Work Text:
Knock, knock, knock.
“Excuse me?”
Sonia said, poking her head in the nurse's office.
Mikan startled, jumping up from her desk and turning towards the door.
“Y-yes?!” She squeaked, clutching a handful of papers to her chest. “C-can I help you?”
“I was simply wondering if you could give me some medical aid. I appear to have injured my ankle.”
Sonia pushed open the door completely, revealing how heavily she was leaning on her left foot, holding onto the door frame for stability.
“O-Of course!” Mikan stuttered, gesturing to a seat in the office. “H-here, come s-sit!”
“Thank you, Tsumiki.”
Sonia limped slightly over to the chair, sitting with her legs crossed. She placed the injured leg over the other, wincing slightly.
Mikan dragged another chair from across the room, grabbing a pillow from off the shelf, and gesturing for Sonia to place her leg there.
Sonia gingerly placed her foot down, looking up at Mikan for further directions.
“C-can you try pointing your toes towards m-me?”
Sonia nodded, tilting the top of her foot forward, and flinching slightly as she did so. Mikan hmm-ed, watching the movement of Sonia’s foot as well as her expression.
She performed a few other simple tests, before coming to a conclusion.
“I t-think you’ve sprained i-it. It’s just m-minor though! I just n-need to b-bandage it.”
Sonia nodded, watching Mikan slide off her shoe and place it gently on the ground. Sonia reached down and pulled off her sock, revealing the pale, smooth skin beneath. She leaned down to place it in her shoe, and turned back to Mikan.
The skin around Sonia’s ankle was pink and slightly swollen. Mikan pulled a few bandages out of the cupboard.
“I’m j-just going to wr-wrap it to t-take the strain off.” Mikan said, lifting Sonia’s ankle and beginning to wind the crisp white bandages around.
Sonia nodded, turning her attention to take in the room itself.
The nurses office at Hope’s Peak was a very drab room. It was very clean, very white, but most importantly, very soulless. Sonia couldn’t think about working in such a colourless place for very long, though she imagined it would be quite dull. Then again, Mikan was a nurse, and she clearly took passion and pride in caring for her patients, if the dutiful expression on her face as she treated Sonia’s ankle was anything to go by.
“Gosh! It is very drab in here is it not?”
Sonia pointed out innocently.
Mikan flinched, tears pricking the edges of her eye as she hastily apologized.
“A-Ah! I-I’m so s-sorry for having s-such a b-boring office!”
Sonia quickly clarified.
“No no, I was just wondering if you ever got bored in such a colourless space.”
The tears around Mikan’s eyes faded and her expression changed to one of thoughtfulness instead.
“N-no, not especially. I-I like h-helping people, so I d-don’t get bored. H-having some flowers in here might b-be nice though…” Mikan mused.
“Alright then!” Sonia decided, clasping her hands together. “I shall bring you some flowers to decorate your office, to thank you for taking such good care of me!”
Mikan’s eyes widened and she stuttered harder.
“Y-you d-don’t h-have to t-thank m-me-“
Sonia’s resolve hardened as she got a fierce look of determination in her eye.
“Nonsense! It is very important in my country that those who have aided the royal family are given compensation for their work. As such, I shall supply you with flowers for this room!”
Sonia tapped a finger to her chin.
“Unless there is something else you desire?”
Mikan shook her head.
“N-n-no! F-flowers are f-fine!”
Sonia smiled, flexing her arm.
“Wonderful! Then I shall bring you some flowers tomorrow!”
Mikan smiled too, albeit a small one, as she finished tying the bandage on Sonia’s ankle..
“T-there!” Mikan finished, trying the end of the bandage into a neat little bow. Sonia lightly turned her ankle, getting a feel for the movement.
“D-don’t spend anymore t-time standing than you n-need to, d-don't get the b-bandage wet, a-and if it s-starts to h-hurt more, c-come and s-see me, ok?”
Mikan said, fidgeting with her fingers and keeping a careful eye on Sonia. Sonia stood up, sliding her sock back on and slipping into her shoe. She gingerly placed her feet back on the ground and stood, taking a few steps over towards Mikan.
“Thank you very much, Tsumiki!”
Sonia said, giving Mikan a gentle hug. Mikan flinched at the unexpected contact, but relaxed after a moment, appreciating Sonia’s gentle touch. After a few seconds Sonia let Mikan go, and headed out the door with a gentle wave.
~ ~ ~
The next day, Sonia knocked on the nurse's office door bright and early, around 20 minutes before classes began.
“Good morning!”
She called, stepping the door with her arms wrapped around a flower pot. The pot contained a small bush, specifically a lilac bush.
Mikan simply watched in awe as Sonia carried the pot across the room and left it to rest on the near-by windowsill.
“There!” Sonia declared, placing her hands on her hips in triumph. “I hope that is to your liking Tsumiki!”
Mikan nodded quickly.
The bush itself was quite lovely. The blooms were a vibrant, yet soft shade of purple, ranging from a lighter purple colour to a deeper plum.
“I-it’s beautiful,” Mikan breathed.
“Wonderful!” Sonia grinned, and with that she left.
~ ~ ~
Mikan thought that would be the end of it. However, she was incredibly and pleasantly surprised when Sonia knocked on her door the next day, carrying an orchid in a light blue pot. She placed it next to the lilac bush, gave Mikan a gentle wave, and left.
The day after that she brought a bunch of daisies, sitting in a clear glass vase. Sonia placed this on top of a cupboard and poured a little bit of water on the lilac bush. Yet again, she simply said hello, put down the flowers, and left.
This continued for a week as Sonia brought in roses, magnolias, lilies, and even a tiny cherry blossom tree.
“I c-can’t possibly t-take c-care of these all f-flowers!” Mikan protested.
“Do not worry!” Sonia reassured. “I shall come here each day to water and maintain these flowers!”
“A-are you s-sure?” Mikan asked.
“Of course!”
And Sonia left again.
When Mikan looked around, she saw the nurses office was a lot brighter than it was a week ago. The flowers added a little splash of colour that wasn’t overwhelming. It made Mikan feel calm. Despite the fact that she had been nervous at first, Mikan had grown to enjoy Sonia’s presence. She was nice. She was never mad at Mikan, she never yelled at Mikan when she dropped things, and she seemed like she admired Mikan for the work she did. It was a new feeling for Mikan, a strange one, but not unwelcome.
Day after day, Sonia would stop into the nurses office each morning to say hello to Mikan and water the flowers. Over and over, week after week.
She never brought any more flowers, at least until a few months later. This time Sonia brought a bouquet, composed of all of the flowers that sat around the room. Instead of placing the bouquet in a vase or adding them to the collection on the shelf, she pressed the bundle into Mikan’s arms.
“Tsumiki! I was wondering if you would like to accompany me on an outing to the café down the road.”
Mikan malfunctioned for a moment, blush rising to her cheeks.
“A-are y-you a-a-asking me on a-a d-date?”
“Yes, I am!” Sonia confirmed, nodded with a smile. “Do you accept?”
Through all the anxiousness and fear, Mikan smiled.
“I-I do.”