Summary: Sometimes after a rough day at the hospital, Maki can't sleep but Nico or, otherwise Ruby, will easily change that, keeping her nightmares away.
Nico/Maki

Just because

It's 12 pm when Maki comes back home after a long night of surgeries and around 9 hours of sleep deprivation.

She yawns as she leaves her car keys and purse on top of the entryway table and takes her shoes and jacket off, placing them in an orderly manner in their respective places before another yawn escapes her lips.

She's heading to her bedroom with heavy steps, when suddenly, she hears some sounds coming out of the living room. Confused knowing that Nico and the girls are supposed to be out shopping, Maki decides to investigate the source of the sounds just to find a tiny redhead laying on the couch watching an anime on the large TV.

- Ruby? – she asks tiredly, startling her little daughter.

- Pigii!

This only elicits a brief laugh from Maki before she finds Ruby's turquoise eyes looking at her widely, a smile slowly taking over her initial scare.

- Mommy! You came back! – Ruby greets her enthusiastically, making Maki smile with visible tiredness on her features.

- I'm back. How's that you're here though? – she asks her confused at why she's there and not with Nico and Dia shopping.

- My stomach bothered a bit, so I assured mama that I'd be staying at home, resting and watching anime so she could go out with Dia to buy some things for school – she explains shyly, and Maki can't help but walk to the couch and sit beside her, stroking her cheek fondly.

- Is your stomach still bothering you? Do you want mom to check you? – she asks her softly, seeing Ruby smiling softly at her before she shakes her head.

- I'm feeling better already. I think it was just some stomach ache from the food Yoshiko-chan gave me to try yesterday.

Of course it had to be related with that little demon and her spicy food.

Maki thinks to herself, clicking her tongue before she leaves a kiss on Ruby's forehead.

- Okay, sweetie. Mom is going to go to sleep for a while, but if you don't feel well, you can come and wake me up, okay? – Maki says as another yawn escapes her lips, earning herself a giggle from Ruby.

- Mooom, I'm fine, but if I start not feeling well, I assure you that I'll wake you up. Now go and get some rest, you look really tired – the young girl says as she leaves a kiss on her mother's cheek before she sees her smiling tiredly and retreating to her bedroom.

As soon as Maki enters hers and Nico's bedroom, she flops onto their queen-size bed, lying on her wife's side to inhale her chocolate scent deeply before she closes her eyes, hoping her soothing scent lulls her to sleep.

But as minutes pass, Maki can't help but find herself unable to sleep, overthinking about work as her mind replays what happened in her surgeries.

She lets out a heavy sigh, and gets out of bed tiredly to go back to the living room and join Ruby watching anime together.

- Mommy? Weren't you sleeping? – Ruby asks as soon as she sees her mother entering the room to lay on the other couch.

- Mom isn't that sleepy, I guess. Mind if I join you? – Maki asks her with visible tiredness on her features, kind of worrying Ruby who just shakes her head – So what is the anime about?

- It's about…

As Ruby begins to tell her mother what is the anime about, she can't help but notice her mother fighting to stay awake, her eyes fluttering close before they open again suddenly to then close and reopen abruptly for a couple of times.

- Mommy?

This makes Maki perk up, looking over her daughter with sleep in her eyes.

- Why don't you sleep for a while?

- I… – Maki pauses, sighing heavily – I can't sleep.

She murmurs quietly.

- Why not?

- Because... sometimes it's hard to sleep when mama isn't with me – Maki confesses a bit embarrassed yet tiredly, seeing Ruby frowning at her in confusion.

- Why? – Ruby asks her innocently.

- Just because.

Ruby waits patiently for her mother to continue talking but she never does, instead, she notices the distant gaze in her mother's eyes as if her mind was somewhere else and a distressed expression taking over her features, clenching her heart.

Ruby bites her lip, contemplating what to say or do, before she stands up and a bit embarrassed, goes to lay on top of her mother to hug her tightly. She notices her tensing up beneath her, before she wraps her arms tightly around her.

- I'm not mama, but maybe I can help you to sleep – Ruby says quietly, a bit flushed and Maki can only smile at her daughter's cuteness and concern, hugging her tightly while kissing her hair.

- Thank you sweetie, I'm sure now I'll be able to sleep.

Maki whispers, giving her a soft smile as she closes her eyes to finally let sleep take over her.

Ruby watches the distressed expression on her mother's face slowly disappearing and smiles, leaving a light kiss on her cheek.

- Sleep well, mommy – she whispers as she rests her head on her mother's chest to let her heartbeat lull her to sleep.

When Nico and Dia come back home an hour later, they find both mother and daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch, still hugging tightly.

Nico smiles softly and makes a silence gesture to Dia.

- Let's let them sleep for a bit longer while we make lunch – she tells her older daughter quietly while they head to the kitchen to leave the bags with the things they bought there, but not before taking a last look at them and also a cute picture of them.

Not much time pass, before the smell of something delicious awakes Ruby. She carefully untangles herself from her mom's embrace to go to the kitchen while rubbing her eyes.

- Hey sleepy head, do you feel better? – Nico says, greeting her with a kiss on her forehead as soon as she enters the kitchen, seeing Dia smiling softly at her at the background.

- Yeah.

- And mom?

Dia is the one asking now.

- She couldn't sleep so we've been watching some anime together until we fell asleep – Ruby says, not telling the entire truth to not worry them, especially her mama, seeing her smiling sadly.

- Let's let mommy sleep a bit more while we make lunch, okay? – Nico tells them softly, seeing them nodding before they keep chopping the vegetables.

Some minutes later, Nico lets her daughters in the care of the food while she goes to wake her wife up.

- Maki – she whispers the redhead's name softly, caressing her cheek to wake her up.

- Mmmh, Nico? – the redhead asks with sleep, opening her eyes tiredly as a yawn escapes her lips, and Nico can't help but find it cute yet still worrying.

- Did you have a rough night at the hospital? – she asks her wife softly, still caressing her cheek, and Maki can't help but take her hand to kiss the back of it.

- Yeah, the accident was pretty bad – she exhales, letting Nico comfort her.

- Do you want to talk about it? – Nico can only ask her, concerned by her before she sees her smiling at her softly and lean forward to kiss her.

- Later.

Nico nods and kisses her wife back meanwhile Ruby watches them by accident.

- Are you spying on our mothers? – Dia whispers, startling Ruby who has to quickly put her hands over her mouth to not yell.

- No! – she hisses, much to Dia's amusement – I was just going to tell them that lunch was ready but I've got worried so…

Ruby trails off, embarrassed to admit that she was indeed kinda spying on them, earning a giggle from Dia.

- Mom will be okay – Dia says softly, taking Ruby's hand to go back to the kitchen – Sometimes, when she has a rough or bad day, she can't sleep but mama always makes it better and shoos her nightmares away, so don't worry.

Dia ends up saying, seeing Ruby exhaling relieved before they see their mothers appearing through the kitchen's door smiling softly at them, and Ruby feels at ease again, getting a brief hug and kiss from her mom before they sit at the table to start eating.