Archive of Our Own

Satori was bored.

Not like his usual bored, where he knew picking up a volume of manga, popping in a movie, mindlessly sketching in his sketchbook, or finding some other random activity to distract him would instantly do the trick, no.

Satori was so bored. And he knew, 100%, that this was mostly due to the fact that Wakatoshi was currently overseas in America, for some event that his entire team was invited to. Sure, Satori was proud of his boyfriend for being a part of Japan’s national volleyball team, he made that clear as often as he possibly could, but that didn’t change the fact that when Wakatoshi wasn’t around, a large piece of his world felt missing.

Of course, he could have tagged along. In fact, he did on most occasions. He never missed a game, and prided himself on this as ‘Wakatoshi’s biggest fan’. Luckily, the team would usually provide ‘plus one’ plane tickets for overseas events, and of course, Satori was always Wakatoshi’s guest of choice. (He once said, “Having you with me makes the hotel stays less lonely at night,” and Satori, after fighting off an intense blush, promptly proclaimed that he was “the luckiest person in the world.”)

That should have been the case this time. Unfortunately, the offer for an additional ticket wasn’t given, since the trip was for some large event for many of the world’s national teams (Satori didn’t really know the details, Wakatoshi didn’t exactly talk much about it and if he had, he assumes it would have gone right over his head.) Even if he had gone, Satori wouldn’t have been allowed to attend any of it. He would have been stuck in the hotel room all day, for a full week, with nothing to entertain him, in a country he didn’t know the language of well enough to venture out on his own.

Satori was stuck at home, bored out of his mind, while his boyfriend of several years was overseas probably having a really good time, and he was extremely disgruntled about it.

Currently seated on the small, deep brown couch in the living room area of their quaint apartment, he's dressed in one of Wakatoshi’s old hoodies and a random pair of athletic shorts. He’s lazily ignoring the work and chores he should be doing and, instead, fiddling around on his phone, playing Love Live (as he has been for quite a few hours now). He knows it’s not the most productive way to spend his day, but dammit, if he has to suffer from Wakatoshi being gone, he wants to make the most out of it.

It’s not really uncommon for Wakatoshi to text him throughout the day while he’s gone, but Satori still grins and bounces in his seat excitedly when his phone dings and signals he has a new message.

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): I just got out of a meeting with my team. Fortunately we’ll be heading home about a day early. Also, did you happen to water the plants this morning?

Satori’s smile widens and he practically vibrates with excitement at the fact that Wakatoshi will be home sooner than expected. He’s so overcome with joy that he almost misses the last question. When he does read it, he realizes with guilt that he had forgotten this morning.

Satori: hi toshi!!! I miss u so much, im so glad you’ll be home sooner! I cant wait to see u again~ ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ) (also i forgot, im sorry! Im gonna go water them right now tho!)

As soon as he sends the response, he jumps out of his seated position, fetching the small, bright green watering can from next to the balcony door before rushing to the kitchen to fill it up. This isn’t really a new chore, considering Wakatoshi has had plants in their apartment ever since they started living here a couple years ago. The amount had, of course, skyrocketed, and a good portion of their balcony was now covered in various potted plants that, fortunately, Satori had enough experience to know what each required. Even if he would happen to forget, Wakatoshi kept a detailed list of instructions with cute little illustrations hung up on their fridge.

Satori’s phone dings again as soon as he steps out on to the balcony and squints against the bright sunshine. He sets the watering can down, pulling out his phone again from his hoodie pocket.

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): I miss you too. And that’s okay. The instructions are on the fridge still if you forget what each plant requires. Or you can call me with questions, but I have to get back to another meeting soon.

The redhead smiles wide again; it doesn’t matter how many times Wakatoshi says something remotely sweet to him, he’ll never get used to how good it feels. He waits before responding, quickly watering each plant and checking to make sure they’re still in good shape. Everything looks good, thankfully.

Satori: done and done~! (＾▽＾)♥ they all look healthy!

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): Thank you, Satori.

He’s about to type out a quick response, when something catches his attention from the corner of his eye. There’s slight movement coming from one of the plants closest to him, right in the corner of the balcony. He turns, leaning closer, and eventually notices that there’s a caterpillar slowly moving across one of the plant’s leaves. Its body is mostly light green, but there's a few thin stripes of black and one almost blue, and the front of its body is noticeably larger than the rest. He stares for a moment, entranced, trying to recognize the particular species. Then it hits him that there’s another person in this world who would have a much better idea than he would. He quickly snaps a picture, doing his best not to startle the small creature, and sends the photo to Wakatoshi.

Satori: lookie here, we have a friend! what kind is it, toshi? （・u・）?

After sending the message, he shifts into a cross-legged position, continuing to watch the caterpillar moving slowly across the plant. It almost appears sluggish, though Satori can tell it’s trying to munch at the leaves. While some people might consider bugs pests to their plants, Wakatoshi and Satori have always had an accepting attitude towards all creatures, including bugs, and it’s never bothered them if they decide to use their plants for their food.

After a couple minutes, he receives another message from Wakatoshi.

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): That looks like a caterpillar that will grow into a swallowtail butterfly. Normally they’re found in trees, so it’s odd that this one isn’t. Is it eating? Does it seem healthy?

Satori watches it again for a bit, still concerned that it does seem a bit slow and almost still.

Satori: it’s moving a little slow, and its eating, but not a lot. i hope its ok (ノ﹏ヽ)

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): You should go outside and get some leaves off the trees at the front of the apartment complex. Also a small branch. Use one of those plastic food containers from the kitchen and make a small habitat. That should help it enough until it transitions to a cocoon.

Immediately jumping up, Satori rushes into the kitchen and finds one of the containers Wakatoshi mentioned. He practically sprints out the front door, down the steps, and outside the apartment complex to find one of the trees outside. He knows it’s unlikely that the caterpillar would go anywhere anytime soon, but he just really wants to hurry and help the little guy out.

He plucks a few leaves off the tree, as well as a small, flimsy branch with leaves still attached that he thinks will be a good size for his new friend to hang out on. All of these things fit perfectly inside the tall, cylinder-shaped container, and as soon as he has it arranged in what he thinks is a decent way, he rushes back inside.

Sure enough, the small creature is still in the same spot, barely moving at all. Satori carefully reaches out, coaxing the caterpillar onto his finger before gently bringing it over to the habitat he created. He assumes sealing the container is unnecessary, considering it’s tall enough that the caterpillar can’t crawl out. As soon as he thinks it looks comfortable and at home, he snaps another photo, quickly sending it to Wakatoshi.

Satori: home sweet home! (^∇^)b

He only has to wait about a minute before getting a response, but he spends that minute closely watching the caterpillar, now munching on the leaves in its habitat.

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): That looks great, that should do for a while. Make sure you keep it inside, out of direct sunlight. When I come home I’ll help you make another one for when it transitions to a cocoon.

Satori: ok, i look forward to it! cant wait for u to be home again!!!

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): Me too, just three more days. Now, I have to get back to a team meeting. I’ll text you later if I have time, but please don’t wait up for me and lose sleep. Your sleep is important.

Giggling to himself at Wakatoshi’s overly caring nature, he quickly types out a response.

Satori: ok, toshi. have fun in ur meeting, i love u so much!!! (○´3｀)ﾉ

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): I love you too.

As soon as Satori wakes up the next morning, he goes through his usual morning routine and tends to the usual chores, this time making sure to remember to water the plants. He nearly forgets about the new addition to the home, until he walks by the kitchen counter and spots the habitat out of the corner of his eye.

He quickly backtracks, leaning down enough to look inside and notice that the caterpillar is still there, hungrily chewing at the leaves hanging off the branch. He’s aware that it’s highly likely Wakatoshi is asleep, but quickly pulls out his phone and switches the camera view, settling in front of the habitat and snapping a selfie (he winks and includes a peace sign) with the caterpillar still visible. He sends the shot to Wakatoshi, including a message for when he wakes up.

Satori: hey toshi! I know ur asleep right now but good morning whenever u wake up! our little friend is still with us! (＾▽＾)

He goes through the same routine as yesterday, settling on the couch and deciding to ignore responsibilities. If Wakatoshi were here, he’d likely be encouraging Satori to be productive, and while that thought does keep popping up in Satori’s mind, he chooses to ignore it instead.

Several hours later, he finally gets a text back from Wakatoshi.

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): Good morning, Satori. I’m glad to see he’s doing okay. It might be a good idea to get him some fresh leaves, since he likely has a very big appetite right now. With his size, I imagine he’ll be transitioning soon. Also, did you water the plants this morning?

Satori, sprawled out on the couch, laughs softly to himself at the question.

Satori: ooooh, thats so exciting! i’ll keep u updated if he does anything! and yes, i actually remembered this morning, are u proud of me? (・∀・)

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): I am proud of you, thank you for taking care of that.

Satori: of course, anything for you, toshi~ (＾▽＾) and btw, im rlly proud of u too, are u having fun over there???

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): I am, but I wish you could be here too. We went to dinner at a very nice restaurant last night and they served ice cream for dessert. It reminded me of you. Also sleeping alone feels strange, but luckily I’ll be home soon. Two more days.

Satori, dressed once again today in another one of Wakatoshi’s hoodies, curls up in an effort to bury his face in the fabric. It still smells faintly like Wakatoshi, like the deodorant and cologne he wears regularly. He blushes slightly and smiles wide when he rereads the message. Once again, he’s rendered completely, incredibly weak by anything remotely sweet that Wakatoshi says.

Wakatoshi’s only been gone a week, but he misses him so much. He misses curling up in bed with him at night, falling asleep to the sound of his gentle and steady breathing, waking up to the smell of breakfast being made every morning (by a usually shirtless Wakatoshi, which makes breakfast all the more enjoyable). He misses cuddling up on the couch with him, watching documentaries and listening to Wakatoshi talk endlessly about the subject matter. He misses the random displays of affection, misses the way Wakatoshi’s arms wrap so tightly around him and the way he buries his face in his neck, his hair tickling his cheek. He misses all these things and more and he realizes that his mind is drifting a bit before he finally returns to reality and types out a response.

Satori: that sounds rlly nice, toshi! im rlly jealous, i think we’re almost out of ice cream.（ｉДｉ）and i agree with the sleeping alone thing, i miss cuddling with u. ur always so warm, its colder at night when ur not here. but im so happy u get to come home soon!!!

Toshi (♥ω♥ ): You can always turn the heat up, if you need to. Or there’s more blankets in the closet. Also, I have to go again. I have somewhere I need to be and I can’t be texting.

Satori laughs to himself again, always amused at Wakatoshi’s less than decent ability to flirt back through texts.

Satori: ok, toshi, have fun!! love u!! (´∀｀)♥

The next two days go this same way; Satori wakes up, takes care of the plants, checks on the caterpillar (that is steadily growing), and sends Wakatoshi a quick picture and good morning text. He keeps him updated throughout the day, sending pictures whenever it’s doing anything remotely interesting (usually just moving a little bit or eating), and spends the rest of his time keeping himself occupied by playing games on his phone, watching television, or sketching randomly in his sketchbook.

It’s late in the evening, the night before Wakatoshi is supposed to get home, when he notices a significant change in his small friend.

He’s just finished up a large bowl of ice cream (unfortunately the last of it, but he knows Wakatoshi won’t mind going to the store to buy more) and brings it to the sink to wash it out. When he’s done, he glances over at the small habitat to give the caterpillar an energetic “goodnight!”

But there’s something different. He doesn’t see the small creature, and at first he panics, looking all over the entire container and the surrounding area. Maybe he somehow got out? If so he’d have to be around somewhere, right?

And then he sees it. A small green object, hanging off from the branch in the habitat. He quickly realizes that the caterpillar isn’t gone, well… for the most part. His little friend isn’t a caterpillar anymore, he’s finally transitioned to a cocoon.

Satori grins from ear to ear, quickly pulling out his phone to snap a photo and update Wakatoshi.

Satori: toshi!!!! our little friend is a cocoon now! i feel like a proud parent ( ；∀；)

He knows Wakatoshi won’t immediately respond, he’s likely on the plane at this very moment, finally headed back home. He gives the small cocoon another quick glance, another soft smile, before turning around and deciding to turn in for bed for the night.

As soon as Wakatoshi walks through the front door, Satori’s already seated on the couch (well, more on the very edge of the couch than anything) waiting, unable to sit still with sheer excitement. The second he sees his boyfriend, he leaps up, nearly knocking over the small coffee table next to the couch as he runs forward and embraces Wakatoshi tightly.

Wakatoshi barely gets time to shut the door behind him and plop his luggage on the floor before nearly being forced backwards, but luckily he’s steady on his feet and not exactly unfamiliar with Satori’s hugs when he’s excited.

“Toshiiiiii!” Satori practically yells, burying his face in Wakatoshi’s neck, “I missed you so much!” he looks up again, staring into Wakatoshi’s eyes as if he hasn’t seen him in years, “How was America? Did you have fun? Oh! I watered the plants again this morning, before you ask! I’m so glad you’re finally home!”

Accustomed to Satori’s energy at this point, Wakatoshi takes all this in, smiling softly before gently reaching up and pressing his palm to Satori’s cheek. He leaves it there, smiling at him for a second and watching a soft blush spread across his freckled cheeks before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Satori’s.

Satori leans into the action, closing his eyes and exhaling softly. Yeah… he definitely missed this.

Eventually Wakatoshi pulls away, wrapping his own arms around the redhead and finally replying, “I missed you too. America was nice, though I didn’t have much free time. And thank you for taking care of the plants while I was gone, I really appreciate it.”

“Anything for you, Toshi!” Satori grins again, then suddenly remembers his small friend on the counter, “Oh! You have to meet our friend!”

He pulls away, tugging gently at Wakatoshi’s arm and guiding him over to the kitchen counter. They both lean down, eyeing the cocoon that’s now just a bit more of a muted green shade.

“Looks healthy, you did well raising it,” Wakatoshi states calmly, “I imagine it will hatch within a week.”

Satori’s face lights up at the word ‘raising’. Suddenly he feels like the most responsible person in the entire world. He nudges Wakatoshi slightly in the shoulder, “Y’know, we’re kinda like parents,” he jokes, “since you helped a lot too, we basically raised it together.”

“Raising a caterpillar is nothing like raising a child, Satori.”

“I dunno,” Satori tilts his head, motioning to the small habitat with one hand, “I watched this little guy a lot the last few days, Toshi. He’s been a handful. He eats so much!”

Wakatoshi stares at him for a moment before smiling again, “You did very well. Now, why don’t we make a nicer habitat for him, so he’ll have more room when he hatches?”

Satori bounces in place, “Yeah, we should! Can you believe we’re raising a child together, Toshi? This is so awesome!”

Wakatoshi just laughs, and Satori’s reminded just how deeply in love he really is.

Things return to normal the day after Wakatoshi returns home, and Satori is completely in awe at his ability to switch his sleep around so quickly (almost overnight) after being in a different timezone for a full week.

Mornings once again bring about the smell of coffee and food being cooked, evenings once again become reserved for cuddling on the couch and watching television, and Satori no longer has to whine about being cold at night since his walking heater of a boyfriend is finally back. The only thing that changes in their daily routine is the addition of their small friend on their kitchen counter. Granted, not much is required, but they both find that they check on the small cocoon several times during the day while they’re home. They’re usually only greeted with a slight shift in color, and that’s about it. Wakatoshi and Satori do change the habitat, replacing it with a larger tub with air holes poked out in the top. Now, they realize all they can do is wait.

Wakatoshi is patient, realizing that it will take a few days, but Satori is less than patient. He wants to see the cocoon hatch, wants to see all his hard work pay off in the form of this little caterpillar he found outside growing up. He continually refers to it as their “child”, and while Wakatoshi knows this is mostly a joke, he calmly tells him, “This is nothing like raising a child.”

Days pass, and soon a full week goes by. Satori spends a lot of his free time sitting in front of the habitat, watching closely for any sign of movement. At this point, he can see the colors of the butterfly through the cocoon; black and soft creme. He knows it’ll happen soon, and he refuses to miss it.

It’s late on a weekday night, meaning Wakatoshi will have practice with his team in the morning, and wants to get a good amount of sleep. Satori is standing in front of the kitchen counter, watching the cocoon closely still, when he feels a light tap on his shoulder and jumps a bit. He turns, exhaling, “Oh, Toshi, hey.”

“Satori, it’s late. We should head to bed.”

Satori returns his gaze to the basically transparent cocoon, “I don’t wanna miss him hatching, though.”

“I understand,” Wakatoshi nods, gently rubbing Satori’s back, “but don’t forget that you still need your sleep. I’ll be heading to bed, I won’t wait up, but take your time.”

Satori turns back to Wakatoshi, smiling and leaning up to press a quick, chaste kiss against his lips, “Alright, Toshi, sleep well. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Wakatoshi gives Satori’s back one more quick rub before retreating into their bedroom for the night.

Returning his attention back to the cocoon, Satori rests his elbow on the counter, his chin in his hand. Admittedly, he is tired. But he refuses to miss this amazing opportunity. He refuses to miss his small friend transforming right before his eyes. He stays this way for a while, and he quickly realizes that his eyelids are getting extremely heavy. Eventually, he moves the habitat to set it on the coffee table in the living room area, and curls up on the couch. He realizes this is a bad decision as soon as his eyes start to close, and before he knows it, he’s drifted off to sleep in a seated position with his head rolled back, resting against the couch.

Satori wakes up with a start at about five in the morning, though he only realizes this when he checks his phone and squints against the bright light emitting from the screen. Cursing himself immediately, he sits up straight, returning his attention the habitat in front of him. He would never forgive himself if he missed out.

Fortunately, the cocoon is still there, though much more transparent now and looking as if it’ll crack open at any moment. He sighs loudly with relief, relaxing back against the couch again, though still keeping his eyes on the small creature. He’s quickly shifting back to ease, and his eyes are starting to get heavy again, but he’s just glad he didn’t happen to miss anything.

And then he sees it move. It shifts, just a bit, and he jumps out of his seat, nearly toppling forward but catching himself on the coffee table and using the action to look closer. Yes, it’s definitely moving, and he quickly realizes he has a small amount of time to get Wakatoshi as well as get back and watch this transformation. He finds himself wondering, is this how stressful it is for mothers right before they give birth?

Still half asleep, he somehow manages to sprint into their bedroom, yelling a bit too loud as soon as he gets to the doorway, “Wakatoshi, the baby’s coming!”

Wakatoshi shifts, grunts a bit before sitting up and, in a half asleep daze, blinking awkwardly at Satori, “What-”

“The baby! He’s hatching, Wakatoshi, you have to get out here right now!”

Satori doesn’t waste another second before running back into the living room, crouching down in front of the coffee table and watching the cocoon again. It’s shaking quite a bit now, and Satori can feel his heartbeat racing.

Wakatoshi joins him a few seconds later, hair still sticking up awkwardly and eyes still droopy. Satori points excitedly to the cocoon, but doesn’t let his eyes leave it, “See, Toshi! He’s hatching!”

Wakatoshi nods, a soft smile spreading across his face.

They’re silent, watching the cocoon as it slowly hatches in front of them. Soon enough, they see a pair of beautiful black and creme wings spread out, followed by a thin body and long antennae. The butterfly takes a second, pulling itself completely from the cocoon before spreading its wings and starting to fly around the habitat.

Satori grins so wide it almost hurts, and then he whispers, “He’s so beautiful.”

Wakatoshi turns to Satori, presses a hand to his back, “You should be proud.”

“I am,” Satori nods, finally letting his eyes leave the butterfly and instead meet Wakatoshi’s, “we did so good, Toshi. We’re the best parents ever.”

Wakatoshi looks like he might be ready to say something in response, but then something hits Satori like a brick and he suddenly stands up, “Wait! We haven’t even named him!” he starts pacing, walking back and forth from the kitchen to the living room with an erratic expression, “What if it’s not a ‘he’… what if it’s a ‘she’… or what if it's a ‘them’? Maybe it would prefer something gender-neutral? Wakatoshi, this is horrible, I want to know what it wants! I want to give it a name and I want to respect its pronouns! Why is the naming process so stressful, Wakatoshi? I didn’t realize I wasn’t ready to be a parent!”

Wakatoshi reaches up, gently grasping Satori’s hand and offering him a soft smile, “What if we named it after you?”

Satori stops in his tracks as soon as Wakatoshi’s hand meets his, and then he stares at his boyfriend with wide eyes, “Wait… why?”

“I’ve always felt your growth as a person could be compared to a butterfly.”

Sinking back down into a seated position, Satori continues staring expectantly at Wakatoshi, completely confused, “Elaborate…”

“You’ve grown a lot, and much like a caterpillar goes through a period of growth and eventually transforms into a really beautiful creature, I think you’ve done the same, Satori,” his thumb rubs gently against Satori’s knuckles, “You used to be so uncomfortable with yourself when you were younger, but you learned to accept yourself and see the beauty that everyone else and I see,” he blinks a few times, then furrows his brow, “does that make sense? I’m very tired.”

Satori’s shoulders slump, and he pouts slightly.

How is his boyfriend so incredibly perfect and cute? How did he get so lucky?

“Toshiiii…” he whines, scooting closer and letting his head rest on Wakatoshi’s shoulder, “You’re so sweet. And yes, that makes perfect sense. If you wanna name it after me, I think that’s fine. I’d be honored.”

“I think it would be honored as well,” Wakatoshi mumbles, lifting his free hand to run gently through Satori’s hair.

“I’m the luckiest person in the world, Toshi,” Satori nuzzles against Wakatoshi’s shoulder.

“You always say that but I’m not sure what you mean.”

“That’s okay,” Satori lifts his head, presses a quick kiss against Wakatoshi’s cheek, “all you have to know is I love you.”

“I love you too, Satori.”

Wakatoshi attends practice, though he’s exhausted from not getting as much sleep as usual, and Satori stays at home once again, curled up on the couch and napping most of the day away. Every once in awhile he’ll wake up, watch the butterfly (that they really did decide to name after Satori) fly around in its habitat for a while, and then drift off to sleep once again.

As much as Satori really wants to keep their small friend for longer, once Wakatoshi returns home from practice, he explains to him that the best idea would be to release it as soon as possible. After much explanation of ‘what’s best for the butterfly’s well-being’, Satori finally agrees, and together they take the habitat out on the balcony.

Reluctantly, Satori lifts the lid off the container, and reaching inside, coaxing the butterfly onto his finger. It calmly sits there, gently moving its wings even as Satori brings it closer to his face. He feels a mix of emotions: pride, joy, and sadness for the most part.

It doesn’t take long for the butterfly to lift off his finger, taking flight and fluttering around the balcony before heading off in a completely different direction. Satori watches it fly away, watches it until he can’t see it anymore, and then he turns to Wakatoshi, sighing, “They grow up so fast, Toshi.”

Wakatoshi smiles, pulling Satori against his chest and running his hands up and down his back.

“I hope it finds a really amazing companion to spend the rest of its life with,” Satori mumbles against Wakatoshi neck, and then leans back a bit, poking his boyfriend’s nose, “cause I know from personal experience how awesome that is.”

“I could explain the mating habits of butterflies, if you want. I’ve read up on it, it’s quite interesting. There’s also a documentary about it. I think I DVR’d it, if you want to watch it.”

Satori can’t help the laugh that builds up in his throat, and he gently pats Wakatoshi’s shoulder, “Y’know what, yeah. I’d love to hear about that, and I’d love to watch the documentary,” he presses a gentle kiss against Wakatoshi’s lips, “why don’t we make some dinner and then do that?”

“Sounds good,” Wakatoshi answers, and lets Satori guide him back inside the quaint apartment.