Mei turned the key to her apartment, suddenly feeling the fatigue that had built up over the whole day starting to weigh down on her every movement. Her heels were already off and in her hand as she pushed open the door, set them down, and kicked the door closed with her stockinged feet. It slammed just a little louder than she was hoping, making her wince.

It had been an exhausting day. The classes weren't hard, no that was exactly the issue. Mei was very punctual about all of her assignments and studied ahead of time for all her tests no matter how distant the date actually was. But recently, there was just a lot on her mind. She could feel her attention slipping as professors ground the chalk in the classroom. It might have had something to do with the trip back to her home that she'd have to take soon. Her grandfather had been getting quite sickly lately and of course, the doctors had said that it was nothing some bed rest and food wouldn't fix. But there were other things getting in her mind's way.

The lights in her apartment were already on and she could smell something delicious in the air. And that meant one thing. Padded footsteps made their way towards her and soon enough Mei was able to see that head of blond hair that had always been able to make her feel more at ease. Yuzu looked like she'd been home for a while and was wearing an apron, holding a lightly steaming wooden spoon in one hand.

"Rough day?" Yuzu asked.

Mei gave a noncommittal grunt. It wasn't exactly the most ladylike noise in the world but at this point, she couldn't really care less.

Yuzu gave her an understanding smile and walked towards Mei. "Let me get that for you." she said reaching for her bookbag. Mei held up a hand.

"No it's fine. You keep cooking, I'll just...change out and freshen up."

Yuzu nodded slowly and took her hand back. "Okay then." She smiled once again, lighting up a small warm fire in Mei's chest. Mei made her way past her and towards the bedroom.

Nearing their graduation in high school, Mei and Yuzu had wordlessly decided that they weren't going to be separated and that they were going to live together. But that would mean first going to the same university. Both of them had worked so hard to get their grades where they wanted them to be. Or….well maybe it was just a matter of getting Yuzu's grades where they wanted them to be. But Mei would never just say that right out Yuzu. Though the thought of her pouting did make Mei chuckle.

They never said anything to each other but it was hard to ignore their circumstances. An unwillingness to let each other go no matter what kind of tragedy or heartbreak could befall them. An attraction was there between the two of them that was more than familial love. They had kissed a few times. But now it wasn't just a heated tryst filled with hidden caresses and discreet passion.

So….what was this exactly? Were they really together now? Officially?

Mei looked towards the two beds in their room. It had been two twins but they pushed them together after deciding that it felt better to share one large bed together like they had at home. Still, Mei couldn't shake the feeling that they were just tiptoeing around the whole thing. There were all these little thoughts that suggested one thing. But there was never anything concrete to really confirm it. It hurt to think that this just wasn't going to work out to something more.

Mei loosened the button of her shirt and washed the makeup off of her face. She slipped out of the dress and pulled on a t-shirt and the pair of yoga pants she always wore at home, walking back into the kitchen just in time to see Yuzu setting down the food and plates.

They caught each others eyes and stood for a short second just looking at each other. Suddenly the fears crept back into Mei's mind and she could only see Yuzu's smile disappear. All that was left was a look of pity. Pity for a dream that was completely one sided. Mei could feel the tension settling in before Yuzu broke her train of thoughts.

"Well? What do you think?" she said brightly, waving a hand over the meal.

Mei blinked a few times. Realizing that she still hadn't responded, she gave a soft smile and sniffed the air. "It smells good."

Yuzu grinned and walked over, pulling a seat out for Mei. Mei slipped into it and began taking some of the food on her own plate. Mei still couldn't ignore those fears from earlier. It was like a splinter that had lodged itself in her mind, so small but painful without warning and tenacious. Yuzu was chatting away about her day and what she had heard lately from Harumin. Mei smiled as she went on.

Yuzu went ahead and took Mei's finished plate and headed over to the sink to wash them. Mei watched her as she went about her business. She was humming a tune from Girl's Generation's new single. It was just the kind of tune that suited her. Something sunny and bright.

Yuzu finished drying her hands and made her way behind Mei.

"So….since you've had such a terrible day today, why don't you let Yuzu make things better."

Mei raised an eyebrow. "And what would the wondrous Yuzu have in mind for someone like me?"

Yuzu smirked. "Oh I've heard that it can work wonders." She took her hands from her sides and brought them to Mei's shoulders, gently rubbing her fingers into the muscles and coaxing out the tension bit by bit. Mei's eyes started to flutter closed from Yuzu's wonderful minstrations and she could feel a slight blush coming on. As her hands moved down towards her back, Mei could barely keep her eyes open with the sensations flooding through her.

Yuzu was grinning. "Yes! I call this the Yuzu Ultra Special Relaxing Hand Technique! Developed only by my wit and intuition."

"You're ruining the mood." Mei deadpanned to a pouting Yuzu. Mei then smiled as she leaned her head back to look at Yuzu, "But thanks, Yuzu. It means a lot."

Yuzu's felt the blush coming on. But she just kept going with her hands. Soon the pangs of pleasure had faded to a dull warmth.

Yuzu finished up and went to move away. "Okay I've got to go see what to buy. I think we're running low on milk. And I ended up using all the sugar on that last dinner so I'll have to buy that too-"

"Buy it later." Mei said grabbing Yuzu's hand. Mei was holding Yuzu to her side. "The store's always going to be there. What's the rush?"

Yuzu's face lit up with a devious smile. "Oho, someone's being needy today."

Mei looked to the side. "Well...I just...erm…"

Yuzu bent down and pecked her on the cheek. She went back around Mei, wrapping her arms around Mei's neck and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Mei, I'm not going anywhere then."