A/N: RL is tough and I haven't managed to update as much as I like. So sorry my dears!
P.S all I wanted to say is Happy Lunar New Year 2017! and thank you for supporting this fic even though the updates are so sporadic and I'm so unreliable... :(
Thank you so much for all the comments, subscriptions, faves and kudos! ( ∩ˇωˇ∩)
They mean so much!
Chapter 21
The car purred as it raced towards their destination and, in the driver's seat, Murasakibara shifted the gear before the car swerved. Akashi met his bondmate's eyes through the rear view mirror when concern reared its head in his chest, but the steady gleam in Murasakibara's eyes assuaged his worries. Akashi returned his gaze back to the magnetic chess piece in his hand before he tapped it against the armrest in thought.
"Akashicchi- Aka-": Akashi blinked and turned to the voice.
Kise had a gentle, restraining palm on his hand, and when he realized why, Akashi tiredly sighed and shot his bondmate an apologetic smile.
"Sorry Ryouta...I was just thinking about some things. Did the sound distract you?"
Kise gave him a long stare that penetrated his skin. The silence in the car passed in a loud beat.
"Are you-" Those honey-gold eyes drifted downwards before it shot up again and held Akashi's gaze.
"-Are you alright? You haven't been talking much- Who did you-" Akashi pocketed his chess piece before he reached up and ran a thumb across Kise's cheek and along the underside of his chin.
"Do you trust me, Ryouta?"
Kise's beautiful golden eyes were wide with surprise and Akashi gave a soft chuckle at the sight. With fondness beating in his chest like a drum, Akashi tugged Kise's chin down until their breaths mingled. Akashi felt Kise's forehead gently thump against his own and the sight of Kise's sparkling eyes made all the leftover tension in Akashi's body fade away.
The bond among them gave a small ripple before it settled, and Akashi could feel the tension leech out of all of his bondmates at once.
The soft "Yes. With my life." echoed in the space between them with the force of an explosion, and it arrested all the oxygen in Akashi's lungs. The words struck a chord in him and it felt like everything in his world, everything he was born for was right here. He existed because of them.
Nothing had ever made him feel this emotional. This attached before.
From young, Akashi thought that he was born defective; he didn't feel attached to anyone and rarely felt emotions as deeply as others did. He couldn't understand or empathize with anyone else and it felt like he was an observer in a this play called 'Life'.
That all changed when Akashi met Midorima.
Midorima was a soft, gentle soul with a stoic armor built to mask crippling social anxiety and a gangly shyness. Slowly, Akashi's senses were awakened and dragged out to the forefront. The colours started to bleed into his world and he slowly tasted and felt the full range this earth could offer, and from then on, Akashi could never return. He could never return to that drab and dull world. Everything in his world is categorized into two groups: 'before bonding' and 'after bonding'; and the red-head wouldn't change it for the world.
"Don't worry. It's going to be alright." Akashi breathed that promise into Kise's lips, and when he leaned back into his seat, Akashi ran a thumb underneath his bondmate's eyes.
Kise's eyes were bright with fondness and his bondmate turned Akashi's wrist upwards and pressed warm lips on the strip of bare skin peeking from the suit's sleeve just as the car rolled to a stop. Akashi reluctantly tugged his wrist back, and a moment later, his door opened with a soft click.
Murasakibara stood there patiently, but as soon as Akashi stepped out, his violet-haired bondmate pressed a large, steady palm into the curve of his spine.
"Ki-chin and Aka-chin will stand behind me so I can protect you, ok?"
Akashi tipped his head up and those purple irises centered his mind until his breath slowed to a lethargic rhythm. The heat of his bondmate's hand travelled down and an arm was unashamedly looped around his waist; the tension in Murasakibara's frame dulled when his hand met the cold metal of a gun in Akashi's belt holster.
"Atsushi, we'll be fine."
The heat in those lilac orbs didn't waver one iota. There was a long pause of tension crackling in the air between them before Murasakibara's hand retracted and he gave Akashi a sharp nod. Without another word, they broke eye contact with each other and pulled their armours on, until all the cracks and weaknesses were sealed behind the bomb bunkers in their hearts.
Akashi ran a hand through his hair and down the lapels of his black suit before he sent a satisfied ping along the bond.
The small, cobbled alleyway was just large enough for a car to drive through and the thick steel blast door was camouflaged so well it took Akashi a few seconds to spot it. As soon as he spotted it, the bond surged with acknowledgement and Murasakibara pushed forward and plastered himself against the door as it swung open.
From the corner of Akashi's eyes he saw his violet-haired bondmate gingerly edge inside with a gun pointed steadily and unwaveringly into the darkness.
The second Akashi walked through the door and Kise pushed the door closed, a familiar calloused palm shoved him back and Akashi was tucked behind Murasakibara before he could even blink.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you, ojou-chan." Even though Kise's voice was cheerful, the threat was as loud as thunder in the cavernous confines of the concrete room. The girl before them had a gun pointed at Murasakibara. Under the dim fluorescent lights, Aida Riko's eyes gleamed with barely concealed disgust and blatant distrust. In front of him, Murasakibara's grip on the gun tightened and his bondmate's focus sharpened until it felt like a metal dagger against their bond.
The monster inside Akashi's mind salivated in joy, and he let the exhilaration and adrenaline flood his veins until the predatory silence in his mind enveloped every limb in his body.
Akashi straightened, rocked back on his heels and leisurely took a few steps back. In the next heartbeat, he let a dark smirk languish on his lips.
"That's no way to treat a guest, Aida."
Akashi reached into his pocket and his smirk grew when the girl gave a minute flinch and pointed the gun, point-blanche, at his face.
The only thing that stopped his bondmates, a hair's breadth from the trigger, was Akashi's unflinching assurance through the bond. They trust his judgment explicitly. Akashi knew that if Kise or Murasakibara sensed the smallest hint of fear or uncertainty, they were going to shoot first, ask later; so Akashi strangled his emotions into a box deep inside his mind and made sure that all he could feel was the stirring predator. The dark, dangerous creature that he had been honed into by his dead parents.
And well...Akashi knew, without a doubt, that Riko wouldn't shoot him.
No, she couldn't shoot him, no matter how much she wanted to.
From the corner of his eyes, Kise's eyes were as angry as a raging hurricane. Bright amber eyes flickered with an inhuman light. It reminded Akashi of a hungry vulture perched on a mound of carcasses.
"You're in the hot zone, darling. One twitch and my finger might accidentally slip."
The casual, teasing tone contrasted with the gun muzzle that Kise held an inch away from Riko's temple.
Akashi was slightly impressed to see that the young Council Member didn't even react to the gun hovering so close to her temple. Riko didn't give any indication of fear, but the simmering distaste in her eyes intensified and Akashi gave a tiny chuckle at the glare directed at him.
The standstill between them shattered when a voice sliced through the air with the force of a guillotine.
"I apologize for the wait. I had to deal with an urgent issue that suddenly came up-" The steps came closer until a figure stepped into the light.
"Akashi Seijuro, it's a pleasure to be able to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
Kiyoshi walked towards the crowd and placed a palm on Riko's gun and gently coaxed her arms down. Akashi could see how much Riko trusted Kiyoshi, in the speed at which she complied and how she didn't even hesitate or argue back at him.
Akashi cocked his head, reached forwards and placed a hand in Kiyoshi's open palm. The handshake was firm, but not overly tight and Akashi relaxed inside when he realized that this man wasn't interested in dominance plays or ego boosts.
"Likewise, Council Member Kiyoshi Teppei. An Uncrowned King- "
Akashi smile was sharp and knowing.
"The Iron Heart."
Kiyoshi replied with an equally amused grin: "I expect nothing less from the Generation of Miracles. We're deeply grateful for all the help you have provided us over the years."
"It's not a big effort for us to provide help. Your ideals and intentions were in line with ours."
Through the bond, Akashi felt Kise and Murasakibara's alertness and interest surge and Akashi spared a moment to converse with them through the bond, but Akashi might have been gone too long because when his focus came back, Kiyoshi was scrutinizing him.
"So the rumors are true. You're bonded with one another."
Akashi felt a flare of frustration well up. His shields were more frayed than he realized because the split-second late reaction was caught by Kiyoshi's observant eyes, and the collective reaction from his bondmates was grim acceptance. There was no point trying to hide it from Kiyoshi because to build trust, they needed to let their allies in.
So Akashi gave Kise a mental confirmation, and as Kise brushed past he trailed a tender hand down Akashi's wrist to the tips of his fingers.
"Yes, we are, but you know what it's like too, don't you?"
Akashi wanted to chuckle at the surprise the flitted across Kiyoshi's face but he was able to suppress it in the nick of time.
"I expect nothing less from the infamous Kise Ryouta."
"Why, thank you." Kise's voice was full of flirtatious glee and his bondmate turned around when Murasakibara passed a small manila envelope over.
"Here's all the information I could find. It wasn't easy and there wasn't much out there, but it's enough."
Kise ripped open the envelope and passed Kiyoshi two USB sticks.
"Both of them have 192 bit encryption and self-destruct software, so be careful not to activate the self-destruct software by accident."
Kise gave Kiyoshi a warm smile and Akashi was surprised to see that it was a genuine one.
"I know we usually do this through third-party drops and through encrypted networks in the deep web, but Akashicchi contacted you and I wasn't even told."
Akashi wanted to rub his forehead in exasperation when Kise shot him a narrow-eyed glare and a pout, but the cold, analyzing feeling from Kise through the bond made Akashi grin instead.
His blonde fox was an bundle of slyness wrapped in a coat of enigma and child-like quirks.
"I need a favour." Akashi walked towards the sofa in the middle of the room and sprawled against the armrest. He rested his chin on his knuckles and waited until Kiyoshi took the seat across him.
"My safehouse. The one in Niigata, has been compromised."
Kiyoshi sighed and ran along his forehead before he cradled his chin.
"That's ...That was longest safehouse the rebellion had access to. The most protected and well-hidden one in our network."
Akashi nodded grimly: "There was a mole. Someone had access to our information. I don't know how far this breach goes yet."
"Alright, I'll make sure the others know."
Kiyoshi leaned back against the seat and the sight of Kiyoshi's exhaustion being displayed so easily, made Akashi's walls fade and he allowed his body to lean heavily against the armrest.
"I need to move two people. I need someone I can trust, someone who would give up their lives to keep Inferiors safe."
The tension in the atmosphere ratcheted up a notch. It was only broken when Kise placed steadying hands on Akashi''s shoulders and said:
"We need someplace where our-"
Kise's flinty eyes drilled into Kiyoshi's in a look that was so intense, it could have peeled paint off the walls.
"Where our bondmates can lay low for a while."
There was a beat of stunned silence.
One, two, three, four -
before Kiyoshi gave a heavy sigh and fished out a phone from his pocket.
"I think I have someone who fits that description."
The brunette scrolled down the contacts of his phone, stopped and shot them a slightly kind yet amused glance.
"I believe you've met each other before…"
As soon as Kagami hung up, all the tension in his body bled out in a weary wave and he gave his phone a frustrated look before he flung it at the sofa in his guest room.
Even though he had promised Kiyoshi, his mentor, that he was going to go full in, the arrival of Kiyoshi's acquaintances in such a short notice made him want to tear his hair out. The sound of a car on the gravel snapped Kagami out of his irritated funk and through the window he could make out his friend's black head of hair in the front passenger seat. With another tired sigh, Kagami straightened his rumpled jacket before he headed down to greet Kyoshi's guest.
The black car rolled to a stop and Hyuga-senpai stepped out and held the door open. His friend shot him a reassuring smile, but the hint of laughter in those coal eyes made Kagami utterly baffled, but the next moment, Kagami immediately understood why.
The person that stepped out of the car was tall and the shock of familiar forest-green hair made Kagami wish that the ground would swallow him up. The following person that was gently lifted out and on to a wheelchair was his new friend. The one that he tentatively made on his assignment. The one that Kagami genuinely wanted to know on a deeper level.
Standing in front of him were Midorima Shintaro and Kuroko Tetsuya. The only thing that Kagami could do was to blurt out the steadiest greeting he could muster in this situation.
"Yo, it seems like we'll be living together for the foreseeable future."
Midorima pushed up his glasses and gave Kagami a calculating, perfunctory nod.
"Yes, it seems like it. My name is Midorima Shintaro and we've met briefly but I didn't catch your name."
Kuroko reached up, gripped Midorima's palm on his uninjured side and gave it a small tug.
"He's Kagami-kun. Um- Kagami Taiga."
When Kuroko shot him a small grin, Kagami returned it with a wide and genuine smile: "Kagami-kun, thank you for letting us stay. We don't have...we're really grateful."
Midorima gave a painful, reluctant nod when Kuroko nudged an elbow into his hip, and Kagami let out a loud chuckle at the sight. He caught Hyuga's eyes over Kuroko's shoulder and his friend nodded and, in the next moment, Hyuga corralled their new guests up to the guest rooms.
