After a session of intense love, Asakura and Sato were both lying inside the futon. Asakura’s arms were wrapped around Sato’s slender form, pressing him close.
“Do you feel alright?”
Asakura’s voice was low and husky, but carried with it a slight trace of worry. He knew it wasn’t Sato’s first time, which eased his mind a little. However, it was his first time doing this with a man. Well, in truth, it was rather his first time with either a man or a woman.
Since Asakura had been holding onto his unconfessed love he had for Keita, he never allowed himself to look at anyone else.
Even though he had spent a lot of time researching the matter, he was still worried that he might have hurt Sato due to his inexperience. In the earlier moments he had allowed his burning desire to take over and, once he started, it had been quite difficult to control himself.
Therefore, Asakura’s main concern now was to make sure that he hadn’t gone overboard in his fit of passion and made Sato uncomfortable.
Consequently, Asakura continued his questioning in the same raspy voice.
“Is your body alright? Does it hurt anywhere? Can you move?”
Seeing how Sato remained quiet, Asakura began to fret even more. He shifted his position slightly, casting worried glances at Sato’s profile. The young man had his eyes closed, appearing to sleep peacefully. He looked beautiful and enchanting like a spirit from the old tales. And to Asakura’s unease, he remained just as silent and unresponsive as one of those said spirits.
No matter how captivating Sato looked at that moment, as long as he kept quiet like that, Asakura felt like going crazy with concern. His mind began to overthink, trying to recall their previous enthusiastic tossing and turning around the bed. What if he had really hurt Sato? Or what if he did something to displease him? What if…
“I’m alright. It doesn’t hurt and I can move.” A low and pleasant voice interrupted Asakura’s inner string of ‘What if’s.
Sato smiled through the haze of sleepiness and replied patiently to every question. He touched Asakura’s cheek with one hand, brushing his fingers across the man’s skin. He lingered around that pair of lips, slowly tracing their shape.
His gesture conveyed feelings of tenderness, which hit Asakura straight in the heart, as if something was poking at it. Then, he felt Sato leaning closer and giving him a peck on the lips.
“You don’t have to worry so much about me. I’m not a porcelain vase.” Sato whispered softly.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lfjglcu atfrf kbgvr, Crjxegj olcjiis ifa bea atf ygfjat tf tjv yffc tbivlcu. Vwlilcu, tf gfaegcfv atf qfmx klat j xlrr bc atf obgftfjv. Llr ilqr gfwjlcfv obg j wbwfca ibcufg bc Vjab’r ojmf, wbnlcu ab atf rlvf.
“Rb, sbe’gf gluta. Tbe’gf cba ilxf j qbgmfijlc njrf ja jii. Tbe’gf ilxf j qgfmlber jcv gjgf pjvf rmeiqaegf.” Crjxegj ygfjatfv bea ajecalcuis lcab Vjab’r fjg.
The young man smiled, his cheeks blushing crimson. Flustered with embarrassment, he gave the other man a playful shove.
“Asakura-san, you’re such a sweet talker. I never knew you could flirt like this.”
“But I’m not actually.” Asakura replied, raising his eyebrows. “I’ve never flirted with anyone. Well, until you came along, that is.”
Asakura’s gaze was piercing and honest. Sato could feel its burning intensity even through the shadows. Knowing it was directed at him, made the young man want to lose himself in those eyes for a moment.
Then, Sato spoke with a strong hint of disbelief in his voice.
“How can that be? Asakura-san is so handsome and amazing. How can there be women and men who don’t see that? I’m sure you’re just teasing me right now.”
“No, no. I’m being quite honest. Everyone was always so afraid of me that they hardly approached me. And when they eventually did, they never crossed a certain line. Sure, there have been the occasional smiles, stares, and the likes. I am not a monk after all. But it never got close to something like flirting with anyone. Well, especially since my mind had been otherwise engaged…” Asakura shrugged slightly, not wanting to continue.
He didn’t want to mention Keita in a situation like this, nor his previous feelings. After all, they were all in the past. Now, only Sato remained in front of him. So, he stopped talking and placed a tender kiss on top of the young man’s head, squeezing him closer.
“Oh, I see.” Sato whispered, nodding slowly.
If he had to be honest to himself, Asakura’s words made him feel strangely pleased. He instinctively understood the man’s reserve in talking about this matter. Asakura’s unwillingness to mention that person in front of Sato wasn’t born out of a guilty conscience, but rather out of a desire to let go of the past and move towards the future. And that future was Sato.
Sato understood that and he smiled to himself. This was what he had hoped for since the instant he realized his feelings for Asakura.
It was selfish, he knew that, but doesn’t love usually make people act greedily? They want to monopolize their love interest, while also giving themselves entirely to that person. Despite knowing you aren’t the first one to be loved by that person, it makes you happy when you find out that you are special in your lover’s heart. Even though that special thing is something as small and silly as flirting.
It appeared that Sato was slowly discovering his possessive tendencies and he found the feeling to be both unsettling and exciting.
Thinking about this, Sato’s mind unexpectedly took a different turn. He suddenly remembered his own past and how his former relationship broke apart. Feelings of sorrow and remorse resurfaced and he instinctively huddled against Asakura’s warm body.
At the young man’s unexpected action, Asakura felt quite puzzled. What began worrying him, though, was the tremor he could feel coming from Sato’s body.
“What’s wrong?” he inquired, rubbing Sato’s lower back with gentle movements.
The gesture was both comforting and reassuring. The warmth coming from that palm gave Sato courage to finally speak.
“If I hadn’t tried to run away from the past, none of this would have happened. So, I’ll take this as a sign that I must face whatever that person has to say to me, then move on.”
“That…” Asakura began to speak, feeling dumbfounded. But he was soon interrupted by Sato’s calm voice.
“You know it too, right? That up until now I’ve only been a coward.”
“No! How can you say that?!” Asakura exclaimed crossly. His hand pressed into Sato’s back in orderto give his words more weight. “You are not a coward!”
“But I am.” Sato lowered his head dejectedly. “All I’ve been doing until now was running away from things. First, from Touma, then, from my career and dreams. I ended up chasing everyone and everything away until only little remained of my former life.”
“But Touma… That guy, he…”
“He came to see me.” Sato said quietly. “The next day after I had the accident, he came to see me at the hospital. I never told Kyosuke, or anyone else for that matter. He wanted to explain what happened and give his reasons. But I… I didn’t want to hear it.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Asakura interjected, sounding even more upset than before.
The warm and sweet atmosphere was quickly turning cold and prickly. They both remained quiet for a few moments, until Asakura opened his mouth to continue expressing his opinion.
“The fact is, he hurt you, Sato! Badly! Betraying the relationship you two had in that manner is inexcusable, regardless of any reasons he might have had.”
“En. That’s true and I know that.” Sato raised his eyes, staring at Asakura with a mixture of sorrow and self-mockery. “But I still should have listened to what he had to say. Instead, I chased him out of the hospital room. Even after a month he still tried to contact me, but I refused to listen to a single word he said, until he eventually gave up.”
“No one can blame you for that. It’s his fault for everything he’s done.” Asakura huffed in vexation.
“I blame myself. Had I listened, perhaps I could have moved on faster. Instead of healing, I’ve remained caught up in my own nightmares for so long.”
“Sato, you did so well in surviving until now. Why do you beat yourself up so much over this matter?”
As he spoke, Asakura couldn’t hold back from placing a hand on top of Sato’s head, brushing his fingers through that soft hair. He brought the young and slender body towards himself with the instinctive urge to protect.
Another bout of silence ensued after that. They could hear each other’s heartbeats and feel each other’s breaths touching their skin. It was a reassuring feeling; a feeling of not being alone, of being loved and cared for. It was something only those who have gone without it for long enough can recognize.
Only those who have been starved and lived without warmth can appreciate when they are suddenly given a second chance to find tenderness and affection. And when they finally do encounter it again, they should grasp that person’s hand tightly and not let go. Just like a drowning man who clings onto a life-raft to survive, they should hold on.
In the end, Sato was the first to break the silence. Raising an arm, he placed his hand on top of Asakura’s, interlocking their fingers.
“That’s all I did, Asakura-san. All I’ve done this whole time was to survive. But now… Now I want to live. Because now I have you.”
After registering those words and the meaning behind them, Asakura’s eyes trembled with emotion. He tightened his fingers around Sato’s, pulling the man on top of his chest. A moment later their lips met and they kissed. It was soft and tender, lasting for a long while.
“En. You have me now.” Asakura breathed out across Sato’s parted lips. Then, in a low, magnetic whisper he uttered words that were both a declaration and a vow. “You will always have me, Sato. For as long as you still want me, I will never abandon you.”
A/N: That’s it for this weekend’s update! I hope you enjoyed the events that happened between the protagonists. Yes, they finally confirmed their relationship 
But it’s not over yet. See you all next weekend! Until then, have a wonderful week ahead!
I don’t know who is happier, Asakura and Sato or me! This is exactly the fluff I needed!
thanks for the chapter <3
Yaay! Knowing that is a great motivation for me <333
Thanks so much for reading! <333
Thank you for the chapter 💜
💜💜💜