A/N Haha hey! So… I'm sorry for the last chapter… I know it was dark and probably out of line, but hey, why else would Masaki have a grudge on them?

Not sure if there is any confusion, but just so you guys know, Souichi doesn't know any of what Tetsuhiro did before going to university.

And to everybody who commented on my other story asking if I've dropped this story, n o p e. I'm just a slow updater, lol.

And I'm shrieking right now listening to Tetsuhiro's voice actor sing oh my god he's so gOOD HE WHISPERED SAYONARA IN MY HEAR ASDJHFGKUHL

I mean what.

Title: The Puppet Paradox

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, idea mine.

Characters: Souichi, Tetsuhiro, Younghee, Masaki

Rating: T

Warnings: Language, kissing

PS: All Asian words are translated at the bottom in the ending author note.

Enjoy the chapter (:

Tetsuhiro practically couldn't wait to come home from work that day. He had recently gone back to work after having been on a vacation, and the whole time he couldn't stop thinking about Senpai. What Senpai was doing, if he'd had a good night's sleep, what he'd eaten, how the projects at Uni had gone that day. It was upsetting having to work day after day and not get to see Senpai, but he had managed to bribe his boss to letting him have the weekends off. He went above and beyond each day during his presentations at the meetings. He was a newcomer compared to everybody else, but his scores were much higher than the longer-employed interns. Soon enough, he was sure he'd be able to snatch the position of a Biology professor. Surely Senpai wouldn't mind the change; he'd root for him, wouldn't he?

His hands twitched on the steering wheel as he rounded the corner of their block. It was dark by now, and finally, after a long, bruising day at work, he would finally get to spend a night with Senpai-!

He pulled up into the driveway and shifted the stick into gear. Shutting the engine off, he quickly adjusted his tie – which had rode up and started to choke him during his drive, thanks to the chafing seatbelt – and headed toward the door. His keys jingled in his pocket as he reached for them, heart thumping in his chest.

Tonight was going to be their night. He wasn't about to waste any more time; he had been away from Senpai long enough. Having only a few hours each day to spend with the man he would die for wasn't cutting it for him, and he needed more intimacy with him. He barely remembered how Senpai felt about him, how he reacted to his close proximity, how the man smelled, how he tasted, and how passionate he could be about him in bed. Tetsuhiro was going to spend as much time as he could relishing in the sights and sounds of his beloved Senpai.

His key clicked in the lock and he turned the knob, toeing off his shoes into the corner of the genkan. He had hoped Senpai had helped himself well to the food that Tetsuhiro had prepared this morning and left in the fridge. He thought it was adorable how Senpai had, despite his lack of culinary skills, attempted to pour his love into cooking for him a few weeks ago. He had broken almost all of the cookware and nearly had a mental breakdown in the process, but he still tried and it still moved Tetsuhiro's love for him to a much higher level. He wouldn't be able to last forever; Tetsuhiro was nearing cornering him.

He loosened his tie and walked into the living room, spotting Senpai sitting on the couch in his pajamas, hair loose and damp. He must've showered pretty recently; the top of his shirt still had dark wet marks on it. He seemed engrossed in whatever it was he was watching on the television, and he held a small plate in his hands with something orange on it. Tetsuhiro smiled.

"I'm home, Senpai."

Souichi looked startled, his face turning pink. He made no move to get away from his kouhai, but instead swallowed what was in his mouth down his dry throat and attempted to form a response.

"W-welcome home."

Tetsuhiro smiled gently, flattered that Senpai had welcomed him in. He slid his tie out from under his collar and slung it over the arm of the couch.

"How was work?" Senpai looked up at him. God, he had to use almost all of his self control not to pounce on him right then and there. Looking up at Tetsuhiro from under his lashes, face flushed rose, flecks of orange on his bottom lip. He had a feeling that would be what Senpai would choose to eat out of all the food in the fridge; it was the spiciest thing there.

"It was work." Tetsuhiro nodded and plopped down onto the couch next to Souichi. The closeness made Souichi blush even more, but he made no attempt to move away. Stabbing his fork back into the mess on his plate, he brought more food up to his lips.

"Yeah, no shit." Souichi rolled his eyes, but there was no bite to his words. "I meant how did today go? Did your presentations go well? What did your professor say?"

"Eh, it was a boring presentation as usual. I did probably two presentations all day and assisted some of the professors. My professor was extremely impressed with me; he said that he didn't expect an intern to know as much as a full-time lecture professor. I heard from a few of his colleagues that he was debating promoting me to the position of a substitute." A soft grin graced his lips and he surreptitiously ran his hand down the back of Souichi's hair. "Can you believe that, Senpai? I'll be a teacher soon~!"

"Aha, I knew it would happen sooner or later." Souichi shook his head. "You were way too good of an assistant back at Uni. There's no way they wouldn't be impressed with you. Hell, if they weren't, I would've gone down there and smacked the daylights out of them!"

Tetsuhiro chuckled. "You really think so, Senpai?" His fingers gingerly glided through Souichi's long hair, untangling it.

"Of course. Anybody with half a damn brain could see that it'd be a very fucking stupid move not to hire someone like you!"

"I'm glad you think so." A soft kiss was placed at Souichi's temple, and the man flushed red and jerked away.

"B-baka! What are you doing?"

"I missed you." Tetsuhiro wrapped an arm around Souichi's shoulders and nuzzled his nose into the crook of Souichi's neck. "Mmm, I miss the smell of your shampoo. Do you like the melon one the best?"

Souichi felt jittery; he had never been analyzed and complimented this way. It felt so strange to him, like someone was looking into him.

"Y-yeah… it… it works the best…"

Tetsuhiro giggled, motioning towards the unfinished plate in Souichi's hands. "How do you like the kimchi? I figured you'd enjoy it; it's spicy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and it's pretty salty. I've never had it before, but it's pretty good."

"I'm glad you like it, Senpai." Tetsuhiro smiled and reached towards the plate. "Can I try a bit?"

Souichi looked up at him curiously, the hind of the fork perched between tightened lips. "You didn't try it? You didn't taste the food you made yourself?"

He shrugged. "I didn't have time. I made food for you to eat when you came home and left."

"That's so stupid." Souichi muttered and grabbed Tetsuhiro's index finger, smearing it in the orange sauce around the rim of the ceramic plate. "There. Taste it."

Tetsuhiro popped the digit in his mouth, licking it clean before retracting it. "Mmm, oishii." And with that, he pulled the plate away from Souichi, placed it on the coffee table, and leaned in for a kiss.

Souichi backed away, trying to escape from under Tetsuhiro's weight, but the attempt failed rather quickly. He felt the man's lips on his, hard thighs pressing into his as the back of his head was forced onto the arm of the couch. Memories of when they had kissed before the picnic came flooding back, as well as how needy he had been in those moments. At first it didn't bother him that much, but he remembered Masaki's gruff words in his ear – "I want you, and I intend to have you one way or another. And if you won't let Tetsuhiro have you, then I will.". Thin hands squeezed between chests to push him away.

"Ch-chotto matte!"

The sudden refusal wasn't much of a surprise to Tetsuhiro, but the force behind it certainly was. He sat up with slightly wide, confused eyes. His first thought was that Souichi had become aroused quickly and didn't want to continue this; he'd seen that a lot. Glancing down, he realized that the man under him wasn't very far along at all. What was bothering him then?

"S-Sen… pai?" He asked, carefully pronouncing each syllable. The blonde wasn't even looking in his direction anymore, and his eyes seemed to be focused on something else.

"W-what?" Souichi looked at him suddenly, like he had been in a trance.

Something was really wrong. As argumentatively bashful as Souichi usually was in these situations, he couldn't pay attention for half his name's worth. His hand came up to absentmindedly comb his fingers through his hair.

"I-I mean… nothing's wrong! Why are you staring at me like this?" Souichi narrowed his eyes and pushed his elbow into Tetsuhiro's chest. The man crawled to the other side of the couch as a precaution.

"I just… you seemed like something was bothering you… Did I do something, Senpai?"

"N-no! I…" Souichi could feel his heart start to beat irregularly. The words floated around and around in his mind like a broken record. If I won't let Tetsuhiro have me… then he will...

I can barely stand either one of them!

"You know you can talk to me, Souichi. I love you, and I'm always here for you. You can tell me anything." Tetsuhiro smiled sadly and rested his hand on top of Souichi's, the blonde's face flushing rose.

I can't tell you everything, Souichi thought. Not like I would anyway!

"I told you there wasn't anything wrong, didn't I?" Souichi grumbled, looking at his sock-covered feet as they dangled off the couch. He pursed his lips as he thought about what exactly to do. What exactly would Masaki do if he told Tetsuhiro that he was being blackmailed? This felt like the beginning of their relationship all over again. It was like Souichi had blackmail written in between the lines of his genetic makeup. "But… you're going to stay… here… right?"

"Eh? Senpai? I… Senpai, I told you I would never leave you and I meant it!" Tetsuhiro placed his hand on the apple of Souichi's cheek. "I fought my way into your life for over five years in order for you to even so much as accept how I felt. I'm extremely grateful that we've come all this way… and I'm not pushing you to do anything you don't want! All I want is for you to talk to me… because I love you, Senpai…"

"You're so stupid." Souichi blushed into the warm palm on his face. "I never said there was any problem. I'm just tired and jet lagged lately."

"Jet lag? We haven't traveled anywhere recently."

"Well, with you forcing me to go to your little homosexual gatherings, it tires me out!"

So that's what was bothering him. Tetsuhiro felt his heart skip a beat. Souichi was bothered about Masaki? Was he bothered about Masaki as a person or was he bothered about Masaki requesting Tetsuhiro's company? Senpai could be so hard to read sometimes.

"Senpai… do you think I've been avoiding you with spending time with Masaki?"

Souichi was startled. That was very far from what was bothering him; if only he could let it all out to Tetsuhiro. It would feel so good to pour everything out of his system, but he couldn't.

But wait… how would Masaki know?

His brain suddenly clicked, as he thought that there would be no way that the man would know if Souichi spilled the truth of what was happening.

No, Souichi said to himself. His sly ass probably installed cameras somewhere around here… I'll have to check in the shelves… or the closets… anywhere.

To end the barrage of questions, he nodded and bit his lower lip, anticipating Tetsuhiro's next move. He knew the man wanted to have sex with him; it had only been a few weeks since they last did it, and normally Souichi would refuse, but he was scared. Scared that Tetsuhiro would be taken from him or he would be taken away from the man. He was his kouhai and his lover and he needed him, truly and deeply needed him. He didn't want to admit it, but with time practically ticking away in his ears, he knew he was going to have to tell him sooner or later.

"I want you to stay with me… here." Souichi mumbled into Tetsuhiro's ear, stroking the man's nape gently with his nails. He felt a shiver run up the broad shoulders he was wrapped around.

"I've missed you, Senpai."

There was no time to form a response before lips were hard against his, pressing with a different fervor than before. Souichi struggled to ease the pressure, as Tetsuhiro nipped again and again at his lips. The blonde let out small gasps, each time opening his mouth further and further until a tongue breached his lips.

His body seemed to act of its own accord, hands grasping at the fabric of his kouhai's shirt. He needed him close to him, needed the protection and proximity of the one that loved him. The world was becoming dangerous all of a sudden and what was he supposed to do? Why was it him that was in this situation? What had he done? He needed Tetsuhiro to protect him, and he needed to show him with his body since he couldn't ever tell him.

"Senpai," He barely heard Tetsuhiro's soft whisper as he felt the man's warm lips on his chest, the ruffling of clothing ringing out in his ears as his shirt was removed. He moaned softly, hands clasping onto Tetsuhiro's forearms.

"S-sto… hah…" Souichi couldn't think properly anymore; that wicked kohai of his was doing some amazing things with his tongue on the man's nipple and he couldn't help himself. His hips bucked, body heating up as the familiar need returned.

"Yesterday at the picnic," Tetsuhiro muttered in-between hot kisses and licks, "you were so needy. Do you remember?"

"Ah… n-no…" Souichi thrashed his head, back arching as those lips switched to the other nipple. His shaft pulsed between his legs, and he really wished he hadn't put on pajamas after his shower so that his arousal wouldn't be blindly obvious. The last thing he needed was Morinaga staring at him and talking about his body.

"Hmm," Tetsuhiro caught the perky pebble between his teeth and pulled it slightly, releasing it with a loud wet pop. "You seemed to want it, Senpai."

"Sh-shut up…"

He felt a hand move southward and cup his erection and his back left the couch as a loud moan spilled out of his mouth. He didn't understand how he could become so aroused in such little time, how Morinaga of all people could make his body react like this. But this gave him a sense of possession to the younger man; it meant they belonged to each other now. After five years, Morinaga had slaved to earn Souichi's love, and after five years, it was beginning to happen.

"Oh?" Tetsuhiro smiled and delved his tongue into the blonde's navel. "Isn't this what you want?"

"B… baka…" Souichi gasped out, body arching and hips bucking against Tetsuhiro's abdomen. He needed it and he knew it. "How could you think… that…"

He felt Morinaga chuckle and the little sound sent vibrations through his entire body. He let out a moan in response, hips stuttering against the large hand covering his crotch.

"I don't need you to tell me, Senpai. Your body tells me."

"H-how can… ha… a…" Tetsuhiro slid further down the couch and hooked his fingers into the waistband of the Souichi's pants, pulling slightly. His lips settled on the blonde's pelvis as he began to suck and ravish the areas he sucked with his tongue. This was almost too much as Souichi's hands dove into the long, dark hair.

His body felt so hot, he felt like he was practically melting. It had only been a few weeks since they had sex, but it felt like forever. As much as he hated to admit it, a few weeks had been an awful long time; way too long for his body to handle. It seemed like the longer they waited between intervals to do it, the more sensitive Souichi's body became.

"Do you want to move this to the bedroom?"

"Morinaga…"

"Tell me, Senpai." Tetsuhiro leaned up and caressed the blonde's pink face with his palm. He found it adorable the way Senpai arched his face into his large hand.

"I…"

"You what?"

He didn't want him to leave. What if Masaki was stalking them on a constant basis and watching his attitude towards Tetsuhiro? What if he could see how he was treating him? He didn't want Tetsuhiro to go to work anymore; he wanted to stay here so Souichi could make sure he was safe. It was okay for him to hurt himself, but not for anybody else to do it.

"I don't want you to leave anymore…" The words were said so quietly, he wasn't sure Tetsuhiro had heard him. He peeked through his heavy eyelids to gauge the man's reaction. He was smiling that big, annoying smile of his like always. Of course he heard him; of fucking course he did.

Tetsuhiro couldn't resist gathering the man's delicate body in his arms and nuzzling his neck. "I wouldn't leave you, Senpai. I promised to stay and not run away anymore."

That wasn't what Souichi meant, but he wasn't about to start complaining. The heat unfurling from his groin was too distracting, and he just needed Tetsuhiro right now.

"Don't run away…" Souichi lifted his hands to cup his kouhai's smiling face and pulled him in for a soft yet deep kiss. It shocked Tetsuhiro out of his skin that Senpai was being so forward. Ah, Senpai could be so loving when he wanted to be!

Tetsuhiro took the statement as an okay to continue what they were doing, and all thoughts about abandonment and Masaki's threat faded away in a sea of loud gasps and moans that collided with the creaking of the furniture. This was where Souichi felt safe, where he felt that he really was out of the way of any trouble. Tetsuhiro would always keep him safe, always. But he couldn't tell him that.

Morning peaked earlier than was welcome with soft rain and quiet neighborhoods. These were the days that they liked the best, when the weather was sour and gave them the opportunity to cuddle in bed. Tetsuhiro didn't have work today; there was an out-of-state business meeting for the highest appointed, one of which he wasn't. Souichi always protested obviously, but usually he had just woken up so he didn't have the energy to physically reject. They usually got up around lunch time when the ache in their stomachs became too much for them to handle anymore. Tetsuhiro loved waking up to a hungry Souichi, because it meant that the man would more than willingly eat anything that he cooked for him. Souichi liked soft yet slightly spicy food in the morning, like rice and seasoned pork or scrambled eggs with a little bit of chili and black pepper.

Although he would never admit it, Souichi was rather clingy when he slept. Tetsuhiro had noticed it close to a month ago, as when they would go off to bed, Souichi would be against the wall so that they weren't pressed against each other, but when they awoke, Souichi would be pressed against Tetsuhiro's chest with his hands knotted in the sheets, or on rare occasions, long black hair. It was adorable, really, that after waiting so long for his Senpai to finally appreciate him and fall for him, he was giving off all of these idiosyncratic signs that he was attached to Tetsuhiro and couldn't let him go even if he tried. Senpai was really so cute, and he just couldn't help himself sometimes.

Tetsuhiro got up before the blonde, giving the man a gentle peck on his lips and pulling the comforter over him to let him sleep some more. Souichi was not a gentle person if he didn't get to sleep a lot, so Tetsuhiro tried to save him as much rest as possible to ensure that he was in as best a mood as possible. He was such a beautiful creature, he practically couldn't keep his eyes off of him. How he managed to go to work every single day and be away from Souichi from dawn till dusk was way beyond him.

Ah, he figured he would whip something up to eat and set some tea out to boil. Lavender and chamomile tea would do Senpai good, especially if he was worked up over whatever he was brewing over. He seemed strange last night when they had sex, like something was seriously bothering him. It was like something wasn't right, but Tetsuhiro couldn't pinpoint it. Senpai was never one to communicate about his feelings, so feeling foolish, Tetsuhiro pushed the thought of emotional conversation aside.

The fridge was pretty empty, although there was a half a pound of salmon left and a little bit of milk with a few eggs. He could probably make Senpai some salmon; he wouldn't mind that. The man loved seafood, absolutely loved it, with extra chili and black pepper.

He wondered what was bothering Souichi. Surely the man wasn't sensing odd auras from Tetsuhiro, was he? He sincerely hoped that he would never have to see a repeat of what he did to Masaki those years ago ever again. It was what he craved at the time, to know that he had the strength to overpower someone, but it was sick and even he could admit it. The fact that Masaki had come back after all those years of resenting him for what he did, and even asking for forgiveness like it was his own fault, was completely astonishing. It made him gain so much more respect for the man, and it really seemed like he had matured so much. He had a kind heart, and when Masaki requested to catch back up with him, he couldn't refuse. He had missed Masaki just as much as Masaki had probably missed him. He had heard rumors that after the "incident" at the hotel, Masaki had been admitted to the hospital just a mere couple days later, suffering from severe bleeding due to yet another suicide attempt. He had gone back to cutting, which just made Tetsuhiro feel worse, and this time he didn't just do it to kill pain; he did it to kill himself. Kunihiro had said that he had cuts on his arms, thighs, stomach, even his shoulders and breastbone. Why he wouldn't cut his throat if he really wanted to die that badly, remained a mystery. It was something that Masaki never brought up again, so it was forgotten conversation-wise.

The soft sizzling of cold salmon in the heated pan sounded like the theme song to home to him. It was what he wanted to hear so badly, to know that he was at home with Senpai and cooking for the man, just like he loved to do. He always wanted to be by this man's side, even if it killed him in the process. He would do anything for him, and he just hoped and hoped and hoped that one day, Senpai would realize how very precious he was to some people.

He heard a small chiming noise, something that reminded him of his ringtone, but he thought that it could simply just be the wind chimes outside the genkan.

The noise persisted, though, and it was very repetitive, and it took him a few moments to realize that somebody was calling him on his cell phone.

The wooden spoon nearly fell on the floor as he flung it into the pot and dashed into the bedroom, urgent to find the phone before it woke Senpai up. The last thing he wanted was a grumpy Senpai, especially if he was woken up because of a cell phone.

He ruffled his inky hair in frustration, unsure of where he left the device as he flung used clothes away from their resting spots on the carpet, tossed sheets aside before covering Senpai back up, noisily raking through the bookshelf in case he left it there.

"Where the hell is it?" He mumbled to himself, desperate to silence the annoying tone. Finally he found it, the blue piece of metal and plastic that rested inside the pocket of his jeans from last night. Looking at the caller ID before flipping the phone open, he grinned. "Hello?"

"Yeoboseyo?"

"Noona?"

"Ah, Tetsu-oppa!" It was Younghee, somebody he never thought he would speak to again. They kept in touch after the incident, but they slowly dissipated away from each other when she fell in love with an Englishman and moved to Western Europe with him. "I'm so glad you picked up!"

"Ah, forgive me for taking so long." He laughed nervously, tiptoeing out of the bedroom once he heard Senpai groan lazily and turn over in bed. "I was cooking breakfast. How have you been?"

"Good!" She sounded extremely chipper, just like he remembered her to be. He could tell that her voice had definitely deepened an octave or two, but she was only nineteen at the time that he had met her. Her Japanese still sounded as good as ever. "I've been good, Tetsu-kun. A little jet-lagged from the flight to Wales, but I'm alright otherwise."

He flipped the salmon over in the pan, the scent of cooked fish wafting through the small kitchen and into the living area. "Ah, right. How do you like Wales?"

"Joha! Ah, neomu yeppeo. It's awfully cold though… but it's absolutely exquisite! All the castles and old towns, I love it!"

"Ah, I'm glad you like it, Younghee-ah." Tetsuhiro smiled. "How's your boyfriend? Edward, was that his name? Is he kind to you?"

"Ah," She laughed, "We actually got engaged last spring."

His eyes widened. Engaged. Something he had always wanted, and wanted with Senpai more than anything, but had never come close to getting. He knew Senpai would say no, and that marriage and such forms of bonding were unnecessary.

"Th-that's great, Younghee-ah!" He was happy for her, of course, but he did feel a sense of jealousy. She was happily engaged, and he was still receiving mixed signals from somebody who didn't even know what the definition of love was. "Is he loyal to you?"

"Ohya, he's very trustworthy. Self-conscious about himself, too. He's a real nice guy, Tetsuhiro – he reminds me of you sometimes!"

"That's good." He let go of the phone as he pressed it between his shoulder and cheek, craning his neck to keep it in place as he sprinkled black pepper on the salmon.

"Sooo," She giggled that tiny little giggle of hers that he used to like. "What about you, huh? Anybody tie you down yet?"

"Ah…" Crap, he wished she hadn't asked that. She didn't know that he was gay. He couldn't just tell her that he had fallen in love with a man and had been living with him for close to six years now. She would take the fact that he was gay as an insult, like perhaps she was the reason he was suddenly gay. There just wasn't an option.

He heard a soft groan behind him, and turned to see Senpai wrapped in a sheet and rubbing his eye with the back of his hand.

"Mornin'." He mumbled, sitting himself at the table as he blinked his puffy eyes. Tetsuhiro thought he was absolutely adorable when he looked like that.

"Ah, good morning, Senpai!" He smiled at Souichi, eyes gleaming with love and admiration.

"Senpai?" Younghee asked on the other line, curious what was going on. "You have a Senpai? Are you living with them? Who is it?"

Souichi frowned. Who the hell was Morinaga yapping away to at this early an hour? That damn jingle of the phone woke him up. That was the most annoying piece of shit that Morinaga had ever bought. Even his own cell phone didn't make noise quite like Morinaga's did. It was hyper and irritating, just like Morinaga was.

He rubbed his unkempt hair with a frail hand. "Who are you talking to?" He would be fucking damned if it was Masaki that Morinaga was blabbering away to. God forbid it was as he thought, he would take the piece of metal and submerge it in the pan of oil and salmon and have it for breakfast. He knew his kouhai had lied to him before about being around Masaki, but he fucking said he would knock it off after doing it twice.

Tetsuhiro turned and looked at him with a strange look that made his temper flare before his kouhai continued speaking to the phone. He better fucking not be talking to that cocksucker.

"It's just a friend, Senpai!" Morinaga assured with a wave of his hand and a bright smile, but when he saw the frown on Souichi's face crinkle even more, he realized that he should've worded his sentence better. "It-it's not Masaki-san, Senpai, I promise!"

"Mori-san?" He heard Younghee pipe up again over the crackling of the hot salmon oil and Souichi's grumbling across the room at the dining table.

"Ah, forgive me." Morinaga returned to his cooking, lowering the heat. "My Senpai is a bit… well… a bit protective of me."

"The fuck is in your head?" Souichi mumbled loudly, narrowing his eyes. "Protective in what way?"

"Nothing, Senpai~!" He smiled.

"Ah, well, should I hang up then? I don't want you getting in trouble, Mori-san."

"Well, you could always call me another day. I'm always here, and if I'm not, then I'm at school but I almost always pick up."

"Alright, I'll call you next Tuesday. Annyeong!"

The call went dead and Tetsuhiro flipped his cell phone closed as he stabbed at the sliver of fish with a fork and propped it onto a plate. He knew that when his Senpai was grumpy in the mornings, the last thing he needed was to go hungry without breakfast. It absolutely demolished his train of thought at the university and almost nothing ever got done if he didn't eat, which would piss him off even more.

"Who was that?" Souichi pressed again, getting impatient. Why wasn't Morinaga answering his questions?

"I told you, a friend." Tetsuhiro shrugged as he slid the plate of peppered salmon in front of Souichi, fork and a steak knife clinking loudly against the porcelain plate.

"It better not be who I think it is." Cat-like honey eyes stared up at him, threatening to rip him in pieces.

"It's not, Senpai." He kissed the man's temple, causing him to jerk back, but he smiled nonetheless.

"D-don't kiss me this early in the morning! Who was that on the phone?!" He swore to god, if it was Masaki, he would kill Morinaga as well as the devil himself. God fucking knows what Masaki would fill Morinaga's head with to make it even more impossible to tell him what was going on.

Tetsuhiro pursed his lips. Souichi was being awfully pushy today; he already told him it wasn't Masaki that he was talking to. Did he not trust him enough to believe him? He had only lied twice, but it was because he had a soft heart and couldn't help but take the opportunity to patch things back up with Masaki. He couldn't tell Souichi about what happened; he just couldn't. That would make him so angry, and he was terrified of ever having a fight like the one they had when Masaki visited.

"It was my friend Younghee." Tetsuhiro answered honestly, seating himself across from Souichi with his half of the salmon. He smiled; his Senpai was absolutely delectable in the mornings, with his red swollen lips and puffy eyes and messy hair and pink cheeks. It was as if every day when they woke up in the same bed together, Tetsuhiro fell more and more in love with him.

"…Younghee?" Souichi choked out through a mouthful of salmon as his knife groaned against the fork. Who was this Younghee? He had never heard of this person; was Morinaga hiding even more things from him?

Tetsuhiro chuckled. "Don't worry Senpai; she's a friend I had back before I met you. Her name's Choi Younghee."

"…Where does she live? I've never heard of her."

"Ah, she's from Korea." Tetsuhiro nodded, swallowing what was in his mouth before speaking again. "I met her when she was on vacation here with some friends."

"Eh? Korea? Who comes to Japan from Korea?" Souichi furrowed his eyebrows, taking another bite and adjusting the sheet that was currently slipping from his lank body.

"Maa, Senpai, she's nice. I think she'd like you."

"Mm." Souichi partly ignored him as he resumed eating. Why hadn't Morinaga ever told him about this Younghee before? Did they have a past that he didn't know about? Was she a bad person just like Masaki? Did she hurt Morinaga just like Masaki did? If she did, Souichi was sure he'd never grant her permission to step foot in their household. He wasn't about to have two rapists in one dilemma; especially not after him specifically. He couldn't even handle what was happening now.

Morinaga was acting strange, but then again, so was he. Morinaga was probably thinking that he was acting strangely, but really, what was he supposed to do? He couldn't just fucking tell Morinaga that Masaki wanted him; first of all, he didn't know in what way to explain that, secondly, Masaki probably hid cameras around their house to track their conversations, and thirdly, Morinaga wouldn't believe him. In the moron's eyes, Masaki was a kindhearted individual that was all about changing himself for the better, when in reality, that wasn't the case at all. That was a caricature that Morinaga had been tricked into staring at and now was too stubborn to see what was real and what wasn't.

Almost as if it was answering his train of thought, he heard his cell phone go off in his bedroom. He stood and excused himself from the table, wrapped his sheet around his shoulders, and walked to the bedroom in search of his phone. Did somebody text him? The noise was short-lived, so it didn't seem like someone was calling him.

He spotted the phone on the nightstand next to the bed just a few feet from him. Picking it up, he noticed the flashing icon on the screen. One new message.

He unlocked his phone and looked at the message. It was a number he didn't recognize, and one that wasn't even part of this town's area code, but that didn't matter. What the message said was proof enough for him to know who it was.

I hope you're enjoying your morning with Tetsuhiro.

What the fuck was this creep doing interrupting his breakfast? He had only taken a few bites of food; Christ, he was still so hungry. Grumbling unhappily, he began to type a response.

What the fuck do you want? And how did you get my phone number?

This pissed him off so much, he wanted to smash his cell phone into pieces. Wasn't there anything he could fucking do in this situation?

His phone vibrated unusually quickly; did the ass text him back already?

You're so cute; you think I don't know how to tap into Tetsuhiro's phone and look through his contact list?

"Senpai, is everything alright in there?" Tetsuhiro called out worriedly from the dining room. He felt bad; he would be putting Morinaga through so much shit in the near future; shit that he didn't need on top of his newfound job position. That alone was stressful enough, and Morinaga was a hard worker.

"I'm fine." His response was short and curt, but he didn't care. He was too busy worrying about what Masaki wanted to gain out of this conversation.

Why don't you just leave me alone?

"Are you sure Senpai? Your food's gonna get cold. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about it. I'll eat in a second."

I told you. I want you.

He may have pressed on the buttons of his phone with more force than was necessary, but in his mind, it was absolutely necessary.

And I said no! So just leave me alone!

I'm afraid I can't do that, Souichi-kun. You know the details of our agreement. You do as I say, or Tetsuhiro will be affected.

You fucking wouldn't! Stop talking shit!

Souichi-kun, I told you. Nothing will happen to Tetsuhiro as long as you abide by my rules.

…What are you talking about rules?

Rules? The fuck did he mean by rules? Was this a school now? Did he have to listen to every command given to him like a little second grader? Where the fuck was this man's head at?

You will listen to what I say, and you will listen well, or you will very well regret it.

No.

Fuck you; I don't need to listen to anything you tell me.

No, he wasn't doing this bullshit.

I see we're off to a rather fine start. Fine, if this is how it will be, then I surely look forward to how Tetsuhiro reacts to his… newfound personality.

Newfound personality? All this freak was doing was confusing him more and more!

What are you talking about?

If you listen like a good boy, nothing will happen.

He didn't have a choice, did he? If he refused to listen, then something would happen to Tetsuhiro, and he would never stop blaming himself for anything that happened to his kouhai. If he listened, then he would be raped endlessly and would be stuck in a cycle without being able to tell Tetsuhiro anything. What the fuck options did he really have?

…What do you want from me?

He regretted asking that as he saw the answer pop up on the screen of his phone not even thirty seconds later.

You will go to my house every Friday night and do as I say, or there will be consequences. Everything that happens within my household between you and I will remain a secret, and if you even so much as slip a peep to Tetsuhiro, I will be forced to take action. I hope you think about this wisely, Souichi-kun.

How the fuck am I supposed to think about this wisely?!

You're smart; you'll figure it out.

He couldn't form a response to that. His entire world was turning black and fuzzy; what the fuck was he to do? He needed Tetsuhiro like the lifeline he was right now, because without him, he felt like he'd be murdered or worse. Was he going to listen and go to Masaki's house on Friday?

What if he didn't go? What if he just stayed home in the safety of Tetsuhiro's arms forever and nothing could ever happen to them? Then there would be absolutely no way that Masaki could harm Tetsuhiro in any way. He was so lost at what to do.

He looked down at the phone and bit his lip. What was he supposed to do?

Translations:

Kimchi – Fermented Napa cabbage or white radish cooked in red pepper sauce

Oishii – Tastes good

Yeoboseyo – Hello (as in answering a phone)

Noona – A term technically meaning older sister but can be used as something to call a female best friend.

Oppa – Same thing, just for males instead of females.

Joha – I like it/you

Neomu yeppeo – It's very pretty

Annyeong – Hello/Goodbye

Comments:

chickadeeyasee: Maa, I have a weakness for antagonist Masaki. I know he really is an innocent character except when he's with Kunihiro, but out of all the stories I read on this forum (I've read every single one tbh I love so many of them) he's almost always an innocent person who just shows up and acts quiet. That's not how I like my characters to be. I like them to have a prominent personality, and twisting his personality was just too great I couldn't resist.

Myrskyluoto: You should tell me what the Tetsuhiro you fantasize about is! I could really use him in one of my stories! As I said with Masaki, I like to change personalities a bit. Is he tsundere? Ooh, I have a thing for tsunderes! And oh my god, that was the worst experience I've ever had. Typing up six thousand words was a nightmare, took me all damn day. Rule number one, Comcast sucks.

Bunny-chan2022: I know, I can get ooc sometimes, especially making Masaki homicidal. But I mean, I envisioned this whole storyline in my head before I wrote it, and I just love it. It was meant to be dramatic and it was meant to be twisted. I even said when I uploaded the first chapter, this story is going to be sick, it's going to be dark, and it's going to be twisted. I really don't mean to make it horrible xD

And I will be posting an intro/teaser chapter to an all-new story shortly, so you could call this a double update… sort of. It won't be updated probably until I'm either done writing it or done with Puppet and Boy in the Staircase (or almost done). But I will leave the introduction chapter to see if you guys like the idea of the story, and if you do, great! If not, then I'll gladly discontinue it. It's up to all of you!

Favorite and review!

-Brittany