Their hands bumped as they walked down the narrow forest path. The first man's chestnut brown hair had dulled with age, but the locks were still soft and downy as they fluttered in the spring breeze. His glasses gave his weakening eyesight the strength to enjoy the colorful, blossoming flowers that lined the path. He felt his hand enter the warm encasement of the other's larger hand, and he turned to look up into the crisp, cobalt gaze of his companion.

"Yes, Nowaki?"

The other's hair, once coal black and shiny, had been stained with streaks of grey. The silvers and grays flashed in the warm sunlight that cascaded in through the canopies of the trees towering above them. Around his eyes and lips were wrinkles that had come to be from decades of smiling and laughing, laugh lines that were only brought on by his most precious person, his most beloved. He smiled serenely down at the other man, his eyes twinkling with adoration.

Even after years and years of being together, the first man still couldn't help it as a fiery red blush rose to his cheeks and nose. The other laughed heartily and brought his little companion's hand up to his chest, where he pressed it into his shirt, just above his heart. The smaller man pinched his lips together in embarrassment as he felt a strong heart beating up against his hand.

"Your blush still makes my heart race like this, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, smiling gently. He moved Hiroki's hand up to his lips, where he pressed a kiss to the wedding band that had occupied his little husband's ring finger for many years.

"Y-You're…" Hiroki began, slapping his free hand over his mouth to hide the smile that had sprung to his face.

"An idiot?" Nowaki finished with a light chortle, letting their joined hands move back down to their hips. Hiroki sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, was that too poetic for you?"

"Yeah, but that's why I fell in love with you," Hiroki said exasperatedly.

"I thought it was my hands," Nowaki said teasingly, stooping down to pick a flower from a nearby flower patch and handing it to his blushing husband. Hiroki took the flower shyly, rolling the stem between his thumb and forefinger.

"Idiot… I fell in love with your everything," Hiroki said quietly, hiding his reddened cheeks and nose by raising the flower to inhale its sweet scent.

"Who's the poet here, Corny-san?" Nowaki asked. Hiroki snapped his gaze angrily to his big oaf of a husband, but his russet eyes softened at the sight of the blush that had risen to lightly color Nowaki's cheeks.

"Hmph. I don't think anything should be labeled corny if it's true," Hiroki said, turning up his nose. He felt Nowaki squeeze his hand.

"Then you're saying that everything I've ever said about you being beautiful and cute isn't corny?" Nowaki said slyly. Hiroki scowled, but his eyes shimmered regardless.

"I guess so," he said, squeezing Nowaki's hand back. His idiot of a husband positively beamed.

They finally came to their destination. The trees opened up to a small clearing, where shafts of sunlight shone onto the emerald green grass. In the center was a cherry tree, and its freshly bloomed pink flowers littered the ground around its base. In the slight breeze, a few petals fell from the branches. Hiroki, however, was more entranced by the thick tree trunk where, carved into the bark, were numerous dashes.

Hiroki and Nowaki walked forward hand-in-hand, and as they got closer, Hiroki could make out the words etched into the tree trunk.

NOWAKI & HIROKI KUSAMA

Beneath the engraved names were thirty-nine tally marks. Hiroki watched in silent vigilance as Nowaki dug into his pocket and retrieved a pocket knife. Nowaki and Hiroki knelt in front of the tree, and Hiroki leaned lovingly against his husband as he watched him carefully carve another tally into the bark. Finishing his work, Nowaki withdrew from the tree and pocketed his knife. He turned to Hiroki, his glimmering eyes conveying all of the emotion and love within him. Nowaki reached up to caress Hiroki's cheek, and his little husband grinned as he too reached up to put his hand over Nowaki's on his face.

"Happy fortieth anniversary, Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered. He leaned forward to press his lips ever so gently against Hiroki's, pouring every ounce of his soul into his kiss. Hiroki's arms naturally found themselves around Nowaki's neck, just as they had for the past four decades.

When Nowaki pulled away, Hiroki whispered words of love into his ear, so passionate that he was near-incoherent. Although it sounded like gibberish, Nowaki knew exactly what Hiroki was saying, and he took his little husband into his arms, holding him tightly.

After what seemed like hours, the pair got to their feet and simply stared at all of the dash marks on the tree trunk, their hands joined.

"Hey… Hiro-san," Nowaki said softly, breaking the silence. Hiroki looked up at him questioningly, intrigued by his sudden soft tone. Nowaki squeezed Hiroki's hand hard.

"Yes?"

"We did it."

"Yeah, we walk up here every year," Hiroki said, slightly confused. Nowaki shut his eyes, his already gentle expression becoming so peaceful and soft that it looked like he was sleeping on his feet.

"No, I meant… our fortieth anniversary… we finally did it," Nowaki whispered. His voice, low and rumbling, still managed to give Hiroki chills. Nowaki slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the cherry blossoms with half-lidded cobalt orbs.

"We finally grew old together, Hiroki."

Hiroki's lips quivered at the words that completed the promise from long ago that he had assumed Nowaki had forgotten. With trembling fingers, Hiroki covered his mouth as tears began to flow endlessly down his face. Nowaki glanced at him and smiled.

"D-Don't say things l-like that," Hiroki choked, squeezing his eyes shut in a failed attempt to hold back the torrent of salt water running down his cheeks. "You're m-making me f-f-feel like an old m-man!"

Nowaki chuckled softly, bringing up his free hand to brush off some of Hiroki's tears.

"Oh, don't fuss, Hiro-san. You are an old man. But I still love you. Aren't you happy?" he asked gently.

"Of course I am!" Hiroki exclaimed, laughing slightly through his tears.

"Then let me see your smile," Nowaki murmured. He gently pried Hiroki's hand off of his mouth. Hiroki chortled, playfully pushing against Nowaki's hand and trying to turn his head away. "There it is!"

"Quit it!" Hiroki protested between giggles as Nowaki laughed with him, trying to grab his chin and turn his face towards his twinkling cobalt stare. They ended up in a tight embrace, and Hiroki's happy tears soaked into Nowaki's shirt as his glasses were knocked askew.

"I love you, Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed into Hiroki's ear. Hiroki melted against his husband for quite possibly the trillionth time in his lifespan, snuggling into the warmth of the still-strong chest.

"I love you too, Nowaki. Forever and always."

If I could just be the most important person in his life, then oh, how happy I would be.
It can't be anyone else but him.

Is there a limit to how much you can love someone?
No matter how much I hurt him and get hurt by him…

I find myself, far from hating him, actually hoping that those wounds will scar, like burns.
Because then you can never forget me.
And you will never, ever be able to leave my side.
Loving someone so madly and helplessly like this…

I will never love like this again.