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Kazuma sighed as he lingered outside of Saejima’s apartment, tapping his foot nervously. Logically, he knew Saejima would approve of what Kazuma was wanting to talk to him about. But his mind was telling him that Saejima would never in a million years give his blessing. Not every day you ask for a blessing to propose, though. He wanted to do this right. He swallowed his pride and gently rapped on the door, knocking a bit louder when there was no response.
“Ah, coming!” he heard a feminine voice call. A few moments later, the door opened just enough for the chain to pull taut.
Hana’s cherubic face peeked out at him. “Oh! Kiryu-san! I don’t think we were expecting you,” she said before closing the door to unlock the chain, opening it wide for him. “Come in, come in. Did you need something from Taiga?”
Kazuma followed her inside, taking his shoes off and setting them aside. “Something like that. Just need to talk to him about something.” The box in his pocket felt like it weighed a hundred kilos. “I won’t be long.”
Hana laughed and waved a hand. “Oh, don’t worry, we love having you. Can I get you anything? Tea?”
“Tea sounds great, love,” a gruff voice responded. Kazuma looked up to see Saejima emerging from the bedroom, voice sleepy. Hana nodded with a grin and went to the kitchen, putting the water on.
“Not like ya to drop by unannounced, Kiryu,” Saejima said, raising a brow. “Something wrong?”
Kazuma shook his head, but refused to meet Saejima’s eyes. He must have noticed, because he frowned and moved to sit on the couch. “Sit. Something’s eatin’ at ya. Got that look in your eye.”
Was he that easy to read? With a sigh, he sat at the other end of the couch, elbows resting on his knees as he sat hunched over. “Nothing’s wrong, per se. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Okay. Has to do with my brother, yeah?”
Kazuma nodded, and he felt Saejima’s gaze grow a bit colder. “What, you plannin’ on breaking up with him?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” he said, a bit too quickly. No, he wouldn’t dream of it. “I…”
Instead of speaking, he sat up to pull the small box from his pocket. He handed it over to Saejima, and when he heard Saejima’s small gasp, he swallowed hard.
“Huh...ain’t pictured him tying the knot after Mirei.” Saejima has a smile playing on his lips. “Why’re ya comin’ to me about it, though? S’your choice to ask him or not.” He handed the box back and Kazuma felt like someone had just loosened a tight rope around his throat.
“I...wanted your approval. I know if you didn’t want me to marry him, you’d say so, and that would be the end of that.” He thought for a minute before continuing. “Like how you asked him about Hana.”
Saejima frowned. “Hana’s a different story, though, ain’t she?” As if summoned, Hana returned from the kitchen with a tray of tea. Saejima’s tea was already milky white; she must know exactly how he likes it. The thought made Kazuma smile. He took his own mug and nodded his thanks.
“I heard my name?” Hana said, tilting her head. “You better not be gushing about me, Taiga.”
Saejima laughed and shook his head. “Was just gettin’ there. Kiryu’s plannin’ on poppin’ the question to Goro, apparently. Wanted my blessing.” Hana’s face lit up at that, and she hurriedly moved to sit between the two men. She made a point to take Saejima's hand before turning to look at Kazuma fiercely.
"You better not chicken out, Kiryu-san! Taiga and I have been waiting for this!"
Saejima squeezed his wife's hand. "Oi, no need to say any of that…"
"I…no, I plan on asking him," Kazuma said, frowning. "...eventually."
Hana looked like she might snap.
"Eventually?"
"I'm not sure how. I don't want to do it in public, but I don't want to be too casual." He sighed. "How did you propose, Saejima-san?"
To his surprise, Saejima laughed fondly. "Slipped the ring and a note into the bento I'd given to her to take to work. Had her boss callin' to ask if I meant to give her a heart attack."
Hana smacked his chest with her free hand. "Oi…"
As he watched the two, he couldn't help but smile. After everything Saejima had been through, he deserved to have someone like Hana, someone who loved him regardless of his past or his future.
...oh.
He got it now.
He stood and tucked the box back into his pocket, setting the empty mug on the tray. He turned to the couple and gave a slight bow. "Saejima-san. Thank you. I'll be sure to stop by again soon."
"Leaving already?" asked Hana with a pout.
Kazuma nodded. "I need to get things in order. I have a good feeling."
And with that, he put his shoes on and left.
***
In about an hour, Taiga's phone beeped at him. Tsk...he hated these things. He grabbed it from his pocket and checked it.
Kyoudai
17:45
Bro I might marry this guy
He got me a bouquet of roses
ROSES
That's some old school courting shit but goddamn
Taiga smiled. God, these two were stupid.