Selling like Hot Cakes

The universe sure likes making me a liar, eh?

                                ❛      notice how all sides are padded ,  makeshift for slow rides  &&.  safe travels !   it stays STAYS stays on the same floor as the daycare ,  so no escalator rides .   oh ,  but the adventures this little hunkie-dory buggy’s been through !   golly ,  all the kiddos just looooove our trolleys around the play pen ,  it was a blast .      ❜

yuri had been doing a bit of spring-cleaning (winter-cleaning?) when she heard a sudden rapid knock at the door. she jumps a little, dropping the sponge she’d been holding into the sink, ‘shoot!’, she thinks, 'who could that be?’. setting her yellow rubber gloves aside, she makes her way to the foyer, and opens the front door. 🔪

there she finds natsuki, dawned in her fluffiest attire, with crossed arms and puffed cheeks. the situation certainly felt familiar, but she hopes that, this time, her reason to visit is a bit of happier one. 🔪

“ a-ah, natsuki…? ” she begins, before suddenly, she becomes very aware of her slightly messy appearance, and visibly flusters. fussing with her hair, she almost tunes natsuki out, worrying herself as usual. but, she’s quickly brought back down to earth by the gift, suddenly shoved into her arms. 🔪

she blinks, staring down at it for a moment, ('the wrapping is absolutely adorable’, is a passing thought, but she decides to keep that to herself, knowing natsuki’s dislike of such phrasing.) she begins carefully untying the ribbon, taking care to not rip anything, folding the paper back gently. …until she sees the impatience in natsuki’s expression, and she decides to just tear into it instead, like normal. 🔪

she’s about to apologize, when she finally realizes what the gift itself is, and she falls quiet, her eyes widening slightly. 🔪

“ th-this is…! ” yuri hadn’t expected a gift at all, let alone somethinglike this. with the book propped open in her palm, she absentmindedly runs her slender fingers over the signature, and the words written below it, 'to your friend’, 'friend’, 'fri…’ 🔪

yuri breaks out into a uncharismatic giggle-fit, bouncing slightly on her toes as she hugs the now closed book to her chest. 🔪

“ oh, thank you! thank you! i love it, i really do! oh, i know we have our differences at times, but this is really just so sweet… ” ('like your cupcakes’, is a joke that goes unsaid, but is implied with a silly smile.) a pause, her excitement begins to trail off, replaced with her usual quiet embarrassment, falling back into her attempted refinedness. she clears her throat. 🔪

“ oh dear… i’m getting ahead of myself again, aren’t i? here, why don’t you come in for a bit? it is awfully cold out, after all and i’ll, um. see if i can whip up some hot chocolate, if you’d like? ” 🔪

It was a relief that Yuri took it, taking a moment to shove her hands into jacket pockets to warm them up. Natsuki should have brought gloves, but she wanted to make absolutely sure the present got to her friend without any issue. The other meticulously opening the wrapping does earn a narrow of the eyes, since it’s not like she’s going to repurpose it anyways, but she at least doesn’t verbally acknowledge her annoyance.

Still, seeing the realization cross the other’s face as she took a moment to inspect the book made Natsuki watch with bated breath. She wasn’t sure why she was worried, but it was still nerve-wracking. Yuri had to enjoy this present, right? Had she already pre-ordered a copy and this was a waste? The worry was enough to make something in her chest feel even colder than the chill in the air.

That was, of course, until the sudden fit of giggling brought the pinkette out of her own fretful fantasy and back to reality. A reality where Yuri was the most excited she’d ever seen her. A quiet little ‘oh’ is all that escapes her at first, blinking candy pink hues as she saw the other’s positive elation. That coldness in her chest fluttered, nearly erupting in a bubbly warmth and leaving her incapable of escaping her own brief giggling of excitement.  (She’d never seen Yuri be so c u t e before.. not that she ever thought Yuri wasn’t cute, now that she considered. Oh dear.).