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It was sometime in the morning, with the sun having risen from the horizon after the darkness of night. A sleepy, blue-haired woman was stirring in her bed, but she was too tired to open her heavy eyes to look at the time, too comfy as she lay on her side. A tiny, miniscule part of her was worried about oversleeping, but she swept those concerns aside and stayed settled within her comfy cocoon.
Karin was sure that a certain someone would not allow her to ruin her sleep routine.
She was not sure how the wake up call would come about. On some days, like in high school, it would be from the constant buzzing on her phone beside her pillow. Another day it would be quite direct, a constant tip-tip-tapping on her shoulder, or a little bit of shaking if that did not work.
Nowadays, however, it would be from a certain savoury scent from downstairs.
Her tummy rumbled at the smell of what was likely bacon, and Karin slowly stretched her body as she came to. A little groan here and there as she pulled at herself, tugging at the bed sheets for a little extra grip, she eventually rolled over onto her back. Her eyes finally opened, a tiny little crack in her eyelids allowing her lighter shade of blue eyes to present themselves onto the stage that was the morning.
She breathed deeply, gathering up what little strength was within her sleep fatigued body to pull herself up. Karin sat up, her outstretched arms, having helped her upwards, falling right back down to her sides. The hood of her pyjamas followed suit, slipping from her hair and revealing her spiky bedhead. Her breath came out as a loud, hearty yawn, almost like a savanna lion; embarrassingly, she would add, since the oh-so-kind chef downstairs would somehow hear it.
Almost on cue, like her thunderous yawn was an alarm clock of its own, the clinging and clanging of plates being moved and positioned began to emit from downstairs. A slightly blushy Karin cursed herself a little, having hoped to have surprised the sweet and generous cook in the kitchen.
Alas, that opportunity was gone, so the famous idol made no effort in silencing her sounds from here on out. The bed sheets ruffled as she tossed them to the side, swinging her tired legs over the edge of the mattress, the springs creaking ever so slightly in protest.
Looking in the mirror, her panda-themed pyjamas were on full display, barring the hood of course. Karin had been a tiny bit reluctant to wear them at first, given the teasing she often had to face while doing so, but it was an adversity she would take on head on.
Though, to be honest, the buyer had the right to tease… and she did not mind the teasing really. It gave her excuses for later after all.
Her tummy rumbled again, begging for food as if it had never had a meal in its life. Karin was about ready to oblige to the requests of her bemoaning stomach, but not before a little stretch of her arms before weakly leaping from the bedside. She nearly lost her balance but recovered well, proceeding to have a final full body stretch. It did not, by any means, rid her of her sleep-induced fatigue, but it invigorated her enough. She put on her panda-faced slippers before she finally departed from the haven that was the queen-sized bed.
She was heading for the bathroom before her stomach reminded her that she was going in the wrong direction, groaning as if it were trying to jog her memory. Karin paused, a little “Oh” escaping her lips, before turning on her toes to the bedroom door.
From there she used her nose to guide her towards the kitchen, relying on her sense of smell to direct her to her food and the holy, blessed angel that was cooking it for her. Embarrassingly, and to the amazement of many, she had gotten lost in the house before.
In Karin’s defence, it was a rather large house, and it was a rather recent purchase. She had been so used to her parent’s home and the layout of dormitories as well.
Anyone could get lost in their home!
At least, that’s what Karin told herself and the others, even if they rolled their eyes or poked and pulled on her cheeks in a tease.
After a few moments she reached the top of the stairs, slowly walking down them while holding the patterned wooden railing. She glanced over at them, following the lines that formed the squares and diagonals that gave a wonderful texture and detail to the place. At the bottom of the stairs she glanced around, her head twisting and turning to pick up the delicious scent of what was likely a hearty breakfast.
In one direction was a hallway, the next the living room, and the other way was the special dining area for their friends…
The smell was coming from the hallway, she thought, so Karin made the logical conclusion and strode down it. She took a turn and strode on through, glancing at the happy picture frames of her friends and a certain, red-headed someone. Some were just simply group photos from simpler times, and others featured their successes from their times as school idols and then as professionals, going on grand tours as either the whole group or as a sub-unit with Ai.
But the sweetest ones were when it was simply just them .
High-quality selfies, a few sneaky pictures from Yu in high school and on the road…
There was another one right at the end of the hallway, sitting on a large cabinet, perhaps the most special photograph of all…
But then Karin noticed that she was about to step into the garden.
With a creeping red flush on her face, Karin turned around, trying to pick up the scent of breakfast again. She um’d and she hummed, a worried finger picking at her lips as she wondered where to go. Noticing the open door next to her, she started to pick up on that familiar, enticing scent. She walked through the door, and her tummy seemed to rumble in agreement and appreciation.
Or frustration, possibly cursing that it was stuck within a girl who needed a satnav to navigate a one-way street.
A second or so later, Karin could hear the dying fizzles of boiling oil upon a pan.
A few seconds after that, she walked into the rather spacious kitchen, full of everything that a person could possibly need to cook a fantastic, delicious meal.
“Good morning, my lovely lost panda!” Emma called out as she placed the final slices of bacon upon, what seemed to be, quite a full plate. It was ladened with eggs, toast, tomatoes and, now, bacon. She had not been looking as she spoke, but had the instinct to know when her lover had awoken and arrived.
“Sh, shush!” Karin flushed harder, wrapping her arms together and closing her eyes in an attempt to maintain her dignity. “I was not lost!” She insisted, though Emma simply kept smiling.
“Mhmm?”
“I was just, just looking at the garden!” Karin explained, though her wobbly lips told another story. A few moments of silence passed, and Karin curiously opened one of her eyes. Emma was beaming from the other end of the table, trying to hold back a giggle at the misfortune of her partner.
“Of course, that explains why you arrived from the back, mhm.” Emma said, an obvious tease lingering within her tone before she walked to the empty sink, placing the pan into it. Karin pouted but unwrapped her arms, walking towards her angel and her breakfast with a mock confidence. Emma giggled again as Karin tried to walk through the gap between her and the table, blocking her path with a simple step to the side.
The blue-haired woman continued to pout as the red-head softly swayed in front of her, still smiling brightly and happily, her hands behind her back as she acted completely and totally innocent.
“Karin needs to pay the toll before she passes~” Emma said in a playful fashion, still rocking from side to side as she acted as a gateway to the culinary salvation that was breakfast. Karin turned her head away, still pouting but closing her eyes once more.
“Aww, is my panda upset that I teased her?” Emma then said, bringing one of her clasped hands from behind her back to Karin’s cheek. She poked once, then twice, unable to stop herself from giggling as the finger dipped into the soft skin.
“Some, someone wants to lose a finger…” Karin meekly said, partially interrupted by a menacing finger attacking her cheek. She was still turned away from her partner, her pout having shifted to the hidden side of her face. Emma laughed a little, a quiet mock cry of terror escaping her throat.
“Aaaah! Oh nooooo, my Karin wouldn’t do that, please!” While she said this, Emma continued to poke her lover’s cheek in the same rhythm as before. Karin’s lips began to wobble, and eventually she broke. She opened her eyes, turned her head, and her mouth (gently) grasped upon the offending finger.
“Ahhhhh, I’ve been caught!” Emma cried out in mock defeat, her other hand coming up to her forehead as if she were in woe, her head moving backwards to add to the horrifying scene. Karin would have made a comment about Emma having seemingly taken acting lessons from Shizuku, but her mouth was a little preoccupied after all. After a moment, Emma looked back to Karin, her smile as lovely and as amazing as ever.
Karin was about to melt, her lips still wobbling and cheeks still blushing.
“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me?” Emma softly, lovingly offered, willing to set aside the great offence that was the act of nomming on her poor, defenceless finger. Karin grumbled a little, but her insides had melted into goop at this point.
“Okay…” She said, her voice muffled by the finger impairing her speech. She pulled back, letting the finger go free. Emma let out a little yay, but she still was not budging.
“You do still need to pay the toll, though…” Emma said softly, her lips scrunching to the sides to play off of her innocent radiance.
“Eh?” Karin uttered in surprise, and Emma hummed and nodded. Karin, backed into a corner and with absolutely, positively, certainly no other path open to her, relented to the cruel gatekeeper of the nutritious breakfast.
Closing the distance, she left a peck on the cheek of Emma, prompting the red-head to stop scrunching her lips and flatten them. Before Emma could protest that the toll had not been fully paid, Karin closed the distance again, placing her slightly dry lips upon Emma’s. It was a soft and gentle kiss, full of love and affection, and was the true and proper way for the two to express their ‘forgiveness’ over such a fraught, near-relationship breaking event.
Or something silly like that.
They broke the kiss at around about the same time, both smiling into each other’s matching light blue eyes.
“Good morning, Emma Verde.”
“Good morning, Karin Verde~”
It was an almost perfect moment, save for the rumbling of a now very frustrated and impatient stomach.