Work Text:
Patterns.
One cube of sugar, half a teaspoon of honey, wipe the condensation from the rim of the teacup and stir four and a half times. Grab a saucer from the dish rack, set it at the edge of the counter right over that one dent on the marble and set the cup down.
Pretend he doesn’t hear the footsteps approaching him from behind, allow Jouno to wrap his arms around his waist while he presses his face to his back and try to breathe significantly less.
Patterns. Their patterns.
They’re what they find comfort in- Jouno a little more than him. They’re what keeps his lover, someone who suffers from nervous breakdowns when they are broken, organised and calm. They’re what they built their life on.
And yet, he must break them this morning.
In the pocket of Tecchou’s shorts, the velvet ring box seems to become heavier with every passing moment.
It’s a modest piece of jewellery- silver with a white diamond set in the centre. It doesn’t catch attention, so less people will ask and, consequently, Jouno won’t have to be annoyed with their questions.
Jouno tilts his face against his back gently. “You’re tense.”
“I am.” He replies easily. Tecchou’s never been one to lie- not that he’s ever tried. His mother taught him young never to do it and the habit just…never left him. He likes to think Jouno likes that about him. “But it’s not that big of a deal.”
Which is true. He knows Jouno will say yes- they’ve been dating for two years and have been living together for half that time. They know they’re compatible in a living space and live comfortably on a professor salary, so it’s not a matter of finance either.
He just wants to marry Jouno. And he knows Jouno wants to marry him too…it’s just a matter of how he’ll drop the question.
His lover is someone who is stressed and irritated easily, especially when it comes to making a huge decision. Tecchou remembers when he first asked him out and he took a whole week to come to terms with an answer- and how his face was scrunched in concentration whenever he glanced at him in the faculty lounge for that period of time.
He doesn’t like stressing Jouno out. And he doesn’t like putting huge decisions on his head for him to worry about.
They trudge all the way back to the bedroom slowly, Jouno sticking firmly to his back until Tecchou sets his tea down and guides him to sit back on the bed, but not too tantalisingly.
Another thing Jouno doesn’t like is being helped around the house too much.
Tecchou watches him take his teacup and bring it up to his lips, eyes shut as he blows at the steam. He looks beautiful like this- hair messy and unbrushed, wearing a shirt that’s just a size too large for him and in one of Tecchou’s old sweats. When he itches his arm, his sleeve lifts up to reveal the little freckles dotted over his arms that match the ones scattered over the bridge of his nose and cheeks.
Unconsciously, Tecchou reaches into his pocket and pulls out the little box.
He braces himself, repeating the words he practised on call with Tachihara and Teruko last night in the kitchen so as to not wake his lover.
But if he proposes now, the surprise might cause Jouno’s tea to spill and hurt him.
Tecchou purses his lips at the thought and shuts the box slowly to stop keen ears from catching the noise. Still, though, the scrunch of his lover’s brows causes him to speak up.
“I’m going to get ready.” He mumbles quietly, kissing his clothed knee. It’s early in the morning- Jouno doesn’t like loud noises at this time.
He receives a nod in turn, before Jouno sits up. He leans in, his lips warm with the tea and sweet with its flavour. Now would be a perfect time to slip the ring onto his finger, but he’s pulling away just as quickly.
“Hurry up. And don’t waste the warm water.”
______
When Kenji first moved to the city, it was just for a degree in agricultural sciences. His family was more than proud that he was accepted into one of the top universities in the country on a scholarship with a stipend and how could he refuse the opportunity to better care for their farm?
However, recently he’s been having…not farm related thoughts.
“Not-farm-related?” Akutagawa snips carefully, arching a brow as he picks at his food. Oh, yeah, he’s narrating this all to his good and unlikely friend. “You mean like…gardening?”
“No, no, like not farm related at all.” He clarifies, pouting a little. “I’ve been thinking about this girl.”
“Oh, I see.” The taller man’s brows clear and he hums thoughtfully. “And you wish to date her?”
“I do. But I don’t know what city girls like.” He confesses, looking off towards one of the other tables distantly. Kyouka is sitting alone today, but she has Atsushi’s backpack with her. She looks a little lonely. “Do they like flowers? Candy? Cows?”
“Don’t get her a cow.” Akutagawa says, concerned again. “But I think it doesn’t matter what you give her. She would like it if she liked you.”
“So…even if I gave her a bouquet of spiders…would she like me?”
Kenji blinks. Akutagawa blinks back.
“In a manner of speaking.” He confirms after a moment, picking at the ring he had looped in his ear. “It depends on the girl too, I suppose. What does she like? Any hobbies that you know of?”
“Ooh!” Kenji feels himself perk up at the memory of a few paper boats on the desk next to his in English Literature. “She’s really into origami. I should make a bouquet of paper flowers for her!”
“That’s a good idea.” Akutagawa hums in approval, resting his cheek on his hand. “Maybe you can get some coloured paper from the faculty lounge too.”
“Ooh, then I can talk to Tecchou-sensei about it too.” Kenji grins, eyes lighting up in excitement as he sits up. “Thank you for the advice Akutagawa! Good luck with your visitor!”
The taller man stares after him in confusion. “Visitor?”
He whips his head around to find a black cat standing on the grass behind him. He carefully looks around to make sure there are no eyes on him and hastily scoops the cat into his lap.
His now.
______
It started with not so subtle looks towards Jouno’s ring finger, then to the awkward clearing of throats when the four of them lapsed into silence and now, to Tecchou’s utmost surprise, Teruko is standing over him, wielding a pen like a wand as if she’s about to cast a spell on him.
“Time to fess up, lover boy.” Teruko mutters, moving the pen dangerously close to his eyes. “When did ya start having the affair?”
He blinks. “Affair?”
Tachihara is standing off to the side, pinching the bridge of his nose between careful breaths. “I tried to stop her.”
Teruko either doesn’t hear him or chooses not to.“That’s right, affair. Because there’s no other reason he’d ever reject ya.”
Tecchou holds the pen before it pokes his eye out. “He didn’t reject me. I just didn’t propose.”
Teruko kisses her teeth, clearly disappointed as she pulls away. “Yeah, I figured as much. Thanks for the pen, Poe-kun.”
They lapse into silence as she hurls the pen towards the man at the other end of the room. A quiet “ow!” sounds around the room before she turns back to Tecchou, this time taking a seat on the sofa next to him and kicking her feet up on one of his thighs.
“So why didn’t ya drop the question?” She asks, laying back as Tachihara finally joins them on one of the stools next to the sofa.
He shrugs, leaning back in his seat.
Since he, Teruko and Tachihara aren’t technically “teachers” but coaches in charge of various sports, their schedule is a lot more flexible than the others’ and that includes Jouno.
“I just…didn’t find the right time.” He confesses, picking at his fingernails. He knows the other two don’t understand what they’re like- in fact, they’re convinced that they can never stop arguing, even when they’re alone. Which he understands, of course. Jouno keeps a certain facade around people- never letting them see him when he’s most vulnerable even if they’re his closest friends.
They’re working on it.
“But you’re gonna do it today, right?” Tachihara mutters, toying with the stud in his ear. “Because if you need more time, we can help keep things on the down low.”
“Aren’t things already on the down low?” He asks, looking between them.
Teruko grins sheepishly. “I might’ve…gotten ahead of myself and placed a few bets that Jouno’s gonna show up to campus this week with a ring on his finger…”
“Oh.” Tecchou frowns at that for a moment, looking down at the coffee table in front of him. “I mean…it really depends on when I find the right moment.”
“No pressure, man.” Tachihara leans in and pats his shoulder sympathetically. “Besides, you still-”
“Tecchou-sensei!” At the sound of Kenji’s voice, he finds himself smiling absently at the boy who’s waiting for him outside the staff room and beaming at him as he waves. “Hi!”
Kenji is his favourite student in Y.U. and it’s not really because of his performance on the field, but because he’s just…a nice kid. He talks a lot, but it’s always something Tecchou enjoys listening to, so he finds himself greeting him on campus whenever he can.
“Kenji.” He hums, excusing himself from the conversation and meeting him at the doorway. “What brings you to the faculty lounge?”
“I need papers.” He grins, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Someone told me there’s a bunch here left from Gogol-san’s last play and I’m gonna need a ton.”
Tecchou nods at that and beckons Kenji inside the room to lead him to the array of shelves by the kitchenette. “What’s the occasion?”
“I’m asking a girl out and I want to do it properly.” Kenji grins, kneeling down rifling through the bin on the floor full of partially used A5 papers. “I think her favourite colours are red and pink, so I’ll use all the red and pink here.”
Tecchou hums in response, kneeling down beside him to help locate the ones Kenji needs.
While they’re working, Kenji tells him all about the girl but Tecchou finds it hard to keep up when he hears the familiar sound of a cane tapping at the ground.
Jouno enters the lounge in something of a flurry, a stack of papers in one hand with a pen wedged between his fingers as he curses audibly. Before Tecchou can react, Tachihara joins Jouno at the door to help with his things before he’s irritably swatted away.
Tecchou’s eyes follow him all the way to the table by the kitchenette, lips pursed.
At that moment, Kenji stands up, fumbling with the papers briefly. “Y’know, Tecchou-sensei, I’m a little worried she’ll say no and all these flowers will go to waste. So how about you take them and give them to Jouno-sensei if she does. He looks like he’s in a bad mood, anyways.”
He can’t help but smile at the childish kindness. “Thank you, Kenji-kun, but I’m sure she’ll say yes. You’re a kind and honest person.”
His cheeks turn a faint shade of pink at that. “Aww shucks, I really hope she thinks so too…but I gotta get these to my dorm and start working on them. Have a nice day, Tecchou-sensei!”
“You too.” He calls back absently as Kenji leaves the room. He waits to make sure he gets out without dropping anything before rushing to Jouno.
“Hey.” He begins, taking a seat in front of him at the table.
Jouno’s shoulders relax just for a moment when Tecchou takes his hand, not enveloping it in his own, but letting it rest on his open palm.
“My students are idiots.” He grits, massaging his temple in an attempt to compose himself. “Autumn is coming in and bringing me nothing but a copious amount of dust and I can’t even shut the windows because they’re bolted open! On top of that, I have these stupid tests to grade and someone, that I can’t curse out the entire bloodline of because he’s older than me, ate the lunch I brought here.”
When Tecchou looks back at the area Jouno is gesturing towards, Ranpo begins sinking back against Poe’s side, clearly avoiding eye contact.
“Damn, sounds like you’ve had a bad day.” Teruko walks over with a sinister smirk, hands stuffed in her jacket pockets. “Only, like, a miracle would make today better, huh?
“Why? Did you finally learn how to do your tax returns yourself?” Jouno snarks in her direction.
“Not that big of a miracle.” She snorts, shooting him a look. “But like…if someone got down on one knee right now and proposed.”
Tachihara is a second too late to clap a hand over her mouth, visibly panicked. Tecchou feels his heart sink a little as they watch Jouno’s face shift from irritation to downright anger.
“To be honest, if someone tried that shit right about now, I think I’d kill them.”
A beat of silence ensues, the two people standing looking between the couple expectantly.
Tecchou sighs and takes the pile of papers in front of Jouno first, straightening it quietly before setting it down once more. “We’ll go out for lunch after work. My treat.”
______
“You know what I hate?” Jouno begins, leaning back in his chair as he nurses his latte. His cane is resting against their table and a little blonde boy keeps eyeing it from the table next to theirs. “Kids.”
“You do?” Tecchou asks, interested.
In his head, he’s always thought about having a couple of their own. He thinks he could be a good father- maybe not as good as a parent as his own mother was to him, but…together…they could try it.
“Mhm. Especially when their foolish mothers don’t discipline them not to touch others' belongings.” He says the last part of it loud enough that the woman gasps in offence, tugging her child towards her hastily.
“I’m very sorry about him.” Tecchou offers with a sympathetic frown before kicking his lover’s leg harshly under the table. He squawks in response, glaring at him as he clutches his shin. “You shouldn’t have said that, it’s rude.”
“Please, it’s rude to leave your child stumbling around and touching whatever.” Jouno snarks back easily.
“It’s not that easy, you know.” Tecchou explains toying with the napkin in front of him by shredding the ends as he speaks, eyes fixed on the action instead of his lover. “Raising a kid is hard enough without some guy at a cafe telling you you’re doing a shit job.”
“It cannot be that hard to tell a child not to do something.” Jouno sniffs tetchily and he can’t help but sigh.
Jouno grew up rich, to put it bluntly. His mother never had to work extra shifts at the hospital with a pair of used shoes for the school term- in fact, she didn’t have to work at all.
And despite that, Tecchou’s mother was always there for him when he needed her most and Jouno’s…wasn’t. So he doesn’t expect him to understand.
And yet.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” Jouno leans over to the woman with a pinched expression. “I’m sorry for my words earlier. Please disregard them.”
After a brief exchange, he reluctantly adjusts himself in his seat, sighing heavily. “I can feel your dopey little smile, shut up.”
He doesn’t falter. “You care about me.”
“Regretfully so.” He sighs, rolling his eyes. Tecchou loves Jouno’s eyes.
They’re a warm, honeyed brown and so easy to fall into. It’s uncharacteristic how innocent they make his lover look.
Absently, Tecchou shoves his hand in his hoodie pocket and pulls out the little velvet box, turning it in his hands. A few people look over to them, watching him attentively.
Right now is a good time to propose. Jouno has expressed his (regretful) comfortable love for him, they’ve had a conversation about something that they disagree on but can still come to terms with and…well…he just really wants to ask him right now.
But there again, they are surrounded by people.
Jouno would hate a public proposal with applause and any attention towards them while they’re sharing a private moment.
He sighs, pocketing it again, much to the few people’s disappointment.
Not not. Today…but not now.
______
Sometimes, patterns break.
Maybe with Tecchou cooking them surprise dinners (minus the modifications), or a movie they want to watch or, sometimes, something like this.
Jouno’s sensory overload today was one of many this past month and it’s clear he’s more stressed than usual due to the back to back incidents. When he gets like this, the answer is seldom ever to leave him be, but rather, stick to his side and let him know that he can be as annoyed as he wants to be.
They’ve decided to unwind in the living room, Jouno is on his lap, head tucked into his shoulder and one of their spare blankets has been thrown over their lap. In Tecchou’s hands is a book; a nonfiction novel about some soldier in the Cold War.
It’s actually one of his own.
See, him and Jouno have a small collection of books between the two of them. Jouno has a ton more than he does and all in braille. If he wanted to read one of those, he knows Tecchou wouldn't have minded simply staying by his side while he flipped through it.
But no, this isn’t about a book. This is about wanting to hear him talk- something he seldom does too much around anyone at all. But he’s willing to push that aside. For Jouno.
He keeps his lips pressed to the side of his lover’s neck as he reads, leaving small kisses between sentences and only pausing to breathe in the scent of cinnamon and autumn leaves.
They stay that way for over an hour until Jouno shifts to sit up. To his surprise and dread alike, his eyes are glassy.
“What happened?” He mumbles as his lover shifts on his lap, glaring at Tecchou like he should know this. The shorter man swallows deeply before speaking.
He doesn't expect the words that leave his mouth. “Do you remember the day we met?”
“It was on the subway.” He recites easily, tracing circles over Jouno’s palm with his thumb. “I bumped into you on the way out of the cabin and you told me to die. Why?”
“Did you know that I didn’t like you at all for the first few weeks you kept waiting at that stop to apologise to me?” He whispers, unsatisfied with the answer.
“I do.” When he is still met with dissatisfaction, he pushes on. “What’s on your mind, Jouno?”
“There’s no reason for you to have spared me any kindness that day.” He informs him stiffly. “And there is no reason for you to love me.”
Ah. Well, good thing he knows just the way to answer that.
“I love you for many reasons.” He replies easily. “Because you take your tea with one cube of sugar and half a teaspoon of honey and pretend not to care that I remembered it on our first date. Because you say you hate kids when I know for a fact you adore Bram-san’s daughter enough to coincidentally have a piece of candy to “shoo her off” with. Because you're beautiful. Because you understand me.”
Tecchou takes a breath, shuts his eyes, reaches into his pocket to pull out the velvet box. Jouno hears the noise and pauses as he takes his hand and the ring in the other.
“I love you so much that I want to marry you.” Tecchou whispers, carefully slotting the ring onto his finger. “But…only if you’ll have me?”
Jouno doesn’t reply, his opposite hand moving to feel the platinum of the ring. Tears build faster than Tecchou can blink, rolling down his cheeks in thick droplets.
“You knew I’d ask you. Teruko literally said it.” He mumbles, gently wiping his cheek with a thumb. “Why are you crying?”
“I- I hate you.” Jouno sniffs, pressing his thumb to the flat diamond on top of it. “Y-You- I…of course I knew I just…”
And Jouno, he hates it when Tecchou sees him cry. So instead he buries his face in his chest. “…I didn’t think I’d be this happy.”
“You’re so nice.” That earns Tecchou a punch on the arm. Something warm blooms in his chest. “So is that a yes?”
His lover only pulls away briefly, pecking his lips gently. “Of course it’s a yes, you idiot.” Another kiss. “I love you. But don’t let the word get out that I do.”
“My lips are sealed.” He agreed, lifting a hand in surrender and Jouno’s smile is heavenly.
Even more so when he presses it against his lips one last time.
______
“Miss Kyouka!” Kenji calls in the direction where the dark haired girl is walking to her next class with Atsushi.
The pair of them turn when he rushes over with Akutagawa, the bouquet of flowers concealed behind his back. She doesn’t smile, but her face relaxes when she sees him approach, grinning eagerly.
“You. Come here.” Akutagawa takes Atsushi’s arm before he can protest and claps a hand over his mouth as he leads them away from the area, much to the shorter man’s shock.
Kenji clears his throat. “Miss Kyouka. I made you something.”
“You can just call me Kyouka.” She whispers, looking down shyly.
“Alrighty then, I got something for you, Kyouka.” Kenji beams, handing her the bouquet. “It’s a bouquet-”
“Of paper flowers.” She finishes for him, toying with a bright pink tulip before looking up, cheeks tinged red. “Thank you. This is really pretty.”
“Uh…if you wanna know how to make them yourself…” He begins, bouncing back on the balls of his feet. “I could teach you how to…on a date…if you ever…wanna do that…”
Kyouka looks between him and the bouquet a few times, clearly fighting a smile before letting it spread over her face. “Sure. Do you want to walk to my English class with me?”
“Uh- yeah!” Kenji brightens immediately. After a second she holds out a hand and he eagerly takes it, nearly skipping as she leads the way down the hall.
______
Tachihara watches the bills pile up on the table in front of him in rising concern. Teruko simply ignores him, stacking them in a quick motion. She only looks up when Tecchou and Jouno enter the faculty lounge one after the other.
“Dinner’s on me tonight, boys!” She calls with a shit eating grin.
“Technically,” Mushitarou pipes up from where he’s brewing himself a cup of coffee at the kitchenette with an unimpressed frown. “It’s on me.”
“Ya snooze, ya lose, Oguri-kun!” She shrugs, waving the bills in his direction. “Maybe think twice before ya challenge the power of love!”
He mutters something under his breath at that with a theatrical eye roll before sauntering back to the corner he, Ranpo and Poe usually occupy.
“So.” Tachihara hums, smiling up at the pair of them sympathetically. “How did the board meeting go?”
Jouno sighs, taking a seat adjacent to him. “As expected. Fukuzawa-san congratulated us, Mori-san wants us to decide a date as soon as possible for him to update our scheduled off calendar and Fukuchi-san is insisting that the staff get together for drinks to celebrate.”
“Tecchou-sensei!” They turn to look at the doorway of the room to find Kenji waving at him eagerly. He waves back, excusing himself for a moment to join him.
“I’m assuming she said yes.” He hums, hands in his pockets.
“She did! And to thank you for the help with the paper, I made you this.” Kenji smiles, handing him a blue paper rose before he leans in to whisper. “Everyone’s talking about Jouno-sensei’s ring, so I thought you could give it to him.”
“Good idea.” He smiles, taking it in his hand.
“Have a nice day Tecchou-sensei! And congratulations!” Kenji waves at him a final time before speeding off again.
The others are waiting for him at the table when he approaches. “Here.”
Jouno feels the flower in his hands for a moment, the tips of his ears turning red before he scoffs. “I’m not parading around campus with a stupid flower. Teruko, you take it.”
“The fuck I will.” She snarks, refusing it in a second. “I’m not taking a flower from an engaged man.”
“Shit, I’ll take it.” Tachihara takes the flower from Jouno’s hand and turns it on his own with a fond smile. When he notices the looks he’s being given, he scoffs. “What?! It’s a nice flower!”
“Yeah, whatever ya say, princess.” Teruko grins, pinching his cheek.
When they start arguing, Tecchou looks down at Jouno to find him absently thumbing at the ring on his finger. He leans down to peck his cheek gently and whispers. “Kenji taught me to make flowers a while back. I’ll make you some myself when we get home.”
“You’re a sap.” He whispers back, but kisses his cheek in turn anyways.