Chapter Text
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Kiyoko asked him quietly. They were in her office onboard the next cruise ship, set to leave this evening.
“Yes,” Koshi answered plainly. “More than anything,” he added, just in case. He pushed a button on his phone, and sent the email with all the attachments that she’d sent him.
Kiyoko nodded once the email reached her inbox, and then she closed her laptop. Koshi put his phone in sleep mode, and stuck it in his pocket.
“You surprised me,” she said finally, a tiny smile on her lips.
Koshi grinned back. “I’ve done that to someone else recently, too.”
“Yeah, well, before we boarded the ship a month ago, I was completely certain your answer would be different.”
“Honestly? Same.”
“A lot’s happened, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. And I’m hoping more will happen soon.”
He stood up, checked the clock on the wall, and then looked out the windows behind her desk. She had a clear view of the harbor and beyond, with sunlight dancing on the water. It was a beautiful sight, and one he hoped to see again soon. But until then, he was going to take the advice of his eccentric friend.
Koshi smiled and slung his backpack over one shoulder, and his beat up old volleyball bag over the other. He hopped once to settle it all comfortably into place, and then bent to pick up the massive duffel bag on the floor. His mood was lighter than ever, now that he’d made up his mind. For good.
“Good luck, Koshi. I hope we’ll meet again soon,” Kiyoko said as she got up and walked him to the door.
“Thanks, Kiyoko. I have a feeling we will. I know this excellent cruise line that has the best people working for it.” He winked at her. “Tell my staff goodbye for me?”
He opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks. Said staff was lining the hallway, clapping and cheering for him.
“You tell them,” Kiyoko said, giving him a push out the door. “They’ve been waiting for you.”
He walked slowly, thanking every last one of his staff, even the night shift, who were groggy but still wished him well. At the end, he turned back and one person counted down from three:
“Three, two, one… BON VOYAGE!!”
A few people threw streamers, and one smartass tossed up confetti, to which Kiyoko calmly told them they’d be picking up piece by piece. Koshi blinked away tears as he bowed to them all and waved his goodbye. Then, he turned and left, looking ahead and hoping he’d made the best decision of his life.
~*~
“We should head to the gate,” Saki said quietly to her son and granddaughter.
Both were looking out the window of the cafe they were in, attempting to watch each face of the people passing by. Their barely touched meals sat in front of them on the table, though Tooru was turned sideways in his seat, and Tomoe was on her knees in her seat, hanging on to the back of her chair. Saki had to admit, she caught herself looking for a certain silvery head of hair, a smile as sparkling as sunlight on water, with a laugh to match. But as much as she wanted to see Koshi at the airport, she knew he wasn’t going to be there. No matter how much they all hoped he’d be.
She sighed and smiled ruefully at the others at the table next to them. Iwa, Mattsun, and Maki were all here to say goodbye, too, though Mattsun and Maki would be on another flight back home tomorrow. She’d been the one to explain what she could about her son and granddaughter being melancholy and almost silent after they reached the hotel they were staying at to wait on their flight.
“Did he love him?” Maki asked when it was just the four of them around the table, Tooru and Tomoe both too exhausted to stay up any later.
“I believe he did, Maki. Very much.”
“Then why…?”
“Don’t think bad of Koshi,” she warned gently. “I won’t have any of you thinking he’s a bad person.”
The three of them blinked, as if the thought had only just occurred to them.
“I don’t think any of us thought that, Aunt Saki,” Iwa told her. “But still. Tooru and Tomoe are clearly heartbroken, and…”
“Koshi had a choice to make,” she overrode him. “A promotion to the highest position he could reach, and one that he’s wanted for the longest time, on a route that he fell in love with years ago. They offered it to him before we met.” She smiled wanly at the boys she watched grow up, considering them all as her sons. “But then, he did meet us, and I knew from the start that he was meant to be a part of our family. Tomoe adored him the moment she met him,” she laughed quietly. “She took to him faster than she did to you two,” she told Mattsun and Maki. They grinned knowing it had only taken Tomoe the better part of a week to call them her uncles. “Anyway, once Tooru met him, that was really all it took. He fell for him hard. It was the same for Koshi. The only thing that stood in the way was that promotion.”
“Which he took,” Mattsun finished as she nodded.
“His reasons are his own. We don’t know why, so don’t ask,” she told them. “And don’t mention anything about what I told you. They’re missing him so much.”
“So are you, Aunt Saki.”
“Yes, and we probably will for a long time.” She eased herself up out of her chair, feeling twice her age. “I think I’ll turn in, too,” she said. “Goodnight, boys.”
“Goodnight Auntie,” they all said together.
Now, she reached over and tugged on Tooru’s shirt, and then tapped Tomoe’s shoulder. When she had their reluctant, and clearly still divided attention, she informed them that they needed to go. “The plane will be leaving soon,” she reminded them.
Tooru merely nodded and reached down to pick up the duffel bag and extra backpack he used as a carry-ons for both himself and Tomoe. Her granddaughter had a smaller backpack which she slung over her back. In her arms, she held the teddy bear Koshi had given her as a surprise. When they were ready, Tooru picked up his daughter and they walked toward their gate to wait the rest of the time before their flight. They’d been inseparable for the last few days, consoling each other, refusing to let the other go.
They reached the gate with others taking the same flight, and stood in a small, closed circle. They chatted mostly, ribbing Iwa again for choosing a school so far away, but promising a full night of shenanigans the moment he set foot on Japan soil once he graduated. Mattsun and Maki were their usual smartassed selves, making jokes and taking hits on Iwa, Tooru, and each other. The difference between them now was that they readily showed their affection, holding hands and looking at each other fondly.
Saki knew they didn’t mean to rub their relationship in Tooru’s face, but she felt herself bristle in his defense anyway. She knew he didn’t care about their relationship, but to see them enjoying what slipped through his fingers, that was what she was about to admonish them about.
“Japan Airways Flight 2874, now boarding. Please have your tickets ready, your baggage checked, and your carry-ons secured. Thank you for flying with us.”
“Well, I guess we need to get moving,” Tooru said, finally speaking. He held his hand out to his friends, who took turns shaking it. “Sorry if we’ve been too quiet,” he apologized. “I’m sure mom filled you in.”
“Yeah. Be safe, Tooru,” Iwa spoke for them all.
“Sure,” he replied, turning to face Mattsun and Maki. “See you two next week, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Mattsun replied. Maki looked surprised.
“Hiro, stop. We’re still friends. Breaking up doesn’t change that fact.”
“I know. Just need a bit of time to let it sink in, I guess.”
“Right.”
Just before he turned to get in line, Tomoe started to struggle to get down.
“Daddy, let me go!”
“What? Why?”
“Daddy, please!”
Saki glanced up at her son as he slowly put his daughter on the floor. She shook off her backpack, dropped her bear, and ran off. The only thing Saki could have sworn she heard her granddaughter say was ‘papa’. But that couldn’t be right could it? Koshi was aboard his next cruise, and after that… She looked up in Tomoe’s wake and had to blink to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.
“Tooru,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the pair beyond them. When her son kept silent, she turned to see him crouched down, his eyes shining with disbelief and hope. “You saw him?”
He nodded. “I think so. I’m not imagining him, am I?”
“No. No, you’re not. Tomoe just tackled him.”
“Good. She’ll hold him there for me.”
“Damn right. Go on, son. I’ll talk to the flight attendant at the gate.
“Thanks, mom.”
“Why are you even still here??”
Saki watched Tooru straighten up, drop his own bags, straighten his clothes, and then he turned and raced off like his daughter did just moments before. She shook her head and left her other boys standing there watching the entire spectacle. Quickly, she walked up to the nearest attendant.
“My apologies,” she said with a bow. “But is there any way you can hold the flight?”
~*~
When Tooru finally caught up to his daughter, he found her clinging to Koshi, smothering him with kisses. He fell to his knees beside them both, there amongst Koshi’s bags, which were scattered around them, torn between letting his daughter hog his lover or help her out by doing the same thing. But seeing as how Koshi was also holding Tomoe and returning her kisses, he guessed patience would have to do. A very small amount of patience. Dear god, was Tomoe never going to stop?
Five minutes felt like five years before his daughter stopped long enough for Tooru to take his turn. But by then, all he could really do was stare at Koshi.
“Hey,” Koshi finally said, adjusting Tomoe so that he’d be at least half free of little girl for anything Tooru might want to do. Unfortunately, what Tooru really wanted to do required a room and a bed, and no one else around for days.
“Hey yourself.”
“Am I too late?”
“What?”
“Am I too late? You didn’t miss your plane did you?”
“N-no. But it’s boarding right now.”
“Great!” He tried to move Tomoe further, but she wasn’t letting him go. “Tomoe-chan, let go. I need to get up, honey.”
“No. If I do, you’ll go away again.”
“I promise, I’m not going anywhere. Please let me up?”
Tomoe gave him the mother of all stink eyes before slowly moving off him. But she still held on to his basketball shorts to make sure he didn’t leave, giving him the most innocent smile when he looked down at her. Koshi, in all his maturity, stuck his tongue out at her.
“Here. Hold this,” he pressed the envelope he’d been carrying against Tooru’s chest and then towed Tomoe around while he started picking up his bags.
Tooru watched for a few moments, and movement from his side brought his attention to his mother, walking quickly. Before she reached him, he brought the envelope down and looked at it like it was something that might bite him if he opened it. Yet, the flap was already opened, and he could see something inside. At this point, Koshi probably meant for him to look inside, right? So, he slowly pulled out what looked like…
“An airline ticket?”
“Yep! To Tokyo. That’s where you’re going, right?”
“Well, yeah. We’ll take the bullet train home from there.”
“Great! Sounds like a plan.”
“Wait. What do you mean?”
“Come on guys,” Mom said as soon as she reached them. “We really need to get on the plane now.” She reached down and picked up Tomoe, who protested loudly. “We have to go, Tomoe.”
“No! Papa!”
“Come on, Koshi. Tooru, the plane won’t wait forever.”
Koshi started off after his mother with alacrity, and Tomoe kept her eyes on Koshi. Tooru, still at a loss as to what’s going on, followed them all. He only glanced at his friends as he came up to them, ignoring the way they were smiling and trying hard not to laugh, as if they knew something he didn’t. Which, if they did, they really shouldn’t be rubbing it in right now. They handed him his bags, and he said a quick goodbye to them.
His mother gave the gate attendant her ticket, and then waited for them at the beginning of the boarding bridge. Koshi, sweet, angelic, and sneaky Koshi, took back his ticket and handed it over to the attendant, who was grinning now, apparently figuring out what was going on when Koshi joined his mother, and took Tomoe into his arms.
“May I have your tickets, sir?”
“Oh. Yeah, right. Sorry. Here,” he handed his and his daughter’s tickets to the attendant.
“Thank you, sir. You may board the plane now.”
“Thank you,” he replied automatically. He walked slowly to the three people waiting for him, and they all started moving toward the door, a flight attendant waiting for them.
It was on this walk when Tooru’s brain started functioning again. Koshi was here. He wasn’t on the cruise ship. He was boarding the plane with them, somehow having acquired a ticket on the same plane. Koshi had a lot of explaining to do. But first..
“Mom?”
“Yes, Tooru?”
“Could you take Tomoe and find our seats?”
“Sure.”
When Tomoe started to protest again, he gave her a stern look and used his dad voice.
“Go with Granna, darling.”
“No! I wanna stay with Papa!”
“It’ll be alright, Tomoe,” Koshi added. “I’ll be with you in a few minutes, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Okay.”
Tooru waited until both of them were on the plane before he stepped in front of Koshi, facing him. His lover’s face was wreathed in smiles, and his eyes sparkled like sunlight on water. He reached up and cupped the face he adored, his thumbs gently caressing Koshi’s rosy cheeks. Then, he bent and kissed him, once again ignoring his friends, who were hooting and hollering and clapping wildly from where they were standing and watching. When he let them both up for air, he settled his head against Koshi’s.
“You’re coming home with us,” he stated, rather than asking.
“Yeah,” Koshi replied breathlessly. “Well, I’m going to my home to visit my family first. I thought maybe you could join me?”
Tooru lifted his head. “Your family?”
“Well, yeah. Mom, Dad, my little brother. I showed you pictures, remember? Then there are my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents,” he listed, ticking each off on his fingers. “My family is kinda huge. Think you can manage?”
“I think I can manage.”
“Good.”
They kissed again, until the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them. Tooru kissed him one more time, just because he could, and then they walked the rest of the way onto the plane. Once they were seated, and buckled in, Tooru reached next to him and took Koshi’s hand in his, weaving their fingers together, and bringing his hand up to bestow a kiss on the back. Koshi leaned over and put his head on Tooru’s shoulder, and they stayed that way while the plane took off.
“When we get home, I wanna know all the details,” Tooru said quietly.
“Details?”
“Like, why did you change your mind?”
“Oh! That’s easy. You don’t have to wait.” But he didn’t say anything after that, so Tooru waited. For all of about thirty seconds.
“Okay… so?”
Koshi straightened up and turned to look at him. With his free hand, he reached up and lightly brushed his fingers through his hair, lightly around his face, and then down his neck.
“You. I changed my mind for you.”
“For me?”
Koshi bit his lip and smiled. “A friend told me I should take a chance, step out of my comfort zone, take a leap of faith, and trust that you’d be there to catch me. I decided to take the job because it was what I knew, it was familiar, comfortable. I changed my mind because not being with you, or Tomoe, or Saki, made everything I knew so different. So wrong. I don't think I can explain it any better than I couldn’t imagine life without you. It just took my friend pointing it out to make me see that what I was giving up was worth more to me than a job on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean.”
“Was it Shimizu-san?”
“No. She wanted me to take the job.”
“Then, that new girl. Yacchan?”
“Nope! Not her, either.”
“The twins?”
“Nope!”
“Rin?”
Koshi just stared at him, a smile flitting along his lips. He thought this was funny?
“Okay, but who… Oh no. No no no.”
“Tendo completely lost his temper. He didn’t even yell, which is bad, trust me.”
Koshi was enjoying this way too much.
“Oh god.”
“He’s also the one who gave me the ticket.”
“Give me a week to get my affairs in order.”
“Tooru…”
“I’m serious. That man will never let me forget this.”
“Geez. Dramatic much? Besides, I’m the one he got mad at.”
“Means absolutely nothing. Just paint red and white concentric circles on my back.”
Tooru watched Koshi laugh and wrap his arm around his, resuming his place, leaning against his shoulder. His heart couldn’t possibly be any happier than it already was, knowing Koshi was coming home with them. That Koshi chose them. That he chose to stay. Tooru settled further into his seat, maneuvered them both so that it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for either of them, and wrapped his arms around Koshi. His love snuggled into his chest, and Tooru kissed the top of his head.
“I’ll always be there to catch you, my heart,” he whispered into Koshi’s silvery hair. “Forever, if you’ll have me.”
“Yeah. And I’ll always be there for you, too.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
//fin