CH2.2: First Milestone (PU)

Jaehwan waited up for Aki that night like he had been doing for the past week. It was already quite late but he still didn't return home. After a few missed calls, he was frustrated and threw himself on the sofa. He had kept Aki's dinner in the fridge and he hadn't anything else to do other than to wait for him to come home.

He decided that he'd give his Master his weekly video call while waiting and punched in his number. He waited for the receiver to click before he greeted him. "Hello, Master~,"He purred into the phone and the man chuckled on the other side. "Hello, my little Angel. I heard that you have a boyfriend now. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to hear it directly from,"He grumbled, typing on his laptop loudly.

With his heart beating out of his chest, Jaehwan hung his head. "How d-did you find that out?". Shujin sighed, typing something down on his laptop while he spoke to him. "A little bird told me. You can't hide anything from me, no matter how hard you try,".

Looking up from his work, his eyes scanned Jaehwan's surroundings. "Are you home alone?". Jaehwan merely nodded quietly in response. The man muttered something inaudible to himself before he smiled at Jaehwan."How do you like being on your own so far? How are you managing?". Jaehwan shrugged while he stretched his arms. "I'm still getting used to it, Master. It's not as easy as I thought but I'll adjust with time,".

Shujin's stoic face melted from the boy's doll-like visuals. "I miss you my baby,"The man groaned and switched his laptop off to continue chatting with him. "I also miss you Master. I'm not used to not having you around,"The boy pouted and slumped on the table as the man loosened his tie.

"Yeah, my life hasn't been as entertaining without you around me. I'm really having second thoughts about allowing you to be on your own,". Jaehwan looked a little conflicted and the man noticed that. "Forget about your boyfriend, I don't care about him. I just want to hold you in my arms again,".

The boy thought about it. "I can't drive to your place yet. I still have to keep up with work and all,". The man squeezed his cheeks firmly and groaned. "It's difficult to smile without having you by my side. I feel like I'm getting depressed again,". That made Jaehwan's heart sink. He did feel bad for the man. He was so used to Jaehwan welcoming him home from work but now, he had to live on his own. Least to say, it was quite isolating and lonely for his Master.

A familiar click could be heard from the tablet as the man pushed his seat back and began to fumble with his belt. "Jaehwan, I've been really pent up lately. I can't seem to get off,". He unzipped his pants and gazed at Jaehwan. "Now, just sit still so I can relieve my stress. You can join me if you'd like,". This put Jaehwan off and he shook his head violently. "I don't think now's a good time Master...".

'Aki could come home anytime! He wouldn't like seeing my Master doing this to me in front of him!'.

Zipping his pants back up, the man sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're such a mood killer. I don't like that about you,". Ashamed, Jaehwan hid his face with his hands. "I'm sorry, Master. I just feel a bit uneasy,". He then made the grave mistake of asking Shujin this question while he was already irritated. "Is it even right for me to have a boyfriend while you still engage with me like this?".

Looking at the screen with splayed hands, Jaehwan was scared of the response he'd get. Naturally, the man frowned at him and slammed his hand on the table. His voice had such a stern tone to them, almost as if he would have hit Jaehwan for that question if they were in the same room.

"I'm your Master. You should be listening to my every command and putting me first whether you like it or not. I raised you, Jaehwan. I gave you your freedom and I can take it away too,".

Guilty, Jaehwan averted his eyes to the floor. "I'm sorry that I questioned your power over my decisions Master,". The man scoffed and his voice became even more threatening. "What did I say about apologising to me like that? You should know better by now. Do it again and do it right this time,".

Forcing himself to look at his Master in the face, Jaehwan parroted his apology, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm s-sorry that I questioned y-your power over my decisions Master,". That seemed to satisfy Shujin who nodded, still glaring at Jaehwan. "If that kid breaks your heart, I'll render him paralysed. Don't challenge me,"He growled before taking the time to remind Jaehwan about the terms and conditions made before he got permission to move out .

"Remember this condition that you promised me, Jaehwan. If the first relationship you form doesn't last a year, you have to give everything up and crawl back to me on your knees. I'm going to disown you if you don't. I won't even hesitate to amputate your legs and chain you to the bed so you'll be imprisoned at home,".

Those threats seemed to scare Jaehwan, who had gone white with fear. He nodded solemnly, his voice shaking. "I u-understand, Master,".

Seeing how afraid Jaehwan was really made Shujin's mood improve. "Good night, Angel. Don't sleep too late and don't misbehave. Master always loves you,".

Wishing his Master goodnight, Jaehwan ended the call while his chest throbbed. He screamed into a cushion, the frustration all in his face. Biting his lip to mask his emotions, he laid down and sighed. Nothing good ever came out of him trying to make reason with Shujin. He covered his face and huffed, upset that Shujin had somehow sussed out his new relationship.

Conveniently, the door opened and Jaehwan could see Aki set his sports bag down. "Tadaima,"Came Aki's cool voice. He noticed his partner lying down on the sofa and grinned. "Jae? Are you asleep? Today's shift at the café must have been exhausting,". Jaehwan pretended like he was waking up from his sleep. Aki noticed that he had been sleeping without his blanket and shook his head.

"You didn't have to wait up for me...You must have been so tired,". He hugged Jaehwan, his partner yawning as he returned the hug. "Okaeri Aki. Home late again?"He asked and the other male nodded.

"I'm sorry, Jae. I had something to do,"He apologised and Jaehwan shrugged it off and leaned into his embrace. "It's fine Aki, I'm sure that your job is just as exhausting. Please take me to the bedroom,"He whispered playfully and Aki carried him in his arms like a princess. "Okay, my precious,". Aki laid him on the bed and pecked his lips sweetly. "I'll take a shower and have dinner first before I rest with you,".

Munching on the dinner that his partner had cooked for him, he hoped that Jaehwan wouldn't misunderstand him coming home late every day. But it was just exceptionally late that day and he felt a little worried.

Glancing at the calendar on his phone, he sighed.

He just wanted to do something nice for Jaehwan.

.

.

.

Aki hadn't gone to the café for the past couple days. It kind of startled Jaehwan as he had never missed a day before, not even while he was a loyal customer a year ago. It kind of worried Jaehwan that his job was causing him to overwork.

His shift buddy could tell that he was incredibly anxious that day and decided that it was best for him to leave early. "Ryu-san, don't worry so badly about Nakanishi-kun. If you miss Aki-kun so much, you should just go find him,,"Yamato chuckled, wiping down a table.

Pulling Jaehwan's coat off of the coat rack, he handed it to his coworker. "Go on, I'll handle the last half an hour. I'm sure Nakanishi-kun misses you too,". Jaehwan thanked him, undoing his apron.

After he checked home and the convenience store, he finally decided to go to the school he worked at. The guards didn't question him and he saw plenty of parents with their children which made him realise that it was a parents and teachers meeting. He asked around for Nakanishi-sensei and eventually waited for him outside the classroom.

Later in the evening, Aki came out holding his little sister's hand. He noticed Jaehwan standing outside the classroom and immediately ran to him, a grin on his face. "Jae! Were you here waiting for me? I had a lot of things to do today and I finally got the chance to take Asuna to her meeting,". Hugging him tightly, the little girl holding his hand just stared at them.

"Nii-chan, who's that?"She asked, her doe brown eyes gazing at Jaehwan. "Oh, Suna-chan, he's my boyfriend. His name is Ryu Jaehwan but please call him Jaehwan-Oniichan,"Aki smiled at her and Jaehwan bent down to see her face.

She had huge beautiful eyes that were a similar colour to Aki's, rosy cheeks and chestnut hair tied into a neat ponytail with a black ribbon. And she smiled so brightly that it just melted away the worry Jaehwan had while waiting for them. "Nii-chan, my homeroom sensei has a boyfriend too!"She giggled as they walked down the corridor, the two of them holding either of her hands.

"Hm? Shinji-sensei has a boyfriend?"Aki asked her and she continued to chatter away enthusiastically. "Mmhmm! When Morinaga-chan, I and a couple of friends went to the amusement park last week, we saw them together!"She laughed, tossing her hair back.

Urging a response, Aki caressed her on the head. "Oh did you?". She nodded, chirping even more excitedly than a bird's morning song. "They were holding hands and everything! And when we asked Shinji-sensei about it in class the other day, he was so flustered!"She snickered and dragged them to school gates, ecstatic to tell them everything.

Noticing Jaehwan's red face, Aki leaned over to him and whispered in his ears. "No need to be shy Jae, this is just how kids like Asuna are,"Aki smiled at him and continued listening to her intently. Jaehwan had never been around other children before so he was quite surprised with her extremely bright energy. Aki had brought them to the ice cream parlour near the school district so he could treat them before he sent Asuna home.

"Now every time before English class ends, we ask Shinji-sensei how his boyfriend is but he doesn't really respond,"She whines and looks at Aki with puppy eyes. "If I asked Nii-chan how his boyfriend was doing every day, you'd tell me right?". That was when her older brother sighed and sat her down for one of those talks.

Putting his ice cream cup down, he fiddled with the spoon in his hands. "Nii-chan loves you very much Suna-chan. I'm sure that your homeroom teacher does too. But there's a boundary that we have in terms of privacy. Shinji-sensei would rather not tell you children about his private life because that's his private life,".

"But I want to know everything!"She wailed and Aki furrowed his brow. He held Jaehwan's hand under the table and rubbed his temples with his other hand. "Listen Asuna, I'm sure that Shinji-sensei and I probably wouldn't mind that you cared so much about our significant others. But it's not something to ask about every day. Especially when you do it so openly. You live in Tokyo, Asuna. People aren't as accepting about dating the same sex here,".

Slurping up her melted ice cream, she still persisted. "But we saw them at the amusement park! We saw them holding hands and hugging and everything! He should tell us!"She whined and Aki was clearly very, very stressed. He had to control his temper because he didn't want to be scolding his little sister in public. He was so grateful that Jaehwan was there with him to soothe his nerves.

Of course, he knew that his little sister could be difficult but sometimes, she was close to tipping the iceberg. "What your Nii-chan is trying to say is,"Jaehwan began calmly and put his empty glass and spoon down. "There's a difference between things that he and your sensei feel comfortable telling you and things they want to keep to themselves,". Asuna looked at Jaehwan, giving him her puppy eyes.

"Shinji-sensei always says sharing is caring!".

"Yes, it's good to share. But they don't have to share everything with you,".

Her eyes got wider. "They don't?". Jaehwan petted her head gently and smiled lazily. "No, they don't have to. So for now, keep your pretty little nose out of your niichan's and sensei's private life,". Asuna fixed her hair and sighed but she understood. "Okay, Jaehwan-Oniichan,".

It amazed Aki that his boyfriend, someone who had never been around children before, was able to pipe his sister down in one go. "Jaehwan-Oniichan, may I come to your house?"She asked and Jaehwan turned to Aki who was mouthing "Please don't let her," to him. "Hmm..My house is quite messy though, Suna-chan. Maybe next time,"He grinned at her.

Asuna's eyes lost it's twinkle as she pouted. "Suna-chan, perhaps Jaehwan and I will take you to the amusement park during the school holidays. Would that make you happy?"Aki asked her, trying to cheer her up and her eyes sparkled again as she nodded excitedly.

That evening, Jaehwan drove them to Aki's grandparents' home. They were expecting him of course, to drop Asuna home. "Asuna~!"The old lady called out affectionately and hugged her while she stared at Aki. "You're here earlier than I thought you'd be,". Aki shrugged and pointed to the car. "I had a ride here. Take care of Asuna, Rize-san. I'll be off,"He replied just as coldly and waved goodbye to Asuna before he got into the car.

Giving Aki a supportive pat Aki on the back, Jaehwan drove out of the neighbourhood. "Jae, could you drive us to the beach please? There's something I want us to see,"He asked and his boyfriend obliged. He parked his car near the beachside and they walked to the shore. Aki held Jaehwan's hand and brought him along.

"I wanted us to be alone together. By the calming sound of the water and the serene night sky,"He smiled and Jaehwan blushed crimson. Aki held his waist and turned him around before he leaned in.

Cold lips pressed against warm ones and they kissed under the moonlight's mercy. Jaehwan smiled into the kiss and the pair kissed passionately. 'This kiss feels electrifying,' Aki thought and leaned into the kiss more.

'I never want to pull away from such a kiss'.

Large hands cupped Jaehwan's face and they continued making out by the beach. Jaehwan finally pulled away, panting and he leaned against Aki's chest, nuzzling into his warmth. "This place must be special to you Aki. There's something you wanted to show me right?"He smiled innocently and he felt Aki kiss his neck over and over. "Of course, Jae. I'd never want to share this moment with anyone else,"He whispered and placed his hands on his partner's butt comfortably.

Kissing Aki's nose, Jaehwan's cheeks were crimson. "Whatever you want. My body is your threshold,". Aki groped him playfully and heard his boyfriend moan softly in his ears. "Jae, I want to do more naughty things with you. I want us to feel good together,"He smirked, giving him another hickey on his neck. "Aki..". The other male giggled and clung onto his shoulders. Aki let go of him and held his hand as they ran along the sandy beach.

As if the time was right, golden fairy lights illuminated the beachside. Jaehwan's heart fluttered from the sight of such beautiful lights but looked over his shoulder to discover Aki's flustered face and smiled. 'This is what he's been doing every night,' He thought to himself, feeling touched. "Aki, this is gorgeous. You didn't have to,"He chuckled as he looked at the lights.

A kiss was planted on Jaehwan's forehead. "I wanted to,". He looked down, flustered and began to explain. "I know your Master probably doesn't think too highly of me. But I wanted to prove to him that I'm willing to do anything to make you happy,". He enveloped Jaehwan's slender hand in his and squeezed it.

Unbeknownst to Aki, his face had turned red. "Also, I did some research and I found out that Korean people like to celebrate their relationships by counting the days or months that they've been together...". That was when Jaehwan had put the puzzle pieces together. Aki had been returning home late because he was preparing for their one month anniversary. He was doing it all for him.

Bless. Jaehwan felt like he had been worrying for nothing. He sighed in relief and kissed him on the cheek. In fact, he felt bad for not celebrating their one month anniversary. But if it meant so much to Aki, he didn't have anything to say.

Holding his shoulders, Aki spun him around to face the ocean. The most beautiful firework display took over the night sky and Jaehwan couldn't believe that Aki took so much time to plan something like this to make him happy.

Something beige was pulled out from Aki's bag. "I don't know what's a good anniversary gift, but I've bought matching scarves for us,"He giggled and Jaehwan allowed Aki to wrap it around his neck. 'He does so much for me. He loves me so much, he really does,' He thought to himself. Aki didn't put his on because he was already wearing one but to see his boyfriend snuggled up in the scarf he had bought, it made his heart race.

The colours, the ambience, their beating hearts and crimson faces. Everything seemed so right. The time seemed so perfect. Aki pulled Jaehwan closer to him and kissed him once more. Everything synergised so well together. Their tongues explored each other's wet canvas and their cheeks were pink. Aki held his waist and smirked at him, pulling away from the kiss. "Let's continue this at home,".

.

.

.

Their coats were off the minute they got to the bedroom. He gently pulled off Jaehwan's scarf and cupped his red face. "You don't have to be shy with me. Take it off,". Jaehwan pulled off his shirt and allowed Aki to ravish his skinny body thoroughly.

Insanity lurked over Aki's head, tempting him. The sweet scent that infiltrated the air, the purity in his eyes, everything was driving him mental. He couldn't possibly hold back now. He unbuttoned his boyfriend's jeans and pulled the zipper down. Jaehwan hitched his breath and Aki looked up at him for permission. 'He's like an eager little puppy,'. Jaehwan's face turned into a darker crimson as he nodded and felt his jeans being ripped away from his body.

Pleased, Aki wasted no time and got to work at once. He just wanted Jaehwan to feel nothing but indisputable pleasure. "A-Aki~"His partner moaned and that further drove Aki to go further until felt himself get erect. Gee, it must be hard to have such a good-looking boyfriend. But in all seriousness, he really couldn't get over how sexy Jaehwan was.

Lust, love and all thoughts romantic just pooled in his head. "Jae, I'll make you feel so good tonight, you might not be able to sleep,".

With the clothes they had previously worn now discarded on the floor, Aki proceeded to make a mess out of Jaehwan until dawn fell.

_______________________________

"Ryu-san, did you and Aki-kun make up? Your mood seems better,"Yamato chuckled and heard an 'mmhmm' from the manager. "Oh good.." Yamato sighed in relief and sipped on some water before he noticed Jaehwan bending over the table, holding his back in pain. "My back and hips kind of hurt though. I think we went a little overboard last night,".

Water that Yamato was drinking came spouting out like a fountain and he slapped Jaehwan's back sharply. "Please don't talk about that while I'm drinking water!"He yelled, coughing. They would have continued laughing if they didn't see their next customer. Both of them fell silent when their next customer walked in.

A familiar man stepped foot in the café, emanating a cool yet intimidating aura. He smirked and beckoned for Jaehwan to come to him. Our doll-like boy gulped, his eyes filled with a mixture of adoration and fear.

Reluctantly, he went over to his Master to serve him.

_φ(･ω･ Author's Note

I think we all need someone as thoughtful as Aki in our lives. Let me know your opinions in the comments! Voting is also appreciated! Thank you for reading this chapter of A Heart To Heal! ♡