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The crowd’s cheering was so loud that Judai couldn’t even hear the announcer formally declare his win. The huge screens in front and behind him flashed his face with the words ‘victory’ displayed in bright colourful letters. Energetic music played, further adding to the electric atmosphere.
Judai took a moment to wave at his fans before crossing the arena and meeting his opponent in the middle so he could shake his hand.
“That was a good duel!”
After, Judai’s opponent gave a courteous bow. “It’s been a dream of mine to duel you, Mr. Yuki. I’ve looked up to you since I enrolled at Duel Academia myself.”
Judai gave a small smile. Lately, he was getting comments like this more often. It had already been over 5 years since he graduated, and he had been competing actively in the pro-circuit for most of that time. In the arena, Judai was beginning to encounter Duel Academia alumnus that had graduated some years after him. It was interesting to see what new decks and skills were being taught nowadays.
“I had to keep actively strategizing as the match went on,” Judai said. “You have lots of skill.”
His opponent was flustered now and his composure cracked slightly, giving a glimpse of the fan he was. “T-Thank you.”
Judai flashed his signature hand sign and the crowd went wild. “I look forward to seeing what you come up with next. Let’s meet again in the arena.”
Judai’s opponent was beaming, still star-struck, and Judai smiled when he subtly motioned with his head, reminding him that they also needed to properly acknowledge the audience. The two of them waved energetically as they made their exit.
Backstage was a flurry of activity as always. Someone took off Judai’s earpiece for him and handed him some water. He nodded in thanks as he headed to the news crew that was waiting. With practiced ease, Judai said a few words to them about his match before quickly retreating to his dressing room so he could get the debrief with his manager over with. After drinking his water and throwing away the cup, Judai rubbed at the ring on his left hand and absently wondered if Johan was back in Japan yet.
When the two of them had first started their journey together in the pro-circuit, Judai and Johan had been able to line-up their schedules rather easily. Since they signed on to the same sponsor and began at the same time, they ended up attending many of the same tournaments and events. However, given their skills and unique decks, it didn’t take long before each of them became quite popular. By the end of their first year, their contracts already began to change to suit their different audiences, and they had been split up to tackle separate commitments.
After Judai closed and locked the dressing room door behind him, Hane Kuriboh and Yubel appeared by his side.
“You were particularly brief with your words today. Usually you pander to the press a little more. Are you feeling alright?” Yubel asked.
“I’m okay, just anxious to get home.”
Yubel’s eyes glimmered mischievously. Judai was prepared to deal with some light teasing, but Yubel surprised him by giving a fond knowing smile instead. “I understand. Johan might be there already, waiting for you.”
Hane Kuriboh trilled excitedly at Yubel’s comment and Judai laughed at the smaller spirit’s reaction. It never failed to amuse him how Hane Kuriboh was always just as excited to see Ruby Carbuncle as Judai was to see Johan. Johan had been in Europe attending a special showcase as a guest of Industrial Illusions, and it was almost a week since they properly saw each other last. Judai wanted to head out, but his manager still hadn’t knocked at his door yet. They were probably being held-up by the press.
Feeling restless, Judai reached for his bag on the vanity table. He smiled when he saw the familiar Kuriboh keychain hanging from it. The adorable trinket was a good luck charm that he and Johan took turns sharing, and since Judai had more duels lined up at the moment, Johan had attached the keychain to his bag. Judai took a moment to brush at the soft fur on the pom-pom like body before passing his thumb carefully over the particularly worn out right eye. When he was anxious, Johan had a habit of fidgeting with it, and as Judai stared at the faded glassy eye, he found himself once again wondering how Johan was doing. He gave the keychain one last gentle pet before letting out a sigh and digging around for his cellphone. Judai noticed Johan hadn’t read the message he sent before his match started, so he quickly typed one more.
I’ll be heading home soon. Text me once you’ve left the airport.
Despite their busy lives and often being apart, Judai and Johan’s commitment to one another never waivered. From the start, they had always been public about their romantic relationship, and their engagement announcement a couple years ago had been a favourite topic of the tabloids for much longer than either of them wanted to admit. Occasionally, they were still asked in interviews when the wedding would be.
Judai rubbed at his engagement ring with his thumb again. It was a habit he had developed shortly after receiving it. The ring was made of meteorite, the stone mostly deep black, but when the light hit it, small flecks of different colours shimmered in a brilliant display. Johan had picked this ring for him, just as Judai had done with the ruby ring he chose for Johan.
Judai could still faintly hear commotion outside his room, proving the post-duel flurry of activity hadn’t died down yet. His shoulders sagged. “Maybe I should just sneak out. I can call my manager later to go over things.”
“You’ve always been spontaneous and quick to follow after your heart’s desire, but sometimes it’s good to practice restraint as well,” Yubel said.
Judai let out a sigh as he flopped into one of the chairs. “When Edo convinced Johan and I that we should start our dueling careers right away, I didn’t think this is what our life would end up being like.”
“Is it such a bad life?”
“No, it isn’t.” Judai’s eyes wandered back to the Kuriboh keychain hanging on his bag. “But if I could do this again, it’s not what I’d choose, I guess.”
Yubel followed his gaze, their expression still fond. They approached him closer. “You don’t have to keep living this way if it’s not what you want. You deserve to be happy, Judai.”
“I am mostly happy.” Judai reached out and using his powers, Yubel was able to take his hand. “I’m just being selfish. I want more.”
“Then you should chase after it.”
“I’ll remember you said that.” Judai entwined their fingers.
Yubel gripped back. “Good, because regardless of whatever choices you make in life, I’ll always be there to support you.”
Judai hummed, flashing a playful grin. “Even if I decide to skip out on this debrief with my manager?”
Yubel shook their head, but they were smiling too. “Yes, even if you do that.”
–
With the ease of someone who had done this more than once before, Judai successfully snuck out of his dressing room without being seen and made it to where his bright red motorcycle was safely parked. The drive from the stadium wasn’t long and within 15 minutes, he had already pulled up to their gated high-rise apartment. He punched in the security code and then drove his motorcycle inside the parking garage. He and Johan had moved here together after becoming engaged and while the more ritzy and luxe style didn’t particularly suit them, the high level of security and extra privacy were benefits they couldn’t deny.
Judai scanned his key to open the apartment door and was greeted by Ruby right away. She beamed happily up at him while also signaling for everyone to be quiet. Still, Hane Kuriboh couldn’t help meeting Ruby with an affectionate pounce and nuzzle. Judai smiled at their happy reunion before walking further into the apartment, searching for his own partner. When he got to the shared kitchen/living room area, he spotted Johan asleep on the couch. He was sitting upright and it appeared he had dozed off while waiting for Judai.
Johan’s travel bag was uncharacteristically abandoned on the kitchen floor, which betrayed just how tired he must have been. Usually, Johan was particular about unpacking quickly, or bringing everything into the bedroom after he got home, but his purple cellphone was resting on the kitchen counter next to where he had lazily hung up his jacket to rest on one of the backs of the barstools. Judai mimicked him, shrugging off his Osiris Red jacket and opting to leave it next to Johan’s blue coat on the adjacent barstool. As he did so, a quick glance confirmed Johan’s phone was still in airplane mode, explaining why Johan hadn’t seen any of Judai’s texts. Judai shook his head fondly. Between the two of them, Johan could often be argued as being more responsible, but he wasn’t immune to occasional moments of absentmindedness either.
Judai wandered closer and as he stared at Johan peacefully slumbering, a few conflicting thoughts went through his mind. He contemplated leaving his partner to rest while he went to shower, but another part of him wanted to give in to his impatience. He had been waiting for this moment for a whole week.
Judai leaned down to whisper into his fiancé's ear. “Hey, sleepyhead.”
Johan stirred at the sound. Half-asleep, he mumbled, “Judai?”
“No, I’m a thief.” Judai gently sat down beside him on the couch. “I broke into your apartment and now I’m here to steal your stuff.”
Johan kept his eyes closed. “Go ahead and take what you want. I’m too tired.”
“Maybe I’m here to steal you.”
Johan leaned in closer, so his head lightly rested against Judai’s. “If that’s the case, then you’re lucky. I’m also too tired to fight back.”
“Hey, you haven’t even opened your eyes.” Judai poked at Johan’s cheek. “What if I actually was some weirdo who broke in?”
“Well, I suppose I’ve experienced stranger things.” Johan’s tone was light and teasing, but he did open his eyes. He lazily glanced to the side. “Hmm, you look and sound like my fiancé. Is that sufficient enough, or should I put up a fight just in case you're some doppelganger?"
Judai brought up his hand to Johan’s chin and guided him so they were properly facing one another. “Nah. You said you're too tired for that, right?”
Judai then leaned in and captured Johan’s lips for a kiss. Instantly, Johan opened his mouth in a silent invitation and Judai eagerly complied. The kiss was slow, both of them wanting to take their time and savour the moment. Judai let his fingers wander to the back of Johan’s neck and he played with the soft strands of teal hair that rested there. Johan let out a quiet hum, before bringing up a hand to rest on Judai’s shoulder. He tugged lightly, urging Judai to come even closer. Judai happily did so, straddling Johan’s lap.
When they pulled away, Judai gave a tender kiss near the corner of Johan’s right eye. “I know it’s only been a week, but I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Johan returned the gesture by playfully giving him a kiss on the nose. He wrapped his arms loosely around Judai’s waist as he did. “How was your match? I was still at the airport so I couldn’t watch it online.”
“It was good.”
“Another win for Yuki Judai, then?” Johan guessed.
“Yeah.” Judai looked down at him and affectionately tucked an unruly strand of hair behind Johan’s ear. “My opponent was pretty challenging though. I had fun trying to figure out a strategy to use.”
“It’s been awhile since you had a duel like that.”
“It was exciting,” Judai said. “The new talent coming out of Duel Academia seems promising. I think the info card said he graduated a couple years ago."
“Since you’re speaking so highly about it, I wanna duel him now too.”
“Only if you beat me first,” Judai demanded.
“Hmm?”
“You and I haven’t dueled each other on stage in ages. I get first dibs over some new guy.”
Johan laughed at Judai’s comment. The bright sound always gave Judai energy and he smiled.
“Hey, I’m serious.”
Johan brought his hands down to rest on Judai’s thighs. “Let’s talk to our managers. I’m sure they could arrange getting an event booked. It has been awhile, I’d like that.”
Despite his earlier complaining about this lifestyle, there was something about dueling on stage that was invigorating to Judai. There was a unique kind of adrenaline that only manifested from being in a crowded arena, and the experience was only enhanced when Judai got to be dueling across from Johan. The energy the two of them could command was near electric and sometimes, even miraculous. Instantly, Judai felt a pulse of excitement course through him merely from recalling it.
“Good.” Satisfied, Judai picked up one of Johan’s hands and pressed a kiss to the red ruby on his fiancé's golden engagement ring. Judai kept his hand near his lips as he proposed another suggestion. "I know it’s pretty late, but I was going to take a shower. You wanna join?”
“That sounds really nice.”
Judai laughed when Johan suddenly stood, picking him up and carrying him towards their ensuite. Ever clumsy and probably still tired, Johan struggled a bit at first but he sorted out his footing and gave an apologetic smile.
In response, Judai couldn’t help wrapping his arms around him. He held Johan close as his heart swelled in his chest.
Finally, he was home.
–
Judai woke up the next morning to an empty bed. He reached out an arm, resting it on the cold sheets beside him. Johan liked to be on time for all his appearances and given his notoriously bad sense of direction, he often needed more time than most to get to where he was going. Judai, on the other hand, preferred to sleep-in until the absolute last minute and leave things somewhat to luck. Unfortunately, this meant their paths didn’t cross often in the mornings. Sometimes, Judai was able to wake up early enough to catch Johan before he left, but today wasn't one of those days.
When they first moved into this apartment, one of the things Judai had loved the most was getting to snuggle together in this big comfy bed. They had splurged, choosing a high quality mattress and taking their time with picking out bedding that they both liked. Given all the effort, it was somewhat ironic that they rarely got to enjoy these things together.
Judai let out a resigned sigh and finally looked at his watch. He raised his wrist up to his face and 10:48 am flashed back at him in bright red digital numbers. Judai sat up instantly. Even for him, this was a late start for a work day. He scrambled out of bed and ran to go get ready.
“Crap, crap, crap!”
Judai couldn’t recall what it was exactly, but he knew he had some kind of event today. His mind started listing possibilities. Maybe an interview for some magazine, or a sponsorship deal meeting. Perhaps there was a flight he needed to be on, or another duel he had to be at (though, he tended to remember those). He frantically tried to remember as he scrambled out of bed.
Without a manager, Judai would truly be hopeless. He was certain he had a message reminding him of the day's schedule, but he had left his phone on the kitchen counter after getting distracted last night. For now, he figured he should quickly get dressed and then he could sort out the rest later.
However, when Judai eventually clamoured into the kitchen, he froze. Johan was at the stove, cooking up something. He was dressed only in his boxer briefs and an oversized sweater that he exclusively wore for lounging around at home.
Johan looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Good morning.”
Confused and a bit concerned, Judai wandered over, placing a hand to Johan’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Why wouldn't I be?” Johan raised an eyebrow.
“The last time you took a morning off work was because you had a bad fever the night before. You were really sick.”
“Ah, right.” Johan looked a little guilty as he swirled the butter around in his pan before setting it back on the burner. He gave Judai a reassuring smile. “But today is different, it’s special. We both have the day off.”
“Huh?”
“Our calendars are completely clear of any work.”
Judai went to the barstools and sat down in the one that still had his jacket hanging from it. He reached for his phone but the battery was drained. He silently said an apology to his manager in his mind.
“That can’t be right,” Judai said. “I keep feeling like I’m forgetting something.”
“You are.”
“I knew it.” Judai deflated in his seat. “What is it?”
Johan walked over this time and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Happy Birthday, Judai.”
Birthday? Judai glanced at his watch again and sure enough, the date August 31st flashed back at him. Hane Kuriboh and Ruby Carbuncle appeared, chirping excitedly, dancing at his feet.
Yubel morphed beside him. “Happy Birthday.”
Judai looked at them and all but cried. “Yubelllllll,” he whined. “You should have told me while I was panicking, trying to get ready.”
“Johan told me this was a surprise.” Yubel gave a small smile. “But I have to admit, it was a little amusing watching you try to brush your hair and teeth at the same time.”
Judai let out a groan. “I could have just stayed in my pajamas."
“You can go put them back on.” Johan said as he resumed making breakfast. “I know we usually go out and do something to celebrate, but I thought you might enjoy a quiet day at home for your birthday this year. I swung it so we have nothing booked for today and tomorrow.”
“Clearing both our schedules for two whole days? How’d you manage that?”
“It’s a secret.” Johan gave a wink.
Judai stood and walked back over to him. He wrapped his arms around Johan’s waist and rested his chin on top of his shoulder. “When was the last time we had the same days off?”
“At least a year. It’s been a long time.” Johan smiled, looking at Judai over his shoulder. “You can go lay back in bed if you’d like too. I’ll bring you breakfast when it’s ready.”
Judai squeezed his arms a little tighter and swayed them slightly. “That’s tempting and all, but I want to enjoy every minute we have together.” He pressed a kiss to Johan’s neck. “You’re making pancakes, right? I’ll go get the syrup.”
The rest of the day went by lazily but quickly. Johan had a few other surprises. For lunch, he cooked up a mountain of fried shrimp, and quite happily, Judai inhaled it all. Johan also brought back some exclusive card packs from the event he had been at in Europe. They opened them up together, and the activity was very nostalgic in the best way possible. Then, Johan bought a copy of the most recent video game from a franchise he knew Judai loved. They easily spent half the day away playing that together with Yubel providing helpful, though sometimes critical, commentary on their play styles.
The last gift was something Judai wasn’t sure what to make of. Johan had given him a tiny cactus. It had a thin red ribbon tied around the small terracotta pot with a tag that read:
To Judai,
All my love, always.
Johan
Judai held the succulent in his hand, staring at it as he and Johan stepped outside onto their balcony.
“You’re always buying me flowers. I wanted to get you something like that too, but only if I felt it suited you,” Johan explained as he closed the sliding glass balcony door behind them. “This cactus is round and fuzzy, like Hane Kuriboh. It made me think of you right away.”
“I guess it does look kinda fuzzy. Now we have a Kuriboh keychain and a Kuriboh cactus,” Judai said.
Judai placed it down on a table and Hane Kuriboh flew over to investigate. The spirit seemed unsure as he inspected the plant. He flew around it in slow circles and ultimately chirped once in disinterest before flying off to go sit next to Ruby on the balcony ledge.
It was sunset, and Judai and Johan had opted to enjoy some time together outside. With the exception of the ever persistent noise from the busy city below, Judai liked it a lot out here. Their balcony was spacious, connecting from the kitchen all the way to their bedroom and when the weather permitted, the view also wasn’t half-bad, but what Judai appreciated most was the privacy. There were towering skyscrapers surrounding them, but there weren’t any nearby that directly faced their balcony, which was pretty rare given how densely populated the city was.
Judai decided to lounge on their patio swing, watching as Johan tended to his red rose bushes. There were two pots sitting on either side of the swing that were overflowing with bright red blooms. Judai had bought these as a gift for Johan when they had first moved to the apartment.
"I know you’ve always wanted a garden, but until we can make that a reality someday, I thought we could start with this.”
Johan had loved the surprise, just as Judai had loved all the surprises that Johan had showered him with today. Judai stared at the tiny cactus on the table across from him and smiled. He found he was already growing fond of the unexpected gift.
Johan had placed a small jar with water on the table next to Judai’s cactus, and as he pruned the bushes, he clipped some red roses that were in full bloom and carefully trimmed the thorns before placing them in the jar. In the short amount of time since they came outside, he already had two roses in the makeshift vase.
Judai brought up his hands and rested the back of his head on them as he leaned further into the swing. Feeling satisfied and immensely grateful, he announced, “Today was perfect.”
“I’m glad,” Johan said. He looked thoughtful as he pruned some dead leaves. “Though, I should probably give Edo some credit for the idea.”
“Edo?”
“He once told me that time is the most precious gift you can give someone. It made me think that we haven’t had much time together lately. I wanted to do something about that if I could.”
Judai looked up towards the sky. The bright blue colour had faded to a rusty orange as the sun started to set.
“You said we have tomorrow off too, right?” he asked.
“Yup.”
“Let’s stay in bed, then. Even if we wake up early.”
“You don’t want me to make breakfast again?”
“I want a morning where I wake up and you’re still there in bed with me,” Judai said. “How about we sleep-in and snuggle until we’re feeling hungry. Then we can both make brunch together. After that, we could go for a ride on my bike and I’ll take us to the docks. If it’s a quiet enough spot that we can get away with just dressing incognito, maybe we could grab a coffee and then go fishing.”
“Seems like you have it all figured out.” Johan took off his gloves and put down the pruning shears by his feet as he stood. He had collected three roses in the jar. “I like that plan though, it sounds fun.”
“I suppose they’re small things, but now that life is so busy, I miss them.” Judai kicked his leg up and playfully tapped Johan’s calf. “I miss doing them with you.”
Johan hummed in agreement before bending over to pick up the watering can. It had rained the other day, so it was full and some water overflowed from the spout.
“I love going for rides on your bike,” he said. “We should try to do that more. There must be a way we could fit that in around everything.”
Judai watched as Johan watered the roses next, and he couldn't help but find it somewhat sad that they were at a point in their lives where they had to purposefully schedule little moments of joy like that. If Judai wanted to spontaneously take Johan for a ride around the city on his bike, he wanted to be able to ask, and if Johan wanted to, then they could just go. It was a sense of freedom that Judai realized he desperately missed and had taken for granted.
“Sometimes, I wonder what our life might have been like if we hadn't gone ‘pro’ with dueling in the end. You and I were planning to travel the world, but Edo convinced us that the pro-circuit was worth starting sooner than later.” Judai pushed the ground with his foot and let the swing gently rock back and forth. “Do you think we’d still be traveling instead if we had ignored him?”
“Maybe.” Johan gave an awkward smile as he placed the watering can back down. “We’ve been doing the pro-circuit hustle since graduating, so it’s hard to imagine living a different life. Our schedules don’t always line-up nowadays, though, I’m happy we’ve still been together through it all.”
“Yeah, but I just wish we could have more days like today.”
Judai rested his head on the back of the swing, allowing himself to visibly sulk as he pondered the state of things. He kicked his foot again, continuing to lazily rock back and forth, but he was distracted from his musings when he felt Johan’s hand rest on his left shoulder.
“Then let’s have more days like today,” Johan said before leaning in and pressing a kiss to Judai’s cheek. “Let’s have more time together.”
“I’d like that.”
“Me too.” Johan gave another kiss, this one was featherlight against Judai’s ear. “So how about we make our own secret promise then?”
“What kind of promise?”
“That no matter what happens, we’ll make more time for one another.”
Judai let out a small sigh, feeling weary all of a sudden, but a smile managed to creep onto his face. “It won’t be easy. Sometimes, it feels like the universe is against us.”
“That hasn’t stopped us before, has it?” Johan matched Judai’s smile. “Besides, you always prove to me that anything is possible.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Johan went to pull away and Judai let him, but only so he could look into his eyes. The pure and genuine adoration in Johan’s expression made a warmth spread throughout Judai’s entire body, and in that moment, he knew the promise they just made had been carved into his heart.
“Speaking of making promises to one another, you know what else we should do?” Judai reached out, taking Johan’s hand in his. He rubbed at the ruby on his partner’s engagement ring. “Let's finally have that wedding.”
“We both agreed that we don’t want to deal with the media frenzy. That’s why we haven’t yet.”
“But if we manage some days off again, we could go encope.”
“I think you mean ‘elope’.”
“Right, elope,” Judai said, letting go of Johan’s hand. “We could invite some of our friends, keep the ceremony really small and then after, we’ll announce our retirement.”
“Retire? So soon?”
“Why not? Our contracts expire next year. We don’t have to re-sign anything.”
“That’s true.” Johan bent down to put away the gloves and pruning shears in the small box he kept by the rose bushes. “We’re pretty young for retirement though. What should we get up to after?”
“I don't care. I just want to have more time.” Judai reached out again and tugged on Johan’s wrist, pulling him to come sit with him on the swing. “Maybe we can get it all sorted after the Duel Tech Showcase this spring. It could be our last big event together.”
Judai had wrapped his arms around Johan’s waist and Johan brought up his hands to rest on top of Judai’s forearms. Johan stared out at the setting sun for a while, appearing to be lost in thought, and Judai accepted the silence, closing his eyes as he held his partner close. When Johan spoke up again some time later, his voice had been barely a whisper and Judai almost didn’t hear him.
“Judai?”
“Hmm?”
“What if we stayed home?”
“Isn’t that the plan?”
“Not only today. I mean later,” Johan clarified, his gaze still fixed on the skyline. “Let’s not go to the DTS.”
“Manjoume just invited us to be headliners at the event. I know we didn’t commit to anything yet, but I thought you’d want to attend.”
Johan griped at Judai’s forearms as the words tumbled out of his mouth. “Maybe it’s the talk we just had, but I think if we want more time together, then maybe we shouldn't go.”
“You’re taking our new promise pretty seriously, huh?”
The conversation was feeling a bit strange, so Judai had said something to try and lighten the mood but when Johan didn’t say anything, Judai raised his head so he could better look at him. His partner’s eyes had a faraway look to them and the colour of his skin had paled.
“Hey, you’re worrying me a little,” Judai said, tightening his hold. “What’s going on?”
Johan didn’t respond right away, but he blinked and the absent look in his eyes disappeared. “Sorry, I feel a bit unwell all of a sudden.”
“Do you need anything?” When Johan shook his head, Judai maneuvered them so they were side-by-side and could properly face one another. His tone was serious. “Johan, if you have a bad feeling about it, we don’t have to go to the DTS. We can just stay here, at home.”
“You’re fine with that?”
“Of course.” Judai reached towards the table across from them and plucked one of the bright red roses that Johan had put in the jar. It was as though his body moved on its own when he placed it in Johan’s hair, tucking it behind his ear.
Johan brought a hand up to the flower. “What’s this for?”
“It suits you.” In a rush, Judai felt a strong wave of emotion wash over him and he wondered if this is what Johan was experiencing. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt the need to repeat himself. “Instead of going to the DTS, let’s stay here and have another day at home, just like today. In the end, that’s all I’d really want too.”
Johan looked guilty as he took Judai’s hand in his and held tight. “What’s gotten into us tonight?”
“I’m not sure, it's almost like there’s something hanging over us.” Judai said as he gripped back. “But if I had to guess, I think it’s because we’re really happy right now. I don’t want this day to end.”
“Well, we have tomorrow too.”
“And the next day.”
“And the day after that.” Johan finally smiled again. “I’ll be with you for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever, then.”
Johan laughed. “Alright. Guess that means I’m forever yours.”
The couple shared a kiss before wrapping themselves up securely in each other's arms and looking out over their balcony at the brilliant Domino City skyline. Back when they had been looking for an apartment, Judai hadn’t been so sure about living in the crowded city centre, but he was glad he didn’t listen to his nagging intuition at the time. The apartment had proved to be a good fit for them in the end.
Johan let out a small yawn beside him, so Judai gently reached out and urged him to rest his head on his shoulder. Johan did, leaning in heavily and closing his eyes. Judai continued to watch the sunset. The sky was a brilliant gradient of dark blue and light purple. If they weren’t surrounded by so much unnatural light, Judai was sure there would be stars out by now. He wished he could see them, but it was impossible out here in the heart of the city. The faint floral scent of the bloom in Johan’s hair was soothing and Judai gripped tighter when Johan’s hand twitched slightly in his as he dreamed. Feeling immensely cozy, Judai knew he’d probably fall asleep soon as well. He contemplated setting an alarm on his phone, but he didn’t want to move.
To Judai, his birthday just marked the passing of time. It wasn’t necessarily anything worth celebrating, but today managed to feel special. It had been filled with activities he loved doing, and most importantly, he was in the company of those he cared about most. Time really was the most precious gift and Judai didn’t want to waste any of it.
A single rose petal fell from Johan’s flower, landing to rest at their feet, but it went unnoticed by either of them. As Johan slept in his arms, Judai was absently watching the sun disappear behind the towering skyscrapers of Domino City. The day was already coming to an end, and a part of Judai was excited for all the plans they had for the future, but as he held Johan close and a feeling of peace washed over him, Judai didn’t necessarily want this moment to end either.
As the couple snuggled close together on the swing, in his heart, Judai found himself wishing that sunrise wouldn’t come for them too soon.