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In recent days, the rain had become something Daisuke Kambe longed for, as opposed to previous years when he dreaded it. Before, he always considered it bothersome, and while it was a necessity, it was one he didn’t wish to deter him from his daily habits. Daisuke thought that no person in their right mind would enjoy the rain putting a damper on their plans. Vacations could so easily be ruined by a sudden downpour, beautiful blue skies tainted gray, a simple walk down the street turned into a frantic sprint to keep yourself dry—but then there was Haru Katou.
Haru was unlike anyone else Daisuke was familiar with. He was accustomed to more reserved people—people whom you could simply pass by and smell their wealth, a mere glance also more than enough to reveal if they were opulent. Haru was not like them. His home was bare in comparison to Daisuke’s. He did his own grocery shopping. He looked down in the face of money. Yet, somehow, he managed to seem far richer than Daisuke at times.
It wasn’t in money, it was in kindness and knowledge. Haru didn’t rely on money to get by, but rather his own strengths and sheer will. Even if it had been hard for Daisuke to understand, he had come to respect his partner greatly. He had learned to appreciate so many things thanks to Haru—things that, before, Daisuke would overlook entirely. Or maybe even detest.
Just like the rain.
The shift in his judgment happened one day when he and Haru finished a job, and before they could get into his car to leave, rain began to fall.
“Let’s go,” Daisuke said to his partner, already turning on his heel.
“What’s the matter, Kambe… scared of a little rain?”
That amused and condescending tone had Daisuke’s jaw tensing, fists clenching at his sides. His annoyance only worsened when Haru laughed at his reaction. He couldn’t help the look of displeasure that furrowed his brows, or the way his eyes narrowed. A few droplets came and then the rain was pouring down on them heavily, the speed of it astounding for how sudden it was.
“Katou.” Daisuke clicked his tongue, unable to believe the other man was still laughing, arms spread far apart, head craned back to allow the rain to wash over his face.
Miraculously, Haru was truly enjoying it. He laughed freely, closed eyes crinkled at the sides, and somehow the sight of him like that had Daisuke’s irritation ebbing away. A sense of comfort overcame him, even with the rain soaking his custom suit and impairing his vision of anything other than Haru just next to him, Daisuke found that he wasn’t so bothered by it.
Haru danced around in the rain like a care-free child, free of any responsibilities, and lacking any burdens. He was there, grinning as if he didn’t wish to be anywhere else, as if being soaked by the rain brought him the utmost happiness, and something about it made Daisuke’s heart stutter in his chest. Watching him laugh so heartily and peek over at Daisuke every few seconds somehow managed to make Daisuke forget how he despised the rain.
He forgot how uncomfortable his custom suit felt weighed down by the rain, heavy and clinging to his skin. He forgot the product keeping his hair slicked back in his usual style. He forgot his frustrations due to the weather.
Then he just stood there, feeling himself warm as he watched his partner twirl around and strip out of his drenched jacket. Daisuke scoffed when it was slung over at him, barely catching it before it slapped him in the face. It slung even more water on him, yet he couldn’t even be mad when Haru was there, so happy, so bright despite the darkness around them. The clouds were moving overhead, darkening ominously, then a loud rumble of thunder sounded in the distance and Daisuke draped Haru’s jacket over his arm.
“Katou, let’s go.” The rain was one thing, but lightning was not something Daisuke wished to deal with out in the open.
“Aww, you’re no fun.” Haru shook his head, finally dropping his hands with a soft sigh. “Fine, but only if you admit the rain isn’t so bad.”
“Not on your life.”
After that day, Daisuke found himself drawn to the rain, having HEUSC keep him updated on the daily forecasts not because he was hoping to avoid bad weather, but because he wanted to know when the rain would come. On days that rain was expected, percentages of the possibility always varied. No matter the money he had, he could not determine the weather, if it did actually rain, how long it would last, or how strong it may be. More than once, the forecast betrayed him, and even looking upon the sky didn’t help bring about any certainty.
A cloudy day didn’t mean it would rain just as a sunny day didn’t promise warmth. Still, more than once, Daisuke had been caught in the rain with his partner since that first time. His complaints waned each time until they were merely a thing of the past. Haru picked up on it easily. When he would make a teasing remark, Daisuke would always collect himself and his relaxed posture would shift to one of discomfort before he snapped at the taller man and ordered they get out of the bad weather. It didn’t take more than a few times before Haru stopped calling him out.
When it rained, Daisuke even found his thoughts drifting to his partner. It always amazed him at how Haru had the ability to turn the simplest things into luxuries. It was something that, with time, Daisuke began to respect that about him a lot more. He had always paid attention to Haru in a sense, but the more time they worked together, the more he wished to learn from him.
Daisuke had periods in his life that were far from great, despite his exceeding riches. When he looked at Haru and saw that he could find happiness in the smallest things, Daisuke found that he wished to be more like that. He wanted to smile freely, he wanted to find happiness, he wanted to be so carefree and happy. How Haru had so easily become a symbol of perfectness to Daisuke was unfathomable to him, yet it was an irrefutable fact.
Time was a fickle thing, flitting by so quickly that days, weeks, and even months came to pass and would leave one wondering where all that time had gone. Daisuke had once been bored—exceedingly bored, which was sad considering he was a man with an unlimited balance of wealth at his disposal. Money could buy him anything he wanted, but it never could bring him happiness.
Not like the happiness he had begun to feel while working alongside Haru. His feelings had changed over time. While he’d been merely fascinated by the man in the beginning, that fasciation had prospered into something more—something warm and soft, and irrevocably real . Daisuke had followed him for a long time and, thanks to Haru, he’d experienced a number of things for the first time. Things he never anticipated experiencing. Things he never knew he’d want to experience, yet he’d enjoyed every second along the way.
He and Haru had spent so much time together, and not only for work. Yes, they were partners, and yes they worked together nearly every single day, but they had also sought each other out outside of those work hours. They cooked together. Haru was actually an excellent cook, and Daisuke had really taken to the craft as well. There were a few cuts and incidents along the way, but he had learned thanks to Haru, and he found that he quite liked cooking with his partner instead of having his meals prepared for him.
Not that he would actually admit that.
They watched movies together. They shared drinks. They learned more and more of each other as time passed until there were no secrets between them. Daisuke had never felt as close to anyone as he did with Haru.
That feeling deep in his chest that was so overwhelmingly warm was solely due to Haru. Daisuke longed to be by his side, to see him smiling, to annoy him and get him riled up. He could be a bit of a tease, but Haru made it so much fun, so he just couldn’t help himself.
Late nights turned into numerous sleepovers and gradually, any bit of distance between the two had somehow vanished. Instead of sitting across from one another, they’d sit side by side. Casual touches began to linger, and though they weren’t very vocal in their thoughts and desires, they’d been mutually pining for each other long enough that when the closeness went to the next level, neither of them questioned it. It was just a natural occurrence, one that they were both pleased with.
Eventually, Daisuke and Haru had begun living together, their relationship a comforting combination of luxurious and simple. Haru had opened Daisuke’s eyes to so many little things that held so much meaning to him these days, and Daisuke had opened Haru’s to a world of money.
Okay, he was still trying his best, but Haru was adamant about not turning to money for everything. Even if Haru argued all the time, Daisuke still did his best to spoil him. If he ever felt the need to purchase something befitting his partner—his lover—then he would do so without remorse. Whether Haru chided him or not, Daisuke was a man of immeasurable means and it just wouldn’t do for him not to shower the man who’d captured his heart in not only his affections but his wealth as well.
After all, Daisuke’s fortune was soon to be just as much Haru’s as it was his own.
Daisuke waited for the perfect day, having kept his plans as the only secret between himself and Haru for nearly two months before the day arrived. He drove himself and Haru out to the beach, a place they frequented for walks along the shore on occasion. The sun was just beginning to set, but the breathtaking hues of pinks and oranges most would look forward to were hidden by dark gray clouds that moved in quickly, making it appear dark enough so that one would assume the hour was later than it actually was.
It started as the occasional droplet of rain while they walked down the beach, hands clasped between them. There was a companionable silence lingering all around them for a while. Daisuke wouldn’t say he was nervous, though he was excited and anticipatory. Haru’s hand was warm, fingers linked with his own. Once they were a fair distance down the beach, Haru stopped, and Daisuke did as well, turning his head to see his lover’s head craned back, eyes on the gray sky overhead.
“It’s going to pour down on us any second now,” Haru commented.
Daisuke had been waiting for it.
“Looks like it,” Daisuke replied.
“Hm. Love how you’re not so scared of a little rain anymore, Daisuke-kun.”
Daisuke smiled. “On the contrary, I’m looking forward to it.”
As if his words were all that was needed for the dam to burst, the rain fell down on them hard and fast, loud and drenching them in seconds. Haru laughed that same free laugh of his that Daisuke had fallen in love with, and Daisuke felt himself chuckling as well.
True happiness was gaining in the face of those you love the most.
Haru was Daisuke’s happiness.
“I’ve decided to keep you,” Daisuke said, loud enough to be heard clearly over the rain, but not loud enough to be considered shouting.
Haru crossed his arms over his chest, turned his nose up, and scoffed. “You don’t own me.”
“Maybe I want to.”
The taller man clicked his tongue, but the curve of his lips was impossible to miss. “Like you could afford it.”
Daisuke pulled out the black suede ring case in his pocket and opened it, revealing the silver band inside. The inner band was engraved with Daisuke’s signature. It wasn’t the most expensive ring, but it was a ring made specially just for Haru.
“How much?” Daisuke asked with a smirk, heart bursting with joy as he watched Haru’s face light up like the dawn of a new day.
“You bastard,” Haru snapped with a wet laugh and took the ring to examine it. “That’s not how you propose, you know!”
“Who says?”
“Everybody!” Haru huffed and then muttered, “How much,” with a shake of his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Are you saying no?” Daisuke asked with a smile, though he knew better than that.
“I don’t know… it’s gonna cost you.” Haru handed the ring back and allowed Daisuke to slip it on his ring finger.
Once it was in place, Daisuke gripped his hand softly and smiled a tender smile at him. “I’m more than willing to pay.”
Haru rolled his eyes at that and pulled Daisuke in for a hug, bodies still warm despite being soaked by the rain. They held each other for a moment, silent and content, and then shared a heartfelt kiss that sealed the deal.
Their bond went beyond that of a mere partnership, they’d shared many moments, both frightful and beautiful. They’d proven too many times how passionate they were about their love for one another and would be happy to continue doing so living a simple, luxurious life.
Daisuke wanted forever with Haru. Rain or shine.