Author's Note: Merry Christmas Everyone~ Decided to post today as a sort of gift maybe? Enjoy and hope you have a good holiday~
Translations:
Furusato - Translates to one's hometown. But can also mean the home that the heart longs for.
Engawa - Broad outdoor halls (usually made of wood) that are the transition point between the indoors and the outdoors of a traditional Japanese house. They can be likened to a veranda or porch.
Genkan - The small entryway in a Japanese home where you leave your shoes and coat before stepping into the house proper.
Tatami - large square floor mats made of straw.
Shoji - Sliding doors, partitions, or shutters made of wood and rice paper.
Regular text inside quotes=Spoken Japanese
Italics outside of quotes=Main POV character's inner thoughts
Italics inside quotes=Spoken English
Bold text in or out of quotes=Emphasis on words
:::=Time jump of a day or longer.
A few weeks after Shinsuke took her camping to get her over her night terrors, Asuka began noticing him scrolling on his cell phone more often than was usual of him. It was getting to the point where he seemed distracted by it, even when she was talking to him.
Asuka decided to get to the bottom of what he was doing. "What're you doing? Texting your secret girlfriend?" she asked jokingly while stretching for her match.
"What?" That seemed to get his attention. "No!"
"Then what are you doing?" She stood and walked over, peeking at his screen.
"I'm looking at houses. Figured it's time for some more space, ya know? Branching out."
Is he staying local, or was he branching out in more ways than one? Asuka gulped at the prospect of him moving far away, but she shoved it aside.
"More space for what?" she asked, maintaining her teasing tone. "For your growing surfboard collection or for your hoard of plants and folk art?"
"Maybe," he answered with a sniff. His eyes returned to his phone. "I've been fairly frugal since arriving in America. Think it's time to graduate to something…better."
"I see. Well, you're a champion now, so guess it's only natural."
Shinsuke hummed in response, thumb scrolling repeatedly over the screen.
And now I've lost him again. She jumped in place a few times then said, "I'm headed for Gorilla for my match."
He gave a faint nod without looking up. Asuka was starting to feel envious of his phone.
After her match, she was surprised to see Shinsuke waiting for her at Gorilla. He looked very excited.
"I think I found a place!" he exclaimed over the din of theme music, the roar of the crowd, and the chatter of co-workers. His toothy smile appeared to encompass most of his face, bringing out his charming laugh lines, which she dubbed Kitsune whiskers.
"Ohh that's nice," she replied, reciprocating his kiss. Inside her mind raced.
"On screen, it looks perfect and within my budget," he continued, large hands cupping her face. "But I want to be sure. Would you come with me to check it out on Thursday?"
"Boy, you sure move fast. You already have an appointment with a real estate agent?" she asked in amazement.
"Lucky for me I was able to get ahold of the agent tonight. So will you accompany me?"
"I suppose it couldn't hurt," she answered, her finger to her lip in thought. Then she would be able to see how far he planned to move.
"Great!" Shinsuke's grin broadened impossibly more.
:::
Wednesday Asuka spent the night and Shinsuke's place and in the morning they got ready and left together in his car for the property he was interested in.
"It's a bit farther between your place and my current residence, but it puts me just a little closer to the ocean and the Performance Center," he explained while driving.
"How much farther?" she asked, unable to keep the trepidation from causing a small waver in her voice.
Shinsuke covered her hand with his, offering her a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving the city or anything."
Asuka felt her heartbeat start to slow from the reassurance. "That's good."
They only drove for maybe ten or fifteen minutes more before Shinsuke turned onto a quiet gated community, parking in front of what she assumed was the house in the listing.
"Oh my," Asuka gasped as she looked out the passenger window. "A-Are we really still in Orlando?"
"Really indeed…" Shinsuke murmured in agreement, awe tinting his voice. "It looks even more spectacular than in the photos."
They got out of Shinsuke's car to get a better look. They barely noticed the real estate agent until he approached and introduced himself. Asuka hardly acknowledged the man, for the property held her in some sort of daze.
Amidst the stonewall enclosing the property rose a two-story house that looked like it was transplanted straight from Japan.
Only when Shinsuke's hand took hers did she shake herself of the enchantment the edifice held over her.
"Shall we go look inside?" he asked, scarcely able to conceal his excitement.
Asuka tried to remain stoic but it was unfeasible. "Of course!" she said, voice coming out like a chirp to even her own ears.
The real estate agent – she didn't pay attention when he gave his name so she didn't know it – unlocked the grand wooden gate and pushed it open. So far, with its tiled roof and broad eaves, to its wooden engawa, the house indeed looked painstakingly modeled after a Japanese style home.
Asuka was eager to see how it looked from the inside.
"The house is from the '80s," the agent explained as they crossed the walking path leading them to the house. "It was built by a wealthy American banker who married a Japanese woman. Seemed he wanted to make her feel less homesick. They have been the only owners and they have kept the property well-maintained throughout the years."
"I can see that." Shinsuke ran his hand appreciatively along the grain of one of the wood pillars.
Asuka could not form words for she was in such awe
The agent unlocked the front door and they all stepped into a genkan. Shoe cupboards, coat hangers, and indoor slippers waited for them on the other side. They changed out of their shoes and into the slippers, then the agent led them through a traditional wooden sliding door.
Beyond the genkan was a hall that led to a slight winding staircase. The floors were made of pristine hardwood while the walls were a clean cream color.
The agent showed them into a room directly to the right. "This is one of the six rooms," he said. "There's also one master bedroom, two restrooms and baths, one kitchen, one dining room, one living room, two storage rooms, a sunroom, three tatami rooms, and two balconies."
The first room was fairly large, equipped with a closet and two windows, which let in plenty of natural light.
Asuka was still in quite a bit of awe, but then her focus turned to Shinsuke. He walked about the room, eyes shrewdly distant, one arm bent upward at the elbow, long fingers flexing. Asuka knew that look and stance. Shinsuke was deep in his own imaginings, painting a picture of what he believed could fill the emptiness. He often did that while staring at a blank canvas.
From there they moved about the first level in a counter-clockwise motion, which took them to the first set of bath and toilet rooms. They switched their indoor slippers for washroom slippers before entering. The bath had a western-style bathtub, but there was also a drain in the floor as well as a spray attachment for bathing before soaking. The restroom was in a separate but adjoining room and featured a western-style toilet as well.
They changed back to their regular indoor slippers and checked out the first storage room. It was almost as spacious as the first room and had three closets.
Next was the kitchen. It had a sink, electric stove and oven, a dishwasher, plenty of cabinet space, and an island for placing food. The kitchen led directly into the dining room.
Following the dining room was the living room. So far it was the airiest room and a grand window let in lots of sunlight. In this room, as with the others before it, Shinsuke seemed to be envisioning how his things would occupy the room. Asuka wondered what he was seeing when she was not examining things
Then there were two tatami rooms. For these, they entered in their bare and stockinged feet to preserve the delicate tatami mats.
"Oh wow!" Asuka gasped as she took in the room.
It was like a second more secluded dining space. At the center was a long table with a small traditional fire pit built in the middle for smoking meats or brewing tea. The first tatami room opened into the second, which seemed to be more of a simple sitting room. Both had large windows that looked out upon the beautiful side garden. The windows could be closed off with shoji shutters if diffused lighting was preferred.
Shinsuke stooped to run his hand lightly along the tatami. "It's spectacular. Really like Japan," he praised.
"Everything traditional in this house was actually imported from Japan," said the agent, "The wood, the tatami, etc."
The agent saved the backyard for the last of the first level. The living room opened up into the engawa once more via a sliding door. Beyond the door was a good half acre-sized yard filled with lush grass. A flowering tree that resembled sakura shaded a nearly centered portion of it. A stone pathway led to a small but magnificent corner garden. The garden could easily be increased in size if Shinsuke so desired. The backyard was enclosed with a privacy fence. Lastly, a little to the left of the house, and behind the garage, was a small utility shed.
"The flowers and the tree are native to this part of America, but most of them are also native to Japan," the agent told them. "And they are all perennials."
"Is this sakura?" Shinsuke asked, gesturing to the tree.
The agent shook his head. "Dogwood."
Asuka took a moment away from the men to admire the colors of the garden. Though the size was more modest, it reminded her of her parent's garden back in Osaka. Some honey bees and one plump bumblebee buzzed about. Asuka smiled and bent for a closer look, finding enjoyment in watching them busily moving from bloom to bloom.
She turned to see that the men were waiting on her. A fond smile graced Shinsuke's face, extending to his eyes. He must have been watching as she looked over the garden.
"Like the garden, Niji?" Shinsuke asked when she returned.
"Yes very much. But isn't it more important whether you like them?"
Shinsuke just shrugged nonchalantly. "I do like them."
"You hardly looked at them." she shoved him playfully.
"I could see them perfectly from here." He toyed with a lock of her hair. "Especially one flower in particular."
"Velvet tongued, Kitsune," she accused with little heat.
The agent coughed, breaking the moment between them. "Wanna take a look upstairs?"
"Of course," Shinsuke replied, dropping his hand back to his side.
"Oh my gosh, so much," Asuka murmured, as they followed the agent up the stairs. "Can't believe there's more."
"Believe it," The agent smiled.
This time the agent took them about the floor clockwise. First, they entered probably the largest room they had come upon yet. Like most of the rooms, it was well lit with large windows, but also boasted a long island table that may have been used as a bar. A sliding glass door led out onto a grand balcony big enough to hold a small group of people. It gave them an ample view of the front yard as well as the neighborhood. Also from there, they could see the driveway positioned to the right of the wall. A generously sized garage sat at the end of the drive.
"I guess we were too preoccupied with the house to see that," Asuka remarked with a giggle in Japanese
"I think you're right." Shinsuke chuckled.
The balcony room led into the third, plainer tatami room that could easily be a tearoom or a bedroom. Another room medium-sized room followed and yet again Shinsuke's visionary gears clanged to life.
Next was the small sunroom, the large windows giving them a great view of the backyard. Then there was the second, smaller storage room. After that was the master bedroom, which was almost as spacious as the first balcony room. Wooden sliding doors led onto another, more private balcony. It overlooked the backyard.
"I could easily get used to this view," Shinsuke said to Asuka, hands gripping the concrete railing.
"I could too," Asuka agreed, then shook herself. "I mean when I visit and such."
Shinsuke gave her a side smirk that spoke of satisfaction.
"What's that look for?" she called after him as she went back inside the house with him.
"Oh no reason really," he answered, an obvious lie.
"That's not true," she argued.
He turned to face her, leaning so they were eye to eye. "Then what is the truth, Niji? What am I thinking right now?"
Asuka pouted for his truth was nowhere near as blatant. "I don't know…but I know you had a reason for that look."
"Perhaps so," Shinsuke pulled back then booped her on the nose. "But for now it is not important. Come, let's finish the tour."
The remainder of the house consisted of the second set of separate restroom and bath, two more decent sized rooms, and a hall that led back towards the large balcony room. The bathroom was more traditionally Japanese than the one downstairs.
When they reached the end of the tour, Shinsuke requested to have a moment alone to speak with Asuka. The agent nodded and left them in the plain tatami room on the first floor.
"So what do you think?" Shinsuke asked, seeming as though he were trying to control his giddiness.
"Well, it's very, very nice. Wonderful in fact," Asuka said looking over the room once more. "Everything seems to be well kept, a nice blend between traditional and modern Japanese design. Though I think you'd have a little too much room on your hands if you got it, your heart seems set on it. So you don't need my opinion."
"Ohh I think the space is perfect from my perspective." There was that mysterious smile again. "And on contrary, you're opinion on this place is very important."
"Why is that?" she asked, feeling puzzled by his words and expression,
"Well…" Shinsuke looked down, his right large toe gently tracing the grain of the tatami mat he was standing on. "I think your things will fill the extra space in this house nicely. And we can build upon that, together."
Asuka blinked, suddenly feeling a little breathless. "W-What?"
Shinsuke lifted his head slightly, looking up at her through his curtain of lashes. "I'm asking if…I mean, if you want to…would you…move in with me?"
Muteness fell over Asuka at first as she took care to breathe slowly in order to slow her heart. Butterflies were nesting in her stomach again. Shinsuke's face bloomed red and he continued to draw nervously with his toe. Asuka hadn't seen Shinsuke this bashful in a long time, nor had she felt this feeling in ages. Probably not since they had first become a couple.
After the initial shock, Asuka opened her mouth to speak. Instead, a high-pitched squeal of happiness erupted from her lips. Apparently startled by the sharp sound, Shinsuke's head rose just as she jumped at him.
"Whoa!" Shinsuke caught her in his arms, the velocity of her weight forcing him back a step. "Is that…a yes?" he questioned, sounding cutely hopeful.
Asuka mimicked the look he gave her upstairs. "What do you think?"
A slow knowing smile spread across his face. "I think we should go seal the deal."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer. "I think it can wait just a moment or two." Then she covered his lips with hers.
Shinsuke hummed agreeably into the kiss. He slanted his mouth and soon their tongues commenced a slow, heated dance. Large warm hands cupped the curves of her bottom. Asuka let out a tiny moan and secured her legs around his waist. Her thumb brushed over the cotton of his shirt, feeling one nipple already pebbled. Shinsuke's breath came in a little shallowly, one hand gave her ass a squeeze.
A sudden cough caused them both to freeze.
Lips still connected to Shinsuke's, Asuka slowly cracked open one eye. There stood the real estate agent – she still didn't know his name. He was deliberately looking at the floor. Asuka pulled back from Shinsuke and he moved his hands to a more proper position on her back as he lowered her to her feet. Biting her lower lip, Asuka began to smooth the wrinkles in her clothes. Shinsuke followed her example.
Clearing his own throat, Shinsuke said to the other man. "We'll take it."
"I kind of gathered that," the agent looked up finally, a flush of embarrassment tinting his cheeks.
:::
Two weeks later, they closed on the house. Shinsuke paid in all cash, which took out all the fuss of getting appeasing a lender for a loan.
Asuka was floored at the time when Shinsuke suggested it. But he assured her that he had developed a penchant for being frugal since becoming a wrestler. He had been saving for some time now – since a little before he joined WWE.
"If we both chip in, we can do this," Shinsuke had said after they both took their finances into account. "Then once we figure our separate properties out, plus my new earnings as champion, it won't take any time at all before we make our money back."
"You're right," her reply came with conviction. "Let's do this"
Shinsuke pulled his car into the drive, parked, and shut off the ignition. The key to the house plus the spare jangled as Asuka opened her palm. She looked down at the matching keys then out the window. Together they sat in silence as they gazed at the house.
Their house.
"C'mon," Shinsuke said, climbing out of the car with an encouraging smile. "Let's get to planning."
"Yes~" Asuka beamed.
While Shinsuke grabbed the small cooler of water and sodas, Asuka carried the blankets and pillows they had packed for a makeshift bed for the night. Shinsuke put down the cooler to unlock the front door. After they made their bed on the tatami dining room floor and ordered some take out, they set to work mapping out the house and how each room would be used.
They decided to keep the living, dining, storage, and solarium rooms assigned as they were, the master bedroom as well. The two tatami rooms on the first level would also remain the same, but the one upstairs would be a guest bedroom if any of their family visited. The garage would house their cars, tools, Shinsuke's surfboards, and their other camping gear. The shed would take the remaining outdoor tools and whatever would not go into the garage.
As for the rest of the rooms, they took a little more time deliberating on. They agreed to make the large room to the left of the entrance of the house into a general art room where they would combine some of their art supplies into one shared space.
Upstairs, they made the large balcony room a sort of entertainment room for when they had guests over. The room beside the tatami guest room would be a secondary guest room for any western guests. The two remaining rooms opposite of their master bedroom were designated as semi-private workspaces, one for Asuka and one for Shinsuke, to do with as they saw fit.
Asuka settled down in their bedding. She was tired, but it was a nice sort of exhaustion that accompanied a strong sense of accomplishment. Still, they had a lot to do, but she was proud that they were able to configure how their house would be set up without any issues.
Our house. The thought was still almost too amazing to be true, but here they were. A large smile formed on her face as gratification filled her to near bursting.
"What are you smiling about, Niji?" Shinsuke asked. He climbed under the covers and propped his head on one arm to peer down at her. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I love our house," Asuka breathed. "I can't wait to see it filled with our stuff, so we can make it a home."
Shinsuke's grin widened and he stroked her face with his other hand. "I cannot wait either. We're gonna make this one hell of a home. I know it."
"We will." Asuka leaned against his palm and snuggled closer to his body. "I love you, Shinsuke."
Shinsuke's breath hitched in his throat. His brows furrowed slightly and he opened his mouth as though to speak. But he said nothing. Only caught his lower lip between his teeth. He looked mildly troubled.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's nothing…just…" he looked at her meaningfully. "You look so breathtaking when you're happy like this. You leave me almost speechless." Yet he seemed like he wanted to say more.
Even so, Asuka's heart thumped in her ribcage. She leaned up to kiss him, trailing her hands from his face down to his chest, finding his heart beating just as fast as hers. Shinsuke moaned into her lips, hands pressing her closer. His legs became entangled with hers.
Asuka straddled his hips and leaned down. "There's no one here to bother us now," she whispered into his ear then nibbled on it. "This is our house."
"Mmm…you're right, Niji." Shinsuke slowly bucked his hips suggestively. "We should christen every room, starting with this one."
Leaning back so she could gaze down at him, Asuka licked her lips. Shinsuke looked good enough to eat. And she was feeling hungry again.
"I was feeling tired…but now you got me in the mood for marathon sex. Let the christening begin!"
A.N.: I sort of gave myself an early Christmas gift by purchasing a ticket for a virtual meet and greet with Shinsuke. I feel like I was even more awkward than I was when I met Asuka and I feel a little bad because the audio on his side wasn't as good as last time. Shinsuke would say something and I wouldn't hear it correctly. I wanted to say "Pardon me, can you say that again?" but you only get two minutes, and the time REALLY flies. Also I kind of rambled about how great he is and thanked him for sharing my fanart. Still, it could have definitely been worse. I got to show him a doll I made for his birthday next year, he commented on my cat being in the background, and we had some laughs. Again, hope you all have a great Christmas and that you treat yourselves, after this year we all deserve it!
As always if you are confused about the order in which to read, check my profile for the list of fics in this series. If you liked reading this fic, please leave a review or fave it. Thanks~