Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Sorry I’m late!” 

The pink haired boy exclaimed as he entered the cafe’s entrance, he quickly shimmied around the people waiting in line. 

Scanning the area, he instantly found the person he was apologizing for— A tall, white-haired handsome man wearing rectangle shaped sunglasses and a fashionable dark gray jacket was sitting in a booth near the cafe’s large display windows.

Satoru’s focus was already locked onto the boy, his piercing blue eyes intently watching him as he came closer to his table. 

Yuuji took the seat across from the man, setting down his gym bag and pushing it further to the window. 

The white-haired man blurted out, “You look cute today.” 

The boy’s outfit was endearingly stylish. He wore a red college-style jacket with a tiger emblem, coupled with a white hoodie underneath. Below his hoodie, he had baggy denim jeans that mostly covered his blue sneakers. Finally, a black baseball cap fittingly sat on top of his head. 

Yuuji shyly cupped his hand on his face, narrowing his eyes away from his boyfriend’s gaze. “Don’t say it like that, it’s embarrassing…” The apples of his cheeks slowly turning into a soft pink color.

Satoru’s mouth formed a cat-like grin, he couldn't help but tease the pinkette more, “Are you saying it’s embarrassing to compliment my super stylish, beautiful, pretty, amazing and cute boyfriend?” His lips puckered as he pointed to Yuuji.

The boy became more embarrassed, his hand was still hiding his downwards smile. The soft pink blush in his cheeks intensified to a more clear soft red. 

Still, he speaks through the gaps of his fingers. “No. I didn’t mean it like that, you dummy.”

Satoru laughed as he patted Yuuji’s head, withholding the urge to call him cute again. “I already ordered for you baby, the waitress said the food is gonna take another 10 minutes.” He rested his hands under his chin, never taking his gaze off Yuuji. 

Yuuji readjusted his cap, softly smiling at Satoru’s kind gesture. “Thank you Satoru, how was work today?” Looking back at his boyfriend.

The white-haired man huffed, “It was the usual.  Long, lots of sitting around, Ichiji being incompetent, stressed out staff, Shoko leaving for another smoke—” He prattles on, “The only good thing that came out of it was that they got to take pictures of me.” 

Yuuji chuckled at his long winded rant, his boyfriend’s moody and arrogant personality infuriates most people but somehow the boy finds that aspect of him much more enamoring. 

“I’m sure the finished photos will be worth the pain you went through, my love.” His gentle, honey-colored eyes softened and his lips curled into a pleasant smile. 

Unbeknownst to the pinkette, one of Satoru’s biggest weak points was his boyfriend’s loving gaze towards him. It wasn’t often for Yuuji to use pet names either. Instantly, he folded. 

“Mhm.” The man hummed, “What about you? How did practice go?” Satoru adjusted his sunglasses further down his nose bridge, revealing his ocean blue eyes. 

“Haha, it was the usual too. I barely broke a sweat.” Yuuji proudly beamed, he was the MVP in his college’s national basketball team. Opposing teams, coaches, and scouting agents from all over the country come together to watch his games. 

Satoru chuckled, “Good boy. You never fail to amaze me with your talent.” The pink haired boy melted under his boyfriend's praise, he can never get enough of it.

***

Pleasant footsteps approached the couple, the waitress held two plates with both of her hands. 

One plate had Satoru’s order; a strawberry shortcake and a melon soda, topped with whipped cream and a signature cherry. The other plate had Yuuji’s order; an egg sandwich and an iced coffee. 

The waitress set down their plates, unintentionally switching their orders. She assumed Yuuji was the one who ordered the sweet menu items, mostly based on the pair’s age gap. 

Quickly, Satoru corrected her, “Ah sorry, I’m actually the one who ordered the sweets.” He waved a hand at the waitress. 

She gasped, apologetically bowing down a few times and murmuring ‘sorry’ before she switched the plates. 

Yuuji interjected, “It’s okay, thank you for bringing the food.” The waitress chuckled and parted with the couple by telling them to enjoy their food. 

The pair looked down at their plates, taking a moment to admire how intricate and delicious it all looked. 

Satoru took out his phone to take a picture of their food, he made sure to keep Yuuji’s arms resting on the table in the shot. He was going to post it later to his social media— of course tagging his boyfriend and including a lovey-dovey caption. 

After the picture was taken, they immediately started eating. Pleasant ‘mhms’ followed after their first few bites, confirming between the both of them that the food was delicious. 

***

The couple finished their food and drinks fairly fast, Yuuji stood up to gather the plates and glassware. Brushing any spare crumbs left over on the table onto the plates. He got out of his seat to take them to a counter for dirty dishes. 

Satoru stayed behind, beside him was a small gift bag that he was thankful Yuuji didn’t notice. 

Yuuji skipped over to the booth, casually taking his seat again. 

The white-haired man’s gaze softened, full of pure love for his Yuuji. “I got you this on the way to our date today, the color reminded me of you.” He grabbed the gift bag, still keeping it under the table.

The pinkette tilted his head curiously, until Satoru revealed the gift bag and set it in front of Yuuji. Upon first glance, the bag was small. About a hand size big. 

Yuuji was wracking his brain about things that this item could be, but he didn’t waste more time on those thoughts and reached his hand into the bag. 

He pulled out a smaller box, but the opening was already propped open. The sight of it made Yuuji’s eyes glitter. 

A promise ring. 

A vivid, orange diamond ring shined through. It was held in place with a dainty yet simple yellow-gold band, decorated with tiny diamond crystals along the band. 

The boy took a long pause to admire the ring, simultaneously studying how beautiful it is and becoming overwhelmed with his emotions. 

Satoru breathed in, “You don’t have to put it on now, but I— just wanted to declare my promise to you. That I’ll always stay by your side no matter what.”

Yuuji couldn’t contain his emotions anymore, but it didn’t matter. He happily let his tears fall on his face, smiling ear to ear at his boyfriend’s promise. 

Speaking between his soft hiccups, “It’s—beautiful, Satoru. I’m— I’m just really happy right now.” He wiped the tears from his face with the sleeve of his jacket, even though they continued falling. 

The boy sniffled, he picked up the ring and fitted it onto his ring finger. “It’s a perfect fit too. Thank you, my love.” 

He fanned out his hand to admire the ring again. Yuuji was still overwhelmed with emotions, quietly sniffling to himself. 

If this is how extravagant a promise ring from Satoru would be, then how could he possibly fathom the engagement ring? 

Satoru reached over to lock his fingers into his lover’s hand, making sure to feel the warmth emanating from his hold. 

Staring into the pools of honey circulating within Yuuji’s crying eyes, Satoru gripped his hand tighter and looked lovingly into his lover.  

“Make sure to never forget me, Yuuji.” 

“As if I could ever forget you, Satoru.”