Log: Atobe and Sanada half birthday date
Nov. 30th, 2018 08:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tennis_hellWhen: Wednesday, November 21
Where: Atobe’s condo
Who: Sanada, Atobe, Duke the dog
What: Sanada and Atobe celebrate Sanada's half birthday with a nice dinner and an ample helping of failsauce.
Rating: PG-13 for that's not what "Netflix and chill" means, Sanada.
Sanada checked the time on his phone, five minutes before their approved meeting time, and then double checked he had the right condo number before punching in Atobe’s number to call up to his place. It felt odd to be meeting Atobe somewhere so private and without even staff bustling quietly around in the background.
If he had told Renji about this, he was sure his friend would have stuffed his pockets full of condoms and told him to take advantage of the privacy. He had no idea how he would have told him that they had barely figured out kissing without imploding. If Yukimura and Yanagi pouted at him for keeping a few of his dates secret until after they happened, they had only themselves and their penchant for teasing to blame.
Not that he should be thinking of this right before he saw Atobe. He didn’t want to be blushing or thinking anything untoward when he greeted him. He was already concerned enough about if Atobe could even cook and, as a good date, if he would have to pretend to enjoy whatever was served. Best to focus on one hurdle at a time.
When the button was pushed, Atobe received a notification on his phone. He didn't bother answering, he expected Sanada to be there around six. He accepted the guest on his phone and went back to working on dinner. He had already slightly propped the front door so Sanada could let himself in.
There wasn't much left to do for dinner at this point, he had followed a simple roast recipe that made the entire condo smell amazing. Duke had parked his butt on the bed in the kitchen hours ago and had hardly moved except to go on a walk, with some prompting. The only challenge were the Yorkshire puddings that Atobe had seen his mother make but sounded intimidating when she gave him the instructions. Filling cupcake tins with a bit of oil, dropping dough, letting it smoke… well, if she said so.
Admittedly, he had purchased back-up gravy because he wasn't entirely convinced that he would pull off a successful beef gravy after his mother's warnings that his first roux would not turn out on the first try.
Sanada thought it was odd that Atobe hadn’t confirmed who was at the door but then in a place this fancy there was probably a camera. So Sanada stepped on through the lobby and rode the elevator up to Atobe’s floor and after checking his phone to make sure he had the right room number again he walked over to the door. It was propped open but he still gave it a polite knock before entering. Assuming the door was left open for him, he closed and locked it behind him. “Hello, Atobe?” He called out as he toed off his shoes.
He made his way into the condo and followed his nose to the kitchen. “It smells amazing in here,” Sanada said as a greeting. His fears about dying of food poisoning were quickly abating at the delicious aroma.
Before Atobe could respond, Duke jumped up to greet Sanada, herding him toward the kitchen. Atobe smiled at Sanada and said, “Of course. Hope you like roast beef.” He hadn’t been able to take the time to change after he left the office, so he was still in his slacks, oxford with the sleeves rolled up, and tie. He extended a hand to Sanada to rest it on his arm and leaned closer to touch a chaste kiss to his cheek.
Sanada blushed at the kiss but also grinned and reached out to smooth out Atobe’s tie just to have an excuse to touch back a little. “I never say no to meat,” Sanada said. He then held up the little gift bag that was in his other hand. “Just a small gift to thank you for hosting. There’s something for Duke, too.” It was nothing fancy. Just a chew toy for Duke and some nice green tea from a specialty shop in his neighbourhood. He knew wine was customary but he also felt that they’d had enough dates that involved far too much drinking lately.
“Oh, thank you.” Atobe accepted the gift graciously. He offered the chew toy to Duke, smiling with amusement as Duke abandoned herding Sanada to go back to his bed with the chew toy and go to town. “Ah - is this from that shop down the way? I haven’t been in there, yet.” Atobe turned over the tea in his hand, inspecting it. “Shall I brew it, now?”
Sanada continued grinning as Duke so obviously approved of his gift. That was one Atobe won over at least. “It's a nice shop. You should go sometime,” Sanada said. “And if we have time, tea before dinner could be nice. I can make it if you have to do other things.” It was the least he could do with Atobe preparing their whole meal.
“Yes, that would be lovely. Help yourself,” Atobe motioned generally in the direction of the kettle. “Let me know if you can’t find anything.” He went back to mixing the batter for the puddings. The oven was already pre-heated and the cupcake tin was ready to go into the oven to heat the oil. “So, did you figure out what we’re celebrating?”
Sanada headed over to the kettle and got that started before casually checking out cupboards for a teapot and cups. “Some obscure holiday I'll be convinced you made up until I look it up?” Sanada guessed. He had no clue if Atobe was the type to celebrate things like International Apple Appreciation Day or whatever but it seemed like something Atobe would enjoy just to have the excuse to be ridiculous.
“Ha! I suppose it's something like that.” He put on his oven mitts to take the roast out and carefully set it on the stovetop. The smell of roasted meat, onion, and vegetables that had been ever present since the roast went in the oven now assaulted his olfactory sense. It smelled like a traditional roast, they might be in the clear.
He put the cupcake tin with the oil into the oven and started plating the roast and vegetables for serving. The roast fell apart as he lifted it making slicing it a very easy proposition. Also a good sign that it was going to taste incredible as it smelled.
“It's November 21st - your half birthday.” In May of that year, he had been ass deep in alligators trying to push through a September graduation date. “Since we didn't celebrate it then, I wanted to do something for you now.”
Sanada got the teapot ready with the tea leaves before turning to look at Atobe again. “I have a half birthday?” Sanada asked. It was certainly news to him. And as ridiculous as the idea was, it was sort of endearing that Atobe went to the effort to figure out when his half birthday was and to do something special for it. “And that smells amazing.” It was really hard to concentrate on much of anything when the food Atobe was making smelled so distractingly mouth watering. Perhaps that was Atobe’s plan just in case Sanada didn’t find the premise of a half birthday sweet.
“Why, thank you.” Atobe really hoped it was going to taste as good as it smelled. He all but held his breath as he gathered the beef drippings for the gravy and combined it with seasonings, butter, water, and flour in a pan. He remembered his mother’s words cautioning him on taking the process slowly to ensure that he was able to get the right consistency. “Be a dear and grab the gravy boat for me?” Because god forbid he not have a gadget for everything, Atobe had an electric gravy boat that would keep the gravy at a good temperature while it sat on the table. He had put it out on the counter earlier on the other side of Sanada.
“Of course you have a half-birthday. Everyone has a half-birthday.” And frankly, Keigo thought it was far less strange than this concept he had heard of since returning to Japan of a half birthday between two people being their shared birthday, or some nonsense like that. Of course, he had taken the time to figure out when theirs would be, that wasn’t a total waste of his time. Only a few moments on the internet yielded July 28th. He hadn’t quite sunken to looking up if their zodiac signs were compatible yet, but there was still time.
Sanada blinked at the dear word coming up again but decided it was just an expression and looked around until he spotted what he guessed could be a gravy boat. Though it didn’t look much like a boat. He passed it over and then leaned in close to Atobe to see what he was doing and get a better sniff at the gravy. It smelled just as good as everything else. “I don’t think many people celebrate their half birthdays though,” Sanada said. He wasn’t going to sany nobody did because that was just asking for Atobe to start listing people who did in fact celebrate them. “And when’s yours?” Because if Atobe was going to make this a thing, it’d be pretty horrible of him to not do something for Atobe’s half birthday.
“Not many people miss out on their significant other’s birthday,” Atobe pointed out. He ladeled the prepared gravy into the boat, impressed by his own ability to make something that so closely resembled his mother’s cooking, and set is aside again. For the last step, he removed the pan with the smoking oil, put in drops of the yorkshire pudding dough, and put the pan back in the oven to bake. “October 4th is my birthday, so… April 4th, right? You have time. Should we throw a huge party, again?”
“We weren’t dating then. We weren’t even in the same country,” Sanada pointed out. He turned away from Atobe to pour their tea but also to hide that he was undoubtedly blushing at Atobe calling him his significant other. “And if you insist on large parties for your birthday, then he half birthday should be something smaller and more intimate.” He didn’t think Atobe’s staff would like either of them if they added more ridiculous parties to the yearly calendar.
Well, that was the point, that they weren’t in the same country, but Atobe was starting to learn when it was worth clarifying and when he should just let Sanada be Sanada.
Atobe watched Sanada’s back as he poured the tea. “Ah~n? Something more like this?” Almost compulsively, he reached out to put his hand to the small of Sanada’s back. Even through layers of clothing, it was immediately evident that he was physically strong and fit. He could definitely get used to intimate, homemade meals after work on any occasion at all.
Sanada looked over his shoulder at the touch and gave Atobe a small smile. “Exactly. This is much nicer for a half birthday,” Sanada said. He was not letting Atobe through a huge crazy party for some strange and ridiculous Atobe idea. He picked up both cups of tea and passed one over to Atobe. “Tea?”
Atobe accepted the tea with a nod of his head. “Thank you.” He took the tea and the gravy boat with him out to the dining table and placed his tea beside his spot at the table and the gravy near the middle of the table. He made another run for the meat and vegetables as well as the serving utensils. He had set the table while the roast cooked so it would be ready to go when Sanada arrived. He took a moment to light the tall candles of the centerpiece, then returned to the kitchen to check on the yorkshire puddings.
When they came out of the oven, they were a bit less fluffy than he wanted them to be, but otherwise they were beautifully golden and his mouth was watering from being trapped in the condo with the delightful smell of the meat all afternoon and evening. He plated those, as well, and motioned toward the table to invite Sanada to sit. “Please have a seat. Dinner is served.”
“You know, I could have helped with some of this,” Sanada said. His cooking may not be up to gourmet level but he could manage most things. He certainly could have helped with setting the table. Maybe Atobe would let him help with the dishes after the meal.
Sanada took his own cup of tea and the refilled tea pot out to the table and sat at the other seat and looked over the food set on it. It really was an impressive spread and definitely much more than he had expected when Atobe told him he was cooking. “This looks great, Atobe. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Perhaps you can do dishes this time. Or cook for me next time.” He raised his tea as though in toast. He felt Duke brushing against his feet as he came to inspect what delicious things were on the table. He was well trained enough to not beg or make a nuisance of himself, but he was not going to let himself be forgotten with roast beef on the table.
Atobe was just as curious as Sanada had been since he offered him dinner if it was going to be any good. He served himself some meat and vegetables, two yorkshire puddings, and drizzled gravy over everything on the plate. From at least his first couple of bites, he was not disappointed - the meat was tender, the vegetables were flavorful, the gravy was rich, and the yorkshire puddings were fluffy despite their appearance. He thought about making some smartass remark, but out of his own surprise said, “Thank goodness it’s delicious or I’d look like a fool.” He laughed to himself, unable to contain a proud smile.
“Maybe I can do both. Though I might beg to borrow your kitchen.” If he used his own kitchen he would end up either cooking for his own family or being shooed out of it so his mother could make everything herself. And then the whole family would be there for dinner and Sasuke would be making inappropriate comments the whole time and his niece would probably try climbing all over Atobe to play with his hair… and no, Sanada was not ready to subject Atobe to that much family time.
Copying what Atobe did, he filled his own plate but added a bit more meat. Sure it would taste great, he took a large bite and was not disappointed. It was amazing. He looked over at Atobe at his words and shook his head fondly. It was rare to see Atobe doubting himself. Especially when he had been smelling this for the past hour or so. How could it be anything but amazing? “Even if it was horrible, I still would have appreciated the effort,” Sanada said. And then feeling a little bold, leaned over to Atobe to give his cheek a kiss.
Atobe watched Sanada as he withdrew, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. “You need not beg to borrow the kitchen, you are welcome here anytime.” He went back to his food, plowing forward with his train of thought to not linger too long on how intense Sanada’s eyes were in the candlelight. “You’re welcome to stay here, anytime, as well. I have the spare bedroom - or my bedroom, I… suppose.” He hesitated on the last word, his brain finally catching up with his mouth.
Sanada was so busy admiring how pretty Atobe’s cheeks looked when coloured red that it took a moment for Atobe’s words to catch up to him and when they did he nearly choked on his food. He reached for his tea and took a sip trying to figure out what to say. “I… Well that is… uh… I mean… we’ve already shared a room. It’s be weird to stop now… wouldn’t it? But it’s probably far too soon to think about things like cohabiting… but.. It’s uh… well… it’s a nice place…And you’re nice… it’s all… nice.” Sanada wasn’t sure any of that made sense. Maybe that floor would swallow him up. That would also be nice.
Sanada really needed to Line Yukimura or Yanagi for advice. They were much better at dating than him even if Yanagi tended to never introduce his dates to them and Yukimura seemed too picky to keep his boyfriends for long. They at least had experience with things like this. He was sure once they finished laughing, they’d give some decent advice. Maybe even advice that didn’t involve getting naked and using some of the condoms Yanagi kept giving him. Oh God! Why did he think of that now?! Now he was picturing sharing Atobe’s bed for more than sleeping. This was the worst time for his libido to take an interest in things.
Cohabiting? The soft blush turned crimson and Atobe was certain his eyes were wide as dinner plates. He hadn't meant for Sanda to move in, though there was sense in it given that he was living in his family home with a million other people. If he wanted to have his own room, there was the spare bedroom, but this circled back to Sanada's point that they had shared a bed before, so what sense was there in stopping now? Atobe tried to mentally coach himself to stop seeing this all as rather logical and cleared his throat as if to prime it for whatever stupid thing was going to inevitably come out.
“Maybe we could… you could just bring some things here and stay part of the week. Or when it's convenient, or…” Atobe’s lizard brain finally kicked in taking in Sanada’s expression. Those golden eyes that had been lit up not long before were now dark with some emotion that made Atobe’s stomach drop. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sanada’s eyes followed Atobe’s darkening and spreading blush down his cheeks, toward his neck and right up to the collar of his shirt. Did it continue on past that? Would it cover his chest? Go further than that? Sanada’s thoughts were drifting so far away from safe territory that not only could he feel some arousal stirring in his pants making him wish he had gone with traditional clothes and not jeans, but he had completely lost track of what Atobe was saying. “Sorry… what?” He said, forcing his eyes back up to Atobe’s face.
That reaction seemed to answer Atobe’s question. He felt his heart pounding in his throat under the scrutiny. It was hardly the first time someone had looked him over in such a fashion, but the intimacy of the moment made everything feel more immediate. “I… was saying you could stay here.” The words came with an uncharacteristic hint of uncertainty in his tone.
“Oh, right... “ That is what they’d been talking about. Apparently were still talking about. “For tonight?” Because it was always best to clear these sorts of things up with Atobe. Though Sanada thought no matter the answer he should decline. He clearly wasn’t feeling himself tonight and so he should just enjoy his half birthday dinner, chatting with Atobe, maybe get a kiss, and then go home… but Atobe really did have comfortable beds. And the couple times they had shared and he’d woken up with Atobe asleep curled up in his arms it had been nice. Really nice. And he was sure he could control his more idiotic urges for a night. He’d done it before after all.
Well, no, Sanada had gone and suggested moving in… Atobe took the memory lapse as the blessing it was and simply said, “yes, it would be nice if you would stay the night.” He closed his eyes briefly just to reset his whirling thoughts and resumed eating his dinner. He had done so well in cooking it that it would be a shame to let it get cold. “I don't suppose you brought an overnight bag?” As interesting as it would be to see Sanada try to fit into his clothing, Atobe didn't really have anything suitable to lend him.
“Oh…” Sanada said. And was really wishing he could find more interesting things to say. He usually didn’t have trouble coming up with words like this. It was just as annoying as being suddenly aroused by his date at dinner. “I’m sure we can figure out something.” He would just be going straight home in the morning. It didn’t really matter if he had to wear the same outfit. He’d certainly done worse when crashing at Yukimura’s.
“I have a robe that will fit you and we can wash what you're wearing,” Atobe suggested. He, unlike some of his neighbors, did in fact have a clothes dryer and it could be pried from his cold, dead hands. Now that the conversation had taken a less intense turn, Atobe was able to properly relax, again. “Though I admit the image of you in satin is a bit much for my imagination.” Though satin would be exceptionally flattering to Sanada's body. So much for relaxing, Atobe thought as he felt his gaze wandering from Sanada's face and settling on his chest.
“Should I just skip the robe then?” Sanada asked with a small laugh. He’d be fine just wearing his underwear to bed with the t-shirt he had on underneath or something instead if the robe was going to do weird things to Atobe. Or maybe he wanted to do weird things to Atobe’s imagination? Dating was complicated. He definitely never worried about how dressed or undressed he was around Yukimura or Yanagi.
Atobe also laughed and suggested, “maybe it would be simpler if we were both just naked and not thinking too hard about it.” The idea sounded better in his head than it did when it came out of his mouth.
Sanada’s eyes widened and he tried to say something but all that came out was a horribly stuttered wheeze that may have sounded like ‘hard’ if you strained hard enough. He reached to take a sip of his tea and cleared his throat to try again. “If… if that’s what you want… but maybe I should bring some stuff to leave here… if uh… that’s okay… and we want to maybe do this… uh well sleep… for the night… more,” Sanada said. Assuming they survived tonight. He wasn’t sure why he ever thought food poisoning was what he had to worry about when Atobe kept saying things that were trying to kill him much more swiftly than his cooking ever could.
That was exactly what Atobe had suggested back before Sanada was choking when he had his major memory lapse. Atobe leaned close to rub Sanada's back in wide, circular motions. “Might as well,” he agreed, just thinking it would save him thoughts of nakedness or satin. Maybe it would feel more comfortable to Sanada, as well, if he had some of his things at the condo. Against his better judgment, Atobe voiced that. “Might feel more like home if you had some of your belongings here.”
Sanada leaned forward a little more so Atobe could better reach to rub his back. Sanada wasn’t sure it was helping him breathe more easily but it did feel nice and that Atobe cared enough to want to try hard a pool of warmth settling in his belly. “Thanks,” He said. He then raised his head to glance around what he could see of Atobe’s condo and tried to imagine some of his things around the place. He didn’t really have a lot and what he did was mostly confined to his room so it was a little difficult to do but he thought he could imagine Sanada-sama finding a home here. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your space. This seems like it’s a bit of your sanctuary away from the mansion and work,” Sanada said. He wasn’t sure how often Atobe stayed here compared to the mansion but it certainly had a different feel to the place than when Sanada had visited Atobe at the family home.
Atobe followed Sanada's gaze, also looking around the condo. His own personal belongings were sparing other than plenty for Duke to play with or places for him to sleep. There were comfortable blankets on the couch, some paintings on the walls, a few odds and ends, but he mostly just enjoyed that it was his. Sanada was right that it was his sanctuary - everything here was from his flat in England, a reminder of his independence and identity. But, Sanada was part of his identity. “I think it could use your touch, actually. It could be our sanctuary.”
“Oh.” Sanada really had to abolish that word from his personal vocabulary after tonight. But he couldn’t think of anything else to say at Atobe’s words. It was certainly forward and probably way too far ahead in their relationship to really be thinking about. But at the same time it was sweet and it made Sanada smile even as he panicked about it. “I wouldn’t say no to a sanctuary.” Yukimura and Yanagi were always offering up their spaces for Sanada to use if he needed somewhere quiet to study or relax away from his family but that was still their places. Atobe was offering a place that would be his, too.
Atobe’s hand stilled on Sanada's back and he gave a soft smile in return. “I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? We should probably figure out how to have a normal dinner together, first.” They would definitely need to figure that out if dinner together became a regular occurrence. That thought brought Atobe a surprising sense of peace; maybe it was living alone for so long that made the companionship so appealing, or maybe it was just easy to be around Sanada despite how hellbent they both seemed to be on making it hard on themselves. His hand wandered up Sanada's back into the hair at the base of his neck. Yes, it was definitely appealing.
Sanada let out a soft sigh at the feel of Atobe’s fingers at his neck and found his eyes slipping closed. “I think we were both getting ahead of ourselves,” Sanada said. He was pretty sure this mess of a conversation started when he assumed Atobe was wanting him to move in. “But it means it’s something we both want. And I’ve never known either of us to give up on our goals.” He hoped that came out as positive and romantic as he wanted it to be and not like some creepy we’ll move in together no matter what. “But a normal dinner is a good starter goal.” Though maybe always falling into awkward babbling conversation was normal for them.
The sentiment of Sanada's words gave Atobe pause, melting away the anxiety of the conversation for good. It seemed like a perfectly acceptable time to try being deliberate about the adoring things he was saying accidentally. “You're right, on all counts. All roads seem to lead to the same destination when I'm with you, dear.”
Sanada blinked at the word, his face going red right before he laughed. He hadn’t actually expected Atobe to use it in person even if part of him was hoping he would. And while he didn’t dislike it, it was new and weird, and he wasn’t sure if he was laughing because he found it funny or if it was just some horrible way his body had of coping with Atobe being so sweet. “I think I’m going to need to get used to that,” Sanada said. He hoped Atobe wasn’t too put out by his reaction. “I’m not used to uh… pet names.” At least he figured that counted as a pet name.
The laugh was infectious, or maybe it just didn't take much to make Atobe laugh. Maybe it was just the wrong pet name? “Well if that's too awkward, we can try something else. How about ‘darling’?” Darling was inoffensive enough, right? It wasn't too cutesy or fluffy. Classic.
Sanada gave another small laugh at that but then just smiled softly at Atobe. “Just as long as you don’t start calling me food things,” He said. And then after a moment of hesitation decided to ask if he could call Atobe the only thing he’d really been thinking about lately. It seemed like a fair thing to do since Atobe was testing out terms of endearment with him. “Would it be okay if I called you my boyfriend?” He still wasn’t sure how many dates it took to go from my date to my boyfriend but Sanada hadn’t quite been able to consult Yukimura or Yanagi about it so he just had to suck it up and ask Atobe.
Initially, it seemed like an odd thing to ask, but as Atobe mulled on it he realized they hadn't really discussed it after their initial disastrous attempts at determining if they were even dating. Given that they agreed they were dating and had been for a while, it was fair to say they were boyfriends. “That does make the most sense, doesn't it?” Even saying that, something about it was still odd to Atobe. He suspected it was just that it was new and not something he would have anticipated for himself, at least not with Sanada. A confident smile returned to his face. “I like that.”
Sanada nodded and felt relieved that Atobe had accepted the request so readily. It would certainly be easier to explain to others that Atobe was his boyfriend than just a guy he went on dates with sometimes. Though he suspected everyone would tease him the first time he mentioned it. It would probably be worth it though. “Good. I think I’ll enjoy saying it.”
“Well, then my first act as your boyfriend is to officially wish you a happy twenty-first-and-a-half birthday.” Atobe stood to go to where he had set his belated birthday gift for Sanada that was wrapped in a small box in light blue paper with an oversized white bow and white satin ribbon. He brought the box back to Sanada, placing it on the table between them. “Just a little something to celebrate,” he explained, studying Sanada’s face. He had no idea how Sanada was going to react to the gift.
“I thought the dinner was my present,” Sanada said. And now that he knew just how good of a dinner Atobe could prepare he thought it was more than adequate as a present. Still, he accepted the gift despite it’s ridiculous bow and picked it up turning it a little to try and guess what could be inside of it. Hopefully it wasn’t anything too fancy. “Only something little?” He asked. He wondered if Atobe meant jus in terms of size or also price.
“Dinner isn't much of a present if you end up doing dishes or cooking for me,” Atobe joked, leaning back into his chair comfortably. He remembered Sanada mentioning that his friends were trying to get him to wear nice, fashionable things (in particular, he remembered the hat), so he thought he would contribute something to the cause. It was a custom piece by the jeweler he usually worked with, but it hadn't been terribly expensive. He had opted for garnets over rubies which helped with the cost. “Don't overthink it, just open it.”
“It’s not a ring is it?” Because while the box seemed too big for that, Sanada wasn’t about to put it past Atobe to wrap a ring box in a bigger box. And it’s not like they seemed to do anything in their relationship in any type of order or timeframe. So why couldn’t it be some weird promise ring or engagement ring or who knew what else Atobe could be considering. Though now that he was thinking all of that, he probably was overthinking things and should just open it to see what it was. But the box was just so suspicious.
Atobe laughed once more, placing one of his hands over Sanada’s. “Just open it,” he repeated mirthfully, running his thumb over the back of Sanada's hand. The box was far too large to be a ring box, but he suspected Sanada had to know it wasn't a ring.
“Fine.” He still wasn’t sure he trusted what was in the box but he’d never find out what was in it if he just kept staring at it. He probably wasn’t that bad anyway since Atobe was so amused by his hesitation. He undid the bow and carefully unwrapped the box. He stared at it a moment longer than necessary before he opened it and looked in. Well, at least it wasn’t a ring.
Sanada pulled out the masculine bracelet and held it up so he could see it better. It definitely cost more than what you should give someone for a half birthday. But it was from Atobe and Sanada was pretty sure that Atobe didn’t understand prices like normal people did. At least it was fairly subdued and could be worn with a casual outfit without standing out too much. “Thank you. It’s surprisingly nice,” He said.
Was it really so surprising? “Glad you like it.” Atobe leaned back into his chair, again, feeling proud of himself for picking out something that Sanada liked. “It is custom made so it is a one of a kind. Like you.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Sanada said. But it was more than half compliment. He rather liked Atobe’s brand of ridiculous. And to show it, he leaned over to Atobe and kissed his cheek. And then deciding that they were boyfriends and gifting jewelry and there was really no reason not to, angled his head so he could give Atobe’s lips a quick kiss, too.
Atobe lifted his hand to slip his fingers into Sanada’s hair, pulling him close to drag out the kiss a bit longer. They were communicating on some wavelength that resembled the same wavelength, so he wasn’t about to let that moment slip past them. Physical actions were easier than words, anyway - harder to misinterpret, probably.
After the barest moments of being startled at Atobe pulling him back in for a longer kiss, Sanada happily returned Atobe’s affections, letting his own hand wander to rest on the back of Atobe’s neck. When he finally pulled apart, his face felt flushed but he was smiling. He really wanted to do that again. But maybe somewhere more comfortable than leaning over the end of a table. “We should probably finish the dinner you made us,” Sanada said despite wanting to suggest they move to the couch to share more kisses. It would be rude to not finish dinner. Besides, kissing probably took up a fair bit of energy so best to build it up with the rest of dinner first.
Atobe also knew that he had a dumb smile on his face, warmer than his usual trademark smirks. “Yes, we probably should do that,” he agreed, picking up his utensils once more and going about his meal. It would also would make for good leftovers if he wanted to take some for lunch… or on second thought, he could pack up those leftovers for Sanada to take with him when he left tonight. Or even better, tomorrow night. Atobe hardly recognized these ridiculous thoughts he was having, but every time he looked at Sanada the world made both a little more and a little less sense at the same time.
“I should probably feed Duke, too, so he stops moping around our feet,” Atobe said with a chuckle. Duke had been quite patient with them, too, and Atobe supposed a bit of lean meat without the gravy wouldn’t hurt him.
“I wouldn’t say he’s moping,” Sanada said. He gave Atobe a smile before he leaned over so he could see under the table at Duke and called him over so he could scratch behind his ears. No, Duke was a good boy and no moping around at all. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t argue that you should feed him.” One of the few things Sanada knew about dogs is that they were basically always happy to get food.
Atobe had to admit to himself that seeing Duke be so fond of Sanada warmed his heart. Admittedly the fastest way to his heart, maybe after good coffee, was to be loved by his dog. He watched the two interact feeling like a proud father. “One thing the two of you don't have in common,” he remarked. There had been a fair amount of arguing about him feeding Sanada.
“What do you mean?” Sanada asked, looking up from Duke where his fingers were still busy scratching what he hoped were all the best spots around his ears. “I’m sure we both have hearty appetites.”
“But it isn’t easy to convince both of you to eat something I’ve prepared for you,” Atobe explained. Quite the opposite, actually. There had been a fair amount of back and forth regarding his ability to cook prior to Sanada coming over and just trying the food. Then again, it had been the same way with the present. If Atobe didn’t know better, he would think that Sanada didn’t trust his taste.
“To be fair, I didn’t know you even knew where to find the kitchen let alone know how to cook such delicious food. You’ll never need to convince me to eat what you’ve made again,” Sanada said. If he had been able to smell the food when Atobe had invited him for dinner he wouldn’t have hesitated even a second.
A laugh escaped Atobe and he leaned back comfortably into his chair. “Okay, then I won't hesitate to cook for you from now on.” In a way, he craved those domestic interactions. He didn't see them between his parents often.
“And I won't hesitate to eat it,” Sanada said with a grin. He wondered how long Atobe would cook for him before deciding Sanada ate too much and he should pitch in. Not that Sanada was against helping but he definitely couldn't make anything like what Atobe made tonight. Speaking of, he stopped petting Duke, and ignored the puppy dog eyes, so he could eat more of the delicious food.
Atobe finished his meal in comfortable silence and picked Duke up to sit on his lap while Sanada finished his meal. Duke curiously sniffed over the edge of the table but was otherwise content to wait patiently for any of that promised food. “You know, I was worried Duke might not take to you, initially.”
“Oh? He seems friendly enough,” Sanada said. He set down his fork as he finished off the last of his beef, contentedly full, and just watched Atobe with his dog. They were a cute pair.
“He is,” Atobe agreed, giving Duke chest scratches. “But I do have a rule that if the dog doesn't like you, I don't like you, either.” As with most things dogs were just a better judge of character than humans, as far as Atobe was concerned.
Sanada laughed at that and shook his head fondly at Atobe. It was a strange rule but since Atobe considered Duke part of his family, it made sense. “I’m glad I passed then. Has there been people he hasn’t liked?” Because with how good Duke was, he couldn’t see him actually growling at anyone.
“There have,” Atobe said, looking down at Duke that was just the happiest little thing in the world for all the attention. He seemed to have abandoned thoughts of roast in favor of being the center of attention. “He is often distrustful of men in hats.” He grinned wildly at Sanda as he said it.
Sanada snorted at that. “I’ll have to change his mind about men in hats.” He then leaned in toward Duke to talk to him directly. “There’s nothing wrong with a good hat, Duke.” He finished off his talk with a good ear scratch to help get the point across.
Duke was starting to get wiggly and Atobe had promised him food, so Atobe set him back on the floor expecting him to go for his food bowl. Instead, he stood at attention at Sanada’s feet eager for more of those ear scratches. Atobe shook his head and began gathering dishes and serving plates, taking everything back to the kitchen to be washed. “Now you've done it. You'll never be rid of him, now,” he joked.
“That doesn’t seem so bad to me,” Sanada said giving Duke a smile and all the ear scratches he could want. When he noticed Atobe clearing the table, he stopped scratching for a moment until Duke butted against his hand insisting on more until he resumed. “Do you want help with that?” Atobe had cooked everything so it seemed rude to not help with the clean up.
“I'll clear the table if you'd like to start on dishes?” Atobe suggested coming back for the second round of serving plates. This time, he cut off a small piece of the roast and offered it to Duke. Duke took it gently, but then he was at full attention watching their every move with the beef.
“I can handle that. Do you have a dishwasher or am I washing everything?” Sanada asked as he left Duke to his hopeful gazing at Atobe to head to the sink. He figured Atobe probably had a dishwasher since it was a common luxury and he couldn’t imagine Atobe not having every single kind of luxury tucked into his condo somewhere.
“I do,” Atobe confirmed. Actually, he was going to be replacing the appliances in the condo, soon. He wanted a more modern stainless steel look and some of the features that modern appliances had with water conservation, running more quietly, energy efficiency, etc. With his hands free of plates, Atobe went about getting Duke’s dinner out of the fridge and serving it to him.
After a quick look around the kitchen, Sanada found the dishwasher and started loading it up before getting down to the business of washing the pots and pans that were used to cook the meal. “No dog food for Duke?” Sanada asked as he saw Atobe feeding him. At least it didn’t look like Duke was getting the usual dried kibble he associated with dog food.
“I make him his food. It's a recipe his vet recommended - it's mostly poultry with a bit of marrow broth.” Atobe would invest several hours a month making it in a huge batch then freezing it for later use. “I also keep some kibble around in case he gets the munchies.” He motioned to the largely untouched bowl of kibble next to Duke’s water bowl.
“He’s a little spoiled, isn’t he?” Sanada asked. He’d never heard of a dog getting such fancy meals. But this was Atobe and he was sort of ridiculous when it came friends and family and Duke was certainly family.
No sense calling it anything other than what it was. “He really is, isn't he? Doesn't seem to go to his head, though.” Atobe gave Duke some scratches behind his ear before standing and looking back at Sanada. He felt absolutely insane for thinking about it, but it somehow made him smile to watch Sanada doing their dishes.
Atobe stepped closer to Sanada and wrapped around him from behind, watching him over his shoulder. Their size disparity became obvious the moment he did. Atobe wasn't a small person by any means, but Sanada was tall and broad and Atobe felt slight by comparison. “Thanks for handling the dishes.”
Sanada stiffened for a moment as Atobe came up behind him and then relaxed as he realized it was just a bit of a hug. He turned enough to give Atobe a smile but kept his hands busy in the soapy water with the dishes. “It’s only fair that the person who cooked gets to relax instead of clean.” Even in his house where his mother liked to take charge of the kitchen, she would let others help clean up after a big family meal. Sanada was very skilled at cleaning pots because of it.
“Thank you, nevertheless.” Atobe rested his cheek on Sanada’s shoulder, feeling the movement of his arm through the muscles of his shoulder and back. He closed his eyes for a moment, settling into Sanada's warmth and let himself relax, as Sanada suggested.
It didn’t take long for Sanada to get everything cleaned but he lingered over the last pot. It was sort of nice having Atobe leaning against him like he was and he hated to spoil the moment. But he could only draw out washing pots for so long and eventually he set the last one down to dry. “All done. Did you have anything else in mind for tonight?” Apparently it was his half-birthday celebration so who knew if Atobe had more planned besides dinner and a present.
“Not especially.” Atobe came out of his stupor, straightening and running his hand through his hair to resettle it. Even in adulthood, his hair flipped out at the ends in an unruly way that there was no point controlling unless he was willing to gel it all back. “It's your half birthday, what would you like?”
Sanada turned and leaned back against the counter as he considered the condo and Atobe and what he wanted to do. “Maybe just relax for a bit?” They had just eaten a large meal and Atobe was likely tired after working and then cooking. And really, despite how often they embarrassed themselves and each other when they shared quiet moments, Sanada still rather enjoyed them.
“Sounds lovely. Perhaps the couch?” Sanada cut a handsome figure, somehow more so when he leaned casually against the counter. Atobe took a step toward him and rested his hands, palms flat, on Sanada’s stomach. He tilted his head to give Sanada a brief kiss - he told himself it was another silent thank you for doing the dishes, but dishes didn't make his stomach tumble.
Sanada felt all those feelings and desire for Atobe he had felt at the table return and this time, he couldn’t quite resist the urge to touch. His hand moved to Atobe’s back and pulled him in tight as he looked down at him. “The couch sounds good,” He said, his voice coming out rougher sounding than usual. But even though he had agreed with the idea to relocate he kept his hold on Atobe. This felt too nice to give it up just yet.
Once more, heat rose to Atobe’s cheeks at the show of… authoritative masculinity? The gruff nature of his voice did weird things to Atobe’s heart. A nervous sort of chuckle escaped him and his hands slipped a little lower down Sanda’s abdomen, his fingers stopping at the band of Sanada’s pants. “Yet, here we are… not going to the couch.”
Sanada sucked in a sharp breathe as he realized just how low Atobe's hands were creeping. It made him blush and his muscles tense but he didn't dislike it. In fact, he rather wanted more of that. “No… we're not.” And because Atobe was right there and so damn beautiful, Sanada had to lean down and get another kiss from him.
Atobe leaned bodily into Sanada, gently pushing him back against the counter. He moved his hands out from between them so he could press himself against Sanada and instead rested his hands on either side of him on the counter. His eyes closed and he sank into the kiss, any thought of the couch flitting away from his mind as quickly as it had come. It was far easier to act on instinct like this.
Sanada moved his left hand up Atobe’s back until it tangled in soft strands of hair, the other resting on the small of Atobe’s back but also making sure he didn’t go anywhere. Atobe felt perfect against him like this and as Atobe pressed more fully against him Sanada couldn’t help but arch up against him. The resulting friction caused a moan to escape. He needed to do that again and he hoped Atobe enjoyed it just as much. But before he could, there was a bark and then the weight of Duke against him.
“W-what?” Sanada asked a bit breathlessly as he looked down at Duke who was standing up on his hind legs and resting his front paws on both his and Atobe’s legs. Sanada blushed deeply when he realized that perhaps Duke thought the sound he had made had been one of distress and not enjoyment. Either way, the mood was rather broken with Duke just staring at them curiously like that .
Atobe let out a choked gasp of surprise and protest as the moment was suddenly shattered. Realizing it was Duke who had interrupted them, he began to laugh - it was the embarrassed laugh of someone who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He leaned his head forward to rest on Sanada’s shoulder. A tremor passed through him - a release of what had been building just moments before.
It was probably the noise. That wonderful noise that was burned into Atobe’s brain and he wanted to draw out of Sanada again. “He’s okay, Duke.”
“He probably just wants attention… like his owner,” Sanada said, also laughing a little as he let the strangeness of the situation take over. He let his left hand drop to his side while his right rubbed comforting circles on Atobe’s back. It felt a little awkward now thinking back on how they’d just been making out in the kitchen. But Atobe’s weight and warmth against him still felt nice.
There was no arguing that, Atobe admitted to himself. Even as he gathered his wits about him, he didn't want to move right away. Sanada's body was warm against his, the hand on his back was soothing. “Maybe I should have walked him before I tried to bogart your attention.” He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and moved back just enough that he could look up at Sanada. Between them, he could feel Duke trying to work in between their legs.
Sanada might have felt annoyed at the amazing kisses being interrupted if Duke wasn’t so cute. So instead he looked down at the attention seeking dog and then over at the clock display on the oven. With great reluctance he stopped rubbing Atobe’s back and pushed up a bit from the counter. “We could bring him for one now. The shops should still be open. I can pick up a few things for tonight and then we can try the couch again.” And if going to the couch just turned into a euphemism for kissing in the kitchen, then Sanada was okay with that, too.
Atobe gave Sanada space to move, running a shaky hand through his hair as though it would resettle his nerves along with his appearance. “It would be good for you to have a few things here, anyway.” He grinned at him. “For when you move in,” he added jokingly. If not laugh at yourself, who could you laugh at?
Sanada snorted at that, there was no way he was taking the bait and going down that awkward rabbit hole again. He gave Atobe a friendly shoulder bump and then, because he could and because Atobe totally deserved it, reached up and ruffled up his hair to mess it all back up again. “Go get Duke’s leash,” He said. He had to remember that sometimes it was just better to ignore Atobe when he got too ridiculous.
Atobe looked up at him from under his ruffled hair. “Going,” he promised with a sideways smile before disappearing from the kitchen with Duke hot on his heels.
Where: Atobe’s condo
Who: Sanada, Atobe, Duke the dog
What: Sanada and Atobe celebrate Sanada's half birthday with a nice dinner and an ample helping of failsauce.
Rating: PG-13 for that's not what "Netflix and chill" means, Sanada.
Sanada checked the time on his phone, five minutes before their approved meeting time, and then double checked he had the right condo number before punching in Atobe’s number to call up to his place. It felt odd to be meeting Atobe somewhere so private and without even staff bustling quietly around in the background.
If he had told Renji about this, he was sure his friend would have stuffed his pockets full of condoms and told him to take advantage of the privacy. He had no idea how he would have told him that they had barely figured out kissing without imploding. If Yukimura and Yanagi pouted at him for keeping a few of his dates secret until after they happened, they had only themselves and their penchant for teasing to blame.
Not that he should be thinking of this right before he saw Atobe. He didn’t want to be blushing or thinking anything untoward when he greeted him. He was already concerned enough about if Atobe could even cook and, as a good date, if he would have to pretend to enjoy whatever was served. Best to focus on one hurdle at a time.
When the button was pushed, Atobe received a notification on his phone. He didn't bother answering, he expected Sanada to be there around six. He accepted the guest on his phone and went back to working on dinner. He had already slightly propped the front door so Sanada could let himself in.
There wasn't much left to do for dinner at this point, he had followed a simple roast recipe that made the entire condo smell amazing. Duke had parked his butt on the bed in the kitchen hours ago and had hardly moved except to go on a walk, with some prompting. The only challenge were the Yorkshire puddings that Atobe had seen his mother make but sounded intimidating when she gave him the instructions. Filling cupcake tins with a bit of oil, dropping dough, letting it smoke… well, if she said so.
Admittedly, he had purchased back-up gravy because he wasn't entirely convinced that he would pull off a successful beef gravy after his mother's warnings that his first roux would not turn out on the first try.
Sanada thought it was odd that Atobe hadn’t confirmed who was at the door but then in a place this fancy there was probably a camera. So Sanada stepped on through the lobby and rode the elevator up to Atobe’s floor and after checking his phone to make sure he had the right room number again he walked over to the door. It was propped open but he still gave it a polite knock before entering. Assuming the door was left open for him, he closed and locked it behind him. “Hello, Atobe?” He called out as he toed off his shoes.
He made his way into the condo and followed his nose to the kitchen. “It smells amazing in here,” Sanada said as a greeting. His fears about dying of food poisoning were quickly abating at the delicious aroma.
Before Atobe could respond, Duke jumped up to greet Sanada, herding him toward the kitchen. Atobe smiled at Sanada and said, “Of course. Hope you like roast beef.” He hadn’t been able to take the time to change after he left the office, so he was still in his slacks, oxford with the sleeves rolled up, and tie. He extended a hand to Sanada to rest it on his arm and leaned closer to touch a chaste kiss to his cheek.
Sanada blushed at the kiss but also grinned and reached out to smooth out Atobe’s tie just to have an excuse to touch back a little. “I never say no to meat,” Sanada said. He then held up the little gift bag that was in his other hand. “Just a small gift to thank you for hosting. There’s something for Duke, too.” It was nothing fancy. Just a chew toy for Duke and some nice green tea from a specialty shop in his neighbourhood. He knew wine was customary but he also felt that they’d had enough dates that involved far too much drinking lately.
“Oh, thank you.” Atobe accepted the gift graciously. He offered the chew toy to Duke, smiling with amusement as Duke abandoned herding Sanada to go back to his bed with the chew toy and go to town. “Ah - is this from that shop down the way? I haven’t been in there, yet.” Atobe turned over the tea in his hand, inspecting it. “Shall I brew it, now?”
Sanada continued grinning as Duke so obviously approved of his gift. That was one Atobe won over at least. “It's a nice shop. You should go sometime,” Sanada said. “And if we have time, tea before dinner could be nice. I can make it if you have to do other things.” It was the least he could do with Atobe preparing their whole meal.
“Yes, that would be lovely. Help yourself,” Atobe motioned generally in the direction of the kettle. “Let me know if you can’t find anything.” He went back to mixing the batter for the puddings. The oven was already pre-heated and the cupcake tin was ready to go into the oven to heat the oil. “So, did you figure out what we’re celebrating?”
Sanada headed over to the kettle and got that started before casually checking out cupboards for a teapot and cups. “Some obscure holiday I'll be convinced you made up until I look it up?” Sanada guessed. He had no clue if Atobe was the type to celebrate things like International Apple Appreciation Day or whatever but it seemed like something Atobe would enjoy just to have the excuse to be ridiculous.
“Ha! I suppose it's something like that.” He put on his oven mitts to take the roast out and carefully set it on the stovetop. The smell of roasted meat, onion, and vegetables that had been ever present since the roast went in the oven now assaulted his olfactory sense. It smelled like a traditional roast, they might be in the clear.
He put the cupcake tin with the oil into the oven and started plating the roast and vegetables for serving. The roast fell apart as he lifted it making slicing it a very easy proposition. Also a good sign that it was going to taste incredible as it smelled.
“It's November 21st - your half birthday.” In May of that year, he had been ass deep in alligators trying to push through a September graduation date. “Since we didn't celebrate it then, I wanted to do something for you now.”
Sanada got the teapot ready with the tea leaves before turning to look at Atobe again. “I have a half birthday?” Sanada asked. It was certainly news to him. And as ridiculous as the idea was, it was sort of endearing that Atobe went to the effort to figure out when his half birthday was and to do something special for it. “And that smells amazing.” It was really hard to concentrate on much of anything when the food Atobe was making smelled so distractingly mouth watering. Perhaps that was Atobe’s plan just in case Sanada didn’t find the premise of a half birthday sweet.
“Why, thank you.” Atobe really hoped it was going to taste as good as it smelled. He all but held his breath as he gathered the beef drippings for the gravy and combined it with seasonings, butter, water, and flour in a pan. He remembered his mother’s words cautioning him on taking the process slowly to ensure that he was able to get the right consistency. “Be a dear and grab the gravy boat for me?” Because god forbid he not have a gadget for everything, Atobe had an electric gravy boat that would keep the gravy at a good temperature while it sat on the table. He had put it out on the counter earlier on the other side of Sanada.
“Of course you have a half-birthday. Everyone has a half-birthday.” And frankly, Keigo thought it was far less strange than this concept he had heard of since returning to Japan of a half birthday between two people being their shared birthday, or some nonsense like that. Of course, he had taken the time to figure out when theirs would be, that wasn’t a total waste of his time. Only a few moments on the internet yielded July 28th. He hadn’t quite sunken to looking up if their zodiac signs were compatible yet, but there was still time.
Sanada blinked at the dear word coming up again but decided it was just an expression and looked around until he spotted what he guessed could be a gravy boat. Though it didn’t look much like a boat. He passed it over and then leaned in close to Atobe to see what he was doing and get a better sniff at the gravy. It smelled just as good as everything else. “I don’t think many people celebrate their half birthdays though,” Sanada said. He wasn’t going to sany nobody did because that was just asking for Atobe to start listing people who did in fact celebrate them. “And when’s yours?” Because if Atobe was going to make this a thing, it’d be pretty horrible of him to not do something for Atobe’s half birthday.
“Not many people miss out on their significant other’s birthday,” Atobe pointed out. He ladeled the prepared gravy into the boat, impressed by his own ability to make something that so closely resembled his mother’s cooking, and set is aside again. For the last step, he removed the pan with the smoking oil, put in drops of the yorkshire pudding dough, and put the pan back in the oven to bake. “October 4th is my birthday, so… April 4th, right? You have time. Should we throw a huge party, again?”
“We weren’t dating then. We weren’t even in the same country,” Sanada pointed out. He turned away from Atobe to pour their tea but also to hide that he was undoubtedly blushing at Atobe calling him his significant other. “And if you insist on large parties for your birthday, then he half birthday should be something smaller and more intimate.” He didn’t think Atobe’s staff would like either of them if they added more ridiculous parties to the yearly calendar.
Well, that was the point, that they weren’t in the same country, but Atobe was starting to learn when it was worth clarifying and when he should just let Sanada be Sanada.
Atobe watched Sanada’s back as he poured the tea. “Ah~n? Something more like this?” Almost compulsively, he reached out to put his hand to the small of Sanada’s back. Even through layers of clothing, it was immediately evident that he was physically strong and fit. He could definitely get used to intimate, homemade meals after work on any occasion at all.
Sanada looked over his shoulder at the touch and gave Atobe a small smile. “Exactly. This is much nicer for a half birthday,” Sanada said. He was not letting Atobe through a huge crazy party for some strange and ridiculous Atobe idea. He picked up both cups of tea and passed one over to Atobe. “Tea?”
Atobe accepted the tea with a nod of his head. “Thank you.” He took the tea and the gravy boat with him out to the dining table and placed his tea beside his spot at the table and the gravy near the middle of the table. He made another run for the meat and vegetables as well as the serving utensils. He had set the table while the roast cooked so it would be ready to go when Sanada arrived. He took a moment to light the tall candles of the centerpiece, then returned to the kitchen to check on the yorkshire puddings.
When they came out of the oven, they were a bit less fluffy than he wanted them to be, but otherwise they were beautifully golden and his mouth was watering from being trapped in the condo with the delightful smell of the meat all afternoon and evening. He plated those, as well, and motioned toward the table to invite Sanada to sit. “Please have a seat. Dinner is served.”
“You know, I could have helped with some of this,” Sanada said. His cooking may not be up to gourmet level but he could manage most things. He certainly could have helped with setting the table. Maybe Atobe would let him help with the dishes after the meal.
Sanada took his own cup of tea and the refilled tea pot out to the table and sat at the other seat and looked over the food set on it. It really was an impressive spread and definitely much more than he had expected when Atobe told him he was cooking. “This looks great, Atobe. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. Perhaps you can do dishes this time. Or cook for me next time.” He raised his tea as though in toast. He felt Duke brushing against his feet as he came to inspect what delicious things were on the table. He was well trained enough to not beg or make a nuisance of himself, but he was not going to let himself be forgotten with roast beef on the table.
Atobe was just as curious as Sanada had been since he offered him dinner if it was going to be any good. He served himself some meat and vegetables, two yorkshire puddings, and drizzled gravy over everything on the plate. From at least his first couple of bites, he was not disappointed - the meat was tender, the vegetables were flavorful, the gravy was rich, and the yorkshire puddings were fluffy despite their appearance. He thought about making some smartass remark, but out of his own surprise said, “Thank goodness it’s delicious or I’d look like a fool.” He laughed to himself, unable to contain a proud smile.
“Maybe I can do both. Though I might beg to borrow your kitchen.” If he used his own kitchen he would end up either cooking for his own family or being shooed out of it so his mother could make everything herself. And then the whole family would be there for dinner and Sasuke would be making inappropriate comments the whole time and his niece would probably try climbing all over Atobe to play with his hair… and no, Sanada was not ready to subject Atobe to that much family time.
Copying what Atobe did, he filled his own plate but added a bit more meat. Sure it would taste great, he took a large bite and was not disappointed. It was amazing. He looked over at Atobe at his words and shook his head fondly. It was rare to see Atobe doubting himself. Especially when he had been smelling this for the past hour or so. How could it be anything but amazing? “Even if it was horrible, I still would have appreciated the effort,” Sanada said. And then feeling a little bold, leaned over to Atobe to give his cheek a kiss.
Atobe watched Sanada as he withdrew, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. “You need not beg to borrow the kitchen, you are welcome here anytime.” He went back to his food, plowing forward with his train of thought to not linger too long on how intense Sanada’s eyes were in the candlelight. “You’re welcome to stay here, anytime, as well. I have the spare bedroom - or my bedroom, I… suppose.” He hesitated on the last word, his brain finally catching up with his mouth.
Sanada was so busy admiring how pretty Atobe’s cheeks looked when coloured red that it took a moment for Atobe’s words to catch up to him and when they did he nearly choked on his food. He reached for his tea and took a sip trying to figure out what to say. “I… Well that is… uh… I mean… we’ve already shared a room. It’s be weird to stop now… wouldn’t it? But it’s probably far too soon to think about things like cohabiting… but.. It’s uh… well… it’s a nice place…And you’re nice… it’s all… nice.” Sanada wasn’t sure any of that made sense. Maybe that floor would swallow him up. That would also be nice.
Sanada really needed to Line Yukimura or Yanagi for advice. They were much better at dating than him even if Yanagi tended to never introduce his dates to them and Yukimura seemed too picky to keep his boyfriends for long. They at least had experience with things like this. He was sure once they finished laughing, they’d give some decent advice. Maybe even advice that didn’t involve getting naked and using some of the condoms Yanagi kept giving him. Oh God! Why did he think of that now?! Now he was picturing sharing Atobe’s bed for more than sleeping. This was the worst time for his libido to take an interest in things.
Cohabiting? The soft blush turned crimson and Atobe was certain his eyes were wide as dinner plates. He hadn't meant for Sanda to move in, though there was sense in it given that he was living in his family home with a million other people. If he wanted to have his own room, there was the spare bedroom, but this circled back to Sanada's point that they had shared a bed before, so what sense was there in stopping now? Atobe tried to mentally coach himself to stop seeing this all as rather logical and cleared his throat as if to prime it for whatever stupid thing was going to inevitably come out.
“Maybe we could… you could just bring some things here and stay part of the week. Or when it's convenient, or…” Atobe’s lizard brain finally kicked in taking in Sanada’s expression. Those golden eyes that had been lit up not long before were now dark with some emotion that made Atobe’s stomach drop. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sanada’s eyes followed Atobe’s darkening and spreading blush down his cheeks, toward his neck and right up to the collar of his shirt. Did it continue on past that? Would it cover his chest? Go further than that? Sanada’s thoughts were drifting so far away from safe territory that not only could he feel some arousal stirring in his pants making him wish he had gone with traditional clothes and not jeans, but he had completely lost track of what Atobe was saying. “Sorry… what?” He said, forcing his eyes back up to Atobe’s face.
That reaction seemed to answer Atobe’s question. He felt his heart pounding in his throat under the scrutiny. It was hardly the first time someone had looked him over in such a fashion, but the intimacy of the moment made everything feel more immediate. “I… was saying you could stay here.” The words came with an uncharacteristic hint of uncertainty in his tone.
“Oh, right... “ That is what they’d been talking about. Apparently were still talking about. “For tonight?” Because it was always best to clear these sorts of things up with Atobe. Though Sanada thought no matter the answer he should decline. He clearly wasn’t feeling himself tonight and so he should just enjoy his half birthday dinner, chatting with Atobe, maybe get a kiss, and then go home… but Atobe really did have comfortable beds. And the couple times they had shared and he’d woken up with Atobe asleep curled up in his arms it had been nice. Really nice. And he was sure he could control his more idiotic urges for a night. He’d done it before after all.
Well, no, Sanada had gone and suggested moving in… Atobe took the memory lapse as the blessing it was and simply said, “yes, it would be nice if you would stay the night.” He closed his eyes briefly just to reset his whirling thoughts and resumed eating his dinner. He had done so well in cooking it that it would be a shame to let it get cold. “I don't suppose you brought an overnight bag?” As interesting as it would be to see Sanada try to fit into his clothing, Atobe didn't really have anything suitable to lend him.
“Oh…” Sanada said. And was really wishing he could find more interesting things to say. He usually didn’t have trouble coming up with words like this. It was just as annoying as being suddenly aroused by his date at dinner. “I’m sure we can figure out something.” He would just be going straight home in the morning. It didn’t really matter if he had to wear the same outfit. He’d certainly done worse when crashing at Yukimura’s.
“I have a robe that will fit you and we can wash what you're wearing,” Atobe suggested. He, unlike some of his neighbors, did in fact have a clothes dryer and it could be pried from his cold, dead hands. Now that the conversation had taken a less intense turn, Atobe was able to properly relax, again. “Though I admit the image of you in satin is a bit much for my imagination.” Though satin would be exceptionally flattering to Sanada's body. So much for relaxing, Atobe thought as he felt his gaze wandering from Sanada's face and settling on his chest.
“Should I just skip the robe then?” Sanada asked with a small laugh. He’d be fine just wearing his underwear to bed with the t-shirt he had on underneath or something instead if the robe was going to do weird things to Atobe. Or maybe he wanted to do weird things to Atobe’s imagination? Dating was complicated. He definitely never worried about how dressed or undressed he was around Yukimura or Yanagi.
Atobe also laughed and suggested, “maybe it would be simpler if we were both just naked and not thinking too hard about it.” The idea sounded better in his head than it did when it came out of his mouth.
Sanada’s eyes widened and he tried to say something but all that came out was a horribly stuttered wheeze that may have sounded like ‘hard’ if you strained hard enough. He reached to take a sip of his tea and cleared his throat to try again. “If… if that’s what you want… but maybe I should bring some stuff to leave here… if uh… that’s okay… and we want to maybe do this… uh well sleep… for the night… more,” Sanada said. Assuming they survived tonight. He wasn’t sure why he ever thought food poisoning was what he had to worry about when Atobe kept saying things that were trying to kill him much more swiftly than his cooking ever could.
That was exactly what Atobe had suggested back before Sanada was choking when he had his major memory lapse. Atobe leaned close to rub Sanada's back in wide, circular motions. “Might as well,” he agreed, just thinking it would save him thoughts of nakedness or satin. Maybe it would feel more comfortable to Sanada, as well, if he had some of his things at the condo. Against his better judgment, Atobe voiced that. “Might feel more like home if you had some of your belongings here.”
Sanada leaned forward a little more so Atobe could better reach to rub his back. Sanada wasn’t sure it was helping him breathe more easily but it did feel nice and that Atobe cared enough to want to try hard a pool of warmth settling in his belly. “Thanks,” He said. He then raised his head to glance around what he could see of Atobe’s condo and tried to imagine some of his things around the place. He didn’t really have a lot and what he did was mostly confined to his room so it was a little difficult to do but he thought he could imagine Sanada-sama finding a home here. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your space. This seems like it’s a bit of your sanctuary away from the mansion and work,” Sanada said. He wasn’t sure how often Atobe stayed here compared to the mansion but it certainly had a different feel to the place than when Sanada had visited Atobe at the family home.
Atobe followed Sanada's gaze, also looking around the condo. His own personal belongings were sparing other than plenty for Duke to play with or places for him to sleep. There were comfortable blankets on the couch, some paintings on the walls, a few odds and ends, but he mostly just enjoyed that it was his. Sanada was right that it was his sanctuary - everything here was from his flat in England, a reminder of his independence and identity. But, Sanada was part of his identity. “I think it could use your touch, actually. It could be our sanctuary.”
“Oh.” Sanada really had to abolish that word from his personal vocabulary after tonight. But he couldn’t think of anything else to say at Atobe’s words. It was certainly forward and probably way too far ahead in their relationship to really be thinking about. But at the same time it was sweet and it made Sanada smile even as he panicked about it. “I wouldn’t say no to a sanctuary.” Yukimura and Yanagi were always offering up their spaces for Sanada to use if he needed somewhere quiet to study or relax away from his family but that was still their places. Atobe was offering a place that would be his, too.
Atobe’s hand stilled on Sanada's back and he gave a soft smile in return. “I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? We should probably figure out how to have a normal dinner together, first.” They would definitely need to figure that out if dinner together became a regular occurrence. That thought brought Atobe a surprising sense of peace; maybe it was living alone for so long that made the companionship so appealing, or maybe it was just easy to be around Sanada despite how hellbent they both seemed to be on making it hard on themselves. His hand wandered up Sanada's back into the hair at the base of his neck. Yes, it was definitely appealing.
Sanada let out a soft sigh at the feel of Atobe’s fingers at his neck and found his eyes slipping closed. “I think we were both getting ahead of ourselves,” Sanada said. He was pretty sure this mess of a conversation started when he assumed Atobe was wanting him to move in. “But it means it’s something we both want. And I’ve never known either of us to give up on our goals.” He hoped that came out as positive and romantic as he wanted it to be and not like some creepy we’ll move in together no matter what. “But a normal dinner is a good starter goal.” Though maybe always falling into awkward babbling conversation was normal for them.
The sentiment of Sanada's words gave Atobe pause, melting away the anxiety of the conversation for good. It seemed like a perfectly acceptable time to try being deliberate about the adoring things he was saying accidentally. “You're right, on all counts. All roads seem to lead to the same destination when I'm with you, dear.”
Sanada blinked at the word, his face going red right before he laughed. He hadn’t actually expected Atobe to use it in person even if part of him was hoping he would. And while he didn’t dislike it, it was new and weird, and he wasn’t sure if he was laughing because he found it funny or if it was just some horrible way his body had of coping with Atobe being so sweet. “I think I’m going to need to get used to that,” Sanada said. He hoped Atobe wasn’t too put out by his reaction. “I’m not used to uh… pet names.” At least he figured that counted as a pet name.
The laugh was infectious, or maybe it just didn't take much to make Atobe laugh. Maybe it was just the wrong pet name? “Well if that's too awkward, we can try something else. How about ‘darling’?” Darling was inoffensive enough, right? It wasn't too cutesy or fluffy. Classic.
Sanada gave another small laugh at that but then just smiled softly at Atobe. “Just as long as you don’t start calling me food things,” He said. And then after a moment of hesitation decided to ask if he could call Atobe the only thing he’d really been thinking about lately. It seemed like a fair thing to do since Atobe was testing out terms of endearment with him. “Would it be okay if I called you my boyfriend?” He still wasn’t sure how many dates it took to go from my date to my boyfriend but Sanada hadn’t quite been able to consult Yukimura or Yanagi about it so he just had to suck it up and ask Atobe.
Initially, it seemed like an odd thing to ask, but as Atobe mulled on it he realized they hadn't really discussed it after their initial disastrous attempts at determining if they were even dating. Given that they agreed they were dating and had been for a while, it was fair to say they were boyfriends. “That does make the most sense, doesn't it?” Even saying that, something about it was still odd to Atobe. He suspected it was just that it was new and not something he would have anticipated for himself, at least not with Sanada. A confident smile returned to his face. “I like that.”
Sanada nodded and felt relieved that Atobe had accepted the request so readily. It would certainly be easier to explain to others that Atobe was his boyfriend than just a guy he went on dates with sometimes. Though he suspected everyone would tease him the first time he mentioned it. It would probably be worth it though. “Good. I think I’ll enjoy saying it.”
“Well, then my first act as your boyfriend is to officially wish you a happy twenty-first-and-a-half birthday.” Atobe stood to go to where he had set his belated birthday gift for Sanada that was wrapped in a small box in light blue paper with an oversized white bow and white satin ribbon. He brought the box back to Sanada, placing it on the table between them. “Just a little something to celebrate,” he explained, studying Sanada’s face. He had no idea how Sanada was going to react to the gift.
“I thought the dinner was my present,” Sanada said. And now that he knew just how good of a dinner Atobe could prepare he thought it was more than adequate as a present. Still, he accepted the gift despite it’s ridiculous bow and picked it up turning it a little to try and guess what could be inside of it. Hopefully it wasn’t anything too fancy. “Only something little?” He asked. He wondered if Atobe meant jus in terms of size or also price.
“Dinner isn't much of a present if you end up doing dishes or cooking for me,” Atobe joked, leaning back into his chair comfortably. He remembered Sanada mentioning that his friends were trying to get him to wear nice, fashionable things (in particular, he remembered the hat), so he thought he would contribute something to the cause. It was a custom piece by the jeweler he usually worked with, but it hadn't been terribly expensive. He had opted for garnets over rubies which helped with the cost. “Don't overthink it, just open it.”
“It’s not a ring is it?” Because while the box seemed too big for that, Sanada wasn’t about to put it past Atobe to wrap a ring box in a bigger box. And it’s not like they seemed to do anything in their relationship in any type of order or timeframe. So why couldn’t it be some weird promise ring or engagement ring or who knew what else Atobe could be considering. Though now that he was thinking all of that, he probably was overthinking things and should just open it to see what it was. But the box was just so suspicious.
Atobe laughed once more, placing one of his hands over Sanada’s. “Just open it,” he repeated mirthfully, running his thumb over the back of Sanada's hand. The box was far too large to be a ring box, but he suspected Sanada had to know it wasn't a ring.
“Fine.” He still wasn’t sure he trusted what was in the box but he’d never find out what was in it if he just kept staring at it. He probably wasn’t that bad anyway since Atobe was so amused by his hesitation. He undid the bow and carefully unwrapped the box. He stared at it a moment longer than necessary before he opened it and looked in. Well, at least it wasn’t a ring.
Sanada pulled out the masculine bracelet and held it up so he could see it better. It definitely cost more than what you should give someone for a half birthday. But it was from Atobe and Sanada was pretty sure that Atobe didn’t understand prices like normal people did. At least it was fairly subdued and could be worn with a casual outfit without standing out too much. “Thank you. It’s surprisingly nice,” He said.
Was it really so surprising? “Glad you like it.” Atobe leaned back into his chair, again, feeling proud of himself for picking out something that Sanada liked. “It is custom made so it is a one of a kind. Like you.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Sanada said. But it was more than half compliment. He rather liked Atobe’s brand of ridiculous. And to show it, he leaned over to Atobe and kissed his cheek. And then deciding that they were boyfriends and gifting jewelry and there was really no reason not to, angled his head so he could give Atobe’s lips a quick kiss, too.
Atobe lifted his hand to slip his fingers into Sanada’s hair, pulling him close to drag out the kiss a bit longer. They were communicating on some wavelength that resembled the same wavelength, so he wasn’t about to let that moment slip past them. Physical actions were easier than words, anyway - harder to misinterpret, probably.
After the barest moments of being startled at Atobe pulling him back in for a longer kiss, Sanada happily returned Atobe’s affections, letting his own hand wander to rest on the back of Atobe’s neck. When he finally pulled apart, his face felt flushed but he was smiling. He really wanted to do that again. But maybe somewhere more comfortable than leaning over the end of a table. “We should probably finish the dinner you made us,” Sanada said despite wanting to suggest they move to the couch to share more kisses. It would be rude to not finish dinner. Besides, kissing probably took up a fair bit of energy so best to build it up with the rest of dinner first.
Atobe also knew that he had a dumb smile on his face, warmer than his usual trademark smirks. “Yes, we probably should do that,” he agreed, picking up his utensils once more and going about his meal. It would also would make for good leftovers if he wanted to take some for lunch… or on second thought, he could pack up those leftovers for Sanada to take with him when he left tonight. Or even better, tomorrow night. Atobe hardly recognized these ridiculous thoughts he was having, but every time he looked at Sanada the world made both a little more and a little less sense at the same time.
“I should probably feed Duke, too, so he stops moping around our feet,” Atobe said with a chuckle. Duke had been quite patient with them, too, and Atobe supposed a bit of lean meat without the gravy wouldn’t hurt him.
“I wouldn’t say he’s moping,” Sanada said. He gave Atobe a smile before he leaned over so he could see under the table at Duke and called him over so he could scratch behind his ears. No, Duke was a good boy and no moping around at all. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t argue that you should feed him.” One of the few things Sanada knew about dogs is that they were basically always happy to get food.
Atobe had to admit to himself that seeing Duke be so fond of Sanada warmed his heart. Admittedly the fastest way to his heart, maybe after good coffee, was to be loved by his dog. He watched the two interact feeling like a proud father. “One thing the two of you don't have in common,” he remarked. There had been a fair amount of arguing about him feeding Sanada.
“What do you mean?” Sanada asked, looking up from Duke where his fingers were still busy scratching what he hoped were all the best spots around his ears. “I’m sure we both have hearty appetites.”
“But it isn’t easy to convince both of you to eat something I’ve prepared for you,” Atobe explained. Quite the opposite, actually. There had been a fair amount of back and forth regarding his ability to cook prior to Sanada coming over and just trying the food. Then again, it had been the same way with the present. If Atobe didn’t know better, he would think that Sanada didn’t trust his taste.
“To be fair, I didn’t know you even knew where to find the kitchen let alone know how to cook such delicious food. You’ll never need to convince me to eat what you’ve made again,” Sanada said. If he had been able to smell the food when Atobe had invited him for dinner he wouldn’t have hesitated even a second.
A laugh escaped Atobe and he leaned back comfortably into his chair. “Okay, then I won't hesitate to cook for you from now on.” In a way, he craved those domestic interactions. He didn't see them between his parents often.
“And I won't hesitate to eat it,” Sanada said with a grin. He wondered how long Atobe would cook for him before deciding Sanada ate too much and he should pitch in. Not that Sanada was against helping but he definitely couldn't make anything like what Atobe made tonight. Speaking of, he stopped petting Duke, and ignored the puppy dog eyes, so he could eat more of the delicious food.
Atobe finished his meal in comfortable silence and picked Duke up to sit on his lap while Sanada finished his meal. Duke curiously sniffed over the edge of the table but was otherwise content to wait patiently for any of that promised food. “You know, I was worried Duke might not take to you, initially.”
“Oh? He seems friendly enough,” Sanada said. He set down his fork as he finished off the last of his beef, contentedly full, and just watched Atobe with his dog. They were a cute pair.
“He is,” Atobe agreed, giving Duke chest scratches. “But I do have a rule that if the dog doesn't like you, I don't like you, either.” As with most things dogs were just a better judge of character than humans, as far as Atobe was concerned.
Sanada laughed at that and shook his head fondly at Atobe. It was a strange rule but since Atobe considered Duke part of his family, it made sense. “I’m glad I passed then. Has there been people he hasn’t liked?” Because with how good Duke was, he couldn’t see him actually growling at anyone.
“There have,” Atobe said, looking down at Duke that was just the happiest little thing in the world for all the attention. He seemed to have abandoned thoughts of roast in favor of being the center of attention. “He is often distrustful of men in hats.” He grinned wildly at Sanda as he said it.
Sanada snorted at that. “I’ll have to change his mind about men in hats.” He then leaned in toward Duke to talk to him directly. “There’s nothing wrong with a good hat, Duke.” He finished off his talk with a good ear scratch to help get the point across.
Duke was starting to get wiggly and Atobe had promised him food, so Atobe set him back on the floor expecting him to go for his food bowl. Instead, he stood at attention at Sanada’s feet eager for more of those ear scratches. Atobe shook his head and began gathering dishes and serving plates, taking everything back to the kitchen to be washed. “Now you've done it. You'll never be rid of him, now,” he joked.
“That doesn’t seem so bad to me,” Sanada said giving Duke a smile and all the ear scratches he could want. When he noticed Atobe clearing the table, he stopped scratching for a moment until Duke butted against his hand insisting on more until he resumed. “Do you want help with that?” Atobe had cooked everything so it seemed rude to not help with the clean up.
“I'll clear the table if you'd like to start on dishes?” Atobe suggested coming back for the second round of serving plates. This time, he cut off a small piece of the roast and offered it to Duke. Duke took it gently, but then he was at full attention watching their every move with the beef.
“I can handle that. Do you have a dishwasher or am I washing everything?” Sanada asked as he left Duke to his hopeful gazing at Atobe to head to the sink. He figured Atobe probably had a dishwasher since it was a common luxury and he couldn’t imagine Atobe not having every single kind of luxury tucked into his condo somewhere.
“I do,” Atobe confirmed. Actually, he was going to be replacing the appliances in the condo, soon. He wanted a more modern stainless steel look and some of the features that modern appliances had with water conservation, running more quietly, energy efficiency, etc. With his hands free of plates, Atobe went about getting Duke’s dinner out of the fridge and serving it to him.
After a quick look around the kitchen, Sanada found the dishwasher and started loading it up before getting down to the business of washing the pots and pans that were used to cook the meal. “No dog food for Duke?” Sanada asked as he saw Atobe feeding him. At least it didn’t look like Duke was getting the usual dried kibble he associated with dog food.
“I make him his food. It's a recipe his vet recommended - it's mostly poultry with a bit of marrow broth.” Atobe would invest several hours a month making it in a huge batch then freezing it for later use. “I also keep some kibble around in case he gets the munchies.” He motioned to the largely untouched bowl of kibble next to Duke’s water bowl.
“He’s a little spoiled, isn’t he?” Sanada asked. He’d never heard of a dog getting such fancy meals. But this was Atobe and he was sort of ridiculous when it came friends and family and Duke was certainly family.
No sense calling it anything other than what it was. “He really is, isn't he? Doesn't seem to go to his head, though.” Atobe gave Duke some scratches behind his ear before standing and looking back at Sanada. He felt absolutely insane for thinking about it, but it somehow made him smile to watch Sanada doing their dishes.
Atobe stepped closer to Sanada and wrapped around him from behind, watching him over his shoulder. Their size disparity became obvious the moment he did. Atobe wasn't a small person by any means, but Sanada was tall and broad and Atobe felt slight by comparison. “Thanks for handling the dishes.”
Sanada stiffened for a moment as Atobe came up behind him and then relaxed as he realized it was just a bit of a hug. He turned enough to give Atobe a smile but kept his hands busy in the soapy water with the dishes. “It’s only fair that the person who cooked gets to relax instead of clean.” Even in his house where his mother liked to take charge of the kitchen, she would let others help clean up after a big family meal. Sanada was very skilled at cleaning pots because of it.
“Thank you, nevertheless.” Atobe rested his cheek on Sanada’s shoulder, feeling the movement of his arm through the muscles of his shoulder and back. He closed his eyes for a moment, settling into Sanada's warmth and let himself relax, as Sanada suggested.
It didn’t take long for Sanada to get everything cleaned but he lingered over the last pot. It was sort of nice having Atobe leaning against him like he was and he hated to spoil the moment. But he could only draw out washing pots for so long and eventually he set the last one down to dry. “All done. Did you have anything else in mind for tonight?” Apparently it was his half-birthday celebration so who knew if Atobe had more planned besides dinner and a present.
“Not especially.” Atobe came out of his stupor, straightening and running his hand through his hair to resettle it. Even in adulthood, his hair flipped out at the ends in an unruly way that there was no point controlling unless he was willing to gel it all back. “It's your half birthday, what would you like?”
Sanada turned and leaned back against the counter as he considered the condo and Atobe and what he wanted to do. “Maybe just relax for a bit?” They had just eaten a large meal and Atobe was likely tired after working and then cooking. And really, despite how often they embarrassed themselves and each other when they shared quiet moments, Sanada still rather enjoyed them.
“Sounds lovely. Perhaps the couch?” Sanada cut a handsome figure, somehow more so when he leaned casually against the counter. Atobe took a step toward him and rested his hands, palms flat, on Sanada’s stomach. He tilted his head to give Sanada a brief kiss - he told himself it was another silent thank you for doing the dishes, but dishes didn't make his stomach tumble.
Sanada felt all those feelings and desire for Atobe he had felt at the table return and this time, he couldn’t quite resist the urge to touch. His hand moved to Atobe’s back and pulled him in tight as he looked down at him. “The couch sounds good,” He said, his voice coming out rougher sounding than usual. But even though he had agreed with the idea to relocate he kept his hold on Atobe. This felt too nice to give it up just yet.
Once more, heat rose to Atobe’s cheeks at the show of… authoritative masculinity? The gruff nature of his voice did weird things to Atobe’s heart. A nervous sort of chuckle escaped him and his hands slipped a little lower down Sanda’s abdomen, his fingers stopping at the band of Sanada’s pants. “Yet, here we are… not going to the couch.”
Sanada sucked in a sharp breathe as he realized just how low Atobe's hands were creeping. It made him blush and his muscles tense but he didn't dislike it. In fact, he rather wanted more of that. “No… we're not.” And because Atobe was right there and so damn beautiful, Sanada had to lean down and get another kiss from him.
Atobe leaned bodily into Sanada, gently pushing him back against the counter. He moved his hands out from between them so he could press himself against Sanada and instead rested his hands on either side of him on the counter. His eyes closed and he sank into the kiss, any thought of the couch flitting away from his mind as quickly as it had come. It was far easier to act on instinct like this.
Sanada moved his left hand up Atobe’s back until it tangled in soft strands of hair, the other resting on the small of Atobe’s back but also making sure he didn’t go anywhere. Atobe felt perfect against him like this and as Atobe pressed more fully against him Sanada couldn’t help but arch up against him. The resulting friction caused a moan to escape. He needed to do that again and he hoped Atobe enjoyed it just as much. But before he could, there was a bark and then the weight of Duke against him.
“W-what?” Sanada asked a bit breathlessly as he looked down at Duke who was standing up on his hind legs and resting his front paws on both his and Atobe’s legs. Sanada blushed deeply when he realized that perhaps Duke thought the sound he had made had been one of distress and not enjoyment. Either way, the mood was rather broken with Duke just staring at them curiously like that .
Atobe let out a choked gasp of surprise and protest as the moment was suddenly shattered. Realizing it was Duke who had interrupted them, he began to laugh - it was the embarrassed laugh of someone who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He leaned his head forward to rest on Sanada’s shoulder. A tremor passed through him - a release of what had been building just moments before.
It was probably the noise. That wonderful noise that was burned into Atobe’s brain and he wanted to draw out of Sanada again. “He’s okay, Duke.”
“He probably just wants attention… like his owner,” Sanada said, also laughing a little as he let the strangeness of the situation take over. He let his left hand drop to his side while his right rubbed comforting circles on Atobe’s back. It felt a little awkward now thinking back on how they’d just been making out in the kitchen. But Atobe’s weight and warmth against him still felt nice.
There was no arguing that, Atobe admitted to himself. Even as he gathered his wits about him, he didn't want to move right away. Sanada's body was warm against his, the hand on his back was soothing. “Maybe I should have walked him before I tried to bogart your attention.” He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and moved back just enough that he could look up at Sanada. Between them, he could feel Duke trying to work in between their legs.
Sanada might have felt annoyed at the amazing kisses being interrupted if Duke wasn’t so cute. So instead he looked down at the attention seeking dog and then over at the clock display on the oven. With great reluctance he stopped rubbing Atobe’s back and pushed up a bit from the counter. “We could bring him for one now. The shops should still be open. I can pick up a few things for tonight and then we can try the couch again.” And if going to the couch just turned into a euphemism for kissing in the kitchen, then Sanada was okay with that, too.
Atobe gave Sanada space to move, running a shaky hand through his hair as though it would resettle his nerves along with his appearance. “It would be good for you to have a few things here, anyway.” He grinned at him. “For when you move in,” he added jokingly. If not laugh at yourself, who could you laugh at?
Sanada snorted at that, there was no way he was taking the bait and going down that awkward rabbit hole again. He gave Atobe a friendly shoulder bump and then, because he could and because Atobe totally deserved it, reached up and ruffled up his hair to mess it all back up again. “Go get Duke’s leash,” He said. He had to remember that sometimes it was just better to ignore Atobe when he got too ridiculous.
Atobe looked up at him from under his ruffled hair. “Going,” he promised with a sideways smile before disappearing from the kitchen with Duke hot on his heels.
