My Reason
Chapter 1
How did this happen? How did everything just fall apart in front of me?
Why am I surprised? It didn't just happen today, all at once. Everything's been crumbling around me for years, ever since she left. The dark haired Usami knocked back another expensive shot of real Russian vodka, gasping under his breath as it burned its way down his esophagus. He slammed the glass on the worn bar, gesturing at the petite blond bartender for another shot.
Normally, Usami Haruhiko wouldn't have been caught dead in a common bar without valet parking or leather upholstered seating dotting sleek modern hardwood floors, not to mention a gay bar, full of sweaty half-dressed men writhing in a mass of orgasmic delight. No, this was most definitely not the normal scene of the son of a distinguished Usami, even if he was the out and proud golden boy Akihiko.
The bartender hesitantly slid another shot of their most expensive vodka to the downtrodden businessman, watching him carefully while wiping another glass dry. When the depressed man first walked in, tie loose and a determined gleam in his eye, the bartender knew he'd be trouble. He'd gestured at the bouncer to grab his keys: he knew the look of a man who wouldn't accept anything less than complete and total mental annihilation by alcohol. He sighed, pushing the longer light locks away from his face, his earring glinting in the light.
Fujioka Reiji wasn't expecting anything more than the usual tonight, probably some drunk assholes trying to grope him, cleaning up the usual messes in the bathrooms, and then go home and crash in his bed before getting up four hours later for class. The exact same scenario six days of the week, with one break on Sunday when he got to sleep a whole six hours before running to his other job at the ice cream shop, then the night shift at the gas station. What little time he had between the three jobs and school he'd work on his homework and his drawings. The same cycle, repeating over and over, forever until he collapsed from old age, wrinkled and decrepit and probably still single and alone.
"Rei-kun," a voice crooned to the small man's left, making him roll his pale blue eyes. He glanced to the side, hair falling into his eyes again as he raised a pale eyebrow at the obviously sloshed man draping himself over the bar, an alcohol induced grin plastered on his face. Just as plastered as the man himself.
"Ginji, how the hell did you get in here? You're banned, get out." Rei narrowed his eyes at the drunk, clasping the glass in his hands harder than absolutely necessary.
"Aww Rei-kun, are you still mad at me? I told you I was sowwy." Ginji hicupped, reaching out a hand. "Come 'ere and give me a kiss and I'll forgive you."
"Oh fuck this shit," Rei growled. He signaled the bouncer, Daichi, over with a nod of his head. A former wrestler, Daichi made it his main goal to keep the customers from hitting on the cute blonde, a job which involved a lot more than most thought. The artsy bohemian bartender attracted a lot of attention with his unusual coloring, piercings, and "fuck me" uke vibe.
"Is there a prob- Ginji, I threw you out last week! You're banned, you drunk fucker! Ugh, sorry Reiji-san, I'll get him out," Daichi roughly hoisted the drunk up completely off his feet, sputtering in indignation.
"Wait, Rei-kun, don't let him take me! We're meant to be together, you'll see!"
"Make sure you put his picture up this time, I'm pretty sure Bisha-san was the baka who let him in again!" Rei called before slumping his aching shoulders. He glanced back at the tall businessman who had just finished his twelfth vodka, and apparently had slumped completely forward onto the counter, shot glass tipped over.
"Oh fuck my life," he groaned. What am I about to do? Falling for a pretty face? Kami I'll regret this tomorrow. After checking his watch, he saw it was time for him to leave; glancing back at the handsome drunk, his glasses askew, he bit his lip and signaled Daichi over again.
"Who's bothering you this time, Rei-san?"
"No one, but I gotta get this guy home. I got his keys and address, can you help me carry him out to his car?"
Daichi raised a thick eyebrow. "You sure about this, Rei? How are you gonna get home?"
Oh yeah. He hadn't thought of that. "I'll get a taxi," he cringed, biting his lip. Well, there go most of his tips for the night, and his new pencils.
Daichi didn't look convinced, but sighed. "Alright, let's get him out there."
After struggling with the heavy executive to get him out the door and having his car pointed out by Bisha, an expensive model that probably cost more than three years of rent for his apartment, they finally got him sprawled in the back seat, panting heavily as Rei slammed the door shut.
"So, how are you going to get him out of the car?" Daichi smirked, crossing his heavily muscled arms.
"I'll figure something out," Rei snapped irritably. He grabbed the keys from the back pocket of his black skinny jeans and opened the driver door, slamming it shut as he gunned the engine. Daichi jumped back as the short man shot out of the parking space, screeching the tires for all they were worth, pulling out carelessly into the almost dead early morning traffic.
"Damn that kid's nuts," he muttered, laughing under his breath. He scratched his bald head as he moved back inside, winking flirtatiously at Bisha, who colored brightly and ducked his dark head, growling about the "stupid ass".
"Ok, so where am I taking this guy?" Rei murmured, holding onto the wheel with one hand, clamping onto his passenger's wallet with his teeth, and tugging the driver's license out of the tight sleeve. He squinted at it while glancing at the road every so often, just to keep them from crashing. After reading the address he swore, tossing the wallet on the passenger seat.
Turns out the rich drunk lived outside he city itself, a good forty-five minutes away in some rich neighborhood where your nearest neighbor couldn't hear you scream if an axe murderer decided to drop by for a cup of sugar. There was no way he was driving all the way out there for this spoiled pathetic ass! But that still left him with a problem.
If he drove all the way to wherever this guy lived, he wouldn't get home for almost two hours, and he had to relieve Ami of duty ten minutes ago. Thankfully she didn't charge him, but still, he felt horrible making his friend volunteer longer than she already did. On the other hand, with his roommate, could he risk bringing some strange man who might be a violent drunk back to his apartment? He glanced in the rearview mirror, taking in the peacefulness of the man's face.
Oh, screw it.
"If you do something stupid, man, I will beat the rich out of you," he muttered, swinging the car to a hard left, towards his own apartment.
"Onii-san!" Fourteen year old Haruhiko glanced up from his book, shutting it quickly so that whoever was calling him wouldn't see the book on modern architecture. He smothered his smile as a little girl bounded across the grass, her long strawberry blonde hair streaming behind her.
"What is it, Miyako?" His voice he kept cold on purpose, hoping that his seven year old sister wouldn't get too attached to him, a bastard. But she did anyway, even hugging him the first day he arrived at the Usami home from his native England.
"Tomorrow's your birthday, Onii-san!" she grinned, proudly displaying the wide gap in her front teeth. "And I lost another tooth! It's a good omen! It'll be a great day!"
Haruhiko couldn't stop himself from smiling this time, her sweet optimism and toothless smile warming him in a way that no one else could. "Is that so?"
"Yep! I don't care if Oto-san or Oka-san won't do anything for your birthday, they're stupid, I wanna to make it awesome this year! Whatever you wanna do, we'll do it!" Her earnestness touched him deeply, and he didn't even try to stop the smile from spreading across his face.
"You shouldn't say such things about your parents, Miyako," he said softly. "But what did you have in mind?"
"No, it's your birthday, you haveta choose. But I made you something today!" Eagerly she thrust a folded piece of construction paper at him, her silver-violet eyes shining in anticipation. "Read it, read it, read it!"
"Okay, calm down!" he laughed, plucking the card from his chest. Cut into the shape of a heart, he opened the purple construction paper, eyes widening as he saw the picture of him, his younger brother, and Miyako in painstaking detail, all holding hands. He ignored the pang in his heart as he read the message:
"Hapy Berthdai, Ohnie-sahn! I luv yu! I hoap sumdai we can al bee a familie"
Haruhiko swallowed the lump in his throat, closing the card gingerly and laying it in his lap. Miyako looked at him with a worried expression.
"You didn't like it, did you? I'm sorry, Onii-san." Her eyes filled with tears, her tiny nose sniffling.
Suddenly the little girl was pulled into her nii-san's arms, head resting against his shoulder. "No, I love it. Just... just don't tell anyone, but I... I hope so, too." He was appalled when he felt the wetness on his own face and buried his head further into her sweet-smelling hair. He felt a small hand rub his shoulder soothingly as he sobbed softly into her shoulder.
"It'll get better someday, Onii-san. I promise."
"Oto-san, who is that?" That voice, it sounds just like her... so innocent and sweet...
"He's a friend, sweetie, so be extra quiet, ok?" But who is that? A man? It's not my brother, the voice isn't deep enough... not Misaki either...
"Okay, Oto-san. How come you're not at school?" Her voice... it hurts, to hear it, but I feel like I need to hear it... someone who's not so jaded, not hurting like me...
"I decided to take a day off today to spend with you, short stuff." Slowly Haruhiko opened his eyes, wincing at the sharp, jabbing pains in his temples. Damn, how drunk did I get last night? Did I sleep with this guy? The smell of cooking omelette and miso soup made his stomach heave, and he struggled to sit up quickly, causing the entire world to tilt on its head for him.
"Oto-san, I think your friend is waking up. He doesn't look like he feels so good." The little girl, her wide blue eyes watching the new person in her home, peeked over the back of the couch.
Rei snapped his head from flipping an omelette just in time to see his "visitor" clamp a hand over his mouth. He vaulted over the kitchen counter and helped the man stand, pushing him into the bathroom. They made it just in time before Haruhiko emptied everything in his stomach into the toilet. Rei sighed, rubbing the man's back soothingly.
"Oto-san, I turned off the burner and moved the pain, was that ok?" the small voice called from the living room.
"That's fine, Akari! Your plate's on the counter, go ahead and we'll be out in a minute!" Rei called back, focusing back on the incapacitated man holding onto the toilet for dear life. When he had finished heaving, Rei darted out to the kitchen for a large glass of water and painkillers.
"Here," he handed the tall man the painkillers, which he shakily tipped back into his throat, and pressed the rim of the glass against his lips. Their fingers brushed when he passed the glass, and Rei's heart thumped loudly when those dark eyes met his. He swallowed hard and stepped back.
"Drink that and come out when you feel like you can keep something down, there's breakfast." He turned to leave, but stopped when a dark, smoky voice met his ears.
"Thank you." He smiled in embarrassment and waved him off, darting into the hallway. Why is my heart pounding so loudly? Geez, the first good-looking guy who has some manners and you fall over yourself like a girl! That's attractive, Rei, real attractive. Rei sighed and walked back into the kitchen, smiling at the little girl who sat primly on a pile of pillows, eagerly eating her omelette and salmon.
"Slow down pipsqueak, you'll get a stomachache," he laughed, grabbing the slightly burnt omelette and sliding it onto a plate for himself before turning on the burner to start another one. "Excited to start school tomorrow?" The little girl stopped shoveling food into her mouth, lowering her pink chopsticks and chewing methodically. "Kari, what's wrong?"
The little girl sighed, her dirty blonde hair visibly deflating in the two pigtails on top of her head. "What if I don't make friends, Oto-san? What if people think I'm weird because I don't have an Oka-san?" she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears.
"Kari, you'll make lots of friends! And why is that?" When he didn't get a response, he flipped the omelette and slid it smoothly onto a plate, making his way over. "Come on, why does everyone love you?"
The little girl sniffled, trying not to smile. "Because I'm Princess of the Pegasus Ponies?"
Rei laughed and grabbed her, tossing her in the air and catching her with a shriek and smattering of girlish giggles. "Exactly! Everyone loves the Princess, and you'll have the best time and make tons of friends, okay?" He held her on his hip, nuzzling her nose while she grinned brightly at him. He dropped her back on her pillow throne and smiled approvingly while she resumed trying to unhinge her jaw like an anaconda to inhale her food.
From the doorway, Haruhiko watched the moment between father and daughter with a lump in his throat that had nothing to do with the flashback of all of his meals from the previous day. This was the family he had always hoped for but never dared believe he could have. His hand tightened on the doorway, the only betrayal of his feelings.
Rei glanced at him and motioned him over. "You're probably not feeling up to it, but you'll want at least a little something in your stomach or you'll get sick again. Weird, I know, but life is funny," he chattered, placing a plain bowl of rice and a cup of miso soup in front of the tall man.
"Thank you," Haruhiko said softly. He glanced at the little girl and started at her omelette smeared face beaming at him.
"Are you Oto-san's boyfriend?" she asked innocently, grinning happily.
"Kari, no! If you're done go wash your face, half your breakfast ends up on your face and the other half you swallow whole like a crocodile. We need to talk for a little bit, so grab 'Beauty and the Beast' and watch it in my room, okay?"
"Okay, Oto-san!" she giggled, wiping most of the mess on her face with a napkin. "Nice to meet you, mister!" she waved at Haruhiko, who awkwardly nodded in reply. She skipped in her blue panda pajamas down the hallway, where they heard water running a moment later.
"I'm sorry about that, she's been begging me for a mommy or another daddy and... oh crap, that's a lot of information you didn't need, sorry," Rei slapped his forehead, placing his own plate on the table across from his guest.
"It's quite alright. I would like to apologize for all the trouble you have gone through for my sake," Haruhiko said softly. "I will, of course, compensate you for your troubles."
Rei stared at him dumbly, blinking slowly. "I'm pretty sure you just thanked me and offered to pay me," he said slowly. "But there's no reason, it wasn't that bad. I normally would have taken you home and just grabbed the taxi fare to get home from your wallet, but I had to relieve my babysitter. Your keys and wallet are on the counter whenever you need to go."
Haruhiko nodded majestically. "Of course, I will leave as soon as possible."
"Oh no, I didn't mean I was kicking you out!" Rei laughed, waving his hands in embarrassment. "You can stay as long as you want! I lucked out and had my class cancel, and I took the day off work for the first time ever, so it's not like I have to be anywhere today. But, I mean, if you have to be somewhere, you don't have to stick around for my sake either. But, I mean..."
Why the hell do I think this is so damn cute? "Is there anyway I can trouble you for a toothbrush, um..."
"Oh geez, I'm such a ditz, sorry, my name's Fujioka Reiji, but you can just call me Rei, and yeah, I've got one or two running around, I'll go find one in a second."
"Thank you."
Rei waited in expectation for a few moments, but realized that the man across the table wasn't going to speak. "And you are?"
"My apologies," his voice rumbled and trickled down Rei's spine, making him suppress an audible shiver. "I am Usami Haruhiko."
Rei perked at the name. "You designed the aquarium renovation a couple years ago, right? I take Kari there every year for her birthday, it's her favorite place." Haruhiko nodded uncomfortably, making Rei smile at him.
"Well, let me find you that toothbrush," he stood and took his empty plate to the sink (Haruhiko had been amazed to find that the daughter took after her father in food consumption: he had never seen anyone eat a bowl of rice in one swallow before) before heading to the bathroom for the toothbrush.
How did I end up on an episode of Our Happy Family? He smiled, thinking about the boy that had helped him. Wiry but toned, he was nothing like Haruhiko's first love, Misaki, less innocent but twice as chatty. His hair, shorter and paler, set off his golden-kissed skin perfectly, making the executive stir in a way he didn't think he could again after Misaki's rejection.
"Found it! Sorry that it's Dora the Explorer, Kari loses hers all the time and I buy them in bulk. There's some non-fruity tootie toothpaste on the counter you can use and some paper cups."
Haruhiko took the toothbrush gingerly, trying not to grimace at the image of a grey monkey in red boots adorning the handle, and headed into the bathroom. As he brushed with the pomegranate-flavored toothpaste, he pondered the man in the other room some more.
He was a manga artist, obvious from his character designs tacked up on the wall. It brought a little pang to his chest, remembering someone else who was blond and loved to draw.
He shook his head, spitting out the flavored foam and rinsing his mouth with water. Rei was more different than anyone he'd ever known before, from the three piercings in his left ear and two in his right, right on down to the black skinny jeans and worn red converses that were too big. No, Haruhiko didn't belong in this cozy family world; his family was just too fucked up.
He glanced at the mirror and grimaced at his red-rimmed eyes and the light stubble that covered his jaw. He was surprised the little girl hadn't run away screaming, or that Rei hadn't kicked him out yet. Oh well, he needed to get back to the hospital anyway. He smirked, remembering the fight between himself and his father. After that little "incident" the night before, he was glad he had bought the penthouse in the center of Tokyo, since he had a feeling he wouldn't be welcome at home for quite a while.
He straightened his tie and tucked his button down back into his pants. He still looked wrinkled and disheveled, so unlike an Usami, but at least he looked less like the Grim Reaper.
Haruhiko left the bathroom, grabbing his suit jacket hanging on the arm of the sofa. He nodded at Rei, who glanced up from doing the dishes. "Leaving already? You are welcome to stay, you know."
"I appreciate it, but I have to be at the hospital soon." He hadn't realized what he said until Rei's head jerked to attention, his eyes full of concern.
"The hospital? Are you okay?" Why do those eyes look sad for me? And why is my heart aching?
"No," he shook his head, "I'm fine. It's my... my younger sister who's in the hospital."
"Oh," Rei lowered his face, his bangs hiding his eyes. "I'm sorry. I hope she feels better."
She will, now that the bastard who happened to father us both won't be involved in her life anymore. "Thank you." He hesitated reaching for his keys, contemplating.
Rei felt jittery and nervous, feeling Haruhiko's eyes on him. What is he doing? Why doesn't he just leave, this is torture! He nervously scrubbed the same plate three times before realizing it, and hastily shoved it into the sink full of rinsing water.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. He looked up, and before he could comprehend it, a pair of lips fell on his. Rei froze, not sure what to do, before pulling his wet hands from the water and gripping Haruhiko's shirt collar in a universal sign of fuck it.
Strong lips moved with his, and when they parted to pull his bottom lip between two sets of perfect teeth he all but melted, groaning indecently into the other mouth. An insistent tongue prodded his lips and he opened them hesitantly, moaning and gasping when that slick muscle began to entwine with his.
Every sound Rei made only made Haruhiko harder. He gripped a firm jean-clad ass, kneading and tugging as they tried to get closer in every way possible.
Finally, just before Rei was going to beg the businessman to take him on the counter then and there, Haruhiko pulled away, his dark eyes burning behind his glasses. "I'd like to see you again," he said hoarsely, licking his lips in a way that made Rei smother a whimper, imagining what else that clever tongue could do. "Properly, though, and without me intoxicated beyond my senses."
"Kami, you sound like a Jane Austen novel," Rei laughed breathily, "But yeah, I'd like that." He accepted the business card thrust in his hand and watched with too bright eyes as Haruhiko shrugged on his jacket. He gave the trembling boy one last smoldering look before walking quickly through the door.
Rei collapsed on the kitchen floor, hands still wet and soapy, and touched his lips. "Fuck, I am such a girl. Getting giddy because some rich guy is interested, like some fucked up gay fairy tale. I am not a princess!"
"I am!" a high-pitched voice sing-songed back to him from down the hall, and he threw his head against the cabinets, laughing until tears ran down his cheeks.
"Yes you are, short stuff."
A/N: So this is my first Junjou fic, and it's actually going to have a sister fic which will explain... well, the whole sister thing. This is obviously Haruhiko and OC, and the other is Akihiko and Misaki, and eventually the other couples will get their own stories in the "Reason" series. I'm pretty excited about this series, so let me know what you think, and chapter 1 of "The Reason" should be going up pretty soon!