Title: aiming for number one
Rating: G
Fandom: Flowers
Relationship: Takasaki Chidori/Yaegaki Erika
Wordcount: 810
Short summary: Chidori muses on how she is Erika’s partner but Erika is both her best friend and partner.
“I really hate when people make a sour face before eating.”
A statement like that is not uncommon from Erika, the biggest defender of the sacredness of mealtime. Chidori wonders briefly who might have made that type of face in front of food in Erika’s presence. Maybe that girl who has been talking about going on a diet to lose weight? Chidori understands both the girl’s concern and Erika’s annoyance. After all, Chidori still eats salads and “healthier” foods often, despite how good the food is here, because she aims to make it back to the entertainment world once her time at St. Angraecum Academy is over.
Not that Chidori is in any rush to leave. She understands the entertainment industry well enough to know how hard it is and how unpredictable it can be. She also understands that it is okay to take breaks, or rather it is good to take breaks, to learn about the world, to come back with experience. And Chidori has found many experiences here. Especially with Erika.
“If you aren’t going to eat something, don’t bother to ask for it.”
Chidori smiles as Erika grumbles some more. She does agree with Erika (although more in the “don’t make a sour face in front of my Erika”), but more importantly, she will listen to whatever Erika wants to say. Because Erika is her partner and her best friend…
************
“Nah, I don’t care for old men.”
Chidori frankly has little idea what movies Erika and Suoh are discussing right now but she has learned that Suoh a fan of Clint Eastwood who Erika calls an “old man”. So it’s probably a Clint Eastwood film.
It’s not like Erika doesn’t state her opinion to Suoh often, but there’s a softness to every “insult” Erika launches towards Suoh, a softness that Chidori doesn’t receive as much. Maybe it’s because Suoh is Erika’s first friend here, her best friend here, and if Suoh is a bit infamous for not letting things go, well Erika is also…
Wait a second. Chidori considers Erika her best friend and her partner, but does Chidori want to be Erika’s best friend and her partner?
Certainly there is an appeal to being Erika’s best friend. Erika is a fighter, no matter what her physical state might look to outsiders, and she will fight the hardest for her best friend. As Erika’s best friend, Suoh is cared for, supported, and loved in a way that Suoh doesn’t quite pay back. Although that may be Chidori’s bias speaking…
But on the other hand, Chidori also knows that Erika is more reserved about her true feelings around Suoh, specifically anything that might cause too much trouble. Unless it is a desperate situation, Erika will never say it. Like the way Erika used to feel for Suoh…
So maybe it’s good not to be Erika’s best friend, but her partner. Because Erika certainly doesn’t hold back telling Chidori things.
“Hmm, well, it’s not that bad I guess.”
Erika scratches the back of her neck as she averts her eyes from Suoh’s. Hmm, Chidori has a feeling that whatever movie Suoh and Erika have been discussing is not one of Erika’s favorites. Chidori files that information away for later. There are things Erika says that Suoh is not picking up on, but as Erika’s partner, Chidori knows…
************
“Wash my hair.”
“Of course!”
Chidori eagerly reaches for the shampoo bottle and squeezes a generous amount out onto her hand. It’s not like Erika needs help washing her own hair; she really only needs help getting into and out of the bath. But Dahlia had helped Erika with bathing in a hands-on manner, so when Chidori took over, well… Perhaps Chidori should thank Dahlia for setting that precedent.
“You enjoy this way too much.”
Chidori giggles. Of course she does. This is something she can do as Erika’s partner. Before meeting Erika, Chidori didn’t realize how much she would enjoy doting on someone. She didn’t realize she would enjoy it so much that she would selfishly claim that role.
“Will you wash my hair or just laugh?”
Chidori huffs but it’s just a front. One of the best things about washing Erika’s hair is being able to massage Erika’s scalp to her heart’s content. Erika isn’t the type still to want to be touched, well not as much as Chidori would like to touch her, so this is Chidori’s indulgent moment. And Erika’s sound of satisfaction is, well…
Oh, if only Chidori had someone to squeal about that to… Perhaps Chidori needs a best friend that isn’t Erika, if only for that purpose… Well, that’s a minor inconvenience at most.
So, best friends or partners or something more…? Whatever the label, it doesn’t matter much, because in the end, Chidori is going to be number one in Erika’s heart.