'I'll see you tomorrow~ ٩(*ゝڡ◕๑)۶ (๑・ω-)～ "'
Mei smiled at her girlfriend's excessive use of emoticons.
'I look forward to seeing-', she began typing out. It always took her a little longer to reply as she often reread her messages, and made sure to correct any spelling mistakes. Of course her ability to use a smartphone had improved over the years. The only thing she really struggled with was to keep her messages short and concise while also expressing her affection towards the blonde.
After a good five minutes Mei finally deemed the message good enough and hit send.
'I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow 3'
At re-reading her message after sending it, Mei couldn't stop herself from blushing at her poor attempt to use emoticons in comparison to the older girl's more detailed ones.
Their long awaited weekend together had finally arrived. After weeks of barely seeing each other it was understandable that both of them needed, craved the upcoming days. With Mei attending college at Nagoya, and Yuzu entering a culinary school in Kyoto after graduating high school, their days off rarely overlapped.
It was both a shock and a pleasant surprise when Yuzu had shown an interest in the culinary arts after joining the cooking club back at Aihara Academy. The blonde only grew more stunning and charming over the years and after the discovery of her unexpected passion for cooking, it only made the raven haired girl fall harder for her.
'∑(;°Д°)ᵒᵐᵍᵎᵎᵎ Mei sent me a heart?!
⁽⁽٩(๑˃̶͈̀ ᗨ ˂̶͈́)۶⁾⁾ Kya~ Mei sent me a heart~'
Mei stifled a laugh, or at least as best she could. A few people on the train turned their heads in the direction of the sudden disturbance but she didn't care. Yuzu always had the ability to energise her with just a few words after a stressful day. Although she was still having a hard time adjusting to coming home to a place where Yuzu no longer welcomed her home everytime she stepped through the front door.
After graduating, both girls moved out of the house to live closer to their university. While Mei was easily able to find a place for herself in a condo, Yuzu and Harumi decided to share an apartment. Of course Mei would have been against the idea of letting her girlfriend share a place with anyone other than herself or the brunette. While they didn't always see eye to eye, Mei still trusted that she always had Yuzu's best interest in mind. And who better to entrust the blonde than with someone studying to become a nurse?
'Goodnight. Get some sleep', Mei sent before turning the device off. She decided to view any reply that Yuzu might send after she got off the train but she just couldn't help herself when a vibration indicated another message.
'Goodnight~ (。-ω-)zzz I love you', the notification popped up. This time she didn't bother unlocking her phone.
'I miss you', another notification popped up.
Mei stared at the message. The lack of emoticons only made her heart lurch. She eyed the picture of her girlfriend that she'd set up as her lock screen and released a heavy sigh.
'I miss you too'
Mei always liked to be punctual. She always admired her father and grandfather's professionalism when it came to work. Of course, she grew accustomed to these habits. So arriving twenty minutes early at their meeting spot was only a professional habit. She was definitely not looking forward to this to the point where she got up at 6am due to being so restless. Yes, she was only being considerate of Yuzu who, despite her usual tardiness, would always arrive at least ten minutes early when they arranged to meet.
But when there was still no sign of the blonde after half an hour, Mei had begun to grow more anxious. She tried to convince herself that Yuzu was probably just running a little late. After finishing a cup of chamomile tea, and finding that it didn't ease her nerves at all, Mei decided that she'd waited long enough and that she had enough reason to panic.
A notification chime gave her a moment of relief until she read the message.
'Sorry! Won't be able to make it. At the hospital right...'
Mei didn't bother unlocking her phone to read the rest of the message. She was out in a flash, heading for the next bullet train.
There were only two things in the world that could infuriate Mei; animal cruelty and her girlfriend's habit of causing her unnecessary distress and worry.
"Come on Mei, I already said I'm sorry"
The younger woman merely sighed, "I told you, I'm not mad. It's my fault for jumping to conclusions"
Yuzu seriously doubted that there was nothing wrong. She had known Mei long enough to notice that her eyebrow would always twitch when she was angry. It was a cute little quirk that the blonde kept to herself for the past few years. The unconscious habit made finding out whether Mei was upset about something easier for the older woman but the tricky part was either coaxing the reason out of the other girl or to get her to stop pouting.
Right now it was obvious that she was, indeed, pouting. Mei refused to look at her and crossed her arms. Her sulky demeanour was an improvement from earlier after she'd arrived at the hospital. While seeing the raven haired beauty breathless was always a wonderful treat for Yuzu's eyes, her dark demeanour at the time was a more pressing issue.
The blonde had mixed up the dates for her examination. It was just a regular check up to see if the batteries had worn off or if there were any problems with the wires that were connected to her heart. Electromagnetic devices could interfere with the ICD and while working around kitchen appliances were usually no threat, it was safer to be sure.
Yuzu glanced at Mei. The train ride from Kyoto to Nagoya would take at least another hour and a half. Although the day didn't go as planned Yuzu didn't want to spend their long awaited weekend fighting, rather she wanted to savour every moment with her girlfriend. "Mei, I really am sorry. I should have just rescheduled... I mean, we rarely see each other any more"
Mei felt the familiar feeling of guilt tug at her heartstrings. "Of course you shouldn't have rescheduled. I would've been even angrier if you did", she grumbled.
"So you are angry", Yuzu prodded.
"No, it's-", she huffed, trying to put her thoughts together, "I'm not mad at you, I'm just frustrated that I can't be there for things like this. I'm not there when you need me..."
"Aw Mei, it was just a check up", the blonde shrugged, scooching closer next to her in order to close the distance between them. "Besides, you don't have to always be physically there for me. I know that you'll be by my side when it matters most"
Mei huffed once more. Yuzu brushing off her worries in a nonchalant way like she always did made her finally surrender her stubborn manner and initiate a side hug. The younger girl decided to rest her head on the blonde's shoulder for the rest of the train ride.
By the time they arrived at Mei's condo it was already dark out. Mei had to cancel dinner reservations since both girls were too tired. Yuzu was more than happy to cook them a meal after her girlfriend mentioned how she missed her cooking. She was also happy to see that Mei was at least making an effort to eat healthily, finding fresh produce in her fridge even if there wasn't much.
"Any requests?", Yuzu asked while skilfully handling a knife.
"Anything is fine"
As Yuzu began preparing dinner, Mei got changed and set up the living room. She decided to go through with her plan of eating dinner and watching a movie together. In all honesty, Mei would much rather cuddle up on the sofa together with Yuzu rather than go out anyway.
After less than 20 minutes dinner was served. Mei was surprised at Yuzu's ability to transform what little ingredients she had into a luxurious meal. She could've sworn that it was fancy-restaurant-quality good, though she may have been biased.
As Mei eagerly ate, the other woman was more occupied with watching her reaction. Was it too salty? Too spicy? She felt the weight of apprehension disappear as Mei closed her eyes to savour the warm meal. The blonde felt a sense of accomplishment in the younger woman's reaction. She could never get enough of that wholesome feeling in her chest whenever Mei ate her food. As cliché as it sounded, there was just something so satisfying in the way that Yuzu cooked something that nourished her girlfriend's mind and body.
"Thank you for the meal"
After finishing their dinner and cleaning up, both girls settled on the couch to watch a random movie. The excitement Mei felt since morning, combined with the apprehension and worry earlier had understandably tired her out. Had she been in any other situation, Mei would've refrained from letting out an extended yawn. However, since she was with Yuzu there was no need to maintain her usual image of sophistication.
"Yeah, being so cute must tire you out", Yuzu commented nonchalantly. Her cheesy pick up lines have only gotten disgustingly worse over the years.
Mei used to pointedly ignore her while hiding a small smile, though in recent years she would allow herself to chuckle at the blonde's flirtatious behaviour. "Then you must be exhausted", Mei shot back with a smirk.
Yuzu's blush followed by stuttering caused the other woman to giggle once more. The sound of her own laugh seemed so foreign to her for a long time. Sometimes Yuzu would use these pick up lines on her and sometimes Mei would find the blonde laughing at her own jokes. Mei gradually found herself smiling to full on laughing when it came to Yuzu and ever since, she couldn't understand how it was so hard for her to feel the simple expression of amusement.
"You're adorable", Mei sighed as she rested her head on Yuzu's shoulder. The blonde, after calming down, reciprocated the gesture by wrapping her arm around the other girl, both girls focusing on the rest of the movie.
Okay, first things first; I am sorry for the disgustingly cheesy flirting.
Second, I'm also sorry for not updating. School hit me in the feels and motivation like chapter 36 of Citrus (haha, lol. I'm dying.)
Third, Yuzu pursuing a career in the culinary arts has always been one of my headcanons. Yuzu always seemed to enjoy making dinner or baking cakes for Mei so it kinda seemed like an obvious choice :) As for the others, I wasn't sure about Harumi's career choice but since her family owns a hospital (in this story) I opted for a nurse/doctor route. For Matsuri I'd say a game developer maybe? (Adding future HaruMatsu fic to my to-do list :P)
Lastly, reading the extra chapter for volume 10 of the manga gave me closure for the series. (I know the ending was rushed but I don't care. They're happy) So I feel like this could be the last chapter. I literally haven't had the time to think and expand on any new ideas but if I do, I'll write more.