Chapter Text
Sunlight carded through the window as Kyoutani rolled out of bed. His bones ached and his muscles groaned as he curled his toes in the thick carpet of his new apartment. He had moved in the day before, with little help from anyone besides the person who was currently absent from his bed.
Yahaba had always been an early riser but damn. Kyoutani was still tired, even after a full night’s sleep plus however many hours he’d been in bed since the sun came up. Kyoutani at least expected Yahaba to wake him before he got out of bed, but his space under the sheets was cool and flat, almost as if Yahaba had attempted to fix the blankets with Kyoutani still under them.
After graduation from high school, Kyoutani finally decided to attend college wherever Yahaba saw fit. He didn’t really have any plans or desires or dreams that helped him pick out a place to go. So, he just figured that it only made sense to follow his boyfriend to where ever he wanted, and then let the pieces fall where they may. It didn’t take long for Kyoutani to figure out that maybe college wasn’t the place for him. He found himself simply going to classes without direction, not making progress towards a more definitive goal. He’d never been one to really like school, but it was the only way he knew to stay with Yahaba.
For one year he took classes. Just general ones meant to spike his attention and get him interested in something. Bu, nothing really stuck and he found himself spinning his wheels more than anything. So, during the second year after graduation, Kyoutani got a job, hoping to save up enough money so that Yahaba would feel comfortable enough living off campus with him. He continued to take classes so that he could take advantage of the dorm situation, but ultimately, he ended up dedicating more time and effort to something that mattered more to him than school.
They finally moved in together at the end of their second year of college. Kyoutani decided to drop out once the semester ended and began working full time. Yahaba decided to continue going to school, and used the money he would have spent on a dorm room as rent.
Kyoutani really wouldn’t have it any other way.
He found Yahaba already in their living room when he finally shuffled his way down the hall. He was sitting on the floor, sifting through one of their many unpacked boxes. Kyoutani slid up beside him, picking up the mug of tea Yahaba had placed on the floor and draining it. Yahaba must have been too tired to even sigh, because he simply patted Kyoutani’s leg as he wrapped around his back.
“How are you feeling today?”
Kyoutani groaned, slipping his arms around Yahaba’s waist and squeezing his stomach tightly. “Wrecked.”
Yahaba’s laugh echoed around the room and Kyoutani pressed his face against Yahaba’s back. Yahaba continued to unpack the box he was working on while Kyoutani held him from behind. The silence that surrounded them was comfortable, and Kyoutani would have fallen back to sleep as he rested against Yahaba’s back if he didn’t want to savor the moment.
Even now, after two years of being together, it was rare for them to ever just sit and be together. They were always moving, always having to do something for school or for their families or for work. Kyoutani knew it would get better from here on out since for once they were actually living together, rather than simply living near each other. But still, it was nice to savor the little moments just like this.
He lived for those quiet times.
When Yahaba fell asleep before he did and Kyoutani could run his fingers through his silver hair without making him whine.
When they sat beside each other at night and Kyoutani held their hands in his lap as Yahaba leaned against his shoulder.
Holding Yahaba against his chest as they unpacked boxes and started their new life together.
They had come so far since they began their new relationship. They had grown closer than they even were before, and learned new things about each other that they may never have learned otherwise.
Kyoutani grew to appreciate Yahaba a little bit more than he probably did before, though he doubted he would ever admit a thing like that.
They tried to ignore the fact that Yahaba never remembered. He never regained even a sliver of his old memories with Kyoutani, and they tried to convince themselves that it did not matter. Kyoutani told him everything he wanted to know, every detail that he could remember himself.
Even though he could not remember, and at this point, probably never would remember, Kyoutani would say that he was truly happy. He was with Yahaba, which was all he ever really wanted after the accident. Yahaba made strides every day. They made new memories together, and worked together to create the most out of their new relationship.
With each day, it mattered less that Yahaba had forgotten so many crucial things about their relationship. Because with each day, Yahaba made new memories that probably would have eclipsed the old ones anyway.
Each day, everything became just the slightest bit easier.
“Hey, Shigeru?” Kyoutani squeezed his arms around Yahaba’s stomach, only loosening up a bit when Yahaba squeaked in discomfort.
“Yeah?”
“You know I love you, right?” Kyoutani buried his face in the back of Yahaba’s shirt, nuzzling his face against his spine.
Yahaba always laughed when Kyoutani asked him that question as if it was the silliest thing he had ever heard. Yahaba loosened Kyoutani’s grip on his waist, allowing him to turn around in his arms and cup his face with his hands. Yahaba kissed Kyoutani’s forehead, right between his eyes, before moving lower to steal a soft kiss from his lips. Kyoutani shivered when he felt Yahaba’s eyelashes against his cheeks as they pressed their foreheads together.
“Yeah, I know you love me.”
Kyoutani grinned, pressing forward the slightest bit to kiss the edge of his boyfriend’s mouth. So what if Yahaba didn’t remember? He didn’t need to remember when he had already relearned the most important thing about their relationship.
“I love you too, Kentarou.”