Akihito's mood that day was as miserable as the gloomy weather.
In fact he was beginning to think it was even worse, and being stuck under the portico of his office building waiting for more than half an hour now while a hailstorm broke havoc all around him, wasn't exactly helping his nerves.
As time passed, the young man was left with nothing better to do than to wave goodnight at his fellow co-workers while they walked past him, umbrellas in hand, ready to face the storm on their way home for the day.
Huffing, Akihito looked at his wristwatch for the n-th time. "Where the hell is Kirishima-san?" He mumbled under his breath while scanning the busy roads around the building. "He should have been here by now."
The photographer wasn't yet sure if he felt annoyed or relieved regarding the meeting that was about to happen. Kirishima's phone call earlier that morning had been, after all, the first sign in almost two months that Asami Ryuichi had not vanished altogether from the face of the earth.
Shortly after the whole ordeal with Aaron and his men had taken place, resulting in the ultimate destruction of Asami's posh penthouse, the business man had disappeared from the country leaving no trace or clue behind of where he could be found.
The mere memory of such infuriated Akihito. For the man in question did not even have the decency of telling his own lover (if Akihito could even bestow on himself that title) that he was about to go M.I.A. for months.
And no, it was not like Akihito could really say he was left hanging. Asami did instruct his lawyers to set up the young man at a very nice and very tightly secured furnished apartment in downtown Ginza, with access to a hefty bank account and a fleet of sports cars and motorcycles that lay unused on the luxury condo's garage, but that was all beside the point.
What really mattered was that disappearing out of the blue one morning after spending the night having steamy sex with your partner while you both comforted each other and rejoiced over the fact you had survived an assassination attempt and a massive explosion that had destroyed your former home, was unforgivable in Akihito's eyes, and as such the great Asami Ryuichi was sure as hell going to get a piece of his mind when they next met up.
…Which the young man had a feeling would invariably happen in the next few minutes.
As if on cue, a familiar black car appeared at the curb of the main road; its shiny coat almost defying the raindrops attempting to drown it like all the other cars moving about.
Akihito gulped, trying to keep his feelings in check.
The truth was that he had missed Asami terribly and that he'd been sick with worry for him, knowing that the business man had left the country in a hurry to sort out the whole mess that his subordinate Sudou had created with the Russian mob and that had ultimately led to their assassination attempt, although the young man would be damned if he was about to show Asami any of his true feelings on the subject.
No. He would be brave and cold and unfeeling, just like Asami was at times…and he strongly suspected his tough mask would last about 5 minutes in total.
The black limo came to a halt right in front of the portico, earning more than a few curious glances from passersby. It was uncommon to see such an upscale vehicle stopping even for a moment in that office area, after all.
Akihito's trainers were glued to the ground though. He couldn't move; his stare fixated on the dark glass of the side windows which betrayed nothing of what hid behind them.
A couple of minutes must have past, because the driver's window eventually came down and soon Kirishima's face appeared through the rain.
"Takaba Akihito," He called out sternly. "What are you doing standing there? Get inside the limo. Do you think the boss has all day?"
Well, that was enough to piss-off Akihito all over again! Shooting a defiant stare at the assistant, the photographer all but marched towards the side door of the limo, throwing it open and getting inside the vehicle without another thought.
As soon as he landed on the comfortable backseat, the unmistakable smell of Dunhill cigarettes hit him full on, making Akihito cough out his lungs. Who knew that a couple of months was all it took to wean him out of the familiar smell!
He felt the person sitting next to him move an arm towards the opposite window to slide it open a bit, letting fresh air inside as the limo started moving again along the busy road.
"Better?" Asami asked after a few moments.
When Akihito finally looked at the older man, his coughing fit still quite not over yet, he was certain to catch the ghost of an amused smile on the latter's lips.
"Yeah, thanks." He replied flatly.
Asami took another long drag from his cigarette, careful to blow the smoke in the direction of the opened window this time around.
He seemed to be taking his time studying Akihito.
"You look well. Rested." Asami noted.
For once the photographer could not say the same about the business man. The faintest dark circles framed his eyes and he looked overall tired. But whether that was due to lack of sleep or simply jetlag, the young man couldn't tell.
"Where have you been?"
Asami chose to ignore the accusatory tone with which Akihito pronounced the question. Still, the same amused smile graced his features for a moment.
The photographer's pissed-off look seemed not to be surprising the older man in the slightest.
"I heard from my lawyers that you refused to move into the apartment I arranged for you." He stated, changing the subject…and immediately hearing Akihito snicker in return. "Was the apartment not to your liking?"
A five bedroom condo, with an indoor pool and a fully equipped gym, situated in one of the wealthiest and most exclusive parts of Tokyo?
"No." Akihito lied, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively.
Asami couldn't help but grin at the young man's display of childlike petulance. "Where are you staying now?"
"Why do you bother asking?" Akihito retorted. "You know already. I'm sure you know all of my moves. Don't you get a daily report from the private detective you hired to follow me around?"
"I was trying to be polite."
"You could have started by telling me you were leaving." Akihito said quietly under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." The young man replied, loud enough for the other man to hear this time. "What do you want anyway? I have stuff to do, you know? I can't afford to go round in circles through town all night."
"We're not going round in circles."
Asami's reply caught the young man off guard. He had not anticipated that the ride would have an actual destination.
"W-Where are you taking me then?" He asked, paying attention to the scenery outside the darkened windows for the first time since entering the limo.
"I just need your opinion on something, that's all. It won't take too long. I'll have Kirishima drive you back home when it's over, so don't worry." Asami said, suppressing a yawn.
"He really must be tired." Akihito thought, noticing how the older man seemed to be fighting down a wave of drowsiness.
"…When did you get back to Japan?" He asked quietly.
"This morning."
"Where did you fly from?"
"Moscow."
"Must've been a long flight."
This time Asami did yawn tiredly. "About 10 hours." He said, closing his eyes.
"You should be in bed sleeping, you know?"
"I know..." The older man agreed, his head slowly dropping to the side. "…wanted to see you first." He added just before sleep finally won him over.
To say Takaba Akihito wasn't mildly irritated by the flurry of butterflies that his lover's comment unleashed inside his stomach would be a lie, but since it wasn't every day that the ruthless Asami Ryuichi was so open (in his own particular way) with his feelings, the photographer forgave himself for his infatuated schoolgirl type of reaction.
The same could not be said for his following action though, since looking back at it later on, Akihito could only really attribute it to a bout of momentary insanity.
Taking advantage of the fact that his lover was 'out' at the moment, Akihito found himself decreasing the distance between them on the backseat, ending up sitting right next to the business man, so he could take a better look at the latter's sleeping face.
He must have lost his senses at some point because when Akihito came around, his cool lips were slowly brushing against Asami's warm ones; his fingers pulling through his lover's always impeccably styled hair.
When the young man felt the latter's right arm circling his lower back, he knew that Asami was awake, and broke the kiss he'd just given him to find the business man looking at him through half open eyelids; lust and curiosity mingled together in the depths of the older man's eyes.
"Don't get me wrong." Akihito said, climbing onto his lover's lap. "I'm still very much angry at you for leaving me behind without a warning."
Asami smirked, clutching the younger man's buttocks with his strong hands, pulling him closer. "I guess I'll just have to find a way of making it up to you then, don't I?" He said huskily, before pulling Akihito down for another kiss.
Half an hour later and a half-naked Asami could be found lying across the backseat with a fully naked Akihito sprawled on top of him.
They were both exhausted from love making, but the longing between them was still so intense that they could not take their hands off of each other just yet.
Asami's lips were soft as suede against the younger man's, lingering, clinging; his tongue gliding out and stroking over Akihito's mouth.
In return, the photographer was busy gliding his hands up his lover's muscular torso, grabbing onto his shoulders as the heat from their kiss speared though his skin.
When Asami felt his groin start to awaken, ready for another round, he parted the kiss, grabbing Akihito's upper arms, pulling his lean frame upwards with little effort.
"You really need to start thinking about getting dressed." He said despite his own will, and despite the young man's attempts to resume the kiss.
"I don't think I can." The photographer answered sheepishly, looking down at the mess of shoes and clothes piled on the floor. "I think I might've unintentionally thrown my jeans out of the window when I took them off." He confessed, causing the business man to chuckle.
"Hey, do you think you can still ask Kirishima-san to drive around town in circles?" Akihito suggested brightly, and as an incentive, bent down to place light kisses around the older man's collarbone.
"As much as I find the idea tempting, no." Asami replied amused. "I really can't miss this appointment."
Akihito placed his palms on the latter's chest pushing himself upwards with a frown. "Where are we heading to anyway?" He asked intrigued, only to have his curiosity further spiked up when he saw a smile grace Asami's features.
"You'll soon see." Was the mischievous reply he received in return.
Akihito, fully clothed now (it turned out his jeans were still in the limo), was trying hard not to gawk at the stunning brand new mansion in front of him.
Built within a colossal enclosed estate and surrounded by neatly tended gardens, the mansion was an homage to modern architecture; its outer walls comprised of floor to ceiling reinforced glass windows, that looked as though they were built to sustain the power of hurricanes.
The estate and mansion, with its adjoining infinity pool, a garage ready to house at least half a dozen cars, a-not-so small guest house and a private helipad, looked as though it cost a king's ransom, and to say the photographer was dumbfounded to learn that Asami had recently bought it for himself was an understatement.
A very beautiful looking lady, who Akihito soon discovered to be a real estate agent, was already at the entrance of the mansion waiting to present the keys to its newest owner.
As the lady led Asami, Akihito and Kirishima through the many stunningly decorated divisions inside the mansion, the young man soon became aware that Asami had dealt with the whole business transaction while he was away from the country and that he had somehow supervised from abroad all of the changes he'd requested to be made to some of the rooms.
Unable to hide his fascination with the place, Akihito fell back from the group and stood open-mouthed at the living room's windows which offered a complete view of Tokyo's skyline and bay area.
In the background, he could hear Kirishima's voice as the assistant discussed with the real estate agent the completion of a security fence his boss had apparently ordered to be installed around the estate grounds.
"So what do you think?" The unexpected voice nearly made Akihito jump.
He turned round to find Asami standing a few feet behind him, the business man's gaze fixed upon him. Not upon the dream house, nor upon the dream view it offered, but upon him. Upon plain, poor, hardworking photojournalist Akihito.
The young man found himself massaging the back of his neck, feeling suddenly embarrassed to be wearing jeans and an old t-shirt inside such a posh place.
"I think…that if I was your wallet, I'd be going "Ouch!" by now." He joked nervously, secretly wondering how much gas he'd spend driving his bike from Tokyo to that estate located in the outskirts of the city. He wouldn't be able to see Asami every day, that was for sure.
Perhaps Asami wouldn't mind staying at his shabby little apartment in downtown Shinjuku a couple of nights a week…
"So you approve of it?" Asami's eager question cut through Akihito's dark musings.
"Me?" The young man retorted confused. "Why would I need to appr-"
"Asami-sama?" The real estate agent's voice interrupted their conversation.
She soon appeared at the living room's entrance with Kirishima in tow. "Ah, here you are, Asami-sama!" She exclaimed. "I'd like you to see the special room you ordered to be built upstairs. Construction on it ended yesterday. I believe you will find it much to your liking." The woman added with a broad smile.
"Special room?" Akihito thought with a cringe. "Don't tell me he had another panic room built, filled with S&M stuff?"
He cast a quick glance at his lover, who started following the woman and Kirishima up the stairs to the first floor, seemingly anxious to see the room in question for the first time.
The four of them had just stopped in front of the first door by the upstairs landing when Asami looked over his shoulder at the photographer.
"I want you to see it first, Akihito." He said, making way so that the young man could walk past him.
"Oh man." Akihito gulped nervously. "Please don't let it be filled with S&M stuff. Please don't let it be filled with S&M stuff." He recited to himself as a mantra, as he slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
As soon as his eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the room though, he gasped in surprise. "But…But…it's a photography studio!" He exclaimed, looking around at all of the state of the art cameras and photography equipment filling the room.
"Do you like it?" Asami's voice reached his ears despite his bewilderment.
The young man turned round to find Asami standing by the doorway alone, with neither sign of Kirishima nor the real estate agent around. He had a feeling his lover had sent them both quickly away so that they could have a moment to talk in private.
Akihito looked around the studio again. Now he was really confused.
"But w-why did you have a photography studio built inside your home?"
Asami chuckled under his breath. "Why do you say my home?"
A flurry of butterflies did a somersault inside Akihito's stomach. Could it be that…?
"Isn't it obvious?" The older man retorted, while he slowly made his way towards Akihito. "I had this studio built for you. It beats developing photos inside the bathroom like you used to do at the penthouse, right?"
"Wait…Wait a second. You're not really suggesting…?"
"What is it?"
"You can't possibly think…Asami, I can't live here!"
Akihito's words felt like a slap on the face to the business man.
"Why not?"
By then Akihito's cheeks were the color of a ripped tomato.
"Granted, it's a bit further away from downtown than the penthouse was, but it's much safer."
Akihito shook his head, dismissing the comment. Man, where was a hole on the floor when you needed one? "That's not it." He mumbled.
"Then…why?"
"This place is a freaking billionaire's mansion, that's why! I can't afford to pay the rent."
The older man arched an eyebrow at him. "What rent? ! I bought this mansion, Akihito. There is no rent to pay. It has already been fully paid."
"But you could have anyone you want living here with you!"
"Yes," Asami said with a resolute stare. "…and I want you to be the one."
The force of his words caught the young man off-guard. "You…baka." He whispered, looking towards the floor at their feet so that his lover couldn't witness his eyes filling up with tears.
Before he knew it, Akihito was pulled into an embrace, feeling the business man's arms circling around his back protectively, while he soaked the front of Asami's shirt with his silent tears.
"So…is that a yes?"
Akihito nodded in reply against the older man's shirt, unable to utter a word.
"Then… welcome home, Akihito." Asami said relieved, sealing his greeting with a passionate kiss.
"…Hey, what's with the grin all of a sudden?" Akihito asked suspiciously, when they finally parted for air.
"I haven't shown you the master bedroom yet."
The photographer caught the insinuation behind the observation immediately. "There better be some really thick curtains covering the bedroom windows." He warned, letting himself be led out of the photography studio by Asami. "I'm not about to start having sex with you for the entire Tokyo population to witness down below, got it?" He added, smiling when he heard Asami laugh in reply.