Joker

44. My happy ending

Aki was quite literally being pulled in all sorts of directions "OKAY STOP!"

Aru was pulling him to the couch by the arm "Aki! Aki!"

Inu stayed glued to his leg, hugging it like a koala "My Aki!"

"GUYS PLEASE SHARE ME!" He yelped as Aru bit his arm "You want me to tell Mommy?"

They both got off his arm and leg and stood in front of him, wide eyed. Inu pouted "No tell."

"Only if you behave." Aki sighed "Okay kids, how about some TV?"

"TV! TV! TV!" The girls cheered and ran over to the couch, flinging themselves onto the couch. Aki smiled. So cute. He sat between them and let them lie down on him. Aru's head on one thigh and Inu's on the other. Aki ran his fingers through their soft black hair. Can't believe they're over a year old already. They talk now! Well, not talk as much as just say random words in no order but it was still cool. Nakul entered after a while. Aki frowned "Hey dimples. Why are you back early and why are you back early without Ayu?"

"Ayu?" Aru's head popped up in excitement.

"Ayu!" Inu's head popped too.

"Not here princesses." Nakul knelt before them and patted their heads before turning to Aki "You were right. She was... into me."

"Did something happen?" Aki raised an eyebrow.

"She kissed me."

"WHAT?!" Aki yelled, making the girls jump "KUMAR WHAT THE HELL?!"

"I PULLED AWAY! I DIDN'T KISS HER BACK! I REJECTED HER!" Nakul said quickly.

"Kiss?!" Aki snarled, furious. SHE KISSED MY NAKUL? OH THAT LITTLE-

"I rejected her Aki. I left too. I'll go back to pick Ayu up."

"Oh no you won't. I will." Aki glared, getting off the couch and going towards the kitchen "I need to have a word."

"Aki please calm down. It's handled! We talked and she apologized. Please angel calm down. I even told her about you." Nakul followed him.

Aki huffed and crossed his arms "Still..."

"Please angel." Nakul slid his arms around Aki's waist and buried his face into his shoulder.

"I know it isn't your fault... But I'm still mad at her!"

"Aki she's not in the best place. She admitted it and apologized." Nakul said and told him about her husband.

"I feel bad about that but just because her husband isn't around doesn't give her the right to lay her lips on my husband-"

"Did you just call me your husband?" Nakul raised an eyebrow.

Aki realized what he said and turned red "Slip of the tongue. My boyfriend. Emphasis on my."

"Only yours." Nakul smiled, a glimmer in his dragon eyes and kissed Aki. Aki sighed into the familiar, amazing feeling of Nakul's warm lips pressed to his. Mine... I'll not kill her. For now.

Nakul whispered "Oh by the way angel? When the time is right I'd love to be your husband one day,"

Aki blushed hard. They'd spoken about marriage before but it was just light-hearted, nothing serious. What Nakul said now felt... more solid. Real. I- I can't... I can never... Not unless I leave Card. Leave Joker behind... I can't. I love you so much and I'd die to be your husband Nakul but... I cannot. Aki just hugged Nakul, clutching onto him. I can't have you forever. I already know that... But as much as possible, as much as I can I want to keep you close to me.

Aki bit his lip as he studied his outfit. A simple black dress shirt with slim fitting pants. Nakul said he needed to talk to Aki about something serious before their dinner date for their fifth anniversary. He was already stressed thinking about Emi's proposition to dissolve Card. She had had enough. She wanted to focus on her family and didn't want her life as Queen to hurt her girls. Aki had seconded it. He had had enough of Joker. He couldn't lie to Nakul anymore. He couldn't pretend to be what he wasn't. San was also in favour of it. He had been thinking more about Adam and had decided a life as an underground mafia wasn't exactly the kind of life his dead brother would be proud of him for living. Gale and Kenma were against it. They argued for the empire they'd built. The people they had helped. The schools, orphanages, homeless. The failing businesses, the poor. They argued that Emi made Card in the first place to help the underworld in the best way she could since the authorities never did.

It had worked after all. Emi had successfully done it. She raised the standards out there. She did more than the government ever did. They didn't want her to abandon all of what all five of them had spent over a decade building. Emi had decided to reconsider but Aki was sure she would quit if not entirely dissolve Card. And Aki was going to quit no matter what. He was done with blood on his hands. He couldn't take a single drop more. San was done running away too. He decided to abandon Ace entirely and live off his earnings. He was a multimillionaire. He could do it just fine.

Worry about it later... Now focus on Nakul. Five years! Five whole years! Aki thought, brightening at the thought of it. He checked his clothes again. Simple and relatively casual. Perfect. He excitedly walked down to the beach. He and Nakul were at a beachside resort for their anniversary, a weekend away from everything and to just celebrate. He saw Nakul near the water, sitting on a stone, staring at the ocean and the setting sun.

He was so wonderfully handsome, wearing a simple white shirt and navy blue trousers. Aki recalled how handsome Nakul looked when they first got together and how he had only grown more and more handsome with each passing day. Dyed blond hair, slightly tousled with the wind, the more mature look to his softly carved face, his perfect brown skin, lovely plum lips and Aki's favourite, his dragon eyes. Just as dark and sharp as ever, still full of energy, alive and bright. Aki loved him far more than he ever imagined he could love a person. Five years ago, he wouldn't have believed himself to be capable of feeling so much for anyone. But here he was.

Five years ago he wouldn't have believed, he had gathered the courage to leave Card behind. But here he was.

He ran over to Nakul, towards his future, free of blood and definitely full of love "Nakul!"

Nakul looked at him with that dazzling dimpled smile and waved "Aki!"