You lay on the carefully hand made mat of bamboo in your friend, Kiku’s room as you were flipping through some manga he had laying on his kotatsu. Though the manga was still in japanese, the pictures were nice to look at... Even if you hadn’t really the slightest clue what they were saying. Kiku had taught you a little bit of his language but it’s nothing too useful; just things like kawaii, Senpai, Oniichan, and something he would never explain what it was. He advised never to speak it and never to look up what it meant. Kiku also warned not even to think it, because “it’s such a bad word for a sweet girl like you”.
Trying to push aside your growing curiosity towards that word, you rolled under the warm kotatsu and held the comic above you to block out the light from above. It was the only thing that glowed now, since it was completely dark outside. The moon was even gone tonight.
“__________-chan, I brought you a snack,” Sung a cheery voice from the hall. Your ears picked up the word ‘snack’ and you dropped everything for some of Kiku’s food. Throwing the shoujo across the room, you slid out from under the heated table and skidded down to the kitchen in your socks. As you flew into the doorway, your apron dawned friend was holding out a plate of steaming dumplings next to freshly crafted mochi. “I know it’s not much but I thought you would be hungry now.”
“Shut up, I’m all about mochi, Oniichan!” You giggled, using the name he loved so much. Just hearing it roll off your tongue made him blush slightly while you plucked a rice ball from the platter.
“I don’t get why you and America always tell me to shut up...” Kiku pondered, with a slightly worried look on his face as you bit into the red bean paste part. You smiled back at him with a mouthful of sweet rice, making him wince a little at your manners. “But anyways, we should get back to measuring.”
“Right,” You agreed, gulping down the treat and taking the warm plate from the boy’s mitted hands. “The convention starts in a few weeks and I need to make sure it fits okay,” Giggling, you cruised down the wood floor like on roller skates with the snacks in one hand and the other supporting you on the wall so you don’t fall. “But let’s bring the food so we don’t get hungry.”
You shuffled into Kiku’s room and set the dumplings and mochi on the kotatsu as your friend followed in. He headed towards his desk and looked over a sheet of paper covered with notes, numbers, and scribbles with a tape measuring roll in hand. Nodding to himself, he turned back to you, motioning you over.
“Okay, so I need you to take off my jacket now,” Kiku requested as you stood beside him with arms outstretched. Groaning, you took off the jacket you had borrowed, leaving you in a simple tank top. You had to wear this in order to make it easier to get the right measurements for the top of the costume. “Hai, just set it on my chair. Good, so are you wearing a push up bra?” He asked bluntly.
Your cheeks grew red as the boy began to unroll his tape measurer. His expression did not change like yours did, cosplay was serious business for Kiku and it had to be done exactly right, from everything to the last detail... That meaning even the exact breast size.
“N-No.” You stuttered, trying to look at the large assortment of Madoka Magica figurines on his shelves to avoid Kiku’s eyes. Suddenly, you felt the uncomfortable pressure of the tape against your chest and the awkwardness of Kiku’s warm hands meeting against your back.
