Chapter Text
“We’re here,” Judai announced as he parked his motorcycle.
From behind him, Johan gave a squeeze before removing his arms around Judai’s waist and disembarking the bright red bike. He took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair, effectively fluffing it back up. He gave a grateful wink.
“Thanks for driving us around while my bike is getting fixed up.”
“Well, it’s not much of a date if you didn’t come with me,” Judai said as he removed his own helmet. Once it was off, he grinned and winked back.
On their way home from Neo Domino City a couple weeks ago, Johan had experienced a minor accident with his motorcycle due to a flat tire. Thankfully nothing too bad came of it. Johan was unscathed and that’s what mattered most of all, but unfortunately his flashy purple bike did take some damage as it crashed on the dirt road. They were able to get roadside assistance and repair the tire so they could get the bike back home but one whole side of the motorcycle was completely scuffed up and the panels were riddled with small dents. The motorcycle was drivable but looked beaten up.
A few days after returning to Hakone, Judai and Johan dropped the bike off to get the exterior buffed and repainted. Unluckily, it turned out that the unique shade of purple had been hard to colour-match, which resulted in the bike being at the shop for longer than initially expected. Thankfully, Johan didn’t mind Judai driving him around in the meantime and likewise, Judai always enjoyed having his partner as a passenger.
Johan hung his helmet next to Judai’s on the adjacent side mirror. Afterwards, the couple began the short walk to their destination. Johan gave a small shrug and shy smile.
“This date was my idea though, so it feels like I should have been the one who drove us.”
“Oh, so were you supposed to be extra romantic and swing by and pick me up?” Judai teased. “Given we live in the same house, that might have been a bit tricky to manage.”
Johan laughed and bumped Judai lightly with his elbow.
“We’d better make sure we’re home by curfew,” he teased back.
“I have a better idea. Let’s stay out really late and we can sneak back in through the window. Maybe our duel spirits won’t notice.”
The two joked around like they were high school students again and not adults who had been married for nearly a decade. It would be their 10 year wedding anniversary in the fall.
“They always notice,” Johan said with a playful tone and to prove his point, Hane Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle morphed into view.
Hane Kuriboh easily took Ruby on his back and flew the other spirit up towards the nearby trees. Shortly after, Rainbow Kuriboh appeared, joining them with a happy chirp. Judai and Johan were close behind and they watched as their duel spirits floated amongst the pale pink petals of the cherry blossoms. The Hayakawa River Bank was lined with the beautiful trees and at this time of year, the locals illuminated them at night in a special display to show off the seasonal blooms.
The night air was brisk along the river and when a wind blew past, Judai tucked his red scarf into the cuff of his jacket so it would protect his neck a bit better from the chill. Next, he reached over and took Johan’s hand before placing them in his own jacket pocket. As expected, Johan’s hand was cold so Judai rubbed it but had to stop when Johan entwined their fingers.
“It’s spring but the nights are still a bit chilly,” Johan noted.
Most years, the couple would get invited to go enjoy viewing the flowers with friends and this year was no different. Last week Fubuki, Fujiwara and Ryo had joined them for a leisurely walk under the blooms in Neo Domino when they were there last. Then just the other day, they met up with Manjoume and Asuka in Tokyo to have a picnic while sitting under the soft pink canopy of some trees. Manjoume had given Judai a lecture when he dozed off and took a nap while everyone else chatted.
“I can’t remember the last time we went to go see the cherry blossoms, just us,” Judai said as he admired the trees.
Johan was also looking up, his eyes still following their duel spirits as they played near the taller branches.
“I’m not sure if we ever have,” he noted wistfully.
“We’ve been together for practically 15 years and never had a single cherry blossom date?”
Judai’s memory wasn’t the best, but he still tried to go over the past 15 years since he had met Johan and recall if they’d had this kind of date before. He thought they must have done this alone at least once but in the end, he couldn’t recall a moment where they actually had.
“It’s not too surprising I guess. We travel a lot and the blooming period is pretty short. By the time we see them with our friends, the season is almost over!” Johan pointed out.
“We should take time to enjoy things like this together more,” Judai said.
He then gave Johan’s hand a squeeze. Johan seemed giddy, smiling so wide that the corners of his eyes crinkled up.
“Walking hand-in-hand under the trees all lit up and knowing this only happens for a short time every year is pretty romantic.”
“You’re such a sap,” Judai teased, but he was smiling too.
Judai looked up once more and had to admit the view was beautiful. The river wasn’t visible in the dark but the gentle sound of the water flowing could be heard as they walked along. The lights lined up on the path gave off a soft glow, delicately illuminating the flowers above them. The scene was a peaceful one but Judai also found it stirring some melancholy within him. As always, Johan noticed and he raised a questioning eyebrow. Judai gave a small shrug and guilty smile before admitting, “If I’m being honest, I always found cherry blossoms a bit sad.”
“Because they don’t last very long?” Johan guessed.
“Something like that.” Judai looked down at the fallen petals at their feet. “Sometimes, the flowers bloom only to be blown away the next day if a storm hits. People look forward to this every year but it doesn't guarantee you’ll get to see them. It feels so fragile and unfair.”
“It’s fleeting but sometimes that makes something special, right? We might not see them next year but we should enjoy the fact that we get to see them now.”
Johan was an optimist and generally tried to find the silver lining in most things. It was admirable most of the time and Judai appreciated the positivity, even if sometimes he didn’t agree.
“I’m happy we have the opportunity to appreciate them but the fact I know this could all be gone tomorrow still makes me feel a bit sad I guess.”
Johan rubbed his thumb over Judai’s hand.
“It is a bit sad,” Johan agreed. “But you should try not to worry about when they’ll be gone. You should focus on enjoying the flowers while they’re here.”
Taking Johan’s advice to heart, Judai shifted his gaze from the fallen petals and looked back up to the flowers still blooming in the branches above them. He focused on the details, trying to memorize the way the soft pink colours looked even more dazzling lit up.
He leaned in closer and Johan did the same as they walked together, hand-in-hand down the path littered with tiny lights.
–
The next afternoon, Judai was in the kitchen at their cottage filling the kettle with water. He had been feeling nostalgic and decided to make some hot cocoa for himself and Johan. Back at Duel Academia, the two used to drink a cup together every morning. They typically drank coffee nowadays but they would still occasionally indulge in this more sugary option every now and then.
Smiling, Judai reached for their respective red and purple mugs. They sat side-by-side in the cabinet and were in surprisingly great condition given how old they were. They were simple with no designs but the colors hadn’t faded despite the fact they were used rather often. The couple bought them as a house-warming gift for themselves when Manjoume had signed over the ownership for the cottage to them nearly a decade ago. Before that, Judai and Johan had always exclusively used the red and purple travel mugs their friends had bought for them shortly after graduation. The travel mugs were well-insulated, had lids and were more durable but otherwise looked like regular mugs, so it suited them fine.
Those mugs were safely tucked away waiting for the couple’s next adventure and that made Judai ponder when that might be. They had picked up Johan’s medicine for his auto-immune condition from Neo Domino a couple weeks ago and would be fine from having to do so again for a few months. They could easily leave and spend time somewhere else for a while. As Judai thought about it, he put the correct amount of cocoa powder in each mug before leaning against the counter and waiting for the kettle to finish boiling.
No sooner had he done that, Johan came in from their backyard. He had been gardening, tending to the rose bushes and other various plants that, for years, he and Judai had worked together to maintain. Judai watched with curiosity as Johan went straight to the kitchen sink, turning on the tap and then placing a finger underneath the running water. When Judai saw streaks of red, he stopped leaning on the counter and walked towards the sink.
“What happened?” he asked.
Johan looked mildly embarrassed as he explained.
“I just pricked myself on one of the thorns while I was pruning. I didn’t bother with gloves today, oops!”
The kettle beeped in warning, signaling the water had been boiled but Judai ignored it and wandered to the bathroom, pulling out the first aid kit.
“It’s been awhile since you were clumsy like that.”
Johan watched as his partner opened the kit and he shook his head when he saw the items Judai was taking out.
“I don’t need disinfectant, just a Band-Aid. It’s hardly even a scratch.”
“There was blood though. So, just in case?” Judai gave a small pout and winked when Johan seemed unmoved. “Do it just to humor me then?”
Johan didn’t say anything and rolled his eyes but was smiling knowingly. He then offered his hand, letting Judai treat the cut. Judai took a cotton pad and drenched it with the disinfectant. He mumbled a small apology as he gingerly dabbed at Johan’s finger.
After years of treating his own wounds, Judai knew the disinfectant would burn despite his careful application but Johan never complained. When he was done with that, Judai took a bandaid and wrapped it around Johan’s finger. Judai knew Johan didn’t appreciate being coddled like this and it wasn’t lost on him that his partner was being accommodating by letting Judai fuss over him a little.
Johan tended to underestimate how his own well-being affected others around him and meanwhile, Judai often overcompensated when worrying about that. It was one of the few things they weren’t on the same page about and despite their many years together, it was still a balancing act the two occasionally struggled with finding common ground on. Despite that, they tried their best to understand where the other was coming from and overall Judai felt that the effort they put in was enough.
They were allowed to each have their own unique burdens, and not every knot needed to be perfectly unwound between them. Yubel didn’t necessarily agree but Judai still couldn't bring himself to bother with discussing things that dredged up painful memories all too often. A part of him knew that wasn't constructive, but another part of him also just wanted to believe things would be fine regardless.
Lately, life was very peaceful, and Judai often had to remind himself that generally, there was very little to worry about. He was happy and all he wanted to do was try and focus on that as much as possible.
Judai pressed a kiss to the bandaid and released Johan’s hand.
“There. All bandaged up.”
“Thank you.” Johan leaned in and gave Judai a kiss on the cheek in return.
Judai grinned happily. With the situation taken care of, he returned to his original goal and resumed making the cocoa. As he poured the hot water into the mugs, his mind wandered back to what he had been thinking about before.
“We have a few months before we’ll have to go to Neo Domino again. I was wondering if we should get out of town for a bit,” Judai said.
“Jim invited us to visit. So did O’Brien.”
“And Rei and Edo.”
Judai handed Johan his purple mug and the accepted it with a look of genuine gratitude. Johan blew on the drink before taking a sip.
“We never have a shortage of people we could go see! We’re really lucky, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, we are,” Judai agreed before taking a sip of his own drink. “Honestly, life’s basically perfect.”
Johan reached out with his free hand and lightly drew tiny patterns on Judai’s forearm. He was smiling mischievously.
“I just thought of something that could make it even more perfect.”
The fire burning behind mint green eyes was a familiar one and Judai felt his own desire ignite instantly. No matter how many years they’d been together, they still had this effect on one another. Judai put down his drink and raised an eyebrow before taking Johan’s hand in his own. He brought it back up to his lips and kissed each knuckle.
“Seems like the cocoa I just made is going to be wasted,” Judai said in between kisses.
Johan leaned in close and rested his own mug down on the kitchen counter. Judai could feel Johan’s smile against the shell of his ear as he whispered, “We can reheat it later.”
–
Judai just stared, watching his partner’s sleeping face as they laid together tangled in bed. Johan’s complexion was still flushed and he looked a bit warm. Judai knew that was likely due to the previous activities they’d just been up to but out of habit, he reached out and pressed the back of his hand to Johan’s forehead. Right away, he could tell Johan was running a normal temperature and some of the lingering anxiety from the past that still gripped at Judai’s heart eased slightly.
“He hasn’t had a concerning fever in a long time. You don’t need to worry.” Yubel’s voice was gentle as Judai heard them speak through their link in his mind.
“I know,” Judai whispered softly out loud.
Judai moved his hand slightly and tenderly brushed Johan’s bangs away from his face before snuggling back in under the covers. Despite doing so, Judai was far from sleepy. Unlike Johan, he found himself feeling quite energized after their impromptu rendezvous. He contemplated waking Johan up; it was still late afternoon…
Yubel morphed into view and stood by Judai’s bedside. They crossed their arms and looked down at the couple.
“Let him nap.”
Despite making themselves visible, Yubel still used their link to communicate. Their tone had been light and even affectionate which made Judai smile.
“I’m so happy,” he responded, feeling smitten and wanting to verbalize his contentment even though Judai knew Yubel would feel it in his soul regardless.
“You deserve nothing but happiness.”
“We all do.”
“Yes and you’ve fought hard to protect it.”
Judai didn’t feel like a protector. The word held a positive connotation and he wasn’t so sure his selfish actions of the past could be attributed to something quite as noble as that. He had done what he had needed to do in order to achieve this life that he desperately yearned for. A life where he, Yubel, Johan and the rest of their duel spirit family could all live together in peace.
Judai reached his hand back out and affectionately brushed at the small patch of silver hair near Johan’s left temple. The odd colouring was quite noticeable against his partner’s bright teal hair. Judai’s fingers lingered as he played with the soft strands. The silver colour was a remnant from events that felt so long ago now. Judai would never forget what had happened back then but he was thankful the small tuft of silver, much like the scar on Johan’s hip, were the only permanent consequences that had come from those dark days. Occasionally, Judai would reflect on it.
Judai looked up at Yubel and their confident smile helped give him reassurance. Then when he looked on his other side at Johan sleeping soundly, the peaceful sight gave Judai resolve. His heart felt so full and he knew there was no way he could ever fully come to regret the choices he had made. Even if he had to rewind the clock and rewrite fate thousands of times to get to this point.
Still, time had proven to be fickle, so Judai couldn’t help but worry about the fragility of it. Especially in quiet moments such as this.
Visions of yesterday's cherry blossoms came to mind. Judai pictured the delicate pink petals fluttering in the night sky, still visible thanks to the tiny lights that had been placed on the dark path before them. As he remembered the flowers that would be gone much too soon, Judai also recalled Johan’s words. There was no point in worrying about what could come, it was best to focus on what he had now…
As Judai felt the warmth of those he loved surrounding him, he silently vowed to make the most of this life for as long as he possibly could.