Chapter Text
It was an unusually quiet early Saturday afternoon in the little house. The kind of quiet where even the clock’s ticking seemed loud and accusatory, as if to say, Shouldn’t you be doing something? I mean, together?
Mei was sitting cross-legged on her bed with her laptop open, a stack of neatly organized documents clipped beside it. She was supposed to be working on a paper for this years closing semester, but her eyes kept glancing toward the door. Not at it — toward it. Like she was subconsciously waiting for Yuzu to barge in, yell her name in that irrepressibly bright voice, and shatter the silence.
But Yuzu had been in the kitchen for almost an hour. Mei told herself it didn’t matter. They’d both been busy lately: Yuzu’s part-time work, Mei’s own… everything. It was normal. It wasn’t like their relationship had changed.
Except it had.
Mei shut the laptop and laid back on her bed with a sigh, staring at the ceiling. She thought about the last time they’d gone out together. Really out, not just grocery shopping or taking the long way home from school. She thought about the last time Yuzu had pulled her close just to kiss her, not as a greeting or goodnight, but because she couldn’t not kiss her. And then... all that other good stuff. She remembered the stress of that first semester, and then, the end of the second semester, when Yuzu started taking in modeling. They'd both sworn to keep a watch on their private time, and make room for love.
But here they were again.
Weeks. Three of them.
Her pristine lips tugged downward. Had she been the one pulling away? Mei prided herself on control, but she realized now that between University and responsibilities, she’d rationed her affection into quick efficient gestures. But then, Yuzu...
A knock came at her door. Two sharp taps and a cheerful, “Meeei!”
"Speak of the chaos, and the tsunami appears." she thought merrily.
Before Mei could use her witticism, Yuzu poked her head in. “Hey, you’re not busy, right? I made something.”
“You were in the kitchen long enough to make anything,” Mei replied in full mock-sark, sitting up. “Is it edible?”
Yuzu clutched her chest in pretended offense, her lip trembling hilariously. “How dare you! Of course it’s edible. Probably...” Laughing, she stepped inside holding a small plate with two slightly lopsided cookies. “These kind of… happened. I was trying to follow a recipe online, but the steps were all like, ‘fold in the flour,’ and I was like, fold it into what, exactly? Origami? Geometric patterns?... Anyway!” Yuzu set the plate on Mei’s desk and bounced onto the bed beside her.
Mei picked up one cookie, inspecting it like a suspicious artifact. “You used… sugar, right?”
“Yes. Well. Brown sugar. And maybe some cinnamon. And possibly paprika. That part was an accident.”
Mei took a cautious bite, and blinked. It wasn’t terrible. Not bad, really.“Acceptable,” she conceded.
Yuzu grinned so wide it was like Mei had just announced she’d won the lottery. “See? I told you I could— oh, wait, you’ve got a crumb—” She leaned in and, without thinking, brushed the crumb from Mei’s lip with her thumb. For a heartbeat, her hand lingered.
Mei’s breath caught.
"Mmm!" she moaned, unable to stop herself.
They stared at each other for a moment. Yuzu’s eyes were bright and warm, that familiar spark Mei had so missed. And realized she’d been avoiding.
And why? Why in Hell?...
“You’re staring at me weird,” Yuzu said, tilting her head.
“I was just… thinking,” Mei replied.
“What about?”
Mei hesitated. She’d never been good at speaking her feelings directly — not when they were messy and vulnerable. But the therapy had worked near miracles, and well, something in Yuzu’s expression told her that holding back any longer would be worse.
“That… we haven’t spent much time together lately,” she said softly, her eyes dropping to the cookie in her hand. “Not the way we... um... were doing, until recently. I mean, together.”
Yuzu blinked, then blushed. “Oh.”
Mei risked a glance at her. Yuzu wasn’t upset. More like surprised. “I thought you were just busy,” Yuzu said. “But… yeah. I guess I missed that too.”
Mei looked away quickly. “I should have—”
Whatever she was about to say was cut off when Yuzu reached over and took her hand.
“Hey. It’s not about whose fault it is,” Yuzu told her. “If we want to fix it, we just… fix it. Right?”
Mei’s lips turned upward, faintly, but genuinely. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple! First step... Well really, it's Step Six, at this point, according to my new notebook: you and I are going out right now.”
Mei blinked. “Right now?”
Yuzu was already standing. “Yep! No excuses. Romantic date, you know? Screw going to that costume fitting for the fashion shoot! The clothes always fit me! I know a place we can hide in. C'mon! Be spontaneous!”
"My middle name," Mei said dryly,
"C'mon, Mei Spontaneous Aihara!" Yuzu said, pulling her into a huge hug.
The place ended up being a little café tucked away in a side street Mei had never bothered to notice. Yuzu claimed she’d discovered it while wandering after work. The walls were painted a sunny yellow, the menu was handwritten on a chalkboard, and the smell of freshly baked pastries wafted in the air.
"Mmm! Sweets!" the purple-eyed princess intoned decadently.
They claimed a small table by the window. Yuzu ordered a towering strawberry parfait, while Mei looked on incredulously and settled for a hot tea for starters, practically drooling over the menu like a six year old.
“This place is… charming,” Mei admitted, looking around.
“Right? And their parfaits are amazing. The strawberries taste like actual strawberries, because they are! Not that fake syrup crap. Here—” Yuzu pushed the tempting dessert toward her. “Try it.”
Mei frowned faintly. “You just want me to eat your dessert! You want to... look at my lips!”
“I want to lick your lips, afterwards! Sharing is caring, Mei.”
With a blush of surprise, followed by a rather forced resigned sigh, Mei took the offered spoon and scooped up a bite. "Damn!' she thought, 'That is good!" The strawberries were sweet but a little tart, the fluffy pillow of perfect cream light and fresh. Yuzu watched her like a proud child presenting a macaroni art project.
“You’re adorable when you’re secretly enjoying yourself,” Yuzu teased.
“I’m not—”
“Your eyes get all soft,” Yuzu interrupted, grinning. “Like right now. Mmm. And you get this rosy blush... God, you're such a Babe!”
Mei rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from twitching upward. “Dammit! You’re... so frigging cute... it's insufferable.”
“And you’re smiling, my hot Babe-a-rella” Yuzu pointed out.
"Yuzu!... " Mei half-choked, half-giggled.
"I want those lips, later, Babe-Bomb!" Yuzu insisted.
Mei sputtered and shook her head, but felt a warmth spreading in her chest, and not from the tea. This was what she’d been missing: the ease, the laughter, the way Yuzu could make every moment feel a little lighter.
They lingered a while, as Yuzu continued her flirting, until Mei, stuffed full of delicate pastries with yummy fillings, felt uncomfortably steamy. On the walk home, Yuzu chatted about everything and nothing. A funny dress technician at the modeling studio, a new ice cream flavor (Lemon) down at their neighborhood 31 shop. Mei listened, occasionally answering, more often just… watching her. The wind toyed with Yuzu’s hair, and the fading sunlight painted her in gold. Mei thought, "She’s gorgeous!", and realized she hadn’t told her that in too long.
“Yuzu,” she said abruptly.
“Hm?”
“You look so good in this light. You're g-g-g... You're g-g-g... Damn it! You're beautiful! And... and sexy! And you're..." she got flustered, trying to get it all out.
Yuzu blinked, then laughed, cheeks tinting pink. “Wow, where did that come from? Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
Mei caught her breath, then glanced away in embarrassment. “Just… felt like saying it.”
For a moment, they walked in comfortable silence. Then Yuzu reached over and twined their fingers together.
When they got home, Mei expected they’d go to their separate interests. Yuzu probably to scroll on her phone or plan another kitchen disaster, Mei to return to her laptop. But instead, Yuzu tugged her toward the couch.
“Come on. We’re watching something.”
Mei raised an eyebrow. “What happened to ‘no excuses’ and going out’?”
“That was Step Six. Now: Step Seven: more cuddles.”
Mei allowed herself to be pulled down onto the couch. Yuzu queued up some ridiculous romantic Yuri comedy that Mei was sure she’d half-ignore. But before the opening credits even finished, Yuzu leaned into her side, head resting on Mei’s shoulder.
It was such a simple thing, but Mei’s heart felt suddenly full. She slipped her arm around Yuzu in return, and the blonde gave a contented sigh.
Halfway through, some scene on-screen made Yuzu giggle, a laugh that shook through her whole body. Mei glanced down and saw her eyes bright with happiness, cheeks dimpling. And without thinking, Mei leaned in and pressed a slow kiss to her forehead.
Yuzu blinked up at her, surprised, then smiled softly. “See? Step Seven is working already.”
“Maybe,” Mei allowed, but her voice was warmer than usual. "She even tastes so nice!' she thought, 'How did I forget that?'
By the time the credits rolled, Yuzu had drifted into a light doze against her. Mei stayed very still, not wanting to wake her, not wanting the moment to end. She thought about how easily, almost imperceptibly, they’d nearly let this slip away, once more. And how much she wanted to make sure they didn’t again. There might be an occasional bit of backsliding: With everything they had, on a full plate of Uni and work, it couldn't be helped. But there would always be days like this to save them.
She tightened her arm around Yuzu, whispering, “I missed you.”
Yuzu stirred, murmuring without opening her eyes:
“I was right here, silly.”
Mei almost smiled at that — almost, because her chest felt too warm and tight for it to come out properly. So she snuggled closer instead, sharing a passionate kiss and whispering into her lover's ear...
“Not with me."
Yuzu flopped across her lap. "Oh... I see. Um, Are you flat out suggesting a... Step Eight?" she asked, winking languidly with the look that sent chills through Mei's heart.
"Yes,' Mei answered, 'And I can think of a good Step Nine to go with it."
Yuzu giggled, playfully rubbing her face against the others knee, making her squirm with delight. "You wanna, 'Step' into the bedroom, lover?' she whispered...