A frigid gloom had blotted out the sun. Snow blanketed everything from the roads to the buildings. A sheet that hid it all away in a sea of white; and yet, even so, the city’s denizens continued going about their days all the same. The bright lights of vehicles and the dark figures of people moving about marred the untouched, serene beauty of the snow. Yet, even in that there was a natural charm.
Winter was here at last.
“Fwua~!”
Arriving home after a long march in the snow, Chika peeled her scarf away and let out a visible breath. The woman fumbled with the doorknob through thick gloves, eventually managing to get it open. As she stepped inside, she was met with the welcoming heat of her home. Perhaps cool to anyone who was already inside and adjusted, but for one who had just arrived it was a veritable sauna. Her skin tingled as if aflame as she slid her shoes off at the entryway, Chika wasting little time in peeling away the layers she wore.
Off came the wintry coat blanketed in half-melted snow, revealing the black school uniform beneath. Away went her hat, unveiling a head of messy dark hair. Letting out another relieved sigh, Chika stretched her limbs out and basked in the sweet embrace of warmth and comfort.
She entered the house proper after shutting the door behind her. Woolen socks padded silently across the tatami floors as she took a quick survey and found, to her mild surprise, nobody else home. Neither of her parents nor her younger brother Hiro. Well, not entirely true she supposed. There was one other who was undoubtedly home. If you considered them a person that is. The cold still nagged at Chika’s body as she made way towards her room at the back. May as well check on the little thing, she figured.
Her room, as typical of the young college student, was a disarray of athletic equipment, disheveled clothes, and lazily strewn about school books. Messy, but not as messy as it once was after some gripes from her family. She looked aside as soon as she entered towards a small, clear pet pen atop a bookshelf. Something the size of a hamster cage, but there was no mere hamster within. Instead, what stared back at Chika was the pale form of a small, red-haired woman.
“Miss me Aka?” Chika greeted with a fond smile and a couple affectionate taps to the side of the clear wall. Her pet replied in kind with an exuberant smile.
In a manner long since familiar to the two of them, Chika’s fingers unhinged a latch at the pen’s roof and opened a slot to fit her hand through. Her fingers scraped at the bottom before unfurling, and without reservation Aka climbed into her palm.
“You’re cold!” Chika realized as she felt the smaller woman’s body against her own. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering the chill in the house and the rather brazen nudity of her pet. Even so, it caught her off guard.
Bringing her hand up, the woman opened her fingers and saw Aka nuzzling herself against the callused ridges of Chika’s palm. The redhead purred like a cat and hummed merrily, pressing her lips to the base of Chika’s ring finger. Such a heartwarming scene made her smile fondly at the little thing. Her thumb deftly came down over the smaller woman and stroked at her back as she turned.
“Me too come to think of it.” Chika remembered a bit sheepishly.
Fortunately, this was where technology came to the rescue. The young woman stepped out and back towards the living room, eyes set on the family kotatsu. After setting Aka down, she reached beneath the thick blankets until she found a familiar switch. Then - CLI-CK-! The heater was on. Chika wasted little time in sitting at the table and sliding her feet beneath the blankets, her socks mere inches away from the heater itself.
“Ahhhh~!”
Chika leaned back on her palms and relaxed, her chest rising and falling with subtle breaths as she enjoyed the growing warmth at her feet. She closed her eyes and could feel the frost and any stress the day melt away all at once. Truly, this was the life.
A couple whimpers from the table, however, and the dark-haired woman opened a single eye. Staring back at her was the pleading, and very much still cold, Aka. “Don’t worry don’t worry. I didn’t forget about ya.” Chika lazily comforted. Her fingers plucked the woman half their size up while the other hand lifted the rim of the blanket.
“Don’t get too close to the heater though, alright? Could burn you.” She warned like she was speaking to an infant. Aka nodded and was brought down low before she was dropped onto the toned thigh of her owner.
From there, Chika had faith that her pet could work out where she wanted to be for herself. She set the blanket back down and pulled out her phone, ready to occupy herself for however long it took to warm up. Although unseen, she could feel the tiny steps of her pet wandering the length of her leg in search of a comfortable spot. Ticklish at first, but easy enough to ignore after a while. Besides, it wasn’t long before Chika was busy coordinating with her peers for an upcoming class project.
Ten, perhaps twenty minutes passed before the woman felt satisfied enough to leave. She lifted the blanket back up, fully ready to depart, when she saw it. Right at the lower edges of her thigh was Aka, curled into a ball with a dreamy smile and snoozing happily atop her owner. If she moved, Chika would undoubtedly wake her.
In other words, she was trapped.
“Good grief.” Chika bemoaned with a wry smile. “What am I gonna do with you?”