For the Build A House! Challenge on the Ministry of Magic Discord.
Set S01E42.
Kashino knows that Amano is hard-working. He may have doubted it when they first met, but the past few years have proven him wrong. Amano is hard-working and dedicated, eager to work and eager to learn. She'll do anything in the name of becoming a better pâtissière.
But learning from—or, more accurately, attempting to steal from—Monsieur Blanc, is proving to be particularly tiring work. Monsieur Blanc, using every last drop of each batter and keeping them busy cleaning never-ending piles of pots and pans, is certainly not making it easy for them. And even Kashino, who is used to early mornings bent over a bench scraping chocolate and late nights perfecting the next day's task, has to admit that he's feeling a little worn out.
And so, it's hardly surprising when Amano collapses on the bed with a loud yawn. What is surprising, however, is that she barely seems to register that she's sleeping in the middle of the bed. The bed. As in the, the only bed in the room.
"I can sleep on half of it," she murmurs, silencing his protests.
And before he can argue that firstly, she is not on on just half of the bed, and that secondly, even if she were, it would still be entirely inappropriate, a soft snore fills the room.
"Amano!"
To his horror (although, admittedly, not his surprise) Amano has fallen asleep. In the middle of the bed. In the middle of the only bed in the room.
"Oh." Kashino lets out a frustrated sigh. "Fine."
For the first time in his life, he finds himself entirely too tired to argue with her. Instead, he pulls the covers over her body—making sure that his hands and eyes don't linger—and then gently sits on an empty corner of the bed, trying to figure out how to lay down so that he might make himself as small as possible.
He doesn't even notice when his eyes flutter close and his head hits the pillow. All he knows is the faint scent of strawberries and vanilla lulling him to sleep.