A/N: Original author's note(s) can be found on my AO3 (Rolex)
When they were in high school, every time Yuzu rolled to Mei's side of the bed or instinctively wrapped her arms around her, the younger girl would always shove the blonde back to her side of the bed.
There would be nights where she'd wake up to Yuzu's snoring. Other times, Mei's slumber would be interrupted through feeling Yuzu's leg propped over her. Or in some cases, she'd find the blonde's entire body lying limp on top of her. The worst part during those times was the insane amount of body heat the older girl sometimes had. It almost made Yuzu feel like a sauna on some days.
Back then, the younger girl wondered how she would ever deal with living, let alone, sleeping with someone like Yuzu.
But now, as adults, all of Yuzu's "irritating" bed quirks were the kinds that Mei expected…and wake up smiling to.
"Mmm..." Mei mumbled as her arms attempted to tighten her hold on her girlfriend. But when her arms wrapped around nothing, her face frowned. Brushing an arm on the other side of the bed, Mei reached out for Yuzu, hoping to regain the warmth she always craved-hoping to bury her face in the older woman's neck and fall asleep to her intoxicating scent.
But again, she felt nothing.
Her eyes shot open and realized Yuzu wasn't lying beside her.
Mei sighed and slowly sat up on their bed, feeling the room cooler than usual. She looked down and realized her chest and entire body was bare. When she looked down on the side of her bed, Mei found her nightwear, bra, and panties scattered across the floor. The younger woman ran her hands through her hair, trying to remember what happened the night before. It took a few seconds for her to register that she and Yuzu had partaken in their usual nightly activities.
Images of Yuzu on top of her, heavily panting and sweating, repeatedly grinding herself into Mei while the younger woman clawed at her back, ignited a spark of arousal between her legs. Mei brought her knees together and recollected her thoughts, attempting to recall the details of last night. Initially, Mei had the upper hand, having almost complete control in how much she made Yuzu writhe and squirm under her.
She was so sure she relieved Yuzu's stress, especially after how busy and stretched-thin the older woman had been for the past few weeks. But Yuzu had proven her wrong, and quickly switched their positions only a few seconds after recovering from her orgasm.
Mei remembered Yuzu pinning her wrists on the bed while she slowly she dragged her tongue up her throat. She remembered Yuzu nibbling her ear as she teased the younger woman's slick walls. And she remembered the hickeys and love bites Yuzu gave her as she pushed herself into the older woman's hand, desperately begging for her to go deeper inside.
The last thing she remembered was screaming Yuzu's name before everything went black.
As Mei felt her neck, she made a mental note to herself to wear her scarves more often to work, despite the fact it was still summer.
Mei grabbed ahold of the blanket on her lap and pulled it over her chest. The room was still dark, but she checked the clock on her nightstand to see if Yuzu had gone to work early.
The time read 4:32 AM.
It was a little too early. And if Mei remembered correctly, Yuzu said she'd have a day off today, a Friday, leaving the older woman with a comfortable three-day weekend.
Mei stifled a yawn, then settled herself back in bed, hoping to catch up on more sleep. But instead, she lied on her side and stared at Yuzu's side of the bed. With her fingertips dancing upon the empty side, Mei patiently waited for Yuzu to come back.
Not a moment passed, and the younger woman perked up after hearing the bedroom door shut.
Mei sat up a little, finding Yuzu clad in a bathrobe.
"Oh, Mei!" Yuzu whispered, surprised to see her girlfriend awake at these hours. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
Mei shook her head, then asked, "Why are you up this early?"
"I was thirsty, so I went to get a glass of water," Yuzu answered, trying to suppress a yawn. She grinned, then teased, "You didn't miss me too much did you?"
Instead of words, Mei shyly outstretched her arms, signaling for Yuzu to come back and lie beside her. The older woman chuckled, admiring how cute her girlfriend was being. Wasting no more time, Yuzu began approaching their bed and grabbed Mei's hands, interlacing their fingers. She held them up to her chest, smiling warmly as she gazed deep into Mei's amethyst eyes.
As Yuzu pulled up her leg to rest on the bed, she leaned into Mei even closer, closing the distance between them. Both simultaneously sighed with relief, feeling their energy reinvigorate through a mere chaste kiss. Bringing her other leg up on the bed, Yuzu sat up on her knees, moving her hands up to cradle the younger woman's face. The two continued kissing until Mei gently pushed Yuzu's shoulder back, eying the older woman's bathrobe.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Yuzu asked.
To answer her question, Mei tugged at Yuzu's robe, revealing a bare shoulder. She eyed at her lover's skin hungrily, feeling heat radiate throughout her face, before leaning in to bite at the spot.
Yuzu's breath hitched in her throat, giving Mei the cue to keep going. Wrapping her arms around the older woman's back, Mei brought Yuzu in as close as she could, feeling much of the bathrobe fabric against her skin. But Mei wanted to feel more than just fabric. As the younger woman left a trail of bites and kisses from her shoulder up to her neck, she felt Yuzu's hands reach downwards to undo the knot on her robe. But Mei stopped her.
"Let me…" she muttered before gently scraping her teeth against Yuzu's shoulder.
Slowly, Mei tugged at the belt, undoing the knot and pushed the robe over her lover's shoulders, revealing more skin. Yuzu stared back at her with lidded eyes. Despite the dimly lit room, Mei could easily sense Yuzu's flushed face. Once the older woman freed her arms from the robe, Mei dropped it on the floor, hypnotically staring at the expanse of skin and curves on her lover's body.
It was a sight that Mei always relished, always adored. Yet, the longer she continued staring at Yuzu, not kissing or touching her, the older woman couldn't help but subconsciously shield herself away.
"Sorry," Yuzu sheepishly apologized. She clutched the bed sheets around her, hoping to resist the urge to conceal her body.
"Don't be," Mei reassured. Reaching out, she took her lover's hands into her own and began brushing her thumbs along the back of Yuzu's hand. "Though, I'm surprised. With how long we've been together, I thought it would still be me always wanting to hide away."
"I guess old habits die hard," she chuckled.
Though the younger woman had seen Yuzu's naked body countless times, the sight never got old to her. Every time she saw the older woman's bare frame, Mei would always be left speechless. The first time they shared themselves so openly to each other like this, she remembered how Yuzu self-consciously covered herself despite the fact she was initiating that whole time. Mei was the same as well, instinctively shrinking away as she felt the embarrassment of being so open, so vulnerable. But even though it had become routine to see each other's bodies whenever the two made love, there were some nights Mei would notice how uneasy Yuzu would be when revealing herself. They should've gotten more used to each other by now, especially with how long they'd been together.
But despite how long they had been together, Mei always thought back to the things Yuzu told her when they shared their first time.
On that night, Yuzu had admitted to Mei that she was a bit jealous of her beauty. She wished she had her silky black hair, her smooth and clear pale skin, her supple breasts…
People had always told her she was pretty and attractive, but Yuzu...she was beautiful, and extraordinarily so. It was why Mei never understood why the blonde wished she could be more like her. If anything, Mei had fallen in love with her because Yuzu was...Yuzu.
No matter how much they grew older, no matter how much their bodies changed, whether it were for the better or worse, to Mei, Yuzu grew more and more beautiful in her eyes.
Moving her hand to caress the older woman's cheek, Mei whispered, "You're wonderful…"
Taking Yuzu's hand to her lips, Mei kissed the top, then the palm of her hand. Continuing the gesture, the younger woman trailed kisses from her hand, to her wrist, and up her arm, reaching Yuzu's shoulder and neck.
As Mei pulled her in closer, she wrapped her arms tighter around Yuzu and buried her face in the older woman's neck. The two sighed in relief upon the skin to skin contact.
Instinctively, Yuzu's immediately breathed in the younger woman's scent, feeling her initial insecurities melt away upon the smell.
They held each other for a moment, almost making up for the days they lost when they were separated. Mundane and ordinary gestures such as a simple hug, kiss, or cuddle was something neither of them would ever take for granted, especially Mei.
Pulling away, Mei gently pushed the older woman down on the sheets, then lowered herself on her side, planting kisses on Yuzu's shoulder. Yuzu began softly giggling, absolutely relishing the attention her girlfriend was giving her at that moment.
"Mei!" she laughed as she adjusted to lay on her side to face the younger woman.
"Is something wrong?" Mei grinned, moving to pepper kisses all over Yuzu's face.
"No," she smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind Mei's ear, "You're perfect."
"I could say the same thing about you." The younger woman's reply caused a crimson blush to spread across Yuzu's face.
"And when did you get so romantic?" Yuzu cheekily asked, managing to stifle another yawn. She felt her eyelids weigh down on her as a result from her fatigue.
"I only learn from the best," Mei smirked. "And I'm hoping that me being the perfect girlfriend also means I'm able to give you a perfect day today."
Yuzu's eyes shot open at Mei's last statement.
"Wait...today?" Yuzu managed, trying to maintain her composure. Within a short few milliseconds, she mentally dug through her brain, trying to remember what could possibly be so important about today. Anniversary? First date? Second anniversary after the two reunited? What could it be?
Not even a second passed, and the blonde went into full panic mode. "Oh crap! Did I forget about our anniversary?," she hastily assumed, "I'm so sorry, work has been so hectic lately and I could've sworn I marked it on the calendar awhile ago!"
Immediately, Yuzu shot up from bed, grabbed her phone from her nightstand, and attempted to make some last minute plans to celebrate.
"Yuzu, wait-"
But the older woman was already lost in her own thoughts.
"Ok, I just need to find the nearest fancy places we could go to...though I'm not entirely sure what you're in the mood for…"
"Yuzu."
"Oh, and then maybe we could visit a few places around town, or maybe we can just have a picnic if we can't find a fancy restaurant to go to…" she continued muttering to herself, mentally planning their whole day together. "And...oh crap! I didn't even get you anything!"
"Yuzu…"
"Should I get you flowers, or a new book you haven't read before...or maybe something else…" Yuzu pondered to herself.
"Yuzu!" Her pondering trance was broken the moment Mei placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to lower her phone onto her lap. "Our anniversary isn't for another few months," Mei clarified, "Today is August 8th."
Yuzu just blinked. Once, then twice.
When she continued staring owlishly at Mei, the younger woman took her face with both hands and closed the distance, hoping that gesture would make Yuzu remember.
"Mmph!"
After a few seconds, Mei pulled away and greeted her. "Happy birthday."
Yuzu opened her mouth to respond. That couldn't be right, she thought to herself.
She tried to deny that it wasn't her birthday today. It couldn't be. The last thing she remembered before leaving for work a few days ago was her boss giving her a well-deserved day-off on Friday. To Yuzu, she saw it as a blessing from her hectic work life to catch up on sleep. Hopefully, it would allow her to recharge by the time the weekend was over. But then she remembered her boss telling her yesterday to have a "happy 23rd tomorrow", something that Yuzu didn't initially understand as she was on her way heading home.
She checked the date on her phone.
The date read August 8th.
Sighing, Yuzu quietly set her phone down on her nightstand and slunk back in the sheets the moment she realized that today was in fact her birthday.
"Oh geez…" She groaned, but felt herself relax in bed, glad that she wouldn't have to deal with the stress of doing any last minute planning for an anniversary. "I can't believe I forgot my own birthday! I guess work really has been stressful lately."
"Then that's more of a reason for me to spoil you all day," Mei chuckled as she traced a finger along the other woman's arm. Following Yuzu, the younger woman then rested herself on the sheets beside her. "You don't need to worry about any plans. I already have some things in mind we can do. Unless you have something else in mind. It is your day, after all."
Yuzu thought carefully about what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday with her girlfriend. But the longer she thought about it, the more her incoming yawns and heavy fatigue clouded her decisions.
"Actually…" Yuzu suggested as she began cuddling up next to her girlfriend, "Ditch the plans. I'd rather just the spend the whole day lazing around in bed with you."
"Are you sure about that?" Mei asked, almost sounding disappointed for not being able to provide the best birthday for Yuzu. Though, in retrospect, she was glad she wouldn't have to cancel any important reservations for them both.
Her lover nodded in response. As amazing as the gesture would have been coming from Mei, Yuzu's hectic work week left her with little to no energy to do anything too crazy or spontaneous. She especially didn't have much energy left after the activities from last night.
"I don't mind, and you did say today is my day, after all," she paused to give Mei a quick kiss on the cheek. "Maybe next year you can showcase what amazing things you wanted to plan for me."
"I'm starting to think that the entirety of last night was your unofficial birthday present."
Yuzu almost burst out into laughter at the realization. "Then you don't need to worry about giving me an amazing birthday at all!" Once she settled herself down, she reassured, "And don't worry, Mei. We have next year, and the year after that, and after that…" she trailed off.
She was right. The blonde's words really made Mei think about the plans she wanted to unload on Yuzu. Every time there was an important date approaching, whether it be Yuzu's birthday, a first date, or something as simple as whenever Yuzu received good grades in college, Mei would always make some grand gesture for her. In high school, she used to take Yuzu for granted, and was hoping that these things she would do for her would make up for all the mistakes she made throughout their relationship.
Yuzu understood why she did those things and why she always went out of her way to spoil her silly. But as much as she loved and appreciated the effort Mei always made for her, she wanted her to understand that even days where they spent time together indoors lazing around on the couch or in bed were also just as great.
"I'm not going anywhere," Yuzu smiled.
"And neither am I," the younger woman replied.
The room fell silent as the two laid side by side, staring at each other in awe. Both simultaneously pulled each other in, craving each other's skin and warmth. They felt themselves ease into each other, with Mei nuzzling into the older woman's neck once again while Yuzu rested her nose on the younger woman's hair. Relaxing in each other's arms, Yuzu began threading her fingers through the locks of Mei's hair, something that often helped the younger woman easily drift to sleep.
"Oh, and you also wanna know why you don't have to worry so much about giving me a perfect birthday?" Yuzu said, breaking the silence of the atmosphere.
"Why is that?" Mei genuinely asked.
"It's because I have you!" she happily answered, before lowering her voice to a whisper, "And you're more than enough for me."