(Thursday, 5pm)
(Kazemaru)
"Hey Kaze, can we talk for a second?" I looked up from the pile of essays I was marking and nodded at my husband "Sure, come sit." He did, turning so that he was facing me, I carried on with my marking.

"Well the thing is, you know Nagumo and Suzuno, you know their daughter Anais?" I didn't look up from my work "Barely, but I've seen the pictures on Instagram."
"Well they took her swimming yesterday, she was in my class." I nodded, he'd told me that yesterday. Why was he bringing that up now?

"Yeah well anyway, after the lesson was over I thought I'd have a chat with them, because my shift was finished for the night, and...I didn't actually end up talking to them..." I nodded, underlining an word spelt incorrectly.
"It was just too cute. Just the joy in both of their faces when their daughter ran up to them and hugged them, and they all looked so happy and Nagumo just wouldn't stop going on about how well she swam and-"

'Geez did they even read chapter 20? "This shows that they are feeling regret for they're actions" no it doesn't we went over that scene in class, did she even pay attention-evidently not! These quotes aren't correct, and she thinks making stuff up will get her the marks, no way that's for sure-'
"Kaze? Are you even listening to me?"
I looked up, shook out of my thoughts
"Yeah, you were saying they were being all cutesy and stuff." I said with a wave of my hand, turning my attention back to my student's half-assed attempt at homework.
"After that."

I shrugged, feeling bad that I hadn't been listening to him. He sucked in a breath before a momentary silence. Then, he spoke.
"I was saying-I wanted that to be us."
I put the stack of papers down, trying to register what my husband had just said "You mean, you want to..."
He cut me off, shaking me excitedly like a kid "Yes! I think we should adopt, Ichirou!" I cringed, that nickname again. I pushed the homework away, sitting up straighter "Uh, I don't think that's a good idea Mamoru..."

His face fell "Why not? We're perfectly suited to it-I teach kids how to swim, you teach kids english, it's perfect!"
"Just because we both teach kids does not mean we're cut out to be parents!" I said anxiously.
"But if Suzuno and Nagumo can do it-"
"They grew up in an orphanage, with the others, they know how to do this...stuff! But we're not like them, we have no experience..."

"We don't need experience, all we need is to be loving parents, that's all Kaze. We can be that-especially now, now we can be that." He smiled at me, grabbing my hands and holding them tightly. 'But even so, are you really ready for that level of responsibility? Do you think you can really handle it?'
I wasn't sure. I had no clue.
"This would make us so happy Ichirouta, I just know it would!" He continued, I looked at him, a worried expression still etched into my face 'Us...make both of us happy? We could make our own little family together...that could be...just wonderful. So...why am I so afraid then?'

I took a short breath, pulling the stack of papers towards me and tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I couldn't discuss this with him, not right now.
"I'll think about it." I whispered, he looked blankly at me, I sighed, repeating myself louder.
"I'll think about it Mamoru."
He hugged me tightly, planting a kiss on my forehead "Thank you thank you! You won't regret this I promise! Ah this is going to be great!" He yelled, running off somewhere.

I placed my head in my hands.
"I just hope you're right Endou, I just hope you're right..."

(the same time)
(Fudou)
I walked through the front door, exhausted, but happy. "You had a good day at work huh?" I heard Kidou say and smiled, turning around and giving him a quick hug, nothing too out of his comfort zone, I saw the tiniest of smiles form on his face.
"Come on, let's go."
"Where?" He asked
"Out." I simply stated.

"So...what do you think?" I said leaning over the table, he looked around "I think it's nice that you decided to take me out for dinner, and Indian cuisine is a nice change of pace. Although you could have changed first, you smell like-"
"Bacon and eggs. I know. You'll come to love it though, trust me." I said and saw him smile. I spoke up again.

"Uh well I just wanted...to say sorry I guess, about before. I was being an idiot so yeah.."
"Yes, you were being a complete idiot-oh food's here." He said nonchalantly. I nodded, slightly put out by his response. I soon forgot about that though-looking down at my food hungrily.
"You know that Laal Maas is really spicy right? Did you just order it to impress me or something Akio?" My boyfriend said snarkily. I just scoffed "Pfft. No biggie. I'm Fudou Akio, I think I can stand a little heat."

'Abort mission, I repeat, abort mission! This is not a drill, code red, we have a fire in sector 8; all personnel to evacuate immediately!'
"A bit hot there Akio?" he stated smugly as I fanned my tongue, face red and little beads of sweat already forming on my forehead.
'Why did you ever think this was a good idea?!' I went for a glass of water on the table "Bread's your best option here." Kidou states matter-of-factly. "Unless, you want me to get you a little glass of milk." He said in a somewhat mocking tone.
"Bloody smart-ass Yuuto..." I mumbled.

(Kidou)
"How many cigarettes have you had today?" I asked suddenly, he looked up from his naan "Two. One before work and one at lunch. I er...bought some nicotine gum and stuff...Wiktoria suggested I should get the patch but I don't know about that..but yeah..." He trailed off, I knew he didn't like me bringing up the whole smoking thing.

I looked at his hand and noticed he was tapping softly, methodically on the table-he was having cravings-he probably didn't even realise he was doing it.
"I'm trying Ki, really."
"I know. I know. I'm proud of you." I said warmly and gave his hand a small squeeze, nothing too out of my comfort zone.
"Now hurry up and eat all of that Laal Maas." He groaned and I laughed.

(7pm, the beach)
(Tsunami)
The waves crashed slowly along the shoreline as we both sat enjoying the beautiful colours of the sunset. It was just us, and it was perfect.
"Your family is so kind Jousuke." My boyfriend said quietly as the fire crackled, sending the delicious aroma of grilled meat into the air. "Well thanks, they sure as hell love you, almost more than I do actually!" I said jokily and picked a kebab skewer off of the grill plate.

I was nervous.
'I mean, it's not like he's going to say no-but it's still nerve wracking.'
'I mean, at least I hope he won't say no..'
'Wait, what if he says no?'
"I know I must have said this a thousand times already, but it really is beautiful here. Thank you for letting me stay with you-I really needed to get away from my shitty life." Tachi said, turning to me and giving me the softest of smiles.

But I felt kind of bad.
"You know, I'm the one responsible for the more shittier parts of your life-like with your parents I mean. I'm really sorry about that, I know how much pain that's caused you."
He looked down, shuffling his feet in the sand. "It doesn't matter, I got you out of it didn't I? I call that a win."
I smiled, gnashing a piece of meat of the skewer before lying back onto the cold sand, hands behind my head. "Yeah that's true, and I am kinda awesome so.."

Tachimukai laughed a little, lying down next to me. We both turned our heads to look at the other, the final streams of the evening's sunlight bathing our faces in an orange glow. He inched closer, touching my hand with his, sending electricity through my body at the soft touch; slowly he closed his eyes, planting a gentle kiss on my lips. We just stayed like that, barely touching but feeling closer than we'd ever been-connected by the love we had for each other. His eyes fluttered open.

I shot up.
He looked at me rather startled.
"Fuck it. I was gonna wait until we got back but shit, you're being too cute right now Yuuki that I can't wait any longer."
He sat up, looking confused. I simply brought him close to me, hugging him tightly before placing a kiss on his forehead "I'll be right back."

(Tachimukai)
He sort of just ran off after that.
'Okay, what the heck just happened? We were having a moment there.'
I waited, rather impatiently for him to return to me, picking up a kebab and chewing on it 'this could do with some spice...' I thought to myself. I found myself sighing a little watching those beautiful crystal waves. It was just so beautiful here. Today had been very busy for us, the Tsunamis had insisted on taking me out to see the sights of Okinawa today; Churaumi aquarium, Shuri Castle, we went shopping in Kokusai Dori Street in Naha City too-they all really spoiled me and insisted on paying for everything. And the food, just incredible.

Okinawan culture is very distinct from the rest of Japan, and the food matches that. My favourite today was the Goya Champuru, washed down with some Orion beer; Jousuke's parents own a small but popular Izakaya and I'm sure I'll be spending many nights there with Jousuke since the food and drink is just so good. But the thing I enjoyed the most today was when Jousuke and I took a long drive in his pickup along the coast, nowhere particular in mind just the open road, the smell of the sea, the warmth of the sun on my skin and the cool air in my face as he jammed along to 80s classics. I've never experienced something so peaceful and enjoyable in my whole life.

I shuffled my feet a little in the warm sand, it really was perfect here, I'd been to Okinawa a couple of times; once as a small kid on holiday, a couple times when I was in Kyūshū Sangyo Uni, and a few times when I was working in Tokyo, but it seemed so different now that I was actually living here, embracing the culture, taking it all in. It was nice.

His parents were so lovely, very much like him although perhaps a little more subdued, his sister was much more like him though. Very energetic and fun, apparently she runs scuba diving tours for tourists on the islands, though this was the first time I was officially meeting her since she's been away in Hawaii for over a year now. I suppose it makes sense that that's her profession-the whole family is very ocean-minded. In fact, it seems so strange that I've never met his parents up til now. Of course I've heard all about them from Jousuke, and I've spoken to them on the phone, seen them a few times when they'd pop into frame when Jousuke and I were Skyping. But I'd never properly met them.

There were logistical reasons of course, we live far away from each other so Jousuke and myself's time was always limited. When we were younger Tsunami came round a few times, but since Fukuoka is far he'd only be able to come like in the holidays, he'd have to fly as well which I know he always hated since he doesn't do well with planes, but he always said it was worth it to see me- that it was "nothing compared to the vastness of the sea".

I chuckled a little to myself at his ways.
So we spent most of our time when we were dating by Skyping, texting, talking on the phone. And then when we could meet we'd just try and spend as much time as possible. One hour and 45 minutes on a plane was already difficult, but it became two and and half hours when I graduated uni and moved to Tokyo for work. And yet he still always came, even though it was so tiresome and expensive for him. And in the last few months he's been around so often since there's been so many parties and events on but he always says it's no bother- he's always been laid back like that. His surf school had just started up so he wasn't too busy with it, sometimes he'd stay with me for a few days before going back, or with Tobitaka since they're good friends and he can get some decent food at his. A part of me can't help but think maybe he kept me away from his parents because he knew how I felt towards my own; I just wanted it to be us, no one else interfering and giving judgement. It's why I moved to Tokyo in the first place. I was running away.

Tokyo really wasn't for me. I thought it would be fun, and I'd be closer to Endou and the others which was what I really wanted. Tsunami and his family belong in Okinawa, they fit there; I did not feel either of those things in Tokyo. It was stress, cramped streets and even more cramped public transport, it was Corporations and Shannon and my shitty job only made bearable by Riku, Natalie and Alice. I missed those three, Alice had promised me she'd take me back to her home in Chicago, and the others were great too, but I'm so glad I got out of here. Even if I don't feel I quite belong here right now I hope I will some day.

I miss home.
As much as I do love it here I can't help but feel nostalgic for the sights and smells of Fukuoka.
The sea, getting ice cream after school with my friends, or piling into restaurants after football practice, cheering on the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in baseball even though I didn't think much of the sport. I thought Tokyo would help me to forget, but it just made the homesickness worse.
I missed my family.
I couldn't believe it but I did actually miss them. I know I say I hate my parents, and I still do, but it's not them that I'm mad at- it's who they've become.

They were good parents. Looked after me, gave me everything I wanted, maybe a little overprotective at times but that was just how they were and I knew it was just because of how much they loved me. They liked Jousuke too when they first met him. They couldn't be happier with my 'Okinawan Senpai', he seemed to bring me out of my shell a bit whenever I was around, and they said they were glad I had a friend who could be a good role model for me. Not that he really was. I was always the more responsible of us, he didn't act like my senior and sometimes would do things without thinking; but that's what made me fall so in love with him. He was just so cool and laid-back, never took himself or situations too seriously, he was the ultimate stress-relief for me.

But then they found out we were secretly dating. And it's like they changed overnight. Overnight he went from my lovable upperclassman to a terrible person who'd turned me gay. Overnight I went from their much-loved, precious baby to a naive fool that had been manipulated from my mother's perspective, and a disgusting, pathetic excuse for a son from my father's.

Shamefully, a tiny part of me wishes we'd just stayed friends...we could just be the best of friends like always, and I'd still love Jousuke, with all my heart, but I wouldn't have told him. He'd get a lovely girlfriend, a nice woman, and I'd give them distance, but still love him, knowing I could not have him. I'd stay closeted, maybe stay single forever, crying myself to sleep at night over the thought of him because I'd know no one would ever be able to come close to how he made me feel. It would be difficult, the hardest, most tragic thing I'd have to endure, but it would be the easier option; the option where everyone would stay happy, happy in blissful ignorance.

But that's not what happened. Because I gave in to my desires, I knew I had to let him know just how he made me feel, just how much I wanted to be with him even though I knew it would cause problems, problems I knew I wouldn't be able to take and problems I knew would leave deep scars. But I had to do it. I couldn't keep it a secret any longer.
And then I found out he felt the exact same way.

My thoughts were disrupted when I was alerted to the sound of feet pounding the sand.

'Dayum, he looks like someone out of Baywatch.' I blushed at the thought as ran up to me, he was holding something behind his back; a present? Flowers? Food?
He grinned down at me before coughing. "Uh yes?" I asked expectantly, wondering what he was up to. 'Surely he's not going to-' my thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly got down on one knee.

"Tachimukai Yuuki, we've been together for eight years now, and truthfully those have been the best eight years of my life. We've been through thick and thin together, you make me smile and it's almost like everywhere you go you bring a little sunshine with you. I love you so much Yuuki, you were the first person I ever fell in love with and I can't imagine spending another waking moment with you just as your boyfriend anymore. I know you're still young, and you've got your whole life ahead of you but I just want to spend the rest of my life with you; so would you make me the happiest person right now and be my husband?"

I blinked.
"What?"
He blinked, looking from me, to the ring, then back to me again. "What do you mean what?"
"It's just...I never imagined you'd ask to marry me, I didn't think you'd care about something like that. I'm a bit shocked." I said truthfully.
He shuffled towards me, ring outstretched "So...is that a no?-"
"-Oh god no. Of course I'll marry you Jousuke!" I laughed and tackled him to the ground.

"Yes Tsunami. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" I yelled, laughing loudly. He breathed out a sigh of relief "You really scared me then! I thought my speech had ruined everything! Iako gave me a hand with it...I didn't quite know how to put all the words together, they just kept getting all jumbled.." He admitted, blushing a little.

"It was beautiful Tsunami, thank you." We both sat up and I grinned "We need to go, right away!"
"To where?" He asked, my grin became larger "To tell my new parents-in-law the great news!"

(8:30pm)
(Sakuma)
"Gen. Come and see this." I said as he walked over, lying down next to me. I showed him the post that had just appeared on my feed.

Seen at: 8.29pm
Just popped the question...
And
He said yes!

((Haha yeah that's it! Hope you like, sorry for slow updates!