Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon
Author's note: Phew, it's been a while since I wrote a Digimon fic! This is a gift-fic for Essenceofthedark for winning my Christmas Contest.

Confessions

Parties were something one either liked or disliked. You didn't really have a say in that. It was up to your character whether or not you would feel comfortable in a room of strangers. Whether you saw it as a nice way to meet new people or an obligation to attend.

Not that Ken had felt obligated to attend Taichi's sixteenth birthday party. Far from it.

He might know the other – both of them being DigiDestined – but that didn't mean he felt he would be missed if he didn't attend the party.

The reason for that wasn't that he thought the other DigiDestined didn't care about him. In fact, he knew that as of late things were warming up between them which was a good thing considering what he'd done. He really wanted to be friends with them.

That, however, didn't stop him from not wanting to have to attend this party for the sole reason that it was indeed a party. And Ken did not like parties. He wasn't laid-back and easy to talk to.

Instead, he was shy and slightly introverted and therefore didn't really talk to people he didn't know.

He had, however, received an invitation to the party but hadn't planned on going. In fact, the moment Yamato Ishida – who had organized the party – had given him the invitation he'd been thinking of excuses as to why he couldn't attend.

But then Daisuke had asked him to come. He had said that it'd be a good bonding-moment for him and the other DigiDestined. Ken remembered the other had also said it would be fun because there'd be good music, snacks and oh, yes, Hikari would be there too.

He had hesitated a second, thinking that the other's point about it being a good bonding-moment with the other DigiDestined was indeed a good one. It was worth going if it meant he would get closer to the people he badly wanted to befriend as a result. Daisuke had been quick and ruthless when he'd seen the flicker of hesitation on his face and within moments he had convinced Ken to go. Promising that he'd stay with him so they could talk with the other's together and have fun.

Ken should've known better than to trust his friend to stick with him for an entire evening.

Now it was ten o'clock and Ken and Daisuke had arrived at the party a little over two hours ago. When they'd arrived most people were already there, standing around or even dancing in the cleared-out living-room of Yamato's father's flat while music blared from the stereo installation.

He'd been nervous at first but had warmed up slightly with Daisuke by his side to keep the conversation going when he didn't know what to say. So far, he'd talked with a small number of people none, of them being DigiDestined.

Not that it mattered now because a little over an hour ago Daisuke had ditched him.

Ken now sat gloomily on a couch shoved into a corner of the room, watching as Daisuke made a fool of himself in front of Hikari, Mimi and Sora. He sighed softly. He could get up and join them but he really didn't feel like it.

While Daisuke always thought he was doing quite a good job at making an impression on Hikari Ken could only agree that the other was indeed making an impression. Just not the intended one.

"Hi, Ken."

He startled slightly when suddenly someone sat down next to him on the couch and he turned to see Takeru sitting next to him, a grin on his face. "Hi Takeru." He greeted the other in return, feeling relieved that someone had finally... noticed him.

"Having fun?" Takeru asked, his grin turning into a small smile.

Ken huffed and looked at the other, not sure if he should feel annoyed or amused. "Oh yes, I'm having a great time." He said, his sarcastic side coming up. He mentally berated himself for it, though. He shouldn't be unkind to Takeru if he wanted to be friends with him since any act of unkindness would probably make the other think of the Kaiser.

Takeru chuckled softly. "Oh yes, you definitely were." He joked. "So that's why I decided to keep you company."

Ken watched the blond out of the corner of his eyes. Takeru was a nice guy, always looking out for others. But he found it hard to understand why the other would voluntarily sit next to him and have a conversation. He'd hurt the other quite badly, after all. Atop of that, Daisuke seemed to be the only one so far who wanted to be friends with him. The slightly tanned youth was quite exuberant in that, which was at times a bit too much for Ken but he liked the other nonetheless.

He pondered for a moment on what to say.

While he didn't quite know what Takeru was thinking, striking up a conversation with him, he did appreciate that the other was making an effort. Because of this he would be very happy to be friends with Takeru.

"So," Takeru started.

"You know," Ken said.

Both boys blinked as they spoke up at the same time and while Takeru laughed Ken merely smiled at the humour of it. First they didn't know what to say and now this.

"You go first." Takeru gave Ken a nod, sounding quite eager to find out what the other had been trying to say.

Ken fumbled with his fingers for a moment, wondering why he'd decided to be honest, and then said: "I actually didn't even think of going." He admitted.

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Ken nodded. "I don't like parties."

"So why did you come?"

Ken sighed softly and watched Daisuke with a fond smile. "I was... persuaded."

Takeru followed Ken's gaze and frowned slightly when his eyes landed on the mahogany haired teen. He traced his upper-lip with his tongue for a moment before softly inquiring: "Then why aren't you chatting with him?"

Ken chuckled softly. "He's Daisuke. He has the attention span of a gold-fish."

Takeru laughed. "That's true. But still..."

"It's all right, really. I'm not Hikari thus I don't hold his interest unlimitedly." He joked.

"Ken," Takeru started and looked over to Daisuke again before sighing softly. "You could just talk to Hikari, Mimi and Sora with Daisuke, you know."

Ken was a bit taken aback by those words. "I know," he nodded slowly with a small smile. He knew he could but that didn't mean he was comfortable doing that.

"I don't think you do." Takeru shook his head.

"Excuse me?" Ken frowned.

"Ken..." Takeru turned so he could watch Ken. "You do know that we're your friends, right?"

Ken's eyes widened slightly, the youth stunned at what he was just told. He hadn't expected that... "I – well..."

"Sorry," Takeru sighed and smiled a crooked smile at the other. "We... didn't exactly tell you. We just thought that you knew, you know?"

"Oh," Ken blinked and looked down to his lap with a small smile. "Well... I want to be friends." He confessed with a barely-there blush dusting his cheeks. He then looked up at Takeru with a smile. "So I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Takeru blinked before bursting out laughing. "No, no it definitely isn't!" He said and then patted Ken on the back. "We do need to work on your confidence a bit, though."

Ken chuckled. He could only agree.

2 ½ years later

Standing in front of the front door of Takeru's apartment, Ken wasn't sure why he was so nervous.

Actually, he knew, but he just wasn't admitting it to himself. Because, after all, being in love with your best friend wasn't quite something that was easily admitted.

He rang the doorbell and with shuffling feet waited for it to be answered.

When the door was opened and Takeru appeared into view, looking a bit red around the eyes, Ken mustered a grin onto his face and held up the two bags he was holding. "I've bought chips, brought my new Fifa game and I even found my father's beer-stash so we should be good."

Takeru blinked at his friend from the doorway but still stepped aside to let the blue haired boy into the apartment he shared with his mother.

"Ken... what are you doing here?" He asked, closing the door and leaning against it, rubbing his eyes.

Ken turned to watch his friend. "Well, you look like crap so I guess I'm here to cheer you up." He said bluntly.

When he'd first befriended Takeru back when they were thirteen he was shy and soft-spoken. Granted, he was still shy and soft-spoken when he didn't know someone but when it came to Takeru he was... just being himself.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch Ken." Takeru gave his friend a playful shove before moving to the living-room. "So why are you here?"

"Being a friend." Ken stated, looking at his friend and wondering if he'd made a mistake. Maybe Takeru wanted to be alone and process things?

Takeru huffed. "Friends don't wake each other up on their free Sunday."

Ken frowned. "You were sleeping?" Shit, he thought. He'd been certain that Takeru had been crying when the other had opened the door.

"Yeah, I was. Why?" Takeru asked, stifling a yawn.

"Oh, no reason." Ken smiled a small smile.

He [i]had[/i] been wrong. He'd thought that Takeru would be near to devastated after hearing that Hikari and Daisuke were going out. But he wasn't, and Ken felt like he'd just made a major mistake in coming over in an attempt to console the other.

"You know... this was a bad idea." He suddenly said, feeling his shyness returning with the embarrassment that he'd made a great misjudgement about the other's character. "You're right, I did wake you up and I shouldn't have done that." He stood up and smiled a bit tightly at the other. "I'll leave now..."

Takeru frowned at the other's sudden change of mind and when Ken tried to pass him by he reached out a hand to grab his friend's wrist, effectively stopping him. "Ken... what's wrong?"

"I... nothing's wrong." Ken shook his head and then sighed. No need lying to his best friend, right? "I just thought that with Hikari and Daisuke now going out you might be... upset."

"Upset?" Takeru asked and then burst out laughing. "Oh Ken, come sit down so I can assure you that I've never, ever been in love with Hikari." He said, tugging at his friend's wrist, urging him to sit down.

"You're not?" Ken frowned, obediently sitting down right next to his friend.

"No," Takeru chuckled and shook his head. "I'm actually delighted that he finally succeeded... He's grown up quite a lot and they actually fit together."

"Oh..." Ken mumbled. He was relieved, of course, that his friend wasn't in love with Hikari and thus not devastated. But he couldn't help but feel like a bit of a fool. "Joke's on me then, I guess."

"Maybe it is, but that doesn't make you any less of an amazing friend." Takeru said with a grin.

Ken found himself blushing slightly, both at the compliment and the other's grin, which he never failed to find very attractive. "I'm not an amazing friend." He mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

Takeru blinked and leaned his head to the side. "Of course you are." He said easily. "You don't still think that I'm not really your friend, do you?" He then asked worriedly.

"Oh, no, no! I don't think that." Ken shook his head, feeling guilty for having made his friend worry about him. If he were honest, he'd admit that the feeling of not being friends with Takeru had disappeared altogether at Taichi's sixteenth birthday party. It was hard not to believe Takeru, after all.

What he had also figured out was that it wasn't hard to have absolutely no problem with was falling for the other's kind and considerate personality and good looks. It had taken him only a few months to get caught by Takeru Takaishi, hook, line and sinker.

In the beginning he'd dealt with his feelings quite well. Back then, he thought it was only a crush. But now, a year after finding out about his feelings things had changed. Crushes didn't last this long and by now he couldn't deny that he was in love with his friend. And the longer it took for Takeru to find himself a girlfriend, the bigger Ken's hope became that his feelings might be returned. That, along with some other bodily urges he found hard to control, sometimes made hanging out with Takeru rather difficult. If he wanted to keep his feelings hidden, that was.

Takeru suddenly leaned back against the couch and watched Ken with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. "Then why aren't you an amazing friend?"

Ken pouted a little, sitting cross-legged on the couch before replying: "I obviously don't know you well enough to know things about your... love-life."

Takeru laughed at that and shook his head. "That's not exactly an important thing in a friendship, now is it? I mean, coming all the way here on a Sunday to comfort me... I appreciate that, Ken."

With a flush Ken smiled a small smile and lowered his eyes. Perhaps the other was right, but that still didn't mean he didn't feel like a fool for not having realized that the other wasn't in love with Hikari. But, he thought, I guess you only see what you want to see.

"You're welcome, Takeru. You know it's not a problem." He said eventually with an affectionate smile.

"I know," Takeru smiled and reached out to ruffle Ken's hair. "That's what makes you an amazing friend..." He said, trailing off with a somewhat longing smile.

"But... what if there's a whole lot of other things that I don't know about you?" Ken asked. He wasn't sure why he was arguing the other on this. Probably because he felt that he didn't deserve to be called an amazing friend. Friends didn't fall in love with friends, after all.

"Don't worry Ken, you're not missing a thing."

Ken frowned slightly at that.

Takeru chuckled and patted Ken on the shoulder. "You don't know anything about my love-life because there is none."

Worrying his lip softly, the hopeful feeling returning, Ken glanced at his friend. "So... there's no-one you like?" Because, at least, if there was no-one that Takeru liked there was no-one around that could snatch his friend away from him. Before he ever worked up the courage to confess his true feelings to the blond.

"Ken..." Takeru sighed and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he looked straight into Ken's dark-blue ones. "There is someone I like."

Ken took a deep breath and tried to hold his friend's gaze, hoping the other didn't see the pain in his eyes that he now felt.

"Oh, really?" Ken swallowed. "What's she like?"

Takeru took a deep breath and shrugged. "It's not a girl, Ken."

Ken blinked. "Oh," he mumbled and lowered his gaze.

So it was a boy Takeru liked? That was even worse. That meant he could've actually competed with the other for Takeru's feelings. What a fool he'd been for staying silent for such a long time, he berated himself. "That's cool." He smiled a crooked smile at his friend. "What's he like?" It hurt asking that question, but he had always been Takeru's friend and he couldn't stop being that now, either.

Takeru swallowed and then smiled a bright, happy smile. "Well, he's pretty. Not handsome, but pretty in a... manly way." Takeru chuckled at that, constantly watching Ken who was trying to keep his smile on his face. "And he's very smart, loyal and sometimes painfully shy. He's had a tough past but he's gotten over that."

"Takeru," Ken licked his lips, knowing he shouldn't ask but wanting to know all the same who'd beaten him. "W-who is it?"

"He's an amazing friend."

Ken's eyes widened, mind racing a mile a minute trying to grasp what exactly Takeru was saying. Could it be, he thought almost desperately, could it be that Takeru was talking about him? "W-what...?"

"Oh come on, Ken." Takeru laughed and slowly moved closer to his friend on the couch. Then, he sat on his knees and cupped the other's cheek in the palm of his hand. "And here I am, saying you're smart." Takeru gave a short laugh before leaning in close to his friend, his warm breath ghosting over Ken's lips when he said: "It's you, Ken. It's been you for a very long time."

"Takeru!" Ken gasped in surprise, skin tingling under the other's touch. "I l-like you too." He whispered, a red blush settling on his cheeks while his heart felt like it might explode.

"Good," Takeru breathed and only now Ken heard the relief in the other's voice. "That's good... I had a hunch, you know?" Takeru continued with a short yet happy laugh. "But today... you looked so jealous when I said I liked someone and I knew. I knew for sure."

Never before in his life had Ken felt so happy that his every emotion showed clearly on his face.

Then Takeru placed a hand against the nape of his neck and gently pressed his soft lips against Ken's.

Ken melted into the kiss right away, moving his own slightly chapped lips against Takeru's soft ones and hugging the other close by the shoulders.

When their kiss broke Takeru leaned his forehead against Ken's and smiled happily. "It's a good thing you took all those stuff to console me."

Ken frowned. "What, how come?"

"Well," Takeru said, tackling Ken down onto the couch and pulling the other close onto his chest. "I don't feel like going out anymore now that I've got you."

3 years later

It was a nice day today, Ken thought to himself as he looked up to the blue sky. A very nice day, especially for some apartment-hunting.

Not that he was looking for an apartment himself, but his boyfriend was. And since he would be spending an considerable amount of time at his boyfriend's apartment he'd been asked to tag along when Takeru went looking for the perfect living-space.

He sighed to himself with a small smile on his lips. Takeru had graduated high school last summer and had decided to start working as a journalist at the same company as his mother still worked at. Ken had been happy for his boyfriend, who had always wanted to be a writer. He wrote a lot in his spare time, constantly getting better because of the job he was doing.

But both working at the same company as his mother and still living with her had become enough for Takeru. Not that Ken thought that at the age of nineteen the other was too old to move out... in fact, he thought it was about time.

He himself had moved out of his parents' house when he was eighteen and started his undergraduate at university. That was now about nine months ago and he was very happy living in the university dorms. It gave him a lot of freedom.

But while living in dorms gave him a lot of freedom it still constricted him when it came to his relationship with Takeru. After all they never had a place where they could be alone, where it was just the two of them. At Takeru's there was always the chance of his mother walking in – and that was uncomfortable, they had decided after the first time that that had happened. And with his roommate always around the dorm wasn't really an option either.

"Ken!"

Ken looked up at the cheerful yet familiar voice calling out at him and he was all but tackled to the ground by the hug his boyfriend gave him in greeting.

"Hi Takeru." He greeted the other with a small blush. When Takeru then kissed him he blushed even more. "D-don't do that." He lightly scolded his boyfriend although his eyes shone with amusement.

Takeru chuckled softly, ignoring the other's words and slinging an arm around Ken's shoulder while he walked his boyfriend to the lunchroom where they usually went to grab a bite.

"Takeru..." Ken blushed lightly. Even though he'd been together with Takeru for almost three years now he still wasn't used to being so touchy-feely with the other in public. "We're in public." He mumbled softly.

Still chuckling softly Takeru dropped his arm. "I know." He let out a soft laugh and winked at Ken. "But you know I'll always keep trying."

"That I know," Ken chuckled. It had almost become their greeting-ritual... "And I don't mind." He said with a small grin and brushed his hand against Takeru's.

Takeru then took Ken's hand in his lightly, intertwining their fingers. "I know, I don't either." He said happily.

Ken smiled and squeezed the other's hand.

Getting at the lunchroom, they both ordered a sandwich and a drink up front. With their trays in their hands they made their way to a free table at the window.

"So, how many apartments have you found?" Ken asked his boyfriend when he slid into the booth.

"Just a few and they're all relatively close to each other." Takeru answered.

Ken nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I'm quite curious what kind of apartments you chose."

Takeru shrugged. "Nothing too fancy, can't afford that. I think you'll like them, though."

Ken shook his head with a chuckle. "I don't have to like them." He said, swatting Takeru's hand playfully. "You'll be living there."

"Hmm, I guess that's true." Takeru hummed and then shot his boyfriend a somewhat sly smile. "But I do hope you'll be spending a lot of time there."

Ken blushed lightly. "You know I will be." He said with a smile. "So, when's the first appointment?"

"Oh, it's at two. So we've still got over an hour."

At four, they'd seen two of the three apartments Takeru had picked and Ken was hoping that the third one would be [i]the[/i] apartment. Or actually, he was hoping that it would just be an apartment at all.

The first one had been the size of a broom-closet which would fit Harry Potter just fine but Takeru Takaishi not so much. The second one had been the size of a small apartment but it had been quite horrible inside. The lady showing them around had admitted that it had needed a bit of work to get it even close to liveable but, she explained, that was why the rent was low. Ken thought the rent was probably low because the state of the apartment itself was the same as the state of the entire building and that wasn't a positive thing.

But at least the third one looked nice on the outside. That didn't necessarily say something about the inside but it was a start, wasn't it?

"The building looks good, right?" Takeru asked, turning hopeful eyes to Ken.

Ken gave his boyfriend a re-assuring smile. "Don't worry, it does." He said with a chuckle. "You don't have to get it, you know."

Takeru laughed. "Oh yes, I know." He was about to say more when a woman stepped up the them with cheerful smile on her face.

"Hello, are you Takeru Takaishi?" She asked, looking at Ken and then looking at Takeru.

"Yes, I am." Takeru said with a small nod and introduced himself properly.

The woman then introduced herself as Suki Shimuza, a employee at the company renting the apartments in the building they now stood in front of.

Suki took the two of them upstairs and opened the front door of the apartment, providing some basic information about both the neighbourhood and the apartment. When they'd reached the living-dining-area through a small hallway with doors to a decent sized double bedroom and a bathroom her phone suddenly rang.

"Oh, would you excuse me? I really have to take this." She excused herself and hurried off to the bedroom – closing the door – to take her call.

Takeru walked around the living-dining area and then leaned against the breakfast-bar, looking at Ken with a grin. "It's perfect, isn't it?"

Ken nodded with an enthusiastic grin. "Yeah, it's pretty good."

"It is." Takeru nodded and slid his hand over the top of the bar. "I mean, it looks good and for as far as I can tell it's pretty well kept too."

Ken nodded, he definitely couldn't deny that. "I think the size is pretty decent, too, considering what you'll be paying as rent."

"Yeah, I won't be able to afford much more anyway and so this is money well spent." Takeru's grin widened. "Plus... it's pretty close to university too, isn't it?"

Ken chuckled. "It is." He nodded. "But it shouldn't be a priority." He said with a shrug. He did like the idea of Takeru living close to him. They could spend so much more time together that way... But he just wanted the other to find a good place with a nice payable rent rather than an expensive place near the university. This place, though, was probably exactly what the other had been looking for and Takeru was pretty excited about it.

"Well..." Takeru laughed softly, perhaps even a bit uncomfortably. He pushed himself away from the bar and walked to the middle of the room, where Ken stood with a frown on his face.

"Takeru?" Ken asked softly. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah no, no nothing's wrong..." Takeru shook his head and then let out a nervous laugh. "I was just thinking that the apartment being close to the university [i]is[/i] a priority."

Ken leaned his head to the side, frown still settled there and his lips curled up in a smile. "I love being close to you, too." He admitted with only a small blush. "But... it shouldn't be so important that you'd make the wrong decision." After all, maybe his boyfriend could get a much better deal elsewhere in the city.

"No, but it has to be close." Takeru stubbornly shook his head and then took Ken's hands in his, rubbing his thumb over the other's skin with a shy smile. "Because I was hoping that you'd... move in here with me." He confessed softly, glancing at his boyfriend.

Ken gasped. "Move in with you?" He asked. "Here?"

Takeru swallowed and loosened his hold on Ken's hands as he nodded his head, suddenly insecure. "Yeah... if you want, that is. I mean, I understand if you're not ready, or –"

"No," Ken interrupted the other and shook his head while breaking out into a happy grin. "I mean, no I don't need time." He added seeing the other's crestfallen look. "I'd love to." He admitted softly.

After breathing a sigh of relief Takeru hugged his boyfriend closer with a happy sound escaping him. "I love you, Ken." He murmured before crushing his lips to Ken's.

When a few minutes later Suki Shimuza walked back into the living-room the two young man were still caught in their intense embrace and she couldn't help but smile. She had just made herself a deal.

5 ½ years later

With a small smile Ken looked at the party going on inside while he sat on a stone bench, enjoying the August night-sky. Today had been a rather busy day and he was glad to have a moment to himself. He had never expected that being a best man would be such a tiring job to fulfil.

"Ken! What are you doing here all alone?"

Ken looked up to see his best friend Daisuke – a [i]just married[/i] Daisuke – walk up to him with raised eyebrows and his hands shoved into his pockets.

He laughed softly. "And what about you, you happily married man. Shouldn't you be inside with your new bride?" He asked teasingly when Daisuke sat down next to him.

Daisuke chuckled. "I would be if your boyfriend wasn't stealing her away."

Ken looked inside and smiled when he saw Takeru talking to Hikari. "She's never looked more beautiful." He commented with a smile. And she did look gorgeous in her embroided, satin A-line wedding dress.

"I agree." Daisuke said with a grin so happy it looked almost silly. Then he sighed, a happy one. "Shit Ken, I can't believe I'm married now."

Ken chuckled. "You'd better get used to it." He teased the other with a small nudge.

"I know, right?" Daisuke laughed and stretched his legs out in front of him while looking into the room through the French-style doors. "I'm so happy, Ken. I know that when we were sixteen and she wanted to go out with me I said I'd marry her. But... I'd never have guessed that at twenty-four I'd actually be married to the love of my life." He grinned.

"Your only love for as far as I know." Ken snorted. Not that he had a right to say anything... He had been with Takeru ever since they were sixteen too, after all.

"Yeah, she is. But same goes for you and T-man, right?" Daisuke asked.

Ken nodded with an affectionate smile.

"So, when's the wedding?"

Ken blinked and turned to watch his friend with a small frown. "The wedding?"

Daisuke blinked. "Of course..."

Ken shook his head with a huff. "It's not legal for two men to get married, Dai." Ken said, a wistful smile on his lips.

"Oh," Daisuke frowned. "I... sort of knew that. It's just so normal for you and Takeru to be together, you know?" He said and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry," he apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Ken said, shaking his head.

"Aww man…" Daisuke sighed and then turned to watch his friend. "Doesn't it suck to know you'll never get married?"

Ken gave his friend a small smile and admitted: "It is sad we can't commit to each other through marriage. But we are happy together and in the end, that's all that counts, isn't it?"

"Sounds as if you've given it some thought." Daisuke said, slightly worried.

"Yeah," Ken nodded with a soft sigh. "Yeah, I guess I have."

Later, when Takeru and himself were on their way home to their shared apartment Ken couldn't get Daisuke's words out of his mind. Because if he were completely honest, it did suck not being able to get married. Not that he wanted a fairy-tale wedding. No, he just wanted to be able to show the world that he loved Takeru, and only Takeru.

"Ken, what's wrong?" Takeru suddenly asked.

"Oh, nothing." Ken shook his head.

"Nothing?" Takeru raised an eyebrow at that and pulled the other close around the shoulders. "You've been awfully quiet after you escaped outside with Daisuke."

Ken shook his head and tried to give his boyfriend a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, really. We just talked for a bit."

Takeru frowned. "And may I ask about what?" He asked.

"Marriage." Ken said and then chuckled. "As I said, it's nothing."

A little less than a month later life was back to normal and Ken was pretty relieved with that. He hadn't thought that throughout planning the wedding he, as the best man, would have needed to do as much as he had. Not that he hadn't had any fun, Daisuke was still his best friend after all.

But it was nice to come home after a long day of classes or – on certain nights throughout the week – after having worked a night at the club without having to do anything. Anything other than cuddle with his boyfriend on the couch, that is.

When he rode the elevator up to Takeru and his shared apartment he couldn't help but smile to himself. He was quite grateful for having gotten the night off. Usually he worked Wednesdays through Saturday. That meant he'd be up early in the morning to make it to his 8.30 AM class and home late – around 11 PM – from work. Those were long, tiresome days but he needed the money to pay for his tuition.

Tonight, though, he thought happily to himself as he walked through the hallway of the apartment building, tonight I'm off. Because tonight was his twenty-fourth birthday. And Takeru had been gushing about having thought of a nice idea to celebrate his birthday for a few days now so Ken had been excited all day.

Opening the front door of their apartment Ken immediately noticed the smell of food that seemed to fill the apartment. "I'm home!" He cheerfully announced.

"Hi, I'm in the kitchen." Takeru replied.

Ken chuckled softly, having guessed the same. He removed his coat, removed his shoes and tossed his bag down somewhere in the hallway before making his way to Takeru.

"Hello birthday boy." Takeru grinned when his boyfriend walked up to him and after having put his spatula down he hugged Ken close. He then nuzzled the other's neck and pressed a kiss right below the other's ear. "Congratulations." He said when he pulled away slightly.

"Thanks," Ken grinned at his boyfriend before sighing softly, leaning against Takeru. "I'm so glad to be home."

"Tiring day?" Takeru asked, rubbing small circles against Ken's back knowing it would help the other relax after a long day.

Ken sighed happily. "Kind of, though I'm very happy I don't need to work."

"Me too," Takeru nodded. "It would've been stupid to let you work on your birthday." He chuckled.

Ken merely hummed in reply.

"Oh! Daisuke called a few hours ago." Takeru suddenly said with a grin. "Said he returned from his honeymoon yesterday."

"Yeah, I knew he'd come back yesterday." Ken nodded. "Did they have a good time?"

"They did. At least, if you believe Daisuke which I think I'll do on this one." Takeru grinned.

"Yeah," Ken laughed softly. "They looked so happy at their wedding."

"You're supposed to be happy on your wedding-day." Takeru poked Ken playfully.

"I know, I know. But still, he wasn't very nervous or ready to back out… He was just excited to get married to the love of his life." Ken said with a small, wistful smile on his lips.

"I guess you're right about that." Takeru said and then stroked a hand through Ken's hair, looking at his boyfriend with a small frown. "Hey Ken…" he started and trailed off.

Now it was Ken's turn to frown. "Is something wrong?" He asked, slightly worried. Takeru didn't usually hold back.

"Well, it's just that ever since the wedding I've been wondering something." Takeru said softly, a bit awkwardly even.

Ken didn't say anything, just wondered what the other was talking about and waiting for his boyfriend to continue.

"If we could get married…" Takeru started and trailed off.

"Takeru, we can't." Ken said with a small smile, cupping the other's cheek in the palm of his hand.

"I know. But if we could… would you want to?" Takeru asked nervously.

Ken smiled affectionately at his boyfriend. He'd actually given the topic of marriage a lot of thought the past week, after his conversation with Daisuke. And it was true that it did make him sad they could never marry. But he still stuck to what he'd told Daisuke. They loved each other and that was the most important thing.

"Well, if we could yes, yes I would want to get married to you." He eventually said but then smiled. "But we can't and I'm fine with that. I have you, after all."
Takeru leaned down to kiss Ken gently for a few seconds. "I love you too," He murmured, and then said: "So… you'd be happy staying with me even though we can't be bound to each other in some sort of way."

"Of course!" Ken said heatedly. "I mean yes, it's a bit sad I can't bind myself to you and the other way around… But that's not important, is it?"

Takeru looked slightly relieved at those words and he hugged Ken close, taking a deep breath. "That's so good to hear." He murmured happily.

Ken hummed contendly and then startled slightly when suddenly the egg-timer went off, beeping loudly.

"Oh, well I'm going to continue cooking now." Takeru said with an apologetic smile. "Why don't you go freshen up a bit and then you can join me for dinner." He said with a slightly foolish grin while gesturing towards the dining-room table. The dining-room table that was dressed with a red tablecloth, white porcelain, wine glasses and a candle.

Ken couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, Takeru was such a romantic. And he loved it.

When he emerged from their bedroom about fifteen minutes later Ken felt a lot less weary. He'd changed into a clean set of clothes after having washed his face in the bathroom.

When he walked into the living-dining-area Takeru was already seated at the table and smiling at him quite nervously.

Ken raised a curious eyebrow. "Are you that afraid your food didn't turn out right?" He asked jokingly while sitting down. "Don't worry, it smells wonderful and I love what you did with the room." He said with an almost shy smile, loving all the candles the other had put up all around the room. Takeru had really gone out of his way to make this birthday-dinner an amazing one.

"Oh, I'm not worried about the food." Takeru shook his head with a small smile.

That had Ken worried. "Really? Then what are you nervous about." He asked and then reached out to remove the napkin Takeru had laid down onto his plate. It was best to remove it now than do it when the other was bringing over their dinner from the kitchen.

When he saw a little black box laying on top of his white plate he froze and dropped the napkin to the ground. He stared at it for a few moments, feeling incredibly happy and nervous all at once. "Oh." He mumbled softly.

"Ken…" Takeru reached out a hand and placed it atop of one of Ken's hands. "Ken, I know that we can't get married so I'm not proposing to you." He said with an awkward laugh. "But, I saw the way you looked at Daisuke and Hikari at their wedding and I just… I want to bind myself to you as well, you know? Show the world that I'm taken, by you." He confessed and then he swallowed and made a small gesture to the box.

Ken's heart was beating wildly in his chest and his entire body was buzzing with happiness and love, all directed at the man in front of him. With his free hand, which by now was shaking lightly, he opened the box and he gasped. Inside were two golden rings, flawless rings without design. Simple yet beautiful. He took one out and broke out into a happy smile when he saw the inscription inside the ring. Ken Ichijouji.

"Takeru…" He murmured and clenched the ring into his hand.

"Is this… alright?" Takeru asked nervously, squeezing Ken's hand.

Ken raised his eyes, smile still on his face and his eyes sparkling. "This is more than alright. This is perfect."

"Good," Takeru sighed and then stood up, moving around the table until he could kneel at Ken's side. "Because I thought that even though the ring doesn't have the usual meaning… there is meaning in wearing one."

"My god…" Ken breathed and dropped the ring down onto the table before allowing himself to fall into Takeru's arms, hugging his boyfriend close. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I'm glad you did it."

1 ½ year later

Ken sighed softly to himself when he woke up. He felt slightly drowsy from sleep still lingering and he pulled the comforter back over him, snuggling into it and closing his eyes again. He could feel Takeru cuddled up against his back and if his boyfriend was still sleeping, then he would be to.

"Hmm, good morning." Takeru suddenly murmured and then pressed a tender kiss against the back of Ken's neck.

Shivering slightly, Ken couldn't help but smile. "And here I was thinking you were still asleep." He reached up a hand to place it over Takeru's, which was resting against his chest.

Takeru chuckled, his breath ghosting against the back of Ken's neck. "You'd rather I still be asleep?"

"No," Ken shook his head and leaned his body backwards against his boyfriend's. "I just don't want to get out of bed."

"Who says we have to?" Takeru laughed and tightened his arms around Ken's waist.

"Well, there was this thing you promised we'd do today…" Ken smiled happily and squeezed his boyfriend's hand.

"Oh there was, wasn't there?" Takeru said and pushed himself up a bit so he could see the side of Ken's face. "And you're looking forward to it that much?" He grinned.

Ken's cheeks colored a light red and he turned to Takeru with a small pout, even though he was now twenty-five. "You know I am."

Takeru smiled affectionately and reached up a hand so he could stroke his fingers over Ken's cheek. "Of course I know. It's my gift to you, after all."

Ken frowned slightly and wriggled himself around on the bed, turning to his other side so he was face-to-face with his boyfriend. Biting his lip softly he looked Takeru in the eyes. "You want it too, right? I mean…"

"Don't worry, love." Takeru smiled, hugging Ken close to him so he could easily peck the other's forehead. "I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't want to. Besides, I knew you wanted this way before I realized you wanted to… well, bind yourself to me." He confessed with a small blush.

Ken smiled tenderly at the remembrance of their sort-of-engagement a year and a half ago. It made both his birthday and their relationship even more special. Because who would ever think that they'd stay together with their high-school boyfriend forever? He certainly hadn't, but here they were today on their ninth anniversary. And he'd never felt more in love with Takeru.

"Wait," Ken suddenly said. "You've known that long?"

Takeru nodded.

"And… you've waited all this time?" Ken continued.

Takeru flushed slightly but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah… it might sound stupid… no, it is stupid. But I just felt it was a big step, you know?"

Ken smiled at his boyfriend, amused by the other's obvious nervousness. "I know." He nodded.

"I mean, it's not like we're adopting a kid." Takeru laughed softly. "But it's still a responsibility we're taking upon us and… I wasn't sure if I was ready for that." He confessed with a blush and a nervous glance at his boyfriend.

Hearing the other's words Ken had to bite his lip softly to keep from chuckling. Takeru called him cute often but sometimes, in moments like these, the blond himself was very cute as well. Worrying about things that by now he knew didn't bother Ken. "You're right. It's nothing big but a responsibility to us, something to care and love besides ourselves." He smiled. He understood perfectly well why the other was slightly worried.

"It's a bit scary almost, right?" Takeru murmured.

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Scary?"

"Yes, of course it is! It's all… real after that, isn't it? We're living together, you're working, I'm busy writing to get published and if we then have a little puppy running around…" Takeru trailed off.

Ken couldn't help but smile, both happy and excited of the prospect of the vision his boyfriend had just laid out for him. "Like a family?" He asked, leaning up to give Takeru a soft kiss.

"Yes," Takeru breathed. "Like a family." He then hugged Ken close and nuzzled his neck. "It's still scary, though. I mean… what if we kill it?"

"Kill it?" Ken asked, surprised, and pulled away from Takeru with an expression mixed in-between amusement and shock. What on earth was Takeru thinking? "I'd like to believe either of us is more responsible than that…" He said with a smirk.

Takeru blinked and looked at his boyfriend. When he saw the smirk, he flushed and with a lop-sided grin he asked: "I'm making a fool out of myself, am I not?"

"Yes, you are." Ken said honestly, his smirk growing wider. Then he leaned in again to kiss Takeru, a bit harder than the soft and shy kisses he'd given his boyfriend before. "But I like that about you."

"Good," Takeru said. "Otherwise we'd have a problem."

It was late afternoon when a delighted Ken, a happy Takeru and a very excited little Golden Retriever puppy named Hamlet returned home.

The moment they entered, Hamlet was already sniffing around, little paws padding against the fake wooden floor. Ken stifled a giggle at the sight and stood still in the hallway, coat hanging from his shoulders while he watched the newest addition to their little family waggle around their hallway.

"He's so cute…" Ken murmured. "I'm so happy we picked him." He turned to watch Takeru with a wide grin.

Takeru chuckled, hanging his coat onto the hat stand. Then he turned around and rolled his eyes in amusement when he saw Ken watching their new puppy with his coat still on and a bag of dog-necessities at his feet.

He walked up to his boyfriend and hugged him from behind, nuzzling the patch of skin right below the other's ear. "Me too, if only for the look on your face."

Ken pouted and turned his head to look at Takeru. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Laughing softly Takeru kissed the other's cheek. "It means I love you." He murmured with a grin.

Ken shivered – as he always did when hearing those words – and smiled almost dreamily at his lover. "Love you too."

Takeru smiled at his boyfriend and then reached out to take off Ken's coat and turning to hang it onto the hat stand.

When Takeru was busy with his coat Ken took a few steps to scoop Hamlet up into his arms, the dog happily butting his nose against Ken's chin. Chuckling softly, Ken suddenly thought of something and he turned around with a small frown. "You know…" he started.

"No, I'm afraid I don't." Takeru shook his head with a grin, making his way to the living-dining area with Ken – Hamlet still in his arms – trailing behind him.

"Idiot." Ken grinned too and then continued: "Hamlet is a Golden Retriever."

Takeru sat down onto the couch and smirked. "Ah well, I actually knew that."

"Jerk." Ken stuck out his tongue at his boyfriend but still sat down next to him, putting Hamlet down onto the ground before cuddling up to Takeru.

They both watched Hamlet run around and explore for a few moments before Takeru asked: "So, what about him being a Retriever?"

"They get big." Ken said

Takeru raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Ken, who was looking up at him with a lazy grin. "So?"

Ken chuckled. "So… so he won't fit here anymore when he's older."

For a moment, Takeru seemed to think about that. Then, he reached out to place a around Ken's shoulder and pulled his boyfriend even closer to him. "Hmm, that just means we'll have to buy a house."

Ken's eyes widened at those words and a gasp passed his lips. 'What on earth was Takeru thinking?' He thought and then cried: "A house?"

Takeru laughed and patted Ken's shoulder while pressing a kiss to the top of the other's head. "Yes, of course. You know… home sweet home, happily ever after and all those other sappy things."
Taking a shuddering breath, feeling as happy as he'd felt when Takeru had given him the rings they were now wearing, Ken breathlessly asked: "Really?"

"Yes, really." Takeru nodded with an affectionate smile. "And I want all of that with you."
Ken was certain that if he could die of happiness, now was the moment. He leaned up to kiss Takeru tenderly for a moment. "Me too."
Then suddenly a soft bump reached their ears and they both looked up only to find that Hamlet had just walked up against the couch in a desperate attempt to get attention. Takeru leaned forward and scooped the puppy up in his arms. "And Hamlet, of course."

Ken chuckled and petted Hamlet, who was now comfortable seated in Takeru's lap, while he himself leaned against his boyfriend's shoulder. "Of course."

Life was perfect.

The End

I hope you enjoyed the fic! Let me know what you thought of it ;)