Prompt 26 - Tickle in the throat
Gray gloomy skies, chilly winter air, near freezing rain. Nanami kicked her booted feet through a large puddle splashing the water everywhere. Bundled up warm in a cozy coat, a sturdy umbrella in hands, the cold water carried no threat to her well being.
She was lethargic though, walking back to the shrine slowly. Stormy weather or not, she wasn't in a hurry. Breath steaming out in front of her, trees moving with the wind, she was taken off guard with a large sneeze.
Gone as fast as it came, she was surprised, but sniffled to clear her nose, the moisture in the air made everything moist anyway. Then she felt that darn tickle in the back of her throat.
With a dramatic sigh to herself, she tried to ignore the after effects of her one sneeze. She hated it when this happened.
Only halfway aware of it, Nanami's stride covered more ground with each step as her attempts to ignore the infernal tickle only made it more annoying. She gave in enough to try clearing her throat gently, that just made it worse.
Walking on auto pilot, Nanami reached the stair leading to the shrine and climbed without thought. Her thoughts were almost entirely focused on not coughing. As usual, the more will power used to defeat the irritating ticklish feeling the larger it loomed. Each breath seemed to be vibrating a tiny feather in the back of her throat.
Lifting one foot at a time, Nanami reached the top and saw the shrine glowing with lights against the storm. Home suddenly seems like a cozy haven, a refuge from the atmosphere that is now deary and lonely.
With a sigh of contentment she closed the door behind her and toed off her dripping shoes, placing the umbrella to the side to drip. Scurrying to her bedroom, she shed her layers of outerwear. The warm coat, a soft scarf, and such were quickly put away as the rain fell even harder.
Another uncontrollable urge to clear her throat hit and she coughed a couple of little coughs into her elbow, frustrated cuz it only made the sensation worse.
Gritting her teeth to try to distract herself, Nanami wandered to the kitchen thinking maybe a hot beverage would help. Maybe tea, or hot chocolate even, sounded warm and soothing. Perfect for a cozy snuggly feeling on such a rainy stormy day.
Finding the kitchen empty, Nanami set to work. She knew Tomoe would be starting dinner preparations soon and she wanted to be out of the way. She also didn't really want Tomoe to know she was trying to cook as he had just about banished her from cooking. Hot chocolate should be quick and easy to make though.
She smiled to herself at the pleasant image her mind conjured of her sitting there sipping away at a perfect cup of steaming cocoa when he walked in.
Inspired by this eminently satisfying vision, She collected ingredients, milk to start; obviously. Chocolate bars had to be critical, how else would it be "Hot Chocolate". She knew Kei raved about putting cinnamon in hers so she added a healthy lump of cinnamon as well. Adding everything to a small pan, she nervously checked the time.
Ack! It was later than she expected, knowing Tomoe would be here soon, she turned the heat on high in hopes of speeding the cooking process along.
The first whispers of doubt floated through her brain as she watched the cold milk with floating cinnamon blobs. She was forgetting something, but once she felt hurried she could not quite remember what she forgot.
Soon, the milk took on a brown tint and Nanami watched the warming pan hopefully. The flame up the pan wrapped around the side and the milk seemed to be warming. Unable to see the bars of chocolate underneath she wondered how long it took chocolate to melt.
"Nanami?" Tomoe asked, sounding wary as he entered. "What are you doing?" His eyes narrowed at the pot she tried to hide behind herself.
"Nothing! I mean nothing big," she tried to act confident as she risked another uncertain glance at the pot that didn't look like hot cocoa yet.
"What "not big" thing are you making, Nanami?" Now the fox was trying not to smirk, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching.
The pan of milk was starting to bubble for real now, but it didn't smell right. The milk had turned a more brown color but it smelled more burnt?
Tomoe sniffed the air, somehow he did it gracefully, distracting Nanami from her for a few seconds. A furious bubbling noise from behind startled her, she turned back to the hopeful hot chocolate. Now the pan was boiling over and milk snapped and popped as it hit the burners.
Nanami reached toward the poor little pot, "Oh no!" She cried, trying to grab the handle to move the pot. Nanami's small hand was caught up in Tomoe's larger one before the boiling, spitting, milk could burn her skin. Gently, but firmly pushing Nanami to the side, Tomoe had the flames put out, burner off, and the hot milk under a cold stream of running water before Nanami could blink twice.
"My hot chocolate," Nanami wailed, unexpectedly saddened at the loss of her treat. She wanted it even more now that she apparently failed.
Tomoe's ear twitched and he glanced over his shoulder at her. He faced the now cooled pot in the sink and dumping the water out, there was scorching where chocolate bars had fused to the bottom. Nanami drooped when she saw the mess she had made. Without a word, Tomoe led her to the table and sar her down.
Grabbing a new pan, Tomoe poured out a measure of milk, whisked in some baking cocoa, a dash of salt, a bit of sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg. Warming the pan with his fox fire as he whisked within ten minutes he handed Nanami with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. It smelled amazing.
Much to her surprise, he sat down across from her with a second up.
"I have not tried this "Hot Cocoa" concoction yet," he said in an off hand manner, as if this was an experiment he cared nothing about.
Feeling warm inside, even though she hadn't drank a drop yet. Nanami took a deep appreciative sniff and had to lightly cough to the side.
Sounding shaper now, Tomoe narrowed his eyes in suspicion this time, "Are you sick Nanami?"
She shook her head as she took a blissful sip. Swallowing, she coughed again and Tomoe watched her with disbelief.
"I just have a tickle in my throat," Nanami informed him, before getting lost in her perfect cup of hot chocolate.