrassment if someone like Nico found her). The even better part is that when she gets there, she doesn't feel the blast of cool air she expected. Instead, it's still just as sticky and terrible, although slightly better now that she isn't in the sun.

She gets her answer when she sees the notice that the AC is broken and they're in the process of fixing them. Of course, Eli thinks to herself as she stares at the notice blankly, of course. Mechanically, she pushes on ahead to the student council room, groaning with each step. There's no one there when she gets to the room so she allows herself to ungracefully plop into a seat, slinging herself across the chair sloppily.

Her first worry is that she'll sweat on the papers and that is never a good thing and it sounds completely ridiculous if someone were to ask why the papers were wet or why Eli couldn't finish them.

Okay, maybe it isn't walking in the excruciatingly moist air that's bad. It's sitting here and having to work that makes it bad. Her body is starting to feel the heat catch up to her and it's sort of nasty to think that her clothes probably aren't dry anymore.

Eli really feels like laying on the floor here. Maybe she can get away with it for a few minutes, she's always been early. She turns her head downward, staring at the floor thoughtfully, blinking slowly at it. Never has anything looked so tempting, just laying down on the floor, or even on the table, just for a moment. Her face is blank as she stares at the empty space in front of her, shoulders hunched as she goes over how viable her options are.

This is how Nozomi finds her.

"Elicchi?"

Eli snaps her head up. Nozomi looks equal parts amused and confused, as she stands in the doorway and tries to hold her laughter.

"Uh... this... um..." Eli stammers. Words fail her utterly and she ends up making a defeated look instead. "I can explain?"

"Was there something enchanting about the table?" Nozomi says with a faint grin. Eli feels her face heat up – it's too hot– and brings her hand to her head, sighing.

"Don't tease me right now," Eli mutters with a shake of her head, "it's too hot for this."

"... it is." Nozomi agrees, uncharacteristically. Even Eli blinks, shooting a suspicious glance to her friend. When she looks closer though, even Nozomi looks strained from the heat, fanning herself with her hand.

"... do you think the school will notice if we skip a day?" Eli says, leveling such a serious stare to her friend that even Nozomi blinks at her.

"That means we'll just have to come back another day and work on it, wouldn't we?" Nozomi points out. Eli groans loudly, letting her head hit the table with a thud. She hears Nozomi giggle at her. "If everyone could see you right now, they wouldn't believe it to be their cool student president."

"If they fix the AC, I'll let them get away with everything," Eli says with a slight whine.

"I don't think you'd be allowed to do that." Nozomi says, patiently. The sound Eli makes is incomprehensible.

"Can... can I just take this home? Right now? There's AC at home."

"We have practice later."

"... can I say I got sick?"

"Then everyone will want to come visit you."

"Tell them I have a flu and I'll infect them all," Eli tries in her desperation.

"If they ask, I'll have to tell them the truth," Nozomi says with a snicker.

"Nozomi," Eli says with a frustrated growl.

"Is it really so bad?" Nozomi asks, looking out the window. Even as she says so though, she's still fanning herself, with a notebook now. Eli brings her head up to stare at her, nose red and sniffling. "Oh." Nozomi gives her a look of pity before she stands up and walks over to her.

Nozomi fishes a handkerchief out of her pocket. Eli half expects her to just hand it to her, but she also foresaw Nozomi patting her nose too. Not that it didn't make it any less embarrassing though, and Eli still needed to retain some dignity.

"... Nozomi, what are you doing." Eli decides to finally ask though it comes out more like a statement than anything else, her voice muffled by the handkerchief.

"I'm making Elicchi comfortable. Is that no good?" she replies nonchalantly. Eli isn't fooled for one second. Nozomi knows exactly what she's doing. Eli clears her throat to regain some composure.

"You... d-don't have to do that!" Eli grimaces inwardly when she realizes how flustered she really is. Instead, she reaches up and swipes the handkerchief from Nozomi's hands, turning her face away from Nozomi's now freed hands. "I-I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Nozomi asks and Eli is sure she is about two seconds away from laughing.

"Just sit down and help me finish the rest of the work," Eli grumbles, though she keeps Nozomi's handkerchief on her face as she continues to write.

"Yes, yes," Nozomi says with a small laugh as she returns to her seat.

The room is silent save for the scratching of their pencils against the table. Though with Nozomi here now, she feels better, commiserating in the fact that her friend is also suffering in the heat just as she is. Though, not as much as her, as she pushes the handkerchief into her face. She feels bad about using Nozomi's handkerchief though. When she feels better, she takes the handkerchief away from her face, taking a deep breath. She'll have to wash it before she can return it. On a whim, she spares a glance over to Nozomi.

Nozomi is no longer fanning herself and is instead toying with the uppermost button on her school uniform.

Eli nearly drops her pencil. She almost forgets to breathe. It doesn't seem as if Nozomi is doing it consciously but Eli is never too sure with Nozomi. She watches those fingers roll the button around, against Nozomi's throat, lightly tanned from all those hours of practice and working at the shrine. Eli's own throat is dry, drier than it's ever been.

She needs to stop staring, needs to just... look away. It's sort of creepy that she's watching her friend so intently but for some reason, she can't. The very sight of Nozomi right now has her trapped, unable to pull her gaze away.

Nozomi stops rolling the button between her fingers and instead loosens it.

Eli sucks in a breath just as Nozomi lets out a sigh of relief. It's getting hotter, Eli realizes absently. Hotter, impossibly so, when Nozomi turns her eyes toward her with a knowing smile.

Nozomi is a tease.

She looks as if she wants to say something and Eli knows she can't escape anymore, now that Nozomi's caught her. This is the worst situation ever. She waits for the words of judgment to come down, hates that her cheeks are already flaring red. Well, it isn't as if her cheeks can get any hotter or redder anyway.

Nozomi moves her hand down, rolling the second button between her fingers.

Eli lets out a strangled sound, her breath catching in her throat as her cheeks do show her yes, it can get even hotter. Nozomi hums softly to herself as she pretends to play obliviousness to Eli's growing frustration. It's even worse when Eli recognizes the song, the lyrics already going through her mind, the wonderf– ridiculous duet she's had to do with her friend.

Nozomi loosens that button too. Eli licks her lips. "Does Elicchi like what she sees?" Nozomi asks, her voice low and husky.

Eli lets out another choked breath. It's hot. It's... so... hot.

Nozomi only smiles at her faintly, before she stands up. Eli blinks at her, mind whirling even more when Nozomi sits on the table in front of her. Eli has to look up at her. She hates how Nozomi smiles teasingly at her, hates that playful look in her eyes, hates that she can't do anything. She brings her gaze down, away from her.

It is the worst thing she's ever done.

Her eyes trail over Nozomi's open shirt. Odin, she counts from the top. Her eyes move lower, mind hazy and foggy. Dva, she adds as she goes over the second button, running her tongue over her mouth–

Eli snaps her eyes back up to Nozomi, her face even redder. It's burning like a furnace right now. It's terrible. Everything is too hot. She feels like she's running a fever. Nozomi titters, so clearly enjoying how increasingly flustered Eli is.

Then she leans forward.

Eli feels her mind snap. She is powerless, she's weak, she can't do anything. Nozomi always captivates her so and Eli is too weak-willed to pull away. She can't even pretend to put up a weak protest. She swallows, her throat painfully dry. She feels the sweat slowly dripping down her face, doing nothing to cool the intense heat coursing through her. Her willpower and self-control are hanging on by a single thread and anything will make it break.

There's a bead of sweat rolling down Nozomi's face right now. She goes from watching Nozomi's green eyes, the ones that always seem to bore right through her, to following that droplet. She follows it down past Nozomi's mouth, has to stop for a moment when Nozomi wets her lips with her tongue. It goes down past her neck, the long, slender column of irresistible skin taunting her. It continues further, past Nozomi's tantalizing collarbones that she knows are a ticklish spot for her, until it finally disappears, sliding into Nozomi's shirt. If Eli trails her eyes further down, she'll be able to see Nozomi's –

"Boop."

Eli feels a tap on her forehead and blinks in shock. Nozomi grins and pokes her forehead again, the action pushing her eyes up to Nozomi's amused face. "Got you." Eli is too baffled and stunned to say anything, staring at Nozomi with such an incredulous expression that Nozomi starts laughing. Eli slowly covers her face with her hands, groaning and sniffling miserably.

Summer is too hot but Nozomi is a terrible tease.

A/N: Just a pointless piece of fluff this time. If I have any details about Russia and climates wrong, feel free to correct me as much as I like to hope I got them right.

I'm a little disappointed that they don't expand more about Eli and her background though. At the very least, I wanted everyone to complain about the cold during Snow Halation and Eli being the only one who even looked remotely comfortable in that mini-skirt. Anyways, thanks for reading.