(Interlude: Side Story)

"Takatoooo…..what happened to my face?!" Kou shrieked as he looked into the mirror in horror.

Takato sighed, "Why are you being dramatic? You're the one agree to this." Kou pouted and glared at one of his bestfriend lounging on the couch waving the brush carelessly. "You look pretty anyway," Takato shrugged.

"I hope your customer will not regret to have you doing their make-up," Kou sighed, resigned with his fate as the guinea pig.

"Don't look down on my ability, you didn't look that bad with your long hair you can even pass as pretty lady, what you need is a dress-"

"And I am going to stop you right there as I will not be indulging your cross-dressing kink anymore."

"Awwww…. But you and Akihito look cute and sexy in dresses!" Takato cooed, reminiscing all the time he tricked them into wearing girl costume.

"If Asami-san heard you said that, he might cut out your tongue."

"Hey, he might possibly thank me for dressing up Akihito for him!"

Kou rolled his eyes, "I am going to go wash my face," and get up to go to the toilet.

Takato put away the brushes and the products he used when he noticed something on the label, he went pale immediately.

"TAKATO!"

VFVFVFVF

Kou sighed deeply under the scarf he wrap to cover lower half of his face. He just left Takato's apartment after the other man apologised profusely for not telling him of using a waterproof based make-up and coincidentally he forgot to buy the make-up remover. Kou made a mental note not to trust Takato for anything anymore. More over the day starts to pour rain hard and Kou forget to bring his umbrella since the weather's report said that the weather will be bright and sunny, it seems the weather can sense Kou's mood.

Hence he currently stuck and drench from head to toe waiting under a sorry excuse of an abandoned street stall for the rain to stop.

While contemplating his life's decision, a black car stops in front of the stall, its rear window lowered down and to Kou's surprise it was Suoh in the driver's seat.

"Suoh-san!" Kou blushed, embarrassed of Suoh seeing him in his condition.

"Ah I thought it is you, Kou-san." Suoh beamed his little smile. Kou's heart betrayed him for beating too fast at seeing the smile and how Suoh can recognise him under the rain.

"Would you like to come in? I can drop you off to where you want to go."

Kou shook his head, "No thank you, Suoh-san. I don't want to bother you and your car might get wet because of me."

"It is of no bother, please I insist. I don't want you to get sick."

Kou bite his lips contemplating then he nodded slowly and went into the car carefully not to drench it further. The warmth of the car hitting his cool skin is really welcoming that he sighed in his seat. "Thank you Suoh-san."

"No problem, Kou-san." Suoh put in the gear and drove off.

Kou sneak a look at Suoh, and saw him dressed casually and not in his usual suit but still showing his muscled body.

"Is it your off day today?" Kou asked.

"Yes in fact it is, I always go to this café not far where I saw you just now during my off day."

"Oh, it must be a good café if you always go there."

"I will bring you next time and see what you say about it."

Kou nearly choked. "Me..?"

"Yes, we can go to the café together in my next off day."

"Together..?" Kou blamed the rain for his brain not functioning.

Suoh must have sense something wrong, "That is if you would like to… together? I don't mean to force you-"

Kou cursed himself for being an idiot, "No…. no... I would love to...I mean" he cursed mentally again.

Suoh smile amused at the flustered man beside him.

When they arrived in front of Kou's apartment block, the man even offered his umbrella and bringing him to his very doorstep. Kou felt like a blushing maiden sharing an umbrella with Suoh-san. The close proximity under the umbrella did not help his butterflies in his stomach that keep fluttering about.

"Thank you for sending me home, Suoh-san."

"It is my pleasure to see you home safely."

Kou feel like he might have caught a fever from how red his face has turned. He tries to come up with something and he unable to stop himself from saying, "Would you like to come in for tea?"

"If I'm not intruding…"

"No… not at all, please at least it's warm inside."

Suoh nodded and wait patiently as Kou unlocked his door clumsily, mentally recalling if he cleaned up his apartment or not, it will be another embarrassment if Suoh saw it a mess.

Suoh smiled as he went into the other man's well kept apartments and saw interesting knick knacks that Kou's students must have gifted him at school.

"Please have a seat, Suoh-san. I'll bring you a hot tea in a moment." Kou timidly said and disappeared to the kitchen.

Kou try to calm his heart as he waits for the water to boil. "I can do this, stop being stupid…. it's just tea to thank him…"

When he came back to his sitting room, he saw Suoh flicking through his study books on education.

"Thank you, Kou-san" Suoh said as Kou served him tea. He look at him concerned, "I think you should change your clothes, you will catch a cold if you stay in the wet clothes further."

Kou just realised he was shivering and he also remembered his still covered in make-up face.

"Ahhhh I just remember, I am sorry you have to see me like this. My friend did this, not that I wear make-up always" Kou immediately covered his face, hoping the ground will swallow him down.

Warm hands gently put both his hands down and hold them together. Kou lifted his eyes from their hands to see Suoh gaze softly at him, "I think you look pretty with or without make-up."

"Suoh-san…" Kou felt like his cannot breathe as Suoh leaned closer to him.

"Call me Kazumi…"

VFVFVFVFVF

"…8…9….10…ready or not the mighty superhero will come and get you!" Ryuji shouted and looked around the place. Ryuji the superhero have a mission to find his superpapa and save him from the evil baddies.

"Superpapa! Superpapa!" Ryuji checked the places out, all the places seems unfamiliar to him. He can feel himself getting scared but try to shake off the feeling he has to be brave like his dad.

Then he heard a loud noise of things being knocked over and a yell, the yell seems familiar, Ryuji ran towards the noise, his trusty swords in his hands.

"Super..papa?" He peeked into the room that the noise seems coming from. He gasped, horrified at what he saw.

"Ryujiii…run…"

His papa laid bloodied and beaten on the cold cement floor, three masked men standing over him now looking at Ryuji holding out their weapons.

"NOOO! Papa!"

"Ryuji?" Asami looked down concerned at his son thrashing about on the bed plaguing by nightmares. "Ryuji? Wake up, son.."

Ryuji screamed and woke up, his eyes wild looking around until he saw his dad and hugged him tight. "Daddy! Daddy! Papa… Papa…" he cried. Asami was bewildered, he never saw his son dreamed this bad before.

"Ryuji?"

Ryuji looked up at the familiar voice, there standing in the doorway Akihito looking frazzled and winded up as he just came back and heard Ryuji screaming his lungs off make him rushed to his son's bedroom in a heartbeat.

"PAPA!"

Akihito rushed over to his son holding him in his embrace. "I'm here… shhh I'm here…"

Ryuji quietened down into sobs, "I…I…you… hurt…"

"I'm not hurt, I'm perfectly fine as you can see, it's just a bad dream, I'm home now….as long as your daddy is here, and no one is going to hurt us…" Akihito looked at Asami who has unreadable look in his eyes before nodding and collected both Akihito and Ryuji in his arms settling them carefully on the bed.

"As long as I am alive, I will never let anyone hurt your Papa and you, Ryuji." Asami said.

"I…I'm..."Ryuji hiccupped. "I'm… going to grow bigger and stronger…*hic* so that I can protect us.. .and Kou-chan too.."

Akihito chuckled, "Definitely, I trust you on that, "he kissed his son's head and look meaningfully at Asami. "And your dad…"

TBC….