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"I hate them. I hate all of them!"
Goro exhaled a sigh as Akira stormed through the door, and without hesitation, threw himself right into his open, waiting arms.
"I hate them," he repeated, his words muffled now, but full of anger and emotion nevertheless.
"Darling, calm down," Goro murmured, stroking through messy raven hair- oh, it must have gone really bad if Akira hadn't even taken the time to properly make himself look somewhat nice again. "Tell me what happened, okay?"
"Well, you won't believe it, but-"
Goro kissed the top of Akira's head, silencing him effectively.
"I will," he assured him, "But only once I get you out of your muddy coat, let you have a shower- you smell...weird, no offense- made you eat something, and tugged you into our bed, okay?"
Akira stilled; looked up.
"Will you help me shower?"
"I'll even spoon-feed you for free, today."
Akira buried his face in his chest. "Deal."
So Goro did what he promised to do; slowly peeling the jacket off of Akira's lithe body- his darling was shivering, what the fuck- and as soon as the atrocious coat was carelessly thrown onto the racks- he'd buy Akira a new one anyway- he pulled his lover into anothehr tight hug.
"It's okay, love. It's over," he whispered, already waiting for the first few tears to fall.
And they did.
"I hate them," Akira mumbled into his already dampening shirt, "so much."
"I know, love," Goro sighed, gently cradling him in his arms as he took the first few steps towards their bathroom, "And I'll listen to you rant all about them once we get you somewhat warm and safe, okay?"
Akira sniffed in response; even louder when Goro began to peel off layer after layer of clothes, carelessly dropping everything to the ground as there was only a single goal on his mind he relentlessly pursued.
Once finished, he helped Akira into the tub, uncaring how wet he'd get himself; only began to strip down when the raven reminded him not to ruin his nice set of comfortable clothes.
Then, he let the water run, not before checking whether it was the kind of nice hot temperature Akira loved to shower in.
When his lover was wet enough, he got to work; rubbed their shared favorite body wash onto him, in gentle, comforting circular motions; when Akira began to weep louder from time to time, he'd kiss the corner of his mouth, calming him down as best as he could until he could go back about his work.
When he was content with the amount of bubbles adorning Akira's body, and the comforting scent of peaches and lemons filled the air, he laid a hand on his lover's shoulder, pushing him down little by little, until he was seated in the tub.
With a smile, he took out his own favorite shampoo, and gently massaged the gel in, his smile growing even more fond when Akira mumbled, "Feels nice."
He took his time massaging his boyfriend's scalp; Akira liked the attention, he had sheepishly confessed so once. Ever since then, Goro used it as his secret ace up his sleeve during the really bad days.
Such as today.
When there were more bubbles on Akira's head than he could possibly count, he began to turn the shower back on, carefully rinsing the shampoo out as Akira closed his eyes; he kissed his eyelids, once, before scrubbing off the leftover gel on Akira's body, and then repeated to slather his lover's hair with shampoo once more, all over again;
After all, he really wanted his shampoo scent to stick, and surround Akira's senses at all times. Invite them to stay; to linger, not to invade them like an enemy he couldn't get rid off.
Akira liked the attention, but he soon grew more and more jittery, and that was Goro's signal to stop; he rinsed both of them off, stepped out of the bathtub to get their soft bathrobes, helping Akira into the one that belonged to himself originally; not that it mattered, seeing how they were a matching set anyway, but it made a difference to Akira.
Once he'd peppered Akira's face with soft kisses, and properly mussed up his hair with a towel, it was time for the one thing Akira hated the most: blow-drying his hair.
To Goro's surprise, he stayed still for most of the time, only rubbing his nose occasionally when the heat got unbearable.
This wasn't a good sign. Usually, Akira behaved like a cat being forced to take a shower whenever his hair was blowed dry, and even moreso when Goro began to detangle his frizzy locks, trying his hardest not to hurt Akira as he carded through his hair with the best brush currently offered on the market.
Akira didn't even flinch.
"Honey?" Goro whispered when he was done, drawing Akira into another hug, patting his back to reward him for being so good, "Are you…"
He let the question fall flat; he knew Akira wasn't okay. No point in asking.
Or…?
Silently, his lover pleaded for a kiss; he got one quite immediately. Then one more, and another when it didn't seem like he was going to talk anytime soon, a heartbreaking look in his eyes as he stared into Goro's eyes, the corner of his lips turned downwards.
"Just eat a little bit, okay? A tiny bit. Really, I won't force you," Goro mumbled, fearing what was about to come-
And his fears came true.
Akira shook his head, stubborn and defiant, a spark of his former self resurfacing; before his shoulders slumped down, and his stance deflated like a sunken flower.
"I promise. It won't be much, but I can't risk having you wake up late in the night because you were hungry. Remember that one time it happened?"
Akira huffed; clung onto his damp bathrobe, then motioned Goro to tilt his head into his direction.
He was rewarded with hands carding through his hair, but the touch was weak, fleeting. Soon, those same hands cradled his face, and there was a vulnerable look in Akira's eyes as his expression contorted.
"I'm here, love," Goro offered nevertheless, "I won't leave. I promise."
Akira sniffed, and so, Goro pressed their lips together once more; a soft, comforting touch, one both of them would have gotten lost in if it wasn't for the keen noise escaping Akira's throat, making itself known loudly.
Goro reluctantly parted from him when tears began to stream down his face again, and he valiantly wiped them away, but it was of no use. Soon, Akira was sobbing, his precious face marred with streaks of tears as he requested another hug, another warm cradle.
He received them; and many more.
***
"Just one more scoop?"
The spoon, filled with Akira's favorite sort of soup, hovered awkwardly in the air near his mouth, held by no other than Goro Akechi himself.
"For me," he pleaded, and he could see his lover's stubborn defiance melting away as his lips began to part, quivering slightly.
They were both still clad in their bathrobes, seeing how Akira had resisted valiantly against the idea of food traversing down the throat of his body, and Goro couldn't take any chances and wait much longer.
A jolt of happiness surged through him when Akira shyly nodded towards the dish again, and Goro happily obliged, swallowing a spoonful himself; suppressing a happy little noise when Akira took the spoon from his hand and held a scoop up to his mouth instead, only to consume it in the very last moment himself-
Their lips collided, and the taste of creamy pumpskin soup was heavily entangled with it.
But Goro couldn't pull away even if he wanted to.
He kissed Akira a dozen times when they managed to finish the portion together, the serving size so small it usually only sated one of them. Usually, Akira chided him if he didn't clean up the plate immediately, and put it into the dishwasher; this time, only a sad look befell his eyes, instantly breaking Goro's heart as he helped Akira to his feet.
"Alright, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have skipped the food part altogether," he apologized, genuine regret in his voice as they settled down on the couch, "But I just know you'd regret not eating later on, and...hm. I'll offer to take care of the household for a week if you stop looking so glum."
He brushed Akira's bangs away, seeing how they obscured his vision. His hair had grown rapidly in length once Goro had given it proper attention and care, but he couldn't focus on his achievement as Akira began to wrap his limbs around him; clinging onto his body like a koala, or perhaps a young, tiny kangaroo baby. Or a sweet little owl, a small kitten-
Or as himself, seeking comfort in the confines of his lover's body.
"Okay. Two weeks household stuff it is," he sighed.
Goro was glad when soft noises of weep began to fill the air; he ran his hands up and down Akira's body, soothing him with his touch as broken sobs and suppressed emotions tore themselves free off their confine-
his fragile heart.
Goro kissed Akira's forehead, held him tightly when he was asked to; loosened his hold when Akira wanted to move, to indulge peppering his boyfriend with soft, small kisses, because apparently he received as much comfort spoiling his lover.
Goro felt Akira's lips dance over his collarbones, kissing hesitant little touches on his jugular; he sat there, closed his eyes until a kiss descended onto his lips, waking him as though he was the cursed sleeping prince released from a dark spell by true love.
"Hey," he murmured, a gentle smile on his lips as he reached for Akira's face, stroking over his cheeks with the pad of his thumb. "Welcome back home, love."
Akira sniffed; hiccuped, before burying his face in the crook of his neck.
"I love you," were the first words to break the silence on his side after a long time, and it warmed Goro's heart.
"Me too," he replied, drawing Akira into a lazy, sweet kiss; one that woke all the sleeping butterflies in his stomach, one that tinted their world a tad friendlier than before.
"Let's get you into some soft pj's," he mumbled, and was surprised when he saw the wild shake of Akira's head, the flutter of his hair that came with the motion.
"I- I need to feel you by my side tonight," the raven confessed, a shy look on his face, "Not...in that way. But…"
He leaned in, his hands parting open the loose hold of the gown on Goro's body to settle down on his chest; Goro shivered, but the shiver died down when Akira began to hug him tightly, now without the barrier of clothes.
"Alright," he mumbled, understanding Akira's request, "But...you will be forced to wear some boxers, at least. We have to uphold some decency in this house."
Akira quipped his eyebrow at him, even if it was a sorry attempt of his usual self. "Do we," he asked, a shaky smile on his lips- one Goro immediately kissed away, until the fake smile faded, leaving a frowny, sad pout on Akira's face.
"For once," he found himself saying, squeezing his boyfriend's sides, "Do it for me, okay?"
"You know that's a weak point of mine. Hearing you plead like that," Akira angrily muttered, but let himself be led into their shared bedroom under Goro's continuous laughter.
Soon, they were both safely tucked into bed, the warm comfort of the sheets a welcome embrace. Still, Akira shuffled in close, closer than ever; breathed in the scent of Goro's body, his hands tracing over naked skin desperately trying not to react as their limbs entangled, legs and arms and bodies melting together as one.
Akira kissed him, once, twice, so many times Goro stopped counting; feeling Akira's hands on his body was always so distracting, but even moreso when the touch was innocent, undemanding; naive, almost.
His lover sighed, and Goro closed in on him, one of his arms loosely swung across Akira's torso; his hand resting in the lower dip of the end of his spine, feeling the soft love marks he left there just this morning.
The raven shivered, but soon began to bite his lip to stifle the sounds leaving his mouth; Goro wouldn't have it. Goro let his thumb swipe over the sensitive spot on Akira's back, drawing forth tiny, weak protest after protest; until a mewl escaped him, a whine that surned turned into a full-blown sob.
"Shhh," he whispered, kissing the bridge of Akira's nose, "It's okay. Look me into the eyes, darling; it's okay."
Akira sobbed harder at that; the intended effect, even if it broke Goro's heart a tiny little bit.
Or a big bit, but nothing he couldn't swallow and handle if it lead to an ultimate happy end.
"You're back home. With me. Warm and safe," he mumbled directly into Akira's ear, his lips tracing the shell, "I don't have any plans. Waited for you to come back home all day."
"Hrgnk-"
"And while it pains me to see you like this, it's okay. I'm allowing you to, right now, to break down; to cry and yell and scratch if you need to. Get it all out," he said, the sound of his voice carrying across the room; growing louder at the last part.
"I can take all of your ugly sides."
Akira began to wiggle in his hold, a few weak mumbles leaving his mouth, but ultimately dying down as Goro peppered his helix with kisses.
"I can take all of you. It's my job. My duty. My calling. My wish, " he mumbled, sensually, and that was all it took for Akira to cry out loud, like an animal howling out in pain; a small, tiny, beautiful and precious one.
He let Akira push him away, but only a little; gave him space to move around, but only so much that he couldn't ignore Goro's presence all around him.
Told him to breathe; let him sniff the familiar, comforting scent of-
"Home," he whispered, "Your home is with me, darling. Not with anyone else, isn't it?"
And so, Akira's trashing died down, little by little; his stubborn resistance waning as he began to let himself fall into Goro's embrace, his touch, his presence;
Their all consuming, all enthralling love.
"W-will you listen, really?"
Goro let his thumb swipe away a few tears running down Akira's face.
"Naturally."
"And you won't judge me?"
The word 'judge' came out drawn out, thwarted; resembling the word 'ju-hu-dsch' more, seeing how Akira hiccuped every syllable.
Goro was aware the word didn't exist; would usually chide Akira and tell him to properly enunciate, but it wasn't the time for that now.
"No," he murmured, his fingers tracing Akira's lovely, bitten and chapped lips. "No judging, remember?"
"B-but. It's- hmng. It's stupi-"
He kissed Akira before the word was out.
"Nothing is ever stupid if it upset you so much," Goro said in a stern, but gentle voice, and he reached out for the bedlamp, turning it off to drench the room into darkness. "Come on, Akira. You can tell me anything. Anything, and everything. Always."
He kissed Akira's forehead; then the tip of each his fingers, before leading one hand to rest on his neck, loosely touching his skin as he stared his lover deep into the eyes.
Even in the darkness, his own reflection shimmered brightly; as though it was the only beacon of hope for Akira to cling onto, despite all the shadows, despite all the demons.
"I'm ready," he mumbled, "Are you?"