In The Morning Light
"Nnngh..." Anthy's opened her eyes slowly, blinking the sleep from her face as the world slowly came into focus. As she pushed herself up from her pillow, she felt a slight tug on her scalp she immediately fell back against the bed. Smiling softly, she ran her hands across the sheets beside her as they rose and sank, brushing them back and uncovering a tangle of pink and purple hair. Still asleep and breathing softly, Utena's arms were wrapped up in Anthy's hair, her skin ensnared by a sea of spiraling swirls. Sliding in closer, Anthy slipped her head down onto Utena's pillow and pressed her lips onto the base of Utena's neck.
"Hmmm..." Anthy hummed quietly to herself, "I suppose it can't be helped then." She pulled the sheets over her head and ran her hands gently across Utena's back, weaving her fingers into a frazzled mess of disheveled hair. Burying her head in the pillow, Anthy's thoughts began drifting away as the Utena's scent filled the air around her, beckoning her closer and lulling her back to sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she squinted hard and tried to stay awake in spite of herself. I... I have to stay awake... we both have to be at work in less than an hour...Anthy repeated her obligations to herself even as she pulled herself closer and pressed her forehead against Utena's chest and her consciousness began to fade away. I should... I should... wake her up and get ready...Resisting sleep with all her strength, Anthy managed to force her eyes open but couldn't quite bring herself to move. As a broken beam of sunlight poured in through the window shade, Utena shifted her legs and grumbled, opening her eyes and looking down to find Anthy staring back up at her.
"Mmmm... Good Morning." Utena smiled wearily, the fog of sleep still lingering in the corners of her mind.
"Good Morning." Anthy smiled back, bringing her face closer and pausing as Utena brushed the corners of her eyes. Just scarcely keeping the sleep at bay herself, she brushed her hand across Anthy's waist and pulled her close for a slow, sweet kiss.
"What time is it?
"I wonder..." Anthy's eyelids fluttered for a moment before she shook her head out and pulled back the sheets and searched for their alarm clock. "Hm... it looks like we've overslept."
"Ah..." Utena pouted and flopped back against the bed. "At this rate I'll be late again..."
"Well then..." Anthy propped herself up on her elbows and folded her arms together. "We'll have to do something to save time. How about letting me wash your hair?"
Utena gave a quiet laugh and pushed herself up, stretching her arms out over hear head. "I'm not sure that'll actually save us time, but... I'll go get the water ready." Suddenly awake and full of energy, Utena turned and hopped onto the floor, stepping lightly up to the linen closet and pulling out a pair of towels. With her hair now freed, Anthy rolled onto her side and slowly coaxed herself out of bed as the heavy cadence of water falling against the shower floor. Stumbling onto the cold, tiled floor, Anthy shivered as she slipped off her pajamas and jumped into the shower behind Utena. Immediately the cold rushed away as steam surrounded them and a relaxing warmth splashed across their skin, the weight of the water settling in their hair as Anthy began working a handful of shampoo into Utena's scalp. Once she was done, Utena turned around and let the water rinse her hair out as she opened the bottle of shampoo... only to find that Anthy was still facing her with an inviting smile.
"You're going to make me wash your hair like this?" Utena gave a cheery, albeit slightly awkward smile. With her eyes closed, Anthy simply grinned and nodded.
"Yes, of course."
Utena blushed lightly and poured a generous glob of shampoo into her hands, folding it into Anthy's hair as she leaned against her. "You know, it's a lot harder to wash when we're like this..."
Anthy simply looked up and smiled. "Is it?"
"Well, I guess it isn't really, but..."
"Ah, Utena, we have to hurry..." Anthy pulled herself closer and reached around Utena's back, grabbing a sponge and some soap and sliding them across Utena's back. "I'll wash your back while you're doing that.
"W-wait," Utena reached up and held the curtain rod, her balance wavering as soap and shampoo coated the floor beneath her feet. "It's getting too slippe- Ah!" Losing her already tenuous attachment to the ground, she stumbled forward, falling into Anthy and tumbling toward the wall. Just before they both fell, she reached and wrapped one arm around Anthy's back and held herself up on a safety bar. Staring at one another wide-eyed and in shock, they slowly worked their way back up to their feet before giggling softly.
"We might need to take it a bit slower than that, at least while the floor's still covered in soap." Utena knelt down and retrieve the sponge from where it fell and began scrubbing Anthy's back.
"Well, it was worth a try." Anthy grinned and closed her eyes as she faced the wall and warm water trickled through her hair.
After getting out of the shower, brushing their teeth, dressing themselves and gathering their things, there were only ten minutes left for breakfast and tea. As Anthy poured the contents of a steaming kettle into a small teapot, Utena dropped two slices of bread into a toaster and rifled through the refrigerator for a jar of jam and a stick of butter. In a few minutes, they would be swallowing their breakfast as quickly as they could before rushing outside and off into opposite directions. In just a few minutes, they would be over a dozen miles apart for at least eight hours and, owing to Anthy's broken cell phone, almost completely out of contact. With this in mind, while she waited for the toast to pop up and the tea to cool, Utena hurried around the counter and wrapped her arms around Anthy's waist, pulling her close and kissing the top of her ear. It was always in this moment, every day just before they parted ways, that she desperately wanted to convey the gnawing sense of loneliness that she would be feeling in a few hours or the excitement she'd have as she stepped back through their front door and finally returned home... No matter how many times she tried though, she couldn't quite grasp the form of the feelings in this moment. Instead, all she could do was tighten her grip as Anthy slid her own hands over Utena's, lacing their fingers together as their hearts beat in time.
"Good luck... at work today." Utena spoke softly as she mumbled into Anthy's hair, their hands sliding further around Anthy's waist just as the toast popped up and the minute hand of the clock marched on. Closing her eyes, Anthy turned her head and pressed Utena's lips against her own.
"Utena... take care of yourself today."
"Mm." Utena nodded, smiling slightly. "I'll try not to get anymore cuts and bruises today... Ah, Himemiya..." She took only two steps back toward the toaster before turning back, her hand still shrouded in Anthy's warmth. "Do you want to go out somewhere tonight? Like, to dinner, or the movies, or just walking around or something like that...?"
Pleasantly surprised, Anthy's eyes perked up as she took a sip of tea and a bright smile spread across her face. Although she wasn't looking forward to getting in trouble for coming in late, she was suddenly more than willing to endure the next eight hours. "Yes, let's do that."
