Work Text:
Mafuyu had just moved into Kanade's house, looking to finally achieve her true dream: making people feel the same warmth that she feels in her heart when listening to the songs of her band's composer. In other words, she wanted to welcome anyone who was hurt, but this time it was different. Since Mafuyu started sharing the residence with the other girl, she seemed more distant, completely more focused on composing and barely took time to rest. This was typical of Kanade, but even so, she had started to take better care of herself in these two years, do some exercises or something. The songwriter tried to help, but Kanade wouldn't listen to her at all. Initially, Mafuyu blamed herself, until Ena told her to stop worrying so much and that the composer was just adapting.
At least that's what everyone thought before, or they wouldn't be in a private Nightcord group that only contained: Ena, Mafuyu and Mizuki, while Kanade produced excessively and alone.
— If Yuki couldn't solve it, I think it's going to have to be one of the two of us, Enanan. — Mizuki had a tired and worried voice, the head of the three had been constantly pounded during this entire week, looking for a solution to Kanade's problem.
— You're trying to push this on me, as always, aren't you? — Ena complained, her voice was a little far from the microphone, as she had been trying to work and illustrate some art for 25-ji, but it was difficult, she could work worrying about anyone, but not Kanade.
— A store full of cute things opened nearby... You know how it is. — Mizuki quickly stopped editing and started typing messages on Mafuyu's private, trying to disguise as much as possible the noise of her keyboard by saying something or humming over it.
Amia Today at 2:31 am
Just agree with me, they both need some time alone :3
And you know that Enanan is good at convincing K, she already made her exercise xd
— I think it's a good idea. — Mafuyu agreed, she trusted Mizuki's judgment, and it would probably be the best bet everyone would have, besides there wasn't much to do about it.
— You can only be plotting against me…
After a few additional minutes of slightly heated discussion between Ena and Mizuki with Mafuyu trying to calm down and Ena arguing with her as well, she just sighed, purposefully loud enough for her microphone to pick up. As soon as she heard this, Mizuki celebrated and threw the biggest party possible, which resulted in another scolding from Ena, but this was the sign that she had surrendered and decided to do what was agreed.
— Where do you plan to take her, Enanan? — Mizuki asked, she clearly had the intention of provoking her and making fun of her, which became even more obvious with the light laugh that escaped her mouth.
— You don't need to know. — Ena had clearly fallen for the provocation, and Mizuki continued for a few minutes just throwing tantrums and whining, at least until Ena looked at the time and saw that it was very late, it was 4:35 AM. If she really wanted to take Kanade where she wanted, she would need to wake up early and get things straightened out, — I'll be hanging up early today, after all, I was pushed with more things to do.
Ena didn't even say goodbye, she was having a tantrum with the rest of the group and slightly irritated with Mizuki, just like she always was. Only this time, there was no Kanade to calm things down or say that she was even worse. Mizuki and Mafuyu stayed on the call for a while, just talking a little and working on their projects before saying goodbye, along with Mizuki's thanks to Mafuyu for helping her convince Ena.
The next day, or the same day, Ena woke up really tired, as she hadn't rested at all. In addition to not having the habit of waking up early, she had gone to sleep at the time she said goodbye and woke up at 9:46 AM, however, she had something more important to take care of besides her sleep, and her hatred of mornings. This made her rush out of bed, take a shower and quickly get ready with what she always wore and go to the market, choosing the best ingredients, after all, it was one of her biggest specialties. She couldn't deny that she was scared of cooking for Kanade, as she had never seen her eat anything other than instant or canned food and it would become a challenge because of that.
Ena knew of Kanade's love for instant noodles, and because of that she decided to buy noodles and make a salad, just as she couldn't resist buying a beautiful cheesecake that she saw from afar in the market's bakery. After that, she had no idea what to buy with the hope that Kanade would like it, and decided to opt for the classic, took some buns and made some natural snacks, since they were the closest thing to instant food that she could think of. She arrived home and the first thing she did was argue with Akito, her brother, so that he wouldn't touch anything she had bought, this caught the attention of their mother, who seemed interested in why they were arguing.
As soon as Akito gave up the argument and left, Ena explained the situation to her mother, who sympathized with her and decided to help make the dishes. With help, everything was ready quickly, and Ena thanked her mother, packing everything in a basket and also placing a blue and white checkered tablecloth, napkins and her drawing book inside it. There was some effort to fit everything in, but there were no more problems, everything was properly packed, and then she walked to Kanade's house. When she got there, she was greeted by Mafuyu who seemed to be trying to cook something and without talking much, she let the other girl enter. As soon as she opened Kanade's room, she saw her slightly confused, as she was waiting for Mafuyu, not Ena.
- Ena? Why are you here…? — It was possible to see Kanade's tired eyes and her deep circles under her eyes, which together with her hoarse voice, indicated that she hadn't slept at all.
— I'm taking you to touch grass. And you can't refuse. — Ena tried to remain as gentle as she could, despite all the worry about the composer added to the fact that she woke up early and stressed her out. For the artist, the world could end, but she would never be harsh with the other woman.
— But it's sunny... and already hot inside... it must be worse outside... — Kanade tried to escape, but at that moment she knew that the only person capable of saving her at that moment would be Mafuyu, and that was with luck. Ena would probably have to argue with the songwriter enough to forget why she came.
— Are you going to wear this or are you going to change your clothes? And will you take a shower before you go? — Kanade surrendered after hearing this, and reluctantly got up, she didn't want to displease Ena, especially considering the time she should have spent getting home, and planning whatever she had in mind.
— I'm going to take a shower, and change my clothes… — Kanade took advantage of the fact that the illustrator was far enough away to not smell her or anything like that, she was completely focused on her songs and only took breaks to eat. In other words, she hadn't changed her clothes or showered in three days, or even more, as she could have lost count.
— I will wait for you here. — Ena took the opportunity to spy on what Kanade was doing, she was going through her wardrobe and rummaging through everything, probably looking for her sweatshirt or something like that, until she assumed that Mafuyu or Honami must have put it in the wash, which made her let out a sigh. long and long sigh, and decided to pick up a white dress that was there, apparently forgotten among her clothes, as it had some small black stains on it.
The composer nodded and left the room, heading to the bathroom, and Ena couldn't help but notice that Kanade's room was spotless, as before it was a complete mess of sheet music and other things scattered everywhere, dirt and dust. excessive, since the other girl never even passed a broom. This was certainly Honami's work with Mafuyu's help, the composer would probably never have an organized room if it weren't for this.
Kanade took a little longer than expected, but Ena didn't care, she had taken the sketchbook out of her backpack and was doodling what was on her mind sitting on the bed. As soon as she heard the sound of the doorknob opening, it was possible to see Kanade, and she looked beautiful, the white dress matched her hair and highlighted even more her blue eyes that appeared to be small orbs representing a beautiful and enviable ocean, the spots on the dress seemed more artistic than accidental due to the beautiful contrast that the black made on the white, not to mention the completely exposed shoulders, Ena could have this vision for hours, and she would be shocked as if it were the first time. Kanade's delay in the shower was almost the same as the illustrator's delay in processing how beautiful the other woman looked while she was dressed up, she was beautiful in her sweatshirts and jackets, but she was unbeatable when she wore something cuter. The illustrator couldn't help but notice that this was a dress that they had already used in one of their dances, however, that time, she hadn't taken the time to appreciate the other girl.
— I'm almost ready, Ena. I just have to dry my hair. — Kanade seemed to be feeling strange about the dress, constantly looking at herself and paying attention to any decently reflective surface, but she seemed to swallow it and go straight to her closet, looking for and finding her dryer, and as soon as she plugged it in You can see the illustrator approaching.
— Let me dry it for you. — Ena took the dryer from Kanade's hands and sat her on the chair, arranging the other girl's hair so she could dry.
Mafuyu came to check if everything was okay between the two, but as soon as she saw Kanade dressed up and Ena drying her hair, she was sure that she was, and that Mizuki was right in leaving the two alone. Therefore, the songwriter just asked if they needed anything, and Ena asked her to remove the cloth from the basket and put it in the refrigerator since that would take a while. The illustrator kept asking herself how Kanade managed to live with such huge hair and not even tie it up, and she could also wonder how she managed to take care of that much hair when she could barely take care of herself.
It took a long time, but now, it was expected, for Ena to finish Kanade's hair, she was only used to drying her own hair, which only went up to her neck, which in other words was easier to dry compared to the other girl's hair, which reached her calf. The composer seemed happy to have Ena's attention, at the same time that she seemed to be unhappy about having it and needing it.
— Where will we go, Ena? — Kanade turned her chair so she could look at Ena, who was keeping the hairdryer in the closet, and who, upon hearing the question, seemed to hesitate for a moment, not knowing whether to tell her or be surprised, and seemed to question herself until she put the object away and got up.
— It's a secret, you'll find out right away, Kanade. — At this point, it was already obvious what they were going to do, a basket, white and blue checkered tablecloth, but if the other girl hadn't figured it out yet, she decided to leave it to her to connect the dots or figure it out right away.
As soon as the two left the room, Mafuyu seemed to notice the movement and took Ena's basket from the refrigerator, handing it to the door, along with the towel, Ena opened the basket and put away her sketchbook, being greeted by a confused look from her. songwriter, and had to explain that she wasn't a complete odd person who would throw a notebook on top of the food, but that everything was packed inside covered containers. And so, as Mafuyu said goodbye to both of them and Ena thanked her and opened the door, Kanade went into complete despair, as she had just remembered that it was sunny and hot. The illustrator laughed when she noticed this, and knew that she wouldn't have a conversation that would make the girl subject herself to that.
The composer could feel Ena's hands around her arm, gently pulling her out, before asking Kanade to close the door, and she had no reason not to. She could try to escape the sun, and consequently Ena's touch, which would be useless, Kanade knew that she was extremely weak and physically fragile, and because of that she would end up hurting herself or the other girl without meaning to if she tried, and she didn't want to give a headache for the artist, in addition she was enjoying the closer contact. They walked like this until they arrived at a park, which at its entrance had a vending machine, which made the illustrator remember that she hadn't prepared any drinks.
— Choose one, Kanade, I'll buy it for you. — The composer seemed to think a little, probably wanting to avoid problems for the other girl, but she knew that whatever her answer was wouldn't change anything, Ena would make her choose anyway.
— Only a energy drink… — Kanade was slightly embarrassed, she wasn't used to receiving this kind of attention and she felt wrong for wanting more.
The illustrator bought the energy drink that the composer wanted and a juice for herself, entering the park, waiting for the composer to follow her, and Kanade followed quickly, since before she had no reason to fight, she had even less reason to stay in the hot sun that was practically cooking her. As soon as they entered the park, the composer could finally breathe, the small lake that was in the middle of it relieved the temperature a little, not to mention the shadows of the trees that hid Kanade from what she hated most, the sun.
— We can stop right here. — Ena stopped in what she considered to be a good place that wouldn't burn the composer alive, several trees surrounded them, completely hiding the sun's brightness. Kanade looked on curiously, seeing the illustrator spread out a checkered floor towel, and quickly associated it with memories from her childhood, and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered her mother.
— Are we on a picnic, Ena? — The composer asked a rhetorical question without removing the honest smile from her face, which seemed comfortable to the illustrator, who looked at her and smiled back, — My mother used to take me on picnics.
Kanade's expression ended up quickly changing to one of sadness, before sitting down and Ena just watched, thinking of a response to that, she had no idea how to proceed, or if she should apologize and move on to another activity and the composer seemed to realize that.
— You don't need to apologize, Ena. I like picnics. — Kanade smiled, shaking her head, trying to suppress any negative thoughts and sadness from her head, she was happy that the other woman cared about her at this point.
The artist smiled in relief, removing the tension from her shoulders instantly, and even though they had been stiff for a short time, it had been enough for her to feel pain. She cared terribly about the other woman and didn't want to have made a choice that could be so terrible and unpleasant for her.
— I tried to make it as close to instant food as possible for you, since you like it so much, but I don't think I did that well. — Ena tried to start a conversation so that the composer wouldn't be alone with her thoughts, opening the basket and taking out the natural snacks she had put together, along with the drinks, — I also made sure of not making any food with a lot of smell or unpleasant smell, I know that you don’t like them.
— You didn't need to worry so much, Ena. I haven't even been eating that much instant or canned food... Mafuyu has been scolding me whenever I try... — The illustrator held back a small smile as she imagined the scene, and Kanade's expression really looked like someone who was describing a tragedy or something like that.
But at the same time, Ena couldn't help but be grateful for that, everyone in the group was worried about Kanade's health, as she didn't leave the house, only ate extremely processed food and barely slept properly, just producing music all the time and neglected her own care, in addition to always putting others above himself. They were bad habits and the composer never worked on them, and therefore, Ena was happy knowing that she had someone taking care of the other girl, even though she didn't seem happy about it at all.
The artist handed the sandwiches to the other woman, who seemed happy, until her stomach growled, which made Kanade feel slightly embarrassed. She had been eating what Mafuyu or Honami made, however, turning night into day made her hungry faster, in an attempt to regain her energy.
— Haven't you been eating, Kanade? — Ena asked, worried, even softening her voice and lowering her tone, along with a light touch on the other girl's hair with her clean hand, she let this show as much as possible, she didn't want to seem like she was scolding her.
— Yes… but I haven't slept, I feel hungry faster. — Kanade tried to explain herself, afraid that the illustrator wouldn't believe her, but as soon as she answered and saw Ena's expression change from concern to a smile, the composer sighed and leaned her head towards the other girl's touches, she was happy with the affection she received.
— If you slept you wouldn't feel hungry, Kanade. — The illustrator tried to give a scolding in a loving way, since the other woman already knew that, she was always getting scolded whether from Mizuki, Mafuyu or Ena herself, it was nothing new to hear something like that.
The composer just smiled awkwardly, she had no arguments against it and knew it wasn't a healthy habit. A silence ensued soon after, however, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, at least for Ena who was used to the fact that Kanade was quieter and I liked being with her like that, in complete silence, without any words needing to be said. They began to eat, maintaining the same atmosphere as before, now with Ena drinking her juice and Kanade drinking her energy drink while eating natural snacks.
— They're delicious, Ena. — The composer decided to bring up the topic, unlike Ena, she had no idea if the illustrator felt comfortable remaining silent, in a way, it was plausible to say that situations like that made her uncomfortable, since she never knew if the other person was good or not with this, — Did you bring me here for some reason?
— Ever since Mafuyu moved in with you, you've been acting strange and working excessively, Kanade. — The illustrator was known for not prolonging situations too long, she was usually considered rude for that, but she just couldn't stand the idea of being involved in unproductive matters with something else so important on the table.
— I need to compose a song that will save her... — Kanade tried to justify herself, and when she saw Ena's brown eyes fixed on her, she ended up getting confused, she felt like she was being judged for that, even though the other woman hadn't opened her mouth yet , the pressure and tension of the atmosphere, purely generated by the composer's mind, made her speak more, — Before I couldn't do anything to help because of her mother... I felt like my hands were tied, but now it's possible.
— Kanade... — Ena took a deep breath, trying to calm down and think of the most rational words possible, she was extremely kind to the other woman, even because she was practically an angel in this world, Kanade did not deserve an ounce of pain or suffering in the illustrator's view, — You always put others above yourself, that's not good at all. It's okay that you want to save her, but that's completely different, you're neglecting yourself, Kanade. You live helping others, but who takes care of you?
Kanade just listened quietly to the scolding, she knew the other woman was right, but she couldn't help it, it was almost like a habit. She practically lived for others, helped as much as possible, and when others tried to return the favor, she simply refused and said everything was fine and asked them not to worry about it.
— Just think about it, okay? Try not to lower yourself so much, take care of yourself a little more, I'm worried about you. And it's not just me, I can guarantee that the rest are too. — Ena wiped her hands on a napkin, starting to gently pat the top of Kanade's head, who just smiled back. The composer hated giving work to others, and she hated being taken care of and treated like this, but this time, it was different, everything with Ena was different.
— I'll think about it, I'm sorry about that. — Kanade closed her eyes with each pat from the illustrator, and tried to contain the genuine smile she wanted to give, after all, it was great to have that kind of closeness, no matter how bad Kanade felt about wanting it.
— You don't need to apologize for that. We are not just co-workers, we have a relationship. — Ena tried to contain her embarrassment, the other girl seemed really sorry, and touching her head didn't help at all, but this time, it was necessary, she wanted to make sure Kanade understood what she was saying, — You were the first to recognize myself, taught me to value myself and encourage me, the least I can do for you is this. Now let's get out of this mood! I know you love instant noodles, so I made pasta salad for you.
— Thank you, Ena. You didn't need to. — Kanade thanked her as she received a small pot of noodles along with cutlery, which looked delicious, the composer hadn't even noticed, but she had let go of holding her smile and it remained on her face constantly.
Although Kanade didn't notice her simple smile, the other girl had noticed, and her heart was beating so hard, the composer looked strangely beautiful in clothes that she didn't usually wear in conjunction with a smile. The two gave each other time to eat, and Kanade thanked Ena for her effort and for the food, and approached the other woman, now sitting next to her, with her head on her shoulders. None of them said anything, they just watched the small lake in the middle of the park and the waves crashing, which combined with the sound of the rustling trees, creating a pleasantly calm environment. The illustrator could notice Kanade starting to blink her eyes slowly and more frequently, indicating possible drowsiness, this gave strong indications that her energy drink had taken effect in the opposite way.
Ena's heart almost jumped out of her mouth when she saw Kanade like that, so fragile and cute, falling asleep laying on her shoulder, but for the same reason she almost had a freak out, it was the reason it was avoided, she didn't want to get in the way of Kanade's sleep, who was sleepless and tired. It wasn't long until small sighs could be heard by Ena, indicating that the other woman had fallen asleep, the illustrator carefully placed her lying down on the towel, with her head in her lap, as it was the closest thing to a pillow for a while. close. Ena could cite a list of renowned and famous arts that would not even come close to the beauty that the composer exuded just when sleeping.
Ena just enjoyed it a little, before deciding to immortalize this moment, she took her sketchbook that was nearby and started to sketch something, the first, second and third attempts were discarded by herself, as she was considering them ugly, Without emotions or even because of crooked lines, she wanted to at least express a little of her fascination with this moment. But the fourth attempt was unexpected, the drawing was looking good and the illustrator had a very good idea to represent it, she took her time to finish, paying attention to every little detail of the setting and Kanade.
Hours and hours passed while Ena focused on drawing, every now and then, taking time to observe the composer sleeping on her lap, always being careful not to wake her. When the moon set in the sky, Kanade began to move from side to side, showing signs that she was about to wake up.
- Ena…? How long did I sleep? — The composer asked, the drowsiness was still palpable in her voice, after all, she had woken up not minutes ago. Ena just smiled and started stroking the other woman's head, without answering the question.
— I drew you, want to see? — The illustrator just ignored the question, she knew that Kanade had no idea when they left or what time now, and so she preferred not to talk about it, Ena knew that if the composer found out that she slept too many hours, she would spend the night double awake and composing to compensate.
- Can I see it? — Kanade was very interested in seeing the drawing, she just loved looking at Ena's arts and admiring them.
The composer adjusted herself, standing up and sitting down, Ena just revealed the drawing at once without much ceremony. The drawing was the same park they were in, Kanade was on the edge of the lake looking back, showing that there was someone there besides her, the trees and flowers only beautified the landscape, letting the composer prevail amidst the details.
— It's very beautiful, Ena. — The composer never needed to lie or hide what she really felt about the other girl's drawings, she thought they were all perfect, even though most people said that the illustrations were not lacking in emotion and feelings.
— Thank you, Kanade. — The illustrator got up and started putting things away, and the composer also helped, picking up the scattered pots and handing them to her, Ena picked them up and put them one by one in the basket, — Shall we go?
The composer nodded, and the two went to the park's trash, throwing the drink cans there, before walking to her house. As soon as they arrived at the door of Kanade's house, and she was getting ready to enter, Ena asked her to wait a little, placing the basket on the floor, taking out her sketchbook and taking a photo of the composer's drawing, after which, He took the sheet out of the notebook and handed it to Kanade, who smiled. The composer just opened her arms, expecting a hug from the other girl, and soon received it, along with a slight lift from the ground that Ena gave her while she laughed.
— Thank you for today, Ena… — Kanade was deeply grateful, and didn't want to let go of the other woman, she was comfortable to hold and hug, but as soon as she was placed on the floor, she assumed it was time to separate.
— You don't need to thank me, Kanade. — Ena lightly stroked the composer's hair, removing her bangs from her forehead, before kissing the area, — See you at Nightcord today.
The kiss made Kanade's gears stop turning, stopping her completely. She could only wave goodbye, without understanding what had happened, gently caressing the place where she had been kissed as she watched Ena leave. Ena arrived at her house a while later, taking a shower, having dinner, and after that, she went to her room, looking at the photo she had taken of the previous drawing and taking out a canvas, which she planned to make and give to Kanade. She was painting for a long time, until her alarm rang softly, indicating that it was already one in the morning. As soon as she heard it, she entered Nightcord and could see that the rest were already there, she got ready and packed her things, and when she entered the first thing she heard, was Mizuki being annoying.
— What did Enanan do to make you come back so happy, K? — Ena had no context whatsoever for what they were saying earlier, but coming from Mizuki's mouth, it was probably more provocation or she was trying to extract something that didn't concern her.
— Don't you have the courage to bother someone who fights back, Amia? — Mizuki changed her focus from trying to get some information from Kanade, to just disturbing Ena's peace, who for the first time appeared to be calm and not wanting any trouble.
The call continued normally after that, Mizuki pestering Ena, who retaliated and cursed her while drawing, Mafuyu just observing, and Kanade trying to compose with all this noise. As soon as the sun rose, everyone said goodbye and went to sleep, and Ena had finished her drawing.
Enanan Today at 6:01 am
Still awake, K?
K Today at 6:01 am
Yes, do you need anything?
Enanan Today at 6:03 am
[Photo attached]
Tomorrow I'll come to your house and deliver it to you, is that ok? Now go to sleep, or I will visit your house again.
The photo consisted of the exact same drawing that Kanade had received, but this time, it was a painting on a board, and it made her smile, seeing that the illustrator cared that much about her. She loved the kind of attention she was getting and was happy with it, despite feeling guilty for taking up Ena's time, but for once, she decided to heed the other woman's advice, and stop dwelling on it.
K Today at 6:03 am
You really didn't need to, but thank you.
I'm going to sleep now, good night!
Enanan Today at 6:03 am
Good night, K!