Work Text:
Kotone was hard at work mixing the frosting at her work station.
She looked forward to Cooking Club after school with Fuuka every week. Today they had decided to make desserts, but with the twist that they would keep their treats a secret until they were done. Kotone had settled on making little chocolates and cupcakes. She melted chocolate into little shapes so she could decorate the cupcakes with them once everything was done. The shaped chocolates were chilling in the fridge, while the vanilla cupcakes were baking in the oven.
“Hey, Kotone?” Fuuka broke her concentration.
“Yeah? What's up?” Kotone set her mixing bowl down.
“Um… can you help me with this step?” Fuuka's face turned pink in embarrassment.
Fuuka was slowly improving with her cooking and baking skills every week, but she still needed some help and guidance every so often.
Kotone hurried over to Fuuka's side and looked at the recipe book, “Oh you're making cookies!”
“Y-yeah.” Fuuka turned more pink for a moment before pointing to the cookbook. “Well, I'm on this step. What am I supposed to do? I don't understand…”
Kotone read the steps carefully. “Hmm, I see the confusion. The step is written kinda confusing. Mix, but don't overmix. So let's start, and stop once it seems like it's all mixed together. If you overmix, the texture will get weird.”
“How do I know if it's overmixed?” Fuuka asked.
“It'll get all thick and rubbery. Give it a try. I'll watch and tell you when it's good to stop.” Kotone encouraged.
Fuuka mixed together the ingredients, until Kotone told her to stop.
“See, perfect. Now you can move onto the next step!” Kotone grinned widely.
“Thank you.” Fuuka smiled back. “How are your desserts going?”
“Good! They should be done baking soon. Then it just needs to cool.” Kotone leaned her hip against the table.
“You work so much faster than me…” Fuuka sighed.
“Hey, there's no rush. Besides, it gives me more time to help you.” Kotone tried to cheer her up.
An oven timer began ringing, pulling Kotone away from the conversation. A sweet smell filled the room as she opened the oven, revealing the perfectly baked cupcakes. As Kotone placed them on the table to cool, she couldn't help but notice Fuuka watching.
“S-sorry, I didn't mean to stare.” Fuuka turned away, embarrassed.
“It's alright, I saw what you were making so it's only fair.” Kotone shrugged.
“They smell really good.” Fuuka complimented.
“I hope they taste as good as they smell, then.”
Fuuka finally got her cookies in the oven while Kotone began to frost the cupcakes. The vanilla cupcakes were soon topped with a light blue frosting. She also grabbed her chocolate from the fridge, and placed them gently onto the cupcakes.
The chocolate had been shaped to resemble little stars and hearts, making them stand out against the blue frosting.
Eventually, Fuuka's cookies finished baking, bringing in another sweet smelling dessert to the room.
“Um, Kotone?” Fuuka called out, voice quiet.
“Yes?”
“D-do you want to try one? I-I hope they turned out okay…” Fuuka looked towards the floor, feeling embarrassed.
“Of course!”
Kotone looked over at the finished product. Cookies that had been dyed into different colors were laid out on the serving plate. She picked up an orange cookie and smelled it. It smelled very sweet, making her wonder if Fuuka had used a bit too much sugar. Taking a bite, Kotone was taken aback by the chewy center of the cookie.
“Mm- mochi cookies!” She said in between bites.
“Yes! I wanted to give it a try. It was quite complex.” Fuuka admitted.
The soft mochi center was soft and chewy. Even with their sweetness, it was still quite delicious.
“I'm impressed! You did great.” Kotone smiled. “Now, it's your turn.”
Kotone presented her cupcakes to Fuuka, “I made them for you!”
“F-For me?” Fuuka was caught off guard.
“Yes! Now try one! They're vanilla flavored.” Kotone insisted.
Kotone waited in anticipation as Fuuka took a bite of one of the cupcakes.
“It's amazing, Kotone. You're so good at this.” Fuuka smiled.
“You're not too bad, yourself. I could eat this whole plate of cookies right now.” Kotone reached for a green one next, splitting it in half, “Share with me. You gotta try your own creation.”
Fuuka took the cookie half and tried a small bite.
“Well…?” Kotone waited.
“It's edible!” Fuuka sounded surprised at herself. “I mean- it's actually good.”
“That's right! I'm proud of you. You've come so far.” Kotone wore a prideful grin.
“It's only because of you…” Fuuka mumbled. “I've learned so much because you've been so patient to help me.”
“Of course. I want to help because I care about you.” Kotone admitted, feeling her own face warm up a bit.
“You…” Fuuka turned bright red over Kotone's honesty. “I-I care about y-you, as well.”
Kotone pulled Fuuka into a hug.
“I really respected you as our leader, and I wanted to learn more about you- that's why I wanted you to join the club with me. I thought it would let us be friends. I-I didn't think I'd end up feeling… well, this way.” Fuuka's voice trembled as her head rested on Kotone's shoulders. “I feel like I shouldn't feel this way…”
“Why not?” Kotone frowned, pulling back to look at Fuuka.
“You're… so great. You're popular, and you are always on top of schoolwork and you lead us in SEES. You're everything and I'm nothing. I can't even fight alongside you all in Tartarus.” Fuuka looked towards the floor.
“Fuuka- you're so important. Not just to the team, but to me. You've helped SEES so much. Without you, we'd be wandering out there blind. We'd never find the shadows on full moon nights. But you're also so great in your own way. You're smart and kind and you care about everyone. And you're so good at tech stuff! The headphones you gave me are easily one the best gifts I've ever received.” Kotone placed a hand on Fuuka's cheek. “I love getting to spend time with you here- away from SEES and the dark hour. Just me and you and our little club.”
Kotone did not anticipate Fuuka's next move. Fuuka moved in, planting a quick kiss on Kotone's lips.
Kotone blinked, as if she was trying to register what just happened.
“Ah! I'm so sorry!” Fuuka turned bright red in response.
Kotone smirked before moving in to kiss Fuuka this time, leaving little kisses all over Fuuka's face.
“Ko…to…neee!” Fuuka whined.
“No one is around to see!” Kotone giggled.
The two girls finally pulled apart, though their hands were entwined.
“I feel like I'm dreaming…” Fuuka mumbled.
“Sorry, this is real life.” Kotone teased playfully.
“Can we stay here a little longer like this? I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest if we leave now…” Fuuka took a deep breath.
“Of course. Take as long as you need. We'll have lots of cooking club sessions in the future anyway, so you'll have plenty of time to get used to this. To us.” Kotone leaned against the table, nonchalantly.
“Us…” Fuuka smiled over the word.
“You have to just promise me more of these amazing cookies in the future.” Kotone giggled.
“I can promise you that.” Fuuka let out a small laugh. “Only if you make more cupcakes.”
“It’s a deal!”