Work Text:
Seiichirou was surprised at how relaxed the sight of the house made him.
It had been almost two years since he'd been unexpectedly pulled into the Romany Kingdom. Almost two years since he'd left Japan behind - even now getting back was uncertain at best. Almost two years since he'd begun his job in the palace's accounting department and been given several promotions for his hard work and revolutionary projects.
"Revolutionary". That was a joke. If the kingdom's financial records hadn't been in such a dire state, he would have been a simple bean counter just as he'd been in Japan. The fact that he'd actually gotten his projects off the ground was evidence enough of that - they were common sense, and if the accounting department hadn't been in such disarray his proposals would have never been necessary.
Still, it was good enough. He had a job where he could work and make a difference in the efficient running of the kingdom. He had a certain amount of respect, even though he was from another world and a commoner to boot. He'd met Aresh...
Aresh. Captain of the Third Order, a powerful magic user, knight, and noble, and the young man who'd decided to take Seiichirou's health more seriously than anyone could truly believe it warranted. Aresh, who had confessed over a year ago that he was in love with him - and, with this particularly large project no longer taking up Seiichirou's time, the thought of that had been haunting him the entire carriage ride back to the capital.
Aresh had confessed his feelings. Seiichirou had given no answer - had taken advantage of those feelings, at least to a certain degree, though it was for the sake of his health. Somewhere around half-way back to their house, Seiichirou had managed to fully work through his own feelings. Somewhere around three-fourths of the way back, he'd decided exactly the words he would say when he returned to Aresh.
Now, with the house in sight, he found himself second-guessing the words. Not the feelings, never the feelings, but after almost two years of intimacy for the sake of practicality and medical treatment and over a year of ignoring Aresh's confession, any words seemed completely inadequate.
The carriage pulled up to the door of the house, and Seiichirou had to put his doubts to the side. He would speak from the heart, that was all. Whether that meant the words he'd prepared or some other words was... it was all a technicality, right? It had to be a technicality.
"Welcome home, Master Kondou," Valtom, their butler, said. "Master Aresh is waiting for you in the study."
"In the study?" Seiichirou said. At some point, Aresh had managed to convince him that it was better to do any work he took home in a place other than his (their) bedroom - hence the study. Aresh or Valtom would occasionally come get him for dinner if he lost track of time, but for the most part Seiichirou was the only one to spend time there. If Aresh was in the study... "I'll go to him right away, then, Valtom-san."
When he entered the study, Seiichirou was immediately struck by the strangeness of the circumstances. The room was a relatively small one, but the large window in front of his desk ensured that it didn't feel cramped. The desk was large and had more than enough drawers for his papers to stay organized; the walls were lined with shelves for the books he needed for his work. A small fireplace with a ignition spell on it meant that it never grew too cold and he was able to brew tea whenever he wanted it.
Aresh was there, sitting in his chair. As Seiichirou entered, Aresh turned the chair around, revealing that he'd been clutching his chair pillow in his lap.
"Aresh-sama," Seiichirou said, "what are you doing in here?" Aresh's fingers dug into the pillow and his eyes remained firmly fixed on the ground. "Aresh-sama?"
"I came," Aresh said slowly, "because I thought that this would be where you came after your journey. I was certain that you would want to immediately begin writing your report for the Prime Minister."
"That's probably true," Seiichirou admitted, "but when Valtom-san told me that you were waiting for me-" Aresh stood abruptly, letting the pillow fall to the ground. One of his hands went to the sword at his side. "Aresh-sama?"
Aresh went down on one knee, head bent low. He unsheathed his sword and lay it on the floor between them. Seiichirou took a step back. This was so wrong. Everything about their reunion was all wrong.
"A letter arrived for you from the palace when you were away," Aresh said. "I - I opened it, and for that I deeply apologize. It's on your desk." Seiichirou didn't move.
"What does it say?" he said instead. Aresh looked up at him.
"What does it-" He blinked and seemed to recover slightly. "The Royal Sorcery Department has completed their research. They believe that they've found the right calculations to return you to the other world." Seiichirou felt like he'd been kicked in his chest by a horse. "The ritual won't be ready for another few months, but when it is done..."
"When it's done, Yua-kun will be able to return to Japan," Seiichirou said. Already his fingers were itching for his pen and abacus, though any work on this would have to wait until he knew the specifics of the ritual. "That's good, that's very good. Even with her work with the Church and the new system of schools, I know she's been sad about disappearing from her mother, father, and older brother. Did the letter say whether the calculations took into account the time- Never mind. I'll speak with Ist-san about it tomorrow. I have to go to the palace anyway to give my report." Aresh hadn't moved from his position. He hadn't so much as blinked. "What?"
"You will also be able to return to Japan," Aresh said.
"I-" That was... That was true. That should have been Seiichirou's first thought. Though his resistance to magicules had built up over the past two years, his health remained fragile - especially in magic-heavy places such as the Church. Thanks to his training, the palace's accounting department could run itself even without Seiichirou looking over their shoulders. He could return to his life-
The life of workstock. Just another bean counter, grinding away at long shifts desperately hoping to be looked at for the next promotion - which would only lead to still more work. No wonder he hadn't thought of returning immediately. Here he worked, yes, but he was also respected as one of the most trusted accountants in the palace. A well-written proposal was enough to get most of his projects approved, at least for their initial planning stages. And then there was Aresh-
Aresh, who was kneeling before him, sword set out like an offering. Aresh, who was looking at him with a look of poorly-hidden desolation.
"I could," Seiichirou said. "I could return, but I... have found myself becoming... invested in my projects here. I've found my time in this world far more professionally and - and personally rewarding than my life back in Japan."
"You're considering- You might stay?" The hope slowly dawning on Aresh's face was too much. Seiichirou took off his glasses and began cleaning them on the cuff of his sleeve.
"Yes," he said. "I'm not certain yet, but I'm currently leaning toward that." Aresh let out a shaky breath. He lowered his head again, but Seiichirou could see the slight smile on his face. "Aresh-sama, concerning the... feelings you confessed to me-" Seiichirou broke off. "Could we talk about this on the settee or something?"
"No," Aresh said. Seiichirou blinked.
"Then..." He struggled for a moment, trying to find the words to describe how weird Aresh's behavior was. "What is this about?"
"Kondou-sama," Aresh said, "I-"
"Seiichirou!" Seiichirou burst out. His mind was going a mile a minute. Aresh had used "sama" rather than "san" - he'd never done that before. With their relative positions in the Romany Kingdom's class system, "sama" was inappropriate, completely inappropriate. But Aresh clearly wasn't using it to mock him. The only other explanation was... "I've called you Aresh for so long now, you should call me Seiichirou."
"Seiichirou-sama," Aresh said, and that was not what Seiichirou had meant, "when I told you about the Sorcery Department's news, I didn't expect- But that doesn't matter. This is still important." He took a deep breath. "You've known for a long time now that I love you. That hasn't changed. But there is more than that now."
"More?"
"Yes," said Aresh. "I- Seiichirou-sama, when I first encountered you after the Holy Maiden Summoning Ceremony, I discounted you. I thought you were simply a fool who cared for nothing but his work, not even his own health. But over time you have... you have opened up my eyes. You showed me my own foolishness - how my lack of consideration for the responsibilities of my position had hurt the kingdom and my junior knights, how complacency can cause even the most powerful of institutions to falter, how we must consider new innovations and new systems in order to improve things for all of Romany."
"I didn't mean to-"
"I know!" Aresh looked up at him, and Seiichirou was surprised to see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "I know you didn't realize what you were doing for me - for all of us! You were simply performing your duties with the strength and efficiency that you were accustomed to in your world. But you taught me and those around you, you improved things so much that I can barely recognize the palace after two years of you working in it. I can barely recognize myself after two years of your instruction. That is why I have to request-"
"Aresh, you can't give me so much credit."
"Yes, yes I do," Aresh said. "Seiichirou-sama, even if you cannot love me, even if you choose to go back to your world once the new ritual's time has come, I must request that you allow me to bind myself to you as a Knight! For the sake of my instruction and the good of the Romany Kingdom! For the sake of your safety and health!" Aresh bowed down further, placing his hand on the pommel of his sword. "Please, Seiichirou-sama, Seiichirou-sensei, allow me this."
The sight of Aresh, the Captain of the Third Order, a skilled knight and respected noble on his knee with head bowed low- It took Seiichirou's breath away. He knew the ways of this world now; he knew how backwards this entire situation was. If another knight or noble could see Aresh now...
But that hardly mattered. Right here, right now, there was no one around but him and Aresh. This was honesty, and it was only right that Seiichirou give him honesty back.
"Aresh-sama," Seiichirou said. Aresh shook his head. "Aresh." The younger man glanced up at him, and Seiichirou put a hand on his cheek to guide his eyes to his. "On the carriage ride back home, I made a decision, and though that letter should make a difference it doesn't. It really doesn't. Aresh-" He broke off, trying to find the right words. The ones he'd come up with in the carriage seemed wholly inadequate now. "Aresh, before coming to this world, I had never had a serious romantic relationship. I was truly workstock, and my work was all-consuming. I suspect I will always be... well, you know how I am. But, Aresh, no one has ever loved me as deeply as you."
"Seiichirou-sama, you don't have to-"
"No. Let me speak from my heart," Seiichirou said. Aresh fell silent, but the hope in his eyes was overpowering everything. "No one has ever loved me as deeply as you. Ever since you save me from my own foolishness, you have never wavered. You have shown more care for me than anyone else in my life, even my own parents, and you did all of this without hope of your feelings being returned. You've always loved me beyond reason, beyond pride or shame or position, and I truly believe that if I said I could never love you..."
"I would love you just the same," Aresh said. "I would- And if you found someone else, someone better, I would do what was necessary to make sure they could care for your lack of magic as I have. Please believe me."
"I believe you," Seiichirou said. "If I didn't believe that, I would never- You know this isn't easy for me to say. I've never been able to easily say what's in my heart. But you taught me what love is, what real love is, so I can say this honestly: I love you. I think I've loved you for a while now, though I was never able to admit it to myself."
"Seiichirou-sama," Aresh breathed. It sounded like a prayer.
"I love you," Seiichirou said again. "I don't know what else our futures hold, but I know that for a fact." He bent down and kissed Aresh. It felt like a promise.