It was raining in a certain city…
A raven-haired man with green eyes, wearing a green jersey and a backpack had just gotten off the bus when he bumps into a familiar face.
"L'Arc?" He asks as he sees a redhead with red eyes, wearing a black jacket with red highlights, and a white shirt with a transparent umbrella.
"Kiddo? Is that you?" L'Arc asks back.
"It is you!" they both shout before hugging.
"Kiddo! I haven't seen you since high school!" L'Arc smiles, "How are you?"
He smiles at his old rival and friend, "I'm fine…" his eyes narrow, "And I thought I told you not to call me that Boy."
L'Arc sheepishly smiles, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry, Naofumi…" He asks hesitantly, "But…I heard the rumors…you went to juvie?"
Biting his lip, Naofumi tugs on L'Arc's shirt, muttering, "L'Arc…not here." They're still in public.
Nodding, L'Arc asks, "Do you have a place to stay then?"
Shaking his head, Naofumi explains, "I just moved to this city…so no."
"My place then…" he grasps Naofumi's hand in his own, making sure he won't get lost, "We can talk once we're out of this rain. You're soaking wet."
Slightly blushing, Naofumi nods. L'Arc held his umbrella over them both, shielding themselves from the rain as they walked to L'Arc's apartment, which was nearby.
It was an average apartment with the basic necessities, in a normal apartment complex on the second floor.
After taking off their shoes, L'Arc got towels from the bathroom. They dried themselves off first, Naofumi changing his clothes in the bathroom.
Coming out, Naofumi apparently had multiple sets of the same green jersey in his backpack, which made L'Arc sweat-drop before shaking his head.
"Naofumi…are you really OK?"
That question hit a sore spot as Naofumi smiles, "You hungry? I'm hungry. I'll make dinner! I'm in the mood for chakuze!" before he retreats into the kitchen.
L'Arc stares after him, 'What the heck happened to you?' but decides that he'll get the truth after dinner.
Naofumi made chakuze as promised. It warmed up their bodies and tasted delicious.
After doing the dishes, L'Arc sat Naofumi down on the couch, not intending to let him get away.
"Tell me what happened? Please?" he asks.
Sighing, "Alright…" Naofumi clenches his fist as he starts spilling everything.
"It all started the moment I met Malty Melromarc. I was sixteen. She seemed nice, but," he starts before growling, "That bitch accused me of assault and rape. I didn't do it either! Her friends probably planted evidence against me, framing me for some reason…"
Putting a hand to his forehead, taking a deep breath, Naofumi continues, "Turns out, her father was the judge of the trial… He believed her every word… and no one believed mine. Not even my own parents…" He chuckles, a sad smile on his face, "The rich and powerful… It wouldn't surprise me if they bought the entire jury and prosecutor…" he sighs, "I never stood a chance."
L'Arc's hand found its way to Naofumi's trembling one, squeezing it tight.
"After the trash judge made my punishment juvie, my parents disowned me… I never even got to say goodbye to my little brother," tears start flowing down his face.
"It's been four long years…" Naofumi cries, "And since no one would hire me in that city, I moved here. I…don't know where to go anymore."
Suddenly, strong arms are wrapped around him in a hug, L'Arc petting his head, ruffling his hair. "Then stay with me…" he whispers, "I'll take care of you, and support you from now on."
Naofumi blinks his tears away, "But-" before his lips meet L'Arc's. Eyes widening in shock before giving in to the kiss, seeking comfort as L'Arc held him.
After parting, L'Arc softly smiles as his fingers wipe away the tears, "You stopped crying…"
They stare into each other's eyes before L'Arc gets a handkerchief, dabbing the stray tears away.
"Why don't you stay here? I can afford it, and you can cook for me," L'Arc suggests.
"I…" Naofumi slightly blushes.
"You can be my house husband!" he smiles, but that only gets him a pillow to the face.
"Shut up!" Naofumi yells, his face flushed red.
L'Arc smirks as he puts the pillow down, "Think about it OK~?"
Despite the teasing, Naofumi does feel comforted by L'Arc, and maybe a bit in love with him…so he hugs a pillow, muttering, "…Fine… I'll stay here with you, and be your house husband."
Blinking, L'Arc shouts over the pouring rain outside, "Really?"
"…yes, you idiot," he mutters shyly, which gets L'Arc to smile happily…like the dog that finally caught the cat.
Seeing Naofumi yawn, L'Arc puts him to bed, "We'll talk more tomorrow," as he puts the blanket over him, Naofumi instantly asleep after a long day, and a good cry.
Watching Kiddo sleep for a bit, L'Arc got up to get his laptop. He begins planning to take down everyone involved with framing his crush turned house husband.
Due to his many connections, L'Arc gets a hold of loads and loads of incriminating videos, old messages from hacking, and other things Malty and her group have done that haven't been the best.
Pausing for a moment, he wonders if he should restart the cycle, but then he hears Naofumi crying in his sleep. With that incentive, he presses "POST" on a throwaway twitter account before going to comfort his old friend, now house husband.
L'Arc holds him in his arms, rubbing circles into his back, and running his fingers through his hair to soothe Naofumi, who calms down, and snuggles.
The fire he started can wait until tomorrow.
The next morning, L'Arc woke up and saw Naofumi sleeping on his chest. Softly smiling, he gently moves Naofumi onto the bed before getting up.
After doing his morning routine, he checks his twitter. To his surprise, the post got more re-tweets and likes than he expected. He also didn't expect the news, media, and police to open an investigation of what he posted.
Sweat-dropping, L'Arc's glad he posted it on a throwaway account. However, since it's in the news now, he knows that he can't keep this from Naofumi for long.
Then, he hears footsteps. Turning, he sees Naofumi yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Morning…"
"Morning," L'Arc smiles as he closes his laptop.
Checking the refrigerator, Naofumi only sees the bare minimum of ingredients…but makes due. He makes breakfast for them.
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened in juvie?" L'Arc asks.
"Mmmm~ Maybe someday," is Naofumi's response before complaining, "But if I'm going to be your house husband, you should show me to the supermarket. The fridge is practically empty!"
Laughing, "Of course," L'Arc nods, "But after work."
"What is your work exactly?" Naofumi tilts his head.
L'Arc smirks, putting on his black cap, which Naofumi thinks makes him look ridiculous, "I'm a driver."
"What? Isn't your family rich?"
"Yes…" he sighs, "But I don't want to take over the company nor be a CEO. The paperwork alone would kill me… So, I moved here without them knowing."
'So he ran away…' Naofumi sighs, "Did you at least bring cash with you?"
"Of course," L'Arc scoffs, "It's at least 500,000 yen."
Naofumi's shocked at that kind of money, "Then why are you working again?"
"Because…I need to lay low in case my family comes looking for me…and because it gives me something to do," L'Arc answers before giving Naofumi a quick kiss on the cheek, "Besides, they've probably already got a replacement that's more suitable to the job than me."
"…You just wanted to avoid marriage meetings, didn't you?" he deadpans.
He sheepishly laughs, "Well...that too. I'll see you later, OK?"
"OK," Naofumi shyly smiles as L'Arc goes out the door, gets into a black car with red stripes, and drives off.
Meanwhile, in a certain company, a bluenette curses, "Once I find L'Arc... I'm gonna give a piece of my mind! How dare he run off like that! He left me with all the paperwork!"
It seems she's already being driven insane by paperwork...
Meanwhile, at the police department...
It's chaos. The chief is furiously working on PR, leaving Inspector Van Reichnott in charge of investigating this case.
This man who wore a dark blue suit, and black glasses, just nods, "Can you track down the IP address of that account?"
"On it!" Officer Éclair Seaetto, dressed in a business suit, answers, her strawberry hair fluttering as she walks.
"And get people to investigate the credibility of those videos. We need to make sure if it's real or not."
"Yes, sir!"
"Good!" Van sighs, already feeling a headache coming on. He goes out for a bit of fresh air.
Then, he decided to get some food, so he orders a ride from an app. A black car with red stripes comes to his location.
After entering the car, Van asks, "Can you go to that good fried chicken restaurant?"
"Sure," the driver wearing a cap nods before driving off.
On the way, the silence was unbearable…so Van made small talk.
"Did you hear about those videos in the news?"
"Yeah…" the driver sighs, "It's awful, what they did…"
"We still don't know if it's legitimate or not…" Van frowns.
"Well…I imagine the police investigating are doing everything they can to get the truth," the driver stops the car, "We're here."
"Oh," Van smiles before getting out, "Thank you. And don't worry…" he shows off his badge a bit, seeing the driver's red hair and eyes, "I'm sure the police will get to the truth in due time," before leaving.
The driver was stunned for a bit before driving off, sighing, 'Damn…that was close.'
After a few more clients, he went home…only to find the TV on, showing the news channel, and a suitcase on the table. Naofumi himself was sitting on the couch, thinking about something.
"Honey, I'm home," he announces as he drapes his arms around Naofumi's shoulders and leaning in close, causing him to flinch in surprise, "What're you thinking about?"
Naofumi could hear his breathe on his ear, making him blush before sighing, "The news…what they did… I hope they get arrested for what they did…"
L'Arc rubs his head, "I know…" before he lets go and turns the TV off, turning his attention to the suitcase with two number locks.
"I found your suitcase under the bed… was that the only hiding spot you had? I mean, really?" Naofumi asks, raising an eyebrow.
Sheepishly laughing, L'Arc answers, "Well…at least I locked it?"
"You did…but I already figured it out," Naofumi claims, "Your birthday and…mine." He slightly turns his head away, "Why did you put my birthday as the lock combination?"
"Because…I care about you enough to remember your birthday even when you don't. I was hoping to celebrate it with you someday, actually," L'Arc rubs the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly.
Flustered to his ears and feeling his heart flutter, Naofumi turns away from him, "Is-is that so?"
"Yeah."
After locking the suitcase back up and hiding it under the couch, Naofumi huffs, "Well, aren't we going to the supermarket? You promised to show me where it is."
L'Arc smiles, "Hai hai."
They went to the supermarket with L'Arc leading the way before coming back with groceries.
Then, Naofumi shooed L'Arc out of the kitchen so he can cook in peace before serving dinner, which was delicious as always.
After dinner and getting ready for bed, L'Arc suddenly pinned Naofumi onto the bed, taking a kiss from his lips.
"L'Arc?" Naofumi blushes, staring at the redhead looming above him, now trapped underneath him.
"I like you, Nao," he confesses.
"I know…"
"No...you don't," he nuzzles his neck, "I've liked you since high school. When I heard you were accused and sent to juvie, I waited for you."
Naofumi blinks, surprised by what he just said, "You...waited for me for that long? Why?"
"I don't know…" L'Arc sadly smiles while shrugging, "I just know that I would do it again if I had to."
"L'Arc…" he stares at him, amazed.
"I like you…no, I love you."
"I…"
L'Arc puts a finger to his lips, shushing him, "You don't have to say it back right now... But I hope you can give me a chance."
"...Of course, I will. I am your house husband after all…" Naofumi scoffs.
"Then…" L'Arc smirks as he grinds his knee in-between his legs, getting a gasp out of Naofumi, leaving him a bit breathless, "Can I?"
"Mm…" he nods, grinding down his hips to get more friction.
L'Arc hears Naofumi stifle his moans, "Speak up. I want to hear you," but Naofumi shakes his head, whimpering. He smiles, "It's OK. The walls are soundproof...so we can as loud as we want."
"Mm...ah!" Naofumi lets out a moan as he feels L'Arc grind harder.
L'Arc kisses his neck, praising him, "That's it...good boy," before having his way with him.
Meanwhile…
Van walked into the police station with a box full of fried chicken.
"Thanks, Van!"
"You're welcome…now," Van got serious, "What's your progress?"
"All of the videos are legit. No tampering was found on them."
"And we suspect that the account used to post those videos is a throwaway account… We don't even know if the IP address is usable."
He waves it off, "That's fine… Good work."
As he was thinking, he spots a missing person poster on the wall. The person on it with red hair and eyes looked familiar…
"That is…?"
"L'Arc Berg. sir. His family is rich, but he just disappeared one day. He's been missing since a few months ago," Éclair answers.
"Hm…" Van tapped a finger to his chin.
"You think he has any connection to the case?"
"Probably…" Van says.
"Sir, according to his file… L'Arc was friends with a Naofumi Iwatani. He was accused by Malty Melromarc, and just got out of juvie a few days ago."
Van smiles, "Can you get me both their files? And contact the XX app driving company. I need all of the contact information on their drivers in the city."
"Uh…yes, sir!"
After getting both of their files, Van reads them over. 'Iwatani-san doesn't seem like the kind of person who would commit assault and rape… He was obviously framed. And Berg-san seems like the kind of guy to help a friend out… Looking at him now… I'm sure he was my driver today.'
When he gets the information on those drivers, Van smirks. He picks out the driver he recognized, "That's L'Arc Berg. He's probably in this city somewhere…if we find him, we may get answers."
"I'll get the car ready."
"Tomorrow… He's probably asleep by now, and we also need to be well-rested," Van shakes his head.
"Yes, sir! Tomorrow then!"
The next morning…
In the car, Van told the Eclair, "We don't want to scare them off...so let me do the talking."
"Scare them off?"
"I have the suspicion that Berg-san's hiding Iwatani-san," he explains.
"What? Why would he?"
"Because he's a good friend of his. One that got falsely accused of assault and rape. Of course, he'd shelter Iwatani-san after that mess, and especially now," he says before the car stopped at their destination.
Meanwhile…
Naofumi yawned, waking up to L'Arc still sleeping beside him. Smiling and quietly giggling a bit, he slowly and quietly got up. His thighs felt sore, but he'll live.
When he went to the bathroom to clean up a bit, Naofumi saw the hickey on his neck in the mirror. L'Arc had claimed him as his lover last night. Blushing slightly, he went back into bed to snuggle. Then, he feels arms wrap around him.
"Mm…you're awake?" Naofumi hums as he sees L'Arc awake, his bed head obvious.
"Yeah…I heard you in the bathroom, but I wanted to sleep a bit more," L'Arc smiles as his hands wander from Naofumi's hips to his ass.
Remembering what they did last night, Naofumi blushes, "Want me to make breakfast?"
"Sure Nao…" L'Arc nuzzles him briefly before kissing his lips.
Laughing, Naofumi got up and went to the kitchen while L'Arc got himself ready for the day.
Just when Naofumi served a full breakfast, they heard a knock on the door. He nervously looks at L'Arc since the last time he heard someone knock on the door, his life was ruined.
L'Arc smiles in assurance, "I'll get it," before quickly walking to the door.
Putting his black cap on, he opens the door…only to find the one person he didn't want to meet again.
"Hi~," Van smiles.
L'Arc grits his teeth in a strained smile, "What's going on, officers?" he says that last word loudly.
The moment Naofumi heard the word "officers" he just knew there was trouble. So he ran quietly to the bedroom, which smelled faintly of sex, and locked himself in the closet.
He knew it was foolish to hide like this but...due to past experiences, he just instinctively hid.
"Sir, may we come in, and ask you some questions?" Van politely asks.
Eyebrow twitching, L'Arc could only play along, "Go ahead. I've got nothing to hide."
The officers came into the apartment, seeing the table of food. L'Arc explains, "I was just about to have breakfast."
"Do you live alone? There's enough for two people here," Van inquires.
"I have a big appetite," L'Arc quickly answers, "Now, what do you want to know?"
Van gives Eclair a glance before she asks, "Can I use your bathroom? I had too much coffee this morning."
"Oh... it's up your ass and to the left," L'Arc smiles. He had always wanted to say that joke.
"Thanks…" Éclair mutters before she goes searching.
Naofumi heard footsteps, and curled in on himself, making himself as small as possible in that dark closet, making sure not to make a sound. When the door was opened, light poured in. As he blinked his eyes to adjust to the sudden light, the officer easily spotted him and dragged him out as he struggled uselessly.
"Would you mind if we look around?" Van asks.
"Do you have a search warrant?" L'Arc crossed his arms, frowning.
"No...but it's on its way."
"Then yeah. I do mind," he glares.
"My apologies…" Van smiles, "but have you heard? Malty Melromarc and her group were arrested yesterday."
L'Arc blinks in surprise, "Really?"
"Yes," he answers, "They were arrested for falsifying evidence in court, lying in court, obstruction of justice, and corruption charges."
"That's... Good. That's really good." L'Arc then thought, 'Naofumi will finally be free, and get the justice he deserves.'
"They'll most likely get life prison sentences."
"That's what they deserve for they've done," he smiles, now in a good mood.
"And Berg-san…"
"Yes?" L'Arc answers before he could stop himself. Realizing what he just said, 'Crap…'
Van smirks, "Where's Iwatani-san?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. It's just me here," he tries to recover the situation...but it's too late.
"L'Arc Berg-san... Would you please come down to the station with us? Or would you rather we do this the hard way?" Van gives him options.
Gritting his teeth, he tries to think of a way out... But then the officer who asked for the bathroom walked in, dragging Naofumi with her.
"L'Arc…" he whimpers.
Sighing, L'Arc gives up, "Fine... But can we at least eat breakfast first? Nao's cooking is delicious...but he's too thin, and I'm pretty sure he's underweight, so I want to feed him."
"Sure," Van shrugs since he's hungry too.
"L'Arc?!" Naofumi yells.
"What? I just care about your health," L'Arc shrugs.
And so they have an awkward breakfast together.
"Berg-san...can you please take that cap off? You look ridiculous," Van comments.
Naofumi chuckles under his breath as L'Arc pouts but still takes the cap off since it doesn't matter much anymore.
They put the dishes in the sink, Van complimenting, "That was delicious, Iwatani-san."
"Thanks," Naofumi smiles.
After that, Naofumi and L'Arc go to the station for questioning, holding hands.
It was then that they saw Malty Melromarc, her father, and her group in handcuffs. The sight made L'Arc and Naofumi smile.
Naofumi had requested that they are to be interrogated together as he's too nervous doing it by himself.
Van shakes his head but allows it.
Now in the interrogation room, Naofumi and L'Arc sat on one side of the table with Van on the other.
A voice recorder is turned on as Naofumi felt L'Arc's hand hold his under the table, and Van starts asking questions.
"Berg-san…why did you run away from home?"
"I wanted to decide my own future…besides, the paperwork would kill me."
"When did you two meet up?"
"A few days ago…when I came to this city for the first time," Naofumi answers.
"Are you two close?"
"…" they look at each other.
"I'm his house husband," Naofumi blushing slightly as he mutters.
"And my lover," L'Arc happily adds.
"A kept man huh…" Van mutters, Naofumi seeming not to mind that much.
Then Van asks the important question, "Who posted those videos?"
L'Arc glares, "How do we know you won't be bought off too?"
"I assure you… I'm not that easy to sway. I just want the truth. Now…," Van smiles before repeating his question, "Who posted those videos?"
L'Arc confesses, "I did it. I posted it. Naofumi didn't know…so please, go easy on him."
Naofumi stares at him, "L'Arc?"
"I did it to get revenge for you, to protect you. You never deserved any of this…" L'Arc smiles sadly as he explains his actions.
Van says, "You're in love with him, aren't you?"
L'Arc nods, "Yeah…I am. Is it that obvious?"
He smiles, "To me, yes," which makes Naofumi blush, "Now then you two, we'll be re-opening Iwatani-san's case for a re-trial. I hope you two will cooperate in court."
Both of them smile, "Yes sir!"
"Good," Van nods.
Later in the news…
The reporter announces that ["In the retrial, Naofumi Iwatani-san was found innocent. Malty Melromarc-san, her friends, and her father have all been arrested and given life sentences in prison. He will also be reimbursed 500,000 yen for the psychological trauma he's endured."]
["In other news, L'Arc Berg-san, who has been missing for over a year, has been found. He says that he ran away because he wanted the freedom to do as he pleases. Now, he wants to help others who've been hurt by Malty Melromarc-san's actions, including Naofumi Iwatani-san."]
The TV's turned off as L'Arc looks to his fiancé wearing a black apron. He sees Naofumi in the kitchen, cooking him a meal.
Naofumi suddenly feels arms wrapped around his waist and hot breath on his neck, "L'Arc…not while I'm cooking."
L'Arc kisses his neck, "Can't help it…Just so proud of you."
Naofumi blushes, "Sh-shut up…" before L'Arc moves away, "Don't you have work to do? Shoo!"
"Fine fine…" L'Arc smiles, "I'll get it done quickly so we can have some alone time."
"You better…" Naofumi huffs.
L'Arc goes to his office to quickly get through his paperwork, Therese Alexandrite making sure he completes the whole stack.
Afterwards, he's exhausted…but not enough to deny eating Naofumi's food or having alone time with him.
They kiss and fall into bed together. A box with two matching silver rings on the nightstand glimmers in the light, ready to be worn any day now…but not tonight.