Work Text:
Kaede has a habit of losing herself in music.
She never means to, but when she’s learning a song, mastering the intricacies of the notes, the hours slip away. So when she sits down with a new etude, she knows what to expect.
What she doesn’t expect, though, is to be gently interrupted.
Kaede jumps as a hand settles against her shoulder, the touch featherlight.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” Shuichi offers an apologetic smile, and her mind fuzzes over.
Kaede beams. Shuichi! She loves Shuichi! She’s about to tell him as much when a realization strikes her. “Did you come to listen to me play?”
He blinks, clearly startled. “Well, I actually came to make sure you ate.”
At the mention of food, her stomach grumbles to life. When was the last time she ate? She remembers having breakfast, but if the late afternoon sun filtering through the windows is anything to go by, that was quite some time ago.
Still, it wouldn’t be so bad to wait a few more minutes, would it? Shuichi can hear the new piece she’s mastered!
“Kaede…” Shuichi tilts his head, his eyes alight with an analytical edge. It’s the same look he gets when he’s solving a crossword puzzle or reading a good book. “Can I get an age check?”
“Um…” Kaede trails off. She hadn’t really thought much about it, other than little and happy.
“It’s okay if you don’t know.” He tips his backpack off one shoulder, producing a small baggie. “How about a snack for my little musician?”
Kaede can’t help giggling. Shuichi tries so hard to be confident, especially as a caregiver, but he still lowers his voice like he’s saying something obscene. But he’s trying, and it makes her heart light up all the same.
And that’s not even mentioning that he got her favorite kind of animal crackers. “You’re the best, Shu!”
Right on cue, his face turns a delighted shade of pink. “Aww, I don’t know about the best…”
“It’s true!” Kaede slides over, making room for him on the bench. She offers an animal cracker as a bribe.
Knowing Shuichi, he’s already eaten. It’s his ritual after classes get out, though it’s usually just a small snack to tide him over until dinner. He takes the animal cracker anyway.
“Do you wanna listen to my song?”
“Of course! But why don’t we finish our snack first?”
Kaede suppresses a huff. Shuichi is always hung up on the boring stuff. Drinking water, eating right, going to bed on time. And granted, most of the time, she does forget if she’s regressed, but that doesn’t matter!
If she wanted to be a little stinker—and sometimes she really does—she’d scarf these animal crackers in one go, but that would only serve to make her nauseous. So she’ll compromise. With the most powerful trick in her arsenal.
“Promise?” She holds her pinkie up, brow furrowed, frown firm.
Shuichi’s pinkie hooks into hers. “Promise.”