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Rui really was a life saver, and a telepath apparently. But he somehow new exactly what Akiko was trying to say without him having to say it. He nodded, trying to hide his smile. And again, Rui demonstrated how great of a therapist he was. after dinner the last time, he realized Akiko had/has a hard time with decisions and now he tries to only give Akiko two options to choose from, with really makes things so much easier. He bit his lip, worrying it with his teeth a minute before he spoke. “What the main house has made is fine… why waste money when we don’t have too?” he said, his question more rhetorical than anything.

They called the main house, and it didn’t take the cook very long to send them over a tray. Again Akiko stood far away from the servant who brought the tray in. but once she was gone, he was right beside Rui, helping to set the table and get everything ready. Before they sat down, Akiko checked on the pie, and rotated it to ensure an even bake. The house was already starting to smell amazing. “The-the pie should be done in fifteen minutes… then it needs to cool… but we can have warm pie for dessert?” he asked softly, proud of himself when he hardly stuttered.

((yay, your back!!! I’ve missed you!! Don’t worry about the length, with our timeskip, our replies are going to look a little short lol I’m JUST SO HAPPY YOUR BACK!!! lol))

Akiko smiled a real, small smile when Rui got excited over dinner. “It looks delicious.” He said as he waited for Rui to make his plate. He had gotten better at making his own plate, but he still couldn’t make his plate first. Rui kept the conversation light during dinner. “No, I-I can’t say that I have… how does that even work?” he asked, a bit confused… how do you fry ice cream? Wouldn’t it just melt? He nodded when Rui suggest they look up a recipe and try it themselves. That sounded like a disaster waiting to happen… but it always sounded fun because it would be ‘baking’ time with Rui. He blushed softly at his own thought. He was really enjoying his time with Rui… Probably more than he should.

Akiko ate till he was mostly full… enough to feel full but not over stuffed. He wanted to leave room for pie. He nearly laughed outwardly when Rui spoke, matching Akiko’s exact thought process. Maybe Rui really was telepathic. “We could pack up the rest and put it in the fridge? Save it for lunch tomorrow?” Akiko suggested, slowly gathering the plates while Rui fawned over the pie. Akiko couldn’t stop the slight blush when Rui mentioned opening a bakery together… together! Was Rui trying to flirt with him or was he just being nice? “If-if you ate all the baked goods, you’d get fat.” He tried to tease back, nervously. He still expected to be reprimanded for talking back. he was slowly learning that it was okay to tease and joke back with Rui.

Once dinner was cleaned up, the pie was ready to cut. “Can you get the ice cream?” Akiko asked as he grabbed a pie knife. He carefully cut the pie into fourths, then cut a fourth in half. Rui could get more later if he wanted. He planted a serving of pie on each plate, then handed them to Rui so he could put a scoop of ice cream on top. “W-want to watch a movie while we eat dessert?” he asked softly.

Akiko worried his lip with his teeth for a moment. “You pick? I-I chose dinner…” he said softly, hoping his answer was good enough. He knew Rui wouldn’t punish for saying the wrong thing but… it was still strange to be given choices… choices that had no wrong answers… Rui settled on the end of the couch, and normally, Akiko would sit on the other end, with a cushion between them. After Rui previous show of affection, and now that his brain had had some time to register it… Akiko wanted to be a bit daring. He gingerly sat in the middle of the couch, and four to 6 inches away from Rui’s body. He glanced at the male once before he curled up in his seat and began to eat his pie and ice cream.

After halfway through the movie, Rui took their empty plates to the kitchen and returned with popcorn. And with Akiko in the center seat, it was much easier to share out of the same bowl. At one point, their hands clashed while each tried to grab a handful of the buttery goodness. Akiko jerked back slightly, smiling sheepishly as he fought his blush. The rest of the movie played uneventfully. Akiko was exhausted by the credits. He got up and stretched, holding back a yawn as he took the empty bowl to the kitchen. He quickly, mindlessly, rinsed the last few dishes and placed them in the dishwasher before starting it. He covered the pie and put it in the fridge. “Rui? I think I’m going to head to bed. Is that alright?” he asked, stifling another yawn.

After Rui’s confirmation, Akiko headed to bed. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before he changed and slipped into the bed. He was asleep quickly. Unfortunately he didn’t stay asleep. He woke up gasping, a light layer of sweat peppered his brow, tears streaked down his cheeks. He stared at the ceiling until he remembered where he was. Then he turned into himself, curving into a fetal position as he tried to stop the tears and sobs that threatened to bubble forth. Shoulder shook with quiet sobs. He stayed like that for a long while, with very little comfort. But he managed to get his tears under control. He sat up and sighed, with came out as a soft sob. Maybe a cup of tea would settle him… he pulled the covers back and stood up. Quietly, he walked to his door and stepped into the hall. He started tiptoeing pasted Rui’s door when Rui’s night light caught his attention. He started at the open door for a moment… he tried to take another deep breath, and it hitched again… tonight was a bad night. He found himself walking closer to the door, until he could press a hand to the door frame. He could barely make out Rui’s sleeping form in his bed. He felt wrong, staring… nerves ate at him as he tried to find his voice. “R-Rui?” his voice was so soft, and cracked even on the simple word.

Akiko flinched when Rui spoke, groggy from sleep. He couldn’t help it. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep his tears to himself. It was a bit useless. He wiped his cheeks quickly and shook his head. No he wasn’t okay… he wasn’t physically hurt but… he wasn’t okay. “C-can… Can-can I-I…” he took another deep, hitching breath when the words wouldn’t come. Rui seemed to understand though, offering fro Akiko to come in and draw closer. Akiko pressed the heel of his hand to one eye as he walked slowly over to the bed and sat down on the corner edge of the bed. His gaze locked onto the floor. His hands and shoulder were trembling, his breathing hitched on every third breath, his eyes were red and puff from crying. He nodded, then shook his head. “Can…” he sighed, frustrated but mostly scared when he tried to voice his wants again. “Can I-I s-stay here?” he looked over to the other side of Rui’s bed. “I-I d-don’t w-want to-to be a-alone…” he somehow managed to get his thoughts into words, but it seemed to zap him of all the energy he had left.

Rui gave him permission and some tension released from Akiko’s shoulders. He swallowed thickly before he moved, crawling slowly over to the other side of the bed. Rui was careful to telegraph his movements, which Akiko silently appreciated. He curled up on the other side of the bed, gingerly resting his head on the pillows. He just managed to keep himself from curling into a complete ball… but he still laid on his side, knees about waist level, almost pulled into his chest, one arm wrapped around himself and the other hidden under the pillow. He simply nodded at Akiko’s words, blinking away fresh tears that threatened to fall. He closed his eyes a moment and tried to breath through the tightness in his chest. “Thank you, R-Rui.” He whispered softly, snuggling under the covers, hiding most of his form.

It took still took a while, but Akiko eventually found sleep again, albeit quicker than if he had tried to sleep alone. Throughout the night, he apparently had sought out Rui warmth. The morning sun found them cuddled together, Akiko pressed to Rui’s side like an octopus.

Akiko woke quickly. One moment, his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. The next, he had blinked himself awake and took only a moment to take in his surroundings. It was a trained skill, trained through years of abuse. He quickly realized he wasn’t in his room and he wasn’t snuggling a pillow. He looked up at Rui and everything clicked in place. He blushed brightly and jerked his hands away from Rui’s form. “S-sorry. Sorry.” He shifted away until he almost fell out of the bed. One hand went to his mouth, almost like he was afraid something would escape past his lips. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to… I shouldn’t have… sorry…” his hands trembled a bit as his mind raced. He wasn’t even hearing Rui’s words, was he speaking at all? Akiko shook his head. “I should go….” He turned to plate his feet on the floor.

Daichi chuckled to himself at Kaoru’s almost boneless-ness. He happily cleaned Kaoru off, then cleaned himself off quickly before rinsing them both. Once clean, they stepped out and Daichi had to dry Kaoru off too. He just smiled as he dried Kaoru’s hair so he wouldn’t get sick and then let him stumble off to their bed. Daichi dried off, hung the towel, then turned off all the lights. “Hana.” He called for the pup, helping her onto the bed before he slipped in behind Kaoru and curled around him. He pulled the male into his chest and held him close. He was sleep in moments, happy and sated.

He woke first in the morning, just before the ray of sunlight would hit his face from the semi-open blinds. Daichi smiled into the nape of Kaoru’s neck, but was careful not to wake the male. He slipped gently out of bed, petting Hana who had peeked open an eye at him, then went to relieve himself in the bathroom. He brushed his hair and teeth, then placed his hair in a low ponytail. He shut off the bathroom light before he left it, then quietly grabbed some sweatpants and a t-shirt from the closet. He dressed quickly, then left the room, leaving the door just barely cracked.

Daichi walked down to the living room, then to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. He needed caffeine this morning. After he poured himself a cup, and added the necessary amount of sugar, he walked around to the couch. The adjacent room, where Kaoru’s piano was, caught his attention and he paused. He sipped his coffee and walked into the room, admiring the piano placement. But he was surprised to see his violin case out, placed gently on the piano seat. Tilting his head in curiosity, he placed his mug on a window ceil and ran his finger gently over the violin case. He undid the buckled carefully and slowly opened the case. His violin was in perfect condition… so beautiful in the morning sun.

His fingers twitched and he gave in to the urge to pick the instrument up again. He handled it like it was made of glass. He fell into a familiar rhythm, checking the strings, the tuning, the bow and its string. He cradled the violin to his neck and chin. It felt so natural as he lifted the bow to the violin and closed his eyes. He started to play a tune, something that just came to him. He was happy to find that his technique hadn’t completely disappeared in the years of disuse. (Song: first two minutes)



Akiko froze when Rui hugged him and semi-held him in place. His heart was racing, he was breathing quickly, every muscle in his body was tense. But he relaxed a fraction when Rui spoke softly and comfortingly to him. He took a deep breath, which earned him more praise. He could feel the tears prickling his eyes, but he willed them not to fall. After about minute, Rui pulled away, but stayed close. Akiko shook his head at the other male’s apologies, but he didn’t trust his voice just yet. Embarrassed, he looked down at his hands, blinking rapidly to try and will his tears away.

He glanced up at Rui when he spoke and started for a long time. He… he actually meant that? He had liked Akiko sleeping on him like that? If Akiko would be honest with himself, he enjoyed it too… had slept better than he had in years. He shook his head against at Rui’s thanks and looked down at his hands again. “I-I sh-should be th-the one s-saying th-thanks…” he took a deep breath and swallowed thickly. He wiped his cheeks with his sleeves. “I-I haven’t sl-slept like th-that in years.” He said honestly, but refused to look up from his hands. “S-so thank you.” He sighed wetly, then rose to his first. “I’m g-going to go get d-dressed for b-breakfast.” He said as quickly as he could, then left the room, not running exactly but close.

Once back in his room, he nearly had another panic attack. He couldn’t believe he had done that… even in his sleep. He hadn’t tried to cuddle up to his wife in years… he knew better… so you’d think that training would translate to others as well… he shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts and focus on getting dressed.

Daichi’s song ended slowly. He smiled softly as he let his bow drop and he relaxed his shoulders. He stiffened for only a moment when Kaoru hugged him from behind. A soft smile tugged at his lips as he brushed his fingers along Kaoru’s arm. “Thank you… I was a bit afraid I’d make a fool of myself… it’s been a while since I last practiced.” He said honestly. Kaoru pulled back and moved to sit on the piano bench. Daichi nodded softly at the request and repositioned the violin against his neck and chin.

After Kaoru played a few notes, Daichi dived in. they made their own music, beautiful and soft notes that blended perfectly together. It was freeing and Daichi hadn’t felt relaxed like this in a long while. He instantly missed the soft notes when their songs came to an end. He smiled at his husband and carefully put the violin back into its case. “Breakfast sounds great.” He said, setting the case to the side before he grabbed his coffee mug. He took a sip as he headed to the kitchen. “How about all three? I can help?” he offered, setting his coffee mug on the kitchen bar. He walked around and entered the kitchen, pausing momentarily before Kaoru to kiss his head.

They made breakfast, which was an easy task with four hands, and moved to sit at the kitchen bar. With a refilled cup of coffee, Daichi dug into his breakfast, groaning at the first taste of fluffy pancake. “You are the best cook.” He muttered, tearing another bite with his fork.


Eventually, Akiko managed to calm himself down, dress, and prepare himself to see Rui again. Incidentally, it was after the main house servant had come with breakfast and left. Akiko cautiously walked out into the dining room, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. Rui was setting the food out. “Can-can I help?” he asked, slowly moving towards the tray of plated food.

They both sat down, across from each other and loaded their plates. Akiko still looked to Rui as he put food on his plate and needed soft nods of approve, but he was getting better about asking for food when he was still hungry. After a few bites of his breakfast, Akiko swallowed and carefully spoke, trying to keep his voice from breaking. “What are your plans for the day?” he asked.