A/N: To the new readers and old, welcome and thank you for taking the time to read this!

For those who don't know, Junjou Passion takes place in the Junjou Flame universe. To make things less confusing, Junjou Passion is to Junjou Flame as Junjou Egoist is to Junjou Romantica. Therefore, you don't have to read Junjou Flame before reading this—although I would really appreciate it!

Another warning for those who have not read Junjou Flame is that none of the pairings are canon. So Akihiko/Misaki, Nowaki/Hiroki, and Miyagi/Shinobu? Never happens in this AU, sorry to say.

Anyways, I present to you the back-story behind Akihiko and Takahiro's relationship. Enjoy~

Summary: Takahashi Takahiro was always aloof when it came to recognizing the atmosphere be it his own or others'. The well-known Usami Akihiko is a dreamer who writes his emotions down on paper and avoids showing them, yet he wants nothing more than for Takahiro to notice what he feels inside. And it seems Akihiko's dreams may come to life before his eyes!

Junjou Passion

To start at the beginning would mean going way back to the moment I met him—Usami Akihiko, the man I knew as "Usagi." The truth is, there's not much behind that story except a time gap of ten years between that faithful day in the library and what began our relationship.

Who could expect our two worlds to collide rather than intersect like a Venn diagram in a small matter of time? None of this was planned, it was all improv. And the person to start the chain reaction, in a way, was my little brother Takahashi Misaki.

Misaki wanted to get into Mitsuhashi T—which was a school out of his reach. Of course I supported my little brother's efforts, but I knew he would need a push to get him in the school he wanted. The problem was, that push would've required the assistance of a tutor and that wasn't something I could really afford at the moment. Usagi volunteered to help Misaki with his entrance exams for free. While I refused his offer at first, after seeing continuous D grades from Misaki, I decided that Usagi was the only hope I had left.

Misaki had no initial objections, but he didn't seem that happy with having Usagi as his tutor. He said something about Usagi being a little… "suspicious"—which probably had to do with the fact that the very first time he'd seen Usagi was when he was hovering over me—quoted by Misaki, like a "vulture salivating over its prey. It was really creepy."

So to get a phone call from Misaki just after I dropped him off and walked into the house was something I sort of expected.

"Misaki? Did you leave the pork miso soup behind?" I asked, once picking up the phone, "I could've sworn you brought it out of the car"—

"Nii-chan, how could you!" Misaki screeched on the other line.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" I began to feel a little nervous. I remembered times when Usagi had neglected to open the door for me whenever I visited. And I didn't like the idea of Misaki being left in that hallway all alone. "Do you need me to come get you? I will if you want!"

"Wha-no, no that's not necessary! Usami-sensei gave me the code to use so I could let myself in," said Misaki.

"Oh." I felt a sense of relief. "Then what's wrong?"

"Just… I can't believe you had to let me find out like this! I mean, you could've told me! I knew you were shy when it came to talking about your girlfriend, but this… this is so…"

"Misaki?"

"Are you going out with Usami-san?"

The phone fell out of my hands and crashed to the floor. I barely heard a muffled, "Hello?" on the other line.

'Me? Going out with him?' I reacted a little more strongly than I should have to the question.

I picked up the phone. "Sorry about that. I had a clumsy moment!" I laughed the nervous blunder off long enough to catch my breath. "But no, Usagi and I aren't dating at all. What gave you that idea? I mean, I know I haven't introduced you to my girlfriend, but this is some accusation."

"…Oh." He went silent for a moment and then said, "I'll, uh, talk to you about it when I get home."

"Okay. Be good to Usagi for me." I hung up and crashed onto the couch, wondering what to do.

"'Are you going out with Usami-san?'"

The question shouldn't have put me off like this. It wasn't like I was hiding anything. I had a girlfriend and in fact, I was going to see her in a few hours for dinner. But I had a feeling that my suspicions about Usagi were about to be confirmed.

This is what began our passion.

Act 1

Part 1

Time is like a Mad-Lib—we have to fill in the Blanks

Hours later into the night, I was at a family restaurant. Manami and I had just finished eating. We were just waiting for the check.

"So then the boss tells her that she's lucky enough to work in this town. Isn't that terrible? This is why I'm hoping for relocation," she huffed, and then with a concerned face finally looked at me. "Are you alright, Hiro-kun? You've been really out of it today."

"Huh?" I shook my head. "I'm sorry. You're right. It's just been a really long day."

"It's alright. I understand." The check was handed to me and I placed the appropriate amount of yen with a tip inside the book. "Do you want to at least come back to my place?" she asked, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"You know I can't do that. I don't want to leave Misaki home alone for too long." I smiled sadly.

"Isn't he eighteen?"

"Yeah." I blushed with embarrassment.

Girls I've been with in the past would often roll their eyes in annoyance or tell me I could leave him alone for one night. But Manami was different. The way she laughed wasn't out of spite; it was a way to calm my nerves a bit. "When am I going meet this darling brother of yours? I've heard so much about him!"

"Soon enough, I'm sure."

We kissed each other goodnight and parted ways ,once in the parking lot outside the restaurant. I looked back at her once, watching as she made her way to her car. I couldn't help but think she was attractive—a pretty doll that caught my interest the day we happened to bump into each other at a coffee shop. There was just something about Manami that set her apart from the other women that I had met in the past.

Kajiwara Manami was what many would call the ideal wife. She was smart, well-mannered, petite, composed, considerate, and to top it all off, beautiful. She was the kind of girl I knew my parents would be proud of for finding.

But that was the extent of it. She looked like a doll and behaved like one too. People would tell me all the time we were a great couple. Co-workers expected us to get married because they felt I would never find someone better than her. The weird thing was, I didn't feel that way at all.

She didn't make my heart race. Whenever we held hands, it just felt like we were physically linked. There was a lack of hunger when we kissed. No rush. And I was disappointed because it was not only like this with her, but with every other girl I'd been with.

Sure, I thought those girls were pretty (mostly) on the inside and on the outside, but nothing more. I never felt any connection, no real reason for attachments. But I was twenty-seven going on twenty-eight soon. Manami was the closest I'd gotten to what I was looking for at this age and I knew I needed to settle down.

Yet there was something holding me back from popping the question right away. Part of it was Misaki, since I was still unsure about what I wanted to do with Manami. Why bring her into my little brother's life if I was just going to end up pushing her away?

And as of that day, part of it was Usagi.

Deep down, I knew he liked me. He looked at me the same way Manami and the other girls had. He made time for me whenever we could make it. His place was always tidy and his attire was never sloppy. And I've noticed, too, he liked to get a little too close into my personal space. Plus, he likes to spend money on me. None of my guy friends have ever done things like this. I felt bad about getting girlfriends and telling Usagi about them, but at the same time, it wasn't like I was really serious with those girls. And as much as I hated to admit it, I needed to search for my own soul mate, friend or no friend.

Thing was, I was never sure about this crush since for one, I never did anything to lead him on. We would get drunk once in a while, but we never did anything other than talk. I just pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. After all, I never had any legitimate proof. I never understood why Usagi would ever like someone so average and uninteresting as I was. I thought I was just seeing things whenever he was having an affectionate moment with me. Either way, it would mean having to reject Usagi—something I didn't want to do because it would ruin our friendship.

…

The car ride home didn't really help me think much. At least Misaki was safe, doing work on the coffee table when I got in. He seemed to be working diligently up until that point.

"Nii-chan, there you are."

"Hey, Misaki," I greeted him, "I thought Usagi-san did your homework with you."

"He did, but then he gave me more, but that's alright since I can do it on my own. He's actually the best teacher I've ever had," Misaki answered.

I absentmindedly took off my shoes and hung my jacket. "That's great to hear."

"Uh-huh," he said with a casual nod, trying to get back into the groove of his assignment, "He also thanked you for the miso soup."

"Hopefully that'll last a while. If he doesn't eat something at home or out, he'll deprive himself of food to keep working." I sat down next to him and glanced at the paper. A majority of the questions were answered correctly. Considering that he used to get a lot of them wrong most of the time, Misaki was making a remarkable improvement already. "I really appreciate that you stuck around him, Misaki."

"I guess," he mumbled.

"No, really. You really managed to stay calm about… well, that thing," I said, gesturing to the item resting on the coffee table.

"I guess it makes sense that I'm handling it better than you are," Misaki said, not even looking at me, "Because I'm not the one who's gotta step up and say something. I know it's not easy for you, but it's still not right. Speaking of which, what are you gonna do about that book?"

"For now, it stays in my room," I replied. Once I snatched the book up, I began to head upstairs. "Actually, I think I'll find a spot for it before bed. Goodnight, Misaki. Don't stay up too late."

I barely heard a typically annoyed response from him, closing the door behind me.

Before I went out to see Manami, I brought Misaki home. From there he explained that he entered the house while Usagi was sleeping and found copies of the book lying on the table. He took a look at the content and realized that not only was it a pornographic novel, but it was about Usagi and me.

I took a look at the cover for what seemed like the thousandth time. The image on it never changed. It was pink, white, and it had two characters on that completely resembled us. Romance Belongs in the Student Council Office was the title as written by Yayoi Akikawa, his assumed penname.

Upon hearing about the book, my initial reaction was somewhat of worry and a sense of violation. It was a sexual novel obviously about Usagi's desires. While I was glad he was able to put his feelings down on paper, I couldn't help but feel it was a bit unhealthy to do so—let alone publish it.

I decided to read the summary on the back:

"Usami Akihiko is the over achieving student council president who had given up on love—that was, until meeting Takahashi Takahiro on that fateful day in the library. The two instantly become close. Little did Takahiro know, he was slowly being pulled into a whirlpool of love by the one who had been watching over him for so long."

It was cliché as a romance novel could be, but there were some things in the summary that related to our lives. Usagi was the school star and, eventually, the student council president. We also met at our library ten years ago.

Curiously I opened it, wondering what Misaki exactly had read. I flipped to a random page and I tried reading the first paragraph, but I had to close the book before throwing it on the ground in fright and disgust. Yes, that bit definitely proved he had quite a sexual attraction to me.

I then chose a random page near the end, hoping that it was something less vulgar. What I found wasn't graphic, but something I didn't expect to find:

"Hey, Usagi-san?" Takahiro whispered to his lover, once he was sure Akihiko was awake.

"Mmm?" his lover growled in his husky voice. He pulled Takahiro into a tight embrace as if he were a teddy bear. "What is it?"

"I… w-well…" Takahiro sighed. "Never mind."

"There's obviously something on your mind." When Takahiro didn't budge, he tenderly lifted his chin. "Look at me; you can tell me anything."

Takahiro blushed, but failed to hide his face. "I was just wondering… Why do you love me?"

"Why?" asked Usagi, "Because you're Takahiro, of course."

"But that's exactly it. There's nothing special about me. I'm smart, but I'm not at the top of our class. I don't know what I wanna do with my life. I just don't know. I've got Misaki to look after and I don't think anyone wants to get involved with that. There are other people out there, so why me?"

Akihiko's eyes widened. He could only place a long, fiery kiss on Takahiro's lips and hold him tighter than before. "Don't ever say you're not special. You mean too much to me to say that."

"But…why?"

He stared into his eyes earnestly, amethyst on blue gray. "I knew it from the moment we locked eyes like this that there was something about you. You have a rare, charming innocence that I cannot have for myself even if I tried. Your happiness just radiates despite what you've gone through and it makes me warm inside, enough to forget my mess of a home life. There's a certain way we click that has me so willing up to open up in ways I can't with my closest friend. I don't care about the fact that you've got a little brother to take care of at home or you're 'average' or that you don't stand out to the others—what matters is that you stand out to me. I'm willing to embrace every bit of you inside and out. You're on my mind so much that it's just so obvious I'm in love with you."

"Usagi-san…"

I found myself muttering that last line aloud as if he were able to hear me. Something inside me was racing at a fast, steady pace. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was something I hadn't felt before.

I closed the book shut, holding it against my chest, before finding a safe drawer to put it away in next to my bed.

Needless to say, I couldn't sleep that night after today's events. Taking the book out to read didn't do me much justice either.

…

I didn't look at that book again for the next few days. The very thought of it made me uneasy. Not only was it because I stopped reading once the foreplay began to take place, but because my boss noticed my performance was a little under the weather. He claimed I was "distracted," but by Manami. He only got half the truth.

Speaking of Manami, I called her to set up another date during my lunch break, but she gave me a surprising response.

"I'm sorry, Hiro-kun," she had said on her end, "I won't be around for the next couple of days. I know it's so sudden, but the boss is taking me on a short business trip. Of course, I wish I could be with you, but this is my opportunity to show the other company what I'm made of. They might even offer me a job!"

"It's alright, Manami. Good luck."

I kind of realized after the turn of events that during our last date, my mind had been somewhere else, so going out again with Manami at this time wouldn't do much good.

"Thank you, Hiro-kun. I love you."

"I love you too." And I hung up. I felt kind of bad because those words felt more half-hearted than usual, but then again, I figured saying stuff like that was appropriate as an approach to say, "Remember, I care about you." There was quite a difference between caring and loving. Some relationships included both, but I knew at this point it was just "caring" rather than the latter.

I couldn't bring myself to look at Usagi at this time. A few times he had offered dinner once finishing his tutoring session with Misaki, but I made up excuses about work. It was obvious to me that I was running away from him, yet facing Usagi wasn't an option I wanted to take a chance with at this time.

I find out, however, that when you run away from something, it eventually catches up to you from a different direction.

That something was Kamijou Hiroki.

Honestly, I didn't know Hiroki that well. We were friends in high school and sometimes we'd hang out with Usagi together once I met him during my final year, but truth be told, I barely knew anything about Hiroki beyond the fact that he was an intelligent, bi-polar-esque, bookworm. We barely talked when we were in college unless it concerned Usagi, but I never realized why.

Somehow he found my address (probably from Usagi) and decided show up at my door that day. I had just arrived home from work, so I was more than surprised to see him standing there.

"Kamijou-kun?" I questioned him upon recognizing his face and messy brown hair, "Is that really you?"

"Ah, Takahashi-kun. I've been waiting," he said with half-annoyance.

I smiled upon being called that familiar name right away. To avoid the confusion of calling each other "Hiro-kun", we referred to one another by our surnames. "I haven't seen you in a long while. What brings you here?"

"Oh, um, I… Just happened to be around the neighborhood and well…" It was obvious he was embarrassed to be around me for whatever reason, given how reluctantly he handed me an envelope. "I came to deliver that to you."

"Really? Uh, thank you." I took the letter and began to open it. "You didn't have to hand it to me personally, though. I mean, you could've just mailed it to me or something. I'm surprised you even remember this address."

"Yeah well, I remember a lot of things," Hiroki snapped. He then gestured to the letter with a bit of annoyance. "Aren't you going to read it?"

"…Sure," I said, unfolding the paper. It was a wedding invitation. For a second I glanced at Hiroki suspiciously, wondering if it was for him, seeing as he had told me he was gay at one point. Then I realized the wedding was for someone named Yoh Miyagi. "Who's Miyagi-san? Were we in high school together?"

"No, he's my co-worker back in the University. I was invited and I don't know who else is, but he allowed me to invite a couple of people. So, I decided to invite you. I figured if you went, Akihiko would definitely go too," Hiroki explained.

Of course, Usagi-san had to be involved somehow. "Is that so?" I murmured, handing back the letter to Hiroki. "I really appreciate the invite, Kamijou-kun, but I'm afraid I can't go. I don't wanna leave my little brother all by himself."

"Then bring him with you. I honestly don't care so long as I'm not there alone," said Hiroki.

"Really, I can't accept this. I can't just miss a day of work."

"Look, if you don't wanna go, just say so," he scowled.

"No, it's not that! I would go if I could but…" What was I supposed to say? That I didn't want to be in the same room as Usagi right now?

Obviously Hiroki expected some sort of remark. "But what? You're afraid of getting drunk together like old times or something? Is it because the only women there will either be old or married?"

"Huh? We haven't done that in years—I mean, we don't even hang out anymore. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

"Because you wouldn't object before so long as you could get a ride home safely before sunrise. You didn't mind drinking with the boys then. And the kid's eighteen, so what does it matter whether you're home or not?"

The first bit was true, I would shamefully admit it, but at that stage I wanted a bit of freedom. However, I would at least try to control my alcohol well enough to not get horribly drunk like Hiroki sometimes did.

"I don't understand where you're going with this."

"I just… Goddammit!" he yelled, "Why don't you get it? Obviously you're okay drinking with a gay man, but with Akihiko now? Apparently that's not okay. The hell is up with that? Here I was, finally going to tell you everything and you just… Fuck." He took a deep breath, not even bothering to look at me. "You found out, didn't you? You're just avoiding him now." When I didn't say anything he seemed to become more angry. "Do you know the shit he's put me through because of you? Now you finally find out the truth and just run away like the little bastard you are."

"Kamijou-kun, I don't know what he did to you, but whatever it was, I'm sorry," I said, "I'll admit it, I'm staying away from him for a bit, but only until I can sort out my thoughts, okay? Once I'm ready, I'll talk to him. For now, I don't think that's possible…"

"Very well then," Hiroki said, turning away from me, "I don't know what you're going to do, but whatever it is, do it soon. I know you've got a girlfriend—Akihiko's told me about her. Just remember who truly loves you and has been there. I don't think anyone can more than him."

He stomped away angrily, leaving me to recover from his sudden appearance and outburst. Hiroki did always startle me when I was younger, but he was less bitter and never looked like he wanted to kill me for whatever reason.

Regardless, he was right about two things.

One, running away from Usagi wasn't going to do any good other than hurt him even more, which as Usagi's best friend, Hiroki tried to prevent.

Second, there really was nobody else who cared more for me than Usagi did, other than my brother.

Thanks to Hiroki, I managed to read through the entire book (while skipping all the sex scenes, of course). And unexpectedly, the more I read, the harder I began to fall for him in ways that I never thought I could with anyone.

A/N: So I leave you with this! Bit of a change, I know, but I'm excited to start this. I just hope I didn't really rush things along too much at the end. See you soon!