Chapter Text
For Christmas Eve, the evening was surprisingly quiet as Mafuyu and Uenoyama stepped out of the cold and into the luxurious lobby of the restaurant they’d chosen together months ago. A footman helped them out of their coats and handed them tickets to retrieve them on their way out.
Mafuyu dazzled in a crisp white suit with a deep blue tie, his hair parted and swept to the side. His tie matched Uenoyama’s navy suit, which he wore with a gray dress shirt and dark red tie. Corresponding, but not necessarily matching.
Even though Uenoyama had gotten ready with Mafuyu, seeing him like this still took his breath away. He gulped, reaching for the ring box in his pocket for the millionth time since leaving the apartment and took a deep breath when he felt it was still there. He hoped no one noticed just how much he was sweating.
As the host showed the way to their table, Mafuyu leaned in to whisper to Uenoyama. “Are you sure this is okay? There are a lot of people here who might recognize us.”
Ue grimaced, remembering his reluctance and subsequent meltdown over their relationship potentially being leaked to the press years ago. “Yeah, I’m good, Mafuyu. I’m happy to be here with you,” he said, squeezing his hand and smiling at him to reinforce that he had no trepidations. Let them speculate — Hiiragi and Shizusumi had had nothing but success since making their announcement. If anything, that finally stopped a lot of the speculation around Mafuyu/Hiiragi, which had bothered him more than he would like to admit.
Mafuyu returned his squeeze and flashed a small, blushing smile back at him before releasing his hand to follow the host through the maze of tables. He stopped short when he saw the one the host was waiting at.
“You got us a window seat?” he asked, mouth agape and eyes dancing with excitement. Uenoyama was following close behind, fidgeting with the ring box again and trying to calm his nerves. He wasn’t lying when he said he was happy to be here, but it also wasn’t the whole truth. Proposing, even if “just in spirit,” was no easy feat.
“It was a lucky snag,” Ue replied as they both sat down. Keep it casual until the last possible moment.
The host walked them through the specials of the evening, handed them both menus and placed the drink menu between them.
“Should we get some nice sake? Special occasion, and all?” Ue picked up the drink menu, desperate to have something to focus on other than the distractingly stunning man before him — and maybe a slight buzz would help keep his nerves down.
Mafuyu nodded enthusiastically. He grabbed his own menu to start browsing for appetizers and entrees while Ue picked out the sake.
They so rarely did “fancy” anything that Mafuyu was feeling fully spoiled. The food options might be limited to what was seasonal, but there were things on this menu he had never heard of, and when Uenoyama asked his opinion on a sake choice, he had to look at the description to have any idea what to think of it. The luxury of it all left him with a steady warmth in his heart; Uenoyama making such a display like this was something to cherish.
They decided on a three-course meal with sea bream sashimi as an appetizer, seared bluefin tuna with tempura vegetables for the entree, and strawberry sorbet for dessert. Each course was delightful in its flavor and complexity despite being surprisingly simple in execution — the sea bream nearly melted in the mouth and the tuna was perfectly seared. The sake also paired surprisingly well, considering it wasn’t deliberate. Ue’s first sip dampened his high-strung nerves, but he was careful not to overdo it. The last thing he wanted was to wind up drunk tonight.
He tried desperately to savor the meal, the view, and Mafuyu’s radiant happiness, but the ring box was burning a hole in his pocket; he was keenly aware of it pressed against his leg with every move he made. He didn’t have a set plan for when exactly he would present it, assuming he would feel it when the time was right. And he was pretty sure if he waited any longer, the box would grow its own legs, leap out of his pocket and run off with the rings.
Outside, it had started to snow. Mafuyu was staring out the window, his chin resting in his hand, as the first flakes fell and stuck to the pavement of the sidewalk. He sighed happily and tilted his head. Ue could have stared at that face all evening.
Instead, he took a deep breath, sat up straight and said, “Hey, Mafuyu. Are you ready for your Christmas gift?”
Mafuyu immediately sat up and faced him, excitement plain on his face. “Yes!”
One more deep breath. Uenoyama reached into his pocket and gently placed the box between them. Slowly retracting his hand, he was anxious to look up and see Mafuyu’s reaction. Would he know what he meant? He hadn’t prepared a speech — but now he was wishing he had because no words came to his fuzzy, anxious brain. He peeked at him through his eyelashes.
Mafuyu was quiet as he stared at the small box in front of him with wide eyes. He reached toward it with measured slowness, deliberately taking his time to savor the feeling of stunned joy rushing through his veins as all breath left his lungs — he knew a ring box when he saw one.
The black velvet was soft against his calloused fingertips, the rounded corners smooth and delicate. He looked up at Uenoyama with big, round eyes full of anticipation, just for a moment. Ue was staring intently at him, clearly holding his breath as he waited for him to open it. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face and Mafuyu had to resist the urge to giggle at him.
Unable to wait any longer himself, he opened the box and saw two black, brushed finish rings, set with three diamonds each, nestled in white velveteen, staring back at him.
When Mafuyu’s face lit up and he looked at him with that starry expression, Ue finally let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and gave him a relieved, tender smile.
Mafuyu beamed back at him. “They’re perfect, Uenoyama-kun.” He picked up the slightly larger one, assuming it was Ue’s, put down the box and reached out for his partner’s left hand, waiting patiently for Ue to meet him halfway.
As he realized what Mafuyu was doing, Ue’s eyes widened and a blush crept across his face to his ears. Hesitant but also unwilling to risk ruining the moment, he stretched his arm across the table and placed his hand in Mafuyu’s waiting palm. It did not escape him that really, he should be the one doing this first, since he bought them. Leave it to Mafuyu to turn the tables on his own surprise.
If stars could radiate off a person, Ue was sure it would be happening to Mafuyu right now. His heart soared; this was exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. His blush intensified as Mafuyu slid the ring onto his finger and squeezed his hand. Did Mafuyu never get flustered? It seemed like Ue was always the one blushing like a damn maiden.
When Mafuyu let go of his hand, Ue turned his palm up and gestured for the other ring. If Mafuyu’s smile could have gotten any bigger — or cuter, for that matter — it might have reached his ears. He handed Ue the second ring and turned his hand over, palm down.
It dawned on Uenoyama that this would be when they figured out if he’d gotten his size right. As if he needed more flustering thoughts right now.
He slowly, gently slid the ring onto Mafuyu’s finger. It resisted ever so slightly over his knuckle and then settled into place as if it belonged there. Ue sighed quietly, relieved yet again, and squeezed Mafuyu’s hand, just as he’d done to him.
He couldn’t bring himself to let go, and Mafuyu seemed more than content to remain here, frozen in this moment in time. The world around them had fallen away save for the snow falling outside the window, and they sat in comfortable quiet, enjoying the glow of their happiness, until the waiter delivered their dessert.
The low hum of conversation around them flooded back into their bubble of awareness and they quickly pulled their hands back for the sake of politeness. They both eagerly dug into the dessert and shared a delighted look at the first bite. It was as flavorful as everything else they’d had that night, but perhaps just a little sweeter now that they were an engaged couple.
As they collected their coats, Mafuyu seemed more than a little excited to be leaving. Ue had a sneaking suspicion it was for the same reason he was anxious to be home, too.
~
The door clicked shut behind them as they arrived home. Mafuyu took Uenoyama by the hand and made a beeline for his room. Ue had barely slipped a heel out of one shoe before being pulled over the threshold.
“Shoes, Mafuyu! Shoes!” He fought to keep his balance while hopping on his lone socked foot, wiggling out of his other dress shoe with his free hand.
“Don’t care. Too impatient,” Mafuyu said, his voice low.
Ue managed to escape his last shoe and kick it off as Mafuyu dragged him into his bedroom and shut the door before Kedama could follow them.
Mafuyu ran his hands up Ue’s chest and quickly backed him against the bed. Sneaking his hands under Ue’s jacket and onto his shoulders, he pushed him into a sitting position and his jacket halfway down his arms in one swift motion.
Uenoyama happily obliged. He leaned back on his hands as Mafuyu wasted no time in straddling him, kissing him hard and rushing to undo his tie and the buttons of his dress shirt. The feverish pace Mafuyu set had Ue dying to get out of his suit jacket, shifting slightly left and right to work it down his forearms. Mafuyu finished with the buttons and aggressively tugged the shirt out from Ue’s pants.
In the same instant, Ue managed to free one arm and immediately grabbed the back of Mafuyu’s neck to shove his tongue into his mouth. Two could play at this game.
Mafuyu let out a heavy breath through his nose and leaned forward to push them horizontal. Ue’s shirt fell open and Mafuyu’s hands roamed freely, caressing his sides, chest, and nipples. He lightly pinched one and reveled in the way Ritsuka’s body tensed up.
With both hands available now, Ue ran them through Mafuyu’s hair, pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss as he pressed his hips up into him. Mafuyu let out a small whine.
He paused his attentive hands in order to work his jacket off, too. With a little bit more space between them, Ue took the opportunity to pull Mafuyu’s shirt up — not even bothering with the buttons — and shoved his hands up under it.
Mafuyu tossed his jacket and tie behind him as Ritsuka struggled to reach all the places he wanted to. He grumbled, withdrew his hands, and started fiddling with the bottom buttons as fast as he could. Mafuyu chuckled and sat all the way up to start working from the top.
Once the shirt was discarded with only a few buttons loose on their threads, Ritsuka lunged for one of his nipples and pulled him back down on top of him. He sucked hard, needing Mafuyu’s reaction like a man starved.
Mafuyu groaned and ground his hips down. Ritsuka let out a loud breath against his chest and moved his hands to grab Mafuyu’s ass, aching for more contact. He greedily pressed their hips together as Mafuyu continued to grind against him.
He dragged his tongue across to the other nipple and bit down, eager for more of Mafuyu’s delicious sounds. Mafuyu dropped his head and moaned — right next to Ue’s ear. It made his already burning need flare like a thousand brilliant stage lights.
Ritsuka let himself sink into that feeling and swept his hands back around Mafuyu’s hips, dragging his fingers under the edge of the waistband, to work at his belt and pants. Mafuyu lifted his hips just enough to give him the space he needed as he fumbled through the haze of lust clouding his vision.
Mafuyu briefly stood to finally kick off his shoes and shimmy out of his pants. He quickly undid Ritsuka’s as well and pulled while Ue raised his hips so they could join Mafuyu’s in a discarded heap.
Now down to only their boxer briefs, they were both flushed and panting, erections prominent against the thin fabric. As Mafuyu moved to resume his favorite seat, one of their ties caught his eye and gave him an idea.
He reached for it and held it up. “Ritsuka, can I try something?”
Ue’s wide eyes flicked from Mafuyu’s face, to the tie, and back. He swallowed once, then nodded. He hadn’t expected Mafuyu to be interested in this but the thought of what might come next made the lusty haze in his head become a dense fog.
Mafuyu took Ritsuka’s hands over his head and bound them with the tie. While they weren’t anchored to anything, he willingly left them there for the effect. If this went well, they could invest in other, more practical options later.
“Let me treat you a bit,” Mafuyu murmured, his lips just grazing Ritsuka’s skin as he worked his way down his torso to the edge of his underwear. He teased him through the fabric for just a moment before pulling the waistband down and peeling the boxer briefs off entirely.
He slowly dragged the very tip of his tongue from base to tip — a little more teasing wouldn’t hurt, right? He circled the tip and took it in his mouth just enough to lightly suck and then run his tongue along the underside of the ridge where it met the shaft. Realizing he needed to multitask — since Ritsuka’s hands were quite literally tied — he pushed his underwear down as well, wet his fingers with saliva, and pushed one into his hole to start getting himself ready.
Ritsuka watched with heavy-lidded eyes, red all the way to his ears and breathless. He squirmed as Mafuyu continued to tease him with just the barest of touches from his lips and tongue. When Mafuyu finally took pity on him and took him wholly into his mouth, the moan that flew from him was loud and guttural as he arched his back.
Mafuyu smirked as best he could with his mouth full. He added another finger to himself and started to work his mouth up and down. He picked up the pace of his strokes, then took a deep breath, pushed all the way down, and stuck out his tongue to graze Ritsuka’s balls.
“Ma…fuyu…” Ue said, drawing out the “m” sound in a low moan. He was falling apart under Mafuyu’s very careful, deliberate ministrations.
Satisfied with that reaction and ready himself, Mafuyu withdrew and reached for the lube in his nightstand. Spit was fine for fingers but not much else, in his opinion.
With both of them lubed, Mafuyu crawled up Ritsuka’s body, kissed him one more time — pulling Ue’s bottom lip through his teeth for good measure — then aligned himself and sat back on his fiancé’s dick. It thrilled him to think that Ritsuka really was his forever, and in the heat of this moment, it turned him on even more.
Ritsuka thought he might explode right then and there. He squirmed and strained against the tie binding his hands; Mafuyu had teased him so mercilessly that he didn’t know how long he would last now that he was inside him.
And then Mafuyu braced himself against his chest and Ritsuka saw stars as he started to roll his hips. The warmth and friction had him gritting his teeth, wavering on the edge of a cliff as Mafuyu picked up his pace and rode him.
When Mafuyu started to stroke himself, Ritsuka could barely take it anymore. He brought his hands down and held them out in a gentle request to be untied. Mafuyu paused his hips but not his hand.
“You’ve teas–treated me enough. Let me ruin you now.”
“Is that a promise, Ritsuka?”
Ue practically growled at him with the hungry look he gave as a response. It made Mafuyu’s insides tingle, and he promptly removed the tie from Ritsuka’s wrists. Without missing a beat, he took a vice grip on Mafuyu’s hips, planted his feet on the bed, and thrust up into him, hard and fast.
Mafuyu gasped and then leaned forward to grip Ritsuka’s shoulders for leverage to meet each one. He pressed himself into his fiance’s body for extra friction and lost himself in bliss.
“Agh, Ritsuka…”
God, he loved hearing Mafuyu say his name like that. It drove him absolutely mad. He also knew it meant he was hitting the right spot, so he pushed himself to his limit in this position to make sure he kept his promise.
Mafuyu’s cry as he finished was unlike any he’d heard in the last ten years. It tore from his throat and rang in Ritsuka’s ears as he felt him spill onto his stomach. He poured every last ounce of effort he had into making sure Mafuyu rode out his high, and then was running full speed ahead over the cliff himself.
He soared through the bliss for what felt like far longer than he expected, and when he landed, he found his own throat slightly strained and Mafuyu a ruined mess on top of him as they both gasped for air.
Ue released his grip on Mafuyu’s hips and wrapped his arms around the love of his life. His. Forever.
They lay there for a minute before Mafuyu rolled off and tucked himself into the crook of Uenoyama’s shoulder.
Ue reached for some tissues to clean up the mess on his stomach and said, “You know…I liked the tie more than I thought I would.”
Mafuyu gave him a sly smile. “I know.”
Ue scoffed and rolled his eyes affectionately. He tossed the tissue on the nightstand and settled in to cuddle, brushing Mafuyu’s sweaty, tangled bangs out of his face, before they had to get up and get ready for actual bed.
~
A stray kick from Kedama woke Uenoyama the next morning. He was on the edge of the bed, with the dog splayed out between him and Mafuyu. Grumbling, he scooped the pomeranian into his arms and shifted so that they had swapped places. Kedama barely moved a muscle — a small, fluffy sack of potatoes.
Mafuyu seemed to sense his intentions and snaked an arm over his chest to snuggle up to him, still fast asleep. Ue sighed into the mop of red hair in front of him and gently ran his hand through it. Mafuyu was notoriously slow to wake up — best get started on the process now. But before he knew it, the warm weight of Mafuyu’s body had lulled him back to sleep, his hand resting on his partner’s head.
Almost an hour later, Mafuyu stirred. He craned his neck to sleepily stare at Uenoyama, whose hand fell with a soft thump onto the bed. The movement was enough to wake him.
He blinked his eyes open and met Mafuyu’s amber gaze. “Wow, you’re awake?” Ue mumbled. He rubbed his eyes and shifted to stretch his legs.
Mafuyu rumbled at the light-hearted jab. “We don’t have anywhere to be anyway,” he said. His voice was thick and raspy. It was Ue’s second — no, third — favorite version of Mafuyu’s voice. That moan right next to his ear last night was his second. Just the thought of it made his face flush a bit.
“We do, though. Hiiragi’s Christmas party is today.” Ue stroked Mafuyu’s back in a gentle signal that it was time to get up.
Mafuyu sighed and dragged himself to a sitting position. Uenoyama scooted around Kedama and let his feet fall to the floor. It was rare they had a slow morning like this.
It was the middle of breakfast before Mafuyu woke up enough to remember that he still needed to give Uenoyama his Christmas gift. He smiled to himself as he thought about the coincidence of it, then stood up from the table and went to grab it. Ue watched him curiously.
As he emerged from his room with a small present, he said, “With all of yesterday’s excitement, I forgot to give you your gift. Here!”
It was… a jewelry box? Ue looked up, confused.
“I know, funny, right?” Mafuyu sat back down and smiled at him. “Open it!”
The box was, thankfully, too big to be for rings — otherwise he might have melted into a puddle of embarrassment right there. What greeted him as he opened it were two relatively traditional couple’s bracelets, one black and one silver. Engraved on the bars were the kanji for the seasons in each other’s names: 夏 (summer) on the black and 冬 (winter) on the silver.
Ue picked up the silver one and admired it. “Oh, to replace our braided ones from the first tour? Those are pretty old now.”
“We’re old now too, Uenoyama-kun.”
Ue cocked an eyebrow at him. “Haha, very funny.” He handed the black one to Mafuyu. “Thank you. I guess we had similar ideas this year,” he said, and grinned.
Mafuyu accepted the bracelet, latched it around his wrist, and then carefully removed the braided blue one he’d been wearing for nearly 10 years; Ue followed suit with his red one. They stared at the frayed bracelets on the table, unsure of what to do next. Uenoyama took a sip of his coffee.
“So do you want to have a wedding?”
Coffee showered the table — and the old bracelets — as Ue sputtered and coughed at the sudden question. Mafuyu reached across and clapped him on the back in an effort to help.
“Um… if you want to,” Ue said as he regained his breath. “I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.”
Mafuyu snorted and smiled. “I’m happy with ‘in spirit,’ like Haruki-san and Kaji-san, if you are.”
Ue cleared his throat to get rid of the last of the liquid caught in the wrong places. “Yeah, I am, too.”
They spent the rest of their morning and most of their afternoon lazing about the apartment, enjoying a day off before heading upstairs to Hiiragi and Shizusumi’s place in the afternoon.
Mafuyu wore a black hoodie with a tan overcoat, while Uenoyama chose his standard black t-shirt and black bomber jacket. As they approached the door, Ue was once again sweating bullets. He really didn’t know much about what Hiiragi had planned for this event, like who all would be there beyond the six of them and maybe Yayoi, if she’d responded to Hiiragi’s invitation to plan. His folks were on holiday abroad, so he knew they weren’t there, at least. He had purposefully not asked to be involved, but now found himself anxious as the moment loomed.
They heard muffled music drifting from behind the door as Mafuyu knocked.
“It’s open!” Hiiragi called.
Mafuyu turned the handle and Ue watched, as if in slow motion, as the door swung open and the lights flicked on.
A crowd of people pulled party poppers and blew noisemakers in front of a huge banner hung in the living room that read “Congratulations!” Mafuyu looked at Ue, starry-eyed, who released the breath he’d been holding with a quiet chuckle and a guilty grin on his face.
They took the last few steps into the living room and Hiiragi ran up to throw his arms around them from behind.
“Congrats, love birds!” Hiiragi said, laughing right into their ears.
Uenoyama pushed him off with a dramatic eye roll, but Mafuyu laughed along with him.
“So you all knew already?” Mafuyu asked.
“Of course I knew. Ritsuka asked for my help to pick the rings!” The gloating aura was rolling off him in waves, crashing into Ue’s ego like a typhoon.
“How did you get my ring size anyway, Uenoyama-kun?” Mafuyu said as they approached the rest of the gathered guests.
“He didn’t! He dragged me all the way to Ginza before he had it!”
Ue smacked Hiiragi on the head with the side of his hand and reluctantly dove into the tale loudly enough for everyone to hear. No way was he letting Hiiragi tell the whole story. The crowd inched closer.
“So that’s what you were doing in my room!” Mafuyu said when Ue wrapped up.
“I thought I was gonna have a heart attack in that moment.”
Hiiragi chimed in again. “I can’t believe you bought that shitty lie of his!” He laughed and playfully smacked Mafuyu’s shoulder, who shrugged in return.
With the stories out of the way, they spent time mingling and enjoying the party. Haruki and Akihiko were there, of course, but members of their families were, too: Yayoi and Yatake, with Ue’s little niece in hand, as well as Mafuyu’s mother, Mashiro — and someone neither of them had expected.
Saeko Yoshida stepped forward, a tentative smile on her face. Mafuyu met her halfway and opened his arms for a hug.
She eagerly returned the embrace. “Congratulations, Mafuyu. Can I meet your partner?”
“Thank you, Saeko-san. It’s good to see you.” He pulled away and waved Ue over to them. “Uenoyama-kun, this is Yoshida Saeko, Yuki’s mom. Saeko-san, this is Uenoyama Ritsuka, my partner. He’s the one who taught me how to play guitar.”
Ue had not mentally prepared to meet this woman, but Mafuyu seemed happy to see her, so he did his best to be polite and friendly. “It’s very nice to meet you, Yoshida-san.” He bowed, but couldn’t help feeling a bit stiff.
“Please, call me Saeko. It’s lovely to meet you. Congratulations to you both,” she said. “We were just dropping by for the surprise. We won’t ruin all you young people’s fun by hanging around. Ready, Mashiro?”
Mashiro gave Mafuyu a quick kiss on the forehead and then addressed both him and Uenoyama. “Congratulations, you two. Come over for dinner sometime, okay?”
They both agreed, and then saw the women off before returning to the party.
Hiiragi, unsurprisingly, was a thorough and enthusiastic host, bouncing from group to group and adjusting music volume when needed. Shizu diligently ensured the food and drink options on the table never ran dry. It seemed everyone had given them some space for that moment, but they quickly converged on them for more good-natured heckling.
When there was a lull in their tour of conversations, Uenoyama pulled Mafuyu aside and handed him his phone, where he had a video pulled up. Mafuyu looked at the phone and back at him, puzzled.
“Just hit play, you goof,” he said as he bumped Mafuyu’s shoulder with his own.
Mafuyu did as he was told, and was shocked to see Ugetsu come into view. He looked like he hadn’t aged a day.
“Hey, Mafuyu. I heard congratulations are in order. Sorry I can’t be there, but it’s probably for the best, anyway.” He paused and took a drag from his cigarette. “You deserve this happy ending. Let’s do another song together soon. Cheers.” Smiling, he raised his cigarette as if it were a glass to toast, and the video ended.
Mafuyu smiled, and it was as if the room bloomed with flowers. “I’d love to do another song with Ugetsu-san.”
Ue’s heart did a backflip; that face was worth every moment of effort he’d spent making this special for them.
He smiled back at him. “Yeah, let’s make it happen.”