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âi win,â you chuckle, and atsushi stops brooming for a second, turning to where you look out the window. the small flecks of snow falling are enough to spread a wide grin across your faceâand he knows itâs not just because you won the silly bet heâd made with you earlier. âit snowed tonight.â
who knew the stupidest things kept love interesting, he thinks to himself, shaking his head as he sets the broom down.
âsnow couldnât have waited until tomorrow to fall?â he groans, and you smile smugly to yourself, pressing your face against the glass to get a better look at the small white flakes that fall.
âlook how pretty,â you murmur, and he grins to himself at the fog that spreads across the glass as you speak, walking up to you.
âback up from my window,â he pokes your side, making you glare at him. âitâs new, your nose pressing against it is gonna ruin it before i can get my first client,â he teases, and maybe the stupidest things are meant to keep the spark alive because you canât seem to hide the smile fighting on your lips, and he canât seem to get enough of the sight.
âvery excited to see you wipe the windows,â you snort. âmaybe now youâll learn to clean up after yourself.â pouting slightly, atsushi grabs your hips, pulling you close as his head slots itself to its rightful placeâsecurely tucked into your neck. and when your fingers thread through his locks, he thinks that maybe things will all work out somehow.
you give him that faith, and he holds onto it. fears melt and worries cease to exist when youâre around, and maybe, just maybe, youâll find a way out of all the hurdles together.
âi clean,â he mumbles. ânever said i was good at it, but i do it,â he insists. laughing, you rub over his back, taking in the little salon before you, pride swelling in your chest. itâs all his, and you canât stop the small cluster of emotion from forming, squeezing him tighter against you.
âyour apartmentâs a mess,â you shake your head, and he squeezes you tighter, throat dry from the question stuck in it. âyou canât clean to save your life. âs okay, you got me,â you hum. and he wants to let the words out so badly, now more than ever.
just ask, he tells himself, and each time, atsushi fails miserably.
âyou can,â he blurts, making you glance down at him. âclean, i mean.â furrowing your brows, you process his words.
and god does atsushi want to die, he wants to slam his head against his brand new glass window and wither away. maybe he shouldâve given up like usual this time, it wouldnât have been as bad as this.
ân-no, i mean likeâŠclean my apartment, andâŠn-not that i think youâre likeâŠa cleaner or anythingâŠcause why would i? youâre notâŠthatâs not what i think of you,â he rambles, and by now, his face isnât tucked into your neck comfortably anymore. instead, itâs in front of you as he looks down and speaks, and the new lights heâd set up just the other day bring out the little specs in his eyes perfectly.
you bite back a chuckle as your boyfriend rambles away, trying his best to save face. and you shouldnâtâyouâd be awfully mean if you didâbut you canât help but add a little more anxiety to his plate.
âso, are you asking me to be your personal cleaner or something?â you raise a brow, and panic settles into his expression even further, and you almost feel bad. almost, but heâs too cute this way, and youâre nothing if not a little obnoxiousâitâs just the way things go.
âno! of course notâŠy-youâŠi was justâŠi-i thought that, you knowâŠ?â he doesnât quite know what heâs saying at this point, and it takes all you have not to laugh.
âyou thought why not get me to do your dirty work for you? gonna make me clean this window for you too,â you point to the glass behind you, and atsushi whines, digging his face back into your neck, slumping his weight into you as you chuckle.
âyouâre being mean,â he groans.
âsorry, baby,â you giggle. âjust couldnât help it.â
and now, determination settles into him, and heâs going to ask you this damn question if itâs the last thing he does. six fancy restaurants, four home dates, and two perfect chance opportunities later, and atsushi still hasnât asked you to move in with him, and heâs sick of being a cowardâheâs brave, heâs been up against worst, and heâs lived.
âyou can have my apartment,â he blurts out. and by now, he thinks he should just give up at this point, itâs clear this isnât going to go right no matter what he does. slumping into you, he sighs, and you let out a quiet giggle.
âaww, thatâs sweet. the whole thing? youâd let me have it?â
âforget it,â he says glumly, but the small kiss you press to the side of his head lifts his spirits some.
âis this your dorky little way of asking me to come live with you?â
âis this your mean little way of saying yes?â he counters, but a ghost of a smile tugs at his lips, and atsushi thinks that even if his delivery wasnât all that great, the stupidest of things keep love interesting anyway.
âi move in, be your little cleaner, greet you in a cute little outfit, is that the plan?â rolling his eyes, he pulls out of your neck once more, pressing his forehead to yours. and the new lights of his salon bring the specs in your eyes out too.
âdepends. are you on board?â chuckling, you pinch his cheek, and your smile is contagious, he canât fight the large grin that spreads across his own faceâand you havenât even said yes yet.
âiâll think about it,â you say, and he pouts playfully, pressing a soft kiss to your nose.
âiâll upgrade you from cleaner to roommate. howâs that? iâll help with the cleaning too,â he offers. maybe, just maybe, atsushi thinks, things might be okay after all. heâs got you, and the constant fear of his life behind the scenes dissipates when youâre around.
âyou suck at cleaning,â you remind him, âbut yes. iâll take it.â and with a soft kiss shared between the two of you, you both seal the deal.