Chapter 40 - Welcome Home

Another day passed. Another day without Aki.

If Mia did not kick him out of the cafe, he would have stayed there throughout the night. He had been spending most of his time there anyway. Work kept him busy. Studying and hanging out with his friends took up his time too. He would do anything, anything that would keep him out of the house.

Liam sighed as he stared at the apartment's door. He did not want to open it. It would be the same dark place. He chuckled despite himself. Was it weird for him to think that he was now terrified at arriving at an empty place when he had been living alone for more than a year now?

All he had to do was to open his big mouth and ruin everything. He knew that that was a sore topic for Aki. But he just had to rub it in.

The door remained impassive in front of him. In a parallel world, Aki would be waiting for him. He would welcome Liam, hug him, and maybe k--

Liam grunted in annoyance. That world's Liam was one lucky bastard.

He stared at the door. What he would not give to come home right now…

Then the door opened and a mass of black assaulted his chest. It took him a full minute to process what was happening before his arms shot out to steady Aki.

"Where are you going?" he said when he finally found his voice.

It was Aki in flesh, not a figment of his imagination. Liam could not help but stare at the head resting on his shoulder. It was Aki. Here. At home.

The black mass of hair shifted as Aki looked up at him. Their faces were only inches apart that Liam could smell the alcohol from his breath. He stared at those blurry eyes that stared back at him. Oh, how he missed this face, this person. He made sure to commit to memory every line and sharp points of Aki's face.

"You're finally here. Hehe." Aki giggled and hugged him back.

Liam forgot to breathe and unconsciously tightened the arms around Aki. He was a fool to think of not going home tonight if this was what was waiting for him. If he only knew that Aki came back, he would have not taken the extra shift. He would fly here in an instant.

He shifted the other guy in his arms. "Are you drunk?"

"Hmm? No? I drank juuust a little~" Aki crooned and adjusted his head so he could stare at Liam's face while leaning on the shoulder.

Liam wanted to touch those cheeks, stroke those jawbone as Aki gave a small yawn but he would not. He would not push his luck. He would be contented with what little physical contact he was allowed to do. For the nth time today, he sighed. 'You can be quite a masochist.'

He felt thankful that there was no one in the corridor around this time. He wanted this moment to be private, just the two of them, away from prying eyes.

He pushed Aki away from his body which earned him a dissatisfied sound. "Let's go inside first."