Note: The characters in this fic are of college age.

"Come on Kagami! You're taking so long!"

"It's a new swimsuit! I don't know how to put it on!"

A new swimsuit, eh… Konata mused with a scratch of her chin. Since they'd gotten into college she hadn't seen much of Kagami. Having a day at the pool after some stressful midterms was just what they needed - especially after Konata had been pestering Kogami endlessly to help study for those midterms.

"We aren't even taking the same classes!" The lavender-haired girl had huffed over the phone.

"Well yeah, but they make the wording so confusing that it can take me an hour just to do a question that should take fifteen minutes."

"Okay, fine. Be on Skype tomorrow and I'll help you."

"Thanks Kagami! You're the best!"

"Yeah yeah, don't mention it."

But Konata knew she like it when she did. A total tsundere.

She came out of her thoughts as she heard the changeroom door open. Her friend shyly stepped out from behind the door, wearing a pale pink bikini with darling ruffles. "What do you think…?" ventured Kagami.

Konata didn't even hesitate. "I think it looks adorable! It really suits you!"

"You think so?" Kagami smiled, adopting a noticeably more confident posture. "Well, let's see yours."

With a sly grin Konata threw off her fluffy towel, delighting in Kagami's flabbergasted expression. "You're still using your middle school swimsuit?!"

The azure-haired girl puffed out her chest with her unique brand of pride. "Yup! It still fits me, and the guys love it!" she beamed.

"That's creepy. Next time we go out, we're getting you a new swimsuit."

"But-"

"I'll buy it for you, just don't wear that one when we go out, okay?"

Konata could tell she was trying Kagami's patience. Guess it's time to drop it. "Okay."

The pool facility was very western. It seemed the deeper into the city they went, the more western everything became. They had wanted to visit a bathhouse, but had been hard-pressed to find one. The ceiling was high and reverberated with echoes, and there were even multiple pools to choose from.

"We should go in the smaller pool first 'cause it's warmer." Konata proposed.

Kagami seemed appalled by the idea. "No way! It's warmer because it's for little kids! They probably pee in it!"

"So what? As long as you don't drink the water it should be fine."

"You just don't get it, do you!?"

They ultimately went in the larger pool.

"It's a shame the others couldn't come." mused Konata, mid-backstroke.

"Yeah, well they went to different colleges than us." Kagami sat perched on the edge of the pool, too trepidatious of the temperature to jump in all at once. "Honestly, I thought it'd be different."

Konata stopped swimming, floating as she watched Kagami's downcast gaze. "Huh? Why's that?"

Was that a blush? "Well, I'd always end up in a different class while you guys were still together. I guess I just thought it'd be the same way when college came around."

Was she afraid we would forget about her? "Well, now you're stuck with me!" Konata apparently opened her mouth a little too wide, as the water decided it would be welcome in her lungs and she began sputtering.

"Hey! Don't be so careless!" Kagami chided.

She sounds like a housewife, the drowning girl mused.

For the most part they floated around and talked. At Konata's random instigation they had a race from one end of the pool to another, and at Kagami's suggestion they climbed up to the highdives of the pool, but both chickened out on actually diving.

"Way too high…" they both agreed, trembling and clutching each other.

When it was less crowded, they decided to try the hot tub, which was an okay substitute for a bathhouse.

"Aaah, so warm!" giggled Konata, leaning into the warm bubbling jets.

"This is much nicer." Kagami concurred, sighing happily.

They chattered away about the usual things, and except for the occasional stretch of silence it was the same as when they were in high school.

Only it's not the same, is it? Konata stared at the ceiling, the steam rising up about her. It's just me and her this time. It didn't seem so bad, being alone with just one friend. Out of any of the friends she had, she couldn't ask for a better one to be alone with.

Her next moment of awareness was a hand on her shoulder shaking her.

"Konata! Konata wake up! We fell asleep!"

Huh? I didn't fall asleep. But a glance to the pool clock proved otherwise. "Huh!? Where did the time go!?"

"I just told you! We fell asleep! They close in fifteen minutes! Everyone's already left!"

With some wild splashing they managed to scramble out of the tub, nearly slipping and cracking their heads open on the poolside while trying to speed off to the changerooms.

"Hurry up Kagami! We gotta get out of here!"

"I'm trying! I can't get this damn suit off!"

"Just throw your clothes on over the suit!"

At first she complained, but then complied with the idea.

"Now my clothes are all damp." Kagami complained as they walked.

"You can change out of them when we get to my dorm. Then we can curl up and watch some anime!" Even with the cold breeze making her shiver, the prospect had Konata more delighted than she had been in a while. Mid-terms really sucked the happiness out of life.

"What anime did you have in mind?"

"Attack on Titan!"

"Oh jeez…"

Somehow they ended up huddling with the same blanket. She really wasn't sure how events lead up to that, but they did. Not like they were touching or anything.

Kagami poked dejectedly at a bowl of snacks, not paying a single bit of attention to the show. "Don't you have anything else to eat besides crackers?"

"Well, I got some popcorn." Konata tucked her hair behind her ear, holding out the meager bowl of fluffy kernels.

"That's hardly much better." The other mumbled into her knees, staring blankly as a fan-favourite character got eaten on screen.

Konata stropped watching the show, instead watching Kagami. She didn't even seem to register that she was being observed. She seemed so… sad. "Kagami? Are you okay? You seem down."

"Huh? Oh. It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"You can talk to me about it if you like."

Silenced passed between them. Konata didn't want to push her. Let her sort out what she wanted to say, when she wanted to say it.

"I guess I've been kind of lonely. I mostly only see you when you need me to help you study."

Huh? "But you're with me now. And I asked you if you'd like to play more games online last month."

"I know, I know. But communicating through text online isn't the same for me. It feels… empty."

"Well we can skype during games you silly!"

"We can?"

"Yeah! Most games even come with their own built in voice chat these days!"

Kagami smiled a little around her knees. "I guess that makes it better."

"But it isn't enough, huh?"

"Yeah."

Konata leaned back against the wall, thinking with a low humming sound. "Well maybe we could have bi-monthly sleepovers. Every other time we come here, and every other other time we can go to your dorm!"

"What would we even do?"

"When we're here we could watch shows and play games together in person. We could read manga and talk about it. When we're at your place we could do…. other things."

She really didn't know what other stuff they could do, but Kagami seemed to find it funny, so there was relief in that. She was cute when she laughed. Wait, was she crying?

"I'm so stupid. You aren't a mind-reader, I should've just told you I was feeling lonely. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Where was this coming from? Konata slid her arms around Kagami, stroking her shoulders and hair. It felt like the right thing to do. So it must be the right thing to do. "Well, you told me now. It wasn't like you were doing anything wrong. No need to beat yourself up about it."

Silence pervaded again, and was punctuated by the most curious thing. Konata wasn't even certain she'd felt it, but when she looked down she saw Kagami's puckered lips pulling away from her chin. As surprise as she was, her natural demeanor slipped in and made her speak. "Not brave enough to go the whole way, huh?"

The other flushed adorably, eyes wide and still watering. "I didn't want to go that far without permission, stupid."

"Well, you have permission."

Her lips were warm and soft and small, just like she thought they'd be. Her cheeks were pink and full, and felt wonderful under her hands. Breath passed between them as they broke away, and all Konata could think to say was "Your hair smells nice."

She thought she heard a thanks, she couldn't be sure; Kagami's mouth was becoming preoccupied with Konata's neck, a spot Konata hadn't known was so… sensitive. She could feel her blood pressure rising pleasantly, Kagami spotting the pulse and kissing it lovingly. Konata's dainty fingers gripped the other's shoulders, tilting her head back to invite more invasion.

The next thing she knew their hands were snaking under each other's shirts. When did things start to progress so quickly? Not that she minded. Obviously Kagami didn't mind either. Clothes began to slip off, being discarded off the side of the bed. When did the light turn off? "You wanna do it in the dark, eh? You hiding some big ugly monster under your skirt?"

From the shrill sound Kagami made, she could only imagine how red her face was. "Don't say things like that!" The protests turned to sharp inhales as Konata's face disappeared under the other's shirt, teeth brushing against the sensitive flesh of her breast. She tested the nub with her tongue and was rewarded with a delightfully soft note of bodily excitement. Her hand grasped the other soft mound, rolling it around.

"Th-that… feels weird…" Kagami breathed. Konata wished she could see her face, but she wanted to respect her desire for darkness. Whatever the reason for it was.

"Weird in a good way, right?" she ventured, wanting to make sure she was doing the right thing.

"Y-yeah, but could you… do something else…?"

"Yeah sure. Of course my darling."

"Quit screwing around and start!"

If Konata could purr, she would. Instead she dipped her tongue into Kagami's navel, tracing her line of symmetry.

"Th-that t-tickles!"

"Oh, sorry."

Not many words were exchanged once her head was buried between her thighs. Really it was mostly Kagami's heavy breathing as she tried to suppress moans, even though Konata was only kissing through the fabric. Soon enough she pulled it to the side, dragging her tongue along Kagami's lower lips. It didn't taste bad. She'd been bracing herself for bad. Not sure why, considering she had her own genitalia for scent-comparison, and it didn't smell gross from what she knew.

"T-too much…" the victim breathed, which Konata related to too much focus on the clit. She should know better than that. She was a girl too.

"Sorry. I haven't really done this before. I'm kinda nervous."

"Y-yeah… me too…"

She wasn't sure if that was more or less comforting.

But she began to figure out an okay groove, using the flat of her tongue to lap at her slit. Occasionally she dipped her tongue in, and quickly found the other growing wet and shaking with quiet moans. She wanted to say something funny, but didn't want to ruin Kagami's perfect mood. In a spot of inspiration she swirled her tongue around, catching the bottom of her clitoris. That seemed to excite her. Her thighs spread wider, shaking like leaves.

"Are you close?"

"I-I think so…"

"I'm going to slip a finger in, okay?"

"O-okay."

She knew she was uncomfortable. Her body tensed, and she knew from experience it didn't feel the greatest, at least not at first. Gently she kissed her pleasurable nub, curling the tip of her digit to brush against the girl's inner walls. She didn't exactly buck and react strongly like she'd hoped, but she seemed to relax, and that was good. She kept brushing with her finger and licking with her tongue until she felt Kagami had recovered what arousal she had lost. Then she began to move her finger in and out, in and out. From the sounds of it, Kagami was having a harder time swallowing her moans.

"Keep going…!" She heard. Or thought she heard. At any rate she didn't stop, one hand squeezing Kagami's divinely plush thigh, the other stroking her inner leg. The girl's leg muscles began to spasm and clench. She must be close.

She was closer than she'd anticipated, feeling her finger grow significantly wetter and constricted upon and her taste grow sweeter as her vocalizations dripped with climactic pleasure. That was quicker than Konata had guessed it would take, but a glance at the clock told her of how time had been flying. "Can I turn on the light?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead."

Konata settled for the deskside lamp, not wanting to get up exactly. She sat back on her legs, and found herself admiring a most beautiful sight. Kagami's shirt was disheveled and pulled up just enough to peak at her nipples, stomach flushed red and shiny with sweat. Her striped panties were soaked and pulled to the side, revealing a gorgeous sex dripping with fluid. But best of all was her face, lavender hair strewn about, mouth open with panting breath, eyes closed with ecstasy.

"You look beautiful, Kagami."

"Th-thanks…"

She sat like that a while, watching as Kagami rode out her orgasm. As she seemed to come to her senses, her eyes opened and looked to Konata.

"What about you?"

Huh? "Me?"

"Don't you wanna… you know…?"

Oh! "I'm okay. I don't need to get off if you're not comfortable touching me."

"It's not that…"

"How about we just cuddle for now and you can touch me if you feel like it?"

"Okay."

They kicked off the blankets but kept the sheet; everything else too warm for their close bodies. For the most part they did only cuddle, Konata finding a comfortable spot for her head in the crook of Kagami's neck. Her breasts were a nice rest for her hand, too. She was surprised Kagami didn't complain about it and call her a pervert.

Eventually her hand traveled between Konata's legs, working her lips through the fabric. She wasn't particularly skilled, and Konata wondered how often Kagami masturbated, if at all. It seemed weird not to.

At any rate she rolled onto her back and spread her legs, giving Kagami more room to work. They kissed a bit while those fingers slide beneath the panties and to pet at her sex, but the kissing seemed to distract Kagami. Konata could understand; Kagami wasn't as use to multi-tasking. So Konata merely laid back, weaving her fingers together with Kagami's free ones.

It became apparent after fifteen minutes that Kagami wasn't getting anywhere with Konata's arousal levels and was getting frustrated. "I'm sorry, I'm no good at this."

"It's okay. I can show you later. For now I can take care of myself while you kiss me or something."

She wondered what Kagami was thinking as she invaded Konata's mouth, if she could taste herself on her. Konata kept her eyes closed, imagining the way she'd found Kagami when she turned on the light, recalling her breathing and her little delicious moans. Kagami's hand played with her breast while she played with herself, understanding her anatomy and mind enough that she began to feel the mounting pressure within minutes. Her body jerked and her breath hitched, before both muscles and vocals relaxed with a croaking moan, bent legs straightening like a cat relaxing in the sun.

"Now why couldn't I do that? That took you no time at all!"

"I'm an expert of my own body. Maybe you just need to explore yourself a little more. Though now you got me to help you explore, every other week~"

"I like the sound of that."

They lay together after, talking about a lot of things yet nothing at all. Then they ran out of things to talk about and merely curled up in each other's arms, dozing off with pleasant dreams.

In the morning Kagami would chide Konata about forgetting to turn the light off.

A/N: Completed as a commission, and what a fun one to do indeed!
Such fun characters.