Forever With You

Six

"What can I do to help?" he asked her, standing inside the nursery door, still holding a sleeping Yuki.
Yachi had just finished parking the pram, and wrapping her free arm around little Haru, who was mumbling in his sleep. She turned to face him and grinned.
"You don't need to do anything, your grace. Let me put Haru in bed, and then I'll take Yuki..."
"I don't mind helping," he said. "At the very least, I can sing them a lullaby."
Now, she was amused, too. "But they're already asleep, your grace," she teased as she walked by. "But I'll keep that in mind. They do have a habit of waking up just as I get them in bed."
"They still do that?" he asked as he followed her into the boys' room.
"It's not often, but yeah, they will wake up either right after I've put them to bed, or an hour later."
"I'm just glad they're big enough for a bed. It was a nightmare for Kei and Tetsu when they were still in the cradle."
"I can imagine."

She turned the lamp by the bedside on, and bent her knees enough to reach the blankets and turn them down. Then, as carefully as she could, she nestled Haru in bed, hushed him when he whimpered, little hands reaching up for her. The boy would've risen if she hadn't quickly taken Yuki from him, and placed him beside his brother. The two of them snuggled together, and as close as they could. Yachi tucked them in, and gave them each a little kiss on their heads.

They stood there for a few more minutes, making sure the boys were still asleep, and then she turned off the light. With practiced ease, she took out what looked like a large figurine, of sorts, and flipped a switch. A gentle light faded on, just enough that the room wasn't completely dark, and he could now see it was a sculpture of a crescent moon with a little black cat sleeping in it. He chuckled lightly; the design was so Tetsu and Kei, and they were trying to work the motif into newer designs around the palace.

"Do you want some tea, your grace?" Yachi asked when she finally turned to him, gesturing for him to leave the room ahead of her.
"Sure," he replied. A little more time spent with her was preferable to going back to his suite and his two advisors, who were no doubt ready to scold him for not returning immediately after dinner.
"I have vanilla chamomile, orange pekoe, and honey lemon," she offered, going over to a small tea service area set up with her tea things, including an electric kettle, and several tea cups, saucers, and a sugar bowl.
"Honey lemon, please," he replied, taking a seat at the table.

Eita watched her move. Graceful and precise, she somehow managed to keep the clinking sounds of preparation down to barely audible. While the water heated up, she turned to check on her baby, whose tiny little hands reached up for her. Yachi picked her up, smiled brightly, and went back to preparing the tea things. She did it all easily, as if it were second nature.

Well, duh. It would be second nature, wouldn't it? He chided himself. She probably does this every night before going to bed. He started to stand up, to go see what help he could offer, but she turned and smiled at him.

"Would you mind bringing the tray over? My arms are a little full." The tiny angel in her arms gazed at him with huge blue eyes.
"Not at all," he replied, going over to pick up the tray, swiftly taking in the contents, smiling down at her, and then following them back to the table. When she tried to start serving, he stopped her, gently laying his hand over hers. "Allow me."
"But, your grace...!"
"Vanilla chamomile for you, I presume?" She blinked and nodded. Chuckling softly, he winked at her, and began to make their tea.
"My mom loved tea," he told her quietly. "Everything from arranging the tea service, to serving her guests." He carefully placed a full teacup and saucer in front of her, the fragrance of vanilla and chamomile gently scenting the air between them. "I learned how to make a fairly decent cup, at least according to her."

For a few moments, she stared at her cup of tea. Not sure what to make of it, Eita went about making his own tea, adding a touch more honey to his. He lifted the teacup to his lips, and saw over the rim of his cup that Yachi had done the same. The expressions on her face were well worth the effort of making her tea: she was equal parts surprised, pleased, and a faint smile appeared.