Together Part I, Takamiya/Izumi
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Izumi
Now…
"Takamiya. I want to talk to you about something."
"What’s wrong Izumi?"
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Two days earlier…
There was an eerie, uncomfortable silence that hung in the air once Izumi had let out the question that had been bothering him since-he quickly shook the thought out of his head as the flush already across his face darkened even more. He slowly raised his eyes from the spot on the kitchen floor to the face of his friend once again.
It would seem that Naoya had yet to let go of the solace in the spot that he had been staring at for the past few quiet moments as the two young men’s minds had swarmed with countless questions. Izumi let out a soft yet awkward ‘ahem’ before quickly shifting his own eyes, yet again.
"Until today…that-has never crossed my mind." Naoya’s voice was quiet as he unconsciously rubbed the ring encircling his middle finger, the one that Reiji had given to Naoya for his birthday.
"Why-"
Their eyes finally met-Naoya’s chilling, calculating gray-blues with Izumi’s gentle, soft brown.
"-Do you ask, Izumi?"
---
One month earlier…
There had been no special occasion to warrant the night out, or so Takamiya claimed. All Izumi knew, was that one moment he had been contently reading one of his newest comics in the slowly dying light of an early summer’s sunset-the next, he was being swept off his feet, literally, by Takamiya before being pushed into the bedroom and being made to change. And by the time he finally got in a word with his favourite redhead, Izumi was already fully dressed and ready to go.
Just trust me, Takamiya had said with his usual bright smile, you’ll like the place we’re going to tonight.
In the end, like always, Takamiya was right; Izumi did like the restaurant his companion had taken them to for dinner. But just to try to and prove otherwise, Izumi made a slight show to eye Takamiya who sat across from his at the table and pull at the collar of his dress shirt as though it were a noose around his neck.
Takamiya’s eyes only laughed with pleasure. "You look handsome tonight Izumi. I should make you wear dress clothes more often."
"There’s nothing wrong with the clothes I wear normally," Izumi protested while beginning to attack his steak once again. "Besides, clothing like this makes me uncomfortable." The fork slipped past his lips to deliver another piece of the delicious meal.
"But you look good," Takamiya reminded him. "Really good," he added after a moment.
Izumi quickly shifted his gaze as the light but clearly evident colour change in his cheeks occurred. "Takamiya…" he said warningly only to receive that familiar affectionate laughter.
There was a soft upturn of the corners of Izumi’s lips as he continued eating and listening to the small live jazz ensemble playing at one end of the restaurant. When he finished his meal, his brown eyes noticed that Takamiya’s plate sat unfinished and forgotten-and Takamiya himself was not watching Izumi as he had been before, but instead, had his eyes focused on something else.
Someone else.
Izumi looked the singer up and down, right and left, and then up and down again. Long lean legs, slim shoulders, defined cheekbones and bold dark eyes framed by hair with the same intense colour, which was swept back into a ponytail. The way his lips formed allowing a smooth, alluring sound spill past, which was accompanied by the lull of the piano, created a feeling like arousal to the ears-it was almost drawing Izumi in.
Once the song ended, the brunette quickly shifted his gaze back to his lover-relived to see that Takamiya had also turned his own gaze back to where it belonged.
"It’s wonderful, isn’t it. I’m really…" Takamiya’s voice quietly drifted as he met Izumi's eyes. He smiled, softly. "Shall we order something for dessert?"
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Three weeks earlier…
In his dream there was dark shadow masking the features of what he knew was a beautiful face. What he could see was a chilling smile. And then, out of the darkness, he saw a hand reach out-
Izumi’s eyes snapped open and he almost reached out his own hand-he didn’t. The young man let out a small sigh before he turned onto his side only to be met with nothing. Eyebrows started to furrow as Izumi stared at the spot next to him; it was cold.
A light breeze blew through the slightly open window.
---
Sixteen days…
Izumi sat tired, elbows resting on the kitchen table with his face propped up in his hands; making dinner that night had seemed a more strenuous and longer process than usual. Though it would take a lot for him to admit it aloud, Izumi missed the warmth of Takamiya’s strong arms that usually encircled him whenever he stood over the stove. Gentle touches, here and there, it comforted Izumi and made him feel…loved.
The sound of the key being turned in the lock had Izumi suddenly perking up. A quick hand brushed through dark brown tresses before smoothing down the apron; he stood and turned to face Takamiya with an angry look.
"Takamiya! You’re late!" Izumi said with irritation; I had to cook by myself! was on the tip of his tongue.
The older man gave an apologetic look as he shook off his jacket before hanging it in the closet. "My meeting ran late today. I’m really sorry Izumi." Large arms reached out to embrace him but Izumi quickly dodged.
"You said that last night too!" Izumi pointed out and purposely walked the long way around the table to avoid his lover.
"But Izumi-"
"Just eat," he ordered as he sat down at the table to begin. "Itadakimasu," he murmured sullenly.
"Izumi." But before said man could move away, Takamiya captured him within his arms. "I got you."
Izumi turned his head as he tried to push the other away. "I’m mad at you. Let go." His voice was almost a childish whine.
Takamiya seemed unfazed as he began to gently kiss his way down Izumi’s neck to that sensitive spot on his collarbone. "Let me make it up to you," was whispered against his skin.
Izumi couldn’t deny the shiver that ran up his spine whenever his partner’s voice deepened low and almost husky with passion. "You’re supposed to, ah, eat the food, not…me."
Then with his usual fashion, Takamiya picked Izumi and began making his way to the bedroom.
The dinner was left on the table untouched.
---
Fifteen days…
Izumi didn’t know if he would ever change; there was always a feeling of embarrassment that overcame him after he and Takamiya had had sex. Unconsciously, he brought a hand to his cheek-there was a burning heat that warmed his hand. Next to him, he felt Takamiya shift and move to hold Izumi closer to his welcoming body-Izumi didn’t resist.
In fact, Izumi even slipped his own arm around his lover and it earned him a soft kiss on the head in return for the rare gesture. As Izumi lay in bed, listening to Takamiya’s breathing even out as he fell into a content sleep, his mind began race with thoughts on some of the issues that had been bothering him lately.
The sex that night, the way that Takamiya had moved against him-in him-it was a little different than before. Izumi couldn’t quite place it, but Takamiya seemed a little, held back and not as passionate as he usually was. He was gentle, that was expected, but in a way Takamiya was too gentle that night…and it was throwing Izumi off.
Izumi stared at the ceiling worriedly; the thought of Takamiya becoming disinterested in him had never crossed his mind before. Was it possible that the older man was starting to lose interest in Izumi? Or perhaps, Takamiya still loved him but didn’t find himself turned on by Izumi anymore? He wanted to tighten his hold on the redhead sleeping next to him.
In the past, he had never worried about making himself appear attractive to those around him. He figured that there wasn’t much he could do to improve his image anyway. Despite this, surprisingly a few girls had even found him good-looking, or at least enough to date him; his sex appeal never crossed his mind.
But that was all before Takamiya. Before he discovered something about himself that he never knew he could feel. He loved Takamiya, with all his heart even, and losing the other man-Izumi didn’t want to think about life without his lover.
Finally, after another hour of considering his options, Izumi decided it was time he did a little research within the next few days.
---
Thirteen days…
"Are you kidding me," Izumi muttered under his breath when he had finally gathered the courage to open the door and step inside. A blush spread across his face within seconds, and the baseball cap on his head was quickly adjusted.
"Can I help you?" Izumi ever so slowly looked up to face the gentle voice that spoken to him; surprisingly, the speaker was also Japanese. It was an older man, around fifty years old at least, who stood before him in what appeared to be casual clothes-a collared shirt and khaki pants.
Izumi shyly nodded.
A smile spread across the man’s face. "This must be your first time here. I’m Mihamoru Sekai, I own this store." A warm hand was offered to Izumi, which he took after a moment of hesitation.
"I-Izumi." His name stumbled past his lips uneasily.
"Nice to meet you Izumi-kun. Here, let me show you around since it’s your first time here." After willing his legs to move, Izumi slowly fell into step behind Mihamoru and made his way around the store.
"So what is it that you are looking for Izumi-kun? A gift for someone, or perhaps something for yourself?"
Izumi cleared his throat nervously. "I’m…not sure." He said after some time as his eyes dodged from shelf to shelf, not being able to look in any one place too long.
"Ah." Mihamoru gave him a knowing look. "Do you mind if I asked you a few questions, Izumi-kun? You don’t have to answer them if you don’t like, but it may help you find what you are looking for."
Izumi nodded.
"All right. Have you and your partner been together for long?" Mihamoru continued walking through the store as he spoke.
"Yes. A few years now," Izumi replied quietly.
"I see." They stopped in the clothing section. Izumi paled when he took in the sight of the outfit showcased on the wall. Mihamoru continued, "In your relationship, are you the uke or the seme?"
Izumi looked to the storeowner in confusion. "Uke? Seme? I’m sorry, I don’t know those terms," he admitted embarrassedly.
Mihamoru’s laughter was light and kind. "Well then." He laid a hand on Izumi’s shoulder as he guided him to a couch in front of the changing room. "Take a seat." Izumi sat and watched as the other man flipped through countless magazines, which littered the coffee table in front of him and the nearby bookshelf.
"Mihamoru-san…?"
"Ah. Here it is!" Mihamoru pulled out a magazine and flipped through the pages before coming to an abrupt stop. "Read this first while I look for a few other articles that you should take a look at." Izumi took the magazine and read the title of the article Mihamoru had pointed to.
The dominance of an uke, the article was entitled. Izumi began skimming over the first few lines. First of all, let me you in on one little secret: the seme of a relationship isn’t all as powerful as he thinks he is. Most people tend to assume that because he tops the uke in bed, naturally, he is the aggressor, the "dominant" one. Really, just because my boyfriend fucks me to my headboard every single night, does not make him any more-
Izumi quickly looked up as his face flushed once again.
"Here you go. The good articles are marked with folded corners." Mihamoru placed a small pile of magazines next to Izumi on the couch. "Would you like some tea?"
Izumi nodded weakly; he was going to be here a while yet.
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Eleven days…
Hidden at the top of his side of the closet, where he kept his old power ranger costume and yukata, there was a new box added to the mix. Izumi had carefully labeled the box with ‘manga’ written clearly and boldly, hoping that Takamiya would never care to venture and look. It had been two days since Izumi had been to that place and still, he had not yet come to a conclusion.
In fact, he had further confused himself with even more issues now. Izumi let out a sigh as he waited on the bed he shared with Takamiya wondering what the other was doing at the moment. Dinner lay once again forgotten on the table, yet this time, it wasn’t due to the action in the bedroom-there was no action in the bedroom.
Izumi sighed again. Dare he say it? That he missed having sex with Takamiya. Unsurprisingly, Izumi turned red in the face. He missed being lost between strong arms; pressed up against a sturdy hard chest; a head buried between his legs as a powerful and skilled mouth engulfed his member-Izumi felt his own hand take control and slip between his pants.
He turned his head into the pillow next to him; it had Takamiya’s scent all over it, which he inhaled deeply as his eyes slid shut. His hand moved in tight quick movements as that smiling face came to mind. Faster still as Izumi imagined gentle kisses running up and down his skin, warming him with each touch. He knew he was coming as the thought of Takamiya behind him, pushing into him with a passionate force, over and over again, came to mind. Izumi thrust his pelvis into an upward motion to meet his hand and bring himself to orgasm.
Finally, a soft ‘ah’ filled the room as Izumi came all over his boxers. As he lay on the bed spent, his breathing slowly evening out, sadness began washing over him.
"Takamiya…" he whispered and turned his head further into his lover’s pillow.
---
Seven days…
"I have a surprise," Takamiya announced with a smile over breakfast. Izumi looked up but didn’t say anything; he shoved another piece of his omelet into his mouth.
"Aoe and Naoya should be arriving tomorrow from Japan."
The fork stilled, half way to Izumi’s lips.
"Tomorrow? Really?" A part of Izumi felt a little relief; it would be nice to see old friends again, even though Aoe Reiji wasn’t exactly his favourite person.
"I was hoping you wouldn’t mind meeting them at the airport. I have a meeting to attend that I just can’t get out of. I’ll leave the car so you can pick them up."
"All right. I’ll pick them up," Izumi replied with a smile and began at his food with a new vigor.
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Four days…
The shy secret smiles that appeared on Naoya’s face whenever Aoe got close, or touched him made Izumi feel jealous in a way that he knew he shouldn't have been. It wasn’t that he didn’t get any affection from Takamiya-his lover was an overly touchy, feely person-he just never felt like it was enough.
The past few days Takamiya seemed so busy with work that the time the two of them spent together was always cut short. And it didn’t help that Izumi had to spend the day with Aoe and Naoya. There were periods of time when the two of them would disappear only to appear later quite disheveled and flushed, well Naoya at least.
"Takamiya-san seems very busy with work," Naoya said as the three of them sat outside while eating their lunch.
Aoe didn’t say anything.
"He said he has to meet a deadline within the next few days so he is working hard," Izumi offered yet he wasn’t even sure he believed his own words anymore.
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