Chapter Text
It’s been 10 years. 10 years since he was able to escape his family’s organization, for good. 10 years since he had made the best decision of his life. 10 years since they started being a family. A lot had changed in that time, Miri had grown up, and life had been brighter than he thought possible when he was his daughter’s age. He didn’t realize before she barged into his life that something as simple as waking up in the same bed with someone who loves you, and taking care of another life could be so special.
Miri was 16 now, and today would be her first day of high school. He and Kazuki had talked to her about it before, but now that it’s become a reality, he feels so proud, though he may not put it into words as often as he should. The night before, Kazuki came home late, too tired to shower and just fell into their bed.
“You alright?” Rei asked, then he heard the sniffling. He guessed whatever Kazuki was out doing had made him more sensitive than usual. Kazuki quietly cried in their bed. He didn’t ask what was wrong, he felt it too, like she’d be leaving them one day. He put it out of his mind whenever the thought came up, but now that reality came closer. Rei did his best to comfort him, but it was harder when he felt the same. Kazuki finally looked up after burying his head in Rei’s chest. He kissed his forehead, and not long after, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms.
In the morning, Rei woke up earlier than everyone and went down to the diner. Kazuki tried keeping him in bed, half-awake and holding onto his arm, but he managed to escape quietly. He did a few dishes in the kitchen, gathered ingredients so he’d be ready to start breakfast, and rearranged some of their cabinets, anything to momentarily distract himself. About an hour after he woke up, Kazuki came downstairs.
“Good morning,” he said, mid-yawn. The sadness from the previous night seemed to have slipped away from him. Good , Rei thought.
“Oh, morning. Want breakfast?” Rei already started walking to the fridge.
Kazuki shook his head, “Nah, I’m not hungry…”
They were silent for a moment, before Rei remembered a question he’d had. “So…last night, where did you go? You came home so late, and seemed so…fragile.”
Kazuki chuckled, “It’s a secret.”
Kazuki became more than just a co-parent to Rei over time. Even though nothing was official, they went from sleeping in separate beds to keeping each other warm during the cold summer nights. When they were alone, they’d sometimes kiss and hold the other’s hand to reassure them. It had been like this for around the past 5 or 6 years. They hadn’t told Miri yet since they weren’t sure how to explain themselves, after spending a decade together it felt awkward to say something so formal. Though, it still bothered Rei how Kazuki would stay out late, not telling much of where he’s gone. Was he with someone else? He tried not to let it bother him.
“How’re you feeling now?” he said.
“About all this?” he made a waving motion, “I’m better now, just a little…I don’t know. Don’t most parents hate this part?”
Rei nodded, “From what I heard at the middle school graduation, definitely.”
Kazuki sighed, then seemed to brighten up, “But we’ll be fine, she’ll be fine, right?”
Rei smiled, “Right.”
Miri would probably come downstairs soon, so Rei started cooking. Kazuki looked around and went to get a rag to wipe down the tables. Once Rei was nearly done, he heard familiar loud footsteps run down.
“Papa Rei, Papa Kazu!” she yelled. The two turned around and saw her as giddy as ever, in the uniform they’d bought a few weeks ago, along with her other school supplies. She looked so cute, yet grown up at the same time.
“Ta-dah! Well?”
“A high school student,” Rei said.
“Bingo!”
“I’m so glad you didn’t break bad!” Kazuki said. The two gave him a curious look. “When you’re a parent, there’s so much to worry about. The ten years I spent doing honest work since opening this diner really paid off!” What the hell is he talking about? Rei thought. Kazuki sounded much less serious than he actually felt.
“Honest work?” Rei said, lost on what the man was trying to say.
“Didn’t you slip out yesterday to go drinking with a girl again?” Miri said in an annoyed tone. Kazuki’s demeanor changed quickly, “That doesn’t count.”
Oh, right. It was none of his business, but it still stung. I guess he still has his old habits… He had never seen any of the girls Miri would accuse Kazuki of going out with, but he couldn’t think of anything else that’d keep him out so long. There wasn’t much nearby besides other restaurants and bars, it was a logical conclusion.
After Miri ate, she called the two outside, trying to take a photo. They kept a distance from each other, both thinking about how they appear to Miri.
“Papa Rei, Papa Kazu! Squeeze in closer!” After exchanging some words, Kazuki put an arm around Rei and got them all close together for the photo. Miri smiled and * click* it was over. She checked out the photo before showing them. “Ooh, this came out great! Look!”
They peered over her to see it. They didn’t take photos together often unless for a big event, so having something to add to their collection was nice. “Send that to me, I’ll add it to the board,” Rei said, Miri nodded. The three went back inside the diner. Rei decided to do some dishes.
“I’m gonna go finish getting ready,” she said with a huge grin, and scattered back upstairs. Rei felt his face soften as she went.
“Hey,” Kazuki said suddenly. Rei looked back at him, “About what Miri said-”
“It’s none of my business.”
“But-”
“I don’t need to know what…or who you’re doing when you go out. I’d rather not know, if I’m being honest.”
“Listen to me for a second.”
“What?”
“Put the dishes down, Rei.”
He let out a deep breath, and did so. He turned to face Kazuki, “What?”
He took Rei’s hands out of the sink and held them. They were still dripping. “I’ll explain after we drop Miri off, but I promise you, I haven’t gone on a date or done anything with anyone since we became a family…a real family.” The sincerity in Kazuki’s eyes took away any hesitance Rei had left. He only got like this when he was serious, Rei had learned, and knew to trust it. He hadn’t lied to Rei before, and Rei wouldn’t start thinking that’d be a possibility now. “You trust me, right?” His shoes were getting damp, but his hands started to dry.
“Of course I do…you’re my partner.”
Kazuki smiled, and kissed his cheek, “I’ll go bring the car ‘round.”
After he heard the door finally shut, he tried to gather himself. Giving and receiving physical affection was still something he was getting used to after going without it for so long. It made him flustered for a moment, only a moment, until he was back to his regular self.
“Oh, is he getting the car?” He hadn’t noticed Miri come downstairs. How long had she been there? Rei made it a habit long ago to always listen for footsteps even when he thought he was safe. Was she trying not to be heard? Either way, Rei nodded.
“How’re you feeling about your first day?”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, it’s gonna be great! I’m gonna join clubs and electives, and- oh! I could start working here! I’m old enough now, right?”
She’d been begging him for the longest time to work at the diner, ever since they opened it. “I wanna help! Let me cook! I can at least bring the food to people!” she’d whine. He knew Kazuki wouldn’t be as stern, so he’d always answer even if she wasn’t talking to him. It would’ve been cute to see a little girl helping her dads and come to your table, but he questioned how that’d look for them, making a kid work even if it would’ve been simple. The most they let her do was write down the specials on the chalkboard outside and take orders when it wasn’t busy.
“I suppose you are, but only on weekends, alright?”
That was enough for her, “Yeah, yeah, the week’s for school.” She ran over to hug him, he had to hold his balance by grabbing the sink. “Thank you!”
He patted her head. “You’re welcome…wait, where’s your backpack?”
“Oh..hold on,” she ran up and got the bag off the bed, adding her favorite charm to it, then ran back downstairs. She had packed it the night before. “Ready!”
“You’ll be needing this,” he took her bento out of the fridge. It was mostly full of vegetables. She put it in her bag.
They heard the car honk a few times outside and finally left for her school. She smiled and waved at them as she walked inside and found some of her friends from middle school. Once she was out of sight, they got back in the car and started heading back. Rei waited for Kazuki’s explanation, while Kazuki took deep breaths, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. Is it really that bad? He folded his arms to protect himself.
Kazuki finally spoke, “Alright, well, I’ve been going out at night because…because I’ve been thinking about us, as in me and you,” Rei tried not to show the surprise he felt on his face, “I want to tell Miri. I don’t want this to be some subtle thing we have going on anymore. If you’re willing, I want to make this official.”
Rei took his hair out of a ponytail, that sometimes helped him focus. He had been hoping to hear this at some point, but how was it connected with Kazuki’s late nights out? He felt hope build up inside him, “How? You know it’s not legal here.”
“Precisely, it’s not legal here, but there are other places that are more accepting. Kyu-chan set me up with someone who knows the ropes about how this all works. It’ll take some time and legal stuff, but,” Kazuki cleared his throat, looking more nervous, “we could finally get married. It won’t be recognized by the country, of course, but-”
“Hold on, wait,” Rei said, covering his mouth. He was feeling a mix of emotions, excitement, fear, love, and wasn’t sure which one he should choose for the moment, “you- you want to marry me?”
Kazuki seemed to relax, “Yes, I’ve been wanting to marry you since this thing started. We’ve been partners in work for so long, we should be partners in life by now.”
He wants to marry me…he really does… he kept his hand over his mouth. Tears welled up in his eyes, he took sharp breaths in to stop them, but his body worked against him. His vision grew blurry.
The car stopped at a light, “What do you-” he noticed the tears flowing, “Rei?”
He tried to speak, but his voice only cracked, “You want to marry me?”
The diner wasn’t too far away now. The light turned green and Kazuki pulled into their parking lot. After he turned the car off, he turned to Rei.
“Yes, I’d love to marry you, Rei.”
In his younger years, marriage was completely out of Rei’s thoughts, unless his father brought up how they needed to keep the family going. Rei would’ve been the only one to make that possible, he had no siblings. He knew from a young age, from all the girls his father tried to get him to date so they could be used in the future for their family’s purpose, that he had no interest in women. There was no point telling anyone around him, they’d only scold him or blatantly ignore him. It wasn’t relevant to his training or the bettering of the family, so what importance did it hold to them? Rei felt that if he ever got married, love would be a stranger to it.
But now, in this old, tiny car, the man he’s loved for years, who cares deeply for him and their daughter, who keeps them all well-fed and makes sure she’s done her homework and he goes to bed on time, wants to marry him. The tears kept rolling, no matter how many times he wiped them away.
Kazuki held one of Rei’s hands and brought another to his face, moving his hair out of the way. “I love you so, so much, Rei,” he opened the glove compartment and took out a black box. This is really happening?
“Rei Suwa, these past years with you have been the best years of my life. I love raising our daughter with you, I love spending each night and day, no matter how good or bad, with you. I love reminding you of how to cook our diner’s specials, I love telling you how silky your hair is, I love how strong you are, I love how much effort you’ve put into adjusting to this family, and I love how hard you try to explain your games to me,” they both smile, “I love everything about you, even if you don’t love everything about yourself, and I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you.” Rei felt the dried up tears on his cheeks, and Kazuki wiped them away.
“Well, uh, I can’t really kneel in here, but,” he opened the box and in it was a glittering ring with a black gem as the centerpiece. Rei had shown that gem to him once when Miri was doing a science project about different minerals. It glistened beautifully in the sunlight. “Will you marry me, Rei?”
Rei let his head fall into Kazuki’s shoulder, his vision was blurring again, and he smiled wider than he ever had before. He held back tears and cleared his throat so at least Kazuki could understand him, “What kind of question is that?” He sat up again, resting his forehead on Kazuki’s, “Kazuki Kurusu, I’d absolutely love to marry you.”
He kissed him. Nothing could’ve made him happier besides the actual wedding. This was what their life would be, and he didn’t want anything more. Kazuki slipped the ring onto his finger, and he couldn’t help himself. He leaned over the dashboard and put it in the sun again. Rei angled it to shine above them, rainbows beaming all around.
“This is beautiful, Kazuki.”
“Oh thank god,” Kazuki’s shoulders relaxed, “I remembered you mentioning it but didn’t know if you’d still like it now.”
Rei’s lips trembled, but he sniffed back any more tears, “So, well, how’re we gonna explain it to her? Isn’t this a big thing to tell her after her first day?”
Kazuki nodded, “True, but she’s pretty strong, she can handle it,” he said with a smirk.
“She really is.” Rei looked at the car’s clock. It was about half an hour until they had to open shop. “We should probably go in now.”
“Oh, yeah,” Kazuki put the box into his pocket and opened the car door. Its shape stuck out like a sore thumb. Before Rei had the chance, Kazuki opened his door for him, “Shall we?”
He rolled his eyes at the formality, but he did this fairly often anyway. He didn’t respond, but took Kazuki’s hand and lifted himself out of the car. Once inside, Kazuki started to rewrite the day’s specials, and Rei prepared their signature dishes. Kazuki came into the kitchen once he was done, and helped prep the food.
The day went by fairly quickly, excluding the nervousness Rei felt the entire time. People noticed the ring and quietly admired it. Rei wasn’t sure how he felt about the attention but figured he should get used to it if they plan on having a wedding. Mostly their regulars came in but didn’t stay for long, having meetings or their jobs to run off to. Once the rush was over, they sat in one of the booths by the window, waiting for Miri to come through the door. The school wasn’t far, and she wanted to walk, so it was a matter of time before she’d be home. The door opened, closed, Miri moved around Rei closer to the window, then let out a big sigh.
“Well, how was it?” Kazuki said.
“Oh it was awesome, but so, so many people, so much stuff to do,” she rested her head in her arms, “ugh, the rest of the week of this.”
Rei stroked her hair, “Joining any clubs?”
“Not sure yet, the club fair’s supposed to be later in the week, I’m too tired to remember the day.”
The two looked at each other. Is now a good time, she’s tired? / It’ll make her perk up, Kazuki shrugged his shoulders. / Here we go.
“Hey, Miri, we have something to-”
She sat up quickly. Rei’s hand felt different. She took his hand off of her and examined it. She tilted her head in confusion. “A ring? Where’d you…?”
Rei pointed at Kazuki, and he gave a weak smile. “What?” she paused for a moment, realizing, “Wait, what?! Really?!”
Kazuki nodded, “I didn’t come home late ‘cause of girls, it was ‘cause of that. We wanna get married, Miri.”
She let out a squeal, “Really?! When? Can I be the flower girl? Wait, where’s it gonna be? Ooh, I have an idea!”
“Slow down,” Rei laughed, “We haven’t figured out the details yet, it just happened this morning.”
She pouted, “You let this happen without me? Geez.”
Kazuki played along, “Ahh I’m so so sorry, it’s been weighing me down all day! Though, we’ll be needing help with the planning.”
She perked up immediately, “Do you mean…can I?”
“Of course you can, you’re part of this family,” Rei said.
She hugged the two across the table. “Oh this is gonna be amazing!” She pushed Rei out of the seat and ran upstairs, definitely to tell her friends.
“That was easier than I thought,” Rei said.
“Sure was.”
They sat in silence, “So what now?”
“Now we finish out our night like usual.” Kazuki got out of the booth and stretched, “Today’s been a lot, I’m gonna go shower.”
“Alright,” Rei watched Kazuki go back up, then started playing with the ring. This was really gonna happen, someone really loved him so much to want to pursue something like this. He let it go then went to the fridge, taking out some dessert they hadn’t served and finished it up. This life was perfect, and no matter what, no one would be able to take it away from him.
The rest of the night went by like all the others. He showered, did his nightly routine, and put the ring in their nightstand’s drawer. He slid into bed next to Kazuki, the man snoring unbearably loud, and somehow he was still able to fall asleep. He felt like the luckiest man alive.