Their friends were now gone and the house seemed deathly quiet without them. Aoba was sure he'll be fine because he has Ren with him. He helped his lover clean the house from the amount of empty liquor bottles and plastic cups and plates laying around. Good thing the party didn't have a lot of people or both Ren and Aoba would have more work to do. Aoba had took their presents upstairs to their bedroom. He had Ren help him carry the new computer up there while putting the old one in one of the closets on the second floor. When they had just finished cleaning, Ren went to sit on the couch, patting the spot next to him for Aoba, obviously wanting him to join him. He wanted to hold him close since he hasn't gotten to for a while. He soon smiled when Aoba joined him and watched him nestling himself in his arms.

"Thank you for today... I really needed it, Ren." he murmured, his light brown eyes closing in content as he hugged Ren around his waist. The tv, which Ren turned on moments ago, was on low and airing some strange show which Aoba had no idea what was going on there. While he relaxed against Ren, he suddenly remembered something then pulled himself away from the other male and stood to his feet.

"I have something else for you but it's going to be a bit cheesy..." Aoba blushed lightly as he felt embarrassed for the fact he'll give this plain present to his lover after giving him an extravagant one. And it seemed like something a young high school student would give to their sweetheart. However, he then realized Ren likes whatever he gives him. It's a good thing to be assured of again and again but Aoba still worried about Ren disliking whatever he gives him. "I'll be right back."

With that said, he had ran off to their bedroom before Ren could get a word in and he started searching around, trying to remember where he put the present for his lover. He grew frustrated at himself for being so forgetful when it's such a cute present too. He gave up searching under the bed then looked over at the old AllMate Ren used to inhabit for ten years and the feelings of nostalgia set in as it did before. The days of them participating in Rhyme, the maintenance, the whole thing with Platinum Jail, the times they did their good luck charm... So many memories of Ren swirled around in his mind filling his heart with a bittersweet feeling.

The male didn't mind though. He was grateful for the memories he has of Ren then and the new ones of the Ren who is still with him now. One thing Aoba wishes is to thank his brother Sei for giving Ren back to him in a sense. And to an extent, he would have to thank Virus and Trip since they had a part in bringing Ren back to him. Since he hasn't seen them since Platinum Jail, he figured it was for the best he doesn't see them. He isn't sure if he'll forget what they did even if he forgives them. If anything, Aoba feels hurt that they betrayed him and physically hurt him too. He started feeling depressed as he remembered what they said as if he was there yesterday. They worked for Morphine which somehow operated under Toue's watchful eye. They had staged that accident which he was told it was an incident with Rhyme, resulting in the loss of his and Ren's memories. Even as he thought about it, he could never figure out what those two were thinking even if he tried. And Aoba has tried...

After dwelling on the past a little bit, Aoba figured it was pointless analyzing the actions of his 'fans' or even trying to justify it. He did break people's minds with his power and they thought it was right to get him under control. In a messed up way, it was kind of a good idea because then Aoba had went on to live a quiet life with his grandmother for the rest of his teen years and into adulthood. And it definitely kept him out of Toue's clutches for a while too. He was glad that the 'accident' had happened because he worried her greatly. It's something he has been regretting ever since he had gotten out of the hospital. He told her he wouldn't make her cry or worry ever again then. With everything that had happened, it seemed as if it was all a dream. A bizarre dream that happened to be very vivid... At least that was over and now he has Ren in his life and he still has him by his side to this day.

The male smiled to himself, looking a bit content. He took a small breath before he somewhat scooted closer to the old AllMate. Now remembering, Aoba slipped his hand under the pillow it was resting on, soon finding the object he was looking for. He stared at it in his hands, thinking it may be the cheesiest thing he has gotten for Ren but he really wanted to do this for him at least once. The present in question was over a dozen personally customized I.O.U cards. Aoba spent about several months making them himself because he really wanted them to be very cute for Ren and at the same time, not so cheesy. Okay, it is still pretty cheesy but Aoba didn't care as long as Ren likes it.

'Ren has always been eager about pretty much everything. Maybe this is the one thing he'll be less excited about.' He thought to himself, his mind drifting to the few times he and Ren had sex outdoors and in the bath... There were times they did it in the changing rooms of clothing stores. His lover's libido was rather unpredictable almost all the time. So this time, he hoped that Ren would probably dislike this present. Especially after giving him a nice looking Coil earlier. Aoba looked at the distinct designs on each of them, mostly cute dark and light blue puppies were drawn at each corner of the cards with a few hearts on them. This is something a teenage girl would do most definitely and Aoba blushed rather darkly as he tied a ribbon around the cards. He figured he had been up here long enough so he thought he should return to Ren before he comes up here and check on him.

Aoba then went downstairs and entered the living room. It seemed like Ren was watching a commercial about some new AllMate. It looked like a ferret and it was white. Clearly there were different shades of this type of AllMate but the white one was really popular among most customers. Ren heard Aoba coming into the room then turned his attention to him, his amber eyes glancing at the object in his lover's hand.

"I don't think we received any mail today, Aoba." he stated, feeling very confused to why he's holding a letter-like object. He became a little more confused when he saw Aoba smiling at him.

"They're I.O.U. cards," Aoba explained as he sat down on the couch next to Ren as he did before then handed the bundle of cards over to him. "I actually made them myself. See, um, you can use one whenever you want and I won't take back whatever you wish to do. Say you want to kiss me in public and...do other stuff. You can use a card for that."

'He would probably just do that stuff anyway as he did before but...it's the thought that counts, I think.'

The male watched his lover untie the ribbon holding the bundle of cards together and he smiled when Ren looked through them curiously. A smile played on his features and his amber eyes looked more warm than they did before. That was definitely a good sign whenever Ren showed interest or extreme happiness about something no matter how trivial the thing was to him.

"The designs are cute, Aoba. Are these little blue puppies supposed to be us?" he asked his lover who nodded, still smiling at him. "I love it. And I will be sure to use every single one too. By the way, when did you find the time to make these?"

It was obvious Ren was very curious because with Aoba being busy with work prior to Tae's death and the fact he's been hospitalized for several long weeks after her death, he wasn't sure if Aoba could have made these cards for him. They were rather detailed and it took a great amount of time from the looks of them. Now that he thought back on his question to Aoba, Ren had felt guilty for even asking it in the first place. It sounded like he doubted Aoba to do something like this with the emotional state he had been in for several weeks.

"Ren, it's okay. I'm fine now." Aoba reassured him after noticing the expression on his face. "I worked on them for probably several weeks on and off. I finished them a month before... Well, you know. I actually forgot where I put them for a while." It wasn't because of his grandmother's death that had affected his memory but more because of the fact Aoba tends to forget things sometimes. Especially something so important as Ren's birthday present. Well, Ren's second birthday present. Either way, the male felt bad for not remembering because he worked hard on making it. That present could have stayed underneath Ren's AllMate body for another year and he wouldn't have remembered it. Aoba is glad he actually remembered its hiding place this time.

Aoba's light brown eyes looked up at Ren looking through the cards once again when he finally stopped on one of them. Amber eyes met with his own and he started getting a feeling in his gut. One where he is all too familiar with whenever their eyes met. It was the feeling of butterflies. He hadn't felt that in a while despite loving Ren the way he does. That feeling almost felt nostalgic to him because he felt so much sadness and grief for several weeks. He still felt sad but at least he had Ren with him. It didn't feel as though he didn't have anyone in his life with him. Aoba does have his friends but the one he wants by his side the most is his soul mate, Ren. Without him, it would feel as though he's drowning and no one will come to rescue him. Then he would drown.

The male reached out for one of Ren's hands just as Ren reached out for his then laced their fingers through one another. They stared into one another's eyes without saying a word. Minutes passed with silence before Ren had let out a small chuckle which left Aoba rather confused.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I am just happy about this present you gave me. And I want to use one of them now but..." Ren trailed off, the warm expression on his face grew somber as he realized this may be a bad time to use this certain card. Why did he have such an unpredictable libido? Now that he became more aware of it, he felt more ashamed of himself.

Aoba could almost picture Ren's invisible dog ears drooping in moderate apology and shame as if he did something bad. He knew what Ren wanted and to be honest, he desired this too. He didn't want Ren to use the cards for this. Not this time. It was their birthday after all and this will be his final present to Ren for the day. And he wanted to repay him for being so wonderful and patient with him during the last several weeks. Obviously, Aoba felt like he had been a burden to Ren who had been so good to him since the very beginning. He had always been his voice of reason. Even when he used to inhabit that old AllMate body. And the now everlasting love of his life even separated himself from his mind to do that.

Ren did everything for his sake and Aoba couldn't be any more grateful to him than he is right now.

Attempting to shake off the guilt he currently felt, Aoba took Ren's hand and held it up to his cheek, having him rest the palm of his hand on it. A gentle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he felt Ren cup his face with that same hand. It felt so warm against his skin and it caused the butterflies in his stomach to flutter even more. His eyes had closed as though he's trying to immerse himself within the warmth that is his lover. Having Ren touch him like this made him very aware of the fact he is still here with him. Ren is still here with him. That is all Aoba wanted.

'He's still here with me... Ren.'

As though making some sort of promise to himself, Aoba looked up at Ren, still smiling which made Ren himself smile too. The hand that's resting on his cheek never left as the shorter male opened his mouth to speak.

"We can wait a bit if that's what you want to do." he murmured before opening his eyes and glanced up at Ren again. "It would be a little awkward to do it now."

"Yeah." Ren agreed.

Honestly, Aoba wanted to be intimate with Ren again for more validation that he's here with him but he attempted to hold down those desires. He figured he and Ren should just wait for a bit or at least wait until they go on this vacation to the beach. Maybe they'll be ready to do it then and hopefully it will be just as magical as every other time they made love to each other. It wouldn't matter when they do it as long as they love each other emotionally. This was fine.

"Aoba," The blue haired male tilted his head to the side slightly when Ren said his name. "Do you think we can just hold each other? I just want to be close to you..."

The sudden request surprised Aoba and he ended up blushing slightly. It wasn't like Ren had never said or did anything that made him flustered before. However, he still felt a little bashful as his stomach filled with even more butterflies. Ren is the only person who ever made him feel this way and that's okay. Feeling that is one way of knowing he is still alive and that the heavy amount of grief he felt hadn't killed him already.

"Yeah, it's fine. I want to hold you too." he murmured as he took hold of Ren's hand and walked back to their room together. Like before, their fingers laced through one another which caused both males to smile even more. It felt nice to hold hands like this. Ren's hand felt warm to Aoba and vice versa. Neither of them really said anything until after they reached their room and went inside.

Aoba went to lay down on the bed and waited for Ren to join him, feeling happy when Ren quickly did. His arms found their way around his body as he let out a sigh when Ren had done the same. It really felt good to be in Ren's arms again. Almost like he was able to rid the lonely feeling he felt when Tae had died. He still misses her greatly and he keeps wishing to hear her come up to their room and ask them to come downstairs for dinner or something. Honestly, Aoba would love to hear her booming voice again.

As he continued thinking about her, he had let out a sad sigh which immediately had Ren feeling concerned for his beloved.

"Aoba?" he began, touching his cheek to prompt the other to look at him.

"I'm okay... I just really miss granny..." Aoba answered quietly as he looked into Ren's worried eyes.

"I know. I miss her too," Ren murmured. He let out a small chuckle as he continued talking. "About now, she would yell for us in a loud voice to come downstairs for dinner."

"Yeah..."

Just talking about Tae was a little painful for Ren too but he knew Aoba was suffering more because he had been with her longer than he has. Ren felt like he had no right to mourn for the loss of Tae but he thought he shouldn't tell Aoba that. He knew Aoba would tell him he's a part of this family just like he is despite neither of them having no blood relation to her. Honestly, Ren loved Tae just as much as Aoba loves her. He will always be grateful to her for everything she's done for him and Aoba. Including allowing them to have a relationship with each other. Though Ren and Aoba kept their love making to a minimum when she was home out of consideration for her. And it was embarrassing to have been caught doing it a few times too.

As much as they wished she was still there with them, the two males knew that was just merely wishful thinking. Aoba felt as though his heart might break again as he gripped onto Ren's hand, lacing their fingers through one another. He allowed himself to close his eyes and listened to the sound of Ren's calm breathing. The scent of him also flowed into his nose. It smelled like a kind smell. Bright and vibrant like the sun. Ren's scent relaxed him. He relaxed even more when Ren began playing with his hair with his free hand. It felt so nice. A smile of content appeared on Aoba's face and he lifted Ren's hand to his lips and kissed his fingers gently, pouring the love he has for him in this small, physical gesture.

"You're really here..." He murmured, almost inaudibly. Ren really is here with him. And Aoba couldn't have been happier. Sadness still lurked in his heart but he has his beloved here with him.

"I am." Ren murmurs before he kissed Aoba's forehead. When Aoba let out a content sigh, Ren smiled. This is all he could do for him right now. Be with Aoba and show him he is there for him no matter what.

The couple laid there for a while, Ren still ran his fingers through Aoba's hair until after his beloved fell asleep. Ren couldn't help but smile as he sighed inwardly in relief. After today's excitement and being released from the hospital in the same day, Ren wasn't sure if Aoba would be able to go to sleep so easily. It was the only thing worrying him for the majority of today but now everything is good. Well, almost everything. Their beloved grandmother is still gone from this world. Sure, both Aoba and Ren want her back more than anything but it's not possible. The only thing they can do is remember her as she was when she was still alive.

Ren figured since he and Aoba love Tae, they will remember her everyday and keep her in their hearts until they depart from this world. If there is something beyond the life they have now, then maybe they will join Tae, Sei or anyone they love on the other side. That is if there is another side or something like that. Topics regarding God, Heaven or Hell isn't something Ren have thought extensively about on occasions. Honestly, Ren didn't have any opinion of religion in general. He felt neutral on the subject and if someone were to ask him what his opinion of God was, he probably would just clam up in hopes of not starting a fight over religion. Aoba didn't have any opinion of God either because he said he doesn't have an opinion over a being that may or may not exist. Ren thought that was a good answer from his beloved so naturally, he agreed with him.

Losing someone precious to them again made Ren think...no, hope there is something on the other side. A place where Sei is finally at peace. A place where Tae is relaxing and possibly watching over him and Aoba. Just any sort of conformation that they are alright wherever they are. Both Ren and Aoba wished fervently for this everyday whenever thoughts of their grandmother and Sei came to mind.

'If I ended up dying before Aoba and there is an afterlife, I will watch over him and protect him as I had done before.' Ren thought to himself as he had fallen asleep. The hand he used to play with Aoba's hair rested on Aoba's waist in a non suggestive manner. He may be the one comforting Aoba and making sure he's happy but Ren felt like his own mood had been lifted. He felt content, too. Knowing Aoba is still here with him filled his chest with warmth and happiness. Nothing could ever ruin what they have. The dark haired male is very sure of that.

Feeling sleep beginning to take over him, Ren allowed himself to be wrapped in its comforting embrace along with his beloved, still feeling happy.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I didn't mean to leave this fanfiction alone for almost a year but it kind of happened. I got distracted. (Nothing new there.) And I wanted to practice writing Ren and Aoba more accurately because I love them so much. It worries me I may not be writing them as well as other people have done so far. Over the last several months, I wrote a lot of RenAo oneshots and drabbles. ^^ Some you can find on here and others on my personal blog on tumblr. At the moment, I have limited access to the internet so updating any social media is difficult for me. (I am on mobile...)

I will try to update this fanfiction as often as I can since things should be happening in a couple of chapters... I hope this chapter was okay despite it being slow and uneventful. Vacation planning fun will happen in the next chapter and then the actual vacation happens. :D Hope to see you lovely people next time~~

~Aoba