Three times Furihata Kouki dared defy Akashi Seijuurou (and one time he didn't)

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket or any of the characters in it. This is a Secret Santa present for hoka (inachuu) from tumblr. This one will be angsty. I did my best to add some fluff at the end, but the story got out of my hands, so prepare for shoujo-type drama instead. Veeery OOC. Merry Christmas! ^_^

17-year-old Furihata Kouki sighed for the umpteenth time that day, as he carried the tray with all the juice that Akashi had requested from the vending machine.

"An Akashi cannot be seen buying those kinds of cheap beverages, like a mere commoner," the redhead had explained in a stern tone while he moved a piece on the shouji board. "Get me some now, Kouki."

Kouki just couldn't believe what their friendship had turned into. He could still remember the day Akashi came to his kindergarten, brilliant red hair shining like a beacon in the sea of black and brown. He had been a loner; he sat in a corner and looked through picture books, some that he brought from home and sometimes, Kouki could swear that he saw his lips moving as if reading along the hiragana large print. He had been stern and arrogant the first day, and while the teacher insisted that they play with him (Akashi the father had, after all, allowed his only son to attend a public kindergarten only in order for his son to socialize, as the children of his business partners had been to afraid to talk to him), the kids had taken to avoiding Seijuurou.

But Kouki had been fascinated with the strange boy and approached Akashi, small fingers fidgeting at the hem of his light blue uniform.

"H-hello, Akashi-kun. I am Furihata Kouki. What are you doing there?"

Akashi lifted his eyes for a moment, taking in Kouki's red face and unkept appearance and then he returned to his book."

"I'm reading, obviously. Kindly go away."

"What is it about?" Kouki insisted, ignoring his dismissal.

"Leave me alone. My orders are absolute."

Kouki left the new boy feeling miserable, and he spent the rest of the day playing with lego in a corner, but the next day he returned to Akashi, each time feeling braver than the last, and five days later, Akashi's answer changed.

"It is a book about the African wildlife. I like the lions."

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Did you know that it is the lioness that does the hunting while the male lion stays and watches over the children?"

"Ehh…I had no idea!" Kouki answered in awe. "You are so smart, Akashi-kun!"

"Thank you. What is your name?"

"Furihata Kouki," the small boy answered with a huge grin.

"Kouki, I will play with you," Akashi decided and the boy beamed.

From that day, Akashi and Kouki became friends and spent all their time at the kindergarten together. Akashi began to look forward to every morning, and he allowed Kouki to drag him to play with all the toys, and if the other children suddenly started to avoid Kouki, the cheerful boy never noticed; at four, Akashi already had a very scary glare.

Akashi warmed up to him little by little and the boys kept being friends in the next years, having sleepovers at each other's places, going to amusement parks and movies together, until one faithful day in middle school when Kouki's mother died. His father sunk into depression and eventually lost his job, his boss eager to offer his position to a younger, hard-working person. Unwilling to ask his friend to help his father (he had been adamant to never ask anything of Akashi), Kouki instead contacted his paternal grandparents in Okinawa. They didn't want to impose on Kouki's older brother who had a two-year-old child and his wife was expecting again.

The preparations and funeral took about five days, and after that, the grandparents proposed that he and his father move in with them, where they could start anew. Torn between his love for his father and his love for his best friend, Kouki ran to meet a bewildered Akashi that had just returned from a two-week training at their company branch in France.

Kouki cried as he explained to an unusually stern Akashi Seijuurou why he was going to leave. Akashi immediately offered a job position for Kouki's father, and when Kouki refused and explained why he had lost the job in first place, Seijuurou's eyes narrowed and he grabbed onto Kouki's arms, shaking him hard.

"You will never leave me, Kouki! I won't allow it!" he yelled with a crazed expression on his face. Kouki shook in fear for the first time since meeting Akashi, and barely managed to wrestle out of his arms. He ran away without looking back, going straight to his father.

A few days later they sold the house and moved to Okinawa.

They stayed in Okinawa for about two weeks before Furihata Kouki's father received the job offer from Akashi's company and a new place to stay, a bigger house than the one they used to have, conveniently located next to Akashi mansion. His father's mood had improved and despite Kouki's protests, he felt like he shouldn't impose on his parents for too long.

"He is your friend, isn't he? Akashi Seiijurou. That's why they are offering me this job."

"Yes, but…"

"I know what you are thinking, Kouki. You are a generous child, but also a prideful one. You don't want this to be about pity. I know. But the world is cruel and sometimes we have to abandon our pride if we want to live. We will start fresh in Tokyo."

"But, dad!"

"No more buts, Kouki. I am disappointed in you."

Kouki felt his father's words like the last punch to the gut that he could take, and he had taken so many the past three weeks that he didn't think he could take another. He had tried, really tried to be strong for his father, to support him; now, his strong front was on verge of collapsing. He expected to cry, to scream, to go to his room and slam doors. Instead, his shoulders hunched forward and his mouth formed words that came out with a voice he couldn't recognize as his own.

"All right, dad. Let's go back."

"You're a good kid, Kouki," said his father with a strained smile, ruffling his hair, then turning around and going upstairs to start packing without looking at his son. Perhaps if he had, he would have worried more: there was no anger in his voice, no anger in his eyes.

Kouki was hollow.

His reunion with Akashi was bittersweet. His father pushed him into meeting the redhead as soon as they returned, to thank him and reassure him of his friendship.

"Make sure to always keep Akashi-sama happy, always obey what he says," his father said. "My job right now depends on you."

And didn't that sting? Even if Kouki hadn't left Akashi, his father being in their debt meant that their relationship would change. The situation was worse now that Kouki had experienced for the first time what it meant to be afraid of Akashi Seijuurou.

To make matters even worse, his father had become a complete workaholic. He spent all day at work, even some nights, and when he did come home, he was too tired or irritated to have a proper conversation with Kouki. They boy felt more and more lonely in his strange, big new home. At school, the other students already knew he was Akashi's property and they avoided him in order to not incur the company heir's wrath.

At first, it seemed that Akashi had calmed down, it looked as if their relationship was almost the same as before. However, in the two weeks that he had been gone from Teiko Middle School, Akashi had joined the basketball club and was now surrounded by six other brilliant basketball players, all with different hair colors that really stood out in the mass of brown and black. Just like kindergarden, Kouki thought with nostalgia.

As such, he was seeing Akashi less and less, and when they did meet and the other regulars were around, Akashi treated Kouki more like a servant than a friend. Eventually, he demanded that Kouki join the basketball club as well, and started training him for the point guard position. As Akashi, now team Captain was also a point guard, he understood that his friend never meant for Kouki to actually play in games; having him into the club was just another way to keep him in on a leash, under control.

Three years later, now a second year in Teiko high school, 17-year-old Kouki was carrying the tray of juice for Akashi-kun, heading for the cafeteria. Four of the Miracles (that's what the media had dubbed them after their third consecutive win in middle school) were already seated: Murasakibara was chewing on chocolate, a mountain of sweets towering in front of him, Midorima frowned at his phone, most likely checking Oha Asa's prediction for the day and Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya sat at the table eating their lunches. Furihata Kouki noticed that they seemed to stay closer to one another than the last week, but he didn't stop to think about it, instead taking the tray to Akashi and sitting next to him, as always.

"Thank you," the heir said noncommittally while continuing his conversation with Midorima, the vice captain. Kouki sighed and looked around, his eyes stopping again on the light/shadow pair. Did his eyes deceive him or were his team mates really holding hands under the table? Was Kagami blushing? Just then, the final two members of the Miracle generation appeared, Kise Ryota with flushed cheeks and Aomine Daiki wearing a satisfied smirk. He shook his head and turned around when he felt a brush of hands across the back of his palm.

He turned around, but the hand disappeared suddenly, just as it had appeared. Akashi was facing the table now, having finished his private conversation with Midorima.

Again with the touches. Kouki frowned, trying to remember when Akashi has begun to get into his personal space like this, and when he had begun to physically claim ownership over Kouki in this manner. He realized the touches had begun around the time he started playing basketball at Akashi's orders. During club hours and afterwards (Akashi claiming that Kouki needed personal training from himself to become a second string member), Akashi would sometimes brush hands or touch his thighs or his waist to show him a move or position him. At first, he hadn't even noticed. But then, Akashi had started touching him outside club hours, when he bought something for the heir (a brush of fingers), or when they sat on a bench (touching his thighs), or taking eyelashes fallen on his cheeks (could eyelashes actually fall that often?). It seemed that Akashi would use any excuse to touch him, and his touches unnerved Kouki.

"Class, today we have a new student! Would you like to introduce yourself?"

The new boy beamed. He was a brunet with sharp blue eyes. He looked like a normal person when he began the introduction, scratching the back of his head in…nervousness?

"My name is Takao Kazunari and I'm 17. My favorite food is kimchi, my speciality is doing back flips, my hobby is trading cards and I believe that people that enjoy life are winners. I just moved here from Kyoto, nice to meet you all and I hope we'll all get along!"

Eager to finally have a friend, Furihata smiled and offered to show the new boy around.

"Thanks for offering to show me around, Furihata-kun!"

"No problem, Takao-kun! It's my pleasure! I like people that enjoy life and I'd love to hear more about Kyoto! How come you transferred here?"

"The company that my father works for opened a branch here and father was one of the few selected to move. I will miss my old friends, but I think I can make new ones here. By the way, Kou-chan! Can I call you Kou-chan?"

Furihata blushed.

"I don't mind."

"All right, Kou-chan. Since you are my first friend here, do you want to eat lunch together?"

Kouki thought about Akashi and how the readhead would react to Kouki's absence, but he figured one missed lunch wouldn't bother Akashi since he was always surrounded by the other six Miracle players anyway.

"Definitely, Takao-kun!"

"Okay, let's go to the rooftop! I always eat lunch there, I like to feel the fresh air and the cafeteria feels crowded!"

"Sure!"

They climbed the stairs to the rooftop and found a sunlit place. The breeze felt nice, Kouki thought. This was so much better than the cafeteria, Takao-kun was right.

"Hey, Kou-chan, I think your phone is vibrating!" the boy said, biting into a piece of omelet.

"Eh?"

Kouki checked the phone. It was Akashi, just as he suspected, checking on him and demanding his presence in the cafeteria immediately. Feeling bold, Furihata texted back that he refuses to come as he is busy showing the transfer student around, and that he will have lunch with said transfer student.

An eerie feeling settled despite Takao's cheerful conversation.

"Kou-chan, are you all right?"

"Indeed, Kou-chan, are you all right?" came a cold voice from the direction of the door. "And you're on first name basis already? You sure move fast, Kouki."

"A-akashi-kun," the boy stammered.

"Are you that surprised to see me? You ignored my summons; it is only natural that I would come get you. Come, Kouki, we haven't got all day."

"I already said no, Akashi-kun. Can't you leave me alone just this once?" the boy shouted.

"Kouki. Cease with your childish behavior right now."

"Hey, hey, come on, cut him some slack, will you?" asked the new guy, holding his arms open in an offer of peace. "I'm not sure about this thing between you two, but you are friends, aren't you?"

Akashi turned to him and glared. Takao felt a shiver go down his spine and froze.

The door opened again and another boy came in.

"Akashi-kun, you left before we could finalize the strategy for next week's match, where – oh."

The boy stood frozen and his left eye twitched.

"You!"

"Shin-chaaaaaan, what a l.o.v.e.l.y surprise!~"

"Stalkao!" Midorima shouted. "Stay 3 meters away from me!"

"Aww, Shin-chan, still a tsundere but we both know you love me!" the boy cried, launching himself at the bespectacled boy.

Said boy ran down the stairs muttering something about Oha-Asa and that day being the worst for Cancers with a highly motivated Takao in tow, leaving Akashi and Furihata on the rooftop alone.

"Kouki, you have defied me again," Akashi started in a cold tone. "Tell me the reason for your stubbornness. Do you, perhaps, like the new boy? If so, I have some bad news for you. It seems he is more interested in my vice captain."

Furihata shivered but refused to answer.

"So you don't wish to talk. It's fine for now, you will tell me eventually. Come to the cafeteria now."

Feeling completely drained, exhausted, as always when he stood up to Akashi (this was actually the second time, wasn't it?) he decided to obey.

"Perhaps I should get my answers from that Takao?" Akashi mused out loud.

"No!" Kouki shouted suddenly, clinging to Akashi's arm in despair as Akashi's eyes widened in surprise. "Please don't hurt Takao-kun! He really didn't do anything! I rebelled all by myself, he was only being nice, friendly to me! He was telling me about his life in Kyoto, that's all we ever talked about!," he spoke quickly, clinging to Akashi's arm and trying to abate his anger, shivering with tears in the corners of his eyes.

Akashi's left eye twitched and he turned to Kouki with a furious expression, cheeks flushed.

"Nice? Friendly? And he brought you to a secluded place in order to be nice to you? You are so naïve and unguarded sometimes that it's painful to watch," Akashi spoke glaring at the shaking boy. "Do not beg for someone like him, Kouki. It is unsightly. Why are you defending him so much? Are you in love with him?"

"Please!" Kouki repeated, desperately. "He didn't do anything! This is all my doing! My fault!"

"And you will pay for it, but that is a conversation for another time. Come to the cafeteria and don't leave my side, Kouki."

"Ah, you're back!" Kise Ryota saluted them cheerfully. "And you have found Furihatacchi, as expected of Akashicchi's Emperor Eyes!"

'More like incorporated GPS and tracking device,' Kagami though to himself. 'It's scary how possessive that bastard is.'

Kouki was surprised to see Takao at their table, but he didn't comment on it. He refrained from initiating conversation with the new boy, for fear that Akashi would go through with his threats. He didn't have to worry about Takao being upset at Kouki giving him the cold shoulder; he seemed completely focused on teasing Midorima Shintarou. It seemed that Takao was going to join the basketball team. Kouki didn't know how to feel about that once he realized Takao played the same position as Akashi and him, and if Midorima's stories were to be believed (when weren't they?), Takao was a much better point guard than Kouki could ever hope to be.

Once the break was over, Akashi turned to a sad Furihata and spoke to him with a low voice.

"Saturday at 5 in the afternoon, be at the clock by the train station. I will wait for you there and you will receive your punishment. Don't you dare run from me. My orders are absolute."

The week passed quickly with no other incident. Saturday morning, Kouki was trembling in fear, trying to find suitable clothes to wear in the afternoon. He had no idea what Akashi's punishment involved, and what clothes he could afford to sacrifice, because at the same time he couldn't go meet up with Akashi in the shabbiest things he had. He had done that once before and Akashi had literally dragged him to a brand store and bought Furihata an entire outfit after making him try on so many clothes that the boy had almost gotten sick.

Ah, maybe he should wear that outfit. Kouki hadn't worn it again as he was afraid he would ruin those expensive clothes, but it seems fitting to wear them this time, for Akashi.

It was 4 o'clock when the heavy rain started. Having just taken a long hot bath to calm his nerves, Kouki looked at his phone but saw no incoming messages. Of course, Akashi won't cancel their appointment over some silly rain.

At 4 thirty, the rain had gotten only heavier, the wind was blowing hard and it showed no sign of stopping. Kouki looked at his phone and noticed that the battery was pretty low. He cursed for not noticing it earlier and went into the bathroom to retrieve the charger, he slipped on some water on the floor and his phone slipped from his hand right into the bathtub, in the water that hadn't managed to drain yet. Suddenly feeling the chills, he fished the phone out, but it was no use: the screen was black and no amount of buttoning made it flare black to life. The phone was dead.

4.45. There's no way Akashi would actually go there, right? Wait. I can phone him at home. Wait. He definitely left already. Maybe try the internet, chat messaging. Oh. He's not online anywhere. That clock is 20 minutes away from this place, if I leave now and run, I will make it there on time.

5.00 The rain is even heavier, if possible. There's no way I can leave the house.

5.30. But what if he is there? No, even if he came, he must have left by now. And I will be punished.

6.00 No way he went there. Let's be serious, he is Akashi Seijuurou.

6.30 Okay, I'm worried. The rain lessened now, so I'll just do a quick run.

Akashi wasn't at home. No one answered when he pressed the button at the manor's gate. Feeling cold dread, Kouki approached the meeting place to see a shivering figure huddled in the corner of a building.

No way.

"Kouki. You are one hour and forty five minutes late," the boy stated in a small voice. "You didn't even call. I almost left."

"Akashi-san! Why are you still here? It's raining so heavily!" the boy rushed to the redhead. "Are you insane? Oh my God, you are burning up!"

Akashi's umbrella sat in a corner, looking completely torn.

"Why didn't you call, Kouki? You could have at least called me…"

"My phone was destroyed. I am so sorry, Akashi-kun!"

"Ah, no worries, I'll buy you a new one," Akashi mumbled.

"Akashi-kun, please don't fall asleep here. Come home with me," Kouki muttered. "Ah, why are there no taxis when you need them?"

Somehow, he managed to carry Akashi home, but with a lot of difficulty. He resigned himself to taking care of his former friend since he was responsible for Akashi's condition. He was thankful that Akashi's parents were out of the country and if he got lucky, Akashi's cold would wear off by the time they returned from America.

After changing Akashi's clothes with a warm pajama, wiping his damp hair with a towel and drying it with the hairdryer, he wrapped the boy in multiple blankets in his bed, drew the electric heater closer and left to get cold medicine. Five minutes later he returned with the pills, cold patches and everything else. After giving Akashi the pills and applying the first cold patch, he went into the kitchen to cook tofu soup.

He returned and placed a hot bowl on the nightstand, gently shaking Akashi awake.

"You need to eat something, then I'll let you sleep," he told the sleepy boy.

"Kouki."

"Here, it's your favorite."

"Can't move my arms. Please help me," Akashi pleaded with a red face.

"Ah, must be the fever. I'll feed you," Kouki decided. He grabbed the plastic spoon and scooped some soup. Blowing into the hot liquid to cool it down, Kouki remembered the last time he made this for Akashi, just a few days before his mother passed away. He cringed and offered the spoon to the sick boy who swallowed it without complaint.

"It's as good as I remember it, Kouki," he said in a daze. "I missed this so much."

"You could just order it at the restaurant if you like it so much," Kouki commented as he handed Akashi another spoonful.

"It's never as good as yours. I'd rather eat yours always."

Kouki blushed slightly at the compliment. He kept feeding Akashi until the bowl emptied, and then he set it aside. He helped Akashi settle back on the pillows and sat down on the floor next to him.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Akashi-kun. I didn't think you'd even go there in the heavy rain."

"How could I not, since I rarely have an opportunity to see my Kouki outside of school? Don't call me that, like we're already strangers," Akashi said quietly. "Call me like you did before."

"Ssse-sei-kun?"

"Yes, that," Akashi said, closing his eyes and grabbing one of Kouki's hands. "You left me so easily, Kouki. Please don't leave me again. You're the only one I…" he choked.

"Sei-kun?"

"Please stay."

"But-"

"Please. The bed is big enough for the two of us."

"Okay," the boy relented, blushing.

Kouki waited until Akashi fell asleep to extricate his arm out of the redhead's iron hold and then he changed into pajamas, brushed his teeth and climbed into bed next to Akashi. He applied another cold patch, turned off the lights and got inside the covers, gathering Akashi's feverish body into a loose hug, tucking the head under his chin. His right hand caressed the soft red locks for a few minutes as Akashi sighed and tightened his hold on Kouki's waist. Kouki smiled and closed his eyes in bliss. Right now, he couldn't imagine life without Akashi Seijuurou.

Kouki woke up to a warm bed. Akashi was still asleep, as expected. He pressed his hand to Akashi's forehead and sighed in relief. Akashi was no longer burning, but Kouki decided that he should be thorough and took his temperature - 37,8 degrees was a huge drop from 39 degrees. He decided to give Akashi some more of the cold medicine and let him rest the entire day.

Akashi was very drowsy and he swallowed the pills obediently when prompted. He didn't say anything and while Kouki fumbled with the wrapping of the last cold pack, he fell back asleep. Kouki smiled at the boy and bent down to kiss his forehead.

"Rest well, Sei-kun. Get well soon so you can boss me around again. It's boring without you."

After eating breakfast, Kouki sat down dutifully and tackled homework. Time went by fast as he wrote, read, studied, checked on Akashi, fed him and answered calls (on Akashi's phone) from several Miracles that had somehow known that something was wrong with the redhead. The mystery was solved when he received a phone call from Midorima; apparently, he and Akashi had weekly shouji meetings planned on Sunday mornings and the vice captain had been the one to "discreetly" alert the rest of the Miracles. He really should have chosen to call someone else than Kise, but neither Aomine, nor Murasakibara answered his calls. Kuroko Tetsuya was out of town with his parents and that left Kise, unfortunately. Thus, Kouki had to spend the next few hours giving reports on Akashi's health every fifteen minutes, and that was trying on his nerves.

That's way, when Akashi came into the living room by himself that evening at around 8 o'clock, he couldn't be happier. He grinned.

"Akashi-kun, I'm soooo glad to see you're okay!" he said, forgetting all about the unfinished homework and jumping to greet the boy.

"I am also glad, Kouki. What happened? I remember vaguely that you came to our meeting place, and the rest is a blur…I suspect you brought me here and took care of me? I can't believe I caught a cold so easily."

"I am so sorry I let you wait there! And I'm so sorry that you got ill because of me!"

"I am not mad at you, Kouki. You came, in the end."

"Yes, but…"

"Please tell me more about what happened," Akashi prodded gently, sitting on the couch next to him and looking at his homework.

For some reason, as he looked at Kouki, he realized the boy was blushing all the way to the tips of his ears.

"Ah, about that, Akashi-kun, do you promise not to be mad at me?"

"There is no need to be afraid of me, Kouki. We are best friends."

"Erm, oh, well. I brought you here and changed you into pajamas. I brought cold medicine and patches. I made tofu soup for you and um…well, you insisted that I sleep next to you and really everyone knows that sharing body heat is the best remedy for colds, so I did. Sleep next to you, I mean. But, I swear, nothing happened. I mean, we're both guys and I like girls. And you told me to call you Sei-kun like before so I did that. That's all. Errr, Akashi?"

Hiiii! Akashi was showing a very murderous expression. Kouki thought for sure that he was going to be punished right now, but Akashi didn't make any other dangerous moves.

"Um, Akashi-kun, are you all right?"

"Yes, it's just so frustrating that the first time we share a bed after all this time I fail to remember," Akashi spoke with a somewhat crazed smile.

"Why do you say that?" Kouki asked, frowning.

"To think we were so close last night. Maybe I should get sick more often," Akashi muttered.

"What are you talking about, Akashi-san! Don't worry me like that again!"

"You were…worried? About me?"

"Of course I was!" Kouki cried. "Why would you even ask that?"

"But you dislike me, of course. You were going to leave me, Kouki."

Kouki frowned for a few seconds, trying to think about what Akashi could possibly refer to; he had also mentioned this the night before, when he was delirious. What was Akashi obsessing about? Oh.

"Are you talking about what happened after the funeral?"

"Of course."

"Akashi-kun, I never wanted to leave you. It just so happened that the closest relatives lived away from Tokyo. I was going to call and write and come here in the weekends to see you, but -"

"You changed your mind. I suppose I scared you that day?"

"You scared me," Kouki replied and sighed. "It was like I didn't even know who you were anymore."

Akashi was shocked by his friend's words, but he did his best to hide his reaction from Kouki.

"I still don't understand why you were so opposed to my offering your father a new job."

Kouki huffed and pouted. Akashi privately thought that made him look adorable.

"I can't say something like that, it's too embarrassing," he protested.

"Tell me, Kouki," Akashi pleaded with a serious expression, placing a hand on top of Kouki's hand. Kouki had to relent. Drawing a long, shuddery breath, he started talking.

"Back when we were younger, you told me why you considered that I was your only friend. Everyone else that came to you or 'tolerated you', as you put it, was there because their parents had made them, being business partners or working with your father."

Kouki paused.

"I was afraid that the moment you actually give my dad a job, I will become like them in your eyes. I didn't want that. I didn't want you to come to doubt our friendship and I didn't want the burden to always do as you say and never upset you because that could cost dad his job. I didn't trust that I would be strong enough to overcome this. I didn't want to owe you something like this. I wanted to be able to stand next to you proudly as your friend and an equal of sorts."

Akashi blinked and frowned, rising from the couch and pacing in front of the sofa as Kouki regarded him with wariness.

"Why couldn't you tell me that then? I did all this to bind you to me, but I never wanted to hurt you!"

"How could I?" he chuckled bitterly. "My mind was in pieces. I felt like I had to be strong for dad, because he had fallen apart. I couldn't afford to think about myself. And do you know what he told me? For the first and only time in my life, he said he was disappointed in me when I asked him not to take the job your family offered. And then, before the first day of work, he told me to always do as you say, never offend you, because his job depends on me. And that was the last real conversation we had, Akashi-kun. To me, it feels like I lost my father too."

Akashi stopped in front of the boy, watching helplessly the tears that fell down Kouki's cheeks.

"That was three years ago," Akashi said softly. "You really haven't…?"

"He rarely takes time off," Kouki explained, wiping his tears furiously. "He works all the time and when he is free he is too irritated to talk to. I just do my best at school in order not to cause him trouble and that's it. To me, it would have been better if we stayed with his parents. They were nice and while cultivating the fields is hard work, at least the family was together."

"I am very sorry for doing this to you, Kouki."

Akashi did look sorrowful and Kouki felt his heart clench at the sight.

"Don't be, Sei-kun. It's not your fault; you couldn't have known this would happen."

"I wish I knew how to fix this," the boy muttered.

"Don't worry, just leave things as they are, Sei. Some things are too complicated to work out. But it's okay, I'm okay, you know. I'll go to university soon; things will work out somehow. I prefer to be optimistic."

"But I caused so much harm to you, Kouki! How can I just leave things the way they are?"

"It's okay. I am so happy that you listened to me today! It feels like I got my friend back."

Kouki stood up and went straight to his friend, enveloping his body in a tight hug. Akashi froze, muscles clenched at the sudden contact – so familiar, years ago, but so new suddenly. Tentatively, his arms reached around Kouki, squeezing back.

"I am grateful that you are my friend, Sei-kun. You are a wonderful person; don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Kouki, when I say you are mine, I mean that you are my most important."

"I know; you told me before that I'm your best friend."

"No, that's not it. What I mean is that you are the only person in this world that I can't live without."

Kouki released the boy and took a step back, shocked.

"Sei-kun, don't say that! What about your father? Your family?"

"You are the only one I love."

"Sssei-kun!" the boy jumped back, scandalized.

"Kouki."

"Yes?"
"If you don't like this, feel free to push me away."

"Wh-what?"

"Your punishment," Akashi muttered, approaching the boy.

Kouki took a few other steps back, until his body came in contact with the wall. Akashi kept walking towards him, showing no signs of stopping.

Kouki trembled with his eyes tightly shut as Akashi's hand rose to touch his face; he took a shuddery breath when Akashi's other arm rested on his waist and pulled him into Akashi's strong body, at the same time pushing him further into the wall. He knew what was coming. All those touches made sense now, and he couldn't deny how attracted he was to Akashi Seijuurou, how his friend's heated gaze was enough to make him weak in the knees.

"Sei-kun…" he gasped, face completely red now.

"Hmmm, Kouki?" a husky voice answered directly into his ear, making him shiver from head to toe.

The first touch of lips was hesitant. Through half-lidded eyes, Kouki could see Akashi's heterochromatic eyes watch him attentively for a reaction. He released a sigh, lips parting and remaining so. Encouraged, Akashi licked his bottom lip lightly with and the tip of his tongue and Kouki moaned. He let his tongue enter Kouki's sweet mouth slowly, one arm crandling Kouki's head with utmost care and another moving upward, to touch the back of his head and guide him further into the kiss. Their tongues danced slowly, teasingly, eliciting further moans from the two of them. Trembling, Kouki's hands rose to rest on Akashi's shoulders, and then one started caressing through Akashi's silky strands while the other rested on the side of his neck, travelling down his chest. Akashi interrupted the kiss when he felt the lack of air, but remained in that position, placing soft kisses all over Kouki's face, cheeks, nose, then the corner of his mouth, and then down his neck. Kouki moaned and sagged against him; Akashi held him up while he sucked on his pulse point.

"Kouki…." he breathed.

"Sei," his love answered with an equally breathy voice.

"If you don't like this, push me away."

"As if I could; you are always so unfair," Kouki answered, panting.

Akashi smiled.

"Kouki, I've always adored you. How do you feel about me?"

"Sei-kun, you are the only one for me," answered the boy, leaning forward boldly and closing the gap between them once again. "Punish me more."

THE END

Author note: The facts about Takao Kazunari come from the Kuroba wiki.