The Apple of His Eye
Chapter 1: Meet the Parents
Pairing: Nanami x f!reader
Word Count: ~4.1k
cw: major fluff, love confessions, kissing that almost leads to something else
Summary: Two months into your relationship, you and Kento Nanami are in love. Except neither of you have officially said it to each other yet. After meeting your parents at a family party, Nanami decides to confess his feelings for you in your childhood bedroom. This is the story of how two months of the little things lead up to one big love confession.
Author's Notes: Here it is! The first fluffy side story for A Bento For Kento! Love confessions always make me swoon, so I hope you enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Likes, reblogs, and/or comments are appreciate as always. Thank you for reading!
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It’s been two months since Ren’s lessons have ended. Two months since you met Kento Nanami.
Kento Nanami, the handsome ex-stockbroker. Kento Nanami, the Jujutsu Sorcerer. Kento Nanami, the lover of bread.
Kento Nanami, your boyfriend.
You still can’t believe it.
The kiss on the night of the street food festival was the jet fuel that skyrocketed your relationship with him. You were only known as Ren’s older sister who cooked delicious food and attached encouraging, and occasionally flirtatious, notes to bento boxes. Nanami was just your brother’s very serious and very handsome Jujutsu Sorcery mentor.
Over the past two months, you learn that there’s so much more to the stoic Nanami than meets the eye. Behind that somber persona is the sweetest, gentlest, most cuddly man you could ever dream of.
Seriously, this man loves to cuddle. You wouldn’t expect it of him, but he just adores nestling his face in the crook of your neck while you’re in bed together. He always offers to be the big spoon, though you secretly know he enjoys being little spoon, so you make sure to take turns. Often, when you’re standing in the kitchen preparing dinner or washing dishes, he’ll come up behind you, wrapping his strong arms around your waist, resting his chin on top of your head or to either side of your shoulders. Even when he’s engulfed by his newspaper, eyes scanning the editorials carefully, he’ll set it down as soon as he notices you approaching him, sitting you comfortably on his lap to snuggle.
It's not just the affectionate touches; it’s the sweet gestures, the little things. How he always sends you a good morning text, except on days when you’re waking up beside each other, replacing it with a delicate kiss on the forehead. Or during your first visit to his apartment, when you spot the bento box notes you wrote him pinned to his refrigerator like a work of art.
The little things, like on the fifth night you spend at his place, he points out a new electric toothbrush, right next to his. Your toothbrush. Or the empty drawer of his dresser in case you want to leave any clothes for emergencies. It’s now full of extra pajamas, comfy sweaters, leggings, and underwear, as if you properly reside there. Then there’s the time you briefly mention how much you love these granola bars from this particular grocery store you frequent. The next day, you notice two boxes of it sitting next to the rest of his snacks, ready for you whenever you have a craving.
Two months. That’s all it takes for you to fall for Kento Nanami.
Thankfully, your teenaged brother starts warming up to the idea of Nanami, his former mentor, being your boyfriend. When Ren gets the official news about his acceptance into Jujutsu High, Nanami treats the both of you to all-you-can-eat sushi, which your little brother is ecstatic about. Although the lessons have ended, Nanami still offers advice and guidance to Ren about Jujutsu Sorcery, which is appreciated.
He’s even included in your weekly Friday movie nights, following Ren’s approval, of course. And, after a stern talking to from your protective brother, which involves him saying phrases like, “Use protection!” and “Consent is very important!”, he’s been much more lenient to you spending the night with Nanami at his apartment.
That being said, there are still boundaries you and Nanami adhere to. Whenever he visits your home, again with Ren’s approval, you set aside strict rules for yourselves. This includes no PDA in front of your brother and no naughty business in general, a feat you’ve both somehow manage to succeed at. Most of the time, it takes Nanami forcing himself to sleep on the couch, away from you, to avoid any temptations.
With Ren’s complete support of your relationship, you begin to wonder that it’s time to introduce Nanami to your parents. They are finally home from their summer-long vacation and upon learning their son has been accepted into Jujutsu High, they decide to throw a going-away party at their house to celebrate. Aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as Ren’s childhood friends are invited, under the guise that he’s going to a prestigious boarding school in Tokyo.
The summer season passes by smoothly and your brother’s upcoming move into the dormitories is fast approaching. He begins packing, the bedroom a scattered mess with two suitcases flung open, laundry tossed aimlessly inside. You stand in the doorway, watching him fondly. “I’m gonna miss you, booger. Can’t believe you’re leaving soon.”
“I know. This has been the best summer ever,” he replies, smiling at you. Seriously, your little brother is precious!
“You better come visit me. I know you’ll be busy with all your new friends, but don’t forget about your dear sister, okay!” Tears well up in your eyes, blinking them away quickly, embarrassed that you’re a weeping mess despite him not even leaving yet.
“Don’t worry, I will! And besides, now you have Nanami to keep you company! You better keep the tradition of Friday movie nights or else,” he warns, playfully.
“We will. For you, of course.”
“By the way, speaking of Nanami, Mom and Dad told me to invite him to the party.”
You stare at him, confused. “Huh?!”
“Well, they knew about the summer lessons way before you did, remember? So, they know about him and told me to invite him. Is that okay?”
Scratching your neck nervously, you respond, “Of course. I was already thinking of introducing him anyways. I didn’t expect it to be this soon, though.”
“Don’t worry, sis. It’s going to be fine!” He beams at you with a thumbs up, easing your worries only slightly.
The last time you introduced a new boyfriend to your parents, that relationship ended after one year. It wasn’t a bad breakup or anything malicious; it just didn’t work out. This time, however, is different. It feels different. This one is going to last.
Two months. That’s all it takes for you to fall in love with Kento Nanami.
~~~
Two months. That’s all it takes for Nanami to fall in love with his girlfriend.
He started falling the moment they kissed. That’s when everything leading up to that became real. It was the beginning of their love story.
Nothing has ever felt anything close to this. Nothing. He never used to get butterflies in his stomach. After two months, the fluttering remains; it never stops. Pet names were never his thing, but he catches himself calling her baby, sweetie, even princess. Blushing is a regular occurrence for him, especially when she surprises him with a racy text or whispers something naughty in his ear, always leading them to continue in the bedroom.
Nanami can confidently say that he has never been in love before, until now.
It may seem fast. In fact, it sounds completely bonkers and ridiculous. Two months and he’s in so deep. But even after the first month, he already knew: she’s the one.
It’s mid-August. The night before on their routine phone call, Nanami tells her that he has a summer birthday, to which she whines, “Oh no, we missed it! We should celebrate retroactively!”
He chuckles, amused by her suggestion. “It’s okay. I usually don’t celebrate anyways. Unless you count drunk karaoke with Gojo as a celebration.”
“It most certainly is! But still, I want to do something for you.”
They don’t discuss it any further, Nanami changing the topic quickly, truly not expecting anything to come out of it. The next day, she invites him for dinner. He has an unusually exhausting mission that lasts nearly the whole day, so he’s enthusiastic to see her. When he arrives, he’s greeted at the door by his girlfriend and Ren wearing birthday hats, holding a giant ham and cheese sandwich with a dozen lit candles sticking out of it. “Happy birthday!” they cheer, bright smiles on their faces. Ren pulls on a confetti popper, releasing flying bits of multi-colored paper while she blows on a noisemaker. It's silly, goofy, and wonderful.
They indulge in the ginormous, delicious sandwich, following it with dessert in the form of a birthday cake. Nanami offers to wash dishes, to which she refuses profusely. Choosing to ignore her protests, he walks into the kitchen, noticing that it’s a mess. Pans stacked in the sink, flour littered on the counter, bowls of what looks like deformed dough near the oven, and several burnt loaves of bread atop the stove.
“What happened?” he asks, concerned.
Embarrassed, she admits, “Well, I tried to bake bread. No one told me how hard it is! My dough didn’t rise properly, I was eyeballing all the ingredients, which I guess is a big no-no. I wasn’t checking on it every minute and I just kept messing up. I ended up going to our favorite bakery and just buying a loaf from there. I’m so sorry, Nanami.”
She spent the whole day trying to bake bread. For him.
That’s when he knew.
It’s not just that moment. It’s the little moments he often thinks about. The way she always sends him goodnight texts with a variety of emojis, despite him never using them himself. The way she kisses him on the forehead every morning when they wake up together or every night before they fall asleep. The way she gets up early to pack him a bento for work on the days when they’re together, in that same Hello Kitty container. How she continues to leave notes for him, taped to the cover. You’re my favorite loaf of bread. Your cuddles are the best. Those curses got nothing on my baby! I love waking up next to you.
He loves her. They haven’t said it out loud yet, but he does. She means the world to him, the apple of his eye. He loves her. Completely, irrevocably, unconditionally.
There’s no right time to tell her. He wants to do it when it feels right, whenever that is. He’s meeting her parents tomorrow at Ren’s farewell party at their home. This is a big step in any relationship, so naturally, he’s both nervous and excited. Maybe the right time will come then.
~~~
The day of the party, you, Ren, and Nanami take the train to your hometown. The house you grew up in is about a ten-minute walk from the station. When you enter the home, you’re greeted by your family. Your brother abandons you to embrace his friends, leaving you with Nanami at your side to acknowledge your parents, heart pounding against your chest nervously.
“Hey Mom and Dad!” you exclaim, giving them a big hug. “How was the trip?”
“So much fun! Wish you could have joined us.” Your mother eyes Nanami up and down, a curious smile on her face.
He bows, introducing himself. “My name is Kento Nanami. It is such an honor to meet you.”
Your dad chimes in happily. “Nanami! So good to meet you! Ren has told us so much about you! We knew he would be in good hands this summer.”
“Ren has been an exceptional student. I had no doubts that he would be accepted into Jujutsu High. They are lucky to have him.”
Your dad smiles. “We’re grateful to you and the establishment for taking him in. We’re sure his skills will improve under the school’s guidance. We know a little bit about Jujutsu Sorcery from Ren’s biological parents, who were our close friends. I know they would be so proud of Ren.”
Your mom faces you, asking, “Dear, could you please go check on the salmon in the oven?”
“Well, Mom, I actually have something to tell you.”
“Honey! It can wait, we are speaking with Nanami! Please go and check the fish!”
You give Nanami a quick glance. He nods, understanding what he needs to do. “Actually, we have something to tell you.” Clearing his throat, he says, “I am dating your daughter. We are together.”
After an extremely long and silent pause, the gears picking up pace in your parents’ heads, your mom finally speaks. “Oh. Oh! Really?! You’re dating my daughter? My daughter? You? And her?”
“Okay Mom, you don’t have to sound so shocked,” you tease, rolling your eyes.
“No, honey, I mean. Honey! He is just…well, sorry to be so blunt, but he is very…well, handsome and established.”
“Okay Mother, we get it!” you snap, immediately regretting it.
“He’s not like any man you’ve ever dated!”
“Yes, Mother, I know!”
Nanami interrupts. “I can assure you; it was your daughter who had me smitten first. She’s truly a wonderful woman.”
Your mother’s eyes widen as she giggles, “Oh Nanami! How sweet of you! My, my! You are truly a gentleman! Should I start calling you ‘son’?”
“Mom!”
“Just a little joke, of course! Ha ha ha, oh my. My sweet daughter! You got yourself a looker!”
“Dad, can you please, please make her stop?” you plead as your dad laughs.
He rubs your mom’s shoulders and pushes her in the direction of the kitchen. “Sweetie, let’s go check on that salmon and leave these two lovebirds alone, you are embarrassing them. It’s so nice to meet you, Nanami. Go ahead and mingle.” Your father gives you a small wink before steering her into the kitchen. You hear her yell out, “So nice to meet you son!”
You look at your boyfriend, cheeks burning. “I’m so sorry. I’m mortified.”
Nanami smiles. “Don’t be sorry. I think that went well.” He leans in, giving you a small kiss on the forehead, your other relatives catching it as they sit in the living room.
The next hour goes just as you expect, much to your dismay. With aunts, uncles, and cousins in attendance, it’s no surprise that everyone is curious about your handsome and established boyfriend. One uncle asks the standard, “So, how did you two meet?” And after hearing the abridged version, he jokes, “My niece is always finding ways to snatch herself a new boy toy, good on you!” You bury you face in your hands, horrified, as Nanami rubs your back affectionately.
Then, there’s your auntie, who reveals, “Did you know that my dear niece here has only ever had one boyfriend? Better be gentle with her; she doesn’t have too much experience if you know what I mean.” She says the last statement with a nudge and a wink. Before you can get up to excuse yourself, Nanami squeezes your hand. “Don’t worry, Auntie. If anything, she’s the one who should be a bit gentler with me.” She reacts to this with a loud, “Oh ho ho!” and several more nudging. God help me, you think.
It doesn’t end there. More of your relatives bombard him with questions. “When are you going to get married?” To which you have to remind everyone that it’s only been two months. There’s also, “What do you do, Nanami?” And since it’s too complicated to explain Jujutsu Sorcery to every normie in your household, Nanami decides to say he is a professor.
Bless your boyfriend’s heart. He answers each question politely, listening intently as your family continues to embarrass you. Once you get your chance, you grab him, tugging him into the hallway leading to the stairs. “I’m so sorry, Nanami. I know this is overwhelming.”
“Don’t apologize. I love hearing stories about you. Your family is really nice.”
You reach out, holding his hand. “Do you want to see my room? It’s just up the stairs.”
“Am I allowed?” he teases, eyebrow raised.
“No one’s watching,” you smirk, leading him up the stairs.
Sneaking into your childhood bedroom feels naughty, especially sneaking in with your boyfriend. Once you enter the room, you quietly shut the door behind you. Your bedroom has been preserved in the exact same state as it was ten years ago. You still have posters of your favorite pop idols hanging all over your walls. On your dresser mirror, there are old photos of your friends and family. And not the most flattering pictures. He leans in close to get a better look, laughing to himself. “Were you a theater kid?” he asks, focusing on a particular photo of you on stage.
“Yes. That was my one big solo, which lasted two minutes on stage. I was usually just in the background for all the other musicals.”
He grins at you. “You have so many talents. I love learning more about you.”
There’s a flutter in your belly, pleasantly surprised by his sincerity. Suddenly, you are very aware that Kento Nanami is standing in your bedroom, and for some reason, you’re flustered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just…I can’t believe I have a boy, I mean, a man in my room.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying, seventeen-year-old me would be freaking out right now,” you laugh.
“I take it you were a late bloomer?”
“Late bloomer? Excuse me?!”
He chuckles, standing in front of you. “I didn’t have much luck with the ladies myself, back when I was in Jujutsu High.” He wraps his arms around your shoulders, smooching you on the cheek.
You look up at him with a soft smile. “Sometimes I wonder. If we met in high school, do you think you and I would be friends?”
Nanami answers quickly. “Absolutely.”
“Oh, such a confident answer!”
He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then, he confesses, “I’m confident I would have still fallen in love with you then, as I am now.”
You’re frozen for several seconds, unsure if you truly heard him correctly. Did he say love?
He whispers your name. “Did you hear what I said?”
Still unsure, you reply hesitantly. “Uh, yes. I did.”
He rests his forehead against yours, gazing into your eyes. “Before you say anything else, I want to say this properly: I am falling in love with you. And I know it’s only been a short while, but I have never been so sure about anything else in my life. I don’t want you to feel pressured to say it back. But I just want to let you know that this is how I feel.”
His confession makes your heart race. Should you tell him that you’re falling in love with him too? It’s only been two months since you started dating. There is so much you don’t know about each other. You still call him by his surname, for goodness sake!
But you are falling in love with him. Everything about him screams love. The way he looks at you, the way he speaks to you, the way he touches you. His selflessness, his chivalry, his calm demeanor that hides a more confident and dominant disposition when needed. He is everything you’ve ever wanted and more, as cliché as that sounds.
There’s always that fear of admitting something so personal. The fear that saying it now is too soon. The fear that maybe he doesn’t feel the same way. Love means something different to everyone. He may say he’s falling in love with you, but what does that mean to him? What if one day, he wakes up and starts falling out of love? What if one day, he meets another woman who he falls even more in love with?
All of this is your own insecurity. It’s not Nanami’s fault that you have these irrational fears. And besides, who’s to say that Nanami doesn’t have fears like this too? He deserves to know how you feel. He deserves to feel the same tingling feeling all over your body right now. “I’m falling in love with you too. And I’m not just saying that. I mean it, with all my heart.” Should you do it? Should you take the leap of faith? Right here, in the middle of your childhood bedroom? The pop idols hanging on your walls are screaming at you Just do it! “Kento, I love you.”
His grip on your shoulders tightens, eyes wide in shock. Oh no. Did you say too much?
Before you take it all back, he puts his hands on your cheeks and kisses you passionately. The fluttering intensifies until you’re dizzy against his lips. Before you know it, you’re lying on your back in the bed, him on top of you, his warm mouth grazing your neck. He lips are at your ear, chanting, “I love you. I love you. I love you.” His hand reaches the hem of your dress, exposing your thighs, sliding between your legs. Every little touch sends ripples through your body like electricity.
Between kisses, he tells you, “I didn’t want to freak you out by saying ‘I love you’ first. That’s why I said I am falling in love with you. But I love you. I really love you.”
“I love you, too. I really love you, Kento.”
You continue to kiss each other sloppily, his hand caressing your inner thigh. When he sucks on your bottom lip, you can’t help but let out a small moan. He trails further up your body, fingertips brushing your hips, stomach, then chest. The dress you’re wearing is hiked up to your neck as he stops kissing you to stare hungrily at your almost bare body. Just as he begins to straddle you, there’s loud stomping running up the stairs. Immediately, you lightly shove him off and sit up on the edge of the bed, pulling your dress down. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, standing up with his back towards the door.
It swings open, revealing Ren. “There you are! We’re playing charades now! I need you two on my team. Let’s go!” As quickly as he barges in, he runs back down the stairs, leaving the door wide open.
Nanami takes a deep sigh, back still turned as you move towards him, hugging his waist. “Need a minute?”
“I don’t need a minute. I need you. Underneath me. Right now,” he huffs, trying to calm down.
“Kento!”
“I know, I know. We shouldn’t.” He turns around to embrace you, resting his chin on your head. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Kento.”
“You have no idea how much I love you.”
“Show me how much you love me. Tonight. Let’s finish what we started.”
He chuckles in that low voice you love so much. “You are a naughty girl, you know that? Let’s go out there and play some charades before I really lose all self-control.”
“What, are you going to make love to me on this bed? In front of all these pop idols?”
“I don’t care who’s watching. I’ll make love to you right here, right now with this door open if you keep teasing me.”
Before it escalates, you quickly drag your boyfriend out the door and join the rest of your family in the living room, where everyone plays a rambunctious game of charades. When it’s Nanami’s turn, you watch with a large smile as he gets on his knees and pretends to lick the back of his hands, giving his best impression of a cat.
God, you really love this man.
~~~
Kento, I love you.
There aren’t enough words to describe what Nanami is feeling right now. The euphoria that courses through him after hearing her utter that is sublime. He’s intoxicated, weightless, transcendent. He’s never felt like this before, heart about to burst out of his chest. He wants to do a dance because of how happy he is right now. Wants to get down on one knee and propose to this goddess, this angel, his love.
Instead, he takes her to bed and almost, almost consummates their love for each other in her childhood bedroom. Luckily, and unluckily, before it progresses further, Ren bursts into the room.
He can’t believe she loves him. She loves him. Everything he’s done in his life before he met her is paying off in the best way possible. All his sacrifices, all the hardship, all the mundane rituals. This is his reward. His happiness.
All these thoughts are jumbled up in his head. He’s already picturing her in a wedding dress. Travelling the world with her. Making babies. Growing old together. Everything Nanami knew before has been thrown out the window. His stupid rules of not dating, his mundane day-to-day routines, his morbid outlook on life. She makes him forget about that. He never wants to go back to his life before meeting her.
Two months. That’s all it took for Nanami to be totally and absolutely in love.
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