May - Morning Sick
When Marina wakes up, it’s before dawn, and she still feels sleepy. Pearl is snuggled up under one arm, head on her wife’s chest, and small hand resting on her belly.
Marina smiles slightly at the sight. For a moment she tries to return to sleep, but Pearl’s gentle snoring is for once somewhat overwhelming instead of the usual break in the silence that Marina can’t sleep without.
So, instead, she reaches over to her nightstand with one tentacle to gently grab her phone and her glasses- only to take them back off and clean them because the lenses are smudged. Maybe should have paid attention to how she was grabbing them…
Pearl stirs slightly under her arm, but instead of waking only clings tighter to Marina. She sighs, relieved, and wonders if she sees a tear roll down her wife’s cheek.
“Oh, Pearlie,” she whispers, so very softly, and uses her thumb to gently wipe it away.
When she turns on her phone and squints at the time, she’s surprised to read it’s five in the morning. Usually Pearl has her alarm set for right now.
Maybe she doesn’t want to disturb Marina, so she turned it off. Or maybe she’s already asked for time off from their boss. That wouldn’t surprise her- it’s only been a month so far, and even though Marina is perfectly capable of going to work she knows Pearl is worried for her, and by extension their baby.
Her stomach growls slightly and it’s only now she realizes she didn’t have much in the way of dinner yesterday. Pearl dragged her to bed as soon as they were both done eating, so it only makes sense that Marina had missed her typical late-night snacking while she worked on a project in favor of going to bed early at her wife’s insistence.
Now Marina has to figure out how to get up without disturbing her. Sure, Pearl is a heavy sleeper, but she knows as soon as she gets out of bed the little squid will be up to search for her. It’s been a routine ever since Marina was moved in to the Houzuki household. Pearl picked up the habit from her fathers.
Slowly, carefully, she slips herself out of her wife’s grasp, lingering only for a moment when Pearl mumbles softly and scowls.
“Sorry,” whispers Marina before planting a kiss on Pearl’s cheek. She sleepily grumbles something, but doesn’t wake.
The rest of the house is quiet, like it usually is this early in the morning. Marina is careful not to make too much noise while she makes her way to the kitchen. For a few minutes she tries to fumble around in the dark, but gives up and turns on the lights anyway because no one is around.
Even though she’s wide awake, she doesn’t feel like cooking. It’s too early- the sun isn’t even up yet. Who wants to cook before sunrise?
Not Marina, that’s who.
So instead, she starts digging through the cabinets and the fridge and ends up on the couch with some slices of cheese and crackers. It’s a simple breakfast, but Marina is still quite content.
The morning is still young, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon, when something pulls at her throat, halfway through bringing her fifth cracker to her mouth. It’s the smallest of gags, but Marina is quick to recognize it. She hesitates for a moment, and then it happens again.
She halfway sprints to the bathroom and doesn’t bother to shut the door. Her breakfast comes back up as soon as she’s on her knees, and she’s thankful she recognized the nausea when she did.
When Marina sits up from the toilet, Pearl is right there with a wet cloth and one arm around her shoulders. She doesn’t even get a moment to apologize for waking her up.
“C’mere, Reena, I got you, okay?”
Marina nods, somewhat weakly, and wishes she could go into swim form and hold onto Pearl like a backpack. Her wife flushes the toilet and gently wipes Marina’s mouth. She’s not used to being fussed over, but it’s not like Pearl can be stopped when she sets her mind on something.
So, when Pearl gently lifts her from the floor, Marina simply lets it happen, trying her best to ignore her shaking legs while she’s led back to the bedroom and tucked under the covers. Pearl’s warmth disappears for a second (she’s since closed her eyes thanks to a growing headache), and then quickly returns with a gentle nudge.
“I got my switch. You wanna play something? Or, well, watch. I got Stardew.”
“What if I…”
“The trash can’s by the bed, don’t worry. I thought of everything.”
Marina hums and cuddles up close to Pearl, resting her head on her wife’s chest. Pearl pulls her closer and turns on her switch. It hurts her eyes slightly, and it only takes a moment for Pearl to turn down the brightness of the screen.
Her thoughts trail off while her little wife waters her crops and pets her animals, surprised that Pearl likes Stardew Valley of all games. She’s seen Pearl’s hours in other games- three hundred hours of Doom Eternal, four hundred and fifty of Ultrakill, two hundred of The Binding of Isaac. It shocked her to see Pearl Houzuki love this calm, slow little game about farming, and shocked her more to see her town in New Leaf, lovingly crafted and catered to since her teenage years, still on the same DS.
And yet, here she is, tending to her little digital farm, talking to Marina with that gentle loving voice. It was a stark contrast to how she was when she played Doom, cussing out demons and making Marina laugh so hard she was out of breath.
“You’re feeling okay, yeah?” whispers Pearl, making Marina zone back in. “Do you want me to like, make you some tea?”
“I’m okay. We already got comfy.”
“I know, but just in case. You still look a little pale. Like if your stomach’s still upset-“
“I think I’ll live. For a few minutes, anyway.”
Marina swallows and playfully sticks out her tongue at Pearl. (It burns her throat, slightly, but she can already tell her wife is worried sick, so she keeps that to herself.)
She would like some tea, but the feeling of holding Pearl and the perfect way the blankets are laying on top of the both of them are too comfortable for her to give up. Tea can wait.
For a moment, she’s distracted by the feeling of Pearl’s lips pressing against the top of her head, and her wife’s arm adjusting slightly to hold her closer.
“I love you, Reena.”
“I love you too.”