They would probably spend their days like this? How he spends one day when there is no “S”
8:00-11:00 Wakes up (he probably has low blood pressure. He seems like the type who takes a long time to wake up and falls back asleep 3 times while Carla wakes him up) 11:00-13:00 prepares for calligraphy displays (with Carla remotely), gets ready 13:00-14:00 Has lunch 14:00-16:00 Prepares materials for news articles, writes 16:00-17:00 teaches calligraphy 17:00-19:00 responds to emails 19:00-23:00 entertains guests while having dinner (I think that sometimes Nanjo’s shop becomes the location for where he entertains guests and they end up talking about the events of the “S”.) 23:00-24:00 has bath 24:00-26:00 Prepares for work, does maintenance on Carla 26:00-28:00 goes to bed
There’ssakura: sweet pink flowers, light and subtle.
And on the other hand, you’ve got matcha: the green tea with a rich, earthy scent and taste.
Sakura’s soft taste works well in desserts and drinks. It’s noticeable without overpowering the other flavors that it’s mixed with.As for matcha, it has a stronger kick, and a different flavor compared to other types of green tea. You might think it tastes grassy (if you’ve ever tasted grass before…) or like green vegetables.
When you try the sakura matcha combo, you’ll taste the matcha first, for sure. The sakura sneaks in after the green tea, adding hints of bitterness and sweetness as a twist on the overall flavor.
Together, they’re like a flowering cherry blossom tree and the earth it’s rooted in.
Disclaimer : I do not write this, I can’t even write a full proper essay, you can read the full article here
(my sk8 skecret skanta gift for Not_so_wicked_witch!)
Kojiro was already in the kitchen when Miya woke up, though Kaoru wasn’t to be seen. It wasn’t very surprising. Like him, Kaoru didn’t tend to sleep till late in the evening. Late late. Though, where he was distracted with video games or homework, Kaoru was distracted with work or tech. Of course Kojiro didn’t have the best sleep schedule, either. But he needed to wake up early to get the restaurant ready and he had a good track record of doing so no matter how late he fell asleep. On days like this, the whole family slept in at least a bit. Even Kojiro who somehow managed to wake up just early enough to force Kaoru and Miya to wake up with a ‘proper breakfast’. (In Miya’s opinion, a toasted poptart was proper enough.) There was coffee on the table for Kaoru already and Miya made a beeline for it. Before he managed to stretch out a hand and wrap it around the handle, Kojiro’s hand was over the top and pulling it closer to himself.
“Not a chance.” Kojiro hadn’t even looked over, just turned the stove off. When he turned there was a plate piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast balanced on his hand.
“But Kojiro,” Miya complained with a pout, though he knew for once it wouldn’t actually get him anywhere. There were things Miya could convince Kojiro to let him do, even after a ‘no’, with a pout. And then there were things like this where it didn’t matter.
“It’ll stunt your growth and you’re already short enough, kiddo,” Kojiro said with a teasing smile that made Miya huff and roll his eyes. “Get your mom up for me?” He’d called Kaoru ‘mom’ once as a joke, and it ended up sticking. Sometimes Kaoru complained about it. All of them could tell it was rather halfhearted, though.
“Sure.” Miya shrugged a shoulder and moved to get Kaoru from the bedroom. This was typical too. No matter how late Miya managed to sleep, Kaoru was normally the last up. On the way to his parent’s bedroom, Miya glanced into Kaoru’s office to see if he could spot whatever he’d been working on the night before. There was a cloth on the table, dark gray in the shadows with something under it. He clicked his tongue and continued. The door had been left open, probably in an ineffectual effort to rouse Kaoru with the smells alone. Or maybe Kojiro just liked the illusion it gave of still being close to Kaoru, no doors closed between them. Miya wasn’t sure and he didn’t really care enough to ask. He knocked lightly on the door and wasn’t surprised when Kaoru didn’t stir. A sigh left him, shoulders sagging forward and a smile twitching his lips. So annoying. He stepped carefully into the room, steps light till he reached the end of the bed to crawl on over the covers. Before he scooted around and shoved himself under the covers because Kaoru liked the room a little too cold to be fully human. When Kaoru’s eyes blearily opened a bit in confusion, Miya moved closer to him and spoke at a normal volume. “Mom, breakfast’s ready.” Kaoru startled.
“Jesus,” Kaoru sighed, voice still rough from the lack of sleep. Miya laughed and Kaoru pulled him closer to himself, still soft enough with sleep that his retribution was simply smothering his son.
“Hey!” The complaint was muffled against Kaoru’s nightshirt- something not originally his but stolen from Kojiro an unknown amount of time ago. He was squeezed tightly once and then released. Miya took a dramatic breath in when he was. There was a snort from Kaoru.
“I thought I’d have to wake you both up,” Kojiro teased when they came into the kitchen and Miya stuck his tongue out at him. The three of them sat around the table, Kaoru reaching for his coffee before he reached for anything else, making a pleased hum as he took a sip. It was quiet as they ate. A third of the table still waking up, the other two content in the quiet. Miya dragged the toes of a fuzzy sock against the hardwood floor, his other leg tucked up under him. Across from him, Kaoru’s legs were crossed, his body angled in the chair and hands wrapped around his mug to soak the warmth into his skin. Next to him Kojiro was putting some eggs on his toast, also sitting at an angle, a foot kicked up on Kaoru’s chair in the space Kaoru wasn’t occupying and the other tapping a steady rhythm into the floor. Air came easily in the space between the three of them. Soft like the beginnings of a sunrise. Oranges in the way Miya’s eyes flickered to his phone when Reki texted him. Pinks in how Kojiro smiled softly at Kaoru. The lighter blues in the curve of Kaoru’s back as he read the newspaper, glasses perched low and golden on his nose.
It wasn’t until Miya and Kaoru started to wash the dishes- Kaoru washing and Miya drying and putting away- that any conversation really got started.
“So what do you guys want to do today?”
Miya shrugged. “Finish the sidequest I’m stuck on.”
“Finish my project,” Kaoru said.
Even without looking back, Miya could see his dad’s expression in the flatness of his tone. “ Lazy Saturday, Kaoru. Mean anything to you?”
“A day of wasted time?” One of Kaoru’s eyebrows lifted. If he was still wearing his glasses, Miya knew it’d be over the rim. Miya could barely suppress his snort.
“It’s good for you!” Kojiro argued. “Give that big brain of yours an actual break.” Kaoru rolled his eyes like it was an inconvenience. Whether or not it actually was, Miya figured was a matter of opinion. At the very least, there were no pressing deadlines his mom needed to meet.
“Fine, I’ll take a break.”
“That’s all I ask,” Kojiro said.
“But I’m going right back to it tomorrow.” ‘Tomorrow’ definitely meaning midnight. Or sometime before midnight. Really, it depended on when Kojiro released him from the ‘break’. But it probably wouldn’t be before ten.
“I figured you would.” Kojiro kissed Kaoru’s cheek on his way past. It definitely wouldn’t be before ten. On his way past Miya he ruffled his already messy bedhead and Miya swatted at his hands. “Kaoru, when you two are finished I’ll help you with your hair. Yours too, kid.” Kaoru hummed in acknowledgement and Miya nodded. Two more dishes and they were done.
It wasn’t exactly common for Kojiro to do either of their hair. Miya’s hair was short enough that he did it quickly himself and Kaoru frankly forgot about his own half the time, keeping it perpetually in an unbrushed low ponytail until he went to S or had to be around others. (Much as it annoyed even him.) So it was almost special when Kojiro did their hair, even in its mediocrity. Even if neither admitted it as they sat cross legged on the couch. They used Miya and Kojiro’s shared green hairbrush, since Kaoru’s white hairbrush was small and kept in the glove compartment of his car. Since his hair was much shorter, Miya’s was always taken care of first. The brush ran through it and Miya almost purred as it tugged gently at the knots. When Miya’s was done, he leaned against Kaoru’s side with his gameboy, tinny music coming lightly from it as he played. Both because it was longer and because it naturally tangled more, Kaoru’s took longer. Just like Miya, he practically purred with a pleased smile as Kojiro tugged at the knots as gently as he could. Kojiro was amused to no end with how similar Miya and Kaoru could be. (Though the same could be said about Kaoru with how similar Miya and Kojiro were.) He finished Kaoru’s hair with a black hairband, up in a bun just to annoy him later when he’d take it down. (And now as well, Kaoru sending a flat glare at Kojiro’s reflection in the tv.) When he was done, he clapped his hands together, making Miya look up. “Alright, any ideas?”
“We could play a game,” Miya said.
“Like a video game?” Kojiro asked.
Miya smirked. He could see the expression mirrored via Kaoru’s reflection in the tv. “Scared, old man?”
“Not a chance,” Kojiro scoffed. It was half a lie. Somehow, despite having Miya for four years now, Kojiro hadn’t gotten any better at video games. Kaoru certainly had, though. It’d seemed so natural for his husband. Like he could just speak to the game as if it were Carla. Really he wouldn’t be surprised if that’s exactly what it was. Tech was like Kaoru’s second language. Him, though, he’d always been better at the more physical stuff and most video games just weren’t that.
“We could play Mario Party to try and give your clumsy gorillaness a chance,” Kaoru said with a smile.
“Gee thanks,” Kojiro said, pulling at a strand close to Kaoru’s scalp. “What about a card game instead?”
“Bo-ring,” Miya complained.
They ended up doing both. The wins were fairly evenly split, with Miya only winning three more than Kaoru and five more than Kojiro. Including a card game he stole victory from Kojiro in. By the day’s end there were dishes from the sandwiches they’d made and multiple soda cans piled on the floor next to the table with three wii controllers and cards scattered on said table. Kaoru gathered up the cards, prompting Kojiro and Miya to help for the next few minutes to get everything back in order.
In the kitchen, Kaoru found Kojiro leaning against the counter in front of the microwave. There was a bowl next to him. The microwave counting down the seconds, the light showing the bag slowly expanding inside. When Kojiro noticed him, he lit up with a smile, outshining the microwave’s faint light. He could probably cook with that expression alone , Kaoru thought briefly before subtly shaking it away. “Miya’s picking a movie,” Kojiro told him.
“Is he?” Kaoru asked.
“So we’re alone, for a bit,” Kojiro shrugged nonchalantly and Kaoru rolled his eyes but stepped closer. Kaoru cupped Kojiro’s cheeks and kissed him softly. Hands went to his hair, fingers slipping under the strands to scratch against his scalp. A pleasant tingle went down his spine and he hummed against Kojiro’s lips. His hands fell to Kojiro’s waist, holding him close. Mouths opened, Kojiro moaned as Kaoru lightly bit down on his tongue. There was no fumbling like there’d been years ago when they’d first gotten together. No need to rush or spike of adrenaline. Just a slow dance they both knew the dance to. Comfortable in a way kissing had never been for Kaoru. Not until Kojiro.
“I got the tv set-” Miya broke off at almost the same moment his parents did. Except his was words and theirs were lips. His nose scrunched up in disgust. Yes, he knew his parents kissed, but that was very different from walking in on them making out like teenagers against the kitchen counter. As flat as he could, “Guys.”
Kaoru took another step away from Kojiro, clearing his throat. At least he looked awkward about it, cheeks so pink they rivaled his hair. Kojiro just laughed. Very strongly, Miya considered stretching out on the couch next to Kaoru while they watched the movie so he’d have to sit on the floor. But Kojiro was comfortable to lay on. So instead he just rolled his eyes and grabbed m&ms from the cabinet before heading back for the living room. The microwave beeped and neither Kaoru nor Kojiro knew if it was the first time it had. But they had a feeling it wasn’t.
When they walked back to the living room, bowl of popcorn in Kojiro’s hand, Kaoru wasn’t surprised to see the movie Miya picked. The main menu showed a castle, Merry Go Round of Life playing from the screen. Miya’d been on a bit of a Ghibli kick, lately. Out of all the media Miya could be into right now, Kaoru didn’t mind the Ghibli movies. They settled in on the couch, Miya between his parents, to watch Howl’s Moving Castle. Two hours later, Kojiro was somehow the only one awake. Both Miya and Kaoru were against his side, having adjusted themselves so Miya was tucked into Kaoru’s arms with his head beneath his chin. Kojiro turned off the tv and dragged the blanket from the back of the couch and over the three of them before he laid back against the arm of the couch, careful not to wake either. It was likely he’d regret it later. But… Kojiro looked down at his favourite people, wrapped in his arms with a smile. Gently as he could, he squeezed them tighter. Any future discomfort was more than worth it. He sunk further into the couch to join them in sleep.
“ The thing Kojiro likes about Kaoru the most though is his sense of style. Sort of. Not that there’s a dearth of attractive physical qualities when it comes to Kaoru, but Kojiro has a fondness for the clothes he wears. Specifically, how they make it so easy to get access to him. How seamless it is to pull apart the layers, palm him through expensive fabric, lay little lovebites across his bare chest. How Kojiro doesn’t even have to get him fully naked to enjoy him. “
