Hark How the Bells, Sweet Silver Bells

[steadyshore]

Who: Kairi (steadyshore) and Sakura (battle_in_bloom)
When: Future!SW 'verse
What: Arguments Discussions. Perfectly PG discussions about stuff that lead to perfectly PG things.
Rating: Yeah okay I lied. R for Reallyfuntimes?

Comments

[battle_in_bloom]

"Apparating here with me was unnecessary," Sakura insisted to her very blond companion, giving him a wry smile to show that she wasn't all that mad about it.

"On the contrary." The fondness in Guy's gaze made her a little uncomfortable, so she focussed on his teasing grin instead. "I know your nature, Sakura, whether you wish it or not. We both know you're as like to turn around and find some other part of the hospital where I'm not to work in, and leave your side of the bargain unfulfilled."

"I find those parts of the hospital to work in all the time, you realise," she retorted, not bothering to deny his charge. They both knew she'd be lying. "What's stopping me from doing that now?"

"Honour?" he suggested hopefully. "Well. And the fact that, should I find out - and I will - I shall hound you mercilessly for a date this coming month. A request for each minute you spend in that Hospital until the day after tomorrow. Daily."

"You make a good case." She laughed, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Fine. No sign of me at the hospital. Unless there's a serious emergency."

He laughed, shook his head. "You're impossible, Miss Haruno." The expression on his face became a little more serious, cautiously hopeful; Sakura abruptly found something interesting to look at over his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow evening, then?"

"Six on the dot," she promised, waiting a beat before looking back at him. "Now go! Save lives, irritate McCoy, in that order please. Apparently I have important sitting on the couch reading to do."

He gave her an extravagant bow, and then popped out of sight. Staring at the place he'd been for a moment, Sakura debated just returning to the hospital - even ten minutes would be enough to save one life. And then she thought about the fact that she'd been seventeen days at St Mungo's and that her patience was really not going to hold out against Guy Dudeson asking her to dinner ten times a day, every day. Especially not now that she'd finally acquiesced to his request after two years.

Pointing her wand at the door, she undid the lock spells and stepped inside. Pause. There was the smell of fresh baking in the air and the niggling feeling she was meant to know why. "Kairi?" She poked her head into their small kitchen. "I didn't know you were going to be home." She'd gotten the message, of course. Gotten it, glanced at it, and promptly forgotten about it in the face of saving lives. It was only by chance that Guy had caught her and offered a deal, and she'd ended up at home anyway.

[steadyshore]

Kairi poked her head out from around the corner, eyes lighting up when she saw her roommate. "Hey! You're home!" A pause, and she added curiously, "Did you bring someone else with you? I thought I heard voices."

The oven dinged, and Kairi hurried over to take out the cookies and slide the next tray in. "Why wouldn't I be home, silly? Did you not get my note?"

[battle_in_bloom]

"What's all this?" Sakura remarked, distractedly looking around at the various baked good strewn about the place. She paused slightly at Kairi's first question, before giving a casual shrug. "No, that was just Guy Dudeson making sure I upheld my end of a bargain." No need for anyone to know she was going to dinner with him, after all.

She leaned over and nabbed one of the cooling cookies, pausing with it halfway to her mouth. "Note?"

[steadyshore]

"Holiday nostalgia," Kairi replied brightly, setting the timer. There were going to be so many dishes to do later, but-- ah, it could wait. Or, ya know, she could use magic to do it. "And yes, a note. I sent you a note. About four hours ago. Next time it's going to be a howler." She hesitated at the mention of a certain name, not turning to face Sakura immediately. "Guy??" She asked, surprised. Sakura had brought Guy ... home? "Is he still here?"

[battle_in_bloom]

"Four hours..." Sakura took a bite and chewed thoughtfully; once again, she found herself pausing, mid-mouthful this time. "Oh. That note." Oops. "--And if you send me a Howler at my work, I'll send one to yours. And it'll explode a lot."

She turned away from her friend in favour of grabbing some more cookies and heading for the couch. "Did I stutter?" she asked. Still casual. Nothing to see here. Definitely not slightly defensive. "No, I managed to fend him off. Small price to pay, for a month's reprieve."

[steadyshore]

"Is that a challenge?" Kairi replied with a grin, raising an eyebrow at her pink-haired roommate. "And yes. That note. I guess you just don't like my baking anymore." Dramatic sigh.

She hesitated as Sakura retreated into the living room, frowning. Sakura had let Guy take her home. To her door. And now she was giving off that definitely slightly defensive vibe. Uh-oh. That meant ...

"...Month's reprieve?" Kairi decided to comment on instead. She made sure the timer was set, then followed Sakura to the couch, grabbing her glass of milk off the counter.

[battle_in_bloom]

Sakura twisted around to face her roommate, raising an eyebrow. "You don't want to make that a challenge, Kai." She felt the usual twinge of guilt at the redhead's dramatic sigh, but at this point it was mostly just something she lived with. She felt bad that her friends worried, but not enough to stop what she was doing. "That's an out and out lie," she insisted, taking another bite of her cookie.

Pulling her wand from her hair and flicking it once or twice, the fridge opened itself and the bottle poured her a glass of milk, floating over to her. Sakura raised the glass at her friend, giving her a grin. "Mm." She pulled on her best imitation of Guy's posh accent - not all that difficult, considering she came from a family that was rather posh in its own right. "'Miss Haruno, would you do me the great honour of allowing me to escort you to your midday meal?', 'Miss Haruno, will you acquiesce to my presence at your side for dinner?' - 'Hey Sakura, I brought you some sandwiches for breakfast'." She rolled her eyes, taking a sip of milk. "A month's reprieve from a daily inundation of date requests, in exchange for going home until the morning after tomorrow." And a date. But Kairi didn't need to know that.

[steadyshore]

"Uh-huh." Kairi shook her head. "I love you, Sakura, and if it takes a Howler to get your attention and make you leave work at a healthy time, I'd do it." Not that Kairi thought that plan would actually work-- it would get her attention, certainly, but Sakura was nothing if not stubborn. She'd stay later just to spite her, more than likely.

She sat down next to her friend, raising an eyebrow. "How's it taste?" Although she was fairly sure of her ability to bake a mean cookie, Kairi could not help but seek her friends' approval nonetheless. Besides, she was worried she had over-cooked that batch...

"So he went from 'Miss Haruno' to 'Hey Sakura' AND got you to take a full day off." Pausing, Kairi considered this news, not quite frowning. This was... rather big. She had an insane urge to call everyone they knew and let them know Sakura was taking a day off of her own will. Blue moons happened more often.

[battle_in_bloom]

"I don't want to have this conversation again," Sakura said, a flat note entering her tone. End off the line. There would be no pursuing this train of conversation, please and thank you. They always ended the same, anyway.

She paused for a moment, before leaning over and kissing her friend on the cheek. "They're delicious, Kai. As always." A pause. "You smell like baking..."

Sakura pursed her lips slightly as she re-situated herself. This situation required something a little stronger than milk, she felt. "No. He just--" She waved her hand irritably, "--switches around, sometimes. It's annoying. Everything about him is annoying, which is why I made the bargain."

[steadyshore]

"Too bad." As fruitless as Sakura seemed to think it would be, Kairi was never going to give up on her friend. Not ever. Not all of the flattest notes in the world could get her to back down on this, not when it affected her friend's mental health more than Sakura would ever admit.

Kairi could, however, be diplomatic. The subject was not dropped, but there were cookies and a calm couch and the two of them home for once, and Kairi wanted to take advantage of the rare situation while it lasted. She blushed slightly when Sakura kissed her, but grinned back happily. "Good. The first batch... kinda got burnt. I haven't baked in awhile. So I made more, and -- well, I think I'm covered in more flour than actually went into the baking, but they came out pretty well in the end, at least?" She shifted in her seat, pulling her legs up and crossing them underneath her.

Kairi blinked at her, wondering. There was something more that Sakura wasn't telling her. But... "Well... I'm glad that, for whatever reason, you came home." She tilted her head and smiled again, slow and happy. She just sort've wished the reason had been her.