Work Text:
18:34
Dim light from the barely charged phone touched Shizuku’s face, the time displayed on its dirty cracked screen giving her some cause for concern before darkening outright, a bright red empty battery symbol flashing for a few seconds before switching to black. It wasn’t too late in the evening, but she’d definitely be getting an earful when she finally returned to the apartment. Her gaze lowered to the convenience store bag in her hand. Originally, she had planned for a quick stop at the store on her way back home, but by the time she was done with everything there, she had wasted roughly 25 minutes idling in the magazine corner.
A disappointed sigh escaped from her chilled lips, her hand adjusting its grip on the bag slightly. That magazine had taken her by complete surprise on her way to checkout. On it had been a picture of one of her best friends from high school, Nana Nakagawa, better known as Setsuna Yuki, with bold burning red letters reading: Setsuna Yuki: The Spark Behind the Flames . An entire article dedicated to her rise to fame in the idol industry and everything it had cost her. Well, at least, that’s what was implied from the first few paragraphs at a glance. She hadn’t made it very far into the thing before realization dawned on her about the current time and battery life she had remaining in her cheap phone if she was to get home without a fuss being made. Of course, she bought the magazine for later reading material. It would be interesting to see how her friend was doing for herself on those long train rides.
Unfortunately, getting home on time was no longer an option. The cold wind began to pick up, whipping at her coat and blowing it wildly about her, the cool air enough to send a shiver through her body. At this point, she could only imagine the number of texts and worried calls she’d be getting from Kasumi asking where she was or if she was ok. She sighed thinking about her poor inbox, shifting the bag to her other hand in an attempt to keep her fingers warm despite the biting cold.
Above her, a stray lamppost illuminated the entrance to a dingy and well beaten apartment complex, its flickering light almost a landmark to Shizuku at this point as to where her place of residence was. Cracked paint and rusted railings were just barely visible through the growing darkness, the nearest door to her sporting a potted plant with bright yellow flowers next to it. She felt a smile touch her lips, recalling the small gardening endeavor she and Kasumi had gone through to get them to grow the best they could. If she recalled correctly, they were known as Kerria Japonica , or Japanese Rose . A lovely flower that reminded her of a certain someone that was always waiting for her return home.
Her hand reached for the keys tucked away in her jacket, the soft sound of her steps on the stone echoing through the small enclosed walkway. Before she could pull them out, however, the door in front of her swung open, a pouting face now staring intently at her from the doorway. She couldn’t help but give a soft smile to the clearly upset girl in front of her. “I’m home.”
A pair of arms flung themselves around her neck, Shizuku feeling herself pulled tightly against the ash blonde haired girl who immediately planted her lips against her own, the warm sensation gently bringing life back to her cold and tired face. It was a delightful feeling, Shizuku’s eyes finding themselves instinctively closing in an attempt to take in everything she could. As quickly as this powerful force approached her for the embrace and kiss, it pulled away, the girl finally shouting, “I was worried about you! Where the heck have you been?! I called, like, 10 times, and it kept going to voicemail! Don’t you know it’s rude to leave a cutie like me in the dark?”
“I’m sorry, Kasumi. If you can believe it, I didn’t charge my phone completely during my break and it died on the way back home.” Digging into the convenience store bag, Shizuku produced a small, wrapped, eclair, extending the dessert to Kasumi. “Since I was going to be late anyhow, I picked up a little something for you as an apology.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, her vibrant pink eyes widening at the gesture, quickly snatching the treat from Shizuku and looking it over intently. Her eyes jumped back and forth from the two, clearly debating something over in her head, before finally letting out a long sigh, taking Shizuku by the arm and pulling her into the apartment. “It’s getting cold… come on.”
The familiar warmness was a welcomed feeling for Shizuku, finally getting some sensation back into her tired fingers. While she had conveniently left out the part about being late because of the convenience store stop, it seemed that, for now, she was being forgiven, and that was worth having to tell a little white lie. There was a soft click as the door firmly shut behind her, Kasumi being sure to lock it before skipping past the kitchen and into the living room, eager to snack on her new treat. “Kasumi wait until after dinner!” Shizuku called out, taking off her coat and hanging it up in the closet. Its once bright red color had faded over time, now sporting a much more dark and subtle shade of burgundy. Its frayed edges and worn look were only second to the tattered beige coat hanging next to it. She gently brushed her fingers over the neighboring coat, the rough feeling against her fingers a nostalgic reminder to her, recalling the nights spent wandering the snowy landscape of Tokyo during winter with her brilliant and precious diamond.
“Ehh? You’re late though! Surely you can let cute little Kasumin enjoy her dessert before dinner to make it up to her, right?” she whined, Shizuku hearing the sound of a tiny girl throwing herself onto the bed set out in the corner of the room.
They had been living in this small apartment for a little over two years. An exceptionally small one, mind you. Shizuku struggled to even call it modest, as even a modest place to live would afford them some extra walking space. There was a tiny kitchen with bare minimum appliances, one bedroom that also had to double as the living room, dining room, study room, and whatever else might be needed at a moment’s notice, alongside a single bathroom with a partially working toilet and cramped bathtub. It was claustrophobic at times, but none of that really mattered all that much to her. No, the only thing that truly mattered was that it was their apartment. A place that they could call their own and live in together.
Her mind began to drift, recalling that fated conversation with her parents some years ago. The night she told them that she was moving out to live with Kasumi. Now, a conversation like this was somewhat normal for a teenage girl leaving high school, and she hadn’t expected that part of the conversation to be argued much against. It was the second part that had caused some friction between her and her parents. When she had said that she’d be moving out with only her savings to find a place with Kasumi, her parents had been devastated, borderline inconsolable really.
It must have been so strange to them, thinking back to it all. They were a well off family with plenty of money to share with her. It would’ve been no problem to find her and Kasumi a nice place to live together. As much as she wished to accept her parent’s money and live with Kasumi in a lavish apartment or home with plenty of amenities and a scenic view, something in her desperately wanted that independence one could only get from forging a road of their own. That feeling of putting your all into some impossible task and achieving a mighty goal through hard work and dedication. It was something that she’d never get to experience by simply taking her parent’s money, and Kasumi seemed just as adamant about getting a place on their own as she had been. Just this one time, she wanted to be selfish and do things her own way, even if it potentially meant taking a big risk that could hurt her. In the end, while her parents never truly approved of her decision, they didn’t try to stop her either, offering her their help whenever she needed it if something ever came up.
Thus, the scene was set, and this tiny home was rented using all the meager savings they had earned doing part time work in high school. So far, it had proven to be a much more cozy experience than Shizuku initially realized it would be. Being in such close proximity at all times made certain things a bit awkward, what with the occasional no knock entering of a room or a distinct lack of privacy at all times no matter where in the apartment you currently were, but for the most part it was actually quite nice, and sometimes, she had to admit, even better than the spacious alternatives.
“Shizuko? Shizuuuuukooooo!” a voice called out to her, Shizuku feeling herself snap back to reality as the familiar sound reach her still numb ears, “Shizuko!! Are you going to keep me waiting forever in here? Your adorable and cute Kasumin can’t take it much longer!”
“Ah, be right there!” Doing her best to hurry things along, Shizuku tossed her loose items into the bowl near the front door, kicking off her shoes and gliding toward the living room, being sure to drop off the convenience store bag in the kitchen on the way there. Waiting on the bed was Kasumi, a remote in hand as she scrolled through movies on their television. They couldn’t exactly afford any streaming services, but some alternatives had led them to find entertainment via old films offered for free with ads. Not exactly what Kasumi wanted, but an absolute delight for Shuzuku who adored the classics.
As she hit the bed, she could suddenly feel her body grow heavy, a day filled with intense practice and trips across town taking the opportunity to hit her with everything at once the moment she let her guard down. Tiredness encroached on her quickly, a woozy Shizuku wobbling slightly before falling against a surprised Kasumi. “H-Hey! Shuzuko what’s wrong? Are you ok?!” she exclaimed, steadying Shizuku the best she could.
The blunder caused a shot of adrenaline to coarse through her body, the embarrassed girl doing her best to play it off as cooly as possible. “S-Sorry, I was just, ah, wanting to, erm, cuddle?”
“You know, your acting has improved a lot Shizuko…” sighed Kasumi, running a hand through her hair, “... but frankly, your lies are still terrible. Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong? It’s work, right? You’re wiped out! I can see it all over your face!” There was a creaking from the bed as Kasumi leaned into Shizuku, pulling her hair back to get a better look at the exhausted expression on the young actress’ face.
“No it’s just…” there was a color of melancholy in the girl’s voice, Shizuku finding it difficult to keep the front up much longer with this overwhelming presence looking her over. “Ah, fine, yes. It’s been a long day. I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong? You know you can talk to me about it, right?”
Shizuku turned away slightly, her eyes clearly doing their best to deliberately avoid Kasumi’s own gaze. “I know I know, it’s just, well, it’s not good news and I was already late getting home. I didn’t want to ruin the evening for you is all.” There was a huffing sound from next to her, a very irritated Kasumi suddenly flinging her arms around Shizuku and pulling her towards her, lifting her up and into her own lap. “W-What are you doing?” she frantically asked, a rush of hot redness beginning to fill her freezing cheeks.
“You’re being dumb again, Shizuko!! I don’t care about you being late or if you don’t have good news to share with me! If you have any problems, and I mean ANY problems, then you need to tell me about them. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’ll help you feel better using my incredible cuteness, got it?! Then you can praise me for all the good work I did cheering you up later!” she shouted, her arms tightening their embrace around Shizuku’s waist. “Just… don’t hide them from me… I hate that..” she whispered as she buried her face into Shizuku’s back.
The sudden genuine gesture threw Shizuku into a fluster, the tiredness being washed away completely and replaced with an intense beating in her chest. This girl could be so self-centered at times, and in fact, one could argue what she was saying right now was that exact thing, but she’d still have these moments of clear compassion for Shizuku and her feelings. A showing of love that always reminded her that, even when she was talking about herself, there was still another person on her mind.
“Apologies, Kasumi, it won’t happen again,” she shyly replied, doing her best to relax inside of her girlfriend’s tight hug. “Today I… I didn’t get the part for that upcoming play I was telling you about. They called me back in and told me that, while I did an amazing job, they were going with someone else for the role.”
She could feel the arms loosen their grip for a moment before redoubling their strength, pulling her even closer to the comforting warmth sitting behind her. “I’m sorry to hear that, they were crazy to skip over you like that! I’m sure I could convince them to change their mind with my unique charm and stunning cuteness! Maybe I’ll head over there tomorrow for you and change their minds myself.”
A giggle slipped out from between Shizuku’s lips. “It’s fine, really! I saw her audition actually and I completely understand why they went with her. She was incredible, to say the least, a much better fit for the role than I was. I suppose I’m just disappointed regardless about losing my chance at getting such an important role like that. Those kind of things are rare… It’s tough to know when I’ll get another chance like that.”
After high school, Shizuku invested everything she had into becoming an actress. She searched through social medias, combed through newsstands, and even turned to looking for scouting opportunities on the streets if she had to. There was no stone she left unturned on her endless quest to find a stepping stone to start her career path toward becoming the actress she wanted to be. The results, however, still left quite a lot to be desired for her. She was making progress, and finding new work was becoming much easier now that she was a recognized face in the industry, but when it came to taking hold of that golden opportunity to really propel herself forward she simply couldn’t find her golden ticket.
It was frustrating. Extremely frustrating. For every important role she managed to land, there was always a trail of seven or eight failures behind her, sometimes even more than that. There were times when she went weeks or months without work, relying entirely on Kasumi’s career as a baker to pay the bills that she couldn’t. She knew Kasumi didn’t mind, that girl supported her dreams almost more than she did, but it was still humiliating for her to rely so heavily on her so often. A cool trail of water fell down the side of her cheek, her mind unable to register where the sensation had come from until more and more streaks cascaded down her face, her vision blurring slightly from the sheer amount of tears escaping her eyes. “I-I’m crying?” she asked, desperately trying to wipe the tears away.
Feeling the drops fall onto her arms, Kasumi pulled Shizuku into the bed with her, the two spreading across the tiny mattress together. She quickly positioned herself on top of a shocked Shizuku, her face a mixture of concern and determination. “Stay right here! I’m going to make us some sweet bread and tea.”
Before she could leave the bed, however, Shizuku’s arms caught her, pulling her back towards her. “N-No! Please, just… stay with me for a second. Until I calm down a little,” she whispered, resting her head against Kasumi’s chest. Even if it was only for a second, she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone right now.
Kasumi blinked, seemingly shocked by the outburst from her girlfriend, but slowly wrapped her arms around Shizuku, resting her chin delicately against the top of her head. “A-Alright, but just for a bit, ok? I am getting kind of hungry since you wouldn’t let me eat that eclair, you know?.”
The remark caused a wide grin to stretch across Shizuku’s face, a fit of laughter following it. “I did keep you and dinner waiting, didn’t I? Hey, that reminds me, do you remember our first dinner here together?”
An audible groan escaped from Kasumi at the reminder. “How could I forget? The whole day was one miserable mess after the other. First, we couldn’t get into the apartment because the landlord gave us the wrong key. When we finally did get in, we realized we forgot to buy a hotplate to cook. One trip to the store later and we finally get home only to find that the hotplate we bought wouldn’t work at all. We gave up on that hotplate pretty quickly after that… Then we tried to microwave it-”
“-Only for the microwave to short and cause a blackout in the building!” Shizuku added, giggling lightly.
“Our landlord sure was furious about that one, but how were we supposed to know that plug was faulty? It was already plugged into it when we got here! Like, come on! If you don’t want it used then block the darn thing!” The irritation on her face gave way to a warm smile, Kasumi’s hand gently rubbing the brown haired beauty’s back. “We ended up having to eat in the candlelight because the power wouldn’t be back on until morning. Our first meal at a new place was in a pitch black room eating microwaved noodles we bought and cooked at the convenience store.”
There was a small shuffling from under Kasumi’s chin, Shizuku raising her head to look into those beautiful jewel pink eyes staring down at her. “It was also the night of our first kiss,” she shyly remarked. Her smile widened slightly, taking Kasumi’s hand in hers and squeezing tightly. “You grabbed my hand like this and pulled me in… It was unexpected given how terrible our evening was going.”
Kasumi’s own cheeks lit up, the memory suddenly reaching her after Shizuku’s vivid reminder. “W-Well you looked so disappointed about everything! I-I just thought maybe a kiss from someone cute and sweet like me would help a lot to cheer you up, you know?” As hard as she tried to hide it, the embarrassment was written all over her face, clear as day.
Another giggle could be heard from Shizuku, the girl putting a gentle hand against Kasumi’s cheek. “It really did help me. Everything you do for me helps a lot, Kasumi, and I greatly appreciate it every day I’m with you. I love you.”
She watched Kasumi’s confident demeanor falter slightly, the smug and self-assured expression she usually wore crumbling into an awestruck mess, her bottom lip trembling like a leaf being thrown about in a summer breeze. “I am pretty great h-huh?! One of the cutest girls in the entire world, even!” she laughed, clearing her throat with an exaggerated cough whilst collecting herself once more. “Though… you’re definitely on par with me I’ll admit. A-And you help me a lot, too, so it only makes sense I’d do what I can for you. And…”
“And?” Shizuku teased.
“And I love you too!!!” she blurted out, rolling out of the bed and leaping to her feet. “I’m going to get dinner started! When I get back here we’re going to cuddle and watch a movie together while we eat and then after that you’ll tell me how cute I am, ok?!” There was a slight pause, before she added, “Actually, you’ll tell me how cute I am during it too!”
Feeling slightly more put together, Shizuku sat up, propping her elbows against the pillow. “Of course. You better get back here soon, though, I’ve been eyeing Casablanca for a while now and think it might be time to finally watch it.”
“What?! No! We’re watching something cute that I can actually understand! What in the world even is a ‘kasablanket’ anyhow?” she yelled, walking back toward the kitchen.
Sitting up more properly, Shizuku quietly wiped away the remaining tears on her face, her breath finally steadying into a more manageable rythm. Already, she was starting to feel so much better after a brief cry with Kasumi. Her heart still stung, and life was ultimately still as difficult and harsh as it ever was, but something about being around this girl made her feel like everything would be alright if she just kept moving ahead with her head held high. Even if she were to stumble and fall, Kasumi would always be there to catch her with a bright smile. That was just the kind of girl she was. Underneath all that grandstanding and mischievous behavior was a girl who was unfathomably compassionate, hard-working, kind, and put her friends first in the only ways she knew how to. She wasn’t perfect, nobody was, but she tried her best and that was enough for Shizuku. As long as she had her, she felt like she could do anything. That’s what she loved so much about her.
Sweetness began to fill the apartment, immediately causing Shizuku to take a deep breath, exhaling with a delighted smile plastered across her face. So, she really was making sweet bread. Just for tonight, she decided, leaping to her feet as she made her way to the bathroom for a quick rinse of her face, dessert before dinner would be fine.
After all, it was the least she could do for such an adorably supportive cutie.