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The (Sinfully) Late Christmas Special (2/2)
December 25
Akihito's POV
"Asami, PLEASE go get Masa for me! I'm cooking the bacon and I can't leave it or it'll burn!" Akihito called out towards the living room, trying to get his own voice over the high octaves of his screaming toddler's. He had no idea what had their son so upset, especially since both he and Kiyomi had migrated into their bed to sleep…which happened a lot nowadays. Every morning it was like waking up in a hot, sweaty sauna…which admittedly was pretty gross. But how could he tell his kids to stop when it was so stinking cute? They weren't going to be little forever, especially Kiyomi considering as of today she was nine years old. Her little kid years were already almost gone…
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Asami get up and wordlessly head for the stairs, and right about that time was when Kiyomi came down into the kitchen, her curly red hair sticking up in every direction and a slightly grumpy look on her face. Definitely not a look fitting for the birthday girl…or a child on Christmas morning.
"Happy birthday, Kiyomi! And Merry Christmas!" He chirped, hoping that his good mood would rub off on her, "Santa brought you and Masa LOTS of presents!"
Instead of growing excited, she just hummed and slumped into her seat, putting her head into his arms. "Santa isn't real Mama, you and Daddy bought them. So thank you." She mumbled into her arm, closing her eyes.
When did she stop believing in Santa? Last year she did…and she hasn't mentioned anything about it all year… "Kiyomi, when did you stop believing in Santa? Who told you he wasn't real?" He asked slowly, flipping the bacon over into the pan.
"Izumi and Akise, but I don't think they meant to. They were just talking about how they pretend to believe in him so their parents give them more presents." She mumbled sleepily. Ha! I remember doing that when I was a kid!
"Well…let's try not to tell Masahiko that, okay? He's smart enough to remember it…and he's still too little to not believe in Santa."
"Don't worry Mama, I won't tell him. I wasn't going to anyway, I wouldn't want him to feel disappointed."
Before Akihito could reply, Asami walked through the door with their son cradled to his chest, still sniffling and crying crocodile tears. Mak was right beside them, distressed as he tried desperately to jump up and reach the crying toddler. Ever since they brought the bulldog home, he had basically attached himself to Masa. It was as if he had assigned himself as the toddler's guard dog, always staying close to him even when sleeping. They literally had to move the dog's bed from the living room into Masa's nursery since he refused to sleep anywhere else. It didn't help that Masahiko wanted to do everything with the dog as well; read his picture books, watch cartoons, play outside, take naps…hell, he even wanted to take baths with the pooch. Now this wasn't really a bad thing, because to be honest it made Akihito feel a little more at ease to know his baby was always being protected by a beast that could literally rip an arm off if he wanted to.
"Did he just wake up grumpy, or did he need a diaper change?" Aki asked as he finally finished up the last of the bacon, moving it over to the serving plate before he turned off the stove, taking the pan over to the sink.
"Neither…I think our little monster just experienced his first nightmare." As the crimelord said this, he rubbed the toddler's back in a soothing manor.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Aki walked over and held his arms out for their son…who more than happily went into his arms to bury his face into his neck. A total little Mama's boy. "Poor baby Masa." He cooed, rocking him gently as he walked towards the toddler's high chair. "I know what will make you feel aaaall better! Eggies in a basket, my little prince's favorite breakfast!~" Okay, so technically he didn't have a favorite breakfast, because Masa just looooved breakfast. But it always seemed to get the little boy excited when he called it his "favorite."
And mission accomplished, the boy started wiping at his face as he eagerly nodded and pointed for his seat. "Eggies…"
"That's right! Eggies!" He chirped, setting him down into his seat. "Milk or juice?" Aki liked to let him choose what he drank for most meals, especially since it encouraged him to talk. The more they encouraged it, the better he was getting. Especially with pronunciations.
"Juice!"
"And you, Kiyomi? Milk or Juice?"
"I want coffee like Daddy!" She quickly pipped up, looking a bit more awake and a little less grumpy now that Asami was sitting beside her. Their daughter was more of a Daddy's girl, not that it bothered Akihito too much. He knew she loved him, and that his role was very much needed in her life…so he didn't find a point in being jealous.
"Sure sure, coffee for the birthday girl!~" Akihito handed Masa his sippy cup before he went to prepare her "coffee." It was more sugar and milk than anything, but it made her feel grown up…so he just rolled with it without comment.
It wasn't until he had the table set and all their drinks prepared that Akihito thought he would get to sit down for the first time in three hours, but it was just his luck that the moment his ass touched his seat the front door buzzed. Fuck. Letting out a little sigh, he forced a smile as he got back to his feet…only to be forced back down by a strong hand on his shoulder. Immediately he leaned his head against the muscled forearm, his thankful eyes looking up to meet Asami's.
"I'll get the door, you just stay here." Aki just nodded, watching as his lover headed for the door. Idly his hand wandered towards his pocket, his fingers grazing across the hidden treasure that laid inside…just making sure that it was safe. After hearing about how Masa had managed to pick pocket Asami, he was a little paranoid…and he probably would be for the rest of his life now. Because if he was capable of that before he was even two years old…what would be capable of when he's Kiyomi's age? Or when he's an adult? It was a terrifying thought.
"Uncle Kei!~" Kiyomi squealed, jumping up from her seat and running to attack him with a hug, completely ignoring Tao who was standing beside him. "I didn't think you were coming! Mama said you were in China!" Yeah, he was! Why is he back?
"I was, quite unwillingly might I add." Aki slowly took a sip of his tea, pretending not to notice the pointed glare getting sent his way. That's the thanks I get for trying to help him get some time off? Rude, Glasses. Rude. "So as soon as the jet landed I planned on coming back. However…my original plans were to come back alone. But your Uncle Fei…well he of course had to make things difficult for everyone as usual by making last minute decisions to come with." Akihito wasn't sure what was creepier; the fact that Kirishima spoke to their nine-year-old like she was an adult…or the fact that she agreed with everything he said even if it was against her "fabulous Uncle Fei."
"You know, I'm standing right behind you. I can hear everything you're saying." The blonde barely contained a giggle as he watched Fei walk around with an annoyed, pointed look.
"Oh I'm aware, that's why I said it as loud as I did. I wanted you to hear it."
"Unca Fei! Unca Fei!" Masa shrieked from his highchair the moment the Chinese man came into his view, dropping his juice to the floor in favor to make grabby hands towards his uncle. Aki immediately leaned down to pick up the sippy cup, mentally thanking himself for getting the no leak ones.
"Awe, see, at least someone's happy to see me!" Fei exclaimed dramatically with a smile, crossing the dining room so he could lean over and press a kiss to the toddler's forehead. "Merry Christmas Masahiko! From the looks of all those presents under the tree, you've been a very good boy this year, haven't you?" The toddler nodded enthusiastically in reply.
Aki smiled at the scene in front of him, finding it both endearing and hilarious how his children had such different tastes in their "favorite uncles." Kiyomi's was obviously Kirishima (for whatever insane reason), though she also spent a lot of time with Mayuri and Rin. They could keep up with her energy better. Masahiko on the other hand liked to stay around Fei and Suoh. He absolutely loved all the doting Fei did with him, and apparently he enjoyed listening to him sing (Aki had never heard Fei sing, but Asami had informed him that he could.) Now Suoh…he just fell asleep on him. A lot. Put baby Masa in Suoh's lap or on his chest and he's out like a light.
"So, where's Mayuri and Suoh? Don't they usually eat breakfast with you guys?" Fei asked curiously as he leaned against the counter.
"Usually, but they warned us they would be sleeping in today. Apparently all their holiday traditions are done Christmas eve night, so they were up late." Aki chirped, before gesturing to the table. "But I made plenty, so you guys can all sit and eat! We're always happy to have you guys!~"
Fei looked satisfied with that answer, both he and Tao taking a seat at the table, though Kirishima looked a little more skeptical. "Are you positive? We can always go get our own breakfast if you wanted to have a family meal together."
"Kei, sit and eat. You should know by now that you are family." Asami smirked a bit, "Whenever we're not working, that is."
"You heard him Glasses, get your butt into a chair so we can start breakfast." He hated to be snappy about it, but he was getting pretty damn hungry! Like, his stomach was growling at him. He could practically hear it saying, "You better hurry up and feed me or the table is getting it."
As awkward as ever, Kirishima took one of the vacant seats, and after they said their thanks for the food they started filling their plates up. Aki of course had to double task between his own food and making sure Masa got more in his mouth than he did on the floor. He was kind of a pro at it by this point. While he stayed busy helping his son eat, he listened to the other conversations going on around him, picking up bits and pieces. Asami and Fei were discussing business, such as the Baishe leader dropping his ties to human trafficking…which was actually a relief to hear…though a total surprise. But apparently it was one of the conditions Asami had to having ties between Sion and Baishe. You know, I never thought I would have to sit through a conversation about human trafficking over Christmas breakfast. I also never thought this would be a normal conversation to have. Now in his other ear he was catching a whispered conversation between Tao and Kiyomi, so really he couldn't make out too much other than they were discussing numbers of something. Honestly he just assumed it was homework or something. The two of them video chatted a lot, and almost every time he listened in for a few seconds all he would hear was them talking about numbers…so apparently they did a lot of homework together. It's nice that she has an older friend to help her out.
Not realizing he had spaced out, the tap to his shoulder made him jump. His eyes went from the happily chewing toddler to Tao who was looking at him expectantly. Immediately he put a smile on. "Sorry, I didn't hear you Tao. Can you say that again?"
"I didn't say anything, but Fei Long-Sama did! He was asking how early you had to get up to make all this yummy food!~"
Fei smirked, leaning his chin against the top of his hand, his long hair tied back while they dined. His hair wasn't as long as it had been a couple years ago, but it had definitely grown quite a bit in the last two-ish years since Aki had shaved it off for him…something the blonde thought about far too often. All the sacrifices and insanely kind gestures that had been given to him during that tough time. It really showed how much those around him cared, and though it was a terrible experience…it made any doubts he had about Asami staying with him disappear.
"Strange question, but I've been up since about…four o'clock this morning?" He got bewildered looks from everyone at the table, including Asami. "What? I wanted to get ahead today so I don't have to be stuck in the kitchen all day. So I have all the sides for dinner ready in the fridge along with Kiyomi's birthday cake, so really the only thing I have to do tonight is fry up the chicken." To be honest the cake took the longest to get right…because honestly he hadn't made many cakes in his lifetime. Maybe like two. And knowing that his daughter would want something cute, he had spent a long time following a YouTube tutorial to get the decorations on it perfect.
"I could have had dinner made and delivered to us, Kitten. You didn't have to get up so early." Asami said slowly putting his chopsticks down.
"Yeah Mama, and we could have bought a cake for me. You didn't have to make it." Jeez, maybe I should have lied…
"No, both of you shush. This is our Christmas, I'm not going to have someone else make our food, because then it's not special. And I'm not letting you miss out on having homemade birthday cakes by your mom figure. Every kid should get to have that. So, shut up and enjoy."
Asami opened his mouth, only to be cut off by a piece of bread hitting him directly square center of the forehead. All turned to look in shock at Masahiko, who glared at his father with his finger raised up to his lips. "Sshhhhtttt! Mama say Shhh!" As he did the "shhtt" sound, his food came flying out of his mouth and hit Kirishima, who was just unluckily on the other side of him….and he looked absolutely horrified and disgusted. Yeeeaaah, if you can't handle that, you should never have kids. Everyone, except for Kirishima, erupted in loud laughter.
"Disgusting." He muttered as he stood from the table and headed to what Akihito could only presume was a bathroom sink.
Trying to stifle his giggles, he got another spoonful of food for his son to eat since he had just spit his last one out. "You're too sweet, baby boy."
"Sweet? The little monster threw a piece of bread at me." Asami scoffed, though Aki could tell he was having a hard time stifling another chuckle.
"But did you see his aim? He's just like his Daddy! A little Asami through and through!" The photographer cooed, glancing over at his son.
He was given a proud, toothy little grin.
By the time they had all finished breakfast, Mayuri and Suoh had made their way into the house just in time for presents. It was probably surprising for Fei to see Mayuri coming in walking, struggling as he was, with a sturdy black cane that had been given to him by his physical therapist he was seeing almost daily. Really, he had made leaps and bounds in the last few months, and though he still had a while to go before he would manage stairs or running, he was at least able to get around now without too much assistance. Sammy was a big help with that, since the huge monster of a dog was always by his side, ready to help him in case he stumbled or just needed some extra balance. He was even getting back into work a bit, working on designs in his free time and such…before too long he would probably be healed enough to even move back to their apartment. It would be a little sad, because honestly Aki hadn't gotten used to having them around…but he would also be happy for them. He knew they probably missed living together, just the two of, well three of them technically if you include Sammy. Always include Sammy.
With everyone together in the living room, all the adults were able to watch the three kids open their Christmas presents (Fei had brought Tao's presents over.) Because of the similar age, a lot of Kiyomi's and Tao's presents ended up being pretty similar to each other: clothes, new laptops, phones, tablets, and of course video games for their many game systems. Honestly, the kids were spoiled. Now of course it was a little odd that Kirishima had gifted their daughter her first brief case along with a huge box containing aesthetically adorable office supplies. That…had been an interesting conversation.
"Why…did you get our nine-year-old daughter a brief case for Christmas?" Aki had asked with a baffled expression. Both because of the odd choice in gifts…and the ecstatic reaction it had gotten from Kiyomi.
"It's never too early to start." Was his reply, a pleased look on his face as Kiyomi pretended she was some fancy business woman with her brief case.
"Kirishima…we aren't raising a little you. She's nine. She doesn't need to be-"
"Kitten, you're over reacting. I mean, I was about her age when I got my first brief case." Asami interrupted, nodding in approval.
Of course you were.
If that hadn't been weird enough, he had gifted Tao with language learning materials, with a similar excuse saying that it was never too early for him to start learning more languages. Aki could see where that made sense since he was pretty sure it was Fei's intention to be grooming Tao to eventually take over Baishe, but still…those don't really seem like gifts to Aki…at least not gifts for kids. But who was he to judge? Especially when the kids seemed to be perfectly happy and content with their gifts.
Masahiko on the other hand had just a huge mountain of presents, ranging from simple building blocks to: stuffed animals, learning toys, kitchen play set, books, clothes (Oh dear god the clothes), and even a box of dress up clothes since he seemed to have so much fun getting into his sister's. And let's just say the moment he found the little prince's outfit…he was in it (fabric crown and all) and acting the part. Oh and of course, no prince was perfect without a pair of oversized fairy wings stolen from Kiyomi. Out of all the presents he got, the kid ended up completely in love with one in particular: the "my first instruments" kit given to him by Suoh and Mayuri. Basically, it was a kit of little baby instruments (that surprisingly functioned like actual instruments…more or less) that came with a little tablet that was supposed to teach toddlers how to play simple songs on each instrument by cute little cartoon tutorials. It was a great gift for about ten minutes…because at about the ten-minute mark of Masa banging on the drums and hitting random keys on the keyboard…Asami was already pretty done with it.
It took a while for him to move on to another toy, but when he did the instruments were promptly moved upstairs to his bedroom…because he can make all the noise he wants upstairs, but downstairs…nope. In the words of the great Asami Ryuichi, "Our living room will not be his personal stage."
Kirishma's weird strand of gifts continued over to Masahiko, however he had totally understood this one the moment it was brought out for the toddler. However, he and Suoh seemed to be the only two who really got it…because everyone else looked confused when the secretary brought out a shit-ton of boxes of all different shapes and sizes. Honestly, he thought he was oddly a great idea, but Asami seemed…confused over the decision. Even after a little explanation of why most little kids enjoyed playing in boxes and such, he just didn't get it. Well, whatever.
Once the kids were finished opening their gifts and were busy playing, the adults took their chance to exchange gifts. Where the kids had had mountains of presents to get through, the adult's only a small stack that had been set off to the side (Along with Kiyomi's birthday gifts that she would open the following day). All the gifts between couples were given in private likely the night before…at least that's what he and Asami did (Damn that bastard over did himself), along with Mayuri and Suoh. So, he could only assume the other two did as well. But of the gifts they opened together…well less than half ended up being meaningful in anyway. All the others? Sex toys. (Of course it was sex toys with these perverted freaks.) Of the non-ridiculous gifts, there was of course the cane that he had promised Mayuri for whenever he was walking on his own again. Now, he was aware that he promised a bedazzled cane…but really that wouldn't go with anything and would just look tacky. So after searching for a while long night a few weeks ago (With Asami constantly trying to distract him), he was able to find a black beechwood cane that had a 925R silver, Swarovski crystal incrusted handle. It was…definitely a luxury, designer cane; one he was sure would go with whatever crazy outfit the designer came up with. Apparently, this was a good call because Mayuri seemed to love it, going as far as to breaking his current "boring" one in half. Then there were the gifts he got for Feilong and Kirishima; luxury tobaccos and hair products for the former, leather portfolio binders and a gift card to the fancy stationer store that the secretary enjoyed going to. Speaking of Fei, the gift that he received from his friend ended up being almost as surprising as it was very sweet.
"Um…Fei, I think you put the wrong label on this one. I think this was intended for Masa." Aki said with an amused smile, looking down at the box he had just unwrapped. A Fisher-Price plastic easel, complete with paper and non-toxic finger paints in it.
Fei smirked, shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh no, that was intended for you to open." Everyone around snickered, well except for the blonde himself.
"Oh ha-ha, very funny you asshat. This joke going on between you guys about me being a "kid" has to stop eventually. I mean, come on! I have children! Plus, you aren't exactly that much older than me!" When the snickers didn't stop, Aki scoffed and just shook his head, "You're all terrible, like seriously."
"You didn't let me finish," Aki let out a little huff, but gestured for him to continue, "That was intended for you to open last. You just grabbed the wrong one first."
"Well excuse me! It's not like they were numbered or anything!"
"Look again, genius." Mayuri pipped up with a shit eating grin, and sure enough when he looked down at the torn paper he saw a little sticker with the number 6 on it.
"…Oh." Feeling his cheeks burn, he grabbed up the one that had the number 1 on it. After ripping the paper open, things started to make a lot more sense when he saw the regular, adult sized easel. "You got stuff for me and Masa to paint together…that's really sweet…yet confusing."
"You need a new hobby, Akihito. I know you're just waiting to get Masahiko into school before you start back with your photography, but until then…you need something to do. And where we're all enjoying the salt scrubs, sugar scrubs, and candles you've been making to keep yourself occupied…well I think I can say for all of us we're well stocked now since you've been sending them to…all of us. And I think you're definitely overstocked, because just in this room I can count nine candles." Aki looked down sheepishly, feeling a little bad. Had he really been inconveniencing everyone? "So, I figured if you like to take pictures, perhaps you would like to make them as well…and it's something you can do with Masahiko, rather than having to wait and do everything while he's napping."
Akihito smiled slowly, nodding as he picked up the next gift in line. "Thanks, Fei. I really do appreciate this."
Then there was the gift he got for Suoh…which was definitely not something he was able to wrap. So rather than a physical gift, the giant blonde opened up an envelope with three pictures inside of it: An Eleanor Mustang, a 1957 Thunderbird, and a long stretch of empty road. Of course this had gotten him a confused look, but after he explained it…well let's just say he was very excited. Using some of his own contacts, and admittedly some of Asami's, he was able to acquire a long stretch of road for a…certain time frame on a certain day so Suoh and Asami could race old American muscle cars. Now those he had actually managed to get through Rin, who had a contact in the states who apparently would let them borrow them for a surpringly affordable price. Of course "borrowing" wasn't Asami's style…so once he found out that this was happening, he went ahead and purchased them for his "collection." Eh, wasn't like he was going to fight him on this one. #1 it was Asami's money, and #2 he would totally be stealing them to drive.
Now that they had all finished opening their gifts, and Aki had spent a good half hour picking up all the wrapping paper and getting the floor at least mostly uncovered so it was no longer a walking hazard, the kids had migrated their way downstairs. Kiyomi and Tao had taken over the big television in the family room so they could watch movies and drink hot chocolate. Masahiko on the other hand did NOT want to sit and watch the movie with his sister, in fact he was so passionate about this that he started crying the moment Asami tried to put him down on the couch. So long story short, now Aki was stuck with a toddler and teddy bear in his lap and a heavy-ass bull dog on his feet while the "grownups" sat around the table and just chatted amongst each other. On the bright side he was able to keep Masa busy by giving him one of the creepy photo albums Rin had left for them before leaving for the holidays. It was filled with photos of all of them at different points since they had gotten Masa, and he had already skimmed through it to make sure there wasn't anything too weird in it.
"-so yeah, basically I've scrapped all the recent pieces I've been working. I'm just not able to work on them fast enough to keep up with the trends. By the time I get the drafts into something spectacular, lavender is totally going to be out of season and it will just ruin the whole mood of the piece." Mayuri let out a long, dramatic sigh as he leaned back against his husband's chest. Like always he was perched in the taller's lap like he was some kind of throne.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, you'll get everything worked out. So stop pushing yourself, you should be more focused on healing and getting stronger rather than getting out your newest pieces." Kei pointed out, his tone having a bit of a scolding undertone.
"Ugh, but that's just annoying. I mean, I've already missed two whole fashion seasons! I haven't missed a fashion season since I was planning for mine and Kazumi's wedding…and that was over five years ago!" he slumped back, taking a long sip from his glass of whiskey. Asami had brought out one of his very nice, aged bottles...and they were all drinking from it besides Aki. He had long since accepted the fact he couldn't hold his alcohol, especially not compared to these assholes.
"Well, you can always work on personal projects until you're well enough to really jumpstart back into everything." Suoh offered, gaining Mayuri's attention, "You have an entire notebook filled with ideas you've never had time to get to. So why don't you finally work on them?"
A grin slowly spread across the designer's lips, those heterochromia eyes lighting up. "And this, my sexy beast, is why I love you!" He chirped, grabbing Suoh's massive hand and bringing it to his lips, pressing a kiss against the top of it.
Akihito smiled a bit, turning to say something to Asami when the toddler in his lap beat him to it.
"Perbert! 'Tupid Dadddee a perbert!" Masahiko shrieked suddenly, furiously slapping his hand against the page in the album. Fei couldn't contain his laughter at the sudden outburst as everyone turned to see what had gotten the boy so worked up.
Turns out it was a picture of Asami cupping Aki's ass while they were standing in the kitchen. Really he had no idea how he was able to tell that his father was being a "pervert" in this picture, but right now he was just having trouble keeping a straight face. Same went for all of them, even Asami…because hearing such a cute, high pitched baby voice call someone a "stupid pervert," well it's the funniest shit ever. That's pure, comedy gold.
"Is that right, little monster? I'm a pervert?" Asami asked with a smirk as he reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.
Masa immediately squealed and tried to slap the hand away. "No! My Mommy! No touch!" He screamed, glaring at his father. This time Aki couldn't contain a little giggle, due to the split moment that shock rang across the crimelord's face. Actually, everyone besides Asami was laughing now, even the overly serious Kirishima.
"Aw, can I touch your Mommy, Masa baby?~" Fei asked sweetly as he reached over just to put a hand on Aki's shoulder. Immediately the toddler shook his head and tried to swat the hand away.
"No! Mine! My Mommy!" More laughter and giggles rang across the table, though deep down Aki knew this wasn't going to be cute for very long. In fact, he knew exactly what was going on. Masahiko was starting the "mine" faze.
Oh boy. This is going to be fun.
With everything winding down for the night, Akihito busied himself getting ready for the surprise he had been planning for Asami for…a while now, while said man was giving Masahiko a bath and putting him to bed. This had for certain given him plenty of time, given how excited the toddler got during bath time. He loved playing with his bath toys and splashing around, so it was usually a fight to get him out of the tub without a mini tantrum happening. It could easily be avoided if you got him excited for his bedtime story…but that was a secret only he knew. Not Asami, though that worked in his favor right now by means of giving him plenty of time to get everything together.
It wasn't that it took a lot of time to get the whole scene prepared, it was more of having time for him to thoroughly freak out and second guess on everything he had done. Really, he wasn't very good at the romantic shit…especially when his and Asami's relationship was rarely like that, and the few times it had been…Asami had planned them all. It was time for that to change, even if it was just one time. So here Akihito sat, stretched out with his legs crossed on their slate grey chaise lounge chair, almost completely naked besides for the beautiful tie he had bought as an extra little Christmas gift for his lover. It was an expensive silk tie; black and Champaign paisley beneath golden horizontal stripes.
Hearing footsteps heading quickly towards the door signaled Asami's return from getting their kids put to bed. Letting out a long breath and clearing his head, the blonde played a seductive smirk onto his lips as he watched the knob turn and moments later Asami stepped through. Immediately his gaze swept over the room before zeroing in on the blonde. A similar smirk appeared on his face as he crossed the room over to him.
"Are we having a" Pretty Woman" moment here?" The crimelord mused with a humored glint in his eyes. Aki couldn't help but grin as he raised an eyebrow.
"You've seen Pretty Woman?" He honestly couldn't imagine Asami watching a romcom unless he was tied down and forced to. But maybe he's wrong? Perhaps a little guilty pleasure?
For a moment he could have sworn he saw his lover look a little sheepish, but the look only appeared for a split second before he regained his posture. "It was my brother's favorite movie, so we would watch it whenever he wasn't feeling well. Well, that among a few others…but that was the main one." Oh. "Now that's my excuse…so what's yours, Kitten?" Asami asked mockingly, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Excuse you, I just happen to like the movie! I'm not ashamed to say I enjoy a good romcom every now and then. I used to watch them with my grandmother every Saturday night when I was a kid while grandad was out with his friends." Damn, this is not a sexy conversation. "Now are you just going to stare at me or are you going to tell me what you think of the tie?" Good job Aki, getting it back on track. Stupid Yakuza bastard, derailing from my plans.
Asami leaned over and took the tie into his hand, humming as he looked it over thoughtfully before he nodded with a pleased look on his face. "It's very baroque, in the best way. I like it." His smirk grew as his eyes hungrily gazed across Aki's bare flesh, "Now…why don't we take this to the bed since you're already looking so delicious."
Slipping the tie off his neck, he stood up from the chair. "Actually, I had something different in mind. I'm thinking…a bubble bath."
"A bubble bath?" He asked slowly, unimpressed.
"Trust me, Asami. You're going to like it." Aki insisted, capturing the other's curiosity.
"Oh? Have you planned something interesting, Kitten?"
"You're just going have to follow me and see for yourself!"
With Asami's curiosity successfully peaked, he led the crimelord into their bathroom where the "surprise" he had prepared was waiting. Walking in, they were greeted with the…romantic setting that Aki had managed to put together. The room was lit only by little candles (all of which he had made himself), while their huge corner tub was filled with aromatic bubbly bath, the water steaming the room up quite a bit with the heat. The sides of the tub were covered in rose petals, along with a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and two bowls containing extravagant dark chocolates and salted nuts.
Turning around, Aki looked up to meet his lover's golden, hungry gaze. "So…what do you think?"
"This is certainly not what came to mind when you mentioned a "bubble bath," though I am pleasantly surprised."
"Well I would hope so, this took a lot of planning on my part! Now strip yourself down and join me." With a teasing little wink, Aki turned and sashayed towards their tub. He could feel Asami's predatory eyes on him until the moment he stepped into the bathtub and lowered himself into the steamy hot water. Glancing back, he watched as the crimelord unceremoniously stripped from his clothing, letting it all fall into a messy pile by the door before he made his way over towards the bath, and moments later Aki found himself sitting between Asami's legs, leaning back so the water came up to his mid region. And though he had been unsure at first, he had to admit…this was a good idea. It was definitely a relaxing atmosphere, at least he could feel Asami's muscles relax as he let out a long sigh. Himself on the other hand, he was pretty on edge and plagued with crazed nerves. Having already expected this, that's exactly why he supplied himself with liquid courage.
After pouring himself a glass of champagne, he tilted his head back and let the bubbly, dry alcoholic drink slide down his throat, taking it all in one go before grabbing the bottle back up to refill the glass.
"The tie, the bath, and now you're downing a glass of champagne like you're throwing back shots of tequila...you definitely are taking a lot of pointers from Pretty Woman, Kitten."
"What can I say, it really inspired me." Aki replied with a sarcastic scoff, rolling his eyes though he couldn't help but smile. "Now, I've been keeping this held back all day…but come on! You have to admit that breakfast this morning was like, the most hilarious thing ever."
"You mean when Masa spit his breakfast all over Kei? Oh yes, that was…that was definitely entertaining." Asami mused with a chuckle.
"It was fucking hilarious! I mean, I'll never unsee that face! He looked so disgusted!"
"And of course our little monster was proud of himself."
"With very good reason to be! I mean come on, out of all our friends…he's the best to mess with! He's such a boring stickler usually, so seeing him like that…it's the best thing ever." He couldn't stop giggling from the image of this morning in his head, the boy taking sips of the champagne throughout the conversation, along with taking little handfuls of nuts to munch on. Asami was doing the same, as occasionally their hands would graze.
"If there's one thing that never changes, it's that I'll never be able to drink with you. One glass of champagne and you're already tipsy."
"That's because, unlike you, I don't drink like a freight train every day. I haven't really sat down and drank since we found out I had cancer. So my tolerance is insanely low."
"Your tolerance was "insanely low" far before that, Akihito. Shall I start recounting all the past instances you either tried to keep up with my drinking, or called me shit-faced drunk?"
"I would really, REALLY prefer it if you didn't, asshat."
Rather than receiving a verbal reply, the photographer felt arms wrap around his middle, pulling him closer to Asami's chest. Meanwhile Aki was on his third glass, though he was drinking it relatively slower compared to the previous two. "Slow down a bit. If you get too drunk you're going to pass out before I can even get you to the bed…and if that happens you'll have to make up for it tomorrow. And I won't make it easy." Like you ever do.
"Yeah yeah, I know. I can handle it though, it's just a little bit of champagne. So stop worrying like an old man, it's just aging you." Hearing Asami give him a low growl, Akihito couldn't help but grin.
"Be careful with your words, Kitten. This little bath of yours can come to quite the abrupt end if you push too far."
"Ugh, learn to take a joke. I'm just kidding. Well, for the most part." The cheeky blonde said with a grin, reaching into the bowl of nuts again to grab a handful…only for his fingers to graze across the top of a velvety box. Oh yeah, I forgot. "Liquid courage" is also known as "Liquid stupid." Clearing his throat, he grabbed up the small box and quickly pulled it from the box before Asami could get a look at it.
Hearing the water shift behind him, Asami reached out and tried to grab the box from Aki's hand, though the crimelord was unaware of what exactly it was. "What's that you've got there?"
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves a bit, Aki managed to push through without stuttering his words. "So…I have something I important I have to tell you…and ask you."
"What is it? You can tell me anything." Without even looking, he knew there was a concerned frown growing on his lover's face.
"I've been keeping something secret…for a long time. But I can't keep it together any longer. I meant to wait at least a little longer, but I can't. So I planned all of this, but now I'm getting like super nervous and straying from the plan I made. Because like this wasn't how I was supposed to bring this up, it was supposed to be like ten times smoother and I was supposed to look super cool, but now it's a little late for that." Okay, stop rambling idiot.
Aki cleared his throat before he turned around in the huge bath, now facing his lover. He slowly uncovered the black box in his hand for Asami to see, though the blonde couldn't bring himself to look up to see the other's expression. Too much pressure. "So, before anything…I want to make something clear. This…This isn't me saying I want to change my name or any of that bullshit. Hell we don't even need to have a ceremony or anything like that. I don't want anything to change, because I think we're perfect where we're at. Just two screwed up people who love and accept each other, have two children together, and have an amazing sex life in the unnecessarily huge house you had built for us." Letting out a nervous, shaky breath, he opened the box to reveal the ruby and diamond encrusted ring. Before he could actually pop the question (Though really he was just going to shove the ring on the bastard's finger and run away), Asami kind of killed his thunder by bursting out into laughter. Not a condescending chuckle like Akihiko was used to receiving, no it was full blown "this is hilarious" kind of laughter.
Feeling his cheeks burn, Aki closed the box quickly before looking away, his eyes filled with tears. "You know…that took a lot of courage on my part! If I knew you were just going to laugh at me then I wouldn't have bothered getting any of this set up, asshole!"
Asami shook his head, trying to stifle his laughter. "No…No, I'm not laughing at you! I'm really, really not. Just wait here, and you'll understand." Aki let out a sigh as he watched Asami stand and step out of the tub, dripping water onto the tile floor as he headed out of the bathroom.
This had better be good. Wiping at his eyes, Akihito grabbed the bottle of champagne and leaned back, resting his head against the wall as he started taking long gulps of the sparkling alcohol. He could hear Asami in the next room over rustling around in one of their drawers, and a couple minutes later he was coming through the doorway. Aki's eyes went from his lover's face, down to his hands that had something clasped in them. Oh god…it can't be.
Completely naked with cool water droplets dripping from his hair, Asami bent down on one knee and presented a similar velvet box to the one that had been abandoned on the side of the tub. Akihito felt his breath getting caught in his throat, his heart pounding in his chest as the bottle slipped out of his hand and fell into the tub, the rest of the liquid spilling out into the tub with him…not that he really noticed.
"This was not how I had this planned either, but now's as good a time as any." Oh god. It's happening. The bastard is stealing my thunder. "Originally this ring was planned to be yours on New Year's, but you put a damper on those plans…in a most surprising way. But I suppose it's more my fault, for making you wait so long." With a confident, humored smirk, Asami opened the velvet box containing the beautiful white gold ring encrusted with diamonds and aquamarine gemstones that matched his eyes. "Now, I would pop the question here and now, but I clearly already know your answer…not that I assumed it would be "no" either way. So instead just give me your hand so I can put your ring on."
Feeling his mouth go dry, Akihito wordlessly extended his hand out for Asami to slip the ring onto his finger. Like a glove, it was a perfect fit. Pulling his hand back, he couldn't help but admire its beauty for a few seconds. Their rings, though holding different stones, oddly seemed like they went together. Asami's had a more posh and masculine appearance, where his own was more elegant and delicate…but at the same time it wasn't exactly feminine. It still looked like a ring that would be worn by a husband, rather than a wife…which was something he was especially picky about. Akihito wasn't a woman, he wasn't Asami's "cute little house wife." And seeing that the crimelord had been sure to pick him out a ring that didn't feminize him…it brought a warmth to his heart.
"You asshole…stealing my thunder, picking a fucking perfect ring…I'm pissed off now." He huffed, though he couldn't tear his eyes away from the beautiful ring. Well, not until it popped into his head that he hadn't been able to give Asami's his yet. Retrieving the ruby and diamond adorned ring, he gestured the taller over. "Now get over here so I can put your ring on."
With a chuckle, the crimelord moved from on his knee to the edge of the tub where he allowed Akihito to slip the ring onto his finger. Once it was on, the two made eye contact long enough for them both to know it was time to take this to the bedroom. Asami had been aroused this entire time, while Akihito was quickly getting there due to the alcohol…and staring at his fiancé's chiseled body. After Asami had stood up from the edge of the tub, Aki took this as his cue to get up and step out himself…only for him to drunkenly lose his footing and start falling forwards. Luckily, he felt arms wrap around him his waist to catch him before his head hit the floor.
"And this is why I will never be able to drink with you, drunk-ass." Asami mused as he lifted the blonde up into his arms.
"Oh, shut up."
Why is my ass freezing?
Awakened by his own full body shivering, Akihito reached out blindly to try and grab the comforter so he could cover his icy cold body. Finally finding the corner of the blanket, he started pulling it up to cover himself, but the sudden shift from below startled him into dropping the blanket before he even got it over his calves. Dammit.
"Are you finally awake?" Geez…someone's in a grumpy mood.
"Shut up…my ass is cold. Just go back to sleep."
"That would imply that I ever went to sleep, but considering I lost feeling in my hands an hour ago and my shoulder has been throbbing for at least three…I've just been laying here with all the time in the world to think up what I'm going to do to you whenever your drunk little ass decides to wake up."
Furrowing his eyebrows, Aki peeked his eyes open to meet the unamused, extremely annoyed looking crimelord that was beneath him. Wanting to know what in the hell had him in such a mood, the blonde looked around them before those blue hazel eyes fell on EXACTLY what had Asami so upset. Asami was restrained to the bedpost with what looked like new rope…and boy did the "ropework" look extremely…complicated. Like, he didn't even know where to begin with all the weird knots and such.
"Oh…my god. What in the hell happened to you?" Aki asked incredulously.
"You did, Kitten. Not only have you apparently been studying up on your bondage skills, you also grabbed the toughest rope in the arsenal. I would be impressed if I hadn't been left here all night. While you just laid there…and drooled on me." Oh…so that wasn't a dream.
Looking down, he blushed furiously as he noticed the puddle of drool on Asami's chest. Okay, that's seriously disgusting, drunk me. Why the hell are you so embarrassing? And why am I always held accountable for your actions? Ugh. Grabbing the sheet up, Aki used it to wipe up the drool.
"Heh…sorry. So um…why did you let me tie you up?"
"The promise of something more. You made it sound very enticing last night…but then I should have known better than take you for your word when you're drunk. Not only did you leave me tied up all night with these impossible knots, you also left me here horny. All. Night." Okay, yeah he is not happy. Not happy at all. "Now if you would be so kind, go grab the pocket knife from my pants and cut me free so maybe I can get some feeling back into my hands."
"Um…you know I would, but you look suuuuper angry…and I really don't want to be punished for what drunk me did last night. So if you promise not to punish me tonight, then I'll cut you free!~"
"Oh know, you are being punished. There is no getting out of that. However, the longer you leave me here, the longer you're going to be at my mercy."
Deep down he knew he probably deserved everything Asami was going to throw at him later that night, but it didn't change the fact that he really wanted to try and get out of it. Or at least lessen it…because he really would never have left his lover like this if he had been in his right mind…like he wouldn't even dream of it.
"How about one hour of punishment…and I'll massage your shoulders after I get you free."
Asami arched an eyebrow. "Four hours, and you will definitely be massaging my shoulders after this."
"Two!" He countered, only to receive an unamused glare.
"Fine, five then." What?!
"What?! No! Two and a half!"
"Five and a half."
"Three! Three and I'll make you whatever you want for breakfast." There was a little pause where Asami looked to be thinking it over. Then he smirked slowly.
"Sweeten the deal a little bit more and maybe."
"Okay…how about three hours, a massage, breakfast, and I'll make it up to you tomorrow night. I'll make sure you got to bed EXTREMELY satisfied."
Akihito could tell just from the little glimmer in Asami's eyes that he definitely had his interest peeked. "Deal, now go get the knife."
"Right, let me just…go find your magic pants." He muttered, hopping off the bed and scrambling towards the bathroom. It wasn't until now he realized he had…a pounding headache. That's it. I'm never drinking again. Liquid courage my ass.
Twenty Minutes Later….
"Is that any better?" Aki asked from where he was, straddling his fiancé's back as he rubbed and massaged the man's tense, stiff shoulders.
"Considering they don't feel like they're about to fall off…I would say yes." Asami mused, waiting until Aki had moved off of him to roll back over onto his back. "But we discovered long ago that you were an exceptional masseuse."
Rolling his eyes and shuddering at the memory he was referring to, "You know, I don't think I'll ever forget the smell of that damn Bloody Mary massage. Never again."
"Well I for one enjoyed it."
"Of course you did! You demanded a massage every like three days with that stuff until we were out. As for me, I just had very tomato-ey smelling hands for like ever."
"I offered to give you a massage with it too, you just refused."
"Because a massage from you would have quickly turned into sex! You wouldn't have even gotten halfway done." Shaking his head, Aki collapsed back onto his pillows, raising his arm up above his head to look at the beautiful ring on his finger. "So…I'm curious. What exactly was your New Year's proposal plans?
With a playful smirk, he answered. "Oh I was planning on doing it in our playroom…with in nothing but your harness, with a vibrator up your perky little ass."
Scoffing, incredulous, Akihito reached out and tried to snatch Asami's ring from his finger. "You know what?! I've changed my mind! Give me the ring back!" He snapped.
"Come on Kitten, I'm just joking…however now I wished that was actually the plan. I wish I could have seen your face. But no, I was going to have to do a recreation of our firework show on the balcony." Oh…well that's actually a little romantic.
"Well, as nice as that sounds, we have kids now…so the ending of that could not be the same as last time. I mean, it's one thing to bother our neighbors, but now we have to worry about scarring children."
"Oh I already had a plan for that too. I was going to have Kei take them for the night."
Shaking his head with a smile, Aki rolled out of bed and walked over to the dresser to grab out some clothes. Feeling Asami's eyes shamelessly watching him, the boy was sure to give his fiancé a show as he slowly shimmied his undies up his slender legs, followed quickly by his straight-slim grey jeans and a cream-colored sweater. Finally grabbing a pair of socks, he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge so he could slip them on. As he pulled on his second sock, his eyes moved towards the alarm clock to figure out what time it was…and he promptly cursed.
"Shit! It's past ten…the kids are probably already up." He muttered, shaking his head, before he suddenly realized something even worse. "And they're quiet. This is REALLY not good."
Asami looked confused for a moment, before the realization dawned on him. Getting up from the bed himself, Asami stretched, his back letting out a satisfying pop. "That's probably not good. I'm going to take a shower, when I'm done I'll help deal with whatever mischief they're causing."
Taking this as his cue to leave, Aki headed for the door. As his hand touched the doorknob, he was immediately drawn to look at the ring on his finger…and take a moment to let out a happy little sigh and smile. Last night really happened…maybe not how he planned it, but it happened. Shaking his head, he pushed the door open and began walking towards their son's room. Still not hearing a sound, he turned the knob and pushed the door open, bracing himself for some kind of messy situation. Last time this had happened he had opened the door to find a baby and the entire room covered in baby powder…Masahiko had managed to knock it down off the changing table. He was STILL finding baby powder in weird nooks and crannies. This time, what he opened the door too was not your average toddler mess. No…what was behind that door actually made the blonde have to take a step back. "A-Asami!" He called out, but with no answer he figured the other was already in the shower. So turning on his heel, he hurried towards Kiyomi's bedroom. Someone else has GOT to see this. I cannot deal with this one alone.
Only opening his daughter's door, he was met with an empty bedroom…but an open closet. Confused, he crossed the bedroom to the walk-in closet…only to hear muffled words coming from behind the back of the closet. "What the hell?" he muttered, pushing some of the clothes out of the way…only to find a sliding panel in the back of her closet. Wait…now that I'm thinking about it…wasn't the closet like at least twice this size? Bracing himself for the worst, he slid the panel to the side and stepped inside, the blonde slowly becoming more and more taken aback with everything he saw in this "hidden" room. Basically it was a hidden office, set up with a desktop pc that had six active monitors, file cabinets, a bookshelf with what looked to be books on business and how the stock market works…and then a shelf holding at least twenty binders. In the middle of the room? Two very guilty, deer-in-headlights looking children. This was all crazy enough, but what really had his blood pressure rising was the white board…where there was an entire diagram going on concerning the "pros and cons of marriage." Including an entire area of the bottom titled "In case of divorce," where it was talking about custody of children and how they would go about keeping their businesses tied.
Letting out a long exhale from his nose, and trying to keep himself calm, he turned towards his daughter. "Kiyomi, sweetie…what's going on? Why do you have a hidden business office in your closet and why are you debating marriage with Tao on a white board? And don't give me a bullshit answer, I want the truth. The full truth. So start spilling everything." At first she looked shocked that he would curse to her…but then she let out a dramatic sigh and began rambling on an explanation.
"Well the office is here because Uncle Kei told me that if I'm serious about taking over Daddy's legacy (Scion), then I should start with learning about the stock market and such, and I caught on really fast, especially with Tao's help since he already had some knowledge on it. Well after playing the stock market for a few months…we had a lot of money, so we opened a loan business together at our schools. Tao and his friends run the part of the business in Hong Kong, while Izumi, Akise, and I run the one here. All our profits have been going into a Swiss bank account that we asked Uncle Kei to set up for us, but it's tied into Dad's since I'm not technically old enough to own my own bank account." Well at least now the brief case makes sense. But seriously…when did my innocent princess get corrupted by those freaks?! How did I not see this happening?!
Taking this all in while struggling not to let the little patience he had snap, Akihito pinched the bridge of his nose before slowly pointing back the white board. "And the marriage diagram?"
"Oh, right. Well…since I'm going to be running Scion one day, and Tao is being groomed to take over Baishe, we figured it was just a smart business move if we married to permanently tie the two together. Plus we get along really well, so we would be very content." She said with a proud smile, nodding. "But we needed to discuss the pros and cons first, but as you can see there are a lot more pros. So we've decided it's the best move." Dear anyone out there who is listening, please give me the strength not to murder the bastards who influenced these sweet children.
"Uh huh…well, I can see you two have thought this out quite a lot. But I think you guys should wait just a little while longer before you start thinking about marriage…or kids…or possible divorce."
"Well…it's a little late for that, Aki. I already proposed to her, and she said yes after all the considerations!" Tao chirped, having gone from looking very nervous to sharing in Kiyomi's pride with their "adulting." Hell, they both looked damn snarky about it as well.
Looking down, he took notice to the chain around her neck, hosting a very expensive looking diamond ring. You have GOT to be fucking kidding me. You know, there wasn't a single parenting book I've read that covers this situation or anything close to it! Where was the chapter about how to handle your nine -year-old becoming a fucking loan shark?! Or how about the chapter on how to explain that you can't get engaged before you're even in middle school?!
"Oh just wait until your other parents hear about this." Having decided that he wasn't going to be the only one having to deal with this impossible situation, he turned his head to yell out the door. "ASAMI, FEILONG! GET IN HERE NOW!" The proud, snarky looks immediately fell from Kiyomi and Tao's face.
It took a couple minutes give or take, but pretty soon he had Fei, Kirishima, and Asami filing into the room…and apparently none of them were surprised by the little hidden office in the closet. So is something everyone knew about but me? Because that's just not cool. Fei and Kirishima looked as though they had been up for a little while…or at least long enough to be dressed and somewhat presentable, while Asami had clearly just gotten out of the shower given he was only in a robe and hopefully underwear.
Asami's immediately reaction when coming in was to look around the room in search of a threat, before his eyes fell on his aggravated, accusing looking fiancé. "What's going on, Akihito?"
"Yeah, what are we in trouble for this time?' Feilong asked teasingly, crossing his arms and looking at Tao suspiciously…who seemed to shrink back even more.
"Perhaps I can take a gander?" Kirishima pushing his glasses up, before pointing towards the white board. "I'm assuming Akihito's outburst was caused by that well put together, but controversial diagram on the white board." He turned towards Kiyomi for a moment. "You're getting a lot better with the organization of your diagrams, though you should have added a third category to sort your points into, which would have organized it a bit better. Some of those pros and cons aren't really one or the other, they're more neutral benefits. Next time put something like this into a Venn diagram, so you can add neutrals in the middle." As he spoke, their little red-headed princess hung onto every word, nodding as she soaked in the knowledge.
"Seriously?! Don't feed into these habits, or else you're going to be grounded with her!" Akihito snapped, crossing his arms.
"I'm afraid you don't have the authority to ground me, Akihito." The blonde slowly raised an eyebrow. "…On second thought, I'll just step back and shut my mouth now."
"Wait, I'm grounded?! But today's my birthday party, and it's the day after Christmas…and my birthday!" Kiyomi whined, looking towards her father for help.
"She's right, perhaps you should take a step back and calm down? I mean, really, what exactly did they do wrong? They're kids, let them play house with a pretend engagement. What's the harm?" Feilong said with a shrug, setting a hand on Tao's shoulder.
Asami nodded in agreement. "I hate to say it, but they're right, Kitten. You're overreacting."
"No, I'm not! I'm not angry about the engagement! By the time they're old enough to understand what they're committing too, they will probably change their minds! No, I'm angry that our children are extorting their classmates to make profit!"
"It's not extortion if they know we charge interest! It's not like we are forcing them to take out loans from us! Plus, it's good business experience! If I'm going to take over for Daddy one day, then I have to have experience!"
Okay, this is seriously giving me a migraine. "First of all, little miss, don't talk to me like I'm stupid. I know what extortion is, and I understand it far better than you. Trust me on that." He glanced over at Asami pointedly for a moment before turning back to his daughter, "Kiyomi, I know you think you're old enough to make these decisions, and that your reasons are sound. But they're not, and you're not. You knew this was wrong, or else you wouldn't have hidden it from me. So, starting tomorrow, you're grounded. No television, no computer, no tablet. But for today you're off the hook since your friends and grandparents are coming over." Akihito turned to Feilong slowly. "And Tao. He's grounded too…you agree?"
Tao went wide eyed for the third time this morning, looking up at his guardian as though expecting the Baishe triad leader to take his side on this. Honestly, Akihito thought that he was going too as well considering Fei looked pretty reluctant to agree…but he probably knew this wasn't actually a debate because he nodded. Sure, he knew that likely once they left to China that the "grounding" would be void, but they at least had a couple days left here before that happened…so even a little punishment was better than none.
"Wait…so we get to keep the money?" Kiyomi asked slowly, causing everyone to turn to him expectantly.
"Hm? Oh yeah, keep the money. If you're old enough to know better than to become loan sharks, then they're also old enough to know better than to go behind their parent's back and take out illegal loans. But this is the end of your loaning business. You can keep doing the stocks, I don't care. And if you have any "business" ideas in the future, run them by me to get the okay." Getting a small nod, he considered that conversation done as he turned back towards the three adults he was currently deeming guilty of this entire situation. "Now to you three. You've known about this, haven't you?"
"The stocks, yes. The loaning business…technically no. I had an inkling something was going on, but I didn't ask." Asami said with a shrug, looking pretty unbothered by the whole situation.
"What about you, Glasses? And Fei? You two knew about it, didn't you?" They glanced at each other, not really looking guilty but more like they were trying to scheme a way out of the impending scolding they were about to receive.
Feilong seemed to come up with something, because a smug look soon rose to his face. "So, what was it you were yelling about before this, Aki? You were calling Asami quite distraughtly."
Oh god. "Shit! Masa!" He quickly turned on his heel, racing out of the room towards his baby boy's bedroom. "Shit! Shit shit! I'm a bad mother!" From behind him, he could hear many footsteps following after him. Pushing open the door, he gasped in horror because…oh no, it got worse.
Inside the room Masahiko had used the boxes he had been given for Christmas to build a castle-like structure in the middle of the room, while surrounding it he had pulled down the shower curtains from the bathrooms to create a mote…which included water. Aki only assumed the wet sand bucket had been used to bring the water from bathroom to bedroom. He was using a lot if his toys to prop up the sides so the water didn't spill out everywhere. And right in the middle of it all was Mak, who was snoring away with one of Kiyomi's tiaras on his head and surrounded by boxes and water. Seriously…what do these Asami genes breed?!
"…I'm impressed. I wasn't building structures like this until I was two." Asami finally said, admiring the toddler's work.
"I do not envy you, Akihito. You are going to have your hands full with this one."
Rolling his eyes, Aki stepped through the doorway towards the toddler who was currently putting his bath toys into the mote. "Oh don't even with that, Fei. Masahiko is a perfect little angel…just a very, very smart one with a biiiig imagination. Isn't that right my little prince?" Aki cooed as he bent down and picked the toddler up, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"Wait, so I'm grounded for having a loaning business…but Masa is a perfect angel even though he stole the shower curtains?!" Kiyomi asked, pushing her way towards the front of the group.
"There's a big difference between you and your brother, little miss. He's a baby, you're ten. You knew what you did was wrong, he didn't. And besides, I don't think tearing down the shower curtains is really comparable to having an illegal business."
With a groan, she crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. "That's not fair." She muttered, glaring at the wall.
"Kiyomi, don't talk back to your mother." Asami reached out, setting a hand on her head affectionately. "Go downstairs and set the table or something. I'm sure doing some chores might put him in a better mood, and maybe even persuade him to lessen your grounding sentence." She seemed to perk up at that, nodding quickly as she turned tail and ran for the stairs.
"You do realize you just under minded me with our daughter, right?"
"Fully aware, but you've done the same. Call it payback."
"Hah, well you can take that payback and shove it, big bad crimelord. And while you're shoving it…you and Kirishima take care of getting this out without making a mess. I'm going to get something for breakfast figured out."
"Wait, why am I getting roped into this? I've been silent."
"Because the boxes were your idea, genius. Now if you'll excuse me, I have breakfast to make." As he exited the room, he heard the unmistakable sound of something (presumably a newly awakened Makarov) barreling through the boxes, and then the sound of water spreading across the hardwood floor. You know what? They can deal with it. With that, he kept walking.
After the long walk down the stairs, Akihito entered the kitchen where Suoh and Mayuri were currently residing, the former standing at the stove cooking what smelled to be French toast. "Wow…are you cooking for everyone?" he asked, a bit surprised. Ever since they had lived here, no one had made breakfast in this kitchen besides him or Haruka…and it was only Haruka when he was recovering from either cancer or the…incident. Yeah, he still refused to really talk about that one.
"Of course. I've been wanting to do something for you since you've taken up so much time helping us out, but you always wake up too early for me to ever beat you to it. But since you were sleeping in this morning, I figured I would take the opportunity."
"Awe, that's really sweet, Suoh. Definitely makes my morning better…not that I ever mind cooking. I like doing it, actually, but the sweet gesture…that really puts me in a better mood." Aki chirped with a smile as he took a seat on the bar stool beside Mayuri, setting Masa up onto the kitchen island. Really, that thing had come in handy since he purchased it a few months back. More seating room, and more counter space.
"Oh yeah, we heard the commotion going on upstairs. Anything interesting going on?" Mayuri asked, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand.
"Ugh, nothing I want to talk about. I would just get heated again…but I'll catch you up on that later."
"Mmm fine~ But only because there is something else that I am far more curious about." With a mischievous little smirk, he slowly pointed to the ring on his finger. "You went through with it. You actually proposed to him."
Feeling himself blush, Aki looked down at his lap and nodded slowly. "U-Um…yeah, yeah I did."
"I'm surprised…honestly I didn't think you had the guts~"
"What?! Then why the hell did you push me to do it?"
"Because it was amusing?" Of course that's your reason, evil monkey boy.
"Whatever…it ended up really weird, actually. Kind of funny, because apparently Asami was planning to propose on New Years." With a grin, Mayuri batted his long eyelashes in a mockingly innocent manner. Wait…no. No, he wouldn't. "Did…you know about Asami's proposal plans?"
"Hmmm?~ Oh of course I knew about Ryu's proposal~ I am one of his best friends after all." HE WOULD
"Oh…my god. You're awful." Despite saying this, he couldn't help but giggle.
"I know~"
Asami's POV
You know, I could always just call someone to deal with this, but I have a feeling that wouldn't go down well. But where to even start? Asami crossed his arms as he stared at the mess in front of him. A huge puddle of water that most certainly wouldn't dry on its own, wet boxes and toys, and he was fairly certain that the water was slowly moving its way under the crib. So they would definitely have to be pulling out some of the furniture.
To interrupt the awkward silence that had settled between them after Feilong exited the room with Akihito, Kirishima leaned over. "…Congratulations, sir. I saw the ring on his finger, so I'm assuming he said yes…but weren't you going to wait until News Years?"
"I was, but the little minx beat me too it." Asami mused with a smirk, glancing over.
"Akihito proposed first? For him to allow himself to do that, you must have left him waiting too long."
"Or a little mischief maker pushed him to do it for their own amusement because they knew I was planning a grand proposal in a few days.
It took his friend a few seconds to catch on to what he was saying, before he nodded and tsked slightly. "Ah, Mayuri."
"Exactly. That's my theory, at least."
"Are you angry?"
"Angry? Far from it, actually. He may have done it for his own amusement, but it was for mine as well." However, if it wasn't for his meddling I probably wouldn't have ended up tied to a bed all night. So perhaps I should think of a way to…repay him in kind. "Now, let's figure out how we're going to take care of this…situation."
"Right, of course sir. Just tell me where you keep the mop and I'll get right on it."
Wait, where do we keep the mop? "In the utility closet, I believe."
"Of course, but where is that?"
"Don't you know? You're the one who made binders on this entire house."
Kirishima pushed his glasses up slowly, the secretary glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. Is that judgement I see? "You don't know where the utility closet is, do you?"
"…I've never had to go near it for anything to know. Akihito and Haruka handle most of the cleaning."
"I suppose this means we have to ask Akihito." And listen to his snide comments all through breakfast? Pass.
"Or we can go find the binder you gave Akihito. It's probably in the bedroom."
"I like that plan much better."
"Good, then let's get to it." Asami turned on his heel, heading out of his son's nursery with his best friend close behind.
Only for you, my Akihito, would I ever be doing this. In the bedroom, Asami walked towards the bookshelf and started searching through the shelves, hoping to stumble across the binder. He had little inkling as to where his fiancé put it, but he hoped they wouldn't be searching for too long. If it took up too much time, they would just have to start opening every damn door until they found the utility closet.
"Sir, why is there rope on the floor?"