It had been two months since the Slate had been destroyed. Two months since the world slowly went back to being a regular, normal world. Regular world meant no supernatural abilities, and for Yata that was still a bit of a hard adjustment.

Those powers he once had, he loved them. He could express himself easily with that fire that burned, both inside and out. But now, he had none of that, back to how things had been long before he ever learned about Kings and the Slate.

Even when things were like that, he was thankful for one thing that 'went back to normal' as some would say. He was finally able to hangout and talk to Saruhiko again, just like the old days. There were still plenty of snarky comments from him, but no longer did Yata feel like they were on opposite sides anymore, split apart by silly and petty arguments and viewpoints.

But, there was still so much more on Yata's mind, so many things he wondered about their futures.

"Hey Saruhiko, can I ask you something?"

"You don't need permission, just ask," Saruhiko sighed.

"Right. So I was wondering… since, y'know, we're cool again and everything… I was thinking we could maybe…"

Saruhiko rolled his eyes. "Get to the point already, Misaki."

"I know! I'm trying to! Look, I know that you stay at your apartment with Scepter 4 and stuff, but maybe sometime, would you want to spend the night at my place?"

He held his breath as he waited for a response, seeing Saruhiko lookin at him curiously.

"If you want to, then I suppose we can, for a night."

Yata grinned. "Alright! This will be great! Just me and you and the entire night to ourselves."

"No different than how we are right now," Saruhiko replied.

"That's not the point! We haven't… Well, it's been a while since we, uh, well… When we…"

Thinking back to the days when they shared that small apartment felt bittersweet. He loved and cherished those memories, but they were no longer those young, innocent boys.

They had grown so much since then, and that included new feelings that stirred in Yata's chest as of recently. Since he wasn't feeling disgust and anger whenever he saw Saruhiko, those feelings had to be replaced by something new.

A new nervous, bubbly feeling had come and Yata wasn't entirely sure how to handle it. It wasn't a bad kind of nervousness, but more of a fluttering feeling that led him to wanting more. More than just giving high-fives or light and playful shoves. His mind itched with wanting something else… to reach out and hold Saruhiko's hand… to brush the bangs out of his face.

These thoughts and more constantly flooded his mind and there was no stop to them. He was starting to realize the truth of how he felt, but until he asked subtly, he wouldn't know if Saruhiko felt the same. It was hard to read the man, but Yata was sure he could figure out a way.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Stop being a flustered idiot, Misaki. We were both young and clueless before. Back then we didn't know anything."

"H-hey!" Yata pouted. "You know what I mean though! We're going to be spending the night together, and now that everything is good between us, we won't be at each other's throat."

Suddenly, Saruhiko looked at him with an odd grin. "Oh? But, I thought you liked that, Mi~Sa~Ki?"

"Can it, monkey!"

He got a laugh from him next. "You're too easy."

"You're really a handful, you know that?"

"And you're not?"

Yata huffed. "Whatever! We're going to have fun tonight and that's all that matters!"

Yata paved anxiously by the front door. He knew Saruhiko wasn't the type to be exactly on time, but he wasn't the type to come too early or late either. It left Yata endlessly waiting for that moment that the doorbell would ring and Saruhiko would be standing there.

At least, with the time he had, he had thought over a lot of what he had been thinking about lately.

When I get the chance, I'll ask him. Maybe when we're watching a movie or something…

There were plenty of movies the two enjoyed that had some form of romance in it. Usually, it wasn't the type of films they enjoyed, unless it was a super minor plot point, but Yata figured that it could be enough to spin a conversation.

I can ask him what he thinks about that shit. Then… Then we'll see if I even have the guts to actually ask him…

Thankfully, he didn't have to watch much longer before there was a light knock on the door. Yata ran up to it, grinning as he swung the door open.

"About time you made it!"

"I'm not late…" Saruhiko sighed.

"Yeah, I know, but I've just been bored waiting!"

"Can't find anything to occupy yourself, Misaki?"

Yata huffed. "No! I mean, I can, but I wanted to wait! Anyways, you can set your stuff in the guest room. It's down the hall on the right."

Saruhiko nodded, passing Yata to walk to the guest room. Yata followed behind noting the small backpack that Saruhiko had brought with him.

"That's all you brought?"

"It only has the essentials for one night. I didn't need to pack more."

"Oh, guess that's true."

Yata didn't want to admit he felt a little disappointed. Deep down, he secretly was hoping for Saruhiko to want to stay longer. He had hoped that maybe Saruhiko would surprise him, revealing that he wanted to spend more than just one night.

He couldn't read the man, not knowing what went on in his mind.

"So…" Yata cleared his throat after a moment. "I was thinking we could eat something? Maybe watch a movie after that?"

"Whatever you think is best."

"Right! Then let's get started!"

As he cooked up a dinner for the two of them, Saruhiko sat quietly at the table. Yata could watch him, scrolling on his phone, looking rather tired and bored.

He knew Saruhiko could go for hours on his phone without a word, so he had to do something and fast.

"Anything fun you're looking at?"

"Tch, nothing really that interesting. Not that it would make sense to you."

Yata glared from the stove. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It's simple. It's beyond your comprehension level."

"Saruhiko! Can't you just tell me!? Try me, maybe I'll surprise you."

Saruhiko smirked. "Very well… I was looking up new computer specs. I wanted to compare brands and which had the better processor."

"Oh, just computer stuff?"

"And that's exactly why I didn't bother saying anything. You wouldn't understand the technical side."

"I'm at least asking to have a conversation! Remember what I said, you just gotta explain it to me until I do get it."

In the corner of his eye, he caught Saruhiko smiling. Not a taunting smirk, but a natural smile.

"If you insist, I'll try to tell you what it all means."

As Yata finished his cooking, he listened to Saruhiko explain the difference in computer specs. It still went over his head at times, but he tried his best to understand and listen. He knew Saruhiko would loosen up and talk more once given the chance to ramble about something he was actually interested in.

Soon, dinner was ready and the two ate peacefully. Saruhiko was mostly quiet at the start, leading Yata to prompt him into talking about something.

"So, what movie do you wanna watch?"

"Don't really have any opinion," Saruhiko mumbled.

"Of course you don't… Well! I got several choices we could pick! What about…" He ran through the list he had formed in his head, trying to figure out what to ask about first. After a bit of mulling it over, he said the first name that popped in his head.

"What about The Princess Bride?"

He tried to keep himself from cringing, knowing how the name sounded. And, of course, Saruhiko smirked, giving a small snort.

"You want us to watch something as girly as that?"

"H-hey! It's not! Have you even seen it?"

Saruhiko shrugged. "No, but it doesn't sound very entertaining. How the hell did you even watch something like that?"

Yata blushed from embarrassment. "It was… Anna wanted to watch it. Asked me if I'd watch with her."

"So, it is a girl's movie."

Yata glared. "I said it's not!"

Saruhiko rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "Then what is it, Misaki?"

Yata sucked in a deep breath, trying his hardest to not get riled up by Saruhiko's subtle teasing attempt. "You'll just have to watch and see! Then you'll see you're wrong!"

Saruhiko rolled his eyes. "Fine. If you are going to pester me about it, I might as well."

Once the plates from dinner were cleaned up, they moved to the couch where the tv was. Yata quickly set the player, putting the right disk in and going back to sit next to Saruhiko.

"Just don't judge it at the start. I did the same thing, but then realized it's actually a good movie," Yata replied.

"I'll believe it when I see it, otherwise I'll know you have a thing for girl flicks, Misaki," Saruhiko said, leaning in to whisper in Yata's ear.

His cheeks grew warm. "S-shut up weirdo! Just watch!"

He hit play and let the movie begin. As it went along, he couldn't help but look at Saruhiko from time to time, hoping to see some sort of reaction. For the most part, he kept up his usual neutral, unreadable expression. Though, as the movie went along, Yata could catch the occasional smile and soft chuckle coming from the man.

At the end, when the credits were rolling, Yata turned to face Saruhiko. "So? You gonna take it back? That it wasn't a girly movie?"

"It certainly was something, if that's what you were asking," Saruhiko sighed.

"Come on! Give me an actual answer, monkey! What did you think?"

"It was fine. Maybe a little strange at times, but I could see how people enjoy it. The humor was good, if that's what you want from me."

Yata smiled. "It has some funny lines for sure! But, uh…"

This is it… I gotta ask him right here.

"What about that romance stuff?"

Saruhiko hummed, raising an eyebrow. "You want to talk about romance in the movie?"

"Y-yeah? Why not…?"

Yata's heart started beating fast, waiting for what Saruhiko would say.

"For a film like that, I guess it was passable. The leads were believable."

"Y-yup, I agree with that. B-but like…"

Why the hell is this so hard to ask?!

"Did you like it? I mean, ugh, do you think you'd want…"

Just say it! Stop being a coward!

Saruhiko seemed to be growing impatient. An odd expression crossed his face. "What is it?"

"Would you want to have a romance like that?"

There was a pause, with Saruhiko staring right at him. A few seconds later, Saruhiko broke out into loud laughter.

"Is that really the best way you could ask it?"

Yata's cheeks were burning now. "W-well sorry for trying to figure out how to ask you!"

"Ask me… How I feel about a fictional movie romance?"

Yata knew his cheeks were probably bright red. He could see the smirk on Saruhiko's face, knowing he was waiting for the right moment to say something.

"No not that. I just thought maybe, after everything, we could… have something or be something more. Shit…"

Saruhiko reached out, placing a hand on Yata's cheek. "You're burning up, Misaki. You may need to stop or you might just set yourself on fire without a King's power."

"S-shut up!" Yata pouted, shoveling Saruhiko's hand off him.

"You're too easy. Such a plain display of your virginity, Mi~Sa~Ki."

"Shut the fuck up!" Yata grumbled before bolting off the couch.

Saruhiko was laughing from behind. "And you know I'm only teasing."

"Yeah, well, whatever. Maybe we should get ready to sleep… It's late."

"I guess so… Nothing left to do here anyway."

It was hard to tell, but Saruhiko almost sounded… disappointed? Yata didn't have time to question it though, as Saruhiko was quick to get up and head into the guest room, closing the door behind him.

Yata grumbled, feeling like he had messed it up. One wrong move, blabbering too fast, and he probably shot his chance.

He marched himself off his bedroom, getting ready as quickly as possible. He was just about ready to go to sleep when he looked across the hall to the guest room. He wasn't even sure the door had opened since Saruhiko had gone off there.

A bit of unease and guilt riddled his stomach. Yata knew he had overreacted before, and his frustrations and anger weren't necessary. Still, it was hard to keep his emotions in check around Saruhiko. Whether he was getting pissed off at the monkey's sly quips, or if he was just nervous to tell the truth.

Slowly, he walked over to the door and knocked. "Saruhiko? I… Sorry about that. I don't know why I got so mad. Maybe I'm tired or other shit, but I… just don't be upset at me, okay? Maybe we can do something fun in the morning tomorrow. Goodnight, Saruhiko."

Yata flopped down in his bed, sighing as he wrapped himself up in his covers. Maybe what he needed was rest. Too much had gone through his mind today and now he just needed to unwind.

He felt like he was just about to doze off when he heard the guest bedroom door open. With another door closing, it sounded like Saruhiko had headed off to the bathroom. A few more moments later the door opened again and Yata waited to hear Saruhiko walk back to the guest room.

Instead, he heard the floorboards in his room creak and then the covers shifted as a new weight laid down on his bed.

"What the… Saruhiko? What are you doing?"

"It's too cold in the guest room."

"S-so? You can turn up the heat if you want," Yata said.

"Hmm…" Saruhiko hummed, shifting himself closer. "Misaki is warmer."

Before Yata could say something back, he felt Saruhiko wrap an arm around him, pulling the two of them closer together.

Yata's heart was beating quickly again.

"S-Saruhiko…?"

Saruhiko was breathing slowly, letting a drawn out exhale tickle the back of Yata's neck. "What? You said you wanted us to be something more, didn't you? Or was I mistaken for you saying something idiotic?"

"N-no! I wasn't… I just didn't know how to phrase it."

Saruhiko hummed. "You never seem to know."

"Hey!"

Saruhiko exhaled again before pressing his face against Yata's back. "If you really want us to be something more, then all you needed to do was ask from the start, Misaki."

Yata scoffed, trying not to let his flustered heart get the better of him. "How the hell was I supposed to know? A few months ago we were hating each other's guts."

"I never hated you," Saruhiko sighed. "I only… I found myself annoyed, but hate would be too strong of a word."

Yata tried his best to wiggle out of Saruhiko's hold, flipping onto his side to look at him. It was dark in his room, but the faint light from his alarm clock was enough to help give shape to Saruhiko's silhouette.

"So, you're okay with… us being something more?"

"What do you want, Misaki?"

"Answer the question first! You know what I want already."

"Do I?" Saruhiko mused. "Maybe you need to explain it clearly this time."

Yata puffed his cheeks out. "Fine! I was hoping maybe we could… be more, like, with romance and shit."

"So, dating?" Saruhiko asked, as if it was a surprise.

"Dating, yeah. That's what I meant."

"I see, so you finally want to stop being a virgin."

Yata glared, even though he knew Saruhiko probably couldn't see it in the dark. "You're a virgin too, monkey."

"I never claimed not to be."

"Fine, then tell me what you think! Do you want to date?" Yata asked, wishing his heart would stop trying to leap out of his chest.

"As long as I can have you in my life, then that's all that matters."

"And that's not really an answer."

"I was never asked to give a direct answer."

Yata groaned, rolling his eyes. "Saruhiko…"

Saruhiko leaned in closer, their noses practically touching, and now each of Saruhiko's breaths could be felt against Yata's face. "Maybe this will answer your question."

Saruhiko shifted his head slightly, pressing his lips lightly against Yata's. It was quick, but the sensation and the shock was long lasting, even when Saruhiko leaned back.

Yata started laughing, trying to keep it contained from being too loud. "Guess that answers that."

"Glad you aren't that dense, Misaki."

Yata sighed happily, resting his head against Saruhiko's chest. He felt Saruhiko shift his arms, holding him tightly in an embrace. This was something he had only dreamed of until now. All of those little things once deemed as a silly fantasy were now coming to fruition.

Though, there was still something else that needed to be said before they fell asleep.

It was the thing Yata knew he had to say.

"I… I love you, Saruhiko."

Saruhiko happily hummed. "I'll accept that declaration, Misaki."

"Aren't you going to say it?"

"Tch, think I'm capable of that?"

"You can find your own words, can't you?"

Yata waited as Saruhiko seemed to think about it. His hand shifted to brush against Yata's cheek, and this time he let him.

"You're my Misaki, and the only one who truly matters in my small world. You're all I need to be happy."

Yata smiled, closing his eyes. "Okay, I can believe that. Also, uh, are you going to stay here in my bed?"

"Do you want me to go?"

"N-no? Just that, I didn't expect it. But, yeah… stay with me, okay?"

Saruhiko nuzzled his head against the top of Yata's. "As you wish."

Yata snorted. "You totally enjoyed that movie."

"I'm not saying anything."

"Aw come on, Saruhiko, you can admit it."

"Not a chance, Misaki."

"Heh, guess I'll just have to settle with knowing you said that sentence. Goodnight, Saruhiko."

"Goodnight, Misaki."

He felt Saruhiko press a kiss to the top of his head, and for the first time in a long while Yata fell asleep with a smile wide across his face.

Sometimes its nice to just go back to K after rewatching and make more fics especially for these two.