Winter vacation is here. Me and Akari are the only ones still at Yamaku. Koji is meeting Hana's parents and Ai is finally reuniting with Carsten.

Akari's parents are coming to town and staying in a vacation rental, and we'll be spending Christmas with them at my mom's. I was a little surprised by this, but apparently, they want to spend more time with me and my family.

For now, though, Akari and I are snuggling in her room while snow falls outside. Snuggling is so much nicer when you can watch the snow together. There's also a very intense cold snap right now, it is several degrees colder than it normally is this time of year. When it gets cold enough, my more arthritic joints ache. My left elbow feels particularly painful. Akari's surgically repaired hips don't like the cold either. So, we've had a nice lazy day inside. We mostly read manga. I finished her favorite one and we talked about it for a while.

Now we're just keeping cozy. I'm laying on my back with an arm around Akari and she has her arms around my waist as usual. Akari has a pensive look on her face.

"Something on your mind?"

She nods. "The stuff with K-koji and Hana has me thinking about the future a lot."

I squeeze her a little, "Yeah? I'm part of it right?"

She scoffs, "Obviously. Do we want to go to university t-together?"

I nod, "Of course. Or at least…go to two universities that are close enough for us to live together."

She smiles at me, "You want us to live together?"

I chuckle, "Duh. We basically live together now. The only thing that's missing is our rooms being connected."

She laughs, "That's true. Are you still choosing between m-music and science?"

"Yep. Haven't quite figured it out yet. But I have time. You want to keep playing French horn, right?"

She nods, "Yeah. I was thinking Tokyo is my n-number one choice for that."

I nod, "Yeah, that's great for me too whether I do science or music."

She smiles, "I hope we both get in there. And get a nice little apartment like Daisuke and Kaito."

I kiss her. "I hope so too. Maybe in a nicer building though? And not so close to your parents?"

She giggles. "Maybe." She frowns a little. "Are we…crazy for thinking we will be t-together forever?"

"I have had that thought a few times too…but I don't think so. When I went to help my mom the other night we talked about that. She doesn't think we're crazy because she can see how deeply we care for one another."

Akari smiles.

"I think your parents think we're pretty serious too. Otherwise, they wouldn't be going out of their way to come here."

She thinks for a second and then smiles. "That's true…I hadn't thought of that."

"We learned your mom is surprisingly romantic recently. I think it works in our favor."

"I hope so." She hugs me tight. "I just…can't imagine being with anyone else. It all just feels…s-so right to me."

I kiss her and look deep into her eyes. "I agree. I loved Hideki…but…it never felt as natural to me as this does. It's a cliche, but I guess people say it for a reason. It's like we were made for each other."

She laughs and then kisses me, "You really have been reading a lot of my m-manga."

—-

It's Christmas Eve. Akari and I are at my mom's. Akari's parents and my grandparents are coming over for dinner, and my mom is letting us help for once. We're making cream stew with chicken, which will be extra tasty since it's still abominably cold outside.

Akari and I are staying here tonight, and then everyone is spending the whole day here tomorrow.

We hear the front door open and close. It must be my grandparents. I can't imagine the Yoshidas would just come in. I wash my hands and head out into the living room to greet them.

"Kaychan! Merry Christmas." My grandma hugs me, and I hug her back.

Akari was right behind me, and my grandma said "A-Chan! Merry Christmas!" and gives her a hug.

I raise my eyebrow at her, "Did you just…-chan her?"

My grandma smiles at Akari, "Yes, that's okay, isn't it?"

Akari is smiling broadly, and apparently appreciates it quite a lot. The only people my grandma calls "-chan" are me and my dad, so I suppose it's a big deal that she's extended it to my girlfriend. She is tiny and adorable, so I suppose I understand.

My grandpa scoffs, "I'll still be calling you Akari, if that's okay." She nods and hugs him.

Hey, wait. She got to hug him before me. That's not right! Wow, I guess I'm a little jealous.

Luckily her hug is brief, and I get to enjoy my grandfather's dad-like hug for a few moments. Then we hear a knock on the door.

I begrudgingly break my hug with my grandpa and Akari and I go to the front door to greet her parents. We exchange hellos and I take their coats and hang them up. When I turn around from hanging up her mother's coat, I am surprised to be embraced by its owner. When this woman hugs you, you can really feel she wishes she wasn't. She stands straight like a statue, and she doesn't seem to know what to do with her arms. But it's the best she can do and even this is meaningful, so I hug her back and say, "I'm glad you two were able to come."

We break our awkward hug, and she softly smiles, "Me too. Although I wish it wasn't so cold up here." She shivers. "Not quite as bad in Tokyo right now."

I smile, "The only good part about it being so cold is it will make the cream stew we're having for dinner tonight taste even better."

She nods in agreement, and then me and Mr. Yoshida exchange a quick hug. It seems more natural for him.

After that, we make our way to the living room, and I introduce my grandparents to the Yoshidas. My mom also joins us in the living room and announces that dinner is almost ready.

My grandma says, "Do you think you will play piano for us tonight, Kaychan? I'd love to hear it."

Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida both look enthusiastic about it too.

I smile, "Yeah, sure. I'll do that." Everyone looks pleased apart from Akari who pokes me in the side and gives me a stern look. I sigh. I really didn't want to disappoint people, especially her parents. But she's right so I give her a small nod.

I sigh, "Actually…I'm not going to be able to. The cold is really hurting my elbow. I was…going to try, but Akari just reminded me I shouldn't. I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow."

My mom frowns, "You didn't tell me that. I wouldn't have let you help me with dinner."

"It was fine for doing that, mom. Cutting up food and stirring a pot is a lot less difficult than playing piano. It's not a big deal."

My mom looks like she wants to ask me a thousand questions.

It IS a big deal and she knows it. I've never had this much pain from the cold before. Some achiness, but not so much that I couldn't play the piano. My arthritis is getting worse, and we need to talk about it. But we aren't having a conversation about it now in front of everyone.

Mr. Yoshida waves his hand dismissively and says, "Don't worry about it."

My grandma smiles, "That's okay, Kaychan. I'm sorry you're hurting. The cold hurts my joints too."

Yeah, I do kind of have the joints of an 80-year-old, thanks for reminding me grandma.

I smile at her, "Thanks, grandma. Hopefully it will warm up soon. It's crazy how cold it is for December."

My mom says, "Oh! That reminds me, before you two go to bed, you're probably going to want to turn on the space heater in there. It gets cold in…that…room..." My mom winces and trails off, realizing what she said in front of the Yoshidas.

Me and Akari both look at her mother, bracing for the worst. I'm waiting for the two little explosions to go off in her eyes like that day in the medical building. But there are no explosions. Instead, she softly smiles at us.

She smiles softly, "I'm not delusional. You two live across the hall from each other and you're young and in love. If Mrs. Nakai is okay with you sharing a bed, it's none of my business."

Me and Akari exhale. It may not be a ringing endorsement of our sex lives, but it isn't condemnation either. I guess it would be strange for her to rip into us about it in my mom's house when it is clear my mom and grandparents are fine with the situation, so maybe it's just a home field advantage thing. I'll take it, since I was pretty sure I was going to be excoriated when my mom slipped up.

The funny thing is we never do anything sexual here, and we wouldn't do it in her house if she let us share a bed. Well…I say that, but I did have to talk Akari out of it last time…

Akari nods, "Thank you, m-mom…" I nod to agree with the sentiment. It is met with awkward silence.

My mom says, "Akari, Kayoko, let's go to the kitchen and put the finishing touches on dinner." I know both of us are thankful for the escape.

We follow my mom to the kitchen, and my mom and I start plating the food while Akari sets the table.

"I'm sorry I let that slip, but it turned out okay."

I laugh wryly, "Yeah. I thought I was going to lose my life for a brief moment, so the outcome was acceptable."

My mom gives me a little hug and smiles at me, and then we start taking the bowls of stew out to the table.

Once we've all gathered at the table and begun eating our warm, creamy meal, Mrs. Yoshida is the first to comment. "You were right Kayoko. This almost makes the cold worth it."

I wonder if this is her trying to clear the air after our awkward exchange. Either way, I appreciate it.

I smile, "Yeah. It's probably my favorite cold weather meal."

My grandma says, "I tried making this once when Hichan was a boy. It was a failure and I never tried again. Emi does such a good job."

My grandpa chuckles, "It was like steamed vegetables in water. It didn't taste bad…just not…good either."

My mom says, "The secret is making your own roux. You can buy ready-made roux, but it's just not the same. It is a lot blander than the real thing."

Mr. Yoshida says, "That is quite time consuming, isn't it?"

My mom says, "It isn't as hard as people think. Most of the time is just baking it. Which you have to plan for, but it isn't that much actual work apart from a lot of whisking." My mom subtly glares at me. I did a lot of whisking, and she must think I shouldn't have because of my elbow. It's like she thinks I only have one arm.

Mr. Yoshida nods and smiles, "Well, whatever you did, it's the best cream stew I've ever had."

Everyone at the table agrees. My mom really does kill it when it comes to Japanese food, even these more western-inspired dishes.

She smiles and looks genuinely proud of herself. "Thank you, I'm glad you're all enjoying it."

"Mom, Mr. Yoshida is a really good cook too. When I was visiting, he made a couple of things that really reminded me of dad."

My mom smiles at him, "Really? We might have to have you cook for us some time then."

He smiles back, "Actually, I was going to offer to make western breakfast for everyone tomorrow. We could even do it over where we're staying, so you don't have to deal with the mess."

My mom smirks, "Well, I would tell you 'You don't have to do that, you're our guest' and we could go through all of that, but you're going to insist, aren't you?"

He chuckles, "Yes, I am. We already picked up everything too, and you wouldn't want that to go to waste, right?"

She nods, "Okay, we'll come over there for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you."

My grandma says, "I used to make western breakfast for Christmas too. That's where Hichan got it from. But…it has been a while since I've really been able to cook a meal that involved, so I'm very excited. Thank you, Mr. Yoshida."

Mrs. Yoshida laughs softly, "I think Kayoko will be excited too." Akari giggles.

I blush a little and my mom smiles at me and says, "You got a little carried away when you were eating during your visit, didn't you?"

I blush a little deeper at being called out so directly. "Yes, I suppose I did."

My grandpa chuckles, "You get it from your mother. She did the same thing in one of the first meals she had with us. And we were in a restaurant." Everyone laughs at my mother's expense. No doubt the Yoshidas have noticed my mom's particular…way of eating. Although she can moderate herself and she has been when they've been around, there's still a hint of her usual gluttonous self, lurking just below the surface. If you watch her closely, you can see that it is taking serious restraint for her to eat like a normal person.

My mom sighs, "Yes, she does." She thinks for a moment. "Although…even when we had just adopted you, you were a voracious little baby. The first time I bottle-fed you, I thought there had to be a leak in the bottle." Everyone chuckles, but I'm a little embarrassed. I guess I shouldn't be, I was a baby.

"So, I may have reinforced the behavior over the years, but it seems like you had that in you even before I met you."

Akari says, "I b-bet Kayoko was a cute baby."

My mom smiles broadly, "She was. So cute me and her father fell in love at first sight." She looks at me. "Will you hate me if I get out some pictures?"

I sigh, "No. Go for it. That's what family get-togethers are for, right?"

My mom heads to her bedroom and comes back with the baby photo album I've seen many times. Now she's doing a little presentation using the pictures. It's a little embarrassing, but I know Akari is enjoying it, and her parents seem to be too.

"Here's the day we got her from the orphanage. You can see a little bit of fear in my eyes. Her father looks more confident." She chuckles. "But look how cute she is. We could already see the beginnings of her beautiful dark hair."

Akari coos softly, "She e-even had her joint braces as a baby?"

My mom nods, "She did. I didn't know they made them that small until then."

Mrs. Yoshida says, "That must have been difficult to get used to."

My mom smiles at her. The two of them can relate when it comes to this. The Yoshidas didn't choose a disabled kid, but they got one. And from everything Akari has told me, her mom was amazing at making sure she got the best care. Their struggles with Akari's health were way worse than anything my mom went through.

"It was sometimes. The…first time she dislocated a joint in the middle of the night was rough. But soon it became like anything else you do to care for your child."

Mr and Mrs. Yoshida nod knowingly.

"What did I dislocate first, anyway?"

She frowns, "Your elbow. The same one you have pain in from the cold."

Figures. I've dislocated it more than I've dislocated anything else.

Akari is flipping through the album on her own now with a big smile on her face.

She smiles and says, "Aww, I f-feel bad for thinking it's cute, but you with a teeny tiny cane…is adorable."

She shows me a picture of me when I was 4 or so and I have a cane. I must have dislocated my knee or ankle. It is pretty cute. I wish I felt as cute when I have to use a cane these days.

My mom laughs, "Don't feel bad. It is cute. She was such a good little girl with all that stuff. Teaching a 4-year-old to use a cane isn't easy, but she got it pretty fast."

Mr. Yoshida says, "Don't worry Kayoko, we'll get out Akari's pictures next time, so you'll be even."

Akari looks a little concerned and it makes me laugh, "That sounds good. I am especially excited to see her with a French horn as a tiny little girl."

He chuckles, "We definitely have that one."

Akari has passed the photo album on and now the Yoshidas are flipping through it. Even Mrs. Yoshida seems to think I was a cute little girl.

We chat for a little longer, and then my grandparents head home. The Yoshidas leave not long after that, and now it's just me, my mom, and Akari.

"It's really late for you, mom, will you let us clean up?"

She frowns at me. "Are you sure you should, with your elbow?"

"Mom, it hurts, but doing dishes and stuff isn't bad. Just let us do it.".

She relents, "Okay…but we need to talk about your elbow soon. I'd do it now but…" She yawns. "I'm too tired."

Akari says, "I'll make sure she doesn't overdo it."

My mom smiles at her and gives her a hug, "Thank you. I'm glad you stopped her from trying to play piano too. You take good care of her."

I cross my arms and pout. "You two are talking like I'm not sitting right here."

They both laugh without really acknowledging my comment in any other way. "Okay, goodnight you two. Enjoy sharing a bed." She laughs and heads to her room.

Akari and I start gathering up the dishes. She has apparently decided she is doing all the actual washing, I'm just sort of an assistant handing her the plates and putting them away. It's frustrating to be sort of sidelined against my will, but it is less painful this way, and I know she's doing it because she loves me.

Once we finish the dishes we go to my room. It's cold.

"Wow. W-we forgot to turn the space heater on."

We have a giggling fit about this.

Once we've recovered, I say, "Good thing your mom didn't lose her mind, or it would be really frustrating that we didn't do it."

We turn it on and change into our pajamas. As I'm pulling my shirt on, Akari hugs me from behind, resting her head between my shoulders.

I pull my shirt down the rest of the way, put my hands on hers, which are around my waist.

"Well, hello there. I guess this is one way to keep warm."

She laughs and I turn around and give her a soft kiss and say, "Things went really well tonight."

She nods, "My parents l-like your mom for sure. I think she already had lots of points for taking care of me when I've been hurt or in a flare. But they for sure like her now."

"Even though she lets us share a bed?"

She giggles, "Yeah, even with that. Honestly…my mom saying she knows w-we have sex and doesn't care was really nice."

"Is 'nice' the right word?"

She laughs, "For her it was n-nice. It was kind of a weight off my shoulders. I think…I w-was wrong about her."

"What do you mean?"

Akari takes my hand, and we get into bed together. There's a nice warm blanket on it in addition to the usual comforter. It's extra cozy. We start snuggling with me holding her from behind.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

She laughs, "Yeah, I was cold though. I needed you to warm m-me up. What I mean is…I thought she would have a hard time with us b-both being girls, and then I thought she would be really disappointed we were having sex so young. I was wrong about both."

I nod, "I guess she showed us during the Ai and Carsten thing, that she actually understands romance. At least…compared to her understanding of most emotions."

She laughs, "Yeah. I'm glad. She's been…b-better about this than I ever imagined. It makes me feel…free."

I frown. "Wait…were you feeling bad about us having sex this whole time?"

"Only…a teeny tiny bit. I just…couldn't help b-but feel my mom would be disappointed in me."

"That makes sense. I can't relate obviously, since my mom is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and actively encourages us to have sex…but I can see why you would feel that way."

She giggles, "But…she's not disappointed. She had assumed we were doing it and didn't care, b-basically said it is part of love. And I agree with that."

I think about what she said again. At the time, I felt like it was sort of a begrudging acknowledgment that such a thing is happening, but she knows her mom better than me, and seems to think it was more than that, so I won't argue.

I kiss her deeply while stroking her hair and then look in her eyes. "I'm really happy you won't feel bad about it any more. I think it's really beautiful every time we make love." I giggle. "And not just because we're both so hot."