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If anyone were to point out to Bak that his smile was just like his father’s, it would disappear as quickly as it had manifested. At first, Komui had thought that this was because Bak’s relationship with his parents had been a bad one, but as they grew closer he came to realise that Bak simply didn’t appreciate the expectations that came with yet another comparison - or being caught smiling.
“...Just like his father,” Zuu Mei comments beside Komui, watching Bak offer Shifu some encouragement. Komui thought they had been out of earshot, but Bak’s smile immediately fades, replaced by a just as adorable - if less handsome - pout.
“I’m nothing like him, Uncle,” Bak says, turning to them both, and Komui does his best to look innocent. He hadn’t made the comment, but he can tell that Bak’s irritation is directed towards both of them just for having the conversation in the first place. To his credit, Zuu Mei just laughs, reaching out to knock Bak’s hat askew. Komui wishes he had the familiarity for such an intimate gesture.
“You’re exactly like him,” Zuu Mei teases, and Bak cringes, but doesn’t shy away from the touch. He respects his uncle too much for that. “That’s probably why you don’t want to hear it. But you’re going to be better than him, too, I am sure of it.”
The sincerity in his uncle’s voice only makes Bak squirm more, and Komui instinctively does what he does best: diffusing tension with comedy.
“It’s such a cute smile, though, isn’t it?” he says, “I can’t possibly believe there was ever another one like it.”
Bak looks up, surprised, and Komui instinctively reaches out to pinch Bak’s cheek. What Komui does second best is get himself in trouble, and he’s hardly surprised when Bak chases him out of the cafeteria, all thoughts of family legacy gone from his mind.
As far as Komui had been concerned, Bak’s shallow discomfort at the teasing was nothing short of a challenge. Even before he’d fallen in love with him, Bak’s smile quickly became a prize for Komui, and he had resolved to bring it out as often as possible.
It emerged slowly at first, so briefly that Komui barely had time to register it was there, let alone celebrate it. Bak didn’t laugh at Komui’s jokes or antics, but he would smile for half a second - just long enough to keep Komui’s hopes up, and keep him pushing. Komui would tease Bak until he snapped, and though his frustration was far less pleasant to look at than his smile, Komui still enjoyed getting through Bak’s exterior of professionalism. His anger was sharp where his smile was soft, and they both gave Komui a different kind of thrill.
Praise worked better, as well as tenderness - although he only discovered that much later. Whilst Bak’s ego had gotten on Komui’s nerves during their initial meetings, he now knew it was well-placed confidence more than meaningless bluster, and more fragile than it appeared. A carefully placed compliment could leave Bak flustered and sputtering or, more desirably, make him smile with rose tinged cheeks, teeth showing ever so slightly between his lips.
The first time Komui kissed Bak, he cupped those cheeks - growing warmer by the second - and told him he was beautiful. Bak’s smile had been surprised, cautious, and then blinding, and Komui felt like he had been given access to a private work of art. He said as much, because Komui had never been one for holding back his affection, and Bak wrinkled his nose in response, muttering something sharp before whirling himself away. Komui had floated all the way back to his office, knowing that whatever words had come out of Bak’s mouth, they weren’t a rejection.
Bak’s smile came more easily after that - for Komui, at least - but it was no less special. Komui would sneak up behind him, digging his fingers into the spot below Bak’s ribs where he was most ticklish, and kiss him before he could complain. Bak would laugh against his lips, and when Komui pulled back his smile would still be there, more genuine than ever. These smiles happened in short, secret moments, stolen only in empty rooms and behind piles of neglected paperwork, and Komui savoured them all the more for it. He would drag them out so that they felt like lifetimes, and guard Bak’s smile almost as aggressively as he did Lenalee’s.
“You know we have work to do…” Bak mumbles into Komui’s clavicle now, his fingers linked around the back of Komui’s neck. Komui hums absently, not removing his own hands from Bak’s hips. They’re in an unused chamber, immaturely tangled around each other in one of the few places without any prying eyes.
“It can wait,” Komui tells him. “It’s been centuries already; what’s another five minutes of Holy War to the world?”
“You’re ridiculous,” Bak tells him, and the smile he meets Komui’s gaze with is one of his rarest and most handsome. It tells Komui that they’re safe here, that Bak isn’t really mad, and that Komui’s love for him is one hundred percent reciprocated. He’s seen it before, in a photograph Bak keeps on his desk, of a man looking at his wife as she waves at the camera.
“You smile just like your father,” Komui says, unable to help himself, and Bak’s expression quickly drops into a scowl as he pulls himself out of Komui’s grip. “What? I’ve seen the pictures - he was hot.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Bak tells him again, with more heat this time, and Komui laughs, tugging at the hem of Bak’s jacket until he tips back into his arms. He sighs, grumbling. “Don’t tell me I have to beat him at romance, as well...have you been crushing on him secretly this whole time?”
“Absolutely,” Komui says, not missing a beat, and Bak huffs out a laugh through his nostrils; a victory. “You’ve already beaten him though, darling, don’t you worry. There’s no man in the world I could love as much as you.”
Komui can’t keep the affection that rises in his heart from his voice, and Bak’s smile is shy and wanting when Komui tilts up his chin to kiss it away. He’s sad to see it go, but there’s always the next time, and Komui knows the next will be just as special.