a/n: last chapter, how we feeling?
.azumane.
i was in the back room of my shop with a coworker, getting ready to close up, and i heard the bell up front, indicating that someone had just walked in.
"scusi!" a loud voice said. "do you know where i can find azumane-san?"
he must've been talking to matteo in the front room.
it was strange to hear the sudden japanese honorific in the middle of an italian sentence, but it must've been habit.
"your fiancé?" my coworker, andrea laughed.
i smiled.
"yeah, he can be loud sometimes."
"that's alright, i think we all are sometimes. i can't really imagine you being too loud though."
"yeah, sometimes i-"
i was cut off by a loud, "ASAHIIIIII!!!" then the door to the back room also burst open, and yuu ran in.
i apologized to andrea, who nodded and started clocking out, then turned back to yuu.
"hey, yuu, close up early today?"
"yep! you guys making anything new here?"
"always are, fashion is an ever-changing industry."
"gelato too! i mean... i guess you kind of have to stick to the staples, but it's fun to experiment making new flavors!"
"i bet," i replied, then turned to andrea who was heading out the door. "see you tuesday."
"yep, see you then!"
then she left and i turned back to yuu, switching back to japanese.
"ready to go?"
"doesn't that guy up front have to leave first?"
"matteo? i mean technically since i'm the boss, yes, i should be the last to leave, but it doesn't really matter. he knows how to lock up. besides, he's probably left already."
"already?! i haven't been here for that long!"
"he probably made a beeline for the door as soon as you came in here," i chuckled.
"dang, that's kind of mean."
"it's nothing personal, he probably just wanted to escape before he had to work any extra hours."
"why would he have to work extra hours? we're leaving now, and i'm not a customer or anything."
"i'm not sure if he knows that, and usually when people come in asking to see me, they want a consultation, which can take a long time with measuring, picking out fabrics, starting sketches, and all that."
"i guess you're right... anyway, let's get out of here! it's a holiday weekend, baby!"
i laughed.
"yeah, it's a holiday weekend."
"don't sound so enthusiastic," he muttered, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the front room. "hope you were done back there."
"yeah, but i still have to lock up before we leave, so don't get too overenthusiastic."
"what is that supposed to mean?"
we exited, and i closed and locked the door behind me.
"oh, you know. i know you very well, and i know that you are very easily excitable, which isn't a bad thing!" i kissed his forehead. "now let's get out of here."
we left the shop, yuu skipping along slightly.
"keep up! i wanna hold your hand!"
"you can either skip or hold my hand, but you can't have both."
he stuck his tongue out.
"meanie. i choose to skip though, it's fun and i have too much energy in me right now! i can always hold your hand later!"
"alright, then you've made your decision."
"i certainly have," he called back over his shoulder.
i smiled fondly, but still walked a little faster just to keep up with him.
we wandered along the grand canal, just taking in the sights. the flow of the water, the people around us, the late afternoon sky, the colorful buildings, and the beautiful flower boxes.
"you know what's weird?" yuu asked after a minute.
he had finally slowed down a bit and was now holding my hand.
"what's weird?" i replied.
"we've lived here for almost a year, and we've never gone to the doge's palace! i didn't get the chance when i was here during college either, and i really wanna see it. i especially think the bridge of sighs is interesting."
"the bridge of sighs?"
he turned me around and pointed to an enclosed white bridge far in the distance.
"that's the bridge of sighs. it's called that because prisoners would be taken through there on the way to their cells, and apparently they would sigh as they caught their last glimpse of venice through those tiny windows."
i squinted and adjusted my glasses but i didn't see the windows.
"must be some pretty small windows," i complained, still squinting.
he grabbed my shoulder and spun me back around, and we kept walking.
"nah, you're just going blind, old man."
"old man?!"
he laughed.
"just joking, babe. but seriously, do you remember when people would sometimes mistake me for your child? that was creepy as fuck."
"yeah, that was really weird." i groaned. "made me feel like a weird perv too."
"it's okay, i know the truth." i felt comforted until he finished his sentence. "you are a weird perv!"
i spluttered for a moment, ready to defend myself, but he put a hand in my face, stopping me in my tracks.
"please, don't act like i haven't caught you staring at me in the shower."
"so it's fine when you do it to me, but not the other way around?"
"yes."
"damn, way to make a guy feel insecure."
"only joking," he reminded.
i snapped and pointed finger guns at him.
👉😂👉
"it's a good thing my anxiety can't tell the difference between real statements and jokes."
"ugh, sorry, i forgot."
i shook my head.
"nah, it's okay, i'm doing a lot better these days anyway, so it's not a big deal. i'll probably have forgotten about this by next week."
he nodded.
"that's good. now... it's still a little early, but i'm hungry. can we find some food?"
"sure thing. i don't have any strong opinions, so you can lead the way."
he took my hand again and started leading me towards a narrow side street. well, all streets in venice (besides the grand canal) were narrow side streets, technically.
"you never have any strong opinions," he teased.
i grinned. that reminded me of a certain conversation from many years ago.
"sorry. i just don't have any particular leanings in this subject at the moment."
he turned back to look at me for a moment and laugh.
"that's alright. lucky for you, i'm very decisive."
///
after dinner, we had returned to our small apartment and were getting ready for bed. it was a bit early, but it's not like we had much else to do. besides, with the long weekend ahead, and monday off, we could afford to mess up our sleep schedules a bit.
although since we both owned our own businesses, we could choose when to close up shop, but it was a federal holiday anyway.
i was changing into pajamas, and i dropped my shirt, so i leaned down to pick it up, but when i did, yuu smacked my ass.
i yelped and stood up straight, turning to look at him.
"what was the reason?" i asked, quickly snatching my shirt off the floor.
before i could put it on, he stopped me.
"keep the shirt off. and i just think you're hot. plus i enjoy the reaction i can get out of you."
i rolled my eyes, feeling my face burn.
"and i'm the perv in this relationship apparently. how many people have you said that too anyway?"
"just you, babe."
i looked at him skeptically.
"okay, so maybe there have been occasions when i called ryū hot or sexy... and maybe sometimes with chikara... and kazuhito and hisashi... but can you blame me?! i just think my friends are attractive, and wanted to let them know."
i smiled and shook my head.
"you're a weirdo."
"like you've never called daichi or suga sexy before."
we got into bed.
"well, about that... can i tell you a secret?"
i had actually been thinking about this for a while, zoning out occasionally, contemplating whether or not i should tell him. after that little echo of a years-past conversation from earlier, it had been on my mind.
i had never told him what had happened between us, and maybe it wasn't that important, but i still owed him the truth, so i finally decided to speak up. plus, this was the perfect opportunity anyway.
he looked at me curiously.
"sure, what is it?"
"back in college, i had a threesome with suga and daichi."
he had been holding his phone, but when i said that, he dropped it on the bed.
"you what?! are you serious?!"
"uh, yeah. it was only for a couple months, and we're all friendly now."
"well, i remember at graduation they did tell me they liked you. and i told them to take good care of you. did they take good care of you?"
"yes, they did."
"well that's good. and i can see why you'd wanna sleep with them too, they're pretty hot. do you think they'd wanna have a foursome?"
"yuu, what the-? they're married and have a whole child?!"
"and? we're engaged and have a dog, which is pretty much the same thing."
"i really don't think it is. plus, that would be a long trip for just a one time thing."
he wiggled his eyebrows at me.
"who said it would be one time?"
"oh my god, we're not having a foursome!"
"not even like... skype sex or anything?"
"yuu! no!"
he shook his head disappointedly.
"damn, that's sad. oh well, time zones are a little screwy anyway since they're in japan and we're in italy. we made it work all those years ago though."
"for god's sake, we're not having a skype sex foursome with daichi and suga."
"but what about-?"
"we're not having a skype sex foursome with tanaka and ennoshita either."
"damnit! would you mind if i had a-"
"yes, i would mind if you had a skype sex threesome with them. i think they would mind too. and again, time zones, since they're in america."
"fuck! you know me too well."
"yep, i sure do."
"i mean, it's only..." he trailed off and looked at the clock. "11am for them! so they'd be awake."
"it's not a matter of whether of not they're awake!"
"ugh, fine. and as long as we're sharing secrets here, i can't blame ya for sleeping with them. daichi and suga, i mean. i slept around kind of a lot during my second year mostly. i picked it up again a little in italy, cuz i knew i was falling for you again, and that was scary, but i put an end to that pretty quick cuz it didn't feel right. and here we are now! happy couple once again."
"uh huh, it took long enough."
"that's not my fault though. i mean i guess a little bit. but it's also a little bit your fault."
"yeah, it is."
"i think we're just kind of stupid."
i laughed.
"maybe a little."
"that's one of my favorite things about us though," he said with a smile, linking our hands. "even though it took us a while to figure out, we ended up here, and i think that's a sign that we're definitely meant to be together. it's like the universe was testing our relationship and we passed."
"that was the hardest test i've ever taken then."
"me too."
"but hey, you're right. we made it to where we are today, and i'm so happy. i mean, when i asked you out the second time, you could've said no after i broke up with you. but you said yes, and here we are."
"here we are," he agreed. "oh, but also, you're crazy if you think i could've said no when you asked me out. are you kidding, man?! like yeah, the whole breakup thing or whatever, but that was years ago, and i was in love with you again anyway, if you couldn't tell by my texts."
"la luna é bella, vero?"
he blushed and smiled.
"posso morire felice."
"i like that," i decided. "i feel like it's our thing."
he nodded.
"me too. like, probably not many people would do that. because the phrase originates in japanese, but then we just say it in italian. and technically it's an idiom so it technically doesn't work in italian, but i still like it."
"me too. and i think it works just fine."
"it does work very well."
i studied his face for a while, and realized that at this moment, i was incredibly happy.
i couldn't help but smile some more as it dawned on me, and i leaned forward to kiss him.
he placed his hands on the sides of my face, pulling me closer to himself.
for about a minute, it was just him and me, and nothing else. our lips touching, and the love between us.
every point of contact with him felt like it was on fire. his hands on my face, my hands on his waist, the spots where his legs intwined with mine, where his elbow bumped gently against my ribs as he pulled back.
he was smiling widely as well.
"i love you," i whispered.
"i love you too," he replied, in the same low tone.
we didn't need to yell the words from rooftops. it wasn't necessary that everyone know we were in love. it just mattered that we knew. and that we knew that that would never change.
from the corner of my eye, i caught a glimpse of the moon shining through the curtains. it really was beautiful tonight. and with yuu next to me, i could die happy.
i didn't need anything else at this moment- just being able to hold him close was perfect for me. with him, every day was like an adventure, and i was so glad i had fallen for him.
i couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.