Work Text:
2020
Yushi hums as he closes his eyes, enjoying the way the chocolate melts inside his mouth, silky and sweet. He's distracted by how much he likes this dessert. It’s not cloyingly sweet, and the bitterness of the cocoa makes him enjoy the icing for once. It's definitely within his top 5 favorite cakes, possibly behind number two, strawberry cheesecake.
He doesn't even notice the smile on Riku's face until he opens his eyes, shocked to see Riku staring at him with such a soft gaze.
“I was right, wasn't I? Didn't I tell you that you'd love this cake?” Riku asks with his signature wide grin.
It's the kind of smile that makes Yushi feel frustrated, because Riku only smiles this way to appear smug and righteous. But most of all, he hates how much he likes that smile, unable to stop himself from blushing, because lately, being with Riku makes him feel flustered, all the time.
And he thinks about how it used to be so different a year ago, when he used to get annoyed by Riku's existence, always bickering about the littlest things, and finding it annoying that Riku just had to be Kuri’s twin brother. After all, Kuri was the better twin, and Yushi was hopelessly in love with him, blinded by love at first sight and influenced Kuri’s so-called scent.
Things only started to change when Riku decided to confess to him, on his birthday, like the selfish jerk he is. The elder jokingly said it was his birthday gift to Yushi, and Yushi thought he was joking at first, until he saw his eyes, intense and full of emotions.
Nevertheless, he didn't have a reply back then, too speechless to say anything, and Riku said he was willing to wait, even if it meant forever .
And honestly, Yushi wanted to reject him. Because he thought he should be with someone like Kuri; someone well-mannered and intelligent; someone who didn't pierce his ears and someone who didn't have the personality of an annoying pest.
And maybe, because Riku was different from most people, they were able to evolve their relationship in the most common way, from hate to love.
And the biggest reason that changed Yushi’s mind was Riku’s scent, a rather unique matcha scent that pleases his omega nature. A scent that he used to think was Kuri’s, but it was actually Riku’s. After that realization, he was ready to admit that he was attracted to Riku, even when he didn’t want to. After all, every time he smelled that scent of matcha, it made him feel happy, a feeling that he couldn't replicate with any other alpha’s scent.
And despite Riku's annoying personality, being with Riku always made him feel safe . A feeling that he couldn’t often experience whenever he interacted with other alphas. But most of all, he loved how Riku never stopped caring for him, even when Yushi was mean towards him, or aloof towards him. The elder never gave up, and he was stubbornly protective, always making sure that Yushi was alright. It was these little gestures that made him fall for Riku.
In the end, Yushi shyly asked him out, mustering all of his courage while hoping that Riku hadn’t changed his mind over time, and fortunately, he didn’t. He remembered how Riku was so happy that he hugged Yushi for the longest time, refusing to let go until Yushi tried to kick his shins.
Eventually, time passed by and now they're having their Christmas date. Everything still feels new to him; their relationship and Riku’s sweet affections towards him. They've already held hands, and Riku has already kissed his forehead and cheeks so many times, but they still haven't kissed.
Yushi can't help but panic whenever Riku tries to kiss him, feeling nervous and tense because it's his first kiss. And it's kind of unfair that Riku is the only one that’s not nervous about this. After all, Riku’s first kiss happened a long time ago, with some random omega that Yushi refuses to hear about, making Yushi feel all bitter whenever he thinks about it. But most of all, Yushi just wants their first kiss to be special, something that they'll remember years from now.
“What are you thinking about?” Riku asks with a curious gaze, noticing how Yushi has stopped eating.
Yushi looks at Riku momentarily before gazing back down, feeling embarrassed for getting lost in his thoughts.
“Nothing…” he says quickly, blushing as he thinks about the possibility of having their first kiss today.
“You sure?” Riku asks, always asking him in a teasing tone, as if he knows that Yushi will admit the truth sooner or later.
“Yes,” he says pointedly before eating another bite, sending his boyfriend an annoyed gaze.
Riku doesn't mind it though, grinning as usual, taking Yushi’s hand and lightly squeezing it.
The elder ends up changing the topic, allowing Yushi some respite as they argue about the best kind of winter vacation.
And later on, Riku walks Yushi home, slipping his hand into Yushi's pocket and holding his hand tightly as they walk. By the time they reach Yushi's house, Riku pulls Yushi’s hand out of his pocket as he faces him with a nervous smile.
“What?” Yushi asks with a curious gaze.
“I got you something for Christmas,” Riku says with a shy smile. “You have to wear it, okay? This is going to be our first couple item.”
“B..but I didn't get you anything…”
“I know, and it's okay. You already know what I want,” the elder teases, tapping his lips as a hint.
Yushi glares at him for being shameless despite feeling his ears burn in embarrassment.
Riku grins at him widely before taking out something from his jacket’s pocket.
It's a tiny box from a common brand, but inside of it lays a thin silver ring, and its color matches Riku’s huggie earring. It’s supposed to be their first couple rings, with Yushi’s ring matching with Riku’s earring.
It’s not expensive enough that it’d burden Yushi, but it’s elegant enough that people can tell it’s not some cheap ring bought from a gashapon. To Yushi, it’s simply beautiful .
“Riku…” Yushi whispers out, unable to think of the right words before looking up at the elder’s eyes. “Isn’t this too much?”
“It’s not,” Riku says adamantly. “I just wanted us to have one… Plus, it’s the easiest way to get those annoying bastards to fuck off,” he says irritatedly.
“As if your scent isn’t already covering me,” Yushi reminds him while rolling his eyes, causing Riku to chuckle. Yushi smiles at hearing the familiar sound before gesturing to Riku to put the ring on his finger.
Riku grins at his reply before stepping closer and taking the ring out of the box. He slips the ring gently into Yushi’s right hand ring finger, smiling softly as he realizes that the size was perfect .
“Did you measure my finger?” Yushi asks with an accusing tone.
“I swear I made a guess. Isn't your alpha the smartest?”
Yushi scoffs, refusing to agree, and Riku simply grins at him until he notices Yushi shivering from the cold.
“I should go. Plus, you're getting cold anyway,” the elder tells him as he steps back, barely letting go of Yushi's hand, rubbing the ring on his finger.
Yushi himself doesn't want Riku to leave yet, gripping the elder’s hand as they begin to separate.
“It’s not 9 yet,” Yushi reasons. “Come inside for a bit.”
“There's only 10 minutes left,” Riku reminds him with an amused expression.
“So? That's long enough for a cup of tea!”
And the elder laughs loudly, finding Yushi's reasons to be funny before calming down.
“I shouldn't. If I stay, I won't want to leave,” Riku admits to him.
“That's okay too,” Yushi pouts, disliking the fact that Riku won't listen to him.
“I know… But I’ll see you tomorrow morning anyway. If you sleep now, you won't miss me too much,” Riku reminds him, squeezing his hand in comfort before letting go.
It's only been a few seconds of separation, but Yushi feels the loneliness within him. He still doesn't know if it's a side effect from the constant scenting he received from Riku, but he dislikes parting from Riku. He doesn't like how much he misses the elder already.
“I still haven't given you your gift yet…” Yushi mumbles without any meaning.
“You'll kiss me now?” Riku asks with a teasing tone.
“N..no,” Yushi says shyly, cursing himself for mentioning the gift he's not ready for.
“Then give it to me when you're ready,” Riku reassures him. “I'll wait as always,” he promises him. “Good night.”
Riku turns around to leave and Yushi can't bear to end the night like this. He still wants Riku to stay longer, but he knows the elder is right. It's already almost 9 pm, near his curfew, and he should just go to bed and look forward to tomorrow. Plus, he’s not ready to kiss Riku anyway, too scared to even lean in to do it.
But… he's not scared of kissing his cheek.
So he immediately grabs Riku's sleeve before he can walk further and he pulls him backward, tugging him to come closer. Riku looks confused momentarily before he realizes Yushi's intentions when the younger stands on his toes and leans in. He feels the soft lips press against his cheek, the slight traces of saliva that imprints on his skin. He grins widely, feeling his heart beat too quickly.
“Oh…” Yushi notices the red lip balm that was left on Riku's cheek, reaching out to wipe it off.
“No! That's my kiss mark!” Riku immediately argues while leaning away from his hand. “You can't wipe it off. Let me keep it.”
Yushi huffs loudly as he pushes Riku away, finding his boyfriend silly. His face feels flushed after that innocent kiss.
“I'm going to take a photo of this and post this!” Riku teases Yushi as he walks away. “See you tomorrow Yuu-chan!”
Yushi sticks his tongue out in retaliation before running off to his door without a second look. His heart is beating wildly and his ears are burning, but he can't wait to see Riku again.
**
It’s always the scent of matcha that stirs Yushi awake in the morning, simply because he knows that Riku is right beside him, waiting for him to wake up.
Sometimes the elder is sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the bed as he closes his eyes, waiting for Yushi to wake up, and sometimes he’s sitting in the bed, near Yushi’s feet, silently waiting as he watches his phone. In either position, he’ll lean in and wish him a good morning as Yushi stirs awake.
“Yuu-chan, good morning,” Riku says happily, face leaning too close against him.
Yushi always tries to push him away, claiming that he hasn’t brushed his teeth yet, but Riku ignores his complaints anyway and kisses his nose, making Yushi giggle shyly.
Plus, ever since they started dating, early morning is usually the time when Riku would scent him heavily, needing extra time to make sure his matcha scent will envelop Yushi’s body.
Senting can usually be done in two ways, one where Riku can lick Yushi’s scent gland, which is a sexual way, or rubbing his own scent gland into Yushi’s, a rather tamed version. There is always a scent gland in the neck and in the wrists for every person, but omegas have extra glands in their thighs and their nipples, while alphas have two glands in their neck. It’s why alphas scents tend to be overpowering since they're not covered by clothes.
If an omega isn’t scented by an alpha, they usually cover their gland with a patch, and Yushi used to wear it regularly until he started dating Riku. And he definitely doesn't miss those patches, hating the way it used to irritate his skin and caused him to have the occasional fever.
Plus, scenting with Riku feels somewhat romantic, since they’ll end up staring at each other, feeling bashful while slightly flirting by nudging each other or making funny faces. It’s one of his favorite morning habits now, and he always feels sad whenever he can’t scent with him since the elder is sometimes away for his kendo tournaments.
“Can I scent you now?” the elder murmurs as he lays his chin on the bed, staring at Yushi’s eyes.
“Mhm,” Yushi smiles sleepily, craning his head so Riku can easily access his neck.
“I was thinking you should come over after the New Year shrine visit,” Riku starts to say as he leans in closer, placing his wrist gently on Yushi’s neck, making sure to not press that hard as he rubs. “I’m going to make you osechi, so you have to try it.”
Yushi can only whimper in agreement, unable to say any words since scenting is an intense experience for him, even if they’re not doing anything sexual. Yushi’s gland will secrete oil as Riku rubs his wrist gland against it, causing their glands to glide and mix in scent. Riku’s oil gland will eventually seal up Yushi’s gland, keeping the omega’s scent sealed and allowing Riku’s scent to envelop him. The oil seal will only last a day, compared to a saliva seal that can last a few days.
So sometimes Riku stops for a few minutes, giving Yushi a chance to calm down before continuing again.
“Are you going to make ozoni too?” Yushi asks with hazy eyes, a side effect from scenting.
“Nah, too hard,” Riku admits. “But I’ll make you gyoza.”
“Okay,” Yushi agrees before yawning while closing his mouth, sitting up slowly, purposely covering his arousal.
“Can I help you change?” Riku asks with a teasing smile.
“Go wait downstairs,” Yushi says while shooing him away, despite smiling in a good mood.
“Yes, yes,” Riku pretends to be disappointed, trudging slowly as he exits the room.
As soon as Riku exits, Yushi flops into bed again, smelling the gland on his wrist. He smiles and giggles as he smells Riku’s scent oozing out of his gland, feet lightly thumping against the bed.
He’s already looking forward to today’s date.