Ryota Echizen

Epilogue

Twelve Years Later

Ryota's POV

Sighing in content, I slowly open my eyes only to wince at the sunlight shining through the windows. The warmth from the fluffy comforter making me feel like I could fall asleep any second. Taking a glance at the digital clock on the nightstand, I groan slightly to see that it's only 7 a.m.

'Why am I up so earlier? I don't have to get going until 10 a.m.!'

Suddenly, I feel arms constricting around my waist, pulling backwards against a wall of heat. Giggling at my neck being nuzzled, I shift a bit.

"Keigo!" I scold teasingly.

I feel my man shift around behind me as he whispers in my ear. "Then you shouldn't have woken me up, little Ryo~"

Unable to  stop myself,  I giggle quietly and turn around to peck his lips lightly. "You know you love it when I wake you up!"

"I especially love it when you surprise me with that talented tongue-" He growls.

"Keigo!" I gasp, shivering at his gravelly voice resonating in my ear.

This is how we usually wake up in the morning, our little routine, but it always brings butterflies in my stomach every time. After high school we both decided to move in together. Not wanting to rely on his parents too much, Keigo bought a house for us to live in. Despite our arguing on the size of the house, we compromised on a relatively small house, but big enough so Keigo wouldn't feel too trapped. We also decided to have a few maids and butlers so Keigo wouldn't feel too out of his comfort zone.

Career wise Keigo continued to pursue his tennis career, but still kept a position at one of his father's firms. As vice president, but soon to be president from his hard work, he's allowed to work from home. Which is really nice for me since I usually work from home as well.

With my legs still functioning as well as it could be, I focused my work on photography. At first I only sold my photos for a couple of bucks. But after Keigo saw how much attention my photos were getting, he decided to send them to some of his associates. And just like that, my career skyrocketed. I had asked Keigo if this was okay for me to do, not wanting to seem like I was relying too much on him. He immediately laughed and told me that despite his position, his associates wouldn't have connected me to other artists if they didn't think I was good.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts with my man nuzzling my ear. "You know I always pay you back afterwards." He teases, lightly biting my ear.

Heat creeping up my neck and face, I bury my face in my hands in embarrassment. "Oh my God!"

Laughing, Keigo simply flips me so I'm laying on my back and combs through my messy hair with his fingers. "So, are you alright from therapy yesterday? How do your legs feel?"

The doctor who treated me told us that I could regain some strength in my legs, though not as much as I used to. I would be able to walk and slightly job, but my tennis life was simply over. After hearing of this, Keigo called up the best of the best for me, claiming that if there's a way for me to get better then he would support me. But just being by my side everyday, toughing through the aftercare of PT is enough for me.

Since we found out, Keigo (or Akashi and Ryoma whenever Keigo need to be at work) would accompany me to my therapy sessions, supporting me every step of the way until I slowly regained the stability and the ability to walk on my own. Sometimes I would get so exhausted after PT, like yesterday's session, that Keigo would need to coddle me even more than usual. He would patiently guide me to the nearest chair, knowing that I didn't want to feel like a burden, but would soon do everything for me. Ranging from leg massages, getting me a drink or food, or sitting with me as we watch a movie.