one last nightmare

A new start

The birds didn't sound as loud as they usually did. And the morning sun shone differently this morning. Small rays of light, accentuated by dust particles, slowly identified objects in the dark room, but he didn't recognize it as his own room.
Everything felt different for some reason.

Even breathing was heavy, much heavier than normal and he smelled a familiar fragrance that he just couldn't place.
Shido wanted to get up, but he couldn't and his arm felt heavy, almost numb. Why did he feel this way? What happened to him?

He tried to get up again, but it felt like he was held down and it wasn't by gravity.

It sure took a while for Shido to really wake up. He looked around and he found himself on the couch in the living room.

Why am I in the living room?

.....

That's right! Now he remembered again. Kurumi stayed over. They had so much fun together and they didn't want the evening to end.
So he offered his room for her to sleep in. Well Kotori did, but he was fine by it.

He also found the reason why he couldn't get up. It was Kurumi. She lay on top of him, with her head on his chest. This explained the heavy feeling and the familiar fragrance, but why was she not sleeping in his room? It must've been much more comfortable in his bed than sleeping on his chest. And Kurumi didn't strike him as the person who needed comforting.

He carefully freed one of his hands placing it on her back, caressing it softly. By the touch of his hand Kurumi reacted by mumbling something unintelligible. She looked really sweet, in a different way when she was awake.
Kurumi sure was a sweet person, but she usually hid behind her flirty behavior. And the mischievous jokes and her being extremely mysterious sure made it hard for Shido to fully understand her.
Trying to get to know her was really challenging, but she opened up to him slowly and he appreciated she did.

His thoughts were interrupted by the smell of burned pancakes and the ensuing cursing.

"Did you even make pancakes before?! What?! You saw how they made pancakes on tv?!", Kotori tried to whisper but it sounded more like she was shouting at her earpiece, "When Shido makes pancakes it never looks like this! No never!! Say what? No! It looks like somebody ran over...something and left it there in the burning sun for days. No, I know  I'm not exaggerating, because it smells like it too!
You're useless! Never mind! I will do it myself."

Shido felt sorry for the person on the other end of the earpiece. He smiled though. For knowing she liked his pancakes and wanted to recreate them as a surprise.

At first sight Kotori looked like a sweet little girl, but once you knew her you knew she wasn't anything like that. Of course she could be sweet sometimes, but it was that mouth of hers.
Shido was already used to it and also for the people at the Fraximus it was nothing new. If they weren't be scolded at for bad pancake advice, that would be something new.

It was time for Shido to get up, otherwise there would be nothing left to eat.
His little sister normally didn't make their breakfast, but he understood she wanted to do something special for their special guest.

He tried to wiggle underneath Kurumi and leave her sleeping, but he ended up lying next to her and looking into her wide open eyes.

"Good morning, Shido darling.", Kurumi said in a sleepy, but still seductive way.

He didn't respond, but stared.
Normally her golden clock eye was covered up by her hair, but now he could see it very clearly.

He had seen it before, but never up close like this.