An Impromptu Dance

This is for egnarregnar! They asked for some post-graduation, Kurojunna! A new pair for me to try writing, so I hope everyone enjoys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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														An Impromptu Dance

"All right! I've got everything we need!"

"Finally! Does that mean you're ready now? It's about time…"

Junna and Claudine have been dating for months now, and had only recently moved into their own apartment together. For the past few nights they've had nothing but a floor mattress to sleep on in the empty living room area, as the apartment only came with a very limited amount of furniture.

However, today they have plans to go shopping for such things and to gradually begin filling up their new place.

Junna had spent the morning dutifully taking measurements of the entire place room by room and making a detailed list of all the things they'd need to get, like tables, chairs, shelves, and so forth, as well as non-essential pieces like decorations.

Claudine had let her write away, as she knows Junna is just the kind of person who feels best with a list to go by. But Claudine herself had always been a bit more free-spirited; she just wants to get to the stores, look around, and see what speaks to her.

Presently, Junna is folding her list up and putting it into her handbag. Claudine had been ready to leave half an hour ago, but had lingered just for the sake of letting Junna finish with her musings. She doesn't want to come off as impatient, but she's naturally folded her arms across her chest now as she waits for Junna to put her shoes on. As Junna finally straightens up, she hurries to Claudine's side with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you wait so long."

"It's all right." Claudine takes her by the hand and kisses her cheek. "I'm sorry if I made it feel like I was rushing you. I'm just eager to shop, is all."

"I get it. I'm excited, too." Junna turns back around to look over their vacant little apartment for a moment, heaving a happy sigh. "I still can't believe we actually did it. We finally got our own place. Pretty soon, it'll be full of all new things!"

"Oui," Claudine agrees. "But above all else, let's make sure we at least get a bed today."

"Definitely."

Arm-in-arm, the two of them lock the door behind themselves before heading out.

Junna drives them to the nearest home essentials and furniture store, and together they head inside to view the selection.

Every inch of the place has some kind of piece or another, from tables and vanities and ottoman on the floors, to landscape paintings and motivational quotation plaques on the wall, to chandeliers and various lights hanging from the ceiling. Along the back wall, they can see from afar a wide selection of colors for wallpapers and carpeting and rugs as well.

Both girls marvel at the store and all its contents for a moment, mouths open in awe.

"Wow…" Claudine mumbles. "There's so much to choose from…"

"There really is… Though we do have a budget," Junna reminds her.

"Hardly." Claudine gives a flip of her hair over her shoulder. "You know we can get pretty much whatever we want."

"Okay, but we can only get so much that will actually fit inside the apartment." Junna has to hold her back by the wrist, knowing Claudine could tend to go a little overboard when it comes to shopping sometimes, simply because of the fact that money isn't much of a concern for her. Even so, Junna had luckily convinced her to settle for a humble, sensibly-sized apartment.

Claudine pouts a little bit at her now.

"I know that. Don't worry, I won't buy anything without running it by you first, Junna."

"That's right you won't," Junna says. "Because we're shopping together. Don't think I'm going to let you run free, Saijou-san."

"Junna…"

"I mean it. If I let you go off on your own, you might get carried away and come back to tell me you bought a ten-foot painting of the Eiffel Tower."

"Non," Claudine shakes her head. "Not about that." She gives Junna a more reserved look now, shuffling her feet a bit. "I mean… you know you don't have to address me so formally, right?"

Junna blushes a little.

"I-I know… I guess it's still just an old habit. Formalities in public, and all that…"

"You're right. You go at your own pace, then." Claudine turns back to the limitless amount of things the store has to offer them. "Now then, shall we be off on our expedition?"

"You make it sound like some crazy adventure."

"Isn't it though?" Claudine tilts her head. "After all, it isn't every day you get to pick out furniture for your new apartment with your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah… Guess you're right…" Keeping hold of Claudine's hand with one of hers, Junna straightens up and fishes out her list with the other. "All right then, we should start with coffee tables and smaller pieces like that. We could fit one that's one and a half feet in diameter next to the couch in the living room, and one no larger than two feet in the bedroom-"

"Oh!" Claudine is already dragging her forward, pointing out a small table with intricate patterns carved all around the edges. When Junna adjusts her glasses, she can tell there are tiny flowers and birds popping out from the wood.

"Hmm… But it's maplewood, isn't it? I think mahogany would go best with the color of the walls."

Claudine's shoulders slump just a little.

"You're such a stickler sometimes, Junna. But all right. Where are the mahogany things, then?"

So Junna begins leading the way around the store, pointing out several pieces that seem to be accurate measurements as to what they should be looking for, and also things that are neutral or matching colors. Claudine shows interest in some of them, but for most, she has the same response of an indecisive shrug.

They walk around most of the store, considering all kinds of furniture. At one point, they wander toward the paints and wallpapers.

"Oh~la~la!" Claudine marvels at a pleasant shade of blue. "Imagine painting the walls with this! A touch of red and white and- parfaite!"

"Hold on a second." Junna grabs her by the shoulder to restrain her. "You're not painting our apartment like a giant French flag. We can't change the walls anyway."

Claudine sighs.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait until we get a house of our own then."

"Right…" Junna grimaces, liking the idea of eventually getting a house together, but not exactly of painting it all blue, white, and red.

They continue their search throughout the store, and Junna continues checking her list at every turn. They admire all the different types of wood and materials of the furniture, and the various scenes and animals of the paintings.

Claudine spots several things that catch her eye, but Junna makes an uncertain expression at each and every one of them.

After nearly twenty minutes, they've lapped most of the store, but failed to come to a single agreement on any particular piece.

"This is tough," Junna says, still staring at her list. "Though I did make note of the things that were just about the perfect size we're looking for. There was that one coffee table-"

"D'accord! J'en ai eu assez!" Claudine cuts her off by giving Junna a firm tug to her arm. Junna yelps softly.

"Whoa! S-Saijou-san, what's the matter?" She's picked up on enough exasperated French terms over the years to know when her girlfriend is upset. Claudine is pouting at her now.

"Junna! You've hardly even looked up from that list of yours since we walk through the doors!"

"Huh? I'm just trying to find us the perfect-"

"It doesn't have to be perfect, you know."

Only now does Junna blink and come to understand the situation. She'd taken over this entire outing with her math and her measurements, when all Claudine had wanted to do was shop spontaneously and enjoy such an exciting time with her. But by now, Claudine doesn't seem to be having any fun at all.

Junna is quiet for a moment as she finally makes sense of it all. Slowly, she lifts the arm that Claudine is holding onto, until she finds her girlfriend's hand. Junna curls her fingers with Claudine's softly.

"Saijou-san… no, sorry… Claudine…"

Claudine blushes a tiny bit as Junna uses her first name. Junna sighs, bringing her list in her free hand up to her mouth. Now, Claudine is at a loss.

"Junna? What-?"

But before she can finish asking, Junna bites the corner of the page and shreds it in two with a loud tearing sound. Claudine jolts.

"Junna-?"

"We don't need this anymore," Junna says matter-of-factly. She crumples up the pieces of the paper and shoves them back into her purse without a second glance. Now, she looks back up to Claudine with a smile. "Sorry. I was so set on getting things that would suit our apartment… It was sucking all the fun out of this. After all, it isn't every day you get to pick out furniture for your new apartment with your girlfriend, right?"

Claudine blinks again, the confusion slowly melting into comprehension. At last, her lips curve back up into a smile.

"Oui!" Claudine pulls her into a hug right in the middle of the store. Junna chuckles and hugs her back, petting her hair a little bit.

"Sorry."

"There's no need," Claudine murmurs. "You were thinking about it from a logical perspective. I'm sorry if I was being too pushy."

"No," Junna says, easing back. "You were thinking about it in a fun way, which is how it should be."

"But everything does still have to fit in the apartment."

"That is true."

They share a smile, having come to an understanding together.

Now, with their hands entwined, they go around the store one more time, taking a second look at everything.

"Don't worry too much about the measurements right now," Claudine advises. "Which things do you like, Junna? What stands out to you?"

"Wh-What do I like…? Well…" Junna considers a few things as they continue walking through the various pieces. "I mean, I kind of like the love seat. I know we already have a couch, but we'd need a little more space for people to sit when we can finally invite everyone over."

"See?" Claudine nudges her. "You've already made a fine selection! Let's go look at the colors, shall we?"

Junna smiles. "Sure."

They spend a moment looking through the choice of colors, but almost immediately they're both drawn to and agree on a warm, chestnut color. Their plan is to make notes of all that they like, then at the end of their trip give the store staff a list of their choices to be delivered after they've paid.

With the love seat decided on, they continue on to select a couple of chairs that will match the two the apartment came with in the kitchen, as well as a circular coffee table to go beside the couch. Junna does ensure that everything is a good size, but doesn't go crazy over an inch or two.

They also decide on a few paintings of landscapes and oceans, as well as cream-colored floral-patterned curtains for the living room, and lavender hand towels for the bathroom.

They bring whatever they can carry to the checkout area, and then ask the staff to put the larger items they're interested in on-hold for them to pay for and be delivered later.

When they're satisfied with their selection in this store, they head through a threshold that leads to an adjoining mattress store. There are huge yellow signs claiming of clearance and sales all around the place, with products ranging from mattresses to comforters to entire beds of varying shapes and sizes.

Here, Claudine gives a pointed tug to Junna's arm.

"Now this," she says. "This has to be perfect."

"I agree."

They both value sleep far too much to not choose the perfect bed for their apartment, though after the first several nights of sleeping on futons on the floor, anything would be an upgrade.

They head to the full beds right away, intent on a king-size, sparing no expense on this matter. A saleswoman greets them and begins promoting the most popular mattresses available.

At the very least, both Junna and Claudine prefer firmer mattresses, so they can both tell right away just by having a seat which ones are too soft.

The saleswoman brings them to the firmer mattresses, and almost immediately, Junna and Claudine spot a king-size that looks promising. The saleswoman invites them to lie down and give it a test.

So the couple does as much, removing their shoes and putting down their bags to sit on the mattress. Junna lies down on her back and opens her arm to Claudine, who lies down right beside her.

"Mm…" Claudine sighs. "This one is rather nice."

"I think so too," Junna agrees. "And it's a good size."

They're both quiet for a moment, closing their eyes to enjoy the feeling of the soft, yet firm mattress underneath them. Claudine curls up onto her side, as close to Junna as possible. Junna curls her arm around her shoulders and yawns…

"Pardon?" their saleswoman says with a smile. "I'm sorry to say you can't actually sleep here."

"Oh!" Junna sits upright in a split second, leaving Claudine to pout a little before slowly pushing herself up as well. "We're so sorry!"

"It's quite all right. I take it that means you both like it, then?"

Junna and Claudine share an approving look.

"I think we'll take it," Junna decides.

So from there, it's a matter of having everything they want looked over at the checkout counter as the staff begin loading things onto a truck waiting outside. Junna and Claudine ensure they've gotten everything they wanted.

Claudine confidently hands over her credit card to cover the expenses, though Junna insists she'll pay her back for at least half.

They thank the staff before heading back to their car and driving back to the apartment.

The rest of their day is spent helping the workers unload and carry some things up the steps. Junna sets up most of the living room while Claudine stays in the bedroom, insisting she help however she can as the workers assemble the bed. When it's finished, she puts on the white sheets, the pillows, and the light green comforter, and stands back with her hands on her hips to admire the final product.

And Claudine hadn't mentioned anything to Junna about it, but she'd managed to sneak away at the store for a moment and add a small book shelf to her list of orders.

Once that has been assembled, Claudine requests it be positioned beside the dresser at the left wall. She herself then begins placing all of Junna's yet-unpacked books onto it alphabetically, as she knows Junna prefers them. She can't wait to reveal her surprise to her.

All in all, it takes several hours to get everything finished, but it's all more than worth it.

At that point, Claudine steps out of the bedroom and takes her first look at the rest of the place.

Their kitchen table now has four chairs seated around it instead of only two, there are new curtains on the windows and hand towels on the counter. One of the paintings of a landscape has been hung on the far wall, and another is set in the living room behind the couch. The love seat they'd selected had been set up to one side of the couch and TV, and several of the little coffee tables they'd picked out are set up around the room, already doing their job to hold purses and knick-knacks.

She's absolutely astounded by how the place has turned out, but there's one corner she hasn't seen yet. However, just before she can take a peek, Junna appears right in front of her and turns her away.

"Wow!" she grins. "We actually did it! What do you think?"

Claudine smiles and leans into her girlfriend's side.

"Incroyable! It looks amazing, Junna! You really do have a keen eye for this interior decorating stuff, don't you?"

"Maybe just a little."

Claudine turns to kiss her sweetly.

"I love it."

Junna turns pink.

"I'm glad."

The two of them see off all the workers and thank them, and Claudine tips them handsomely. When all the commotion is finally said and done, the two girls are left alone together in their brand new apartment to take in the sight of it. Junna gives a satisfied, long-winded speech about her thought process.

"I thought that painting would look best over there. Since it's mostly warm colors, it'll really be complimented by the sunlight coming in from the east in the mornings. And since this coffee table is circular, I thought it'd look better next to the couch, whereas the other one is rectangular and might fit better in the corner of the room due to the angles. And then-"

"Junna."

"Yes?"

"I love it." Claudine nuzzles into her shoulder and rests her head for a moment. "I really do. It feels like a place we can call 'home' already."

Junna wraps her arm around Claudine's back.

"I'm glad. I really am. I think so, too."

They stand there for a moment in the kitchen, taking it all in. Junna kisses the top of Claudine's head before coaxing her to lift her face.

"Hey," she smiles. "There's something I wanna show you."

"Quoi?" Claudine tilts her head as Junna takes her by the hand and slowly leads her into the living room fully. By this point, Claudine had forgotten that there was one corner of the room she hadn't seen yet.

But now, Junna shows her why.

"Voilà!"

Claudine lets go of her girlfriend just so she can bring both her hands to her mouth when she gasps out loud.

The corner of the living area that had been concealed from view from the kitchen has been transformed from a dull, empty space, to a festive dream come true.

The first table that had caught Claudine's eye at the store - the one with little birds and flowers carved into it - stands proudly in that corner now. On top of it is a lacy white doily, and on top of that is a small glass statue of the Eiffel Tower.

But that isn't all. There's also a large vertical painting of the Tower as well hung on the wall behind it, and several blue, white, and red streamers hanging from where one wall meets the other.

Claudine is speechless for a solid moment or so, her hands clasped tightly over her mouth which is wide open in shock. Junna steps close to her and nudges her softly.

"So? What do you think? Since we can't make the whole apartment France-themed, I figured a corner wouldn't hurt."

Claudine feels tears coming on now. She staggers back a step as they start to spill down her cheeks. Junna quickly reaches out to support her.

"Whoa! Claudine-?"

"I love it!" Claudine throws her arms around Junna in such a fiercely-excited hug it bowls them both over onto the couch. Junna is thankful she reacts quickly enough to catch her as they land with a mutual 'oof!' on the cushions. Claudine nuzzles into her shoulder, sobbing softly. Junna smiles, petting through Claudine's hair in soothing strokes.

"I'm glad. I'm really glad you like it." She kisses the top of her girlfriend's head and holds her like that for a while, savoring Claudine's warmth and the sights of their new apartment. Junna wouldn't mind falling asleep right here for a while after the day they've had…

But before she can get too comfortable and close her eyes, she feels Claudine pushing herself up now. Junna's glad to see she's stopped crying, even if they had been happy tears.

"Come on," Claudine says, getting to her feet. Junna blinks up at her.

"What do you mean?"

Claudine offers her hand and helps Junna up, but doesn't let her go.

"I feel like dancing," Claudine says. "Care to join me?"

Junna blinks in surprise, but has no oppositions whatsoever.

"Do you even need to ask?"

There's no music playing, though they do have plans to set up a radio somewhere at some point. But for now, they simply go through the motions of a routine they'd both done a million times back at Seishou.

They dance around the room, utilizing all of the free space at their disposal, letting their bodies get used to a specific path and pattern to move around the furniture. Junna is glad Claudine had talked some sense into her about not worrying about the math and the measurements of everything.

She's right. Arranging your new apartment with your girlfriend shouldn't be a scripted number. It should be an impromptu dance.

They dance around the couch and toward the kitchen, where Claudine eventually relinquishes her lead and leaves herself in Junna's care. Junna takes the lead with gusto, bringing her all around the place and back again. Claudine subtly takes the lead back at the end now, just to begin guiding her toward the bedroom.

"You know," she winks. "I have a little surprise for you, too."

"Huh?"

Claudine nudges the bedroom door open and brings her inside now.

And Junna had just been expecting to see the finished bed - which she does, and it looks incredible and very inviting.

But what catches her eye even more quickly is the bookshelf set up on one side of the room, already with all its shelves filled with her own books.

"Whoa!" Junna stumbles a bit as their dance ends, and Claudine readily catches her and has her stand up straight again. Junna's mouth is agape in bewilderment as she looks from the bookshelf to the bed, and then to her girlfriend. "Claudine! When did you-?"

"Probably at the same time you were secretly picking out all those things for me," she replies. "Do you like it? If I arranged the books wrong you can just-"

"Not at all!" Junna takes her by both her hands now and twirls her. "I love it! I really love it!"

Claudine breathes a sigh of relief as she finishes the spin and wraps her arms around Junna to kiss her.

"I'm glad."

They nuzzle each other for a few minutes, stealing kisses here and there. And at last, the eventful day starts catching up to them, and their brand new bed starts calling.

Claudine yawns first, so Junna reaches up to gently remove her headband for her and places it on the nightstand. In return, Claudine slips Junna's glasses off her nose and folds them up, then places them beside it. Junna takes down her hair from its ponytail as well, giving her head a shake to let her hair loose.

The two of them remove their shoes, and without another word flop down with a bounce onto their brand new bed together. They let out a long, mutual sigh that's more akin to a whimper. The relief and joy and glee rushes through them both as the eustress and subsequent crash finally hits.

"So…?" Claudine hums sleepily. "Do you like the bed?"

"Much more, now that you're in it with me."

"Oh my."

"Sorry. That sounded perverted."

"I don't mind~"

Junna props herself up a little bit and holds herself up over Claudine now, her hair spilling down over her shoulder as she gazes down at her.

"Have I ever told you how pretty you are?"

Claudine tilts her head innocently.

"Yes. But I could do with hearing it again."

"You're really pretty."

"Well, from where I'm laying, it's you who's pretty."

Claudine wraps her arms around Junna's shoulders to pull her down and bring her close. Junna returns the embrace, slipping her arms beneath her girlfriend and hugging her by the waist. She feels Claudine exhale, sinking down softly on top of her as she does so. And then, Claudine makes a small moan.

"What about dinner…?"

"We're not cooking tonight," Junna reassures her. "We can order something later."

"Thank goodness."

"But for now… I think we deserve a nap."

"That sounds divine."

They sigh again in unison, and now Junna slowly eases off of her so they can both curl up on their sides. Claudine pulls Junna in to her chest and contents herself with running her fingers through her girlfriend's hair, which only she ever gets to see and enjoy being loose and down like this. Junna returns the favor, stroking her fingers through Claudine's curls as well, rubbing softly up and down her back as she goes.

Both girls close their eyes before long, cuddling up in the softness of their bed. But before either of them can fall asleep, Junna eases back to touch Claudine's cheek, coaxing her to open her eyes again. Junna gazes into that lovely shade of pink and bumps their noses together.

"I love you, Claudine."

When Junna speaks in such a cozy and intimate tone, Claudine's heart skips and a blush dusts across her cheeks.

"Geez, that was unfair…"

Junna grins and kisses her lips.

"You're really pretty."

"Look who's talking." Claudine kisses her in turn and hugs her close. "Je t'aime, Junna."

Junna squeezes her back and burrows herself into her collar.

At last, the long exciting day draws to a quiet close.

Both girls curl up for their first nap together on their brand new bed in their brand new apartment.

They're asleep within moments, already dreaming about what the future will hold.

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A/N: This was so fun! I'll always love apartment AUs, and I really enjoyed exploring the dynamic of this pair! I hope you enjoyed!