Fall Down, Get Up

[WARNING: NTR MATERIAL in this chapter. Read at your own discretion.]

Yuuto and Haruto walked without speaking much as Haruto still had his fake smile on his face as he solemnly looked downwards. Getting closer and closer to Yuuto's home on this chilly night. Yuuto buried his palms in the pockets of his hoodie.

Haruto gestured to Yuuto as they passed a convenience store open around the clock. "Oh right, Sakurai-san. Can you wait outside for a moment? I need to pick up something."

Yuuto gave a nod and leaned against the cool glass wall, watching Haruto disappear into the bright interior of the store. Moments later, Haruto emerged, his expression easy and light under the fluorescent glow.

"Here." He extended his hand, offering Yuuto a crisp ¥10,000 note.

Yuuto eyed the note momentarily before accepting it, tucking it swiftly into his pocket. "What's this for?" he asked, his tone even.

Haruto smiled slightly. "I've skimmed your website. I saw the price tag. This is for your friend, for his help. Maybe split it with the kid; he deserves it too."

Yuuto's expression remained unchanged. "He hasn't helped you yet. Read the website's first, third, and ninth terms first," he said, pulling out Sendo's phone to show Haruto the Terms of Service listed on his ominous website.

Haruto's eyes widened slightly as he read:

1. For ¥10,000, I will ensure your relationship is saved, tailored to your needs.

3. I commit to seeing each case through once the transaction is completed, without exceptions.

9. I guarantee your bond will be stronger than before you enlisted my services.

Yuuto pocketed the phone again. "Consider this a down payment then," he stated flatly.

'Job accepted.' He determined internally.

Haruto hesitated, his uncertainty evident. "I..."

"I'll pass the cash over once we meet all the terms of service. He's a busy man."

"W-wait... B-but..."

"But what? Are you the type who never reads the terms of service like everyone else? You stumbled onto a random website and spewed whatever without understanding what it entails...? Too late now, you've hired him. And we don't stop until the job's done." Yuuto said in an almost scolding tone.

"W-We..?" Haruto called reluctantly.

"He's my friend. I step in to help when he's swamped with requests. So now, you're stuck with me until we sort this mess out."

"He-... He gets a lot of these requests?"

Recalling the desolate state of his website, Yuuto replied "Private ones. It's rare for people to openly admit they need help like this."

"O-oh, your friend takes private requests, too...? Haha, I should've gone that route..." His laughter filled with awkward realization.

Yuuto then blankly stared at him.

'...Add a private message feature.' Yuuto mentally noted.

"Still... all this for just 10,000 yen...? Haha, what a bargain." Haruto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

A broad grin spread across Yuuto's face.

"Isn't it?" 

As they walked toward Yuuto's house, Haruto maintained a forced smile, his gaze downward, seeming withdrawn.

"You seem awfully resigned to being a true cuck," Yuuto remarked pointedly.

Haruto let out a small chuckle. "Is that so? I wouldn't say I'm a cuck, though... To be one, you need to be in a romantic relationship. Himiko—my stepmom—and I never had that. I was too cowardly to ever initiate something like that. I feared losing what we had, so I never made a move, always hoping somehow she'd realize my feelings and confess hers... It sounds so naive now."

"It is naive," Yuuto bluntly confirmed.

Haruto fell silent, reflecting on the harsh truth in Yuuto's words.

"But, at least you're admitting it. At least you don't shout and blame everyone else about how much you have it bad. That's a step toward salvation. A microscopic one, much unlike Himiko's lover's dick, but it is a step." Yuuto uttered disgracefully, startling Haruto who raised his eyebrow at Yuuto after his crude remark.

"Thanks, I suppose..?" He replied.

They both approached the house. Yuuto pulled out a small silver key and inserted it into the door, opening it while inviting Haruto inside.

"Here's food for thought. Do you think Himiko loved or loves you, romantically?" Yuuto asked.

Haruto blushed as he focused his gaze on the concrete road as the two entered Yuuto's house.

"It could be nice if she did... But... If that was true, why is she with... Kyoya?" He replied hesitantly as he squinted his eyes.

"... His dick?"

"Oh, shut up..." Haruto replied more energetically with a pouting face as he looked away.

"Well, it was just food for thought. You can put it aside for now." Yuuto said casually after a few seconds of silence.

Yuuto turned on the lights. Before Haruto's eyes was a pristine-conditioned-looking house. No dirt, no blemishes. Spotless. Haruto took off his shoes along with Yuuto at the entrance. Yuuto, shortly after, led him to the living room.

"You can sleep here. There's only my and my parents' room upstairs, but I'd hate to reorganize it - so I rather just keep it clean until they come back from their vacation." Yuuto uttered as he turned around. Yuuto looked at Sendo's phone for the time.

2:45 AM.

"I'll go to sleep. I've got school tomorrow, after all. There's a guest's bathroom down here as well. That one's for you. You can watch Netfreaxu on the television."

Yuuto uttered as he disappeared into the darkness as he walked upstairs.

"T-thanks..." Haruto added softly as he settled on the couch, stretching his limbs as he looked around, examining the living room loosely.

Haruto noticed the couch already had some sheets and a blanket on it, neatly prepared.

"Huh. It was ready before we even got here...?"

Haruto looked at it in confusion as he got comfortable on it, glancing at the remote placed on the wooden table positioned near the couch.

"Well, maybe he doesn't have a TV in his room so he sleeps here occasionally... Either way... This is comfortable..." Haruto reached for the remote and turned the distraction box on, watching the movie he didn't get to finish with Himiko.

"Lucky... They have it here..."

Haruto then glanced at the stairs as he heard the faint sound of a door closing coming from upstairs.

"I wonder... How will we do it? This isn't some fantasy story where I can get the girl back... Kyoya already... Already took her heart... Heh. Either way, this is not bad. I never went to a sleepover in my life. I always wanted to stay with Himiko... Maybe I missed out because of it?"

Haruto stared blankly at the screen, still forcing a smile as he slowly lay down on the inviting armrest of the sofa.

 "Man... I'm tired... It's nice... Not to think about what's happening upstairs... For once... Himiko..." His eye teared once before he closed his eyelids, falling asleep in a matter of seconds. Not even getting to cover up himself with the blanket.

--------------MEANWHILE, AT HIMIKO & HARUTO'S HOUSE----------------------------

The two lay exhausted on the sheets. Kyoya looks at the ceiling while Himiko lies on the side, looking at the wall below the window on the bed.

Himiko was breathless with a deep blush on her face and sweat all over her naked body.

Kyoya turned his head to her curiously.

"At the end, you let him hear your groans." He uttered casually.

"...Can we... Not talk about him, Kyoya?" She uttered silently as she latched her hand onto the blanket, biting her lip with a frown.

"Relax... I just wanna tell you to not overthink it. He himself is probably hanging out with his girlfriend." He replied as he looked back at the ceiling.

"His... His... G-girlfriend... Eh..?" She bit her lip harder as she uttered while squinting her eyes.

Kyoya sighed.

"You might not know this since you're a woman, but we men... Well, the ones who care; we don't kiss and tell. With all of his disappearances and his lack of communication - it is unmistakenly the case... He finally got himself a girl. Aren't you happy? Your boy isn't alone anymore."

Himiko curled up a bit into herself.

"I... I guess he was alone when it was just us... He must have felt really uncomfortable telling me... I am happy... I am really happy for him, of course... He finally got himself a girlfriend... He doesn't need a mama like me anymore... Hehe..." She uttered hesitantly. Kyoya took this chance and embraced her wholly with his big and muscular figure from behind as he gently brushed his fingers against her hair.

"You don't sound happy..." He whispered gently into her ear.

Himiko leaned against his brushes as she closer her eyes. She eventually turned her face to him.

"Well... Haruto had a really... Really harsh upbringing." She uttered as she opened her eyes, staring into his.

"With his real mommy dying after birthing him and his daddy blaming him, right? Eventually leaving you too?" Kyoya said.

Himiko gently brushed her hand against Kyoya's face.

"He was so... Defenseless. So pitiful and lonely... But he was such a kind and good-natured boy... I had so much fun being with him... So much that I got used to it and figured we'd be close like that forever..."

Tears welled up in her throat as she spoke.

"But... He's getting more mature, isn't he?" She expressed a solemn smile. Kyoya's heart skipped a beat as he saw her face.

"He doesn't want to be near me as much... I'm in the way..." She then tightly hugged Kyoya back.

Kyoya was taken aback a bit.

"Let's... Do it more... Please..." She pleaded as she rested in his arms and he in hers.

"Himiko..." Kyoya then pushed her back by grabbing her shoulders and looking into her eyes again.

"Let's... Go hiking tomorrow. I'll take the day off... You should too."

Himiko's face brightened up... With a slight tint of guilt.

"But... Hiking is..." She uttered while looking away with a frown.

"It's what you and little bro did all the time before, right? Then... Until he has free time from his girlfriend... Let's go out just the two of us... To somewhere new. That way, we can introduce him to new routes when he's free to go!" He uttered enthusiastically as he blushed.

Himiko's guilt faded away as she smiled widely with her innocent and happy expression.

"I... I'd... I'd really like that... Kyoya... Thank you..." She began tearing up a bit as she embraced him even tighter...

"That means we will still have to get up early... So, no more sex."

Himiko wore a mischievous expression.

"And who decided that?" She asked playfully.

"H-hey...!"He let out a gasp as she pounced on him, pinning him against the bed... For a very long time.

-----------------------------BACK AT YUUTO'S HOUSE-----------------------------

Yuuto stops before entering his room. He turns to the bathroom he has upstairs and enters the bathroom. Opening the light and shutting the door. He walked over to the sink and removed his wig and glasses, then washed his face with hand soap after tossing aside his accessories.

The light in the bathroom was flicking...

He examined his face in the mirror as he leaned on his sink with both of his hands.

Bruises.

Lacerations... A puffed eye and bleeding from his lip and his inner cheek. As the water seeped into his nose, his nose began bleeding too. Blood was dripping away from his face alongside the powdered makeup he was using to cover up his bruises as he stared deeply into the mirror.

'Look at these pricks... Hah. They must be cumming in their sleep from joy. After all, they managed to put some scars on my face. We managed to pull through tonight only by my quick thinking and battle prowess. Well... Better think of a plan for this dumbass and that Kyoya. I don't have a lot of time to pull this off tonight, I gotta act quickly. But first... I need to grab some ice from the fridge before these embarrassments become too visible. Then, even this makeup won't hide it and I won't be able to carry out my plan.'

Yuuto was licking the blood as it dripped into his mouth, swallowing it after accumulating some in his mouth as he sent his palm to the back of his head where he was pummeled - feeling a slight lump there. Yuuto stretched a wicked smile across his face as he looked at his injured face in the mirror.

'Kyoya Guuji, isn't that right? Interesting. VERY interesting. The story I heard from your henchman is also very, VERY interesting. Get ready, you human shitstain... When this is over... I'll make you cry in despair as I baseball your ass.' He panted heavily as he tried holding his laughter while slightly giggling at himself.

'Well, after I chill with some ice for 15 minutes, I'll have to make a small, nightly trip to somewhere special...'