Fic - Raising Akame Chapter 9
Title:Raising Akame
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies
Genre: AU Romance
Word Count: 2,000+
Summary: Jin was barely two years old and Kazuya was a day old when they first met. From that time on, their mothers knew there exist Akame and they must serve as Akame's guardians through the years.
A/N: Again, the warning of smex content.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Raising Akame
Chapter 9: Twenty-five and Twenty-seven Part 2
Kazuya seriously hated his mother. He thought it was completely insensitive, heartless even, that his mother set him up to cater for his ex-boyfriend's wedding. As soon as he left the café, he went to confront his mother.
“Will you just quit it, oka-asan?” he exclaimed. “It's over between Jin and I. It's been over for seven years!”
Mrs. Kamenashi simply smiled. “If it's over then it is,” she said.
“It is,” Kazuya insisted.
“Fine,” his mother said. “Then why won't you take the job if it is? Business is business, right?”
Kazuya seriously hated his mother.
♥
“Maybe you need closure,” said Mrs. Akanishi.
“Closure?” Jin asked, incredulous. “Where did you pick up this psycho-babble, oka-asan?”
Mrs. Akanishi snorted. “Fine. Don't hire him then.” Jin groaned inwardly, knowing what was to come next. “I'll call Kazuya's mother. I'll tell her son won't be getting a client - though Kazuya's thriving business needs it so badly - because it makes my son squeamish.”
“Squeamish?” Jin rubbed his temples. He is getting married to a nice young lady. Yet, his mother remains adamant in stealthily setting him up with his old boyfriend. He wonders if there is another man in the planet in the same odd situation as he is.
♥
He should have been asleep hours ago. He was dead tired. But he just saw Jin after seven long years and it was quite unsettling.
Though it was awkward at first, the talk with Jin soon became friendly and natural and comfortable. They talked about their present lives. They even briefly alluded to their past. But it was without bitterness. They made their choices and that was that. They both know.
A lot has happened since then. They have grown up. He is now 25 years old. He even has his own business. And Jin is an English professor...and getting married. When he realized his prospective client's fiancé was Jin, he felt a familiar pinch in his chest. But, he rationalized, it was only natural because they shared a past.
He had moved on. It had been seven years. Seven long years that must have been good for Jin because the other man looked way better. Sitting across the table in the café, Kazuya thought Jin looked like one of those models in magazines made to appear gorgeously sloppy in a slightly crumpled white shirt and a loose black tie. True, Jin is still attractive. More so now. But, Kazuya thought, he was no longer the vulnerable boy he was when he was a teen-ager.
And he definitely can withstand any amount of sly deception, sweet coercion or emotional manipulation from his mother.
“Business is business,” Kazuya murmured to himself and he fell asleep.
♥
Jin stood on the balcony of his apartment, smoking. He was glad Leah wasn't around. He needed time to be alone that night. He just saw Kazuya. It was unexpected, to say the least.
For seven years, he has wondered about him. He picked up bits and pieces of news about Kazuya during those seven years - that after high school, Kazuya didn't go to college and instead worked in a restaurant and that, later, Kazuya enrolled in a culinary school. He also heard stories of his ex's string of girlfriends. Though it hurt him, at first, he was glad for Kazuya. That Kazuya had moved on lessened his guilt for leaving.
When he saw Kazuya that night, he realized why the younger man had so many girlfriends. He had become elegantly good-looking like a prince. Actually, had Kazuya been a girl, he'd be a perfect princess.
Jin also found it amusing that Kazuya had become quite a talker. The younger man went on and on about his passion for cooking and his new business. It was obvious that Kazuya had moved on. That Kazuya had no regrets.
Jin smiled at the night. So had he. He is getting married soon. His mother was probably right. He needed this closure before he enters a new phase in his life.
♥
“Business is business, Jin,” Kazuya said.
Jin smiled. “Yeah. And maybe we need this closure.”
The two men smiled at each other, confident they were doing the right thing. They shook hands. When neither wanted to let go and the holding lingered, their confidence wavered.
♥
The next time they met, Jin came with Leah. They talked about the wedding's theme. Tropical, Leah said, since she and Jin met in Hawaii. Kazuya recommended a menu and even suggested decors for the planned outdoor wedding. Then Jin recalled the time he and Kazuya almost ruined a wedding.
“It was your fault,” Kazuya said, smiling at the recollection.
“You're the one who lit up the fireworks,” Jin said.
“You dared me!”
They both laughed when they recalled that night. Jin was 14 and Kazuya was 12. They were coerced to attend a wedding with their mothers. The ceremony bored the boys and they ended up sneaking around until they found the fireworks. It was Jin's idea to light one. Kazuya didn't want to. Jin accused that the younger boy was afraid of fireworks and called him “Baby Kazu.”
Soon, everyone in the wedding, including the bride and the groom were running around and taking cover. Luckily, no one was hurt.
“Our mothers swore never to take us to a wedding again,” Kazuya said, lifting his tea cup to his lips.
“Or anywhere where there are unlit fireworks. Serves them right,” Jin added and placed his lit cigarette between his lips.
“It's nice how your mothers are such good friends, too,” Leah commented, watching her groom-to-be and the caterer laughing at their mothers. The two men nodded. “I bet, had one of you been a girl, they would have set you up.”
Kazuya choked on his tea. Jin started coughing.
♥
Jin, still in the suit and tie he wore in the university, stood by the door of Kazuya's apartment. He was there for official business. Or at least, that's what he convinced himself.
In the past week, he and Kazuya have been exchanging phone calls. The calls would always start about the catering - adjustments, guests' preferences and considerations. But as soon the official business were discussed - which was always quick - their talks would veer towards other topics. Mostly about Kazuya's business - his passion for cooking and some of his amusing and weird clients - and Jin's profession - his passion to teach the English language and his precious students. The calls would always last long. Lately, they have been burning lines for hours on end.
Jin enjoyed those calls. He even looked forward to it. He dismissed the unusual delight he took in those calls as merely being glad to have rekindled friendship with Kazuya; a throwback to their days as early teens.
What he couldn't figure out was why he was hesitating by Kazuya's doorway or why he was suddenly nervous when he finally pushed the doorbell.
Jin's heart skipped a beat when the door opened and he saw a surprised Kazuya. He immediately noticed the arm in a sling on the other man. “What happened?” he worriedly asked and automatically took a step forward to touch the bandaged hand. Kazuya quickly jerked away. So did Jin. “Oh. Sorry.”
“No. It's okay,” Kazuya said. Jin must have thought the touch hurt. It didn't. It felt something else.
“What happened?” Jin asked again.
“I fell off my bike. I'm okay. Just sprained a wrist,” Kazuya explained. He was used to falling off his bike, still he prefers riding one. It was easier with traffic congestion of the city. “What are you doing here?”
Jin paused and took a good look at Kazuya. The younger man was barefoot, wearing an obviously old striped pajama bottoms and a black sweater - the same sweater he wore when they first met again in the café. In each hand, Kazuya held a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. He looked quite odd and extremely tempting. At the thought Jin caught himself and suddenly blurted, “I'm getting married.”
Kazuya's nicely-trimmed brows furrowed. “I know. I'm catering for the reception.”
Jin winced at himself. “That's why I'm here.” Jin took out an envelope from inside his suit's jacket. “Deposit,” he said.
“Oh,” Kazuya said. “You could have just dropped it off at the shop. It was closer to the university.”
Jin knew that. He considered it. But he decided he didn't want to leave the cheque with someone other than the proprietor. Nobody could rebut that rationale. Except the butterflies in his stomach when Kazuya invited him inside the apartment.
“How's everything coming?” Kazuya asked, leading the way. He automatically ended in the kitchen and stood leaning on the sink.
“Fine,” Jin said dismissively, looking around. It was the first time he was in Kazuya's apartment. It was small but expectedly clean and everything in its proper place. Prissy as ever, Jin thought. He placed the cheque on the island counter and smiled at the expensive looking copper pots and pans hanging by the kitchen ceiling. “Boy, you sure love your kitchen.”
Kazuya beamed. Jin's heart bloated at the sight.
He noticed the toothbrush and toothpaste in Kazuya's hands. “Do you still brush your teeth without foaming your mouth?” Jin teased.
Kazuya chuckled then said, “You still smoke.”
“You need help?” Jin asked. Without waiting for an answer, he walked up to the younger man. He took the tube of toothpaste and flicked it open. He took the toothbrush and squeezed the paste on it. When he looked up, he realized he was a mere few inches away from Kazuya.
His eyes latched on the brown orbs. The ones that made him think of laughter and sunshine. His gaze glided lower landing on a pair of pink lips. All of Jin’s previous denial and rationalization vanished. He had been captivated all over again all along. “Open up,” he mumbled.
Kazuya stared back at the dark brown eyes that always glint of mischief and intensity. He stared at Jin's lips - strong and stubborn yet he knew how soft and gentle they are. And how he wanted those lips that very minute.
Kazuya licked his lips then parted them. He closed his eyes when Jin slowly moved the toothbrush through his lips. The taste of mint wafted in his brain. The feel of bristles on his teeth tingled all over his body. He cannot believe that something as mundane as brushing teethcan be so overwhelmingly sensual.
What the hell am I doing? Jin repeatedly thought to himself. But he cannot stop. His breathing came short ands shallow. His right hand gripping the toothbrush shook as he moved it slowly and gently inside Kazuya's mouth. In and out. The motion tapped a primal desire. All the blood in his head went south. He was completely, mindlessly aroused. “Tongue,” he hoarsely whispered.
Kazuya opened his eyes and slowly alluringly stuck out his tongue. Their eyes locked. Jin glided the bristles down to the tip of his tongue. The toothbrush slipped out of Jin's grip and fell on the floor. Jin's lips and tongue took its place on Kazuya's mouth.
Their bodies collided, hard ons crushing against each other. Lips ravished lips. Tongues fought. Hands fondled.
Kazuya didn't know how but Jin managed it but he found himself pulling his left arm off the sweater he couldn't take off earlier. Soon it was off his head and dangled by the arm in a sling. His left hand was suddenly very adept in unbuttoning and unzipping Jin's jeans. It dipped inside and they both gasped when the hand closed around Jin's erection. God, he missed Jin!
In one quick move, Kazuya fell on his knees, not minding that his bare back lightly scraped against the edge of the sink, his one able hand pulling down Jin's pants. God, he missed Jin!
He took him in. Took him all in. The taste of mint and the musky scent flooded his senses. He drew in, drew in hard as if his life depended on it. He felt Jin's hand grab his hair, heard Jin's moans. Jin. In his mind he called out his name over and over.
“Oh god, Kazuya...” Jin cried out. All else receded and all there is is Kazuya. The warm moist mouth, the feel of tongue and teeth against him, the suckling sound and the guttural choked moans coming from the throat - it was all Kazuya. He was inside Kazuya yet he felt it was him being filled.
“Kazuya...” Jin cried out once more, spilling himself inside the younger man's mouth. He grabbed Kazuya's shoulders and pulled up the younger man. No sight could possibly be more sensuously captivating than Kazuya's moist lips, red from the friction.
As they were about the kiss, a phone rang. They both stopped. The phone rang again. And again. Jin leaned away and retrieved his phone from inside his jacket and looked at it. He quickly pulled up his pants.
Kazuya saw the guilt creep in on Jin's face. He knew who was calling. “You should go,” he said.
Jin, looked at him, apologetic. “I'm sorry. I'll just take this call.”
“No,” Kazuya said, adamant. “You should go.” Then he turned and walked away towards his room, closing the door behind him. After a while, he heard his apartment door open and shut close. He allowed himself to fall on his bed. “Damn,” he muttered, feeling the throbbing in his groin and the pain in his heart.
“Damn,” Jin muttered, pressing his forehead against the steering wheel. It was all his fault. He should not have taken the damn toothbrush. He should not have gone to see him. He should not have hired him.
In his mind flashed memories of Kazuya: 10 years old and hanging by the monkey bars, 14 and glaring at his food at the onsen, 16 and making a fuss about Jin's smoking. But two memories stood out in Jin's mind. The one he barely remembers that of a 3-year old Kazuya bawling on the day he and his family moved away. And the one he can replay in his head with distinct clarity - the 18-year old Kazuya defiantly keeping himself together at the Narita Airport.
“Damn.” He should not have left him.
End of Chapter 9
A/N: If you have reached this far, I'm guessing you like this fic. So I ask for you to please indulge me and click here to listen to this song, Ghost by Indigo Girls. It's beautiful. Lyrics below the video.
Chapter 10