来栖 翔

@chibisyokurusu

The one problem with finally getting his proposal to Syo out of the way, was that now he no longer had that to fall back on as a great present. Plus now as Syo’s fiance, the pressure was on to actually think of good, if not amazing, presents. So after weeks of agonizing over what to do, that wasn’t just sex and pie, Ringo finally came up with a present only he could give. Well, others could, but only he could do it best.

So being the photographer of the group, he put together a scrapbook of his lovely fiance. Pictures he’d taken himself over the years, or gathered from others, dating all the way back to the blond’s academy days. Keeping most of the focus on academy, rehearsal, or home life. Things that weren’t professionally recorded and more wildly available.

But that wouldn’t be special enough. So paired with a good portion of the photos, were equivalent moments from Ryuuya and his own academy/debut days. Mostly to show Syo the parallels between himself and his beloved idol, but Ringo knew it wouldn’t be right to not include himself as well. He was expected to show his own old photos to his fiance after all.

Tucked away at the back of the book in a small pouch was a flash drive containing digital copies of all of the photos, alongside a few videos, again, of both Syo’s academy/debut days, and Ryuuya and his own.

So alongside a fresh pie, the book rested on Ringo’s coffee table, while Ringo himself waited eagerly for the blond to arrive. Just about flinging himself at the other when the door finally opened, pressing light, happy kisses to his fiance’s cheeks and lips. “Happy birthday Syo!~”

Naturally, Syo wanted to spend time with his fiancé on his birthday, but work didn’t stop just because it was his first day of being another year older. Thankfully though, his job this time was only supposed to last half the day, and for a rare change, everything went according to the schedule. After wrapping up the last of the interview portion, he hurried back to a certain teacher as quickly as he could. 

As much as he was looking forward to seeing Ringo, the sudden affection and flurry of kisses took him by surprise, and laughter bubbled up in his throat. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to sit down yet, but somehow, his day was already infinitely better. Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around the teacher and readily returned each kiss placed on his lips. 

“Ah, Ringo! Hey! Hello to you too. I take it this means you missed me?” But of course he was only trying to tease a little, because he’d missed Ringo as well, and he’d been just as eager to return home. There really was no faulting his fiancé for all of this excitement, but he wasn’t going to say so without being pressed about it first. Instead, he simply grinned, slowly pulling back because the delicious scent of a freshly baked apple pie had reached his nose. His eyes scanned the room for it, and he spotted it on the coffee table—along with what looked like a new scrapbook sitting next to it. Considering the occasion, no doubt the pie was for him, but the scrapbook puzzled him. His first hunch was that it was somehow another present since it was next to the pie, but...he honestly couldn’t think of what sort of present the book might hold. 

“Camus...” 

Syo fell silent, letting Camus’ hand guide his own and watching as it was brought to the Earl’s lips. His eyes widened, his heart fluttering in his chest. A kiss on the hand was such a simple gesture, but to him, it spoke volumes. As soon as he saw the ring, he realized what this moment was and what was about to happen, and he drew in a soft but sharp intake of breath. The ring was exquisite, almost like a crown in its own right, and it was for him. He knew then and there that he would never want to take it off, though his job would likely force him to do so at times. 

More important, though, was what the ring now represented. Even though the traditional question hadn’t been asked, he understood why the ring was on his finger, and he was more than ready with his answer. His whole face lit up with pure happiness, and he beamed up at his fiancé, blinking back the urge to cry a little. 

   He laid there next to the slumbering Syo, a gentle smile stretched across his lips as Ai watched and waited for the other to wake up. Today was a special day after all: today was Syo’s birthday. Ai had spent quite some time deliberating on the perfect gift to get his beloved boyfriend and after some thorough thought he had the perfect plan.

   “Good morning.” Ai greeted the other with a gentle smile as the birthday boy seemed to awaken. His voice was soft as he spoke, not wanting to give Syo too much of a surprise when he woke up. After all… Ai didn’t want to disturb the other too much on his special day.

   Moving in the bed Ai placed a kiss atop Syo’s forehead as he slowly sat himself up, grabbing the present he’d placed under his pillow the night prior so Syo’s first greeting would be with Ai’s gift. He’d wait a few moments to allow Syo to gain his bearings before the android spoke in the soft tone yet again.

   “Syo, I have a special present for you.” Ai began, placing one hand atop Syo’s as he gave another kiss, this time on Syo’s lips. Lingering for a moment, Ai proceeded to take the small box with his other hand and place it in between the two of them. Using his eyes to direct Syo, Ai motioned for the other to take the box and open it up. Inside the box was a present he’d given much thought: a ring. This ring was not like any other ring, let along it wasn’t like the last ring he’d gotten Syo. In the band Ai had the words “I love you” engraved and picked a pink sapphire for the stone.

   “I know I’ve given you another ring, but this one is special.” Ai began, his eyes softly gazing into Syo’s as he watched for every little motion. “You have become a special person to me, Syo. You have taught me much more than I could ever ask for. Thanks to you… I have learned what it is like to truly love someone. You have given me a true heart.” Ai paused, placing both hands atop Syo’s. “For the past three years I have been the happiest I have ever been and I would like to remain happy by your side. That is why… Kurusu Syo… will you do me the honour of spending the rest of our lives together? Will you marry me?”

Syo slowly stirred in bed, eyelids fluttering but not quite opening at first. He wasn’t in any rush to do something he didn’t want to do on his birthday, and that included waking up unnecessarily early. Then again, he’d been so excited for his birthday for over the past week that it took his sleep-addled mind a moment to remember why it was that he didn’t want to jump out of bed at the first glimpse of daylight. 

The quiet, gentle voice coming from beside him offered the perfect reminder, and he turned towards it, opening his eyes to the touch of a pair of soft lips on his forehead. There was Ai, and only one word came to mind the moment Syo laid eyes on his boyfriend—beautiful. But no, that wasn’t quite the right word either, because Ai was so much more than that. Ai was his mentor, his boyfriend, the one who had taught him so many things over the years and wanted to see him succeed even further. Ai was…the one he loved, and it was that love that filled his chest with so much warmth at the moment.

Slowly, he sat up next to the android, finally feeling more awake. The next words out of Ai’s mouth took him by surprise, however. A present already? Though he loved getting presents on his birthday, he hadn’t been expecting to receive one so soon after waking up. Still, before he could voice the question on his mind, it was silenced by a kiss on the lips. He sighed softly into the kiss, and his confusion slowly lessened. He didn’t want to question it too much, after all. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was turn down a birthday present from the one he loved. 

The kiss ended, and he followed the direction of Ai’s gaze down to the small box resting on the bed between them. It looked familiar, like the box that had held Ai’s last Christmas present to him—a ring box. Puzzled, he picked it up with the hand the android wasn’t touching and slowly eased the box open with his thumb. Inside, as he’d thought, was a ring. But it wasn’t anything like the last one he’d been given. This ring was jeweled and elegant, not simplistic, and the engraving on the inside of the band caused his breath to catch in his throat. He didn’t need to hear it from Ai to know it, but his boyfriend’s words reaffirmed it—this ring was special. 

Syo looked up from his current spot on the couch to see Satsuki approaching, and a soft smile formed on his face. He quietly leaned into the embrace that followed, his smile widening after the first kiss atop his head. There was something about moments like these that he cherished, regardless of whether it was his birthday or not. “Hello to you too.” 

Seeing the envelope, he took it and opened it up to find the tickets. As soon as he realized what exactly the tickets were for, his mouth fell open and his eyes shone with excitement. “Wha—Satsuki, really?! This is amazing!” He put the tickets back in the envelope and set it aside, but only so that he could lean over to give his husband a kiss on the lips. “Thank you. And as for your present…”

“Natsuki, I can’t—! Your chest is…! I-I mean…never mind.” Huffing and catching his breath after the hug ended, he sighed and accepted the gift bag. At first, he was worried there might be some form of baked goods inside—which, coming from Natsuki, were a gamble at best. But thankfully, he saw nothing but clothing and accessories; things he actually liked that he could and would use. He beamed, ready to thank the other idol, but quickly shook his head at the mention of a cake. “Nah, don’t worry about it. You didn’t have to bake me anything. This is a great present as it is. Thanks a bunch.”

“N-Natsuki…! Too tight, dammit…! Let…go!” Syo had already anticipated that he would be receiving another one of the taller blond’s crushing hugs based on what day it was for both of them, but that didn’t make it any easier for him to breathe while it lasted. He sighed heavily with relief afterwards, and for a moment, he was nothing but excited to open his present—until he did so and spotted the cookies. 

The hat and DVD were both great gifts, and he was perfectly happy to receive them, but the cookies worried him. He didn’t exactly want to disappoint his friend and roommate on their birthday, but unless Natsuki had followed the recipe without adding anything else for a change….he was wary of tasting any of the cookies. He looked up from his gift with a smile, though his concern about the cookies meant it was slightly forced. “Yeah, I do! Thanks, Natsuki! I ate not too long ago though, so I’ll wait a little while before I try any of the cookies, okay? Oh! And speaking of eating and your baking...”

“Hey, Kaoru!” Syo returned the hug just as tightly, but let go once he felt his brother begin to pull back. The way his twin was acting, he was pretty sure he was about to be given a gift to open, and he was right. The new merchandise easily delighted the elder of the two, as some of it were things he’d been trying to buy for weeks with no success because it always disappeared rapidly from online and physical stores alike. 

He took a moment to take it in, and then he noticed the locket. It opened with a soft click under his touch, and the pictures of he and his twin together put an even bigger smile on his face. He carefully closed the locket back up and put the chain of it around his neck, and his arms reached out to pull Kaoru into another hug. “I love all of it. Thanks, Kaoru. And by the way…”