CAST TWO SHADOWS - 2/?
Title: Cast Two Shadows
Chapters: 2/?
Author(s): veroxion & deadlyscarlet
Genre: Romance/Paranormal/Mystery
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Sex, Violence, Rape, Character Death (OC), Suicide (OC), Use of Real Names + OC’s
Pairings/Characters: Aoi/Uruha, Uruha/Aoi
Synopsis: After a fire that leaves Takashima Kouyou homeless, he's taken in by his friend and colleague, Shiroyama Yuu. The two men get along just fine, but Yuu's younger sister isn't thrilled with their new house guest. After an abrupt suicide that leaves her dead, Kouyou starts acting strangely... and it's up to Yuu to figure out what dark force is manipulating the man who he harbours a secret love for.
Comments: Hey guys! This is veroxion's and I's new collaboration together. We hope you enjoy it. :)
-x-
In the early hours of the premature morning, long after both disgruntled Shiroyama siblings had retreated to their respective bedrooms after their immature spat, Yuu awoke to the incessant sound of his phone going off. Groaning in annoyance, the brunet sleepily wondered if it was some idiot client ringing him to let him know they’d landed themselves in jail, or they had been accused of some criminal offence and needed his legal advice.
Glaring at the idea, Yuu grumpily rolled over in his large double bed, pulling the heavy covers over himself to block out the noise that was disturbing him from his much-needed sleep. If it was work, then they were calling at a really ridiculous hour and they could kindly fuck off and let him rest. He didn’t think it could be anyone else, because between his work and well, his work, the lawyer never had the time to catch up with his friends, and even then, no one would call him in the dead of the night demanding for some kind of socialization.
Finally, the sound died out as a silence settled into the room, which caused Yuu to sigh in relief as he attempted to drift back off to sleep. Only, the bothersome tune of his ringtone started up again, eliciting a growl of annoyance from the brunet when he was disturbed again. Whoever was trying to get ahold of him obviously wasn’t going to stop trying until they got an answer.
Incredibly annoyed, Yuu threw the covers off of himself, walking around his bedroom stark naked and trying to ignore the chill that bit and licked at his bare skin as he fished his cell phone out of his pants. The brunet’s dark eyes squinted at the bright screen which illuminated his tired face; his mouth was dry and Yuu could swear he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw who was calling him. Without sparing another moment, he answered.
“Kouyou?” he questioned sleepily, rubbing at his eyes as he went to sit at the edge of the bed and turn his bedside lamp on, causing Yuu to wince when the entire room erupted in a burst of light. “What’s going on?” he asked softly, looking at the alarm clock beside his bed and noticing the time.
“Why are you calling me at just gone midnight?”
“Y-Yuu.” Kouyou whispered into the phone he held in his trembling hand. The firefighters had just left after putting out the last embers of the blazing fire-the result of his carelessness. Luckily the flames hadn’t spread to any of the neighbouring apartments. But unfortunately, Kouyou’s home was completely burnt out, the interior painted with soot and blackened objects, making it impossible for anyone to live there. Not to mention, the blond’s possessions were nothing but a pile of ashes, as everything had been consumed by the fire. His cellphone had survived though, due to the miraculous fact that Kouyou had been too drunk to remove the electronic device out of his pant pockets.
Some of the neighbours had offered to allow the now homeless blond to stay in one of their apartments. They knew that the young lawyer would find it difficult to find somewhere else to stay in the middle of the night, and the world today wasn’t safe anymore for any man or woman to wander. But Kouyou had politely rejected their kindness, as he still felt guilty for the fire which would have ravished their apartments as well. Thankfully they were spared as the fire service had arrived just on time.
Kouyou now stood outside on the streets, on the pavement, with nothing but a warm blanket covering his frail shoulders snugly. He had no relatives in Tokyo, nor did he have any close friends as he had almost immediately left Japan as soon as he’d received the scholarship to Harvard. He had been away for too long to have any form of lingering contact with his childhood friends as most of their numbers and addresses weren’t what they used to be when Kouyou had known them.
The only name which had cropped up in his present shocked state was that of his colleague, Yuu’s. Flipping open the phone, he had immediately scoured through his contact’s list, located the brunet’s name and pressed the green call button. Kouyou knew he was being unreasonable by calling him up in the middle of the night, as he was nothing but a partner to the lawyer after all. But still, he had no other option and hoped that Yuu’d understand his plight.
“Um, my apartment burned down and I... I’m currently standing on the streets homeless and no... nowhere to go.” he mumbled in a tiny voice.
Yuu was absolutely quiet; stunned as he tried to comprehend what his colleague had just told him. For a moment, he was simply unable to process exactly what Kouyou had said and it took him awhile to realize exactly what was going on.
“Are you kidding?” he managed to gasp out, suddenly wide awake with the news he had just received. All of a sudden, Yuu was in a panic as he stood up from the bed and started to frantically search for his clothes.
“Are you alright?” he rushed out as he started pulling on some silk boxers, followed by a pair of jeans, trying to pull the damned denim up his legs while cradling the phone with his shoulder and cheek. “I’ll come get you, okay?” The brunet promised firmly, knowing that he couldn’t just leave Kouyou alone or turn him away when he was in need of help. Yuu grabbed one of his shirts to finish changing, while he was still talking to the blond.
“Okay.” Kouyou sighed, a momentary relief that flooded through his senses before disconnecting. He couldn’t help but smile through his shock at Yuu’s kindness. The blond felt immensely glad at that moment to have someone like his fellow lawyer to rely on. Even though Kouyou always put up a tough demeanor in front of everyone, to his colleague alone he showed his weaknesses and always allowed the other man to break through his barriers like they never existed in the first place.
The blond had no idea why he was letting Yuu barge into his life like that. But he didn't stop him either as the brunet was always reliable and never hesitated to help him whenever he was in a tight corner. He also lent a shoulder of comfort whenever he needed it, for the brunet was the only one who understood how broken the former was due to his loneliness.
Kouyou clutched the blanket around him tightly while he trembled in the cold. The thin blanket that one of his neighbours had lent him did nothing to prevent the cold breeze from inducing a layer of goose bumps to materialize on his pale skin. It had only been ten minutes since Kouyou had called Yuu. The blond, whose legs had started aching, leaned against a single lamp post whilst he stared at the empty road.
Not long after, the blond’s amber orbs suddenly captured the bright glare of headlights. Turning his head around, the lawyer found a taxi rushing around the corner, which halted just a few feet in front of him. Kouyou released a heavy sigh when his eyes saw a really worried Yuu running towards him.
“Hey,” Yuu breathed out, not knowing what else to say as he approached Kouyou in a hurry, immediately noticing how he was shivering from the cold. How could he not notice when the other man looked as if he had just been saved from death? He probably was, the brunet thought grimly.
“Damn, you look cold.” he commented instead, and without another thought, removed his own jacket and draped it over Kouyou’s shoulders to help keep him warm. “You’re okay, right?” Yuu asked worriedly as he led the shaken blond towards the taxi and began to help slide him into the back seat, realizing the other man was also shaking from the shock of what had happened. Sympathy erupted within him as he gazed at the blond sadly.
“You don’t have to go to the hospital or anything?” The brunet continued to bombard Kouyou with his endless questions stemming from his worry, unable to stop himself. Yuu looked the blond up and down, trying to see if he was injured in any way and felt his throat tightening at his disheveled appearance.
“No.” Kouyou shook his head firmly as he climbed in through the taxi’s open door. Yuu closed his side of the door and hurriedly walked around the vehicle to enter it through the door on the other side. If there was anything that Kouyou absolutely hated, it would be hospitals. He only went to that horrid place if he was left with no choice or if it hindered him from his job. But right now, Kouyou felt perfectly fine. He didn’t feel pain anywhere in his body and his limbs were moving too. So he stubbornly refused to be taken to the godforsaken hospital.
“I just want a bath and maybe something warm to drink. My head is throbbing ‘cause of the alcohol which is probably still in my fucking system.” he complained, but choked as tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall out of the contours of his eyes.
While it may be true that there was nothing valuable in his apartment, as Kouyou mostly kept everything in his office safe and his money was hoarded away safely in the bank, but that apartment was still his home. Seeing it reduced into nothing but a pile of ash was enough to make the blond’s throat constrict with emotion. He covered his eyes with his palms, trying to settle his thoughts to ease away some of his mental turmoil.
“Hey, it’s okay, Kouyou.” Yuu soothed gently, trying to awkwardly placate his colleague as best he could without invading boundaries. But even so, the brunet couldn’t bring himself to believe his own words. He knew perfectly well that it wasn’t okay, but Yuu still smiled gently and patted Kouyou’s shoulder.
“You can stay at mine tonight, and then we’ll decide what to do in the morning.” he suggested, already knowing that he wanted to help as much as possible, especially if the blond was in such a cruel pinch. Without warning his friend had nowhere to live, no possessions to call his own and Yuu couldn’t just ignore that. No doubt Kouyou was still in shock as well, even if he denied it, so he was going to do what he could to the best of his ability.
“It will all work out.” Yuu promised softly, secretly wondering if it really would, as the taxi sped back to his apartment. If the taxi driver noticed their odd conversation, then he ignored it as he continued to do his job.
“Okay.” Kouyou nodded in gratitude, turning to look at his colleague. “Thank you, Yuu. I know that I’m constantly troubling you, and it makes me feel really bad. But I honestly have no one whom I can ask for help. I’m sorry for troubling you like this in the middle of the night.” he whispered as he bowed his blond head in apology.
A small smile tingled on Yuu’s shapely lips at the other man’s words. The blond was too apologetic for his own good, he mused fondly; always thinking about everyone but himself and his own well-being. It was rather touching to know that Kouyou was thinking about him in a time like this, but Yuu realized that he didn’t mind being relied on by Kouyou. It made him feel needed and respected to know that the blond had phoned him, out of all the other people he could have asked.
In fact, a part of him was simply euphoric to know that Kouyou had chosen him.
“It’s fine, Kouyou. It can’t be helped.” he replied reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Mm.” Kouyou sniffed, relaxing slightly in the comfort his colleague was offering him. The blond tightened his hold on the jacket and blanket, which covered his lithe body as the taxi moved in the direction where Yuu’s house was located.
-x-
When they finally arrived at the apartment complex, Yuu paid for the taxi without another thought and lead Kouyou up to his apartment slowly and carefully, trying to keep it at the blond’s pace. He didn’t want to rush Kouyou because he was still quite shaken about what had happened, and moved as if he were half-asleep. Yuu supposed he was also still very intoxicated, so it hindered his movement speed a little bit.
After unlocking his apartment and turning on the lights, Yuu practically forced his fellow lawyer sit down on the couch. “Just make yourself comfortable.” he suggested as he went to the linen closet to fetch his new house guest another blanket to keep Kouyou comfortable for the time being. He smiled as he unfolded the blanket and handed it to him.
“I’ll get you something warm to drink.” Yuu promised, still smiling softly at the other man.
“Okay.” Kouyou nodded as he wrapped the extra blanket that the brunet had offered tightly around him. For some reason, he still continued to shiver even with all the layers of warm clothing. After a little bit of contemplating, he finally assumed that it must be the trauma of the fire that was throwing his body into jitters. Desperately, he tried to take his mind away from the disturbing image of the destructive flames by observing the neat living room in front of him while he remained huddled on the couch.
On the beige-coloured walls, there was a picture of Yuu in his early twenties wearing a brown yukata with stripes and a pretty girl around ten, the blond concluded, wearing a green, clover-patterned kimono. The girl, who Kouyou assumed to be his colleague’s younger sister, was holding her brother’s hand tightly with a really cute smile on her face. Kouyou couldn’t help but smile at the lovely sight of the two siblings; the picture before him was really beautiful.
After staring at the framed picture for awhile, he moved his eyes away to the shrine nestled in the corner of the living room. From where he was sitting, the blond wasn’t able to inspect the shrine very clearly. It was made of elaborately carved wood with incense holders and a bell in front of it. Two large photographs of a brown-haired man and a woman with jet black hair were neatly placed inside the shrine. But from the angle that Kouyou was seated in, the faces of inhabitants of the portrait-sized pictures weren’t very visible. He assumed them to be Yuu’s parents, as the brunet had mentioned that his parents had passed away before he had turned twenty.
Kouyou continued to keep his gaze in the direction of the shrine, not really looking at it anymore, his eyes unfocused. While he waited for Yuu to come back, the blond slowly started to snooze as the exhaustion of putting out a fire was slowly taking over, preventing him from fighting to keep his eyes open.
In the kitchen, Yuu tapped his blunt fingernails on the counter as the kettle boiled. The brunet knew he had done the right thing by letting Kouyou stay with him tonight, but that wasn’t really the problem that troubled him at the moment. As he was only living with his younger sister, their apartment was of below average size and they only had two bedrooms. He wouldn’t have minded giving up his own room for the night, but it left him with nowhere to sleep. The couch was too small for his body and for him personally, it would be rather uncomfortable to share a bed with Kouyou.
The blond would probably think differently. They were grown men after all, not immature teenage boys and they wouldn’t bitch and complain about the fact they had to share a bed. No, Kouyou wouldn’t even see the problem with it and would most likely apologize for causing him so much trouble. As Yuu filled up two mugs to the brim with hot tea, he knew he would have a hard time keeping his uncontrollable emotions in check with the person he desired in such close proximity to him.
Making his way to the living room and placing the two cups of steaming tea on the table, the brunet saw that Kouyou looked as if he were asleep. Knowing it would be uncomfortable to sit on the couch in that position for too long, Yuu carefully jostled him awake as he took a seat beside his colleague.
“I made you some tea.” he said softly, holding the cup out for Kouyou to take. Kouyou simply muttered a word of thanks and accepted the tea, rather groggy from being disturbed.
“I can run you a bath if you want as well.” Yuu offered, staring down at the brown liquid in his own mug once he had retrieved it from the table. “As for sleeping arrangements, we’re unfortunately gonna have to share a bed.” he explained sheepishly, trying his best not to turn red at the thought.
After taking a sip of the warm, delicious liquid which soothed his trembling body, Kouyou contemplated over what Yuu had just told him. Already, he was incredibly grateful that the brunet was being so kind to him and didn’t mind the fact that he had to share a bed with his colleague, as they were grown men and it really wasn’t a big issue. But then Kouyou had a problem which made him hesitant to accept Yuu’s offer.
“I think it would be better if I sleep on this couch.” The blond mumbled, slightly embarrassed. However, when he looked up and saw the slightly hurt expression on Yuu’s face, he reddened in guilt and decided to tell the truth for his discomfort. “I’m sorry. You see, I tend to move a lot in my sleep and also I hog the sheets and wrap my arms and legs around other people.” Kouyou admitted, not taking his eyes of the tea mug as he continued to stutter in embarrassment. “And I dream a lot, so I mumble and groan too.”
Kouyou wanted to crawl under a rock after admitting the embarrassing truth to his work partner. What he had confessed was true. He was a very troubled sleeper and always caused discomfort and trouble to the people who lay near to him. Some of the women he’d been with in the past had always complained about Kouyou’s strange sleeping habits. Even during his school days, all his friends would stubbornly refuse to let him on their beds as they knew perfectly well that they would never get any form of sleep with the blond near them.
Instead of being talked out of his own suggestion, Yuu had to admit that he found what the blond told him to be interesting, if not a little amusing. So, Kouyou moved around a lot when he slept, did he? The brunet thought that was rather cute. And he wrapped himself around people... and groaned... Yuu shook away the perverted thoughts that suddenly entered his mind and tried to focus on the more adorable aspects of the blond’s confession.
Besides, now that he had the idea in his mind that he was going to spend the night with Kouyou, in the same bed, he was adamant about making it happen. Even if it was just a stupid fantasy he had.
“Kouyou,” he started, raising one of his eyebrows. “This couch is tiny. Even my sister can’t sleep on it.” he chuckled, realizing that because of the couch’s width, his thigh was pressing against the blond’s.
“I doubt you can with how freakishly tall you are.” Yuu joked as he took another sip of his tea. “I’m a deep sleeper, anyway. I doubt I’ll even notice you’re there.” Liar, he wanted to scream at himself, but just smiled at his colleague instead to assure him that it was alright that they shared a bed for the night.
“Are you sure?” Kouyou yelped in surprise. Now that was a shocker. This was the very first time in his life that someone actually insisted on sharing their bed with him. If he were in Yuu’s position, he would have definitely forced the sleep-offender to sleep on the floor. But still the brunet was right. The couch really was small and Kouyou wasn’t exactly tiny either. Even if the blond folded his legs, they still wouldn’t fit within the constrained space. Anyway, Yuu did say he was a heavy sleeper so it didn't matter, right?
“Hm, okay,” he agreed hesitantly to his partner’s offer, even though he felt as if he should have rejected it. “Wake me up if I disturb you.” With that said, Kouyou drained the rest of the hot liquid down his parched throat.
“Sure thing.” Yuu quickly replied, content with the fact he had gotten what he wanted. It wasn’t like he was going to take advantage of Kouyou, or anything like that. God, he would never do something so deceitful, especially to the blond. Yuu respected him too much for that, but it was still nice to have the fantasy of the blond being in his bed, sleeping next to him because he wanted to be there. The lawyer cringed because it all sounded so perverted, when in his mind it was totally innocent. Well, for now anyway, he thought. Yuu mentally slapped himself for that.
“You still want that bath?” The brunet asked to distract himself from his wandering thoughts, noticing Kouyou had already finished his drink. Yuu’s own cup of tea was left forgotten on the coffee table in front of him, abandoned in favour of talking to the man next to him. “If not, then we can head to bed. I might have some clothes that will fit you.”
“No,” Kouyou shook his head. “I’m ready for bed.” The young lawyer knew he had to take a bath because he was covered from head to foot in grime and soot. But then he could also feel the tendrils of exhaustion slowly conquering every muscle in his body. If he took a bath in his current vulnerable condition, then he would definitely collapse and then end up further troubling Yuu. Sighing, Kouyou placed the mug on the table in front of him and got up from the couch.
“OW!” he winced in pain. Now that the alcohol in the blond’s system had almost disappeared, Kouyou felt a terrible pain; the cause being due to the tiny burns all over his hands. He realized he must have received them when he had been trying to put out the fire. The shock and alcohol must have made him oblivious to the blemishes on his pale skin. After getting something warm in his system, his reflex nerves had finally started working and alerted the blond of his pain.
Yuu startled at Kouyou’s outburst, his keen eyes finally landing on the blond’s red hands. Something twinged inside him at the sight of the other man’s singed limbs, and he winced in horror at how raw and painful the skin looked. Without a word, he immediately forced his friend to sit back down on the couch. Before Kouyou could protest, the brunet stood up and carefully took the other man’s hands in his own, examining the damage done to them. After living alone for so long and having to care for Yukari every time she fell down or got herself hurt when she was younger, he was knowledgeable with the basics of first aid.
“I’ll get some ice.” he murmured, already heading towards the kitchen hurriedly.
“And some salve and bandages!” Yuu called as he started gathering the things he needed, before hurrying back to where Kouyou was seated on the couch. “Here, apply it straight onto the burns.” he instructed firmly, passing an ice pack over and setting the salve and bandages on the coffee table, already getting everything ready so he could treat the blond’s wounds.
Kouyou pouted, eyeing the medicines placed in front of him with distaste. True, he had been living alone for too long, without anyone to take care of him. But he still didn’t even know something as basic as first aid. He had never been in any kind of situation where he ended up severely injured, so there never really had been an opportunity for him to learn self help.
The blond cursed himself for being nothing but a mere spoiled brat. He turned his head sideways and glanced helplessly at his friend, who was waiting for him to start applying the medication to his burns. No, he couldn’t ask Yuu to help him or expect him t, as the brunet had already done enough and he didn’t want to irritate his colleague further by asking to be babied. He hesitantly reached a hand forward to pick the burn ointment. But the feeling in his fingers hadn’t still returned properly, which resulted in him dropping the salve.
“I’m sorry.” Kouyou apologized profusely, embarrassed at his stupid display of clumsiness.
“Kouyou, you’re hurt.” Yuu sighed as he reached for one of the rags, starting to wash away all the soot and grime that littered the blond’s hands and some of his arms. The brunet couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Your apartment just burnt down, and you could have died.” he said a little shakily, only just realizing that if Kouyou had been any drunker, or if he’d passed out or if he maybe hadn’t been quick enough, then he could have ended up much worse than homeless with just a few burns on his hands. Once Yuu was done washing the other man’s limbs, the lawyer took the specialized ointment and began applying it to the the other man’s burned hands, moisturizing them and trying not to be too rough as he knew once the feeling came back, the pain would be utterly excruciating.
“The last thing you need to do is apologize.” Once the brunet finished treating his colleague’s hands, Yuu reached for the bandages and started to wrap them around the raw skin, frowning softly to himself. He had almost lost Kouyou. Yuu knew the other man wasn’t always this careless, and he was also aware that this accident was partly because the other lawyer had been drinking... because he had asked the blond out. An enormous amount of guilt swarmed at him when he realized that this was all his fault.
“It still doesn’t change the fact that it was my foolishness which resulted in me losing my apartment, and now me leeching of you.” Kouyou laughed bitterly as he watched Yuu carefully, yet meticulously wrap the bandages around his red skin. He feared the morning as he knew the burns were going to sting painfully. His mother had once accidentally spilled some boiling oil on her hands and had suffered a lot for days. Kouyou didn’t like pain and was frightened.
The lawyer inwardly prayed that no scars would be left behind, as he knew that his mother would throw a severe fuss the next time she saw him, and might never allow him to leave America ever. Also Kouyou still had his case to deal with. Now he was terrified as to what to do. The hearing was coming in a few days and there still wasn’t enough evidence. He was well aware that if he lost the case, then his reputation would take a severe blow. Kouyou could feel his throat constricting as tears threatened to fall out of his amber orbs.
“I’m just a fucking, useless dope.” Kouyou growled out, trying his best to hide his agony. “I should have burned along with my house. It would have served me fucking right.” he spat out. “And then maybe you wouldn't have to put up with my pathetic self.” he trembled, feeling the cold shivers run down his body again.
Yuu may keep telling him that he didn’t mind doing this for him, but that still didn’t change the fact that he was troubling the other man. Kouyou was nothing but a stranger and his friend was not obliged to take care of him, no matter what the circumstances. Kouyou now regretted calling up Yuu for help.
Yuu’s eyes went wide as he stared at Kouyou incredulously, his lips parted in shock as he gaped at the other man. Just the mere thought of knowing that the blond could have died tonight troubled him greatly, yet hearing his colleague say that it should have happened and that he was pathetic and useless were ugly words that stained his heart black. Listening to Kouyou degrade himself so severely broke his heart; period. The brunet refused to believe those words were true, so without thinking about what he was doing, he took the blond’s chin between his fingers firmly and made Kouyou look him dead in the eye.
“Don’t you ever say that!” Yuu barked out angrily, his face morphed into one of anger and sadness. He didn’t intend to sound so harsh, but the conflicting emotions inside him caused him to be more forceful with how he worded things.
“If you say something like that again, then I’ll-” Yuu paused suddenly, stopping himself from saying anything he would regret. He bit his lip to prevent anything else coming out and slowly withdrew his touch from Kouyou’s face, suddenly very embarrassed at his abrupt outburst. Taking a deep breath in, the brunet let out a sigh and hung his head.
“Accidents happen, that’s why they’re accidents. Don’t blame yourself when I was the one that took you out and got you drunk in the first place.” he said, staring down at his lap as a wave of shame washed over him, causing his anger to crumble into guilt.
“Why are you blaming yourself?” Kouyou asked, slightly abashed. It felt strange hearing the brunet’s apology when it really wasn’t his fault. “You never asked me to get drunk, did you?” The blond firmly shook his head as if trying to defend Yuu’s innocence. But it was true. After all, the brunet had only asked him to join him for a few drinks. Kouyou should have either refused the invitation or kept his alcohol intake in check. Instead, he had gotten himself drunk senseless, endangered himself and his career and now making his kind friend feel miserable.
“It’s not your fault but mine.” he frowned, cursing himself again and again in his mind. “I should have thought of the case first before getting drunk like that. Now I’m definitely going to lose.”
“We’ll worry about everything in the morning.” Yuu sighed as he rose to his feet, trying to rid himself of the disgrace he felt. “It’s been a long night, and I’m still tired.” he admitted sheepishly, attempting another smile, but it came out rather crooked and pained because of his shameful thoughts.
“You must be as well, considering everything that’s happened.” Now, the brunet was starting to feel exhausted after waking up to go to fetch Kouyou, especially after he had barely slept and was currently treating his wounds; he felt his adrenaline fade. However, he didn’t regret it, merely was tired because he hadn’t gotten enough sleep and was deprived.
“I’ll find you some clothes and then we can head to bed.” Yuu suggested, liking the idea more than he thought he should have. Before Kouyou could say anything else, he left the living room and went to his bedroom, scouting the room for anything that would seem suspicious. As much as he hated to admit it, he was now paranoid that the blond would somehow find out about his sexuality and leave.
Maybe he’d be disgusted. But Yuu wasn’t exactly ready or prepared to tell his colleague, or face what would happen afterwards. So he locked his bedside drawer to hide everything inside, and started to search for something in his closet that would fit the other man.
Thankfully, Yuu soon found some clothes that were too big for him and returned back to lounge to give them to Kouyou. “You can change in my room or the bathroom.” he suggested. “I’m just going to lock up the apartment again.”
Kouyou knew there was no point in protesting any further. He had known Yuu personally for too long and he knew that even though the brunet gave off a sweet aura, his partner could really be hot-headed and adamant until he got his way. Accepting the clothes that Yuu had offered to him, he walked in the direction he had been pointed to; the brunet’s room.
Even though they had been acquaintances for so long, this was actually Kouyou’s first time in his friend’s house. Yuu always visited him in his place as often as possible, as the lawyer always checked on him for the blond lived all alone. But Kouyou on the other hand, hadn’t had the opportunity to drop a visit by Yuu’s place before, due to his tight-packed schedule. The numerous cases he handled made sure that he never had any form of quality time to spare for himself.
Yuu’s room was cleaner than he had expected. It surprised Kouyou, because his own apartment was always disoriented and dirty. His apartment was nothing but a dump of clothes, papers, files and dirty laundry. The walls of his rooms were severely coated in grime that even the colours of the walls were no longer discernible.
On the other hand, the walls of the brunet’s room was a pleasant shade of light blue with some photo frames of a younger Yuu decorating the wall on one side, opposite the bed. There were also pictures of him with his parents, his sister and even one taken on the day he graduated, on the chest of drawers. He was even surprised to see pictures of him in some of the frames on the table. Kouyou noticed that they were just group pictures that had been taken during the company pleasure trips.
A good five minutes had elapsed before Kouyou realized he still hadn’t changed. He started unbuttoning his shirt, slowly unfastening the pearl-white buttons one by one and let it fall to the floor. He then unzipped his pants and had almost pulled them down to his knees when he heard the door opening behind him, so he turned around.
“Hey, I figured you were done, so I brought you...” Yuu faltered and trailed off in bewilderment when he realized Kouyou was still in the middle of changing, his pale chest bare to the golden light of the lamp with his thighs exposed. Wetting his lips, the brunet’s eyes unconsciously scrutinized the other man’s near-naked body, drinking in the sight of Kouyou’s alabaster skin. When he was finally aware of what he was doing, Yuu flushed bright red and reluctantly turned his gaze away.
“S-sorry,” he stuttered in embarrassment, hoping that Kouyou hadn’t noticed his blatant staring. “I just thought you were done, and I brought you a spare toothbrush to use.” he muttered, completely and utterly bashful as he tried not to stare too much at the other man in front of him.
The brunet tried to push every single perverted thought out of his mind, because it was so horribly inappropriate, especially when Kouyou was a guest in his home and he was supposed to be hospitable, not acting like this was a chance for him. Besides, the blond was currently injured and homeless. What kind of awful person was he to be ogling the other man when he was in such a situation?
“Ah, thank you.” Kouyou said, throwing a grateful glance at his colleague. “Mind coming closer and giving it to me, ‘cause I’m still in the middle of taking off my pants. I might trip if I try walking like this.” The blond chuckled at his own joke.
Yuu gulped and nodded, secretly wondering if someone out there was laughing at his misfortune. Awkwardly inching closer to Kouyou, the brunet handed him the toothbrush he’d found in a new package in one of the bathroom draws. He’d probably brought it for himself and forgotten about it.
“Here, everything else you’ll need is in the bathroom.” he mumbled, a blush tinting his cheeks as he kept his eyes averted. “Help yourself to the fridge and everything as well.” Yuu offered, before the urge to look became too much to bear and he ended up giving in; turning his head to sneak a glance at Kouyou.
But he immediately cringed, because now that he was in closer proximity to the blond, he could see the foul soot that stained the other man’s body, clinging to his skin in specks of black. It only further reminded Yuu of the devastating dilemma Kouyou had found himself in only hours ago. Feeling his heart sink at seeing the disheveled state the blond was currently in, Yuu knew he wasn’t finished with fussing over him just yet.
“You can’t go to bed like that.” he protested firmly, leaving no room for argument as he grabbed Kouyou’s wrist to lead him to the bathroom. “Come on, I’ll wash you.” Inwardly sighing, the brunet wondered what the hell he was even saying. Unfortunately, the words just seemed to flow from his mouth before he could think about them, and it left him saying stupid, irresponsible things. But Kouyou’s hands were injured so he couldn’t possibly do it himself without causing further damage and pain.
“Do you really want to do that?” Kouyou inquired with surprise. “I might fall asleep in the ofuro. I might catch a cold.” he rambled on. “I’m absolutely tired and exhausted, and I just want to drop unconscious on the bed. Actually, I haven’t slept for days.” Which really was true; one of the reasons why he had refused the offer for a bath earlier. Not to mention, his hands weren’t exactly in the best condition to be used for any kind of activity.
“Besides it’s embarrassing you know, you’re treating me like a toddler.” The blond pouted, mumbling indignantly.
“It can’t be helped.” Yuu replied drearily, though he was extremely anxious about... well, bathing Kouyou. It was far too intimate for his liking, especially since they were nothing but mere friends and co-workers. However, the brunet knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing the other man was covered in ash and soot. Plus, he smelt of burnt wood and rubber and even though he didn’t want to tell Kouyou this directly, he stunk a little and definitely needed to be bathed.
“I’d let you do it yourself... but your hands...” Yuu mumbled, glancing down at the blond’s bandaged limbs and wincing. He opened the door to the bathroom and lead Kouyou inside, standing there awkwardly as he folded his arms over his chest.
“You don’t even have to soak in the ofuro, I’ll just wash you down.” The brunet suggested as he fetched one of the stools to sit down on, a little embarrassed when he turned to face the other man. Sighing heavily with a nod of his head, Kouyou finally gave in to the other man’s demands as he was too tired to argue.
“You kinda need to strip down, though.” Yuu stated timidly, suddenly feeling the hot blush coming back to his cheeks at the thought of Kouyou being completely naked. Yuu couldn’t even believe how utterly perverted he was being, but it wasn’t like he could just ignore all these thoughts. That would just be too simple, he thought bitterly. Kouyou was the object of his affection, someone he respected greatly and hoped he could be close to. Yet here he was fantasizing about the other man like some horny teenager who couldn’t control their hormones.
“Okay.” Kouyou nodded his blond head and clumsily removed his boxers which were the only remaining clothing he had on him. Yuu was a man like him, someone of similar anatomy, so nothing to hide from him anyway, he thought. He walked to the stool the brunet had offered and sat down naked. When the cool air collided against his raw skin, he trembled slightly while the goose bumps rapidly erupted through his body.
Yuu could feel his heart race, throbbing in his chest like a jackhammer, but for his own good, he tried to keep his eyes averted from the nude body in front of him as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and pants to prevent them from getting wet. Standing behind Kouyou with the shower-head in hand, Yuu took in a small breath in and hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. The brunet didn’t want his co-worker to know he was secretly checking him out while he had the opportunity to see him naked like this, nor did he want Kouyou to realize how nervous he was.
“Just lift up your arms so the bandages don’t get wet.” he ordered, waiting until the blond did as he was told before turning the water on and spraying it over his bare back, chest and the rest of his body to start soaking him down. Kouyou raised his arms languidly, wincing in the process as the sudden movement induced a sharp pain that travelled through his burnt fingers, but still continued to obediently hold them up.
Once Kouyou was wet, Yuu grabbed a washcloth and a bottle of peppermint-scented lotion he used for himself, and leaned over to start washing Kouyou’s back, trying to rid the alabaster skin of the soot and grime that had accumulated there. Having only dreamed of touching Kouyou like this, feeling bare skin beneath his fingertips... Yuu seemed to marvel at it all. But he shook the thoughts from his head when he walked to stand in front of the blond, trying to keep his wandering eyes to himself and will away the arousal that was starting to slowly consume him.
“You want me to stand up?” Kouyou asked tiredly. He faintly registered that the brunet was about to wash his front. Already, the blond could feel the drowsiness creeping through his exhausted muscles and body. He just wanted to drop on the floor and snooze. But then again, he didn’t want to trouble his colleague any further, so tried his best to remain awake as he saw Yuu nod his head in reply.
“If you could, it’d be easier.” The brunet admitted sheepishly, wanting to get this over and done with as soon as possible. Right now, the last thing he wanted to be doing was washing a completely naked Kouyou and having indecent thoughts about him.
Unfortunately, that was what was happening. At least if he stood up then Yuu would be able to concentrate on the other man’s face and not the rest of his nude, pale body that looked so wonderful with water sliding down that flawless skin... Yuu flushed a bright red, thanking whomever was out there that Kouyou seemed too tired to notice. He’d never be able to talk himself out of why he was blushing like a maniac, and the brunet knew he wouldn’t ever be able to explain the growing erection in his pants either.
Kouyou stood up without further ado. His amber eyes were already becoming blurry and heavy, and he hoped the brunet would hurry and finish up with him. Yuu seemed to be washing his body very dutifully; just like how he handled his cases. It was a nice thing that his friend was being careful and considerate, but not right now when all that the blond desperately wanted was his sleep.
“Um, Yuu, I think I’m gonna slide to the bathroom floor any moment now.” Kouyou groaned. “When are you gonna finish?”
Yuu jumped at the blond’s complaint, previously too absorbed in the task of washing the blond’s chest and abdomen. The skin on Kouyou’s body was firm with muscle, yet smooth and he must have gotten carried away with what he was doing to not notice how long he was taking. Cursing himself for being too suspicious, the brunet quickly tried to think of a suitable reply.
“Sorry,” Yuu apologized sheepishly. “I’m a little tired as well.” he admitted, trying to focus on the tiled wall past Kouyou’s wet shoulders. Thankfully, most of the soot had been washed off with the water and now the sweet scent of peppermint wafted from Kouyou’s cleansed skin. Now all he had to do was rinse the blond off and then everything would be over. Yuu wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
“Almost done.” he promised, allowing Kouyou to continue standing as he quickly retrieved the shower-head and turned it on so that they could finish. The growing problem in his tight pants still hadn’t gone away, but the other man was too tired to realize what was really going on. Yuu had never been so thankful for Kouyou’s lack of perceptiveness before.
Yuu had finally washed away every soap sud on Kouyou’s body, which in turn made the blond sigh in relief. He carefully continued to hold his bandaged hands above his head and closed his eyes as he reveled in the soothing sensation of the warm water that caressed his pale skin, making him release a small moan.
Yuu’s warm hands against his body made the blond a wee bit relaxed as to him, it felt more like a gentle massage that helped relax his aching muscles. However, he still longed for the time when he could sleep in a warm bed with clean sheets and pillows. It was too late into the night already, and if he was forced to remain awake any longer then he would definitely throw a fit.
After a few minutes, Kouyou’s ears registered the flow of water coming to a stop. Amber eyes fluttered open, and he found the brunet leaving outside momentarily; probably to get a towel, he assumed. And like he had guessed, Yuu indeed brought back a clean towel and handed it to the tired blond.
Kouyou gingerly accepted the towel with his bandaged hands and tried to wipe away the water droplets on his body. But when he tried to clench his hands in order to use the towel to dry himself, he yelped, feeling the sudden pain that ripped through his singed appendages. Even with the salve, the blemishes continued to burn mercilessly.
“I’m sorry,” Kouyou apologized for the umpteenth time. “I know I’m already imposing on you too much.” he added abashed. “I think the pain has become worse. I’m not able to use the towel and I doubt I will be able to get dressed either.” The pain was indeed getting worse and Kouyou’s hands had started to swell and turn sore. It was becoming really difficult for the poor blond to use his hands as time passed. “And I think I need painkillers too.” he grumbled with distaste.
Becoming frantic with everything he was being told, Yuu just nodded his head as a bright blush covered his cheeks, starting to think he was dreaming or hallucinating. This couldn’t be happening to him. Really, this was too good to be true or someone was playing a cruel joke on him and it was no longer funny.
The idea to pinch himself was tempting, because he still couldn’t believe that Kouyou was in his apartment, let alone that he was naked and in need of being dressed and handled with care.
“Okay, yes.” Agreeing immediately, Yuu took the towel from the other man and tentatively started drying him off, trying not to indulge too much as he dried his chest, back and thighs as quickly as he could without being too suspicious.
Mortally embarrassed, Yuu found he had to drop to his knees to finish drying off Kouyou’s long, lean legs. On the other hand, Kouyou let his train of vision remain on the wall in front of him, too tired to feel the soft cloth which dried the water droplets which clung to his body. Yuu tried his best to let his gaze remain on the tiled floor, repeatedly telling himself not look up because he knew he would come face to... genitalia. He bit his lip to resist groaning, even though it was so damned tempting to sneak a peek. Already, the brunet had taken the liberty to check out Kouyou perfectly rounded ass, which had only fuelled his growing erection when he had set eyes on the plush rump.
“I’ll get you some painkillers. Let’s get you changed first, though.” Yuu mumbled more to himself, unable to bring himself to stare at Kouyou’s face as he secured a towel around the other man’s waist to finally conceal his nudity. He was so ashamed that he had been ogling the blond in such a situation, but what was done was done. Yuu held his colleague’s arm to steady him as he lead him back to his bedroom, taking a deep breath while he prepared the clothing he had let Kouyou borrow for the night.
Kouyou watched in silence whilst Yuu brought his hands on either side of his waist to release the towel that obscured his lower body. When the thick cloth slid to the floor, the chilled air of the room made his lower half, which had been hidden under the warmth of the towel, burn. The blond couldn’t stop himself from squirming in embarrassment. Even though he had been naked for so long, he suddenly felt conscious of his nudity.
Yuu may be a friend and a fellow male, but it must be really uncomfortable for the poor brunet to see him butt-naked. Only now could Kouyou make out a light pink hue on Yuu’s cheeks through his hazy vision. He finally realized how uncomfortable the other man must really be. Seeing the brunet blushing aggravated Kouyou’s sudden discomfort which had popped out of nowhere, making him once again regret for imposing too much on his partner.
“Yuu, I’m sorry,” he apologized profusely again. He had already lost track of how many times he had apologized to Yuu in the past few hours. But it was never enough, as there was no excuse for him to trouble and take advantage of the kind and hospitable lawyer. “You don’t have to do this. I will dress on my own.” He reached forward to take the clothes where Yuu had placed them. As soon as he had picked up the shirt which was made of a really soft material, he immediately dropped it to the floor. The pain in his fingers seemed to be becoming more worse as time passed.
“Kouyou, please,” Yuu protested, wincing when he saw that the blond was still in great pain. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how his hands felt right now, even after he had treated them, but Yuu knew they must have caused Kouyou a great deal of pain if he wasn’t even able to hold light materials properly.
“Just... let me take care of you.” The brunet pleaded softly, his mouth becoming dry with his confession. It sounded so much more affectionate and loving than he intended for it to sound, but it seemed his emotions took the liberty to lace his voice thickly with how he was currently feeling.
Determined not to let anything else deter him, Yuu held out the pair of shorts for Kouyou to step into, pulling them up his long legs and awkwardly securing them over his lithe hips. To get it over and done with before the blond suddenly discovered the hardness in his pants, or his suspicious behaviour, Yuu helped him into a plain singlet. Only when his friend was finally dressed for bed did the brunet allow him to lie down. Wanting the other man to be comfortable, he fluffed the pillows on the right side of the bed, the place where Kouyou would sleep for the night.
“I’ll get you some painkillers and water.” Yuu promised, pulling the duvet over the blond’s exhausted body and tucking him in. He hoped Kouyou was comfortable, but he decided to not waste time asking him and merely smiled reassuringly before heading off to the kitchen to get what he needed.
Kouyou looked at the ceiling as he fought to keep his eyes open. He waited for Yuu to get the painkillers so that he could sleep peacefully. But the pain was too much for him to bear, and the lawyer could feel the blackness that took over him and spread to his eyes; even though he tried his best not to let his eyelids drop. But in the end, the blond lost his futile battle and allowed the unconsciousness take over him, momentarily obliterating all his pain.
Once Yuu returned after rummaging around in the kitchen cupboards for the medicine box, his face softened from the worried expression it had previously donned when he saw that Kouyou had fallen asleep in his bed. Placing the bottle of painkillers on the bedside unit, along with a tall glass of water for the blond in case he woke up and needed them, Yuu took to scrutinizing Kouyou’s face; his cheeks flushed and his bow-shaped lips in a pout. Another wave of arousal sparked in his loins, and Yuu cursed as he turned around and headed back towards the bathroom.
-x-
When Kouyou woke up, it took a few long minutes for him to comprehend where he was, as it looked nothing like the apartment where he lived. While his vision slowly registered the pale blue walls and the pictures of his partner, the first thing he wondered was what was he doing in a room with Yuu’s picture on the wall. He ran a hand through his golden tresses, forcing his sleep-clouded brain to think as to what had happened and why he wasn’t he in his own home. When he was almost about to give up, memories of yesterday replayed in his mind vividly and he finally understood why he was in his colleague’s room.
Kouyou slowly got up from his bed, cursing himself for not waiting for Yuu to get the painkillers as he felt the pain shoot through his body. The pain felt like needles pricking through his skin, making him wince. But the effect had dulled a wee bit smaller in comparison to yesterday, even though he felt extremely numb, which made him crave some aspirin and a strong mug of caffeine whilst he still felt a wea pounding in his head due to a hangover; the effect of yesterday’s alcohol.
With a grumble, Kouyou kicked his legs ungracefully off the bed and slow eased himself up. Before leaving the bedroom to look for Yuu, he folded the duvet neatly and made the unruly bed as best he could with the help of his bandaged digits. Soon after, the blond located Yuu in the kitchen just as he had assumed, with his back to him, wearing a black apron and humming happily.
“Morning,” Kouyou groaned out, but the groan was immediately replaced with an amused chuckle when he saw Yuu jumping with a yelp, before turning to face him. “Sorry for scaring you.” The lawyer grinned beside himself.
As his heart slowed in his chest, Yuu returned the grin happily. Kouyou looked so much better than he did last night, and he was relieved to see that the other man looked healthier and more vibrant. It seemed as if he’d had a decent sleep, and for that, the brunet was thankful. He was worried last night that he might have had to take Kouyou to the hospital, even if it was against his will. Yuu knew he’d drag the other man there kicking and screaming if he had to, especially if he needed medical attention.
“Don’t worry about it.” he replied, before he turned back to what he was cooking to make sure it wouldn’t be spoiled by his carelessness.
“I hope you’re hungry.” The brunet supplied as he opened the rice cooker, piling the heaped rice into small bowls to serve them. “I made... quite a bit.” he mumbled, realizing he had made too much food while he looked over the kitchen counters at the dishes of broiled fish and tamagoyaki.
Well, at least there would be plenty for everyone, he thought as he spooned some of the miso soup from the pot into serving bowls. As Yuu took all the breakfast dishes over to the table and set everything out, he was floating on cloud nine and nothing could bring him down from his good mood. He’d woken up next to Kouyou, surprised yet euphoric to see the other man’s gorgeous face when he’d first opened his eyes and to hear him snoring softly. Greatly resisting the urge to touch him, the brunet had eventually given in and had played a bit with Kouyou’s hair. Even though he felt embarrassed and creepy afterwards for allowing himself to do such a thing, it had felt nice and Yuu had allowed himself to indulge.
Then, to distract himself, he’d gotten up and done his daily routine of taking a shower, brushing his teeth and hair, shaving and getting dressed for a day at work. To make sure he stayed focused, he’d started to prepare breakfast just like every other morning, but had gotten carried away with the usual chore. Maybe he had unconsciously wanted to impress Kouyou with his cooking skills, because he doubted the other man had had a homemade meal for a long time now if he lived on his own, had bare to none cooking skills and hadn’t had the company of a woman.
Now though, he felt rejuvenated. Yuu smiled as Kouyou took a seat at the table, and was just about to sit down himself when he heard a door open and a familiar gasp echo throughout the kitchen. He looked up to find Yukari standing there, her dark brown eyes wide as she stared at the two men incredulously.
Yukari had woken up after a night of uncomfortable sleep. She had cried for a long time after that awful fight with her brother, and had finally fallen asleep only when her tears had ran out due to exhaustion. But then, she’d had nightmare after nightmare about her brother going very far away, making her toss and turn restlessly in her bed. In the end, the brunette had woken up to find herself with a red face and terribly swollen, bloodshot eyes. Yukari felt a terrible sense of guilt taking over her as she remembered the unreasonable spat last night, and how she had behaved even though her brother had ended up apologized to her.
Splashing her petite face with frigid cold water that made her eyes sting, Yukari had brushed her teeth and went out to apologize to her brother without bothering to change out of her pajamas, even though it was getting late for school. When she reached the living room, the brunette heard voices of talking and laughter. Cautiously, she made her way to the kitchen and couldn’t help but gasp to find a strange blond-haired man, whom she had never seen in her life before seated at their dining table. But what shocked her the most was the happy, bright smile on her brother’s face, something she had almost forgotten that he was capable of.
“Morning, Kari.” Yuu greeted warmly, in too good a mood to remember the unpleasant events that had taken place last night. He’d shouldered their argument away, deciding to let his anger go and told himself that Yukari was still a teenager and was probably just moody because of puberty or something like that. The brunet didn’t really want to think into it too much, whatever her reasons were, but he wasn’t going to let their fight get him down when he was in such high spirits.
“This is Kouyou.” he introduced, resting one of his hands on the blond’s shoulders, unconsciously giving it a small squeeze. “He’s a colleague from work, but he’ll be staying with us for a while until he finds a new place.”
Yuu had decided it when he’d woken up; that he couldn’t just kick Kouyou out of his apartment when he had nowhere else to go. He had thought about it vividly, had weighed the pros and cons and had finally come to the conclusion that he would allow the blond to stay here temporarily with him and recover, until he found somewhere else to live.
Kouyou was taken aback on hearing Yuu’s statement about his stay. He wanted to argue, but for now he decided to let the matter drop as he was excited to finally get the chance to meet Yuu’s younger sister in person. He flashed a bright smile at the pretty brunette who looked very uncomfortable with his presence. Kouyou could understand though, because it must have been quite a shock to find a stranger out of nowhere in her living room, especially so early in the morning.
“Hello, Yukari-chan,” Kouyou smiled fondly at the teenager. “Finally I get a chance to meet you. Yuu always speaks of you.” he explained, throwing another smile in Yuu’s direction, which his partner didn’t hesitate to return.
Yukari stared at the blond, dumbfounded. What was her brother going on about? Who was this stranger intruding between her brother and her? The man may be her brother’s friend, but that doesn't mean he could just barge into their lives or live in their home. Wasn’t he already having enough of her brother’s attention in that office of his?
Unreasonable questions kept flooding Yukari’s mind as she continued to stare awkwardly at Kouyou, completing ignoring the fact that he had just greeted her. The young brunette was firmly sure about one thing. No matter what the reasons her brother gave her, she definitely didn’t want an anonymous person in their home.
“Nii-san,” she said, looking over at her brother. “Could I talk to you alone for a while?”
“I’m sorry, Kari.” Yuu apologized as he looked at his watch, taken aback by the time. It only just occurred to him how long he’d spent making breakfast and loitering around his apartment. If he didn’t leave now, then he’d be late for work. Which wasn’t going to happen, because the brunet just couldn’t compromise his job like that, the one that he had worked so hard for to be able to provide a good life for himself and Yukari.
“I have to get to work.” he stated as he undid the apron he was wearing, hanging it on a nearby hook before grabbing his dark blazer from the back of one of the chairs and slipping it over his shoulders. Yukari stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say as her brother rushed around to get his briefcase and the other things he’d be needing for his work day, like his laptop and important case documents.
“I have to be there early today.” Yuu explained when he was ready to leave, seeing the disbelief on Yukari’s face as her request was turned down. He felt guilty for rejecting her right now, but work was work and he simply couldn’t afford to be late or take any chances that his boss would let him. After all, he had a clean record for arriving to work early or on time and putting in hard hours to earn his superior’s favour.
“I’m taking over one of Kouyou’s cases, so it’ll have to wait until tonight, okay?” Yuu flashed his sister a smile, walking over to where she awkwardly stood, her posture rigid and stiff, and hugged her with one arm, his other hand full with his belongings. Pressing a chaste kiss to his sister’s head, the brunet then turned around and headed towards Kouyou, who seemed to be in a state of shock and confusion as to what exactly was going on.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve already spoken to our boss.” Yuu whispered, smiling once again at the man he was enamoured with, before promptly saying goodbye and rushing out of the apartment in a hurry to catch the next train.
deadlyscarlet : Hey lovelies. I'm sorry that I've been posting almost nothing these days. I've had my own personal tragedies and didn't feel like being active in LJ. But when I got my JLPT results I've become euphoric again. So yeah, I decided to update. This chapter has been ready for a really long time. But then both veroxion and I have been busy with our own lives, that's why we've put it up so late. Hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your opinion (^_^)
veroxion : Before anyone asks, yes this entire chapter went from serious apartment-fire to Yuu being a total pervert lol. We hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was fun to write, and to torture poor Yuu. This chapter has actually been finished for a while now, we just had some trouble in getting it out, but it should be worth the wait, right? :D
Chapters: 2/?
Author(s): veroxion & deadlyscarlet
Genre: Romance/Paranormal/Mystery
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Sex, Violence, Rape, Character Death (OC), Suicide (OC), Use of Real Names + OC’s
Pairings/Characters: Aoi/Uruha, Uruha/Aoi
Synopsis: After a fire that leaves Takashima Kouyou homeless, he's taken in by his friend and colleague, Shiroyama Yuu. The two men get along just fine, but Yuu's younger sister isn't thrilled with their new house guest. After an abrupt suicide that leaves her dead, Kouyou starts acting strangely... and it's up to Yuu to figure out what dark force is manipulating the man who he harbours a secret love for.
Comments: Hey guys! This is veroxion's and I's new collaboration together. We hope you enjoy it. :)
-x-
In the early hours of the premature morning, long after both disgruntled Shiroyama siblings had retreated to their respective bedrooms after their immature spat, Yuu awoke to the incessant sound of his phone going off. Groaning in annoyance, the brunet sleepily wondered if it was some idiot client ringing him to let him know they’d landed themselves in jail, or they had been accused of some criminal offence and needed his legal advice.
Glaring at the idea, Yuu grumpily rolled over in his large double bed, pulling the heavy covers over himself to block out the noise that was disturbing him from his much-needed sleep. If it was work, then they were calling at a really ridiculous hour and they could kindly fuck off and let him rest. He didn’t think it could be anyone else, because between his work and well, his work, the lawyer never had the time to catch up with his friends, and even then, no one would call him in the dead of the night demanding for some kind of socialization.
Finally, the sound died out as a silence settled into the room, which caused Yuu to sigh in relief as he attempted to drift back off to sleep. Only, the bothersome tune of his ringtone started up again, eliciting a growl of annoyance from the brunet when he was disturbed again. Whoever was trying to get ahold of him obviously wasn’t going to stop trying until they got an answer.
Incredibly annoyed, Yuu threw the covers off of himself, walking around his bedroom stark naked and trying to ignore the chill that bit and licked at his bare skin as he fished his cell phone out of his pants. The brunet’s dark eyes squinted at the bright screen which illuminated his tired face; his mouth was dry and Yuu could swear he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw who was calling him. Without sparing another moment, he answered.
“Kouyou?” he questioned sleepily, rubbing at his eyes as he went to sit at the edge of the bed and turn his bedside lamp on, causing Yuu to wince when the entire room erupted in a burst of light. “What’s going on?” he asked softly, looking at the alarm clock beside his bed and noticing the time.
“Why are you calling me at just gone midnight?”
“Y-Yuu.” Kouyou whispered into the phone he held in his trembling hand. The firefighters had just left after putting out the last embers of the blazing fire-the result of his carelessness. Luckily the flames hadn’t spread to any of the neighbouring apartments. But unfortunately, Kouyou’s home was completely burnt out, the interior painted with soot and blackened objects, making it impossible for anyone to live there. Not to mention, the blond’s possessions were nothing but a pile of ashes, as everything had been consumed by the fire. His cellphone had survived though, due to the miraculous fact that Kouyou had been too drunk to remove the electronic device out of his pant pockets.
Some of the neighbours had offered to allow the now homeless blond to stay in one of their apartments. They knew that the young lawyer would find it difficult to find somewhere else to stay in the middle of the night, and the world today wasn’t safe anymore for any man or woman to wander. But Kouyou had politely rejected their kindness, as he still felt guilty for the fire which would have ravished their apartments as well. Thankfully they were spared as the fire service had arrived just on time.
Kouyou now stood outside on the streets, on the pavement, with nothing but a warm blanket covering his frail shoulders snugly. He had no relatives in Tokyo, nor did he have any close friends as he had almost immediately left Japan as soon as he’d received the scholarship to Harvard. He had been away for too long to have any form of lingering contact with his childhood friends as most of their numbers and addresses weren’t what they used to be when Kouyou had known them.
The only name which had cropped up in his present shocked state was that of his colleague, Yuu’s. Flipping open the phone, he had immediately scoured through his contact’s list, located the brunet’s name and pressed the green call button. Kouyou knew he was being unreasonable by calling him up in the middle of the night, as he was nothing but a partner to the lawyer after all. But still, he had no other option and hoped that Yuu’d understand his plight.
“Um, my apartment burned down and I... I’m currently standing on the streets homeless and no... nowhere to go.” he mumbled in a tiny voice.
Yuu was absolutely quiet; stunned as he tried to comprehend what his colleague had just told him. For a moment, he was simply unable to process exactly what Kouyou had said and it took him awhile to realize exactly what was going on.
“Are you kidding?” he managed to gasp out, suddenly wide awake with the news he had just received. All of a sudden, Yuu was in a panic as he stood up from the bed and started to frantically search for his clothes.
“Are you alright?” he rushed out as he started pulling on some silk boxers, followed by a pair of jeans, trying to pull the damned denim up his legs while cradling the phone with his shoulder and cheek. “I’ll come get you, okay?” The brunet promised firmly, knowing that he couldn’t just leave Kouyou alone or turn him away when he was in need of help. Yuu grabbed one of his shirts to finish changing, while he was still talking to the blond.
“Okay.” Kouyou sighed, a momentary relief that flooded through his senses before disconnecting. He couldn’t help but smile through his shock at Yuu’s kindness. The blond felt immensely glad at that moment to have someone like his fellow lawyer to rely on. Even though Kouyou always put up a tough demeanor in front of everyone, to his colleague alone he showed his weaknesses and always allowed the other man to break through his barriers like they never existed in the first place.
The blond had no idea why he was letting Yuu barge into his life like that. But he didn't stop him either as the brunet was always reliable and never hesitated to help him whenever he was in a tight corner. He also lent a shoulder of comfort whenever he needed it, for the brunet was the only one who understood how broken the former was due to his loneliness.
Kouyou clutched the blanket around him tightly while he trembled in the cold. The thin blanket that one of his neighbours had lent him did nothing to prevent the cold breeze from inducing a layer of goose bumps to materialize on his pale skin. It had only been ten minutes since Kouyou had called Yuu. The blond, whose legs had started aching, leaned against a single lamp post whilst he stared at the empty road.
Not long after, the blond’s amber orbs suddenly captured the bright glare of headlights. Turning his head around, the lawyer found a taxi rushing around the corner, which halted just a few feet in front of him. Kouyou released a heavy sigh when his eyes saw a really worried Yuu running towards him.
“Hey,” Yuu breathed out, not knowing what else to say as he approached Kouyou in a hurry, immediately noticing how he was shivering from the cold. How could he not notice when the other man looked as if he had just been saved from death? He probably was, the brunet thought grimly.
“Damn, you look cold.” he commented instead, and without another thought, removed his own jacket and draped it over Kouyou’s shoulders to help keep him warm. “You’re okay, right?” Yuu asked worriedly as he led the shaken blond towards the taxi and began to help slide him into the back seat, realizing the other man was also shaking from the shock of what had happened. Sympathy erupted within him as he gazed at the blond sadly.
“You don’t have to go to the hospital or anything?” The brunet continued to bombard Kouyou with his endless questions stemming from his worry, unable to stop himself. Yuu looked the blond up and down, trying to see if he was injured in any way and felt his throat tightening at his disheveled appearance.
“No.” Kouyou shook his head firmly as he climbed in through the taxi’s open door. Yuu closed his side of the door and hurriedly walked around the vehicle to enter it through the door on the other side. If there was anything that Kouyou absolutely hated, it would be hospitals. He only went to that horrid place if he was left with no choice or if it hindered him from his job. But right now, Kouyou felt perfectly fine. He didn’t feel pain anywhere in his body and his limbs were moving too. So he stubbornly refused to be taken to the godforsaken hospital.
“I just want a bath and maybe something warm to drink. My head is throbbing ‘cause of the alcohol which is probably still in my fucking system.” he complained, but choked as tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall out of the contours of his eyes.
While it may be true that there was nothing valuable in his apartment, as Kouyou mostly kept everything in his office safe and his money was hoarded away safely in the bank, but that apartment was still his home. Seeing it reduced into nothing but a pile of ash was enough to make the blond’s throat constrict with emotion. He covered his eyes with his palms, trying to settle his thoughts to ease away some of his mental turmoil.
“Hey, it’s okay, Kouyou.” Yuu soothed gently, trying to awkwardly placate his colleague as best he could without invading boundaries. But even so, the brunet couldn’t bring himself to believe his own words. He knew perfectly well that it wasn’t okay, but Yuu still smiled gently and patted Kouyou’s shoulder.
“You can stay at mine tonight, and then we’ll decide what to do in the morning.” he suggested, already knowing that he wanted to help as much as possible, especially if the blond was in such a cruel pinch. Without warning his friend had nowhere to live, no possessions to call his own and Yuu couldn’t just ignore that. No doubt Kouyou was still in shock as well, even if he denied it, so he was going to do what he could to the best of his ability.
“It will all work out.” Yuu promised softly, secretly wondering if it really would, as the taxi sped back to his apartment. If the taxi driver noticed their odd conversation, then he ignored it as he continued to do his job.
“Okay.” Kouyou nodded in gratitude, turning to look at his colleague. “Thank you, Yuu. I know that I’m constantly troubling you, and it makes me feel really bad. But I honestly have no one whom I can ask for help. I’m sorry for troubling you like this in the middle of the night.” he whispered as he bowed his blond head in apology.
A small smile tingled on Yuu’s shapely lips at the other man’s words. The blond was too apologetic for his own good, he mused fondly; always thinking about everyone but himself and his own well-being. It was rather touching to know that Kouyou was thinking about him in a time like this, but Yuu realized that he didn’t mind being relied on by Kouyou. It made him feel needed and respected to know that the blond had phoned him, out of all the other people he could have asked.
In fact, a part of him was simply euphoric to know that Kouyou had chosen him.
“It’s fine, Kouyou. It can’t be helped.” he replied reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Mm.” Kouyou sniffed, relaxing slightly in the comfort his colleague was offering him. The blond tightened his hold on the jacket and blanket, which covered his lithe body as the taxi moved in the direction where Yuu’s house was located.
-x-
When they finally arrived at the apartment complex, Yuu paid for the taxi without another thought and lead Kouyou up to his apartment slowly and carefully, trying to keep it at the blond’s pace. He didn’t want to rush Kouyou because he was still quite shaken about what had happened, and moved as if he were half-asleep. Yuu supposed he was also still very intoxicated, so it hindered his movement speed a little bit.
After unlocking his apartment and turning on the lights, Yuu practically forced his fellow lawyer sit down on the couch. “Just make yourself comfortable.” he suggested as he went to the linen closet to fetch his new house guest another blanket to keep Kouyou comfortable for the time being. He smiled as he unfolded the blanket and handed it to him.
“I’ll get you something warm to drink.” Yuu promised, still smiling softly at the other man.
“Okay.” Kouyou nodded as he wrapped the extra blanket that the brunet had offered tightly around him. For some reason, he still continued to shiver even with all the layers of warm clothing. After a little bit of contemplating, he finally assumed that it must be the trauma of the fire that was throwing his body into jitters. Desperately, he tried to take his mind away from the disturbing image of the destructive flames by observing the neat living room in front of him while he remained huddled on the couch.
On the beige-coloured walls, there was a picture of Yuu in his early twenties wearing a brown yukata with stripes and a pretty girl around ten, the blond concluded, wearing a green, clover-patterned kimono. The girl, who Kouyou assumed to be his colleague’s younger sister, was holding her brother’s hand tightly with a really cute smile on her face. Kouyou couldn’t help but smile at the lovely sight of the two siblings; the picture before him was really beautiful.
After staring at the framed picture for awhile, he moved his eyes away to the shrine nestled in the corner of the living room. From where he was sitting, the blond wasn’t able to inspect the shrine very clearly. It was made of elaborately carved wood with incense holders and a bell in front of it. Two large photographs of a brown-haired man and a woman with jet black hair were neatly placed inside the shrine. But from the angle that Kouyou was seated in, the faces of inhabitants of the portrait-sized pictures weren’t very visible. He assumed them to be Yuu’s parents, as the brunet had mentioned that his parents had passed away before he had turned twenty.
Kouyou continued to keep his gaze in the direction of the shrine, not really looking at it anymore, his eyes unfocused. While he waited for Yuu to come back, the blond slowly started to snooze as the exhaustion of putting out a fire was slowly taking over, preventing him from fighting to keep his eyes open.
In the kitchen, Yuu tapped his blunt fingernails on the counter as the kettle boiled. The brunet knew he had done the right thing by letting Kouyou stay with him tonight, but that wasn’t really the problem that troubled him at the moment. As he was only living with his younger sister, their apartment was of below average size and they only had two bedrooms. He wouldn’t have minded giving up his own room for the night, but it left him with nowhere to sleep. The couch was too small for his body and for him personally, it would be rather uncomfortable to share a bed with Kouyou.
The blond would probably think differently. They were grown men after all, not immature teenage boys and they wouldn’t bitch and complain about the fact they had to share a bed. No, Kouyou wouldn’t even see the problem with it and would most likely apologize for causing him so much trouble. As Yuu filled up two mugs to the brim with hot tea, he knew he would have a hard time keeping his uncontrollable emotions in check with the person he desired in such close proximity to him.
Making his way to the living room and placing the two cups of steaming tea on the table, the brunet saw that Kouyou looked as if he were asleep. Knowing it would be uncomfortable to sit on the couch in that position for too long, Yuu carefully jostled him awake as he took a seat beside his colleague.
“I made you some tea.” he said softly, holding the cup out for Kouyou to take. Kouyou simply muttered a word of thanks and accepted the tea, rather groggy from being disturbed.
“I can run you a bath if you want as well.” Yuu offered, staring down at the brown liquid in his own mug once he had retrieved it from the table. “As for sleeping arrangements, we’re unfortunately gonna have to share a bed.” he explained sheepishly, trying his best not to turn red at the thought.
After taking a sip of the warm, delicious liquid which soothed his trembling body, Kouyou contemplated over what Yuu had just told him. Already, he was incredibly grateful that the brunet was being so kind to him and didn’t mind the fact that he had to share a bed with his colleague, as they were grown men and it really wasn’t a big issue. But then Kouyou had a problem which made him hesitant to accept Yuu’s offer.
“I think it would be better if I sleep on this couch.” The blond mumbled, slightly embarrassed. However, when he looked up and saw the slightly hurt expression on Yuu’s face, he reddened in guilt and decided to tell the truth for his discomfort. “I’m sorry. You see, I tend to move a lot in my sleep and also I hog the sheets and wrap my arms and legs around other people.” Kouyou admitted, not taking his eyes of the tea mug as he continued to stutter in embarrassment. “And I dream a lot, so I mumble and groan too.”
Kouyou wanted to crawl under a rock after admitting the embarrassing truth to his work partner. What he had confessed was true. He was a very troubled sleeper and always caused discomfort and trouble to the people who lay near to him. Some of the women he’d been with in the past had always complained about Kouyou’s strange sleeping habits. Even during his school days, all his friends would stubbornly refuse to let him on their beds as they knew perfectly well that they would never get any form of sleep with the blond near them.
Instead of being talked out of his own suggestion, Yuu had to admit that he found what the blond told him to be interesting, if not a little amusing. So, Kouyou moved around a lot when he slept, did he? The brunet thought that was rather cute. And he wrapped himself around people... and groaned... Yuu shook away the perverted thoughts that suddenly entered his mind and tried to focus on the more adorable aspects of the blond’s confession.
Besides, now that he had the idea in his mind that he was going to spend the night with Kouyou, in the same bed, he was adamant about making it happen. Even if it was just a stupid fantasy he had.
“Kouyou,” he started, raising one of his eyebrows. “This couch is tiny. Even my sister can’t sleep on it.” he chuckled, realizing that because of the couch’s width, his thigh was pressing against the blond’s.
“I doubt you can with how freakishly tall you are.” Yuu joked as he took another sip of his tea. “I’m a deep sleeper, anyway. I doubt I’ll even notice you’re there.” Liar, he wanted to scream at himself, but just smiled at his colleague instead to assure him that it was alright that they shared a bed for the night.
“Are you sure?” Kouyou yelped in surprise. Now that was a shocker. This was the very first time in his life that someone actually insisted on sharing their bed with him. If he were in Yuu’s position, he would have definitely forced the sleep-offender to sleep on the floor. But still the brunet was right. The couch really was small and Kouyou wasn’t exactly tiny either. Even if the blond folded his legs, they still wouldn’t fit within the constrained space. Anyway, Yuu did say he was a heavy sleeper so it didn't matter, right?
“Hm, okay,” he agreed hesitantly to his partner’s offer, even though he felt as if he should have rejected it. “Wake me up if I disturb you.” With that said, Kouyou drained the rest of the hot liquid down his parched throat.
“Sure thing.” Yuu quickly replied, content with the fact he had gotten what he wanted. It wasn’t like he was going to take advantage of Kouyou, or anything like that. God, he would never do something so deceitful, especially to the blond. Yuu respected him too much for that, but it was still nice to have the fantasy of the blond being in his bed, sleeping next to him because he wanted to be there. The lawyer cringed because it all sounded so perverted, when in his mind it was totally innocent. Well, for now anyway, he thought. Yuu mentally slapped himself for that.
“You still want that bath?” The brunet asked to distract himself from his wandering thoughts, noticing Kouyou had already finished his drink. Yuu’s own cup of tea was left forgotten on the coffee table in front of him, abandoned in favour of talking to the man next to him. “If not, then we can head to bed. I might have some clothes that will fit you.”
“No,” Kouyou shook his head. “I’m ready for bed.” The young lawyer knew he had to take a bath because he was covered from head to foot in grime and soot. But then he could also feel the tendrils of exhaustion slowly conquering every muscle in his body. If he took a bath in his current vulnerable condition, then he would definitely collapse and then end up further troubling Yuu. Sighing, Kouyou placed the mug on the table in front of him and got up from the couch.
“OW!” he winced in pain. Now that the alcohol in the blond’s system had almost disappeared, Kouyou felt a terrible pain; the cause being due to the tiny burns all over his hands. He realized he must have received them when he had been trying to put out the fire. The shock and alcohol must have made him oblivious to the blemishes on his pale skin. After getting something warm in his system, his reflex nerves had finally started working and alerted the blond of his pain.
Yuu startled at Kouyou’s outburst, his keen eyes finally landing on the blond’s red hands. Something twinged inside him at the sight of the other man’s singed limbs, and he winced in horror at how raw and painful the skin looked. Without a word, he immediately forced his friend to sit back down on the couch. Before Kouyou could protest, the brunet stood up and carefully took the other man’s hands in his own, examining the damage done to them. After living alone for so long and having to care for Yukari every time she fell down or got herself hurt when she was younger, he was knowledgeable with the basics of first aid.
“I’ll get some ice.” he murmured, already heading towards the kitchen hurriedly.
“And some salve and bandages!” Yuu called as he started gathering the things he needed, before hurrying back to where Kouyou was seated on the couch. “Here, apply it straight onto the burns.” he instructed firmly, passing an ice pack over and setting the salve and bandages on the coffee table, already getting everything ready so he could treat the blond’s wounds.
Kouyou pouted, eyeing the medicines placed in front of him with distaste. True, he had been living alone for too long, without anyone to take care of him. But he still didn’t even know something as basic as first aid. He had never been in any kind of situation where he ended up severely injured, so there never really had been an opportunity for him to learn self help.
The blond cursed himself for being nothing but a mere spoiled brat. He turned his head sideways and glanced helplessly at his friend, who was waiting for him to start applying the medication to his burns. No, he couldn’t ask Yuu to help him or expect him t, as the brunet had already done enough and he didn’t want to irritate his colleague further by asking to be babied. He hesitantly reached a hand forward to pick the burn ointment. But the feeling in his fingers hadn’t still returned properly, which resulted in him dropping the salve.
“I’m sorry.” Kouyou apologized profusely, embarrassed at his stupid display of clumsiness.
“Kouyou, you’re hurt.” Yuu sighed as he reached for one of the rags, starting to wash away all the soot and grime that littered the blond’s hands and some of his arms. The brunet couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Your apartment just burnt down, and you could have died.” he said a little shakily, only just realizing that if Kouyou had been any drunker, or if he’d passed out or if he maybe hadn’t been quick enough, then he could have ended up much worse than homeless with just a few burns on his hands. Once Yuu was done washing the other man’s limbs, the lawyer took the specialized ointment and began applying it to the the other man’s burned hands, moisturizing them and trying not to be too rough as he knew once the feeling came back, the pain would be utterly excruciating.
“The last thing you need to do is apologize.” Once the brunet finished treating his colleague’s hands, Yuu reached for the bandages and started to wrap them around the raw skin, frowning softly to himself. He had almost lost Kouyou. Yuu knew the other man wasn’t always this careless, and he was also aware that this accident was partly because the other lawyer had been drinking... because he had asked the blond out. An enormous amount of guilt swarmed at him when he realized that this was all his fault.
“It still doesn’t change the fact that it was my foolishness which resulted in me losing my apartment, and now me leeching of you.” Kouyou laughed bitterly as he watched Yuu carefully, yet meticulously wrap the bandages around his red skin. He feared the morning as he knew the burns were going to sting painfully. His mother had once accidentally spilled some boiling oil on her hands and had suffered a lot for days. Kouyou didn’t like pain and was frightened.
The lawyer inwardly prayed that no scars would be left behind, as he knew that his mother would throw a severe fuss the next time she saw him, and might never allow him to leave America ever. Also Kouyou still had his case to deal with. Now he was terrified as to what to do. The hearing was coming in a few days and there still wasn’t enough evidence. He was well aware that if he lost the case, then his reputation would take a severe blow. Kouyou could feel his throat constricting as tears threatened to fall out of his amber orbs.
“I’m just a fucking, useless dope.” Kouyou growled out, trying his best to hide his agony. “I should have burned along with my house. It would have served me fucking right.” he spat out. “And then maybe you wouldn't have to put up with my pathetic self.” he trembled, feeling the cold shivers run down his body again.
Yuu may keep telling him that he didn’t mind doing this for him, but that still didn’t change the fact that he was troubling the other man. Kouyou was nothing but a stranger and his friend was not obliged to take care of him, no matter what the circumstances. Kouyou now regretted calling up Yuu for help.
Yuu’s eyes went wide as he stared at Kouyou incredulously, his lips parted in shock as he gaped at the other man. Just the mere thought of knowing that the blond could have died tonight troubled him greatly, yet hearing his colleague say that it should have happened and that he was pathetic and useless were ugly words that stained his heart black. Listening to Kouyou degrade himself so severely broke his heart; period. The brunet refused to believe those words were true, so without thinking about what he was doing, he took the blond’s chin between his fingers firmly and made Kouyou look him dead in the eye.
“Don’t you ever say that!” Yuu barked out angrily, his face morphed into one of anger and sadness. He didn’t intend to sound so harsh, but the conflicting emotions inside him caused him to be more forceful with how he worded things.
“If you say something like that again, then I’ll-” Yuu paused suddenly, stopping himself from saying anything he would regret. He bit his lip to prevent anything else coming out and slowly withdrew his touch from Kouyou’s face, suddenly very embarrassed at his abrupt outburst. Taking a deep breath in, the brunet let out a sigh and hung his head.
“Accidents happen, that’s why they’re accidents. Don’t blame yourself when I was the one that took you out and got you drunk in the first place.” he said, staring down at his lap as a wave of shame washed over him, causing his anger to crumble into guilt.
“Why are you blaming yourself?” Kouyou asked, slightly abashed. It felt strange hearing the brunet’s apology when it really wasn’t his fault. “You never asked me to get drunk, did you?” The blond firmly shook his head as if trying to defend Yuu’s innocence. But it was true. After all, the brunet had only asked him to join him for a few drinks. Kouyou should have either refused the invitation or kept his alcohol intake in check. Instead, he had gotten himself drunk senseless, endangered himself and his career and now making his kind friend feel miserable.
“It’s not your fault but mine.” he frowned, cursing himself again and again in his mind. “I should have thought of the case first before getting drunk like that. Now I’m definitely going to lose.”
“We’ll worry about everything in the morning.” Yuu sighed as he rose to his feet, trying to rid himself of the disgrace he felt. “It’s been a long night, and I’m still tired.” he admitted sheepishly, attempting another smile, but it came out rather crooked and pained because of his shameful thoughts.
“You must be as well, considering everything that’s happened.” Now, the brunet was starting to feel exhausted after waking up to go to fetch Kouyou, especially after he had barely slept and was currently treating his wounds; he felt his adrenaline fade. However, he didn’t regret it, merely was tired because he hadn’t gotten enough sleep and was deprived.
“I’ll find you some clothes and then we can head to bed.” Yuu suggested, liking the idea more than he thought he should have. Before Kouyou could say anything else, he left the living room and went to his bedroom, scouting the room for anything that would seem suspicious. As much as he hated to admit it, he was now paranoid that the blond would somehow find out about his sexuality and leave.
Maybe he’d be disgusted. But Yuu wasn’t exactly ready or prepared to tell his colleague, or face what would happen afterwards. So he locked his bedside drawer to hide everything inside, and started to search for something in his closet that would fit the other man.
Thankfully, Yuu soon found some clothes that were too big for him and returned back to lounge to give them to Kouyou. “You can change in my room or the bathroom.” he suggested. “I’m just going to lock up the apartment again.”
Kouyou knew there was no point in protesting any further. He had known Yuu personally for too long and he knew that even though the brunet gave off a sweet aura, his partner could really be hot-headed and adamant until he got his way. Accepting the clothes that Yuu had offered to him, he walked in the direction he had been pointed to; the brunet’s room.
Even though they had been acquaintances for so long, this was actually Kouyou’s first time in his friend’s house. Yuu always visited him in his place as often as possible, as the lawyer always checked on him for the blond lived all alone. But Kouyou on the other hand, hadn’t had the opportunity to drop a visit by Yuu’s place before, due to his tight-packed schedule. The numerous cases he handled made sure that he never had any form of quality time to spare for himself.
Yuu’s room was cleaner than he had expected. It surprised Kouyou, because his own apartment was always disoriented and dirty. His apartment was nothing but a dump of clothes, papers, files and dirty laundry. The walls of his rooms were severely coated in grime that even the colours of the walls were no longer discernible.
On the other hand, the walls of the brunet’s room was a pleasant shade of light blue with some photo frames of a younger Yuu decorating the wall on one side, opposite the bed. There were also pictures of him with his parents, his sister and even one taken on the day he graduated, on the chest of drawers. He was even surprised to see pictures of him in some of the frames on the table. Kouyou noticed that they were just group pictures that had been taken during the company pleasure trips.
A good five minutes had elapsed before Kouyou realized he still hadn’t changed. He started unbuttoning his shirt, slowly unfastening the pearl-white buttons one by one and let it fall to the floor. He then unzipped his pants and had almost pulled them down to his knees when he heard the door opening behind him, so he turned around.
“Hey, I figured you were done, so I brought you...” Yuu faltered and trailed off in bewilderment when he realized Kouyou was still in the middle of changing, his pale chest bare to the golden light of the lamp with his thighs exposed. Wetting his lips, the brunet’s eyes unconsciously scrutinized the other man’s near-naked body, drinking in the sight of Kouyou’s alabaster skin. When he was finally aware of what he was doing, Yuu flushed bright red and reluctantly turned his gaze away.
“S-sorry,” he stuttered in embarrassment, hoping that Kouyou hadn’t noticed his blatant staring. “I just thought you were done, and I brought you a spare toothbrush to use.” he muttered, completely and utterly bashful as he tried not to stare too much at the other man in front of him.
The brunet tried to push every single perverted thought out of his mind, because it was so horribly inappropriate, especially when Kouyou was a guest in his home and he was supposed to be hospitable, not acting like this was a chance for him. Besides, the blond was currently injured and homeless. What kind of awful person was he to be ogling the other man when he was in such a situation?
“Ah, thank you.” Kouyou said, throwing a grateful glance at his colleague. “Mind coming closer and giving it to me, ‘cause I’m still in the middle of taking off my pants. I might trip if I try walking like this.” The blond chuckled at his own joke.
Yuu gulped and nodded, secretly wondering if someone out there was laughing at his misfortune. Awkwardly inching closer to Kouyou, the brunet handed him the toothbrush he’d found in a new package in one of the bathroom draws. He’d probably brought it for himself and forgotten about it.
“Here, everything else you’ll need is in the bathroom.” he mumbled, a blush tinting his cheeks as he kept his eyes averted. “Help yourself to the fridge and everything as well.” Yuu offered, before the urge to look became too much to bear and he ended up giving in; turning his head to sneak a glance at Kouyou.
But he immediately cringed, because now that he was in closer proximity to the blond, he could see the foul soot that stained the other man’s body, clinging to his skin in specks of black. It only further reminded Yuu of the devastating dilemma Kouyou had found himself in only hours ago. Feeling his heart sink at seeing the disheveled state the blond was currently in, Yuu knew he wasn’t finished with fussing over him just yet.
“You can’t go to bed like that.” he protested firmly, leaving no room for argument as he grabbed Kouyou’s wrist to lead him to the bathroom. “Come on, I’ll wash you.” Inwardly sighing, the brunet wondered what the hell he was even saying. Unfortunately, the words just seemed to flow from his mouth before he could think about them, and it left him saying stupid, irresponsible things. But Kouyou’s hands were injured so he couldn’t possibly do it himself without causing further damage and pain.
“Do you really want to do that?” Kouyou inquired with surprise. “I might fall asleep in the ofuro. I might catch a cold.” he rambled on. “I’m absolutely tired and exhausted, and I just want to drop unconscious on the bed. Actually, I haven’t slept for days.” Which really was true; one of the reasons why he had refused the offer for a bath earlier. Not to mention, his hands weren’t exactly in the best condition to be used for any kind of activity.
“Besides it’s embarrassing you know, you’re treating me like a toddler.” The blond pouted, mumbling indignantly.
“It can’t be helped.” Yuu replied drearily, though he was extremely anxious about... well, bathing Kouyou. It was far too intimate for his liking, especially since they were nothing but mere friends and co-workers. However, the brunet knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing the other man was covered in ash and soot. Plus, he smelt of burnt wood and rubber and even though he didn’t want to tell Kouyou this directly, he stunk a little and definitely needed to be bathed.
“I’d let you do it yourself... but your hands...” Yuu mumbled, glancing down at the blond’s bandaged limbs and wincing. He opened the door to the bathroom and lead Kouyou inside, standing there awkwardly as he folded his arms over his chest.
“You don’t even have to soak in the ofuro, I’ll just wash you down.” The brunet suggested as he fetched one of the stools to sit down on, a little embarrassed when he turned to face the other man. Sighing heavily with a nod of his head, Kouyou finally gave in to the other man’s demands as he was too tired to argue.
“You kinda need to strip down, though.” Yuu stated timidly, suddenly feeling the hot blush coming back to his cheeks at the thought of Kouyou being completely naked. Yuu couldn’t even believe how utterly perverted he was being, but it wasn’t like he could just ignore all these thoughts. That would just be too simple, he thought bitterly. Kouyou was the object of his affection, someone he respected greatly and hoped he could be close to. Yet here he was fantasizing about the other man like some horny teenager who couldn’t control their hormones.
“Okay.” Kouyou nodded his blond head and clumsily removed his boxers which were the only remaining clothing he had on him. Yuu was a man like him, someone of similar anatomy, so nothing to hide from him anyway, he thought. He walked to the stool the brunet had offered and sat down naked. When the cool air collided against his raw skin, he trembled slightly while the goose bumps rapidly erupted through his body.
Yuu could feel his heart race, throbbing in his chest like a jackhammer, but for his own good, he tried to keep his eyes averted from the nude body in front of him as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and pants to prevent them from getting wet. Standing behind Kouyou with the shower-head in hand, Yuu took in a small breath in and hoped it wasn’t too noticeable. The brunet didn’t want his co-worker to know he was secretly checking him out while he had the opportunity to see him naked like this, nor did he want Kouyou to realize how nervous he was.
“Just lift up your arms so the bandages don’t get wet.” he ordered, waiting until the blond did as he was told before turning the water on and spraying it over his bare back, chest and the rest of his body to start soaking him down. Kouyou raised his arms languidly, wincing in the process as the sudden movement induced a sharp pain that travelled through his burnt fingers, but still continued to obediently hold them up.
Once Kouyou was wet, Yuu grabbed a washcloth and a bottle of peppermint-scented lotion he used for himself, and leaned over to start washing Kouyou’s back, trying to rid the alabaster skin of the soot and grime that had accumulated there. Having only dreamed of touching Kouyou like this, feeling bare skin beneath his fingertips... Yuu seemed to marvel at it all. But he shook the thoughts from his head when he walked to stand in front of the blond, trying to keep his wandering eyes to himself and will away the arousal that was starting to slowly consume him.
“You want me to stand up?” Kouyou asked tiredly. He faintly registered that the brunet was about to wash his front. Already, the blond could feel the drowsiness creeping through his exhausted muscles and body. He just wanted to drop on the floor and snooze. But then again, he didn’t want to trouble his colleague any further, so tried his best to remain awake as he saw Yuu nod his head in reply.
“If you could, it’d be easier.” The brunet admitted sheepishly, wanting to get this over and done with as soon as possible. Right now, the last thing he wanted to be doing was washing a completely naked Kouyou and having indecent thoughts about him.
Unfortunately, that was what was happening. At least if he stood up then Yuu would be able to concentrate on the other man’s face and not the rest of his nude, pale body that looked so wonderful with water sliding down that flawless skin... Yuu flushed a bright red, thanking whomever was out there that Kouyou seemed too tired to notice. He’d never be able to talk himself out of why he was blushing like a maniac, and the brunet knew he wouldn’t ever be able to explain the growing erection in his pants either.
Kouyou stood up without further ado. His amber eyes were already becoming blurry and heavy, and he hoped the brunet would hurry and finish up with him. Yuu seemed to be washing his body very dutifully; just like how he handled his cases. It was a nice thing that his friend was being careful and considerate, but not right now when all that the blond desperately wanted was his sleep.
“Um, Yuu, I think I’m gonna slide to the bathroom floor any moment now.” Kouyou groaned. “When are you gonna finish?”
Yuu jumped at the blond’s complaint, previously too absorbed in the task of washing the blond’s chest and abdomen. The skin on Kouyou’s body was firm with muscle, yet smooth and he must have gotten carried away with what he was doing to not notice how long he was taking. Cursing himself for being too suspicious, the brunet quickly tried to think of a suitable reply.
“Sorry,” Yuu apologized sheepishly. “I’m a little tired as well.” he admitted, trying to focus on the tiled wall past Kouyou’s wet shoulders. Thankfully, most of the soot had been washed off with the water and now the sweet scent of peppermint wafted from Kouyou’s cleansed skin. Now all he had to do was rinse the blond off and then everything would be over. Yuu wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
“Almost done.” he promised, allowing Kouyou to continue standing as he quickly retrieved the shower-head and turned it on so that they could finish. The growing problem in his tight pants still hadn’t gone away, but the other man was too tired to realize what was really going on. Yuu had never been so thankful for Kouyou’s lack of perceptiveness before.
Yuu had finally washed away every soap sud on Kouyou’s body, which in turn made the blond sigh in relief. He carefully continued to hold his bandaged hands above his head and closed his eyes as he reveled in the soothing sensation of the warm water that caressed his pale skin, making him release a small moan.
Yuu’s warm hands against his body made the blond a wee bit relaxed as to him, it felt more like a gentle massage that helped relax his aching muscles. However, he still longed for the time when he could sleep in a warm bed with clean sheets and pillows. It was too late into the night already, and if he was forced to remain awake any longer then he would definitely throw a fit.
After a few minutes, Kouyou’s ears registered the flow of water coming to a stop. Amber eyes fluttered open, and he found the brunet leaving outside momentarily; probably to get a towel, he assumed. And like he had guessed, Yuu indeed brought back a clean towel and handed it to the tired blond.
Kouyou gingerly accepted the towel with his bandaged hands and tried to wipe away the water droplets on his body. But when he tried to clench his hands in order to use the towel to dry himself, he yelped, feeling the sudden pain that ripped through his singed appendages. Even with the salve, the blemishes continued to burn mercilessly.
“I’m sorry,” Kouyou apologized for the umpteenth time. “I know I’m already imposing on you too much.” he added abashed. “I think the pain has become worse. I’m not able to use the towel and I doubt I will be able to get dressed either.” The pain was indeed getting worse and Kouyou’s hands had started to swell and turn sore. It was becoming really difficult for the poor blond to use his hands as time passed. “And I think I need painkillers too.” he grumbled with distaste.
Becoming frantic with everything he was being told, Yuu just nodded his head as a bright blush covered his cheeks, starting to think he was dreaming or hallucinating. This couldn’t be happening to him. Really, this was too good to be true or someone was playing a cruel joke on him and it was no longer funny.
The idea to pinch himself was tempting, because he still couldn’t believe that Kouyou was in his apartment, let alone that he was naked and in need of being dressed and handled with care.
“Okay, yes.” Agreeing immediately, Yuu took the towel from the other man and tentatively started drying him off, trying not to indulge too much as he dried his chest, back and thighs as quickly as he could without being too suspicious.
Mortally embarrassed, Yuu found he had to drop to his knees to finish drying off Kouyou’s long, lean legs. On the other hand, Kouyou let his train of vision remain on the wall in front of him, too tired to feel the soft cloth which dried the water droplets which clung to his body. Yuu tried his best to let his gaze remain on the tiled floor, repeatedly telling himself not look up because he knew he would come face to... genitalia. He bit his lip to resist groaning, even though it was so damned tempting to sneak a peek. Already, the brunet had taken the liberty to check out Kouyou perfectly rounded ass, which had only fuelled his growing erection when he had set eyes on the plush rump.
“I’ll get you some painkillers. Let’s get you changed first, though.” Yuu mumbled more to himself, unable to bring himself to stare at Kouyou’s face as he secured a towel around the other man’s waist to finally conceal his nudity. He was so ashamed that he had been ogling the blond in such a situation, but what was done was done. Yuu held his colleague’s arm to steady him as he lead him back to his bedroom, taking a deep breath while he prepared the clothing he had let Kouyou borrow for the night.
Kouyou watched in silence whilst Yuu brought his hands on either side of his waist to release the towel that obscured his lower body. When the thick cloth slid to the floor, the chilled air of the room made his lower half, which had been hidden under the warmth of the towel, burn. The blond couldn’t stop himself from squirming in embarrassment. Even though he had been naked for so long, he suddenly felt conscious of his nudity.
Yuu may be a friend and a fellow male, but it must be really uncomfortable for the poor brunet to see him butt-naked. Only now could Kouyou make out a light pink hue on Yuu’s cheeks through his hazy vision. He finally realized how uncomfortable the other man must really be. Seeing the brunet blushing aggravated Kouyou’s sudden discomfort which had popped out of nowhere, making him once again regret for imposing too much on his partner.
“Yuu, I’m sorry,” he apologized profusely again. He had already lost track of how many times he had apologized to Yuu in the past few hours. But it was never enough, as there was no excuse for him to trouble and take advantage of the kind and hospitable lawyer. “You don’t have to do this. I will dress on my own.” He reached forward to take the clothes where Yuu had placed them. As soon as he had picked up the shirt which was made of a really soft material, he immediately dropped it to the floor. The pain in his fingers seemed to be becoming more worse as time passed.
“Kouyou, please,” Yuu protested, wincing when he saw that the blond was still in great pain. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how his hands felt right now, even after he had treated them, but Yuu knew they must have caused Kouyou a great deal of pain if he wasn’t even able to hold light materials properly.
“Just... let me take care of you.” The brunet pleaded softly, his mouth becoming dry with his confession. It sounded so much more affectionate and loving than he intended for it to sound, but it seemed his emotions took the liberty to lace his voice thickly with how he was currently feeling.
Determined not to let anything else deter him, Yuu held out the pair of shorts for Kouyou to step into, pulling them up his long legs and awkwardly securing them over his lithe hips. To get it over and done with before the blond suddenly discovered the hardness in his pants, or his suspicious behaviour, Yuu helped him into a plain singlet. Only when his friend was finally dressed for bed did the brunet allow him to lie down. Wanting the other man to be comfortable, he fluffed the pillows on the right side of the bed, the place where Kouyou would sleep for the night.
“I’ll get you some painkillers and water.” Yuu promised, pulling the duvet over the blond’s exhausted body and tucking him in. He hoped Kouyou was comfortable, but he decided to not waste time asking him and merely smiled reassuringly before heading off to the kitchen to get what he needed.
Kouyou looked at the ceiling as he fought to keep his eyes open. He waited for Yuu to get the painkillers so that he could sleep peacefully. But the pain was too much for him to bear, and the lawyer could feel the blackness that took over him and spread to his eyes; even though he tried his best not to let his eyelids drop. But in the end, the blond lost his futile battle and allowed the unconsciousness take over him, momentarily obliterating all his pain.
Once Yuu returned after rummaging around in the kitchen cupboards for the medicine box, his face softened from the worried expression it had previously donned when he saw that Kouyou had fallen asleep in his bed. Placing the bottle of painkillers on the bedside unit, along with a tall glass of water for the blond in case he woke up and needed them, Yuu took to scrutinizing Kouyou’s face; his cheeks flushed and his bow-shaped lips in a pout. Another wave of arousal sparked in his loins, and Yuu cursed as he turned around and headed back towards the bathroom.
-x-
When Kouyou woke up, it took a few long minutes for him to comprehend where he was, as it looked nothing like the apartment where he lived. While his vision slowly registered the pale blue walls and the pictures of his partner, the first thing he wondered was what was he doing in a room with Yuu’s picture on the wall. He ran a hand through his golden tresses, forcing his sleep-clouded brain to think as to what had happened and why he wasn’t he in his own home. When he was almost about to give up, memories of yesterday replayed in his mind vividly and he finally understood why he was in his colleague’s room.
Kouyou slowly got up from his bed, cursing himself for not waiting for Yuu to get the painkillers as he felt the pain shoot through his body. The pain felt like needles pricking through his skin, making him wince. But the effect had dulled a wee bit smaller in comparison to yesterday, even though he felt extremely numb, which made him crave some aspirin and a strong mug of caffeine whilst he still felt a wea pounding in his head due to a hangover; the effect of yesterday’s alcohol.
With a grumble, Kouyou kicked his legs ungracefully off the bed and slow eased himself up. Before leaving the bedroom to look for Yuu, he folded the duvet neatly and made the unruly bed as best he could with the help of his bandaged digits. Soon after, the blond located Yuu in the kitchen just as he had assumed, with his back to him, wearing a black apron and humming happily.
“Morning,” Kouyou groaned out, but the groan was immediately replaced with an amused chuckle when he saw Yuu jumping with a yelp, before turning to face him. “Sorry for scaring you.” The lawyer grinned beside himself.
As his heart slowed in his chest, Yuu returned the grin happily. Kouyou looked so much better than he did last night, and he was relieved to see that the other man looked healthier and more vibrant. It seemed as if he’d had a decent sleep, and for that, the brunet was thankful. He was worried last night that he might have had to take Kouyou to the hospital, even if it was against his will. Yuu knew he’d drag the other man there kicking and screaming if he had to, especially if he needed medical attention.
“Don’t worry about it.” he replied, before he turned back to what he was cooking to make sure it wouldn’t be spoiled by his carelessness.
“I hope you’re hungry.” The brunet supplied as he opened the rice cooker, piling the heaped rice into small bowls to serve them. “I made... quite a bit.” he mumbled, realizing he had made too much food while he looked over the kitchen counters at the dishes of broiled fish and tamagoyaki.
Well, at least there would be plenty for everyone, he thought as he spooned some of the miso soup from the pot into serving bowls. As Yuu took all the breakfast dishes over to the table and set everything out, he was floating on cloud nine and nothing could bring him down from his good mood. He’d woken up next to Kouyou, surprised yet euphoric to see the other man’s gorgeous face when he’d first opened his eyes and to hear him snoring softly. Greatly resisting the urge to touch him, the brunet had eventually given in and had played a bit with Kouyou’s hair. Even though he felt embarrassed and creepy afterwards for allowing himself to do such a thing, it had felt nice and Yuu had allowed himself to indulge.
Then, to distract himself, he’d gotten up and done his daily routine of taking a shower, brushing his teeth and hair, shaving and getting dressed for a day at work. To make sure he stayed focused, he’d started to prepare breakfast just like every other morning, but had gotten carried away with the usual chore. Maybe he had unconsciously wanted to impress Kouyou with his cooking skills, because he doubted the other man had had a homemade meal for a long time now if he lived on his own, had bare to none cooking skills and hadn’t had the company of a woman.
Now though, he felt rejuvenated. Yuu smiled as Kouyou took a seat at the table, and was just about to sit down himself when he heard a door open and a familiar gasp echo throughout the kitchen. He looked up to find Yukari standing there, her dark brown eyes wide as she stared at the two men incredulously.
Yukari had woken up after a night of uncomfortable sleep. She had cried for a long time after that awful fight with her brother, and had finally fallen asleep only when her tears had ran out due to exhaustion. But then, she’d had nightmare after nightmare about her brother going very far away, making her toss and turn restlessly in her bed. In the end, the brunette had woken up to find herself with a red face and terribly swollen, bloodshot eyes. Yukari felt a terrible sense of guilt taking over her as she remembered the unreasonable spat last night, and how she had behaved even though her brother had ended up apologized to her.
Splashing her petite face with frigid cold water that made her eyes sting, Yukari had brushed her teeth and went out to apologize to her brother without bothering to change out of her pajamas, even though it was getting late for school. When she reached the living room, the brunette heard voices of talking and laughter. Cautiously, she made her way to the kitchen and couldn’t help but gasp to find a strange blond-haired man, whom she had never seen in her life before seated at their dining table. But what shocked her the most was the happy, bright smile on her brother’s face, something she had almost forgotten that he was capable of.
“Morning, Kari.” Yuu greeted warmly, in too good a mood to remember the unpleasant events that had taken place last night. He’d shouldered their argument away, deciding to let his anger go and told himself that Yukari was still a teenager and was probably just moody because of puberty or something like that. The brunet didn’t really want to think into it too much, whatever her reasons were, but he wasn’t going to let their fight get him down when he was in such high spirits.
“This is Kouyou.” he introduced, resting one of his hands on the blond’s shoulders, unconsciously giving it a small squeeze. “He’s a colleague from work, but he’ll be staying with us for a while until he finds a new place.”
Yuu had decided it when he’d woken up; that he couldn’t just kick Kouyou out of his apartment when he had nowhere else to go. He had thought about it vividly, had weighed the pros and cons and had finally come to the conclusion that he would allow the blond to stay here temporarily with him and recover, until he found somewhere else to live.
Kouyou was taken aback on hearing Yuu’s statement about his stay. He wanted to argue, but for now he decided to let the matter drop as he was excited to finally get the chance to meet Yuu’s younger sister in person. He flashed a bright smile at the pretty brunette who looked very uncomfortable with his presence. Kouyou could understand though, because it must have been quite a shock to find a stranger out of nowhere in her living room, especially so early in the morning.
“Hello, Yukari-chan,” Kouyou smiled fondly at the teenager. “Finally I get a chance to meet you. Yuu always speaks of you.” he explained, throwing another smile in Yuu’s direction, which his partner didn’t hesitate to return.
Yukari stared at the blond, dumbfounded. What was her brother going on about? Who was this stranger intruding between her brother and her? The man may be her brother’s friend, but that doesn't mean he could just barge into their lives or live in their home. Wasn’t he already having enough of her brother’s attention in that office of his?
Unreasonable questions kept flooding Yukari’s mind as she continued to stare awkwardly at Kouyou, completing ignoring the fact that he had just greeted her. The young brunette was firmly sure about one thing. No matter what the reasons her brother gave her, she definitely didn’t want an anonymous person in their home.
“Nii-san,” she said, looking over at her brother. “Could I talk to you alone for a while?”
“I’m sorry, Kari.” Yuu apologized as he looked at his watch, taken aback by the time. It only just occurred to him how long he’d spent making breakfast and loitering around his apartment. If he didn’t leave now, then he’d be late for work. Which wasn’t going to happen, because the brunet just couldn’t compromise his job like that, the one that he had worked so hard for to be able to provide a good life for himself and Yukari.
“I have to get to work.” he stated as he undid the apron he was wearing, hanging it on a nearby hook before grabbing his dark blazer from the back of one of the chairs and slipping it over his shoulders. Yukari stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say as her brother rushed around to get his briefcase and the other things he’d be needing for his work day, like his laptop and important case documents.
“I have to be there early today.” Yuu explained when he was ready to leave, seeing the disbelief on Yukari’s face as her request was turned down. He felt guilty for rejecting her right now, but work was work and he simply couldn’t afford to be late or take any chances that his boss would let him. After all, he had a clean record for arriving to work early or on time and putting in hard hours to earn his superior’s favour.
“I’m taking over one of Kouyou’s cases, so it’ll have to wait until tonight, okay?” Yuu flashed his sister a smile, walking over to where she awkwardly stood, her posture rigid and stiff, and hugged her with one arm, his other hand full with his belongings. Pressing a chaste kiss to his sister’s head, the brunet then turned around and headed towards Kouyou, who seemed to be in a state of shock and confusion as to what exactly was going on.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve already spoken to our boss.” Yuu whispered, smiling once again at the man he was enamoured with, before promptly saying goodbye and rushing out of the apartment in a hurry to catch the next train.
deadlyscarlet : Hey lovelies. I'm sorry that I've been posting almost nothing these days. I've had my own personal tragedies and didn't feel like being active in LJ. But when I got my JLPT results I've become euphoric again. So yeah, I decided to update. This chapter has been ready for a really long time. But then both veroxion and I have been busy with our own lives, that's why we've put it up so late. Hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your opinion (^_^)
veroxion : Before anyone asks, yes this entire chapter went from serious apartment-fire to Yuu being a total pervert lol. We hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was fun to write, and to torture poor Yuu. This chapter has actually been finished for a while now, we just had some trouble in getting it out, but it should be worth the wait, right? :D