The song being listened to in this fic is I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) sung by Sleeping at Last. Please ignore any errors, I'm not a very good editor. I hope you enjoy this shameless fluff!
I Would Walk 500 Miles
Misaki was determined to learn English. He had struggled with it in the past but this time, this time he was really determined. He would be damned if he was going to let Usami Akihiko be translator for this trip! Oh no! Usagi-san was not going to be able to smile smugly while conversing with others; he was not going to say embarrassing things without Misaki knowing! He would not be left out of conversations, especially the ones he knew were about him. And he knew there would be plenty of those this time since this trip to England was part of their honeymoon.
The last thought temporarily brought Misaki out of his internal rant and he held up his hand to once again look at the simple but stunning white gold band that encircled his fourth finger. He smiled as it caught the light, wiggling his fingers to add to the effect, comfortable with the fact that Usagi-san was upstairs working and wouldn't see him be such a sap. Our honeymoon… He sighed happily before returning to the matter at hand.
He had been at this for the better part of a year, since they got engaged, not really making much progress. English, as it turns out, is hard. The structure of the sentences was weird and getting his tongue to wrap around the foreign words properly had been increasingly frustrating. He actually had quite a large vocabulary built but stringing the words together and getting them to sound correct was a different matter. Three months ago, getting desperate in the face of his lack of progress, he began asking every English speaker he knew how they had managed it. Usagi-san wasn't too much help since he grew up in England. Shinobu and Nowaki weren't very helpful either since they had both lived in a foreign country for an extended period of time and were immersed in the language. The best advice he had gotten was actually from the Demon Kamijou, who surprised Misaki, shocked really, with his willingness to help.
"I read books in English and had all of the learning tapes and whatnot but that wasn't what really helped me. What helped me the most was watching American TV and listening to English music. That was how I got the grammar and pronunciations down…"
So, not having other better ideas, Misaki began listening to everything in English and it seemed to be working! He felt he had made more progress these last 2 months than he had in the previous six! Even Usagi-san had complemented him on how well he was doing. Misaki was relieved since the wedding was now just a little over six weeks away and their trip right after. His green eyes crinkled with a smile he couldn't help as he thought about how close the wedding was; his chest became pleasantly warm as he pulled out what he needed to make dinner for him and his soon-to-be husband.
Akihiko, though at first annoyed that his previously quiet house was suddenly constantly filled with noise, was now quite pleased. His Misaki was just too adorable when he got absorbed into some intense, American drama or when he swayed and sang along to the western music as he cooked or cleaned. Even more often, Akihiko had to be banished to his office to work, otherwise he would simply stare at Misaki with a "stupid, sappy" look on his face. The threat of Misaki's angry screeches of "You need to work!" weren't enough to keep him from sneaking out of his office again as soon as he knew his love was distracted. This was one such time.
The author had heard the clink of pots and pans and knew that Misaki was starting dinner which would effectively keep him from noticing a certain silver haired rabbit. Smiling, he saved the document he was working on and crept out of his workspace, watching the squeaky spot just outside the door. He moved slowly until he got to the step that allowed him a good view of the kitchen while still being fairly obscured from view and then sat. Misaki was copping vegetables for what looked like stir-fry and Akihiko let out a small hum in anticipation as he made himself comfortable. The younger man's hips were already moving in time with the upbeat song that was flowing from the speakers. A wide but soft smile spread across Akihiko's face as he watched the man that in six short weeks he would marry. Never in his life had he ever been so happy. Nothing in his life had ever prepared him for this level of happiness. It was almost overwhelming. He had never realized how miserable he had been, how dark and relatively empty his life had been before. Sure, he was a celebrated author and writing did bring him joy and satisfaction but it wasn't enough to sustain a complete life. It wasn't until this beautiful, brown-haired man he was silently gazing at came into his world did he realize how much he had been missing out on. He sighed quietly as the pop song was replaced by a gentle piano playing.
The words were familiar to Akihiko but he was sure he had never heard this melody before. The male singer's voice was low and full of emotion, the lyrics filling him entirely with longing for Misaki. He was transfixed listening to the younger man's voice softly singing along. Misaki voice slowly took on a dreamy quality, his lips turning up gently as he let the emotion behind the song fill him. The artist's voice danced around him and filled him with a sweet yearning for all the verses to be forever true. His chest ached with the desire to have Misaki's cheek snuggled against it but he couldn't move. He was frozen, stuck, staring at this perfect being in front of him. A being who was floating around the kitchen singing about the desire to grow old with him. The desire to wake up next to him every day. Him. Usami Akihiko.
The scene in front of him was suddenly overwhelming but not in a bad way. It was just so foreign to him. The idea of so completely loving and being loved by another was still such a novelty, even after years together. He thought he loved Takahiro but it wasn't the same, it wasn't this. Takahiro was an obsession, Akihiko's desperate need for kindness and gentleness manifested. But with Misaki… With Misaki there wasn't the painful, despairing, the hollow pining. He wasn't trying to fill some whole that was left in him from his childhood. He didn't feel the need to try and be someone he thought the other person wanted. With Misaki he could be utterly himself in all of his gruff, sarcastic, cranky glory. With Misaki those attributes didn't feel like negatives.
Akihiko didn't bother brushing the tears dripping from his eyes as his frozen limbs finally allowed his to stand and move to his fiancé. As the final cords of the song faded, he grabbed the remote and paused the stereo. He moved behind Misaki, wrapping his arms around him before the smaller man had a chance to turn, pulling his slender back into Akihiko's broader chest.
"Usagi-san…." His name was sighed, the tone causing shivers to run up his spine.
"Misaki." There was a soft noise as the wooden spoon in Misaki's hand was placed on the counter and he turned within the embrace, green eyes meeting violet. "I think we found the song for our first dance." His deep voice was soft, not wanting to break the spell they were both under.
Brown hair bobbed with his enthusiastic nod, love brightening his eyes and his face breaking out into a smile. In English Misaki replied, "It's perfect." Strong, slender fingers grabbed onto Akihiko's loosened tie and pulled him down for a kiss. Misaki smirked against the taller man's lips, "Dinner is going to be late, I think." The words were again in excellent English. He leaned back slightly and looked up at Akihiko, raising his eyebrows in silent inquiry.
"Yes." Akihiko let out a breathy laugh, "Dinner is going to be very late…"
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I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with this but I never really am and I do enjoy the shameless fluff. I'm toying with the idea of a second part about their wedding but I'm not sure; I also have a Nowaki/Hiro fic idea rattling around up there. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you think!