Work Text:
Something special had filled the air. As the day's shift came to a close for Ukyo's group, a certain vigour was brought into the room as spirited chattering filled the corners. Once, Ukyo might've felt put off by this sudden energy, but today on this certain day in mid-February, Ukyo had an eager smile of his own on his face.
His coworkers began to gather in their usual groups, murmurs and discussions of their love lives--not excluding mildly heated comparisons of each others' gifted chocolates--beginning to travel back and forth. However, Ukyo had no intention of staying and listening in; he had plans of his own waiting at home. He'd been looking forward to it all day. Quickly packing his things away, he rushed to the hangers and grabbed his coat, steadily making his way to the door.
But unfortunately, as hard as he tried to sneak away quietly, his efforts were quickly exposed as one of his newer acquaintances, a transfer member from Hokkaido by the name of Fujiyama Yuki, caught sight of him. He yelled at him from across the room. " Saionji! Where are you going? Get over here! "
A soft groan escaped him as Ukyo reluctantly let go of the doorknob, slinking with resigned steps towards him. Once he approached their group, Fujiyama flashed him a grin, before leaning into his chair. " We were just talking about heading downtown with a few people, maybe catching some drinks and, you know… other things. Want to tag along? "
Ah. It had been a while since someone had offered to bring him to events like that. Ukyo let out a flustered laugh as he rubbed his nape. " I don't usually participate in those types of things. "
The face that Fujiyama showed was one with one too many expressions for Ukyo--or really any of them--to understand, and all he could do was stand in still shock as he gripped his shoulders, almost shaking him. " You're joking, right? Not at all? "
" No..? " Ukyo said, almost confusingly, not sure if he was missing something here. Was there something he was supposed to read between the lines? Trying to think of something logical only increased his confusion, and he felt that if he gave it any more thought, he might feel disorientated.
" Fujiyama, cut it out, " one of their seniors said with a stiff tone, finally noticing the commotion and approaching them as he gripped Fujiyama's arm, making him let go. " We all know Saionji's engaged already. That's why. "
Fujiyama's eyes widened, along with his smile, as he turned back to him, finally noticing a certain silver ring on his finger. " Oh ! How didn't I see that? Sorry. So, who is the lucky person? Someone we know? "
" That… " Ukyo trailed off, his gaze drifting away. He contemplated it for a moment, only to show them a wry smile. " Well… "
" What? You can't tell us? " Fujiyama asked with a perplexed expression.
That wasn’t necessarily wrong… After Ukyo and his fiancé had moved in together, they had decided that perhaps, for certain reasons, it was better if they didn’t reveal the other’s identity, in hopes to pursue that mundane lifestyle they dreamed of. It was a bit complicated to explain such a story without sparking any curiosity and for that, Ukyo only continued to stare at him with a conflicted look, before looking away with an awkward laugh.
Watching this, their senior finally let out a sigh, turning to Fujiyama as he patted his back. " Just drop it. He's always like that when we ask about his fiancé. No one knows who it is. "
Fujiyama stared at Ukyo for a moment, scanning his face, and as the moment grew a little too long, Ukyo averted his gaze. It was in moments like these when he regretted trying to get to know people at work; he couldn't filter out the oddballs. And just as Ukyo's discomfort began to grow more, Fujiyama broke out into a grin. " Wait, that's kind of adorable. "
At that, Ukyo turned his head back and furrowed his brow. He wasn't sure how he felt being called that. Fujiyama caught sight of his dismayed look and let out a little laugh. " I mean, your secret relationship and stuff, it's the kind of thing you see in movies and stuff. That soft kind of love. "
…Soft love? That was the first time he'd ever heard of a term like that.
The senior behind him had pressed his lips into a fine line. " Fujiyama… there you go spouting nonsense again…" He stopped to look at Ukyo with pitying eyes. " Sorry about this, Saionji, I'll take care of him; you were in a rush to go home, right? Go and spend the rest of the day with your fiancé. "
At the mention of that, Ukyo's cheeks flushed a slight red, before nodding with an appreciative smile. " Right. Thank you. "
Wordlessly, Ukyo gathered the last of his things, slightly embarrassed at the stares he was getting from his coworkers, before he was finally able to leave the room with a twist of the knob. Closing the door gently behind him, he almost immediately let out a sigh of relief, pushing his hair back with his free hand with a dazed expression.
Even though he was well aware of the date today, he never thought to expect such a reaction from his coworkers… He looked down at the ring on his finger, suddenly whisked away by certain feelings that brought a smile to his face before he shook his head. Right. It was about time he headed home.
The walk home was lived in solemn thought, as Ukyo found himself unable to shake the words that Fujiyama had expressed just earlier. He began to wonder what ‘soft love’ could possibly be. This reflection began to spur memories that brought a sense of nostalgia to his face, warming his cheeks even as a subtle flurry began to pick up.
Though, as the storm reached a point where it was no longer easy to ignore, Ukyo left his questioning to the side for a moment and shoved his hands into his pockets. Then, with a small series of sniffles, he quickened his pace and rushed through the streets in search of the familiar shape of his breezeway apartment. When he finally did, three blocks later, a wide smile came onto his face, urging his speed walking to grow into a sprint as he rushed to get home. Ukyo calmed his enthusiasm a little as he reached the building--as to not slip on the stairs--and once he reached the door of his apartment, searched his pockets for his keys.
His hands were shivering again by the time he found them and hurried to twist the cold, metal key into the lock. Ukyo's longing for heat grew desperately as he fumbled with the lock and he almost began to despair until after a few unsuccessful attempts, it finally clicked, and an elated feeling filled his chest as he opened the door in long-awaited anticipation. He stumbled inside similar to the style of a drunken man, closing the door behind him quickly, and let out a relieved sigh as the heat brought life back to his frozen body. What a relief. He was finally home.
Ukyo took off his jacket--opting to leave his uniform coat on at least until he warmed up-- and shrugged off some of the snow that had gotten onto the rest of his clothes. He flexed his stiff fingers lightly, letting out a more content sigh before slipping off his shoes and stepping into the main area.
“ I’m back, “ he said, relief filling his voice as he walked around, looking for his fiancé. Usually, he was easily found around the area, or even waiting for him near the door. But curiously, today, he was nowhere to be seen. That was strange; when he wasn't away on a trip, he was one of the first things Ukyo saw when he came home. Maybe he was doing something in a different room.
With that in mind, Ukyo searched a few of the rooms and began to notice an aroma of spices floating around, along with a faint bubbling sound that could be heard from the kitchen. He slowly walked into the room—to examine the source of the noise—when he was surprised by a pair of arms suddenly wrapping around his waist.
Since he had been so focused on the bubbling sound, Ukyo hadn't heard a thing, and let out near-strangled yelp. He whipped his head around in a panic, only to roll his eyes and look away as his fiancé loosened his grip in a laughing fit. " Ryusui… "
“ Sorry, it was the perfect opportunity, “ he said, his laughter dying down slowly as Ukyo continued to sulk a bit. “ Though, usually you complain about how loud my steps are. “
" In my defense, I was focusing on the sound from the kitchen, " Ukyo said, finally deciding to look upward at him from the back and let out a light laugh as Ryusui pushed his hair back to kiss his forehead.
" Happy Valentine's Day, Ukyo, " Ryusui said with a smile. Though he quickly seemed to have realized something--evident in the way his eyes suddenly widened slightly--and much to Ukyo's amusement, he ran out of the room, and returned with a bouquet of roses.
With a charmed laugh, Ukyo took the roses from him and set them down on the counter, before turning back to him with an amused look. " What else are you hiding from me? "
At that, Ryusui looked away as his cheeks dusted with a slightly reddish colour. " …You're standing in front of it. "
Ukyo let out a laugh as he sent a glance to the stove. He wasn't able to catch him off guard very often. It was unfortunate; Ukyo found his flustered expression adorable. He stared at the pot with a smile, stirring it lightly with the ladle. Curry, huh? He didn't even know Ryusui was able to make anything like that. The cooking book in the corner caught his eye briefly, and he hid a small smile.
He scooped a bit of it, eyeing its colour as he smelled it a little, all the while unaware of Ryusui's alarmed expression. The latter reached out to grab the ladle from him. " Wait, I'm not done with-- "
But his reaction was too slow; Ukyo had already put the spoon in his mouth. Ryusui's face fell faintly, but as Ukyo seemed to indulge in the curry, he stopped, an uncertain smile spreading over his lips. " Is it good? "
Ukyo averted his gaze. Truth be told, it was a little bland and some of the vegetables were slightly undercooked, but even then, he couldn't help but smile. When was the last time he had eaten curry?. It was amazing how it could taste so nostalgic. And, there was also another important factor. Ryusui had cooked it for him. This detail brought immeasurable happiness to him, and Ukyo let out a gentle laugh as he looked down. " It's good. "
Ukyo watched his happy expression with a chuckle and moved to eat another spoonful of curry when Ryusui suddenly lifted him off his feet for a moment, making Ukyo let out a surprised noise. How many times would Ryusui catch him off-guard today?
" Ryusui! I'm going to drop the ladle! '' Ukyo exclaimed in the middle of a laugh as Ryusui began to spin him in circles. Somehow, he managed to put the ladle down before any disaster happened, and after they left the kitchen, they spun around the living room for a while before Ryusui dropped Ukyo and himself onto the couch.
They spent a moment simply laughing, and as Ukyo looked up at Ryusui, at his hair that fell onto his face and into his smiling eyes, he fell silent. Suddenly, the discussion he had with Fujiyama came to mind again.
As Ukyo stayed quiet for quite some time, Ryusui stared down at him with concern. " What's wrong? " he asked, his voice a little softer. " I didn't hit your head, right? "
" No, I was just thinking, " Ukyo said, always staring at Ryusui, smiling lightly as he grazed his thumb over his concerned eyes. He looked away for a moment, chuckling for a moment before speaking his mind. " …Would you say our love is 'soft'? "
As Ryusui took Ukyo's hand, he furrowed his brow and hummed faintly. " I don't think I understand. "
" Ah, I figured, " Ukyo said with a small laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. " It's okay. It didn't really make much sense to me either. "
Ryusui blinked, a slight confusion taking over his expression, before brushing it aside with a trivial shrug, and leant in, kissing him gently. They spent a moment in each other's embrace, and as they finally broke apart, Ryusui couldn't help the grin that came on his face. " That's quite a thing to be thinking about. Where did you hear about that? "
" At work, " he said simply in a yawn, sitting up to lean on the couch against Ryusui. " One of the new recruits learnt I was engaged… He told me that the idea of our relationship had 'a soft kind of love'. …Whatever that means. "
Ryusui hummed in return. Ukyo watched his contemplative and serious expression with a small smile, and slowly snuck his hand towards his, before tapping his fingers. Ryusui let out a light chuckle and interlaced their fingers tightly as he let out a placid sigh. Ukyo settled into a comfortable position as he let out another yawn. The day's worth of work was starting to catch up on him.
He contented himself with feeling how Ryusui's chest and shoulders raised up and down slowly, and as his eyes began to droop close, he overheard a whisper.
" I am so happy I fell in love with you. "
With a smile, Ukyo fell asleep to the gentle sound of Ryusui's heartbeat.