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It was a warm, late summer afternoon when Kyoutani became certain of a few things.
One: he needed to enroll his dog in an obedience school. Expeditiously.
Two: The Twilight Saga movies were probably the best pieces of shitty cinema of the twenty-first century.
Three: he was absolutely, undeniably, irrevocably, and unconditionally in love with Yahaba Shigeru.
The third thing, he had realized, came a little too late.
Kyoutani had barely taken a step through the threshold of his and Yahaba’s shared house before his long-term boyfriend was seen dashing past him towards the living room. Kyoutani paused, blinking as the breeze from Yahaba’s speed whirled around him, then snapped out of it to fully enter the house and set his gym bag down. He closed and locked the door then sauntered to the living room.
There Yahaba Shigeru was, sitting on the floor with their dog Junie, a pure white one year old Samoyed puppy who was spoiled to the core. So spoiled she didn’t want to learn any new tricks. So spoiled Yahaba and Kyoutani had to make her fresh dog food every night in order for her to even glance at the bowl.
So spoiled that she needed to be pinned down in something a pro-wrestler would consider an inverted arm lock just to clip her toenails, a move Yahaba was currently doing so she’d stay still.
Kyoutani was usually the one to do it, and by now Junie was more accustomed to nail clipping time, but she still put on the act of resisting. Yahaba never did it, but he was always guarding every exit of the living room so she’d never escape.
“What are you doing?” Kyoutani asked the obvious, crossing his arms while staring down at the two. Junie spotted him and simply wagged her tail, her eyes big and glossy. Swear, if there was some sort of Oscar-level trophy for dramatic dogs like his, she'd do a full sweep at the awards ceremony.
Yahaba looked up at his boyfriend, his white-silver hair was pushed back by a fuzzy green headband—”because Sendai Frogs, y’know?” “The Frogs don't have headband merch like that, Shig.” “Well they should!”—and his sharp collarbones were on full display due to the loose sweater hanging off of him. Thighs bare. Cute grey tube socks up to his shins. Very domestic of him, honestly. Kyoutani loved coming home to it.
“Ken, you didn't hear that shit last night?” he asked instead of directly answering.
“What shit?”
“The clicking shit. Jesus Christ, I thought there was a remedial typing class in the hallway last night.”
Kyoutani snorted. “Your attempts at jokes are shit.”
“You’re shit,” Yahaba retorted lazily with a scrunched nose, looking back down at Junie’s paws, “it drove me crazy. I couldn't sleep well. I’m glad it’s Saturday, though.”
“I was gonna do it yesterday,” Kyoutani finally sat down beside him, putting Junie’s head in his lap and kissing Yahaba’s temple as a proper greeting.
“You were tired, it’s cool. How was practice?”
“Fine. Kogane says hi.”
Yahaba hummed, moving to the second hind paw carefully. “The season’s just starting, right? Got the schedule?”
“Yeah,” he said, patting Junie’s head and looking at the TV, “the first away game is in Iwate. So, not too far.”
“I’ve missed going to games. Watching practice isn't the same.”
“I missed it, too, honestly—hey, what the fuck are you watching?”
“Oh, this? New Moon,” he smiled, grabbing the remote and turning the volume up a little, “I was having a marathon and Junie’s clicking was so loud I couldn't hear Lykke Li sing while Bella was on her carousel of depression.”
“What?”
Yahaba sighed. “Bella was depressed because Edward left her—”
“No, what is New Moon?” Kyoutani’s confusion only grew as a muscular teenager jumped in the air and turned into a full blown wolf, “why do you watch the dumbest shit?”
“Wow. Okay, first of all, the Twilight movies and books are absolute masterpieces—well…” he paused, thinking carefully, “Minus the racism in casting and the full erasure and disrespect of Native American culture. Second, I don’t watch weird shit, you just hate entertainment. Third—okay, fuck you, this shit defined me in my younger years.”
“Explains so much,” he muttered, ignoring the punch to his shoulder and continued watching the movie, “Don’t tell me these are fucking werewolves, Shig.”
“I won't tell you then.”
“Goddamn it.”
Junie suddenly let out a small yelp when Yahaba almost clipped a little too close to her nail bed. Kyoutani ran his thumb over her brow bone while Yahaba tried his best to soothe her.
“Sorry, Junie, baby,” he cooed, “I’m almost done, I promise, okay?” Kyoutani just watched wordlessly as Yahaba once again babied their dog and worried over her nail.
Junie had come into their lives quite abruptly, and Yahaba had a lot more sympathy for rescues, which was the main reason why she was so spoiled now. Yahaba was the one who bought separate kitchenware for the dog food and he was the one who prepared it every night. Junie stayed with him more whenever Kyoutani was on the road, and Junie liked it whenever the sports instructor painted her nails and brushed her teeth.
But Kyoutani wasn't so innocent either, he was a dog person through and through, and he often gave Junie treats just because and brushed her coat just about every night, even when he was tired. If he saw a toy in the store she’d like, he bought it. Junie whined whenever he left and jumped for joy when he came back. Kyoutani gave the best baths and he went on walks and runs whenever she wanted to. Even when he was tired, he catered to his dog.
“You okay now?” Yahaba’s soft voice broke him of his thoughts, but he was still staring at the two, Junie trying to lick his forehead and Yahaba flinching away but still hugging her. “Ew, girl. I have one paw left, okay? Then you can lick Ken’s forehead, how does that sound? Oh, yes I know! His forehead tastes good, right?” he giggled when Junie let out small yips and he ruffled her coat again before looking at Kyoutani. “You okay, Ken?”
The fluttering of Kyoutani’s heart almost rendered him speechless. “Just fine. I’m ’a go shower.”
“Okay,” Yahaba went back to clipping the puppy’s toenails, lowly reciting whatever the characters on the TV were saying verbatim.
Kyoutani quickly went upstairs, feeling his heart race and his chest move up and down at the sudden influx of emotions. He felt sick, but a good sick, but still sick nonetheless. He was always sick when he experienced such crippling emotions, but it was never this bad.
Yahaba always cuddled Junie and spoke to her like that, he was always watching some shit show or movie, he was always wearing cute shit and asking about Kyoutani’s day and shit. It had been like that for years. They’d been dating seriously for years. The only thing he could think that changed was—
Kyoutani gulped as the steaming hot shower water ran down his face and chest. He remembered when Yahaba first said he loved him—three years ago, on their second year anniversary date. He said it so casually, and apparently Kyoutani was so rough around the edges and closed off and stupid at that time that Yahaba didn’t even expect a reply back. That fucking sucked, but the blond felt better about not being pressured in that moment.
Kyoutani would like to think this whole time he loved Yahaba—and he did—but he never felt compelled to say it. Ever. He always showed it instead.
Call him crazy, but today he had been so enamored with his adorable partner of five years that he now considered saying it. Maybe it was all those things previously listed, or maybe it was the fact that he was so willing to clip toenails. Maybe it was both of those things, but seeing Yahaba so happy and at peace in the middle of their rented house while looking comfortable as ever was throwing Kyoutani through a loop.
He only realized when he had finally left the shower that maybe Yahaba was so happy and in love because of him.
Crazy concept, right? Kyoutani couldn’t believe it either.
It was almost midnight when Kyoutani had enough of thinking and pretending to be asleep where he finally confessed.
It started with tossing and turning in bed while Yahaba was beside him trying to play a cooking game on his iPad, then Kyoutani finally stilled and looked up at the ceiling, and as expected, the long, loud, and attention-seeking sighing began, making Yahaba’s eye twitch in annoyance before he tossed the device in a chair in the corner.
“If you have something to say, Kentarou, please, for the love of God, just fucking say it—”
“I love you.”
Yahaba stopped his glaring, eyes instantly softening and lips trapping shut right before they opened again. “What?”
“You heard me, dammit. I love you. Now go the fuck to sleep.” Kyoutani huffed and turned his back to his partner.
“You piece of shit, turn back over.”
“No.”
“Why’d you say that?”
“I can't love you?” Kyoutani felt his chest tighten while Yahaba grabbed his arm and made him turn back around, “it’s just words.”
“Ken,” Yahaba’s voice was a lot softer now, and he was smiling, “they're not just words. Especially not to you. What made you say it now? Nothing special is happening.”
“Nothing,” Kyoutani admitted truthfully, biting his lip, “I just love you. Something today made me realize how happy I am. I’m happy because of you, and you me, right? I hope so.”
“Of course I am,” Yahaba let himself be cuddled by strong, tanned arms, “that’s why I said it. Still said it later than I wanted.”
“Well, then that's why I said it. I’m later than you. I’ve felt it, but I wanted to say it now.”
Yahaba smiled, putting a hand to Kyoutani’s cheek and kissing his nose. “I know. God, I love you.”
“I know. This bit is already getting old.”
“Shut up!” Kyoutani chuckled, puckering his lips and closing his eyes. Yahaba kissed him gently, peppering smaller and softer kisses along the corners of his mouth and jaw. “One day, everyone will know how much of a baby you really are. More than me, even.”
“They’ll never believe you,” Kyoutani muttered playfully against his lips, his face heating up.
Yahaba giggled, reaching over to turn the lamp off and sinking deeper into his partner’s hold. Kyoutani kissed his forehead and pulled the covers over them both. Yahaba let out a small, happy sigh, muttering something about no longer hearing Junie’s toenails scraping the floor before he quickly dozed off minutes later.
Kyoutani kept the smiling to a minimum, but his feelings were still in maximum overdrive. He’d never felt so calm and at peace, yet so overwhelmed…ever in his life. But it was all good. Everything was fine.
Honestly, he was too in love to care.