Work Text:
Perhaps a bit too focused on slicing the potatoes in uniform widths, Kaoru has his eyebrows scrunched, putting the soon-to-be-french fries beside the other veggies—washed lettuce, sliced tomatoes and parsley, and diced onions, garlic, and pickles. Today’s menu consists of homemade cheeseburgers and fries with a side of strawberry milkshake.
Kaoru loves cooking, especially if it’s for his loved ones, and even more so if the ingredients were planted and harvested by Koga himself from their own garden. The meal he’s making wasn’t for any special occasion, though. Just a regular lunch in the middle of their hectic moving in.
It’s been three years since they became a couple, a month since they got engaged, and a week since they moved into their new house. The couple had been hauling their stuff, going back and forth from Seisoukan to the idyllic subdivision up north. Deliverymen would unexpectedly show up to their door because their friends—who were more excited than them—have been sending gifts ahead of their housewarming party on the weekend.
Rei had given them customized Swarovski figurines of their miniature selves, but as animals—a fox and a wolf snuggling snout-to-snout to form a heart around a smaller corgi.
“Rei-kun, this is too much,” Kaoru sniffled over the phone because he cried upon opening the package.
“Hm-hm, only the best for the three of you.”
“This is amazing, Sakuma-senpai! Thanks for including Leon!”
Rei chuckled, “I’m beyond thrilled and ecstatic for this new chapter in your lives. Koga, you grow up too fast, it truly brings me to tears—”
Koga snorted, “Save that for the wedding, you old fart!”
Then Adonis’s gift arrived a day later. He had sent the couple a whole slab of rare dry-cured country ham that his sisters helped him source. Adonis immediately called after the delivery.
“Have you opened it? The meat was aged at least a year, cured with coarse salt and brown sugar, then lightly smoked.”
“Adonis-kun, this smells fantastic!” Kaoru surveyed the giant ham on their kitchen island. “It’s perfect for a charcuterie board for the party. Thank you!”
“Leon’s droolin’ over here already!” Koga shouted from the living room.
“I’m glad. I want you all to eat well and be stronger… Oh! By the way, that type of ham doesn’t require freezing.”
Then just last night, a big crate from Tatsumi was delivered by a truck.
“Look what Kazehaya-senpai gave us.”
To my former roommate Koga-san, I pray that you, Leon-san, and Kaoru-san will have a future filled with love and happiness, Tatsumi’s elegant handwriting said on the card.
There were assorted bags of dried tea leaves that surrounded a smaller, sturdier box. Inside it rested a glass teapot with a lid that had intricate yellow flower ornaments outlined in silver.
“Aw, the dandelions! He shouldn’t have,” Kaoru smiled, “Fine, I guess it’s time for me to be a tea person.”
Koga was busy transplanting the rest of his produce when their doorbell suddenly rang—Kaoru assumes it must be the fourth gift.
“I’ll get it, Babe,” Koga says, shedding his soil-stained gloves and boots as he entered the living room through sliding doors.
Kaoru hears their front door open and close, then the noise of something getting dragged on the floor. Koga emerges pushing a hefty box taller than him.
“Whoa, who sent that?”
“It’s from—” Koga bends to read the shipping details, “Sena-senpai.”
“Ah, classic Senacchi,” he slices the sesame-topped buns in half. “Go on, let’s see what it is.”
Koga cautiously lays and unboxes the package—removing stubborn tape and so much styrofoam—to reveal a full-length mirror with a thick matte silver frame. He gently unsheathes it to attach its adjustable base.
“Looks great.” Koga circles the mirror, inspecting its sturdiness with a few knocks on the base joints. “Goes well with our bed frame, don’tcha think?”
“Funny you say bed frame.” Kaoru’s mouth splits into a smirk. “Could you please get my phone and call him?”
“Huh? What’s that s’posed to mean?” Koga grabs the phone from the dining table and taps on Izumi’s face at the favorite contacts tab.
Kaoru shakes his head and focuses at the burger sauce he was mixing, feigning innocence, as they wait for the call to pick up.
“Uh, hel-lo, Kao-kun?” Izumi’s grumpy husky voice blares on loudspeaker, “Why are you calling at the asscrack of dawn? So annoying.”
It slipped Kaoru’s mind that Izumi is timezones away.
“Whoops! Sorry I disturbed your beauty sleep, Senacchi,” Kaoru glances at Koga who stifled a laugh, “We called to thank you for the gift. You really do know me well.”
“Ha! I wouldn’t send anything short of impeccable.” Izumi’s tone lightens up. “And that’s not just for you!”
“Ahaha, of course—”
Koga butts in, “Sena-senpai, the mirror’s so sleek. The color’s awesome! Thanks so much!”
“Exactly! You can never go wrong with silver, I knew you’d agree. Have you checked the other box?”
“Hm—Ah! Lemme see,” Koga reaches further inside the mirror’s packaging to take out another container. “Scented candle… and a luxury diffuser!”
Koga gingerly holds up the fragile items for Kaoru to see, smiling approvingly; his sensitive nose finds the fresh and breezy citrus scent actually pleasant—not overwhelming at all.
“Mind you, those are custom—I personally oversaw those being made at the local perfumery! There’s nobody else in the whole world who has the exact same fragrances in your hands.”
The couple stares at each other with eyes wide and mouths agape.
“Senacchi, you’ve outdone yourself! When’s your flight back?”
“Tomorrow.” Izumi yawns. “I’ll see you lovebirds on the weekend.”
“See you, then. Safe skies!” Kaoru taps his ladle on the bowl’s rim, shaking off the excess sauce.
“Thanks again for the gifts, Sena-senpai! Have a safe flight.”
“Alright, ciao~”
Koga ends the call.
The unboxing left their floor littered with carton, tape, styrofoam, and plastic wrap; so Koga shuffles around to tidy them up. He squats by the mirror to carefully lift and relocate it to their bedroom.
Kaoru’s eyes drift to one of Koga’s collarbones unobstructed by his face towel, then to his exposed flexing biceps glistening with sweat because he just had to wear that black skintight tank top, and then down his ass because he just had to squat in those grey sweat shorts.
Koga returns and strides to Kaoru, who was preparing to cook the burger patties and fries. He embraces him from behind, tiptoeing slightly to dock his chin on the dip of Kaoru’s shoulder.
“I saw you checkin’ me out.” Koga tightens his arms around the waist and underneath the apron, slightly pulling Kaoru away from the counter, feeling the warm body shake a little from giggling. “My personal chef’s workin’ so hard.”
“Hm, because my sexy gardener provides quality ingredients for me.”
“‘Providin’ for ya,’ I like how that sounds.” Koga whispers, lightly nipping Kaoru’s earlobe; then his stomach grumbles, “U-Um. I can wait. Don’t mind that.”
“This won’t take long, you can go wash up.” Kaoru cranes his neck to kiss the cheek by his shoulder. “It’ll be ready when you’re done.”
“Okay, Babe,” Koga twirls his towel taut to whip Kaoru’s butt with it.
Kaoru gets to work with a wide grin, flipping patties on the skillet and frying the fries on a deeper pan, causing an appetizing aroma to waft through the air. The sound of panfrying has always been comforting to him. It reminds him of early mornings and warm pancake breakfasts with his mom and sister before going to school. He figures that’s why he loves cooking—the stove’s warmth awakens in him the same feelings that the rays of the beachside sun do; cradling him like a child, telling him he’s alive and there’s a lot to live for.
He lays the cooked patties on the lettuce-covered buns. Koga had requested extra lettuce and cheese, so Kaoru doubles the amount, adds sauce, the rest of the veggies, and covers the burgers with the top buns. The cooked fries get tossed in the mixture he made from Koga’s garlic and parsley, then he tops them off with flaky sea salt. He rushes to the fridge to fetch their milkshake which he pours into two tall glasses. Contented, he removes his apron and steps back from the table to admire his handiwork.
Table-setting is an underrated art form, Kaoru thinks to himself. He’s glad Izumi’s artistic tastes and penchant for home decorating had rubbed off on him. That made him take charge of the aesthetics in their house, while Koga was responsible for keeping things practical—classic form versus function. But they weren’t at odds; their furniture shopping had been such a breeze because they always see eye to eye, if not meeting halfway.
The pitter-patter of small paws suddenly approaches; it’s Leon’s lunch time, too. Leon isn’t allowed to eat fried food, thus Kaoru had boiled chicken patties and sweet potato strips in advance. He scoops up the dog-friendly “burger” and “french fries” to plate them beautifully on Leon’s bowl.
Kaoru crouches down to serve his first customer, “Eat up, Leon-chan.”
“Eh? You’re startin’ without me?” Koga walks over, running a towel through his freshly-washed hair. “Wow, it smells great in here. Babe, that looks incredible!”
“Hehe, bon appétit.”
They sit and start taking hearty bites of cheeseburger and fries, punctuated with sips of strawberry milkshake. On his first taste, Koga did a little happy dance that Kaoru could see his imaginary fluffy wolf tail wagging. Kaoru snickers at the thought—unsure if he enjoys the meal or his fiancé’s antics more.
“This is so damn good.” Koga shakes his head in praise. “Way better than fast food.”
“Slow down a little, or you’ll choke,” Kaoru snatches a napkin to wipe the glob of sauce on the corner of Koga’s mouth.
“It’s hard to.”
Clink, clink. Leon paws at his now empty bowl.
Kaoru reaches down to pet him, “Good boy! Did you like it?”
Leon softly barks in response before scampering off to the garden.
“Leon-chan, don’t run! You just ate…” Kaoru sighs. “There he goes again.”
“It’s fine, let him be.” Koga munches slower to savor the final bites of his burger. “Seriously, you should open a restaurant when we retire as idols. Sena-senpai could help you develop a menu.”
“Haha, but that’s too far into the future. I’m happy cooking just for us three.”
“Man, I really hit the jackpot, huh?” Koga props his chin up on a palm, staring fondly at Kaoru. “Beautiful, smart, funny, great cook, great in bed—”
“Stop that,” he nudges Koga’s knee with his, “I can’t chew if I keep smiling.”
“I just can’t wait to marry ya.” Koga seizes the hand across the table, stroking a thumb on Kaoru’s ring. “I wanna spend forever like this.”
“We will,” he squeezes Koga’s other hand, thumbing the other ring back.
Both of them usually accessorized by stacking a bunch of rings, until a month ago, when those got replaced by engagement rings. Koga proposed first, popping the question so casually on a regular beach date, and surprising Kaoru with a platinum ring that has intricate beveled edges. Inside it is an embossing that leaves a ‘K+K’ imprint onto the finger when removed. And Kaoru proposed right back, getting him a matching ring the very next week.
They happily finish their food, not leaving a single scrap. Koga heads to the sink after collecting the tableware, including Leon’s bowl. Luckily, dishwashing is his favorite chore next to gardening—it’s therapeutic and a way to thank whoever prepared the food. You cook and I clean the dishes, Koga had told Kaoru months ago when they were planning to live together.
Kaoru follows him to reciprocate the back hug, inhaling a delicious whiff of Koga’s green apple shampoo and cinnamon body wash.
“You smell like apple pie. I could eat you,” he plants a kiss on Koga’s neck, “I haven’t had dessert.”
“Oi. We still have work to do.”
“I know. Just snacking.” Kaoru’s barrage of soft pecks doesn’t stop.
“You’re stealin’ all my scent!”
“Can’t help it.”
The couple starts another round of unpacking as soon as Koga cleared the dishes. They’ve mostly filled up the house, especially the kitchen, as Kaoru had a ton of pantry items, cooking tools, and several pot and pan collections in different colors.
They’re left with the living room empty save for the couch, book shelf, and coffee table. The built-in wall console and shelves were still waiting to be filled. Koga assembles his CD rack, alphabetically arranging his discs, then places it next to Kaoru’s bookshelf.
Then Koga rummages through a medium-sized box to procure various UNDEAD memorabilia such as their albums, awards, fan gifts, and framed pictures, arranging them on the wall shelves as best as he could; he knows Kaoru will finalize the display. Koga places the Swarovski figurines from Rei at the center of all the mementos—he’s sure it’s the only placement he got right.
Meanwhile, Kaoru struggles to pull the curtains from a storage box. Koga helps him unload it. They slip the rod through the heavy linen panels’ eyelets, attaching silver finials at each end. Then Kaoru hooks the whole set over the sliding windows.
“Should we have gotten Venetian blinds instead?” Kaoru asks.
“Nah, this looks way cozier. It’s more ‘us.’”
They move on to unrolling the huge area rug that Kaoru pre-ordered from one of his sister’s friends. Kaoru tuts, realizing they should’ve done that prior to arranging the living room furniture.
“I gotcha,” Koga quickly clears the space for the rug before Kaoru could help.
More appliances and furniture get unboxed, assembled, and stationed—their stand fan, floor lamp, air purifier, sound system, turntable, CD player, beanbag chairs, a recliner, a bar cart, and a side table. Kaoru brings out new pillowcases for all the throw pillows. The pair finally concludes the afternoon’s work with dusting and vacuuming.
“Can’t believe that’s one week. I’m beat,” Koga plopped down the couch.
Kaoru yawns, cracks his back, and offers his hand, “Do you want to nap with me?”
“Stupid ass question,” Koga ignores the outstretched hand, bending down to bridal-carry Kaoru instead.
“Heeey!” Kaoru protests but laces his arms around Koga’s neck, only letting go when his back felt the soft duvet on their mattress.
Koga lies beside him with no space to spare, “I missed you.”
“We were literally together the whole day. We even woke up next to each other.” Kaoru yawns again. “You only left my sight when you used the bathroom.”
“I meant this,” Koga tightly wraps an arm over Kaoru’s side and a leg over his hip.
“So clingy,” Kaoru chuckled, “I’m not even going anywhere.”
“I won’t let you go, even if you try.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good.” Koga kisses Kaoru’s forehead while threading fingers in his hair. “I love you.”
The beating thing in Kaoru’s chest flutters, still flutters after three years, will always flutter in the years to come. He settles into the warmth, wishing he could stay in Koga’s hold forever and ever, never having to leave the bed. But it’s exactly because these moments will end that makes them precious. They’ll be having plenty of these in the future, anyway.
“I love you too.” Kaoru smiles as he fruitlessly tries to keep his eyes open. "I’m really sleepy.”
“Me too. See ya in a few.”
“Mm.”
Locked in a tight embrace, they succumb to peaceful, sleepy bliss. It’s true that bliss comes in many forms. But there’s nothing quite like moving in with the love of your life.