Disclaimer: I do not own the BL visual novel DRAMAtical Murder nor any of its characters. That's owned by Nitro+Chiral. Only this fanfiction belongs to me.
Pairing: RenAo
Warnings: Mature moments will appear later on but there are mentions of character death, some depressing moments.. More warnings will be added later.
She was always so loud and lively. If she were to disappear from their lives, it would feel rather empty. That's how both Aoba and Ren felt Tae Seragaki, their adoptive grandmother who they had loved very much. So when they had learned that she had died due to an aneurysm that had managed to stay undetected for a long time, it was absolutely devastating. The aneurysm was something like a ticking time bomb. Something was bound to make it rupture and the way it did was probably in simple terms rather stupid. She had bumped her head on the refrigerator door and had collapsed. Both Aoba and Ren had took her to the hospital immediately and was told she was in a coma. Little did they know, she wasn't coming home. A few days after being admitted into the hospital, Tae had passed away. It truly broke both of the males' hearts.
Ren knew Aoba had more of an attachment to her because he was with her longer than he has. Still, it wasn't like Tae's death didn't affect the amber eyed male as it affected Aoba. He really did love Tae. She didn't mind at all when he revealed to her that he loved Aoba six months after the whole Platinum Jail incident. It didn't take long for the elderly woman to realize that the male was serious in his love and devotion to Aoba and that they were in a relationship. Of course it was a bit to take in since Ren's body was previously Sei's. However, it was still Ren. That alone made Tae accept that Ren is actually Ren and not Sei. It made Ren rather happy since he is eternally grateful to Sei now that he gets to be with Aoba physically and hold him in the real world...
Now that Tae is gone, Ren felt heartbroken he has lost an important family member but not as much as his lover, Aoba. He was completely devastated. He felt no desire to get out of bed for the longest time even when Ren made him something to eat. Surprisingly, the male had gotten better at cooking thanks to Aoba's cooking lessons with a bit of help from the strong elderly woman. He felt pangs of sadness in his chest as memories of when she taught him how to properly cook the meat, noodles, adding the right amount of sauce or seasoning to certain foods... Almost everything. To be honest, Ren wished fervently for Tae to be here with them because he admired her wisdom, warmth and even her loud voice. Another reason he wanted her here with them is because of Aoba.
Aoba... Ren's lover had fallen into severe depression and refused to move for the last week, not eating or even going to work. He feared Aoba may attempt suicide so he was home as often as he could so he could prevent that. He even took everything out of the room Aoba would probably use to harm himself with to prevent that sort of incident. If the event where he has to go to work comes, Ren usually asks either Mizuki or Koujaku to swing by and keep a close eye on Aoba so it doesn't happen. The only time Ren was even successful in getting him out of bed was when they had to go to the funeral. Aoba had a breakdown when they had started lowering her body into the ground. Worse than the one he had when he found out Tae had died resulting in a severe panic attack which he wasn't able to calm down from despite Ren and everyone's coaching and he passed out. He needed to be taken to the hospital and stayed there up until their birthday when Ren came to pick him up. Of course, he planned a bit of a party for his beloved even if it wouldn't be able to pull him out of this depression. It was just something Ren wanted to do for Aoba even though it is his birthday too.
As they walked home, Aoba didn't say a word and it worried the taller male since Aoba was quite the talkative one. So Ren decided to talk about a few things including work. He worked at a noodle place called 'Sekai Kakuchi Noodles' and he cooked every kind of noodles and pasta in existence. It was a satisfying job because Ren liked to cook very much. And now that the new recipe of soba noodles took off, business has been really good.
"Work has been really busy lately because of this new recipe. I wish to have you try it sometime because I know you love soba noodles. I have the day off so I'm making some for you." he spoke as Aoba gripped his hand a bit more firmly and smiled faintly at him and opened his mouth to speak.
"Ren... You're really good to me," he murmured before he stopped walking and took his other hand gently. "Thank you. And happy birthday."
Even though Ren is doing his best in his attempts to cheer his lover up, it looked like Aoba wanted to reassure him that he is fine. Just so Ren won't have to worry about him all the time and so one of his most favorite people in the entire world could be happy. The taller male leaned in and kissed Aoba, even in the mist of the light crowd of people walking around. It did make Aoba blush a light pink which was something he hasn't seen in a while. The way Aoba's cheeks turned red... It was one of his favorite things about the person he loved.
"Happy Birthday, Aoba. I love you." Ren had said casually and so openly, making Aoba blush even darker. They had been in a relationship for four years and the male still reacted like this whenever Ren acted so bold in public the way he has now. Still, it made him happy Ren is here and still cares for him immensely. If he wasn't, Aoba would feel alone and would probably end up going back to who he was during his teen years. He didn't want to go back to that. Never again.
"I love you too." Aoba murmured, trying to ignore the several stares he and Ren were getting. Was it that bad for two guys to show affection like this? It wasn't like they were going to do anything inappropriate. Even Ren has enough decency to not do anything inappropriate or even sexual in front of people. "Let's go home..."
Home. Yes, their home. The same home Ren currently lives in with Aoba and Tae since he had gained a human body. He doesn't want to move out of there mostly because of sentimental reasons and that it's been their home for the longest time. The two walked along Aoyagi street, holding hands before reaching the alleyway leading to their house. Ren tried to make conversation in hopes of getting Aoba to talk a bit or at least smile a little. It worked...to an extent. Aoba was still rather depressed and his smiles seemed strained. If this party could make Aoba happy for a little while, Ren will be happy. Though he wishes he could make him smile more often as he did before. For now, Ren decided to take what he can get though it didn't mean he wouldn't make his lover smile a lot more.
As soon as they arrived home, both Ren and Aoba approached the door and Ren had unlocked it. He lightly pushed on Aoba's back to make him go in first before going inside after him. It wasn't until Aoba and Ren had entered the living room and was literally surprised to what or rather who was waiting for them. Well, at least Aoba in particular. It was Koujaku, Mizuki, Clear, Noiz, Haga-san, Yoshie-san, and even Mink.
"Surprise! Happy Birthday, Aoba!" Everyone yelled happily. Aoba was clearly surprised when he had this party sprung on him. A small smile had came to his face as he felt a warm feeling swell in his chest. His lover really did throw all of this together for him. It really made him happy to know this. Then a thought had came to his head when his mind went back to where everyone said happy birthday to him.
"Hey, it's Ren's birthday too so shouldn't you all be saying it to him too?" he asked casually, sounding a little offended everyone forgot that Ren had shared the same birthday as well. Just when Aoba was starting to feel a bit more hurt, Ren ruffled his hair gently and kissed his cheek. The sensation in his hair may be gone but it kind of felt a bit ticklish to Aoba when Ren did that.
"Aoba, it's fine. I had them plan this party for you in particular." Ren explained as Aoba flushed slightly red from Ren being a bit affectionate with him in front of the others. "It's also a welcome home party."
"But..." Aoba bit his lip in hesitance and slightly guilt. The male just thought it was strange for others to do so much for him and especially when he was aware he has caused them quite a bit of grief. Especially Ren. He felt the most guilty for giving his lover so much to worry about and even more for being sent to the hospital.
"Aoba-kun, it's fine. Ren-kun thought it would be nice to throw this party for you. And after we discussed it, we thought it would be a good idea too. Something that will lift your spirits up." Haga answered, noticing Aoba's hesitance for having a party.
"We wanted to celebrate the fact you were born into our lives, Aoba. I mean, I doubt anyone else could ever do what you've done for this island, regarding Oval Tower." Koujaku said with a smile on his face. "Okay, I know we helped you out there but you were the only one who could get in there."
"Hey, he wouldn't be able to get in there if it weren't for his brother." Mink said rather bluntly as Ren looked a bit uneasy and Koujaku sent the older man a slightly murderous glare. Talking about Sei was still a bit of a touchy subject with Aoba and Ren too. Why did he need to bring that up? That asshole is so insensitive...
"And Master, we thought it would be a fun party too~ Tae-san would like it if you smiled more too." Clear chimed in, noticing the small tension in the air between the males. "Knowing her, she would bop you on the head and say, 'Idiot! Don't cry constantly if I were to die! It's not you at all! Wherever I'll be, I'll be fine and I'll be happy. No crying or I'll be sad you're not happy. Remember I'm your crusty old grandmother so will be fine.' Or something like that." The white haired male did his best imitation of Tae the best he could even though it was rather poor. However, it made Aoba laugh a little which was surprising for everyone in the room to hear since they haven't heard such a sound in a long while.
"She would say that," Aoba murmured as he felt everyone's eyes on him. It felt a bit embarrassing that the attention was all on him today but since it was his and more so, Ren's birthday, it was pretty much expected. Now that the party was here in his living room. "Granny would definitely say that... So I'll do my best to smile more often."
"That's the spirit." Koujaku sounded pleased since he had been worried about Aoba the most. He knew Tae was important to Aoba and it worried him to know that his friend was considering doing some really destructive things to himself because of her death. Which is why he was very much eager to visit Aoba whenever Ren asked him to or mostly on his own volition. Sometimes, he would come visit with Mizuki who had to walk with a cane since he still had trouble walking even after several years passed since that incident. Though the redhead tried not to visit much because he thought it made Aoba feel guilty because of him being exposed to Scrap. It wasn't like Mizuki had held it against him or anything but Aoba felt like he should anyway because he just used the power on him unknowingly. After a good five years had passed, the male still feels like his friend should hold that against him.
"You know we care about you, Aoba which is why we want you to be happy. And it would be a bit of a bore to not see your face around if you were to stay inside all the time." Mizuki said as Aoba smiled a little. Mostly out of embarrassment and exasperation. He had hoped Mizuki wasn't trying to get him to join his Rib team again. Though at least it wasn't as bad as Noiz pestering him to do Rhyme with him. The male with sky blue hair was pulled from his thoughts due to Mizuki letting out a sigh. "Well, how about we get this party started? We've brought presents."
"Yeah." Aoba agreed, figuring that since Ren and everyone had went through the trouble of putting this party together, they should celebrate. Mink's genius idea was to bring some alcohol to the party since he thought it might be a bit boring and he knew that Aoba wasn't one who could retain his liquor very well. That had earned him a glare from both Koujaku and Mizuki because they knew of Aoba's low tolerance for alcohol. They just have to keep their friend away from the hard stuff and have him stick to drinking soda or something non-alcoholic. They knew Ren would help out as well because of how Aoba's state of mind is now.
"So shall we have the birthday boys cut the cake?" Yoshie asked, eager to celebrate and she wanted Ren and Aoba to try the cake she made. For the first time in a while, Aoba showed a bit more emotion but did his best to hide it as he cringed at the thought of the woman's cooking. It wasn't that he had anything against it but more that she either added too much of one thing. In this case, the cake obviously had too much whipped cream on it. He knew he'll have stomach pains if he ate it but at the same time, he didn't want to disrespect Yoshie's cooking...
Ren could see his lover's expression and could sense what he was feeling at the moment. He knew he couldn't get Aoba out of this apparently. So he walked with Aoba to where the cake was and they decided to cut it together as if they were cutting their wedding cake. The amber-eyed male actually wished he could marry Aoba for real but it wasn't possible in Japan, unfortunately. As Aoba lifted the large knife to cut the cake with, Ren had placed his hand on top of Aoba's as if to help him along and they carefully cut the cake, actually cutting two small pieces out. Even then, there was so much whipped cream and icing on the cake. Aoba was now dreading the stomachache he was sure to get later on...
After putting their slices of cake on a plate, Ren and Aoba took a small bite of it and smiled, hiding the fact they really didn't like that there was too much going on with the cake. "Yoshie-san, the cake is delicious." Ren told her, Aoba had nodded in agreement with a small smile on his face. The two males obviously didn't want to hurt her feelings and criticize her cake let alone her cooking skills.
"Yes, thank you, Yoshie-san," Aoba said, noticing how the woman practically sparkled at their words. It was really weird whenever she had done that and it made them think there was no way they could ever tell her the truth... Since both Ren and Aoba didn't want to stop eating the cake there, they managed to choke down the slice of cake, soon drinking some tea afterwords to wash it down. Once Aoba and Ren got a slice of cake, everyone else decided to get some. Especially Clear who got like two or three slices of it. How he was able to eat it without feeling any digestion discomfort was rather astounding. He was always a strange one, Ren had noted a few times before even though he actually liked Clear as a friend.
After everyone including Mink who clearly didn't want any of Yoshie's cake, the woman thanked them happily. She had then went to retrieve a gift for both Aoba and Ren from the table covered with an array of gifts, handing it to the males with a small blush and a smile on her face. Aoba was confused when he was handed an envelope. It felt like it had tickets to somewhere. A pair of vacation tickets, maybe? Yoshie was practically bouncing on her feet, eager for the male to open the present from her and Ren too who seemed to be smiling at his lover. So this was really a surprise just for him. Not wanting to protest against Ren for trying to do everything for him, Aoba had decided to open the envelope and was surprised they were plane tickets to a beach. It was the same beach where the true beginning of Aoba's life had began. The place where he met his adoptive parents and where he regrettably forgot about Ren and his other self.
'Ren... He wanted to take me here?' Aoba wasn't entirely sure if he should truly go there since he wanted to bring his grandmother there with him even if she was the one who left him at the church nearby in the first place. It was a beautiful place and the one thing he desired was to show it and really show it to the ones who matter most to him in this world. Since there were only two tickets, it was logical for Aoba to bring Ren with him. It was obvious. And his lover had only seen this place from inside his mind. The chance for Ren to see this place with his own two eyes was a present Aoba could give to him even if he isn't technically giving it to him.
"That's not fair." Aoba chuckled before casually reaching up to pat his love on his head, ruffling up his naturally scruffy short hair. He knew this present was from Ren but he had enlisted in Yoshie's help to get the tickets and everything. "I wanted to bring you here myself but you beat me to that." His arms had wrapped around Ren's neck loosely and he stood up on his toes slightly to kiss his lips, not caring for a moment that his friends were watching. "Thank you, Ren."
'He's done so much for me... I think this is all I can do for him...'
"Yoshie-san had helped me out. Arranging everything so in a way the gift is from both of us. We're staying in a cabin near the beach too so hearing the ocean should be a pleasant thing to experience." Ren noted as Aoba still looked grateful and bowed in gratitude towards Yoshie.
"Thank you, Yoshie-san. I don't know how else to thank you and Ren for getting something so amazing arranged for me." It really is a wonderful gift and Aoba was very happy to receive it too. Now he could take Ren to this place. To have him see it with his own eyes. This will be another precious memory for them to share together. He has always wanted to bring Ren to the beach since he had stopped hearing his voice. Though his adoptive father had something to do with making him forget the "voices" in his head. Now he feels like he should make it up to his lover now since he has made up with his other self years ago. To show this place to Ren... It has a lot of meaning now.
The gift was truly wonderful and he really felt grateful to Ren and Yoshie for putting this together for him even though Ren shared his birthday too. Aoba really felt like he should do something for Ren. Give something back to him that is almost half as good as this. For now, he decided to focus on what's happening now and that his friends also had gifts. Then he'll focus on what to get Ren on their birthday and ask when they'll be going on vacation. Surely Aoba was going to go to work sometime this week now that he's out of the hospital. Or so he thought.
"Aoba-kun, about your vacation. If you're wondering when you and Ren-kun can go, you can try to go sometime this week or next week. I can hold down the fort at Heibon." Haga said to Aoba with a smile on his face. "When you're ready, you're free to return." It actually surprised Aoba to hear this from his employer. To be honest, he thought he had caused his boss so much trouble over the years even when they had the whole incident with Toue coming after them. It was because of Aoba having the power of Scrap that Toue came after those he loved as well as himself. So he felt really guilty about that despite Haga's protests that everything was fine and he was glad to help out Aoba. Right now, he almost wanted to turn down his boss' offer on coming back to work whenever but the man waved his hand when he noticed the male about to speak.
"Really, it's fine, Aoba-kun. Go have fun with Ren and relax. You deserve it." he said, hoping Aoba will do what he asks and not try to fawn over him because of this gift.
"Okay, thank you, Haga-san." Aoba said to him, managing a small smile. It was more than he had done since Tae had passed. Ren didn't want to push Aoba to be happy again but he did want him to be okay. And eat something at least once a day since he noticed he had lost a bit of weight. Even though he ate some cake today, Ren has prepared some food for him to eat as well as the guests here. He could still smell the delicious aroma of it since he figured it was freshly made. It was tempting him. Aoba had set the gift from Yoshie and Ren on the table, he noticed the other gifts from everyone else. Even a nice bouquet of purple and white flowers and two small packages that seemed to be from Noiz which was rather weird. Especially considering how they had a bit of tension between them when they first met.
Since he saw the nice gift from the blond first, he picked them up, handing Ren's present to him as he went to find a vase to put the flowers in. He found a nice one and filled it with water then finally set the vase on the coffee table in the living room before returning to everyone else. Ren seemed to be waiting for Aoba as he still held Noiz's unwrapped present in his hands as he urged Aoba to get his too. Together, they opened their presents. They each got expensive looking cologne which made them question how much money Noiz has to spend so freely like this. Since Ren can't really break habit from sniffing random things, he opened the cologne and smelled it. The scent was a bit strong but it smelled kind of sweet to him. He figured he can wear this and he watched Aoba smell the cologne too, looking as if he approves of the scent. They might be wearing the same thing for a while at least.
Everyone thought it was weird that Ren kept sniffing whatever present he and Aoba received even when they got some special oil from Mink. It smelled like flowers and something else. Something really sweet. As Ren and Aoba stared at the gift, Mink muttered something like "It has healing properties and it can relax you," looking at Aoba especially. In a weird way, Mink cared and it made Aoba strangely happy yet it surprised him even more than it made him happy. It also made Ren happy too since he has something that will help him ease Aoba's anxieties. The two of them thanked Mink who had given them a curt nod as if to say 'Whatever. Don't mention it.' Or something on the lines of that.
The rest of the group had decided to present their gifts to the couple. Koujaku giving the two of them a Japanese tea set complete with an urn and two matching tea cups. It's a really beautiful present which Aoba and Ren thanked him for happily. Clear's present to the two of them was strange but really cute at the same time. The white haired android gave them matching jellyfish hats and plushies. Of course they were silly looking but they expected nothing less from Clear and it really is a nice gesture from him. In a way, this present was interesting and rather delightful. Both Ren and Aoba accepted them much to Clear's delight.
Mizuki also had a gift for the two of them. The male had given both Aoba and Ren stylish looking bags with his own design. The male had gone into fashion design thanks to Ren suggesting it to him after seeing a few very creative designs he normally used for his tattooing job. Of course the burgundy haired male is still a tattoo artist but Ren figured his acquaintance could get more out of being a fashion designer. Since neither male desired on getting a tattoo from him, Mizuki figured they would like matching bags. The design was something on the lines of goth yet punk. Pretty much around Mizuki's general style but Aoba and Ren surprisingly liked it even if it wasn't their style. This was an amazing present from their longtime friend.
Haga also had a present for Aoba and Ren well actually, it was a present for Ren mostly since Aoba requested it at the shop personally. Good thing he gets a store discount on the items there. The blue haired male asked Haga for a new coil for Ren considering his lover hasn't had one for a while. How Ren even got by without one for three years is a mystery. The man handed Aoba the gift, knowing he would understand what it was. Aoba put on a smile and held up the present in front of himself a little, presenting it to Ren who was curious. This is his first present to his lover. The second one he'll give to him a little after everyone goes home.
"Happy Birthday, Ren. I wanted to get this for you." he said as Ren took the small box from him and unwrapped it. Aoba watched Ren's expression grow from mildly curious to ecstatic when he realized what it was. And he knew Ren was looking at this particular model several weeks ago. The coil almost resembled Aoba's but it was studded and dark blue. It actually was closer to Noiz's style but he figured Ren would like it anyway. So along with the store credit, Aoba was glad he had worked extra hours to get that coil for his beloved. What made Aoba really smile is the fact Ren had literally slipped the device onto his wrist. He would have to teach Ren how to use it later on.
Happy that Aoba had gotten him something, Ren had smiled then hugged his lover close to himself. This caused the shorter male to push against Ren in moderate embarrassment, blushing but he was unsuccessful in escaping from Ren's hold. Everyone is watching them too...
"Thank you, Aoba," Ren murmured in his ear, almost in a loving tone. "I really love it."
After pulling back, he looked at Aoba's face which is now completely red and couldn't resist letting out a small chuckle about it. He could still make Aoba blush like that and make him feel embarrassed. Though the embarrassed part was completely unintentional. The male quickly murmured an apology before noticing Haga approaching them with a gift of his own. Aoba then turned to look at his employer with curiosity as he noticed a rather decent sized box being rolled up to them on a cart. No this couldn't be... Upon further inspection, the large box was indeed a new computer. It was a bit of a new model and Aoba hadn't thought about getting it considering the circumstances recently.
'Why would he...?' Aoba pondered to himself as he then bowed towards Haga, feeling grateful for this rather extravagant gift from him. He honestly didn't think that his employer of all people would actually get him something like this. Though he decided to not say anything about it and just opened his mouth to thank him.
"Thank you, Haga-san." Aoba said, smiling. It was a gracious gift and he really did feel grateful for it. He then had a thought he could continue teaching Ren how to use it or at least learn how to type on it. Though it was cute watching him type with two fingers for the last four years. Maybe Haga found out he had been helping Ren with his rehabilitation for the longest time. That alone had left a bit of a strange sensation in his chest.
"Yes, thank you. I am grateful for this gift as well," Ren responded as he bowed towards the man who he only spoke to on a few occasions whenever he came to pick Aoba up. Of course the male is also glad Haga had been thinking of him as well when he had gotten this gift. Normally, the two of them share the computer even though Ren uses it more for practicing typing. It was part of his rehabilitation after all.
After the owner of Heibon had given them their gift, the party continued on and it was a lot more fun than either Ren and Aoba had anticipated. Ren thought it would be a quiet party but with Noiz and Koujaku constantly at each others throats and Clear trying to mend the deep rift between them, it was rather unlikely. However, that was okay. The party had put a smile on Aoba's face which is obviously what Ren had intended. This made him happy and he felt like he had done something worthwhile for his lover. His most precious person in the world.
Before they knew it, several hours passed and the party had ended when it had became a bit late. At least for Koujaku and Mizuki because they had to go to work. Perhaps it's just as well. Aoba knows they had their own lives to attend to and he definitely didn't want his friends spending it just worrying over him. That's something he didn't want at all. Clear, thankfully left through the door like everyone else but not without giving Aoba and Ren a really tight hug. They needed to beg the white haired robot to release them or they would really die. Mink of course left without a word. Haga and Yoshie had left too but didn't hesitate to say Happy Birthday to the males once more before leaving.
Author's Note: So because is more known than AO3 where this fanfiction would have been on that site only, I figured I should post it here. Not many people know of AO3, so yeah. Anyway, I've had this fanfiction in my head for months and had started writing it after dealt with some personal issues. I hope to continue this fanfiction and I really hope you all enjoy it~~ Oh, and please don't ask about the name of the noodle place Ren works at. It was literally something I threw into google translate (and I'm sure it doesn't say 'World Wide Noodles' because google translate is terrible) and I liked how it sounded so there you go.
Reviews aren't required but are much appreciated~ Thank you so much for reading~