Work Text:
May 5, 2015
It was after ten by the time we returned to the apartment, still a bit full from the fancy Italian meal we'd shared. It probably didn't help that we'd followed up with a huge slice of Italian cream cake and an entire pot of coffee, both of which had been completely gone after an hour of chatting at the table.
I pulled off my tie the moment the door was shut behind us, tossing it onto the arm of the couch. "Ahhh, I'm either going to sleep like a log tonight, or never fall asleep because I'm too full." A moment later, I threw my jacket on top of the tie. "I'm stuffed."
"You didn't have to eat the entire piece of cake, you know," Kazuki teased, adding his tie to the growing pile on the couch.
"I didn't eat it all myself!" I protested, turning to pout at him.
He just laughed, leaning close to place a peck on my lips. "Wait here a moment. I have to go get something."
Kazuki grabbed the discarded ties and jacket and disappeared into our bedroom, returning a minute later with a small package wrapped in bright blue paper. I wasn't surprised; Kazuki never missed an opportunity to shower me with gifts, no matter how much I protested. But there were some occasions that I couldn't protest, and this was one of them.
"Happy birthday, Keita." He pressed the soft package into my hands.
I knew without opening it that it was something handknit, and relatively small. My mind went through the possibilities, ruling out most of them. It was already too warm outside for gloves or a hat, and it was too big for one of his usual embarrassing gag gifts.
"Socks?" I asked, giving the package a squeeze. The paper made a pleasant crinkling sound.
"Ahhh, you're really no fun anymore," Kazuki pouted. "Is it really that obvious?"
I felt almost guilty for guessing instead of just opening it. "Well, something this size at this time of year, there's really only one thing it could be, right? But, of course I have no idea what color, or what pattern! Here, let's see."
I opened it carefully, peeling back the paper slowly to make sure I didn't pull on the knitted fabric by mistake. The things Kazuki made weren't really delicate, but I still liked to be gentle with them, to show my appreciation for the time and care that went into them. I knew he spent lots of time both searching for the perfect pattern online and then nosing through the neatly organized shelves of yarn in the spare bedroom, seeking the perfect match.
This time, the wrapping unraveled to reveal a pair of cabled socks in a subtly variegated blue, not too different from the color of the paper. I didn't know all that much about knitting, but after years of gifts, I could recognize the techniques. I knew that the slender and elaborate cabled pattern running down the outside had probably been a bit fussy, and that getting the top edge to look perfect could take a lot of time. He'd huffed about it enough times while knitting other socks, his usual project while we sat together on the couch, watching movies.
"Wow, these are really nice." I held one sock to my cheek, rubbing lightly. "And so soft! Are you sure it's okay to wear them? I don't want to ruin them..."
Kazuki just laughed, eyes shining. "Of course you can wear them, that's what they're for!"
"But I wear socks out so quickly..."
"I know. That's why I'm always making you new ones. Or," he poked at the sole of one sock, "if you get a hole, I can always darn them. But that's not as much fun as stitching a new pattern."
With the way Kazuki normally sped through a pair of socks, it probably took less time to knit a new pair than it did to fix a worn sole. I smiled and hugged him, socks still in one hand. "Thank you. I love the color, and the pattern is so nice. It must have been really fiddly."
He gave me a squeeze, resting his head on my shoulder for a few moments. "I'm glad you like them. They were fun to make. Sometimes I feel like giving you knitted gifts is cheating a bit, I may enjoy knitting them more than you enjoy receiving them. After all, I'm always making things for you, it must get old after a while."
"That's not true!" I protested. "I didn't understand at the beginning, but now I know how special it is. And especially someone like you taking the time to make me something..."
Kazuki pulled back, shaking his head, though he was still smiling. "Idiot, I just finished telling you that I enjoy it. But I'm glad you understand what it means to be knitworthy now. You kind of crushed my soul way back at the beginning, when you said you didn't want a sweater knitted by a man. It's different now, isn't it?"
I blushed, thinking of the three elaborate Aran sweaters in my closet. "W- well, that was before I remembered everything, and before I realized...."
"Realized what?" he asked innocently, but his smile was mischievous.
I whacked him over the head with the socks. "That I was in love with an idiot!"
"Well, since you already know I'm an idiot, you won't object too much to this." Kazuki pulled an identical pair of socks out of his suit pocket. "I made myself a matching pair. We can wear them at the same time, so we can feel close even when we're far apart."
I bit my lip, trying to hold back a smile. "That would be really sweet if it wasn't so dorky."
I'd drawn the line at identical sweaters, and barely tolerated our matched, but different colored, hat and mitten sets. Having the same socks wasn't all that bad, especially since we were always apart during the day, and they were covered up by pants anyway.
"It's dorky, is it? Well, I have one more surprise." He pulled a tiny package from his other pocket, something soft wrapped in simple white tissue paper and tied with a thin black ribbon. "I had a bit of yarn left over, so I whipped up a little bonus. I've been meaning to make this one for a while, actually."
I eyed the package with suspicion. I knew what Kazuki's surprises usually were. Still, I accepted it graciously with a murmured thanks and untied the bow, letting it and the tissue paper fall to the floor. It was a pair of, well... briefs. They were surprisingly normal, considering that Kazuki usually made crazy things like thongs or jockstraps. The pattern was elaborate, knit in white and the rest of the blue that had been used for the socks. "Oh, it's... fair isle, is that what it's called?"
"Yup," Kazuki was almost smirking. "You should check the other side."
I unfolded the small garment and turned bright red.
"K- Kazuki! There's a tassel on the end!"
"I know," he grinned. "It's perfect. You can wear that and the socks to bed tonight. Nothing else. And I'll wear my socks too!"
And with that, he grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the bedroom. I protested weakly the entire way, blushing, but my heart was racing as I considered the fun we would have in our matching socks, plus a ridiculous pair of novelty briefs.