In reply to your requests:

ArtemisisSymmetrical - I think I could add a chapter about sex toys, but that will probably be in one of the later years. You'll see why.

usamisaftw - Well then, this chapter is for you ;)

Saphirelilies - I could do the part with the BL novels, but please keep in mind that this isn't a crossdressing/cosplay fic. I'm not going to make Misaki wear too many weird outfits.

lv90047 - Still not a crossdressing/cosplay fic, and you know how I feel about nekos...I'll see what I can do.

Appeasement - A date sounds perfect, although I suck at making a list for a date xD You'll see some more of Fuuka.

random reader - I like your idea, but I don't really understand what you want me to write about. Could you perhaps explain it to me?

AnimeWolfGirl1996 - There won't be a Christmas chapter in every year, but the next one will be in year 4, so you'll see the Santa costume then...I promise ;)

- Year III -

Chapter 21 – words

"I'm going to die at this rate..."

It was almost the end of Misaki's first year in junior high, and yet the teachers that it was necessary to give their students loads of homework. Misaki was already getting quite used to spending the entire afternoon doing homework. However, the assignment he had received that very day was going to be a challenge.

When the brunet thought that it couldn't get any worse, Hirase-sensei suddenly decided that everyone had to write a romance story. Misaki wasn't a very creative person, and his Japanese wasn't as good as it should be, so he instantly started worrying about the assignment.

As the young teen sighed, his could feel his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and fished it out, flipping it open. There was one new message in his inbox. As he pressed the button to read it, he noticed that it was a text from Akihiko.

Hello Misaki,

I was wondering if you want to come over after school. It's been three weeks since we last saw each other and I miss you.
Just let me know if I have to pick you up.

- Akihiko

It was rather awkward to see the author's first name on the screen, even though Akihiko did that every time he sent Misaki a text message. It was simply because the boy was far too used to the name 'Usagi-san', and he often even forgot that it wasn't the man's real name.

Shaking the thought off, Misaki re-read the message, feeling a little disappointed. He wished he could go over to Akihiko's place, but it was more important to finish that stupid story first. With a loud sigh, Misaki typed a message in reply, politely declining Akihiko's invitation by explaining the situation.

Barely a single minute later, a new message appeared in his inbox, and Misaki was surprised by how fast Akihiko could reply. 'Well, he's probably sitting on the couch with his cell phone right next to him,' the brunet thought, knowing that the other was probably bored out of his mind. Rolling his eyes at the thought, Misaki opened the message.

If you're having trouble writing the story, you can just come over and ask for help. I'm a novelist after all, so I'll definitely be able to help you out.

Akihiko had a point there, but due to Misaki's selfless personality, the teen was having his doubts. He didn't want to be a bother to Akihiko, but the man probably offered his help so they could spend time together. That did sound like a good idea, even though Misaki was sure that the author would try to pounce on him.

Since Akihiko's house was pretty nearby, Misaki just continued to walk until he reached the condo. A friendly old lady greeted him as she stepped out of the elevator, and Misaki smiled as he waited patiently. He always wondered why Akihiko had chosen to buy the entire top floor; no matter how much room there was, the man still managed to make a mess out of the condo.

Pressing the doorbell gently, Misaki stood in front of the door. His body jerked as Akihiko opened up within a few seconds, and his eyes darted up to meet the other's.

"So you came after all," the author spoke, his gaze softening, "You didn't have to walk all the way...I offered to give you a ride."

"It wasn't exactly a long walk, so it was unnecessary." Misaki shrugged as he spoke these words and slowly stepped inside, struggling to get his shoes off without having to kneel down. He could hear Akihiko chuckle softly as said man watched him. "Stop laughing at me!"

"How can I when you're acting so cute?" Akihiko replied, a faint smile evident on his face. He started leading Misaki to his office, glancing over his shoulder as they reached the door. "What kind of story do you have to write?"

"A romance story." For some reason, Misaki felt his face heat up as he said the word 'romance'. "I-it's just a normal romance story about a boy and a girl in high school. It has to be a story of at least eight hundred words." Once inside, Misaki closed the door behind him, and was met with a surprisingly tidy room. The sight of this caused his brows to furrow in confusion. "Did you clean up the room?"

"No," Akihiko answered truthfully, "My editor came over a few days ago to pick up the manuscript, and she said that I couldn't work properly in such a messy office, so she helped me rearrange all of my books."

Misaki blinked in surprise as the author mentioned his editor. He had never met the lady before, but she sounded like she really tried to get Akihiko to do his job properly. 'I wonder what she looks like. Perhaps I'll be able to meet her someday.' As he sat down behind Akihiko's laptop, the other got a chair and sat down next to him, gazing at the brunet.

"All right then, let's start with the protagonists of the story," Akihiko suggested, clicked the mouse button to open a new text document, "How old should the characters be? They're both in high school, so they must be teenagers."

"Y-yes, I was thinking about a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy." Misaki cursed under his breath as he heard himself stutter. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

"What about their personalities? Describe the girl first."

"Uhm...the girl is kind, pretty, caring, polite—" Misaki was abruptly cut off when Akihiko placed a finger on his lips and shook his head in a mocking manner.

"You should never create a protagonist with only positive characteristics. Humans aren't perfect and neither are fictional characters." His tone was alarmingly serious. "Tell me something about her bad qualities."

Not used to such sudden demands, Misaki had to think for a minute before he could answer. The way Akihiko talked to him intimidated him a little, because the man almost sounded like a teacher. "I-I guess that she is rather clumsy and dense...and that people often bully her."

Akihiko nodded in approval, although he felt that he had offended Misaki in some way. "What about the boy?"

"The boy is really smart and good-looking, but he doesn't have a lot of friends. He acts pretty distant from his classmates, and he isn't a sociable person."

"Is he shy?"

"...I think so," Misaki said hesitantly, not sure if that was the answer Akihiko wanted to hear.

Sighing loudly, the author tapped his fingers on the desk. "This is your story Misaki. Don't be so uncertain about your own ideas."

"I can't help it! You're making me feel uncertain!"

Akihiko cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You're constantly mocking me. How am I supposed to get inspiration if you keep being so mean?" Right then, Misaki looked down at the keyboard, a sad expression decorating his eyes. Maybe asking Akihiko for help wasn't such a good idea after all. Sure, the man knew a lot about writing, but was Misaki capable of handling his harsh criticism?

Noticing the pained look, Akihiko leaned back and scratched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. "Look, I'm only trying to help you out. It shouldn't take hours just to come up with two characters if you're not going to write a long story about them. However, personalities do play an important role—that's what I'm trying to tell you."

Instead of replying, Misaki remained silent and started at the empty document on the screen. This only got Akihiko more frustrated and as the man lost his patience, he cupped Misaki's face with one hand and pulled the brunet into a fierce, yet sweet kiss. Pulling away quickly, Misaki knew that his face was reddening, and he glanced up at Akihiko in both shock and confusion.

"What the heck?" he practically yelled, as if to scold the other for his shameless act.

"That was meant to cheer you up," Akihiko stated plainly, "Come on, we need to move on to the plot."

Misaki wanted to protest, but he realized that they had already wasted fifteen minutes of precious time, and he was sure that Akihiko still had work to do. Resting his fingers on the keyboard, he started typing. Akihiko took his glasses and put them on, unable to read the words on the screen. The younger one noticed this and looked back at him in surprise.

"Do you wear glasses, Usagi-san?"

"Sometimes, but actually I only need them when I have to read something. I hardly ever wear glasses in public anymore." Reading the plot Misaki had come up with, Akihiko was surprised to see how similar it was to their first meeting.

The boy is walking down the street and sees a girl who is bothered by some tall guys. He saves her and offers to take her home, but the girl feels that she needs to repay him and the two go on a date. They eat lunch together and then go see a movie, where the boy takes the girl's hand. At the end of their short date, the boy brings her home and kisses her.

"That's a pretty clichéd date you've come up with," Akihiko concluded, studying his beloved carefully.

"Well excuse me, but I've never gone on a date before!" Misaki spat, his tone angry and irritated. The palms of his hands lay flat on the desk as he glared at the other.

Chuckling, Akihiko ruffled the brunet's soft locks. "I think you should name the girl 'Misaki' and the boy 'Akihiko'."


A single long finger pointed at the screen. "Read the plot thoroughly. Can't you see that the way the boy and the girl meet is almost the same as the way we met? When I first saw you, you were being bullied by some classmates, and I helped you by scaring them away. After that, we introduced ourselves and I offered to bring you home."

"B-but we didn't go on a date after that! Our first meeting wasn't romantic at all."

"Well, we did make love at my place—"

Feeling embarrassed as he remembered his first time, Misaki cut the other off. "There's nothing romantic about s-sex! You can't compare it to going on a date." As he looked into Akihiko's eyes, Misaki realized that he had dug his own grave.

An attractive yet perverted grin decorated the author's face. "You're so adorably clueless, Misaki," he spoke in a low, sultry voice, "In fact, sex can be very romantic, as long as you set the mood." His hand slowly crept towards one of Misaki's hands, which was still resting on the wooden surface. "I'd be more than happy to prove it to you."

The only thing Misaki could feel was his heart skipping a beat as Akihiko gazed at him lovingly. As a cold hand caressed his, he felt a shiver run down his spine at the sudden change of temperature, but it was a comfortable, pleasurable shiver. His eyelids fluttered shut as the thumb of Akihiko's other hand ran over his cheek.

"Misaki, look at me." The man's voice was gentle, making it impossible for Misaki to refuse. A smile tainted Akihiko's lips when emerald eyes gazed at him, and he softly kissed the tip of Misaki's nose, intertwining his fingers with his own. Throughout the years, he had thought of himself as a romantic person—despite the novels he wrote—but if his angel wanted that…he would try to grant his wish.

Beautiful green eyes started to water slightly, and Misaki had no idea what was happening to him. Akihiko's behavior was so unusual; he was even more loving than he normally was. The feelings inside were almost too much for the teen to bear, and he averted his gaze in order to put himself together.

"What's the matter?" Akihiko asked, his tone still sweet and calm as he caressed the skin just behind Misaki's right ear.

"It's just…embarrassing. I'm not used to all of this."

Again, Akihiko couldn't stop his smile. "I'll help you get used to it," he promised and carefully turned the boy's head back. Moving forward, he claimed Misaki's velvety lips and kissed them sweetly. He was pleased to see the teen's eyes close slowly and did the same. Still, he couldn't stop himself from peeking through his eyelashes and watching Misaki's face flush to a shade of scarlet.

Because of the tender, almost imperceptible feeling of Akihiko's lips, Misaki applied a little more pressure, urging to feel more of that familiar mouth. He moaned quietly through slightly parted lips as the other's tongue traced his lips in slow gestures. Opening his mouth some more, he allowed the organ to slip inside and feel the inside of his mouth.

Akihiko noticed how much his young love was enjoying the kiss and placed his hands on the brunet's back, pressing him against his broad chest. Misaki responded approvingly by grabbing the man's strands with barely any force. It was obvious that Misaki was trying to be just as gentle as Akihiko was.

As the kiss continued, the older one rose from his seat, holding Misaki securely, and walked over to the couch. There he laid the teen down and pulled away, causing eyelids to flutter open.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki questioned, not sure what Akihiko was about to do to him.

The author remained silent and kissed his hot cheek, then trailed his lips down his neck, showering the skin with kisses. With each kiss, he captured a small patch of skin between his lips, but made no move to leave any marks. Misaki could hear the buttons of his school uniform come undone.

"Are we—" the boy asked, swallowing, "—going to do it here?"

Slowly, Akihiko moved back to stare into Misaki's eyes. "Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, the usual cynicism not present in his voice, "Would you rather continue this elsewhere?"

Completely overwhelmed by the man's sudden compliance, Misaki sat up. Normally, Akihiko was the one who decided where they did it and how, but this time he was giving Misaki a chance to choose. While it made the young teen happy, it also embarrassed him to no end.

"N-no, we don't have to go somewhere else…"

Nodding in understanding, Akihiko pushed the jacket off Misaki's shoulders, his gaze meeting the light green shirt underneath. His hands slipped inside the fabric, fingertips touching the smooth skin of Misaki's belly. In slow movements, he started massaging the younger one's torso.

"Mnn…" Misaki bit back a moan, but felt his willpower being drained by the captivating stare Akihiko was giving him. The author had a kind, beautiful smile on his face, one that he only ever showed to Misaki. Merely the sight of this was enough to make the boy blush harder.

"I love you." Akihiko moved his lips to Misaki's ear and kissed down his jawline.


Surprised by Misaki's response, the man froze, breathing against the skin of the other's chin. He knew what Misaki wanted to say to him, but how long would it take before those words left those addictive lips? How long would he have to wait for a confirmation?

Misaki's mouth opened and closed again, but he couldn't speak the words that he wanted to say so desperately. He had his feelings sorted out—unlike the last time they had been together—but he couldn't convey them to Akihiko. There was a fight between his shame and his affection towards a certain bunny hovering over him.

Noticing the dilemma, Akihiko concluded that Misaki needed encouragement and kissed the same way back up to his ear. "I love you Misaki," he whispered lovingly, his fingers teasing the nubs underneath the teen's clothes, "I love you so much."

"Usagi-san," Misaki whimpered, "I-I lo—"

The sound of footsteps echoed through the condo.

"Someone's here!" the brunet panicked, unable to finish his confession as he crawled out from under Akihiko's body and quickly hid behind the couch, clutching his jacket. He was just in time; the door swung open and a fuming redhead entered the office.

"What the hell are you doing?" Aikawa shrieked, stomping towards the author on the couch, "You were supposed to go to a meeting today!"

"I didn't feel like going. Besides, I have a story to work on." Akihiko pointed at the laptop on his desk, smirking in amusement as his furious editor approached it. Aikawa's eyebrows flew up as she read the plot Misaki had written down before her gaze returned to Akihiko.

"This isn't a new BL novel?" Confusion was easily noticeable in her large eyes.

Akihiko shook his head. "Misaki needed some help with the story, so we were having a brainstorming session."

Meanwhile, Misaki was eavesdropping as he quietly put his clothes back on, wondering if the woman in the room was Akihiko's editor. He could hardly imagine that it was really her—wasn't Aikawa a sweet and caring lady?

"What? Is he still here? Why didn't you tell me he was coming over?!" Aikawa sounded like she was having a panic attack, but Akihiko already knew that she was just overly excited. She had found out quite a lot about Misaki and was desperate to meet the young boy.

Taking the risk, Misaki carefully peeked over the backrest, his gaze meeting the editor's instantly. A loud gasp came from Aikawa's bright rose colored lips and she shot towards him.

"Oh my, you're so cute!" was her response, even though she had only seen Misaki's eyes and his chocolate locks of hair. She placed her knees onto the couch, sitting right next to Akihiko as she smiled at the teen. "My name is Aikawa Eri. I'm Usami-sensei's editor."

"It's nice to meet you, Aikawa-san," Misaki replied politely, flashing a sweet smile as he showed himself to her, "I'm Taka—"

"I know who you are. Sensei has told me quite a lot about you."

"A-ah, did he?" The brunet's face reddened as he glanced at Akihiko, who was too busy glaring at Aikawa. "He's mentioned you a couple of times as well."

Still smiling, Aikawa closed her eyes and hummed happily. "I'm very happy that we've finally met," she said truthfully, "I hope that we can become friends."

Knowing that his editor would probably keep rambling for another thirty minutes, Akihiko sighed and laid his hand on Misaki's head. "This is not the time to socialize," he spoke sternly, "Misaki and I have to finish the story, so we need you to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Aikawa exclaimed, crossing her arms to show her determination, "Since you know nothing about editing someone else's story, you're going to need my help as well. I will make sure that Misaki can hand in a flawless story." She looked at Misaki, who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Aikawa-san."

Akihiko sighed in defeat, knowing that Misaki had already made up his mind. He couldn't send Aikawa away anymore now that she had persuaded his young love.

They would have to continue their sweet lovemaking some other time.

Aikawa ruined the moment. Yeah, so Misaki knows that he loves Akihiko, but when will he say it? :P

Tomorrow (April 20) is my birthday, so I wanted to give you guys this update as a present from me to you. That doesn't make sense, does it? Also, I can probably go back to updating every weekend. Surprise!

Thanks for reading and please review!