rabenhorst (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rabenhorst) wrote2010-02-14 04:18 pm
rabenhorst) wrote2010-02-14 04:18 pm
(no subject)
Title: Shotgun wedding; Chapter 7: Tokens of the Past
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
seinen_no and fonulyn
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Summary: The Niikura’s and the Andou’s used to be the two biggest families in town, wealthy and respected to the point of practically ruling the business as they wished. Times have changed though, and thus the heads of the clans have decided to take the needed steps to join their families to restore their power. Single persons don’t have much to say about anything when the whole future of the families is in question, that much the eldest sons of the Niikura family and the Andou family have to come to notice.
Comments:
seinen_no: I know, I know, we're slow and late and blergh. I can't help it at the moment. But hey, therefore I think we brought you a nice chapter. It's one of my favourites although it doesn't even involve smut. It fits Valentine's day, being at least a bit romantic! So you all enjoy and thanks for staying true to us.
fonulyn: Actually this is one of my favorite chapters too and it always puts a smile on my face :) I hope that you’ll enjoy it too! And enjoy your day, remember your loved ones and be grateful for your friends ;)
And feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive .
Previously happened: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Shotgun Wedding
Chapter 7: Tokens of the Past
At first things seemed to be going well, nearly perfectly. They were getting along and the oppressing tension stayed away. And they were trying to steal some alone moments whenever possible to let off some steam and keep the frustration away as well. It was something like an adventure for them, always trying to be discreet and silent, avoiding being revealed at all costs.
Soon they both noticed though that things couldn't go on like this. They were getting too friendly with each other, were even laughing when watching the same TV-series and that already caused their servants to cast odd glances towards them. So they tried to hold back, to return to the cold war that had been going on before things had changed. They even managed with it, ignoring each other more or less completely and when they talked they were just being polite with each other.
Still Die was certain that some of the servants were suspicious already, seeing how well the two seemed to be getting along lately. He spent some sleepless moments due to that, thinking what they should do about it and how they could convince the servants again that there was nothing going on. Finally, a perfect plan formed in his mind though and he decided to try to put it to action the next day already.
They were having a late dinner together, both sitting at the dining table like they used to do whenever their cook had decided for something more complicated and they didn't want to eat it on the couch while watching television. At first they were just silent, afterwards exchanging a couple of casual words about business and the party they were supposed to attend the following week. It was one arranged by Die's father, to celebrate his birthday, and they still hadn't managed to find a suitable present.
The present-dilemma was occupying Kaoru's mind still as he had to admit he stressed about it a little bit, and he spoke up without thinking when they had almost finished the meal already. "We still need the present for your father. I'm having a hectic schedule, weren't you supposed to buy something?"
The initial answer was an annoyed growl, and Die rolled his eyes theatrically. His voice wasn't exactly the friendliest when he almost spat out the answer. "I know. Do you think I'm stupid or something!?"
The harsh reaction made the young Niikura flinch and a deep frown appeared on his forehead. He hadn't expected something like that and asked himself what he had done wrong to deserve it. His mouth opened and closed again before he could give away something with the question that was lying on his tongue. Just when he was about to ask still, he saw a smirk ghost across the redhead's lips and he winked at him. The change of expression was gone again within a split-second and yet it had been enough to make Kaoru understand.
His voice was sharp as a knife when he answered. "Do you really want an answer?" With a slightly softer tone, almost annoyed now on his side, he went on. "Well, did you buy something or not?" He could clearly see the maid pass by the room and inwardly shook his head. They were really spying almost openly. Well, maybe this had soothed their suspicious minds a bit and they would report that everything was as it used to be.
"No." The word was clearly stressed and anyone would've said that Die's expression was clearly annoyed. He glared at his husband, his back tense and he had stopped eating as well as if the remains of the food were of no interest for him. "But it's next week, for god's sake! Do you honestly think I need ages for something as simple as that? You might, I don't."
"Well fine then. I better go and buy just something in case you again forget it." Kaoru had turned his face towards the plate, going on eating as if he was through with the matter. It was odd to fight even though he more felt like asking Die how his day was. Yes, indeed, he was interested in the other man although he knew that his day probably hadn't been very exciting he still would have enjoyed talking about just anything. And he definitely would have liked to answer to the counter-question that would certainly have followed. Yet he knew that they had to keep up the act and he already hated it to no end.
"Fuck you." The redhead stood up abruptly, slamming his palm on the table. "If you can't trust me with something trivial like that, then don't even tell me to do it in the first place!" He pushed his chair a bit further, glad that he had already eaten most of his dinner, only to march away in a demonstrating manner. He didn't really like turning his back on his husband, would've much rather asked him if he wanted to watch some TV with him or something, but knew that this was what they needed to do. Since, if he now stayed there he would just forget about holding back and would smile at the other man and say something stupid.
Although it was all fake, Kaoru felt this emptiness inside him when Die had left, the feeling an un-cleared argument left behind usually. Wasn't that stupid; to pretend to hate each other when in reality you just learned to get along? He didn't want to blow it though and thus remained sitting and even finished his dinner calmly although the food was flavorless all suddenly and he had lost his appetite.
The two avoided each other till the late evening when it was time to go to bed. Kaoru waited a good deal before he went to take a shower and then quickly slipped into Die's room. He had made sure that there were no servants around anymore and yet he only dared to step up to the other man's bed, bent down and gave him a short but gentle kiss. "Sleep well." It was his way to show that nothing that had been said had an after-effect and he certainly wasn't mad for real.
The kiss made Die smile already, and he quickly used the moment when Kaoru was still bowed down to steal another small kiss. "You too." He wasn't certain what this was that was now developing between them, where they stood and what they now meant to each other, but he knew that he liked the feeling of getting along with his husband, liked to see his smile and that certain look in his eyes that wasn't just filled with coldness anymore. Even if they would have to go on pretending that they hated each other, knowing that it wasn't so in reality made him happy.
Already this short stolen moment together managed to cheer them both up and make them both get into a better mood, so that it was easier to go on keeping up the public image. Actually, now they had two different public images: first the happy loving couple they had to be in public, never allowed to get too close to each other though or too touchy, and secondly the image they kept up in front of their servants, trying to convince them they still hated each other as much as in the beginning. And only behind closed doors, hiding in the silence of their room, they could steal short moments of togetherness, moments when they were truly allowed to be themselves.
Maybe it was because this was so new to them, that it still held some sort of excitement value, but they managed surprisingly well keeping up all three lives of theirs. Still it stressed them out somewhat whenever a more important public party or a meeting was to be expected. Like Die's father's birthday party – Die had gotten the present in the end although he never knew what to give his father – which was coming closer inevitably, and before they even noticed it was already the time to leave there.
Silently, they were sitting in the car, both staring out of the window lost in deep thoughts. Kaoru was nervous, one could see it by the moving muscles in his cheeks as he clenched his teeth every now and then. He couldn't say that he liked Die's father, but he could certainly say that he frightened him. Whenever he had tried to talk to that man, he had treated him as if he were some servant, a puppet he used for his own benefit but not a breathing, thinking human being. He was just unworthy, was probably too young and hadn't yet proved that he was an equal. How must it have been for Die to grow up in the shadow of such a powerful and cold man who never seemed to show emotions of any kind? Kaoru couldn't even get close to imagining the emptiness it must have caused to spread inside a child.
When the car stopped, his thoughts were interrupted and he waited until the driver opened the door for him to get off. Like a good husband, he offered his arm to Die as they were walking down the short aisle that led to the entrance. The party was held at the Andou's residence and although Kaoru had been there before, he still couldn't get past the thought that the house looked just like its owner, cold and frightening with its two capital wings flanking the main house to the left and right. A butler held the door open for them, bowing lowly, and took their jackets. Autumn was coming fast and so the air was clear and chilly after the sun had sunk.
Die knew all the servants more than well, and the same butler had been in the house since he had been born, so he exchanged a few words with the man, giving him a friendly smile. After his mother had died he had practically considered the servants the closest thing he had to a family, seeing that his cold father and his always sick little sister hadn't been much of use for that. He still was behaving clearly like he should as someone whose status was higher than the servants', and only the warm sparkle in his eyes showed what was going on inside him.
They headed straight to the main hall, and both knew that the redhead's father would be there to greet them instantly, and were inwardly preparing themselves for it. The man was even smiling this time, politely thanking for his gift although his eyes stayed as emotionless as always. He was like a machine, perfectly polite and correct but never showing any human features.
For some time the couple was circling around in the room, greeting some acquaintances and business partners, stopping for a chat here and there. When Kaoru noticed some of their business-friends – business partners, but still almost qualified as real friends – a bit further away he instantly steered Die into that direction, still having their arms hooked casually. Matsuo Aizawa, a young man around their age, noticed them already from further and raised his hand as if to both greet them and to get their attention.
"Good to see you two here too!" Aizawa greeted them instantly as they were close enough. He sneaked one arm around his pretty wife, giving her a quick smile before turning back to the two. "Fumie and I have been waiting for you already. It's been long, eh? We met last in the company's big party, right?" He was an easygoing man, almost cheery, and it was easy to like him.
Kaoru's smile could only be described as relieved and he instinctively squeezed his husband's arm shortly to show it. "That's true," he agreed nodding before he turned a bit to greet the woman properly. "It's been way too long."
Suddenly, another couple, Subaru and Sho Ogata stepped up to them, both smiling as wide as the rest of the small bunch. Die and Kaoru had met them as well at some business-party and the two weren't married much longer than they themselves. The only difference was that Sho had taken on his husband's name, seeing that his family wasn't of that much influence. Already from afar, Subaru greeted them. "It's good to see you here, Die, Kaoru." They indeed were more friends than business-partners. Subaru had just inherited a company from his father and taken over control, but had decided to leave most of the responsibility to his president and rather enjoy life with his young husband. They were travelling a lot and one only saw them rarely at official dinners and parties.
For the first time Kaoru felt something like envy for the two since he could see himself and Die there too. Well, maybe he wouldn't be able to give up work completely, but just being able to go on a long vacation with his husband would be heavenly. Besides, he envied Subaru and Sho for the fact that they were just showing their love towards each other quite openly, with kisses and affectionate touches; more than almost any other couple around.
Immediately, Kaoru introduced the two newcomers to Matsuo and Fumie Aizawa, shortly explaining where they had met. It could have been a nice meeting amongst friends if there hadn't been the knowledge that he always had to watch his expressions and his gestures towards Die; trying not to do too much or too less. It was frustrating.
They were both good at it though, and even with the frustration they always managed to keep the masks up. At least they didn't need to pretend much with these people, being able to be nearly natural in their company since they weren't strict business-people anyways. It took them only a few moments to be engaged in a lively conversation, laughing freely. When a servant passed them by with a tray full of champagne glasses, Subaru bluntly took the whole tray, answering the questioning glances with a shrug. "We need more to drink in a second anyways!"
That elicited common laughter amongst them, and Die playfully admonished the man for taking advantage of his family by drinking all their champagne. For once they were actually even able to have fun at a semi-official party like that. Suddenly, Subaru seemed to notice something and cut into the conversation, raising his glass which was still half full of the bubbly liquid. "Hey, hey, listen to me for a second will you?" As he got the undivided attention of the small bunch, he showed a winning smile, going on. "I would like to give you an official invitation to our little skiing trip six weeks from now."
Kaoru raised his eyebrows questioningly but then nodded before he even took a glance at Die to see if he agreed too. "That sounds good. We're in." Only then he turned his head, but when he saw his husband smile widely, he knew that Die didn't have anything against it. "You know," began Sho, "my lovely husband has bought this wonderful hut in the mountains just a couple of months ago as a late wedding gift and now we're planning to inaugurate it properly." Subaru nodded and gave him a short kiss on the lips. "That's right. Oh," he faced the Aizawas. "And of course the invitation goes for you two as well."
It had been clear from the very first moment on that the three couples were getting along really well and so it was no question that Matsuo and Fumie would be invited too although they only knew each other for such a short time. Instantly, Matsuo Aizawa accepted the invitation and all of them toasted to the idea. "Well, of course there's going to be some business-partners too, but they won't stay too long anyways," Subaru promised with a wink and made everybody chuckle.
"It's just for the appearance, you know how it is." Sho smirked, leaning closer to his husband like naturally. Somehow watching the two elicited this weird feeling inside Die though, and for a moment he fell silent, just observing. Everyone was so much engaged in a conversation though that they didn't even notice his momentary spacing out. It was just that seeing the couple so relaxed together made him think how they would eventually have to leave the party only to go home and pretend that there was nothing between them. Hiding in their own home was probably the worst part in this all. Finally, he managed to shrug the weird feeling off, directing his attention back to his companions.
They still spent a good while talking, but then decided that they would probably use some of the still remaining time to greet some other guests. They all knew how it worked and simply agreed on going on with the interesting talks when they would meet at the skiing trip. So they all went to their own directions, Die and Kaoru first heading over to one of Kaoru's older business partners who needed to be greeted too of course.
Shortly after that the redhead felt the need to go visit the restrooms and he whispered to his husband that he would be back soon, before disappearing from the huge hall. At first Kaoru talked to some acquaintance, but afterwards just took a moment for himself, standing close to the wall and simply watching the crowd. He was lost in thought, but suddenly something caught his attention and he turned his head a bit just to see Die's father some steps further from him, talking to someone.
He wasn't sure if the two men had seen him or not, probably had since they were so close, but at least they were talking freely as if they had been alone. And they were talking about him. That made Kaoru automatically sharpen his senses, almost hold his breath to hear what was being said. Isamu Andou's voice carried firmly even over all the background noise the bunch of people caused in the room. "Yeah, you're right, the business has been doing well lately. But I wouldn't count it as his doing."
"At least the word is out there that the marriage saved the company, be it true or not." The other man's voice was lower, and Kaoru could barely make out what he was saying. He wasn't really spying, he told himself, he was just innocently standing there and happened to hear a part of the conversation. "I don't see though how simply making a good impression at parties would decide if a company lives or dies."
Were they really talking about him, Kaoru asked himself? It sounded more as if they were talking about Die. How could his father! After all he had forced upon his son; making him carry the burden to lead a marriage he hadn't wanted and that with a husband he didn't even like. Well, hadn't liked, but that, the old man didn't know. Besides, even if it had been a marriage of love, the old Andou would have still insisted on his stupid contract only because he was this old, bitter, homophobic devil.
Hearing that was a bit too much for the young Niikura's thin nerves and he took a step towards the two talking men. The agitation and anger were clearly visible on his face as his whole posture was tense. "You don't even have the slightest idea how important making a good impression is," he hissed, not even thinking about the possibility that his impudence could anger his father-in-law. "The real deals are made aside from the table in the background. That's where bonds are made. You should acknowledge the work of your son there. Without him, your company wouldn't have made half of the deals it has now. Daisuke is a professional when it comes to this, so pay him some respect."
Kaoru had no idea where this sudden outburst had come from and right afterwards, he regretted it again. Isamu Andou simply wasn't worth it. But Die was. He was worth to be defended and it was about time that somebody noticed how important his part of the deal really was. Since it was too late to back off again now, Kaoru just remained rooted to the ground, preparing himself for whatever was to come.
He received a cold stare from his father-in-law, and the other man didn't exactly look friendlier as they both turned to look at him. It was Mr. Andou who spoke up though, his voice cold as ice, completely emotionless, not even a hint of anger showing. "Who are you to tell me whom to respect? Don't try to pretend you know my good for nothing son better than I do."
The three men were so focused on the moment at hand that none of them noticed the tall redhead who was standing a bit behind them, frozen in mid-movement. There were some people between him and the three others, but he still had clearly heard what was going on. He had returned to the room just in time to hear his father's words and how Kaoru had suddenly stood up for him. That was something he would've never expected, and somehow it made him feel appreciated in a way he didn't remember feeling in ages. As soon as he got a hold of himself he quickly took a sidestep, hiding from the others for the time being.
"Everybody who cares to listen to Die for more than five minutes knows him better than you do." Again, the answer had left his lips before Kaoru had thought the words through. It wasn't his natural self to just act upon feelings, but this time he simply felt the need. How could a father be like that? "Maybe you should take the effort to ask your business-partners and friends about him? You might be surprised about the answers you get." Although he was shaking on the inside, honestly afraid of the man who practically emitted power and coldness, Kaoru stood his ground, not giving way an inch.
That was the moment when Die truly realized Kaoru's real strength, noticed how he was able to stand up for what he believed was right and didn't back off at all, even when confronted by someone like Isamu Andou. It made the redhead respect his husband on a whole new level, and it caused this certain warm feeling inside of him to know that it was him who the other man was defending.
The little muscles in Mr. Andou's jaw tensed and that was pretty much the only thing that showed how furious he was right at that moment. There was nothing else in his composure that would've given it out, and even his voice was still completely calm as he spoke up again. "I think you've expressed your opinion clearly, young man. I have no interest in hearing more. Not now, not ever."
Although Kaoru wasn't done in the slightest, would have so many other things to say still, to slam into his father-in-law's face, he didn't grant the other man that victory. So with a small bow he greeted the older man. "Thank you." With having said that, he turned on his heel and headed away, neither looking left or right. Only when he was out of sight, he stopped, searching the room with his gaze for his husband. All he wanted now was to leave and that hopefully without causing a huge fuss by saying every single guest his goodbyes.
It took a moment before he spotted the redhead at the buffet. Die wasn't looking into his direction, but seemed somewhat contemplative, or then he was searching for him as well. With a few steps, Kaoru was already standing beside the taller man, carefully placing his hand on his forearm. "I want to leave now," he whispered, his eyes clearly showing that he meant right at that moment.
The slightly younger man turned around to face his husband, giving him a smile that had an odd mixture of thankfulness, warmth and pride. He didn't say anything first, just greeted the smaller man with a short peck on his lips. "C'mon, there's something I want to show you first." He didn't give his husband the time to protest, only hooked their arms and practically dragged him away. Together they sneaked out of the room, almost bumping into one servant but Die just quickly gave him a grin and said they were heading to the bathroom.
Before they could reach the restrooms though, Die suddenly changed directions and instead led the other man to the second floor, into the eastern wing of the building. Huge, even oppressing paintings were hanging from the walls, giving the house a feel of one of those old ghost mansions. It was obvious that Die knew his way around there though, and before Kaoru even noticed he was being pushed into one of the rooms, the door closing behind them.
Die stayed at the door, leaning backwards against it, but his eyes were on Kaoru as he spoke up with a smile. "I just wanted to show you this. The place where I practically grew up." He nodded at the room, and as he had assumed it was still just the way it had been when he had first moved out of home.
It was much smaller than the house would have made one assume and Kaoru thought that it probably had been the old Andou's idea to keep his son in check with only offering him little private place. There was a small TV, covered with a thick layer of dust and a bookshelf with lots of European classics. At first, Kaoru found himself thinking that Die certainly had never read all of them, but then he took a closer look and one could see that the covers were bent, some of them looking quite worn out.
There was not much in the room except for a small bed, a quite capital desk and a closet. Only if one looked closer, one could really see that there had been a teenager living in the room. At the side of the desk, there were some anime figurines lined up and underneath the bed, a couple of cartons and crates were showing. Smiling, Kaoru bent down and took one, turning to look at Die and silently ask for his permission. After receiving a nod, he pulled the carton out and opened it. Inside, he found a huge mess of different things, a small notebook, earphones, condoms, some porn magazines and a couple of CDs.
Chuckling, Kaoru straightened again and looked at his husband. "Are they all like this one?" he asked. One could clearly see by the sparkle in his eyes that he appreciated that Die had taken him here. Although the room was a bit muggy since the window hadn't been opened in a long time, it still smelled like the redhead and it was easy to believe that the door would just open any second and a young Die came inside, threw his school-bag into the corner and slumped down on the bed to watch some TV and forget everything else.
"Many of them," Die smirked, something like a happy sparkle in his eyes. "But I did try to keep some order in some. Like the blue," He went to the bed and sat down on the floor, pulling one of the boxes closer to himself, "was for CDs, the red for boring schoolstuff. And in here," He dug out a smaller box from behind all the others. It was made of oak and looked much stronger built than the others, it even had a lock which was open now though and probably no one knew where the key was.
The redhead opened the lid, showing that the box was now empty if one didn't count a few articles that were clipped from magazines and were now lying there. "This was for my diaries. Yeah," He laughed, "I actually did write a diary too. What a girly thing to do!" Somehow he felt that he could trust his husband, although he wasn't even completely sure where the feeling was now coming from. But it was a nice feeling, and right now he was almost completely convinced that their marriage could turn into something good in the end, despite the way it had started.
"Diaries?" Kaoru smiled and followed suit, sitting down on the floor next to the taller man. "Where are they now? You didn't throw them away, did you?" He had to admit that he was curious to hear more about the teenaged Die, about his life. It would only make him understand the other man better and maybe it would also help him to sort out his own feelings a bit. "Are you still writing?"
"Sometimes," Die shrugged, "Rarely though and most of the time I forget it. It's not like my daily life would be full of interesting things to write about anyways." He looked a bit thoughtful as he wiped off some dust from the lid of the box, running his index finger along the carved lines. "I don't have the old ones anymore. I burned them." Turning his head he smiled at his husband, somehow enjoying the calm moment where they could just talk without having to keep up any pretended images.
Kaoru didn't ask for the reason although he would have loved to know why somebody burned his diaries. He understood though that Die hadn't been bedded on roses exactly. The rich boy living in a golden cage, starving emotionally. So all the young Niikura did was lean in and give him a short kiss, holding Die's chin between his thumb and index-finger. "Thank you for showing me this," he whispered.
The redhead couldn't help but to smile, closing his eyes for a few seconds as if to sample the feelings the kiss had evoked in him. "You deserved it." He stated silently, not elaborating on it further and instead just opened his eyes to meet his husband's gaze straight before leaning in to kiss him again. He didn't even know why he had showed the diary- box, he hadn't even touched it really after he had burned everything from inside in an angry fit after fighting with his father. Maybe he had felt the need to show Kaoru something special he hadn't shown others, since it really meant a lot to him that he had been defending him back at the party.
"I don't know why though, but really," Kaoru made a small pause, looking the other man deep in the eyes. "Thank you." Suddenly, he remembered something and nodded towards the desk. "And why are those still here? They are rare collectibles, you know." He was talking about the figurines. When he had been a teenager, he had collected those too and there were still some missing in his collection to make it complete. Of course his were at his parent's place as well since he hadn't taken many really personal things with him when he had moved in together with his husband. It hadn't felt right at that point and he certainly hadn't wanted to make a fool of himself by giving away that he still clung to some items of his childhood.
"I don't know, really." Die laughed, shaking his head a bit. "I didn't pack all my belongings when I left anyways, and I haven't really been back here for that many times afterwards. But hey, if you want them, let's just pack them along!" He stood up, grabbing the ex-diary-box and set it on the table before beginning to fit the figurines inside carefully.
The gesture made Kaoru chuckle and he stepped close behind the other man, his chest almost touching Die's back when he tried to peek over his shoulder. "I have some too," he gave away lowly. "Maybe we find a place to put them…" Somehow this whole moment made him sentimental, made him think of his past and his future which was now linked with the redhead's. And somehow the thought had lost its fright; even more than that, he felt that he actually liked the idea of spending his life with the other man. At least for now.
When Die sensed Kaoru so close behind him he automatically leaned a bit backwards, closer to him, without even thinking about the gesture consciously. He had almost forgotten that he had even been collecting the figurines, but now it all came back to him and he remembered the enthusiasm with which he had always arranged them on the table to show off his collection. "We have a huge house." He pointed out with a chuckle. "We can certainly find a place to put these. When there's will there's a way!"
Slowly, the smaller man sneaked his arms around Die's waist, hugged him tight and gave him a kiss on the neck. "That's the first positive thing you've said since we are married," he stated without making any kind of judgment. "And you're right. We have a huge house, but I don't like the furniture." It was true. The house had been arranged by Die's father, or more likely by his interior decorator. The man did have some taste, but had managed to make every room look cold, only white and bright colors without anything to make it feel like a home really. "And I want these to be in a nice surrounding so that they don't look misplaced," Kaoru explained further while Die already closed the box and slowly turned around to look at him.
It was time to leave before somebody got suspicious, but Kaoru didn't want to. He would have loved to lie down on Die's bed, to feel the mattress underneath him and see if the cushions still smelled like his husband or if they were only moldy or then carried the scent of soap still.
"You don't like the white either?" Die asked with a chuckle, rewarding his husband with a quick kiss. "I always wanted to replace them, really, I was thinking of this dark wooden stuff and it would totally feel more like a home. I do like my bedroom like it is though…" He pursed his lips thoughtfully. He knew that they needed to get going, but still was reluctant to break the moment since he knew that the moment they stepped out of the room they would have to watch their behavior again.
With a little reluctant sigh he straightened, but changed his mind already when he was walking past his husband. Quickly he turned, using the moment to crush their mouths together in a deep kiss. Why not make the most of the moment and at least steal one proper kiss while he could?
Kaoru gasped surprised, the force of the movement almost pushing him over. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around the other man's neck to keep balance and then answered to the kiss with equal fervor. His heart had stopped beating for a few seconds but now jumped up to his throat where it began to hammer.
They only parted when both of them were out of breath, their chests heaving, lips slightly swollen and glistening wet. There was no further word exchanged, but one gaze was enough to know what they were thinking. With slightly shaky steps, Kaoru finally broke the moment and walked towards the door, opening it carefully before slipping through the small gap.
While they were walking down the stairs, he had enough time to think. Admittedly, Die's bedroom was nice with the dark red on the wall. But wouldn't it be much nicer if they just pulled down the wall between their rooms and make it one? There would be more light, more air, more room for both of them. Of course all this was just wishful thinking, but Kaoru surprised himself by indeed wishing they would be able to do that.
When they had almost descended the stairs, he reached out his hand and stopped Die from going on. "I would really like to go home," Kaoru's voice was low, but his eyes were pleading. Honestly, he simply didn't want to bump into his father-in-law again since he couldn't promise for his countenance if the older man again talked bad about his son.
"Should we go and say the official goodbyes to everyone or just leave?" The redhead asked, looking the other man straight in the eye. "I bet no one would even notice if we would just flee…" He knew that it was the common policy to at least say goodbyes to the most important people, but there was so many guests present anyways that the chances were big no one would really realize they had disappeared without doing that.
Kaoru knew the record would demand them to at least say goodbye to the host, Die's father, but then he was sure that the old man wouldn't care one single bit. "Let's just leave. No big goodbyes today. If somebody asks, I haven't been feeling well and you brought me home." That was probably the most unprofessional how he had behaved in a long time, but the funny thing was that he didn't give a damn.
"Deal," Die chuckled, grabbing his husband's arm to drag him towards the door. He only exchanged a couple of words with a servant who was there and helped them to their coats, and that was the goodbyes for today. In no time they were outside, both more than relieved to be out of the house finally.
When they were home they indeed first looked for a place to put the anime figurines, finally settling for the cupboard they had in the living room. Normally it was a place for porcelain and crystal with its glass doors that allowed a perfect view inside. They emptied it in no time though, arranging the figurines on the shelves. There would still be more than enough room for Kaoru's collection as well, and inwardly he decided that he would get them from his parents' place when he'd go there the next time.
Author:
seinen_no and fonulynRating: NC17
Pairing: Die and Kaoru
Disclaimer: We own no one, only our dirty imaginations.
Summary: The Niikura’s and the Andou’s used to be the two biggest families in town, wealthy and respected to the point of practically ruling the business as they wished. Times have changed though, and thus the heads of the clans have decided to take the needed steps to join their families to restore their power. Single persons don’t have much to say about anything when the whole future of the families is in question, that much the eldest sons of the Niikura family and the Andou family have to come to notice.
Comments:
seinen_no: I know, I know, we're slow and late and blergh. I can't help it at the moment. But hey, therefore I think we brought you a nice chapter. It's one of my favourites although it doesn't even involve smut. It fits Valentine's day, being at least a bit romantic! So you all enjoy and thanks for staying true to us.fonulyn: Actually this is one of my favorite chapters too and it always puts a smile on my face :) I hope that you’ll enjoy it too! And enjoy your day, remember your loved ones and be grateful for your friends ;) And feel free to add our journal if you like the stories!
Plus, the archive .
Previously happened: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Chapter 7: Tokens of the Past
At first things seemed to be going well, nearly perfectly. They were getting along and the oppressing tension stayed away. And they were trying to steal some alone moments whenever possible to let off some steam and keep the frustration away as well. It was something like an adventure for them, always trying to be discreet and silent, avoiding being revealed at all costs.
Soon they both noticed though that things couldn't go on like this. They were getting too friendly with each other, were even laughing when watching the same TV-series and that already caused their servants to cast odd glances towards them. So they tried to hold back, to return to the cold war that had been going on before things had changed. They even managed with it, ignoring each other more or less completely and when they talked they were just being polite with each other.
Still Die was certain that some of the servants were suspicious already, seeing how well the two seemed to be getting along lately. He spent some sleepless moments due to that, thinking what they should do about it and how they could convince the servants again that there was nothing going on. Finally, a perfect plan formed in his mind though and he decided to try to put it to action the next day already.
They were having a late dinner together, both sitting at the dining table like they used to do whenever their cook had decided for something more complicated and they didn't want to eat it on the couch while watching television. At first they were just silent, afterwards exchanging a couple of casual words about business and the party they were supposed to attend the following week. It was one arranged by Die's father, to celebrate his birthday, and they still hadn't managed to find a suitable present.
The present-dilemma was occupying Kaoru's mind still as he had to admit he stressed about it a little bit, and he spoke up without thinking when they had almost finished the meal already. "We still need the present for your father. I'm having a hectic schedule, weren't you supposed to buy something?"
The initial answer was an annoyed growl, and Die rolled his eyes theatrically. His voice wasn't exactly the friendliest when he almost spat out the answer. "I know. Do you think I'm stupid or something!?"
The harsh reaction made the young Niikura flinch and a deep frown appeared on his forehead. He hadn't expected something like that and asked himself what he had done wrong to deserve it. His mouth opened and closed again before he could give away something with the question that was lying on his tongue. Just when he was about to ask still, he saw a smirk ghost across the redhead's lips and he winked at him. The change of expression was gone again within a split-second and yet it had been enough to make Kaoru understand.
His voice was sharp as a knife when he answered. "Do you really want an answer?" With a slightly softer tone, almost annoyed now on his side, he went on. "Well, did you buy something or not?" He could clearly see the maid pass by the room and inwardly shook his head. They were really spying almost openly. Well, maybe this had soothed their suspicious minds a bit and they would report that everything was as it used to be.
"No." The word was clearly stressed and anyone would've said that Die's expression was clearly annoyed. He glared at his husband, his back tense and he had stopped eating as well as if the remains of the food were of no interest for him. "But it's next week, for god's sake! Do you honestly think I need ages for something as simple as that? You might, I don't."
"Well fine then. I better go and buy just something in case you again forget it." Kaoru had turned his face towards the plate, going on eating as if he was through with the matter. It was odd to fight even though he more felt like asking Die how his day was. Yes, indeed, he was interested in the other man although he knew that his day probably hadn't been very exciting he still would have enjoyed talking about just anything. And he definitely would have liked to answer to the counter-question that would certainly have followed. Yet he knew that they had to keep up the act and he already hated it to no end.
"Fuck you." The redhead stood up abruptly, slamming his palm on the table. "If you can't trust me with something trivial like that, then don't even tell me to do it in the first place!" He pushed his chair a bit further, glad that he had already eaten most of his dinner, only to march away in a demonstrating manner. He didn't really like turning his back on his husband, would've much rather asked him if he wanted to watch some TV with him or something, but knew that this was what they needed to do. Since, if he now stayed there he would just forget about holding back and would smile at the other man and say something stupid.
Although it was all fake, Kaoru felt this emptiness inside him when Die had left, the feeling an un-cleared argument left behind usually. Wasn't that stupid; to pretend to hate each other when in reality you just learned to get along? He didn't want to blow it though and thus remained sitting and even finished his dinner calmly although the food was flavorless all suddenly and he had lost his appetite.
The two avoided each other till the late evening when it was time to go to bed. Kaoru waited a good deal before he went to take a shower and then quickly slipped into Die's room. He had made sure that there were no servants around anymore and yet he only dared to step up to the other man's bed, bent down and gave him a short but gentle kiss. "Sleep well." It was his way to show that nothing that had been said had an after-effect and he certainly wasn't mad for real.
The kiss made Die smile already, and he quickly used the moment when Kaoru was still bowed down to steal another small kiss. "You too." He wasn't certain what this was that was now developing between them, where they stood and what they now meant to each other, but he knew that he liked the feeling of getting along with his husband, liked to see his smile and that certain look in his eyes that wasn't just filled with coldness anymore. Even if they would have to go on pretending that they hated each other, knowing that it wasn't so in reality made him happy.
Already this short stolen moment together managed to cheer them both up and make them both get into a better mood, so that it was easier to go on keeping up the public image. Actually, now they had two different public images: first the happy loving couple they had to be in public, never allowed to get too close to each other though or too touchy, and secondly the image they kept up in front of their servants, trying to convince them they still hated each other as much as in the beginning. And only behind closed doors, hiding in the silence of their room, they could steal short moments of togetherness, moments when they were truly allowed to be themselves.
Maybe it was because this was so new to them, that it still held some sort of excitement value, but they managed surprisingly well keeping up all three lives of theirs. Still it stressed them out somewhat whenever a more important public party or a meeting was to be expected. Like Die's father's birthday party – Die had gotten the present in the end although he never knew what to give his father – which was coming closer inevitably, and before they even noticed it was already the time to leave there.
Silently, they were sitting in the car, both staring out of the window lost in deep thoughts. Kaoru was nervous, one could see it by the moving muscles in his cheeks as he clenched his teeth every now and then. He couldn't say that he liked Die's father, but he could certainly say that he frightened him. Whenever he had tried to talk to that man, he had treated him as if he were some servant, a puppet he used for his own benefit but not a breathing, thinking human being. He was just unworthy, was probably too young and hadn't yet proved that he was an equal. How must it have been for Die to grow up in the shadow of such a powerful and cold man who never seemed to show emotions of any kind? Kaoru couldn't even get close to imagining the emptiness it must have caused to spread inside a child.
When the car stopped, his thoughts were interrupted and he waited until the driver opened the door for him to get off. Like a good husband, he offered his arm to Die as they were walking down the short aisle that led to the entrance. The party was held at the Andou's residence and although Kaoru had been there before, he still couldn't get past the thought that the house looked just like its owner, cold and frightening with its two capital wings flanking the main house to the left and right. A butler held the door open for them, bowing lowly, and took their jackets. Autumn was coming fast and so the air was clear and chilly after the sun had sunk.
Die knew all the servants more than well, and the same butler had been in the house since he had been born, so he exchanged a few words with the man, giving him a friendly smile. After his mother had died he had practically considered the servants the closest thing he had to a family, seeing that his cold father and his always sick little sister hadn't been much of use for that. He still was behaving clearly like he should as someone whose status was higher than the servants', and only the warm sparkle in his eyes showed what was going on inside him.
They headed straight to the main hall, and both knew that the redhead's father would be there to greet them instantly, and were inwardly preparing themselves for it. The man was even smiling this time, politely thanking for his gift although his eyes stayed as emotionless as always. He was like a machine, perfectly polite and correct but never showing any human features.
For some time the couple was circling around in the room, greeting some acquaintances and business partners, stopping for a chat here and there. When Kaoru noticed some of their business-friends – business partners, but still almost qualified as real friends – a bit further away he instantly steered Die into that direction, still having their arms hooked casually. Matsuo Aizawa, a young man around their age, noticed them already from further and raised his hand as if to both greet them and to get their attention.
"Good to see you two here too!" Aizawa greeted them instantly as they were close enough. He sneaked one arm around his pretty wife, giving her a quick smile before turning back to the two. "Fumie and I have been waiting for you already. It's been long, eh? We met last in the company's big party, right?" He was an easygoing man, almost cheery, and it was easy to like him.
Kaoru's smile could only be described as relieved and he instinctively squeezed his husband's arm shortly to show it. "That's true," he agreed nodding before he turned a bit to greet the woman properly. "It's been way too long."
Suddenly, another couple, Subaru and Sho Ogata stepped up to them, both smiling as wide as the rest of the small bunch. Die and Kaoru had met them as well at some business-party and the two weren't married much longer than they themselves. The only difference was that Sho had taken on his husband's name, seeing that his family wasn't of that much influence. Already from afar, Subaru greeted them. "It's good to see you here, Die, Kaoru." They indeed were more friends than business-partners. Subaru had just inherited a company from his father and taken over control, but had decided to leave most of the responsibility to his president and rather enjoy life with his young husband. They were travelling a lot and one only saw them rarely at official dinners and parties.
For the first time Kaoru felt something like envy for the two since he could see himself and Die there too. Well, maybe he wouldn't be able to give up work completely, but just being able to go on a long vacation with his husband would be heavenly. Besides, he envied Subaru and Sho for the fact that they were just showing their love towards each other quite openly, with kisses and affectionate touches; more than almost any other couple around.
Immediately, Kaoru introduced the two newcomers to Matsuo and Fumie Aizawa, shortly explaining where they had met. It could have been a nice meeting amongst friends if there hadn't been the knowledge that he always had to watch his expressions and his gestures towards Die; trying not to do too much or too less. It was frustrating.
They were both good at it though, and even with the frustration they always managed to keep the masks up. At least they didn't need to pretend much with these people, being able to be nearly natural in their company since they weren't strict business-people anyways. It took them only a few moments to be engaged in a lively conversation, laughing freely. When a servant passed them by with a tray full of champagne glasses, Subaru bluntly took the whole tray, answering the questioning glances with a shrug. "We need more to drink in a second anyways!"
That elicited common laughter amongst them, and Die playfully admonished the man for taking advantage of his family by drinking all their champagne. For once they were actually even able to have fun at a semi-official party like that. Suddenly, Subaru seemed to notice something and cut into the conversation, raising his glass which was still half full of the bubbly liquid. "Hey, hey, listen to me for a second will you?" As he got the undivided attention of the small bunch, he showed a winning smile, going on. "I would like to give you an official invitation to our little skiing trip six weeks from now."
Kaoru raised his eyebrows questioningly but then nodded before he even took a glance at Die to see if he agreed too. "That sounds good. We're in." Only then he turned his head, but when he saw his husband smile widely, he knew that Die didn't have anything against it. "You know," began Sho, "my lovely husband has bought this wonderful hut in the mountains just a couple of months ago as a late wedding gift and now we're planning to inaugurate it properly." Subaru nodded and gave him a short kiss on the lips. "That's right. Oh," he faced the Aizawas. "And of course the invitation goes for you two as well."
It had been clear from the very first moment on that the three couples were getting along really well and so it was no question that Matsuo and Fumie would be invited too although they only knew each other for such a short time. Instantly, Matsuo Aizawa accepted the invitation and all of them toasted to the idea. "Well, of course there's going to be some business-partners too, but they won't stay too long anyways," Subaru promised with a wink and made everybody chuckle.
"It's just for the appearance, you know how it is." Sho smirked, leaning closer to his husband like naturally. Somehow watching the two elicited this weird feeling inside Die though, and for a moment he fell silent, just observing. Everyone was so much engaged in a conversation though that they didn't even notice his momentary spacing out. It was just that seeing the couple so relaxed together made him think how they would eventually have to leave the party only to go home and pretend that there was nothing between them. Hiding in their own home was probably the worst part in this all. Finally, he managed to shrug the weird feeling off, directing his attention back to his companions.
They still spent a good while talking, but then decided that they would probably use some of the still remaining time to greet some other guests. They all knew how it worked and simply agreed on going on with the interesting talks when they would meet at the skiing trip. So they all went to their own directions, Die and Kaoru first heading over to one of Kaoru's older business partners who needed to be greeted too of course.
Shortly after that the redhead felt the need to go visit the restrooms and he whispered to his husband that he would be back soon, before disappearing from the huge hall. At first Kaoru talked to some acquaintance, but afterwards just took a moment for himself, standing close to the wall and simply watching the crowd. He was lost in thought, but suddenly something caught his attention and he turned his head a bit just to see Die's father some steps further from him, talking to someone.
He wasn't sure if the two men had seen him or not, probably had since they were so close, but at least they were talking freely as if they had been alone. And they were talking about him. That made Kaoru automatically sharpen his senses, almost hold his breath to hear what was being said. Isamu Andou's voice carried firmly even over all the background noise the bunch of people caused in the room. "Yeah, you're right, the business has been doing well lately. But I wouldn't count it as his doing."
"At least the word is out there that the marriage saved the company, be it true or not." The other man's voice was lower, and Kaoru could barely make out what he was saying. He wasn't really spying, he told himself, he was just innocently standing there and happened to hear a part of the conversation. "I don't see though how simply making a good impression at parties would decide if a company lives or dies."
Were they really talking about him, Kaoru asked himself? It sounded more as if they were talking about Die. How could his father! After all he had forced upon his son; making him carry the burden to lead a marriage he hadn't wanted and that with a husband he didn't even like. Well, hadn't liked, but that, the old man didn't know. Besides, even if it had been a marriage of love, the old Andou would have still insisted on his stupid contract only because he was this old, bitter, homophobic devil.
Hearing that was a bit too much for the young Niikura's thin nerves and he took a step towards the two talking men. The agitation and anger were clearly visible on his face as his whole posture was tense. "You don't even have the slightest idea how important making a good impression is," he hissed, not even thinking about the possibility that his impudence could anger his father-in-law. "The real deals are made aside from the table in the background. That's where bonds are made. You should acknowledge the work of your son there. Without him, your company wouldn't have made half of the deals it has now. Daisuke is a professional when it comes to this, so pay him some respect."
Kaoru had no idea where this sudden outburst had come from and right afterwards, he regretted it again. Isamu Andou simply wasn't worth it. But Die was. He was worth to be defended and it was about time that somebody noticed how important his part of the deal really was. Since it was too late to back off again now, Kaoru just remained rooted to the ground, preparing himself for whatever was to come.
He received a cold stare from his father-in-law, and the other man didn't exactly look friendlier as they both turned to look at him. It was Mr. Andou who spoke up though, his voice cold as ice, completely emotionless, not even a hint of anger showing. "Who are you to tell me whom to respect? Don't try to pretend you know my good for nothing son better than I do."
The three men were so focused on the moment at hand that none of them noticed the tall redhead who was standing a bit behind them, frozen in mid-movement. There were some people between him and the three others, but he still had clearly heard what was going on. He had returned to the room just in time to hear his father's words and how Kaoru had suddenly stood up for him. That was something he would've never expected, and somehow it made him feel appreciated in a way he didn't remember feeling in ages. As soon as he got a hold of himself he quickly took a sidestep, hiding from the others for the time being.
"Everybody who cares to listen to Die for more than five minutes knows him better than you do." Again, the answer had left his lips before Kaoru had thought the words through. It wasn't his natural self to just act upon feelings, but this time he simply felt the need. How could a father be like that? "Maybe you should take the effort to ask your business-partners and friends about him? You might be surprised about the answers you get." Although he was shaking on the inside, honestly afraid of the man who practically emitted power and coldness, Kaoru stood his ground, not giving way an inch.
That was the moment when Die truly realized Kaoru's real strength, noticed how he was able to stand up for what he believed was right and didn't back off at all, even when confronted by someone like Isamu Andou. It made the redhead respect his husband on a whole new level, and it caused this certain warm feeling inside of him to know that it was him who the other man was defending.
The little muscles in Mr. Andou's jaw tensed and that was pretty much the only thing that showed how furious he was right at that moment. There was nothing else in his composure that would've given it out, and even his voice was still completely calm as he spoke up again. "I think you've expressed your opinion clearly, young man. I have no interest in hearing more. Not now, not ever."
Although Kaoru wasn't done in the slightest, would have so many other things to say still, to slam into his father-in-law's face, he didn't grant the other man that victory. So with a small bow he greeted the older man. "Thank you." With having said that, he turned on his heel and headed away, neither looking left or right. Only when he was out of sight, he stopped, searching the room with his gaze for his husband. All he wanted now was to leave and that hopefully without causing a huge fuss by saying every single guest his goodbyes.
It took a moment before he spotted the redhead at the buffet. Die wasn't looking into his direction, but seemed somewhat contemplative, or then he was searching for him as well. With a few steps, Kaoru was already standing beside the taller man, carefully placing his hand on his forearm. "I want to leave now," he whispered, his eyes clearly showing that he meant right at that moment.
The slightly younger man turned around to face his husband, giving him a smile that had an odd mixture of thankfulness, warmth and pride. He didn't say anything first, just greeted the smaller man with a short peck on his lips. "C'mon, there's something I want to show you first." He didn't give his husband the time to protest, only hooked their arms and practically dragged him away. Together they sneaked out of the room, almost bumping into one servant but Die just quickly gave him a grin and said they were heading to the bathroom.
Before they could reach the restrooms though, Die suddenly changed directions and instead led the other man to the second floor, into the eastern wing of the building. Huge, even oppressing paintings were hanging from the walls, giving the house a feel of one of those old ghost mansions. It was obvious that Die knew his way around there though, and before Kaoru even noticed he was being pushed into one of the rooms, the door closing behind them.
Die stayed at the door, leaning backwards against it, but his eyes were on Kaoru as he spoke up with a smile. "I just wanted to show you this. The place where I practically grew up." He nodded at the room, and as he had assumed it was still just the way it had been when he had first moved out of home.
It was much smaller than the house would have made one assume and Kaoru thought that it probably had been the old Andou's idea to keep his son in check with only offering him little private place. There was a small TV, covered with a thick layer of dust and a bookshelf with lots of European classics. At first, Kaoru found himself thinking that Die certainly had never read all of them, but then he took a closer look and one could see that the covers were bent, some of them looking quite worn out.
There was not much in the room except for a small bed, a quite capital desk and a closet. Only if one looked closer, one could really see that there had been a teenager living in the room. At the side of the desk, there were some anime figurines lined up and underneath the bed, a couple of cartons and crates were showing. Smiling, Kaoru bent down and took one, turning to look at Die and silently ask for his permission. After receiving a nod, he pulled the carton out and opened it. Inside, he found a huge mess of different things, a small notebook, earphones, condoms, some porn magazines and a couple of CDs.
Chuckling, Kaoru straightened again and looked at his husband. "Are they all like this one?" he asked. One could clearly see by the sparkle in his eyes that he appreciated that Die had taken him here. Although the room was a bit muggy since the window hadn't been opened in a long time, it still smelled like the redhead and it was easy to believe that the door would just open any second and a young Die came inside, threw his school-bag into the corner and slumped down on the bed to watch some TV and forget everything else.
"Many of them," Die smirked, something like a happy sparkle in his eyes. "But I did try to keep some order in some. Like the blue," He went to the bed and sat down on the floor, pulling one of the boxes closer to himself, "was for CDs, the red for boring schoolstuff. And in here," He dug out a smaller box from behind all the others. It was made of oak and looked much stronger built than the others, it even had a lock which was open now though and probably no one knew where the key was.
The redhead opened the lid, showing that the box was now empty if one didn't count a few articles that were clipped from magazines and were now lying there. "This was for my diaries. Yeah," He laughed, "I actually did write a diary too. What a girly thing to do!" Somehow he felt that he could trust his husband, although he wasn't even completely sure where the feeling was now coming from. But it was a nice feeling, and right now he was almost completely convinced that their marriage could turn into something good in the end, despite the way it had started.
"Diaries?" Kaoru smiled and followed suit, sitting down on the floor next to the taller man. "Where are they now? You didn't throw them away, did you?" He had to admit that he was curious to hear more about the teenaged Die, about his life. It would only make him understand the other man better and maybe it would also help him to sort out his own feelings a bit. "Are you still writing?"
"Sometimes," Die shrugged, "Rarely though and most of the time I forget it. It's not like my daily life would be full of interesting things to write about anyways." He looked a bit thoughtful as he wiped off some dust from the lid of the box, running his index finger along the carved lines. "I don't have the old ones anymore. I burned them." Turning his head he smiled at his husband, somehow enjoying the calm moment where they could just talk without having to keep up any pretended images.
Kaoru didn't ask for the reason although he would have loved to know why somebody burned his diaries. He understood though that Die hadn't been bedded on roses exactly. The rich boy living in a golden cage, starving emotionally. So all the young Niikura did was lean in and give him a short kiss, holding Die's chin between his thumb and index-finger. "Thank you for showing me this," he whispered.
The redhead couldn't help but to smile, closing his eyes for a few seconds as if to sample the feelings the kiss had evoked in him. "You deserved it." He stated silently, not elaborating on it further and instead just opened his eyes to meet his husband's gaze straight before leaning in to kiss him again. He didn't even know why he had showed the diary- box, he hadn't even touched it really after he had burned everything from inside in an angry fit after fighting with his father. Maybe he had felt the need to show Kaoru something special he hadn't shown others, since it really meant a lot to him that he had been defending him back at the party.
"I don't know why though, but really," Kaoru made a small pause, looking the other man deep in the eyes. "Thank you." Suddenly, he remembered something and nodded towards the desk. "And why are those still here? They are rare collectibles, you know." He was talking about the figurines. When he had been a teenager, he had collected those too and there were still some missing in his collection to make it complete. Of course his were at his parent's place as well since he hadn't taken many really personal things with him when he had moved in together with his husband. It hadn't felt right at that point and he certainly hadn't wanted to make a fool of himself by giving away that he still clung to some items of his childhood.
"I don't know, really." Die laughed, shaking his head a bit. "I didn't pack all my belongings when I left anyways, and I haven't really been back here for that many times afterwards. But hey, if you want them, let's just pack them along!" He stood up, grabbing the ex-diary-box and set it on the table before beginning to fit the figurines inside carefully.
The gesture made Kaoru chuckle and he stepped close behind the other man, his chest almost touching Die's back when he tried to peek over his shoulder. "I have some too," he gave away lowly. "Maybe we find a place to put them…" Somehow this whole moment made him sentimental, made him think of his past and his future which was now linked with the redhead's. And somehow the thought had lost its fright; even more than that, he felt that he actually liked the idea of spending his life with the other man. At least for now.
When Die sensed Kaoru so close behind him he automatically leaned a bit backwards, closer to him, without even thinking about the gesture consciously. He had almost forgotten that he had even been collecting the figurines, but now it all came back to him and he remembered the enthusiasm with which he had always arranged them on the table to show off his collection. "We have a huge house." He pointed out with a chuckle. "We can certainly find a place to put these. When there's will there's a way!"
Slowly, the smaller man sneaked his arms around Die's waist, hugged him tight and gave him a kiss on the neck. "That's the first positive thing you've said since we are married," he stated without making any kind of judgment. "And you're right. We have a huge house, but I don't like the furniture." It was true. The house had been arranged by Die's father, or more likely by his interior decorator. The man did have some taste, but had managed to make every room look cold, only white and bright colors without anything to make it feel like a home really. "And I want these to be in a nice surrounding so that they don't look misplaced," Kaoru explained further while Die already closed the box and slowly turned around to look at him.
It was time to leave before somebody got suspicious, but Kaoru didn't want to. He would have loved to lie down on Die's bed, to feel the mattress underneath him and see if the cushions still smelled like his husband or if they were only moldy or then carried the scent of soap still.
"You don't like the white either?" Die asked with a chuckle, rewarding his husband with a quick kiss. "I always wanted to replace them, really, I was thinking of this dark wooden stuff and it would totally feel more like a home. I do like my bedroom like it is though…" He pursed his lips thoughtfully. He knew that they needed to get going, but still was reluctant to break the moment since he knew that the moment they stepped out of the room they would have to watch their behavior again.
With a little reluctant sigh he straightened, but changed his mind already when he was walking past his husband. Quickly he turned, using the moment to crush their mouths together in a deep kiss. Why not make the most of the moment and at least steal one proper kiss while he could?
Kaoru gasped surprised, the force of the movement almost pushing him over. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around the other man's neck to keep balance and then answered to the kiss with equal fervor. His heart had stopped beating for a few seconds but now jumped up to his throat where it began to hammer.
They only parted when both of them were out of breath, their chests heaving, lips slightly swollen and glistening wet. There was no further word exchanged, but one gaze was enough to know what they were thinking. With slightly shaky steps, Kaoru finally broke the moment and walked towards the door, opening it carefully before slipping through the small gap.
While they were walking down the stairs, he had enough time to think. Admittedly, Die's bedroom was nice with the dark red on the wall. But wouldn't it be much nicer if they just pulled down the wall between their rooms and make it one? There would be more light, more air, more room for both of them. Of course all this was just wishful thinking, but Kaoru surprised himself by indeed wishing they would be able to do that.
When they had almost descended the stairs, he reached out his hand and stopped Die from going on. "I would really like to go home," Kaoru's voice was low, but his eyes were pleading. Honestly, he simply didn't want to bump into his father-in-law again since he couldn't promise for his countenance if the older man again talked bad about his son.
"Should we go and say the official goodbyes to everyone or just leave?" The redhead asked, looking the other man straight in the eye. "I bet no one would even notice if we would just flee…" He knew that it was the common policy to at least say goodbyes to the most important people, but there was so many guests present anyways that the chances were big no one would really realize they had disappeared without doing that.
Kaoru knew the record would demand them to at least say goodbye to the host, Die's father, but then he was sure that the old man wouldn't care one single bit. "Let's just leave. No big goodbyes today. If somebody asks, I haven't been feeling well and you brought me home." That was probably the most unprofessional how he had behaved in a long time, but the funny thing was that he didn't give a damn.
"Deal," Die chuckled, grabbing his husband's arm to drag him towards the door. He only exchanged a couple of words with a servant who was there and helped them to their coats, and that was the goodbyes for today. In no time they were outside, both more than relieved to be out of the house finally.
When they were home they indeed first looked for a place to put the anime figurines, finally settling for the cupboard they had in the living room. Normally it was a place for porcelain and crystal with its glass doors that allowed a perfect view inside. They emptied it in no time though, arranging the figurines on the shelves. There would still be more than enough room for Kaoru's collection as well, and inwardly he decided that he would get them from his parents' place when he'd go there the next time.