Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Misaki: Good girl.
Chey: Shove it. I'm too tired to fight.
Misaki: That's becoming a common occurrence.
Chey: It has to do with insomnia.
Misaki: As you like.
Romantica Act Five Part Three
Akihiko felt like he was encroaching on what little shred of family life his brother and sister-in-law managed to scrape together. They seemed to be alright as couples went but Akihiko felt like he was interfering.
Kanna did her best to make him welcome but the apartment was small because this post was temporary. Akihiko found himself becoming suspicious of his father's motives since he had set up the lodgings in Osaka in the first place. The fact that they were so minimal should have tipped Haruhiko-niisan off to the length of this assignment. There was only one bedroom and Akihiko was sleeping on the couch in the living room.
He knew he couldn't stay there any longer but he still had his future living situation to be handled. This was brought up the night before he was supposed to return.
"Little brother, I have already purchased a suitable house in Tokyo for our return. I hope that you are alright with living there alone until my assignment here was complete."
Akihiko nodded mutely. He still didn't want to interfere in his brother's budding married life but he wasn't about to argue. Haruhiko-nii was looking out for him. As long as his father wasn't involved, he really didn't want to argue.
"It will be nice to have someone else around," Kanna put in. "I'll finally have someone to cook for."
"We'll have a cook," Haruhiko said, making his brother stiffen.
"Niisan, is father handling this?"
Haruhiko's mouth tightened. Then he nodded.
Akihiko closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "Niisan," he almost moaned.
"It'll be fine. Father won't be involved, I promise. Once you get home, you just have to pack up your things at Misaki's penthouse and bring it over."
Akihiko was silent for the rest of dinner.
…
In the morning, he gathered his things and checked to make sure he still had his return ticket and the money Haruhiko-nii had given him to buy food when he got to the new house . He bid his brother and Kanna goodbye and made his way to the station. There was only one thing left to do now. He reached into his pocket and fished out his cell phone. He flipped it open and rolled his eyes.
No service.
He swiveled his head around until he spotted a payphone kiosk. He headed over and grabbed a phone, dialed and dropped fifty yen into the coin slot. The phone rang three times before Misaki answered.
"Moshi moshi."
Akihiko's heart skipped a bit. Partly because he was happy to hear the other's voice and partly because of how exhausted and raspy that voice sounded.
"Hello?" Misaki tried again.
"Ah, Sensei," Akihiko said. "How are you?"
"Ah, Usagi-san. You coming home now?"
"Yes. Uh, Niisan says that his new house is ready. I'm supposed to go there once I get to Tokyo."
"Is that so?" Misaki asked. Akihiko thought there might just be the slightest tremble in his voice. Was that even possible?
"Yeah." Akihiko mentally cursed his monosyllabic answer.
"Great," Misaki said, suddenly full of false cheer. "It's good for you to be with your family again."
"Yeah." That was still all he could say. "I, um…Sensei?" It was now or never.
"Yes?"
"Can you meet me at the station?"
"Uh sure." Misaki seemed to sound nonchalant but again there was that tremor that rippled from the phone to Akihiko's heart.
"Good. Meet me at the terminal. I have to go, they're calling the final boarding."
"You'd better hurry then," Misaki replied. "Love you."
But Akihiko was already slamming down the phone and dashing to the nearest electronic ticket machine.
…
Misaki stood just before the passengers only section of the arrivals trains and eyed the train pulling into the station with a slowness that didn't suit the bullet train. Then there was the disembarking and Misaki searched the crowd for Akihiko's silvery hair that would stand out anywhere.
And there he was, suddenly right in front of Misaki. He grabbed the slimmer man's hand and said, "Come on."
"Where?" Misaki yelped.
"We have to switch trains."
"What?"
"Come on!" Akihiko said in a low, fierce voice that ordered Misaki to obey him.
They made it onto a train just as the doors closed behind them. Misaki doubled over, panting heavily. "What…the hell…was that?"
Then Akihiko hugged him from behind. Misaki jerked up. "What?"
"I felt weird when we were talking on the phone," Akihiko murmured, sounding a bit awkward as he spoke into Misaki's ear, making the hair flutter and the mangaka shiver. "Like we were…breaking up."
Misaki's heart stuttered. "I know what you mean."
"Can we stay together?" Akihiko asked. "Niisan wants me with him but I can't be there with newlyweds, it's too weird."
Misaki gave a slight laugh. "So I'm the lesser of two evils?"
"That's not it at all," he hissed. "I want to be with you, nowhere else. So please…"
Misaki turned in his lover's arms to look at him properly. Akihiko stared down at him in turn. "Kiss me," Misaki murmured. "Let me be spoiled or I won't know this is real."
He obliged.
To be continued…
Chey: Review if you want a lemon.
Misaki: That's cruel and disturbing.
Chey: I don't care.
Misaki: *sigh* Fangirls…
Chey: Yep. Deal with it. Anyway, thanks for reading guys and review.
Misaki: You said that already.
Chey: Reinforcement never hurts.
~Chey