Archive of Our Own ^beta

While Mizi is busy decorating their room and making it perfectly aesthetic (for a fairy, or maybe a lesbian living out her cottagecore dreams), Sua is calculating how much furniture they can afford, and where they should put it to minimize the feeling of emptiness. Math has always been a strong suit of hers — and writing, her passion. The two aren't nearly as separate as people think. Poetry has rhythm, meter, and rules for a reason.

Either way, she’s deep in thought, hunched over her phone and mapping out the meager amount of space they have in their two room dorm. Obviously, they need another couch for when the guys come over, and a table so they can eat while watching their favorite shows together. Maybe she could invest in a tiny cooking setup… Although Mizi would certainly be happy to eat take-out every night, Sua can’t spoil her all the time.

Just as she’s looking up things they can use instead of a stove, her phone dies.

Sua sighs dramatically. She doesn’t feel like interrupting her planning just to go plug her phone in, so she grabs Mizi’s instead. She had left it out here so she “doesn’t go crazy and pull up a million aesthetic photos and then cry because our room looks nothing like it.” It’s very painfully Mizi, and Sua smiles as she unlocks the phone with her fingerprint.

It’s still open to the contacts app. Sua is about to click away when she notices the most recent one. Herself. A picture of her smiling and posing for the camera is the contact photo, and the name is…

“My god, my universe🌌💘”

Her face goes hot. Is that really her name in Mizi’s phone? That’s so… sweet. God, that’s so sweet. Sua covers her face with her hand and screams a little bit. Her heart pounds in her chest, and also aches. A good ache. The ache that says, “I love this girl so much, I wanna marry her someday.” The arrow through the heart emoji? Sua is floored.

“Sua? What’s up?” Mizi pops her head into the room. Sua snaps out of it, though not entirely.

“Mizi, darling,” she says, still blushing furiously. “Why is my name in your phone ‘My god, my universe?’”

“Oh! You saw that?” Mizi giggles. She walks over to the couch and hugs Sua’s shoulders from behind. “It’s because when I first saw you, I distinctly remember thinking, ‘she must be a goddess,’ and it stuck. I still think you’re a goddess.”

“Even when I wake up cranky and with bedhead?”

“Especially then.” Mizi holds her tighter, sighing directly into her ear. “And the ‘my universe’ part…Well, you’re my universe. My everything. My goddess. My Sua.”

Sweet talker, Sua thinks. She turns her head just enough so that she can kiss Mizi, gentle, loving. Despite being a poetry major, she’s not good with everyday words. She’ll write a flowery love poem declaring her devotion to Mizi, but simple flirting is hard. Poetry is easy because it has boundaries and rules. It gives her time to really think about what word would work best in each line. But telling Mizi she loves her like a normal person? Way too hard.

Luckily for her, Mizi understands beyond words. She understands what Sua is trying to say with every kiss.

And this kiss is saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

It’s saying, “You’re my universe, too.”

“You’re the real goddess between us.”

Mizi breaks the kiss with another laugh. “Thank you, Sua.” Sua blinks. She said that out loud, didn’t she? She blushes harder, but Mizi’s laughter is infectious, and she ends up giggling, too. Their foreheads pressed together. It’s warm. “Oh, by the way, what’s my name in your phone?”

“... My clematis.”

“Aww…!” Mizi grins and squeezes Sua tightly. “That’s so cute! So you think I’m like a flower in bloom?”

Sua nods. “It’s perpetually spring when I’m with you.”

It’s Mizi’s turn to blush, tucking her hair behind her ear and bashfully covering her mouth. “I really am dating a poet… You’re so romantic, Sua.” Before Sua can respond, Mizi claps her hands together. “Alright, I’ve decided! Let’s drop all this and go on a date tonight!”

“Huh?” Sua raises an eyebrow. “Do we really have time for that?”

“Sure we do! We can finish this up tomorrow.” They really shouldn’t, and Sua knows she’ll be kicking herself for giving in when tomorrow comes, but Mizi’s smile is just so tempting. And it would be nice to relax when they’ve been so busy starting college.

“Alright. Where should we go?”

“I’ll let you pick,” Mizi says.

Sua hums. She should probably pretend to be indecisive, but she’s had her eye on this pasta place ever since they moved in. Cheap and filling — perfect for broke college students. She points it out on the map for Mizi, whose eyes light up.

“I was going to suggest that place!”

“I guess we're on the same wavelength.” Sua takes Mizi’s hand and leads her out the door.

“Lead the way, babe.”

Mizi says it like she’s letting Sua be a gentleman, but Sua knows it’s only because Mizi cannot navigate to save her life. It’s endearing. Frustrating on occasion, yes, but she can never stay mad at Mizi for long.

Dinner is amazing.

Afterward is even better, hot touches and passionate kisses, like there’s nothing in the world but the two of them. At this moment, there isn’t. Just Sua and Mizi. Mizi and Sua.

She hopes it will stay that way forever.

“I don’t want to leave you, Sua,” Mizi whines, clinging onto her girlfriend with fervor. “I’m not ready to go to class… I just wanna stay here with you…”

Sua rolls her eyes fondly. “You have to, Mizi. And you’ve already done the hard part.”

“Waking up is not the hard part.” At Sua’s skeptical expression, Mizi sighs. “It’s a hard part. The real hardest part is leaving you for a whole day!”

“That’s very sweet of you. But I’m sure you’ll have fun in class. You get to meet new people, and you probably won’t have to do anything too difficult.”

Mizi grumbles something completely unintelligible. She hugs Sua tighter, clinging to her pajama-clad waist and burying her face in her chest. It’s so fucking cute that Sua wants to give in so badly.

No, she can’t. She won’t.

“One final kiss, and then you leave, okay?” Sua asks, cupping Mizi’s face and bringing her up to face her.

“Aww. Fine.” Mizi pouts dramatically. Sua kisses it right off, swiping her tongue across Mizi’s lip to tease her. She breaks off the kiss to see Mizi’s flushed face — not flustered, though. Full of desire. She shudders, lightly, but of course Mizi notices. She smirks and says, “just one more.” Sua nods and their lips meet again. Light but so flirtatious.

Sua clears her throat when Mizi pulls away. “See you later.”

“Hehe, see you!” Mizi’s grin is breathtaking as she leaves.

… Damn. Now Sua kinda wishes she let her stay.

She makes herself a quick breakfast and eats it as she puts on a youtube video to pass the time. Normally, she’d like to be doing her homework before relaxing, but it’s the first day of class, so she has none. She feels antsy. Nervous. She did well in high school, but college is different. And who knows if she’ll succeed the same way?

Her phone buzzes. It’s a text from Mizi.

Good luck today babe!

I'm rooting for you! ;D

And, somehow, that soothes her.

You too💜

I miss you already

Awwwywowtekstsgdjdgsdyddhd

Suaaaaaaaaaa!

That's so sweet! <333

I would run back to you, but I'm already in class.

Please say you're not being serious

Dead.

But I won't come back until the end of the day!

I swear!

I have academic integrity.

You wanted to skip on your first day to hang out with your girlfriend

Can you blame me?

Have you seen my girlfriend? ;)

I'm rolling my eyes rn

Of fondness, don't lie.

You love me.

I might not if you keep texting me during class.

It hasn't started yet, don’t worry.

I'm in the clear!

Oh wait it is starting now

Bye bye honey darling love you so much

Sua is ruthlessly charmed, her face overtaken by a smitten grin. How can she not be when Mizi is so outwardly loving? So affectionate? To Sua, who can't even begin to do enough for her in return? Sometimes, she wishes she could get the opportunity to do something drastic to show Mizi how much she loves her. Like burn the world down. She would do it in a heartbeat.

But this is reality, not her own vindictive fantasies, so she doesn't need to do anything of the sort. Can't do it. All she can do is try to show up for Mizi the best she can.

Which isn't very well, in her opinion. But Mizi seems to be happy.

That's the only reason Sua isn’t spiraling all day, every day.

Mizi. It’s always Mizi. It always has been.

Her fingers itch to hold a pen and write, but she has to get ready first. She puts on a cute t-shirt and baggy shorts — and after some deliberation, a necklace that rests right on her collarbone. It was a gift from her older sister after she told her about Mizi. Instinctively, Sua reaches for her hair.

Shaking her head, she puts on her bag and leaves to go to class. What's her first…?

Right. Intro to chemistry. At least it's a math forward science.

As she walks, surrounded by warm air and a light breeze, the sun warming her skin, the urge to write won’t leave her alone. Well, she always keeps a tiny notebook in her pocket for a reason. The current pen she has is so nice to write with — which is a factor. Having a shitty pen produces shitty writing.

“bloom within me, love.

though to you I am a weed,

You kiss me, wet-lipped.”

It’s almost too cheesy for her tastes, but Sua has been known to write cheesy stuff. And Mizi will definitely like it. She seems to think Sua's writing is the best thing to grace this earth, despite being a theater nerd and therefore knowing about some of the best poets of all time.

Then again, Sua thinks Mizi is a gift to acting, so she understands.

Someone mentions a flower garden on campus during class. It’s whispered between a couple sitting behind her, and she hears it despite deeply paying attention to the syllabus. Sua decides to go in order to see if it’s worth bringing Mizi. Or just spending time for herself. She does, in fact, do that despite the allegations. Often. Even since she and Mizi moved in. They're together more often than not when they're both home, but Sua needs her time alone. Mizi understands.

(Sometimes, after a long day, time with Mizi just decompressing is better than time alone.)

It’s a beautiful place. The end of summer flowers are still in bloom. Sua runs her fingers over the petals, gentle so as to not crush them. Pinks and purples caress her skin. Butterflies flit by her face. Mizi would love it here. Sua loves it here.

She sits on a bench and sends Mizi a photo. Immediately, there’s a reply.

Oh my god! It's so pretty!

Where are you?

It's a secret ;)

Only girls who don't text their girlfriends in class get the location

Shut upp my phone buzzed what else was I supposed to doooo???

Pay attention?

Booooooo

I'll bring you here someday

Thank youuuu you're the best girlfriend everr!!!!!!

Sua huffs a laugh. Mizi is dramatic — well, she is an actor. She’s pretty sure she's almost out for the day. Sua only has one class on Mondays, thankfully, so she goes back to the dorms. She also doesn't have any homework today. It sounds like a good thing, but she's terribly bored. Social media doesn't do much for her besides cat videos and relatable lesbian memes. She also doesn't want to write any more.

In the end, she decides to steal Mizi’s Switch and logs into their shared Animal Crossing world. It's been about… oh, three years since either of them have touched it. That's the level of boredom Sua is in. Not that she dislikes Animal Crossing. She quite likes it, actually. It's just that it's hard to get the motivation to play.

She walks around with nostalgia. They started this world just before they started dating, during their first year of high school. Mizi’s mom had finally given in and given her a Switch, and Mizi was so excited that she stole Sua for the weekend just so she could watch her play. Sua barely had time to call her sister to tell her to tell their mom. Not that she minded. She already disliked her mom at this point and was happy to get away.

And then Mizi handed Sua the other joy-con and told her they could play together. Even with eight years of being Mizi’s friend under her belt at this point, Sua was still caught off guard.

Her and her sister didn’t have a bad relationship, per se, but they were put in constant competition by their mother. Even if they wanted to share, they couldn't. Weren't allowed to. That didn't stop Sua's sister from trying, but the habit quickly faded. Sua wasn't used to love or affection so out in the open. Her sister loved her, but in secret. Mizi wanted to share something as silly as a video game she'd never played before with her.

Sua felt human for the first time in a long time.

Anyway, it's not a very good island objectively. Their furniture is scattered in places that don't make any sense and there are too many flowers to walk around. They were fifteen. And Mizi moved on very quickly onto the next thing she was into, as she is wont to do.

Sua fixes it up for about twenty minutes before the doorknob turns. Her heart jumps and she tosses the console aside, being left sitting there like an idiot.

“I'm home! Ohh, Sua, I missed you…!”

Mizi pulls the girl into a hug, who sighs fondly and kisses her on the cheek. “I missed you too. I've been really bored.”

“Poor you,” Mizi says, entirely genuine. “But at least I'm back! What do you wanna do?”

“Cuddle.”

“Whatever you want, babe.” Mizi settles into Sua's lap and nuzzles her neck. “What did you do today? Other than finding a pretty garden.”

“Not much, really. There's a guy from high school in my chem class.”

“Who?’

“Acorn.”

Mizi groans. “Acorn. I hate that guy. Can I come to your class and beat him up for you?”

“No, Mizi. He didn’t even look at me. I think he's embarrassed about what happened last year.”

“He should be. Imagine seeing the two of us and not knowing we're dating. And imagine seeing you and not thinking ‘oh, lesbian.’ Idiot.”

“It was pretty bad,” Sua agrees. “Did you have any fun classes?”

“No, but my bio TA is really cool. She's… a diva is really the only way to put it.” Sua giggles. “I'm serious! She's like— she has a pride pin and all this anti-establishment stuff on her bag, and she was in a rock band at her old school? I gotta look them up.”

“Wasn't that class a lecture today?”

“Yeah, but I stayed after to talk to her.”

“... Your mind confuses me.”

“She was fun to talk to! But no, none of my other classes were interesting. Just syllabus stuff.” Mizi sighs. “Mm, I'm so happy to be home…” God, she’s cute. Sua wraps her arms around Mizi and holds her tighter. Her warmth is so inviting, comforting, and a million other adjectives that Sua’s tired brain can't manage. Suddenly, the gentle sounds of guitars and trumpets drift through the air due to the silence. “What’s that?” Mizi asks.

“Nothing.” Sua quickly turns the Switch off. Unfortunately, that action seems to draw more attention to it, and Mizi’s eyes sparkle.

She grabs it and turns it on, seeing the Animal Crossing cover art on the screen. “Oh my god, I haven't thought about this game in years! Why'd you suddenly pick it up again?”

“I was bored,” Sua mumbles, somehow very embarrassed at being caught. “And I missed you.”

“Aww…!” Mizi squeals and hugs Sua tightly. “That’s so cute! I remember when we played this obsessively…” She opens the game and gasps. “This brings back so many memories! Wait, wait, let me show you something.” The sound of fake grass crunching greets Sua’s ears, and she leans forward to look at the game from upside down. Mizi is running toward her own house as Sua.

“What are you doing?”

“Shh.” She opens the mailbox and scrolls down through some mail. Then, she selects one specific piece and hands the console back to Sua, who looks at it questioningly.

It’s a letter from… her. But she never used the mail system in game. And it looks like the letter was addressed to Sua while being sent from her avatar. She raises an eyebrow at Mizi. “What is this?”

“Well…” Mizi’s face turns as pink as her hair, and she rubs the back of her neck. “I had a stupid big crush on you back then, and I wanted to tell you, but I was too nervous. So I wanted to do it as a letter. Then I chickened out and sent it to myself because you probably wouldn’t check my mail. But, if I wanted you to find it, I could’ve told you to check it.” She laughs sheepishly. “A little dumb, but—”

“No, that’s cute,” Sua says, kissing Mizi’s cheek. “Really cute. And I was equally pathetic back then, so I can’t judge.”

“Yes, pathetic lesbians, that’s us.” Mizi nuzzles back into Sua’s neck. “Mm, I’m tired. Or bored. Maybe both. I think I’m gonna take a nap.” Sua thinks for a few moments before removing the joy-cons and handing one to Mizi. “... Hm?”

“Do you wanna play with me?”

Mizi blinks slowly like a cat, then her eyes start to sparkle. “That sounds really fun. Let’s do it!”

They connect the Switch to the TV and start playing together. Remodeling the island is a lot easier with Mizi — and more enjoyable. Well, just like everything in life. Sua is really glad they’re still together. Not that she ever thought Mizi would leave her, but she’s still endlessly grateful. And maybe she won’t ever say it outright, but she’ll put it in the little things.

Like sending her a love poem through Animal Crossing. It’s the height of romance.