Akari/Gareki 2 Part 1
Part 1
---
“Come on, Gareki-kuuuun! Onegai? Please please please please?” Yogi whined. He was latched onto Gareki’s arm as the younger man sat, irritated, on a plush couch in the waiting area of the research tower.They had spent the night and it was now morning. Nai had been kept in observation overnight as he had suddenly suffered another bout of headaches and unconsciousness, and Yogi had refused to leave him there. Gareki had stayed, to stop Yogi from traumatizing the niji when Nai finally woke up.
“Garekiiii! Akari-sensei is probably really mad at me, so next time I have a checkup he’s going to stick needles in me and shout at me and wahhhhh!!!” Yogi burst into tears, and a vein in Gareki’s forehead throbbed. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep because the blond idiot had snuck into his room and kept him up by being excited they were having a sleepover together and regaled Gareki with stories until the teen had finally threatened him with cruel and unusual ways to kill him. Even then, Yogi’s sniffling and muttering of ‘Gareki is so mean to me!’ throughout the night kept him plenty awake, and it was only at around dawn that Gareki finally fell unconscious. It was safe to say Gareki was extremely irritated.
“SHUT UP!” he yelled when Yogi’s pathetic pleading finally made him snap. He shoved at the young man but it was as if Yogi was attached surgically to his arm. “Get. Off.” He said menacingly, his dark aura permeating through the room.
Some nurses and scientists were now staring at them. He glared around and everyone scurried away.
“Please, Gareki-kun? Akari-sensei doesn’t yell at you like he does to me, and I just want to apologize!” Yogi wailed, turning teary, puppy eyes up at the teen.
Gareki held his gaze, then looked away with a huff of disgust. “Fine. If it’ll stop your pathetic whining. And get off me!”
He turned his heel, ignoring Yogi’s abrupt about-face in mood and the ‘Yay! Thanks, Gareki!’. As he wandered into the corridor wondering where the doctor would most likely be, he couldn’t help but feel like he got played. “Ugh,” he groaned.
---
After what seemed like countless awkward conversations with random people walking around the research tower and detours into various labs and exam rooms, he finally made his way towards the living quarters. He held back a scoff of disbelief - it was already well into the morning and the SSS ranked doctor was still not awake? Didn’t he have patients or something to tend to? Or at least papers to do? Gareki shook his head. It was none of his business.
He hesitated in front of the door that some subordinate had directed him (with a suspicious expression, no less!). Gareki cursed Yogi and his own inability to break promises, and lifted a hand to knock. At the same moment, something hit the wall on the other side and Gareki flinched in surprise.
“What?” a sleep-husky voice said irritatedly from inside. Rustling noises like someone climbing out of bed could be heard faintly.
Gareki fished around for something to say, realising the stupidity of this mission he’d inadvertently taken on, but settled for, “It’s Gareki.”
The door opened, and Gareki was mildly surprised at how unkempt the doctor looked. It looked like he had spent the night drinking and slept in his work clothes. Akari’s tie was missing, and his shirt was unbuttoned until the third button. His normally neat trousers were crinkled heavily, and his usual white lab coat was missing. He raised a slim eyebrow.
Akari just leaned a hand on the doorframe and looked at him with annoyance. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?” he asked. He knew he probably looked a sight, and pushed back his rumpled fringe. Damn that Hirato and Tsukitachi. They set out to get him drunk and loosen his mouth, most likely.
Gareki crossed his arms uncomfortably. “No.” He got straight to the point, “Yogi says he’s sorry about yesterday.” He relaxed his arms, turned on his heel and made to leave; he’d completed what he’d set out to do.
A large hand closed around his forearm. He looked at it with irritation and shot Akari a questioning look.
Akari didn’t miss a beat. “Shouldn’t you be apologizing too?”
“For what?” Gareki deadpanned, trying to shake off Akari’s surprisingly strong grip. As much as he had a neutral, almost comfortably neutral, relationship with the older man, it took a lot to drag an apology from Gareki’s mouth, especially over something so trivial.
Akari released him. “You threw the mascot. I was publicly humiliated in front of you bunch of second ship eyesores.” Akari wasn’t quite sure why he couldn’t just let things lie. Then he recalled the goddamn soft toy he had woken up next to, and his ego flared again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Gareki said blandly. He turned around again and walked awa -
He was yanked rudely backwards and felt his balance go out from under him. He prepared for the impact and to give that doctor a piece of his mind. But instead, he fell back into Akari’s chest as arms hooked beneath his armpits, and then he was pulled into the room, the door closing in front of him.
“Hey!” he protested, shoving himself away.
Akari also looked a little surprised. He didn’t know what had come over him. His head was still slightly unclear from the drinking the night before, but that was no excuse for bodily offending the teenager. He mentally checked his vitals - increased heart rate, increased release of serotonin and endorphins, head still woozy but rate of recovery excellent - and didn’t even notice his body moving forwards to back Gareki against the door.
“O-oi!” Gareki stuttered, flustered by the doctor’s advance. He was confused at the way the older man was acting and how blood was rushing to his cheeks. “Back off.”
Akari’s head spun with observational data. There was only a single conclusion as to why his body was behaving so oddly, and it was definitely not what he expected. He raised a hand and curled it into Gareki’s flimsy tee. With a short pull, they were mere inches from each other. He watched Gareki’s eyes widen as he realised what was happening, but before he could protest, Akari sealed his lips over the teen’s.
Gareki gasped involuntarily, opening his mouth to Akari’s onslaught. He grimaced as the taste of alcohol permeated his senses, but couldn’t help but relax minutely in the other man’s grasp. He was pulled upwards until his heels were off the ground… This was not how Gareki envisioned this trivial meeting to go! And sure, Gareki had kissed people before (correction, a person, Tsubame, and it had been a complete accident involving tripping and profuse spitting from both parties afterwards), but he never expected himself to be engaged in a liplock with someone more than twice his age, and male at that! He protested against Akari’s lips, the muffled sound seeming to snap them out of it.
They both backed away after that, Gareki with an expression of shock and Akari with a contemplative one.
Gareki was spurred into motion. “What the hell?!” he wiped at his mouth, trying to get the taste of alcohol and saliva and Akari out of his mouth. “You perverted son of a - “
“Did you like it?” Akari interrupted. He trained his eyes on Gareki’s shaking hands.
“What?! No! Why would you even ask?” Gareki yelled, face flushed with embarrassment and anger at being harassed.
Akari merely kept his expression blank and stepped forward again. Gareki backed away with equal speed, the hand not at his mouth closing around the door handle. “Gareki,” Akari began.
The door opened and slammed shut again as Gareki turned heel and dashed away.
Akari frowned. What had gotten over him? He just molested a 15 year old boy… and liked it. His thoughts were troubled as he unbuttoned his shirt and headed for the shower.
---
It was safe to say that when Gareki came back, his mood had darkened considerably. That was saying a lot, and Yogi immediately shied away when Gareki approached him.
“Itaaai!” he screeched, as Gareki slugged him out of nowhere.
“We’re leaving.” Gareki said abruptly, face dark.
“But-but - Nai - “
“Now.”
“Uh - uhh - O-okay, Gareki-kun. We’ll just come back later to pick him - “
Gareki’s glare was a solid force. “O-okay! Maybe we can ask Tsukumo-chan to fetch Nai. Ahaha - hahaha….”
---
Yogi was worried. Ever since he’d shamefully asked Gareki-kun to apologize to Akari-sensei on his behalf, Gareki had been somewhat tense. Each time they came into contact with personnel from the Research Tower, Gareki stiffened and stayed completely out of the conversation, ignoring him even as Yogi tried to include him.
While it was true that Yogi was ignored by the teen on a regular basis, that pattern was just too strange to ignore. Yogi didn’t like it when his friends were troubled, so he was going to get to the bottom of this! If he had to face Akari-sensei (he shivered), he would find out what was on Gareki-kun’s mind, since Gareki was set on blowing him off every time he brought up the incident.
---
Yogi shuddered as the needle glinted in the light, moving towards his arm with unbelievable speed. “Ouch,” he winced. Akari-sensei was really ruthless with injections. His arm tingled uncomfortably as the fluid started to take effect.
As he cowered in his chair after Akari-sensei removed the needle and set about replacing the patch, he gathered his courage. “Ano, Akari-sensei?”
Akari set his eyes on him and Yogi cowered even more. “C-can I ask you something?”
The doctor seemed to acquiesce as he continued preparing the replacement patch. “Don’t ask anything stupid.”
Yogi clenched his fists in determination. “Um, did something h-happen to Gareki-kun when he came to see you?” He looked on in growing fear as Akari’s hands stopped. His lower lip wobbled. Tears started to flow as he wailed, “Gareki-kun has been ignoring me when I ask him~! I just want to know if he’s okay. Did he trip over and hurt himself? Is he just embarrassed? What if he has a rare and dangerous medical condition that you only recently found and he’s -“
A menacing aura stopped his hysterical ramble. Akari-sensei was pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “I told you not to ask anything stupid. Shut up and stay still.”
Akari-sensei’s eyes flashed dangerously. He ripped the old patch off and pressed the new one on roughly, with more force than seemed necessary.
Yogi left with a lightly smarting arm, no answers, and severe mental trauma.
---
Akari pored over data sets in his office. His forehead throbbed as
---
A few days later, the second ship’s crew met with the first ship’s crew in the largest common room on the second ship. A large banquet table was filled with delicious foods from all different regions. Bottles of wine and jugs of sparkling juice and other drinks lay scattered along its length, and the chandelier hanging above the table threw scattered light across the decorated room. The table was set for seating, since last time they had so many people in one place for a celebration, things had gotten out of hand as Kiichi and Yogi had squabbled over a variety of different dishes, eventually splitting a corner off the table and food had slid down everywhere.
Circus had just completed a complicated simultaneous raid, and after performing and celebrating with a circus in the nearby town, it was time to wind down. It was not uncommon for the two teams to work together, but it was not often that they would celebrate together since another mission was always waiting. This time, there was no such urgency, and everything unpleasant could be pushed to the day after.
“Nai-chan!” Yogi happily called out. “Come and sit next to me! You too, Gareki-kun!” Everyone had arrived and were now meandering towards the table in pairs or by themselves.
Gareki ignored Yogi’s request and took the seat opposite Nai, a single empty seat to his right and a few to his left. There were seats at either end of the table as well. He smirked at Yogi’s complaint of “Does Gareki-kun hate me~~~~?” and Nai’s hurried, “No, no! I like you very much too, Yogi-chan!” He felt very much comfortable and, dare he say relaxed, at the moment. Tsukumo took a seat to his left, head turned towards Eva who was chatting loudly about Tsukumo’s lovely outfit, and Jiki was being bitten out by Kiichi and - Gareki felt so at home that he was somewhat unsettled.
He twisted his head around to eye the door. Hirato and Tsukitachi were still yet to show their faces and his eyes were dragged back, hungrily roaming over the food splayed out in front of him even as his stomach grumbled. Tsukumo looked his way then and she gave a small amused smile, to which Gareki glanced away with one of his own. He had gradually ended up getting along well with Tsukumo - she wasn’t loud and annoying that like a lot of others, and she respected his privacy. The others probably couldn’t tell, because they were both predisposed to showing little emotion, but Tsukumo knew she was let into Gareki’s heart at least just a little. It also helped that she was female, and whether Gareki knew it or not, he had a weakness for females and kids.
Gareki jerked in his seat as double doors slammed open with a bang and Tsukitachi’s voice rang out, “I hope you didn’t start without us~!”
But it was the other voice that had him freezing. “Unhand me, you deranged lowlife! I don’t have time for Circus’s frivolities!”
That was Akari. Gareki hoped to anyone that was listening that the doctor would somehow worm his way out of the dinner, but he already knew the chances of that were slim when he heard two more voices.
“Oh come on, Akari-san. Even someone with your type of personality should socialise with others now and then.” Hirato.
“Yes, it’s important for the body, dear pupil!” The old man.
Akari growled, “Watch your mouth, Hirato.” He wrenched his arm from Tsukitachi’s hold and sent his most hateful glare towards the three that had dragged him into this unwanted celebration. He knew he should have immediately left after the meeting, but his sensei had trapped him in one of his outbursts and before he knew it, Tsukitachi had grabbed him.
Then, he spied the black mop of hair that had seemingly frozen, and he groaned mentally. He still hadn’t worked out why he’d kissed the teen that day and he was not looking forward to be in his company for the next few hours.
He aimed for the seat at the end of the table near Eva and Jiki, hoping to stay as far from Gareki as possible, but somehow before he could take a step, his sensei did a giant leap (“Oh Eva! It’s so nice to see you after so loooo~ng!”) and made there before him. He let out an annoyed huff.
“Come now, Akari-chan. It can’t be that bad to sit near us~” Tsukitachi said over his shoulder as he and Hirato headed forward.
Akari was left with no choice but to follow. “It is, you two bastards.”
And as fate would have it, Gareki ended up seated next to the doctor.
---
Akari was unbelievably frustrated. He wanted to lean over the tiny gap between their chairs and slap that food from Gareki’s hand. The way the teen ate was obscene! And by the way he was engaged in an argument with Yogi diagonally across the table from him and still shoving the food into his mouth now and again, he was definitely not aware of it.
Speared at the end of Gareki’s fork was a special type of shellfish only found in warm rainforest climates, and while the shell had already been removed, the traditional way of consuming such food was to dip it into viscous mayonnaise-like sauce. Akari was having trouble tearing his gaze away from the way Gareki’s white teeth bit down onto the delicacy, pink tongue darting out absently to lap up the sauce that trickled down the sides and onto the fork.
Damn it. Akari thought to himself, trying to distance himself from the warm body on his left. He took another mouthful of the red wine, and carefully reached for another piece of meat.
He felt Hirato’s gaze fix on his face as he drew his hand back. “Something you want to say?” he asked rudely.
Hirato only hummed, swirling his own glass of alcohol in his hand. “Oh, nothing.” He said lightly. “You just don’t seem like yourself this evening, Akari-san.”
Tsukitachi’s attention was brought onto the doctor now, and he tilted his head. “Really? Akari-chan seems as gruff as he normally is. Which means he must be enjoying himself as usual, ne?”
Akari glared. “Don’t even think for a moment that I enjoy your company,” he directed at both captains. “I am always forced into these situations.”
“Oh now, don’t be like that~” Tsukitachi said, waving his forked vegetable around. “Look at how happy everyone is to be together!”
Akari gave him a look that said he could care less.
Hirato merely hummed and continued watched Akari’s reactions carefully, noting with interest that he had previously shifted away from the teen beside him and now, as Gareki sipped at his drink, Akari’s body tensed even as he continued to eat calmly. This was worth keeping a tab on, if what his instincts told him was correct. Very interesting.
“More wine, Akari-chan~?”
---
---
Gareki was walking towards the conference room when he heard an efficient, familiar set of footsteps approach him from behind. He slowed down, and turned his head to confirm. Akari made his way towards him, clipboard in arm and the bottom of his coat flaring with his long strides. Gareki tucked his hands into his pockets and waited til Akari had caught up with him before continuing on. They were both silent until they reached the conference room. When it became apparent that nobody else was present just yet, Akari’s arm shot out to pull Gareki behind the door so that anybody casually walking past wouldn’t spy them.
He bent down and pressed a soft kiss against Gareki’s lips. He relinquished his hold on Gareki’s arm in favour of gently cupping his jaw and their kiss deepened as Akari tilted the teen’s head a little to gain better access.
Gareki lifted a hand to wrap around Akari’s wrist, and they broke apart. Gareki was mildly mortified at how much blood had rushed to his cheeks and by the pervert’s pleased expression, he probably looked a mess too. “The others are going to be here soon.” He hissed quietly.
“I know,” Akari replied, fingering a soft black lock that hung beside Gareki’s eyes. “I wanted to kiss you before you left.”
Gareki flushed horribly even more. He muttered, “I told you to stop saying things like that.” His gaze was everywhere except Akari’s face.
Loud footsteps accompanied by a jangling sound approached them. Quickly, they separated, Gareki patting down his mussed hair and Akari straightening his coat once more.
“Ahh, you’re already here, Akari-san, Gareki-kun.” Hirato said smoothly as he stepped into the room, keen eyes resting on Gareki’s suspiciously pink cheeks before darting to Akari. “I hope everything is well.”
Akari nodded curtly, eyes sliding over to witness the blush finally disappear from Gareki’s cheeks.
Hirato had a pretty good idea what was happening in the room before he had arrived and he was somewhat glad it had been himself that turned up first. The others would probably not have noticed anything at all, but this merely strengthened his suspicions.
---
“Gareki-kun,” Tsukumo said, knocking lightly before pressing the door and stepping inside Gareki and Nai’s shared bedroom. “Akari-sensei would like to see you at the Research Tower as soon as possible. I’ll be taking you there, okay?”
Gareki’s eyebrow rose as he looked up from his reading. He mentally noted the page number and snapped it closed. “Do you know why?”
“Mm-mm,” Tsukumo shook her head. “He didn’t say. Yogi has just come back so perhaps he wants to give you a checkup too.” He face became worried. “Akari-sensei’s mood will not be the best. And it’s already so late.”
Gareki growled internally. That pervert doctor probably had ill-intentions for him.
“Gareki-kun?”
He met Tsukumo’s concerned gaze. “Hn, it’s fine. Let’s go.” He shrugged on a jacket over his asymmetrical tank and shoved his feet into some laced boots.
“Okay.” Tsukumo replied. “Sensei said he might need to keep you in overnight observation depending on how the checkup goes, so I’ll come and get you in the morning if it comes to that. Let’s go.”
Might keep me in overnight observation? My ass. Gareki thought to himself. There’s a 100% chance I’m not coming back to the ship tonight.
---
“Gareki-kun has arrived, Akari-sensei.” A nurse informed him.
“Take him to A-7. I’ll be with him shortly.”
“Hai, sensei!”
Ten minutes later, a beep announced Akari’s approach and the door to room A-7 slid open with a hum shortly afterwards.
Gareki looked up from examining the large medical machine at the side of the room and frowned. “Am I actually here for a checkup?” he asked bluntly.
Akari just smirked. “Yes, and no.”
He picked up the high-tech tablet cum clipboard at the end of the bed with Gareki’s vitals measurements from the previous checkup. He swiped his finger across the screen, identifying of any mild anomalies. “Your red cell count was lower than normal last time… and your personality still hasn’t improved from the first checkup,” he said amusedly.
“Teme…”
“Don’t get anxious now. You’ll be fine, after I’m finish with you.”
Gareki shot him a narrowed looked. “I know where your mind is headed. Don’t even go there or I’ll kill you.”
Akari’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Tch.”
“Sit.”
Gareki acquiesced, pulling off his jacket so the doctor could reach his chest and neck without interference. His goggles were also tugged off.
A cool breeze brushed Gareki’s exposed skin as Akari swiftly stepped in close to beside his knees, his body heat making Gareki want to inch closer. He shivered involuntarily when the cold circle of a stethoscope head pressed against his heart, pausing as Akari listened to his breathing, and it moved to various spots over his ribcage, abdomen and onto his back.
Akari proceeded to tug Gareki towards the end of the bed where the frame rose above the mattress. “I’m going to take some blood,” the doctor explained. He brought Gareki’s arm to rest naturally on the bed-frame, wrapping a cuff around the teen’s upper arm and smoothly inserted the needle into the vein on the the inside of Gareki’s elbow. Gareki remained unfazed, choosing to stare forwards at the facing wall while the specimen tube filled with his blood.
Eventually, he felt the needle slide out again and Akari taped a cotton patch over the pinprick of red. They were silent as Akari rounded towards the large machine and inserted the tube of Gareki’s blood into it with a click. He picked up his digital clipboard again and data streamed onto the screen. His eyes quickly tracked through the information.
“Your levels of iron have improved. You’ve been eating more protein like I told you. Good. Your red cell count has rebalanced as well. ”
“… Can I go then?” Gareki asked, expression bland.
Akari clicked the tablet back onto the end of the bed. “No.” he said calmly. He turned on his heel and pressed at the keypad beside the door. A long beep was heard and the lighted panel above the double doors turned blue.
[Door locked], it flashed once before disappearing. The lights in the room shut off so that only soft moonlight streamed into the room from the window beside the bed was the only illumination.
Gareki glared at the older man. “Is there something else?”
Akari’s expression suddenly became tired as he moved gracefully towards Gareki’s figure on the bed. “No,” he said. “But I would like it if you spent the night here.”
Gareki’s lips twisted. “What makes you think I’ll do that?”
Akari shed his jacket, draping it over the arm of the couch near the bed. His tie was next, and he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. Gareki eyed him carefully.
When the doctor reached him, he was pushed backwards onto the soft mattress. Still, he didn’t resist. Hands tugged off their shoes, and Gareki tried to scoot backwards as Akari slid forward to hover over him, their legs tangling. “Don’t worry,” Akari said with an amused expression. “I’m not going to do anything.”
He fell heavily on his side beside the smaller body, arms automatically wrapping around that slim waist to pull Gareki closer. He let out a sigh. “Don’t get up.”
Gareki had stiffened when Akari’s body came into contact with his, but he heard the exhausted tone of the doctor’s voice. As they lay there in the pool of moonlight, Gareki relaxed. “When was the last time you slept?” he asked quietly.
“Six days.”
Gareki twitched, twisting in the older man’s arms to face him. “What? Are you kidding me?”
Akari’s breath washed over Gareki’s lips as he replied, “There are always things that require my attention. I don’t usually require much rest, but these few days…” He trailed off.
Gareki sighed. He knew about the pace of the Varuga attacks as well as the next person. “Well. You can’t call me here each time you need a rest, alright?” he grumbled.
“Of course.”
Gareki closed his eyes. His eyelids fluttered lightly as a kiss was pressed against his lips and he hesitantly allowed it to deepen until Akari pulled away. One of Akari’s arms unwound from his waist and his eyes blinked open.
A soft blanket patterned with the Research Tower logo was pulled up to his shoulders. Gareki twisted again so that his back was to Akari, because even if he was conceding to be in the same bed as the doctor it didn’t mean he had to face him and feel steady breaths against his face as he tried to fall asleep.
But it was to nought, since a heavy arm dropped around his waist again and tugged him until he was flush against Akari’s chest. Gareki could feel a strong heartbeat against his chest and a nose buried in his hair and he tried not to think about how it lulled him into a peaceful rest. When he woke up the next morning sprawled comfortably across Akari’s wide chest with the doctor’s gaze focused on him with a strange intensity, he tried not to fall even deeper into something that was fast spiralling out of his control. Little did he know that Akari was facing similar troubles of his own.
---
Akari missed him. Gareki had been at that school for a week now, and it was humiliating to even think that he, a SSS-ranked elite, was worried that the teen would finally meet someone his own age and end up doing all those things that they had done in private. Akari was also angered that Gareki hadn’t told him about his plans before he’d left, leaving him find out from a status report of the Second Ship. Of course, what Gareki did with his life was not really his concern, but by now, Akari felt entitled to be told about these significant details personally.
There was a knock at his door. “Come in,” he called out, signing his name at the bottom of a report and recapping his pen.
“Good afternoon, Akari-san.” Hirato greeted smoothly. “I trust you are well?”
“Cut the pleasantries,” Akari said with a frown. He pushed his chair back and leafed through a stack of papers before pulling a stapled document out. He handed it to Hirato, who had stepped into his office quietly.
“This is the new data on Karoku’s status. His physical state is recovering well, but mentally he is in shock,” he told Hirato. “Keep me informed about Nai’s interactions with him.”
Hirato tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Of course. Thank you for your hard work.” He pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket. “Something for your troubles.” It was pressed into Akari’s palm, and Hirato’s eyes glinted and he smirked as he left in a blur, door clicking quietly behind him.
Akari’s teeth clenched. That flashy asshole. He unfolded the small piece of paper and looked at it with some trepidation.
Both Nai and Gareki have been provided with handphones. 00-948-xxx-xxxx.
A number and one sentence written in Hirato’s neat, curved handwriting. Akari had a right mind to hit something. Hirato knew. And had the nerve to mock him about it with information he could have easily gotten through his resources (though it had never occurred to Akari that Hirato would be game enough to give the two their own mobile devices). And knowing the captain’s ways, the phones were probably bugged in some way.
Nevertheless, Akari stared at the number thoughtfully.
---
Part 2
---
“Come on, Gareki-kuuuun! Onegai? Please please please please?” Yogi whined. He was latched onto Gareki’s arm as the younger man sat, irritated, on a plush couch in the waiting area of the research tower.They had spent the night and it was now morning. Nai had been kept in observation overnight as he had suddenly suffered another bout of headaches and unconsciousness, and Yogi had refused to leave him there. Gareki had stayed, to stop Yogi from traumatizing the niji when Nai finally woke up.
“Garekiiii! Akari-sensei is probably really mad at me, so next time I have a checkup he’s going to stick needles in me and shout at me and wahhhhh!!!” Yogi burst into tears, and a vein in Gareki’s forehead throbbed. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep because the blond idiot had snuck into his room and kept him up by being excited they were having a sleepover together and regaled Gareki with stories until the teen had finally threatened him with cruel and unusual ways to kill him. Even then, Yogi’s sniffling and muttering of ‘Gareki is so mean to me!’ throughout the night kept him plenty awake, and it was only at around dawn that Gareki finally fell unconscious. It was safe to say Gareki was extremely irritated.
“SHUT UP!” he yelled when Yogi’s pathetic pleading finally made him snap. He shoved at the young man but it was as if Yogi was attached surgically to his arm. “Get. Off.” He said menacingly, his dark aura permeating through the room.
Some nurses and scientists were now staring at them. He glared around and everyone scurried away.
“Please, Gareki-kun? Akari-sensei doesn’t yell at you like he does to me, and I just want to apologize!” Yogi wailed, turning teary, puppy eyes up at the teen.
Gareki held his gaze, then looked away with a huff of disgust. “Fine. If it’ll stop your pathetic whining. And get off me!”
He turned his heel, ignoring Yogi’s abrupt about-face in mood and the ‘Yay! Thanks, Gareki!’. As he wandered into the corridor wondering where the doctor would most likely be, he couldn’t help but feel like he got played. “Ugh,” he groaned.
---
After what seemed like countless awkward conversations with random people walking around the research tower and detours into various labs and exam rooms, he finally made his way towards the living quarters. He held back a scoff of disbelief - it was already well into the morning and the SSS ranked doctor was still not awake? Didn’t he have patients or something to tend to? Or at least papers to do? Gareki shook his head. It was none of his business.
He hesitated in front of the door that some subordinate had directed him (with a suspicious expression, no less!). Gareki cursed Yogi and his own inability to break promises, and lifted a hand to knock. At the same moment, something hit the wall on the other side and Gareki flinched in surprise.
“What?” a sleep-husky voice said irritatedly from inside. Rustling noises like someone climbing out of bed could be heard faintly.
Gareki fished around for something to say, realising the stupidity of this mission he’d inadvertently taken on, but settled for, “It’s Gareki.”
The door opened, and Gareki was mildly surprised at how unkempt the doctor looked. It looked like he had spent the night drinking and slept in his work clothes. Akari’s tie was missing, and his shirt was unbuttoned until the third button. His normally neat trousers were crinkled heavily, and his usual white lab coat was missing. He raised a slim eyebrow.
Akari just leaned a hand on the doorframe and looked at him with annoyance. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?” he asked. He knew he probably looked a sight, and pushed back his rumpled fringe. Damn that Hirato and Tsukitachi. They set out to get him drunk and loosen his mouth, most likely.
Gareki crossed his arms uncomfortably. “No.” He got straight to the point, “Yogi says he’s sorry about yesterday.” He relaxed his arms, turned on his heel and made to leave; he’d completed what he’d set out to do.
A large hand closed around his forearm. He looked at it with irritation and shot Akari a questioning look.
Akari didn’t miss a beat. “Shouldn’t you be apologizing too?”
“For what?” Gareki deadpanned, trying to shake off Akari’s surprisingly strong grip. As much as he had a neutral, almost comfortably neutral, relationship with the older man, it took a lot to drag an apology from Gareki’s mouth, especially over something so trivial.
Akari released him. “You threw the mascot. I was publicly humiliated in front of you bunch of second ship eyesores.” Akari wasn’t quite sure why he couldn’t just let things lie. Then he recalled the goddamn soft toy he had woken up next to, and his ego flared again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Gareki said blandly. He turned around again and walked awa -
He was yanked rudely backwards and felt his balance go out from under him. He prepared for the impact and to give that doctor a piece of his mind. But instead, he fell back into Akari’s chest as arms hooked beneath his armpits, and then he was pulled into the room, the door closing in front of him.
“Hey!” he protested, shoving himself away.
Akari also looked a little surprised. He didn’t know what had come over him. His head was still slightly unclear from the drinking the night before, but that was no excuse for bodily offending the teenager. He mentally checked his vitals - increased heart rate, increased release of serotonin and endorphins, head still woozy but rate of recovery excellent - and didn’t even notice his body moving forwards to back Gareki against the door.
“O-oi!” Gareki stuttered, flustered by the doctor’s advance. He was confused at the way the older man was acting and how blood was rushing to his cheeks. “Back off.”
Akari’s head spun with observational data. There was only a single conclusion as to why his body was behaving so oddly, and it was definitely not what he expected. He raised a hand and curled it into Gareki’s flimsy tee. With a short pull, they were mere inches from each other. He watched Gareki’s eyes widen as he realised what was happening, but before he could protest, Akari sealed his lips over the teen’s.
Gareki gasped involuntarily, opening his mouth to Akari’s onslaught. He grimaced as the taste of alcohol permeated his senses, but couldn’t help but relax minutely in the other man’s grasp. He was pulled upwards until his heels were off the ground… This was not how Gareki envisioned this trivial meeting to go! And sure, Gareki had kissed people before (correction, a person, Tsubame, and it had been a complete accident involving tripping and profuse spitting from both parties afterwards), but he never expected himself to be engaged in a liplock with someone more than twice his age, and male at that! He protested against Akari’s lips, the muffled sound seeming to snap them out of it.
They both backed away after that, Gareki with an expression of shock and Akari with a contemplative one.
Gareki was spurred into motion. “What the hell?!” he wiped at his mouth, trying to get the taste of alcohol and saliva and Akari out of his mouth. “You perverted son of a - “
“Did you like it?” Akari interrupted. He trained his eyes on Gareki’s shaking hands.
“What?! No! Why would you even ask?” Gareki yelled, face flushed with embarrassment and anger at being harassed.
Akari merely kept his expression blank and stepped forward again. Gareki backed away with equal speed, the hand not at his mouth closing around the door handle. “Gareki,” Akari began.
The door opened and slammed shut again as Gareki turned heel and dashed away.
Akari frowned. What had gotten over him? He just molested a 15 year old boy… and liked it. His thoughts were troubled as he unbuttoned his shirt and headed for the shower.
---
It was safe to say that when Gareki came back, his mood had darkened considerably. That was saying a lot, and Yogi immediately shied away when Gareki approached him.
“Itaaai!” he screeched, as Gareki slugged him out of nowhere.
“We’re leaving.” Gareki said abruptly, face dark.
“But-but - Nai - “
“Now.”
“Uh - uhh - O-okay, Gareki-kun. We’ll just come back later to pick him - “
Gareki’s glare was a solid force. “O-okay! Maybe we can ask Tsukumo-chan to fetch Nai. Ahaha - hahaha….”
---
Yogi was worried. Ever since he’d shamefully asked Gareki-kun to apologize to Akari-sensei on his behalf, Gareki had been somewhat tense. Each time they came into contact with personnel from the Research Tower, Gareki stiffened and stayed completely out of the conversation, ignoring him even as Yogi tried to include him.
While it was true that Yogi was ignored by the teen on a regular basis, that pattern was just too strange to ignore. Yogi didn’t like it when his friends were troubled, so he was going to get to the bottom of this! If he had to face Akari-sensei (he shivered), he would find out what was on Gareki-kun’s mind, since Gareki was set on blowing him off every time he brought up the incident.
---
Yogi shuddered as the needle glinted in the light, moving towards his arm with unbelievable speed. “Ouch,” he winced. Akari-sensei was really ruthless with injections. His arm tingled uncomfortably as the fluid started to take effect.
As he cowered in his chair after Akari-sensei removed the needle and set about replacing the patch, he gathered his courage. “Ano, Akari-sensei?”
Akari set his eyes on him and Yogi cowered even more. “C-can I ask you something?”
The doctor seemed to acquiesce as he continued preparing the replacement patch. “Don’t ask anything stupid.”
Yogi clenched his fists in determination. “Um, did something h-happen to Gareki-kun when he came to see you?” He looked on in growing fear as Akari’s hands stopped. His lower lip wobbled. Tears started to flow as he wailed, “Gareki-kun has been ignoring me when I ask him~! I just want to know if he’s okay. Did he trip over and hurt himself? Is he just embarrassed? What if he has a rare and dangerous medical condition that you only recently found and he’s -“
A menacing aura stopped his hysterical ramble. Akari-sensei was pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “I told you not to ask anything stupid. Shut up and stay still.”
Akari-sensei’s eyes flashed dangerously. He ripped the old patch off and pressed the new one on roughly, with more force than seemed necessary.
Yogi left with a lightly smarting arm, no answers, and severe mental trauma.
---
Akari pored over data sets in his office. His forehead throbbed as
---
A few days later, the second ship’s crew met with the first ship’s crew in the largest common room on the second ship. A large banquet table was filled with delicious foods from all different regions. Bottles of wine and jugs of sparkling juice and other drinks lay scattered along its length, and the chandelier hanging above the table threw scattered light across the decorated room. The table was set for seating, since last time they had so many people in one place for a celebration, things had gotten out of hand as Kiichi and Yogi had squabbled over a variety of different dishes, eventually splitting a corner off the table and food had slid down everywhere.
Circus had just completed a complicated simultaneous raid, and after performing and celebrating with a circus in the nearby town, it was time to wind down. It was not uncommon for the two teams to work together, but it was not often that they would celebrate together since another mission was always waiting. This time, there was no such urgency, and everything unpleasant could be pushed to the day after.
“Nai-chan!” Yogi happily called out. “Come and sit next to me! You too, Gareki-kun!” Everyone had arrived and were now meandering towards the table in pairs or by themselves.
Gareki ignored Yogi’s request and took the seat opposite Nai, a single empty seat to his right and a few to his left. There were seats at either end of the table as well. He smirked at Yogi’s complaint of “Does Gareki-kun hate me~~~~?” and Nai’s hurried, “No, no! I like you very much too, Yogi-chan!” He felt very much comfortable and, dare he say relaxed, at the moment. Tsukumo took a seat to his left, head turned towards Eva who was chatting loudly about Tsukumo’s lovely outfit, and Jiki was being bitten out by Kiichi and - Gareki felt so at home that he was somewhat unsettled.
He twisted his head around to eye the door. Hirato and Tsukitachi were still yet to show their faces and his eyes were dragged back, hungrily roaming over the food splayed out in front of him even as his stomach grumbled. Tsukumo looked his way then and she gave a small amused smile, to which Gareki glanced away with one of his own. He had gradually ended up getting along well with Tsukumo - she wasn’t loud and annoying that like a lot of others, and she respected his privacy. The others probably couldn’t tell, because they were both predisposed to showing little emotion, but Tsukumo knew she was let into Gareki’s heart at least just a little. It also helped that she was female, and whether Gareki knew it or not, he had a weakness for females and kids.
Gareki jerked in his seat as double doors slammed open with a bang and Tsukitachi’s voice rang out, “I hope you didn’t start without us~!”
But it was the other voice that had him freezing. “Unhand me, you deranged lowlife! I don’t have time for Circus’s frivolities!”
That was Akari. Gareki hoped to anyone that was listening that the doctor would somehow worm his way out of the dinner, but he already knew the chances of that were slim when he heard two more voices.
“Oh come on, Akari-san. Even someone with your type of personality should socialise with others now and then.” Hirato.
“Yes, it’s important for the body, dear pupil!” The old man.
Akari growled, “Watch your mouth, Hirato.” He wrenched his arm from Tsukitachi’s hold and sent his most hateful glare towards the three that had dragged him into this unwanted celebration. He knew he should have immediately left after the meeting, but his sensei had trapped him in one of his outbursts and before he knew it, Tsukitachi had grabbed him.
Then, he spied the black mop of hair that had seemingly frozen, and he groaned mentally. He still hadn’t worked out why he’d kissed the teen that day and he was not looking forward to be in his company for the next few hours.
He aimed for the seat at the end of the table near Eva and Jiki, hoping to stay as far from Gareki as possible, but somehow before he could take a step, his sensei did a giant leap (“Oh Eva! It’s so nice to see you after so loooo~ng!”) and made there before him. He let out an annoyed huff.
“Come now, Akari-chan. It can’t be that bad to sit near us~” Tsukitachi said over his shoulder as he and Hirato headed forward.
Akari was left with no choice but to follow. “It is, you two bastards.”
And as fate would have it, Gareki ended up seated next to the doctor.
---
Akari was unbelievably frustrated. He wanted to lean over the tiny gap between their chairs and slap that food from Gareki’s hand. The way the teen ate was obscene! And by the way he was engaged in an argument with Yogi diagonally across the table from him and still shoving the food into his mouth now and again, he was definitely not aware of it.
Speared at the end of Gareki’s fork was a special type of shellfish only found in warm rainforest climates, and while the shell had already been removed, the traditional way of consuming such food was to dip it into viscous mayonnaise-like sauce. Akari was having trouble tearing his gaze away from the way Gareki’s white teeth bit down onto the delicacy, pink tongue darting out absently to lap up the sauce that trickled down the sides and onto the fork.
Damn it. Akari thought to himself, trying to distance himself from the warm body on his left. He took another mouthful of the red wine, and carefully reached for another piece of meat.
He felt Hirato’s gaze fix on his face as he drew his hand back. “Something you want to say?” he asked rudely.
Hirato only hummed, swirling his own glass of alcohol in his hand. “Oh, nothing.” He said lightly. “You just don’t seem like yourself this evening, Akari-san.”
Tsukitachi’s attention was brought onto the doctor now, and he tilted his head. “Really? Akari-chan seems as gruff as he normally is. Which means he must be enjoying himself as usual, ne?”
Akari glared. “Don’t even think for a moment that I enjoy your company,” he directed at both captains. “I am always forced into these situations.”
“Oh now, don’t be like that~” Tsukitachi said, waving his forked vegetable around. “Look at how happy everyone is to be together!”
Akari gave him a look that said he could care less.
Hirato merely hummed and continued watched Akari’s reactions carefully, noting with interest that he had previously shifted away from the teen beside him and now, as Gareki sipped at his drink, Akari’s body tensed even as he continued to eat calmly. This was worth keeping a tab on, if what his instincts told him was correct. Very interesting.
“More wine, Akari-chan~?”
---
---
Gareki was walking towards the conference room when he heard an efficient, familiar set of footsteps approach him from behind. He slowed down, and turned his head to confirm. Akari made his way towards him, clipboard in arm and the bottom of his coat flaring with his long strides. Gareki tucked his hands into his pockets and waited til Akari had caught up with him before continuing on. They were both silent until they reached the conference room. When it became apparent that nobody else was present just yet, Akari’s arm shot out to pull Gareki behind the door so that anybody casually walking past wouldn’t spy them.
He bent down and pressed a soft kiss against Gareki’s lips. He relinquished his hold on Gareki’s arm in favour of gently cupping his jaw and their kiss deepened as Akari tilted the teen’s head a little to gain better access.
Gareki lifted a hand to wrap around Akari’s wrist, and they broke apart. Gareki was mildly mortified at how much blood had rushed to his cheeks and by the pervert’s pleased expression, he probably looked a mess too. “The others are going to be here soon.” He hissed quietly.
“I know,” Akari replied, fingering a soft black lock that hung beside Gareki’s eyes. “I wanted to kiss you before you left.”
Gareki flushed horribly even more. He muttered, “I told you to stop saying things like that.” His gaze was everywhere except Akari’s face.
Loud footsteps accompanied by a jangling sound approached them. Quickly, they separated, Gareki patting down his mussed hair and Akari straightening his coat once more.
“Ahh, you’re already here, Akari-san, Gareki-kun.” Hirato said smoothly as he stepped into the room, keen eyes resting on Gareki’s suspiciously pink cheeks before darting to Akari. “I hope everything is well.”
Akari nodded curtly, eyes sliding over to witness the blush finally disappear from Gareki’s cheeks.
Hirato had a pretty good idea what was happening in the room before he had arrived and he was somewhat glad it had been himself that turned up first. The others would probably not have noticed anything at all, but this merely strengthened his suspicions.
---
“Gareki-kun,” Tsukumo said, knocking lightly before pressing the door and stepping inside Gareki and Nai’s shared bedroom. “Akari-sensei would like to see you at the Research Tower as soon as possible. I’ll be taking you there, okay?”
Gareki’s eyebrow rose as he looked up from his reading. He mentally noted the page number and snapped it closed. “Do you know why?”
“Mm-mm,” Tsukumo shook her head. “He didn’t say. Yogi has just come back so perhaps he wants to give you a checkup too.” He face became worried. “Akari-sensei’s mood will not be the best. And it’s already so late.”
Gareki growled internally. That pervert doctor probably had ill-intentions for him.
“Gareki-kun?”
He met Tsukumo’s concerned gaze. “Hn, it’s fine. Let’s go.” He shrugged on a jacket over his asymmetrical tank and shoved his feet into some laced boots.
“Okay.” Tsukumo replied. “Sensei said he might need to keep you in overnight observation depending on how the checkup goes, so I’ll come and get you in the morning if it comes to that. Let’s go.”
Might keep me in overnight observation? My ass. Gareki thought to himself. There’s a 100% chance I’m not coming back to the ship tonight.
---
“Gareki-kun has arrived, Akari-sensei.” A nurse informed him.
“Take him to A-7. I’ll be with him shortly.”
“Hai, sensei!”
Ten minutes later, a beep announced Akari’s approach and the door to room A-7 slid open with a hum shortly afterwards.
Gareki looked up from examining the large medical machine at the side of the room and frowned. “Am I actually here for a checkup?” he asked bluntly.
Akari just smirked. “Yes, and no.”
He picked up the high-tech tablet cum clipboard at the end of the bed with Gareki’s vitals measurements from the previous checkup. He swiped his finger across the screen, identifying of any mild anomalies. “Your red cell count was lower than normal last time… and your personality still hasn’t improved from the first checkup,” he said amusedly.
“Teme…”
“Don’t get anxious now. You’ll be fine, after I’m finish with you.”
Gareki shot him a narrowed looked. “I know where your mind is headed. Don’t even go there or I’ll kill you.”
Akari’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Tch.”
“Sit.”
Gareki acquiesced, pulling off his jacket so the doctor could reach his chest and neck without interference. His goggles were also tugged off.
A cool breeze brushed Gareki’s exposed skin as Akari swiftly stepped in close to beside his knees, his body heat making Gareki want to inch closer. He shivered involuntarily when the cold circle of a stethoscope head pressed against his heart, pausing as Akari listened to his breathing, and it moved to various spots over his ribcage, abdomen and onto his back.
Akari proceeded to tug Gareki towards the end of the bed where the frame rose above the mattress. “I’m going to take some blood,” the doctor explained. He brought Gareki’s arm to rest naturally on the bed-frame, wrapping a cuff around the teen’s upper arm and smoothly inserted the needle into the vein on the the inside of Gareki’s elbow. Gareki remained unfazed, choosing to stare forwards at the facing wall while the specimen tube filled with his blood.
Eventually, he felt the needle slide out again and Akari taped a cotton patch over the pinprick of red. They were silent as Akari rounded towards the large machine and inserted the tube of Gareki’s blood into it with a click. He picked up his digital clipboard again and data streamed onto the screen. His eyes quickly tracked through the information.
“Your levels of iron have improved. You’ve been eating more protein like I told you. Good. Your red cell count has rebalanced as well. ”
“… Can I go then?” Gareki asked, expression bland.
Akari clicked the tablet back onto the end of the bed. “No.” he said calmly. He turned on his heel and pressed at the keypad beside the door. A long beep was heard and the lighted panel above the double doors turned blue.
[Door locked], it flashed once before disappearing. The lights in the room shut off so that only soft moonlight streamed into the room from the window beside the bed was the only illumination.
Gareki glared at the older man. “Is there something else?”
Akari’s expression suddenly became tired as he moved gracefully towards Gareki’s figure on the bed. “No,” he said. “But I would like it if you spent the night here.”
Gareki’s lips twisted. “What makes you think I’ll do that?”
Akari shed his jacket, draping it over the arm of the couch near the bed. His tie was next, and he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. Gareki eyed him carefully.
When the doctor reached him, he was pushed backwards onto the soft mattress. Still, he didn’t resist. Hands tugged off their shoes, and Gareki tried to scoot backwards as Akari slid forward to hover over him, their legs tangling. “Don’t worry,” Akari said with an amused expression. “I’m not going to do anything.”
He fell heavily on his side beside the smaller body, arms automatically wrapping around that slim waist to pull Gareki closer. He let out a sigh. “Don’t get up.”
Gareki had stiffened when Akari’s body came into contact with his, but he heard the exhausted tone of the doctor’s voice. As they lay there in the pool of moonlight, Gareki relaxed. “When was the last time you slept?” he asked quietly.
“Six days.”
Gareki twitched, twisting in the older man’s arms to face him. “What? Are you kidding me?”
Akari’s breath washed over Gareki’s lips as he replied, “There are always things that require my attention. I don’t usually require much rest, but these few days…” He trailed off.
Gareki sighed. He knew about the pace of the Varuga attacks as well as the next person. “Well. You can’t call me here each time you need a rest, alright?” he grumbled.
“Of course.”
Gareki closed his eyes. His eyelids fluttered lightly as a kiss was pressed against his lips and he hesitantly allowed it to deepen until Akari pulled away. One of Akari’s arms unwound from his waist and his eyes blinked open.
A soft blanket patterned with the Research Tower logo was pulled up to his shoulders. Gareki twisted again so that his back was to Akari, because even if he was conceding to be in the same bed as the doctor it didn’t mean he had to face him and feel steady breaths against his face as he tried to fall asleep.
But it was to nought, since a heavy arm dropped around his waist again and tugged him until he was flush against Akari’s chest. Gareki could feel a strong heartbeat against his chest and a nose buried in his hair and he tried not to think about how it lulled him into a peaceful rest. When he woke up the next morning sprawled comfortably across Akari’s wide chest with the doctor’s gaze focused on him with a strange intensity, he tried not to fall even deeper into something that was fast spiralling out of his control. Little did he know that Akari was facing similar troubles of his own.
---
Akari missed him. Gareki had been at that school for a week now, and it was humiliating to even think that he, a SSS-ranked elite, was worried that the teen would finally meet someone his own age and end up doing all those things that they had done in private. Akari was also angered that Gareki hadn’t told him about his plans before he’d left, leaving him find out from a status report of the Second Ship. Of course, what Gareki did with his life was not really his concern, but by now, Akari felt entitled to be told about these significant details personally.
There was a knock at his door. “Come in,” he called out, signing his name at the bottom of a report and recapping his pen.
“Good afternoon, Akari-san.” Hirato greeted smoothly. “I trust you are well?”
“Cut the pleasantries,” Akari said with a frown. He pushed his chair back and leafed through a stack of papers before pulling a stapled document out. He handed it to Hirato, who had stepped into his office quietly.
“This is the new data on Karoku’s status. His physical state is recovering well, but mentally he is in shock,” he told Hirato. “Keep me informed about Nai’s interactions with him.”
Hirato tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Of course. Thank you for your hard work.” He pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket. “Something for your troubles.” It was pressed into Akari’s palm, and Hirato’s eyes glinted and he smirked as he left in a blur, door clicking quietly behind him.
Akari’s teeth clenched. That flashy asshole. He unfolded the small piece of paper and looked at it with some trepidation.
Both Nai and Gareki have been provided with handphones. 00-948-xxx-xxxx.
A number and one sentence written in Hirato’s neat, curved handwriting. Akari had a right mind to hit something. Hirato knew. And had the nerve to mock him about it with information he could have easily gotten through his resources (though it had never occurred to Akari that Hirato would be game enough to give the two their own mobile devices). And knowing the captain’s ways, the phones were probably bugged in some way.
Nevertheless, Akari stared at the number thoughtfully.
---
Part 2