Chris gazed at his surroundings while Miki hung his coat in a closet on his left. The hallway was tastefully decorated in a dark wood paneling, two paintings hung at scattered points on the walls. A stairway led up to a second story directly in front of him. There was a door beside the stairs, and two doorways facing each other a few feet down the hall. Miki grasped his hand lightly and pulled him through the left doorway into what looked to be a living room. Two couches stood perpendicular to each other, one facing a large television set, the other facing a large plush chair. Five people were scattered throughout the room. An older couple was standing behind the chair and Chris took them to be Miki’s parents. Another couple was seated on one of the couches next to a young boy.
“Everyone, this is my boyfriend Christian Langley. Chris, meet my parents, Abigail and Henry Bishop.” Miki gestured to the couple standing and Chris shook hands with them as they greeted him. Chris could see where Miki inherited his looks, both his parents had brown hair. He resembled his mother more than his father, sharing the same short stature, slim build and blue eyes. Miki’s father was taller than Christian by a few inches, his light green eyes glittering friendly to soften his harsh, burly appearance. Both of them seemed like nice people in Chris’ opinion.
“This is my older brother Patrick, his wife Sharon, and my younger brother Rafael.” Miki gestured to the trio on one of the couches. Greetings were exchanged once again and Chris relaxed slightly, deciding that he liked Miki’s family. Both brothers shared similar brown hair and blue eyes as his lover, though not as slim as the man standing next to him. Sharon appeared to be a beautiful young woman, with long black hair and muddy brown eyes. Her voice chimed in with her husbands melodically to welcome him.
The door burst open at that moment, and Chris turned to greet the enthusiastic young woman who ran in the room. “Chris, this is my older sister Celestine. Celes, this is my boyfriend Christian.” Chris was nearly knocked off his feet as Miki’s sister hugged them both, verbally expressing her delight at meeting him. The woman seemed full of energy, grinning broadly as she hugged everyone in the room. Her short, mousy brown hair swung lightly behind her as she moved through the room, clear blue eyes sparkling with excitement. Miki pulled Chris to sit on the couch next to him and Chris settled down to enjoy an evening with Miki’s family.
Chris pulled his young lover close to him as the two prepared to sleep in Miki’s bedroom. The evening had gone rather well in his opinion. Miki’s family had treated him warmly, making him feel quite welcome. Miki’s mother’s cooking was wonderful. Chris couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d tasted such wonderful home-cooking. Chris thought they had liked him, though he didn’t think Miki’s mother had been too pleased when she learned that Chris was a professional musician. Miki’s siblings had been the most exuberant to meet him. From their comments he was apparently having a good effect on his young lover. He suspected Miki was having the same on him. He couldn’t remember when he’d had as much fun simply being with another person before.
Miki looked up at him hesitantly from where he rested against Chris’ chest, concern filling his eyes. “Did you have fun today? I know my family can be a bit much at times.”
Chris chuckled at his lover’s concern and placed a light kiss on the other man’s forehead. “Yes, I had a wonderful time. Everyone was very nice. Thank you for inviting me.”
Miki draped his arm across his lover’s chest, resting his head on Chris’ shoulder. He closed his eyes as he relaxed, voice lowering as he approached slumber. “I’m glad you had fun. You do realize we’re doing this again for Christmas?”
Chris couldn’t help but laugh at the other’s comment. “I take it I have no choice in the matter?”
“Of course not.” Miki mumbled, drifting off to sleep. Chris smiled to himself as he followed the other man into slumber, feeling loved and welcome in the home of the person who mattered the most to him.
Miki smiled to himself as he practiced a new piece Daniel had arranged for the band, running through it on his family’s piano. It didn’t have the same sound as it would on the keyboard he used in the studio, but he felt better playing something. His relationship with Chris was going deliriously well. Miki could easily admit that he had never been happier in his life than when he was with Chris. He loved the other man wholeheartedly. After being together for two months he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his lover, and Chris had expressed similar intent. His friends highly approved of Chris, always welcoming the older man when he joined them at football games or clubbing. Even his stubborn mother had been won over by Chris’ charms. After the other had left, his family had voiced their approval of the relationship as well. Celes had been the most vocal of her approval, even going so far as to offer him advice and suggestions for his relationship.
Miki’s only worry at the moment was that his mother would find out about his future plans. They knew he was in a band and encouraged him to pursue his ‘hobby’. What they didn’t realize was that the band was more than a hobby to him. He felt for once as if he truly belonged to something, more than with any academic studies. For once he was accomplishing something he enjoyed immensely. Miki planned to forsake going to law school as his parents expected to join the band full-time. He knew it would be harder to maintain a steady income like that, but he didn’t care. He would be able to do something he loved and that was all that mattered. He just didn’t think his mother would see it the same way.
Running through the piece another time, Miki winced as he heard his mother call him. He had a feeling that whatever she wanted, it wouldn’t be good. Putting the music away in a folder, he walked down the stairs to where his mother stood in the hallway. “You called?” Miki asked politely, trying to curb her anger slightly. He could tell simply from her expression that she was furious. This was defiantly not good.
“I just spoke with you school’s guidance office. They said you haven’t applied to a single college. Tell me this is some kind of mistake.” She was glaring at him fiercely, hands on hips as her voice screeched towards him.
Miki prepared himself for the explosion to come. “It’s not. I haven’t applied anywhere.”
“What!?” His mother screamed at him, near livid in fury. “Don’t you realize how late it is in the semester? Deadlines are going to be running out soon. What happened to all the applications you got from the guidance office? I want you to go up to your room and fill those out right now!”
“I threw them away. I’m not going to college.” Miki’s words were met with shocked silence before his mother spoke again, deadly quiet.
“Why not?” It seemed as if she had to struggle to get the words out, her fingers drumming against her hips in anger.
“I’m going to be a professional musician.”
“No, you’re not. You’re going to law school.” Miki blinked as his mother’s words sunk in. He stared at her in indignation as he replied.
“No, I’m going to join the band full-time.”
“Don’t you realize how important your education is? Do you really want to give that up to go follow some foolish fancy.”
Miki glared at his mother in outrage. “What good is an education if it means nothing to me. I care about music, not academics. It’s what makes me happy, what I’m good at.”
“No son of mine is going to be a rock musician. I won’t allow it. It’s a disgrace.” She sputtered in anger, nearly hysterical. Miki could see his father and younger brother watching from the top of the stairs. “I demand that you quit that pathetic excuse for a hobby this instant. Obviously you’ve picked up some idiotic notion of what a real job is from it.”
“No! I can’t just give up on something I care about like that. Don’t you understand that?”
“You can’t honestly expect to make a living like that. It’s ridiculous. I won’t allow it!”
His mother was a forceful, determined woman who was used to arguing her way through anything. Growing up in a family of lawyers, Miki had also picked up a few tricks of his own. This was one issue he refused to back down on and he was not going to allow his mother to bully him into changing his mind, even in the face of one of her fiery moods. “Well, you’ll have to accept it because I’m not going to change my mind on this.”
“Not if you want to continue living under this roof.” Her words dripped with venom, sapphire eyes sparkling maliciously as she perceived herself the victor.
“That’s easily fixed.” Miki said calmly as he turned and walked up the steps. He passed his father and brother without comment, slamming the door to his room behind him. How dare she insult his life like that, calling it a disgrace! She simply did not understand what he was feeling. Pulling two suitcases from under his bed he began filling them with various articles of clothing. He gathered his school supplies into his book-bag, throwing in a few other items he felt he might need. His laptop was packed in one of the suitcases as he surveyed his room for anything else he might want to take with him. Picking up the phone he dialed Chris’ number. His lover’s voice greeted him as the call was answered.
“Chris, would you mind having a house guest for a couple days?”
“What? Sure, you know you’re always welcome here. What’s up?” Chris’ voice was slightly concerned and filled with curiosity.
“Would you be able to pick me up? I need to get out of the house for a while.”
“Sure, I’ll be right over.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Chris helped his lover carry his bags up the stairs to his apartment. Holding the door open, he let the other precede him into the room before locking the door behind them. Setting the bags in a corner, he shot Miki an inquisitive look. His lover had been quiet and aloof since Chris had arrived at his house, causing Chris to suspect something had upset him. “Want to tell me what happened?”
Miki stared at a point on the wall, avoiding the other’s gaze. “I had a fight with my mother.”
“About?”
“My future.”
Chris smiled slightly at the lack of information the other was giving him. Crossing the short distance between him, he wrapped his arms around the other from behind. “Care to elaborate?”
Miki sighed and leaned back into the embrace. “She wants me to go to law school, I want to pursue a career in music. She refused to let me stay if I stayed in the band, so I left.”
Chris stared down at his lover in shock. “Are you sure this will be okay?”
“It’s what makes me happy. I’ll make it work. I just need to stay here for a couple days until I can find a place of my own. I have some money in a bank account from a couple jobs I’ve had in the past. That should tide me over until I can find something part-time.”
Chris couldn’t argue with that logic. He wasn’t going to stand in the way of his lover’s dreams. Chris spoke hesitantly, gathering courage to ask something that had been on his mind for weeks. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
Miki turned to look at him, eyes curious and intent. “Oh? What?”
“Will you move in with me?”
Miki looked at him in shock. “You mean that?”
Chris laughed at the other’s expression. “Of course I mean it.”
Miki smiled broadly and pulled him into a swift hug. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
Chris ruffled the shorter man’s hair affectionately. “Actually it’s really selfish on my part ‘cause then I get to have you around all the time.” His hand trailed down the other’s back to brush lightly against Miki’s backside as he nibbled lightly on the side of his lover’s neck. “My bedroom is lonely when you’re not around.”
Miki chuckled softly, his voice taking on a teasing note. “I knew you had to have some reason for it. Do you ever think about anything other than sex?”
Chris’s voice was filled with mock-indignation as he spoke between kisses on the other’s neck. “Yes! I think of plenty of things that don’t involve sex.”
Miki smiled evilly as he entwined his hand in Chris’ silky blonde hair. “What are you thinking about right now?"
Chris paused his ministrations to pout at his lover. “That was unfair.”
“I rest my case.”
“I do too think about things besides sex... just not when you’re around.”
Miki chuckled as the taller man maneuvered them into the bedroom, silencing him when a mouth closed over him and they fell to the bed.
Miki woke slowly as a pair of soft lips claimed his own, forcing him back to alertness. He blinked his eyes open to gaze into the smiling emerald depths staring down at him. “Morning, Sunshine. Time for breakfast.”
Miki smiled as he dressed quickly, pulling clean clothing from one of his suitcases. He joined his lover at the kitchen table, surprised at the fare Christian presented him with. “What’s all this for?”
“I figured you’d probably want something to eat before school. Besides, my mother always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day.” Chris smiled across the table at the other man.
Miki nodded his agreement as he began eating the delicious food. He had to admit, Chris was a good cook. He’d tasted the other’s cooking on a few rare occasions, but this seemed different from the earlier encounters. He felt at home here, sharing a meal with his lover. It felt right, as if this was where he was supposed to be all along. He was still wondering how he was going to get to school when the other spoke.
“Do you have your stuff ready to go? I’ll drive you to school.”
Miki protested slightly, not wanting to impose. “You don’t have to. I can catch a bus or something.”
Chris smiled. “Nonsense. I want to.”
Miki nodded as he grabbed his book-bag from the other room. “Thank you.” He hadn’t expected his lover to be so accommodating for the recent change in his life. Miki knew he would never be able to express how grateful he was for his lover’s support. Chris wrapped his arm around the other’s waist as the two left the apartment, locking the door behind them.
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