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12. Corduroy pillows are making headlines!
He threw the covers back and slipped himself into bed. Davide still had his back against his pillow, head against the headboard, fidgeting. He'd been waiting. Bane leaned towards him, smiling broadly, and when Davide refused this invitation to talk, Bane kissed him and flicked out the light. There was a mutual shuffle as they both shifted onto their shoulders and let their pillows take the weight of their heads, comfortable and ready to sleep.
Bane's thoughts were winding pleasantly along in that direction, with little catches of what had happened earlier, how his baseball team won their game, how Davide had made him laugh, and he was getting lost along the route of thinking what breed of dog he really, truly liked the best, when his reasoning disappeared at the sound. "Bane-san?" Bane groaned - he hadn't meant to, but he did, and screwed his eyes shut tighter. "Bane-san!"
"What?" he said, turning over in a violent movement. Davide's face was quite close to his, and it looked apologetic. It was enough to shake Bane from his drowsiness. He placed his hand on Davide's cheek and said, concerned this time, "What is it?"
"Ba-- Haru-chan?" Davide said it with a difficulty that all but turned it into a question. Got to admit, it's hard to get used to, but there was still a little thrill of something that shot through Bane's heart when he heard Davide saying his name like that. It relaxed him, and he smiled - Davide's eyes softened, too. It was like telling the time by a clock chiming, it made Bane think, oh, that's right, we're married, and he was still excited about it every time he remembered.
"Hikaru?" Bane said, quite liking this game. Davide did too, because he laughed and kissed Bane just for that, but as he drew back, his eyes glanced away. "It's okay, I'm listening?" Bane's frown returned to him.
"I need to make a sign for the store," Davide said.
"Let me guess. Lumbering Around. Chop To It. Saw Impressive." Davide shook his head, chuckling, slapping against Bane's shoulder for him to stop.
"You're barking up the wrong tree!" he said, and Bane pointed a warning finger at him and pretended to scowl. "I need a sign with my name on it."
Bane scratched his head. "And? What you didn't forget your name, did ya?" Davide opened his mouth to retort, but instead nibbled on his bottom lip and sighed. He can't seriously have forgotten his own name, and Bane felt exasperated at the idea alone.
"Can I use your name?"
"Use mine? What, how would that help? I'm not a carpen--" Oh. Davide watched him patiently. "L-like… you mean…?" Bane propped himself up a little, as if sitting up straight might help him to focus. "I didn't know you cared about that!"
"So I can't?"
"No! I mean, I mean, sure you can, use whatever name you like!" Bane was waving his hands about with a frantic energy, but Davide just looked up at him, cool as ever. "Just… you never mentioned it." Davide nodded, considering, and then drew himself up onto his knees. He reached out and rested his fingertips against Bane's stomach, then he eased himself forwards and upwards, brushing his nose against Bane's cheek. "Kurobane Hikaru," Bane said, trying it out. Davide pulled back far enough to watch for his verdict. He smiled. "Sounds like you."