But remember this is FAN-FICTION.... So hate it or love it, it's ok. We're all fans of the original, and if you don't like what I write, just go back reading the original.
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| Misaki and Usagi-san in the intro to the anime |
Misaki gives in
Usami Akihiko turned to Takahashi Misaki
with a soft smile.
“If that’s how you feel, come and stay
with me”, he said.
Misakis
green eyes widened slightly.
“If I can’t afford the apartment I have
now how do you think I could afford half of yours”, he asked. “My rent today is
68000 yen. If I’d move in with you and pay for half, it’d be 150000 yen. That
doesn’t sound like a reduction to me.”
Akihiko
smiled wistfully.
“You won’t have to pay, I’ll do that”,
he said. “Just as I do now. No need to worry.”
“But”, Misaki tried to protest. He was
used to pay for himself, even these dates they had been going on for over four
years he refused to let Akihiko pay for, even though Akihiko said he wanted to
take Misaki somewhere fancy once in a while.
“It’s about time we stopped fooling
around”, said Akihiko. “We are in love, right? So stop squirming and move in
with me already. Geez, I’ve asked you for a whole year already.”
Misaki
blushed deeply and hung his head. Akihiko was trying to look out for him again.
It was very touching, but Misaki wasn’t very used to it. He looked shyly at
Akihiko. Five years ago, when he was 17, Misaki had read Usami Akihiko’s first
published novel, it had already been out for a couple of years, and all of his
friends were raving about it. He had fallen in love so completely with the book
that he picked up the other four books Akihiko had written. Never had he
imagined that he would one day run into the author. And never, in his wildest
fantasies, had he imagined himself sitting here five years later, three times
award-winner Usami Akihiko by his side, considering, for the tenth time,
whether or not to move in to the most luxurious, expensive apartment on this
side of Europe.
“Listen, Akihiko”, he said trembling. “I
love you, and I want to be with you, but I can’t let you pay for me.”
Akihiko
grabbed Misaki’s chin and forced his head up so he could look into his eyes. Akihiko’s
eyes were blue, almost lavender, and very serious.
“You really are stubborn”, he said. “You
will come and live with me, and let me worry about economics. You have enough
to worry about in university. And I hate to see you worry.”
Misaki
flushed deeply. Why was it that Akihiko always said things that made him go
scarlet?
“You are so beautiful when you blush”,
said Akihiko with a smile. Next moment his lips were pressed against Misaki’s.
Misaki pushed him back.
“Could you stop doing that in public”,
ha said crossly.
Akihiko
looked around. The café was almost empty, it was just after lunch.
“I don’t think Mama mind seeing us
kiss”, he said. “And not anyone else who comes here. This café is mainly
frequented by homosexuals anyway.”
“So not the point”, muttered Misaki.
Then he sighed deeply. “OK”, he said. “I’ll come and live with you. I’ll do the
cooking, that’s the least I can do, to pay rent. Can you cook at all, Akihiko?”
“I can make coffee.”
“However do you survive without me?”
Akihiko
kissed Misaki again, rather passionately. This was both because he really
wanted to kiss Misaki, and because he really wanted to embarrass him.
“I’m not sure I do”, he said. “Let’s go
home.”
They
left the café and started walking towards Akihiko’s apartment. To be honest,
Akihiko’s apartment was a good choice for Misaki. It was only 15 minutes’ walk
from the university where he studied. That alone would make up for some of the
costs living in that luxurious 5 bedroom apartment. As it were, he had a forty-five
minute commute to the university. Misaki grabbed Akihiko’s hand and leaned on
him.
“What about my apartment”, he asked.
“All my stuff…”
“You don’t have any stuff”, said
Akihiko. “I’ve never seen a single room apartment so empty. You barely have
furniture.”
“They’re rented”, muttered Misaki. “And
all I have is what I need to study.”
“My point exactly. Do you even have any
clothes?”
Misaki
frowned. Maybe he wore his clothes more than one time, but that didn’t mean he
didn’t have anything to change with. Maybe Akihiko was embarrassed over Misaki
only having five sweat shirts.
“Of course I do”, he grumbled. “Do you
have any food? I’ll cook dinner today.”
“Don’t know”, said Akihiko.
Misaki
laughed.
“The great lord Usami Akihiko, apartment
full of scripts and teddy bears, but no food in the fridge. How did he ever
manage to write his books?”
Akihiko
shook his head slightly.
“I order take-out”, he said airily.
Akihiko
took out his key and let himself and his lover inside. Misaki froze on the
threshold. Never in his life had he seen so much clutter. Not to talk about the
laundry. And the dishes. Suddenly he felt all weak.
“What happened in here”, he asked
faintly.
Akihiko
bit his lip. He had totally forgotten he hadn’t done something about this mess
before going to meet Misaki. Part of the truth was that he hadn’t bothered. He
had never thought he would be able to convince Misaki to come home to stay with
him today. This of all the almost four hundred days he had tried to talk him
into it, it hadn’t crossed his mind. He had thought that maybe he would have
managed to talk Misaki into taking him home and have sex, in Misaki’s
apartment. But mostly, he had just forgotten.
“Sorry”, he said. “I’ve been working a
lot lately.”
“How long is ‘lately’ for you?”
“Past month or so.”
Misaki
walked up to the sitting area and sat down on the arm to one of the sofas,
after having moved Akihiko’s largest teddy, wearing one of Akihiko’s shirts as
a hat. He knew Akihiko wasn’t good at cleaning. Or cooking. But he also knew
Akihiko generally made an effort for his sake. Misaki felt that he didn’t
really know where in this mess to start. If he was going to live here, he would
have to clean this mess up. Akihiko would have to help him, though. He felt
Akihiko’s arms around his neck.
“Sorry”, Akihiko said earnestly. “I
should have done something about this, I was just so eager to see you. I didn’t
stop to think.”
“Well”, said Misaki, softly caressing
Akihiko’s arms, taking his hands. “I’ll just have to clean up with you. But
you’re going to help, or I’ll kill you.”
“No, honey”, said Akihiko. “I’m going to
clean. You are going to help. You’ll just have to tell me what to do.”
Misaki
sighed deeply.
“Is there any inch in this house where
we could stuff my things for now? I figure if I bring my stuff and break my lease,
I might not regret coming here. There goes all my savings, but…”
“What about your savings”, asked Akihiko
alarmed.
“Have to use them to buy out the lease.
I’m not sure they’ll cover it though.”
“How much is it to break the lease?”
“No idea, but more than I can afford.”
Akihiko
let go of Misaki, turned around and lighted a cigarette. He tried to calculate
an approximate value of Misakis lease when Misaki said:
“You do know that is one of the worst habits
in the world, right?”
“Yeah, I know”, said Akihiko. “You tell
me every time.”
“And you agree?”
“I do.”
“Why don’t you quit then?”
“Addiction.”
“Smoking like that will kill you, you
know.”
“You’re right.”
Akihiko
leaned back slightly. Misaki did the same. For a moment their backs pressed
against each other.
“I’ll promise to quit when I die”,
Akihiko said after a moment.
Misaki
slid out of the sofa.
“Idiot”, he said fiercely. “Don’t say
things like that.”
Akihiko
walked over to the sink in the kitchen area and killed the cigarette there.
Then he looked around at the mess he had made for himself. There was laundry
everywhere and he though a bit ashamed that it wasn’t all. When had he bought
so much clothes anyway? By the sofa stood Misaki looking thoughtful.
“Misaki”, he said in a low, longing
voice.
“Are you ready to do something about
this mess”, asked Misaki in a tone saying he couldn’t stand this anymore.
Akihiko
nodded.
“Just tell me what to do.”
“Then go over to my place and get my
stuff. Everything is packed in boxes, so don’t worry about it. Here’s my key”,
Misaki dug out his key from a pocket and held out his hand towards Akihiko.
“Ok”, said Akihiko, walked over to
Misaki, grabbed the key with one hand, Misaki’s waist with the other, pulled
him close and kissed him.
Misaki
pushed him back.
“You reek of cigarettes”, ha said making
a grimace.
Akihiko
didn’t answer. He left with a satisfied smile. Misaki shook his head slightly
then he started to pull things out from under the stair. He could put his stuff
there. For now.
When
Akihiko came back, Misaki was sorting laundry into piles. The four piles
weren’t all that large but Akihiko still felt ashamed. Was it really this bad?
He placed the three boxes and the duffle bag under the stairs.
“You started without me?”
“I’m just sorting through the laundry
that was in here.”
“Just in here?”
“Mmm.”
“Have you been in the laundry room?”
“No.”
For
a moment or so, Akihiko wondered where the nearest length of rope and a
suitable beam could be. He really felt like hanging himself from shame. But he
shook his head to clear it.
“So”, he said, “What should I do?”
“Take this pile of whites and put it in
the laundry machine”, said Misaki. “We’d best start doing laundry, because you
have a lot.”
“Ok”, said Akihiko, grabbing as much laundry
from the white pile as he could manage. “You’d best start it though; I always
put the machine on ‘bizarre’ wash.”
“You mean you have actually started the
machine before”, asked Misaki in an innocent tone.
Akihiko
felt the great desire to throw a piece of clothing on Misaki, but he couldn’t.
Doing that would just result in dropping the rest. He went into the laundry
room with his burden.
“Misaki”, he called. “Could you show me
how to do this?”
With
a deep sigh, Misaki came into the laundry room and helped Akihiko start the
machine. Then he turned to go back to the living room, but Akihiko grabbed him
around the chest, locking his arms to his side.
“Akihiko”, said Misaki with a strained
smile. “What are you doing?”
“Holding my Misaki”, said Akihiko.
“Why?”
“Because I love him, and I need to feel
just how much.”
“He
is standing right here”, said Misaki quietly. “How much”, he added with a
slight tremble.
“More than anything”, said Akihiko. “So
much that I bugged him for a whole year about coming to stay with me. And
finally today, he came to stay with me, and I felt I had never been so happy my
whole life. Hearing him say he would come, and even break his lease to stay
with me, was better than sex.”
“Ok, good to know”, smiled Misaki. “Then
maybe I won’t have to put out as much.”
“No”, said Akihiko placidly. “You’ll
have to put out even more to make it up to me.”
“Keep that though”, said Misaki. “Cause
I’m not sleeping with you again until this place is fit for royalty. And I’m
not touching your bed until we’ve had it detailed.”
Akihiko
let go of Misaki.
“Ok”, he said. “So what now?”
Misaki
put Akihiko to work in the master bedroom upstairs while he finished the living
room. Then he moved on to the laundry room, and then the bathroom downstairs, which
looked as though it had never been used, then he walked up the stairs to check
on Akihiko. Akihiko was doing fine; he was sorting through books that had been
spread over half the bedroom. The bed sheets lay in a pile with other laundry,
the cover, pillows and mattress lay half on the floor, half on the bed.
“Almost done”, said Akihiko, sounding
proud. “I’ll take down the laundry, and I thought maybe we could air the
mattress and stuff out. Put it in the garden…”
Misaki
smiled faintly.
“Akihiko”, he said. “Thinking in more
than one step. I’m proud.”
Akihiko
snorted.
“I do play chess, you know”, he said.
“You and everyone else.”
Akihiko
pushed the last book into the cramped bookcase. Misaki reflected for a moment
on the fact that this was just a fraction of all Akihiko’s books. Most of them
were in the study, these were just for reading when Akihiko was bored or
couldn’t sleep. Akihiko grabbed the mattress to haul it outside.
“Do you care to help”, he asked.
Misaki
shook his head.
“No way”, he said. “I stand by my word.
I won’t touch anything in here until it’s been cleaned.”
Akihiko
sighed and started to lug the mattress downstairs. Misaki followed him. Once
downstairs, Misaki went into the laundry room and pulled the laundry out of the
machine. With the nice weather they had, he had a mind to hang it outside. His
mother had always said that was the luxury of having a garden. Misaki wondered
what she would think about having a roof garden. If that wasn’t luxury, he
didn’t know what was. Next he thought what their electrical bill would look
like after doing so much laundry. Two or three machines today or they would
never catch up.
“Misaki”, said Akihiko when he came
outside with the pillows and the cover. “What do you want to eat? I feel it’s
about time we took a break and ate something.
Misaki
thought for a moment.
“Well, I suppose it would have to be
easy to cook, the way the kitchen looks”, he said. “And I’m not touching
anything in that fridge. You get the great pleasure of cleaning it out.”
“It’s empty”, sad Akihiko. “I haven’t
bought food in six weeks.”
“So what did you eat?”
“Takeout”, smiled Akihiko. “Sometimes I
ate at my parents’.”
Misaki
shook his head. Akihiko snuck up behind him and embraced him.
“What now”, asked Misaki wearily.
“Are you done yet”, asked Akihiko. “I’m
hungry.”
“So go dig out one of your takeout menus
and order us some food”, said Misaki. “Stop clinging to me at every turn.”
Akihiko
hugged Misaki harder.
“Don’t want to let go now”, he said.
“Akihiko, I can’t breathe”, gasped
Misaki.
Akihiko
let go. He left Misaki alone to hang the rest of the laundry and went inside.
He took a menu from the table and started looking through it on the way to the
telephone. Just as he was going to take the phone and call the restaurant, it
rang. He grabbed it and answered.
“Hello?”
“Akihiko?”
“Isaka.”
“Where the hell were you? Why didn’t you
pick up?”
Akihiko
frowned.
“Haven’t heard any call.”
“I’ve called like five times! Both to
your home phone and to your cell.”
“My cell phone batteries are dead”,
Akihiko lied.
“Well, anyway. Have you reviewed the
script? I need it desperately.”
“I have… but can it wait? I’m busy.”
“No”, said Isaka exasperated. “It can’t
wait any longer; your deadline was a week ago.”
“Sorry”, muttered Akihiko.
“I’ll come and collect it right away”,
said Isaka. “Don’t you dare run away on me!”
“I’ll wait right here”, said Akihiko and
hung up the phone.
“Who are you talking to”, asked Misaki.
He had just come inside.
“My publisher. Apparently I have
forgotten to hand in my script.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Akihiko
started dialing the phone number to the restaurant when the doorbell rang.
“That was quick”, muttered Akihiko and
let Isaka in.
Misaki
disappeared upstairs.
“Hi, Akihiko”, said Isaka. “Who was that
who went upstairs so quick I think he was avoiding me?”
“Takahashi Misaki. And he’s definitely
avoiding you.”
“Your boy toy?”
“My boyfriend. And don’t look at me like that, that was 10 years ago.”
Isaka
sighed. When he and Akihiko had been together he had been very possessive.
Isaka hadn’t let Akihiko do anything without him, especially not looking at
other guys. Which is why Akihiko had broken up with him.
“So, where is the script?”
“Upstairs”, said Akihiko with a smile.
“So maybe I could have a good look on
the boy toy.”
Akihiko
sighed and started to walk up the stairs. He led Isaka into the very messy
office.
“When did you clean this place last”,
asked Ísaka, starting to flip through a pile of papers.
“Some time ago”, muttered Akihiko,
starting up his computer.
“No kidding… Since when do you smoke so
much?”
Isaka
was staring at the overfull ashtray.
“Since I was seventeen”, said Akihiko.
“Can’t be good.”
Akihiko
punched out the disc tray on the computer and took out the CD. He handed it to
Isaka.
“What, no USB”, said Isaka disappointed.
“I couldn’t find it.”
“Ok, so where’s the boy toy?”
“You say boy toy one more time and I’ll
clock you.”
Isaka
held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.
“Ok”, he said. “So where is he?”
“Nowhere you need to know”, said
Akihiko. “I’m keeping you far away from him, at least for the moment.”
“Aw, don’t be a spoilsport”, begged
Isaka.
“You’re leaving now”, said Akihiko
grabbing Isakas arm and leading him down to the front door again.
“Ok, ok, I’m leaving”, said Isaka.
“Don’t forget the meeting on Wednesday.”
“I’ll try to forget”, said Akihiko with
half a wicked smile.
“Yeah, sure”, muttered Isaka and left.
After
having shut the door behind Isaka, Akihiko finally called the restaurant and
ordered food. Knowing they were quick he waited by the door, thinking of
Misaki. He wondered why Misaki had been so quick disappearing when he saw
Isaka. Akihiko had never even mentioned Isaka to Misaki. And he didn’t know
Misaki to be shy. But Misaki had really tried to disappear. Why?
Akihiko
received and paid for the food, put it on the dining table and went upstairs.
Misaki was in the bedroom, putting away the washing. He was doing this very
slowly and deliberately, as if nothing was more important right now.
“Misaki”, said Akihiko quietly.
“I’ll be done soon”, said Misaki.
“No need”, said Akihiko. “Come on down
and have dinner.”
“Has he left?”
“Who, Isaka?”
“If that’s his name”, muttered Misaki.
“Yes, he left. He was in a hurry… of
sorts.”
Misaki
stopped mid-movement. He looked questioningly at Akihiko. But Akihiko shook his
head.
“None of my business”, he said. “Come
on, let’s eat.”
Misaki
put the rest of the clothes away in a hurry. Apparently he had been slow on purpose.
Then they went down to the dinner.
“Where do you have the plates, again”,
asked Misaki and started towards the kitchen area.
“In the sink”, said Akihiko laconically.
Misaki
heaved a sigh from the bottom of his heart.
“You are incorrigible.”
“These boxes are nice enough to eat
from”, said Akihiko lightly.
Misaki
sat down. Akihiko passed him half of the dishes. Misaki felt ashamed. This was
the kind of food he could never buy, and never let Akihiko buy for him under
normal circumstances. This meal alone was just under his weekly salary in the museum.
They ate in silence for about five minutes, and then Akihiko asked:
“Do you like the food?”
Misaki
nodded.
“Would never buy it myself”, he said.
“You really don’t know the value of money, do you?”
“Spending money on food should be ok, I
think”, said Akihiko. “It is not as though its luxury items bought for vanity.
You have to eat, you know.”
Misaki
didn’t answer this. Instead he asked:
“How’s work going?”
“Fine. You know me, it’s always going
fine.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s always going
fine. Until it goes bad.”
Akihiko
looked at Misaki. Misaki sounded a little strange.
“What’s wrong”, he asked.
“I think I’m just tired”, said Misaki,
trying to sound light-hearted. “Don’t mind me. It is crash week and then I get
to deal with this mess.”
“Crash week? I’ve heard about cram week,
but…”
“At Todai, at least in the anthropology
department, we call it crash week… a lot of students crash during the exams,
even if it is only midterm. The teachers won’t let up for even a second.”
Akihiko
smiled one of his mist dazzling and gentle smiles.
“Poor thing”, he said. “I guess we’ll
have to put you to bed after dinner.”
Misaki
now looked as tired as he said he felt. He was hanging his head and looked
pale. But he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“What about the rest of the house”, he
asked.
“We can take care of that when you have
rested. Take a free day tomorrow. It’s Friday, so…”
Misaki
shook his head.
“I go to Japans most prestigious university”,
he said. “I can’t be sick.”
“Ok, on one condition”, said Akihiko.
“What”, asked Misaki, looking up.
“I drive you there and I pick you up in
the afternoon.”
Misaki
nodded. He usually didn’t really like the flamboyant side of Akihiko, but
unless he felt a lot better tomorrow morning, he would have to stand the red
Ferrari sports car. And the eight-thousand odd students staring at him.
