WILDFLOWER [Ryunosuke Tanaka x OC]

Epilogue 2 - The Question

❀

"Babe! You're home!"

Kano hadn't even had time to take off her sneakers before Ryu—wearing his favorite kitten-patterned apron—slammed into her in the little entryway of their apartment, hugging her like he hadn't seen her in years... when, in fact, it had only been a few hours since they ate lunch together on the quad. She laughed and hugged him back, snuggling her face into Ryu's warm chest. "Missed me?" she teased.

"Times a million," Ryu answered honestly, detangling his limbs from hers to slough off her jacket and backpack. "Come on, we've got shit to do."

Rolling her eyes, Kano let him fuss over her, even lifting her legs so he could peel her shoes off. He stowed everything in the hall closet, set out her slippers for her, and ushered her into the kitchen, where he already prepared a dinner of warm katsu curry and rice. "Hurry hurry hurry," he mumbled under his breath, shoveling food into his face without breathing.

Kano did her best to match his pace, but failed almost instantly. After only a few bites of the katsu curry—which was decidedly amazing—Ryu stole her away from their warm and toasty kotatsu and shoved her into the living room, where he'd somehow found time to set up their laptops on the coffee table, their school portal websites pulled up side-by-side. "When did you—?"

"No time, babe, we've got to sign up for classes as fast as humanly possible," Ryu blurted, typing in his password and leaning over to type hers in too.

"Why the hurry?" Kano asked with an incredulous laugh.

Eyes wide, Ryu gestured at the laptops. "We have like, two seconds until the class sign-ups start, babe! We... we've gotta get into that judo class or we'll never see each other next semester!"

For the past few semesters, Ryu and Kano signed up for a martial arts class together so they had an excuse to see each other multiple times a week; between their classes for their separate majors, stacks on stacks of homework, and their part-time jobs on campus, they hardly ever crossed paths unless they planned it specifically and on purpose. By the time either of them got home, the other was typically studying... or already asleep.

But their relationship was too important to just let it fall apart.

"Right, right," Kano nodded, already yawning. "I'm excited for judo, honestly."

"Yeah?" Ryu asked, smiling as he typed.

"Yeah. I can't wait to learn how to flip you over."

"You can flip me over anytime, babe—"

"Ryu, the site's live."

"Shit! Let's go!"

A minute later, the two of them were signed up for all of their classes, including Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes for intro to judo. "Thank fuck," Ryu said with an incredulous laugh. He ran his hand over his short hair, which he'd recently decided to grow out.

"Next semester, the rule will be: flip or be flipped," Kano said, leaning over the coffee table to kiss her boyfriend. "Whoever does the flipping wins a kiss."

He chuckled into her lips. "Oh really? No holds barred?"

"I'm gonna kick your ass every day if that's what it takes," she teased.

"I'm gonna let you win," he said, laughing.

Kano scoffed and pinched his ear. "You can't let me win. I can—"

"Tie your own sandals and everything. I know, I know."

Kano's phone started to beep, and she pulled away to check it. "What's—? Oh, it's Noya. I thought he was in... what was it, Australia?"