Chapter Text
Kazuki picked up his teacup and brought it over to the small table in front of the window. It was a little after five in the morning, and a soft mist had settled over the lush green fields that stretched for miles around their farmhouse. With a sigh, he surveyed his kingdom in thought.
He was happy. Truly, he was. He had everything he needed - a roof over his head, a quiet farm, a beautiful teenage daughter that gave him hell but loved him fiercely.
What else could he possibly need?
His fingers drummed across the tabletop as he took a sip of black coffee. It soothed its way down his throat, the warmth calming him and the caffeine perking him up. Miri would be asleep for a bit longer before she had to get up and get ready for school, so this was always the time of day he spent contemplating life.
He had a good life, sure. There was definitely a missing piece, though, that he couldn’t quite shake. Ever since they lost Yuzu, Kazuki struggled to initiate another romantic relationship with anyone. It was hard, losing the one you loved. It was hard, waking up to realize that every day was the worst day of your life because they were never coming back.
It had gotten a little more feasible, though. The nights had become a little less long, a little less painfully lonely as he acclimated to his new reality. Miri was such a strong young lady, too, without whom he would have never gotten through losing his wife. She was young when he adopted her after Yuzu’s death, and she had been an angel of life for him in his darkest hour.
Miri, of course, was constantly trying to play matchmaker. She was a spunky little cowgirl like that. She loved horses, mischief, and hanging out with her friends on the farm. Secretly, he loved it - it made him think that even if she grew up, she’d never truly leave him. Miri would never leave her papa fully alone, and his heart swelled with love for his baby girl.
He missed the intimacy of a lover, though. He missed the nighttime whispers, the early mornings sharing a cup of coffee together at a small table. The hushed whispers late at night so nobody else in the house would wake up. The surprise hugs, the little touches, the butterflies. He missed all of it.
He sighed again, a little more heavily this time. He was happy enough.
It was enough for him right now. He would keep telling himself that over and over again until he somehow believed it.
It was a beautiful summer day, and Kazuki and Miri were on their way to the local farmer’s market with some of their produce. They had strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries to sell along with some local vegetables. It was nice to have friends on other farms, and they all mutually benefited from knowing each other at the end of the day, even if there was always some underlying level of competition.
Friday afternoons were always the most fun. The park had live music, food trucks, and one of his favorite coffee shops in the world - the Diner Nest - even graced the grounds with their presence. With a warm greeting, he ordered his signature cinnamon latte and went to find their table.
Fair Weather Farm was scribbled on a piece of paper taped to their tables, and Kazuki grinned proudly. He swiped the paper away and tossed it into a trash bag before starting to set up their signs and produce. The lettuce was particularly crisp and leafy today, so he decided to put that on the best display tables. The strawberries were also sweet and plump, the juice always dribbling a little down his chin when he discreetly sampled them throughout the day. He hid a stack of napkins behind the crates for this purpose, earning scolding looks from Miri. He merely grinned in response every time and popped another berry in his mouth.
A few of their favorite regulars showed up to buy their weekly vegetables. It was people like them that kept their farm going, even through the hard times. And these had been particularly hard times recently with the sheer amount of rain that had been drenching the crops. The moisture in the wheat and barley had been a little too high, so he had to count on his other produce to get them through the season. It was a stressful life, running a farm, but he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
He told Miri that he was going to get another coffee, and she asked for a vanilla iced coffee. Of course he was going to get it for her. He whistled as he walked amongst the tables of handmade soap, trinkets, and other farmers that he waved to merrily. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that table, though.
Kazuki had never had the courage to walk up to the young man selling flowers every other weekend. He had long, dark hair that was usually up in a ponytail, and one long strand usually fell in his face. He wondered if it felt annoying, and if the man was constantly trying to brush it away. He wondered if that black hair felt soft or if it curled in the heavy humidity.
Jesus Christ. I need to get it together.
He caught himself staring. Thankfully, nobody else around him seemed to notice. He was off to the side of the tables, so at least he wasn’t essentially a deer in headlights in the middle of the entire community. God, he was such a mess some days.
To be fair, he hadn’t felt butterflies like this in a long time. Every once in a while, they would make eye contact, and the pretty stranger would wave. His steel blue eyes were bright, even from a distance, complimentary of the high cheekbones and sharp jawline. He was devastatingly good-looking and basically had every physical trait Kazuki fell hard for.
He wondered what his voice sounded like. In a moment of bravery - or perhaps stupidity, or maybe both - he strode toward the flower stand, calculating exactly what questions he would ask when he approached. He decided last-minute to ask how the sunflower crop was growing.
Yes, farming, growing, and planting. His comfort zone. He needed comfort if he were going to finally speak to this beauty.
His chest tightened uncomfortably as he stood at the table. He opened his mouth, but no words came out - he begged his brain to work, to catch up and to allow him to talk. Thankfully, he cleared his throat and addressed him.
“Hi there, beautiful sunflowers you have. How are they growing this year?” His heart was racing. It was pounding hard against his ribs, angering his diaphragm with how wild it was rioting in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he was nauseous, had heartburn, or if this was what flirting felt like. The Flower Prince looked up at him, cocking his head in consideration. He blinked a few times before responding.
“Good, thanks.”
Oh. Oh, no. An awkward silence. This was literally the first time they’d spoken, and Kazuki was already spiraling into a panic about what to say. How was he supposed to continue the conversation? How should he make himself interesting to this stranger? Why did his eyes have to be so damn pretty? Could he touch his hair?
“You’re from Fair Weather Farm, right?” Kazuki thudded back down to earth. He almost tripped over himself somehow despite standing still.
“Oh! Um, yes. That’s me.” He laughed nervously and scratched behind his neck. The stranger blinked again a few times and offered a hand.
“My name’s Rei, with Suwa Family Farms.” What a beautiful name. He hadn’t even spoken it aloud yet, but he could already feel it rolling pleasantly on his tongue.
“Rei. Nice to meet you. I’m Kazuki.” He shook Rei’s hand nervously, glad he was able to muster some firmness despite his raging nerves. His entire body seemed to ignite in flames from that simple touch.
“Is that your niece that helps you with the table every week?” Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to get to this statement. Kazuki shrunk into himself a little in preparation for this - people seemed to shy away whenever they learned he had a daughter.
“No, it’s actually my daughter, Miri. She’s the light of my life, and I don’t know where we would be in general without her, quite frankly.” The tight knot in his gut loosened a little as he started talking about her. “She helps with the table, she helps with the farmstand, she brings friends over to help take care of the horses…I couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime.” A smile took over his face. God, he always loved talking about her. Rei seemed unphased, at least, by this revelation.
“She’s a good kid. Nice, too. She really loves when I bring in pink hydrangeas.” His brow scrunched together, and God, was it adorable. Talking to this magnificent human was already going so far above and beyond Kazuki’s expectations, and they’d barely spent five minutes with each other.
He preened, a bit like a peacock, as the pride swelled inside him. The only thing he was more proud of than his farm was his amazing Miri. “She’s the best.” He launched into an explanation of how she takes care of the stables without a complaint, the way she balances her schoolwork and farm work brilliantly, and how she still manages to be a bright star surrounded by friends and people that love her. Halfway through his montage of riding lesson stories, he heard her sweet call behind him and turned with a smile.
“Papa! What are you doing? You’ve been gone for a long time!” She waved as she ran over. He grinned sheepishly, a small blush creeping across his cheeks. She noticed immediately and her face scrunched into that knowing smirk.
Oh. Oh, no.
“Hi, Rei!”
And God, the small smile on his face. As if he wasn’t already enough of a heartthrob when he wasn’t smiling. This was just downright fatal. “Hi, Miri. I have some pink carnations for you today.” Rei disappeared under the table for a minute, rummaging through some boxes before producing a small bouquet of the flowers. He handed them over to her, and her eyes lit up. Kazuki couldn’t breathe. “I know we’ve already learned about them, but they looked so nice that I had to bring them to you.” Kazuki looked inquisitively at them both. Miri grinned.
“Mr. Rei teaches me about the different flowers he brings in.”
No wonder Miri always wanted to go up to his stand to smell the flowers and talk to the pretty man that taught her what they were called. It was infuriating because Kazuki was the one that wanted to ask the guy out on a date, yet he could hardly put two words together when he thought about actually doing it. He brushed off some invisible flecks of dirt from the front of his shirt. “Well, that’s…” He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He turned to Rei, grateful grin on full blast. “Very, very kind of Mr. Rei.”
He enjoyed the way Rei’s eyebrows shot up and the way they made quick eye contact. Maybe it was just Kazuki, but it felt charged with some kind of electric energy somehow. “Now, I’m sure he’s very busy running his table.” He waved behind them at the customers waiting in line or browsing the options. “We should probably go back to our own, yes? And bid him a very nice, beautiful rest of the evening.” He felt himself sparkling.
He hadn’t felt this way in a very, very long time.
Miri pouted and gave him the cutest awwww. He remained steadfast, though. Besides - if he had to spend any more time looking at this beautiful face, he would surely spontaneously combust. “See you again soon, Mr. Rei!” Kazuki smiled again. That had been happening a lot today, particularly over the last fifteen minutes.
“Yes - see you soon, Mr. Rei.” He gave a small wave, leaving a surprised-looking young man behind the flower table. He took his daughter’s hand and swung it around on their way back to their table. Mission: talk to the cute flower guy. Status: accomplished. “Miri, I need you to tell your papa you can do this.” Kazuki held her carnations while shaking back into his apron, all because he decided he was going to ask Rei on a date. She side-eyed him.
“You like Rei, don’t you?” Her eyes narrowed accusingly. He started to stammer when he thought she was upset at him for not telling her. “Why are boys so duuumb. I’ve been talking about you forever, papa! He asks about you all the time. Of course you should ask him out.” Kazuki blinked slowly. His brain felt like mush, struggling to catch up with the words Miri had just said.
Rei was already interested?
Maybe this wouldn’t be as difficult as he thought.
Miri coached him through the entire process. It was both endearing and frightening to be taught how to ask someone out by his fourteen-year-old daughter.
He figured it was best if he didn’t ask where she learned all this from. The last thing he needed to worry about was seeing Miri with any boys. She was truly a gift to him in so many ways, even giving him pep talks throughout the entire week. She told him about how to make eye contact, how to stay calm, and how to catch Rei’s attention with a nice outfit that accentuated his “nicest features.” She told him how handsome her papa looked in his nice jeans and when his hair was brushed nicely, and it nearly tore his heart in two with joy. Tears pricked his eyes and blurred the image of his daughter in his grandmother’s antique rocking chair. Her hair was set back with an adorable butterfly clip, and she was cross-legged rocking forward and back. It was so funny to him how all these years later, she still had the same habits as she did when she was younger.
Without warning, she jumped up and threw open his closet door. “Be careful, Miri! That door is over a hundred years old - “ He reached out hopefully as she started rustling aggressively through his clothing. “And those have all been pressed! Do you know how long I spent ironing those?” She scoffed, buried behind the shoe boxes he kept his old letters from Yuzuku and their travel trinkets in.
“Trust me, I know best. I’ve seen every single shirt you own and I can one-hundred percent guarantee I will pick a better outfit than you will.” Kazuki lurched back in horror. Was his fashion sense really that horrible?
He grumbled, but there was no menace in it. “Fine, fine. Fine. Do what you will. I’m trusting you with my life, Miri!” She laughed, and he smiled so widely that his face almost hurt.
“Papa, you’re so dramatic. It’s just asking somebody out. It’s a little scary, sure, but I think this one is a pretty sure bet.” He almost fell off the bed. How could she casually say such crazy things?
“How - how can you be so sure?!” His voice was reaching a high register. He should probably try to calm down, but any time he thought about those mysterious dark eyes and that soft-looking pale skin, his heart started racing. “What if he turns me down?” The sounds of hangers scratching against the aluminum rod stopped for a moment. Miri turned slowly, and Kazuki was a bit surprised by the serious look on her face.
“Step one, Papa Kazuki.” She came over and held out her hand. Kazuki took it, and she lifted him out of the chair and into her arms. It was a new kind of hug that he wasn’t used to. “Know your worth.” She pulled back and smiled at him. It was confident, and it was shining. It drew light from every corner of the room, even the places where shadows used to dwell, where memories waited and hid for him to find in his weaker moments.
Miri silently went back to the closet and pulled his cleanest white t-shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, and his finest pair of black boots. When she held them up, his heart filled with warmth, and he trusted that she knew what she was doing.
“This is what will help you get you that date, Papa. But even if you didn't wear this, I know you would still be able to and accomplish anything you set your mind to. I promise you.” He looked at the photo framed on his old wooden desk. Yuzuku smiled at him, bringing back so many memories, but it didn't hurt the same. It felt encouraging, as if he knew she was cheering him on from the divine, loving him from afar and blessing him this chance at happiness.
He knew she would, too. She was an angel like that, always supporting him in every one of his crazy antics. A sense of calm washed over him that he'd never really known, that was almost hard to recognize. He embraced it, though, as Miri brought the clothes over to him.
For the first time in a long time, he felt sweet, calm, and relaxed, just like the lavender and honey that sold out from their shop after the last farmer's market.