Disclaimer: I'm just a geeky fangirl that likes to play around; I own nothing.
The Long Way Home: Chapter 11
Ueno was beyond tired.
He trudged toward the elevator after Satou-san left for the night and he'd finished his shift, bidding Himura-san goodnight. His plan was to shower and change upstairs, and then try to relax before falling asleep.
After all the hoopla about their sleepovers, he wondered if it would be a better idea to just grab his stuff and walk home for the night, but the thought left his mind soon after entering it. He didn't want to go, and Aki was waiting up for him; he was sure of that. The fairer haired man would be disappointed if Ueno announced he was going home.
He punched the button for the ninth floor and waited impatiently for the answering chime that would precede the opening of the elevator doors. The minute it took for the elevator to zoom to the ninth floor and the few seconds it took to walk to Aki's door felt like an hour. He knocked quietly, then heard faint shuffling, and a pause that Ueno was sure was due to Aki peering through the peep hole, before the lock clicked and the door swung open.
Aki stepped back and allowed Ueno to enter, glaring at him peevishly. "I gave you a key," he said softly, taking Ueno by the hand and urging him further into the apartment before shutting the door, "so why won't you use it?"
"I would have, if you hadn't been home." Ueno reached into his pocket, producing the spare key, attempting to place it into Aki's hand.
Aki frowned, refusing his offering. "No. I want you to keep it. Just in case."
Ueno thought about arguing, but decided against it; he didn't have the energy. He stuffed the key back into his pocket. "How's the headache?"
"I took some painkillers, so it should be gone soon. What about you? You don't look like you feel wonderful yourself." Aki stood directly in front of his boyfriend, long fingers toying with Ueno's tie.
"I'm okay." Ueno was a little tickled at the sheer domesticity of the moment, and he stood still as Aki loosened the bit of silk wrapped around his neck. He noticed Aki's hair was still slightly damp, and reached up, lightly tousling it. "You hair's still wet- again."
"I know. I was drying it when you came in. Do you want to shower?"
"If it's okay with you." Ueno could use the time to think. He almost drooled in anticipation when he thought of standing under a hot spray of water.
"Of course it is. Let me get you some towels." Aki released Ueno's tie and returned to his bedroom. Ueno followed slowly, swallowing a yawn. He hoped Aki wouldn't care if he passed out immediately after his shower. He probably wouldn't; Aki would be more upset if Ueno went home, but he seemed to like it when Ueno treated his apartment like his own.
Aki handed Ueno two towels, and Ueno accepted them before digging through his bag for some clothing and closed himself off in the bathroom. He quickly undressed and stepped into the shower. He stood there; the nozzle aimed directly at his face, and began to resonate with the evening's events.
Ueno took his time, scrubbing every inch of skin and hair until he tingled. As the tension in his body began to ease and he finally acknowledged the humor of the situation, he chuckled. Then he laughed.
Things only escalated from there. Soon, Ueno was laughing so hard that he had to brace his hands against the shower wall to prevent his body, which was covered from head to toe with suds, from sliding to the floor.
While the laughter and whooping subsided, he quickly rinsed the soap from his body and hair before turning off the faucet. While he dried himself, he noticed that in his mirth, he'd perked up considerably. He was still a little weary, but his mood had improved. As he'd spent an extended amount of time in the shower, he hurriedly yanked on a t-shirt and sweats before exiting the bathroom.
He stopped in the doorway. Aki sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, apparently waiting for Ueno to finish his shower. Both eyebrows were raised, and he wore a questioning expression.
"What was that all about?"
What do you mean?" Ueno approached the bed slowly.
Aki stood, commandeering Ueno's towel and running it briskly over his hair. "What was so funny?"
"Your dad." Ueno sobered, bowing his head so Aki could complete his task easily. Over the course of the week, he'd learned several facts about Aki; some confused him, and others endeared him to Aki even more. It was small, unexpected things, but they caught Ueno's attention. He suspected that Aki wasn't used to caring for someone else, but that his efforts weren't forced.
Aki didn't reply until he was satisfied that Ueno was dry enough and tossed the towel into a basket. "What about him is funny, exactly?"
"A lot of things." Ueno answered honestly. "He tries hard to be young."
Aki rolled his eyes skyward. "I've noticed." He followed Ueno into the living area and settled into a chair while Ueno lay on the couch, one arm tossed over his eyes. "What did you two have to say to each other?"
"Not a whole lot." Ueno's reply was bland. "How was your visit? Did you go to see your mom?"
"No." Aki's first instinct was to attempt to change the subject, but he was trying to improve. He shifted to his favorite position. "Well, yes. My mom was there, but the three of us went to visit my sister."
"Is she married? How old is she?"
"She's twenty-three, and she's not married." Aki was starting to feel uncomfortable already.
"Is she away in school?"
"Hardly." Aki waved a hand dismissively. "She's been institutionalized. Temporarily, if she's lucky."
"Oh." Ueno vaguely recognized the fact that he said oh an awful lot when speaking to Aki.
"My dad says she's suffering from some kind of drug induced condition. I don't really know what all that means. I just know that she's out of it most of the time, but that eventually, it will probably get better."
Aki was putting forth his best effort in trying to be more open, but the subject made his skin crawl, so he erred on the side of caution and feigned ignorance. He was ready for a change in dialogue, so he switched gears back to the subject Ueno had tried to avoid himself. "So, you never explained what it was about my dad that had you howling in the shower."
He couldn't tell Aki everything that was discussed, of course. In hindsight, Ueno had to admit that the conversation hadn't been a bad one; it had been the stress of trying to anticipate what Aki's father was trying to say that had been so exhausting. He'd sat there, terrified and attempting to predict what Satou-san was thinking. But, Aki's father was absolutely hilarious in his attempts to understand youth. Ueno recognized the humor now that he had started to relax.
Aki sat in his chair in his standard cross-legged position while Ueno chuckled, eyes still closed, and slid down further, sinking fully into the cushioning. "It's hard to explain."
"Try."
"Your dad tries really, really hard to relate to you."
Aki nodded. "Yup. It's pathetic. Do you know what he asked me in the car on the way home?"
"What?"
"If I had found anyone worth poking since I came back to school."
Ueno laughed again, and it took a minute, as well as a glass of water that Aki worriedly hopped out of his chair and into the small kitchen to pour, until he could speak again.
Ueno gulped down half a glassful, still snickering intermittently. "What did you tell him?" He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Aki smiled sweetly, now perched on the couch beside Ueno's legs. "I told him that I'd let him know." He took the glass from Ueno's fingers and set it on the coffee table. "Now, answer my question."
Ueno wondered how long he could stall and tease Aki before he truly became irate. "Oh, I don't know." Ueno said. "It had something to do our relationship, if I remember correctly."
Aki tapped a foot impatiently. If it was in regards to his relationship with Ueno, or simply Aki's own sexual orientation, he really didn't care what his father thought. He'd never discussed sexuality with him before, but his father learning about either fact was the least of his troubles. However, the twinkle in Ueno's eyes indicated that the situation must have amused him. "Ueno."
"He tried to think of all kinds of words to describe our situation before he found the perfect one."
"Ueno." Aki stood, swinging one leg over Ueno's thighs and lowering his body again. "I think you're enjoying yourself a little too much."
Ueno froze, watching as Aki straddled him. He was a pleasant weight; wonderfully solid, but not heavy. He was silent as Aki slowly scooted forward until he was comfortably seated.
Aki gave his boyfriend another sweet smile, settling into his position contentedly. It was a bold move, considering the rate in which their relationship had been progressing. On his part, he'd done much more in the past, but with Ueno, things had started out of order from the very beginning. Even though they had already had sex, everything else was new. Touching, kissing, and cuddling were all aspects of a relationship that could be taken for granted, especially since they both were so hesitant to take any first steps. He suspected that Ueno was being cautious, and he didn't want to scare Ueno by being too forward. However, if one of them didn't do something soon, Aki was going to break something.
Ueno regained his composure. "After you left, he asked me, specifically, what kind of relationship the two of us have."
"Ah." Aki tilted his head thoughtfully, moving his hands from the couch cushions to lightly brush them over Ueno's fully clothed stomach. "This sounds like an interesting conversation. What did you tell him?"
"If I told him the truth, would you be mad?"
"No." Aki answered immediately. "Did you tell him the truth?"
"I didn't have to tell him anything. He had it all figured out." Ueno gazed into Aki's eyes, waiting for a reaction.
"So he knows?"
Ueno grinned. "Nope."
Aki sighed. "Are you being difficult on purpose?"
"Yes." Ueno shifted slightly, and Aki lost his train of thought temporarily as the motion forced his pelvis more solidly against Ueno's. His eyes clouded slightly, and he shuddered.
"Start from the beginning. And no teasing." Aki swatted at his belly after recovering.
"Word for word, huh?"
"Whatever works for you. Now."
"R-relationship?"
Ueno was above dumb parroting, but it was more of an attempt to buy himself some time to gather his thoughts, rather than actual stupidity.
"Yes." Satou-san confirmed, staring at Ueno intently. "I need to know what he is to you. Himura-san says that you've been staying upstairs at night. Is that true?"
"Yes." Ueno replied slowly. He couldn't lie to the man. It wasn't in his nature to be anything but honest.
"And you hang out at school too?"
"During breaks, yes."
"Has Aki been to your home? Do you live alone?"
"Yes, and yes, sir."
"Has he met any of your family?"
"Yes. Last weekend he came by for some help with his homework, while they happened to be visiting, and he met some of them then."
"Ah." Satou-san relaxed, ever so slightly, in his seat. "Was he on his best behavior?"
Ueno started. "Yes, of course, sir. They loved him." What type of question was that? Satou-san had veered away from the most pressing question, and was moving on to some smaller, more innocent inquiries.
"I see." Satou-san sat quietly, seemingly at a loss. It took him a few seconds to formulate his words. I'm sure you're wondering why I'm asking you so many questions."
Ueno couldn't reply directly to Satou-san's statement; it would have been disrespectful to agree with him, although Ueno did think it was odd. "It's okay, sir."
"You see, I worry about my son. I won't go into finer detail, but we haven't gotten along for quite a while now. He's usually polite to us, but he's distanced himself so much, and we don't know how to fix it. Now that he's home, I want to start trying again to bridge that gap. And I also want to make sure that he's not associating with anyone who will reverse the small amount of progress his mother and I have been making with him."
"I understand." Ueno didn't understand. Sure, Satou-san was making sense, but he didn't have any idea why he felt the need to explain this to Ueno, or where the conversation was headed.
"You seem like a good kid, son. I hope I didn't offend you with all of my questioning. I just need to know that my son is spending time with people who are good for him. He hasn't always hung out with the most savory types, if you understand what I mean."
"I do."
Satou-san sighed. "So, what I was trying to ask, in a nutshell, was if you and Aki are.. what's the word you young people like to use….."
Boyfriends? Main squeezes? Partners? Fuck buddies? Ueno waited as Satou-san struggled. He sat through the man's tongue clicking, varying comical facial expressions and finger tapping. As he opened his mouth to speak, Ueno sat forward in his seat expectantly.
"Best friends forever."
Already leaning forward, Ueno almost toppled out of his chair. "B-best friends?"
"Forever." Satou-san amended. "Isn't that what all you young, fast people are calling it these days? You have sleepovers, you help each other with homework, he's met your family, and you hang out at school. You seem to worry about his welfare. I'd be happy for you two to have that type of friendship. It's refreshing to see Aki spending time with such a good kid with his head on straight like you."
Ueno sat back in his seat, his mind reeling with shock and relief.
And incredulity. The man couldn't be that clueless, could he? As he stared at Satou-san, who gazed back with a content, effervescent smile, he relaxed even further.
Apparently so.
Ueno cleared his throat. "I suppose that's what some people call it. Most guys I know don't, though. I think that's more for girls, sir."
"Oh, I see. You men are much too macho for all that nonsense, huh? Should I just refer to you two as buddies?"
"That would be just fine, sir." Ueno felt a headache of his own on the horizon if he didn't get off this particular subject fast.
"Fine with me. I didn't mean to imply that I was against your friendship; in fact, I'm very happy that you two are close and that you've been looking after him. Like I said, you're a good kid."
"Thank you."
"So he thinks we're best friends?"
Ueno chuckled. "Best friends forever. There's a difference. So anyway, that's what I was laughing about. It all of a sudden hit me how funny our conversation was." He didn't mention the second half; Aki would find out soon enough what the rest of their conversation pertained to. And Ueno was willing to bet that Aki wouldn't be happy when he found out, either.
"I wonder how he's made it as far as he has in life, being that dim." Aki remarked, closing his eyes.
"I'm just glad that he wasn't that far off the mark." Ueno muttered without thinking.
"Excuse me?" Aki asked, confused.
Ueno inwardly groaned, telling himself that needed to learn how to censor his words more. "Um.. I just meant that he was pretty much correct."
"Clarify." Aki's eyes were narrowed. "Why is he correct?"
"In good conscience, I wouldn't have wanted to mislead your dad if I could avoid it. It was easier to agree with him since-"
"Since?"
"We haven't really done anything." There. He'd said it. He hadn't mean to even bring the subject up, and Ueno wasn't implying that he was disappointed or even expecting anything in particular; it was the simple truth.
There was a brief dead silence following his statement. Ueno was cursing his thoughtless words when suddenly, Aki smiled. "I see. Then I guess it's my job to make a liar out of you."
He was always surprised at what he felt when he and Ueno came into contact. Before, he had never felt such anticipation related to the action of simply touching someone. But now, he was pressed up against Ueno, and he couldn't remember ever feeling everything so clearly; the roughness of their clothing, and the gentle pressure of the outside of Ueno's thighs resting against the inside of his calves. In the past, he hadn't had the time or the interest to focus on those sensations. Since he and Ueno were both moving so slowly, Aki had been able to discover the aspects of intimacy that were smaller, but proving to be just as important and pleasurable. Aki had never been able to luxuriate in the feeling of someone running their fingers through his hair, the warmth of someone's breath against his forehead while he fell asleep, or the urge to arch and purr while someone used their hands to rub circles in the small of his back.
Ueno had been right; they had both been on their best behavior. He appreciated what they already shared, but it was time to level up, as far as Aki was concerned. Nothing too adult, nothing too messy, but surely kissing shouldn't be a problem.
With that, he moved his arms up, supporting his weight as he lowered his body until he and Ueno were nose to nose.
The kiss was slow but rather wholesome, as far as kissing went. Aki was expecting Ueno to jump in at any point and participate, so he was startled when Ueno moved both hands to Aki's shoulders, pushing him backward.
When Aki opened his eyes, he didn't see rejection in Ueno's gaze, only determination. Determined to do what, Aki wasn't sure of, since he had broken off the kiss.
"Color."
Aki's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"Your favorite color." Ueno smiled. "What is it?"
"Blue." Aki was truly confused now. What kind of question was that, and why would Ueno ask it now, of all times?
"Nice." Ueno raised his arms, and swept his hands underneath Aki's, which the lighter haired man had been using to prop himself up, causing him to lose his balance and drop down onto Ueno's chest none too gently.
"Oof!" That might have been a bad move. Ueno gritted his teeth as Aki's forehead collided with his chin. He ignored the sharp pain; it would be gone soon enough. He threaded the fingers of one hand through Aki's hair and lifted his head so that they were again nose to nose. "Favorite movie."
Aki's forehead smarted, but he answered anyway. "I don't think I have one."
"Okay." Ueno began to move his fingers, settling into a pattern that he had grown used to that past week. When they were cuddled up together, waiting for sleep to claim them, Ueno's fingers would begin to itch if they weren't buried in the other's silky hair, and Aki seemed to melt each time he did it. The other hand slid down to begin massaging Aki's back soothingly. He urged Aki's head past the mere inch that separated their lips, and gave him a quick, soft kiss.
Aki quivered, his pain forgotten. His attention was diverted as Ueno, his lips still resting against Aki's, spoke again.
"Do you like chocolate?" As he spoke, his warm breath washed over Aki's cheeks, and Aki couldn't stop the sigh that escaped his lips.
"Not really."
"Okay." He was rewarded with another kiss, this one longer. What do you like?" Ueno began running his lips from the corner of Aki's mouth, up to his cheek.
"I prefer fruit." Aki never questioned the reason behind the barrage of truly strange inquiries. Before he could even begin to ponder, Ueno's mouth would direct his thoughts elsewhere.
Ueno's fingers tightened and he held Aki in place as he kissed him again. Aki had to wonder where Ueno had gotten the nerve when he was normally so reserved, and came to the conclusion that since he himself had broken the ice, Ueno had been able to move forward. He wasn't complaining, just surprised at Ueno's newfound bravery. A little encouragement apparently went a long way.
Ueno's mouth slid slowly from his own, down his chin, then to his neck. Aki felt Ueno's lips part, and he clenched his fingers as the slick warmth of the other man's tongue began to lave at Aki's pulse point. This time, he couldn't hold back the whimper that rose from his throat, bursting from his lips so suddenly even he wasn't expecting it.
Meanwhile, as Ueno proceeded to nuzzle Aki's exposed skin, he realized that the fear that he had associated with furthering their relationship was missing. Aki didn't appear to be protesting, so he guessed his behavior was acceptable at the very least, and wanted ideally.
Vaguely, Aki marveled at the realization that seducing was normally his job. In many cases, the other man didn't know what to expect. They were usually in a state of shock, at least at first, and it was Aki's unspoken responsibility to loosen them up. While he was always on the receiving end, he was still the leader. He incited them to action, and the rest was history.
He was the one reduced to a shivering, achy mess this time. It was yet another way that Ueno differed from everyone else. He shifted in Ueno's arms, sliding to the side, so that instead of being draped over Ueno like a blanket, he was cushioned by Ueno in the front, and the couch in the back.
Ueno rolled over onto his side, and Aki was able to slide an arm around his waist. They both then became active participants.
"Sports?"
"Swimming. You?"
"Baseball." Ueno gasped aloud as he felt a whisper of cold air on his side as his t-shirt was shoved upward, immediately followed by the warmth of smooth, soft fingers tickling his skin. "I should have guessed you were a swimmer. Favorite animal?"
"Never thought about it before." His knee prodded at Ueno, and without thinking, Ueno parted his legs, allowing Aki's leg to slide between both of his.
"Flavor?"
"I don't know."
"How can you not know your favorite flavor?"
He settled back as Ueno raised himself far enough to grab the edge of a throw blanket. With only the use of one hand, he shook it to unfold the knitted material, arranged it over both of their bodies as well as he was able to, then reached behind them to turn off the last lamp that illuminated the living area.
Aki closed his eyes. "So, do you feel like a liar now?"
"I guess so. I suppose best friends don't make out like that, do they?"
Aki snorted. "Best friends forever, you mean. Anyway, trust me, that wasn't making out. We'll do that some other day."
It was early for a Friday night, but Ueno drifted off quickly. Aki lay quietly, listening to Ueno's gentle breathing. He hadn't answered Ueno's last question. His mouth tingled and in the dark, he swept his tongue across his bottom lip, unable to identify the taste that lingered. Quiet as it was kept; he now knew that his favorite flavor didn't have a name.
