Something Constant

Prologue – Then & Now

"Shitty-Usagi, wake up!" Misaki bit out angrily. "Aren't you supposed to be working on that 'brilliant' novel of yours?"

Akihiko groaned slightly and peeked up at him with eyes that screamed to threaten doom. Misaki remained unfazed however, far too accustom to the man he'd lived with for the past four years to be truly affected by his deadly gaze. Sometimes it still amazed him how he managed to simply put up with it all, honestly.

"'s done," Akihiko grumbled, burying his face in a pillow when he realized his glare wasn't doing the trick. "Let me sleep."

Misaki emitted an indignant hum and narrowed his eyes in the dark of the room.

"I hope, for your sake, that it is," he hissed, sounding as though he found it hard to believe. "You'd better be telling the truth, because I just got off the phone with Aikawa-san and she sounded like she was about ready to resort to murder."

Akihiko remained still for a moment, not really registering the threat so much as deciding if it was truly worth it to try to go back to sleep. In the end he gave in though, sitting up to shoot his younger lover another rather weak glower.

Again, Misaki stayed stagnant.

"Well, breakfast is done anyway," he muttered lowly, turning to leave. "And she said she's stopping by in a few hours so get up already…"

However, before Misaki had the chance to take his leave, Akihiko grabbed him by the wrist, intending to "recharge" on his favorite fuel as a bit of revenge for ruining his sleep. And typically, he would've gotten his way, no matter how much Misaki enjoyed pretending he had a say in these things, because in the end Akihiko always won. Yet, something was different that morning, and later he would remember it as the start of the end. Misaki was quicker to react than usual, smacking the hand which had captured him away. He took a step back, eyes suddenly wide with shock, perhaps surprised by his own actions more than anything. It seemed a bit harsh, rash maybe. It wasn't as if Misaki wasn't already particularly used to Akihiko's odd behaviors anyway.

"Uh…" Misaki stumbled for words. "Sorry… I, um… yeah, breakfast," he said awkwardly, just before fleeing the room.

Akihiko stared out the open door in worried wonder, sensing that something was off right away, as he so often did. After all, Misaki was easy to understand. To react in such a regard to a simple touch, there had to be something bothering him. And Akihiko would be damned if he didn't pry the answers out of him.

Or at least he would try…

It had been more than three years since that day however, and Akihiko never did manage to get the answers he'd sought. Misaki was gone before he had the chance, in the blink of an eye really, because suddenly all the time they spent together felt like nothing. It hadn't been enough for him, and as selfish as Akihiko knew it was to think that he wanted more, he was already far too used to being selfish to turn back now. Although, Misaki had once nurtured that immature part of him, despite his way of scolding him for it all the while, and so now that he was gone, Akihiko was left in a state of pure confusion and solitude.

Being alone was something that Akihiko was all too familiar with too, but he'd forgotten the depth of it. He knew he was always meant to be alone, but he'd allowed himself to live in a happy little delusion of a life for far too long, which was perfect for him. So, how could he go back to his old self so easily?

Yet, in the end, Akihiko couldn't even begin to imagine why Misaki had left him. He held not an inkling of an idea, because it had come out of nowhere, right when he had thought things were just as they should be. And Misaki clearly didn't want to be found, because even Takahiro was in the dark about his living situation it seemed, or at least he pretended to be for his friend's sake, and/or by his brother's request.

It didn't matter though, because Usami Akihiko, a man who was renowned for his use of the human language, actually had no words for the boy he loved so dearly… for the first time since they'd met. What was there to say though? He knew that if Misaki's happiness was elsewhere there was nothing he could do about it.

Besides, that was honestly all he wanted in the end, for that damn kid to just be happy- whether that was with or without Akihiko in the picture.

So, when Misaki had accidentally reappeared before him, what was a man to do? With no words at his disposal, no silky lines of love, Akihiko seemed only capable of watching from a distance, both amazed and disgusted with the sight of his ex-lover and the swell of bubbly affection he felt in his chest as a result.

He looked older, of course, but just slightly, and Akihiko could've sworn it was only because Misaki also seemed a bit exhausted. But it was still him, just the same in every other way, down to the clothes he wore and the way he carried himself. Akihiko would recognize that stubborn uncertainty any day, because it had once been something he'd been constantly exposed to in his life. And now he missed it.

It wasn't until he saw who Misaki was with that Akihiko was grateful he hadn't been eating much lately, otherwise he was sure he would have lost his lunch to the nausea that followed. Of course, it had to be that man, didn't it? After all, he'd known all along that Misaki had kept his job at Marukawa. So, it only made sense that he was still involved with Ijuuin, of all people. Though, it was simply the way Ijuuin looked at him which made Akihiko sick to his stomach, because it was a possessive expression that he was all too familiar with.

The half-smile that Misaki offered in return was what made Akihiko turn and leave the publishing company.

Later that evening he would get a call from a screeching Aikawa, but it didn't matter, he'd only come there to tell her that he was quitting in the first place.

AN: Hey everyone! I know, I know, I should be working on "Melting Ice" and the various other Code Geass fanfics I've yet to finish, but with the third season of Junjou Romantica finally out, I couldn't help but write a fic for my other favorite nerds! Misaki and Usagi have been one of my otp's longer than SuzaLulu probably, can you believe it? I can't because I've never posted a Junjou story before… lol, I wonder why that is. I think I have a hard time taking it seriously when I write it… But I did start watching this show around the same time as Code Geass now that I think about it. I was probably about 13.

Anyway, Here's something that's been brewing in my mind for years, a sad little breakup-makeup story for the fandom, where Misaki leaves for questionable reasons. The original story idea was pretty simple, but I didn't actually get the nerve to write it until I started listening to a song from my younger days again, Miserable At Best by Mayday Parade. I listened to it a lot when I wanted to write something for this pairing, so you can imagine this story kind of follows the atmosphere of the song.

It's a great song if you wanna cry about love though, I recommend it lol.

Actually, you know what? Don't listen to it; it's bad and embarrassing because I loved it when I was like 13 or 14 probably.

Anyway, Chapter One is coming eventually. I'm not sure how much time it'll take, because this story has very little actual planning to it… No clue how long it'll be, how many words or chapters, I simply know how I want it to play out.

As for this prologue? I wrote this all in two short sittings, so I'm sure it's got mistakes and whatnot, but bear with me for now, I don't feel like fixing it up just yet.

Until next time,

- fae