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Today he smells of vanilla , Richard thought to himself as Seigi made himself busy in Jewelry Étranger’s kitchen, preparing the tea and snacks they would serve to the guests. There was still some time until the shop opened so the two were alone.
Richard put down the box he had brought out, their first appointment had requested to see amblygonite stones, and made his way to the kitchen. The sweet scent only grew stronger. Richard approached the humming Seigi who was too engrossed in his work to notice what was happening. When he was close enough, Richard lowered his head slightly and sniffed the area near Seigi’s collar.
The suddenness of the action made the unsuspecting Seigi jump, surprising Richard as well. Fortunately, all he was doing was plating the sweets they would be serving to the customer so no accident occurred. Not that it meant Richard didn’t feel guilty.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you”, Richard said, his head lowered slightly.
“N-No, it’s okay”, a red faced Seigi replied, a hand on his neck. “I just… felt your breath on my skin and… Ah, anyway, whatwereyoudoing?”
Richard did feel guilty but he would be lying if he said he did not find Seigi’s reaction to be most amusing. He stifled his laughter as Seigi asked the question in a rush. “I’m sorry”, he said, “I noticed the scent of vanilla and was curious about the source. It seems it was you.”
“O-Oh… I see… Yeah, I was making something earlier.”
“Really? You aren’t secretly practicing new desserts for my birthday?”, Richard asked, a mischievous edge to his voice. The smirk on his lips disappeared, however, when he noticed Seigi’s face fall.
“You knew?”, he asked, his voice filled with disappointment.
“I could guess”, Richard replied, “yesterday you had the scent of strawberries, two days ago it was cinnamon and the day before that was chocolate. Yet you didn’t give me any handmade desserts of those flavors, just the usual pudding. My birthday is also coming up so I assumed that is what it was.”
Seigi grinned sheepishly at Richard’s explanation. “Now that you mention it, it was pretty obvious.”
Richard gave him a gentle smile. “What did you do with the practice samples?”
“I gave some to Hiromi and Nakata-papa and distributed the remaining among my friends.”
A frown immediately appeared on Richard’s face. “Where’s my share?”
“A-Ah… Well, I didn’t want to give you something I wasn’t a hundred percent certain you would like.”
“You made it, Seigi. I believe the chances of my disliking it is quite low.”
Seigi laughed. “You have too much faith in my cooking abilities. Now I’m even more afraid to make you try something you might dislike.”
He turned back towards the kitchen counter and turned off the gas before pouring out the tea. As he did so, a pair of arms snaked around his waist and Richard’s chin soon rested on his shoulder.
“I would rather eat a dessert I dislike than pass up an opportunity to have sweets you made. Your parents are one thing but even your friends get to eat something you made which I can’t have. I get jealous easily, you know”, he said with a pout. “Besides, aren’t I the person you are making them for in the first place? I would say I’d be able to best tell if they would be to my liking.”
“You… You do have a point… Then, want to try today’s batch after we get home? I haven’t given those out yet.”
Richard smiled at Seigi’s words and nuzzled into his neck. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The doorbell rang signaling the arrival of a customer. With a peck on Seigi’s cheek, Richard stepped away and smiled brightly at him.
“I really am looking forward to my birthday.”
Seigi grinned in response. “I’m gonna make sure you enjoy it!”
The two shared a fond look before Richard headed over to the door to welcome their guest.
For Richard, the morning of December 24th started out like any other. The sunlight found its way through a crack in the curtains and fell across his face. With a groan, he rolled over, effectively wrapping himself even tighter into the blanket. Painstakingly extricating an arm from the tangle of blankets, he reached out to feel the surface next to him. Unoccupied but still warm.
Despite not feeling awake enough to peel open his eyes, Richard sat up, blankets and all. With movements which had become akin to a daily habit, he crawled over to the edge of the bed, shivering lightly as he set foot upon the cold floor, before heading towards the door to the bedroom. Now he just had to make his way to the kitchen where Seigi would be preparing their breakfast and he’d let Richard cling on to him until he’s done.
Or, that was the plan.
He heard a snigger from behind him. For a moment, his drowsy mind thought about ignoring it. If he ignored it and walked away, he could get to Seigi quicker. The temptation to snuggle with Seigi was a powerful force. But so was the curiosity to investigate the laughter.
With a sigh, he turned around, forcing his eyelids apart. He blinked. Then he blinked again. He rubbed at his eyes to get rid of the residual sleepiness to take a proper look at the scene in front of him.
Seigi stood at the foot of their bed, wearing a Santa suit and grinning widely. In his hand was a plate of Richard’s favorite pudding. On either side of Seigi were Jiro and Saburo donning reindeer outfits and wagging their tails excitedly.
Richard wished he had a camera on him but at that moment his sleep addled brain couldn’t even be sure where he had left his phone. He resorted to capturing the scene in his memories instead as he bent down and spread out his arms while being mindful of the blanket wrapped around him. The two dogs dashed at him like a pair of bullets and within moments Richard had been tackled to the ground, laughing as the dogs licked his face in glee.
“They are wishing you “happy birthday””, Seigi said with a laugh while placing the plate on a bedside table.
“Hmm? What about you? Are you not going to wish me?” Richard sat up and raised an eyebrow.
Seigi chuckled. “Of course I am”, he said, kneeling down in front of Richard to get to the same eye level. “Happy birthday, Richard. Thank you for being in my life.” Seigi kissed Richard. It was a chaste kiss. Their lips pressed together for a few moments. It wasn’t long but didn’t feel short either. When Seigi pulled away, Richard immediately missed the warmth.
“I see you decided to dress up as Santa. It feels nostalgic.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Seigi grinned. He cleared his throat and in a deep voice said, “I see you have been good this year! Good kids get a gift from Santa!” He then switched back to his usual voice. “So tell this personal Santa of yours whatever you want.”
“Well then, Mr. Santa”, Richard began coyly, “I would very much like to cuddle with my boyfriend in bed and enjoy the pudding he made for me.”
Seigi stood up with a grin and pulled Richard off the floor. In a few minutes, they were both on the bed, Richard sitting on Seigi’s lap, pudding in hand, while Seigi, who was leaning on the pillows, hugged him from behind. Jiro and Saburo, having climbed onto the bed, snuggled close to their masters for warmth. It was a simple scene but that moment with some of his most beloved filled Richard with more happiness than anyone could imagine.
Seigi started to absentmindedly play with Richard’s hair. “I’ve arranged something for lunch by the way. We’ll go out.”
A small frown appeared on Richard’s face. “And what about the sweets you have been practicing? When would I get to eat the perfected version?”
“You’ll have to wait till dinner for that.”
The frown deepened. He was looking forward to eating them. “And the cake?”
A coy grin appeared on Seigi’s face. “That you will get to try sooner.”
Richard smiled. Yes, that’s good. “So, where are we going?”
“Remember that flyer you saw the other day? For that café with the special Christmas menu that’ll only be available for a few hours today?”
Richard’s eyebrows furrowed. “The time for making reservations had already passed by the time I saw the flyer.”
“I’d come across the advertisement ahead of time. Sorry I didn’t tell you… I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Richard shook his head. “You have nothing to apologise for. I, myself, never really mentioned anything about it. Rather, I would say that this is quite the pleasant surprise.”
He placed the now empty plate back on the bedside table and leaned back against Seigi. He turned his head upwards to meet Seigi’s eyes. “And the cake?”
Seigi grinned cheekily. “Better not eat your full at the café.”
Christmas celebrations in Japan are different than in the UK. Richard was well aware of this. But perhaps he hadn’t realised the full extent of the importance of the event from a romantic standpoint. The café was filled almost entirely with couples. Having become more accustomed to the idea of Christmas being a time to spend with one’s family, this was a scene unfamiliar to him.
“When I was in high school, my friends and I would have singles’ parties on Christmas every year. I remember, when I was a second year, how bitter the rest of us felt when one of my friends managed to get a girlfriend and bragged about not being alone on Christmas”, Seigi said while breaking off a piece of the cake in front of him.
Richard put a spoonful of mousse in his mouth and took a moment to relish the taste before speaking. “If you celebrated together with your friends, you weren’t alone in the first place.”
“We weren’t “alone” per say but I guess you could say we only spent the evening together because we didn’t have much else to do. I think that at the time, we considered being able to spend Christmas with a lover to be somewhat of a status symbol. That those who did not have a lover had lost against those who did. Maybe because it showed popularity and how liked that person is by the opposite sex?”
“That may be true. The youth do hold value in such things. I cannot claim to have ever understood it, however. But if both you and your friend had an enjoyable Christmas, whoever it may have been with, then that’s all that matters. I’m sure that the feeling of wanting to spend time with an important person is the same regardless of who you’re with.”
“Sure but my friend and his girlfriend broke up right after Christmas.”
Richard raised an eyebrow at Seigi. “Why?”
“Apparently, they both just wanted to brag about having a lover on Christmas. Neither of them actually loved the other. They had probably hoped to continue dating at first but then felt that things wouldn’t have worked out.”
“Do people really try to find lovers just to brag?”
“Some do. Not all but some definitely do.”
“Really, finding lovers with such motivations”, Richard said with a sigh and shook his head disapprovingly. “This reminds me of the time you mentioned finding a foreign lover to learn English. Do people your age tend to have such non romantic takes on relationships?”
“I think it’s just that we don’t realise these things when we’re young. And since you’ve mentioned that incident, don’t you think it worked out quite well? Though the order of things was the other way around.”
“What do you mean?”
He grinned at Richard. “I learnt English from you and then you became my lover!”
A bright smile, an innocent expression and eyes filled with love. Richard felt his face heating up as a desire to pull the other man into a kiss rose inside of him.
His gaze shifted to the side as he willed himself to calm down. A couple on a nearby table were having a piece of the store’s special Christmas cake. A similar piece lay on the table in front of him, among other sweets he had ordered. He noticed Seigi follow his gaze. The young woman broke off a bit of the cake with a fork and raised it to the man’s lips who happily ate it. Richard turned back to his food, deciding it better to give the young couple privacy.
“Hey, Richard.”
He looked up on hearing Seigi’s voice.
“... What are you doing?”
Grinning, Seigi held up a fork with a piece of cake on it, much like the young woman had for her partner. “You looked like you wanted to do it too. So here! Say aah!”
Richard hesitated for a moment. Seigi clearly had a misunderstanding. Would it be right to take advantage of the situation?
“Richard?”
He met Seigi’s earnest gaze. He looked at Richard expectantly, holding out the cake, waiting for him to take it. Richard felt his heart flutter.
He leaned forward, using the table as support, and bit down. The sweet flavor of the cream filled his mouth. Seigi’s eyes crinkled as his grin grew wider. Richard sat back down, feeling the warmth on his cheeks again. He scooped up some mousse and raised it towards Seigi.
“Your turn”, he said simply, trying to hide his amused grin at Seigi’s reaction.
He seemed to be having trouble deciding whether to look embarrassed or flabbergasted. With his eyes wide and face red, he said, “You are actually giving me a share of your sweets?!”
“It’s fine if you don’t want it. More for me, I suppose.”
“No, wait, I’ll eat it! I’ll eat!”
With a smug smile, Richard brought his spoon close to Seigi’s mouth. He watched as the other’s lips closed around the spoon before lifting into a bright smile only moments later.
“It’s amazing!”, Seigi exclaimed. His joy was contagious as Richard found himself grinning as well.
“It is”, Richard said.
No matter how many times I see it, your smile truly is amazing.
Seigi raised his arms above his head and stretched. “That was all so good!”, he said, “I had told you to leave space for the cake I made but I might have overdone it myself.”
Richard chuckled. “Oh, I remember the cake. I wouldn’t be having any trouble eating some later.”
“You ate more than me though?!”, Seigi exclaimed. He then sighed and shook his head with a fond expression on his face. “You truly are the king of sweets.”
“Don’t tease me”, Richard said with a pout.
“Eh, I wasn’t! I didn’t mean to tease you! I’m sorry!”
Richard held out a hand towards Seigi who gave him a questioning look. “I’ll forgive you if you agree to hold hands.”
Seigi gave him a toothy grin before slipping his fingers between Richard’s. “I’d hold hands with you even if I weren’t apologizing.”
The all too familiar fluttery feeling was back. Richard smiled at Seigi. “Shall we take a walk before heading back home? Might help us work off all the food we ate.”
Seigi nodded. “Sure! There’s a park nearby we can go to. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too crowded.”
“That sounds good.”
They walked down the crowded streets towards the park, hand in hand. Richard noticed the gazes on them. He wasn’t quite sure if it was because there were two handsome men together or the fact that two men were holding hands. Seigi, who hadn’t noticed the stares, continued to animatedly narrate his recent meeting with Tanimoto. Richard was accustomed to being stared at and, normally, could easily ignore the gazes. However knowing that Seigi, too, was on the receiving end of such looks bothered Richard to no end. But if he were to let the stares of these random people who have no relation to either of them bother him, he would ruin this enjoyable moment together with Seigi. So he put them out of his mind and allowed his mind to be filled with Seigi instead. The way his face lit up when he talked about something he enjoyed, the way the pitch of his voice would change while narrating a conversation, the gestures he would sometimes make with his free hand, Richard noted every little detail.
They made their way to a relatively secluded area of the park, a location which was more populated by trees than people. It was a beautiful place, one that gave Richard a feeling of calm peacefulness. They both walked along, hands still clasped in the other’s, silent, merely enjoying each other’s company.
“I know the day’s far from over but… did you enjoy yourself?”, Seigi said, breaking the silence.
“I did”, Richard replied, “I enjoyed myself greatly, Seigi. I would like to do this again.”
“We will!”, Seigi exclaimed with a wide grin, “We can’t do it next year since we promised your brothers that you’ll be with them on your next birthday. But maybe the year after!”
An almost sad smile appeared on Richard’s face. “Two years, huh? Will things be like this even two years from now?” He thought of his younger self who had certain expectations of what the future may hold. That expected future is the furthest thing from the present reality. His work as a jeweler, his current lifestyle, the fact that the one by his side is Seigi, not Deborah, these were all things his younger self had never even dreamed of. Yet this is what life had in store for him.
“I’m certain we’ll still be together two years later”, Seigi said, “Even if everything else in our life ends up changing, I’m sure that we’ll remain the constant in each other’s life. Be it two years or four or ten. Richard I… I’m not gonna leave you. Not for as long as we’re both alive.”
Richard shook his head, an exasperated expression on his face. “I could almost mistake that to be a proposal.”
“We’ve already exchanged gemstones anyway”, Seigi said in a playful manner.
“Those were gemstones, not rings”, Richard said, laughing.
The two laughed before quitting down. All was silent for a few moments.
“It's not as though I haven’t thought about it before”, Seigi said after a while, “Marrying you that is.”
“I, too, have thought about what life being married to you would be like.”
“And? What do you think of it?”
A fond look appeared on Richard’s face. “Peaceful and calm. Happy. And not much different from life now.” He smiled brightly at Seigi. “I would certainly quite like it.”
“Yeah”, Seigi said, his voice sounding a little breathless, “Yeah, I would like it too. As long as I can stay with you and Jiro and Saburo, I would be happy.”
At that point, Richard kissed Seigi. He felt the other man tensing up in surprise for a moment before relaxing. Seigi put his arms around Richard, running his hands up his back before threading his fingers through his hair. The feeling of Seigi’s touch lingered long after his hands had moved on. Richard moaned into the kiss.
“You taste even sweeter than the desserts we had, Richard”, Seigi whispered when the two separated for air.
Richard’s hands cupped Seigi’s cheeks. He could feel the warmth of the skin, could see the flush on Seigi’s cheeks. He, who always described Richard to be the most beautiful in the world, looked incomparably stunning to him at that moment. “I don’t care if we’re married or not, Seigi”, Richard said softly, “For me, so long as we are together, I don’t care whatever label the world decides to give to our relationship.”
Seigi smiled at him and rested his forehead against Richard’s. “I promise, Richard. I promise that, no matter what, I will be with you. Even if you decide not to renew my contract as your secretary, unless you tell me that you don’t want me in your life anymore, I will still be with you.”
Richard laughed. “I am never going to say I don’t want you in my life, Seigi. If I have to name one person in this world who I never wish to be separated from, it is you.”
“Well then, I guess you’re stuck with me for many, many birthdays to come”, Seigi said with a laugh.
Richard grinned. “I would not have it any other way”, he said before pulling him into another kiss.