Work Text:
It was still weird calling the absolutely massive mansion home. They'd only been living together for a week, and every time Nozomi had come home from work it hit her again. She lived here now. Forever, if she and Kurara had anything to say about it.
She got out of the car, grabbing her bag from the back seat, and headed inside. "Kurara? I'm home!" she called, shutting the front door behind herself. Her old apartment had been tiny, so she'd never had much choice of where to go when she got in. The front door had opened right into the living room and dining area, which led into the kitchen, and then a short hall led to her bedroom and the little bathroom. Walking in her new home was a little overwhelming, especially when she had no way of knowing where in the house her girlfriend was.
Distantly, she heard Kurara's voice answering her. Well, that helped a little. She slipped off her shoes and set her bag down, and started walking that way. She only made it through two rooms before Kurara appeared in a doorway in front of her, with her arms folded and her masked head held high. Must have been a bad day.
Nozomi smiled brightly at her. "There you are! I missed you today."
Instead of greeting her warmly, Kurara snapped, "come with me! I want to show you something!" Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and led the way deeper into the house.
Suppressing a sigh, Nozomi followed her. She was used to her girlfriend's bad moods after years of being best friends before they'd started dating, and then years of dating before moving in together. "What's wrong?" she coaxed, catching up so she could slip her fingers between Kurara's. "I didn't hear from you today, but we were busy at work."
Kurara didn't flinch away from her hand, at least. Her hand was trembling when Nozomi's fingers found hers under her long sleeve, but she grasped them tight. "Mother was here today."
Ah. That explained things. Nozomi gave her hand a squeeze as they walked into the kitchen together. "I take it she didn't take things well..?" Kurara hadn't wanted to tell her family yet that they were living together. After growing up around the Oosuzuki family, Nozomi couldn't blame her. They were less than pleased that their daughter was dating such a common girl. They'd never approved of her and Kurara's friendship, even when both girls were small.
"Commoners always ask such stupid questions! You already know the answer, so I don't know why you're bothering," Kurara snarled, rounding the corner into the kitchen.
Before Nozomi took in any of what was all over the counter, she stopped and turned to Kurara, trying to keep her patience. "You know I'm not going to let you talk to me like that, Kurara. It's not nice. I was asking because I care about you and I want to hear about it, regardless of if I think I know the answer or not."
"Well, what if I don't want to talk about it? You're prying, like filthy commoners always do! It's horrible, ugly behavior, and I'm sick of it!"
Despite her protests, she was still clutching Nozomi's hand tight. Even with her mask on, she was refusing to look at her, which was a sign that it wasn't just a bad day, it was a really bad day. Which meant Nozomi had to take matters into her own hands. With the hand that wasn't being squeezed to death, she grabbed the top of Kurara's mask and pulled it off, making sure it was set safely on an empty space of the counter.
Almost immediately, Kurara started crying, like she'd been fighting the whole time to hold it back. She turned into the circle of Nozomi's arms, sobbing into her chest. "S-sorry, Nozomi," she wailed. Nozomi just held her, murmuring soothingly into her hair, and let her cry herself out.
When Kurara's sobs started to quiet, she turned her face up to look at Nozomi, who gently wiped her tears away. "I h-hate when she comes over. She c-can't control my life! I won't l-let her! B-but— I hate the w-way she talks to me, and the way sh-she talks about you." She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to get her emotions under control. "I'm s-sorry I yelled at you."
"I know," Nozomi promised, and to show she wasn't going to stay upset, she leaned down for a kiss. "Thanks for apologizing. I wish I'd been here today with you."
"Careful, or n-next time you'll have to listen to her," Kurara warned bitterly, already sounding much more like the Kurara Nozomi knew and loved when they were alone. "I don't care what any of them say. You're part of the family. I'll prove it, right now." She gestured to the countertops, drawing Nozomi's attention to the clutter she'd ignored before.
Ginger, garlic, carrots, potatoes, an apple, various spices… Nozomi looked at it all uncomprehendingly, blinking a couple of times. "What does this prove?" she asked.
Kurara gave her an are you serious? look, spreading her arms to gesture to everything again. "Tonight, I'm teaching you to make the famous Oosuzuki curry! Only my family knows how to make it!"
Nozomi's heart leapt in her chest, a huge smile returning to her face. She was well aware of what a big deal that was. "Oh! Wow! Really? Thank you!"
"They'll never be able to claim you're not family again. Now, go change out of your science clothes and then come back and wash your hands! Dinner's going to be late tonight, and it won't taste as good as if I made it this morning," Kurara said, glancing at the clock.
Nozomi picked her up and spun her around in a hug, making her girlfriend shriek. "That's fine with me! I love you so much, Kurara."
"Nozomi! Put me down!" Kurara complained, but Nozomi just laughed, carrying her to the bedroom with her. On the counter, the mask grimaced after them, forgotten for the moment.