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"Keni-tan," Kota called from the next room, "I've found something that might interest you."
Kenny's head jolted up from the couch, and he swiftly pressed the pause button on his controller to freeze the video game he was playing on the TV. Standing up, he stretched his arms- cramped from sitting still for so long- in front of him, before walking into the kitchen-diner, where Kota had just dumped a worn, old cardboard box on Kenny's otherwise clean dining table.
"What is this, Ibutan?" Kenny asked as he walked over to Kota, trying his best to smother the cough threatening to emerge from the back of his throat; he'd inhaled some of the dust cloud emitted by the box, and it was slowly irritating his lungs.
Kota looked up at Kenny, wearing a look of excitement so genuine that Kenny's heart fluttered in spite of his utter bemusement. "I was looking in the attic for a toolbox to fix that creaky doorhinge," he explained, breathless from talking too fast, "and I also found this box. It's full of old photos."
"Photos?" Kenny gave Kota a blank look. "I don't even remember this box. I probably threw it up there when I moved back here to the States, what, seven, eight years ago? I must not have paid attention to what was inside."
"That's why it might be nice to go through the photos together," Kota exclaimed. "Relive some memories we might have forgotten. And there's an empty album in here, too; we could put our favourite ones in there."
"That does sound pretty nice," Kenny mused, and a hint of teasing laced through his words on his next sentence: "But does it sound nicer than finishing off my practise round in Smash Bros?"
Kota's face fell a little; he clearly hadn't read the sarcasm. "Well, if you'd rather do that..." he said sadly, trailing off when he saw the wry smirk on Kenny's face. "Oh. You were joking." He elbowed Kenny in the side. "Maybe be a bit clearer next time, Keni-tan."
"I thought I was perfectly clear," Kenny laughed, jostling Kota back playfully. "Of course I'd rather spend time with you, Ibutan, you stupid idiot. That's a joke too, by the way."
Kota grinned back, leaning over to press his mouth against Kenny's cheek (making Kenny feel just a little dizzy) before turning his attention back to the box on the table once more. "Let's look inside this box, then."
Kota pulled open the lid, picking up a thick book caked in dust. When he blew on its surface, he sent another dust cloud into the air, much to the chagrin of Kenny's respiratory system, but in doing so, he revealed a cover of burgundy leather, embellished with gold Japanese characters that were peeling off at the corners a little: Botan Books and Stationery. "Hey," Kenny said suddenly, the words sparking a memory somewhere in the archives of his brain. "Wasn't that that one bookstore we went to in Nagasaki?"
For a moment, Kota looked confused, but his expression soon cleared as he, too, recalled what Kenny was talking about. "Yeah, I remember. The one where the shopkeeper's cat took a huge liking to me and followed me around the whole building, for some strange reason. The British Longhair."
"Yeah," Kenny grinned. "I guess animals can't resist your natural charm either, Ibutan."
Sheepishly, Kota's eyes fixated on the book, the tips of his ears going slightly red. "Why does everybody think I have natural charm? I personally don't see it, myself."
"Well, you're friendly, and you're stupid handsome," Kenny replied, feeling himself go a little red as he voiced the compliment. "That adds up to a lot more than you might realise."
"I guess..." Kota didn't sound entirely convinced.
This time, it was Kenny's turn to lean over and give Kota a quick peck on the cheek. "Ibutan, if I tell you you're anything, take it as a fact," he said quietly. "You know that well enough by now. So, are we going to go through these photographs?"
Kota leaned a little into Kenny's side, allowing the pair to share a little of their warmth with one another. "Let's go through these photographs."
Kenny reached into the box first, wincing as he felt the delicate string of a spiderweb wind its way around his thumb. He brushed it off, pulling out a wad of photos, grinning when he saw the first one. "Oh my God. It's me standing next to you wearing that wedding dress."
"Excuse me?" Kota's eyes widened when he looked at the picture, and despite blushing a little, he laughed. "Oh, wow. I remember when that was taken. I look pretty good as a girl."
Kenny snorted. "Number one, men can wear dresses as well. Number two, you're damn sure not wrong."
"Why, thank you," Kota replied, pretending to curtsey, as though he were wearing the dress again. "And I must say, you look good, too."
"I wonder if I'd look better in a wedding dress," Kenny mused aloud, to a chortle from Kota. He carefully placed the photo on the table and pointed excitedly at the one that was beneath it. "Look, it's the cat we just spoke about!"
"Oh, yes!" Kota exclaimed, reaching out to take the picture, leaving Kenny looking at a very old and blurry one of him and Kota pretending to do a Hadouken at the camera. Kota flipped his picture over, frowning; Kenny noticed that the words on it were written in English which, though Kota understood, he had a hard time pronouncing.
Kenny gently clasped Kota's wrist and pulled it towards him, translating the words into Japanese for him: "Shopkeeper-san's cat Mashu, from Botan Bookstore, Nagasaki, Japan."
"Oh, so her name was Mashu," Kota said, eyes widening. "Like a marshmallow, because she was so white and fluffy!"
"And because she was sweet, too," Kenny beamed. "Hey, Ibutan, maybe we should rename you to Mashu."
Kota looked confused. "But I'm not white?"
Kenny gave him a look.
"Ohh," Kota realised, shaking his head. "Wow, all the excitement has made me a little slow."
"Slow, but still sweet," Kenny replied, placing the next photo- one of him and Ibushi kissing- on the table. "Like honey."
Kota pulled a face. "I prefer syrup."
"Well, honey sounds like a nicer pet name than syrup," Kenny teased, prodding Kota's arm with the corner of his wad of photos. "Unless you want me to call you Syrup-tan?"
"I'd much rather you stuck to Ibutan," Kota sighed, rubbing the spot where Kenny had poked him. He rested his head on Kenny's shoulder, watching him go through the pile of photos quite comfortably.
"So much for going through them together," Kenny murmured with an eye-roll. "Do I equate to two people, now?"
"Well, we're making contact, so yes, technically," Kota said rather matter-of-factly, closing his eyes momentarily. "And I can tell you're enjoying yourself."
"You're not wrong," Kenny admitted, lifting his arm to scratch the top of Kota's head affectionately, as though he were petting Mashu from the bookstore. In fact, it didn't feel too dissimilar- Kota's hair was soft, like a layer of warm fur. "It's nice having you watch, too."
Around an hour later (they might have got a little distracted with each other at some points), three neat piles of photos sat, sorted mostly by Kenny, on the table: One to go in a new box, one to go in the photo album, and one to buy frames for. Sat at the table, Kenny picked up the pile for the album. The photos in it were arranged somewhat chronologically, timelining his and Kota's relationship from budding friendship to blossoming soulmates. He picked up the album with the other hand, turning to Kota, who was leaning on the table's surface on his elbows. "Shall we go sit somewhere more comfortable to sort the album now?"
Kota nodded, stretching and taking Kenny's hand as he stood up. "Let's go sit on the couch."