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Today wasn’t unlike any other, really. The three of them had eaten dinner together like usual, which more often than not, Nekomaru prepared for them. It always just worked out best that way. Fuyuhiko was, admittedly, never a very good cook, and Gundham mainly fed his animals, not worrying much about his own meals. Not to mention, Nekomaru always seemed to know what meals would work best for the three of them, being various about restrictions or what things they needed to eat - and it always tasted damn good! Nekomaru was a surpassingly good chef, all things considered. Now that the meal was over, however, snoring filled the room as Fuyuhiko washed dishes and Gundham cared for the various animals that still needed assistance - none which wasn’t exactly not unusual.
Still, Fuyuhiko glanced behind him towards the living room. “Don’t tell me Nekomaru fell asleep on the couch again,” he muttered, half to himself and half to Gundham, who was usually always listening to some extent. Both his and Nekomaru’s hearing were, quite frankly, impressive to say the least. All Fuyuhiko had to do was whisper to himself and both of them would be staring at him intently, both with responses to whatever he’d said. And while his comment might have sounded almost annoyed, in reality, Fuyuhiko was just worried. He couldn’t help it, really. Sure, Nekomaru could deal with his medical problems himself, and Gundham had trained one of their dogs - and a cat for good measure - to detect when there were problems, but… Still. Fuyuhiko couldn’t bear to imagine losing any part of this life that he’d managed to find for himself, against all odds.
“Do not worry, Dark Prince!” Gundham insisted from somewhere just behind the counters, out of view, yet his voice was still strong as always. It’d taken some getting used to, all the loud voices (Nekomaru and Gundham could be very loud at times, and, admittedly, Fuyuhiko himself didn’t help much), but he didn’t mind it much anymore. “Our Mighty Knight is strong.”
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes as he set the last dish to the side and promptly dried his hands off. “You need to stop calling me that,” he muttered, though his words were masking the affection that lay somewhere beneath them. “But I know, I know- still can’t help but worry sometimes, y’know? I can’t exactly use my mafia ties to kill a sickness, even if I wished it worked like that.”
Gundham huffed with exasperation as he rose back to his feet once more, brushing off his hands. “Very well, Small One,” he contained, emphasizing the words as he spoke, “But again, there is no need to worry when you have the great Gundham Tanaka by your side!”
Fuyuhiko glared, “Alright, alright, I get it, ‘cool guy,’” he chuckled. He’d be more angry if it was anyone else, but… Oh well. Maybe he had some soft spots. Whatever. “You wanna let him sleep there and do somethin’ or are you ready to head to bed?”
Gundham paused for a while to think, expression thinning as he slowly nodded. “I am going to visit the darkness and bask in its presence for some time,” he announced.
It was strange how easily he could translate Gundham’s way of speaking by now, really. What used to be a difficulty just to understand what he was trying to say now came naturally to Fuyuhiko. “Yeah? I’ll join you, then,”
Gundham grinned, motioning for Fuyuhiko to follow as he spun, making his way down the hall. “You are more than welcome to join me! The darkness suits you well,”
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes, but he followed along regardless. What an obtuse way to call someone pretty. Gundham had already stepped outside, no shoes necessary, but Fuyuhiko still fumbled for a bit as he put his on before finally joining Gundham outside. The night was cool, almost chilly now, but it was, admittedly, very pretty, especially by the ocean. The house blocked most of the wind, but every so often Fuyuhiko would feel a small gust. Stars glistened over the water, looking as if they were sparkling from the waves in the water, and the soft sound of the waves filled his ears. Somewhere in the distance he could see birds, and even beyond that - somewhere even further away, were boats that would likely be docking soon.
It was strange. Even after everything, Fuyuhiko still wasn’t sure how he ended up here. Nekomaru and Gundham weren’t exactly people he’d think to end up with, and yet, here they were. He wouldn’t consider himself lucky, per say, especially given the whole killing game thing, but… Well, he supposed it did work out in the end, so he couldn’t be that mad about it. Besides, he probably wouldn’t be here without it, even if it was somewhat ironic to say. Life on the island wasn’t half bad, anyway. They had everything they could ask for. The world was barely even suffering from despair anymore.
“Do you have many regrets, Gundham?” Fuyuhiko found himself asking. He didn’t quite know why, he just suddenly felt he needed the question answered.
A soft breeze of wind answered his question for a long few moments. “The Overlord of Ice does not have regrets,” he replied simply. “That would be a waste of time and energy.”
Fuyuhiko huffed, a bit humored. “Yeah, sure,” he replied, not uncaringly perhaps, but partially dismissive. “What about Gundham Tanaka, though?”
Gundham paused, taking in a long breath of air as he stared into the distance, his eyes locking on the horizon. “My mortal coil that ties me to this Earth… Does have quite a few regrets,” he admitted after a long silence. Slowly, he turned away from the ocean and towards Fuyuhiko instead, eyes serious - not that they changed from their usual expression regardless. “This, however, is not one of them.”
Fuyuhiko reached up to rub the back of his neck, “I-I didn’t say anything about that!”
“Perhaps not,” Gundham replied slowly, “But I think often about how the three of us attained such a state.”
With a soft hum, Fuyuhiko nodded. He could understand that. While he didn’t consider it incredibly often, he did sometimes ponder about Nekomaru and Gundham and how they must have felt. They got along well with barely any issues, even back then, but Fuyuhiko still couldn’t help but wonder how the two of them handled their relationship after the fourth trial. He supposed it wasn’t his place to ask, though - at least not now - so he said nothing, instead taking a breath of salty air.
His regrets were almost endless, really. There were so many things he wished he’d done or things that he could have changed. Things he could’ve said sooner. Maybe he wouldn’t have ended up in the killing game, but then again, after that, maybe he wouldn’t be here. It was a tough line to follow, especially when deviating was neither good nor bad. It was nice to have the other two beside him, though. They supported each other in small and big ways. It was an odd dynamic, but he’d grown to love it more than anything he could imagine.
After the killing game, his relationship with Peko was… Well, different. There were still a lot of complex feelings between them, and as much as Fuyuhiko wanted Peko by his side, it just didn’t feel right after all the years in which he’d unintentionally pushed her away. During that time, he’d found a strange friendship with Nekomaru, who’d seemingly sensed his shift in attitude, and he’d seen the same in Gundham, too. That’s where it started, and the journey from there hadn’t been perfect, but it had been nice. He still had Peko by his side, too, just as friends now instead of ‘young master’ and tool. He’d never liked that title anyway. Either of them.
“There you two are!” Nekomaru’s booming voice announced his presence as he approached from behind them, looking cheerful as always with a big grin on his face. He made his way over, taking his place beside them as he leaned over the railing. “I was getting worried when I couldn’t find either of you. What’re you doing out here?”
Masking his surprise, Fuyuhiko gave Nekomaru a light smile. “Nekomaru,” he greeted. “Gundham wanted to go outside so I joined him.”
Nekomaru laughed, “Oh, I see! Well, it is a nice night out, isn’t it? Would be a shame to miss out on it,” he agreed. Leaning over the railing a bit to get a better look he suddenly pushed himself away from the railing and down the stairs. “Perfect for a quick run. Wanna join me?”
Gundham huffed, but he, too, stepped away and down the stairs. “Very well. Let us commence a battle! Or as you might say, a ‘race!’”
“Well, I appreciate your enthusiasm, even if you’re gonna lose!”
Fuyuniko rolled his eyes but slowly followed along. Well, he might as well. He supposed he still had some energy to get out. “Don’t look at me, I’m not racing! You both have long legs, I’m at too much of a disadvantage to put up a fight,” he insisted, holding his hands in the air. Damn them and their long legs…!
“You know as well as I do, that’s barely a disadvantage!” Nekomaru called back to him, but Gundham had already started running off, cackling to himself as he went, so Nekomaru didn’t have any time to continue as he spun around, racing after Gundham, also laughing.
Seeing them both running away, Fuyuhiko decided that it wasn’t worth it. They were already almost halfway across the beach, and he did not feel like running after them. Instead, he approached the water, slipping off his shoes and socks as he got closer. Setting them off to the side where the other two hopefully wouldn’t trip over them, he let his feet touch the water, a shiver running through his body from the cold water. He really took it for granted sometimes, living so close to the water, but having it there was nice. Times like this he could just walk outside and step in the water if he wanted. The one downside was how much sand it would bring into the house, but… Oh well, he could deal with it. There was already sand all over the house anyway, no matter how much he tried to get Nekomrau to care about it a little more. Gundham, at the very least, was willing to mitigate the amount of sand, if just for the sake of his animal friends.
Speaking of, he barely had to turn to hear Nekomaru barrelling past, Gundham not far behind. Nekomaru, for his part, whistled as he passed. Fuyuhiko, however, didn’t react as he took another step forward, staring into the distance. Other than his animals of boyfriends, it was quiet. That was another thing he appreciated about this place, it was quiet. There weren’t people around to judge them all the time. There weren’t expectations for him to keep up anymore. It helped to have two of the least judgemental people in the world as partners. Or, well, at least not judgemental in a negative way - they only really did that when it would be helpful to get input.
He continued to stare into the distance for a while - letting the darkness consume him, as Gundham might say. Maybe he’d say something fancy about the water, too, but Fuyuhiko wasn’t sure what he’d say exactly. For a little while he didn’t move from that position, just watching the way light reflected off of the water and the sound of his partners still running around behind him.
After a while, though, he was beginning to feel cold with the breeze blowing from behind him towards the ocean every once in a while, and the wet sand beneath his feet was beginning to feel more uncomfortable than comforting, so he turned at last. “Alright you dumbasses!” Fuyuhiko interjected, though he didn’t truly mean it, even if they could be a bit stupid at times. He motioned to the house as obviously as possible. “To bed.”
Nekomaru slowed his steps, still laughing lightly. “Who made you the boss of us?” He asked, but a yawn and a turn towards the house was enough of a signal that he was listening regardless. “But I guess it is getting a little late.”
Gundham similarly huffed, “As if anyone could contain the Overlord of Ice himself!” He insisted, but he, too, was already making his way up the steps as well, letting his scarf blow in the wind dramatically as he did so.
Grabbing his shoes, Fuyuhiko made his way up the stairs behind them. “Don’t get sand all over the floor!” He yelled to them, “I’ll head up in a bit!” He added, setting his shoes aside. Hearing some vague noises of confirmation, he decided that was good enough. Stepping to the side, he located the hose at the side of the house and turned it on, being only half cautious as he washed the sand away from his feet. Thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult, and soon enough he was making his way back inside and locking the door behind him.
Turning off the lights as he went, he made his way up the stairs and to the second floor, stepping into their bedroom.
Usually it was a bit of a coin toss on whether Fuyuhiko or Nekomaru would wind up in bed first depending on the day (Gundham was, almost always, last, having much preparation to do), but today it appeared to be Nekomaru. Giving him a quick wave as he passed by, Fuyuhiko stepped into the bathroom with Gundham.
They’d fallen into a vague nightly routine over time. A messy one, for sure, but a routine nevertheless. It was never the same twice, that was for sure. Regardless, there were always a few things that never changed.
Fuyuhiko made his way around the bed once he was done changing into more comfortable clothes, letting himself settle on Nekomaru’s left side while Gundham settled in on the right a few minutes after. That was one of the consistencies in their nightly routine that hadn’t changed since they’d started. It had just made the most sense. It was the kind of thing that Fuyuhiko could be certain about no matter how much changed. And, somehow, none of them had been missing since they’d started their routine.
Bring on the left made Fuyuhiko ever so slightly closer to Nekomaru’s heart, which, however small a fact, still meant something to him. Tonight in particular he let himself be partially draped over Nekomaru’s body, resting his head against the other’s chest. It was one of the few benefits about being short, he could easily fit. The soft thumping of blood through Nekomaru’s body combined with the soft and steady sound of breathing brought him a comfort he couldn’t get anywhere else. Something about knowing one of the people he knew and loved was so close made him feel at peace. The familiar feeling of Nekomaru’s hand holding him close soon filled his senses, and, distinctly, he could tell Gundham was experiencing something similar, even with the darkness of the room.
Sometimes the pets joined them, too, but tonight didn’t seem to be one of those nights. They were probably off having their own adventures, Fuyuhiko imagined.
Of course, even with the benefits came the drawbacks. Really, it was unbelievable the snoring that he had to deal with! It was a miracle he could sleep through it. And with Nekomaru lying in the middle, if he happened to wake up in the night, it usually brought the two of them with him. Although Fuyuhiko supposed that one wasn’t half bad. The best conversations usually happened in the middle of the night - at least, when Fuyuhiko wasn’t half asleep.
At the end of the day, he wouldn’t change any of it. He’d lucked out by finding two of the greatest people in the world to call his partners, even if it meant he had to eat healthier, or run around like a maniac after them because his legs weren’t that long, or wake up in the middle of the night just because someone moved a little bit, or any of the other crazy things.
All things considered, he liked sharing a bed and a house with them. The warmth they provided both physically and metaphorically was endlessly comforting. “Goodnight, you idiots,” Fuyuhiko muttered, already half asleep.
“G’night!” Came Nekomaru’s enthusiastic but equally exhausted reply.
“Let the endless void bring you comfort tonight,” Gundham added. And while Fuyuhiko wasn’t awake enough to fully understand what that was supposed to mean, he appreciated it anyway. And, strangely enough, the darkness did seem to bring him comfort as he drifted off to sleep.