Work Text:
Akihito stood underneath the water running down from the showerhead, massaging his sore neck to no avail. His entire back hurt. Not just his lower back, as was to be expected, but his entire spine felt as if it had been stretched to its limit. That, along with sore shoulders and a stiff neck made for one hell of a morning. Never before had he been curled up in that position for so long. Asami, true to his nature, wasn’t dissuaded from having sex and kept his promise about helping find a way to keep him from being heard. I’ll never let him do that to me again! Akihito swore to himself, knowing it was futile. That bastard kissed me the entire time! Not only could I not breathe, but having my weight on my neck like that! Bastard just about killed me! And then he had the nerve to go for another round! Groaning in pain and frustration he turned off the tap, bringing an end to his futile efforts, toweled himself dry, and got ready to go downstairs. Still rubbing his neck he stepped out of the bathroom to find the stairs. Unconsciously he paused at the door to the room they slept in, Akihito’s hand inadvertently traced his lips that had been held captive the night before. Shaking his head to clear it of the previous night’s passionate memory, he sped past the room and down the stairs.
The kitchen was empty except for Asami, dressed in jeans again with a fitted polo hugging his broad shoulders in a vibrant shade of gold that matched his eyes. His mother was busy at the counter. Damn he looks good! Wait! What am I thinking? Akihito shook his head once again to clear it. Since he had moved in with Asami a year ago, he had noticed this line of thought had become disturbingly more frequent. Luckily none of the children were around to see him blush. Having finished their breakfasts already, they were in other parts of the house taking care of chores or outside playing.
“Good morning,” Akihito said softly as he entered.
“Good morning,” Asami replied, placing a kiss on Akihito’s lips.
“What the hell!” Akihito blushed. Pushing the older man away, he glanced to where Asami’s mother was standing at the counter, her back to them, fixing another plate for breakfast. Did she see that? his mind raced.
“What did I tell you, Ryuichi?” the woman said having never turned around from what she was doing.
“Yes, mother,” Asami replied, a glint of mischief in his golden eyes. Akihito looked at him questioningly. “She told me I have to be a good boy, or we get separate rooms tonight,” he whispered into Akihito’s ear.
The color drained from Akihito’s face. Oh my god. They heard us? Wait! SHE heard us?! SHIT! Looking around frantically trying to pull his thoughts together, he noticed Asami’s mother had placed the plate she’d been working on before him at the table, along with a glass of orange juice and a side of aspirin. “I have to leave,” he panicked, turning to leave the kitchen. Unfortunately a hand prevented him from getting far, wrapping its warmth around his waist and pushing him down into the chair in front of him.
“No, you don’t,” Asami said leaning over him from behind, his hand moving from Akihito’s waist to his shoulder as he sat down. Traveling from there it gently slid to his ear, caressing its edge lightly only to end up brushing the hair from the side of his face. “Mother took the time to make you breakfast. Be a good boy and eat up,” Asami said, sitting in the chair next to him. “You don’t want to be punished for not eating your meal now, do you?” he whispered in Akihito’s ear causing him to jump, his eyes wide.
Akihito sighed, resigning himself to his fate. There was no way he would get out of this without making a scene. Or getting “punished” for it later. Grateful for the aspirin, though embarrassed that it was Asami’s mother that left it with his breakfast, he quickly swallowed the pills along with some of the orange juice.
“Would you like some tea, Akihito-kun?” Asami’s mother asked.
“Yes, please,” he answered, trying to avoid looking at her. Hearing footsteps enter the kitchen, he turned to see Miwa, her hair braided with a bright pink ribbon, walking towards him.
“Are you okay?” Miwa asked, looking up at Akihito, a strange amount of concern in her eyes.
“Uh… yes, thank you. I’m doing fine,” he responded in confusion. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you were having such a bad nightmare last night.”
“Nightmare?” Akihito looked at Asami in confusion.
“Uh-huh. You were making noises like you were having a bad nightmare,” the girl said innocently. “I know it was you because Ryu-nii doesn’t have them.”
Asami chuckled next to him. Akihito flushed to his ears, unable to respond to the girl standing before him.
“If it helps any, I can give you one of my teddy bears,” she continued. “Ryu-nii gave me one, once. He said it would chase the nightmares away for me when I was sleeping. I don’t need all of the ones that I have because Ryu-nii’s bear does the best job. I can give you one of my other ones.”
“Uh…” Akihito stumbled. “Thank you,” he said softly as he returned to his breakfast, trying hard not to meet anyone’s eyes. He was sure he was a brilliant shade of red at the moment.
~ ≈ 川 ≈ ~
They spent their day playing with the children and talking with Asami’s mother. Akihito even brought out his camera that he had in his bag. Not knowing what Asami had planned for that weekend, he had packed it in case he hadn’t been able to approach the man about what he had been hiding. At least that way he would have been able to take pictures to confront him with later. He planned on making a scrapbook with the footage he obtained that day for the children. Never before had he seen this side of his lover. And he doubted that he ever would again. The way he acted with the children, and the way he differed to his mother, were almost out of character for Asami. No wonder he doesn’t want anyone to know about this. It would destroy his image completely. Not to mention what his enemies would do with the knowledge of his family. Akihito worried a little, remembering what had happened to him as a result of being special to this man. And I’m only his lover. This is his family. He shuddered at the thought of someone as precious and innocent as Miwa caught in the fight between Asami and one of his many “business” rivals.
After dinner and putting Miwa to bed, Asami met Akihito in their room. “Is she asleep?” Akihito asked the older man.
“No,” Asami replied. “I think she’s still worried about you having another ‘bad nightmare,’” he laughed, running his hand over Akihito’s chest.
“Asami!” Akihito exclaimed, swatting the man’s hand away. “Didn’t you get enough of me last night?”
“I can never get enough of you. You know that, Akihito,” the man whispered dangerously, his lips moving in for a kiss.
“Bastard!” Akihito raised his voice, backing away. “I’m still sore from last night! Give it a rest, will you!” Before he had a chance to protest any more, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Ryu-nii?” they heard a small voice from the other side of the door. Asami opened it to reveal Miwa dressed in her nightgown, a pink teddy bear clutched to her chest, another one dangling from her other hand. “Is Aki-nii here?” she looked around him to see Akihito climbing under the covers of his futon. Opening the door wider, Asami admitted the small child into the room.
“This is for you, Aki-nii,” she said stretching her arm out to give the bear to Akihito. “It’s okay if you use it tonight.” Akihito reached out to take the bear from her, unsure what else to do. “This is the one Ryu-nii gave me,” she indicated the pink one she was still clutching to her chest. “It works really good, too. So this one might work for you.”
“Thank you, Miwa. I don’t know what to say.” It was the truth. He couldn’t tell this child what was the real cause of his ‘distress’ the night before.
“Okay!” the girl smiled. “Sleep well tonight!” she chimed as she turned to leave the room. “Ryu-nii, can you tuck me in again? Please?” she asked, looking up at her brother with large, dark eyes.
“Of course,” Asami replied patting her head, a smile on his face. “Don’t wait up,” he called over his shoulder as he left the room.
Don’t wait up! Ha! As if I would! Akihito snorted as he laid down, burrowing into his covers. Lifting his head from the pillow, he scanned the immediate floor finding the discarded bear. Reaching for it, he pulled it to his chest as he curled up on his side and tucked it far enough under the covers that Asami wouldn’t see it.
~ ≈ 川 ≈ ~
As they were leaving the next evening, Asami’s mother pulled Akihito aside.
“I wanted to thank you, Akihito-kun,” she said.
Unsure what she meant, Akihito replied, “It’s not a problem. I had fun. I’d like to come back sometime and visit, if that’s okay?”
“Ah, yes,” she said. “The children enjoyed having you here as well. And as much as I want to see those pictures you took, you know that’s now why I’m thanking you.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t follow you.”
“I want to thank you for loving my son.”
Akihito blushed. He still wasn’t sure what to think about how easily this woman had accepted him as her son’s lover.
“He needs you,” she continued. “More than he’ll ever tell you. He’s different now. Somehow you’ve changed him… and for the better I might add.” Akihito blushed to his ears. “He lives in a dark world,” she continued. “I’m sure you already know that. He needs a someone to remind him of what he is, and what he really needs.” She reached up and, to Akihito’s embarrassment, hugged him. “Just don’t leave him,” she said with a dangerous tone as she let him go. “If you ever do anything to hurt my son, I can assure you that gun he carries will be the least of your worries.”
With a smile she left him, stunned and a little frightened, and returned to the house. As Akihito was almost in the car he could hear Miwa shouting as she ran down the short walk from the house to the car. “Aki-nii!” she shouted as she came up to where he stood with the car door open. “You forgot this,” she said holding up the teddy bear she had given him the night before. “You didn’t have any nightmares last night! That means it worked!” she smiled. “I don’t need it so you can have it.”
“Thanks, Miwa,” he said giving her a small hug and taking the bear with him as he climbed in the car.
The ride home was surprisingly quiet. Akihito fidgeted with the teddy bear the entire way, not knowing what to make of his lover’s silence. Upon returning home, Akihito immediately proclaimed that he was going to bed and that the only thing he wanted was to sleep. Tossing the teddy bear onto his side of the bed he threw his bag into the corner of the bedroom figuring he could unpack in the morning. Hearing the door shut behind him, he knew Asami had followed him into the room.
“What were you and my mother talking about?” he asked.
“Not much,” Akihito lied. There was no way that he was going to tell this man that his mother had thanked him for being her son’s lover. Or that she had threatened him as well. “Just that I’m welcome to come back whenever I want to.”
“Akihito,” Asami said threateningly from behind him. “You should know better than to lie to me. What are you hiding from me?”
“I’m telling the truth… Ah!” Asami’s hand snaked around him and began traveling up his chest under his shirt. The older man’s lips sucked at the nape of his neck. Pulling him towards the bed, Asami unceremoniously threw him to the mattress. “Asami!” Akihito shouted.
With a predatory glint in his eyes, the older man advanced on his lover who was backing across the mattress only to have his movement halted by the headboard. Looking around frantically, Akihito grabbed the first thing he could find to defend himself with. Without hesitating he had the teddy bear in his hand, its arms and legs flopping as he shoved it in Asami’s face. Shaking it off, Asami threw it across the room to join Akihito’s bag. “Now why did you do that?”
“She said it would chase away the nightmares,” Akihito responded weakly. “Guess it doesn’t work as well as she said it would.”
Asami laughed. “If that’s what you think,” he said as he reached for the necktie he’d discarded on the nightstand the night before they left.
Akihito looked on in fearful anticipation of the nightmare that was about to descend upon him. But what was most frightening was that he wasn’t entirely sure anymore if that was such a bad thing.
~ ≈ 川 ≈ ~