Sunny hummed under his breath, his hands working furiously, trying his best to make the perfect batter for the perfect pancakes. After all, he couldn't possibly mess up— today was a special day!
Lifting his head, he watched as the sun slowly rose from the horizon, brightening the world with its ever present light.
'What a wonderful day!' he thought, a smile blooming upon his face.
Life really had been easy, relaxed even, ever since Nephis' return from her Second Nightmare. It was as if the world was telling them that they had suffered enough, that they could finally rest.
It was the lie of his dreams—Rain lived next door, and he could see her whenever he wanted; Nephis stayed with him, and they sparred daily, practising together; the cohort would occasionally visit, and they would put the past behind them, talking about more exciting things.
And today, it was something special, something important—Nephis' birthday. Or why else would he get up so early to cook mere pancakes?
His grin only widened as he poured the batter atop the frying pan, watching as it sizzled, its sweet aroma filling the house.
'Pancakes really were the best! Second to waffles of course.'
But what could he do? Neph really enjoyed her pancakes, so… as a loyal friend, he'll cook the meal she deserved!
With this in his mind, Sunny took in a deep, deep breath, before he readied his spatula, focusing all his attention onto the pancakes before him. He even switched off shadow sense, his eyes solely focused on the pancakes.
'With this, I will definitely be successful!'
Theoretically, with a Master's experience in intrinsically controlling one's essence and body, Sunny would be able to use everything that he had, and cook the most delicious pancakes to ever exist. However, there was a wall separating himself from perfection…
And that was Nephis herself.
…He didn't have enough experience to win against her in the art of cookery just yet. But, Sunny was sure that one day, one day, his cooking would be the best in the world. No, in two worlds!
'That's right, even if I can't master it now, I have time on my side—' was what he had thought, until… before he realized it, that day had already encroached upon him. Stuck accomplishing all the tasks he was set to do, Sunny… he… slacked off in mastering the art of pancakes.
Which was why he found himself rushing through the learning process as early as dawn, trying to make something that could at least qualify as presentable for her. And through trial and error… he finally found the most optimal, best way to make pancakes!
Since they were fragile, easy to learn, but hard to master, requiring a professional level of skill for the dream of perfection… Sunny decided to utilize his essence, circulating it throughout his body, for a higher degree of control.
And he wasn't disappointed. The last batch that he had used to test out his theory—well, they were successful, marketable even, but sadly not enough. Sure, they looked golden brown and crispy; sure, the insides of them were incredibly soft… it wasn't enough.
They lacked something fundamental, something that could only found in Nephis' pancakes—warmth.
And he had to accomplish that. Somehow, some way.
After all, Sunny wasn't one to give up!
Giving the air before him a sniff, he silently nodded to himself—it was a perfection worthy aroma. At this rate, he would soon be able to achieve his goal…
—-
Just upstairs of where Ascended Sunless was, in the room opposite to the master bedroom, a woman with silver white hair stirred from her slumber.
As her eyes fluttered open, Nephis immediately noticed the sweet, delicious aroma coming from the kitchen, prompting her to wake up, and see for herself.
Silently making her way towards the kitchen, she… her mouth fell open.
Before her, laid a heavenly sight—Sunny, in all his Ascended glory, stood against the kitchen counter; a spatula in hand. Unlike the unkempt, messy, flowing hair she was used to seeing, today, he had tied it into a low ponytail, giving her… a perfect view of his pale, doll like face.
Her breath hitched.
And… she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down.
Looking closely, she noticed that Sunny was so focused on frying—was that pancakes?—that he hadn't even noticed her presence. Something that normally would have never happened.
A slight smile bloomed on her face—this was the perfect chance to get revenge for yesterday.
—
As Sunny entered the most important part in frying pancakes—flipping them—he filtered every useless information from his head. At the moment, there were no worries about perfection; it was only him, his hand, and the pancakes in front of him.
With a gentle flick of his hand, one of the pancakes soared, elegantly turning over, before landing back down onto the frying pan.
'Perfect,' He thought. Just like how the pair of arms wrapping around him felt per—
'Wait a second! What pair of arms?!'
Whipping his head around, Sunny was met with… silver white hair, and shining grey eyes—Nephis.
She had a slight grin atop her face, as the grip of her hands on his waist only grew firmer, stronger.
He blinked—once, twice, and even put down his spatula to wipe his eyes. And yet, she was still there. This wasn't a dream.
Almost immediately, heat crawled up his cheeks, and Sunny momentarily forgot how to breathe. Never had he imagined that Neph would… would attempt something like this. This position—
'No! Pure thoughts Sunless! Pure thoughts!'
His brain worked to its full capacity, trying to find whatever reason Nephis could have for doing something like this. He didn't do anything to warrant this! Where did she learn that anyway? The Neph he knew was a combat addict, she wouldn't possibly…
Besides, when had she even sneaked up to him? Wouldn't shadow sense have alerted him by now? It shouldn't be possible!
However, he was indeed distracted by the frying of the pancakes… was it that, then?
'Damn it, Neph. Why hugs?'
Ignoring the blush blooming on his face, Sunny coughed, turning away to look at something else.
"Uh, Neph…" He started, unsure how to convey his confusion, "What are you doing?"
She blinked once, twice, before opening her mouth, then closing it again. Finally, she said:
"Thanks…" The slightest tint of red colored her cheeks, and Sunny… he gulped.
Cute.
'Wait, what did I just say? No, I was thinking about that, so think might be better?' Sunny mentally slapped himself. 'Gods, just what am I thinking?'
Behind him, Nephis continued, "Thanks for remembering." Her breath felt warm as it trickled down his skin, and he… he was… well, flustered wouldn't be enough to describe what he was feeling.
Warmth bloomed within him, and he knew—whatever Neph was doing, he… he appreciated it.
Sunny coughed once again, "So… why a… hug? And, can you let go?"
Nephis… Nephis immediately darted away, an apologetic look on her face. She stayed silent for a few moments, before she finally whispered. "When I was young, tired from everything, someone dear to me once said that a hug is a great way of connection."
He nodded, thinking back to times from so long ago—he still remembered how his parents had embraced him like that, the warmth, the feelings, all of it.
"Yeah… well, he's right. No, wait, is it a 'she'?"
"He," Nephis clarified, "But Sunny, you might want to turn your attention to those pancakes you're cooking."
Horrified, he instantly lowered his head, only to be met with… charred pancakes.
'Damn it, Neph! Just when those were the best of the day!'