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[ How lucky Ayaka truly is to have a beau who loves to indulge her and spoil her. It's a playful little smile that she responds with now that she's becoming more and more awake. She'd be asking him or apologising if she made him wait long, but his lips are already on hers before she could even say anything.

Now if only each day could be like this...

It is too bad Ayaka does have responsibilities to uphold though. Ones that mean she's the one who normally has to get up early. She must prepare breakfast for both her brother and Cloud, do some gardening and make sure to say hello to her plants, before preparing for work. It is already a lot of activities in the morning, but Ayaka does not want anything more than this.

It isn't so bad to be the one to wake up second every now and then, though. ]

Hehe. I've been waiting for today.

[ She feels so warm. Cloud's lips on hers, the weight he puts when he leans in to kiss her, it's all so nice. She really could stay like this forever, amidst all this tempered heat, never letting it flare too wildly. She'll only stop kissing Cloud back when he does actually stop kissing her... So, you know, beau. The ball is in your court. ]

That's my line.

[ But he's okay with sharing it with her; just like he'd come to share in so many new things with her. Her responsibilities were his, a shoulder of support for the days when she needed someone to lean on. Even when Cloud was standing on the sidelines and giving her 100% of his support. The moment they arrived together in Ellipsa, she'd spoken up about how she wanted to do her best to branch out on her own. To prove that she could be independent— a reliable girlfriend and a future wife if the stars continued to align for them.

She never had to do anything further to gain the devotion and loyalty of a particular beau. But were she to seek it of him...

He couldn't be more proud of the woman he'd already committed himself to spending the rest of his life with. No matter what it takes. ~~WHERE'S THE RING, CLOUD. INQUIRING MINDS MUST KNOW.~~ ]

So, all day... [ He squeezes her hand again, bringing it up between them so that they were resting against her chest and the drumming beat of her heart while he deepens the kiss. Licks of flames without dumping gasoline on the whole thing and letting it erupt before he's drawn himself back to pepper kisses from her chin and along her jaw. ] ...not letting go all day, right?

[ The last time Ayaka was kissed by him before this morning was last night, and yet... it still feels like it's been so long they've last kissed each other. Would it be too much to say she missed him? Because that's what it feels like right now.

She shakes her head at his question. Not letting go all day, yes? ]

No... you promised you wouldn't.

[ Rather, he agreed to this, silly as it may be. Slowly, she pushes herself up so she can sit and have her back resting on her pillow. No letting go, not even on her end, but she does bring up his hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles as she gives his hand a gentle squeeze.

I am so lucky to be loved by you, Cloud. [ Though now that she's more awake? She's also realising... She looks at their hands. ] I should prepare breakfast for us. I suppose you have to help, even if you did not want to.

Hehe, it seems I didn't think this wish through, after all.

[ As she pushes herself up, Cloud gives her enough space while staying by her side, his heart beating a little quicker as Ayaka kisses his knuckles. Such a tender, affectionate gesture. If they didn't have breakfast and an entire day ahead of them, he might have just pushed her back down and kissed her harder. Cute in just about anything and everything she did. She never had to work hard to accomplish this— the urge to never let his eyes leave her. From that fateful night she beckoned him to do exactly that, keeping them on her when she danced and enraptured his heart to stand up and kiss her. ]

Never taking a day I'm loved by you for granted either. [ Hm? He blinks, owlish when Kamisato's gaze drifts to their hands. Ah. They...didn't put much thought into this on either side. But rather than sigh, her beau is surprisingly quick on the upswing with an answer. ] A little sous chef work never hurt.

[ Besides, as his more tender smile shifts into something of a smirk, ]

It's like we said before. We'll keep swapping hands.

[ Like a dance. ...That Cloud apparently does not do. Cat's outta the bag on that one. akfdslj ]

Right. And we've always made a good team...

[ Or so she thinks, anyway. A lot of her successes in both Nippon and in Ellipsa are thanks to him! So, hopefully he agrees and sees value in her own efforts, too.

But Cloud wouldn't be dating her and committing to her in the way that he already has if he didn't think she made a good partner. The reassurance would be nice to hear, though.

That said, now that she's awake, she moves so she can bring her feet to the floor and push herself to stand up. Now then, they have to start their day! ]

I'll wash my face first.

Helps that you're a good partner. [ A short beat and clench of her hand. ] And teacher.

[ He is, of course, talking about how she's trained him at his request in Kamisato Art Tachi Jutsu. Yet whether it was for the mundane, precious moments that require one another's help, or commissions both for Nippon and Ellipsa, he found himself working in surprising sync with Ayaka.

Cloud moves with her, the fact he's gently pulled her to her feet in the past many times making this feel so practiced as they're both up and on their feet together. ]

Feel free to use my spare hand wherever.

[ He is now an extension of her today. New technique acquired. Kamisato Art: Kuraudo Sutoraifu. Capable of increasing handholding rate by 100% with immensely shortened cooldown of distance. ]

And if your back is itchy, you can just tell me!

[ 😌 Imagine that, Cloud! A use for Ayaya's hands that isn't just for handholding... Now she's upgraded herself to become your personal backscratcher.

Now that they're both up, though, it's time to head to the bathroom to wash up! Cloud's lucky he did that before he woke Ayaka up. . . but now it's her turn to do that, and also get dressed for the day. She's still in her nightgown...

Into the bathroom they go! It's spacious enough, but having to maneuver herself with just one hand is rather challenging. Using her free hand, she turns the knob for the sink on. ]

Shall we? Water first, and then the cleanser, then water again.

[ Please help................. ]

You know... [ She's joking, he thinks, but it's still an amusing thought as the two commit to such a silly but...meaningful bit for the entirety of the day. It's almost like if they dared to split apart, one of them was going to explode; they were this desperate to never be apart. ] This kinda takes "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" to a literal level.

[ At least he's had a lot of time to ~~over~~think and formulate a routine in his head. The end of their night is already staged, too, having arranged a surprise with the help of a certain fellow country bumpkin that should be ready by the time they walk home. But first, they need to ensure they can wash up and change properly. Much as he wouldn't mind keeping her in her nightgown all day, they still had a job to do. An older brother to feed. A day to carry out.

Which is why he brings their enclosed hands together under the running water first. So long as they're making contact, it's not cheating if his grip loosens so that enough can run through their palms. Though every time he clenched and squeezed her hand together, they...wind up squirting water in random directions out whichever opening in their hands is still prevalent. Which brings a smirk back to her beau's face until his free hand is on the bottle of cleanser, ready to pump the top. ]

'Kay, now your free hand here first...

[ So he can squirt. ]

Edited 2024-04-13 21:07 (UTC)

[ This is so silly. It's amazing Cloud still allowed her request to actually be reality when he's usually such a no-nonsense kind of guy around others. With her, she knows he's a lot nicer, but still...

It's why she laughs, offering Cloud a bit of an out to make things easier for him.

(Maybe she realised that this is also going to be difficult for her.) ]

Should we officially start our White Day after we freshen up, instead?

[ Still, she does do as she's told so that they can get to washing her face. ]

[ When they first met, he would have likely been far more abrasive to such an outlandish idea. In ways, Cloud even surprised himself with what he allowed Ayaka to get away with around him. Even if he would sigh in faux defeat of her along the way, here he was, indulging within her wishes. But...maybe it's because she's done the very same for him. Anything he ever could have wanted or asked, she's given him without complaint.

Including a possible out when she laughs and offers a brief reprieve to their initial solution.

...A reprieve he initially denies himself as he provides her with the cleanser as he applies it in her hand. ]

Nope. I committed. I gotta...

[ Although now that it's his turn for the cleanser, he realizes that one hand is held in his, super slippery and wet and they were going to have to find a way to dry the inside without breaking contact. How was she supposed to pump out cleanser for him when her free hand was loaded up and they were going to have to—

Okay yeah he sees her point. And if she's the one bringing it up...

Sorry, Yoimiya. Sounds like he's going to have to do a little bit of white lying; if anyone close to them asks that knows about this little 'rule' of theirs? ]

'Kay we're pretending we didn't start yet.

[ He didn't let go. From the moment she woke up!! :T ~~He lets go...~~ ]

[ Of course Cloud would get everything he wants and asks for. Ayaka even does her best to anticipate anything he might need and want, because there's nothing else that she wants but his happiness. She doesn't want him to ever feel inconvenienced, to have any worries beyond "what's for dinner".

So finally, when he concedes, because she does push for a reset on their White Day not just for herself but for him, she cannot help but laugh a little. There's a good beau.

Hand free, it is time to wash her face! ]

If you'd like, I could go back to bed and pretend to be asleep.

[ That way, they start the day off holding hands for real! ]

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