Slowly
Sora stayed with them for a week.
On Tuesday when Takumi was cooking for them again Sora asked Eri, "Are you sure you really don't mind? I'm not sure what else I'd be doing, but I don't want to interfere."
Eri assured him rather shyly, "I don't mind. Takumi explained why he wants you to always feel like his home is your home, so I don't want you to feel like you have to stay away." She looked at Takumi and added more teasingly, "Besides, he's cooked for you every day so far, so I'm getting spoiled by having you here."
"If you want him to cook for you every day, just ask him to," Sora advised.
She shook her head. "He said he doesn't like to cook everyday."
Sora glanced at Takumi and insisted, "He really doesn't mind it. He made our lunches every day during high school."
Eri gazed at him with wide eyes and whispered questioningly, "Didn't you get teased?"
Sora grinned at her, baring his teeth as he explained rather smugly, "Takumi as my wife was an ongoing joke. We were used to it, and even used it to pick up girls." He winked at her. "You should have heard the girls squeal when I kissed him. They loved it. Especially when we kissed them right after."
Eri stared at Sora, with shock and incredulity written all over her face, and Takumi rolled his eyes as he set down the plate of food he was carrying. "Stop teasing Eri," he demanded with exasperation.
"I'm only telling her the truth," Sora protested. "And you should cook for her every day. She says she feels spoiled to have you cooking every day while I'm here."
Eri blushed and nodded when Takumi looked at her questioningly. "Alright," he agreed easily.
"But I don't want you to if you don't want to," she insisted.
"I don't mind that much if it makes you happier." He sat beside her, and then leaned in to kiss her for a long moment before asking seriously, "Or what if we set a schedule? I wouldn't mind it at all if you'd cook on Monday and Wednesday nights, and I cook the rest, except for days we go out?"
Eri glanced at Sora, who flashed a knowing grin, and then agreed shyly, "I'd like that."
--
The next morning Sora picked up one of the honey lemons that Takumi had made Eri, tasted it, and then murmured with surprise, "He made you honey lemons?"
Eri blushed and nodded. "How can you tell?" she asked very quietly.
"He always puts in too much honey, he doesn't really like lemons," Sora whispered.
Takumi leaned over Eri's shoulder and asked, "What are you two whispering about?"
Eri blushed, while Sora replied with a grin, "I'm just telling her all your secrets."
--
Takumi got home Thursday to find Eri and Sora giggling together in the living room.
Sora looked up, grinned at him, and said easily, "Welcome home."
Eri looked up at him with a guilty expression, and Takumi found himself suddenly overcome by a wave of jealousy. He didn't answer Sora as his fists clenched. He just gazed at Eri's expression for a moment and then turned away from the two of them, walked into the bedroom, and slammed the door behind him.
Eri didn't say a word, she just stared at the door in shock.
Sora said ruefully, "Maybe I should start looking for somewhere else to go."
Eri turned back to him with alarm as she asked, "Why? Maybe he just had an awful day… I know he meant it when he said that he wants you here."
Sora looked at her. Her worried expression seemed genuine. "In general sure, but maybe not when he's still trying to make you fall in love with him?" he explained uncomfortably.
Eri gave a nearly silent gasp, and then stood up and ran to the bedroom door. She tried to open it, expecting resistance, but it wasn't locked. She let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding as she slipped through and closed it gently behind her. Takumi stood beside the bed, facing the far wall, without moving.
"Takumi?" she asked anxiously.
"Don't look at me right now Eri," he begged her as he raised his hands to his face.
"Why?" she questioned as she hovered behind him anxiously.
"I am so jealous of Sora," he explained bitterly.
"What? Why?" she demanded.
Takumi spun, as he dropped his hands from his face and reached for her. He didn't hug her like he usually did, instead he clenched one fist in her hair as he pulled her up hard against him. He gazed down into her shocked face, and then let her go, and folded up miserably on the floor.
Eri swayed like a tuft of grass in a breeze, and touched her head where he'd pulled her hair, as she looked down at him. Then she knelt beside him and reached out to hug him a bit awkwardly.
"Takumi?" she asked anxiously.
He didn't respond right away, but after a moment he leaned into her embrace, and explained miserably, "You've been laughing so much since Sora got here. I can't stop thinking that you'd be happier with him, that you're only stuck with me because I got you pregnant." His shoulders trembled. "I'm sorry."
He cried silent tears against her chest as she stared at his bowed head helplessly. Her memory betrayed her as another voice said neutrally, 'Do whatever you want.' After a long minute, she said slowly, "Takumi, I think I must really love you."
He gave a shaky, almost bitter, laugh and then told her, "You don't have to say that Eri."
"I'm serious," she insisted. He sat back a little and looked at her hesitantly, as she told him, "I'm not angry with you at all, and I wasn't even scared when you grabbed my hair. I'm just anxious and I don't know how to make you happy right now… And I really want you to be happy Takumi. I think I must have been in love with you since I told you to just be happy enough for both of us, I just didn't realize it until I saw you cry." She gulped for breath and then added, "I'm really sorry Takumi, I didn't mean to make you worry for so long."
He gazed at her incredulously. She swallowed nervously. He asked hesitantly, "But you keep laughing with Sora, and you already like him a lot."
"I do like him a lot," she agreed. "But you wanted me to like him!"
Takumi leaned forward again and buried his face against her shoulder as he insisted miserably, "I want you to be happy too Eri, even if it's not with me."
Eri heaved a sigh, and then asked rather dryly, "Aren't you misunderstanding things like we're in some bad daytime drama Takumi? Do you even know what he talks about that makes me laugh so much?"
He shook his head without looking at her, but the movement rocked her a little, and she laughed. The sound surprised him, but not as much as her next words, "You, we talk about you all the time Takumi."
Takumi raised his head and looked at her then. And she smiled shyly at him and almost hesitantly leaned in and kissed him. His hands tightened on her arms a moment later, but he didn't pull back, he kissed her harder.
"I love you, I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out?" Eri whispered when she pulled back.
He reached up and buried his fingers in her hair, but he didn't pull at it, he just examined her face intently. "I'm not going to let you take it back!"
"I won't," she promised.
Takumi kissed her roughly.
--
A while later Eri sighed and relaxed as he stroked her hair. Her eyes closed and didn't open again. He smirked as he gently tucked her into their bed.
--
Sora blushed when Takumi walked out of the bedroom, before he even said a word. Takumi glanced at the door and shrugged.
"I wasn't sure if I ought to go get a hotel room for tonight, but I went ahead and scheduled three weeks of tropical vacation, I'll leave Saturday," Sora announced.
Takumi frowned. "Sora, I don't want you to feel like you can't stay."
Sora grinned at him and insisted, "Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?" Takumi asked hesitantly.
"Would you want to sit around my apartment while I made my girlfriend moan and cry my name over and over?" Sora asked wryly.
Takumi's cheeks colored as he shook his head, and admitted, "I'd rather not. Sorry. We just…"
"I'm thinking of moving back here," Sora interrupted. "So when I get back from my vacation, you might have me around a lot?" he warned seriously.
Takumi grinned with relief. "That would be good. I've missed you, and hopefully Eri and I will be settled in more comfortably by the time you get back."
Sora shrugged as he said, "It's fine if you aren't. She seems worth the time she needs to get used to you?"
"She is," Takumi replied firmly.
Sora nodded as he added with a grin, "You do take some getting used to."