Chapter Text
A security guard opened the car door so Gyomei could get out, carrying Kaigaku who was clinging to him, staring curiously. Another guard took a baby stroller from the trunk and placed it in front of Himejima. Before he could put his baby in it, the same guard took him from his lap and positioned him in the stroller, not caring at all about the baby's protests at being taken from his father's arms. Honestly, why so many security guards? He understood it was a fancy event full of expensive things, so the guards at the door were somewhat justifiable, but why did he have security with him? Tengen was very kind to send a driver, but those other agents treated him as if he were a briefcase containing several gold bars; they were even armed. All Gyomei could say in response to their actions were small "thank yous" in a timid tone, and in response the guards only nodded and continued on their way.
They guided him to the entrance, and just when the dark-haired man assumed they would be with him for the entire event, a shrill voice pierced his eardrums.
"HIMEJIMA-SAN!! OVER HERE!!"
Mitsuri Kanroji came skipping happily towards him. He smiled at the girl's cheerful voice, opening his arms to receive her with a hug. "Mitsuri, or should I call you Miss Kanroji?" She threw herself on him, laughing at the joke. "Stop it! You know I don't like these formalities! And it's all your crush's fault—I mean! Your little friend's fault for putting me in charge." She broke free from the hug and assumed a more timid position. Himejima simply ignored the comment. "So... is the exhibition about to start?" The girl returned to her peak energy. "Actually, it already has! I was even surprised that you... OH MY GOD!!" "KAIGAKU!" Mitsuri completely forgot what she was saying when she laid eyes on that adorable baby. "HE'S SO BIG! AWW, I SHOULD HAVE VISITED MORE OFTEN!" She bent down, gently petting the baby, who rested carefree in the stroller.
"Yeah, I think he missed you a little." A deep, masculine voice was heard coming from inside the building. Sanemi Shinazugawa approached the two. "Ah, Sanemi, long time no see. Are you also helping with the organization?" The blind man couldn't help but be extremely happy to know that another dear friend was there. "Hmm, only if it's in the part about preventing everything here from being stolen." He huffed at the end of the sentence, greeting the other with a handshake. Mitsuri wasn't at all interested in the conversation, so she just ignored him, giving her attention to the tiny human in front of her. "Are you responsible for security?" "Sure... so could you explain why there are so many security guards here?" He discreetly pointed to the uniformed individuals behind him. "Uh, ask your boyfriend that, since he's the one who said nothing bad could happen to you and blah blah blah." Himejima was extremely embarrassed when he heard the end of the sentence, not only because Sanemi called Tengen "boyfriend," but because knowing that the other was so worried about him made his heart warm and his cheeks turn red.
"Well... shall we go inside? I think Tengen is waiting for us." They entered the building arm in arm until Sanemi said he had some duties to attend to, leaving the two adults and the baby behind. "But tell me, Gyomei, why did you take so long? Geez, I was even worried that Tengen had forgotten." He cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. "Well... I'll tell you if you take me to his construction site." She agreed while looking attentively.
*A little earlier that same day*
-Tengen, why did you come back?
Uzui tried to chuckle to lighten the mood, but it didn't go down well. -I already said... I wanted you to come with me...- The older man's lip trembled. -No! You know what I'm talking about! Why did you come back? Why now of all times? You come into my house acting like nothing happened! You hug my son like he's yours! You sleep in my arms and make me breakfast! You act like everything is alright between us, like you... like you didn't kiss me that night! Do you know how I felt? When you hugged me and squeezed me, promising and crying, only for Sanemi to call me the next day saying you'd left the country and changed your phone number... and then you even had the nerve to message me on Instagram, acting like you hadn't disappeared for a year... - Tears streamed down Himejima's soft face, causing Tengen's heart to clench with regret.
-I... I had a contract... I needed to participate in some competitions... and if you really didn't like it, why didn't you block me? Why did you treat me well? Why were you kind and affectionate with me instead of telling the truth? - The weak attempt to refute the accusations only brought him more bitterness; his brain wouldn't process it.
"I'M KIND AND CARING, TENGEN UZUI! AND YOU KNOW IT! Y-you... know that very well..." Kaigaku began to cry, not loudly, just a frightened baby's cry. The dark-haired man only sighed amidst the sobs and cradled him in his arms again, Tengen's pink eyes wide, his slightly open mouth showing his inability to form a coherent sentence. "You don't have to love me, I just don't want to be dumped like this again, we can act like you're drunk and forget about it, but I won't let you into my life just to mess it up again."
Uzui kissed him, not an invasive and forced kiss, it was more like an invitation, which for some reason, that even Gyomei didn't understand, he accepted. It wasn't long or short, and when it ended, the white-haired one gave little kisses where tears would have already fallen. Himejima was simply accepting it, completely perplexed. "I promise I'll never do that to you again, Gyomei. I finally understand, and I can finally admit that I love you, I love you so much." The taller one's cheeks turned completely red. At this point, the baby was already laughing at their display of affection. He simply laid his face on his shoulder and whispered a very soft "I love you too." However, they didn't have enough time to be a couple, because Tengen's cell phone started ringing. It was Mitsuri, desperate to know where he was. Gyomei didn't say anything, but he was somewhat frustrated that they couldn't spend more time alone. "Well... duty calls. I'll send a driver as soon as everything is ready." He got up from the sofa and headed towards the door. "Wait! What are we? Are we... are we something?"
Tengen smiled.
"I want to be yours, and I also want you to be mine, so I guess we belong to each other." He left the house with flushed cheeks.
*Present moment*
Kanroji was perplexed, her eyes wide and she had the smile of someone who had just discovered oil. "Well, that's it, I guess I was the reason for the delay, ah! Are we there yet?" Without even answering, the girl threw herself on top of him. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE DATING!? I WOULD HAVE FOUND A WAY FOR YOU TO KEEP MAKING OUT!" She rocked him back and forth while he tried to understand the situation. "Mitsuri... we weren't going to be making out, we were just... going to hug, nothing more." He huffed softly, turning his face to the side, while Mitsuri calmed down from her outburst. He began to feel that the place was very crowded, which was great, but he felt many eyes on him, which made him a little nervous. They stopped in front of a gigantic painting. He was very happy to know that Tengen was doing so well in his artistic career. "Mitsuri, would you mind describing this work to me?" The girl smiled, but first she stepped back a little and sent an audio message to someone he couldn't hear.
"It's a beautiful painting. It has a forest setting with various shades of green, a blue sky with a few clouds, and... well... you're painted too." Gyomei was silent for a minute, confused by Kanroji's words, and to make matters worse, he heard a little child say, "Mommy! It's the man in green!" His face was starting to turn red. He already understood what was happening and had to admit, Tengen was quite clever. And speaking of the devil, he felt someone hug him from behind and could hear the other people whispering in surprise and excitement. "Hey Mei-Mei, are you enjoying the exhibition? Everyone's saying you look gorgeous in this painting, you know?" Himejima smiled shyly, hugging him back. "I'm very grateful for the tribute, this was planned, wasn't it?" Uzui chuckled excitedly, giving him a light kiss on the neck. "Uh, yes... but I prefer the one with the cat, I painted you with your eyes open, it looks much better." The older man turned abruptly. "There's more!?" He asked, confused. "Of course there's more, did you think I'd only paint your beauty once? You know me." He rested his face against Himejima's back. "Yes... I know you well." They stayed in that sweet moment, ignoring the photographers and gossips who were commenting, but it didn't matter, they no longer cared what others thought. They loved each other, and they were very happy about it.