I wake up to the sounds of You
It usually starts with the smell of coffee. The familiar aroma floats in the air, slips under the bedroom door and comes to tickle his nostrils, gently pulling him towards consciousness. The tip of his tongue emerges between his lips in an unconscious gesture, as if to taste the scent around him. His eyes flutter open and it takes a few minutes before they get accustomed to the light that the thin curtains let through, but he can already identify the outlines of his nightstand and the shape of the wardrobe in the corner. He was told that the lack of darkness would help him wake up more easily in the morning, but the fact that it works doesn’t mean he has to like it.
Zen rolls on his back to stare at the ceiling. The space next to him is empty but still lukewarm, and the sounds he hears coming from the kitchen tells him all he needs to know. He breathes deeply and stares at the ceiling, listening to Hiyori’s footsteps as she runs around, opening and closing cupboards, and to his lover’s voice telling her not to run because it’s dangerous and she could get hurt. She says not to worry and that he’s really such a mother, and soon after Zen hears her squeal and laugh and he knows she just received a spray of droplets from the fogger Takafumi usually uses for the plants. Zen smiles because that happened to him too.
He doesn’t understand what Takafumi says next, but since Hiyori’s footsteps are approaching, he can guess.
There’s a knock at the door before it cracks open to reveal his teenage daughter’s face.
“Dad? It’s time to get up. Onichaan made waffles!”
Zen hums that he’ll be there in a minute.
“I’ll tell Onichaan,” Hiyori says, “but if you don’t hurry, I’ll give your waffles to Sorata!”
She closes the door and goes back to the kitchen. Zen hears the two of them betting on how many waffles they can eat before he gets out of bed and it makes him want to get up quicker. He sits up, stretches–his joints crack a lot these days but he tries to ignore that–and walks to the wardrobe. Everything is perfectly folded, stimmed and arranged by color and weather, with Takafumi’s favorites on top though the man would never admit it. It’s reassuring to know that his lover isn’t done providing him with things to tease him about.
Zen dresses up in a pair of jeans and a shirt that he knows makes Takafumi look twice, then he leaves the room to join the breakfast table. On his way, he sees Sorata sprawled across Hiyori’s bed, sleeping soundly.
They eat in a lively atmosphere; talking about Hiyori’s current school project and what they have planned for the upcoming weekend–and, yes, Takafumi did look twice. Then Hiyori has to go or she’ll miss the bus.
Takafumi gets up to help her put the dirty dishes in the sink and soon after they’re both at the door saying their goodbyes. Hiyori shouts “See you tonight, dad! Love you!” to which Zen replies that he loves her too. Soon after, Takafumi is back at the table, sipping his coffee with his face buried into the newspaper.
“You look like an old man when you do that,” Zen teases.
“Says the guy who needs glasses to read a text on his phone,” Takafumi retorts.
Ouch. Zen laughs, and though Takafumi doesn’t, he can see in the wrinkles around his eyes that he’s smiling.
They finish eating while discussing whether or not they should buy a new bicycle for Hiyori’s graduation; after all, she’ll be going to high school next year and her old one is too small for her to cover long distances with.
“Still, I’d rather she took the bus next year too. The school is too far, it’s not safe by bike,” Zen states as he finishes his cup.
A few seconds pass before Takafumi replies, “Maybe we should move closer then.”
Takafumi’s suggestion surprises Zen and he looks up to see that his lover has opened the newspaper in a way that hides his whole face from him. He doesn’t need to ask to understand the implications in Takafumi’s words. He reflects that there have been a few signs already, like Takafumi not saying a word about renewing the lease on his own apartment even though it was coming up in a few weeks, or how he doesn’t insist on sleeping in the guestroom anymore, or simply the fact that he has been staying with them every night for two months straight. He smiles for himself, because he should know by now that Takafumi will always find a way to surprise him. And he’s happy, so happy to be surprised like that.
“Yeah… Yeah, maybe we should. Somewhere with a garden, we could grow vegetables.”
Takafumi lowers his newspaper, “We could. I’ll call a college friend of mine. She’s a real estate agent, I’m sure she’ll find something for us.”
For us, those are words Zen loves to hear; he feels like they bring him luck. Their eyes meet and without another world, the matter is settled.
Once they’re done with breakfast, they clear the table. Takafumi rinses the dishes before giving them to Zen who puts them in the dishwasher, and the silence is comfortable.
Takafumi has to leave first–an early reunion with some of Emerald’s editors–so they don’t have time for their usual second-coffee-on-the-couch, but it’s okay, there’s still tomorrow and all the days after.
In the entryway, Takafumi reminds him that there’s a bentô for him in the fridge and that he better not find out later that Zen forgot it again. He puts his shoes and coat on, seemingly unfazed by Zen’s gaze on him, before grabbing his suitcase.
“I’m off.” Takafumi declares.
Zen smile widens, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Takafumi blushes but steps forward anyway. Zen leans in, hands on his lover’s cheeks as he joins their lips. The kiss is chaste and soft, nothing like the ones they share in the bedroom. This one means something very special, not just ‘I love you’.
It means ‘Wait for me, I’ll be back soon”.
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