A Team Pigeons production:
A Milk and its Derivatives side story.
As Cats Do
Co-written by Why and Joe
"Got you!" Yuzu sneaked a nimble arm around Mei's waist as she walked by and pulled her to sit on her lap. Mei gracefully followed the motion, arms circling Yuzu's shoulders as she took her simultaneously comfortable and uncomfortable seat. If she was surprised, she did not show it. A low chuckle parted her lips as she tilted her head back, granting Yuzu full access to the sensitive skin of her neck.
Yuzu rested her lips against Mei's neck, feeling her pulse quickening under her touch. She breathed in deeply, drinking Mei's scent avidly. That peculiar scent that spoke of Mei and Mei alone: Soap, and the faintest hint of ink. Then there was the natural scent of her skin, cool and so very subtle, like the first whisper of Spring at the end of Winter.
She could not resist the temptation to ghost delicate kisses along the column of Mei's neck, gently sucking at the smooth soft skin, feeling it pickle ever so delicately in the wake of her touch. She dared to nibble gently and was reward by a silken whimper and an intake of breath as Mei's hand rose to cup the back of her head, inviting her to continue, ever so graciously.
"...Yuzu." Mei whispered huskily, prompting Yuzu's heart to skip a few beats as it always did when Mei played out her name in the key of desire.
She pulled back, the intent of claiming Mei's lips with her own clear in the lucid hue of her green eyes. A thought blooming in her mind stopped her halfway, calling forth a smile. It started slowly, softening her the corners of her lips and steadily spreading to reach her eyes. Her hold around Mei's waist tightened, bringing a glimmer of anticipation in her lover's purple eyes. The best reward for her actions.
"I take care of the kitchen." Yuzu's eyes skipped toward the couch and to Atsuko's dangling leg as it rested over its plush arm.
"You take care of Atsu-chan." Yuzu's eyebrows raised meaningfully, wide green eyes taking in the sight of a very receptive Mei.
"And th—"
Mei captured Yuzu's lips in a slow kiss, cutting her speech short. Her touch as passionate as it was devoted as they shifted to a more aggressive tempo, finding each other breathless upon parting. They ended up but a whisker away from each other, foreheads firmly pressed together as they traded air in short quick gasps.
"That sounded like a yes to me." Yuzu's lips relaxed in the easiest of smiles as she found Mei's purple eyes with her green ones.
"Always." That particular answer was one Yuzu was quite accustomed to and yet her eyes widened with wonder. The ease with which Mei all but pledged herself to her never failing to astonish her.
Not a trace of the lost broken girl she had met about a decade ago could be found in her lover. Mei had always loved ferociously if mutely, having her love returned in kind had unsealed her lips.
"I must read to her first, Yuzu." One of Mei's dainty hands rose to to cup her beloved's exquisite face, thumb firmly running over the familiar curve of Yuzu's cheekbone.
"She is asleep, Mei" Yuzu was well aware that Mei loved few things as much as she loved reading with their little sister, yet waking her up seemed a bit extreme.
"No." Mei revealed, unable to keep a note of amusement from her voice. "No, she is not, Yuzu."
"So why are we whispering?" A candid question and Yuzu shifted her head, allowing her lips to find Mei's palm and nibbled at the soft skin delicately.
"We are not aware that she is awake, Yuzu." Mei whispered as if the words guarded a most important secret. The amount of respect playing in her voice brought a smile to Yuzu's lips.
Only a few people knew of how depth and fierce Mei's love truly was, and how it held a most reverent quality as the mere thought of it proved to be worth of astonishing contemplation for her lover. Perhaps it would not be possible to love too many people with such intensity and if that was to be the case, Yuzu was ever so grateful to be among the lucky few.
"Ah!" Yuzu said in a rather hushed tone while tightening around her arms around Mei's waist willing her closer.
"Someone is being sneaky." She murmured as an affectionate and mischievous glint marked her eyes.
"Do not tease her, Yuzu." It was not a request, nor a command. It was a simple statement. Mei adored her sister's antics and even the mere possibility of Atsuko's changing her ways filled her with dread. Her sister was all but perfect to her, as was her beloved Yuzu. The finest works of art for her to forever love. She wanted them to never stop being themselves.
"So protective." Yuzu sighed before moving to steal a quick kiss from Mei's inviting lips. The adoring sparkle in her eyes loudly proclaiming just how strongly she revered this particular trait of her beloved Mei. And truth be told, she was just as protective of her loved ones. Their personal history had turned them into the fiercest of lionesses.
A slight bow of her head revealed Mei's intentions as she rose from Yuzu's lap. Yuzu's hands remained on her hips as she followed her love's momentum and softly bounced on her feet right after Mei.
A look was all they needed to converse these days. With a parting kiss and a promise, the two set to their respective tasks.
Mei delicately sauntered over to the couch where Atsuko was lying, eyes closed and clutching at Selene, her beloved teddy bear. When the greens of her eyes were obscured, the likeness between Atsuko and Mei was quite uncanny. Mei was reminded of how similar she had looked when she was ten years old, but when she was that age, her happiness was not remotely comparable to her younger sister's
She crouched down and drew level with Atsuko, their faces almost touching. Mei could feel the subtle chill of Atsuko's breath on her lips and resisted the urge to plant a kiss on her, intent on avoiding waking the child up. It was a pointless exercise, as she was quite aware that Atsuko was embellishing her tiredness.
"Let's get you to bed, Atsuko." Mei whispered as she wrapped her arms around her slender sister.
She carefully pulled Atsuko into position, angling her to make sure that her head remained propped up against her shoulder. She inhaled before pushing up with her legs, carrying Atsuko into the air with relative ease. She allowed a delicate small to soften her lips when her sister's small hand grabbed a handful of her carding as was her habit.
In the reflection of the inactive television, she could see Yuzu watching her intently. She had not planned to put on a show, but the presence of the solitary spectator encouraged her to be as graceful as possible in her motions.
She pivoted on one leg and made for the child's bedroom, treading carefully to avoid the creaky floorboards, the locations of which she had long since memorized.
"Mmm" Atsuko stirred and drove her face deeper into Mei's shoulder. Mei could not resist the temptation of smoothing her sister's silky jet black hair back only to look at the face she loved so dearly. As identical as they were, there was little doubt in Mei's mind over Atsuko being far more beautiful than she was. Especially when she had her marvelous green eyes open, as they were like Yuzu's eyes and had the ability to capture the sunshine and to generously give it back to whoever was lucky enough to look into them.
She could not fault the acting abilities of her little sister, who was determined to remain in character for as long as it was convenient to do so. Mei tried to convince herself that such trickery must surely have been learned from her pink-haired partner-in-crime, but the truth was that Atsuko had been successfully employing the routine long before she became acquainted with Mizusawa Matsuri.
Mei reached Atsuko's room and gently slid the door open. Even in the partial darkness, she could clearly make out the outline of a paperback book on the bedside table. It was one she knew well and it was certainly not a coincidence that the particular novel had been placed there.
She steered herself towards the bed and used her palm to guide Atsuko's head away from her shoulder. She then bent her knees and set her sister down on the oversized bed in almost complete silence, save for the rustling of the bedsheets.
Atsuko's head found its way to her pillow and soon after, her fingers began twitching as though to grab at something unseen. Her eyelids slowly retracted, catching what little light was flooding into the room from the hall outside. It was not enough for Mei and she quickly moved to switch on the night light, bathing the child's room in a soft glow.
Mei then spun on the ball of her right foot and sat down beside Atsuko.
As it had happened countless times before, Atsuko squeezed her eyes. ever so subtly at first, increasing the speed and frequency of the motion with practiced ease as seconds passed by. Once the act of waking up had been properly performed, she blinked delicately, opening her eyes an instant later. Intent as ever to carry out her charade to the final act she rose a small first to artfully rub at her eyes, her commitment to her part was as commendable as it was adorable.
"Nee-san." Atsuko's silvery tone betrayed her sleeping performance, realization dusted the child's cheeks with a splash of rouge. It was pointless to rectify her mistake by changing tone now, revealing her true intention appeared to be the best course of action and she allowed her gaze to fall upon the book resting on her nightstand before turning longing green eyes to her Nee-san.
"Atsuko." MeI had no intention to leave her sister's flair for the dramatic unchallenged and gracefully raised to the occasion.
"I apologize." Mei modulated her voice to play out a sincere note of regret, even allowing her elegant features to slightly contract in an apologetic expression
"I did not mean to wake you up." Atsuko's lips trembled in the slightest of twitches, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Mei's intense purple eyes.
"Well, since you are awake now, we might as well read." Mei's offhand comment was meet with the brightest of smiles. Mei had first seen a smile as such on her beautiful Yuzu's face and was thrilled to see its identical twin on their sister's face.
'Unless you wish to sleep, of course." A perfectly shaped dark eyebrow rose as Mei offered her sister an inquisitive look.
"...Nee-san." Atsuko mimicked her expression by raising an eyebrow of her own. A skill she had only recently acquired and one she was particularly proud of. The ability to wink still eluded the two Aihara sisters but when it came to eyebrow control they had no rivals.
Mei rose her right arm, a clear invitation that was immediately accepted as Atsuko scooted over and leaned against her sister's side, a place she was most familiar with.
Her need for closeness must have been particularly acute that night as she took hold of her Nee-san's arm and slightly pulled at it, her wish to have it circle her in a even tighter hold declared by her actions.
Mei obliged her, she always held her sister rather firmly, but if Atsuko needed to feel her closer she was all but willing to hold her firmer still. The last two weeks had been particularly stressful for her as she had to attend four board meeting. They had carried late into the evening and she had returned home long past Atsuko's bedtime, messing up the reading routine they both loved so dearly.
Atsuko relaxed against her then, a long happy sigh parted her rosy lips as she did. A dainty smile of anticipation followed as Mei's gracefully reached for the book resting on the nightstand.
"The Cat that was Late for Work" She read the title on the cover before opening the book. It was one of her Nee-san's favourites.
The cute and heartwarming story was an unusual break from the dense accounts of historical battles involving samurai, but Atsuko still followed the pages with glittering eyes. When it was her turn to read, her Nee-san set a deft finger on the page and guided her through the words. When it was Nee-san's turn to read, she did so with spellbinding cadence. She spoke with utmost clarity, never stumbling on her words and never speaking so fast that her younger sister could not follow the words on the page as she listened.
Soon, Atsuko's eyes began to narrow for real. Her pace slowed as she continued reading aloud and her head began to wobble. Sensing her sleepiness, Mei drew her even closer and let Atsuko set her head on her shoulder so that she could drift off more comfortably.
She quickly entered a deep slumber as Mei continued reading with a rhythm to match the soft rise and fall of her chest. Upon reaching a suitable place to stop, Mei took the teddy-bear bookmark and slipped it into the book before closing it. It was unnecessary as she could always recall the place she had stopped reading whenever she read with Atsuko.
Regardless, signing this particular book was a beloved custom, since the teddy-bear bookmark had been a present from Yuzu. She got it for Atsuko as her sister learned to read on this very book.
She silently set it on the table before turning her attention back to her sleeping sister as she was still cradled against her side and with her head resting on her shoulder.
She inclined her body getting as close as possible to the mattress and cupped her sister's head with her free hand, maneuvering her from her shoulder to the pillow. The transition happened smoothly, Mei's technique had been rendered flawless by the countless times she had performed this very action.
Once Atsuko was properly settled she slipped out of bed effortlessly and in a fluid movement without creating even a miniscule disturbance.
She stood for a few moments and watched her beloved little sister sleep peacefully. It was a sight she could watch for hours, but her passivity did not last for long. Sensing a slight chill in the air, Mei drew the bed covers and placed them over Atsuko. It prompted the reflexive action of Atsuko grabbing at the covers while still asleep and drawing them around herself in a tight and cozy wrap.
They smelled like her Nee-san.
Mei then paced to the nightlight and prepared to switch it off.
"Good night, Atsuko. I will see you tomorrow." She whispered before extinguishing the soft light and exiting the room, closing the door slowly so that it would not make a sound when it came into contact with the door frame.
Looking back down the hallway, Mei could see the unmistakable silhouette in the darkness waiting patiently for her, hip pushed out to one side in inviting fashion. Yuzu held the oversized white teddy bear in a tight hug and briskly made her way to Mei's side.
"Don't forget this." She implored her lover with a smile.
"Of course." Mei took hold of it and reentered the room, navigating her way through the darkness thanks to the layout being burned into her memory.
Yuzu watched from the doorway, straining her eyes to see Mei set the bear on the bed next to Atsuko with the utmost of care. She was very particular about the poses and positions of her stuffed animals and Yuzu had no doubt that there was some deeper meaning to the placement that she could not even begin to fathom. The thought made her heart flutter. There would always be an air of mystery around Mei and that just made Yuzu love her even more.
Mei returned once again, closing the door just as quietly as the first time. Instinctively, she reached out for Yuzu's outstretched hand and allowed her to lead the way through the dimly-lit apartment. Yuzu's hand was as warm as ever, providing a sensation that never failed to give her lover a sense of warmth and comfort.
The two entered their own bedroom, loving eyes stealing glance at each other before parting.
Yuzu moved to switch on the nightstand light. The art deco lamp was styled to look like a traditional lantern, a dark steel structure holding a glass body made like a mosaic where irregular pieces of lilac and golden glass were held together by thin wires. It produced a soft-hued bluish glow that gently filled the room in intimate tones.
Yuzu took in the sight of the room as avidly as she always did. Unlike the rest of the house, the decoration of which she had curated by herself while keeping in mind Mei's sole request of having bookcases in the living room, this room had been shaped by a combined effort that saw her love directly involved.
As always, Yuzu's face softened at the memory. They had agreed upon the room being rather minimalist as Mei loved the spacious feeling that came with it. They had picked two colors for it: white and lilac, the former as the main color while the latter was employed to provide accents. The structure of the bed was white, with a simple a low-lying wooden frame and a headboard, covered by thin lilac leather, set against the wall.
A lucid white armoire ran along the entirety of the wall opposite the bed, the top reaching the ceiling.
On the other side of the room was Yuzu's proudest creation: the vanity. She had all but designed the idea herself. It was quite simple, with white wooden drawers encased in a lilac painted alcove holding a frameless mirror, where lightbulbs had been fixed directly on the glass.
A body-sized mirror fixed on the wall separated the vanity from the next piece, a white ottoman with a lilac thin leather cushion on top.
The ottoman was covered by a great number of differently sized plushies, mostly bears along with some more adventurously-designed ones that Yuzu had selected, much to Mei's chagrin.
In spite of their small sizes, Anthoniko, Demetrius and the yellow bear Yuzu had won Mei on their first date occupied center stage and were clearly the stars of the set. Kumagouro was missing from the display as he preferred to stay on the sofa, at least according to Mei.
They had left the space between the bed and the armoire empty, providing Mei with a space she could perform her daily yoga routine in. The laminate floor was the perfect surface as it gave her mat a firm grip.
Few things pleased Yuzu as much as waking up to her Mei going through her yoga routine did. It was one of Yuzu's greatest pleasures and a wonderful way to start the morning. After stretching and warming up through the simpler poses, Mei would move to positions Yuzu found mesmerizing, like "the flying crow" that had Mei hold her whole weight on her hands while her legs stretched horizontally off of the floor.
Despite her unassuming build, Mei's dedication to her daily exercise gave her a surprising amount of strength. Her prowess when she was still at school was not limited to the library, a fact which Yuzu was made painfully aware of when Mei literally ran rings around her during their gym classes.
As smile slowly conquered Yuzu's lips as the memory filled her mind with delectable images.
"Yuzu…." Mei's dulcet tone pulled her back to the present. Her smile only grew bigger as she had a most wonderful present.
Mei's purple eyes held an amused glint as she looked at Yuzu with the beginning of smile on her lips. She had pulled back the covers and readied the bed for them, a dark eyebrow rose regally as the smile on Mei's lips blossomed in full. It was all the invitation Yuzu needed.
Soon the lovers found themselves wrapped up under the bed covers, legs tightly woven together as they relished the simple yet perfect pleasure closeness could provide.
They had their arms around each other. Yuzu ran her nails over the smooth skin of Mei's shoulder, the gentle scratching sensation leaving a set of thin trails behind. Mei's hand was splayed against Yuzu's back, firmly pressed in the center of it. Mei loved being able to feel Yuzu's every move under her palm, as the muscles under her touch would ripple ever so delicately.
A leisurely laziness guided their touches as they revelled in their delicate intimacy, both taking turns to scatter kisses across the other's lips, cheeks and neck. They were softly placed kisses, almost timidly bestowed upon each other features, as if discovery each other for the first time.
Suddenly, Mei made a move that caught Yuzu by surprise.
"Mei?" Yuzu yelped out, as Mei had been unusually delicate in her claim of her.
Mei buried her head in Yuzu's shoulder, nose and lips resting against the perfect smoothness of her love's skin.
Mei's eyelids began to drop and as she did not try to blink her eyes awake, it soon reached the point where the dazzling purple of her irises was only barely visible, long dark lashes almost touching the pale skin of her cheeks. Yuzu felt the silky smoothness of Mei's hair against her skin as she tucked Mei's head under her chin.
The cool tickle of her lover's breath against her chest filled her with an inordinate amount of delight. A most delicate sensation that she cherished dearly. It was yet another proof of their love, being this close to each other and in perfect harmony. They felt completely safe, cradled as they were by the other adoration and devotion.
"Yuzu… Can we stay like this?" Mei asked shyly as her hold tightened.
Mei did not need to look up at Yuzu's face as she felt a twitch in her neck muscles. Yuzu was smiling. She had no doubt of that.
"Of course we can, Mei." Yuzu ran her manicured fingers through Mei's glossy black hair, soothing her and willing her to fall into a slumber.
As Mei slept, Yuzu found herself remembering the numerous times that she had found herself in similar situations over the course of their relationship. She had grown quite accustomed to Mei falling asleep first as she pondered some question about the mysterious and often frustrating younger girl.
Now, it was different. Yuzu's thoughts were no longer of anxiety as she struggled to understand something which resisted understanding. Yuzu's thoughts were instead of pride: Pride in Atsuko for bringing so much joy to their lives every day, pride in Mei for stepping up to become the caring Nee-san that she knew she would be, and pride in herself for having found such a wonderful existence.
She rested her lip against the silky smoothness of Mei's hair and closed her eyes. Another rush of happiness warmed her blood, for she knew that Mei would be the first thing she would see upon opening her eyes.