Disclaimer: I do not own Mai HiME.
Frigid
Natsuki was very much a summer child, staying true to her name and knocking down any assumptions that people may have come up with due to her time as a HiME when ice spikes would jut out from the ground whenever she summoned her Duran. She could live through the winter comfortably by blasting the heater and only daring to brave the cold when she needed to go on a mayo-run. Such an expensive way of life was something Natsuki had grown to expect, causing her to curse the penny-pinching ways of the dev-uh, woman she was currently residing with.
Even though Shizuru came from a rich family, she was cheap as hell concerning anything outside of tea or lingerie, thus the thermostat was set far below the comfortable zone. Due to different coldness tolerances in the couple, the temperature tended to fluctuate frequently.
This went on until Natsuki found out that Shizuru had far too much free time on her hands when the other woman duct-taped a box made out of printing paper over the thermostat. And if that wasn't enough, a bell was tauntingly attached to the hand-made barricade as well. Natsuki knew that she could just rip the thing off the wall with little effort, but didn't have the heart to after she thought of how much 'hard work' Shizuru must have put into the device. If the younger woman had known that it was thrown together in no more than two minutes, she might have thought differently.
To compensate for the lack of heat in the apartment, blankets, sweaters, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, scarves, and pretty much anything that could be layered was used. Shizuru's favorite method of gaining warmth was, of course, cuddling, a.k.a. the body heat technique.
At times when Natsuki was being particularly stubborn, the older woman would forego a layer or two and guilt-trip the younger one into a snuggle session. The trick was quite flawed, though, as Natsuki could just toss a blanket, sweatshirt, or whatever at Shizuru to solve her problem, but the dark-haired woman would always give in. Natsuki caved in with good reason, as no matter how many layers you piled on, you just couldn't beat the warmth and comfort of cozying up to a loved one. But such luxuries couldn't be realized under certain circumstances.
Natsuki was mad. More specifically, she was mad at Shizuru. The two had gotten into a little squabble the previous day, the contents of which long since vacated from Natsuki's memory banks. Now, it was common practice for Natsuki to stay angry even after forgetting what she was even angry about in the first place, while her other half simply went on as if nothing ever happened. Natsuki just figured that the world was never quite ready to handle a Shizuru that was mad for prolonged periods of time.
Natsuki would usually give way of her ill feelings when either one of two things happened: a) Shizuru offering a general 'I'm sorry', even if the argument possessed nothing that she could apologize for, or b) Natsuki falling far enough into her absent-mindedness that she would actually fail to remember that she was supposed to be angry. Option 'a' was favored, as Natsuki's anger streaks could go on for painfully long periods of time if left untreated. And there was also the unvocalized fact that Natsuki always felt as though she had 'won' over the other woman, tallying one more point on her side as she fought an uphill battle to even the score.
Winter was made a little less bearable when Natsuki was in anger mode, for she usually ignored Shizuru as much as possible, which meant no cuddle time. The only time Shizuru managed to come in contact with Natsuki for longer than a few seconds was when they went to bed. Natsuki conked out fairly soon, giving Shizuru the chance to snuggle up to the sleeping woman. In the morning, Shizuru claimed that her body must have moved of its own accord in her sleep, and Natsuki, not really caring, chose not to question any further.
Natsuki suffered in her own way, but not necessarily because of the lack of another's body heat. In an attempt to show that she was tougher than Shizuru, something she only did when pissy, Natsuki chose to only wear the bare essentials of winter gear around the apartment, which consisted of pants, a sweatshirt, and socks. Due to her sudden minimalist ways, her state of comfort was left up to how evil the weather decided to be. It wasn't exactly the wisest idea, as Shizuru didn't take it as intended and was only left worrying if her lover would catch a cold.
Shizuru periodically tested Natsuki, analyzing her results to determine how far she could push the other woman before she got even angrier and to estimate how much longer she would have to put up with Natsuki's childish behavior. A couple stray kisses, a pair of wandering hands, and a few well-placed words guided Shizuru into knowing if she should be practicing her apologies or if she could wait out the storm. There was one case, though, where Natsuki responded to one of Shizuru's 'tests' in a very unexpected, albeit nice way, summarily putting an end to any anger the younger woman held towards the older one. Sadly, the occurrence must have been a fluke, and Shizuru's default options were reduced to two once more.
Shizuru tended to get a tad more...flamboyant, making Natsuki's job of ignoring her all that much more difficult. The dark-haired woman often employed the use of her hood on her sweatshirt, situating it so that her peripheral vision was rendered for the most part useless. The fabric covering her head also helped her to focus on whatever she was currently using to entertain herself, whether it be the television, a book, or otherwise. Really, engulfing yourself in something was a very easy way to block out whatever or whoever might be trying to gain attention.
Natsuki was currently taking part in that particular trick (hood included) with a random episode of some random soap opera that she would never dare admit that she watched when the commercials came on, causing her to realize the world around her. And the first thing she noticed that the absence of a certain honey-haired woman.
Now, Natsuki knew that she was supposed to be ignoring Shizuru, but the older woman couldn't be ignored unless she wanted to be ignored, and that happed very rarely. Angry, but still in love, Natsuki began to scout the apartment for the woman in question, starting with a quick glance into the kitchen before moving toward the bathroom. Both were empty, which left their bedroom to be the only place Shizuru could be if she was indeed still inside the apartment.
The door was closed, a good clue that Shizuru was probably inside, but when Natsuki tried the doorknob, she found it to be locked. In disbelief, Natsuki tried again, harder this time. Still locked. Irritated, the younger woman stomped away and plopped back down in her seat on the couch, making a mental note that she actually had a (flimsy) reason to be angry.
Shizuru cooping herself up in their bedroom became gradually more frequent, causing Natsuki's exasperation to grow along with her un-comfortability. Even though the weather wasn't getting any colder according to the weatherman, Natsuki felt chilled more then she had before. Refusing to link it with the lack of Shizuru's presence, Natsuki chose to curse the weatherman (who had to be wrong) and the heater (which had to be broken).
Natsuki sat curled up into a ball in the same spot on the couch she had long since claimed as hers, glaring at the people on the television screen as if they were the cause of her shivering. Nature was calling, but she chose to ignore it because the bathroom was conveniently located very near the bedroom, and she didn't feel like stepping near the accursed door. She resisted until nature changed its call to more of a commanding yell, sending Natsuki to her feet.
Natsuki went in and out of the bathroom as quick as she could, but stopped dead when she heard the familiar click of the doorknob. She found herself frozen, not sure if she wanted to punch or kiss Shizuru.
As soon as the door was open wide enough for Shizuru to see Natsuki, an excited smile spread across the older woman's face. Dumbfounded, Natsuki just stared with her mouth agape, unsure if her eye really was twitching or if she just thought it was.
Once Natsuki regained control of her mouth, she attempted to get a word or two out, but was soon cut off by Shizuru's joyful cry of "Surprise!" and the light blue that suddenly filled her vision. Natsuki reached out for the object, but Shizuru retracted her arms before her fingertips could even graze its surface.
"What..." Natsuki managed to get out, her eyes scanning over the light blue pile in Shizuru's arms.
"It's a scarf," Shizuru stated simply, taking one end of the scarf in her hand and raising it up so Natsuki could see its length. "Or a muffler. I've never known the difference."
Shizuru, taking Natsuki's moment of puzzlement to her advantage, quickly wrapped the knitted item around the other woman's neck. She stood back and admired her work, unable to stop the widening of her smile when she saw the red-ish tint on the other's cheeks.
Natsuki pawed at he scarf, her face taking on a pout. Shizuru quickly placed a hand in front of her mouth to help contain any amused sounds that may try to escape, as they would only succeed in provoking the other woman into elongating her 'punishment.'
"Do you like it?" Shizuru prodded carefully after trusting herself enough to open her mouth.
"I-it's fine..." Natsuki huffed. She abruptly turned away as she remembered that she was still on bad terms with Shizuru, but didn't remove the scarf.
Too preoccupied with trying to walk away angrily, Natsuki failed to realize that Shizuru was only two steps behind her. Natsuki threw herself onto the couch as soon she was within passable distance, sprawling out to prevent anyone else from sitting on it. She lay on her stomach, her face buried in a cushion.
Shizuru knelt down by Natsuki's head and reached out to brush her fingers along the dark strands. Natsuki's only response was a brief flinch, choosing to try and ignore the hand that was running through her hair. This kept up for a few minutes until the tingling sensation on her scalp became too much for the younger woman, snapping her head towards the older.
"Go away," Natsuki ordered, finding herself unable to give Shizuru a death glare.
"No, I won't." Shizuru let her fingers trail along the still red cheek.
Natsuki angled herself into the other's touch, despite her mind screaming at her the she shouldn't. Wait, why shouldn't I? She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling. Oh, yeah, I'm angry. There was a gentle pressure on her lips. I was angry because...because... The smooth fingertips were replaced with something even softer. Because she wasn't there.
Natsuki responded, managing to catch Shizuru off guard. Propping herself up with an arm, Natsuki lifted herself off the couch a little and positioned her head more vertical to better accommodate the kiss. Shizuru pulled back in surprise, eyeing the dark-haired woman.
"Are you teasing me or are you really not angry anymore?" Shizuru dodged Natsuki's reaching hand.
Natsuki groaned at the Kyoto woman's evasion. She hadn't been allowing Shizuru to get close to her for the past few days, which was something she could usually put up with for a while. But with the added effect of Shizuru holing up in their bedroom, Natsuki's resistance gave out sooner.
"I'm not angry anymore," Natsuki grumbled, flipping onto her back.
"Oh, and why is that?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow, a substitution for the grin that wanted to break out across her face.
"What? Do you want me to still be angry?" Natsuki blurted, baffled.
"Of course not. You just usually last longer," Shizuru inquired, causing Natsuki to curse the other's observantness.
Now, Natsuki wasn't going to go ahead and say that she felt deprived. Oh no, that would bring the older woman far too much joy. Natsuki was about to mull it over before she remembered why her neck was so warm. "Because you...made this for me."
Natsuki sank into the scarf in an attempt to hide the blush that was forming once more, both hands griping the light-blue object. Shizuru rose from the ground to sit on the edge of the couch, admiring the adorable scene lain out before her.
"That's all?" Shizuru inquired, receiving a what-more-do-you-want-from-me look from Natsuki.
"Yes," Natsuki answered, her voice muffled.
Shizuru leaned towards Natsuki, her mouth just barely above the scarf. "So, everything's back to normal?"
Natsuki let the older woman pull down the light-blue garment, her lips managing a 'yes' before the other's claimed them. Shizuru tried to move to straddle Natsuki's waist, but was stopped a lifted leg. Natsuki broke the kiss and muttered, "Wait."
The dark-haired woman slipped of the couch and headed towards their bedroom. Shizuru straightened herself, disappointed that she was cut off so soon, but didn't remain so for long. Natsuki reappeared shortly, a blanket folded in her arms, causing Shizuru's lips to curve slightly upward.
Plopping down next to Shizuru, Natsuki carefully draped the blanket over their shoulders. Barely a second after the fabric made contact, Shizuru threw herself at the unsuspecting woman, successfully pinning her. The blanket was now awkwardly tousled around the two, which left Shizuru to try to untangle it, Natsuki unmoving.
"You could help a little," Shizuru suggested a tad too sweetly while attempting to disengage a part under the adamant woman.
"You did this to yourself." Natsuki crossed her arms over her chest for effect, staring intently at the other woman's face.
Having difficulty removing the material that was beneath Natsuki, Shizuru half-heartedly sighed and decided to take a different approach to the situation. A hand skillfully ran down Natsuki's side with just the right amount of pressure applied to make her jump, the other hand freeing the blanket.
"Success," the Kyoto born chimed. She situated the blanket over herself before she lowered herself down to rest on Natsuki, wedging her head in between the couch and Natsuki's.
Natsuki just lay there for a moment, suppressing any peevish feelings toward Shizuru for the trick she just pulled. It was actually quite easy, for Shizuru was quite distracting, no matter how involuntary it was. Her warmth, her scent, and her breath that rhythmically tickled Natsuki's cheek all helped to give the inability to hold any ill feelings.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed the scarf and started to unravel it from Natsuki's neck, sending her to lightly cry, "Wh-what are you doing?"
Shizuru gave a mumbled response, something about 'Natsuki's neck', which soon made sense when the older woman nuzzled her face into the aforementioned body part with a content sigh.
"Are you tired?" Natsuki snaked an arm under and around Shizuru, letting her fingers play with chestnut tresses.
"Mmm, a little." Shizuru snuggled up a little bit closer. "I haven't been able to sleep very well these past few days."
"Well, I'm not sure if you'll be getting all that much sleep tonight, either."
Shizuru grinned into Natsuki's neck. "Then I better rest up now."
--.--
A/N: This ended up a lot different than I originally planned. You know, a little less narration, a little more dialogue (in the first half, even though I feel like this went downhill when it hit the dialogue), actually sticking closer to the summary, and a better ending. Eh, I still like it...sort of.
Pertaining to the first line, natsu means summer in Japanese, or at least so says my Shonen Jump (yes, I read it, so what?).
I just wanted to add that I fail at making anything short because I have a bad habit of dragging things on (even though they sometimes end up feeling rushed). So, for future reference, don't expect anything under 1,000 words from me. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not.
Now, I have been taught that there is no such thing as coldness, and that it's just the heat being taken away or something (I'm too lazy to go dig out my old science notes)... Thus, 'coldness tolerances' used to be 'heat tolerances', but that sounded stupid so I changed it. I don't feel that strong of a need to be that scientifically correct since this is fanfiction (fluffy stuff to boot). Well, meh...