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Of course.

[ Thoma was right. Ayaka did seem more confident now compared to how she was before. She says it with so much certainty, that it could never go any other way. Ayaka will be the one to pour the tea— that is a fact.

She doesn't think she's changed, but maybe it's just amongst people she's close to. She feels more confident to be herself now, to be less restrained, but still maintaining proper etiquette and decorum. Cloud's the one responsible for that— making her shine brighter than she already does. ]

I love you.

[ She whispers in between a soft laugh before she is kissed again. Everyday, he makes her dreams come true. And so, everyday she must show him appreciation. Even if now, holding his hand, her body feeling so warm and light, she's the one being given appreciation. ]

Two more minutes until the tea is ready.

[ They can kiss for two more minutes or they can just sit down at the table now. She's fine either way! ]

[ Cloud can tell that he's changed. One way or another, he's learned and rediscovered things about himself that shaped him into the person he was today. At his core, he still thinks that he's Cloud. The toughness? The focus and determination? The confidence in his abilities? He refused to let go of any of that. They were parts of who he truly wanted to become as he was growing up. Even if his reasons for it have since changed over the years. But that arrogant, coldhearted mercenary who thought he only cared about the next payday? He wasn't that. He still might have a long way to go, and what feels like an entire journey waiting for him with everyone at his side...but from where he stands now, with everything that he knows...

Cloud was going to fight for the Planet. He was going to fight for his friends. He'd protect what matters to him. And open his heart in ways that not many would get to know. This side of him was reserved exclusively for his little white heron princess, so comfortable in his arms now as she softly laughs and whispers how she loves him. Three words. He said those words to her on his birthday, another fateful night he won't soon forget. And it's like he's hearing them for the first time all over again from her. She sounds so precious when she says it. He almost wants to tell her to say it again.

Even if she didn't, she's given him something else. Two minutes. Leaving his hand over hers, his other drifts away momentarily, reaching into his pocket for his phone. ]

One sec.

Edited 2023-03-15 08:21 (UTC)

[ He holds it out, tall enough that he can see over her from behind as he taps the timer that's currently going, set for at least a couple hours... Curious. But he quickly taps the 'X' to cancel it. ...only to swipe his finger in the Timer section of the app for two minutes. ]

There.

[ ~~Dork. This fucking dork.~~ Sliding his phone onto the counter, his hand drifts to the curve of Ayaka's hip, guiding her to turn around to face him fully. She said they had two minutes until the tea was ready. He plans on using them. Every second as he tips her chin, ever so lightly before taking both their breath away again with a kiss. ]

[ Cloud doesn't have to ask Ayaka to say it again. She just will. She told him before— she doesn't want to lose an opportunity in telling him that she loves him. It was beyond her control, but losing almost a year's worth of chances? She has a lot to catch up on, but how she feels has only gone deeper. There really is no end to this. ]

I love you, Cloud.

[ So she says it again, before their lips touch. Even if it wasn't a holiday, even if it was just a regular morning, Cloud would always make her feel special like this. She's so safe, so happy, so comfortable... And when she lifts her arms to wrap around his neck, she hopes he never leaves her. ]

[ He can't say it. Not yet. Not until he's given her her fill of him and his touch. Sparks fly in his mind's eye, his brain tingles and it feels as if his lips were on the brink of melting with hers. Sinking deeper and deeper into her as he smiles against her lips. Right before Cloud's lips part on the next sweep of his lips with hers. No tongue just yet. An indicator that he wasn't going anywhere. That he wasn't leaving. He finally looses a sigh against her lips, drawing back just enough as his other hand had long since left her chin to hold her hip. ]

I love you, too.

[ Mmm. Nope. Sorry. Even if he gets a little flustered up in the process, he doesn't think he's quite done with kissing her quite yet. ... Or resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. If he didn't have her so close to the counter, he'd have started to sway with her again.

Cloud says he doesn't dance. ... so nobody better tell him how he holds her, like he's about to start a nice and slow one. ]

[ They're screwed if Ayato gets out of bed and out of the room. Maybe Ayato's already awake though, and just hasn't left his room yet. Either way, for two more minutes, the two have this peace to themselves. All the while the tea steeps in the pot. ]

Just the two of us today.

[ Well, for most of it, anyway. She'll need to prepare breakfast for her brother, but after that!!! Ayaya time. ]

[ Oh, the deepest shit. Which is the exact reason why Cloud's sharpened senses would work in their favor. The second he hears the click of a door handle, he's slowing his roll. It's also the reason why he's not letting his own desires get the better of him. He's content with this heat. Without it turning into a raging flame of passion. He can behave. He's a good boy. Good boy. ~~Sometimes he just wants to throw her down onto the nearest soft surface and keep kissing her help what has she done to him dsafjkhl~~ ]

Ya-huh.

[ Little peck on the lips. ]

M'bad at secrets. [ They got a couple minutes to burn before tea time, her gift from him and then breakfast for her brother. He's also so content now that he's here. He may not say what it is exactly yet, but, ] Got something cooking at my place.

Edited 2023-03-16 07:23 (UTC)

[ !!! ]

Really?

[ O: she wants to know! But she will wait until she tells him what it is. ]

I hadn't eaten yet. I thought we would eat together.

[ She was right!! 'u' ]

Mhm.

[ He nods in her arms, quietly sighing in contentment as he lightly cants his head with a half-smile. ]

Lucky me. [ Lucky her. Lucky them. But either way, ] Good thing if you'd already eaten, this'll keep for dinner too.

[ But if she wants to know? Unless she pleads it of him (please don't plead it of him he's WEAK,) he's going to do it best to keep it under wraps. ]

A special meal prepared by someone so special to me... [ Even now, she still sounds like she's daydreaming. How lucky she truly is!! ] What a wonderful day!

[ She won't plead! Just like the time he ordered food for her after saving her from being sent to prison? She stays in her lane and waits for the reveal. Ayaka can be patient!!! ~~unless it's dick she really wants apparently HAHDHEDHWLF~~ ]

I'll need to make breakfast for Ayato first. We can go to your apartment afterwards, so it can just be the two of us.

[ ain't no way she's sharing this with anyone else!! ]

Edited 2023-03-17 04:29 (UTC)

Been a long time coming. [ A wonderful day? He's gotta agree with that! The more he focuses on Ayaka, especially on today of all days, the more like himself he'll feel. There'll be time to think about other various distractions... Today, he wants to make her feel as special as she made him feel last month. The best way Cloud can for her. ] S'only just getting started.

[ When she mentions making breakfast for Ayato, it dawns on him again that, yes, he's likely elsewhere in the apartment. ~~He'll need to learn how to soundproof his own place DKSJHLA~~ But he doesn't let it bother him. No, having him here has been nothing but a good thing for her. He refuses to see things any other way. They've got... ]

No rush. [ 20-ish seconds? Another kiss. ] Need a hand while I'm here?

[ He can be an off-the-record helper. For Ayato's sake. Timer's gonna go off any second now. ]

Would you like to help?

[ Of course! He just asked! But she wants to make sure, anyway. He can cook the rice for Ayato, then! ]

Then we can make Ayato's breakfast together and have tea afterwards. Is that alright with you?

[ Just a little change in her schedule! Nothing crazy. 'u' ]

I'm in.

[ Of course! Rice is the one thing he can make perfectly. ...everything else is a work in progress. Good! But not consistent. ]

Works for me. [ Except, there's one problem. Five seconds... ] Just need one more payment.

[ Letting his hands slip from her waist, he huffs through his nose with a soft hum. Right as his lips connect with her forehead...

Off goes the timer. Two minutes are up. And he got his last payment for now. ]

So what's for breakfast?

[ For Ayato, that is. He steps back to give Ayaka the space she needs in the kitchen, following her lead. ]

Potato croquettes and onigiri.

[ Cloud is officially on rice duty 'u'!! she'll probably ask him to make the salad too.

The potatoes are already ready and mashed, so it's just the mayonnaise and the bread crumbs and stuff! Cloud's gotta start from step one, on the other hand. ]

You'll have to clean the rice first for the onigiri before cooking it.

Makes sense.

[ He's had plenty of Nipponese breakfasts (and by extension, Inazuman?) to get a general gist of what tends to be served first thing in the morning. But rice duty it is! The second he hears onigiri, he's already on it. ]

Copy. [ That he can do! Thankfully he's been around her kitchen before, so he has a general idea of where most everything is. He'll need the pot first, since they'll be making rice the more traditional way. Luckily for them, he's had plenty of time to learn making rice the oldest and hardest way possible. ] Got your strainer kicking around somewhere?

[ He asks while bent over to pull out the right pot from one of the cabinets below. ]

Edited 2023-03-17 08:13 (UTC)

It should be in one of the drawers... [ One second, Cloud! She'll be the one to get it.

... she must remember first, though! Ah— it is by the sink! And she has shredded chicken already ready, too. ]

I thought of giving Ayato and Thoma chocolates yesterday, so they would give me a present today, but I did not want to trouble them!

[ It was such a silly idea in her head, though! ]

Oh yeah?

[ Cloud, meanwhile, will get started on measuring out the rice. A cup and a half of water per cup of rice was the typical ratio. Scoping around for a measuring cup once he's also procured the bag of rice, he scoops out two cups worth. It's more than enough for breakfast, but knowing one of Ayaka's favorite comfort foods being chazuke? You can never have enough leftovers. ]

Doubt they woulda seen it that way. [ Anything she could give to anyone really was worth treasuring. Ayaka really was one-of-a-kind. He knows that his box of chocolates was meant for her as a White Day gift, but as he moves the pot over to the sink, he continues, ] You could share what's in the box with 'em if you want.

[ If nothing else, the white chocolate camellia has a lot of different petals one can break off. ]

O- Oh...

[ The box contains chocolates then. Ayaka hasn't seen it yet, but she never really thought of sharing what was inside with anyone else but Cloud. It was his gift to her, after all. Just for her! And now she realises that perhaps she's being selfish by keeping it all to herself...

And yet, because it is from Cloud? There's still a part of her that wants to keep it that way. But now that she realises that she's being selfish, she can't. She should share. It wouldn't be right if she kept it to herself.

Turning around so she can get to work on the korokke, and so Cloud won't have to see how disappointed she looks, even for a moment, she says: ]

Thank you. I'll share it with them, then.

[ Ayaka made a mistake just now. The slip and falter in her voice. They joke about being mindreaders, but in truth, he can't do that... But he has a penchant for overthinking, as per usual. Even as Cloud rinses the rice, raking it up through his fingers, he slows down, the water gently swirling. Her brief moment of silence spoke louder. And just as he looks over his shoulder towards where she's working on the korokke, she's not watching him either... ]

...

Hey, after lunch, wanna go out with me for bit?

[ Because the camellia flower might be unique...but the other bits inside when Ayaka gets a look at them? They're still in stock. With their lives in this world only just starting, Cloud is going to do everything he can to make things right. No matter the obstacles. ]

Hm?

[ '^'!! she has her hands filled with potatoes and bread crumbs, but she looks back at him curiously. ]

Alright.

[ She'll go with him wherever!! And they can do whatever he has planned today. Cloud is the lead planner! Even such a simple question does good in distracting Ayaka from her thoughts. ]

I didn't make any plans today. I imagined we would spend the day together, after all.

[ He does a mental little fist pump when she agrees to go with him. It wasn't what he had planned...or rather, where he wants to go wasn't in the cards until he realizes his own personal blunder. It wasn't the end of the world, when he thinks about it. But Cloud doesn't want her to dwell on her own thoughts. Whatever they may have been. Time to become a leader again. ]

Yup. S'just a day for us.

[ He carefully starts to pour out the cloudy water from the rice. ]

That and I thought staying cooped in the apartment all day would get boring. [ Second round of rinsing is a go! ] Unless we got more books again...

[ ~~Contrary to popular belief, they don't just spend their whole day smashing.~~ ]

Kinda got used to having a yard too.

[ The mention of books gets her to laugh. One would normally spend time with a friend chatting away, or doing something together. When they would read, though? It was just the two of them sitting in silence together, enjoying their own books! It was such a peaceful activity, and she enjoyed every bit of the time spent with him that way. ]

Hehe, not yet...

[ No books yet!! And when Cloud mentions a yard? She perks up even more, excited to share with him her plans. ]

Cloud, I was thinking... when I have enough funds, I would like to move to a house with a garden. All of us could live there together.

[ That way? She could be with her family and Cloud!! Who is also family at this point but not officially! 🤡 ]

Would that be okay with you?

[ He doesn't laugh the same way she does, but his shoulders give that little shake, loosing a breath in such a short chuckle. And he's smiling again. This is more like it. The sound of water getting sloshed in the pot as he rakes and cleans the rice fills the air between them...until she speaks up about her plans. He stops, watching her with a sense of wonder in his eyes.

She...wants them to all live together? He knew that she needed time, and it seems that he needs the same, before she could be someone who was proud of herself enough to live under a Strife's roof. But with her brother here, Thoma, and the spikier blond standing across from her in the kitchen...

It's a decision she's making for herself. What she wants. ]

I'll help.

[ All of this hope is doing a good job at bolstering his own resolve. It's doing a good job of pressing down those other feelings. Those lingering ones when he thinks of living under the same roof as her older brother. ... No. That's not the problem. And finding a home with a garden for everyone is well and good. It's what he wants.

But it's also a step of many that Cloud needs to take if he's going to be able to accomplish what he wants. But those were all thoughts for another day. Another time. Right now?

It's White Day. It's Ayaka's turn to get the royal treatment. This was going to be a fulfilling day, one way or another. His smile softens as he nods, as if to confirm his words. ]

Mm. It's more than okay.

[ Once all the potatoes have been properly shaped and coated? She starts the stove to begin boiling the oil.

Like this? Ayaka is at peace. It didn't take that long to make a decision, but it really is what she wants. Her family is growing bigger, and it needn't just be her brother anymore. Regardless of how Ayato feels about Cloud, oblivious as she is, these are the people she wants in her life. They're the ones she can't live without anymore. ]

Thank you for always listening to me.

[ Even this. Yet another dream she wants to make come true. He's always been there for her. ]

Oh- [ Pop! Her little bubble where her daydreams are kept is put away for now. They have a day together!! They should plan for that, too. ] Should we visit a bookstore today, too? We should start our collection of things to read on our spare time.

Always.

[ He drains the water from the pot of rice one more time. Last rinse. Cloud's not gonna cut a corner and leave starch. Especially since he's got to live up to Ayaka's own high standards. It's not a bad thing in the slightest. But if he's her helper? Than he's an extension of the Shirasagi Himegimi's hand. A hand that serves the people, her family, her loved ones... ]

Works for me. From what I windowshopped, looks like there's even magazines here.

[ One last drag of his fingers through the rice aaand... ]

Bingo.

[ It's clear enough! He drains the water to the best of his ability one final time. ]

Strainer...strainer...

[ Oh. Right! There it is. To his left thanks to Ayaka. Yoink. ]

Edited 2023-03-18 10:14 (UTC)

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