Fandom: K

Pairing: Munakata/male OC, mentions of Mikoto/Totsuka, possible Seri/Izumo

Rating: M - male/male sex

Words: 5 750 (completed)

Genre: romance, angst, psychological

Notes: Thank you, leona-dracontis, for wonderful beta

...

Wiltering flower

"Awashima-kun."

The tall blonde woman flinched when she heard her boss's voice. It was late afternoon, just five minutes before she would be free to go and on the way to work, she spotted a newly opened bakery with loads of cakes, and she really wanted to go and look around, but work was work.

"Yes, sir?"

Seri turned around and waited for whatever Munakata wanted from her at that moment, because she had no clue what it could have been. Lately Scepter 4 wasn't busy. Homra was still crying over their leader's death and Kusanagi was keeping them in check, so they didn't cause much trouble. And other things... Well, they only had capable people, so every problem was easily solved.

Minutes have passed, but he was still not speaking. Seri wondered - not for the first time - what had actually happened between Munakata and Suoh to make her boss so... quiet. Yes, he was always composed and even cold, but usually he was quite amused by whatever was happening and if nothing happened, he was always busying himself with something. Now with no work to do, he was looking out the window, staring at the snow with an unreadable expression.

"Do you have someone you care for the most in the world, Awashima-kun?"

She blinked, startled that he actually spoke and she stared at him with her mouth a little agape, when the content of his question finally hit her. They rarely talked about something other than work and even then Seri was sure her King was searching for something he could use in the future. But there was something off in his voice right now.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean the person who is the most important to you - be it a lover, friend or family member..." She opened her mouth to say her loyalties lay with Scepter 4 - since there had been nasty rumors about her frequenting Homra's bar and she had a little suspicion about its certain monkey-source - but he didn't let her speak.

"I'm not talking about work now, Awashima-kun. I'm asking you as a woman, not a Scepter 4 lieutenant."

"I..." The tall blond man appeared before her eyes for a second, but she shook off that vision. "I don't have someone like this. My work is the most important thing to me."

He closed his eyes and smiled a little.

"Than can you imagine having someone like that? A person you'll build your world around, a person that'll be your rock, someone you would love with everything you have and you would do anything to ensure his or her safety?"

"I think I can."

Where was this going?

"Good. Now imagine these feelings aren't one-sided. This person needs you just as much and loves you maybe even more, with devotion and passion."

There was something strange in his voice and it made Seri's chest hurt along with the sudden longing she felt. Something like that happened in fairytales, not in real life. Not to someone as work-obsessed as her.

"I can, but..."

"And then imagine this person is being taken away from you by force and you can't do absolutely nothing about it". His tone didn't change, but Seri shivered for a moment while feeling something akin to fear. "What would you do?"

Ah, now she knew what he was talking about and she almost sighed in relief. That was something every Scepter 4 and Homra member were thinking for days now, so why would the Blue King be any different? People were wondering if the Red King's death could have been avoided. They were speculating and trying to find back-up plans in case something like this happened again. As for Seri, she knew that no back-up plan would suffice. Suoh Mikoto's death was suicidal no matter how in practice his life ended - he could have lived, even with such a high Weissman level, but he didn't want to, he declined any offer for help. All he wanted to do was to avenge Totsuka Tatara's death and then die himself as well. Kusanagi once told her that Totsuka was like a rock to Mikoto, that he was the only one who could support the Red King, and thanks to him, Suoh didn't feel lonely. She shouldn't have been surprised when she learned about their involvement - every person that had anything to do with Homra knew that Totsuka Tatara was untouchable, since hurting him was equal to challenging the Red King himself. What was between them was subtle, almost too hard to notice, but when one knew the whole story, everything would become clear.

But she still didn't know why her opinion had anything to do with all of this.

"I... I don't know, sir. I was never in such a position." She glanced his way and wondered why he rarely showed any feelings beside amusement. Nonetheless, her tone was curt and business-like. "But I think I would get over it in time. I would always remember, but I have my own life and responsibilities that I can't abandon just like that. And I don't think that the person who I was in love with would appreciate my actions if I decided to follow him. That's a pretty selfish act, leaving all the work behind just for somebody who wouldn't even know what I'm doing."

Munakata looked at her and his smile got a little more familiar.

"You really are a cold woman, Awashima-kun. Very rational and down to earth. Ah, but look at the hour. I won't hold you back just to chat with you."

Seri bowed down and bid her goodbye and only when she was at the door that she looked back at the man who was still staring outside the window.

"Sir..."

"Yes?"

"Do you... Do you have someone like this?"

He sighed: "Who knows..." and he stood up to look outside, his hand gripping the windowsill.

…

Long legs upon the high-heels. A short skirt despite the snow. Blonde hair dancing freely in the wind. If anything, Awashima was a really beautiful woman, girly, despite her personality. Reisi smiled crookedly and sighed.

"And what I was trying to do..." he chuckled darkly and reached for his coat. The blowing wind which messed up his lieutenant's hair was now chilling him to the bone. He looked back smiling a little and saw the clear footprints in the fresh snow.

"King or not, you're still human" He remembered the low and steady voice with a little teasing behind serious words that were speaking from above, while his aching and beaten body was lying on the wooden floor. He remembered it so well it could have been just yesterday. "You can trip like every human, you can catch a cold, you can get drunk like an idiot, you can be beaten by someone without even the spark of a power like me and you can easily get killed. No, wait. Scratch that. You probably won't get killed that easily, but you're not immortal. Mark my words, Reisi, you need to control your emotions. A leader with such a lousy control over himself will only make people disrespect him. And when there is disrespect from troops, there will always be a hand holding a knife, waiting for you to turn around."

He smiled fondly and quickened his pace, wanting to get home as fast as possible. Of course, the government told him that he could use one of the rooms inside the Scepter 4's main building, but he liked his private space. As strange as it sounded, he knew what it was and he would get rather antsy whenever someone invaded his own.

"By getting close, you're showing you're the one who's in control" The words came back to him, which were spoken in the same teasing, low tone. But this time he shivered a little, something that had nothing to do with the cold. He remembered the soft strands of hair grazing his cheeks and the overwhelming feeling of someone being so close it made his heart racing. His breath hitched and his legs wanted to run, but at the same time his head was getting dizzy, not letting any voice of reason appear inside. "You're showing that you're not afraid of confrontation, any kind of it. When you're meeting someone on the ground that is not yours by getting so close, you still mark this place as your own. But never do this with a person who doesn't care about anything and anyone, because you'll only show how desperate you are and your words will have a completely different effect than you would like."

Reisi sighed and took out a cigarette and lighted it. Ha, his own fault for forgetting about it! He tried to make Suoh live through a man's grieving, he really did; but from day one, he was making only mistakes. The first and foremost was that he never realized he was already talking to a dead man walking.

"You can't protect everyone, that's not what being a leader is about." A warm voice, it was soothing. No teasing this time. He almost felt the gentle hands embracing his shivering form from those years ago. "It wasn't your fault, he chose to shield you, it was his choice. But don't you ever do something like that again. Remember, you grieve for some time, but then you move on. Never grieve in public, Reisi. Always find a secluded place, a friendly shoulder to cry on. You're only human, not some sort of a superhero. You have feelings like every other human being, you're entitled to cry tears, but don't let other people know it. Be calm, be cold. Appear uncaring and sadistic if you absolutely must go into extremes. Show some concern, be reasonable, but never lose your composure, because if you break down one time, next time will come quicker and soon people will wait for the moment you'll fall. When a mirror has a scratch, no matter how it may look like, others will always see that scratch and wonder how long it'll take to break apart."

Reisi looked up into the sky, not caring for the snow that was falling onto his glasses. He haven't cried for a very, very long time. Three years, was it? He feared that once he'll go near his breaking point, it'll be too much to take. Maybe that was why he tried to look for a friend in Awashima. She was capable, caring and underneath all that ice, there was a warm and soft heart. But she saw him as her King, not someone who -not even a month ago- killed somebody whom he considered a friend. And certainly not someone who had emotions on his own. Or maybe he was wrong, once again, like he was wrong about her when he met her for the first time.

"Take her as your second in command." A laughter, teasing to the maximum. Munakata smirked when he remembered how he smacked the hand that was playing with his hair. "I mean it. She's not only pleasant to look at, but being so young... You'll need her, Reisi. She seems to be capable of whatever you'll throw at her and being so young, she'll be eager to show her worth. There is also a really good reason for a woman to be your lieutenant. Scepter 4 is mostly packed with guys, so not only you'll show you're not sexist, -which may bring more girls into your ranks and you know as much as I do that there are moments when ladies do better - but it'll also strengthen your authority. There'll be always a bunch of testosterone-filled idiots who won't like to be ruled by a girl, probably much younger than they are, so they'll be jumping as soon as you say "frog" whenever you'll take the lead. And they won't rebel against her, she seems to have balls of steel."

Yes, Awashima was the best choice. But around her he was always on guard, like with anyone else. Well, nearly anyone. He was always at ease with Suoh, despite him being a walking disaster. But Suoh was alive no more. And he couldn't do anything to prevent it. He grimaced with pain and heard a shocked gasp. He opened his eyes and looked at some guy in blue uniform, who saluted.

"You and your damn temper!" he almost immediately heard the annoyed voice and remembered how his hair were tugged after one of the few first failures, when he was too aggressive to make his point. "You're so easily provoked it's not even funny! Don't you have anything better to do? What do I always tell you? When you're stressed, pressured or when there is need for you to absolutely keep calm - DO SOMETHING CALMING. I don't know, scrabble, puzzle, origami or even make tea - even if you always forget to add sugar and it tastes bad - just make sure you look like you don't give a fuck, otherwise you'll be eaten alive. It's you who should be pressing them to the breaking point! Be smug, be calm, be cold, whatever suits you, just don't let them see they're getting into you. You must always look like you know what to do and even if you're wrong, act like you never made a mistake since the day you were born. Why do I ever bother with you?!"

Reisi chuckled while thinking about that particular lesson and how it ended, as he opened the door to his house with a smirk. He closed his eyes and counted to ten while trying to hear something. Nothing. Without even bothering to take his shoes off, he made his way to the second floor and shivered when he felt how low the temperature was inside. Cold was getting even more horrible as he was getting closer to the last room on the right side, with its windows looking to the garden.

Reisi peeked inside the room and sighed when his suspicions had been confirmed. The window right beside the bed was wide open and there was even snow on the windowsill inside. But the person sitting on the bed under the blankets looked not only like he was not cold, but almost happy. And for the first time in the past few weeks, there were lively colors on that face that had nothing to do with fever or sex.

The man was still quite young, but while looking at him, you could tell that he was getting closer to thirty. He had short black hair which were neatly combed with bangs falling on one of the narrow and almost fox-like pair of blue eyes. His skin, once porcelain white, had a yellow tinge to it. The gorgeous pale face, with shadows under his eyes, had thinned much over the years, but to Munakata, Sentoumaru Eiji-san was just as breathtaking as the first day he saw him on the high school entrance ceremony, when senpai took him for a tour around the school.

"That's President's privilege, to take the cutest freshman for a sightseeing" he smiled and ruffled Reisi's hair. "Don't look at me like that... Munakata-kun, was it? Pouting doesn't suit you. Glaring does."

Despite a look that was attractive not only to girls, Eiji-san had a very cunning and sharp mind and Reisi often thought that he wouldn't like to be on this man's bad side. Before he knew what was happening, somehow Eiji-san made him confess and molded him the way he liked and not even for a moment Munakata knew he was being manipulated. Only years later, when looking at it from a distance, could he tell just how clever it was. Even now he often wondered since when exactly he was being played with without realizing it.

"You look extremely good in a uniform, Reisi." Eiji-san was now looking at him, smiling in a familiar, teasing way. "Although I would make it more fit. It doesn't bring out all of your assets."

"I won't get into your fetishes this easily" he said calmly, while coming inside and closing the window. "And you're unbelievable to sit here with the window open, Eiji-san. Do you want to have pneumonia once again so badly?"

"Always the spoilsport." But he wasn't looking particularly sad.

"Where is the nurse?"

"I told her to leave. I dislike being taken care of by someone I don't even know."

Reisi touched his forehead and then stroked his cheek.

"You're freezing."

"I was feeling a little hot and it's been a long time since I felt the snow." He smiled and Munakata sighed with relief. It wasn't a fever-induced smile. "You're early today."

"Nothing is happening" he replied curtly, sitting on the bed and started taking his shoes off, which wasn't an easy task.

"Aww, come on, that's not true. There is always something happening when one does know where to look." Blue eyes almost sparkled with curiosity. "Give my brain something to do besides admiring your mile-long legs, Reisi."

He smirked and purposely started removing his shoes in a slower pace.

"Homra is still not moving."

"That's obvious. They're waiting for the new Red King being chosen and only then, they'll decide if they should join him or not."

"Yes. But the worst problem is to protect them now that they have no outstanding powers. They have many enemies in the yakuza circle."

"They were keeping the town safe in their own way, just like you do it on your way. Is Seri still keeping an eye on them?"

"Yes."

"Good. But watch over her, in case she'll like them too much and..." He stopped talking when he saw Reisi's smug smile and then chuckled. "Sorry, sometimes I forget you're not that snotty-nosed brat who just learned he's going to be the King and had terror in his eyes while thinking about all the things he has to do and doesn't know how."

"Who was snotty-nosed? I believe I was quite proud."

"Proud? That's an understatement. You looked like a peacock who just saw his own tail for the first time. And you were sniveling. Right after I taught you a lesson."

Munakata smiled and sat more comfortably. Taught a lesson? At first Eiji-san disarmed him without even drawing his sword and then when he was trying to burn him - a little, since he liked him nonetheless – he was beaten up so much that he had a problem with moving for days. If it was a lesson, then it was one that he never forgot.

"I had no idea how to use my power back then. Now it would look different."

Eiji-san took his hand from under the blanket and touched the handle of Reisi's sword with his thin and long-fingered hand that was still moving with a deadly grace.

"I doubt I would be able to even lift it. But if I would have been a little stronger I could still teach you few things." He chuckled. "And not only about fighting. Say..."

"No" he said while propping his glasses up and trying to compose himself before Eiji-san could lure him in.

"I'm feeling alright today."

"That's why you're lying in bed?"

"Do I have to beg? I know you love it when I'm begging..."

Despite trying to act calm, Reisi felt a shiver going down his spine. Eiji-san leaned in, his eyes were clouded with desire, his lips were parted and his voice was low and husky. And it was so long since they were like this... Munakata lifted his hand and caressed the soft skin of the cheek, stroked soft hair before gripping it lightly. Eiji-san purred and leaned more, despite the fact that his hair were being tugged.

"I don't want to go through something like the last time" he said firmly. "So be honest with me - Are you feeling well?"

By 'the last time', he meant the morning after, when he woke up to find his lover having an almost deadly fever. His lungs worked with little effort and Eiji-san was in such a pain, his body full of cramps, that his mind was lost for a moment. He didn't recognize Reisi, even though - in the heights of the pain – was calling for him.

The problem with Eiji-san was that he was ill, but no doctor could say what exactly was wrong with him. For a moment they even speculated that being this close to one of the Kings may have caused this, but Munakata wasn't thinking so - he was controlling his power and that was something he couldn't say about Suoh, but from what he had gathered, there was never anything wrong with Totsuka. But this... This started three years ago when they were discussing some problem with an underground slave market when suddenly Eiji-san said he was not feeling well and the next moment, he was lying on the ground, shaking spasmodically and vomiting blood, completely unconscious. Munakata had never tested his powers to its greatest capacity, but that day he found out how fast he could fly. At that time it was a stomach perforation, but no one could tell the reason. And ever since then, it only got worse.

"Don't treat me like a baby, Reisi." He almost flinched when he heard the cold fury in Eiji-san's voice. It rarely happened, but when it appeared there was no seducer in front of him, but a man with a steel-like gaze who could easily climb to the top if his health wasn't in the way. This was making him excited. He loved Eiji-san who was sweet and funny, but his merciless side was so attractive that Munakata was coercing for it to come out every now and then. "You're keeping me alive and I'm happy that you don't want to part with me, but I'm not a flower you can keep for your amusement. I need to see, to touch, to feel - I'm a human, not some sort of a plant. If you want me to live, let me enjoy life. I'm older than you and perfectly capable of deciding for myself."

"You're not actually here when you're close to death" said Reisi calmly, but inside him, there was a battle between fear and excitement. The fear of losing him and the desire to make this hard-headed man writhe in pleasure, make him call his name, make him beg for more.

"Then let me go." He smiled wryly. "We both know I'm dying. My body is getting weaker and weaker with each passing day."

"Doctors..."

"Have absolutely no idea what's going on with me. Face it, Reisi. Stop deluding yourself." There was almost pain in his voice and this, combined with his hollowed face, made Munakata's heart contract. He knew it. He knew. Eiji-san was like a beautiful flower that was wilting and there was no way to stop this, no matter what he was willing to do. "The only reason I didn't jump from this window up to this point was to see you and be with you like before, to at least pretend nothing wrong was happening. But if you're going to treat me like a baby or an old man, then you won't find me the next time you come back home. I don't want you to remember me as a wreck of a human. I want you to remember me in ecstasy, kissing you, making fun of you or even being a manipulative bastard who threatens you emotionally. Even if you won't touch me again, since I look like a skeleton now, my mind is still full of knowledge - so use it! But don't keep me here just to make me live!"

Without thinking Munakata closed the gap between them and kissed those tiny lips that were so awfully pale, unlike the time when they were sinfully pink when they had kissed for the first time. But nevertheless he still felt the same desire, still wanted - craved for more.

"You do not look like a skeleton" he whispered, pulling back a little. "You're still as beautiful as you were in school."

Eiji-san chuckled and with a little effort, he put his arms around Munakata's shoulders.

"Something that I can't say about you. You were so cute..." he licked Reisi's jaw and purred. "And now you're so sexy I'm really starting to look like the girl in this relationship."

Munakata chuckled and lay down, setting himself on top of his lover.

"You were saying something about begging..." he said with menace, pushing Eiji-san's hands above his head. Truth to be told, he didn't have to put much force into this, even if before the older man's illness, it was a true fight about dominance.

"Should I cry for help?"

"And do you want to be rescued?"

Eiji-san smirked and shook his head, his black hair making a halo around his head.

"No, not really. But you will have to work hard to make me beg."

"We'll see..." he murmured before kissing Eiji-san with force and rubbing his body onto his lover's.

He always had to work hard since the beginning. Eiji-san was a true beauty and Munakata always knew there were at least a dozen of people who would gladly take him for themselves, so he confessed at the first moment possible. He was still a brat then, reaching only seventeen, but he already was taller than his senpai and was pretty confident about himself. Until Eiji-san told him that he was going to look for someone else if Resisi was not going to be able to satisfy him. Being so young and so in love he tried his best, did everything that he was asked for and he enjoyed it so much it still amazed him. Sometimes he felt that he was going to die without being able to hear that teasing voice, without the only person who was making fun of him, without someone he loved so dearly and who was reciprocating his feelings.

Killing Suoh was harsh on his mind and body - his control over his Weissman level got harder and he was crestfallen despite knowing that the Red King wanted to die and he still managed to save other people. Eiji-san knew about his state and let him just lay there, hugging him closely, not saying a word. What would he do if he ever lost him?

"What... do I do... when... you won't... be here?" he grunted out some time later, straight into the older man's ear between powerful thrusts that were making his lover cry out with pleasure. He needed not to think, otherwise he would just fall apart, cry, fall into hysteria like those three years ago when he was sure Eiji-san was going to die from massive blood loss. And all he did at that time was to think what was so great about being a King if all he could do was to sit before the operation room doors, waiting.

"Whatever you... mwah! ah... you'll want to, Reisi... Reisi, Reisi, Reii-I-I love-aaaah..." he moaned and his hands clutched at Munakata's uniform just before he came. Reisi looked down at Eiji-san's face - so flushed, with tears in his eyes, so lovely, so familiar... And just when their mouth met in another kiss, Eiji-san clamped down hard on him and clawed his ass, which was his undoing and he came so hard, for a moment he didn't see anything. He only felt.

When Munakata rode his orgasm to the end, he brushed away the loose strands of hair that were plastered to Eiji-san's wet forehead and slipped out, trying not to be too brutal.

"You know..." started the older man, while sitting up shakily and working his fingers through Reisi's hair. "You should wear your uniform inside the house more often. I find it extremely arousing... my King."

The last word he said was in such a tone that it made Munakata's head light.

"And people think I am twisted."

"I'm not twisted. Just perverted." He chuckled. "And be more respectful towards your one-person harem."

Reisi laughed silently and let his forehead rest on Eiji-san's arm.

"What will I do without you?" he sighed and took his glasses off.

"Whatever you'll want. I have high hopes for you, but I won't force you into anything." The bony hands took Munakata's chin and moved it up. Light blue eyes met dark blue ones and even if there were still sparkles of lust, there was much more of devotion and trust in them. "I just want you to promise me that you'll wait one year after my death until you decide what to do later."

"You say it like it's..." he started but then sighed. He never really got used to thinking about death - be it Eiji-san's or someone else's. "I promise you. I'll wait one year."

"That's my boy" Eiji-san ruffled his hair and when Munakata stood up to remove his uniform that was all soaked - and despite calling his lover twisted he found something exciting in this - he reached to him with shaking hands.

"Yes?"

"We need to clean ourselves. Take me to the bathroom."

Munakata smiled and took Eiji-san into his arms; for a moment he was scared of how little he weighted, how his legs went from being nicely muscled -but still slim- to bony and weak. But he was warm and alive, clinging to him and whispering obscene propositions into his ear, just like in the old days.

And he almost fooled himself into thinking it was like that - that he was still just a normal student having an affair with his already graduate senpai and their biggest problem was the people who were unhappy with Munakata snatching Eiji-san for himself.

…

The sound of the phone ringing in the middle of the night never meant anything good. Reisi opened his eyes and reached for his cell phone which he left on the floor. Eiji-san muttered something and got closer to Munakata, almost gripping him. After doing it once more in the bathroom, the older man had lost consciousness and was sleeping since then. But it was strange. He was never clingy; he disliked sleeping in the same bed to the point where he often kicked Reisi out just when his eyelids were getting heavy.

"Eiji-san? Eiji-san, wake up. What's..." and then he felt. The man was sweating like mad, his body was hot, but he was shivering. Narrow eyes cracked open and he tried to smile, but it looked miserable.

"C-c-c-cool-lll-ld... Sssss-ss-orry..." he said, his teeth chattering.

It was impossible. Right after getting out of the bath he adjusted the heating to its highest level and now it was so hot, he himself was sweating even though he was naked.

"You've got a fever... I knew it was a bad idea" he hissed and his anger got even bigger when his phone started ringing once again. He sat up, brushing Eiji-san's hand away with annoyance and pressed the green button. "Yes?"

"C-c-cal-lll-m d-d-d-down..."

Ever the tutor.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, sir."

"No need to apologize, Awashima-kun. I guess it's important."

"Yes. I'm at the Homra base right now. We have a situation."

He closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. To the meritum, girl. To the meritum.

"What situation?"

"Yata had gone missing along with a few ex-red clansmen. According to Kusanagi, they were last seen this morning around underground center."

This was a problem. If they got themselves into a fight with some yakuza, there was going be blood and death to deal with. As much as he disliked the barbarian red clansmen, he still felt like he owed them something. He opened his mouth to say that he was going be there in half an hour when he felt how the bed was shaking with all the shivers of Eiji-san. Work was important. He had his duties to perform, but at the same time he wondered how many time he had left with his lover before...

"Let Fushimi-kun take care of this."

"With due respect, sir, Fushimi - when there is Yata involved - is a little..."

"I'm sure he'll take care of everything. And go with him to make sure he won't start any bloodshed. Take others if you must. You have my permission to draw out your swords."

"Sir, I really must insist that you..."

"Are you saying that Scepter 4 is incapable of finding a few boys and dealing with barbaric criminals?" He knew his voice got cold and intimidating, but this really wasn't something they needed him for.

"No, sir."

"Then proceed. I want a report from you tomorrow evening."

"Evening, sir?" she sounded surprised.

"Yes. I need to take care of a few things. I trust you to take care of everything."

"Ah... yes, thank you, sir. I will. I'm sorry to disturb your sleep."

"Be careful, Awashima-kun. Goodnight."

When he lay down, Eiji-san was hugging himself, trying to keep himself warm.

"Yyy-ouuu sh-should-dd-d gg-g-g-ooo..."

"They don't need me there. But you need me now. Come here." He took Eiji-san into his arms and slowly, steadily started growing his aura, making it feel like a warm breeze.

Shivers slowly but steadily subsided and soon Eiji-san was once again asleep, this time peacefully. Holding him closely, Munakata remembered all that happened those years ago. From their first exchanged glances at the entrance ceremony, through sitting in the library, their first kisses, sparring for fun, having long debates about politics, his own stupid tears when Eiji-senpai was graduating, up to the first love making and the first time when Eiji-san told him he also loved him. He was so beautiful back then, so lively, always in the move, plotting something, making his previously dull, steady life vibrant and full of challenges. He looked down at the sleeping man and saw the same boy he was back then, the only difference being his sickness.

And then his own words from this day came back to him and he couldn't stop himself from clutching Eiji-san as close to himself as he could, while stifling back a hysteric sob.

"Imagine this person is being taken away from you by force and you can't do absolutely nothing about it".

...

.

A/N: Reviews will be greatly appreciated :)