#ddtriohub

Kajika’s heart was racing rapidly in her chest as she slowly eased herself around the corner to check if the coast was clear before she made a quick dash to her next hiding spot. It was a tricky business escaping unseen when a whole household full of servants was on the look out for her but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t do her utmost to accomplish it.

Her father was bringing rather... tiresome guests over this afternoon and she had absolutely no intention of sticking around long enough to meet them. The desperate calls of her name echoed though the mansion, the rushing sounds of many footsteps in accompaniment as her pursuers continued their hunt. She had been lucky thus far but her time was running out. They had already blocked the front and rear entrances and most likely her favoured climbing window as well which called for another avenue of escape.

But where...

Quickly diving behind a large ornate vase to avoid being seen by a passing manservant, Kajika took a moment to contemplate her options. A couple of doors down, she recalled there was a window that had a honeysuckle bush growing beneath it. It wasn’t an obvious choice for an escape route as there was no convenient tree to assist a climb down from the second floor but surely she should be fine if she hung off the windowsill and dropped into the bush?

It was worth trying anyway.

Silver eyes peeked cautiously over the rim of the vase and watched while two scullery maids consulted with each other on where to search next before they dashed off again. With the coast clear for the time being, the heiress seized the opportunity to dart into the room and make her way to the window. She had very little time to lose as someone could enter the room at any moment but she still tried to exercise as much patience as she could to open the window without making a noise.

Here we go...

Swinging her legs over the sill, she lowered and twisted herself to dangle down the side of the building before she let herself go. It was unavoidable that the bush would rustle upon her landing but at least it had cushioned her fall fairly decently, apart from the minor scratches and pin picks from sharp twigs. Kajika lay still a moment to determine if anyone had noticed her fall but when no servants or dogs came running she deemed her escape from the mansion successful. 

Now she just had to get off the estate grounds.

Laying low on the property was certainly not an option since the dogs could easily sniff her out but neither could she retreat to any of her usual haunts. It was a real conundrum but once again she had little time at her disposal.

Think... think... where could I- oh, I know...

Sometime later found her quietly easing the door of Ponsol’s greenhouse shut and she breathed a sigh of relief as she finally felt the tension that had arisen upon hearing of the impending visit dissipate. She was safe at last. No one would think to look for her here and even if they did, the heiress was certain her friend’s widely known nature would scare them from inquiring about her whereabouts. 

Not that he’d be able to tell them since she hadn’t exactly asked permission...

One part of it could be chalked up to her want for discretion, a place to seek refuge where no one would find her but to some degree she also didn’t want to trouble Ponsol with her petty matters. He had enough work on his plate and was sure to be too busy to keep her company at such short notice anyway. She also didn’t want him to feel obliged to return her... Kajika herself couldn’t care less about the fuss and ceremony of the upper classes but she knew that it was important to him, he wouldn’t bother with it otherwise. She didn’t want to put him in a tight spot so she would merely quietly hide out here for a time before returning home, no one any the wiser.

Stepping deeper into the greenhouse, Kajika felt a soft smile overtake her as she took in the timeless beauty that astounded her every time she came to visit. Ponsol took such wonderful care of his plants that they truly were a feast for the eyes. The floral plantlike smell permeating the air was just as much a treat for the senses.

Strolling along among the plants she decided to pay a quick visit to the specimens she had previously gifted him, grinning in delight at their health and vibrancy. She continued her wandering. After some time, the heiress stumbled across some vegetation that reminded of that found on the Island of Giviolle and unexpectedly feelings of homesickness overtook her.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my island...

Kajika was never one to mind sitting on the floor and she lowered herself with ease to lean against a nearby tree. Allowing her eyelids to flutter closed, she imagined herself back on the island surrounded by all that was familiar and the smell of the plants around her only aided in the illusion. 

At last the day had come to put his plan into action. The plan he had been carefully working on since White Day last year, that moment when his friend had managed to overwhelm him with his thoughtfulness. He was determined to turn the tables this time.

There had been a potential flaw in this plan, since there had been no way of knowing what Shugarl’s schedule for Valentine’s Day would be like until the Faculty arranged it in January. Luckily for him, the other professor’s classes only started around 10AM which would be more than enough time to accomplish the Valentine’s Day Hunt he had compiled. 

Now before Shugarl arrived, it was time to get to work setting things up.

First on the agenda was Shugarl’s office, the place he would be entering first upon his arrival on campus. As soon as he entered, Komui made his way over to the desk and spread out a cloth to protect the wooden surface before proceeding to arrange an assortment of chocolate-coated cinnamon cookies that he had baked himself. He had made several batches to ensure that the final version would come out just right as it wouldn’t do to gift mediocre cookies to someone who was skilled at baking. 

The key point was that these were no ordinary cookies. They had been baked in a mold to form letters of the Greek alphabet and with some of them arranged on the protective sheet like so:

Lambda Alpha Beta Omicron Rho Alpha Tau Omicron Rho Ypsilon Omicron Nu Epsilon

It spelt out the location of the next gift and clue which was Laboratory One. The lab in question was one of his primary ones and since no practicals were being conducted in it that day, made it the most convenient to use especially since the next gift was on the bulky side.

With a cheerful grin, the scientist strode off to his next destination with the second part of his hunt in hand. Upon arrival, he carefully set the container down and admired it with some appreciation. He had put a lot of thought into this container, which his friend would need to put some effort into opening.

The container itself was simple enough but it had a locking mechanism which would only open upon inserting the ‘key’ into the space provided. The key in this instance were four segments hidden throughout the room which when joined together would form a ‘pie’. He had conveniently left a note underneath the key hole which read:

Inside the container, three gifts had been concealed which Komui was admittedly fairly proud of considering he had made them with one of his talents that he seldom got to use - sewing. The first was a pair of oven gloves, a deep red in colour with the pi joke embroidered on with white thread. The second was an elaborate table cloth. 

The third gift wasn’t actually for Shugarl or at least not directly. It was for Jupiter. This was perhaps the trickiest of all the gifts as he wasn’t as familiar with the younger girl’s tastes. He thought of the soft yellow dress with it’s flowing chiffon skirt patterned with embroidered pink and purple flowers, the delicate bow and puffy sleeves and hoped she was pleased with it.

The last clue was tucked into one of the gloves and simply read: ‘You’ve got mail.’

Komui’s final destination was of course to the staff pigeon-hole cabinet to slip a sealed envelope into Shugarl’s compartment. Hidden inside the envelope was a card which read:

You’re a friend who I can turn to When my spirit needs a lift. A friend who I can treasure, For your friendship is a gift. You’re a friend who fills my life With beauty, joy and grace. Who makes the world I live in  A happier, better place. For me your precious friendship Is truly a delight. It would be my greatest pleasure If you would dine with me tonight~

With his preparation of the grand hunt completed, it was time for the scientist to head off to finalise preparing for his first lesson of the day. It was a pity that he wouldn’t get to see any of his friend’s reactions to the surprises that lay in store for him and since he planned on heading home as soon as his last class was over in order to prepare for dinner, he would have to wait even longer to find out.

Oh well...

The scientist allowed his mind to dwell on the plans he had for their dinner that evening which included marinated meat skewers, creamy spinach, roast potatoes and oven vegetables. He wasn’t at all fond of drinking alcohol but figured the situation warranted a diversion from their standard tea and coffee so he had sought and purchased a 100% natural and alcohol free sparkling grape juice. For dessert he planned on a standard chocolate mousse which was easy to make and he wouldn’t have to worry about messing up.

Komui had momentarily considered getting candles but quickly tossed the idea as it seemed too romantic a notion for a friendly dinner to thank his friend for his continuing friendship. Flowers though... there shouldn’t be anything wrong with a nice, fresh bouquet of flowers as a centrepiece to brighten up the table...

Hmmm... I’ll think I’ll buy some on the way home...

_______________________________________________________________

Sometime later found the scientist humming in the kitchen as he prepared the meal for that evening, feeling a mix of anticipation and nervousness for when his guest of honour finally arrived. He wondered if Shugarl had enjoyed the gifts he had prepared and the process of obtaining them but he suppose he would find out in good time.

Now then...

Turning down the heat to keep the food warm until it was ready to be served, Komui was just about to remove his cooking apron when he heard the doorbell chime. His heart stopped momentarily from the unexpected surprise before it continued at it’s regular pace and then he carelessly tossed his apron to the side before he exuberantly went to welcome his friend.

They were in the back-room after an event and Ponsol had taken it to annoy him by showing him all the different AMAZING presents he’d gotten from his fans. Given that Izumi was a long-time fan of them, he was plenty aware of their popularity, and it often was a cause of indirect pride for him - which however, didn’t made Ponsol’s insistent bragging any less annoying.

Of course they would get more presents from fans than him. They were far more popular...

“I told you already, I don’t eat sweets after-” he tried to complain, but before he could say much he’d been caught by one of Ponsol’s strong arms. A small gasp of surprise, he tried his best to hold from the blond and not fall on his back like an idiot, turning to look at him just in time to have his mouth caught in his lips-

? Was that a tongue? It felt so wet and warm, and surprisingly sweet... like chocolate. his blue eyes were already starting to cross and it was just a kiss.

He’d been busy preparing his newest song, the passage of time apparently nonexistent inside his room as the tightly closed blinders and the bright light kept it feeling just the same.

Finally deciding to stand up and make something, he was welcomed by pitch black darkness as he opened the door to the next room - the sounds of steps making it evident that someone else was in there.

Flicking the switch on, the sight of his boyfriend became ever more evident - as his movements looking around for something.    

“Shu-kun? What are you doing?” he questioned with some curiosity, head tilted lightly to the side as he walked ahead into the room and close to him -blue eyes opening wide as tender -yet somewhat dry- lips pressed against his own. A small satisfied sigh leaving his lips as lids fell half-way down his eyes...

And just like that Shugarl turned away again... ah...

“... y-your pen?” he tried to settle the quick pace of his hear, blue eyes looking around for the one object that should stand out in the floor... then leaning all the way down to check beneath the sofa. And voila, there it was.

Stretching out to pick it up and cleaning it up from the dust it gathered he gently placed it on Shugarl’s hand, caressing his knuckles with his thumb ever so lightly.

“Jupes?” he turns around on his heels as he hears the familiar voice coming from behind, a warm smile immediately gracing his features at the sight of the small girl looking as adorable as always in her pretty dress and her big ribbons  ”Did you need me for something?”

Maybe she had another cooking project she would need his assistance for? Seeing her stretch on her tippy toes, he leaned closer to her, thinking she might want to say something to his ear. Instead, he gets a tiny little kiss on his cheek.

... so that stupid made up holiday thing got even to her? This was worse than expected...

Ahhh, but Jupiter is always so cute! Adorable! He can’t be mad at her! Au contraire, he’s just going to hug her really tight.

  Someone should try to make him purr

((OOC: Did you mean lil baby Talia walking right up to mama and rubbing up against him as she gets comfortable to sleep?))

Kajika had intended to make up for missing Valentine’s Day by giving Jupiter something spectacular on White Day only... it was harder coming up with a splendid idea than she anticipated.

First she thought about origami flowers, but then remembered she had done that the year before. Then she debated making chocolate flowers, but recalled that Jupiter had given her a similar gift previously. There was always the option of making some kind of baked treat but since she had been given such delightful cupcakes by Jupiter she didn’t want to seem like she was merely copying her. One should always put consideration into a gift.

Hmmm...

Suddenly recalling that they’d never gotten round to having their tea party she thought perhaps that might be an idea of how to spend the day. Even better, since White Day was on a Saturday perhaps they could have a sleepover while they were at it. She’d never had a sleepover with a female friend before so the idea was very appealing.

Idea in place, Kajika made the necessary arrangements of getting permission from Jupiter’s parents as her plans would fail right from the start if they said no. Once she had the green light to go ahead, the young heiress took the greatest care to prepare for the arrival of her guest as she wanted Jupiter to feel like she was a princess for the day. 

Her staff had enquired about preparing a separate room for her friend but Kajika had declined, as there was no point in sleeping over if they couldn’t even talk to each other before they dozed off! Besides, her bed was more than big enough to accommodate them with room to spare.

In addition, she had prepared fancy outfits they could wear during tea time for the fun of it since she had heard little girls like doing that sort of thing, it was also something she had never gotten the chance to do while growing up. Colourful bouquets and exquisite decorations for the table were prepared not to mention a large assortment of tea delicacies.

As the day approached, she got more and more excited thinking of all the things they could do together besides the tea party. Hide and seek, tag, bathing together, pillow fights, story telling... the possibilities were endless.

At last the day arrived and as requested in the invitation she had presented Jupiter the week before, she was dropped off just in time for tea.

[This is a drabble from Jupiter for Kajika for Vday! I hope you like it! As usual, you can do with this drabble as you like. You may treat it as a standalone, or you may reply to it. 

Another year has gone by and Jupiter had become even closer friends with Kajika at this point. She’d gotten to know the older woman well, and sometimes would watch how she interacted with Ponsol.

He was the primary reason why she and Kajika became friends, and it was through him that she could get some understanding of her interests. For sure, she did enjoy flowers, and she was what you could call a social butterfly. She didn’t seem to be the type who judged people based on superficial things.

She was someone that even Ponsol had nice things to say about in private. It was rare to see someone that Ponsol actually tried to befriend. He had many ‘friends’ for business reasons, but he didn’t have many friends that he personally felt compatible with.

As such, you could say that Kajika was truly a rarity in their lives, and Jupiter wanted to remain good friends with the other. She was surprised the one time that Kajika gave her a gift for Valentine’s day and so she returned the favor. Last year, they gave each other gifts as well.

She received a bouquet of origami flowers that Kajika had folded, and each of them had a message attached to them. It was clear that this would have taken a lot of time and effort. The messages themselves were also very nice to read through.

Kajika truly was a very kind hearted person. It would be difficult to befriend someone who was mostly mute, but that never stopped Kajika, and this was something that Jupiter particularly appreciated about her.

Her friend was always willing to support her through anything and she was very patient as well. No matter how small of a step Jupiter made in her pursuits to learn how to use her voice again, Kajika was always so proud of her.

This year, Valentine’s day was on a Friday, so right after school let out, Jupiter could go and meet Kajika. Seeing as it was now a weekend, she didn’t have to be home by a strict time. (That being said, she still had to get home in a somewhat timely manner, else her parents would worry about her)

“Ka-Kajika Onee-chan!” Jupiter stuttered with a slight squeak to her voice. She did try to raise her voice, but it was still pitifully small. She wasn’t very used to using her voice to speak, and volume was certainly something she struggled with. She always liked to say that it’s because of her shyness that her ‘volume settings’ are set so low.

The young girl held a box up for Kajika. Inside were cupcakes that she baked herself! “Valentine—Valentine’s day! Gift!” She was really putting an effort to show how far she’s come. Speech therapy wasn’t the easiest, but she was stubbornly sticking to it. She had to learn how to speak again, for her sake as well as for others.

A lot of people liked to think that it was simple to start speaking again, but it wasn’t that easy. You had to learn how to speak again, and there was also the emotional trauma that was associated with it. Sometimes she’d freeze up or she’d start panicking. That’s why she went for therapy.

“The … cupcakes…” She was speaking slowly, even though she was trying to speak as quickly as she could. She knew that Kajika didn’t mind waiting, but Jupiter still felt bad about making someone wait for her, when normally this wouldn’t have to happen. “A-are red velve-velvet. Rainbow cream ch… cheese frosting.”

Blue, yellow, and pinkish-red frosting were made in separate batches, then put into a piping bag. When they were piped out in a swirl, the colors mixed together in the parts the 3 colors came in contact with each other. That’s how you got the other colors of the rainbow even though only 3 colors were made.

She needed a break. Jupiter sat down, looking rather disappointed in herself, but it only took a few seconds for her face to pick back up again. She was making a lot of progress! In the past, all she could do was make squeaking and grunting sounds. She learned how to turn those sounds into decipherable words!

Little progress is still progress! She took deep breaths, calming herself down, because her heart was beating erratically at the moment. Once she calmed her nerves, she started back up again. There is chocolate in red velvet cupcakes, so technically, she was still gifting Kajika chocolate today. She didn’t cheat the system!

Cream cheese was the classic frosting topping that was coupled with red velvet, so she was confident that it would taste good. It was easy to color with food coloring as well, so her ending resulting cupcakes were cute! She even added cute colorful sprinkles on top!

“Kajika Nee-chan… has… a colorful personality… it colors my world!” What a big beaming smile she had on her face right now. Perhaps she wanted to do something similar to Kajika’s gift to her last year. She wanted to convey the fact that Kajika’s existence in her life made her life a lot brighter.

Albeit, she kept herself rather optimistic, but her life couldn’t be very colorful given the company she had around her at times. Her life was mostly full of math, and that’s entirely because she liked to chase around Shugarl and get his recognition.

Kajika was one of the friends she had that could keep her bright and happy. A person who could always manage to see the bright side to any situation. There was always a reason to smile and have fun.

It was like this: A rainy day is dark and bleak, but it’s a necessary part of life because the water sustains life. It may be dreary, but it’s important to the circle of life.

What comes after the rain is a beautiful rainbow that brings color and cheer. No matter who you are, you get this sense of childish excitement when you see a rainbow. Around Kajika, she could be a childish little girl who could have fun doing all sorts of illogical things.

She could be herself and learn all sorts of fun new things. “You are my rainbow~” She managed to say this without stuttering, clearly, she practiced this phrase a lot. Of course, she did! It was the finale!

______________________________________________________________

It had been a grueling week at university and Kajika was extremely pleased that it was the weekend at long last. After all the various tests, assignments and practicals she had been burdened with, she could think of nothing better then to spend her days off hibernating to catch up on some rest but there was one important thing she was looking forward to first.

A meeting with Jupiter.

Her heart felt all the lighter at the prospect of meeting her younger friend and a dose of her angelic sweetness was sure to refresh and relief her. Thinking of her precious little friend, it was astounding to think how much their friendship had flourished since their introduction through Ponsol. 

Kajika’s eyes immediately lit up the instant she spotted Jupiter and couldn’t help but grin fondly when she heard her name called in that soft, delicate voice. To her it was the most precious sound, especially considering all the effort the younger girl put into making it.

As she made her way closer, the young heiress wondered if she should get Jupiter a gift to mark the milestone of their friendship… or take her on an outing somewhere… and then a box was raised in her direction. It was rather funny that just as she was thinking of getting a present for Jupiter that she should present her with one only…

W-wait… V-Valentine’s Day…

It was that time of year already? When had that happened? Shoving her feelings of shock at having forgotten to the side of the time being, she gave Jupiter her undivided attention as she carefully explained the gift she had made. Kajika listened raptly, giving the younger girl an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder when she took a moment to sit down. She could tell Jupiter was feeling discouraged at the need to take a break but on the contrary she was proud that her friend had made such considerable progress.

Her heart fairly melted at the touching words spoken in that adorably soft voice and Kaijka had to restrain herself from tackling the girl in a bear hug. In the end, she carefully set the box of cupcakes aside to swing Jupiter in the air as she laughter happily.

“And you… you are my Sunshine~”

Carefully setting her young friend back on the ground, Kajika lowered herself to kneel in front Jupiter and gently held both her hands as she looked up at her imploringly.

“Young miss, it would be my greatest pleasure if you could come have tea with me tomorrow to enjoy these cupcakes together… if you’re available~”