#kuroushi

Tetsurou could hear the struggle from the living room. His brow furrowed and he set his book aside, not sure if he should go investigate or not. But there was another thud and his curiosity and worry won out. He padded to the bedroom, where a tangle of limbs and fabric met his eyes.

"Is that my shirt?" Tetsurou fought hard to keep the laughter out of his voice, but it was a lost cause. Ushijima looked wounded, but in that puppy-dog way that told Tetsurou that it was probably not as bad as it seemed. He just couldn’t help it. Ushijima looked so hilarious with his arms caught up above his head and just his nose and eyes poking out of the head hole of Tetsurou’s shirt. “Babe,” Tetsurou said. “You’re never gonna get that on.”

“It seemed much larger when I was holding it,” Ushijima mumbled.

“I’m touched, I really am, that you would want to do the boyfriend shirt thing with me,” Tetsurou said, padding over to where Ushijima was all tangled up. “But maybe let’s try it the other way around? With me in your shirts? They fit me much better than mine fit you.” He tugged on the fabric, hoping to get Ushijima untangled without ripping any seams. Ushijima’s shoulders slumped and something went pop! and Tetsurou couldn’t help it. He let out a laugh.

“I am sorry,” Ushijima said, his voice full of guilt and anxiety. Tetsurou shook his head and tugged again.

“It’s not my favorite shirt, don’t worry,” he said. “Let’s just see about getting you out of it without hurting yourself.” Tetsurou took hold of the bottom hem of the shirt and pulled, and all at once it came free. Tetsurou stumbled backwards, landing on his ass on the floor with the stretched-out, rumpled, pathetic little shirt in his hands. He laughed harder.

“Oh my god,” he said. “Your hair- You look ridiculous.” Ushijima’s hair, normally neatly combed and flat against his head, was sticking up worse than Tetsurou’s. His face was red and he still had his arms in the air. Slowly he lowered them. Tetsurou smiled, and crawled over to where he was still sitting slumped, looking utterly defeated.

“I am sorry,” he said again, and Tetsurou shook his head, crawling into Ushijima’s lap.

“You are the love of my life, do you know that?” he asked. He ran one hand up Ushijima’s bare chest to wrap around the thick of his neck. “You’re perfect in every way conceivable, and little mishaps like this only serve to remind me that, despite everything, you are just as human as me. It’s comforting, you know?”

The skies rumbled ominously.  Because of course they did.  There was really no way for the skies to rumble encouragingly or luckily or promisingly.  At least not that Tetsurou knew of.  Honestly if the skies started rumbling encouragingly he would probably take a few days to reevaluate his life and genuinely consider Kenma’s suggestion that he rejoin the circus and get his head on straight.  He eyed the sky warily.  The clouds were dark and heavy and looked like they were ready to burst any moment.

He picked up the pace but it didn’t matter in the end.  He was a block from home when the clouds opened and soaked him in a matter of seconds and he trudged up the steps in soggy shoes, squelching his way down the hallways and up the stairs until he was in front of their door.  He dripped sadly on their welcome mat and tried to dig his keys out of his soaked to his skin pants pocket.  It was days like this that made him seriously consider moving to a desert.  A nice, dry desert with little to no rain in sight where he wouldn’t have to wander around in soggy shoes and get blisters that would drive him absolutely nuts and —

The door swung open and Wakatoshi looked out at him.

“You’ve been outside the door for three and a half minutes.  Are you alright?”

Tetsurou’s eyes were wide and he looked like an absolute moron he was sure.  But it was like three in the morning and his husband should have been asleep hours and hours ago.

“Sudden downpour.”  

Tetsurou slipped inside and yanked off his sodden shoes.  He was torn between stripping off all his clothes right here to avoid dripping through the apartment and just scurrying to the bathroom so he could hop in the shower immediately after disrobing because he was sure he would never be warm again otherwise.  He hung his soaked hoodie on the hook inside the door and peeled his socks off when he realized Wakatoshi was still just standing next to him.  Silent and still.  The silent part didn’t worry him too much.  Wakatoshi wasn’t much of a talker even on his chattiest of days.  But the fact he was just standing there staring in Tetsurou’s direction was a little off putting.

“Babe?”

Wakatoshi blinked at him a few times and then sniffled quietly.

“I had that dream again.”

All thoughts of showers flew from his mind.  He guided Wakatoshi back to their bedroom, turning on the lamps in the apartment with a flick of his fingers.  Once he had Wakatoshi back in bed and under the covers he tossed his wet clothes into the bathtub, muttered a spell that Yaku had taught him to keep them from smelling wet and moldy, and pulled on a pair of dry sweatpants.  Wakatoshi hadn’t moved in the time he was gone but when Tetsurou settled on the edge of the bed Wakatoshi turned towards him and reached out to press his large palm against Tetsurou’s stomach.

“What can I do for you love?”

Wakatoshi dug his fingers into Tetsurou’s stomach for a moment and then pulled his hand away.

“Show me the stars?”

Tetsurou smiled sadly.  Because Wakatoshi only asked for the stars when he was in a bad way.

“Of course.”

Wakatoshi tugged the covers over himself and flipped back the edge for Tetsurou to climb in next to him.

He pulled at the threads in his mind’s eye, fingers twitching, and lights twinkled to life across the ceiling.  A few more twitches had galaxies and nebulae twirling into view.

They watched the stars above them move slowly, gentle swirls and minute cosmic shifts, until Wakatoshi eventually rolled onto his side to look at Tetsurou.

“Thank you Tetsurou.”

Tetsurou smiled.  “Any time you need me love.  I’m here for you.”

Wakatoshi didn’t smile at him.  But his eyes were sleepy and content and he reached out to tangle his fingers with Tetsurou’s.  

The cosmos above them flickered and faded as Tetsurou’s fingers stilled and Wakatoshi’s breathing evened out.

Tetsurou brought Wakatoshi’s hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it.

“Sleep well,” he whispered against Wakatoshi’s skin.

“You would think they would have taught you how to cook for yourself at that big fancy school of yours,” Tetsurou muttered as he plunked a plate down in front of Ushijima.

“Home cooking was not involved in the home economics course I took.” Ushijima sounded sad about this. “I am capable of other domestic duties.”

“I believe you,” Tetsurou laughed, going back to the kitchen to get his own plate.

“I simply do not wish you to think I am deficient in this way,” Ushijima insisted. Tetsurou turned around to find Ushijima frowning down at his food.

“Hey,” Tetsurou said, setting his plate down and sitting at the table. “It’s not a big deal that you can’t cook.”

“It inconveniences you,” Ushijima said. “You would not be required to bring me meals on a daily basis if I could fend for myself.”

“Hey, man, if I didn’t care about you I would just leave you to your cup noodle and your takeout,” Tetsurou said. “I do this because I want to. It’s no fun cooking for one.”

Ushijima looked up at him with something like hope in his eyes. Tetsurou went back over what he had just said, wondering what could have put that look on Ushijima’s face, and wondering how he could do it again. Ushijima looked down at his food and then back up at Tetsurou.

“If I am being too bold, or if I am reading too much into this, please tell me,” he said. “However, I feel as though I am not without hope in this matter. If said hope is foundless, please, do not hesitate to tell me-”

“Ushijima,” Tetsurou laughed, reaching out to put his hand on Ushijima’s. “Just spit it out, dude.”

“I wish to ask you… to be my romantic partner,” Ushijima said at last. Tetsurou blinked at him. He’d known this was coming, he just hadn’t expected Ushijima to be the one to bring it up. He had expected months more of meals and pining and dropping hints that weren’t picked up. Except that evidently they were picked up. Ushijima was looking at him with so much hope in his face that Tetsurou began to shake.

“I…” he said, and Ushijima’s face fell. “No!” Tetsurou shouted, then realized what that sounded like. “No, not no! The opposite of no! Not-no!”

He scrambled, sure he had ruined it forever. But then Ushijima smiled softly and flipped his hand over to twine their fingers together.

“I believe the word you are looking for is ‘yes’,” he said. Tetsurou smiled.

Honey, you can ask for as many as you want.

Send me a color and a ship and I’ll write you a ficlet that feels like that color.

Thecandle section of their local department store was massive. Glassjars and metal cans lined the shelves in every size and shape, theircolors ranging the entire spectrum of the rainbow. Tetsurou picked upa candle and sniffed at it.

“Thisis the worst thing I’ve ever smelled,” he said in awe, then heldthe candle up to Ushijima. Ushijima, bless him, bent down to smellit.

“Thatis indeed unpleasant,” he rumbled. Tetsurou loved the way he didthat - the way he rumbled when he spoke. He put the candle back onthe shelf and pushed the cart down the aisle a little ways. Theyweren’t there for candles. They were there for a bookshelf. But thecandle aisle was Tetsurou’s happy place, and really what new housedidn’t need candles? Especially in the downstairs bathroom, the onethat looked like a dungeon and had the weird smell coming from thesink…

Tetsuroushrugged and moved on. Ushijima indulged him in three new candles, arare divergence from his usual one. He must have been as excitedabout the new place as Tetsurou was.

“Wejust need a rug for the master bedroom,” Tetsurou said, “and thenthat’s everything on the list. Unless there’s something youwanted to add?”

Ushijimashook his head and took the cart from Tetsurou, turning it up thenext aisle. The bedding aisle. Tetsurou stopped and stared, amazed hehadn’tjust gone straight for their destination.

“You’respoiling me today,” Tetsurou said as he ran his fingers along thefabric of the nearest quilt.

“Todayis a good day to spoil you,” Ushijima said. “As are all days.”

“Aw,babe,” Tetsurou said. He walked out of the aisle with only onequilt, determined to prove to Ushijima that he could be trusted.

Theywandered the aisles together, picking out things that would go wellin their house and things that maybe wouldn’tgo so well but were things they wanted regardless. Ushijima put two,maybe three things in the cart while Tetsurou filled it the rest ofthe way full with useless commodities. They were walking out toUshijima’s silver SUV with their cartload of goods when Tetsuroustopped in his tracks.

“Babe,”he said, flabbergasted. “We forgot the bookshelf.”

“Isuppose we will simply have to go back into the store,” Ushijimasaid, smiling. Tetsurou grinned.

Summary: