Archive of Our Own ^beta

“♪~♪~♪~”

Niki’s humming filled the air, accompanied by occasional pops from the pan he held over the stove. Hiiro stood beside him, observing the stove—he had been in the city for quite a while now, but it still fascinated him how the people here didn’t even need fire to cook. He jumped at another popping noise, and Niki chuckled.

“You’ve been so focused this whole time, is watching me cook really that fun?” Niki said, looking away from the stove to smile at Hiiro.

“Ah…it’s just interesting,” Hiiro said, “The way you cook here is very different from how we did it back home.”

Niki nodded, turning off the stove and putting the pan down. “Mhmm, Rinne-kun said the same thing back then. For a supposed chief, he was pretty clumsy in the kitchen. When I first showed him the toaster, he—Ow!?”

Niki was cut off with a yelp of pain as Rinne appeared behind him, tugging his hair. He turned around as Rinne let go, glaring at him. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”

Rinne huffed, “I came here to see if ya needed any help, but instead you were just talkin’ shit about me. To my little brother, even.”

“I didn’t think you could hear,” Niki huffed, turning back around to finish up. “Now leave me alone, or you won’t get fed.”

Rinne hummed, wrapping his arms around Niki’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. He nosed Niki’s cheek, inhaling with a smile. “Smells tasty.”

Niki smiled at the praise. “Thanks~ I decided to go with-”

“Wasn’t talking about the food.”

Niki bit his lip on a smile, playfully shrugging Rinne off his shoulder. “Go set the table already, babe.”

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” Rinne laughed, reaching over to ruffle Hiiro’s hair before leaving the kitchen. 

Hiiro blinked, curious about the interaction. Babe and gorgeous, it wasn’t the first time Hiiro had heard words like those exchanged between his brother and Niki, but he still didn’t understand them. “Um, Shiina-san…”

“What’s up?”

“You called my brother ‘babe’ just now…but he’s not a baby.” Hiiro said, brows furrowed. Niki looked at him, laughing at the confused expression on the younger’s face.

“Nahaha, I’m not calling him a baby. Uhh, words like ‘babe’, ‘honey’, ‘sweetie’, and stuff like that, they’re just pet names.”

“He’s not a pet, either.”

“Ah, no, not like a literal pet,” Niki said, getting plates out of one of the cabinets. “They’re like…nicknames, I guess? We use them, since we’re dating.”

“Oh,” Hiiro said, “It’s to show fondness for your lover?”

“Yeah! Yeah, you worded it better than I could,” Niki laughed, turning to Hiiro. “You can ask your brother more about it, if you want, but for now, let’s get to the table. I’m hungry, you know~”

Hiiro nodded, following Niki to the table. He thought about what Niki had said—if those nicknames were for couples, then…

—

Aira sat down on the floor with a sigh, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a washcloth. It was just him and Hiiro today—Tatsumi had to go to a physical therapy appointment, and Mayoi had gone with him. Hiiro sat down next to him and Aira leaned against his shoulder, reveling in their rare moment of solitude together. 

“You did a good job, Aira,” Hiiro said, “You’ve gotten a lot better at dancing since we first started.”

“Mayo-san’s a good teacher,” Aira said simply, “Hey, can you hand me the water bottle from my bag?”

Hiiro nodded, reaching over and retrieving the water bottle. He handed it to Aira, the smaller boy smiling and muttering a ‘thanks’ before he began drinking.

“You’re welcome, babe.”

Aira gasped around the water bottle, causing him to keel forward as he choked. He felt Hiiro’s hand on his back, rubbing it as he tried to get Aira through the coughing fit. “Aira? Are you okay?”

“Y-You—” Aira sputtered, trying to find his breath again. “Wh-What did you just call me?”

“Ah…you mean ‘babe’?”

“Yes!” Aira said, looking up at Hiiro. “You just called me ‘babe’!?”

“Is that a problem?” Hiiro said, tilting his head to the side. “If you don’t like ‘babe’, would ‘sweetheart’ or ‘honey’ be better?”

“S-Stop it already!” Aira said, his face getting redder by the second. “Calling me things like that, it just reminds me of my parents!”

Hiiro furrowed his brows. “Your parents call you babe?”

“No! It just makes me feel like we’re, uh…” Aira trailed off, biting his lip and looking to the ground. He shook his head, “You’ve never called me stuff like that before. It just caught me off guard.”

“I’m sorry,” Hiiro said as Aira finally looked up at him. “I was told terms of endearment like that are normal for couples.”

“I guess, but it kinda feels weird coming from you. Being called stuff like ‘babe’ or ‘honey’, it’s just kinda…” Aira shrugged.

“I see, you don’t like it,” Hiiro said, wrapping his arms around Aira’s waist. When the smaller boy didn’t protest, Hiiro pulled him closer, smiling against the side of his hair. “Aira…like I thought, I prefer just saying your name. Aira, Aira~”

“Weirdo,” Aira chuckled, “Seriously, the strangest things make you happy.”

“Of course you make me happy. You’re my beloved,” Hiiro said quietly. He heard Aira’s breath hitch and frowned, backing off a bit. “Sorry, ‘beloved’ is sort of like a pet name, isn’t it. I won’t-”

“N-No,” Aira said, squeezing Hiiro’s arm so he couldn’t pull away. “Um, I mean. That one is fine, Hiro-kun. It’s cute.”

Hiiro smiled, leaning down to kiss Aira’s cheek. “Beloved, then~” He whispered, and Aira giggled breathlessly, hiding his face in Hiiro’s shoulder. Hiiro hummed, nudging Aira’s face with his nose until the smaller boy finally looked up.

Seeing Aira, his smile reaching all the way to his eyes, his cheeks red and eyes twinkling—Hiiro couldn’t help but let a breathless “Aira,” slip from his mouth.

“Hiro-kun,” Aira whispered back, touching their foreheads together.

No pet name in the world—not even something like beloved—could express Hiiro’s feelings for Aira more than simply saying his name does. He would never be able to say something with as much fondness, as much love. Aira, Aira, Aira, his mind repeated as Aira leaned forward, kissing him softly.