To: Bella1992
Title: Young and Blessed with Potential
Fandom: Original
Rating: T
Warnings: Slash, unbetaed
Genre: General, Romance
Pairing: Yuujirou/Naoyuki
Word Count: 6,014
Summary: A talented young office worker is suddenly promoted to the board of executives. That night at his congratulatory party, he finds out exactly why one of the board members has been so nice to him the past two years. M/M

Young and Blessed with Potential

Naoyuki groaned as his alarm clock pulled him out of a decent dream and an even better night's sleep. He wished he could hit the snooze button at least once today, but his manager had called him in for an important board meeting that he "absolutely can't miss." As if he'd miss a board meeting… Naoyuki wasn't even close to that kind of position in the company. He almost wish he hadn't made that random "insightful" comment during the last department meeting, at least that way he'd be able to sleep in a little.

He got out of bed and trudged across his tiny apartment to the shower and washed as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible. There was no time for breakfast today, so Naoyuki quickly got himself to the train station and then to work.

"Good Morning, Mr. Shin," the receptionist said as she handed Naoyuki his messages.

"Morning," he mumbled as he headed towards his office. As he passed by all of the cubicles, he couldn't help but be glad that he'd gone to college and been offered a higher position right after graduation. Once inside, he phoned his manager.

"Mr. Takanaga's office," answered a clipped, professional female's voice.

"Hi, this is Naoyuki Shin. I need to speak to Manager Takanaga about the meeting later."

"Oh, yes, he told me he was expecting your call. Let me transfer you to his line, please hold."

"Shin, this is Takanaga."

"Hello, sir. Er… You wanted me to come to the meeting, but you—"

"Yes, I know. I didn't brief you about what we would be discussing. Just come to my office and I'll show you the agenda." With that, the manager hung up, leaving Naoyuki with a dead line and even more questions than before.

Why can't you just fax me a copy?

Nao looked around at his office, wondering if he'd have to dress nicer than usual to go the board meeting… His eyes glanced over to the small bureau the office had provided his office with and wondered if he'd brought in some extra clothes. He got up quickly and looked inside, finding two of his best work shirts, all of his good ties, two good pairs of shoes, and a pair of decent gray pants. He crossed the small office and closed the blinds so he could change. He settled on a black shirt, the gray pants, and a striped tie, all the time praying that it would be appropriate.

As he stepped out of his office once again, he felt a couple of heads turn and stare. Naoyuki began feeling more and more self-conscious as he walked down the hall, past all of the cubicles, past more private offices until finally, after what seemed like hours, he arrived at Yuujirou Takanaga's office. Even his name was imposing, and at 6'2" his figure was even more so. Naoyuki knocked twice.

"Come in," Takanaga's voice rumbled from within.

"Excuse me," Naoyuki mumbled as he entered the room. To his surprise, the manager looked much happier when he saw who had entered his office.

Takanaga looked Naoyuki up and down a couple of times before saying, "Please, sit down."

The other nodded and took a seat on his corresponding side of the massive cherry wood desk.

"Ah, yes," Takanaga began after a moment, "I still haven't shown you the agenda." He handed Naoyuki a piece of paper with all of the property proposals that would have their presentations at the meeting. "You see, your young and fresh view will really help us find a good marketing plan for these properties. The rest of the board members will most likely under appreciate one of the prospective properties, a large unfurnished building, and I would really like to have your input as a recent graduate of the University of Tokyo."

"Won't your input weigh more than mine? You're fairly young as well."

The manager waved that off easily, "I'm the son of one of the founding members of the company who recently retired… My opinion isn't quite as respected yet." He looked up from the agenda and caught Naoyuki's gaze, "I would really like you to join us. Please?" It was almost cute the way he pouted slightly.

Nao smiled. "Alright, I'll talk as much as possible."

"Great! I hope that means that you'll talk more than you do in department meetings…"

The younger man half-smiled, "Yeah, it does."

"Excellent!" Takanaga looked at his watch and stood up. "It's time to shine," he smiled and winked at his subordinate.

He's a lot nicer than I thought he would be… Naoyuki thought as he looked up at his boss. They walked down some more hallways before they reached the boardroom.

"Gentlemen," Takanaga announced, "I'd like you all to meet Naoyuki Shin. He gave some interesting feedback earlier this week that convinced me that he would bring a fresh look at the prospective properties. I hope you will not mind the intrusion." He bowed slightly.

"Please regard me kindly," Naoyuki said as he bowed deeply. All of a sudden he got extremely nervous and intimidated by the older board members and their tremendous amount of experience and knowledge of the field.

The warm welcome Naoyuki and Takanaga hoped for wasn't so warm. As the meeting progressed and Nao gave his input, the board members seemed begrudge his talent at spotting potential and selling his points on the spot.

"This next property," the Chairman began, "seems to be a waste of time. This building is empty, and used to be a warehouse. I don't see any potential buyers for warehouses."

Naoyuki raised his hand timidly. "Sir, if you'll excuse me…"

The Chairman's eyebrows knit together into a frown, "Yes?"

The newcomer seemed to deflate until Takanaga elbowed him lightly. "I believe that with some investment, this property has the potential to appeal to a number of different types of clients. If we build partitions in some of the larger storerooms, we can turn them into lofts. These lofts can appeal to artists, especially those who are in need of a studio, and can also appeal to young students who can't afford the more traditional apartments. They will be able to rent rooms with other students and can just use temporary partitions or screens to section off their sleeping and living areas. Also, if we advertise using a more modern approach, these rooms will appeal to young couples who are just entering the market." He finished his long-winded pitch, sat back in his chair and eyed the manager. Takanaga winked.

The room was silent. For a moment, Naoyuki wished he hadn't spoken at all. Finally one of the board members, Kawaguchi, spoke up. "Will you please leave the room for a moment?"

Takanaga frowned and asked, "Why?"

Naoyuki bowed. "I'm extremely sorry if I've offended you." He stood up calmly, and bowed again as he left the room.

He waited outside nervously. According to the agenda, the meeting was over after they all took a vote about all of the presentations; Naoyuki was hoping that he could catch the manager on his way back to his office and find out what Mr. Kawaguchi had said about the whole ordeal.

However, to his extreme surprise, Takanaga came out to fetch him a moment later with a bright smile on his face. "Come on," he whispered excitedly.

The younger man raised an eyebrow as he followed his superior back into the boardroom.

"It has been decided," the Chairman started, "that you should become a permanent member of this board of executives. Will you accept this responsibility and honor?" Chairman Shinagawa bowed and the rest of the executives bowed their heads slightly as well.

"I…" Naoyuki stopped, looked at his boss for approval. Takanaga gave a small nod, pushing him to accept. "I would be honored," he finished, bowing deeply to his fellow executives.

"Wonderful! Be ready to celebrate tonight!" Shinagawa invited the two youngest board members to sit down once again. "Now we have to vote about the prospective properties… Unfortunately, Shin-kun, you won't be able to vote on these issues until you've attended at least 5 meetings as a full member. Our by-laws also state that you must have a complete knowledge of Parliamentary procedures as well as a thorough knowledge of the company's history, mission statement, etc, etc. Takanaga-kun here will help you study up and learn everything you need to know about our prestigious property management company and sub companies."

"Yes, sir." Naoyuki bowed again and took his seat next to Takanaga. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the proceedings and seeing his opinions taken seriously.

After the board meeting ended, Takanaga walked his colleague back to his office. "Shin, you were amazing, you know that, right?"

"No I wasn't, I was just talking." Naoyuki noticed that Takanaga was still standing outside of his office and invited him in.

Takanaga nodded and closed the door behind him.

"Can you shut the blinds too?" Takanaga did so and Naoyuki opened the bureau once again and started changing back into his normal clothes. "When Mr. Kawaguchi asked me to step out of the room, I honestly thought I was about to get sacked."

The older man cleared his throat and stepped to the side of the bureau, blocking the sight of the changing young man. He gulped very audibly. "I was outraged when he asked you to leave. I was about to start throwing punches."

Naoyuki popped his head around the door of the bureau. "You would have done that for me?"

"Of course. You were there by my invitation, and are one of my most talented workers. It's only natural that I want to protect you."

Something about the way he said that last bit sounded strange to Naoyuki. It seemed as though Takanaga's tone got more affectionate and caring…

"Shin…"

"Yeah?"

"The other board members will probably leave early tonight and go back to their families… you think you'd want to stay out longer? You know, just the two of us?"

"Uh… sure. It's not like I have anyone to go home to. But what about you? Won't your wife be angry with you?"

"I'm not married," he replied with a chuckle.

"Oh…" Naoyuki thought that was a little strange too. He was very good looking, had a great personality, and a very good job. He was a total catch, but with no wife? In all honesty, Naoyuki thought the whole situation was a little strange. But perhaps it was normal for the youngest board members to go out together…

"So… tonight then?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Why did the atmosphere get so tense all of a sudden?

Takanaga nodded, "Alright, I'll see you later then." He gave an awkward wave and left the room.

Later that night, as Naoyuki turned his computer off and packed up his papers, Takanaga came to get him for the executive members' night of celebration.

"You ready?" Takanaga stood coolly in the doorway with his blazer tossed over one shoulder.

"Yeah, just a second," Naoyuki replied as he snapped his briefcase shut and grabbed his own blazer from the back of his chair. As he walked past his colleague, he noticed a pleasant scent coming from the taller man. Had he put on cologne for the occasion, or was Naoyuki just noticing it?

"Let's go," the taller man said as he flipped the off the office light switch. He put an arm around the younger man's shoulders. "You're going to have fun tonight. Those men look like they're boring, but they tell some amazing stories."

It was true. Chairman Shinagawa, it seemed, was the most rambunctious during his youth. "When I was your age, Naoyuki-kun, the company was just starting to become successful. To celebrate, we all took a trip to Beijing and went women-hunting. I found myself the most beautiful prostitute. Perhaps the only beautiful prostitute—"

"Hey, wait a second," another board member named Kannagi interrupted, "You were so drunk, you would have thought anyone was attractive!"

"Pff! Anyway," Shinagawa waved off his friend, "I rented a love motel room for us, and when I got her clothes off, she was a man! I couldn't believe it!"

The table laughed. "What did you do, sir?"

"Well, Naoyuki-kun, I had already gotten the room, so I made sure to get my money's worth!"

The table laughed again. "You what?!"

Shinagawa shrugged. "I was young! I was curious, anyway. So I got the whole shebang. 'Figured if I was going to sleep with a man, I'd make a story out of it!"

Just as Takanaga had predicted, after another couple of rounds of drinks, the older men began excusing themselves and wobbling towards the lobby where their drivers were waiting. Finally, it was just Shin and Takanaga.

"Another shot?"

"Takanaga, are you trying to get me drunk?" Naoyuki slurred as he spoke.

"No! Not at all! And call me Yuujirou…" He trailed off as the boys took one last shot.

"Yuujiiirrrou… No, that's too loonng!"

"Fine. Call me Yuu!"

"Alright, then you call me Naoyuki!"

Yuu nodded as he flung an arm around Naoyuki's shoulders. "Naoyuukiiii…" he mumbled

"Whaaat?"

"I'm so drunk," he giggled.

"Me too… This is your fault," the other whined.

"Pfff… yes. It is!" Yuu leaned in closer and nuzzled Naoyuki's neck.

"Whatr are—what are yyou doing?" Naoyuki mumbled as Yuu continued nuzzling.

"…I really like Naoyuki…" whispered as he kissed the younger man's neck and cheek.

"Ohhhh… So you're trying to seduuuce me…"

"Mmhmmmmm, is it working?" He kissed Naoyuki's cheek again, leaving a little saliva behind. "Oh…sorry…" he mumbled as he wiped it off with his napkin.

"A little…" Naoyuki stared into Yuu's eyes. Or it was until, "…you got spit on me…"

"I'm s-sorrryy..." Yuu said, still slurring a bit. "I wiped it offfff."

He made up for it with a kiss on the lips, this time, there was no slobber. It's…quite nice, Naoyuki thought as he yielded and pulled his co-worker closer. "Mmmf," Naoyuki whined as Yuu pulled away. "Why are yyouu stopping?"

"Let's get a room," he whispered.

Naoyuki nodded and stood up, trying to think of anything that would make the bulge in his pants disappear until a more opportune moment. Yuujirou led Naoyuki out of the bar, out into the lobby of the 5-star hotel. He asked for the nicest suite available. They made a dash for the elevator, key in hand, and headed for the 60th floor. Yuu fumbled with the key to the door, but after a few calming words from Naoyuki, was able to get it open.

Once inside, the passion that they had been containing exploded all at once as articles of clothing fell to the floor in no particular order. One piece accidentally took a new job as a doorstop, letting the entire floor hear the grunts and moans that the two men released.

Naoyuki awoke this time, not to an irritating alarm clock, but to the first morning rays. They hadn't closed the drapes; as a result, Naoyuki got to see the whole of Japan lit by dawn. This could be romantic… He let out a contented sigh. Suddenly he remembered that he couldn't see this much of Tokyo from his window… and that his window faced west so that he never received morning rays. His look of bliss turned to horror as he felt someone roll over next to him. He bolted upright. Oh…god…did I really sleep with Takanaga?!

"Hmm… morning…" Takanaga sighed and rolled over.

"Takanaga, wake up!" Naoyuki shook his partner out of the half-sleep that he was still in. "Do you remember last night?"

Yuu rubbed his eyes, yawned, and said, "Yeah. Why? Don't you?"

"Kind of…Wait, you remember? Aren't you, I dunno, upset?!"

"No, why should I be?" Takanaga was genuinely confused, not to mention a little hurt by Naoyuki's surprise and horror.

"Well…we, you know, did it."

"Yeah, you were amazing," Yuu sat up, "is that supposed to upset me?"

"Thanks…Shouldn't it?! We're both guys!"

Yuu chuckled. "I noticed that, actually. Yours is pretty impressive for someone so tiny."

Naoyuki edged away, horrified by the compliment, which only made his colleague laugh harder.

"Come here," he beckoned to Naoyuki. "I won't bite…again."

"How can you be so calm about this?" He backed further away.

"Naoyuki, I'm gay, I've just had amazing sex with someone I've wanted for the past two years," Yuu bit his lip as he continued, "and I'm not unhappy about what's happened."

"Oh." Now he felt guilty. "…T-two years? As long as I've worked at the company?"

The other nodded. He turned his back to Naoyuki and replied, "Yeah, two years."

That's a long time. The confused man didn't reply, instead choosing to stare out the window as he got lost in his own thoughts.

"Look, uh, I'm sorry about confessing; I clearly shouldn't have. I'll go first, and, well, you don't have to come to work today if it'll be too awkward." He got up and started gathering his clothes and putting them on quickly as though getting dressed would cover his embarrassment at this rejection.

Naoyuki turned to watch as Yuu did all this, not knowing what to say that would make everything less mortifying for the both of them. He continued to watch guiltily as the other got to the door, removed the "door stop," and shut the door gently behind him. After Yuu was gone, he gathered his own things more slowly, debating with himself about how he felt regarding his latest sexcapade. Now a lot of things that have happened these past two years make more sense. …Why didn't he just say something about liking me?! Pff, yeah, what would my reaction have been? Not encouraging, that's for sure… And… if last night hadn't happened, where would I be right now? At home, lonely, just like I was before. So…do I feel the same way about him now? He stopped and thought about that last question. How did he feel about Yuujirou now? It certainly wasn't disgust. Really, when he thought about it, "disgust" was never how he felt. It was more just surprise at finding himself in bed with a man. And anyone who had never experienced that before would react like that, right? And it felt good too. He was romantic and passionate, and—Naoyuki stopped mid-thought as he realized that he was starting to get over the shock and beginning to feel a sort of affection for his colleague. He put on the last of his clothes and shoes, and made a run for the exit.

"Um, pardon me sir," the lady from concierge last night stopped him the second he got out the door.

"Yes? I'm kind of in a hurry…"

"I understand sir, but next time you choose our establishment, do you think you could make sure that the door gets all the way closed before you begin your—" she cleared her throat nervously, "activities? The other customers complained about the commotion…"

He stopped his frantic worrying about Yuu for a moment and looked at her. "Yes, I'm very sorry about that. I'll make sure to be more careful next time… By any chance, do you know if Yuujirou Takanaga is still here?"

"Um, I believe Mr. Takanaga left the hotel already, he checked out a few minutes ago…"

"And he left immediately? He didn't stay to have breakfast at the restaurant downstairs?"

"No, sir. He left."

"Shit." The concierge woman looked surprised. "Oh, no, I'm sorry for my rudeness. Please excuse me; I have to go. Do I have to pay downstairs?"

"No, sir. The room was paid for…" She didn't get to finish before Naoyuki turned away from her and ran down the stairs.

He reached the street and stopped to catch his breath. 60 floors worth of stairs… Racing down them was not the best idea for someone who didn't work out regularly. He hailed a cab and gave the office's address. "Please go as fast as you can," he gasped, still out of breath.

"Uh, yessir."

They reached the office a few minutes later and Naoyuki threw the fare amount plus tip in the direction of the driver before racing into the building. He waited for the elevator this time. He got in the elevator with a number of co-workers and grew more self-conscious. Naoyuki realized he still probably smelled of sex, not to mention the fresh sweat he'd broken into as a result of all of his running and rushing. He tried to get to a corner of the elevator so as not to bother everyone else with what he felt was his stench.

Finally the elevator reached his floor and he got off, straightened out his shirt and attempted to look a little less disheveled. He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked calmly to his office. He closed the door, closed the blinds behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief before walking to his bureau to search for some fresh work clothes.

Freshly clad in finery—sans fresh pants, the sweaty ones would have to suffice—, he stepped out of his office once again and walked down the hall to speak with Yuujirou's secretary. "Mina," he began, "is Yuujirou, ahem, Takanaga in yet?"

"Actually, Mr. Shin, he called in sick today…" she looked apologetic and opened her desk drawer. "He said he might be gone for the next couple of days. Says he caught the flu."

"Oh…" all that rushing for nothing… "damn it!"

"Mr. Shin?"

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, sir, you did."

"Oh. Sorry…"

"It's okay, Mr. Shin. Um, I'm planning on stopping by later to bring him some files… perhaps you'd like to join?"

"Really? You'd bring me along?" Naoyuki grew hopeful.

Mina stared at him for a moment. Crap, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud. "…Yes, I don't see why he'd object to seeing a co-worker." She winked and whispered, "Congratulations on becoming a board member."

"Thanks! I would like to come with you, if you really don't mind."

"Not at all, sir." She smiled and looked back at her computer screen.

"Thanks, I'll come by later, then?"

"Mhmm," she said, not looking up, "I'll be leaving around 7."

"Perfect." He calmly walked back to his office to finish up all of the paperwork that he'd left unfinished as a result of the meeting from the day before. Since he had gotten to the office earlier than usual, he let himself take a long lunch and walked to a nearby park. Naoyuki sat down on one of the empty swings and started eating his hot pork buns.

"Nii-san, Nii-san!" One of the kids toddled over to him.

"Hi there! What's your name, beautiful?" He smiled at the little girl in front of him.

She pointed to herself and exclaimed, "I'm Natsuko! Nii-san, why are you eating here? Mommy always says that you shouldn't play while you eat!"

"Your mommy's right," he replied, getting off the swing. "I should go sit down and eat these." He stared at his bag of buns for a moment. "I think I bought too many, do you like pork buns?" When she nodded, he handed her one, walked her over to one of the benches, sat her down, and started eating.

"Natsuko-chan, where's your mommy? You shouldn't be out here alone."

"She's with Daddy right now," the little girl pointed to another bench where a couple was sitting.

"Why dontcha go sit with Mommy and Daddy? I don't want them to get mad at me for stealing their play time with you."

"Mkay! Thanks for the bun, Nii-san!" She toddled back to her parents and finally left Naoyuki with some alone time.

He couldn't help but feel a little sad when he thought about how he might never get the chance to have a daughter. If he got together with Yuu and things got serious, they really wouldn't have the chance to have families. But he says he's gay; he's not going to find a wife anytime soon, is he? Hah, I'm getting ahead of myself, I don't even know if he still would want to be with me. Hell, I don't even know if I want to be with him…This is so complicated.

Soon enough, Naoyuki finished his lunch and headed back towards the office still feeling a little glum after his encounter with Natsuko. The rest of his day at the office was rather boring and uneventful, and he found himself thinking of Yuu a lot. When 7 finally arrived, he had already been sitting at his desk with a blank screen for a few minutes. He got up calmly and grabbed his already-packed briefcase and blazer. He met Mina at her desk and waited for her to turn off her computer and pack up.

"Wow. You were right on time," she said as she glanced at her watch.

He shrugged. "I got all of my work done early."

"That's right… you came in early today…"

They walked past all of the other office workers, calling out their "good night"s and "good work"s as they got to the elevator.

The cab ride to Takanaga's place was silent as Naoyuki's nerves and anticipation consumed him.

"Wow," Naoyuki marveled at the nice condo, momentarily forgetting about how nervous he was.

"Yeah, I still don't understand why he's not married," she pouted a little, as though Yuu had rejected her before.

Naoyuki shrugged. "Well, I guess we should go knock." He didn't wait for an answer, and knocked twice. He stepped behind Mina as the door opened and waited for her to say her bit.

"Mina-chan, how are you?" Yuujirou ignored Naoyuki.

"Fine, thanks." She noticed the strange behavior and kept switching her gaze from Yuu to Naoyuki. She held out a file folder and a small flash drive, "These are the property files you asked for and the current owner's profiles."

"Thank you. Would you like to come in for a bit?" He looked at Mina while he said this, but Naoyuki had the feeling that he was talking to both of them. Or, rather, he hoped that Yuu was talking to them both.

"I'd love to, but I have to get home. Mr. Shin, though, came here to talk to you, so I'm sure he would like to." She noticed the atmosphere change and excused herself.

"Good night Mina-chan, and thank you," he called out to her as she headed towards the cab that was still waiting. She waved and got inside. "Shin, what brings you here?" His tone was cordial.

"I think you know what brings me here. I looked for you at the office, but Mina told me you were sick… the flu, huh?" Naoyuki hated the way Yuu's tone was so robotic and refused to fall into that.

"I figured you would go to work anyway. Thought I'd make things a little easier."

"I only went because I wanted to talk to you about what's happened."

"Yeah?" That piqued his interest. "What'd you want to say? I thought you made things pretty clear this morning."

"Well… I wanted to say," he ran his fingers through his hair nervously, "that I was in shock this morning. I've never, you know, done it with a man. It was… shocking." Ahh, I said that already…

"Okay…" Yuujirou stepped aside and let Naoyuki in, closing the door behind them quietly and setting the file folder and flash drive on the side table.

"And, I…" The other marveled at the décor and let his mouth hang open for a second.

"And, you…?"

"I didn't really think about how it felt…How I felt, you know, in your arms and such."

Yuu didn't say anything.

"Yuu, I liked it. I like you and I'd like to see you again…"

Yuu still didn't say anything.

"Yuujirou?"

He sank into the couch and gestured for Naoyuki to sit down. "I'm…" he stopped as the other sat down, technically next to him, but with a foot of space between them both. He stared at the space for a moment.

"You're…?" Naoyuki noticed where Yuu's gaze was and smiled. He scooted closer.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that." He took Naoyuki's hand and stroked it lovingly with his thumb.

The younger man took his hand back and placed it on the other's cheek, pulling Yuujirou in for a light kiss.

~One Week Later~

"I hate how they're always together now," Mina whispered to the receptionist as Naoyuki and Yuujirou passed by them laughing.

"Weren't they not even really on speaking terms about a week ago?"

"I know! Suki, I blame myself." She hung her head dejectedly.

"Why's that?"

"I told Mr. Shin to come with me that night when Mr. Takanaga was sick. I guess they got to talking and became friends. Now they're like a two person club, you can't get a word in edgewise!" She frowned.

"They're a good-looking two person club…" Suki looked wistful and continued, "I wonder if they're willing to make it a three person club." She looked at Mina and added, "I mean four person club."

"Yeah, you can have Naoyuki and I'll go for—" she lowered her voice as one of the office workers approached, "and I'll go for Yuujirou."

She came closer and whispered, "Fat chance. My guess is that they're an item."

"No they're not!" Suki and Mina were indignant, how dare she!

The office worker was about to reply when Naoyuki and Yuujirou came back and pushed the button for the elevator; they turned back to the receptionists. "Ladies, we're going out for lunch," Yuu announced. "Do you want us to bring you something?"

Naoyuki smiled and nodded. He still didn't talk much to anyone other than his lover.

"If you don't mind," Mina began, "I'd really like a chocolate tart from the bakery nearby…" She smiled sweetly at Yuujirou.

He nodded. "Suki-chan? Kanako-chan?"

"Same," the others replied.

In a rare moment of forwardness, Naoyuki added, "If we're not careful, we're going to become waiters." He smirked at his partner. The ladies were quite surprised –and excited—to see that Naoyuki had a sense of humor. It only made him seem more appealing…

Yuujirou chuckled. "I know, right? Ah well, there's no helping that… See you later, ladies. Don't worry, we won't forget your tarts."

They turned back to the elevators and chuckled at the pleased faces. Naoyuki quickly looked over his shoulder to see if they were watching; it didn't seem like it, they were whispering in a circle. He reached for his partner's hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Aren't you worried people will see," Yuu whispered.

"I checked," Naoyuki muttered back, "they're not watching."

"Good." With a ping, the elevator announced its arrival and the boys let go of each other's hands and stepped onto the elevator. The doors were almost completely closed when Yuujirou kissed the shorter man on the lips.

"Do you think they saw that?" Naoyuki noticed that the doors hadn't closed all the way.

"I don't really care," the other replied before kissing his partner again. He stopped when the elevator pinged again and stopped on floor 49. They stepped apart just before the doors opened and one of the other executives stepped onto the lift.

"You don't really care, huh," Naoyuki muttered sardonically.

"Okay, I care."

Kannagi cleared his throat and said, "Boys, are you studying up on by-laws and protocol?"

"Every night after work, sir," Yuu winked at Naoyuki. "Shin is a quick learner; he'll be ready soon."

"Good to hear." As the elevator made its stop on another floor, Kannagi added, "Yuujirou, please tell your father I want to play golf with him sometime soon. Tell him I'll kick his butt." He stepped off.

Just before the doors closed, Yuu replied, "Will do, sir. He's in need of a good butt-kicking."

Finally they were alone again. "People will expect you to have a family, you know."

"Nao-chan, can't we discuss this later? Like…never?"

"Yuu, doesn't it worry you?"

"No. My parents already know that I'm gay, so they're already talking about adopting someone into the family to take over my job once I'm gone."

"Oh… Do they know about me?" Naoyuki looked up at him and slipped an arm around his partner's waist.

"I haven't told them yet."

"Oh." Nao pulled his arm away.

They spent the rest of the ride in the elevator and the walk to the restaurant in silence. The restaurant was nearly empty, which was surprising considering that they were eating at a normal lunch hour. However, they were both still lost in their own thoughts, so it remained mostly unmentioned.

"Why haven't you told them?" Naoyuki braved the question that had been eating away at him after sitting down at their table.

"Have you told your parents about us," Yuu countered.

"No…"

"Okay then."

"Hey, let me finish. I haven't told them because my parents are dead."

"Siblings?"

Naoyuki labeled himself, I'm an "Orphan."

Yuu sighed. "I'm sorry…I should have been more sensitive."

The other man shrugged, "You didn't know. Anyway, it's not like I miss them."

They looked at their menus, called the waitress over, and ordered. To Naoyuki, things still felt a little awkward, not because of his confession, but rather because he wanted to know why Yuujirou hadn't mentioned anything about the relationship to his parents. Was it too soon? Probably… I mean, it's only been a week.

"Nao-chan, are you still coming over tonight?"

"Mhmm. Should I bring my laptop?"

"I was thinking more like an overnight bag," he finished as the waitress brought their food. For a moment, the question lay unaddressed as both men tucked into their meals.

"Really? We have an early start tomorrow, though."

"You're far too diligent for your own good, you know," Yuu chuckled and reached for Naoyuki's free hand. "Come on…"

He stalled for a moment more, took a couple more bites of food, then replied, "Yeah, alright."

Epilogue

Naoyuki awoke once again to the morning rays peeking through his window. Although this time he couldn't see all of Tokyo laid out before him, the view from this window was just as nice. He turned his head away from the cherry blossom branches and looked at face of his sleeping partner.

"Yuu, wake up," he crooned.

"Hnn, no, it's too early," the other complained. Yuujirou rolled over to block the sun's rays, exposing his back to Naoyuki.

Naoyuki rolled onto his side and propped himself up with one arm, and with the other he trailed a finger down his lover's spine.

Yuujirou shivered under the light touch and murmured, "Nn-nn, go back to sleep."

The younger man pressed himself closer and spooned his reluctant companion. He tugged at the Yuujirou's waistband. "Aww, but we don't have to work today, we have all day to spend together."

"We have everyday to spend together," Yuu whined, "why can't we sleep in on weekends like normal people?"

"Normal people don't get to live in their very own paradise, let's go enjoy it," Naoyuki mocked his lover's sleepy whines.

"Nuh-uh! I wanna sleep." Yuujirou pulled his pillow over his head, blocking out the light and sound.

Naoyuki laughed, "Fine, fine, we can sleep!" He pulled the pillow away.

Yuu pulled his lover's arm around him and murmured, "Good. That's what I thought."

They still hadn't properly discussed the issue of families, but Yuujirou made it clear that he wasn't planning on leaving Nao in search of a wife. He went so far as to introduce his lover to most, if not all, of the potential adopted sons that his family had begun collecting. With all of this reassurance, Naoyuki was able to forget his own concerns and doubts about having a family. They were fortunate enough to afford any luxury that they might have desired… bliss, however, was free of charge and copious.