Our second attempt at an anniversary dinner goes much more smoothly, albeit without the flash either of us expected. Natsuki worked yesterday after swapping shifts with someone, giving her Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. We both leave school before our last class on Friday afternoon, heading first to the bookstore to pick up the first volume of Sugar-Sweet Surprises, the sequel series to Parfait Girls she's been looking forward to for nearly a year. On the way back to the apartment, we stop at the grocery store I usually buy everything I cook with from, and pick up a couple of pork buns for dinner. Natsuki usually won't go near the place -she has some weird grudge against the entire chain that she's never explained to me- but concedes when I describe how delicious the buns they make are.

We eat early, almost as soon as we get home, and after a little bit of a tease-fight, Natsuki scurries off to our bedroom to read her book while I start prepping for the ungodly amount of food we're going to surprise-dump on Sayori tomorrow.

Natsuki returns in short order, grinning ear from ear, and we spend the rest of the afternoon cooking. By the time the sun has set, we're done, having made enough food to feed Sayori's entire family for at least a week, maybe longer. We may have gone a little overboard, but there's a (possibly good) chance that this is the only thing Sayori will get for her birthday from anyone other than her parents, at least for now. I'm sure Monika and Yuri will have gifts for her, but with Monika out of the country and Yuri even farther from home than Natsuki and I…

I don't say anything to her, but this is the first time I've cooked with Natsuki in over a week… it's nice. Not that we don't do other things together, but cooking was the thing we really bonded over when we first became friends- her teaching me more than me possessing any natural talent. The last few weeks have been more than a little stressful, and more often than not, at least one of us has come home late and gone right to bed without eating. Between everything else going on and Sayori being sick/telling us not to come down this weekend, Suki's been teasing me that my hair's going to go gray, with all the worrying I do… jokes on her, though. Her pink dye is starting to fade, and I can just see the faintest hint of natural black on her crown.

I don't say anything about that, either, even though it's an easy target.

After everything is cleaned up, Natsuki goes to take a shower, while I mostly sit on the edge of the bed waiting for her to be done, trying not to fall asleep. The same offer to join her is extended, like the actual day of our anniversary, but I'm just… exhausted- to the point that I fall asleep standing up in the shower not too long after getting in. When I come back to, the water is still going, but it's gone cold, and the bathroom isn't steam like usual. Cold, wet, a little confused, I turn the water off, dry myself, and toss the towel in a hamper before stepping out into the bedroom.

"MC, are you not attracted to me anymore?"

The question takes me completely off-guard, asked when I least expect it. "I… no?"

"Well, it's just- you've turned me down twice in three days…"

"It's just been a long week, is all." I pull a pair of boxers out of the dresser by the bathroom door and step into them, then climb onto the bed beside Natsuki. "It usually is, this week. Think I know you well enough not to stress too much over our anniversary, but Sayori's always so… I don't know what it is about her birthday, but she always gets so… down… this time of year."

"Maybe it's because most of us moved away from home." I see her eyes shift, gauging my expression; she looks away just as quickly when she realizes I saw her. "Maybe it's another year of being alone. I'd be upset if all my friends left home and the boy I had a crush on moved in with someone else."

"That's kind of a low blow… not like I could do much about it."

"I know, but you asked… sometimes I wonder what things would be like if we weren't together, what might have gone differently… I'd think it would be the opposite for her, right?"

"And every year around your birthday, you're reminded… oh…" That's a hard pill to swallow. "Why wouldn't she tell me, if that's it? She's always so open about everything else…"

"How long did it take for her to tell you about her depression, MC? This would be a lot harder to say to someone, wouldn't it?"

"I- I don't know… I guess it would be. Shit." I sink into the sheets, my head against hers. "You know, this is hardly the right conversation to get someone in the mood."

"You made it that way. I was concerned-"

"Shh." I kiss Natsuki's cheek, then turn on my side to face her. "Just teasing you. It's not you, Suki, I promise. You're still prettiest imp I've ever met."

She pushes me onto my back and crawls on top of me, kissing me so hard it nearly takes my breath away. "That would've really got under my skin when we first started dating."

"Aw…" I slide a hand under the back of her shirt, rubbing her back; she flinches as my cold fingers touch her. "Guess I'll have to find a new nickname for you, tiny."

"Nope." She keeps her face near mine, hiding her smirk. "If you're not feeling up to it… at least tell me I'm pretty."

"Don't be greedy."

"That doesn't count! Say it like you mean it…"

"Of course you're pretty. You're a great cook, too, and we have the same taste in manga, which… maybe isn't great, but…" I can't see it, from this angle, but I can feel her blush. "I'll make it up to you next week."

"Better."

"You know I will. First thing after work Monday."

"In the kitchen?"

"As soon as you get home."

"Mmm… I'll hold you to that, MC."

"I'll hold you to the fridge."

"Oh my god-" I cut her off with another kiss, nowhere near as forceful as hers. "Now you're just teasing."

"A little. Let's get some sleep… maybe if we have time in the morning, I'll do more than that."