Work Text:
“I'm just saying, you should probably wear a jacket..” Yuri suggested, stepping out the front door and holding it open for Natsuki.
“What? I'm not going to get cold!” She pouted, reluctantly following behind Yuri. It was quite windy out, as she had noticed as the gusts twirled and swept her hair around. She had left in only her favorite T-shirt with the kitty on the front and a pair of sweatpants, while Yuri wore a cream colored turtleneck sweater that was for sure to keep her warm, with her long violet hair tied back in a low ponytail and a cute little basket that she held loosely in her hand. Natsuki didn't know why she agreed to go out when it was so chilly, but of course she refused to admit—no. She knew why she agreed, she deeply admired Yuri—but as a classic tsundere, wouldn’t say that out loud. They were going out to picnic, (although Natsuki fantasized about it being a little date..) as she had just baked some of her infamous cupcakes.
“So, are you going to get in the car?” Yuri asked, somewhat concernedly, snapping Natsuki out of thought.
“Y-yes! I'm going!”
She quickly skipped over to the passenger side, swung the door open and hopped in.
“You were just standing there,” Yuri commented, pulling out of her driveway. “Is anything on your mind?”
Natsuki felt her cheeks start to light up and she turned her head to the window, avoiding eye contact.
“No, of course- of course not!” She stuttered, blushing harder. Yuri glanced over at her turned away and saw her face reflect in the window. Looking past all of the smudges on the glass, she noticed something—
Was she blushing?
Yuri turned back to the road and passed it off as the window not being a good reflector like a mirror would be.
In a few minutes, they had reached the local park, surrounded by vast forests and trails in almost all directions except the one they entered from. In the distance, there was a playground, which provided the ambiance of kids chattering and squealing as they climbed and played. They reached a nice, tall hill with a lovely view of the horizon—perfect for watching the sunset when the time came. Yuri set down her basket, containing a small blanket fit for them to sit on, a box of Natsuki’s cupcakes and then two sandwiches, one for each of them. They both individually settled themselves down before they started to unwrap their food.
“Those look really good, y'know. You have some talent for baking.” Yuri said, complimenting the other while indeed staring at her baked goods.
About an hour later, they had both finished their dinners as the sun started its journey towards the horizon. Yuri picked a cupcake from the box and took a bite of it, making sure to get the cake and the icing. Vanilla flavor immediately flooded her mouth, it was delicious. She swallowed and wiped her mouth gently with her sleeve. Natsuki had subconsciously watched her admire what she'd made, it was a great feeling, being so appreciated. Appreciated by her.
“I know I said it earlier, but these are genuinely so good, Natsuki.” Again, Natsuki promptly began to flush again, although it blended in smoothly with the lighting of the sun setting in the background. “Thanks, I know they are.” Natsuki grabbed a cupcake herself and bit into it. It wasn't as good as Yuri described, maybe because she herself had gotten extremely familiar with this flavor and it had lost its whole new-and-shiny aspect. She ate the last few bites of her cupcake before comfortably turning to face the sun setting. Yuri was already at the perfect viewing angle sitting next to her and Natsuki couldn't help but scoot a little closer to her. Now without the direct sunlight, she was shivering slightly, goosebumps up on her arms. She tried to hold herself together and hope Yuri wouldn't notice. Although, realistically, she totally would.
Yuri turned towards Natsuki just to see her with her arms loosely crossed and hairs raised on her skin as she quivered.
“I told you you'd be cold out here…”
Natsuki turned to face her. “I-I’m not cold..!”
“Your body says differently, Natsuki.”
“I'm n-not!!”
“First, you know I'm good at reading people, including being able to tell when you're lying, and also you're literally shivering..”
“No I'm not..!” She lied again, moving even closer to Yuri as she felt her warmth practically radiate off her. She kept periodically shifting closer to Yuri, eventually just ending up basically in her lap.
“You know you could have just said you wanted to cuddle. That works better than you just slightly moving towards me every so often.”
Natsuki blushed again, ultimately having nothing good to say. “I don't! Ugh..”
“Sure you don't..”
Yuri looped her arms around Natsuki's waist, holding her gently against her chest as they watched the sun set. It began to dip into the horizon, a fraction at a time. Yuri had been noticing for a while that Natsuki had been acting off, similar to the way that she was when MC was still present. The way she stared while she wasn't paying attention, the constant head turning whenever caught off guard. Yuri subconsciously pulled her closer until Natsuki finally settled herself into the hold.
Natsuki shifted into the older girl's arms with her head against her chest, turning to have a perfect view of the sunset. It had lit the sky into a beautiful gradient of colors, the clouds adding the extra detail needed to make it look even more ethereal. She felt Yuri rest her chin on the top of her head, sure it wasn't the most comfortable but she wouldn't choose that over being so close to her.
She was so thankful for her dumb decision to not dress for the weather—she was so content being like this, cuddling up to the one she loved, even if it meant hiding behind the excuse of the cold.
♡