Kitty Omurice and Other Dangerous Things

The calmness of the evening drifted through the apartment, punctuated only by the muffled sounds of traffic and distant noises. Miyami's apartment sat mostly quiet, its lights turned low in the dimness of the night. The soft hum of the aircon and sizzling from the kitchen filled the space, but even those were muted under a leaden feeling of guilt.

Hinoka hugged her knees closer to her chest as she sat on the couch, smelling cherry, citrus, and the faint traces of Miyami's scent from the cushions. She could also smell the sweet yet savory aroma of cooking as a waft of steam came from the kitchen's open doorway. The chop of a knife slicing into vegetables, the soft murmur of a hummed song from the dark-haired girl, and the rustle of clothes as Miyami moved around the kitchen were the only other sounds.

"…"

Hinoka let out a frustrated groan and rubbed her face, trying to shake off the lingering sense of anxiety.

After they'd called the police, alerted the boss, and closed up the shop early, Miyami had insisted on bringing her here to her apartment. Hinoka had tried to protest, to tell Miyami that it was fine, but the look on her face had made it clear there was no room for argument—a surprise considering how timid the taller woman was normally.

Now they were both here, in Miyami's place, where she was making dinner for them. Like, actually cooking. Not instant ramen, bland chicken and rice, or pre-prepared meals like Hinoka had been used to prior to the angelic girl's food plan proposal. She was going to share a proper dinner with her in her apartment. A homemade one at that, like a couple of newlyweds or—

*poomf*

She slapped her face with a pillow, dispelling the inappropriate thought. It was bad enough that Miyami was basically cooking everything for her nowadays, but now she was here, taking her time to comfort her in her own home!

This was wrong. So, so wrong.

Sure, she like the idea of being protected and cared for by someone, but not when it was her fault for dragging her into this. Shirahata was her problem, and Miyami was just an innocent bystander and the most perfect woman to ever walk the Earth, who'd never done anything to deserve this. She must've already dealt with a whole ton of shit in her life, but now she had to deal with her baggage too?

"Ughhhhh." Hinoka buried her face deeper into her arms. This was so screwed up.

She'd always had her suspicions that the creep had been him. He had always followed her around on campus back then, no matter where she went—even when she'd tell him off and repeatedly state that she was a lesbian.

She'd hoped that moving away after her graduation would've finally made him give up, that the guy harassing the shop for the past year had just been one of the many vindictive customers she'd pissed off in her early retail days. But no, he'd followed her here.

And now, he was threatening the most important thing in her life.

The sounds of the kitchen continued in the background, and Hinoka could hear the clink of dishes being set on the counter. The light in the kitchen flicked off, and she heard Miyami shuffle out of the doorway and approach the living room. It was a cute but anxiety spiking sound, especially considering how often she would trip and fumble about while walking.

Her eyes glanced over the dark-haired woman, who stood in front of her. Miyami's expression was flat as a line, her gaze fixed on the floor as she held a tray with two plates of the cutest omurice Hinoka had ever seen.

The yellow of the omelets were fluffy and light, almost like clouds, and the ketchup was drizzled over them in a smiley cat face.

(=^･ω･^=)

"Um…" Hinoka gulped and looked at her, her heart pounding.

"…" Miyami didn't say anything as she set the food on the table, her face expressionless. She grabbed one of the plates and handed it to Hinoka, along with a fork.

She stared back at it, her stomach grumbling. It was too cute to eat. It felt like a crime to even touch it.

"…?" Miyami tilted her head as she noticed her hesitation, and Hinoka quickly shook her head.

"T-thanks. This looks great," she managed to get out, her voice wobbling. Agh, sheesh. When had she started to have trouble talking to Miyami?

"…" She watched Miyami take the plate back, and then she took a bite of it in front of her.

It was like she was trying to demonstrate that the delicious looking food was edible. Her cheeks puffed out slightly and her lips curled up at the corners as she chewed.

"…!" Hinoka's heart exploded at the sight of her. Crap. She just wanted to hug her right now. To wrap her arms around her and squeeze her tight and never let go.

Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "I-I'll eat, just gimme the plate."

She ate a few mouthfuls of the food trying not to think of how she'd just butchered Miyami's artwork, and her eyes watered at how good it tasted. The eggs were fluffy, the fried rice was seriously flavorful, and the light ketchup was the perfect sweetness to round out the salty edges.

It was amazing.

"…" The black-haired girl smiled slightly at her reaction and gave her a thumbs-up. But then, her gaze drifted to the side, and she frowned as if thinking about something.

Hinoka tried guessing what was on her mind as she demolished the omurice—sorry, kitty!—but she couldn't figure it out.

Was she regretting letting her stay? Did she want her to leave? Was she worried that Hinoka was going to cause problems for her? Or maybe…

*ping!*

The alert caused her to pause, and she noticed that Miyami had somehow gotten in a message on her phone while she was busy eating.

Sheesh. She was fast.

∘₊✧─────────────✧₊∘

 >> I'm sorry that you've been dealing with this stalker guy. And I'm sorry that I can't do more. I'm really sorry.

 >> If you want to talk about it though, we can.

 >> (´｡• ω •｡`) ♡

∘₊✧─────────────✧₊∘

Hinoka read over the message a few times as she adjusted her weight on the couch. Miyami was way too good for her.

She shook her head and gripped the fabric of her shirt, scarfing down another bite of the delicious food.

"I should be the one apologizing to you. To think that there's nothing more that can be done since 'there wasn't anything that could prove it was him,' ugh! Damn police are so useless!"

Hinoka's voice rose a little as she clenched her fists. They were usually pretty good in this city, but this was ridiculous. How could they not do anything to help this time? Did the police just expect them to wait until something else happened first? The damn guy had already thrown a rock at their door!

*sniffle*

"…"

Hinoka cautiously looked back up to see Miyami wiping her tears away. Crap. She must've scared her. Way to go, dumbass.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that. You okay? Or—"

*fuwomp*

Fabric shuffled as Miyami suddenly embraced her, holding her tightly and leaning against her chest. The scent of citrus and cherries and sweetness wafted up from the girl's hair, and her body was so warm, soft, and comforting.

Hinoka's face began to resemble a cherry too as her brain short circuited. She didn't know how long they stayed in that position, her head buried against the delicateness of Miyami's chest as the taller woman held her, but it was long enough that their food had stopped steaming by the time they pulled back.

The hum of the air conditioner kicked up their hair as the vane shifted.

The dark-haired woman shook a little as amber met brown.

Miyami's lips trembled. "S-stop blaming yourself, H-Hinoka. It's not your fault. Y-You don't deserve this."

"…" Hinoka's heart slammed against her ribs at the paradoxically timid yet firm words. Her hands were suddenly enclosed in warmth, and a few drops of wetness splashed on them.

Then Miyami spoke.

"…I'm the one who should be the sorry one, Hinoka. If I was stronger, if I could be braver, maybe I wouldn't have to be such a burden on you."

*ba-dump*

Existence faded away like a picture underwater.

The voice that'd just escaped Miyami wasn't her usual one. It was deeper, raw—almost husky in cadence and tone. Hinoka's skin tingled as it traced a wave of electricity into her body.

She didn't understand why, but it felt like she was on fire, like she was melting in a silky embrace. She wanted to hear more of that voice.

She needed to hear it.

"…" Miyami's pupils immediately dilated though, and she backed away. Her hand covered her mouth in horror as her cheeks turned whiter than death. She looked embarrassed—no, beyond embarrassed. It was like the world was about to end, and she was the cause.

"…s-sorry." Her normal, softer voice immediately returned, but it was shaky. "P-please forget what you heard, Hinoka. Just pretend it never happened."

Forget it? Pretend it never happened? No way. That was impossible. Miyami's low voice was echoing in her brain, bouncing off every corner, and sending shivers of ecstasy down her spine.

Hinoka tried thinking of something—anything—that could distract her, but it was no use. Her heart hammered away, and her palms began to sweat as she stared at her friend.

She wanted to hear that voice again. She NEEDED to hear that voice again.

Every other worry, fear, and doubt that had plagued her since the shop incident flew out of her mind like a flock of sparrows scattering into the sky.

Clothing ruffled. Miyami's scent was all she could sense.

Then, she was in front of her, noses nearly touching and hand lifting Miyami's chin to her gaze. Her eyes cowered, wide and scared, but there was also something else behind them.

"…!" A whimper escaped Miyami's lips, and she took a shaky breath.

"…" Hinoka couldn't take her eyes off the sight.

She'd never seen Miyami's eyes so close before. They were dark pools of brown that seemed to go on forever, like staring into the depths of some endless chasm.

Her own heart was racing. Her blood pounded through her veins and her skin prickled with anticipation as she held Miyami's chin up. Miyami's pulse beat fast in tandem with her own beneath needy fingertips.

"…I love your voice. Let me hear some more."

"…"

Miyami's lips sucked in on themselves like she'd just eaten an entire lemon. Then, her eyes rolled back, and she went limp.

*plop*

"W-wait, what—shiiiiiiiiit!" Hinoka's eyes widened in alarm as her friend collapsed to the ground, scrambling to check on her.

Miyami's head rested limply against the carpet. Only the whites of her eyes were visible, and she wasn't responding to anything. Hinoka's fingers searched for the pulse in her wrist. Thankfully, she felt a steady beat and the faintness of breathing.

She was probably fine then. Just… completely knocked out from embarrassment.

"Shit." She tried shaking her awake, patting her cheeks lightly, even slapping her across the face to apologize for her actions—but nothing worked. She only jiggled like a carton of gelatin.

AAAAAGH! DAMN IT! WHY COULDN'T SHE CONTROL HERSELF AROUND THIS GIRL?!

Hinoka's hands gripped the carpet as she panicked. For crying out loud, she was already on the edge of a breakdown because of the stalker situation. And now, to top it all off, Miyami had just gone and passed out from her accidental teasing!

"Okay. It's fine. Just pick her up, take her to her bedroom. Lay her down. Simple as that."

Her arms slid underneath Miyami's noodle-like figure and lifted her from the carpet.

"…!" She weighed almost nothing, and her skin was silky smooth.

It wasn't the time to linger on that fact though. Hinoka quickly scurried down the hall, her heart racing with the weight of the dark-haired woman in her arms. The sound of her footsteps on the floorboards echoed in the hallway until they met the carpet of Miyami's bedroom. A faint floral smell filled the space.

Wasting no time, Hinoka tried laying the girl on her bed, but she ended up tumbling out of her grasp like a ragdoll, and her legs got tangled in the covers of the sheets, causing her to land on the pillow in a rather suggestive position.

"Crap!"

Hinoka's face burned pure crimson. Miyami was on her back, her legs splayed open and her shorts riding up—a tad too much skin being shown.

Alarms went off in her head, and her brain cells were running around in circles, screaming their lungs out amidst the fire.

She couldn't let Miyami wake up like that. She had to fix it. She had to make it right.

*fwip*

SHIT! Her shorts got further pulled down when she'd adjusted her pose, and now she was even sexier!

Miyami's cute little bellybutton was exposed to the air, and her underwear was on full display. They were a bright blue, decorated with—

(=^･ω･^=)

Hinoka dove out of the room to avoid the perverted analysis, landing hard in the wooden hallway. She scrambled, feet and hands scuffling like mad until she plopped face first into the couch, biting her tongue as she did her best to be a respectable adult and friend.

Agony was made manifest as she screamed into the cushions. Her eyes watered as her taste buds died a swift death. But she deserved it. She didn't care. It was her own dumbass fault.

Hinoka nearly sobbed as the evils of her deeds came crashing down.

One creep was bad enough already. They didn’t need her to be another!