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"Hi. I am here for Kaji Akihiko?"
The receptionist looks up from the computer screen and smiles at Haruki.
"Nakayama-san?" She gestures at the farther end of the room, where Haruki sees two adjacent couches. Only one man is sitting on one of them. "Kaji-san is resting in the waiting area, but he is free to go home. He just got out of surgery, so please be careful. He might still be a bit out of it due to the anesthesia."
"I see. Thank you."
She hands Haruki a small sheet of paper. "Here are some care reminders for him, as well as for his caretaker." She says it kindly, maybe expectantly, as though she is fully aware or maybe assumes that Haruki would be the one watching over Akihiko during his recovery. Haruki nods at her in thanks.
He doesn’t think he took too long, but nonetheless, he still feels sorry about being unable to accompany Akihiko for the entire procedure. The poor guy has had an aching wisdom tooth for a little over a week now. He was itching to get it removed, and so despite their conflicting schedules and Haruki's inability to get out of work due to the coffee shop already being short-staffed, he booked the dental appointment anyway, saying that Haruki could just pick him up at the end of his shift.
Akihiko does not even move when Haruki approaches him, and still sits slumped, staring listlessly at the painting above the other couch.
"Hey," Haruki greets him gently. He sits sideways on the couch, facing Akihiko, careful not to jostle him.
Akihiko blinks slowly and turns his head towards Haruki. "Haruki? That you?" The words are slurred from the swelling on Akihiko’s jaw, but Haruki understands them anyway.
"Yeah," he says, smiling at Akihiko. His fingers itch to touch the man's face or pet his hair, but the receptionist is still in the room behind them. "Sorry I’m late. I got here as fast as I could."
"Oh." Akihiko blinks again. "Yer’ taking me home?"
"Of course. You asked me to, remember?"
"I did?" For some reason, this seems to make Akihiko’s brows furrow. His eyes fall to the floor, not meeting Haruki's. "Sorry. M’sorry, m’bothering you again."
"You're never a bother, Akihiko, you know that."
"Haruki.” Haruki nearly jumps when he feels a hand brush against his. Well, Haruki has his back to the reception area, so it’s not really visible. Anyway, he has a feeling he should just let this happen, if the slow, oddly sad and tentative way Akihiko tangles his fore and middle fingers around Haruki’s is to be judged. “Haruki, you’re so nice."
"Aah," is all Haruki can say as he curls his own fingers around Akihiko’s hand, hoping to comfort him. “Are you okay, Akihiko? How are you feeling?”
"So nice," mumbles Akihiko, head slightly shaking and not really answering Haruki's question. He blinks slowly up at Haruki, and then proceeds to shock him by brushing the hair on Haruki's face. He tucks a strand behind Haruki’s ear. "You’re so nice. And s’fucking pretty. Your boyfriend’s gonna be so lucky."
The flush on Haruki’s face is instant. While he himself has been keeping his voice hushed, there is no way that Akihiko's louder, albeit mangled speech cannot be heard from the front. The receptionist doesn't really say anything, but her keyboard keys have also gone quiet. Haruki nearly groans in embarrassment.
He tries to distract Akihiko. “Aki, let’s go home now, okay? You can eat ice cream. I also bought that frozen yogurt that you like.”
"M’so glad you're not dating," Akihiko says, apropos of nothing yet again.
"Oh." Wow, those must have been some strong anesthetics they used on him. Haruki scratches the back of his head, feeling totally out of his element, especially with Akihiko like this. "Uh, well… I kind of am?"
“Huh?”
Akihiko bursts to life. His face darkens and he sits up, but his sense of balance is still poor and so ends up half grabbing, half falling on Haruki. He doesn’t seem to notice.
"Who?" Akihiko asks, slightly lopsided and with his fingers clutching at Haruki’s hoodie. "Who is this– this ushurper!"
"Usurper?"
"How dare they–" Akihiko’s face is red and he looks like he’s struggling for words through his medicated fog. But he’s always been stubborn, and even now he pushes on. “H-How? When? Why din’t you tell me?” And to Haruki’s horror, Akihiko’s eyes begin to shine with… oh dear God. "Haru, I was supposed to confess ‘ter you!"
"Uh, Aki–"
"I'm working s’hard, Haruki. So hard. It’s so hard, but I wanna do it, y’know? S’what you deserve."
"Akihiko–"
Akihiko’s head falls, heavy against Haruki’s shoulder. "I want s’much to be good for you,” he mumbles into Haruki’s chest. “M’sorry. God, Haru, I'm so sorry. I know s’not enough after what I d-did to you–”
“No, Aki.” Haruki’s chest tightens. His arms automatically go around Akihiko, and he buries his fingers in Akihiko’s hair and pets him in the way he had wanted to earlier. “Come on, we talked about this.”
Akihiko was talking about that time—when he forced Haruki on Haruki’s couch, took out the pain of an old relationship on the friend he knew wanted him. He never lacked for apologies, once they got together. There was even some time, shortly after they got together, when Akihiko—playboy extraordinaire—struggled to touch Haruki, still too guilty to impose himself upon him again. It took a lot of coaxing from Haruki for them to talk about it and get Akihiko to be comfortable enough to initiate things beyond kisses.
They’re still getting there. Akihiko’s a pretty intense guy. He doesn’t get over things quickly, and that apparently includes mistakes he’s done in the past.
“You deserve so much better,” Akihiko continues to say. “I know that. I know that, but I…”
Haruki sighs and just goes on petting the other man.
"This… guy? Is he good to you?"
"Hmm? Who?"
Akihiko sputters. "Your b-boyfriend."
He’s so stubborn, thinks Haruki, amused. Akihiko must be internally gnawing at this non-existent other boyfriend in his head, but stubbornly hides his discomfort from Haruki.
It probably shouldn't surprise Haruki that Akihiko doesn't think that it's him. He always did say that he confessed to Haruki too early. He was still working on getting back on the violin, on playing the drums better, on standing on his own two feet and stop fucking around like he'd always been. Why he thought that Haruki looked for all of those things from him, Haruki doesn't even know, but even after that accidental confession when Akihiko blurted out his efforts to Haruki, Akihiko never stopped working—on things he thought Haruki would like, on things that made him happy.
Haruki bites his lip to keep from smiling. "He is," he answers Akihiko honestly. "He is very good to me."
He hears the way Akihiko swallows, feels his fingers tighten on Haruki's clothes. "Tha's good," Akihiko says, though he speaks at first through gritted his teeth. But he quickly mellows, slumping instead against Haruki. "That's… that's really good, Haru. You deserve to be taken care of."
Haru can’t help but close his eyes. Akihiko is so cute.
There’s a tell-tale sniff on Haruki’s shoulder, and that’s when he figures enough is enough. He doesn’t have much experience with doped up people, but he has had to care for several drunk friends—Akihiko included—over the years to know that things get exponentially more difficult when they start bawling.
“Okay. You’re right, Aki. I do deserve to be taken care of.” He ignores the pathetic whimper he hears and pushes at Akihiko’s shoulder, coaxing the man to sit up and look at him. Akihiko does so, reluctantly. “Right now though, I think it is more important that I take care of my boyfriend."
Akihiko just nods as his gaze meekly falls to the floor again. Haruki sighs again, and uses this opportunity to lean in and lay a soft kiss on Akihiko’s cheek, potential audience be damned.
"Let’s go home, Akihiko?"
Eyes wide from the kiss, and then again with the tender invitation, Akihiko looks up, confused. "Huh?"
Haruki only smiles at him, holds his hand, and waits.
"I thought…” Akihiko blinks. “I thought you were going to take care of your b-boyfriend?"
"Mmhm. I am."
"Is he…" Akihiko looks around at the waiting room, which is empty save for the two of them. "Shit, is he here?"
Haruki’s smile turns lopsided. "He is."
"G-Go to him, then."
"I am with him." Haruki takes both of Akihiko’s hands this time, and moves to stand. "Come on, Aki. I’m taking you home."
Akihiko’s jaw drops, swelling and all, and at that point it’s as if he goes into a state of perfect catatonia that Haruki is able to lead him up and walk towards the door.
They pass by the receptionist, who Haruki can swear is hiding a smile behind her folder.
“Uh,” he says, feeling his own face flush from the ridiculous display he now has no doubt they gave to the hapless girl. “Is there anything that I need to settle, or–”
“Oh! Kaji-san has it all paid for. You’re all good, Nakayama-san,” she says, face bright and smile wide.
Somehow, this only embarrasses Haruki even further. He bows and thanks her as best as he is able, and then ushers his still silent boyfriend and walks him to the car he has parked outside.
He has the passenger car door open with him bent down, putting Akihiko’s seat belt around him. He watches Akihiko’s face. “Are you okay?” he asks as he clicks the belt in place. "You're very quiet."
"I’m your boyfriend."
Akihiko says it like a declaration, which gets a snort from Haruki. "So he finally gets it,” he says with a shake of his head. “Yes, that is correct."
"Holy shit."
Haruki rolls his eyes—because really, Akihiko can be so dramatic—and is about to stand to close the car door when Akihiko grabs his wrist. For a drugged man, the drummer’s hand is still pretty strong.
"Are you sure?" Akihiko urgently asks, to which Haruki sighs.
"Yes, Aki, I'm sure– oi!"
He isn’t prepared for the way Akihiko pulls him. Haruki suddenly finds himself clumsily seated on Akihiko’s lap, the other man’s arms tight around his waist and his face buried in Haruki’s neck.
"Haruki. Haruki, I love you."
Heat suffuses Haruki’s face yet again. "Wait, Aki–"
"I love you. I love you, I love you. Oh God. Oh God, I love you so much, m’so glad I didn’t miss my chance with you."
His face can't get any redder, Haruki is sure, but even so, he can't help but bury his own face on Akihiko's shoulder. "You idiot," he says, letting his boyfriend's jacket muffle his words. He’s heard it all before, but even so, hearing Akihiko say those words after Haruki has wanted him for so long—it never gets old. "I love you, too."
The arms around him tighten, and Haruki lets it for a little while, basking in Akihiko's embrace in that thankfully relatively empty parking lot. He then lifts up to kiss Akihiko's cheek, then sneakily, Akihiko's lips. It makes Akihiko gasp in an unfairly endearing way, plus it distracts him enough that his hold on Haruki slackens.
"Calm down now, all right?" Haruki tells him, pulling away but not without patting Akihiko's head in that way that Akihiko often does with him. "I need you to behave so we can get you home."
It seems that Akihiko recovers quickly, because this time, it's he who surges up to lay a quick kiss on Haruki's lips. "Okay," he says, earnest. "Okay, Haru."
Haruki sighs, taps Akihiko's hand to release him, and finally stands and closes the passenger side door.
He goes around the front to get to the driver's side. As he does so, the smile he's been trying to hold finally breaks through, and he has to duck his head down, pretending to fumble with the key.
He gets the door open, takes his seat. He holds on to the wheel and heaves a deep breath to center himself. He doesn't even need to check to know that Akihiko is still staring at him, likely with that same awed expression that never left his face since they left the clinic.
Haruki shakes his head and starts the car.
Ah. He should have taken a video.