Let's Make Amends Chapter 1

"Usagi-san?"

Misaki called out loudly as he walked into the apartment, letting the door swing shut behind him. The bag of groceries he was carrying had nearly ripped and he hastily adjusted it to support the falling cans of tuna. It was quiet inside except for the hum of a distant fan feebly rotating to push the stale air scorched by the intense summer heat around the apartment. Wondering why it felt hotter than usual, he absent-mindedly fanned himself with a hand. It was already such a scorching July and he definitely felt even his thin t shirt was doing nothing to cool him off.

"Hey, old man! You there?" Misaki called out, slightly less loudly this time, secretly waiting for that pervert to jump on him from the shadows or something.

No reply.

Misaki groaned inwardly and he slipped his shoes off, still grumbling quietly as he unstuck his sweaty shirt from his chest.

He never picks up the post, Misaki thought with a hint of affectionate annoyance as he picked up the small stack of envelopes and newspaper rolls on their mat. Outside, the morning sun was already blazing as hot as though it were high noon. Misaki leaned against the doorpost, sucking on his bottom lip and letting a ray of sun fall across his chocolate brown hair as he flipped idly through the post. Some fancy brochures. More fancy brochures. Catalogues to ridiculously overpriced clothing brands. A newspaper with a front page ad in full colour of a lush Hawaiian beach…

Misaki paused and smiled a little as he read the ad intently, his eyes widening with delight. Here was something of interest! He had never gone on a cruise before. Or even a fancy vacation outside of Japan. The furthest he had probably gone was most probably Hokkaido or Osaka to visit distant relatives in his youth. But now in his university days, he decided it was probably not such a good idea to think about exotic locations or anywhere except his own room and the local library. He sighed longingly as he gazed at the brightly coloured ad patterned with tropical flowers, palm leaves and a gigantic picture of a beautiful beach. The sparkling white sand and azure waves seemed to sway a little before his eyes, almost as though they were taunting him.

Enter our lucky draw and win an exciting cruise in the Caribbean! Have you ever wanted to stay at the exotic island of Hawaii? What are you waiting for! Just answer these four easy questions and Fujiyama Air Conditioning may sponsor you and a partner on this exclusive trip!

Misaki muled this idea over in his mind as he climbed the stairs, so absorbed in reading the ad. There was absolutely no way he might actually be lucky enough to be chosen out of the thousands of Japanese citizens signing up for this lucky draw. Heck, with such a huge prize being offered the whole country was surely as excited as he was. Still, it won't hurt to try…

He knocked against the door of Usami's study and entered without even waiting for his reply. "I have your post. You left yesterday's newspapers there AGAIN." Misaki said loudly, rolling his eyes. "Are you listening-" he looked up and promptly turned red.

Usami smirked up at him, completely shirtless. His discarded pale blue dress shirt lay over the arm of his swivel chair and he seemed utterly bemused to see his lover walk in on this unsuspecting scene. Misaki felt silly for blushing so easily but he figured it would be a cold day in the Sahara before he ever could even look at Usami in the eyes whenever he was even half undressed. He couldn't help it after all. Usami was still so sexy for his age. Screw it. He was sexier than anyone half his age and Misaki couldn't help letting his own eyes roam up that well-toned chest, broad shoulders and those delicious clavicles still glistening with the barest sheen of sweat…

"Yes, I was listening. But it appears you interrupted me." Usami sighed as he took the earbuds out of his ears and raised an eyebrow at his lover who stood frozen in the doorway, his face hot enough to fry an egg on.

Misaki managed to find his tongue again and he stammered, "W-why are you half naked?"

The older man sighed and gestured at the weakly sputtering fan by his side. "The air cond is broken again. This is hardly enough to cool me down."

The brunett squinted suspiciously at him and walked closer. "You better be wearing pants."

"Come to think of it, I was actually planning to take them off. You entered just a few seconds too late." He smiled that lascivious smile at Misaki and the young man groaned.

"Stop. Just stop. You know I…I am…very…gah…!" he cursed himself for getting so tongue-tied around his lover whenever Usami flirted with him. It had been years now and yet Misaki felt like he was no closer to unlocking that endless sex appeal and confidence his love had. He dropped the envelopes on Usami's desk and tried to keep his thoughts on straight. "I thought the air cond was fixed last week." He looked up at the machine, raising his eyebrows.

Usami rubbed his chin and looked up at the air cond as well. "I'm thinking of getting a new one."

"I guess it is kind of old..." Misaki said slowly and he cast his eyes down to the ad in the newspaper. A lightbulb went off in his head and he exclaimed, "Speaking of air conditioning…I have something to show you. Look!" He grinned proudly and shoved the newspaper on the table, scattering Usami's notes and pens. The older man cast him an irritated glare but softened at the look of childish excitement on Misaki's face.

Usami read the ad and a small smile flitted about his lips. "Oh, I see! How nice. They're offering a free air conditioner as a consolation prize! With full warranty too… This should be easy. All we have to do is not even answer the questions properly…"

Misaki groaned and flattened the paper on the table, jabbing his finger at the full colour picture of the island. "No! No! I meant the cruise! The exotic island vacation giveaway!" He looked at Usami with pleading eyes. "Can we join? I mean…can I?"

The writer frowned as he flipped the paper open to scan the questions and he rolled his eyes. "Look at these questions! They're an insult to my intelligence and yours. Seriously, who asks about the names of the rare islands archipelago anymore since the 80's?"

A pause. Misaki looked at him in disbelief, both wonder and absolute mirth that his lover could be both so smart and clueless at the same time.

Misaki sighed, turning around and heaving himself up on the table. "I guess I'll never go on an island trip then."

"I didn't say that." Usami said. He steepled his fingers and rested his chin thoughtfully on them. "You never told me you had this wish to go to Hawaii. I mean, all you had to do was just say it, Misaki. I could have taken you anytime."

The young man bit his lip and shook his head stubbornly. "These things are expensive, Usagi-san. I'd prefer it if I won a trip instead. It's more fun that way after all. I think lucky draws are fun."

Usami laughed. "Seriously, let me take you there. Free of charge. We can go right now if you want…"

Immediately, Misaki shook his head vehemently. Usami grinned and snaked a hand across the table to run it seductively up Misaki's back. Misaki instantly felt the temperature of the room go up by a few million degrees and he arched forward as though he had been shocked by lightning. "Stop it, you pervert! I'm all gross and sweaty!" he blustered, pulling his thin cotton shirt away from his sweat back.

The writer simply chuckled, low in his throat. "I think that's not going to deter me, Misaki-kun."

Misaki got off the desk, glaring at him. He was such a menace in this hot weather it wasn't even funny. "I'll go shred these then if you're not going to read them."

"Why must you always be opposed towards the idea of me spending my wealth on you?" Usami raised an eyebrow. "We could go anytime. I've been planning to take you to Paris or London actually."

"I don't want a fancy vacation. I just want…never mind." He turned bright red and walked out of the room, blushing. For a second there, he had almost admitted he wanted more time alone with Usami, more time spent in hotel rooms or even in ratty campsites with the man he loved and admitting this out loud would definitely top the pinnacle of "Congratulations, You Have Mortally Embarrassed Yourself" moments in Misaki's life.

Usami watched his lover go, not bothering to call him back. He was right though. The room was stifling as it is, muggy and radiating heat like a sizzling pan. He stood up and scooped his shirt up, thoughtfully clicking and unclicking his pen cap. The ads and brochures for the Caribbean cruise remained on his table and he found a stupid idea forming in his brain. Of course, he promptly labelled it as a brilliant idea because any idea that spent enough time in his head was probably the last to question his own judgement.

There were people who learned from mistakes and people who jumped headfirst into whatever they wanted and there was Akihiko Usami.

In the other room, Misaki was feverishly searching for the "rare island archipelagos" as quietly as he could on his laptop.

Meanwhile, Usami picked up his telephone and slowly began to dial a specific number.


Hi there. Remember me? The author of that one story that involved Misaki dying of cancer? Put down your guns and pitchforks, whoa there. I know you're mad. I'm mad too. This story might not even be updated frequently because I'm in uni and it sucks having no free time. But stick around if you feel like it.

I know you're probably wondering whether this one will end badly but I can assure you straight off the bat that this one will have no death whatsoever. I'm going through a rough year already in college and I just really need to write something nice and fluffy to release my stress. Well, there will most probably be a sex scene so the fluffy part is subjective. You get what I mean.

Are you ready for road trips, holiday sex, outdoor sex, Misaki not being sick AT ALL (Or if it does happen, it's just a convenient plot device and he will heal pretty fast later), Usami acting really stupid, flagrant disregard for Japanese geography, places I've never even travelled to, ideas from one of my most dedicated readers and just a frickin' good fluffy, satisfying love story with random nonsense in it wholesome enough to wash the sadness of TOG out of your mouth?

Welcome to Let's Make Amends. (Yes, Shakespeare wrote tragic Romeo and Juliet but he also wrote the comedy Merchant of Venice.) NO, no one is gonna die in this story. Be convinced that the death au happened in just that, an AU. This one is definitely the one I wish I wrote earlier but oh well…

I do not recommend reading both at once in one day. It's like swinging between two different extremes. This time, no one is gonna die. I swear.

Let the revel begin.