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A full decade was a long time, anyone could say such a thing if they were that much younger and more naive than Fukuzawa Yukichi. Years passed by far too quickly for his taste, the fourteen year old boy he adopted only thirty seconds ago was now twenty eight and one of the most revered people in the entirety of Japan.
And the little girl he had taken in to his care and managed to convince her that her ability didn’t make her a monster? Twenty seven years old and a certified doctor with a remarkable ability to read what others were thinking, how the time flew by for the Silver Wolf.
It had been roughly two years since the ending of the Singularity Incident, as the younger members of the agency called it, and lives had been rebuilt. Fukuchi had died to Ame-No-Gozen, Fyodor was let out of prison and was currently on parole as a writer and fatalism journalist, and Nikolai had managed to drag poor Sigma to work at the agency with him.
Bram had found a way to reconnect himself to a vampire still under his control and spent his time taking care of Aya, who was now starting middle school (God, when had she gotten so big?), Jouno and Akutagawa had been released from the effects of the ability plaguing both of them, Teruko took up the position of Captain of the Hunting Dogs, and The Port Mafia?
They continued to watch over the city and the bay, with Mori as their front. The slender, black haired man had been nowhere to be found for quite a while, but Natsume, who had finally begun utilizing his human body more often than not, had informed the major organizations that he was taking a much needed leave for at least a month.
Of course, Fukuzawa had already known this, because the man was currently sat beside him in the deck of his house drinking coffee and looking far too handsome for a 42 year old in the bright evening light that shone on the two of them, casting long shadows and warming his skin.
‘Yukichi? Yuuuukichiiiii? Are you there? Don’t zone out when I’m speaking! So mean to me…’
An ungloved hand waving in front of his face snapped Fukuzawa out of his reminiscing, slowly turning to look a seemingly very disgruntled man who had set his drink to the side, and was now indignantly huffing to himself like a small child denied of his desire for candy or ice cream on an outing with his mother.
‘Penny for your thoughts, darling? If you’re going to ignore me, the least you could do is tell me what has you so engrossed that it would cause you to completely stop talking to your fiancée. You look troubled. Is it the usual demons of the past, or have new ones come to grace you with their presence?’
‘I suppose I could lend you a few words. It’s just that Ranpo and Yosano have grown so fast. Think of it, two years ago you and I were sworn enemies, and we argued over something every time we spoke. Ten years ago, we had the messiest fight of our lives, and spent 8 years hating the other for what they did. And now, look at us. I’m starting to feel old, you know. And I’m still unhappy that you took the last of the sake last night, for your information.’
Mori let out a soft chuckle, a smooth, velvety sound that always seemed to have a near musical tone to it. If you had told Fukuzawa that he would get to hear such a wonderful sound every day 8 years ago, he would have called you crazy. But here he was. It was the type of sound that reminded him of his very early childhood, when he would run up to the sweet old woman at the park who sold ice cream on hot summer days.
‘Ah, Ranpo-kun and Yosano-sensei. It certainly has been a long time, hasn’t it? I seem to remember your constant muttering about Ranpo’s unhealthy love for sweets when that boy just barely came up to your chest.’
He took a slow sip of his coffee, wincing slightly at the heat, but he probably should have been aware of the temperature given that white steam was visibly curling in delicate tendrils above the ornate flower patterned mug he held.
‘As for the sake… my dear, a man of my refined tastes simply cannot be blamed for appreciating such a simple vice.’
A playful glint shone in his magenta eyes, the warm rays of the setting sun warping the color to appear almost wine red. Fukuzawa hummed in response, a small, almost unnoticeable curve of a smile graced his own lips. The silver haired man had no idea he was so lucky as to end up with such a man, but the way his hair was let down from his usual ponytail and his collarbone peeked out from the folds of his own light purple yukata reminded him just why he spent so long pining over the other.
“It’s not just them, Ougai. It’s all of the things we’ve gone through up until now, and with the city rebuilt, the Agency thriving, the Port Mafia, even the citizens who never asked for any of the events that occured; everything feels… relatively peaceful. It all happened so quickly, didn’t it? One moment, we were tearing each other apart, and the next, we’re… here.”
Mori’s face fell slightly at the reminder, a sad, albeit loving expression settling on his sharp features. Quietly scooting closer to the older man, he set his coffee mug to the side in lieu of stealing one of Fukuzawa’s hands and holding it between his own. His voice was low when he spoke, eerily similar to the way he would draw out every word during their time as enemies. But the lilt to his voice was far from malicious, it was kind. And tired. So, so tired.
‘I remember. It’s not something anybody could so easily forget, even if I have tried. I’ve been trying for as far back as we’ve known each other, and yet I still find myself having nightmares. What do you make of that, darling? The infamous Port Mafia boss having silly little dreams about events from ten years ago, almost like a child.’
‘It is not childish to fear, I know that much. I’ve seen and felt it firsthand, though I believe the example that comes to mind first is when you so rudely stuck a scalpel in my neck. Natsume-Sensei was annoyed with me afterwards, to say the least. Not for the reason you’d think, though.’
‘And why was that? It wasn’t exactly within your control, given that I was actively bleeding out and shouldn’t have had the strength to do such a thing.’
‘I— oh, hello.’
Fukuzawa cut himself off as one of his cats clambered on to his lap, purring contentedly as she settled in the folds of his yukata. Perfect timing, if he said so himself, because he didn’t particularly wish to disclose his reason for being scolded for roughly 40 minutes on the conduct of the Three Part Framework.
‘Great timing, Emiko. I was just about to get valuable blackmail material from your father’
‘Mreoooouh!’
Mori’s hand flew to his mouth in an attempt to stifle a giggle at the sass evident in the cat’s tone, and based on the way Fukuzawa was looking at him, he may have just decided to sleep on the couch since there was no doubt he wasn’t getting any cuddles that night.
‘I’d rather you not blackmail me beafore we’re actually married, Mori-Dono. Though, I suppose with someone of your morality, extortion would be a love language, would it not? I will never understand how I fell so hard for such a terrible man.’
‘Oh, so we’re back to using honorifics now, are we? Then I suppose that means I don’t get to use pet names anymore. What a shame, and here I thought you like it when I call you “darling”. I must have been sorely misinformed. And you say I’m terrible? So cruel to me, and for what? A few jabs here and there?’
The taller man snorted in response, prying his hand away from Mori’s grip and instead wrapping one arm around his shoulders while keeping his other hand occupied with petting Emiko, who’s claws where starting to dig rather uncomfortably into his thigh. Had it been under any other circumstances, he probably would have picked her up and held her instead so as not to damage his favorite yukata, but for once both his partner and his cat were coexisting peacefully.
And that was just enough to soften his stoic facade, so she could stay where she was. As late bc as he got to keep holding the two of them, all was well and fine, nothing else to worry about.
Because sometimes, it’s not have fast the river flows, but what current you focus on.