What Is Love? (GenMui)

What Is Passion?

A few days had passed since the night they stargazed. That day when Muichiro experienced an attraction like no other. Faint whispers in the night sky, company to override the sight, and a heart pumping in Roman measurements.

The feeling was intimidating. It made him uneasy, coating him in a miserable semblance of concern. A thought that followed him for days, and it pursued to linger. His mind was open for more desperate thoughts to sing their romantic quarrels.

Muichiro wanted every answer.

"How are things with you and that boy?" His father would ask at the entrance of his bedroom door, an evident smirk playing on his lips as he pondered the idea of Muichiro seeking oneself.

Even then, with the blatant answer in the presence of his pupils, a code for him to crack, he still couldn't come to a conclusion. After all, the feeling was purely new and uninviting. If it was love, he'd beg for a more gentle approach and take it with integrity.

However, it was a passion of sorts, stronger in feeling than the likes of love. When he stared at Genya, his heart thumped profusely, measured by the glimmer in his graceful eyes. It wasn't soft, nor was it pure, but it was gluttonous—approaching without warning and making him feel feelings that he'd never done so before.

"Daddy, how did you realize you were in love with mom?" He would ask, answering his father's question with another intriguing question.

The older one sat beside his son, massaging his leg gently as he began to think. At that moment, his thoughts would travel, diving into safes of desperate memories unlocked. On his lips appeared a smile, and he stared at his son as if he were the one who gave it to him.

And perhaps he was, some might predict. But it was the wife who ignited a genuine grin of content. The son had only mentioned her.

"You just kinda know," His father would explain, staring up at the ceiling, a warm feeling in his chest complimenting the rampant beatings of his heart.

"But I don't."

The older one slowly shook his head, grinning slightly, his memories still in tact. It was now his time to spread his knowledge, as his parents did to him, and the parents who came before.

"You'll know when the sound of his name makes your heart race, not in fear but in a rhythm you've never felt before. It's like a song only your soul knows, and it plays whenever he's near, resonating in your chest, soft and steady, or wild and untamed, depending on how close he stands to you..."

His father would continue to go on and on, but in that moment alone, Muichiro began to summarize his lesson. It went a little something like this:

You'll know when his voice becomes the lullaby that soothes the chaos of your mind.

You'll know when his touch lingers on your skin long after he's gone, like a warm glow that chases away the coldness of solitude.

You'll know when his absence feels like an ache that won't heal, a void that no distraction can fill. You'll search for him in crowded rooms, in quiet corners, in your own thoughts, and feel incomplete when he's not there.

You'll know when every word he says matters, even the mundane ones about the weather or his day at school. His opinions shape your world, his thoughts become your musings, and you find yourself caring about the things he loves, simply because they are a part of him.

You'll know when the future starts to mold itself around his presence. When you think of tomorrow, next year, or a lifetime ahead, and he is in every scenario, every plan, every dream.

You'll know when his flaws become endearing quirks rather than annoyances. Those imperfections, those little habits that might have irritated you in someone else, in him they become something you treasure, because they are uniquely his.

You'll know when time with him is never enough, yet even the briefest moments are filled with more meaning than hours spent elsewhere. When you find yourself wishing for just one more minute, one more word, one more smile, and when those moments with him become the ones you live for.

You'll know when his pain becomes your own. When you feel an ache in your heart at his sorrow, a tear in your eye at his grief, and an overwhelming urge to shield him from the world’s hardships.

You'll know when he becomes your safe place. When the world outside is harsh, but his presence is a sanctuary, a place where you can be your truest self, unguarded and unafraid.

And you'll know, most of all, when you realize that you love him not just for who he is, but for who you are with him. He brings out the best in you, helps you see the world in a different light, and makes you want to be better, not just for yourself, but for him too.

When you feel all of this and so much more, you'll know that you are truly, deeply, irrevocably in love.

Little did the older one know his explanation would confuse his youngest son all the more.