Aiden

It was wonderful having Haru in his arms, and Aiden slept soundly throughout the night, so much so that when he woke, he felt damn refreshed. Of course, Haru was still deep in his slumber, which he found cute. Because he couldn't help himself, he tightened his arms around the boy and snuggled his nose against the boy's soft, dark hair, inhaling the sweet spring scent that never ceased to please and calm him. Then he closed his eyes again, not to go back to sleep, but to simply savor the moment.

It was half an hour later when he felt Haru move in his arms. He could feel it, Haru's gaze on him. He wondered if the boy thought he was asleep. Suddenly, he felt Haru's hand stroking his face, which was followed by a gentle kiss on the lips.

Holy shit, but that was sweet, which made Aiden's heart melt. He opened his eyes then, a bright smile on his face. "Morning," he said seductively. "Was that a morning kiss?"

He noted Haru's cheeks turning red. "Yes," the boy said.

"Not good enough. Do it again, and this time, give it your all."

Haru frowned. "Give it my all?"

Aiden nodded.

Haru leaned forward and kissed him again, longer this time.

Aiden parted his lips, and Haru made the move by eagerly plunging his tongue in. Of course, Haru's tongue was smaller than his, which Aiden found adorable. When he simply couldn't hold himself back, Aiden made his move and thrust his own tongue back into Haru's mouth, where he proceeded to ravish the boy to his heart's content.

Their tongues danced and intertwined, their lips locked as Aiden continued to kiss Haru passionately. By the time he moved back, Haru was breathless and dazed. The sight was fucking erotic, and Aiden felt hard. But, of course, he held himself back. He had promised not to further deteriorate Haru's health until the boy had gotten better, after all.

He rose and said, "We should get ready. I believe breakfast is being served soon."

Haru nodded. "Hm."

After their hearty Japanese breakfast, the brothers and Connor took another long soak in the hot spring pool, since there wasn't much to do outside as it was snowing again. As the pool was partially inside and extended out to the courtyard of stone garden, the view was beautiful.

When Isaac was turning bright red like a lobster from the heat of the pool, they decided it was time to get out, and thus, donning their own winter clothes, they headed toward the main building of the hotel to have lunch with Uncle Jin.

Patricia Steel, wearing a beautiful winter kimono and with her hair fashionably styled and her face made up, was waiting for them. "Hello, everyone," she greeted them at the foyer. "The president is waiting for you in the penthouse. Please follow me." Once inside the elevator together, she asked, "How was last night? Did you all enjoy yourself?"

Isaac said, "It was fun. The hot spring is awesome, and the food is amazing."

Patricia chuckled. "Then you'll enjoy lunch."

"Sushi?" Isaac asked. "Is there sushi?"

Patricia nodded. "Yes, of course. Sushi is a must, isn't it?"

Isaac did a thumbs-up. "You got that right."

Patricia laughed merrily. She turned to Aiden then and said, a big smile on her face, "Isaac is still as lively as usual."

Aiden nodded. "It's just Isaac."

Noah said, "He's rather annoying at times."

Isaac said, "Oi! I'm not annoying. Ask Haru." He nudged the boy. "Isn't that right, Haru?"

Haru didn't answer. In fact, he wasn't paying Isaac any attention. He was looking at Patricia, who was standing way too close to Aiden for his liking.

Noah noticed Haru staring and patted the boy's head. "Are you feeling better after a good night's sleep?"

That got Haru's attention. He nodded. "Hm."

When the door dinged opened at the top floor, the group headed out, with Patricia taking the lead. They came into the penthouse a moment later, and Higa-san opened the door for them.

"Welcome, everyone," he greeted.

"Hello, Higa-san," Isaac said. "Where's the food?"

Mason chuckled at Isaac's rude behavior while Reo gave a light knock on the boy's head with his hand. "Mind your manners, for God's sake."

Isaac chuckled. "Sorry."

In the living room, Uncle Jin greeted them, and then ushered them into the dining hall where an array of delicious food was already set on the table. There was sushi, sashimi, tempura, yakitori, and so much more.

"Take a seat, everyone," Uncle Jin said. "Reo, Haru, come sit next to Uncle."

The two brothers did, and Aiden was about to follow them when Patricia drew his attention to her. "Why don't we sit on this side of the table? We have a lot to catch up on."

Aiden reluctantly nodded and followed her in that direction. They took their seats, and their extravagant lunch commenced, with Isaac digging right in, packing a bunch of sushi on his plate.

Mason said, "Slow down, Isaac, no one is going to steal your sushi."

Isaac said, "Can't trust Connor. Look, he's taking heaps, too."

Connor chuckled. "You're a greedy little brat, aren't you, Isaac?"

"Can't be too lax when it comes to food, you know," Isaac replied.

To Aiden, Patricia said, "He eats a lot, doesn't he? Isaac, I mean."

Aiden nodded. "He does." He flicked his gaze to Haru, who was enthusiastically chatting to Uncle Jin. The boy had a bright complexion about him, his dark eyes sparkling, which told Aiden that he was having fun.

"What are you smiling about?" Patricia asked.

Aiden returned his attention to her and said, "It's nothing."

"Come on, spit it out," she said. "I can so tell you're amused about something."

Aiden said, "It's nice to see your family having a good time."

Patricia nodded. "I totally agree with that." She was quiet for a moment and then said, "I'm sorry I wasn't around when you lost your parents. It must have been tough for you."

Aiden eyed her, noting the beautiful face that had once used to make his heart race when he had been in his late teens. Now, however, Patricia was just another beautiful woman to him and nothing more.

Patricia, the hot cheerleader back in high school, the girl he had dated for three years, the one he had had his first sexual encounter with. Of course, he hadn't been her first. She had been the experienced one in their relationship and had dated a few guys before she decided to settle on him. She had also been the one who had voiced her disgust and disappointment with him when he had told her that his family came first and had refused to commit and move in with her after their high school graduation.

How could he have moved away from his family when living with them had been so wonderful? There had been so much love and happiness. And of course, there had been Haru…

Spending time with Haru back then had been one of the best times he had ever had. But of course, now he knew better as to why.