Summary: Cake can be more than just a tasty treat...
Genre(s): Romance
Character(s): Tsumugi K., Yui H., Ritsu T., Mio A.
Pairing(s): Tsumugi x Yui
Story Type: One-shot
Disclaimer: I do not own K-ON!
* It's Perfect! *
The noon sun gleamed gently through the windows of the Sakuragaoka High School Light Music Clubroom. A lone blonde haired girl stood diligently over a tea kettle settled atop her portable electric stove until the sharp whistle of steam alerted her to the tea being done.
She gingerly took the kettle off the stove and poured its contents into four ornate tea cups, then set them at the four spots on the table near the window. The girl sighed happily as she then went back to the counter and began cutting a cake into eight slices.
'I hope my friends enjoy the new cake,' she thought cheerfully to herself, her pleasant smile gently radiating warmth off her features.
As soon as she had set a slice of cake at each spot at the table, the clubroom door swung open. A brunette haired girl came bounding through the doorway and took her usual seat at the table.
"Hey, Mugi-chan!" she greeted excitedly as she grabbed her cup with both hands and a long gulp from it. Tsumugi Kotobuki smiled as the energetic girl chugged down the contents of the cup.
"Hello, Yui-chan," she greeted as she poured Yui another cup of tea. As Yui gulped down half of her second cup, Tsumugi timidly pushed the plate of cake closer to her to get her attention. Though, she did not even need to do so as Yui had already been eyeing the delicious treat as she drank her tea.
As soon as she set the cup down, she grabbed her fork and forked up a piece of cake, quickly taking it into her mouth. As soon as the cake hit her taste buds, Yui's face became utter bliss, a light blush covering her face.
"So good!" she said through a mouth full of cake.
"I'm glad you like it, Yui-chan, I made it myself," Tsumugi said with a big smile on her face. Yui's face took on a look of impressed shock.
"Wow!" Yui said as she forked another piece of cake into her mouth, then another, quickly followed by yet another. "You really made it yourself? You're amazing, Mugi-chan!" she said in approving excitement.
"T-thanks..." Tsumugi replied shyly as she attempted to hide the blush spreading across her face.
The sound of the clubroom door opening drew the blonde's attention away from her brunette band mate.
"Yo!" Ritsu greeted casually as she entered the clubroom followed shortly by Mio.
The girls all exchanged greetings as Ritsu and Mio sat down at the clubroom table. Mio and Ritsu began to drink their tea, but were soon staring at Yui in rapt fascination as the energetic brunette finished off her slice of cake, then another, at a speed that none of the girls had ever witnessed before.
"Whoa, slow down, Yui!" Ritsu said as Mio nodded in agreement, too amazed to say anything.
"Mugi, is there anything special about the cake today?" Mio asked as she took another delicate sip from her cup. Tsumugi was about to answer when Yui cut her off.
"Mugi-chan made it herself! It's so yummy!" she announced before attacking the cake again. Ritsu and Mio quirked an eyebrow at Yui then sampled their own slices of cake for themselves.
"Woah, it is good," Ritsu said as her face was covered in cakey bliss. Mio's cheeks were lit up in similar approval. Tsumugi's own blush deepened at the compliments she received for her very first cake, but she kept her eyes fixated on Yui, smiling happily as the girl enthusiastically ate her slice.
* K-ON! *
The afternoon class bell rang, causing the young high school students to get up from their desks and make their way into the hallways, some slower than others; Tsumugi being one of those slower students. She always took her time changing classes as to not be rude or discourteous to anyone by rushing, but this time it was for a different reason. She was looking for someone in particular amongst the crowd of first and second years changing classes. She was searching so intently that she accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry!" Tsumugi bowed her head and quickly apologized out of courteous reflex.
"It's alright." Came the reply, but the voice sounded so familiar, it could only belong to...
"Oh, hello, Ui-chan," Tsumugi greeted as she raised her head. "I was just looking for you."
Ui quirked her head quizzically at the blonde. "Is there something I can help you with, Tsumugi-senpai?" she asked as the crowd around them began to thin.
"Ui-chan, I was wondering if there are any particular sweets that Yui-chan really likes?" Tsumugi asked politely.
"Well…" Ui replied as she became deep in thought for a moment. "Oh! Onee-chan really likes ice cream, does that help?" she replied at last. Tsumugi took on a thoughtful look for a moment.
"Yes it does, thank you, Ui-chan" she replied with a smile.
Ui smiled happily that she was able to be of assistance. "You're welcome, Tsumugi-senpai."
The two girls parted ways as the school bell rang, indicating that they were each late for class.
* K-ON! *
"Tsumugi-ojou-sama, are you certain you require no assistance?" a Kotobuki household maid asked as she poked her head into the Kotobuki household kitchen. Tsumugi was crouched in front of the kitchen oven, the contents of the oven being the focus of all of her attention. The maid entered the kitchen to properly gain her attention.
"Tsumugi-ojou-sama?" she asked again. Tsumugi jerked out of her daze and turned her head towards the maid.
"Oh! No, I'm fine," she replied politely before she returned her attention to the oven window. "It has to be perfect..." she said more to herself than the maid.
The maid bowed dutifully then exited the kitchen. As the cake inside the oven began to brown, Tsumugi rose to her feet and made her way around the rather large kitchen, gathering ingredients and mixing equipment. She set a bowl out on the counter and poured in the ingredients and began whipping them up into a thick cream.
'I hope I do this right,' she thought as she walked to the refrigerator and took a cake pan out of the freezer. The oven timer dinged as Tsumugi set the pan down next to the bowl. Donning oven mittens, she took the golden brown cake out of the oven and set it on the counter along with the bowl and other pan.
'It has to be perfect!' Tsumugi repeated to herself as she cut the cake in half and dumped the contents of the second pan, a frozen slab of chocolate ice cream, onto one of the cake halves, then sandwiched the ice cream with the other cake half. The blonde's smile grew as she began to coat the cake with the thick whipped cream from the bowl.
'Yui-chan will love this,' she thought as she went to the refrigerator again, retrieving a box of strawberries and a bowl of chocolate chips.
She began to decorate the cake with the strawberries and chocolate chips in a pretty and stylish arrangement, and once she was done, in the center the chocolate chips spelled 'Yui-chan'.
Tsumugi clasped her hands together, her eyes starry with excitement as she gazed at her creation. 'It's perfect!'
She then took her ice cream cake and placed it gently into the freezer, smiling blissfully the entire time as she exited the kitchen, flicking off the light.
* K-ON! *
The golden afternoon sun shone through the windows of the Light Music Clubroom. Tsumugi again stood at the clubroom's counter, happily humming a tune from an After School Tea Time song.
All of the girls had shared their usual lunch period together in the clubroom that day, yet she had not revealed her creation; she wanted it to be special, and she just happened to know that Yui would be the only girl that did not have anywhere to be after school. She had just poured up two cups of tea and perfectly sliced a piece of her new cake when on cue, Yui came bounding through the clubroom door.
"Afternoon, Mugi-chan!" she said in her usual cheerful and energetic fashion before sitting down at her usual spot.
"Good afternoon, Yui-chan," Tsumugi replied as she brought the slice of cake over and placed it in front of Yui along with her cup of tea, all the while barely managing to contain her excitement. Yui wasted no time in digging into the cake, but stopped right after her first bite, her face covered in a deep blush. Yui jumped from her seat and grabbed Tsumugi's hands, much to the blonde's surprise.
"Mugi-chan, you're a cake genius!" Yui stated in a humorously serious voice, her eyes ablaze with joy. A deep blush spread across Tsumugi's face as Yui absently squeezed her hands. But before she could even properly register the wonderful feeling, Yui had let go and sat back down, forking up another piece of cake into her mouth. Yui hummed her approval as she ate another piece.
"This is so good, Mugi-chan, it must be the love," Yui commented off-handedly. Tsumugi's fading blush intensified immediately as her eyes widened.
'H-how did she..?' She thought as she tensed and her hands began to tremble. Yui took another bite.
"You must have put a lot of loving care into making this cake!" Yui continued, causing Tsumugi to relax almost immediately.
"O-oh...Y-yes I did!" Tsumugi said, her voice trembling as she awkwardly tried to laugh off her nervousness. 'That was close...' she thought as she recomposed herself and placed her trademark smile back in place.
"Yes, I put a lot of love into it," she said as Yui happily ate away at the cake.
'A lot of love...'
END
Author's Commentary: This is my first K-ON! story, I've only been watching it for about a month but I instantly fell in-love with all of the girls, they're so wonderful and I just had to write about them. I also wanted to keep the honorifics since I feel they add a depth that English can't match. So sorry to anybody who understands them better than I do and sees where I messed them up. All feedback is always welcome!