AN: Another oneshot as the result of a prompt on my writing tumblr, this time, a bit of Tsubomi/Itsuki fluff! Obviously set in the future, around their college years. Hopefully everyone enjoys!
Early Morning Pick Me Up
Canon: Heartcatch
Characters: Tsubomi Hanasaki, Itsuki Myoudouin
Summary: After a long night, there was one thing that perked her up without fail.
It was the smell of something sweet that woke her up.
To be honest, for a moment, Myoudouin Itsuki wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep again- it had been a long night, after all. As luring as the sweet aroma that caught her nose was, it wasn't nearly enough to make her want to drag herself out of bed. It was the sound of someone's voice, humming a melody that she knew well, that caused her to slowly crack her eyes open.
It wasn't just the melody that she knew well, but the voice doing the humming as well. For a moment, she wondered how it was that Tsubomi had gotten inside, before she realized that she had lent her a spare key to her apartment not that long ago.
Which... didn't necessarily explain what she was doing here, mind. Considering that she was going to college two towns over, Itsuki could only wonder if she really had time to be doing this.
Not that she minded, really- now that she had forced herself up, she could hear the growling of her stomach, the aroma of what she was now starting to realize were pancakes becoming all the more tempting.
"Ah, you're awake!" Perking up as Itsuki emerged from her bedroom, Hanasaki Tsubomi cast a bright smile her way, brighter than any dawning sun. "I was planning on waking you when I was done, so I suppose I should apologize about dragging you out of bed early."
"No, there's no need." Simply shaking her head, Itsuki made her way to Tsubomi's side, gently placing her hands on her shoulders. "When did you get here?"
"Around thirty minutes ago." Tsubomi told her, her gaze only briefly flickering back in the direction of her girlfriend, not wanting to lose focus for too long and risk letting the pancakes burn. "I thought I would surprise you."
"What's the occasion?" Itsuki couldn't help but ask, taking in a deep breath, letting the smell of pancakes fill her nose. It was a good smell, she thought- though perhaps not as nice a scent as the floral shampoo that Tsubomi had used that morning.
"No occasion." Tsubomi said simply, carefully flipping a pancake, taking great care not to mess it up. "You said yesterday that you were going to be having a long night tonight. So I thought I would come over and give you a hand this morning, Itsuki."
"Well, you're right about the long night part." Itsuki admitted freely, releasing her girlfriend's shoulders and giving her a bit of space. "Is there anything that I can help with?"
"No!" The firm reply came rather quickly, as Tsubomi set aside the finished pancake on a plate, and carefully poured a bit more batter in the pan in it's place. "There's no point to me treating you if you help out. Just take a seat for now, Itsuki. They'll be ready soon!"
"Then, don't mind if I do." Giving Tsubomi a quick peck on the cheek, Itsuki made her way over towards the table, taking a seat. She had even already gone so far as to set their places- not to mention change the water for the flowers that she had placed in a vase on the center of the table. Leave it to Tsubomi to be so attentive, really.
While there many topics that she could think about to discuss with Tsubomi, Itsuki found herself simply watching the young woman, as she resumed her humming, finishing the rest of the pancakes. The first time that she had made them, Itsuki recalled, it had been a disaster- but she and everyone else had eaten them anyways, not wanting her earnest efforts to be wasted.
Really, she had come a long way since then. She was an amazing person, really- not getting discouraged when something didn't go the way she wanted it to.
It was because of her, she thought sometimes, that they had been able to rescue the Heart Tree, and the world with it. Without Tsubomi, the Heartcatch Precure might have very well never gotten off the ground, much less go so far as to defeat Dune, and end the centuries long battle with the Desert Messengers at last.
"Is something wrong, Itsuki?" Glancing down at her girlfriend as she set a plate of pancakes in front of her, Tsubomi blinked. "You look a bit lost in thought."
"I was just thinking about how amazing you are, Tsubomi." Itsuki told her earnestly- and was unable to help but smile at the way the girl turned a bright shade of red at her earnest praise. She was nearly the same color as the strawberries that she had used to top the pancakes.
That too, was one of her charm points.
"W-well, I don't know about that..." Tsubomi trailed off, nearly averting her gaze from her.
"I do." Itsuki said, reaching out a hand, carefully cupping one of her cheeks with it. "You're truly amazing, Tsubomi."
In hindsight, perhaps she should have predicted that her early morning flirting would result in Tsubomi dropping her own plate of pancakes, the dish shattering on the ground, both it and the sugary breakfast treat a total loss. It was no problem, though, Itsuki thought- if there was one thing she didn't mind, it was sharing with Tsubomi.
Yesterday might have been terrible indeed- but today, she thought, was already looking up.