[One-shot] you bring my love to a whole new level
Title: you bring my love to a whole new level
Pairing: Sakumiya
Rating: R (for a tiny suggestive scene?)
Disclaimer: I own only the story
Summary: Sho takes risks because no one else makes him as happy as Kazunari does.
Word Count: 4444
Beta: None
A/N: For rakun at the Sakumiya fic exchange last year at su-i-ka hosted by chibipinkpetals ♥
"Young master," the house boy addresses the man in front of him politely, "shall I leave your tea here?"
The addressed man turns slightly before he waves towards the elegant vintage tea table beside him. "Yes please." he murmurs distractedly before promptly resuming his reading.
The house boy nods before carefully setting the tray down onto the table and pouring out two equal cups of English tea with well practiced ease. Setting a cup right beside the reading man, the house boy picks up the other cup and heads towards the other side of the room, where another man was lying comfortably on a long couch, his eyes closed as if in deep slumber.
"Satoshi.” The house boy calls out gently. If it was his first day here, he would have been strung tight with nervousness as he internally debated on whether if it was alright to rouse the sleeping man for tea. But given how this has become a routine for him, he wasn't worried about inappropriate behaviour.
The man named Satoshi opens one eye before he lets out a sleepy smile at the sight of the house boy. Swinging his legs over the side of the couch, Satoshi reaches out to accept the cup of tea presented to him, leaving a soft pat on his head in return. "Thank you, Sho."
Sho smiles and blushes slightly at the contact. Satoshi has always been a very touchy-feely person, giving him pats on his head, on his shoulder and on really rare times, a soft pat on his butt. He doesn’t take much note to it because Satoshi does it with everyone, as far as he can tell, and he also likes the closeness, how it makes him feel less of a servant and more of a friend. The other man also insists of calling him by Satoshi and ignores Sho when he tries to call him otherwise. He smiles softly back at Satoshi and turns to leave the room. Just as he was about to step out, he hears his name being called.
"Yes, young master?" He turns to see his young master pointing to a stack of books by the side of the room.
"I've finished them." The man says. "Bring them to the library."
Immediately moving towards the stack of books, Sho bows lightly. "Yes, young master"
x
Sho groans softly when his back collides with the bookshelf. A hand flew up to press against his mouth to stifle any sound that that may escape as a pair of hungry lips latches itself to his neck, licking and nibbling at his vein.
"Y-young master... Wait" he manages to gasp out, his hands pressing the shoulders of his attacker, but neither pushing nor pulling away. The man pulls himself away, only by a little and Sho shivers as the hot air from his young master's ragged breaths tickles his saliva-slicked neck.
"Why?" the man asks, trailing his hands up and down Sho's side, sending waves of arousal right down to his groin.
Swallowing down a moan, Sho says, "I have to help Master Ninomiya in some chores.”
The man clucks his tongue in disdain before reaching up to brush a stray hair out of Sho’s face and letting his hand rest on the other man’s cheeks. “I should have you as my personal butler,” he says, “so that I won’t have to compete with my own father for your attention.”
“But you and he receive very different attention, Kazunari.” Sho smiles cheekily and presses his hand against the warm ones on his cheek.
Chuckling, Kazunari pulls away and turns Sho towards the door, sending him off with a smack on his butt. “I’ll verify that myself tonight!”
Sho laughs. “Yes young master~”
x
Kazunari know it’s wrong to want to be in a romantic relationship with someone other than his fiancé. It isn’t that Satoshi isn’t good. He is gentle and patient, his laugh is adorable and he also gives one of the comfiest cuddles Kazunari has ever received. Despite all that, Kazunari can’t see a future with him. Sure, they were engaged now but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t picture the both of them together till death. It doesn’t help that the marriage was arranged and out of his control.
He isn’t sure what was it is that isn’t right about their relationship, what was missing, but things have changed after Sho came into the picture. Sho had joined on the day his and Satoshi’s marriage was finalized. He was depressed and upset that his marriage partner wasn’t his own decision, though he was thankful that Satoshi was kind. It was then, when he was moping by the gardens when Sho had stumbled upon him. Poor boy was flustered to have been caught in his exploring of the mansion (and by the young master of the house no less!) that he had tripped over himself twice in his haste to apologise and leave the gardens.
What had compelled him to call Sho back and invite him into a conversation, Kazunari wasn’t sure. But he had soon found out what was it that was missing in his and Satoshi’s relationship. It was the excitement that was lacking between the engaged couple and this excitement, Kazunari had found it with Sho. Behind the obedient and shy houseboy lay a silly, quirky boy with a boisterous laughter, a huge contrast to Satoshi’s quiet chuckle. It was such a new and refreshing experience for Kazunari that he had found himself wanting more and more every time they met for a chat. One quick chat had lead to longer conversations, mostly stretching out to hours and would have went on forever if Sho doesn’t have to get back to work. This experience was something Kazunari never had with Satoshi and it feels so right.
The first time Kazunari leaned in for a kiss, they both knew that there was not turning back
x
It was night time and the only lights on were the ones in the hallway and a certain servant’s room.
Sho sat anxiously on his bed, staring at the clock by his bedside. So focused, the voice from the bed next to him had caused him to jump slightly in surprise.
“Are you going to meet him again tonight?” Jun asks, popping his head out of his covers to look at Sho.
Sho nods and Jun just sighs in response. “We’ve got the morning shift tomorrow so don’t be late.” He mumbles white turning to lie on his bed.
Sho nods again, though he doesn’t think Jun had seen. Aside from Kazunari and himself, Jun was the only other person who knows about the taboo relationship between Sho and the young master of the house. It wasn’t the easiest to explain why he keeps sneaking out of the room in the middle of the night so Sho had just given up and found it easier to confess to the scrutinizing gaze of his friend. Jun can be very intimidating if he chooses to be. Jun wasn’t very supportive of the idea but did not openly object to it and lets Sho run off at select times to meet his lover, covering for him properly when he’s missing. Sho could never be more grateful for the effort Jun makes to help him keep the secret.
Turning his attention back to the clock, Sho quickly slips out of the bed and into his slippers before heading for the door.
“Take care, Sho” he hears Jun say.
“Goodnight, Jun.” Sho replies in a whisper before slipping out of the door and closing it softly behind him. He shivers slightly at the sudden drop in temperature and hurries down the hallway, tiptoeing up the stairs and towards a very familiar room. Doing a quick check of his surroundings, Sho turns the door knob and enters the room.
Closing it softly behind him, he can’t help but grin at the sight of Kazunari in a loose silk pajama pants and a plain white cotton tee, lying on the bed with a book in his hands and his reading glasses on.
“Hello, Sho.” Kazunari says, settling his book down and sitting upright.
Sho smiles even wider. “Hello.” He breathes out, suddenly feeling very warm in his loose cotton pajamas.
Kazunari raises his brows and asks, “What are you still standing there for? What’s wrong?”
“No , just…” Sho shakes his head and chuckles softly. How embarrassing would it be to let Kazunari know that he just had his breath stolen away from the sight of him being so sexy? He would never be able to get away from the endless frustrating teasing that is bound to come if he admits it. “It’s just that I’m on the morning shift tomorrow.”
Removing his glasses with a smirk, Kazunari pushes himself off the bed. “Well, in that case,” he starts, walking towards Sho, “we haven’t got time to lose, do we?”
Sho grins and lets himself be led to the bed.
x
Sho can’t wipe the grin off his face. Even while he is dusting the shelves, whenever he meets eyes with Jun, he bursts out into giggles. Lucky for them, they were the only two staffs in the library.
Jun rolls his eyes in plain view but the smile doesn’t leave his face. He moves to the next shelf and leaves Sho basking in his post-Kazu-condition, a name Jun coined to the extreme happiness his friend feels after every meeting with his lover.
The day passes in a flash as the duo busies themselves with chores until evening, where they were free for the day. Jun settles himself down on his bed with a book he loaned from the mansion’s library. Sho has went off to do whatever he does, with the young master of the house most likely, during his free time. After all, Kazunari’s fiancé, Satoshi was out on an art trip and was bound to be back only tomorrow.
Jun sighs as he recalls his friend’s relationship with Kazunari. He doesn’t like the idea of how Sho was risking his all, running back and forth and meeting the young master, who was already engaged, no less, in secret. Every time Sho disappears for the night, Jun can’t help but to be plagued with worries and all the ‘what-ifs’ starts to float around his mind. But he was careful not to affect Sho too much with his worries because who was he to deny his friend of his happiness?
Deep in thoughts, the knocks on his room door had startled him. Throwing his covers aside, Jun makes his way towards the door. Ryo, the head of the servant’s quarter, stood outside his door.
Jun’s eyes widens in shock at the sight before bowing slightly. “Mr. Ryo,” Jun greets, “What can I do for you?”
His mind races as he tries to think of all the reasons that could bring Ryo to the servant’s quarter, a place where the other man is almost always never seen in. Jun tries to come up with possible reasons but refuses to touch on the one hovering at the back of his head: Sho.
Ryo peers over Jun’s shoulders and Jun catches his gaze landing on Sho’s bed. “I was just wondering if Sho’s here?”
Jun takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart as the warning signals in his head went off at full blast. “No, he’s not.”
“I see…” Ryo nods.
“May I ask” Jun starts, “…why are you looking for him?”
The man waves his hands in dismissal. “Nothing much, just asking. Have a good evening Jun.”
With that, he turns and leaves, leaving Jun standing by the door, dread settling uncomfortably at the pits of his stomach.
x
Sho opens his room door and tiptoes into the room as quietly as possible. The lights were off so Jun must be asleep already. Sho peels off his shirt and snuggles into his bed. It feels cold without Kazunari’s arms around him but he stops his thoughts from going too deep into longing before it spoils his mood. Today, the both of them did nothing but cuddle and make out but it feels so right.
Everything with Kazunari feels right, Sho thinks with a grin.
He was about to fall into deep slumber when he hears Jun’s voice, hoarse with sleep. “Sho?” You’e back?”
“Uhhumm…” Sho hums, eyes already close. The sudden jolt on his bed causes them to jerk back open. “W-wha, Jun…?”
Jun’s face is close to his and his hands are grabbing onto his shoulders. “Sho, Sho you’ve gotta listen to me.” Jun says his eyes sharp and serious, totally devoid of any traces of sleep.
“What? Jun, I don’t understand…” Sho sits up a little and stares sleepily at his friend. “Can’t we talk about this tomorrow?”
“No!” Jun hisses. “Sho, Ryo came.”
At the mention of the servants’ head, Sho raises his brows and starts to sober up. “What do you mean he came?”
The presence of Ryo in the servant’s quarters was never a good sign. Bearer of bad news, many call him.
“Don’t you understand Sho? He came to our room. He asked for you!” Jun shakes Sho’s shoulder hard, his voice panicky. “He must have noticed something, Sho! It’s not safe anymore!”
Sho just stares at his friend in a daze. Memories of him and Kazunari suddenly come rushing through this head. It can’t be. He was always careful not to be seen, there was no way…
“Maybe it’s for something else? A promotion maybe?” Sho tries but deep down, he knows the answer will be-
“That’s not possible. Sho, you know it yourself that it’s not!” Jun looks at his friend sympathetically. Somehow, he knows that this day was bound to come but he feels his heart throb painfully for his friend. He lets Shop push his hands away and watches as Sho slinks down onto his bed.
“Why…?” Sho whispers, “When I’m finally so happy?”
x
The following day found Sho avoiding Kazunari as much as he could. Maybe he was getting paranoid from the new found knowledge but it was as though everywhere he goes Ryo’s watchful eyes follows, which was ridiculous because the man wasn’t even in the mansion for the whole day. Still, the consequences of getting caught are suddenly pushed to the surface of his awareness. He had always avoided thinking about it but now that he was forced to acknowledge the fact that his relationship with the young master is starting to get noticed, he feels an overwhelming sadness, couples with fear and anxiousness.
He was at a stage where he could finally call himself truly happy, though he was technically the mistress of the relationship and is betraying the man who has been nothing but kind to him. Sho feels guilty for doing this to Satoshi but he tries his hardest not to think about how wrong the whole relationship was.
What was important to Sho was to cherish the tiny joys he gets with every second spent with Kazunai and the idea of having to end it breaks his heart.
Jun spends the day throwing worried glances at him as Sho mechanically moves around the house to finish his chores. His heart was heavy and his spirits were low. Not to mention how ignoring Kazunari sends his heart wrenching painfully within his chest.
It's better this way, Sho thinks, our relationship was wrong to begin with.
He manages to pass the day successfully skirting around Kazunari, leaving the room promptly whenever the other man enters and replying only with curt nods and a brief "Yes, young master."
He should have known Kazunari would confront him but he hadn't expected it to be so soon, where he finds himself trapped in the library between Kazunari and a bookshelf on his last chore of the dy.
"What's wrong, Sho?" Kazunari asks, voice laced with confusion.
Sho quickly shakes his head. "I-" how was he supposed to tell him? "I'm just tired."
"Cut the crap Sho. Now tell me what happened!" It was rare for Kazunari to raise his voice and Sho cringes slightly as he tries not to look at the other man. It was only right for Kazunari to feel frustrated over this. After all, they were fine yesterday night and there ar no reasons for Sho's behaviour today, at least not to the other man.
Sho takes a deep breath before he starts. "Ryo was looking for me yesterday."
Kazunari's brows were scrunched up and his lips were drawn into a tight line. "Ryo? The head? What has he got to do with this?"
Sho passes his hands over his face, as if trying to rub away the sudden weariness he feels. "When Ryo comes to look for you, it never ends well. He's suspecting, Kazunari. It's too dangerous now."
“So what if he knows?” Kazunari counters, “He’s just another staff!”
Sho shakes his head. “He’s not just an ordinary staff, Kazunari, he-“
“Directly takes orders from the Master of the house himself.”
The couple turns towards the source of the voice and Sho visibly pales.
“What a delight,” The master of the house drawls sarcastically as he strolls into the library, Ryo following closely behind, “to find my boy and a servant boy within such a close proximity.”
Sho tried to step away but Kazunari grabs hold of his hand and keeps him by his side.
“Father.”
Master Ninomiya crosses his arms and stares down at them. “I understand if your relationship with Satoshi isn’t going well just yet but to be snooping around with a servant like him,” he turns his gaze to Sho with disdain, “I would have expected better from you.”
Kazunari inhales deeply, a sign Sho has come to know as him keeping his temper in check, before he scowls, “he is not a servant.”
Master Ninomiya rolls his eyes. “Houseboy, servant, what’s the difference? I can still fire him as I please.”
“No you won’t.” Kazunari hisses, “I won’t let you.”
Raising his brows at the challenge, Master Ninomiya replies, “You think you have the power already, my son? You have responsibilities to fulfil, heck you’re getting married in another month and you go and mess around with someone else, a servant no less? What would the Ohno family think?”
“Ha! That’s it isn’t it?” Nino spits out hatefully, “All my life, you force your decisions on me saying it’s all for me but really, all you care about is how the Ninomiyas look like to the rest of the world!”
“Is that how you talk to your father? This isn’t about reputation, this is about you cheating on your fiancé!”
“On a fiancé you forced on me!” Kazunari shouts.
The room was silent for a moment before Master Ninomiya turns to Ryo. “Bring me the papers.”
“Don’t you dare.” Kazunari growls out as he tightens his grip on Sho.
Stalking up to his son, Master Ninomiya hisses, “Watch me.”
The two of them stares fiercely at each other and Sho doesn’t dare speak. Finally, Kazunari steps back and lifts his head. “Then I’ll leave too.”
Sho turns in shock, “Wait, Kazu-“
“Don’t you dare take a step out of this house young man.”
Leaning forward till he’s almost nose to nose with his father, Kazunari whispers, “Watch me.” and starts pulling Sho out of the room.
“You’re nothing without your family title, Kazunari!” Master Ninomiya shouts after them but Kazunari ignores him and continues towards the door, a dazed Sho in tow. He throws it open with his free hand only to pause when he sees Satoshi outside the door.
Satoshi’s face was unreadable but after a moment, he simply stepped aside to let them pass. Kazunari bites his lips before he sweeps past Satoshi. Sho couldn’t help but look back at the other man but Satoshi simply just stared. Sho isn’t sure if it was purely his imagination or if Satoshi had really nodded at him.
It isn’t until they were out of the front door did Sho snap out of his daze. They were really going to leave.
“Wait, wait.” He says, pulling the both of them to a stop and tries to wrench his arm out of Kazunari’s grip with no avail. “You can’t be leaving with me.”
“I can and we will be leaving.” Kazunari says before turning around to leave.
“No, no, no.” Sho pulls them to a stop again. “Are you out of your mind?! You have things to do, responsibilities! You can’t just pack up and leave whenever you please! What about Satoshi? What about your father? You can’t just leave like this!”
Kazunari releases Sho’s hand to reach up and cup his face. “Sho, Sho look at me.”
Sho takes a deep breath and looks down at Kazunari. He should be happy, happy that Kazunari is letting go of everything to be with him, happy that they can start again without restrictions. But there are still so many questions left hanging over their heads and for the first time, Sho feels that being with Kazunari is wrong.
“Sho, do you trust me?”
Sho nods.
“So would you believe me if I said I had this planning for a long time?”
Sho’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, what?”
Kazunari smiles and brushes and hand through his hair, “Everyone knows except for my father actually. Satoshi knows and he was never interested in me. There’s someone else that he has taken his liking in actually. And my brothers, they’ve taken over everything else. There’s basically nothing left for me in this house anymore if you leave without me.”
Sho stares at Kazunari in disbelief. “It can’t be…” All this time, when Sho has been working his hardest to keep it a secret, everyone in the family were actually aware of the occasional flirty glances him and Kazunari exchange? He shakes his head. “Then what about your father? What will he do?”
Kazunari sighs, “He’ll do with my brothers. They’ve always been the better sons.”
Sho reaches out to take hold of Kazunari’s hand. “But what are we going to do now?”
Kazunari smiles, “We’re going to start again.” And he tugs onto Sho’s hand and pulls him out the mansion doors.
x
Sho wipes down the table before arranging the chairs.
It has been a week since the dramatic exit of the couple from the mansion and true to his words; Kazunari has been planning very well. He had brought him to meet an old friend of his, Aiba Masaki who owns a little café in town and who also, very conveniently, needed more staff because Mrs. Aiba was at her last stage of her pregnancy. Kazunari explains that Masaki is a childhood friend and had agreed to let them work in his café whenever needed.
Kazunari wasn’t the best at housekeeping so he left the cleaning to Sho but he was exceptionally good a cooking, something that came as a surprise because Sho has never heard Kazunari talk about cooking before. So they fell into a routine where Kazunari would make and Sho would serve and Masaki coming occasionally to check up on things.
Sometimes Sho would wonder what would happen if they haven’t been confronted that day. Then he would think about Jun and how he is coping with being left alone in the room. His mind would then wander off to think about Satoshi and the matters of the mansion.
The chimes on the door rings as someone enters and Sho turns to tell the customer that they’re closed for the day, only to drop his cloth in shock.
“Jun!” He exclaims as he catches sight of his friend. Kazunari pokes his head out of the kitchen and raises his brows at the newcomers. Then the chimes sounds again, revealing Satoshi. Kazunari quickly sets his pan down, rushes forward and kidnaps Satoshi to behind the counter. Sho could only smile at the action because Kazunari has once told him that Satoshi was like a brother to him.
He turns his attention back to Jun, who was smiling.
“Look at the man who caused such a great uproar in the mansion.” Jun teases with a smile.
Smiling back sheepishly, Sho asks, “Is everything alright back there?”
Jun shrugs, “I guess you can say so. Master Ninomiya is back to his full time working mode so I guess he isn’t much fazed by the incident.”
Sho just sighs and throws a glance behind the counter where Kazunari was showing Satoshi the cash register.
“I’d say he’s better here.” Jun adds, following Sho’s gaze.
Chuckling softly, Sho nods.
“Oh!” Jun exclaims, digging into his pocket and pulling out a pouch. “You left in such a hurry, you didn’t even take this with you!”
Sho’s eyes lights up as he spots the pouch and accepts it gratefully. Inside are tiny items and trinkets that Sho held dear to him. His mother’s bracelet, the pressed daisy his sister had given him and other miscellaneous stuffs he decided were important. “Thank you!” Sho says before leaning forward and giving Jun a hug.
“Hey, watch where you’re touching!” Kazunari’s voice rang through the empty café and the duo pulls away from each other with a laugh. Satoshi walks over and pats Sho’s head. “Hello, Sho.”
Sho smiles. “Hello Satoshi.”
A comfortable silence settles itself between the four before Jun speaks up. “Well, we have to go!”
“So soon? But you’ve only just been here!” Sho protests.
Jun chuckles as he makes his way to the door. “We’re busy men, Sho!”
Sho sighs in disappointment before something clicks in his head. “Wait!” He calls out, “Why are you and Satoshi here together?”
Jun and Satoshi exchanged a grin before Jun answers, “Let’s just say I’ve changed a house to serve.”
Sho stares at his friends in shock before he remembers Kazunari’s words. There’s someone else that he has taken his liking in actually.
He whips around to stare at his lover. “No way!”
Kazunari nods and laughs as Sho turns back to the couple at the door. “No way!”
“I haven’t been idle while you ran off Sho!” Jun laughs before he nods slightly. “We’ll come back soon, bye!”
Sho stares at the door and back to Kazunari, who was having a hard time hiding his smile behind his hands. “You’ve never told me!” He accuses and Kazunari simply shrugs. “You’ve never ask!”
Sho laughs and looks back at the door. He sighs, contentedly this time. Finally, everything was just all right.
---
This is probably this longest fic I've ever written... and I totally forgotten that I did orz.
On another note, can't believe I've been in the ficdom for over 5 years (And I'm still here!!)
Pairing: Sakumiya
Rating: R (for a tiny suggestive scene?)
Disclaimer: I own only the story
Summary: Sho takes risks because no one else makes him as happy as Kazunari does.
Word Count: 4444
Beta: None
A/N: For rakun at the Sakumiya fic exchange last year at su-i-ka hosted by chibipinkpetals ♥
"Young master," the house boy addresses the man in front of him politely, "shall I leave your tea here?"
The addressed man turns slightly before he waves towards the elegant vintage tea table beside him. "Yes please." he murmurs distractedly before promptly resuming his reading.
The house boy nods before carefully setting the tray down onto the table and pouring out two equal cups of English tea with well practiced ease. Setting a cup right beside the reading man, the house boy picks up the other cup and heads towards the other side of the room, where another man was lying comfortably on a long couch, his eyes closed as if in deep slumber.
"Satoshi.” The house boy calls out gently. If it was his first day here, he would have been strung tight with nervousness as he internally debated on whether if it was alright to rouse the sleeping man for tea. But given how this has become a routine for him, he wasn't worried about inappropriate behaviour.
The man named Satoshi opens one eye before he lets out a sleepy smile at the sight of the house boy. Swinging his legs over the side of the couch, Satoshi reaches out to accept the cup of tea presented to him, leaving a soft pat on his head in return. "Thank you, Sho."
Sho smiles and blushes slightly at the contact. Satoshi has always been a very touchy-feely person, giving him pats on his head, on his shoulder and on really rare times, a soft pat on his butt. He doesn’t take much note to it because Satoshi does it with everyone, as far as he can tell, and he also likes the closeness, how it makes him feel less of a servant and more of a friend. The other man also insists of calling him by Satoshi and ignores Sho when he tries to call him otherwise. He smiles softly back at Satoshi and turns to leave the room. Just as he was about to step out, he hears his name being called.
"Yes, young master?" He turns to see his young master pointing to a stack of books by the side of the room.
"I've finished them." The man says. "Bring them to the library."
Immediately moving towards the stack of books, Sho bows lightly. "Yes, young master"
x
Sho groans softly when his back collides with the bookshelf. A hand flew up to press against his mouth to stifle any sound that that may escape as a pair of hungry lips latches itself to his neck, licking and nibbling at his vein.
"Y-young master... Wait" he manages to gasp out, his hands pressing the shoulders of his attacker, but neither pushing nor pulling away. The man pulls himself away, only by a little and Sho shivers as the hot air from his young master's ragged breaths tickles his saliva-slicked neck.
"Why?" the man asks, trailing his hands up and down Sho's side, sending waves of arousal right down to his groin.
Swallowing down a moan, Sho says, "I have to help Master Ninomiya in some chores.”
The man clucks his tongue in disdain before reaching up to brush a stray hair out of Sho’s face and letting his hand rest on the other man’s cheeks. “I should have you as my personal butler,” he says, “so that I won’t have to compete with my own father for your attention.”
“But you and he receive very different attention, Kazunari.” Sho smiles cheekily and presses his hand against the warm ones on his cheek.
Chuckling, Kazunari pulls away and turns Sho towards the door, sending him off with a smack on his butt. “I’ll verify that myself tonight!”
Sho laughs. “Yes young master~”
x
Kazunari know it’s wrong to want to be in a romantic relationship with someone other than his fiancé. It isn’t that Satoshi isn’t good. He is gentle and patient, his laugh is adorable and he also gives one of the comfiest cuddles Kazunari has ever received. Despite all that, Kazunari can’t see a future with him. Sure, they were engaged now but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t picture the both of them together till death. It doesn’t help that the marriage was arranged and out of his control.
He isn’t sure what was it is that isn’t right about their relationship, what was missing, but things have changed after Sho came into the picture. Sho had joined on the day his and Satoshi’s marriage was finalized. He was depressed and upset that his marriage partner wasn’t his own decision, though he was thankful that Satoshi was kind. It was then, when he was moping by the gardens when Sho had stumbled upon him. Poor boy was flustered to have been caught in his exploring of the mansion (and by the young master of the house no less!) that he had tripped over himself twice in his haste to apologise and leave the gardens.
What had compelled him to call Sho back and invite him into a conversation, Kazunari wasn’t sure. But he had soon found out what was it that was missing in his and Satoshi’s relationship. It was the excitement that was lacking between the engaged couple and this excitement, Kazunari had found it with Sho. Behind the obedient and shy houseboy lay a silly, quirky boy with a boisterous laughter, a huge contrast to Satoshi’s quiet chuckle. It was such a new and refreshing experience for Kazunari that he had found himself wanting more and more every time they met for a chat. One quick chat had lead to longer conversations, mostly stretching out to hours and would have went on forever if Sho doesn’t have to get back to work. This experience was something Kazunari never had with Satoshi and it feels so right.
The first time Kazunari leaned in for a kiss, they both knew that there was not turning back
x
It was night time and the only lights on were the ones in the hallway and a certain servant’s room.
Sho sat anxiously on his bed, staring at the clock by his bedside. So focused, the voice from the bed next to him had caused him to jump slightly in surprise.
“Are you going to meet him again tonight?” Jun asks, popping his head out of his covers to look at Sho.
Sho nods and Jun just sighs in response. “We’ve got the morning shift tomorrow so don’t be late.” He mumbles white turning to lie on his bed.
Sho nods again, though he doesn’t think Jun had seen. Aside from Kazunari and himself, Jun was the only other person who knows about the taboo relationship between Sho and the young master of the house. It wasn’t the easiest to explain why he keeps sneaking out of the room in the middle of the night so Sho had just given up and found it easier to confess to the scrutinizing gaze of his friend. Jun can be very intimidating if he chooses to be. Jun wasn’t very supportive of the idea but did not openly object to it and lets Sho run off at select times to meet his lover, covering for him properly when he’s missing. Sho could never be more grateful for the effort Jun makes to help him keep the secret.
Turning his attention back to the clock, Sho quickly slips out of the bed and into his slippers before heading for the door.
“Take care, Sho” he hears Jun say.
“Goodnight, Jun.” Sho replies in a whisper before slipping out of the door and closing it softly behind him. He shivers slightly at the sudden drop in temperature and hurries down the hallway, tiptoeing up the stairs and towards a very familiar room. Doing a quick check of his surroundings, Sho turns the door knob and enters the room.
Closing it softly behind him, he can’t help but grin at the sight of Kazunari in a loose silk pajama pants and a plain white cotton tee, lying on the bed with a book in his hands and his reading glasses on.
“Hello, Sho.” Kazunari says, settling his book down and sitting upright.
Sho smiles even wider. “Hello.” He breathes out, suddenly feeling very warm in his loose cotton pajamas.
Kazunari raises his brows and asks, “What are you still standing there for? What’s wrong?”
“No , just…” Sho shakes his head and chuckles softly. How embarrassing would it be to let Kazunari know that he just had his breath stolen away from the sight of him being so sexy? He would never be able to get away from the endless frustrating teasing that is bound to come if he admits it. “It’s just that I’m on the morning shift tomorrow.”
Removing his glasses with a smirk, Kazunari pushes himself off the bed. “Well, in that case,” he starts, walking towards Sho, “we haven’t got time to lose, do we?”
Sho grins and lets himself be led to the bed.
x
Sho can’t wipe the grin off his face. Even while he is dusting the shelves, whenever he meets eyes with Jun, he bursts out into giggles. Lucky for them, they were the only two staffs in the library.
Jun rolls his eyes in plain view but the smile doesn’t leave his face. He moves to the next shelf and leaves Sho basking in his post-Kazu-condition, a name Jun coined to the extreme happiness his friend feels after every meeting with his lover.
The day passes in a flash as the duo busies themselves with chores until evening, where they were free for the day. Jun settles himself down on his bed with a book he loaned from the mansion’s library. Sho has went off to do whatever he does, with the young master of the house most likely, during his free time. After all, Kazunari’s fiancé, Satoshi was out on an art trip and was bound to be back only tomorrow.
Jun sighs as he recalls his friend’s relationship with Kazunari. He doesn’t like the idea of how Sho was risking his all, running back and forth and meeting the young master, who was already engaged, no less, in secret. Every time Sho disappears for the night, Jun can’t help but to be plagued with worries and all the ‘what-ifs’ starts to float around his mind. But he was careful not to affect Sho too much with his worries because who was he to deny his friend of his happiness?
Deep in thoughts, the knocks on his room door had startled him. Throwing his covers aside, Jun makes his way towards the door. Ryo, the head of the servant’s quarter, stood outside his door.
Jun’s eyes widens in shock at the sight before bowing slightly. “Mr. Ryo,” Jun greets, “What can I do for you?”
His mind races as he tries to think of all the reasons that could bring Ryo to the servant’s quarter, a place where the other man is almost always never seen in. Jun tries to come up with possible reasons but refuses to touch on the one hovering at the back of his head: Sho.
Ryo peers over Jun’s shoulders and Jun catches his gaze landing on Sho’s bed. “I was just wondering if Sho’s here?”
Jun takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart as the warning signals in his head went off at full blast. “No, he’s not.”
“I see…” Ryo nods.
“May I ask” Jun starts, “…why are you looking for him?”
The man waves his hands in dismissal. “Nothing much, just asking. Have a good evening Jun.”
With that, he turns and leaves, leaving Jun standing by the door, dread settling uncomfortably at the pits of his stomach.
x
Sho opens his room door and tiptoes into the room as quietly as possible. The lights were off so Jun must be asleep already. Sho peels off his shirt and snuggles into his bed. It feels cold without Kazunari’s arms around him but he stops his thoughts from going too deep into longing before it spoils his mood. Today, the both of them did nothing but cuddle and make out but it feels so right.
Everything with Kazunari feels right, Sho thinks with a grin.
He was about to fall into deep slumber when he hears Jun’s voice, hoarse with sleep. “Sho?” You’e back?”
“Uhhumm…” Sho hums, eyes already close. The sudden jolt on his bed causes them to jerk back open. “W-wha, Jun…?”
Jun’s face is close to his and his hands are grabbing onto his shoulders. “Sho, Sho you’ve gotta listen to me.” Jun says his eyes sharp and serious, totally devoid of any traces of sleep.
“What? Jun, I don’t understand…” Sho sits up a little and stares sleepily at his friend. “Can’t we talk about this tomorrow?”
“No!” Jun hisses. “Sho, Ryo came.”
At the mention of the servants’ head, Sho raises his brows and starts to sober up. “What do you mean he came?”
The presence of Ryo in the servant’s quarters was never a good sign. Bearer of bad news, many call him.
“Don’t you understand Sho? He came to our room. He asked for you!” Jun shakes Sho’s shoulder hard, his voice panicky. “He must have noticed something, Sho! It’s not safe anymore!”
Sho just stares at his friend in a daze. Memories of him and Kazunari suddenly come rushing through this head. It can’t be. He was always careful not to be seen, there was no way…
“Maybe it’s for something else? A promotion maybe?” Sho tries but deep down, he knows the answer will be-
“That’s not possible. Sho, you know it yourself that it’s not!” Jun looks at his friend sympathetically. Somehow, he knows that this day was bound to come but he feels his heart throb painfully for his friend. He lets Shop push his hands away and watches as Sho slinks down onto his bed.
“Why…?” Sho whispers, “When I’m finally so happy?”
x
The following day found Sho avoiding Kazunari as much as he could. Maybe he was getting paranoid from the new found knowledge but it was as though everywhere he goes Ryo’s watchful eyes follows, which was ridiculous because the man wasn’t even in the mansion for the whole day. Still, the consequences of getting caught are suddenly pushed to the surface of his awareness. He had always avoided thinking about it but now that he was forced to acknowledge the fact that his relationship with the young master is starting to get noticed, he feels an overwhelming sadness, couples with fear and anxiousness.
He was at a stage where he could finally call himself truly happy, though he was technically the mistress of the relationship and is betraying the man who has been nothing but kind to him. Sho feels guilty for doing this to Satoshi but he tries his hardest not to think about how wrong the whole relationship was.
What was important to Sho was to cherish the tiny joys he gets with every second spent with Kazunai and the idea of having to end it breaks his heart.
Jun spends the day throwing worried glances at him as Sho mechanically moves around the house to finish his chores. His heart was heavy and his spirits were low. Not to mention how ignoring Kazunari sends his heart wrenching painfully within his chest.
It's better this way, Sho thinks, our relationship was wrong to begin with.
He manages to pass the day successfully skirting around Kazunari, leaving the room promptly whenever the other man enters and replying only with curt nods and a brief "Yes, young master."
He should have known Kazunari would confront him but he hadn't expected it to be so soon, where he finds himself trapped in the library between Kazunari and a bookshelf on his last chore of the dy.
"What's wrong, Sho?" Kazunari asks, voice laced with confusion.
Sho quickly shakes his head. "I-" how was he supposed to tell him? "I'm just tired."
"Cut the crap Sho. Now tell me what happened!" It was rare for Kazunari to raise his voice and Sho cringes slightly as he tries not to look at the other man. It was only right for Kazunari to feel frustrated over this. After all, they were fine yesterday night and there ar no reasons for Sho's behaviour today, at least not to the other man.
Sho takes a deep breath before he starts. "Ryo was looking for me yesterday."
Kazunari's brows were scrunched up and his lips were drawn into a tight line. "Ryo? The head? What has he got to do with this?"
Sho passes his hands over his face, as if trying to rub away the sudden weariness he feels. "When Ryo comes to look for you, it never ends well. He's suspecting, Kazunari. It's too dangerous now."
“So what if he knows?” Kazunari counters, “He’s just another staff!”
Sho shakes his head. “He’s not just an ordinary staff, Kazunari, he-“
“Directly takes orders from the Master of the house himself.”
The couple turns towards the source of the voice and Sho visibly pales.
“What a delight,” The master of the house drawls sarcastically as he strolls into the library, Ryo following closely behind, “to find my boy and a servant boy within such a close proximity.”
Sho tried to step away but Kazunari grabs hold of his hand and keeps him by his side.
“Father.”
Master Ninomiya crosses his arms and stares down at them. “I understand if your relationship with Satoshi isn’t going well just yet but to be snooping around with a servant like him,” he turns his gaze to Sho with disdain, “I would have expected better from you.”
Kazunari inhales deeply, a sign Sho has come to know as him keeping his temper in check, before he scowls, “he is not a servant.”
Master Ninomiya rolls his eyes. “Houseboy, servant, what’s the difference? I can still fire him as I please.”
“No you won’t.” Kazunari hisses, “I won’t let you.”
Raising his brows at the challenge, Master Ninomiya replies, “You think you have the power already, my son? You have responsibilities to fulfil, heck you’re getting married in another month and you go and mess around with someone else, a servant no less? What would the Ohno family think?”
“Ha! That’s it isn’t it?” Nino spits out hatefully, “All my life, you force your decisions on me saying it’s all for me but really, all you care about is how the Ninomiyas look like to the rest of the world!”
“Is that how you talk to your father? This isn’t about reputation, this is about you cheating on your fiancé!”
“On a fiancé you forced on me!” Kazunari shouts.
The room was silent for a moment before Master Ninomiya turns to Ryo. “Bring me the papers.”
“Don’t you dare.” Kazunari growls out as he tightens his grip on Sho.
Stalking up to his son, Master Ninomiya hisses, “Watch me.”
The two of them stares fiercely at each other and Sho doesn’t dare speak. Finally, Kazunari steps back and lifts his head. “Then I’ll leave too.”
Sho turns in shock, “Wait, Kazu-“
“Don’t you dare take a step out of this house young man.”
Leaning forward till he’s almost nose to nose with his father, Kazunari whispers, “Watch me.” and starts pulling Sho out of the room.
“You’re nothing without your family title, Kazunari!” Master Ninomiya shouts after them but Kazunari ignores him and continues towards the door, a dazed Sho in tow. He throws it open with his free hand only to pause when he sees Satoshi outside the door.
Satoshi’s face was unreadable but after a moment, he simply stepped aside to let them pass. Kazunari bites his lips before he sweeps past Satoshi. Sho couldn’t help but look back at the other man but Satoshi simply just stared. Sho isn’t sure if it was purely his imagination or if Satoshi had really nodded at him.
It isn’t until they were out of the front door did Sho snap out of his daze. They were really going to leave.
“Wait, wait.” He says, pulling the both of them to a stop and tries to wrench his arm out of Kazunari’s grip with no avail. “You can’t be leaving with me.”
“I can and we will be leaving.” Kazunari says before turning around to leave.
“No, no, no.” Sho pulls them to a stop again. “Are you out of your mind?! You have things to do, responsibilities! You can’t just pack up and leave whenever you please! What about Satoshi? What about your father? You can’t just leave like this!”
Kazunari releases Sho’s hand to reach up and cup his face. “Sho, Sho look at me.”
Sho takes a deep breath and looks down at Kazunari. He should be happy, happy that Kazunari is letting go of everything to be with him, happy that they can start again without restrictions. But there are still so many questions left hanging over their heads and for the first time, Sho feels that being with Kazunari is wrong.
“Sho, do you trust me?”
Sho nods.
“So would you believe me if I said I had this planning for a long time?”
Sho’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, what?”
Kazunari smiles and brushes and hand through his hair, “Everyone knows except for my father actually. Satoshi knows and he was never interested in me. There’s someone else that he has taken his liking in actually. And my brothers, they’ve taken over everything else. There’s basically nothing left for me in this house anymore if you leave without me.”
Sho stares at Kazunari in disbelief. “It can’t be…” All this time, when Sho has been working his hardest to keep it a secret, everyone in the family were actually aware of the occasional flirty glances him and Kazunari exchange? He shakes his head. “Then what about your father? What will he do?”
Kazunari sighs, “He’ll do with my brothers. They’ve always been the better sons.”
Sho reaches out to take hold of Kazunari’s hand. “But what are we going to do now?”
Kazunari smiles, “We’re going to start again.” And he tugs onto Sho’s hand and pulls him out the mansion doors.
x
Sho wipes down the table before arranging the chairs.
It has been a week since the dramatic exit of the couple from the mansion and true to his words; Kazunari has been planning very well. He had brought him to meet an old friend of his, Aiba Masaki who owns a little café in town and who also, very conveniently, needed more staff because Mrs. Aiba was at her last stage of her pregnancy. Kazunari explains that Masaki is a childhood friend and had agreed to let them work in his café whenever needed.
Kazunari wasn’t the best at housekeeping so he left the cleaning to Sho but he was exceptionally good a cooking, something that came as a surprise because Sho has never heard Kazunari talk about cooking before. So they fell into a routine where Kazunari would make and Sho would serve and Masaki coming occasionally to check up on things.
Sometimes Sho would wonder what would happen if they haven’t been confronted that day. Then he would think about Jun and how he is coping with being left alone in the room. His mind would then wander off to think about Satoshi and the matters of the mansion.
The chimes on the door rings as someone enters and Sho turns to tell the customer that they’re closed for the day, only to drop his cloth in shock.
“Jun!” He exclaims as he catches sight of his friend. Kazunari pokes his head out of the kitchen and raises his brows at the newcomers. Then the chimes sounds again, revealing Satoshi. Kazunari quickly sets his pan down, rushes forward and kidnaps Satoshi to behind the counter. Sho could only smile at the action because Kazunari has once told him that Satoshi was like a brother to him.
He turns his attention back to Jun, who was smiling.
“Look at the man who caused such a great uproar in the mansion.” Jun teases with a smile.
Smiling back sheepishly, Sho asks, “Is everything alright back there?”
Jun shrugs, “I guess you can say so. Master Ninomiya is back to his full time working mode so I guess he isn’t much fazed by the incident.”
Sho just sighs and throws a glance behind the counter where Kazunari was showing Satoshi the cash register.
“I’d say he’s better here.” Jun adds, following Sho’s gaze.
Chuckling softly, Sho nods.
“Oh!” Jun exclaims, digging into his pocket and pulling out a pouch. “You left in such a hurry, you didn’t even take this with you!”
Sho’s eyes lights up as he spots the pouch and accepts it gratefully. Inside are tiny items and trinkets that Sho held dear to him. His mother’s bracelet, the pressed daisy his sister had given him and other miscellaneous stuffs he decided were important. “Thank you!” Sho says before leaning forward and giving Jun a hug.
“Hey, watch where you’re touching!” Kazunari’s voice rang through the empty café and the duo pulls away from each other with a laugh. Satoshi walks over and pats Sho’s head. “Hello, Sho.”
Sho smiles. “Hello Satoshi.”
A comfortable silence settles itself between the four before Jun speaks up. “Well, we have to go!”
“So soon? But you’ve only just been here!” Sho protests.
Jun chuckles as he makes his way to the door. “We’re busy men, Sho!”
Sho sighs in disappointment before something clicks in his head. “Wait!” He calls out, “Why are you and Satoshi here together?”
Jun and Satoshi exchanged a grin before Jun answers, “Let’s just say I’ve changed a house to serve.”
Sho stares at his friends in shock before he remembers Kazunari’s words. There’s someone else that he has taken his liking in actually.
He whips around to stare at his lover. “No way!”
Kazunari nods and laughs as Sho turns back to the couple at the door. “No way!”
“I haven’t been idle while you ran off Sho!” Jun laughs before he nods slightly. “We’ll come back soon, bye!”
Sho stares at the door and back to Kazunari, who was having a hard time hiding his smile behind his hands. “You’ve never told me!” He accuses and Kazunari simply shrugs. “You’ve never ask!”
Sho laughs and looks back at the door. He sighs, contentedly this time. Finally, everything was just all right.
---
This is probably this longest fic I've ever written... and I totally forgotten that I did orz.
On another note, can't believe I've been in the ficdom for over 5 years (And I'm still here!!)