Archive of Our Own ^beta

His shoulders felt heavy with exhaustion while he punched the numbers into the keypad of his door and shoved the heavy wood open when it beeped.

"I'm home." He said to no one in particular. Toeing off his shoes, Itaru glided into his indoor slippers with a yawn and trudged into the empty apartment, gently throwing his briefcase atop the granite countertop ahead of him while his other hand pulled at his tie.

Tossing his suit jacket next, Itaru undid a few of his buttons to his dress shirt and wrinkled his nose, shuffling around in his slippers as he adjusted the brightness of the lights to the living room and kitchen.

His home was cold, save for the very little warmth that was still in the kitchen. A friend of his must have come over to help themselves to his fridge; not that he minded, but it would have been nice if they left him something to eat as well.

He pouted at the thought and scratched his stomach through his shirt, brushing his fingers along the countertop as he walked around to see if there was a plate of dinner waiting for him. And much to his delight, there was.

Meat. Soup. Rice.

Itaru felt like he could cry.

He wondered who it could have been.

Tasuku? Tsumugi?

...Probably not. Neither of them were able to cook food like this.

Itaru decided not to dwell on the question of who broke into his house this week and grabbed a spoon and a pair of chopsticks from the drawer beside him, setting them down by the bowl so that he'd be able to roll his sleeves to the elbow.

The clatter of his utensils clicked in his hands when he picked them up again, and he bent over the counter as he began to eat like an ill-mannered hooligan.

There was soup dripping down his chin and the corners of his lips and he had to breathe through his mouth as he shoved countless portions of meat and rice into his mouth to stave away the hunger that left his stomach feeling empty.

With hooded eyes and a runny nose, Itaru ate his dinner like it was the last meal he was ever going to eat and he sniffed as the sour brine of the soup invaded his mouth. He nearly moaned in appreciation for such an indulgent dish.

He was about to have his last spoonfuls of soup when the sound of someone punching in the code to his apartment filled his ears, and he quietly lifted his head to see who it was.

There was a soft, exhausted sigh and the rattle of unnecessary keys that told Itaru who it was, and he quickly wiped his face with the back of his wrist to clean up his appearance (if only a little).

"I'm home." They sang, voice gentle. The person threw their keys into the bowl beside the door and dropped their bag in front of the closet while they shed the jacket from their shoulders, feet carrying them into the space Itaru was standing in.

"Hey." Itaru greeted. He lifted his arm for the person to enter his proximity and smiled as they gave him a lazy side hug to return his greeting. "Welcome home."

They smiled like he did, lifting their head to look up at him as his arm went to curl around their shoulders.

"Thanks, Itaru. Sorry I didn't get home first to greet you."

Their apology was genuine, but the man shook his head.

"It's okay, Izu. You've been working a lot lately." He murmured, and placed a comforting kiss to the cheek of woman who had come home to his apartment for the night, his hand squeezing her shoulder. "How's the house hunt going?" He asked, letting Izumi extricate herself from his side so that he could continue eating.

Lightly tossing her phone on the counter, Izumi ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She took a handful of tangled strands in her fingers and tugged in frustration, shaking her head.

"Not good. Too expensive for one person planning on living alone."

Izumi had been planning on moving in to her own apartment for months now, but was either unable to meet the requirements or just didn't have enough money to afford the down payment.

It was the reason why she was staying over at Itaru's for a while, and she felt sorry that she was still stuck in his hair.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be a luckier day." Izumi frowned and dropped her hand to her side, scratching at her hip.

"I'm gonna go change and then set up my futon in a bit." She quickly regained her smile before Itaru could comment on her frustrated expression and pointed in the direction of Itaru's room with her thumb. "Don't go in 'til I'm done."

Itaru nodded, soft eyes silently beckoning her over before she could leave.

"'Kay. Have the rest of my dinner first." He pushed his bowls towards Izumi and turned around after she took the utensils from his hands. Itaru shuffled towards the sink and turned on the tap, proceeding to lean over the counter to clean his face of any residue that managed to stick to his skin.

He was thorough in his cleansing, drenching his face in cold water to keep him alert for the rest of the night.

Izumi came beside him to put the dishes in the sink while he dried his skin with a few paper towels and leaned up to give his cheek an early goodnight kiss, her lips curling up as her mouth threatened to yawn.

"Thank Citron for the meal." She murmured tiredly and stepped away from Itaru after he had given her head an affectionate pat.

"Okay. Didn't even know he was the one who cooked it." He chuckled and tossed his paper towel into the trash bin as Izumi headed into his room to change into her pajamas.

"He really likes putting tamarind base in his soup." She yawned, slippers sliding across the floor as she walked. "Plus, he left a jasmine flower in the rice."

Ah—eh? Itaru snapped his gaze back towards the bowl that was in the sink and locked eyes with the flower Izumi had mentioned.

Huh. Itaru mused as he heard the door to his bedroom fall shut.

Smart cookie.

Ugh. What time was it?

Itaru didn't even know. He just needed to get a glass of water and then go back to his room because man, is he parched.

He didn't even bother to turn on any of the lights as he ventured out into the lounge room, but still squinted at the dim brightness of Izumi's night light beside his toaster.

With eyes squinted until Itaru could barely see anymore, he pried open the fridge with a silent yawn, his fingers reaching out to grab a water bottle from the door.

He then closed the fridge and turned away from the night light, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room while he twisted the cap to his drink and chugged down a good half of the bottle.

His body blocked the light from reaching Izumi and she roused from her sleep as she heard someone hiss. Rolling onto her back, Izumi stretched her arm out with a strained mewl as her other hand searched for her phone to check the time, her eyes barely catching a glimpse of Itaru slouching over his counter.

"Mmh...Itaru. It's four in the morning..." She complained, her eyes barely able to take the brightness on her phone. Izumi grunted, annoyed and dropped the device beside her head on the futon.

Itaru yawned in response and slipped a hand under his shirt to scratch at his belly while he rounded the countertop with heavy footsteps, his feet guiding him towards Izumi. "Was thirsty."

"Dude." She groaned when he dropped his sealed water bottle above her head and lazily slipped inside her futon that was, luckily, large enough for two. "Go back to bed."

Her order was briefly ignored as Itaru made himself comfortable beside Izumi, his eyes already closed with sleep. His head landed on her outstretched arm and she sighed.

Izumi had to sigh again once both of his legs trapped one of her own.

"Not mine." She griped, weakly. "Yours."

"But i'sso warm." He groaned back, huddling closer towards Izumi's body to get rid of the chills his water bottle had given him. The extra blanket Izumi had under her futon worked wonders on his body temperature, and the man couldn't bring himself to get out even as she wriggled her arm beneath his head to annoy him.

"I have to wake up early in the morning..." Izumi mumbled pathetically, but Itaru was adamant on sticking with her, his partially annoyed grunt puffing against her neck when he put her nose to her cheek.

"Don' go to that house appoin'men' thing." He rumbled into her jaw, causing Izumi to frown and swat at his chest with a lazy hand as he curled himself closer against her. "Stay with me."

And with an annoying purr, Itaru pressed his face into Izumi's neck while she squirmed uncomfortably in his grip, body still too weak from sleep to get away from him.

"'Taru..." She slurred, still so exhausted. "Let go..." She whined.

She thrashed once more but was stilled by Itaru's tightening grip and the unusual whimper that left his mouth. "Don't leave me...please."

And with that weak, gentle plead came a soft and desolate sigh from Itaru. He refused to budge any further, his neck trapping Izumi's arm that was growing numb while he kept her waist trapped in his hold.

Izumi sighed weakly, still half asleep and bleary eyed. She could barely open her eyes as she tipped her head in Itaru's direction and blindly pressed her mouth to his forehead, his fringe tickling her lips.

"...I'll stay. Be calm." She croaked softly, lifting her other arm to cup his jaw and stroke the skin there with her thumb.

Finally, he sighed, his body relaxing against Izumi as she hummed a song that he used to play for her on his phone back in their high school days.

The nostalgic song left Itaru purring happily in his half awake state, and he slipped a wandering hand beneath her sleep shirt while the other came up to curl around her shoulders, lazily dragging her around the futon until they were eye-to-eye.

"Thank you." He murmured quietly, magenta eyes sparkling in the dark as Izumi squirmed at the feeling. He let her arm go by lifting his head so that she could bring the blood flow back to it, and he smiled as the hand on her shoulder slid up to cradle the back of her neck.

"I love you." Itaru whispered into the cold air of his living room, shifting closer towards Izumi until their noses were touching. "Did you know that?"

And suddenly his gaze was sharp as he waited for Izumi's answer, fingers tickling each ridge of her spine while she rolled her eyes.

"Of course. We're friends." She laughed. It was a tired laugh, one that couldn't keep the smile on her face as her eyelids fell shut once more while his nails dragged along the smooth expanse of her back. "And you tell me at least once every day."

Izumi sighed, clicking her tongue at the wandering hands on her body that just wouldn't stop moving.

Itaru had become so clingy once they'd reconciled.

She wasn't sure if this was a change that happened once they met each other again, or Itaru had just learned how to show his friends he loved them.

As always, he was kind of difficult to read.

Unimpressed with Izumi's answer, Itaru tangled his fingers in her hair at the nape of her neck while his other hand pinched at her side, his own tongue clicking at her.

"What." Izumi groaned, resisting the urge to press her fists into his chest. He was being even more annoying than usual, and had she not cared for the wellbeing of Itaru, she would have kicked him between the legs already.

The man holding her was unfazed by her agitated hiss and stared at her with slanted eyes, his lips parted as he pondered on what to say next.

"I...don't love you that way." He confessed.

Izumi's rolled her eyes behind her lids, ignoring the way the fingers in her hair slid down to her jaw. "Then just what other way is there to love m—"

And with the tender press of his lips on hers, the angry bite to Izumi's voice died down into a confused whimper.

It was but a brief kiss that only lasted a second or two. Just a simple touch of lips.

And she was still breathless.

Itaru's eyes shone brightly in the darkness of the room when her temper boiled down to a simmer, and he bumped their noses together while his mouth curled into a lazy, charming little smile.

"Like this." He whispered, tipping Izumi's chin forward to give her lips another kiss.

"This is what I meant when I said I love you."

They stayed like this, beneath the covers of the futon for a while. Izumi was still processing the shock while Itaru was patiently waiting for her answer once again, and when Izumi had finally collected her wits, she made a half-assed joke.

"But as a friend, right?" She laughed softly, poking at Itaru's chest while he smiled at her.

"As your best friend." He responded, lightly stroking her jaw with the tips of his fingers. "As your lover." He continued, eyes narrowing into tired slits as he leaned forward until their lips were brushing. Itaru glanced at her dilating pupils before looking back at her mouth with a warm laugh, the hand on her back smoothing down the arch of her spine. "And as your husband."

"You understand where I'm getting at, right?"

And Izumi sighed. Sighed with as much exasperation as she could because, fuck. She loved him too and she hated the fact that he said it first. What is wrong with that man?

"You are the worst." She hissed, grabbing Itaru's face so that she could meld their lips together in a biting kiss that made the man laugh and wince at the same time. "I love you so much."

"Mmh—Izumi, ow. Stop biting." Itaru groaned as his lip throbbed with the pain that came with Izumi's devious canine and slapped her hip to get her to stop (but to no avail). "Fu—ow."

Izumi slapped him back.

"That's what you get for playing around."

"Oh my god."

There was steam filling the kitchen when Itaru left the bedroom clad in his suit. He fitted two fingers between his tie and neck to make sure it was at a comfortable position and sighed as he walked down the hallway with his briefcase in his grip.

His hair was a lovely mess as always, but he still had to resist the habit of running his hand through it. Izumi had helped him style the locks earlier this morning while he was still buttoning his shirt, and he knew she'd throw a punch at him if she saw a single strand out of place.

"Good morni—" Itaru stopped in his tracks.

Citron was at the stove while Izumi and Tsumugi were flipping through a magazine together at the counter, their giggles drowned out by the sizzling of whatever Citron was cooking.

"Morning, Itaru!" The Zahran greeted cheerfully, much to the dismay of the office worker.

"Where's that brute Tasuku?" Itaru frowned, walking over to where Izumi sat to plant a kiss at the top of her head.

"Still jogging." Tsumugi answered through a mouthful of bread, looking innocent as he deliberately placed his hand atop Izumi's to annoy Itaru.

The man playfully bared his teeth at Tsumugi while Izumi turned around in her seat to greet Itaru with a hug, her chin planted atop his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Good mornin'." She cooed affectionately, smiling when Itaru placed his briefcase on the counter to cup her cheeks in his hand and kiss her forehead.

"Morning." He sighed.

"Ugh. Please stop that." Another voice joined the commotion as Citron began plating Itaru's lunch into a neat bento box Izumi had bought him a few weeks ago. It was a limited edition bento box from Itaru's current game fixation, but quite subtle so that his coworkers wouldn't know.

The iconic emblem from the game was on the bottom of the bento while the rest of the box was a sleek black with silver decals.

"Congratulations on the promise rings and all, but," Tasuku gave Itaru a nonchalant once over with his sharp eyes and crinkled his nose. "Izumi can do better."

"Wow, being bullied in my own house." Itaru scoffed. "Who said you could just waltz in here?"

"Izumi." Tasuku shrugged, catching the piece of toast that the woman threw at him. He took a bite out of the plain bread and nodded at Citron who waved and ruffled Tsumugi's hair who tossed him an apple.

"Dude." Itaru griped, squishing Izumi's cheeks. She smiled at him and shrugged, consoling her boyfriend with a loving pat to his chest.

"You didn't start hating him until you gave me the promise ring. Which was like, a few days ago." She laughed, framing his face in her own hands when Itaru pressed their noses together and began muttering empty threats towards her.

"He said the promise ring was stupid!" Itaru complained loudly and pointed an accusing finger at Tasuku who was already halfway through his apple.

"Because it is." Tasuku chuckled through a mouthful of food.

"How about you propose to her instead of promising that you will? You've been dating for like, what. Two years? Known each other for ten?" Tasuku rolled his eyes. "Hurry up, will you?"

Itaru threw his hands up in the air. "Oh my go—see? Izumi! Do you see the injustice that's happening here?"

"Your lunch is ready, sweet Itaru." Citron called out warmly while Tsumugi pulled Izumi away from her boyfriend to wrap his own arms around her shoulders from behind.

"Stop getting so riled up before work." She laughed and beckoned Itaru over before he could grab his things and leave. The woman shifted around with Tsumugi as she fished something out of her pocket, and grabbed Itaru's left hand when he obeyed.

"You almost forgot your ring." Izumi smiled sweetly as she slipped on a thin, black titanium ring onto his ring finger.

Itaru had checked the time while she did this, realizing that he'd be late if he didn't leave now and quickly placed a kiss on her forehead while Tasuku and Citron also peeked over to see the ring Izumi had given him.

Itaru didn't know why they were gathering around behind Izumi and he gave all of the men a dry, but light hearted smile.

"Look at you and your little harem, huh." He teased his girlfriend with a poke of his tongue and leaned down one more time to give her a farewell kiss on the lips. "I'll try to get home on time."

Izumi nodded and wiggled her fingers at him, and everyone watched as Itaru bolted out the door with his lunch and briefcase.

Once the door shut, Izumi spared everyone else a glance and smiled cheekily.

"You think he'll notice?" She asked curiously. Tsumugi shrugged and Citron responded with a pondering hum while Tasuku rolled his eyes and threw his apple core in the compost bin.

"If he doesn't, then you're taking that ring ba—"

There was a sudden rattling at the door and the panicked punching of numbers as someone cursed.

"Zero-three-two-zero—fuck!" They could hear Itaru shout at the door. His finger pressed the wrong number as he was in a hurry to punch in the password.

"Zero-thre—shit! Zero—goddammit!" He shouted over his heavy breathing and shook the doorknob with a panicked noise.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Itaru screeched just as Citron ran towards the entrance to let the owner of the house in.

His breaths came out in heavy puffs as he scrambled his way back towards Izumi and reached for her, his hands grabbing her face as he pulled her into a hurried kiss.

All Izumi could do was laugh against his mouth as he angrily bit at her lip, over and over, forcing Tsumugi to pull away from her so that they could have their moment.

"Engagement—ring—fuck." Itaru spoke between kisses, his palms digging firmly into her cheeks as Izumi smoothed her hands down his chest to calm his racing heart.

"That's the one you showed me, right?" She whispered as Itaru continued to broaden the area where his mouth kissed, gentle lips pressing all over her face as the cool titanium dug into her skin.

"Yeah, a year ago." He scoffed, incredulous. "I can't believe you want me to be your wifey." Itaru groaned, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

"I was waiting for the right opportunity to ask, but we thought it would be more fun if I caught you off guard instead." Izumi explained, grabbing the magazine she was viewing with Tsumugi from the counter to smack it against the back of Itaru's head.

"We didn't expect you to react this quickly though. You're going to be late for work." Tasuku commented, crossing his arms over his chest while Tsumugi and Citron twitched at the way Itaru was already shedding his suit jacket.

"Fuck that." Itaru hissed, staring hard at Izumi's flustered face as she tried to keep him from taking his suit vest off next. "We're gonna have sex right now."

Tasuku darted out and caught Itaru by the neck with his arm, dragging the man towards the door "No fucking way."

"FUCK, you're an asshole!" Itaru howled dramatically while Izumi and Tsumugi giggled; still in a daze, as Citron pretended that nothing happened and went to start cleaning the dishes.

"Hubby! I'll be home as soon as I finish!" Itaru called out from the apartment hallway, still getting dragged away by Tasuku.

"That's some wife you got there, huh?" Tsumugi wrapped his arm around Izumi again and laughed with her as she lifted her left hand up in the air, admiring the twinkle of her own engagement ring, matching Itaru's in colour, but just a bit thinner.

"Well. I love him." She smiled, and returned Tsumugi's hug.

Citron joined their little cuddle session too and kissed the top of Izumi's head, and when Tasuku returned after kicking Itaru out, he entered the group hug as well.

He ruffled her hair as she laughed at all of the men who were squeezing her to death, and Izumi couldn't help but feel the tears well in her eyes as they quietly congratulated her.

It was like she finally found the place where she belonged.

And when Itaru finally came home, late into the evening and saw Izumi watching TV from the couch, he dropped everything in his hands and ran to her with a trembling grin and an affectionate call of her name.

It's been more than a decade, and they were no longer that sad, little pair back in high school.

They were a happy, engaged pair now.