Chapter Text
A white-haired, yet young man approached the jewelry store. His eyes shone at the sparkling diamonds embedded in the silver and gold bands, though that wasn't what he was looking for. He needed an engagement ring for the man he loved most, Adam. They had been together for almost four years now, and Shiro was more than ready to pop the question.
A slightly younger male sat on a tall stool by the display case, waving good-bye to a couple who had purchased a pair of earrings. He looked up at Shiro. "Hello, my name is Keith. How may I help you today?"
The hopefully-to-be fiancé stopped in his tracks at the sight of Keith. He held in a gasp. Instead of going bananas and forgetting Adam existed, he cleared his throat and requested to see the rings on sale.
"Oh, planning to get hitched? Lucky guy," Keith chuckled, shuffling to a display case. "Something vintage? Or perhaps a different style?"
Shiro shifted his gaze to several different rings, nibbling on his fingernail thoughtfully. "You'd think that after six months of me pondering this moment, I would've thought about what ring to get him,"
"Six months, huh? How long have you two been together?"
"Four years. Since we were both 23,"
Keith nodded. He extended an index finger to a simple silver-colored ring sitting on a foam finger. "How about that one? Don't know what exactly you're looking for, but that's a nice one,"
Shiro hummed in response. "How much is it?"
"4,000?" Keith bargained. He rapped his fingers gently on the glass case as he waited for an answer.
"That'll be fine," Shiro said, pulling his credit card from his wallet. Keith took it and hid his solemn expression behind the choppy bangs of his outdated hair, swiping the card through the small machine. He tapped his fingers on the case again as he waited for the machine to deny or accept his credit card. He handed it back to Shiro when he heard a loud ping. "Is that it?"
Shiro nodded, shoving the card back into his wallet. "Thank you,"
"No problem. Come again," Keith murmured quietly as the soon-to-be engaged man left the store. He held his bottom lip tight between his teeth, repressing a loud and longing sigh. That pretty man would be getting married soon, no doubt. He'd have a future with a different man, not Keith.
The crying need in Keith's heart filled him with an indescribable burn. He had the inclination to go sulk mindlessly in the restroom near, but his shift was nowhere close to being complete. He decided to pine by himself in his room at home later to cry over the stranger approaching wedlock.
Shiro groaned, looking up the sky. Rain poured down from the dark clouds. He clutched the bag to his chest and hunched over to protect it, worried the ring would somehow be ruined if it touched a single droplet of water. He sighed, wishing he had taken his car instead of getting his steps in.
Shiro rushed home as fast and as carefully as he could, praying the rain would let up soon. He burst into his apartment, panting and wheezing. A startled Adam looked up from his book, his chocolate brown eyes full of concern.
"Takashi! Oh, my God. You're soaked,"
It hadn't taken long for something to convince Shiro Adam was the love of his life. They had met in a coffee shop, when Shiro had accidentally knocked over his macchiato and spilled it onto Adam. From then they had laughed at his clumsiness and exchanged phone numbers.
Shiro held the bag at his side, cautious to not give away what the item inside was. "Yeah. It's pouring out there,"
Adam folded the page he had been on, closing the book gently. The hardback cover thumped softly against the paper. "What's inside the bag?"
Shiro spoke as casually as he could, spouting the first thing that came into his head. "Lozenges,"
"You're sick? Oh no," Adam shuffled to Shiro, resting the back of his hand on his boyfriend's forehead.
"It's just the common cold," Shiro said, gingerly batting Adam's hand away.
"You shouldn't have been in the rain, Takashi. Let's get you into dry clothes," Adam took the bag and set it on the counter, dragging Shiro to the bedroom to get him changed.
"No, really. Adam, I'm fine—,"
"Hush. I'll make you some soup,"