[ 53 ]
He never expected to sleep so well. Hisaya was one of those types who only truly slept when in the confines of his own bed. Which made world-hopping a little more difficult.
But perhaps it was the company that made the difference, even though, when he opened his eyes, said company was missing. Reaching a hand out of the covers, he slid his fingers across the sheet on the other side of the large bed.
Cold. But knowing how fidgety the man could get, Hisaya wasn't upset. He rolled onto his back, brushing his mop of hair back off his face, and sat up. He listened out, perhaps waiting to hear the fast-padding of feet belonging to his little bun, or even movements from the wolf.
But in all the space of the ridiculously-large apartment, there was complete silence. With a look at the bed-side clock, it quickly made sense why Asahi probably wasn't up yet. But it didn't explain why Ryōichi was- but then again, the man had always been a morning person. Which Fahren as Hisaya had always protested against.
Getting out of the warm embrace of the bed was tough, more so when he realised he was naked and had no other clothes than the ones he wore yesterday. Minus the underwear, which Ryōichi had already mentioned having washed for him. Such a gentleman, Hisaya scoffed quietly.
But after a quick scan of the room, Hisaya noted a neatly-folded pile on top of the dresser. Abandoning the covers that he was partially hiding behind to protect his modesty, he scurried over and fumbled with the fabric. But afterwards, he quickly felt gloomy.
As soon as he pulled the pants up, they pooled seconds later around his ankles. No matter how tightly he tied the string, they were just too large. He cursed a few things that he was glad Asahi wasn't around to hear, then ended up pulling his tight trousers on from yesterday, begrudgingly going commando, but kept the borrowed PJ shirt on. Which was just as ridiculously-large as the trousers were, but at least there were buttons up the front, that he used, so it didn't fall off.
When he eventually left the room, he tried to remember where everything was. But it was a little difficult seeing as Ryōichi had quite literally carried him to the bedroom last night. But as he tiptoed down the hall, he felt the odd wave of warm air lick at his bare feet. He whirled around and followed where it was coming from, and the closer he got to a door he hadn't inspected yesterday, the clearer the sound of water splashing.
He poked his head around the slightly ajar door, and felt the immediate humidity that came from the room. So he has a pool in his apartment? How extra. But he couldn't complain as his eyes followed Ryōichi's form as it glided from one end of the pool to the other. He was doing a front-crawl, and barely caused a splash as he expertly swam.
Hisaya walked in, making sure to close the door to how it was, and went to sit on the seat that the man had laid a towel on. He didn't want to bother Ryoichi, no definitely not, especially seeing as the man was a damned good sight to see in the morning. Since it was so early, and the sun was just peeping through the thick morning clouds, it shun through the glass which surrounded the area they were in. And lit up the pool, and the glorious specimen swimming in it.
When said man finally came to a stop, he was on the other end of the pool, but when he spun around after a few breathers, he paused when he finally spotted Hisaya. Slicking back his wet hair, he smiled, but in the eyes of his younger lover, it looked like some naughty grin. And he wanted to scold the man for unintentionally teasing him so early in the morning.
"Good morning." He greeted, a knowing edge to his voice. Which made it feel like two young lovers who had just spent their first night together.
"Morning, your athleticism is putting me to shame." Hisaya revealed as his eyes fixed on the man who kicked off the wall and gradually grew near and nearer, swimming idly.
Ryōichi reached the edge and pushed himself out. Oh, Hisaya mumbled, that's just not fair. The man was wearing a pair of swimming pants, which although went to his knees, left little to the imagination in the crotch department. Plus the man was stacked with muscle, muscle which he was pressed up against last night, and should have licked all over.
What a wasted opportunity.
"You're already delicious." Ryōichi stated simply, standing right in front of him, and because of the angles, Hisaya was just-about eye-line with the bulge he'd gotten to know yesterday. He felt so tempted, but worried that Asahi might be an early-riser and come running in.
"But I'm flat," Hisaya stood up and hitched the excess fabric up so emphasise his point. His pale stomach only had a tiny bit of definition, but looking at Ryōichi's suddenly hungry eyes, the man didn't seem to mind at all.
Especially when his large hand rested on his waist. His fingertips gently stroked the soft skin, before trailing down to where the very faded scar was. His thumb ran along it, gently and slowly, lost in his own thoughts for a short while before he seemed to snap back into focus.
He cupped Hisaya's face, smiling, before claiming those light-pink lips that constantly tempted him. They were so soft, so pliant, and he lamented how lost he could get in them. Their tongues automatically wound together, proving to be a little more heated than your average good-morning kiss. But with the ever-present sexual tension between them, it was their definition of a light kiss.
Ryōichi had wondered if doing what they did last night, would somewhat ease his craving for Hisaya- if only slightly, to a manageable level, but he was wrong. Now, when he saw him, he wanted to repeat it all again, but going further, he wanted to feel how it was inside him, envious of his own fingers that had the opportunity to feel the tight warmth. Hisaya's scent was intoxicating, it was all over the apartment now, even on himself. If ever there was a time he was thankful for his pool, it was when he woke up to feel himself practically twitching with desire. Hisaya had been peacefully sleeping, snuggled up to him- butt naked. He wanted to devour his lover. Ravage him. So he all but jumped up from the bed and threw himself into the pool.
But seeing Hisaya in his shirt, with it drooping down to expose his throat and collarbones, his arousal grew painful. "You're going to split your swimming pants if you get any bigger." Hisaya teased, pulling away from the kiss to look down.
Ryōichi hid his face in Hisaya's hair, "Your fault," he mumbled.
And the younger man laughed. He reached an arm around the older man, and took a handful of his behind. The man smushed up against him physically jolted, surprised by the sudden grope. When they looked at each other, Hisaya couldn't stop laughing at the mans expression, but as he mellowed whilst Ryōichi's cheeks reddened, he genuinely smiled.
"Thank you for last night, I enjoyed it." Hisaya confessed, reaching behind him to grab the towel that the man needed.
"You don't need to thank me," Ryōichi chuckled, "But I enjoyed it too." He admitted, wrapping the towel around his waist, and now that his damp pants were covered he was able to hook his arms around Hisaya and pull him as close as they could get.
"You really do smell sweeter." The older of the two murmured as he looked at the exquisite young man in his arms.
"Is it a heat?" Hisaya blurted, coming to realise the man had commented on the same thing last night. But a flash of surprise crossed Ryōichi's face.
"No," he tried to calm him down by caressing his cheek, "The smell of a heat is..more overwhelming. The scent hits you with some force, and you almost can't breathe. Like last night, you felt how hot the room grew right?"
Hisaya nodded.
"Well, it's hotter than that."
"That sucks."
Ryōichi rested his head on top of Hisaya's, as the smaller of the two took in the man's chlorine smell. As they stayed still, hugging each other, Hisaya remembered that he was taking medication, and that it was those that could be the cause. At least they hadn't thrown him into the deep-end by giving him an immediate heat. That could have been an awkward dinner.
"I'm on some medication, it could be that." He revealed, feeling no shame in telling the man that would likely come to find out anyway.
"Medication?"
"Mm. I haven't had a heat in quite a long time, well my memory's a bit hazy on the exact details, but at least since my accident anyway." There was no need to dredge up the fact that Hisaya's body had gone through a state of 'shock' and rejected the following heats after having Asahi. Fahren didn't hold a lot of what happened against Ryōichi, or the original for that matter, they were both just too stubborn fools. But with making amends, everything gradually being said, details like the original's constitution was better kept to himself.
"That's serious," Ryoichi pulled back to arms length, looking him over like he was now some fragile patient. "What doctor did you see? I can get a specialist to-"
"I trust my doctor and I'm fine, I promise. Since you're saying my scents stronger, then the medication must be doing its job, so don't worry." Hisaya looked up at the man with a confident look that backed up his words.
"And," Hisaya went just slightly onto his tip-toes so he reached the point just under the man's ear, where he nibbled. "I can now pick up scents better, which was what happened when I arrived yesterday. It took me..a little by surprise."
"That does make more sense, though it's not like I didn't appreciate you moaning in my face." Ryōichi commented simply, shrugging lightly.
Hisaya quickly buried his head in the man's chest again, the heat radiating off from his cheeks warming the cooled skin. His actions made Ryoichi laugh, snuggling him lovingly.
"Have you got any plans today?"
Hisaya lifted his head, and nodded. "I need to head to the office. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done, and even more needs to be signed off by me."
Ryōichi's expression pinched slightly, his brows tugging down. "Work involving Hiromasa?"
"That's pretty much all my work involves at the moment, but with the success of the charity, the workloads only going to increase." He explained, seeing no issue with what he was saying, but clearly they weren't on the same page.
"He's a dangerous man."
Hisaya paused, looking at the alpha in front of him whose expression was now clear. He detached himself slightly, so he had enough space where he could really look at Ryōichi. "I know he is, and I know what he's capable of, but that still doesn't deter me."
"I know you know," Ryoichi distanced himself, lightly pacing. When he seemed to grasp his words, he turned back around. "You've only just met Asahi, and he already thinks so much of you.."
Hisaya's expression twitched, before anger set in. "This," he gestured between himself and Ryōichi, ", cannot happen if you don't trust me. I'm not like how I was, but you still think I'm going to leave."
Ryoichi realised how serious the conversation was getting, and how much it affected Hisaya, so his expression conveyed his worry. "That's not-"
"You don't need to explain," Hisaya straightened himself out, ", I understand. I don't have a good track-record, but you're going to have to give me the benefit of the doubt sooner or later. Plus, I can see you've done an efficient job of keeping Asahi's identity under-wraps, more specifically who his other parent is, but I suppose that was for the best. And it is what was promised in the old contract."
"Hisaya, you wanted nothing to do with him in the past. I stuck to the promise, but I've always wanted you to meet him. I've always wanted you to be his other parent, regardless of the difficulties we both had. I do trust you, I do," Ryōichi cupped Hisaya's face, refusing to let them end the conversation on a bad note.
"It's because of how strong my feelings for you are, that I'm nervous. Last night, all of last night, was beyond anything I could have expected. And the thought of that man getting in the middle of it, or potentially harming you again.. it makes my blood boil."
Hisaya placed his hands over the ones on his face, and he closed his eyes, leaning into them. "Finally meeting Asahi, and knowing who you are, it only makes me more determined to get Hiromasa out of the way; so I can focus on us."
"Knowing who I am?"
"Mm. For a long while, I've always felt the niggling sensation that something was missing. Perhaps it was your scent lingering on Yoshiaki, or me coincidentally going places that are owned by you." Hisaya eyed the guilty expression on the man's face.
"But I've finally found you, without a doubt. And though you might not think so, I know you quite well. Just like how you're stubborn, you're much more possessive than you let on, but you're cautious about stifling me. You'll crush any bugs that try to harm me, which is perfect right now, because we have a pretty large cockroach going around believing he's untouchable."
A semblance of a smile curved itself onto Ryoichi's mouth, and for a moment Hisaya wondered if he'd said something wrong. But the man just held him. "I'm not as daring and energetic as you, perhaps I once was, but it seems for past few years I've become someone who watches from the sideline. Hiromasa, myself and other empire-owners have a sort of unspoken agreement. We don't pester one another, we just mind our own business. It means I've obviously turned a blind eye to many wrongdoings by him. But now, especially now that it involves you, I'm more than willing to help you out."
Pecking Ryōichi's lips, Hisaya reassured the man, "Don't worry, even though we're still digging, we've already found a few incriminating things on him."
"Oh? So you don't need my help?"
"Hm. Well, I'll take your business-card." Hisaya winked and Ryōichi pinched his chin.
"Cheeky."
Hisaya wrapped his arms around Ryōichi's broad shoulders, "How's about we go out for dinner some time towards the end of the week?" Intent on changing the subject.
The older man cocked a brow, "Like a date?"
"Pfft. I suppose so, that's how relationships start."
Ryōichi's arms wound themselves around Hisaya's slender waist, his hand unconsciously slipping under the soft fabric of the baggy night-shirt. "That makes sense. Because your normal relationship starts off having already had a baby together." He teased.
"If anything, that's a benefit." Hisaya revealed to the man's sceptical look. "If the date goes horrendously wrong, we're going to end up going on another, and then another, until it's perfect. Because we both love Asahi, and want to make it work for him."
Ryōichi was touched, he kissed Hisaya to show that, tasting the lips that were previously scolding him. Their relationship was undoubtedly going to be a whirlwind of emotions, and they likely won't agree on things, but if they worked it out as easy as they just did, then there's no barriers they couldn't break down.
"Not just for him." Ryōichi revealed and they looked at each other, smiling.
It was only a short while later, after a few more smooches, that Asahi's voice echoed down the hallway. He burst through the doors and into the room where both his parents stood, fairly close to one another. "Hish-aya still here!" He yelled with a big smile on his face.
The toddler ran over but just as he was about to reach for Hisaya, he slipped on a puddle. Flying forward, Hisaya caught him and lifted him straight up into his arms. Both their hearts racing. "It's dangerous to run around a pool, baby, you could have hurt yourself." Hisaya clung to Asahi as the big silver eyes watched him.
"Sorry. Was happy to see you." The bottom lip poked out.
Hisaya's 'stern' act crumbled, he couldn't resist laying a kiss on his cheek. "And I'm happy to see you too."
"So when Hisaya's here, papa gets ignored?" Ryōichi chimed in, stepping behind his omega and pressing his chest to his back, wrapping his long arms around his young lover and their son.
"Morning papa." Asahi angelically greeted, tilting his little face up expectantly. Which his papa appreciated and planted a big kiss on his son's forehead.
Asahi wasted no time snuggling back into Hisaya's embrace, primarily tucking his face into his neck. But today, something was different. "You smell like papa!" He exclaimed.
Hisaya froze, "O-oh?"
Ryōichi was also very still, knowing with any sudden movements he could feel the wrath of his son. But Asahi was a child, and quickly came to his own conclusion, "Must have been hugging a lot! That good, keep hugging and Hish-aya can stay forever!"
The two adults glanced at one another, mutually feeling ridiculous for being so nervous about the subject no three year old would understand.
Ryōichi was able to escape, with the excuse of needing a shower, so Hisaya took Asahi to get breakfast. The little koala wouldn't let him go, so he ended up having to do everything with one hand. But he wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity for endless snuggles with his baby.
When Asahi eventually sat on his own, tucking into some cereal, Hisaya was able to sit back and watch him. He couldn't stop smiling, especially at the hair that was sticking up in all different directions, quite like his own in the morning.
Though he wasn't the parent of the year, Hisaya was still a little proud of himself. Definitely when it came to coercing the little bun to eat cereal instead of ice-cream, which Asahi had told him his 'papa let him eat in the morning'. But Hisaya took that with a pinch of salt.
The little bun was just as obsessed with sweet things as he was, which was probably going to be a pain for Ryōichi to deal with in the future- if both of them are demanding 'sweeties'. Ah well, there had to be some family drama.
As Asahi chomped and chomped, Hisaya's phone chimed. He was going to silence it when he spotted that it was an alert. Someone had triggered the sensors in his apartment. Quickly going through to the live-feed, he recognised who it was immediately and stopped the alarm before it went off.
Looking back to Asahi, whose lips were dribbling milk, Hisaya felt reluctant to leave. He wanted to stay and get to know his son even more, but he also knew the importance of the critical situation he was in. Soon, he promised himself, soon Asahi will know who he was and he can spend all his free time around him. But first, Hiromasa had to go.
[ TBC ]
[ A/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending! I'm leaving it all for the next chapter, and the stranger in Hisaya's apartment. Shoot some suggestions if you think you know who it is! ]
On Patreon: Chapters Fifty-Four & Fifty-Five are available.
[ A/N 2: Because the next few chapters following this are a tad serious, time for adorable pictures of Asahi! ]
You cry, I cry, we all cry.. because they're just too damn cute. Look at those little faces!
The first one is by the lovely: 'JanlouMitsitsiyo'
And the second is by the equally as lovely: 'RexienneG'
I love them both so much, thank you for drawing our little bun. <3