It was rare that Aki fell asleep before me and I got to witness him sleeping peacefully. If he was terrible at one thing in his entire life, it was sleeping. As I enjoyed the moment watching him sprawled out beside me, I held up my hands to the small glimmer of light coming in through the window. On my left hand, my wedding band that matched Aki's, and stacked on top of it was the diamond ring that he had given me. On my right hand, he had place the ring he proposed to me with on my ring finger, and I hadn't moved it. Aki monopolized both of my hands, and it all felt like his desperate gestures to try to convey the impossible depth of his love for me. I wasn't sure if I would ever really understand just how much I meant to him, and I knew he was simply accepting of the fact that he meant something to me. To him, I knew, it didn't matter how much. He didn't trouble himself over those types of details. He knew I loved him, and that was enough.

Fuji met us at the door as we arrived home in Kamakura. We hadn't left the hotel in Nagoya until late afternoon, after checking out and taking a detour to a coffee shop, and we arrive as the sun was setting in Kamakura.

Fuji held his arms out to give me a welcoming hug as we approached the door. "You're just in time for dinner." He said. "Kota and Hiro just opened all the take out."

"You didn't even bother to cook while you were taking advantage of my house?" Aki laughed as he squeezed past Fuji, and slapped him a few times atop his shoulder.

We left our bags at the door, took off our boots and coats, and sat down to join the conversation as if we had been there the whole time. "No, we're having a traditional Christmas dinner of fried chicken. You should have seen what we ate yesterday. The point is that we're all here eating together."

"Aki!" Kota pointed excitedly from his seat on the floor. He had been reaching over the table to take a portion from one of the containers, but stopped all his actions when he saw Aki enter the room. "Did Fuji tell you? New year's eve live with a midnight countdown!"

Aki paused to exchange a glance with Fuji. "No." He said.

"No? Are you serious?"

"New year's eve is Natsu's birthday." Aki began to explain, quickly divulging the information. He didn't get caught up in the idea of a live show at all. He didn't forget the details for even an instant. "It's also our one-year wedding anniversary."

But I couldn't let him say no. "Aki, honestly there's no better way to celebrate both of those things than on stage with Guardian." I said. "It would be even more special, because it would be the first concert since we moved back to Kamakura."

Aki nodded, showing that he had heard what I said and was considering it. "I'll think about it." I knew he was mostly convinced, but didn't want to admit it. He wanted to perform the show. It's what he lived for. He just needed permission, because it was more than just another day for us.

"I slept in your bed one night." Fuji said as we finished dinner, and began to clear the take out containers. He slapped Aki's shoulder. "But I changed the sheets for you two."

Aki picked me up so unexpectedly, I let out a small shout, and he draped me over his shoulder. "That's okay, old man." He said to Fuji, ignoring what he had just done to me. "The bed is big enough for three if you get too uncomfortable on the couch."

Reaching the bedroom, Aki put me down on the bed, crawling over me on his hands and knees. As he leaned down to kiss me, something caught my eye behind him. "Aki, look!"

Set up in the middle of the room was a small Christmas tree, glittering with warm yellow lights, like a nightlight creating an even more inviting atmosphere in the room. Aki rolled to his back beside me to look, and settled in, lifting his arms over his head as if he hadn't realized how tired he was until he had relaxed.

"Fuji." He said with a laugh. "Everyone says I think of everything, but it's only because I take lessons from him."

We laid there looking at the tree in the dark for a while, until my eyes started to close, comforted by the relaxation of home. In the background, I could hear the rest of Guardian laughing and talking loudly, and I was happy to hear the sounds. I thought I could have fallen asleep listening to my adopted misfit family in the background of my life any time.

"We should get in the shower." Aki's voice was soft, and he was speaking like he didn't know if I had fallen asleep.

I sighed heavily, with happiness. "I can't believe we're all here right now." I said. I felt Aki turn his attention to me, but he didn't move. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we really did just have a one night stand."

He laughed. It was a surprised sort of laugh, and I could tell he wasn't expecting me to say anything like that. "Why do you think about that?"

"I just wonder, because you're very open about our relationship, even right from the start. You always say you were never into one night stands. I just wonder if that's all I wanted from you, if you still would have done it." I laughed at myself, speaking my train of thought out loud. "It's just something funny I think about, considering the life we have now."

"I still would have done it."

His voice had been serious. I looked at his face, surprised at his words, to read his expression. "You would have?"

"I was already halfway in love with you. Even if you had told me all you wanted was one night, I would have done my best to convince you to give me a chance afterwords until you ghosted me." He laughed at himself as well. "The rest, I won't tell you."

"Aki! You've already told me this much." His reasons were sincere, and even hearing how against one night stands he was, his logic was understandable.

He made a sound as if he wasn't sure what words to say but felt an obligation to start speaking. "I hadn't been with anyone in years, and I really wanted to." He sounded embarrassed. "I didn't think I wanted to fall in love with anyone again, so I thought a one night stand would be my only option."

"Wait. Did you want a one night stand with me?"

He laughed with his breath, still embarrassed. Usually it was me who was embarrassed about having such conversations. "No. I didn't." He said. "Like I said, I was already halfway in love with you."

Every time Aki and I had a conversation like that, I learned something new about him.