Chapter Text
Being with people who love and support you makes navigating through life easier.
Ichimatsu had come to learn this.
After a year of Ichimatsu going through therapy and coming up on the trio’s two year anniversary, they celebrated with a big, expensive dinner, just them. That was the year Ichimatsu got a better paying job, as an animal care attendant at a local cat shelter. It was something he looked forward to, something he truly enjoyed, something he did well at, and something he could continue to move up in.
After three years, they went on a trip abroad together. That was the year Momoko got published, and with the extra money, she took them to travel, wanting to live the life she’d dream of when she was younger, even if it was temporary. She continued to write after, promising that she’d give them opportunity to travel again.
After four years, they bought a house together. That was the year Yoji got a job as a game developer, after working tirelessly interning, bettering his portfolio, bettering his work. His salary helped them get the house that they loved, one with plenty of room for Ichimatsu’s many cats and a master bedroom big enough to fit a bed the three could comfortably share.
They stayed together for years and years, the three of them. Happy and successful in ways they never thought they’d be.
Ichimatsu never thought he’d reach that point. All his life, Ichimatsu thought he’d end up homeless, a criminal, and an outcast with no place in society. His siblings had always had a much better chance than he ever did. That’s what he thought for years.
Thankfully he was wrong.
He’d never want to admit it, but Yoji and Momoko saved his life. People often try to act like having other people save you is selfish, impractical, and not right. One should save themselves. But some people need the support, the push, and a reason to better themselves. Ichimatsu found his.
Without Yoji and Momoko, Ichimatsu would’ve never gotten this far.
It wasn’t so much that they saved him, but rather they gave him the tools and support to help him help himself.
And every year with them was another year with two of the most important people of his life. Every day was another where he could see and enjoy their presence, growing together and loving together. Every night was a night he slept peacefully, listening to the steady heartbeats of his partners. Every moment was treasured. And he finally found his place.
Momoko was the sun, always bright and shining. She was the vibrant light in their relationship, the adventure-seeker. Yoji was the stars, a gentle guiding light in the dark, always present even when unseen. He was certainty and confidence, who kept them grounded. And Ichimatsu, who had been among the shadows for so long was now illuminated by their light. He was the moon, completing their sky.