"Itadakimasu." x2
Over the past few hours, Takina had been worried about Chisato's cooking abilities and/or her willingness to cook. It wasn't as if she lacked faith in Chisato, it was just that, well…
Anyways, it looked like she was worrying for nothing.
"Seriously though, I'm impressed, Chisato. I didn't think that you'd go this hard just for dinner."
Indeed, the dinner table was full to the brim with all sorts of food from dumplings, to leafy greens, to… ok, well, it was more quantity than variety, but it's the thought that counts, right?
"Eh? Is that so? Well, I'm glad you like it~"
Chisato leaned forward, resting her chin on the back of her hands as she watched Takina grab a pair of chopsticks and begin to eat a dumpling.
"How is it?"
Takina wasn't quite sure how to describe the taste that she was experiencing. Sure, Takina had probably eaten higher quality food at some point in her life, but something about this was… different. Takina swallowed, taking another dumpling as a contemplative look appeared on her face until it hit her.
"So? How does it taste, Takina?"
Takina looked away, seeming to debate whether or not she should open her mouth, but eventually, she managed to whisper out:
"It… I guess it tastes like love. Or something."
…
I'm an idiot!
Takina cursed herself for her foolishness!
Why would I say something like that? Was I trying to be aggressive? In any case, I fell flat on my face! I mean, seriously, what the hell was that?
"I-I'm sorry I really shouldn't have- mmph!"
At that moment, Takina was cut off as she felt a dumpling being shoved right into her mouth. She looked back to Chisato, watching as she slid the chopsticks out of her (Takina's) mouth. Chisato smiled, her voice taking on a sultry, singsong tone.
"I think you told me everything I need to know, Takina~"
"I… uh…"
Unable to think of a response, Takina began shovelling food into her mouth.
Seriously, why do I just go and say stuff like that? Am I trying to embarrass myself? And why is Chisato staring at me?
By this time, Chisato hadn't even touched any of the food. Rather than looking at the dinner table, her gaze had been glued to Takina since she'd sat down.
I'd ask her why she's staring at me, but she'd probably just say something like "It's because of how much I love you" or something.
Takina thought to herself, weighing the options as her face went a little pink.
…
Maybe I should ask after all?
"Chisato? Shouldn't you start eating?"
Chisato appeared to consider this proposal before shrugging and leaning down on the table.
"I could, but then I'd have to take my eyes off you."
Takina wasn't sure whether to curse or congratulate herself for this series of events.
###
It was alright at first, but this is really getting embarrassing…
Takina had been red for about 15 minutes now and by this point, she could still count the amount of times that Chisato looked away from her on one hand.
"Could you please stop staring at me?"
Chisato seemed to ponder the question for a moment, wondering if she really wanted to stop admiring the sight in front of her before giving a shrug.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess that I could…"
Takina held her breath as Chisato went from leaning back in her seat to leaning so close to Takina that they were almost touching as she closed her eyes and said:
"...As long as you kiss me."
There was a moment where neither of them spoke. Takina watched as unease began to work its way into Chisato's expression, her smile faltering before she put her hands up in front of herself in denial.
"T-that is, if you want to, of course. I wouldn't force you to do anything like tha-"
*chuu*
Takina pulled back for a moment, her grip on the collar of Chisato's shirt not faltering before she closed the distance again, this time both of them closing their eyes as they enjoyed the sensation of one anothers' lips. After what felt like hours, they broke apart momentarily, gasping for air before meeting each other in the middle once again for one more kiss. As they each returned to their seats, Takina, still heavily breathing, managed to whisper out:
"I did that because I wanted to. Not because of what you said."
If Takina had managed to take even a glance at Chisato, she would have seen the deepest shade of red known to man, but instead, she noticed that the floor was, indeed, made out of floor. Her face also having gone bright red, Takina started looking for any sort of distraction from the situation at hand before deciding to grab another dumpling and popping into her mouth.
Hm? This tastes weird.
A confused expression began to generate on Takina's face as the dumpling tasted far different than the other one's she had eaten. She wasn't quite sure what was wrong with it as she tried to come up with a possible explanation.
Maybe it's undercooked? No, that can't be right-
And that's when Takina noticed the childlike grin that had appeared on Chisato's face. The temperature in her mouth began to rise, the heat beginning to travel up to her nose as her eyes started to water, snot began to drip out of her nose and she covered her face as Chisato began to burst out in laughter.
"Ahahaha! You like the surprise I made for you, Takina? It's the finest wasabi on the market, so you'd better enjoy it- mmph!"
Chisato's gloating was promptly cut off by yet another kiss from Takina, only this time, Chisato could feel the half-eaten dumpling being passed into her mouth. Chisato's much smaller spice tolerance was immediately made evident when her eyes began watering far more than Takina's as she made a mad dash to the fridge for some milk.
After a few minutes, the chaos eventually died down as the 2 of them finished off the rest of the dumplings at the dinner table. Chisato's expression of pain and anguish had turned into a sheepish smile as the heat from the wasabi faded.
"I guess that I kinda deserved that, huh?"
After Takina didn't say anything, Chisato continued on, returning to her usual playful tone.
"Still, I didn't expect you to have that much spice tolerance, Takina! I mean, besides turning red, you were basically totally fine after a few minutes!"
Meanwhile, in Takina's mind…
Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I just went for it and french kissed her! And she doesn't even seem to mind? Does that mean we'll be doing that more, then? Should I have not done that?
Needless to say, she wasn't red from the spice.
###
After they cleaned up, Takina went through her nighttime routine fairly quickly. She was now in her bedroom, slowly breathing in and out as she appeared to empty her mind:
What the hell was happening today?!
Appearances can be deceiving.
First, we go on a date, then we kiss out in public, and then we practically make out when we get home… And then, I just go ahead and French kiss her while I still have food in my mouth? What was I thinking?!
The moment that Chisato walked in,Takina immediately stood up, bowing in apology.
"I'm sorry."
"Eh? What brought this on?"
Chisato wore a surprised smile, staring at Takina's apologetic stance for a few moments before heading over to the light switch.
"It's getting late, so let's lie down, ok?"
Chisato turned off the light, prompting Takina to get back into the futon. Chisato followed suit, lying down in the one next to hers.
"So, what exactly are you apologizing for?"
Takina seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying in a voice that was almost like a whisper.
"It's just… I feel like I was being too forward today. Like, We've only been dating for about a week, but it's like things are moving too fast, you know?"
The room fell silent for a moment before Chisato spoke up, only now, her voice was more stoic and soft when compared to her usual tone.
"Is that a bad thing? Do you want to slow things down?"
…
"I don't know."
"Are you ok with how things are right now?"
"I… I think so."
"Have I been making you uncomfortable at all?"
A longer pause. Almost an entire minute passed before Takina responded.
"That depends on what you mean by that. You've definitely been embarrassing me and getting me flustered, but I wouldn't say that I hate it."
"Want me to slow down a bit? Lighten up on the flirting?"
"...No. No, I don't."
"Then, is this ok?"
Takina wasn't sure when the feeling of Chisato hugging her from behind became a familiar sensation, but she welcomed this nonetheless.
"Yeah."
They stayed like that for a bit, Chisato having left her own futon behind in favour of Takina's.
"By the way, Takina, do we have work tomorrow?"
"No, we don't. Why?"
Takina could almost hear Chisato cracking a smile as she nuzzled into the back of Takina's neck.
"Well, I've got some plans in store for us."
"Eh? Really? Where're we going?"
"It's a secret~"
An indignant grin appeared on Takina's face as she protested.
"Chisato! Can't you just tell-"
Then again, this is how I was acting yesterday.
The 2 of them stayed in that position, sharing the blanket, the futon, and their body heat, and as Takina began to drift off to sleep, she could feel a sense of excitement building within her.
I can't wait for the morning.