Follow Your Nose (Nao)

[Deleted]

Ahh... The home ec room.  Bunny's home away from home.  She liked being a part of the culinary club, sharing tips and tricks with fellow students and getting advice from her teacher, and made a several friends that way.  It was one of the best places for her to break out of her usually quiet shell and socialize more.  Not that she was terribly antisocial, but it was just a more comfortable place for her to feel confident about what she was talking about.

However, she also enjoyed times like these, after everyone had left and she was still working on her project.  Bunny was a perfectionist at heart, especially when it came to baking, and she wouldn't stop working on her project until it was perfect.  Even though her joints were starting to ache a little from standing for so long, it would be worth it - her desserts were looking super cute and almost done!

She hummed along to the soft music she had playing as she added the cream and final touches to her little project.  Her hair was tied back into a slightly messy ponytail, and she was dressed in her typical floral dress with a pink apron tied around her waist that was dusted with flour.  Bunny would have to go up to the dorms and see if her friends wanted some - the batch had made more than she had anticipated!

[Deleted]

Nao was wandering the halls after class when he smelled it…and his stomach responded immediately. Wow…when was the last time he ate? Now that he thought about it, he didn’t really have much of a lunch either. He did have lunch, but he spaced out in the middle of it and only managed to eat about a third of what he’d served himself, of which he felt terribly guilty for because wasting food was always something he disliked. His thoughts had been muddled lately, so he’d been spacing out much more than usual. Even his teacher had got on him for not paying attention in class.

What was wrong with him? Naozumi needed to get his act together if he was to do well during this last home stretch of classes before summer break.

….but first food. His concentration was going to be even more terrible if he didn’t get something in it quickly, and that sugary sweet aroma he was smelling was tantalizing his appetite something terrible.

Naozumi followed the smell to the obvious place. The home ec room. He creeped in through the door and slowly, silently gravitated towards the station where a bitty little girl was aproned up and baking her goods.

He didn’t say anything.

[Deleted]

Ah, shoot! Bunny squeaked a little as a dribble of chocolate icing didn't land the way she wanted it to on the donut's little face, and it became lopsided. With quick, deft hands, she snagged a nearby paper towel and slowly, carefully prodded away the bit of unwanted icing. Fortunately she managed to get it off before it hardened too much, so there was no lasting harm done. Phew!

She was far too entranced in her work to notice that someone had smelled her cooking and had come to investigate. Her back was towards the door, so she remained oblivious to the new boy's presence for a few minutes longer as she stood bent over, carefully finishing the last couple faces on the donuts. Satisfied with her work complete, Bunny turned to toss a few utensils in the sink. Only there was something in the way between her and the sink. A tall, cute, boy something.

Another squeak escaped her lips, this one louder and more surprised, and she quickly stuffed her hands over her mouth as she gawked up at the hot stranger. Who was he, where had he come from?? Bunny could already feel her face heating up being in the presence of such a cutie. She remained speechless for several long moments, completely lost for what to say.

Finally, she managed to blurt out,"Do you want a donut?" Still flustered, she stood aside a little and waved at her creations, eyes downcast shyly. "I-I just made them, um, so they're s-still really fresh, and uh... Well... I'm not gonna eat them all myself, so...!" Bunny giggled nervously and put her hand over her mouth again. She sounded so stupid! And ahh, she'd forgotten to introduce herself!! This was why she never approached boys first... "I'm Bunny," she added in a rush, but she was too nervous to offer her slightly sticky hand from baking for him to shake.

[Deleted]

It wasn’t his intention to startle her, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. Was it okay to just ask if he could have one? No, that would be rude. So Naozumi had contented himself to simply coming into the room and watching the confectionary creations become. And he would yearn for them all the while, with an aching tummy.

He supposed the girl was pretty…yes, she was very pretty, actually. Short and cute. She was cute. Making donuts and other pastries suited her. He imagined that her room matched her personality(not that he knew much of it, he was just assuming based on her current image of dress-and-apron)…probably full of pink and stuffed animals and stuff. It reminded him of his little sister. She was (sort of) into that stuff as well, though her personality was far less demure. Still, it brought a small(unnoticeable) smile to his lips.

The offer of a donut brought that unnoticeable smile to something (slightly) more grand and his eyes widened. “Can I?” he asked, hope filling his voice as he looked down on the much, much shorter girl. Naozumi didn’t wait for a confirmation because he was sure he heard it correctly the first time(hopefully), and so plucked up one of the donuts and started nibbling on it the only way a speedster can: fast. It would be gone by the end of her introduction. “Mm….I’m Nao,” he said, cheek stuffed with pastry. He didn’t offer to clarify whatever garble she might have heard instead.

[Deleted]

It could have been anyone to startle Bunny; she typically startled easily, especially when she assumed she was alone and would be for a while. At least she hadn’t been doing anything embarrassing, like dancing or singing! Now that would have made her mortified. As it was, having a tall, ridiculously cute boy come out of nowhere and oogle at her (her baking, really, but she felt like he was looking at her) was enough to make her want to disappear into the floor before she did do something stupid.

He was right in his assumptions, at least. Bunny’s room definitely matched her personality, since she had a taste for those sorts of things and the money to buy them when she wanted to (thanks to her parents – she loved living at home). She wasn’t imagining what this boy’s room might look like, though. She was too busy gawking at him with her mind fairly blank, really.

When he smiled at her… She could have fainted on the spot. As it was, Bunny nearly swooned, and held a hand against the counter for balance. Her cheeks were still flushed pink, and would likely stay that way through the entire interaction. “Yes! Of course!” she squeaked, turning and motioning to her just-finished creations. “Have as many as you’d like!” She didn’t realize that Nao could probably easily finish them all off, but… Well, considering her heart was wildly pounding and she was smiling and giggling into her hand, she probably would make no move to stop him anyway.

She watched in amazement as the donut disappeared into the boy’s mouth in seconds. Whoa… “I-is it good?” Bunny asked nervously, hoping that was a good sign. She fiddled with her apron to distract herself from his gaze. “N… Nao?” she repeated, hoping she’d heard him right. Bunny didn’t realize that her hair was growing short and her body filling out a tiny bit, since her joints ached already, but Nao would see that, in her nervousness, her ability had decided to rear its head and make her look like a boy in his sister’s clothes. “I… Um… It’s… It’s nice to meet you…!” she added, her voice just a tad lower. Bunny still hadn’t realized.

[Deleted]

Just to offer a picture of it, Nao’s dorm room was extraordinarily plain in comparison to Bunny’s fancifully decorated room at home. He had the provided furniture - bed, desk, dresser in the closet, and bookshelf - but little else. The bookshelf contained an assortment of textbooks, notebooks, language dictionaries, and various novels in at least three languages. There was also a small shelf reserved for the few select manga he’d grown to like through his private translating service and felt the need to purchase for himself. Other than those, it was kept tidy, uncluttered, and unpersonalized.

An extreme contrast to the blushing girl in front of him(not that he noticed she was blushing).

Yes, he thought she had said yes. And there she said it again. As many as he’d like? His eyes seemed (mildly) enthralled by the idea and he nodded as the last remnants of his first donut slipped into his stomach. “Thank you,” he said with a small boy of his head. “It was very good….” Naozumi looked again at her, though, as he reached for another donut and started devouring it as well, though a little bit slower this time. Mmm…Ray would love these…

But the girl….was not really a girl? He tilted his head in confusion as her form changed from a very sweet, adorable girl to a very thin, adorable boy. Oh. So she’s a boy now, he thought, munching on the donut. Naozumi reached out his hand and ruffled the girl’s(?) now short hair. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” he said once the second donut had finished, a tiny smile on his lips(much more noticeable than before, by the way). “You’re cute,” he said simply, his hand still in her(?) hair. Nao reached out his other hand to the side for a third donut.

[Deleted]

Okay…. She was doing okay, right? Bunny hoped she wasn’t making a huge fool out of herself, but it was so rare that she actually got the chance to speak to cute boys (because she was always too shy to approach them herself), she couldn’t know what kind of impression she might be making. At least she knew what she was going to talk about in her next vlog, heeheehee…!

All of her donuts were probably going to be gone by the end of this encounter, and Bunny didn’t even realize it. Oh well! At least they were going somewhere good, because the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, right? She’d be happy to bake for this cutie any day! And considering how fast he was downing these things… Bunny bet she’d have to make him a lot. She could do that! “You’re welcome!” she beamed up at him. “I’m glad they’re good! I’ve never made them before, so…” She trailed off and glanced at the remaining donuts – there were about six left. “They were sort of an experiment.” She giggled again. “It’s, um…. It’s… Nice to have a taste tester, though…!” Like she couldn’t test them herself.

She began to notice she felt a little strange, and the realization hit her all of a sudden when the boy looked at her with what she assumed was confusion. “Oh no!” Bunny squeaked, reaching for the hair that was no longer there. Her hairband had fallen to the floor when it had shortened. Ah!! How embarrassing! But… Nao didn’t seem as alarmed as most people were when she shifted in front of them. And then… omg!! Did he just call her… “I-I-I am?” she stammered, eyes wide and idolizing up at the taller boy. His hand was ruffling her hair, she realized belatedly – wahh! That meant he was touching her! Bunny’s cheeks flared up again and she dipped her head, pressing her hands over her mouth again as she was prone to doing when she was flustered. “… Thanks…!” she finally managed to reply in a muffled voice. What was she supposed to do now!? “U-um… You’re… You are too…!”

Had she really just said that?? “… S-so… Um… What’s your favorite food?” Because that was very important if she was going to keep this up!

[Deleted]

Mmm…donuts. Nao was thinking that he ought to savor the flavor more, slow down like people always told him, but he was too hungry for that. The important thing right now was to get his stomach filled. Only then would he slow down and actually taste the food he was eating. Because he would definitely still be eating by then, a full stomach never stopped him before. His parents would probably say he was going to get a stomach ache from that, but he hadn’t yet, so it was fine.

He might definitely be feeling something in his heart later, though, but 99% chance says that that was heartburn and not whatever Bunny was hoping for.

Nao smiled through his chipmunk cheeks, glad to see her so excitable over such a simple thing. “You’re welcome,” he said back, though the sound was as muffled as his last words were. He swallowed the bolus of food and immediately reached for another, though decided to take this one in slower so he could have a chance to talk at least. “They’re really good,” he said again. “I’ll be your taste tester,” he offered with the same gentle smile. Was there an ulterior motive in that offer? Noooo, of course noooot! (lies) If she did this again, he might invite Ray with him. Two mouths were better than one when it came to taste testing.

Oh, he thought looking down at her(him?) when she became flustered from her transformation. That was a pretty cute reaction too. And while he knew he ought to have been surprised by it, his first thought was instead somewhere along the lines of, shifter? Boy to girl? okay, makes sense. Meta school, why should I be surprised?. Everybody here had powers, it wasn’t like it was an unusual occurrence when they got out of hand at random. He continued to pet her(his?) hair. “Mmm?” he hummed at the returned compliment. “Thanks.” It didn’t have quite the same effect on him that it did on her, though. Nao didn’t care if girls thought he was cute. He wasn’t interested in girls that way, anyway.

He considered her follow-up question. “Mmm…takoyaki,” he said simply, as if everybody should know what that was.

[Deleted]

Wow, this boy sure ate like he was starving… Bunny mildly wondered when the last time he’d eaten was. Maybe he hadn’t had lunch. In which case, she wanted to make him some! But that might be weird to say… So she didn’t say anything. Instead, Bun just watched the adorable guy munch away at her treats, very happy that she had stayed after everyone else had left to make the desserts.

Aww… She wanted to pinch his cheeks so bad! Sooo kawaii! Bunny hid behind her hands again and giggled once more. “Oh, please!” she beamed. “I could always use a cut- uh, a taste tester!” What a perfect excuse to invite him in here again and again! “I mean, I could eat them myself, b-but where’s the fun in that, right?” she twittered on nervously. “Um… I-I could give you my phone number, s-so we can…. I can tell you the next time I’m in here…” Omg, this was perfect!! She really hoped he didn’t already have a girlfriend! This might actually be her chance with such a pretty boy!

People usually reacted pretty strongly to Bunny’s shifting. Even at a meta school, it was apparently a little startling to see someone become a male version of themselves so suddenly. So the calmness that Nao was displaying was a welcome change, and made Bun like him even more. Not to mention the petting made her want to melt into putty in his arms. As it was, she shuffled just a tiny bit closer, anxious for attention. “You’re welcome…” she breathed. Bun’s gaze up at him was nothing short of idolization.

She gasped at his answer “Takoyaki??” she repeated excitedly. “I’ve made that before! It’s soo yummy!” Weaboo that she was, Bunny had made an assortment of different foods in that cuisine. “I could make you some! Tomorrow!” A little rushed to please much? Well, it wouldn’t be that hard, she just needed to make sure she had all the ingredients! “… I-if you want,” she added more quietly, hoping she wasn’t coming off too strong. Bunny ruffled a hand through her mussed-up hair with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I…. I don’t get this opportunity very often, so… I’m excited!” She wasn’t even paying attention to how many of her donuts were left.

[Deleted]

That was what Nao had been wondering prior to entering the home ec room. When was the last time he ate? Before the pathetic thing he called lunch happened? Naozumi didn’t usually eat much more than something quick for breakfast, hence why he usually had such a big lunch. The boy needed a lot of nourishment, not just because he was a healthy growing boy, but because his power often sped up his metabolism as well, leaving much of any energy he gained from eating completely depleted in a matter of hours.

It was for this reason that Bunny’s donuts wouldn’t last ’til the end of this conversation. He nodded again, happy that she was basically offering him free food pretty much indefinitely. Nao never passed up free food, especially not when it was offered so enthusiastically. “Mmhmm!” he uttered when she asked about giving her phone number. With donut in one hand, he used his other to pull out his cell phone and handed it to her so she could input her number. He would do it himself, but that would mean he’d have to put down the donut.

They were really good.

Hearing that she knew how to make takoyaki, however, that the ultimate selling point, and his eyes became wide with wonder. “It is! I love it!” he said with awe and admiration for the girl. “Nobody makes it here, so I can only get it at home.” Nao had stopped eating for the sake of talking about takoyaki…that clearly showed where his priorities were. “Would you?” he asked, disbelieving. If she could make it as soon as tomorrow, Naozumi would forever be in her debt. He nodded and smiled, squinting up his eyes in delight. “I am too,” he agreed. “Are you going to make them here?” As in, should he come back here to eat them tomorrow?

[Deleted]

Bunny was relieved when the boy agreed to getting her phone number. “Thanks,” she mumbled shyly with a smile as he handed his phone over, and took it carefully, tiny fingers working quickly to input her name and number. For the contact name, she put “Bunny ^w^” – she considered putting a heart there, but that would be a little too rushed, right? She’d never done this before, she didn’t know! She giggled as she handed the device back over, still having a hard time believing this was happening.

She beamed even more when he responded to her with similar enthusiasm, and had to inquire… “Are you from Japan?” Bunny asked, eyes wide. “I-I’ve only visited it a couple times, but I really love it there! All the food, and the culture, and the people…” She was practically swooning. “Of course I would!” she replied, nodding eagerly. She would have to take a trip to the Asian market to get the supplies, but that was okay, she could use the walk! Her joints weren’t aching that badly (yes they were, between standing for so long and her ability straining them, but she didn’t care at the moment). “I-I’ll go pick up the supplies when I’m done here so I’m all ready for tomorrow.” And then she would make him the takoyaki and he would fall in love with her and it would be perfect <3

She nodded again. “Yeah! I live off-campus, so this is where I do most of my cooking for my friends,” she explained, patting the countertop. “Um, I’m done with home ec. around 3, so you can come by then, or I could text you when I’m done making it… Whichever you’d like!” Bunny wasn’t sure if he wanted in on the cooking process or not, but it sure would be fun to have him there to help if he wanted to, wouldn’t it? As long as she didn’t get too nervous with him watching…

[Deleted]

Naozumi took the phone back from her…though she still was a boy right now, should he be thinking ‘him’ when she was like this? Naozumi could probably ask, but…instead he didn’t, and merely looked at the number that Bunny had input into his phone. Ah! How cute. Naozumi smiled at the little emote next to her name.

He nodded at her question. “Mmm, from Okinawa.” So not from the mainland, but most Americans didn’t know the difference. “But we moved to San Jose when I was still in elementary school.” So he wasn’t exactly a foreigner. He laughed softly. “Yes, there’s a lot of people, especially in the cities. I’ve never really been to the big cities before though, save for when I’m just passing through.” There were a lot of connecting flights and boats to get to Ishigaki, which was pretty far out there. Her excitement had him smiling pleasantly. She reminded him of his little sister. So energetic and so excitable. “Okay! Thank you!” He was looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what she could come up with. Takoyaki was his absolute favorite…

“Oh, I see,” he said with a small nod, looking around the room as if it offered some further explanation. It was just a home-ec room, but apparently it was significant to her. It would have to be, if she always cooked for her friends here. “Okay, I can do that.” He wondered if Ray would be available around that time. Surely he’d like to share in some of the home-cooked goodies as well. And Nao wanted to share with him more snacks and food from his homeland. Ray needed to expand his horizons more, in Nao’s opinion. But…it would probably be too presumptuous to bring someone extra when only he was invited. Ah, well. He’d ask next time.

Naozumi reached to grab another donut only to find that he’d eaten them all at some point. “…sorry,” he said, looking at the empty tray. “I ate them all.” Now he felt bad. She probably wanted to share those with someone else, or so he assumed.

[Deleted]

"Oh wow," Bunny breathed excitedly. "I've never been to Okinawa, but I really want to someday." Already her mind was fast-forwarding to them taking a trip - honeymoon, maybe? - to the island, where they would spend their days relaxing in the most romantic places and eating the most delicious food... Mmmm... Her gaze might have glazed over a little until Bunny realized he was still talking. "O-oh, I see!" she replied, bobbing her head. "I'm, um, I'm from Seattle, but my parents moved here with me when I got sent to Hammel," she explained. "Uh... They have to stay close... Because of a medical condition and stuff," she added with a dismissive wave of her hand. Bunny nodded again at his thanks. "No problem, anytime!" Oh, anytime, definitely... He was sooo cuuute... Hopefully he didn't think she was weird, looking like a boy and all...

She hummed as Nao looked around, hands folded in front of herself happily. Bunny realized she didn't really need her apron anymore, so she untied the back (but not without wondering if it would be okay to ask Nao to do it, and deciding against it - she was a boy right now, after all) and hung it up on a nearby pin. "Great!" she squeaked. If Nao's friend Ray did tag along, Bun would probably just have another little fit with another cute boy in her presence, completely oblivious of their relationship. Her perception was very broken when it came to noticing people's sexualities.

When Nao apologized, Bunny looked over to see that... All the donuts were gone. Wow! "Oh my goodness, you're like a bottomless pit!" she giggled, poking his stomach playfully. "It's okay, um, I didn't really have any big plan for them anyway. I'm glad you enjoyed them!" She was smiling genuinely, not upset by this turn of events. "Anyway, um.... I should probably clean this stuff up before I leave, but I'll see you tomorrow!" she promised. Heeheehee....!!

[Deleted]

Okinawa was a…hot place. Fun-ish, but hot. He would say ‘fun-ish’ only because whenever he went there, he was forced into labor by his aunt, which he was used to, but didn’t necessarily enjoy. It was also a different culture than the mainland of Japan, which made it something of a culture shock to those who would visit and expect it to be like Tokyo. It even had it’s own language, though it was considered simply another dialect of Japanese by most. As for the food….of course that was the best part. Nao would always think so, especially since he got so much of it from his aunt’s restaurant. She was a slave driver, but she sure knew how to cook!

“Oh, Seattle? That’s nice.” He’d never been to Seattle before, though still, it was nice to meet another person from the west coast. Nao tilted his head as she explained her situation. “Hm? I’m sorry, that must be hard,” he said in regards to her medical condition. He wasn’t going to pry into what it was, but didn’t seem upset by it, or maybe she simply didn’t want to talk about it, but either way it wasn’t any of his business. Naozumi smiled instead. She was sweet. Boy or girl, she was sweet.

Nao was definitely going to ask Ray if he wanted to join in on this taste testing feast that Bunny was preparing for him tomorrow. The thought of sharing such a meal made by such a sweet girl. He did feel bad, though, for eating all of her donuts. “I’m sorry,” he said again, even though she said it was okay. He smiled at her reassurances and nodded. “Okay…if you say so, then…I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” The thought of tomorrow brought out an even brighter smile, one he shined at her as he took his leave out the door. “Bye!”