Disclaimer: I don't own Junjou Romantica… and Kise Ryouta (he won't be appearing in this fic but his name will be mentioned.)

Correction: In Chapter 6, I wrote that it was the start of summer. I forgot that summer in Japan starts in June and not March. It should be spring. Sorry. Our country has a weird climate. Summer in here starts in March.

Beta-ed by wasabi cake, 7 November 2013.

To Fall Chapter 2

Akihiko woke up to the sound of his digital alarm clock. He lazily opened his eyes to look at the device. It displayed 7:00 a.m. He groaned when his eyes zoned in on the upper left corner of the digital display. It was a Saturday. With as much force as he can muster, he slammed his fist on the button, effectively stopping the beeping. It was his first decent rest of the week and he really wanted to savor every minute with sleeping. He hugged his pillow tight, set on sleeping once more, when he realized why he had set the alarm.

"You did a really great job at the demo so let's celebrate tomorrow." That's what he had told Misaki the day before. Green eyes had lit up in glee. "Where do you want to go?"

"Is it… really… okay?" Misaki had asked shyly. He had assured him that it was and that he had not gone out of the house as of late "Plus it would be a good break to spend the weekend outside."

"Let's go Sakura viewing together." The teen timidly answered. So, although he really wanted to hog his bed the whole day, he forced himself to wake up. He did not care to put a shirt on as he walked out of the room. His primary goal was to get to the kitchen to feed on caffeine. It was his only solution to wake himself up.

He could already smell the scent of freshly brewed coffee as he approached the kitchen. He could not help but smile as he caught sight of his ward preparing breakfast. The teen was wearing a green apron.

"Good morning, Misaki."

Misaki beamed as he continued to mince the onion leaves. "Good morning, Usami-san!"

He proceeded to prepare his coffee. "What's for breakfast?" He asked as he poured the coffee into his mug. He watched as the steam rose then vanish into thin air.

"Just scrambled eggs and hotdogs. I didn't have time to prepare something else." The boy sounded apologetic.

Akihiko ruffled the teen's brown locks. "It's okay. I know you're preparing for the picnic. You should've waked me up so I could have helped you."

"It's okay, Usami-san. I know you needed rest."

Akihiko blew the steam off then took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee. He savored the liquid's rich taste and felt the caffeine kicking in. The corner of his lips curved up a little when Misaki started to hum. It was a little off tuned, but, Misaki's soft voice made up for it. He turned to watch the teen knead an onigiri. It was a wonder how Misaki moved so smooth and confident when he was in the kitchen. It was so different from the shy and timid teen he knew.

His internal musings were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. The name of his editor was flashing on the screen. He walked to the living room before pressing the answer button.

"Good morning, Sensei!" Aikawa greeted. "I hope you haven't forgotten our meeting at 10:00 a.m.?"

"I haven't." He briefly answered while cursing internally. He did forget.

"Good! See you at the meeting." There was a soft click then a beeping tone.

He heaved a sigh as he walked over to the kitchen. Misaki was kneading another onigiri.

"Misaki." The teen looked up at him, tilting his head a bit in inquiry. "I forgot I have a meeting at 10:00 a.m. Let's just meet at the park at 12:00. Is that okay with you?"

Misaki smiled then nodded. Akihiko stood there for a while, not sure whether he still had anything else to say. There was nothing he could think of, but, for some reason, he was reluctant to leave. The teen just stared at him, patiently waiting for his next words.

"I…" What was he about to say? "I'll see you later then." Without waiting for a response, he went straight to the bathroom to take a bath.

xxx

Two hours. It had already been two hours and there was not much progress. They were talking about the upcoming movie adaptation of one of Akihiko's novels. The debate on which actor will play the lead male role was ongoing. It did not help that Akihiko was not giving much of an input.

"Sensei," Aikawa whispered. "You haven't been paying attention."

"What time will we be finished?" he asked, ignoring Aikawa's comment.

"We won't be done any time soon if you don't give a single opinion on the matter."

He checked his phone and cursed when he saw that it was already 12:00 p.m. "I'll just make a call, okay?" He stood up despite Aikawa's protests. He dialed Misaki's number upon exiting the conference room. He waited impatiently as the phone rang. It rang several times until the call was directed to a voice mail.

"Hello, this is Takahashi Misaki. I can't answer the phone at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep."

Akihiko raised his brow. What could Misaki be doing? Left without a choice, he spoke, "Misaki, this is Akihiko. I'll be late. I'll send you a message once the meeting's over."

When he came back to the conference room, they were still debating on the same subject. He sat beside Aikawa, crossed his arm then spoke, "How about Ryouta Kise?"

All eyes were on him. "The model?" Isaka inquired, amusement lacing his voice. It was rare for Akihiko to give his input on meetings. He usually just agrees, except when there was something to be changed on his novel.

"I think he'll be perfect for the lead role."

"We can't argue with that." Isaka said with finality. "Author's opinion on the lead role is important."

They moved on to the next topic as if no debate had ever happened. All the while, Akihiko had been checking on his phone to see whether there was any message from his ward. He was a bit disappointed to see none. From time to time, he would excuse himself to call the teen, but none of his calls had been answered. He even tried to call their home phone, but still no one answered.

It was almost 2:00 in the afternoon when the meeting was adjourned. Akihiko almost dashed to his car and sped to the park, guessing that Misaki must have already gone ahead to their meeting place.

The park was already full of people – most of them were families, lovers or friends enjoying the view of cherry blossoms. Akihiko searched for a particular brunet. He spotted him sitting under a Sakura tree, a picnic blanket spread before him. The teen had chosen a good spot as that part of the park was relatively unoccupied. It was only when Akihiko came near that he noticed that the teen was sleeping.

Misaki was leaning on the tree, slumbering peacefully. The wind blew softly, making his soft, rich brown locks sway a little. A few strands fell on his face. Akihiko knelt down in front of him and gently pushed the strands away. The brunet stirred then slowly opened his eyes, revealing the breathtaking sight of lush green eyes.

"Hey." Akihiko greeted, a warm smile spread o his face. Misaki blinked a few times, yawned and stretched.

"Usami-san," Misaki's voice was hoarse.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Misaki opened his mouth, as if to say something, but his stomach beat him to it when it growled. A blush crept onto his face while Akihiko laughed. "It was your fault I haven't had lunch yet!" He huffed in defense.

Akihiko ruffled the teen's hair. "I'm sorry. I've been calling you but you weren't answering."

"Ah, I forgot my phone." Misaki scratched the back of his head, looking apologetic.

"Idiot. You should have gone home when you realized that you left your phone. What if things like this happened again? I won't be able to contact you. I was worried the whole time I was at the meeting."

The teen looked down, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Usami-san. I just thought that if I went back home to get my phone, we might miss each other."

"It's okay." Akihiko stood up and he held out his hand. When Misaki took it, he felt something oddly warm and comfortable. He briefly wondered how Misaki's hand was small as compared to his. It was calloused, a sign of hard work.

"Usami-san." Akihiko looked up from their entwined hands. "You can let go now."

"Oh…" Akihiko reluctantly let go of the teen's hand then sat himself on the picnic blanket, all the while wishing that Misaki will not notice the slight blush that had crept on his face.

xxx

Ryuuichiro Isaka lazily walked through the halls of Marukawa. It was the start of the weekend but he still had so much paper works to do. He stopped in front of his office then turned the knob, not really expecting the person waiting for him. He smirked as he greeted, "Good afternoon, Haruhiko!"

"Isaka," Haruhiko muttered in acknowledgement.

"Are you here to invite me to dinner?" He playfully patted his childhood friend on the shoulder.

"You know exactly why I'm here."

"Tch… Serious as ever." He walked around his office table and made himself comfortable on his swivel chair. "Don't worry." He rested his chin on his palm. "You'll meet him soon. I've already worked on the plan."

xxx

"You sure eat a lot for someone so small." Akihiko commented as Misaki finished his third onigiri. The teen almost choked as he tried to answer his guardian. Akihiko quickly handed him bottled water which he gulped without grace. "Don't talk when your mouth is full." Akihiko admonished as he patted the teen's back.

"I need food to grow, you know." Misaki pouted which Akihiko found utterly adorable.

"Oh that's cute." He teased which earned him a glare.

"I'm not cute. I'm already fourteen… and a guy."

Akihiko laughed. "Oh yeah… and grownups pout." He laughed even more when the teen laughed indignantly then continued eating.

It was rare for him to see this side of Misaki. The teen was usually silent around him. It was comforting to know that his ward was slowly opening up to him.

After lunch, they both sat in silence, admiring the beauty of the pink blossoms. Cold breeze blew from time to time. The endless chatter of people could be heard from a good distance.

"Usami-san," Misaki's voice was soft, almost like he was unsure whether to disturb him on his musings. Akihiko turned to look at the teen. He "hummed", encouraging Misaki to go on. "Do you enjoy Sakura viewing?"

"It's a nice experience." He looked ahead then continued. "This is actually my first time to sit on a park and enjoy the view."

"Eh? You mean…" Misaki's brows furrowed. "You don't do it with your family?"

Akihiko shook his head. "My family never had time for things like this."

"I-I'm sorry…" It was barely audible, but Akihiko did not miss what the teen had said.

"Don't be." He ruffled the teen's hair to assure him that he was fine.

"From…" Misaki stared up at him like he had decided on something important. "From now on we'll go Sakura viewing every year! To make up for the years that Usami-san had not experienced Sakura viewing!"

Akihiko's eyes widened at the teen's declaration before a genuine smile spread on his face. His heart swelled with warmth he never knew he could feel. He could barely believe that the teen in front of him could make him so happy with a simple declaration.

The wind blew softly, filling his senses with a sweet, sweet smell. Cherry blossoms fell one by one around them. Misaki's eyes never looked so vibrant than that moment. Time seemed to stop for Akihiko as he stared at those green, green eyes. Before he could think logically, he hunched forward to the teen. He closed the gap between their lips and a kiss so, so soft and sweet was shared between them.

Akihiko could faintly smell the scent of lemons, grapefruits and cherry blossoms as he melted into the kiss. He could feel his heart beating so hard and fast for the first time in his life.

-end of Chapter 19-

I know this is short. I'm sorry. I'm trying to slowly build their relationship. And, I write slow. I know. Their first date should have been fishing… but… I don't know what happened. I hope you liked this though.

Thank you for the beautiful reviews. You people are sooooo nice! And understanding so thank you from the bottom of my heart.