Work Text:
Mizuki stares at the closet in her room, she can feel her eyes closing as she tries to gather her thoughts.
Her hair is down, wetting her back. That means something she can't quite remember.
She shouldn't have took a hot shower. Or stayed up all night.
In a Saturday morning, taking a long bath it's a habit Mizuki picked up from her girlfriend, Ena. It felt strange for her not to do so, but a bath would end up with her asleep for hours among hundreds of bubbles, so a shower was the best idea.
She had no choice to take a hot shower too. Even if she knew she would be a little sleepy at the end, it's cold as hell in this time of the year. If only Mizuki hadn't stayed awake for almost the whole night editing with some new effects she bought, she wouldn't be this affected.
Sleepiness makes her yawn for the sixth time in the last hour. She's known by her groupmates for being able to stay as energetic as usual even if she barely slept, she can't disappoint them like this.
At the same time, the sheets look incredibly soft right now. Ignoring the fact that they look like a big ball in the middle of the bed because she felt too lazy to make it, the white color invites Mizuki to let herself fall in them again like she's on the clouds. On top of that, Ena's yellow cat pillow is right there too. A little bit of her smell is gone already because of the hours she has been out, but it's still there if she buries her face on it enough.
Another yawn is what she needs to give in. Mizuki moves from the edge to the center of the mattress, unfolds the sheets and wraps herself up with them, letting out a content sigh once she's all cozy again. Mizuki then puts her head on Ena's pillow, hoping to feel her smell, but all she senses is apple shampoo and her own wet hair on her face.
Right, she needs to dry her hair. Fuck.
Well, is not that important, is it? Even though is cold and it's not the most sunny day of the month, meaning her hair will take longer to dry by itself, there's not a real problem with her hair staying wet. Yes, she may get sick. Yes, she may ruin Ena's pillow. Only if she stays asleep for too long. She won't, she'll take a quick nap.
"Wake me up in an hour, bitch." Mizuki whispers to her brain before dozing off.
•••
Ena sighs as she enters the apartment. She can't be happier to be back. Helping in an art exposition is way easier when it's not her fathers, she's got to admit it, but what was making her carry the heaviest paintings about? Just because the artist she was helping heard her say she didn't like one of his paintings, Mr. Yukihira made me prove that she was actually very honored to be there with hard work.
Bullshit. A good artist can take criticism, right? And it wasn't even criticism, she just said she didn't like paintings about a single fruit in the middle of something because they're kinda dull. They fucking are.
Ena shakes her head while she goes serve herself a cup of water. She can't get mad again, she's not even in front of the idiot right now. She'll reserve all the comments for when she sees Mizuki and the girl asks how the exhibition went.
"Like shit", she'll say.
On the other hand, some other paintings where stunning. That one with a single hand being stabbed while trying to get a grape from the vile made her wonder if the guy is just hungry really often, but the political and social critic within the piece of art is obvious after giving it a second look. Ena made sure to say that out loud, so loud that it sounded forced and Yukihira told her to carry some more canvas.
Talking about loud, it's weird that Mizuki hasn't appeared. Every time she goes out for something in the second she is back Mizuki gives her a welcome kiss or a hug or just pulls her cheeks (she doesn't understand that one). It could be that she didn't hear the door, she remembers Mizuki going to asleep around 5 am and no matter how much of a stamina freak she is, she can't be perfectly functional after that.
Maybe her ears are half asleep, maybe she's watching an anime with headphones on.
Once the cup of water is empty again, Ena lets it on the sink and goes to the bedroom she and her girlfriend share. At first it was supposed to be only Mizuki's, but stuff happened. They can't be apart for too long.
She opens the door. "Mizuki, what are you–?"
She stops herself at the sight. Mizuki is sleeping on her side, hugging Ena's pillow, even drooling a little if her eyesight doesn't deceive her. The artist gets closer to the bed, and indeed, she's in such a deep sleep that Ena's sure she could clap in her face right now.
Her hair is down in a messy way that reveals she did nor brush it. It's not an unusual sight for Ena, since they live together, still she can't take her eyes off her. The vulnerability that Mizuki hid so well from her, the same vulnerability that she can now see and appreciate every day, is something she will always be grateful for. It's the simple opportunity to see her like this, be able to admire how her pink eyelashes look with her eyes closed or how her mouth is half open making her look dumber than usual. This is happiness, this is enough.
There are some bags under her eyes, the same ones she saw when she woke up this morning, but they're a bit smaller now. She's also wearing her usual clothes, which gives away that she did not sleep through the whole morning, though that doesn't add up with her hair being down. Maybe she was half way done with getting ready for the day and she dozed off? Or she gave in to her impulses willingly?
Ena smiles with adoration in her eyes, then caresses her cheek because she knows Mizuki's too asleep to notice. Her skin is surprisingly cold. She tucks Mizuki's hair behind her ear, and that's when she understands what happened while she was gone.
Her hair is wet; Mizuki most likely took a bath like they would do any other Satuday, then went back to bed before she could dry it. Her carelessness is both endearing and irritating, the former more than the latter if she's honest with herself. Just to make sure, Ena touches the rest of her hair falling down her back. Yeah, it's been a while since she fell asleep.
"Mizuki." She whispers.
Not a single reaction.
"Mizuki."
Still nothing.
She shakes her a little. "Mizuki, wake up."
"No." Mizuki murmurs.
Ena knows she's probably still asleep and answering from sleepiness alone. It still annoys her.
"The hell you said to me? Wake up."
"No~"
Okay, she knows that tone. Mizuki is awake already, she's just being a little shit.
"Your hair is wet, you need to wake up."
"Leave it like that, it's not gonna fall off."
Ena rolls her eyes. "Wake up already, this is important."
"I'm not gonna dry my hair now."
"I know, I'll do it for you."
Mizuki finally opens her eyes, slowly, then looks up at Ena. Ena smiles at her sleepy gaze. She takes a moment to get adjusted to the light. "You don't need to do that, it's fine."
"You can get sick."
"But I'm sleepy~" She whines closing her eyes and hugging the pillow more tightly.
Ena gets an intrusive thought of dragging Mizuki by her feet until she's on the ground and she has to stand up. It doesn't sound that bad, though she has a better idea. "If you sit up and let me dry your hair I'll kiss you."
Mizuki doesn't answer, just looks up at her again. She thinks about it. "Alright."
Ena smiles as Mizuki sits up. She looks in physical pain when she has to let go of Ena's pillow, for some reason. It's funny how she lacks her usual smile, as she's mad for having to wake up. It reminds Ena of herself.
Ena sits in the bed, in front of her. "Why were you hugging that so tightly?"
"It smells like you."
"I'm right here."
"Ah... I forgot."
Ena giggles. "That's what happens when you stay up all night."
"You do the same, you hypocrite."
"Shut up."
Ena gets closer, intending to fulfill her promise, then stops abruptly. "Wait, you brushed your teeth, right?"
"Huh? Eh... I guess?"
"What do you mean you guess? Didn't you brush them when you had breakfast?"
Mizuki opens her mouth, just to close it again.
"Wait, you didn't have breakfast?"
"Are you gonna kiss me or not?"
Ena bites the inside of cheek to avoid scolding her. It's not use to do it now, she'll take care of it later. "You're lucky I love you."
Their lips finally meet. It's obvious how sleepy Mizuki is, due the way she doesn't really move but keeps leaning into it. Ena deepens the kiss for her, and notices that she did indeed brush her teeth. The slight minty taste makes her smile, it goes well with her tender lips. After the kiss ends, her mood has improved considerably, as has Mizuki's. She missed her welcome kiss.
"Does that make up for the crime of waking up the princess?" Ena teases Mizuki the same way she would, the difference is that her smile is completely loving.
Mizuki smiles back. "No, I expect a check. A large one."
The loving face fades away. "Fuck you."
Ena gets up and grabs the hairdryer, which is in the incredibly big wardrobe she shares with Mizuki. She can't remember when they started wearing each other's clothes without asking first, although she does remember Mafuyu occasionally asking if certain outfits belong to Mizuki. Ena is sure she does it to embarrass her.
Once the hairdryer is plugged in, Ena goes to Mizuki again, to find her half asleep against the wall.
"Mizuki."
She gets startled by her voice. "Huh?! Ah... sorry."
"Don't worry."
Using the maximum level would be faster, but loud noises are already annoying and Mizuki it's moody today, so Ena uses medium one. Mizuki makes a face with the sound of the hairdryer turned on, which disappears immediately as Ena begins to stroke and move her hair to make sure it dries more than just on the surface. Sometimes she does act like a cat who just wants to be pet.
Ena is enjoying herself too, to be honest. Getting to annoy, admire and take care of her girlfriend all at the same time is truly a blessing.
She wears a little smile. There's something sweet in the way Mizuki completely trusts Ena to manage her hair, the one that she values so much, while being in a state where she's not completely aware of what's happening. She's learn to appreciate this moments, knowing how hard it is for Mizuki to rely on other people. It makes her special.
Ena's also taking advantage of the situation in a way. Mizuki's hair has always been soft, and Ena is usually too shy to caress it without a good reason, except for when they're cuddling, so now she can pet her girlfriend all she wants. Her hands sometimes get distracted, stroking her head or enjoying the feel of her hair between her fingers instead of focusing on drying it. Luckily, Mizuki is humming a song to herself to avoid falling asleep again and too lost in her own world to notice.
Around five minutes later, Ena can't extend the moment much longer. She turns off the hairdryer.
Mizuki groans, she's a little bit more awake. "Finally."
"Hey. You should thank me."
"Yeah, yeah, thanks. I'm gonna sleep some more."
Ena holds her shoulder before she can lay down again. "Now you won't."
Mizuki looks up. "What?"
"You're gonna eat something."
Mizuki is about to protest. Ena doesn't let her, kissing her right before she can make out any words. It works perfectly because of the way it leaves her speechless afterwards. She's a bit red too.
"Wait here."
In the living room, Ena takes the snack she bought for Mizuki in her way home and hides it behind her back. She feels so childish, yet so blissful. When she's back in the bedroom, Mizuki looks at her searching for food. She pouts once she realizes Ena's teasing her again.
"Come on, show me."
"Closes your eyes."
She does it without thinking twice, she must be hungrier than she thought.
"You can open them now."
Mizuki's eyes immediately shine with joy at sight. "Potato fries!" She beams as she takes the McDonald's box in her hands and starts digging in. "Thank you, Ena! They're great!"
Ena gets infected by her grin. "Are they? They must be all pasty by now."
"It's okay. You bought them for me with love, so I'll eat them with love."
The random cheesy quote takes Ena off guard. "Your mood flips with just a bunch of fries."
"Wait, where did you go today...? Oh, that exhibition! How was it?"
Ena realizes as she watches Mizuki eat how easily she forgot the shitty morning she had. She was so ready to comeback home and complain about his teacher and that weird artist. Hell, she got mad thinking about it less than half an hour ago. Now, she couldn't care less about all that. Sure, she would still tell them to fuck off if she could, but Mizuki made her forget any bad feelings she had with just being moody and some kisses.
Ena is not sure if the reason lies in how dazzling is Mizuki or how deeply in love with her she is. Probably both.
"Wow, your morning was that good?" Mizuki asks after seeing Ena's tender gaze.
She shows a little smile. "You were the best part."
After she's done with her fries, Mizuki goes back to sleeping like there's no tomorrow. This time though Ena's cuddling her, running her fingers through her hair still down and murmuring a lullaby they both like.