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A small white box burns through the fabric of Kojiro's pants pocket. Kaoru had once in passing mentioned he wanted to marry Kojiro one day. So Kojiro shouldn't be nervous to propose. He shouldn't, yet he is.
Kaoru has money. He has expensive taste and everything he owns costs more than Kojiro has in his bank account. There's no way he would be happy with such a cheap ring.
Kaoru wouldn't reject the proposal just because the ring costs less than his cheapest yukata, he isn't like that, but Kojiro wants him to have the best of the best. He just can't afford to give that to him.
So when the time arrives for Sia to close and Kaoru to arrive, Kojiro's nerves are off the wall. He clambers around the familiar kitchen and drops a plate at the sound of Kaoru entering the building. " Shit !" He hisses through his teeth.
"Kojiro? Are you alright?" Kaoru's voice floats through the restaurant.
"Yeah, don't worry! Just dropped a plate!"
He hears Kaoru hum and quickly dishes their meal onto unbroken plates. He takes a deep breath before bringing the food out to his boyfriend. "Hey, good lookin', place is closed for the night."
"Oh dear, I do apologize, but it's rather chilly outside and your business is quite warm," Kaoru unfolds his fan in front of his face to hide his smile. "I must say, I am rather hungry…"
Kojiro winks. "Well, I have enough food for two, would you like to join me for dinner?"
"How could I refuse such an offer from someone as handsome as you?"
They laugh together as Kojiro kisses his cheek and sits beside him. "Good day?"
Kaoru nods and takes a bite of his pasta. "Nothing to complain about really, it was pretty slow, but that's preferable to a stressful day.'
"Ahh, true. That's good though. Um, I actually have something to ask you. I was gonna wait until after we ate, but fuck I'm impatient."
"What's going on?" Kaoru's eyebrow rises with suspicion. "Is everything alright?"
Kojiro stands and takes Kaoru's hands in his. "Kaoru, you are my best and closest friend. You are the love of my life, my heart, and my soulmate. I would give you the world if I could. I would drop everything if you asked. You annoy the ever-loving shit out of me, but god, I love you more than anything."
He lets go of Kaoru's trembling hands as he kneels in front of him, pulling the ring from his pocket. "Kaoru Sakurayashiki, will you marry me?"
Kaoru chokes out a sob. "Yes! Yes, of course!" He pulls Kojiro back up and grabs his face, kissing him. Without pulling away from his fiancé, Kojiro blindly finds his lover's hand and slides the ring onto his finger.
Tearfully, Kaoru ends their kiss to look at the ring. He flexes his fingers and twists his hand, letting the ring catch the light at different angles. "Koji… It's so-"
"Cheap, I know. I'm sorry. You deserve something worth a fortune, but this was all I could afford. If you want to return it and buy a new one I won't be upset." Kojiro looks at their feet.
"Kojiro Nanjo, how dare you."
"Huh?"
"I love this ring, it's beautiful. I would never- and I mean never - trade this ring for something else. I do not care how much, or little, you spent on it." He gently caresses Kojiro's sunkissed cheek. "You could have proposed to me with a paper ring from a capsule machine and I would have cherished it the same."
Kojiro sighs with a smile. "I love you."
"I love you too, Koji."