Work Text:
I had seen all the warning signs. Work has been so demanding. Rebuilding a city isn’t easy and reverse engineering drugs to ensure the safety of citizens, while not killing them, is even worse. On Wednesday I came home at two in the morning. But the soup was still hot, lightly simmering on the stove with Nezumi asleep on the couch. Then, on Thursday the same soup was packed up and ready to go when I left the house at six. Friday night was a disaster. While putting out my clothes for tomorrow I had realized I had no clean shirts. So, on Saturday I finally had a day off. Only because you can’t go to work with no pants on. That night Nezumi had convinced me that sleeping without a shirt can make you sick, even though it’s the middle of June. He wouldn’t let me out of his grasp all night. The next time I woke up all my shirts were ironed He said mom stopped by, but she would never iron shirts so poorly. On Monday I forgot all my papers at home. Between apologizing, losing my car keys, and sitting through a meeting completely unprepared, my paper magically reappeared. However, the biggest sign should have been today. Nezumi agreed to take a walk with me, even though it’s was so incredibly hot. I’m not some lizard, he argued, but I can’t think indoors. We settled on a walk through the woods to help me mull over my latest testing procedure. So many different chemicals needed to be isolated, cross exanimated, diluted, and who knows what else. My head was still hurting this morning’s meeting.
But it still caught me off guard.
“I love you” his whispered, almost inaudible over the rustling leaves. Reminding me of that day when we walked into his past, stepping lightly through woods and caves, secrets unraveling silently. He was silent back then, but I could hear his heart beating. His soul was reaching out to me. And now, again, I could hear a thumping noise, one, two, three, speeding up. Everything I was thinking about escaped my brain.
Oh god, I have to say something, what do I say. I only tell him five times a day that I love him. Had I forgotten that this week? I’ve been so busy. Does he think I stopped loving him? What could I say now that I would mean something? I want to reassure him, I’m sorry for working so much. I’m sorry that No. 6 is always in our way, even know. He starts speeding up. A chill runs down my spine, I don’t want to get left behind. How to I tell him, how can I let him know, he means the world to me.
He is my world.
His back to me, I reach forward and stumble over a root. But I reach him anyways. My arms wrap around him, my hands slipping into his, my head on his shoulder, my face burrowing into his shirt.
“I love you too, Nezumi” I finally say, squeezing him tighter. He’s so much stronger than me that he manages to turn around and face me. Then I see it, his eyes are so bright. The sunlight shining through the trees illuminating his face but leaving his hair in shadow, almost pitch black. He’s never looked at me like this.
“Are you crying?” He says, his voice filled with concern, but I can hear a hint of laughter at the end.
Very funny Nezumi.
“No,” I say, but I taste a tiny bit of salt of my tongue. His lips curl up, I start to object. But I can’t say anything with his lips on mine. It’s really hot. He’s really hot. His hand traveling up my back, up my shirt. Now I can really feel the tears coming on, but I can’t help it. He holds me tight as I cry into his shirt. I could probably stand here for the rest of my life.
“I really love you, Shion” He whispers into my ear. That’s when I really start sobbing.