You Said You Wanted Something Better, But Tonight You're Giving Up

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Miku was tired of waiting. Waiting for the elections to be over so that people could get back to their usual selves, waiting for the final OK from medical so that Steve could be released, waiting, waiting, waiting. Between staving off debilitating boredom and visits to Steve, she worked on controlling her abilities.

At least that was getting better. Well, mostly. All the worrying she was doing was probably undoing all the hard work she put into it.

With a sigh, Miku looked down into the bowl of mix she was preparing. With the little bit of food she'd bought for herself on the planet before everything went to pot, Miku was making lunch. It would be a while before everything was ready, so she stirred the mixture slowly, almost idly.

Comments

[starlightace]

"Of course you're a help, Miku-chan. Wherever he is now, he'd be a lot worse without you in his life."

And now that hand on your shoulder has turned into a full-blown hug from behind, Miku.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Miku stiffened up as Nanoha hugged her, the rice in her hand getting squashed slightly. Displays of affection like that - ones that were so very, very public, sort of put her at unease, even the ones she saw sometimes between friends on the ship. Maybe she just wasn't made for that sort of thing.

She tried to relax, slightly, and murmured, "Thank you, Nanoha-chan."

[starlightace]

Nanoha could tell that Miku was uncomfortable - she was a bit of an affectionate person, but not everyone was - so she pulled back. "It's okay," she said quietly. "You don't have to feel bad for being upset when someone you care about is feeling down."

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"I know that... I just can't help it." It felt like she was doing something wrong here, and she just couldn't put her finger on it. She fixed the onigiri and got to work on the very last one. It was good Nanoha had shown up; Miku had made far too much for just herself, really.

Rice. For when you want 1000 of something. With the griddle hot enough, she put down the onigiri and started to grill them. "Maybe I can find a way to sneak one of these into him." Or so she hoped.

[starlightace]

"That's a great idea!" Nanoha brightened. "Is there any reason they won't let him have it? Having real food is bound to help someone's mood."

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Well, I would hope not!" But, you never knew. Maybe she should take one extra to bribe Dr. Sera or Dr. Levy with. Prudently, she took two of the grilled onigiri and put them to the side. "I know how tired he gets of that... goop."

Sorry, Stacy. Learn to season.

The remaining two and some of the takoyaki were divided between Miku and Nanoha. "There."

[starlightace]

"If they give you any trouble, let me know, okay? I'll see if I can pull some strings as a department head." Nanoha leaned in to smell the food appreciatively. "Mm, that's heavenly. I'll let you know the next time I cook something, too."

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Well, at least Japanese society had gotten that right: it really was all about who a person knew. "Thank you, Nanoha-chan, I appreciate it very much."

This time, the takoyaki were properly prepared with sauce, the daub of mayonnaise, alien bonito flakes and aonori. "Here you are, Nanoha-chan. Please join me for lunch." It would have to be a quick lunch, though, because cold takoyaki was probably the worst thing to ever eat. Ever.

[starlightace]

She shook her head, waving her friend off. "Oh, don't worry about it, Miku-chan. It's really nothing!"

Oh, that smelled divine. Nanoha took her helping and smiled appreciatively. "I'd be happy to. Itadakimasu~!"

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Itadakimasu!" It took only a moment to wrap up the food for Steve so it would stay warm, and she took a bite of the hot, grilled onigiri first. It tasted... clean, surprisingly. The saltiness of the alien furikake blended well with the rice, leaving behind a taste something like pickled plums.

Miku sighed after she swallowed and looked content.