Work Text:
Arisa adjusted the bag on her arm and turned to her girlfriend, who was gingerly standing by her side.
“Are you sure you’re okay leading the bike? The basket might be a bit heavy…” Arisa asked her, fully ready to chase after a load of oranges rolling down the hill because, well, Kasumi was Kasumi. But, bearing a grin as warm as the sun, Kasumi grabbed tighter onto the handlebars of the bike.
“I’m totally okay! But I’m getting hungry from all this walking…” Kasumi pouted, glancing to the oranges.
The intense rusty colour of the citrus fruits was a stark contrast to the blues and greys surrounding the two. It almost felt like a little bit of summer survived into the winter, livening up the dull atmosphere of the later months.
Arisa frowned. “Wait until we get home, at least! I don't want you getting peels everywhere.”
Kasumi groaned and clutched her stomach in protest, letting go of a handlebar in the process. Arisa swiftly grabbed it and steadied the bike, and gave Kasumi a glare - who replied with a sheepish grin and a flushing of the cheeks. "I might have to rethink if I'll let you have an orange at all!," she proclaimed. Of course Kasumi was going to get one, there was no question about that, but Arisa loved to see her pleading puppy dog eyes when she teased her. Kasumi's hand returned to the handlebar and she clutched it with a death grip.
They continued the journey to Arisa's house in silence. Remnants of the autumn orange and brown leaves crunched beneath their boots, which was a sound Kasumi liked a lot. She was always - always - disappointed if the leaves were too soggy to produce a pleasant sound, and would sulk for the rest of the day. The trees were bare and naked, lacking their colourful coats, and birds chirped and twittered to each other from their branches. They framed the clear blue sky, which was already tinged with shades of pink, announcing the soon to be nightfall. It was always so depressing how quickly the day turned to night come winter time, Arisa thought. Her time with Kasumi would be cut significantly shorter and, although the later hours of the day were never very productive for the two, it was time together nonetheless. Any time she got to spend with her girlfriend was time she wouldn't give up for anything in the world. And though they walked in silence, it was a comfortable silence, in which words were not needed and thoughts could be communicated with a brush of the shoulders, or an intertwining of their fingers, or a bright smile that crinkled the corners of their eyes, or a laugh when one or the other stepped in a puddle. Lost in blissful thought, Arisa almost walked past her house.
"It's gone so cold, hasn't it?," Arisa asked to buy her time as she fumbled with her keys, which were a hundred times harder to grasp with cold hands. "Your fingertips are all red!," Kasumi noticed, and immediately grabbed her hands in her own and, after cupping them at her mouth, blew hot air on them. Flustered, Arisa pulled away, and immediately regretted it as the bitter cold bit at her skin. "Let me let us in first, then I'll get us both warmed up." Kasumi hauled the basket of oranges inside while Arisa went to the kitchen to fetch some tea, dropping off the grocery shopping in the meantime. "Grandma's taking a nap right now so we have to be a little quieter, no guitar or keyboard or anything like that. Alright?," Arisa said, while laying out the oranges in a neat stack in a wooden bowl, waiting for the water to boil. Kasumi nodded enthusiastically and beamed, because quiet days usually entailed cuddles, or maybe an accidental nap. Either way, she was clearly excited.
Arisa placed the two cups of tea on the table and sat down on the floor with her legs crossed, and Kasumi plunked the wooden bowl down, before remembering she was supposed to be quiet, to which she put a finger to her lips. Kasumi then slinked over and made her place in between Arisa and the table, which made Arisa smile. Just a little bit. Once they were all settled down, Kasumi reached for an orange and stuck her thumb into it, squirting juice all over her shirt.
"Arisa, please help me!," Kasumi whined and moaned. "No matter what I do, I just keep getting juice everywhere." She presented her white shirt, now stained a light yellow, as evidence. A pout appeared on her lips, and a furrow formed in her brow - the emotion wasn't necessarily a show put on, but it wasn't fully real either. Maybe Kasumi was too lazy to try again, or maybe she really just wanted to watch Arisa do it.
Arisa huffed, but reached over the table to the neat stack of oranges in the bowl and carefully maneuvered the dimpled skin away from the spongy pith surrounding the juicy flesh and, before Kasumi even knew it, the orange peel was off in one whole piece. Kasumi stared amazed, with stars in her eyes. "Wow!," she gasped. "You're a magician!"
She opened her mouth then. Arisa was confused at first, but after taking in Kasumi's expectant face, she understood. "You want me to feed you?," she feigned disinterest. Not to make Kasumi think she didn't want to do it, but so she wouldn't turn red as a tomato. Arisa had only really seen this done in romantic movies and dramas, and somehow it just solidified her relationship with Kasumi further. It felt strange carrying out clichés. It felt strange having someone to carry out clichés with. And though she was still getting used to the ins and outs of couple activities, she felt more confident with Kasumi by her side. So she did it - she tore a segment away from the rest of the fruit and popped it in Kasumi's mouth. Kasumi joyfully hummed before chewing, and promptly making a face.
"What's wrong?," Arisa somehow worried that she was what was wrong for a split second, but this was quickly disproved when Kasumi stuck out her tongue. "Thour," she said, but she continued chewing and swallowed the piece. Then she opened her mouth again, anticipating the next piece.
"You just told me the orange is sour," Arisa stared at Kasumi. Kasumi's lips just curled into a cat-like smile. "Yeah, but you're after peeling it for me, and feeding it to me, so I'm still going to enjoy it." Arisa's heart fluttered.
"If that one's so sour, I'll just peel you another one, and I'll eat this one or use it for a baked treat or something," Arisa suggested, and Kasumi lit up. Again, she watched as Arisa skillfully separated the skin from the flesh of the fruit. And, once again, Arisa placed a piece of it in Kasumi's mouth. She scrunched her nose in displeasure.
"Could you peel me another one?," Kasumi grinned, after swallowing the orange she very clearly did not enjoy.
Deep down, Arisa hoped Kasumi would never learn how to peel oranges.