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“Okay, Nana’s should be over soon..!” Hachi said to herself, carefully arranging the food on her counter. She even has a surprise waiting for her in the cupboard..! The nervousness flew around in her belly, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She hasn’t seen Nana in forever, she felt so nervous! Ever since her and Takumi divorced, she’s been really busy taking care of her baby, and it’s been.. Really hard. Especially without Nana.
But today, it’d be different. It’s Christmas, and she’s finally feeling up to seeing her friends again, and she’s really excited for them to see Sachi.
…Speaking of!
She was sitting up on the floor, staring up at Hachi and giggling to herself softly. Hachi sat down next to her, kissing the top of her head and watching as she played with her toys. “Sachiii, what are you doing?”
She looked up at her Mom, and brought her toy up to her mouth, before she started teething on it. Hachi felt her heart fill with affection and she scooped Sachi up in her arms, holding her close to her chest. “You aren’t supposed to chew on it, silly--” She giggled deeper, and Hachi rubbed her back softly. She set Sachi down on her blanket on the floor again, putting her on her tummy and kissing her cheek.
She straightened out her dress, and ran her hands through her hair for good measure. She was seeing Nana for the first time in months, she had to make sure she looked perfect! She looked down at her shoes, and adjusted her headband to make sure it was even. Okay, okay--
She was freaking out, just a little. Hachi felt herself frown, and she whined under her breath. “ Sachiii -!” She laid down on the floor next to her baby, who cooed softly. “Do you think Nana will be excited to see me?” She smiled softly, feeling her heart squirm in her chest. “I’m excited for you to meet her. I think you’ll love her, Sachi.” In lieu of a response, Sachi reaches over and grab’s Hachi’s finger, bringing it to her mouth and chewing on it.
She laughs softly. “Your teeth are starting to grow in, aren’t they baby?” The ring of a doorbell took her attention away from Sachi, and she squealed nervously. “Eek-! Nana’s here, Nana’s here, Nana’s hereeee!” She jumps up and stomps her feet up and down nervously. “C’mon Sachi, aren’t you excited to meet Nana?” She scooped her up in her arms once more, kissing her cheek and running to open the door. She grabbed the doorknob and swung it open, and all the air left her lungs.
Oh. Oh. Wow. Her heart hammered in her chest, and all she could do was stare. Nana was wearing a black tank-top, and on top of that-- a fuzzy white coat. She was wearing a purple, mid-length skirt with leggings underneath, and platform boots.
She smiled nervously, scratching the back of her neck and making eye contact with Hachi. “I was gonna wear a suit, but.. I thought she might like something soft, so I wore this?” Hachi’s stomach flipped at the sentiment, and she pulled Nana close for a loose hug. “You know nothing about babies, do you?” She snickered, and buried her face in Nana’s neck.
She really missed this. Being with Nana… It felt like home. She hasn’t felt this in a long time. “Okay!” She pulled away, and held Sachi out to meet Nana. “Uh..” She pursed her lips together. “Hi, Sachi..! We’ve never met, but.. I’m Nana,” She smirked, and held her finger out in front of her. Sachi smiled wide, and grabbed it with her tiny hand.” Nana gasped softly, and looked up at Hachi.
“I’m protecting your daughter for the rest of my life.” Hachi snorted, and made eye contact with Nana in return. “Do you wanna hold her?” She hesitated, blowing her cheeks out and shoving her hands in her pockets. “Oh, um… I dunno, I don’t know if I should. I’ve never… held a baby before, I don’t wanna drop her or--”
Hachu smiled softly, and shook her head. “You won’t drop her, Nana! It’s okay. Do you want to sit down on the couch and try?” She nodded her head, and laughed under her breath.
“This is a nice place, Hachiko. It’s really cozy.” Nana looked around, before sitting down on the couch and looking up at Hachi and her baby. “Thank you! It was really cheap, I couldn’t pass it up,” She muttered as she sat down next to her.
“Okay, do you wanna try holding her now?” Nana puffed her cheeks out nervously. “I don’t see why not,” She gently took Sachi from Hachi’s arms, and made sure to support her head. You were supposed to do that with babies, right..?
Hachi looked over at her, and held back a snicker. “You are so bad at holding a baby! Nana, here! Like this..” Hachi positioned her arms carefully, and Sachi relaxed into her hands. “See?” Now that her hands were fully free, Hachi wrapped her arms around Nana’s neck and pulled her close.
Seeing Sachi in Nana’s arms made her think of a future where she could see this everyday; Where She could wake up in the morning and see Nana in bed next to her, and kiss her as they got up to take care of their baby together.
She nuzzled her face into Nana’s neck, and hummed softly. “I could get used to this. I missed you.” Nana pressed her head against Hachi’s. “I missed you too Hachiko….” She paused, and sat up straight.
“Hey, Hachi..?”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing. I’m glad I came to see you and Sachi.”
The two of them sat there holding Sachi in comfortable silence. She’s not sure how she ever lived without Nana, and honestly… She doesn’t ever want to. “Hey, Nana! I made dinner, if you’re hungry.” She kicked her feet back and forth before standing up and carrying Sachi as she walked to the kitchen.
“Really? You didn’t have to do all that, Hachi.. Thank you, though.” She followed closely behind, taking in the sight of the decorations. “What’d you make?” Nana sat down at the dining room table. “I made some cake! I know it’s not very… Christmas-ey, but it’s your favorite--!”
This felt so familiar, it made her stomach flip again. Now, with Ren out of the picture… She was forced to think about her and Hachi. She’d come to terms with the fact that she loves Hachi, it took her a while but she’s at peace with it now. But this all felt so… Domestic. It wasn’t any different from what they used to do, but now that she was aware of her feelings, it was… Different. Especially with Sachi. She’s bever been the maternal, motherly type, but… She couldn’t help but want to be. “You didn’t have to make me cake, Hachi. Seriously, you’re so cheesy..” She teased her, but just the idea of it made her face feel hot.
“ Nanaaa ..!” Hachi giggled softly, and set Sachi down in her high-chair. “Can you make sure she doesn’t fall out? She has a bad habit of… Escaping,” She rolled her eyes and felt herself smile as she thought about it.
“Okay! I’m gonna go make our plates,” Nana nodded her head and kept an eye on Sachi. “So, how old is she? About 6, 7 months?” She heard Hachi hum in approval. If she’s entirely honest, she really regrets not coming to see her sooner. Well, she better make up for lost time, right?
Soon after, Hachi returned with 2 plates, and some baby food for Sachi. She set the dishes in front of them, and sat down next to her daughter. “I haven’t had a lot of time to cook recently, so I hope I’m not rusty,” She whined under her breath. Nana let out a husky laugh. “Don’t worry, Hachiko. I’ll like it even if it’s bad,” She teased lightly, causing Hachi to pout. “ Nanaaa ! I’m serious!” She puffed her bottom lip out and whined. “I’m just kidding, Hachi. You’re an amazing cook, I’m sure it tastes great.”
She nervously watched as Nana took a bite of the cake, and her eyes lit up as she swallowed it. She looked up at Hachi, and she swore she could see her eyes sparkle. “Hachi, this is-- The best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life..!” She took another bite, and Hachi’s stomach filled with butterflies. Nana was always so sweet, she was always there for Hachi when she was in a rough spot..
“Really?”
“Yes!” She took a few bites from her own slice, and by the time she was halfway done with hers, Nana had finished eating. “Wow, you really liked it huh?” Nana nodded her head, and took Sachi’s baby food. “I can feed her while you eat. I’m sure you need a break,”
Hachi looked up at her, and her heart squirmed. She was wearing a beautiful flowy white dress, it went all the way down to her knees. She had a white headband, and she… Kind of looked like she was getting married. She forced herself not to think about marrying Hachi, which-- in turn, made her think about it more. How could she not? Hachi was always so gentle and caring, even if they didn’t deserve it… And Nana definitely didn’t always deserve it.
She took the spoon set out on the table, and scooped a spoonful of… green mush. That did not look appetizing. but she supposed babies didn’t really care about that.
“Uh… Here comes the airplane?” She held the spoon in front of Sachi, before gently pushing the spoon into her mouth. Sachi clapped her hands together, and blew a raspberry at Nana, which… Got her food everywhere. All over Nana’s Tank-top.
Hachi gasped, and stood up from her seat. “Oh no..! Nana I’m so sorry, I’ll help clean you up--” Nana shook her head. “It’s fine, Hachiko. Babies are messy, it’s not a big deal,” She shrugged, taking another spoonful and giving it to Sachi. “I should probably take my coat off, though.” Before she got the chance, Hachi rushed over with a damp washcloth and kneeled down, gently rubbing it across the stains. “Sorry, I know it’s not much but it’ll help!”
Nana looked down at her nervously, feeling her heart flip in her ribcage. Being so close to her felt… Safe. It never felt like this with Ren. She felt safe and loved and-- Wow , she had it bad.
“Hachi, it’s really okay. I don’t mind. Nothing 30 minutes in the washer won’t fix,” Nana muttered, prying her eyes away from Hachi and feeding the last of the baby food to Sachi. “Okay, I finished feeding her, what do I do now?”
“Oh, we have to burp her. I can do that though, it’s okay,” She smiled softly. “Are you sure? I… I wanna help you, Hachiko. If… If you’ll let me, I mean.” Her face burned at the sentiment, and Hachi felt her gaze soften looking at Nana. “... Really? Well, I-If you want to! It’s easy, just hold her against you and pat her back until she burps.”
Nana nodded, and looked over at Sachi. She was wiggling out of her chair with a determined expression on her face, and a wave of affection filled her. “Woah there, missy.” She scooped her up from the high-chair, and held her against her chest. It couldn’t be that complicated, but.. She was so nervous! Nana patted Sachi’s back, and… Nothing happened.
“Hachiii..? I don’t think I’m doing this right--” She held Sachi out, and Hachi took her from her hands. She giggled, and held Sachi close to her. “It’s okay, Nana. I got it.”
“Hey, Hachi? Do you have any drinks? I’m getting thirsty.” She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, looking over at Hachi and feeling her stomach squirm. She really was an amazing mother. “Yeah, I’ll get you some water. One sec!!” She finished burping Sachi, and handed her over to Nana. Okay, Hachi’s nerves were going crazy. It was now, or never.. She walked over to her kitchen cupboard, and took two glass cups, adorned with strawberries, from the shelf. They were identical to the ones they had in their apartment.
She filled them both with water, and set them down on the table. “I got you a present..” She muttered sheepishly. Nana looked over, and--
Oh.
Her eyes glossed over with water, and she blinked back the tears starting to form. “Hachi..” She rushed over and hugged her as tight as she could without squeezing the baby. “Thank you, Hachi..” She felt so… Vulnerable right now. It was stupid, getting so emotional over something as small as two glass cups. But they weren’t just glass cups. It-- To Nana, they meant so much more than that.
She pulled away, trying to pull herself together. “Of course, Nana.” She took her hand and led her to the couch, sitting down and bouncing Sachi in her lap. She leaned her head on Nana’s shoulder, and she tensed up. “What’s wrong..? Is everything okay Nana?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, it’s just..” She took a deep breath. “Ever since I broke up with Ren, I realized something. During… All the stuff that happened, I was never upset about Ren. I never missed him. But I really missed you. I.. I love you, Hachi,” She was so nervous, she felt like she might pass out. Her heart was racing, and she finally looked over to Hachi.
Her face was bright red, and she had a small smile on her face. “Really..?” She nodded her head, and turned away.
“Hey, look at me--!” Hachi giggled, and placed her free hand on top of Nana’s. When she looked over, Hachi was looking at her with the most loving expression she’s ever seen and she felt lightheaded, she was absolutely breathtaking --
Without a word, Hachi started leaning in, and Nana closed the gap. Kissing Hachi made her heart squirm, and she felt her stomach flip over and over again. When they parted from the kiss, her lips felt tingly and her head felt light and… Wow .
“Hey, Nana..?”
“Yeah Hachi?”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas Hachiko.”