The first day of the New Year was during the weekend. Thus, Asakura and Sato decided to laze around in bed and catch up on rest. Even though it wasn’t very clear if their tiredness had to do with work or the last night’s exercises, they both agreed to sleep in that day.
As the sun was slowly rising on its blue canopy, the two lovers laid in bed embracing each other. Their intertwined bodies and peaceful faces portrayed a perfect image of sweet happiness.
At some point, Sato suddenly squirmed. This small movement eventually woke Asakura up. The man’s eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.
“Morning.” He greeted his lover in a low, husky voice.
His eyes were still clouded with sleep, giving his handsome features an extra layer of charm.
Sato pushed himself up and greeted his lover with a kiss first. Then, he flopped back down and muttered a lethargic ‘Morning’. He was too lazy to even utter a single sound.
The sun climbed higher and higher, and the two men slowly woke up. But, even as the last traces of sleepiness faded away, they still refused to get out of bed. Instead, they cuddled together under the blankets, joining together in a passionate morning kiss.
Several minutes later, they finally settled down and breathed deeply.
Then, Asakura suddenly turned to face Sato, his eyes smiling.
“Sato, will you tell me about your family?”
At first, surprise flashed across Sato’s face. Then, understanding dawned on him. They had talked about Asakura’s family recently, so it was only natural for him to want to know more about Sato’s family as well. Though the question came too suddenly, tooking Sato by surprise, he wasn’t unwilling to reply.
“Kyosuke has told you most of it, though.” Sato replied pensively.
“Mh, but I want to hear more from you. Please?”
Asakura’s tone was relaxed and tinged with warmth. He placed a loving kiss on Sato’s forehead, then curled an arm around the young man’s waist.
After a moment of silence, Sato finally began his story.
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.
“My mom was a very famous actress, while my father was a well-known businessman. They first met when she was still a trainee. It happened at a competition for young talents. Everyone said it was a romantic encounter which led to a fated relationship.”
Vjab qjerfv, j rwjii rwlif ilcufglcu bc tlr ilqr jr tf mbcalcefv.
“Ktflg ibnf rabgs yfujc j sfjg joafg ws wbatfg’r vfyea, ktfc rtf kjr jrrlucfv ab jqqfjg lc j mbwwfgmlji nlvfb obg j mfgajlc mbrwfalm qgbvema. Jblcmlvfcajiis, atf milfca kjr atf mbwqjcs ws ojatfg kbgxfv obg. Lf kjr atf qgbpfma wjcjufg lc mtjguf bo atf qgbvema, jcv, ater, atfs fcvfv eq wffalcu jujlc ktlif rtf kjr rtbbalcu atf nlvfb. C mbeqif bo sfjgr ijafg, gewbgr rajgafv ublcu jgbecv jybea atfw vjalcu. Qtfc atf cfkr bo atflg wjggljuf olcjiis mjwf bea, la rtbmxfv atf fcafgajlcwfca kbgiv. Snfgsatlcu kjr jr gbwjcalm jr bcf rffr lc cbnfir bg wbnlfr. Ktflg ilof abufatfg kjr rkffa jcv oliifv klat ibnf jcv kjgwat. Zs ojatfg kjr wbalnjafv, jcv tf kbgxfv tjgv ab fjgc j tlutfg qbrlalbc lc atf mbwqjcs, ktlif ws wbatfg ujlcfv wbgf jcv wbgf ojwf klat tfg wbnlfr. Vtf kjr fnfc mgbkcfv Zbnlf Swqgfrr.”
Once again, Sato paused his speech. He sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
Meanwhile, Asakura waited for his lover to continue. He didn’t want to interrupt, so he barely even dared to breathe loudly.
Sato didn’t notice his lover’s consideration, as he was too immersed in his past. When he continued to speak, his voice sounded low, and slightly tinged with sadness.
“Unfortunately, good things don’t usually last long. When I was still in school, my mother got into an accident while outside the city. She didn’t make it.”
As he finally said this, Sato breathed out slowly. At this moment, he suddenly felt a lump blocking his throat. Despite all the years that have passed, he still felt sad thinking about those events.
“I’m sorry. It must have been very hard for you.” Asakura whispered softly, pulling him into a warm and reassuring hug.
“En. I was sad beyond words, but my father was even worse. He suffered terribly. After her death, he couldn’t even look at me properly. It was as if my face kept reminding him of her.”
“That bad?”
Asakura sighed deeply. He could only imagine what the poor man felt after losing his beloved in such an unexpected and tragic way.
Sato nodded in response to Asakura’s previous question. Then, he opened his mouth to continue talking about his father.
“Not even half a month after the funeral, he buried himself in work. He would rarely come home to sleep or eat, spending the entire time either in the company or at a hotel nearby. Seeing him like this, my aunt, his younger sister, finally couldn’t take it anymore. She took me home with her, and threatened that she wouldn’t give me back to him unless he gets a grip on his life.”
“So that’s how you ended up living with Kyosuke-kun?”
“Mh. We were close even before that, since we’ve been going to the same school for years. It was very lucky for me to have Kyosuke and my aunt with me during that time. I don’t know what would have become of me otherwise.” Sato sighed dejectedly.
“What about your father?”
“When my aunt took me with her, he almost sighed in relief. I talked to him that day and he told me to behave, and listen well to my new parents.”
“That’s…” Asakura began speaking but stopped. He wasn’t sure how to continue.
“It’s alright.” Sato smiled understandingly. “I know what you might be thinking. But you know, I kind of understand him a bit better right now. If I were to lose you, it would be very hard for me to handle it. I would feel lost, as if my soul had flown away, just like my father felt during that time. Losing my mother was like a deadly blow to his heart, one from which he never truly recovered afterwards.”
“Have you talked to him since then?”
Asakura’s seemingly normal question was meant to avoid having to give an answer to Sato’s words. Nevertheless, he felt his own chest tightening. His arms reflexively pressed Sato closer to him. He knew that, if he were to lose Sato, let alone going crazy, he would burn the whole world, and drag everyone down to hell with him.
As if understanding Asakura’s silent thoughts, Sato’s face broke into a smile. He placed his hand on top of Asakura’s, enjoying the warmth that seeped through their connected skin. While he replied to the question, Sato’s fingers played across the skin of Asakura’s hand.
“I only talked to him once. He called to tell me that he was leaving Japan. Later, I found out he went to England. It was a transfer from the company, but I was sure he had asked for it himself. I believe he’s doing well there.”
“What if he’s made another family there? Won’t that mean he will never come back?”
“Ever since he told me about leaving, I never expected him to return.” Sato smiled softly, yet his eyes carried a trace of sadness. “If he really managed to heal his heart and make a new family in that faraway place, then I’d be happy for him. Regardless whether he is here with me or not, he is still my father and I wish for him to be happy.”
Hearing his defeated tone, and also noticing the shadow of sorrow at the bottom of his eyes, Asakura’s heart twinged in pain. He let out a frustrated huff, holding Sato even closer. Placing a kiss on the side of Sato’s neck, Asakura spoke in a low, rumbling voice.
“How can you be this calm? Don’t you feel angry or upset? Don’t you feel like screaming or shouting?”
Sato felt the vibrations coming from Asakura’s chest. It caused his smile to soften.
Turning his head just enough to see Asakura’s face, he stared at the man’s handsome and well-defined features. Those eyes, which were staring back at him, contained so much emotion that Sato was rendered speechless for a while.
“And what good would any of that do?” Sato’s voice was small, his eyes appearing as if he was contemplating something extraordinary. “If I started cursing right now, would that make my father want me again? Or would it perhaps bring my mother back? You know as well as I do that some things cannot be undone. What’s happened is already in the past, and no matter how much we suffer or struggle, there is nothing we can do about it. And besides, I’m already satisfied with my life. Since I have you now, I don’t wish for anything or anyone else.”
“I just want you to be happy.” Asakura kissed him gently on the lips.
“En. I am happy. Happier than I have ever dared to believe I could be.” Sato murmured against Asakura’s soft lips.
He closed his eyes, relishing in the sweet feeling.A moment later, his head snapped back and his eyes fluttered open. He looked as though an exciting idea suddenly popped inside his mind.
“Today is the first day of the New Year. Let’s go to the shrine and pray!”
“Ha?!”
Asakura was startled. His eyes flew open and he stared at Sato in disbelief.
“On this cold day you want to leave the warmth of the bed in order to go outside and join the crowd at the shrine?”
“En!” Sato grinned, his eyes brimming with excitement. “Last time I went for Hatsumode was with my mom. That was many years ago, and since then, I could never bring myself to go. But if it’s with you, then…”
Sato left his words unfinished. However, even without him saying it, Asakura immediately understood what he wanted to say. If it was with Asakura, Sato would feel happy going to the first Shinto shrine visit of the New Year. This way, he could make new memories with his loved one, thus burying the sad past under a layer of happiness and hope. With each new happy memory, Sato would be closer to extinguishing the flame of sorrow that still flickered inside his heart.
Thinking about this matter further, Asakura felt a tug at the corner of his lips. He nodded his head, his eyes filling with warmth and love as he responded to Sato’s hopeful gaze.
“Mh, let’s go to the shrine then. We should give thanks, and also pray for this year to be even better than the last.”
Hearing this, Sato’s eyes trembled. He could barely contain his emotions. In the end, he shot Asakura a dazzling smile, replying with enthusiasm.
“En!”
A/N: Sorry for the delay in publishing this update. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to bring two chapters this weekend, but I hope this one will be worth it as it’s filled with sweetness and emotion. 
See you all next weekend! Until then, wish you a wonderful week ahead!
i want my very own Asakura. Someone willing to love me and would burn the world down if they lost me xD
thanks for the chapter <3
Yes, me too! ❤️ I don’t care that it wouldn’t be nice. I’d want him to go ballistic xD
<333
Thank you for the chapter <3
Thank you for coming back to finish this story 🥰❤️