in another universe

by LyricalPary

Summary:

In another universe, Satoru and Suguru grow old together.

Notes:

my fic for gego day!
ignore the archive warning, i SWEAR this is happy

---

 

Bangs.

A boy with bangs stands directly in front of Satoru, the bits of dark hair in front of his face noticeably longer than the hair around the rest of his head. He stands maybe two centimeters taller, partially due to the sandals beneath his small feet, and his yukata seems to be just a little big on him. He stares back at Satoru with eyes the color of amethyst and a smile that displays crooked teeth, one missing from the top row and two missing from the bottom. The lights from the summer festival illuminate the dark space around them and for some reason, this particular point in time becomes engraved in Satoru’s childhood memory.

“Wanna play?”

Upon hearing the question, Satoru’s eyes widened. The child with the weird bangs and missing teeth wants to play with him, even though just moments before this fateful encounter, Satoru had been internally freaking out about wandering off and getting himself lost. But none of that seems to matter right now. There’s a boy who wants to play with him, a boy whose name remains unknown, but Satoru finds himself nodding regardless.

And just like that, he makes a friend.

The toothy grin on the boy’s face widens. Suddenly, he’s taking Satoru by the hand and pulling him towards the festival games, his small palm as warm as the innocent feeling that blossoms in Satoru’s young heart.

 

~*~

 

A gentle breeze drifts in through the classroom window.

Satoru lets out another sigh from where he sits, backwards in his seat and slouched over on the desk behind his own. He watches with a bored expression as Suguru continues scribbling words down into his apology letter for the trouble that they’d caused earlier in the day. Satoru finished writing his own letter ages ago, so he doesn’t understand why it’s taking so long for Suguru to do the same. Once he submits it to the teacher, who isn’t even in the room anymore because he probably doesn’t actually care that much, then they’ll finally be able to go home.

It would be nice to go home now, though. Satoru would prefer not to miss this week’s episode of one of his most favorite anime, at the moment.

“Are you almost done?” he asks, unable to contain his impatience any longer.

Suguru rolls his eyes but replies, “Yeah, almost.”

“Okay. Hurry up. You’re so slow…”

“Shut up, it’s your fault in the first place, remember?”

“Eh, that’s your opinion.”

Suguru looks up from the paper to glare daggers at him. Satoru reacts with a childish grin. The act of getting in trouble isn’t fun, but getting in trouble with Suguru always is. Satoru is absolutely positive that his feelings on the matter will never change, even if the two of them continue to change with time. For instance, Suguru’s bangs are even longer now and the hair at the back of his head is finally catching up, but he still goes along with Satoru’s silly ideas and then blames him when those ideas occasionally result in certain consequences. Maybe someday he’ll start to think for himself, but until then, Satoru will happily lead him down the path of mischief.

Another thirty seconds go by before Satoru risks yet another interruption.

“Hey, did you know that the lines in your hands can predict how your life will go?”

As anticipated, Suguru lifts his head again, his right hand immediately coming to a pause. He squints at Satoru in confusion.

“Huh?”

“Your palm,” Satoru begins to explain, pointing at the hand still gripping the mechanical pencil. “The lines on your palm can predict your future. Didn’t you know that?”

“No?” Suguru tilts his head to one side, his frown deepening. “That’s dumb. Who the hell told you that?”

“My granny did.”

“Your grandma’s dead, though.”

“Not that one. The one that’s still alive, stupid.”

“You’re the stupid one–”

“Just give me your hand,” Satoru interrupts. He doesn’t wait at all, though, as his own hands reach out to grab his friend’s. Suguru drops the pencil onto the desk while Satoru uses both hands to spread his palm open. His big, blue eyes stare down at the thin lines that face him. “Wow, you have so many…”

“Okay?” Suguru stares down at his palm as well, his eyes constantly flickering between Satoru’s face and the center of his outstretched hand. It becomes so silent in the room and they’re sitting so close that Satoru hears it when Suguru gulps, nervous. “So…? What do you see? Not that it’s real.”

“Hmm…” Satoru hums, pretending to concentrate as he traces the thin lines with the tip of his index finger. He almost breaks character and has to suppress a giggle when he notices Suguru’s shiver. Instead, he clears his throat and begins mouthing off blatant lies as if it comes naturally. “You’re going to have a really successful career, but it’ll keep you busy all the time. You’ll still be happy, though. I also see you living in a really nice place, and… oh! Oh, no…”

“What?” Suguru asks, his tone suddenly anxious and his eyes as wide as saucers. “What is it?”

Satoru meets his gaze and says, quite seriously, “If you’re not careful… you could go bald.”

A shoe harshly connects with his own beneath the desk, and this time Satoru doesn’t contain the laughter that so desperately wants to escape. He can tell that Suguru wants to laugh, too, but he’s stubborn and fights against the urge. Oh, well. His loss.

“You’re so full of shit,” he mumbles instead. As he lifts the pencil to begin writing once more, Satoru swears he can see a hint of a smile on Suguru’s face. “Can I finish this now? You were rushing me before and now you’re wasting my time.”

Eager to have his friend’s attention once more, Satoru ignores that logic and reaches for his hand again.

“I wasn’t done yet! I didn’t even get to tell you about your love life. Don’t you want all the juicy details? C’mon, I know you’re curious.”

Despite his supposed irritation, Suguru does nothing to fight against the hands that grab his own and force his palm open for the second time. He only lets out a deep sigh and watches Satoru’s fingers, his current expression revealing just how unimpressed he is right now. That’s fair, not many thirteen-year-old boys care to learn about their future love life.

After much deliberation, he starts to grow impatient again.

“Well? What do you see in my so-called love life?”

“Relax, I’m working on it,” Satoru claims. Then, he points to a random line and answers confidently, “There it is. See that? It means that you’ll have one person in your life who will stick around for good.”

Suguru arches a brow. “That’s it? Just one?”

“Shhh! I’m still not done yet.” Having run out of ideas now, Satoru blurts out the first thought that comes to mind. “It’s hard to see everything at this angle. Try holding your hand up like this.”

Satoru holds his own hand up as an example, his fingers outstretched and his palm facing away from him. When Suguru doesn’t obey him immediately, Satoru bumps his foot beneath the desk, urging him to follow orders.

“Fine, fine.” Sighing, Suguru finally does as he’s told, his palm coming up to mirror Satoru’s. “Like this? I don’t see how that’s any different…”

His sentence trails off as Satoru presses their palms together, warm skin meeting warm skin, and like the icing on the cake, Satoru curls his fingers and clings to his friend’s hand while grinning from ear to ear.

A second after realizing he's been pranked, it seems that Suguru's entire face goes red. His hilarious reaction brings wicked laughter from Satoru, who continues clinging to him even as Suguru attempts to tug his hand away. It's far too late, though. He's fallen for Satoru's epic trap and there's nothing that he can do about it.

“You’re so weird,” Suguru mumbles, finally giving in when he squeezes Satoru's hand right back.

Satoru simply sticks out his tongue.

 

~*~

 

It's hot.

Despite sitting in the shade, it feels like the summertime sun is shining down directly on top of Satoru's body. He's overheating by the second, caused by the pair of soft lips pressed firmly against his own.

Suguru is kissing him.

They're kissing each other, actually, but Satoru isn't quite sure what he's supposed to do. Even though he feels so hot from head to toe, beads of sweat forming along his forehead, his body still freezes up. He can only sit there and bask in the feeling of kissing and being kissed by his best friend, Geto Suguru.

Suguru, whose eyelashes appear so much longer from up so close.

Suguru, whose skin is warm and golden from the heat of the sun beating down on his bare shoulders all day, his yellow tank top hardly shielding him from anything.

Suguru, whose touch lights countless fires in the pits of Satoru's stomach and for the first time in his life, he finally understands why.

Suguru, who has stolen Satoru’s very first kiss and all the unconditional love within his heart.

In front of him, Suguru's eyelids lift up just the slightest bit, and then he's suddenly breaking the kiss and staring back at Satoru with what appears to be embarrassment on his flushed face.

“‘Toru… you're supposed to close your eyes while kissing,” Suguru mumbles. He sucks his bottom lip in between his teeth, eyes avoiding Satoru’s at all costs. “Didn't you know that?”

“Oh.” Satoru continues staring at him, unmoving. The persistent buzzing of the cicadas and the wind chimes from the nearby ice cream shop keep them from dealing with an awkward silence. Eventually, Satoru admits, “I wanna look at you, though… while we do that.”

Suguru finally looks at him again, the red blush on his cheeks somehow darkening even further.

“Why?” he asks, but it seems that he quickly changes his mind, preferring to remain ignorant. He shakes his head and says, “Never mind, doesn't matter. Just close your eyes and keep them closed, okay?”

Now, Satoru is the one who asks: “But why? If I wanna look, I should be allowed to. It's my mouth, y'know.”

“So? I never said that it wasn't, but staring at me the whole time is… weird. That's not the proper way to kiss.”

“I'm the first person that you've kissed, though.”

“Yeah, but–”

“We should just make up our own rules, then.”

A heavy sigh follows those words and, really, this isn't the time to argue about proper kissing etiquette or whatever else. They should just be kissing. Satoru would like for them to kiss some more, so just this once, he'll put aside their differences and allow Suguru to take the reins.

“Fine, I'll close my eyes,” Satoru announces. Because he can never help himself, he adds teasingly, “Since it bothers you so much.”

True to his word, Satoru does exactly that. His eyelids flutter shut and he twists his body on the wooden bench that they're sitting on, facing Suguru a bit more to make it easier. His hands nervously clench his shorts as he waits, but then a pair of warm hands rest atop his own, covering them. Satoru opens his eyes again.

“Hey, don't peek,” Suguru gently scolds him, and his nervous smile is the last thing that Satoru sees as he squeezes his eyes shut once more.

All of a sudden, Suguru is kissing him again and Satoru absolutely melts into it, his lips moving awkwardly as he tries to imitate Suguru's movements. It's both imperfect and perfect at the same time. Satoru can't believe that they waited until high school to do something like this, because now that he's experiencing it, he knows for certain that he'll become addicted to this feeling.

It's basically inevitable.

But so is everything else when it comes to the two of them, and the more that Satoru learns this, the happier he becomes.

 

~*~

 

His heart is pounding in his chest, too loud and chaotic in the small space between their joined bodies.

There isn't much space at all, actually. Satoru's long, gangly limbs are folded up like a pretzel and Suguru’s entire body is pressed flush against him now, but there still isn't enough room for two fully grown boys to be doing this in the backseat of a sedan. Suguru has already bumped his head against the window twice and Satoru is positive that they'll have a ton of aches and cramps after this, but they don't stop. Not even for a moment.

They never planned to.

Satoru also never planned to lose his virginity in the backseat of a rental car parked in an empty lot in the middle of nowhere, but details are just details.

“Fuck,” he curses, feeling like he's losing more and more of his sanity with each and every thrust. Now that most of the pain has subsided, Satoru can't contain his lust. He claws at Suguru's naked back, groaning, “Shit– ah, S’guru, mmh…”

The rhythmic thrusting suddenly comes to a pause, at which point Satoru opens his eyes to gaze up into a pair of dark amethysts. Suguru's bangs are sticking to his sweaty forehead, the rest of his long hair falls down around his face, and his face is incredibly flushed, cheeks a rosy pink and so beautiful. Way too beautiful for words. Watching him like this, Satoru finds it impossible to breathe.

Being this deeply in love feels dangerous.

“You okay?” Suguru asks, his voice so calming and sweet like honey. He lowers his head to gently kiss Satoru’s wet, swollen lips. “It's not… too much for you?”

As sweet as it is to be taken care of like this, Satoru is also beginning to lose his patience. He's tired of Suguru holding himself back, going too slow and stopping altogether. If they're going to do this, then Satoru wants to be fucked so hard that his soul enters another dimension.

Is that too much to ask for?

Satoru doesn't think so.

“I'm fine, just– for the love of God– don't stop.” Satoru begins squirming underneath him, so unbelievably horny and impatient, and his legs tighten their grip around Suguru's waist. He begs, “More, n-need more…”

It's such a relief when Suguru finally starts to move again, but not without shamelessly laughing at Satoru's desperation first. Because he's a tease and a jerk and Satoru hates his guts, but also loves him more than anything and anyone else on this dreadful planet.

And he always will. He really will, he swears it.

“If I'd known… that this is all it takes… to shut you up–” Suguru is interrupted by his own groan as he drives his cock in deeper, his bony hips digging into the soft skin along Satoru's ass, “–maybe I would've fucked you sooner.”

Despite the teasing remark, Satoru can't help the breathy laugh that escapes his throat.

This cross-country road trip has truly put their relationship to the test, given all the pointless bickering that they've done today. It's also their first real trip as a couple, now that they've just graduated high school and are preparing to enter adulthood. Still, it's not Satoru's fault that he can't stand being trapped in the car for long periods of time. He's only human. They've made countless stops along the way, every time that he needs to use the restroom, or get a refill on snacks and drinks, or even just to stretch his long legs. It's all just part of the experience.

And, yes, maybe they did get completely lost a time or two because Satoru insisted that he was more than just a passenger princess, but whatever. That's just another minor detail to be overlooked.

Now, all that matters is this precious moment in time. The heat between their naked bodies, the feeling of Suguru's thick cock buried deep inside him, the burning stretch of his hole, the sticky feeling of the leather seats against his back—all of it is precious. Satoru would give anything to relive this moment again and again and again…

Right before he finally comes, a warm hand firmly grasps one of his own. Their fingers naturally intertwine, just like the threads of their souls, tying themselves together for over a decade now. There is only Satoru and Suguru, always together, never separated.

Satoru’s orgasm feels much more like an outer body experience, but he still feels every second of it when Suguru comes inside of him. It's an indescribable sensation, one that transcends the physical realm around them, too many emotions and spiritual analogies flowing through his fucked-out mind.

The full moon shines down on them through the backseat window, a witness to their union. Suguru's hot mouth is still lazily dragging across the sweaty skin of Satoru's neck, leaving behind soft kisses that tickle him slightly. As he gazes up at the moon and thinks of what tomorrow will bring them, Satoru’s lips curl into a satisfied smile.

“We're doing this in a hotel next time,” Satoru announces suddenly, ending the peaceful silence. “Car sex is not like it is in the movies. At all. I want a king-size bed and thousands of pillows, understand? Say yes, or I'll hit you.”

Despite the serious threat at the end, Suguru still has the nerve to laugh at him. It's probably because Satoru is the one who started all of this, just because he got bored and couldn't keep his hands to himself, nor did he have the patience to wait until they could find another hotel for the night. What makes it even more ironic is that they still need to find one, anyway. There's no way that they're sleeping in the tiny rental car for the night, especially not in this creepy lot.

“I agree,” Suguru responds at last. His other hand—the one that isn't still clinging to Satoru's hand—reaches over and pinches Satoru's cheek. “Y’know, since I'm the one who suggested that in the first place, but your horny ass just couldn't wait.”

Since he's decided to be a smartass now, Satoru tries to avenge himself when he bites at the hand still tugging his cheek, only missing his target by a fraction of a second. He definitely won't miss next time, though.

Suguru teases him even further when he says, “Hey, don't bite the hand that fingers you.”

Satoru responds to the horrific joke with a whiny groan and then he bites Suguru, anyway.

“Pull out. Pull out of me right now, we're breaking up for real this time.”

Though Satoru tries to escape from the bastard still lying on top of him, he doesn't succeed. Just to be annoying, Suguru smothers him in kisses and tickles his sides until Satoru threatens to piss himself, at which point it's no longer funny, because this isn't even their car and they probably shouldn't have fucked in it either.

Whatever, what's done is done.

Even though Satoru’s bottom aches a lot more than his back does the next day, it's still the best vacation that he's ever been on.

 

~*~

 

The sky blue apron fits him perfectly.

World's Greatest Dad.

Satoru giggles to himself every time that he reads the text, because he purchased this apron ironically and it's exactly his type of humor. No, he's not a dad, but no one can stop him from wearing an apron that says he is. Plus, the color of the fabric brings out the blue in his eyes, and wearing the apron makes him feel extra sexy whenever he's playing the role of “househusband”.

Never mind the fact that he isn't married, either.

But he might as well be, because he and Suguru have officially moved in together, and now Satoru is dutifully preparing dinner for the guy without even being asked. That's definitely husband behavior, no doubt about it.

As a matter of fact, Satoru is the best husband. Suguru is so lucky to have him.

Tonight, they'll celebrate their first home-cooked meal in their new place. After several days of nothing but takeout food and snacks from the nearby convenience store, they definitely deserve this. Moving one's entire life into a new location is hard work and really zaps the energy out of a person, but Satoru is feeling fully recovered now. He's decided that it's time to put his domestic skills to work.

The pork cutlets come out perfectly, of course. As does the rice. Satoru is nearly finished plating his creation when the sound of the front door meets his ears, causing him to immediately abandon everything so that he can run and greet his lover in the doorway.

“I'm home–” is what Suguru begins to say, right before receiving an armful of 190 cm man. He always catches him, though.

Always.

“Welcome home!” Satoru cheers, his puckered lips planting kiss after kiss onto Suguru's face. “Did you have a good day? Are you hungry? It smells good in here, right? I bet your mouth is watering already.”

Of course, Suguru is completely unfazed by the barage of questions greeting him before he can even get his shoes off. In any case, he inhales deeply through his nostrils and responds with a pleased hum as he exhales.

“It does smell good,” he agrees. Then, he narrows his eyes and asks, “What did you do?”

The suspicion in Suguru's tone sounds more skeptical than anything, almost like he's mentally preparing himself to walk into a disaster. Satoru tries not to be offended. Instead, he urges Suguru to remove his coat and shoes, then takes him by the hand and leads him into the kitchen.

Yes, the kitchen is currently somewhat of a disaster, but Satoru can deal with that later. For now, he pushes Suguru into a chair and places a large bowl in front of him. Katsudon topped with green onions is Satoru’s new specialty. It's only the second time in his life that he's ever cooked this particular dish, but he might as well be an expert on it now. For an extra kick, he reaches into the refrigerator and grabs a can of beer to go with it while Suguru takes his first bite.

“Well? How do you like it? Good, right?” Satoru asks, impatiently demanding feedback before the food can even be swallowed.

As expected, Suguru nods his head in agreement, his eyes wide as he shoves another spoonful into his mouth.

“Wow, it's actually edible.”

The can of beer meets the surface of the table a lot harsher than it should, but luckily it doesn't burst open. Satoru glares at the jerk sitting at his table, his previous excitement transforming into the ultimate pout.

“What the fuck? What do you mean it's edible? Of course it is! I know how to cook,” Satoru rambles, annoyed by the thoughtless comment.

“Yeah, I know you do. I didn't mean it like that,” Suguru insists. He even tries to save himself with one of those charming smiles that Satoru used to fall for all the time, but it's not going to work today. “I'm just surprised by how good it tastes, since it's not like you cook often.”

Satoru huffs and folds his arms over his chest. “Yeah, okay. I'm sure that's what you meant.”

He turns the other way with a dramatic spin and prepares to walk off, but he isn't able to take even a single step. Without warning, two arms encircle his waist and tug him backwards until Satoru falls into Suguru's lap. Once there, he knows that he can't possibly escape, so he doesn’t make any attempts to do so.

“Hey, I'm sorry,” Suguru coos. He tugs at Satoru's arms so that they're no longer crossed over his chest, then Suguru takes one of Satoru's hands and brings it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “Thank you for the meal. It really is delicious.”

Damn him.

The downside of dating someone that you've known since you were four years old is that they know everything about you. Everything, even the little secrets and arbitrary details that make up your everyday life. Satoru can't keep anything to himself because all of it belongs to Suguru, too. Suguru knows what makes him tick, how to get under his skin, and how to placate him just as easily.

It's something that they share, though, because Satoru knows all of those things about Suguru, too.

So, Satoru is completely defenseless right now. He's unable to resist. He allows Suguru to kiss on him, hold his hand, and praise him for all his hard work in the kitchen—because all of this is what Satoru deserves for being the best husband.

After a short while of this, Satoru tries not to be so easy.

“Mmm… the food is getting cold,” he mumbles, but still tilts his neck to the side to accommodate Suguru's mouth on his skin. “Weren't you hungry?”

“I am,” Suguru answers. He drags the tip of his tongue up the column of Satoru's neck before briefly sucking on the junction between neck and jawline. “But I want dessert first.”

Satoru giggles at the cheesy pickup line, but he supposes that he doesn't mind the attention. No, that's a bold-faced lie. He always craves the attention and Suguru obviously knows this, so it's fine.

They'll just have to reheat the food when they're ready.

 

~*~

 

It's cold.

Each breath that Satoru exhales turns into white smoke above him. Snowflakes have started falling again and he tries to catch them on his outstretched tongue, but many of them melt onto his cheeks and forehead instead.

It would be nice to stay like this forever, if only the ground beneath his back wouldn't melt away with the transition of seasons. Satoru stares into the dark sky and wishes for another day of snow to follow this one. It's not often that he gets to enjoy an entire afternoon of snowball fights and snowman building with his boyfriend. Next time, they'll have to come outside sooner so that they can play around all day as if they were kids again.

“Satoru,” that familiar voice calls out to him, interrupting his daydream. Satoru blinks away the snowflakes that have melted on his lashes and stares at the face above him. “Let's get back inside, okay? It's gotten dark and we shouldn't risk you getting sick again.”

Suguru extends his right arm in offering, and the warm smile on his reddened face is enough to fill Satoru with all sorts of nostalgia. Sighing, he takes that hand into his own. Then, in a sudden twist of events, Satoru yanks Suguru forward and pulls him down into the snow.

It's probably the oldest trick in the book. He should've seen it coming. So, honestly, it's his lack of precaution that leads to his downfall. Satoru is completely innocent. He's still cracking up as Suguru gets revenge by grabbing a handful of snow and shoving it in Satoru's face, intensifying the cold. Satoru returns the favor hardly a second later. They go back and forth like this until they come to a truce, both of them still tired from the lengthy snowball fight that had taken up the majority of their afternoon.

“I hope that the snow stays piled up like this for a few more days,” Satoru mutters. He's still laying on his back in the snow, but now Suguru lies right beside him. “I wanna have another snowball fight with you tomorrow.”

Suguru snorts. “We have work tomorrow.”

“After work, then. We'll eat dinner and then come outside to mess around again. Deal?”

“Fine, it's a deal,” Suguru agrees. He sighs and watches as the puff of air disappears above them, then adds, “I'm sure you'll get your wish. It snowed quite a bit and it's starting up again, so we'll have plenty of chances to play.”

Satoru sure hopes so. As much as he loves summer and all of its activities, there's just something so magical about the snow. He only enjoys the cold weather when it's snowing, because then it feels like it's worth it. His cheeks are freezing, his nose as red as Rudolph the reindeer's, but all of it brings a type of childish joy that he hasn't felt in years.

Also, snow tastes really good, no matter what Suguru says about not eating it.

Struck with a sudden epiphany, Satoru announces, “When I die, you have to bury my ashes somewhere in the snow on Mount Fuji.”

“Excuse me?” Suguru reacts with a surprised laugh. “Where the hell did that come from?”

“Listen! I'm being serious, okay, like…” Satoru takes a moment to roll over onto his side, facing Suguru. Only one side of his boyfriend's face is visible, illuminated by the warm light shining down on them from their back porch. “Isn't it best to talk about these things early on? So that we won't end up forgetting about them? If I wait ‘til we're eighty-five to tell you what I want, you might not even be sane anymore.”

“Wow. You have so little faith in the stability of my mind, huh?” Suguru teases. Satoru almost confirms that accusation with a nod, but then Suguru releases another sigh and adds, “Mount Fuji is so far away, though… you really wanna be stuck on a volcano forever? Plus, it’d take so much time and effort for me to get up there.”

“If you really love me, you'll do it,” Satoru counters, not caring at all if he's cheating by saying such a statement. “Actually, wait a second now… why do you assume that I'd die first?”

Suguru stares at him for a full three seconds.

“You’re the one who told me to bring you to Mount Fuji! What, did you expect my ghost to do it?”

Satoru ignores all of that to say, “Well, I definitely won't be the first to go. I'm way too healthy for that shit and I'll probably live to be, like, a hundred and twenty. You, on the other hand… yikes.”

“Shut up.” Suguru chucks a handful of snow at Satoru's face, missing when Satoru easily leans to the side and dodges it.

“Anyway, where do you want to be buried?” Satoru asks afterwards. He tugs on the strings of Suguru's hoodie, eagerly awaiting an answer. “Or, more specifically, what would you want me to do for you when you're gone?”

Surprisingly, Suguru actually gives the question some thought. Despite how many seconds that pass, he still ends up responding with a shrug, though.

“I don't know, I guess I don't have any particular wishes… and I'll be dead, so it's not like it'll matter.”

Not satisfied at all by that answer, Satoru shakes him by the shoulders and demands, “Nope! You have to choose something, or else I won't have any goals once you're gone! You want me to be bored forever? Is that it?”

Suguru reacts with endless groaning, annoyed as he tries to push Satoru's insistent hands away. When that doesn't work, he finally gives in with yet another sigh.

“Fine. If I die first, then… you have to visit my grave often,” Suguru finally settles on. He gives a firm, confident nod to his choice. “Just keep it clean and make sure that no one vandalizes it, I guess. That good enough for you?”

“Hmm…” Satoru spends a brief moment considering the vague mission that he's been left with, and eventually nods his head in acceptance. “Kind of boring and not that unique, but… yeah, I'll do it. Only because you want me to.”

Suguru claps his hands together once. “Great! Now, let's get back inside the house, please. I'm freezing my balls off down here.”

Suguru without balls would be a sad day indeed. Satoru easily agrees, having had enough of the cold weather for one day. This time when Suguru stands above him and offers a hand, Satoru allows himself to be pulled up from the ground.

At last, they return to the warmth of their home with satisfied smiles and their cold hands still tightly clasped together.

 

~*~

 

Satoru has a headache.

What's most certainly not helping his headache is the screaming child on the other side of the plaza, his persistent whines echoed by the enclosed space. It takes several minutes for his mother to get him back into his stroller, and once they're gone, it feels like a dark spell has been lifted.

“God. I do not envy people with kids,” Satoru grumbles, shaking his head. He takes a sizeable bite of his turkey sandwich and rambles while chewing. “Can you imagine dealing with a brat all day? Just dealing with my students every week is more than enough, and I'm still tired when I get home.”

On the other side of the table, Suguru adds a single cube of sugar to his hot coffee and stirs it with a tiny spoon, his lips curled into a grin for some odd reason.

“Weren't you the one begging me for kids last year?” Suguru asks, a playful lilt to his tone as he stares back at Satoru from over the rim of his coffee mug. “I seem to recall lots of talk about that.”

Satoru wipes away the mayonnaise from his cheek with the back of his hand, his head already shaking in denial.

“Lies! I didn’t. I only mentioned maybe wanting kids, like, two or three years ago. Your memory is shit.”

“So, it was still recently, then.”

Again, Satoru shakes his head and takes another huge bite of his sandwich. “Nah, because I've changed since then. I grew up. Being in my late thirties has matured me way more than anything else ever did.”

“Sure.”

“What do you mean ‘sure’?”

“It means whatever you want it to mean.”

Satoru narrows his eyes at the man sitting across from him, but Suguru pays him no mind. He continues slowly sipping from his gross caffeine water, completely relaxed with his body leaning back against the chair. Really, he's just sitting there, but the pangs of arousal begin to stir in Satoru's gut and he wonders how that's possible. After all these years, simply looking at Suguru still makes Satoru want to jump on him and suck him dry.

No, no, he can't think about that right now. They're supposed to be having a serious discussion about why Satoru is right and Suguru is wrong, as per usual.

Satoru takes a sip from his strawberry soda before continuing. “I mean, I do occasionally get those annoying paternal instincts, but there are ways to deal with that– ways that don't involve impulsively adopting babies, y'know?”

“Let me guess.” Suguru sets the mug down onto the table, a knowing look in his eyes when he glances up again. He really does know Satoru far too well. “You’re about to bring that up again.”

“Yes,” Satoru confirms without hesitation. He puts on his biggest grin and announces, “I want a cat.”

It really is as simple as that. Satoru has been talking about wanting a pet for ages now and he doesn't understand why Suguru always changes the subject, or claims that he'll “definitely look into it”, only to never bring it up again. There's no reason to be hesitant when Satoru has already done the math, the science, and everything else in between.

It all leads back to them being amazing pet parents.

There's not a single doubt in Satoru's massively impressive mind that they wouldn't be.

“I don't get it. You can't stand the thought of having a kid, but you want a cat?” Suguru asks, sounding genuinely perplexed by the idea. “Isn't that just a kid with fur and four legs instead of two?”

Satoru immediately shakes his head. “Nonsense! First of all, cats are a lot more independent, even as early as a few months old. Second of all, you don't have to wake up at six in the morning to help a cat get ready for school.”

“True, but you wake up at that time anyway– to go teach at a school.”

“That… is correct, but also! It's just easier with a cat. You just gotta feed it and clean its litter box, make sure it doesn't get sick, and bam. Done.”

“Done with what?”

Satoru shrugs. “I don't know, it's not important. My point is this: wouldn't you want to have a baby that's not actually a baby? And it would be our baby.”

An intense moment of silence falls over their table. Satoru stares down his boyfriend and partner in crime, willing him to believe in the power of their love. As much as he adores their tiny two-person family, there's still plenty of room for one more.

Or two.

Or three.

Who's counting? Not Satoru.

“Okay, I get it,” Suguru begins, “but if you end up adopting a cat that is clingy and dependent, are you still going to take care of it?”

“Of course!” Satoru insists. “Every cat has a personality and it's still way easier than caring for a human.”

“And when the cat wakes you up at five in the morning because it's hungry?”

This time, Satoru’s answer is slightly delayed.

“Well, I can just teach it to not do that…”

“Maybe, but when the cat gets sick and pukes all over the vintage Digimon rug in your gaming room?”

Satoru gasps in horror. “That won't happen! I… I wouldn't let that happen. Man, these are all just hypothetical scenarios. Stop trying to trick me.”

“I'm not trying to trick you. I just wanna make sure that you know what you'd be signing up for,” Suguru tells him. He finishes his coffee with one final sip, leaving a satisfaction in his eyes that Satoru is all too familiar with. “Can we talk about it later, though? We should get going before the movie starts.”

With the turkey sandwich annihilated, Satoru quickly gulps down the remainder of his soda. In all his excitement, he completely forgot that they were just getting a quick lunch before heading over to the nearby movie theater. Nevertheless, his stomach will always have room for a large bucket of popcorn and his favorite candy.

“Fine,” Satoru responds for now. He hops up from his chair at the same time that Suguru stands from his own. “We really will talk about it later. I definitely won't let you forget it this time.”

Satoru doesn't trust the smile that appears on Suguru's face after he says that, but he does allow Suguru to take him by the hand and lead him away from the indoor shopping plaza.

They'll definitely adopt a cat someday soon. Satoru will make sure that it happens.

 

~*~

 

Their home is eerily silent today.

For the past two weeks, Satoru feels like he's been living in a dream state, an unending nightmare that he can't quite figure out how to awaken from. He can hardly even remember what he's been doing all this time, aside from trying to be the glue that keeps his tiny family together.

Thing is, if Satoru feels like this, then he can't even begin to imagine how Suguru must be feeling.

They need to leave soon so that they can arrive at the service extra early. As members of the immediate family, it only makes sense. They have to be there to ensure that everything is properly prepared. Satoru wants to help out in any way that he possibly can.

His partner is still missing, though. Suguru hasn't emerged from the bedroom since the two of them awoke nearly two hours ago. Satoru gave him some time to himself at first, but leaving him all by himself—alone—is not something that Satoru knows how to do. It's always been Satoru and Suguru, together and never separated. No matter what's going on in their lives, this one simple fact has to remain constant.

Always.

Satoru enters the bedroom, his socked feet coming to a brief halt when he sees that Suguru is fully dressed and sitting at the edge of their bed. From the outside, it looks like he's been ready for a while now. Satoru knows him much better than that, though. He knows that Suguru is merely operating on autopilot. Despite being dressed appropriately and his long hair styled into an extra neat bun, Suguru isn't actually ready to leave. He probably doesn't even realize what time it is, because time for him has stopped.

Everything stopped two weeks ago.

“Suguru?” Satoru calls out to him with no response. No surprise there. He walks further into the room and approaches the bed, but Suguru doesn't look up at him. He's still holding that same photograph in his hands, his mind stuck in the past. “Hey.”

It's not until the mattress dips as Satoru sits next to him that Suguru finally lifts his head, snapping out of his daze. The bags under his eyes have gotten worse lately, because he hasn't been able to sleep for a full night ever since it happened.

“Sorry,” Suguru mumbles, an automatic response. His mouth spreads into an empty smile that lacks any joy behind it. “Are you ready to go? I'll grab our things and we'll head to the train station.”

Satoru has had enough of this. He can't just sit back and watch his family suffer like this, and he doesn't care if other people deal with trauma differently. The selfish part of his mind wants the real Suguru to come back to him. It feels too lonely like this.

Before Suguru can stand up from the bed, Satoru suddenly clings to him with both arms and pulls him into a tight, one-sided hug.

“Satoru–?”

“You're so stupid.”

“What?” Suguru tries to pull away from him, but Satoru only tightens his grip, keeping him close. “Can you let go of me, please? I'm fine and we're going to be late–”

“You're not fine, though,” Satoru argues, cutting him off. He's been putting up with the stoicism for weeks and now he's tired of it. If Suguru won't come to him, then Satoru will go to Suguru instead. “How can you possibly be fine? She was your mom. You don't… have to pretend. Not in front of me.”

Satoru exhales shakily. She was his mom, too. He's known her since he was a little boy, over four decades ago now. She was the one who always answered the door when Satoru would go over to Suguru's house to play, the one who always called their names for dinner, and the first person in the family that they came out to about their relationship. She was the first person to accept their love, the one who always called Satoru just to ask how he was doing, and the one who sent the most gifts to them after they left Tokyo and moved into their forever home up north.

She truly was their mom. The loss of her hasn't been easy for either of them.

Suguru doesn't say anything right away. Instead, his shoulders begin to shake. Since his face is kind of squished between Satoru's neck and shoulder, Satoru feels the warm droplets of tears before he hears it in Suguru's throat as he finally begins to cry. Like a dam that's been broken, it all comes pouring out of him at once.

“Fuck,” Suguru curses. His body shakes with every syllable as he speaks through the endless tears. “It just doesn't… it doesn't make any sense.”

Satoru rubs a hand up and down his back to comfort him, the other arm still holding him tightly.

“I know…”

“Like, she was fine. She was fine. But now she's just… gone? What the fuck? I don't… I don't get it.”

It doesn't make any sense to Satoru either, but at the same time, he can understand why it’s come as such a shock to them. Suguru's parents are much older than him, he was born when they were already in their mid-thirties. His mom had been sick recently, but she never complained and she always insisted that she felt fine whenever they spoke to her on the phone.

It's just a head cold, she'd say. I'll be fine, don't come rushing back to Tokyo over something like this.

She was exactly like Suguru, in that sense. Even his father does the same thing, always downplaying their pain and pretending that everything is fine. It must be a Geto family trait.

Suguru had wanted to visit his parents’ home anyway. It had been several months since their last trip to Tokyo and he wanted to make sure that his folks were okay. His job often keeps him busy, though. Between various meetings and projects that take several months to complete, he hardly gets any time off—especially since he's due for a promotion soon.

Though he hasn't said it out loud, Satoru knows that Suguru blames himself. He's probably thinking that if he'd just put aside the time to head back to Tokyo, maybe he could've prevented this. Maybe he could've convinced his mother to go to the hospital, get some tests done, and be treated in a timely manner. Maybe she would still be alive if he hadn't been such a useless son.

“And my… and my dad,” Suguru continues, his voice cracking in the middle of his words, “How is he supposed to live out there all on his own? He's so… so stubborn, y'know, and prideful. He would never tell me if something was wrong with him, s-so what if something like this happens again? I already feel so paranoid…”

“Shhh, it's okay.”

Satoru leans back to plant a kiss in the center of Suguru's forehead. He kisses him two more times and then gently cups his face, both thumbs wiping away the fresh tears from his wet cheeks. His reddened eyes are glossy and he stares back at Satoru with such a helpless expression. Somehow, he's still so beautiful even when he cries. Satoru is unable to contain the smile that starts to blossom.

“Let's just get through the funeral, alright? I don't want you worrying about anything else. We'll figure out how to help your dad later on. Also, your dad is really strong… your mom was, too. Just remember that you're not doing this alone, okay? I'm still here, aren't I?”

As if to prove that last statement, Satoru kisses him again, this time along the puffy skin beneath each of his watery eyes. It works like a charm. Some of the life seems to have returned to Suguru's eyes and his mouth curves into the tiniest smile. He voices his gratitude with a single sentence.

“I love you.”

“Of course you do,” Satoru teases. He makes sure to quickly say it back, though. “I love you, too. Always.”

He's about to kiss Suguru again when they're interrupted by an unexpected third party. Both of them glance down at the floor to find a pair of bright blue eyes gazing back up at them.

She meows a second time.

“Aw, Yumi,” Suguru instantly coos at her. He pats his lap and the cat quickly jumps from the floor to land on his thighs, not caring at all that she's interrupting their moment. “Did you come in here to cheer me up? Is that it?”

Yumi immediately begins purring as she makes herself comfortable on Suguru's lap, all while Suguru continues cooing at her like a lovestruck fool. What's terribly ironic about the situation is that Satoru had been the one to manifest a cat into their lives. They found her one evening while walking back from the nearby grocery store, all thanks to the cat distribution system. Her helpless cries drew them to her hiding spot and when Suguru was faced with two pairs of giant blue eyes staring back at him, it was impossible for him to say no.

However, it's been a few years since then and no one can deny that Yumi is definitely Suguru's cat. She loves him more than anything, even more than the guy that technically found her in the first place. Satoru likes to say that he's gotten over the betrayal, but that's just a lie that he tells himself in order to feel better.

“You’re too late, Yumi. I already made him feel better,” Satoru shamelessly brags to the animal. “So, don't try to come in here and take all the credit. You're just a rebound.”

He pokes the cat on the nose in an attempt to bully her further, but Yumi just ignores him as usual.

Suguru laughs at her lack of reaction. “You’re ridiculous, picking on a cat like that. Can't the two of you share me? Even just a little bit?”

“Absolutely not!” Satoru answers without hesitation. “I was here first. She'll just have to learn to respect that.”

Even though Suguru rolls his eyes at that, he makes the correct choice when he leans over to kiss Satoru on the cheek.

(One point for Satoru. Zero points for Yumi.)

“Okay, I'm ready now,” Suguru announces. He stops petting the cat so that he can reach for Satoru's hand, then clings to it like a lifeline. “We should get going, I don't wanna keep my dad waiting.”

Satoru agrees with a firm nod. “Right.”

He tightly squeezes the warm hand pressed against his own, happy to have the real Suguru back at last.

 

~*~

 

There's something terribly wrong with this current generation of young people, and that something is the severe lack of respect for another man's property.

Satoru doesn't ask for much, just a fun night out on the town with the love of his life. It's been ages since the last time that the two of them went clubbing. Men their age usually prefer to spend their free time on other things, but Satoru has always been young at heart. To him, life is an endless ocean wave and he's just a super-hot surfer taking it for a ride.

But sometimes, other people like to get in his way.

To be fair, it's not Satoru's fault that he didn't know what “DILF” meant. He only paid attention to the sign that said a certain gay nightclub was hosting an event for older gentlemen to come and have fun, so that's exactly what Satoru expected to do. He was so excited about it, too. He got all dressed up in his most flamboyant clothes, slicked his hair back, and took his sexy ass to the gay nightclub with his sexy man in tow.

And then all throughout the night, a bunch of twinks and wanna-be sugar babies tried to steal his man.

Satoru kind of gets it, though. If he was a pretty young thing with nothing better to do, he might have joined the others in hitting on a guy like Suguru, with his majestic salt and pepper hair, perfectly trimmed beard, and stupidly large biceps. Ever since Suguru stopped using dark hair dye and let the gray strands properly grow in, somehow it's only amplified his beauty. Not a single day goes by where Satoru doesn't catch himself staring at his lover, forever amazed by the sight of him.

Tonight, however, it actually pisses him off.

Satoru brushes his teeth with the intense anger of a hundred-thousand men at war. He tries not to frown too much, though, especially when he notices the wrinkles that form on his forehead when he does so. He might not be a pretty young thing anymore, but he's still a pretty thing. The prettiest thing, actually.

In fact, Satoru may be in his early fifties now, but he still looks like he could be in his late thirties or very early forties. If you ignore the smile lines around his mouth, that is. Still, aging will never take away his magnificent height and his unique features. He's even managed to keep his round ass through hard work and diligence. He can't say the same about those little boys from the club earlier, who look like they've never used the StairMaster a single day in their young, pathetic little lives.

Whatever. Only those with a mature palate can truly appreciate a firm ass like Satoru's, anyway.

With his teeth brushed, his skin care routine completed, and a steamy shower to relax his muscles out of the way, Satoru exits the en suite bathroom feeling like a brand new man.

That is, until his eyes land on Suguru.

At the moment, Suguru is sitting in bed with his back against the headboard. His long black and gray hair falls down around his broad shoulders, and his reading glasses are perched on the tip of his nose as he stares down at the book in his lap. He's also shirtless, by the way. That's a very important detail that absolutely should not be missed.

Just looking at him pisses Satoru off again.

Without acknowledging the guy sitting comfortably in his bed, Satoru marches over and plops down onto the mattress with the dramatic flair of a princess. He purposefully lies down on his side as closely as he can to the edge of the bed, facing away from the enemy. With the duvet pulled up to his shoulder, he shuts his eyes and mentally prepares himself for the inevitable interruption.

A few seconds is all that it takes.

The mattress creaks as the enemy makes his first move, shifting to lie down as well. Right afterwards, an arm wiggles its way around Satoru's vulnerable waist like that of an evil snake. Since he had been expecting this exact scenario, Satoru immediately leans away from the unnecessary attempt at affection.

“No. Stay on your side of the bed,” Satoru announces as a warning. He does his best to sound as stern and serious-business as he can.

Of course, it proves to be entirely ineffective.

“My side of the bed?” Suguru asks incredulously. He snorts and corrects that statement. “The entire bed is mine. You're mine, too.”

Oh.

As much as it turns Satoru on to hear that bold claim being made in such a cocky tone, he tries to hide his true feelings with bratty laughter.

“Oh, please. You wish.”

He waits for the next comeback with bated breath, but what happens instead takes him by complete surprise. All of a sudden, Satoru is being yanked towards the middle of the bed as that same arm loops around his waist so quickly that he can't even react to it. The next thing that he knows, he's facing the ceiling and Suguru's heavy body is pinning him down on the mattress, pure muscle pressed up against his front. Satoru stares wide-eyed into the dark pair hovering above him, while a triumphant grin plasters itself onto Suguru's stupidly handsome face.

“Why'd you lie down so far away?” Suguru asks in a dangerously husky tone, even as he sticks out his bottom lip in a childish pout. “You're making me feel lonely.”

Satoru gulps. What makes it a thousand times worse is how loudly it sounds when there's hardly any space between them now, so he knows that Suguru definitely heard the nervous gulp. Or, more like an overly excited gulp. Satoru can't let Suguru win so easily, though. His own pride and dignity is on the line here, so of course he's going to play hard to get.

“Good,” Satoru mumbles. He turns his head to the side because it's much easier to stare at the wall instead of making eye contact. “Now you know how I've felt all damn night.”

“Hm? Look at me,” Suguru demands. He takes hold of Satoru's chin and forces the other man to face him again. “When did I make you feel lonely? Was it when we were at the club?”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Satoru cheers sarcastically. “You really are a genius, Geto-san. Would you like a prize?”

When Suguru shakes his head, Satoru can see it in his eyes that his patience is wearing thin. He's stubborn and naturally competitive, though, so he'll continue to play along with Satoru's little games.

“Nah. Also, don't call me that.”

“Or else what?”

Suguru narrows his eyes at the same time that Satoru smiles innocently at him. This game of theirs is quickly turning into a dangerous one, but he doesn't really care. Suguru deserves it for not setting boundaries and allowing other people to fawn all over him, even though he belongs to Satoru and only Satoru. In fact, Satoru likes to think that he's staked his claim over Geto Suguru long before they even began dating. Back in grade school, everyone recognized him as Satoru's best friend.

This is how it was always meant to be.

Surprisingly, Suguru doesn't take the bait. He remains totally calm and in control of his emotions, almost indifferent to Satoru's bratty behavior.

He asks as casually as ever, “Are you really gonna let yourself get worked up over me talking to a few nobodies? Hm, weird. The Satoru that I know is way more confident than that.”

Hearing it said out loud like that, Satoru really can't stand it—can't stand himself, even. He feels the warm blood that rushes to his cheeks, the embarrassment threatening to drown him as those words turn over in his head again and again. Not a single lie was uttered just now.

“Well… the real Satoru is an old man now,” he grumbles, irritated from being exposed.

“And?”

“With wrinkles.”

“What wrinkles? The ones right here?” Suguru suddenly begins to poke and prod at the smile lines around Satoru's mouth, annoying him even further. “This is all normal, though. I have some, too. It's called being a human. You really think it makes any difference on how I feel about you?”

This time, Satoru is unable to answer him. Saying anything now would be pointless. It's written all over his face—his old man face. No matter how beautiful he is, he can't hide the fact that he's getting older and it shows. It doesn't take more than a single glance in his direction to see the evidence of his mortality.

“How ridiculous,” Suguru mutters, shaking his head. His words take Satoru by surprise, grabbing his immediate attention once more. “Don't you know how unbelievably fucking hot you are, ‘Toru?”

Satoru begins to squirm underneath him, hoping to escape, but it quickly proves to be a useless endeavor. Moving Suguru is like trying to move a house made out of bricks. Long gone are the days when they were skinny little boys who would tussle all afternoon and toss each other around like sacks of potatoes. Satoru would rather not risk a back injury, so he gives up without much of a fight.

“Of course I'm hot,” he mumbles back. “I'm Gojo fucking Satoru, duh.”

Still, Suguru shakes his head again. “You say that, but I don't think you actually believe what you're saying.”

“That’s stupid. Why wouldn't I believe it?”

“I don't know. You tell me.”

It seems that they've reached a stalemate. Satoru stares back into the pair of eyes watching him from above, wondering which one of them will give in first. It most certainly won’t be Satoru, that's for sure. His mental strength is completely unmatched.

In terms of physical strength, well, that's debatable. Satoru likes to believe that he'd still probably win, though. Suguru might be made of bricks, but Satoru has also kept himself in great shape—mainly because he wants to continue consuming high sugar foods without any serious repercussions to his overall health. His sweet tooth is one thing that he'll never be able to let go of for as long as he lives.

Once Satoru takes notice of another issue beginning to arise, he clears his throat and speaks up first.

“Your dick is poking me. Take care of that, please.”

Suguru's eyes widen like that of a cartoon character's, but he's quick to school the expression into one a lot more sinister in nature. Satoru feels like he can already predict what's about to be said.

“Yeah? How about you take care of it for me?”

Yup. Satoru was correct as usual.

Just as Suguru tries to kiss him on the lips, Satoru quickly turns his head to the side, allowing his left cheek to be kissed instead. What Suguru wants to do now is just too obvious, but since Satoru's fun night was technically ruined because of him, why wouldn't he make Suguru work for it?

“Massage me first,” Satoru commands, a cheeky grin making its way onto his face. It's not the first time that he's pulled this trick out of his sleeve. “I want a lengthy massage. Head to toe– and I do mean head to toe. Got it?”

Above him, Suguru doesn't react to the demand right away. He stares back at Satoru, who wonders if he's going to come up with a counterattack. In the end, all that he does is nod his head and smile.

“Alright,” Suguru replies, submitting at last. “Turn over for me, sweetheart.”

Satoru almost jumps to do exactly that, the second that Suguru removes his brickhouse body and allows him to. But no, Satoru can't let himself look too desperate. Suguru is the one who needs to prove himself right now, so Satoru casually shimmies around on the mattress until he's lying on his belly.

It's almost impossible to remain indifferent with Suguru's big hands all over him, though. He's just too damn good at touching Satoru in ways that make him want to shout his pleasure to the heavens. Those firm hands are so deliberate with each and every caress, squeeze, and drag of fingernails down Satoru's sensitive skin. Suguru kneads the aching muscles in his shoulders and back, applies the perfect amount of pressure to his neck, and works all of the knots out from his problem areas.

Satoru shamelessly moans several times, especially when Suguru does that thing with his knuckles against the soles of each foot, applying enough pressure to make Satoru see stars. With his head in the clouds like this, he hardly even notices when Suguru makes his way back up to the glutes. His warm palms firmly grip Satoru's ass cheeks, his thumbs kneading circles into the muscle there. Again, Satoru moans and curls his toes.

“Feels good, right?”

“Yes,” Satoru answers, voice slurred as if he were drunk off the pleasure itself. “Feels fucking amazing.”

Behind him, Suguru reacts with a quiet laugh while his fingers curl over the waistband of Satoru's briefs, and he gives it a slight tug.

“Good,” he says, then, “I can make it feel even better, though. Lift your hips for me, beautiful.”

Satoru asks zero questions, his hips eagerly obeying the order even prior to those words being processed in his brain. It doesn't matter, because he'll basically do anything and everything that Suguru says right now. As long as those hands never stop touching him, Satoru will gladly be his puppet to play with, his obedient little doll.

Two minutes later, Satoru’s face is buried in the pillow and Suguru's hot tongue is buried deep in his ass, along with two thick fingers pressing down on his prostate. His entire body is trembling, hips pushing back desperately for more, more, more. At the same time, it's overwhelming and Satoru can't stop whimpering into the pillow, drooling pathetically as his eyes roll to the back of his head.

It's been quite a while since the last time that he was eaten out like this. They used to fuck like rabbits in their youth, going for multiple rounds and always coming too soon. Although their sex life is definitely still thriving, aging has inspired them to be more creative with what they do together. Nowadays, sometimes even one orgasm is intense enough to put Satoru out of commission for a few hours, or even until the next day. He blames it on the fact that Suguru has developed an obsession for edging him, always drawing it out until Satoru physically can't take it anymore.

It's such a cruel thing to do, but Satoru is a freak who loves that cruel side of Suguru.

Before Satoru can come, Suguru removes his tongue and both of his fingers, leaving Satoru with nothing but cold emptiness. He immediately starts to whine, his hips pushing back to chase what he once had. They haven't been at it for that long and he already feels like he's being tortured.

“Mmm, you're even more sensitive this time,” Suguru comments, the tenderness of his voice sending shivers up Satoru's spine. Without warning, his palms come down harshly against the pink skin of Satoru's ass, spanking him. The sound of it is even louder than the surprised moan from Satoru's mouth. “Even after all these years, you still react like a desperate whore. How shameful.”

Another harsh smack is delivered to each cheek, this time causing Satoru to jolt forward along the mattress. His cock leaks in between his quivering thighs, having received no attention this entire time but still so hard that it's almost painful. Suguru spanks him a third time and tears begin to gather in Satoru's eyes, his mind becoming fuzzier with each passing second.

“You know, it's kind of funny that you think I'd actually be interested in some punk at a nightclub,” Suguru comments. His warm hands massage the hot, reddened skin as he speaks. “As if any of them would be as easy as you are. Don't you know that Gojo Satoru is the sluttiest? Always letting me do whatever I want to him. Why would I ever need anyone else?”

Hearing that makes Satoru feel unbelievably warm and fuzzy inside. He's always known this to be true, that only he is perfect enough for Suguru, but being told that he's perfect really takes the cake every single time. Maybe it was silly of him to be so jealous in the first place. No one else can possibly satisfy Suguru the way that Satoru can and that will never change, not even with age.

“Answer me,” Suguru demands. He grips the messy white hairs at the back of Satoru's head and tugs his face up from the pillow. “Why would I ever need anyone else, hm?”

“Y-You don't,” Satoru answers, gasping when he feels something a lot thicker beginning to breach his slicked-up hole. “Only… only me, Satoru… your Satoru.”

“Exactly.” After straddling Satoru's backside, Suguru continues pushing his cock in deeper. “My Satoru.”

Despite all the preparation that was done beforehand, it still takes a moment for his body to accommodate the sheer size of Suguru's cock. One would think that after so many decades of sleeping with the guy, there would be a permanent Suguru-shaped mold in his body, but that's certainly not the case at all. Right now, Satoru feels so incredibly full that he can hardly breathe.

It's exactly what he wants, though.

“Hold still, sweetheart,” Suguru coos. His hands tightly grip Satoru's waist as he begins riding his ass into the mattress, a brutal pace from the very beginning. “This is what you wanted, right? To be used like a fuck toy. Hell, you were made to be one.”

Satoru nods his head up and down, unable to form actual words at the moment, already entirely cock drunk and descending into a state of pure bliss. With Suguru on top of him like this, pressing him down into the mattress, the only pressure that's applied to his cock is from the rocking of his body with each and every thrust. In combination with the thick cock pounding his ass, it's still more than enough to get Satoru off.

“Shit… you're so fucking pretty like this, when you let me take you however I want,” Suguru moans. His tight grip on Satoru's waist is almost painful now, exactly how Satoru likes it. “I could never get tired of… of watching you take my cock in that perfect ass of yours. And you'll never get tired of taking it, right?”

All that Satoru can do is nod again, both fists clinging to the sheets as endless moans break free from his throat, which is already going hoarse. He can't help himself, though; especially not when it comes to being fucked silly by his soulmate.

“That’s good,” Suguru replies, and he sounds half out of breath from the consistent momentum. “I knew that you wouldn't, being the whore that you are. Now, be a good doll and take my cum.”

As if suddenly revitalized by that statement, Satoru immediately begins to beg, “Please– give it all to me… I want it. It's mine.”

Behind him, Suguru begins to laugh at his desperation, that condescending laugh coming closer as he leans forward until his chest is pressed against Satoru’s naked back. His pelvis continues to mercilessly grind into Satoru, a slower pace now, but so deep that Satoru can practically feel that cock in his spine. One of Suguru's hands comes to rest on top of his own, and Satoru automatically releases his death grip on the sheets to instead allow Suguru to intertwine their fingers.

No matter what they're doing, they always have to hold hands. It's an unspoken rule that has existed between them for as long as Satoru can remember.

His own orgasm sneaks up on him, from the moment that he feels the throbbing of Suguru's cock and that warm cum filling him to the brim. He grinds pathetically against the mattress the entire time, riding the waves of his orgasm while Suguru kisses and nibbles the shell of his ear. As Satoru comes back down from that high, sweet praises are whispered to him that instantly threaten to lull him to sleep.

Before Satoru can lose consciousness, he hears it.

“You were the brightest one in the room.”

“Hm…?” He pauses as a big yawn escapes him, his sore body unwilling to move—and unable to, with Suguru still flush against his backside. “What do you mean?”

“At the nightclub,” Suguru clarifies. His warm lips meet the back of Satoru's sweaty neck for a gentle kiss, and then he nuzzles the area afterwards, inhaling deeply before speaking once more. “Not a single person could take their eyes off you, but all were too chicken shit to approach. Probably because I stayed nearby and gave certain people a look, but… still. You're amazing, Satoru.”

The unexpected praise causes Satoru's heart to skip a beat, as if the organ hasn't been through enough during the past several minutes. He finds himself smiling and pressing his face into the pillow again, despite how Suguru can't see his obvious blush from this angle. It can't be helped; the sweet confession makes Satoru feel like a boy again, bringing him all the way back to the summer when Suguru suddenly kissed him for the first time, and later that evening, told him that he was pretty. Dumbstruck, Satoru hadn't known what to say or how to react at all, so he simply told Suguru that he was pretty, too.

They really were made for each other.

Too exhausted to speak any louder, Satoru mumbles, “Well… you're not too bad yourself.”

The last thing that he remembers before passing out is the sound of Suguru's quiet laughter and the feeling of warm kisses being placed into his skin.

 

~*~

 

It's springtime again.

Satoru never gets tired of walking the path beneath the cherry blossom trees in the nearby park. Being surrounded by all of the pink puts him in such a good mood, the best mood to start his day with. Of course, what makes it better is that he's not alone, because he never is. He clings to the warm hand of his lover that has been there with him for nearly seventy years now.

They walk this same path every single morning after breakfast, even when it isn't springtime– except for in the winter, because the chill always seems to go right through Satoru’s old bones. Wintertime is nothing short of torture, but he still likes to sit by the window and watch as the snowflakes fall to the ground while sipping hot cocoa. Gone are the days when he would make snow angels and have snowball fights with his lover, occasionally crunching some of the ice in between his teeth whenever Suguru wasn't looking.

Spring is a lot more forgiving. Spring means warmer temperatures, the sound of chirping birds in the morning, the buzzing of honeybees, the blossoming of beautiful flowers, and the chance to go outside for walks again. It feels so nice to enjoy the simple things that Satoru always used to take for granted when he was younger.

Next to him, a sigh is heard. Satoru suddenly realizes that they've been walking much slower on this third lap around the small park, but Suguru hasn't uttered a single complaint. He's much too stubborn to say anything about how he's feeling, which used to annoy the hell out of Satoru back in the day. It still does, but he's in too much of a good mood from the cherry blossoms to entertain an argument right now.

“Let's take a break over there on that bench,” Satoru announces, deciding to spare his partner some dignity. “I wanna watch the ducks for a bit.”

Suguru glances over at the nearby wooden bench as if contemplating his options, eventually nodding his head in agreement like Satoru knew that he would.

“Alright, that's fine with me,” he says.

Grinning, Satoru leads them over to the wooden bench facing the small pond. Once Suguru takes the spot next to him and leans back against it, another sigh escapes him, this one from pure satisfaction and relaxation. Satoru only shakes his head and keeps his comments to himself.

This past winter, Suguru had suffered quite badly from pneumonia and even had to visit the doctor a few times because of it. At one point, they wanted to keep him in the hospital overnight just to monitor him, but Suguru had stubbornly insisted that he was fine. In reality, he just couldn't stand the thought of being seen as “weak”. Suguru has always been strong and healthy no matter what age he reached, and he's always taken pride in that. So, being told that he can't do something truly irks him more than anything.

In all honesty, Satoru is the same way. Maybe he's not as stubborn, but he's always viewed himself as being practically invincible. He has a strong will to do the things that he wants, but he's also very responsible and takes care of the things that he has to do, even when he doesn't want to. He never passes up the chance to treat himself, either. That still hasn't changed over the course of his long life.

Only minor things have changed, like his worsening eyesight and the thickness of his glasses, or the subtle aches in his back whenever he's tending to their garden at home. He knows that all of this is normal, but he won't lie and say that it doesn't bother him from time to time as he comes to terms with his own mortality.

Actually, what the hell is he thinking? He's not even that old yet. Plenty of Japanese people have lived to see triple digits and still function as if they were twenty years younger. Satoru is sure that he'll be one of them some day, but for now, he'll simply enjoy the fact that he still has all of his teeth and can easily walk anywhere that he wants to.

“You know what?” Satoru begins, ending the peaceful moment of silence between them, “We should go on another trip. It's been a while since the last one, right?”

Suguru turns his head to look at him, the wispy gray bangs across his forehead flowing in the wind as a subtle breeze blows past them. Although his hair has thinned a bit from age, it's still as long and beautiful as ever. These days, Suguru likes to keep it wrapped up in a messy low bun unless he's washing it or going to sleep. He often threatens to simply chop it all off so that he won't have to deal with it anymore, a dangerous threat that always sends Satoru into an unnecessary panic. So far, he's been able to successfully keep Suguru from making irrational decisions. In exchange, Satoru helps him with the washing process and even brushes it for him.

“Has it?” Suguru asks, humming as he tries to think of the last trip that the two of them enjoyed together. “Weren't we in Thailand not that long ago? I remember you accidentally ordering those spicy noodles that had you crying in the restaurant.”

“I wasn't crying! It was the spice that made my eyes watery, that's all,” Satoru rushes to defend himself as Suguru laughs. Just remembering that night sends chills down his spine. “Anyway, that was ages ago. Our last trip was in Italy a couple years back, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Suguru wrinkles his nose at the memory. “Didn't like that one much. We should've gone when we were younger. Being a tourist in all those overcrowded places is too bothersome now.”

“Yeah… I agree.” Satoru spends a brief moment to come up with a better idea, a hand rubbing across his chin in thought. He gasps when it finally comes to him. “What about Okinawa? There are plenty of places to relax by the beach and we don't even have to leave Japan. How does that sound?”

While it's true that they've been to Okinawa a few times before, visiting that island never gets old. They always manage to find new places to visit to accommodate whatever their current interests are, and who could ever get tired of being near the ocean? Not Satoru, that's for sure. They don't even have to make a ton of plans this time. Merely walking barefoot on the beach, hand in hand, will be such a nice change of pace for them.

“Okinawa, huh?” Suguru nods his head in approval. “Sure, I wouldn't mind that. Maybe we could try to go at the start of summer, before it starts to get too hot.”

Hearing the good news, Satoru immediately reacts with a happy cheer as if he were a child again. His silliness brings another laugh out of Suguru, but it's a little too much for him and he ends up coughing right afterwards. Once Suguru recovers from the ache in his chest, Satoru leans over and rests his head on his lover's shoulder.

“You're taking that medicine when we get back home,” he says.

Suguru only responds with a grunt, which typically means that although he doesn't want to do what's being requested, he's also not going to fight back.

Knowing that he's won this round, Satoru grins.

 

~*~

 

Standing in the kitchen, Satoru drops a single cube of sugar into a steaming mug of herbal tea.

He's extra careful as he carries it to the bedroom, his hand shaking slightly with each step. The last thing that he needs is to accidentally spill it on himself and end up with horrific burns, so he's relieved when he makes it to the bedroom without any mishaps along the way.

Suguru sits in bed with his back propped up by several fluffy pillows, and a thick quilt covering him from the chest down. He's currently muttering sweet nothings to the furry creature occupying his lap, one of his hands scratching the animal's head and loud purrs filling the quiet space. Satoru smiles at the scene in front of him. He carefully places the hot tea onto the food tray beside the bed, but then he frowns in disappointment when he sees that most of the food is still present, untouched.

“You still haven't finished your breakfast?” he asks, just before helping himself to the cold piece of toast that was left behind. “Suguru… playing with Momo all day isn't gonna make you heal faster.”

“So? I wasn't hungry,” Suguru claims. He finally looks away from the cat to pay attention to something else for once, his gray brows rising on his forehead as he asks, “Where's the tea?”

Satoru rolls his eyes and lifts the mug from the tray, handing it over to the eager hands that reach for it. Suguru doesn't wait for it to cool at all before bringing it to his lips and greedily sipping the liquid. Even after knowing the guy his entire life, Satoru still doesn't understand how he does it.

“You can't just live off tea, either,” Satoru says, scolding him further. He takes a seat at the edge of the bed. “Didn't the doc say that you need to get more protein in? At least eat more of the salmon.”

Suguru lowers the mug to grumble, “I can live off whatever I want, actually.”

He takes another long sip from his tea while continuing to ignore his issues.

Satoru really doesn't know how they've somehow managed to switch personalities over time. He likes to think that he's become a lot more mature and reasonably responsible with age, while Suguru has become a hundred times more stubborn and recently, he seems to be easily irritated by things. Like some sort of grumpy old man.

“You're such a stubborn old thing,” Satoru says out loud. If there's one thing that hasn't changed at all, it's his ability to argue back. “If you don't finish your lunch later on, you're not getting any more tea from me and I don't care how much you beg.”

Suguru only snorts at the weak threat. “I'll make it myself, then. No problem at all. Right, Momo?”

Again, he begins cooing at the cat still resting in his lap, his fingers scratching behind her ears now. Unable to resist, Satoru reaches out with his own hand and scratches beneath the cat's chin.

“Y’know, if you wither away in here, Momo would probably eat your corpse,” Satoru teases. “It's true. I read about it once.”

The look of disgust that appears on Suguru's face is priceless.

“You’re sick in the head, you know that?”

“Oh, yes. I'm well-aware.”

Momo suddenly adds to their conversation with a quiet meow, making the two of them laugh. Satoru leans down closer to the cat and pretends to interpret for her.

“What's that? Oh, right. Okay, I'll tell him.” He lifts his head again to look at Suguru now. “She says that she wants you to get better quickly so that you can join us for morning walks again. See? Even Momo is worried about you, ‘cause she's such a sweet little girl.”

“She did not say all of that,” Suguru replies, laughing. “She is a sweet little girl, though. The sweetest.”

Satoru easily agrees with a nod.

Momo is basically like the spoiled grandchild of their tiny family. Yumi had lived to be exactly twenty years old, and the day that she passed away was truly a difficult day for both of them. Despite her often showing favoritism for Suguru, Satoru still loved her like a father would his child. They fostered a few kittens for a short while after that, but getting deeply attached to another cat seemed too scary, at the time.

So, their home went several years without another furry friend to call their own, until the day that their little tabby, Momo, finally came along.

One of their neighbors was moving out and their cat had recently given birth to a litter of kittens. They only had space to keep one of the kittens in their new home, so they did everything that they could to find people to adopt the other kittens. From the moment that Satoru first laid eyes on Momo, he was a goner. It was obvious that Suguru felt the exact same way, as Satoru could see all the love behind his beautiful eyes.

As a result, they've had Momo since she was just a kitten. Yumi didn't like being outside, but Momo has always shown interest in the outside world, so Satoru immediately began to train her with a cat harness and leash. For the past few years, the three of them have happily gone for their morning walks together, and it's a routine that was never meant to change.

However, without Suguru by his side, things just haven’t been the same.

A big yawn turns Satoru's attention away from the cat. Suguru is rubbing his eyes and stubbornly trying to keep them open, but it looks like he could fall asleep in seconds. These days, he spends more time sleeping than doing anything else, because he just doesn’t have the energy. Aside from trying to get him to eat more, Satoru is at a complete loss for what to do to help him get better.

For now, he decides to join him.

“Let's take a nap together,” Satoru suggests. He kicks off his house slippers and lifts the quilt. “Scoot over and make some room for me. You too, Momo.”

After much shuffling around the mattress, Momo relocates herself to an opening on the quilt in between their legs, while Suguru rolls onto his side and Satoru clings to him from behind. As always, their hands naturally find each other and their fingers come together with ease. Suguru's hand is cold despite the hot tea he had consumed, but Satoru doesn't mind it. He shuts his eyes and nuzzles against the back of his lover's neck, enjoying his familiar scent.

“Remind me to buy more of those sugar cubes later on today,” Satoru mumbles, followed by a tired yawn. “I used the last one just now for your tea.”

Already half asleep, Suguru replies, “Mhmm…”

Both of them fall unconscious in an instant.

 

~*~

 

Satoru slides his socked feet into a pair of shoes, one after the other. As he sits on the step and focuses on getting both shoes tied properly, he's interrupted by the sound of a persistent meow coming from behind him.

Momo is watching him with big, curious eyes.

“Sorry, Momo!” Satoru coos at her and gently pets her on the head. “You can't come with me today, it's much too cold outside. I promise to bring home a snack for you, though. Would you like that?”

Another noisy meow. Satoru will take that as a yes.

“I won't be too long,” he promises as he grabs his coat from the nearby closet. After donning the piece of clothing, he also wraps a scarf around his neck.

Satoru shuts the front door with a soft click. It pains him to leave her behind, but taking a cat outside in this weather would be cruel. He's sure that Momo would be much happier if she were warm and cozy inside of their home. So, for the time-being, that's where she'll have to stay.

The local grocery store isn't too far of a walk, but the older he gets, the longer it takes for him to get there. With the weather being as cold as it is now, it takes Satoru almost twice as long as usual to reach his destination. He's just happy that it isn't raining at the moment. If it were to rain right now, there's no doubt that it'll quickly turn into snow. That's just how cold it is.

Thankfully, the grocery store is a lot warmer than the outside world. Satoru removes his cold hands from his pockets and rubs them together while blowing hot air onto them, hoping that they'll warm up quickly. In the meantime, his legs carry him over to the bakery section. This is always where he spends the majority of his time, as a true lover of breads, pastries, and all things sweet. Today, he knows exactly what he'll get.

“Gojo-san, welcome!” the young baker greets him cheerfully. Well, she's probably already in her late forties now, but that's still a lot younger than Satoru. Her familiar face brings joy to his heart, though, so he smiles back. “You’re here today? Even with the weather as bad as it is?”

“Yup! It's a special day, so I don't really have a choice,” he says, laughing. “I need a cupcake. Just one, please.”

“Of course. Which one would you like?”

“Uh.” Satoru squints at the display case and the tiny signs beneath each dessert, but he gives up on trying to decipher the cute letters. “My eyes are too useless today, I'll just take a vanilla one with cream filling if it's there.”

“Gotcha. I'll package it for you right away.”

While Satoru waits, they chat idly about the wicked storm that had blown through the town the night before. Satoru tells her all about how Momo had cowered in his arms the entire time, and how sad he had felt to see his baby suffering so much. The friendly baker tells him about how her husband had reacted the same way, making Satoru laugh.

“Be careful out there today,” she tells him as she hands over the boxed cupcake. “It's supposed to start snowing later on, I think.”

“Thank you, and I'll be fine,” Satoru reassures her.

He smiles politely and heads over to one of the aisles to find the rest of what he needs.

It takes Satoru even longer to make it to his next destination, but he perseveres as always. He's just happy that the buses are still running, otherwise he would've been screwed. He exits the bus on the third stop and continues his walk through the agonizing weather, until he finally makes it to the metal gates.

Once inside, Satoru no longer needs to focus on where he's going. His legs and feet carry him there automatically, having memorized these grounds even better than he's memorized his home address. After all, he usually visits this place every single day, so it comes as second nature.

Once he finally makes it to the correct gravestone, Satoru greets his lover with a smile.

“I'm back, Suguru. Did you miss me?” He takes a moment to place his hands together and bow his head for a quick prayer. Afterwards, he carefully sits down in front of the grave, since he knows that he'll be here for a while. “Sorry for not visiting you yesterday. Did you hear about the storm? It was so noisy and Momo was really freaking out. I would've come to see you, but I had a feeling that you'd be angry if I did something so reckless.”

As a matter of fact, Satoru had been fully dressed and on his way out the door when he reluctantly changed his mind yesterday. The winds from the storm were so powerful that he probably would've been blown across town, never to be seen again. He couldn't do that to poor Momo, so he ended up staying inside the whole day.

“Anyway.” Satoru quickly rummages through his grocery bag and fishes out the box with the vanilla treat inside it. “Happy birthday, my love. I wish you could've been here to celebrate it with me.”

Next, Satoru removes the single birthday candle as well as a lighter from the bag. His hands are shaking from the cold as he sets everything up, wanting to do this properly. It is Suguru's first birthday celebration from the afterlife, so everything has to be perfect. Once the candle is finally lit, Satoru holds it out towards the gravestone. A couple seconds later, the candle is blown out from the harsh wind—or, as Satoru likes to believe, by Suguru himself.

“I know that you aren't a huge fan of sweets, so I'll eat this for you, okay?” Satoru tells him afterwards. He impatiently tosses the used candle into the bag and bites into the cupcake, humming delightfully at the sweet taste of fresh cream. “Mmm! Delicious as always. You're really missing out, Suguru. It would've been nice if you had just… not died, y'know?”

Despite the comfort that it brings Satoru to joke about the situation, there's a deep ache in his chest that hasn't gone away since that day. He tells himself that he should feel lucky. He and Suguru were able to live a peaceful life together for over eighty years. From childhood until his death, Suguru had been a constant presence in Satoru’s mundane life. His passing didn't come as a shock, either. It wasn't sudden and it didn't happen randomly. If anything, the past several years had been pointing towards the inevitable, ever since Suguru got really sick for the second time and never fully recovered.

Satoru was able to be there for him the day that Suguru left this world. Satoru had held his hand and chatted idly about anything and everything, while the hours slowly went by in that hospital room. Suguru fell asleep and didn't awaken this time. It was really peaceful.

He was at peace.

Yet, irregardless of all of that, Satoru’s heart and soul still aches painfully for him. He longs for the sound of Suguru's voice saying his name, his familiar and comforting scent, his terrible sarcasm, the warmth of his body and the feeling of holding his hand. Really, Satoru would give anything to hold Suguru's hand again, even just one more time. He doesn't need anything else, only that.

Does that make him selfish? That he's had such a long and wonderful life beside his sun and stars, his soulmate, yet he continues to ask for more?

Well, who knows?

At this point, Satoru doesn't bother thinking about things like that anymore. He's old and frail and lonely, but knowing that Suguru is waiting for him gives him purpose. Satoru will continue to live his very best life, and when all is said and done, he'll brag to Suguru about not being the first one to go.

“I've been thinking about it for a while now, and… I've changed my mind. I don't want to be buried on Mount Fuji anymore,” Satoru announces. After licking the cupcake residue from his fingertips, he wipes his hands on his pants and speaks with a serious expression. “I want to stay down here with you, so that we can be together in this world, too.”

Although Satoru has been on a no-contact basis with his own family for decades now, he has plenty of people in his life who would ensure that his wish came true. For instance, the two of them were sort of close to some of Suguru's younger cousins and the adult children of those cousins. A couple of them have already visited Satoru in the past handful of months, just to make sure that he has everything that he needs. Satoru is also close friends with one of his neighbors, who used to love inviting them over for dinner—and still does, even with Suguru being gone. Lastly, Satoru has also reconnected with Shoko as of recently, who they hadn't seen or spoken to in years. She likes to tease him about being older than dirt now, but it's fine because so is she.

So, in reality, Satoru isn't alone at all. He may be lonely, but he's not actually alone. He even has Momo to keep him company every single day, but if something were to happen to him, he truly hopes that she'll spare his corpse.

As Satoru continues updating Suguru on everything that has happened lately, it begins to snow. He smiles to himself as he remembers a conversation that they had five decades prior, both of them laying in the snow as they made promises to each other that would never be forgotten.

 

~*~

 

In another universe, Satoru and Suguru meet each other again as two souls intertwining into one.

One soul asks the other:

What took you so long?

The other soul responds:

I'm sorry for making you wait, but you're the one who left me first!

The first soul doesn't deny those claims.

I'm sorry for leaving you, then.

It's okay, the other soul says. I'm here now, aren't I?

 

 

~Fin~

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