Chapter Text
Reflexively, Akai sat up in bed the moment he heard a sound. With a quick glance towards the nightstand, he took in the glowing red colors the clock displayed — 1:36am.
For a second, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, but then he heard another sound. Perking his ears, he tried to make out where exactly the sound had been coming from. Clothed in nothing but some black boxer briefs and a worn-out shirt, he tiptoed out of bed. He wasn't even wearing his Okiya Subaru disguise. As silently as possible, he opened the bedroom door.
Thud.
That had sounded like something had collided with a wall downstairs. The residence of the Kudo family was large and held more than a few valuables if you knew what to look for. But if anyone thought they could just easily break into this house, they would get the shock of their life.
Swiftly, he moved down the stairs. Afterwards, he made sure to stay in the shadows of the walls as he sneaked into the general direction he had heard the sounds from.
When he got near the washing room, he heard heavy breathing. Apparently, someone had broken in through the back entrance. Quietly, Akai moved with his back against the wall. Fortunately, the door to the washing room was ajar, so he could peer through the gap.
It didn't take long until he spotted someone. However, it didn't look like that person searched the room for valuables. Instead, he leaned against the wall. It was too dark to make out any details, but the person held a phone in his right hand, the display glowing and illuminating gray slacks and black shoes.
That was strange.
Before Akai could think about it, the person lifted the phone to look at the display. The light illuminated their face, and Akai let out a breath as he recognized a familiar expression.
"I thought you were a burglar," he said with a playful huff as he pushed open the door.
"What kind of idiotic burglar would risk leaving traces of his blood at the crime scene?" Even though the words held their usual teasing tone, the voice sounded strained.
Alarmed by the tone and the mention of blood, Akai strode over with quick steps. His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the pained expression on his lover's face, holding his left shoulder. "Rei?" He couldn't mask the worry in his voice.
"I'm fine," Rei replied with a huff as he pocketed his phone. It was dark again. They both knew he wasn't okay, but Rei's pride was a vulnerable thing, so Akai let it slide for now.
"Can you walk?" Akai asked as he went to the backdoor. After testing the handle, he realized it was locked. Rei must have used the spare key Akai had given him some time ago. Usually, they met at Rei's apartment — a place no one else knew about. But Akai had insisted on giving Rei a key for his current residence as well — if only for emergencies. And apparently, this was an emergency right now.
"Of course, I can—" Rei's confirmation got canceled by a wince as he slammed against the wall once more. "Fuck."
With a sigh, Akai weighed his options and decided to play risky. "Swallow your pride for a minute."
"What?" Rei asked, the frown hearable in the tone of his voice.
However, instead of giving a verbal reply Akai simply moved towards the other man. Supporting Rei's back with one hand, he put his other arm under Rei's legs to pick him up like a princess.
"You—" The surprise in Rei's voice quickly vanished as anger took over. "Let me down this instant!" At once, Rei started to struggle, trying to free himself from Akai's hold. However, since his body suddenly convulsed and he let out a painful whimper, the movement must have aggravated his injuries again.
"Just one minute," Akai reminded him softly. "We can pretend it never happened."
It wasn't a particularly good sign when Rei simply closed his eyes, resting his head against Akai's shoulder. Akai knew his lover rarely gave in so easily. Doing so anyway showed how exhausted he had to be. Rei hadn't wrapped his arms around Akai's neck, either because his shoulder hurt too much or because he was too proud to show any sign of affection. On the other hand, it was a sign of trust. Akai tightened his grip around his lover's body, silently conveying he was keeping him safe.
Taking two steps at once, he hurried upstairs. With his elbow, he pressed down the handle of the bathroom door before he pushed it open with his hips. After entering the room, he carefully set Rei down on the edge of the bathtub. As he let go of his lover, Rei's body immediately swayed. Quickly, he stepped closer again, Rei's face colliding with Akai's torso. The blond grumbled.
"Can you sit?" Akai asked.
"I'm sitting," Rei mumbled into Akai's shirt, his words slurred. Somehow, he at least managed to kick off his shoes.
Akai rolled his eyes. Stubborn until the bitter end. A smile crept upon his lips. Slowly, he turned Rei's body, lifting his left leg to rest inside the tub, the right foot still on the floor. Carefully, he leaned Rei's back against the wall at the head end of the bathtub.
"Don't fall asleep yet," Akai said as he walked to the other side of the bathroom.
"I'm not," Rei denied at once. He still sounded exhausted, but a spark of anger was in his voice, getting the adrenaline running again. "Stop fussing. I'm fine."
Opening the sink cabinet, Akai ignored the last comment and took out the first-aid kit. "Case closed?"
Rei huffed. "Would I be here otherwise?"
"Maybe you're here to ask for help," he replied teasingly.
As Akai returned to the bathtub, Rei stared at him with a deadpan expression. They both knew it took a lot more than a case affecting public safety for Rei to explicitly ask Akai for help. Not that this case hadn't been serious. Akai had seen the news and couldn't deny he'd been worried about his lover. Once you looked deeper into the facts, it had been obvious the culprit's main targets weren't civilians but members of the police.
"Who needs your help?" Rei mocked him. "I made sure to have a little boy working for me, and that was enough."
"Are you sure it wasn't the other way around, and you worked for him instead?" Akai teased as he opened the lid of the first aid kit to check its contents. Once he had made sure everything he needed was in reach, he looked up. His lover had averted his gaze, his cheeks burning red. Akai blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Not only—" Rei bit back his retort. Sometimes the blond could be surprisingly honest. Although he was proud and stubborn, he wasn't someone who adorned himself with borrowed plumes.
"So it was fifty-fifty," Akai concluded with a smile. That detective boy really was quite a character.
Rei didn't reply, but his silence was enough of an answer. On other days, Akai might have teased his lover about it, but somehow Rei looked too vulnerable, slumped against the bathroom wall.
"Take off your clothes," Akai instructed. His eyes stayed on Rei's left shoulder. It hadn't gone unnoticed how his lover kept putting pressure on it with his right hand all the time — probably to stop the bleeding of a nasty wound.
"Not even a kiss before you're trying to get me naked?" Rei huffed, but Akai hadn't missed the playful tone in his lover's voice. "As always, you're as far from being a gentleman as—"
Akai cut Rei's teasing off with a kiss against his lips. "Please, Rei."
His lover blinked at him with wide eyes before his cheeks took on a red color once more. Without a word, he almost sheepishly averted his gaze. Slowly, he took his hand away from his shoulder, resting it in his lap. Akai took that as a sign to proceed. "Tell me if it hurts," he whispered as he carefully pulled the black leather jacket off of Rei's shoulder. Beneath it, he spotted a large red spot on Rei's supposedly white pullover. Akai sucked in a sharp breath.
"Stop fussing," Rei said as he moved his arms to slip out of his jacket. Squeezing his eyes shut with a grimace, he still tried to deny the pain. "It's just a scratch."
"Must be a nasty one to bleed that much," Akai returned with a snort. He tried to take it lightly, even though he was worried.
Rei reached for the hem of his pullover to pull it off, but the moment he lifted his left arm, he let it fall again with a groan.
"It's fractured," Akai stated matter-of-factly, staring at Rei's shoulder.
"It's not," Rei retorted, and Akai raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Clicking his tongue, Rei pulled at the hem of his pullover. "Just cut it off. It's ruined anyway with these bloodstains and cuts."
Seeing no reason to argue with that logic, Akai picked up the scissors from the first-aid kit. Carefully, he got to work. "What happened to you anyway?" he asked, on the one hand, because he was curious, on the other hand, since he tried to distract his lover from the pain.
"Jumped from a high building with my burning car, had to abandon it mid-air, and crashed through the window of the adjoining skyscraper," Rei said as casually as other people talked about the weather.
Akai stopped cutting the pullover midway as he needed a moment to process these words. Eventually, a disbelieving chuckle fell from his lips. "You've officially lost the right to complain about me pulling dangerous stunts with my car ever again."
Narrowing his eyes, Rei stared at him. "We both know I'm the better driver anyway."
"Pretty sure your demolished car begs to differ," Akai said with a snort, causing the blond to huff. He successfully cut open Rei's pullover from bottom to top with one last snip. Like taking off a jacket, Rei slipped his right arm out of the sleeve with Akai's help. As Akai tried to lift the fabric from his lover's left shoulder, Rei hissed in pain. Taking a breath, Akai searched for a distraction. He knew this would be painful, but he also knew his lover despised pity or too much fussing. "What else have I missed today?" he asked, casually trying to get the conversation going again.
"The boy asked me if I have a girlfriend," Rei said, masking his painful grunt with a chuckle as Akai finally managed to take off the pullover.
"Oh?" There was genuine interest in Akai's voice. He was curious how his lover had handled such a direct question. Meanwhile, he tried his best to assess the severity of Rei's injury. His shoulder looked swollen but not as bad as Akai had feared. There were some cuts and lots of dried blood, white fluff from his pullover sticking to it.
"Took me a moment to come up with a reply," Rei admitted, pulling Akai back to their conversation at hand.
"So you haven't told him about your boyfriend?" he asked with a teasing smirk. Picking up the showerhead, he turned on the water. As he sat down at the edge of the bathtub, their knees touched. Akai waited and let the water run until it was warm.
"I told him I love this country," Rei said sincerely.
"There's so much truth in this statement—" a fond smile appeared on Akai's lips "—I'm almost feeling jealous." Not expecting any reply, Akai maneuvered Rei's body until his injured shoulder was above the bathtub. Since Rei sat to his left, Akai rested his dominant hand on his lover's uninjured shoulder in case he needed support. Carefully, he angled the showerhead with his right hand, using the water to clean the wounds. He realized too late that Rei still sat with one leg inside the bathtub, pants turning wet. He braced himself for his lover's complaint, but it never came. "You've gotten quiet."
For a while, the only sound hearable was the water rushing out of the showerhead and running down Rei's left shoulder and arm, dripping onto his pants and the bathtub.
Rei leaned closer, burying his nose in Akai's shirt as he took a deep breath. "I love your fingers," he mumbled into the crook of Akai's neck, but there was genuine affection in his voice.
"What?" Akai blinked, taken aback. Turning off the water, he dropped the showerhead and leaned Rei back against the wall.
Suddenly, Rei grabbed Akai's left hand. With a fond expression, he traced his fingers. "Long, slim," he brought the hand up to his lips, placing a kiss on Akai's knuckles, "dangerously skillful."
"Are you high?" Akai asked with a huff as he desperately tried to mask his embarrassment. His lover rarely showed so much open affection — at least not outside the throes of passion.
"On you? Yeah," Rei replied with a dorky smile. "It's your fault."
Akai freed his hand and put it on his lover's forehead. "You're feverish."
Rei only hummed in confirmation.
Speeding up his treatment, Akai reached for a towel. Softly, he dapped his lover's skin dry, careful to avoid touching the cuts directly. Fortunately, now that all the dried blood was gone, the injury didn't look too bad. Well, the shoulder was still swollen, and Akai was convinced it had to be at least partly fractured, but the cuts weren't as deep as he had feared.
"My pants are wet," Rei said with a frown just as Akai picked up a cotton stick and some ointment to treat the slash wounds.
"Took you a while to realize," Akai mumbled as he leaned closer.
"Did I space out?"
"Just for a moment," Akai replied with a smile, "made you get all sentimental."
Rei's embarrassed groan turned into a painful hiss as Akai applied the ointment. Instinctively, Rei tried to pull his shoulder away, but Akai had his right palm on his lover's chest, gently but firmly pressing him against the wall. The angle was a bit awkward as he used his left hand to treat Rei's left shoulder, but he could manage.
"Enough already," Rei complained after a while, although it sounded more like a desperate plea. He averted his gaze and tried to get away but couldn't find the strength to move.
"I'm almost done," Akai replied calmly and picked up the bottle of ointment once more.
"Hurry up." Rei furrowed his brows as if he were confused about how whiny his own voice sounded.
"This is the last one," Akai said patiently and patted the cut on Rei's upper arm with the cotton stick, soaked with ointment.
Biting down on his bottom lip, Rei bit back a sob. "Fuck—" His whole body shuddered as he desperately fought back his frustration.
"Hey," Akai said softly. Tentatively, he cradled his lover's head and pulled him against his chest. "Deep breaths." Rei huffed but tried to comply, nuzzling closer to Akai's neck. "You've been through a lot these days. Your body and mind are just exhausted." Akai gulped when he heard his lover snuffle. Rei never cried, especially not in front of other people — his pride wouldn't take it. Akai tried his best not to panic, straining his ears for any sounds of discomfort coming from his lover.
Eventually, he remembered he still needed to cover the wounds on Rei's shoulder. Carefully, he dressed it with a sterile bandage. He focused on the task at hand while Rei kept his face buried in the crook of Akai's neck. Once he finished, Akai put his arms around his lover. His fingers played with the strands of hair at Rei's nape.
After a few shaky breaths, Rei's breathing, fortunately, calmed down again. "Bed?" his lover asked with a quiet voice.
"Yeah." Akai cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Just leave these wet pants here." At once, he reached down to open Rei's belt.
"Admit it," Rei suddenly ordered as he leaned back with a teasing smirk.
After successfully opening the belt, Akai continued with the button and zipper. "Hm?"
"You only got my pants wet to get me out of my pants."
Relief made Akai chuckle. As long as Rei was teasing him like that, his lover was fine. "If I wanna get you out of your pants," he paused and wrapped one arm around Rei's waist to lift his hips, "I'll simply take them off," he emphasized his statement by pulling Rei's trousers off in one go, "or," he leaned closer to whisper into his lover's ear, "I'll make you beg for it."
Rei took in a sharp breath, his hand fisting into Akai's shirt. "Asshole."
Akai chuckled once more, placing a kiss on Rei's cheek. "I love you, too."
His lover groaned, hiding his embarrassed face in the crook on Akai's neck.
"Any other injuries?" Akai asked as his eyes wandered over Rei's legs.
"I'm fine," his lover insisted.
"I've heard that a few times already today."
"Then believe it already," Rei replied with a sigh.
With a hum, Akai continued his thorough inspection. Fortunately, his lover really seemed to be fine otherwise. "Alright." As Akai tried to stand up, Rei wrapped his right arm around his shoulders. Instinctively, Akai paused. As his lover only pulled him closer while he still hid his face, Akai smiled. Tentatively, he reached down to lift Rei up into his arms again — without any complaints this time.
As Akai carried his lover to the bedroom, Rei used his toes to pull off his socks, dropping them somewhere in the hallway. Once they arrived, Akai carefully set Rei down on the bed. Quickly, he took a pair of sweatpants out of the wardrobe — he didn't really own any pajama pants — and threw them on the bed.
When Akai walked over to the door, Rei's voice reached him, sounding almost panicky. "Where are you going?"
"I'll fetch you some painkillers and some ice for your shoulder," Akai explained honestly.
"Be quick," Rei ordered, although he sounded more vulnerable than strict. With a nod, Akai left the room. "And bring me my phone," Rei called after him as if only remembering it now.
With a huff, Akai made a detour to the bathroom. Quickly, he fished the phone out of Rei's jacket pocket. Next, he went to the kitchen downstairs, fetching an ice bag, a bottle of water, and some painkillers.
When he came back to the bedroom, Rei had somehow managed to put on the pants. He lay on his back, eyes closed until Akai sat down on the edge of the bed.
Without further ado, Akai handed his lover the pain killers together with the water bottle — cap already unscrewed. When he laid Rei's phone on the nightstand, he noticed his own phone and picked it up. He had a missed call at 1:37 am from a number he hadn't saved on his phone but knew by heart. Quickly, he deleted his call logs. As long as the organization was out there, they tried to stay as low as possible. Leaving any hints about their relationship could be deadly. Still, Akai was happy his lover had reached out for him. "You've called me."
"Another thing a burglar wouldn't do," Rei replied with a snort, obviously remembering Akai's words from earlier. He swallowed the pill and drank some water. Exhausted even from that short movement, he placed the bottle on the nightstand and lay back down.
"Yeah, yeah." Akai rolled his eyes. He already knew he wouldn't hear the end of this for a few more days. Putting his phone down, he picked up the ice bag and placed it on Rei's left shoulder.
His lover winced in pain. "Ouch! Can't you be more careful?"
"Why?" Akai snorted as he lay down right of his lover, pulling the blanket up to cover them both. "You're complaining anyway — either because I'm treating you too roughly or too softly."
"Then find the right balance! I'm delicate!"
Akai couldn't help but roar with laughter. It was a rare display of emotion, and Rei stared at him accordingly. "Since when are you delicate?" he asked as he bit back the last chuckles.
With a grumble, Rei averted his gaze. It was dark inside the bedroom, the moon shining through the window being the only source of light. But Akai still didn't miss how his lover's cheeks changed color from embarrassment. Beneath the blanket, Rei's hand reached for Akai's, intertwining their fingers.
Sparing his lover from any further teasing, Akai let the topic slide. He leaned to his left to place a quick kiss against Rei's temples. "Sleep."
"You don't have to tell me," Rei retorted by reflex. Silence filled the room afterwards, and Akai almost thought his lover had fallen asleep before he heard his quiet voice speaking up again. "I'm cold."
Akai knew the blond well enough to realize the true meaning behind these words. Wordlessly, he turned around and pillowed his head on Rei's right shoulder, his hand resting on his lover's hip, their legs entangled. Usually, Rei was the one in this position. But due to his injured shoulder, he had to lie on his back tonight.
Rei buried his nose in Akai's hair and wrapped his arm around Akai's back. It didn't take long until his breathing evened out, and he fell asleep.
Relieved, Akai closed his eyes, listening to his lover's heartbeat. Somehow, he was glad his lover had come to visit him tonight. Just having him by his side was reassuring after all the news about members of the police getting hurt. He knew Rei was someone who could stand his ground, but Akai still couldn't help but worry about him from time to time. For now, however, his lover was safe here in his arms.
With a smile on his face, Akai fell into a peaceful slumber.