The hidden foodie in me strikes again.

Here I bring you the beginning of a small one-shot collection. A handful of food-inspired ShizNat stories. Fluffy, sweet and pointless. No set timeline or universe but mostly with our ladies as an established couple. OOC in abundance.

In keeping with the previous food stories, this collection will be called Why so cheesy - as a reference to the cheese plate often served at the end of a meal. And, well, they will be cheesy XD

Have fun!

It was not the first time when Natsuki was at the China Chow.

In truth, given the uncanny love for Chinese cuisine displayed by Shizuru in these last few months, it was a wonder they had not yet been offered a loyalty card. They came here for Saturday dinners, for Wednesdays shumai lunches and for the all-you-can-eat events the restaurant organised every once in a while. And whenever Shizuru felt like it, they came as well.

Or maybe she should rather say, they used to come.

Anyway, it wasn't Natsuki's first time in the restaurant, yet it was the first time when she really noticed some rather unusual things about the decorations. Like that huge fish tank in the corner - completely empty. Was it always that way - just a prop to fill the space - or had all the fish died in some sudden and unexpected manner and the restaurant staff didn't have time to replace them? Or maybe - just maybe - it was where crustaceans were kept before cooking and they already sold out.

And then, the paper lanterns under the ceiling. Natsuki didn't know Chinese but she tried comparing the signs to kanji and the results were pretty… strange. She always thought that the writing on the things was more along the lines of good wishes or maybe some inspirational quotes. Apparently, she was wrong all her life. The lanterns in the restaurant sported signs reading 'Cantonese fried noodles', 'sesame pickled vegetable' and 'black beans beef in oyster sauce'. Either kanjis were further removed from Chinese writing than Natsuki thought, or the lanterns doubled as some moderately fancy menu.

Rubbish.

She didn't care a whit about the tank, the lanterns or the wilting plants by the doorway. What she cared about was not there.

Who she cared about.

Furiously, Natsuki shoved some rice in her mouth and reached for a slice of Peking duck breast. Smirking, she dipped it generously in mayonnaise but as she was about to take a bite, she faltered. Somehow, without the presence of that one person teasingly reminding her of how unhealthy it was, Natsuki's favourite condiment lost half of its appeal.

Two tentative bites later, the girl chuckled ruefully and with resignation asked the passing waitress to take the mayonnaise back.

Biting lightly at her chopsticks tips, Natsuki looked at the array of small dishes laid out before her. She tried to remember what made her come here and order their usual couple set. After all, it wasn't that Shizuru suddenly stood her up. By now she should have grown accustomed to the thought of eating alone.

Being alone.

Maybe she could ask to have the food packed, take it away and reheat the next day? Or share it with that group of hobos camping permanently near her apartment lot. They would probably appreciate some nice food like that.

Smiling to herself, Natsuki absentmindedly picked up a bit of sweet and sour steamed salmon. And then another one. And one more.

In that moment, Natsuki realised why Shizuru insisted on always including that particular dish in their order. She pulled the small plate closer and scanned the dishes for another of the Shizuru's favourites.

Pickled radish tasted all too familiar, almost like Shizuru's lips on Saturday nights.

If she closed her eyes, maybe she could imagine Shizuru being there with her. Maybe she could still save this evening.

And so Natsuki did just that: closed her eyes and imagined her lover sitting across the table, smiling gently at her from behind folded hands. Keeping that picture in mind, she bit into a shrimp dumpling and sighed happily. Almost perfect. She could even hear Shizuru's barely restricted giggle.

When she opened her eyes, the vision was still there. Shizuru so lifelike that almost impossible to discern from the real thing, down to the mirthful sparkle in the red orbs that always accompanied some particularly delightful tease.

"Hello, pretty," mouthed Natsuki.

"Hello to you too," came the mouthed answer.

Natsuki picked up another piece of the salmon and once again closed her eyes, picturing feeding it to Shizuru. Were the other woman really with her, she would never do something so cheesy. But as it was, she planned to follow every possible scenario to make this evening even better.

To her surprise though, someone seemed to take the bite from her chopsticks.

Natsuki gasped and her eyes shot wide open.

Stretched across the table, Shizuru slowly finished chewing the fish.

"Thank you, Natsuki." Stretching even further, she plucked the chopsticks from the bluenette's pliable fingers, put them aside and placed a quick kiss at the corner of Natsuki's gaping mouth. "I was getting pretty hungry."

"You! How… why… when…"

"Ara, I see Natsuki ordered only one portion of rice." The brunette slid into the seat next to Natsuki, forcing the girl to squeeze closer to the wall. "It's so romantic of you, dear."

"Romantic? How's that romantic?" Natsuki tried to regain some sitting space.

Unsuccessfully.

"Why, dear." Shizuru reached for a new pair of chopsticks and broke them apart. "Because now we'll have to share it."

Giving up on finding enough space to sit comfortably, Natsuki pulled Shizuru onto her lap.

"What about that super important board meeting you couldn't miss today?" The bluenette retrieved her own chopsticks and fumbled with them while trying to grip them with one hand.

"No meeting is more important than keeping my Natsuki company."

Rolling her eyes, Natsuki placed a quick kiss on Shizuru's cheek. She knew that once Shizuru got into that playful mood, she could never win.

She had already grown accustomed to that.

After all, it was not the first time when she was there.