Chapter Text
It had been eight years since Ryuunosuke had left.
Kazuma had moved to England with Susato only months after he left, studying as a lawyer in the student exchange program. And before long, he had established himself as a lawyer in London, and the clients slowly trickled in the more he time he spent in the city. He rather enjoyed living in London, and though it was a far cry from Japan, he found himself getting accustomed to it after living for a few months. London law was different from Japan, though he could tell that Susato was ecstatic about finally being allowed to enter the courtrooms. And in his trials, Kazuma worked as hard as he could, and before long, his hard work had paid off, and he had cemented himself as a capable and competent lawyer.
And yet, throughout the years that he spent in London, he never forgot about Naruhodo Ryuunosuke. He wore the pendant that Ryuunosuke gave him proudly, a reminder of the man he still loved all the years later. And despite the few suitors that tried to pursue him, Kazuma rejected them. He was in love with one man and one man only, who at this point was not in the planet with them. And yet, Kazuma knew he would return, he had promised him. Ryuunosuke was a man who meant every promise he made, and that night, when he gave the promise that Kazuma couldn’t ever forget, he knew he’d keep it. And despite the years that passed, he still hoped, willing to wait even decades just to see Ryuunosuke again.
Kazuma looked through the telescope that he had bought around a few years ago, staring at the moon. He remembered Susato being confused why he had bought it, he had never shown an interest in astronomy before. But Kazuma…he felt closer to Ryuunosuke, gazing at the moon through the telescope. He could almost hear his laugh, a pleasant sound that sparkled along with the stars. Susato was in the same room as him, her humming as she read a book the only sound that filled the apartment that they lived in. Kazuma was concentrated on the moon, wondering if Ryuunosuke was thinking about him, before he was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Susato’s voice.
“I don’t understand why you spent so much money on that telescope, Kazuma-sama.” Susato remarked. “You spent all of your savings on it!”
“I like telescopes.” Kazuma tried.
“Only wealthy people have telescopes, Kazuma-sama. You had to save up for three months just to afford that!” Susato said.
“It’s important to me.” Kazuma replied. “It helps me look at the moon better.”
“You can always look at the moon with your eyes.” Susato pointed out.
“Oh please, as if you don’t spend all your savings on Randst Magazine, even though we know Mr. Sholmes.”
“You’re mean, Kazuma-sama!”
“As if you were unaware.”
Susato groaned. “I’m just saying, Kazuma-sama. You look through the telescope almost every night. Do you not get tired of it?”
“I don’t.”
“I’m sure it gets tiring at some point.”
“Would you like to challenge that?”
“You’re still stubborn after all these years, Kazuma-sama.” Susato said with a giggle, the adding. “And don’t forget that we have dinner with Mr. Sholmes.” She sighed dreamily. “Oh, to think we’re friends with him!”
“I can tell you’re happy about that.”
“Of course I am! He’s absolutely amazing! The smartest man I know!”
Kazuma looked away from the telescope, raising a brow at Susato. “Really? The smartest man you know?”
“I said what I said, Kazuma-sama.” Susato said, standing her ground.
“I swear, Susato-san.” Kazuma said, before going back to the telescope.
Everything about the moon reminded him of Kazuma. The same shine in his eyes, the same brilliance that his mind showed off in those moments when he didn’t stumble over his words, the sparkling stars that surrounded him like the sparkling emotions that Kazuma felt just at the sight of him. It was fascinating, how deeply Kazuma was in love with him even after all these years. In fact, the years they spent apart, Kazuma fell all the more in love with him, anticipating the day he would return. And though any other man would have lost hope after the third year, Kazuma never did. He knew Ryuunosuke, and how much he meant what he said. He could still see it, the brilliant and resolved glint in his eyes as he promised. How was Kazuma not to believe him, when he looked like he meant every word?
At the sound of Susato’s voice, he turned to her.
“Naruhodo-san…” Susato trailed off, before she added. “You miss him, don’t you?”
Kazuma gave her a confused look. “What made you ask that, Susato-san?”
“Well…I noticed it, this wistful look on your face whenever you look at the pendant he gave you. I’ve noticed for years, I suppose I just decided to mention it now.” Susato said. “You do miss him…right?”
“Of course I do, don’t be ridiculous Susato-san.” Kazuma said with a scoff, before his expression softened. “I miss him every day.”
“I’m not surprised, you two were very close.” Susato said, humming in thought before she asked. “Where did he go, Kazuma-sama? You only told me that he left.”
Kazuma was silent for a moment. He never told Susato, of where Ryuunosuke truly left. Really, how was he supposed to tell her? The only reason he believed was because he had seen it with his own eyes, and Susato was just as skeptical of a person as he was. She would probably look at him like he were insane. And so, he simply said that Ryuunosuke had left, and she accepted that rather quickly.
Kazuma was silent for a moment, before he answered. “I’m…unsure. He never told me where he went.”
If Susato had noticed his lie, she didn’t say. “Ah, I see. Well, I hope he returns someday. I did like him.”
“He’ll return.” Kazuma said, and he smiled. “I know he’ll return.”
Susato smiled at him, before she said. “Well, I’m off to sleep. And you should too, Kazuma-sama. We have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about me, Susato-san. I’ll sleep eventually.”
“Hopefully not too late into the night.” Susato said with a giggle, then adding. “Good night, Kazuma-sama.”
“Good night, Susato-san.”
Susato soon left the room, presumably to her bedroom. Kazuma turned back to his telescope, adjusting it a bit, so he could get a better look at the moon. He remembered, the story Yuujin used to tell him, of the serpent that tried to eat the moon, the gratitude of the people of the moon for the humans of the earth. And Kazuma was grateful to the moon too, for sending the most remarkable person to earth, for giving him the opportunity to fall in love. A love that he knew would never fade, a candle in a dark hallway, illuminating the way for anyone who happened to be lost in the confusing existence that was life.
And their love would shine brilliantly, as bright as the moon that he gazed into through the telescope.
━━━━ ❰ ･ ❉ ･ ❱ ━━━━
Kazuma had taken up gardening.
He was a little surprised when their landlord had let him tend to the apartment gardens, she told him that nobody had tended to it for almost a decade. And it sure looked like it, when Kazuma had first stepped into the gardens, seeing the overgrown mess that called itself a garden. She simply shoved a few garden tools in his hands, wished him luck, before she walked off to wherever the hell she went. And though Kazuma wasn’t sure what the hell to do with the mess, he resolved to tidy up the garden the best he could. He happened to be very stubborn, and he was sure he could tend the gardens back to life if he worked hard enough. After all, it was just a damn garden, how hard could it be?
Very hard, it turned out.
He failed at first, miserably, trying his best to care for it without any outside help. Though, he couldn’t ever clear away the weeds and ivy away, and all the plants that he planted ended up eventually dying. After a few weeks of stubbornly pushing through with no results, Kazuma finally decided to buy gardening books once Susato had suggested it to him. And he combed through every single book with the upmost concentration, taking every tip and trick to heart. And it turned out, he was doing everything wrong, even the smallest things that he didn’t even realize were wrong. He glared at Susato when she had laughed at him.
And so, when Kazuma tended to the gardens with newfound knowledge, it flourished. It went from unkempt and wild to beautiful and trimmed, the flower bushes that he planted blooming and the chili plants he tended to producing chilies. And he had to admit, there was something undeniably…satisfying about taking care of a garden. To watch something he nurtured growing into something beautiful, all of his hard work paying off. It made up for all the hours he spent and all the dirtied clothes he had to wash. Especially when the flowers bloomed in the day, and in the case of the moonflowers, in the night.
Kazuma had woken up early that day, a rare morning where he didn’t have a case. He had breakfast with Susato, who giggled when he complained about English breakfasts being depressing compared to Japanese breakfasts. After breakfast, he dressed into his gardening clothes before going down the stairs, smiling as he opened the gate to the gardens. It was different from when he first suggested tending to it, it didn’t even seem like the same place. The gardens were so beautiful that some of the tenants asked if they could spend time in it, and Kazuma agreed, as long as they didn’t ruin any of his hard work. One of the tenants did, and when Kazuma scolded him like he’d murdered someone, everyone else became careful in the gardens.
Kazuma stepped inside, observing everything inside. The flowers were blooming in the gentle morning sun, and he could even see that most of his chilies were ripe. He walked up to them, placing them in his basket, before turning to the rest of the garden. However, something had caught his attention, immediately making him raise a brow. A trail of blooming picked flowers laid on the path that led deeper into the garden. He frowned at first, had one of the tenants picked the flowers? But he stopped as he realized what flowers they were, the moonflowers.
Didn’t moonflowers only bloom at night?
Kazuma, confused, followed the trail of picked blossoms, and he soon made it to the bed of moonflowers. And as he saw the person who stood amongst the flowers, he was so shocked that he dropped his trowel. Time seemed to stop, and it was just the two of them, the man’s eyes and hair shining brilliantly in the morning sun rays. It was him, the man who he had missed for eight years, who he had waited for patiently hoping for his return, who he was still in love with all the years later. Who stood before him now, just as beautiful and radiant as when Kazuma had last seen him all those years ago. And every emotion that Kazuma had felt for him, all the love he felt for him, threatened to burst in vivid colors.
Ryuunosuke.
He almost didn’t believe his eyes, thinking that this was the world mocking him for his hope. But Ryuunosuke never left, his radiant beaming face just as real as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. It was a fact, Naruhodo Ryuunosuke had returned to him.
“…Partner?” Kazuma spoke up, stunned.
Ryuunosuke was smiling back at him, his eyes filled with tears. But not of sadness or heartbreak that Kazuma had seen years ago, but of joy. “Kazuma…it’s me!”
Kazuma stared for a moment, before he ran to Ryuunosuke and tackled him in a hug.
“W-WOAH!” Ryuunosuke cried out, yelping when Kazuma picked him up like he was his bride. “K-Kazuma! Put me down!”
“No.” Kazuma replied. “You’ve made me wait for almost a decade, I think I deserve to hold you like this.”
Ryuunosuke laughed. “You’re still stubborn, after all these years!”
“And you are just as ridiculous.” Kazuma replied.
The two of them laughed, and it felt like they had never been away from each other. And Kazuma’s heart swelled in joy, at the sight of his partner in his arms, finally with him after so many years of waiting. And the laugh that escaped his mouth, the way the sunlight highlighted every handsome feature on his face, how ridiculous Ryuunosuke could be sometimes, it reminded him starkly of every reason why he fell in love with him.
“…I missed you, Partner.” Kazuma said with a smile.
“I missed you too, Kazuma.” Ryuunosuke said, smiling back. “I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”
“Don’t be sorry, Partner.” Kazuma pressed a kiss to Ryuunosuke’s forehead. “What matters to me is that you’re here now.”
“Kazuma…”
“Are you hungry, Partner?” Kazuma asked. “Let’s go inside my apartment, I’m sure Susato-san would be happy to see you.”
Ryuunosuke raised a brow. “Is that an offer or a demand?”
“You know me so well, Partner.” Kazuma said with a chuckle.
“Well, I could use some breakfast…” Ryuunosuke said, then adding. “And you must buy me some confectioneries, Kazuma.”
“Still a sweet tooth after all these years, Partner.”
“Kazuma!” Ryuunosuke protested, and Kazuma simply laughed.
They talked as Kazuma carried him into the apartment, and as Ryuunosuke laughed in his arms, Kazuma had never been happier in his life.