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It’s a Saturday today.
It’s a very special Saturday, in fact. It’s special because today is the day that Izumi is getting his wisdom teeth removed—all four of them. It’s a little bit unfortunate with him because he’s the one who is going to have to deal with having holes in his gums for a few weeks, but it is extremely fortunate for Leo, who gets to drop him off and then pick him up post-anesthetic.
He is very, very, very much looking forward to it.
Dropping him off in the late morning is no problem at all. Leo pulls into the shittily small-sized parking lot and shuts the car off, killing the (unnecessary, because it’s not very hot outside) air conditioning and the annoying radio advertisement that was playing in the background.
“I want to hear you say it,” Izumi says, turning to Leo with a sculpted frown on his face. “Tell me what time you’re going to pick me up.”
Silly, silly Izumi, making sure that Leo knows exactly what time he’s supposed to come back to pick him up. Leo couldn’t forget the time even if somebody paid him to, because he’s seriously so excited about this whole ordeal. “In one hour! I could never, ever forget that.”
“I was just making sure. I never totally know where your priorities lie, you know.” Izumi sighs, rubbing his face with his hands. “I don’t understand why you won't just sit inside and wait for me.”
“Sorry! I have lots of important things to do in the meantime, so I can’t waste time sitting around in a dentist’s office.” He shrugs halfheartedly. “Plus, that kind of environment isn’t conducive at all to the mood that I’m in!”
“And what kind of mood are you in?” Izumi asks, raising an eyebrow.
“That’s not important. You’re going to be late for your appointment, stupid Sena, so you better get going!” Leo smiles. “Do you need a wittle good luck kiss before you head in?”
It’s so, so easy to embarrass Izumi, honestly. His face immediately reddens at Leo’s question and he makes a strange sort of sound in the back of his throat that could potentially be categorized as a growl. Despite this visceral reaction, though, he tilts his head to the side and mumbles a quiet maybe.
That’s probably the best response Leo is going to get right now, so he leans in and plants a thorough kiss on his lips before leaning back into his seat. “Well, good luck! Don’t wake up during the surgery! That would suck!”
Izumi, whose face is still a wonderful shade of red, says whatever and then opens up the car door, sliding out onto the blacktop. “Don’t be late,” he says, and then he shuts the door with a dignified slam.
Leo watches him walk up the staircase and into the dentist’s office, eyes crinkled because of how hard he’s smiling. Sweet Izumi, going to get his teeth removed.
This is certainly going to be an enjoyable experience.
Leo has one hour of time to fill before he has to pick up Izumi, so he just goes to the park and walks around for a while. He didn’t actually have anything important to do—he was considering composing something, but then he would have to stop partway through and that’s not really something that he wants to do today because it would be more inconvenient than fun. Plus, pausing composing something and then starting it back up again at a much later date tends to make his head feel all funky and fuzzy, and he’d like to avoid that sensation if at all possible.
And he’s going to be spending the rest of his day with Izumi, oh-so-generously taking care of him and his mouth holes. So there isn’t really any time to start up again.
Anyway—the park. He walks around for forty minutes, lifting up rocks and trying to skip stones on a nearby pond and failing miserably because they aren’t flat enough. He doesn’t do much of anything else, though, save for picking a flower and poking it into his hair.
Once he’s done enough walking around and staring at grass, he gets back into his car and drives to the dentist’s office again. His stomach is jittering with excitement, so curious to see what exactly Izumi is going to behave like, what exactly he’s going to say. This is a vulnerable side of Izumi that is rather honoring to see, especially considering that Izumi didn’t want anybody else to pick him up except for Leo.
It’d be too embarrassing for anybody else to see me all… loopy, he had huffed the other week, hands folded across his chest as he spoke. The confession had made Leo’s head dizzy with emotions, dizzy with how special and important it made him feel.
He pulls back into the shitty little parking lot and turns the car off before heading inside. Leo skips over to the stairs and then takes them two by two until he’s facing the office’s front door, which he swings open rather grandiosely. It’s a surprise that the little flower hasn’t fallen out of his hair yet.
Checking in a little bit awkward, because the receptionist doesn’t have nearly the same amount of enthusiasm for this whole thing as Leo does, but whatever. She leads him back through a hallway and into a recovery room—the dentistry equivalent to one, anyway—where Izumi waits for him, laying down on the cushioned table.
“Seeeeeeena,” Leo says, poking him in the arm. “Are you awake?”
Izumi opens his eyes, looking rather bleary, and blinks a couple of times before he sits up. “Um,” he manages. There are wads of gauze sticking out of his mouth covered in blood droplets and saliva, which is a little bit gross but also a lot funny, so Leo doesn’t really care.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Leo sings, poking Izumi once for every word he says.
“Am I awake?” Izumi asks, looking rather confused. “Um… I don’t know. Are you awake?”
“I’m veeeery awake,” Leo affirms, nodding his head wildly. He sticks his arm out to Izumi and he takes it slowly. Leo gets him off of the table and onto the floor, encouraging him to stand up properly.
Izumi stomps his feet against the ground. “Floor,” he says.
“Yep, floor.” Leo is nodding a lot. “Definitely the floor.”
The receptionist behind them clears her throat in a very passive aggressive way and interrupts their funny little moment. “He’s going to be out of it for a little while,” she explains. “Get him to lay down for a little while. Change the gauze after an hour, and then discard the new gauze after another hour. Soft foods only. Oh, and make sure that he doesn’t drink anything through a straw, otherwise he’ll get dry sockets.”
Leo doesn’t really know what the fuck that means, but he nods anyway because he doesn’t want to stand around in the dentist’s office anymore. “Got it,” he says.
Beside him, Izumi is still stomping his feet against the floor and staring at his shoes, as if he has just discovered gravity for the very first time. It’s quite amusing and most definitely makes Leo want to kiss him on the face, but that’s probably not a good idea what with all of the gauze and swelling.
“Come ooon, let’s go home,” he says, hooking his arm around Izumi’s, hoping that this is enough to keep him balanced as they trek to the car.
Izumi is pretty compliant, walking with Leo out of the office and down the staircase and to the car. Leo holds the door open for him and helps him get into the car before climbing into the driver’s seat and turning the ignition on.
“This isn’t my house,” Izumi says, touching the window. “I don’t live here.”
“Nope, this is my car,” Leo replies, backing out of the parking spot. “It’s not a house.”
Izumi whips his head away from the window and looks at Izumi, eyes wide. “Where are we going?”
“Like I said before, we’re going home. It’ll only take ten minutes to get there, so just relax until we arrive, okay? Stupid Sena.”
Izumi stares blankly at Leo, giving off an expression that says I wasn’t really paying attention to what you were saying. “But I thought you said this isn’t a house.”
Leo cracks a smile. He’s trying really, really hard not to burst into laughter. “No, this still isn’t a house. I’m using the car to drive to the house, which is where we live.”
“You live with me?” Izumi tilts his head like a puppy.
“Yep,” Leo says, nodding. “Seriously, just relax. It won’t be long until we get back.”
“It’s like I’m watching a movie,” Izumi suddenly says, barely leaving any pause at all between his words and Leo’s. He must be referring to the scenery through the windows, Leo thinks, because he isn’t exactly sure what else he might be talking about.
Leo decides to play along. “Sure is!” he exclaims, making a left turn. “Enjoy the movie, Sena . ”
And Izumi does. He stares out the window the rest of the car ride, saying nothing else, and Leo starts giggling because he really just can’t help himself.
Getting Izumi inside of the house is a little bit of an ordeal, because he keeps stomping his feet against the ground. Leo debates carrying him, but he isn’t sure whether or not that would be a good idea because Izumi would definitely squirm around too much.
After a little bit of gentle manhandling, though, he manages to get Izumi inside. He even takes his shoes off for him—Leo mentally pats himself on the back for that—and then guides him over to the couch, holding his hand, and sits him down.
“Sooo… how are you feeling?” he asks, putting his hands on his hips.
Izumi looks up at Leo slowly, blinking his eyes as if he’s just woken up from a six-year long nap. “Um… I think that there’s a blanket in my mouth,” he says, reaching to touch the gauze.
“Don’t touch your mouth, Sena, you got your wisdom teeth removed, remember? You have to keep the gauze—”
“My wisdom teeth?” Izumi suddenly looks very, very sad. “Does that mean… does that mean that I’m stupid now?”
Leo covers up his mouth with his hand and laughs into it, squatting so that he’s at eye-level with Izumi. “Yep, you’re stupid now. But only for a little while. You won’t be stupid forever!”
Izumi’s mouth hangs open. “I don’t want to be stupid,” he says, frowning. “Leo, I don’t want to be stupid.”
“It’s only for a couple of hours,” Leo hums, reaching out to pet Izumi on the head. Even when he’s coming off of anesthetics he’s still so much like a cat, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. “Then you’ll get alllll of your wisdom back, all right?”
“Okay…” he mumbles, sounding utterly defeated.
Ah, how cute. Leo pets him a few more times and then hauls himself back up into a standing position. “Can I get you anything?” he asks.
Izumi isn’t really listening, it appears, because he’s moving his tongue around in his mouth and staring at the floor.
Leo tries again. “Sena?”
“Um… I think I lost my tongue somewhere,” he says, reaching up to touch his mouth again.
“Seriously, stop touching your—ugh, ewwwwww, you’re drooling! You’re gonna get it on the couch!”
“I’m not a couch,” Izumi says, frowning again. Leo nearly throws his hands into the air in exasperation but then he doesn’t, because instead he has to dash into the kitchen to get a paper towel. He hurries back into the living room and sits down next to Izumi, who is very much drooling now.
Leo wipes his face and shirt with the paper towel and crumples it up when he’s finished, setting it on the side. “Don’t move your tongue around so much,” he says, “or else you’re gonna keep drooling and it’s going to get everywhere.”
“But I lost my tongue,” Izumi says, still reaching up to touch his mouth.
Leo sighs. Izumi is a piece of work. “Your tongue is still there, silly Sena, it’s just numb from the medication.”
“Oh.” Izumi looks rather disappointed. “I didn’t know that.”
“Weeeeell, now you do.” Leo smiles at him. “Anyway, I asked you if you needed anything a few minutes ago. Do you?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “You’re… hehe. You’re acting like my husband.”
Leo has never experienced the sensation of his head flying off of his body, but he thinks that right now, he’s pretty close to experiencing it. His stomach flutters with excitement, flutters with Izumi’s remark, dancing around without a care in the world. “Hmhm. If that’s what you want, I’ll be your husband for today.”
Izumi wraps his arms around Leo’s waist, squishing his face against his arm as he clings rather relentlessly. Leo can’t feel his limbs. Izumi rarely ever acts like this, rarely ever displays his affectionate side so easily, rarely ever surrenders to his clinginess. “Okay,” Izumi says. “We’re married now.”
“Yep, we’re married." A grin. "Hey—do you want to change your clothes? You don’t have to sit around in jeans for the rest of the afternoon.”
“Umm… um.” Izumi sits up and blinks. “Sure.”
“I’ll be riiiight back,” Leo says, hopping to his feet. “I’ll go get you something comfortable.”
“Nooo, no, wait,” Izumi whines, gripping Leo’s arm as if it were about to fall off. “Stay with me.”
Leo inexplicably wants to cry. “I’ll only be gone for a second. Just to get your clothes. I’ll be right back, promise!”
Izumi sighs, releasing Leo’s arm only after a short moment. “Fine. Be fast. One second.”
Clearly Leo cannot retrieve another shirt and pair of sweatpants for Izumi within the span of one second, but he runs into the bedroom as fast as he can anyway, because he knows that Izumi will complain and mope if he isn’t as fast as humanly possible. He digs out a pair of grey sweatpants and one of his own shirts—Izumi won’t ever admit it, but he really likes wearing Leo’s clothes—and then heads back over to the couch, which Izumi has more thoroughly spread himself out on.
“Here you go,” he says, presenting the clothes. “Need help?”
“No,” Izumi hisses, snatching the clothes out from Leo’s hands. He sniffles. “Um… yes, actually. Uh… what am I doing with these again?”
Leo laughs aloud, finally, because he seriously can’t hold it in any longer. He wipes away the tears forming in his eyes, holding his other hand against his stomach. Izumi stares at him as he laughs, mouth still hanging open a little bit.
“What’s funny?” he asks, making a face.
“You,” Leo says, combing a gentle hand through Izumi’s hair. “Now stand up, you little baby. I’ll help you change.”
Izumi does as he is told and Leo helps him out of his clothes. The whole process is kind of slow, because it’s clear that Izumi is starting to get a little sleepy, but after a little while Leo manages to get him into his shirt and the sweatpants.
“Tired?” Leo asks.
Izumi does a weak little nod sort of thing as he sits back on the couch. He’s still for a moment, and then he starts moving to lay down, but Leo remembers that they have to—
“Wait!” he exclaims, flinging his hands out at his sides. “I have to change your gauze first.”
“Um.” Izumi blinks. “The blanket?”
“Yep, yep. The blanket in your mouth.”
Leo takes the little gauze packet that the dentist gave him on their way out and tears it open using his teeth, feeling very feral about the whole thing. He bends down in front of Izumi again and holds a hand out in front of him. “Open your mouth,” he tells him.
Izumi listens, opening his mouth up. Leo extracts the gross old gauze from his mouth, cringing at how… disgusting it looks, and shoves it back into the little plastic bag that the new gauze was sealed in. Then he folds the gauze twice, holds Izumi’s jaw with his hand, and puts the new gauze into his mouth.
“This is just another blanket,” Izumi says. “Why are you putting blankets into my mouth?”
“It’s gauze, not a blanket! You only have to wear it for another hour. Don’t complain so much, it’s giving me a headache!”
Izumi doesn’t say anything in response to that besides um, so Leo takes the opportunity to sit down next to him. “Want to lay down?” he asks, touching him on the arm.
“Yeah,” Izumi says, and he’s swaying a little bit in his sleepiness, so Leo helps him lay down, making sure to comfortably settle his head down on a pillow.
Leo moves to stand up, but Izumi grabs his arm again and tugs him forward. “Don’t leave,” he says, and his voice sounds so genuine and open and forthright that Leo doesn’t think his heart is going to be able to take it. Izumi is absolutely adorable like this, all delirious and goofy and soft on the edges. Leo feels lucky that he gets to see him in this way—it’s a special moment between the two of them, even if it’s a little bit silly.
“Okay,” he says, staying seated. “But aren’t you cold?”
“You have a body,” Izumi says, extending his arms out. “Keep me warm, Leo.”
Leo nearly jumps on top of him. He wriggles his way into Izumi’s arms, pressing his cheek against his chest, trying to avoid his face as much as possible as to not hurt him. Izumi embraces him slowly, keeping his hands settled against Leo’s back.
It seems that he’s been roped into a nap.
“I have to get you up in an hour to take the gauze out,” Leo warns. “Just so you know!”
“Hm,” Izumi mumbles, waving his hand around. “Whatever.”
Clearly he isn’t very interested in talking anymore, so Leo closes his eyes and shuts up, deciding to soak in the moment rather than interrupt it.
He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but it happens eventually.
Later that night—long after Leo had removed the second bit of gauze—finds the two of them sitting back on the couch, staring at whatever is on television. Izumi is drinking some broth, looking miserable and no longer woozy, and Leo is finishing up his takeout.
“You called me your husband,” Leo says matter-of-factly, grinning wide. He’s spent the last twenty minutes recounting everything that Izumi had done while he was recovering from the anesthetic.
“I know,” Izumi grits through his teeth, acting all grumpy again. His face is a sweet pink color, betraying the cranky frown on his lips. “You’ve told me. And I remember it, kind of.”
“Weeell,” Leo sings, leaning against him, “I’m gonna keep reminding you! Forever and ever, so that you never forget! Wahahaha!”
“Hmph,” Izumi grumbles, setting his broth down and crossing his arms over his chest. “Do what you want.”
And Leo certainly will. He wraps his arms around Izumi, switching the position that they were in earlier, a smile still spread out across his face—he seriously can’t stop smiling. “I will!” he says, pressing a kiss to Izumi’s arm. “I will, husband.”
Izumi makes another grumbling sound, and Leo laughs and laughs and laughs. He keeps holding onto Izumi through it all, returning the earlier clinginess times ten.
He’ll never forget this. He’ll never forget this version of Izumi, silly and woozy and mushy. Leo loves all versions of Izumi, even the miserable ones, because every version of Izumi is Leo’s. His Izumi. His Izumi.
He’ll never forget.