The only thing that kept this chapter T rated is because I opted on not going into much detail about a certain scene below. I'm not in the mood to write an M-rated story in this section. So sue me.

Chapter 2: Frisky

"Misaki!" Takahiro called me. "You're awake!"

My first thought was, For someone who just found out his brother was kidnapped and fell out of a window, he sure sounds happy. My second thought had been, Wait. I didn't fall; I was dropped.

Usagi-san dropped me!

With a disgruntled sigh, I slowly fluttered my eyes open, seeing Takahiro's excited dark irises peering back at me from where he sat at the edge of the hospital bed. He was dressed in a navy-blue suit and his glasses were gone. I started to wonder why he had taken them off, until I heard a familiar voice say, "Here, Takahiro. All clean." Usagi-san… Takahiro reached to retrieve them from Usagi-san's hand, but the man had other ideas. He had the nerve to place them back on my brother's face and kiss his forehead with a smile that I found… attractive?

Whoa! I thought with wide eyes. Did I… did I really just think that? I groaned, feeling my cheeks burning at the intimate exchange. What am I saying…?

"Ah, Usagi-san," Takahiro said, giving him a nervous chuckle. "You didn't have to do that." I bet if he kissed Takahiro square on the lips, my brother would think it was because he was just being friendly… which had me wondering if Usagi-san kissed all of his friends…

He'd been standing close to the right side of the bed, near Takahiro. His tone was soft as he reminded, "They were covered in dry tear stains."

Takahiro… had been crying?

I sat up, feeling a frown form on my lips. "Takahiro—" A hiss escaped me when I tried to reach for him. Trying to point at the guy who dropped me was out of the question, too, because of the IV that'd been placed in my vein. Even budging the limb slightly hurt to move, but I suspected that majority of my pain was coming from hitting the ground and not being able to take my meds on time earlier. There wasn't a proper way to describe it—aside from feeling intense—but I guess it felt like someone had taken a brick and took their sweet time slamming it against every part of my body until they were satisfied with the results.

Takahiro touched my hand, offering me a gentle grin. His eyes were puffy and I knew that I'd unintentionally worried him because of those Usami brothers. "It's all right," he tried to assure me. "It's a good thing Usagi-san found you when he did."

I quieted, and my eyes darted towards the Usami brother, whose eyes were completely unfazed by my glower. It was almost like he was confident enough to know that I wouldn't tell—as if he were mocking me and daring me to voice the truth. "Rescued me…?" Is this some kind of sick joke?

Takahiro nodded. "Yes." His eyes were shining with this false hope. I said 'false hope' because Usagi-san did not rescue me. If anything he escalated the situation and made it worse than it already was. "If he hadn't found you, you'd be dead."

A 'tch' sound escaped my lips. This guy wasn't a hero. He was… Well, he was…

What was he in this situation? He hadn't kidnapped me; his brother had, so I couldn't say that he deserved to be locked behind bars. I could say that he dropped me, though, even if it might've been an accident.

With that in mind, I said, "Takahiro—"

"The man who did this has already been arrested," Usagi-san cut in. His eyes were fixated on mine the entire time he spoke, and I found myself taking in the structure of his face—no, wait… I meant…

I'm confused. Maybe it's the medication; I'm sure the doctors gave me something. I nodded. Yeah, that's gotta be it.

Takahiro seemed satisfied with his answer. "Good." He reached for me and combed his hand through my hair so that my bangs wouldn't be in my eyes. I didn't want to cut the strands, even though they were getting pretty long. "I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost you, Misaki."

I was too tired to muster an answer, so I took his hand and squeezed it.

"Would you like some ice cream?" he offered. "The doctor says you'll be released in the morning so you're going to be here all day, and I'll stay as long as I can."

I frowned and gazed at the clock on the beige wall. It was only one in the afternoon… "I… yeah…" My thoughts felt as weak as I did, and Takahiro definitely noticed.

"I'll be right back," he said, rising from the bed. As he head to the door, he glanced at Usagi-san. "Could you—?"

"I'll watch him," the man offered.

Sure, I thought bitterly. Leave me here with him. We both knew what was about to commence, knowing we needed to talk.

Once Takahiro had left, I parted my lips to speak, but Usagi-san lifted his left hand, signaling me to pause while he eyed the door. The action reminded me of a prince, or some type of liege, in a way. He waited a good five seconds before he crossed his arms and cast a disinterested gaze in my direction. "You've got some explaining to do," was his quiet, rude command.

My jaw slacked. Excuse me? "What…? Me?" My brows rose. "I've got some explaining to do? You and your brother are the sick people who kidnapped me!" I used my good arm to point at him, although it was a sluggish movement. "I'll bet the two of you probably planned this, and illegally wrote my brother's name on your family's registry!"

He scoffed, inclining his chin up. "I did no such thing." He must've thought the sun shined out of his ass or something. He was giving me that kind of vibe, and did he always have to look so bored whenever he talked?

"Why are you Usami's so fascinated with my brother?" I asked. I was getting frustrated. "Just leave him alone; he's a good person."

"He is," Usagi-san agreed. His tone was clipped. At least we agreed on something.

My nostrils flared at the superior glare he was giving me. "It's obvious you're rich."

There was a fire starting in his eyes the longer his glower remained intact. "So?"

"So you'd have no trouble going out to find some other guy's life you can ruin—anyone other Takahiro." I dismissed him with a wave of my left hand. "Go find someone else to stalk and fantasize about." Takahiro didn't need the Usami's in his life. They were creepy and they deserved to be behind bars.

He made a 'tch' sound as he slowly approached the bed. "Is that so?"

I wasn't about to back down. There was no way I'd let this man win. "It is," I said, sounding confident. "You—what are you doing?!" He had ripped my blankets off.

The scheming look in his eyes as the bed dipped disturbed me. "Taking you up on your offer." He positioned his left knee between my legs and leaned his body over mine. When he grabbed me by my left arm—the limb that wasn't attached to an IV—he pinned it above my head.

"You perverted old man!" I shouted in a hoarse voice. It sounded weaker than intended, almost matching a whisper. "Stop!"

He ignored me, keeping me in place with his firm hand. "Any guy will do, right?" he asked, and I stiffened when I felt his hand inch it's way up the white hospital gown I was wearing.

"G-get off me," I groaned out. My face was heating up, and the smug gleam in his eyes told me he was definitely enjoying this. Sick bastard. I tried kicking him, only to realize that my right foot was elevated and wrapped in gauze. I must've sprained my ankle during the fall, I thought.

He chuckled and bent down to whisper in my right ear while I lay there at his disposal like a rag doll. "Are you going cry out?" His lips were brushing against the shell of my lobe and chill bumps formed on my arms.

Never... That's what he wanted me to do, and I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

I squirmed when I felt his palm intruding on my skin, but I refused to call for help. The entire time, I focused on the white ceiling and bit at my bottom lip to prevent any unwanted noises to reveal themselves. Usagi-san moved so that his forehead was touching the right side of my face and the light, husky chuckles I felt were giving me the craziest sensations. I hadn't gotten this excited (physically speaking) since puberty had first hit me, when Takahiro had tried his best to give me the birds and the bees talk. I didn't apply any of what he said to this situation, though, because well…

Usagi-san's a guy. I was… in the hospital being… with a guy? My thoughts were jumbled and the only decent sentence I was able to formulate was: Am I into men?

As my lips parted, I released a flustered groan, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "You're cute." I'll admit, the tone sounded attractive—in a freakishly weird kind of way, given the situation I'd gotten myself into.

Me and my big mouth...

The friction was over before it even started, and I couldn't help but close my eyes after he removed his hand and said, "That was fast." I'm pretty sure my face was beat red, too. He still hadn't gotten off me and when I turned to face him, our noses brushed. He'd just gotten finished licking his thumb…

Again, I found his eyes, his very movements, attractive.

"I'm back!" Takahiro announced as he entered. He didn't seem appalled to find his friend on top of me, in this more than obvious intrusive position, and he was even beaming brighter than usual, like he welcomed the idea…

And then it hit me…

Oh, God, I thought in mortification. Takahiro's used to this type of weird behavior, too, isn't he…? The man probably smooched and touched on my big brother all the time!

Usagi-san climbed off me, and fixed my bed sheets, only to seat himself in the previous location that Takahiro had been sitting before he left. "Your brother's cute." He'd already said this before, and I hated the word. I was eighteen. There was no need to call me such a degrading name—a name used to describe children.

Takahiro was practically glowing with pride. "He favors our mother in looks." He came around the other side of the bed, offering me the white bowl he carried. "Here you go, Misaki. It's your favorite!"

I felt too flustered to respond, still getting over my euphoric state of mind. Really, I kind of wanted to dose off and welcome any sleep that decided to overtake me, but I did want that ice cream. The only problem was that I literally couldn't move and the arm that Usagi-san previously held above my head hadn't moved since he'd last positioned it… Bitch in heat, was my first, random thought. Caught in the afterglow, was the second. These meds were no joke.

Takahiro's hand lowered slightly before he placed the bowl on the nearby stand. "Your face is extremely red, Misaki. Are you coming down with a fever?"

Coming down from a high, I mused, shutting my eyes in horror once I grasped what I'd just thought. Who does something like this in a hospital? Takahiro checked my forehead with the back of his palm while Usagi-san covered his mouth and turned away. I could tell the evil man was hiding his grin.

"Should I go get the doctor," my big brother asked.

Usagi-san shook his head, facing us again. His eyes were dancing in amusement and I fought the urge to roll mine. "He'll be fine, Takahiro. Maybe's too fatigued to do much of anything right now. He's had a long day, after all." He extended his hand. "I'd be happy to feed him."

I wanted to die. Of course you would, I thought. He just wanted to see me squirm again.

"His face can't get any redder," Takahiro said, oblivious to everything, as always. He grabbed the bowl off the stand and handed the item to Usagi-san, who took the plastic spoon and pushed it near my lips. Swallowing my pride, like earlier, I opened my mouth and he carefully began feeding me the ice cream by inching the spoon into my mouth. Honestly, I couldn't have fed myself even if I wanted to. I just felt so frail…

Mmm, chocolate… It tasted great. The delicious flavor caused me to smile, if only for a moment.

"I'm going to go ask the doctor about your new doses," Takahiro explained, heading towards the door again. "Be right back."

Once he'd left, Usagi-san scooped up another spoonful of the frozen treat, and this time, I easily parted my lips to allow him entry. As I was eating, he said, "My brother hasn't been arrested."

I froze, and creases formed above my brows as they furrowed. "Then, why did you say earlier that he had?"

"I didn't want to worry, Takahiro," he explained.

"But he kidnapped me," I said. "So shouldn't the police—"

He cut me off by shoving some ice cream in my mouth. "Eat." When I frowned at him, he said, "Please, Misaki…" Don't ask me why, but I did. I lapped at every morsel on that spoon. The way he said my name… the feels.

"Haruhiko is a complicated person."

I didn't appreciate his comment. "You say that like what he did was okay." It most definitely wasn't. I could've died after Haruhiko's stunt. Not in that whole valley girl kind of way, where they're all 'Oh my God, mom! When they like didn't have the shoes I like wanted, like I could've died! Like, really!' My situation was actually life or death. "What you did to me earlier wasn't okay, either," I whispered. "Dropping me, lying to Takahiro about dropping me, or what you did here…" He wasn't making himself look good.

"I'm well aware, Misaki." He sounded genuinely upset, and he was peering down at the bowl of ice cream as if he were a child in time out.

Okay, now he was the one who looked cute. It bothered me how much I was fascinated by him.

"If he gets arrested," I started. "He could easily get himself out with all the money your family has… couldn't he?"

"Yes," Usagi-san said. "That's why there's no sense in pressing charges."

"…Is he dangerous?"

"Not physically," was the irritated reply. He was glaring down at my ice cream now and when he scooped up another lump and placed the spoon into my mouth, some of it dripped onto the left side of my lips. I used my tongue to swipe at the small mess and the action didn't go unnoticed by Usagi-san, who was observing me with an unreadable expression.

"What?" I asked as innocently as I could.

He shook his head. "...Haruhiko had no intentions of harming your brother today, and neither did I."

"But he said he put his name on the family registry," I reminded. "As his spouse—that's not even legal."

"That was probably said to get a reaction out of me," Usagi-san said. "I'll look into it."

"And if it wasn't just a reaction?" I asked. "Does that mean illegally, Takahiro could be part of the Usami family—that illegally he could be related to you…?" That I could be related to you by default…?

The idea made me sick.

"Even if there are documents stating this, they can't be taken into effect, because they're forged and it's against the law." That made me relax a little and he offered me another spoonful of ice cream. As I parted my lips, he said, "I'm probably the last person you trust at the moment."

I agreed with a light hum.

"But I need you to believe me when I say that I love your brother and I'd never do anything to hurt him, Misaki." For some reason, part of me actually believed him, although I'm not sure why.

A groan escaped my lips. "Sure…" I was feeling too tired, but at least I'd been given my medication. I knew the doctors had done this because I didn't feel the oxygen was getting sucked out of my body. I felt fatigued and brutally sore, sure, but nowhere near close to dying like I had earlier this morning.

"Your brother says you suffer from an incurable autoimmune disease," Usagi-san spoke up.

Now I felt uncomfortable. I never liked to discuss my health issues with strangers because of the looks I'd receive. The worst thing I've ever heard someone say after explaining my disease to them was, "You don't look sick, so you're not really sick." I hadn't known that there was a certain appearance you had to keep up if you were ill. That's like telling someone who's able to walk—and has a handicap sign on their car—that they can't park in the designated handicapped areas because they 'don't look handicapped'. It's ridiculous.

"Yeah," was all I could manage. I didn't want to talk about it.

"He says despite that, you haven't let it affect you from trying to live a normal lifestyle." Usagi-san eyed me with a thoughtfulness lingering in his eyes, one that I appreciated. "I think that's remarkable."

My eyes widened briefly before they relaxed, and I felt a familiar blush creeping along my cheeks. "Thanks…"

He placed the bowl in his lap, holding it with both palms as our gazes remained locked. "What are your plans now that you've graduated?" His voice was softer, more considerate.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I've tried applying for part-time jobs, but most people don't want to hire someone with a potential health risk—too many liabilities."

His left brow rose. "And college?"

I turned away. "That's not really for me…"

He took his time replying, probably thinking over what I'd said. "…Is it poor academics?" When I nodded, he said, "Would you like to go to college, though?"

I scoffed, turning to face him. "Of course, but… that's impossible."

"There are community colleges around here," he argued.

Sighing, I said, "But the school I want to go to is Mitsuhashi…" It was impossible for someone with my poor grades to get into, and I think Usagi-san must've known this because his eyes enlarged briefly. He didn't laugh, like I'd expected, though. He simply nodded, and I felt grateful.

After humming it over, he said, "If you could, which department?"

"Economics," I answered automatically. "For sure…"

"Why that school, Misaki?"

Here we go, I thought. I didn't want to go into detail about my parents, but I knew if he heard me out, he'd understand… or at least try to get it. "You know, don't you—about our parents' car accident all those years ago?" After seeing him nod, I said, "When they died, Takahiro gave up everything to raise me by himself, and he never got the opportunity to go to the school he got accepted into…"

"Mitsuhashi University," Usagi-san guessed.

I sighed. "Yeah… that's why I told myself if I ever get the opportunity, it had to be Mitsuhashi… but with my grades—"

"It'll be easy," he assured me. There was an air of confidence surrounding him now; I could even see it flashing in his eyes and teasing me in his smirk.

My eyes narrowed skeptically. "I just told you it's impossible, Usagi-san. You don't have to joke around—"

"You're getting into that university because your grades on the entrance exams will improve, Misaki." He touched his chest. "After all, The Great Usami will be your teacher."

I felt like I was being pranked. "Seriously?"

"'Seriously,'" he mimicked, causing me to blush.

"But why would you help me after—?"

"You said it's for Takahiro," he reminded. "And I'd do anything to make him happy."

A moment of understanding passed between us and I found myself smiling. "Same," I whispered.

Silence flooded around us until I heard a quiet, "I'm sorry." I knew he meant it.

I didn't want to accept it just yet, so I asked, "When do we start my tutoring sessions?" It'd take a lot for me to fully trust this man, but he was my ticket to getting into that university and disease or no disease, I wanted to make my big brother proud. I just hoped that Usagi-san meant what he'd said about Haruhiko not really being a threat.

…

A/N: I feel like this chapter was slow but I addressed everything I needed to in terms of my storyboard. I want Haruhiko's character to be as weird as he was in the anime in terms of how he treats Misaki x1000 so expect him to be significantly in character lol I'm also not sure I want Misaki to be all freaked out every time Usagi-san kisses him like in the anime. It kind of annoys me when they have a cute moment and Misaki finds a way to say 'What are you doing?! We're both guys!' I can see if it's a starting relationship and he was new to it, but after all that time they spent together it didn't seem accurate.

I don't mind feedback, so if you have time and sat through this you're welcome to leave a review or hit a button. Favs and alerts never hurt anybody. Thanks to everyone who's read so far!

Reply to guest reviewer Mikoto13: Omg! Yaoi hands? It took me a minute to get what you meant and then I backtracked. Idk why every Yaoi anime I've seen so far has those yaoi hands for the seme, but they're all I see now! O.o Thanks! And thanks for reviewing all my stuff! You didn't have to do that! I've watched Love Stage recently! Love it! :)