Work Text:
Oka and Kaou
Illustration by Erisperitas
“So what do you think?” Kaou asked the other man as they stood in the living room of the newly completed dwelling. It shouldn’t have mattered to him at all what the other man thought. This was the home that he had designed and built by hand and by magic for himself, a permanent dwelling that finalized his stepping into a new life. No one else's opinion but his should have mattered. Yet he couldn’t deny that he had added certain touches with another man in mind. Things like heavy curtains or shutters on all the windows that could block out all the light had been added without him making any sort of conscious choice. They just seemed right, even if they were placed there out of consideration for the other man who had quickly wormed his way into Kaou’s life.
Oka had wandered the new sprawling homestead with him, nodding and smiling at everything that Kaou showed him, his aura the typical tangle of colors and emotions. As a rule Kaou tried not to focus on Oka’s aura to gain insight into what the other man was thinking. He preferred to operate under the assumption that if Oka wanted him to know, he would say something. Still, he had been very tempted to watch him in that way as they walked through the house.
It felt like an eternity, but it was only a brief moment before Oka answered with a smile. “I love it. You have created a beautiful spacious home for yourself Kaourintin,” he said gently.
Kaou had to admit that it was quite an upgrade from the single room dwelling that he had been living up until this point. Now it contained separate rooms for sitting, eating, cooking, sleeping and bathing, all of them were spacious and let in a lot of natural light, but every room had the ability to be made almost completely void of light.
“I’m glad you like it,” relief colored his voice as he moved back through the house to the kitchen where he gathered a tray with everything needed for an afternoon cup of tea. He walked with it through the house to a back porch that overlooked his garden, where he sat the tray down and then gestured to one of the chairs there.
Oka settled into a chair and nerves settled into the pit of Kaou’s stomach as he sat as well. “You really like it?” he asked, more uncertain than he had been in a long time.
“Of course I do. It is a lovely home and feels like yours. You’ve been working on the plans for it for months,” Oka remarked as he accepted a cup of tea. He watched Kaou for a long moment as if he was trying to puzzle something out. “Do you not care for it as much as you thought you would?”
“No,” Kaou murmured softly, “it’s nothing like that. I like it quite a lot but I made it a little large for just one person,” he remarked.
“It is quite spacious, but I think you have earned the right to have that sort of space if that is what you desire,” Oka told him as he took a sip of his tea.
“It isn’t that I want that space for myself,” Kaou replied. This time he did watch Oka’s aura as he spoke, trying to gauge the other man’s reaction. “I actually designed this place not just for myself but with another in mind as well.”
“Oh?” Oka prompted, but Kaou watched as his aura began to pulse with the complex combination of colors he recognized as hope.
“Yes,” Kaou continued as if he hadn’t seen it. “I find that in my retirement, I don’t enjoy my solitude as much as I thought that I would. So I made my space large enough that if someone wanted to move in with me, it would be possible.”
“Oh?” Oka said again. “Perhaps I am misremembering, but I don’t believe that I saw a guest room, unless you simply didn’t show that to me.”
“No, no guest room,” Kaou replied with a smile. “I remember that you said you really don’t have a home and that you stay with others or in an inn when needed. I’m not asking for any sort of commitment, but if you would like, you are welcome to make a home here with me.” Kaou watched as Oka’s aura flared brightly with a tangle of emotions, not all of them what people would think of as pleasant. Although he had always been able to see the emotions themselves all his life, Kaou had never been able to see the cause of those emotions and so he always had to try and figure that part out himself.
“It would mean that you would have to room with me, since as you noticed, there is no guest room,” Kaou continued. “But the entire house can be made dark for your bad brain days. If you really aren’t comfortable staying with me in my bed, I can add on a guest room for you -”
“Kaourintin,” Oka said softly, laying a gentle hand on Kaou’s arm. “If you are certain that you would like me here, I would be glad to stay with you.” As he spoke, his aura settled again, the hope and affection blooming bright and the darker negative things settling back to their usual places.
Kaou exhaled deeply, relief still palpable no matter how certain he had been that Oka would accept his offer. “I would like that very much,” Kaou confirmed.
“Then when I am not traveling for work, I will stay,” Oka offered him with a shy smile.
Kaou reached out his hand, taking one of Oka's with his own. “Then, welcome home Okagoro. I'm glad you made it here safely.”
“Thank you,” he said with a soft smile, his aura flaring with hopeaffectiondisbeliefselfdoubtaffection as he laced his fingers with Kaou's. “I am home,” he said, his voice edged with a touch of wonder.
Kaou smiled and squeezed the other man's hand lightly as he looked out over his garden. A feeling of peace settled around him and he realized for the first time in a very long time, he was content watching the sun begin to set from the porch of their home.