so scarlet, it was maroon

It had been six months since Gojo Satoru and Nanami Kento announced their relationship. It also had been six months since Gojo almost never stayed in his own place. Ever since they're dating, Nanami's apartment is like Gojo's new default destination every time he goes back from somewhere. Before Nanami realizes, it has become a new mundane for him to open up the door in the evening and see Gojo's silly face in front of the door. With his temper, Nanami would welcome Gojo, whose arms were opened, with a scowl. But usually, it doesn't take long for them to share a hug—sometimes, with Gojo sniffing on Nanami's blonde hair.

That day was another day when Gojo promised Nanami that he would stay overnight after his work trip from Kyoto. It had been three days since the two of them saw each other's face. And although he barely disclosed it, Nanami was anxious. If it was a normal day, Nanami would protest every time the older one whined to be allowed to stay over his apartment. But now, there was nothing Nanami wanted more than his boyfriend's presence.

Nanami knew well that Gojo would never mess up with his mission knowing his capabilities. Maybe it was just his guts. Or maybe, Nanami just had gotten attached to the silly face who had never stopped annoying him whenever he's around.

It felt weird. It was the first time for Nanami to feel this kind of feeling; worrying about someone who's clearly stronger than him. It was also not the first time Gojo went away for a few days for a mission. But Nanami's heart had been pounding constantly as soon as he realized that the last time his boyfriend contacted him was yesterday morning. After that, he has not heard from Gojo at all.

Normally, Gojo would show up at 9 p.m. (or 10 at max) whenever he went back from a mission. But it was almost ten o'clock and still there was no sign of the silver-haired guy to show up. No calls either, which made Nanami even more nervous. He had tried to divert all the negative thoughts by doing the house chores, watching some shows on tv—which he would address as nonsense in a normal circumstance—even reading a book. But all of those could only calm Nanami's anxiety temporarily.

As much as he hates meddling in his lover's work affairs, Nanami believed that it was only normal for him to contact Gojo's co-workers for some updates in this kind of situation. So he called Shoko. But the short conversation with Shoko appeared to make that man even more tense, especially when he discovered that the last time Gojo was seen by his co-workers was yesterday evening.

“Tsk, where are you Gojo-san,” grumbled Nanami.

It was a mess inside Nanami's mind. But he knew that if he panicked now, he wouldn't be able to think rationally. So he immediately grabbed his sweater and car key, then rushed towards the door. He didn't know what he would do or where he should go, but for now, the only place that came to his mind was the train station. Right, the train station.

Before he went on his trip, Gojo specifically asked Nanami to pick him up at the station. But—although now he regretted it—Nanami immediately said no to that request because, he thought, it still felt odd for him to behave like an actual couple with Gojo after everything they had been through. Nanami was sure those words must be hurtful even for someone like Gojo. But unexpectedly, the blue eyed-man took it pretty well. It was still clear in his memory that morning, Gojo was just laughing at his sassy take and playfully said, "Fine, Nanamin. The moment you feel like acting like an actual couple with me, I assure you, you won't want to stop.” And now, he misses his boyfriend even more.

When his right hand almost turned the knob, at the same time, the door was pushed towards Nanami. And there was him. While the silly-faced guy, whose right hand was holding a bouquet of roses, put a confused expression on his face, Nanami clenched his lips. He was sure that Tokyo breeze that night was chilly just like the previous nights, but strangely, his eyes felt hot as soon as they met those piercing blue eyes.

“I'm home!” Gojo's loud voice finally broke the silence between them.

But the greeting was immediately returned with a frown on Nanami's face which, Gojo was sure, was also getting redder.

“What the fuck,” grunted Nanami in an almost not audible voice.

“Whaaattt?” protested Gojo. “Wait, Babe? What happened to hello? I literally just got back from a super dangerous mission?!”

Nanami didn't answer. He immediately turned his back and walked away furiously. Again, it was weird. It was the first time Gojo saw Nanami this angry.

“Babe? Nanamin! Hey, what's wrong? Do you not like the flower?” strafed Gojo as he walked following Nanami whose steps sounded almost like they were stomping. In normal circumstances, Gojo would find it cute—or he still found it cute.

Nanami was ready to slam the door once he reached his room when Gojo swiftly blocked his action. “Hey,” said Gojo, with a calm voice followed by a gentle gaze addressed to those furious hazel irises.

But Gojo's gentle gaze didn't last long as he noticed that his lover's eyes looked red and teary. “Babe!” Gojo squealed. Both of his hands swiftly cupped Nanami's face which looked almost as red as his eyes.

While the younger one wiped the tears in his eyes roughly with one of his hands, Gojo gently kissed both of his eyes. “What happened? Did I do something wrong?” asked Gojo.

Silence. Nanami felt extremely uneasy after hearing that question. He was embarrassed, but also angry. Did his boyfriend do something wrong? He didn't know. But Nanami was sure that he was upset with him. So when Gojo was caressing his cheeks, he turned his face away.

“I'm sorry. I know you told me not to bring you any gifts whenever I come here, but it was unplanned, really. I just happened to pass this florist when I was waiting for a taxi. It was kinda strange for a florist to open at this hour, don't you think? So I went inside and had a little chat with the owner. She said that someone had just canceled a large order of roses that was supposed to be delivered the next day. Well, you know, although the deposit had been paid, it still couldn't cover all the losses. So I decided to buy a bouquet to cheer her up. Besides–” Gojo cleared his throat as he nervously stared at Nanami's eyes, whose sharp gaze almost pierced his face. “I, I just thought that you'd like it. I know it's my fault for thinking that. You don't like gifts. I'm so sorry. Please, don't cry anymore, hm?”

Ah, this guy is hopeless—is the first thing that came into Nanami's mind as soon as he saw Gojo awkwardly trying to explain at length the reason why the bouquet of roses was in his hand. Why would he get mad over such a trivial matter? It was true that Nanami felt a little uncomfortable whenever Gojo bought him gifts for no reason, especially the fancy ones. But if it was just for that, he wouldn't be this anxious and upset. Nanami closed his eyes for a while and exhaled roughly before he stared at his lover's blue eyes again.

“Gojo-san,” Nanami finally opened his mouth.

“Hm? Yes, sweetheart? What is it? Do you need anything? Just tell me, I'll get it for–”

“Is it that hard for you to contact me when you're away?”

“Huh?” Gojo tilted his head with confusion. “But I did call you yesterday, didn't I?”

Nanami scoffed, and for some reason, Gojo found it intimidating. His lover might not have the friendliest trait ever since they knew each other, but he was never intimidating. Nanami may have a sharp tongue, his sarcasm could sometimes hurt someone's heart—especially those who don't know him well, it was also not uncommon for his remarks to offend some people, who Nanami thinks deserve it, on purpose. But, once one began to know Nanami well enough, he would show his gentle side, which could only be noticed by certain people who truly cared for him. Even though, in the end, it turned out that Nanami could also be intimidating, Gojo didn't have a problem with it, it's just that it was—also—the first time for him to see this side of Nanami.

“Yesterday, really?” asked Nanami sarcastically.

The piercing blue eyes widened as he realized his mistake. And now, he was the stupid one for leaving his lover without any news for a whole day. Soon after, his right hand slapped his forehead so hard that it almost left a red mark there.

“That must be hurt,” muttered Nanami while gently moving the hand, which was slightly larger than his, away from Gojo's forehead. At the same time, the owner stared at Nanami with a bent face and almost pursed lips, totally looking like a toddler scolded by his mother.

“I'm sorry…” said Gojo faintly. Once again, Gojo could hear Nanami scoffed. It seemed that his boyfriend was very upset. Gojo had no choice but to bury his face in Nanami's crook while hugging him as this method, most of the time, worked to get his lover's soft spot.

“It won't work,” grumbled the blond.

“I know. I'm just really sorry, okay? And I missed you. Like a lot.” At that time, Nanami could feel Gojo was carefully rubbing his hair against his neck.

“If you missed me, you could've called me more often.” Snap. And now, Nanami felt childish. Why would he say that? Said his inner thought.

“I know, I'm sorry. I lost my phone when I was doing the mission. I really wanted to call you, Nanamin. But you know me, I didn't have your number memorized. I'm sorry, babe. I should've done better.”

Nanami sighed before throwing his face away, trying his best not to look at Gojo's face, whose eyes were sparkling just like a puppy wishing for the owner to love him. Nanami had to admit that he might have grown fond of Gojo to the point that the man held a special space in his soft spot. When they started this relationship, Nanami didn't expect that he would reach this point of loving someone. If he told himself six months ago that on nights without Gojo, he would have felt anxious for no reason when the silver-haired man was out of his sight, his old self would almost certainly snicker at him for throwing such a ridiculous joke.

And to think about love. There were many times when Nanami hesitated to believe that he loved Gojo. Of course, Nanami cared about Gojo, but love? Nanami wasn't sure. All this time, Nanami had always believed that loving someone took a long process. Nanami and Gojo may have known each other since they were teenagers, but their closeness was never meant for a romantic and intimate relationship. So instead of returning Gojo's love confession, Nanami was often astonished by how easily that man declared his love. But it seems like three days without Gojo annoying or just pacing around his apartment were enough to make Nanami realise that his feelings for Gojo had grown to be more than caring. Nanami didn't want to lose Gojo. He didn't want that childish man to be away from him for a very long time. Oh, Nanami remembered this feeling. It was the same feeling he had felt for his dearest friend, Haibara, years ago before grief forced him to rebuild his life from the beginning.

“It's okay,” murmured Nanami. “I'm just relieved that you're fine. Sorry, I snapped before.”

Gojo couldn't help but smile after hearing Nanami's words. Honestly, he wondered what kind of virtues he had done in the previous life, but he was truly grateful to his past self—if he really did something noble—because at that time, Gojo felt that he had gained reciprocity for that favor. It was already hard to believe that he had been dating the man in front of him for six months. Well, it was even harder to believe that he got a chance to witness Nanami's side that Gojo never imagined before.

Seeing Nanami's cuteness and soft side just made Gojo couldn't help but to shower Nanami with kisses all over his face. Nanami grunted, just like he expected, but he didn't tell Gojo to stop. It was another first. Gojo was on cloud nine, he was sure that he couldn't be happier than today.

The two spent about five minutes hugging each other. If someone saw them, they could surely tell that the embrace implies the longing of two individuals for each other. The next minute, Gojo cupped Nanami's thin cheeks again before closing the gap between their bodies. He pressed his lips to Nanami's before gently nibbling the lips he had missed for days. Oddly enough, there was no resistance from Nanami. The hazel-eyed man instead just let himself follow Gojo's lead while closing his eyes as if he was enjoying the warmth of his lover's lips. Gojo didn't stop there, as soon as he got Nanami's consent, he sucked gently on his younger lover's bottom lip. He also wasted no time in tracing his tongue almost all over Nanami's mouth until the owner had to pat her back a few times, indicating that he was out of breath.

It was clear that those love birds’ faces turned red after Gojo released their lips. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Gojo smooched Nanami's lips once and whispered, "I love you, Nanamin," which followed with a kiss on his forehead.

While Gojo looked like he's used to expressing his feelings, Nanami's face got even more heated after hearing those three words. Of course it wasn't the first time he heard his lover say those words, but this time it was different. This time, Nanami's heart was beating so fast. This time, he was dedicated. Followed by Gojo's surprise, Nanami brought his face closer to the silver-haired man, and with his soft voice, he said words that made Gojo almost lose his mind.

“I love you too, Gojo-san.”

Fin.