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Souma is always fond of the quiet atmosphere of the kitchen. The room, alone, in the morning, seems to capture a feeling of ultimate peace; The sunlight falls through the window onto the leaves of the plants arranged on the sill, and if he only focuses on that, he could almost believe himself out in the countryside. He's not certain of the nature of the plants, since he wasn't the one who put them there (Kaoru keeps bringing various plants and succulents home without prior notice), but they liven up the space nonetheless.
He always feels refreshed and restored at these hours, and it aids in his efforts to prepare breakfast. He feels serene and in control, a feeling that rarely happens with the new electric stove in their apartment. After a minute or so of the pan heating up, he starts to hear the sizzle of oil in the pan, which means it’s ready for the batter.
He hears soft, padding footsteps as he pours the pancake batter into the pan, Kaoru’s slippers soft on the smooth tile. His girlfriend waits until Souma puts down the glass dish, but then quickly slides her arms around Souma’s waist before he can turn around, dusting his neck and shoulder with kisses.
“You’re so pretty in the mornings, Souma-kyun,” Kaoru mumbles into the curve of his neck. Souma almost gets chills as Kaoru shifts back on her heels and runs her palms up the curve of Souma’s back. Souma knows his skin is smooth, but it’s still odd to notice how rough Kaoru’s hands feel against it. Her fingers trace circles around Souma’s shoulder blades like a figure skater, and her kisses move down along Souma’s spine, before he shifts where he’s standing and Kaoru’s lips graze the edge of his shoulder where it meets his neck. “Didja leave off your shirt just for me?” Kaoru continues, her voice still thick with sleep. She tugs at the apron strings tied around the back of Souma’s neck. “You can’t be pretty and sexy at the same time,” she pouts. “‘S not fair.”
Souma lays the spatula carefully on a paper towel and brings his hand up, threading his fingers through Kaoru’s hair, tangled still with bedhead. “If you’ll remember, idiot,” Souma begins, more fondness laced in those words than he ever would have thought a few years ago, “you got extra clingy last night, and pulled my shirt off yourself.”
“Mmm, yeah, I did do that, didn’t I?” Kaoru hums, passing her mouth over a spot on Souma’s collarbone where she’d left a hickey the previous night.
Souma nearly bites his tongue. “Go lay back down,” he scolds. “You’re going to distract me from my cooking.”
“Best girlfriend in the whole world,” Kaoru proclaims, planting a messy kiss on the side of Souma’s jaw before shambling off to the bedroom again.
Souma huffs a laugh quietly and returns his focus to the stovetop. He’s trying to improve his cooking skills, which means trying new dishes: this time, he’s attempting to make souffle pancakes. It helps to motivate him when he remembers how much Kaoru loves pancakes. He only gets distracted once, by the way the sunlight filters through the leaves of the plants on their windowsill, but the pancakes look reasonably cooked and actually smell quite nice.
He plates the food, turns off the stove, and pads into the bedroom, his socks whispering over the floor quietly. Kaoru, miraculously, has managed to fall back asleep in the few minutes since she bothered Souma in the kitchen, so Souma gently shakes her shoulder.
“Mmn…” Kaoru hums sleepily. “Something smells good.”
Souma shakes her a bit more insistently. “I made you breakfast,” he says. “Get up.”
Kaoru catches his hand and drags it in front of her, leaving soft kisses all over Souma’s arm and fingers. “What’s the special occasion?” she murmurs.
Souma shakes his head fondly. “Well, if you won’t get up,” he says with a smile. Then he throws back the covers and scoops Kaoru up, one arm under her knees and one under her back. She squeals with surprise and delight as Souma carries her to the kitchen and deposits her in a chair at their dining table.
“Ooh,” Kaoru gasps, face lighting up with wonder. “Pancakes?”
Souma tips her face up by the chin and kisses Kaoru gently. “Happy anniversary,” he whispers.
Kaoru digs into the pancakes with glee, sighing in delight. “So good,” she mumbles, mouth full.
Souma sits down across from her and watches as he eats his own pancakes.
He smiles and thinks of the small box waiting in his bedside drawer. He really does love Kaoru.