Blending Scents (Finder no Hyouteki)

1

Akihito learned to ignore the stares from the rich clientele who shopped at the rich wives' supermarket . One didn't live with Asami Ryuichi and cowered under the stares of those who sneered at his ripped jeans. He didn't need to justify his reasoning for shopping in a place he never dreamed of walking into. Asami's preferences pushed him into changing his previous cheap shopping methods to accommodate Asami's rich palate.

As he hauled his bags off of the counter, he walked out of the front doors as the greeter wished him a good day. Nodding back and muttering a similar sentiment, Akihito turned toward the location of his scooter. Up ahead, he saw the silhouette of a person leaning against his scooter. Rolling his eyes, Akihito prepared himself to yell at the stranger when the person turned around. His golden eyes seemed to glow underneath the streetlights.

The young man straightened himself on his feet and fiddled with the collar of his shirt. He smoothed down his dark blazer and fiddled with his short blond hair. Making himself presentable for Akihito's oncoming presence. Once he deemed himself acceptable, he moved his arms wide to welcome Akihito's oncoming embrace.

Tears formed in Akihito's eyes as he exclaimed. "Ryoma! I haven't seen you in years!" Akihito ran to Ryoma and dropped his groceries on the ground. He wrapped his arms around him with the biggest smile on his face. "Look at you, you're as handsome as ever. How long are you visiting for?"

Smiling light, Ryoma answered. "A few days, maybe a week. It depends on how long I am able to linger in town." He burrowed his nose into Akihito's hair, inhaling his natural scent. When Akihito washed his hair, his natural scent of free ocean air and wet soil reappeared in full force.

"I'm glad I followed your advice in taking photography in university." Akihito nuzzled his face into Ryoma's neck and purred. "I knew I would have suffered being stuck in an office building all day. Thank you, Yocchan."

Ryoma hummed into Akihito's hair. "You would have never flourished in such a restrictive environment. Trust me, my own career is open enough to where I'm not ...antsy." He melted at the feeling of Akihito's running his fingers through his hair. "Before you ask, my siblings are healthy and happy. Chichiue is not retired yet. He still helps me in the family business."

Akihito moved his head back and looked into Ryoma's eyes. "When am I meeting your chichiue? The last time you visited, you talked all about him, but didn't give me any clues on his name. You know how much I hate having questions that I can't find the answer to."

Ryoma chuckled. "You already met him." Before Akihito began his line of questions, he removed his arms from Akihito to retrieve the bags from the floor. "Here you go. You really need to be careful. I know you don't like going back to that market for these items. Best to keep the visitations to a minimum."

"Thanks." Akihito peeked in the bags and to his relief none of the glass bottles broke. "How can I not throw them to the side? I needed to hug you, Yocchan."

"And I'm sufficiently scented, thank you."

Akihito's phone rang, a familiar tone that made his previous smile falter. "Damn it. Why does he get impatient?" He handed a bag to Ryoma before he took his phone from his pocket. Answering it without looking at his phone, he noted Ryoma's amused smile. "Yes? Yeah, I got held up at the market. What the- Look, it's not my fault that I am late. Ugh. Fine."

Ryoma waited until Akihito ended his call to inquire. "I didn't know you were running late for dinner." He opened the side compartments of the scooter and placed his bag inside. "You should get going before you get another phone call."

Akihito snorted. "He'll survive another ten minutes without me. Besides, he knew where I was going before I left the apartment. He needs to learn some damn patience." He shoved his bags into the side compartments as well. Slamming the tops shut, he asked. "Yocchan ...will you text me tomorrow morning?"