Up in Smoke: A Heisei Kumi Fanfic (8/36)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Hikato, Chiitaro, Ariyama
Rating: R/NC-17
Warnings: Graphic Violence, Minor Character Death, Strong Language
Genre: Slice of life/Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone.
Summary: After months of peace an attack leaves the Heisei Kumi reeling, and when an old enemy returns to the area reclaiming that peace starts to feel impossible.
A/N: The next installment in my Heisei Kumi AU, this one starts in the last days of December 2016 and continues on into 2017. If you'd like to read the other stories in this AU, please check out my masterlist. All Heisei Kumi fics have 平成組 next to their titles, to mark them as part of the AU!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
The walk home felt long, Keito acutely aware of his bloodstained appearance, emotionally and physically tired. When they walked through the door Keito was surprised to see Yabu sitting up, the older man in his spot at the kitchen table, a glass of whiskey and Shoon’s old photo album in front of him. They all greeted Yabu with small waves, Hikaru and Yuto going to the closet under the stairs to put away their weaponry. Keito didn’t follow them, instead climbing the stairs and going to the bathroom, cleaning his knife in the sink before hopping in the shower to clean his body.
He showered fast, the action of washing himself keeping him just occupied enough to distract from any other thoughts. He emerged from the shower and started brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed, Yuto coming in and joining him, yawning as he got out his own toothbrush. They moved around each other in comfortable silence, before retiring to their shared bedroom, changing into their pajamas and slipping into their beds. It was then, once they were laying in their respective bunks that Yuto said
“Hey Keito, what do you think about Takaki and Inoo?” Keito blinked in surprise at the question, sitting up and looking over at the edge of his bed in the darkness, the closest he could get to looking at Yuto.
“I...I think they’re wonderful people?” Keito offered, not sure what Yuto was asking for, and he could practically hear Yuto’s amused smile at his response.
“I mean, their relationship.” Yuto clarified. “I think they might have something going on.” Oh. That made Keito purse his lips, trying to focus on the topic at hand and not the fact that he had participated in covering up murders only an hour or so before. It was hard, and he didn’t really feel like participating in this frivolous line of discussion, but he tried. Maybe Yuto needed to distract himself from what he’d done.
“Don’t they fuck sometimes?” He asked. It wasn’t really his business, but it was a poorly kept secret that Takaki would occasionally sleep with Inoo and Yabu, separately. He and Hikaru used to fuck too, his boyfriend had told him once, but that had stopped before Hikaru and Keito had gotten together. The whole deal with Takaki and Inoo seemed to be a casual situation, like Keito’s own one night stand with Takaki, but more long term. But he was pretty sure Yuto had known about all of that long before he had.
“Well, yeah, but Takaki and Inoo have been really close recently, don’t you think? I mean, they spend more time together.” Keito hadn’t really noticed it, but when he thought about it he realized that Yuto was right. That didn’t mean there were any romantic feelings involved however, Keito reminding his friend that the two housemates of theirs in question had shared a room for years now, and that the closeness was bound to happen. Yuto sighed. “I dunno. I think there’s more to it than that.” Yuto declared, and Keito didn’t really know what to say to that, so he didn’t. There was another long silence, before Yuto said quietly, his voice betraying his exhaustion “Good night.”
Within minutes Yuto was asleep, Keito able to hear his breathing even out. Keito laid back down, staring up at the black ceiling, fingers finding the handles of his knife in his pajama pants pocket, pulling it out and running his fingertips over the engraving, the feeling of his knife in his hand a comforting one. His body was exhausted, but the longer he laid there the faster his mind worked, zipping over every unsettling event that had happened that night, and the implications of them, a panicked fear beginning to claw at his chest, tears rolling down his cheeks as his mind drew up the images of the three men Yuto and Hikaru had killed, the words that they had said before they’d died, and the darkness those words spelled for their future.
He sat up, giving up on sleeping while he felt that upset. He wanted Hikaru. He wanted Hikaru’s warm arms and lips on his skin. He could go and see if his boyfriend was awake; maybe Hikaru could make him feel better. And if not, maybe he could go and sit in his closet, or pay his respects to Shoon at their little shrine. Anything to stop this awful cycle his brain was in. He slid down his ladder, moving as quietly as he could so as to not wake Yuto, and he left their room, turning and going down the hall, standing at the top of the stairs and looking down to find the kitchen light still on.
He descended the stairs, looking around the corner to find Hikaru sitting up still in his suit. He wasn’t alone, Yabu still there, his whisky glass now empty, tear tracks down his cheeks. They had been talking, but Yabu caught sight of Keito almost immediately, and he fell silent, Keito realizing that he had intruded on something private. He hesitated, wiping at his own wet cheeks, not sure if he should apologize or just turn around and go back the way he’d come. But then Hikaru turned his head, catching sight of Keito, and he got to his feet, the air in the room suddenly indicating that the moment he’d been having with Yabu had passed, and Yabu too got up, closing Shoon’s photo album as he pulled himself to his feet.
“I’ve got to go to bed.” Yabu declared, and Hikaru nodded, saying something about how it would do them all good to get some sleep, running one broad hand across Yabu’s shoulders, and Yabu treated their leader to a watery smile before passing Keito on the stairs as he headed to his bedroom. Hikaru turned to Keito, looking exhausted but happy to see him, and he said quietly
“Let’s go get in bed.” Keito nodded, following Hikaru to his bedroom quietly, but once they were there he couldn’t help but apologize, the words falling from his lips as Hikaru began to undress, fingers fiddling with his black tie.
“I’m sorry for interrupting you. I didn’t realize-” He paused, Hikaru turning to look at him. “Yabu looked upset.” Hikaru sighed, tossing his tie on top of his chest of drawers and beginning to work on the buttons of his shirt. “I...I could go.” Keito offered, moving to get up from where he’d taken a seat on the end of Hikaru’s bed, and that caught Hikaru’s attention, his head whipping up, as he said
“No!” The word fell from his lips at once, an instant reflex, and it caught Keito by surprise, but Hikaru looked serious, and he nodded, the action making Hikaru’s body relax a little. Hikaru slipped off his shirt, beginning to work on his belt, and he told Keito “Yabu is upset, but it’s not because of you, or because you interrupted or anything. It’s just-” He paused, slipping out of the last of his clothes and digging around in his dresser for his pajamas, slipping into them and moving to sit next to Keito, leaning into Keito’s body at once. “Today was Taiyo’s birthday, that’s all.” Hikaru wrapped an arm around Keito’s shoulders, leaning his head on Keito’s shoulder. “He would have been twenty-six. Some years it’s harder than others.”
Keito nodded, understanding. Important dates with Shoon still stung, days like their anniversary miserable and taxing. He didn’t expect them to get too much easier with time. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to the first bit of skin his lips touched, somewhere on Hikaru’s forehead, and Hikaru shifted, their faces pressing against each other as his lips searched for Keito’s own. When their lips found each other the kiss was slow and long, tongues nursing comfort into each other in a way that words just couldn’t. It was amazing, and while they did eventually make it under the covers, their lips never stayed apart for long.
As they kissed Keito found Hikaru’s hands in the darkness, rolling over so that Hikaru was underneath him on the bed, and he murmured, feeling a little bit more brave now that he was safe in Hikaru’s bed, his boyfriend’s body pressed up against his own
“It’s going to be okay.” Hikaru let out a small whine at the words, his fingers squeezing Keito’s own tight, and Keito leaned in, kissing him harder, because maybe he could make Hikaru believe it if he acted like he did. And he knew that if Hikaru believed it, then it would become true. Because Hikaru would make it happen. Eventually Hikaru took over the kiss, untangling his hands from Keito’s own to wrap his arms around Keito’s lower back, his lips trailing kisses down Keito’s neck to his shoulder. They ended up falling asleep like that all tangled around each other, Keito barely able to tell where he ended and Hikaru began.
It was hot, and they were a mess of hard muscle and bony joints, but it felt like comfort, and when Keito woke the next morning to find Hikaru’s cheek pressed into his chin, the realization of their position brought with it a surprising swell of emotion. It had taken them a long time to get to this point. This point right here, the two of them together, relaxed and open and in love, and Keito was so glad they had made it. The feeling hit him so hard it made his heart hurt, and as soon as Hikaru was awake Keito pressed kisses to every inch of skin his lips could reach, wanting to make Hikaru understand just how glad he was that he was here. How glad he was that they were together, just as they were in that moment. He wanted to show Hikaru just how much he loved him, the words catching on his lips and in his throat.
Hikaru seemed to understand how Keito was feeling, his response to the kisses just as full of passion and purpose and care as Keito’s were, and it made Keito feel like maybe, just maybe Hikaru was feeling the same way he was. Keito tugged Hikaru’s shirt off, continuing to press his mouth to the freshly exposed skin, trailing his lips over it all, Hikaru’s breath shuddering in his ear. Keito had just reached a nipple when Hikaru whined and sat up, dragging Keito’s clothes off quickly, kicking off his own pants before he pressed Keito into the mattress, Keito’s lips finding his own as Hikaru’s hands cupped his face.
The feeling of their bare skin sliding against each other was more than simply arousing, it was soothing, it felt like they were supposed to be like that, like they had been made to fit against each other skin to skin. It was just right, and what started out as comfort grew into a familiar need in the pit of Keito’s stomach. The feeling had Keito rolling his hips and pressing up against Hikaru, and Hikaru pressed searing kisses to his lips as his hands started running down Keito’s chest, playing along his thighs before working their way back up to his neck, the touch almost tender, and god it was good. Hikaru had always been good at making Keito fall apart with just the touch of his hands, and he took his time, eyes on Keito’s face as Keito fought to keep it together.
Keito wasn’t generally loud in bed, but he dug his fingernails into Hikaru’s back, clinging on, his face scrunching up as his eyes fluttered shut, and he buried his face in Hikaru’s neck. As soon as he did Hikaru stopped, Keito feeling him shift over top of him as one hand stroked his cheek, his eyes fluttering open as Hikaru pulled back, looking at him for a long moment, the scrutiny making Keito start to feel a little self conscious, before Hikaru murmured
“God, you’re hot.” Unbidden affection welled up in Keito’s chest, and he leaned up, catching Hikaru’s lips with his own and running his hands down Hikaru’s chest, feeling Hikaru shiver under his touch, Hikaru whining into the kiss, the sound hot, needy. Keito dug his nails in, knowing how much Hikaru liked that, and the extra pressure made that whine turn into a rough growl. In a flurry of movement Hikaru pulled away, diving for the bedside table drawer, feeling blindly around inside for a moment before he withdrew his hand, pressing the bottle of lube to Keito’s sweaty chest, offering it. Offering himself. Keito shook his head, handing the lube right back.
“I want you inside of me this time.” Keito told him, and at his words a smile broke out over Hikaru’s face, and Keito knew that-more than it being true-it was the right thing to say. Hikaru usually had a fierce confidence to him in bed, something Keito found immensely sexy, and it was subtle, barely present in the way he touched Keito, but this time he wasn’t as sure of himself, the tiniest of hesitations in Hikaru’s movements that somewhere in the back of Keito’s mind registered as doubt. Keito suffered far more confidence issues than Hikaru did, and it didn’t happen often, but in the eighteen months they had been together, on rare occasions Hikaru would have insecurities-fears that he was lacking, that something inside of him made him not worthy of their relationship.
Those fears never been addressed openly, and they had taken Keito a while to figure out. It was something deep seated, something that Keito had occasionally mused probably had to do with his childhood drug addiction and his poor relationship with his parents as a kid, and it seemed to flare up when some moral obligation he felt he should have hadn’t been met. Things like one of them getting seriously hurt, or when he’d do things-things like the murder from the night before-would cause him to question his own self worth.
His words seemed to have assured Hikaru that he was wanted, that he was loved and accepted, more than any kiss could. He wanted to shower Hikaru in praise, to make him understand just how much he was loved, but Hikaru had always responded better to actions than to words so instead Keito leaned up again, running his hands up Hikaru’s back and burying his fingers in his boyfriend’s hair, pressing kisses to his jaw and down his throat as he murmured
“Need you.” Hikaru’s fingers curled around the bottle of lube, and it didn’t take long before Keito got exactly what he wanted, Hikaru hooking Keito’s legs up over his shoulders before he pushed inside of him, the pressure and stretch of it pulling a low moan from Keito’s throat, Keito clinging to Hikaru, fingers digging themselves into his shoulders and holding on. Hikaru leaned over him, watching his face with something remarkably close to awe as he gave him a moment to adjust. Everything after that was Hikaru, Keito unable to think about anything but Hikaru, the way his body fit with Keito’s own, the way Hikaru felt inside and around him, and how like this everything was perfect.
Afterward Hikaru moved as if to roll off of him and into the mattress but Keito grabbed for him, pulling Hikaru so that he collapsed on top of him instead, and it was clumsy and not at all graceful, and it made Hikaru laugh, bright and happy in Keito’s ear. Keito squeezed him tightly for a few moments, breathing in the warm smell of Hikaru’s shampoo and relaxing as he felt Hikaru’s laugh against his chest. They ended up cuddling, Keito snuggled up under Hikaru’s arm, the two of them propped up a bit on their pillows, neither willing to put on their clothes just yet, sharing soft affectionate smiles and murmured words. They fell into silence, Hikaru’s eyes trailing over to the still open side table drawer, and it was then that he said, eyes resting on the handgun he kept inside.
“Keito I want you to learn how to use a gun.” Keito blinked in surprise at the statement, Hikaru looking back over at him, eyes trailing over his face. “I can teach you. We can practice together. You...you might need one.” That statement had a heavy weight to it, and Keito could feel it physically as it fell from Hikaru’s lips. He didn’t really know what to say. The idea of using a gun terrified him, the power in the weapons making his heart stop in his chest, and he froze as he thought about what Hikaru was saying.
“Not just you, I’m planning on talking about it with Yabu today, setting it up so that everyone gets at least some basic training with the guns we have. I just...I need to know that you can protect yourself, that you have one more tool at your disposal to make sure that when we go out, or get attacked, that you will come home.” Hikaru’s words were spoken softly, confessed in a desperate tone, and he squeezed Keito, the arm around Keito’s shoulders tightening, as if to reassure himself that Keito was there, that he was fine, and Keito suddenly didn’t have any doubt as to what his response would be. He nodded, his gaze trailing to the gun in the drawer, but he felt a knot of apprehension tighten in his chest as he said
“Okay.”
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