[log] Hiashi & Neji - Dead Fish - Part Two
The noble House of Hyuuga has many secrets. Neji is about to discover the most scandalous one of all.
~*~
Neji lowered his voice and began speaking rapidly in his native tongue. "It's not all about me Hiashi. Us is plural; I was speaking of myself, Hinata-sama, and Hanabi-chan as a whole. If you had loved us all the same and treated us no different, then I think things might have been tentative, yes... but the outlook would be considerably different. And who cares if Hanabi-chan and I work at Dickey's? We aren't harming anyone! It's an escort service, and the two of us are not prostitutes. We accompany people on dates, to events, and give people the pleasure of our company... I do not give hand-jobs or suck dick, or bend over like some cheap slut. I am making good money, and for the first time in my life, I don't feel like I have to rely on someone to make a living. I am an adult, and I don't need you to hold my hand for me anymore, and neither do your daughters. We're all okay... Why can't you realize that and trust all of us?"
He didn't need Hiashi to tell him that he was destined for greatness. He knew this already, but life was throwing him challenges and loopholes that he needed to work past in order to reach his goals.
Hiashi bit the inside of his cheek to keep from shouting, poking his salad with his chopsticks as the rest of their dishes were brought to them. He didn't want to admit that Neji was right; it wouldn't do any good for him to declare that everything was his fault. He knew he hadn't been there enough but even before his wife had died he'd been uncomfortable with children, especially his girls. Unlike Hizashi, he hadn't taken well to fatherhood, just like his father. "I don't approve of my youngest daughter being in situations where she could be taken advantage of. She's still young and impressionable. Maybe you don't sleep with your clients but from what I know, I don't trust that my daughter is not. She has great potential, which I believe is being diluted the longer she stays in this environment. She's only eighteen." Hiashi sighed and sat back in his chair, sipping his sake and leaving his food relatively untouched. "As for the girls, I'd appreciate being able to have a chance at dealing with them myself before we start arguing about them."
"As long as I am here, they will be safe," Neji replied with all finality, picking up his small sake glass and tossing his head back sensually, Adam's apple moving visibly as he swallowed the liquor. Picking up his chopsticks, he grasped onto a piece of one of the sushi rolls he had ordered, chewing on his food thoughtfully as the flavors and tastes assaulted his senses. "It's not like the real thing, but it is still good... The sushi chefs are Korean, though."
They'd had enough verbal jousting for now. The younger Hyuuga really just wanted to eat at this point.
Hiashi made a noise of agreement in the back of throat, his eyes locked on the long, elegant column of Neji's neck. The angle had been exactly the same as a picture he'd taken with his brother when they'd been on a trip to Paris. He'd hired a photographer for the day, getting hundreds of fantastic shots of the two of them, some where even he could barely remember which one he was. Neji looked so like them at that age. He might not have been Neji's father but Hizashi and he had the same DNA. From a genetic standpoint, Neji was as close to a son as he was ever going to get. He blushed for a nanosecond as he fumbled with a piece of sushi, his buzzed mind distracted by the ghostly pale form in front of him.
Oblivious to his uncle's staring, Neji continued drinking and eating his meal slowly and steadily. By the time he was finished, he had a healthy, rosy glow to his wine-sodden cheeks, and his growling stomach was pleasantly full. Stretching and letting out a high-pitched yawn that ended in a gentle, barely-audible squeak, the 21-year-old arched his back sensually and made a little sound reminiscent of a content purr from a kitten. "Mm. that was delicious."
'My nephew, the master seducer,' his mind supplied as he watched the disgraceful and alluring display the younger Hyuuga was putting on. Not many would have seen all the subtleties but Hiashi was a student of human behavior, though he rarely partook, and noticed the way every stretch of muscle cried out 'desire me'. "Yes, it's not bad is it," he murmured, not wanting to do or say anything that might set Neji off again. He refilled their glasses again, staring evenly across the table. "I eat here often," he looked down at his cup, hints of embarrassment peeking through his cool mask as he murmured, "Open invitation to join me whenever you like." He wasn't good with all this relationship nonsense. It had only come easy with his brother, but they were so close they felt more like one person than two. "Would you come back to my condo for a bit? I'd like to talk a more in private," he grunted smoothly, his eyes looking up again so he wouldn't look too cowardly and weak. He'd shown enough of him for Neji to take advantage of as it was.
"Well, you are my customer for this evening. I really don't have much of a choice other than to agree with you." Neji got up from the table and placed his chopsticks on the empty plate neatly, finishing off his last glass of sake with a quick toss of his head back. "Shall we, then? I'm sure other people will want to take our spots at the table..."
He waited for his uncle to get up, and together the two of them walked out of the classy, upscale sushi bar towards the limousine and their chauffeur.
Hiashi didn't want Neji to feel like he had to go with him, but at the same time he wasn't going to deny an opportunity to spend more time with the younger man. He handed his card to the man who'd seated them as he strode past; implying that he would pay them the next time he was in or they could bill him. He followed Neji out to the car, sitting a little closer than he had on the ride over as he got in. He snuck a sideways glance at Neji, the relaxed posture and flush cheeks telling him that his nephew was feeling the effects of the sake as much or more as he was, the scent of the expensive cologne that Neji was wearing, probably another gift, was dispersing in the air around him, making his drunken mind want to lean in and smell it right off his skin.
Luckily the ride to the Condo took a lot less time than the ride from Neji's apartment and soon Hiashi was unlocking his door and letting his nephew inside. He quickly put a sake bottle into a bowl of hot water in the sink and moved back toward where Neji was standing in the dining room. "Make yourself at home," he murmured, gesturing his hand to the living room with its more modern styled furniture, a stark contrast from his home in Japan.
The younger man looked around the condo quickly, taking all of his surroundings in carefully and meticulously. The furniture was nice, very Spartan, with hard angles and a more concurrent flair, but what had really stood out to him was a gorgeous painting hanging on the living room wall. It was sleek, and the vivid usage of color was aesthetically pleasing to the eye. "It's beautiful..." Neji breathed out softly, resisting the urge to touch and memorize the brush strokes and textures on the canvas. He instead settled for fingering the ornate frame around the painting. "Who did this?"
Hiashi stepped up behind his nephew, standing maybe a little too close as he admired the painting and silently breathed his nephew deep into his lungs. "It's an original Hyuuga Hizashi," he whispered huskily, watching Neji's reaction from the corner of his eye. "One of his thesis pieces from his third year of study. He didn't follow the outlined requirements but the piece was so good that his instructor gave him a B on it anyway." He gave a little bit of a chuckle in the back of his throat, noticing Neji's eyes widen slightly as he did. "Your father gave this to me on our twenty-first birthday."
Clearing the emotion out of his throat, Hiashi stepped back and let Neji admire the piece. "There's another one in...the bedroom," his voice trailed off as he fled to the kitchen for the sake, shocked that he'd brought that painting up, the one Hizashi had done as a wedding present. It was simpler, possibly a reflection of what his brother had been feeling about the marriage, but was powerful none the less. Broken lines depicted two long haired lovers, one just a little taller than the other, the details missing from most of the painting. The man was recognizable as him but the woman was hard to identify unless you stared at the painting as much as Hiashi had over the years...or knew what you were looking at.
Blinking at his uncle's odd behavior, Neji walked away and into the bedroom, the painting being the first thing that caught his gaze, with the myriad of purples, blues, and other manner of dark, unfaltering colors. Hiashi had said it was a wedding present. From how this painting looked... It was if his father was upset about the impending marriage. But why would he be? It didn't make any sense. They were brothers; wouldn't Hizashi be happy for his twin? The tall, lithe young man sat down on the foot of the bed and stared at the painting endlessly, trying to understand the hidden meaning behind it.
The colors, the two long-haired lovers... Everything about the painting screamed depression.
...Oh my god.
Neji got up from the bed immediately and stormed into the living room and kitchen. "You... You slept with my father!?"
Hiashi set the bottle of sake he'd been preparing down on the counter, a small noise of acquiesce forming in the back of his throat. He knew, as soon as he'd suggested that Neji look at the painting that something like this was coming. Not his brightest moment. If anyone would be able to see through the subtleties of the painting it was Neji. You had to look close to notice that the less defined figure in the back wasn't really shorter, just had their head bowed or that the elegant curve of the shoulder was sharper than it looked from that angle. He didn't have to explain to Neji that it was so much more than just sex; his nephew probably wouldn't listen anyway. Besides, it was a long time ago and not really Neji's business.
"Have a drink," Hiashi muttered, sliding one of the small cups he'd just filled down the counter in front of the younger man, who looked mortified and livid. He picked up his own cup and the bottle and pointedly walked around Neji towards the living room. His face gave nothing away as he sat down on the new, modern couch and sipped the warm rice wine, looking back to see if his nephew was curious enough to follow or furious enough to walk out.
"You sick fuck... How could you do that!? My father, your brother!!" Neji clasped his palm over his mouth to keep from regurgitating the sushi and alcohol he had consumed that evening. This was a revelation that he could not handle just yet. He had to get out of here. He had to protect Hinata and Hanabi from Hiashi. They did not need such a man in their lives!
Whirling around, he stalked towards the front door. "I'm leaving."
"You make it sound like I raped him, forced him to fall in love with me." Hiashi tipped back his cup and set it on the black marble coffee table. Hiashi stood again, moving to stand in front of the elaborate painting in the room. "We were lovers for over fifteen years, right up until he died. So bear in mind that whatever monster you think I am for this, your father was the same." His expression was still neutral but inside Hiashi was afraid. More than anything it would be an insult to his brother's memory if he poisoned Neji against him. That wasn't what he wanted. "We loved each other very deeply, Neji. We weren't just two horned up teenagers fucking around." The use of a curse should have told Hiashi that he should have gone to bed but he wasn't paying attention to his words, thinking more about his brother and his nephew. "Even if I hadn't been obligated to take a wife, we could never have been together in any way other than what we were so no one knew. You're the only person aside from the girls' mother who ever found out."
"Don't you ever speak of my father in such a way!" Neji literally screamed, face marred by rage and fury. "The only one who is a monster here is you! You, who couldn't even raise his own daughters, you, who knew better morally but did what you did with your sibling anyways!"
He could not remember a time where he hated someone as much as he hated his estranged uncle. The man had touted on about his traditional views and values, and in the end, he was a hypocrite. He did something so morally unrighteous, that the young Hyuuga was surprised he had not been struck down by a stray bolt of lightning or been damned to spend eternity in the fiery pits of hell. "You are a fucking hypocritical son of a bitch! Always touting on about such nonsense on how Hanabi-chan and I are working at Dickey's, forcing Hinata-sama into a loveless marriage...! You're so fucking far in the closet that you're in Narnia! At least my Dad could own up to being gay, but you are a sham, and you have lived a lie!"
Whipping around to face the younger Hyuuga, Hiashi glared hard, not going to let Neji speak to him like that. "Your father didn't have my obligations, Neji. I was exactly what our father expected me to be so he wouldn't have to. He was allowed to follow his own path, be with whomever he wanted to while I did everything that was asked of me. I gave him freedom, he gave me himself. I'm not a homosexual, I just happened to fall in love with a man once, a long time ago." When Neji looked positively disgusted, Hiashi chuckled and poured himself another drink. "You look so shocked. It's only been for about three generations since the family discontinued inbreeding. If I was really as traditional as you say then I would have arranged for you to marry Hinata." Hiashi's eyes widened as a strange emotion flashed through the pale eyes which were so like his own. He gritted his teeth, his temper peaking as he stared at his ungrateful nephew. "You think you're omniscient, Neji, but you're so ignorant to everything. You don't know anything about me and even less about what it's like to grow up with a truly domineering father. You've had everything handed to you on a gold platter and you still take no pride in any of your accomplishments. Your father would be ashamed with both of us for how you've developed."
"The only one who is ashamed of me here is you. My father is nothing like you, and don't try and deny that. You are cold, and Dad was warm. I know it's somehow because of you that he is dead! And you dare try to guilt-trip me and tarnish my memories of him by saying that he would be ashamed of me?! Maybe if you were a proper parent, then I wouldn't be the way that I am! What kind of father lets his children be raised their entire lives by sitters and nannies?! You never deserved to reproduce! I think I'll go find your daughters and let them know just what kind of man Daddy is!" Neji made his way back to the front door, palm reaching out to grasp the doorknob.
In a second Hiashi had Neji pinned up against the wall, his martial arts training rendering the enraged younger man defenseless, though this was definitely not a standard hold. His knees were pressed hard against Neji's thighs, spreading them so Neji couldn't kick, the slimmer wrists caught in one of Hiashi's massive hands, the other wrapped around Neji's long, pale throat. "Do not speak of what is beyond your comprehension you infuriating little bastard. Hizashi and I were two halves of one whole and I would kill you before I let you shit on what we had and turn it into something disgraceful." He was shaking with rage, not having displayed this much emotion since his wife had died. "You can't know what it's like to be so close to someone, to know them better than they know themselves and to open yourself up to that person in the same way. You don't know what it's like to lose someone who completed you as a person. I know I'm not like your father, he was allowed to feel, and I wasn't. The only times I felt like a person growing up was when it was just the two of us." As Neji thrashed against him, Hiashi squeezed the pale throat harder, pressing his body closer so he could use his hips to hold Neji down. As he pressed against him, his eyes softened and so did his grip around Neji's neck. "Now all I have left of him are a few pictures, his paintings...and you..." For a moment it was like Hiashi wasn't looking at his nephew anymore, it was like he was almost thirty years younger and he was staring at his brother, sneaking into a secluded corner to share a moment alone. "You look so like we did," he whispered, moving his hand from Neji's throat to gently touch his cheek and lips. Not realizing what he was doing until it was already done, Hiashi cupped Neji's chin and lifted it, studying the beautiful, familiar features before cocking his head to the side and capturing the thin, firm lips with his own. He pressed his body forward, feeling for the first time in seventeen years like he had Hizashi back in his arms.
"...I know what it's like..." Neji murmured softly again the lips pressed to his own. "I've lost... the only person who made me feel human. And while he is not dead... I don't know if I will ever be able to get him back. I've hurt him so much... I ran away because he broke my heart, and he didn't even know that he had. And because I left him... I ended up breaking his. This is why I push, and never pull. It's easier to hate people than love them... Loving people takes hard work, and it will tear you apart if you allow it. I don't want to go through that pain ever again."
His pale eyes slid shut, and he gasped in for precious air desperately. "...I need to leave. I'm sorry."
He could hear how much the younger man was struggling, whether with what was happening between them or about this boy that Neji loved but Hiashi just couldn't let the slightly smaller body go, not yet. His hands touched and brushed the soft, pale skin of Neji's face, his hold on his nephew changing to completely gentle but still firm, wrapping the younger man up in his strong, comforting arms. "That's why you were always stronger than me, Koi. You were never afraid of love." He dragged his nose along the pale throat, breathing the smell of Neji's skin deep into lungs. His arms tightened and for a moment he just held Neji tight to his chest, one of his hands gripping softly in the long, silky locks. "I've missed you so much," Hiashi whispered, his words so choked with emotion it almost sounded like he'd started to cry. Pulling back he pressed their mouths together again in another adoring, chaste kiss which gradually deepened as Hiashi's tongue brushed the inside of Neji's lips.
Neji froze in his uncle's grasp, the sound of his heartbeat echoing like thunder in his ears. He wanted to punch the older man and shove him far away; he wanted to ask him what the hell was wrong with him and why he was doing this. 'I'm not him. I'm not him. I'm not him...' he repeated like a mantra mentally, squirming uncomfortably in Hiashi's hold on his body and trying to wrench his face and lips away so they could not be claimed again that night. He opened his mouth to yell at his relative, only to have a questing tongue slip past his lips to tangle with his own. 'This is wrong. I can't do this... Fuck, I can't even reach my phone to even press the speed dial or call the police to put a stop to all this madness...!'
Feeling Hizashi struggling in his arm, Hiashi pulled back so he could look at his twin. "What's wrong, Hiz..." His voice trailed off, as he looked down at the beautiful features that were twisted in a look of disgust and reality crushed him like a ton of bricks. He leapt away from his nephew, not stopping backing up until he was pressed completely against the other side of the wide entry hall. For maybe the first time, Hiashi's face was as readable as a billboard, his shock and mortification of what he'd just done showing on every part of his face. "Neji..." The salt and pepper, perfectly shaped brows furrowed in concern, and though he didn't move forward, Hiashi raised a hand, reaching out towards Neji as if asking if he was okay. "I...I didn't..." he stuttered, his face suddenly showing the age he'd put on in the past few years. ’What would you say to me now, brother? I wish you were here, so badly. I don't know how to handle him…
"...I'm not him..." Neji finally managed to choke out. "I'm not your brother... I'm your nephew... And you kissed me like you kissed him..." he tentatively reached his fingertips to his still-warm, slightly damp lips. "How could you do this to me, Hiashi? Do you... realize how badly you have fucked me up now? Do you!?" the 21-year-old demanded angrily, pulling at his hair as he tried his damndest not to cry in front of the elder Hyuuga. "...Like uncle, like nephew. I'm just like you now. Are you happy yet? Have I finally become what you wanted me to be?!"
Hiashi was a man with little fear but he had any more room to retreat where he was then he would have backed away more. The horror he felt at what he'd done was plastered all over his face and he swore that he could see hell right here in this room. "No..." he whispered softly, dropping his hand and stifling his urge to move across the room to comfort his nephew. That wouldn't help now, only make things worse. Nothing he did now could undo what he'd done, not even apologizing. He stood there, still as a statue as he watched the confounded younger man try to keep from breaking down. He closed his eyes and moved carefully along the wall so not to frighten Neji any more until his hand rested against the counter between the kitchen and the living room. He turned away, his posture straightening as he tried to regain control of himself but it was no use. He felt now like he'd become the monster Neji had always thought him to be, a line he'd never crossed before, that and the soul crushing loneliness he'd felt seventeen years ago. It was like losing him all over again, to have violated his brother's son in such a way. "Just go," Hiashi whispered, not even sure if Neji would be able to hear him his voice was so soft.
Neji watched distraught as his uncle left him at the front door. No, he wasn't distraught. He was livid and furious, and he wanted an apology from this man who had loved his father so much that he had ended up kissing him, his nephew, the only remnants of Hizashi he had left. Stalking into the kitchen, he grabbed the older man by the shoulder and whirled him none-too-gently to face him. "I want a fucking apology, right now."
Hiashi stepped back immediately, not trusting himself at all and concerned at what he might do being so close to his nephew right then. "I'm sorry," he said automatically, not surprised at all when it was clear that it wasn't good enough for Neji. He'd known that an apology wouldn't make a difference, not now. He couldn't stand to look at the young man, those hateful eyes burning him from the inside out. He could see Hizashi looking at him the exact same way and it was tearing his heart out. "I couldn't see you, only him." He turned away again, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I won't try to see you again. Please, just go." The careful hold on his cool business persona he always kept up was slipping and he knew if Neji pushed him right now this situation would get much worse. He wanted to scream at Neji to get away from him before he did something truly unforgivable but he didn't scream; that wasn't his way.
"Oh, so now you want me to leave, Hiashi? Before, you were so insistent upon me staying!" Neji replied scathingly, turning his uncle to face him again. "Don't you look away from me, god damn it! You are going to face up to what you did!"
Hiashi angrily knocked Neji's hand away, panic, an emotion he'd long forgotten building up inside him. "Stay back! For god’s sake get away from me!" Hiashi retreated again, heading for his bedroom, which was right off the living room, sure that Neji wouldn't follow him, but he was wrong again. As he was pulled around again, he grabbed Neji by the front of his shirt and tossed him easily across the room and onto the bed. Something inside him had snapped, he didn't see his nephew at all anymore, didn't hear the angry words spilling from the much younger man's mouth. He could only see his brother, someone he'd been without for far too long. In an instant Hiashi's jacket and ascot were on the floor and the buttons of Neji's shirt were bouncing off the walls as he tore the garment open like it was paper. His mouth latched on to the pale neck as he held the thrashing body down with his weight. The taste of the skin wasn't quite right but it was damned close enough to spike the fifty year olds lust as he mauled the young man.
Neji felt a sense of panic overcome him again when he was pinned down to the bed by his uncle's weight. He remembered the too-passionate kiss, and recoiled, moving and thrashing around recklessly in an effort to get his lust-driven relative off of his body. It took some doing, but after five minutes of struggling and enduring harsh bites and long, lavishing licks to his throat, he managed to wriggle an arm free out of sheer willpower and the determination to make his uncle see that he was indeed not Hizashi, and therefore not his lover. With that in mind, he curled his freed hand into a fist and slammed it roughly into Hiashi's cheekbone, it making a sickly cracking noise upon impact. "Wake the fuck up, Uncle!!"
He hadn't referred to Hiashi like that since he was 14 years old. "He's gone, okay!? You have to fucking learn to accept that!!"
Recoiling from the pain, the elder Hyuuga cupped his jaw, staring down at Neji's panting form, too shocked to show any emotions. So close, too close, he'd almost... His eyes drifted slowly from his nephew to the painting on his bedroom wall. Turning on his heels away, Hiashi moved to one of the huge windows along the opposite wall, his posture beyond rigid as the lights from the city below illuminated his face. The clenching and unclenching of his hands at his side was the clearest indication of how upset he was. He'd never learned how to handle real emotion, always playing it safe enough with people to not have to worry about it. "You should go," he urged gently again, no fight or warning in his voice this time, just emptiness.
The urge to stay, to continue to question the older man as to why and how he could do such a thing to him was insatiable. He was Hyuuga Neji, the man's own nephew.
And the only reason why he had been so favored growing up is because he was the son of his uncle's gay lover and identical twin. It was apparent that Neji never existed, only this miniature version of Hizashi.
In his urgency to leave, to run away from the man who had managed to throw him yet another life-altering loophole, the 21-year-old had not noticed the gorgeous diamond, sapphire, and platinum Van Cleef & Arpels pin on the floor, near the front door where Hiashi had choked and then kissed him.
How unfortunate.
He needed to call Lee.
Continued from here...
~*~
Neji lowered his voice and began speaking rapidly in his native tongue. "It's not all about me Hiashi. Us is plural; I was speaking of myself, Hinata-sama, and Hanabi-chan as a whole. If you had loved us all the same and treated us no different, then I think things might have been tentative, yes... but the outlook would be considerably different. And who cares if Hanabi-chan and I work at Dickey's? We aren't harming anyone! It's an escort service, and the two of us are not prostitutes. We accompany people on dates, to events, and give people the pleasure of our company... I do not give hand-jobs or suck dick, or bend over like some cheap slut. I am making good money, and for the first time in my life, I don't feel like I have to rely on someone to make a living. I am an adult, and I don't need you to hold my hand for me anymore, and neither do your daughters. We're all okay... Why can't you realize that and trust all of us?"
He didn't need Hiashi to tell him that he was destined for greatness. He knew this already, but life was throwing him challenges and loopholes that he needed to work past in order to reach his goals.
Hiashi bit the inside of his cheek to keep from shouting, poking his salad with his chopsticks as the rest of their dishes were brought to them. He didn't want to admit that Neji was right; it wouldn't do any good for him to declare that everything was his fault. He knew he hadn't been there enough but even before his wife had died he'd been uncomfortable with children, especially his girls. Unlike Hizashi, he hadn't taken well to fatherhood, just like his father. "I don't approve of my youngest daughter being in situations where she could be taken advantage of. She's still young and impressionable. Maybe you don't sleep with your clients but from what I know, I don't trust that my daughter is not. She has great potential, which I believe is being diluted the longer she stays in this environment. She's only eighteen." Hiashi sighed and sat back in his chair, sipping his sake and leaving his food relatively untouched. "As for the girls, I'd appreciate being able to have a chance at dealing with them myself before we start arguing about them."
"As long as I am here, they will be safe," Neji replied with all finality, picking up his small sake glass and tossing his head back sensually, Adam's apple moving visibly as he swallowed the liquor. Picking up his chopsticks, he grasped onto a piece of one of the sushi rolls he had ordered, chewing on his food thoughtfully as the flavors and tastes assaulted his senses. "It's not like the real thing, but it is still good... The sushi chefs are Korean, though."
They'd had enough verbal jousting for now. The younger Hyuuga really just wanted to eat at this point.
Hiashi made a noise of agreement in the back of throat, his eyes locked on the long, elegant column of Neji's neck. The angle had been exactly the same as a picture he'd taken with his brother when they'd been on a trip to Paris. He'd hired a photographer for the day, getting hundreds of fantastic shots of the two of them, some where even he could barely remember which one he was. Neji looked so like them at that age. He might not have been Neji's father but Hizashi and he had the same DNA. From a genetic standpoint, Neji was as close to a son as he was ever going to get. He blushed for a nanosecond as he fumbled with a piece of sushi, his buzzed mind distracted by the ghostly pale form in front of him.
Oblivious to his uncle's staring, Neji continued drinking and eating his meal slowly and steadily. By the time he was finished, he had a healthy, rosy glow to his wine-sodden cheeks, and his growling stomach was pleasantly full. Stretching and letting out a high-pitched yawn that ended in a gentle, barely-audible squeak, the 21-year-old arched his back sensually and made a little sound reminiscent of a content purr from a kitten. "Mm. that was delicious."
'My nephew, the master seducer,' his mind supplied as he watched the disgraceful and alluring display the younger Hyuuga was putting on. Not many would have seen all the subtleties but Hiashi was a student of human behavior, though he rarely partook, and noticed the way every stretch of muscle cried out 'desire me'. "Yes, it's not bad is it," he murmured, not wanting to do or say anything that might set Neji off again. He refilled their glasses again, staring evenly across the table. "I eat here often," he looked down at his cup, hints of embarrassment peeking through his cool mask as he murmured, "Open invitation to join me whenever you like." He wasn't good with all this relationship nonsense. It had only come easy with his brother, but they were so close they felt more like one person than two. "Would you come back to my condo for a bit? I'd like to talk a more in private," he grunted smoothly, his eyes looking up again so he wouldn't look too cowardly and weak. He'd shown enough of him for Neji to take advantage of as it was.
"Well, you are my customer for this evening. I really don't have much of a choice other than to agree with you." Neji got up from the table and placed his chopsticks on the empty plate neatly, finishing off his last glass of sake with a quick toss of his head back. "Shall we, then? I'm sure other people will want to take our spots at the table..."
He waited for his uncle to get up, and together the two of them walked out of the classy, upscale sushi bar towards the limousine and their chauffeur.
Hiashi didn't want Neji to feel like he had to go with him, but at the same time he wasn't going to deny an opportunity to spend more time with the younger man. He handed his card to the man who'd seated them as he strode past; implying that he would pay them the next time he was in or they could bill him. He followed Neji out to the car, sitting a little closer than he had on the ride over as he got in. He snuck a sideways glance at Neji, the relaxed posture and flush cheeks telling him that his nephew was feeling the effects of the sake as much or more as he was, the scent of the expensive cologne that Neji was wearing, probably another gift, was dispersing in the air around him, making his drunken mind want to lean in and smell it right off his skin.
Luckily the ride to the Condo took a lot less time than the ride from Neji's apartment and soon Hiashi was unlocking his door and letting his nephew inside. He quickly put a sake bottle into a bowl of hot water in the sink and moved back toward where Neji was standing in the dining room. "Make yourself at home," he murmured, gesturing his hand to the living room with its more modern styled furniture, a stark contrast from his home in Japan.
The younger man looked around the condo quickly, taking all of his surroundings in carefully and meticulously. The furniture was nice, very Spartan, with hard angles and a more concurrent flair, but what had really stood out to him was a gorgeous painting hanging on the living room wall. It was sleek, and the vivid usage of color was aesthetically pleasing to the eye. "It's beautiful..." Neji breathed out softly, resisting the urge to touch and memorize the brush strokes and textures on the canvas. He instead settled for fingering the ornate frame around the painting. "Who did this?"
Hiashi stepped up behind his nephew, standing maybe a little too close as he admired the painting and silently breathed his nephew deep into his lungs. "It's an original Hyuuga Hizashi," he whispered huskily, watching Neji's reaction from the corner of his eye. "One of his thesis pieces from his third year of study. He didn't follow the outlined requirements but the piece was so good that his instructor gave him a B on it anyway." He gave a little bit of a chuckle in the back of his throat, noticing Neji's eyes widen slightly as he did. "Your father gave this to me on our twenty-first birthday."
Clearing the emotion out of his throat, Hiashi stepped back and let Neji admire the piece. "There's another one in...the bedroom," his voice trailed off as he fled to the kitchen for the sake, shocked that he'd brought that painting up, the one Hizashi had done as a wedding present. It was simpler, possibly a reflection of what his brother had been feeling about the marriage, but was powerful none the less. Broken lines depicted two long haired lovers, one just a little taller than the other, the details missing from most of the painting. The man was recognizable as him but the woman was hard to identify unless you stared at the painting as much as Hiashi had over the years...or knew what you were looking at.
Blinking at his uncle's odd behavior, Neji walked away and into the bedroom, the painting being the first thing that caught his gaze, with the myriad of purples, blues, and other manner of dark, unfaltering colors. Hiashi had said it was a wedding present. From how this painting looked... It was if his father was upset about the impending marriage. But why would he be? It didn't make any sense. They were brothers; wouldn't Hizashi be happy for his twin? The tall, lithe young man sat down on the foot of the bed and stared at the painting endlessly, trying to understand the hidden meaning behind it.
The colors, the two long-haired lovers... Everything about the painting screamed depression.
...Oh my god.
Neji got up from the bed immediately and stormed into the living room and kitchen. "You... You slept with my father!?"
Hiashi set the bottle of sake he'd been preparing down on the counter, a small noise of acquiesce forming in the back of his throat. He knew, as soon as he'd suggested that Neji look at the painting that something like this was coming. Not his brightest moment. If anyone would be able to see through the subtleties of the painting it was Neji. You had to look close to notice that the less defined figure in the back wasn't really shorter, just had their head bowed or that the elegant curve of the shoulder was sharper than it looked from that angle. He didn't have to explain to Neji that it was so much more than just sex; his nephew probably wouldn't listen anyway. Besides, it was a long time ago and not really Neji's business.
"Have a drink," Hiashi muttered, sliding one of the small cups he'd just filled down the counter in front of the younger man, who looked mortified and livid. He picked up his own cup and the bottle and pointedly walked around Neji towards the living room. His face gave nothing away as he sat down on the new, modern couch and sipped the warm rice wine, looking back to see if his nephew was curious enough to follow or furious enough to walk out.
"You sick fuck... How could you do that!? My father, your brother!!" Neji clasped his palm over his mouth to keep from regurgitating the sushi and alcohol he had consumed that evening. This was a revelation that he could not handle just yet. He had to get out of here. He had to protect Hinata and Hanabi from Hiashi. They did not need such a man in their lives!
Whirling around, he stalked towards the front door. "I'm leaving."
"You make it sound like I raped him, forced him to fall in love with me." Hiashi tipped back his cup and set it on the black marble coffee table. Hiashi stood again, moving to stand in front of the elaborate painting in the room. "We were lovers for over fifteen years, right up until he died. So bear in mind that whatever monster you think I am for this, your father was the same." His expression was still neutral but inside Hiashi was afraid. More than anything it would be an insult to his brother's memory if he poisoned Neji against him. That wasn't what he wanted. "We loved each other very deeply, Neji. We weren't just two horned up teenagers fucking around." The use of a curse should have told Hiashi that he should have gone to bed but he wasn't paying attention to his words, thinking more about his brother and his nephew. "Even if I hadn't been obligated to take a wife, we could never have been together in any way other than what we were so no one knew. You're the only person aside from the girls' mother who ever found out."
"Don't you ever speak of my father in such a way!" Neji literally screamed, face marred by rage and fury. "The only one who is a monster here is you! You, who couldn't even raise his own daughters, you, who knew better morally but did what you did with your sibling anyways!"
He could not remember a time where he hated someone as much as he hated his estranged uncle. The man had touted on about his traditional views and values, and in the end, he was a hypocrite. He did something so morally unrighteous, that the young Hyuuga was surprised he had not been struck down by a stray bolt of lightning or been damned to spend eternity in the fiery pits of hell. "You are a fucking hypocritical son of a bitch! Always touting on about such nonsense on how Hanabi-chan and I are working at Dickey's, forcing Hinata-sama into a loveless marriage...! You're so fucking far in the closet that you're in Narnia! At least my Dad could own up to being gay, but you are a sham, and you have lived a lie!"
Whipping around to face the younger Hyuuga, Hiashi glared hard, not going to let Neji speak to him like that. "Your father didn't have my obligations, Neji. I was exactly what our father expected me to be so he wouldn't have to. He was allowed to follow his own path, be with whomever he wanted to while I did everything that was asked of me. I gave him freedom, he gave me himself. I'm not a homosexual, I just happened to fall in love with a man once, a long time ago." When Neji looked positively disgusted, Hiashi chuckled and poured himself another drink. "You look so shocked. It's only been for about three generations since the family discontinued inbreeding. If I was really as traditional as you say then I would have arranged for you to marry Hinata." Hiashi's eyes widened as a strange emotion flashed through the pale eyes which were so like his own. He gritted his teeth, his temper peaking as he stared at his ungrateful nephew. "You think you're omniscient, Neji, but you're so ignorant to everything. You don't know anything about me and even less about what it's like to grow up with a truly domineering father. You've had everything handed to you on a gold platter and you still take no pride in any of your accomplishments. Your father would be ashamed with both of us for how you've developed."
"The only one who is ashamed of me here is you. My father is nothing like you, and don't try and deny that. You are cold, and Dad was warm. I know it's somehow because of you that he is dead! And you dare try to guilt-trip me and tarnish my memories of him by saying that he would be ashamed of me?! Maybe if you were a proper parent, then I wouldn't be the way that I am! What kind of father lets his children be raised their entire lives by sitters and nannies?! You never deserved to reproduce! I think I'll go find your daughters and let them know just what kind of man Daddy is!" Neji made his way back to the front door, palm reaching out to grasp the doorknob.
In a second Hiashi had Neji pinned up against the wall, his martial arts training rendering the enraged younger man defenseless, though this was definitely not a standard hold. His knees were pressed hard against Neji's thighs, spreading them so Neji couldn't kick, the slimmer wrists caught in one of Hiashi's massive hands, the other wrapped around Neji's long, pale throat. "Do not speak of what is beyond your comprehension you infuriating little bastard. Hizashi and I were two halves of one whole and I would kill you before I let you shit on what we had and turn it into something disgraceful." He was shaking with rage, not having displayed this much emotion since his wife had died. "You can't know what it's like to be so close to someone, to know them better than they know themselves and to open yourself up to that person in the same way. You don't know what it's like to lose someone who completed you as a person. I know I'm not like your father, he was allowed to feel, and I wasn't. The only times I felt like a person growing up was when it was just the two of us." As Neji thrashed against him, Hiashi squeezed the pale throat harder, pressing his body closer so he could use his hips to hold Neji down. As he pressed against him, his eyes softened and so did his grip around Neji's neck. "Now all I have left of him are a few pictures, his paintings...and you..." For a moment it was like Hiashi wasn't looking at his nephew anymore, it was like he was almost thirty years younger and he was staring at his brother, sneaking into a secluded corner to share a moment alone. "You look so like we did," he whispered, moving his hand from Neji's throat to gently touch his cheek and lips. Not realizing what he was doing until it was already done, Hiashi cupped Neji's chin and lifted it, studying the beautiful, familiar features before cocking his head to the side and capturing the thin, firm lips with his own. He pressed his body forward, feeling for the first time in seventeen years like he had Hizashi back in his arms.
"...I know what it's like..." Neji murmured softly again the lips pressed to his own. "I've lost... the only person who made me feel human. And while he is not dead... I don't know if I will ever be able to get him back. I've hurt him so much... I ran away because he broke my heart, and he didn't even know that he had. And because I left him... I ended up breaking his. This is why I push, and never pull. It's easier to hate people than love them... Loving people takes hard work, and it will tear you apart if you allow it. I don't want to go through that pain ever again."
His pale eyes slid shut, and he gasped in for precious air desperately. "...I need to leave. I'm sorry."
He could hear how much the younger man was struggling, whether with what was happening between them or about this boy that Neji loved but Hiashi just couldn't let the slightly smaller body go, not yet. His hands touched and brushed the soft, pale skin of Neji's face, his hold on his nephew changing to completely gentle but still firm, wrapping the younger man up in his strong, comforting arms. "That's why you were always stronger than me, Koi. You were never afraid of love." He dragged his nose along the pale throat, breathing the smell of Neji's skin deep into lungs. His arms tightened and for a moment he just held Neji tight to his chest, one of his hands gripping softly in the long, silky locks. "I've missed you so much," Hiashi whispered, his words so choked with emotion it almost sounded like he'd started to cry. Pulling back he pressed their mouths together again in another adoring, chaste kiss which gradually deepened as Hiashi's tongue brushed the inside of Neji's lips.
Neji froze in his uncle's grasp, the sound of his heartbeat echoing like thunder in his ears. He wanted to punch the older man and shove him far away; he wanted to ask him what the hell was wrong with him and why he was doing this. 'I'm not him. I'm not him. I'm not him...' he repeated like a mantra mentally, squirming uncomfortably in Hiashi's hold on his body and trying to wrench his face and lips away so they could not be claimed again that night. He opened his mouth to yell at his relative, only to have a questing tongue slip past his lips to tangle with his own. 'This is wrong. I can't do this... Fuck, I can't even reach my phone to even press the speed dial or call the police to put a stop to all this madness...!'
Feeling Hizashi struggling in his arm, Hiashi pulled back so he could look at his twin. "What's wrong, Hiz..." His voice trailed off, as he looked down at the beautiful features that were twisted in a look of disgust and reality crushed him like a ton of bricks. He leapt away from his nephew, not stopping backing up until he was pressed completely against the other side of the wide entry hall. For maybe the first time, Hiashi's face was as readable as a billboard, his shock and mortification of what he'd just done showing on every part of his face. "Neji..." The salt and pepper, perfectly shaped brows furrowed in concern, and though he didn't move forward, Hiashi raised a hand, reaching out towards Neji as if asking if he was okay. "I...I didn't..." he stuttered, his face suddenly showing the age he'd put on in the past few years. ’What would you say to me now, brother? I wish you were here, so badly. I don't know how to handle him…
"...I'm not him..." Neji finally managed to choke out. "I'm not your brother... I'm your nephew... And you kissed me like you kissed him..." he tentatively reached his fingertips to his still-warm, slightly damp lips. "How could you do this to me, Hiashi? Do you... realize how badly you have fucked me up now? Do you!?" the 21-year-old demanded angrily, pulling at his hair as he tried his damndest not to cry in front of the elder Hyuuga. "...Like uncle, like nephew. I'm just like you now. Are you happy yet? Have I finally become what you wanted me to be?!"
Hiashi was a man with little fear but he had any more room to retreat where he was then he would have backed away more. The horror he felt at what he'd done was plastered all over his face and he swore that he could see hell right here in this room. "No..." he whispered softly, dropping his hand and stifling his urge to move across the room to comfort his nephew. That wouldn't help now, only make things worse. Nothing he did now could undo what he'd done, not even apologizing. He stood there, still as a statue as he watched the confounded younger man try to keep from breaking down. He closed his eyes and moved carefully along the wall so not to frighten Neji any more until his hand rested against the counter between the kitchen and the living room. He turned away, his posture straightening as he tried to regain control of himself but it was no use. He felt now like he'd become the monster Neji had always thought him to be, a line he'd never crossed before, that and the soul crushing loneliness he'd felt seventeen years ago. It was like losing him all over again, to have violated his brother's son in such a way. "Just go," Hiashi whispered, not even sure if Neji would be able to hear him his voice was so soft.
Neji watched distraught as his uncle left him at the front door. No, he wasn't distraught. He was livid and furious, and he wanted an apology from this man who had loved his father so much that he had ended up kissing him, his nephew, the only remnants of Hizashi he had left. Stalking into the kitchen, he grabbed the older man by the shoulder and whirled him none-too-gently to face him. "I want a fucking apology, right now."
Hiashi stepped back immediately, not trusting himself at all and concerned at what he might do being so close to his nephew right then. "I'm sorry," he said automatically, not surprised at all when it was clear that it wasn't good enough for Neji. He'd known that an apology wouldn't make a difference, not now. He couldn't stand to look at the young man, those hateful eyes burning him from the inside out. He could see Hizashi looking at him the exact same way and it was tearing his heart out. "I couldn't see you, only him." He turned away again, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I won't try to see you again. Please, just go." The careful hold on his cool business persona he always kept up was slipping and he knew if Neji pushed him right now this situation would get much worse. He wanted to scream at Neji to get away from him before he did something truly unforgivable but he didn't scream; that wasn't his way.
"Oh, so now you want me to leave, Hiashi? Before, you were so insistent upon me staying!" Neji replied scathingly, turning his uncle to face him again. "Don't you look away from me, god damn it! You are going to face up to what you did!"
Hiashi angrily knocked Neji's hand away, panic, an emotion he'd long forgotten building up inside him. "Stay back! For god’s sake get away from me!" Hiashi retreated again, heading for his bedroom, which was right off the living room, sure that Neji wouldn't follow him, but he was wrong again. As he was pulled around again, he grabbed Neji by the front of his shirt and tossed him easily across the room and onto the bed. Something inside him had snapped, he didn't see his nephew at all anymore, didn't hear the angry words spilling from the much younger man's mouth. He could only see his brother, someone he'd been without for far too long. In an instant Hiashi's jacket and ascot were on the floor and the buttons of Neji's shirt were bouncing off the walls as he tore the garment open like it was paper. His mouth latched on to the pale neck as he held the thrashing body down with his weight. The taste of the skin wasn't quite right but it was damned close enough to spike the fifty year olds lust as he mauled the young man.
Neji felt a sense of panic overcome him again when he was pinned down to the bed by his uncle's weight. He remembered the too-passionate kiss, and recoiled, moving and thrashing around recklessly in an effort to get his lust-driven relative off of his body. It took some doing, but after five minutes of struggling and enduring harsh bites and long, lavishing licks to his throat, he managed to wriggle an arm free out of sheer willpower and the determination to make his uncle see that he was indeed not Hizashi, and therefore not his lover. With that in mind, he curled his freed hand into a fist and slammed it roughly into Hiashi's cheekbone, it making a sickly cracking noise upon impact. "Wake the fuck up, Uncle!!"
He hadn't referred to Hiashi like that since he was 14 years old. "He's gone, okay!? You have to fucking learn to accept that!!"
Recoiling from the pain, the elder Hyuuga cupped his jaw, staring down at Neji's panting form, too shocked to show any emotions. So close, too close, he'd almost... His eyes drifted slowly from his nephew to the painting on his bedroom wall. Turning on his heels away, Hiashi moved to one of the huge windows along the opposite wall, his posture beyond rigid as the lights from the city below illuminated his face. The clenching and unclenching of his hands at his side was the clearest indication of how upset he was. He'd never learned how to handle real emotion, always playing it safe enough with people to not have to worry about it. "You should go," he urged gently again, no fight or warning in his voice this time, just emptiness.
The urge to stay, to continue to question the older man as to why and how he could do such a thing to him was insatiable. He was Hyuuga Neji, the man's own nephew.
And the only reason why he had been so favored growing up is because he was the son of his uncle's gay lover and identical twin. It was apparent that Neji never existed, only this miniature version of Hizashi.
In his urgency to leave, to run away from the man who had managed to throw him yet another life-altering loophole, the 21-year-old had not noticed the gorgeous diamond, sapphire, and platinum Van Cleef & Arpels pin on the floor, near the front door where Hiashi had choked and then kissed him.
How unfortunate.
He needed to call Lee.
Continued from here...