If you had asked Toji when he was nineteen if he could see himself married to one woman for the rest of his life, he would've laughed and called you crazy.

But now at the age of forty-seven, it would seem crazy to be without her. The woman he's been in love with now for over twenty years. His woman, so beautiful and perfect that it's sometimes hard to imagine how she's still with him.

It's early morning when Toji's eyes begin to open, the sunrise peeking through the bottom of the closed blinds in their bedroom. Not like it's out of the ordinary, he's much used to waking up at the ass crack of dawn to open shop.

His head turns, met with the ethereal sight of his wife, asleep soundly with her hair showing clear evidence of bed head. He turns to lie on his side, his muscles aching in a way they never did years ago.

As if his body acting on its own, his hand moves up, tucking just a bit of hair behind her ear. He doesn't miss the gray strand or two in her hair, a fond warmth forming in his chest at the sight.

Call it odd, but he loves the sight of his wife aging, the way her body has changed, the way she's grown so mature yet still has that exact same smile she did when they first met. He loves it, the reminder that they really are growing old together.

He moves in closer, eventually wrapping his arms around her waist, dipping his head down and kissing her neck where it meets her shoulder. He could feel her subtly shift, the way her breathing evened out in a way that shows she's waking up.

"Megumi stayed the night at that lil Yuji punk's place," he mutters against her skin, a way to vocalize that they have the place to themselves for a bit longer.

His implications were as clear as the day ahead of them, his lips planting yet another kiss on her. Hands gliding over the soft fabric of her pajamas that she put on last night.

"It's still early, kid probably won't be home until twelve," Toji adds, burying his face in his wife's hair. Yeah, he definitely loves her.