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More holiday stuff! One new pairing too! This talk is short, but hey best not waste time before the stories right?
I also noticed at the time of writing, my Thanks are at 48. Thought that was funny.
I hope you guys enjoy this! Comments and Thank you's are greatly appreciated! Don't be shy!
35. Favor (Atsumina)
Minami and Atsuko were invited to Mariko's holiday party which was being held tomorrow. She invited every member of the academy faculty and even the owners of Rino&Rie's (Mariko simply couldn't get enough of their pastries).
Minami cursed herself for holding off on grading the still-life drawings. She wanted to complete all her work before attending the party, even if it meant no sleep. She grit her teeth seeing all the imperfections of her student's pieces.
"The shading is totally flat! Do these girls even learn anything in my class?" Takamina muttered to herself as she gave the fourth below average score in a row.
Her wife entered the room and set down a cup of coffee on the table, "I think you're being a little too hard on them. If you keep giving failing grades, these girls will start giving up on art."
"Acchan, I expect these girls to grow from failure. Art is difficult, painful sometimes. I wouldn't be the artist I am today if it wasn't for the failures I endured."
Atsuko sighed, "You can't expect perfection from students. Art can't be perfect."
"But I can't be expected to let mistakes slide, I mean… look at this!" She gestured towards one of the art pieces.
"I don't see anything wrong with it."
"WHAT?! Improper light source, flat shading, shaky line work! Ugh." Minami rested her head on her arms, struggling to keep her eyes open.
"You're overworked, sweetie." She massaged her wife's shoulders. "I didn't assign any work to my students, I can take over and grade these projects for you."
"Last time I let you do that, you gave everyone A's" The short woman murmured into her arms.
"Think of it as a Christmas present to your students."
"I'm gonna need more convincing."
"Will this convince you?" She moved Minami's hair aside and planted a kiss on her cheek before giving playful nibbles to her earlobe.
"Mmm~ Acchan, but I'm too tired for that."
She was so sure that was gonna work. Atsuko had one idea left, though it was a total shot in the dark.
"Well, I can convince my mom to make you katsudon. I know how much you love my mom's cooking."
"I'm not a child, you can't bribe me with food."
Atsuko looked deep into her eyes. She spoke her words, but she could see Minami's icy bulwark crumbling before her.
Minami silently observed the artwork on the table, tapping her pen against the surface. She took a sip of coffee and began to fidget before shooting out of her chair.
"Okay fine! I'll take the katsudon. But this is only gonna work once!"
36. Seasonal Menu (RinoRie)
"Well Rino, the holidays are here! You know what that means?"
"Our heating bill increases?"
"Yes! But that's not what I'm talking about!" Rie pulled out a list of recipes and presented it to her wife, "the holidays mean we need to put a seasonal item on the menu!"
Rino started blankly at the page in Rie's hand, "I thought we were just gonna put out the gingerbread coffee like last year."
"We COULD do that, but what's the fun in that? Luckily, I made every item on this list last night and I want you to try them all and see which one is the best!"
Rie opened the fridge which had several assortments of pastries, coffees, and other christmas themed treats.
Rino gaped in fear at the sheer quantity of food and drink she would have to consume in the upcoming moments.
"You want me to eat all of that?"
"Someone's gotta be the taste-tester." Rie eagerly put the first tray of food items on the table. "Alright sweetie, let's begin!"
Rino prayed the medical insurance would cover whatever injury she would sustain from eating everything.
I just ate breakfast too. ---
The first tray was quite pleasant. Rino started off strong, enthusiastically giving proper critique on whether or not the pastry or drink would make a good menu item.
But then came the second tray, and the third one… and the fourth one. Each treat being a more painful endeavor than the last.
Rino was light headed, but her stomach was a cannonball. She was falling into a food coma, but she was caffeinated from the coffees Rie made for the menu. She was dangling around into a violent limbo of consciousness.
"Rie… I can't eat… a single bite more…"
"C'mon, you only got one half tray left." Rie cheered encouragingly.
In one last blaze of glory, Rino took the last of the confectionaries and shoved them in her mouth before leaning back in her seat and clutching her stomach in agony.
Rie noticed her wife slowly turning green, "You're not looking so good Sasshi." she looked at all the empty trays and glasses, "well, I guess you're right… we should probably just put out the gingerbread coffee like last year."
Upon hearing that all her efforts were for nothing Rino simply uttered, "I think I'm gonna puke."
"You want me to help you?"
There was no time to waste, Rino made a mad dash for the bathroom. She keeled over the toilet as her stomach desperately expunged all of the sugary contents out of her system.
Rie listened to the wails of Rino scream-vomiting, she winced finally understanding the gravity of what she just put her through.
Rie decided she was gonna spoil her wife for christmas for everything she's done. "I have to buy Sasshi twenty presents to make up for all of this."
37. Not Often Spoken (FuuMiru)
Fuuko's job as a gift giver was over. She got Miru a brand new longboard for Christmas. Who knew that was such an expensive hobby? Buying the wheels, the bearings, custom deck, and everything else cost her a fortune. But… she had one more surprise in store for her girlfriend.
Miru sat on the bed wrapped in a blanket, flipping through channels. She felt the weight shift on the mattress as Fuuko sat next to her.
"Miru, you got any room in that blanket? It's freezing." Fuuko's teeth chattered, her shivering shaking the bed.
Without taking her eyes off the TV, Miru raised one end of the blanket so they could be wrapped up together. Fuuko happily wrapped her arms around her (nude) body and kissed her cheek as they both shared the warmth of the fabric.
"Ah! Fuuko! Your skin is so cold!" Miru jumped, "It's like you're wearing… nothing at all…"
Fuuko gave a dimpled smile, "I honestly don't know how you do this all the time."
The perpetually naked girl took a peek inside the blanket and squealed, "you're naked too?!"
"Yup. For today only. Being naked sucks."
Fuuko couldn't predict she'd be in a cushy relationship at this point of her life. She had already come to terms with being alone. She had no idea how she got so lucky. Scoring a girl like Miru. A girl so charming and loveable. Not to mention, super easy on the eyes. The hardest day at work would always be worth it if it meant Miru was at the dorm waiting for her to return.
The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while, watching some random holiday programming before Fuuko spoke up during a commercial break.
"I don't say this enough Miru, but my life was a mess before you stepped in. You have no idea how lucky I am to have a girl like you at my side."
"Awwww babe, you're getting all soft on meee! You're gonna make me cry!"
"I also don't say this enough Miru, but… I love you so much."