Every day, I love you more.
Tokoyami Fumikage blinked in the bright sunbeams hitting his face. The white sheets of the futon were tangled around his legs and the rest of his body from the waist up was encompassed in warm, muscular arms. The fragrant scent of jasmine incense wafted in from outside the room but inside, the mixture of sweat, passion fruit soap, and the lingering remains of the lavender candles were overpowering it.
They'd been together for over a decade, married on Friday, and were now celebrating their honeymoon weekend at a small inn up on the mountains. Yet every time Tokoyami awoke in Shouji's strong arms, his head resting between the neck and shoulder, it felt like he was living in a dream. But it was a beautiful reality. One he was more than content to be awake for.
"Good morning," Shouji murmured.
Tokoyami smiled. "A good morning indeed."
Shouji rubbed a hand up Tokoyami's torso, lifting up the wedding band hanging around the other man's neck by a chain. He raised it to his unmasked lips and kissed it. Tokoyami smiled lazily and did the same to Shouji's ring. The metal jingled softly against the dog tags he gifted his lover a year ago when they decided to start living together.
The birdman felt a hand tenderly caress his bare thigh, it was big enough to wrap around half of it and gentle enough to send an excited shiver up his spine. Another hand found its way to the back of his head, strong fingers massaging his skull through the black feathers. They were chest to chest, legs smoothly rubbing up against one another, and Tokoyami reached up to run his thumb over Shouji's jaw.
"You're so cute," Shouji chuckled. "Your feathers are soft and adorable when crooked."
Tokoyami's beak opened up as he wrapped his arms around the other man's thick neck, pulling himself up to kiss Shouji. "My feathers are always soft," Tokoyami grinned, running his fingers through the long white bangs that covered his husband's face. "Don't insult me."
"You're right, sorry," Shouji replied quietly. "But you know what isn't soft right now?"
Tokoyami rolled his eyes and pushed himself away. "Mezo, really?"
"You're the one who Frenched me like that, Fumi."
"We did it multiple times last night."
They only got up and put on their clothes after spending five minutes cuddling. It was hard to convince themselves and each other that they couldn't spend the entire day in the room. But Tokoyami didn't bother putting on his clothes from the other night so he just threw on Shouji's black undershirt which covered him down to his knees, one of the sleeves loosely hanging off his shoulder.
Shouji slipped on his boxer shorts and stood up, watching his lover stifle a yawn and rub his eyes. "You are not making it easy for me to want to leave this room," he remarked. He got up and pulled the other hero into his embrace from behind. "Are you sure we can't stay for a little while longer? I promise to make it quick."
"You're incorrigible," Tokoyami sighed, craning his neck to leave a peck on Shouji's cheek. "Get dressed already."
The hardest thing about getting ready in the morning was trying to keep their hands to themselves. They stood side by side at the sink, brushing their teeth, wanting to hold hands instead. They put on the clothes for the hike they'd be on that day, wanting to be dancing in the middle of the room instead. They sat across from each other in the cafeteria eating breakfast, wanting to be kissing amongst the other diners instead.
As Shouji went to use the bathroom, Tokoyami checked his phone, noticing a notification from his work email. He was on vacation and his husband made him promise not to think about hero business over the weekend. But what if it was from one of their comrades or the police asking for assistance because they needed Tsukuyomi specifically. He had to look to be sure.
Much to his surprise, the sender was someone he didn't recognize. His eyes widened as he read the contents of the message. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket just as Shouji stepped out, wiping all six of his hands with three paper towels.
"You okay?" Shouji asked. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"The sensation is certainly similar," Tokoyami replied.
Shouji sat back down. "Want to talk about it?"
Tokoyami scratched at the back of his neck as he contemplated this for a moment. There wouldn't be a point in hiding anything from the other man. They'd been together for so long that they were well aware of how bad it was to keep secrets, especially with something so monumental.
"I received an email," said Tokoyami. Shouji looked like he wanted to speak but he refrained. "It's not about work. Actually, it's from someone I don't know." Shouji raised an eyebrow though it was hard to see since most of his upper face was hidden under his hair. "My biological mother reached out and she requested to meet with me."
"What?" Shouji gasped, shooting up. "The woman who gave you up wants to see you?! Now?!"
"Not now," Tokoyami interjected. "But… at some point."
The larger man was still unsure about the prospect of his husband meeting his biological family but it wasn't his place to stop his decisions. With a heavy sigh and a quick hug, wrapping all his arms around Tokoyami, he said, "Okay, but… just tell me when you go meet her."
Tokoyami returned the embrace. "Of course. And… thank you for understanding."
"I don't," Shouji sighed into the black plumage, "but I can try."
Silently, they agreed to leave the subject on the back burner for the time being. The weekend was meant to be about them, just them. Nothing else in world was supposed to matter. So they left the inn hand in hand, getting onto the hiking trail together.
The sky was clear, a strikingly azure color streaked with the golden rays of the sun. Dry leaves and old twigs crunched underneath their feet as they followed the beaten-down, dirt path. Somewhere hidden in the foliage overhead, providing cool shade, was the singing of birds, chirping in a choir all their own. The soundtrack that played along the laughter and conversations of the hikers.
Tokoyami wasn't the type who considered strenuous physical activity to be enjoyable. But if it meant spending time with Shouji, he could deal. There was also something fun about hopping over thick tree roots and catching falling oak leaves together. They also talked about the past, the things that brought them to this point, and the future, the memories they planned on making or that would happen out of their control.
A freshwater lake waited for them at the end of the trail. Other people staying or living nearby were already playing along the shore. But Tokoyami and Shouji knew of a secluded area where not many frequented because of excessive litter. Lucky for them, as soon as Dark Shadow had cleared a small section of sand and grass for them, they were able to set up a pleasant place to relax.
"You know," said Shouji, "I thought I liked how you look without a shirt before."
Tokoyami smiled wryly, looking at his husband in his periphery as he slipped out of his pants. "Mhm?"
"But now," Shouji chuckled, " the ring on your collarbone is proof that you love me."
"You needed proof of my adoration for you?" Tokoyami laughed.
They stepped into the water, feeling chills run up their bones, and waded deeper in until they were waist-deep. They were aware of the children screaming and parents scolding just beyond the cover of rocks but they only cared about each other. As they swam around in their private realm, they didn't have to keep their serious public personas so they could act like kids as well, splashing each other and egging each other on.
"Wait, stop!" Tokoyami shouted just as Shouji created a massive wave with his arms. He became drenched from the head down, his feathers dripping. He spit the water out of his mouth in a single stream and with his eyes squeezed shut, he could hear his husband laughing at his expense. "The odds are stacked against me, you know," he said, referring to their vast difference in stature.
"Let's go two against one," Dark Shadow hissed.
"Wait," Shouji remarked before he was subjected to a pincer attack.
They managed to spend an hour waging a splash war and by the time they got out, they were both shivering uncontrollably. Tokoyami sneezed and Shouji immediately ran over to their bags, retrieving their big towel and draping it around his lover. Before he could get one for himself, Dark Shadow went around him and pushed him back over to Tokoyami.
"Bend down," Tokoyami whispered.
Shouji blinked before doing so. "Hm?"
The birdman wrapped his arms around the six-armed man's neck, pulling himself up and straddling his waist. They bumped foreheads as Shouji used his hands to support Tokoyami's legs. Their skin was wet as they pressed against each other but the warmth of their bodies felt nice as the rough fabric of the towel stretched around them.
"I adore your hair like this," Tokoyami chuckled, running his fingers through the white mass over the other man's face. The hairstyle hadn't changed much over the years they'd been together. "When it's messy like this, you become even more breathtaking which I didn't even know was possible yet I'm ecstatic that it is."
"Thanks," Shouji smiled. "Do you think it's getting too long?"
"That is entirely dependent on you," Tokoyami replied.
Shouji raised a hand to hold the birdman's head, the feathers tickling his fingers. "I think you're lucky these don't grow. It's so difficult to manage my hair sometimes." His hand morphed into a mouth and it planted a kiss on the side of Tokoyami's beak. "Your feathers also make you look adorable."
"Not many options to alter the style though," Tokoyami chuckled. "Molting season is a pain too."
"I almost forgot you did that."
"I forget how beautiful you are at times."
"You really know how to make a guy swoon, huh."
Shouji fell backwards despite the fact that he was more than capable of maintaining their current form. But he wanted to sit cross-legged so that he could pull Tokoyami in closer to his body. They stayed that way, arms enveloped in one another, hair and feathers tangled up in each other, skin slowly warming up in the heat of their breaths and the sun.
They could've taken the rest of the day just to bask in the spring air but Tokoyami's stomach rumbled, signalling that it was time to have lunch. So they dried off, wrapped themselves in their towels, and took out their complementary bento boxes. Tokoyami didn't like being treated like a kid but he couldn't say no to Shouji feeding him apple rabbits by hand. The birdman also fed his husband the octopus sausage in exchange.
"Hey," said Shouji, "can you call me that like you did on our wedding night?"
Tokoyami paused, chewing on a piece of shrimp. "…Pervert?"
"No, the nice one," Shouji muttered dryly.
Tokoyami chuckled, playing around with the remainder of their food with his chopsticks. He acted like he was pondering the request even though he knew exactly what it was he was being asked. He then raised his head and beckoned his spouse to come closer. Tokoyami enclosed an arm around him, pushing his beak up against Shouji's cheek, and whispered, "Beloved."
"That's the one," Shouji murmured, nearly dropping his lunchbox as he embraced Tokoyami. "I love you, Fumikage… my beloved."
"I'll cherish you, my beloved," Tokoyami chuckled, "Mezo."
Dark Shadow suddenly hugged them both. "I love you guys too!"
"We love you too."
A/N: This might become a sequel to One Week and 30 Things but either way, it follows their general storyline. So if you want to keep up with the plot here, I'd recommend reading those though it's not 100% necessary I would think. At least read 30 Things. Furthermore, I'm more active on Ao3 and you can also find me on Tumblr, both under the name ZeroUnitRGB. I've got links on my profile. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!
Also "Ore no Saiai" means "My Beloved" because I couldn't think of a better title than that.