Work Text:
Kenjirou stares at the multitude of bags scattered around his living room.
"You're leaving," he states, hands immediately working the buttons on his coat. From the kitchen emerges Wakatoshi, eyes sporting dark bags, wearing his old Shiratorizawa t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. He leans against the door and looks at Kenjirou with a certain fondness in his eyes.
"Yes," he replies, mouth forming a small frown. "I am."
Kenjirou lets out a sigh before he hands his coat up and throws his keys onto the counter. Pressing a small kiss onto Wakatoshi's chin, he walks into the kitchen, taking out the ingredients he's prepared in the morning out of the fridge and placing them on the counter. "How long this time?"
Wakatoshi meanders to the barstools in front of the island kitchen and watches Kenjirou quietly, eyes as sharp as ever. "Two months at the most. It shouldn't take as long as last time."
Kenjirou lets out a snort as he pulls on an apron and begins chopping the vegetables necessary for nikujaga. "Obviously not, you took a year with your last mission." there's a teasing lilt to his tone, and he watches as Wakatoshi's posture relaxes and he sits more comfortably on the stool. "Where to?"
Wakatoshi hums as he takes out his phone, finger flying across the screen. The light from the screen reflects onto his glasses and there's a moment of silence before he clears his throat and begins reading. "Africa, first in Malawi and moving up into Ethiopia." his eyes flicker between the phone and Kenjirou's face nervously, as if looking for a reaction. "Then Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, down to Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and back to Japan."
Kenjirou lets a sigh at the list and lets his mouth pull down slightly. "There's no way you can shorten the trip?"
Wakatoshi takes in the tremble in his lip, the sadness in his eyes and lets out a disappointed huff. Pushing off the stool, he walks behind the other man, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face into the crook of his neck. Kenjirou shivers and he stops chopping to lean slightly into the other man's touch. "I'm sorry."
Kenjirou lets out a quiet chuckle before he pats Wakatoshi's hand twice. "It's all right. I know." He resumes his preparation and smiles at the vibrations of Wakatoshi's humming against his back. "You can just make up for it when you come back."
Wakatoshi stops humming for a moment to say: "Make up for it in which way?"
Kenjirou smiles and turns around in his arms, pressing his lips against Wakatoshi's for a chaste kiss. He hums for a moment and tilts his head to the side, eyes never leaving his partner's. "When do you leave?"
"Today," Wakatoshi murmurs. "10:00."
"There's no time to waste, then," Kenjirou tuts, turning back around. "Get the table and the pot ready for me."
Wakatoshi does so with a sigh, but Kenjirou doesn't miss the way the light dances in his eyes.
The house without Wakatoshi is gloomy and lonely, as it often is. Kenjirou finds himself dreading to get off of work, opting instead to stay at the office overtime, working to keep the loneliness he feels at home at bay. It goes on for two weeks until he finds himself out of paperwork. Sawamura, his boss tells him to go home and get some rest, you're looking rather gloomy these days, and Kenjirou doesn't know how to politely say my boyfriend is halfway across the world, so could you please piss off without getting fired.
On the days he has to stay home, he spends the day in their bed, one of Wakatoshi's hoodies on, and an old volleyball match playing on the flatscreen in their room. His phone is always in his hand and he checks both his Instagram and his text messages daily, waiting for any news from Wakatoshi.
It's not until Wakatoshi's gone for two weeks that Kenjirou gets his first message.
Ushijima Wakatoshi:
Safely out of Africa. The medical mission is going well. I'll get to Bangladesh in about an hour. I love you.
Kenjirou smiles and types out a message as quick and concise as Wakatoshi's.
Shirabu Kenjirou:
That's good. I miss you. Stay safe, my love.
Wakatoshi begins to text him more frequently after that. Sometimes it's short, sweet messages explaining his day, and other times he sends pictures of the view and of landmarks within the places he's visiting. It isn't until he lands in Vietnam that he sends his first selfie.
Kenjirou stares at the picture with a smile. Wakatoshi takes up most of the picture, but in the background, he can see many of the children and families that inhabit the area that Wakatoshi's medical mission's taking care of. There's no caption or context but Kenjirou knows it's Wakatoshi's way of saying that he's fine.
The selfies come more often as well; sometimes they are of Wakatoshi in the staff's van, or picturing with landmarks, but the majority of them are with children or are just selfies of Wakatoshi. From the pictures, Kenjirou experiences the remaining days of his medical mission.
It's early in the morning a few weeks later when Kenjirou receives the text he's been waiting for.
Ushijima Wakatoshi:
I'm back in Japan.
(It's two weeks after Wakatoshi's return that he bends on one knee and proposes)
(Kenjirou, of course, says yes)