Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The salon was getting crowded; the smell of hair spray and expensive shampoo filled the air. The weather outside was cloudy. The forecast called for rain, so people flocked to the salon to get a touch-up or trim to prevent the frizziness the rain was sure to bring. Hairdressers tried to keep their own appearances from looking disheveled while tending to their customers.

Ruki was running back and forth between his station and some of the newer employees. He was responsible for training many of the new hairdressers since he was the most rookie member of the seasoned stylists. Despite is exasperation at how demanding his position was, he enjoyed it. Between the lectures on how shampoo and conditioner were different, he enjoyed his time here. As he ran to and from, his chihuahua, Koron, lazed in his dog bed to the side of his station.

One day, he was in a rush to make it to the salon on time, and accidentally brought Koron along with him in his bag. His face grew red and he stuttered out an excuse until the owner, Kai, invited Koron to become somewhat of a mascot for the salon. Since then the dog has been a permanent fixture at his station and increased the amount of customers. Customers would stop by just to drop off treats and toys for the pup. He even posed for pictures when a customer whipped out their phone.

Ruki was in the middle of shampooing an older gentleman who had some strong opinions on the economy and politics. Though the topics bored Ruki, he had to at least pretend to care about the conversation. Much of the day had passed and the traffic had died down considerably. It was late in the evening, Koron yawned and began to stretch his legs. Ruki heard a squeal from one of the female clients at the the dog. He can’t blame her, Koron is just so cute, it came naturally. Just then Ruki heard the clatter of scissors to the floor and immediately hurried his rinsing of the gentleman. He turned to where the sound came from only to run into Uruha.

Ruki immediately apologized and looked up at the tall man with an asymmetrical haircut. Uruha was one of the seasoned hairdresser, he joined the team a year after the salon opened. He was friendly and the one to train Ruki. His expressions were often hard to read, though now he had a smirk gracing his face.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get in your way. Koron looked like he could use a wake-up snack.” His calm voice drew Ruki’s attention back to his little dog. Koron’s tail wagged with enthusiasm as he noticed the bone shaped treat in Uruha’s hand.

As Uruha bent down to feed the the dog he looked up at Ruki, “Kai wanted to see you by the way.” Before Ruki could say anything he continues, “don’t worry about the training. Aoi will cover for you ‘til you get back.”

Ruki paused at Uruha’s response. He always had a sixth sense to what people were thinking before they say anything. It was almost alien in nature. He chuckled before heading to the front, “I better hurry then. Don’t want to leave those newbies with Aoi too long. They’ll tire him out.”

At that he headed to the front lobby. Beside the front desk was a set of stairs that led to the office. He trekked up the small flight of stairs to the door of Kai’s makeshift office. It was really an apartment that doubled as Kai’s office. Ruki knocked on the door and was greeted by a cheery voice to enter. Pushing some of his blonde locks out of his face he turned the handle and crossed into Kai’s living room/office. The coffee table had books and expense papers scattered atop it. With a calculator in one hand and a dulled pencil in the other, Kai was scribbling notes on several pages before looking up to greet his guest. Kai’s dimpled-smile grew when he saw Ruki stepping in.

“Oh good. I’m glad you were able come here so quickly. Still busy down there?” Kai asked, putting his utensils down and standing to meet Ruki walking towards him. In Ruki’s opinion, Kai was the best boss he’s ever worked for. He had the charisma of a natural-born leader. He twas friendly yet firm with his employees. Unlike other bosses he’s had, Kai made the salon have a family-like atmosphere between the employees.

“No, it has died down some. Though the newbies have been keeping up. Only three accidents so far. And all have been fixable at least. No major damage.” He reassured Kai only to receive a joyful laugh in return.

“That’s good to hear. But I didn’t ask you here for a status report on the trainees. You are training them so I know they are going to be fine. I actually wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to promote you.”

Ruki couldn’t hide the excitement in his eyes at the mention of a promotion.

“Ruki, you’ve been a loyal employee with us for six years now. You and Koron are a staple for our salon. So I wanted to promote you to front desk.”

Ruki’s excitement quickly died down. Front desk?! That meant talking to the customers, hearing their complaints, and scheduling appointments. How was that a promotion!?

“But Aoi works the front desk,” Ruki tried to politely turn down Kai, “I don’t want to take any one’s job.”

Kai laughs, “You aren’t taking anyone’s job. You’ll only work part-time at the front, when Aoi’s off. He’ll show you the ropes so no need to be worried. And Uruha will make sure to watch over your trainees.”

“Why doesn’t Uruha work the front? Wouldn’t he be mad if you skip over him?”

“Uruha has outright declined the position everytime I offer it to him. And I figured you could move Koron up to the front when you work it to bring in more business. Everyone loves that little guy. So will you accept the position?” He smiles, his dimpled smile that was hard to turn down.

Ruki was beginning to think he was only working here because of Koron. Why did that little guy have to be so cute and charming.

“Yeah, um…” before Ruki could decline the offer a loud noise erupts down stairs, startling him and Kai. They opened the door and headed down the stairs. Kai heads down first followed by the shorter hairdresser. Aoi’s muffled yelling could be heard upstairs. Footsteps trotted on the tile. Ruki’s heart begins to race then jumps as he hears the faint distressed yelping of a dog.

Chapter Text

Kai and Ruki made it to the bottom of the stairs. As they entered the hairdressing stations past the front desk, they were greeted by a heavy smell of citrus shampoo as well as the frustrated mumblings of Aoi. One of the new hairdressers was standing by Ruki’s station completely frazzled. Uruha was on the ground cleaning up broken glass and shampoo.

“What happened? Is everyone all right?” Kai was the first to talk.

“I told Miko to grab the shears from Ruki’s station,” Aoi grumbled, “and she knocked over his shampoo bottles and who knows what else!”

Aoi threw his hands up in exasperation. Meanwhile Miko spouts an endless stream of apologies while helping Uruha sweep up glass. Kai chuckles and walks towards Miko to comfort her.

“It’s all right. Are you hurt?”

Miko shakes her head. “No. But I’m really sorry! I...I didn't mean to break anything! I’m sorry for making you worry and making Aoi mad.” She turns her head towards Aoi, who looks down crossing his arms, still mumbling.

“Don't worry about him,” Uruha speaks up while wiping the tiled floor clean, “he’s just being a grumpy old man.”

Aoi snickers and lightens up at Uruha’s comment. He even pokes his tongue out at the taller man. Miko turns towards Ruki to apologize for making a mess of his station, but he’s too busy scanning the room to pay attention to her.

“Where’s Koron?”

His question silences the room. Everyone’s eyes widen at the realization and begin scanning the room. “I heard him yelping upstairs! Where did he go?” Ruki’s breath becomes labored as he tries to remain calm.

“Hey Ru, I hear some whimpering behind the front desk!” Aoi shouts as he heads to the front with Ruki in tow as well as Kai. Ruki bends down to look under the desk and spots the little chihuahua crouched in a far corner. Ruki’s nerves calm just from seeing the dog and calls for him. Koron responds to him and limps his way. His nerves are shaken once again. Koron reaches him and he notices blood on his front paw. Ruki starts sputtering inaudible words as his puppy whimpers at him.

“He’s bleeding! His paw is BLEEDING! What…..I….!” Aoi puts his hand on Ruki’s should to calm the shorter one down.

“There’s a veterinarian not too far away. You can take him there.”

Ruki looked up at Aoi and paused to comprehend his friend’s words. He then turned to Kai to ask for permission, only to have Kai interrupt him.

“This is an emergency. Of course you have my permission to leave. Koron is just as much a part of this salon as the rest of us. I’ll Google the directions for you.” Kai was already on his smartphone typing away as Aoi kneels to help Ruki stand with Koron in his arms. The dog’s paw was bleeding onto his black cardigan. But Ruki couldn’t care about that right now.

Once, Ruki got the directions off of Kai and received a blanket to swaddle Koron in from Uruha, he was off. He ran as fast as he could without disturbing his injured pet. It was sprinkling out, just as the forecast called for. The streets weren’t busy, most people opting to stay in then deal with the depressing weather. It took ten minutes for Ruki to reach the vet.

The building was boring compared to the modern design of the salon. Just a simple brick building. If it weren’t for the directions he got, he may have passed it up; but the sign on the door confirmed the place. “Dr. Suzuki, VMD,” the sign on the door read in bold letters with paw prints lining the bottom of it.

Ruki opened the door, creating a small chime from the bell above him. Ruki stepped into an empty waiting room. It was small and had one door to the side as well as a reception window beside it. Ruki saw a man with short hair dyed purple at the front. He wore thick rimmed glasses and shot Ruki a friendly smile that could rival Kai’s. The rooms had wood panelling lining the walls as well as pictures of the animals. Ruki assumed it was the pet’s that came here for their check ups. It gave off a cozy, down to earth vibe. He sped towards the receptionist.

“Um, excuse me, I don’t have an appointment or anything, but my dog just got injured at work and his paw is bleeding.” Ruki tried his best not to scream and remain calm while explaining the situation. The receptionist’s smile changed to that of a sympathetic one.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go let the doctor know you are here. We can worry about all that paperwork later.” The receptionist left his window. Ruki was left standing there with Koron. He cooed at Koron while he whimpered inside the blanket.

The door to the side of the window opens and the receptionist behind welcomes them in. Ruki follows the man to the exam room in haste. Much like the waiting room, it wasn’t large either. It had a metal exam table and a small room attached to it that contained an assortment of medicines and supplies. He was greeted by a man with styled hair dyed a dark ash brown color. He was a muscular man, with dark brown eyes set behind glasses, that were focused on Ruki as he walked in. Ruki had to admit, he wasn't hard on the eyes at least. But he returned his attention back to the problem at hand.

“Nao told me about your situation. I’m sorry you had to rush here.” His voice was deep as he spoke.

“Nao?” Ruki tilted his head to the side, much like his Koron would do.

“Oh, my receptionist. He’ll gather up all the paper work for you. Now let’s have a look at your dog.”

Ruki went over to the table and gently set Koron on top it’s metal surface. He let out a whimper as Ruki removed the blanket. It was red where his paw continued to bleed. Dr. Suzuki helped Ruki uncover the dog and examined his bleeding paw. With a content humpf he looked up from Koron.

“He has a piece of glass in his paw. It doesn’t look major. I’ll just need you to hold him while I go get my supplies. It shouldn’t be difficult to get him fixed back up. Doesn’t look like he needs stitches.” His voice soothed Ruki’s jumbled nerves.

As Suzuki walked away, Ruki stroked Koron’s head. He could see his reflection in the exam table. His hair was frizzy from the rain as well as sweaty from the run here. The front of his cardigan now had a drying blood stain. He looked like an absolute mess. He made a note to fix himself up once Koron was safe again.

Dr. Suzuki returned with alcohol, bandages, and something that looked like a large set of tweezers. Ruki couldn’t help but look at the muscles of his forearms now that his sleeves were rolled up. He was better looking than any vet he had ever been to, not that he’s ever ranked veterinarians based off their appearances before. He couldn’t have been that much older than him either. Most vets he went to were at least twenty years older than him and had an “I’m-smarter-than-you” attitude. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Koron.

“Do you have a good grip on him? It’s best if he doesn’t squirm.” Suzuki smiled.

Ruki nodded and tightened his grip while the doctor started his work. His hands, slightly chaffed from years of experience, worked with such precision. He probably had the hand-eye coordination to be a brain surgeon. He worked fast and before Koron could yelp his paw had already been disinfected and bandaged. It took a few moments for Ruki to realize the procedure was done. Koron stood up on all four again, limping a bit at the sensation of the bandage.

Ruki inhaled, “Oh my god, thank you! Thank you so much!” He broke into an uncontrollable smile. Small tears of relief formed at the corners of his eyes but he wiped them away. Suzuki started to roll his sleeves down as Nao returned with papers for Ruki.

“It’s no problem. I’m glad it wasn’t too serious.” Suzuki grabbed the papers from Nao, “Okay, now the mundane part, the paperwork.” He chuckled at his joke.
“What’s your name?” Suzuki asked while filling out the papers. Ruki didn’t realize he never introduce himself. Of course, there were more pressing matters at the time.

“Um, Ruki.”

“Ruki?” Dr. Suzuki looked up with an expression that was a mixture of confusion and amusement.

Ruki blushed, “I mean, Takanori Matsumoto.” He forgot he needed his real name for paperwork and such, he can’t use his nickname at the salon.

Suzuki chuckled as he wrote, “Where did ‘Ruki’ come from?”

“I, uh, work at the salon a few minutes from here. We all go by nicknames.” Ruki tried to shrug it off as casually as he could, though he had a hard time hiding the redness in his face.

“Oh, you’re a hairdresser?” Suzuki looked up from his scribbling. He paused, “I can see it.” Then continued his work.

What did that mean?!

“So which salon you work at?”

“Oh, uh, Black Moral. It’s about a ten to fifteen minute walk from here.”

“That’s black building with the bright white lettering right? Beside the music shop?” Suzuki looked like he was almost done.

“Yeah. That’s the one.” Ruki grew comfortable talking to him. He has an aura about him that makes him appear down to earth just like the atmosphere of the waiting room earlier. “It’s fun, even on our busy days.”

Dr. Suzuki handed a paper over to Ruki to sign. “And you said your dog got injured at work? What’s his name?”

“Yeah, my boss lets me bring him there. His name is Koron. Acts kind of like a mascot.”

“Oh, are you a spoiled little devil?” Suzuki cooed at Koron. He reached into his pocket to feed Koron a treat and leaned down to the chihuahua. Ruki chuckled and turned to see Nao appear beside them. He took the papers and began to tell Ruki the total cost before they were interrupted but a pained yell and froze.

They turned to see Koron’s teeth biting down onto Dr. Suzuki’s nose.

…..Shit!

Chapter Text

The scene inside the veterinarian office was chaos. Suzuki currently had a chihuahua clasped to his nose. Nao had gone into hysterics shouting. The papers in his hands were now spread all over the floor. Suzuki grunted in pain as he tried to pull his face away from Koron. But the chihuahua only tightened his grip the more the brunette struggled. An abnormal situation Dr. Suzuki can honestly say never has happened before.

Nao’s frenzied shouting freed Ruki from his shock and brought him back to reality. He quickly paced over to the commotion. Ruki put a hand on the vet’s shoulder; he went eye level with Koron and started to scold him in a stern and cold voice.

“Bad dog! Let go now! No yums for you! Bad! No walks for a week!” Koron released Suzuki immediately. The vet stumbled back and instinctively cover his nose with his hands in pain. Ruki finished reprimanding Koron and turned toward the injured vet.

“I’m so sorry. Let me see.” Ruki spoke quietly and reached for Dr. Suzuki’s covered nose. He removed his hands and revealed the bloodied mess. Ruki’s eyes widened at the sight. There was a large amount of blood smeared on his face as well as his hands. Ruki swallowed the lump in his throat from seeing the blood and kept himself composed.

“Do you have any more bandages?” It was a dumb question. He realized after he asked. OF COURSE he does! He’s a doctor. But he wanted to help. He considered it his fault.

Dr. Suzuki nodded and led Ruki back to the room with his supplies. He pointed to a cupboard while he held his nose with a tissue. Ruki grabbed a roll of bandages. He dampened a paper towel and moved Suzuki’s hands out of the way. He wiped at the blood lightly. The wound looked small, it just bled a great deal. Once he was done he began to bandage his nose. He just cut one strip and wrapped it from his nose around the back of his head to tie it off.

The whole time he did this Dr. Suzuki was looking at him with astonished eyes. The stuttering, worried man who came into his office in such a rush was now helping him with such confidence. It was almost like he was a different person. Suzuki noticed the way his brows furrowed slightly in his concentrations and how his dark eye makeup perfectly brought attention to his pale irises. GOD he was so close to his face. He averted his gaze to the wall behind Ruki to keep himself calmed.

Ruki finished his work and stood back from the doctor. He put the supplies back where he found them. When he turned to face the vet again, he noticed how he wasn’t making exact eye contact with him like before. His face grew a light shade of pink once he realized what he just did. He got so close to the veterinarian's face. He put his head down to hide his cheeks. He shuffled on his feet for a few seconds as the silence between the two increased. Suzuki cleared his throat to speak but was interrupted.

“I’m so, so sorry.” He spoke quietly and then snapped his head back up to look Suzuki in the eyes. This time his features filled with worry. “He never did that before! I don’t know what got into him. He’s around people all day and never bit anyone before! I’ll pay for whatever your medical costs are!”

Suzuki chuckled. He noticed how the other had blushed. There’s the man from before. “No no! It’s fine. Thank you for your help,” he touched the band around his nose, “I think I’d rather have you pay Koron’s bill before mine.”

They returned to the exam room. Suzuki calmed Nao down as Ruki helped pick up the scattered papers. Koron sat on the table with his tail between his legs and his puppy eyes cast at his owner. “He looks like he’s sorry too.” Suzuki commented and he hesitantly leaned to pet the dog. Koron’s tail wagged in approval.

Nao returned to his professional and friendly demeanor and continued his work as Ruki payed for Koron’s impromptu-appointment. Suzuki rounded up his supplies and put them away in the designated cupboards. When he returned he saw Ruki holding Koron in his arms.

“Someone is going to be spoiled for a few weeks now.” Suzuki joked as he neared the two.

Ruki giggled, “Yeah, I’m almost afraid to go back to work. Everyone is going to swarm him. He may get an even bigger ego than he already has.” Suzuki walked and held the door open for Ruki and they entered the waiting room laughing. They stopped before the exit and noticed the pouring rain outside. It was getting dark outside now too as the street lights began turning on.

“Hmpf, of course it’s gonna rain when I have to get back,” Ruki grumbled.

“I have an umbrella.” Suzuki offered without any hesitation causing Ruki to do a double take.

“Oh thank you! But I couldn’t,” Ruki peeps, “besides I have to hold Koron so I can’t carry an umbrella.”

“I can hold it.”

Ruki’s face immediately reddened at Suzuki’s words and what they inferred. He’ll walk me to work?! Did he even realize what he was saying?!

“I can’t ask you to do that! You have your clinic to watch and….” Ruki trailed off.

“You’re not asking me to do anything. I’m offering. Can’t let Koron get wet. That little diva has been put through enough today. I’ll go grab it, wait here.” Suzuki spoke with such confidence as if the generous action was just part of his job. “Nao, I’m heading out for a bit. Watch the clinic for me, ‘kay?”

Nao nodded as Suzuki went to the exam room. Once the door closed, Nao flashed a smirk at Ruki and quickly looked down at his desk. What is he smirking about?! Ruki self-consciously looked out the door window watching the rain. His face was starting to hurt from the blushing. Dr. Suzuki seemed almost as stubborn as him.There was no way out of this.

Suzuki returned with a large green umbrella and headed towards the door.

“Ready?” Suzuki smiled.

Ruki nodded. Lord, this is going to be a long walk back!

Chapter Text

The door chimed as Suzuki opened it leading him and Ruki out into the rain. The umbrella the vet opened was fortunately big enough for both of them. Ruki held Koron, wrapped in a blanket, close to his chest to keep him dry and warm. The sound of the rain hitting the umbrella filled the silence between the two. Suzuki still had on his white lab coat, he wasn’t wearing a jacket. He also walked the closest to the road to prevent any cars splashing Ruki or Koron. When a car would splash it’s way down the road, Ruki wondered what the drivers thought about the pair. Two men sharing an umbrella. They stood out for sure. Ruki tried to shake any of those thoughts from his head. He was tired of blushing all day, it was beginning to hurt. Though he expected he won’t be free from that while Dr. Suzuki walked him to work.

“How long have you been working as a hairdresser?” Suzuki broke the silence.

“Going on my sixth year there.” Ruki answered.

Suzuki whistled, “You must enjoy it. Most people can’t stick with a job that long.”

“Yeah, well the guys make it fun. We all hang out after work and eat. We’re all friends.” Ruki beamed. “And since Koron is allowed there, it makes things even better.” Ruki scratches Koron under his chin earning him an approving tail wag. Suzuki smiled at the small affections Ruki gave Koron and at how he spoke fondly of his work.

“You and Koron seem pretty close.” Suzuki smiled.

“Yeah,” Ruki sighed. “I’ve had him since he was a pup, Uruha helped me get him one day.” Ruki pets Koron again and mumbles, “He’s been a lifesaver.”

“How’s that?”

Ruki turns his gaze to the vet’s questioning. Suzuki had a concern look on his face. His eyes gently focused on Ruki. The hairdresser blushed again, he didn’t realize he was talking too much for his own liking. “Um…” He didn’t want to spill his life story to a man he just met. Sure he seems nice, but being too trusting has ended up hurting him before.

Ruki was looking down once again as he tried to think of what to say. Suzuki picked up on how uncomfortable the smaller man got. Trying to keep the mood from going sour, he changed the topic.

“You said Uruha helped you. Is that a friend of yours?”

Ruki breathed a sigh of relief; grateful the vet didn’t push him to answer. Maybe he isn’t a bad person? Ruki managed to look up once again, “Yeah, we’ve been friends since high school. He works at the salon too. He’s the one who trained me when I first started.”

Suzuki smiled as Ruki relaxed again. “Any fun stories from when you first started? Like did you accidentally shave a person bald?”

“No but I did dye a woman’s hair the wrong color once,” he giggled. “She was furious.”

“What color did you dye it? Blue?”
“No no, nothing that extreme, I have some talent!” Ruki side-eyed at the vet, quirking his lips into a grin. “She wanted blonde and I gave her red by mistake. But the bottles weren’t labeled correctly!”

“Sure they weren’t!” Suzuki cackled. “So what did you do?”

“Well, she turned to me and started yelling. Before I could yell back, Uruha rushed between us and calmed the woman down. He fixed her coloring and sent her on her way. He gave her a discount though, as an apology.” Ruki shook his head, smiling at the memory.

“So if I go for a dye job, I should go to one of the other hairdressers?” Suzuki teased.

“Hey, that was six years ago! I’m one of the best there! I’m in charge of training the new stylists!” Ruki pouted. He couldn’t believe how comfortable this man made him feel. Ruki can’t remember the last time he talked this much with someone he just met.

“So what made you work at Black Moral? You said your friend works there. Is that why?”

Ruki grew silent after that question. Suzuki noticed he bit his bottom lip while thinking. His eyes drained from the joy he showed while talking earlier. The vet silently berated himself. Maybe he was asking too personal of questions. He opened his mouth, ready to change the topic again, but was interrupted when Ruki replied.

“He helped me get the job. He suggested it to me. He was there two years before I joined so that’s how he ended up training me.”

Suzuki noticed how quiet the man’s voice got. He suspected he omitted some details, but didn’t want to push him. They only just met, he didn’t expect the man to divulge every personal thing about himself.

In the distance, Black Moral came into view. The black mortar and brick building was easy to spot from a distance, even at night due to the white neon lights outlining the salon’s name. It was unique looking. The modern design contrasted greatly to the simple veterinary clinic Dr. Suzuki owned.

“Thank you for the help today.” Ruki squeaked out.

“No problem. It’s my job!” Suzuki beamed.

Ruki smiled at how earnest and charismatic the vet was. They walked closer and closer to the salon and Ruki began to blush again. An attractive man was walking him to work, sharing his umbrella! Everyone at the salon can surely see them through the windows if they were looking.

“I can walk the rest of the way, thank you. You’ve already helped me so much.” He tried to be polite. He couldn’t let his coworkers gawk at them.

“Nonsense, it right there. It’s no problem.” Rukis cursed internally. He was going to have to deal with his coworkers it seemed. He had no idea what they were going to say, but he had to mentally prepare.

They arrived at the front door to the salon. Inside Aoi and Uruha were leaning against the front desk and Kai was standing with his arms crossed. When they noticed the two, they rushed to the doors and held it open for them. Kai was the first to fret over Koron and Ruki.

“Is Koron okay? How bad was he? Do you need any time off for his recovery?” Kai worried like a mother does with her children. Aoi joined in beside him. Though he was much calmer than Kai, he did show concern.

“Was the cut bad?” he asked.

Ruki was stuttering to answer one of the many questions thrown at him. Amongst his flustered stuttering, Suzuki interjected, “Koron should be fine. The cut was minor and required no stitches.” Ruki sighed in relief again. How did that man do it?

The two looked at him. Uruha, who was standing next to the brunette in a lab coat asked, “Are you the vet?”

“No. I just cosplay as one.” Suzuki joked without missing a beat. He earned a laugh out of the tallest hairdresser as well as chuckles from the other two.

“Thank you for taking care of Koron on such short notice.” Kai approached the man and offered his hand. “I’m Kai, owner of Black Moral.”

The vet reciprocated the handshake. “Dr. Suzuki. Pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard good things about your business.”

Aoi moved to him next. “Thanks for walking our chibi back. He’s a handful.”

“Don’t call me chibi!” Ruki blushed and whined. “I’ll fight you!”

“See what I mean.” Aoi earned a genuine chuckle from the vet. “I’m Aoi.”

The vet nodded then turned to the only man who hadn’t introduced himself. “You must be Uruha, then?”

“Yes. How did you know?” He asked surprised.
“Process of elimination. Takanori told me about you. Don’t worry, he said only good things. Or well I guess you call him Ruki.” Suzuki corrected himself. He seemed so confident in his talking, even though he was surrounded by strangers. The others looked at Ruki at the mention of his real name. They all were visibly hiding a smirk. Ruki sighed and looked away. There was no way any of them wouldn’t bother him after Suzuki left.

“So do you mind if I ask you about the bandage? What happened to your nose?” Aoi asked. His curiosity obviously got the better of him. Ruki paled at the mentions of the injury. He would have even more questions to answer now.

“Oh, um,...” Suzuki scratched the back of his neck. For the first time tonight he hesitated in his speaking. “Koron bit me actually.” He chuckled.

“What?!” The three shouted. They were completely stunned and looked at Ruki holding Koron. The blonde stylist stood in place, clearly anxious as his eyes darted between everyone in the room. His mouth dropped to answer them but no words came out.

“But it wasn’t serious! Ruki helped fix me up so there is nothing to worry about. Seriously!” Suzuki defended the small pup who was half asleep in Ruki’s arms. This only caused the surprise to increase amongst the other three.

“Wait! Our Ruki? The one who can’t stand the sight of blood?” Aoi asked incredulously.

This seemed to amuse the vet as he laughed. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. One time I got a bloody nose from the dry air and he ran to the bathroom to throw up and wouldn’t come out until it stopped.” Aoi cackled causing Ruki to blush.

“Don’t talk like I’m not even here.” Ruki pouted and turned to walk away. He headed to his station to put Koron in his bed. The mess from earlier had been cleaned up and Ruki noticed new supplies at his station. All of the stylists went home already leaving the four behind to close up. They obviously busied themselves while they waited for Ruki to come back. He heard laughter over his shoulder but chose to ignore it. If they were just going to tease him, he’d rather it be when he’s not there. It’d save him from the embarrassment.

As he tucked Koron snugly into his dog bed he felt a presence beside him. He looked up to see the bandaged vet standing there. He blushed and looked at Koron who walked in circles before lying down. Suzuki knelt down.

“He seems well taken care of.”

“Thanks.” Ruki mummered. They both stood up and walked towards the door. The other three had busied themselves. Kai was counting the money in the register while the Aoi and Uruha wiped down the glass windows and door. Suzuki nodded at them before heading out.

“And Ruki,” he spoke to the shorter walking beside him, “You should be able to remove the bandage in two days. If it doesn’t look like it’s healing or seems oddly colored, give me a call. If it gets infected we may need to prescribe antibiotics. But that’s only an extreme. He’ll be good though. He has a good owner.” With that he waved and left. Ruki reddened at the man’s parting words. He turned to see that the others clearly heard what he said. They all stared at him and smiled like a herd of sharks ready to attack him for answers.

….This day could not be over soon enough!

Chapter Text

The brunette veterinarian had bid his farewell and paced off towards his clinic. Ruki was now at the mercy of his coworkers. Kai, though he was smirking as much as the others, kept his head down to finish his counting of the register. Aoi was the first to step beside the shortest blonde.

“So...Takanori, eh?” Aoi chirped all too happily.

“Yes. That’s my legal name.” Ruki tried his best to not show any reaction to the others’ words, it would take all the fun out of teasing him and they would stop out of boredom. Though his cheeks were a shade pinker than normal.

“Why did he walk you back?” Aoi’s eyes shone mischievously as he practically sang his question.

“It’s his job to make sure Koron is safe. So he did it.” Ruki shrugged it off like it was nothing. However, internally he was a mess. Having a handsome man walk you to work wasn’t just “nothing” but he couldn’t let them know. He tried to walk towards his hairdressing station to inspect it. However he was soon stopped by Uruha stepping in front of him.

“Was it his job to share an umbrella with you?” Uruha spoke in his low, soothing voice that Ruki almost didn’t notice the hint of teasing in his question.

That was it. Ruki couldn’t think of any excuses. He stuttered trying to talk, causing the others to laugh heartily. Ruki’s defensive stance changed and he turned to glare at his friends. His face screamed in redness. “Shut up!”

“He’s seems like a nice guy though. Why so defensive?” Kai had finished his chore and strolled over to Ruki. Though he wore the same grin as the others, he spoke in a less teasing manner.

“Because…” was all Ruki managed to squeak out.

“Do you like him?” Kai’s earnestness did not help to calm Ruki’s disposition.

“I only just met him.”

“But do you LIKE him?” This time Aoi piped in.

“I...I mean he’s attractive, yeah...but…”

“Well that’s a start.” Uruha uttered.

“He has a secure job and was polite to all of us here. He cared about your safety. Why not go after him?” Kai listed the pros of the man. Ruki had to admit, he did feel some infatuation with him.

“I don’t know if he likes me back. He might be straight. He said he was just doing his job…”

“He was just saying that to be nice. He went above and beyond for you chibi!” Aoi flared his arms. Ruki punched the black-haired stylist’s shoulder.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Is he single?” Uruha asked.

Silence ensued as all eyes turned towards Ruki. His face immediately turned to a downcast expression. The others frowned and furrowed their brows in worry at the change in the man.

“I...I don’t know. I didn’t ask him anything about himself!” Ruki panicked, “I only talked about by myself like a stupid, selfish idiot!” Ruki berated himself.

“Hey now! Don’t be so hard on yourself!” Kai wrapped an arm around the distressed hairdresser to soothe him.

“Yeah, we know where he works! It’s not like you’ll never see him again.” Aoi was next to offer comforting words. He even smiled at the shorter man, but not in the teasing way he was earlier. Ruki couldn’t believe how happy he was to have everyone here to support him. They all helped to lift his sour mood.

They’ve all grown close throughout the years. Not only were they coworkers, they considered each other friends. And Ruki was grateful for that. They may tease each other but in the end they genuinely cared for one another. This was Ruki’s family.

“I Googled him.” Uruha’s voice broke the intimate circle of comfort. Ruki shouldn’t be surprised at Uruha’s pragmatic approach. They stared at Uruha for any information he could provide. He hummed to himself in thought as the others watched his thumb swipe across his smartphone to scroll down.

“His business hours are 7 to 9 on weekdays. 8 to 8 on Saturday. Closed Sundays.” Uruha read.

Aoi scoffed, “We don’t give a shit about that. What about him!”

“His name is Akira Suzuki. I don’t see him on Facebook or any other social media.”

Ruki hummed at his name. Pleased to know that much at least. Though he wasn’t on any social media? Black Moral had an account on almost every conceivable social media outlet. How did this man keep his clinic open? Doesn’t most every place now have a Facebook page at least? What if he did find out Dr. Suzuki was married? It seemed possible. He had such a likeable personality. Would Ruki handle it well? Would it be easy to back off and forget him?

“Are you sure, ‘Ruha?” Kai asked. Hoping for something to help Ruki out.

“Nothing personal is listed. Just his education and experience.” Uruha relayed the info he was reading. “There are also some online reviews for him. All five stars.” He scrolled some more and looked at Ruki, “There’s some that mention how hot he is.”

Ruki shook his head and laughed a shallow, dry laugh. “Thanks guys. But I think I should maybe just focus on my work right now.” He walked over to his station and started to pack up some of his belongings. It was getting late and the salon should’ve been closed at least a half hour ago. The other three stopped pushing on the matter and rounded up their things as well.

Aoi, Uruha, and Ruki wished Kai a good night as he locked the door behind them and they walked towards Aoi’s car. They all carpooled since they lived in the same apartment complex. Ruki sat in the back as Koron snuggled beside him on the seat. Uruha occupied the passenger seat switching through Aoi’s song selection on the radio until he finally found something he liked. The three lived fifteen minutes away, by car.

The trio sat in silence as Ruki stroked Koron’s head. The only noise was the metal music playing from Aoi’s stereo at low volume.

“We should get a cat.” Uruha finally broke the silence.

“What?” Aoi scoffed. “That’s random.”

“I think you’d be good with a cat.”

“Thank you?”

Ruki laughed at the couple’s interaction. They have been dating for four years, though they had hooked up many times before they were official. They weren’t secret about their relationship, they just didn’t do too much PDA at work. Amongst friends, however, they didn't care. Ruki has pried them apart sometimes in public to not cause a scene and get them thrown out.

“It would help Ruki too.” Uruha reasoned.

“Uruha, we are not getting a cat so we can hook Ruki up with some hot doctor!” He laughed.

“But we’re his friends.” Uruha had a slight whine to his voice.

“So what? I don’t want a cat shitting in our apartment. I have a hard enough time handling you, I don’t need to add another roommate!”

Uruha was about to offer another counterpoint until Ruki jumped in from the back seat. “Thank you Uruha, I appreciate it. But you don’t have to do that.”

“Thank you!” Aoi shouted back to Ruki.

The car ride became lively in a matter of minutes after Uruha’s suggestion. They joked with each other the whole way home. Aoi parked in his usual spot and they all herded into the elevator inside the five floored complex.

“You coming over tonight?” Aoi asked inside the elevator. Ruki pushed the button to the third floor while Uruha hit for the fourth.

“Nah, I better take Koron home. He could probably use the rest.” The chihuahua perked his ears up at the mention of his name.

“Okay. Take care.” Aoi called as the doors dinged open for the third floor. Ruki waved back at them and turned down the hall to his apartment. He reached his door and fumbled with the lock since his other hand was occupied by a disabled puppy.

Inside the apartment, Ruki shut the door behind him with his foot as he set Koron down in his doggie bed by the living room couch. Koron snuggled up to his blanket and toys and snoozed within minutes. Ruki went to the kitchen attached to the living room and boiled himself some water for some instant ramen. Today was such a busy day he didn’t feel like making himself anything. It took too much effort to just make the ramen, but he needed to eat something. Ruki sat on his couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. While he sipped his noodles he scrolled through his phone. He checked his email and instagram. Once he got bored of his usual apps, so he decided to Google Dr. Suzuki. Maybe he could find something out, afterall Uruha wasn’t the best with technology.

Ruki became frustrated with his Google search quickly because, just like Uruha confirmed earlier, there wasn’t much about the man, only his clinic’s business hours and reviews. No pictures of him either. “Dammit,” Ruki pouted. It was stupid to get mad at something like this. He shook his head and decide to turn in for the night, he had work again tomorrow anyway. He decided to shower in the morning and dragged Koron to bed with him. He wanted to make sure the spoiled dog didn’t chew on his bandage. Ruki lied down in his bed and closed his eyes trying to focus on his sleep, and not his growing infatuation for a certain veterinarian.

___________________________________

Two days had passed. Koron’s bandage was able to come off this morning and both owner and pet were relieved to see the chihuahua was healed. A little bit of Ruki hated to admit it, but if Koron had developed an infection, he would get to see Dr. Suzuki again. But he kept that secret and was just glad to see Koron back to normal.

Ruki finally managed to sleep last night. The previous nights his mind was too occupied with plans on what he’d say if he saw the young vet again. He plotted out scenarios in his head. But last night he managed to sleep without a single thought of Suzuki. His coworkers noticed his tiredness, for sure, but didn’t breach the subject. Hoping things would work out.

Today, Ruki was with Aoi working the front desk. Kai practically forced him.

“You accepted it, remember?”

Kai’s voice dripped with a hint of sadness when Ruki tried to deny it now. He remembers being interrupted by Koron’s accident. But now he was trapped in a corner and had to accept his fate. He’d be working the front desk. At least Aoi made things lively. Aoi showed Ruki the books, how to answer the phone, and how to run the register. It wasn’t difficult. The customers were all regulars and were kind to Ruki as he learned. The salon had no new accidents either. Miko apologized profusely to Ruki and Koron. She brought a bag of gourmet treats for Koron every morning now. The pampered pup relished in the attention. Kai also bought Koron a new dog bed and placed it right by the front desk in the lobby. The dog was beginning to run the place from the looks of it.

“Everything okay?” Aoi asked Ruki. There was a lull in customers so there was time for a break.

“Yeah, why?”

“Just wanted to make sure you’re getting the hang of this. It’s not too hard. Less work than styling.”

Ruki turned to look at the stations and saw all the stylists busy at work. Miko worked with more confidence than before. She no longer needed to be watched so closely. Many of the others had improved too. Uruha didn’t have a strenuous job of watching over them, Ruki trained them well.

“Yeah, but at least time went faster over there. It’s so boring here.”

Aoi gasped and feigned a hurt look. “Are you saying I am not fun to be around?”

“No, not at all.” Ruki giggled at Aoi’s antics.

An hour passed, Aoi and Ruki were shooting crumpled, paper balls into a wastebasket they moved by the door. No new customers came in and some of the hairdressers who didn’t currently have a client were taking a break and talking amongst themselves.

Aoi was beating Ruki at their impromptu basketball game. Koron was fast asleep on the desk rather than his bed. He was too cute, so they agreed to leave him be. Ruki just shot a paper ball and bounced it off the side of the basket. He cursed as it fell to the floor, joining his other failed attempts. Ruki looked down and tore another piece of paper out of a notebook and began to crumple it. With his gaze down he heard the door chime.

“Welcome to Black Moral sir, what can we do for you?” Aoi’s greeting brought Ruki’s attention upwards towards the customer. He turned to see a familiar man standing in front of the desk. His purple hair was faded. He wore his black-rimmed glasses and sported a wide smile.

“Hiya, Takanori!” he beamed. Ruki grew anxious as he realized Suzuki’s receptionist, Nao, looked at him.

Couldn’t he have one day where he didn’t thing about Suzuki?

Chapter Text

“You know each other?” Aoi offered an amused smirk towards the small, blonde stylist beside him. Ruki was fidgeting with a ring on his pinky as he fathomed what was going on around him.

“Um...acquaintances.” Ruki replied. “This is Nao. He’s Dr. Suzuki’s receptionist.” Aoi’s brows shot upwards in surprise. His smile turns mischievous at the mention of the vet’s name.

“Pleasure to meet you. My name’s Aoi.” Nao nodded at the dark-haired elder. He turned his attention to the sleeping dog on the desk.

“Awww,” he cooed, “How’s Koron doing? All healed up?”

“Yeah. Now he can get back to work.” Ruki nodded and smiled looking at the napping dog.

“So what brought you in today?” Aoi asked.

“Oh, I wanted to get my hair colored again. The purple is fading so I’d like to get it touched up.” Nao shrugged.

“Sure thing. We have some openings right now so you can walk right over. Ruki take him to your station.”

Ruki jumped at Aoi’s words. “But I was working the front desk today. There are other stations open right now. I’m sure they’d….”

“You said you liked styling better than answering phones, right?” Aoi’s impish tone had Ruki pouting. He glanced at his friend and then directed Nao to his unused station.

“Just sit in the chair over there and I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“Thank you!” Nao beamed.

Once he was out of earshot, Ruki turned towards his friend and grabbed his collar.

“What the hell was that?!”

“You wanted the day to go faster so I thought I’d help!” Aoi acted oblivious. Then he grew serious. “Ruki, now’s your chance to learn more about Suzuki. Just ask Nao simple things about work. He seems like a talkative man.” Ruki blushed at the mention of the doctor’s name. He hated to admit it, but Aoi had a solid plan. Ruki let go of Aoi and stepped back in defeat.

“Thanks.” He mumbled, hoping Aoi wouldn’t hear it.

Ruki walked towards his station and greeted Nao. “So you wanted a dye job?”

“Yeah. I would like it to be the same color if that’s not too much?”

“I can do that.” Ruki began picking through his bottles and supplies around his station. “So the clinic closed today?” He knew it wasn’t, from his previous Google search, but might as well start the conversation there.

“No. I’m just on my lunch break. Suzuki said to not worry. We aren’t that busy so he said he’ll handle the clinic. I guess he was tired of hearing me complain about my hair.”

Nao cackled at his own joke. His laughter was infectious, Ruki couldn’t help but giggle. The man sure did talk an awful lot. He also didn’t seem like he held anything back either. Maybe he could actually talk to this man about Suzuki.

“Do you like working for Suzuki?” Ruki asked while creating the color to match Nao’s purple.

“Oh yeah, he’s fun. Doesn’t act like a real boss. Doesn’t talk down to you, you know?” Nao grins. “Plus he lets me do this on my break!” Nao flailed his arms as he talked.

“Good point. Seems like a nice guy then.” The stylist smirks to himself as he continues his prep work.

“He is.” Nao reassures.

“Do you guys get to chat much during work?” Ruki did his best to multitask between his work and his conversation, he wanted to find more out about the vet so he plotted out his questions.

“Yeah. The clinic isn’t busy most days so we get plenty of time to bullshit or joke around.”

“What kind of things do you guys talk about?”

That wasn’t too odd of a question was it? Ruki internally worried.

“Anything really. He’s big into his family so he talks about them alot.”

Ruki frowns, but tries his best to mask it. “Family?” He asks as he leans over Nao and begins to apply the dye.

“He always talks about his mother and sister. He visits them every other Sunday practically.” The way he answered, it was almost as if Nao sensed what Ruki wanted to know.

“Is he single?” Uruha’s voice interrupted the conversation. Ruki’s face grew bright red as he backed away from his customer fidgeting with the applicator to keep it in his shaken hands. Nao laughed at Ruki’s reaction.

“URUHA!” The shorter man scolded his friend.

“I couldn’t just stand by while you beat around the bush.” The taller shrugged. So he had been eavesdropping this whole time? Ruki was swallowed by embarrassment.

“Well,” Nao began, with an all-to-pleased look on his face, “I know he is single.” He smiled at Uruha and then turned to look at the red-faced stylist beside him, “And I happen to know that Ruki is also his type.”

The receptionist’s words paralyzed the blonde. He stood there with his mouth agape. His eyes moved between his friend and his customer while he registered those words. Uruha stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His mouth slightly turning upwards in a smirk at the news.

“And how would you know that?” Uruha decided to keep the conversation going since Ruki was obviously in stasis for a moment.

“Well, after he came back from walking Ruki in the rain the other day, he just kept saying about how it was a nice walk. Plus he all but insisted I go to Black Moral today.” Nao sported a huge grin on his face.

“So then you didn’t come here today just for you?” Uruha asked as Nao nodded.

It made sense now. That’s why Suzuki was okay with Nao coming here on break! Ruki didn’t know how to feel. The interest wasn’t one-sided. Ruki should be elated but now he worried about how to proceed. What was next? How do people do these things now?

“Ruki.” Uruha’s low voice grabbed Ruki’s attention. He must have noticed Ruki’s anxious state cause his face was no longer smirking. His brows were furrowed in concern behind his long brunette bangs. “Would you like help? Nao should probably get back before too long.”

Ruki nodded and with Uruha’s help they finished Nao’s hair. Ruki’s fidgeting finally stopped, but his nervousness wasn’t completely gone. The smiling man was thrilled with the job the stylists did, even though they only did a touch-up. Ruki walked towards the front desk and stood by the register. He turned to see that Nao was talking to Uruha instead of following him to pay. After a brief nod between the two the men, the receptionist bounced towards Ruki to pay. He petted Koron, who was beginning to stir from his slumber. He waved goodbye strolled out the door.

Aoi was leaning on the desk reading a magazine. His head was propped up by his arm. His bored expression vanished once he noticed the short blonde returned. Uruha walked over to join them.

“What were you saying to him?” Ruki asked, a little hesitant, not sure if he truly wanted to know. Uruha didn’t say anything and instead showed his phone to the two men behind the desk. His screen showed a number saved in his contacts.

“What are we looking at?” Aoi asked.

“Akira Suzuki’s number.” Uruha’s spoke with such calmness that Ruki’s reaction was delayed. His eyes shot open once the words registered in his brains.

“Uruha, you wingman!” Aoi cooed. Impressed with his boyfriend.

“How...how did you get it!?” The blonde stylist gasped.

“I asked Nao.” He shrugged. Leave it to Uruha to, once again, take the pragmatic approach.

“Well now what? We know Ruki won’t be the first one to text him.” Aoi teased.

“Wait! What?!” The shortest was offended at the accusation.

“You’re so tsundere!” Aoi chuckled.

“I am not!”

Aoi’s smirk remained even after a barrage of slaps to his arms from the shortest. “Hand me your phone. I’ll text him and start the conversation for you!”

“No way! You’ll say something weird and ruin everything before it even starts.” Ruki protested and held onto his phone tighter as he copied Suzuki’s info from Uruha’s phone. He stared at it in disbelief. He knew the vet reciprocated his feelings and now he had his number.

“Um...what do I say to him?” Ruki blushed at the realization that he didn’t know what to say.

“Just tell him, ‘It’s Ruki.’” Uruha answered.

“Nah! You gotta do something to get his attention!” Aoi suggested.

“I am NOT sending a selfie or a nude or whatever the hell you are thinking.” Ruki was quick to interrupt his friend’s thought.

“What’s wrong with my answer?” Uruha asked. Aoi chuckled.

“I love you dear, but it’s too boring and formal. Like replying to a business email or something.”

The two went back-and-forth while Ruki tuned them out. He had to think what to say. He liked Uruha’s suggestion but Aoi was right, it was too boring. He didn’t want to come off as cold towards the vet either. He could ask him about work. Would that be weird for a first text? He could ask him about his day. What if he doesn’t want small talk? He could ask him to meet up somewhere, so they could talk face to face. Maybe it was too soon for that! Every draft Ruki wrote in his head, he pondered whether or not Suzuki would read too much into it.

Aoi and Uruha silenced themselves as they noticed the blonde staring at a blank messaging app.

“You don’t have to text him right away.” Uruha’s voice grabbed Ruki’s attention.

“Yeah, you just got his number. You can give it some time. Think over what you want to say.” Aoi comforted.

Ruki sighed and slide his phone into his pocket. He couldn’t believe how much he was worrying over something so simple. His nerves were relaxed again as they heard the door chime, signalling to them that a customer had entered.

“Come on, we have to get back to work. It’ll come to you later.” Aoi smirked as Uruha walked back over to the stations. The rest of Ruki’s shift kept him busy and kept his mind off of Suzuki. The day was done quickly as they once again bid farewell to Kai and drove off to their home.

Ruki was laying in bed after having showered. He was toweling his hair dry as Koron chewed on a ragged stuffed toy. The squeaker was long gone, now he was just pulling the stuffing out of it. The stylist smiled at the mess the chihuahua was creating at the bottom of the bed. He playfully pulled at the toy with his pup until the chime of his phone drew his attention. He turned to his phone on the charger and saw he had a new text. He unlocked his phone and read it.

[Unknown Number]

Hey Ruki. It’s Akira Suzuki. Nao gave me your number.

How has everything been?

Ruki fell off his bed. Koron quickly stood up as his master lay on the floor. The towel fell over his face suffocating him. He also struggled to breath from the situation. His heart was racing and his stomach filled with giddiness. How did Nao get my number?!

Ruki threw the towel aside, his damp hair the least of his concerns as he hurriedly typed a message to his friend.

[Ruki]

Did you give Nao my number?!

He closed his eyes once he hit send. He sat up and crawled back into his bed beside his dog. Koron was pawing at his master sensing Ruki’s heightened mood. The stylist grabbed the toy at the end of the bed to distract the dog. Koron took the bait and continued his destruction while Ruki waited for Uruha’s reply. A few seconds later his message sound chimed.

[Uruha]

You’re welcome

Ruki didn’t know if Uruha’s smug answer angered him or if he was truthfully grateful. He puffed out his cheeks and sighed. He had to answer Suzuki. It was rude to leave him hanging. It probably took him a great amount of courage to text Ruki first. How do I reply?! Ruki started to panic again. But he mentally slapped himself.

“You are acting like a high schooler. You are a grown-ass man! Pull it together. You’ve been in relationships before!” Ruki whispered to himself as he started to type out a response.

[Ruki]

Hey Suzuki! Everything has been good. Koron is better, thank you.

How are you? How is your nose?

Sent. Ruki wasn’t sure if this was the best response he could come up with, but he threw all his second guessing and anxiety aside and tried to just focus on the present. Just be yourself!

[Unknown Number]

You can just call me Akira, less formal :)

And I’ve been pretty good. Don’t worry about my nose. It’s fine.

What are you up to?

Is that a smiley face emoticon!? Ruki chuckled. He didn’t seem the type. Suzu- I mean Akira is pretty cute.

[Ruki]

Got home from work not too long ago. Playing with Koron. You?

[Akira]

I’m just feeding my cockatiels. Oscar and Keiji. You probably

thought I was a dog person, huh?

Ruki giggled to himself as he typed.

[Ruki]

With the way Koron treated you no. lol

[Akira]

I’m hurt! You think so little of me! :(

[Ruki]

Oh no! How are you going to change my mind? :p

The longer they texted, Ruki couldn’t help but feel bold. He was actually enjoying himself. Akira’s charm showed even through his messages.

[Akira]

Are you free this Sunday? We can go get a drink at Sequence. Do you know where that’s at?

I t’s not to far from either of our works. Maybe I can change your view of me face to face.

Ruki’s eyes widened. Did he just ask me on a date?! Maybe this is just a casual hangout amongst friends? But Nao said I’m his type so…

Ruki grew anxious. Sure he wanted to see him, but now all his second guessing came back to him in an instant. Was he ready to start something again? Maybe he shouldn’t have been so bold with that last text. Ruki was going to text Uruha for advice but stopped himself mid-typing. He shouldn’t rely on his friends too much. They already helped him out so much. Besides, he needed to act on his own for once.

Ruki took a deep breath, he steadied his hands and replied to Akira.

[Ruki]

I can ask for Sunday off. I’ll meet you there at 1.

The stylist smiled. He pushed away all the doubt and decided to take a chance. He’ll get to know Akira outside of work. He’ll try to take things as they come. They texted back and forth for a little bit longer, mostly about Sunday, and bid goodnight. Ruki picked his discarded towel off the floor and laid down to sleep. Rest did not come easy as all his thoughts turned towards his Sunday date.

Chapter Text

It was finally Sunday. Ruki asked Kai for the day off. Once Kai learned the request was because he had a date, he leapt out of his seat….literally. He enveloped the shorter one in a fierce bear hug. He was so joyous over the news he blabbed it to every employer like a proud mom gushing about her son. Ruki can’t remember the last time he felt this embarrassed. He was a little uneasy having everyone know his personal business. But no one made fun of him, they all wished him luck. When he broke the news to Aoi and Uruha, the older man’s jaw dropped and the taller stared at Ruki with a satisfied yet smug look.

“Our chibi is growing up!” Aoi cried to his lover, earning him a few arm punches from Ruki. Since Uruha handed out Ruki’s number without permission, he had to watch over Koron at the salon.

Ruki spent hours getting ready. His blonde hair was styled to have some wave at the bottom. His lips were a rosey shade while he outlined his hazel eyes in black. He wore tight-fitted black jeans and a long grey v-neck sweater. His neck was littered with a few dark necklaces and pendants. He even dug out some black Doc Martens from his closet that he never wore before. Overall, he thought he looked eye-catching. He gave himself a long once-over in the mirror before he deemed himself acceptable and bounced out the door.

After a half-hour walk to the bar they agreed to meet at, Ruki couldn’t believe his luck. Did it have to be so hot today?! The temperature was upper 80°F almost nearing 90°F. The sun was high in the sky, shining it’s violent rays down below. And he wore such dark colors and heavy clothes! If only he paid closer attention to the weather forecast. Ruki leaned on the side of the building, trying to cool off in what little shade he could find. He didn’t see Akira and silently thanked whatever cosmic power there was. He looked like a mess and needed to stop his pores from perspiring. He checked the time and saw he had arrived ten minutes early. Ruki pulled a compact mirror out of his bag and inspected his makeup. Ruki fixed up a few smudges near his eyes that smeared from sweat. He closed his eyes and sighed.

“Glad to see you!” A voice startled Ruki, making him jump and drop his mirror.

“Woah!” the source of the voice grabbed the mirror before it shattered on the pavement. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you!”

Ruki steadied himself from the fright and found Akira standing in front of him offering him his mirror back. Ruki took it and blushed, “Thank you.”

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long. Though it is ten minutes earlier than we said.” Akira spoke. Ruki realized the brunette was dressed properly for the weather. His buttoned up shirt was a dark shade of blue, but was short sleeved. Ruki noticed how it showed off his biceps. Quit staring at them! He also wore a pair of denim jeans, they weren’t tight-fitted but did hug his legs nicely. He still had the band wrapped around his nose. Have to ask him about that later.

“It’s no problem. I thought it would take longer to get here than it actually did.” Ruki shrugged, trying to act casual even though he was melting from the heat.

“Do you want to go in? They have air conditioning.”

Ruki chuckled, “Yes please.” So he noticed the sweat.

Akira led Ruki through the front door to the bar. Upon entering, Ruki relished in the cooler air. The place wasn’t too crowded either, Ruki was relieved for that too. The last thing he wanted was to go to a crowded bar only to shout over other conversations to hear Akira. The bar was illuminated by blue and pink neon lights while the rest of the place was dimly lit by fluorescent lighting. The low volume of the music provided a relaxed ambiance for the bar. Akira walked Ruki over to a table against a wall. Ruki took his seat on one of the pub chairs. He felt self-conscious while struggling into the chair due to his short height. The brunette stood and watched Ruki climbed into his seat. He’s going to make fun of me...

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

Oh….

“Um, I don’t want any alcohol...”

“That’s no problem. I don’t want to get you drunk. I think they have Pepsi products here.” Akira smiled at Ruki. The stylist blushed at the man’s sincerity.

“A Pepsi would be fine.”

Akira nodded and made his way to the bar. The blonde remained at his seat. Ruki was pleasantly surprised by the vet. He didn’t make fun of him for struggling with his high seat or his choice in drink yet. Is this for real?

The taller man came back with two cans of Pepsi. He handed one to the blonde before taking his seat across the table. Ruki opened his and took a sip. The cold beverage was refreshing after enduring the heat of that walk.

“So this place is nice. How’d you find it?”  Ruki asked while taking another sip of his drink.

“I use to come here a few years ago. It doesn’t look like it has changed at all.” Akira chuckled deeply.  “How has Koron been? I take it his paw is healed.”

“Yeah, he’s back to his spoiled self.” Ruki smiled. “You mentioned you had birds?” The stylist wanted to steer the conversation towards Akira. Afterall, the last time they spoke he felt like he talked too much about himself. Now he had a chance to know the vet more.

“Oscar and Keiji. They’re cockatiels.”

“Do cockatiels talk like parrots?”

“Somewhat. They can’t be taught as complex things as parrots. But they can sing and repeat simple words.” Akira explained things to Ruki in such a simple manner. He didn’t talk down to the hairdresser because he didn’t know something. This caused Ruki to relax in his presence.

“So what made you want to get birds?”

“My mom bought me and my sister each one a few years back. Said she wanted grandchildren but they would have to do for now.” Akira laughed as he looked off in thought. Probably reminiscing about the memory. “Keiji was mine. Oscar was my sister’s.”

“How did you end up with him?”

“ Her. Oscar’s actually female. Ayane didn’t know until she started to lay eggs.” The pair laughed. “But Oscar was laying too many eggs. Cockatiels are known for that. And laying that many eggs depletes her calcium and causes her to get very sick.”

“What did you do? Can birds be neutered?” The blonde stylist asked, paying attention to every word the vet spoke.

“Yeah. Since I’m a vet, I took her to my clinic and had her spayed. She’s been close to me ever since. Since Ayane was planning on college, she just gave Oscar to me.”

The smile Akira sported after telling his story was so endearing to Ruki. The man looked so charming.

“You saved a bird’s life.” Ruki laughed, “Are you some kind of Disney prince?” He just couldn’t believe the man sitting across from him. A masculine man who cared for small animals. It’s like he was from one of those romance novels his mom read. He seemed to good to be true.

“Does that make you a Disney princess?” Akira’s smile morphed into a sly one as he watched Ruki’s reaction. The blonde straightened and froze in his seat as he looked at the taller man. A red blush crawled up his cheeks and painted his entire face. His mouth mimicked a fish as he opened and closed it trying to speak.

Akira let out a low chuckle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I couldn’t help myself.” Ruki pouted at the man, receiving another chuckle from the man. “Do you have any idea how cute you are?”

Ruki’s face still blistered from the blush but his eyes grew stern. He continued to pout at the other. “Well, if it helps, I don’t think you are much of a Disney prince now.”

“Aw, that’s not fair!” Akira whined while still smiling. Ruki couldn’t help but let a little chuckle escape his lips as he smiled. He was enjoying his time here. They both laughed as they teased one another.

It was late and both men stood outside the bar. The night air was much cooler than the afternoon earlier. Ruki actually shivered upon exiting. They had talked so much that they didn’t realize how fast time went. Ruki learned that Akira was only four years older than him; the vet being 31 while Ruki was 27. Akira went through eight years of schooling and internships to become a veterinarian as well as an additional three years to get his own clinic. The man’s dedication to his job amazed Ruki. He felt like he wasted his early years in comparison.

“Thanks for agreeing to that. The was fun!” Akira beamed at the shorter one.

“Hey, thanks for asking me.” Ruki couldn’t help but smile at the older’s enthusiasm.

“Then would you be interested in doing this again next Sunday?” Akira scratched at the back of his neck. “We don’t have to come here. We could go to a movie or something.”

The slight nervousness Akira showed took Ruki by surprised. The man seemed so confident.

“I’d love to. What movie would we see?” The stylist hated to admit it, but the thought of seeing the brunette again filled him with giddiness.

“Does it matter? If it’s a good one we can be moved to tears.” Akira joked as he held his heart in fake sorrow. “And if it’s a bad one, we can talk through it in Mystery Science Theater-style.” He shrugged.

“That sounds like fun.” Ruki giggled. They stood outside and laughed a little while longer before Akira spoke again.

“Did you walk far to get here? Do you need a ride home?”

Ruki felt anxiousness creeping its way through him. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of walking a half hour home in the dark. But was it too soon to let Akira know where he lived? He liked the vet, sure, but there was a certain pacing you have to follow with dating. Can’t rush things.

“Um, it’s a half hour walk back. It’s not too dark, I’m sure I could make it back before it’s too late.” Ruki tried to shrug like it was no big deal, despite his fears.

Akira shook his head. “No way. I am taking you home. That’s too far of a walk at night.” Before Ruki could open his mouth, Akira interrupted, “And if you’re worried about having me find out where you live, I already know where you work. So if I wanted to murder you I could just go to the salon.” He smiled at Ruki hoping to alleviate any tension.

“Fair point. Thank you.” Ruki laughed at the man’s shenanigans.

“Besides, what kind of Disney prince would let his princess walk alone?”

“Shut up.” Ruki blushed and smirked at the taller.

Akira walked Ruki towards a small parking lot in the alleyway near the bar. It was lit up by a single street light. Ruki walked a little closer next to Akira, for safety. The taller noticed this and couldn’t help but smile. He led the stylist to a single black motorbike parked at the far end of the lot.

“You drive a motorcycle?” Ruki’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t hide the slight excitement in his voice.

“Yeah, are you okay with riding one? I should’ve asked earlier. I know some people are afraid or…”

“Hell yeah!” Ruki couldn’t contain his outburst. He blushed and covered his mouth with his hands and bowed in apologies.

Akira bellowed a loud cackle, “You like motorcycles then?”

Ruki walked towards it and rubbed his finger over one of the handlebars reminiscing. “I use to have one when I was younger. I use to drive it all around, just to get away from everything and enjoy my alone time.”

“What happened to it?” Akira fondly looked at the shorter man. He showed such raw emotions from lightly touching his bike. The soft expression of Ruki’s face turned somewhat sour.

“I sold it.”

“Why would you sell something that brought you joy?” Akira never got an answer. Ruki mumbled something and continued stroking the bike. The taller knew there was definitely something Ruki needed to talk about, but maybe the first date wasn’t the best time. Instead of pushing the issue, Akira walked to the saddlepack at the side of his bike and pulled out two helmets.

“Here you go.” He offered one to Ruki. “I thought maybe you’d want to go for a ride so I made sure to bring another helmet, just in case.”

Ruki nodded his head in thanks and put the protective gear on his head. Once he had it fastened his smile returned. Akira hopped on the bike first followed by Ruki behind him. He put his hands on Akira’s shoulders, unsure if he should wrap them around the taller’s waist. He knew that would be safer, but he was hesitant. What if that makes him uncomfortable?

Akira reached up towards his shoulders and wrapped the hairdressers arms around him, resting his hands on his stomach. “Don’t be afraid to hold on. I don’t want you to fall.” He spoke lowly while returning his own hands to the handlebars. Ruki blushed. He could feel Akira’s abs through his shirt. The definition of them were so prominent. Ruki thought the vet must work out or something to be so fit.

As the bike started up, Ruki was glad he was behind the taller where he didn’t see his face. The stylist could not silence the blush in his cheeks. He was pushed so close to the other he felt his body heat. It’s been awhile since he was this close to anyone.

Akira shouted back at Ruki for directions. Once he replied with his address, they were off. The sound of the motorcycle was all that filled the silence between them. Not that Ruki minded. He didn’t feel like shouting the whole ride. He relaxed after a minute and rested his head on Akira’s back. He closed his eyes and let the wind whip the free strands of hair across his face. He focused on the sound of the bike and found himself in a silent trance. The feeling was nostalgic. He missed this.

It wasn’t long before they slowed down to a stop in front of the apartment complex. Ruki still had his eyes closed as Akira turned off his bike. He turned around, stirring the blonde back to consciousness.

“Enjoyed it?” Akira asked, noticing how relaxed the shorter man was. Ruki nodded as he removed his helmet. He place it back in the saddlepack and stepped off the bike followed by the other.    

“Thank you for today. And the ride.” Ruki bowed in thanks.

“Am I a prince yet?” Akira crossed his arms over his chest.

Ruki hummed, “Maybe a little more than before. But not quite yet.”

The brunette pouted at the shorter’s reply, “So I guess I’ll have to prove it next week.”

Ruki giggled, “Yes. I guess you have to.”

They stood in silence. It was a bit awkward, neither knew how to end the conversation and say goodbye. Ruki looked down at his feet and shuffled back and forth on them. Akira uncrossed his arms and rested them on his hip. From his peripheral vision, Ruki saw the taller man move closer towards him and lean down. He held his breath and closed his eyes in expectation.

Akira wrapped his arms around the smaller man and embraced him in a hug. Ruki released the breathe he was holding and opened his eyes. He was just hugging me!? Ruki was expecting something else. He wrapped his arms around Akira, returning the hug.

“Guess I’ll wait and see you next week, huh?” Akira breathed against Ruki’s blonde hair. It sent a shiver through the hairdresser.

He nestled his head against his chest, “I’m looking forward to it.” He felt warm and comfortable in the older’s embrace. As they pulled apart, Ruki had a surge of boldness run through him. He leaned up and planted a quick yet tender kiss to Akira’s cheek. The brunette raised his hand to touch his cheek. Once Ruki stepped back his eyes grew wide and the blush returned to his cheeks. Akira smiled warmly at the shorter one.

“Goodnight!” Ruki bowed quickly and strolled towards the front doors of the complex. Why did I do that?! The stylists heart was racing as he quickened to get inside the building. He heard Akira call out to him, “Goodnight!” The motorcycle started up again. The moment Ruki’s feet crossed through the doors he heard Akira drive off.

Ruki stepped into the elevator and hit to go to the fourth floor. He had to pick up his chihuahua from his friends’ apartment. The blonde man was deep in his thoughts. Should I have done that? Is a kiss on the cheek too much for a first date? What if he thinks I’m easy? What if I made him uncomfortable! The ding of the elevator brought Ruki back to the present as he stepped out and headed towards the familiar door of his coworkers’.

He knocked once on the door and it was immediately opened by his tall friend with the side-cut.

“So how did it go?” was the first thing out of Uruha’s mouth. Ruki didn’t know what to expect, but he wasn’t ready for the sudden question. Aoi bounced behind the tall brunette, “Tell us EVERYTHING!” The sound of Koron excitingly barking behind the pair was ignored as they waited for the blonde to say something.

Ruki sighed, “Let me in first.”

Chapter Text

Ruki sat on his friends’ couch. His legs were crossed and he had Koron nestled in his lap. His tail was wagging as the stylists ringed fingers stroked the fur on the chihuahua’s head. The stereo beside him was turned down to a low volume. The time was veering towards midnight and Ruki would have liked to head home and shower. But he was trapped. Uruha and Aoi refused to let him leave until he told them about his date.

Uruha was making coffee in the kitchen while Aoi sat in a chair at the corner of their living room. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, intently staring at the blonde. Waiting for the gossip about the date. Ruki couldn’t stay mad at the two of them. Sure, they were being nosy, but they probably hoped that the relationship with Akira went as well as Ruki did. They cared, in their own way.

Uruha walked into the room and handed a mug of hot coffee to the two men already sitting. Uruha made himself comfortable sitting next to his short friend on the couch. He folded his hands between his knees, “Okay. Start when you’re ready.”

“What do you want to know?” Ruki asked his friends as he raised the hot mug to his lips.

“I already told you, EVERYTHING!” Aoi barked from his seat. “How did it go?”

Ruki hummed. “It was really nice.” He fought back a smirk as he reminisced about his evening. “We just sat and talked the whole time.”

“He has a motorcycle.” Uruha almost whispered. “You went for a ride?”

Ruki tried to shrug, “He didn’t want me to walk home in the dark.”

“Awww,” Aoi crooned. Ruki fought the blush on his cheeks. He was trying to act casual even though he was melting on the inside. Ruki told them a little bit about Akira’s birds and his work. Just some of the things they talked about. While he was talking, Uruha and Aoi exchanged a knowing look at one another a few times. Ruki noticed it, and after awhile commented on it.

“Why are two looking at each other like that? Is something wrong?” Ruki worried he might have told them too much.

“No, nothing is wrong.” Uruha reassured his friend.

“We just saw an interesting sight outside the window earlier.” Aoi smirked. Ruki looked at his friend and paled. He quickly shot a glance towards the tall man beside him, only to find a smirk gracing his lips as well.

“What did you see?” Ruki spoke in a hushed voice eyeing the two men with suspicion.

“I saw a strapping young doctor hug a smaller man. But the smaller man wasn’t satisfied. And the doctor received a kiss from the chibi.” Aoi spoke in a cocky matter-of-fact tone. Ruki’s face exploded in every shade of pink and red. He buried his face behind his hands in embarrassment and flung his head back against the couch.

“Don’t call me chibi! ” he squeaked behind his hands, filling the room with laughter from the two men. Ruki didn’t want to think about his bold move from earlier. He still wasn’t sure if it was an acceptable thing to do.

“And don’t remind me,” he removed his hands and looked up at the ceiling as the laughter died down. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why not?” Uruha asked in a serious tone. “You like him right?”

“Yeah but it was only the first date!” He flailed his arms.

“What’s wrong with that? It’s not like you slept with him. It was just a peck on the cheek.” Aoi uncrossed his arms and leaned forward.

“It was still a kiss…” Ruki mumbled, chewing his manicured thumbnail.

“It was a small peck on the cheek! He probably wanted to do it too! I know he enjoyed it.” Aoi raised his voice in amusement. The last sentence grabbed Ruki’s attention though.

“What do you mean? He enjoyed it?”

“He was smiling like crazy when you turned around to storm into the building. You could see it all the way up here.” Aoi continued, “He’s probably still smiling at home!”

Ruki’s mind settled down from his insecurity. He smiled? So that means he wasn’t uncomfortable. A relieved smile spread across his face as he relaxed into the couch. A sigh escaped his lips and he turned towards Uruha beside him.

“So you guys were watching me outside your window?” He teased.

Uruha put his hand on the shorter’s shoulder. “We spy on you cause we care.” He joked right back. Ruki produced an airy laugh at the response.

“So you going to see him again?” Aoi questioned, standing up to put his empty coffee mug in the sink.

“Yeah, he asked me to a movie next week.” Ruki drank the last of his java and set the mug on the table in front of him.

“What movie?” Uruha asked, retrieving the mug and joining Aoi in the kitchen.

“It doesn’t matter.” Ruki replied. The events of the evening playing over in his head again. Only this time, he felt no regrets towards any of his actions. No second guessing. This was the best Sunday he had in a long time, he could only guess as to how next Sunday would go. He now grew impatient for the week to be over before it even started.

The week crawled at a snail’s pace. It was only Wednesday. Ruki was working the front desk by himself. Aoi had the day off. He probably spent it lounging around at home sleeping since Uruha was still working today. Koron chewed a taco-shaped toy on the floor in front of the desk. The squeak of the toy and the sound of a hairdryer hypnotized Ruki to a lull. He leaned back in his chair and explored his thoughts.

Everyone finally calmed down. Monday everyone pestered him about his date, asking how it went and if he was going to see him again. This is why he hated having people know his personal business. They all followed up with annoying questions. He told Kai about their plan next week and he was all too happy to give the blonde the day off again. He didn’t actually finish his sentence before Kai wrote up the schedule.

Despite the annoyance, Ruki was grateful to have such supportive people around him. Though they teased him, they never did it out of malice. He never felt this kind of support before. Not from anyone. The chime from his phone broke him out of his trance. He checked the device he had on the desk and found he had a new text message. He opened it and smiled at who the sender was.

[Akira]

So this Sunday I have to visit my mom in the morning. Could I pick you up around five? I’m sorry for not knowing about this until now.

Ruki smiled. Nao was right when he told him Akira was with his family every other week. It was charming. They never set an exact time to meet so it didn’t bother Ruki. He had the entire day off anyway.

[Ruki]

Sure thing. I’ll wait outside for you…..momma’s boy ;)

Ruki couldn’t help but tease the masculine man. He waited for a second before a response chimed immediately.

[Akira]

Oh no! You found me out! Can’t hide anything from you, detective.

Ruki silenced a giggle from escaping. But he couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. A customer came up to the desk making Ruki break away from the conversation while he collected the money. He thanked the customer for stopping before they exited. Miko walked up to the desk with a small bag of treats.

She acted with such confidence now, compared to the day she accidentally caused Koron’s accident. Her large brown eyes looked at Ruki and she smiled. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a ponytail for work, it draped over her shoulder.

“Do you mind if I give Koron some treats?”

“Not at all. He’s expecting it.” He said as he pointed to the chihuahua who was sitting by Miko’s feet begging. She laughed and reached down to hand a bone-shaped snack to Koron. He snatched it up and pranced to his bed to chew on his food.

“How is everything going? You were smiling when you were looking at your phone earlier.” She asked Ruki while she sealed the bag back up. He smiled and released a laugh while his cheeks were tinted in pink.

“Yes. I was.”

“He seems to make you happy.” She commented.

“Yeah, I guess you can say that.”

“So he’s taking you out again?” Her wide brown eyes focused on Ruki while she spoke with a smile.

“Yeah, to a movie. And before you ask, I don’t know what movie.” He chuckled. Koron whined and they both looked down. The chihuahua was at Miko’s feet begging for more. She giggled and bent down to hand him another treat.

“Now that’s it. You’re going to get sick from eating too much.” She playfully scolded the dog. Ruki watched the way she interacted with his pet and smiled.

“You know, I should thank you.” He said and rested his head on his hand.

“For what?” Confusion laced her tone.

“If it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t have met Akira.”

Miko stiffened and looked down while her face reddened. “I should thank you for forgiving me.” She murmured.

“It was an accident. Now you hardly break anything.”

“Hey! I haven’t broken anything else since that day. What do you mean ‘hardly?’” She protested.

“The hairdryer from Omi’s station?”

“I only used it for a second. She’s the one who burned it up from never shutting if off!” Miko poked her tongue out at Ruki and walked back to the hairdressing stations clutching the bag of treats.

The blonde stylists continued with his boredom at the front desk. He texted Akira a few more times and eventually zoned out again. He found it hard to imagine, if it wasn’t for the accident two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have a date this weekend. Of course he would never say he was glad Koron got hurt, it was just a silver lining.

“Man, it got chilly fast didn’t it?” Uruha asked while rubbing his arms.

It was finally Sunday, Ruki rejoiced this morning. He was off and had the whole day to himself. He spent his time cleaning up his apartment and playing with Koron. He had plenty of time to get ready for his date too. Due to the cold, he wore a black beanie and a beige, long-sleeved hoodie. He wore black skinny jeans and opted for converses. He also decided to wear his thick-rimmed glasses, he didn’t feel like messing with colored contacts.

Ruki sat on the curb outside the apartment complex with Aoi and Uruha. The three were smoking cigarettes while they waited for Akira.

“If you’re cold, go back inside. You don’t have to sit out here and wait with me like some kind of parents.” Ruki huffed through the smoke.

“We can’t smoke inside.” Uruha reasoned. Ruki knew it was an excuse for them to be nosy. But he shrugged and enjoyed the company.

“We can’t abandon our chibi in the cold of night.” Aoi smirked and leaned against the smaller man.

“Okay. It’s 4:45, the sun is still out. So you can’t call it ‘night’ just yet. And don’t call me chibi!”

After saying the last part, Ruki blew a puff of smoke into Aoi’s face. Uruha laughed while Aoi coughed and rubbed his eyes. The blonde stylist smiled triumphantly. The three of them continued to joke around and laugh until they heard the roar of a motorcycle coming closer.

The trio looked up and saw Akira pulling up a few feet away from where they were sitting. He switched off his bike and stepped off. As he walked closer he removed his helmet. His hair was laying flat from the helmet. The band was still wrapped around his nose. He wore a black leather jacket and denim jeans with a few holes and dirt stains decorating the legs. His boots dragged along the pavement with each step he took closer to the hairdressers.

“Helloooo, nurse.” Aoi whispered playfully in Ruki’s ears.

Ruki turned towards his dark-haired friend and blew another puff of smoke into his face.

“That wasn’t very nice.” Akira smirked. He stood beside them, looking down at the trio.

“He deserves it. Trust me.” Ruki smiled as he stubbed out his cigarette against the pavement. He stood up and wiped off any dirt or pebbles that stuck to his pants or hoodie.

“Ready to go?” Akira asked.

“Yep.”

“Where are you taking our daughter?” Aoi asked in his deep-voiced impersonation of a father. Akira laughed while Ruki glared at his friend.

“Pleasure to meet you sir. I plan to show your daughter a lovely time at prom.”  Akira bowed and winked at Ruki.

“What?! That was tonight? Quickly dear, go get the camera!” Aoi beckoned towards Uruha. The taller pulled out his phone and took a quick picture of the two standing. Akira had an amused smile gracing his face while Ruki scowled at his friends.

“Aww, look at the happy couple.” The tall man cooed while showing his phone to his boyfriend beside him.

Akira joined in with the laughter and put his arm around Ruki’s shoulders, “Let’s go.”

“Have fun you two!” Aoi sang as Akira waved to them and walked the blonde to his motorcycle. He pulled an extra helmet out of the saddle bag and handed it to Ruki.

“You’re friends seem nice.”

“Yeah, you want them?” The stylist scoffed while fastening his helmet on. The veterinarian laughed at the shorter man’s sass.

The pair climbed on Akira’s motorcycle. Ruki leaned into the taller’s back once the bike’s engine purred. H wrapped his arms around Akira's waist without hesitation this time. He didn’t care how he looked to his friends, he found these rides soothing and enjoyed the sounds the motorcycle made.

They sped away from the apartment complex and into town. Ruki fought to keep his eyes open. He watched the buildings pass through his vision in a flash. The wind caressed his face and chilled him. He held onto Akira tighter, trying to steal some of his warmth.

They eventually slowed to a stop in front of a small movie theater downtown. They sat up and removed their helmets. Ruki walked up to the building and looked at the list of movies playing. He was never much of a movie-goer, so he never heard of any of the films listed. Akira was standing behind him, but he was busy looking at his phone. He was frantically texting someone.

“Anything you want to see?” Ruki turned to his distracted date. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anger towards the taller man. I’m sure it’s important. He wouldn’t do that otherwise, right? He tried to reassure himself.

Akira quickly put the phone in his jacket pocket. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Is there anything that catches your interest?”

“Hmmm, maybe this one?” He pointed towards the poster for a sci-fi monster movie, Leeches . It looked like it was a remake of a monster B-movie from the 50’s.

“Oh, I heard the CGI is terrible in that one.”

“We can judge it for ourselves.” Ruki smiled and looked up at Akira.

He looked so adorable, how could the vet say no?

They bought their tickets and walked inside. The screening for the movie was vacant save for a woman with her young son and a man wearing a t-shirt for the movie. The pair sat off to the side so no one could hear them talk. After a few minutes, the theater darkened, signalling the start of the movie.

Ten minutes into the movie, Ruki was laughing at the poor acting and editing. So far, he guessed the entire movie would be people fighting giant mutated leeches, poorly animated leeches at that. The leading lady was screaming as she swam away from the abominations. Ruki leaned over to whisper something to Akira, but the man was on his cell phone texting once again.

“Is something a matter?” Ruki frowned, displeased with the other man’s actions.

Akira looked up from his phone in an instance. He could hear Ruki’s frustration. “No! I…”

He was cut off as his phone began to vibrate. He was receiving a call. His phone read the name “Ayane.” He apologized and answered it in a hushed voice.

Ruki’s frustration grew into concern, once he realized it was his sister he had been talking to all night.

“Where? At home?” Akira’s whispers were growing a little louder as he straightened up in his seat.

“But I’m out.” Ruki saw nervous sweat form on Akira’s temple. Akira scoffed, his tone dripped exasperation. Ruki leaned forward and rested his hand on top of the vet’s hand in reassurance. The man's hands were chaffed and the stylist saw dirt under his fingernails. Akira turned to him.

“Do you need to go?” Ruki’s asked, never breaking eye contact.

“I…” Akira trailed off as his eyes darted to their hands. Confusion and uncertainty filled the aura around him. His mouth hung open, but no words came out. For once, his confidence wasn’t there.

“Let’s go.” Ruki stood up and made his way towards the door.

“I’m on my way Ayane.” Akira spoke into the phone and hung up.

They walked out of the theatre and went toward the parked motorcycle.

“I’m sorry, I’ll drop you off…”

“What’s wrong?” Ruki cut him off.

“My mom fell at home.” He sighed and closed his eyes. He tried to keep himself calm.

Ruki gasped. He knew how much his family meant to him.

“Let’s go. You don’t have time to drop me off. We should get there quickly.” Ruki strode past the taller man and dug their helmets out of the saddle bag for them. He handed one to Akira. He stood shocked at the shorter man’s boldness.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, come on.”  The shorter was already fastening his helmet.

Akira was reminded of Ruki’s visit to his clinic. He was frantic and shy at first. But once the vet’s nose was injured, his personality did a complete spin and he took care of him with such certainty and confidence. Ruki took charge when he needed to.

“Thanks.” Akira hopped onto his bike and started it up. They peeled away from the movies and drove out of town to Akira’s mother. The small man nuzzled his face into Akira’s leather-clad back. On the drive there, both their minds raced with worry with what they would find.

Chapter Text

The ride to Akira’s mother was filled with silence between the two. Ruki tried to comfort Akira in nonverbal ways. He’d hug him tighter when he sensed the man’s worry. He knew the vet was probably uneasy since he started texting his sister, but still tried to take Ruki out on a date like he promised. For that, Ruki was thankful, but felt selfish for it.

The flashing of red and blue lights could be seen from a distance. The pair’s eyes fixated on the ambulance parked outside the small, suburban home. Ruki felt Akira tense up and hugged him tighter.

Akira swerved into the driveway and parked beside a grey sedan. He tore his helmet off and let it hit the pavement. Ruki did the same and they ran towards the ambulance. They investigated the back of the ambulance. The doors were open, but no one was inside, no patient of paramedics.

“They might still be inside.” Ruki reasoned aloud.

Akira ran up the sidewalk to the porch. The stylist followed him, trying his best to keep up with Akira’s strides. They opened the door and immediately heard a woman’s voice shouting.

“For the last time, I am not going!”

“Mom?!” Akira called.

They stood in an entryway that was connected to an empty living room. There was a small coffee table in the middle of the room surrounded by a couch and recliner. There was no TV. Instead there was a bookshelf against the wall surrounded by tall houseplants. The rug showed dirtied footprints leading to the room beyond.

“Akira?! Lord, not you too!” The voice groaned.

The frightened man led Ruki through the living room, following the footprints, into the kitchen. There, they saw a mature brunette woman sitting at a table with two paramedics standing in front of her. She had her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. The two paramedics looked young for their profession, and also confused.

“Ma’am, if you please..”

“No! You can’t take me if I don’t want to go!” The woman cut off the paramedic with her protest. She turned and saw the pair enter. Casting her glare at her son.

“Aki, what are you doing here? Did Ayane call you?”

“Yes, she told me you fell.” He ran to his mother’s side resting his hand on her shoulder. “What happened? Are you okay?”

She waved him off and crossed her legs. “I was talking to your sister on the phone. I stumbled into the table and dropped the phone.”

“So you didn't fall.” Akira sighed in relief.

“No, I didn’t. She overreacted and now we’re here.” She turned towards the paramedics. “You two are not needed. This is not a life alert commercial. I can get up just fine. Now go help someone who really needs you.” She waved her hands dismissively at the two young men. Before they could speak again, Akira pointed towards the door.

“Thank you for coming here. But it was a false alarm. Have a good night.” He smiled at them.

The paramedics dipped their heads in defeat and walked pass Ruki in the doorway. The smaller man stepped out of their way. When he looked up he found Akira’s mother staring at him.

“Who is this Aki?” She turned towards her son as she pointed at the blonde stylist awkwardly standing at a distance. The taller man’s eyes grew wider and a slight blush could be seen behind his band. He scratched the back of his neck and looked down at his feet while he thought about his reply.

“I was out on a date when Ayane called….” he mumbled.

“A date?!” His mother squeaked in shock and then her face was filled with joy. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone again!”

“We’ve only been out one time so far mom.”  His sentence went ignored as his mother’s head snapped towards the hairdresser.

“What’s your name dear?”

“Um, Ruki. Pleasure to meet you.” He bowed. He no longer had the surge of confidence from earlier. He now felt awkward standing in this woman’s kitchen, this was only their second date and he already met Akira’s parent.

“So polite. Why did you make him come with you?” She turned and hit Akira in the stomach producing a low grunt from her son.

“I...I suggested it, ma’am.” Ruki stood up for his date. “I thought something serious happened and didn’t want him to waste any time getting here. I’m sorry for the trouble.” He bowed again.

Ms. Suzuki smiled at the youngest man. “Ruki dear,” she spoke, “why don’t you sit down at the table?” She pushed a chair out with her foot.

“Thank you.” Ruki bowed again and walked to the table. He sat right beside Akira’s mother. He was nervous as anything but remained formal. He folded his hand in his lap and sat up straight, like he would at a job interview.

“Aki dear,” she leaned back to look at her son. “Those ambulance men tracked dirt through the living room didn’t they?”

“But I should take Ruki home fi-”

“They tracked dirt in.” She spoke in a soft voice but still cut off her son. Akira looked at Ruki. The blonde nodded that he was okay.

“I’ll clean it for you.” He walked out of the kitchen taking off his leather jacket. Ruki watched the doorway, even after his date left. He didn’t know where else to look. He was afraid to look at Akira’s mother. He didn’t know what she thought about him, he was dating her son after all.

“You don’t have to be so tense. I am not going to give you the business for dating my son.”

Her voice got Ruki’s attention as he turned to look at her. He could see Akira’s resemblance to her. She had the same eyes as him. Her dark hair was pulled up into a bun which revealed a few strands of grey forming near her temples. She had no sign of wrinkles on her face. She was either young for her age, or not very old to begin with. She was smiling fondly at the shorter man.

“How did you two meet?” She asked and leaned her head on her arm resting on the table. She had a friendly aura like Akira. Ruki relaxed and crossed his legs, trying to be less formal in his posture.

“I took my dog to his clinic. He got hurt so I ran to the closest place.” Ruki answered fixing his glasses on his nose now that he felt more at ease near the woman.

“How did he get hurt?” She asked.

“I work at the salon, Black Moral, and I take my dog there while I work. He cut his paw on some broken bottle. But Akira fixed him up and he’s been spoiled ever since.” He giggled.

“You work at a salon? That explains why you look so pretty.” Her compliment had Ruki blushing. “Are you the one whose dog bit Aki?”

Ruki coughed as she unexpectedly asked him that. “He never bit anyone before I don’t know why he went after Akira. He’s around people all day.” His gaze rested on the floor and he chewed his nail while he thought aloud.

“Probably knew he’s a bird person. Has he told you about his cockatiels?” She laughed, easing some of the tension their conversation was starting to get.

“Yes. Oscar and Keiji sound like interesting pets.” A smile slowly appeared on his face again. Akira’s mother turned her attention to the clock on the wall.

“Did you guys have anything to eat yet?”

Ruki shook his head. “No, we went to the movies but we didn’t stay long.”

“Well, let’s make something then.” Her smile never left her face. The blonde man stiffened in his seat again. Nervous sweat formed droplets on his forehead. I don’t know how to cook!   He felt like he was being tested or put on the spot. He ordered take out most days. The other times he just made instant ramen. His mouth went dry as he opened it to say something, but nothing came out.

Just then, Akira walked into the room. He was wearing a green tank top that had some water splashed in the middle of it. He had an empty bucket and a sponge wet with suds. He looked at the two still sitting at the table and walked up to them, setting aside his used items on the floor.

“All clean. I should probably take Ruki home now. I’m sure he’s tired and-”

“Nonsense. He was gonna help me cook something for you, right dear?” Once again the woman cut off her son. Akira turned towards Ruki with raised brows. After a few seconds of silence, he picked up on the shorter man’s hesitance.

“Mom, don’t put him on the spot like that. We can go out to eat.” He tried to defuse the situation.

“Do you know how to cook?” She ignored her son and questioned her guest.

“No.” He whispered.

Ruki hunched his shoulders and lowered his head. He felt completely embarrassed. If he couldn’t cook, he thought the woman would think less of him. Why would she let me date her son if I can’t cook for him? He knew it was a silly thought, but he couldn’t shake it nonetheless.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Let’s start with something easy. You’ll learn.”

He looked up and found the woman fondly smiling at him. She spoke with a motherly reassurance. She stood up and went to the fridge. She opened the freezer and inspected it’s contents.

“Let’s start off with something easy. How about stir-fry?” She smiled and pulled out a bag of frozen vegetables. “All you have to do is fry it in a pan. Simple.”

Ruki stood up and met the woman near the stove as she was already preparing a skillet. Akira sat at the table propping his legs up on another chair. He leaned his head against the back of the chair as he watched the two work.

The stylist was holding onto the frying pan and stirring the sizzling mixture of vegetables around. The popping of the oil made him jump a few times. But Ms. Suzuki rested her hands on his shoulders to encourage the man.

“It’s not so hard is it?” She asked while she boiled some rice. Ruki shook his head and found himself smiling. He was making something besides ramen. Sure, it wasn’t anything fancy, but it still felt like an accomplishment to him.

“How do we know when it’s done?” He turned to the mature woman beside him.

“When the vegetables are brown but not burnt.” She laughed. “You have more patience than Aki. He’d have dumped it on a plate by now and said it’s done.”

“Don’t make fun of me in front of him mom!” Akira whined from behind the pair. They giggled over the stove.

They continued their cooking and joking. Ruki grew excited when he saw the vegetables brown. Ms. Suzuki spooned out some rice and veggies onto three plates. They set them on the table and sat down with Akira. After the first bite, Ruki was shocked it tasted good.

“Not bad.” Akira smiled at his date.

“Yes, very good for a first try.” His mother joined in with the praise.

“Thank you. I was afraid I’d ruin it somehow.” Ruki chuckled and blushed.

“Are you sure you’ve never cooked before?” Akira jabbed Ruki in the side with his hand. The stylist giggled and pulled away.

“Your mother never showed you?” Ms. Suzuki asked. “I mean I showed Aki, but that didn’t go well.”

“Hey, I told you I’m sorry I burnt that cake. You told me it needed more heat!”

“Honey, it ended up as a piece of charcoal. How could I forget that!?”

The two Suzukis laughed loudly. They were busy with their teasing that they didn’t notice the short blonde go silent and stare down at his plate at the mention of his mother. He was lost in his thoughts, frowning. Neither his mother nor father showed him how to cook. They didn’t teach him much for a matter of fact. But what bothered him was the last conversation he had with them. He tried to shake the memories away.

The laughter stopped.

“Ruki, you okay?”

Akira’s voice brought the blonde back to reality and he looked up. He found the two looking at him in concern. The taller man’s hand found itself resting on top of Ruki’s. He sighed and forced a smile.

“Yes, sorry. I’m fine.” He tried his best to reassure the family but they didn’t look convinced. “You two seem to get along well. It’s nice to see.” Ruki tried to deflect the conversation away from him.

“Well, I hope we do. I had to raise him myself.” The older woman smiled at her son.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything.” Ruki stuttered, he didn’t know their family situation and didn’t want to pry.

“Ru, it’s fine. Dad left when I was two. I never really knew him.” Akira continued chewing his meal. His attitude was carefree while discussing his family. There was no malice.

“You must be proud of your son. Having his own clinic and all.” Ruki spoke, “and what does your daughter do?”

“She’s going to school for accounting. She’ll be graduating…” the woman paused to think.

“In another year.” Akira finished her sentence.

“And yes. I am proud of the two of them.” She looked at her son who quickly looked down at his food. He refused to look her in the eyes when she said that. Ruki found that odd.

“So what about your parents dear, how are they?”

Her questioned made Ruki cough on some rice and corn. Akira reached over the table and patted the smaller man on the back. His mother poured a glass of water and handed it to the choking man. He drank it and thanked the two of them.

“Things not good with your parents?” She asked once the man was breathing again. He didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t want to lie to them, then again, he didn’t want to spill everything to them.

“I think they’re good. I..I haven’t talked to them in a few years.” Ruki shrugged, hoping they'd drop the subject. He was not ready to talk about his family yet. A silence fell over the trio at the table. Ruki regretted saying anything, he knew he was the source of the stillness.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Ms. Suzuki’s voice broke the quiet. She spoke in a calm voice. “We didn’t always get along. Things change.”

Ruki looked up and found the woman staring at him with concern. Akira looked down at his plate, his shoulders sagged and the corners of his mouth frowned slightly at the woman’s words. Ruki never saw the man do anything but smile. They both seemed so likable, how could they not get along once? Instead of pressing the issue, the stylist opted to nod his head in thanks and continued eating.

Akira’s phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket to inspect it. “It’s Ayane.” His comment drew his mother’s attention.

“Let me talk to her after you.” She spoke with a hint of mischief. The vet chuckled and nodded before he swiped to accept the call.

“Hey, sis. What’s up?” His voice being the only sound they could hear. Ruki watched as his mother waited for her turn to speak.

“What? You want to know how mom is? Well, why don’t you talk to her.” He smirked and forfeited his phone to the woman.

“Ayane dear! How has it been? I wanted to thank you for the commotion earlier. I’m glad you think I’m so old that you decide to call an ambulance.” Her voice didn’t sound as venomous as the words she spoke. She sounded like she was teasing her daughter.

“I only dropped the phone. I didn’t fall.”

Ruki guess the young woman apologized on the other end.

“It’s alright. I got to meet Aki’s date.”

Akira groaned and leaned backwards. Ruki giggled at the man’s exasperation.

“Hold on, I’ll put you on speaker.” Akira’s mother switched to speaker and set the phone in the middle of table.

“AKIRAAA!” A high-pitched whine echoed over the cellular device.

“Yes, Aye?” He sighed closing his eyes.

“You have a boyfriend?!”

“What!?” Akira shot up and his entire face turned red from embarrassment. Ruki looked at the man with wide eyes, this was a new side of him he hadn't seen yet. He looked cute when he got flustered. “He’s not my boyfriend...yet. Th...this was only our second date! Nothing serious yet.”

The sound of laughter could be heard over the phone and from the mature woman sitting at the table. They seemed to enjoy teasing the man.

“I’m glad you’re dating again. Is he there now?”

“Yes.” Akira whispered. He turned to see how his date was doing. He didn’t want to make the man uncomfortable, he knew how guarded he could be. He was surprised to find the blonde man smiling. He looked between the phone and Akira with fondness.

“Hello Mr. Akira’s date!” The voice sang over the phone.

“Hello. Please call me Ruki.” He bowed his head, even though she couldn’t see it; force of habit.

“Ooh, what a pretty name. And pretty voice. I can’t wait to meet you in person!” She chimed. Ruki giggled and hid his embarrassment.

“Thank you. I look forward to it.”

“Aki, you better treat this one right!” She blurted over the speaker. This caused Akira to flinch slightly and quickly forced a smile. Ruki noticed the pained look the man had. Did his sister hit a nerve? Even his mother hesitated before she laughed.

“Don’t worry Ayane, I’m a Disney prince.” He dramatically flared his arms around. Ruki couldn’t control his laughter at their new inside joke. His sister had to leave for her part-time job and hung up. The trio continued to talk and laugh during their dinner. Ruki even helped wash up the dishes beside Ms. Suzuki while Akira leaned against the counter and continued chatting.

As time ticked by, they didn’t realize how late it had gotten until Ruki could no longer hide his yawning. The two men had work the next day. Akira’s mother packed up some leftovers for the stylist. Her actions were so heartwarming Ruki was speechless. She only just met him and already treated him like he was married to her son. He thanked her more times than either of them could count.

They hugged the woman and wished her a good night as they walked to the parked motorcycle and sped off to Ruki’s apartment complex in town. Ruki spent the entire drive to his place thinking over their night. It started out as such a whirlwind. What they expected to be a horrible accident turned out to be an incredible date. He never imagined he’d meet Akira’s family so soon. But was glad he did. They were so friendly and welcomed him openly.

The bike slowed down in front of the tall building the stylist called home. They both stepped off the bike and walked toward the main doors. They stopped and stood outside, Ruki had no doubt they were being spied on. But he couldn’t find any reason to care.

“Sorry, to drag you through all that.” Akira apologized, looking at his feet.

“No. I had fun. I think that turned out better than I thought it would. Never thought I’d ‘meet the parents’ so soon.” Ruki laughed, holding onto his leftovers. Akira made eye contact with the younger man, relieved he wasn’t angry or uneasy.

“My mom seems to like you.”

“I have no clue why!” He exclaimed.

“Well, you’re cute.”  The taller man’s words had Ruki’s cheeks tinting with pink. He didn’t know how to reply.

“You were so adorable, learning how to cook with my mom.” Akira continued. “I would love to see that again.”

The blonde's face was burning now. He didn’t hate the words the vet spoke, he was just not use to the compliments.

“Shut up.” He breathed out through an airy laugh. He was smiling, so Akira took that as a good sign.

“Okay. I’ll stop, you probably already know how cute you are.” He laughed when the shorter man just groaned in disgruntlement.

“So, when can I see you again? Would next Sunday work again?”

Ruki’s face cooled off. “Let me check my schedule. I don’t want to keep making Kai give me Sundays off….even if he is too excited to do so.”

They laughed and stood still. They looked at each other. Akira stepped closer and leaned down towards Ruki. The stylist was expecting another hug, but gasped in surprise when he found Akira’s lips on his. He wrapped his arms around the waist of the blonde, holding him closer. Ruki’s mind stumbled over itself. He didn’t have time to process all the emotions. He tried to regain control of himself and raised his one arm to wrap around the back of Akira’s neck, pulling him down more into the kiss.

They both broke away from the kiss for some air. Ruki and Akira were both smiling widely as they looked at each other once they opened their eyes.

“That was nice.” Ruki commented and subconsciously licked his lips.

“It was.” They stood in an embrace for a few more moments before Akira let go of his waist.

“I’ll text you, let me know when you have some free time. I’ll make up movie night to you.”  He walked backwards to his bike. He kept facing Ruki the whole time.

“I will. Goodnight Akira!” He called and walked inside. He slowly walked towards the elevator and heard the faint noise of a motorcycle starting up outside. He was still smiling while he waited for the elevator. Tonight just felt so domestic, but it felt nice. He was really enjoying his time he spent with the veterinarian. He was charming and comical and just fun to get to know.

The elevator dinged as Ruki walked on. He had his suspicions he would have to give his friends a play-by-play of the date again. But this time, he didn’t mind. He was actually looking forward to it, so he could relive it again.

Chapter Text

Akira found himself standing outside Black Moral. It was only Tuesday. The sun warmed the air to uncomfortable temperatures, causing the brunette man to sweat in his lab coat. His glasses slid down his nose from the perspiration. It was the afternoon and the vet decided to spend his lunch break visiting Ruki at the salon.

They agreed upon seeing each other Saturday night. They planned to go out to eat and see where the night took them. He was still smiling about their last date. The way he acted around his mother was adorable. He found himself wondering about Ruki’s parents. Their relationship seemed rocky with the way the shorter man talked. He wanted to know, but didn’t want to force the younger stylist to tell him.

He walked through the door, bringing attention to himself with the ringing of the bell signalling a customer. The black-haired man at the front desk looked up from his magazine and smiled. He was about to say the typical greeting until he noticed who it was.

“Well, Helloooo nurse!” Aoi tried his best Yakko impersonation. It wasn’t good.

“Hey there. Is Ruki here?” Akira laughed at the man’s antics, walking closer to the desk looking around. He didn’t see the small blonde man.

“No. He’s off today.” Akira’s face turned downwards slightly. The whole reason he stopped was to see Ruki.

“You had a good time the other day. I never saw Ruki smile so much.” The man behind the desk smirked.

“Yeah, it didn’t go how I expected. I’m just glad he had a good time.”

“Your mom’s okay though?” Aoi leaned on the desk. Akira walked forward and leaned his left arm against the desk too.

“Yes. Thanks for asking. She really took a liking to Ruki. He told you she taught him to cook?”

“Oh yeah, me and Uruha stole his leftovers to try it out. I mean, we did it without him knowing so he was a little mad when he found the empty tupperware in his sink.” The man cackled.

Akira was enjoying his talk with Ruki’s friend. He was easy-going, and surprisingly talkative. He seemed to care and watch out for the blonde. Which reminded Akira of the raging questions he had about Ruki’s family. Maybe he could get some answers from his friends instead of Ruki himself.

“Can I ask you a question? About Ruki? You can choose not to answer if you want.” He didn’t want to be too pushy.

“Of course. But I may choose to answer too!” He chirped and continued to smile.

Akira sighed. “What are Ruki’s parents like? He doesn’t seem too fond of talking about them?”

Aoi’s smile lessened. He now had a look of sympathy or pity on his face, Akira didn’t know the man well enough to determine which it was. The dark-haired man sighed.

“I never met them myself. I only heard about them from Uruha. They were friends since high school afterall. I met Ruki after he started working here.”

They turned and looked at the tall man with a side-shaved haircut. He was busy washing a female customer’s hair. He paid no attention to the two men by the desk staring at him. His long bangs draped over his face as he looked down while rinsing the woman’s hair.

“Uruha’s the reason Ruki works here.”

“How so?”

“I take it Ruki never told you any of this?” Aoi asked.

“No. Always changes the topic if you ask him too much.”

“He’s a guarded person.”

“I know. I respect that. But if there’s anything I can do to help him, I would like to know.”

Aoi hummed. He rested his hand on his chin and thought for a second. “Uruha is your best bet. But if he promised Ruki he wouldn’t say anything, he may not answer your questions.”

“I understand. Thanks.” The vet leaned with Aoi watching the tall hairdresser.

He finished his washing and was blow drying the woman’s hair, styling it while it was drying. It looked like the woman was a chatty one as her mouth kept moving. Uruha very rarely answered the woman, opting to nod in agreement instead. The way she turned to look at him and giggled had Akira convinced she wanted to flirt with him, even though he couldn’t hear her.

“I think she’s flirting with him.” Akira commented.

Aoi snickered under his breath. “Good luck.”

“Does this happen often?”

“More than you’d expect. But he’s oblivious to it.” Aoi pointed at the stylist’s direction. Uruha had an emotionless expression. He continued his work, not even focusing on the young woman’s attempts at talking to him.

“How did you guys get together?”

“That’s kind of a long story.” He laughed. “Kai takes us all out for drinks sometimes. Uruha is quite wild when he drinks and we’d always end up together somehow.” He was blushing and rubbing at his red cheeks. He couldn't hide his smile while he reminisced.

“Weren’t things awkward afterwards?”

“A little. But we just rolled with being friends with benefits for a bit. Then Uruha was the first one to confess.”

Akira noticed the way he looked at the stylist. He practically had hearts for eyes as he watched his lover across the lobby. The woman finished talking and bowed at Uruha before she started walking towards the pair at the desk. She bounced with each step, causing her new styled hair to bounce too.

“Hello miss,” Aoi greeted her. His voice surprisingly sweet for someone who watched his boyfriend getting hit on. “Did you enjoy our service?”

“Oh yes! He did an amazing job.” She beamed. “He’s very quiet though.”

“Oh don’t worry. He wasn’t quiet last night.” His voice dipped into a suggestive tone while collecting the woman’s money.

Akira almost bent over in laughter, but he muffled it and held his sides. The woman’s jaw dropped and her entire face burned with embarrassment. She swallowed loudly and tried to collect herself.

“Oh…..I see.” She could no longer hold eye contact with the smirking Aoi. Once she received her receipt she dashed out the doors. Only then did Akira finally let out the laugh he was achingly holding in.

“Oh my god! I can’t believe you did that!” He squeezed his words out between chuckles.

“She deserved it. He’s already taken.” Aoi huffed.

The two continued to laugh even after the tall brunette walked over to join them.

“What’s so funny?” Uruha asked.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Aoi quieted down and waved off his lover’s question. “Akira stopped by. He had some questions about Ruki.”

“What do you want to know?” He asked in his soft voice. His calm demeanor never changing. He didn’t seem to be someone who got flustered easily, unlike Ruki.

“I was wondering about Ruki’s parents and his relationship with them.” Uruha didn’t flinch at Akira’s question but his eyes shifted to the floor to study his feet before he spoke.

“He’s doesn’t like to talk about them.”

“I know. But I don’t know why?” Akira couldn’t keep the questions from gnawing at the back of his mind. He was hoping he’d at least get some kind of clue from Ruki’s friends.

“They had a fight. Them and his girlfriend argued with him, he had enough and left.”

“GIRLFRIEND?!” Akira sputtered out in surprise. His shout made the calm and collected man take a few steps back from the sudden outburst. He turned towards the dark-haired man and noticed there was no look of surprise on his face. So Ruki had a girlfriend?! 

“Well, he didn’t just leave. After him and her broke up, Uruha convinced him to work here and move into the same complex as us.” Aoi corrected his straight-to-the-point boyfriend.

“What was the argument about?” The vet was trying to imagine what kind of fight would cause Ruki to break-up and cut himself off from his family. The couple looked at each other and exchanged weary glances. Neither one looked like they wanted to divulge an answer.

Uruha eventually spoke up, “Now that is something you should hear from Ruki when he’s ready.”

“I understand.” Akira nodded. Backing off from his current line of questioning. He looked at his wristwatch and decided he’d better make his way back to the clinic. But before he went, he wanted to try one more question.

“By the way, what kind of people are Ruki’s parents? What are they like?” Akira looked at the taller man to answer. There was a pause while Uruha looked into the distant, digging through his memories.

“They are nice people actually. It’s a shame the way things went.”

Akira bowed his head in thanks towards the two men. He was satisfied with the answers he got, he felt like he got to know Ruki a bit more thanks to his friends. He now knew that he’d have to wait until Ruki was comfortable enough to talk now. He waved a goodbye and left the air-conditioned salon and trekked back to his clinic, covered in a layer of sweat when he arrived.

Luckily, there was only two more appointments for the day. He spent the rest of his free time imagining what kind of argument caused Ruki such pain. Akira couldn’t even fathom cutting himself off from his family. He worked too hard to keep his mom and sister happy now. He’d never want them out of his life.

It has been three months since their first date. Ruki reminisced about it while he stood in the kitchen of Ms. Suzuki’s house. He finally felt comfortable around the man, let alone his mother. Ruki was watching the timer he set on the counter beside the stove. He had a cake baking in the oven and it was almost done.

He could hear Akira talking to his mother in the living room, while Ruki baked a cake on his own in the kitchen. If he needed anything, Ms. Suzuki was just in the next room within shouting distance. Akira’s sister, Ayane, was stopping back after finals week. She survived another semester so they decided to through her a surprise celebration. They told her Akira was busy with work, so his presence would surely take her by surprise. She also wanted to meet Ruki, but they didn’t tell her he’d be there, let alone make a cake for her.

The small ding of the egg-shaped timer notified Ruki that the cake should be done. He opened the oven door and removed the heated pan with black oven mitts. After a few weeks of visiting Akira’s mother, she actually went out and bought a set of plain black oven mitts for Ruki, since her’s were too big for the stylist’s smaller hands. He set the cake on the counter to cool down and joined Akira in the living room.

He walked into the room and found the two Suzuki's discussing Ayane’s living arrangements when she returned for her break. While Ruki was baking, the vet had been cleaning a guest room upstairs for his sister. He moved boxes, swept, dusted, and even changed the bed sheets. He was finally sitting down and taking a break.

The stylist walked forward and sat near him on the couch. The brunette man turned once he felt the weight on the couch and smiled at the shorter blonde. He still wore the nose-band. Ruki wasn’t too fond of it and asked him about it constantly. Akira claimed it made him look cool so he kept it. For Ruki, it only reminded him of how embarrassed he was when Koron bit him.

He leaned in and Akira wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He watched the man continue talking to his mother. Ruki noticed how his adam’s apple bobbed when he said certain syllables. He loved when he found something new about the man everyday. He felt comfortable in the muscular arms of the vet. He rested his chin on the shoulder of his...boyfriend? Ruki questioned himself. Is it too soon to call him that? It’s been three months, am I allowed to use that title or should I consult him about it first? How do I ask him that too? It had been a long time since Ruki dated anyone that he forgot about the proper pacing for relationships.

“Ruki.”

He is my boyfriend though, right? I mean, we are going steady.

“Ruki…”

I don’t want to see anyone else, so that means we’re going steady.

“Ruki!” Akira shook his shoulder making the blonde almost bite his tongue. He leaned back and shook his head. He rested his one hand on Akira’s chest while he pushed himself to sit up.

“Huh?”

“Mom was asking you a question, but you were zoned out.” The low voice of the vet brought Ruki back to reality.

“What were you thinking about?” Akira smiled.

“Nothing.” Ruki hummed.

“But you were looking at me with such affection. I thought maybe my princely aura finally snared you.” He joked and stroked the back of the blonde’s head.

“You just like to hear yourself talk sometimes.” He scoffed. Ms. Suzuki couldn’t contain her laughter.

She really took a liking to Ruki, something that the stylist had no idea why. She always welcomed him, she even extended invitations for him to visit by himself, without Akira. She already accepted him into their family, offering to look after Koron sometimes.

Her generosity didn’t go unnoticed, and Ruki tried to repay her for her kindness by baking the cake for Ayane’s return. Sure he used her kitchen, but he bought all the ingredients himself. He turned his attention towards the laughing woman.

“I’m sorry. What was it you were asking me?”

“It’s alright dear. I wanted to know how the cake was coming along.” She waved her hand and continued to smile.

“It’s cooling right now. I’ll check in about, um, fifteen minutes and see if I can icing it.” They sat in the living room and continued talking. Most of the conversations ended up with Ruki poking fun at Akira, much to his mother’s enjoyment.

An hour later, Ruki was standing in the kitchen. He had finished icing the cake but stood and viciously eyed the strawberries he bought for on top the cake. He hated strawberries, but Ayane loved them so he thought they’d look good on top of the cake. But ever since childhood, he hated the red berries.

He stared at the disposable, plastic container he bought. It sat opened on the counter, but Ruki could not will himself to pick up any of the fruit. The sweet smell made him gag, no matter how many times he tried to place one on top of the cake. It was a losing battle, so he finally decided to call in reinforcement.

“Akira, I need your help in the kitchen!” He called towards the living room. In a short moment, Akira walked into the kitchen.

“What you need?”

“Can you place six strawberries on the cake, evenly spaced apart around the top.” Ruki pointed at the counter.

“Why did you need me for this?” His brows furrowed in confusion.

“Because I can’t stand strawberries.” Ruki continued to give a death glare at the fruit. “I threw up a bunch of strawberries when I was small. I haven’t been able to eat them ever since.”

“You’re still small.” Akira quipped earning him a hard hit on the stomach from the stylist.

“Shut up. Don’t start that. I get enough of that from Aoi.”

Akira chuckled at his own joke and walked towards the counter. He picked up a strawberry and placed it around the cake. Before he’d place each berry, he’d turn towards Ruki for approval. He finished and turned towards the blonde standing beside him.

“How can you not like strawberries. They are the fruit of lovers.” He joked.

“I already told you. I vomited them up as a kid. It scarred me I guess.” He scoffed at Akira’s attempt at humor.

The vet picked a strawberry out of the container and popped the entire berry into his mouth. He chewed on it and swallowed it loudly. Ruki watched the man with suspicion. He knew he was up to something. Akira leaned downwards and placed his lips on Ruki’s for a kiss.

The shorter man tasted the dreaded fruit on his boyfriend’s lips. At first he wanted to gag and back away, but Akira quickly wrapped his arm around the shorter man’s waist. Ruki was trapped, but he found that he hated the taste less and less with each moment. He started to lean into the kiss and savor the taste. His hands started to grasp at the front of the vet’s shirt, signalling to him that he needed air.

Akira pulled away and released Ruki from his grip. They both gasped for air and stood close to each other.

Ruki hummed, “That wasn’t too bad, I guess.”

“I bet I can get you to like them.” Akira let out a breathy laugh.

“I might like that.” He chuckled and pecked the taller man on the cheek. “Is there any food you don’t like?”

“Tuna.”

“Well, guess I’ll have to eat nothing but tuna for a week and kiss you everyday.” Ruki smirked crossing his arms.

“Ew! That’s not romantic at all. Just gross.” Akira scrunched up his face and produced fake gagging noises. The childish reaction made Ruki bust out in a fit of giggles. He was just too much fun to pick on sometimes.

Akira and Ruki sat at the kitchen table. The white frosted cake sat in the middle of the table.  It was decorated with strawberries on the perimeter and read “Ayane!” in red icing on the center. Ms. Suzuki waited in the living room. The young men sat in the dark room in silence. They wanted to surprise the student. They heard the front door opened and awaited the signal.

“MOOOOM! I’M HOOOOME!” The cheery voice of hers rang through the house.

“Oh dear, it’s good to see you!”

They heard the woman stand up and walk over to the guest. They chirped and cheered happily amongst themselves, the younger woman unaware of the surprise for her. The women talked for a few minutes until her mother proclaimed, “Well, let’s go into the kitchen. I’ll make you a little snack. You must be hungry from your ride here.”

The silhouette of the pair appeared in the doorway. With the click of the lightswitch the two men jumped up and shouted “Surprise!” They threw sparkling streamers at the woman in their enthusiasm.

Ayane covered her mouth with both her hands and squealed in joy. They all told her that Akira was busy and wouldn’t be able to welcome her back. She ran forward and hugged her older brother. She looked down and saw the cake with her name on it in the middle of the table. Her smile grew even wider.

“I can’t believe you all lied to me. I didn’t know you’d be here Aki.” She looked up at her brother, streamers decorating her long, brunette hair.

“Well, there’s someone here I’d like you to meet.” He released her from the hug and pointed her towards the small blonde standing to the side. He smiled and bowed at her.

“Hello Ayane. I’m Ruki. It’s nice to finally meet you face-to-face.” The young girl’s smile managed to grow even bigger upon the realization. She charged forwards and embraced Ruki in a tight hug. She wrapped around him so tightly, he thought he heard his spine crack.

“I’m so glad I get to meet you. You are Aki’s boyfriend right?” She cheered and freed the stylist from her iron grip. Akira stepped forward, about to say something but Ruki interrupted him.

“Yes. I’m Akira’s boyfriend.” Ruki smiled. He turned towards the taller man. Akira froze for a second and then relaxed and smiled affectionately at the shorter man. Ruki was worried his boldness wouldn’t be appreciated, but from the look on the older man’s face, he looked relieved to hear Ruki call himself that. Apparently he had been thinking about it too, but not sure how to bring it up.

With that small exchange, they made it official.

Chapter Text

“Ouch!” Ruki quickly pulled his fingers away and instinctively held his hand to his chest.

“Are you bleeding?” Akira towered over him and reached for Ruki’s hand.

“I don’t think so. It was just a surprise.” He released his hand so the vet could inspect it. He felt Akira’s calloused fingers hold onto his while his eyes scanned it. His middle finger was slightly red and had a fading stinging sensation. But apart from that, it looked fine.

They were in Akira’s apartment, standing in front of the cage in his living room that housed his cockatiels. Ruki told him he wanted to meet Oscar and Keiji, so that’s what they decided to do tonight. Before they could be let out of the cage, Akira wanted to get them use to Ruki. The stylist held small handfuls of seed near the cage. Keiji ate up and chirped happily at the new guest. Oscar, however, was being finicky and bit Ruki’s finger.

“I don’t think she likes me.”

“It just takes her a bit to warm up to people.” The taller man chuckled and filled Ruki’s other hand with birdseed. “Try talking to her while you feed her.”

The short stylist moved towards the cage again. He was ready for round two with Oscar. He held his hand out and called out Oscar’s name.

“Hey Oscar,” he cooed while the bird scooted near him. “How you doing? You want some yums?” Oscar seemed to react to Ruki’s voice and dipped her head and pecked at the seed he held. He tried not to flinch at the fear that she might snap at him again.

“Is it good?” He asked Oscar, though he didn’t expect much of a reply. Akira told him they knew how to speak simple words, but so far they only whistled.

“So, Oscar, what do you say? Can we be friends? Keiji doesn’t seem to mind me.” He soothingly spoke to the bird. She kept picking away at the seed until there was no more. She looked up at Ruki and chirped. The shorter man smiled.

“Well, I take that as a yes.” The stylist smiled at the exotic pet. Akira stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Ruki’s shoulder. He nuzzled his nose into the shorter’s neck, earning a a giggle from the blonde.

“I’m gonna let them out of the cage. You okay?” He whispered into his neck. The vet wanted to make sure Ruki would be comfortable with birds flying around. He nodded and Akira pulled himself away and unlocked the cage.

Before too long, there were a pair of cockatiels flying around the living room. Ruki watched in amazement as they hopped from one piece of furniture to the next. It was almost like they were playing a game of tag.

“They’ll tire each other out.” The brunette chuckled. He held onto Ruki’s hand and guided him towards the couch. Ruki sat with his legs flung over Akira’s lap and his head curled up against his chest. It’s been a few months, but the stylist finally felt comfortable enough around his boyfriend that he no longer got flustered with cuddling. He enjoyed it.

He loved listening to the metronome of Akira’s heart mixed with the rise and fall of his broad chest with each breath. The taller man had his arm wrapped around Ruki resting his hand on his lower back and his other patted his knees.

Ruki watched the birds in their impromptu games. They chirped back and forth between each other in their own language. Keiji landed on Ruki’s head, followed by Oscar jumping onto Akira’s. The blonde jumped at the sensation of Keiji’s clawed feet perching on his scalp. Akira showed no movement when Oscar pounced onto his head. The birds stood there for a moment before they continued their hopping around.

Akira laughed at Ruki’s facial expression. “That was so cute.”

“Hey, I never had a bird land on me before. Crapped on yeah, but that’s different.” He smirked at his own reply.

Akira leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Ruki’s lips. “You should smile more. I love when you smile.” He breathed before he place another kiss, this time on Ruki’s cheek. He snickered and placed his hands in the brunette’s hair. They switched their sitting positions on the couch; now Ruki laid on his back while Akira was hovering over him.

The vet was kissing his neck softly, smiling into each kiss as he heard the chuckles in Ruki’s throat. The stylist squirmed slightly under him. The taller man ran his hand down Ruki’s side and rested it on his hip.

The vet pulled away and hovered his face over his boyfriend’s. Ruki was flushed from his face down to his chest. He looked into Akira’s eyes and smiled at the affection he found in them. He had a hard time believing that this man grew to care for him so much.

Ruki’s smile faded and he could no longer hold eye contact with Akira. He looked down and saw the not-so-subtle bulge form in his pants and rub up against Akira’s leg. He bit down on his bottom lip and looked off at the wall on the other side of the room. He definitely felt that.

“I’m sorry…”he trailed. He was mortified. He couldn’t help it, Akira was so close to him, and touching him. He tried to shift so he could sit up and hide his problem. But he felt Akira’s hand tighten its grip on his hip. The other snaked down and cupped his cheek.

The stylist’s eyes jolted back to look at the face above his in shock. The vet didn’t look upset or uncomfortable. He continued his affectionate gaze at the shorter man. His face was tinted a light pink and his eyes slightly hooded.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’m glad.” He leaned down and kissed Ruki’s lips. He pressed his lips feverishly against the blonde’s. His hand moved from his hips and lightly palmed over Ruki’s groin, causing the man to gasp in surprise.

“I can help you with that. If you’d like?” He smirked into their kiss. He continued his light touching, watching Ruki’s reactions. He moved his head down to kiss at his neck. He left a trail of butterfly kisses up and down Ruk’s throat and continued to lightly brush over Ruki’s jeans.

“Please.” The shorter man could no longer take the teasing. His hands tugged at Akira’s hair to lift his face away from his ticklish neck. Akira removed his mouth from Ruki’s Adam's apple and looked into his eyes.

“Please what?” He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a smirk.

“Don’t make me beg.” Ruki whined as Akira’s touches pressed down with more force.

Satisfied with his boyfriend’s response, he breathed out a small laugh and bent his head down to continue kissing his neck. He trailed kisses down his neck and over his clothed chest. Ruki closed his eyes and relaxed into the feeling of Akira’s lips. He moved his head down the blonde’s chest and stomach with tenderness, careful not to be too forceful.

Ruki’s eyes shot open and gasped when he felt Akira plant a kiss on the clothed hardness in his pants. He quickly looked down and saw his boyfriend’s hooded eyes looking up at him. He waited for Ruki to show him a sign to continue. Is he going to to what I think he is?!

Ruki’s mind was suddenly flooded with hesitation. He couldn’t ask him to do that! It wasn’t too soon to do this right? It has only been three or four months. That’s long enough to wait, right? But he’d have to repay him by doing the same thing later. Would he be able to? He’s never done anything like this before. Is he ready for this?

Ruki closed his eyes and tried to mask his surprise. He pushed away the negative thoughts and what-ifs his mind kept conjuring. He wanted this, despite what his thoughts were telling him. He breathed in a shaky breath and looked down at his patient lover and nodded.

Akira smiled and continued his work. He kissed circles around Ruki’s prominent erection. His hands reached down and unbuttoned the jeans. He moved the zipper too slowly for the stylist’s liking. He angled his hips off the couch to let Akira move the in-the-way garments.

In one movement, the vet pushed the blonde’s pants and boxers down his waist, freeing the source of the bulge. The cool aired sent a shiver through the shorter man.

Ruki closed his eyes and felt the heat on his cheeks burn. He felt so exposed in front of Akira. He really let his guard down and revealed something intimate to the vet. It has been years since anyone has seen him like this. He sighed in pleasure when he felt a warm hand wrap around his base.

The brunette pressed his nose to Ruki’s erection and placed a light kiss along the shaft. He heard another pleased moan escape the blondes lips. The grip on his hair tightened the more he teased him; his boyfriend only had so much patience.

He poked his tongue out and started to lick the sides, hearing another pleased gasp from above. He looked up to inspect the look on Ruki’s face. The blonde had his eyes closed, his lips parted as he panted. His face was flushed red and sweat formed on his temple. Akira thought he looked beautiful like that.

The vet then opened his mouth and enveloped Ruki’s erection. The sudden heat of Akira’s mouth made Ruki’s hip buck forwards instinctively. He sucked and licked at his boyfriends arousal, enjoying all the sounds that escaped his mouth. He hollowed out his cheeks and dipped down further, until his mouth hit his hand still wrapped around the base. He continued his sucking as he fit the stylist’s entire member into his mouth, bobbing his head up and down.

The blonde was helpless. He purred in delite at every twist of Akira’s hand or flick of his tongue. He felt pressure building below his stomach and knew he wouldn’t last much longer like this. He opened his mouth to warn Akira, but his lover brushed his tongue over his slit and he lost it. He choked on his warning, producing a grunted sigh instead. His head fell back against the couch while euphoria washed over him.

Akira heard Ruki’s sigh and felt the cum hit his tongue. It tasted odd, but not bad. He was a bit surprise, but from the noises his lover produced he guessed he was close. He continued to suck until he swallowed the last of it. He released the blonde from his mouth and looked up at him, licking his lips.

Ruki removed his hands from the brunette hair and cover his mouth with the back of one of them, the other was clawing at the armrest of the couch above him. He had small tears forming in the corner of his eyes; the blush was still ravaging his face.

“I’m sorry..” he choked out. “I tried to warn you that I was going to…” He trailed off and closed his eyes, fighting the tears.

Akira quickly crawled up the couch and planted a kiss on his nose.

“You are beautiful.” Was all he whispered as he went to kiss the tears out of the corner of his eyes.

“But…” Ruki was still shocked that Akira swallowed. That never happened before, he couldn’t figure out how the brunette acted like it was nothing.

“You taste good too.” He replied and leaned forward planting his lips on Ruki’s. The blonde giggled and pushed him away.

“You’re a pervert.” He teased lovingly. All his tension and guilt faded away. 

“So how do you feel?” Akira leaned back to let Ruki sit up and button himself.

“Amazing.” He beamed leaning against the vet’s shoulder. “Now I have to repay you.”

Akira frowned. “No, I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything. I enjoyed that just as much as you did.”

“I know.” Ruki purred as he pointed at the vet’s erection trapped under his jeans. They laughed and the vet nuzzled his neck.

“I can help you with that.” Ruki repeated his boyfriend’s words from earlier.

“Only if you are absolutely alright with it. I’m not forcing you.”

“Yes,” Ruki nodded. “But I think we should move to your room. I’m afraid Oscar and Keiji have already seen too much.”

They turned to where the birds were perched; watching them from above the window frame. Oscar was the first to sing her imitation of Ruki’s moans. They laughed as she matched his pitch perfectly and did an unbelievable impersonation of him.

“I think that’s a good idea. I already don’t know how I’ll explain those noises she makes to mom.” He chuckled and held Ruki’s hand, leading him to his bedroom.

Akira’s room was smaller than Ruki expected it to be. It contained a twin sized bed, one nightstand, and a small dresser. The stylist’s room was actually bigger in comparison. And his was more organized and cleaner than the vet's. Akira had a pile of dirty clothes in the corner as well as loose books splayed around the floor. The blonde pushed the thoughts out of his head, and decided to instead, think of it as cozy. He just thought the man could afford a bigger and neater place for himself.

The vet laid down on the bed, Ruki was hovered over his groin. He was tracing the outline of his erections through his pants with his manicured finger. The brunette bit the back of his hand, trying to muffle his moans. His other hand trekked it’s way down the bed to rest on his lover’s head. His face was red as he closed his eyes, focusing on the touch of the other man.

Ruki trailed his fingers up the bulge and started to play with the buttons and zipper of Akira’s jeans. He slowly took his time, watching the lustful, irritated expression of his lover’s face. The vet huffed when he thought Ruki was taking too long to undo his pants. He reached his own hand down and helped free his erection from his boxers.

The blonde stared at Akira’s member, he was bigger than him, but remained resolute. He wanted his boyfriend to feel as much pleasure as he showed him earlier. He delicately reached his hand out and gripped the base. He ran his hand up and down the shaft, watching his hips buck upwards.

He studied Akira’s face. The vet's hand did little to silence the moans from escaping his throat. With each stroke, a blissful sound escaped Akira’s lips. His hand released the blonde’s hair and went down to clutch at the bed sheets.

Once Ruki saw how Akira reacted to his repetitive motions, he tried to surprise him. He quickly licked the underside and wrapped his lips around the head. Akira gasped at the sensation and quickly shot his head up. He looked down and made eye contact with the blonde.

Akira’s brows arched upwards, slight hesitation apparent on his face. He wanted to make sure Ruki was okay; he didn’t want him to feel any pressure. The blonde smirked at the eye contact and allowed more of Akira’s erection into his mouth. His devious expression eased the brunette’s concern. He laid his head back down and gasped in pleasure at the sucking and licking Ruki did.

Ruki closed his eyes and tried to mimic all the actions Akira performed on him. He was inexperienced at this, in fact this was the first time he ever performed a blow job. From the sounds he made his lover produce, he guessed he was doing an adequate job.

“Ruki…” Akira panted. His chest was moving up and down as his breathing became erratic. “I’m close.” He wanted to warn his lover, give him time to pull away.

However, the blonde ignored the warning and continued bobbing his head up and down the erection. You can do this. He tried to prepare himself. He wanted to do this. Akira treated him with such love and intimacy, he wanted to show Akira how much he meant to him.

“Ruki, I’m going to…” Akira choked on his sentence as a low grunt escaped his mouth instead. His hips bucked and he felt his release. Ruki closed his eyes. He tasted the cum spurt onto his tongue. It was something he never tasted before. He tried not to think about it and swallowed.

He continued his sucking. He felt a gag. He closed his eyes tighter and tried to focus harder, but another gag had him coughing. He quickly pulled away, a trail of saliva left his mouth as he leaned over the side of the bed. He gagged again and coughed up the cum. The mess hit the side of the bed and the floor. It even trailed down his chin and landed on his shirt.

Akira quickly sat up to check on his retching lover. He placed a palm on Ruki’s back to help him steady his breathing. Embarrassment clawed its way up Ruki’s face. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

“Are you okay?” Akira asked. Ruki felt tears form in his eyes and held a sob in. He reluctantly looked at his concerned boyfriend.

“I’m so sorry.” He squeaked out a sob. He was absolutley mortified. He wanted to do something sexy for Akira and ended up ruining everything because of his inexperience. His face burned and the tears started to spill over and run down his red cheeks.

Ruki felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around him and pull him into Akira’s chest. He shushed the blonde and rubbed behind his shoulders trying to console him. They stayed in that embrace until Ruki’s crying slowed.

“It’s okay, Ruki.” Akira pressed his lips into the shorter man’s hair.

“I’m sorry. I ruined everything. I…” Akira quickly interrupted the blonde by lifting his chin up to look at him. The vet had a serious expression.

“Don’t say that. You ruined nothing. You were amazing and beautiful.” His voice was firm and spoke with conviction.

“But I spit all over the place and made a mess. I wanted to make you feel good, like you made me feel.” Ruki spoke in a whisper. Tears threatening his vision again.

“You did make me feel good.” A small smile formed on the vet’s lips.

Ruki shook his head. “You know what I mean. I couldn’t…” he hesitated.

“Swallow?” Ruki buried his head into Akira’s chest again after hearing the brunette finish his sentence. He felt embarrassed to worry about such things.

“Ruki, I don’t care about that. All I care about is you, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or scared.”

Ruki lifted his head again. The affectionate expression on Akira’s face from earlier returned. He held onto the blonde with such compassion, as if Ruki was fragile and would break if held too tightly.

“Sex is about becoming comfortable with the other and building trust, not outstanding and mind blowing experiences. I’m honored that you tried something new for me. That’s enough for me.”

“What do you mean ‘tried something new?’ Did you just make an assumption about me?” Ruki smiled at the warmth from Akira, but responded with a cheeky attitude.

“You never swallowed before, right?”

“Well….no.” He admitted.

Akira hummed. “That’s okay. Point is, thank you.”

The vet raised his hands and cupped Ruki’s cheeks. He leaned down and pressed a passionate kiss on his lips. The blonde leaned into the kiss and moaned. He felt comforted, no longer embarrassed. He grew to care for this man.

“We need to clean that.” Ruki whispered, looking at the mess on the side of the bed.

“What? You mean I can’t just leave it there?”  The strong brunette joked, still holding the stylist.

“You’re an ass.” He lightly slapped Akira’s chest. He looked up at his boyfriend’s face and laughed at the dorky smile he found there. He really fell for this man.

“I….” the blonde hesitated, “like you. Alot.” He wanted to say it, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually form the correct word.

Akira smirked and kissed him one last time, “I care for you a great deal too.” He was understanding. They knew how the other felt. They didn’t need to say the “L word” just yet. He felt like they grew closer just sitting here in a warm embrace.

Tonight was definitely one to remember fondly. 

Chapter Text

“Can we go inside yet?” Uruha whined, rubbing his exposed arms for warmth.

Aoi and Uruha were smoking outside Sequence, the bar they agreed to meet Ruki and Akira at. It was close to midnight, and the young couple still hadn’t shown up yet. It was dark, save for the neon sign of the bar and the only working streetlight, which was a few yards away.

“Not until they show up. Besides, it’s not that cold out. It’s still summer after all.” Aoi replied, taking a puff of his third cigarette.

“But it’s so cold I can see my breath.”

“No you can’t, that’s just your cigarette smoke.” Aoi chuckled as his lover complained. Everyone always assumed he was stoic and fiercely logical. But in reality, he can be very childish and compassionate. That’s what attracted the older man to him all those years ago.

Aoi wrapped his arm around his taller lover. “There, feel warmer now?”

“Yes. Thanks.” Uruha purred and leaned into the embrace.

They’ve been standing outside for a half hour waiting. Aoi looked at his watch and sighed in frustration. Usually Uruha was the late one of their group. But he tried to just shrug it off and enjoy the presence of his tall boyfriend curling up against him.

The sound of a motorcycle in the distance made both men turn their heads. Their glances spotted the familiar sight of Akira driving his motorcycle with Ruki sitting behind him with his arms wrapped around the vet’s waist. The bike turned and vanished down the alleyway beside the bar.

“Come on, let’s greet them in the parking lot.” Aoi released Uruha, who let out a small whine at the loss of contact. They walked around the bar to the back parking lot. Akira was helping Ruki off the bike when Aoi ran up to them.

“Where have you been!? I asked you to bring our daughter home at ten!” The black-haired man used his deep-voiced father impersonation.

“Why sir, your daughter isn’t a little girl anymore.” Akira bowed. Him and Aoi played this game practically every time they met. Ruki would just roll his eyes, but at least his boyfriend got along with his friends.

“What!? What are you saying young man!”

“Sir, your little girl grew up to become a strong and beautiful man. Every father’s dream!”

Aoi ran over and hugged Ruki. The shorter struggled in the embrace. He tried to kick the other off of him, but his hold remained tight. The taller cried in mock sadness.

“I am so sorry! I never realised how much you’ve grown up!” Fake wails bellowed in Ruki’s ears. He finally managed to squeeze free from his stronger friend. He evaded a few more of Aoi’s advances before he shouted.

“Come on you ass! Let’s just get inside already.”

Uruha was already walking inside with Akira, both laughing at their boyfriends. Aoi wrapped an arm around Ruki’s shoulder and escorted him inside.

“Onward! We can’t let our chibi princess stand outside too long!”  The taller man waved his other arm in the air until he felt a sharp elbow to his ribs.

“What have I said about calling me ‘chibi?’” He hissed. Aoi coughed in pain but continued to lead the blonde inside.

“I’m serious! A live baby duck!” Aoi’s voice escaped his lips in a laugh.

The four decided to sit at a table near the restrooms. The bar was full and large groups of people occupied most booths. It was louder than when Ruki and Akira went here for their first date. They all ordered drinks. Uruha and Aoi were giddy on alcohol. Akira and Ruki settled for sodas. Uruha and Aoi sat across from Ruki and Akira; they were all laughing and sharing stories about each other.

“It kept quacking at me!” Uruha chuckled. The two were telling the vet and stylist about the time a baby duck followed Uruha all the way back to their apartment.

“It walked all the way from the park!?” Ruki squeaked incredulously.

“Yeah, I just walked by the park on the way home. I didn’t realise it was following me until I was at home. It walked inside the apartment with me!”

“I’ve never heard anything like that before!” Akira was laughing.

“You’re a vet Aki, why did it follow me?” Uruha slurred his words due to his tipsiness. He was more talkative and outgoing with a few drinks in him.

“It’s cause of your duck face!” Aoi interjected with a loud laugh.

“Aooooiiiii! That’s mean!” Uruha whined and pouted, causing the others to laugh a little louder.

“Hey, I didn’t say I hated your duck face. I think it’s cute.” He leaned to his taller lover, inches away from his lips. He whispered, “It’s especially cute when little ducklings mistake you for their mama!” Aoi quickly leaned in to kiss the pout.

“Get a room.” Ruki booed.

“Maybe we want you to watch.” Aoi replied with a mischievous smile gracing his lips. Uruha sported a dorky smile while he watched his lover affectionately. Ruki produced a gagging sound as a response.

“Oh come on Ruki, don’t you want to support your friend’s relationship!” Akira joined in, choosing to tease his shorter boyfriend.

“Yeah Ru, don’t you want to be supportive!” Uruha backed up Akira.

“Hey, why are you all turning on me?”

“You’re so shy about kissing! Why don’t you kiss Akira right now?” Uruha was clearly getting more intoxicated as the night went on.

“What? Why?”

“Because you never kiss him in front of us. Are your ashamed of him?” Aoi teased. The blonde stylist looked at his boyfriend beside him. The vet was looking back at him with a fond smile, laughing at his friends’ teasing.

“No, of course not. But you’ve seen us kiss before.”

“Yeah, but this time we aren’t spying on you!” Uruha’s swift reply had the rest of the group laughing.

Ruki turned to look at his boyfriend again. He wasn’t embarrassed about kissing him in public, he always felt like PDA was a way for couples to brag about their relationship. And so he refrained from it. But looking at the vet beside him, his mind changed. He took the lead and leaned up and forced his lips against Akira’s with force. The brunette instantly kissed back, resting his hand behind Ruki’s neck. Their lips passionately played together until they pulled away for air.

“Woooo!” Aoi cheered. “If you two need some alone time, don’t mind us. We’ll sit quietly and watch.”

“Shut up for once.” Ruki laughed and kicked Aoi under the table. The older man yelped in pain as the other three laughed. Uruha leaned his head against his lover’s shoulder in comfort.

“So Ruki….” The side-shaved brunette slurred. He had a glint in his eyes that the blonde did not like. He was weary of what Uruha was about to ask. The tipsy man continued, “have you two fucked yet?”

The stylist was caught off guard by his friend’s crass question. He choked on air as he inhaled in surprise. Akira reached his hand over to rub at his boyfriend’s back. Ruki went completely red in the face. Aoi was giggling like a madman. Uruha couldn’t help but laugh at everyone’s reactions.

“It’s none of your damn business!” Ruki huffed once he caught his breath.

“Oooo! Something has happened. You’re all red!” Aoi chimed, still in a fit of giggles.

“I didn’t say anything did happen idiot. That’s personal.”

“You’re so defensive! Oh! Is that why you guys were late!” Uruha’s face broke out in an excited smile at his realization.

“What!? No! Akira was looking for his keys!” Ruki grew irritated at his friends’ interest in his love life. He looked at his boyfriend, hoping the two hadn’t scared him off by their line of questioning. He was surprised to see Akira laughing at the drunk antics; he wasn’t blushing at all.

“He’s right. I couldn’t remember where I set my keys earlier.” The clarification had the other two men look slightly disappointed.

“Damn…” Uruha muttered dispirited.

“Oh don’t worry. We’ve blown each other, just not yet today.” Akira smiled as he watched the eyes of both Aoi and Uruha light up. Ruki looked at his boyfriend in a panic, the red on his face was several shades brighter now.

“Huuuuh?!” The other three all echoed in unison.

“Why would you tell them that?!” Ruki buried his face against the vet’s arm, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“What? They were gonna keep pestering you until you answered.” Akira laughed and defended himself.

“He’s right, you know.” Aoi piped in. Ruki mumbled and whined against Akira’s arm. He knew they would have, but he didn’t want to outright agree.

“They’re your friends Ru, I don’t mind them knowing. I’m not ashamed of it.” Akira reasoned and wrapped his arm around Ruki. His face was now revealed as he laid against the brunette’s chest. He wasn’t ashamed of it either, he loved it. And he did trust his friends. They wouldn’t use their newfound info against him. But he couldn’t shake the embarrassment.

“Still, that’s personal.” The short stylist huffed.

“We’re happy for you chibi. We’re glad you’re moving on.” Aoi said in sincerity. His face softened, and he no longer teased his friend. He looked at him with joy, something like a mother to her child.

Meanwhile, Uruha grew quiet and watched the doorway. The others didn’t take notice, but the tall stylist recognized the woman who had entered. He watched her intently, with a look of disdain. She had long blonde hair tied up in a bun and a short, black cocktail dress with matching stiletto heels. Despite the heavy amounts of makeup on her face, the stylist knew who she was.

He leaned to whisper something in Aoi’s ear. The older man nodded his head and quickly kissed his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Come on Ruki, I need to talk to you in the bathroom privately.” He quickly stood up and grabbed Ruki’s hand, dragging him out of his seat.

“Hey wait! Why!” Ruki’s strength was no match for Aoi’s. His struggles proved useless. Akira even had a shocked and worried look on his face.

“Don’t worry! I think it’s time we give our little chibi ‘the talk.’” Aoi cheekily spoke while he tightened his grip around Ruki’s wrist. The blonde kept shouting out protests, but Aoi’s joke eased Akira’s nerves a bit. He was still worried about the sudden change in mood.

“Stop fighting. Let me tell you about the birds and the bees!” was the last thing they heard before the bathroom door shut. Akira turned towards Uruha, who looked like he sobered up a bit. He sat there with an erie smile on his face. He kept glancing at something behind Akira.

“Don’t turn around.” Uruha instructed the vet. Akira obliged, but was in a state of confusion.

“So, do you love Ruki?” Uruha’s quiet voice was barely audible due to the noise in the bar, everyone but Akira wouldn’t have been able to hear it. It was the vet’s turn to blush. The tall stylist’s question made the vet flinch a bit before he finally nodded.

“Yes, I think I do.” The response made the smile on Uruha’s face twist to a cocky smirk.

“Good, that’ll help us.”

Akira was about to ask him what he meant. The brunette had been acting weird since Aoi left with Ruki. But he was interrupted by the sound of high heels clicking on the floor as well as a woman’s voice.

“Oh my, is that you Uruha?”

Akira turned to see a blonde woman standing beside their table.  By most standards, she was beautiful with her blonde hair and skillful makeup. But with the look of contempt on Uruha’s face, he probably thought different.

“Yep.” Uruha’s curt reply had an uncaring tone. He sipped from his drink as if the woman’s presence was unknown to him.

“It’s been years since I saw you. How are you doing?” She spoke in an almost bubbly tone. Her voice was high-pitched and cheery. She seemed oblivious to the stylist’s coldness towards her. Uruha just shrugged as an answer.

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something? Are you on a date?” She quickly looked back and forth between Akira and Uruha. The vet didn’t know who this woman was, he didn’t know how to respond and let Uruha do the talking since he knows her. And from the looks of it, she isn’t a  friend. The taller man stayed silent once again and just answered the woman with a shake of his head.

“No? I’m sorry I just assumed since you’re gay and-”

“I’m not trying to sleep with every man on the planet.” Uruha swiftly cut the woman off. Irritation starting to show in his body language. His hands started to grip his drink tighter and his jaw clenched.

“I’m sorry. It’s just he’s a guy so…”

“Unlike you, I know how to befriend men without jumping into bed with them.” Akira almost gasped at Uruha’s quick wittedness, especially with how sloshed he was earlier. The woman looked taken aback. The hurt look on her face was replaced with anger. She tried to mask it by changing the subject.

“So if you’re here, where’s Takanori?”

“What do you want with him?” The side-shaved man’s evasive answers made the woman angrier the more they talked.

“Nothing. I was just curious.”

“You want to ruin his life some more?”

“No, I just wondered-”

“Spare us the fake kindness.” The taller man waved his hand at her, his apathetic look returning to his face. “You wanted to know if he’s seeing anyone, right? You wondered if they were male or female?”

Akira was frozen in place, watching the interaction between the two. The longer she talked to Uruha, the more the vet started to put some pieces together. He had a hunch as to who this woman was, but couldn’t confirm it just yet. The woman stuttered, trying to find something to say back to the stylist who knew exactly what she was after.

“For the record, Ruki is still bisexual.”

The woman huffed. “‘Ruki." Is that what he calls himself now? Well how can you say that if he’s never been with a guy?”

“That’s irrelevant.” Akira’s interjected. She now turned to look at the muscular, brunette seated across the table. He had his arms crossed over his chest and leaned back on his chair. His aura was intimidating. Uruha hid his smile behind his drink as he took another sip; pleased that the vet was now participating in their conversation.

“Excuse me?”

“I said it’s irrelevant. How did you know you were straight if you never dated anyone before, or haven’t tried sleeping with the same gender. Someone can be bisexual while still in a heterosexual relationship.” He spoke in a calm and professional sounding voice. The woman glared at the stranger.

“And who are you exactly?”

“My name’s Akira Suzuki. And you are?”

“Reila.” Uruha answered for the woman. She grew increasingly agitated by the two men. The confidence and arrogance she had earlier was falling apart little by little. Akira knew he did not like this woman.

“Reila? That’s too pretty of a name for you.” Akira snapped at the woman, much to Uruha’s enjoyment. The stylist couldn’t hold in his laughter. She shot both of them a dirty look.

“And why do I care what you have to say?” She grew defensive at the stranger.

“You don’t.” Akira shrugged. “I’m Ruki’s boyfriend and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop talking about him in a derogatory way. Same with his friends.” He pointed at the tall man across the table.

The blonde woman’s eyes shot open at the mention of Ruki. “You’re his boyfriend?!”

“I didn’t stutter.” The woman’s shock was evident. “Is it safe to assume you’re his ex-girlfriend?”

She straightened her stance and wrapped both her hands around her purse strap. Her frown deepened, “Actually, it’s ex-fiance to be more specific.” Her voice dripped of venom.

The brunette stylist’s brows arched upwards in surprise. Apparently this was news to him. But Akira kept his poker face. “I don’t care. Either way you’re an ex. Don’t fool yourself with technicalities.” Reila huffed again. Her red lips pouted and her eyes tried to stab through Akira.

“But you know what, I’ve been rude to you and we’ve only just met.” Akira smiled and stood up. He offered his hand to the woman. She stepped back slightly and look at his hand in confusion. She hesitantly reached out to shake it.

“I should thank you.” The confusion on Reila’s face grew even more at the sudden amourosity of the brunette.

“If it weren’t for you abandoning him, I would have never met and fallen in love with Ruki.” He sported an arrogant smirk. The woman quickly released her grip and smacked her hand across Akira’s cheek. It stung, but he knew his words stung her more.

She quickly stomped away from the men, her face red from anger and embarrassment. She left the bar in a hurry as tears formed in her eyes. Akira cradled his bruised cheek. Uruha stood beside him, smiling uncontrollably.

“That was awesome, man!” Aoi’s chirped from behind them.

The two turned around to see Aoi and Ruki standing right outside the bathroom door. The dark-haired man was also smiling and looked ecstatic about the events that just happened. However, Ruki looked down at the floor. He fidgeted with his rings and looked anxious.

“Ruki…” Akira walked around the table and scooped his boyfriend into a hug. The smaller man slowly buried his face against Akira’s chest and rested his hands on his waist.

“I’m sorry. I..” The stylist trailed. “Are you okay?” He looked up and lightly touched the reddening, freshly-slapped cheek.

“Yes. What about you? How much did you hear?”

“All of it. I’m sorry Uruha.” The shorter man called over to the tall man who was currently sitting in Aoi’s lap, enjoying the kisses he received along his neck. Aoi pulled away to let him talk.

“It’s okay. I didn’t want to be nice to her anyways.” He slurred again. He was back to his tipsy, drunken state. How quickly his friend’s attitude can change was so bizarre,it was almost alien to Ruki.

“Thank you.” Ruki turned to the man whose embrace he was currently in. Akira kissed his forehead. The blonde smiled and continued. “I think we need to talk. There are somethings I should probably tell you.”

Akira nodded and let his boyfriend lead him outside to the back parking lot. They walked and sat on the ground beside his motorcycle. Ruki pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He needed it to steady his nerves, despite the fact that he knew Akira didn’t like the dirty habit.

“You met my ex-fiance.” He started, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“I didn’t know you were engaged.” Akira almost whispered.

“Yeah, neither did anyone else. It fell apart before I could tell anyone.” A bitter laugh fell from Ruki’s lips. Akira only nodded as he listened. He let Ruki collect himself before he continued.

“Reila was my girlfriend from high school. She was creative and funny. We just clicked and hung out all the time, so naturally we started dating. We were together for...years. I can’t remember how many.”

Ruki leaned his head against the motorcycle behind him. Akira sat in silence and obediently listened to his boyfriend’s story. The blonde exhaled another plume of smoke before he sighed and continued.

“I loved her and trusted her, that’s why I asked her to marry me.” He exhaled again. It pained him to revisit these memories. Akira scooted closer and rested his hand on Ruki’s thigh. He stroked it in a comforting manner, encouraging the stylist to continue.

“At the same time, I was finally come to terms with who I was. Before I met her, I was struggling with my identity. I knew I was supposed to like girls. I mean my parents always talked about grandchildren, and how I should marry a nice girl. But, I liked boys too. The way they talked, you were suppose to only like girls or only like guys. There was no in between. Like Uruha, he liked only guys, even if they didn’t like it. They still accepted that more than people who liked both.”

He stubbed out his cigarette and pulled out his carton. He was debating about lighting another one. But he closed his eyes and set it on the ground, he’d try to get through the rest of his story with no help from nicotine.

“But it took me a while before I got comfortable with identifying as bisexual. Once I was, I told Uruha first. He, of course, supported me. After I proposed to Reila, I thought I could trust her. I mean I should, I wanted to marry her. When I told her I was bisexual, she looked at me with anger. She claimed I just wanted attention or that I was really just gay and lying to myself.”

Ruki fought back a sob. Akira moved his hand and wrapped his arm around Ruki. The shorter man rested his head against the vet’s shoulder and closed his eyes. It had been years since he told anyone about this. It hurt to remember the fights they had and how quickly his life changed.

“Reila told my parents. She went crying to them so they were furious at me for upsetting her. They didn’t know why I wanted to screw up a picture perfect relationship by hurting her. They didn’t believe I was truly bi. They echoed everything Reila said to me about wanting attention. They even went as far as to blame Uruha. They said hanging out with him all the time made me confused. And that I just wanted to fit in.”

“Did Uruha know about that?” Akira asked. His voice cracked after being quiet for so long.

“Yes. They actually yelled at him when he came to visit me. They called him names I never thought I’d hear from my parents. That’s when I had enough. I broke up with Reila, packed up and left. I moved to my current apartment and locked myself away. But Uruha forced me outside and took me to adopt a pet. He said I needed companionship when he was busy working. We got Koron. And he practically saved my life.”

“Wow. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.” Akira kissed the top of the blonde’s head.

“It’s okay now. Uruha convinced me to work for Black Moral after a year of self-loathing. Everyone accepted me right away and treated me nice. It kinda became my replacement for my family, even if that sounds stupid or unhealthy.”

“No, that doesn’t sound stupid. I’m happy for you. They all seem like nice people.” He kissed the top of the blonde’s head again. “And also…”

Ruki pulled away to look at his lover in the eyes. To the stylist’s surprise, Akira’s eyes were watery. He was generally saddened by Ruki’s story. He stroked the vet’s cheek.

“Thank you for trusting me and telling me.” Akira pressed his lips against Ruki’s. They smacked their lips together with tenderness. Once they pulled apart, Ruki felt relief. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders after revealing his past to his boyfriend. Not only did Akira listened, he still stayed with Ruki. He accepted him and didn’t accuse him of anything, unlike the ones who caused him this pain.

“Thank you for listening.” He chuckled and rested his head in Akira’s chest. They stayed in that embrace for another hour. Every once in a while shifting to give each other a kiss. They didn’t need to talk anymore. They enjoyed each others presence. They didn’t break apart until a drunken Uruha and Aoi stumbled around outside looking for them.

Chapter Text

Aoi rubbed his temples as he flung himself against his chair. He was relieved he didn’t have a terrible hangover this morning due to last night. After Ruki and Akira went outside, he lost count of how many drinks he had. In fact, he can’t quite remember how he got home since him and Uruha were both smashed.

He awoke in bed with his boyfriend wrapped around him groaning in pain. He was able to stand and walk with no problem. However, he had to help Uruha to the bathroom and hold his hair while the taller man barfed. He cried in agony about his headache with each retch. The older man’s headache was manageable, so after he took care of Uruha he was even able to make it to work.

Uruha stayed at home; first time he ever called off for a hangover. He could usually handle his alcohol better than anyone and Aoi would be the lightweight staying home. The dark-haired man guessed that his little encounter with Reila last night probably affected him more than he’d let on. But he was still proud of they way he stood his ground.

“Do you need anything?” Ruki walked up to the desk and asked.

The blonde looked tired. He tried his best to hide the bags under his eyes with makeup, but Aoi could tell. Last night was unexpected. Seeing Reila again definitely took its toll on Ruki, not to mention they didn’t all get home until early morning.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. How about you? How are you holding up?”

The blonde shrugged. Not only did last night wear him out emotionally, it also tired him out physically. The couple had to take home two drunk friends on a motorcycle. It took two trips. Akira dropped Aoi off first while Ruki sat with Uruha in the parking lot. He drove back and then took the tallest man home. Once they were all situated at their apartment, Akira was finally able to return to his boyfriend and they went to the vet’s mom to pick up Koron. The woman all but lept at the oppurtunity to babysit the dog. Then he dropped Ruki off and drove home, since the stylist had work in the morning.

“You and Akira talked?”

The blonde nodded. “Yeah, I told him about her and my family. That whole shitstorm.”

“What did he have to say?” Aoi folded his hands in his lap and leaned his head against the back of the chair.

“Not much. Just that he was sorry I went through all that. He even cried about it.” Ruki smiled sadly.

“He’s a keeper.” Aoi commented.

The door chimed, signalling a customer. The pair turned to look at the entrance and found Akira walking towards them. He dressed in casual clothes, jeans and a black band tee. His boots dragged along the floor until he stood in front of the two employees, smiling and leaning on the desk. Koron was curled up in his bed beside the desk, sound asleep. He was not getting up to greet anyone today.

“Well, speak of the devil.” Aoi commented through a smirk as he stood up, stretching.

“Did you say my name three times? That usually summons me.” The brunette joked. He looked around at all the other stylists; some were with customers, a few were just talking to each other to pass the time.

“Uruha off?”

“Called off, actually.” Ruki replied.

“Is he alright?” Akira worried.

“He will be, once the aspirin works and he eats the lunch I left him.” Aoi waved in dismissal at the concern. “He’s just hungover. He’s fine.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you had to help your mom with something?” The blonde stylists asked.

“That’s not until later. I just wanted to see my lovely boyfriend at work!” The brunette cooed and hugged the shorter man.

“If you need a haircut, you aren’t getting it for free!” Ruki huffed. They broke free from the hug while Aoi chuckled at them. It looked like the younger stylist was comfortable around his boyfriend. He didn’t blush at all during the display of affection.

“Damn, you found me out!” The brunette smirked. “But in all seriousness, I came to get my hair dyed.”

“Oh, you turning into a new man?” Aoi peeped from behind the desk.

“Yes. Ruki has changed me.” Akira dramatically grabbed both of his boyfriend’s hands and held them to his chest. “I am no longer the streetwise gutter rat you met. I’ve changed. Allow me to be your prince, your highness.” The vet bowed.

“...have you been huffing glue?” Ruki’s sarcasm echoed his unimpressed expression.

“No, I just always wanted to do something like that.” He giggled and released his grip.

The door chimed again. They all turned to see the customer walking in. Akira recognized the woman. He remembered she was the customer who tried to flirt with Uruha, only to be shot down by Aoi. She smiled and bounced her way to the desk.

“Hellooo!” She chirped, although she couldn’t make eye contact with the black-haired man for longer than a few seconds. She still remembered what he said about Uruha.

“Hiya, what can we do for you today?”

“Um, I would like a touch-up of my roots and a trim, please.”

“Okay, we have some openings now. Let’s see….”

“Actually, can I have Ruki do it for me again? He did it just how I like it last time.” She turned to look at the shorter stylist.

So she’s moving on to him now. Akira saw how she acted coy around his boyfriend.

“He’s currently with that gentleman, there will be a bit of a wait.”

“I can wait.” She replied to Aoi almost immediately. He nodded and pointed her to a few chairs by the hairdressing stations. She skipped to one and sat down, as close to Ruki’s station as she could. She wore a short skirt and sheer thigh highs stockings. She played on her phone with her hot pink manicured nails, biting her bottom lip. She’s occasionally look up at the blonde, trying to catch his eye.

Ruki walked his boyfriend over and sat him down at his station. Once Akira decided he wanted a dark black-blue color, the stylist turned to begin his work. The vet looked at the woman and felt a mixture of jealousy and smugness. She was a beautiful woman, no doubt she’d grab Ruki’s attention. But he was able to claim Ruki as his own, which led him to feel conceited.

The blonde was organizing his station, finding shampoo and prepping to wash his boyfriend’s hair before dying it. “So what made you decide to dye your hair? Midlife crisis?”

“Pfft. I’m not that much older than you, peanut.”

“Please don’t start calling me that. I may prefer ‘chibi’ instead of ‘peanut.’” Ruki scowled as he combed out his boyfriend’s hair.

“What? I bet I can get you to like it.” Akira looked over and saw the woman watching them. She was close enough, she could probably hear their conversation. The vet smiled, she had no idea about their relationship. He decided to have a little fun.

He smirked. “So how long will this take?”

“Depends how long until it drys after I wash it. It’ll be faster if you sit under one of those big hair dryers. If I use the hand one it takes longer.”

“I’d like the handheld blow dryer if that’s alright. I know you do amazing blow jobs.” He smirked as Ruki choked on his double entendre. Akira turned his attention to the woman, she was blushing fiercely and averted her gaze.

“Aki! Shut up.” He smacked his lover’s arm.

“It’s true though. I have a first hand experience.”

“Shush! People will hear you.” The blonde tried to hide his smile as he scolded him.

The woman fidgeted with the ends of her skirt as she stared at her feet. The vet watched her blush and her coy body language from before now showed genuine timidness. The stylist continued his work, and after drying Akira’s unruly locks, he applied the dye. He leaned over Akira and colored his hair. He focused solely on his work that he didn’t notice the playful look on his boyfriend’s face.

Akira brought his hands forwards and rested them on Ruki’s cheeks. The blonde snapped out of his work and looked down at him. The vet leaned up and planted a slow, passionate kiss on Ruki’s plump lips. He heard the woman squeak at the show of affection.

“You are amazing.” He smiled and adoringly looked at his lover. The stylist smiled and kissed back with a quick peck.

“Thank you. But we are going to be here all day if you keep this up.”

“Maybe I want to have you all day to myself, my little peanut.”

“God, stop that. You were so charming until that last part.” He pouted and laughed. Akira finally settled down and let his boyfriend continue his work uninterrupted. He didn’t want to admit his jealousy to himself; but he was satisfied with the female customer’s reactions. She no longer had the confidence from before.

Ruki finished his work and turned Akira to look at his reflection. The vet inspected his new hair. Like promised, Ruki dyed it a dark bluish black and styled it just the way he likes it. He smiled and turned to his lover.

“It’s perfect. You are truly amazing.”

“Thank you. About time you realized that.” He smirked and leaned down to kiss Akira on the temple. “Now go pay Aoi so I can get the rest of my work done.”

The blue-haired vet laughed and stepped out of the chair. He casually walked to greet Aoi at the desk. Ruki politely guided the waiting female customer to his station. She wasn’t as bubbly as when she walked in, and didn’t try to strike up a conversation with the blonde stylist.

“So….you looked like you had fun.” The dark-haired man behind the desk commented.

“Yeah, well, you know.” He shrugged.

“I understand. You don’t want to admit you’re jealous, but you are. She always comes in here to flirt.”

“I remember her with Uruha. She still can’t look you in the eye.”

“It doesn’t look like she can with Ruki either.”

Akira handed him the amount for the job and looked over his shoulder. The woman closed her eyes during most of her trim and touch-up. He kind of felt bad for embarrassing the woman the way he did. But, he could not idly watch and let her flirt with his boyfriend.

“You said she always comes in here to flirt?”

“Yeah, she changes targets. She moved on to Ruki after she learned Uruha was gay. When she started with me, I just outright denied her.”

“Okay, what did you say? It’s you after all, this has gotta be good.” Akira leaned on the desk.

“Well, she said something about my lips being beautiful or something. So I told her, “Thanks, they look better when their wrapped around a dick.”

“Oh my! That’s so crude!” He gasped in laughter.

“Hey! She pursued me for a month and didn’t take the hints. So I thought I’d be straightforward with her.”

The pair stood and laughed. Akira has grown close to Ruki’s friends. He didn’t really have many friends of his own. There was Nao, but that was pretty much it. He used to be a social butterfly and spent every weekend with his friends. But things change and he lost all that. He wasn’t upset about it, since now he got to meet someone like Ruki. His life wasn’t all bad.

Akira stood in line at the checkout. He heard the beep of items being scanned in every direction. No matter what lane he chose, he had to wait. He regretted not getting a cart though, since he was carrying two bags of birdseed. They were starting to get heavy in his arms. He sighed and shifted the bags in his arms. He was hoping to get in, get out. He didn’t want to stop since he just got done with work, but Oscar and Keiji were in need of food.

Someone stepping into line behind him, preventing him from hoping to another register. He sighed again, realizing how long he was waiting. The person at the register was probably arguing over the price of something when he heard the overhead speaker call for a “price check” on something. He just shook his head. He turned to look beside him at the impulse items. Maybe he’d get a candy bar while he waited.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the person behind him checking their watch and mumbling while holding a shopping basket. Akira recognized him and turned completely around.

“Hey Kai. How’s it going today?”

The blonde man looked up at him and smiled. A dimple formed on the one side of his face. His eyes were done up in blue eye-shadow to accentuate his irises; they squinted at the corners with the smile. The man’s entire face lit up when he smiled.

“Hey! I didn’t recognize you. You’ve changed your hair.” The man pointed to Akira’s dark blue locks.

“Yeah, Ruki did it. He’s amazing at what he does.”

“That’s why we keep him.”

“Oh, I thought it was because of Koron.” Akira joked.

“Well, I can’t completely deny that.” He giggled. The laughter faded as the line moved. They both stepped forward before stopping again.

“Man, this place is busy today, huh?” Kai commented, looking around at the other registers.

“Yeah, so much for a quick stop.” Akira shrugged. “You guys closed for the night?”

“No, we’re open for another hour. I left Ruki in charge. I’m sure it won’t burn down in my absence.”

“Are you sure about that?” The vet smirked, causing another laugh to erupt from the blonde’s lips. He shook his head and quieted down his outburst.

“So you two doing okay?” The mood shifted, but Kai still sported his dimpled-smile. He attentively waited for Akira’s reply.

“Yeah, we’re doing great. I’m learning a lot about him. He’s very beautiful.” He smiled fondly, looking at the ground while he thought.

“Is he learning anything about you?”

“What?” The question took Akira by surprise as he looked up at the salon owner. He no longer smiled. He had a serious expression on his face. His dimple was forgotten as his brows straightened and creased in the middle. Where his smile was blinding, his scowling was frightening.

“Now that he is opening up to you, are you doing the same? Are you being open with Ruki?”

The line moved forward, but Akira was stuck in place for a moment. He paused, trying to figure out if Kai was setting him up for a joke. Once it was obvious he wasn’t, the vet fumbled around to answer his question.

“I am….well...I told him….he is….um…” The blue-haired man stuttered. Unable to look at the blonde or give him a concise answer. Instead, he moved forward and awkwardly faced his boyfriend’s boss, wishing for the conversation to turn to other topics.

“Listen, if Ruki is the only one who is honest the relationship won’t last.” He lectured. “He does talk about you at the salon. He is really smitten with you, and I know he told you about Reila and his family.”

“Yeah, he did.”

“He doesn’t open up to just anyone. When he talks about you, I wondered if you only tell him the stuff you want him to know about you.”

“What do you mean?” His voice was low as he asked.

“When Ruki talks, you sound like a fairytale prince. But you aren’t really, are you? If there are things about you that you are ashamed of or want to keep hidden, you are going to let him know sooner or later. I know Ruki, and if you wait too long, he’s going to feel betrayed and hurt.”

Kai ended his lecture there since the line moved forward and it was Akira’s turn to pay. The cashier apologize for the wait and quickly scanned the bird seed. The vet paid in cash and grabbed his items. He waited for Kai at the end of the checkout. He awkwardly shifted on his feet while the blonde emptied his shopping basket.

Once he was done, he grabbed his bags and joined the vet. They were silent as they exited the building. Akira mulled over Kai’s lecture. The vet thought about all Ruki revealed to him. He wanted to know about the blonde so badly, yet didn’t tell him anything about himself. It was an unfair trade.

“Sorry for the speech. You just wanted to get bird food, not be scolded.” Kai apologized. His face less serious as a shy smile graced his lips.

“No, it’s fine. You care for Ruki and I respect that. Thank you.”

“Hmm, you’re thanking me for scolding you? Are you insane?” Kai laughed.

“No, I’m a prince.” He teased, rousing another laugh from the blonde. They walked a few feet in the same direction, they parted ways and wished each other a good night.

Akira thought everything Kaid said was right. He wasn’t the perfect gentleman he tried to portray. He’s worked hard to get to where he’s at now, but that doesn’t mean Ruki doesn’t have the right to know about his past. Akira thought about his smaller lover and smiled, he was so brave to open up to him and let his guard down. Not like Akira, he was a coward. But he was determined to fix that.

Later that night, Akira was sitting on a couch in his boyfriend’s apartment. Ruki was cuddled up next to him with Koron in his lap. The chihuahua rested his head head against the stylist’s stomach as he petted him. Akira had his arm wrapped around his boyfriend’s shoulder, twirling some loose blonde strands between his fingers.

They were watching a documentary on tv. Akira couldn’t pay attention to it too much; still remembering what Kai told him from earlier. He looked down and stared at his lover. He studied every feature of his beautiful face. He stared at the beauty marks on his chin and under his left eye. The blonde’s lips were plump and inviting even with his neutral expression. Akira found this man to have all the features of some kind of super model. Let alone, he was completely enamored with the shorter man’s personality. He could be so stubborn at times, and completely shy the next. He was dynamic.

Ruki felt the eyes on him and turned to look at his boyfriend. He found him staring at him. He squirmed and giggled.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” His lips turning upwards in a smile.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Ruki’s arrogance shifted the mood away from anything serious. Akira loved how he could do that, but wanted to open up to his lover.

“Seriously though, I wanted to tell you something.” Ruki straightened up and looked at his lover in the eyes. His smile was small and no longer cockey.

“What is it, Aki?” The nickname struck at the vet’s heart. His boyfriend was cute, even when he didn’t try. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out as his mind raced.

Why do you want to ruin the moment by telling him something like that? It’s so random and out of place. Learn to read the room, he doesn’t want to have a heart-to-heart right now. That’s not why he invited you over.

He closed his mouth and stared at his smiling lover. He looked so happy, he didn’t want to ruin that. He didn’t want to hurt him or be the reason he’s upset. He sighed.

“You are my adorable peanut.” He leaned down and kissed him.

“You ass.” Ruki giggled and slapped at the vet’s chest.

“Oooh, you’re a salty peanut.” He laughed, earning a few more slaps from his boyfriend before Koron hopped of his lap and trotted to the kitchen. They giggled and wrestled around some more before Ruki settled on top of Akira’s chest. They continued to watch the movie while the vet mindlessly stroked the blondes back.

Ruki was smiling while he laid on top of his boyfriend, paying attention to the movie. Akira’s gaze rested on the floor. His mind raced the rest of the night as he thought about their relationship. He ran the scenario of his confession to Ruki over and over in his head. Trying to find the right time to open up to him. Maybe he can tell him later.

Coward.

Chapter Text

“Why do you still wear that band?”

Akira looked down at his lover. Ruki was sitting on the living room floor playing tug-of-war with Koron and a ragged old rope. They were at his mother’s, house sitting while Ayane took her shopping.

The blonde stylist was looking up at his boyfriend with a curious expression, still fussing with his dog. His question was out of the blue, it took Akira a minute to register it. Once he did, he chuckled at the blonde’s curiosity.

“Because I can.” He saw Ruki’s face twist into a pout. He stopped his playing with Koron and crawled to the edge of the couch. He rested his head on the vet’s knee.

“Seriously, why?” The blonde’s head tilted to the side. He mimicked a curious puppy. Akira couldn’t help but swoon at how adorable he was. “You said the bite healed up, so why still cover it?”

“Because I’m a narcissist and I like the attention it gives me.” Ruki chuckled at that until he saw the seriousness written on Akira’s face. He felt bad for laughing.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “If you don’t want to talk about it…”

The stylist’s voice was disappointed and quiet. Akira felt guilty, Ruki has grown more open with his emotions and wants, but not Akira. He tried to pass everything off as a joke. Despite that, he was serious about what he said, albeit he used self-deprecating humor.

“No it’s fine. I like the mysterious aura it gives me. I think it looks cool.”

Ruki smiled. “It does look cool on you.” His face looked innocent as he reached his one hand up to touch at the thin layer of fabric.

“But, when you’re with me, you don’t have to try and impress me. I already like you.” Ruki’s index finger traced the outline of the hidden nose.

“Thanks.” Akira grinned.

“But could you remove it? I haven’t seen your nose in ages.” The blonde bit his lip and fluttered his eyelids. He was trying to act cute and innocent. And it worked. Akira was melting under his touch. He quickly reached up and untied the band, letting it fall onto his chest.

The air felt cold against his newly revealed appendage. He sniffed, and the scents of the house were more prominent. His boyfriend tapped his manicured finger against the bridge and hummed. He scooted onto his knees and knelt to be level with Akira’s face. He planted a small kiss on his nose.

“Cute.”

“I’m not supposed to be cute.” Akira chuckled and brought his hands up to squish his lover’s cheeks together. “You’re the cute one.” That earned him a pout, so Ruki pinched his nose hard. The vet released the blonde’s face as he yelped. The shorter man laughed at the pain he caused Akira.

To get back at him, the vet picked up his boyfriend and laid him on the couch, with him on top. He pinned the blondes hands down on both sides of his head, and kneeled over him with both knees pressed against his hips.

The cocky and mischievous countenance vanished once he realized what he did. Below him, Ruki grew silent and looked at the man above him with a little bit of worry mixed with excitement. He was pinned down with no escape, normally that would scare him; he could not gain any control. But with Akira, he didn’t mind. He trusted the man above him, so he was fine. He knew exactly what it looked like.

“I’m sorry…”Akira started. He worried he had gone too far in his teasing and made his boyfriend uncomfortable; he was finally letting his guard down.

“I see what you’re doing.” Ruki twisted his lips into a sly smile. “I’m helpless and at your mercy.” Akira’s mind almost snapped at his boyfriend’s musings. It took him a minute before he caught his drift. He blinked his eyes in surprise before he leaned down to whisper in the blonde’s ears.

“Something tells me you like it.” His breath tickled the stylist’s ear with how close he was.

Akira began pressing light kisses at the side of Ruki’s face. The small man giggled at the tickling sensation. The vet released one of his wrists and trailed his hand down to the stylist’s slim waist. He ghosted his lips over Ruki’s flushed face, smiling as he felt the man squirm under him. He caught the giggling mouth with his and swallowed the man’s laughter. The kiss became heated quickly, and they both pressed their lips together feverishly.

Akira snaked his hand from his waist to the hem of the young man’s shirt and began pulling the fabric up, revealing pale skin. Goosebumps appeared on the exposed skin as Akira rubbed his hand up his stomach. The skin was soft and warm to his touch. Ruki gasped when he felt his boyfriends hand palm his chest, fingers brushing against his nipple.

“Sensitive?” Akira pulled away and watched his lover’s face as he rubbed the pinkish nub. The blonde grew more and more flushed at the action, a groan escaping his lips to confirm Akira’s question. The vet smiled and moved to kiss Ruki’s neck. The stylist moaned at the enjoyment he was feeling. They’ve fooled around before, but always at one of their apartments. Ruki remembered they were at Akira’s mother’s house; she could arrive at anytime and find them in this promiscuous position. His boyfriend bit down on his neck, making Ruki yelp and forget his worry.

At that noise, Koron ran towards the couch and propped his front paws up on the cushions. Akira stopped sucking his boyfriend’s neck and turned his attention at the chihuahua. When he looked up, the dog latched onto his nose. He bit down just like he did all those months ago.

The vet yelled in pain and pulled the dog off his nose, dragging his teeth across his skin, deepening the wound. He cupped his nose with his hand and stumbled off of Ruki onto the floor. The blonde laid on the couch wide-eyed. His mouth hung open as he regained his senses from his earlier pleasure.

At the same time, two figures were standing in the doorway. Ms. Suzuki was holding her purse and a plastic bag of groceries. Ayane dropped her bags on the floor and ran towards her brother kneeling in pain on the living room carpet. Koron was nowhere in sight, he ran into the kitchen after the commotion started.

Ruki was still lying on the couch, his shirt pulled up his chest and a bruise on his neck. His earlier worry came flooding back as he quickly sat up and pulled his shirt down. The older woman continued to stand in the same spot as she looked at the young blonde with a knowing smirk. The stylist blushed and reached for Akira’s noseband that fell on the floor.

“Come on, let's get you cleaned up.”  He supported Akira on his shoulder and walked him to the kitchen, having a hard time making eye contact with the anyone.

Akira sat at the kitchen table with an ice pack on his now bandaged nose. Ayane was fretting over him, especially once she saw blood. Ruki sat in the chair beside him with Koron in his lap. Mother Suzuki was making tea for the whole group, humming a quiet tune. She hadn’t stopped smirking since she came home.

“I can’t believe Koron would do this. Does he need a muzzle?” Ayane questioned. Her brows furrowed as she inspected her brother’s nose again.

“No, he’s never bit anyone but Akira before. He’s around people all day! He’s an extrovert.” Ruki defended his pup, petting his fur while he was the topic of conversation.

“Why? He’s a vet! He’s good with animals.”

“Maybe Koron doesn’t like bird people.” Akira laughed at that. He knew why Koron bit him, he was reminded by the bruise on his lover’s neck. But he wasn’t about to reveal that information to his mother or sister.

“That doesn’t even make sense! Koron’s dangerous!” Ayane grew frustrated at Ruki’s defiance.

Ms. Suzuki turned around and placed a tray in the middle of the table. It had a cup of tea for everyone sitting around. She gracefully pulled out her chair and sat down. She was smiling with a calm look upon her face. She reached for her cup first and spoke in a maternal tone.

“Ayane, Koron was just protecting Ruki.” She took a sip and flashed a side glance at the blonde. He grew silent and blushed, there was no doubt that she knew what they were up to. What they were doing was perfectly legal, they are both consenting adults who were fooling around.The only problem was that they did it on her couch. If things escalated, who knew what they would’ve came home to.

“Protect Ruki from what?!”

“Well, Akira was roughhousing with him.”

The couple fell silent. Ruki hunched his shoulders and refused to look anywhere but the tiled flooring under his feet. His petting of Koron ceased as his attention was focused elsewhere. Akira, too, shifted awkwardly in his seat. He readjusted the ice pack to hide his face behind it. Both of their faces grew red; they were caught in the act.

Ayane didn’t understand what her mom meant, until she saw the love-bite Ruki was trying to hide on his neck. The bruise was red and quite obvious. She turned to her brother slapped his arm with a disgusted look plastered on her face.

“You pig. Why can’t you keep it in your pants for a few hours?! You were in Mom’s living room for Pete’s sake!” She punctuated the end of each sentence with a slap to her brother’s arm. Akira flinched at each hit, and dropped the ice pack to the table.

“Hey! It’s not like that! Ouch!” Akira tried to defend himself amongst the flurry of hits.

“Why would you do that to Ruki at your own mother’s!?”

Meanwhile, Ms. Suzuki sat in silence, calmly drinking her tea. She had a small smile as she watched her children interact. Ruki thought she’d at least be angry or embarrassed about it. But she actually looked like she was enjoying the situation.

“Akira.” The vet looked at his mother as she affectionately said his name. Ayane stopped her barrage of smacks. She also turned to her mother, confused at the woman’s amusement.

“I’m happy for you.” Ruki watched as Akira blushed. His mother was supportive of their relationship.

“But try to keep your hands to yourself. At least in my house, dear.” She smirked wider and took another sip of tea. Her son was red from ear to ear and turned his gaze to the window. He grunted as a response, too embarrassed to say actual words. The couple sat in awkward silence, enduring the stares from Akira’s family. Ms. Suzuki nonchalantly finished her tea and stood up to put it in the sink. Ayane bit her bottom lip, trying to think of a new topic of conversation after sensing the mood from the two men.

“Oh, Aki! Can you drive me to Kumiko’s place this weekend?”

“What’s wrong with your car?” Akira finally spoke, his blush subsiding at the shift of topics.

“Come on! I thought it’d be fun!”

“No. I’m sensing an ulterior motive.” The blue-haired vet crossed his arms in defiance.

“But Kumiko hasn’t seen you in years. Please!”

“Who’s Kumiko?” Ruki asked, trying to get in the loop.

“Her friend from grade school. If she’s involved, I don’t trust you.”

“Grrr! Why do you gotta be difficult!?”

Ayane whined and kicked her feet in frustration. She looked like a toddler pouting for her favorite toy. She huffed her cheeks and finally confessed.

“Okay, I told her about you and Ruki. She wanted to meet him, and see you again. You haven’t seen her since...well, for a few years now.”

“So why do you need me to drive? There’s still something you’re not telling me.”

“God, you catch everything. She’s having a baby shower.”

“Nope.” Akira frowned and turned away from her.

“But I can’t drive in town. There are too many lanes. I’ll fill my car with gas and give it to you for the whole afternoon. You only have to stop and say ‘hello.’ Pleeease.”

“No way in hell.”

Both Suzuki siblings bantered back and forth. Stubbornness was evident between the two. Neither relented. But Ruki was curious as to his boyfriends strong objection. Akira was usually easy-going with him.

“What if I wanted to go?” When Ruki spoke, Ayane had a sparkle in her eyes; while Akira looked like he was panicking internally.

“Why would you want to go?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but it cracked with worry.

“I don’t know, if we were invited it’d be rude not to stop. Like she said, we don’t have to stay. You can congratulate her and leave.”Ruki shrugged. He wasn’t opposed to meeting Ayane’s friend. He already met Akira’s family and they treated him warmly; he didn’t expect anything different from family friends.

“Do you really want to go?” The vet sighed.

“Well, why don’t you want to go?” Ruki didn’t want to force Akira.

“I have my reasons.” Ruki pouted at his boyfriend's lack of a response. Akira’s eyes focused on the table surface as his brows furrowed. He bit the inside of his cheek and kept his arms crossed. He was uncompromising in the situation.

“He hates babies.” His sister’s voice resonated through the silence.

“Ayane!”

“What? You weren’t gonna tell him.”

“But now you make me sound like an asshole!”

Akira uncrossed his arms and looked at his sister in shock. She wore a smug, satisfied smile. Today, she seemed to find enjoyment in torturing her brother. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands, leaning forward on the table.

“Why don’t you like babies?” The stylist tilted his head at his lover. Akira swallowed and licked his lips as he tried to think of his reasoning. He knew why, it was just putting the thoughts into words that was difficult.

“Well, I don’t like the responsibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you are responsible for the child. If they grow up and become fucked-up, it’s your fault because you didn’t spend enough time with them, or you didn’t discipline them enough. You may be too strict or too lax with them. And what if they don’t like you? They grow up to resent you for something. What do you do?” Akira sighed and untensed his shoulders. He stopped himself in the middle of his rant. When he looked up, he expected to see some negative reaction from Ruki, everyone always gave him the same look. He didn’t like children and everyone took offense to that.

When he made eye contact with his boyfriend, he was relieved to see the blonde smiling. It was a tiny one, but it was still there. He felt relief rush over him. Ruki even chuckled before he spoke.

“That’s okay. You don’t sound as superficial as me. I just don’t like their cries.”

“Their cries?”

“Yeah. Koron barks, and it’s cute. A baby cries, and it shatters your ears. So no, I’m not too fond of them either.” His grin quickened Akira’s heartbeat. He didn’t realise Ruki felt similar about children. Akira rested his arms on the kitchen table and leaned forward, all the tension in his defiant body left.

“Buuut….” Ruki continued with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go and greet the woman.”

Akira whined and lamented. He figured there was no way to back down. He’s seen how stubborn his boyfriend could be. Plus he had Ayane badgering him on the other side. The vet was outnumbered.

“Fine.” He lamented. “I’ll go. But I’m not staying. If you piss me off, you’re walking home.”

Ayane ignored the threat and hugged her brother tightly in thanks. She bounced off to her room to call the woman and tell her the news. Once she scurried out, the couple remained in the kitchen. They turned and found Ms. Suzuki standing over them. They forgot she was still present. Her hands were on her hips as she studied the forgotten tea tray in the middle of the table. Everyone was too busy talking and arguing to drink their cup.

“The tea went cold.” She sighed and proceeded to dump it down the sink drain.

Akira drove Ruki home on his motorcycle. Koron was nestled between them in a special pet saddle bag. The stylist even bought him a small helmet and goggles. He wanted his precious pup to be safe on their rides. He took to riding on a motorcycle easily; Ruki worried he’d never get Koron on the bike. The bike ride between the three became a regular activity.

The vet pulled into his usual spot by the sidewalk. He turned the engine off and helped Ruki and Koron off the bike. Akira walked him to the complex entrance, exchanging small talk.

“Sorry about your nose….again.” Ruki mumbled, stroking Koron behind the ears.

“It’s fine. Now I have a reason to wear the band again.”

“But I liked your nose.”

“Well, how about this,” they reached the door and Akira leaned down, smirking to his small boyfriend. “I’ll let you see my nose, but no one else. My nose belongs to you.”

The stylist sulked. “So I only get your nose? Nothing else?”

“Hmm, you can have all of me if you like?” Akira’s words sent a chill through Ruki. He liked when they teased each other. His boyfriend was so suggestive when they played this game, it stirred something in him. He leaned up and planted a kiss on the blue-haired man’s lips. Akira wrapped his arms around him and brought him closer. He was careful to not pull him too close, in fear of crushing Koron, who was fighting off sleep in the stylist’s arms.

“Since you put it that way, do you maybe want to continue from where we left off earlier?” Ruki broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against his lover’s chest.

“Only if you promise me the safety of my nose.”

“Of course. Now shut up, and let’s get inside already.” Ruki chuckled and dragged Akira through the glass doors of his apartment complex. He bit his lip as they waited for the elevator.

Anticipation.

Chapter Text

Akira couldn’t keep his hands to himself. While they waited for the elevator, he was brushing his palms against Ruki’s hips. He kept pressing his lips to the blonde’s neck as he stood behind him. The stylist playfully tried to push his lover away. Koron whined each time he was awoken from his slumber as his master couldn’t stand still.

The elevator dinged, signalling it’s arrival. The couple hurriedly rushed inside once they realized it was empty. While the doors were closing, Akira’s mouth was attacking Ruki’s neck once again. Ruki tried to stave off the tickling feeling long enough to remember which button to push. The elevator jolted alive and ascended. It rocked and pushed Ruki into the man behind him, not that he minded. He felt warm pressed up against his lover, comfortable. He tapped his foot in impatience. The trek to his apartment was longer than he expected.

They finally arrived at their destination and quickly bolted out of the elevator doors and down the hall. Ruki fished his keys out of his pocket, scrambling to unlock the door. It proved difficult, he held onto Koron with his one arm, and Akira was close behind him, breathing along his neck and running is hands down his sides. He enjoyed the feeling, but grew frustrated at his incompetence with the lock.

After an eternity, the door to his apartment swung open, only to be slammed shut once again. Ruki placed the tired chihuahua on the floor. He trotted away to inspect his food and water dishes. The stylist turned around and wrapped his, now empty, arms around his boyfriend’s neck. He leaned up and kissed Akira’s lips. It quickly turned into loud, opened-mouth kisses. They both moaned into the sensation and gasped for air as they made-out in Ruki’s kitchen.

After kicking off their shoes, the vet started walking Ruki backwards towards his couch in the living room. The stylist sat and brought his lover down, leaning over him. His knee was pressed between Ruki’s legs and his other foot remained planted on the ground.  The stylist was running his hands under the vet’s shirt, tracing his hardened muscles and soft skin. Akira broke away from the kiss to lift his shirt over his head, and discarded it on the floor.

Ruki hummed in satisfaction at the sight in front of him. He leaned forward and planted light kisses to his chest, letting his tongue poke out every so often. He relished in the heavy breathing of his boyfriend. He stuck his tongue out and swirled it around the vet’s nipple. He heard his lover purr deep in his throat, so he continued his affections, alternating between both.

The stylist stopped his teasing on Akira’s chest and moved to kiss at his neck instead. Meanwhile, the vet’s hands found themselves fidgeting with the hem of Ruki’s shirt. He lifted the fabric up, inch by inch, rubbing his calloused hands against pale skin. The stylist felt the blush on his face burn down to his chest. He steadied his breathing and helped the man remove his shirt. They lifted it over his head and threw it to join Akira’s on the carpet.

Akira looked down at his boyfriend and saw him biting his plushed lips. The blonde appeared slightly worried as he looked at his own exposed torso. The man was pale under the light, his flesh was spotted with freckles in a few areas. His stomach, though it wasn’t large, wasn’t perfectly flat. Despite all the make-up and fashion he wore, he was self-conscious of his body.

He found himself, subconsciously hugging himself. Akira bent forward and placed a tender kiss on Ruki’s swollen lips.

“You are so beautiful right now.” The blush on the stylist reddened to a deeper shade of crimson. He smiled gratefully and moved his arms, finding purchase behind Akira’s neck. His fingers curled stray locks of dark blue hair.

The sound of smacking lips and moans filled their ears. Ruki closed his eyes, focusing on the touches from Akira and memorizing the vet’s torso with his manicured fingers. He gasped when his boyfriend’s fingers slide behind the waist of his jeans. He pulled away, breathing heavily.

“Maybe we should move to the bedroom. We don’t want Koron biting you anywhere else.” His smirk twisted into a sly one.

“Good thinking.” Akira laughed. He didn’t relish in the idea of being attacked by the chihuahua again. Especially if he bit him somewhere more intimate. He stood up and lifted Ruki to his feet, pressing their hips together. They both felt the tightness at the front of each other’s pants. The stylist stepped away and led his lover down the hall to his bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind them to make sure Koron didn’t come in. He felt bad to keep his precious pup out of the bed for tonight, but with a few snacks, he knew he’d be forgiven.

Turning around he found Akira unbuttoning his jeans and kicking them to the corner. Ruki marveled at the muscular tones that were prominent in the man’s legs. He knew the man did muscle exercises, but to see the results was something else. His eyes traced the veins on the man’s legs and arms and his eyes landed on the bulge suppressed behind Akira’s grey boxers. His own pants started to feel uncomfortable as his arousal chafed against denim.

He quickly unzipped his jeans. They were tight so he had some trouble sliding them down. He felt embarrassed at his own struggles, until his boyfriend paced over to help him out of his clothes. He kneeled and helped guide the fabric down. He lightly kissed Ruki’s legs, smiling once the stylist was left standing in only his boxers.

Ruki fell to his knees and sat in Akira’s lap. They sat on the floor, grinding their waists against each others, exchanging wet kisses. The vet cupped his hands under Ruki’s backside. He palmed the soft flesh through the silky material. The blonde mewled and eagerly ran his hand down his boyfriend's back, pushing the boxers down Akira’s waist.

“Impatient?” The vet chuckled against Ruki’s lips. The stylist pulled away from the embrace. His face was red and sweaty. His eyes were circled with smokey black eyeshadow, they were hooded and filled with lust.

“Let’s move to the bed.” He whispered. The sultry voice went straight to Akira’s groin, feeling himself harden more. He growled and picked up the blonde. Ruki wrapped his legs around Akira’s waist and proceeded to give the vet a series of love bites down his throat. He let out a surprising yelp at how fast Akira turned around. The stronger man practically darted to the bed and plopped Ruki down on its softness.

The stylist laid on the bed and watched his boyfriend throw his boxers to some corner of the room, exposing himself. This was the first time Ruki ever saw the man completely naked. His dark treasure trail leading his eyes to the prominent erection. Ruki involuntarily licked his lips as he remembered all the times he’s wrapped his lips around it. Akira crawled over top of him, face flushed from their activities, but showed no shyness in his exposure. His skin was a few shades tanner than his and glistened with sweat. Ruki admired every inch of his body. He had a hard time believing this man was his boyfriend; he just seemed too good to be true sometimes.

The vet kissed the blonde’s forehead, and worked his way down. He peppered the smaller man with kisses all over his face and moved down his neck and onto his chest. His hands played with the waistband of his boxers, teasing the skin underneath but not removing the clothing. Ruki writhed under the affections, humming in approval.

The vet continued his trail of kisses, stopping just above Ruki’s hardened crotch. He lightly licked his arousal through the fabric and examined the stylist’s face. Ruki nodded down to him, giving him permission to free his bulge. The blue-haired man obliged and quickly removed the article of clothing. The blonde’s member bounced free, sending goosebumps along his skin at the chillness of the air. He bit his lips, anticipating his lover’s next move.

Akira bowed forward and ran his tongue along the smaller man’s shaft. He licked from the base upwards the shaft. He then enveloped the tip in his mouth. He sucked and licked as his boyfriend purred and writhed under him. He felt his hips buck forwards a few times, spurring him on more.

Ruki felt pleasure form in the pit of his stomach. With the way Akira showered him with attention, he knew he wouldn’t last too long. He moved his hands to the vet’s shoulders, signalling him to stop his ministrations. Akira released the head from his mouth with a wet popping sound. He furrowed his brow and looked up at his lover; a little confused at what he wanted.

They’ve been together a little over a year now. They took the relationship slow, something the stylist was appreciative of. After his last heartbreak, he was weary of trusting anyone. But he was certain he loved Akira. They never told each other yet, but Ruki loved this man and wanted to express that. He swallowed a lump of anxiousness and met the vet’s eyes.

“I..I want to...go further…” He breathed out. Nervous at what he was insinuating. Akira’s eyes shot up in surprise.

“You want me? Inside of you?”  The stronger man’s eyes were dark with lust but his voice shook with anxiousness.

“Did I stutter?” Ruki whined. His face becoming more flushed.

“Yes, actually.” He chuckled and crawled up the bed to kiss the pouting lips. He hovered above the stylist’s face and cupped his cheek in his palm.

“I’ve never done this before. I’m sure you already know that.”

“I promise to be gentle. So long as that’s what you want?” With Ruki nodding, they kissed once more. Both smiling at the trust they placed in each other.

“Before I do anything. I’ll go get the condom in my wallet. Do you have any lube?”

“I have a bottle under the bathroom sink.” With that, Akira offered one more peck to his forehead and retreated out of the bedroom. Ruki sat up in the bed, his heart was racing. He dried his sweaty palms on the bed sheets, looking around the room. He pushed away every insecurity and apprehensive thought. He’s had an easier time doing that now that he was with Akira. He felt more confidence in himself.

Akira returned with a bottle in hand. His breathing was heavy as his heart raced. His body shined with the thin sheet of sweat he was covered in. He set the lube on the nightstand and turned to examine the floor.

“Hey Ru, have you seen my pants?” He questioned. His eyes scanned the room, trying to remember where he threw his jeans.

“I don’t know. When you took them off I was too busy looking at you.”

“Gasp! You pervert.” Akira feigned hurt.

“Did you actually just say ‘gasp’ right now? You dork.” They both giggled. Akira knew how to keep the mood light, which Ruki appreciated. The blonde leaned over the bed and started to look around the room too.

“What’s that under my dresser?” Ruki pointed at a dark mass hidden on the floor underneath his wardrobe. Akira knelt to the floor and reached his hand towards it. He pulled it out into the light, revealing his jeans. He cheerfully shouted “ah-ha” as he fished his wallet out of one of his pockets.

“How the hell did you manage to throw them under there?”

“Magician’s secret.” He quipped as he pulled out the square package from his wallet. He stood and returned to the bed, kneeling beside Ruki.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” His expression returned to a serious one. Ruki nodded.

“Okay, if you want me to stop anytime, I won’t get mad. Just tell me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“D’aawww. You’re the prince charming of anal sex.” Ruki teased and laughed at his own joke. “So how do you want me? Facing forward or on my stomach?”

“If it’s okay, I would like to see your face.” Akira blushed while speaking. The stylist smiled at the sentiment.

“I would like to see your face too.” He squeaked and moved forward. He snaked his hands behind the vet’s head and untied the band. He removed it from his nose and placed it on the nightstand beside him. It no longer bled, but had red scratches down the nostrils. There were faint scars from the first bite he received too.

“Now I can see all of your face.” He smiled. Akira was blushing even fiercer now. He smiled and kissed his small lover sweetly.

“Okay, first I have to prepare you. Lie down and try to relax.”

Ruki did. He bent his knees and planted his feet on the bed, spreading his legs apart. He shivered at how exposed and vulnerable he felt. Akira settled himself between his opened legs and popped off the lid to the bottle. He dripped some of the liquid onto his finger. The blonde’s breath hitched when he felt the cold digit lightly pushing against his entrance.

“Are you ready?” The stylist nodded as he felt and intrusion push past his membrane. He bit his lip at the slight pain and awkwardness of the feeling. He slowly relaxed and when he finally adjusted to the feeling, another finger slid in beside its friend.

Akira studied the expressions on his lover’s face, pushing further once he saw his feature relax. He carefully moved his fingers apart and started scissoring them. The blonde squirmed and grasped at the bedsheets, his brows were creased and sweat slid down his temples. His breathing was uneven and shallow.

The vet bent forward and whispered against his lips. “Just one more finger and you’ll be ready. You need to breath and relax. It’s okay.” He pressed a kiss to the parted lips and let his tongue massage Ruki’s. After a minute, he felt the blonde’s wall relax and allow his fingers to go deeper.

The vet broke free from the kiss and turned his attention to the neglected arousal between the blonde’s legs. With his free hand, he started stroking the shaft, twisting his wrist and smearing the precum leaking from the tip.

While the stylist was focused on the pleasure of Akira’s hands, a third finger slipped inside of him. He hissed at the sudden surprise, but mewl in pleasure. It didn’t sting as much as its predecessors. He actually felt pleasure and purred at the feeling.

Akira moved his fingers inside of him at a rhythmic pace matching his stocks to Ruki’s erection. The stylist threw his one arm over his eyes and moaned. His lips parted and panting at the sensations that ran through his body. He licked his lips as his thoughts tried to form words.

“More.” He whispered, his legs shaking, ready to give out from under him. The vet obliged and removed his fingers, enjoying the small whine from his lover at the loss of contact. He ripped open the packet and rolled the condom onto his own hardness, spreading the lube generously along it.

His hand reached down and cupped the blonde’s buttocks with both hands, slightly lifting him up and angling for easier access. Patiently, he poked his tip against Ruki’s prepared entrance. He pushed through the stretched membrane and filled his boyfriend.

Ruki bit his lip and wrapped his legs around the stronger man, persuading him to go deeper. After the vet was in so far, he pulled out and pushed back in, going a little deeper each time. He continued this until his member was completely engulfed by Ruki’s warmth. They stayed connect like that, both gasping for air. Ruki’s eyes struggle to remain open, arousal spread across his face. He managed to see his lover smiling down at him, just as flushed and sweaty as he was.

Akira started to move at a slow, steady pace for both of them to adjust. He planted both his hands on Ruki’s hips to hold him in place. The blonde’s legs were hooked around his boyfriend, holding on tightly. Akira ran one of his hands up the bed to hold onto Ruki’s, intertwining their fingers.

As time went on, Akira started to jerk his hips faster, producing more moans from the smaller man. They both grew louder and more vocal in their sighs, whispering each others names. The sound of the bed creaking below them mixed with groans and the slapping of skin filled the room.

Ruki felt the sensation in the pit of his stomach return. He licked his lips and focused on steadying his breath to speak. “I’m close.” He mumbled.

With that, the vet released his hand from the blonde’s hip and wrapped it around the bouncing member between their stomachs. He stroked it, doubling the amount of pleasure Ruki felt. It wasn’t long until he came with a loud gasp, coating Akira’s hands and his own abdomen. He gasped for air while his boyfriend continued his thrusting.

Witnessing the lust-filled look of Ruki’s face was enough to drive him over the edge; within moments, Akira growled as he felt his own release inside his lover. They remained in their position until they both came down from their high.

The vet pulled his now flaccid member out of his lover and removed the condom. He tied it off and threw it into a nearby trash bin. He returned to the bed with a handful of tissues, cleaning up the mess Ruki made on his belly.

He discarded the tissues and laid down beside the blonde, wrapping his arms around his lover. Ruki snuggled into the embrace, smiling uncontrollably. They exchanged a few lazy kisses before their hearts returned to their normal rhythm.

They settled into a comfortable silence, with Akira petting the blonde hair. He chewed on his bottom lip in deep thought. He was mulling over whether or not now was the right time to say it. But after what they just experienced together, he figured there was no better time than right now.

“I love you.” Akira mumbled into the top of his boyfriend’s head. He closed his eyes, afraid of the response he would get.

“Love you, too.” The blonde mumbled and nuzzled his face against the toned chest in front of him. All the tension in Akira vanished at his lover’s adorable response. He chuckled at the feeling of Ruki’s loose locks tickling his skin.

“Mmmmm. Shut up. I’m trying to sleep.” He giggled as he cuddled closer, leaving no space between them.

“Sure thing princess.”

They both laughed tiredly. Their eyes growing heavy with each passing second. Ruki was the first to doze off. His lips parted as he let out small snores. His face was completely relaxed and he looked so vulnerable in Akira’s embrace.

I really do love you.

Chapter Text

Akira awoke to the bed moving beside him. He felt Ruki stirring and break free from the cuddling. He saw the morning light fall through the half-closed window blinds. The vet turned and wiped the sleep from his eyes, yawning.

“What’s wrong?”

Ruki groaned and turned on his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. He mumbled a reply into the pillow, but Akira couldn’t hear it. The vet sat up and lightly brushed his finger along the blonde’s naked back. He saw a blush on the tips of his ears. Whatever it was, he was embarrassed.

“You know, you’re gonna suffocate if you don’t come up for air?”

Ruki rotated his head and laid facing Akira. His face was beet red and his eyes collected tears in their corners. His face was scrunched in discomfort as his lips curved into a frown. The sight immediately had the vet’s heart in panic.

“Ru, are you okay? What’s the matter?” He sat up more and rubbed his hand in comforting circles along the blonde’s back.

“I….” Ruki sighed. He closed his eyes and the blush on his face grew redder. “It hurts.”

“What hurts?” The words left Akira’s mouth before he figured out what Ruki was saying. His mind clicked and he realized what his lover was referring to.

“My ass hurts you birdbrain.” Ruki hissed and buried his face in his pillow. Now completely embarrassed.

Akira fought the smile threatening to form on his lips. He even suppressed his laughter, because he knew how much that would upset his blonde boyfriend. Even if he was acting too adorable right now. He bent forward and placed a reassuring kiss to his shoulder.

“I’ll run a warm bath for you.” Akira bounced out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom, leaving Ruki alone in his bed.

The stylist groaned as he turned to sit up. A sudden pain shot through his lower back, causing him to fall against the sheets. He whined and curled in on himself, trying to keep his mind off the pain. He smiled when he thought about last night, but not the aftermath.

Akira came back into the room only wearing his boxers and the band around his nose. His hand was wet when he rested it on the small man’s shoulder. The reassuring smile on his face settled some of Ruki’s nerves.

“I started a bath for you. You able to walk?” The question brought another blush to Ruki’s cheeks. It hurt him to sit up, how was he going to stand? He tried to turn to the side of the bed but stopped when he felt the discomfort. Akira noticed, and wrapped his arms under Ruki’s back and knees.

“I’ll carry you. No problem.”

“Wait!” The blonde’s protests were ignored as he found himself being whisked away to the bathroom.

“You are so light, my princess.” Akira smirked and kissed his jawline. The blonde huffed while being carried. Trying to protest, though he was thankful for the thoughtfulness from his boyfriend.

They reached the bathroom, where Ruki saw the tub was filled with hot water. The vet carefully lowered him into the tub, letting his body adjust to the water’s temperature. He allowed his muscles to relax as he leaned his back against the porcelain walls of the tub. The pain was beginning to fade away as the hot water cradled him. He sighed and let his eyes close.

Akira sat on the tiled floor beside him. He chewed at his cheeks as he fidgeted with his fingers. “I’m sorry. I should’ve warned you this would happen.” The stylist lazily turned to look at his lover. The worry on the vet’s face made him concerned.

“Do you, regret last night or…” Ruki quickly reached his hand out of the water to touch the dark blue-haired man’s cheek. He caressed his wet fingers over his skin.

“Aki, no. I love you and I’m happy I chose to do this with you.” The stronger man smiled and brought his hand up to cover the petite one caressing his cheeks.

“But Aki,” Ruki looked at his with a loving smile. “You are a literal pain in my ass.”

Akira couldn’t help but laugh at his little lover’s joke. Ruki giggled and felt his pain fading away. The stylist’s blonde hair fell into his eyes as he leaned his head back further. Enjoying the warm water.

“I’ll repay you by making breakfast. How’s that sound?”

Ruki only hummed as he let the water wash over his body. “Just don’t burn down my apartment, please.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad.”  Akira planted a tender kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek and stood up to exit the bathroom. He left his lover to enjoy his bath while he headed to the kitchen.

Ruki sat on his couch, wrapped in a warm blanket. He was wearing a t-shirt and boxers underneath the warm fleece he coccooned himself in. After Ruki was out of the bathroom and settled on the couch, Akira went in for a quick shower. Once he was done, he sat beside his blonde boyfriend, wearing his jeans and shirt from last night; a towel set on top his head, drying his washed hair.

Koron sat on the couch between them, nestled in the warmth they provided him. The stylist was eating his plate of eggs and bacon. Smiling as he tasted each bite. Akira’s plate had already been emptied of its contents and sat on the coffee table in front of them.

“I could get use to this.” Ruki hummed as he chewed a piece of bacon. “Being spoiled by you is the best. If I’d known this we would’ve done it sooner.”

The stylist giggled at his own joke. No longer shy around his boyfriend. He felt confident and let himself become comfortable in his company. The vet kissed the blonde’s cheek, making them smile and laugh some more.

Koron sat up and jumped off the couch. He wagged his tail and trotted towards the door in excitement. The couple watched the dog, concentrated on it’s weird and sudden behavior. The dog’s antics soon made sense when they saw the apartment door swing open, revealing two familiar figures.

“I smell breakfast!” Aoi chirped as he sniffed the hair, smile plastered on his face. Uruha knelt down and showered Koron in affections. He rubbed the chihuahua’s head and scratched behind his ears, earning him frantic tail wags. The couple on the couch froze at the sudden intrusion but relaxed when they saw who it was. Akira laughed at how they just let themselves.

“Bacon and eggs! Looks good. Where’s mine?” Aoi smiled, sitting down in one of the living room chairs. Uruha sat on the floor beside him, playing with Koron.

“You don’t get any.” Ruki was quick to huff at his friend. “Now leave.” The stylist tried to wave his friend away while taking another bite of his eggs.

“Awwww. Did Akira make those for you?” Ruki began to blush at Aoi’s teasing.

“Yeah. I promised to spoil him today.” Akira ruffled his blonde hair.

“Did you stay the night.” Uruha asked, pointing to the towel drying his wet hair.

This caused Ruki to groan in embarrassment. He knew his friends would find out about it sooner or later, but he just wanted to relax before the teasing.

“Akira….did you make my daughter a woman?” Aoi leaned forward, raising his one eyebrow quizzically. He spoke in his deep-voiced father impersonation.

“No sir. I made him a man.” Akira joked. “Well, I at least hope that was him last night.”

That earned him a slap from Ruki, who was still wrapped up in his fleece blanket. His face was beet red and he tried to bury his head under the blanket. He groaned in embarrassment at the wide, cocky grins on his friends’ faces.

“So our little chibi truly is growing up.” Aoi dramatically clenched his hands over his heart.

“Don’t call me that!”

“Oh, someone’s being a salty little peanut.” Akira pinched at Ruki’s cheeks. The blonde growled at his boyfriend.

“Don’t call me that either.”

“Oh. My. God. That is gonna be your new nickname!” Aoi nearly fell out of his chair with excitement.

“Wait, why?” Ruki whined.

“Because you hate it!”

The next moment, Aoi ducked out of the way as a fork went sailing by his head. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a loud clang. He laughed at the temper of his shorter friend. Akira watched in amusement at the exchange between the two.

“So how was it?” Uruha’s voice spoke up over the commotion. He still played with Koron on the floor. The chihuahua was trying to pull the rope toy out of his hands.

“What do you mean?” Ruki blushed, knowing very well what his friend was hinting at.

“How was the sex?” The dark-haired man asked bluntly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The blonde stylist tried to play dumb. He watched as Akira laughed at him.

“It’s nothing to be shy about.” Uruha tried to reassure his friend.

“Yeah, I’ll let you in on a little secret of our own. We’ve slept together. Quite regularly too!” Aoi sarcastically spoke.

“Oh my, how scandalous.” The vet joined in with the sarcasm.

“Yeah I know! Who would’ve expected it!” The two laughed at their own jokes. Once they quieted down, Aoi turned sympathetic. “But seriously, how was it?”

“It was good.” The blonde bit at his bottom lip. Smirking a little as he remembered the previous night.

“Just good? Ru he’s sitting right beside you. You may hurt his feelings!” Aoi pointed at Akira.

Ruki turned to look at his boyfriend, seriously worried that he may have hurt the man’s feelings. But he saw the love on his face and that eased his nerves. The vet understood how shy his boyfriend could be. He wrapped his arms around the blonde. Ruki nuzzled his face into the warmth of Akira’s chest.

“He hurt you so that’s why he made you breakfast and is spoiling you.” Uruha’s statement had all eyes on him as he stopped playing with the dog. Akira and Ruki looked at the brunette stylist with astonishment. The vet’s mouth actually dropping.

“How did you know?” Akira finally asked.

“Same thing happened to me the first time. Aoi made me pancakes instead though.” The tall man shrugged his shoulders and smiled at his lover. Aoi chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck. A tint of pink graced his cheeks as he tried to shake it off.

“Yeah, well I had to make it up to you somehow.”

They continued to laugh and tease each other. Akira broke down and made breakfast for the two guests to stop the growling in their stomachs. At one point, Uruha’s gut growled loud enough to scare Koron away. Once they were busy eating, Akira joined his lover on the couch and settled beside him. Ruki cuddled up to him and smiled.

This feels nice.

“Ruki, will you put down those papers? They’re for my next appointment.”

Akira sat on a stool near his examination table, scribbling a memo to himself on a sticky note. Today he promised to drive his Ayane to her friend’s baby shower and visit the mother-to-be. He was anxious to say the least. He was glad he had work to keep his mind occupied until they left. Ruki was off today, and decided to visit his boyfriend at work.

“But they’re a mess. At least let me straighten them!” The blonde stylist was walking along his counter trying to put everything in order. He accused Akira of having a cluttered workplace.

“No. I have them that way so I know what they are.” The blue-haired vet huffed as he stood up. He walked over and placed the note on one of the cabinets. He then turned to his shorter lover and reached for his hands. He enveloped the smooth, manicure hands with his chaffed and rough ones.

“Would you stop cleaning if I held your hands?” Akira rose the petite palms and kissed his boyfriend’s knuckles.

“Smooth talker.” Ruki smirked.

They heard the door to the waiting room open up, and saw Nao stand up from his post and walk around to the door of the exam room. It was Akira’s last appointment for the day. Ruki got to watch his boyfriend give a checkup for a turtle and two large dogs. People even came in to pick up prescriptions. Today was one of the clinic’s busier days. Nao opened the door and let the client in, he was smiling more than usual.

The man that entered had his black hair tied up into a ponytail, the tips dyed blonde. He had a piercing in his lip as well as multiple tattoos decorating his neck and arms. His arms were full with a small pet carrier. He turned towards the purple-haired receptionist and smirked. He bent forward and planted a small kiss on his lips.

“Hey babe, how’s your day going?”

“Busier than expected. It’ll be better if you buy me dinner later.”

“Oh, blackmailing me into a date?”

The two laughed as they walked further into the room. The tattooed man set the carrier on the table. Akira picked up his stack of (un)organized papers and joined the pair with their pet.

“Hey Tora. Good to see you.” The vet hugged the man. The blonde stylist awkwardly stood to the side. Tora noticed the man and nodded politely at him.

“New assistant?” The pet owner asked.

“No. This is my boyfriend Ruki.” The vet motioned for the blonde to walk forward. He did and bowed at the man formally.

“And Ruki, this is Tora. He’s Nao’s husband.” They both shook hands and grinned at each other, now being formally introduced.

“Pleasure to meet you. I didn’t realize Nao was married.”

“I feel like there’s an insult there.” The receptionist giggled as he walked around his husband to open the pet carrier.

“I’d be surprised too, if I didn’t already know.” Akira chuckled.

“Ha Ha.” Nao sarcastically laughed as he smiled at the cat he was holding. It was a short-hair with brownish colored fur. It yawned as the receptionist pulled it further onto the table.

“So, you said you found lumps on Chikin?” Akira stepped forward, placing his hand gently on the cat’s back.

“Yeah. He has some by his hind leg here.” Tora moved closer to the exam table and pointed to the cat’s right side. Akira followed and brushed his hand along the fur. He rubbed the area, circling the two lumps. He hummed in thought.

“They may be cancerous, but they could also be fatty deposits. First, let’s remove them and then I’ll see if I need to biopsy them.” Akira walked over to his cabinet and started to pull out some supplies. Nao held onto Chikin and Tora walked around to the front of the cat. He cooed and petted his fur to sooth the cat. Ruki stood to the side and watched as everyone knew what to do. He fidgeted with his hands while Akira walked up to Chikin.

“Ruki.” Akira called the blonde. He looked up and found his boyfriend putting latex gloves on.

“Could you come here and help? I need you to hold Chikin’s leg out so I can reach the lumps easier.”

The stylist crept forward and shakily grabbed at the cat’s leg. He felt his breathing speed up as he thought about Akira cutting into the skin. He shook his head and looked away. He decided to read some of the posters on the wall.

“Okay, I’m gonna start by numbing the area. You have a good grip there Ruki? Nao?”

“Yeah.” They both nodded in agreement. Though the receptionist was more enthusiastic in his response than Ruki. The stylist didn’t want to think about the medical procedure that was going to happen inches from his face.

Akira injected the cat with a pain killer to numb the area. He then proceeded to take his instrument and cut the lumps out of the cat’s skin. Ruki held onto the cat’s leg, trying to keep it from squirming. The cat didn’t feel any pain, it just felt uncomfortable with a group surrounding him. The stylist kept his grip firm while trying not to look.

“Okay they’re off. Let me stitch him up and you can let him go.” Akira said as he turned to get his thread. Chikin started to tug his leg more fiercely. Ruki continued to look away and keep the cat’s leg straight.

“Keep it firm. We’re almost done.” Nao spoke to reassure Ruki, seeing the discomfort on his face. The blonde started to feel lightheaded. He closed his eyes and felt a cold sweat start to slide down his forehead. He fought the nausea he began to feel. Ruki hissed as a claw scratched at his palm.

He instinctively turned his head to look down at the pain. He saw the puss and gashes on the cat. He also saw the bloody lumps sitting on the exam table. The real-life gore was too much for him to take. His eyes rolled into his head and he felt his body go limp.

Akira turned around and saw his boyfriend collapsing to the floor. “Ruki!” He called to no avail. The blonde fell onto the tiles, lightheaded and covered in sweat.

Thud.

Chapter Text

My head hurts.

Ruki mumbled at the pain throbbing in the back of his skull. As he gained consciousness, the stylist felt a soft cushioning under his body. His mind whirled as he tried to fathom where he was or what happened. He heard birds chirping and the faint sounds of someone in another room. He stirred and weakly opened his eyes.

He was met by the sit of two cockatiels in a cage, staring at him. They were squawking for his attention. He found himself in the familiar surroundings of Akira’s living room. He slowly sat up and held his hand to his head. The room was spinning due to his dizziness. Oscar started chirping again, only this time she mimicked the pitch of Ruki’s moans when he’d stay the night at his boyfriend’s.

“God, you can’t let that go can you?” The blonde whined at the bird.

“You’re up!” The vet shouted as he hurriedly walked into the room. He was carrying a bowl and set it on a side table as he made his way to Ruki. He sat beside him on the couch, bringing him into a hug.

“What the hell happened?”

“You fainted at my clinic, remember?” Akira rubbed his hand up and down the blonde’s arm.

“Oh, yeah. You were operating on Nao’s cat.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were squeamish to that kind of stuff. I would never have asked you to hold him if I’d known.”

“It’s alright.” The stylist sighed and leaned against Akira’s shoulder.

“But you always helped when Koron bit my nose. So I just assumed you didn’t mind blood.”

“Well this was different. There are needles and stitches involved. When you get hurt, I just go on autopilot for a bit and want to help you. I would probably pass out if Koron took your entire nose off.” Ruki giggled.

They sat in silence for a bit. Akira moved to hand Ruki the soup he brought in for him. The stylist thanked him and took small spoonfuls until it cooled down some more. The vet continued to stroke his boyfriend’s arm to comfort him. He nuzzled his bandaged nose against blonde locks.

“So how did I end up here?” The blonde questioned.

Before Akira could speak, the door to his apartment creaked opened. Nao and Tora walked in carrying plastic grocery bags. They both smiled as they saw Ruki awake.

“Hey, how you feeling?” Tora asked as he set his bag on the floor.

“I’m better.”

“Tora drove you here while me and Nao closed up the clinic. I gave him my keys and he carried you up the steps.” Akira answered his boyfriend’s question.

“Oh, um...thank you. Sorry for bothering you.” The blonde blushed as he imagined the embarrassing sight.

“It’s alright. I use to have to carry Nao to his house when we started dating. He could not hold his liquor!” Tora laughed as he looked over to his purple-haired husband.

“At least this time you didn’t have my mom beating you with a shoe.” Nao smirked while removing his shoes.

“That woman hated me!”

“Well she thought you looked like a degenerate with the tattoos and piercings.” Nao walked into the room.

“What did you guys get?” Ruki pointed at the bags. Nao triumphantly raised his plastic bags above his head and smiled.

“Snacks!” He shouted. The receptionist plopped on the floor beside his husband. He sat cross-legged and excitedly started rooting through his bag. He pulled out numerous bags of chips and candy bars. He reminded the stylist of a child after trick-or-treating.

“ He got snacks. I bought smelling salts in case you didn’t wake up. But I also bought Akira a brand new first aid kit since his is pathetic.” Tora held up a small box with a red cross on it. “For a veterinarian, you barely have any medical supplies here.”

“You went through my medicine cabinet?” Akira asked, confused.

“If anything happened to him I wanted to be prepare. But I didn’t find anything. So when you came home to watch him, I decided to buy you this gift!” Tora threw the plastic box at his friend. Akira fumbled with it and it fell to his feet. They all laughed, even Nao who had a mouth full of barbeque chips. Ruki ignored the joy and shot up in panic as he remembered something.

“Hey wait! We have to go pick up Ayane! You promised to take her to that baby shower.” The stylist was about to stand up but Akira wrapped his hand around the blonde’s slender wrist and pulled him back down. The vet placed a gentle kiss to the shorter’s temple.

“Don’t worry. I already called Ayane and told her you fainted. She called one of her friends to take her instead. We’ll spend tonight indoors.” Akira ran his hand through his lover’s blonde locks.

“Using me as an excuse, eh?” Ruki smirked. He looked up to see an equally amused face on the vet.

“Not entirely. But I’d say it all worked out to my advantage.” As the vet giggled, Ruki lightly jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. He grunted in pain.

“In Akira’s defense,” Tora spoke. “He was actually worried about you. If it wasn’t for Nao, Chikin would never had gotten his stitches.”

“Yeah! You completely ignore our cat when Ruki fainted. You were in hysterics.” Nao whined, taking a comically big bite out of a chocolate bar. Tora reached over to take the bag of sweets away from his husband, claiming he’d eaten too much already.

Ruki turned to his lover and found him scratching the back of his neck. His ears and cheeks were red as he nervously cleared his throat. The vet smiled sheepishly.

“You were worried about me?”

“Of course I was. I’m just sorry I couldn’t keep it together. You’re so confident and calm when you helped me with my nose. I was the exact opposite. Tora and Nao did most of the work.”

The vet watched the floor as he spoke. He felt the embarrassment of his admission burn his face. He was startled when he felt a hand rest over his shaking ones. He turned to find his boyfriend leaning against him, smiling brightly.

“Aki, you are being so sweet right now. I might get a cavity.” The blonde chuckled and nuzzled his shoulder. They smiled at each other and that ceased the redness of Akira’s face and his shakiness.

“Why don’t we eat some of the snacks Nao bought before he devours them all.” Tora offered when they all grew silent. They all laughed at Nao’s offended face as his husband dumped the bags on the floor in front of them. They all greedily grabbed for treats and started to munch away. While they did this, Oscar and Keiji started squawking for attention. The female bird started moaning, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Why is she doing that?” Nao asked surprised. Ruki hid his face against Akira’s arm. The vet couldn’t contain his laughter. Some food fell out of his mouth as he cackled.

“Something exciting happened here.” Tora smirked as he continued his eating.

“Aki…” The vet looked down as his red-faced lover pulled away from him. “I knew Oscar hated me!”

The group grew rowdy with laughter and teasing as they continued their snacking. The sugar eventually gave them a rush where they all talked excitedly. They let the birds out of their cage and flew around. After an hour of excitement, they felt the ill effects of their sugar intake and started to crash. Nao and Tora excused themself for the night before they fell completely asleep. Akira and Ruki cuddled together on the couch, their eyes closing and they felt sleep creeping up on them.

“I’m kind of glad you passed out.” Akira whispered as his eyes closed.

“Don’t be a dick.” The blonde lightly swatted the vet’s side.

“But seriously. I’m glad you’re okay. This was funner than a baby shower.” He giggled into his lover’s ears. Ruki mumbled in response and smiled. They both fell into a peaceful sleep on the couch.

“February 1st?! That’s only a few days from now.” Akira found himself sitting across from Uruha at a small wooden table in the brunette’s kitchen.

The vet had been dating Ruki for a little over a year now. The relationship has been going smoothly for the both of them. They were comfortable in each other’s presence and openly talked about deep topics. The few fights they had were easily resolved by a joke here or an apology. Koron didn’t bite him as much either. Only in a playful matter now.

“You want to throw him a party.” Uruha stated rather than asked. He looked at Akira with a straight face. It was almost as if he knew everything the vet was thinking. The very notion was eerie.

“How did you know?” The vet couldn’t hide his surprise.

“You are planning a surprise. Otherwise you would’ve just asked Ruki.” The tall stylist shrugged and tapped his fingers against the tabletop.

“Well, yes. I want to through him a party. But I don’t know how to go about doing that.”

“You realize Ruki doesn’t like big crowds.”

“I know. I was going to invite everyone from Black Moral. My family and two of my friends.” Uruha nodded, accepting Akira’s plan.

The stylist was still dressed in his sleep pants and a tank top. When Akira came knocking earlier, he answered the door looking tired, like he’d been woken up despite the fact that it was afternoon. Aoi was working, leaving the brunette home by himself. Ruki was also working, so Akira didn’t worry about arousing any suspicion from his boyfriend. He would’ve noticed his motorcycle parked outside.

Uruha yawned and wiped his eyes. “Do you want some coffee or something?”

“Dude, it’s after twelve.” The vet chuckled.

“So that’s a no.” Uruha stood up and walked to the coffee maker on the counter. As he busied himself looking for a mug in one of their cabinets, Akira awkwardly cracked his knuckles. He came here to ask Ruki’s friend a question and received his answer. Now he wasn’t sure what to talk about. This man was aloof to his surroundings, the vet struggled thinking of a new topic to discuss.

“Where do you plan to throw the party?” The side-shaved man calmly spoke as he poured his coffee. Akira relaxed, relieved that the awkward silence was over.

“I’m not sure. I was thinking maybe a back room at Sequence or something. That wouldn’t be too big.”

“The bar?” Uruha raised his eyebrow in thought as he mixed sugar into his drink. “Do we have to bring gifts?”

“No! I thought maybe we could just drink and dance. You know, just gather around and celebrate Ruki.” Akira chuckled. He envisioned what Ruki would look like with a pointed birthday hat on and everyone brining colorful-wrapped boxes to him like a child’s party. It would be funny to do that.

“Have everyone surround Ruki and talk about how great he is. Do you know what that’ll do to his ego?” The brunette moved to the fridge, pulling out creamer and a silver flask. He poured both into his drink.

“Are you drinking alcohol at lunchtime?”

“Coffee.” He turned around to sit back down.

“ Irish coffee.” Akira corrected.

“Still coffee.” Shrugged his shoulders. He took a sip and smiled as he felt the warmth slide down his throat. He closed his eyes and relaxed against the back of the chair. “Did you guys do anything to celebrate your one year anniversary?”

“I took him to dinner. Bought him some jewelry and we went to his place.”

“Sounds like a normal date to me. Fun time.”

“Yeah, but, we...um...we talked about moving in together.” Akira rubbed the back of his one hand while talking. Uruha’s eyes lit up at the revelation.

“Things are getting that serious between you two?” The brunette looked giddy and smiled brightly.

“We haven’t actually started. Just talked about it. How Koron would react to having bird roommates.” He chuckled, trying to calm down the taller man. “Can we focus on his birthday again? I’m not sure how to get everyone at Black Moral without Ruki knowing.”

“Leave that to me and Aoi. The trick is to tell Kai last. Or else he’ll blurt it out to everyone.” He chuckled, taking another gulp of his “coffee”.

“I know Ruki doesn’t drink, but I wanted to hold it at the place of our first date.”

“You are such a romantic.” Uruha faked a swoon making Akira laugh. “No wonder Ruki calls you his prince.”

“Seriously though, you’re thoughtful of Ruki. Especially after how his last relationship ended, I haven’t seen him this happy in years. He’s really opened up. I wanted to thank you as his friend.” Uruha peeked out of the corner of his eyes as he took another swig from his mug. He saw how the vet tensed up slightly at his word. He had his suspicions that Akira was hiding something, but didn’t want to come right out and say it since they never had any time together like this. Kai told him about the time he talked to the vet in the grocery store. Since then, Uruha has kept and eye on his friend’s boyfriend.

“Thanks….he makes me happy too.” Akira whispered, looking at his hands folded on the table.

Uruha saw how the man seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. He let the room fall into silence as the man pondered some things in his mind. He finished his cup and set it in the sink. He turned around with a smile plastered on his face. “Let’s plan out that party.”

As they talked about the arrangements, the brunette watched his guest carefully. He seemed more guarded than when he walked in. He was hiding something, and Uruha would guilt him to come clean to his friend sooner or later. He didn’t want to help his friend out of another depression.

Ruki sneezed as he filed his nails. The salon wasn’t busy so he leaned back on the chair at his station. He propped his feet up and worked on his nails. He took great pride in them. Aoi was napping at the front desk, with Koron sitting in his lap. The dog squirmed in it’s sleep and his older friend mumbled and snored. They were a comical pair.  

He smiled at them, before sneezing again. Miko walked up to him, she wasn’t busy with any clients today either. She handed her superior a tissue which he gratefully accepted.

“Are you feeling sick?” She was concerned.

“No. I don’t know what it is.” He replied, blowing his nose.

“Maybe someone is talking about you.”

“What?”

“You know, the superstition. If you talk about someone behind their back, they sneeze. Maybe you’re the topic of someone’s conversation.” She chirped. Miko always exhumed cheerfulness.

“That’s dumb.” He mumbled before sneezing again.

“How many times was that?” She asked, handing him another tissue.

“I don't know. Maybe three times now?” Miko bounced and clapped her hands together with enthusiasm. “What?”

“Three times means someone loves you!” She squeed. Ruki shook his head in disbelief of the superstition.

“Maybe I’m just catching a cold.”

“I bet it’s Akira.” She chirped, ignoring the blonde man’s cynicism.

“Well, he better love me. That’s no surprise.” He chuckled.

“Aww, that’s so cute! I bet you guys will be an adorable married couple. The kind that walk down the road holding hands when your in your eighties.” Miko babbled. The mention of marriage stuttered Ruki’s breath. The thought of such a commitment reminded him of his previous relationship and how poorly that ended. He bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head. They only just started talking about moving in together. Nothing too serious yet.

“Well of course we’d be adorable. You’re talking about me.” Ruki joked, causing the woman to laugh. She stopped her gushing over the blonde’s relationship and returned to her station, talking to some of the other hairdressers.

Ruki continued to work on his nails. The innocent ramblings from Miko not completely leaving his mind. He remembered the day he proposed to Reila and how happy she was. She cheerfully agreed and they celebrated that night in bed. Though the feelings didn’t last long. After the engagement everything went downhill. But Akira was different. He already accepted him as he was. The thought of such a commitment with him was still scary nonetheless.

Though he didn’t exactly despise the idea.

Chapter Text

Ruki turned the key in the salon doors, locking it. Kai had left to run errands earlier, asking Ruki to close up. Today was an odd day. Both Uruha and Aoi had the day scheduled off, leaving the blonde in charge for much of the day once Kai left. He was thankful for the decreased traffic in customers today, it made the day less stressful.

He pulled his scarf up to warm his neck as a cold breeze graced his face. He made sure to wrap Koron up snuggly in his jacket. The pup curled up to his chest, stealing all his body heat. It was the 5th of February, and the streets were lightly dusted with snow. He started his walk home while the sun was still in the sky, albeit obscured by clouds.

He received a text earlier from Aoi. He wanted to meet for drinks, once he took Koron home, and would not accept “no” as an answer. Ruki sighed at his stubborn friend, but reluctantly agreed. His birthday was a few days ago, and since he never like to celebrate it, he begged Kai to put him on the schedule for that day.

He was surprise to see his blonde boss hesitate at his request. It was odd, considering he begged to work his birthday every year. But he worked, and it was just another day to him. He never told Akira his birthday either, so he didn’t worry his boyfriend about gifts or celebrations. There was no fuss, and that’s the way he liked it.

He left a trail of his footprints in the snow as he trekked down the sidewalk. The cold stung his cheeks, despite the layers he wore. He did not relish making the trip to the bar if the temperature continued to drop. He’d rather stay indoors and warm himself up with ramen and mind-numbing television.

Once he reached his apartment and freed Koron from the confines of his jacket, he went to the chihuahua’s food and water dishes to make sure they were filled. He rarely let his dog alone without a sitter. But today, both Uruha and Aoi were out. And Akira’s mother was unavailable. His boyfriend also claimed to have plans, leaving the blonde with no other option. He kissed Koron and stroked his fur before he left. He saw the dog head to it’s bed before he closed the door. Maybe he’ll be alright.

He found himself outside in the cold again. He curse under his breath as snow started to fall from the sky. It wasn’t heavy, and it was only a few flakes. But that meant it was cold enough for the air to produce frozen rain. Ruki pulled his beanie down over his ears. He wore a fashionable grey, wool jacket and sleek black gloves. His scarf, despite already being wrapped around him thrice, still hung low on his back; advantage of being smaller was having excess amount of scarf to use.

He saw the familiar sight of the neon sign to Sequence. He use to never visit this bar until he met Akira. He thought about how this place was where they had their first date. It was also the place where Akira learned about Reila and his family. It was strange how this place all of a sudden became a big part of his life. When he stepped closer, he saw another familiar sight standing outside the entrance.

“Akira?!” Ruki shouted incredulously. The man jumped. The sudden noise startling him. When he turned and found his short boyfriend walking towards him, he smiled.

“Ruki. You came.”

“Of course I did. Aoi told me to come. I didn’t realize you’d be here.” Ruki smiled at his boyfriend, rushing up to him to plant a kiss to his warm lips.

“Well, I wanted to surprise you.” He laughed, hiding the nervousness in his eyes behind his bangs. “Well, let’s get out of the cold. Come on.” The vet grabbed Ruki by the hand and led him into the bar.

Ruki looked around inside. He didn’t see Aoi or Uruha. He figured they were running late. Uruha was notable for sleeping in and arriving well past the agreed upon time. The bar wasn’t too crowded; a few groups in booths, as well as single people near the bar. The blonde shot a questioning look at his boyfriend as they walked past the booths to one of the rooms at the back. He never really took notice of these rooms, since they were always for larger gatherings.

Akira reached out and turned the knob. Ruki trailed close behind him into the dark room. Once a light switch was flipped, the stylist was assaulted by the loud, “Happy Birthday!” greeting of his friends and coworkers. His jaw fell open as he scanned every face in the room.

Ruki took an unconscious step back at the surprise. He saw the faces of his co workers smiling at him. Uruha and Aoi stood close to a table with a medium sized cake on it. Kai was beside them with his dimpled grin. He saw Miko, Omi, Shou, and Hirito from Black Moral surrounding them. Nao and Tora stood off to the side, leaning against the walls. Ayane was there, she had a woman with her that Ruki never met before. Akira’s mother was sitting at the table, smiling at the two boys.

Akira felt the grip on his hand tighten. He looked to see his lover with slight worry in his brow. He was worrying his bottom lips with his teeth as his blue-contact lenses darted around the room. The vet didn’t expect this kind of reaction. Ruki appeared frozen. The room began to quiet down as they noticed the blonde’s apprehensions.

The vet leaned and placed a soft kiss to his cheek before whispering in his ear. “I only invited the people who knew you. We wanted to celebrate you today.”  

The stylist closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He let the worry fade and relaxed his grip on Akira’s hand. He let a small smile turn the corners of his lips. He bowed.

“Thank you. This was such a surprise.” He began. “But next time, can we celebrate when I don’t have to walk a half hour in the snow?”

The group laughed as Akira walked his boyfriend to the table. Small conversations started amongst the group. They weren’t too loud or rowdy. Ms. Suzuki was lighting some candles on top of the cake. She looked up at the boys and smiled.

“Alright dear, make a wish so we can cut this cake.” She brandished a large knife in her hand. Ruki wondered how she managed to carry that into the bar, it looked dangerous.

“What should I wish for?” The blonde pondered aloud.

“Maybe you could wish to be taller?” Aoi heckled beside him. Ruki laughed and slapped him in the gut. He was one of the few people who could joke about his height and get away with it.

“Just for that I’m gonna wish you shrink to the height of a toddler!”

“But look at how tall Uruha is! How would I reach him?”

“Stilts.” Akira offered. The group of friends busted out in a fit of giggles. It made everyone in the room smile and laugh at their friendly teasing.

“Hurry up Ruki! We don’t want wax on the cake!” Ayane whined from her spot in the crowd.

The blonde stifled his laughter and closed his eyes. He leaned forward and blew out the candles earning an applause from his audience. He straightened back up as Ms. Suzuki started dividing the cake into even-sized squares. Ruki felt his boyfriend hand squeeze his. He turned and found a loving smile looking down at him. The vet had a twinge of red on his cheeks and sweat on his brow. He looked slightly nervous.

“I told you I wanted to surprise you.” He whispered. All eyes were on him as he knelt to the ground, bending on one knee. He still had Ruki’s hand in his own and looked up. The group grew silent, small gasps could be heard. The blonde’s eyes widened as he realized what this looked like. People kneel on the ground like this for only one reason.

His heartbeat quickened as he saw Akira reach into his jacket and pulled out a small velvet box. Now his face was burning with a blush. He anxiously waited for Akira to say something. But the vet trembled slightly as he tried to put his thoughts into words.

“I’m sorry if this was unexpected, but I wanted to surprise you.” Akira let out an airy chuckle. “I’m not that good with my words so I hope I don’t screw this up.”

He lifted his head up to look his boyfriend dead in the eyes. The vet ran his thumb over Ruki’s hand in a loving manner. The stylist’s heart swelled at how innocent Akira looked right now.

“I love you. I want to be able to tell you that everyday. I really enjoy our time together and don’t want to ever lose that. So…” He released his hand and opened the small velvet box. Inside sat a silver ring. The band was thin and notched with studs all around. It wasn’t flashy and pretty simple looking.

“Takanori Matsumoto…”  

Fuck, he loved hearing Akira say his real name.

“...will you marry me?”

The entire room fell into silence. The anticipation of Ruki’s answer drew everyone’s attention. The blonde stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend on the ground. The blue-haired vet was blushing from his ears to his neck. The stylist’s anxiety spiked and he felt butterflies raging in his stomach. His breathing sped up with his heartbeat. He remembered when he proposed to Reila. He remembered kneeling on the ground and all the emotions that washed over him in that moment. He was anxious and scared, yet overall excited with his decision. He imagined that’s how Akira felt right now.

He let out a breath and smiled. “Of course. How can I say no?” He giggled as he felt a wetness collect in his eyes.

The vet grinned wide and swiftly slid the ring onto Ruki’s finger and bounced to his feet. He brought his shorter lover into an embrace and kissed him deeply. The room erupted into an applause for the couple. Ruki rested his forehead against Akira shoulders. He couldn’t stop his smile or the joyous tears that ran down his face.

“How did you know what size to get? It fits perfectly!” His eyes trailed down to the ring on his finger and watched it reflect the bar’s lighting.

“You have so many rings at your place. I took one for measuring.”  

“You stole from me?” Ruki feigned hurt. His eyes still watered, he was trying to shift the mood.

“It was for a worthy cause.” Akira kissed the top of his head. They stayed like that, even with the entirety of everyone congratulating them. They finally calmed down and everyone had a piece of cake to celebrate Ruki’s birthday engagement.

Ruki and Akira sat at the table with Akira’s mother, Uruha, and Aoi. Everyone else divided into groups and talked amongst themselves. Everyone was joking and enjoying the merriment.

“Man, Akira. You sure surprised us all!” Aoi cheered shoving a forkful of cake into his mouth.

“How do you think I felt!?” Ruki chimed.

“Well, I wanted you to remember this. What better way then proposing?” The vet shrugged.

“Proposing at a bar? Son, do you not have any class?” Ms. Suzuki teased.

“Oi, I like her!” Aoi spoke with his mouth fool, spitting some of his food onto the table.

“Aoi, you’re getting spit on my cake.” Uruha lamented.

“Sorry.” The dark-haired man swallowed and nuzzled his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“It’s alright. I’ll forgive you if you get me a drink.”

“Anything for you.” Aoi placed a kiss on the brunette’s cheek and stood up. “Come on Akira. We better get drinks for everyone. Don’t want your party to get too lame.”

“What? But everyone knows where the bar is!”

“I want a soda.” Ruki pouted. With his bottom lip sticking out, he looked too adorable for the vet to ignore.

“Okay. I’ll at least get you a drink.” Akira stood up and followed Aoi out of the room. They stepped out into the bar room and found it more crowded than earlier. It was later so many of the patrons already had a couple drinks. Inebriation filled the room, as well as the smell of alcohol. The two made their way through the crowd and placed their order with the bartender.

“So….marriage, huh?” Aoi side-smirked at his friend.

“Yeah. I mean, I love him and everything. Why not?” The vet dipped his head down, hiding his blush.

“You make Ruki happy. I’m glad. Wishing you two a happy life together.” Aoi mimed a toast to the man, despite not having anything in his hands. “Though it’s traditional to get approval from the bride-to-be’s father first.”

There was that friendly banter he grew use to from this man. Ruki’s friends became his friends, they’ve all grown close to each other and that was something the vet cherished. He always had trouble making friends.

“Well, I’m sorry sir. But I’m not traditional.”

“Wow, Aki you’re soo dreamy. Will you marry me too?” Aoi sang and leaned on the vet’s shoulder.

“Won’t Uruha be mad?” He laughed.

“You can marry him too! Then I’ll marry him. We can be one big happy couples!”

“That doesn't make any sense. I can’t believe this is you sober.” Akira scoffs as he receives his drinks. They both chuckle and turn to head back. They stopped when they found Ayane walking out of the room with her friend. She smiles once she locates her brother and bounces towards him.

“Akira!” She squealed and bearhugged her older brother. “Congratulations! You both were so cute!”

“Thank you. You can stop crushing my lungs now!” Ayane lets go and stands beside her friend.

“Kumiko, you remember Akira?” She talks to the brunette woman beside her.

“Yes. Congratulations on your engagement.” She bows politely.

“Thank you. Sorry I never went to your shower. I assume the baby is doing good?” He felt awkward. It had been months since her baby shower and he hadn’t made an effort to meet her once. She had the child two months ago. She probably already talked Ruki’s ear off while he was away. Though she looked and acted more mature than Ayane, it was a wonder how they remained friends.

“Yes. Ren is doing good. He’s getting chubby, he won’t stop eating. And don’t worry. I knew you had other things to worry about.”

Akira noticed the dark-haired man awkwardly standing beside him. He held onto his drinks and eyed at the door to their party. The vet realized it was rude of him to not introduce them.

“Oh, Aoi! This is my sister Ayane and her friend Kumiko.” The older man smiled and bowed towards them. “And this is Aoi. He works with Ruki at Black Moral.”

“Oh, you’re a stylist too?!” Ayane chirped.

“No actually. I just run the front desk. The world isn’t ready for my expertise yet.”

“You mean you accidentally shaved someone bald once and they never let you touch another soul.” The blue-haired vet smirked.

“How did you know that?”

“Uruha can get pretty talkative after three Irish coffees.” Aoi pouted while Akira laughed at him.

“Anyway, Akira. I just wanted to congratulate you in person. You look really happy. I’m sure this time it’ll work out.” Kumiko’s words drew a suspicious glance from Aoi.

“This time?” He whispered only to have Akira frantically chuckle and blush.

“Thank you. Anyways, we should head back before they accuse us of abandoning them. You know how they are. I’ll see you guys later.”

Akira nodded at the girls and paced back to the room. They returned to their lovers and continued to laugh and enjoy the evening. The crowd grew rowdy the later it got and some people eventually excused themselves. During the merriment, Aoi, Uruha, and Kai all tried to disguise the suspicious glances they gave Akira. Ruki looked happier than he’d ever been. And they wanted to keep it that way.

~Beep Beep Beep~

Ruki brought his hand down on the alarm clock with such force, he could’ve sworn he heard a crack. If he broke the clock he wasn’t too worried. After all, it was Akira’s. He turned over and hid his face in the warmth of someone beside him. He nestled his face into Akira’s chest, trying to regain his sleep. He heard a deep chuckle above him as he felt a hand rub his arm.

“I never seen someone get so angry at an alarm clock before.”

“It’s too early.” Ruki slurred and mumbled into the vet’s naked skin.

“We have alot to do today. If we plan to get it done we better get up.” Akira’s husky voice was enough to lull the blonde back to sleep. But he reluctantly pulled away from his fiance and looked up at his face. He smiled when he saw the man he grew to love affectionately stare at him. His dark blue hair was unruly obscuring some of his face and sticking up in random places.

“You know how some people talk about how attractive bed head is on some people? You may disprove the point.” He teased as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“An insult already this morning? Could this be love?” The vet joined him and stretched.

They both got dressed and made their way to the kitchen to enjoy a small breakfast before they busied themselves with the large to-do list they created for themselves. They started moving Akira into Ruki’s apartment yesterday. He only managed to get a few clothes and belongings there but today they hoped to get Oscar and Keiji moved in and most of his stuff rounded up.

Once they finished their breakfasts and washed up. They each grabbed a cardboard box and walked to Akira’s motorcycle. Aoi was working until five so they couldn’t borrow his car. Ayane and Ms. Suzuki were both out running errands or with friends, so their cars were unavailable too. They had to make due with the motorbike, they couldn’t take too much with them and had to do multiple trips. Luckily, the snowing had stopped for the past few days.

“You need to get a car.” Ruki pouted as he straddled the bike, clutching his box. They couldn’t bring anything heavy until Aoi could help them, so that made the move even more tiring and slow.

“Says the man who had no vehicles.”

“We should rent a moving truck or something. I’m tired of carrying all of this.”

“It’s not that far down the road. They’d charge us too much. Besides, think of this as our us time.” Akira smiled while fastening his own helmet. He gave his fiance a quick kiss and started up his bike.

They made their way to Ruki’s place. Akira parked in his usual spot in front of the apartment complex. He stepped off the bike and helped his blonde fiance off. They set their boxes on the pavement as they removed their helmets. Akira ran his fingers through his hair, trying to unflatten his locks that were pressed down by the protective headgear.

“Wow, I think I may prefer your bedhead to your helmet hair!” Ruki teased, poking his fiance in his sides.

“I love you too!” Akira laughed and bent down to kiss the smaller man. Even when the stylist teased him, he found him endearing. He brought his hand to rest on the hips of the blonde. He pulled away and looked into the blonde’s eyes. Ruki was smiling uncontrollable. They were moving in together and engaged to be married. They’ve grown so close in the matter of a year.

“Reita?”

A familiar voice Akira forgot about made him grow tense. Ruki noticed the change in his fiance’s stance. He saw a storm of emotions rush over the vet’s face. He released his lover and turned to the voice.

“Holy shit! Reita, it’s really you!” A man with shoulder length black hair and a leather jacket just exited the main doors and stared at the vet. He had a look of astonished disbelief plastered on his face. He quickly walked over to the pair, though he all but ignored Ruki.

“Man, it’s been ages. How the hell have you been?” Akira finally swallowed and gave him a nervous smile.

“Hey Aki.” Akira mumbled a greeting.

Shit, why now?

Chapter Text

The breeze blew threw Akira’s dyed locks. It would have caused a shiver to run down him if he wasn’t too busy glancing between Aki and Ruki. He nervously sweat, hands going clammy as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Everything was going perfectly today, then his old friend had to show up.

“How the Hell have you been?” The mystery man stepped forward and forcibly hugged the vet.

“Good.” Akira mumbled. His brain was desperately trying to catch up to the situation.

“Man, it’s been years. The last time I saw you, I think we were hanging out at Sequence or something.” Akira flinched at the mentions of his past. He didn’t look back on it too fondly, in fact he tried to forget it most days. And it worked, until Aki brought it up. The vet tried to shrug and play ignorant.

“No, yeah! It was Sequence. You got so drunk and upset about Mao. I remember driving you home. After that it’s like you dropped off the planet!” Aki hit him in the chest. “What the Hell, Reita? Don’t you know how to use a phone?”

The thin man chuckled. He radiated joy in seeing the vet. Obviously they were once good friends. Though from Akira’s tense stance, he didn’t reciprocate the merriment.

“Akira?” Ruki’s voice broke the laughter from Aki and made the vet stiffen even more. Both eyes fell on him. “Who’s this?”

The stylist pointed his manicured nail at the man before them. His voice was low and meek. Unconsciously, the blonde stepped closer to his fiance, he didn’t fully trust the stranger. His fiance always smiled and treated everyone with warmth, but to see him tense up like this worried him.

“Akira? Oh so you don’t go by ‘Reita’ no more?” The black haired man smiled.

“This is an old friend, Aki. We went to college together.” The vet pointed towards his friend. “And this is Ruki-”

“Pleased to meet ya!” Aki chirped before Akira could finish his sentence.

The black-haired man reached out to shake the stylist’s hand. Ruki hesitantly grabbed it. Aki’s eyes then fell to the small, silver ring wrapped around the blonde’s one finger. His eyes lit up and he smirked.

“Is he your new husband?”

“What?” Ruki shrieked.

“He’s my fiance.” Akira wrapped an arm around the blonde protectively.

“New husband?” Ruki looked up at his lover, a slight quiver in his voice.

“Yeah. You remind me of his last one. Cute and little. That’s how Reita likes them!” Aki answered for his friend. Akira’s eyes shot wide. He swallowed nervously as he saw Ruki’s gaze drop down to his ring. The loss of eye contact made Akira’s heart drop.

“You’re still a player, even at your age?” Aki swatted his friend on the shoulder, laughing.

“We have work to do.” Akira’s voice dropped low and brimmed with anger. He no longer put up a front. Aki looked down at the two boxes on the pavement.

“Oh are you moving in? I can help you. I live on the first floor so-”

“We’re fine. We already made arrangements.” Akira’s voice rose with anger a bit. It startled Aki. He looked between the couple sensing the change in mood. He smiled and shook his head. He waved at them and began to walk down the sidewalk.

“It was nice seeing you again. And nice meeting you Ruki. Catch you guys later.”

Akira watched as the man disappeared. The air was cold and biting at his skin. But he refused to move. He still kept his arm wrapped around Ruki’s shoulder. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon and bit the inside of his cheek. He knew his fiance had questions. Everything he tried to keep hidden and forget about was being pushed up front, and now he owed it to Ruki to tell him. He just didn’t know how to break the awkward silence that enveloped them.

“You’re divorced?” The blonde’s voice was a little above a whisper. Akira turned to look at his lover. The man still had his eyes downcast so the vet couldn’t see his face.

“Yes.” Akira sighed. “I wanted to tell you sooner. But I could never find the right time to tell you.”

“What happened?” The blonde brought his arms to hug around his chest.

The vet sighed again. He didn’t want to admit to his lover why they divorced. But with how open and honest Ruki’s been with him, he owed it to him. He didn’t want to lie, that would only make things worse. He figured it’s best to tell the truth, even if it wasn’t the best image of him.

“I cheated on him.” The vet whispered.

The blonde’s head sprang up to look at his lover. The smaller man already had tears running down his cheeks. His eyes grew red and the vet jumped. He didn’t realize his fiance had refused to look at him because he was already crying. He reached a hand up to wipe at his stained cheeks only to find the blonde flinch under his touch. He quickly let go of him and took a step back.

“What’s stopping you from cheating on me?” The blonde’s eyes furrowed in anger.

“I love you.”

“I’m sure you told him that too.”

“Ruki, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But you can see why. I didn’t want to ruin what we built and what you thought of me.”

“So you chose to lie to me?”

There it was. The betrayed feelings Kai warned him about. He knew he should’ve come clean sooner, and now he was beating himself up for pushing it off too long. Akira’s heart was frantically beating in his chest as his brain tried to fathom words to prevent this fight. He hated seeing Ruki upset, and to know that he was the cause of it made him feel even worse.

“I’m a coward.” He whispered.

“Is that why you cheated? You’re a coward afraid of commitment?” Ruki spoke with venom in his voice.

“Yes! I mean, no! I just….” The vet fumbled with his words.

“I can’t believe how dumb I was. I fell for your charms like some lonely, gullible idiot. Am I just a replacement for your ex-husband? Apparently I remind your friend of him!” The blonde’s voice rose to a shout. If someone heard him, he didn’t really care at this point.

“Ru, it’s not like that!”

“Why did you cheat on him?” The question made Akira stutter. He couldn’t answer it. He asked himself the same thing every night after the divorce. And despite all the time he pondered, he never found an answer he felt was right. At the lack of a response, Ruki grew angry.

“What was his name?”

“Mao.” Akira whispered. It hurt to say the name after all these years. Just hearing him speak the other’s man name irritated him.

“I feel like I can’t trust you anymore. That everything we’ve done has been a lie.”

The vet didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t much of a question, just a statement. And it was a statement that broke his heart. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt Ruki; the man he fell in love with and tried to start anew with. But now all his plans of a happy-ever-after was shattered. He saw the blonde’s shoulders shake as sobs began to escape his smooth lips. He didn’t know what to say to erase all the hurt.

Ruki was irked at the silence he received from his fiance. He let a few sobs escape before he muffled them. His eyes fell to the sidewalk. He steadied himself to say his next words.

“Goodbye, Akira.” The stylist briskly walked to the entrance of the apartment complex. He listened, silently hoping for some defence from the vet. He wanted him to stop him, to argue, to do anything but just stand there. With no response, he walked through the doors to the main lobby. Tears flowed down his face and landed on his jacket.

He continued to cry as he rode the elevator to his floor and ran to his apartment. He unlocked the door and entered. Koron greeted his master, wagging his tail as he sensed Ruki’s distress. The stylist ran to his room and collapsed face-first onto his bed. His hand grasped at his comforter, allowing his wails to be muffled by the thick fabric.

He heard a motorcycle start up outside. No doubt that it was Akira’s. The revving of the engine grew loud and then faded as it drove off. As the sound disappeared, Ruki started to bawl more. His body shook as his wails grew loud and ugly. He allowed all the hurt and sorrow out as his voice filled his room. Koron jumped up on the bed, nuzzling beside his owner for comfort.

Ruki just broke up with Akira. The seemingly perfect man of his dreams, who was now gone. He was then reminded of Reila. Their fairytale relationship ended when they became engaged. Ruki lamented over his luck, or lack of it. Maybe he shouldn’t ever agree to marriage and maybe he was meant to be alone. He tried to push the self-depleting thoughts away, but failed.

He spent what felt like hours crying. His voice grew hoarse and his throat became sore. His eyes burned as the tears stung at the corners. The comforter below him was damp as he rolled his face away from it. His breathing was beginning to return to normal as he choked out his last few sobs.  He allowed his eyes to close as he felt exhausted both mentally and physically. As he laid in silence, his mind drifted to sleep.

Ruki shot up when he heard a knock on his door. He looked at the time and saw it was after seven. He wiped his eyes, he must have fallen asleep between his cries. He found some tears dried at the corner of his eyes and down his cheeks. It took him a moment to realize he’s been in his room all day, ever since he broke up with Akira.

He stood up on shaky feet, and stretched to crack his back and limbs. His body felt stiff. He’s been curled up on his bed for hours. He leaned down to turn on his lamp by his bed. It allowed him to see his room in its entirety. His eyes landed on two boxes in the corner of his room and his heart dropped. He recognized them as Akira’s. The one contained clothes, the other had some odds and ends in it. He remembered how giddy he got when they talked about moving in together, so when they started he was elated. Now he knew he’d have to return these boxes to him someday. Maybe I could ask Aoi or Uruha to give them to him.

Another knock at the door drew the blonde’s attention. He was suddenly anxious. What if that’s Akira? He wants his stuff. He wasn’t ready to face him yet.

Another knock, louder this time, made him jump. He slowly pushed forward. His feet dragging against the carpet. Koron was already standing by his apartment door, wagging his tail. He jumped at the door excitedly. Ruki questioned who it could be to make his chihuahua happy. Then again, his dog was such an extrovert he’d happily greet anyone.

As he stood near the door, another knock. He shakily reached for the doorknob and unlocked it. He turned it and opened the door a crack, peeking through. He sighed in relief when he saw the sight of the two familiar figures outside. He opened the door wider, allowing a small smile to grace his lips, though it was forced.

“Ruki! Thank God!” Aoi gasped when he saw the stylist standing there with his messy hair and red, puffy eyes. He rushed forward and hugged the shorter man. Ruki tried to keep his emotions at bay. He so badly wanted to cry into his friend’s shoulder.

“Ruki, are you okay? What’s going on?” Aoi backed away a bit to look at his friend’s face, still hugging him. The blonde looked up at the man, not saying a word. He feared if he spoke, the waterworks would start again.

“We went to Akira’s but no one was there. We tried to call and text you but we never got a reply.” Aoi’s face was scrunched with worry. So was Uruha’s, who was standing in the doorway. He looked at his friend, anticipating the answer he feared.

Ruki began to sniffle. His eyes squeezed shut as he felt the tears return. He let out a few sobs before he could form words.

“We broke up.” At the admission, he couldn’t stop the sorrow from escaping. He began to wail into Aoi’s chest. He grabbed fistfuls of the man’s jacket as he gritted his teeth to quiet his wails.

“I’ll make some tea. Sit him on the couch.” Uruha instructed his boyfriend. He spoke in a calm and soothing voice, though his face looked stricken with worry.

Aoi did as he was told and walked the shorter man to sit on his couch. He kept him in a hug, rubbing at the man’s back in soothing circles to slow down his cries. His boyfriend busied himself in Ruki’s kitchen while Aoi rocked the stylist back and forth whispering sweet words to him.

Uruha entered the living room with a cup a tea. He placed it on the coffee table and knelt on the floor in front of the two men. He reached out his hand and rested it on the blonde’s shoulder. Ruki unburied his head from the black-haired man’s chest and looked at his best friend. It was the first in a long time he saw a readable expression on his face. He was oozing with concern.

“Whenever you’re ready to talk, we’ll listen.” Uruha smiled at him.

Ruki nodded and tried to gather his thoughts and emotions. He bit his lip as he silenced his wails. He slowly sat up and broke away from Aoi’s hug. Though the man still kept his arm wrapped around his shoulder. He gratefully accepted the tea Uruha made and took small sips from it. Feeling the beverage slide down his throat and warm his insides soothed his nerves slightly.

“We broke up a few hours ago.” Ruki whispered as he took another sip. He used the beverage to keep his emotions in check. His eyes stung, he did not want any more tears to cause further irritation.

“Why?” Uruha asked, stroking the man’s leg.

“He lied to me. He never told me about Mao or his marriage. He kept quiet about everything while I spilled my guts out to him.” The stylist felt sadness become replaced with anger.

“Who’s Mao and what marriage? He’s already married?” Aoi tried to connect the dots.

“Apparently his ex-husband’s name was Mao. They were married until Akira cheated on him. We met one of his friends outside the apartment. He started gushing about Akira being a player and moving to a new husband or something.” Ruki squeaked. He felt the torrent of emotions spinning around in his mind.

“And you’re worried he’d do the same to you?” Uruha calmly asked.

“If he did it before. What’s to stop him from doing it again? He didn’t trust me enough to tell me, so how can I trust him?” The blonde was livid. He couldn’t mask his anger and his brows furrowed revealing how hurt he was.

“So did he break up with you? Or did you break up with him?” Uruha collected the empty tea cup from his friend.

“I broke up with him. I couldn’t look at him. He hurt me too much and didn’t say a word.”

“You did the right thing.” Aoi reassured his friend. Bringing him in for a tighter hug. The blonde relaxed into the embrace. He was relieved he got outside approval for his actions.

“You’re right. If he cheated on him and didn’t tell you. Who’s to say he wasn’t going to the same for you?” Aoi continued.

“Thanks.”

They continued talking about the incident. Aoi telling him about Akira at the surprise party. They way Ayane and her friend talked to him. How he acted suspicious afterwards. Ruki’s crying became less and less frequent. He managed to sit and talk for more than ten minutes without breaking down. His nerves were no longer as shot and he was enjoying the company of his friends. Sure he was still heartbroken, but at least he wasn’t alone right now.

Meanwhile, Uruha didn’t say a word. After he set the cup in the sink he returned to the living room, sitting on the floor again. He bit the inside of his cheek as he watched Aoi defend Ruki’s decision to break it off. He hated to see his friend so sad, but part of him disagreed with his boyfriend’s words. Though, now was not the time to argue. Their main concern was making Ruki feel better.

It was late, and Ruki finally settled down to go to sleep. He promised that if he need anything he’d call them without hesitation. Uruha and Aoi even promised to take the boxes back to Akira for him. They bid him a good night and walked out the door down the hallway. As they walked towards the elevator, Uruha finally broke his silence.

“Man, I can’t believe this actually happened. Things were looking good for them.” Aoi commented.

“You shouldn’t have told him that.”

“What?” Aoi didn’t understand what his lover was talking about. He had been quiet all evening.

“That he did the right thing.”

“With breaking up with Akira? The dude cheated.”

“Not on him. I think he reacted too impulsively and now he regrets it.”

“But babe, if he cheated on his last husband, what’s to stop him from doing that to Ruki?” Aoi’s face twisted in slight irritation.

“We don’t know the whole story. We don’t know the situation of their marriage. Maybe it wasn’t happy from the start.”

“So that’s an okay excuse for cheating on someone?”

Aoi pushed the elevator button, hearing the ding to summon the lift. While they waited, he turned to his boyfriend. He was astonished to see him defend Akira. He was Ruki’s best friend, but so far Aoi was the only one comforting the heartbroken man. Uruha’s face was hard to read once again. It didn’t portray any distinguishable emotion.

The ding signalled them and they got on to ride up to their floor. They remained quiet in the lift and stepped out to walk down the hallway. Aoi would be lying if he said he wasn’t at all irritated by Uruha right now. His lover was choosing the side of the adulterer over his best friend.

“I’m not making excuses for him. But maybe we should hear the whole story before we jump to conclusion.” Uruha continued as Aoi unlocked their door.

“Uruha! How can you say that after what we saw. Ruki’s eyes were bloodshot. He’s been crying all day. He needs someone to reassure him. Are you saying this was all his fault?” Once they were inside, Aoi raised his voice.

“I think we should find out why Akira did what he did. It was the past, maybe he learned from it and didn’t want to repeat his mistakes.”

“Love, he was a two-timing player who used our friend. Why the hell would we side with him?” Aoi was fully shouting now. His anger was boiling as he argued with his thick-headed boyfriend.

“You’re saying that it was okay for him to cheat? That everything would miraculously change and he won’t ever do that again? Since he didn’t tell Ruki, that doesn’t mean he planned on doing it again? He kept it hidden to not arouse any suspicion? Ruki told you what that Aki guy said. Do you want to see Ruki hurt more or do you want to help him?” Aoi spat and pointed his fingers at his lover. Uruha didn’t flinch, though anger became noticeable on his face. His lips straightened into a stern frown.

“Don’t you dare assume that I don’t care about Ruki.” His voice quivered with anger.

“Well, what am I supposed to think?”

“I remember a man who was considered a player; someone who slept around. But I fell for him anyways. And after I lost count of our one night stands I had enough and confronted him. I haven’t seen another man around his arm since.”

Uruha’s recollection of the past had Aoi halting in his anger. He felt guilt claw up his stomach. He remembered how casually their relationship started. He never though he could settle down. He always wanted to explore something new, and experience all he could. And then the tall brunette showed up and changed his plans. He wasn’t brave enough to admit his feelings, but Uruha was. He sighed in defeat.

“You were able to change? Why can’t Akira try?”

He hated to admit he was wrong. But he knew he was. He wiped at his face, trying to cool down from their argument. He can’t remember the last time he yelled at Uruha. He sighed.

“I guess you’re right. I’m sorry for overreacting. I shouldn’t have yelled at you and blame you. Everyone’s hurting in this situation.” Aoi stepped closer to his lover, finding him to relax in his stance.

“Sometimes you let your emotions get the best of you. Ruki is the same way.” Uruha smiled and found himself wrapped in a warm embrace by his lover.

“Yeah. How come you’re the most sensible person around?” Aoi chuckled, nuzzling his face in Uruha’s brunette hair.

“Someone has to be. I need to keep your ass in line.” They chuckled.

They both apologized for the fight, Aoi more frantically than Uruha. They settled on their bed, cuddling and pressing light kisses to their skin. It was a difficult situation they discovered today. But now that Uruha persuaded Aoi to his thinking, they knew what they had to do. They had to find Akira and discover what else needs to be said.

Chapter Text

The world carried on like nothing happened. Ruki kept himself busy by burying himself in work. He was accepting more and more clients than he ever did before. He even agreed to work the front desk, a position he used to hate, now he worked it with little hesitation.

Kai heard from Aoi and Uruha what happened. Though he was furious at the vet, even after his warnings, he couldn’t help but frown at the situation. The short blonde clearly didn’t want to deal with it and so he opted to work himself to death. Kai knew both of them were probably hurting. The day after the breakup, Ruki called off. He couldn’t face anyone, for fear of a breakdown.

Uruha worried it would be the start of another depression; the kind that lasts for months like his last breakup. But to his relief, Ruki came in the day after. Though he looked tired, he put on a smile and talked to his customers cheerily. It was a front, and that had them more worried.

“Okay, we need to help him.” Kai called Uruha and Aoi into his makeshift office/apartment. He made sure to do it without arousing suspicion from the newly single blonde.

“How can we help him when he doesn’t want to talk about it?” Aoi flailed his arms.

“Well, we don’t need to talk to him per se.” Kai folded his hands in his lap.

“What do you mean?”

“We can get in touch with Akira.” Uruha answered his confused lover.

“Do you have his number ‘Ruha?” The dimpled boss asked his employee.

“Of course he does.” Aoi laughs.

“Well, I have Nao’s. I can ask him for Akira’s.”

“Great. We need Akira to come clean with Ruki. Whether he takes him back or not, that’s his decision. But they need closure.” Kai leaned back and rubbed his eyes.

“I still can’t believe it.” Aoi whispered. He was leaning his elbows against his knees and staring at the walls. “Especially since Ruki dumped him. They were such a cute couple.”

They sat in silence, reflecting on the situation. None of them had a concrete idea of how to fix everything. They just wanted what’s best for Ruki. But in order to do that, they needed Akira. The sound of a phone dinging turned all eyes on Uruha.

“I got a text back from Nao.” The side-shaved brunette announced.

“Man, you work fast.” Kai smiled.

Uruha creased his lips and hummed. The other two frowned and instantly furrowed their brows in worry. Aoi leaned closer to his lover.

“What’s wrong? Doesn’t Nao have it?”

“No, he gave it to me, but he said Akira hasn’t been in for a few days. A substitute has been filling in for him.”

“Akira hasn’t shown up to work?” Aoi’s eyes shot open wide.

“No. He called off and is taking a sick leave or something.” Uruha tapped away on his phone. He tried to pry as much information as he can out of the vet’s receptionist.

“Well, this doesn’t seem good.” Kai lamented.

“Yeah. Nao said he’s ignored his calls. He hasn’t heard a word from him so he doesn’t know what’s up.” Uruha sighed. He decided to tell the purple-haired man what was going on since his own boss abandoned him at the clinic.

“Well, this isn’t going to be easy.” The blonde boss chewed his thumb nail in deep thought.

“So, we can’t get a hold of Akira. Nao can’t get him. Now what?” Aoi fumed.

“Ruki can.” Uruha quipped. He still typed away, talking to Nao. He didn’t break his gaze away from his phone as he proposed a new approach. “Ruki is the only one he’ll listen to.”

“What makes you say that?” His lover tilted his head inquisitively.

“He’s heartbroken, he truly loved Ruki.” Kai commented.

“But Ruki is pissed at him. How we gonna get him to talk?”

“We’ll have to subtly push him.”

“We’re going undercover!” Aoi raised his fists in the air, smiling.

“No, we’re not. We’ll still be ourselves.” Uruha pointed out.

“Shh! What I said sounds funner.”

Ruki was washing a clients hair. He focused on the suds washing off his fingers and down the drain as he lathered and rinsed the red locks. The man stayed silent as the stylist went about his business. Once he was done, he dried the man’s hair and pointed him towards the front desk to pay. Though, he quickly noticed Aoi’s absence and walked over to complete the task. After the man thanked him and walked out the salon, Ruki huffed.

Where the Hell is he?

The blonde looked around the shop, he didn’t see Aoi nor Uruha. He wondered where they went to. They were just standing here a few minutes ago. The blonde sat at the front desk, the first time he’d been off his feet all day. Koron ran over to him and begged to be placed on the desk. Ruki lifted the chihuahua up and let him sleep on a stack of magazines.

The blonde sighed as he felt bags form under his eyes. He’s been stressing himself out for a few days now, since the breakup. He forced himself to not think about it. It was another painful memory for him. He shook his head, trying to bounce the thought out of his skull. He heard the sounds of footsteps walking down the stairs that led to Kai’s apartment. Ruki swiveled in the chair to watch his friends reenter the salon.

“Hey, thanks for leaving without a word, I had to do your job plus my own.” Ruki rolled his eyes at his friends.

“Oh, you’re welcome, man.” Aoi smirked and walked around to lean on the desk.

“I was using sarcasm.”

“So was I.” Ruki huffed while his friend laughed at his own jokes. Uruha stood beside him, busy texting someone.

“Wow, I never seen you use your phone this much before? Who you texting? Is he cute?” Ruki chuckled as his leaned against the desk.

“Yeah. It’s my second boyfriend.” Uruha joked, though his voice didn’t have an ounce of  lightheartedness to it. 

“Man, you sound so serious. You’re lucky I know that’s a lie.” Aoi laughed at his boyfriend’s poor attempt at sarcasm.

“So where did you guys go? I didn’t notice you leave.”

Aoi stiffened, he didn’t know how to reply. He obviously couldn’t tell Ruki that him and Uruha devised a plan to get him and Akira to talk again. But he didn’t think of a lie. In fact, Aoi didn’t think he would notice their absence.

“You didn’t notice our disappearance? Ruki I’m hurt!” Aoi tried to deflect the question with humor. It’s worked for him in the past. “We could’ve been kidnapped or eaten by cannibals!”

“Drama queen.” Ruki mumbled. “Uruha, where’d you go?”

The black-haired man panicked. He thought maybe Ruki would forget his question, call him an idiot, and leave. But he pushed it onto his lover. Aoi looked over and found Uruha still focused on his phone. They hadn’t discussed an alibi for them. He was about to jump in with another joke, but Uruha took charge.

“We were requesting a day off from Kai so we could spend it together.” Uruha didn’t break contact with his phone and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. Aoi sighed in relief. Uruha was too good at this.

“Oh.” Ruki’s eyes dropped, his tone had a hint of sorrow to it. “I hope you guys enjoy it.”

“We will. Thanks.”

A customer came in and Ruki was quick to scoop them up. The woman wanted her roots touched up so the blonde walked her over to his station. While he was busy, Aoi turned to his lover, who finally put his phone away.

“Why the Hell would you say that? You made Ruki sad.” Aoi whispered.

“Yes. But he’s thinking about Akira now.”

“So? You didn’t have to mention our relationship when he just lost his.”

“But this is how we’ll get him to talk to Akira subtly.”

Aoi’s face froze at the realization. His eyes widened and he began to grin. “Damn, you’re smart.”

“Well, with you I have to be.” Uruha quipped.

Aoi hugged his taller lover and they went about their day like normal. Ruki continued to work until he was exhausted. Uruha stepped in and forced him to take a break. He took over for him since he accepted too many customer’s requests. He sat at the front desk, drinking some water. Aoi was beside him, doodling at the corners of some papers. Koron was strutting around to greet every customer. He relished in the attention.

“So me and Uruha are going to Sequence tonight.” The black-haired man spoke after a minute of silence between them.

“Good for you.” The blonde took another sip of water.

“Yeah. Cause you’re coming to.”

“What? Since when did you ask me? And when did I agree?”

“You just said ‘I agree’ so sounds like a plan to me.” Aoi smirked.

“You’re wrong in the head, aren’t you?”

“Oh come on. It’s gonna be fun.”

“No it’s not. You and Uruha will get plastered and I’ll have to drive you guys back in your car and walk you to your place. Where does that sound like fun for me?” Ruki huffed.

“Because I’m not gonna drink.”  

 “Like I believe you.”

“I swear. If I even touch one ounce of alcohol, I’ll babysit Koron for a whole year.”

“That doesn’t sound like a punishment.”

“It is for me. Trust me one that.” Aoi smirked again.

Ruki playfully hit his friend in the shoulder. He allowed himself to smile a little. Though, he wasn’t too fond of the idea. He was tired, he felt like just going home and spending another night sulking. For the past few nights, he would just sit in his room and stare at the boxes Akira left behind. He cried himself to sleep, wake up, work, and then go home and repeat the cycle.

“I don’t really feel like going out.” Ruki mumbled.

“Too bad. You’re going. You need to get out an blow off some steam. If you keep yourself cooped up, you’ll go crazy.” Aoi swiveled in his chair, keeping eye contact on the blonde. He smiled like he was joking, but his words were serious.

“Like you?”

“Rude! I’m not crazy.”

“You’re right.” Ruki smiled. “Uruha’s the crazy one for putting up with you.”

The pair laughed together until it was closing time. Ruki helped Aoi close and count the profits for the day. Uruha swept and cleaned when the other stylists left for the day. Kai even emerged from upstairs to help the tall brunette reorganize the supplies at the stations. The blonde boss agreed to watch Koron while Uruha and Aoi took Ruki out drinking.

The short stylist was worried about Koron, and since his friends were so insistent on going to the bar right away, Kai offered for the chihuahua to stay the night. Especially since Ruki was due to work tomorrow, it would save him time to take Koron to and from.

After doting over his puppy, his friends finally dragged him out onto the streets. He huddled in between his taller friends for warmth. It was winter, and the evening air was cold against his exposed ears. Aoi talked excessively while they walked. Uruha would nod and laugh to be polite since the blonde stylist lacked much response.

The neon lighting from the bar shone through the light snowfall that started. They made it inside before a blizzard threatened to fall. Once they found a table and stripped their winter jackets off, Aoi offered to get drinks.

“You know what I like.” Uruha waved his boyfriend off as he struggled to unbutton his jacket.

“Okay. And Ruki? Just a soda?” Aoi tilted his head awaiting the blonde’s reply.

Ruki bit his lip. He mulled over whether or not he wanted just a plain cola like always. He had to endure the company of his friends and he felt tense. Especially after everything that happened, maybe he would allow himself to unwind a little. If he was invited out to blow off steam, he might as well do it.

“Actually, could I just have a glass of red wine?” This surprised Uruha and Aoi. Their friend never drank in all the years they knew him. But they masked their surprise with a smile.

“Sure thing chibi .” Aoi chuckled and walked towards the bar.

“What have I told you about calling me that?” He shouted to deaf ears.

He sat across from Uruha at their table. The brunette was finally settled in his chair and had his phone sitting on the table. Every once in a while a message would ding on his phone and he would answer it. Now it was silent and the taller man turned his attention towards Ruki.

“So, red wine?”

“Yeah. Don’t make it a big deal.” Ruki shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve never known you to drink.”

“Well, you guys invited me out. I might as well give it a try once.”

Uruha watched the blondes face. He studied how his line of questioning made him squirm uncomfortably in his seat. He knew Akira was the reason Ruki broke his no alcohol rule. Clearly the man was still hurting from the breakup.

Aoi returned with their drinks. He placed a glass of red wine in front of Ruki and a draft beer in front of his lover. He joined Uruha on the one side of the table with his diet soda in hand. The blonde stylist was surprised to see Aoi keeping true to his promise of not drinking.

Ruki took a sip from his glass. He was expecting something bitter and sour. But to his surprise, it actually had a slight fruity taste to it. He licked the sweet beverage off his lips and allowed himself to smile and relax. He settled in his chair and listened to his friends excitedly talk about their day and tell funny stories. Once he finished his first glass, Aoi retrieved him a second one. Once he was on his third glass, ne noticed he was feeling tipsy. He was more relaxed and allowed himself to talk more. It wasn’t long before the conversation turned toward Akira.

“So Ruki, I was talking to Uruha, and he seemed to disagree with what I told you the other day.” Aoi steered the conversation.

“What do you mean?”

“I think I was too harsh on Akira when I told you you did the right thing.”

Normally, Ruki would’ve shut his friend up with an angry scowl. He would refuse to talk about it and sulk. But he felt calm and at ease.

“You mean I shouldn’t have dumped him?” The blonde’s words slurred a little when he pronounced certain consonants.

“I think you should’ve let him explain himself.” Uruha jumped in. Aoi was beating around the bush. The black haired man silently laughed to himself.

So much for subtlety Uruha. He thought.

“Listen, he cheated. I don’t want to deal with that.”

“But he didn’t cheat on you .” Uruha was already on his fourth beer, so his words were about as clear as Ruki’s. He could handle his alcohol the best at the table.

“But he never told me any of this! He was married before. How do I know he’s not hiding anything else.” Ruki scrunched his nose in anger. The thought of Akira was bittersweet.

“Talk to him.”

“Wow, that’s such an amazing idea. I never thought of that before.” Ruki sarcastically quipped. He downed the remaining wine in his glass and asked Aoi to get him another. If Uruha wanted to talk about this, he definitely wanted more wine.

“He hasn’t tried to call me to apologize. Why should I go chasing after him? He hurt me!” Ruki closed his eyes and supported his head with his hand, leaning his elbows on the table. His eyes were beginning to feel heavy.

“That’s because he’s hurting too. You dumb, peanut.” Aoi returned with another glass. He was smirking as he went back to his seat beside his tipsy boyfriend.

“Don’t call me a peanut.” Ruki huffed and plopped his head on the table. The trio sat in silence and the blonde stylist mumbled under his breath. He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting. He didn’t have the energy to be angry at his friends.

“Hey, over here.” Aoi shouted and waved to someone who just entered the bar. Ruki didn’t lift his head nor turned to see who it was. He was just so tired.

“Hey guys. Nice to see you.” The voice sounded familiar to Ruki. It was high-pitched and sounded like the man was smiling. He lifted his head to find Nao standing next to their table. The purple-haired receptionist smiled at the blonde. The stylist sat up and reached for his fourth cup of wine. He quickly drank it down.

“Have a seat. Is there anything you want to drink?” Aoi pointed to the empty seat beside his blonde friend.

“Oh, I can get it, thank you.” Nao bowed.

“Oh no, it’s okay. It looks like I need to get Ruki another glass.”

“Just soda then. Thanks. I have to drive back.”

Aoi stood up and proceeded to fill everyone’s drink order. Nao hung his coat over the back of his chair and sat next to Ruki. The blonde kept his eyes on the table. He knew he should feel some form of anger. His friends invited him out to talk about his relationship. He wasn’t dumb. He’d be lying if he didn’t feel a little betrayed. It felt like they were sneaking behind his back to set all this up. But thanks to the wine, he only felt relaxed.

“Where’s Tora?” Uruha asked.

“Oh he’s….” Before Nao finished his thought, he turned to Ruki. His smile faltered and he cleared his throat. “He’s busy.” He averted his gaze from the stylist. Aoi returned with the drinks and went back to his seat.

“Okay. I see what’s going on.” Ruki’s voice was low, but it lacked any true anger.

“What?” Uruha slurred.

“You guys invited me out because you want me to get back with Akira. You don’t trust that I can handle my own decisions.”

“That’s not it Ruki.” Uruha tried to convene but Ruki kept talking. Apparently the wine not only relaxed him, it made his tongue a bit loose as well.

“You feel pity for your little friend that has never had any success in relationships. I can’t help it that everytime I get married it falls to shit. Things were too good to be true, and instead of questioning it I just let everything happen. I was delusional. It was my fault for thinking things would be different. To think I emailed them thinking they’d change too!”

Ruki blushed and quieted down after he realized he was ranting. He shrunk in his chair and pushed his glass away. In his mind he decided he had too much to drink. All three of them were staring at him. Nao shifted a bit uncomfortably, considering he just arrived and didn’t understand everything. Aoi and Uruha were wide-eyed at their friend.

“Ruki…”Uruha quietly spoke, “who did you email?”

The blonde stylist mumbled and covered his face with his palms. He could feel his friends gaze piercing through him. Even though he was hiding behind his hands, he could still sense it.

“Ruki, you can tell us. Who is ‘they?’” Aoi weighted in. His tone was caring and gentle. The way his friends were questioning him was almost like that of a parent. Ruki sighed, defeated.

“I emailed my parents.” Ruki placed his hands in fists on the table. His flushed face revealed to his friends. “I told them about the marriage.”

“And what did they say?” Uruha cautiously asked.

“I don’t know. They replied but I was too scared to read it alone.” Ruki shook his head. “I was hoping Akira would help me read it.”

The blonde felt his sorrow rising from the pit of his stomach. His eyes became glossy and threatened to leak tears. He sniffled a few times and shook as he tried to repress his emotions. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Nao looking at him, trying to comfort him. The mentions of his parents had his two coworkers chewing their lips and looking uneasy.

“So, you were serious with him?” Aoi asked. He put on a small smile, despite the news.

“I thought, maybe he could help me patch things up with them. Or at least help me decide if it was worth the effort.” The blonde stylist couldn’t hold it back anymore and allowed the tears to run down his cheeks. A few sobs escaped his lips as he wiped at his face with his sleeves. Nao’s hand squeezed Ruki’s shoulder.

“Did you ever tell him any of this?” Aoi leaned on the table. Ruki just shook his head and continued to cry quietly.

“Maybe you should sit down with him and talk about everything.” Uruha suggested. “Come clean about everything and decide if you want to continue or break it off. At least come to a mutual understanding.”

Ruki just laughed at himself. Of course Uruha would tell him the most sensible, pragmatic way to do things. Even though his friend was buzzed, he still made sense. Meanwhile, he’s been depressed and sulking for a lack of anything else to do.

“You know,” Nao spoke for the first time in a while. “I think Akira would like to talk things out too.”

He flashed a blinding smile at the short blonde. This man just looked like he was naturally cheerful. He helped pick Ruki’s mood up a little bit. He continued to cry, but now he felt better after letting everything out. He no longer bottled everything up.

They continued to talk and drink until they decided to head home. Ruki, who never drank before, needed help getting home. Nao offered everyone a ride home. Ruki sat in the passenger seat, his head limply rolling from one side to the next. And in the backseat, Uruha lovingly leaned against Aoi. The tall brunette was running his hands along his boyfriend’s thighs and snaking them under his shirt. Aoi blushed and tried to fend off this aroused lover.

Once they reached the complex, Aoi directed Nao to Ruki’s apartment while he excitedly dragged Uruha to their own. The purple-haired receptionist helped the short stylist into his room and on his bed. He made sure Ruki was on his side before he left.

Ruki thrashed around in his bed. He could not quiet his mind down enough to drift to sleep. Akira flooded his thoughts. He gritted his teeth and sat up. In a half-asleep and half-awake state, he found his former lover’s name in his contacts and typed a quick message to him. Once he sent it, he sighed and went to his bathroom to fetch some sleeping pills. He then returned to bed and eventually managed some sleep.

[1 Unread Message]

[Ruki]

I’m sorry about everything. Is there a chance we could talk about things?

Akira’s phone vibrated at the new message. Ruki’s text joined the other unread messages and unanswered calls in his queue. The discarded phone sat on a nightstand in the dark. It was untouched and a thin layer of dust was settling on the screen. The vet was not in sight.

Chapter Text

Ruki’s phone buzzed against the wood of his nightstand. He jolted awake and eagerly grabbed his cellular device. He frowned when he found the commotion was just the alarm he set himself. He grunted and rubbed his face. He felt a slight pain in his head from last night’s events. But he was relieved he didn’t drink enough to have a hangover. From what he’s seen from his friends, they were not fun.

He stretched and heard his joints crack. He looked around for Koron, before he realized the chihuahua stayed with Kai. He lazily slid out of bed and went to his bathroom. As he showered, he started to wonder if he actually texted Akira last night, or if it was just a dream. He stepped out of his tub and toweled himself dry.

Making his way to his bedroom, Ruki scrolled through his phone to find that he did send a text to Akira last night. He sighed at the lack of a response. He wasn’t sure what he expected. After he dumped Akira like he did, he shouldn’t expect the man to jump and reply at an instant. He was probably mad.

Ruki made himself a quick breakfast and locked his apartment door behind him. He went down the elevator and out the complex to walk to work. It snowed at night so he regretted not wearing boots. By the time he made it to Black Moral, his socks were wet inside his shoes. He would’ve asked Aoi to drive him, but his friend left his car at the salon last night.

The blonde arrived at the salon first, and was greeted by Kai and Koron. The chihuahua wagged his tail and barked at the excitement of seeing his owner again. Both men laughed at the dog.

“Aw, did you have fun with Uncle Kai?” Ruki patted the small dogs head.

“He has a fondness for chewing my old shoes.” Kai laughed.

“That’s cause he thinks you’re not stylish enough. You can’t run a salon and wear last year’s styles.” Ruki chuckled as he picked up Koron, receiving kisses from the excited dog.

“So how did last night go?” Kai asked as he began his morning routine of organizing the front desk.

“Good.” Ruki chewed his lip in thought. He had a feeling Kai had a hand in last night’s arrangement. “I realized some things. So now I have a lot to think about.”

He turned to find his blonde boss smiling at him. The dimple on the one side of his face remained prominent. Ever since Ruki started working at the salon, Kai had always been understanding. He remembers how eager he was to give Ruki Sundays off for dates. He released Koron. The chihuahua’s nails clicked against the floor as he ran off. He helped Kai finish opening up. Eventually Aoi and Uruha showed up. The brunette wore sunglasses and his hair looked a bit disheveled. Aoi was more cleaned-up; he probably woke up earlier than his boyfriend.

“Wow, long night you two?” Ruki teased. Aoi smirked and gave a thumbs up. Uruha ignored them and went upstairs to Kai’s apartment for some coffee. The salon was ready so Kai unlocked the door and excused himself to follow Uruha.

“So, did you get a hold of Akira?” Aoi asked the blonde.

“Yeah. He hasn’t texted me back yet.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll get back to you. He’s hurting too.” Aoi patted his shoulders.

The day continued on like any other day. Customers came and went. They all worked their jobs like a normal day. The only difference from any other day, was that Ruki checked his phone every hour. And each time, he would frown at the lack of a response from Akira.

A few more days passed like this. By now, it was a week and a half since their break up. Ruki made another attempt at contact and sent another text. This one also didn’t get a response. The blonde grew disheartened at the lack of a reply.

When they were closing up one night, Ruki brought up his situation to his friends. He knew they’d listen and give him their honest opinions. He wanted to clear the air with Akira, he just needed to get a hold of him.

“Maybe he lost his phone or changed numbers?” Aoi shrugged. He was leaning against the glass windows to the salon. Kai was standing behind the front desk, with Uruha leaning against it. Ruki stood at the front entrance facing everyone.

“If he had a new number, he would’ve given it to Nao. Besides, he told me he still hasn’t shown up at the clinic.” Uruha intervened. The fact that Nao was kept in the dark worried Ruki.

“What if something happened to him?” The blonde stylist fretted. His mind raced to every worst possible outcome.

“Why not go to his apartment and check?” Kai offered a sympathetic smile. He saw the worry on the blonde’s face.

“Maybe he just doesn’t want to see me.” Ruki shrank under their gazes. He had a sudden feeling of shyness and fear. After what he said to Akira, he was sure the man wouldn’t appreciate an impromptu visit.

“Nonsense. You’re his adorable peanut. He’s probably aching to see you.” Aoi tried to lighten the mood. Ruki blushed and glared at the nickname. No matter how many times he’d protest, that would just egg Aoi on to calling him names. The blonde hid his red face behind his hair.

“If you’re afraid to go alone, I’ll go with you.” Kai offered. Ruki felt a slight sense of relief. He was worried about visiting his ex-fiance’s apartment. He wanted to, but feared that the man would slam the door in his face or yell at him. He didn’t expect a warm welcome.

“You would do that?” The short stylist looked up at his boss and found him already walking around the desk towards him.

“Of course. Aoi and Uruha can take Koron. I’ll take you to Akira’s. I’ll drive, there’s too much snow out there to walk.” Kai stood next to Ruki, offering a dimpled smile to his friend and employee. “If you need anything, I’ll be right beside you.”

“Thanks.” Ruki nodded to everyone. He was happy to find himself with such supportive friends. Sure they were pushy at times, but they had his best interests at heart. He grabbed his jacket and buttoned it up. He went to Uruha and Aoi and gave Koron a kiss goodbye before handing him over to his friends. He followed Kai out the door to the side parking lot. Kai started his car up and let the heat run while he scraped the layers of snow off it.

Ruki sat inside, warming himself up while his boss cleaned the windows. He nervously bounced his leg up and down while he waited. He grew anxious at the thought of seeing Akira again. The part of him that was angry at what he did had cooled off. His friends helped him understand why the vet may have kept quiet about himself. Now he just wanted answers.

Kai clapped the snow off his gloves as he hopped into the driver’s seat. He smiled at his short passenger and put the car in drive. He pulled out onto the road in the direction Ruki told him. The radio was turned down low, but it offered enough noise to fill the silence between the two. The blonde stylist chewed his lips as he thought about what he’d say to Akira.

“Is that it there?” Kai broke Ruki from his thoughts as he pointed at an upcoming building.

“Yeah.” The stylist nodded.

The salon owner parked his car along the streets by a meter. He turned off the car and the pair proceeded to walk out into the cold, winter air. As Kai fed money into the meter, Ruki turned to look at the building. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized the window to Akira’s place. There was a light on inside and that filled him with both hope and anxiety.

“Alright. We have two hours. Whenever you’re ready.” Kai stood beside the short stylist. He patiently waited for Ruki to gather his nerves.

After a moment, Ruki held his breath and started towards the main doors. Once they were inside, he was robotic in his actions. He walked to where the elevator was and called for it. Once inside, he pressed the correct button for Akira’s floor. As the lift started it’s accent, Ruki closed his eyes and steadied his breath. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but he was hopeful that they could work things out.

He reflected on the fight they had outside his apartment. He realized he overreacted. He was sorry for the way he treated Akira. It scared him how easily he decided to cast Akira aside because he was angry with him. Of course the vet didn’t tell him about his divorce, it was probably just as touchy of a subject as his own previous relationship.

The ding of the elevator freed Ruki from his thoughts. The doors slid open and revealed the bare hallway. Ruki cautiously stepped out of the lift. He felt Kai close behind him. He turned to see the man giving him a reassuring smile.

“No need to push yourself. Take your time.” Kai flashed his dimple at him. He was patient with the shorter man.

Ruki nodded and took a few moments to steady his breathing and stop his hands from shaking. He was nervous, no use hiding it from his boss. He ran through every possible outcome he could think of in his head. He imagined Akira happily hugging him and accepting him back. He also envisioned the opposite, Akira slamming the door in his face never wanting to see the stylist again. Either outcome was possible in Ruki’s mind.

On instinct, his feet began to move down the hallway. He stopped outside the door to Akira’s apartment. He saw the faint light shining under the crack of the door. He sighed and raised his hand to knock. It hung in the air while he swallowed the lump in his throat.

We’re really doing this.

Ruki tapped his knuckles off the wooden door. He made sure to knock loud enough to be heard. Kai protectively stepped closer behind the blonde. Both readied themselves for whatever was to come. The faint sounds of footsteps could be heard from inside the apartment, as well as the chirps of Oscar and Keiji. The knob of the door turned and began to open. Ruki reflexively closed his eyes. His breathe shook in fear and anticipation.

When he opened his eyes, his heart dropped. Tora was standing in the doorway to Akira’s apartment. Ruki felt Kai step closer behind him and place a hand on his shoulders. The salon owner probably assumed the tattooed man in the doorway was a new lover of the vets. Having another man answer your door is suspicious. But Ruki recognized the man and didn’t fret.

“Ruki?” Tora asked in disbelief. A small smile graced his lips.

“Hey, Tora. Um, didn’t expect you. Is Akira home?” The stylist tried his best not to shrink under the black-haired man’s gaze. Despite already meeting before, Tora still had an intimidating presence.

“No, sorry. He’s not here.” Tora frowned slightly. He shuffled on his feet awkwardly.

“Oh.” Ruki’s face fell. Out of everything he was anticipating, he surely didn’t expect Tora to answer. Worse was the fact he couldn’t see his ex-fiance. “Okay then. Sorry to bother you.”

The blonde began to turn away in defeat. He broke free from Kai’s grip on his shoulder. His feet started to trudge along the floor. Kai looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t know the stranger, so he didn’t understand the situation fully.

“Hey wait.” Tora called to the shorter man. “It’s late. Would you like to come in for a bit? Warm yourselves up after coming all this way?”

“Thank you.” Kai smiled at the man and turned towards Ruki. The stylist looked between the two men and lamented. He nodded and made his way into the apartment.

The two blondes removed their jackets and shoes at the entrance. Tora offered to hang them up and make some tea or coffee. Kai followed the man to the living room while Ruki stalled. He stood in place and looked around the room. Everything was just like he remembered. He felt odd standing here without Akira. Oscar started to chirp when she saw him, so Ruki walked over to greet the two cockatiels.

“So you remember me?” He cooed at the birds while they hopped around in the cage. Oscar looked the blonde dead in the eyes and began moaning. She impersonated Ruki’s pitch with deadly accuracy as always.

“Hey now, you don’t have to remember that.” Ruki huffed and blushed at the birds. He heard the two men stifle their laughter at the stylist’s embarrassment.

“So you came here to see Akira?” Tora called to Ruki. He was sitting on the one end of the couch and Kai was on the other.

“Yes.” The salon owner nodded. “I’m not sure if we’ve met. I’m Kai, Ruki’s boss.”

“Tora. Have you met Nao? I’m his better half.” The tattooed man smirked and held up his hand to show off his wedding ring.

“Nice to meet you.” Kai bowed his head. “So what are you doing here?”

“I’m watching Akira’s place until he gets back.” Tora’s words sent a shiver through Ruki. He was still standing by the birdcage. His mind raced with questions, but he didn’t have enough cognitive skills to from them into sentences, especially since he was to blame for the vet’s absence. He was glad Kai was there to take the lead.

“Where is he?” Kai asked.

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. He just told me….” Tora glanced at Ruki. He hesitated before he continued, seeing how the stylist looked worried. “He just told me that you guys broke up and he wanted to get away for a bit.”

The tension in the air caused a silence to fall over them. Ruki felt emmensed waves of guilt crash into him. Akira disappeared and it was his fault. The blonde chewed the inside of his cheeks, thinking about how upset the vet must be to vanish.

“Has he called you at all?” The blonde finally spoke.

“No. I’ve sent him a few texts but I found his phone on his nightstand in the bedroom.” Tora pointed behind him to the wall separating the bedroom from the living room.

“So he hasn’t read any of my messages.” Ruki stated rather than asked. His voice was low and almost sounded broken. An awkward silence fell between them all again. Tora decide to clear his throat and ask his own questions.

“So, you found out about him and Mao?”

“Yeah. He never told me he was divorced.” Ruki walked closer to the pair on the couch. His voice was almost a whisper.

“Well, how do you tell someone that you cheated on your previous husband? He was a different person then. I know he’s changed.” Tora leaned forward to look Ruki directly in the eyes. “I can assure you, he would never do the same to you. He had his reasons.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” Kai jumped in. His voice sounded a little accusative.

“We’ve been friends for ages. I remember when he use to call himself Reita. I knew them when they started dating. I was the best man at their wedding. They just didn’t clicked and differed on practically everything.” Tora crossed his arms and sighed as he reminisced. “Before Akira left, he told me you met Aki, right?”

Ruki nodded. He remembered the shoulder-length black hair and the way that man smiled when he saw Akira. “He said I reminded him of Mao. Then he called Akira a player.”

“Don’t let that get to you. He’s just jealous cause he’s the only one who’s still partying out of all of us. The rest of us have mellowed out and chose to settle down.” Tora shrugged.

Ruki appreciated the man’s efforts to cheer him up. But despite everything, the fact of the matter was that Akira was gone and the stylist caused this entire problem. He sighed. “Thanks. But I feel like Akira should be telling me this instead.”

“You’re right. You shouldn’t have to hear this from my mouth.” The tattooed man nodded.

“But we don’t know where he is.” Kai pointed out.

Tora hummed and played with his lip piercing. He was in thought while Ruki fidgeted with one of the rings on his fingers. He looked down at his ring finger, finding it empty. The engagement ring that Akira bought him was sitting at home on his dresser. He had originally planned to return it to him with the two boxes left at his apartment. Now, he wasn’t so sure that’s what he wanted.

Tora stood up without a word and strolled away from the couch and back towards Akira’s bedroom. Kai and Ruki looked at each other with confusion. Their blonde brows were furrowed until the tattooed man returned with a familiar cell phone in his hand. He plopped back onto the couch and fiddled with the phone.

“I may not know where he is. But I’m sure I know someone who would.” Tora spoke as he unlocked the phone and smiled triumphantly. “Ah-ha. Still never changed his lockscreen code.”

“What are you doing?” The salon owner questioned.

“I’m looking for his sister’s phone number. She’s bound to know where he is.” Tora spoke as his fingers worked the screen. He found Ayane’s contact information and repeated it to Ruki. The blonde obediently copied the information into his phone. He then sent her a text.

[Ruki]

Hey Ayane, It’s Ruki.

The stylist decided to start with a simple text. He didn’t want to question here right off the bat. Almost instantly his phone buzzed. The other two sets of eyes were on him as he read the reply.

[Ayane]

OMG! Ruki?! How did you get my number? Are you okay? Do you need anything?

Even through text, Ruki could hear the woman’s enthusiasm. He was relieved she wasn’t mad at him. She seemed close to Akira, so he assumed she knew what happened between him and her brother.

[Ruki]

Tora gave me your number. I was hoping you knew where Akira was.

The stylist bit his lip. His stomach filled with butterflies as he awaited a response. He anxiously walked all this way to talk to Akira. But now it just seemed like he was playing a game of hide-and-seek. He hoped he could find the vet and talk to him.

Unexpectedly, his phone began to ring. It made him jump and drop the device onto the floor. His friends stared at him. Tora smirked and Kai giggled loudly. The stylist was fumbling with his cell as he looked to see who the call was from. It was Ayane. The blonde paused before he decided to answer it.

“Hello?”

“RUKI!” Ayane’s voice was loud, the blonde switched to speaker phone so he wouldn’t go deaf.

“Um, hi Ayane. It’s been awhile.” Ruki smiled and spoke politely

“Yeah! I’m sorry to hear about what happened. You doing okay?” Her voice was so sympathetic she generally sounded concern for Ruki. Even though he was at fault for the disappearance of her brother, she worried about him. He sighed.

“Thanks. I was actually looking to talk to him.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. The stylist worried that he may have struck a nerve of hers her something. Especially since this is the first time he heard her so quiet.

“Where are you?” Her voice was lower now, almost like she was whispering.

“At Akira’s apartment. Tora is here and he let us in.”

“Us?” Ayane questioned.

“Oh my boss drove me over here.”

“Kai is with you?”

Ruki looked up at his employer in surprise. The woman knew who he was. He saw Kai shyly smile making his dimple appear. His face reddened at the mentions of his name.

“You know Kai?” Ruki never remembered introducing them let alone seeing them talk.

“Yeah, he was at your surprise party awhile back. I talked to him after you guys left. Can you tell him I say ‘Hi?’” The stylist smirked.

“You’re on speaker phone so I don’t need to.”

“Hey Ayane.” Kai answered her courteously. The blonde stylist couldn’t help but smile. But he had to get back on topic.

“But yeah. We’re at Akira’s but he ain’t here. We were hoping you knew.”

Once again there was silence on the other end. Ruki worried that their connection was lost or his phone went dead. But his panic subsided when she spoke again, though it was in a hushed tone.

“Yeah. I know where he his, Ruki. He’s not doing well.”

“What do you mean?” Ruki fretted.

“He’s really heartbroken. I haven’t seen him this upset since his divorce. In fact, I’d say he’s worse this time.”

“Ayane, where is he? I need to talk to him.”

“He’s here. He’s with me and Mom.” Ayane’s voice no longer sounded chipper or enthusiastic. She sounded sad and concerned.

Ruki closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He knew where to find his ex-fiance and that eased his nerves. However, the fact that Akira was hurting so much made the guilt cling to him. He looked at Kai. The blonde salon owner tried to reassure him by smiling and nodding.

“Can we come over?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell Mom. She’ll be happy to hear this.”

“Thanks. Don’t tell Akira. I don’t want him to run off again.”

“My lips are sealed. We’ll be waiting up for you.” Ayane wished him luck and hung up.

Kai and Tora stood up and walked over to the door. The tattooed man grabbed their jackets for them while they put on their shoes. The anxiousness was back, and Ruki had trouble focusing on lacing his shoes. Kai noticed this and placed his hand on the shorter man’s shoulder.

“Just breathe. Don’t worry about what you’ll say or how it’ll go. You’ll figure that out in the moment.”

“The last time I did that I broke up with him.” Ruki huffed.

“Listen, I’m driving. If you fight, I’m gonna force you to turn around and talk again. We won’t be leaving until you’re both happy.” Kai smiled while he scolded him. Ruki laughed at how threatening he could be in words, but not appearance.

“Alright. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

They thanked Tora and buttoned up their jackets. They swiftly exited the apartment and briskly paced down the hallway. Ruki hit the button for the first floor. As they waited for the elevator, Ruki turned and smirked at his boss.

“So you and Ayane, huh?”

“We talked one time.” Kai scratched at the back of his neck and blushed ever so slightly.

“Still, she remembered you.” The shorter man teased.

“Oh shut up. We have more important things right now.” The taller man lightly slapped at Ruki’s shoulder. The elevator dinged at it’s arrival. They entered the lift, ending their current topic of conversation. The rode down to the first floor where they almost sprinted outside to Kai’s car.

They quickly dusted off the snow and hopped in. Kai started it up and drove in the direction of the Suzuki family home. Ruki chewed at his manicured nails and nervously tapped his foot off the floor. He tried to follow what Kai said earlier, but his mind would not rest. He worried about Akira.

He realized now that he wanted to get back together. All the time they laughed and spent together meant the world to him. Right now he didn’t care about Akira’s past, his divorce or his infidelity. He just wanted to see the man he grew to love. Ayane told them that he was really hurting and that this was the worse he’d been. No matter what the guilt wouldn’t leave. He hoped they could patch things up. Otherwise, he would never forgive himself.

Chapter Text

The windshield wipers waved back and forth. The snow was starting to fall faster; bigger flakes started to lay on the ground. Kai kept the speed of the car at a reasonable pace, he didn’t want to go too fast and hit a patch of ice. The radio was on low, commercials and advertisements replaced the music from earlier. The short, blonde stylist in the passenger seat chewed his bottom lip with his teeth. He watched the snowfall outside as he went over his script in his head.

Ruki tried to think of every possible outcome for his meeting with Akira. He tried to plan out everything he would say and how he should act. This caused his mind to wander off onto multiple tangents that he didn’t realize Kai was already driving down the street to the familiar house.

“Is it the one on the right there?” Kai’s question knocked Ruki out of his own mind and back into the present. The stylist mumbled an affirmative to his boss as they slowly pulled into the driveway. Ruki’s eyes rested on a motorcycle parked near the house. The familiar vehicle started to make his stomach flutter with nervousness.

“He’s really here.” Ruki mumbled as he looked out the window. The pair exited the car and walked up the sidewalk in the dark of night. Ruki remembered the first time he came here. Akira was so worried for his mother’s health. It was endearing. Now here he was, worried about the vet.

They reached the door and Kai opted to knock. He knew Ruki was lost in his own mind. As they waited, Kai protectively watched over his employee. Ruki was anxious, he just wanted to see Akira right now. So when the door finally opened, he jumped.

“Hiya!” Ayane greeted them. “Please come in.”

The pair bowed and entered the Suzuki homestead. Ayane helped them out of their jackets and they slid off their shoes. She guided them to the living room. Kai looked all around at the new surroundings. Ruki kept his focus forward since he’s been here countless times.

“Mom, Ruki’s here.” Ayane called towards the kitchen.

Kai and Ruki made themselves comfortable on the couch. Ayane joined them and they waited for the family matriarch. The mature woman entered the living room. She was smiling at her guests while she cradled a small cup of coffee in her hands. She was already dressed in her bathrobe and pajama bottoms; it was late at night. She crossed her legs as she sat down on a chair.

“It’s nice to see you again, dear.” She spoke towards the shorter man. Ruki weakly smiled and nodded at the woman.

“And who is this?” The vet’s mother was looking at Kai. She directed the question to Ruki, but Ayane jumped in to answer.

“This is Kai. He’s Ruki’s boss.”

“Oh, you own the salon?” Ms. Suzuki had a intrigued smile.

“Yes ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You too. It’s nice to put a face to a name.” As the older woman said that, her daughter blushed and shifted in her seat. The salon owner politely smiled and bowed. Meanwhile, Ruki was ready to leap off the couch. His leg bounced nervously as his hands were folded in his lap. He ran around the city in hopes of finding Akira. His patience for the night was running thin.

“Um, excuse me, I don’t want to interrupt.” The blonde stylist’s voice drew everyone’s attention. “But I was hoping to speak to Akira. That is if he’s here.”

Ruki’s blushed under the gaze of Ms. Suzuki. The mature woman took a sip of her coffee and chuckled in her throat. Her eyes wrinkled at the corners as she flashed an endearing smile at him.

“Dear, I was expecting you to say that since you’ve walked through the door.” She placed her cup down on the table beside her and leaned forward.

“So he’s here?”

“Has been for a few days, yes.” The older woman nodded.

“Can I speak with him?”

“I’m not stopping you.” She chuckled and stood up. “Let me show you to his room. He might be asleep.”

“Thank you.” Ruki sighed in relief. His search for the vet ended here. Now he’ll finally get to speak with him.

Ruki followed Akira’s mother through the kitchen and up a set of stairs. Despite all his visits, he’s never been to the second floor. He examined the family photos hanging along the stairwell. He fondly smiled when he saw a picture of a young boy in a soccer uniform. His wide grin revealed some missing baby teeth and his knees were scrapped and dirtied.

“He was six in that picture.” The stylist turned and saw the woman looking down at him from on top the steps. She wore the same motherly smile she did the first time he met her. He didn’t realize he stopped. He mumbled an apology and hurried up.

Standing in the second floor hallway, the walls were decorated with even more family photos. These ones were mostly class pictures or school activities. He saw several of a younger Akira, his brunette hair unstyled and parted to the side, not dyed any color. He looked adorable.

The blonde followed Ms. Suzuki down the hallway until they were standing outside one of the white painted doors. She didn’t knock or call out a name. She turned towards Ruki and whispered.

“This is Akira’s room. I’ll let you talk in private. If you need anything we’ll be downstairs.”

“Thank you.” He whispered back. Before she walked away, she brought Ruki into a hug. The sudden affection stunned the shorter man.

“Whatever you two decide to do,” she whispered into his ear. “You are always welcomed here regardless.”

With that, Ruki weakly brought his arms up to return the hug. He fought back the joyous tears and allowed himself to feel the warmth of the older woman. She treated him with affections, like he was always family. He was relieved that his relationship with her had remained undamaged by the recent events.

She released him and proceeded towards the stairs. He was standing alone, outside Akira’s door. He steadied his heart and listened to the silence surrounding him. He tried to listen for any sounds coming from the other side of the door, but heard nothing. It was unsettling.

He swallowed and brought his hand up to hover over the wooden door. After a brief moment, he mustered his courage and brought it down to knock. His hand hammered three times. He shuffled on his feet, anxious to see the vet. Every second he waited for a response felt like hours. He contemplating knocking again.

But the door clicked and swung open. Ruki jumped at the motion and stared wide-eyed at its occupant. A man with tangled dark blue hair stood in front of him. He wore a wrinkled, white tank top and grey sweats. His muscular arms were exposed and Ruki traced the veins that ran along them. The man’s eyes were wide in surprise, even though they were red and had dark circles under them. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Ruki?” His voice was hoarse and cracked.

“Hey Akira. Can we talk?” The blonde spoke with hesitance, trying to gauge the other’s emotional state. They stood in the doorway, staring at each other in disbelief.

“AKIRA!”

The call to his name made Akira open his eyes after another restless sleep. He brought his hand up to his face and found fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. He wiped at the dampness and rolled onto his side with a groan.

Crying again.

He wasn’t surprised. It seems that’s all he’s been doing for the past week and a half. His body ached for sleep, but he couldn’t manage to get any. Every time he closed his eyes, Ruki would appear. All his fond memories would turn bittersweet as they always ended in the fight. The anger and hurt look on Ruki’s face the day of the breakup was permanently engraved in his memories.

“Akira!”

This time the voice was closer. He knew it was his sister. He lifted his head to look at the clock on the nightstand. It was seven in the evening. He grumbled at the realization of time. He knew he should get out of bed, but was too exhausted. He allowed his limbs to relax into his childhood bed.

He opened his eyes again to examine the room. He was at his mother’s house. In fact, he was sleeping in his room. Well, it was his room when he was younger. It still had some resemblance to it. There were a few posters on the wall to bands he listens to. And the dresser and bed were the same. But the room had been cleaned up and repainted. It had less personality and looked more like a guest room than a teenage boy’s.

The blinds and curtains were drawn shut, preventing any sunlight from making its way in today. He wallowed in the dark by himself. The best relationship he ever had, and he ruined it by being secretive. He knew he should’ve told Ruki about Mao sooner. But he always shied away from it. He remember’s Kai’s lecture to him, and it echoed through his skull ever since. He warned him, and he failed to listen.

Loud footsteps echoed up the stairs. He heard them grow louder with each moment, getting closer. They stopped outside the door. A tender knock against his door signalled that someone was outside. He knew it was probably Ayane with his lunch. For the past week, she opted to deliver a plate to his room every day, since he rarely left.

His joints cracked as he rolled to sit up. He stretch, cracking his joints even further. He looked down at his body. His bare skin had a thin sheet of sweat sticking uncomfortably to it. His last shower was a few days ago, much to his dismay. He knew he stunk and should wash up, but he found little energy to do anything. He dropped his feet off the bed and stood before a full body mirror. His hair was tangled and matted as he attempted to run his fingers through it. He winced as he pulled some knots and quickly withdrew his hand.

“Akira. I have your lunch.” Ayane spoke through the door. Her voice was dripping with concern.

He quickly scoured the floor for his sweatpants. He was only wearing his boxer shorts, and wanted to spare Ayane from the sight of her brother in his underwear. He found his discarded grey sweats in the corner of the room and slid them on. In doing so, he saw a fading love bite on the side of his chest. He winced at the memory of him and Ruki. All that was gone now. He hastily pulled on a white tank top to hide the bruise. He trudged to the door and opened it before his sister decide to break it down.

“Mom made you lunch!” His younger sister smiled and pushed the plate of food towards him. The vet grabbed a hold of the plate and nodded.

“You know,” Ayane started to talk again, hesitance evident in her voice this time. “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to step out of the room some time. Me and Mom will be waiting downstairs if you want to talk about anything. Doesn’t matter what.”

Akira turned to look at his sister. He allowed a small smile to form and mumbled a thanks to her. She closed the door behind her, leaving him alone in the room once again. He sat down and ate his lunch. He was grateful his family didn’t force him out of the room. They even hand delivered his meals. Once he finished his meal he set the empty plate beside him and contemplated his sister’s offer.

Maybe I should talk to them. All they knew was that they broke up, he never told them the details or who was at fault. The day he was moving in with Ruki, and the blonde ended it, he hopped on his bike and made a path for his mother’s. He didn’t want to return to his apartment, not with all the memories of him and Ruki spending the night there.

Once he pulled into the driveway, his mother opened the door, surprised by the visit of her son. He sobbed on her shoulder until he was too tired to stand anymore. She offered him his old room until he felt better. He called Tora with his sister’s phone and asked him to watch over Keiji and Oscar. He hated to abandon his birds, but he wasn’t in a proper state of mind care for them. He also called in a sick leave for the clinic, a substitute would stand in for him. Since then, the vet had repeated the same cycle for over a week; eat, cry, and try to sleep. He grew sick of his pathetic self and decided to leave the room and talk to someone.

He stood up and brought the dirtied plate with him down to the kitchen. When he entered, he found Ayane talking on her phone. When she saw him enter, she grew silent. She faltered in her smile and proceeded out of the room. It was odd to see her act like that. Normally, she’d continue talking despite the presence in the room. Akira decided not to dwell on it and find his mother.

She was sitting on the couch in the living room. Once she noticed her son in the doorway, she closed her book. She smiled and scooted down, patting the cushion beside her. Akira walked in and joined her, allowing his head to rest on her shoulder. She brought her hand up and patted the lump of tangles that was his hair.

“How you feeling?” She spoke in a hushed tone.

“Terrible.” Akira mumbled and choked back his sobs.

“Like the last time?”

He knew what she was referring to. He remembers being in this position before; having his mother comfort him through a breakup. He sighed and allowed a tear to fall from the corner of his eyes.

“Worse actually.”

“Have you tried talking to him?”

“He wouldn’t want to see me.”

“How are you sure of that?”

“Because I lied to him. He’ll never want to hear from me again.” He began to sob. “Mom, I ruin everything.”

“No you didn’t.” Ms. Suzuki brought her arms around her shaking son. He cried into her shoulder and she cooed soothing words into his ears.

“You give yourself too little credit. You meant so much to him.”

“Then why did he end things. Why did he just drop me like that?”

“He was angry. We all do stupid things when we’re upset. He hasn’t forgotten you, I’m sure.”

Akira continued to cry into his mother’s shoulder as she rocked him back and forth. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until the vet could quiet down his wails. Once he stopped shaking, his mother began again.

“You know what might help you feel better, a warm shower.” Akira realized he hadn’t showered in quite a few days, but he wouldn’t put it past his mother to bring it up.

“Are you trying to say I stink.” He smiled as he moved his face free.

“Come on dear, I’m not that tactless.” They both giggled as Akira wiped at his eyes. He hugged his mom and stood from the couch. Ayane entered the room and smiled at him as he walked past her. She turned to her mother and smiled even wider at the news she just recieved.

Akira waited for the water to warm up before hoping in. His clothes laid scattered on the floor as he let the warm water soothe his tired limbs. He gargled the water and allowed it to wash the sweat and oil from his face. It felt nice to be clean again. He brought his hands up to wash his hair, but was too tired to mess with the unruly locks. Instead he just lathered off the stink from his body. He’ll wash his hair later.

After spending an eternity in the shower, he stepped out to be greeted by the chilled air. Steam filled the room, fogging up the mirror and windows. He dried himself with a towel and tossed it to the side. He wiped at the mirror with his hand and looked at his blurry reflection. His eyes were still puffy but overall, he did look better.

He put on his sweatpants and tank top from earlier and returned to his room. He plopped down on the bed and surrounded himself with the softness of the comforter. He was alone with his thoughts again. And just like every day since, they turned towards Ruki.

He would remember Ruki’s laugh and smile. He was truly smitten with the stylist. He fell for him hard, so the break up was tough. He thought back on all the times he should’ve come clean to the blonde. Of course he didn’t want to mention it, but Ruki told him about his past relationship and the trouble he had. He was being selfish in hiding his own.

The tears started to flow again, at the thought of not seeing the man again. If he could go back, he would tell him about his divorce. He regretted it, he knew he messed up his first marriage. But in the end, he was able to meet Ruki. A man who made Akira feel happier than he’d been in years.

Now he was lying alone, in a dark room. The tears fell down his cheeks onto the pillow. If he saw Ruki again, he’d tell him how sorry he was. He’d tell him everything he’s been hiding. No secrets, only honesty.

He was plotting out his speech to Ruki when he heard a knock at his door. He sat up. It was a bit late for Ayane to be bothering him, but she probably had something to say. He rolled off the bed headed towards the door. He still plotted out his imaginary script for Ruki when he turned the knob. Pulling the door open, his eyes adjusted to the form standing in front of him.

The short, blonde stylist stood in the doorway. His hair had a slight wave to it as it covered the tips of his ears. His eyes were done up in dark makeup and his lips painted a pale red. His sweater fell past his waist, as his tight pants outlined his legs. He was the depiction of beauty, though he looked tired in his body language.

“Ruki?” Akira couldn’t help but let his surprise escape. His voice cracked, since he hasn’t spoken all that much.

“Hey Akira. Can we talk?” Ruki’s voice sounded blissful to him.

“Um, yeah sure.” He stepped to the side to let the blonde enter.

Watching the stylist move inside the room, Akira’s mind blanked. He couldn’t remember any of the speech he had planned. He swallowed and closed the door. He hoped his brain could act on autopilot as he tried to compose himself.

Chapter Text

Ruki awkwardly sat on the edge of Akira’s bed. He had his hands folded between his knees and his eyes were downcast under his bangs. He finally found Akira, his heart was racing with excitement after seeing him again. However, he didn’t know how to get past the awkwardness of their situation. His mind drew blanks on what to say, even though he plotted out this scenario for hours in his mind.

He looked up and found Akira, shifting back and forth on his feet beside the bed. He also looked uncomfortable. Ruki was wondering if it was a mistake to come here. He was unsure whether Akira was willing to take him back. His insecurities bubbled up inside of him again.

The vet watched the body language of the shorter man. He saw how they both were uneasy. In a way, that made him feel better. He wasn’t alone in his feelings. He cautiously strolled forward and stood closer to the blonde. He swallowed his cowardice and decided to start their conversation.

“Ruki.” He called for the stylist's attention. Ruki looked at him and their eyes met.

“Listen, I’m sorry I lied to you. I should’ve told you sooner, I know that. But I was a coward.”

“No!” The blonde blushed when he realized he raised his voice. He coughed and continued, with a quieter tone. “I’m sorry. I overreacted. I let my anger get the best of me, and I took it all out on you.”

“Wait, no! You told me about your ex. It was only fair for me to tell you.”

“But I only told you about Reila after you met her. I didn’t open up before that.”

“Yeah. But you still chose to open up. I still have yet to tell you about Mao!”

“But you didn’t force me to tell you about Reila, I was forcing you to tell me about Mao.”

Their voices grew in volume with each retort. They stopped and stared at each other. Their eyes were locked in an almost heated glare. It broke once Ruki smiled and chuckled to himself.

“Wait a minute. Are we just defending each other and putting ourselves down?”

“Yeah.” Akira joined in with the laughter. He shook his head in disbelief. “We’re kind of bad at this whole making up thing, aren’t we?”

They both continued to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. What they thought would end up being a serious chat, they both just broke down and argued how the other was right and they themselves were wrong. Akira moved forward and sat on the bed next to Ruki. The blonde slightly flinched, but quickly relaxed.

“So, I have time now...if you want to talk about...Mao.” The blonde hesitated in saying the other man’s name, even though they never met.

“Uh…” The vet scratched at the back of his hand. “Okay. Where to start?” He mumbled to himself. Ruki patiently waited for Akira to continue. They fell in silence as the vet tried to collect his thoughts. He didn’t want to push the man, so he silently placed a hand on his thigh in comfort. He felt Akira let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

“Well, you heard what Aki said. Mao was short and cute like you. But not as cute as you.” Akira playfully smirked at the blonde.

“Flattery.” The stylist chuckled.

“We were all friends in college. There was me, Aki, Yuuya, and Tora. I met Mao the same time Tora met Nao. It was at some party or something. Nothing too memorable.” Akira’s leg shook up and down nervously, while he recollected his younger days.

“We were all partiers. Always drinking and all that. We were young and stupid. Just trying to enjoy each day to its fullest.” Ruki rubbed his thigh, urging him to continue.

“Then the day came when Tora announced he was getting married to Nao. It was kind of shocking. None of use ever considered marriage or anything about our future. I was only focused on my veterinary degree. But the idea of connecting with someone so much, that you want to spend forever with them, well it was appealing.” The vet brought his hand up to rest on top of Ruki’s.

“As I helped Tora prepare for his wedding and everything, I saw how mature it made him. In hindsight, it was pretty rushed and impulsive since we were still in college with no actual jobs or degrees yet. But he looked so happy, I thought maybe I could have that too.”

“So, after about six months of properly dating Mao, I proposed. I went through meeting his family and took him to meet mine. It was pretty chaotic. Our families asked so many questions about our future; questions I didn’t really know how to answer.” Akira shrugged. He looked worn out just talking about it.

“I just knew I wanted to finish my degree and marry Mao. So that’s what I told everyone. But that wasn’t enough. I needed to buy a house and get a job before we tied the knot. So once I graduated, I worked a mobile veterinary practice since I couldn’t afford my own clinic yet. Mao worked at an accounting firm. Within a year, we made enough money to get married and eventually buy a little house.”

“You really tried hard for him.” Ruki commented. Though he meant for that to stay in his mind, it just kind of slipped out.

“Yeah, too bad it didn’t work out. Within the first three months, we were fighting about...well, everything.” A bitter expression appeared on his face.

“I wasn’t home much. When I wasn’t working, I was busy hanging out with Aki and Yuuya. Sometimes Tora would join up. But Mao wanted me home, so we could act like a ‘real’ married couple. I think he was more serious about it than I was. I didn’t really understand what he meant by ‘real.’ Right before we hit our one-year, his mother was over talking about kids.”

Ruki felt the vet tense at the word. He removed his hand from his legs and rubbed his fingers lightly against the veins of Akira’s muscular arms. They talked in the past about his fear of having kids, so he knew how the pressure must have gotten to him.

“Mao was all excited by the idea, he didn’t know why I was so apprehensive. His family wanted grandchildren. Even my mother tried to convince us. But I flipped out on her. I said some nasty things that still haunt me. She forgives me, but still. The pressure got to me. So I started to spend less and less time at home. That way I didn’t have to hear about it.” His shoulders sagged and he plopped to lay down on the bed. Ruki scooted along the mattress to sit beside his shoulders. He twirled a lock of his dark blue hair in his fingers.

“I went with Aki to any bar we could find. I drank like there was no tomorrow. Then I started flirting with...well...with strangers. I was so wasted I started sleeping around. I was ashamed at first, so I kept drinking to forget the guilt. Mao didn’t know though. Not until he saw the pictures on my phone one day. There were even videos. Drunk me was pretty stupid.” Akira let out a small, defeated laugh.

“So he divorced you once he found out?” Ruki asked, even though he already knew the answer. He just wanted to let Akira know he was listening.

“Almost immediately. He ended up with the house so I had to rent that small excuse-for-an apartment I’m at now. I worked non-stop to forget about it. Plus side, I made more money and eventually found a place to start my own clinic since I could afford it. Tora was the only person who talked to me still. He brought Nao along to be my receptionist and helped me patch things up with Mom. She forgave me and helped me through the pain, despite everything.”

“Nice lady.” Ruki commented as he continued to swirl the lock in his fingers.

“Yeah. She bought me a cockatiel for company. Told me to talk to him instead of myself. Wouldn’t make me look as insane.” He laughed at his mother’s words.

“And that’s how it all went. I mellowed out and focused on my work.” Akira sighed, finally getting that off his chest. “That is, until a cute little hairdresser walked in with his dog and turned my world upside down.”

“Oh shut up. I’m not little.” Ruki giggled and slapped the vet’s cheek. “So, ‘Reita,’ that was your nickname back then?”

“Yeah. I have no idea why, but I use to be real insistent on using it. But after the Mao incident, it just didn’t feel right.”

“That’s fine. I like ‘Akira’ anyways.” Ruki hummed.

“And I like ‘peanut’ for you best!” He laughed as the stylist hit him again.

They continued to laugh at Akira’s terrible attempt at a joke. The vet felt a sense of relief telling Ruki. He trusted the blonde, and he couldn’t believe he kept it to himself for so long. It was easier than he expected. The stylist was smiling at him, he wasn’t angry and didn’t push him away. Another silence fell upon them. Ruki continued to mess with the vet’s tangled hair.

“So, now what?” Akira asked the stylist, unsure how to continue.

“I don’t know.” He sighed.

Akira turned to look at the blonde’s slender fingers work out the knots in his hair. The manicured nails worked effortlessly at untangling the mess. His heart dropped at the sight of his empty ring finger.

“You got rid of the ring?”

“No. It’s sitting at home on my dresser. I wasn’t sure how tonight would work out, so I played it safe.”

“You thought we would end for good?” Worry furrowed the vet’s brow.

“After the way I yelled at you, I expected you to slam the door in my face.”

“I would never do that, you have such a pretty face.”  The vet propped himself up on his elbows and smirked at the blonde. He saw the blush spread along his cheeks at the compliment.

“You are so embarrassing tonight.” He giggled. Akira sighed and supported his weight on his elbows, leaning up to be face level with Ruki.

“I missed you.” He moved his lips closer to Ruki’s but he left an inch between them.

“I missed you too.” With that confession, Akira closed the gap between them and slid his lips over the blonde’s.

The kiss started off as light and innocent. But Akira pushed closer and brought his hand to wrap around the shorter man’s waist. Their lips started to part, allowing each other’s tongues through. Both of them closed their eyes an allowed themselves to get swept away in their emotions. It was comforting, for a week and a half, the couple were deprived of even the slightest of touches from each other.

Ruki glided his hands up Akira’s chest and wrapped them around his neck. He moaned into the kiss and pulled the taller man on top of him. Akira planted one hand on the bed beside Ruki, the other still grasped at the stylist’s hips. Eventually, the vet broke their liplock and gasped for air. His cheeks were flushed as he looked down at the stylist.

“So,” he inhaled loudly. “How do we continue this? Do you just pick up where we left off, or should we start over?”

He felt ashamed asking. But he wanted to hear an answer. The way they made up went better than he expected. He readied himself for another fight, but it never came. Instead, the time apart allowed them to clear their heads and focus on what was important to each of them in the relationship. And for Akira, Ruki was important.

“I think, we can just pick up where we left off. I still have the ring, and some boxes of your’s at my apartment. I think there are clothes and junk like that.”

“So that’s where that got to. I’ve been looking for my junk everywhere.” Akira teased Ruki as he bent forward to place a loving kiss to the blonde’s exposed neck.

“Why would you do that when your junk is right here?” Ruki shamelessly pointed his fingers between Akira’s legs. He grinned, and blushed slightly at his own perverted joke.

Akira busted out in laughter. “I can’t believe you of all people made a joke like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never knew you to make such tasteless jokes. You’re secretly a pervert?” Akira pressed another kiss to his lover’s pouting lips before trailing more along the blonde’s jawline. Ruki mewled at the affection. He missed this.

“I can’t help it. You set it up. You were just asking for it.” The stylist giggled under his lover. Akira moved down and sucked on the blonde’s collarbone. He moved back up his neck, lightly biting into his skin to form a small bruise. Ruki let out a small gasp at the pain. It surprised him, but then he sighed when the feeling was replaced with pleasure. He licked over the love bite, and purred against his fiance’s flushed skin.

“And you were just asking for that.”

Akira continued to suck and kiss at Ruki’s neck and jaw. He relished in the little noises he heard escape the blonde’s lips. Ruki trailed his fingers along Akira’s arms, tracing the veins that weaved across his biceps and forearms. He then ran them down the vet’s clothed chest. He moved his fingers under the hem and felt the warm skin underneath. He pushed the fabric up revealing Akira’s defined chest. He swirled his thumbs over one of his nipples, earning a pleasured sigh from the vet. He pinched at the pinkish buds, trying to elicit more noises from the blue-haired man.

While Ruki was busy doing this, Akira was brushing his hands up Ruki’s sides, trying to rid the blonde of his sweater. He thought the stylist looked adorable in the large garment, but he was eager to throw it on the floor. The blonde aided him in discarding the garment. But Akira frowned when he didn’t find bare skin, but an undershirt. He hurriedly pulled it over the stylist’s head tossing it to join the sweater on the floor.

“Hey, it’s cold out. I need layers.” Ruki huffed when he noticed how impatient the vet was to remove the undershirt.

“You’re not cold now.” Akira smirked when he rubbed his hands along the warm skin of Ruki’s sides. He ran his rough palm over each bump of the blondes ribs and up his chest. He continued licking at his neck while allowing his hands to explore the newly exposed chest.

Ruki squirmed under the taller man hovering over him. He gasped and sighed, feeling sweat cling to him already. He wrapped his hands the vet’s neck to bring him closer. He felt the heat radiate off Akira and relished in their close proximity. Amongst his sighs, his eyes shot open and he pulled away from Akira. The vet looked at him with confusion and concern. But Ruki was smirking at the man.

“I think I found your junk.” The stylist cheekily teased and pointed at the erection rubbing against his legs. The comment made the blue-haired man blush and laugh.

“What can I say? I missed you.” He smiled and moved his hands to rest on the shorter’s hips.

The blonde welcomed the invitation and began sliding his fingers playfully under the waistband to Akira’s sweatpants. As he traced the vet’s treasure trail, he soon learned that the grey sweats were all he was wearing.

“No underwear?” Ruki hummed. “Were you planning something like this?”

Akira chuckled. “I couldn’t have planned this even if I tried.”

“Good answer.” Ruki murmured as Akira pushed their lips together.

They feverishly kissed one another as the stylist slowly pulled the grey sweats down his lover’s waist. Akira’s erection bounced free causing him to sigh at the feeling of the cool air. Ruki abandoned the pants, leaving them wrapped around the vet’s thighs, and instead grasped the freed member in his palm. He slid his petite hand along the shaft, twisting his wrist and rubbing his thumb along the head. He relished in the small grunts the vet released against their joined lips.

Ruki felt his own jeans tighten against his groin. He was relieved to see that his lover noticed, and was already moving his hands to undo his pants. He felt calloused fingers brush up against his bulge teasingly before working on the button and zipper. Ruki lifted his hips to help Akira slide them down his legs. Without a second thought, the vet tossed the jeans and his boxers to a random corner of his room; just happy to get them out of the way.

The stylist’s strokes picked up speed while his fiance was doing this. He placed his free hand firmly on Akira’s hips to stop him from bucking forward as much. The vet moved his hands to give attention to his fiance’s freed erection. He mimicked Ruki’s actions, twisted and stroking his palms on the blonde’s arousal. Soon, they were both gasping and moaning in pleasure. It took much willpower, but Akira stopped his movements and managed to free himself from the blonde’s grasp. He looked down at his concerned lover with hooded eyes.

He crawled above Ruki, who was laying on his back, and made his way to his nightstand. He rustled through the draw and pulled out a small bottle. He shyly looked down at his lover and revealed the bottle of lube.

“...Unless you don’t want to.” A very noticeable red blush spread across his face. His hesitance to take things further without vocal permission made Ruki’s heart hurt. He could be adorable without even knowing.

“No, I’ve missed you. And this.” Ruki confirmed and scooted to rest his head against the pillows. Akira, still hovering over him smiled and crawled to sit between the blonde’s legs. He ran his one hand up the blonde’s thighs. He watched the smooth skin, jiggle slightly under his touch.

“Um…” Ruki’s voice sounded hesitant. The vet quickly looked up, fearing he was the reason for any discomfort. He saw the blonde biting his bottom lip and blushing from his ears down to his neck. Ruki swallowed his apprehension and decided to voice out his concern no matter how embarrassed he felt.

“Do you have a condom?” The red on his cheeks grew brighter. Akira was moving ahead with such urgency, he wanted to remind his lover before things were too heated.

The vet’s worry softened and he looked up at Ruki with affection. He laughed to himself and moved forward to kiss the blonde on his soft lips.

“I have one in my wallet.”

“And where would that be?” Ruki smirked and had a slight tone of impatience.

Akira’s eyes scanned the dark room as he tried to remember. He hasn’t needed his wallet since he’s been staying with his mother. Especially since he hadn’t left this room much for the past week. He traced his steps in his head. He doesn’t remember taking it out of his pants pockets. But he wasn’t wearing his jeans now. So he assumed that’s where it still was.

“In my jeans...um...I think they’re in the bathroom hamper.” He thought aloud.

“Well, we’re gonna need it.” The stylist giggled.

Akira slid off the bed and pulled his sweats up. He stood, awkwardly trying to hide the noticeable erection. He had to leave the room and travel down the hall to the bathroom. He prayed he wouldn’t run into any of his family. He’d sure never hear the end of it.

“I’ll be right back.” He spoke over his shoulder to the naked man on his bed. He quietly opened the door and tiptoed into the hallway. Once he found it empty, he quickly paced towards the bathroom and dove for the laundry hamper.

Shifting through the clothes, he tried to not make too big of a mess. But there were a weeks worth of clothes. He frantically searched for his pants, trying to avoid his family’s more private clothing. Not to mention, the aching member still erect in his sweatpants.

He successfully found his dirtied jeans and rooted through his pockets. He hoped this was where his wallet was located. In one of the back pockets, he triumphantly hoisted the leather billfold over his head. And to his relief upon opening, he spotted the small square packaging tucked into one of the fold. He pushed all the clothes back into the hamper haphazardly. Sleeves and pant legs were hanging out over the sides, but Akira didn’t care. He was in a hurry to return to his lover, sprawled naked on his bed.

He stepped out the bathroom and hurried down the hall, after checking to see if anyone was present. He carried the condom and his wallet with him as he walked closer to his bedroom. To his surprise, he heard a moan coming from the other side of the door. He paused, not sure if he was hearing things. But then another moan, louder this time, echoed in the room behind the door.

Akira licked his lips and entered the room. Once he was inside, he was greeted by the sight of his fiance fingering himself. The blonde had his knees bent, revealing his entrance as well as his own two fingers scissoring himself. The entire area of skin was messily coated in lube. His other hand was stroking himself to the same rhythm as his scissoring. The lude sight had the vet speechless. They’ve had sex plenty of times during their relationship, but this was a first.

Ruki made eye contact with him, and smirked. He didn’t stop any of his actions, in fact he sped up and produced a louder moan. He was putting on a show for his fiance.

“You were taking too long.” He panted. “I thought I’d get started without you.”

His teasing brought the vet out of his stupor. He blinked his eyes a few times and moved closer to the bed. He removed his pants and crawled to position himself between the blonde’s bent legs. His eyes were drawn to the blonde’s fingers working tirelessly to prep himself. He saw a third finger drop down and join his others in stretching himself.

“You’re so impatient.” Akira chuckled as he ripped open the packet and rolled the rubber onto his own hardened member and picking up the discarded bottle of lube to empty its contents onto him.

He placed both his hands on the blonde’s thighs and kneaded the skin. The blonde pulled his hand away, revealing his stretched entrance to his lover. He continued to stroke himself and brought his lube covered fingers up to the blue-haired man’s chest. He giggled as he smeared the substance across the vet’s chest and circled his fingers over the pinkish nipples.

“All ready for you.” He cooed as he continued to dirty the man’s chest. Akira chuckled and positioned himself outside the blonde’s hole. Slowly, he pushed forward and felt his heat envelope his lubed member.

Ruki mewled as his walls relaxed around the intrusion. Akira let out a low growl once he became fully sheathed in the blonde. They stayed still, panting loudly as they adjusted to their positions. The stylist abandoned his strokes and brought both hands up to fist at the pillows.

Once they caught their breaths, Akira started slowly thrusting forward. Each movement of his hips brought a moan from both of them. Ruki writhed under him, encouraging him to go faster. Their steady rhythm increased with each thrust. Soon the bed was creaking violently underneath them. Their groans became louder and needier. They had been apart long enough, they wanted to show how much they missed the other.

Ruki’s member bounced freely. It slapped the skin of both their stomachs until Akira wrapped a hand around it to stroke it with the pace of his thrusts. It wasn’t long before Ruki felt the numbness of his limbs at the sensation shooting through his body. He couldn’t form words, only moaned louder signalling his release. He came, splattering Akira’s hands as well as their stomachs.

Immediately, Akira felt the same sensation and emptied his seed inside his lover. He shot a few lazy thrusts forward before completely pulling out. He panted and steadied his vision as he tied the condom off and dropped it into the nearby waste bin.

Ruki felt the bed shift as his lover leaned over him to grab the tissues off the nightstand. He wiped their stomachs and his hand clean. He also cleaned off his chest from Ruki’s earlier teasing. The stylist laid helpless under him, allowing him to clean the sticky substance off him.

Once he was done, he plopped down beside the shorter man and wrapped his arms protectively around the blonde. They continued to pant and gasp for air as their heartbeats slowly returned to normal. They exchanged a few lazy kisses to each other’s sweat coated skin.

“So, that was make-up sex.” Ruki whispered as he nuzzled the vet’s chest.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Hmmm. Maybe we should fight more often. That was amazing.” The stylist teased.

“Hey now, take it easy. I don’t want to fight ever again.” Akira rubbed small circles along the blonde’s back. “I was afraid I lost you.”

The vet sounded so afraid and vulnerable, Ruki pushed away to look him in the eyes. Akira always made sure the blonde was happy and comfortable. He always fretted over him and comforted him. Now it was his turn.

“I love you. I truly mean that. I was afraid too. But now that we’re back together, I don’t want to lose you again. I’m stubborn like that.” He lightly kissed his fiance’s lips.

“I love you too.” Akira sighed and closed his eyes, focusing on the warmth in his arms.

They laid in silence, stroking each other’s sweaty, warm skin. Planting a small kiss here and there every once in awhile. Once their breathing was back to normal and they were more aware of their surroundings, Akira blushed and mumbled into Ruki’s blonde locks.

“We were pretty loud, huh?”

“Yeah, and we’re in your mom’s house!” Ruki shook his head and laughed at the absurdity. He looked up to see the worry still plastered on his fiance’s face.

“Don’t worry, we weren’t that loud. I’m sure no one heard anything.” The stylist reassured.

“So when do you go back to college?” Kai asked, taking a sip of the tea Ms. Suzuki politely offered him.

“A few more weeks. I can’t believe my winter break is almost over.” Ayane whined.

The three of them sat in the living room. Ms. Suzuki was seated in a recliner opposite the couch that Kai and Ayane occupied. They excitedly chatted as Akira and Ruki talked things over. Kai was naturally sociable, and apparently so was Akira’s family. They immediately made him feel comfortable.

“Hey, you’ll be in class and out of the cold.” Kai offered the silver lining.

“Yeah, given that they fixed the heat in the building. I swear they run the AC year round.” She laughed.

They all took a sip during the lull in the conversation. In the silence, they heard a creaking noise above them. The noise grew faster and louder. Soon it was accompanied by the sounds of muffled groans. Ayane blushed as she recognized the noise. Kai smiled and tried to stifle his laughter.

“Well, it seems they made up.” Ms. Suzuki calmly sipped her tea. “I just wish they’d have waited until they were home.”

The ceiling above them continued to creak. Ayane’s voice rose in volume as she tried to cover the noise. Kai smiled, despite the embarrassing situation, he was happy for his friends. Though they were impatient, they were back together. He’d be sure to tease them about this until the end of time.

Chapter Text

“Koron! No!”

Ruki dropped what he was doing and bolted into the living room. He scooped the chihuahua up in his arms. The dog was sniffing around the cage for the cockatiels and he almost knocked it over in his excitement.

“Be careful,” the stylist stroked Koron’s black fur. “You don’t want to hurt your new brother and sister, do ya?”

“Don’t you mean step brother and step sister?”

The mocking voice of Aoi could be heard entering the room. He was carrying a small cardboard box in his arms and smirking. He looked pleased with the joke he just said, despite the fact that no one laughed.

Today, Aoi and Uruha helped their friends move Akira into the blonde’s apartment. They were bringing the last of the vet’s stuff in. It had been a long week. Akira worked most of the days, so the hairdressers worked around their scheduled time off, which wasn’t much since all three of them were full-time. But Kai was nice enough to let them leave early some days.

Ever since the couples reunion, Kai had been teasing them. The night they made up, when they came downstairs to announce that they were back together, Ms. Suzuki interrupted them. She told them everyone could tell and asked them to change the sheets. He can’t remember the last time Akira’s face was so red.

“Is this the last of it?”

Ruki heard Uruha’s even-toned voice as the tall man entered through the door with Akira behind him. The vet was still dressed in his work clothes, minus the white lab coat. His sleeves were rolled up revealing the arms that Ruki couldn’t help but stare at each time.

“It should be. I can’t believe I had so much stuff.” The vet plopped his box onto the floor in front of them. It landed and a loud crashing sound came from within. Everyone winced at the noise, it even made the pets squirm.

“That sounded fragile.” Akira grimaced.

“Maybe you should’ve marked that on the box, or you know, set it on a table like a normal person.” Ruki smirked as he walked to greet his fiance. He set Koron on the ground and leaned up to kiss the taller man.

“Well, we aren’t normal people. I mean look at the company we keep.” The blue-haired vet pointed towards the two men standing beside them, both having just set their boxes on the coffee table.

“Hey, what’s strange about us?!” Aoi scoffed.

“You have a bunny on your elbow.” Uruha pointed to the older man’s arm.

“Huh?!” He squawked and frantically turned his arm to spot the oddity. Sure enough, there was the black markered outline of a rabbit drawn on his elbow.

“Dammit. That’s the last time I fall asleep while Miko is working.” Aoi huffed and traveled to the bathroom to try and scrub the cute doodle off his arm.

“Wait,” Uruha followed. “We should name it. It can be our pet.”

The banter between the two became faint as they both entered the bathroom. Akira and Ruki were left in the living room. The vet knelt down and began rooting through the box he carelessly threw on the ground, trying to find what broke. Ruki joined him, careful not to cut his finger on the mystery item.

“Here it is.” Akira cautiously pulled out a few ceramic shards. He placed them on the floor beside him.

“Aw, man.” He frowned as he put the pieces together. “That was my favorite plate.”

Ruki leaned over and inspected. He saw what the original piece looked like and raised an eyebrow at the image plastered on the dinnerware.

“A Pokemon plate?” The stylist eyed his fiance incredulously.

“What?” Akira was on the defensive. “My mom got it for me when I was younger.”

“So you still have it? It’s meant for a child! Look how small it is.”

“Hey, it’s sentimental.” Akira smirked and chewed on his lip. “Besides, Charmander is the best.”

“I can’t believe this, I’m marrying a nerd.” Ruki laughed at how the vet’s face fell. Akira pouted at the accusation and looked at his fiance with puppy eyes.

“D’aww, I’m sorry. Let me buy you a new plate. Maybe one with Squirtle on it.” The stylist smirked as he rooted through the box to make sure there were no more plate shards.

“Oh. My. God. Are you a water starter?”

“I only played it once, and I thought Squirtle was the best choice.”

“I don’t know how we can continue on like this. We are not compatible. This was not meant to be! I mean, how do I even look you in the eyes now?!” Akira held his hands to his chest, faking heartache.

“Okay, that’s it. You’ve been hanging around Aoi too long.” Ruki scoffed at his fiance’s dramatics.

The blonde helped Akira pick up all the pieces to the shattered plate and set them on the kitchen counter. They moved them so no one would step on it, especially Koron who was excitedly running around at all the new guests in his home.

They both went through some more boxes,trying to find a place for the stuff. They were in the living room, making space for some of Akira’s movies when Uruha and Aoi finally returned from the bathroom. The older man, despite all his efforts, still had a bunny drawn on his arm, though it looked a little faded. Clearly, Miko used permanent marker. However, Akira and Ruki took more notice of the messy hair Uruha had, and how swollen their lips looked. The side-shaved brunette had a smirk, while Aoi fidgeted with his hands and kept eyeing the door.

“So, if you guys are all good, we should get going. Let you two sort everything.” Aoi tried his best to hide his loss of breath.

“You two were making out in my bathroom, weren’t you?” Ruki accused the couple. Aoi’s eyes grew wide, but Uruha didn’t flinch. He continued to smirk, proud of the uneasy state he left his boyfriend in.

“Listen, if we don’t leave now, a lot more is gonna happen in your bathroom.” The black-haired man’s voice got low and his eyes pierced the blonde’s gaze. He grabbed at Uruha’s hand and started towards the door.

“Have a good night!” Akira waved goodbye.

“Don’t worry, we will.” Uruha finally spoke, his voice sounding suggestive.

The door closed behind them, leaving the engaged couple by themselves. They laughed at the looks on both men’s faces and how quickly they left. They continued their unpacking, taking a break to feed the birds and dog. To their relief, the pets seemed to be getting along. Pretty soon, they might be able to let Keiji and Oscar fly around free with no worries from Koron.

Once the pets were taken care of, the couple decided to take a break to feed themselves. Since everything was still unorganized, they called for some takeout. They sat on the couch, propping their tired feet on top of the coffee table. Ruki was leaning into Akira’s chest, listening to the steady metronome of his heartbeat.

“So,” Akira was slurping his noodles as he looked down at the blonde cuddling next to him. “Have you checked your emails today?”

Ruki paused in his eating and his muscles stiffened. The blonde was still fearful, despite everything. Ruki shook his head and frowned. The vet put his takeout container down on the table and lifted the stylist’s chin up so they were making eye contact.

“Hey, you don’t have to be afraid, remember?”

“I know.” Ruki mumbled and wiped at the corners of his mouth with his thumb. “It’s just gonna take some time to get use to it.”

“Do you want me to check with you?” Akira’s voice was concerned and sweet. Ruki nodded and left to grab his phone from the kitchen. He considered himself lucky for having such an understanding lover. He remembers when he first told Akira about the email he sent his parents before their breakup.

It was a week before their fight, Ruki did it in private. It was late at night, and the stylist had been thinking about it for a while. He wanted to contact his parents and tell them the news. Whether they accepted it or not, he didn’t care. If they were disappointed, he’d cut them out of his life for good and never look back. But if he could patch things up with them, he’d like to try.

It had been years since they spoke, the only thing he had left from them was an email address. He use to have their phone numbers, until he dropped his phone in a puddle of shampoo at the salon.

He typed and backspaced his message more times than he could count. He saved it as a draft and proofread it five times. He found himself shaking while typing it, and held back tears. It took two days, but he finally mustered up the courage. He clicked the arrow and watched the email go to his outbox. He sighed as he felt a pressure lift from his shoulders.

Mother and Father,

I know we haven’t spoken in years. And I didn’t exactly leave on good terms. I no longer have any of your numbers and this was the only way I knew to contact you. I hope this is still the right address. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been doing well. I work at a hair salon full-time with Kouyou. But most importantly. I’m engaged. His name is Akira Suzuki and he’s a veterinarian. We are happy together and I just thought you should know.

I hope you two are well,

Takanori Matsumoto

He tried his best to not sound too formal, they were still family after all. Now he anxiously awaited a reply, if he would even get one. He tried to push it to the side, but the thought always gnawed at the back of his mind. Then one day after work, he flopped down on his couch and pulled out his phone. He nearly had a heart attack at the notification on his phone. He saw the reply to his message, but refused to open it. He was fearful of what they said. He’ll always remember their disgusted faces the day he left.

Before he could ask Akira for help, they had their fight outside the front of the building. Finding out the truth about Akira stung even more, knowing he told his parents about the engagement. And the breakup made him feel even worse. He didn’t want to tell them, especially since they were a major factor in his last breakup.

Once they made-up, Ruki told Akira about the email he sent out and the reply he never opened. The vet was shocked, but happy nonetheless. Akira had a close relationship with his mother, he hoped for the same of his fiance. He heard about them from Ruki and Uruha, they were nice people, but very stubborn in their ways.

That afternoon, once they got done packing a few boxes of Akira’s belongings for the move, they sat on his couch. Ruki shakily grabbed his phone out of his pocket and handed it to the vet. He was too afraid to look at it, so Akira volunteered to read it first. If it was bad, he’d spare Ruki the details and delete it. Then they would never contact his parents again.

However, once Akira opened it and read the first few lines, he smiled. He finished it and looked up at his fiance with a look of relief and affection. Ruki felt his tensed limbs relax at the expression and had the blue-haired vet read it aloud.

Taka,

We are so sorry for the ways things went. We should’ve handled it better. I’ve talked to your mother, and we have failed you. You were unhappy, and we didn’t help you. We pushed all the blame onto you and Kouyou. We are sorry for how we treated you both. We had our own opinions of your future and happiness. But we need to accept the fact that your vision is different from ours. Who you love doesn’t change who you are, and we should’ve seen that. You were brave for announcing to all of us about your bisexuality, despite our reactions. We are thrilled to hear from you again, and even more excited to hear that you found love again. I know we haven’t spoken, but if it isn’t too much to ask, we would like to meet him. And to see you again of course. It is nice to talk to you again.

Love,

Your Father

As the words left Akira’s lips, Ruki was hit with a wave of emotions. He was still angry at them, but hearing them apologize and accept him brought tears. He cried ugly sobs as he cuddled into the vet’s chest. After years of pain and anger, finally some chance at fixing his relationship with his parents. Akira hugged him tightly until he managed to collect himself. Immediately he responded.

I am so happy to hear that. I would love to speak with you two again. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss you guys. He’s excited for a chance to meet the both of you. But we are currently busy moving him into my apartment. So the next week or so will be a bit hectic. I can send you my address and number so we can arrange it. Maybe before the end of the month. Let me know if anytimes bad for you.

Ruki dropped the formality of a greeting and closing to his message. His head was spinning. Not only was he marrying the man he loved, but he managed to patch things up with his parents. He was truly lucky.

Ruki returned to the living room with his smartphone. Despite the animosity his parents showed him, he always felt a bit of fear. What if they change their minds? What if they were just messing with me? They’re lying and the still don’t accept me. They just want to judge Akira.

But when he saw his fiance sitting on the couch, patiently waiting for him, he ignored his doubts. As long as he had Akira, everything would be okay.

“Do you want me to read it to you?” The vet asked as Ruki slid next to him.

“No,” Ruki shook his head. “I’ll read it. Just stay beside me, please?”

“Of course.”

The stylist was thankful for Akira’s concern, but he couldn’t solely rely on him. He had to take the lead and be in charge of his own affairs. He held his breath and his eyes scanned over the message. He sighed and his mouth twisted to an uncontrollable smile.

“Everything good?” The vet rubbed the shorter man’s arms.

“Yeah, they gave me their number to call them sometime.”

“That’s great!” Akira almost shouted in glee.

“Yeah. They even mentioned you again. They’re really looking forward to meeting you.” Ruki giggled and handed the phone over.

“Man, now I feel pressured. I don’t want to disappoint them.” Akira commented while he read.

“You’re gonna need to look presentable. Maybe you should ditch that band around your nose.” The blonde’s hand raised to poke at the clothed appendage, but was slapped away.

“No way. That would ruin my mysterious aura I’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

“Oh, someone thinks highly of themselves.” Ruki raised an eyebrow.

“Could it be the man who spent a half hour filling his nails today?” Akira poked Ruki in the side, making him squirm as it tickled.

“Hey! I chipped it moving that stupid cage of yours! It hurt.”

They bickered and laughed. Akira ended up poking Ruki in the sides some more, tickling the stylist. He squirmed and they ended up just cuddling and falling asleep on the couch as their take-out became could.

“Does my hair look alright?” Akira entered the small kitchen, begging his fiance for his opinion.

“Yes, it looks fine.” Ruki continued to stir the pot he was warming on the stove.

It was a month after Ruki had been in contact with his parents. He tried to call them at least once a week to give them an update. Their conversations only lasted a half hour and was filled with awkward silences. He hoped meeting them in person would prove more fruitful. Him and Akira were officially moved in together. All the boxes were unpacked, and their pets had adjusted. Keiji and Oscar were able to fly freely through the apartment without being bothered by Koron. The chihuahua would lie in his bed and watch the cockatiels, leaving them be.

“But you didn’t even look at me!” Akira whined.

Ruki shook his head and laughed. He glanced over at his fiance. The vet was wearing a button-up dress shirt and dark colored jeans. He had spent the last half-hour fretting about his appearance, and changed his outfit multiple times. He acted more nervous than Ruki for tonight.

Their lives were finally settled a bit, so they agreed that tonight would be a good time to invite the stylist's parents over. Ruki had spent the entire day working out every minute detail of tonight. He vigorously cleaned the apartment, even if it didn’t need it. He agonized about what to make and what to wear. But he kept quiet about his worries, since his fiance was having a meltdown about the meeting. The vet wanted to impress his future in-laws.

“Koron’s fed.” Uruha entered the kitchen.

Once Ruki reconnected with his parents, he made sure to tell his best friend. Uruha was uneasy at the news. But the blonde reassured him, that they were sorry for how they treated him. Since they were visiting tonight, he asked Uruha to come along. Ruki wanted them to apologize to the brunette in-person, he deserved that much.

“And I took care of the birds!” Aoi chirped behind his lover. He wrapped the taller man in a hug from behind and smiled.

Of course, Ruki wasn’t able to invite Uruha without Aoi. The black-haired man insisted on tagging along to protect his boyfriend’s “honor” as he put it. He was hesitant on letting Uruha come alone. Especially since the awaited guests were responsible for hurting his beloved years ago.

The group converged in the kitchen as Ruki finished making diner. He left the pot on the stovetop to keep warm. They all talked casually while they awaited his parents arrival. The tension in the room was felt by everyone, but they tried to talk and ignore it until the time came.

Aoi kept close to Uruha, refusing to let go of his hand. He’d occasionally lean in and whisper something to the brunette, making a faint smile grace his worried lips. Akira kept combing his fingers through his hair and checking his reflection in the toaster. Ruki crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. He chewed his lips and looked at his feet, deep in thought.

“Hey.” The vet’s voice brought the stylist out of his daze. He stood beside him and wrapped an arm around the shorter man’s waist. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. I just hope they’re as nice in-person as they are in messages.”

“At least they’re willing to give this a try.”

“What if they are hiding an ulterior motive? Like they don’t really care about us and they just want to convince me to marry a pretty girl again?”

“Princess, once they get a look at me they’re gonna be astonished you managed to get such a stub.” Akira smirked and kissed the top of the blonde’s head.

“Says the man who just went through an entire weeks worth of clothes to impress my parents.” Ruki joked and flicked the vet’s nose with his index finger.

“So I use humor to defuse the situation, sue me!”

They laughed as Ruki allowed himself to cuddle into their embrace. Despite the situation, Akira had never pushed the stylist. He’s been supportive of his decision to meet his parents, and allowed the blonde to make all the calls. They made an agreement that if, at any point during the night, Ruki wanted them to leave, Akira would step in while the blonde would excuse himself. The vet would ask them to leave as politely as he could. Ruki made numerous contingency plans depending on how things went. He hoped for the best, yet expected the worst.

The knock on the door brought a silence from all of them. Aoi, Uruha, and Akira eyed Ruki nervously. The vet squeezed his fiance’s hand for support.

“Remember, just give me the word and I will step in.” Akira whispered into the blondes ear.

Ruki nodded and let go of his hand. He went step by step to his door. His nerves were causing him to shake as his mind raced. He shivered as a cold, nervous sweat formed along his temples and forehead. He stared at the door knob, frightened of what lurks on the other side. He stretched his hand out with much hesitancy and turned the knob.

He opened the door and was greeted by two familiar, yet different figures. The two strangers reminded him of his parents, but time had changed them. The woman had short, permed hair the color of smoke. Her eyes were underlined with crows feet from age. Her painted lips offered an uneasy smile. She stood a good many inches taller than the man beside her. His hair was a short cut, and it was black with wisps of grey and white weaving throughout it. He wore glasses that obscured most of his eyes, though Ruki could see bags and dark circles under them. His mouth was set between defined wrinkles. He also smile nervously. They looked much older and tireder than Ruki remembers. They awkwardly stood in the doorway, awaiting a greeting.

“It’s good to see you again, dear.” Ruki’s mother took the lead and filled the silence.

“You look well, son.” His father joined in.

The air between them was still tense. Their words sounded more like formalities to Ruki than actual concern. But to their credit, they showed up as promised. They were probably at a loss for words as much as Ruki was. He couldn’t blame them for the generic greetings.

“Thank you.” Ruki nodded and mumbled. He didn’t realize his hand was still gripping the door. At the sight of them, his knuckles turned white as his grip tightened. He felt a little trapped. He couldn’t slam the door on them and run away now, that wasn’t socially acceptable. Plus he wanted to patch up their relationship.

“Please, come in.” The stylist finally managed to speak some more. He moved to the side allowing his parents to walk into his entranceway. They stood in place and studied their surroundings while Ruki closed the door behind them.

“You have a lovely place.”

“And something smells good.” His father sniffed the air.

Ruki smiled, again at a loss for words. He nodded his head in thanks as he offered to take their jackets. At least his parents were trying to create a conversation. He hung their jackets on the wall while they removed their own shoes.

Just then, a small black and tan chihuahua ran up to them. He was wagging his tail and barking at them happily. He jumped up and placed his front paws on his father’s legs, begging for attention from the strangers.

“Aww, he’s a cute little fella. I didn’t know you had a dog.” His father bent down to scratch Koron’s head.

“Yeah, his name’s Koron.” Ruki replied.

“He reminds me of Sabuchan, from when you were little.” His mother commented. She smiled warmly at the memory of Ruki’s first puppy. A time where they were happy. Koron wagged his tail furiously as he relished the scratches behind his ears. The way his father acted around the dog reminded Ruki of his childhood too. He hoped this was a good start to the evening.

“Do I hear birds chirping? Do you have a parrot?” His mother asked, hearing the whistling noises coming from the living room.

“They’re Akira’s. He has two cockatiels named Oscar and Keiji.” Ruki tried to speak up. But the end of his sentence became mumbled when he made eye contact. They were both looking at him when he talked, it made him self-conscious. They smiled warmly at him, but he still held to his doubts. He feared that they were judging him.

“So how did the moving go?” His father finished petting Koron. The chihuahua trotted away. His head was held high at the bout of affection he received, he was clearly a spoiled pooch.

“It was rough, but good.” Ruki scratched at the back of his neck. He felt their eyes on him. He tried to ignore his nervousness and answer their question as honestly as he could.

“That’s good to hear.” Another generic response from his mother. Ruki hated these formalities. He wasn’t sure how the natural flow of these things worked. With the tension still between them, he treaded lightly on how to continue.

“Um, I made dinner. If you’d like to follow me to the kitchen.” Ruki chewed his bottom lip as he guided his parents through his apartment. So far, their reunion had been tense and awkward. Part of him dreaded the meeting with his friend. He just knew how awkward everyone would be.

They entered the smaller sized kitchen and found three men standing by the countertop. Akira had his arms crossed over his chest. Aoi was hugging Uruha, stroking his arm as the brunette bent down to rest his head against the other’s shoulder. They all stopped whatever conversation they were having when they saw the stylist with the older couple.

At first, no one said a word. The only sound was Oscar and Keiji’s song from the living room. Ruki stood between his parents and friends, shifting from foot to foot as he tried to create words in his head. Akira wanted to step forward and save his fiance from the crushing anxiety, but he agreed to wait until Ruki asked for help. Uruha flinched at the sight of Ruki’s parents. The normally composed man buried his face into Aoi’s neck like a child hiding behind his mother’s apron. His parents didn’t look any calmer. They too eyed each other as they fidgeted with their rings and hands.

“Um, so yeah…” Ruki lamley started. “I told you I was having some friends over too.”

His voice wasn’t loud, and it did little to ease the tension. But he did manage to get everyone’s attention. His parents nodded as he spoke. He cleared his throat before continuing.

“This is Aoi and Uruha.” Ruki pointed at his coworkers.

“Nice to meet you.” His father bowed politely followed by his mother. Aoi offered a small smile in return. But Uruha kept his head buried in his lover’s neck, refusing to make any eye contact or acknowledgment of the situation. His parents eyed the brunette. He appeared frightened, and from what they could see of his face, he looked familiar to them. Aoi wasn’t sure what to do, he wasn’t exactly happy that they were staring at his boyfriend. His grip around his lover tightened as he defensively brought him closer to his chest. Ruki picked up on this.

“They, uh, they work at the salon with me. You might remember Uruha as Kouyou instead.”

The brunette finally lifted his head to meet their gaze. The mature couples’ eyes widened at the realization. Uruha was unsure how to take that. He bitterly smiled and looked away, all the painful things they said to him all those years ago still burned in his skull. He was shaking as the tension in the air became thick. No one was saying anything and the silence was deafening.

“Kouyou…” The name slipped from the old man’s tongue. It made Uruha flinch as he remembered the same voice hurling insults and slurs at him. He quivered. Aoi instinctively kissed the top of his lover’s head and held him in a protective hug.

The older couple frowned at the fearful state the brunette was in. Especially since they knew they were the cause of it. Akira and Ruki watched helplessly at the situation. They never saw their stoic, pragmatic friend appear so vulnerable before.

“Are you his husband?” Ruki’s mother directed towards Aoi in an attempt to ease the situation.

“Boyfriend.” Aoi hissed between his teeth. It made the woman flinch, realizing she must have unintentionally offended him. Her mind reeled as she thought of what to say. She didn’t want to cause anymore harm.

“Oh, sorry.” She apologized.

The air was thick between everyone again. Only this time, Aoi was glaring at the older couple. Ruki swallowed as he tried to step in between them. The sweat was making his hair stick to the sides of his face uncomfortably. He licked his lips as he shakily pointed in Akira’s direction.

“This is Akira. My fiance.”

His parents quickly turned their gaze towards the blue-haired man standing beside Ruki. Akira wrapped an arm around the blondes waist and raised his other hand to shake his future in-law’s hands. Their faces were hard to read, Ruki feared that they disapproved of his lover.

“Nice to finally meet the both of you.” Akira hid his anxiousness behind a professional voice.

The older couple bowed. Though, they didn’t say anything in return. That threw the vet off a bit, and he quickly tried to fill the silence between them.

“You’ve raised an amazing son. You should be proud of Ruki.”

“Ruki?” Confusion spread across both their faces as his mother echoed the name. It was then that the vet realized that they didn’t know him by his nickname, he only got that name when he started working the salon.

“Oh, sorry. That’s the name we all call him.” Akira smiled at them. They both nodded their heads in understanding.

“Well, either that or ‘chibi.’” Aoi snorted. The roomed turned to look at him. Despite the embrace he had with Uruha, he smirked and looked genuinely proud of his joke.

“Shut it.” Ruki pouted, ignoring the previously tensed situation.

“Hey, don’t forget about ‘Peanut’, that’s a popular one.” Akira joined in and chuckled back at Aoi. The two men laughed aloud. Even Uruha giggled while still avoiding eye contact.

Ruki was red from anger and about to voice out his distaste for both names. But then he got a look at his parents, and saw the happiness on their faces. They looked at all of them with genuine affection. The humor seemed to have eased everyone’s nerves.

“Well, shortness seems to run in the family.” Ruki’s mother smiled and pointed at her husband.

“Hey now!” He frowned at the accusation. His pout was reminiscent of his son’s.

“So does hotheadedness.” She mumbled.

She laughed and was joined by Akira, Aoi, and even Uruha. Ruki crossed his arms and eyed everyone with a raised brow. Though he was upset at the teasing, he realized everyone was laughing. It was just the atmosphere he’d hoped for. He relented and giggled too.

Once the laughter died down, everyone felt somewhat lighter.

“Um..” Ruki’s father scratched at the back of his hand and his eyes shifted between Uruha and Ruki. “I guess we have to deal with the elephant in the room.”

He swallowed and shakily stepped closer to Ruki. His son bit the inside of his cheek and looked at him. He saw the sweat form on his brows as he exhaled loudly.

“We owe you an apology. You and Kouy- I mean, Uruha.”

His mother moved closer and stood behind him. She placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder, urging him to continue. He shifted closer to her, using her presence for strength.

“We don’t expect you two to forgive us right away. But I wanted to tell you how truly sorry we are. We said some things to you that were uncalled for.”

His voice quivered as he spoke. He felt all eyes of the room on him. He shook his head to ignore the feeling and push forward.

“You two have done so well for yourselves. And we are relieved that you have found happiness.” His eyes looked at both Aoi and Akira. Just from the little time he’d spent here, he could see how much they cared for his son and friend.

“If there is anything we can do to make it up to the both of you, please let us know.” He moved closer to Ruki. “We want to be a part of your life again. You are our son and we want you to be happy.”

When the man was done talking, both Uruha and Ruki had tears in their eyes. Uruha weakly wiped at his tears as he mumbled out a thanks. The man looked so vulnerable. Aoi worriedly held him tighter and kissed the tears out of his eyes.

Ruki stared at his father, sniffling. His tears started to flow over the more he tried to hold them back. His mother came closer and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. Her maternal instinct wanted to bring her son into a hug, but she fought against it. She was unsure if he would accept such affections from her so soon.

The blonde hung his head low as he felt a sense of relief crawl over him. He could hear the sincerity in his parents voice. He could see their affections for him in their body language. They never were much to show emotions like most families on sitcoms or dramas. But they did for this moment. They truly accepted him for what he was, and for that he was grateful.

He cried and leaned forward a bit. His parents caught him in an embrace, and awkwardly hugged him. They tried to sooth his sobs, even though they were the cause of it. Ruki brought his hands up to reciprocate the gesture. In the middle of his kitchen, Ruki awkwardly hugged his parents. All of them were unsure whether they should place their hands above or below the arms and fumbled around until both parents hugged their son comfortably. Ruki allowed himself to cry in front of his parents.

His mother looked at Akira, standing a few inches behind  her son.

“Please take care of him.” She requested from the vet.

“Of course.” Akira bowed his head and fondly smiled at the woman. He took that as a sign of parental approval for their engagement. And that made his heart swell. He looked forward to the future he would have with his chibi.