I hope I succeeded in making this fluffy. It's been a while :P

Yuzu was glad to finally be home. Although she had the luxury of staying in her own private room thanks to her best friend, a foreign bed could only be so comfortable in a place where death and disease were imminent. When she wasn't confined in her room, every other place had a stifling atmosphere. It was always so clean, she never got used to the smell of bleach and other cleaning agents. Needless to say, her discomfort combined with her plights were the equation that resulted in little to no sleep.

"I'm sorry, I can't really cook and mom won't be back from work until late"

One thing that she couldn't complain about her hospital stay, though, was the food. She'd always heard about the infamous slop that was served in hospitals but was pleasantly surprised to be served wagyu steak for her first night's stay. Maybe she was just lucky since she was staying at a private hospital. So, eating take-out after a few weeks of fine dining was a bit of a downgrade.

"It's okay, Mei. Eating a meal with you after so long makes me really happy", and it was true. Eating fancy food didn't mean anything if she couldn't enjoy it with someone.

"Make sure to take your medication after you eat", the younger girl reminded. While she couldn't cook her girlfriend a meal, she still took her wellbeing into consideration and what types of food Yuzu should and shouldn't eat while recovering. She had been present when the physician spoke to the blonde about the things that she would have to avoid from now on to prevent her ICD from getting damaged.

"Mei, you don't have to worry so much. I promise I'll tell you if I start feeling bad", Yuzu reached forward to squeeze the other girl's hand in hopes of reassuring her.

The physician had also told her that she may feel groggy or nauseous for the next couple days depending on how much the anaesthetic affected her body. Symptoms varied from person to person when it came to these things but so far she hasn't felt anything out of the ordinary.

There was a trace of doubt in Mei's eyes but she couldn't blame her. 'I'll just have to be more honest with her from now on'.

Yuzu examined the other girl as she ate. It was obvious that Mei had lost some weight since she'd last seen her in Kyoto. Her eyes had bags and circles under them, with her cheekbones slightly sunken and her skin pale. While noticing these things, Yuzu grew more distressed. Their mother wasn't much of a cook, and even then she wasn't always home to cook meals due to her job. Mei wasn't the type to eat out with friends either so what had she been eating in the weeks that she was leisurely eating gourmet food?

"What's wrong?", Mei had noticed her face turn into a grimace.

"You've lost weight..."

Yuzu had just gotten back from the hospital after suffering from a life threatening attack. Mei didn't want her worrying over something like this. "Yuzu, you don't have to worry-"

"I worry. As your girlfriend and your older step sister, I worry"

The younger girl sighed. Yuzu wasn't going to let this go. "While you were gone, I lost my appetite. I felt nauseous every time I tried to eat anything, Himeko had to practically force feed me... But you along with my appetite are back now so I'll make sure to eat and stay healthy, okay?"

Mei saw that Yuzu was still reluctant to continue eating her own meal, so a mischievous thought came to her. The raven haired girl shot forward with her chopsticks and quickly snatched something off of the other girl's plate.

The blonde let out an exaggerated gasp, "I was saving that for last!"

With a smug smirk, Mei ate the tender piece of meat. Slightly irritated yet amused, Yuzu lunged forward to grab the juicy vegetable from Mei's plate and quickly ate it too.

"Hey! You know bell peppers are my favourite!"

The older girl shrugged as she chewed. After swallowing, she gave the girl a toothy grin, "You started it".

After dinner, the two tidied up and got ready for bed. In addition to Mei's poor diet during Yuzu's weeks of absence, it seemed as though the household was poorly maintained.

'I'll have to clean up once I've recovered', Yuzu thought to herself as she noticed that some of the laundry had piled up and the bins were brimming with rubbish. Being the granddaughter of a wealthy family, Mei wasn't used to doing chores. Although their mother was busy with work, she still managed to keep their house from looking like a total pigsty at least. It was almost like the time when Yuzu's father had passed. Her mother was a mess and it was up to the blonde to support the grieving woman.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Yuzu nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've been looking forward to a shower since I got back". Her doctor told her not to take the bandage off for another day. So all she had to do was keep the area dry. "Um Mei, could you-?", the girl awkwardly pulled down on the collar of her shirt, motioning for Mei to tape the plastic bag onto her chest as Yuzu held the bag in place with her functioning hand.

As the older girl blushed while looking away in shame, Mei stared at the imbedded device intently. She'd seen the slight bump in her skin from afar but seeing it up close somehow relieved her and broke her heart at the same time. While she was relieved that it would make things easier for Yuzu it also saddened her that she needed this small machine to ensure that she didn't suffer another attack.

"Alright, just call me if you need me. I'll go in once you're done"

...

"You're still awake? I told you that you didn't have to wait for me"

Yuzu released a contented sigh, "I wanted to wait for you. It's been ages since we've slept in the same bed".

Mei switched the lights off before climbing into bed. She too was happy that the spot next to her was no longer empty. Although spring had started she felt that the bed was colder than it was during the winter season. Sure the two girls didn't speak much after what happened on Christmas Eve, but the blonde's presence seemed to keep her warm even when she tried her best to avoid her. After everything that's happened Mei made sure to relish and appreciate Yuzu's presence.

"Yuzu, is it okay if I do this?", Mei stared directly into the other girl's eyes, unmoving.

The older girl grew flustered, "D-do what?".

"Is it alright if I make your heart pound?". Though the line was something that you'd expect to come straight out of one of Yuzu's romance manga, Mei seemed to be genuine in her question.

The innocence in her question alone made the older girl blush and her heart squeeze. "S-sure, that's why I had the operation in the first place- wait, no. That came out wrong".

Mei moved closer and took a hold off Yuzu's chin in order to look into the girl's eyes. Her stuttering may have stopped but her eyes still showed obvious signs of embarrassment. Yuzu's emerald eyes seemed to dart around the whole room other than into Mei's' violet eyes. Deciding to give the girl a break, Mei diverted her gaze to the small electronic device. It was hidden under a layer of bandages but the machine was clearly visible since Yuzu was wearing an oversized shirt. It was just under Yuzu's collarbone.

Slowly, she reached forward to touch the bandaged spot but stopped herself before she made contact. It was as if she was scared of somehow causing it to malfunction and fail. The raven haired girl took a deep breath. She had to keep reminding herself that everything was okay now; that the problem has been dealt with.

After dismissing any negative thoughts in her mind, Mei looked back up at the blonde's eyes. "So you mean you got the operation so that your heart could handle it if I made it race?"

Mei moved forward before any retorts could escape her lips. The kiss was slow and soft and Mei had almost forgotten the need for oxygen because she was convinced that this was all she'd ever need. But she knew that Yuzu was in a feeble state so she forced herself to break the kiss. Both girls unable to open their eyes as they were still reeling from the kiss.

The younger girl was the first to recover her breath. "I'm sorry, it was only meant to be a peck but..." 'it turned into more'.

Yuzu smiled. Mei was always greedy when it came to these things, not that she was complaining. Now it was her turn to lean forward and steal a few kisses from her eager girlfriend. Unlike the long, passionate kisses the two always shared, Yuzu preferred to give various short kisses that travelled anywhere up to the other girl's forehead or down her neck. The kisses were so enticing that Mei's hands found their way to the blonde's hips, causing Yuzu to gasp sharply.

Mei broke away immediately "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?".

"N-no, it's just that the doctor said that I should avoid any strenuous physical activities…", Yuzu blushed. Mei's actions were certainly indicating where she was going with this. The blonde had almost instinctively pulled the other girl closer. She had almost forgotten that her left arm was still in a sling and that the stitching on the incision was still fresh.

"I understand", Mei smiled. She brushed a strand of golden locks behind her ear. "There's no rush", she added, "But, I will need to do this". Mei practically buried her face into Yuzu's neck as she wrapped the older girl up in her arms.

Yuzu chuckled at her childlike behaviour and made no move to break the embrace, rather, she also buried her face into the other girl's freshly washed hair. Her head was filled by the familiar smell of lavender, so much so that she drifted off to sleep.

I know I said this chapter would be longer but I ended up making it twice as long so I split the chapter in half. Next chapter will be out sooner.