“Adulthood, With You”

⸻

The Apartment

It was small, with leaky faucets and creaky floors—but to Nobita, it was perfect.

The living room doubled as Dekisugi’s study space. The kitchen had mismatched mugs. Doraemon’s old photo sat by the window, facing the city. And on the fridge, Nobita had scrawled a note that never moved:

“We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we’ll face it together.”

Somehow, that was enough.

⸻

Careers Begin

Dekisugi had become a researcher. His schedule was packed. Meetings. Experiments. Lectures. Still, he always came home.

Nobita was… still figuring things out. After bouncing between part-time jobs and false starts, he was now writing stories for children—simple, clumsy ones full of heart.

They didn’t sell much, not yet.

But Dekisugi kept every draft. Highlighted favorite lines. Left sticky notes with quiet encouragement.

“You made me cry on page 4,” one said.

Another: “You don’t know this, but this is your best work yet.”

⸻

The Bad Days

Adulthood wasn’t easy.

Nobita struggled with rejection emails. Some days, he lay in bed too long. Some evenings, he wondered if Dekisugi regretted choosing him.

“You could’ve had someone brilliant,” he mumbled once, staring at the ceiling.

Dekisugi turned toward him in the dark, voice soft but firm.

“I didn’t fall in love with brilliant. I fell in love with you.”

Nobita bit his lip. “But what if I don’t become anything?”

Dekisugi wrapped his arms around him.

“Then I’ll love you as you are. Not as you ‘might’ be.”

⸻

The Good Days

There were days when Nobita’s stories got picked up by magazines. Days when Dekisugi came home with an award he forgot to mention, and Nobita nearly cried in pride.

They celebrated everything. With cheap wine. With old karaoke songs. With slow dancing in their pajamas.

Love was no longer fireworks.

It was warm food. Waiting up late. A forehead kiss before a morning train.

⸻

One Night, After Dinner

They were washing dishes when Dekisugi paused and turned to Nobita.

“I think I want to grow old with you.”

Nobita blinked, soap suds still on his hands. “You do?”

Dekisugi nodded. “We’ve built something strong. Not perfect. But real. I want this. I want you.”

Nobita looked at him—his once-rival, once-stranger, now home.

“I want that too.”

They kissed in the kitchen, surrounded by the sound of dripping water and the smell of leftover curry.

⸻

Five Years Later

Their apartment was bigger now. Nobita had published two books. Dekisugi was teaching at a university.

But they still kept Doraemon’s photo near the window.

And every year on their anniversary, they returned to the hill where it began—where Dekisugi once handed Nobita a journal full of love letters and promises.

Now, they brought a new one each year. Nobita wrote in it. Dekisugi wrote too.

Sometimes just a word.

Sometimes a whole chapter.

And each entry ended the same way:

“I choose you. Today. Tomorrow. Always.”

⸻

[End of Part 4 – “Love, Grown and Rooted”]

Want next?….

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***