AN: Spoilers for Vol. 10 of manga and Love Unlimited special edition.
-Izumi's POV-
Izumi felt as if time stood still for that brief moment in the hallway. Yet, jumbled memories from the past two months and a half flash back at that instant with a vengeance. Futile as it was, the two weeks he'd spent consoling his broken heart amounted all for naught as these unwanted chaotic images bombard his senses with a freight train of emotions.
---
"Takamiya?"
Izumi peers up at his lover and was about to question why Takamiya suddenly held him so tightly from behind when the man whispered softly.
"It'd be nice to be like this forever."
Taken aback by the whimsical tone from his lover, Izumi, without hesitation announced otherwise.
"Huh!? What are you saying that for now? Of course I'll be here! It's your fault I became a homo!"
Takamiya picks his head up, stricken by his young love's declaration as he continues to listen.
"It'll be a problem for me if you don't take responsibility and take care of me my whole life. Don't worry about old age."
Disbelieving what his ears had heard. Takamiya was finally able to find his tongue.
"Izumi..."
The boy broke from Takamiya's now loose embrace and turns around to face his older lover with a smug look.
"I'll be there at the end to see you off."
---
"Ah, but you know, I've had a lot of ups and downs in my life, although it really doesn't compare to Naoya."
Izumi takes a sip from the glass of water Takamiya brought him and sighs before he continues to reflect on his past aloud.
"Now that I think about it, I even did HOMO stuff."
Out of the corner of his eye, Izumi notices Takamiya clutches his heart and dramatically turns away as he mumbles playfully.
"...Izumi, my chest hurts..."
His young lover promptly ignores him and continues his comments.
"Even the company I work for went bankrupt- ...that's probably my fault..."
Izumi blanches from that idea and shrugs while he heard Takamiya sigh dramatically. He rolls his eyes and then turns his head upwards towards the sky as if confirming his words with the gods above.
"But you know, all of this was necessary in order to come live with you in England. -that's what I think."
---
"Takamiya, I'm not a princess! Put me down!"
Izumi struggles as Takamiya refuses his demand and carries him across the threshold to the cottage. When the deed was done, the older man smiles sweetly down at him.
"Ah, but my princess-bride must be welcomed to our new castle in such a manner, don't you think?"
Izumi beyond embarrassed, finally breaks free and stomps off red-faced.
---
The night breeze caused Izumi to shiver and he buries his nose further within Takamiya's sweaty torso. His lover immediately tugs a sodden blanket to cover him even more. He too then settles back comfortably on their makeshift bedding that blanketed the grassy knoll in the middle of their small orchard behind the cottage. Becoming sleepy from their activities earlier on, Izumi was dozing off when he faintly heard Takamiya whispered excitedly.
"Look Izumi! It's a shooting star! Hurry, make a wish!"
Too tired to care, Izumi swats at Takamiya's hand that was shaking him awake and grumbles wearily.
"Make a wish yourself!"
---
Izumi follows Takamiya into the cafe. Suddenly his lover leaves his side and hurries toward a handsome, fair haired fellow that got up immediately upon seeing them. He bristles when Takamiya gave the fellow a light hug and exchanged kisses on both cheeks. Upon seeing the light blush on the guy, Izumi immediately frowned.
"Izumi, come over here. I would like you to meet my new assistant."
Begrudgingly, he drags his feet across the cafe to stand before them.
"Kuroda Imai, I would like you to meet Sakashita Izumi, my lo- cough cough"
Izumi bows half-heartedly as he ignores Takamiya's sudden coughing fit that he'd caused. He didn't regret it one bit. His older lover should know by now not to introduce him as such. But upon straightening, his annoyance became even worse. Not only did this Kuroda fellow not greet him back, the man was too busy tending to Takamiya.
---
"He'll what!?"
Izumi couldn't believe what he was hearing. He immediately got up and started pacing up and down his side of the bed.
"It'll only be a month or so, until the project is finished-"
He places both hands over his ears thinking it'll block his lover's words. It didn't work.
"Izumi, I already promised Imai-kun he could."
Not liking the resolute sound in Takamiya's voice one bit, Izumi dropped his arms and decided to stand his own ground. He turns around and stated firmly.
"Fine, but he'll pay rent. And-"
When Takamiya's broad smile began to show upon hearing Izumi's change of heart, it fell entirely when he heard the rest.
"You'll have to sleep somewhere else while he's here, you hear me!"
Izumi thought he'd never heard such a grown man whined like so in his lifetime.
"Izumi---!!"
---
Melodious laughter greeted his ears upon rounding the corner of a tall oak tree. There he saw, Takamiya bracing an arm against that particular apricot tree at their favorite spot within the orchard talking animatedly while Kuroda laughs at his whatever he was saying. Izumi immediately turns about face and stomps back into the cottage.
---
Determined not to let it bother him, Izumi bravely walks into the kitchen and prepares to pour his self a hot cup of tea from the brewing kettle that was already on the stove. He was determined to ignore the couple that was huddling over an old manuscript on the nook table and the current conversation regarding it. That is until he noticed Takamiya ruffled Kuroda's hair affectionately.
"I think you're right, Imai-kun! I haven't thought about it in that context, but the combination of kanji can be interpreted as such. What would I do without you?"
Izumi pretended to gag at that comment and succinctly mimicked exactly Kuroda's following words to himself as he poured the liquid into the cup.
"Takamiya-san, you're much too modest. I was only guessing. I didn't really think it would have worked. But thank you. You are most generous."
After a few minutes, the pair returns their absorbed attention back to the manuscript. Izumi harrumphs at being continuously ignored and quietly grabs a plate with a few apricot glazed crumpets atop it. When he turns around, his late night appetite for sweets disappeared altogether when he witnessed Takamiya absently brushes Kuroda's hair away from the younger man's face. They exchanged sweet smiles with each other.
Izumi ducks his head behind his hair and silently returns the uneaten plate of crumpets back into the fridge and pours the cup of hot tea down the drain. Just as quietly, he walks back to his room he use to share with Takamiya and drowns himself in his favorite late night show on BBC.
---
"How could you!?"
It was an accident. I didn't mean to. Izumi had wanted to say, but instead he opted to remain silent. He couldn't help but feel the overwhelming urge to be on the defensive though, especially given that unfamiliar look of disgust and disappointment that shown so blaringly from his older lover's usually soft, doting eyes. Then, Takamiya just had to say those words.
"Please, just leave."
Izumi's eyes had widened from hearing that. It wasn't the words so much, but the exasperating tone that spoke volumes of how Takamiya felt about him at that moment. It made him lashed out in reaction. He couldn't control what he had said then.
"Fuck you! I didn't do anything wrong! If someone should be leaving, it's him!"
It wasn't my fault! It was all because of him. Yet, Izumi hadn't expected what happened to him next. Takamiya, who had never raised his voice even once to Izumi since the seven years that they've met, had hit him. Shocked with disbelief as blood dripped from the corner of his lips, Izumi with his head twisted to the left from the blow, tentatively raised a hand to touch his injured right cheek. Swiftly, his rage boiled from within and he couldn't contain it. Izumi spat out the blood onto the pristine shale tiles of the kitchen floor and stomped out of the cottage while he growled out his parting words.
"I fucking hate you. I wish I had never come here with you."
---
A dark room bathe only in a sliver of moonlight that had stole through the curtains, illuminated his bed and the outlines of the occupants beneath the tousled sheets. A man was lying on his back with arms outstretched holding the gyrating slim hips of another person sitting atop him.
Izumi's brows crinkled in confusion. He could only stare as that slender back with wavy shoulder length hair moved up and down, while the man at the bottom groaned with pleasure. He stood there and watched as they reached their heights, not wanting to comprehend.
"Ah- I love you!"
"I- I love you too, Takamiya-san!"
Izumi immediately paled as the confusing haze was violently lifted from his eyes. His gorge rising, he stumbled back, turned and ran.
---
His frame shook upon that last image from the onslaught of painful recollections and he began to pant. Each breath was harder than the last as his body turned numb.
Panic overrode all thoughts as his instincts took flight. Slowly, one by one his feet staggers backward until he does an about face and abruptly flees from that person at his door. Desperately, his mind pleaded to seek a new sanctuary as rivulets of tears began to flow from his eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough when surprising strong hands grab his upper right arm from behind and swung him around.
Upon seeing the other's determined face up close, anger quickly rose to the fore.
How dare he comes back and thwarts my life again? With a monumental decision, Izumi gathered all his reserve to fight his opponent. He was proud of himself when his cold words were spoken unwaveringly despite the glistening tears from his eyes and cheeks.
"What do you want Kuroda?"