Work Text:
A little inch to the left was all it would take to send the bowls in the cabinet clattering down, down, down. Just a slight tremor of Honoka’s hand would shatter the ceramic dishes, waking the whole household in the dead of the night. The platters sit there innocently, unaware of the danger they’re in, and when Honoka finds what she’s looking for and pulls it off the shelf, she lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
Said item is a small plastic bowl, about the size of a softball. The red pattern streaking along the rim gleams against the moonlight. With the first ingredient acquired, Honoka moves onto the next one, which is a nondescript brown bag in the pantry.
Getting this proves to be a challenge, too, because the smallest bit of noise as she reaches into the pantry makes her bite her cheek and stop for a few seconds. Stealth , she thinks as she feels around for the bag. But being agile has never been Honoka’s strong suit, and when she feels a hand suddenly grasp her shoulder, she lets out a mouse-like squeak.
“Honoka? Wha’s wrong?” Hori says in a drowsy drawl, and Honoka relaxes: It’s only Hori. Still, she feels bad to have woken her up. Honoka turns around to face Hori, and though she can’t see her in the dark, she feels put at ease by her presence.
“I was trying to make popcorn,” She replies, holding up the brown bag. The kernels tumble around inside as she fidgets with it. “I couldn’t sleep, so, I…”
For a few seconds, Hori is quiet, and Honoka cringes in fear that she’s mad. Not being able to see her face worries me, she muses, wondering what Hori must be thinking. But when Honoka eventually taps her arm, Hori jolts back to life. “Ah!”
The two are silent in bemusement, but after a moment they burst out laughing.
“Did you… Fall asleep…? Standing up-?”
“I was just drifting off and I…!”
“I can’t believe you… actually-!”
Their words are interrupted with giggles, but eventually the merriment subsides.
“You didn’t have to be quiet. And you know, you could’ve just turned the light on.”
Honoka frowns. “But I didn’t want to wake you up…”
She trails off when Hori grabs her hands. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal. Honestly, I’m happy to spend the night with you like this if you can’t sleep.” Honoka hears the smile in Hori’s voice, and it fills her with comfort, like there’s no better place she could be right now.
The popcorn bag, still lying aloft in Honoka's hands, is lifted up again. “If you really want to, then can we make this and watch a movie together?”
“Of course we can,” Hori says, taking the bag from Honoka. “No need to ask.”