Hikaru No Go Fan Fiction ❯ The Extent of Denial ❯ Taken ( Chapter 30 )

A/N: OMG, I'm still not done, right?! ^_^ This damn fic just keeps going. <eyes cross> Thank you for all of the reviews! Sorry for driving you all crazy! NOW. On to the relationship development! ^_-

 

 

 

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Hikaru was startled when Akira's lips actually touched his, tentative and uncertain. He had expected the aqua-eyed boy to stammer some more and retreat again, despite the fact that he'd been doing his best to leave an opening all evening.

 

Akira's free hand came up to brush Hikaru's bangs back, his rival's eyes already closed.

 

The kiss drew out, becoming more involved, and his own eyelids fluttered and slid closed, unable to resist the tenderness. He tilted his head back slightly, offering his friend a better angle.

 

It was a relief to finally stop having to worry about Kota when they were like this.

 

Hikaru released Akira's wrist and slid his fingers into the back of the other boy's silky hair, making an involuntary noise of pleasure. He still didn't know the boundaries of the feelings involved, or what options were open to him, but for the moment, he didn't want to worry about that. All his senses were reeling, the heat and liquid electricity of Akira's touch lapping at his tenuous control.

 

He was startled when he felt slender fingers begin tracing idle patterns on his naked chest, amplifying the feelings within him. All of his attention was caught up in following the path of those fingers, trying to decipher what messages they might be sending him, wondering what the feelings and thoughts were behind them…and wondering where they might go next.

 

Akira drew back slightly, eyes opening halfway. “You're thinking too much,” he breathed against Hikaru's lips, fingers of the other hand feathering over the burning skin of one cheek.

 

“You should talk,” he murmured back, desire winding his body even more tightly as he gazed into Akira's sultry aqua eyes. “I never would have imagined…that you could be like this.”

 

“Like what?” His rival's voice was low and soft, yet husky, like slightly roughened silk.

 

Hikaru swallowed, overwhelmed by desire and emotion. “Like this.”

 

Akira gazed down at him for a long moment, frowning slightly, then pushed him deeper into the cushions of the couch, kissing him again. The second kiss was not at all tentative, but reminded him of the last time he'd been in this sort of position with his friend. The other boy's fingers had wandered even lower, and were perilously close to infiltrating what clothing he had on - namely, his insubstantial gym shorts.

 

“Nnn…'Kira,” he gasped when the other drew back, feeling winded. His head was spinning from being so close and intimate with the one he…the one he…

 

“Mine,” Akira said, tone steely. Aqua eyes caged him, possessive and intense.

 

“Well…actually—“ he began, meaning to reveal that he and Kota had broken up.

 

“No!” Akira exclaimed passionately, leaning down to kiss him forcefully.

 

Whatever his friend had thought he was going to say, it seemed he wouldn't be allowed to say it. His rival's fingers slipped into his clothing in a rush, touching him with a confidence he never would have expected.

 

Hikaru bucked against the sudden intimacy, making inarticulate sounds into Akira's mouth. If he'd had any thoughts, they had fractured and dissipated under that touch.

 

Akira drew back again, aqua eyes hooded and rather pleased. “So these…are all you're wearing.”

 

“Ah…” was his witty rejoinder.

 

“You don't need to think about anything…but me. Me. I'm here, Hikaru, just me. I am all that you should be…thinking of.” Akira's tone was strong and had an edge to it.

 

“I'm yours, am I?” he whispered playfully.

 

“Yes,” Akira replied, completely serious.

 

Suddenly, his rival's hand moved against his burning flesh, fingers teasing him with fleeting, feathery strokes. It made him want to cry. This felt just like their time at the beach.

 

He tried to sneak a hand under the other boy's nightshirt, but was stopped quite firmly by Akira's hand taking his and bearing it back to rest against the cushions.

 

“No, not yet,” Akira whispered, leaning in to kiss him again. Those fingers were still teasing him.

 

He writhed against the couch a little, trying to escape their touch. “If…if you keep going…” he tried to explain against his friend's warm lips.

 

Aqua eyes blazed at him suddenly. “That's what I want. I want to hear you make those noises…for me.” Akira suddenly reached out, dragging Hikaru's gym shorts down to his knees.

 

Before he could respond or protest, he was made mindless again by the intensified efforts of the other pro. He attempted to retain some control, to at least keep from lifting his hips quite so eagerly, but he couldn't. It all trickled through his fingers when they were like this.

 

He had become a writhing, mindless mess of emotion and hunger, moaning and gasping for Akira's touch.

 

“More,” Akira whispered into his ear, fingers brushing over the sensitive skin of his inner thighs.

 

“Nnn….nn…Kir…a…” ; he gasped brokenly, body shivering.

 

“Do you know…that I've touched myself so many times…just thinking about you being like this with me?”

 

He opened his eyes at that, staring up into the molten aqua gaze of his rival.

 

“Yes,” Akira whispered, fingertips skating over the naked skin of one hip. “I'm shameless for you…only you.”

 

Hikaru hissed softly as tendrils of the fire building in his body raced after his rival's fingertips unerringly. It didn't fade from where he'd been touched before, but only burned steadily, adding to the general heat.

 

And the thought that Akira had done things like that over thoughts of him…was almost unbearable, pushing him closer to the brink of insanity…or pleasure. He couldn't tell which. He had never felt like this with anyone but Akira, and this was the farthest they'd ever gone. What would it feel like if they…?

 

“You're thinking again,” Akira purred into his ear, leaning in to bite the nearby curve of his neck.

 

“Ah!” He squirmed helplessly, trying to cut the intensity, but the other boy's kisses continued down his throat and over one collarbone, driving him mad. On top of that, Akira's fingers kept flirting from one hip to the other, leaving only to brush lightly over the insides of his thighs before repeating the motions. Occasionally he felt them graze over his stomach.

 

How had Akira become so adept at tormenting him? Or did it just come naturally?

 

“Akira…please, please. If I can't touch you…” His breath was sobbing out pitifully, making him sound like a total girl. Embarrassment blazed across his cheeks.

 

Akira seemed charmed by it, smiling sweetly down on him. “You won't run away?” the aqua-eyed boy murmured gently.

 

Was Akira crazy? There was no way he'd be able to go anywhere like this. “Mm.”

 

The other boy leaned in to kiss him again, expression very solemn and focused. It was a deep kiss, a perfect seal between the two of them. But it would be even more perfect if…

 

The thought of making love to Akira and kissing him like this sent Hikaru's mind and body into a complete meltdown. He reached out, capturing his rival's teasing hand, and brought it back to where he needed to be touched.

 

Akira complied, fingers wrapping around him tightly and stroking him with agonizing, sensual slowness.

 

Hikaru's entire body tensed and began shuddering as he clenched his jaw against the wave of pleasure about to crush him. Oh god…those hands…those fingers… Then it was upon him, and he was crying out over and over and clutching Akira to him blindly.

 

His feelings for the other boy wrapped around him and dragged him down forcefully, his fragmented thoughts whirling in frantic circles like water going down a drain. He was vaguely aware that Akira's tongue still caressed his, even though he was incapable of kissing back at the moment.

 

Do…love you…do…going to die…from this!

 

He drifted in a haze for a short time, aftershocks making it difficult to breathe steadily. So he didn't worry about anything other than breathing for a little while. He was content to be thoughtless and senseless in the warmth that cradled him, Akira's scent surrounding him.

 

When he came back to himself, the first thing he was aware of were fingers gently stroking his cheek, straying away to periodically brush through the hair at his temple. He was also aware that Akira's other hand was still in intimate contact with his body, although it wasn't moving anymore.

 

Hikaru opened his eyes slowly. His rival was gazing down upon him, expression tender and beatific.

 

“What are you thinking?” he whispered.

 

The other boy blinked, surprised out of whatever reverie he'd been lost in. “Just…that this is perfect.”

 

“See? I knew…it would be.” He smiled sleepily, mind still hazy. His body felt balanced and relaxed, as if he'd spent a weekend at the hot springs.

 

“So why did you run away, then?” Akira asked, tone slightly guarded. The light had faded from his features.

 

Hikaru winced. He could see this rapidly devolving into an argument if it continued. He just knew it would. “Can we talk about it tomorrow?” he asked hopefully.

 

Akira relaxed, expression becoming warm again. “Of course. I apologize. Let's prepare for bed.”

 

“Are you sure you won't let me touch you?” he asked forlornly, raising pleading eyes to his friend.

 

“I'm not quite ready for that,” Akira admitted shyly, glancing away as he rose to his feet.

 

Hikaru wanted to snort or burst out laughing, but he stifled the urge. Not ready?? He had just been pushed down into the couch and had, and the other boy said that he `wasn't ready'? He strongly suspected that Akira would be `ready' as early as tomorrow. It was the emotion that gave his friend pause, he was sure.

 

“Are you coming?” the aqua-eyed boy asked.

 

“Where?”

 

“To clean up, and then to bed,” Akira elucidated, expression exasperated.

 

“I…I can? I can sleep with you?” Hikaru stared up at his friend, shocked and overjoyed.

 

His rival put his hands on his hips, sighing, and held out his clean hand. “Of course.”

 

He dragged his gym shorts the rest of the way off and took Akira's hand, getting up to follow him.

 

 

 

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Akira smiled in the dark as he lay beside Hikaru, gaze locked on the other boy's shadowed face. He had a tutoring session tomorrow morning and should probably already be asleep, but he felt full and restless, wide awake.

 

He and Hikaru were facing each other, but his friend had already drifted off to sleep. Their hands lay between them on top of the thin sheet, clasped tightly together. He felt complete like this.

 

He didn't have to keep the feelings to himself anymore. But how to tell Hikaru…? Especially with all that had yet to be discussed. His smile faded as he contemplated the complications. He wasn't looking forward to those things that they needed to talk about.

 

Like where Hikaru and Kota stood after this night, what had passed between them, what Hikaru's feelings were…and where Akira himself stood with his rival. He wouldn't settle for anything less than being Hikaru's one and only. This was serious, and very important to him. He would never risk his career for anyone or anything else, after all.

 

Akira had his own personal issue to deal with, as well. He was not content to leave things the way they were between his family and himself. Even though his mother still called periodically to talk to him, he hadn't heard anything from his father, nor had he seen him except for the single instance at the Go Institute.

 

His mind turned back to Hikaru breathing softly beside him. He knew that any deeper intimacy with his friend couldn't be pursued with blind instinct alone as his guide. He was determined to learn how to make love to the other boy properly, and for that…he would have to talk to Isumi. As much as going to someone for such a private thing galled him, he didn't want to search for information indiscriminately. He would much rather hear it from someone trustworthy, however embarrassing.

 

He couldn't tolerate the thought that Hikaru might see Kota tomorrow, or be intimate with the man again. Or might slip out before he woke in the morning. What if the other boy regretted it?

 

You can't! I touched you, Hikaru - that makes you mine. Kota may have touched you, too, but we're special. What's between us is different, pure. This is how it's supposed to be.

 

I will purify your body in time. I will erase him from you utterly, that mistake.

 

Akira squeezed Hikaru's hand, frightened that the other boy would be swept away from him in a few hours at dawn, when they woke up. He was afraid that everything would change.

 

If he had ever hated anyone, he would have to say that it was Kota. Just the thought of the man near his rival was enough to make his blood boil. He had often wished that Kota would simply die. It was a horrible thing to wish upon someone, but he couldn't seem to restrain himself.

 

Kota was between Akira and his goal, simply in his way, and he had a tendency to be cold and calculating about reaching his goals. He was logical - sometimes too logical, if what other people said had any merit. Hikaru was a goal with which his emotions were deeply involved in attaining, making it especially hazardous for anyone blocking him.

 

If something didn't happen to remove Kota soon, he would have to find a way to pry the two of them apart. He knew that it would be a dishonorable and callous thing to do and that it would hurt Hikaru, but he couldn't resist being selfish in this. Hikaru was his - had always been his. It was too late for altered paths or changes in the plan. They had been orbiting each other for nearly 6 years. There was no use struggling against it, even though both he and Hikaru had tried out of fear and confusion.

 

Once he would have said without hesitation that his first priority in life was Go, and reaching the hand of god. Go was still his major focus in life, but Hikaru was his life. The bleach-banged fashion accident lying next to him was now his absolute priority, even above Go and the hand of god. He would give them up to assure that this person would always be with him. He would walk away from Go if given the choice between that and Hikaru's love.

 

It filled him with a shivering terror that another human being had become that important to him. He knew how fallible and unpredictable people were, whereas Go was anything but. He might never truly know who Hikaru was, and could certainly never learn and account for every corner and aspect of the other boy's mind and soul.

 

He could never map his rival out like a Go-ban, nor could he memorize Hikaru's bright and divine pattern like that of a completed game. For the moves of a completed game were immutable, whereas his friend's heart and soul were not.

 

“I should never have looked up from the Go-ban,” he whispered, eyes tracing the lines of Hikaru's features over and over. But it was much too late for that. It had probably been too late the first time he'd gazed upon that beaming face and radiant smile.

 

Yet he couldn't truly regret the events that had brought him so close to this person, no matter how things went tomorrow or in the future. Hikaru was his answer, the response to his every move, his other half.

 

It could never have been anyone else. He knew that.

 

Hikaru was perfect for him.

 

 

 

 

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Hikaru glanced anxiously at the clock hanging in Akira's kitchen as he heated up some miso soup on the stovetop. It was 8:32 A.M., and the other pro had left at 6 A.M. for an appointment with someone and still wasn't back yet.

 

He knew that two and half hours was a rather brief period of time to have elapsed when it came to playing Go, amateur or not, but he was impatient and knew that he and Akira had things to talk about. Knowing the other boy, they'd be going over every little mistake and opening left ignored.

 

He was also worried about what might be going on in Akira's head. He hadn't even seen his rival this morning, but he did have a sleep-hazed recollection of a familiar scent rousing him and what had felt like the brush of lips over his temple.

 

Hikaru smiled. Could Akira really be capable of being that sweet? He could hardly believe it.

 

He rescued his soup hurriedly. He'd ignored it for too long and its contents seemed to be liquefying. “Dammit.” Whenever he thought of that difficult, prickly person, his thoughts fell apart and he stared vacantly off into space.

 

Speaking of prickly people…

 

Hikaru left his soup on the counter and went to dig through his overnight bag where it sat beside the couch. His questing fingers found what they were looking for, and he pulled his cell phone out, checking for messages.

 

He smirked when he saw that Waya had called yesterday, but his amusement faded as soon as he saw the other call had been Kota. Dutifully, he went into his voice mail menu and chose to listen to his messages. Waya's was first.

 

“Hey, bitch, where are you?! As much as it's great to be around Shinich - I mean, Isumi - all the time, I miss your obnoxiousness. I need a balanced diet, ya know, between sweet and sour. So call me back so I can slap you around some, eh?” There was a moment's pause before Waya continued. “Oh! And Ochi is talking smack about you. He says you're going down as soon as matches start up again. He's gunning for you. I really think he still carries a torch for Touya - though god knows why - so watch it!”

 

Hikaru was laughing by the time the message was over, and had to save it. He always had trouble making himself delete Waya's messages. They amused him too much to be casually discarded.

 

He quickly sobered as Kota's message queued up.

 

“Yes, it's me. I figured you wouldn't answer. I miss you.” Kota sounded positively depressed. “Are you certain that Touya is the one you want, Hikaru? I know what I want. I won't disappoint you. If you'd like a date, with or without ties, give me a call.”

 

Hikaru made a face, but the message was still going.

 

“…and I can't forget you. I think about you all the time. I love you.” Kota's voice suddenly became low and intense. “I'll wait for you.”

 

He groaned in frustration, deleting the message. “I should have known that easy release the other day was too good to be true,” he muttered at his phone.

 

Kota's attitude had always been casual and relaxed, but there was something about the man's dark eyes, his stillness. Sometimes there had been that edge, a flash of intensity that suggested that the other was more than he seemed on the surface. It had been difficult to catch, but was more evident when they were being intimate, as if the man only had so much control around Hikaru.

 

The door suddenly opened and closed, startling him. He glanced up, catching Akira's faint smile. “I'm home.”

 

“Welcome back,” he murmured, smiling back.

 

“Did someone call?” Akira asked, expression becoming slightly guarded.

 

“A-ah. Waya…and Kota.” For some reason, he felt compelled to pretend that Kota hadn't called, but he wanted to be honest with his friend. Always.

 

Those aqua eyes narrowed, gleaming like the edge of a blade. “Hm. Going on a date, are you? Then you'd better tell him what happened last night, or I will.”

 

“Akira!” he exclaimed, shocked. But the other pro wasn't done.

 

“It's the least I could do, since he has been so forthright with me. Does he want to put his hands all over you, as usual?” Akira's tone was scathing, laced with a stinging anger, but his eyes were strangely bright.

 

Hikaru flinched, closing his eyes. He recalled quite clearly that Kota had deemed it necessary to share those details with Akira. “I always thought of you, Akira,” he confessed softly. “Only you.”

 

“Ha!” Akira exploded bitterly. “How easy to say that now, but I saw you lying there on that bed beneath him, remember? I can't imagine that you'd do that unless you truly wanted what he gives you, wanted him.”

 

He opened his eyes and rose from his crouch beside his bag, turning to fully face the other boy. “Is that why you wouldn't let me touch you last night? Because he has touched me?” Hikaru felt his heart constrict. He had never seen quite this side of Akira before.

 

Akira lifted his chin, looking down his nose at Hikaru. “Oh, he's done more than just `touch' you, Hikaru. He made that painfully clear.”

 

There it was. The `challenging' look that drove him crazy. “Does that disturb you?” he asked softly, hands curling helplessly at his sides.

 

“Of course it disturbs me!” the aqua-eyed boy snarled, clenching a fist against his chest as he took a step towards Hikaru.

 

“But why?” he asked quietly, remaining calm in the face of the other's outburst. “You ran away from me. Remember?”

 

“And you ran away from me! Do you want the truth? All right, I'll enlighten you! I was frightened, Hikaru. I still am! I despise being vulnerable, whether it be in Go or in life.” Akira gestured with both hands as he spoke, obviously agitated.

 

Wow. This must really bother him. He's completely worked up.

 

“I ran away from you because I didn't want to be one more game to you, Akira. I care about you, and I couldn't stand being an experiment for you.”

 

“You idiot!” Akira exclaimed forcefully. “I care about you, too! Why else would I risk myself?”

 

“Hey!” he scolded mildly. “Stop calling me names. If you're so terrified of vulnerability, why let last night happen?”

 

The other pro put a hand over his mouth, looking strained as he stared down at the floor. “Because I can't help it. I want to be close to you.”

 

“I want to be close to you, too,” he replied gently, smiling.

 

Aqua eyes flashed up to slash at him with their razor edge from beneath dark lashes. “Oh? Is that why you're sleeping with Kota?”

 

Despite the fact that such a look was incredibly intimidating, he couldn't help but think that Akira looked horribly sexy. “Actually, I'm not sleeping with Kota anymore,” he answered stiffly.

 

“Taking a break?” Akira's eyes still glared in challenge.

 

“Would you stop it? What part of this don't you understand?” Hikaru found his frustration snapping out between them despite himself. “Here, I'll lay it out plainly. I took a boyfriend when you rejected me. I fantasized about you when Kota and I were being intimate. I've already told you that I care about you - no, that you're the most precious person to me. You and I were somewhat intimate last night. Now I've just told you that I'm not sleeping with Kota anymore.” He paused, waiting for Akira's reaction.

 

The other boy frowned at him. “Don't be condescending to me, Hikaru. I won't tolerate that.”

 

“Why not? You're always being condescending to me, acting as if I'm two wits shy of being completely brain-dead. But that's not the point.”

 

“No, it's not,” Akira cut in, squaring his slender shoulders as he glared directly into Hikaru's eyes. “Where do we stand? I'm not going to stand on the sidelines while Kota remains your boyfriend. That is unacceptable.”

 

“You're right, it is. Which is what I have been trying to tell you. I broke up with Kota a couple of days ago.”

 

“You—what?” Akira blinked repeatedly, looking as if someone had suddenly removed a wall he'd been pushing against with all his might.

 

“Akira,” he said softly, patiently. “You're the only one I've ever wanted. I've only been waiting for you this entire time. Naturally I would respond when you finally said what I'd been waiting to hear - that you were actually serious.”

 

Akira looked away, blushing. “So…you're actually mine now?” The other boy turned his head back to stare intensely into Hikaru's eyes. “Mine?”

 

Wow, such weight. “Um, yeah. Always have been. You just didn't get it.”

 

“Small wonder when you were sleeping with someone else.”

 

He had a feeling that his rival was not going to forget or forgive that any time soon. “Is that going to be a problem? Are you not interested in being closer to me because of that?”

 

Akira's hands clenched around his own forearms, and the other boy stared at the wall with a tortured look. “I wanted to be your first.”

 

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, only just realizing what it was that he had taken away from his beloved friend.

 

The aqua-eyed boy cleared his throat, returning a suddenly calm gaze to Hikaru. “Are you going to call Waya back, then?”

 

“Probably. I was thinking I'd like to hang out with him, but I'd like to take a shower first, if you don't mind.”

 

“Go ahead,” Akira replied.

 

“Hmm.” Hikaru smiled slightly and closed the distance between them, leaning in to kiss the other boy's lips lightly.

 

Akira leaned back a little, seeming surprised by the gesture, but allowed the kiss to connect, intense eyes fluttering closed.

 

“Be good while I'm gone,” he teased against the other pro's lips.

 

Akira opened his eyes in order to roll them at Hikaru. “Yes, I'm positively dangerous and bear watching. If I were any more boring… Just go take your shower.”

 

“You're far from boring,” he breathed, eyes half closed as he stared at the beautiful face before him. He watched the blush rise in those pale cheeks, charmed.

 

“Just go!” Akira burst out, obviously flustered by the close attention.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I'm going.”

 

 

 

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Akira breathed a sigh of relief as Hikaru disappeared into the bedroom and tried to tell his body to calm itself. He had to use this time wisely.

 

He went into the other boy's bag, finding his cell phone, and found Isumi's number in the contacts list. As he listened to it ringing through, he hoped fervently that the dark-haired pro was alone.

 

“Hello, Hikaru,” Isumi answered, voice warm.

 

“It's Touya,” he corrected guiltily.

 

“Touya! Is everything okay?”

 

“Yes, yes, but there's something I need to discuss with you. I hate to have to ask you, but I don't have anywhere else to turn. I only have a few minutes, because Hikaru only takes fifteen minute showers.”

 

There was a brief silence from Isumi. “Ahh…well, what is it that requires such privacy, then?”

 

“Waya's not there with you, right?”

 

“Are you kidding?” Isumi replied, sounding thoroughly amused. “That lump doesn't move before 10 A.M. He's here, but not conscious.”

 

“I…I need to ask you something of a very personal nature. Please forgive my rudeness and inconsiderate prying. Hikaru…Hikaru and I…I want to…I need to know…” He was getting choked up just trying to explain.

 

Isumi laughed. “I'm sorry, Touya, I'm not laughing at you. Don't tell me that you're trying to ask me how to be intimate with Hikaru? You're going to be seme?”

 

Akira felt the blush that he was struggling with rage over his face unchecked, like wildfire. He felt so humiliated. But he was committed to doing this. “Maybe? I just…I need to know…how.”

 

“But I thought he was with Kota?” Isumi's tone was neutral enough, but Akira knew the older boy wouldn't approve of anything involving cheating.

 

“Not anymore.”

 

“What happened?” Isumi asked, sounding concerned.

 

“Can we please talk about this later?” he asked urgently, glancing over his shoulder at the bedroom. The sound of the shower was still present, so he had at least another couple of minutes to get this over with.

 

“Very well. Whoever is going to be the uke has to be relaxed, all right? And you definitely need to use lubrication, which you can typically get at the drugstore. That person will need to be, er…”

 

“What?” he pressed, even more embarrassed than he thought possible.

 

“Stretched,” Isumi returned tersely, sounding embarrassed himself.

 

Akira stared blankly at the arm of the couch in front of him, trying to get his mind around that.

 

Isumi continued in a low, confidential voice. “Work up to at least two fingers, though I'd suggest three. And for god's sake, go slowly. It's going to hurt either way, but a lot more if it isn't done properly.”

 

“It hurts?” he whispered, appalled.

 

“Well, yes. At least the first time. Each time after will be easier, more comfortable. His -- or whomever's -- body has to get used to it.”

 

Akira covered his face with his free hand, utterly embarrassed. If much more blood rose in his face, he'd never get this blush to recede, and then he would have to answer awkward questions from Hikaru.

 

And he was quite certain that he would end up being the uke, sooner or later. All of this applied to him, too! He was determined not to be uke. Ever. The vulnerability of it alone perturbed him.

 

“Touya?” Isumi prompted.

 

“Yes! Yes…it sounds difficult.”

 

“It's not, really. And it's well worth it.”

 

Hearing the satisfaction in Isumi's voice, he was certain that the older boy had been `familiar' with Waya enough to be confident. He wished he could feel confident about seducing Hikaru.

 

“Thank you, Isumi. I apologize again for being so rude.”

 

“That's fine, Touya. Where else could you go for that kind of information? I know how it is. I'm just glad that you two have finally come to this point. Hikaru…Hikaru cares about you so much.” Isumi's tone was fond and kind.

 

Akira smiled. “Mm.” The sound of the shower turning off jolted him to alertness. “I have to go, he's about to come out. He'll probably call Waya now. Please don't tell Waya about this, because I'm afraid he would only share it, and—“

 

“--and you want to surprise him,” Isumi finished, a smirk in his voice. “I had no idea, Touya!”

 

“I have to go!” he repeated. “Thank you!” He hung up quickly, dropping the phone back in the mess of Hikaru's bag and hoping the other wouldn't look at his `dialed calls' menu for some time.

 

He went into the kitchen, thinking of preparing something, and saw the bowl of soup sitting on the counter and the pot on the stove. Holding a hand over the bowl, he felt no heat rising from it and realized that Hikaru must have been about to eat right before he had come in. So easily distracted.

 

Akira sighed and turned the stove back on to reheat the miso, pouring the bowl's contents back into the pot. He would have it ready when the other boy had finished dressing.

 

“Fool,” he murmured affectionately.

 

Now the only thing for him to worry about was how to secure what he so desperately wanted from Hikaru. Complete surrender.

 

 

 

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A/N #2 - Responses to reviews!!

 

MewMew2 - Ah yes, a burden to live with! Thank you for the encouragement!

 

bb - I know, not each other's first!! The horror. But I wanted to do something different, right? Their love is strong and pure, despite the Kota thing. Kota's love is certainly not the same. ^_- Thank you for the holiday wishes!

 

jou-kaiba-mokie - Alas, it seems I cannot help but write dramatically! I'm glad that you're actually enjoying it, though.

 

Shihiru - Yes, sex! Ahh, Hikaru's first time has been stolen! >.< Yeah, Akira's not liking that, either. Thank you for suffering through it!

 

Hakuza - WTF?! Where are you! You have abandoned me! <staggers dramatically before collapsing to the floor>