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Hinata always loved the old American love songs. Almost every car ride and every radio and record player in their house was playing his playlists. Hiiro didn’t know what their appeal was but he always heard his partner humming their tunes or swaying to their beats. Since living together, Hiiro picked up some of his partner’s listening habits. From the way Hinata dances and hums every song when he bakes to how he’ll try to get Hiiro to dance along with him, moments with Hinata are something he would always cherish.
On this particular day, Hiiro found Hinata in their tiny kitchen rolling out pastry. Soft music played in the background as Hinata was flouring the dough and hands. Though the apartment they owned was small, it was comforting and a place both of them considered home. With a rolling pin in hand and flour coated fingers, he watched his partner meticulously pound and roll out the sheet of dough to a thin layer. In a pot next to him, some lemons simmered in a pot, creating a sour and sugary scent to fill the air.
Walking over, Hiiro gave a soft hug on Hinata’s back. “What are you making?” Hiiro asked as he gave a soft kiss atop Hinata"s forehead.
“Lemon pie, just for you love,” Hinata whispered as he looked up towards Hiiro. “Would you like to help?” he offered, handing over a spoon. Smiling, the red-head nodded.
Soon enough, the two boys found themselves in a rhythm of pie-making. Hiiro offered to aid in creating the filling while Hinata worked towards buttering and cutting up the dough. Stirring the pot with a wooden spoon, the filling found itself slightly bubbling and browning, or what Hinata would call ”caramelizing” . Hiiro was just about done with the filling as Hinata finished rolling out the dough. Picking out a lemon slice from the pot, Hiiro gave the sticky lemon filling a try.
“Do you like it?” Hinata giggled as Hiiro licked the sour syrup from his fingers. Hiiro had been teased before for his love of lemons. In fact, back when the two first began dating, Hinata often made fun of Hiiro for eating lemons raw with the skin on.
The filling was not too sour, it had the traditional lemon, sour, tang, with a bit of sweetness from the sugar. In other words, it was perfect. “Of course it is sunshine, you made it,” Hiiro smiled.
“Hehe, you better not be saying that just because I’m your boyfriend!” Hinata outed as he teased Hiiro.
“Of course not! It’s really good!”
“And it’ll be even better once we bake it!” Hinata retorted back, grabbing the spoon from Hiiro.
Hinata did most of the work when it came to the finishing touches and prepping the pie to bake. The lemon filling concoction was poured into a blanket of dough with lemon slices dripping on to the top as hinata shifted the slices to create an even coating across the pie. Then, he grabbed slices of dough and braided them across the top, finishing the pie with a layer of criss-crosses decorating the exterior. Each layer of dough and ounce of filling had a bit of Hinata’s love put into it. Everything down to the egg wash that painted the final pie had Hinata’s heart.
“Now, we bake!” Hinata exclaimed as he moved the pie to the oven. Once he made sure the pie was set, he closed up the oven door and set a timer. Once that was finished, the ginger then walked over to their record player. Shifting through a box of records accumulated through the years, he then found something he liked.
Carefully, Hinata picked out his favorite record album: The Temptations Sing Smokey by The Temptations. Wiping his hands on a nearby towel, he changed out the records, placing the previous one back into its case and taking out the one he just picked up. Carefully, he laid the record on its spinner, letting it turn a few times before setting the pick down. Gently letting the record spin, its tunes began to play out. With a mischievous grin he looked at his partner’s eye and smiled.
“What are you planning sunshine?” Hiiro asks, seeing the spark in the other’s eye.
“Come with me while we wait for the pie to bake,” Hinata said, hand reaching out to Hiiro’s. The red haired boy took the offer, gently laying his hand on Hinata’s. Their hands fitted perfectly into one another. Hinata grins, pulling Hiiro close as he fixes his hands, one on the shoulder, the other on his hip. Being so close to Hinata, Hiiro could smell the scent of flour and pastry coming from the other, with a soft scent of sugar from his partner.
“Let’s dance,” Hinata whispered into Hiiro’s chest. The red-head let himself be guided by his sun. The song fills their tiny kitchen, letting the music flow through their ears as Hiiro allows himself to be guided by Hinata’s moves. One step here, one move there, this was one memory Hiiro would keep close to him. It was a comforting experience whenever he was with Hinata. In their closeness, Hiiro felt the warmth that radiated from Hinata. The warmth that makes you feel all smiley and giddy on the inside.
Playfully, Hiiro spins his partner around. A smile sparked across both boy’s faces. As if in their own film of time, neither wanted to let go. Hand in hand, Hinata allowed himself to find his own comfort on Hiiro’s chest, letting the music sway them whichever way. Hinata then felt a small kiss on top of his forehead.
“I love you sunshine,” Hiiro whispered into his partner’s ear. Oh. Rarely has Hiiro said those words to Hinata, opting towards showing his love in the form of kisses and hugs. Not that Hinata minded, he knew Hiiro loved him more than the world. Hinata was his world. With a soft smile, Hinata looked up at Hiiro’s ocean eyes.
“I love you too my prince,” Hiiro felt a soft blush bloom across his cheeks. He hoped that they could stay like this forever. Just the two of them in this world.
Just then, the timer for the pie rang. With a smile, Hinata parted ways from Hiiro’s hold. Staring into his partner’s eye, Hiiro wondered if he could surround himself with the greenery and field of grass and sunflowers that was Hinata. Hiiro then felt a kiss on his cheek.
“I have to check in the pie, love,” Hinata whispered into the other’s ear as he went to their oven.
Creaking open the oven door, Hinata prepared his oven mitts and towels to get the pie out safely. With the oven open, the scent of sugar and lemon surrounded their little apartment. It was a cozy atmosphere. Their kitchen area,still messy with flour and lemon peels, the record player still singing its tune, Hiiro wanted to capture this memory forever.
Quickly, Hinata moved the pie from the oven to a cooling rack laid out on the countertop. The pie was still sizzling from the residual heat of the oven and had a few extremely brown areas that looked near toasted. Nonetheless, it looked delicious as Hiiro felt his mouth salivating just by looking at it.
“Get some plates and utensils while we wait for this to cool,” Hinata said as he took off his oven mitts and quickly wiped the mess of flour from the countertop with a towel.
“Of course,” the red-head replied as he moved towards a cabinet that held their plates.
Opening up their wooden cabinet, he was welcomed with a woody scent and a stack of large ones used for dinners when siblings of both partners would come visit. Looking around, he found a set of tiny china plates, perfect for the occasion. Taking out two plates, they were decorated with ornate flower designs of sunflowers and white lilies, a housewarming gift from Rinnie when the two boys first moved in. Delicately, Hiiro placed the two plates onto the dinner table that sat next to one of the apartment windows. The sun was just about setting, making the scenery quite romantic. Even more so, Hiiro gently rearranged a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase he gifted Hinata a week ago for their anniversary.
Then, Hiiro moved to set some utensils. Opening up a drawer, he fished through a myriad of spoons and knives until he found two silver forks.
With the pie about to cool, Hinata moved the pie to a cake stand. Then, he pulled out a huge knife and began cutting up the pie into slices. The flaky crust cracked into crumbs as it was sliced through by the knife. The lemon wedges that floated on top of the filling were easily cut through.
Carefully, he moved the pie to the table Hiiro set for them two. Already sat, Hiiro was nearly drooling at how delicious the pie looked. The pie glistened from the light that shined through their window. The sun’s rays reflected off their little dining set up as the two prepared to dig into their pie.
“Eat up!” Hinata exclaimed as he served a slice to Hiiro. The red-head was more than ready to dig in.
Cutting a piece with his fork, the tender pie pulled apart like butter while leaving crumby flakes with a crack as it sliced through the pastry. A puff of steam gently blew out from the slice as the pie was still warm, but not hot. Taking a bite, the flavors were so simple yet complex. Sourness, sugary, buttery, and flaky flavors melted into his tongue.
“This is delicious!” Hiiro excitedly said as he allowed himself another bite.
“Hehe, have as much as you want! The leftovers are probably going to your brother or Yuuta anyways!” Hinata smiled, accepting the compliment. He then took a slice for himself, savoring his hard work. He had made many pies before, albeit some burnt, but making one with Hiiro made this a special one.
The lemon pie was a simple one. Just pastry, sugar, and lemons, but, like everything Hinata makes, he puts his heart and soul into it. And this one was made with Hiiro in mind. The other had a select taste for lemon and Hinata would always find him eating the lemon slices out of water from restaurants or buying lemons from the market with the goal of solely eating them raw.
This little fact about Hiiro was actually why Hinata dated him in the first place. Most people would believe they met doing idol work or started dating because they both were in the same class and roommates in their second year. However, that was simply not the case. The catalyst event for the two happened at a local farmer’s market during the middle of their second year. Yuuta had encouraged Hinata to start baking to take his mind away from the stress of idol work and his father. Though he was neglecting the idea at first, he began giving it a try and it ended up being one of his favorite pastimes. It started with some burnt cupcakes and cookies, but overtime, each new pastry just became more and more edible.
On a particular day, Hinata found himself searching around the farmer’s market for lemons and honey for a new cookie recipe he wanted to give an attempt at. Yuuta had been begging him for cookies for a whole week and Hinata finally gave in. At a stall that was selling fresh lemons, he bumped into Hiiro. There, he caught the boy biting into a lemon, skin on and all, like an apple. It was so funny, Hinata would not stop talking about it all day, even teasing Hiiro about it every time they bumped into each other. He talked about Hiiro so much, it went from talking about his silly lemon-eating incident, to how beautiful his eyes look and how wonderful it would be for them to be a bit more than friends. Soon enough, Hinata caught himself baking more and more lemon flavored treats and sharing them with Hiiro. He remembered that the other really enjoyed lemon tarts and pies at the time. And then, he asked the red-head on a date, and the rest is history.
Smiling at the memory, Hinata took a bite into the pie. The atmosphere was perfect. Looking at Hiiro, he was glad his second year self bumped into a lemon eating boy at the farmer’s market. Hiiro was everything Hinata wanted— needed— and more. He was sweet, and kind, but also a bit dumb sometimes. But Hinata loved him nonetheless. Hiiro made him feel a kind of comfort that was rare. A comfort that made him feel at home and surrounded by a blanket of warmth and love.
“What are you thinking about?” Hiiro said, noticing a crumb on Hinata’s lip. Leaning over, he gently let his finger traced Hinata’s mouth to wipe a crumb off of the corner of his partner’s lip. His finger felt soft as it traced the corners of his lips. Hinata smiled, blessed to know how loved he was.
“I love you,” Hinata whispered, grabbing Hiiro’s hand and giving his fingertips and gentle kiss.
Hinata loved old American music. He also loved baking. But most of all, he loved Hiiro Amagi.