[YOTB] Ch. 1 Mochi Harvest

They made it this far… yet there’s more work to be done. Shibani wasn’t all too thrilled with the idea of doing much heavy lifting or even a lot of bending, but if it’s with Dan? He maaaybe can make an exception. Maybe. As in he’s already here, with Dan, after trekking so far into the darkness and climbing into this beautiful cavern. Alone, with Dan. And a bunch of rice, too, that his friend needs for his mochi.

Which is important.

Shibani shakes some of the tiredness out of him, which comes naturally, and continues to commit what he already agreed to. He accepts the burlap bag and sickle, smiles over to Dan, and gets to work. Sometimes he swears Dan flashes a knowing smirk at him before turning to the waterlogged paddies. Heh. There’s always that smirk. The little one that lets Shibani know there’s something in it for him be it the satisfaction of Dan, seeing him glow with the praise he’ll get, or even cuddles after the long day.

His soft fingers curl around the handle of his tool, remembering the warmth of the mochi maker under his touch. Anything with Dan made tasks like this, where he has to move a lot, so much better. He’d complain later, of course, until he can get those sweet, sweet cuddles and maybe a piping hot bowl of rice. Fresh! From these very fields.

The ones that were currently making Shibani’s stockings wet, causing the pure white fabric to become transparent and expose the silhouette of his toes. He can see the mud and how it molds around his feet and separates into clouds of brown just up to his ankles. A giggle escapes him while finding himself playing about and splashing until he gets Dan’s attention on him, goofing off. Ah, oops. Without any words, he knows that the work needs to be done, and of course he chooses to move to the side and step over into another of the tiny pools and harvest some that way. He always heard of a team splitting up in movies to get work done more efficiently so… that’s good, right? He’s smart.

And work continues.

It’s hard. But the complaints don’t come. Just soft grunts as Shibani bends over, his sleeves getting bits of the plant stuck in them or even wet while he slices into the stalks of rice. He keeps going despite this, rolling up his sleeves and tucking the frilly ends under the red ropes at his shoulders and chest. If he says so himself, looking like a working man could be a cute look for him, but only sometimes! And perhaps just for Dan, because the holiday coming up makes it all feel so special.

Just like that little glow at the corner of his eyes.

… What even is that, anyway? Shibani doesn’t lose grip of his borrowed sickle just yet, glancing upward and notices that he’s made quite a lot of progress in his collection, one of his sacks being practically full by now. Yet, this glow was so pretty, drawing him closer to it (all while harvesting even the minimal of rice, mind you!) and seducing him into crossing over a small stream to get as close to it as possible. Dan is far behind him, bless his hard working heart, and not even noticing what’s going on. Not that it seems to be bad per se, but Shibani stares at the glow and looks at all the rice that just had this otherworldliness about them. They look fuller, more nutritious and definitely prettier. Like they were expertly crafted by things other than nature itself. At least, the somewhat more intellectual part of his brain (thanks, Hutch!) tries to tell him.

The rice is perfect. And Dan needs perfection, right? So. It’s a no-brainer now. With a big smile, eyes glistening and determination risen, the white colored Succubun dives into the shallow crevice and slices at the lovely plant. He’s careful to get as much as he could; plentiful for a good run of mochi and still have some extra to spare! Heh, mochi just for Shibani…

He hears Dan’s voice, loud and calling. It causes a itty sound to come from Shibani’s throat as he rushes off to get back up and visible to his companion, waving his sleeveless arm as he climbs up and out of the crevice and back to the main part of the paddies. With a small headshake, Dan tut-tuts him mildly and gets nothing but an innocent shrug before they both get to finishing up.

The buns power down in their natural forms to preserve energy, despite how much more useful their doll forms would be. The rice isn’t too much for their little cloven paws to grasp, considering nearly everything Dan does seems to be perfectly designed for either form. They are nearly finished no matter what, with the mochi maker explaining that it’s best to leave some behind, not that they shouldn’t take it - but because they shouldn’t carry too much weight. They have to make the long way back out of here soon.

And Shibani nods in agreement, face lightly soaked with sweat and smudges of dirt and stray grains and grass across his body says much more than that. All in all, the two made a great team and even if one of them is dead set on getting back and keeping things in sequence, the smaller of the two gets his long awaited cuddles and hot bowl of freshly steamed rice.

Maybe, just once in a while, he could help out like this again, if it meant feeling the warmth of Dan and hearing his anticipating heartbeats in a big ol’ glowy, watery cave can be like… a date or something?

Making him happy is just as important as it is to fall asleep using him as a pillow.