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Kaoru swore to tell the truth… and swearing on ‘his place of the family’, threatening to go back to his parents of he lied… Maybe Daichi could believe what he was going to saw was true? Kaoru did not want to go back to his parents, mostly his mother. So surely telling the truth was better, even if it upset Daichi, than willingly returning to that horrible existence. So way, Daichi wanted to believe that Kaoru would tell the worth when that was the risk of lying. But his words made no sense to Daichi. Kaoru wanted to make him happy… and he thought dying was going to make him happy? Kaoru must not realize that there was no way out of this arrangement. If Kaoru annulled their marriage, Daichi would be married off again. And seeing how there was no one currently his age, he would either be married to someone much lot than himself or much, much younger… both cases sounded awful.

Besides, Daichi was happy… as happy as he could get while still thinking Kaoru was lying to him about his true feelings. Correction… he had been happy. Not now… not after this… he tightened his arms around his chest, ignoring the pain in his hand as Kaoru started to apologize and Rui confirmed that Kaoru wasn’t lying. He still didn’t understand how Rui could read Kaoru so clearly after just meeting him… that was Rui’s gift… but right now it just pissed Daichi off. “Do you think this made me happy? Do you think waking up in the middle of the night to find you missing made me happy? Do you think seeing you, floating mostly unconscious in the hot tub made me happy?!” his voice rose with every question. “I hate hospitals! Do you think waiting in the hospital waiting room, praying you would wake up and be alright made me happy!?” he was nearly yelling now as he threw his arms up, gesturing at the hospital room. He felt Rui’s hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, but his eyes weren’t focusing on anything but Kaoru. And they stung, like he was about to cry. He would not cry in front of Kaoru. He would not.

Kaoru’s outburst helped Daichi calm himself, but not by much. It felt like Kaoru didn’t listen when he talked and that was frustrating. The same could be said for Daichi, but in the heat of the moment, rational thinking wasn’t possible. There were so many things Daichi wanted to say… but he let Kaoru speak, get his true feelings out there. But one particular word made Daichi free. Did Kaoru just say he loved Daichi? He said he was happy because he got to spend every day with the man he loved… that was Daichi right? Kaoru didn’t spend any time with anyone else… that Daichi knew of… Daichi had promised to try and believe what he was told… but this… this was too much… too much for right now.

Rui clarified one of Kaoru’s statements… and again, there was so many things wrong with Kaoru’s answer. Daichi sighed, slipping his good hand into his pocket as he leaned against the wall. Where should he even begin? Too much… there was too much… He sighed again and leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. Might as well start from the beginning… “Yes. I didn’t want anything to do with this marriage. And I hate that I was forced to marry. Full stop. Either of those statements have anything to do with you Kaoru.” He pulled his head up and looked at the male. “I’ve never had a problem with you. Quite the opposite actually… I’ve enjoyed your company. And yesterday was fun. I was happy, except for the fact I thought, and still think, you force yourself to do things or act a certain way because ‘that’s what a wife would do’.” He sighed again. “Like I’ve said, multiple times, I don’t want a wife…” he paused, now convince Kaoru didn’t understand him when he said this. “I want a partner, someone to experience life with… not someone who has to force themselves to be happy or who are only playing a part because they were trained to.” He sighed again, glancing at Rui, hoping he at least understood what Daichi meant.

Daichi looked back at Kaoru. “I obviously like you Kaoru. I wouldn’t change my work schedule, or take time off work to spend time with someone I didn’t like.” He paused. “The family forced me to marry, but no where in that contract does it say I have to make time for the person I was wedded to… I mean, one of my brothers avoided his wife so a year, completely avoided him…” he sighed again and looked away. “I don’t know how else to convince you that you’re not a mistake…” This was where he was lost, where he needed Rui’s help. Daichi wasn’t a therapist! He didn’t know how to help Kaoru… he wasn’t even sure if he was saying the right things, or if he was saying correctly. It would be his luck for Kaoru to misinterpret them again. Both he and Daichi were experts at that. “I would miss you… so please… don’t do something like this again…”

Daichi pushed off the wall when Kaoru asked to be let go. However, he remained where he was as Rui unlatched the restraints and Kaoru stood. He was close enough to catch the male if he were to fall, but he didn’t move to be closer to Kaoru. It was really an unconscious action. It would take a while before he was comfortable with the idea that his presence didn’t scare or intimidate Kaoru. Daichi just nodded at Kaoru’s words. He was willing to try, which was all Daichi could ask for. And if, in the long run, Kaoru really couldn’t see that his presence made Daichi happy, then… Daichi would let him go.

Daichi nodded again when Kaoru asked to go home. Looking to Rui, Daichi slipped one hand into his pocket and tried to relax… but he was still in a hospital. He just wanted to go home too. He knew Rui had to talk to someone, convince them to release Kaoru into his care, then they could settle the discharge paperwork, Rui could drive them to his car which was still at the hotel, and they could head home. And part of him what Rui to come home with them. He wasn’t sure how to handle being alone with Kaoru after all this… He was still so angry, relieved, but still angry Kaoru would do something like this. And he was exhausted… but thinking of them being home, with him asleep… Kaoru could get his hands on anything he wanted… what if he tried a more direct approach? The kitchen was full of sharp things… nope, he couldn’t sleep… not unless Kaoru was sleeping too… and even then, would he be able to sleep peacefully?

But Kaoru spoke up as he was thinking about all this and it was a bit of a surprise, hearing Kaoru voice his wants. Daichi nodded softly and looked from Kaoru to Daichi. “Tomorrow.” Kaoru had spoke up, and as a team, Daichi had to respect his wishes. He wasn’t going to over step Kaoru’s wishes just because he was nervous. He’d work things out himself, like he always did. Besides, it was only one night. Surely, he could handle one night.

Discharging Kaoru took a lot longer than Daichi had hoped it would. Eventually he had to go and relieve Hana before she destroyed Rui’s car. But after what seemed like an eternity, Kaoru was released, and they were settled in Rui’s car. Daichi sat in the front, allowing Hana and Kaoru to occupy the back. Rui drove them back to the hotel to retrieve their car.

Daichi was grateful Rui spoke to Kaoru about not repeating this once they got home. He promised to try and believe was he was told… and he was trying… but he still didn’t plan on sleeping with Kaoru near… not at least for a while. The process of discharging was slow and mind numbing for Daichi. He pretty much remained quiet, letting Rui do the talking, signing papers when he was needed. He was very relieved once they made it to Rui’s car. Kaoru was distracted with Hana, which Daichi was grateful for. Daichi found himself staring out the window as Rui drove them back to the hotel. He shook the male’s hand, giving him a non-verbal head tilt, thanking him for everything. He would see the male tomorrow… he probably needed to call into work and extend his time off. He wasn’t going to leave Kaoru home alone, and he doubted Rui could stay all day… now that he thought about it… he needed to work from home for a while… he would call into work later today and arrange for some paperwork to be sent to his home.

They got into Daichi’s car, and Rui drove off, with Daichi following unintentionally behind him. They made it to the freeway and parted ways at that point. Music played softly in the background, but Daichi wasn’t paying attention. Too much on his mind… he had many things to handle when he got home… not to mention he had no idea how to handle Kaoru tonight… his first instinct was to separate himself from the male… but after hearing what he had been told today, that would probably do more harm than good…He was in deep though until Kaoru spoke up. Daichi glanced over at Kaoru, letting the words register for a moment. “That’s a complicated question… ummm…” he took another moment to think. “Partners… I guess that they just… live life together, for each other… they communicate… if something is bothering them, they talk to each other about it. They comfort each other one bad days, and celebrate together on the good days. They take the other’s feelings into consideration… but don’t just do something because they feel they have to in order to make the other happy. With partners… it’s okay to say no, and its okay to get angry and fight… as long as you talk about it and work together to straighten things out. Partners don’t keep secrets… they share, everything…” Daichi sighed softly. “At least, in my head, that’s what I think it would be like… I’ve never had one and I’ve never been one so… I might not be explaining it right.” He said, almost sadly.

Daichi knew he wasn’t the best companion. He didn’t communicate enough, he was too quiet. He didn’t show affection, and didn’t know how to comfort correctly. How Kaoru saw him as perfect was beyond him. Daichi leaned his arm against the door, eyes still on the road. He just wanted to get home… but he’d answer any questions Kaoru had, to the best of his ability… maybe hearing the male talk would make Daichi feel more relaxed. “Do we wanted to pick up food on the way home, or order something to be delivered?” he asked Kaoru after a couple of minutes.

Daichi glanced over at Kaoru’s first question. But he didn’t answer… and after a moment’s though, Kaoru seemed to have answered his question for himself. Okay, so maybe Daichi had been doing something right… Kaoru just had a hard time understanding… Daichi could understand that. He turned his eyes back to the road and sighed softly. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought… obviously Kaoru wasn’t ‘hearing’ him when he spoke, and Daichi wasn’t ‘hearing’ Kaoru when he spoke. They both had some work to do.

Daichi’s grip on the sterling wheel tightened an uncomfortable level as Kaoru explained why he never thought others would be interested in his opinion. Daichi had to which hands and steer with his good hand as Kaoru continued. Daichi shook his head when Kaoru apologized. “You have nothing to apologize for Kaoru. You didn’t know.” He said softly. It was true… Kaoru was trained to obey and have no voice, so obviously he wouldn’t even think to ask if he could have an opinion… that fact alone made Daichi’s blood boil. If he ever got that woman alone… he shook his head of the though.

Daichi glanced over at the male for a moment, and he had the sudden urge to touch Kaoru, something he hadn’t done since he pulled him out of the tub… it would be alright, right? Kaoru said he wasn’t afraid of him… so it would be okay… hopefully… carefully Daichi lifted his hand up and gently touched Kaoru’s cheek with his index finger, careful to keep his finger brace away from Kaoru’s face. “Of course… I don’t expect you to be able to just flip a switch and suddenly reverse years of conditioning…” he said softly, letting his hand drop, setting it on the gift shift. He hadn’t seen fear in Kaoru’s eyes when he touched him… but he also didn’t want to push his luck.

Daichi nodded when Kaoru chose delivery, and he thought about what he wanted. He was hungry… but food was a distant thought in his clouded mind. He nodded at Kaoru correct assessment of his state of hunger, not really in the mood to explain that he could probably just sleep through tomorrow instead of eating. He needed to eat… he was running on fumes as it was. He tried to think of what he wanted to order, but he was drawing a blank… he needed sleep. Luckily Kaoru offered a suggestion. Ramen actually sounded great. But before he could answer, Kaoru was doing that thing where he second guesses and tries to leave it open for Daichi to decide… however the way he ended his anxious little statement made Daichi smile. He looked over at Kaoru, almost lovingly, too tired to restraint his facial expressions. “Ramen actually sounds great.” He confirmed before turning his eyes back to the road. “Do you think you can call in the order?” he asked, since he was driving. He didn’t have his Bluetooth handy otherwise he would have called himself.

Daichi didn’t even look away from the road. He shifted his fingers slightly so Kaoru’s finger could slip between his (the best they could with his brace), and he gently held Kaoru’s hand like that. It was a simple touch… but the thought that he almost lost this made the touch all the more significant. Kaoru agreed to order and Daichi smiled when Kaoru remembered his favorite order. “Yeah, that’s.” he said softly, the remained quiet as Kaoru looked up the restaurant, called, and placed their orders. He wasn’t really paying too much attention, confident in Kaoru. He didn’t even think twice when Kaoru ordered larges. He glanced over once the phone call ended and nodded when Kaoru spoke. “Yeah, that sounds good. I had no preference… and leftovers for later will be nice.” He said, wondering if there would be any leftovers… he was rather hungry and it had been a while since he ate last… last night… wow, no wonder he was so tired.

Daichi gave Kaoru’s fingers a gentle squeeze, subconsciously trying to calm the anxious male. His conscious mind wasn’t sure why Kaoru was nervous… he was too tired to think too hard about it. They were almost home, which seemed to make him even more tired. After a moment, Kaoru spoke again, and his initial reaction was to shake his head. And he realized he needed to clarify that. “You’re not sleeping alone.” He said curtly. He didn’t mean to sound sharp… or however he sounded. Tiredness laced his tone, and hopefully Kaoru wouldn’t take offence. Daichi grip on Kaoru’s fingers tightened slightly, possessively. There was no way Kaoru was going to be leaving Daichi’s side… at least not tonight… and probably not tomorrow either… in his tired state, he didn’t care if he was being possessive or controlling… Kaoru was safest in his arms, near him… Daichi would protect the male from himself if he had to…

Getting home was a relief. Daichi parked the car and got out, walking to the trunk to get their things. He handed the stuffed animals to Kaoru to carry while he carried the rest. He set the suitcases by the door, out of the way, but they would deal with unpacking after some food and sleep. Daichi unloaded his pockets onto the nearest table, wallet keys cell phone. Daichi had stepped into the bedroom to changed when there was a knock at the door. It was probably the delivery. “My wallets by the door, can you get the delivery?” he asked from the bedroom, changing his shirt and pants into something more comfortable… essentially pajamas.

Daichi walked out in more comfortable clothes and his stomach growled at the smell of food. He nodded when Kaoru mentioned getting Hana situated. Everything had been so crazy… he hadn’t even thought… damn, he was sucking at this parent thing already. But she was eating now… they could put a puppy pad on the porch and leave it open for her when they went to sleep. Daichi slipped into his eat at the bar and opened his ramen. Daichi took a bite, hungrily. This ramen seriously tasted the best right now. But he didn’t get to focus completely on the food in front of him when Kaoru spoke up, worry in his voice. Daichi glanced up, and paused, quickly realizing the male’s panic…

Daichi sighed. “I had to call my mother to get Rui’s contact infor, along with some of the health care information.” He admitted. He set his shop sticks down and rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t call your mother… but I’m not sure if my mother did…” He said quickly before adding. “But it’ll be alright… I won’t let her get to you… she doesn’t have a right any more… the marriage forces her to swear overall responsibility of you to me…” he tried to explain, hoping it would calm Kaoru. He reached over and touched Kaoru’s hand gently. “You’re safe here… okay?” he asked, worried… maybe Rui should have some home with them…

Daichi took the time needed to calm Kaoru down and get him eating again. But about halfway through his meal, tiredness overcame his hunger. He boxed up the rest of his ramen and stuck it in the fridge. But he didn’t leave for the bedroom. He picked up the (already clean) kitchen and kept himself slightly busy until Kaoru was ready to sleep to. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave Kaoru alone… He opened the porch door and put a puppy pad out there for Hana. He petted the puppy softly, feeling bad for practically ignoring her all day. He’d make it up to her tomorrow. Once Kaoru was ready to sleep, Daichi walked with him to the bedroom and immediately laid down on the bed. But he stayed awake until Kaoru joined him. It was a struggle, but he didn’t fully relax until Kaoru was wrapped in his arms. He pressed the male’s back to his chest, spooning him. “Sorry…” he whispered sleepily, worried the direct contact would bother Kaoru, but he couldn’t sleep without it. It was out in moments.

Daichi woke softly, instinctually tightening his grip on the body in his arms a bit. But Kaoru’s soft voice pulled him from his slumber. Slowly and groggily, he opened his eyes and focused on what Kaoru was saying. "Hmmm?" That’s when he realized how closely he was holding Kaoru. He immediately opened his arms, one left hovering slightly above Kaoru. “Sorry.” His voice was laced with sleep. He waited for the male to move before he rolled onto his back and rubbed a hand across his face. Had he held Kaoru like that all night? He had slept fine… but what if Kaoru hadn’t? Damn…

The knock on the door made Daichi sit up slightly. He looked for his phone and realized he left it in the living room. “I’ll get the door.” He said, groggily standing up from the bed. He ran a hand throw his hair, hoping to make himself somewhat tidy for whoever was at the door. He checked his phone, which was dead. So maybe it was Rui? He rubbed his face again, waking himself up some more before he opened the door. He froze when he saw who was on the other side. “Mother.” He restraint his frown and opened the door fully to let the woman in. “What do we own the pleasure?” he asked, already falling into his polite son persona. He was suddenly very under dressed… and Kaoru was in the bathroom… probably unaware of who was here. “We just woke up… pardon my appearance…” he tried to explain, though he doubted his mother cared at the moment.

(we'll take turns playing mother?)