Chapter 1

jump to second chapter?

The off-season brought with it its own set of responsibilities. Kagiura still needed to stay in shape for the next few months, so he used the day planner Hirano bought for him to map his training regimen: blocking out the weeks he'd be going off to training camp and tentatively pencilling in the days where his teammates had all but begged Kagiura to go drinking with them so they could meet the "blond beauty" he was engaged to.

He still wasn't sure if he should take them up on the offer. Some private, selfish part of him wanted to keep Hirano all to himself.

Those were the thoughts making their way through a 23-year-old Akira Kagiura's mind one humid June morning. The sun was only just starting to peek over the horizon, bathing the streets in a soft golden light. The world fell silent, save for the rhythmic sound of his own footsteps on the pavement. Loathe as he was to admit it, waking up early had its perks.

The early morning runs had been Hirano's idea, after a few failed attempts at maintaining his sleep schedule during the off-season. He'd taken to gruffly waking Kagiura up every morning for his run, only to flop cutely back into bed once he was up. Feeling nostalgic, Kagiura always liked to leave a soft kiss in Hirano's hair before he left as a promise he'd be back soon.

A stray raindrop beaned him in the eye, interrupting his train of thought. Was it supposed to rain today? Hirano would chew him out when he got back for not checking the forecast… if he was awake by then. Kagiura figured if he reached their apartment and showered fast enough, he could dodge that conversation altogether. Besides, wasn't there a shortcut he could use to get there faster? Hirano had mentioned it a few times.

With his mind made up, Kagiura decided to make up for lost time later and tried to remember the shortcut back to their place. He had to have a little knowledge of the area after more than a year living there… even if he'd been at away games for half of that… even if Hirano was usually the one to drive him everywhere, because Kagiura still didn't have a license. Still, he stubbornly refused to get his phone wet just to use the navigation app.

He ran at his usual speed at first, picking up the pace when he felt the raindrops falling heavier, and breaking out into a sprint when he realized he had no clue where he was. Unfamiliar streets lined with unfamiliar homes seemed to coil around him endlessly. Defeated, Kagiura took refuge under the awning of a nearby convenience store— not yet open for the day— hoping to wait the rest of the storm out.

While wringing his shirt out, Kagiura wondered absently if he would catch another cold. He hadn't caught one yet this summer, and with how often he usually got sick, he felt due for one. Fevers were always pretty miserable, but he secretly enjoyed how Hirano would dote on him with cool washcloths and fresh porridge every time. Kagiura smiled to himself at the thought. He'll get mad at me if I say all that to him, though.

Glancing up, Kagiura caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye. Hoping it was from a local who could give him directions, he poked his head out from under the awning with an "Ah, excuse me…" only to see the same empty street as before.

He frowned. Kagiura trusted his instincts— they were vital to surviving on the court, after all— so it was a little unnerving to be completely wrong like that. Shaking off the thought that maybe the cold was starting to get to him, he scanned that same street again to find what had caught his eye.

His gaze landed on a cardboard box across the street, small enough that he'd missed it in his rush to find shelter. There was a single sheet of printer paper taped to it, fluttering slightly in the wind, saturated from the rain. Inside the box was a worn-out pillow, and on that pillow was a tiny black lump. Charcoal?

Thinking that a little more rain couldn't hurt him, his curiosity brought him out from under the awning so he could crouch down and look at the box. The lump looked oddly soft, reminding him of one of Niibashi's paintbrushes. No, that wasn't right. The way it was shaped, it almost looked like…

His heart dropped to his stomach. Looking again at the paper taped to the box, he could see writing on it now that he was close. Smudged from the rain but still legible, it read: Please adopt me.

Kagiura's eyes flitted back up to the black lump on the pillow— it still hadn't moved at all— then up at the building in front of him. It was a huge condo, with no way of telling who had left the box outside. Slowly, his hand trembling, he tried touching the lump with his index finger.

The puppy squirmed under his touch. Kagiura's whole body sagged with a ragged sigh of relief.

He picked up the box and ran back under the awning, making sure to support the bottom in case the wet cardboard gave out. It was so small— was it a newborn? Why wasn't it with its mom?

Shifting the box's weight to one arm, Kagiura pulled his phone out of his pocket. He tried wiping it off on his shirt, but that just made things worse, so he decided he could live with the wet screen for now. When he powered it on, he could see two missed texts from Hirano:

(6:04 AM) You OK? You're usually back by now.

(6:06 AM) Your jacket's still in the closet. Were you caught in the rain?

Kagiura smiled at his partner's attentiveness. He wrote back I'm okay! And then, after a moment's hesitation, he added Do you remember if our lease allows pets???

Kagiura watched Hirano's typing… bubble come and go a few times with some amusement. Eventually, he sent back:

(6:11 AM) It does.

(6:11 AM) Where the HELL are you right now?

Kagiura couldn't help the snicker that escaped him as he read his partner's bewildered texts. No one seemed to be around to hear him laughing to himself, so he figured it was probably fine.

No one human, anyway. Kagiura glanced at the puppy, still squirming in its bed. Belatedly, he realized they were staring at him— it was hard to tell, since their beady eyes were the same colour as their coat. He swallowed down a sudden rush of emotion. I wonder if this is how new parents feel.

Kagiura tore his gaze from the puppy to look back at his phone screen. He didn't exactly know how to answer Hirano's question, so in lieu of doing that he opened his navigation app and let it use his location. Surprisingly, Kagiura was a measly six blocks away from their apartment; if he craned his neck up to look, he could see the taller buildings he was more familiar with. He flushed a little with embarrassment at his poor sense of direction.

Six blocks… normally, he'd close that distance in a few minutes. But with precious cargo onboard, he'd have to be careful.

Kagiura held the box closer to his chest, indulging one last look into the puppy's eyes. "Hold on tight, okay?"

He found himself counting his footfalls the same way his coach had during their stamina drills in high school: one-two, one-two, like they were in the military. It felt nice to focus on the feeling of his shoes hitting the pavement. He felt like an animal that moved on instinct, trying to push the rain beating down on him and whether or not the dog would be okay into the farthest reaches of his mind. For now, his human worries would have to wait. At least until they got home.

By the time he reached their apartment complex, Kagiura felt like he was more puddle than person. He stumbled into the main floor, dripping shamelessly onto the carpets and into the elevator. Punching in his floor number, he leaned back with a sigh as the doors closed. Deciding to poke the puppy again just because, he was rewarded with them squirming like a pillbug.

After fumbling in his pocket for his keys, Kagiura managed to open the door to their apartment one-handed. A savory smell wafted through the room— eggs, maybe? From the corner of his eye, he caught the puppy cutely sitting up at attention. "Taiga-san, I'm home."

From the kitchen came a muffled "Welcome back, Kagi-kun." Kagiura heard the click of a burner turning off and Hirano saying "I keep telling you, the forecast exists for a reason…" before he came to the entranceway to greet him, voice trailing off at the sight of his fiancé.

Kagiura shifted in place awkwardly. "Umm, Taiga-san… Do you know where the nearest vet clinic is?"

Hirano blinked at him a few times, seemingly processing the question. "Eh?" His eyes darted to the box tucked into the crook of Kagiura's arm, with the little black dog trying to climb out from inside. "Huh? What?! Whoa! Hey!"

Worried they might fall out and hurt themselves, Kagiura tried to tilt the box to keep the dog from escaping. Hirano was on him in an instant, gently taking the box from his arms and staring at the puppy with wide eyes.

"Kagi-kun, you can't just bring in stray animals like this. What if it belongs to someone? Or what— what if it's rabid?"

"It's not like that! Look, the paper says 'please adopt me'. I found them on the side of the road."

As he spoke, Hirano was slowly turning the box around to look at the taped-on plea. The puppy seemed to be taking an interest in him, silently working their way up the pillow to sniff Hirano's hand.

Kagiura watched Hirano close his eyes for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought. When he opened them, Kagiura sensed a new resolve coming from him.

"Okay. I'll look up where the nearest vet clinic is. But I'm going alone, alright? You need to shower. I don't want you getting sick, Akkun."

His partner's open concern made Kagiura's face feel warm. Part of him was worried about letting the puppy out of his sight, but he trusted his fiancé to be the same kind and conscientious person he fell in love with.

"I will. Um… Can I kiss you?"

Hirano blinked at him owlishly a few times before letting out a bright peal of laughter. "No way in hell. Not 'till you're dry."

Kagiura pouted at him, which only made Hirano laugh harder. He brought his free hand up to pinch Kagiura's cheek. "You big baby. Breakfast's on the counter, okay?"

The sting of being laughed at was mitigated a bit by getting to see his lover's blinding grin aimed squarely at him. "Okay. Drive safe."

"I will."

Kagiura left to grab his clothes and shower. With some embarrassment, he realized his white t-shirt had been soaked through, leaving little to the imagination.

Sparing a glance back into the entryway, he saw Hirano gently wiping off the puppy with his sleeve, speaking to them in a soft voice.

By the time Kagiura came out of the shower, Hirano was already gone. Checking his phone, he found two new texts:

(6:58 AM) At the vet. Explained the situation. They're taking it in for an examination. Said it's probably fine, but since it's so small they want to be certain.

(7:00 AM) And they're checking it for fleas and stuff.

Kagiura kept an eye on his phone as he grabbed some eggs and pancakes from the counter. It was always a little lonely whenever he ate by himself, but having Hirano give him live updates like this kind of made it feel like he was with him.

The next texts came in as he was washing his hands after eating; he rushed to dry his hands so he could pick up his phone, only for his enthusiasm to make the hand towel fall off its hook. Mentally reflecting on his hastiness, he carefully hung it back up and checked his phone.

(7:29 AM) No parasites or anything, apparently. They say it's good you caught it when you did.

(7:30 AM) No microchip either.

Kagiura decided to use this time to clean the apartment a little. Without realizing, he found himself trying to dog-proof any places he thought the little puppy might get into and hurt themselves. He carefully put an old sofa cover over their couch, worried they might worm their way between the cushions and get stuck.

The last update came in as he was downing a big glass of orange juice as a reward for a job well done.

(7:43 AM) I signed some paperwork so they could register the dog's medical record in their system. I put your name down too, as my spouse. Vet trips are kind of expensive.

(7:45 AM) She's a girl, by the way.

(7:45 AM) The dog, I mean.

Kagiura felt himself grin from ear to ear. The word spouse made his whole body feel warm and fuzzy, like he was about to float up out of the window and soar into the sky like a plane. He sent back his finest arrangement of heart emojis.

(7:45 AM) I mean, the veterinarian was also a woman. Not that that matters obviously

💞🥰💞🥰🥺🥰💖🥺😭😭💖😁💖💖💖💖😚😚😚💖👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨💒🐶 (7:45 AM)

(7:45 AM) Love you too, Akki.

(7:46 AM) ❤️

Chapter 2

Kagiura had seen tons of cute pictures of Niibashi's dog over the years. Niibashi liked to brag about winning contests with her, too. (Kagiura could never remember the name of the breed, though. It was something foreign. "Beaching Frizzy"?) Thinking he probably knew a lot about this stuff, Kagiura took the time to text Niibashi a few dog questions while Hirano was at the pet store.

Niibashi proved his hunch right almost immediately, though the huge block of text he sent after being asked What kind of dog food should we get?? was a little hard to parse. Kagiura dutifully forwarded it all to Hirano anyway.

You're my saviour!! I'll send pictures when they come back 🙏 (9:05 AM)

Thanks for responding right away too. Aren't you at work right now though???? (9:05 AM)

(9:06 AM) ugh. whatever

(9:08 AM) i'm holding you to that. let me know if you guys have any more questions

Kagiura set his cellphone down on the coffee table with a sigh. It felt good to accomplish something, even if he was just acting as the middleman between his best friend and his partner. (He wasn't sure if Hirano would be okay with Kagiura giving his number to someone else. And Niibashi always refused his offers to set up a group text with the three of them, saying it'd be "harrowing" and a "psychosexual nightmare", or something. Kagiura chose to take it as a compliment.)

With how rare a shared day off was for them, he found himself at a loss for what to do when "spend all day with the love of his life" suddenly wasn't an option. Especially since leaving the apartment was probably a bad idea if Hirano was gonna be back soon. Instead, he went through his usual glut of stretches, did pushups until his arms felt numb, tried to beat his old record for consecutive squats, re-watched an old game, re-dusted all their surfaces, re-re-adjusted all their photo frames so he could look into Hirano's eyes again, and even played through a few chapters of a mobile game he'd seen Shirahama play on stream.

In the end, he settled on lying down on the floor starfish-style, checking his phone every few seconds to see if Hirano had sent him anything. When it did finally go off, Kagiura sat up fast enough that he felt a little woozy.

The message on his screen was direct: Can you meet me in the garage? I need help carrying stuff out of the car. Kagiura took the stairs down two at a time.

He could spot Hirano's shock of blond hair immediately. "Taiga-san!"

Hirano whirled around to look at him with a wild grin— it'd be funny if Kagiura hadn't missed him just as much. "Hey, Kagi. Can you carry the dog food for me? It's in the trunk."

Kagiura brought his hand up in a playful salute, which earned him a rough pat on the head and an all-too-fond sounding "Quit messing around!" from Hirano.

The bag in question was gigantic; it barely fit into the trunk of Hirano's car. It had a picture of a white puppy printed on it, the same breed as Niibashi's dog.

"This one's no good," Kagiura said, pointing at its face. "Our puppy's gonna see the picture and get jealous."

Kagiura couldn't see Hirano from where he was standing, but he heard his sharp Ha! loud and clear. "Only if she takes after you."

"Taiga-san!"

Hirano's laughter sounded particularly melodic echoing throughout the parking garage, even as Kagiura could feel his cheeks warming up. He hefted the bag over his shoulder, hoping it would hide his face. "So, what kind of food did you get?"

Kagiura could hear the car door close— Hirano must have finished hauling the puppy out of the car. "I asked the pet store guy what food's good for a dog her age, and I chose the cheapest option he suggested."

"Taiga-san! That's no good! Niibashi'll get mad at us if he finds out!"

Hirano snorted. "Niibashi can foot the bill if he cares that much."

The rain had let up. Hirano— he'd bought a leash for the puppy while he was out— seemed to have his hands full trying to manoeuver her around the fresh puddles littering the ground. The giant bag of dog food obstructed Kagiura's line of sight, but he could hear Hirano's bright laughs and exclamations of "Easy, girl!" loud and clear.

Kagiura cleared his throat a little. "Hey, Taiga-san…"

"Hm?"

"Isn't there something you're forgetting?"

They stepped into the apartment building. Kagiura could feel more than see Hirano's piercing gaze on him.

"…Oh, right. She's not a newborn, like you thought."

"Eh?"

"You can tell 'cause her eyes are open. And she eats solid food. The vet said she looked about ten weeks old, but she wasn't sure." Stepping into the elevator with him, Kagiura could see a shoulder come up and down as Hirano shrugged. "She's just really small. Maybe she was the runt of her litter?"

"Oh… Um… That's interesting."

"Yeah. Not like we can ask her how old she is, though." For the first time since he'd picked up the giant bag of dog food, Kagiura could see Hirano's face as he bent down to grin at the puppy. "Isn't that right?"

The puppy just seemed happy to be part of the conversation. She stumbled from side to side excitedly as Hirano showered affection on her.

Kagiura shifted the weight in his arms, making doubly sure his face was obscured from Hirano. Not that it mattered, given how taken he seemed to be with the dog. Kagiura locked eyes with her and stuck his tongue out, slowly and deliberately.

…

The elevator doors opened with a ding. Kagiura valiantly resisted the urge to bury his face into the bag.

What the hell was wrong with him?!

Adults didn't have thoughts like this. Adults were… normal about their partners falling in love with their pets. Happy, even.

Kagiura kept his head down, staring at patterns in the carpet below them. He recalled a similar instance of him growing jealous of a dog back in high school, and how Hirano had cottoned onto said jealousy almost immediately. If he let those feelings consume him again, he'd be no better than that 17-year-old boy, nervous and unsteady in his new relationship. Hirano would realize how unreliable he really was and leave him, taking the dog, to shack up with Sasaki.

Sasaki's in a relationship, you blockhead. You went to their housewarming party last month.

Kagiura watched Hirano unlock their apartment door. He let himself get swept up in following each of his mini-expressions, smiling at how his mouth twisted in annoyance when he fumbled his key fob. Kagiura loved to watch him, even when he was in a bad mood; it felt like he was always learning something new about the person he loved.

It's not fair to him to think petty things like that. Hirano had given Kagiura his word that he wanted to be with him and only him for the rest of his life. Who was Kagiura to doubt that?

He set the bag of dog food down in the entranceway. They'd find somewhere better to put it later. "Actually, Taiga-san, there's something else you're forgetting."

"Huh? Did I forget to buy something? I tried to get everything in the list you sent me…"

"No, that's not it. Don't you remember? What you said before you left?"

Hirano's blank stare stung more than it should've. "What I… Wait, are you feeling sick? You should've told me sooner. I wouldn't have made you lift stuff."

Hirano took a step closer, letting the palm of his hand rest under Kagiura's bangs. His eyes were sharp as he let his hand slide down to the underside of his jaw, then the back of his neck, scrutinizing Kagiura's face like he was trying to solve a Rubik's cube. The contact was nice, but frustrating— before he could stop it, a needy whine made its way out of Kagiura's mouth. "Not that! Taiga… You know… I'm dry now, so…"

Kagiura could see the cogs turning in Hirano's head before his lips formed a little 'o' of understanding. "Oh, you mean… pfff…"

"Don't laugh at me!"

Hirano doubled over in glee, his head crashing into Kagiura's chest before his sentence could make it out intact. Kagiura pointedly ignored the part of him that loved his fiancé's sharp, barking laughter, even when it was aimed at his bruising ego. "Sorry, Kagi-kun. You just seemed so serious, I didn't realize."

Still fighting off a few giggles, Hirano straightened back up to cradle Kagiura's jaw with his free hand. He left a peck on his cheek— Kagiura could feel his teeth on it, he was still grinning— before angling his head down for a proper kiss.

It was amazing, obviously. Kagiura didn't think he could ever get tired of kissing Hirano. His kisses were bold and sweet and endearingly direct, just like him. Kagiura brought a hand up to rest against Hirano's neck, and felt more than heard his hum of approval.

Too quickly, Hirano made another little noise and pulled away from the kiss. He turned to look at the puppy; she was tugging on her leash, eager to explore the rest of the apartment. "Oh. Sorry, girl."

As Hirano squat down to un-clip the leash from her collar, Kagiura indulged in one more pout at the dog. Her cute, beady eyes stared ceaselessly back at him.

"Aw, she's looking at you."

"…Uh-huh."

Feeling embarrassed over his outburst, he excused himself to make them something to drink.

Hirano took his coffee with a little bit of sweetener added to it, while Kagiura added a generous amount of milk to his own. Hirano liked to poke fun at Kagiura's cups of "coffee-flavoured milk", but Kagiura couldn't understand how Hirano's stomach could handle black coffee with barely anything added to it.

It was still fun to make for him, though. That, plus Hirano's smile and gentle "thanks, Kagi-kun" never failed to lift Kagiura's spirits.

The puppy seemed to be sniffing Kagiura's cellphone, lying forgotten on the coffee table across from her. Remembering his earlier promise to Niibashi, Kagiura gently picked her up and tried to move her little limbs around in an attempt to pose her. She squirmed in his arms. "I told Niibashi I'd send him photos," he said, noticing Hirano's confused look.

Hirano took a contemplative sip of his coffee before setting the cup back down on a coaster. "Here. Give her to me."

Kagiura did as he was told, watching Hirano's fond smile widen as he delicately set her down on his lap. She seemed to take to it immediately, flopping down and nuzzling her little face into his jeans.

"I'm not wearing black today, so it's a pretty good backdrop, right?"

Kagiura frowned. "The lighting would be… y'know…."

The lighting would be perfect, actually, now that he was paying attention to it. The light streaming through their open window made her little features more visible, even when she buried half of them in Hirano's thigh. He sighed and dutifully took the picture.

"…Me next."

Hirano snickered. "No way. You'd break my legs."

IMG_240621 (9:45 AM)

(9:48 AM) she's wayyy too cute for you

😑 (9:49 AM)

(9:49 AM) you guys decide on a name yet?

Kagiura looked up from his screen. "He's asking if we gave her a name."

"Mm. I was looking at some."

Hirano turned his own phone screen around so Kagiura could see it. He'd googled Coolest dog names, and nearly every link on the results page was already purple. "You got any ideas?"

Kagiura bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Um, not really."

Hirano clicked his tongue in frustration, going back to the grind. Kagiura nursed his cup of coffee as he watched Hirano scroll through every single website his search presented him with, listening happily to his running commentary.

Hirano squinted at his screen. "Here's a new one. Uh… 'Top Ten Kawaii-tastic Names for Your New Fur Baby'."

"'Kawaii-tastic'…?"

"That's the part that threw you off?" He was smiling, but still read through the article dutifully. "Oh, it's just a list of common names for pets. These could be good."

"What, you want a boring name for our fur baby?"

Hirano's face twisted up a little in amusement. "Well, someone didn't like the name Kazuma."

"That was our old dorm manager's name! It doesn't suit her."

"Or Stalin. I told you, it's a band name, it's okay."

"Absolutely not! Does she look like a Stalin?!"

Hirano leaned back to take in the tiny puppy still lounging in his lap. "Yeah. She does."

Kagiura groaned, though the smile on his face belied how happy he was feeling. He really couldn't tell if Hirano was being serious or not. Distressingly, the determined gleam in his eye was starting to look a little too genuine. "I can't believe you. No, we shouldn't name her Stalin. It'd be humiliating every time we go to the vet."

Hirano chuckled. "Your loss."

Kagiura set his empty mug on the table, content to drink in his fiancé's look of concentration instead. Hirano really looked lovely like this, with his eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed into slits; it reminded Kagiura of their early morning study sessions in school. The admiration he felt for Hirano— for his dedication, for his smarts, for his kindness— mixed happily with how effortlessly handsome and cool he always seemed to be, swirling together in a sweet pool of affection that sat warm in Kagiura's gut.

"Hana… Well, she doesn't look like much of a 'Hana', does she? You know any flowers that're as dark as her?"

Kagiura pushed his hand up to his mouth, trying to keep a dopey grin off his face. "Nope. Do you?"

"Not really. Let's see… how about Moka?"

"Like the coffee? Cute!"

Hirano grinned and leaned back to look at the puppy again. "Oi, Moka. You like that name?" He gave her lumpy body a poke. "Moka. Hana. Kazuma."

"No."

"Megadeth."

"No!"

The puppy didn't respond to any of the names Hirano shot at her, only deigning to wiggle a little when one of them raised their voice. "I don't think she recognizes anything you're saying, anyway…"

Hirano pursed his lips, as if lost in thought. Putting his phone down, he carefully scooped the puppy up— she was so limp, Kagiura wasn't even sure if she was awake— and brought her up to eye level. He moved her around to peer at her little body from different angles, as if that would change anything. Kagiura could see his eyes sparkling. "She's so relaxed, Akki."

The soft, excited tone of Hirano's voice was effortless and brutal, like an arrow slicing clean through Kagiura's heart. He figured it was gonna be how he'd hit the bucket one day; he'd have to thank the gods for his life of seemingly endless good fortune.

Kagiura leaned against the arm of the couch with a fond smile. "You look so silly like that."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. You look like…" Kagiura trailed off as a wave of anticipatory giggles took over.

Hirano raised a single eyebrow in dry amusement, which only served to make Kagiura laugh harder. "Go on."

"Um… You look like… like you're holding a burger."

Hirano's eyes drifted back to the puppy. Kagiura could see the exact moment when it clicked for Hirano, when he smiled and opened his mouth wide as if to take a bite out of her.

"Taiga-san, nooooo!" His stomach was starting to cramp up.

"Hm… I won't. We'd have to pay for the vet again." He grinned, wide enough to leave Kagiura's jaw aching in sympathy, before schooling his expression and giving the puppy a cheesy smooch on her forehead instead. "You barely survived today, got it?"

Kagiura was tempted to say yes, she really had barely survived today, because he didn't know what would have happened if she had to weather that storm all by herself. Even if it really didn't look that way. She was tired, sure, but she seemed to relax completely in Hirano's caring arms; you'd think they'd known each other for years, not hours.

What surprised him even more, though, was what he saw when he lifted his head back up to look at his fiancé. A look of open, blazing adoration Kagiura had only seen on him a handful of times, his jaw trembling a little as he gently pet the top of her head with his index finger. A light blush dusted his cheeks a lovely pink.

Kagiura tried to think back to the last time Hirano let his happiness show like this. When he managed to initiate a kiss for the first time? Was it when accepting the ring Kagiura bought him? Or was it even earlier, long before their mismatched schedules kept them apart so often?

A look like he was holding the whole world in his arms. A look that he's never shown anyone but me, Kagiura's brain chose to add, unhelpfully.

The giggles in his system wilted and died a slow, ugly death. Worse than the initial sting of jealousy, there was just something so pathetic about the emotion he found himself grappling with. He couldn't let his partner be happy, really? He had to be feeling like this over a dog?

Kagiura got up, fast enough to startle both Hirano and the puppy. Floundering for a second, he grabbed their empty coffee mugs and blurted "Sink." in lieu of an actual explanation.

Hirano didn't push, even as Kagiura could see the concern plain on his face. Something about it made his heart hurt. "Okay. Thanks, Kagi-kun."

Kagiura scrambled back to the kitchen like a wounded animal. He took his time washing his hands, hoping the frigid water would shock some of the pettiness out of his head.

Hirano's voice drifted out from the living room: "Kagi, can you close the window? It's raining again."

It's partially my fault… our jobs keep us away from eachother so much (2:08 AM)

I should be happy he won't be lonely when I'm not home I dont know why im acting like this. It's so frustrating (2:10 AM)

Niibashi dogs can't play basketball in realife right??? I saw a movie about that as a kid and now im kinda scared she's gonna take my job too (4:38 AM)

Niibashiiiiii :(( (4:39 AM)

(9:32 AM) what do you even want me to say

They decided to put the naming conversation on hold for the time being. She didn't really respond to anything in particular, so they just took to calling her "puppy".

Well, Kagiura took to calling her "puppy". Hirano had elected to add a few names of his own to the rotation: "doggy", "honey", "sweetheart", and even "baby" in a soft, endlessly patient tone of voice when she scampered over to him for attention.

It was kind of amazing to watch. Like watching a train crash in slow motion. The same Hirano who was too embarrassed to use those same pet names with Kagiura letting the leash fly off when talking to a dog. Kagiura was an adult, who had a job and paid taxes and stuff, so he decided to put the truth of just how much that bothered him far, far out of his mind so he'd never think about it again.

She was still too small to keep pace with him on his morning runs, so Hirano had elected to take her out for walks every day. Kagiura wondered if she'd ever grow bigger, or if she was just gonna be tiny forever. He figured if she was healthy and happy, it didn't really matter.

And she was happy. Even if she seemed a little lacking in the expressiveness department, that much was pretty undeniable. She'd wholeheartedly rejected the little doggy bed they'd bought for her in favour of curling up on Hirano's belly every night, squirming happily; Kagiura worried about one of them rolling over in their sleep and crushing her.

Her first week with Hirano out for work saw her climbing on Kagiura's belly instead. He kept setting her back down, only for her to scamper back up, only for him to set her back down, repeating until Kagiura gave up from exhaustion. Once he was awake, she'd follow Kagiura everywhere. (Even into the bathroom. It was kind of weird having her beady little eyes staring at him while he used the toilet.)

He fed her some scraps from breakfast before taking her out on a walk. It was nice being able to admire places he'd just blitzed past on his runs. She seemed so curious about everything, stopping to sniff a new plant or a bug on the ground every few minutes. Whenever a plane passed by overhead, she'd perk up a little just to bark at it.

Kagiura smiled at her enthusiasm. "I guess everything is new to you, huh?"

Staying out with no real time limit meant the two of them could watch the world wake up together. They passed by local shops opening their shutters for the day, and stopped to let kids on their way to school wave at and pet the dog. Thankfully, she seemed patient enough to just let it happen every time.

Once the sun was high enough in the sky that Kagiura's stomach began to protest the lack of breakfast, he took a shortcut through a nice local park. He felt nervous bringing such a tiny dog somewhere a bigger, meaner dog might bully her, but Kagiura was fully prepared to scoop her up in his arms and sprint back home like he was about to score a touchdown. The dog trotted along ahead of him, following the winding concrete path without prompting.

"Puppy," Kagiura called out.

She made a U-turn and, with the leftover momentum, stumbled headlong into Kagiura's sneaker. He knelt down carefully and pet her on the head, feeling a sudden swell of emotion. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten in an effort to keep himself from tearing up.

"You're such a sweet girl," he murmured. "Are you feeling okay? Are you tired?"

She licked his palm, craning her neck up to meet Kagiura where his hand covered her head.

Kagiura giggled. "Where's this energy when we try to teach you tricks?"

She didn't respond in favour of giving his hand a few more licks, which was fair. He stood up, wiping his palm on his shorts, only to make eye contact with a girl watching them from afar.

She squeaked and clamped a hand over her eyes. "Um, sorry!"

"It's okay! I, uh…" Kagiura floundered for a few seconds. Did she recognize him? Kagiura wasn't very famous, though…

His gaze trailed down to the puppy, who seemed preoccupied trying to climb onto his sneaker. He felt the metaphorical light bulb go off above his head. "D'you want to pet her?"

The girl lifted her hand and, red-faced, nodded.

Kagiura took in her features as she jogged closer. She seemed to be about the same age as him, but her big, down-turned eyes gave her a youthful impression. She let the dog sniff her hand, then pet her on the back.

"So cute," she cooed. "What's her name?"

"We haven't decided on one yet."

She nodded in understanding. "You just got her? She's usually here when I come through this park on my jog, but I can never work up the courage to come say hi. Usually it's, um, a blond guy…"

Kagiura perked up. "Taiga-san? I didn't know he passes through here." The mental image of Hirano guiding their puppy under the canopy of trees lining the path made Kagiura bounce on his heels.

"Taiga…" The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. "The name suits him."

"Doesn't it? Don't worry, though, he's super nice. I'm sure he won't mind if you come up to him."

She smiled, a tentative motion that made her eyes crinkle into thin crescents. "Are you two roommates?"

"Sort of. He's, um…" the person I want to marry. The love of my life. Kagiura could hear his team's PR manager chewing him out already. "…my best friend."

The girl beamed. "You two must be close."

She stood up from her crouch, hovering in place for a moment as nerves seemed to swallow her smile. "Um, this Taiga-san, would you know if…" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Ah, is he seeing anybody?"

Kagiura's expression must have surprised her— she flinched, imperceptibly backwards, and added "It's okay if you don't know!"

"He's taken," Kagiura blurted out.

"That's fine! Ah, was good to speak with you!" She froze for a moment before springing backwards, bowing deep enough that her long hair hit the pavement, then speed-walking out of sight in a random direction. Kagiura watched her silhouette disappear on the horizon, then made his way back home.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him as he crossed the threshold back into their apartment. He decided to put his responsibilities for the rest of the day on the back burner for a bit in favour of lying down on the couch and feeling bad for himself.

Kagiura knew he had a jealousy problem. Every time Hirano mentioned going out with a coworker or a friend— even a mutual friend like Hanzawa-san— Kagiura felt helpless against the roiling feelings in his gut. Shame, resentment, frustration, and fear. Like there was a scared, petty little boy that still lived inside him, whispering he's going to get sick of you loud enough to drown out any coherent thought.

He didn't know how to make it go away. He didn't know if it could go away. The thought of living with that voice for the rest of his life scared him more than anything else.

The girl he'd spoken to didn't deserve that. All she'd done was shoot her shot. Hirano didn't deserve that either— he deserved a partner who'd be the wind under his wings, the same way he'd always supported Kagiura.

Kagiura pressed his palms hard into his eyes, letting the ring Hirano bought for him dig into his scalp. His pitiful "I'm so childish…" rang out stupidly loud in their stupidly empty apartment.

A soft jingling sound startled Kagiura out of his spiral. He lifted his palms just in time to see the puppy trying to scale the side of the couch. Slowly, making sure not to knock her with his foot, Kagiura sat up and lifted her up onto one of the cushions.

It was hard to see her face, but her tail wagged so quickly it started to blur into a little fan shape. Kagiura felt a wave of embarrassment crash into him over her seeing him at his most pathetic.

He scratched her little head with his index finger. "I bet I'm the lame dad. And Taiga's the supercool nice dad who sneaks you treats when he thinks I'm not looking."

She put a single paw on his bicep and let out an assertive "Arf!". Totally agreeing with him.

When his belly laughs finally died down, Kagiura could see her squirm out of his loose hold and towards his lap. She struggled to get a grip on his thigh for a moment before triumphantly making it over the top, the momentum launching her tiny body to flop perfectly in his lap.

Kagiura felt an unreasonable amount of pride surge through him. She twisted her whole body around to stare up at him, her eyes shining.

(10:46 PM) IMG_240630

?? A fitness center?? Taiga san???? (10:46 PM)

(10:47 PM) Buff dog mascot.

(10:47 PM) Cool, right?

(10:48 PM) Reminds me of you.

Kagiura snort-laughed in delight, making the puppy trying to sleep on his belly whine in protest. He gave her back a few gentle strokes as an apology.

He missed Hirano so, so, so much. Getting to be around the love of his life would probably kill Kagiura's bad mood in an instant. He pressed the top of his phone to his forehead, wishing it could summon Hirano into his arms.

I love you and miss you so so so so so sooooo much! 💖💖💖💖💖 (10:53 PM)

Kagiura's eyes felt heavy as he watched the typing… bubble come and go.

(11:01 PM) You must be tired. I shouldn't keep you up.

(11:02 PM) Love you too. I'll be home soon.

Chapter 3

Kagiura yawned for the fourth time in three minutes. Their puppy crawled off his lap in miniature indignation, looking for a less volatile place to sleep. He helped her down from the couch and watched her scamper away.

Well, her loss. Kagiura hadn't stayed up this late since graduating from college, but he wouldn't have missed Hirano's return for the world. He felt antsy and sleepy and nauseous all at the same time; his body always digested caffeine too quickly.

The sound of the door unlocking pulled him from his thoughts. Seeing his partner's golden hair glitter under the dim lights of their apartment made all the longing from the past week hit him square in the chest.

"Taiga-san! Welcome home!"

Hirano looked up from where he was trying to get his suitcase over the threshold. His lovely blue eyes blinked at Kagiura a few times, then stared down at the ground. Just as Kagiura was wondering if he should give him some space, Hirano kicked his shoes off and shoved them into place with his heel. His socked feet made hard thumps as he speed-walked into the living room to ruffle Kagiura's hair aggressively.

"Owww! Taiga-san! You haven't even closed the door yet!"

Kagiura heard the quietest huff of laughter before Hirano pulled him in for a bruisingly tight hug. He could feel Hirano's smile press against the crown of his head. "I missed you."

Kagiura couldn't help the wobbly grin that spread across his face; he was just glad Hirano wasn't able to see it. "Missed you too."

Getting Hirano's suitcase inside ended up being a two-person job. Hirano wouldn't meet his eyes as he mumbled something about buying souvenirs. Once it was inside and out of the way, they both sank into the couch, pleased at a job well done.

Kagiura watched Hirano work out the kinks in his neck with mild amusement. He nudged Hirano's side with the pad of his foot just to watch him squirm. "You're too stiff. We should do some stretches together so you can build up some strength here."

Hirano grumbled wordlessly, eyeing Kagiura's sweet expression with playful exasperation before suddenly flopping down. Kagiura's brief moment of panic came and went as Hirano turned to face him with a grin, head resting in Kagiura's lap.

"If it gives me muscles like this, then sure. Thanks, Kagi. That thing would've been a bitch to carry without your help."

He gave Kagiura's thigh a grateful squeeze, laughing at his petulant whining.

"How's the puppy? Hope she's not giving you a hard time."

He brushed some hair from Hirano's forehead, trying to push down the funny cocktail of emotions brewing from the sight of Hirano, happy and pliant in his lap, talking about someone else. Your dog, Kagiura reminded himself. He's talking about the dog you both adopted, you hardhead.

"She's okay. Went to nap, I think. D'you want me to make you something, or do you just wanna sleep?"

Hirano nuzzled Kagiura's thigh, grumbling sleepily. "I'm tired as fuck."

The expletive startled a laugh out of Kagiura. He brought a hand up to pet at Hirano's shoulder. "Then sleep. In bed, or your back's gonna hurt."

Hirano's grumbling grew louder. "I can't. One of my coworkers made me drink two espressos from some 'artisanal' coffee place in the airport." He knocked his head against Kagiura's torso, as if to emphasize his point. "And you wanna know the worst part? The coffee wasn't even that good."

Hirano and Kagiura stared at each other for a moment, pretending to ruminate on such a horrible situation before breaking out into laughter.

"So you prefer what I make for you, then?"

Hirano grinned at the obvious fish for compliments. "Yeah. I do."

Kagiura carded his fingers through his fiancé's hair as they caught up. Hirano closed his eyes, relaxed, and let out quiet, happy noises with every pass of Kagiura's hand.

The surge of fondness Kagiura felt for his partner warmed him from head to toe. It was rare to see Hirano so unbothered; Kagiura resolved to commit every noise he let slip to memory.

Hirano let out a pleased sigh at the feeling of Kagiura's fingernails gently scratching his scalp. "I'm not keeping you up, am I? You should sleep."

"I'm okay. I, um, also had some coffee." At Hirano's dubious look, he added "…I wanted to be awake so I could greet you properly."

Hirano brought a hand up to pinch Kagiura's cheeks together. (Like a fish.) "Dumbass. You should take better care of yourself."

"I do!" His words were coming out funny from Hirano pinching his face, and he had to fight off a goofy grin threatening to undermine his words. "Which one of us cracked their back after sitting up too fast last month?"

Hirano grumbled and wiggled Kagiura's face a bit more violently before letting go, which meant he didn't have a good comeback in him. Kagiura stuck his tongue out, victorious. Hirano mirrored the gesture immediately. The sight of Hirano being so cute and carefree with his head still in Kagiura's lap was a little overwhelming; Kagiura brushed Hirano's bangs out of his face again and marvelled at how effortlessly Hirano held his heart in a vice.

Kagiura's hand trailed down, letting his knuckle skim Hirano's cheek. He let his thumb jut out to trace Hirano's bottom lip, and was rewarded with a soft noise as Hirano melted into the touch. Kagiura let his thumb, wet with saliva, leave a shining path as his hand left Hirano's mouth.

"You know," Kagiura said. Hirano's eyes were staring up at him, curious, making him feel oddly nervous. He started his sentence again. "I mean, neither of us are gonna sleep any time soon…"

Hirano's hand snaked up to grasp Kagiura's wrist, pinning his hand against his lips. He was smiling. "I don't know, Kagi. You said you just washed the sheets this morning, right?"

"I— I can wash them again!" Kagiura's voice tumbled out of him uneven and high-pitched with whenever shreds were left of his dignity.

Hirano laughed again, the sound reverberating through their quiet apartment. Kagiura let his arm go slack, yielding to the dizzying feeling of Hirano's abdomen twitching underneath him; Hirano loosened his grip on the hand he held captive to give the palm a wet kiss.

Being with Hirano was always fun. For all the butterflies in his stomach still loved to torment him, loving Hirano was still the easiest thing in the world. Hirano trusted Kagiura enough to be intimate with him, so Kagiura would trust Hirano to tell him if he ever pushed too far.

Hirano pried Kagiura's arm off his body to (finally!) crawl into his lap and kiss him. Happy as he was, Kagiura didn't pay much mind to Hirano's wandering hands until one of them yanked the waistband of his sweats forward with zero hesitation.

"Taiga-?!"

Hirano ohhhed the way someone might ohhh at a crossword or a particularly interesting news headline. "It's the panda boxers again."

Kagiura made a half-hearted attempt to get Hirano's hands out of his pants. "They're cute," he whined. "And comfortable. You're so mean."

Hirano snickered and mercifully let go of Kagiura's waistband to kiss him again.

Kagiura nuzzled Hirano's nose between kisses. "Taiga-san," Kagiura said, drawing out the honorific until Hirano shut him up with a kiss. "You really missed me?"

Hoping to make Hirano's voice waver, Kagiura wiggled his fingers and splayed his palm wide across Hirano's back. Smiling at Hirano's flustered noises, he brought his mouth down to Hirano's neck to feel the vibrations in his throat as he spoke.

"Don't ask stupid questions. Didn't you hear me earlier?"

Kagiura could feel the hands on his jaw urging him up, but elected to stay put and leave a sloppy trail of kisses along the side of Hirano's neck. He closed his eyes, indulging in the sounds of Hirano's breathing ticking up, the feeling of his diaphragm stuttering where Hirano pressed against Kagiura's body. Hirano's throat bobbed, swallowing a bit of saliva before adding "Come back up and kiss me," in a rough voice. So cool.

He held the line, moving down to the base of Hirano's neck to try and leave a mark. When that didn't earn him a reaction, he brought his tongue flat against skin until Hirano groaned and tugged at Kagiura's jaw more insistently. Recognizing his imminent defeat, Kagiura blew a big, fat raspberry on the spot before retreating.

The slap of Hirano's hand hitting the side of his neck rang out through their quiet apartment, louder than Hirano's sputtering "That's— who does things like that?!" and Kagiura's mumbled complaints as his partner gave the fat of his cheek a few hard tugs.

Kagiura looked up at Hirano with a pout. "You didn't answer my question."

His fiancé let go of his cheek, giving it a few apologetic strokes with his thumb before sandwiching Kagiura's head between his fists and grinding them into his skull.

"Ow ow ow ow ow owwww! Taiga-san is so violent…"

Hirano's gruff tone of voice— don't pull stunts like that, you brat— contrasted with the sweet kiss left on Kagiura's temple in a way that made his head spin.

Kagiura wanted to be with him all the time. Even when they fought, or when Hirano bought another weird gadget online, or all the times Kagiura would go off too early and get so embarrassed he wished he could crawl under a rock and die. He never wanted to imagine a life without Hirano by his side.

"I won't say it again," Hirano grumbled.

He left a gentle kiss under one of Kagiura's eyes. Kagiura carefully brought both arms up to encircle Hirano's waist.

"Why not?"

"You already know how I feel."

Kagiura leaned forward to rest his forehead against Hirano's. "I want to hear it again."

"Greedy."

"I thought you wanted to spoil me."

Hirano's face was flushed splotchy and red, his eyes shining with fondness. He sat square in Kagiura's lap, the full weight of his bony frame making Kagiura's thighs feel sore. He was so gorgeous, Kagiura felt sick with love for him. He let his index finger jut under the hem of Hirano's shirt, tracing the firmness there as Hirano dove in for a kiss.

"I love you," Hirano said. "I missed you." He kissed Kagiura again, like being apart for even a second wasn't right to him. "I thought about you all the time."

Kagiura's face warmed under the attention. He squirmed as Hirano shifted his weight around. "I did too."

"I want to take you with me one day. You'd like it."

"I'll do it," Kagiura answered immediately. "I'd do anything with you. I love you so much."

Hirano stilled in his lap. For a moment, Kagiura wondered if he'd said too much. He'd opened his mouth to apologize when Hirano let out an embarrassed noise, pulling Kagiura's face in for a messy, open-mouthed kiss with both hands. The world outside the two of them had melted away; all Kagiura could think about was the open desperation in Hirano's movements, and how good Hirano's body felt against his own.

"Taiga-san." Kagiura felt a wet kiss smack below his jaw. "Taiga, um..." another one on the side of his neck, mimicking Kagiura minutes ago; Hirano gave the wet spot a nip before nuzzling his face into it like a big cat. One of his hands came up to grope at Kagiura's chest. "W-wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Hirano pulled back. All the blue in his eyes had been swallowed up by his pupils. Kagiura took a moment to rally his self-control so they wouldn't tempt him into pulling his fiancé back in.

"Um. We should do this in bed. Like I said, your back's gonna be sore if we stay here."

Hirano's lovely blue eyes sparkled in the low light of the room. He took a moment to turn his head and press his temple against Kagiura's forehead, leaving Kagiura with a warm feeling to chase as they pulled apart.

Desperate for contact, he took Hirano's hand as they walked. Hirano smiled bemusedly, giving Kagiura's shoulder an indulgent bump.

"What did you want to do?"

Everything, Kagiura thought, which wasn't a useful answer at all. He watched Hirano close their bedroom door behind him, the easy decisiveness of his movements evident even in the dark of the room.

Kagiura brought their joined hands together and gave Hirano's knuckles a feather-light kiss. "Anything's okay," he said. "I just want to be with you."

Hirano extricated his hand from Kagiura's in one long motion. This close, Kagiura could watch Hirano's lip tremble as he groused. "I can't believe you can say that with a straight face, Akkun."

Hirano clawed at the fabric of Kagiura's shirt to pull him down for a kiss. He pushed at Kagiura's chest, gentle but forceful, and Kagiura let his partner guide him around. Navigating with no line of sight for his movements was thrilling, like bungee jumping with nothing but his trust in Hirano serving as a harness. When Kagiura took a step back, Hirano's feet would take their spot immediately, cornering him until the backs of his knees met the bed.

The following events seemed, in Kagiura's mind, to occur in slow motion. In order:

1. Kagiura's back hit the mattress.

2. A squeak rang out, right next to Kagiura's ear.

3. In his peripheral vision, a dark blur sped forward.

4. Hirano shrieked— shrieked??— in delight, crumpling forward onto Kagiura's chest.

5. The dog was scaling Kagiura's torso.

"Ah, ah, A-Akkun, she's— your face is so—" Hirano laughed, loud and lovely, aiding their puppy in her quest to reach the giant Hirano-san in her sky. She licked his face with abandon, her tail wagging so quickly that it made Kagiura cross-eyed.

Kagiura wondered if he'd ever seen Hirano laugh this hard before. Maybe it was the distance between them, or the fact that they'd seen so little of each other for days now, but he found himself thinking that Hirano only seemed to get this joyful with a dog in his arms.

Hirano's hand joined Kagiura's in petting her little back. "Missed you too, girl. We've got a lot to catch up on in the morning."

Kagiura spent the next twelve hours wishing he could crawl into a really, really, really big hole.

to be continued...............