#《 anyway another hc that I forgot to mention when you asked is that Raye is a Househusband. malewife if you will 》

[first-frost-fallen-snow]

It all happened so fast. One minute he was tailing this man to make sure he wasn't Kira, the next he was married to him. Raye had been engaged before, but that didn't work out. Since then he couldn't fathom the thought of even dating someone new, it felt like a betrayal.

Logically, he knew that none of this was romantic. This was some stupid plan from the task force he wasn't allowed to know the details of. All he was told was to play house with a man he barely knew, that was terrified of him and the situation they were in. Raye knew all too well what it was like moving to Japan and being thrust into new and frankly horrific circumstances - that was him only a few years ago - so he did everything he could to accomodate.

Raye did what he thought was the best thing he could. He researched Ed's conditions so he knew how to react and what Ed would need in certain circumstances. He kept the house tidy, even cooked meals for Ed - despite their situation, he found small joys in the mundane. But he never forced Ed to interact with him, nor was Ed obligated to wear the ring. Like coaxing a cat, he showed signs of trust but did not coerce Ed into reciprocating. His personal rule of thumb was to act as if they were simply roommates.

Never had he thought married life would be like this. His initial plan was to marry Naomi. He wanted to meet her parents and earn their blessings. They'd buy a house and a yard - they even planned to have kids. Back then he could clearly see two children chasing eachother in the yard while he and Naomi sat together and watched. The rings would catch his eye, and he'd look at Naomi and think how did I get so lucky?

Opening his eyes, Raye broke this reverie. He didn't want to seem like he was awake, yet, since he was unsure if that would startle Ed. His gaze was drawn to his own ring, something that made his eyes prickle with tears that he quickly stifled. It wasn't that Ed was a bad man, or that Raye was particularly unhappy, he simply missed Naomi.

Not only that, but Raye was the kind of man to enjoy physical touch. He wasn't going to just cuddle up to Ed because they were married now. He didn't even know a single thing about Ed aside from the fact that he was a suspect. He was sure any attempts to get to know him would go down the drain. So he remained lonely, making sure not to sleep too close to Ed so he didn't cross any boundaries.

That was enough thinking for now, Raye supposed as he slowly sat up. He wasn't sure if Ed was awake yet, but he made sure to be quiet and tuck the blanket back in when he slipped out of bed. He picked up his own ring, fidgeting with it for a moment. He stared down at Ed, only finding himself feeling... pity. It wasn't Ed's fault they were in this situation - poor Ed must have been terrified. He must've missed home, where there was no Kira case and he could go about his day without a stranger in his house.

Raye let out a long sigh - though keeping it quiet as not to wake or upset Ed - and headed towards the closet to pick out an outfit. He wasn't going to change in front of Ed, nor would he imply vice versa. They may have been married, but he would rather be overly cautious of boundaries than be careless. He planned to take this outfit to the bathroom.

His cat, Soots, hopped up onto the bed, demanding attention as he passed by. He shushed her quietly, scooping her up to take her with him so she wouldn't wake Ed.

"We're married"

《 from Raye Penber @first-frost-fallen-snow because that would be the funniest route to me also sorry for like disappearing I was focusing on moving out and now my fatigue is killing me 》

Ed awoke for once not slumped over his keyboard, yet also not in the empty apartment he'd moved into when he first moved to Japan. Though he supposed technically, the apartment he was in belonged to him, as did the bed he lay in, though both truly belonged to the man laying next to him. He squinted at the clock on his nightstand, at red LED numbers so blurry, only years of practice allowed him to decipher the time without having to put his glasses on. He still had time before he had to get up, a couple of hours before he had to get to work.

A flash of gold on the nightstand drew his eyes from the clock to the ring next to his glasses. It was the only piece of jewelry he owned, and far more expensive than anything he would ever purchase for himself. There was a similar ring on the other nightstand on the opposite side of the bed that belonged to the other occupant--Raye Penber.

Ed... still didn't know what to make of his new situation, let alone the man he was now legally bound to. He didn't hate him, certainly, though whether he trusted him was yet to be decided. Their marriage hadn't been Ed's idea, nor had it been Raye's. A necessity to facilitate the Kira investigation, it had been called, and Ed had only begrudgingly agreed to it for fear of opposition somehow being used against him as evidence and landing him in prison.

Thought of their marriage left an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He'd sworn when he got his job at Encom, and finally escaped his father's control that he would never put himself in any sort relationship where there was a power imbalance and they were not equals. He wouldn't put himself in a situation where he could be abused again. And yet here he was, a foreigner, far from anyone he could call a friendly face, barely understanding the language and culture, and though their partnership was supposed to be one of equals, it didn't feel that way.

Not that he had anyone on the other side of the Pacific he could call for help if he was able, anyway. His therapist, maybe. Though he didn't trust that the call wouldn't be monitored. Or an old rival, if he was desperate.

He felt trapped. He was relying on a man he barely knew to keep him from being falsely accused of mass murder. He was at risk, not just from his partner, but from the people in charge of the investigation as well, People he felt like were treating the investigation as nothing more than a game, where both his and his partner's lives were nothing more than disposable pawns.

How strange it was, that such a tiny band of metal could hold so much meaning. To others, it would have been a symbol of joy as bright as it's polished surface, but to Ed it had just replaced the physical handcuffs that had bound him to his legal partner to with a symbolic one.