ellie

megumi’s been gone for hours and you can only worry so much as his girlfriend.. before impulsively texting his phone. 

you: haii gumi :) coming home soon? let me know!

gumi bear ❤︎⁠ : almost.

a selfie follows his original curt reply, a photo of him eating the packed bento box filled with sushi and baked sweets you placed in his lunch bag. 

you: what a cutie :3 get home safe, love you babe.

gumi bear ❤︎⁠ : mhm. love you.

you send a simple heart emoji and place your phone down beside you. the youtube video plays in the background but you can’t pay attention any more. 

even though megumi is eating your baked sweets and sushi, he’ll most likely still be hungry after his mission. especially since he has an early morning lecture tomorrow. 

so you decide to cook him a meal. 

the refrigerator light illuminates familiar ingredients. chicken thighs, daikon, carrots. a bundle of green onions and rice, perfection. 

nikujaga. one of the first meals you’d learned because megumi had quietly admitted he liked it. he hadn’t made a big deal out of it, merely mentioning once that tsumiki used to cook something similar. 

that had been all the motivation you needed. 

the apartment fills with the comforting sounds of a happy home, rice washing beneath cool water, vegetables thumping against the cutting board. the gentle hiss as oil warming in the pan. 

you hum absentmindedly, stirring soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and dashi—with extra kelp—into the shimmering pot. steam fogs in your face, carrying the warm scent through the apartment until even the lingering unease from the horror movie disappears. 

a small rustle of.. fabric? 

no. you continue cooking, but the sound only comes again, you lunge for the spatula and whip around. “who’s there?” 

you try to sound intimidating but it comes out small. 

the door handle rattles loudly and your breathing intensifies, you nearly scream. 

“i’m home.” megumi steps inside, shoes barely off before you sprint across the apartment.

he had just enough time to blink before you collided into him, wrapping both arms around his waist, giggling like a fool. 

silence sways around the both of you for a while, megumi finally melts into your hold on him, inhaling the scent of your shampoo. 

“movie?” he guesses flatly, taking one step back to look at you. 

“..maybe.” 

“you watched another horror movie.” 

you bite your lip, fight a smile, and nod carefully. 

he sighs, setting his bag down before resting one tired hand on your head. “i told you not to watch those alone.” 

“i forget that they’re scary!”  

“hmm..” he hums. 

“go wash up. i cleaned the bathroom today!” 

“did you?”

“mhm! i’ll plate your food and then we can watch a good movie, how does that sound? or we could start a new serie, or-” 

his lips find yours in the utmost careful and soft way, his long fingers curl in your hair, his other hand pulling you in by your waist.

“mm, gumi..” you giggle softly against his mouth, eyes closing, a silent thanks that he came home safe. 

“join me?” he whispers. 

“i’m cooking..”

megumi’s gaze flicks past your shoulder towards the stove. the pot simmers gently, steam curling lazily towards the ceiling. 

“right.” 

you place a soft kiss to his jaw, then three more on his cheek. his thumb brushes under your eye, lingering for a second longer than necessary.

“you’ll burn it, won’t you?” he says patronizingly. 

“i won’t,” you protest automatically.

he turns away just like that and walks to the bathroom, the faintest bit of amusement following him down the hallway. he is immediately met with a warm bath you’d already prepared just seconds before he arrived. 

you plate his nikujaga, along with a side of rice with salmon. 

megumi emerges from the bathroom with sopping wet, messy hair and black sweatpants, a white towel swung over his shoulder as he finishes up moisturizing his upper body.

you smile big at him, hands reaching out for his immediately. “you look so clean and handsome now, baby.” 

he nods once and kisses your cheek, sitting down, but you know he loves when you compliment him because of the soft pink touching his ear shells. 

you watch him eat, the way he savors each bite with closed eyes.. or maybe he’s just tired but you tried your best to perfect his meal the way his sister used to. 

“what?” he says, taking another bite of the chicken cubes you knew he preferred. 

“nothiniig..” you smile, and that’s how he knows you’re not just looking at him for no reason. 

“what is it, y/n?”

“seriously, it’s nothing!” your voice raises slightly in that squeaky way that always hands you over. 

“y/n.”

“is it good?!” you exclaim, eyes shut as if preparing for the worst. 

megumi stares at you for what feels like eternity, then he snorts. 

“whaaat?” you pout, crossing your arms tight around your chest. 

“it’s good.” he nods, taking another bite. 

“just good? is it as good as your sisters? or better?” you smile, inching closer to his face. 

megumi freezes immediately. spoon slipping out of his fingers and onto the table. 

“gumi? what is—”

“why are you asking that?” his voice is sharp as if your words hit a raw nerve. 

the edge in it catches you completely off guard that your whole smile disappears, you sit back in your chair. 

“i.. hm?” for a second you don’t know what happened. “you.. i was just asking, baby.”

megumi’s jaw tightens. “no. why are you asking that?”

the question comes out slower this time, he’s speaking to you like you’re stupid, the way he knows you dislike, the talking manner that people use when they think that just because you’re sweet and outgoing, you can’t understand a simple argument. 

but you don’t say that, of course. you love megumi too much to argue with him. 

it’s like he’s giving you an opportunity to explain yourself but you just can’t. your thoughts scatter the moment you hear how upset he really sounds. 

“i didn’t mean-”

“do you want me to compare you?” 

you stare at him with slightly widened eyes. “what?”

“you and tsumiki.” 

your stomach drops. “no! no, megumi!” 

“you just asked me who’s was better.”

you hadn’t expected him to sound that way, not after he’d kissed you at the door, not after he blushed—however faintly— when you’d complimented him. 

“i know i asked, but that’s not what i.. i  was just wondering if-”

“if it’s better than tsumikis?” 

you’re quiet, then your lips part. “no.”

“no?” 

“i mean, that’s not..” 

he lets out a slow breath. “don’t compare yourself to her.” 

your eyebrows knit together in confusion. “compare?” 

“my sister. she cooked for me. you cooked for me. then you asked who’s was better. it isn’t something to compare.” 

you shake your head instinctively. “but it’s not what i was trying-”

“don’t try to compete with her.” 

“i’m not.” 

“you are.” 

“i’m not..” your voice is already smaller. “i wasnt trying to..” 

“then why ask?” 

the question lands harder the second time. you open your mouth but nothing comes out, and not because you don’t have an answer, but because it all of the sudden feels stupid. 

embarrassing, even.. to admit that you spent weeks practicing. to admit you’d memorized one passing comment he made months ago. 

to admit you’d wanted tonight to feel comforting because tomorrow he was finally taking you to meet tsumiki. 

“i.. because well,”

megumi waits, but the silence only stretches. 

“forget it.” he murmurs. 

“no!” 

“i’m not going to sit here and argue with you about why i won’t compare the people i love.” 

his words sting. “i know. i understand.” 

“i don’t think you do.” 

“i do.” 

“no.” he stands abruptly, chair scraping loudly against the floor. “you asked me to choose.”

“no, megumi i didn’t! baby..” 

“you asked me whose was better.”

“i wasn’t asking-”

“what else am i supposed to think?” 

your throat tightens. he’s usually patient. he usually allows you to finish your sentences and he waits until you’re done speaking. this time he’s different because you’ve hit a nerve. 

“i promise—“

“you asked.” 

you just stop talking. your explanation never gets farther than two words, but megumi mistakes your silence for guilt. he rubs a tired hand over his face. “i’m exhausted.” 

“i know.” 

“i’ve been gone all day.” 

you nod, eyes stinging despite your attempts to hold yourself together.

“i come home. i eat dinner. and somehow were talking about whether your cooking is better than tsumikis.” his voice finally rises. “i dont. want to do that.” 

a tear slips down your cheek, you wipe it away so quickly you hope he didn’t notice. but he notices, of course he notices. but he’s too frustrated to stop. 

“maybe meeting tsumiki isn’t a good idea.” 

your head snaps up. “what?..”

“if this is how you’re thinking.” 

“what?” you plead, lip trembling.

“i don’t think tomorrow is a good time.” 

your face goes completely white at that. “you’re cancelling?”

“i said maybe, y/n” 

“but..”

you’d been excited for weeks, he knows. you’ve been nervous, planning your outfit, buying flowers, baking cookies because you wanted to make a good first impression. 

“i..” you can’t speak, even though hes waiting. your chest hurts too much. 

“forget it.” he looks at his bowl, at the remaining nikujaga. then says the one thing he'll hate himself for later. “it wasn't even that good.” 

silence follows, because now your heart is shattered. 

“the broth is too rich, the vegetables are overcooked. it doesn’t taste anything like hers.” lies on top of lies. the last one was the biggest lie of all, because the very first bite had reminded him of home. 

not because it tasted identical, but because someone who loves him made it with the same quiet care. he knows hes lying the moment the words leave his mouth. 

he sees it in your face, not anger or disbelief, just heartbreak. you don’t defend yourself, you don’t tell him he emptied the bowl, you don’t point out he'd gone back for another portion before you’d asked. 

you simply nod once. “okay.” it comes out a little more than a whisper, you carefully walk over to the side of the table that he sat in, and pick up the bowl with both hands. “i’ll just put this away.”  

you scrape the leftovers into a container, your hands tremble so badly the lid slips from your fingers once. so you pick it up, dry the counter without ever looking at him or saying a word. 

megumi stands in the middle of the kitchen, waiting for you to argue, to explain yourself, or to tell him he’s wrong. but instead, you say nothing. because that’s who you are. 

you never fight, you never yell back, you always assume you’ve done something wrong first, and he knows that more than anyone, still.. he lets you stand there in silence. 

“i’m going to bed.” his voice is flat now. he doesn’t wait for an answer, just walks past you.. past the flowers you’d arranged earlier, past the little dessert you’d baked just for him..

past his woman who had spent all evening waiting for him to come home. 

the bedroom door closes softly down the hall and it somehow sounds louder than a slam. 

you remain in the kitchen, the apartment unbearably quiet after the argument. the nikujaga sits in the refrigerator, untouched. you stare at the sink until your vision blurs. 

you sit and pull your knees to your chest just like you had when you were watching the movie, except this time there’s no scary monster on the television. 

there’s just an ache in your chest. you weren’t trying to compare, you wanted tomorrow to feel special. another sob escapes you before you can stop it.  

megumi said tsumiki used to make it, so you thought maybe it’d give him a taste of home before he went to see her. 

megumi is sitting across the hallway on the opposite side of the bedroom door, eyes fixed on the floor.. every cruel sentence replaying in his head.

it wasn’t even that good

he squeezes his eyes shut. he can still taste the broth. he still remembers how perfectly you cut the chicken. how you’d remembered he prefers less potato without him ever reminding you. 

his stomach twists because he knows exactly what happened, he’d never actually let you explain, and every time you tried to speak, he spoke over you. 

and despite knowing you were the kind of person who apologized when someone else stepped on your foot, he’d raised his voice anyway. 

the apartment stays silent for the rest of the night.

you compose yourself, dry your cheeks on your sleeve, and stand on shaky legs.

you take a deep breath, your feet carrying you down the hallway almost hesitantly. the bedroom door is already half open, you push it gently.

megumi is sitting on the edge of the bed, his damp hair has almost dried, he’s staring down at an open textbook. 

he doesn’t even turn when you come in.

“megs?..” 

nothing. you close the door quietly behind you. 

“i.. im sorry if i upset you.” your fingers twist together behind your back. 

he turns a page, and not because he’s reading, because he doesn’t know what else to do. 

“i really didn’t mean to.” 

silence follows. you wait and he says nothing. your chest tightens all over again as you step forward. “can i explain?” 

his eyes stay on the page, but his hands have stopped moving. “i’m tired.” his voice is flat and not angry anymore but that hurts worse. 

“i know. but i really want you to know i wasn’t trying to-”

“i said im tired.” 

the interruption is quiet but final. you stop talking immediately and stand there awkwardly for another few seconds waiting, in hopes that he’ll look up, but he doesn’t. 

instead he reaches over and switches off the lamp on his side of the bed. the room grows dim, you shift awkwardly on your feet. 

“goodnight.” he says. no cheesy nickname, no request for you to come closer, nothing. 

you swallow around the lump in your throat. “night..” you disappear the bathroom to wash your face. 

by the time you come back, he’s already lying on his side facing the wall, the blanket pulled to his shoulder. usually, there isn’t a single night where you don’t end up tucked against his chest. 

usually he reaches for you before you even have the chance to lay in bed. 

tonight there are inches between you. they feel like miles.

you carefully slide beneath the blanket without making too much noise, trying not to disturb him. trying not to cry again. “megumi?” 

no answer.

you wonder if he’s fallen asleep. “i love you” the words come out quietly, small. like maybe saying them too loudly would make things worse.

a long silence follows. so long you almost think he isn’t gonna answer. 

until he does.

“mm.” just that of a sleepy hum, no i love you back, no turning toward you and burrying his face in your neck.

you bite the inside of your cheek so hard it hurts. “okay.” you roll onto your own side of the bed, facing away from him now. 

your shoulders begin to shake almost immediately. 

you shove the edge of the blanket against your mouth to muffle the sound. you don’t want him to hear you crying, and you’re sure he doesn’t wanna hear it either. 

especially after he’s made it so obvious that he wants to be alone.

behind you, megumi’s eyes are still open. he heard every tiny hitch in your breathing, every shaky inhale, every muffled sob you tried so desperately to hide.  

his hand twitches beneath the blanket. every instinct tells him to reach for you, to pull you against him.. to apologize. instead, he stays still. punishing both of you. 

because if he reaches for you he knows he’ll break, and if he breaks before understanding why your question hurt him so much, he’s afraid he’ll only end up saying the wrong things again. 

so the room remains silent as one of your cries quietly into a pillow and the other stares into the darkness. 

neither of you gets any sleep.

morning comes far too soon. the apartment is still washed in the pale blue light before sunrise when megumi’s alarm vibrates on the nightstand. 

the alarm he’d set because you both would have to leave early if you wanted to see tsumiki. 

he opens his eyes immediately. for one, brief, disorienting second, he forgets. then he hears it.

soft, slow breathing from the other side of the bed. 

his chest tightens. you’d cried yourself to sleep, and even now, curled up into a little ball beneath the blankets, your eyelashes are still faintly clumped together. 

a dried tear stains the sleeve of his hoodie you’d refused to take off. 

megumi shuts his eyes for a moment. 

he wants to wake you, wants to apologize, he wants to ask you what you were trying to say.. but today’s the day, the day he’d promised tsumiki he’d visit. 

he wasn’t going to miss this one.

quietly, he skips out of bed. the mattress barely shifts, so you don’t stir. 

the apartment is eerily silent as megumi showers, then gets dressed in a plain black sweater and dark pants. he dries his hair without making much noise, careful not to wake you. 

every movement feels strangely mechanical because you’re not by his side helping him while telling an insane story. 

he packs the flowers you two picked out just two days ago. you’d still been laughing then. 

you spent nearly twenty minutes insisting that white lilies looked ‘too serious’ so he’d secretly bought the pale pink carnations you liked instead. 

they’re sitting on the counter now wrapped neatly in brown paper, waiting. his eyes linger on them. 

the refrigerator hums softly, he opens it to grab a bottle of water. his gaze lands on the container of nikujaga and your neat little label on the lid.

‘for gumi’ with a cute drawn heart beside his nickname. 

his stomach twists. you label everything sweetly, even after an argument. he reaches for the container but stops, he doesn’t think he deserves to eat it after what he said last night. 

he brews coffee quietly and pours himself a cup without ever drinking it. just stares blankly into the dark liquid. 

his phone buzzes. 

tsumiki ❤︎: don’t be late :)

a tiny smile almost appears on megumi’s face. he types back. ‘leaving soon.’ 

megumi glances inside the bedroom door where he thinks you’re sleeping. your face is buried in the pillow, one hand tucked beneath your cheek. 

he steps inside anyway. 

the morning light spills across your face, your eyes look swollen even in sleep.. the sight makes something in him ache. he kneels beside the bed for a long moment and just watches you breathe. 

his hand lifts, hovering over your hair. he wants to smooth it back and comfort you, wants to kiss your forehead like he always does before leaving. 

instead he lets his hand fall back to his side and whispers. “i’m leaving. i’ll be back tonight.” 

he nods to himself as though you’d answered and turns to leave. 

“gumi?” 

his steps stop immediately. your voice is hoarse, small. 

“i thought you already left.” you swallow.

“i was about to. need anything?” 

you shake your head, a long silence follows. “it’s okay.” 

megumi waits with a part of him hoping you’ll stop him and ask to come, even though he’d never show it.. he was just as excited as you were. 

you carefully pull the blanket a little higher over your shoulder. “drive safely.” 

he nods once. “you too.” the sentence slips out automatically, you almost smile. 

“i’m not going anywhere.” 

his hands tighten around his keys. “riight.”

neither of you knows how to bridge the silence that leaves you with. 

“i’ll see you later.” he says.

“mhm.” 

he leaves, the apartment door clicking shut. you don’t move for several minutes, you simply stare at the wall where the morning lights slowly creeps higher.

only after you're certain he’s gone do you roll onto your back, the empty space beside you is already cold. after everything, you’re glad. you hope tsumiki has a good day and you hope megumi smiles.

you hope he gets home safely. 

and then, as your gaze falls on the outfit you’d carefully laid out the night before—the one you’d planned to wear to meet his sister for the first time—your smile finally disappears.

you pull the blanket over your face. “maybe another time.” 

you remain in bed for another few minutes, eventually forcing yourself up and brushing your teeth. the hoodie you’d slept in smells faintly like megumi. that almost makes you cry again. 

he’s gone to see tsumiki and you’re not going anymore. 

there isn’t much point in sitting around crying. you’d clean the apartment, maybe bake something, maybe..

the front door unlocks, your head snaps towards the hallway. “megumi?” 

“forgot my keys.” his voice is as even as ever. 

you blink. “.. you forgot?” 

“i forgot my keys.” he steps inside, slipping his shoes back off. his apartment key twirls once around his finger. 

you stare at it. “those keys?” 

megumi looks down and pockets them without another word. “i forgot something else.”

you almost giggle despite yourself. “you don’t even know what you forgot.” 

“i’ll figure it out.” 

“what a liar.”

the corner of his mouth twitches, barely.. but it’s the closest thing you’ve seen to a smile in the last twenty something hours. 

he looks at you properly for the first time that morning. your oversized hoodie, bare feet, puffy eyes. you’d definitely been crying even after he left.

his chest tightens and he steps forward to stand in front of you, smooths back your hair and kisses your lips. he pulls back and his eyes don’t leave yours. “go get dressed.”

your smile fades. “why?” 

“we’re leaving in twenty minutes.” 

you stare directly at him, his lips, his eyes.. “leaving?”

“mm.”

“where?” 

he squeezes your hip. “to see tsumiki.” 

your eyes widen immediately. “but i - you said maybe i shouldn’t meet her!” 

“i know what i said, i was wrong.” 

you simply stare at him, unmoving.

“go get dressed.” 

“i.. are you sure?” 

“i’m sure.” 

“but yesterday you were really upset and you said things and i..”

“i know. i regret most of it.”

you search his face, looking for hesitation, you don’t find any. “okay.” you whisper it like you’re afraid changing your mind might make it him change his.

you disappear into the bedroom and jump around now that you’re alone, excited despite everything.

you stand infront of the closet for nearly five minutes. every outfit suddenly feels wrong. too dressy, too casual, too bright.. too plain. 

you eventually pull out the pretty dress and cream cardigan you’d bought specifically for today. the one you’d shown megumi three different times asking if tsumiki would like it.

your fingers hesitate over the buttons. 

a soft knock sounds at the door. “can i come in?” 

you blink. “yeah.”

the door opens and megumi steps inside, you.. still in your underwear and the pile of rejected clothes covering half the bed. “you’ve been standing here this whole time.” 

“i don’t know what to wear.” 

“you already picked something.” 

“i don’t know if she’ll like it anymore.”

his brows pull together. “why wouldn’t she?” 

you don’t answer, he understands anyway. 

it’s because of yesterday. because somewhere in your mind, you’ve convinced yourself that tsumiki won’t like you because of him. 

megumi walks over, without a word, he picks up the dress. he hands it to you and lets you put it on, then he grabs the cardigan. 

“arms.”

“hm?”

“put your arms out.” 

you obey automatically, he carefully slides the sleeves over your hands, pulls the cardigan over your shoulders, then kneels infront of you. 

your heart skips. “megumi.” 

he starts fastening each tiny button. his fingers are so gentle. “i’m sorry.” the words are so quiet you almost think you imagined them. “i shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.” 

you swallow. 

“i know saying sorry doesn’t fix it.” 

“it doesn’t.”

“i know.” he finishes the last button and smooths the fabric where it pools near your waist. “there.”

he sits you down and puts on your frill-edge, cream socks for you, slipping your pretty flats on right after. 

your eyes sting again. 

“don’t cry.” 

“i’m trying not to!” 

the drive is quiet at first, tokyo drifts past outside the window.

traffic is light, neither of you turns the radio on. your hands sit folded neatly in your lap. megumi glances at them twice before finally reaching over at a red light.

his hand settles over yours tentatively. like he isn’t sure he’s earned it. 

you look down, then quietly turn your hand over so your fingers lace together. his grip tightens. 

“i lied about the nikujaga. it was good, baby.” 

you don’t answer, you just look at him as he drives.

“it was really good.” he says.

you almost smile, but you decide against giving him the glory of forgiveness just yet. 

“i finished almost all of it before you asked.” 

“you also closed your eyes after the first bite. you only do that when you like something.” 

megumi sighs softly. “you notice everything.” 

“i notice you.” 

his throat tightens. “i shouldn’t have said any of that bullshit.”

“you were tired.” 

“i was being cruel. i decided what you meant before you could finish speaking because i was afraid i’d hear something i didn’t want to. i was cruel.” 

“a little bit.”

“i was more than a little, bunny.”

you stay quiet as he continues.

“i kept interrupting you, i didn’t let you explain, and then i threatened to stop you from meeting tsumiki.” 

you look out the window. “i was really looking forward to today.”

“i know.” 

“i bought flowers and baked cookies and figured out what kind of tea she likes-”

megumi actually looks away from the road for half a second. “you what?”

“just in case.. you know? if she ever came over, i’d already know!”  you smile sheepishly.

his chest aches, because he’s starting to understand that this wasn’t just about dinner. you’d been quietly preparing to become part of his family in all the little ways that mattered to you. 

not by replacing anyone, just by hoping there’d be room for you, too.

after another stretch of silence, he speaks again. “will you tell me now? what you were trying to say yesterday?” 

you take a slow breath and glance at him. your thumb brushes lightly against the back of his hand. “i wanted your dinner to taste like home.” 

he doesn’t interrupt this time. he simply listens. 

before you know it, you and megumi are parked outside of tsumiki's door. you haven’t realized because you’re too busy ranting about something that happened when you were at the shopping mall. 

“we’re here sweetheart.” he says, a soft interruption. 

“oh my goodness! gumi i told you to let me know when we were close!” 

megumi has to practically drag you to the front door. 

“you let me ramble the whole drive!” you whisper yell, already fumbling with the cookie box. “i was supposed to mentally prepare.” 

“i thought you were doing that.”

“i was talking about a woman who was trying to return twelve cabbages!”

megumi has to practically drag you to the front door. 

“baby im not ready.” 

“shh. you are.”

“how would you know if i’m ready? you’re not me, silly! unless you have like superpowers or something like you can see inside of my brain!.. which is unrealistic but it’s not impossible given that we live in a world full of—”

megumi’s hand claps over your mouth carefully.

“i can’t see in your brain. i know you’re ready because i watched you prepare yourself for one week.”

your useless complaints are muffled against his palm until he finally uncovers your mouth with a little smile. 

“baby!” you yelp, but megumi interrupts you with a kiss. his tongue invades your mouth, hands cupping your pretty cheeks. “mm!” 

“it’s okay. she’ll love you.” he murmurs against your lips.

“i’m ready!” you pull away and reapply your lipgloss as he just watches with those gentle eyes that tell you all you need to know.

a soft laugh can be heard from the other side of the door, then it swings open. tsumiki is already smiling before the door finishes opening. 

“i was wondering how long you two would stand out here.” she says, amusement warming every word. “i could hear everything.” 

your entire body goes rigid. “everything?!” 

megumi clears his throat. “probably.” 

your head turns so slowly toward him that it almost hurts. “you let me embarrass myself.” 

“you were doing that on your own, being so loud and stuff..” he squeezes your hand, lips stretching into the tiniest smile ever. 

“megumi!” 

tsumiki laughs. a bright, effortless sound that instantly softens something inside of your chest. she pulls megumi in for a quick hug, rubbing his back.. it takes a hot second but megumi eventually leans into her hold, patting her back carefully.

your eyes sting immediately.

tsumiki pulls away first, and megumi’s eyes land on you as soon as he hears a sniffle. his hand instinctively moves to yours. “what’s wrong bunny?”

“it’s just so emotional, you know?!” 

“i talk to tsumiki everyday, sweetheart. it’s not some kind of special reunion.” he explains softly.

“it’s not the same.” you whisper.

tsumiki melts at your small capability to hold yourself together. “so.. you’re y/n!” 

you immediately bow a little too deeply, megumi’s hand shoots out to grab the back of your collar, ears red in embarrassment for you. 

you rub him off and offer both the box of cookies and the bouquet of carnations. “yes! hi tsumiki! i don’t know what flavor you like but megumi said you like strawberry so i decided on strawberry but i was also gonna try matcha—”

“they’re perfect.” she smiles softly.

“.. so i added matcha powder on top.” you finish, quieter now. “you really think they’re perfect?” 

“mhm. i can’t wait to try these. come inside. let’s get these flowers in a vase.” 

you make celebrative little fists when she’s not looking and wink at megumi. “i thinks she accepts me.” you whisper. 

megumi shakes his head and closes the door behind him, unable to fight his smile. you leap after tsumiki and help her organize the flowers into a vase.

“gumi was insisting on bringing white lilies. which wouldn’t have been so bad if they had some color, so when i told him that they’re too bland for someone he describes as charismatic and soft, i thought that something more colorful would make more sense.” 

you ramble without ever looking up from the stem tips you’re snipping. only to later see both megumi and tsumiki watching you with different but fluffy expressions. 

your face heats up immediately. 

dinner is made, served and filled with old stories and giggles.

at home, megumi is used to washing the dishes after you eat. it’s just routine. you cook, he cleans. that doesn’t change at tsumiki’s house.

the sound of running water drifts softly from the kitchen as you and tsumiki flop down onto the couch to search for a movie.

megumi stands at the sink with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, quietly washing the dishes despite both of you insisting he didn’t have to. 

it wasn’t an argument, it was more like one of those little domestic negotiations that somehow always ended with megumi doing exactly what he’d already decided to do. 

now he stands with his back to the living room, methodically rinsing teacups while pretending he can’t  hear the conversation behind him.

“he’s always been like that.” tsumiki smiles

she puts her cup down and tucks her legs beneath her, settling deeper into the couch as she glances towards the kitchen. 

you hug one of tsumikis throw pillows to your chest. “can i tell you how we met?” 

“i was hoping you would!”

you squeal, cheeks warming. “it’s not very romantic.”

“i don’t believe you.” 

“it isn’t!” you insist. “it’s actually really embarassing!” 

from the kitchen, megumi quietly reaches for another plate. “it was embarrassing." 

you point dramatically towards him. “see? even he agrees.” 

tsumiki giggles. “..so?” 

you take a long, deep breath. “okay. it was the first week of college..”

you had been late, and not a little late. the kind of late that left you apologizing to people you bumped into before you even hit them. 

your tote bag bounced against your shoulder as you sprinted across campus with an iced coffee in one hand and three folders tucked between your arm. 

“oh no, no!” 

your professor had already sent out an email. “attendance matters”

you rounded the corner at full speed and immediately slammed into someone. coffee exploded everywhere. 

silence followed, the cup hit the pavement and ice scattered across the concrete of the sidewalk. you stared, then very slowly looked up. 

a man dressed entirely in black stood in front of you. coffee dripped steadily from his shirt. his expression was completely blank. 

“oh my goodness.” you gasped so loudly several nearby students turned to look. “i’m so sorry!” 

without thinking, you started patting frantically at his shirt with both hands. megumi was on his way back from the gym. his headphones were pulled down around his neck, he wore a black compression shirt paired with black sweatpants that seemed just one shade off. 

“i’m so, so sorry!” 

your folders slipped from between your arm. megumi was looking down at you with such a blank expression you thought he’d just walk away. but he kept watching, and listening.

papers started flying everywhere. “oh nooo!” you crouched to grab them. 

everything was a mess. your foot landed directly on one of the melting ice cubes and your balance disappeared instantly. megumi watched with eyes that widened by the second as you somehow managed to slip. 

straight into your own spilled coffee.

you landed sitting on the pavement. there was coffee on your skirt now, on your hands, and somehow on your cheek. you licked it off and let go of your posture. 

you looked up at him with the expression of someone whose soul had just left their body. “hi.. i’m having a really bad morning..”

“i noticed.” his voice was so curt and rough, sweat dripped down his forehead and neck from his previous workout session. his shirt clung to his abs and it made him look so scary but so, so good.

“..right.”

you hurried back onto your feet. “i’m y/n!” 

he simply stared down at you. “you’re introducing yourself?” 

“i figured if i already ruined your clothes.. and possibly your morning, i should at least tell you who did it.” you mumbled.

for the first time, he looked genuinely confused. his eyebrows pinched together ever so slightly. “fushiguro..”

“hm?!”

“my name.” 

“ohh!” you smiled despite the situation just under you. “nice to meet you.”

something about the tiny defeated smile on your face made the corner of his mouth twitch, barely.. just enough for you to notice. 

tsumiki is already giggling so hard she has to wipe under her eye. “you fell into your own coffee?”

“mhm!” you squeeze your face into the pillow.

“so.. when did you actually start talking after that?” she asks.

“oh! right.”

for the next half hour, the story unfolds in pieces.

“i discovered he was secretly kind when he carried my groceries cause he saw me walking home and decided to help me. it was raining.”

“your groceries were falling.” megumi says from the kitchen, now wiping off the counters and dinner table.

“he fixed my umbrella and walked with me.”

“well yeah.. it was raining.” he says.

“you gave me your scaaarff” you say teasingly.

“you were shivering, babe. those were all practical decisions.” he says.

“they’re boyfriend decisions!”

“hmm..” he hums.

“they became boyfriend decisions.”

“eventually they did.”

tsumiki watches the two of you with unmistakable amusement.

“so who confessed?”

you point at megumi. “he did.”

his head lifts. “did i?”

“he asked me out. with flowers and chocolates and-”

“and that counts as a confession?”

“it is the definition of telling someone you like them, baby!”

“then i guess i confessed”

you beam. “exactly. he confessed.”

tsumiki laughs softly. “i could never imagine him being that direct.”

“it took him twenty three minutes.”

megumi closes his eyes “you timed my confession?”

“it was so important and i was so nervous and i had butterflies and you looked so handsome.”

“what about your first kiss?” tsumiki perks up.

you gasp dramatically. “oh my goodness, tsumiki! it was sooo awkward!”

“it wasn’t,” megumi answeres.

“baby, seriously.. it was so awkward. we even bumped into each other with our noses.”

“i’m sorry?” tsumiki blinks.

“it was his fault.”

“how?”

“i wanted to kiss him but it was my first kiss and i wasn’t ready so i was just looking at him and then he went in for a kiss and i froze and then he bumped into me.”

“you weren’t watching where you were going. you should’ve tilted your head.”

“i was admiring my future husband first.” you giggle.

the kitchen where megumi is goes silent. your hand pops against your mouth and your eyes widen enormously.

tsumiki's eyebrows shoot up, her lips stretched with a smirk. you cover your face.

“sorry. i never call him that usually. i never have.”

“no you haven’t.” megumi says quietly.

“i don’t know where it came from..?” you say sheepishly.

“you’ve been thinking about it. marrying me. it came from your brain.”

“i know where it came from! and no i wasn’t!” you’re so nervous cause you dont know if megumi wants that or not. if megumi wants to marry you.

megumi approaches carefully, looking down at you with the calmest expression for the longest moment. “i don’t mind.” he says in the softest voice imaginable.

you peek over the pillow “hm?”

“if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

the room is very, very quiet now. megumi meets your eyes. “i don’t mind being your future husband.”

your mouth falls open. his ears turn pink immediately, but he doesn’t look away. “i’d actually like that a lot.”

everything in your brain stops working. tsumiki smiles so softly her eyes shimmer. she recognizes her quiet, honest little brother she’s always known.

you stare at megumi for another heartbeat, then another. his expression shifts to something a little more alarmed. perhaps he spoke too soon. “sweetheart?”

before he could even react, you launch yourself off the couch.

“whoa-”

you collide with him hard enough to make him stumble backward a step, your arms wrapping tightly around his neck. you bury your face against him. “you aren’t supposed to say such sweet things so casually!”

he catches your waist instinctively, a huff of a laugh escaping him as he looks at tsumiki's face, she’s giggling so hard, it tells megumi all he needs to know. tsumiki loves you.

“was it sweet?”

“it was devastating gumi!”

“i think that’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it?”

you squeeze him even tighter. “i love you so much.”

his arms slowly settle around your back. “i know you do.”

“and we’re gonna get married someday.”

“yeah.. thats the plan.”

you pull away and kiss him gently, then you turn to face tsumiki and squeal. you leap back onto the couch beside her and put on a movie.

megumi follows, pulling you against him on the couch.

the movie doesn’t last very long. well, the movie does. your attention span.. not really.

halfway through, you’re buried against megumi’s side beneath one of tsumikis soft, knitted blankets, whispering commentary every thirty seconds and kissing his cheek for no reason.

“that actor was in another movie.”

“hm.”

“he looks taller here.”

“is that so?” he murmurs.

“mhm.”

you kiss his cheek again. by the time the credits roll, the apartment has gone quiet. outside, the city glows beneath shattered streetlights.

tsumiki stretches with a sleepy yawn. “i should probably get some sleep.”

“oh! me too!”

you and megumi both hug her goodnight. he goes to the car while you make your way to the guest room, already undoing the bed and undressing yourself.

megumi returns with your bags, places them on the bed, and hands you your towel.

“thank you gummy bear.”

he removes his sweater and folds it neatly on the chair. you disappear into the bathroom for a quick shower and a change of clothes.

a few minutes later, the bathroom door opens. “baby?”

“hm?” megumi hums, looking up from his phone.

you peek around the corner wearing one of his oversized sleep shirts that reaches your mid thigh. “i forgot my toothbrush.”

megumi reaches into the over night bag without looking. “you packed two.”

“oh!”

he hands it to you.

“thanks megumi.”

“you packed it.”

“i still appreciate you.”

a tiny smile tugs at his lips.

by the time you emerge again, megumi is already showered and sitting on the edge of the bed in gray sweatpants and nothing more.

you stop walking and spin in his shirt.

“..pretty.” he looks up.

you smile. “hm?”

“nothing.”

“you called me pretty” you whisper.

“maybe i did”

“you did, you’re so sappy megumi!”

“i take it back”

“nope, you can’t.”

the bedroom falls into comfortable darkness as you crawl into the bed beside megumi, rubbing your feet together first. you turn onto your side. “soo..”

“so?”

“we’re okay?”

megumi reaches across the small space between you and pulls you into him. “we’re okay.”

“promise? pinky promise?”

“i promise.” his thumb lingers against your cheek. “i’m really sorry.”

you lean into his touch. “i know.”

you smile. your noses are only inches apart now. “can i kiss you?” he whispers.

“mhm.”

he closes the last bit of distance, pressing the softest kiss against your lips. it’s slow and gentle, nothing hurried. until megumi deepens it.

his hand slides naturally to your your waist while the other cups your jaw. his tongue moves with yours, a small groan slipping from his throat.

when you pull back, he follows just enough to steal two tiny kisses.

you giggle against his mouth. “how greedy.”

“you do the same all the time.”

he buries his face in your neck.

“gumi?” you murmur.

“hm?”

“do you think your sister liked me?”

“she loved you.”

you smile and kiss his forehead. “goodnight.”

he just hums and pulls you closer, this time.. neither of you has to sleep miles away from the other.

authors note: to my avatar readers, please forgive me, it is SO hard to write for avatar when half of my works are stories that are to be continued, including before the mantle takes root :( i love you guys soo much and WILL be back to writing my stories soon.