So I wrote you guys a short chapter and I'm working hard to be more cautious of the word count. Granted I can't say I won't write the occasional chapter that pushes 10k, but the length that we got to last time will be few and far between. I could have adjusted those to split, but I became rather deadset on a style and doubled down on it. I didn't want it to seem like I was artificially inflating my work and filling up your inboxes. So I promise to work on that this time around. I'm also working on the style, trying to say a little more with less, but I don't know how it's going to work out, but I'm trying.

Ummm so I think there'll be a time jump at some point, but I think we're going to spend some more time with Airi as a kid, help develop her a bit more and her whole music thing which will get some explanation next chapter.

Also, I just watched "My Love Story," and Takeo and Rinko are just adorable, almost nauseatingly so. I also recommend "Wotakoi" that was just fantastic. Adds them to my rightstuf basket.

In regards to "Fresh Coat", I have one of two things planned. A) I continue the fic and test it out as a possible original story idea or B) just write it as an original story and publish it. Thoughts?

Anyway, allons y!

Chapter 3

"What on Earth were you thinking," sighed Mei as she continued to inspect her son's face as her chest filled with an uncomfortable mixture of pain, anger, and sadness. "Fighting like that when you were supposed to be taking care of your sister. Did you bother to think about what would happen if she got hurt? You're lucky the worst thing she walked away with only a skinned knee."

"It's not what you think," hissed Hideki as Mei's fingers brushed against the bandages that had been applied to his eyebrow.

"Then what is it," snorted Mei, letting Hideki go and looking to his father. "You were here before us, weren't you? Did Habiki tell you anything or am I going to have to read the report to find out?"

"I only know what they told the police, Mei." Udagawa pulled his glasses off and began wiping them in an attempt to buy himself some time to think. "According to what I read in the report, the boys he ended up fighting had been following and teasing him, and after pushing him a few times, he lost his temper, and this is the result.

"Is that true?" Yuzu was the one who spoke, while Mei was focused on Udagawa and Hideki, Yuzu had been watching Airi, taking note of how quiet their daughter was being, despite her telling Hideki that she would keep him safe. "Are the other boys to blame?"

"Sort of," muttered Hideki while Airi inched a little bit closer to him. "I mean I did throw the first punch after they started pushing, but can we talk about it after dinner? This is kind of embarrassing."

"You're embarrassed?" Mei's voice rose slightly, prompting Hideki and Airi to take a cautious step backward. "Have you any idea..."

"Mei, remember what we talked about," said Yuzu calmly, stepping between them and placing her hands on her wife's shoulder in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"But Yuzu you heard him, he thinks this is embarrassing. If that's what he thinks then..." began Mei, only to stop when she saw from the frustrated expression on Yuzu's face just how hard her wife was working to keep her emotions in check.

"I get it," replied Yuzu, trying to lighten the mood by forcing a smile and gently squeezing Mei's shoulders, "but you wanted us to keep cool, right? So, could you maybe take a few deep breaths and remember where we are before you get us in trouble."

As Yuzu spoke, Mei couldn't help but notice how her wife's eyes kept darting in the opposite direction. Following her wife's lead, Mei noticed several police officers staring at them causing her to blush in embarrassment and bow her head apologetically.

"Mei," whispered Yuzu, turning Mei's face back to her, looking about as frustrated as Mei was angry. "Come on, it's getting late, and we're both tired. Let's go home, have some dinner, take a bath, and sort this out after we put the kids to bed, okay?"

Turning her gaze from Yuzus. Mei's eyes turned toward their children, and Mei felt her anger begin to subside almost as quickly as it had formed. Whether it was the look of shame in Hideki's eyes or the way Airi had switched from holding his hand to clinging tightly to his leg, Mei nodded and looked to Udagawa who was waiting patiently for a reply.

"All right," said Mei after a couple of deep breaths nodded, much to everyone's relief. "We will discuss this later. Hideki, Airi, let's go."

"I...I'm gonna ride with Dad," answered Hideki while his uninjured hand gently patted his sister's hair.

"But, Hideki," whined Airi as she pulled on her brother's pant leg, "you promised you'd come home with us."

"I'll be home," said Hideki as he crouched down and rested her forehead against hers. "Dad and I will be right behind you, and we're gonna have a party tonight. Remember? Reo was gonna make us dinner because I'm leaving tomorrow and there's no way I'm gonna miss spending my last night before summer vacation with you guys."

"Airi, come on," said Yuzu, holding her hand out for her daughter, a reassuring smile on her face. "It'll be okay. Hideki will meet us at home, but it's late, and you want to see Hina, Reo, and the others before you go to bed, don't you?"

"But, Mama..."

"Airi, listen to Mama," repeated Mei, the natural coolness returning to her voice. "I know you're upset, but complaining isn't going to help. We'll see them at home, at least that's what I hope you're planning?"

"Of course it is," grunted Udagawa, slipping his glasses back on. "Besides, Reo and Hina are at your house with your parents and I'm a bit worried about who's doing the babysitting at this point."

"Not funny." Mei took the paperwork that Habiki was holding out and began reading it, her eyes trying to discern anything that may explain the guilty look she and Yuzu had seen when they asked Airi about what had happened during the fight.

Unfortunately, the report offered no new information and Mei resigned to signing it and handing it back to Habiki who excused himself and returned to his office.

"Okay," said Yuzu after Habiki closed his office door and they began walking toward the exit, "you make sure you're safe, okay?"

"Yeah," answered Hideki before pulling a coin out of his pocket and began rolling it between his fingers. "Umm am I grounded?"

"We'll discuss that later," answered Mei as she, Yuzu, and Udagawa remained a few feet behind the kids, watching as Airi took the coin, trying to mimic her brother. When the kids had a sizeable enough lead on them, Mei turned to Udagawa and whispered, "I assume he wants to go with you because he wants to have what the two of you and Reo call a 'man talk'?"

"Why do you have to make it sound like we're doing something scandalous," chuckled Udagawa as he watched Hideki try to explain the trick to Airi. "He's a teenager, and a boy at that, so it's only natural for him to have an easier time talking to me about certain things instead of always coming to you two."

"That much is obvious," answered Mei, her brow furrowing as she tried to block the onslaught of images her imagination was creating about the fight. "I just wish he'd talk to us like he used to."

"He will," whispered Yuzu, taking a couple of steps closer to Mei. "But even if he does tell us what's bothering him, he's still gonna pull crap like this, so there's not much we can do."

"That doesn't mean we have to just sit back and accept it," said Mei as they pushed open the doors that lead to the parking lot. "We were lucky they didn't call social services on us, but God knows what will happen in regards to those other boys parents."

When they stepped outside the sun was almost set, and Mei could barely make out the orange and reds that remained in the sky through the tall office buildings, though she did manage to make out a few faint bits of starlight. On top of that, despite it being almost nine; it was still warm which Mei was thankful for. The last thing she needed to worry about was Airi getting sick and she was looking forward to turning the air on in hers and Yuzu's room, if only for the chance to hold her wife and forget about the day.

"It's gonna be okay, Mei," Yuzu said softly as she wrapped her hand around Mei's, pulling the younger woman back to reality. "It was just some stupid fight between teenagers. I doubt they're going to do anything, but if something does happen, we'll figure it out together."

"I know," sighed Mei, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her free hand. "I'm sorry for being this standoffish, I think the weight of the situation is finally getting to me."

"I figured," smirked Yuzu as she watched Hideki congratulate his little sister at completing a single roll of the coin. "But I kind of like seeing you flustered like this. Doesn't make me feel as bad about getting mad or wanting to flip out in the station."

"I'm glad you didn't" sighed Mei, squeezing her wife's hand and briefly rubbing her cheek against Yuzu's head. "Thank you for keeping me from losing my temper. I'm sorry I put you in that kind of position."

"It's okay." Yuzu returned Mei's affections with a nuzzle of her own and giggled when she saw her wife's blush. "I know it's just you being a mom, and I've been feeling the same way, but he'll come to us when he's ready; you know he will. Let's be glad he wasn't in his school uniform that would have made things ten times worse."

"From what I gathered, the boys weren't from his school," said Udagawa comfortingly as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. "The parents didn't know who he was and they were just as mad as you are. One of the boys mom's was even yelling at him as she and her husband walked him out of the station. But you make a good point, Yuzu-chan last thing he needs after this is to get expelled or worse."

"At least it's over, for now." Mei felt some of the tension leave her body and the urge to hug her children return, but knew she had to refrain from it until they finished sorting everything out. "I just hope he can keep his cool while he's away."

"He'll be fine, Mei. From what Abby said about this camp, he's going to be too busy to get into trouble anyway." Yuzu gave Mei her usual cheerful smile before kissing her wife on the cheek and turning to the kids. "All righty, Airi, we gotta go now so say bye to Hideki and Uncle."

"Why," pouted Airi, her eyes shifting from her brother to her parents. "Uncle dropped Hina off at our house so that means her car seat is in his car so why do I gotta go with you?"

"Because Uncle and Hideki need to have some alone time," said Yuzu softly but with enough of an edge so that Airi knew she meant business. "Besides, we're all going back to our house, and since Reo's there I'm sure he's already finished making that big dinner he promised, and if he has Grandma helping him, I'm sure it'll be extra tasty."

"I'm not hungry." Airi moved closer to Hideki's leg and carefully wrapped her arms around his knee. "I said I'd protect Hideki and I can't protect him if he goes away."

"I understand your frustration, Airi," said Mei, smiling at how protective she was being. "But I promise you that Hideki will be safe and if you're good and Hideki's okay with it, we'll put a futon in his room, and you can protect him tonight after everyone goes home. But for now, you have to come with Mama and me since Uncle and Hideki need to talk."

"He's gonna yell." Airi's eyes narrowed malevolently at Udagawa who chuckled nervously at the Mei like glare he was receiving. "If I stay with Hideki he won't yell."

"I promise I'm not going to yell," said Udagawa calmly. "But I'm going to have a talk with him about what he did and why he shouldn't have done it that's all. Here, we'll even do a pinky swear to prove that I mean it."

Udagawa walked over to Airi and squatted and extended his as he asked, "You know what a pinky swear is right?"

Mei and Yuzu chuckled as Airi looked at Udagawa's hand, then at Hideki and asked, "Do we have needles?"

"Airi, I don't think that will be necessary," said Yuzu, stifling a laugh at the sight of Airi's probing glare.

"Uh huh," said Airi, her head whipping around so fast that her hair nearly slapped Udagawa in the face. "Hina said that if you break a pinky promise, you gotta swallow a thousand needles so I wanna..."

"That's just a saying," sighed Hideki while Mei and Yuzu hid their smiles behind their hands as Udagawa chuckled nervously. "Nobody is going to make you swallow a thousand needles if you break a pinky promise."

"Then why do people say it," a frown grew on Airi's face, a sign that she was beginning to get frustrated, "and how come you're laughing at me?"

"We aren't laughing at you," Hideki grunted as he squatted next to his sister and held up his pinky. "Here if it'll make you feel better, I'll promise not to yell too. How does that sound?"

"I guess," muttered Airi, her small hands rising followed by her wrapping her pinkies around her brother's and surrogate uncles. "Ummm I promise not to make you swallow needles if you guys yell."

"Thank you," chuckled Udagawa after they let go of each other's fingers, followed by him gently patting her head. "You were very brave today Airi, and if you need to talk, you can talk to me and Auntie Rena just like you talk with your moms okay?"

"Okay." Airi pulled her arms back and stared nervously at Hideki and Udagawa, one toe rubbing grinding into the ground while she nervously rubbed one of her shoulders. "No more fighting, 'kay?"

"No more fighting," repeated Hideki with a nod before giving his moms a nervous smile that only Yuzu returned while Mei looked conflicted as to how to respond. "Umm, I am sorry, you guys know that right?"

"We will discuss this after dinner," said Mei coolly while gesturing for Airi to come back to them. "But for now, in spite of everything that's happened, we will allow you to have a bit of fun tonight, though I warn you that you're responsible for explaining everything to your grandparents and siblings, not us."

"Yes, ma'am." Hideki gave Airi one more nuzzle on the forehead before hugging her. "All right, Shorty, ya gotta go with Mama and Mom. I'll see you at home."

"'kay," answered Airi returning the hug tightly. "Remember your promise."

"No fighting," said both Udagawa and Hideki in unison making Airi giggle.

With that, both Mei and Yuzu said their goodbyes, and after making sure Airi was fastened into her car seat, they made the long awkward drive home. Even though Airi had been fairly chatty while they were at the station, the moment she began driving, Yuzu couldn't help but notice that any time either she or Mei asked her a question, their daughter only seemed only to answer them with a nod or the occasional grunt.

As much as she wanted to talk to Mei about it, Yuzu wasn't sure how to begin, especially with Airi in the car. She knew they needed to talk, but like the officers had warned them, Yuzu didn't want to force the issue, but couldn't help wanting more answers. Like Hideki had been at that age, Airi tended to wear her heart on her sleeve though like Mei she tended to clam up whenever something was bothering her. She wanted to ask Mei what she thought, but unfortunately, the younger woman was busy answering an email on her phone and rather than interrupt Yuzu decided to engage Airi.

Taking a deep breath, Yuzu gave a cautionary glance in the rearview mirror, only becoming more disheartened when she saw the pensive look on her daughter's face.

Not wanting to cause their daughter any more pain, Yuzu decided to withhold her questions about the fight, put on a smile and asked, "So, Airi, did you learn anything new in music class today?"

"Kinda," sighed the girl as she tapped a finger listlessly against the glass. "Goya-sensei let me play the piano today."

"Oh yeah? What'd he have you play? Did you get to sing while you played?" From the corner of her eye, Yuzu saw Mei's fingers stopped moving followed by her resting her phone in her lap so she could give their daughter her undivided attention.

For as long as they could remember, Airi had always had a fascination with music. Ever since she was a baby the only way they could get her to fall asleep was to have an mp3 player or cd playing in the background.

While most of her friends were singing things like "Wheels on the Bus," or "A Rolling Acorn", Airi was spending her days on Hideki's computer watching videos of rock bands, pop groups, and whatever genre of music she found interesting. While supportive of her interest, Mei and Yuzu did end up having to monitor her after Airi repeated a few choice swear words she'd heard in a couple of songs. But, regardless of those speed bumps, Airi's love of music wasn't dampened and eventually they had enrolled her in the music school where her daughter could indulge herself, but also where Airi discovered she had a talent for not only the violin, but also the cello, though those lessons were given at home.

Despite her young age, Airi was advancing rather quickly and with her music teacher having her play the piano, Yuzu and Mei were wondering just how many more instruments they'd end up having to buy.

"He said he wanted to talk to you," said Airi reaching for her bag and pulled out one of her music books and began to quietly hum a song that neither Mei or Yuzu recognized, but knew she was doing it in an attempt to keep them from bothering her.

"What does he want to talk to us about," asked Mei, looking over the her shoulder at their daughter, aware that the book was merely an attempt to get them to leave her alone. "Does he want to move you

into an advanced class?"

"I dunno," grunted Airi as she pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Mei. "He said he wanted me to give you this after my singing lesson."

"You had a singing lesson today," asked Yuzu somewhat amazed that Airi had been moved into a singing class. "When did that start?"

"Today," groaned Airi, closing her music book and kicking her feet impatiently. "I asked him if I could sing and he had me sing while I was playing the piano."

"Was that the song you were humming," asked Mei, carefully opening the note while Yuzu tried to keep her curiosity from getting the better of her so she could focus on the road.

"Yeah." Airi's face grew a shade darker as she spoke and her feet stopped moving as she chewed on her lip. "Goya-Sensei said it's from a movie he saw as a kid and he thought I'd like it. The movie sounded kinda scary though."

"What was it about," asked Mei a smile growing as she read the note.

"Umm he said it was about a family of mice that lived in America. The song was kinda sad but it was pretty and it reminded me of you and Mama."

"Oh yeah?" Yuzu reached her hand over and squeezed Mei's hand and winked. "How'd it remind you of me and Mommy?"

"Cuz it's a song about how even when people are apart they think about the people they love and how even though they miss each other they aren't alone." Airi's face turned even darker as she spoke and she smiled sheepishly. "Like you and Mommy did when you worked for the hotel."

"That's so sweet," laughed Yuzu as she saw a smirk appear on Mei's face while Airi hid her face in her hands and began giggling. "Do you want to sing it for us later?"

"I don't have the music," said Airi, peeking at Yuzu through her hands, "and we don't have a piano."

"That's true," said Mei, giggling at the muffled sound of Airi's voice. "But from the sounds of this letter, Goya-sensei sent home with you it sounds like he wants you to start learning piano and to begin singing lessons over the summer."

"That's great Airi," cheered Yuzu as the pulled into the driveway, slamming on the brakes when she realized she was about to crash into the garage door. "Whoops."

"Be careful, Mama," grunted Airi as she rubbed her shoulder, "that hurt."

"I'm sorry, Kiddo." Yuzu unbuckled herself and rushed out the car to check on her daughter. "Where does it hurt?"

"My shoulder." Airi undid the straps of her car seat and rubbed her shoulder and allowed Yuzu to check it. "Do I have a bruise?"

"No," sighed Yuzu in relief after inspection. "It's just a little red, but if it hurts tomorrow, make sure you let me know and Mommy and I will see if you need to go to the doctor."

"Okay." Airi reached for her bag and after putting everything away, grabbed her violin and hopped out of the car and stretched. "Can I go and see if Hina wants to play?"

"Sure."

Yuzu smiled and pressed her forehead against Airi's, making her daughter giggle before running to the front door and shouting, "I'M HOME!"

There was a series of greetings from inside the house, two of them children, with the others being the familiar voices of their parents.

Chuckling, Yuzu stepped toward the house, ready to follow their daughter in when Mei called out to her from inside the car.

"Hey, there" chuckled Yuzu as she opened the door and propped herself on the side of the car in an attempt to look cool. "What can I do for a woman as pretty as you?"

"You can stop acting like a fool for one," snorted Mei, though Yuzu could see a smile in her eyes. "But if you don't mind, I would appreciate you helping me out of the car."

"As you wish." Yuzu stepped away from the car and held her hand out and blushed when she felt Mei's fingers on her palm and the way her hair shimmered in the dim light of the street lamps, and the way her skirt billowed in the evening wind.

There was the small click of Mei's heels on the concrete and when she was out of the car, Yuzu couldn't help but pull her wife toward her and kiss her.

Mei let out a surprised gasp but eventually relaxed and fell into the embrace, returning the kiss and stroking Yuzu's hair, causing her wife to chew on her lower lip and sending a tingle down Mei's spine and making her whimper.

"Sorry," whispered Yuzu, breaking the kiss prematurely and inspecting Mei's lip. "Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine," answered Mei, kissing Yuzu's finger, causing the gems on her wife's rings to sparkle. "But thank you for worrying, I'll make sure to make it up to you later."

"Can't wait." Yuzu kissed Mei again, this time getting cut off by the appearance of Udagawa's car and an exaggerated look of disgust from Hideki.

"Do you guys gotta do that out in public," sighed the teen after hopping out of the car and grabbing his bag. "You're worse than Dad and Mama Rena."

"Watch it," grunted Udagawa after smacking his son upside the head. "You're on thin ice as it is so don't push your luck."

"Hey," growled Hideki, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head, "I thought we promised that we wouldn't fight."

"I'm warning you, not fighting with you," chuckled Udagawa as he ruffled his son's hair, albeit a bit roughly. "So if you want to keep that promise, maybe you should get your butt inside and say 'hi' to everyone and leave your moms alone."

"Fine." Hideki slung his bag over his shoulder and sighed. "It was just a joke, don't know why you guys are getting on my case."

"I think the answer to that is obvious," said Mei with a sigh as she watched Hideki walk toward the front door. "But, given the circumstances, I'll allow it this once, just watch the sarcasm for the rest of the evening."

"All right." Hideki raised his hand and waved at them before turning the corner that led to the front door. There was a burst of light and the sound of Hideki announcing his presence followed by Airi and Hina's voices, Hideki shouting in surprise, and the door slamming shut.

"I'll...I'll uh go and check on them to make sure nobody's hurt," said Udagawa with a nervous laugh. "You two take your time."

"Well that was a bit of a mood killer," sighed Yuzu, wrapping her hands around her head and staring in the direction of the door.

"It's all right," said Mei, wrapping her arms around Yuzu's waist, burying her face in Yuzu's hair and kissing her wife's neck while she rubbed her stomach through her shirt as retribution for what happened back in Yuzu's office. "If they hadn't interrupted us I wouldn't be able to do this."

"Be careful," giggled Yuzu when she felt Mei's lips on her ear. "If you keep this up somebody's gonna come looking for us."

"Just a little longer," whispered Mei, continuing her kisses while her hands wrapped around Yuzu's stomach, pulling her tight against her body. "It's been a long day and I don't know how long we'll have before we get interrupted again, so please let me hold you."

"I'm not complaining." Yuzu smiled and relaxed into the embrace, her eyes shifting up to the clear somewhat starry sky. "I just thought you'd want to wait until we were in our room, but this is nice. We haven't done this in a while."

"Not since our camping trip during spring break." Mei took a few cautious steps backward until she felt the metal of the car on her back. Her grip tightened slightly, and her eyes followed Yuzu's as she took in the sight of the stars, a smile crossing her lips when she felt Yuzu's hands on hers. "Would you like to take one while the kids are on break? We were talking about taking a trip soon an, and it might be difficult to find a campground, but I wouldn't mind another camping trip."

"Well the boarding house is up and running since it's the summer, so maybe we can ask Udagawa to set aside a room for us."

"If we were taking the kids I wouldn't mind, but," Mei's gaze turned from the sky couldn't resist nuzzling the back of Yuzu's neck, "the reason I want the campground is because we wouldn't have to worry too much about anyone or anything distracting us."

There was a brief moment of silence between them, the only sounds they could hear were some muffled laughs from inside the house, the occasional barking of a neighbors dog, or the sound of a passing car.

When Yuzu didn't answer, Mei let her hands drop and after one last kiss to Yuzu's neck, let out a disappointed sigh and said, "I'm sorry, I'm acting selfishly. I shouldn't have..."

"Mei, don't." Yuzu turned around, revealing a familiar bright smile and pulled her wife into a strong hug and giggled. "How many times do I have to tell you that it's okay for you to be selfish?"

"Too often," sighed Mei returning the hug, resting her head on Yuzu's shoulder. "But you've been busy with the restaurant, and I don't want to interfere with your work, especially with it being summer break."

"You know, I'll make the time," answered Yuzu, kissing Mei's ear and laughing when she heard her wife's whimper. "Besides, you always make time for me and you know I can't resist you when you get pouty."

"I'm not pouty." Mei gave Yuzu a half-hearted push, earning her a laugh and a tighter hug which she returned eagerly. "I already said that I miss you, and I meant it. I was offering an alternative to what we discussed at the restaurant."

"I know," Yuzu chuckled and kissed Mei's cheek and neck, "and I love that you're thinking about us. I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets clingy."

"You'll always have me beat in that regard," smirked Mei, lifting her head and pressing her forehead against Yuzu's, unable to resist staring into her wife's eyes. "But I wouldn't have you any other way, Yuzu."

"I doubt that, but I like hearing it," Yuzu closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead against Mei's, while her hands massaged her wife's back and began trying to lift Mei onto the hood of the car.

"Yuzu, what are you doing?" Mei choked back a laugh when she felt the warm metal of the car rub against the back of her thigh.

"I want you to sit on the car," grunted Yuzu as she attempted another lift only to have her back twinge and force her to accept defeat. "But it looks like that isn't going to happen."

"Why would you want me to sit on the car?" Mei lowered her skirt, her face flushed from embarrassment and the evening warmth.

"I wanted...you to hold me." Yuzu pressed her face into Mei's chest, her cheek rubbing against the ring that dangled from her wife's neck. "Just for a little bit longer. I want to...I mean I want us to decompress a little after everything that happened and because it's easier on my back."

"Is that all? Well if that's all you want then all you had to do was ask." Mei let go of Yuzu and with a little bit of difficulty managed to sit on the hood of the car, jumping in surprise at the sound it made when the hood adjusted to her weight.

"It'll be fine," answered Yuzu, flexing her hands anxiously as she saw how far Mei's skirt had slid up her legs, making the blonde laugh as she watched her wife hurriedly try and cover her exposed skin. "Sorry about that. Guess that came off as kinda creepy, huh?"

"You know I don't mind if you look." Mei reached out and took Yuzu's hand and pulled the blonde toward her and wrapped embraced her wife and whispered, "But I'd prefer it if you waited until we were alone, it's not like we're on a date. What if the kids or someone else walked by?"

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Yuzu as she pulled at the back of Mei's blouse.

"Is this helping," asked Mei, rubbing her nose into Yuzu's hair, with one hand gently massaging the spot that always seemed to bother her wife.

"Yeah," sighed Yuzu, her grip tightening the longer Mei held her. "What about you? You feeling any better or do you want to go in? I'm sure the others are starting to worry."

"Maybe," said Mei, kissing Yuzu's cheek and smiling when she felt Yuzu kiss her ring through her shirt, "but I don't mind letting them wait, especially with how today turned out. Ever since we picked up the kids, I've wanted to hold you all three of you. But if you don't mind, can I follow your lead and ask that we stay out here for a little longer? I don't really feel like sharing you at the moment, is that all right?"

Lifting her gaze, Mei blushed a when she saw the large smile on her wife's face as she cheerily said, "Absolutely."