On Friday they finally went out to buy the dishes Takumi wanted, with Sora in tow.
Eri giggled as she teasingly asked Takumi, "You secretly wanted to buy dishes with your high-school husband didn't you?"
Takumi responded by turning to Sora and telling him, "Go away!"
Sora just grinned back as he held up a dish. "These flowers are pretty and match your eyes."
Eri immediately agreed, "They really do!"
Takumi covered his face as he complained, "If the two of you gang up on me I'll never win."
She asked him curiously, "What kind of dishes do you want to win?"
He looked at her seriously and said, "The kind you'll use with me in twenty years."
Eri bit her lip. "I never imagined I'd be saying this," she admitted uncomfortably, "but maybe we should be looking at more expensive, higher-quality dishes if you want them to last twenty years?"
Takumi stared at her, and Sora suggested, "Why don't you let me buy them if what you want is too expensive for you right now?"
Takumi turned to glare at him, and protested, "I can afford dishes."
Sora returned his gaze calmly and asked seriously, "Both good dishes and a 20k keyboard?"
"What?" Takumi asked blankly.
Eri blushed as she confessed, "I haven't told him about it yet." Takumi turned back to look at her with such a hurt expression that she added quickly, "You knew I was saving for it, we just haven't talked about it?"
Takumi winced, and then apologized, "I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I should have asked, especially since you're not working right now." He took a deep breath and then asked uncertainly, "What kind of a keyboard costs 20k?"
Her blush deepened as she explained, "I know with that price it sounds like it should be able to do anything, but all it does is mimic a real piano almost perfectly. So well that it's not even detectable in recordings. I've really wanted one for years, and I thought that this year I'd finally be able to afford it…" Her mouth trembled a little as she finished with, "But now I'm pregnant, and I don't know if I should, even if I can."
"You should," he told her decisively.
Sora nodded in agreement, and repeated his offer, "And you can let me buy you dishes as an early wedding present."
Eri paled and Takumi fretted. "You said you were waiting until you were sure you loved me, are you still not sure Eri?"
She clung to him and said unhappily, "I'm sure I love you now Takumi, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get married right away? Do we really have to do everything so fast?"
He looked at her for a moment and then took a deep breath, and replied, "No. I'd still really like to get married before the baby arrives, but we don't have to hurry."
Sora looked at him in surprise and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're finally growing up," he teased his friend gently.
Takumi pouted at him briefly and then joked uncomfortably, "I've heard it works better if you do that before you have kids."
Eri hugged Takumi and told him shyly, "You'll be a great father Takumi, don't worry. I'm the one who's so scared of becoming a parent that I'll probably mess everything up."
He caressed her cheek and then kissed her. "We'll be fine," he whispered reassuringly.
Sora browsed the tea cups until they recalled his presence.
Eventually they settled on a set of expensive composite dishes in a traditional painted pattern of mist clouded green lakes with little red hummingbirds.
--
Eri grinned as she watched Takumi wash and put the new dishes away with a contented expression.
Sora leaned over and whispered to her, "I'm pretty sure he'll look even more contented when he's wearing your wedding ring?"
Eri turned her head and gazed thoughtfully at Sora's face for so long that Takumi noticed, and he growled, "Seriously go away Sora!"
She immediately protested, "Takumi!"
He walked over, scooped her up, and carried her into the bedroom while calling back over his shoulder, "You're not allowed to look at her again until breakfast!"
Eri blushed like fire, but Sora responded cheerfully, "I don't mind having breakfast with a pretty girl!"
Takumi slammed the bedroom door, making Eri wince until he grinned at her. She relaxed under his smile and then smothered her laughter as he dropped gentle kisses upon her from head to toe.
--
The rest of the week passed quickly, and Takumi apologized again when Sora was ready to leave, "I'm sorry, I know I've been acting unreasonably." His voice was a little miserable as he added, "And even though I keep telling you to go away, I don't want you to feel like you really need to leave." He paused a moment as Sora rolled his eyes expressively, but then added, "Even though I think I should be thanking you for giving us some room right now."
Sora laughed and hugged him suddenly. "Takumi, you idiot. Someday I'm going to have a cute wife and make you feel embarrassed to watch us kissing."
"I hope so," Takumi agreed.
"I'm glad you found Eri-chan, and you were right," Sora admitted, and Takumi raised an eyebrow. "I adore her! So convince her to marry you quickly and invite me back for your wedding?" Sora instructed.
"I intend to," Takumi replied seriously.
Sora grinned and hugged him again, before climbing into the waiting car with his bag.
--
When Takumi came back into the apartment, Eri asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"
He kissed her gently and then told her teasingly, "I will be, as soon as you agree to marry me?"
Her cheeks warmed, but she protested uncomfortably, "I only just figured out that I'm already in love with you."
"I know," he agreed gently. "But I might get really annoying and start asking you to marry me every morning?"
"On your knees, with a ring, while I throw up?" she suggested wryly.
"Do you think it would be more convincing?" he asked thoughtfully.
She shook her head, but then smiled a little and suggested boldly, "Why don't you take me to the coast on your motorcycle, and ask me in front of the sunset, like guys do in a romance?"
His eyes lit up as he quickly informed her, "I will."
She eyed him nervously. "But not tonight?"
"Okay," he agreed as though he'd actually been considering it. "Soon though," he promised.
--
Eri cheerfully made waffles for breakfast on Sunday, since she could do it late enough in the morning that it didn't trigger her morning sickness. They were able to keep a waffle iron around with a larger kitchen, and it was something simple that she could make without feeling shy about how it looked.
Takumi walked over, kissed her, and then told her, "I seriously need you to marry me. How will I survive if you get tired of me and run off?"
Eri blushed and protested, "Takumi!"
"Do you think I'm exaggerating?" he asked unhappily.
She hesitated, but then nodded. "Yes, you cook better than I do, you've been with dozens of other women, there's nothing I can do for you that you can't replace," she explained a little anxiously.
He stared at her, and then ran his fingers through his hair. "I knew telling you about my dating history was a bad idea," he complained.
She gazed at him in shock for a moment, then silently shook her head.
"If you thought you were the only woman I'd ever touched, you wouldn't be so quick to imagine I can ever replace you. I can't replace you Eri," he insisted bitterly. Then he dropped to his knees and buried his face in her stomach before turning his face up to look at her. "There's no one else in the entire world like you!"
"Takumi," she whispered helplessly.
"I'll keep begging you to marry me until you give in," he warned her. "And after we're married, if I have to, I'll beg you a hundred thousand times to never leave me Eri. Please marry me soon?"
A slow blush rippled across her skin, all the way out to her fingertips, her eyes darkened, and her lips parted, as she gazed down into his face. His breath caught as he watched her and he didn't breathe again until she finally whispered, "Okay." When she saw how happy he was she reluctantly warned him, "But Takumi, even if we're going to get married, I still don't want to rush everything."
"I don't understand," he admitted rather anxiously after a moment.
Eri told him shyly, "I only ever want to get married once, so I want to do it for real, not just have the paperwork?"
Takumi heaved a relieved sigh, smiled, and scooped her up to kiss her gently. "Okay Eri," he agreed. "We can do it however you'd like." He turned and carried her toward the bedroom.
She blinked and complained, "The waffles will get cold." When he stopped and pouted at her, she giggled and then told him agreeably, "I guess I can make more."
He made sure she didn't care about wasting food.
--
Takumi made whipped cream and fresh strawberry syrup. Then he toasted the cold waffles in the oven, and served them to her with decorative drizzles.
She ate them happily, but warned him as she watched him eat his serving, "If you keep this up you're going to have to cook all the time even if you hate it."
He glanced up at her with a grin, and told her complacently, "I love your cooking. These are delicious even after being reheated."
