Jin elbows Hiro's hardened stomach. The man was still laughing. His deep voice rang in his throat, eyes almost shut in grave humor. Jin could only hold back his very own, although something tickled his heart at such a precious sight.
Why, oh why, does his innocent nephew think his cat eats children?
That's odd.
Hiro sits upright, back straight, chest still pressed flat against his back, and those midnight eyes can't hide his amusement. They soften as he averts his gaze away for an escape, and yet the slight curve of his thick lashes and that twitching grin on his lips gave everything away. He was shining, and it hurt his chest just how beautiful he looked, how merry he could be. If it were not for the fact that his teasing had terribly scared his nephew, he would have showered him with appreciative kisses and held him as close as possible right now, but he must not. So he raised his right brow and gave him his very-I-am-serious-stare. He caught the familiar sight of the dimples slowly popping out as his smile deepened even more, and the unfathomable realization hit him. Deep down, at the ache in his heart, how could one ever be mad at him?
How could someone look at him and hurt him?
"Hiro." His soft voice hardened a fraction, and when those clear eyes returned at his call, he watched them look at him as if he were all he ever saw and mattered at the moment. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked at Haru to try to breathe and ground himself for a few seconds.
He felt a warm breath hit his ear.
Hiro tipped his head forward, peeking worriedly at his face. "Milo."
Jin glanced at him sideways and hummed. "Yes, your feline pet." Their faces were so close, and it felt like they were talking in their little shared secrets. Hiro reaches up to tuck the short ends of his hair behind his ear. He felt a kiss on his temple.
"Pan. . ." Hiro exhales through his skin, pressing and inhaling the scent of his hair. ". . .ther." He finishes.
But his tongue glides and brushes their wetness against his ear, and he takes a sharp breath, his toes curling at the sensation. He swallows the moan that's threatening to escape as the thoughts spiral in his head. A what? "Did you say panther?" He shuddered, and the words barely left his lips. His round eyes looked down at Haru, and the little boy nodded innocently, confirming his disbelief. He was in utter shock. What. . .
A panther?! Milo. . .His pet cat is a panther?!
"He has a prescribed diet." Hiro tried to soothe the shock in Jin's body. His warm palms rubbed his small arms up and down as if it was going to help bring back the soul that had left his body. Haru looked up at his uncle, his eyes as round as Jin's, but with sweet traces of childlike curiosity and hidden giddiness. "Milo fast, ojisan?"
Hiro's arms tighten around Jin, eyes worried at his beloved's dazed expression. "He chases stubborn brown-eyed children." He mumbles absentmindedly, brows meeting. He rests his chin on Jin's shoulder. Look at me, Jin-ah. His ears perk to the sides when Jin turns his head to look at him, eyes full of fire. . . passion. His lips stretch into a smile. Beautiful.
Jin smacks Hiro's arm, and his fingers are numb a bit afterward. His impact did nothing for such a man. Haru's eyes had glimmered by the chandelier, damp, and his tears threatened to fall. Panic eats him as he tries to console little Haru. "I'm. . .I'm sure that's not true. Your uncle is joking, Haru."
Hiro bit his lips, his dimples deep. He saw his nephew shiver, trying not to stifle a sob, while looking up at Jin, brows furrowed and expression so mentally disturbed, as if seeking reassurance from what he heard.
"Really, Nini?" His tiny voice cracked.
Jin nods and cups Haru's face. His thumb rubs against his stuffy cheek. "Yes. Of course, trust me." He turns to Hiro and sternly gives him a questioning look, but only to receive back a guilty smile with a tongue peeking out between his teeth.
Oh, this big bully.
Before Jin could open his mouth to deliver a spiteful scolding, Hiro grabbed Haru and lifted him into his oversized arms. Haru had long since stopped crying, too stunned to let out another sob. His little hiccups fluttered through his lips, eyes wide in shock as he stared at his uncle as if he had seen a ghost. Forgetting everything he was weeping scared about.
"Stop." Hiro spat, gentler and aware of Jin's watchful eyes.
"But . . . Ojisan." Haru's trembling fingers reached to pull his lower lids. His voice slurred between his hiccups. He opened his eyes wide to show his uncle his beautiful and natural big brown eyes. "I-I have brown eyes.
Hiro remained calm. "Are you a baby?"
Jin gently touched the flowers sitting at the side of the bed. He could only run his palms across his troubled face as he listened to them.
Haru looked down at his little fingers. "But mommy *hic* my mommy calls me." His voice was quiet and shaking. "She says." His lips pucker a bit. "Come here. . .Come here, baby."
"No baby is this big." Hiro says deadpan.
Jin took a side turn to look at him. Yet there you are.
"You've grown." Hiro puts Haru back down. "Heavy." He puts his hand to his little head, a slightly warm gesture for someone like him. "So small."
Jin looks right at him in disbelief. Not sure if he heard everything right. For such a statement to come from the same man who was so compliant in carrying him, thrice the size of Haru everywhere. Haru did not appear to be confused, the sparkle in his eyes said otherwise. The boy nods and shyly fiddles with his fingers while looking up at his uncle with new fondness.
"I am big. Y-Yes." He put his tiny fingers up. "This big now. . . but this big on my birthday, ojisan."
"Why did you cry?"
"I have brown eyes." Haru pouts and sniffs. "Mommy calls me baby."
"Are you stubborn?" Hiro says, his tone unforgiving and questioning.
Haru pauses, and his clear eyes swim with guilt.
Seeing him suddenly go quiet. Hiro looks away. "Milo won't bat an eye," He mutters.
Haru lifts his head. "Really, ojisan?"
The butler comes in and caters Haru's stuffy nose and red eyes.
"Yes, if you aren't. Now, go to your mother."
Jin smiles. Oh, Hiro.
"Okay, ojisan. Buh-bye Nini!"
Haru's boyish smile trailed all the way to the door, where his astonished butler came running to follow. Once they left, the room was bathed in warm silence.
"Hungry?"
Jin looks over his shoulder and sees the glint of his eyes. He shakes his head. Not for food. He swallows, and he lowers his gaze to the man's lips. Hands cup his face, forehead pressing against his, and forcing his eyes to snap up and breathe through the tongue slipping between his lips.
"Me too, Jin-ah." Hiro groans, a deep and needy sound in his throat. Eyes half-lidded while looking at him, "Open for me, my love."
He opens his mouth to let out a quick gasp. Fingers slip inside the waistband of his pajamas, tracing his sore back entrance. A smile stretches on his lips as he wraps his arms around the man's neck. His giggle bounces off the dark painted walls as Hiro lifts him, high enough to feel his heart dropping to his stomach.
"I am always hungry. . ." Hiro says in small hushed kisses while Jin sways his feet on the sides in sweet compliance.
_________________________________
A week has passed. His recovery progressed with the meticulous schedule from the family doctor and nurses. It did not take long for him to move his head around comfortably and get used to some of the staff around the place. Despite the house being a fortress, the people were extremely welcoming—friendly and surprisingly kind around him. However, as the blissful days were consigned to memory, his reservations had been tested. Today was finally the day of the expected family dinner. They informed him about the small dinner planned with extended family members who were originally meant to attend the wedding, which had been postponed due to the unfortunate incident and his injuries.
He had yet to formally meet everyone. Especially after his brief entrance in Hiro's arms.
He didn't know roughly what could surpass the anxiety he felt during senior high when he was telling his mother he had failed a class. Hiro had been out all day for work. He had not seen him since breakfast. He couldn't put his heart at ease. His phone had pinged now and then from the man's persistence, but he missed him.
Well, he didn't want to get tangled up with this mess. It did not pave him options. It's a circumstance that was outside his control.
How would they react to him?
Hiro's people might be hostile to him due to his status, or because it would be an ill intent of their parents' marriage. They could also point out his weak stature. It might be better not to gain anyone's attention at all. He doesn't want anyone's approval just because they sympathize with what happened to him.
There is still that guilt whispering to his conscience at the back of his head.
He threaded barefoot to Hiro's walk-in closet. The lights turned on in a dim yellow when he shut the door. Unlike the dark interiors of his rooms, his closet was filled with beige walls and a chocolate-brown carpet floor. He padded through the other side of the room and stood in front of his floor-to-ceiling mirror. He hid his bandage under a knitted pastel blue beanie on his head. His mother had cut his hair shorter. His bangs now hung on his lids without poking his eyes in random occurrences. The sides of his hair sit perfectly above his ears, revealing more of the shape of his face and more skin on the back of his neck.
They tidied him well.
His fingers grip the edge of his cream sweater and slowly lift it from his stomach up to his chest. One. Two. Three—Too many. There are too many marks to count. He flushes and puckers his lip, disgruntled. A few had gone dark from a few days ago. And right when he thought it would pass and get better, Hiro would add fresh ones, twice the number he didn't ask for. He had to put a nipple tape on his buds, as they had been swelling too much. It hurts whenever it rubs against any material of the shirt he wears.
Hiro doesn't know when to stop.