Second Chances

Part 34

Nimura Sawa gave her son a small cuddle before tucking the small boy into bed. As she turned out the light and closed the door, her thoughts drifted to her nephew. A decisive nod of her head as she headed to the kitchen to clean up caught her husband's attention. 

"Dear? Did I do something wrong?" He asked, half afraid. Things had been strained between them lately, and he wasn't quite sure why. 

"No. Has nothing to do with you, actually." Well, if Sawa was honest, it did, but it was more her fault than his, for she felt she needed to BE the perfect wife to his perfect Corporate husband image. The cracks were showing and she didn't know how to patch them any longer.

"Then?" He pushed, standing up, and giving her a hug from behind. In their courting days, this gesture used to make her feel safe, secure. Now, it just emphasised how trapped she was. Why couldn't he see, no - understand her feelings and perspective? "Why won't you talk to me about how you feel anymore?"

Sawa twisted in his arms, pushing him away. "Even if I did, are you going into your problem solving mode, or are you going to be who I need? Not everything can be solved, nor should it. Some problems need time. I'm going to bed." Fuck the dishes. She sighed, once again wondering if it was time to say "Fuck this marriage!" too.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sawazaki called the photography club and they all decided to enter the photograph of the Kiyoi wearing the montsuki. It had to be Hira's most brilliant work to date. The senior present with the best handwriting, well, next to Hira himself, filled out the paperwork, until it came to the title and the three of them looked at each other, with pursed lips, fingers tapping... or sucking on the pen itself. 

"It's an intimate picture. Hira should name it." The senior finally sighed, putting the pen down. "I don't wanna do it." He glanced at the other two. "Unless you can think of something better than "unknown" at this point?"

The other two shook their heads. "We can't send it in with that as the title." The other nodded frantically. "It needs to be named appropriately. A title can make or break a submission."

Finally, all three stood up and stared down at the application form and the picture. "We still have just over a week. It can wait until tomorrow. Let's go get a drink."

~~~~~~~~~~

Sou Kiyoi found every part of his body ached and he was cold. Really cold... 

"Hira!" Fuck, where was Hira? Slowly, he stretched his body and then everything rushed back into his brain... and he began to shake, not just from laying on the cold hospital floor for who knows how long, but the whole day's activities. "Thank you, Auntie." 

He could whisper it as a bedtime prayer, if needed. With that piece of paper, Hira's aunt had become his favourite person in the whole world. No one would ever take Hira away from him again! Ever. When Hira was better, they would make it formal and have this drawn up so Hira was his guardian. 

Nice and legal... 

Shaking with the cold, knowing that he would never be as warm alone, not worried about Hira's fever, Kiyoi crawled into the hospital bed next to his man and sighed. "You belong to me. Stop scaring me. My heart can't take much more, Hira."

"I need you." Hira's voice was a low rumble in his ear, like a gritty engine. Suddenly, Kiyoi was pulled tight and spooned to his overly warm body. "Nice, so nice and cool." He groaned as Hira kept rubbing himself against him, trying to get as close as possible. 

"Go back to sleep, Hira." Kiyoi moved his traveling hand up from where it was seeking. "I'm tired." He couldn't let him know how excited he was with all this movement. How embarrassing to be caught in a damn hospital...