"I've been wanting to ask this." Akira told Azu, as a memory of something that's been troubling him for sometime , came to him. 

"That day, at the motel, you didn't  do it  with him, did you?"

"Well .. not really". Azu hesitated. He  desperately wished Akira would let go of this topic and show interest in something harmless. Like for instance - making out with him?

"Huh? What do you mean? You clearly told me that day that you didn't do anything besides kissing him. And now you say 'Not really?' "

"Aki, can we talk about this later? I really don't feel -"

"So you were lying when you said that?" - Akira cut him off before he could finish.

"No, not exactly." 

 Shit! I have a bad feeling about where this is going. 

" I didn't do him. But well, he did do a few things to me."

Akira's reaction was way different from what Azu had expected. He didn't fuss, he didn't shout, but in a very cold and calculated tone, he asked, "What exactly did he do to you then?"

"Can't you just forget about it Akira? I really don't think I should be tellin-"

Akira had had enough. He was determined to be patient and listen to Azu, given the tender state he was in but he was rapidly approaching his limits. He was only human. Struggling hard to let go of his desire to find Izuki and interrogate him, he told Azu in a cool tone, "Enough with the bull, Azu. Either you tell me or I hear it from Izuki but not before I beat his brains out."

He had intended for it to be a warning, but from the way it came out, it sounded  more like a threat.

"Alright, alright. I give up." He took a deep breath, trying hard to gather all the strength he could. He needed all of it now. That, he was sure of.

"Like I told you, I didn't do anything more than kiss him. But he might have you know, given me a hand or a blow."

When it was laid out, Akira wished as much as Azu did, to go back to when he had not yet heard this from Azu. 

"What else are you not telling me Azu? And now do you really expect me to believe that you didn't return his favour?"

 A dark and sadistic part of Akira was now nagging him, pushing him to push Azu even more and to learn everything there was to learn.

"I swear I did not." Azu looked horrified. "I can understand that you wouldn't want to believe words coming from a slut like myself but trust me - all I wanted to do was piss you off. Besides you found us before I really had any chance to reciprocate or do something for him."

It wasn't long ago that Akira had told him that he'd never leave him, but Azu was not so sure now.

"Don't call yourself that." Akira spoke, looking away from Azu. "Don't call yourself a slut. And where do you get these stupid ideas from anyway?"

Hearing this from Akira, made Azu almost break into tears.

Azu tugged at Akira's shirt gently. "I wasn't the one who came up with it - if that makes it any better." 

Akira couldn't believe what he heard. Apart from hating him with all his guts, he'd been suspicious and wary of Izuki, for long enough now. He couldn't believe that the guy was a manipulative cunt as well.

 

Moving closer to him, he waited for him to reply. 

"You don't want to talk?" Azu kept him mouth shut in a last ditch effort to thwart him off.

Akira gew impatient by the second as Azu refused to budge. The thought of Izuki touching him was infuriating enough but what was more frustrating was Azu's desperate attempt to protect him. He couldn't and didn't want to understand it. But he wanted to hear Azu talk about it. And to make him talk .. he'd already tried to scare him once so that wasn't going to work a second time. He had to try something else.

Slowly, almost seductively, his right hand cupped Azu's cheek. His thumb was now lazily rubbing them, slowly inching closer and closer to Azu's lips. 

Azu was too shocked to even protest, by the sudden turn of events.

Akira then  stopped at the entrance to Azu's mouth, as his left hand travelled downward in search of something else. 

Bingo! 

And he found it.

Azu couldn't remember when he'd stopped breathing. When Azu's hands had cupped him down there, he inhaled sharply. "You are playing dirty, Akira." He'd intended on scolding him but his voice was hoarse and though he wanted to tell him to stop, his body clearly wanted something else.  And it was certainly acting like it.

"Damn you! If you are gonna do it anyway, then do it properly. Don't just tease me!" Azu whined. And before he knew it, Akira had inserted his thumb in his mouth. 

Shamelessly, as if purely from instinct or from being conditioned to do  so from the many times they had done it before, Azu nibbled on it, not hesitating for a second.

And then, Akira pulled out.

 He also took his left hand away from where it was resting.

"Tell me what I want to know and I'll gladly give it all to you", whispered Akira in Azu's ears and he then rolled over to lie on his back.

"What? You are trying to lure me with sex now?" When Akira didn't respond, he huffed and gave up.

"You have to promise me that you won't hurt Izuki."

Akira looked unsure. But right now, he was ready to take what he was offered. "Go ahead."

"Well when I told him I'm not interested, he sort of begged me to do it with him. He looked really pathetic that day. I think he really loved that girl , you know - I've never seen him so desperate before." Azu paused for a second.

 "I felt bad for him. And then he told me that this was an easy way to tell you that you can go to hell and .. take revenge on you. "

Akira cussed.  "And you fell for it? I don't believe you are naive enough to do that, Azu."

"Nah. I sure did agree with him. But even though I acted like I wanted to go through with it, I was planning something else." Azu sighed. "You see, there was no point in having sex with him to take revenge on you if you didn't come to know about it or witness it yourself."

"I'm sorry, Aki. I was crazy and I just wanted to hurt you and that's all what I was thinking about back then."

Akira nodded his head absent mindedly, engrossed in something that had occured to him during this conversation.

It was clear to him now.

 "So that's why you called me and practically told me where you were?"

"Yeah, I sort of wanted you to come and find us in the bed. I'm sorry .. it was supposed to be a diss." Azu confessed, his head bowed down in guilt.

An uncomfortable silence prevailed. His heart pounded eagerly as he waited for Akira to say something. He'd confessed his sins and now it was time for  judgement. 

Despite knowing that he was in the wrong, he couldn't but selfishly hope that Akira would forgive him and take him back.

That's when Akira got off the bed and began to walk out of the room.

"You are leaving? Listen, I'm sorry for everything but-" Akira  cried out, in panic.

"You've told me everything there is to say, haven't you?" Akira asked, without looking looking back.

"Yes I have, Aki. But don't just leave -"

"I'm not going anywhere Azu. But I need some time alone to think. I'll be back in an hour and .. and don't try to find me." Without bothering to listen to anything more, he stormed out of the room.

Only when the cold air bit his skin, did Azu realize how warm Akira has been keeping him.

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