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“O-nii-san!” The younger girl looks around the room before her eyes laid on your boyfriend. “Look at what Y/N made!”
You smile as he sluggishly pushes himself off the floor to walk into the dining room where you and his younger sister, Aiko, have been making paper origami containers for the dinner the Matsukawa’s were hosting tomorrow. The little girl holds up the small container, proudly displaying it in the palm of her hand. Issei gently takes it from her, holding it carefully with a small smile on his face.
“It’s perfect.” He leans down, pressing a kiss to the side of your head and whispers, “like you.”
You felt your cheeks burn from embarrassment, turning to look out the sliding glass door rather than your boyfriend or his family. What no one but Issei knew was that you spent the last week learning how to make the small containers after his sister asked you to help her. He had told you not to worry about it, it was rather simple once you made a few, but you really wanted to help make them perfect.
The two of you had been together for just a little over a year now, so this would be the first time you were meeting some of his extended family; a few aunts, uncles and cousins who live out in Tokyo, you just wanted to make a good impression. He told you that it didn’t matter what they thought about you, all that mattered were his feelings for you which couldn’t be changed over a distant cousin’s opinion.
“Jii-chan used to make these all the time.” Tatsuo, Issei’s younger brother says as he walks through the room and into the kitchen.
“His were the best!” Aiko beams, turning her attention back to the task at hand.
You reach out, grabbing Issei’s hand before giving it a gently and comforting squeeze. He didn’t speak much about him after he passed away, but you knew they were close based off the stories you heard from Hanamaki. Issei smiles at you before going back into the living room, leaving you and Aiko to finish up.
* *
A soft knock on your door wakes you up early the next morning, you and Issei had stayed at his parents’ house and much to Issei’s dismay, you got his room while had to sleep in Tatsuo’s room. You yawn, rubbing your eyes as you open it to see Issei already dressed with his coat and scarf on.
“Issei?” You turn back, glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand: 7:21 AM. “Where are you going?”
“Get ready. I want to take you somewhere.”
You stare at him blankly, the sleep still clouding your mind as you struggle to process his words. He pushes passed you, going straight for your suitcase. Before you could say anything, he’s already pulled out one of your go to outfits, handing the clothing to you.
“if we don’t hurry, Aiko will wake up and then we can’t leave.”
You raise an eyebrow before shaking your head, tiptoeing towards the bathroom. When you come out, Issei drapes his scarf around you before handing your coat and phone. You want to tell him to chill, to give you a minute to wake up, that he’s acting strange. But you love him, so you button up your coat, take his hand and follow him.
Despite his intimidating appearance and rather odd career choice, your Issei preferred to spend his free moments either in bed or on the couch, arms wrapped around you. He enjoyed listening to your voice, whether it be talking about your day or reading some random article you clicked on due to the clickbait title.
The chilly wind sends a brief chill down your spine, pulling the scarf a bit tighter around your neck and you silent thank the heavens that Issei thought ahead to turn on the car letting it heat up before you got in.
“Where are we going, Issei?” You shiver as he opens the door for you, rubbing your hands together as the warmth embraces you.
“You’ll see when we get there.”
You puff out your cheeks, giving him a small pout just as he turns away from you, focusing his attention on driving. There’s just a small amount of snow on the ground, most of it had melted over the last few days, but Issei is driving as if there’s snow coating the ground. You smile when you notice how his brows are slightly knit together, pure concentration on his face. You once made that joke that he drove like an old man because you were his precious cargo and he’s never let that go and absolutely refuses to let Hanamaki drive you anywhere.
“Are we there yet?”
“Has the car stopped?”
“Issei!” You huff, crossing your arms over your chest. It is too early for his teasing, not to mention you didn’t even get a little snack for breakfast before he had pushed you out of the house and on the impromptu journey.
It was another ten minutes before the car finally stops and Issei walks over to your side of the car to open the door. The chilly air starts to whips around you, stinging your cheeks and nose as you try to sink lower into your boyfriend’s scarf. He takes your hand, you weren’t sure how in this weather but his are warm as he pulls you along with him, the destination of your trip still unclear to you.
He pulls you closer to his side after you shiver, the chill creeping down your neck and when you look up at him, you can’t really gauge his expression while he chews on the inside of his cheek. Looking around you don’t see anything remarkable, a standard playground is a little way down the small hill you’re walking up, the half melted, half dirty snow clinging to the equipment and ground.
You wrap your arm around his lower back, trying and hoping that he can feel your love and comfort through the small gesture. Issei was known for his small gestures through your relationship, he didn’t do over the top things like some guys do and you were thankful for it. He showed his feelings for you in the little things he did like when you text him that you’re tired and ten minutes later he’s at your job with your favorite coffee and a muffin. Or when you’ve had a bad day and he lets you watch your favorite movie that you quote the whole way through. When he wakes up early on his day off to make sure he can start the car up so it’s warm when you go out there. It was one of these simple gestures that made you fall for him when you first met.
* *
“Ugh!” You stomped your foot, irritated with how the day just wouldn’t end. The day started off promising, your boss called you in and mentioned there was an opening in your department and you were on the short list. The day went downhill from there. You spilt coffee on your pants right before an important presentation, all three printers on your hall decided not to work and to top it off, your least favorite coworker was on the promotion short list too.
It didn’t get any better when you left work. Your train was late and then when you finally boarded an hour later, there was another delay. You finally got home, two hours later than usual only to remember it was laundry day and you couldn’t ignore the overfull basket any longer.
And there you were, standing in a laundromat at some late hour, restarting the dryer for the third time since the clothes were still damp. The hum of the machines filled the almost empty building. One woman was engrossed in knitting and the man with her had fallen asleep, head leaned back against the wall. You sighed, pulling your phone from your pocket before walking outside, thinking maybe fresh air would calm you down.
You moved away from the door when you saw someone walking up with their own laundry, asking yourself who in the world would come out this late, though here you were so your argument had holes.
**
You wanted to scream when you walked back in, this mystery person, some man with messy black hair was taking your laundry out of the dryer. You weren’t sure what pissed you off more, the fact he was taking your clothes out of a dryer that hadn’t gone off yet or that there were two clearly available dryers.
You walked up, slammed your hand on the lid of the nearby washing machine, pulling his attention from his task. “Those are mine.”
“I figured as much.”
“Why are you touching them? You can use the other dryers.”
“This dryer doesn’t work.” He shrugged, turning on the dryer to machines down that now held your clothes. “You’d be here all night waiting for them to fully dry.”
“I-“ You wanted to be mad, to tell him that you clearly knew that, but you can’t. Maybe it was the fact that it’d been a long day or the fact that you had been looking out for yourself for so long that this simple exchange felt like more than it was.
“There used to be a sign, guess it got knocked off. Either way, they should be done in maybe thirty minutes.”
You watched him turn on the washing machine he was next to, filing it up with what looked to whites. Did people still do that, separate based on color? You remember your mom did, but you were always in a rush so you threw them all together and hoped for the best.
“T-thank you.” He looked up at you confused so you continued, “for the dryer thing. Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
* *
“Here we are.”
It takes you a few moments to register that you have stopped walking, standing there in front of a metal bench that Issei has wiped the snow off of. You look between the bench and your boyfriend a few times, essentially giving up on why here mattered.
He sits down, grabbing your hand to pull you down next to him as he stretches his legs out in front of him. Even after you’ve sat that, he doesn’t let go of your hand, squeezing it just a little, a silent reminder to himself that you’re right there.
“Jii-chan used to bring me here a lot.” He clears his throat, “I’ve always stayed to myself, even as a kid, but it happened more after Aiko and Tatsuo were born. So he would bring me here, just the two of us and we’d talk or not talk. Sometimes I’d run down the hill to the park and play for a bit while he sat up here. We didn’t come out as much when I started getting more into volleyball and by high school, the trips completely stopped. After he…I came here thinking maybe he was just waiting here for me and now I come here to just think or to be with him, I guess.”
You didn’t know what to say or if you should say anything. The two of you had talked about deep personal moments before, but this felt different, his tone was softer and almost fragile-like. The way he held on to your hand, squeezing it again as if to make sure you were still there. You just lean against him, your head resting on the top of his shoulder, praying that conveys all you wish you could say.
“He always told me to find someone special, someone that could accept me for me, someone important to me enough to bring here.” He pulls away from you, just enough to turn to the side and face you, “This is the first time I’ve ever brought anyone here.”
You feel your heart skip a beat at his words and you realize that while it looks like a simple thing, you know it’s much more than that. That in Issei’s world this is a grand gesture and all you can do is smile.
“I think,” his voice cracks, just a few tears slipping down his cheeks that you quickly wipe away with your thumb. “No, I know that he would love you just as much as I do.”
“Love me like you do? What are you trying to say Issei?” You try to keep a straight face, but the excitement hearing him say those three words demands a smile.
You had been the first one to say them to him on your four-month anniversary. They came out too fast, too eager, too publicly since you were in a crowded café, but he simply nodded his head at you. It wasn’t until you had both walked out of the building that he leaned down next to your ear and whispered it back.
“Do I really have to say it? I know you know.”
“You really have to say it.”
He shakes his head, taking both your hands in his, “Y/N, I love you.”
“I love you, Issei.”
“I was going to give this to you tonight, but I think now is a good time.”
Knitting your brows together, you look at your boyfriend who is digging around in his pockets. A light bulb seems to go off, leaving you to assume he’s found what he’s looking for.
“Jii-chan wanted for me to give this to that someone special.” He shrugs before handing you a small box which makes your heart stop.
The size of the box slightly worried you, scaring you enough to not want to open it. But like always Issei reads your mind, picks up on your uneasiness and squeezes your hand comfortingly as you open it.
You don’t respond right away, looking at the ring and feeling like it was somehow staring back at you. It’s a dark metal ring, that Issei explains his grandfather used some old scrap metal he had to make it for his grandmother at the beginning of their courtship. But even with all that, you still weren’t sure what your boyfriend’s meaning behind it was. You two were already dating, but you hadn’t been dating nearly enough for it to be an engagement ring, right?
“It’s a promise ring.” He lets your hand go, you turn to look at him. When you don’t speak up to fill the void, he does. “Makki said it was lame.”
“It’s not lame.” You smile, “I love it.”
“Really? Cause if you want, I can get you one that isn’t over 50 years old.” He reaches for the box, but you yank it away.
“Uhm, no.” You take the ring out, trying to put it on your right ring finger, but it’s a little small. “You can’t have it back. It’s mine now.”
* *
“Where on earth did you two wonder off to so early?” Issei’s mother asks you as you both try to shuffle through the doorway.
“Just a quick errand.”
“Everyone should be here shortly, if you want to change.” His mother looks at both of you, the bottom of your jeans wet from the snow.
“O-nii-san!” Aiko tugs on Issei’s hand, trying to get him to squat down to her level as the two of you try to walk to his childhood room. “O-nii-san!”
“Ai-chan, what is it?”
She puts her hand up as she leans to whisper in his ear since he’s finally given in and squatted down, as she’s shielding her words from you. “Did you give them Jii-chan ring?”
You try to mask a smile, her whispering coming out more like low shouts. Issei nods which causes his baby sister to squeal loudly, running down the hallway to tell their mother. He looks up at you, shaking his head as you start to laugh.
“I swear she likes you than me.”
You give him a one shoulder shrug, “I am pretty great.”
* *
“Issei, come here.” His mother waves him over while one of his aunts has your attention, talking your ear off about how happy she was that Issei found someone like you.
A thin rectangular box is placed in his hand when he gets closer to her, his back to you shielding the exchange.
He raises an eyebrow, “what’s this?”
“A chain for Y/N to wear the ring on.” She looks over at you, laughing and mingling as if you’ve known everyone for years.
“How did you know it was too small?”
She swats his arm, “oh please. It was too small for my mother to wear.” His mom looks up at Issei, watches as his looks at you with an adoring expression. “They’re pretty special, huh?”
He smiles, suddenly seeing you in many other family events, year after year, seamlessly fitting in, next to his side. “I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.”