Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chey: Sorry I haven't been writing lately. I've been obsessing over Destiel. It's positively delightful. I love that pairing:)

Misaki: Dare I ask, what's Destiel?

Chey: It's Dean Winchester and the Angel of the Lord Castiel from the show Supernatural doing it, for those of you who don't know. So hawt!

Misaki: Are they a couple on the show?

Chey: Nope. They're a demon hunter and a rebellious angel doing battle against both heaven and hell to avert apocalypses, stop other badness, play games with the head honchos of both and generally just wreak havoc. Throw a little angsty, forbidden love in there and you've got an excellent fanfic.

Misaki: You know what? Just start the chapter.

Chapter Thirty Seven

"Akihiko?" Hiroki clutched the phone tightly as Nowaki went completely still and stiff. He didn't have to see to know that the mood and Nowaki's cheerful attitude were both ruined.

"I need a favor."

"A favor?" Hiroki seemed unable to do anything other than parrot Akihiko's words back at him.

"Yes. A favor."

"What is it?"

Akihiko was silent for a moment. "I don't want to ask over the phone. Could we meet?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess." He wants to meet, he mouthed at Nowaki who got even stiffer. "Where?"

Akihiko considered. "Are you at the school, today?"

"It's Sunday. Why the hell would I be at school?"

"Is it?" Akihiko frowned. "Well, how about the café across from the flower shop?"

"Right." Hiroki pulled out of Nowaki's hold. "When?"

"Twenty minutes?"

"Is it that important?" At his best friend's silence he sighed. "Fine, sure, whatever. See you then."

"Bring your lover with you."

"What? Why—?" But Akihiko had already hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Nowaki asked.

"He wants you to come too."

"He does?" Nowaki's blue eyes widened slightly.

"Yep. Right now. Let's go." Hiroki set down the phone and started looking for his jacket.

"So, we're just gonna go, now?"

Hiroki huffed at Nowaki's obstinance. "If you'd rather I go on my own..."

Nowaki was the first out the door.

…

The café was nearly empty when Hiroki and Nowaki arrived there. Hiroki fully expected Akihiko to be late but he'd seen the red sports car parked street-side. Still, it could've been someone else's until he saw his friend sitting in a booth at the far end of the room with three cups of coffee on the table.

He held up a hand and gestured them over. They approached. "Hey." He took a sip of coffee and waited for them to sit.

Hiroki plunked down and scooted over vinyl. Nowaki also sat, very stiffly. "What's up?" he asked, without preempt.

Akihiko replied in the same fashion. "Misaki asked me about Godparents today. Takahiro and his wife are probably going to do it but Misaki asked if I wanted someone as well. So I'm asking you two."

This was not at all what they had expected. Hiroki was just staring in shock. Nowaki's annoyed expression had vanished completely under the onslaught of warm emotions that came with anything involving children. He actually smiled a bit before he managed to clamp it down, remembering who they were dealing with. Still, Misaki wasn't a bad kid. A bit young and careless to have gotten himself sucked into Usami's world, but that didn't make him anything like Akihiko, who made Hiroki cry.

"What about your brother? Or your father?" Hiroki asked finally.

Akihiko snorted. "I don't want them anywhere near Miki-chan. Or Misaki, for that matter." The horror of Haruhiko or his father being, in any way, in charge of his daughter's life swamped him. The derision fell under that fright. He would never entrust her to them. Ever. Especially if her personality was anything like Misaki's. She could be manipulated against him.

Not that Misaki had ever done that but it had come close and she was just a baby. And what if she grew to hate him and what if—

"Akihiko!" Hiroki interrupted.

His purple eyes moved to meet brown ones. "What?"

"You're looking kinda sick."

"Oh, sorry." Akihiko looked down at his coffee.

"You okay?" Hiroki asked.

"I'm…worrying." Akihiko muttered. That made the other men start. Akihiko had never been big on sharing. Today though…

It was Nowaki who actually asked, "Has something happened? Is Mikiko-chan—"

"She's fine."

"The brat?"

"He's fine too."

They were all silent for a moment before it started to eat at Hiroki and he spat in frustration, "Then what is it?"

Akihiko shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I suddenly find myself worrying over the strangest things."

Nowaki really smiled this time. "It's because of Mikiko."

"What?"

"Having a child changes your perception of the world," Nowaki explained. "It…alters you. It doesn't mean you're necessarily a different person," Hiroki winced, "but it makes you worry about things that didn't bother you before and important things of the past are less so now."

"I only cared about Misaki before Mikiko. I still care just as much about him."

Nowaki tilted his head in admission. Hiroki took a turn. "Look at the other thing. You hate your brother but you never really cared about what he was doing or where he was."

"I still don't."

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. You don't want him around Mikiko or the brat so you have to know at least when he's in Tokyo. Or don't you pay attention to that?"

Hiroki was right. The problem was that both Haruhiko and Fuyuhiko had been spending more time in the city than they used to. It was irksome. Even worse, he did want to know where they were to ensure that they weren't near Misaki or their daughter.

Their daughter…

Mikiko…

Everything had become about her without his even realizing it.

To be continued…

Chey: There you go. Another chapter down.

Misaki: Ugh…

Chey: You know, I'm not arguing today.

Misaki: Is that so?

Chey: Yep. Gonna go read Destiel now.

Misaki: Fine by me.

Chey: Please review my loves. Thanks for putting up with me.

~CheyanneChika