BOMBAYAH
The rain poured heavily, drumming against the windows and soaking the world in a blur of grey. Thunder rolled somewhere distant, low and restless.
Akari sat curled on the couch, reading half-heartedly, when the sound of urgent knocking broke through the storm. He set the book aside and walked to the door briskly.
When he opened it, there stood Ruan — drenched from head to toe, hair plastered to his forehead, the same suit he wore on the same night he caused a bizarre still sticking to his skin, chest heaving from the cold and whatever he'd run from.
Before Akari could say a word, Ruan stepped forward and collapsed into his arms, burying his face into Akari's shoulder, his body trembling, not from the rain, but from something deeper, heavier.
Akari stood there for a second, frozen, arms slowly wrapping around him. He shut the door gently behind them, his hand pressing against Ruan's back as if to hold him together.
"You're freezing," Akari whispered, pulling him closer. "Come on."
He guided Ruan to the couch, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders. Ruan still hadn't lifted his head. Akari sat beside him, placing the first aid box on the table infront. Then slowly he started aiding his bruised cheek.
"I...um...I saw the news. Did your father do this to you?" He said applying a pain reliever.
Ruan's placed a faint smile. "Don't worry its nothing."
"When did you become such a bad liar?" Akari asked, glimpsing into his eyes.
Akari's expression softened. The storm outside raged on—but inside, all he saw was Ruan, soaked and vulnerable, reaching for him in the only way he knew how. Soon, his eyes got glassy.
He sniffled, trying to swallow the tears back in. He reached out and caught Ruan's hands.
"Big boy, I...I don't like all this. I understand that you are doing this to stop the engagement but..."
"No." Ruan chipped in. "I'm doing this for us. I promised you that everything will be okay right?"
Akari shook his head. "But still you are the one going through all the trouble and pain. And I can't stop but worry."
Ruan voice low and tender, "Hey. I don't want you to worry." He said cupping Akari's cheeks. "You know...my father and I have never seen eye to eye from the very moment I was out of my mother's womb. So... it will never come to an end. And that...that has nothing to with us."
Akari smiled slightly. Then they hugged each other. Akari nestling his head on Ruan's chest.
"I just want you to be safe." Akari whispered.
Ruan beamed. "As long as I'm with you, I'm safe." He assured, strocking his back tenderly.
Later on, Akari made him a delicious meal. He ate and had a hot shower. After taking a shower, Akari stood between Ruan's knees, towel in hand, gently working through damp strands of his hair while the blow dryer hummed softly in the background. Ruan's hands wrapped around Akari's waist.
Warm air brushed the back of Ruan's neck, but it was Akari's body heat, close and steady, that made Ruan's chest feel tight. And all the time his eyes were on Akari.
When Akari leaned in to reach a stubborn lock, his shirt brushed Ruan's forehead, carrying the faint clean scent of soap and something that was just him. The dryer clicked off, and suddenly the room felt very quiet.
Akari's fingers lingered in Ruan's hair, feather light, and when he looked down their eyes met—too close, too open. For a heartbeat neither of them moved. Ruan's hands, already resting at Akari's waist, tightened slightly, feeling the warmth through the thin fabric, the subtle rise and fall of Akari's breathing under his touch.
Ruan pulled him closer.
Akari flinched. "Bi...big boy, what are you doing?"
Ruan smiled ear to ear, "My boyfriend is the cutest in this world. How did I come to fall for this cute coat check?"
Akari beamed, he bopped Ruan's nose slightly, "And how come I fell for such a tease?"
"Oh, you think I'm a tease?" Ruan asked biting his lower lip.
Akari chuckled. He sat on Ruan's thighs, his hands wrapped on Ruan's neck.
"Well, yeah." Akari answered. "But aside from that, he is a pouty pup."
Ruan smiled. His admiring eyes fixed on Akari.
Akari smiled along and went on, "He is also friendly, kind, and he has a nice scent. He…"
"Akari," Ruan interrupted, voice rougher than he intended.
And...
Whatever he meant to say after that dissolved when Akari's lips parted just a little, a question flickering in his eyes. Ruan's resolve broke. He tugged Akari down and kissed him, hard enough that Akari made a startled sound against his mouth before melting into it. The kiss turned warm and urgent, Akari's fingers curling in Ruan's hair as Ruan pulled him closer, until there was no space left between them.
Ruan pulled out from the kiss. Both of them breathing like they were on a run. Ruan scanned Akari's blushed face as he caressed it tenderly.
"Oh my, Akari, you are so beautiful." He mumbled.
Akari smiled shyly. His face was already all blushed and at some point he avoided Ruan's eyes.
"Ruan. I love you." He said softly. His voice sending thrills over Ruan's body.
In one swift movement, Ruan shifted turning and guiding Akari back onto the bed. The mattress dipped as Akari lay down, breath coming faster, eyes wide as Ruan braced his hands on either side of him. For a moment, Ruan just looked at him, the flushed cheeks, the rise and fall of his chest, the way Akari's hand reached up to catch lightly at his wrist, not to stop him, but to anchor him there.
Ruan bent to kiss him again, slower this time, letting the world narrow to the softness of Akari's mouth, the heat of his skin, the quiet sigh that escaped when their lips parted and met again. Akari's touch skimmed up Ruan's arm, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake, and the air between them felt charged, almost humming.
The night stretched out ahead of them, full of unspoken promises. As their kisses deepened and their hands grew bolder, the door to the rest of the world seemed to close, leaving only the soft rustle of sheets, shared breath, and the quiet certainty that they were choosing each other completely as the lights dimmed and the scene faded to black.