Archive of Our Own ^beta

People don't usually outdo the Koga Oogami.

He's Koga Oogami, for heaven's – or maybe it should be hell's – sake! UNDEAD's wolf. Known for his wild attitude and his passionate performances. He's the ultimate initiative taker – he went to an idol school despite having no interest in being an idol just to be closer to senpai. That's how it started in the first place, come to think of it… his desire to be closer to Rei. His wish to be mentored by his idol – to stand at the same stage as him and see the view that Rei himself has seen multiple times. At one point, that was nothing but a dream. Nothing but his wishful thinking. After all, he hasn't proven much himself when he first asked the otherworldly vampire to mentor him.

Which is exactly why Koga is rendered speechless when Rei Sakuma, the person he once thought was too far away to reach, is now positioned on one knee, looking up expectantly at Koga with a fancy-looking velvet box in his hands. In hindsight, Koga probably should have been suspicious when Rei invited him to a concert to one of his favorite bands. He probably should have been even more suspicious when Rei held his hand the entire way there, thumb gently caressing Koga's hand more times than what was necessary. In Koga's defense, senpai was a pretty touchy and clingy person – Rei could barely go on one damn live without touching Koga, for God's sake…

His jaw nearly drops when he eyes the box. Koga is only able to remind himself to close his mouth when Rei starts to chuckle nervously, the nerves ever present on his gradually reddening face. (It was cute, obviously. Sakuma-senpai is always cute.) But there are other things Koga must focus on right now.

Like the fucking ring being presented in front of him. Like the bright yellow citrine stone adorning the damn piece of jewelry. Rei always did compare Koga's eyes to that specific gem in particular. Something something about Ran-senpai talking to him about citrine's meaning. Who knew gemstones would have meanings in the first place? That's fucking silly. Koga is unable to discern the words that come out of Rei's mouth at first, his mind still having trouble processing what was going on. Sakuma-senpai was saying something and he should focus already, damn it.

Lucky for him, Koga is at least able to make out the two most important words from Rei's spiel.

"...Marry me?"

And immediately Koga has to turn away, one arm covering his eyes so he doesn't have to look at Rei… or, rather, so Rei doesn't have to see him pathetically beginning to tear up. Koga mutters something incoherent, which Rei has to ask Koga to repeat, only for Koga to turn back to the other with a scowl. For a moment, Rei's face contorts into worry and concern… only for Koga to speak, louder this time.

"Bastard…! You got to it first!"

Rei blinks. His knee is starting to hurt… but more importantly, what did Koga mean by that?

"I was gonna…! I should've been the one who…!" Koga, for once, is at a loss for words, unable to fully complete his sentence due to all the emotion brewing up inside him. Rei's expression grows more and more confused by the second, brows furrowing in concern the more his gaze remains on Koga. Sensing Rei's worry though, Koga shakes his head.

" Obviously it's a yes, idiot," He watches Rei let out a relieved sigh that he has definitely been holding in for the past minute or two.
"Don't even have second thoughts about that. It's just…"
Rei tenses up again.
"I WAS ALREADY PLANNIN' TO PROPOSE TO YA, IDIOT!"

Now it was the vampire's turn to be rendered speechless, red eyes widening in surprise the longer he stares at Koga. He does his utmost best to maintain his composure and hopefully stop himself from bursting into laughter at how utterly hilarious this situation was. Who would have known Koga was also planning to ask Rei's hand in marriage? Certainly not Rei. Koga was the more responsible one in this relationship, after all; he wouldn't go into a marriage without proper preparation beforehand… and knowing that Koga felt ready and confident enough in their relationship that he was willing to take it a step further was enough to make Rei's heart swell with emotion – so much so that he has to restrain himself from picking Koga up and rushing back to their shared apartment so he could go on a 5-hour tangent about how precious he thinks the love of his life is.

Ultimately, Rei is unable to keep silent any longer. With an affectionate sigh he pulls himself up, finally saving himself from his aching knee. Taking Koga's hand in his, he finds the ability to speak at last. "It's unfortunate that I happened to do it first, then." The ring is slipped on Koga's finger, a deep inhale being heard from Koga as he admires the new addition to his already existing arsenal of jewelry. He's still a little frustrated that Rei got to the proposal first before he did, but he can put that aside for now – Koga couldn't be happier to finally, finally be engaged to the love of his life.

If he could go back in time and tell his younger self everything that just happened, how would he react, Koga wonders…

— — — —

Which brings him here in the present, staring into a shop's window with Rei clinging to his arm as if he was afraid of accidentally being swept away by the wind. (It wasn't even that strong, really.) With Koga's pollen allergy and Rei's need to be in a specific temperature at all times, the transition from winter to spring is the absolute worst for the both of them. Despite all the bundling up that Rei did to prevent himself from feeling too cold, he still ended up clinging onto Koga like a child, afraid of getting lost in the crowd — afraid of the possibility of getting separated.

Admittedly, Koga thinks it's fucking adorable. (Again, senpai is always cute.)

Obviously, he's not about to let Rei know.

"Oi," He utters, weakly trying to shrug Rei off. (Not that he actually wants Rei to let go.)"How d'ya expect me to move when yer clinging to me like a kid? C'mon. I'm the one who has to talk to the damn person on the counter…" More muttering can be heard from Koga as he nudges Rei again, to no avail.
In fact, his senior's grip only tightens.

"Oh, be kind to this poor vampire, would you? You're quite warm; perfect for this temperature. Don't you want to be my own personal heater?" Despite being taller than the other, Rei has the nerve to lean towards Koga, head resting on his captive's shoulder. The damn vampire bastard nuzzles into Koga's shoulder, a weak yet content noise akin to the sound of a cat purring leaving him as he does so. Damn it. How was Koga supposed to say no to that?!
Whatever, he decides, soon opening the door to small shop. His eyes dart across the small space, several flashbacks of his own time in here coming back to remind him of why he was back here in the first place.

Upon hearing the sound of the door opening and then closing, the jeweler, surprisingly also a young man who looked about the same age as them, looks up from their spot behind the counter, lips curling into a charming smile – much like Kaoru's, now that he thinks about it…
"Ah, it's you again," The jeweler muses, making Koga scoff in both annoyance and embarrassment. "And I see you brought a companion… or perhaps this is the partner you've mentioned?" A curious eyebrow is raised, their smile never fully wavering. Leaning over towards the couple, they hum. "I must say, I did appreciate you talking in detail about your beloved. It helped us pick the perfect ring, no?"

Rei's gaze turns to Koga, blinking in confusion.

Yet another scoff is heard from Koga as his free hand (the one not being held captive by Sakuma-senpai) reaches up to scratch at his nape, the very obvious blush on his face making the jeweler look at him with an amused grin. "That's actually what I'm here to talk about," Koga grunts, reaching into his pocket for a velvet box. "Came here to return this."

The charming smile on the jeweler's lips soon fade away, thinking the worst of the situation as they reach out for the box that Koga had bought just a week ago, concerned gaze turned towards Koga as they speak up. "Oh, is something wrong? Did they perhaps not…"
Koga speaks quickly, almost shouting. "Nothin' like that!" The jeweler flinches at the sudden loud volume. "It's just! Fuck."
Now Rei finds that it's his turn to speak. "You see…" With a knowing smirk, he takes Koga's hand in his, raising it alongside his own. "I might have gone and beat him to the chase."

And almost immediately the jeweler's smile returns. It's always nice to know that proposals have worked out… even if they didn't exactly work out in the way they expected. They nod, carefully taking the velvet box back into their own hands. "I understand. I'm very happy for the both of you. I shall process the intricates of this return soon. In the meantime, you two should enjoy your time together in the city as a newly engaged couple. I'll take care of the rest."
Koga nods, still undoubtedly embarrassed after the events of today. Rei isn't clinging to him anymore at least, although his hand hasn't moved from its spot after he raised them to show the jeweler Koga's new ring. With a rushed mutter of thanks, Koga turns on his heel, beginning to tug Rei away so that they could finally, finally escape this awkward situation… only to be stopped soon after.

"Oh, and…" The jeweler hums, turning back to the pair. "If you need a wedding planner, I also happen to work in that field as well. You already have my contact. Feel free to call for my service any time you so desire."
"I'll remember that. Thanks again. Expect an invitation too, Bax."
The jeweler, who had apparently grown close enough to Koga to receive a nickname, smiles once more as they wave the couple goodbye from behind the counter.

Now outside, Rei begins to smile, that smile soon turning into a light chuckle. Koga shoots him a glare – he's not annoyed, clearly. But he is still embarrassed!
"You're quite the lucky person to have met such a nice jeweler, huh, Koga ~"
"Yeah, I guess. But it's whatever! Ya heard what he said! We should just explore the damn place already! I haven't had this much free time in ages."

Rei gives Koga's hand an affectionate squeeze. "I agree. I know a nice park nearby. If you wish, we can bring Leon." Koga feels his heart almost explode. Knowing that Rei loved Leon enough to always consider bringing him along on all of their dates makes him feel all kinds of fuzzy inside. That damn wedding couldn't come sooner! Koga wants to marry this damn bastard now, damn it!

"That lil' guy would love that."
Rei leans in, planting a kiss on the tip of Koga's nose.
"Oh, I know. You know we can communicate now, right?"
"Haaah?" Koga rolls his eyes. "Impossible. Leon wouldn't talk to ya."

Rei is laughing yet again as they continue their short walk back home, heart full of love and affection for his dearest.