Disclaimer: I'm just a geeky fangirl that likes to play around; I own nothing.
The Long Way Home: Chapter 12
It was odd to be alone these days. Aki certainly didn't spend every second of every day with Ueno; they both had classes, Ueno had to work, and they both had family and outside lives, but as time progressed, their time together had increased exponentially.
With that being true, Aki figured Friday shouldn't have been any different. However, here he was, sitting alone, hoping that Ueno hadn't gotten hit by a car on his walk to campus, snatched up from the sidewalk and being held for ransom or immobile in an alley after being mugged for pocket money. Routines were easy to form, and made life a little crazy when broken. The lack of Ueno was possibly more acute due to the fact that they had spent the entire weekend together and most of their free moments during the following week.
Ueno was usually happy with whatever they did, but that weekend he'd experienced a bout of restlessness. He'd ended up dragging Aki out of the apartment Saturday night in search of something, anything to do. Aki hadn't argued or minded, of course. When he was content, he was sweetly agreeable.
They'd went to a theater and paid to watch a movie that Aki had found boring, and Ueno couldn't for the life of him remember the plot of. He understood why Ueno hadn't paid much attention, considering Aki had spent most of the two hour period committing cute acts of obscenity in the back of the darkened room. If Ueno hadn't been trying to dodge the nibbles on his earlobe, he'd been prying Aki's fingers from various parts of his body. Aki had been careful not to touch any risky body parts, but it didn't appear to matter where. Ueno had been affected anyway.
Aki had been content to sit there in the dark and make Ueno uncomfortable. He, of course, would never do anything to intentionally humiliate or upset Ueno, but getting a rise out of him was fun.
Since they'd crossed another line Friday night, he felt a more comfortable in being flirtatious. It had been nice to spend time with Ueno in a public setting; he hadn't noticed what a homebody he'd become until he'd left the apartment to do something fun.
The whole weekend had been an attempt on Aki's part to acclimate Ueno as much as possible without traumatizing the poor guy. He hadn't started out with that intention, but after Friday night he realized that Ueno needed reassurance. Aki wasn't experienced in the ways of proper relationships, so it was odd that he was the one attempting to provide guidance. In fact, he wondered if Ueno ever considered that Aki might need support as well. Ueno didn't realize that having lots of sex didn't mean that Aki had been in lots of relationships- healthy ones, rather. The ritual had repeated itself numerous times over the weekend; they spent all of their time together, but Aki was never sure when Ueno would take another chance and the uncertainty irked him.
Ueno was either truly shy or scared. Aki questioned how Ueno could behave so bashfully most of the time, and then experience brief spurts of friskiness, like he had Friday night. Aki had been trying to let him know without words that it was acceptable to treat Aki with affection since then.
Aki hadn't realized how much he had been missing. He hadn't had very much experience in how to nurture a healthy relationship before moving in with his master, and Aki was just now coming to the conclusion that that was what he wanted with Ueno. No weirdness, no pain, and no uncertainties. Not only that, he wanted to feel the ease of both of them knowing that what they were doing was normal, without fear or embarrassment.
Regardless of how he was driving Aki crazy with his unspoken don't touch policy, Aki still found him refreshing. Unexpectedly, the novelty hadn't worn off yet, and showed no sign of abating any time soon. Ueno had been adamant about Aki giving him a chance, and he hadn't realized how glad he'd be that he did.
That brought Aki right back to the situation over the weekend. Where was that attitude now? Another week had passed, and Aki was alone on his break between classes. Normally Ueno would be here with him, and they would spend their half hour together before they separated for the remainder of the day.
Aki's half hour was almost over. Ueno was very prompt, and wasn't the type to skip out on class or anything else, for that matter. He'd gotten a little studying done, but he felt Ueno's absence strongly, and it was throwing his inner clock off kilter. He'd sent Ueno a message to make sure nothing was wrong, but hadn't received a response, which was also odd because Ueno was reliable in most aspects.
Aki was discovering that he had, in fact, missed his calling. Sex slave: no. Mother hen: absolutely. He picked up his books and left, heading for his last class of the day, and spent the next hour suffering from complete boredom.
He felt a little drained as he left the classroom, preparing for his walk home. He had hoped he and Ueno could have ran off somewhere far from everyone else; no doubt, his father was lurking around the hotel, waiting to pounce on him with some sort of surprise birthday gift, a cake, or something stupid. Hiding seemed like a worthwhile plan.
Aki stopped in his tracks as he heard the gentle chime of his cell phone. He held it up and scowled. He stared at the display, almost shoving the phone back into his pocket, but in the end decided it would be better to answer. If he didn't, his father would continue to call.
"Hi, dad."
"Hi, son. Where are you?"
"I'm still on campus."
"For how long? Ueno said you should be done about now."
"I'm leaving now. You've talked to him today?" Aki frowned. He'd skipped their break, and since they didn't have any classes together and he hadn't answered Aki's message, he wasn't even sure if Ueno had come to school at all. "Is he okay?"
"Of course. Don't worry about that. Just hurry up and meet me at the university entrance."
Aki had learned to be suspicious of his father when he wouldn't directly answer questions, much like most people, and he frowned at his phone. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Will you stop being so difficult and just get yourself over here?" His father sounded as cheerful as ever, but there was an underlying current that carried a bit of a warning in his voice.
Aki mumbled a reluctant affirmative before hanging up. He didn't say goodbye; he simply snapped the flip closed and stuffed the phone into his pocket.
He took his time walking towards the school's entrance. His father could wait. Aki didn't have any other plans, but he wasn't in any hurry to get in the car with the man. He should have known better than to expect to get through his birthday unscathed.
Despite his slow pace, it wasn't a long walk across campus, and as he walked through the gates, he saw his father's black car, engine running, parked at the curb a few car lengths away.
Aki approached the vehicle slowly. As he made it to the passenger side, he heard the doors unlock, and through the tinted windows, he could barely make out his father in the driver's seat. He couldn't determine his facial expression, but he could tell that his father was twitching with what was most likely impatience.
As Aki opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, his father turned to him while putting the car into drive. "Hey there, son. We're on a schedule, and you're wasting precious time, slowpoke."
"I wasn't aware that I'd be following any sort of schedule today."
"Did you really think you were going to hide from me today? You should know better than that" Satou-san scoffed. "I don't care how much you want to be left alone; it's only one day a year."
His father was right, so Aki nodded his assent, and they rode along in silence. He didn't ask where they were going, or what his father had planned. If he had wanted to provide Aki with that information, he would have done so. He knew better than to question his father when he was in a playful mood such as his current one, so he kept his mouth shut and watched the passing scenery.
The ride was short. As his father turned down an unfamiliar side street, Aki perked up, looking for a business or location he recognized. All that surrounded him were small shops, and he noticed that the area was a little seedier than most.
In addition, his parents were sort of the uppity type, so he didn't see either of them frequenting these types of establishments either. Apparently, he'd guessed wrong, and he lifted a brow as his father pulled into a vacant spot along the curb.
"Well, see you in few." Satou-san set the parking brake and turned to Aki with a smile.
Aki stared at his father in confusion. "See me? You're dropping me off?
"Correct, but not for long." Satou-san pressed a button on the side console, and Aki heard the click of his door unlocking. Before he could inquire further, he was distracted by a figure blocking the light that had shone through his window just a moment before.
Aki let out a squeak of alarm and shrank towards his father as his door was opened from the outside. He was even more alarmed when the figure poked its dark-haired head inside. Then recognition took place, and he sat back in his seat, although his heart was still pounding rapidly. "Ueno."
"Hey. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Ueno grinned, then stepped back as Aki slowly composed himself and climbed out of the vehicle. "Come on. Your dad's going to wait here."
"What's going on?" Aki stood at the curb, looking at his surroundings in bewilderment while Ueno shut the car door. "Where are we going? And where were you today? Why didn't you ans-"
"No questions." Ueno threw an arm around Aki's shoulders and led him onto the sidewalk. Aki obediently allowed himself to be guided, but felt a little unease as Ueno turned to wave to his father. Had they planned something together?
"Okay. We're off." Ueno's arm dropped from his shoulders, and he began to walk down the sidewalk. Aki matched his pace, deep in thought. Pausing to allow someone to pass in the opposite direction, Aki found himself a few paces behind, but he didn't pay it any mind. He was trying to figure something out.
If Ueno was talking to his father about him, then it was likely that he knew the significance of today, but he hadn't mentioned anything to Aki. Besides, Aki himself hadn't spoken about it because he honestly didn't put much stock in birthdays. Even though he didn't really feel like acknowledging today, it was always a little thrilling when someone ignored his wishes and did something nice anyway. Emphasis on the word nice. It was rare when a birthday surprise brought him pleasure.
Aki didn't feel like being treated to another piece of disgusting chocolate cake, customary gifts of socks and undershirts, clothes he would never dream of wearing, or CDs of groups he'd never heard of. He didn't have any use for money, nor a desire to be surrounded by people he really didn't care about, and who didn't care for him either.
More than that, he disliked having to put on the happy face that good manners dictate he did when he opened his gifts. If he didn't, the hopeful expression on his mother's face would fade into disappointment, his father's blabbering would become awkward, and he would appear ungrateful. He knew he was a spoilsport, but he couldn't help it.
If he was lucky, he got to spend a quiet few hours with his immediate family. He didn't mean to be antisocial, but he was relishing that fact that he could isolate himself in his apartment and only deal with people if he felt like it. At this point, not only was his chance at having a peaceful night shot, but now that he was legal, the chance of spending a loud, boisterous night and morning Satou-style would increase. How he could be so different from his parents and the majority of his extended family baffled him.
He hoped that perhaps Ueno simply wanted to hang out, but that was obviously untrue. If it had been the case, his father wouldn't have been involved. In addition, he and Ueno were obviously on their way to do something specific, as his father was going to sit in the car and wait on them. Was that why Ueno had been asking all of those useless, seemingly innocent questions last weekend?
He was brought back to reality with a jolt as Ueno suddenly stopped, and Aki crashed into him from behind.
"We're here." Before Aki had the chance to identify exactly what here was, Ueno darted behind him, braced his hands on Aki's shoulders to turn him, and was pushing him past the open doors.
Here was a dimly lit, extremely fragrant expanse of clothing and other paraphernalia. As soon as they entered, Aki was abandoned, but he was too busy checking out his surroundings to worry. As Ueno disappeared, Aki amused himself by slowly wandering through wide aisles and shelving full of clothing, decorations, shoes, dyes, music, jewelry, and magazines.
What were they doing here? Aki didn't care for the headache-inducing music or the pungent smell created by incense. Was this an alternative lifestyle that he hadn't realized his adorable, seemingly sedate and straight-laced Ueno subscribed to?
Aki looked up as he was approached by a girl of above average height, thanks to some high platform boots. He gathered that she was an employee, as she was wearing a name tag. Her clothing choice was all black and plain; modest for working in such an establishment, but her hair, makeup and shoes were another story. Aki quickly lost count of her piercings.
She smiled. "Are you with him?" the girl pointed toward the far left corner of the shop, and Aki regained sight of Ueno, who was examining something on the lower shelving.
Aki nodded.
"Let's go, then." The girl took his hand and mystified, Aki allowed himself to be led to where Ueno knelt. "Made a choice, cutie?"
"I think so." Ueno answered her hesitantly. "Hey, Aki. Come here."
Aki squatted next to him. "Yes?"
"Which of these two do you like best?" He held out both of his hands, and Aki noticed that in each, he held a pair of earrings. In his left, he held a very simple pair of studs with a black stone in each. What type of stone it was, Aki couldn't identify, but they were nice anyway. In his right, Ueno had a another pair of square cut studs with what looked to be some sort of blue stone resembling sapphire, although they were a bit milkier in color. They were both very simple in design, and Aki gave the question some thought before responding.
"Well," Aki said slowly, "it really does depend on whose going to be wearing them, but I like them both about the same. I like the color of the blue ones more, but the black would match anything, so you could wear them more often."
Ueno stared at Aki a moment before smiling. "You just have to make my decision more difficult, don't you?" He stood up, Aki following suit.
Ueno turned to the girl, holding up the black pair. "I'll take both, but I want to use these."
"Those will be fine." The pink haired girl nodded and regained her hold on Aki's hand. "Both of you come with me."
She proceeded to tug Aki towards a curtained-off area, where she gently urged him into a padded swivel chair. Ueno followed, and after he entered, the girl shut the curtain around them with a short snap of her wrist.
Aki had been slow in grasping the situation, but the realization hit him hard. "Wait. This is for me?"
Ueno reclined against a wall, legs crossed. "Yup. Unless you don't want to anymore."
"Anymore?" Aki ran his fingers over the padded armrest, staring up at Ueno with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah. You told me last week that you wanted to get your ears pierced."
"I did?" Aki shut his eyes, wondering when he had ever leaked that information to Ueno. Oh, yeah. "I did."
Ueno looked nervous. "You did. I wanted to give you something I knew you'd wanted."
"Oh." Despite himself, Aki experienced a twinge of elation. He could have went to any jewelry store and done this himself if the urge had been in the forefront of his mind, but since being denied that option, he hadn't given it any further thought. He was amazed that Ueno had paid attention to that tiny detail in such a stressful conversation. He remembered mentioning wistfully that he'd wanted to pierce his ears, but hadn't been allowed to.
Aki digested the enormity of what most would consider a small gesture, while Ueno grew more and more uncomfortable with the continued silence.
"I'm sorry. I thought you'd like it, but if you don't, I'll get you something else."
If only they didn't have company. Aki's attention was temporarily diverted as he watched the pink-haired girl putter around in the small area, preparing her utensils. "I just didn't expect you to remember.
"There's nothing else you'd rather have?"
Aki was still having trouble finding the right words, so he didn't try and express himself; he'd do that later. At length, hopefully. For the time being, he simply shook his head. "No. Thank you."
Aki sat quietly through the entire process. It hadn't hurt, and before long, he and Ueno were leaving the shop, a bag containing two jewelry boxes and cleaning solution dangling from his fingers.
If his father was still in the same spot, they would have to walk a couple of blocks before he would be visible. Although Aki didn't care what his father thought, Ueno was another story. He didn't want to make Ueno uncomfortable, so as soon as they exited the shop, Aki slid his arms around Ueno's midsection, silently thanking him.
Ueno hugged him back with one arm, gently tugging at one of Aki's earlobes with the other. "Happy?"
"Very. Thank you so much."
Ueno quickly walked him back to the car, opening the door and allowing Aki to fold himself into the seat. He took a step back, preparing to close it, when Aki, after fastening his seatbelt, looked up at him.
"You're not coming with us?"
Ueno grinned, shaking his dark head. "Nope.
Aki's high disappeared, and he felt as if he'd been doused with a bucket of cold water. "Why not?"
"Relax, Aki." His father interjected, chuckling aloud. "You'll be reunited with your best friend soon enough." He tapped one of his son's earlobes. "Aww, how cute. They suit you."
Distracted, Aki glared at him. "Cute?"
Ueno chose that moment to shut the door, and as Aki opened his mouth in protest, he took off at a jog.
He frowned and turned back to his father. "Where are you taking me?"
"My goodness, boy! You're not being kidnapped or executed. Your mother and I are simply taking you out for an early dinner. Then I'll bring you back home." His father began to laugh. "Not attached much, I see."
Aki didn't answer. His father wasn't far off the mark. But he could handle a couple of hours with his folks. Besides, he was a little hungry, since Ueno hadn't forced him to eat this afternoon. He felt his spirits lifting a bit as they made the short drive to the house to pick up his mother, and then to a small, expensive restaurant for dinner. He even managed a few genuine smiles and light conversation about school during their time together, which pleased his mother to no end.
Aki's mother was fascinated with his studies, but then again, his mother was fascinated with any information he was willing to give her. She wanted more details about his new best friend too, which Aki gave cautiously.
The dinner passed quickly, and Aki found himself bundled into the backseat of the vehicle and rushed back to his apartment in record time. In the back of his mind, he wondered why his father hadn't dropped his mother off first, but he wasn't bothered by it. He was in such a pleasant frame of mind that he doubted anything could spoil his good mood. Every now and then he raised a hand to lightly touch one of the studs that rested in his ear, as if to remind himself that he really had them.
His father pulled up in the valet driveway, and all three of them climbed out of the car. His father handed over his keys, and then turned to Aki.
"I need to handle some paperwork in my office before I leave. Your mother is going to hang out with me until I finish." He tousled his son's hair, and for once, Aki stood still and allowed it, along with a kiss on the cheek from his mother. "You'd better go up to your room, son. Ueno's probably antsy."
Aki was understandably suspicious, but immediately distracted at the mention of his best friend. "Ueno's upstairs?" He had no idea where Ueno had run off to so quickly, and it was likely that at some point, they would have seen each other that evening, but he was surprised to learn that Ueno was actually waiting for him to return.
"He should be. Your mother and I also left a few things in your apartment for you. Go on." His father gave Aki a gentle push in the direction of the elevators.
Aki always moved slowly, almost lazily, but this time he rushed to the elevator, pressed the button for his floor, and tapped a foot as he waited for the doors to open. As the elevator made its way upward, he wondered what his father had meant by Ueno being antsy, and what things his parents had left.
Aki adjusted his books against his hip and hurriedly exited the elevator, striding rapidly to his door. Unlocking and shoving it open, he was almost afraid to enter. However, when he focused and spied his boyfriend reclined on the couch, he immediately relaxed.
He took a quick look around the living area. He noticed a few floral bouquets that hadn't been there when he left that morning, along with two beautifully wrapped gifts on his coffee table.
"Your dad left those here." Ueno stood up, stretching his limbs. "You'd better get change."
"Changed for what?" Aki approached the coffee table and shook one of the boxes, then dropped it back into its original spot.
"You're not going to open it?" Ueno cocked his head to the side, amused.
"No. The socks and underwear can wait. Why am I changing?" Aki made to sit on the couch, but Ueno gently grasped his arm, preventing him from moving.
"It's a surprise." Ueno smiled. "Go to your room and change."
"Okay." Aki was growing wary. He did notice that Ueno had changed; he was wearing a pair of low slung, slightly baggy jeans, and a tight, long sleeved black t-shirt, layered under a fitted short sleeved white one. He looked very clean cut. His tousled, spiked hair looked like it still may have been damp from a shower. He'd follow Ueno's cue on how to dress, since he obviously knew what was going on and would dress appropriately. He took one final look at Ueno, who gestured toward his bedroom door.
He had been nervous but of what, he wasn't sure. But nothing appeared to be out of place, save for a new glass vase of flowers sitting on his dresser. Tied to the vase was a bunch of helium filled balloons. Ueno's overnight bag sat in one corner. Nothing else was amiss. Everything was as he had left it that morning.
The medium-sized aquarium on the long table next to the bed hummed quietly, the myriad of colored fish darting prettily from one end of the tank to the other. There was something so therapeutic about watching them interact, and Aki found himself smiling at the sight, before his eyes widened and his books dropped from his nerveless fingers to the floor.
He dropped heavily onto his knees and scooted up to the bedside table. He touched his nose very lightly to the glass, eyes following their activity.
He had fish. He had pretty fish. He had an aquarium, with a mixture of blue and white rocks and pebbles, dark blue rock formations, and snazzy blue and red neon light beams bouncing off the glass walls.
Aki wondered what it was about fish that made him lose control of his dignity and begin to gape like a fool. He did it every time he was at an aquarium, or saw fish on television. These pretty, wonderful things had most definitely not been here when he'd left for class that morning.
"Do you like them?"
Aki tore his gaze away from his new babies towards the door; Ueno stood in the doorway, fingers clasped. That same look of apprehension that he'd worn earlier that afternoon was back, and Aki couldn't for the life of him understand why it was there. How could Ueno think that Aki wouldn't like his gifts? Aki wasn't the jump up and down while squealing type, and maybe that was the kind of foolproof affirmation that Ueno was looking for.
Ueno approached him, kneeling next to Aki on the plush carpeting. "I left my classes early to set it up." He pulled open one of the drawers of the table, pointing inside. "Their food and supplies are in here."
Aki nodded.
"I thought a lot about what to get you after your dad told me your birthday was coming, but we still don't know a lot about each other. I just kept thinking about that conversation last week, when you were telling me about what your life was like before you moved here."
Aki shifted to a cross-legged position, watching as Ueno shut the drawer and clasped his hands again, waiting for him to finish speaking.
"I'd decided that instead of trying to ask you a bunch of questions and make things obvious-like I did that night- that it would be better to get you something that you'd already mentioned you wanted but couldn't have. That's why I took you to get your ears done, and got you these. Don't worry. I knew you couldn't have anything with fur in the apartment, so I asked your dad if fish were okay before I got them."
Aki took a deep breath, feeling his cheeks increase in temperature. Ueno was too good to be true sometimes. It seemed trivial to worry about things like their progression of intimacy when he received such thoughtful gifts that indicated that Ueno was definitely all in.
"I know you said you'd wanted a pet, and I figured by pet you meant something you could play with, but this is the best I could do. You don't have to do too much to care for them. I didn't get you too many, since you might want to pick out some to add to it later. You can't cuddle them or anything, of course, but I thought you'd have fun watching them. That frog back there is pretty fun to watch, too."
"Frog?" Aki turned back to the tank, searching frantically. "There's a frog in here?"
Ueno nodded. "Yeah, it's an aquatic frog though, so it can only live underwater. It's in the back. See?"
Aki couldn't hold back the uncensored "Oooh." that burst from his lips. He had pretty fish and a frog. Aki felt what he recognized as giddiness begin to take over. This would be one of those nice gifts that he'd been thinking of earlier.
"So while I sat there during break today worrying about you, this is what you were doing?"
"Yeah. I'm not a good liar and I didn't want to ruin the surprise, so I didn't answer you. I figured I'd see you soon enough and you'd understand. And I finally used the key you gave me. Aren't you proud of me?"
Aki nodded. "I'm very proud. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now we really do have to get you ready to go. I'll wait in the living room." Ueno hopped to his feet before reaching down to help Aki stand.
Aki almost scowled. It wasn't as if he was ungrateful, but after all of this, he was ready to stay in, thank Ueno properly, and watch his fish. That cozy image called to him, but he reluctantly grabbed a change of clothes.
Aki had no sooner than re-entered the living room when Ueno approached him, a scrap of cloth hanging from between his fingers. "You ready?"
"Yes. Can you tell me where we're going now?"
"I cannot." Ueno stepped behind him, and raised the cloth. Aki, knowing the blindfold drill quite well, closed his eyes and allowed Ueno to take over.
Ueno directed his steps, one hand on his back. Without any major mishaps, they made it out the door, to the elevator, and down to the first floor. Aki was familiar with this routine, of course, but following their exit from the elevator, he grew confused quickly.
All too quickly, Ueno whispered for him to stop and wait. He obeyed, but grew even more perplexed. He hadn't heard any doors opening or closing, so they hadn't left the building yet.
"Okay." Ueno's voice came from behind. "Before we go any further, I've got something to say. I wanted to make sure you got something that really made you happy, Aki."
"You did." Aki smiled. "I'm very happy."
"Good. I want you to remember that, because in a few minutes, you're going to feel like killing me."
"I can't see that happening." Aki was understandably skeptical of that prediction.
"Believe me, you will." Ueno turned Aki to face him, cupping his fair-skinned cheeks in his hands. He leaned in, kissing Aki gently, but quickly enough that he didn't have time to react. "Soon."
"What are you talking about?"
Ueno urged him to turn back around, and Aki felt him loosening the silk wrapped around his forehead. He blinked, attempting to focus as it was removed, not understanding why Ueno would blindfold him just to walk him downstairs.
He found himself facing a set of double doors. Ueno reached out, grasping and pulling at one of the handles.
As the door opened, Aki heard hushed voices become more audible before all fell abruptly silent. A split second afterward, he understood what Ueno was talking about, as well as what he and his father were planning together. Immediately after that realization, a booming, collective, "Surprise!" echoed throughout the small room.
"I was talking about this." Ueno's voice was quiet and apologetic.
"I see." Aki said, slightly dazed. He turned to Ueno, ignoring the hollering and cheering of his tribe. "Buttering me up so that I'd think twice about killing you. You're a smart boy.
