For A Candy Cane A Day on the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum.
Ichigo isn't sure when she falls asleep, but when she finally wakes up her cheek is flush against the countertop and her hands are still covered in icing sugar. She pushes herself up slowly, blinking herself into consciousness. She's mid-yawn, arms stretched towards the ceiling when she suddenly realises that she isn't alone. The shock of it makes her stumble off her chair.
"Here." Kashino pushes a mug towards her. "Drink."
Her hands move on their own accord, fingers curling around warm porcelain. She inhales deeply. The scent of rich chocolate fills her nostrils. Even without bringing the mug to her lips, she knows that it tastes phenomenal—far better than anything she could ever dream of making. It's a thought that makes her sigh.
"Drink," Kashino insists.
It's enough to startle Ichigo out of her thoughts. She complies without argument. The hot chocolate is smooth on her tongue. It also—she pauses, rolling the flavour in her mouth—tastes like cinnamon. Immediately, her body tingles. Then, as Kashino begins to clear up the mess of dishes on her bench, she freezes. She scrambles to her feet, only for Kashino to chide her.
"Sit down." When she goes to protest, he only rolls his eyes. "You're not good at cleaning anyway. And that hot chocolate won't be as good when it's cold."
"I suppose not," Ichigo responds, slowly sitting back down. She takes another sip. Truthfully, she thinks it would taste just a divine at any temperature. "Why are you here, Kashino?"
"The lights were on," Kashino answers, his tone clipped. "I thought I should make sure that you weren't burning the place down."
Ichigo smiles. Kashino has always been like this, hasn't he? Saying all the wrong things, but doing all the right things in the very same breath? She focuses her gaze on the hot chocolate in front of her, hoping that Kashino won't see her eyes soften.
"Thank you."
She thinks, for a moment, that she sees Kashino pause. But he doesn't respond, simply continuing on his quest to clean up Ichigo's mess. If he'd heard her at all, he doesn't show it. But Ichigo doesn't mind at all. Instead, she feels only warmth.