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The feel of cold metal against his hand surprises him, until he looks down to see the thin silver band. Hajime often forgets that he wears a ring now, but there is something about the way warmth and happiness flow through him that never grows old. It’s almost magical just how wonderful he feels when he sees his ring, especially when his fingers are twined with Kenzaki’s and their rings are side by side, completely identical in everything save color.
No one around them asks about it or questions it, though he catches Tachibana looking wistfully at them once, and Amane always looks at his hand with a mixture of elation for his happiness and absolute disdain for Kenzaki. “I can’t believe he even found the money for those,” she remarked once. “But Hajime is happy, so I guess it’s okay.”
And it was. It was more than okay. It was wonderful and incredible and –
“Hajime?” Kenzaki’s voice interrupts.
“Mmh?” he replies, not bothering to look up.
Suddenly, Hajime feels hands cover his eyes. “Keep them closed,” Kenzaki instructs as sternly as he can (which isn’t very sternly at all, really), but Hajime does as he is told, squeezing his eyes shut and Kenzaki’s hands move to hold his and gently pull him from the chair.
“What are you playing at, Kenzaki?” Hajime asks, lips twitching upward into a smile.
“You’ll see!” the other says proudly. “It’s a surprise.”
And it really is, Hajime realizes as Kenzaki nudges him and he opens his eyes. The living room has been cleared to show an open floor littered in rose petals. The room is shaded in soft candlelight, the tiny flames flickering and moving in the dark. Kenzaki runs over to a wall and turns on the radio.
The music that comes on in beautiful and sweet and sad all at once, and Kenzaki extends his hand to Hajime.
“Dance?” he says, and he’s grinning but it’s in the way a nervous schoolboy might.
Hajime smiles back, taking the offered hand and marveling at the glint of the light off their matching rings. His hand rests on Kenzaki’s should right as the other’s hand moves to encircle Hajime’s waist.
They dance slowly and awkwardly at first, Kenzaki looking lovingly at his partner. His eyes are only for Hajime, just for that moment, and Hajime’s a just for him.
“What’s the occasion?” Hajime asks as they twirl, finding their stride.
“Well,” Kenzaki begins, “people who are…uh…” He gestures to the two of them and their rings, unable to find a correct word to describe them. Married wasn’t the right word, not quite. Hajime himself was partial to bonded, because the word made it seem as though they would be tied together no matter what, and sometimes he needed that reminder.
“People like us,” Hajime supplies, and Kenzaki nods.
“Usually, at their wedding, they’ll have a first dance, and since we didn’t get to have one, I thought maybe we should.” He twirls them both around once, his grip tightening around Hajime’s waist.
“Mmh,” Hajime replies, moving close enough to lean his head upon Kenzaki’s shoulder. For a moment they’re still dancing properly, and then they’re just swaying, holding on to one another and enjoying the closeness. The song ends and they remain, listening to the soft rhythms created by two heartbeats and two intermingled breaths.
“I have another surprise,” Kenzaki says, doing his best to gently untangle the two of them. He takes Hajime’s hand again and drags his friend to the kitchen.
There is a small cake on the counter, really just large enough for two people to have a share. It’s covered in pure white frosting and decorated with white fondant orchids.
Hajime’s eyebrows rise in surprise. “Did you make this?” he asks, but Kenzaki only laughs and does not answer.
“You have to cut the cake together,” he says, taking up the knife in one hand and directing Hajime to lay his hand on top. They slice through the cake with relative ease (even though it feels almost wrong to destroy something so beautiful), cutting it in half.
Kenzaki puts each piece on a plate and they eat for a moment in blissful silence.
Hajime is enjoying his cake, eyes closed in an expression of happiness when Kenzaki pokes him in the side. He turns to face the other, only to wind up with icing smeared on his nose.
Kenzaki laughs as Hajime goes cross-eyed trying to see what has happened. “What was that for?!” he asks, only slightly annoyed.
“You’ve got something on your face,” he Kenzaki says as he leans over and swiftly licks the icing off of Hajime’s nose.
They both stand completely still for a moment, the only noise in the room Hajime’s small intake of breath. He can feel the flush in his cheeks as he leans over and says, “And I think you do, too,” before licking the tiniest bit of cake from the corner of Kenzaki’s mouth.
He doesn’t stop, either, not even when Kenzaki goes to say something about the cake they still have left, and how maybe it should be eaten or something, because Kenzaki shuts up quickly when Hajime’s lips find his. Hajime unabashedly wraps his arms around Kenzaki’s neck to play with his hair, tugging the other back to him.
Kenzaki doesn’t even bother to fight, moving instead to gently push Hajime against the counter and tip him backwards, deepening the kiss. There is something in him that will never tired of kissing Hajime, of how the other seems to enjoy something so human that has been denied him so long, of the little noises Hajime makes when Kenzaki nibbles at his bottom lip, of how Hajime sighs blissfully even when they pull apart. He leans his head on Kenzaki’s shoulder once more.
“Thank you,” he says.
“Don’t mention it,” Kenzaki replies, holding the other tenderly. “You’re special to me.”
They stand together for a long time, just enjoying the closeness. Hajime’s mind wanders once more to their rings, to the life they now share, and the time they will spend together.
There is a knock on the door and Kenzaki releases the other so quickly that Hajime almost falls.
“It’s Kotarou!” he hisses over his shoulder. “Help me clean this up before I get in trouble!”
Hajime laughs and scampers after him, purposefully shoving him over into a pile of rose petals as he rushes to the door.
“I’m going to let him in,” he whispers back, mischief in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare!” Kenzaki shouts, getting to his feet and running to stop the other. He’s taking it literally, Hajime realizes a moment too late: Kenzaki just isn’t used to him joking around.
“Kenzaki!” he cries out, right as the other tackles him onto the sofa and a key turns in the lock.
Kotarou walks into his house to find the room looking much as it had, save for a few rose petals and the two idiots left on the sofa.
“What the hell!?” he screeches. “Kenzaki, you, I, what.”
“I believe,” Hajime says very softly, from his position underneath the other, “this is commonly called a honey moon.”
Kotarou’s face drains of color entirely, and Kenzaki’s not sure he’s ever seen someone close and lock a door so fast.