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It’s already dark outside, the glimmer of the stars at their strongest by the time Tomoe wakes up from her sleep. With bleary eyes, she covers her mouth as she lets out a yawn, then carefully rolls over onto her side to turn on the lamp on their bedside table. Brain still foggy, she sits up and runs her hand through her hair, grimacing slightly at the tangled mess her fingers are met with.Ah, well. It’s fine. She can fix that later, but for now…Tomoe glances to her left where Saya lies on her side, arms curled forward in front of her face that holds a peaceful expression as she sleeps soundly. Underneath the sliver of moonlight that peeks through their curtains, Saya glows beautiful in Tomoe’s eyes the way she always does.And looking at her, looking at how serene and safe she seems to be, Tomoe can almost swear the stars are shining down and watching over Saya in that moment. No, they are. They’ve been watching over Saya for a long time now – long before Tomoe became part of her life the way she is right now.It makes sense for the night sky to love Saya this much, especially given how she can love so freely and without any hesitation. Tomoe sees it in Saya every day, sees it in the way her eyes dance and laugh whenever she has video calls with her family and the rest of Poppin’ Party.Saya loves and loves and loves – it’s who she is, it’s who she has always been, having even gone so far as to sacrifice her own love of music and the drums at one point so she can take care of her family. Yet even then, she never thought of it as a burden or felt she was forced into doing out of obligation.That’s just- that’s Saya. And Tomoe, who also feels so strongly about her own family, can see where Saya is coming from when she’d struggled during the first few months they’ve been here. It had been hard on her, too, being away from Ako and the rest of Afterglow that have also become her family.She wishes she could say it was easy, how she and Saya have gotten past the anxiety of being away from the home they’ve known all their lives to get to this point. But it isn’t, and while Tomoe isn’t one to hold back from voicing out her feelings, there are times where Saya struggles to do the same with her own.Saya’s mom had told Tomoe as much, when she and Saya had begun to become closer and started spending more time together outside of her visits to the bakery and joint practice sessions with Poppin’ Party. It made Tomoe wonder if Saya’s mom saw right through her, if she saw that Tomoe’s feelings were something more than what just a friend would have.Maybe she did; there’s a reason why Saya got that gentle, affectionate gaze in her eyes from her mom, after all.So, it was hard, seeing those same eyes filled with so much sadness and a longing to be back home when they were just starting college. It wasn’t easy, listening to the ache in Saya’s quiet murmurs whenever she tells Tomoe she misses her family and how she and her parents would flit around the bakery, mixing and kneading the dough and leaving them to rise before sliding them inside the oven.With a slight pang in her heart at the memory, Tomoe slides her hand over Saya’s outstretched one, a lump forming in her throat at how familiar it feels against her palm. Lightly, and careful not to wake Saya up, Tomoe curls her fingers until they’re brushing the back of Saya’s hand, then relaxes her hold again.Tomoe can barely count the number of times these same hands have grounded her yet made her feel like she was flying at the same time, head in the clouds and a strong surge of emotion brewing in her chest – louder and faster and fiercer than when she’s banging away at the drums.If anything, Tomoe wants to keep feeling this way for Saya. She’s lucky – so damn lucky Saya chose her, so damn lucky Saya wants to be with her.She’s lucky for falling in love with someone as kind, caring, and endlessly warm as Saya is.And it just-It just makes Tomoe want to love Saya even more than she does now. Makes her want to show it every day, every second they have together, as overkill as it sounds.Maybe it is, but for as long as Saya’s okay with it, then-That’s when the hand Tomoe’s holding squeezes hers, abruptly cutting off her train of thought. Eyes flickering towards Saya, Tomoe’s racing heart and the thoughts flying around in her head come to a stop, a grin breaking across her face at the soft, sleepy smile she’s greeted with.“Hey…” Tomoe murmurs, watching as Saya’s eyes start to flutter open. Her heart does another jumpstart at the sight.Saya acknowledges her with a faint, “Mmm,” before releasing a happy sigh as she cradles Tomoe’s knuckles to her cheek. “Hey, you…”Tomoe’s heart stops again. If it had been the drums and she was practicing with Afterglow, Ran would have scolded her by now.Another hum, Saya’s hand drifting down to Tomoe’s wrist so she can press her palm against her cheek.They’re both drummers, they both set the rhythm for their bands though in different styles and energy. Saya’s way of playing is bright, cheerful, and filled with so much heart, reflecting Poppin’ Party’s infectious, go-with-the-flow personality.Tomoe, on the other hand, likes to go hard and strong from the start, playing with such fierceness and intensity that Afterglow is known for.But when it comes to their relationship, Tomoe is more than happy to follow Saya’s rhythm, more than willing to let her intensity melt away into something quieter, warmer, with the beat Saya lays out like she does in this moment.It gives Tomoe an idea.“What are you thinking about?” Saya’s giggle, light and fluttery, pierces Tomoe’s thoughts.With a shrug, Tomoe chuckles and watches Saya’s fingers curl around the hem of her shirt. To think she used to be so nervous whenever Saya stood or sat close to her to the point where she could barely function, much less think coherently.“Do you feel like singing?” Tomoe asks, hoping Saya would say yes.Curiosity shining in her eyes, Saya raises her head and sidles closer to Tomoe. “A bit, yeah. Why do you ask?”A slight flush creeps across Tomoe’s cheeks. Some things just don’t change, she guesses, even though she and Saya have been together for how long now.“I…” Tomoe pauses and clears her throat, clapping a hand to the back of her neck. “I feel like hearing you sing, if, y’know, if you’re not too tired.” She shrugs helplessly, because man, Saya has always had this way of leaving her speechless.In response, Saya smiles and gives her a pat on the cheek, the look on her face one filled with nothing but love and affection.Love and affection for her. “Sure,” Saya agrees, a spark lighting up her eyes that Tomoe can’t help but mirror.No wonder Ako and even the rest of Afterglow made her swear to never let Saya go.Tomoe makes a new promise to herself, too, that she won’t ever do anything to cause that spark to dim and fade away.“Alright.” Tomoe nods, a wide grin breaking across her face as she jumps out of bed to pull out the cajon that sits in the corner. It was something they had to make do on, since having a full drum kit was out of the question because the noise would disturb the neighbors next to, above, and below them.Plus, they couldn’t afford to get a larger place on top of having to pay additional expenses for a soundproofed room, so.Saya perches herself over the edge of their bed, fingertips running over the blanket that is draped across her lap. Tomoe sits on the cajon, her gaze lingering on Saya even as she starts striking a beat with the heel of her palm.Softly, Saya hums, legs swinging back and forth while Tomoe sits there, heart in her throat and the strength of her feelings all coming to surge up and threatening to explode right out of her chest.Spellbound by the silvery glow of the moonlight and the shimmer of the stars that bask Saya in their light, Tomoe doesn’t notice that she’s started playing the beat to one particular song.Until a mixture of recognition and wistfulness cross Saya’s face, that is, and Tomoe finds herself standing over the edge again, about to take another leap into Saya.And she does, the moment Saya starts to sing.Saya’s voice, sweet and beautiful as ever, drifts across the room, ringing bright and clear and echoing over and over in Tomoe’s ears. For a short moment, Tomoe closes her eyes, arms moving on their own as the beat mingles in perfect harmony with Saya’s singing.When Tomoe opens them again, Saya is already slipping out of bed, stars shining and twinkling gently in her eyes as if they were the night sky themselves.Tomoe needs to thank Kasumi again for writing this song, because it perfectly captures who Saya is right down to her very core.With slow, graceful steps, Saya makes her way towards Tomoe, footsteps a quiet thud against the cool, hardwood floor underneath her feet. Her starlit eyes are on Tomoe the entire time, holding a radiant glow that illuminates the darkness.The things Tomoe would give, the things Tomoe would do to make Saya happy every day of their lives.“The beat of the stars had enraptured me so gently…” Saya takes Tomoe’s face in her hands and leans forward until their foreheads are touching. “Held me in its reliable hands…”Eyes fluttering to a close once more, Tomoe stops playing and wraps her arms around Saya’s waist, the gesture earning her a light stroke of the thumb against her cheek.“Hey, you know I can’t let it go,” Saya’s voice drops to a murmur, the melody still carrying over. “Never wanting to let go…”Tomoe pulls her closer, the next words spilling out of her before she can stop herself, “For this is surely our star beat.”It’s one of her favorite songs, after all, and one of the first outside of their band’s that she took the time to dissect and learn not just the rhythm, but the lyrics, too. She’s got every part of it memorized, every line burned in the back of her mind that it’s also the song that starts playing in her head whenever she looks at Saya.But it isn’t complete, isn’t perfect without Saya to go together with it.There are a lot of things these days that aren’t.“Our star beat,” Saya echoes, leaning forward to press a kiss against Tomoe’s forehead as the last note fades away into the stillness of their bedroom.This must be what it feels like, to have the stars within reach, to have them in her arms.And really, Tomoe’s so damn lucky it’s not even funny anymore.“So, how was it?” Saya asks as she dips her head, shy all of a sudden.In response, Tomoe stands up and tucks a lock of hair behind Saya’s ear, drawing her gaze back to her.“You were…” Tomoe starts, pauses to think of the right words to say, then clears her throat. Saya’s thumb trails down to her jaw, and Tomoe sucks in a breath.You sounded like an angel, is what Tomoe wants to say, but it sounds a bit too cheesy even in her head. And sure, Saya’s been on the receiving end of her cheesy lines more times than Tomoe would like to admit, but she could dial down a bit on that, yeah.“You sounded perfect,” is what Tomoe decides to go for, which earns her a slight, breathless chuckle and a delighted twitch of the lips.It makes her wonder if the stars can smile and sing, too.Maybe they can. Maybe they are right now.Yeah, yeah, she can be cheesy as hell when it comes to Saya.“You always know the right words to say, don’t you?” Saya giggles, a teasing lilt to her voice as she slides her arms around Tomoe’s neck.With a quiet laugh, Tomoe wraps her arms more fully around Saya and murmurs, “Not all the time, but…” she shrugs, leaning in to kiss Saya’s hair. “I hope that’s the case when it counts the most.”Saya pulls back and gives Tomoe a reassuring smile, a gentle press of her index finger on and a lingering against the side of Tomoe’s jaw. “It always is for me.”And see, Saya has called her kind countless times before, but Tomoe wonders if Saya can see just how much that rings true for herself, too.Because it does. Whatever she does, whatever she says, Saya radiates so much kindness and love that it never ceases to amaze Tomoe.Then, unsure how to answer with words, Tomoe dips her head and Saya meets her halfway there, lost in the beat of her own heart and the lips that touch hers.She’s got to be the luckiest person in the universe to be able to kiss the brightest star in the night sky.