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Some may have looked at Tsugino and Maeno’s life and called it mundane and uneventful, but Tsugino truly would have it no other way. After so much of his life spent unwanted and isolated from those he craved love from so desperately, a quiet calm life with the target of his affection was one beyond his wildest dreams. Sure, their housing together had not been either of their choice, but Tsugino hoped that Maeno enjoyed sharing a roof and routine together as much as he did.
It was difficult, admittedly, to repress the feelings he so intensely wished to share and have recuperated by the other boy, but playing the role of doting housemate was a safe and stable place to be while they settled into their new lives.
They had vastly different routines and responsibilities, with Tsugino attending a preparatory course to attend university and Maeno continuing his work at a military laboratory (the specifics were “top secret” apparently, and Tsugino didn’t have it within him to pry further). In the evenings though, they both returned to the same comfortable apartment to share the trials of their day over a warm meal that Tsugino had cooked, watch the evening news together and then retire to their respective bedrooms for the night.
Most mornings Tsugino awoke well before his new roommate, sometimes having to go as far acting as the other boy's alarm clock when he slept through his actual one. It never bothered him, he found something very endearing about Maeno’s scramble to get ready for work with only minutes to spare.
This morning however, Tsugino woke to a loud crash coming from the direction of the kitchen and the distinct smell of smoke. His thoughts jumped immediately to a potential break in, and then to an electrical fire having started while they had both been sleeping. Tsugino threw back his sheets and leapt from the bed, rushing through to the kitchen with his mind racing and heart pounding. In his half awake panic, he scrambled to remember what they had learnt about these kinds of situations in school - water would make everything worse, wouldn’t it? But it wasn’t like they owned a fire extinguisher. The most he could do was assess the damage and then evacuate them both before the flames reached their side of the apartment.
As he rounded the doorway to the kitchen, the sight he saw was not smoldering curtains and flames licking at the cabinets, but something completely different. It was Aki, an apron tied around his waist and crouched in front of the stove, cursing as he picked up a spatula off of the floor. Tsugino paused, heart still pounding in his ears from the adrenaline rush as he watched Maeno take the spatula and use it in the pan after ah… touching the floor.
He shuffled closer behind Maeno, peeking over his shoulder as he watched him flip what he believed was a pancake, but the surface was so black it was indistinguishable from the cast iron. That certainly explained the bad smell wafting through the house. Tsugino opened his mouth to speak and announce himself, but Maeno must have sensed someone looming over him because he turned around with a cry and the spatula went skittering across the kitchen tile again.
“T-Tsugino! I thought you were asleep!”
The shorter boy rushed to pull the pan off of the stove, slipping the pancake off the pan to join several others at similar levels of charring sitting on a plate on the counter. He turned around to face Tsugino, looking flustered and slightly annoyed.
“I thought you were still sleeping!”
Tsugino tilted his head in confusion, and watched the way Aki’s face visibly softened at the action.
“I could say the same about you, Doc. What are you doing out of bed so early?”
“Ah… well…” Maeno seemed at a loss for words, a direct contrast from the kind of guy who loved hearing the sound of his own voice. “You always do these kinds of things for me, you know,” he waved his hand towards the messy stove and countertop, but Tsugino knew he meant the pancakes, “So I wanted to return the favor but it’s not… as easy as the videos made it out to be.”
Maeno’s confession that he had tried to cook for him made Tsugino’s chest ache. Sure, Maeno was always available to provide and care for him emotionally, but Tsugino was more than happy to take over the role of homemaker - cleaning and preparing their meals and waking Maeno up when he was late for work. It never bothered Tsugino, the drive to provide for Maeno and their lifestyle was one of the few things that made him happy to get out of bed in the morning.
“It’s alright,” Tsugino stepped forward with a smile, reaching forward to grab the spatula out of Maeno’s hand.
Maeno looked startled for a moment, before jumping at Tsugino to attempt to snatch it back from him. Tsugino held the utensil just out of his reach, continuing to smile as Maeno complained he needed to ‘just let him do this’, ‘the next batch will be better’, ‘they’ll taste fine with some toppings’.
He eventually managed to convince the other boy to give over control of the pancakes to him and Maeno could set up the table and make them both coffee, the shorter boy scampering off to do so. Tsugino turned back to the stove once had finished cleaning the dirty spatula and pan, moving to scoop another dollop of the mixture onto the pan, only to notice how lumpy and watery it was.
Ah… I suppose I’ll start fresh. I’m sure Doc won’t mind.
︶♱︶︶♱︶︶♱︶
When Maeno and Tsugino had first moved into their apartment together all those months ago, Tsugino had been perfectly content with staying in their shared home and reading all day until Maeno returned from work. Maeno was not having that, however, and pushed Tsugino to do something to give his life purpose outside of homelife monotony, which is what had led him to enroll in his vocational courses.
It wasn't a particularly difficult schedule (except for around exam season), with Tsugino returning to the apartment just after lunch and beginning to prepare dinner for himself and Maeno most days. He loved the sense of normality and structure that always led to him returning to Maeno’s side in the evenings, and he did his best to study hard and keep up his grades to make the other boy proud.
Maeno must have been working from home today, because when he returned from his class late morning that same day the front door was unlocked and the quiet crackle of the radio could be heard from the direction of Maeno’s room. Tsugino decided to leave him to his work, moving into his own room to drop off his book bag before noticing something out of place on his desk. He swore he had kept his study space clean and tidy, but there was a book sitting atop his desk he didn’t recognise and he picked it up to read the title.
’Comfort from the Kitchen’… Huh, I swear I’ve seen this somewhere before.
The book was thick and was obviously brand new, with the price tag still attached (there was no way he would pay ¥7500 for a cookbook for himself) but nothing else indicated whose it was. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tsugino migrated to Maeno’s room to confront him. Maybe he had ordered it on behalf of his coworker and kept it in his room for safekeeping like his various other online orders.
Maeno glanced over his shoulder when he heard the creek of his bedroom door, taking the pen he was chewing on out of his mouth before turning to face him properly. No words were exchanged for a moment, Maeno’s eyes training on the book clutched in Tsugino’s hands.
“You were looking at it the other week when we were in town,” he explained in a rush, turning back around to seemingly hide his face.
'For what reason?' Tsugino mused.
“You didn’t have to get me this,” Tsugino explained, hoping desperately that Maeno would turn back around to speak with him and their conversation wouldn’t be over. Maeno’s fingers paused their furious typing on his keyboard, and a small part of Tsugino worried that he had made the wrong decision in approaching him about this.
“I know I didn’t have to, Tsugino,” the redhead smiled over his shoulder at him, melting the cold that had gripped Tsugino’s heart for those few moments before, “But I wanted to. I was hoping you’d cook something delicious from it for the both of us.”
'Of course,' Tsugino thought, 'I’d do anything for you if it meant you’d keep looking at me like this, Doc.'
“Nothing with too many vegetables though, alright!” Maeno reached across his desk for his headset, a large notification on his computer screen letting them both know there was an incoming call from his supervisor. “There’s a cheesecake in there I really liked the look of,” he teased, “Maybe another day if you’re up for it.”
Tsugino left the room, closing the door quietly behind him before he leant back against it, heart hammering in his chest and clutching the cookbook to his chest. He didn’t think he’d felt this excited for something in a long time as he did the thought of baking for Maeno.
︶♱︶︶♱︶︶♱︶
The next few hours of the day went rather uneventfully - Tsugino lounging in a patch of sun in his room and flipping through his new book, tagging the recipes that interested him and listening to the low drone of Maeno’s endless meetings with his coworkers.
Tsugino was so relaxed he actually started to doze off, the cookbook resting open on his chest as he lay settled back against the couch cushions before he was startled back to full awakeness by Maeno entering his room without knocking (this was a common occurrence, not that he minded it). Instead of his usual lazy work-from-home attire he was now wearing full length pants and a jacket. Maeno’s expression softened when he noticed Tsugino had almost fallen asleep reading the book he had purchased him, and Tsugino was quick to move off the bed and grab his own jacket, knowing what was coming.
It wasn’t uncommon for the two of them to take walks together, particularly in the evenings after his day at school and Maeno’s long day at work. The other boy often complained of the stuffy air of the office and lab, so it had become a ritual for them to take a short walk together through the nearby park for some much needed time outside.
This time, however, was the addition of a large, almost bulging tote-bag slung over Maeno’s arm that he noticed as the redhead locked their apartment door behind them. He had half a mind to question what it was, and why Maeno wanted to bring it with them on such a short walk when it seemed to be quite heavy, but he held his tongue to keep the peace between them.
The temperature was picking up in the evenings, but Maeno still complained of the cold right up towards the edge of the summer months, so he wasn’t surprised to see him shove his unoccupied hand in his pocket the second they felt the hint of wind. Tsugino wondered if Maeno might want him to carry the bag instead so he could protect both of his hands, or maybe if he could offer his own hand to keep Maeno’s warm. He opened his mouth to offer, Maeno beat him to the punch, tugging on Tsugino’s sleeve to get his attention.
“I want to go a little further today, maybe towards the back of the park.”
In what right mind would Tsugino deny Maeno, especially if it meant spending more time with him? He nodded with enthusiasm, trailing beside Maeno as he led them past the playground and the gardens and further towards the treeline that he knew hid a field the local schoolkids often played football.
His hand itches, digging his nails into the palm of his hand to distract himself from the urge to reach out and grab Maeno’s own. It was becoming increasingly hard to keep his hands to himself given the close quarters that they lived in, deriving as much enjoyment as he could from the brief touches Maeno initiated or when they brushed against each other by accident.
As much as Tsugino craved physical contact between them, the thought of driving Maeno away with his advances was too much to bear. Sure, Maeno hugged him when he cried and pet him on the shoulder when he was congratulating him on his grades, but holding hands was something significantly more intimate that Tsugino struggled to have the courage to suggest.
“Tsugino!”
Tsugino stopped walking abruptly, realizing that the shorter boy had stopped quite a few paces behind him when he glanced back.
“Uh… can you wait here for a few minutes? I’ll be right back.”
The request was so sudden and out of character that Tsugino felt the need to protest immediately, expression almost hurt.
“Why? Can I not just come with you?”
He stepped closer, but Maeno just shook his head at him, unmoved.
“No, you need to wait here okay? Please?”
Tsugino felt unease settle in his chest instantly, biting his tongue to stop himself from acting emotionally as he watched Maeno disappear into the treeline beside them and leave him standing alone on the path.
Where was he going, and why couldn’t Tsugino come with him? He’d asked personally for them to come all this way, but was Tsugino’s company starting to bother him?
The thought of Maeno growing bored or annoyed of him, or even leaving him completely made Tsugino want to crawl out of his skin. He was desperate for the other boy's attention and company, and maybe he had finally caught on and chosen the least confronting way possible to let him know he wanted to leave.
The nails that had previously been biting into his palms now scratched at the skin of his wrists until they threatened to draw blood, mind swirling with the possibility of being left stranded and alone without Maeno there to comfort and reassure him.
Why was Tsugino so convinced he could finally have a relationship that was “normal”? For someone to actually care and want to be around him? Maybe Maeno was simply a victim of circumstance, forced to be housed with him and stuck to deal with Tsugino’s twisted emotions and constant neediness.
Should Tsugino just walk home, or was this Maeno’s way of telling him he wasn’t welcome back anymore?
Was he even coming back at all? How long had he been gone?
“Tsugino, are you alright…?”
Maeno, the subject of his turbulent emotions, stood before him. He looked confused and even a little worried, given the vacant look on Tsugino’s face when he had found him and lack of response when he had approached and prompted him the first few times.
Tsugino’s gaze took a moment to focus on Maeno’s, before he nodded and swallowed the small amount of blood that had pooled in his mouth from chewing on the inside of his cheek. Maeno didn’t look entirely convinced, but seemed like continuing as normal was the fastest way to help Tsugino feel at ease and back to himself.
“I’m here now, I have something to show you. Come on!”
Maeno slipped his cold hand into Tsugino’s own, the taller boy's breath catching at the sudden direct skin contact. His heart was still pounding in his ears from his near breakdown a few moments before, but Maeno’s obvious concern and presence beside him felt like a wave of cold water and washed over him and helped bring him back to his senses.
Tsugino allowed himself to be led into the treeline towards a small clearing on the other side. The area was serene, carpeted in lush grass and dotted with white and yellow wildflowers, with a large checkered blanket resting right in the center.
As Maeno pulled Tsugino closer, he noticed that there was a spread of small treats upon the blanket - small sandwiches and store bought cookies and in the middle was what looked like a small, very squashed cake. It was obviously hand iced, and may have previously had small decorations of red flowers and swirls, but it was incredibly hard to tell when it looked as if someone had sat on it.
Maeno let go of Tsugino’s hand (difficult with the death grip Tsugino has on him) and settled down to sit on the edge of the blanket, motioning for Tsugino to do the same. Tsugino stood there stunned for a moment, before he saw Maeno’s eyebrows furrow at his lack of action and he rushed to sit beside him.
“Thank you for bringing me here Doc, but… what’s all this… for?”
Maeno, strangely enough, didn’t look surprised at the question, but there was an odd look in his eyes that Tsugino couldn’t place, and he prepared himself to back track and apologize for his question and for making the other boy unhappy. He paused when he felt his hand being squeezed, glancing down to notice Maeno had again captured his hand with his own where it lay resting on the blanket.
Tsugino’s felt heat rising to his cheeks, and with a quick glance at Maeno’s face he noticed he was in a similar state.
“I know birthdays have never really been a big thing for you, or even really a thing at all, but I couldn’t just do nothing. This is the first one we’ve been able to celebrate together outside of the facility, remember?”
Tsugino was taken aback by the mention of his birthday, and that he had forgotten that it was today. Suddenly it all made sense… the breakfast, the cookbook, the walk and picnic… was Maeno celebrating for him?
The redhead was right, birthdays had never been an occasion of much importance to him, especially considering growing up he had been told his birth was a hindrance to his parents more than anything else.
The first to ever acknowledge his ‘special’ day had been Maeno all that time ago, back when he was still his therapist and they weren’t particularly close. Maeno had stumbled across Tsugino’s birth date when reading over his notes one session, and had made a significantly larger deal than necessary that Tsugino hadn’t told anyone and that he had no plans to celebrate. Despite Tsugino’s insistence that it didn’t matter, Maeno has dragged him to the cafeteria (out of lack of other places to take him due to the nature of the facility) to ‘treat him to lunch’ and promised to smuggle him in more of his favourite candy the next chance he got. The experience made Tsugino feel warm when he reminisced back on it, but at the time he had been uncertain and wary at the importance placed on that particular day in Maeno’s eyes.
“You really didn’t have to do anything for me, Doc…”
Aki huffed, before he felt a sharp tug at the collar of his sweater, the sudden action causing him to topple over onto something… soft? He glanced up, realising that his head was resting in Maeno’s lap and any blood not currently settled in his cheeks rushed to further colour his face.
“Be quiet for a second Tsugino, let me speak will ya?”
Tsugino blinked, dumbfounded. Maeno wasn’t looking down at him right now as he looked equally embarrassed, and a shiver ran down Tsugino’s spine as he felt Maeno’s hand settle on his hair. The sensation wasn’t unwanted, but it did feel foreign to him, but as he felt the hand start to slowly move as Maeno stroked his hair back from his forehead he felt butterflies explode in his stomach.
“I’m happy you’re alive and here. For the longest time I’ve thought it was simply my responsibilities as a doctor, but after all the time we’ve spent together it has to be more than that, right?”
Tsugino’s mouth went dry as Maeno looked down with him, a fondness on his face he had only ever seen in the brief moments Maeno had dared speak of his past with Fuyu and Natsu. Tsugino forced himself to speak, despite how nervous he felt he needed confirmation of what Maeno’s true feelings were without Tsugino putting those words in his mouth.
“What do you mean, doc?”
Maeno tutted at him, but there was no anger behind the sound and his fingers continued to card through his soft black hair.
“Ah.. don’t make me say it. I care about you Tsugino, more than I want to admit.”
Tsugino let out a small breathless laugh, his heart pounding so hard he was worried Maeno would be able to hear it.
“If anyone was listening to you right now, they'd think this was a confession.”
“Ah… about that…” Maeno trailed off, glancing away again as the hand on his head ceased its movement. A lump formed in Tsugino’s throat, desperate to apologize for expressing his thoughts and ruining the moment, but Maeno spoke up before him.
“You make me happy, Tsugino. Helping you through your struggles, playing a part in your cure, seeing you grow since we’ve left the facility.” Maeno paused for a long moment, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts.
“I’ve always thought it was selfish and inappropriate, how close I felt to you, even after we transitioned from doctor and patient to friends. I don’t know a lot about this sort of thing, so forgive me if I ever seem awkward or distant. I also don’t blame you if you don’t want to make anything official between us.”
“Doc…”
“I know it might be weird for you and I don’t want to ruin what we have, which is why it’s taken so long for me to say something to you.”
“Doc!”
Maeno snapped back to attention, the hand that had previously been resting on Tsugino’s head held tight in the taller boys grip.
“Of course I want to be your boyfriend.” Tsugino was looking right up at him - no hesitance and no uncertainty. He looked determined, his eyes no longer searching Maeno’s face for confirmation that what he said was the right thing - it was something he truly wanted for himself.
“Ahh… I guess that makes things easier then, doesn’t it.” Maeno nervously laughed, suddenly feeling sheepish in the face of a confession and recuperation of his long seated feelings.
“Thank you, Tsugino.”
He threaded their fingers together where they lay on the blanket, before leaning over to place a small chaste kiss on Tsugino’s lips. There was a short moments pause before the circuits in Tsugino’s brain sparked and he surged up to steal more kisses from Maeno. The other boy laughed and tried to bat him away, the black haired boy mummering “Thank you”’s and “I love you Doc”’s between presses of his lips to every part of Maeno’s face he could reach, cheeks cupped in his hands.
“I get it! I get it! I love you too! Now hurry up and eat the cake I made you! It got a little crushed carrying it here, but I promise it tastes good!”
As they both tucked into his birthday picnic, Tsugino came to the decision that if his new reality was a comfortable and quiet existence with his favourite person, he wanted to do everything in his power to make sure it never changed.