"Miya-chan, I'm melting..." Yuno moaned as they approached the apartments. The cloudless sky offered no protection from the burning sun, and the mild wind was almost too warm to be of any relief. Wilting next to the unbelievably happy Miyako, Yuno continued, "I can't believe you still don't have an air conditioner. Does the landlady not like you or something?"
"No no, I have cheap rent because I'm awesome. You know that," Miyako replied easily, Yuno's luggage still in tow and rolling along happily on the burning hot pavement. Thankfully the small girl only wore small clothes as her luggage was relatively light, but Miyako would have taken it for Yuno even if it was substantially heavier. Yuno would just have to cook more for dinner.
"That makes me feel kind of spoiled," Yuno mentioned softly as they reached the steps. She fished around for her room key out of habit, but of course it was not there. This situation would take a bit of getting used to, perhaps. She sighed in defeat as Miyako began to lift her belongings. "Oh, Miya-chan! It's okay, you don't have to go through the trouble."
"You weren't planning on bringing up your stuff in stages, were you?" Miyako replied knowingly, and with a smile she took the small suitcase in her arms and headed up the stairwell. She could be the knight for her maiden today. "You're the guest."
"And do guests normally buy ice cream for everyone?" Yuno started, and before Miyako had a chance to answer she continued, "What about buying groceries? What about cooking dinner? Don't tell me your cooking dinner tonight..."
"I was thinking about it..." Miyako began playfully as she took another step. Yuno was fun to tease, though she had seriously considered preparing something simple for her dear guest. Perhaps something like ramen with a random, unnameable green from the store. Of course, she had no money for food, so regardless of whether or not she cooked Yuno would still be footing the bill.
"Nooo! I'm cooking dinner!" Yuno declared loudly. She dashed up to the stairs to catch up to Miyako, who was already on the second floor. "I am absolutely cooking dinner and if you even think you're allowed to even light the stove there will be divine culinary retribution."
"But I like lighting the stove! That's like the most fun thing in the world! Yunocchi wouldn't deprive me of stove action!" Miyako made clicking noises with her tongue as she continued to drag Yuno's belongings behind her once more, taking the last few steps towards her apartment door. Opening it quickly, she kicked off her sandals and brought Yuno's things to rest by the bathroom.
"What if I let you light the stove then? Provided you don't burn the house down, what kind of payment should I expect to receive?" Yuno asked, closing the front door behind her as she entered Miyako's studio apartment. Her own sandals were off a moment later.
"Oh, I like this game!" Miyako exclaimed, turning around to face Yuno with a finger to her lips in thought. "Oh, hmm... What if I lit the stove without your permission, then what would the punishment be? Surely you've thought of that."
"I was actually getting the impression that you've thought this through a bit more than I have, and now I'm beginning to think I was right." Yuno said sweetly, a hint of sarcasm in her voice that was not bitter in the least.
"Oh, she's so cute..." Miyako thought suddenly, and she bounced over to Yuno with a hopeful expression on her face, "I have! And you know what? I have some spare rope in the closet..."
"And the rope is for... what exactly?" Yuno asked, confused. Certainly Miyako had a purpose for the rope, but precisely what... Yuno couldn't begin to imagine. Perhaps the heat was getting to her. That and hours of solitary confinement in her room. "Do you want to... do yard work or something? I suppose that would be an appropriate punishment, but considering we don't really have a yard..."
"Oh, Yuno." So cute. So sweet. Miyako didn't know if it was right to taint Yuno's innocence with her impure and vivid imagination, but today a succubus with a triple-pronged number two pencil and a face lacking makeup was speaking directly into her left ear rather loudly. Today was not the time for the restrictive trivialities of purity. Today should be the beginning of something wonderfully perverted.
"You can tie me up!" Miyako blurted happily, spinning around. By simple chance, she had found a curious way to tie up people the other day. It was a print-out of sorts that was strangely in her mailbox, and while it didn't have a return address or anything, it offered a rather pornographic example of how to tie up a girl. Normally Miyako had found pornographic material to be rather crude, even from the eyes of a perverse art student, yet the material she had received in the mailbox the other day clearly portrayed a rather artistic use of rope. Surely this could be passed off as an art project? "Yoshinoya-sensei would probably like it." Miyako smirked.
"Miya-chan!" Yuno said worriedly, "What's so funny? Why would I do that? Is that even a punishment? Are you okay? I'm making tea right now!"
"Oh, Yuno. You don't understand." Miyako sighed and followed behind the rather worked-up Yuno. The smaller girl made her way to the cabinets that normally contained a scant amount of tea. Even when there was nothing else in the house remotely edible, Miyako somehow managed to keep a small amount stashed away, though part of this success was the fact that Miyako didn't drink tea so often.
Well, unless of course, Yuno prepared it.
"Why does everything have to be so high up!" Yuno moaned. Try as she might, she couldn't reach the knob on the cabinet that most likely contained a box or bag of tea. Bouncing up and down trying to open it, Yuno grumbled again. "Why can't you put things down lower!"
"It's cute when you struggle!" Miyako offered truthfully, only to receive an evil eye from Yuno immediately thereafter. Yuno wasn't letting her get away with anything today, though it wasn't like Yuno fully comprehended everything Miyako had insinuated. Her perverse undertones simply flew past Yuno's thoughts and mysteriously vanished.
Or did they? That was perhaps a scary thought. Maybe she had caught on from day one, and yet had never said anything. Maybe she had always played dumb, and she was a perfect actor, even when she was sleeping. Maybe this was part of some evil plan to tease Miyako. But certainly, Yuno was not that evil. Yuno didn't have a succubus whispering into her ear too, did she? Besides, Yuno teased her enough already, especially with her feisty attitude and all that cute jumping she liked to do.
"Miya-chan, why do I get the impression that you like it when I'm helpless? You're probably reveling in the fact I have no room keys and a dead cellphone, and there is no one else at Hidamari now and it's practically noon on a summer vacation day. This is like some perfect setup for a murder mystery novel," Yuno replied thoughtfully with another hint of sarcasm. "But I'm not that small! You're just mean!"
"Gah, Yunocchi has caught on!" Miyako stepped up to Yuno's side and gave her a hug with her left arm. "But honestly, if I didn't put things up so high, you wouldn't have to ask me for help."
"Then you're just desperate for attention," Yuno added softly, giving up the mock argument and leaning into Miyako's embrace. Yuno had been quick to notice that there was something different about Miyako today, but she had also been quick to pass it off as the peculiarities of being apart for three weeks. Last year's summer vacation had felt similar to this as well, though its intensity had certainly been less. Regardless, Yuno didn't mind the extra physical attention. A piece of her perhaps secretly wanted and expected it after her long awaited return to Hidamari. A wait that had, this year in particular, been rather unbearable.
"You know I don't help in the kitchen unless you ask me to. You are kind of protective of your workspace now that Hiro-senpai is gone," Miyako replied, reaching up to the cabinet that Yuno couldn't open, removing a small bag of loose leaf tea from within. "I'm not sure what kind of green tea this is, but..."
Yuno sighed and took the small bag from Miyako's hands, looking back up to the blonde haired girl with a troubled expression . It was hard enough to talk about their seniors now that they were gone, now that even their own parting from Hidamari was near, but the subject was somewhat tolerable when they were together. Miyako gave her another squeeze with her arm.
"It'll be okay. Let's have this unknown and possibly genetically mutated green tea, Yunocchi. Even though it's hot outside and we're baking." Seeing a faint smile spread across Yuno's face, Miyako let the small girl go and and bent down to fish around for her barely functioning kettle, the one she hoped was still located in the same lower cabinet as before. How it was barely functioning was a mystery; the kettle merely seemed to be more fitting amongst her cookware with such a description. Finding the piece of antiquity, Miyako handed it to Yuno and leaned against the fridge.
"Oh, I can make it cold," Yuno offered, "you have ice cubes right? Your freezer works still?"
"That sounds good! Yunocchi is so smart!" Miyako replied happily, making her way over to the small table she had pushed to the side of the room. "I guess we need a table. I didn't know you were coming over so everything is messy."
"It wouldn't feel like Miya-chan's room without a bit of clutter though," Yuno said as she turned on a gas burner.
"Ouch. She expects a messy room." Miyako was ready to say something in retort, but words failed her as she looked up to Yuno. It was quite warm, things were a mess, and there was no food in the house, but it was okay. Yuno was standing several feet away with a smile on her face. She was beautiful. Nothing could really matter. Miyako grinned.
"Quite serious this is," Miyako mused to herself as she began to clear off the small table.
...o.o.o.o...
The afternoon heat had been broken by another storm, and rain fell plentifully outside of Miyako's studio. A cool wind blew through the open sliding door, bringing with it the nostalgic scent of wet streets. Even the humidity had abated after sunset, and now as the quiet, late evening descended upon Hidamari, it was actually quite pleasant.
Especially with a full belly. Dinner had been finished only just recently, and the remains of the meal were still noticeable on the small table that Miyako had cleaned off earlier for tea and lunch. Working furiously for what seemed like ages to Miyako's rumbling stomach, Yuno had prepared and treated Miyako to the best dinner she had had in weeks, though of course Yuno's cooking instantly ranked higher than any other.
"Yunocchi, that was delicious!" Miyako said happily, smiling across the table at Yuno. "I just wanted to tell you again."
"You seem to have missed my bad cooking," Yuno replied with a yawn, gathering the dinnerware on the table into a pile. "I haven't really made dinner for awhile."
"It's not bad! It's the best!" Miyako insisted energetically, wiggling her toes beneath the table contentedly to the beat of Jingle Bells. "I would be the best person to ask too! You're always making something tasty and I tend to be there to eat it."
"What exactly did you eat while I was away, anyways?" Yuno wondered as she returned her attention from the table back to Miyako. "You had food while you were away from here, but what about when you came back? What did you have for dinner?"
"I had a run in with a particularly nasty bunch of shrimp crunchies," Miyako explained simply. "Hardcore criminals of the processed food underground if you ask me."
"Miya-chan that's not dinner." Yuno scolded, moving to clear the table and bring the dishes to the sink. She reached across the table for Miyako's glass, however before she could remove it from the table Miyako had set a hand on hers.
"It's okay, you're tired. I'll do the dishes." Miyako took the glass from Yuno's hand along with the pile of dishes and made her way to the sink. Upon her return trip for the remainder of the dinner things, Miyako glanced at Yuno to find the small girl relaxed and resting her head on her arms on the table. "Yunocchi, you seem happy."
"Besides the fact you ate junk food last night, I am happy." Yuno replied with a slight mumble.
"You're not going to let me get away with that? Normally you do, you know..." Miyako cleared the rest of the table. There were of course no leftovers, and as such clean-up was merely washing several dishes and a small, barely functioning pot. In truth the pot was just stained, but that wasn't a creative enough way to describe a apparatus in an artist's den. Barely functioning or functionally decrepit were certainly much better descriptions. Miyako began to wash the dishes in the sink. "Yunocchi?"
"Miya-chan..." Yuno said softly from a short distance away, her small voice almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.
"You're pretty tired, aren't you." Miyako stated, glancing at Yuno for a moment. She returned her attention to the sink as she washed a plate. "Let me finish the dishes and we'll go to bed. You probably want to skip a bath too, right?"
"Do I smell bad?" Yuno asked without pretense, "If I do I'll clean up."
"Probably not worse than the bedding, actually." Miyako replied truthfully with a worried smile. She wondered how much grief Yuno would give her for not cleaning the sheets, but perhaps they were okay. They had only been slept on once since the last cleaning, and the concern would perhaps be the shrimp crunchie remains from the prior night's genocide, rather than the smell.
"Is that good or bad?" Yuno wondered aloud sleepily after several moments had elapsed.
"You smell nice Yunocchi, and the bedding should be okay." Miyako answered as she set the fourth to last dish on a towel to dry. "Give me a few more minutes, almost done."
If Yuno had replied, Miyako hadn't heard it. The sound of the rain was beginning to die down, so perhaps Yuno hadn't said anything. After several moments of relative quiet, Miyako set the last dish down to dry and turned off the faucet. She turned her attention back to Yuno as she made her way over to the dozing girl. It looked like she had fallen asleep at the table.
"Maybe a couple minutes was too much to ask," Miyako said quietly to herself. She smiled at the thought of Yuno's cuteness and began to unfurl her bedding in the middle of the room. Noticing a couple of crumbs still lingering on the top sheet, she brushed them off with her hand. A satisfactory scratch and sniff later, she stood up and glanced around.
"Pillows now, let's see..." Miyako found her pillows and inspected them for troublesome food, though fortunately they were pretty clean. She tossed them at the head of the bedding and stepped over to Yuno. "All set now, time for bed."
Yuno didn't respond, and Miyako gently set her hand on the sleepy girl's shoulder. "Yunocchi..."
"Oh, Miya-chan..." Yuno mumbled softly. "Bedtime?"
"Yes, do you want to change into pajamas?"
"Mine are... do you have something...?" Yuno asked in broken sentences, opening her eyes slightly. Perhaps she really had fallen asleep for a moment.
Miyako walked over to a small dresser and found a relatively plain t-shirt for Yuno. It was a little big for her, and so for the even smaller frame of Yuno, Miyako thought it would work nicely. As she made her way back over to the table, Miyako noticed that Yuno hadn't budged and her eyes had closed again. This had to be the most rewarding night ever. Surely it was worth waiting an extra day for Yuno to come back to Hidamari.
"Yunocchi, arms up." Miyako requested, and Yuno mumbled something in reply. "Hey now, I'm not going to go easy on you."
"Fine," Yuno said sleepily, lifting her head and arms from the table. With a deft and curiously practiced hand, Miyako removed Yuno's top and bra quickly, tossing them to the side. "You're probably enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Someone is thinking to much for being half-asleep." Miyako replied, slipping the t-shirt over Yuno carefully. "You're probably enjoying this too, aren't you?"
Yuno didn't say anything in reply, and rather she turned her tired gaze to Miyako. A moment passed in silence. There was something peaceful in Yuno's expression, but Miyako couldn't immediately place it.
"Here," Miyako reached a hand down to help Yuno up. "Come along sleepy head."
Yuno accepted the offer with her own hand, and after a heave she stood sleepily with Miyako's arm around her. Yuno undid the button on her shorts with a slow fumble, and they fell to the ground easily. Moments later Miyako had lead her to the bedding and there Yuno nearly collapsed, letting her head sink into the soft pillow with a soft exhale.
"Too much excitement in one day, I think." Miyako commented as she removed her outer clothing and changed into a t-shirt herself. As she walked back over to Yuno, she couldn't help but notice the priceless girl she would be sleeping next to that night. There was always something magical about the nights she spent with Yuno. Miyako laid down and rolled to face Yuno. Several moments passed quietly.
"Miya-chan, it's impossible to sleep when you're staring at me like that." Yuno mumbled, her eyes still closed and her back to Miyako.
"Yunocchi found me out!" Miyako admitted, "How did you know?"
"I guessed." Yuno replied softly, "You want attention, don't you?"
"Does that make two of us?" Miyako asked gently. A moment passed in silence, followed by another.
It was doubtful that Yuno had suddenly dozed off, and Miyako wondered if she was perhaps a bit embarrassed. They were still technically friends after all, and in a situation like this where other factors had perhaps begun to come into play, perhaps it only made things more difficult. Miyako felt relatively sure that Yuno's reply would have been yes, in any case, and snuggled up to Yuno's back. She draped an arm around Yuno's small body and pulled her closer.
"I missed you Yunocchi," Miyako whispered softly in Yuno's ear.
Yuno didn't speak. She didn't need to. She placed her hand over Miyako's warmly, holding it gently as her body relaxed. Miyako smiled at this, drawing in the sweet scent of Yuno's hair with a deep breath. Yuno's wordless answer had been more than enough. Perhaps it had been too much even, a reply that had evoked a strong yearning inside of Miyako, one that she didn't completely understand yet. Perhaps there was no such thing as too much Yuno, and one day the yearning would turn her into a raging sapphic demoness hellbent on having Yuno all to herself.
Miyako sleepily agreed with the later. She was halfway there already.
...o.o.o.o...
Notice: This story will be released on a bi-weekly schedule until further notice
Please see profile for details
Sunshine: Chapter 6 is scheduled for July 27th.
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Beta: Kuchibiru