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Yukio had promised him that he would stop working late, but the last few days, he just hadn’t been coming home on time. Of course he’d arrived with apologies, but Renzou could see the stress lines on his forehead, the tension in his shoulders when he asked him how his day went. Sometimes he wondered about how to proceed.
Part of him hoped that this would just go away, but another part of him wondered that if he perhaps didn’t do something about this, Yukio would go back to old habits.
As he feared, Yukio arrived late again, almost two hours past his usual routine. He entered quietly, like a naughty child trying not to let their parents notice.
It was the sight that was so genuinely guilty that it made Renzou decide to drop the matter for now... again. It was simply too late in the day to get into anything, and he didn't want to make Yukio's already long day any longer. So he merely greeted his boyfriend with a quick smile, pushing down his worry and unhappiness, and got off the couch so he could steal a quick kiss from Yukio before he headed to the kitchen to heat up some food with him.
"You look beat," Renzou said in a commiserating tone. "How bad was it?"
A bit of relief touched Yukio's expression and he loosened his grip on the strap of his bag.
"It wasn't too bad," he replied. "Just a long day. A lot of paperwork, you know. My eyes are tired from looking at it all." He smiled, even though the expression was just a little tense. "How was your day?" Yukio put down his bag on a chair and walked into the kitchen to kiss Renzou's cheek.
"It was fine. Got a call from Yumi a few hours ago and she kept me on the line for way too long. First about her current drama with her boyfriend, then about how dad nearly had a conniption regarding her fashion choices until mom managed to calm him down, and then as she was hanging up, she remembered to tell me that Gouzou was going to be in town in a couple of weeks. So, mom will probably be calling us to visit soon," Renzou said as he urged Yukio to sit down with one hand as soon as he got the microwave going.
“Oh?” Yukio sat down as he was bade and his smile shifted to something a bit more genuine. “It sounds like you had a more hectic day than I did.”
“Maybe. But you’re looking more tired than I am.” Renzou went up to Yukio to give his shoulders a quick rub while they waited for the food.
“Oh, Ren, don’t.” Yukio’s shoulders relaxed a little, as if conditioned to at this point. “You’re going to tire me out way too early.”
“Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing.” Renzou chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of Yukio’s head. “It’s time to wind down, don’t you think?”
“But I have to pay a few bills, buy some things for the apartment… You can’t just put me to sleep after dinner.” Yukio turned his head and pouted at him.
“Hey, don’t use that cute face of yours against me,” Renzou said teasingly before leaning down to peck his lips. “I’m gonna scold you for working at home after working for so long already. Rest and just let me take care of things. What are you even planning on buying this late that you’re in such a hurry for?”
That guilty look made a slight reappearance, but Yukio continued on. “We’re running low on detergent and I figured it would be more convenient to just have it delivered and so I’d have to order it soon so it’s here on time for our laundry day.” He fidgeted a little, rubbing his fingers together. “And I was thinking… Well, it’s been a while since we indulged so, I thought we could buy some new, more quality sheets. Something nice.”
That did certainly sound nice. Both in theory and also as a sentiment. Renzou's massage slowed so he could lean in to give Yukio a brief embrace. "That sounds like a great idea. And one I could take care of doing myself. So how about I do that while you shower, and then we can both head to bed early, hmm?"
Before Yukio could give a proper response, the microwaved beeped, so Renzou slipped away to retrieve his food.
“But I’ve been doing research and I’ve got a few tabs open on my laptop for it—” Yukio cut himself off with a sigh. “Fine. If you must. I know there’s little I can do to dissuade you when it comes to my rest.”
“Someone’s gotta care about your much-needed sleep, and if it’s not gonna be you, love, then it’s gonna be me.” Renzou placed the hot plate of food in front of Yukio and raised his eyebrow at him. “Think we oughta leave that at that for tonight, don’t ya think?”
“I…” Yukio’s fidgeting increased. “I know you’re unhappy, but tonight was the last of it. It was just a little bit of a busy time, but I promise, I’ve done what I needed to do so things will go back to normal.”
I've heard that before. Renzou bit back the response and instead deliberately kept his body language loose and easy. "I'll be happy to see you back home on time. I've missed our little cooking sessions," he told Yukio with a wink. "You haven't been avoiding me on purpose now, have you?"
“No, of course not!” Yukio replied quickly, eager to set that notion to rest. “Think of a simple recipe for tomorrow, okay? I swear, I’ll be home on time.”
“I’m gonna hold ya to do that. And I’ll have to think of a challenging recipe as a punishment game otherwise,” Renzou said teasingly.
Yukio let out a soft, dubious groan. “At this point, we’re going to have to shop for replacement kitchen utensils too,” he grumbled, his cheeks turning an embarrassing red as he picked up his fork.
“I’ll leave the fate of our kitchen in your hands,” Renzou snickered as he headed to the fridge to get out a small portion of dessert he’d bought for himself earlier in the day. He’d joined Yukio at the table with that, having already had dinner before.
They ate together and their moods lightened up little by little as Renzou teased Yukio with all the recipes they could possibly try. Once their plates were clean and Yukio promised once more that he’d be home on time, he headed to their bathroom to take his promised shower. Thus, Renzou got to work. Though he had been known to procrastinate, especially when he was feeling pleasantly full enough to not want to move except perhaps to go join Yukio in the shower, he didn’t want to encourage his boyfriend to do any more work tonight. So Renzou went to retrieve Yukio’s laptop so he could finish the pending purchases.
The password to the computer was one he was familiar with, naturally, and as Yukio had mentioned, he did have a few tabs open with different brands of bed sheets displayed on each one. Renzou gave them all a brief consideration before choosing one of the brands that he’d seen his phone advertise to him before. When he went to check out, however, the website prompted him to get up again; although the browser he was using did have Yukio’s credit card information on hand, he needed to input the last four digits to confirm it. With a groan, Renzou headed back to the kitchen to where Yukio had left his bag.
Paperwork, medical supplies, medical supplies, box, wallet…
Renzou mentally categorized the items in Yukio’s bag as he rummaged through it, but as his fingers reached for the wallet, he froze and went to retrieve the little velvet box he had brushed past instead.
“This is…”
Renzou stared at the ring box wide-eyed. He opened his mouth and closed his mouth and every thought in his head emptied out, replaced by shock, excitement, and disbelief.
The shower stopped and a quick jerk of panic drove him to shove the box back into Yukio’s bag.
“Ren, have you decided on which sheets you wanted?” Yukio asked as he walked down the hall, still damp and wrapped in a towel. He saw Renzou lingering near his bag. His eyes flickered back and forth, between him and the bag, before walking over and picking it up. “Did you?” he asked again, trying not to look nervous. But Renzou could pick out Yukio’s jumpiness quite easily. And now he understood why exactly he'd been so fidgety all this time. It wasn't mere guilt. He was... He was planning things. And Renzou was absolutely sure his poker face was failing him right now.
"Yup!" he said and inwardly winced at the way his voice rose a little more than he had wanted to. "Just need your card though."
“My card?” Yukio’s brow furrowed for a moment, staring at him for just a little longer before his expression loosened a bit in realization. “Oh, of course. For the purchase.” He reached into his bag in such a way that kept the opening as closed as possible before pulling out his wallet and handing it to him. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Renzou stood around for a beat longer than he should have. “I’ll bring it back in a sec!” he told Yukio before speedwalking back to the laptop, all the while thinking very much about The Box.
He’s gonna propose…
He tested the words out in his head for the first time, truly letting them sink in. He’s gonna propose.
Renzou bit his lip as the incredulous delight rushed back in. He hadn’t expected that. Not yet. He wasn’t sure when he would have been expecting it but now that the idea was on the table, Renzou was excited.
“Ren?”
Renzou turned to look at Yukio, the smile still stubbornly on his face, but his boyfriend was looking at him with a frown.
“Are you okay?” he asked, fidgeting with the strap of his bag.
“Me? ‘Course, why wouldn’t I be?” Knowing he was looking a little bit too cheery, he brought Yukio’s attention to the laptop with a nod of his head. “I really like the look of these sheets. They’re gonna feel so good. Can’t wait!”
“The sheets?” Yukio sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Well, now I know something’s wrong. You’re not even commenting on the fact that I’m standing here half naked.”
Renzou instantly turned on the charm.
“Can’t a man appreciate the soft silky sheets that he’s going to bed you on in a few days? Never mind the fact that I’m planning to do the same now with you blatantly propositioning yourself,” he said, giving Yukio an appreciative look as he pulled him into his lap.
With one hand holding on to his bag and the other hurriedly trying to keep the towel closed, he had no choice but to fall into Renzou’s lap.
“Stop it. Don’t try and change the subject.” Yukio’s face burned red regardless of his protest. “Were you looking through my bag before I came out?”
“Why, are there condoms in there?” he asked as he tugged on Yukio’s towel, card and laptop all forgotten.
“Renzou.” Yukio’s voice was edging towards a more stern tone. “Did you or didn’t you look through my bag?”
“Yukio,” Renzou said, mimicking his future husband’s tone. “Do you want me to look in your bag? I’d really rather see what’s underneath this towel,” he said with a more successful tug.
Yukio finally put down his bag on the floor in order to grab Renzou’s hand, despite the fact that his towel was nice and open. “You’re trying to distract me!” he accused, his face now a full cherry red all the way up to his ears.
“I am trying to appreciate you,” Renzou corrected. “Because you look absolutely ravishing, all fresh and pink-faced and pouty. Please let me kiss you,” Renzou said, leaning in to do so.
“You’re only trying to appreciate me after I pointed out that you weren’t!” Yukio grabbed Renzou’s chin in his hand and shifted positions, straddling his lap. He placed a brief kiss on his lips and stopped him from seeking more. “Now if you really want me to give in, please remember I’m just as stubborn as you are,” he warned.
“And here I thought you were running low on energy. Was it the shower that perked you up? My excellent cooking? Or are you just really happy to see me?” Renzou asked with a pointed look at what Yukio’s towel had been hiding away.
Yukio frowned, his nose wrinkling as he hid himself with his towel again. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” He rewrapped the towel around his waist and released him.
“What? Hey!” Renzou instantly wrapped Yukio in a bear hug. “Don’t be mean, Yuki,” he whined.
“You’re the one being mean!” Yukio huffed out a disgruntled noise as he started to squirm from his grip. “I’ve made my decision!”
“I don’t accept your decision!” Renzou said stubbornly. “I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong!”
“Liar! Just tell me you saw it and stop avoiding the question!” Yukio snapped.
It was at that point that it really hit Renzou that this was turning into an argument—and that, frankly given what they were in fact arguing about, made him snort. And that turned into a bout of laughter that he couldn’t hold in at all. “This is so stupid.” He tightened his grip around Yukio’s waist and buried his face into his stomach, his shoulders shaking with mirth. “Listen. Either I’m going to be very willfully oblivious in the next minute after I calm down, or I’m going to give you a very enthusiastic answer to an unasked question. Take your pick,” he proposed, snickering.
“Ugh, I knew it!” Yukio covered his face with both his hands. “The very day I buy it, I leave my bag in the kitchen like an idiot!”
“My idiot,” Renzou said fondly, pressing a kiss to Yukio’s torso. “Mine forever and ever and ever. Have I told you lately how much I love and adore you? Because I do so very much,” he said in a gushing, besotted voice.
“Ren, please stop being so incorrigible for two seconds!” Yukio sank down into his lap again and hid his face in Renzou’s neck. “I’ve been planning something and I messed it up at the first step! I’m irritated!”
“Don’t be irritated! I am still here to be surprised!! I know nothing, not the timing, not what it even looks like, or what else you’re planning!” Renzou leaned back to look at Yukio with a grin that took over the entirety of his face. “C’mon, it’s not like you were gonna be surprised by my answer either, were you? Now we are both on equal sides of the anticipation. Or is my future husband not up to the challenge of blowing my socks away after a little stumble like this?” he challenged.
“This is hardly a little stumble!” Yukio retorted before the rest of his words caught up with him. Immediately, his irritation melted from his face and became something closer to shock. “Wait, future husband? You really want to? You didn’t even have to think about it?”
“Of course I didn’t, silly.” Renzou’s voice held a tinge of fond exasperation. “There’s nothing else I’d rather than to have you in my life for the rest of time.”
Yukio bit his lip and quickly hid away his face again into Renzou’s neck. “Fine,” he murmured, his voice wavering slightly in that telltale way. “You can sleep with me in bed.”
“So gracious of you,” Renzou said, smiling as he cuddled Yukio back into his lap properly. “Does that mean sex is back on the table too?” he asked teasingly.
“Pervert,” he grumbled. Yukio delivered a swift, but light punch to his stomach. “It is. So you better work hard to make this up to me.”
“Oof. I would like it to be known that none of this is in any way my fault, but I’m always up to the challenge of rocking your world. Prepare to be thoroughly robbed of your words, my dear,” Renzou said promisingly.
And he did. Renzou enjoyed the opportunity to prove all of Yukio's anxieties wrong, to show him over and over how much he loved him and how obvious his answer should have been to him.
Yukio ended up following through with his promise and arrived home on time the next day. Yukio had explained to him, with that cute red face of his, that his late nights weren't actually overtime. He had been going to different stores, trying to find the perfect ring for him. When Renzou's curiosity got the best of him and he asked to see it, Yukio denied him swiftly, stating that he'd hidden the ring and it would only come out when it was time.
No matter how much he begged or flattered him, Yukio didn't budge, but Renzou loved this part of him too.
And so, he was embarrassed to admit that he eventually let the existence of the ring slip his mind. After several months of nothing, he wondered if Yukio had gotten too embarrassed and maybe decided against the whole thing. So he let himself go back to his normal routine.
But then, one night, after Yukio had shown him such a good time on their nice expensive sheets, he stilled on his lap and intertwined their fingers, giving him a slow, thorough kiss.
"Hey," he murmured quietly against his mouth.
"Mm...?" Renzou hummed contentedly.
"Our wedding is tomorrow." Yukio reached under the pillow and the feeling of cold metal slipped down around his finger.
Renzou blinked. He lifted his hand up to his face and finally, finally, he was able to see the ring had spent so long hiding from him. The sight of it made his heart swell and stole his breath away for long enough that it took him a moment to fully register Yukio's words.
He tore his gaze away from the ring and back to Yukio, grinning.
"Tomorrow? Just like that?"
“Tomorrow.” Yukio took his hand and kissed his ring. “After you found the ring, I thought about how I could still surprise you. So I planned the whole wedding. Your suit is ready and I’m certain I got your measurements right. It’ll be small and private with a very curated guest list, and after the wedding, I’ve set aside vacation days for us both to go on a honeymoon. We’ll need to pack our bags tonight and have them ready.”
With each word that Yukio said, a giddy, bubbling feeling grew inside of Renzou and the grin on his face got wider and wider. "You've been so sneaky. How did you plan all that? You've been home on time all this time!"
“Hmph.” Yukio smirked and lifted his chin smugly. “Don’t underestimate me. If you want to know how, you’ll have to do your own snooping and figure it out on your own.”
"Oh, I'll be doing that for sure. But for now..." Renzou flipped them over, and grinning still, he leaned down to steal a breath-taking kiss from Yukio. When he pulled back, he nuzzled Yukio's cheek adoringly. "I need to get started on the consummation of our marriage. Please tell me we don't have to wake up too early, because I will be keeping you up tonight."
“I said we have to pack tonight!” Yukio huffed, even as one of his legs wrapped around Renzou’s waist. “You get one, and then we’re either packing tonight or I’m setting an alarm so we can wake up early and pack in the morning. Choose.”
"What about," Renzou said, trailing a row of kisses down Yukio's neck as he bargained, "two, and then I take care of all the packing very quickly, and if we still have time after, you let me seduce you for as long as I wish. Surely I should reward you for all the hard work you've done already. Don't you think?"
“Hmm.” Yukio tilted his head, giving Renzou the space he needed to properly entice him. A sigh left his lips. “Fine.” The other leg wrapped around Renzou’s waist as well. “I’ll agree to these terms.”
Renzou snickered. "Silly.” He pressed a kiss against Yukio’s cheek this time, then his forehead, nose, and right back again at his lips. He lingered there, smiling and as he looked into Yukio’s eyes, he whispered, “the correct words there were ‘I do.’"