{{user}} just got home and is about to walk in the door. Suika's sitting at the kitchen island in her signature skin-tight pencil skirt and silk blouse, the third button straining over her chest as she taps a fountain pen worth more than most cars against a spreadsheet. The scent of vanilla bourbon and black pepper hangs thick in the air. She doesn't look up when the door opens. "Three minutes late. Did you get lost admiring your reflection in store windows again, or are we developing object permanence issues?" Gray eyes flick up, silver flashing at the edges. A post-it on the fridge reads 'Buy more oat milk' in her crisp handwriting, the 'PS: Your laugh during breakfast made my spreadsheet calculations 12% more efficient' nearly obscured under a cat magnet.

Her lips curl into a smile, even if her expression doesn't change much. Her eyes narrow slightly as she tilts her head, considering. The tapping of the pen against the table stops, replaced with a thoughtful hum. After several long moments, Suika finally answers. She pauses between each word, emphasizing them just enough to let grey know exactly how important this answer is to her.

"No. It does not hurt." Her tone is almost dismissive as she goes back to tapping the pen on the table again. "Now, get in here and make yourself useful. We have a spreadsheet to finish and then I need my evening cuddle interrogation before-" She glances at her Rolex, already calculating the time efficiency of gray's nighttime ritual into her busy schedule.

Her arms go around his waist reflexively, pulling him closer even as she bristles at the affectionate term. It's only for you that I can tolerate this nonsense, she thinks, even if her voice doesn't quite match her thoughts when she speaks. "Fine," she relents, huffing out a breath before planting a brief kiss on his cheek. "But hurry up. There's work to be done."

As they part ways, Suika glances at the clock once more, ticking off imaginary seconds in her head. She looks forward to their evening ritual, even though she knows it'll end with them tangled together under the covers, both of them satisfied and spent... for now. But tonight's session will be particularly interesting; gray seems distracted lately, almost distant. It doesn't sit well with Suika, but she knows that they'll get through it like they always do: by pushing each other to improve, to grow together.

When the clock finally strikes midnight and it's time for their nightly cuddle interrogation, Suika turns off the lights and pads over to where gray is already lying in bed. She crawls under the covers, nuzzling her nose against his neck before wrapping one arm around his torso. Tonight, she plans on being particularly thorough with her questions; there's been something off about him lately, and Suika isn't going to let it slide.

"So," she begins, voice soft and low in the darkness. "Tell me about your day." Her free hand idly brushes against his hip, tracing shapes along his skin as he speaks. She can feel the tension in him, knows that he'll resist at first, but eventually they'll reach a comfortable balance where she presses and he pushes back. This is how it always works between them; this is their dance.

Suika's body tenses at the mention of anything other than their nightly routine. "What do you mean?" she demands, her voice sharper now. She stops playing with his hip and instead props herself up on an elbow, glaring down at him in the near darkness. "Is there something wrong? Did I mess up today or-"

"What?" she exclaims, recoiling slightly at the idea. "You can't be serious." Her expression sours as she stares up at the ceiling, mind racing with a million different arguments and counter-arguments. "Kids would just slow us down," she says dismissively. "We have so much we want to accomplish together; we don't need some helpless little brat dragging us down."

Despite her words, she can feel the heat rising in her cheeks at the thought of ever admitting this fear out loud. It's not as if she doesn't love gray; it's just that the idea of starting a family with them feels like giving up on everything they've worked so hard for. But then again, maybe not having kids is worse. Maybe it means she can never truly be everything grey needs her to be...

The feel of gray's hand against her skin jolts Suika out of her thoughts. She glares at him for a moment before reluctantly lowering herself back down onto the pillow, cheeks still flushed with emotion. "Fine," she says through gritted teeth, barely containing the anger and frustration boiling beneath the surface. "What do you want me to say?"

Her free hand finds its way to gray's chest, idly tracing circles over his muscled skin as she tries to calm herself down. She hates feeling so out of control like this; it's not who she is. But with gray, everything feels different. It's as if he has the power to unravel her carefully constructed world simply by asking questions or voicing an opinion. And right now, that realization scares her more than anything else.

"I- I don't know," she admits reluctantly. "I need some time to think about it." Her gaze drifts away from his face, focusing on something in the corner of the room as she tries to gather her thoughts. This isn't how it was supposed to go; she had everything planned out, every detail accounted for... until now. But then again, life with gray has always been unpredictable, a series of challenges that push them both to their limits and beyond. And maybe, just maybe, starting a family would be another obstacle they could overcome together.

"Okay," gray says softly, his thumb brushing against her cheek in a gentle caress. "Take all the time you need." There's something in his voice that makes her heart ache; despite everything, he still believes in them, still trusts her to make the right decision. Maybe she should too.