Chocolate Pudding [Nejiko, Yuugao]
Nejiko felt so very glad to be home. She still needed to adhere to the same rules as when she was in the hospital, but at home on her own futon where she would not freeze. Being home also meant that Yuugao was much less likely to drop in unannounced. That, too, she counted as a blessing. After his dreaming back at the hospital, she in truth did not want reminders. It might have been better to have refused the offer of him to come by, but... But she was pretending ignorance of what happened, and while it had staved off embarrassment then she had successfully made things more difficult now. But was the discomfiture any worse than the mortification of actually admitting to not only having heard him, but (she shivered unpleasantly as she thought) watched him until she understood the sounds he was making? His own embarrassment was clear enough, and after what he had already gone through with a comrade going rogue, tacking that on in addition to his obvious distress was cruel, even for her. He was a friend and comrade, and she did care about him. He just...
He just made her extremely uncomfortable now.
Which was stupid. Aside from the dreaming, nothing had changed between them. It was not like she was unaware he had feelings for her - he had come right out and said it, after all - and yet... Something had changed in their friendship and whatever it was, she didn't like it.
She hugged herself and continued looking out her bedroom window. She missed Tentsuke. She needed him right now, to help her sort through the muddled and murky mess slowly growing in her mind, but he wasn't here.
And that was THE problem, wasn't it?
Absently she brushed a stray tear away. While she hadn't broken down again like she had when Yuugao had visited her the first time, she did have a chance to talk to Gaia-sensei, who had told her in a moment of absolute seriousness that if she needed to cry she should let herself do so as soon as she would allow herself to. Sensei understood that Nejiko's pride and conditioning wouldn't let her be so expressive where others would see or hear. And Sensei had cared enough to eschew the usual flowery metaphors the Green Beauty usually employed because she knew Nejiko only tolerated them at the best of times, and here at the worst...
(If anyone had ever been a true mother-figure to Nejiko, it had been Sensei. For all her exceedingly loud voice and espousing of the youthful ideals with an incredible grasp of purple prose that really had to be heard to be believed, Sensei had genuinely and deeply cared for each of her students as individuals as well as subordinates.)
Nejiko took Sensei's advice to heart. She had the privacy of her room, which she appreciated greatly for times like this.
Now she just had to face Yuugao. This would not be easy or pleasurable.
He just made her extremely uncomfortable now.
Which was stupid. Aside from the dreaming, nothing had changed between them. It was not like she was unaware he had feelings for her - he had come right out and said it, after all - and yet... Something had changed in their friendship and whatever it was, she didn't like it.
She hugged herself and continued looking out her bedroom window. She missed Tentsuke. She needed him right now, to help her sort through the muddled and murky mess slowly growing in her mind, but he wasn't here.
And that was THE problem, wasn't it?
Absently she brushed a stray tear away. While she hadn't broken down again like she had when Yuugao had visited her the first time, she did have a chance to talk to Gaia-sensei, who had told her in a moment of absolute seriousness that if she needed to cry she should let herself do so as soon as she would allow herself to. Sensei understood that Nejiko's pride and conditioning wouldn't let her be so expressive where others would see or hear. And Sensei had cared enough to eschew the usual flowery metaphors the Green Beauty usually employed because she knew Nejiko only tolerated them at the best of times, and here at the worst...
(If anyone had ever been a true mother-figure to Nejiko, it had been Sensei. For all her exceedingly loud voice and espousing of the youthful ideals with an incredible grasp of purple prose that really had to be heard to be believed, Sensei had genuinely and deeply cared for each of her students as individuals as well as subordinates.)
Nejiko took Sensei's advice to heart. She had the privacy of her room, which she appreciated greatly for times like this.
Now she just had to face Yuugao. This would not be easy or pleasurable.