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The forest is quiet, gravel crunching underfoot as Musashi and Mob travel in a comfortable silence. Birds sing and the air is warm and reminds Mob of his childhood. The burn in his legs is a familiar friend, but not the effect of only a few minutes of walking– rather, it’s been about two hours so far, hiking over uneven terrain. He hums to himself, adjusting and playing with the backpack straps on his shoulders, when Musashi says something.
“Hm? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“It’s fine. Just noticing some flowers.” He points off the trail, stopping the hike momentarily. “See? Those pretty white ones. Grandma used to grow those in her garden when she was younger, until someone told her they’re technically weeds. I think.”
“Mm. They are pretty.” He pauses. “It’s too bad that your grandma doesn’t grow them anymore.”
“Yeah. Weeds are kind of like a social construct. It’s weird.”
“Mm.”
They keep walking, leaving it at that.
Some time passes, and they walk side by side, only a little breathless on a steeper incline. They take another pause at a switch around, drinking from water bottles and snacking on some protein bars.
“You know, once you’re finished with college, my family would be more than willing to house you.” Musashi says. And then, tacked on: “If you want. No pressure.”
Mob blinks. He hadn’t really thought about what he was planning on doing after college. Mostly just try to find jobs… hopefully something he could use his degree for. Just thinking about that stresses him out though, so his mind takes a switch around back to Musashi’s topic.
“Oh. Okay.”
Musashi laughs a little, a warmth in his eyes. “You don’t have to have an answer right now. I know things change. Life happens. And you should probably talk with your family about it… I…” He heaves a sigh, looking thoughtful. He takes Mob’s hands in his, standing across a small distance from him. “I just want you to be happy. Even if your happiness doesn’t include me, I just want you happy.” It’s said with an uncharacteristically quiet voice, a soft voice that Mob knows to mean this is something that’s been on his mind for awhile.
Mob squeezes his hands, catching his attention. “I am happy. With you.” He smiles. “I’ll talk to my family about it later. Let’s finish this hike first. One step at a time.”
“Heh. Yeah. One step at a time.”
Sunset glows through the trees when the couple makes it to the top– they stand there, basking in the triumph and calmness of it all, holding hands. In this moment, Mob doesn’t know why Musashi would think he’d ever be happy without him. He voices this thought, perhaps a little more brunt than necessary, seeing as Musashi’s smile fades for a moment, before he chuckles and kisses him on the forehead.
“I dunno. Demons of insecurity, I guess. But, I know I’d miss you being in my life, Shigeo”
Returning the smile, Mob leans comfortably into his shoulder. “Me too.”