Fujin's lips curved into a faint smirk at the sight of his friend's restless fidgeting. Instead of rescuing him from his impatience right away, he leaned down, rummaged through the paper bag, and drew out an onigiri. He pressed it into Yuta's hands and tapped him lightly on the tip of the nose, earning a soft giggle from the omega.
"With tuna mayo filling," he murmured with a grin, before taking one for himself and settling down on the mattress.
Yuta unwrapped his onigiri with deliberate care, peeling away the thin layer of plastic as if it were some rare treasure. Fujin watched, amused, before letting a laugh slip.
"Well? Impatient?" he teased.
Yuta's lips puckered into a pout at the sound of it, and in the next heartbeat he launched himself at Fujin. The alpha only just managed to stretch his arm out, saving his own onigiri from a fatal drop to the floor. His laughter doubled, bright and unrestrained.
"All right, all right!" he gasped between chuckles. When he finally managed to calm himself and sit back up, he exhaled, still smiling.
Fujin brushed a quick kiss across Yuta's lips before glancing down at his food.
"You want to know where we'll be living, don't you?"
Yuta pressed himself against him, gaze averted, cheeks tinged with shyness.
"Yes…" he murmured, barely above a whisper. He had no intention of letting go—there was no place safer than in his alpha's arms.
"Well…" he began, but Fujin cut him off.
"It's going to be amazing. Our own real home. And we'll be our own little family."
The words were chosen with care, soft and coaxing. Yuta could only smile helplessly and push Fujin back down onto the mattress, leaning over him until their foreheads touched. He wanted to kiss him, but for now, their noses brushed and nothing more, making them both smirk.
"Let's eat first, yeah?" Fujin nudged him gently aside and sat up again. This time, they did manage to finish their meal. Fujin's gaze lingered on Yuta, who tried—unsuccessfully—not to look back at him. There was something endlessly endearing about it. To Fujin, Yuta was the sweetest person in the world, no matter what anyone else tried to convince him of. And every time he came to that same realization again, it felt new.
The bag of groceries was nearly empty by now. Fujin stretched lazily, his eyes still on Yuta.
"How long are you planning to keep staring at me like that?" Yuta finally asked, standing up to dig through his shoulder bag in search of his phone.
"Your parents?" Fujin guessed.
Yuta nodded, releasing a relieved sigh when he found no messages waiting. His parents didn't exactly monitor him—truthfully, they barely cared what became of him. But whenever they needed money or wanted something done, it had to be done instantly. And Yuta obeyed. They'd threatened to throw him out more than once, and sometimes they had. Those nights, he ended up sleeping here, on this mattress. More often than not, Fujin had slipped out of his own home to join him, making sure he wouldn't have to face that loneliness alone.
Yuta set his phone down beside the mattress, and Fujin pulled him into a warm, almost protective embrace.
"All right," he said at last, fishing his own phone from his pocket. "Here." He unlocked it and pulled up the photo gallery.
"It's not very big and…" He paused. "I know you don't mind, but be honest if there's something you don't like, okay? The place isn't the newest, but it's ours. We can move in this weekend. And it's partly furnished."
Fujin's parents had no idea he had a partner, much less that this partner would be moving in with him. They didn't even know he still had contact with Yuta. But they knew him. They knew Yuta. Years ago, Fujin had tried to talk to them about it, only to be met with the same reaction everyone seemed to have when it came to an omega—especially one with little to his name. But Yuta was so much more than that.
At least the apartment belonged to Fujin, which meant no one could dictate what they could or couldn't do inside it.
"There's something else we need to talk about," Fujin said. Yuta's ears metaphorically pricked, his body tensing. Naturally, he jumped to the worst conclusions—anything from the two of them not living together after all to a complete severing of ties. His eyes squeezed shut, as if bracing for the bite of a sour lemon.
Fujin ruffled his hair.
"No need for doomsday vibes. It's harmless, but important—I want you to go to university."
Yuta blinked at him, stunned, unsure how to process the words.
"What do you mean? How would that even work? University is—"
"Expensive? Yeah, I know," Fujin interrupted with a nod. "But it's important to me. You won't be a slave to your parents anymore. You promised me… and I'm working too, so we can afford it. I'm not as pessimistic as you are, but if the day ever comes when we can't be together, I want you to have a good job to fall back on."
Yuta's lips parted to argue, but Fujin pressed a finger to them.
"I'm not planning to leave you… but I like knowing you'll be safe. And besides, you can prove to everyone you're better than that stupid society out there. And what if we have cute little babies someday? I can't give them a life of luxury on my own."
A chuckle bubbled from him, and Yuta flushed a deep red, turning his head away with a pout. He stayed silent for a moment before his would-be protest softened into a single word.
"Thanks…"