The sheets still had that fresh out of the package smell, and in a groggy, tired mind it felt all to foreign. A pillow that wasn't worn in the right way caused a shift of the neck as the bright sun seeped in through oddly clean windows. They were new, and waking up to new was an odd experience.
Nozomi wasn't near a clear state of mind as she looked up at the ceiling with foggy vision. A pattern that was different from what she had spent years under, smooth without a hint of blemish. It was a different sort of feeling from waking up at a friend's which was just as foreign. This was her new home, after all
She couldn't count the strange cracks that ran across the ceiling with precise accuracy like usual, and the white, bare walls stood out as too sterile. None of the familiar marks or scratches that carried with them stories that only Nozomi could tell. Bigger than before, and that was exciting, but change was never something she looked forward to. Used to it sure, but that never meant it was a well-liked part of what made her, her.
The scent was off. Puerile, lacking anything that had become commonplace. Not a single whiff of leftover incense from one to many tarot reading. Something she would have to work on for sure, a proper mood had to be set after all, and home wouldn't have any other smell to it. Japanese sweets being a close second.
A twinge of fear induced anxieties poked at the far reaches of her mind. Was she moving to fast? What if they were making a huge mistake? Would this ever feel like a proper home? Because lying on a non-worn mattress and staring at the pristine ceiling was enough to even form those kinds of thoughts. Morning Nozomi was never someone to be listened to, but she always had an odd habit of letting those fearful sides of herself guide her.
A tug at the blankets and Nozomi had to pull back to stay under. She rolled onto her side and stared at the reason for all this new. Reaching a hand out around the sleeping body's waist, Nozomi slid in closer and focused on the calm face. An odd treat seeing Honoka so serene. Cute, and a nice change of pace, but she'd be the first to admit Honoka never looked right without a smile.
Despite everything so new, Honoka was still much the same. Nozomi snuck a peek over her shoulder at a clock on the nightstand. Already ten o'clock. Yes, still the same, and maybe she was picking up on some of those habits along the way.
As Nozomi held Honoka, that annoying fear felt insignificant. Moving in with your girlfriend was something anyone would be nervous about, Nico and Eli had made sure to hammer that point home for months before the big move, and she felt it. It was enough to second guess at every turn, but as she looked at Honoka in her arms on the same bed, those fears seemed dumb.
"Nozomi?"
Nozomi shook her head, snapping back to Honoka half-lidded eyes. "Yes?"
Honoka yawned. "What time is it."
"A little past ten." Nozomi smiled. Waking up to Honoka was something she could get used to. That thought kept her from slipping too far into anxieties.
"Alright." Honoka snuggled in closer to Nozomi's chest and closed her eyes with a long sigh. "Then a few more hours wouldn't hurt."
Nozomi rubbed her hand up and down Honoka's pajama-clad side with a giggle. "I think we should get up soon. We wouldn't want to miss breakfast."
"But it's Sunday," Honoka mumbled into Nozomi's pajama shirt. "And it's our first morning in our new apartment. I wanna lay here with you as long as I can."
A blush, and a fierce one at that. It was a reaction that Nozomi still hadn't gotten used to after her years with Honoka. She doubted she ever would.
"We still have things we need to unpack, and they aren't going to do it themselves," Nozomi said, noting the sealed cardboard box at the foot of the bed.
Honoka shook her head. "Come on. Just a little longer. I'm still tired from moving everything yesterday. I don't even want to look at another box."
Nozomi couldn't say no to Honoka, and she couldn't deny that more of this bliss sounded all that bad. "Just a little bit longer wouldn't be a problem, I suppose."
"I love you." Honoka went up for a quick kiss on the cheek before snuggling back in. "Like, a whole lot."
Nozomi answered with her own kiss to Honoka's forehead that she smiled into. "I love you a whole lot, too."
It was quiet again. Nozomi listened as Honoka's breathing got heavier and more rhythmic. Back asleep so quick, and she couldn't think of anything more like Honoka. The warmth of the girl she loved almost sent Nozomi back to sleep, but she wanted to savor it.
Waking up with Honoka in her arms seemed like a fantasy when that stupid high school crush first reared its head. A dumb wish that would never be fulfilled, but she was wrong. That thought filling her with a new hope that rivaled any fear. They'd be alright, and Nozomi could be sure of that.
The walls were still an all too clean white, the ceiling was near perfect in a strange way, a pillow that didn't feel right on her neck, and a smell that wasn't anything like what she had called home for years. That was Nozomi's new apartment. Weird, new, and all around strange form what she was used to. It wasn't near the comfort that Nozomi's old apartment afforded her, but this one had Honoka. It wasn't just hers. It was theirs, and that made it home in a way nothing could rival.
The sun stayed bright in the room, letting in a bit of warmth with it. Ten o'clock in the morning was much past when Nozomi preferred waking, but she looked over at the clock then back at the pretty girl in her arms. Sleeping in was another thing she'd have to get used to.