Shizuru was Botan's favorite shopping buddy. It wasn't that she didn't love Keiko or Yukina—the more the merrier, for Botan—but shopping trips just weren't as fun without Shizuru.
For one thing, the girl had excellent taste. She knew just what sort of colors brought out the pink in Botan's eyes, or made legs look longer, and she even had a knack for knowing precisely which size to pull from the rack. All of these things made Shizuru a wonderful person to shop with, and Botan's wardrobe had been overflowing with beautiful clothing since she started taking the woman with her on shopping trips. But that wasn't the best thing about shopping with Shizuru.
No, the best thing about shopping with Shizuru was her honesty.
Where Keiko and Yukina might say that a yellow top wasn't their favorite, Shizuru would look Botan up and down and say frankly, "That color washes you out." Where Keiko might politely compliment a dress's fun print, Shizuru told Botan that the waistline was cut too high, making her look wider than she was.
Luckily Shizuru seemed to find pleasure out of the arrangement. She rarely tried on clothes on these outings. Despite Botan's frequent protests and her attempts to get Shizuru to try on something she'd picked out, the woman would just wryly shake her hand and drawl, "I know what I like, Botan."
But she at least seemed to like coming along and providing feedback, so Botan happily picked out heaps of clothes and put on a small fashion show for her.
Today, it was just the two of them. There had been a nasty earthquake earlier in the week which had made the grim reaper's job a very stressful one indeed. Shizuru had taken one look at Botan's haggard face and declared, "Get your things. We're going shopping."
It was just what she needed today, Botan mused as she slipped on a new shirt and assessed it in the mirror. It was white, with wide, horizontal pink stripes. The color very nearly matched her eyes, and the stark white seemed to make her hair look even bluer. The sleeves only reached her elbows, which would be perfect for summer. Botan smiled and turned, then frowned.
The stripes, the cut of the sleeves, the way the fabric clung... her boobs looked huge. Too huge, surely. But Shizuru had pulled this shirt of the rack for her, so Botan had to at least let her see it.
Frowning uncertainly, Botan unlatched the door to the dressing room and poked her head out. Shizuru was leaning against the wall opposite, hands in her pockets and looking cool as ever. Botan bit her lip. "I'm not so sure about this one."
Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Well I can't tell you what I think if you don't show me."
Still worrying her lip, Botan opened the dressing room door the rest of the way. Shizuru's warm brown eyes traced up and down Botan's form with familiarity, but her gaze seemed even warmer than usual when they reached her top.
Botan watched Shizuru's slowly blooming smile as her eyes flickered between her face and her breasts. Botan felt her cheeks grow hot. "I knew it! They look enormous, it's ridiculous!" She grabbed at the door of the dressing room, preparing to slam it shut and take the darn thing off, but Shizuru stepped into the small dressing space before she could, shutting the door behind her.
Botan's breath caught, and for a moment she was speechless. Had Shizuru always been this tall? The changing room was so small that the other woman had to stand very close, and Botan could smell vanilla and clove and cigarettes.
"I like your perfume," Botan blurted stupidly, then kicked herself for being such a blathering idiot.
"Thank you, Botan," Shizuru said gracefully, as if it was a perfectly normal compliment, then gently touched Botan's shoulders to direct her to stand in front of the mirror. Botan obediently moved and Shizuru stood close behind her, so close Botan could feel the heat of her body at her back. Botan forced her breathing to return to some semblance of normal and meet Shizuru's eyes in the mirror.
"Now, tell me," Shizuru drawled, and how had Botan never noticed Shizuru's voice before? When did it start making her stomach do a funny little dance? "What, exactly, looks enormous?"
Elegant, long-fingered hands skimmed Botan's hips, and Botan blushed cherry-red when she couldn't stop a very audible hitch in her breath. Botan saw Shizuru's teasing, amused smile in the mirror. "Is it your hips?"
Botan's mouth worked, but no sound came out as Shizuru's hands trailed further up. "It can't possibly be your waist." Here Shizuru's hands squeezed lightly. Botan squeaked, and Shizuru chuckled lowly. Botan felt her knees tremble just a little at the sound.
Shizuru's hands climbed higher and higher, to her shoulders. "Your shoulders look as lovely as always." Shizuru brushed a finger over Botan's exposed skin at the collar of the shirt. Botan shuddered.
"So you must be referring to these," Shizuru mused. Her hands just barely skimmed over Botan's curves. Botan stared, half because of Shizuru's boldness, and half because she was positive her face couldn't get any redder. "But enormous? Ridiculous?" Shizuru shook her head as she repeated Botan's earlier words. Slowly, torturously slowly, her hands came to rest over Botan's breasts. Botan couldn't tear her eyes away, a storm of butterflies whirling in her stomach.
"I think they look perfect." Gently, Shizuru squeezed.
Botan moaned-then, hearing herself, stuttered, overwhelmed and embarrassed, "Sh-Shizuru!"
Shizuru released Botan's breasts, but pressed up against her back, pulling Botan firmly against her by her waist. Botan desperately sought Shizuru's eyes in the mirror, and gasped at what she saw there.
Care. Admiration. Kindness, and teasing, and gentleness. But with all of that, a deep, burning heat that made Botan's mouth go dry. "Shizuru..."
"Botan." Long fingers played with the fabric of the shirt that bunched at Botan's waist. Shizuru waited patiently, her eyes fixed on Botan's in the mirror.
Botan swallowed loudly, then nodded. "Yes, you're right. Perfect." With determination, Botan turned and craned to look up at Shizuru. Shizuru's smile was lazy, but with her arms wrapped around her Botan could feel a bit of tension in Shizuru's shoulders relax.
That sign of nerves from the stoic woman emboldened Botan, and she stood on her toes to steal a kiss-vengeance for Shizuru copping a feel-but it wasn't stolen, not really, because Shizuru met her with a deep hum and equal enthusiasm.
Twenty minutes later, a thoroughly amused Shizuru paid for the shirt while Botan informed the saleswoman that the dressing rooms were "far too hot!" Seeing her still-red face, the saleswoman promised she'd see about the air-conditioning.
Shizuru chuckled as they left, and Botan laughed a little self-consciously, but she smiled as Shizuru entwined the hand that wasn't holding a shopping bag with her own.
Yes, Shizuru was by far Botan's favorite shopping buddy.