AN: Before you read the chapter, please read this important AN! Uhm, I know I promised an omake, but it might be a long time before I manage to write it. I've tried really hard to write it, but it just isn't that terribly funny or witty or good, so I figured it would be unfair to subject you guys to subpar writing. So if I ever do write an omake, I'll post it as a separate, super short one shot.
Aki was well and truly mad. Sitting there, at his lovely dining room table, with candles and roses and delicious food (cooked by yours truly), he fumed. Asami was a busy man. As a kind and understanding lover, he usually accepted that and tried his best to not complain. After all, it was Asami who worked hard to feed their little family. Aki knew that the man was also very stressed about his long hours and lack of time to spend with his daughter and husband, and was apologetic often. But today was a different story. If Asami was not here in the next thirty minutes, he would be experiencing an uncomfortable case of blue balls for the next month. Missing a normal dinner was, if not good, accepted. Heck, even Tsukiko had learned to accept it as a common occurrence. But this was the anniversary of their first meeting! "Daddy?" He turned, controlling his expression.
Tsukiko stood there, rubbing her eyes. She looked sleepy enough to topple over at any moment, as five year olds were prone to doing. "Why aren't you in bed, honey?" His voice softened, all the anger bleeding out of him, the sight of his adored child a balm on his ragged nerves.
"Thirsty." She mumbled, her black hair a mess. "Can I have some juice?"
Getting up, careful to blow out the candles lest something happen, Akihito went over and gathered her into his arms. "It's a bit too late for juice, Tsuki, why don't you just have a little bit of water?"
She nodded obediently, her eyes beginning to clear up as her sleepiness departed. Her eyes caught sight of the table, food untouched, and her quick mind began to whirl. "Is Papa late?" She innocently asked.
Aki froze for a second. Damn, sometimes he forgot how perceptive his little girl could be. If he didn't know better he would've said that she had inherited her Papa's intelligence. "Yes," He sighed, feeling weary and irritated, "Papa is very late today."
"Is Daddy mad at Papa?" She blinked at him, worried. Her innocent little eyes picked up the small details. The exhausted expression, the bags that had started to form under his eyes. The clock in the corner that read 12:34.
"Are Daddy and Papa going to sep-er-ate?" She carefully sounded out the foreign word she had learned yesterday. Her classmates had told her horror stories of their mommies and daddies getting mad at each other and living in different houses, not even talking. She didn't know if that same rule applied to two daddies, but she didn't want to imagine them not talking anymore. It was a scary thought, having only one daddy.
Aki looked horrified. "Where did you hear that word?" He demanded, sitting her down on the countertop, digging around for a glass.
"Chie-chan was talking about how her mommy and daddy sep-er-ated," Tsukiko confessed, tearing up. "She said that they didn't talk to each other and that she could only see them one at a time. I don't want that." A sniffle escaped.
Sighing, Aki hugged her tightly, setting the forgotten glass down on the countertop. "I am mad at your Papa, but we won't separate, not ever. I still love him very much after all." He smiled at her, wiping away the childish tears.
"Promise?" She asked hopefully, hazel pools blinking up at him.
"Of course." Aki smiled. "I doubt your Papa could live without me anyways. He's so bad at taking care of himself."
She nodded, worries put to rest by her reliable Daddy. Aki quickly poured her a glass of lukewarm water—cold water might upset her tummy—and escorted her to her bedroom. Tucking her back into bed, he whispered, "Good night Tsuki."
"Good night Daddy." She whispered back, almost immediately falling back asleep.
For a while he just sat there, staring at his peacefully slumbering daughter. The silky black hair, all splayed across the pillow and tangled hopelessly most days. The perfect little cheeks, adorable little apples. And those fluttering eyelids that concealed intelligent hazel eyes, uncannily similar to Akihito's. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed the tiny forehead, murmuring a quiet, "Love you always."
Shutting her door, he headed downstairs, already thinking about placing the food into the fridge, perhaps reheating for lunch the next day. So much for a romantic anniversary dinner, huh? Entering into the dining room, he raised his eyebrows. The candles had been relit, and a figure now sat in one of the chairs. Two glasses of wine had been poured for them. "You're late." He commented sourly to Asami, standing at the doorway.
Golden eyes bored into his, gleaming with genuine regret. "Something came up at work; I got here as soon as I could."
Disappointment filled his throat as Aki bit back a sharp retort. Which is more important, your work or me? He didn't want to be catty, not really. It was just that Asami had been gone so much these last two months, leaving him and Tsukiko all alone. The bed was cold and lonely more often than not. And he had put so much effort into planning this anniversary dinner, only to have it grow cold.
"Akihito." He looked up, responding to Asami's commanding voice. Asami's warm lips caught his, gently kissing him, conveying all the love and affection he had been missing for the past few weeks. "I'm sorry." And that apology, coming from the man who never apologized for anything, said everything.
Aki felt all of his anger melt away, despite himself. Damn it, Asami always seemed to do that to him. He sighed, walking around the table and sitting in Asami's lap. "So, what was the important issue at work?"
"I had to discuss a matter with the Prime Minister." Asami said calmly, his large hands running over Aki's bottom. It had been a long time for him too.
Of course, only Asami could say a phrase like that with such nonchalance. "What did you two talk about?"
"I think it'd be better to show you." Asami smirked. Gently depositing Aki onto the chair, he reached into his pocket and got down on one knee, a classic stance. "Akihito, will you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming by official husband?"
Aki froze. The ring was beautifully simplistic, a twining pattern of black and gold bands. "Wait…you coerced the Prime Minister into legalizing gay marriage?"
"I prefer the term 'strongly suggested'." Asami shrugged, patiently kneeling.
"…"
"…"
"I'm finding the most shocking thing to be that I'm no longer surprised about this." Aki sighed. This guy really hated doing things in halves.
"Care to give me your answer?" Asami quirked a brow. "This pose isn't exactly the most comfortable."
"Oh, get off your knees," Aki laughed, crashing into him with a hug, "You know my answer."
"Say it out loud?" Asami's lips brushed the shell of his ear.
"Yes, you dork, I'll marry you." Aki said. "Now come on, we're going to the bedroom."
"Demanding today, I see." Asami commented wryly.
"It's our anniversary today, and if nothing else," He threw a dirty look at the cold, unappetizing food, "I'm getting anniversary sex."
It turned out that Asami was just as excited for anniversary sex (or just sex, period) as he was. Several hours later, they lay in bed, panting lightly. Aki had already begun to drift off. "Akihito?" Asami said in a hushed voice.
"What?" Aki snuggled even deeper, resting in head in the space between Asami's head and his shoulder.
"I love you. And our family." Asami made the hushed declaration.
Aki felt his lips curl upwards, happiness thrumming through his entire body. "I know." And the two of them drifted off into the comforting, deep depths of sleep.
AN: Aaaaaaaaaaand boom! Done! This is the real, true, end of the story. Yes, this fic is well and truly over, though I may choose to write a few more oneshots or something in this alternate universe. Tsukiko is so sweet after all! Thanks for sticking with it, and I hope everyone has enjoyed it.
PS Below is a fragment of an AU I'm contemplating starting. I hope you'll read it, though you're by no means obligated to. And if you have any other story ideas you might want to see come to life, feel free to tell me, I'm open to anything right now!
Around him, the world seemed to be falling down. The sky gleamed red, lit by the fires that ate up the metropolis of Tokyo. Screams of the dead and dying rent the air, echoing through cold structures of steel and concrete. The smell of blood, iron and acrid, saturated the air. He lamented the loss of precious food, but there was no helping it.
Like a disobedient dog, the humans had to be brought to heel. And to discipline a dog, punishments were in order. A long tongue snaked out and wet his lips. The heady mix of terror and blood that surrounded him was almost too much. Gold eyes momentarily flashed red, round pupils, tightening into reptilian slits. But no. He took a deep breath, calming himself. Slowly, red returned back to gold, the crimson draining from his irises. Very soon, the world would bow to him.
Asami Ryuichi the Third, King of the Vampires, allowed himself a sinister smile.