Summary: It's almost Kazuna's one year anniversary with Tomohisa, and Kazuna has to start thinking seriously about his past and his future.
Kazuna paced back and forth in the living room, Momotaro watched him from the kitchen counter as he prepared some coffee.
"This feels like a repeat of last year." Momotaro spoke to himself, referring to when Kazuna was pacing around before their trip to the resort.
Kazuna sighed sitting down, "I'm sorry Momo, I'm just so anxious," Kazuna covered his face with his hands, "It's really going to be my one year anniversary with Tomohisa, I don't know what to do!" His ears turned pink, embarrassed that confessing his worries would make him look like a failure as a lover.
The fushia haired man smiled, walking over to the struggling Kazuna and handing him a cup of tea. "You're thinking about this too much, you need to let your heart decide what it is you want to do for him."
"Thank you," Kazuna took the cup of tea, sipping it, he sighed, "I guess that's true… What did you do for Mikado on your first anniversary?"
"I gave him myself"
Kazuna choked on his tea, coughing and setting down the cup. The confidence that radiated from Momotaro was amazing. "Y… yourself?"
Momotaro nodded, "At first it was just because I was trying to get back at him for pretending to dating Kento to find out if I had feelings for him, but we ended up setting aside any sexual relations for our first year of dating and I realized that I was in love with him more than I had originally presumed."
He took a sip of his tea before continuing, "Not to say that not waiting is a bad thing, everyone has their own pace."
Kazuna looked down at his cup, watching the tea leaves as they floated on the surface. A small smile adorning his features, "Yeah, I get what you mean."
'Their own pace', huh?
Kazu smiled to himself. It had been an eventful year, the feelings he had for Tomohisa were now deeply rooted into his heart. He knew with all of his being, that the one he wanted to stand beside for the rest of his life was the tall, white haired, dense prince who didn't know the difference between a peach and a nectarine.
"Momotaro…"
Momo looked up at Kazuna, who's gaze was still directed at the cup.
"Thank you for always looking after me, you and Mikado. Both of you have always loved me as a part of your family," He met the gaze of the mismatched eyes looking at him with worry, "Haha, you don't have to look at me like that."
"It's just… this feels like a goodbye…"
Kazuna offered Momotaro a soft smile in response, "Nothing can ever repay how much having both of you with me all these years has helped me. When my Mom left, when my Dad and Grandma died. Having such bad luck with family. I would have given up on life, but the two of you didn't let me be alone."
Kazuna swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to hold back his tears, "Thank you for… not abandoning me. For giving me your time, your patience and your acceptance. The two of you showed me that a family doesn't have to be related by blood. So long as you love and care for eachother, a family is where your heart feels the safest."
Momotaro's hand reached up and caressed Kazuna's cheek, "Kaz-"
"Kaaaasaaaaaan!!!" Mikado burst through the door, crying dramatically, "What do you mean you're saying goodbye?! Don't leave us Kaasan!" He clung to both Kazuna and Momotaro, hugging them tightly, "Is this how a parent feels when their son is leaving the nest?"
Kazuna blinked, then laughed softly, "Haha, maybe it is."
"Were we too strict on you?!" Mikado gasped in realization, "Is it because I used tomato in everything I cooked last week?!"
"What-?"
"Nothing, nevermind-" Mikado quickly changed the subject, "It's going to feel so empty without you here, but you'll always have a place to come back to if you ever do."
"Even if it's just to spend the night if you fight with Tomohisa." Momotaro added.
Kazuna blushed faintly, "Th.. Thank you.. Both of you…"
"Well then, I was going to cook today, but how about we go out and eat somewhere nice!" Mikado pulled out a flyer from pocket, "I got this at the grocery store it's a new restaurant that just opened up a few blocks away! And they're giving a discount if you go before 4pm!!"
"Mika, the discount only applies to parties of four." Momotaro added after taking the flyer from to examine it.
"Ah, I would say I'll call Tomohisa but he's working at a new branch of the Cafe today."
"Oh! That's right, he mentioned they wanted him and Yutasu to help train their new servers"
Momotaro's hand was to his chin in thought, "Hikaru and Tatsuhiro are out of town with Ryuuji. And Kento isn't a fan of these types of places"
Mikado nodded and sighed, "Kenty would just get water, we can invite him to another place more suited for him next time!"
"So then…"
"What was that shit about having a guitar you wanted me to fix?! You just wanted to drag me along to this place!" Goshi complained as the four of them sat in a small booth in the corner of the Pop-Up restaurant.
"You wouldn't have come if we'd said it was to a restaurant." Momotaro handed Goshi a menu, that while he complained still took.
"We can only get a discount if it's four people and you were the most suited for the job" Mikado adjusted his glasses emphasising their candidate selection.
"Tch, you're only using me for a discount" Goshi opened the menu, his once angry expression turning into an amazement "They have brioche bun burgers here??? I've only had them once at a city we traveled to and the soft texture of the bun along with it's sweet taste goes so well with a more tangy barbeque sauce-"
Goshi blinked then blushed darkly realizing he was rambling, "I-I mean-"
"It's okay, we all know you really love burgers" Kazuna laughed softly.
Momotaro nodded, "We also invited you because you always appreciate good food"
Goshi's blush darkened, "Sh-shut up and order already." he looked at the menu to hide his embarrassment.
"Kane-san is a charming as ever." Mikado chimed.
Once they'd ordered their food and gotten their drinks, the conversation was mostly Mikado teasing Goshi.
Goshi complained about how Kento was spending more time with the cat and had even come up with a beauty routine for her.
"I feel like our bathroom is filled with more and more cat care products each day. I almost used one of her shampoos this morning too" he grumbled, biting down on the straw of his drink.
"It sounds like Kenty is having a lot of fun." Mikado laughed.
"He's pushing his hair care obsession onto the cat and it's getting annoying.." A faint blush appeared on his cheeks, "Sometimes I can't tell if it's his hair or her fur when I wake up."
Mikado snickered, "Kane-san don't tell me you've woken up and kissed the cat"
"They both feel really soft okay! It's not that difficult to make a mistake like that!" Goshi's blush spread to his ears.
"I wonder if Kento took any pictures?" Momotaro mused at the thought.
"Ah, I'd like to see those as well! Kane-san's gap moe!!" Mikado clasped his hands together, "Just thinking about it makes my heart race!"
"Next time we can ask Kento to show us the pictures" Kazuna laughed, raising a hand to stop the menu that was thrown his way by Goshi.
"Oh yeah? Maybe I'll ask Kitakado to show me pictures of you!" Goshi threatened.
Kazuna blushed darkly, "Absolutely not!"
"Eh! I bet Tomo-kun has a lot of cute pictures of Kaasan!" Mikado's eyes sparkled a bit too enthusiastically, "Kaasan's hidden tsundere!!"
"I wonder if they'll reply if you ask for them?" Momotaro took out his phone, opening the messaging app.
"Momotasu you're a genius! This is why I love you!"
"Well I hope your love isn't as shallow as this…"
"Of course not, I love everything that is Momotasu. Each eye lash that falls to your pillow while you sleep, the cute way-"
"Is he bragging? It's making me mad…." Goshi rolled up the menu menacingly.
"I'm starting to understand what you mean." Kazuna's smile wavered.
After their meal, Mikado and Momotaro headed home. Kazuna accompanied Goshi to the cafe where Tomohisa and Yuuta were working, since Goshi had to drop off somethings Yuuta asked for and Kazuna wanted to see Tomo.
"What is it that you have to give Yuuta?" Kazuna asked curiously.
"Just some magazine's from the places Kento and I have been to. Him and Ryuuji want to find their venu first before they start planning anything." Goshi adjusted the strap of his bag across his chest.
Kazuna laughed softly, "It's good that they're taking their time planning this together. If it was left up to one of them alone we'd probably be rushed into nearest empty building from how excited they are."
"They're both head over heels for each other, how annoying." Goshi chuckled, "Ya know, Ryuuji has already picked his best man… It's no surprise he picked Kitakado."
Kazuna blinked, "Eh? Tomohisa hasn't mentioned it to me…." well he hasn't seen Tomohisa so maybe it happened so suddenly Tomohisa couldn't tell him yet.
"I mean it was pretty obvious from the start, they are childhood friends." Goshi scratched his head, then looking up at the crosswalk as it changed from 'Walk' to 'Stop', "I think Ashuu's having a harder time deciding…"
"Why is that? Didn't he pick you?" Kazuna thought Goshi or Kento would have been Yuuta's choice since they had always been close to Yuuta since their high school days as delinquents together.
"Tch, you really are as clueless as Kitakado." Goshi shoved his hands in his pockets before looking up at the slightly taller man, "You're just as close a friend to Ashuu as Kento and I, or are you forgetting everything that happened between us." His voice becoming quieter with each word.
Kazuna blinked, he felt the cold wind blow around them, kicking up the fallen leaves into the air.
He remembered it.
Those days as a young high school student. The diligent student who became friends with his grade's delinquent. It was almost out of a shojo manga. Confusing the admiration for Goshi's freedom as love and jumping into a relationship. The first time he held someone's hand, his first kiss. His first date. All those firsts made him so happy, nothing can ever erase that feeling. Maybe if everything that happened with his family hadn't happened so suddenly and close together, he would have come to love Goshi.
But things don't always turn out how you expect them too. And it's because of everything that happened that he was able to get to this point with Tomohisa.
"No…" Kazuna looked down away from Goshi's eyes and at a stray leaf that got caught in the stop light, "The time we spent together, I enjoyed all of it. It's just mixed in with some bad memories that I tend to forget all of it…"
Goshi began walking again as the crosswalk changed, "Have you told him about it?"
Kazuna followed after him, shaking his head even though Goshi couldn't see him. "How could I tell him about that…? I don't know… what kind of reaction he'll have."
Goshi chuckled, "That's true, I've never seen him get jealous, I'd rather it not be directed at me..."
"He won't get jealous, that was when we were in high school. He didn't transfer in until our last year and even then you and I…. We.. we weren't together anymore." Kazuna's eyes saddened.
To tell Tomohisa about his past relationship with Goshi would be to have to explain and remember all the pain he went through when he was younger. He would tell him eventually if he had to, but he would rather not. But if he was going to be completely honest with Tomohisa. If he wanted his heart and conscience to be calm, he would talk to him about it.
"I guess it's better if you don't bring it up," Goshi sighed, "I was really an asshole to you back then and I never did properly apologize. So.."
'Wha- no, no you don't have to. I was also-" Kazuna's nervous ramblings were cut off.
"I'm sorry. I can blame it on the whole 'I was young shit' but I left you alone when you needed someone by your side most…" Goshi stopped walking and turned to look at Kazuna, "And I'm sorry I'm part of the reason it's so hard for you to love him now."
Goshi's expression showed he was genuine, Kazuna knew he was without even having to look at him.
Kazuna walked closer to him, placing a hand on Goshi's arm, "No, it's because of you that I can can confidently say that what I feel for Tomohisa is 'love'. So, thank you."
Goshi offered him a small smile, before putting his hands in his pocket once again and continuing to walk, "Well we better hurry. They should be off work soon and Ashuu's gonna leave if I don't show up."
"Looks like you'll have to walk to his apartment then." Kazuna teased.
"Shut up and walk faster!"