Title: morning tea
Rating: G
Fandom: Scarlet Nexus
Relationship: Kyoka Eden/Kasane Randall
Wordcount: 525
Short summary: Kasane wakes up early and finds Kyoka in the kitchen, who offers her hot tea.
Kasane wakes up way earlier than she needs to, a time that is technically morning but does not feel like morning with how early and how tired she feels, yet she can’t sleep any more. She’s feeling cold, even though the shelter’s electricity is working perfectly fine and the room temperature should be the same as yesterday’s, before they all went on that trip to Togetsu, but perhaps Kasane is still feeling the effects of all that snow.
All that snow, and desolation, and the cold and sterile-feeling environment inside of Togetsu that Kasane will never forget again (she swears).
“Kasane? Would you like a cup of hot tea too?”
Lost in thought, Kasane had wandered into the kitchen where Kyoka already sits. Kasane blinks twice just to be sure but the beautiful purple-haired woman is definitely real and definitely more awake than Kasane right now. Then again, Kyoka could always put on a pleasant face, but Kasane has a feeling that Kyoka is awake for the same reason Kasane is awake, just with more energy.
Kasane nods and sits down at the table. Closing her eyes, suddenly Arashi’s voice pops into her head. Something about the dangers of… Kasane can’t remember if she is also not supposed to trust tea that Kyoka makes. She should speak up but when her eyes open, she doesn’t see anything being censored. Well, it’s just hot water and tea bags so drinking it will probably be fine? Plus she wants to accept Kyoka’s gesture.
She wants to accept more of Kyoka than she previously had. Finding more about Kyoka’s past, and her own… Of course what Kyoka did might not be considered “right”, but what would have been the “right” thing to do?
The most important thing is that Kyoka came back to them. That’s what Kasane thought at the time, that if Kyoka came back to them, then Kasane could “forgive” her.
A few minutes pass and the tea is poured into two cups. Kasane’s vision is still not being censored. So Kasane will savor the tea, even if it is bland, even if it isn’t delicious, because it comes from Kyoka. It represents Kyoka’s warmth, Kyoka’s love. And because Kasane can drink it thinking about that, and her love for Kyoka in turn, she knows the tea will not be bland.
Actually, when she takes a sip of it, it’s quite the opposite of bland. It’s flowery and sweet and warms Kasane from her head to her fingertips to her toes.
It’s wonderful.
“Thanks, Kyoka.” Kasane says that with the easiest smile on her face, the easiest she’s been able to smile since she lost Naomi…
“Of course,” Kyoka responds. “Anything for you, dear Kasane.”
Kyoka has said words like that before, but now, after all that has happened and been revealed, Kasane knows this is the most genuine Kyoka has said them. Not because Kyoka hasn’t meant it before, but because now Kyoka can say these words freely. And so Kasane freely enjoys Kyoka’s tea, Kyoka’s company, in the early morning, with hot tea that melts away any of the lingering cold from yesterday’s snow.