AN: I swear, for every 4 hours I study, I gain another plot bunny. Have a fluffy fic for your enjoyment! I wanted to give a more vulnerable Asami a try!
There was once a man who lived alone in the darkness and gloom. He did not mind much, for he had descended here of his own accord, and built his throne in this taboo domain. He did not feel lonely, for he had never been anything but alone. And he most certainly didn't feel any sorrow, for his various sins had frozen over his heart. This was simply how he existed.
Then the boy came. A beacon, cutting through the thick shadows, cleansing, warming. For the first time, the man in the abyss knew the meaning of "hope". Of "companionship". Holding the dazzling, warm boy, gazing upon those beautiful eyes, so full of innocence and laughter, his soul, which had been eternally in turmoil, calmed.
That child, however, didn't not belong in the abyss. The shade would surely rip his wings off, the silence stifle his plentiful laughter. So the man let go of the boy and simply sat in his dark abyss, gazing up and loving that distant figure with his eyes. The boy who flew in places he could never reach, places that had been shut off from him the instant he first pulled a trigger.
At times, the temptation to grab that ephemeral light and hold it tightly, never letting go almost overwhelmed him. He dreamed of placing the boy on a holy pedestal, surrounded by only beautiful things, just like he deserved. Of locking him up, never to be gazed upon by dirty eyes. It was so, so tempting. Then he would remember those pretty blue eyes, all swollen from tears. That beautiful voice, trembling and cracking in fear. To cause such pain to the boy would hurt a thousand times more than to see him being happy with another man. Even if no man was worthy of such a being.
One day, though, everything changed. The boy, mouth still opened slightly in joyful laughter, had come down of his own free will. His dainty white arms had wrapped around the cold, dark man, whispering promises of eternity. His body, pressed so carefully against the other's larger one spoke volumes about his feelings. He was a sinner, forgiven by a holy angel, reborn again.
And finally, finally, the dark man could hold the bright boy and feel the filth on him, all the past sins, splattered across his skin, fade away.
Asami's eyes blinked open, adjusting to the dim room. So like his dream. Abruptly, he felt his heart accelerate as his hand reached out and felt emptiness on the other side of the bed. Mind filled with half-formed thoughts, he stumbled out of the bed, throwing off the silky sheets. Grabbing the clock, he read 7:15. It was so early, where was the boy? First, he checked the bathroom, then the living room and kitchen. Even the closet (it would be just like Aki to fall asleep while picking out clothes). All were as silent and empty as a tomb, no sign of his missing lover. The entire apartment was abandoned, devoid of the life that Aki seemed to bring to it.
His pupils dilated in response to his rising panic, adrenaline circulating in his blood. The images from his dream floated in his mind, that dark crevasse that was so lonely. He sank into one of the recliners, running a hand through his bangs that flopped forward. Where had the boy gone off to? He hadn't run again, had he? They were supposed to be past that.
His logical side knew that he would return, he always did. Yet deep inside a tiny part of him screamed, asking frantically where he had gone to, if he would be back ever. How had he even lived before meeting Akihito? Ah, that's right, he hadn't. He had been simply living the same day, the same routine, for years. His life had been paused, waiting for the person who would set everything in motion again. And now that it had all begun, there was no stopping it.
He jolted as the door opened, revealing an angelic face. Blond hair was still ruffled from sleep, eyes dim with exhaustion. Hm, maybe he had been too energetic last night. Aki came in, laden with groceries, grumbling about "stupid old man" and his "stupidly understocked fridge". He must've caught sight of Asami, for his head swiveled around and his eyes widened. "Wow you're awake already? That's pretty early for you, it's Saturday you know."
Just staring at him, Asami felt his heart calm, the descending panic vanish. "Come over here."
Aki opened his mouth to protest, "Are you blind, can't you see that I'm trying to cook your breakfast? Your fridge, by the way, is so empty that I even had to go shopping. I used your card for the grocery bill too." He shook his hands, making the shopping bags rustle. Asami was pleased to note that he had gone to the more expensive grocery store, and even happier to know that the stubborn boy had used the sleek black card Asami had given to him months ago.
"Please." His hands itched to hold that reassuring warmth, to smell his sweet scent.
Aki hesitated, looking deep into those golden eyes. Whatever he saw must have been enough to convince him, for he dropped the bags and silently crawled into Asami's lap, wrapping his arms around the larger man's neck.
"You seem different," Aki remarked, head already tucked into the crook of Asami's neck. "Did something happen?"
Asami relaxed, arms loosely entwining around Aki's tiny waist. "Nothing much, just a bad dream."
He felt Aki's chest heave in a tiny giggle. "How adorable, an old man like you still having night terrors. Well no matter." A tiny kiss was placed against his neck. "I'm here for you now."
"Yes you are." Asami murmured, hugging him tighter. "And I'll never let you go."
"You've grown sappy as you've aged." Aki remarked, turning his head so one curious blue eye could stare at the man.
"More like you've made me this way." He said wryly.
The only response given was a contented sigh as Aki snuggled close again, obviously ready to catch up on his lost sleep. Asami sat, content to stare at the perfect, pixie like profile until his own eyelids weighed down and he slipped back into the realms of sleep, bad dreams held firmly at bay by the talisman in his arms.
AN: Speaking as an exhausted student whose brain is mushy from studying, a review would make my day!