In Our Corner of the World || y.h.

twenty-three ; heart to heart chats

Misaki drove the car to the much more wealthy part of Tokyo - where people lived in luxurious mansions and wide open spaces. Yuzuru had never been to this part of the city before, since it was pretty much a gated community for the rich and wealthy as well as celebrities.

"Where are we going, Misaki?" He asked, now worried.

"You'll see." She smiled at him as she showed the guard an access card that allowed him to open the gates for them. She drove inside and there were a lot of houses that were sparkling as if it were the night before Christmas.

Yuzuru was fascinated by the houses, and Misaki came to a house that seemed unique, as if it were customised by the owner himself. She parked the car and turned off the engine. Getting out, Yuzuru followed her and she told him to hurry to the front door.

She pressed the doorbell, and after a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged man in a sweater with glasses on, his hair partially grey in several areas and Misaki greeted him with a big hug.

"Dad." She said, sounding relieved as if she hadn't seem him a very long time. She probably hadn't. The man hugged his daughter tightly before noticing another presence with them.

The elder recognised him, and before he could question his daughter, Misaki introduced Yuzuru to her father.

"Dad, this is Hanyu Yuzuru, my boyfriend." She said, holding Yuzuru's shaking hand tightly, trying to calm him down.

Yuzuru gulped, nervous as he hadn't prepared himself to meet her father and to be introduced to him as her boyfriend.

Her father looked at Yuzuru, eyes wide at how this peculiar pairing happened to begin with. But Yuzuru, trying to be as confident as he possibly could in this type of situation, bowed to him in a perfect 90° angle.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Hanyu Yuzuru." He introduced himself.

"Yes, I know who you are. My name is Akiyama Koichi. Come on in, I just made tea." Her father welcomed them.

The two stepped inside and the house was customised to perfection in every corner, from its detailing to its interior.

"You have an amazing home." Yuzuru complimented.

"Thank you. I conjured the idea up myself. It helps me handle boredom."

"Dad is a very famous architect. He's designed some of the most famous spots we have in the modern era." Misaki said proudly, "He was also the one who brought me to Sendai, which led me to you."

Yuzuru was surprised at the declaration. So that was how she ended up there. He thought.

The three of them sat down on the sofa by the fireplace, enjoying their cups of tea, before Misaki's father asking her why she chose to come here.

"I finally escaped mother's grasps and she's allowed me to go out for the day, so I thought why not come to see you. I wanted you to meet Yuzuru too. I was with him in Canada for a few weeks before I came back." She said. Her father turned to Yuzuru before smiling at him.

"It seems you two are pretty serious about each other." Koichi said, "Yuzuru, would you come with me to the study for a while?"

Yuzuru's eyes widened once more with pure anxiety oozing from his expression. He turned to look at Misaki, who smiled and nodded, gesturing him to go. He got up from the sofa and followed the man to the study.

He was thinking of the possible reasons he was being brought for a one-to-one chat with her girlfriend's father. Many sentences came to his mind.

You're not good enough for my daughter.

If you hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down and the only place you'll be skating from now on is in the Underworld.

But once he was in the study with Koichi, the elder suddenly bowed to him, causing him to exclaim with shock.

"I don't know how I can thank you, Hanyu-san." Koichi said, "You've made my daughter happy after so many years of her being put through a lot of things by her mother, and I failed to keep her in Sendai. I can't tell you how much you've made her happy."

"There's no need to bow and thank me, Akiyama-san." Yuzuru insisted, helping the man stand straight to face him once more, "I can't tell you how much your daughter's changed me. She's given me inspiration to do better every day, and I'm happier with her. Which is why, now I would like to ask for your permission. I would like to ask for permission to date your daughter. Please."

He bowed, and Koichi laughed, "You don't need my blessing, Yuzuru. You're someone I know will take good care of Misaki. I take it her mother doesn't know about you two?"

"Misaki believe it'll lead to a bad image put on the both of us." He explained, "I'm okay eitherway though. By the end of the day, she's still the one I'm in love with."

Koichi felt relieved that her daughter had found someone like Yuzuru to be in love with. The two came back to the living room and enjoyed the rest of the evening together. Once they were leaving, Koichi told them to come back any time, and as they were quietly driving through the streets of Tokyo, Yuzuru said, "Your father's an amazing man."

"I know. I take it he was thanking you for everything?" She assumed.

"He doesn't know how much you've changed me. I told him that." Yuzuru held Misaki's hand and she smiled.

"I wish we could have more days like this together." She said as she stopped the car at the parking lot of her apartment, "Mother's not going to be around for a few days because she has to prepare for Fashion Week. Stay with me while you're here."

"I will." He said.

The two of them went upstairs cautiously, trying to make sure they weren't recognised. It was hard since the two of them were equally as famous.

Once they were in the apartment, Yuzuru trapped Misaki by placing an arm on the door the moment it was shut, making her lean against it. He slowly leaned in and kissed her passionately, missing the feeling of her lips against his, with the usual scent of her strawberry lip balm.

"I told you I'd kiss you the moment I get the chance." He said with a teasing look.