69 Chapter 69: Apple Pie

[Set when Yuzu is around 8 months pregnant and still in their flat.]

Yuzu settled beneath the covers as she watched her wife close the laptop at her desk and make her way over. It was past midnight, the only reason Mei was working this late was that her darling blonde wife refused to go to bed; Claiming she wasn't tired at their normal bedtime, this was of course after saying all morning she didn't have a good sleep with the twins the prior night.

"I'm sorry for what i said earlier Mei, I know why you're always busy I was just being selfish. I know you have just stayed up because of me even though you are exhausted... I just didn't want to stay up alone," Yuzu whispered with watery eyes as she looked at the bedsheets, hand rubbing her large bump.

Yuzu was in fact correct, when Mei had said they should head to bed at half ten Yuzu had protested. Having been studying/working and packing parts of the house all day, Mei, however, was more than ready to fall into silk sheets. This small seemingly insignificant topic had sprung an argument between the pair, and after several minutes of back and forth between the two, ending with Yuzu's watery eyes.

'You never spend time with me! You're always doing the house or studying or cooped up on that stupid laptop! I hate that laptop! We always have to do what you want and never what I want to do! I don't want to stay up anymore with you, you can just go to bed I'll be in the living room,'

And as she had said, Yuzu left the bedroom and found herself back on the couch watching a few more episodes of her most recent show. Looking around, the house was coming along well, most things were packed into large brown boxes, but a little bit of their home still splatters the space. Loneliness hitting, Yuzu pulled a blanket around her and started to rub her stomach. She had found doing so, not only soothed the little ones but also brought her comfort. And she definitely felt like she needed comfort at the moment.

Mei stood still in the bedroom, hand gripping the back of the desk chair to still her tongue. She hadn't shouted or raised her voice once during their conversation, a scoff or tut yes, but she didn't like raising her voice at her heavily pregnant wife. So she gripped the back of the chair for a few more seconds before sitting back down on it. She was always on the laptop because things needed to be done, they couldn't move house if none of the paperwork or school transfer forms had been completed. They also couldn't move in a few weeks if the house wasn't packed up. Shit was happening fast, but Mei seemed to be the only one to see it that way.

The young Aihara had chosen to not follow her wife, she would stay up until she wanted to go to bed but seeing her at the moment was not a wise choice. And so Mei silently got from her desk when Yuzu walked back in after twelve to go to sleep. Yuzu was obviously surprised to see Mei still awake after their talk, as she stopped for a moment when she came back into the room.

When Mei turned around, her eyes softened at the sight of her teary wife, she definitely couldn't be mad when her wife looked so upset.

"Thank you for apologising, I appreciate that. I know you have been feeling very up and down recently and despite what you say, I know you are tired," Moving over to her side of the bed, Mei motioned for Yuzu to scoot back into her, a warm smile on her lips. That was one thing Mei noticed over the last few months, she had become more cool-tempered and willing to let things slide. So Yuzu's apology was more than enough to pull the girl into a heartfelt hug while laying several sweet kisses on her shoulder and cheek. With her arm wrapped around the blonde, Mei gave a smile into the crook of her neck, before sighing.

"But we do need to get this place packed up properly, and I'm still in the process of being transferred into the new University so I can't help if I've been busy the last while... Everything will be fine, I promise. Now will you go to sleep, you need to get some rest?" Mei said this as she felt her own eyelids become heavy, and tried to snuggle into the blonde's back, though was disappointed when she felt the blonde peel away from her to sit up.

"I'm hungry," Was all Yuzi said, causing Mei to groan and flip onto her back, cracking her eyes open again. Forcing herself to a similar position to the girl sitting beside her, Mei ran her hand over her eyes to try and wake herself up a little.

"And what do you want? It's late so you shouldn't have anything heavy." At her question Yuzu looked away from Mei, knowing the conversation she was about to have.

"Apple Pie, I've been craving it all afternoon," Yuzu mumbled, she didn't want to say it out loud. The incredulous look she got from the black-haired girl only made her stare at her fidgeting hands even more.

"What do you mean apple pie? We just did the shop a couple of days ago and after asking you multiple times if you wanted apple pie you refused. You said you hated it!?" Now this, this ticked Mei off. Yuzu had craved apple pie for the past four months or so, it was her one constant craving. Mei had made sure to always have one in the house, as last time she was caught without one ended in Yuzu streaming in tears refusing everything else in the house. So when they were shopping the other day and Yuzu had said she didn't like them anymore, Mei had tried to make sure it wasn't just a one-time thing, but Yuzu had assured her she no longer craved them. That was true enough, she hadn't had a pie in over a week. But now the thought of the sugary pastry sounded irresistible.

"I-I know, but now I want them again. I know you don't want to but would you get one? Please? I didn't know i would want them again, I would have said so, and know you bought all that other stuff for me instead but I just don't want them," Yuzu hiccuped as she felt tears building up again. She didn't know if it was her hormones, guilt or cravings that made it so much easier to bring her to tears, but she felt them coming as her voice cracked.

Without saying anything, Mei looked at her phone for the time and sighed as she got out from under the warm covers and got dressed. "The only place open at this time is twenty minutes away, ill be back soon with apple pies." Mei could feel her agitation, she knew she didn't really have a choice in Yuzu's question, so with little reluctance she placed a kiss on her wife's cheek and wiped her cheeks clean before leaving the house.

Drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, Mei found the situation going round and round in her head, she had become so soft over the years. It was impossible to say no, and even the annoyance and slight anger at having to drive for forty minutes at half twelve at night to get freeking apple pies disappeared with the thought of how happy Yuzu turned when eating it. It was like watching a child's eyes light up at the sight of candyfloss. Sitting beside her wife as she these apple pies and spoke with her and their little ones was one of the best feelings in the world. And knowing this was coming, made the drive less taxing.

Flipping her shoe off, Mei walked to the kitchen to get a fork and drop off the other three pies she had bought, she made her way to the bedroom. A smile on her lips as she opened the door, though it only brightened when she saw her wife.

Sitting up in bed, quilt bundled around her large bump, only her head was tilted back against the headboard eyes closed as she was sound asleep. Returning her last night snack to the kitchen Mei couldn't help smiling at the sight in their bed. Changing she slipped back under the covers and lightly tapped the blonde's shoulder to wake her.

"Yuzu, honey, I'm back. I got you apple pies that you can have tomorrow but you need to lie down or you'll get a sore neck," Mei voice was just as sweet as honey, she peppered the blonde in kisses as she guided her down to the mattress, her wife only half awake as she tried to follow instructions. As Mei settled herself on the bed, her forehead just inches away from Yuzu's, she smiled brighter as Yuzu's hand gripped the top of her nightshirt and buried her head into her chest.

"Thank you, I love you Mei," It was quiet and hard to hear with her snuggled into her, but Mei heard every word and let her eyes finally slip shut after a long long day.