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Mika yawned and stretched as she swung her legs out of bed, rubbing her eyes as her bare feet touched the fluffy rug beneath her feet. While she’d never have thought to buy something like that for herself, it was another one of Shu’s gifts, to spruce up her apartment in the time they lived together. It was soft and pink, adding a ‘classy touch’ to the otherwise somewhat disastrous apartment. Mika tried to keep things clean, she really did, but things often piled up while she was busy with idol work and rooming with Ritsu part-time, so there were a good number of areas where it was just a bunch of knick knacks that she meant to fix up one day and hadn’t yet gotten around to.
“Oshi-san today! Oshi-san todayyy~!” Mika hummed to herself, rubbing her eyes as she got up, glancing at herself in the mirror, her hair looking far more tousled than was reasonable for having just been asleep. It looked a bit like she’d been dragged through a bush… Shu used to brush her hair every day when the older girl was staying at Mika’s apartment, and it was something she missed dearly. Maybe tomorrow! Shu was meant to sleep over tonight, after all… Today’s plan was ice-skating during the afternoon, and then a nice dinner Shu had booked for them! It’d been too long since they had been able to go out together, so Mika suggested some holiday dates while Shu was back in Japan.
“Mmh… Gonna find, uh…” Rooting through her dresser, Mika muttered under her breath, digging out warm clothes that would be able to protect her from the cold of the ice rink. She grabbed a tank top and a sweater to layer overtop, knowing she’d grab a coat on her way out the door. Tugging on leggings, then some pants overtop, she often had to pad her clothing out a little to cushion her falls when she went skating.
Pulling on socks, Mika glanced at the clock, figuring she could stop for a light snack-like breakfast on the way to the rink, since she planned to get there a little ahead of Shu. After all, she insisted she pay! The raven-haired girl picked out some cute boots, something that would suit the restaurant they’d go to later, ones Shu had bought her a few weeks ago. She didn’t usually put on nice clothes, but it was the first date they’d been on in far too long, so she wanted to make sure Shu knew how much she enjoyed it!
After heading out the door, wallet and keys in her coat pocket, Mika strolled through town and made her way to a cafe that the Pretty 5 had frequently visited. She picked up some croissants for her and Shu to eat before skating together, and a muffin that she could eat on the way to the rink, happily nibbling away. As she came to the rink, she checked her phone, seeing that she had about two minutes before Shu should be arriving. She fished some money out of her pocket, informing the lady at the desk of the skate sizes she’d need and paying for it, then taking them into her hands and waiting.
“Oshi-san!!” Mika squealed suddenly, seeing her girlfriend approach the building with that same refined aura she always had. Her pink hair was lightly curled and to her shoulders, as she’d begun growing it out in recent years, in hopes of becoming more comfortable with herself. Her coat was tightly buttoned in the front, framing her body beautifully and making her look like a walking work of art. Mika could only stare in awe as she did every time she saw Shu, prompting a flustered look from the French woman as she drew nearer, waving dismissively at Mika.
“Stop staring, Kagehira.” She snapped, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “It’s rude, haven’t I told you that?”
“Nghhh… Sorry, Oshi-san. It’s just, ya look real pretty!” Mika replied, nodding eagerly and offering Shu her skates before guiding her to the bench she’d designated them to get ready on. “I got us croissants, ‘cause I didn’t know if you’d eat before ya came, izzat okay?”
“Yes, thank you, Kagehira.” Shu nodded, exhaling as she sat and gratefully taking the bag of croissants, removing one and eating it delicately. Mika finished her muffin and checked her phone again before tucking it away, staring at Shu as she ate. Her gaze was intense, but Shu was used to it, even if she tried to discourage Mika’s habit of staring for public appearance reasons.
Before long, the two had finished their small snack, and Shu did her skates up with beautiful lacing. Mika watched in awe, glancing at her own plainly knotted laces, frowning a little. Shu noticed this, rolling her eyes and patting her lap. “Put your foot up on the bench and I’ll do a little bow for you, Kagehira.” She said simply, and Mika happily obliged, swinging one of her feet up to rest right beside Shu, watching with an amazed look in her eyes as the pink-haired woman did a pretty bow. They repeated that process for the other skate, and Mika grinned widely, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Thank ya sooo much, Oshi-san!” Mika exclaimed, getting onto her feet with ease, taking a few steps before offering her hand to Shu. Shu’s lip curled slightly at the thought of taking help right off the bat, though, and she insisted on standing on her own first. She was able to take a few steps towards the ice while wobbling, but quickly, she found herself falling against Mika. The shorter girl giggled and held Shu up, guiding her towards the ice.
“D’you wanna get one of those, uh, pushy things?” Mika asked, miming using a walker, and Shu gasped sharply. “Non! Absolutely not!” She insisted, her chest puffing as she took offense to the very suggestion of needing that sort of assistance. She walked with Mika onto the ice, her legs shaky as she insisted that she could do it herself. “Allow me to try this myself, Kagehira. It’s been some time since I last skated, but I believe I can do it just fine. Ry– Kiryu never found it necessary to support me when we went as children, so I trust that it should be no more necessary now.”
Mika grimaced a little, brows knitting together as Shu stepped away, immediately slipping and falling. A loud string of complaints came from the older woman, and Mika just watched, unsure if she was meant to intervene now, or if she was still supposed to leave Shu alone. “Nnh, Oshi-san? D’you want help?” She asked, skating a little closer and crouching with ease. Despite Mika being naturally somewhat clumsy, she seemed to excel at ice skating, curiously.
“Non! I am fine.” Shu replied stubbornly, pushing herself up and skating forward hesitantly. She was able to take a couple of small strides before slipping again– This time, thankfully, she managed to catch herself and put her hands on her knees to steady herself. Mika clapped quietly, smiling widely and skating closer to Shu, going backwards to watch the other as she began skating again. “That coat looks real nice, Oshi-san, aren’tcha afraid it’ll get scuffed when ya fall?”
“I don’t plan to continue falling.” Was the response Mika got, and Shu glared at her, visibly flustered. Mika just giggled under her breath, offering her hand. “How’s about we skate t’gether then? I wanna show ya how good I am! It can be like a dance!” She exclaimed, her smile still widely plastered onto her face as Shu hesitantly accepted her hand. “Don’t go too fast. I’m still learning, Kagehira.”
Mika started slow as requested, gliding across the ice backwards as she held both of Shu’s hands protectively, watching the pink-haired woman with a loving gaze while the other just focused on not falling again. They were eventually able to smoothly maneuver along the ice, with Shu only holding one of Mika’s hands and no longer complaining with each graceful move. The two improvised some small choreography together, Mika giggling as she had to guide Shu into the motions, her cheeks a dusty pink with affection for her girlfriend.
After a while, the two of them managed to make their way off the ice, feeling the cold begin to seep through even the warm layers of clothes they’d put on. Mika helped Shu over to the bench, where Shu removed her own skates before undoing the lovely bow that she had tied with the shorter woman’s laces. “Nhh… ‘kay, what now, Oshi-san?” She asked, and Shu slipped on her boots with grace while gesturing for Mika to do the same.
“I suggest we spend the afternoon milling about the city, to wait until the time for our dinner reservation is at hand.” Shu replied, humming and glancing at her pocketwatch. “I believe Mademoiselle also wished to spend some time with you, as well. Would you mind? I left her doll at your apartment on my way here, as I didn’t want to risk leaving her in the car.”
“Mado-nee! ‘Course I wanna see Mado-nee!” Mika exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet as they walked back to Shu’s car. They got in and drove back to Mika’s house, where Shu revealed Mademoiselle’s doll within her glass case. Mika wondered how quickly after she left Shu must have gotten there to have set Mademoiselle’s case up…
The three of them chatted, with the Mademoiselle doll in Shu’s lap as the two headmates alternated turns speaking to Mika, much to the raven-haired woman’s great pleasure. She hadn’t gotten to speak with Mademoiselle much lately, because she hadn’t been seeing Shu in the first place, so it made her extremely happy to be able to chat with the other girl as well.
“Shu-chan is excited to have dinner tonight, but don’t tell her I told you!” Mademoiselle chirped– the voice would sound unnatural if anyone else were hearing it, but because Mika knew her well, she liked that she had a different tone than Shu. Though they both had beautiful, refined voices, Mika found that Shu’s was much stricter and a little deeper. She grinned at Mademoiselle, hands clasped excitedly in her lap.
“I’m real excited too! I’ve been missin’ Oshi-san fer ages now, I was startin’ ta wonder if I should’ve gone ta visit her in France…” Mika admitted, rubbing her knuckles thoughtlessly. Mademoiselle giggled, shaking her head and shifting the doll to wave its hand a little. “Shu-chan had been itching to visit you for some time, Mika-chan! It’s difficult to escape classes, unfortunately…” If Mika didn’t know better, she’d swear she had seen the doll’s face fall a little as she described the difficulties of school. The two continued to chat for a while before Mademoiselle bid Mika goodbye for the time being, allowing Shu to speak with her girlfriend once more.
“Kagehira. Are you finished speaking with Mademoiselle?” Shu asked, brushing off the doll in her lap as Mika nodded. “Mhm! ‘m ready ta go out if it’s time! I dunno what time ya scheduled our reservation for~!” She agreed, looking a bit antsy at the idea of going out for a fancy dinner. “I have it reserved for…” Taking out her pocketwatch, Shu glanced at the hands, humming and pursing her lips. “Half an hour from now. How about I do your rat’s nest into something a little more presentable?” She asked, though the harsh wording didn’t phase Mika at all. If anything, it excited her. She nodded eagerly, scrambling up from the couch and grabbing a hairbrush and a bucket of assorted supplies for styling hair, running back to the living area and sitting on the ground in front of Shu, who had finished putting the Mademoiselle doll back in her case.
The French woman smiled and began to brush Mika’s hair, tying two small braids around the sides of her hair, joining them in the center. It looked much like Madara’s hairstyle of choice, but Shu didn’t mind. It was cute, and it worked well with Mika’s short hair, so she couldn’t do much else in the first place…
After a while of styling, Shu seemed satisfied with her work, and patted Mika’s head once to signal that she was finished. “Go put your coat on, Kagehira. It’s time to leave.” She said simply, standing and placing the hair products down as she went to the front door, grabbing her own coat and buttoning it up. Shu had such a ladylike aura, it wowed Mika a little. The two left the apartment with a slight jingle of Mika’s keys as she locked the door, then they got into the car, heading off to the restaurant.
It took a few minutes to get there, but they were still a couple of minutes early, and thank God for that. Shu might have had a heart attack if she were even remotely late. Even being on time was late, as Mika had learned through the years.
“Ngah… Ain’t this place a li’l too fancy fer me? I ain’t gonna be able ta enjoy the food like you, Oshi-san…” Mika muttered, frowning as they were escorted to their table. Shu glanced at Mika and raised an eyebrow, waving her hand dismissively. “Not at all. Even those with a more unrefined palate can enjoy good food. After all, you enjoy the art that we make as Valkyrie, so I’ve no doubt you’ll be able to enjoy this meal.” And that was that, Mika realized, as they sat at their fancily clothed table and read over the menus.
“Can ya make a suggestion fer me, at least…?”
“Mm. Ratatouille is simple and ought to sate your appetite just fine.” Shu suggested, tapping the ratatouille on the menu. Mika scanned the ingredients and nodded, placing her menu aside and glancing at the drink menu. “I’m gonna get chocolate milk.” She stated, and Shu suppressed a smile at the childishness of it. It was part of what endeared her so much to the younger woman. Her heterochromia was beautiful, the odd noises she made, everything… It was just perfect. She had become the true object of Shu’s affections in recent years.
“Very well. I will order coq au vin, and a glass of Jura blanc wine.” Shu decided, placing her own menu down and gazing lovingly at Mika for a moment while the airheaded girl checked her phone. It was only a few moments before their waiter miraculously came to take their order, and they placed it with a smile on Mika’s part and a straight face from Shu, but that was to be expected. Only after the waiter left did Shu’s expression soften a little, and she began to drum her fingers lightly against one another as they sat atop the table.
“Kagehira, what will you do for Christmas?”
“Nnh… I dunno.” Mika frowned a little, scratching at the back of her hand anxiously. “I don’t wanna bother Ritsu-kun… So maybe I’ll just be stayin’ at home, might order in somethin’ nice ta eat.” She bit the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, and Shu’s brows knitted in concern. “Non, that won’t work. I will stay with you.” She stated, leaving no room for argument. Mika’s face immediately lit up, feeling honored that Shu would offer to extend her stay an extra few days to accommodate that.
“Ya really mean it?! Christmas with Oshi-san?!” Mika exclaimed, knocking the table as she shot up with excitement. Shu glared at her, and she sank back into her seat, face heating up as she realized how carried away she’d quickly gotten. “Sorry, sorry… Just got real excited…”
“Of course, it’s been some time since we’ve had the luxury of extended time with one another, so I can’t blame you entirely. But do try to remain composed while we’re out like this.” Shu offered a wry smile, trying not to come off too anal about it, wanting to make an effort to be kinder to Mika than she had been a few years ago. These kinds of mistakes were inevitable, so she focused on the positive. Mika was just incredibly happy to be in her presence, and why shouldn’t she be? It filled Shu with pride, knowing her girlfriend loved her that dearly. They weren’t big on typical displays of affection, as Shu found herself repulsed by a lot of touch, so quality time meant a lot to them.
“Uh huh! ’m sooo happy, thank ya Oshi-san!” Mika nodded, bouncing her leg to get out some of her nervous energy while smiling at Shu. The smile was returned, and they began discussing their plans for Christmas while they waited for their food to arrive. Once it was brought, they dug in, and Mika found herself pleasantly surprised by the taste. Ratatouille didn’t pair great with chocolate milk, but she didn’t mind. Shu was, of course, a connoisseur of these things, so it was natural that she enjoyed the combination of her chosen wine with the coq au vin. Before they knew it, between bites of food and chatting further about Christmas plans, they’d finished in a flash.
Mika, however, insisted that they order dessert. Shu ordered a simple éclair for herself, while Mika chose crème brûlée. This prolonged their Christmas discussion, even as they enjoyed their desserts together. Ordinarily, Shu didn’t like to order dessert, but she knew how much Mika liked sweets, so she found it agreeable to stay a little more– Anything to make her girlfriend smile. Though, she’d never understand why Mika went out of her way to ask them to burn her crème brûlée to such an extent. Such a delicacy was meant to be enjoyed as intended, but… Whatever made it more palatable, she supposed.
“Ngah… ‘kay, let’s go!” Mika nodded excitedly as Shu paid, and the French woman could only roll her eyes. “So eager, aren’t you? What are you so excited for, anyway?”
“I wanna see Mado-nee again, ‘n I wanna sleep with Oshi-san!” Mika replied shamelessly, and Shu’s face became deep red. “You can’t say such things in public, Kagehira. People will get the wrong idea.”
“Ghh, sorry! Sorry, I’m still real stupid when it comes ta socializin’, ain’t I…” Mika scratched the back of her hand as the two left, to which Shu gently took the hand that was scratching into her own, giving it a light squeeze. “You’re learning. It’s admirable to learn, Kagehira.” Shu said simply, Mika’s heart fluttering with anticipation at the sudden contact. It was intimate by their standards, considering how infrequently Mika was able to initiate touch with Shu (without her being grossed out).
“Now, let’s go ‘home’, shall we?”