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Shino woke up feeling the kind of whole-body goodness that made him want to sing silly K-pop songs on his way to the shower. He yawned loudly as he turned onto his side and started to stretch out his back, but he pulled himself together when he saw Seryou's fluttering eyelashes.
Oh, that's right. He had forgotten.
Seryou's eyes opened fully, and he stared at Shino solemnly before breaking into a broad smile. Shino stared back, dumbstruck.
“Good morning, Yuzuru-san,” Seryou said as he scrubbed the back of a hand over his face and yawned politely behind the barrier.
“Ah,” Shino said intelligently, as he inexplicably felt a hot flush all around, and he linked his hands together beneath the thin sheets before he could give himself away by feeling at his cheeks. “Good morning,” he finally said, forcing out the requisite greeting.
Seryou checked their clock and shut off the alarm before it would go off in two minutes. “I'm sorry that I didn't think of telling my manager that I wouldn't be able to hold the meeting today,” Seryou apologized.
Shino rolled his eyes, the strange shyness falling away as he reached out to smack Seryou's arm where it lay above the sheet. “Stop it. You've apologized how many times now? We're not attached at the hips, and I'll live with you being gone for a few hours.”
Seryou laughed and twisted his arm around to grab Shino's hand before he could retract it. He gently punished Shino for the smack by pressing a kiss to his palm. “I'll come home as soon as I can,” Seryou said sincerely, a promise that addressed what Shino had left unsaid.
“Go, take the first shower,” Shino ordered. “I'll get started on breakfast. My mom gave us a loaf of bread and a carton of eggs, so that's all we have to eat until I go shopping this afternoon.”
The clink of knives and forks stopped gradually as they forked up and swallowed the last bites of eggy bread.
After putting his dishes in the sink, Seryou picked up his briefcase and pulled his coat on, leaning in so that Shino could adjust his collar and coat for him, a display of intimacy that they could freely enjoy in their new apartment.
After Seryou left, Shino washed the dishes quickly and stacked them atop a large clean dish towel. He made a note to add a dish rack to the long list of items that he hoped to make a dent in acquiring before Seryou came back.
He leaned against the sink and looked around the small kitchen. It was a bit old and drab, nothing like what he'd seen in home magazines obviously, but this was their apartment. They had finally moved in together yesterday despite still telling their family and friends that they were close friends from high school. Seryou's family had reportedly been confused that he wanted to share an apartment when he could afford a decent one on his own, but they hadn't argued against his decision. Shino figured that Seryou's brother announcing that he was finally getting married had fortunately taken up most of their attention at the time.
Sipping at one last glass of juice, Shino remembered his own family's bemused response to his news:
“You're going to be living like a bachelor for a while then, aren't you?” his mother said, shaking the pasta strainer with good energy over the sink while the tomato sauce bubbled merrily beside her on the stove.
“Well, you're already twenty-four, and you have your own job,” she continued matter-of-factly. “You're not asking your father for money, so there's nothing to disapprove of. And you and Seryou-kun have been such good friends for so long. You're lucky—very few people keep in contact with friends from high school.”
Overhearing this, Mayu-chan wandered out of her room, her nose sniffing appreciatively at the spaghetti they would soon be enjoying.
“Good on you, Yuzuru, finding a nice rich friend to take advantage of,” she teased, avoiding the playful kick he aimed her way, a juvenile gesture he was embarrassed to admit when he recounted the whole thing to Seryou later.
Sometimes Shino marveled at how easily he had shared the news that Seryou was dating him back in that first week together when he just thought it was a time-killing bit of fun. Then again, those girls hadn't given the least bit of thought to the veracity of his words. That had stung, but it was nothing compared to the splinter of pain in his heart that he was feeling now. He had introduced Seryou to his family, and the reverse, but they were still unsure when and how to tell their families the complete truth about their relationship.
Shino sighed deeply before he made up his mind to worry about it later and to maintain the informal schedule he'd created for himself. He was currently on hiatus from work while he transitioned to a new project, so he had best make use of his available time before it once again became limited.
The large shopping mall loomed before Shino, and he gauged the amount of crowding before deciding to check out the kitchen goods store first. That's where they were mostly lacking since they were mostly set for furniture. Besides the desks and bookcases from their own bedrooms, their families had stepped up to furnish their apartment. Shino's family had given them an old couch and the extra chairs that had been stored in the study, and Seryou's family had arranged for the delivery of a new dining table with two chairs.
Shino picked up one hefty wok and checked the price tag. 4 ,000 yen? The budget they had agreed on was 20,000 yen (with a potential maximum of 25,000 yen, provided he texted Seryou for agreement before he spent it) , and he wasn't sure how often they would use the wok, but then again, the more he thought about it, the more tempting a good stir-fry for dinner sounded.
On that note, they only had butter knives at their apartment, and Shino didn't fancy the thought of trying to chop up vegetables and raw meat with them. The display of fancy butcher's knives in the wooden block in front of him seemed excessive though; it reminded him of the high-end ones his older sister's husband used in his restaurant.
And shoot, that plastic basket with the long handle seemed like something he'd seen before in his mother's kitchen, but he couldn't remember right now what it was for. Shino hated the idea of having to come back another time to buy something essential. The night before, he had fully intended to spend some time online finding quotes on various household items' prices, but after all the unpacking, he had fall asleep on the bed, grumbling when Seryou roused him to brush his teeth, and immediately after gargling, Shino had fallen right asleep again.
A clear bright laugh caught his attention, and Shino looked up from his musings over woven plastic to see a young woman standing with a young man to the side of a wooden table that displayed samples of expensive dishware.
“Look at this one,” she laughed. “It's fantastic, isn't it? Let's put it in the registry. We can use it every Sunday and then pass it down to the kids and make them laugh at their parents' bad taste.”
Her companion took the flower-patterned serving dish from her hand and gave it a critical look. “Oh, I'm not sure we can ever hand it down to the kids. I'm sure my great-aunt Kiyoko will buy it for us, and you know she'll insist on having it back if we ever stop using it for ourselves .”
The young woman laughed and agreed, and they proceeded to the next counter where they could inspect the two-person sets of wine glasses gleaming in rows.
Shino watched them a moment longer, a complex mix of emotions tightening his throat, not the least of which was an indefinable sense of irritation that grew when he spotted another couple discussing a blender, their heads bowed together as they giggled over something that had to be absolutely hilarious.
The store's entrance bell dinged cheerfully, and a nearby employee greeted the new customers.
“Oh, newlyweds? Congratulations! Here, let me you show you the products that we recommend when you're setting up your own household.”
Shino's lips flattened. Seriously. One couple after another? Did they have to flaunt it all over the place? Honestly, it wasn't that big a deal getting married. What did they want? Some kind of prize?
He looked down at the strainer he was still holding and remembered that he had to make a decision soon since he had so many other things to check on, and he had one more place to visit after the shopping mall.
Shino scrolled down to find his old home phone number, and he waited impatiently for his mother to pick up the phone. Hopefully, she wasn't busy watching a J-drama or watching the clothes dry in the laundry room.
“Moshi moshi?”
“Hi Mom, it's Yuzuru. I have a question about how much a wok should cost. Also, how important is it to have all these different knives?”
Shino had debated whether or not he wanted to take time out of his intense shopping to eat lunch at the food court, but walking around all the stores and checking price tags and product descriptions had been as tiring as studying for final exams back in college.
Shino broke his okonomiyaki into quarters with his chopsticks and picked each piece up with his mouth angled so that he could crunch effectively. After lunch, he wanted to compare the prices for two dish sets that he liked equally, and he should also have plenty of time to buy new bath and face towels too. After six years together, Shino finally took it for granted that Seryou was one of those odd people who didn't care at all about patterns and colors. Of course, maybe Shino should have already known from seeing the weird brown and yellow striped bed cover that Seryou used to own in high school .
The comfortable bed that they shared now though, that had been a joint purchase carefully planned for.
“If it's going to be our bed,” Seryou had said, “then we should pick it out together.”
“And how are we going to explain two guys checking out beds together?” Shino had asked testily in return.
“We can just say that we're new roommates, and we're getting new beds together. It can't be that weird.”
“Why would a single guy need a queen-sized bed?” Shino continued arguing despite being aware of how petulant he must sound. “That would definitely stand out.”
Seryou regarded him patiently. “Maybe we have girlfriends who sleep over regularly. That would be plenty of reason to get a big bed.”
Shino opened his mouth and then closed it because Seryou had a good point there, and Seryou generally let Shino have his way on things, but the expression on Seryou's face had been one of his rare indomitable ones . It was code for Seryou would win the argument and Shino would lose. End of story.
Shino gave in as gracefully as possible . On their next joint day off, t hey had gone to a mattress store that kept a varied selection and had discreet employees that busied themselves until customers indicated that they wanted some assistance.
Given the lack of attention being paid to them, Shino's mind became more at ease, and f eeling playful, he sat down on a honey-colored bed frame that was matched with a thick memory foam mattress and bounced a few times. He took his shoes off and lay back fully, head relaxed on the creamy white pillow case.
Seryou still stood by the bed. “You like this one?” he asked, smiling fondly at Shino.
“It's not bad,” Shino said after some deliberation. He shuffled over a few inches and patted the newly available space. “Come try it.”
There they were, lying side by side on a bed in a public store, looking at each other and imagining a future of sharing the same bed.
Back at their apartment, Shino unpacked everything in one go and then found space for everything. Judging by Utsumi's mild complaints about moving in with his girlfriend the last time they spoke , once they really settled into their apartment and bought more things, space would later become a more pre c ious commodity.
For now, Shino glanced at the clock and calculated that he had plenty of time to prepare and cook dinner so that it would be fresh and hot by the time Seryou arrived back home.
Shino julienned the shiitake mushrooms, carrots, celery, and bell peppers before stir-frying them in the order the online recipe recommended. He added the strips of pork he had carefully pan-fried earlier. He stirred the rice, letting the steam rise up and away before covering the rice cooker and giving the rice time to firm up. Pulling out the bottles of soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil, Shino drizzled a little of each onto the stirfry before doing a final mix.
“I'm home,” Seryou called out politely, wiping his shoes on the inside mat and locking the door behind him.
“Hey, welcome back,” Shino called back, setting down the spatula and pulling off the apron and stuffing it into the closest drawer.
They stood near the door, Seryou not taking any further steps inside while Shino didn't back up to give him more space. Shino wondered if he should greet Seryou with a kiss, but something in him squirmed at the idea of being so, so—he couldn't put it into words. Domestic? But that was the point. House-wifey? Well, after all the advice his mother had given him that afternoon, he should be careful of insulting her.
While Shino was arguing with himself, his body decided to be proactive. Shino began leaning in when Seryou walked past him to lean his briefcase against the wall. “I can smell that dinner is ready, but it's been a long day. I'll take a quick shower before we eat, if that's all right.”
“Oh,” Shino said, trying to recover before he died of humiliation. “Yeah, sure, that's fine.”
He trailed after Seryou wordlessly. It wasn't like he had planned to make a fuss or anything, but still, Seryou's homecoming seemed a bit disappointing.
“Yuzuru-san?”
“Huh?”
Seryou hooked an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close for a spine-tingling kiss that grew heated and immediately led into more carnal intimacies in their new shared bedroom.
“Hmm.” Seryou's eyes were half-closed, and he had his left arm tucked underneath his head in a way that indicated he would soon be falling asleep for the night, not to be awakened until the next day.
“Wake up,” Shino said, tapping his cheek lightly. “You're going to miss dinner again and then wake up grumbling again.”
“I know,” Seryou said, but he didn't open his eyes. “I'm just so tired in my head. The director just wouldn't stop talking about the same stupid thing.”
“Open your eyes. I have something I want to show you. You'll like it.”
Seryou opened his eyes and didn't say anything. He stared at the pair of golden rings nestled in their white velvet. His hand twitched a little like he was going to reach out but thought better of it. “ Did you get th e se today?”
“Yes,” Shino said, suddenly overcome with nerves that he had made a mistake in making this decision on his own. He had seen the consignment shop when they first hunted around for apartments, and on the day they signed the lease for their apartment, while Seryou stood in line to put their name down on the ramen restaurant's waiting list for lunch, he had walked around the consignment shop to kill time. He had seen the rings, as well as other jewelry, carefully polished by the shop's owner and treated with respect. For months, he had put aside some savings in a special account, and today, he had bought the pair that seemed the most gender-neutral.
“I'm sorry we still haven't told them the truth. I feel like I've become more of a coward than I used to be,” Shino blurted out, trying to explain his confused intentions, when Seryou still didn't say anything in response.
“You don't have to apologize for that. We both agreed that we shouldn't tell them yet,” Seryou said softly. “And we have time. It could be that in a few years we'll be able to get married for real and do it properly. People are more accepting now of differences.”
Seryou still wasn't smiling happily as Shino had foolishly imagined he would when he first chose and paid for the rings. He had done it again, making decisions without considering his partner's feelings. Shino stared down at the ring box and rubbed a thumb over the thick velvet covering. “ Shit, I should have waited and asked you before buying these, shouldn't I? I'm sorry. I was an idiot. I know that choosing the right ring is important.”
Seryou's eyes widened, and he sat up abruptly, leaving Shino to feel awkward and vulnerable where he lay until he struggled up from the sheets to sit and face Seryou. “ No, of course not. I mean,” his eyes flickered back to the rings. “it's true that I might want a different ring, but I haven't really thought about it. I was just surprised; that's all.”
Shino sank back in the sheets and wished he could magically put his clothes back on and hide in a conveniently nearby hole. “I'm sorry. We can forget about it, okay? Let's just go to sleep. You're still on-call tomorrow, right, so you should sleep while you can.”
“Yuzuru!” Seryou cupped his cheek, fingers straying over his lips and interrupting his rushed stream of words. “Listen to me!” They stared at each other in the sudden silence.
“Listen to me,” Seryou repeated, waiting for Shino to nod before he continued. “I want to live with you and wear your ring. And I'm happy to wait with you for as long as it takes.”
“Oh,” Shino said quietly, a blush starting to warm his neck and face as he threw a hand over his face to cover it.
Seryou smiled brilliantly at him. “I can ask too, you know.”
Shino looked out from behind his hand. He moved closer and closer until he was pressing a kiss to that perfect smile.
It sealed their promise for the future.