CH 4.2 - Acceptance (PU)

TW: Mentions of Rape

When the man observed how obstinate Aki was, he only grew more violent."Fine, I'll cut your time short if you allow me to do something." Aki opened his eyes and before he knew it, something foreign was being forced into him. His eyes were wide and he screamed in pain and was completely frozen on the bench. He panted and his body began shaking. Then, a camera was shoved in his person.

"I want to see the look on Jaehwan's face when he sees his boyfriend being gobbled up by another man. And there will not be any leftovers after such a meal".

Aki was afraid.

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There was a camera recording everything and Aki wanted to hide his face in humiliation. God, this was pure torture. Shujin could use this footage as blackmail if he ever pleased. He was worried that people he knew would see this. How embarrassing. The more that foreign object moved, the more mortified he felt. The look on the man's face was pure contentment, he had such a sadistic expression. 'To think that I'm being raped in my own school just so I can go out with a boy...'

Careful not to make any sounds, Aki . But when he heard the sound of footsteps, he swore he could have died from the embarrassment. But would he?

"Aki!"A familiar voice shouted and the figure's poise shrunk a bit when he saw the other man. "Jaehwan, you really are a mood killer,"The older man grumbled and pulled out. Jaehwan looked horrified to see Aki in such a position.

His equally appalled partner could sense the pain in his eyes and sat up. "Jae...How did you find me?". Jaehwan didn't answer. He stared at the man, betrayal igniting the anger within him. "How could you do this to him, Master?!"He screamed. The man walked over and pulled him close but Jaehwan pushed him away roughly. "Master....Just this once, let me break the rules,"He faltered softly, shaking from anger as he hugged Aki tightly. The man squinted and crossed his arms.

"I can't believe you...You've never defied me in my 11 years of taking care of you,".

For a short while, Jaehwan let go of Aki before kneeling and kissing his Master's shoes. "I don't care how badly you punish me for being defiant with you. But you're not allowed to punish my Aki for falling in love with me,". Aki instantly turned red as Jaehwan hugged him protectively. "So please Master, stop torturing him like this. It breaks my heart to hear him crying every night,".

It would have never crossed Aki's mind that Jaehwan, the innocent, pure, obedient love of his life would stand up to his master like that. He was also unaware that Jaehwan had heard him crying every night since this was forced onto him. His beloved held him so close that he had this urge to just squeeze him tightly even though he knew that it wasn't right to do it now.

Shujin groaned and took a seat on the bench. "Fine then,"He grumbled grouchily as he watched Jaehwan snuggle up to Aki. "I'll allow you to go out with Nakanishi-kun on a few conditions,". Both of the younger males exchanged looks; eager yet afraid. The man patted his lap and beckoned Jaehwan to sit there. The boy kissed Aki's cheek gently before he complied with the order received. "You are not allowed to date anyone else if the period of your relationship doesn't last a year,".

Fixing his clothes, Aki chimed in. "I'm positive that it'll last for as long as I allow it to. I don't intend to let Jaehwan go,"He replied firmly and was met with an exasperated sigh. "I know..I've never met anyone willing to bear the pain of sucking on a dick for a month just to get permission to go out with the person he loves,".

"What else is there Master?"Jaehwan asked and the man rubbed his head gently. "Come visit me at least twice a month. I know we already call once a week and text each other daily but that's not enough for an old man like me you know,". The boy blushed once he understood his Master's intentions behind that condition but Aki took Jaehwan's hand and kissed it with a smile. "I don't mind. Go ahead. I'll always be waiting for you at home,". The man nodded and crossed his arms.

"See? Even your meddlesome boyfriend gave you permission,".

"Who are you to call me meddlesome?!".

Averting his gaze away from his Master, Jaehwan was so tempted to cover his ears. But the reassuring expression in Aki's eyes persuaded him to comply with the man's request.. "The last condition,"The man snapped and pointed a finger at Aki. "You. If you break his heart, I'll break your neck. Deal?". Aki felt a glowing happiness inside of him and nodded enthusiastically. "I'd never do that! That's easy!". It was Aki's enthusiasm and puppy-like energy that no one could resist.

Deep down inside, Aki was willing to do anything to make this relationship last. Out of all the people who came into his life and weighed him down with the responsibility of being a partner, Jaehwan was the most understanding with him. That's why he was trying to do the same for Jaehwan, who had to juggle between making him happy and making his owner happy.

The man chuckled and a rare, sincere smile appeared on his serious face. "Okay then. Nakanishi-kun, make sure that Jaehwan doesn't sleep too late,"He began as he hugged the boy on his lap tightly, kissing his head preciously.

"Master, so Aki is allowed to go out with me right?".

"Yes, I already told you so,".

"So can we—".

"Don't do naughty things every night though!".

Wishing him goodbye, Jaehwan got off of the man's lap. His Master swept his hair back, a little frazzled. "I had never thought that the day would come where Jaehwan would defy me. He's usually so docile and obedient,". He patted the boy's head gently and waved goodbye to both of them. "But I guess he can fend for himself sometimes,". He directed his attention back to Jaehwan with a rather deceptive smile on his face. "Call me on Monday at 9pm. Have fun with your new romance,".

Immediately after Shujin had gone, Jaehwan dragged Aki to the car. "You and I are having a talk once we get home,".

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.

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"Why couldn't you tell me that you were being manipulated by my Master?".

Aki held his face gently and huffed. Jaehwan pushed him onto the bed, desperate for an answer. "I thought that it would break your heart if you knew,".

Nothing could have shocked him more when Jaehwan burst into tears at once. "Of course it would! But I'm even more upset that you chose to hide it from me!". Aki sighed but before he could do anything, he was hugged. "Never hide anything from me again. I want you to trust me enough to tell me when you're going through something alone,".

Kissing Jaehwan on the cheek, Aki nodded as if he were a little kid being told off for misbehaving. "I understand,". He grabbed Jaehwan by the small of his back and flipped their positions before he cuddled the boy beneath him.

'Really, I should be more careful...I already made him upset...'.

He wiped Jaehwan's tears away with the pad of his thumb delicately. "How can I make it up to you?"Aki whispered and felt his boyfriend wrap his arms around his neck. Jaehwan giggled softly and kissed Aki's ear.

"Give me 500 kisses,".

"That's too little! Make it 1000".

Pouting cutely, Jaehwan pecked Aki on the lips. "That's one. The rest are yours,". Aki just laughed to himself and pecked him on the lips several times. "You're really adorable, Jae. I could never imagine myself kissing anyone else,". Playful, his boyfriend sat up and flicked him on the forehead, making him flinch. "Don't go around suffering on your own again okay?".

Even while staring into such serious hazel eyes, nothing could hold Aki's true self back. Ultimately, he grinned ear-to-ear and exploded with his puppy energy. "Of course Jae! I'll make sure I confide in you from now on!".

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Like he always did, Aki paid a visit to the café the next afternoon. "Jae!!"He chirped energetically and set his bag down. Chisako looked up from the counter and smiled at him. "Oh, he's dealing with an irate customer. He'll be done in a few minutes,". Aki sat down at one of the booths and waited for the door to the backroom to open. When the door finally did open, Jaehwan emerged from the room..with his Master?!

"Oh? Nakanishi-kun? You're here to see my little princess?"The man snickered and Jaehwan blushed. "Master, don't tease him already! He comes here almost everyday to see me. He really does love me~~". Since the day the man allowed both of them to form a relationship, Jaehwan had been pushing the boundaries between him and his Master and had began to tease him. "Oi, don't ignore him when he came here to see you. Go to him,"The man chuckled and pushed him in Aki's direction.

As if they've never seen each other for years, Aki opened his arms and was ready for Jaehwan to leap into his arms. "Aki~~"Jaehwan cooed and ran to give him a big hug. The man smirked to himself and sat down in the seat that faced both of them. He had slowly learnt to accept the fact that Jaehwan wanted to form a romantic relationship with someone else and he seemed at least a bit receptive to it now.

"So, do you two have any plans on going out soon?". Aki rested his hands on Jaehwan's hips before he thought for a bit. "We have a school festival to go to. With my little sister,"He replied and the man shot Aki a look of surprise. "Oh, you have a little sister? You're taking care of her?". The curly haired boy looked down and nodded. "Yeah, my parents are in the US with my older brother. But they dumped me with my little sister in Japan because they didn't want to be known as the parents of a gay man. I guess I should have been more careful,".

Guilt flooded Shujin's face and Aki could see the subtle changes in his emotions. "Don't worry about me, sir. I'm taking care of her just fine,"He smiled at him as he drummed his hands on Jaehwan's waist. He turned to Jaehwan's face and pecked him on the lips. "435,". Jaehwan giggled and smooched him back. "436,". The man was perplexed with them.

"What are you kids counting for?". Jaehwan laughed and pecked Aki's lips over and over. "Wouldn't you like to know, Master?".

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.

.

When they arrived home, a cream coloured envelope was pushed into Aki's hands. "Here, it's from me,". Aki opened it and shut it immediately. "Wait! I can't accept this amount of money!". The man chuckled and patted his back. "It's no different from the allowance that I give Jaehwan. Plus, your sister's still in school right? Use it to pay her tuition,". The man sat down in the armchair and looked around.

"It's always clean. That's expected of my little Jaehwan,"He chuckled and called out to his 'pet', who was cooking dinner in the kitchen. "Angel? I want to have a drink with Nakanishi-kun over dinner,". Stir-frying some vegetables in a pan, Jaehwan chewed on his lip. "Please eat something before you do, Master," Jaehwan replied. "I can't drink with you because we have school tomorrow and I have to drive,".

Shujin sipped on his can of beer, completely ignoring whatever advice Jaehwan gave him. "Yeah. Whatever you make is delicious anyway,". Aki sat down next to the man and chatted. The older of the two asked him about work, his family, and his future plans with Jaehwan. For once, Aki felt like this man was really concerned about both him and Jaehwan.

When he made Aki do those disgusting things, Aki thought he was fucking around, but he wanted to see if Aki was willing to throw everything away just to be able to love his 'pet'. Well, that's the bullshit excuse he gave Aki anyway. After all, Jaehwan had never received affection from another man before, so his Master was worried that he'd be mistreated. But since Aki had such bright energy and he proved himself, he didn't feel like it was necessary to intervene anymore.

That night, with Jaehwan perched on his lap, the man stayed over, chatting up with Aki.

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"How could you get such a high fever?"Jaehwan groaned as he looked at the thermometer. No doubt about it. 39℃. "Sorry, guess it was my fault for wanting him to continue drinking with me until late at night,"The man apologised as he washed the dishes from breakfast. "I have to get to work, Jaehwan. Be a good boy for me. I'll be approving your clothes for today before leaving,"He smiled and pecked his 'pet' on the forehead.

With his head feeling like it was being drilled, Aki didn't know what to do. "Jaehwan...I don't think I can go to school today..."He groaned from the sofa as he buried his face in a cushion. "But, I'd be all alone without you,"Jaehwan whined and Aki caressed his cheek gently. "It's just one day, you'll be fine,". Jaehwan shook his head and nuzzled into his warm hands. "But who'll take care of you?".

That was when Aki sat up weakly and pecked him on the lips. "441. I'm sick like this all the time. I can handle it myself. I don't want you to miss class because of me. It's your humanities studies lecture today right?". Jaehwan nodded submissively and handed him a glass of water.

"Call me if you need anything okay?".

"Mhm".

Parking his car in the school's car park, Jaehwan noticed someone being dropped off at the entrance as he was locking the car. 'Hm? What a privilege to have someone fetch you up to the entrance'. He checked by trying to open the door again and when everything was alright, he headed for the entrance. "Ugh...". The boy in front of him held his head as he stumbled into the compound. 'He looks like he's about to faint. I should do something right?'. "Are you alright?". Jaehwan called out to him and the male turned around. "You don't look well,".

"I'll be fine...."He replied hesitantly and Jaehwan grabbed his arm and brought him to one of the benches in front of the lecture halls."Sit down for a bit. "I'm Ryu Jaehwan. Nice to meet you," Jaehwan reassured him, smiling when he introduced himself to the other boy.

Perhaps he was just feeling like absolute shit on the inside but the boy seemed really flustered and didn't really know how to respond. Still, he parroted the self introduction. "I'm Kirishima Yuto.....Nice to meet you...". Jaehwan was surprised by how much he trailed off before he apologised. "Ah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you talk,". 'In a way, I don't blame this kid. I can be quite socially awkward myself'.

Regardless of his awkward introduction, Jaehwan was happy to have made a new friend. "I thought I'd be alone. But I guess if I attend today's lecture with you, I'll be fine,". He felt Yuto's forehead gently with the back of his hand and sighed. "Ah..you're coming down with a fever? You shouldn't have come to class,". Yuto looked down as he huffed a reply. "I wanted to turn in the conclusion to my report today,"He groaned and it stunned Jaehwan.

'That thing isn't even due yet but he's already done?'.

"What?! That thing's due in two weeks! Wow, I guess ex-honours students sure are a different breed of smart,"He chuckled, bunching up his scarf to one side of his shoulder.

'Now that I remember it, the sensei did tell us that the top student from Kirihara Co-Ed High School received a scholarship here. It must be him then, how impressive.'

Pushing his new friend so that he could rest his head on his shoulder, Jaehwan nudged Yuto's bag off his shoulders. "There, there. Lay there for a bit. Class should start soon,". The science professor, Asahina Kei, walked past both of them. His eye caught Yuto and he backtracked. "Is Kirishima-kun alright?"He asked Jaehwan and muttered something to himself. "Guess I'll have to call his lover over. That sleaze let the poor thing go to class when he's unable to open his eyes,". He looked up at Jaehwan and panicked.

"Oh, I guess you heard me. Does Kirishima-kun have anything important to turn in?!"He laughed nervously as he searched for the other man's number on his phone. Jaehwan nodded. "He said he has the conclusion to his report to send in today,". Asahina whistled and patted Yuto's head gently. "Guess it can't be helped. I'll send Sanada-sama Shinji's number. Keep an eye on him,".

He caressed Jaehwan's cheek and winked at him. "So long Ryu-kun. Don't let any abhorrent wolves gobble you up like Kirishima-kun did,". He waved goodbye to them and walked away. 'So he's going out with an older man? Interesting. He doesn't look like the type to get romantically involved'. But then, he had a ping.

'Shinji? I remember this name somewhere, I think he's a teacher at Aki's school. So does that mean...this guy is that sensei's boyfriend? The world really is a small place'.

When the lecture began, Yuto couldn't even open his eyes. After a while, Prof. Sanada gave in and called the number. "Kirishima, Shinji-kun said he will arrive in half an hour. Rest, you've worked hard on your project,".

Yuto grunted from his seat before he turned to Jaehwan. "Thanks...you took care of me right?"He groaned. "Eh, it's not a big deal! You're my friend right?"Jaehwan replied nervously and Yuto nodded. "Exactly, I've never had a friend before. So thank you,"He replied and shut his eyes to take a nap. Jaehwan was surprised to hear him say that but he smiled to himself and focused on the lecture. His innocence reminded him of when he first met Aki.

The thought that Aki scouted him everyday for a year just to make sure he was single made him giggle to himself.

"I guess I really can support other people besides my Master. That makes me happy to know that I'm not just a pet anymore. I'm someone's lover and I'm someone else's first friend,".

_φ(･ω･ Author's Note

They finally got Shujin's approval! But at what cost? Voting is appreciated! Thank you for reading this chapter of A Heart To Heal! ♡