Of bratty demons and mushroom heads

CHAPTER 9

Hiyoshi was sitting at his desk with his laptop computer open, catching up on news and sifting through the school’s message board. He was trying to distract himself. His father’s words still rang loudly through his head. He wasn’t going to let himself panic. It wouldn’t help the situation and would only be showing weakness.

Then, on impulse, Hiyoshi wrote a quick email and pressed the send key. He didn’t know what compelled him to write it; he just really wanted to see the brat. Negative thoughts told him that Akaya might not even see it, and even if he did, probably wouldn’t come. He most likely already had plans elsewhere for the evening.

Getting up from his desk, he made his way over to the futon, planning to partake in one his most habitual pastimes… staring at the ceiling. It was a unique form of meditation. He found that after a while of staring at the slightly off white wall, it even seemed like it was staring back at him.

Akaya walked down the hall in only his pants with a towel around his shoulders that his hair dripped onto. He'd just finished with his shower and was planning on spending some quality time with his super Nintendo. He'd neglected it for far too long.

Walking into his room, he opened up his laptop out of habit and moved his finger over the touch screen to turn it on. It automatically brought up his email. The first message he saw was from Hiyoshi and it made his heart stop for a moment. 'Akaya. My room. Now.' sent only 2 minutes ago. He swallowed the lump in his throat and grabbed a button up shirt before closing the laptop and running out of the room.

As Kirihara ran across campus, completely forgetting to put his shirt on, he went over what could possibly be wrong. If Hiyoshi was hurt then he'd be in the nurse’s office or the hospital, right? The thought did little to reassure him. Hiyoshi was stubborn; would he even go to the hospital?

He cleared the stairs two at a time and stopped only when he'd thrown open Hiyoshi’s door. "Wakashi! You alright?" He asked hurriedly between breaths.

‘Akaya is here.’ That thought repeated through Hiyoshi’s head a few times, almost not believing it. The Rikkai demon was standing in his doorway, out of breath, his hair dripping wet. Had he run all the way there? Tone of voice implying… concern? The thought made Hiyoshi smile.

Without saying a word, Hiyoshi stood and grabbed Akaya’s arm, dragging him back over to the futon with him. He wrapped his arms around Akaya’s waist, pulled him down on top of the blankets, and buried his head in the crook of Akaya’s neck. He always liked how warm the other boy was.

Akaya barely had time to click the door shut behind him as he was suddenly pulled over to the futon. Somewhere along the way the shirt he'd been holding fell to the floor, but it didn't really matter as he felt arms wrap around him.

"W-Wakashi?" He whispered and ran his hand through light brown hair. "What's wrong?" This was definitely not normal behavior for the other man.

This was what Hiyoshi had wanted, just to have the brat there with him. It didn’t bother him anymore that he was obviously attracted to the chibi-demon, or even the knowledge that he cared for him. If he wasn’t going to be allowed this anymore then it didn’t matter what happened right then.

Hesitating only for a moment, Hiyoshi brought his face up to look at him. Akaya always wore his emotions out in the open, and right then, he looked confused and genuinely worried. Hiyoshi slowly dragged his hand through Akaya’s hair, enjoying the texture between his fingers, and then rolled them over so that Akaya was on top of him. This was what the brat wanted, right?

“Don’t talk." Hiyoshi breathed deeply and pulled Akaya down to him, lips parting in wordless demand.

For the second time in 10 minutes, Akaya’s heart stopped. He wasn't even sure how he had ended up above Hiyoshi; all he knew was that there were now lips pressed against his. After another moment, his body reacted and his eyes fluttered closed. He kissed back hungrily; endorphins and adrenaline rushed through his body, making him shiver and groan.

Hiyoshi didn’t even try to hold back the tremor he felt pass through the whole length of his body. Deepening the kiss, the other hand stole back into his friend's hair, sealing them together. His thoughts were scattered as he let out a low moan that left him aching. He would have a lifetime to re-think his actions and maybe even regret them, but right then he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Part of Akaya was screaming that something was wrong, that Hiyoshi would never kiss him like this, at least not unless Akaya initiated it, but the other part of him was telling him to just shut up and enjoy it. This was what he'd wanted, right?

The kiss was hungry and heated, and it was easy to forget everything and just let all his worries go. His inexperience not deterring him as Hiyoshi let his body take over what his mind couldn’t process. As far as he was concerned, if this was what Akaya wanted from him, then fine. As long as he didn’t leave. But, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do next. Separating their lips, Hiyoshi tried to catch his breath as he looked up at Akaya with a dazed expression. “What… happens next?”

Akaya’s first thought was to say, 'strip' but he stopped to think about it. Something he didn't normally do and something he probably wouldn't have done had he not spent so much time with the other boy. "It depends," he whispered huskily, still breathing like he'd just stopped running. "Do you really want this?" He cupped Hiyoshi’s crotch to indicate exactly what he meant.

Hiyoshi immediately felt an overwhelming need to arch into Akaya’s hand, but barely contained it and forced himself to calm down. Did he really want this? ”YES” his body nearly screamed back at him. Except, he also knew the rest of him was still uncertain. He closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself. After he forced his emotions back under some semblance of control, he looked emotionlessly back up into Akaya’s waiting eyes. “It’s fine.”

Akaya closed his eyes as Hiyoshi responded the way he had expected. He rolled off of Hiyoshi and sat on the edge of the futon with his back to the other man. "Why did you want me to come over here Wakashi?" he grumbled and ran a hand through his hair, trying to get his body (and emotions) under control.

Hiyoshi was confused. Why was the brat upset? Sitting up, but not moving him, he asked, “What’s wrong? I… Isn’t this what you wanted?” Taking a deep breathe, he put his hand to his forehead, trying to clear his thoughts. “I wanted to see you…” He mumbled finally, his arm twitching to pull the other boy back against him, but held back.

"Yeah, having sex with you would be great, but I'm not going to when you don't actually want it." Akaya scratched at the back of his neck and stared at the floor. "Don't deny it, alright. It's really damn obvious. I'm not mad or anything, I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong. This isn't like you."

Hiyoshi felt the guilt seep into him almost immediately. Akaya was right. After all the time they’d spent together, he should have known better. The brat knew him well enough by now to know that he wasn’t completely ready for this. Turning towards him, he whispered a quiet “sorry” before letting out a frustrated sigh. “My father called. I had been wondering why I hadn’t heard from him sooner...” he trailed off for a moment. “He wants me to go home.”

"Your father?" Akaya glanced at Hiyoshi out of the corner of his eye and frowned. Why would he--Oh... the bitch... "Is he angry?" He asked quietly, his voice reflecting just how horrible he felt about what had happened.

Hiyoshi wanted to say that was an understatement, but held back, not wanting to make Akaya feel worse for his part in this. “I guess Keiko-san hadn’t said anything to my family about what happened because she expected me to call her on Valentines Day to “explain myself” and make it up to her. How the hell was I supposed to know that?” He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. He had tried calling her a few times after that horrifying night, but she never answered or returned any of his calls. “She told my family… that… I’m gay. That I insulted her and embarrassed both myself and her.” This part he almost couldn’t argue with. He had embarrassed both of them, although not intentionally.

Akaya’s chest wrenched and he dropped his head. This was all his fault. "I'm sorry... I..." He didn't know what else to say. All he could think of were apologies and he knew they wouldn't change anything. Finally he forced a little pathetic laugh. "See... I told you she was a bitch..."

Hiyoshi was getting sick of Akaya apologizing. He hated it when his brat looked so dejected. "Shut up," Hiyoshi growled at him, hand tightening impatiently in his hair and tugging his face around to face him. “You’re right, she was a bitch. I would not have been happy with her so there is no reason for you to apologize anymore.” He let his face soften a bit and he leaned forward to softly kiss Akaya’s almost completely healed nose. “Besides, we both had things to apologize for, and what’s done is done.”

The little demon blinked a couple times in surprise at both Hiyoshi’s words and actions, and then smiled a little as he felt the brush of lips on his nose. "Yeah..." He said quietly and captured the others lips in a quick kiss before asking, "What are you going to do?"

Hiyoshi felt himself relaxing despite the sinking feeling still in his stomach. Akaya’s smile seemed to have that effect on him. “Apparently my father is blaming my misconduct on the fact that it’s my first time away from home and thinks that I must be surrounded by bad influences.” He raised an eyebrow to Akaya and tried to add teasingly, “I might have to agree that he may have a point.”

Akaya stuck his tongue out at Hiyoshi but then let his features turn serious again. "Then you may be able to talk to him. Explain what happened. Lie if you have to. Just... don't say you'll leave the school, okay?"

“It’s not really a matter of what happened anymore. He’s thinking about making me drop out of this University, and enroll me somewhere closer to home where he can…” his face took on a disgusted look and he flopped onto his back on the futon. “...keep a closer eye on me. Heh. At least he’s not thinking about disowning me…” He really didn’t want to leave. He had finally been getting comfortable here. This was where Choutarou, Gakuto, and a few people he now considered to be kind of like a second family were. Not to mention… He looked up at Akaya again briefly before turning away to hide the emotion he was sure showed on his face.

"Oh... Then... Can't you convince him to let you stay? I mean... Maybe Atobe-san will help you? He seems nice enough and fukubuchou said he's very uh..." He paused as he pondered over the word, trying to find the right one, "purs--persiv---persuasive! Maybe he can help convince your dad. Or I could talk to fukubuchou! He's really, really persiv---good at that kinda thing. I'm sure he'd help. He likes practicing with you. I can tell."

“I don’t know. My father doesn’t like excuses. I’ll need to prove to him somehow that staying here is what’s best for me as his heir. I need to show him that… I’m becoming a man and honorable adult.” He had been thinking about how he could do that for the last few hours and all he could come up with was, “If I had a proper girlfriend…” or maybe what Akaya suggested could work, “or Sanada-san was willing to vouch for me…” He sulked back with a grouchy scowl on his face. Both of those options were still a long shot and weren’t realistically possible.

"That's it!" Akaya said suddenly and smiled wide. "We just gotta find you a girlfriend! Someone pretty and smart you can show off to your dad! Then he won't make you leave! It's a perfect plan!" He hopped up to his feet and started pacing around as he thought. "Yeah! Now we just gotta find a girl. Hmm... Someone who’s not a bitch... Kotoko? No, no, she's dating that funky Osakan guy now... Um... Oh! I know!!! What about An-chan? I'm sure she'll help you out."

“Are you insane?” Hiyoshi voice was incredulous. “I don’t want another girlfriend! I agree that An-san is not bad, but she’s not interested in me like that.” Not to mention she had a thing for Akaya. He sat up and rubbed his temples. “I’d be more likely to get help from Sanada-san than find a girlfriend by this weekend.”

"Let's just ask her! If anything she can pretend to be your girlfriend so your dad leaves you alone," Akaya explained quickly. "Unless you wanna leave."

Hiyoshi looked away, not wanting Akaya to see his face looking so vulnerable. “You know I don’t.” He snapped and thought about the chances of it actually working. “Okay, I’ll ask her. But I’m still going to need a back up plan in case she says no. Hell, even if she says yes, it may still not be enough to convince him.”

"We gotta do what we can," Akaya explained and turned Hiyoshi to look at him. "If she says no, there’s other people I can ask, but she'd be the best bet. If you guys act well, your dad will let you stay, I'm sure."

Akaya genuinely wanted him to stay; the thought was comforting in a way. “Alright brat, I said I’d ask her.” Akaya was already right there next to him, so Hiyoshi lifted his arms to wrap around him and pulled down until they were both laying on the futon. He hugged his brat to him while running a hand through his hair the way he knew Akaya liked. He’d recently realized having the brat close helped him to relax more than almost anything else. Even if he was a frustrating demon brat… he was a comfy frustrating demon brat. He whispered a small “thank you” into his neck near his ear.

Akaya grinned and snuggled up to Hiyoshi more with a contented sigh. The feeling in his chest from the other night was back and it left him feeling confused and scared, but then the other man thanked him and he didn't care anymore.

"...I'm sleeping here tonight," Akaya stated, leaving no room for argument. It was only then he was really glad he'd never gotten around to putting on his shirt because he didn't have to pull away from Hiyoshi to take it off. He hesitantly placed a kiss on the other’s lips, moving slowly so that the other could stop him if he wanted to.

Hiyoshi closed his eyes, smiling contentedly against Akaya lips. It would be wrong of him to refuse him since he had basically demanded he come over in the first place (or at least that was the excuse). The chibi demon’s body felt warm against his, and he knew he was quickly becoming addicted to those kisses and tentative touches. The memory of their kiss in the park was still fresh in his mind. However, Hiyoshi was starting to become uncomfortable since he still had both the jeans and collared shirt on he’d worn that day. He pulled away from the other boy and began unbuttoning his shirt, intending to put his pajamas on for the night.

As Hiyoshi pulled away, Akaya frowned. He always hated losing the physical contact and he silently hoped he hadn't gone too fa--oh. Hiyoshi was stripping? Did that mean he wanted to... Rikkaidai’s fourth demon swallowed the little lump in his throat. Hiyoshi seemed more clear minded now, so it would be ok to keep going, right? Deciding that was a firm yes, he just enjoyed the show, part of him wondering if he should take off his pants or something.

After his shirt was removed, Hiyoshi got off the bed to do away with his jeans and replaced them with his pajama pants. He was still in his boxers when he looked back over at Akaya. He raised a questioning eyebrow at his expression. The brat looked way too happy than what was in his comfort level. Walking back over with a smirk and sitting on the edge of the futon, he pulled at one of Akaya’s stray curls. “You look like you’re about to attack something with that smile. Should I be worried?”

Akaya’s only response was a wicked grin as he pushed Hiyoshi down against the futon and climbed on top of him. He moved down to kiss the other’s neck and exposed collar bone slowly and teasingly. "It's hard not to want to attack you when you're like this," he mumbled, smirking as he ran his tongue along the length of Hiyoshi’s neck, only stopping when he found an ear lobe that he promptly nipped and started sucking at.

How long had it been since he was with anyone? Akaya honestly couldn't remember anymore. How had that happened? He used to go out every weekend, a different girl (or guy) every night. Why had he stopped? What was he doing with his nights now? Then he realized it. He'd spent almost every weekend with Hiyoshi, just hanging out, and somehow that was infinitely more fun than going out on the town with strangers. But still, he was a boy, he had physical needs, and it was obvious to even someone inexperienced just how much he wanted to end his little dry spell.

‘Fuck’ was the only distinguishable word that came to mind when Akaya literally pounced on him. Hiyoshi flushed red at the feel of his lower regions swelling at Akaya’s attentions. His breath hitched, a shudder running from head to toe and then straight to his groin. Hiyoshi had already started to feel hot all over, but when Akaya rolled so that he was completely on top of him, he thought he’d burn. His arms instinctively came up to pull him closer while running them slowly up and down his back and sides.

Oh god, he wanted this, but… was he really okay with it? Hiyoshi knew he had feelings for the other boy, and obviously at least the physical attraction was mutual. However… he also knew that he could never be satisfied with only a physical relationship. Akaya wouldn’t be willing to offer anything more than that. He could never ask Akaya to change.

When Akaya’s fingers started to inch towards his boxers, unlike earlier, Hiyoshi was now thinking straight again. That was way into uncharted territory. He reached up to thread a hand through Akaya's hair, tilting his head up so he could brush his lips against his again. That was usually the best way to distract him.

Sure enough, Akaya's fingers stilled, but the softness of his hair under his hand was its own distraction, and Hiyoshi couldn't help rubbing his fingers against Akaya’s scalp, objective already half-forgotten. “Akaya… we need to stop.”

When his hand was stopped, Akaya couldn't say he was surprised, but it was still a bit disappointing. "I don't want to," he mumbled, but brought his hand back up obediently. He would never force the other to do anything he didn't want to do, but he wanted to so bad. "I really..." He paused and smiled a little sadly, "I really want you though, Wakashi." He kissed him lightly, giving the other a choice to deepen the kiss or pull away. He knew that it probably wouldn't go any further, but he couldn't help hoping he was wrong. He wanted the light fluttery feeling in his chest, the one he only seemed to get around Hiyoshi, to continue.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I…” Hiyoshi mumbled, pulling away from him, having to use all his self-control not to just give in and draw him closer again. “Akaya, I…” He didn’t know what he wanted to say, his head still in that aroused state but now restless in his anxiety. “It’s not that I don’t… want to.” He fell silent as a soft but sad smile came over his face. He brought a hand up to gently brush away the hair that had fallen into Akaya’s face and gave him the most honest answer he could. “I won’t be with someone only for the sex.” He paused. “Can’t we just… stay like this for now?”

Akaya felt his chest clench painfully as Hiyoshi moved away from him. "It's ok..." he sighed and paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “I... I'm not just in it for the sex..." he mumbled quietly. "If I was, I would have left a long time ago. I just..." He pushed himself off of the other man so he was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and draped an arm over his eyes. "I'm confused," he whispered and with his free hand reached out and took Hiyoshi hand in his own and pressed it to his chest so he could feel the rapid strong thumps of his heart. "My heart is pounding... and all 'doki doki'. I don't know what that means... People keep telling me it means you like someone when it does that, but I've only liked one person before and that was... ya know, different."

Hiyoshi’s breath hitched when Akaya took his hand and held it against his chest, feeling his heart beat. The brat was confused? Did this mean… he may care for him back? Hiyoshi closed his eyes, feeling a smile coming to his face. He roughly yanked Akaya back towards him and pinned him beneath him, smiling openly down at him. “If you’re confused, then I guess we better wait until you figure it out.” He let himself relax down onto the brat, feeling the day’s events starting to take their toll. “It’s late. I’m going to sleep. You can leave now if you want, or stay…” He kissed the healed nose once before comfortably leaning down to burrow against the warm demon.

Akaya could have almost laughed at how quickly the serious mood changed, but instead he just smiled and wrapped his arms around Hiyoshi. "Yeah alright, good night," he mumbled and stared up at the ceiling, absently running his hand up and down the other man’s back. He couldn't stop thinking about that smile. "I'll figure it out soon..." he whispered, more to assure himself than Hiyoshi. “Be patient...” He held the other boy a bit tighter and resigned himself to the sleepless night he had ahead of him.

Hiyoshi just held him closer, almost laughing at the irony of Akaya asking him to be patient. The next few days were going to be hazardous on his nerves. He had to talk to An tomorrow as well as convince his father to let him stay at the school. The task didn’t seem so daunting though with a chibi demon brat there with him.