Warm Hands [Hiroomi x Akihito fanfic]

Chapter forty: No Joke

Hiroomi Nase

I woke up from the feeling of being alone and cold. I opened my eyes to see an empty spot beside me. I jolted up and looked around the room.

"Akihito?" No answer. I started to panic. Where did he go?! I jumped up and ran around the house.

"Akihito!" I walked back into the bedroom and noticed something I didn't when I awoke. The bathroom light was on and the sound of a shower filled the air. I let out a sigh of relief. I knocked on the door and smiled.

"Akkey~, you in there?" I heard a thud and his voice squeak from inside.

"Geez, Hiroomi. Don't scare me like that." That's what I should be saying, I frowned. I went away to let him shower in peace. I decided to lay refuge in his bed. I spread myself out and sighed happily. Here I am in my lover's home, protecting him and loving him all at once. His bed felt more at home than my own. I frowned and turned my head. Before I could think about anything else, something caught my eye. The golden tint of a promise ring resting on the end table. I sat up and held it in my hands. Was this really preventing him from going yumo? The idea started to decline the more I thought about it. He rarely ever wore it, yet he's hardly gone yumo. Maybe my theory was wrong. Then what is preventing it?

I viewed the ring in my hand wondering what could it be when something caught my senses. I turned my head toward the window and frowned. A shadow appeared outside. I hopped out of bed and hid behind the bookshelf. I spotted my scarf Akihito borrowed and whipped it on. The sound of the window sliding open filled the room. Two feet hit the floor silently and the body started to shift. I slowly appeared from behind the bookshelf and leaned against it.

     "Why are you here, Izumi?" She lifted her staff from my sudden voice, but lowered it a little when she recognized me. I folded my arms and frowned at her. Her eyes locked on mine and she closed them as she straightened her back.

     "I'm here to get rid of the problem. What does it look like?" She said with her regular, quiet tone. I stood up and marched over to her.

     "I won't allow that." I grabbed my scarf and yanked it down. I gripped it in my hands angrily. I was willing to fight my own sister just to protect Akihito. Her eyes narrowed and she sighed.

     "Why must you go against me on this? Can't you see he's the enemy?" She lowered her head at me and clicked her teeth.

      "Why are you protecting him?" She growled. I looked at the floor and gritted my teeth.

     "Because I love him! And he loves me. Why can't you just trust your brother?" Izumi was taken aback by my explanation. My eyebrows furrowed, damn it, I thought. She didn't know about my relationship with Akihito. I could tell from her expression that she didn't expect it either. She gripped the staff harder.

       "You're kidding, right? How could you love a monster like him? You're joking. Don't tell me such ridiculous lies." That was when I was pushed pass the limit. I whipped my scarf back and over toward Izumi. She quickly dodged it and bounced off the walls, locking her target on me. She had the staff sideways so I wouldn't die instantly. At least she cares about me a little, I scuffed and held out my hand. A wall formed in front of my hand which stopped her staff in midair. She grunted and swerved her legs below the wall I made.

She swiped my legs and I fell onto the ground. I groaned at the pain in my behind, but quickly recovered when she went to press me down. I blew up a cage around me and gripped my scarf again. I whipped it at her and it wrapped around the staff. I tugged at it, but she pulled it sideways so the point was aimed at my shoulder. My eyes widened as I saw the staff move in slow motion toward my shoulder. I quickly snapped out of it and formed another cage to deflect the staff. The staff went flying toward the wall. It dented the wall and clanged onto the ground. My sister and I huffed from the sudden movements.

     "You must not be joking." She croaked from her quivered lips. She looked down and clenched her fists. My eyes widen as I see her emotions for the first time in forever. I sit up, then stand, and put my hand on her shoulder. At first, I don't know what to say, but then I manage something.

       "I'm not joking, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you just as much." She looks up at me and grits her teeth weakly. I can see the frustration and how upset she is. I never thought it was possible for her to show me her vulnerabilities.

Suddenly, the bathroom door creaks open and Akihito's head pokes out from behind the door.

"Akihito!–" The next thing I know, Izumi's fist is in my cheek. I'm knocked to the ground and blackout. The last thing I saw was Akihito shouting my name and lunging for me.

•  •  •

I wake up in a pool of sweat. My breathing is uneasy as I quickly sit up from someone's bed. The pain in my cheek makes me wince. It takes me a minute to remember what happened and where I was. My eyes went from dry to glazed in a matter of seconds.

"Oh good, you're awake." His relieved voice startles me, but relaxes me more. Izumi didn't kill him while I was out, I thought until I found him with multiple bandages around his stomach carrying a tray of tea. My eyes widened and my face turns sour. I jump out of bed, only to find my head spin. Akihito puts the tray down and rushes over to me. He helps me back onto the bed to sit.

"You might have a concussion. Don't move so drastically." He grabs a pack of ice on his side table and hands it to me. I take it and press it against my cheek. My head spins faster and faster as I stare at the bandages. She touched him, I gritted my teeth from the anger and pain. She touched him and attempted to kill him, a shot of pain came from my head. I winced and groaned and gripped the ice pack. My fingers started to go numb from the cold. Akihito watched me with sad eyes. He followed my state to his stomach. He wrapped his arm around it and laughed nervously.

"This is nothing compared to last time. Doesn't even hurt." He said with a smile. My vision started to blur. How could he say that with a smile on his face? It made me infuriated. Even though my sister attacked him, he still smiled like it was nothing. I buried my face into my hands. This was all my fault. I failed Akihito.

As my palms started to soak from my tears, I felt Akihito's hand fall onto my knee. I didn't want to show my face in front of him at the moment. I failed him and yet he still smiled like it was no big deal.

"Hiroomi, it's okay–"
"How is any of this okay?" I cut him off with a croak. His hand twitches slightly and I felt his breath against my arms. I just realized I wasn't wearing a shirt and only sweats. We both sat in silence for a moment. Both frozen from my words. I sigh and remove my hands.

"I'm sorry, Akihito. I–I couldn't protect you." I then felt the rage bubble back into my stomach. I lunged forward and gripped his shoulders. I stared him dead in the eyes and gritted my teeth.

"What did she do to you?!" Akihito's tense shoulders slowly relaxed and he let out a sigh. He wrapped his fingers around my wrist.

"Nothing that could have killed me." He said. He said it with a smile. That adorable smile I loved so much, but despised at this particular moment. It showed as a big lie.

A/n: okay so I've been dealing with Writer's block. Oh nooooo!!
Well, I'll be trying to Update when I can but please please please be patient!

Next Update: whenever