Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater
(featuring the Kuga-Fujino family pets)
The summer sun pounded down on the Fuuka region of Japan like a hammer, one that someone had left stuck in the forge until it glowed red-hot, and then brought down on the countryside and its people as if Fuuka was a particularly stubborn nail. Even so, that wasn't what made Duran whimper. Although the metal wolf had a high heat transfer coefficient, his biology was also better adapted to extremes of temperature than that of mere fleshly dogs.
"I know it's annoying, boy," Natsuki consoled her pet, "but it has to be done." She stroked his head a few times, her leather work gloves protecting her against burns, then picked up the wire brush again and went back to work removing the rust spots from his flank.
Like every other day this past week, the humidity was utterly awful. The sky was covered in a dull haze, and Natsuki probably could have swum to school had she not been on summer break.
"They probably time it this way on purpose, so that the school saves money on air conditioning just when we'd need it most," she grumbled. Sweat trickled down her forehead and neck, one bead dripping off her nose to splash on the patio next to Duran's belly, and she reached for her bottle of water with her free hand and took a swig. I shouldn't have to remember to stay hydrated while dog grooming!
"Now, Natsuki, do you think that the student council would be so sneaky?"
Natsuki looked up to see her girlfriend framed in the patio door.
"Well, maybe not now, but if it was left-over policy from when you were in charge. Kinda like how you snuck into the house without me even knowing you were back, Shizuru. I didn't realize it was three already."
"How long have you been working out here in the heat?"
"I started a little after two."
Shizuru frowned.
"Nearly an hour in this sun, and Natsuki is not wearing a hat?"
"I hate wearing hats. They give me weird hair."
"It is better than giving Natsuki heatstroke."
"Hey, I've been drinking ice water the whole time. And what's up with all the third-person talk from you, anyway? It's not like we're having a fight."
Shizuru walked out onto the patio. Actually, "walked" was not quite the correct word for something so swivel-hipped. "Sashayed," perhaps, or "pranced." Whatever it was, it was the kind of stride that made Natsuki suddenly conscious of how tightly her own shorts and tank top were clinging to her skin. Shizuru had stepped over Duran and knelt down behind Natsuki while the biker's brain was still trying to reboot.
"I like the way it tastes on my tongue when I say it, Na-tsu-ki," she purred, and then flicked the tip of that tongue along Natsuki's neck, capturing another errant sweatdrop.
Duran, knowing opportunity when he saw it, got up and bolted into the house.
"Geez, Shizuru, I must taste like a salt lick."
"Nonsense. It's like a margarita; the salt just helps to contrast and enhance the sweeter flavors." To illustrate her point and distract Natsuki from the fact that she didn't actually drink margaritas, she closed her mouth over the spot where neck met shoulder and sucked. Natsuki gasped, finding herself quite effectively distracted from further debate.
"S-Shizuru, we're outside," Natsuki stammered as long, agile fingers began to slide her tank top up over her belly.
"We wouldn't want Natsuki to go back from vacation with unsightly tan lines."
"I meant, somebody might see."
"Hasn't Natsuki ever heard the saying, 'high fences make good neighbors?' Now she knows why."
Natsuki glanced left and right, noting the six-foot-high board fences that did indeed separate their yard from their neighbors'.
"Well, in that case," she said, turning in Shizuru's arms, "since I've been working in the hot sun while you've been sitting in an air-conditioned lecture hall, I think it's only fair that I get first taste."
Shizuru squeaked happily as Natsuki pushed her down onto her back in the soft grass.
~X X X~
A/N: Inspired by the horribly hot and humid weather we've been having this week, which has been extremely uncomfortable…but as Shizuru would agree, does have its benefits as well!