Work Text:
When Akihito finally woke, it was to the unfortunate discovery of a scratchy throat, and annoying aches in his joints. By no means, was waking up to soreness and a hoarse throat new for Akihito; regularly sleeping with a man whose libido rivaled that of college frat boys depicted in American media would do that to a person, but this, this was different. These aches were clear, telltale signs of an impending sickness building into effect. Akihito can only sigh and hope his immune system will fight it off before it fully sets in; he has work to do, and no time, or patience, for the recovery period.
Akihito rolls onto his back with a groan, unsurprised to notice the emptiness on the other side of the bed. It was rare for Akihito to wake up before Asami. Oftentimes, Akihito stirs with a raging hard-on, and Asami three fingers deep, preparing him for a little early morning activity. Akihito typically falls back to sleep immediately afterward while Asami leaves for work. But on days like today, Asami must have had to attend to “work” at an unreasonably early hour; thus, allowing Akihito to actually sleep in and recuperate from the late-night prior.
In a futile attempt, Akihito rubs the sleep from his eyes and reaches for his phone on the bedside table. The charger briefly thwarts his movement until he yanks the cord and lets it fall carelessly between the bed and the nightstand. A problem for later. With a quick press of a button, his phone flares to life, blinding him in the darkness afforded to him by the blackout curtains. Once his eyes adjust, he nearly panics when he sees the time, kicking the blankets off in his rush. Using his phone to find his way, Akihito makes a beeline towards the shared walk-in closet, flicking on the light, and ignoring the chill plus the corresponding goosebumps rising on his bare flesh.
Akihito has a photoshoot with a new, up-and-coming model at one o’clock, leaving him roughly thirty minutes if he wants to arrive on time. Now, Akihito wasn’t a fan of these types of jobs, but at the moment, there’s not a lot of work available to him and he refuses to mooch off Asami if he can help it; even though Asami has told him time and time again that he can help himself to his money. So in between scoops, Akihito has to settle for the more tedious jobs; and photoshoots for models happen to pay well, dammit.
Besides, sometimes Akihito can get some juicy celebrity tip-offs from said models.
In record time, Akihito throws on the first set of clothes his hands come in contact with before making a quick pit stop in the bathroom. While washing his hands, he shoots a forlorn look to the showerhead, wishing he had the time to bathe or even soak in the tub. Anything to chase the chill away, no matter how temporarily. Instead, Akihito settles for quickly splashing water onto his face in a vain attempt to wash the sleep off and give him some semblance of a bath. Seconds later, he’s darting through the penthouse, snagging his camera bag along the way. Akihito hastily shoves his feet into his worn sneakers before throwing open the front door and bolting into the hallway.
“Takaba-sama?” His main guard, Kodama Iwane, shouts from behind when Akihito flies passed; his voice tinged with a mix of surprise and concern. “Is everything alright?” Kodama asks as he easily catches up.
Akihito skids to a halt in front of the elevator and slaps his palm against the call button, “I’m gonna be late, is all,” he grumbles. Pulling out his phone, Akihito shifts restlessly as he stares at the time.
Kodama doesn’t miss a beat, “Would you like me to get a car ready?”
Hesitant, Akihito bites his lower lip in thought. Even after three years, he’s still not quite comfortable being chauffeured around; as he’s usually perfectly content with his scooter; or even public transportation. However, he can’t lie and say that having a car at his disposal hasn’t been useful to him from time to time. Like now, for instance.
“Okay; but none of the flashy ones!” He turns a pointed glare at Kodama; who tends to pick the limo if it’s available. On his part, Kodama shows no outward reaction and simply speaks quietly into the mic tucked away in the collar of his suit.
The elevator dings and Akihito squeezes through the door before it’s even fully opened. This was pointless as he still has to wait the same amount of time regardless, but it makes him feel slightly better. Akihito was practically bouncing in place with his haste, even more so when the elevator stopped at a few other floors on the way to the parking garage. Though, most of the residents take one look at Kodama and mutter something along the lines of I’ll just wait for the next one . It still sucks up the time Akihito doesn’t have, and only causes him to grow even more ansty.
Once they finally reach the parking garage, Akihito scans the cars until his eyes fall upon one of his other guards, Tezuka Something, standing next to the driver's side door of a nondescript, silver Audi. It was still too fancy for Akihito’s liking, but it wasn’t as if Asami had anything but the best in his arsenal of expensive cars. Besides, he was short on time, and at this point, as long as it gets him from point A to point B, then he’s Gucci.
Tezuka spots Akihito as he sprints to the car; drops his lit cigarette to the ground, and opens the back door. Akihito wastes no time tossing his bag onto the back seat and sliding in afterward. Kodama and Tezuka pick up on his urgency as they quickly take their spots with Tezuka driving and Kodama in the passenger seat. Akihito rattles off the address, then goes about staring out the window as Tezuka expertly maneuvers the car through seemingly endless mid-day Tokyo traffic.
They reached the studio where the photoshoot was taking place, ten minutes late. Akihito hops out of the car before it can come to a complete stop, Kodama hot on his heels. He runs through the building, only to discover it empty other than a couple of lingering staff and janitors. Heart racing, Akihito pulls an employee aside to inquire about today’s photoshoot. She appears confused before informing Akihito that the model's management had canceled the shoot late last night and that he should have received a call updating him. Sure enough, when Akihito checks his phone, he has one missed call, that in his rush, he had completely glanced over.
Out of habit, Akihito has his phone on vibrate so he doesn’t compromise himself when he’s scouting out his targets. Asami tends to call at the worst of times; such as when Akihito was perched on a nice tree, or when he’s balanced in the rafters of a warehouse. Without fail, the bastard calls. Akihito doesn’t like not answering, especially since he’s aware that Asami’s just checking in on him, knowing that Akihito’s job wasn’t the safest. So Akihito will answer the call if he’s able, or shoot off a quick text to let Asami know he’s still alive, and still very busy, please stop calling.
It’s not the first time Akihito has missed an important phone call thanks to that, but today, it’s especially irking. It could be from his hasty arrival, or it could be attributed to the fact that he feels like shit. If Akihito had to guess, it'd be a combination.
He has no one to blame but himself, really.
The trip back to the car was in stark contrast to his mad haste from earlier. There was a notable solemn air that Akihito was aware he was the cause of, and normally, he’s the type to try and make light of these kinds of situations around others, however, he just doesn’t have it in him to bother. Both he and Kodama stew in silence, and when they climb into the car, so does Tezuka. Neither guard asks where he would like to go next, and he’s grateful they let him sit without question. At this point, Akihito wasn’t sure if he would snap at them or burst into tears.
Returning to the penthouse feels akin to failure, and since he’s up and about anyway, he should at least try and find work; even if that means begging Yamazaki to give him something . Akihito slips his phone back out of his pocket, and quickly scrolls through his contacts until he finds Yamazaki’s name. He holds the phone to his ear and listens to it ring; once, twice, three times, before the line clicks, and a tired, gruff voice answers, “ ‘ello? ”
Akihito plasters on a smile, “Hey, Yama-san!” Only to get a deep sigh crackling through the receiver in response.
“ I told you I didn’t have anything new, Takaba .”
He lets out a short, awkward laugh, “Yeah, but that was like, four days ago. I figured something could have cropped up from then ‘til now.”
“ Unfortunately, things have been pretty hush lately, so I really don’t have much .”
Akihito inwardly deflates but decides to press just a tad bit more first, “C’mon, there’s gotta be something . Even if it’s nothing major.”
Again, he gets a gusty sigh in response. Akihito can practically envision Yamazaki pinching the bridge of his nose. “ Well, ” Yamazaki begins, almost sounding hesitant, “ I do have Mitarai working on a lead, but he hasn’t been forthcoming with evidence. So, I’ll tell you what, if you can produce solid proof within the next forty-eight hours, I’ll split your pay seventy-thirty, how’s that sound? ”
“Deal!” Akihito exclaims, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
oOo
Akihito makes a mad dash to the fence, Dobermann right on his heels as beams of light try to pinpoint his location across the expanse of neatly cut lawn. Good luck to them; Akihito came prepared by dressing in dark greens and black to be harder to spot under the shroud of night. The dog, however, was going to be a problem. If Akihito hadn’t had a head start, the dog would have been on him by now; even then, it was quickly closing the distance.
Legs burning, Akihito cleared the last bit of grass, until he was wading through the hip-high bushes that line the fence. A sudden hand closing around his elbow, nearly has him jolt out of his skin, “Fuck!”
“Takaba-sama,” Kodama whispers, causing Akihito to sigh in relief, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the time or place to berate Kodama for sneaking up on him like that. “This way.”
Kodama steers him to a very conveniently placed tree, growing right next to the fence. Now, Akihito can only rejoice in its placement as Kodama boosts him up to a low-hanging branch; yet, if Akihito lived in the manor in which the tree was located, he would have it cut down for this exact reason. Poor location of trees appears to be the theme for this lot, as Akihito got a rather damning photo from another convenient branch that gave an excellent view into the second-story window. Unfortunately, Akihito’s foot slipping as he was scooting back towards the trunk nearly sent him plummeting to his demise. He didn’t fall, but the predicament shook the branch enough to draw the attention of those occupying the room. Thankfully that was after he got his shot; thus, the chase began.
Akihito shimmies further up the tree to latch onto a branch that will take him to the top of the fence, Kodama not far behind. Akihito expertly drops down to the other side, quickly scanning the area to gather his bearings. Kodama lands smoothly beside him as the sound of voices and barks grow in volume. Immediately, Akihito darts into the small wooded area located next to the manor, wanting to use the tree cover to hide while they circle back to the road. It's easier said than done, in the pitch black of night. Several times, Akihito trips and stumbles over protruding roots or large sticks. At one point, he’s pretty sure he walks through a spider web that he desperately hopes was missing its creator. But eventually, they wind their way towards the road, though they stay in the shelter of the tree line while Kodama summons whatever other guard was on duty to pull up with the getaway vehicle.
Normally, Akihito prefers working alone; would ditch Kodama and the other five guards that rotate out. Though they do come in handy from time to time, it doesn't change the fact that they can be a nuisance. Akihito has long since tired of arguing with Asami about their necessity. People claim Akihito was notoriously stubborn, but in comparison with Asami, Akihito was docile. Besides, when Akihito does decide to ditch his entourage, it’s even more satisfying when they least expect it. Those moments are usually followed shortly by an exasperated phone call from Asami.
Eventually, Asami did concede in giving Akihito only one guard that hovered directly next to him; Kodama. While five others would tail him from the shadows whenever he was working, in case the proverbial shit hits the fan, and his targets come out guns blazing. There were five others on stand-by for shift changes, but Kodama only ever seems to get a break when Akihito retires to the penthouse for the day. If it’s not Kodama personally guarding him, then it’s Suoh.
They both freeze where they are crouching amongst the foliage when a car slowly rolls to a stop along the side of the road; headlights off. Akihito sighs in relief when he recognizes the Audi that he’s been abusing for the past thirty-some odd hours. He creeps to the very edge of the woods, attempting to glance back and forth down the road for any oncoming cars or silhouettes of people. It’s then that Akihito hears a very distinct sound of an owl’s coo. Three in a row before a short pause; then two more, and then nothing. All clear.
Akihito and Kodama both immediately rise and dash for the car.
To anyone else that heard it, they would rightfully assume that it was a real owl, but Akihito instantly recognized the sound to be Fujita, who was frightfully skilled at mimicking the calls of several birds. After discovering his hidden talent, Akihito had jokingly decided to make signals centered around different bird cries. At the time, Akihito didn’t think it would stick, that it would come in good use so frequently. But thanks to that, Fujita became a staple member of the team whenever Akihito went on a stakeout.
As soon as Akihito closes the door behind him, Mori pulls back onto the road while he situates himself in the back seat. “Where to now, Takaba-sama?” She asks, peering at him through the rearview mirror.
He yanks the black, fabric mask he was wearing to cover the lower half of his face off before replying, “Home. I got everything I needed,” Somewhere along the line, Mitarai had caught wind that Akihito was after the same target, and it became an unspoken race to see who could dredge up evidence first. “All I have to do now is edit the photos and send them off.” Akihito digs out his phone from one of the leg pockets of the pants he was wearing to update Asami.
They’ve both been sending updates and check-ins back and forth since Akihito accepted the job offer. Apparently, Asami has been just as busy as Akihito, meaning neither of them has been back to the penthouse in nearly two days. On Akihito’s part, he’s been cashing in favors from people to get information on the minor politician, Sazama Hyobe, and his alleged drug scandal. Turns out, it’s not all hearsay as Akihito caught him red-handed buying drugs in the back parking lot of a gas station. But even more damning, was the photo he just took of Sazama and his campaign manager in the midst of snorting a few lines of coke.
A sudden throbbing in his head causes him to wince. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the off-and-on headache he had was coming back with a vengeance. To distract himself, he flips his camera around to scroll through the photos he’s taken, mentally taking note of the best ones. If he narrows his selection down now, hopefully, it’ll save him some time when he goes to edit them. There wasn’t anything he would like to do more than go to sleep for at least a good thirteen hours.
When Mori steers the car into the penthouse parking garage, it’s nearing ten o’clock. Kodama rides the elevator up with him and bids him goodnight at the door. The penthouse is dark when he steps inside, which was to be expected as Asami informed him that he still has some business to take care of, but that he should be back later tonight. Akihito goes straight to his workroom and boots up his laptop. Thankfully, the images don’t need a lot of touch-ups, just a bit of brightening and enhancement was enough that Yamazaki could work with them. He quickly attaches the photos to an email and briefly writes up a synopsis of the images. Including the time, place, and situation, with a few details leading up to the moments captured by his camera. He double-checks his work, scanning to make sure everything was in order and he didn’t leave anything out. Satisfied, he sends the email off and shuts his laptop down.
Akihito drags his feet to the bathroom, leaving all the lights off along the way. He does, however, flip the lights on once he reaches his destination; the brightness causing his head to throb extra. After using the bathroom, he half-assly brushes his teeth. Squinting at himself in the mirror, he notes that he appears rather pale, with a bit of redness around his eyes. Which was about on par with how he was feeling. The aches have not subsided since he first woke up with them, though the sore throat mostly disappeared, it was replaced with the persistent headache instead.
Ideally, Akihito would like to take a shower before climbing into bed, but everything hurts, and he was just so tired , that he was almost tempted to let himself sleep fully dressed. He would rather sleep now, then bathe in the morning; can even use that as an excuse to switch out the bedding for a clean set tomorrow. And now that he thought of it, that sounds like an excellent plan. He shuffles to the bedroom, stripping his clothes off along the way to chuck into a corner for later, before slipping on a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt, then crawls onto his side of the bed.
He’s out as soon as his head hits the pillow.
oOo
Akihito’s sleep is restless; one second he’s swelteringly hot, and the next, it’s like he was dropped in the Arctic, leaving him shivering so hard his teeth chatter. At one point, he’s almost positive Asami had been in the room. He felt a hand run through his hair with a soft muttering of words that he couldn’t make out. It was so brief and hazy, that Akihito can’t say whether that was real or something his half-asleep brain conjured up for him, but it was soothing to him regardless; even craves the contact, real or not.
The thought of snuggling up to Asami, taking advantage of his body heat, was enough to rouse Akihito into dragging himself out of bed in search of his wayward lover. Standing up was not a smart move. Being vertical had the previous throb in his head turn near splitting with its renewed intensity. He blindly wobbles his way through the room until he finds the door, only to be assaulted by the light in the hallway. Akihito teeters slowly down the corridor, vision swimming dangerously, making the walls and floor spin in a way that has his stomach churning. Not to be deterred, Akihito shuffles out into the living room, where he spies Asami lounging on the sofa, a laptop perched on his lap and a glass of bourbon within reach. The T.V was on, playing one of those comedy shows that Akihito watches, though the volume was turned down, suggesting it was only on as background noise.
Asami appears to have showered, donning a simple shirt and joggers for his comfort. Looking especially cuddle-able, in Akihito’s opinion. However, he’s unable to will his feet to bring him further into the room; can feel himself sway precariously where he stands as the edges of his vision grow dark. Asami must sense his presence or something, as he finally glances over. Akihito gets a very mild look of surprise before it quickly morphs to concern as Asami’s brows draw downward. Akihito opens his mouth to welcome him home, but what comes out instead was a jumble of words, and then everything goes black.
oOo
When Ryuichi gets home, he was expecting Akihito to already be in bed. According to Kodama’s report, Akihito had been running himself ragged during his case, to the point where he barely ate or slept. Sure enough, as soon as he steps foot in the penthouse, all the lights are off and Akihito's shoes have been haphazardly strewn in the foyer. Still, just to be sure, Ryuichi makes his way to the bedroom, carefully slipping in and crossing the room using the light from the hallway. Akihito is curled up in a ball, the blanket pulled up to his chin with the corner bundled in his fist. Ryuichi gently runs a hand through Akihito’s hair, as he briefly toys with the idea of waking him. They have gone longer without seeing each other before, but it never stops Ryuichi from missing him, and in Akihito’s words, Ryuichi needs to recharge. He quickly discards the notion, to instead, mutter a promise that they’ll make up for the lost time and then some.
He goes about his night, taking a hot shower before pouring himself a glass of bourbon and settling down on the couch with his laptop; going over some official reports for Sion. Soon, he switches on the T.V, finding the silence to be too distracting now that he’s grown used to some form of constant noise. After finding a familiar channel, Ryuichi turns the volume down and glances back at his laptop, the screen practically bursting with dozens of overdue reports that have been pushed back.
Ryuichi had spent the last day and a half dealing with some unruly subordinates, who thought they could get away with quietly stealing products from him; as if Kirishima doesn’t have detailed documentation of absolutely everything that they supply. So when the sales revenue didn’t quite add up, Kirishima immediately grew suspicious and alerted Ryuichi. As it turned out, it was a small group that had been taking a couple of “samples” from any and all new shipments. Not enough to be noticeable right away, but they clearly failed to take into account that whenever a shipment comes in, whether it be guns or drugs, there’s already an estimated total that is expected to be gained. Mainly for stock purposes, however, it does have the bonus effect of weeding out the bugs that try to profit off his merchandise.
It would have been simple if it was only one or two people, which is what he originally thought, but it became clear as time went on, that more and more cohorts were involved. This leads to Ryuichi’s men having to scour Japan to locate each and every one of them; then, they had to be discreetly relocated to a warehouse along the coast of Yokohama.
According to legal papers, that warehouse was specifically used for storing and preparing fish, so as not to cause alarm with any concerning… smells or suspicious bloodstains.
After all was said and done, Ryuichi was honestly looking forward to returning home to enjoy his Akihito, but, he supposes, he can wait a little while longer.
Of course, that was until Akihito wandered out of the bedroom, white as a sheet and swaying on his feet before promptly passing out. Ryuichi was almost positive he broke his laptop in his rush to Akihito, but his laptop was the least he had to worry about; not when a laptop was easily replaced.
He only has one Akihito.
Despite it being nearly one in the morning, Ryuichi speed dials Kirishima’s number, and unsurprisingly, he answers after the second ring, “Kirishima, get a car ready and inform Dr. Oshita that I’m on my way with Akihito.”
“As you wish,” came his immediate response, though Ryuichi can almost hear the hesitation afterward, “Is everything okay?”
Now it’s Ryuichi’s turn to hesitate, “Akihito’s sick,” he ends up saying for lack of anything else. While that wasn’t necessarily a lie, Akihito was hot to the touch, but Ryuichi didn’t think that was why he lost consciousness the way he had.
There’s a quiet intake of breath, “I’ll get it done,” Kirishima says with more resolve.
“Five minutes,” Ryuichi orders before hanging up. He grabs the light throw blanket off the back of the couch, carefully wrapping Akihito up in it. While Akihito wasn’t so much in need of it right now, it was getting to the season where the weather drastically declines at night, and Ryuichi wasn’t comfortable toting Akihito through the cold in nothing but his underwear and a thin t-shirt.
Kirishima meets him at the door, holding it open so Ryuichi can angle himself through the doorframe to avoid bumping Akihito’s head in the process. Kirishima quickly locks up behind them and leads the way to the elevator and then to the limo. Ryuichi can’t say he was surprised to see that Suoh has already been informed, that he even offered to be the driver, especially after the long couple of days he’s just spent searching for the traitors. But then again, Akihito eventually did warm up to both Kirishima and Suoh, so in a sense, they’ve grown to worry for him almost as much as they would had it been Ryuichi in Akihito’s position instead.
No words need to be exchanged as Kirishima opens the door, allowing Ryuichi to carefully slide in without jostling Akihito too much. Kirishima follows in immediately after, and the limo begins to move before he can even fully sit down.
During the fifteen-minute drive to Ryuichi’s personal physician, Akihito wakes up, though he appears to be rather incoherent. The first thing that came out of his mouth was a slurred welcome home , not realizing that he was currently bundled in Ryuichi’s arms in the back of the limo, with Kirishima shooting concerned glances his way every few minutes.
Akihito continues his disjointed mumbles throughout the remainder of the trip.
Once they arrive at the clinic, Ryuichi packs Akihito through the doors, where they’re immediately guided to one of Ryuichi’s private rooms. He carefully deposits Akihito onto the bed, stepping aside to allow Oshita the space to examine him. She’s quick and professional, taking his pulse and other vitals, marking all of her findings down on a chart. Oshita gently coaxes Akihito into holding a disposable thermometer under his tongue while she reviews her data, asking a few questions that Akihito can nod or shake his head to answer. After removing the thermometer, she also jots down the readings onto her ongoing chart.
“Well,” Oshita begins, turning to look at Ryuichi, “other than the fever, he appears to be showing signs of dehydration. I’ll hook him up to an IV and give him something to help reduce his temperature, but afterward, he can return home.”
Ryuichi nods once in appreciation as Oshita leaves to get what she needs. He was glad it wasn’t serious enough to require an extended stay. In fact, he prefers having it this way, as the penthouse was more secure, though he’ll have the entire clinic riddled with his men for any duration of stay that Akihito may need.
He pulls up a chair so he can get comfortable while they wait. From the looks of it, Akihito appears close to falling asleep, as he blinks blearily up at the ceiling. Ryuichi reaches out to run his fingers through Akihito’s hair, drawing attention to himself, “Do I need to directly feed you water again?”
Akihito’s head turns to face him, brows furrowing in clear confusion as he searches Ryuichi for clues. Instead, Ryuichi leans forward to kiss him square on the lips, tongues briefing mingling before Ryuichi pulls back. His smirk grows as he watches the tinge of red darken across Akihito’s cheeks, eyes widening and mouth opening and closing several times before any words come tumbling out, “That was one time!”
“And if need be, I can, and am willing, to do it again,” Ryuichi says, letting his voice drop as he leans forward in his chair.
Predictably, Akihito bristles, “I’m perfectly capable of drinking water on my own, thank you very much.”
Ryuichi leans back and hums noncommittally, “Really? Could have fooled me. This makes it the second time in the three years we’ve been together?” Oshita and a nurse choose this moment to enter, Ryuichi critically eyes the nurse as she searches for a vein in the back of Akihito’s hand, “Your track record isn't looking so good. I distinctly remember you tailing me donning a mascot costume, before passing out.”
Because he was watching, Ryuichi notices when the nurse processes that tidbit of information, biting her bottom lip to hide a smile. Thankfully, however, Akihito was too flustered to notice, let alone pay attention as the small tube was inserted into his hand, “I was trying to see if you were up to something!”
“And that was so pressing that you couldn’t bother to grab something to drink?” Ryuichi easily probes.
“I forgot, okay?”
“You’re only proving my point.”
Akihito lets out a yell of frustration that quickly evolves into a small coughing fit, but it wasn’t enough to deter him as he rasps out, “You’re impossible, you know that?” The nurse fiddles with the bag on the IV stand before making her exit, only for Oshita to appear in her place, handing off a blister pack and a small, paper cup of water.
“Since you’re awake enough to scrap with each other, you can take the pill form instead of a shot,” Oshita cuts in, tone stern with an underlining of mirth, “Once you’re off the IV, you’re free to go, however, if your fever hits thirty-nine degrees and doesn’t drop, I suggest you come in, but otherwise, I’m only prescribing rest and any over the counter fever reducer at least every six hours.” With that, she turns to leave, but pauses when she reaches the door to shoot a withering glance over her shoulder, “And be sure to drink plenty of fluid.”
Oshita closes the door behind her, leaving Ryuichi and Akihito alone once again.
Shortly after, Akihito begins to doze off, though he tries to fight it to no avail. During that time, Kirishima stops by to check on them, and upon noticing Akihito’s struggle, dims the lights on his way out. Afterward, Akihito quickly loses the battle to stay awake, sinking further against the plush pillow that was propping him up; face slack and cheeks tinted pink.
Oshita returns sometime later, checking the IV and then looking over Akihito. She efficiently goes over his vitals once more, all the while without Akihito so much as twitching, before she deems him free to go. Ryuichi doesn’t hesitate in securing the throw blanket around Akihito and scooping him back up, making a quick exit towards the limo.
At some point during their stay, a light drizzle had begun, speckling the pavement with dark spots, until they grew and overtook all the dry patches. Kirishima, ever prepared, holds an umbrella over them as Ryuichi makes a bee-line for the limo, where Suoh has pulled up as close as possible to the main entrance.
By the time they return to the penthouse, it’s a little after three-thirty in the morning. Ryuichi tells Kirishima and Suoh to take the morning off, that he himself will be working from home. He pauses at the door, Akihito draped across his arms to look back at Kirishima, “Pick me up a new laptop before you drop by later.”
“Yes, Asami-sama,” Kirishima says with a bow, then closes the door between them at Ryuichi’s dismissal.
Ryuichi toes off his shoes, careful not to jostle Akihito, before heading straight for the bedroom. He lays Akihito onto the bed, tugging the throw blanket free to toss to the floor for later; circles around to the other side, stripping down until he’s in nothing but his boxer briefs and climbs under the covers. He situates Akihito into his usual position along Ryuichi’s side, head pillowed on his chest. Ryuichi releases a heavy breath, turning his head slightly to press a kiss to the crown of Akihito’s head before closing his eyes to sleep.
oOo
As soon as Ryuichi wakes up later that afternoon, he wipes the sweat off of Akihito’s body and rouses him enough to force some medicine and water into him before letting him return to his unconscious state. He’ll have to have Kirishima make something light that Akihito can eat later, but for now, he’ll let Akihito continue to rest.
Ryuichi throws on one of his many suits, forgoing the jacket as he has no plans to leave the penthouse today. Kirishima meets him in the living room, a new laptop set up on the coffee table next to two large bags decorated with the logo of a nearby convenience store.
“What’s all this?” Ryuichi asks as he sits down on the couch.
Kirishima clears his throat briefly, “Yes, I picked up a few other things, as well.” He begins while he reaches for one bag and proceeds to pull its contents out to line neatly on the coffee table, “I grabbed a few sports drinks to help Takaba-sama replenish his electrolytes.” As he described, Kirishima set out several different brands in varying colors and flavors. That entire bag appears to have only carried the drinks as Kirishima quickly moves on to the next.
“I also grabbed some more pain and fever medications. And since I was in that aisle, I felt it imperative to get something for mucus, stomach, sore throats, and coughs,” With each item that he lists off, he meticulously lines them up for Ryuichi to see. Kirishima bought three different medications to help with sinuses, ranging from rubs, sprays, and pills. In fact, for each type of medicine, Kirishima has several forms in which they can be consumed. With the amount laid out, Akihito will be set for the next few times he gets sick.
Last but not least, Kirishima pulls out three boxes of cold compresses, arranging them orderly next to a bottle of cough syrup.
“I see,” Ryuichi says, “Thank you, Kirishima.”
Kirishima bows, “Is there anything else, Asami-sama?”
“Make something light on the stomach.”
He bows once more and heads off to the kitchen and out of sight. Ryuichi pulls the laptop closer and boots it up; he’s pleasantly surprised to note that Kirishima had the hard drives swapped, giving him access to all the data from his old laptop. He sets about continuing from where he left off last night, pulling up the rather dull reports he had been going over.
The day drags as Ryuichi plays catch-up. He wakes Akihito up later in the evening to feed him the warmed-up porridge Kirishima had prepared, then makes him drink from one of the sports drinks before tucking him back in. After Ryuichi eats his own dinner, Kirishima returns to go over some of the new reports that have come in throughout the day. Ryuichi listens with half a mind as he sips from his glass of whiskey, already wishing for the end. He suppresses a sigh, turning to peer out the large windows that lead to the terrace. The sun had set two hours ago, and even though he had a late start, his mind had already checked out for the day; thoughts continuously circling back to Akihito.
He and Kirishima have been working together for years now, so Kirishima easily catches on that Ryuichi’s thoughts are engrossed elsewhere. Kirishima pointedly clears his throat, drawing Ryuichi’s attention back to him. This time, Ryuichi does audibly sigh, and from the slight furrow on Kirishima’s brow, he knows Kirishima was only mildly irritated. But Ryuichi also knows that Kirishima at least plans on finishing the report he was reading before calling it a night, so Ryuichi forces his attention to focus on the remaining portion.
While Kirishima drones on, Ryuichi fights to remain attentive, however, as Kirshima was wrapping up, there’s movement out of the corner of his eye. Akihito rounds the couch, eyes squinted nearly completely shut. Without a word, he straddles himself on Ryuichi's lap, arms winding around his neck to press their bodies as close together as possible.
Ryuichi hums at the unexpected, but welcomed, action; his own arms wrapping tight around Akihito’s waist, “What are you doing?”
“‘m cold,” Akihito practically whines into Ryuichi’s neck.
Ryuichi raises a hand to lightly tug at Akihito’s hair, allowing him the space to press his lips against Akihito’s forehead. Still warm, “That’s why you should be in bed.” He only gets a slow shake of his head before Akihito shoves his face back against Ryuichi's neck.
Kirishima, without prompting, begins to slide his papers neatly back into the file they had come from, then was placed on top of other files inside his briefcase, “I believe we can wrap up here,” he says as he closes the briefcase, clicking the clasps down to hold it closed. After a quick bow, he continues, “Have a good night, Asami-sama. Takaba-sama, get well soon.” With that, Kirishima retreats out of the penthouse, to presumably finish the reports on Ryuichi’s behalf.
oOo
Akihito was finally getting what he’s been wanting; snuggling up with Asami. While his legs were still very cold, everywhere that their bodies were touching, was the perfect temperature. This, however, was not enough to balance out the room temperature air that was hitting his exposed skin, making him shiver. It doesn’t stop him from relishing in the contact; feeling secure from where Asami’s arms are bound around his waist, keeping him in place.
Well, he was enjoying it until Asami shifts his hold so his hands were resting on Akihito’s hips, before trailing his fingers down, copping a quick feel of his ass and continuing until he hooks his hands underneath Akihito’s thighs. Abruptly, Asami stands. The sudden change has Akihito’s heart lodge in his throat with an intense fear that he was going to fall, “What are you doing?!” He says in a rush, fingers clenching into the fabric of Asami’s shirt, and legs clinging around his waist.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t get a response, “Asami!” he tries again, and still nothing. Akihito can only helplessly watch their backward journey from over Asami’s shoulder. They leave the living room, go down the hall, and towards the bedroom, “I’m tired of laying down!”
“It’s a good thing I’m not taking you to bed, then,” Asami finally responds. He turns into the room as he says this, but only flicks on the light and continues through.
“Then where-” Akihito starts, but quickly shuts up when he realizes the only other place, in this case, would be the ensuite bathroom. He’s proven correct when Asami carries him in and places him down on the toilet seat lid.
“Strip,” Asami demands, towering over Akihito.
“Wha-”
“Strip. Or do you want help?”
“I don’t need your help!” Akihito rises to his feet, pulling at his shirt with as much indignation as he can without stretching out the fabric. Akihito refuses to break eye contact with Asami, even as the bastard smirks back, very obviously watching as Akihito yanks his underwear down and kicks it to the side, “There. Happy?” Akihito crosses his arms, sending his best glare Asami’s way with no visible effect.
“Good boy,” Is all Akihito gets, followed by a few pats on his head. Akihito makes to swat the offending hand away, but Asami foresaw his intentions, and unfortunately, has his hand safely out of reach before Akihito can make contact with it.
“Asshole,” Akihito mutters. Asami turns to the tub, twisting the handles until a loud gush of water crashes against the porcelain. Akihito watches with growing excitement as Asami tests the temperature of the water with his hand, and when he deems it perfect, plugs the drain to allow the tub to fill.
While Akihito was all for cuddling up with Asami for his body heat, the thought of soaking in a nice hot bath sounds miraculous. Even better would be if Asami got in with him. Akihito doesn’t even wait as he practically shoves passed Asami to dip a toe in, only to yank his foot back real quick from the tepidness of the water. He leans forward to turn the hot water up, when a hand grabs his wrist, stopping him.
“Lukewarm.”
“Yes, and I’ll like it to be hotter. Now let go,” Akihito twists his wrist, but Asami doesn’t release his grip.
“Not with your fever,” Asami does let go then, only for his hands to grab Akihito under his armpits and lift, “Lukewarm will help,” he says seconds before he lowers Akihito into the bath.
Akihito refuses to admit that the yelp he lets out when his feet come into contact with the water, was a tad overdramatic. But’s he’s sick, he’s allowed the dramatics.
“Now, sit,” Again, Asami orders, but he should know better by now, than to assume Akihito will listen.
“I would rather lay in bed,” Akihito makes a move to step out of the tub, but Asami places a hand on his shoulder, halting him.
“Sit for a few minutes, then we can watch one of your horror movies.” As he speaks, Asami begins unbuttoning his shirt, and Akihito’s eyes were helplessly glued to his hands, watching Asami’s fingers deftly slip each button through their corresponding hole.
Akihito has to mentally shake himself, before forcing his gaze back up to Asami’s smug face, “Are you bribing me?”
The smirk grows, “Is it working?”
Fuming, Akihito narrows his eyes into a glare, because, fuck , it was effective. If all it takes was for Akihito to sit in a lukewarm bath for a couple of minutes, to then cuddle Asami while simultaneously forcing him to watch one of Akihito’s cult classic horror movies, then dammit, it was worth it.
Instead of responding, Akihito lowers himself into the water, letting out a few choice words at the temperature. It was barely above his hips, but Akihito wasn’t keen on sitting in deeper water and scooches towards the faucet to turn it off. He hugs his knees to his chest and sulks.
In the meantime, Asami has divested himself of his pants and was currently adjusting the water of the shower. Once visible steam radiates from the stream, Asami steps under. Akihito has to quickly look away, as more heat races up to his cheeks. To distract himself, he says, “So you get a nice hot shower while I have to sit in cold water? I see how it is.”
Asami glances back at him before returning to wetting his hair, “It’s not cold, and I’m not the one that’s sick.”
“Just you wait! Once you catch what I have, I’ll make sure you suffer the same fate!” Akihito promises through the chattering of his teeth.
Asami chuckles, “Unlike you, I don’t get sick that easily.”
“Laugh it off while you can, ‘cause when you are, I’ll be sure to remind you of this.”
Asami pointedly ignores Akihito after that, to quickly finish his shower and dry off. He wraps a thin towel around his waist and grabs one of the bigger, fluffier ones, and opens it up for Akihito. Without needing to be told, Akihito yanks the plug out to allow the water to drain, nearly trips in his haste to get out of the tub and into the warmth of a towel. Thankfully, only Akihito’s legs were wet and would only need a quick pat down to dry. Afterward, Asami wraps the towel around Akihito’s shoulders, which Akihito was quick to grab the edges to hold it in place before stalking out of the bathroom, Asami following.
Akihito shivers his way into the closet, letting Asami get the lights for him, “Light clothes, Akihito,” he admonishes when he sees Akihito reach for a pair of Asami’s sweats. Akihito clicks his tongue at him, doing a one-eighty turn to grab another pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He reluctantly releases the towel to quickly dress. Akihito practically dives onto the bed, yanking the covers over himself.
A couple of years ago, Akihito made a throw-away comment about how Asami has all this money but doesn’t have a T.V in his bedroom. Asami hadn’t said anything to that, and Akihito thought nothing else of it until he came home one day to find a new, flat-screen T.V mounted onto the wall directly across from the bed. At the time, Akihito didn’t think it would get used nearly as much as the one in the living room, and even went off on Asami on how it was a waste of money. And while it still doesn’t get as much use, it has been nice to have, especially on nights when Asami is away on “business” leaving Akihito alone; and unable to sleep, he’ll turn on a movie to watch until he eventually drifts off.
Asami himself had discovered a rather, unfortunate, purpose for the T.V, in that, he’ll cast hardcore porn to it just to get a reaction from Akihito.
Even now, Akihito can’t help but be happy that Asami took his throw-away comment seriously, though it was mainly just to tease Akihito.
Akihito digs out the remote from his side table, easily searches through the menus until he lands himself in the horror section. Upon finding a movie that he knows Asami will roll his eyes at, he quickly hits play and waits. Asami had wandered out of the room during Akihito’s search, and returns with his phone which he then places atop it’s cordless charging station. He switches the lights off before he slips under the blankets with Akihito, and props himself up against the headboard, holding his arm out in an unspoken invitation. Akihito shuffles closer to rest his head against Asami’s shoulder, pulling the blanket up to his chin.
Not even ten minutes in, and Akihito can feel his eyelids growing heavy. Roughly ten more minutes in, Akihito caves, letting his eyes close with the sounds of gurgling zombies and screams lulling him to sleep.