A Cup of Stars (Revised).

ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏ ғʀᴀᴍᴇ.

He sat in the courtroom with all the witnesses his lawyer gathered. Seeing his husband again is just making him remember those traumas he received from him. The session started and his lawyer defended him from what he really didn't do. Shohei was one of the witnesses and as his consulting doctor, he took the oath before showing the photos of the bruises and scars Hokuto received from his husband. They also showed the video footage that Hokuto never cheated on his husband. They recovered it from the café's surveillance cameras and it cleared Itsuki's name from suspicions. Since they couldn't file domestic abuse against his husband yet, they filed assault and attempted murder against him and his mistress instead. They also finalized the divorce and his husband didn't receive a single penny.

He cried silently while watching the two struggle from the court officers. They will be imprisoned for a few years and they will not be able to bail out. The session was dismissed and when he walked out of the courtroom, he saw Itsuki waiting for him outside. He smiled faintly and walked past him. He couldn't bear to talk to him, especially when something happened between them already. He arrived back to his apartment and he was a little surprised when the younger one stopped him from closing the door.

"Why are you here?" He asked and Itsuki's face grimmed. He knew that he didn't tell him that he would wait for him but with what happened between them before, was it all just for his sexual needs?

"I'm grateful that you helped me but I don't think I can be with you now. I'm sorry, Itsuki." He whispered and the younger one pinned him up against the wall. His kisses were aggressive and hungry. He wanted to struggle but he felt weak in his arms.

He cried when they did it, not because he was disgusted but because he felt like he was doing the wrong thing despite being a divorcee. With the wedding ring around his finger, he was sad that his ex-husband is now in prison. He was miserable with him but why did he feel like it was his fault that he was imprisoned? Itsuki wiped his tears as he felt guilty about what he did to him. He asked him why he was crying and the older one just responded with more tears falling from his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault, Hokuto. You're free now. No one can hurt you anymore." His sadness was soothed with Itsuki's soft and gentle voice as if he would never leave him alone nor hurt him.

"Can you.. remove the ring on my finger?" He muttered while staring at the wall. The younger one reached for his hand and took the wedding ring off before placing a kiss on his every finger. He hugged himself as he cried loudly. He screamed in sorrow and Itsuki comforted him the entire time.

It's been a month since the moment he was finally divorced. He stared at his reflection on the wall mirror as he stopped from applying the scar removal cream on his entire body. The scars were slowly fading and he felt like a caterpillar who is about to be a butterfly soon. He has been taking care of himself since then. Years of being imprisoned in his ex-husband's grasp was hell. Now that he finally found heaven, he wouldn't want to leave it anymore.

He heard the doorbell ringing. He quickly put his clothes on and went to the main door to open it. He saw a huge bouquet of various flowers and this made him smile. He knew where it came from. The younger one kissed his forehead and he gave him a hug. It has been a week since Itsuki started courting him. He was also the one who prescribed the scar removal cream to him. He made sure that the ingredients were all natural, so it couldn't be harmful to his body.

"Are you ready for our date?" The younger one asked and he shook his head lightly. He let him in his apartment first and then, he placed the bouquet on the coffee table. Itsuki pulled him gently to his lap and he puffed his cheeks as he was about to change his clothes already.

"Let me change clothes first and then, we can go." He tried to release himself from his hug but the younger one just tightened it. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes while resting on him. Itsuki loosened his hug and he looked at him.

"Can I change my clothes now?" He asked and the younger one smiled while nodding. It only took him a few minutes to change his clothes. When he went back to the living room, he saw the younger one standing near the divider and staring at the photo frame sitting on it.

"I want to display our photo here." Itsuki said and he nodded while smiling. It was an empty photo frame. He put it there but he didn't display a photo because he remembered that he doesn't have any photo with Itsuki.

"We can take photos today. Lots of photos if you want to." He said and Itsuki faced him. He gently caressed his face and he noticed that he applied lip balm. He leaned into him and planted a long gentle kiss on his lips.

"I'm glad, Itsuki. I'm glad that you came into my life." He whispered after the kiss. He hugged him tight once again but then, he let go. He rested his forehead on his and closed his eyes. The silence between them was more than enough to feel how much they love each other.

"Marry me when you are finally ready, Hokuto. I will let you heal. I will help you replace those bad memories. I will be your safe haven. It is not a promise. It is something I will really do until death do us apart." He almost cried. It was his first time hearing those words from someone. He couldn't even remember what his wedding vows with his ex-husband were.

"Itsuki, thank you so much. I will never regret meeting you that day. I will always be thankful to you." That time, he finally shed tears again, not because he was in pain or sad but because he already found the person he will forever love and cherish.