Camboy (Aoiha/Aoita)

Part Nine

Kouyou approached the door of apartment 3D for the second night in a row. He knocked softly, hearing the increasingly familiar sound of Yuu crying from the other side. "Yuu? It's me, Kouyou. Can I come in?"

After a moment of silence, there was the sound of slippers shuffling on the floor and then the slow turn of the doorknob while the door shyly opened. A red-eyed Yuu peaked out from behind it, resting his cheek on the edge of the door. "Did you hear all of that?"

"Yeah, sorry... I just got home from class." Kouyou said with false meekness, gazing at his friend with what could be deemed sympathy.

Yuu nodded shyly, opening the door all the way to let him in. "Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault." Kouyou shook his head, following him to the couch once Yuu had closed the door behind him. They both settled in, Yuu reaching for tissues to wipe his nose and eyes.

"Am I the one being ridiculous? Should I have called Akira first?" He asked suddenly, looking at Kouyou as if he had all the answers. He trusted his friend so much...

"No, no, you're not," Kouyou assured him, placing a comforting hand on his thin shoulder. "That guy was aggressive, and things could have gotten violent. It was smart that you contacted me first. I'm right next door, and who knows where Akira was or how long it could have taken him to get here."

Yuu nodded at all of this as he dabbed at his eyes with the wad of tissues, eyebrows knit together. It made sense to him. "That's what I was thinking... which is why I don't understand why Aki was so pissed... I mean, how am I supposed to know how Kai found this place?"

"I think he's jealous." He spoke boldly, giving Yuu a grim expression. "Of Kai, an ex who won't let you go, and... me."

Yuu gazed up at him. "You... a good friend." He added, looking away before he had the chance to notice the slight twitch in Kouyou's expression.

"Exactly." He agreed, his expression returning to a stern but sympathetic look. "He's focused on his jealousy instead of worrying about your safety... and I don't think that's right."

Yuu nodded along to his words, weakly blowing his nose. "I think you're right."

"Hey..." He squeezed his shoulder, offering a smile. "You don't have to worry about it anymore. I was going to come to see you today anyway to let you know that I spoke to my father today. I told him about your situation, and he said that he and his friend will be very happy to get you a restraining order. He said he'd take care of everything, so you don't have to worry about Kai anymore."

Yuu looked up at him in surprise, tears welling in his eyes once again. "Oh my god... Kouyou, thank you so much!" He exclaimed, reaching up to hug onto his beloved friend. "Thank you..."

Kouyou smiled, returning his hug. "You're welcome, Yuu." He said softly, closing his eyes to enjoy this intimate moment. He felt so much smaller and almost needy in his arms. It was wonderful. The only thing he worried about now was whether or not he should give in to his overwhelming urge to kiss the beautiful man that clung so tightly to his body.

Before he could make a reasonable decision, however, Yuu loosened himself partially from the hug to look at Kouyou in the eyes. "You've done so much for me, Kouyou, thank you... but I have to ask if you'll do something else for me."

"What's that?" He asked, smiling idiotically at Yuu. He loved him so much...

"I know he's not acting the nicest right now, but... I can't help but worry about him. He might get too drunk by himself or do something stupid... I'm sorry, but will you check on Akira? Just see if he's alright? I'm sorry to ask you, Kou, but I'm worried, and I can't face him right now..." Yuu rambled a little, eyes still not dry.