Odd Cravings Season and Mochi Don't Mix

“Try this.” Dan urged, now towering over the lavish pile of pillows and blankets Shibani had been resting on. The pale bun lets out a dazed little hum, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the sleepiness fogging his mind. “Hmm?” He hummed once more, hoping for a proper response from the mochi maker. This was only met with another gesture of his hand, mochi sitting neatly atop a plate.

Shibani slowly sat up with a squeaky yawn, knowing he’d get no real answer from Dan until he actually tried the treat he’d readied specifically for him apparently. He studied the oddly iridescent orb on the plate, a tad confused by the oddly metallic sheen of the sweet. Typically- Wouldn’t it have a matte finish?

After a moment he slowly lifted the mochi off the plate, carefully making sure not to drop it in his sleepy stupor. He took his bit and sat there for a moment, processing the flavors. Rather than a furrow of eyebrows, or an unwanted gag- Shibani just sleepily hums again, taking another bite to get a better taste of the flavor profile. “Tastes.. Almost cakey. Like..” The bun’s thought trailed off as he began to doze, head snapping up before he attempted to return to his former thoughts.

“Like.” There was a pause. “Cake. Not mochi. Then there’s this almost nutty mystery flavor I like.” And then another yawn followed by a sharp inhale, “It’s tasty though. I really like it. You did a good job!” His smile slowly shifted to confusion when Dan’s expression seemed to shift into some sorta grumpy pout. “Was it- not supposed to be cakey?” Shibani tilts his head, ears shifting as he does so.

“No.” Was the simple reply he got back. Shibani slowly takes another bite, just continuing to get that similar flavor profile. There could’ve been something else but all he was getting was simply something cakey and something almost sickeningly sweet. “What- Did you make then?” He gave the blue-tinted bun a gentle smile, genuinely curious about his creation.

“It was supposed to be waffles. With sprinkles, whipped cream, and peanut butter.”

That- certainly wasn’t what was anticipated but Shibani just nodded along nonetheless, eyes widened a bit, “Oh, wow. I-” His thoughts trail off again, “I think I see now.” Was this a lie? Who knows, but Dan just narrows his eyes for a moment before slowly nodding in response to that. “I’ll go.. Work on perfecting that then.”

Shibani scoots to curl up once more with a nod, “I wish you the best of luck then.” The bun cooed before slowly drifting back to sleep.

It was only a matter of time before Dan returned again, a different flavor of mochi resting nicely atop one of his best plates. “Try this one too.”

The sudden voice caused the sloth bun to jolt out of his slumber once more, a gasp rising from his chest before Dan offered a gentle, “Sorry.”

Confusion returns to Shibani’s face before seeing the new mochi Dan had prepared. It was akin to typical mochi this time, just green in color. “Green tea?” Shibani yawned curiously, only getting a stare back in response. His confusion flops into a silly little smirk, just rolling his eyes before taking a fairly big bite.

Much to his dismay, this was in fact- Some sort of pickled flavor with the same nutty flavor returning alongside something unknown- Kinda citrusy. “Oh!” He said as he took a moment to process it all, his expression not really shifting from his little default smile, “Interesting! What was this one?”

There was silence before a little, “Pickle. Peanut butter. Orange.”

“Ah! Fun!” Shibani gently returned the plate to Dan, just gently clearing his throat. “You- uhm. Do you have any other fun and odd pregnancy related flavors?” This question caused Dan’s thoughts to buffer for a moment, unsure on if he wanted to spill anything about his new recipes. “Bunsenberry and lemon.”

“Oh! Wow! That one sounds so go-” He seemed to only be interrupted once more by the mochi maker lifting a finger, indicating that he wasn’t actually done with listing what that mochi planned to contain.

“And green onion.”

“A-” There was a pause, before a squeaky finished, “Ah!” From Shibani.