Fic: Raising Akame Chapter 5

[ashi_ga_demasu]

Title: Raising Akame
Rating: PG-13 (this chapter)
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies
Genre: AU Romance
Word Count: 1,800+ (this chapter)
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 guardian through the years.
A/N: No, no smex here either XD

Chapter 1  Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Raising Akame
Chapter 5: Sixteen and Eighteen Part 2

“Blurt it out, Kamenashi,” Jin said without even looking up from reading his book and startling the other boy in the room.

“Wh-what?”

Jin looked at Kazuya. “What do you want?”

“N-n-nothing...”

Jin knew Kazuya had been throwing him furtive glances all evening. It was distracting him. “Then quit staring at me.”

“I wasn't staring,” Kazuya replied lamely, embarrassed at having been found out that he had been stealing glances at Jin. He couldn't help it. He was completely enthralled at Jin - at the way the older boy's fringes partly covered his face, and eyeglasses perched on the tip of his nose, strong and set lips nibbling on a pen. He tried not to stare but he just couldn't stop.

A few more minutes of silence passed and Kazuya decided he should stop pretending to be doing his homework. He gathered his things.

“You finished?” Jin asked, looking up. He took off his glasses and brushed with his fingers his fringes away from his face.

“Yeah,” Kazuya answered, standing up. But he didn't leave. He stood unmoving by the door, knowing he couldn't leave without speaking up. It had been nagging him for weeks and he knew he just had to do it.

He had fallen in love with Jin, Kazuya was sure. Maybe he had always been. When he got jealous of Rina, it was more than a jealousy over losing a friend's attention. He could have chalked the night at the onsen as one of those things boys experimentally do, a mere product of hormones going on overdrive. But in truth, it went deeper and it scared him and tried to run away from it.

Since he and Jin renewed their friendship, Kazuya could no longer deny his feelings for the older boy. That he lives under one roof with Jin, Kazuya could neither run away. His circumstances forced him to admit to himself what he had been feeling all along.

He doesn't know if Jin is gay or not. He takes little comfort in the fact that Jin remains friends with Rio and Pi even though he suspects the two are gay lovers. Kazuya knows accepting and understanding homosexual relationships in others is not equivalent to being open to one. Still, Kazuya knew he had to take chance. It would devastate him if Jin rejects him. It would not only break his heart but he would also lose his best friend. But if he does not do anything about it, he fears he would explode.

He had made up his mind a week ago and had been mustering enough courage since. He had lain awake at nights mulling over how he should go about confessing. He had thought about all possible approaches including shocking Jin by kissing the older guy out of the blue or pretending he has a girl/boyfriend to make Jin jealous or get the both of them drunk and forcibly have sex with Jin. In the end, Kazuya decided the best way was to go about it is the normal way - he'd ask Jin out. And for two days, he had been practicing.

Kazuya cleared his throat then took a deep breath. “Jin?” Kazuya's gut clenched when Jin's dark brown eyes expectantly stared at him. “Are you...ahm...are you busy tomorrow?”

Jin arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Well...it's Saturday...and ah...” Kazuya shifted his weight from one foot to another while balancing his things in his arms. “And I was wondering if you'd like to...ahm...” Kazuya grew more uneasy seeing Jin watch him fidget. “You know...go out...?” Kazuya slightly frowned and gave out an imperceptible sigh.

Jin bit off the smile that started forming in his lips. It was amusing to watch the generally confident and prissy Kazuya unusually nonplussed and nervous. He lets a few seconds of silence pass, making Kazuya squirm some more. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“No!” Kazuya blurted, face turning red. “I was...I....” The boy looked down, frowning, and softly added, “Yeah...”

Jin allowed himself to finally smile. He had been expecting it.

At first, he would chance upon Kazuya in establishments within his route from school and they would go home together. But the chance meetings became too frequent to be accidental.

Then Kazuya somehow seemed to turn into a complete moron. He would come up to Jin's bed and ask to be helped on the most simple of homeworks but he would stay beside Jin on the bed all evening until he needed to go back to Reio's room.

And as Jin likes to tease, he would parade his towel-clad self after shower within the red-head's sight and Kazuya would get all flustered.

Jin thinks it's cute that Kazuya has a crush on him.

“Do you like me, Kazuya?” Jin asked, intentionally making the other more uncomfortable.

Seeing the smug look on Jin, Kazuya wished the floor would crack open and swallow him whole. At the same time, he so wanted to punch the older boy. He curses himself for being such an awful liar, which was why he doesn't lie. And why, at that time, even if he wanted to die of embarrassment, he couldn't lie and nodded.

Jin's smile grew wider. “I'd love to go out with you, Kazu,” Jin said sincerely.

♥

Both Kazuya and Jin were still flustered when they got home late the following night. They had spent the whole afternoon in an amusement park where Jin tormented Kazuya by making him ride the giant ferris wheel and the gut-churning roller coaster over and over. In the evening, he allowed Kazuya to pay for their dinner in some nice cozy Italian restaurant serving Jin's favorite pasta.

As they stood in the hallway across each other, both paused. “I had a real nice time, Kazuya,” Jin said, standing by the doorway to his room.

“Yeah, me, too.” Kazuya was leaning against the door of Reio's room, hesitating. He feels tingly all over just watching Jin.

All through out their date wanted so much to say how he thinks Jin looks nice (read: hot) but it just seemed weird since Jin was in a simple black shirt and jeans. All through out, he was trying to find a way to hold Jin's hands but he didn't know how to finagle it. He thought maybe he should have brought flowers but that's just more weird. He enjoyed the time with Jin but it seemed more like two buddies having fun than a romantic date. He was a little disappointed and he was resigned their first date would end just like that.

Kazuya drew out a long breath. “I should...” Kazuya started, reaching behind him for the doorknob.

“You should kiss me,” Jin interjected.

Kazuya's hand froze on the doorknob. “Huh?”

“It's impolite to end a date without a kiss,” Jin said and bit the side of his lower lip.

Kazuya swallowed hard. His heart pounded as he took tentative steps towards Jin. Unconsciously, he licked his lips when he was finally right in front of the taller guy. Kazuya strained his neck up a little. He intended to give a short curt kiss.

But a short curt kiss was not Jin's idea. Not with Kazuya. He wound an arm around Kazuya's waist, pressing the younger one against him. He placed his right hand on the back of Kazuya's head, spreading his fingers through the other's red hair and deepened their kiss.

It was not their first but it was no longer chaste nor awkward. It was real and it was, by far, the sweetest.

♥

Mrs. Akanishi and Mrs. Kamenashi were at the Akanishi's kitchen. “I'm gonna miss Kazuya,” Mrs. Akanishi said. “Who's gonna help me cook now?” she wailed. Her friend had come to pick up the boy. The Kamenashi's had finally moved to the city and it was time for Kazuya to move out of the Akanishi's home.

“Thank you for taking care of my son,” Mrs. Kamenashi said and lightly bowed to her friend. “By the way, you did not have my son beaten up, did you?” Mrs. Kamenashi suddenly asked.

Mrs. Akanishi almost choked on her tea. “No!” she exclaimed. “Why would I do that?”

“Well, every night for two weeks you'd call me agonizing that that two has yet to see each other,” Mrs. Kamenashi replied. “The night before Kazuya got beaten up, you sounded desperate.”

Mrs. Akanishi looked horrified. “I would never...!” Realizing that Kazuya's mother was joking, she started laughing. “Seriously, it broke my heart when Kazuya got home that day. I could have gone and torn apart his school looking for those bastards who beat him up.”

“Thank you for feeling that way about my Kazuya,” Mrs. Kamenashi said. “And thank you for not telling me because I really would have destroyed that school”

Mrs. Akanishi grew thoughtful. “Though I have to admit - and I'm really sorry for saying this - Kazuya getting beaten up was kind of a blessing in disguise. It was the perfect opportunity for the boys to patch up.” Mrs. Kamenashi frowned at her so she immediately added, “I was right, you know.”

Mrs. Kamenashi lost the frown then nodded. “You're a sly one.”

Just then, their husbands came in the kitchen to get more beer. “Again, thank you for taking care of Kazuya,” Mr. Kamenashi said, bowing at Mr. Akanishi then at Mrs. Akanishi. “I'm sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It was not. Kazuya's a good boy,” Mr. Akanishi said. “And our meals are lot better when he cooks,” he added then he smiled at his wife who glared at him.

“It's just this woman here - ” said Mr. Kamenashi, looking adoringly at his wife, “ - went into a frenzy when she found out I was being transfered to Tokyo. For the life of me I could not understand why she immediately transferred Kazuya when she knows fully well my transfer and our move was not until after two months...”

Mrs. Kamenashi smiled sweetly. “I got confused,” she said.

Mrs. Akanishi was astonished. She thought her interventions were genius. Yet, once again, her friend got one over her.

When the women were once again left to themselves, Mrs. Kamenashi asked, “How are things between Kazuya and Jin?”

Mrs. Akanishi sighed. “What are we going to do about them?”

“What can we do?” Mrs. Kamenashi replied. She, too sighed. They both knew their sons' relationship had developed beyond friendship.

“I should not have brought Jin to the hospital that day,” she said, recalling that one fateful February day 16 years ago. “But then again, he would have gone on his own anyway, I think,” she added ruefully.

Kazuya's mom chuckled. “And I think my Kazu-kun would have thrown a fit until Jin arrived.” They grew silent for awhile, silently sipping their jasmine tea. “You think their fathers will kill us if they find out?”

“They won't. We've got those big men totally wrapped around our delicate our fingers,” Jin's mother replied. The other woman nodded in complete agreement.

End of Chapter 5

A/N: Chapter 6 is angst. I don't like angst. So before I launch into that angsty chaper, allow me to indulge in a cracky mother-son exchange. Read on.

♥Sixteen and Eighteen [Side Story]♥

“Do you use condoms?” Mrs. Akanishi asked her son.

Jin almost dropped the plate he was rinsing. He turned towards his mother. “Excuse me?”

“I asked if you use condoms,” the woman said, nonchalant.

Jin eyed his mother for a minute. It was his father who gave him the “birds and bees” lecture years ago after his mother first caught him washing his sheets so early in the morning. His mother never said anything, not even when he started dating. “Why do you ask?”

Mrs. Akanishi merely shrugged. “You know it's not just for birth control, right? It's used for protection against diseases.”

Jin's first instinct was to defend Kazuya but immediately stopped himself. His mother doesn't about him and Kazuya. Or does she? He suspiciously eyed the woman but his mother's expression remained passive. As if she was merely talking about the benefits of using clean socks. “Yeah,” Jin answered.

“Always?”

“No,” Jin replied. His mother frowned. “Only when I have sex.”

Mrs. Akanishi smirked at her son's clear wisecrack. “Why do you have such a smart mouth?”

“You're my mother,” was Jin's quick reply.

♥

“Honey, will you prepare me a hot compress?” Mrs. Kamenashi called out.

Kazuya winced. Of all the days his mother would ask him to play nurse, it had to be that day. Wearing only a shirt and his boxer shorts, Kazuya limped about to prepare a hot compress.

Hot compress in hand, Kazuya went to his mother's room. “Here, oka-asan,” he said.

Kazuya's mother walked up to him, took the hot compress and hugged him.

Kazuya groaned in relief when he felt soothing warmth against his butt. “Oh that feels good...” Kazuya said out loud, unable to stop himself.

“Yes, honey. Use it,” his mother said while replacing her hand with Kazuya's on the hot compress. Then she turned, went inside her room and closed the door. Leaving Kazuya shocked and embarrassed.

♥End of Chapter 5 Side Story ♥

A/N: To everyone who has read this far, domo aregato. A(^-^)R(-^ )I(^ )G( )A( ^)T( ^-)O(^-^)~♪

Chapter 6