Domestic Bliss

Shohei was looking over the analysis of the latest batch of mushrooms he harvested that day when Kyourin returned. The business trip had kept him away all day, only coming back late at night. Shohei welcomed him with an embrace and an indulgent kiss.

“I made you dinner. It’s in the fridge.”

Kyourin smiled against his lips. “You can’t imagine how nice it feels to come home to someone.”

He kissed Shohei again before reaching for a paper bag. “Here, I brought some omiyage.”

They were small cakes with a chestnut filling, apparently a specialty of where he went. Shohei accepted one of them right away and set it down next to his papers. Kyourin looked over at them.

“Already at work? I thought you’d only go back on Monday.”

“I felt a bit restless after sitting still for so long, and the latest batch would’ve been too old to harvest by then. I didn’t do much. Just collected them and ran some samples.”

“Always so diligent. But you must allow me to distract you from work over the weekend. Now that your flu is gone and you can walk again, we should get you some fresh air.”

“Mhm. Let’s.”

“Good. I’ll take a shower. It’s been a long day.”

Shohei received another kiss and Kyourin disappeared into the bathroom. It was all so wonderfully domestic, it hurt him to carry this heavy secret in his heart. Couldn’t he just enjoy the company of this man, who was so perfect on the surface?

He couldn’t confront him just yet. First he had to find out how and why Ran Saikawa had ended up underground. There must be a good reason. There must be…

With the cake in hand, Shohei turned back to the numbers. They looked good enough. The raw material was suitable. He marveled at Saikawa’s skill and persistence in getting the termites to Japan. His work was the foundation of it all. In that way, he owed the man. A lot.

Kyourin stepped out of the bathroom with just a towel around his waist.

Oh.

In just a second, despite everything, Shohei’s entire blood supply rushed south. He stared at the vision as Kyourin toweled his hair. The man wasn’t overly muscular, but he was slim and evidently took care of his body. Kyourin grinned when he noticed Shohei’s wide-eyed stare. He walked towards him and leaned over Shohei, crowding him against the table.

“I missed you,” Kyourin said.

“You’ve only been away for a day. Not even overnight.”

“Can’t I miss you anyway?”

“I suppose.”

Kyourin kissed Shohei gently, putting a hand on his cheek.

“I had to hold myself back because you were injured, but if you’re well enough to work…”

Shohei swallowed. Was he really going to… With Kyourin? It seemed so natural between them, there was really no reason to say no, but…

“Eisaku…”

“Mhm?”

“I’ve never… I haven’t…” he blushed even thinking about it.

“I won’t do anything if you don’t want me to.”

Shohei reached out and put a hand on Kyourin’s chest, feeling the warm skin under his fingers. He could feel the other’s heartbeat, which wasn’t as steady as he looked. It was fast. Nervous. It made Shohei feel much better.

“I want to. I just don’t know how much.”

Kyourin held out his hand. “Let’s find out together.”

——

Shohei dropped to the bed out of breath and with a mind wiped completely clean. Kyourin panted next to him, their hands finding each other first, then their mouths. Shohei was so ridiculously in love, he wanted to strangle himself. What was it about Kyourin that made him so attractive?

“How are you feeling after your first time?”

“In disbelief?”

Kyourin laughed and he looked so much younger with the laughter lines on his face. He’d let Shohei top, saying he’d feel more comfortable being in charge of the act, and he had been right. Shohei couldn’t get the image of Kyourin under him, mouth open and gasping, out of his head. He didn’t want it to disappear, but the vision of the man in the tank was still there, underneath it all.

“How are your injuries?”

“A bit sore, but I can handle it.”

“How about we bathe together?”

There was really no reason to say no. Clean, warm and content, Shohei let Kyourin reapply the few bandages he still needed and took another painkiller after the bath. He fell asleep in Kyourin’s arms, pushing every bit of his doubt out of his mind.

——

In the following week, Shohei worked as usual, preparing the required supplements for Ito’s team and helping with the care of the termite mounds, which he found endlessly fascinating. It was easy to lose himself in the work. It always had been. This was what had made him so good at his job, but also driven so many people away from him. Many, but not Kyourin. He understood the passion, the focus. He was perfect in so many ways. Shohei couldn’t be happier to have him. Especially when he catered so well to all of Shohei’s tastes and new discoveries that he made about himself every night. Between the work in the daytime and their now shared life during off-hours, he could’ve forgotten about Ran Saikawa… but he didn’t.

Under the guise of wanting to know more about the history of the project, Shohei examined the old files—especially the ones about the cultivation of the termite mushroom. Since he was now partially responsible for their care, it wasn’t unusual for him to look at the data, but he didn’t just look at the numbers. He also looked into Ran Saikawa.

The more he found, the more he grew to like the man he had seen float lifeless in the underground tank. He’d been a student at the same university as Kyourin. That’s how the two had met and stayed together for over ten years, until Saikawa had abruptly left the lab, only a letter to show for it. Up until then, he had worked tirelessly for the success of Kyourin Laboratories, with not even a shred of doubt he would stay for years.

And yet he left. No. He was still there. Shohei shuddered. Then why had Kyourin said that Saikawa had left him? What if—

“What are you looking at?”

Shohei jumped in his chair. He hadn’t even seen Kyourin approach.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“It’s fine. I was just looking at how the termites came to be here… I thought I could find something to help the new colony you’re trying to establish.”

“Ah. That’s admirable of you.”

“I’m done with the current harvest, and there’s been no new growth so far, so I have time.”

Kyourin ruffled Shohei’s hair. “Is it too late for dinner?”

“What time is it?”

“Almost midnight.”

“Shit, have I been reading for so long?”

Kyourin put his arms around Shohei’s shoulders and kissed his cheeks.

“Come on, let’s call it a day.”

Shohei agreed readily, putting the files down. It did not escape him that Kyourin’s gaze lingered on the photo of Saikawa holding a measuring tape next to the fungal growth he had collected.

After dinner, Shohei felt extremely tired. He was all too glad to go to bed and fell asleep in record time.

In the morning, his whole body was hot and itchy, breaking out in hives. He shot up in panic. Kyourin wasn’t there, so he examined his body carefully.

On his left arm he found the tiniest needle mark, almost hidden by the rash.