shades of blue; based on a headcanon in tumblr. This story is tumblr repost.
notes: I need to somehow write something fluffy, for I'm writing too much angst in the moment. And yeah, pardon my English as always.

i.

"So,"

She tries hard to be relaxed, well, she tried. She tried hard for not screaming or doing any stupid things.

"Will you go out with me?"

There is a perfect, eerie silence creeping through the hallway. Eli was pretty sure that the time after Umi does her usual archery practice and after her student council works are finished is the perfect time to confess and asks a certain archer to go out with her. She has been thinking about this in past weeks, and it was like 'it is now or never' for her.

Then again with the silence, Eli couldn't help but to think back that her decision is somewhat too fast and baseless and—

The next second, the second year flee from her sight, running past her.

"U-Umi!?" she blinks in horror, searching for the fleeing second year to the left and the right.

Uh oh, now her love already gone, how sad—

—Until she hears her own phone beeping. It is the special tone for Umi's texts, she is confused a bit and opens her phone to find a single line text from the midnight-haired girl, she said:

If it's fine with you, I'll go.

She can't believe her eyes. She can't believe what she just read. She can't hold her overflowing happiness anymore.

Umi accepts her. Umi accepts her. Umi accepts her. Umi accepts her. Umi accepts her. Umi accepts her. Umi accepts her. Umiacceptsher—

"Oi, Eli. You left your bag—"

"HARASHO!"

Nico jolts in shock as suddenly the blonde girl she approaches now dancing in—uhh, yeah, she dances or something that contains ballet spins and uhh yeah that, maybe I can't comprehend anymore, Nico thinks—in such happy face that she never imagines. The raven-haired girl distances herself from Eli's sight as far as possible, watching the silly-looking girl still doing her happy dance.

How will everyone reacts when they see their usual stoic student council president doing idiotic things like that?

"Umi, I'm gonna get you!"

—And there she bolts outside the hallway area. Nico sweatdropped, mouth still hung open in the air.

"Nicocchi, what's wrong? Why are you standing here?" the purple-haired student council vice president greets her stunned stature.

"Uhh," she scratched her cheek. "N-Nothing, I just saw a … fox. An idiot-looking fox frolicking happily like a puppy."

ii.

For once, Eli can't understand herself today, as she continues to text Umi about the detail of their date with a smile that never fades from her face. She planned that the date is at the end of this week at best and she already chose to go to an amusement park.

And she can't hold back her own squeal when Umi agrees to her plan.

And Alisa (whom opening the door and asking her sister to help her study) furrows her brow as she saw her sister with such a goofy grin.

"Nee-chan, can you help me—"

"Yes, give me a minute. I need to call my girl—uhh—I mean, Umi."

Alisa shot another blank look to her sister as she closes the door.

"E-Eli, you didn't need to call me."

Aww, how she loves the somewhat shy tone as Umi speaks.

"I just want to hear your voice," since when she became this simple? "It is a yes, right?"

"I-I already replied your text," she coughs. "I-I want to go out with you."

Eli holds her mouth in anticipation, as she can't scream across her lover, of course. "Then, I will see you tomorrow?"

iii.

Eli came faster than she had expected. They decided to meet up in front of the station at 10 am, but she came ten minutes early. After the phone call with Umi, she asked Nozomi and Nico for clothing advice—sometimes their advices helps, though—and now she is dressed in simple brown blazer over her white top and accompanied with black short jeans as Nozomi piqued about being 'simple but elegant', and per Nico's advice, she let her hair down.

However, she is not calm like at all, as she keep pondering and thinking about how the date is going to be. She had a lot of scenario in mind, but she remembers that Umi is shy; and she might not be good with her advances, instead she might be stiffened or stuttered or even flee, just like yesterday.

"E-Eli."

"Oh," Eli looks up to see the midnight-haired girl walks timidly to her direction, she holds her breath. "H-Hi."

"E-Eli, don't look me like that! I-It's embarrassing."

But she couldn't help but to stare; Umi wears a red beret, covering her flowing grace of blue tresses, and she wears a shirt inside the brown-stripped sweater. Eli didn't expect that Umi would wear a short denim skirt—because Umi has a difficulty to wear a short skirts—alas, everything looks perfect on her.

Her reflexes got the best of her as she circled her arms over the younger girl's waist and squeezed her.

"E-E-Eli, stop that! E-Everyone is looking—" Eli doesn't need to look, she knows that Umi's face must be red now. "Eli!"

Just a minute, while the real date was not even beginning yet, Eli earned a slap across her cheek.

iv.

"Mou, Eli!"

"Sorry, you're just too cute that I can't resist~"

They go to an amusement park at last, but with Umi refuses to link their hands with her because perhaps Eli's sudden outburst a minute ago. They keep quite a distance at each other, much to Eli's dismay but still it is a good start noting that Umi still want to walk beside her.

"What should we do first?"

Eli put her index finger on her chin, "How about a roller coaster?"

"Eli, you must be joking."

"C'mon, Umi. Oh! If you're scared, you can hold me close, I won't mind!"

"T-That's shameless!"

The blonde girl pouted, "Aww, but the roller coaster is okay, right?"

Umi couldn't bring herself to reject, "… Fine."

v.

That was a real thrilling ride, for both of them. Umi screams a lot and closes her eyes, while Eli treasured all the amusement to herself. She tries to comfort the younger girl after the ride as suddenly those amber eyes somehow glints dangerously.

"Next ride will be …" she says with a deadpan. "Haunted house."

Eli gulps. "U-Umi?"

The demon awakened to have a certain sweet, sweet revenge in the darkness that the blonde girl hates.

vi.

Umi smiled triumphantly as she exited the haunted house (finally), but thoughts lingers and she can still feel awkwardness in the air. Eli spend her time clinging to her tight like some lifeline through the darkness while uncharacteristically whimpering like a child, Umi need to swallow hard a few times; first from their closeness and second, the fact that Eli's body brushed against hers—

"Umm, Eli, we are already out."

The blonde girl shut her eyes still, not bothering to look anywhere. Umi touched the back of her neck and keep walking to see if there's something that can cheer the senior up.

"I'll buy you chocolate ice cream, okay?"

A mute nod.

vii.

They bought ice cream from the center food stalls. Apparently, the amusement park is having its anniversary that they opened more space for food stalls and game center. Mask parlor, goldfish catching game, balloon seller, frankfurter and cotton candy stalls, everything lined up into one. Kids were filling the roadside here and there by the game booths.

"Want to try this shooting game?" Eli pointed at the stall beside the ice cream shop.

"Do you want the plushie?"

"Not really, but I want to see you … umm … doing your love arrow shoot straight to my heart?"

Remember Eli, Nozomi and Nico told you to minimize the lame pick-up lines.

"—Mou, Eli." Umi looked away.

"I'm just kidding," she chuckled. "But if you want to try then go on, I'll be watching."

The midnight-haired girl nodded, "Alright." she better get a plushie for her lover, alright.

Eli watched gingerly as Umi paid for a game. A game contains three shots with an air soft gun. The stacks of prizes lined up neatly and every price is apart of each other and seems hard to shoot into because they were placed in angles that—

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The old man there gaped at the three falling prizes, so as Eli. Umi smiled back to her senior as she put the gun back to the place.

Umi sure is a demon.

viii.

"Then, how about Ferris wheel next?"

Umi is surprised that Eli somehow get them to a normal ride (not mentioning after spinning cups and all the rides she doesn't want to remember) this time. She followed the blonde without an objection this time to enter the ferris wheel. They sat down side by side, looking by the scenery of the whole park within the glass window.

She never imagined that she had fun today—well, there were antics here and there but just let's say it is something worth to be remembered—with Eli by her side, amidst the clumsy approach and her embarrassed plea make Eli is somewhat distance. Her amber studied the blonde hair that was sparkling golden because the setting sun's reflection, she thoughts to herself that it is shameless to gaze with such proximity but the girl in front of her is too beautiful to be true; almost like an actual princess from the western fairytale.

Oh no, she should fight the blush that intended to crept on her cheek.

"Umi,"

"Y-Yes?"

"I love you."

"W-What's with the sudden—"

"Sorry," Eli interrupted as fast as possible. "I … well, I don't know it myself. I-I just can't bring myself to stay normal, and I showed you my aloof and stupid side this whole day because I don't know how to behave around a girl that I love."

The blonde held the archer's hand as she continued.

"I really want to hold this hands, but you must be embarrassed so I suppressed myself," she blurted, her hearts pounded wildly. "I want to hug you because you're so cute today in your attire," Eli kept her rambling as she inched closer. "And of course I want to—"

Eli stopped to feel their breath mingled on each other, as she spoke tenderly in front of her lover's lips. A sudden realization struck in the back of her mind as she slowly withdraws.

No, Eli, not so fast, Umi won't forgive you if you do it, you moron—

But to the blonde's surprise, Umi moved forward to brush their lips together; a very short kiss, a fleeting touch, almost transparent, almost—

—She almost think that she was deep inside a dream.

"Umi?"

She called her girlfriend's name once in surprised tone. Her icy blue shone warmly to the amber that replied with a loving gaze.

"Don't be sorry, I won't be angry for whatever you do," Umi smile was sweet, it made her heart somersaulted from its cage. Tint of red was visible, perhaps intensified due to their closeness. "At times maybe I'm too embarrassed but … I will try my hardest to embrace your love with open arms."

Eli was stunned as she found steel determination permeating from the girl she loves, she couldn't bring herself to react the words spoke by her as she was already lost in those warm amber.

"Sorry for what I did … t-that was out of reflex," Umi mumbled, as the fingers traced over the blonde's cheek. "Your lips was soft and you were so close."

An awkward silence filling the air, as the ferris wheel stopped into a halt as it arrived at its highest spot.

"May I, then?"

Umi nodded numbly in agreement.

It was clumsy at first, she noted, as she closed the distance between them, cupped the archer's cheek with her hand and pressed their lips for a short while. She let go as to see Umi's reaction, and was unsure of her own action. However as she saw that smile never faded from the blue-haired girl, she leaned in again, keeping their contact lingered much longer, as long as their lungs could suffice.

"I love you too, Eli."

—was her reply after their moments before Eli pulled her, yearning for more and more affection.