Work Text:
Shopping list:
- Mirror for Goro’s beautiful face for Akira’s overinflated ego
- Armchairs
- Curtains red blue red
- Blanket but I am your blanket
- Rug
- Lamp why the lamp if you’re always shining anyway A LAMP
- Flowers Lots of flowers
Despite the fact that the apartment was already semi-furnished when they rented it and any additions would be a strain on their already low budgets, the boys managed to save their remaining money and promised to make their home more aesthetically pleasing, even if it will only feed their eyes instead of their mouths.
Even though Akira is the most extra person Goro has ever known, he found out that the boy doesn’t particularly care about appearances, leaving the task of beautifying their little nest to Goro alone. And while the former detective never cared about decorating his apartment, this time he doesn’t want to leave it bare. With his life changing for the better and finally being able to take it for granted, Goro wants to make the most of the place he shares with the person he loves. Even if said person insists that no decoration would ever be as beautiful as Goro and thus no further purchases are needed.
Brushing aside the compliments Goro not so secretly loves, he makes a list of few simple things which will hopefully fill in the empty spaces in the corners of their residence. And while Akira’s tempering with the list is irritating to Goro as much as it is amusing, he can’t ignore the underlying message it sends.
Despite the overwhelming happiness that living with Akira brings, Goro notices the few signs telling of the struggles tainting the experience. It’s nothing that can’t be easily fixed, at least Goro hopes so, but it’s enough to make him doubt if Akira made the right call for them to share the apartment. It’s bigger than the ones they had before, hence the funds they needed to rent this place were something they could barely afford and the effects are showing already.
For the last week the only time the boys were able to see each other were late evenings, all because of Akira being the only one working at the moment. When he’s done with the classes he immediately rushes over to his part-time job at the convenience store, and even then he needs to be in Crossroads in the evening to help out at the bar. As a result Akira comes back home right before their self-imposed bedtime, barely exchanging few words with Goro and falling asleep curled up by his side.
It was easy for Akira to get a job at the positions he used to occupy so long ago, and yet when Goro suggested he can switch with him so the ravenette can get at least one day to get some rest, he’s always met with a refusal. Not only that, whenever the brunette suggest the idea of finding a job himself, Akira vehemently disagrees for reasons known only to him. Goro understands the need to prove himself, but if Akira intends to keep it up for longer, it won’t end well for his health nor their relationship.
Eventually, after a whole week of rarely seeing each other, the ravenette has enough and takes a day off. Despite the exhaustion, Akira is dedicated to following Goro whenever he goes, and knowing that today is as good as any other day, Goro takes the shopping list and the both of them set out for an adventure to the nearest IKEA.
While it’s not the most alluring idea for a date, Goro hopes the trip will be short enough for them to still have some time left after they’re done. Unfortunately, having never been in this place, the size of the store was something he never took into consideration, much less the fact of where they can find everything they need. As it is, the boys are left with no clue as to where to go, stopping in every aisle to view the variety of items the market has to offer.
It doesn’t help the fact that Akira has taken up a challenge of trying to pronounce everything written on the labels, the task Goro himself isn’t even going to consider. But he has to admit, if they’re going to spend the next few hours lost between the shelves, it’s going to be much more enjoyable with hearing Akira’s pathetic attempts at correct pronunciation.
It’s when they find themselves in front of ‘Björksnäs’, the king sized bed, when Akira finally announces defeat. “Nope, not even gonna try.” he says, looking at Goro and noticing that the brunette is already staring at him expectedly with a smirk.
“Oh, so you’re telling me you conquered Kejsarkrona and Arkelstorp for your efforts to be foiled by a mere bed?” Goro goads him, voice way overdramatic.
Akira looks at him with surprise, “How the hell did you even remember these?”
“My ancestors are from Sweden, you know.” Goro replies matter-of-factly.
Akira’s eyes widen, “Really?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
Having already been tricked by Akira several times into taking part in one of his stupid puns, Goro considers this one as a victory for him and the boys move on to the next aisle. Surprisingly, they finally find what they were looking for, seeing the display of various armchairs standing next to each other.
“What do you need the armchair for anyway? You can always sit on me.” Akira helpfully points out.
Ah, so that’s how we’re going to play.
Goro puts a hand to his chin as if he’s considering the offer, “Hmm… I’m not sure. I’m afraid you’ll be a bit… too small for me.”
Akira clearly didn’t expect Goro to retaliate so viciously, “Ouch. Alright, you win this time.”
Goro smirks, “To answer your question, I’m sure we can expect some guests in the future. Don’t you think it would be better to have some more seats rather than for all of us to try and fit on the sofa? Or would you rather have them all sit on you, after all?” Goro turns towards Akira, his smirk turning mischevious.
Unfortunately, Akira isn’t going to back down this time. “Only you have that privilege, honey.” He looks away from Goro to look at the armchairs. “But seriously, should we choose one of these?”
With one item crossed out from the list, the boys move on to the next aisle, walking aimlessly until they find a more open area with an assortment of rugs all stacked on top of each other. The curtains are hanging not far from the carpets, making their quest so much easier. Once they’re near one of the stacks, the race to find the most hideous rug begins, Goro never expecting Akira to take this seriously anyway.
Unfortunately, knowing that it’s the beginning of November, anything Christmas related quickly takes the lead. Among the somewhat ordinary patterns such as flowers and uncoordinated lines, they give up the search when they finally encounter a mat in the shape of a snowman and finally focus on the true purpose of the visit.
“So you want Sterile or Avril Lavigne?” Akira asks, Goro looking at him with utter confusion, until Akira points at the names of the carpets, the labels reading ‘Stenlille’ and ‘Alvine’, and Goro silently prays for his own quick demise.
While choosing a carpet isn’t particularly challenging, combined with finding a matching curtains is proving to be more difficult than Goro anticipated. Not because of the lack of the proper colors, but because Akira turns out to be a stubborn mule with absolutely no sense of aesthetics whatsoever.
“So explain to me again how red doesn’t look awesome with beige.” Akira argues.
“I’m not saying it doesn’t. We were over this, I told you I don’t want to make the bedroom too dark.” Goro sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
Akira seems to consider his words, Goro being a second too long with predicting what he’s going to say, “Oh, got it. You’re right, if we decide to turn off the lights I’d rather see you properly.” the smile he sends Goro should be illegal in public, so the brunette quickly turns away and changes the subject.
“A-Anyway… How about these white ones? They should be okay, I think…” Nice save.
Akira smiles knowingly, already counting it as a win for him and replies, “Yeah, I guess they will do.” No need to argue anymore when he already got what he wanted. Goro wishes the ravenette would pay as much attention to the curtains as he does to him.
Writing down the names of the items they agreed to buy, the boys take one turn and thankfully find themselves surrounded by blankets, another essential addition to their apartment.
“Can’t we pass on this one?” Akira asks, scratching his head.
“It’s getting cold, I’d rather have something to prevent this during the evenings.” Goro answers, stepping away from Akira but not being fast enough.
“Okay, but have you considered this?” the ravenette walks up to Goro and wraps his hands around him. “You can have me for free! I can keep you warm, I’m just the right size and I can tell you that I love you every time you have trouble sleeping.” It’s not like him to leave openings like this.
Goro leans back against Akira after making sure nobody is around to see them. “Hmm… You bring up some good points.” It’s hard to detach himself from Akira’s arms, but the war continues. “But I believe I already told you you’re too small for me.”Goro steps away from Akira, arms going limp around him. It’s rare for the brunette to use the same line effectively like this, he’s not going to miss the opportunity.
He doesn’t expect Akira to strike back. “We’ll see about that.” Goro is glad he can’t see Akira’s face right now, inspecting various blankets and pretending to ignore the implication of his words.
With another item crossed out, the light coming from behind the shelves guides them to the display of lamps, which in turn illuminate the various types of mirrors already reflecting both of their faces.
“Don’t we have a lamp already? Why do you need another one? Enlighten me.” Akira inquires, turning on one of the lamps as the boys passed it.
“I just don’t think that one is particularly delightful is all.” Goro replies with a smirk.
“Really? Watts wrong with it?” Akira continues the banter, turning on another lamp.
“You’re not bright enough to think about it on your own?” Goro turns it off.
Akira pauses for a second, shaking his head. “Alright, you win this round Goro Akechi.” he announces with a deep voice. But Goro can see he’s not done.
Standing in front of a mirror composed of four smaller mirrors, Akira looks at the label and says “Well, there sure is lots of them.” Goro looks at the tag. The name says ‘Lots’.
“Alright, you’re out. That wasn’t even a real pun.”
“Ughh…” Akira seems disappointed with himself. “Alright, winner. Choose your reward, I guess.” It’s not the first time their banter turned into a competition, and yet the award stays the same.
“Come here then.” Goro says with amusement.
When Akira is close enough, Goro wounds his arms around him and pulls him into a kiss, shorter that the ones in the privacy of their own home, but long enough for Goro to open his eyes and see their reflections in the mirrors surrounding them. He closes his eyes, enjoying the last second of their kiss before they pull away from each other.
Akira smiles at him with his hands still on Goro’s waist, “I don’t even know why I try to win anyway. I can take the punishment any time."
~~~~~
In the end the flowers are the only thing left unchecked on their list, with Goro being extremely picky and either complaining about the color of the flowers or the lack of thereof. Agreeing on visiting the flower shop another day, they arrange the transport for all the items they bought, heading home soon after.
When they finally walk out of the store it’s already getting dark, only the faint orange hues are left covering the sky. The boys are walking towards the station when Akira makes a startled sound, “Oh! Hey, can you wait here for a minute?” Goro nods and follows Akira with his eyes when he disappears around the corner, wondering if there is something he left at the store and only remembered about it now.
He gets his answer when Akira gets back few minutes later, with his hands behind his back. He’s clearly hiding something but Goro makes no move to acknowledge it.
“So…” Akira starts, “ I know you said we’re going to buy some flowers some other time, but I don’t know when I’ll have another day off, so I though…” he reveals the present he’s been hiding from Goro, “… this one will suffice for now…?”
It’s a single red rose, the flower as bright and wide as the smile on Goro’s face. He takes the rose, mindful of the thorns on its stem, running his fingers over the delicate petals. “Thank you.” Goro says, his voice quiet.
Before Akira can say anything, Goro’s smile drops, “A shame, really. We could have bought the red curtains to match the rose.” It’s not like Akira will take it seriously.
Akira beams at him, “We can still go back!”
“No.”
“Oh.”