Birds' chirping cuts through to the subconscious. Sun rays peeking between the window made Jesse constantly open his eyes. A faint snore in front of him drew Jesse's attention to Yugo, who was sleeping soundly toward him.
Jesse then caressed Yugo gently and stared at Yugo’s face deeply.
What a beautiful creature he is…
Jesse then took a peck on Yugo’s cheek and snuggled down. Closing his eyes, wishing they could meet in a dreamland.
Rumble… Rumble…
Jesse opened his eyes as he heard thunder. Lightning struck as he opened his eyes. Making him hazing out, which one of the views is his reality. Jesse could also no longer find Yugo by his side, but he heard sounds from the kitchen.
"Morning, sleepy head," Yugo greeted. He looked warm with his mustard-colored cardigan and gray sweatpants, keeping himself busy with a frypan and omelet in it. He then took a sip of the tea in his hand and said, "Do you want your omelets with ketchup or salt?"
"Morning," Jesse yawned as he checked the time. It’s almost lunchtime, and he missed breakfast already. "Ketchup,"
However, he seemed pleased that Yugo was making him breakfast. He could only respond lightly because he was still dozing off from the drowsiness that had not yet lifted.
"Here," Yugo said, handing Jesse his plate and depositing all the dishes in his sink to be washed quickly.
"I thought I heard birds chirping, and now it's going to rain," Jesse said, looking out the window. Rain starts pouring, and he can no longer hear any sound of the television.
"Yeah. Seems like I have no choice but to stay with you in here," Yugo laughed scornfully. He then walked to the counter and checked the tab that he put on the counter table.
"Is it that bad for you to be trapped with me?" Jesse pouted.
"That’s not true," Yugo answered nonchalantly. "......I guess we have to cancel our lunch reservation then,"
"I wish I could go outside," Jesse sighed. "Why don’t we make it our home date? There’s a lot of groceries in your fridge,"
"Hm," Yugo said, seemingly unconcerned about Jesse.
"Kochi,"
"Sorry, what?"
"I'm talking to you," Jesse said, his brow furrowed. He already had this plan to go anywhere with Yugo, but everything that happened to him since the moment he opened his eyes was a misfortune.
"Yeah, sorry… I'm just checking to see if there's anything I'm missing before we enjoy our day off," Yugo dodged Jesse's scrutiny. "I messed up yesterday, and I have to make sure that I fixed them all,"
Yugo gets his ass down beside Jesse and partakes in his omelet. At times, he still checks his phone while feeling uneasy.
Jesse took a deep breath as he felt neglected by Yugo, who prioritized work above all else. It was a long waited day off after so long for Jesse. He has even been looking forward to this holiday. Jesse had planned everything he could enjoy on his day off, but the weather said otherwise. Even so, he is still trying to find other alternatives for things he can do in this bad weather. But Yugo instead ignored him by being preoccupied with his cell phone.
"Didn’t you say you turn your phone off during your day off?" Jesse asked sarcastically.
"I am,"
"So what are you doing then?"
"I told you I’m fixing my shit," Yugo was still stuck in his stance.
"There’s no one gives you any shit on your day off!"Jesse grabbed Yugo’s phone and put it on the farthest side that Yugo could not reach. He put Yugo’s phone backward as a sign that Jesse was showing him his concern and that he didn’t have any curiosity about what was inside Yugo’s phone but rather his attention.
"Jesse, c’mon! That’s not funny!" Yugo barked. "Give me 5 minutes and I’ll make it up to you!"
Jesse looked at Yugo with a suspicious look. Even though he didn't believe what Yugo said, which was clearly a bluff to get what he wanted, Jesse still gave Yugo's cell phone because the man said he was having work problems. He thought it would be a big problem if Yugo couldn't finish it just because Jesse was jealous of Yugo's distracted attention. He then decided to wait for Yugo for around five minutes while finishing his breakfast. There's nothing he can do now because even a homey date won't brighten his day. Yugo was probably stuck in his phone, and Jesse had no choice but to go back to sleep.
"Hey, why don’t we go to the home center after this?"
Hearing Yugo offers him a better alternative, Jesse straightened his back and nodded without hesitation. Yugo can't stop grinning after seeing a giant malamute-like boyfriend wag his tail in front of him.
"What are we going to do?"Jesse was full of questions because he had no idea what Yugo was up to. Yugo tends to prepare everything ahead of time, so Jesse understood that Yugo must have had a plan in his head.
"You said you want a homey date, right? I was just thinking about making it a little fancier because we were supposed to go outside for a good lunch."
As if nothing had happened, Jesse quickly devoured his food and chugged down the warm milk that Yugo served. The man couldn't serve much since he couldn't consume coffee. Yugo was bursting out loud as Jesse was choked by his own clumsiness, but he was glad that his way of making Jesse smile back never got old.
"Hey Kochi, can we buy this?"
"Kochi! Look at this!"
"Hey, Kochi, should we buy hammocks?"
Happy Jesse in the home center was like a kid in a wonderland. He looked at things he was unused to seeing enthusiastically and he kept throwing things to the trolley recklessly.
"I thought we would only have a homey date, why should I buy hammocks for a homey date?" Yugo murmured while putting some of the stuff back that Jesse had put on their trolley.
"For our next camp date!" Jesse whined. "Hey, why’d you put it back?"
"It’s a homey date! What’s with these candles and bath bombs? I made my own bath bombs, and I don’t need candles!" Yugo replied.
"I thought you wanna make it fancier,"
"I am! But it’s all for outdoor activities, and I don’t need these! What is this? Insect repellent? Put it back!" Yugo claimed. "Let’s just go to the food corner and find fancy foods you want to eat,"
Yugo just left Jesse with the unneeded things he wanted Jesse to put back. Yugo has already got plenty on his plate, and he still has to sort things.
The confusion and enthusiasm for their impulsive shopping seem to make them lose track of time. They should have gone home early to make a late lunch, but time had shown that it would be wise for them to eat lunch with the fast food available there to save time.
When it rains, the roads become clogged. Yugo and Jesse have to prepare themselves for the busy roads and make sure their stomachs aren't empty. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, Jesse increased the volume of Yugo’s bluetooth radio. They could just be jamming to any genre of the songs that Jesse played. The car is already a mobile karaoke system. Jesse would put a full effort into the songs he was good at, and fool around when he had this impulsive idea to play an opera song or a ballad song in an opera singer's voice.
Being with Jesse can be tiring at times. There are times when he demands a lot of things and wants more attention. However, Yugo realized that Jesse was everything. He always came back to Jesse's place, no matter what. No matter how annoyed he was at Jesse's behavior, which rarely gave him space, he understood that only Jesse understood him. He realized that they were meant to be together. Just like an old couple who relies on each other.
"I’m tired," Jesse just put the groceries on the coffee table and threw himself on the couch as they reached their apartment.
"Oi, help me out with this! What are you doing flopping around there!" Meanwhile, Yugo was still struggling with his belongings since he put his stuff in its place right away. "Those were meant to be my words! You don’t even drive!"
"I am putting the biggest effort in here. I was singing for you for like 30 minutes to entertain you,"
"I’m not asking you to do that!"
Despite that, being with Jesse is always fun. Even though he was quite demanding, Yugo himself was aiming for that nonsense quarrel since he was longing to hear Jesse’s unique excuses, which were a form of his escaping from the main job.
Not arguing any further, Jesse finally got up from his position and followed Yugo who walked into the kitchen. He opened all his groceries and put them where they should be. Meat in the freezer, vegetables in the refrigerator, and daily necessities in the special cupboard.
Even though Jesse and Yugo live together, Jesse often asks where he should keep things. He knows he's not good at tidying up, and Yugo is a very tidy person. To help himself when looking for items, Jesse follows Yugo's way of placing items. He will let Yugo arrange each item's location so he will know where to look for the item.
Of course, Jesse still used to put things in random places at times. Yugo's anger always came along afterward when Jesse did his bad habit. But if it wasn't Yugo, Jesse definitely couldn't take care of himself properly.
"Jesse, could you please taste this for me?"
"Which one?"
Yugo was busy stirring a cheese fondue in his pan, as he knew cheese was Jesse’s favorite. As he was asked to taste the dish, Jesse then drew nearer to Yugo by embracing him from behind. Wrapping his long hands around Yugo’s slim body, and making that man turn half of his body to feed Jesse with a teaspoon.
"I might be the happiest person in the world. Seems like I just want to marry you just like that,"
Jesse brushed his cheeks against Yugo’s head to give the impression of how delighted he was. The unique impression of the cooking that Jesse gave made Yugo laugh. He then patted Jesse on the butt to get him off, or they could hurt themselves in the kitchen. Jesse then went back to his place, preparing the side dishes while dancing to the music filling their living room. It turns out that just by adding a little spice, a simple holiday can become so special.
"Wait, I need to get something first!" Yugo then stopped as he recalled something that crossed his mind. "Jesse, could you please watch the stew? I’ll be right back soon,"
"Alright," Jesse said as he checked on the garlic bread he'd made while staring intently at the oven. He doesn’t want to burn it off, and as he wasn’t used to doing multiple things at one time in the kitchen, he stopped himself from doing another thing, instead focusing on one to prioritize.
Without asking any further, Jesse agreed to do Yugo a favor.
As three-quarters of the dishes had been done, Jesse had nothing left to do but watch the stew until it boiled perfectly. He tried to make himself useful by stirring a bowl of salad with ham, but it just took one blink to get it all done. At times, he was looking at the linguine with clams and how appealing the cheese fondue was. Holding himself back from touching any of them until Yugo is back since the man might want to take a picture of it. Even so, it seemed Jesse couldn't resist taking some garlic bread made by him, slathered in homemade garlic butter, and seasoning it with some of the stew and a bit of cheese fondue.
"The rain stopped," Jesse whispered to himself while looking through the window outside. His focus was distracted as he realized he was no longer hearing any heavy rain sounds outside. "What takes Kochi so long?"
Clack…
Bam…
A bamming sound of the door closing was heard as Jesse poured the stew into a bowl. "Kochi, where have you been? It’s all done!"
"Yeah, sorry… I need to do things," Yugo replied nonchalantly. Instead of taking his job to get back to the kitchen, Yugo walked to the coffee table and put some of the prepared dishes there with him.
"Where are you going?" Jesse seemed so clueless about Yugo’s sudden act.
"I want to show you something. C’mon!" Yugo tilted his head, giving the sign so Jesse could follow him along. While still at sea, Jesse rushed over to bring the bowl of salad and the plate of garlic bread on top. In his right hand, he was busy bearing the heat of the stew that was just ready to be served. "Hey! Wear gloves! You can’t handle that heat for that long!"
"Right," Jesse said, still hurrying to bring his own food.
Yugo then put the fondue pot on the shelf at the entrance and asked Jesse to come out first. He then asked Jesse to hold the door with his feet, then let the door automatically lock when they were both out.
Yugo led Jesse to follow him to the rooftop. Jesse still couldn't stop thinking about what Yugo would think of having their dinner on the rooftop while the rain had just stopped, in the middle of winter.
"Wait, what?"
Jesse was jaw-dropped as he couldn’t believe what he saw. The rooftop was decked out in pretty LED lights and cushions. The kotatsu table is in the perfect range between the cushions and the screen that plays a movie from the projector. On top of that, Jesse could find the perfect wine to complete the dinner. It looks like Morocco’s room as he always wanted to have one. There’s also a hammock hanging at one side facing the screen, and it was absolutely perfect.
"Welcome to our diner, sir," Yugo bowed as he was a steward at a high-end restaurant. "Can you help me prepare the rest? I need to go back to the room first to bring the stove and cutlery,"
"Su,-sure," Jesse was still at a loss as he was so amazed at what Yugo did for him. He felt like Yugo was playing with him, as he was acting like a jerk to suddenly mess with him in every aspect.
While he waited for Yugo, he was comforted by a chilling song that was already playing. This is not the homey date he was asking for, but Yugo made it feel like magic.
Many people tell them to end their relationship. Yugo is a person who has his own pattern of life that everyone must follow. Meanwhile, Jesse is a very obedient person. On the one hand, Jesse does have many desires, but he only wants one big point, and he leaves the rest to the people he cares about. As long as he can be with the people he cares about, Jesse will always follow his wishes.
Jesse's kindness sometimes makes people feel sorry for him. The first time Jesse and Yugo started living together while still having their own apartments, people judged that their decision to live together in that way was the result of half-hearted feelings. However, Jesse still ignored the opinion. People do not experience their relationship. So many sweet memories that Yugo gave him, and only they can feel the connection that exists between them. Jesse persisted because he felt that Yugo understood him, and so did Yugo.
Just as what Yugo did tonight . . . .
"Sorry to keeping you waiting," Yugo said as he returned with a portable stove and a bag of cutlery. Jesse then stood up from his place and helped Yugo prepare the cutlery while Yugo prepared the stove.
"Is this why you keep putting back things I want to buy?" Jesse blurted out his curiosity.
"Am I guessing wrong?" Yugo seemed more puzzled than Jesse. He was suddenly worried about being overconfident in his guesses about what Jesse wanted. "Wasn’t Moroccan style like this?"
"Bullseye, bastard," Jesse blew hot-cold to hide his flushed cheeks. Even so, Yugo can clearly see how Jesse was avoiding his gaze in favor of another sight.
Half an hour has passed since the first time they started cooking. The roof of their apartment doesn't get wet because it has a canopy that protects it from the storm. They can relax and enjoy their warm dinner while enjoying the evening atmosphere. In the bitterly cold February, they ate their dinner under the kotatsu while enjoying a movie that Yugo had prepared to accompany their dinner.
The cold air made them so voraciously eat their dinner. It didn't take them up to an hour to wolf out everything.
When Jesse felt he was no longer able to sit up while holding his stomach, he got up from his place and headed for the hammock which also provided thick blankets.
"Kochi, come here!"
Jesse patted the hammock and asked Yugo to join him. The hammock is so big that it could fit two people. Yugo then gets into the hammock slowly, snuggles down to Jesse’s back, and lets that big guy wrap him from the back.
"Thank you for today," Jesse whispered tenderly. "Sorry if I was a pain in the ass today. Is your work okay?"
"What work?"
"The work that you said you'd messed up with!"
"That’s a lie. Hahaha," Yugo’s reveal made Jesse get up all of a sudden, making the hammock shake, and Yugo shrieked at the same time.
"I can’t believe you!"
"I was tracking my online deliveries!" Yugo explained. "The hammock, the projector, this Moroccan-style cushions, isn’t this all you want for so long? I was tracking them. And I rushed to get them ready as they had arrived safely two hours earlier,"
"The one that you wanted me to watch for the stew?"
"Uh-huh,"
Jesse couldn’t say no more but pout as he realized he was being played under Yugo’s game. This is why Jesse can't let Yugo go. Even if everyone says their relationship is toxic, they didn’t know that there’s actually sweetness after the bitter. Just like a cup of latte.
As Jesse was handed down to Yugo, he could just embrace Yugo’s back silently. Expressing his love through touch and savoring his favorite scent of Yugo to the fullest. "I’m feeling a lil bit sleepy,"
"You can’t sleep here. Let’s go inside!" Yugo got up as Jesse said he was already sleepy. The freezing winter, the full belly, and the warmth he got were just enough conditions to fall asleep comfortably. The movie they were watching had also reached its end, so it was perfect timing to get inside. "Your hands are cold. Let’s go!"
"Carry me," Jesse joked, stretching his arms.
"I can’t! C’mon!" Instead of fulfilling Jesse’s demand, Yugo pulled Jesse’s hand to help him stand. Jesse then got out of the hammock, and before he was completely standing straight, Yugo suddenly pulled Jesse’s head closer to him and gave that big guy a peck on his forehead. "Happy valentine’s day, Jesse,"
~~~ A Cup of Latte (FIN)