Enjoy!

Chapter 7

The two men managed to make it up the stairs to the second floor without tripping over any of the furniture. They weren't exactly paying any attention to where they were going, as they had continued to kiss as they walked. For once Souichi wasn't over-thinking anything. In fact he wasn't thinking at all as he felt Morinaga's lips claiming his in a hungry and demanding way. He had been right in thinking that the younger man had a dominant side to him, for all of his gentleness.

The younger man pressed Souichi into the wall next to the master bedroom door and drew away from his tantalizing mouth to slowly descend and latch onto his throat, garnering a moan from the blonde. Souichi managed to force open his eyes when he felt Morinaga pull back slightly. "Do you want me to stop, Souichi-san?" he asked, his eyes dark.

He huffed and quickly signed, "Souichi! No -san, damn it, baka!" And then he moved forward to reconnect their lips. He didn't want to think about what they were doing, he just wanted it to continue. If he thought too much, he'd run away.

Tetsuhiro grinned into the renewed kiss and blindly opened his bedroom door before guiding his new lover inside and pushing him onto the large bed. Souichi's eyes opened wide as he bounced on the mattress and then Morinaga was hovering over him, completely surrounding him with his warmth and scent. The last thought in the overwhelmed blonde's mind was, 'Shit...this is where I belong.'

Tetsuhiro's stepfather winced as the front door to his home slammed open and his wife stormed through headed for their living room. He carefully closed it before following her to see her throwing cushions against the walls. It looked like a pillow blizzard.

"My dear, you need to calm down."

"Calm down!? How can I?" A pillow headed straight for his head. "That...that seductor! He's – he's enticed Tetsuhiro into a...an unnatural relationship!" she continued.

"I think you mean seducer," he answered impishly.

"Whatever! He's corrupted my son!" she screamed, briefly making him glad that there were no servants around.

"Do you really think that? That Souichi-san initiated that scene we witnessed?" He knew what was coming and wasn't looking forward to it, but he knew it was necessary.

"Yes! No! I don't know!" She looked like she wanted to rip her hair out as she paced. "Don't act as if he's a friend! He's a...an...interloper! He' going to keep Tetsuhiro from finding his soul mate!"

Her husband sighed and sat down as he looked at her. "What if he is Tetsuhiro's soul mate?" he asked quietly.

"He can't be," she shrieked. "He's a man, he can't be," she said more quietly this time. "Tetsuhiro needs a wife, a partner for his life." She finally quit pacing and sat beside her husband.

"Souichi can be just as much of a partner, you know."

"He can't give him children!" her voice rose again. Why couldn't her husband see that!?

"Is that what this is all about?" he asked, finally giving way to his anger and frustration at his wife. "Tetsuhiro prefers men to women! Would you rather he be miserable and live a lie?" He began to warm up to his argument, "People are not as cut and dried as you seem to think. There are all kinds of relationships, some between men and women and others between the same sex! Are you so selfish that you'd rather your children be miserable just to satisfy your very narrow view of what is normal?" He finally sighed gain, "I thought you were better than that."

She was staring at her husband in dismay. "My children? What do you mean?"

"Kunihiro is the same. He and Masaki-san left here in order to be together and they're happy together!" He glared back at his wife, not giving an inch. "I thought that you would prefer his happiness over your ideals!"

They were now sitting facing one another with their noses almost touching, glaring at each other. "He's what!? I do want my boys to be happy! But how can they be, in this world? Others will judge them! Besides, I want grandchildren."

"Don't you think that they'd want children too? Don't you think that if they had the choice that they'd rather be like others? Kunihiro and Masaki are very loving people and they had to accept this. Tetsuhiro had to as well. He wanted a family, dear. It broke his heart when he realized that it could never be. But he accepted that he couldn't live a lie. Now he's found someone who feels the same for him!" He pulled away and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it a tousled mess, "Leave him be."

She sat back thinking hard about what her husband had said. She did want her children to be happy. She didn't want them to be alone for the rest of their lives or miserable living with someone they couldn't completely love. She had been lucky; luckier than she'd ever hoped in her life. She'd found two men she could be happy with. She finally huffed out a breath and whispered, "But...but grand babies!"

Souichi squinted his eyes shut against the sunlight that was streaming into the room. His head was a little fuzzy and his thoughts were a scattered mess, but he was wrapped into a snug cocoon and tried to burrow into the covers that surrounded him. As he nuzzled into the secure warmth, he felt the arms wrapped around him tighten. 'Arms?' he thought muzzily and then the events of the night before came crashing back and his eyes flew open as he abruptly sat up.

He was lying next to, 'Morinaga!' He looked down in dawning horror at the peacefully sleeping man next to him and he desperately wanted to punch him; he even balled his hand up to do so, but then he sighed and relaxed his fist. The younger man cuddled next to him and tightened his hold around the blonde's hips with a contented sigh as Souichi tried to wrap his mind around the events of the night before.

He wildly scrubbed his hands through his blonde hair, leaving it an even more tangled mess than before as he sorted through everything. 'We did it! Shit, now what am I going to do? He won't want to leave me after this!' Souichi didn't know what to do, he had wanted last night as much as the brunette had; he had to admit as much, if only to himself. He'd been caught up in the moment and had been selfish. He leaned back against the headboard with a silent groan as his hand idly began carding through the soft dark hair in his lap. 'I can't make him come with me and I can't stay here with him. Now what?'

He was forcibly brought from his thoughts when Tetsuhiro sighed and said, "That feels nice." Souichi's hand fisted into his hair and he rather harshly tugged the younger man up to meet his glare. "But that doesn't!" he said as he jerked away from his very irate lover. "Souichi, What was that for!?"

The older man huffed and scrambled out of the bed, taking a blanket with him as he began to pace; signing furiously while trying to keep the blanket wrapped around himself, "Baka! What do you think that was for!? We did...did that last night!" Morinaga grinned as he watched Souichi limp a bit.

"I know," he answered smugly. He never saw the fist flying.

A little later the two men were at the table eating breakfast. Tetsuhiro noticed Souichi fidgeting and tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing how adorable the blonde looked.

"N-nothing!" Souichi signed quickly, not meeting the brunette's eyes.

"Liar," Tetsuhiro grinned when the other man glared at him.

Souichi huffed and reluctantly asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?" the younger man asked, confused by the question.

Souichi indicated the small bruise on the side of his host's face, "Where I punched you."

"Oh...this?" Tetsuhiro grinned. "No, I deserved it and you didn't hit me that hard."

Souichi glared, "Only because you have such a hard head!"

"And in more ways than one," the brunette agreed. "I'll try not to sound so smug next time."

"You think there'll be a next time!?" Souichi looked at Tetsuhiro, completely flabbergasted.

"I know there will be," he answered simply.

He was right, too. The rest of the time before the ball the two men hung out, practiced dancing, and more times than Souichi wanted to admit to, made love through the night. The blonde was falling further in love with his partner by the day and beginning to get desperate about why he couldn't change back. He wanted to go home, to see his family. He wanted Tetsuhiro to stay by his side too. He was terribly confused. Tetsuhiro hadn't exactly spelled out his intentions either and that only confused Souichi more. He didn't realize that the younger man was just as scared at their change in relationship as he was.

Tetsuhiro wasn't as confused as his lover, but he was terrified that if he spelled out his wants and feelings that the blonde would run away. He was satisfied enough with their current status and didn't want to rock the boat.

Before either man realized, it was the night of the ball. Tetsuhiro slowly walked downstairs almost vibrating from anticipation. As he reached the first floor, Souichi walked out of the living room and the younger man caught his breath. The blonde was dressed in a dark blue suit, his blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail. The suit was accompanied by a cream colored shirt and a soft blue-grey cravat; the jacket slightly nipped in at the waist. He was breathtaking.

When Souichi looked over at Morinaga, he gave a start. The brunette's formal wear was all black with a white silk necktie. He looked...dangerous; it was the only word that fit and the blonde felt a slight shiver run up his spine. He shook off the uncomfortable feeling and signed with forced impatience, "Well, are you ready?"

"Yes," breathed Tetsuhiro. "You look magnificent, Souichi."

The older man blushed and looked down at his shoes. His hands faltered as he answered, "So do you." He then grasped his attitude in a strangle hold and glared back at the other man, "So are we going or what!?"

Tetsuhiro had flushed slightly at the other's compliment but when Souichi began to glare he smiled and motioned towards the front door, "After you."

AN: Finally! This chapter just did not want to be written. I wanted a full on lemon and I just couldn't make it fit, sorry about that for those of you who might like it. I know it's a bit short but I didn't want to include the ball here, that would have made it way too long.