Okay so a few things: WOW I am so sorry this is so late. I don't even know how that happened. (Actually I do it's called college ew). Also, this chapter doesn't have smut D: Trust me, I tried really hard to squeeze it in somewhere, but it just didn't work out this time around. But it's necessary for the plot! Forgive me!
Also…I didn't proof read this because I'm so tired I just need to go to sleep. Forgive me!
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Seijuro came to mid-stream.
He was naked, perched over the toilet.
It was like the wind had suddenly been knocked out of him- his head pounded briefly and then consciousness came whirling into him all at once. He leant forward with the shock, but steadied himself enough to hold onto his penis as he peed into the toilet. He let out a husky, worried breath.
Kouki's apartment. I'm in Kouki's apartment…I must have blacked out again.
He finished and crept quietly from the bathroom, grimacing when he saw the kitchen clock.
It's 1 o' clock?
He noted the bright light shining through the windows and felt his heart sink. Was it….one in the afternoon?
He stood in the middle of the apartment and closed his eyes desperate to recall what had happened.
Last thing he remembered…he'd been with Kouki about to go to bed. He must have been blacked out since then. Seijuro's eyes widened and he bit the inside of his mouth.
Kouki. I lost control again, but this time while arguing with Kouki. He felt the familiar sting of panic rise in his abdomen, and briskly marched to the bedroom, whisking the door open and staring wide eyed at the sight before him.
The bedroom was a mess- blankets and pillows strewn across the floor in illogical heaps. Things had been knocked off the dresser and window sills. A single candle was burning on the very corner of the room, and a trail of wax lead up to the folds of the mattress. Lying there on his stomach, Kouki was naked and twitchy. His skin was dewy and pink in the dim light from the shuttered windows. Seijuro inched toward the bed, the floor creaking beneath his weight.
At the sound, Kouki flinched and curled further into himself, his thin body curving into a ball in the center of the bed. Pain dropped heavily through Seijuro and he cooed out softly.
"Kouki..?"
At the sound of his voice- calm and collected even given the circumstances- the brown haired boy's muscles visibly relaxed and he lifted a teary eyed face to meet his gaze.
"Sei-Seijuro?" he whispered, the words full of a sad hope. Seijuro fought against self-hatred rising within him, forcing himself to make a pleasant expression as he lifted hand to touch the side of Kouki's cheek.
"Yeah. It's me."
Though he seemed to have relaxed, Kouki edged away from his touch, his expression strained. His face reddened and he buried his face into the mattress.
"Kouki…" Seijuro whispered again. "I blacked out again. I'm sorry."
From beneath him, the boy shivered and spoke, his voice muffled. "It….w-was like you were…a differ- it wasn't you. It wasn't you at all-!" Kouki sniffed loudly and his shoulders shook downwards, the sobs apparent in his muscles. Seijuro felt his eyes widening and swallowed hard. He watched the boy slowly break into full cry, hiccupping and breathing shakily into the cotton sheets. His hands were on either side of his head, curled into tight, helpless fists.
Every part of Seijuro wanted to hold him- to hug him and pet his hair and embrace him in warmth. But he knew that his touch at the moment was unwelcomed- for it was the same hands he longed to comfort him with that had caused the distress in the first place. He could wrap him safely in his arms, because his arms held no safety anymore. It had stripped from him- due to this problem. This other him. This obsessive, crazed personality lingering inside.
Seijuro cursed himself inside his head, struggling to say composed. How could he have let himself loose it like that, in that sort of situation? He couldn't even remember anything past the argument- it was a blur. What had he even done, that left Kouki like this, crying into the bed?
What had he done? He clenched fists and forced his eyes away from the figure before him. "I'm sorry," he chanted. "I'm sorry Kouki. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."
This lasted until Kouki's sobs had subsided, and he was lying somewhat more strewn out on the bed, though his face was still downwards and hidden. Seijuro had sat himself on the edge of the bed, his hands placed on either knee in an attempt to control them from the urge to touch Kouki. "I'll let you be for a while. If you don't want to see me for a few days, I understand. Just tell me how many."
Kouki's head rolled a bit, revealing half his face from underneath the damp strands of his brown hair. After a pause he spoke in a broken, hoarse voice. "And what about him? What if he doesn't want to give me a few days?"
Red eyes widened back at him and Kouki's stomach sank. While he was now overly familiar with many expressions Akashi could make, he'd never seen much intensity in any of Seijuro's expressions when he was being himself. It was always calm, collected and with just of hint of feeling.
But now, Seijuro looked…heartbroken. He looked devastated- and not in a shocked or even alarmed way. He expression held a sort of expected, calculated pain that seemed inevitable. Seijuro let his mouth hang open long before he even attempted to speak.
"I can control it. I'll fix it."
"W-wha-"
"I will," Seijuro interjected. He closed his eyes briefly and then opened once more. The panic had left his face, replaced with the familiar relaxed disposition Kouki was used to. He even managed a slight smile; very light moving one hand to rest atop Kouki's hair.
"I will because I love you. There's nothing I won't do. I'll come out on top. I always do."
The weight on Seijuro's hand on Kouki's head made his stomach lurch and he slid away, feeling heat rising within all parts of his body. It hurt- every muscle was sore and tensed. His ass felt like it was gaping open still, even though it'd been a while since Akashi had stopped fucking him. His insides twitched, feeling sick at the thought. It wasn't until he'd backed away from his touch was sitting up on the other side of the bed that exactly what words Seijuro had used sunk in. His throat formed a lump and he blinked back at the red head, who seemed unphased by the movement and was staring back at him steadily.
"It's okay, you don't have to say it back yet. I just want you to know. I love you, Kouki. It doesn't matter what any other part of me has done- because this is the part I trust and know is true. This is the part of me that will be in control from now on. "
There was a long silence that followed. Both boys sat at either side of bed, caught in heavy air. Both of their heart beats were loud and clearly heard. It lasted- uncomfortable and unforgiving, the white noise ringing in their ears but not blocking out the racing thoughts that plagued them both.
Finally, Seijuro stood in a formal fashion. "I'll clean this up and then head out. I'll give you a week before I come back to see you. If that's not enough time, then just tell me then and I'll leave right away."
Kouki looked away and whispered softly. "A week should be fine."
Seijuro could hear a tint of resentment in the words, and it hurt. He breathed out, long and slow, reaching down to gather pillows off the floor. "Okay. Next Tuesday then?"
Kouki looked away even further. "It's Wednesday."
Seijuro nearly dropped the load in his hands, his neck whipping around. "It's Wednesday?"
"Yeah."
I came…last thing I remember was…a Monday night?
"I was…out for an entire day?"
Rather than respond verbally, Kouki made a small grunt in remembrance and shook his head before he slipped off the bed and headed towards the bathroom.
Seijuro steadied himself against the dresser, his face growing whiter.
Whatever this is…I have to fix it. And I have to fix it quick.
(***)
The knocking grew even louder- but was still steady against the door. Kouki stood there, absolutely frozen. He had to find a way to stay calm and clear headed- he had to find a way to save himself
"Open the door. I know you're in there."
The sharp voice rang through ad sent a shock through Kouki's body. He didn't move- he didn't dare.
"Should I get your little friend Riko, then? Will that make you more cooperative?"
Kouki could feel his entire body sinking lower. He shook and forced himself to place a hand on the door knob.
Should I get a knife from the kitchen? Shit…I wouldn't be able to bring myself to use it. I don't want to open the door…how does he even know about Riko? Damn…damn!
There was an amazingly large part of himself that wanted to hide. Wanted to run into his room and crouch down into his closet until it all went away. But he couldn't let someone else get involved in this mess…and it was obviously a threat.
With a sharp breath, Kouki opened the front door to his apartment.
Shoichi stood there, perched in the door frame casually and with a smirk. There were three plain faced guys behind him, standing there obediently.
"I see your face healed up fine. You're looking cute as ever, dear," the man mused, before he marched himself through the door and plopped down on the sofa inside, propping his legs up on the arm and letting out a long sigh. The men followed and placed themselves throughout the room in silence.
With shaking movements, Kouki closed the door behind them and stood with his back against it. At this point there was nothing he could say- it seemed he was doomed no matter what happened.
"Come take a seat," Shoichi ordered with a broad smile from the living area. Kouki grimaced at the irony, but obeyed almost in a trance. He sat down with a soft plop on the chair across from the coach, his hands resting awkwardly on the arms on it with twitching fingers.
"I'm going to be nice and let you know right away that I actually have no intention to harm you today," the man stated, a hand reaching up to twist a strand of dark hair. "In fact, I think I'm going to become the hero of this story."
Despite the declaration, Kouki did not feel any more at ease. His brown eyes darted around at the other men, who were barely moving from their chosen positions.
"Ignore them, they are just protective decoration," Shoichi laughed, choosing to sit up in favor for sitting cross legged on the couch. He met Kouki's gaze from behind his glasses, and his smile split even wider. "It's true I want my revenge on Seijuro. He really gave me a hard time! Someone as kind hearted as me doesn't deserve to get beaten up by complete strangers. It really rubbed me the wrong way…"
His sharp voice trailed off for a moment, before he stood up in a brisk fashion and flicked something from his jacket pocket. Startled, Kouki nearly fell from his chair as the object launched at him, landing with a thump against his thigh.
He looked down, his heart pounding.
It was money.
A large stack of hundreds, and with a plane ticket stuck under the elastic band that held them all together. Kouki lifted his head, his eyes questioning.
"It's a gift. You see, I've had a lot of time to think about exactly how I wanted to exact my revenge, since it's taken so long to find you," Imayoshi responded, sitting down once more. His arms rested casually in the air and gestured as spoke, long white fingers making small, grand motions. "Most people would have killed you; however I don't like the mess. Further, it seems like too easy of a solution. I prefer a more though out sort of action, don't you?
So I had to think- what would be worse than killing you? Luckily, after Hanamiya relayed to me everything that had happened, I realized the perfect solution. Rather than kill you, let's make you disappear completely. That way he simply won't know. You'll have disappeared without a trace!" Shoichi gave a wide sweep with his arm and then rested his neck on the back on the couch with a triumphant expression.
"That won't work," Kouki whispered, his brows furrowing as he stared down at the 'gift' in his lap. "He'll find me. It doesn't matter where you send me…"
At this, Shoichi's slender eyes gleamed from behind his dark lashes and he leaned forward dramatically, his voice low and drawn out: "Ooohhh, but that's the best part. He'll search and search, thinking I've done something terrible to you. And then he'll find you- completely fine. Doing whatever the hell you want- perfectly happy. And he'll know that you were never his in the first place."
Kouki gaped at the open air, taking it all in.
Shoichi was right- if there was a way to really upset Seijuro that would be it. He leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together and trying to work logistics through in his head.
"But once he finds me…I'll end up right back where I am now. Or worse," Kouki whispered, looking to the floor.
"Yeah, probably. But this isn't about you, is it?"
Kouki flinched.
"No…I'm basically just an object in this, getting tossed back and forth."
"Exactly!" Shoichi smiled, his fingers snapping. "I'm glad you understand your position! What you are saying is true- Seijuro probably will find you. You'll get a few months maybe to live freely once again beforehand, though. Now, I can't say exactly how he'll react when he finds you, but by that point I've already gotten my revenge and I'm no longer invested. But- hey! Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll be so upset by your betrayal that he'll just leave you where you are!"
Kouki snorted involuntarily, and then blushed glancing away. "Maybe."
Shoichi stood and stretched, motioning to his men. "This is the basics: I'm going to get my revenge no matter what. So if you decide not to go with this plan, I'll be forced to be creative and think of something else. So unless you'd like to test that out, you'd better take the opportunity I'm giving you. Get on that plane tonight with that money in your pocket and try to make some sort of respectable living for yourself somewhere far from here. Okay, Kouki?"
Rather than nod, Kouki just clicked his tongue nervously and grabbed a fist around the bundle. After a moment he managed, "I'll think…I'll think about everything."
"It shouldn't be a hard decision. You're pretty lucky, you know."
Soon after, Kouki was left alone again in the apartment. He stared at the ticket there, lying conspicuously on top of the green paper. He could smell the must of the bills, and it made his stomach sick. His adrenalin was still running wild inside him, and was showing no signs of slighting. Kouki felt he had been flung out between two indeterminate but terribly dark ends. He chuckled, bitterly.
I've never been lucky.
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As always, thanks so much for the support! Things are really starting to get to a climax here! Only a few chapters left!
Thanks for reading! I hope it wasn't a disappointment!
