AN: Sorry! Just back from vacation. This was already posted on AO3 by a friend of mine, but not yet on here...
It had been a good day for Aki. No, wait, scratch that. It had been a fucking fabulous day for Aki. He had woken up to the shock that Asami was still in bed, having not left at some ungodly hour in the morning to break some kneecaps. He had not been fucked against the stove as he cooked breakfast, so for the first time in forever the food turned out perfectly. And as Asami left he had even brushed a soft sweet kiss across Akihito's lips, promising to be home early before shutting the door. This might or might not have caused a shit-eating grin to spread across his face. So he really hadn't been prepared for a walk in the park to ruin this wonderful, mellow day.
He strolled through the lush green grass, humming happily as he toted his camera. He didn't have any particular assignments today, but it was always nice taking some shots of nature. And with spring blooming, he hoped to snap some photos of flower buds and birds to frame artistically around the apartment. Asami always liked it whenever he decorated for some reason. Spotting a tiny songbird nested on the lower branches of a tree, he grinned, softly turning on his camera and focusing in, messing with the zoom. Snap…snap…snap. Perfect. He smiled down at the crisp image of the tiny bird juxtaposed by the freshly forming leaves, standing over its half made nest.
However, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the previous image where the wrong zoom had caused the bird to go out of focus and the background to become marginally clearer. Hm…that's awfully weird. He studied the figure in the photo, noting the slicked back hair style. I guess other people do wear their hair that way.
He glanced up from his camera, hoping to see this other man who wore his hair like Asami did. Could other men even pull that thing off? Ah, there he was. The man was turned to his left, talking with a woman. He stood abnormally tall, just like Asami. Holy shit, I just found the old man's doppelganger, he's gonna be so freaked out when I show him this!
Eagerly, he readied his camera, preparing to take a shot of the man's profile as soon as he turned enough. His fingers hovered over the button, looking as the man slowly turned his head.
He never clicked. His mouth opened in shock. What was Asami doing here, in the middle of the day? He had said that he was going to the office to talk over some things with Kirishima. He did not mention that he would be taking a leisurely stroll in the park with a pretty woman. As he looked, the woman laughed, clinging onto Asami's arm flirtatiously.
A deep heat of anger swelled in his chest as he looked at them. Four years. Four years of his life he had given to Asami. Heck, he had basically stopped being a crime photographer for the man. He had moved in. He even felt like a housewife now, no matter how much he denied Asami's ribbing. And the man still couldn't keep it in his pants?!
His mind flashed back to this morning, and the remarkable lack of interest the man had had in sex. His late hours, getting back at 2 AM. He hadn't thought much of the perfume on his clothes, women always clung to him wherever he went, it was an inevitability, but what if…just what if…it was more than that?
More righteous anger fueled his steps as he whirled away, holding his camera in a death grip. So that was how the man was going to play it. Because, apparently, as soon as Asami managed to attain a lover he just lost all interest. Well, fine. He could play that game too.
Stomping into their apartment, Aki threw his coat, letting it hit the wall and then slide down. His camera, he carefully laid in 'his' bedroom, the guest room that he hadn't slept in for ages. He surveyed the apartment, brow furrowed. The harsh, modernistic décor had long been covered up by his homey clutter, making the place feel like a home. A home for the two of them. Formerly, that is.
He started in the bathroom. Asami had a particular fixation about cleanliness in the bathroom. Every surface was polished, all silver handles polished and shining. The perfect retreat for a long hot soak. With sadistic joy, Akihito grabbed the ketchup bottle and flung the bright red, sticky sauce everywhere. The mirrors were covered in runny red liquid, the bath mats were soaked and the tub was ruined. Grinning, he ran to grab the hammer he had in the tool kit for any odd repairs. Crack. The head of the hammer hit the center of a mirror, cracks radiating outward perfectly, racing over the flawless glass. A pair of scissors was put to good use shredding Asami's beloved terrycloth bathrobe, and Asami's toothbrush was plopped into the toilet.
Finally, he stepped back, admiring his handiwork. It looked like a tornado had torn through the bathroom. A tornado housing several cats and a ketchup bottle. He felt some of his seething anger and betrayal vanish, but still more remained. Eager blue eyes glanced over at the rest of the pristine apartment. Just you wait, you bastard, I'll show you that you cannot fuck with Takaba Akihito.
Potted plants filled with herbs and flowers were savagely shoved over, shattering on the smooth wooden floors, earthy soil spilling everywhere. Just to be peevish, he glued all the dishes to the wall, so the yakuza wouldn't have anything to eat his food on. The man's impeccable closet, filled to the brim with expensive clothes was ruined by the spitting kitten, along with his shoes (hot tea ruins leather, who knew?). And as a final touch, he went into the secret room, grabbing the antique gun he knew Asami still kept there.
All the photos of him and Asami that littered the house, shots of him beaming happily and Asami smiling reservedly into the camera, he gathered up. With unsteady hands—damn, he should've learned to shoot a gun better—he shot through Asami's face in every photo. That would surely drive the message home.
His work done, he walked back into his room, pulling out a large suitcase. He should probably pack his shit and leave before the man came back home. His meager supply of clothes and his camera went in. A couple of pictures that he had been particularly proud of. His wallet, and a little bit of money were also stuffed in. Staring down at the surprisingly small amount of luggage, he felt a bit cowed. He hadn't realized it, but so much of what surrounded him in his everyday life, wasn't even his. It was just Asami's.
He hesitated, staring down. Maybe this is a bad decision…a voice in the back of his head fretted. Well, too late, another voice said nastily, you've just ruined his super expensive condo on the suspicion that he may have cheated.
No helping it. Aki zipped up the bag, holding back the tears that welled up. Looks I've fucked up this time…unless he was really cheating, then I'll come back and castrate him.
"What," A smooth voice questioned, forcibly calm, "Is going on here?"
He froze. Turning around, he was greeted by angry golden eyes. But instead of making the fire in his chest quiet down, he felt an abrupt upwelling. "First, why don't you tell me why you were meeting up with a woman in the middle of the day? And why you've been so awfully late to arrive home these last few days?"
The man blinked in shock. "How…did you know about today?"
Those words sparked his inner fuel. "How? That's what you ask me?! Well, I'll tell you, I was in the park, taking some nice photos, and got the honor of seeing you there cuddling up with a hussy. You know, if you really wanted to break up, it would've been better to just tell me instead of going behind my back." He felt tears well up at the corners of his eyes again. "I'll admit, I'm a little sorry about the mess, but I can't believe you would meet women on the side. I thought we were past that."
He stood there, sniffling, waiting Asami's answer. The man stared at him in shock, and then gave a great heaving sigh, lifting his hands to massage his temples. "I swear, planning surprises for you is almost never worth it."
Surprises? Aki tilted his head, a terrible sense that he had done something wrong washing over him.
Unceremoniously, Asami got down on one knee, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box. Aki stared down in disbelief at the silver band, set with glittering diamonds. "The woman was an esteemed jeweler; I had her specially design the ring." Asami said patiently. "I had planned for a romantic dinner tonight, but it seems those plans won't go through."
"B-but, you're late hours." Aki stammered through the tears.
"I've been very busy with international business, and designing rings takes time too." The man remained kneeling, patiently looking up. "Well, I suppose I'll have to ask even though my pose should tell you everything. Will you marry me, Akihito?"
Looking around at the wrecked house, Aki felt an unbelievable sense of guilt. "But…the apartment…"
"You'll have to clean up this mess of course, seeing that it's your fault, but it's a little bit my fault too." Asami sighed.
Slowly, Aki nodded. "Yes, I'll marry you, Ryuichi."
The man stood up, gently slipping the ring onto Aki's left hand, giving it a gentle kiss. With resigned eyes, he surveyed the apartment once more. "Well, I suppose I'll never be able to call you tame ever again."
"I'm sorry." Aki bowed his head.
"We'll learn to communicate better." Asami said, kissing his forehead. "We're getting married after all; it'll be part of our new life."
Aki smiled tremulously. "Yeah, let's work hard together. But, what are you going to about your suits?"
The man froze. "…what happened to my suits?"
Akihito winced. Looks like he had some explaining to do.