Work Text:
Nene had learned that there were certain sounds in their apartment that she could identify without even looking up from what she was doing.
The washing machine finishing its cycle. The kettle beginning to boil. The soft click of the front door when Emu came home.
The particular rhythm of Emu's footsteps when she was tired, which was somehow completely different from the rhythm of her footsteps when she was excited.
And—most importantly—the sound of Emu singing badly and enthusiastically from the kitchen.
Nene paused halfway through typing on her laptop, staring at the screen with the faintest smile tugging at her mouth.
She could hear cabinets opening and closing from another room, followed by the unmistakable clatter of something being placed on the counter.
Then came Emu's voice again, cheerful and completely off-key.
Nene sighed fondly as she saved her work and pushed herself away from the desk.
"You're going to wake the neighbors," she called out while stretching her arms above her head.
"I don't think so!" Emu answered from the kitchen, followed by another cabinet being opened. "They're used to me!"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about."
Nene found her wife standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open, staring inside as though she had never seen its contents before.
Emu had changed out of her work clothes and was wearing an oversized hoodie (which she recognized as being hers), her hair tied loosely back after a long day.
She looked comfortable—at home. Nene still wasn't completely used to that.
Not because they hadn't been living together for years. That part had become natural surprisingly quickly.
It was the little things that continued to catch her off guard.
The toothbrushes sitting together in the bathroom. Emu's clothes mixed into the laundry. Two mugs left beside the sink.
Their names written next to each other on documents. The ring on Nene's finger. The fact that, when she woke up in the morning, the first person she saw was usually Emu.
Sometimes Nene would look around their apartment and suddenly think: We're married.
Every single time, her brain would short-circuit a little.
Emu finally closed the refrigerator and turned around with a curious expression.
"Nene-chan," she said while placing both hands against her cheeks, "We're out of strawberries."
Nene blinked at her. "We bought strawberries yesterday."
"We ate them." Emu's smile became a little more silly. "Hehe..."
Nene narrowed her eyes.
Emu held up both hands innocently.
Nene walked toward the kitchen, reaching around Emu to open one of the cabinets.
"They were really good."
"They were."
Emu watched her pull out a package of noodles, then leaned against the counter with her chin resting in her hands. "Nene-chan, are you making dinner?"
"Obviously." Nene glanced over her shoulder as she filled a pot with water. "You said you'd cook tonight but it's my turn anyway."
"I was going to!"
"You've been standing in front of the refrigerator for five minutes."
"I was thinking...!"
"About strawberries?"
"About dinner☆"
Nene gave her a look. Her wife just smiled brightly.
She couldn't help laughing as she turned back toward the stove. "You're hopeless."
"And Nene-chan loves me~!"
Nene's hand paused around the faucet.
There were still moments when Emu could say something that should have become completely ordinary after all these years and somehow make Nene feel sixteen again.
She turned the water off and glanced sideways.
Emu was smiling at her. Nene's ears warmed.
"Yes," she admitted quietly while setting the pot on the stove. "Yes I do."
Emu's expression softened.
Then she crossed the kitchen.
Nene barely had time to turn before Emu wrapped both arms around her from behind, resting her chin on the taller girl's shoulder.
The sudden weight made Nene instinctively straighten, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she relaxed back into her wife's embrace while reaching for the seasoning packet.
"You know," Emu said against her shoulder, muffled and therefore uncharactetistically quiet. "I think Nene-chan is really cute when she's cooking!"
Nene stirred the noodles with one hand while trying very hard not to smile. "I'm literally just boiling water."
"Still cute☆" shegiggled against her shoulder.
"You can't just say things like that while I'm holding boiling water, Emu..." Nene complained, though the warmth spreading across her face ruined any attempt at sounding annoyed.
"But it's true!! Nene-chan is so wooshy wooshy—!"
"I know."
Nene continued stirring, and Emu stayed attached to her like a koala.
This was another thing Nene had learned about domestic life.
A hand resting on Nene's back while they walked through the grocery store. Fingers intertwined while watching television. A head on Nene's shoulder during train rides.
Arms wrapped around her waist while she cooked. Random hugs from behind. Little kisses pressed against her cheek whenever Emu walked past.
At first, Nene had been hopelessly flustered. She still was. She had simply become better at hiding it... mostly.
Emu loosened her arms when Nene moved toward the counter, but instead of stepping away, she caught Nene's hand and followed her.
"Nene-chan."
"Hm?"
"Can we have a movie night?"
Nene looked at her.
Emu was already making the face.
The face that meant she had decided something and was now attempting to convince Nene that it had been Nene's idea all along.
"You have work tomorrow, Emu..." Nene reminded her while putting the noodles into two bowls.
"I can handle it! Wonderhoy!!"
Nene really believed it. Emu had do much energy everyday, it was admirable. "Okay—"
"Yay!"
Emu immediately hugged her again.
Nene laughed as she tried to keep the bowls from tipping. "Emu, you're going to make me drop these...!"
"I'll catch it!"
"That's not reassuring!"
They eventually made it to the living room with both bowls intact.
Emu curled up against Nene's side almost immediately, stealing the blanket before Nene could pull it over herself.
Nene wordlessly tugged it back, covering both of them before settling into the corner of the couch.
The movie played.
Neither of them paid much attention.
Emu's head gradually slipped lower until it was resting in Nene's lap. Nene glanced down and found her wife already half asleep.
Her expression softened.
She reached down and gently ran her fingers through Emu's hair, slowly brushing the strands away from her face.
Emu hummed contentedly.
Nene smiled.
There had been a time when she couldn't imagine this. Not the marriage itself, exactly.
She had always been able to imagine loving Emu.
That part had never been difficult.
What had seemed impossible was the ordinary part.
Coming home.
Sharing meals.
Falling asleep on the couch.
Knowing that there would be another morning together.
Nene looked down at the woman sleeping peacefully against her.
The magical adventures, the stages, the impossible dreams, all of it had shaped them.
But somehow, this was somehow what felt most magical.
Emu stirred, her eyes opening just enough to look up at Nene.
"Nene-chan?"
"Yeah?" Nene asked softly while brushing her thumb across Emu's cheek.
"I love you..."
Nene's heart gave that familiar little jump.
She leaned down and pressed a kiss against Emu's forehead.
"Love you too," she murmured, smiling as Emu's eyes slipped shut again.
Then Nene settled back into the couch, one hand still resting gently in Emu's hair.