34 Devotion

"I love a proper holiday!" Ren declared as they walked down the cobbled street.

Dusk had settled but there were still people out and about. This autumn was warmer than usual and many were taking advantage of the weather.

The city where he had studied abroad was a duality. There were corners which had remained exactly as he remembered them. There were also new angles and facades which were entirely transformed.

Ren didn't feel any nostalgia. Only exhilaration since he was spending time here with Shinobu.

When the other man had a work offsite in this city, they decided to tag on a week of vacation. Ren just arrived the day before.

Best decision ever.

"About time," Shinobu agreed. His mind dialled back to the past two months. Between the personal drama and the grind at work, this was a welcome break.

Ren took control of the itinerary immediately. Determined to share the memories he had here with Shinobu. As if trying to fill the blanks of a line in a book.

It was endearing. The rough surfaces of Shinobu's heart, polished over time by Ren simply being in his life, had another shiny coat applied.

Ren opened his mouth but a street sign distracted him.

His footsteps came to a standstill.

Shinobu looked at the perpendicular lane. Quieter since it was lined by only a few shops which had shuttered for the day.

"Somewhere familiar?" he asked.

"Yeah." Ren seemed transfixed. He took Shinobu's hand. "Let's go! I want to see whether it's still here."

Shinobu followed him, curious and amused.

Ren was hopeful as he led them towards a specific spot. He couldn't quite remember where it was along the lane. The night had been a blur until that very moment.

He stopped.

There it was.

The same large display. Stacked with a variety of china and decorative items.

Shinobu stood next to him with a puzzle on his face.

Ren laughed and explained excitedly, "I bought it here! It was sitting right here next to the window!"

Shinobu glanced at the assortment of items and widened his eyes.

"Damn."

Ren heard the weight of emotion.

"I can't believe that the store is still here," Ren said with a certain awe.

He often wondered what would have happened if he hadn't chanced upon this place.

The alternative was too terrible to imagine.

Shinobu disengaged his hand gently and held his shoulders to turn him around to face him.

Ren smiled quizzically. There was a serious note in Shinobu's eyes.

"I was trying to find the right time," Shinobu began awkwardly. He reached for a pocket inside his coat.

Ren's eyes turned into saucers when he saw a box in Shinobu's palm.

Shinobu opened the box and said in a voice that was not quite steady, "Here."

Ren drew in a sharp intake of breath as he stared at the pair of simple platinum rings. He looked up at Shinobu and nearly broke down crying.

How typical of him to be so succinct. He was never one for fancy words. But Ren would never want it any other way.

"We can't make it official back home," Shinobu continued quietly. "But I wanted to do something."

"You.." Ren couldn't control his tears. The intense burst in his chest.

Surely happiness wasn't meant to choke him. Surely he couldn't love this man more than he already did.

"W-which one is mine?" he asked shakily.

When Shinobu pointed it out, Ren took it out of the box quickly and slipped it onto his finger.

"Wear yours," he said urgently.

Shinobu shook his head with amusement. But he complied and Ren waited patiently until the ring rested securely on Shinobu's finger.

Then he threw himself at Shinobu and kissed him passionately.

Pouring all, everything, the entirety of what he felt.

Shinobu responded with equal fierceness.

It didn't matter how many times they have kissed. A single peck on the cheek. A quick one before they set off to work. A string driven by lust before they made love.

Or simply, one filled with love.

They would never tire of it. Of this.

Their faces remained close when their lips parted.

"It's a set," Ren whispered. "We have to keep them together. Always."

The same words.

Shinobu remembered how small Ren's voice was back then. The hope in his eyes. The nervousness in his hands.

He also remembered the tightness under his own rib cage.

Until today, Shinobu could never quite believe his good fortune. A stroke of luck. A chance encounter in a dingy back alley.

Meeting Ren had changed his life.

"Okay," Shinobu vowed with every ounce of devotion he possessed.

Ren's smile, always beautiful, held his world.

"Okay."