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"Nanmin, did someone leave th-"
Tiana paused mid-sentence when she walked through the kitchen door and saw Nanami just finishing up with the last of the dishes. They had ushered out the last of the guests a few hours ago and Tiana, having moved up and down much more than she had planned (all to the loving chagrin of her partner) immediately took that chance to go lay down for a nap. She expected him to join her later, as he would often do. She didn't expect him to have stayed up, let alone walk in to him having baked a fresh batch of her best seller. Nanami, having put the last dish away, dried his hands and with a small upturn of his lips, turned around to meet his love where she stood, frozen on the spot in disbelief.
"Did you rest well?" he asked, gingerly placing his hands on her baby bump and planting one kiss on her forehead, and another on her belly. The playful kick he received in response only served to widen his smile.
"It seems someone did." Tiana watched as Nanami stood back to his full height, her own smile gracing her face. That expression alone pulled Nanami in in an instant. He kissed her slowly. Sweetly. Tenderly. Gently rubbed his thumb on her cheek. All Tiana could do was melt in it all. She let out a sound of protest when he moved the slightest bit away. Chuckling, Nanami deepened the kiss just so, lingering for a few seconds longer before he pulled away again.
"Hi gorgeous" She blushed and, not for the first time, Nanami mentally swore that alone could brighten even the darkest of paths.
"Hi." Tiana looked into the brown eyes fixated on her and willed herself to fall deeper into that gaze. No depth of any ocean could compare to the lengths she was willing to go when it came to swimming in the love that was captured in his eyes. She would have lingered a little longer. If not for the scent of a certain spice gently wafting in the air.
The same scent that woke her up from her nap.
"You didn't have any." She looked back at Nanami in confusion. "At the party. You didn't have any."
"Oh. I...didn't want to" She didn't know why she thought he would believe her when even she didn't believe her own lie. The raised eyebrow didn't help either.
"I didn't!"
"Tia"
"The batch was looking smaller than I anticipated so I thought it was better for everyone else to at least have one"
"Tia"
"Plus I've eaten it so much and my palette is tired so I gave it a break"
"Tia"
"Nanmin"
Nanami placed his forefinger under her chin, gently pushing up at it and forcing her gaze to lock on his. The stare-down was over in seconds.
"Ok fine! I didn't eat any. On purpose."
"It's your favourite"
"I knoooow but I...look at me!" She stepped out of his arms, taking a few steps back.
"Bold of you to assume I ever take my eyes off of you"
"Kentooooo! I'm being serious!"
"So am I" Tiana sighed in frustration and moved her arms up and down her frame. Nanami, not sure where the conversation was going, tilted his head.
"I've changed! I'm changing! I'm...big! And I'm always sweaty and a few steps make my lungs feel like I've run a marathon and my feet are constantly swollen and I'm so tired all the time it's even a miracle I survived today and I thought 'maybe I shouldn't be eating so much' and then I thought 'I've been having so much of...that lately and it's probably not good for me and it's making me pack on the pounds faster so I'll keep away from them' even though I'm constantly craving them so I stayed away from them today even though they smelled so good and my mouth was watering and I could have eaten literally every last one of them by myself but I forced myself to not even touch them so....yes. I didn't have any. On purpose."
There are only two things Tiana could focus on after her winded rant: her very heavy breathing that seemed to be the only thing filling the silence in the air, and Nanami's lack of a response. Her rational brain told her that that wasn't off-brand for him, that he might come across as lifeless as a rock but there's more to him than meets the eye. Her irrational brain on the other hand, determined to take complete control during her pregnancy, steered her thoughts into the most demeaning, anxiety-inducing thoughts she had ever experienced in her life and she was sure that if he could read her mind in that moment, she would unearth a side of Nanami probably none of them had ever seen. It was those same irrational thoughts that made her not register why her eyesight was suddenly blurry and where the sudden pressure on her lower lip was coming from. Nanami was by her side again in an instant.
"Hey, it's okay. It's okay my love. Let it out." he said, as he held her. As Tiana wept into his shirt, she couldn't help but end up focusing on one more thing.
"They smell so good though!" she said in between sobs. Nanami chuckled as he held her face in his hands.
"Would you like one?"
"Nooo"
...
"Yeeees"
"You can have as many as you want"
"Noooo! Don't encourage me!"
"An impossible ask. It's half my job as your husband to do so"
"Keeeeen"
"It's also my job to remind you that talking down on my wife is a punishable offence. No one is allowed to do that." He wiped the few stray tears that cascaded down her cheek. "Not even my wife herself," he added softly.
"Yes, you're changing. It would be more concerning if you weren't. There's a new life growing in you that has its needs. I personally don't think there's anyone better to cater to those needs than you. And in case you didn't know, you're doing an amazing job. I'm sorry if I haven't been telling you that enough and I promise to do better"
"Ken-"
"Let me finish sweetheart.
"Whatever you need, whatever it is that will make this easier for you, I'm going to keep doing it to the best of my ability. You're feeling sweaty all the time? I will tear down these walls and put in floor-to-ceiling windows. Your feet are always swollen? I will keep taking that opportunity to lower myself to the ground next to them and serve my favourite deity manifested in the being that is you and give you a massage. You can barely walk? My arms, my very physique was built to cater to you. I'll carry you anywhere you want to go. Your clothes don't fit? There's a batch of the finest materials on the way here that are going to be modelled and altered to this current you and every you that's going to come after.
"No matter how you look".
The love behind every statement he spoke penetrated to her core, causing a new wave of emotion to overtake her.
"Even if I'm as big as an elephant?"
Nanami looked her deep in her eyes and replied, "I would personally keep watch over you and deal with any poachers that would even think about trying to rid the world of such a beauty. That's, if you'll let me anywhere near you considering how wary of humans elephants can be. For good reason"
"Nanmin!" She exclaimed between a sob and a laugh. He couldn't help but smile at the sound. Nanami led her to the kitchen island where the batch of beignets he made sat on a dish, ready to be eaten.
"You crave your favourite snack even when you think you've had too much of it? I will gladly whip them up for you. No matter the time of the day." He picked one up and held it up. "So, once again. Would my wife like to have one?" Tiana, trying and failing to not smile, simply nodded. Nanami brought it to her lips and she did not hesitate finally satisfying her craving. He watched as she savoured that first bite. It took everything in him to calm himself when she moaned in satisfaction (the piece of beignet still in his hand did not have such luck). He kept his eyes on her as she slowed down her chewing and smirked. He knew what was coming.
"Cinnamon?"
"Freshly ground"
"You're bad for me"
"Huh. The spell worked much better than I expected if you're just noticing that"
A smear of cream all over their faces later, and not wanting to do much more than stay close to each other, Tiana leaned against Nanami's chest as they stretched on the couch, indulging in her plate of happiness. Little sporadic whispers and hushed laughter was all they let pass between them as the sun began its descent from the New Orleans' sky.
And when they later settled in for the night, Tiana decided to have a go at one more of her favourite indulges.
"Kento?"
"Mmh?"
"There's something else I'm craving"
"What is it my love?"
He didn't need any clarification when she placed his palm on her chest. And she had no qualms in voicing how bad her craving was when he proceeded to satisfy her.