[E] Patience’s Epilogue

"Tadaima, baby!". Hearing the voice of his husband from the front door, Yuto sprinted from their bedroom and leapt into his arms. "Nagi! Okaeri! I missed you so much today,". Laughing, Nagisa pecked his adorable partner on the forehead and cuddled him.

"I missed you more, my darling. But don't fret, I've brought some stuff that I cooked from cooking class and we can have that for dinner,".

"Is it edible?"Yuto joked, kissing him on the cheek. "Hey now, you know I wouldn't let you eat it if it was something I wouldn't even feed a dog,".

A few months ago, Nagisa began attending cooking class. He felt bad about Yuto juggling most of the housework and taking care of Yuna. Which is why he decided to learn how to cook so that on days where Yuto is just beat from cleaning or if he just felt like it, he could cook dinner for them.

Well, he wasn't the best at it. He could make some pretty basic things like fried chicken and baked potatoes but that was much better than whatever lumps of burnt mush he would have been producing before this. That day, Nagisa brought home some katsudon curry rice that they had made in class.

Happy that Nagisa had made his favourite dish, Yuto set the tiffin on the dining table and rolled up his sleeves. "You should probably get changed first. I'll set the table, okay?". Helping Nagisa take his coat off, he folded it neatly and put it on the arm of the sofa before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Cheekily, Nagisa went and hugged him from behind while he did his prep work. "Nagi, go change your clothes. Dinner should be ready by the time you're out the room,"He giggled, shuffling to the air fryer with a heavy man latched onto his waist. "No, I don't want to leave you alone. I've been away from you for the whole day~"He whined.

Aware that the more persistent he was with Nagisa changing out of his clothes, the more he would whine, he just accepted defeat. "My husband takes such good care of me. A thank you just isn't enough,"He huffed, nuzzling into Yuto, sniffing his hair.

Looking up at Nagisa, a grin formed on Yuto's face. "What are you implying, Nagi? Don't you have to swim tomorrow morning?". Tightening his grip around his partner's waist, Nagisa wore a smirk on his face. "I can skip a day. Plus, I might get all the exercise I'll ever need this week tonight,".

Laughing when he said that, Yuto poured the curry that Nagisa had made into a pan to warm it up. "Gosh, you had to say it that way? Save it for the bedroom, Nagi,". Nagisa let go of him, giggling. "Hey, we go on for hours baby. Dusk until dawn. And you seem to like it when-". He was about to make a cheeky jab at Yuto but was interrupted with a panicked yell. "Dinner will be ready in 10!".

Cackling at his partner's attempts to save his bum, he took his folded coat and headed for the bedroom. "I'll have to poke fun at him another time,"He hummed to himself, taking off his tie.

Life has just been blissful since they got married in England last year. He had gotten the privilege to call Yuto his husband and he hoped he would have such privilege for as long as he could manage. Yuto's left ring finger now fits a 24k Moissanite ring nice and snug. He didn't mind being married at 23.

It was probably the best decision he had ever made. He and Nagisa had been going out with each other for 4 years at that point and through all the support and help he had been getting, tying the knot just seemed right. Nagisa admired their wedding ring, absolutely stoked as he fantasised about his partner.

Since getting married, Yuto had just been looking after the house and their cat Yuna, managing his cookware business with the guidance of his parents-in-law and going to his scheduled therapy sessions. Nagisa always accompanied him to those sessions not just because it would have made him feel more comfortable but also because he believed that both of them needed to be there.

He had to learn all of Yuto's struggles, his pain, his triggers and how to handle them from zero but it helped him understand Yuto better. It seemed like therapy was helping his darling.

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Of course, it wasn't so necessary for them to marry. But Nagisa wanted to apply for family insurance and that wouldn't have been possible unless they were married. Apart from that, Yuto was ready to accept Nagisa's family name as his own and now went as Shinji Yuto.

The delight and surprise on Nagisa's face when he agreed to change family names was priceless.

"Really? Are you serious? You want to have my surname?".

"Yes. While I'm grateful to have been under the registry for my family, I'm not the same person anymore,".

Smiling, Yuto leaned into Nagisa's chest. "I want to be known as Shinji Yuto from now on. Because although I was born into the Kirishima family, your family is the one that treated me like their own,".

____________________

"Nagi! Dinner is ready!".

Snapping out of his fantasies, Nagisa hurriedly got changed and left the bedroom for dinner. A spread had already laid out on the table. Looking at the new plates and cutlery, he knew that Yuto must be testing out some prototypes. "Look at these! How adorable! Are these prototypes for the next release?".

"Mhm! We'll be testing them for a month now to see how durable they are and their resistance to heat,".

"Clearly, they're quite resistant since they haven't melted from you handling them,".

Flirtatiously, Nagisa winked at his husband before he was promptly swatted on the back. "Nagi...Come on,"Yuto groaned jokingly, laughing at how flirty his spouse could be. Gazing at his wedding ring with dreamy eyes, Nagisa grinned at his partner as he looked at the door.

"Do you have free time tonight?". Yuto nodded as he put the cutlets down carefully. "Yeah, I've already prepped for breakfast. I don't have much to do later,".

Tugging at his ear, Nagisa tilted his head and pressed his lips together. "Well, would you like to go on a date tonight? We haven't gone out in a while,". Yuto shrugged, leaving a stainless steel pot in the sink to soak. "I'd love to...but, I have a session to attend tomorrow. I don't think I should go out so much,".

"Please~ I never get to spend as much time with you! Please~,"Nagisa whined, holding Yuto's hand. Kissing the back of his hand endlessly, he shot Yuto his best puppy eyes. "It's not a crime for me to want to take my husband on a night out, right?".

"Well no..it's not wrong but..."

"So? What are you waiting for?".

His cheeky tone of voice made Yuto huff and accept the offer. "Where are you taking me, Nagi?". Clenching his hands above his head, Nagisa playfully punched the air to celebrate his victory. "Hm? The amusement park, baby. You know, the one I took you to for our first date,".

Flushing pink, Yuto swallowed his bite of food. "It's still open? Even after all this time?". Nagisa nodded and ladled a bit more curry onto Yuto's rice. "Yeah, it's still up and kicking. I thought that we could go there and relive some of our memories,".

Picking out a huge potato from the curry, he placed it in Yuto's bowl.

"Would you like to go out with me tonight?".

Taking a bite of the potato, Yuto had quite a shy smile on his face.

"Of course, Nagi...Oh..um, Nagi?".

Sparks of love literally flying out of his eyes, Nagisa leaned forward to hear Yuto better. He rested his chin on his hands. "Yeah, baby?".

"Um...the potato is still raw".

.

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.

Everything was just as he remembered. The lights, the sounds and even the colourful posters that once caught his eyes. Yuto could remember every aspect of the amusement park. Though, this time, there was a huge Shiuma mascot welcoming people to the amusement park.

Taking Yuto's small hand in his, he led Yuto away to play some games as soon as they got there. They arrived at a ningyo sukui booth, where they could win some cute plastic and rubber toys. They could spot some adorable cartoony toys and they'd probably be fun for Yuna to play with.

Catching sight of a Shiuma toy floating in the water, Yuto was dead set on bringing it home. Nagisa also decided that he'd try to help Yuto take his dream toy home. Except, he was probably too good at the game. They came away with a basket of toys and even still, Nagisa's scoop still hadn't broken. He just felt bad and didn't wish to continue.

Alongside that sought after Shiuma toy, there were many other adorable toys that Yuto could add to his collection. They even managed to redeem a cute stuffy for Yuna. Carrying all of their goodies in an eco-friendly cloth bag, Nagisa felt something amiss.

Bending down quickly, he swatted at Yuto's legs and smirked at the dead mosquito on his hand. "You should have worn long pants tonight. There's a lot of mosquitoes on the loose,". Wiping his hand and Yuto's leg with a wet wipe, he smiled and traced one of the scars on the back of Yuto's thigh.

"They're healing so well. I'm proud of you for staying clean, Yuto,". His partner looked down and chuckled, patting Nagisa on the head. "Well, you're the whole reason I'm clean. Thank you for coming into my life, Nagi,".

Like a gentleman, Nagisa took off his coat and tied it around Yuto's waist so that it would cover his legs. "I don't want you to get bitten again. Does it itch?". Yuto shook his head and continued clinging to his husband's arm as he was brought to a taiyaki stall.

"We're doing a combo deal! Get one taiyaki of your choice and pair it with any drink for half off! Only for this week!"A crier called out, waving a huge banner around. Like how his partner was drawn to hoodies, Nagisa was drawn to that advert.

Any opportunity to spoil his baby with his favourite snacks was an opportunity he would grab in an instance. Faster than Yuto could swat him for being flirty, his adorable partner was hooked up with fresh taiyaki and chocolate milk.

Munching steadily, they sat down and watched an entertainer perform on the streets. Smiling, Yuto squeezed Nagisa's hand gently, both of their wedding rings glistening under the lamp. "Thank you for marrying me, Nagi. I don't think I'll ever regret this,".

Flipping their hands so they could interlock their fingers, Nagisa beamed at his partner. To say he was enamoured was an understatement at this point. Yuto was the only person who had ever made him feel this way. Made him feel so good, and not just in the bedroom.

Adjusting Yuto's bangs, he wiped his mouth before replying. "I'll take good care of you and make sure you never regret this. Thank you for giving me the pleasure of being able to call you my husband,". Unexpectedly, Yuto grinned ear-to-ear, his cheeks red.

"Yeah...You're my first and my last husband. I love you, Nagi".

Laughing, Nagisa planted a kiss on Yuto's forehead. All he could feel was joy. Not even the warmth of the taiyaki in their hands could compete with how comforting this felt.

His other arm snaked itself around Yuto's waist, pulling him close.

"I'm a lucky man to have someone like you, Yuto. I love you too,".

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The lovebirds decided to conclude their date at the amusement park by taking the ferris wheel for a spin. Yuto sat in their cabin, palms sweaty. He remembered that the last time he was here, when he was questioning his feelings towards Nagisa, he thought Nagisa would kiss him. Just like all the movies and shows at the time.

Hesitantly, he whispered his partner's name. "Um...Nagi?". Nagisa stroked Yuto's shoulder to encourage him to continue speaking. "Could I tell you something please? But, promise me you won't laugh". Hiding his face, Yuto was reluctant to resume. "It happened before we began dating. Ugh...This is embarrassing.."He groaned.

Intrigued, Nagisa prodded him on the back. "I won't laugh at you. Just tell me, Yuto,". Keeping his eyes on the floor, Yuto let the truth escape from his lips. "Well...when you last brought me here...I was questioning how I felt towards you. I felt romantically attracted to you even though you're my ex-brother-in-law and I didn't know if it was alright to feel that way,".

Nodding, Nagisa could understand where he was coming from. During that period of time, he too liked Yuto romantically. Even the smallest things that Yuto did, he found everything adorable. Both of them had fallen in love.

"I was a naïve kid. I thought that you were going to kiss me in the ferris wheel. Because that's what was being portrayed in so many romance shows,". As if he was trying to shake that memory out of his head, he shook his head violently like a wet dog. "But, I quickly told myself that nothing like that would ever happen. It's funny, when you realise where we are now,".

He looked at his husband, who was red in the face. "What's wrong Nagi? Do you feel ill?". Nagisa shook his head and cupped Yuto's cheeks. "No..but, I also really liked you at the time. That's why I took you out on a date,". Playing with his partner's cheeks, he felt the warmth from his face radiate through his cold fingers.

"Had I known how you felt back then, I definitely would have kissed you while we were at the ferris wheel,".

Tracing Yuto's soft lips with his thumb, he crinkled his nose as if to ask for Yuto's permission. His spouse nodded, closing his eyes. Between them and their racing hearts, their lips collided.

Hearts beat as a unit. Warmth engulfed them as they were tangled in a passionate kiss. Wringing his arms around Nagisa's neck, Yuto continued to drown in the heated kiss.

Yuto's face was extremely flushed. To him, this scene was exactly the kind of scene you would see in a movie. Where the couple in love would kiss right after.

But this time, he knew that Nagisa felt the same way. And they were sharing the kiss that he once thought would never happen.

The best part?

It felt even better, even truer, than the media could ever portray.