Warnings: OOC Asami?
Word Count: 1,233
Disclaimer: All Vf characters belong to Yamane-sensei.
A/N: Written for the 75-min Timed Challenge at the Yamane Ayano community (January 2015). I blame Sunflower1343 for this. XD The challenge's theme is "cold". My interpretation is slightly different from other people's fics. I thought the ending was a somewhat rushed due to the little time I had writing it, but the people who read it so far didn't think so. I went back to fix minor spelling errors, but left the original content untouched. No Beta.
"Good morning, sunshine," the deep voice purred into Akihito's ears, and he stirred. "Well, aren't you a sleepy head today?" Someone placed a gentle kiss on his forehead then ruffled his hair. "I'll go make breakfast." There was a slight movement on the bed and the warmth next him disappeared.
"No," Akihito groaned. The cold air brushed against his exposed skin, and he ducked under the covers. He wanted to curl up next to that familiar warmth again. With eyes still closed, he rolled over to Asami's side of the bed and heaved a contented sigh. Fifteen minutes later and the smell of freshly brewed coffee pervaded the air. This was a wonderful dream, Akihito thought to himself.
"Breakfast is ready," said the voice from earlier.
This time, Akihito froze. His first thought was that there was an intruder in the house, but if that was the case, why did he have Asami's voice? And what kind of intruder make breakfast anyway? He slowly opened his eyes to see an amused Asami standing at the bedroom door.
"Hello, my little sunshine," Asami said with a beaming smile on his face.
"Ok...whatever you think I did, I didn't do it." Akihito immediately sat up when he realized that what he had heard earlier was no dream, his mind trying to find a proper explanation for this change in Asami's behavior.
"What did you do, well, other than being your adorable self?" Asami approached the bed and Akihito retreated until his back was against he headboard. 'Shit'
Asami reached out to fix Akihito's morning hair, but the photographer was too in shock to say anything anymore, let alone move from his spot. "Aki-chan, are you afraid of me?"
Rather than answering, Akihito watched Asami quietly, looking for any traces of the Asami he used to know. His hand unconsciously reached out to cup the man's face.
"Asami, are you on drugs?"
"Hmm?" Asami regarded him with another smile. "Maybe you're hungry. You're not making any sense, Aki-chan." And with that, Asami scooped him up in one swift movement and proceeded to bring the half-naked photographer to the dining area. Once there, Asami set Akihito into a chair and placed a dish of omelet before him along with a hot cup of coffee.
Akihito could only stare at the plate in front of him, unsure whether to declare that he was utterly defeated by whatever Asami was trying to do to him, or take this opportunity and just enjoy this new Asami. And after mulling over it for about two minutes, he went with the latter option. He dug into the egg. It was surprisingly delicious. Asami had never cooked anything for him before, so he knew very little about the man's cooking skills. If this was still a dream, he wouldn't forget this taste. Ever.
"Is it good?" Asami asked from across the dining table, his chin resting on the back of his hands.
"Uh...yea. It's very tasty. Thanks," Akihito managed to say.
"I'm glad Aki-chan likes my eggs."
Akihito almost choked on his food after hearing that sentence. "Can you stop calling me Aki-chan?"
"Why? Isn't Akihito your name?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"Then Aki-chan is fine."
Akihito sighed. 'I guess that arrogant and forceful side of him is still there,' Akihito mused. "If you're going to call me Aki-chan, then at least stop calling me sunshine."
"But from over here, you look like very bright to me."
They had a little stare battle for a few seconds, and Akihito gave up on correcting Asami. Once Akihito was finished with breakfast, Asami carried him to the bathroom and washed him. Asami made sure to clean every part of Akihito's body, playing around with the soapsuds at first to turn Akihito into a bunny, and then massaging his aching muscles with his skillful hands. Akihito didn't resist him and decided to just live in that moment, accepting the rare gesture of care and tenderness that he didn't know Asami was capable of.
After the bath, they lazed around on the sofa for a while watching the morning variety shows until Asami decided to order pizza. Akihito offered to go out and buy beer so they could enjoy it with the pizza, and Asami tried to stop him, but conceded when Akihito promised him that he'd get a little present if he behaved.
It only took Akihito about twenty minutes to run to the nearest convenience store then back to the penthouse.
"I'm back," Akihito called out, but there was no response. The penthouse was unusually quiet again, and Akihito almost believed that everything he had experienced up until now was only a dream until he saw a sleeping Asami the couch. He dropped the pack of beer on the coffee table and sat next to Asami.
Asami was sleeping with a peaceful expression on his face. He had seen this many time since they were together, but never thought he'd get to see it acted out in reality. If only Asami's subordinates could see their boss this morning. Closing his eyes, he let his head rest on Asami's shoulder, but that caused Asami to stir.
"How was your nap?"
Asami opened his eyes to see an openly joyful Akihito looking up at him. "Did you see something you like?"
Akihito stopped smiling. Something had changed again; the cold mask of indifference was back. "What? No...I just thought..."
Asami stood up and checked his watch. "I have a meeting with a client later in the afternoon, so I'm going to get ready for work."
"Ok," was all Akihito could say, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. 'Asami was back.'
Two minutes later and the doorbell rang. He went to grab the pizza and dropped it off next to the pack of beer, his appetite was gone. Then he remembered something that would explain Asami's change in behavior. He had slipped a new drug into Asami's dinner yesterday, thinking it was an aphrodisiac. Asami didn't come back until late last night, so the drug's effect might have been delayed until the morning, but it probably wore off while he was gone. Now everything was beginning to make sense.
He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes again, letting his mind drift off to sleep. There was no point lingering over what had happened. Five minutes later and the weight of something next to him woke him from his half-dazed state. Asami, fully dressed in suit and tie with his usual slicked back hair, stared at him with a smirk on his face.
Akihito looked at the man, confused. "I thought you were getting ready for work."
"I was," Asami grabbed a can of beer and opened it, then handed it to Akihito, "but I can make time for this too." He grabbed another can for himself.
It was then that Akihito realized that underneath the cold exterior that Asami seemed to never fail to show the world, Asami had always shown him something else as well. Whether or not the drug had melt away his inhibitions temporarily and allowed Akihito a rare glimpse of the man's gentler side, Asami was Asami. He had fallen in love with this man and this was enough. He smiled knowingly.
"Welcome back."
Asami looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, which quickly changed to amusement. "Brat."
The End
A/N: Again, this was a timed fic, so if it seemed lacking or too short, I apologize. I just thought I'd share it outside the community, since some don't use Lj or know about it. But if you're part of the community, check out other authors' fics if you haven't done that yet. They're awesome! I was so happy when some of the older authors participated. :D (you must be over 18 though).
