Innocent Deception (Final - 3)
[Final-1] [ Final-2]
Final Chapter (part 3)
Massu prowled the length of his living room, hands shoved in his pockets as he waited for the doorbell to ring. Two o’clock, Koyama had said and he was still wondering why the man had insisted upon meeting at the house instead of the restaurant. He had tried to ask but Koyama had raced off to prevent some catastrophe in the kitchen and couldn’t be found later when Massu had gone looking for him.
Checking his watch with an irritated, jerky movement, he noticed that it was ten minutes past the time. He considered calling Koyama at the restaurant but decided against it, figuring the man might be on his way by now. So he waited, pacing back and forth because he hated being at his house. He had only to look outside at the patio to recall in vivid details the night Yuya had given him his trust and he had taken it.
“How do you know I’m not after your money?” he had asked then.
“Because I trust you.”
A harsh groan left his throat as he remembered. Yes, he had taken Yuya’s trust . . . . . and he had thrown it back in Yuya’s face . . . . because trust wasn’t something he was good at himself. Yuya couldn’t be expected to understand that, because he had not bothered to mention the cold -blooded way his ex-wife Kana weighed his monetary value before pretending to be in love with him.
All Yuya had done was to protect himself from suffering the same fate that had befallen his sister. It hurt his pride that Yuya had not made an exception in his case but then he didn’t have a sister who was victimized by a swindling bastard. And as long as he was being fair, Massu had to admit that he had taken one look at Yuya’s car and his gallery and he had judged him to be a safe date.
Standing by the window and watching a small sailboat head up the channel towards his house, Massu admitted that his iron will - his stubbornness as Koyama had put it - had crumbled just hours after Yuya had left him at the telephone booth. In its place was an anger he couldn’t hide, a virulent self disgust that ricocheted through all facets his life, driving him and everyone around him crazy.
It was too late now - he knew with a sense of utter hopelessness. Too late to change the way he had reacted, too late to take back the terrible things he had said on the mountain. And it was too late to tell Yuya that he loved him because Yuya would never believe him.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Yuya ducked when the boom swept past his head, then leaned over to trim the sail as Yamapi tucked the tiny sailboat across the waves. Settling back on the cushion he eyed Yamapi with a serious degree of mistrust. “You didn’t give me fair warning.”
“I tried,” Yamapi said, grinning. “But’ you were too busy daydreaming to notice.”
“I wasn’t daydreaming,” Yuya insisted stubbornly. “I’m planning what the south wall of the gallery would look like if the paintings come through.”
“No you weren’t,” Yamapi said. “You were thinking about Massu.”
Yuya shut his eyes and counted to ten. All Yamapi had done since they had left the dock was talk about Massu. It was Massu this and Massu that and how well the restaurant was doing until he was ready to scream at him to stop.
“You can’t go on like this, you know,” Yamapi continued. “If you keep trying to over-stubborn each other, you’ll drive everyone around you insane.”
“I’m not being stubborn,” Yuya countered.
“Obstinate then, or do you prefer hardheaded?" Yamapi said, digging in.
“He doesn’t want to see me,” Yuya ground out in a voice that almost broke because the crack in his heart widened each time he thought about it.
“At least you’re not pretending you don’t want to see him anymore,” Yamapi said quietly.
Yuya threw him a glare that bounced right back at him and made him feel worse. It wasn’t Yamapi’s fault. It was his own foolish pride that was keeping himself from going to Massu and telling him that Yamapi had not finished his report until after he had given him his trust.
But he had said the unforgivable to Massu, pushing him forever out of reach as his defenses had reacted wildly to his accusations. Get out of my life, Masuda Takahisa. Get out and stay out! The words would ring in his heart always, reminding him that he had been the one to put an end to any chance they had for a life together.
He swallowed and blinked rapidly to dispel the gathering tears. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Maybe if I get away for a while, I’ll get things back into perspective. Do you think Dad would like to see me for a few weeks?”
“Not in your mood,” Yamapi said shortly. “He’d just as soon shoot you as look at you.”
“I thought we were talking about Dad, not Massu.” Yuya joked halfheartedly.
“How do you know what Massu would do if you won’t talk to him?” Yamapi asked, not expecting an answer though. He concentrated on steering the boat along the narrow channel aiming for the two-storied house just several yards away. He turned again when he figured he was close enough, rightly this time, because he wanted to get it right the first time.
He wouldn’t get a second chance, he knew, because any minute now, Yuya would realize where they are.
“The sail’s caught,” Yamapi said, pointing to where it had snagged against the side of the sailboat. Yuya raised his eyebrows as though to indicate it would fix itself if Yamapi would just steer hard against the wind, but he obeyed because he was used to following Yamapi’s orders when he’s at the helm. Standing on the cushion, he leaned forward and tugged.
Yamapi took a deep breath and also leaned forward, just far enough to put his hand on Yuya's backside and shove him overboard.
~~
“I’m going to kill you!”
“That’s not a nice thing to say to someone who’s doing you a favor,” Yamapi said in a reasonable tone as he let the sail fill. The boat moved away from the man who was trying to swim towards it.
“Doing me a favor?” Furiously treading water, Yuya reached down to remove one shoe and threw it at Yamapi with a menacing look. It sank short of his target, but he tried again with the other shoe because he was too mad to stop himself.
“Just like the favor you did signing me up for the race last weekend.” Yamapi explained.
“So I apologize,” Yuya said frantically. He would say anything to get out of the cold water. “Come back and get me.”
Yamapi just grinned but let up a bit, not wanting to get away too quickly. It wouldn’t be responsible to leave Yuya in the water without making sure that rescue was imminent.
“YAMAPIIIIIIIII!” Yuya screamed when it occurred to him that Yamapi wasn’t going to let him get back on board. “THIS ISN’T FUNNY!”
“IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY YUYA, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR YOU!" Yamapi shouted back, pointing toward the shore where a man was running across his flagstone patio.
Yuya looked over his shoulder and recognized the man and the house, and in that brief moment, he understood his housemate’s intentions. Yuya threw Yamapi a vengeful look that left him in no doubt that he had better watch his back for the next month or so, then he turned over onto his stomach and started swimming towards the shore.
Massu vaulted the low wall and skidded to a stop on the shore when he realized the person in the water was swimming towards him, apparently without any trouble. He relaxed, but wondered why the sailboat wasn’t coming around to pick up the man overboard. Then he looked up and recognized the man at the stern. Yamapi gave him a brief salute and levered the boat into a turn that headed him back down the channel.
Startled, Massu stared at the swimmer, who had reached the muddy banks just a few yards away. He was afraid to move because he knew he was dreaming and he didn’t want to break the spell as he watched the man he loves swim towards him.
Yuya finally stood up, stumbling a little because the mud wasn’t easy to walk in and his soaked clothes weren’t helping. They clung to his limbs and nearly paralyzed his movements. He slogged through the last bit of water, wondering what in the hell he was going to say to Massu. If he had ever imagined seeing him again, it was definitely not under the circumstances that is remotely close to this.
Still furious at Yamapi for forcing this meeting and for making him face Massu when he looked no better than a dog that had rolled in a puddle, he stopped mutinously in about six inches of water and waited for Massu to acknowledge his presence.
Massu couldn’t believe his eyes. In front of him stands a Yuya he had never seen before.
His Yuya was designer jeans and mud and soft jackets and sweaters. He was silk and satin, fragile colors and delicate fabric. He was bold, exotic and so wonderfully sophisticated at times, he took his breath away.
This Yuya was dripping from his swim and filthy from stumbling in the murky shallows - and Massu wondered if Yuya would laugh if he told him he was, without a doubt, the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
“If you keep coming, I promise I’ll never let you go again,” he said softly, then held his breath. He suspected Yuya was seriously considering returning to the water and chasing after the boat. Anything was better than facing the man who had crushed his dreams.
Yuya’s heart nearly stopped at his words. His gaze traveled over the spotless jeans and sleeveless shirt. When his eyes reached Massu’s face, he knew he wasn’t teasing and he didn’t look at all unhappy to see him.
“You didn’t let me go,” he said, remembering again those terrible words that had sent Massu away. “I threw you out of my life.”
“I don’t blame you,” Massu said, stepping into the water and mud so that he could be near Yuya for one last time. He couldn’t imagine Yuya would ever agree to just forgive and forget. Stopping just inches from where Yuya stood, he continued. “If I could take back everything I said, I would do it in a flash. If I could trade everything I have for another chance with you, I would do it in a second.”
Relief and joy and love swept through Yuya as he realized Massu wanted him back. It wasn’t too late, he thought, and his heart swelled with love as he understood that Massu had also been hurting just as badly as he was over words spoken in anger, and at the heat of the moment.
“It wasn’t like you thought,” he said quickly, seeing his chance and taking it before it was too late. “Yamapi didn’t tell me anything until that morning . . . . . and I didn’t even listen because I already knew everything I needed to know.” When Massu didn’t appear to understand, he reached up a hand that was still dripping wet and touched Massu’s lips with his fingers. “I love you Massu,” he murmured, shaking now because he was putting everything on the line and there was nowhere to fall if it didn’t work.
He waited, his fingers still on Massu’s lips, watching for some sign that would pull him form the edge and make him a whole person again. But Massu looked away and didn’t say a single word. Within seconds, Yuya knew he had tried and lost and almost cried as the tendrils of complete devastation reached out for him.
That was until Massu’s lips parted and his tongue slipped out to caress his fingers. He looked at Yuya then, his eyes blazing with such fierce joy that Yuya knew he had won. Uncaring that he was a sodden bedraggled mess, he threw his arms around Massu’s neck and pressed himself against the hard chest, crying out in sheer ecstasy when he felt him circle his waist in a hold that was so strong and sure and so very, very welcome.
Massu nuzzled his throat, then within moments, Yuya’s mouth was beneath his and he took his lips in a kiss that shattered whatever was left of conscious thought. Much later, when it occurred to him that there’s a perfectly good bed going to waste upstairs in his bedroom, he lifted Yuya into his arms and waded through the muck.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Massu stayed with Yuya in the shower because to let him go was inconceivable. He peeled the clammy garments from his body and joined in Yuya’s laughter when the zipper got stuck and he had to help him. They threw everything in the corner and stood together under the steaming water, learning again the pleasures of kissing.
In the end, Massu had to rush Yuya and washed Yuya’s hair himself because Yuya was taking his sweet time about it. Yuya made an effort of drying himself but gave up when Massu lifted him and carried him off to the bed.
Within moments, the beginning of the end was upon them, Massu realized with a tinge of regret, because making love to Yuya something he had never wanted to stop. Threading his fingers into Yuya’s, he kissed him briefly, then waited above him until Yuya opened his eyes to him, their depths a passionate whirlpool that tugged at his senses.
Yuya begged for his touch where he was hot and hard and wanting. He was going mad with wanting Massu but Massu refused to be rushed. Yuya tried to reach out, but was thwarted when Massu’s hands captured his and drew them aside.
“Tell me again that you love me,” he demanded softly, edging one knee between Yuya’s legs, then the other. Spreading him open beneath him, he waited with little patience. He wanted to hear the words as much as he wanted to be inside Yuya.
Yuya felt his breath wedge in his throat as he looked up at the man he had spent his whole life waiting for. Massu had not said he loved him but it didn’t matter. He only wanted to give Massu what he wanted, because he loves him too much to deny him anything.
“I love you," he said softly.
“You’re sure?” Massu asked, groaning as Yuya lifted his hips in a silent plea, crushing their hardness together.
“I’m quite sure,” Yuya breathed. “But I’m convinced I won’t like you very much if you keep stalling.”
“I’m not stalling,” Massu said with a grin. “I just wanted to hear you say it one more time, before I do.”
“Before you did what?”
“Told you I love you, of course.” Massu groaned with the effort it took to voice the words because Yuya wrapped his legs around his waist and forced the union he had been withholding. . . .proving yet again that once Yuya got it into his head to do something, there was no stopping him.
++++++++++++++++++++++
A few hours later, Yuya rolled over when Massu emerged from the bathroom. His eyes followed Massu’s movement as he walked towards the small table where he had left the pot of coffee and refilled his cup. The he tugged the towel from his hips. Yuya had to take a deep breath as Massu stretched with one arm, his tanned body a glorious view of sinew and strength.
He shivered a little, wanting to touch what his eyes caressed, and Massu grinned at him because he knew what Yuya was thinking. Yuya thought he was coming to do just that when he walked towards the bed, to touch and be touched, but Massu settled at the opposite side of the bed from him, sipping his coffee as his gaze drifted over Yuya’s half naked body. Yuya flushed at the deliberate provocative stare and felt frustrated because Massu kept himself out of his reach.
“Do you think Yamapi will get lonely when you move in with me?” Massu asked, his heart in his throat. Even though he knew Yuya would say yes to the real question, he had learned that with Yuya, he should never take joy for granted.
Suddenly, Yuya was glad there was space between them. “If that weren’t a marriage proposal, I think I’ll break your nose,” he said softly as he rose to kneel on the mattress.
“It is, more or less,” Massu said mildly, pretending to ignore Yuya’s delightfully aggressive position. “It’s a matter of protocol though. I’m not sure if I should ask your keeper first, so for now, I’d like to keep our discussion on the informal side.”
“You’re threading on thin ice, buster.” Eyes glinting, Yuya inched way toward Massu until their mouths were within kissing distance. If you think I’m going to go through Yamapi with this, then you’ve got another think coming.”
“You don’t listen to him anymore?” Massu teased, grasping a handful of the towel wrapped loosely around Yuya’s hips that’s serving as a shield between them.
“It’s not a matter of listening to him or not,” Yuya said softly. “I love you and I’m going to marry you whether you like it or not . . . and soon,” he added with a beaming smile.
“There’s a reason to hurry?” Massu teased, admitting to himself that he liked the idea of getting married soon. It was, after all, what he had intended to tell Yuya up in the mountain in the first place. Pulling firmly on the towel, he bared Yuya’s lower body and leaned forward as he reached out to run his finger over Yuya’s thighs.
Yuya gulped and tried to remember what he meant to say. “There are three reasons to hurry,” he said. “Beginning with my father. He’s the one who thinks Yamapi is a terrific housemate. As soon as he discovers I’ve left Yamapi for another man------“
“Yamapi’s going to tell him, is that what you think?” Massu asked dubiously as ran his fingers lightly up Yuya’s spine.
“Of course not,” Yuya said. Yuya hung on to Massu’s shoulders as he toyed with the nerve endings on the small of his back. “I’LL TELL HIM.”
Massu grinned and dropped a kiss on Yuya’s lips to show him he fully approved.
“There’s another reason to hurry,” Yuya murmured.
“What’s that?’ Massu asked, lowering his head to Yuya’s chest.
Yuya liked what he was doing, so much so that his words sounded a bit strangled. “My aunt - she’ll ask her plants to chart our horoscope and if our stars aren’t properly crossed or aligned or whatever, she’ll try to stop us.”
“Sounds serious,” Massu said. His shoulders shaking with laughter as he was diverted from what he was doing. Rolling onto the bed and taking Yuya with him, he rained kisses on his face, then said seriously. “I never allow an eccentric lady to get in my way.”
Yuya smiled into Massu’s eyes and remembered the third reason for rushing the nuptials. “If you don’t marry me in a hurry, I just might let Yamapi break your toes.”
“I’d like to see him try.” Massu joked.
“It’s what he’s trained for,” Yuya replied, his breath coming unevenly now because Massu’s gaze had changed from teasing to sexy and he knew what would happen if he didn’t slide from under him right then and there and make a run for the bathroom. He stayed where he was though because it was precisely where he wanted to be.
“I guess we’ll just have to get married right away then.” Massu drawled, quite pleased with himself because things had ended up right where he wanted them.
“I rather thought you’ll see it my way.” Yuya said.
Massu’s mouth covered his in a deep kiss, sealing the deal of a lifetime.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not over yet. . . . .(click here for the final ending . . .)
Final Chapter (part 3)
Massu prowled the length of his living room, hands shoved in his pockets as he waited for the doorbell to ring. Two o’clock, Koyama had said and he was still wondering why the man had insisted upon meeting at the house instead of the restaurant. He had tried to ask but Koyama had raced off to prevent some catastrophe in the kitchen and couldn’t be found later when Massu had gone looking for him.
Checking his watch with an irritated, jerky movement, he noticed that it was ten minutes past the time. He considered calling Koyama at the restaurant but decided against it, figuring the man might be on his way by now. So he waited, pacing back and forth because he hated being at his house. He had only to look outside at the patio to recall in vivid details the night Yuya had given him his trust and he had taken it.
“How do you know I’m not after your money?” he had asked then.
“Because I trust you.”
A harsh groan left his throat as he remembered. Yes, he had taken Yuya’s trust . . . . . and he had thrown it back in Yuya’s face . . . . because trust wasn’t something he was good at himself. Yuya couldn’t be expected to understand that, because he had not bothered to mention the cold -blooded way his ex-wife Kana weighed his monetary value before pretending to be in love with him.
All Yuya had done was to protect himself from suffering the same fate that had befallen his sister. It hurt his pride that Yuya had not made an exception in his case but then he didn’t have a sister who was victimized by a swindling bastard. And as long as he was being fair, Massu had to admit that he had taken one look at Yuya’s car and his gallery and he had judged him to be a safe date.
Standing by the window and watching a small sailboat head up the channel towards his house, Massu admitted that his iron will - his stubbornness as Koyama had put it - had crumbled just hours after Yuya had left him at the telephone booth. In its place was an anger he couldn’t hide, a virulent self disgust that ricocheted through all facets his life, driving him and everyone around him crazy.
It was too late now - he knew with a sense of utter hopelessness. Too late to change the way he had reacted, too late to take back the terrible things he had said on the mountain. And it was too late to tell Yuya that he loved him because Yuya would never believe him.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Yuya ducked when the boom swept past his head, then leaned over to trim the sail as Yamapi tucked the tiny sailboat across the waves. Settling back on the cushion he eyed Yamapi with a serious degree of mistrust. “You didn’t give me fair warning.”
“I tried,” Yamapi said, grinning. “But’ you were too busy daydreaming to notice.”
“I wasn’t daydreaming,” Yuya insisted stubbornly. “I’m planning what the south wall of the gallery would look like if the paintings come through.”
“No you weren’t,” Yamapi said. “You were thinking about Massu.”
Yuya shut his eyes and counted to ten. All Yamapi had done since they had left the dock was talk about Massu. It was Massu this and Massu that and how well the restaurant was doing until he was ready to scream at him to stop.
“You can’t go on like this, you know,” Yamapi continued. “If you keep trying to over-stubborn each other, you’ll drive everyone around you insane.”
“I’m not being stubborn,” Yuya countered.
“Obstinate then, or do you prefer hardheaded?" Yamapi said, digging in.
“He doesn’t want to see me,” Yuya ground out in a voice that almost broke because the crack in his heart widened each time he thought about it.
“At least you’re not pretending you don’t want to see him anymore,” Yamapi said quietly.
Yuya threw him a glare that bounced right back at him and made him feel worse. It wasn’t Yamapi’s fault. It was his own foolish pride that was keeping himself from going to Massu and telling him that Yamapi had not finished his report until after he had given him his trust.
But he had said the unforgivable to Massu, pushing him forever out of reach as his defenses had reacted wildly to his accusations. Get out of my life, Masuda Takahisa. Get out and stay out! The words would ring in his heart always, reminding him that he had been the one to put an end to any chance they had for a life together.
He swallowed and blinked rapidly to dispel the gathering tears. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Maybe if I get away for a while, I’ll get things back into perspective. Do you think Dad would like to see me for a few weeks?”
“Not in your mood,” Yamapi said shortly. “He’d just as soon shoot you as look at you.”
“I thought we were talking about Dad, not Massu.” Yuya joked halfheartedly.
“How do you know what Massu would do if you won’t talk to him?” Yamapi asked, not expecting an answer though. He concentrated on steering the boat along the narrow channel aiming for the two-storied house just several yards away. He turned again when he figured he was close enough, rightly this time, because he wanted to get it right the first time.
He wouldn’t get a second chance, he knew, because any minute now, Yuya would realize where they are.
“The sail’s caught,” Yamapi said, pointing to where it had snagged against the side of the sailboat. Yuya raised his eyebrows as though to indicate it would fix itself if Yamapi would just steer hard against the wind, but he obeyed because he was used to following Yamapi’s orders when he’s at the helm. Standing on the cushion, he leaned forward and tugged.
Yamapi took a deep breath and also leaned forward, just far enough to put his hand on Yuya's backside and shove him overboard.
~~
“I’m going to kill you!”
“That’s not a nice thing to say to someone who’s doing you a favor,” Yamapi said in a reasonable tone as he let the sail fill. The boat moved away from the man who was trying to swim towards it.
“Doing me a favor?” Furiously treading water, Yuya reached down to remove one shoe and threw it at Yamapi with a menacing look. It sank short of his target, but he tried again with the other shoe because he was too mad to stop himself.
“Just like the favor you did signing me up for the race last weekend.” Yamapi explained.
“So I apologize,” Yuya said frantically. He would say anything to get out of the cold water. “Come back and get me.”
Yamapi just grinned but let up a bit, not wanting to get away too quickly. It wouldn’t be responsible to leave Yuya in the water without making sure that rescue was imminent.
“YAMAPIIIIIIIII!” Yuya screamed when it occurred to him that Yamapi wasn’t going to let him get back on board. “THIS ISN’T FUNNY!”
“IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY YUYA, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR YOU!" Yamapi shouted back, pointing toward the shore where a man was running across his flagstone patio.
Yuya looked over his shoulder and recognized the man and the house, and in that brief moment, he understood his housemate’s intentions. Yuya threw Yamapi a vengeful look that left him in no doubt that he had better watch his back for the next month or so, then he turned over onto his stomach and started swimming towards the shore.
Massu vaulted the low wall and skidded to a stop on the shore when he realized the person in the water was swimming towards him, apparently without any trouble. He relaxed, but wondered why the sailboat wasn’t coming around to pick up the man overboard. Then he looked up and recognized the man at the stern. Yamapi gave him a brief salute and levered the boat into a turn that headed him back down the channel.
Startled, Massu stared at the swimmer, who had reached the muddy banks just a few yards away. He was afraid to move because he knew he was dreaming and he didn’t want to break the spell as he watched the man he loves swim towards him.
Yuya finally stood up, stumbling a little because the mud wasn’t easy to walk in and his soaked clothes weren’t helping. They clung to his limbs and nearly paralyzed his movements. He slogged through the last bit of water, wondering what in the hell he was going to say to Massu. If he had ever imagined seeing him again, it was definitely not under the circumstances that is remotely close to this.
Still furious at Yamapi for forcing this meeting and for making him face Massu when he looked no better than a dog that had rolled in a puddle, he stopped mutinously in about six inches of water and waited for Massu to acknowledge his presence.
Massu couldn’t believe his eyes. In front of him stands a Yuya he had never seen before.
His Yuya was designer jeans and mud and soft jackets and sweaters. He was silk and satin, fragile colors and delicate fabric. He was bold, exotic and so wonderfully sophisticated at times, he took his breath away.
This Yuya was dripping from his swim and filthy from stumbling in the murky shallows - and Massu wondered if Yuya would laugh if he told him he was, without a doubt, the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
“If you keep coming, I promise I’ll never let you go again,” he said softly, then held his breath. He suspected Yuya was seriously considering returning to the water and chasing after the boat. Anything was better than facing the man who had crushed his dreams.
Yuya’s heart nearly stopped at his words. His gaze traveled over the spotless jeans and sleeveless shirt. When his eyes reached Massu’s face, he knew he wasn’t teasing and he didn’t look at all unhappy to see him.
“You didn’t let me go,” he said, remembering again those terrible words that had sent Massu away. “I threw you out of my life.”
“I don’t blame you,” Massu said, stepping into the water and mud so that he could be near Yuya for one last time. He couldn’t imagine Yuya would ever agree to just forgive and forget. Stopping just inches from where Yuya stood, he continued. “If I could take back everything I said, I would do it in a flash. If I could trade everything I have for another chance with you, I would do it in a second.”
Relief and joy and love swept through Yuya as he realized Massu wanted him back. It wasn’t too late, he thought, and his heart swelled with love as he understood that Massu had also been hurting just as badly as he was over words spoken in anger, and at the heat of the moment.
“It wasn’t like you thought,” he said quickly, seeing his chance and taking it before it was too late. “Yamapi didn’t tell me anything until that morning . . . . . and I didn’t even listen because I already knew everything I needed to know.” When Massu didn’t appear to understand, he reached up a hand that was still dripping wet and touched Massu’s lips with his fingers. “I love you Massu,” he murmured, shaking now because he was putting everything on the line and there was nowhere to fall if it didn’t work.
He waited, his fingers still on Massu’s lips, watching for some sign that would pull him form the edge and make him a whole person again. But Massu looked away and didn’t say a single word. Within seconds, Yuya knew he had tried and lost and almost cried as the tendrils of complete devastation reached out for him.
That was until Massu’s lips parted and his tongue slipped out to caress his fingers. He looked at Yuya then, his eyes blazing with such fierce joy that Yuya knew he had won. Uncaring that he was a sodden bedraggled mess, he threw his arms around Massu’s neck and pressed himself against the hard chest, crying out in sheer ecstasy when he felt him circle his waist in a hold that was so strong and sure and so very, very welcome.
Massu nuzzled his throat, then within moments, Yuya’s mouth was beneath his and he took his lips in a kiss that shattered whatever was left of conscious thought. Much later, when it occurred to him that there’s a perfectly good bed going to waste upstairs in his bedroom, he lifted Yuya into his arms and waded through the muck.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Massu stayed with Yuya in the shower because to let him go was inconceivable. He peeled the clammy garments from his body and joined in Yuya’s laughter when the zipper got stuck and he had to help him. They threw everything in the corner and stood together under the steaming water, learning again the pleasures of kissing.
In the end, Massu had to rush Yuya and washed Yuya’s hair himself because Yuya was taking his sweet time about it. Yuya made an effort of drying himself but gave up when Massu lifted him and carried him off to the bed.
Within moments, the beginning of the end was upon them, Massu realized with a tinge of regret, because making love to Yuya something he had never wanted to stop. Threading his fingers into Yuya’s, he kissed him briefly, then waited above him until Yuya opened his eyes to him, their depths a passionate whirlpool that tugged at his senses.
Yuya begged for his touch where he was hot and hard and wanting. He was going mad with wanting Massu but Massu refused to be rushed. Yuya tried to reach out, but was thwarted when Massu’s hands captured his and drew them aside.
“Tell me again that you love me,” he demanded softly, edging one knee between Yuya’s legs, then the other. Spreading him open beneath him, he waited with little patience. He wanted to hear the words as much as he wanted to be inside Yuya.
Yuya felt his breath wedge in his throat as he looked up at the man he had spent his whole life waiting for. Massu had not said he loved him but it didn’t matter. He only wanted to give Massu what he wanted, because he loves him too much to deny him anything.
“I love you," he said softly.
“You’re sure?” Massu asked, groaning as Yuya lifted his hips in a silent plea, crushing their hardness together.
“I’m quite sure,” Yuya breathed. “But I’m convinced I won’t like you very much if you keep stalling.”
“I’m not stalling,” Massu said with a grin. “I just wanted to hear you say it one more time, before I do.”
“Before you did what?”
“Told you I love you, of course.” Massu groaned with the effort it took to voice the words because Yuya wrapped his legs around his waist and forced the union he had been withholding. . . .proving yet again that once Yuya got it into his head to do something, there was no stopping him.
++++++++++++++++++++++
A few hours later, Yuya rolled over when Massu emerged from the bathroom. His eyes followed Massu’s movement as he walked towards the small table where he had left the pot of coffee and refilled his cup. The he tugged the towel from his hips. Yuya had to take a deep breath as Massu stretched with one arm, his tanned body a glorious view of sinew and strength.
He shivered a little, wanting to touch what his eyes caressed, and Massu grinned at him because he knew what Yuya was thinking. Yuya thought he was coming to do just that when he walked towards the bed, to touch and be touched, but Massu settled at the opposite side of the bed from him, sipping his coffee as his gaze drifted over Yuya’s half naked body. Yuya flushed at the deliberate provocative stare and felt frustrated because Massu kept himself out of his reach.
“Do you think Yamapi will get lonely when you move in with me?” Massu asked, his heart in his throat. Even though he knew Yuya would say yes to the real question, he had learned that with Yuya, he should never take joy for granted.
Suddenly, Yuya was glad there was space between them. “If that weren’t a marriage proposal, I think I’ll break your nose,” he said softly as he rose to kneel on the mattress.
“It is, more or less,” Massu said mildly, pretending to ignore Yuya’s delightfully aggressive position. “It’s a matter of protocol though. I’m not sure if I should ask your keeper first, so for now, I’d like to keep our discussion on the informal side.”
“You’re threading on thin ice, buster.” Eyes glinting, Yuya inched way toward Massu until their mouths were within kissing distance. If you think I’m going to go through Yamapi with this, then you’ve got another think coming.”
“You don’t listen to him anymore?” Massu teased, grasping a handful of the towel wrapped loosely around Yuya’s hips that’s serving as a shield between them.
“It’s not a matter of listening to him or not,” Yuya said softly. “I love you and I’m going to marry you whether you like it or not . . . and soon,” he added with a beaming smile.
“There’s a reason to hurry?” Massu teased, admitting to himself that he liked the idea of getting married soon. It was, after all, what he had intended to tell Yuya up in the mountain in the first place. Pulling firmly on the towel, he bared Yuya’s lower body and leaned forward as he reached out to run his finger over Yuya’s thighs.
Yuya gulped and tried to remember what he meant to say. “There are three reasons to hurry,” he said. “Beginning with my father. He’s the one who thinks Yamapi is a terrific housemate. As soon as he discovers I’ve left Yamapi for another man------“
“Yamapi’s going to tell him, is that what you think?” Massu asked dubiously as ran his fingers lightly up Yuya’s spine.
“Of course not,” Yuya said. Yuya hung on to Massu’s shoulders as he toyed with the nerve endings on the small of his back. “I’LL TELL HIM.”
Massu grinned and dropped a kiss on Yuya’s lips to show him he fully approved.
“There’s another reason to hurry,” Yuya murmured.
“What’s that?’ Massu asked, lowering his head to Yuya’s chest.
Yuya liked what he was doing, so much so that his words sounded a bit strangled. “My aunt - she’ll ask her plants to chart our horoscope and if our stars aren’t properly crossed or aligned or whatever, she’ll try to stop us.”
“Sounds serious,” Massu said. His shoulders shaking with laughter as he was diverted from what he was doing. Rolling onto the bed and taking Yuya with him, he rained kisses on his face, then said seriously. “I never allow an eccentric lady to get in my way.”
Yuya smiled into Massu’s eyes and remembered the third reason for rushing the nuptials. “If you don’t marry me in a hurry, I just might let Yamapi break your toes.”
“I’d like to see him try.” Massu joked.
“It’s what he’s trained for,” Yuya replied, his breath coming unevenly now because Massu’s gaze had changed from teasing to sexy and he knew what would happen if he didn’t slide from under him right then and there and make a run for the bathroom. He stayed where he was though because it was precisely where he wanted to be.
“I guess we’ll just have to get married right away then.” Massu drawled, quite pleased with himself because things had ended up right where he wanted them.
“I rather thought you’ll see it my way.” Yuya said.
Massu’s mouth covered his in a deep kiss, sealing the deal of a lifetime.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not over yet. . . . .(click here for the final ending . . .)