Ah, yay!~ Three wonderful reviews on Chapter One. Makes me so so soo happy~~

And I've finally finished Chapter Two! /so so excited.

Disclaimer is the same; only Akio-kun is mine :)

/SHSHSH/

When the sunlight filtered through the window shades, Ritsu groaned and rolled over. He pressed his face into the back of the couch, as if trying to escape from consciousness. The twinge in his lower back reminded him of where he was- still in the living room, curled up like a cat on his couch. He assumed that Akio was still asleep. He couldn't hear the soft pad of footsteps on his floor.

Ritsu opened his green eyes and rolled back over to the edge of the couch. Immediately, he sat up. Where piles of clothes and trash used to be, he could see his clean floor. The papers were piled neatly on the coffee table. The mess was gone, as if someone had broken into his apartment just to clean up.

"Good morning, Rittie!" There was Akio, standing in the doorway. He looked well-rested. The bags disappeared from under his eyes overnight. He was in the same clothes as yesterday, but they were crumpled and folded in odd places. His pale blonde hair curled around his face. He appeared to have just woken up, but his behavior was all rainbows and sunshine.

Akio walked forward, balancing a mug in each hand.

"Um, good morning, Akio-kun," Ritsu murmured as he accepted one of the steaming mugs.

He took a tentative sip. Hm. Apparently, his cousin had discovered the coffee machine that he barely used. He made it super sweet too. Ritsu felt as though his taste buds were going into overdrive. Akio sat beside him, sipping happily at the coffee with a blissful expression.

"Did you do…all this?" Ritsu asked finally.

"Yeah!" His cousin leaned forward, his blue eyes wide, "Was that alright? I figured that you needed to clean anyways, so why not?"

"Oh, no! That's not what I meant…I mean, thank you, but…why?"

Akio took another long sip. His slender fingers were clenched around the mug.

"I don't know…I like to clean," he said quietly.

For some reason, Ritsu didn't believe him. Akio clammed up, as he had the night before. To avoid speaking again, Akio brought the mug up to his lips. The silence became too much for Ritsu.

"Akio-kun, I need you to make me understand. You said you had to come here, that you couldn't go home, but I don't know why!" he didn't mean to sound angry, but his cousin was being vague about the whole situation.

But instead of flinching away, as Ritsu expected him to do, Akio calmly set his mug on the coffee table.

"I moved to England, what, ten years ago, right? I remember watching you disappear when I went through the airport," sadness darkened his eyes, "But, after a while, I got used to my new home. I made friends at the new school. The language barrier made things…difficult, but I took to English right away."

Ritsu wondered where this story was coming from. He could tell, by Akio's set frown and furrowed brows, that he wanted to say something important.

"Growing up without you was strange, Rittie. I never wanted to cause you any trouble, so I never tried to get into contact," Sheepishly, Akio glanced at him, "So I got through high school. A year early, even. Then my dad wanted to send me to university. I didn't mind- I liked school, so I went without argument."

His cousin paused, licking his lips and fidgeting.

"I met my adviser, Takumi Osa-san. He was a great man, Rittie! So poised and professional. I took a liking to him right away. He was always so kind to me too. He gave me praise and encouraged me in all my studies. Osa-san was a personal guy. He asked me questions about my life all of the time. I never minded, until things became too personal," Akio's cheeks flushed lightly, "He'd ask about my girlfriends and stuff. Always curious about my love life, even though I didn't really have one. And then, he started making…romantic advances."

The alarm from last night was back, rearing its ugly head in Ritsu's gut. Never had he questioned his cousin's sexual preferences, but the advance of a superior was intimidating no matter what.

"I-I refused him- politely- at first, but Osa-san was very persistent. He'd always buy me flowers and pull me aside after class. I didn't know what to do, Rittie! It was so uncomfortable and he just wouldn't listen-"

"What did your parents do?" Ritsu interrupted. Surely, his aunt and uncle intervened.

Akio blushed harder, "Nothing. They didn't believe me when I told them. They said Osa-san was respectable and a man, of all things. I tried to convince them, but my father became angry. He ended up hitting me…"

The boy trailed off, bowing his head. He was still reliving the shame, the embarrassment of it all. What eighteen year old boy can't even refuse another man's advances? He should be stronger than that.

Ritsu was stunned into silence. His uncle was not a violent man, as far as he knew. Why would that provoke him to hit his only son?

"Akio-kun, he hit you? What about after that?" He prayed that things didn't get worse.

"There was a lot of fighting. Shouting, things being thrown. He told me to leave. He said he wasn't paying for university just so I could…so I could fuck around with my teachers. So I came to Japan," his voice dropped down to a whisper. Akio still hadn't looked up.

Ritsu reached out to him. He touched his cousin's clammy hand.

"Why here?" he asked.

"I thought of you first, Rittie," Akio slowly raised his head. His cheeks were ruddy and wet, "You always made me feel better when we were kids. I panicked and all I thought was 'I need to see Rittie'."

Ritsu almost couldn't believe it. Akio thought of him after ten years. They had been kids the last time they were together- Akio, eight and him, fifteen. He scooted over to him.

"Oh, Akio-kun," he hugged the younger, "You are always welcome to talk to me. Especially about something like this. I can't believe this happened to you.."

What Ritsu really wanted to do was call up his aunt and uncle and demand an explanation. Family shouldn't do this to one another. It wasn't right.

Akio returned the hug, but hesitantly. He seemed reluctant to let him in.

"I'm alright. Really. I just needed time to clear my head," he pulled back, shrugging.

Ritsu could see his cousin retreating inside himself. He was already so withdrawn- Ritsu didn't want him to shut down completely. He stood up and retrieved a towel from his hall closet.

"Here," he handed the towel to him, "Go take a shower. It might help."

Akio ran his fingers over the fuzzy material and nodded. He left his coffee abandoned on the table as he wandered away. Ritsu heard the bathroom door close and he sighed. His cousin was so confused inside. He could see it in the way his blue eyes flickered. Grabbing up both mugs, Ritsu padded into the kitchen. He set them in the sink. His phone beeped from his bag. Ritsu hurried to check it and saw Takano's name flashing on the small screen.

'Walk with me today.' His text read.

Ritsu's heart stuttered in his chest. He hadn't even thought about Takano and work since Akio had shown up. Making sure the boy was okay was his top priority.

'Can't. Not going in today.' He sent back a quick reply.

Almost immediately, his doorbell rang. Ritsu went over and answered it reluctantly. Takano glared down at him through the crack.

"What do you mean you aren't going into work?" he demanded, his voice deep.

Shivers danced down Ritsu's spine, "I…don't feel well. I can get things done from home."

"Liar."

The previous feeling was replaced by irritation. There was no way Takano could know how he felt. He could be dying for all he knew.

"Don't be an idiot! I said I'm not feeling well. Just go to work by yourself," he grumbled.

The door opened as Takano pushed his way inside. Ritsu yelped, looking indignant at his neighbor's lack of respect for privacy.

"T-Takano-san!" he shut up when his boss pressed him up against the door. Takano stared down at him in that same unwavering way. Ritsu swallowed nervously. Takano's fingers were wrapped around his wrist and he was sure that he could feel his rapid pulse.

"Are you really unwell?" Takano leaned in close, so their foreheads were touching, "Or are you just avoiding me?"

Their proximity was enough to send a rush of heat across his skin. It settled between his legs and Ritsu struggled, feeling uncomfortable.

"Stop being stupid! It's not all about you," his cracking voice kept him from sounding pissed.

Takano watched his face, bending down a little closer. Ritsu knew what was coming next, but he wasn't sure whether to duck away or rise to meet him.

"Rittie, I, um, don't have any other clothes," Akio's voice floated into the room. The boy hovered in the doorway, the towel wrapped around his waist.

Takano froze, mouth inches from Ritsu. He stood up, looking at Akio, and by the stiffness in his shoulders, Ritsu guessed that he was not happy.

"Who are you?" the question came out aggressively and Akio's eyes went round.

"Um, pardon me, uh- I-I'm Akio Hayate," he stammered.

He clutched the hem of his towel, looking both embarrassed and caught off-guard. Takano took one look at him, and then turned to Ritsu.

"He's my cousin!" Ritsu yelped defensively. He hated the accusing look in Takano's brown eyes. There was nothing wrong with this whole situation.

Ritsu pushed his boss away and straightened out his shirt. The accusation only fueled his anger.

"You should let me speak before you jump to weird conclusions!" he fumed. Akio looked back and forth between the men. His blonde hair was plastered to his face and his blue eyes were flickering nervously. Occasionally, he shivered. Sighing, Ritsu took his cousin's hand- mindful not to knock the towel off of him- and glanced back at Takano.

"Why don't you come in? It will be simpler if I explain everything."

/SHSHSH/

RAWR! There ya go! A itsy bitsy bit of Onodera/Takano, cause I luff them :3

Same thing- review/favorite por favor!