VF: The Open Road Title: The Open Road Pairing: Asami x Akihito Rating: R Spoilers: not really Disclaimer: Yamane-sensei owns these characters. I'm just using them for your pleasure. Warnings: None, really. Oh, OK, I'll admit it. It's kind of warm and fuzzy and in parts a little silly with no torture, no blood, no abuse, and no death. Note: I promised drabbles to the people who made wallpapers for me. [info]ayumi2 went above and beyond the call of duty. She cleaned the whole picture, beautifully, and generously donated it to everyone. I asked her what she wanted, and she wanted to see Asami happy. Simply happy. She wondered if there was anything that made him that way. I thought it an interesting question. I hope she likes my answer. Thank you dear. "Asami. Are you ever happy?" "Of course. Isn't everyone?" "When's the last time you laughed, just for the joy of it? I've never seen you do that." Recently, he'd said. You just weren't around to see it, he'd said. But when he stopped to think about it, he was hard pressed to come up with an answer. Bah, like it means anything. Simple joys are for simpletons. He picked up his paperwork and tried to concentrate on the profitability analysis for the acquisition of SLR Inc. But he couldn't. His mind just kept pushing at him, trying to remember. --- "Kirishima." Asami's voice spoke quietly through the intercom between their desks. "I'll be right in." The executive assistant rose to his feet, but the next words stopped him. "No, you don't need to. I'm just trying to remember, weren't we joking around about the Morinaga Foundation last month?" Morinaga.... Oh yes. The head of the ultra-conservative think-tank had been caught with his 15-year-old male lover. Very amusing, and very useful. "I believe we were, Asami-sama. Do you require the file?" "No. Weren't we laughing about it?" Laughing? Kirishima answered carefully. "I don't recall laughing precisely. But we were amused," he added, trying to help. "Hmm. But we've laughed other times, I'm sure." Kirishima couldn't ever recall seeing it. "My memory is bad, Asami-sama. I'm sure you're correct though." "I thought I was." The connection closed. Kirishima returned to his seat and considered the conversation. It sounded like Asami-sama wasn't himself. But it was probably that brat's fault again, and there was nothing to be done about that. -- Asami turned off the intercom in disgust. Kirishima's memory was like a steel trap. That meant he'd never laughed in the office. But really, what did it mean that he didn't laugh at work? Work was called Work for a good reason. Otherwise it would be called Happy Fun Time. Anyway, people tended to be happiest when they weren't working. The only thing was, all he did was work and sleep. And fuck. He liked fucking. A lot. But he wouldn't say it made him joyful. Just kind of... rejuvenated. God, when had he turned into this? He tossed the still-unread report onto his desk and pressed the intercom button again. The caution in Kirishima's voice was readily apparent. "Kirishima, have Suoh bring the limo... No, cancel that. Have someone bring my BMW around. And cancel the rest of today's appointments." "Asami-sama...." "What?" "Are you feeling well?" "Never felt better," he said with a snarl. There was a brief pause. "I'll get the car." -- He drove around aimlessly for a time, not liking the lack of a goal, the impracticality of what he was doing. When one went, one went somewhere. He didn't know what to do with himself. But he knew who would. "Akihito," he commanded into his phone, "tell me where you are." "Excuse me?" "Tell me where I can pick you up." "I'm working." "So was I. I stopped. I'm taking the afternoon off." "Huh? Are you sick or something?" "No. I'm not." He unclenched his jaw. "Where are you?" "Why?" "We're spending the day together." The suggestion was met with dead silence. He broke first. "Akihito." "Just a minute." Asami sat at the intersection, listening to static. He sat through a green light, blocking everyone behind him. That made him feel a little happy. "I'm halfway across Tokyo. I'll meet you at Ginza station. Because you're going to buy me a nice expensive lunch at a nice expensive restaurant to make up for me losing half a day's pay." "Would you have fun doing that?" There was another long pause before the answer finally came. "Actually, no, I wouldn't. But I'll meet you there anyway and we can come up with something else." -- Akihito was true to his word, and he was waiting outside the station when Asami pulled up. He stowed his cameras in the back seat and climbed into the front. "I have just the thing. First, shopping!" Asami was a little disappointed. Still, Akihito never wanted to spend his money, so it might be enjoyable buying him things. He could hold them over his head later. "You enjoy shopping?" "Doesn't everyone? I mean, we all work hard for our money, so it's nice to be able to buy something you like, right? Isn't that why you try to make money?" "Actually, I make money to make more money." Akihito just stared at him. "Sure you do, Mr. 2,000,000Y Watch. Mr. 1,000,000Y Suit. Mr. 10,000,000Y?" "You've made your point. But a man has to maintain a certain image if he wishes to be a successful businessman." He glanced at Akihito, who was now glaring at him, and felt a little lighter inside. "I do, however, like to be comfortable," he conceded. Akihito nodded, then pointed, "Go left here. Then about a half mile down take a right. I'll say when." With Akihito navigating they pulled up in front of a small vintage clothing store. "You want more of those jeans?" He hated those jeans. Even though they did make Akihito's ass look nice. They were once someone else's though, and the idea of Akihito wearing something that someone else's ass had touched just kind of pissed him off. "No, I don't really need any right now." Good. "We're getting some for you." He stopped dead. "No. No way in hell." "Yes. What, are you afraid of denim?" "No, denim is fine. If I need to wear denim, we can go to the Gap." "What's the difference?" "These are used. And God knows where the former owner's ass had been." "You're one to talk." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means any possible cooties on those jeans would be trumped by whatever your ass is carrying. How many people kissed your ass today alone?" "One less than is going to." He looked pointedly at Akihito. "C'mon Asami, just think of your black undies as a shield. Do you want to have fun or not?" Not. That was what he wanted to say, if only to start a fight. "You're the one who called me, you know." Akihito stood on the sidewalk, his arms folded, a look of disgust on his face. Utterly fuckable. Perhaps this would be a good time to take his pants off. "I'll buy a pair if you buy one too. My treat." "Huh?" Akihito brightened. "Really? They have this one great pair I've had my eye on..." He was dragged into the shop. Thirty minutes later they left the shop, Akihito, red-faced and unwilling to meet the shop owner's eyes. "Don't you bring him back here Takaba Akihito. This is a family store!" Asami smirked at her and sauntered to the BMW, casually ducking to avoid a used, no vintage pair of flowered shorts. "That was fun. So, where to now? I'm actually looking forward to it." Akihito stood by the car and stared at him, his hands curled into fists. "You... You..! I can't ever show my face there again!" "Why? It wasn't your face they were staring at." Akihito didn't seem to find that funny. He tried another tact. "Akihito, isn't this a date? We just had the last part first. Now let's move on to whatever it was you had in mind." Akihito still wasn't budging. Asami walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. "Didn't you want to get to know me better? I seem to recall you telling me that over and over on the way home from Hong Kong. Were you just saying that to seduce me with your sweetness?" The eyes in front of him showed signs of thawing. Akihito's moods shifted like the wind, and with as little warning of which way they'd turn. This time it was to amusement. "Ha. Like I could seduce you." Idiot. He doesn't know he always does. He just thinks it's the other way around, and that's fine by me. "Shall we go?" he asked, knowing another successful negotiation was in the bag. "Oh hell, why not?" Akihito climbed into the car, sitting gingerly. "My day's already screwed. Ha ha." Asami rolled his eyes. "Where too?" "Chichibu." He had been pulling into traffic. He slammed on the brakes. "I don't do hiking." "Neither do I. Who the hell wants to walk up and down hills? Driver," he said loftily, "Take me to Chichibu. I'll give you more instructions when we get closer." Amused and rejuvenated by the earlier activities, Asami actually obeyed. -- A couple hours later they pulled up in front of a small house in one of the small villages in the hills there. Asami didn't even know the name. He didn't want to know the name. They got out of the car, Akihito shoving the bag with his new-in-a-way clothes at him. "Change." He took the bag between his thumb and forefinger. "That's why I never get into relationships. The other person always wants me to change." "Did you just make a joke? Excuse me while I record this moment." "Shall I undress in the streets?" "You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?" A young man, a large foreign one, barreled out of the house and grabbed Akihito up and swung him around. "Akihito! It's been forever! How've ya been, man?" Asami did no...
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