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The sun was just coming up as Omi walked into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. It was the first day of a new school year for the younger members and he wanted to prepare a special breakfast to send them off with. He didn't mind waking up a little extra early, and cooking a full meal alone in silence was a nice change of pace.
What he wasn't expecting, was to see Sakyo sitting at the table, papers spread out everywhere. Omi could see the dark circles behind his glasses - he clearly hadn't slept all night.
"Azami won't be happy with you staying up so late you know," Omi said while walking past.
"You think I care what that brat thinks?"
"Yes, actually," Omi was interrupted by a snort from Sakyo, "And it's not just Azami anyways. You've been looking tired lately, and now this...I'm worried about you."
"Just 'cause you're everyone else's mom doesn't make you mine."
Laughing, Omi brought over some coffee and a snack to Sakyo, "Here, take this, since I assume I'm not going to be able to force you to take a nap before you start work."
Grumbling, Sakyo took the coffee and food, "You assume correctly. What are you doing up so early anyways?"
"Making breakfast for the schoolboys, it's their first day back today."
"Oh right...I had gotten some supplies for Azami...I gotta make sure he takes them, and he has a new uniform to wear and he'll need a lunch now that he's in high school and blah blah blah..."
Amused at the amount of thought Sakyo was putting into Azami's high school debut, Omi carried on his work with breakfast. "So what are you killing yourself over lately?" Omi asked after a while.
"Training camp for Summer and Autumn Troupes."
"Just that?"
"Whaddya mean just that? If it's too much like a previous training camp, it'll be boring and not challenging. Our finances have been doing better lately but we've also been spending it all on more elaborate productions, so we still don't have much to spare for something like a camp and..."
"Ok ok I get it. So where are you stuck at specifically?"
"Shouldn't you be cooking?"
"I am. I can help and cook at the same time."
"Ugh bothering me isn't helping."
"If you're stuck, talking can help, so talk."
"Alright...well it's not easy to decide between..."
Sakyo and Omi continued to talk through the dilemma as Omi finished making breakfast. They managed to plan out the whole training camp in time to get Sakyo's papers off the table and make room for breakfast.
Azami predictably chewed out Sakyo when he saw how tired he was, which Sakyo deflected with grilling him about his first day of high school. Omi smiled at the pair. "This is just how they care," he thought to himself.
After seeing the uni boys off, Omi set about cleaning up the disaster zone that was the dining table. Breakfast had gone over very well, with a continuous stream of boys coming to grab what they could before leaving. It was now the quiet hour where the adults got ready for work. Omi was hoping there would be breakfast left over for them but...he should've known better than to hope for such a thing, so he got to work making some omelettes.
He was eating his own small breakfast when Sakyo returned, ready for work now.
"Sakyo-san! Did you want something to eat before leaving?"
"No I ate before I'll be-" Sakyo collapsed before he could finish his sentence. Omi lept up and caught him before he hit the floor. Sakyo opened his eyes, "Wha-, Fushimi? What happened?"
Omi was frowning, "You collapsed. You've been overworking yourself again. Do I need to call the director to have her chew you out?"
"Tch- no..."
"Good, then you're staying in today," Omi grinned, helping Sakyo over to the sofa.
"I am not! I'll just rest for a bit, have some food and then..."
"Nope, not unless you want the director on your case," Omi was still grinning.
"Fine, I guess I'll have some breakfast then...do I smell omelettes?"
"Yes you do!" Omi set Sakyo down on the sofa and got him a plate of breakfast.
Once Sakyo finished eating, Omi carried him back to his room to get some rest. He fell asleep almost immediately, which Omi noted when he went to check up on him. Ever since that day, Omi made a habit of checking that Sakyo was sleeping every night, and scolded him if he found him up late.
Soon enough, it was time to leave for training camp that Sakyo had planned. But Omi had something else in mind.
"You sure you're okay with this?" Omi was in the director's room, having a hushed conversation.
"I think it's a great idea actually, but you know he won't be okay with this," Izumi had a worried look on her face.
"Aha..." Omi laughed nervously, "I'll admit it's going to be a bit dangerous on my part, but I'm sure it'll be fine."
"I'll leave it all to you then, good luck," Izumi patted Omi on the shoulder, still looking very worried, "And I'll explain it to the rest of the boys when we get there."
As everyone piled into the bus that had been booked, Omi took Sakyo aside, "Wanna ride with me instead?" he said with a smile.
"In the sidecar of your motorcycle? No thanks," Sakyo's face was stern as ever, he barely even looked at Omi as he responded.
"You can sit behind me then!" Omi said as he put his arm around Sakyo's slender shoulders.
"Tch- why would I ever-" Sakyo tried to shrug off Omi's arm.
"Great, come this way!" Omi started to lead Sakyo towards his motorcycle.
"Hey! What do you think you're-" Sakyo was starting to sound scary.
"You're telling me you'd rather spend five hours on a bus with the Summer Troupe boys and Banri and Juza? This will be a much nicer ride, trust me. It'll help you relax before the training starts." Omi raised his eyebrow.
"Alright I see your point...I'll take the sidecar since it'll be a long trip..." Sakyo grumbled as he walked with Omi to this motorcycle.
The ride was a smooth one, and Sakyo was feeling more relaxed on the quiet ride with Omi than he would've been on the bus. That calmness evaporated when Omi turned off the road they were on and stopped following the bus.
"What the hell?" Sakyo shouted, over the wind.
"Surprise!" Omi laughed nervously.
"Where are we going?!"
"You'll see~"
Sakyo was grumpy for the rest of the trip after this. He was stuck in this sidecar with no escape. He couldn't try to take control from Omi, and he obviously couldn't jump out. He just had to sit there and let himself be abducted.
Eventually, Omi turned down a small mountain road, and soon enough they were at a ski resort. Omi parked the motorcycle and told Sakyo to wait there, which he did, after some colourful arguments. Omi went inside the main building and came back with a shopping bag and a set of keys. "Ok, let's go!" he said with a grin. "Go where," Sakyo growled, arms crossed. "To the private hunting lodge in the mountains I booked," Omi was still grinning. "This was all some misguided attempt at making me relax huh? I should be training, like the others, I don't want special treatment."
Omi frowned, "You're not like the others though. Nobody else, except maybe Tsuzuru and sometimes Tasuku and Homare, works themselves ragged like you. You don't need more practice and stress and commitments, you need a vacation."
"And Izumi was okay with it?"
"Yep, she even said it was a great idea," Omi was back to grinning.
"Ugh fine, so do we hike up to the lodge or something?"
"Yep! We'll get some good, clean fresh air! Don't worry, I can carry all the bags."
"Don't even think about it, I'm not so old I can't carry a few damn bags." Sakyo violently grabbed his bag and one of Omi's, "This is all cooking stuff isn't it," he thought to himself," and glared at Omi as if challenging him to protest.
"Ok ok, you can carry some bags. But what I said had nothing to do with your age. I'm not Azami or Banri. I don't think you're that old and I'd never use it as an insult against you," Omi tried to sound casual, but his voice had a serious tone to it. He seemed to really not like what Sakyo was implying.
Sakyo just scoffed, as though he didn't really believe Omi and started to walk.
The walk to the lodge wasn't too long, but it was certainly out of the way. It had been at least 30 minutes since they last saw someone, and they weren't passing other lodges anymore. Omi was being silent, and his face was twisted into a frown.
"I meant it you know," he said finally, still looking forward.
"Meant what?" Sakyo said, looking up at him.
"That I don't think you're old."
"I'm 10 years older than you."
"Doesn't feel like it. You act more mature than everyone else obviously, but when you're not talking finances or company policy, you're just one of us." Omi frowned, turning to Sakyo, "We've been through all this before you know," he added, thinking about Sakyo's behaviour during Ginji.
"Yeah yeah I know. But you've been treating me like some frail old man so what else am I supposed to think?"
Stopping now and putting his hands on Sakyo's shoulders, "I'm treating you like a friend who hasn't been taking care of themselves, that's all there is to it" he said firmly.
"Tch...I suppose I'm not used to being taken care of..." Sakyo looked away from Omi.
"You better get used to it then," Omi's face had switched back to a grin, "Cause you're gonna be taken care of for a whole week!" and he started walking again.
"I'm still going to help with chores," Sakyo said, catching up.
"That's fine, but only light things, I'll be cooking and chopping wood and stuff."
"Will there be much wood to chop? I thought these places usually come pre-stocked with that sort of thing."
"Probably yeah, this isn't a very fancy place, and there's no electricity, so we'll need a fire going basically the whole time."
"I- I see..." For some reason Sakyo couldn't get the image of Omi chopping wood out of his mind. He found himself looking forward to the possibility, but quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind.
They arrived at the lodge not long after. It was small, clearly not meant to hold more than two or three people. There was a large pile of wood along with some tools along one wall, and an outdoor bath behind the building..
Inside, it was all one room, with a central furnace for heating, a cooking area with a wood-burning stove, a seating area with a small table, and a sleeping area with two futons and some blankets.
"This is great!" said Omi, looking through the drawers and cupboards to assess the cooking utensils available, "I'll make us something great tonight."
Trying to enjoy himself, Sakyo offered a slight smile, "Sounds good," he said, "I guess I'll unpack and change, these clothes are all sweaty from the hike."
"Sure, looks like there's really no wood here ready for the fire, so I'll go chop some."
Sakyo changed into some comfortable, warm clothes and, hearing the sound of chopping wood, looked out the window to see Omi. He had taken off his jacket and Sakyo could see his muscles moving through this thin t-shirt as the swung the axe. Mesmerised by the smooth motions of Omi chopping the wood, Sakyo stood there watching for a while. At one point, Omi had noticed him watching and gave him a wave and a smile. Blushing, Sakyo immediately turned away after that to look through the lodge more.
In a chest near the seating area he found some children's board games along with a mahjong set, a shogi set and a go set. "Does Fushimi play any of these?" he wondered. He had never seen Omi express much interest in the mahjong and shogi sessions held at the dorm. Just then, Omi came in, arms loaded with wood. "Here's the first load!" he said, "There's a couple more to bring in, did you wanna help?"
"You're letting me help?" Sakyo asked, suspiciously.
"Heh, you seemed interested in the wood, so I thought I'd offer," Omi said with a smirk.
Face once again flushed, Sakyo gave a slight grunt in response and followed Omi out to retrieve the rest of the wood.
Putting the last of the wood in the pile by the furnace, Omi noticed the open chest Sakyo was looking at, "Find anything interesting in there?" he asked, motioning towards the chest.
"Eh, just some games."
"Games are good, what ones?"
"See for yourself, there's a lot."
Looking into the chest, Omi saw that Sakyo had left shogi, mahjong and go on the top, "Pick one," he said to Sakyo, waving his hand to get him to come over.
"Can you play any of them?"
"Nope," said Omi, smiling, "I know some of those kiddie games, but I know you like these one more, so pick one to teach me."
"Teach you?" Sakyo raised one eyebrow, "Even if I were to teach you, there's no way someone who's been playing less than a week could offer me a challenge."
"Then your challenge will be teaching me," Omi said with a wink.
Sakyo sighed, "Mahjong it is then, we can start after dinner."
Omi made a predictably delicious dinner that night. Curious about Omi's comfort in this kind of environment, and proficiency at chopping wood and building fires, Sakyo asked if he had done this kind of thing before. Apparently Omi had to taken his younger brothers out like this during winter holidays a few times, although it was usually a slightly bigger lodge that was closer to the other amenities.
Once dinner was cleaned up, Omi poured some sake he had brought, courtesy of Azuma who had assured him it was Sakyo's favourite, and Sakyo set up mahjong on the table.
Many hours and a bottle and a half of Sake later, Omi suffered another defeat at Sakyo's hands before declaring that he was done for the night. Despite what Sakyo said earlier, he was smiling a lot, and Omi was glad to see him relaxed finally.
"You did better than I thought you would Fushimi," Sakyo said as he was clearing away the tiles.
"I had a good teacher," Omi said with a wink, "Did you want me to set up the bath before bed?"
"Actually," Sakyo reached behind him and brought out an old notebook, "I found this in the chest with the games, and it has a map on it to a natural hot spring that's supposed to be nearby."
Omi's eyes lit up, "You in the mood for a late night adventure then?"
"I think it's Yukishiro's sake talking, but sure, let's take those lanterns with us."
Putting on their jackets and boots and grabbing some towels, they followed the notebook's directions until they came upon the hot spring mentioned. It was a beautiful one, large enough to fit maybe five or 6 people. Setting down their lanterns on opposite sides of the spring, they undressed and slid in. Omi heard Sakyo make an audible sound of relief and floated over to where he was, "Nice isn't it? Good thing you found that book."
"Yeah," responded Sakyo, sinking into the warm water, "No bath can compare to a hot spring like this...ah, we should've brought the sake."
Laughing, Omi moved to be next to Sakyo and patted his back, "I think you've had enough for tonight. The goal was to make you relax, not turn you into an alcoholic."
Sakyo rolled his eyes, but then joined in with the laughter, "We did go through quite a lot didn't we?"
"Yup."
"I was having so much fun beating your ass I didn't even notice the time go by."
"Hey, tomorrow night it's your ass that's getting beat!"
"We'll see, we'll see..."
A while later, Omi saw Sakyo start to drift a bit, "Hey," he said, splashing Sakyo with some water, "If you're gonna sleep, we should head back. You don't wanna get dizzy."
Sakyo glared at Omi briefly, then agreed. Getting out of the hot spring, Sakyo couldn't help but notice Omi's wet body illuminated by the lanterns and the moonlight, although he looked away before he was able to see that Omi was making a similar observation about him.
Back at the lodge, they got ready for bed and laid down on their futons to sleep.
"Fushimi," Sakyo said, after a while of silence, "Are you still awake?"
"Yup," Omi responded, "I thought you were tired."
"I am, but...thanks. I think I'm going to enjoy this week."
"Heh, you're welcome. I think I will too. Goodnight Sakyo-san."
"G'night."
The next morning they established their routine. Omi made breakfast while Sakyo tidied up. After eating they went on a hike and had a picnic lunch. They made it back in time for some mahjong games before dinner.
"Ok one more, I know I can win this time," Omi had a determined look on his face.
"You're obviously getting better, but I'm telling you, beating me is impossible," contrasting with his words, Sakyo was making a rather large (for him anyways) smile.
"One more, then I make dinner."
"Fine fine..."
Another loss later, Omi grumbled and got up to make dinner. Sakyo asked if he wanted help, and Omi tasked him with chopping some vegetables.
Bringing the chopped vegetables to stove, Sakyo was directed to dump them into the pot Omi was stirring. Omi shuffled a bit out of the way to give Sakyo space - but not much. Sakyo ended up shoulder-to-shoulder with Omi, feeling the larger man's weight pressed against him, "Oy," he said, trying to sound annoyed, "you're big you know, you could move over a bit more," Sakyo finished his sentence looking away from Omi, to hide his flushed face.
"Ah, sorry sorry," Omi said with a smile, "Thanks for the help though, you can go relax, dinner will be ready soon."
Nodding, Sakyo went back to the table and waited for dinner. "Huh," he thought to himself, "Have I never really watched Fushimi cook before?". Watching now, he noticed how fluid all of Omi's movements were. Everything was done with ease and there was a sort of rhythm to it, almost like a dance. Sakyo wasn't sure how long he had been staring when Omi turned around, startling him, "All done!" he exclaimed and, noticing Sakyo's shocked expression, he added with a slight frown, "Everything okay Sakyo-san? Did I take too long?"
"Oh, no nothing like that, I had just drifted off I guess..."
"Ah, well, time to eat up!" Omi put the food on the table, took a seat for himself, and immediately dug in.
"You're eating pretty fast aren't you? Careful you don't get indigestion," Sakyo commented after seeing Omi shovel the food into his mouth.
"Am I?" Omi seemed legitimately surprised, "I guess I just really wanna get back to mahjong."
Sakyo smiled with a twinkle in his eye, "Get back to losing you mean."
"For someone who said I wasn't a challenge, you sure are having fun beating me," Omi paused from eating, put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand, "Don't tell me you've lost so often to Azuma that you're this starved victory?" he teased.
"Tch- I don't lose to him that often...And for your information, you've actually become a pretty decent player, you have a good head for the game. My victory may be guaranteed but it's still hard-fought."
"Ooh quite the compliment! I'm honoured Sakyo-san," Omi bowed his head a little over-dramatically.
"Ah shut up," Sakyo threw a balled up napkin at Omi.
"Hey! That was uncalled-for," Omi tried to sound angry but he was too busy laughing.
"That's payback for splashing me last night."
"Aha, I guess it's deserved then."
After dinner the table was once again cleared for mahjong and sake, but after the second game, Omi had a suggestion. "Wanna head to the hotspring?" he asked.
"It's kinda early isn't it?" Sakyo responded.
"We know the area pretty well by now, we can take a longer route there and have a nice walk in the fresh air. Plus, the sky is really clear tonight, the sky should be filled with stars"
"So you wanna go stargazing huh?," Sakyo sighed, "Seems a little foolish, but everything in the last few days has been foolish...ok let's go."
"Great! I'll bring some snacks and the sake."
Hiking out in the direction of the hot spring, they took a slight detour and sat down in a clearing they had discovered earlier in the day. Leaning back, Omi poured them some sake that they sipped on while looking at the star-filled sky.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Omi said, still looking up at the sky.
"Mhmm," was Sakyo's only response, also still looking up. He seemed lost in thought.
"Something on your mind?"
"Oh, just some idle, fleeting thoughts, nothing important."
Lying on his side and propping himself up on his elbow, Omi persisted, "Come on, tell me, it's just us here."
Sakyo sighed and laid back on the grass, hands behind his head, "You've always taken care of the other guys in the troupe, but you've never kidnapped them like this."
"Maybe because kidnapping wasn't what they needed."
"That's the only reason?"
"Did you want there to be another reason?" Omi's voice had a teasing tone to it and there was a big smile on his face.
"I-" feeling his face grow hot, Sakyo turned his head away, "Of course not, I...was just curious."
Omi turned to lay on his back with a chuckle, "Any other idle, fleeting thoughts?"
"No, that was all."
"I don't believe that."
"And you're not gonna let up until I tell you, is that it?
"Yup."
"I was...looking forward to the hot spring later, that's all. It'll probably look beautiful in the moonlight..."
"Hmm I'm sure it will...Did you want to head there now? Maybe if we go earlier you won't fall asleep this time," Omi was chuckling again.
"Oh give it a rest...but sure, I'd like that."
When they got to the hotspring, Sakyo suggested they leave the lanterns a bit farther away than last time, so the darkness was mostly illuminated by the moonlight. Omi brought out the sake and the snacks, and the men fully enjoyed themselves, having lively conversation about the company, theatre in general, how Azami was adjusting to high school...
"I appreciate what you do for the boy you know," Sakyo said.
"You mean Azami? I don't do much..."
"You're a good mother to him, that's a lot. He doesn't let me take care of him how I used to..." there was sadness in Sakyo's voice, "but you and the others help fill that hole. He may think he's all grown up and shit but he's still a kid, and I'm glad he has people to take care of him that he trusts."
"You really worry about him, huh?"
"Yeah..." Sakyo sighed, "I guess I do...I used to wonder, if he needed to talk someone, who would he go to? He hated me...and had no other adults really in his life...That scared me. If he went to the wrong person for help...But now he has you. I think if he was in trouble, he'd feel comfortable asking you for help. That puts my mind at ease."
"I'm glad you think so...but you know, he never really hated you. And if push came to shove, he'd trust you with his worries too."
"Maybe..." Sakyo still seemed pretty sad. Omi wanted desperately to cheer him up, this wasn't the atmosphere he was going for...
"Hey, have you ever introduced Azami to your mom and step-family? Your mom would make an awesome grandma for Azami, and your step-sister is around his age right? You may not be able to support him directly right now, but giving him that sort of support structure would be a good step right? And as he grows older, I know he'll come to see you as family again."
Sakyo looked at Omi, slightly stunned, "That's...not a bad idea I guess. I'll talk to my mom about it when I get back...thanks Fushimi," Sakyo was back to smiling.
"Anytime," Omi patted Sakyo on the head.
"Oy! What do you think you're doing?"
"Aha, I couldn't help it, you were looking cute. And you are shorter than me."
"I'm older than you too..." Sakyo sounded more pouty than angry.
"And I've told you before I don't feel like you are," Omi said, leaning over, his face now very close to Sakyo's, "If you don't want headpats, don't be cute."
"I- I'll keep that in mind," Sakyo said as he moved himself a bit away from Omi.
Shortly after finishing the sake, the men exited the hot spring. Sakyo was still feeling flustered than before and made a concerted effort to not look at Omi while he got out and dressed.
As they walked back, they discussed plans for tomorrow. Omi wanted to try some whittling or wood carving and Sakyo had found some interesting books to read, so they agreed to have a quieter day.
Immediately getting ready for bed and lying down on their futons, Omi quickly fell asleep. He woke up when he heard a sound. Looking to his right, where Sakyo's futon was, he saw it was empty.
"Sakyo-san?" he shouted.
"I'm over here, there's nothing to worry about," Sakyo's voice was coming from the other side of the lodge, "I was cold so I decided to see if there were any other blankets."
"If you're cold, why don't we share a futon? They're pretty big, we should both fit."
"Wh- what? No, I'll be-" Omi had already gotten up, and before Sakyo could finish his sentence Omi had grabbed his hand and was pulling him over.
"You're being silly," Omi said, "just come here."
Grumbling, Sakyo agreed, and got under the covers with Omi.
Omi put his arm around Sakyo and pulled him close. They were face-to-face, chests almost touching. Sakyo felt his face, no his entire body, heat up. His heart was racing. Part of him was elated, this is what he had been thinking about for a long time now...but part of him was scared. He could be misinterpreting everything. Omi might just be teasing him.
"This trip really was just meant to get you to relax," Omi said, slowly and gently, stroking Sakyo's hair "but I don't think either of us, especially you, will be able to properly relax unless our feelings are out in the open."
"I- " Sakyo couldn't find the words. He couldn't find any words. He knew what Omi was looking for, and he wanted to say it, but he was still paralysed with fear. Unable to do anything else, he pressed his face into Omi's chest, gripped his shirt tightly with both hands, and started to cry.
Understanding what was going on, Omi wrapped Sakyo's slight frame up in his arms, holding him as close as he good, kissing the top of Sakyo's head. Occasionally he'd offer some soft, comforting words. He wanted Sakyo to feel safe more than anything.
Eventually, Sakyo looked up at Omi, his eyes were red and swollen from crying, face wet with tears. Omi wiped the tears off and cradled Sakyo's face in his large hand, not saying anything, but looking at Sakyo with a soft and caring smile.
"Thank you," Sakyo said.
"Of course."
"I..I love you Omi," Sakyo's face had an almost pleading look, as though begging Omi to give him the response he wanted.
"I love you too Sakyo-chan," Omi said, before leaning in and giving Sakyo a kiss. Pulling away from the kiss, Omi stroked Sakyo's hair, "We should both sleep now," he said, "it's late and you're pretty worn out."
"C-can we sleep like this?" Sakyo muttered.
"Hehe of course," Omi responded once again holding Sakyo in his arms.
The next morning, Sakyo woke up with the feeling of being weighed down by something heavy. A bit confused, he tried to move and found he couldn't. Blinking a few times and looking around, he saw Omi's arm was draped around his body and Omi was leaning against him. Panicking for a brief moment, Sakyo realised that last night wasn't a dream. The panic soon gave way to the warm feeling of happiness, and Sakyo snuggled closer to Omi and waited for him to wake up.
He didn't have to wait long.
"Good morning Sakyo-chan," Omi said, kissing Sakyo's forehead, before using a hand to tilt Sakyo's face up to his own for a more "proper" kiss.
"Good morning Omi-tan," Sakyo said, a confidence showing in his eyes that he lacked last night, before kissing Omi back and "taking care" of him.
A while later, Omi prepared breakfast, while Sakyo put his futon and blankets away - they weren't needed anymore and it was a waste of space to keep them out. Omi smiled when he noticed what Sakyo was doing, but didn't say anything.
Breakfast itself was quiet but both men had a smile on their faces the whole time. Whatever tension there had been before was completely gone. After breakfast they went outside and sat under a tree; Sakyo reading and Omi working on carving something out of a nice piece of wood he found.
Neither knew how long they had been like that, but eventually Omi's stomach rumbled. Sakyo looked up, "You want me to get you some food?"
Omi was about to insist on making food for both of them, but it was clear Sakyo wasn't offering from a place of pride or feeling inadequate, he just wanted to get some food for the man he loved. "Sure," Omi said, smiling, "But make sure to get something for yourself too if you're hungry!"
"I will, don't worry."
Sakyo returned with two salads and...octopus hot dogs? Omi burst out into laughter, "Wh-why?" he barely got the word out he was laughing so hard.
Blushing slightly, Sakyo stammered, "I...I prefer them like that. And it didn't make sense to cook yours differently."
"You pre- ahaha- prefer them like that?" Omi was laughing uncontrollably, "You- ahaha you should have told me! I would've been making you bentos with them this whole time...ahahaha..."
"And then the whole company would know and would be laughing like hyenas just like you are now," he said, giving Omi a light smack on his head.
"Ok ok...I- hahaha- I promise I won't tell anybody. Hahaha..."
"You won't be able to eat if you keep laughing like that you know," the annoyed tone in Sakyo's voice barely camouflaged his amusement at the sight of the large man before him barely able to sit up straight due to laughter.
"Whew- ok I'll try to calm down. But that is undoubtedly the cutest most ridiculous thing I have ever seen." Omi took his lunch and started eating.
"How do you I felt seeing your big burly ass knitting?" Sakyo said with a smirk.
"But I love knitting!"
"I know, and it's adorable," Sakyo made a sound that almost sounded like an uncharacteristic giggle.
The pair continued their quiet activity until Omi nudged Sakyo with his elbow, "What do you think?" he said, holding up what he had been working on.
"It's...a fox?" Sakyo said, studying the small wooden creature.
"A Tibetan sand fox!"
"That's...specific."
"I saw a program about them on TV last week, something about them reminded me of you. Here, take it."
Taking the small figure, Sakyo inspected it further. It was very well done, with lots of delicate details. "It's lovely," he said, smiling, "Thank you."
"When we get back I'll varnish it for you," picking up another piece of wood, Omi continued, "We still have some time before dinner, any requests?"
Pondering the question for a second while, Sakyo looked up and asked, "Could you make something for Azami? I think he'd like something more...aesthetic than a simple animal then."
"Sure! I have a great idea," Omi said as he got to work. The piece still wasn't done by the time Omi went to make dinner, and Sakyo couldn't quite tell what it was, but it seemed complicated.
While making dinner Omi mentioned that he wanted to take some pictures that night, since it looked like it'd be clear again. Sakyo suggested that tomorrow they should take another hike and Omi could get some nice daytime nature shots as well.
During dinner, Omi made another suggestion, "I should really take some pictures of you too, nobody else has to see them, but you look so relaxed here, I want to capture that."
"I guess I can't stop you..." Sakyo shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "But I'm not posing or anything like that!"
"Aha, don't worry, I wasn't planning on taking that kind of picture...unless you want me to?"
"That is not what I meant at all!"
"Hahaha...ok, just checking," Omi paused for a moment before continuing, a mischievous look on his face, "Maybe another time..."
"Nope," Sakyo was looking straight at Omi when he said this, he wasn't going to budge on that.
"Ok ok, I get it," Omi put his hands up in surrender.
Mahjong was put aside that night for exploring and taking photos. For every two or three shots of the stars or the surroundings, there was at least one shot of Sakyo looking "angelic" or "statuesque" or other various terms Omi kept using as an excuse for a photo.
When they had gotten to the hotspring, Omi kept his camera out. Sakyo was going to say something in protest but ultimately decided to trust the man...it wouldn't do for him to keep pestering and questioning Omi. For his part, Omi mainly took photos of the hotspring itself and the surroundings, with only a couple of Sakyo soaking in the water, surrounded by steam. Putting his camera away, he joined Sakyo in the water.
"We're almost halfway through the week," he said thoughtfully.
"Don't remind me," Sakyo sighed heavily, "I just want to enjoy these moments for now, before going back to that chaos."
Happy that his "force Sakyo-san to relax" plan had succeeded so well, Omi agreed not to mention the deadline again.
The couple stayed in the hot spring until Sakyo started to get dizzy. It was still a bit early when they got back, so they went back to their earlier activities of reading and wood carving.
Hours later, Omi nudged Sakyo again, "How's this?" he asked, showing his creation to Sakyo, who simply looked at it with stunned silence.
Omi had managed to carve a pair of thistles with a peacock feather wrapped elegantly around them.
"How- Omi this is beautiful! Have you ever done this sort of thing before?" Sakyo could hardly believe that Omi managed to get this done within one day.
"Yeah, I tried it a few years ago once, glad I still remembered how to do it," he looked at the carving analytically, "Do you think Azami will like it?"
"Yeah, that seems like something he'd enjoy, thanks for making in Omi-tan," Sakyo said as he rested his head on Omi's shoulder.
"No problem, I enjoyed doing it. Now we should probably head to bed," he said as he reached to pick up Sakyo.
Raising an eyebrow, Sakyo moved away slightly, "I'm not so sleepy that you need to carry me to bed."
"Picking you up is fun though."
"You sound like Ikaruga," Sakyo snorted.
Laughing, Omi stood up, pulling Sakyo with him and they went to bed, holding each other.
The next morning proceeded much like the previous one, and as planned they spent the day out hiking, picnicking and taking photos. Sakyo was becoming more comfortable with Omi constantly photographing him, especially since it always seemed to make Omi so happy. Their evening was once again filled with Sakyo winning mahjong, the trek to the hot spring, and lots of sake.
That night, lying in bed with Omi, Sakyo reflected on the last few days. He couldn't remember ever being this happy or at ease before. He was loathe to have this paradise come to an end. He knew that his relationship with Omi would continue when they got back, but it wouldn't be like this again. Even if everyone knew, he couldn't act this freely with Omi around the others or spend all day with him. Pushing the negative thoughts aside, he snuggled closer to Omi and fell asleep.
The fifth day followed their now-familiar morning routine. As they were cleaning up breakfast, Sakyo had a suggestion. "We should do this again," he said. Despite it being a statement, his tone made it sound more like a question. "We should," replied Omi, leaning against the kitchen counter, "How about every three months? With exceptions if we have a play coming up." Sakyo was shocked. He was going to broach the idea of it being recurring later, to have Omi suggest it out of the blue like that was a welcome surprise. "You're okay with that kind of frequency?" Sakyo asked, he didn't want this to become a burden.
"Sure," said Omi, "Maybe not for a full week, but 3 or 4 days at a time should be doable. And aside from the obvious benefits for us, it'll be good to make sure you don't get overworked again."
"That sounds perfect," Sakyo said with a relieved smile.
Just then, it started to rain outside. "Guess hiking's out of the question today," Omi said, frowning, "Unless you wanna go run around in the rain and mud," he added with a grin. Sakyo gave no response except a scoff and a raised eyebrow.
Laughing, Omi broke out the mahjong, "Today is the day I beat you in mahjong then!"
"Yeah right," Sakyo snorted, then put on an exaggerated look of seriousness "Bring it on."
"How about a bet this time?"
"Oh? What do you have in mind?"
"If I can beat you while it's still raining, you'll go outside and run and frolic and roll around in the mud," Omi was grinning from ear to ear.
"Ha! Fine, I'll take that bet. And if you can't beat me while it's still raining, you're not allowed to make anymore weird requests."
"Ever? Until the end of time?" Omi was pouting.
"For the rest of trip," Sakyo conceded with a sigh.
"Sounds good, let's go!"
"I- how- you bastard you've been hustling me!"
Omi had managed to beat Sakyo in the first game, displaying skill he hadn't shown in any previous game.
"Heh, maybe. Looks like you were a better teacher than you thought."
"When did you know you could beat me?"
"Oh, after the first 10 or so games we played," Omi had a truly devious smile on his face.
"And you've been holding back this whole time, waiting until you could get something out of winning?" Sakyo was more impressed than upset, but he was yelling regardless. He really didn't want to go roll around in the mud like a lunatic.
"Yup, now it's time for you to pay up."
"Ugh...how long do I have to be out there for?"
"Just until you're completely wet and muddy. Don't worry, I won't let you catch a cold."
"I expect to be well taken care of after this."
"Oh you will be."
"You're gonna take photos aren't you."
"You bet."
Sakyo reluctantly changed into some already-dirty clothes and went outside. After a moment or two, he let himself relax and ran around like he had seen Misumi do. He had to admit, it was somewhat enjoyable, and freeing. Before he knew it, he found himself smiling and laughing. This whole thing was so ridiculous, how could he not? Omi called him back when his time was up.
He was greeted by a warmed towel, clean clothes, and strong arms. Bundled up and sitting wrapped in Omi's arms by the central furnace, Sakyo asked if Omi got any good pictures. Omi said he even got some new favourites and promised to show them to nobody except Sakyo.
After warming up and being taken care of, Sakyo suggested some more, honest games of mahjong, which Omi agreed to.
The rain kept going until it was late, and that night they made use of the outdoor bath instead of making the muddy trip to the hot spring.
It was now the sixth day, the last full day they'd have together. Over breakfast they discussed what they should do to make it special. Sakyo suggested visiting the hot spring during the day, since they had never actually gone before sunset, so they packed a lunch and set off.
The hot spring was glistening from the bright sun, and the ground had thankfully dried out from yesterday's rain. Omi joked that Sakyo's true agenda was just to be able to see him getting in and out of the water during the day, which Sakyo dismissed with only minimal effort.
The men enjoyed their time at the hot spring and after having their picnic lunch made their way back to the lodge.
Omi had a lot to prepare for dinner, so Sakyo had some time to himself. He was trying to read, but his mind kept wandering. "Do you mind if I watch you cook?" he asked Omi, walking over to the kitchen, "I can't really focus on anything else."
"I'd love that," Omi said, turning to give him a light kiss, "want me to explain what I'm doing?"
"Sure, your voice is soothing."
Sakyo sat at the table, absorbing everything Omi said and did. He was so happy just to...exist in the same space as this man.
For his part, Omi was happy to have finally found a partner like Sakyo. All his other relationships had felt a bit one-sided. He was always taking care of someone else. But now he has someone who can and wants to take care of him just as much. He could be with Sakyo effortlessly, knowing they'd support each other no matter what, and that was the most relaxing feeling he could imagine. Simply talking through his cooking, knowing that was enough to make Sakyo happy, this was bliss.
Their last night was a bittersweet one. Neither wanted this to be their last in paradise, so they made the most of it.
Finally, the last morning arrived. They slept in somewhat, since they went to bed late, so they had to pack up and hike back to the main building right away, with just a quick breakfast.As they walked back, they agreed to just tell Izumi about their relationship. They intended to be discreet anyways. Eventually everyone would find out, but it might as well happen organically instead of making a big deal of it.
Sakyo enjoyed the motorcycle ride back much more than he did on the way there. He thought to himself he'd like to go for rides with Omi in the future...ideally not in the sidecar.
They arrived back at the dorm a few minutes after Summer and Autumn's bus did, and everyone was still unloading from it. Izumi ran up to them immediately upon seeing them.
"How did it go?" she asked eagerly.
"Oh it was great, I've never seen Sakyo-chan so relaxed," Omi said.
"Sakyo...chan?" Izumi looked at the pair in confusion. Sakyo shot a look at Omi who looked back at Sakyo apologetically. "Oh!" exclaimed Izumi, with a look of understanding on her face, "So it went that well," she said with a wink, "I'm glad it all worked out! But if you don't want anyone else to find out, I suggest watching how you address each other," she added with a wry smile.
"We will," growled Sakyo, still glaring at Omi, "And we were thinking of doing something like this every three months or so, for about 4 days at a time. Would that be alright?"
"Of course! The last thing I want is for Mankai business to have a negative impact on your personal lives. So long as you schedule it around plays, it should be fine."
"Thank you director-san," Sakyo said with a slight bow of his head.
Walking to the dorm, Omi whispered in Sakyo's ear, "Think we can arrange for Taichi and Azami to go to the movies or something tonight?"
"Oh stop," Sakyo said, "This is just the reality we gotta deal with...and Azami likes going with Banri and Tenma to karaoke late into the night, you should be able to convince Taichi to join them more."
"Heh, sounds like a plan~"
"Enjoy your old man retreat?" Azami said, as his way of greeting Sakyo when he and Omi got to his room.
"Yes actually, I did. And Fushimi has something for you," Sakyo was back to his normal grumpy tone, but Omi could tell he had a lighter air to him, like he was unburdened.
"Huh?" Azami looked at Omi quizzically.
"Here," Omi said, pulling the carving out of his bag, "It could use some varnish...maybe some paint, but I carved it from some nice wood I came across."
Azami didn't know what to say, but he was grateful that Omi had not only thought of him, but had put such effort into making him something so beautiful. "I- I'll take care of the painting and varnishing. It's...really nice, thanks," his words alternately stalled and ran together as he awkwardly tried to thank Omi.
"No problem," Omi said with a smile, knowing that just that much was a big deal coming from Azami, and he patted Azami on the back, "I gotta go unpack, see you guys later."
Sakyo and Omi continued their relations as discreetly as possible. Guy found out at one point when he came into Sakyo's room to review some financial numbers, but he agreed to keep it quiet. Their next "vacation" came and went without major incident. Everyone accepted that Sakyo simply needed to be kidnapped and brought to a cabin for a few days to cool off, and nobody minded the freedom gained by him being done. His mood seemed overall better thanks to these trips anyways. Four months into their relationship, Sakyo and Omi were in the kitchen for another early morning. Sakyo was up for some work that needed his attention, and Omi had to prepare some things for dinner later.
"Autumn Troupe's play will be coming up soon you now," Sakyo said, sipping some coffee.
"Yeah it will..." Omi was mainly focusing on the food he was working on.
"Should we tell them? Our schedule's going to get harder to work around."
"Hm? Tell them what?"
"Oy, take a break from your cooking for a second."
"Oh sorry...so you wanted to tell Autumn Troupe something?"
"Yeah..."
"OH" Omi said, suddenly understanding, "That"
"Yes," Sakyo sighed, "That."
"Sure, when we meet to discuss the next play we can break the news to them. Azami's gonna freak out you know."
"I know, but that can't be helped."
"Hey, shouldn't you be getting to work soon?"
"Oh, you're right. See you tonight," Sakyo got up and walked over to Omi to give him a kiss.
"See you," Omi said, smiling as he pulled back from the kiss, "try to take it easy."
"I promise I will," Sakyo responded, smiling back.
Omi watched him go, glad he could still see that happiness and levity in Sakyo's eyes. He was never going to let him get that miserable and stressed ever again.