A/N: A thousand thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Glad you enjoyed it! :) Here's another tiny slice-of-life drabble. Happy readings!

VI.

Asami stared impatiently at his wristwatch. Kirishima had left over an hour ago, so from his calculations his assistant should had returned by now.

The downtown bar area wasn't that far away from his apartment after all, and Kirishima had taken the car… Unless, of course, Akihito's friend had given him the wrong directions over the phone.

Asami paused, thinking back at the infamous phone conversation.

Takato (he believed that was the kid's name), had unexpectedly called his cellphone number, using Akihito's own cellphone, asking Asami if there was any way he could go downtown to pick up his friend.

It turned out the two of them had met up earlier that night to have a couple of drinks, although Akihito for some reason had decided to make it a little bit more than a couple on his part.

If what Takato had related to Asami was true, which he suspected it was, then Akihito was dead drunk, completely incoherent, and practically unable to move.

Asami had had half a mind to tell that Takato fellow to just dump Akihito in an alley and let him sober up there all night. He was old enough to know better than to get himself hammered, but he suspected his friend wouldn't partake on the suggestion.

When Asami instead suggested that Takato took Akihito home with him for the night, the young man stammered, saying that his new wife would kill him if he'd show up at his doorstep with a drunken friend. It seemed that technically he'd sneaked out of the house so that he could meet up with Akihito that night, so he would surely be in deep trouble if his wife were to find out the truth.

Sighing tiredly, Asami eventually agreed to send someone to pick Akihito up, and so the task had fallen on Kirishima, who had agreed to it despite the late hour.

It took another full twenty minutes for the assistant to return though, and strangely enough Asami was able to hear Kirishima's voice on the building's hallway, long before he managed to ring the front door bell of the apartment.

The sight that greeted Asami as he opened the door made him sigh tiredly all over again.

Kirishima, who looked completely exhausted, was practically giving a piggy-back ride to Akihito seeing as the younger man seemed to had no control over his arms and legs anymore.

"My apologies for the delay, sir." Kirishima said to his boss, trying to sound as professional as the awkward situation he found himself in would allow. "Akihito-kun didn't want to leave the bar."

"...I see." Asami replied, eying the half-comatose cargo on his back. "How is he now?"

"He was very talkative until a few seconds ago, but it seems he's drifted off to sleep for the moment." The assistant said, lowering Akihito to the floor so that Asami could pick him up instead. "If that is all for the night, sir..."

"Yes, Kirishima. That is all. Sorry for the trouble." Asami retorted, noticing the relieved look on the other man's face.

They bid each other goodnight; Kirishima quickly disappearing down the building's hallway even before his boss closed the door to his apartment.

Now finally alone with the younger man, Asami stared for a few seconds at Akihito's sleeping face, wanting to feel mad at him, but instead just finding the situation oddly amusing. He should have known by now there was no remedy for Akihito's bratty behavior…

He shifted the youngster's body against his own, putting one of Akihito's arms over his shoulder, so that it would be easier to carry him, but the action ended up jerking the young man awake.

Dazed and drunk as he was, it didn't stop Akihito from yelping as soon as he laid eyes on the other man, his body automatically escaping his hold and jumping backwards so that his back ended up hitting a wall.

"Watch it, you idiot." Asami warned, noticing Akihito wincing in pain.

The young man looked around bewildered, seemingly not recognizing his surroundings. "W-Where am I? How did I get here?"

Asami frowned, trying his best to remain calm. From the way Akihito was dragging his voice, it was obvious his drunkenness was pretty heavy.

"Kirishima brought you back to my apartment. He went to pick you up at the bar you were drinking at with your friend...You don't remember?"

It was clear from Akihito's confused look that he didn't remember much about the entire night, let alone the last hour or so.

"Kirishima-san?..." Akihito mumbled. "Oh, yeah, yeah...I remember him... I told Kirishima-san not to bring me back here, damn it. I don't want to see him tonight."

"What?"

"Nothing… I didn't say anything." Akihito retorted, starting to move along the apartment's main hall.

He didn't manage to walk far though, soon tripping on his wobbly legs and nearly hitting the floor face first had it not been for Asami's quick reflexes in grabbing him by the waist before any damage was done.

Not that the younger man was able to recognize the heroic gesture, as he soon started fighting against Asami's hold, trying to push the older man back away from him with his hands.

Of course his meager attempts failed miserably, and he was reduced to verbal complains, once Asami finally lost his patience and picked him up on his arms, carrying him in the direction of the master bathroom.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Akihito asked, as soon as Asami put him down on the edge of the tub.

"Getting a shower ready for you." The older man retorted unamused, turning on the water. "You're not planning to go to sleep in that state, are you?... Besides, you reek of sake." He added, hearing Akihito snicker in reply.

"So? What is it to you?"

"Shut up and take your clothes off, you brat. The water's ready." The older man said over his shoulder, failing to see Akihito pulling his tongue out on him.

Asami only turned around when he failed to sense any movement behind him. When he did, he found Akihito still sitting on the edge of the tub, his hands curled around the hem of his t-shirt, a light tint of red staining his cheeks.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked.

"Leave the bathroom already." Akihito said, as the tint on his cheeks turned redder.

"What? Isn't it a little bit too late in the game to feel shy around me? Just take your damned clothes off and get in the shower."

"I'm trying..."

"What?" Asami asked, confused by his answer.

"I said, I'm trying!" Akihito repeated, blushing even further. "My hands aren't doing what I'm telling them to do." He added, awkwardly pulling on his t-shirt.

It took Asami a couple of seconds to realize what he meant, but as soon as he did he had to make an effort not to grin. The brat was really in a bad shape, though Asami figured tonight would probably teach him a valuable lesson about not drinking more than he could handle.

"Here, let me help you." He said, easily pulling Akihito's t-shirt over his head.

And before the young man could do anything about it, he found himself standing up in front of Asami and very quickly being rid of his jeans.

He was still in time to stop Asami from removing his boxer shorts though, quickly placing his hands above the other man's before the latter had the chance to pull them down.

"H-Hey, leave them on ok. I'll take them off once I get into the shower."

Asami still frowned at him, but quickly pushed him towards the shower, sliding the doors closed as soon as the youngster stepped in it.

The second the water hit Akihito's body, he yelped.

"Crap! The water's freezing!"

"Good! It will sober you up more quickly." Asami retorted from outside the shower, immediately hearing Akihito cursing under his breath in reply.

"What's up with you today anyway? It's not like you to get this drunk."

"...It's nothing." Akihito replied only a while later, making Asami think that that was the only thing that he was going to get out of the younger man on the subject.

It didn't end up being the case though.

"I saw him again..." Akihito mumbled eventually; his voice slightly muffled by the sound of the running water.

"Saw who?"

"Asami, you idiot."

"Huh! ?...Akihito, are you feeling alright?" Asami asked from across the shower's doors, suddenly worried about the young man's sanity. It turned out the brat was a lot drunker than he'd thought.

Not that Akihito seemed to care...

"I saw Asami again today talking to that guy..." He continued as if he was talking to someone else.

"What guy? !"

"That Sudou guy...And he was crying all over Asami's shoulder... again. The leech!"

"...Where? Where did you see us...I mean, them?"

"…Outside that new fancy sushi restaurant downtown." Akihito continued bitterly. "I was there investigating a case. Asami came out of the restaurant and Sudou followed right after...crying... He told me he had meetings all day... Instead he jumped into his limo with that Sudou guy... Bastard Asami!"

"...Is that why you got yourself drunk tonight? Because of what you saw?"

"..."

"Akihito?" Asami called out again, unable to see inside the shower due to the steam from the hot water that Akihito had turned on in the meantime.

"...I'm an idiot." Akihito's broken voice reached him a couple of seconds later. "Why do I even care what that stupid jerk does?"

By then Asami had already slid the shower's doors open, finding Akihito smacked in the middle of it, unable to move as the water continued to drench him from the shower head above.

"...Why doesn't the stupid bastard realize that I like him?" Akihito said quietly.

He was so out of himself at that moment that he didn't even put up a fight when Asami stretched his arm and pulled him close towards him.

"I do know, you brat." The older man said, as Akihito's head rested on his shoulder and he drifted off to sleep again.

The following morning, Akihito woke up feeling rather strange. He didn't know though if it was all due to the massive migraine weighing down on his head, courtesy of his excessive consumption of alcohol the night before. He had an odd suspicion that it wasn't.

Making a gigantic effort to open his eyes, Akihito forced himself to roll to his side in bed, only to bump into something large and hard in the process.

"'Morning!" He heard a familiar voice greet.

It turned out he'd bumped against none other than Asami, which immediately rose more than a few questions in Akihito's foggy mind.

"Huh...What are you doing in my room?" He asked, noticing the groggy tone of his voice.

"Your room? !" Asami asked back, raising an eyebrow at Akihito, as the youngster began to scan his surroundings.

"W-What am I doing in your bedroom?" Akihito enquired next, sitting up in bed only to discover that he was butt naked under the sheets.

Asami was quick to read the sudden alarm in his eyes, putting him at ease. "Relax... I didn't touch you." He said, just before he got himself out of bed.

The younger man figured that that had been the case, seeing as Asami had his pajamas pants on. He knew the other man didn't normally bother putting back on any clothes after they had sex after all, but that didn't explain everything...

"W-Why am I naked then?"

"Well I tried putting some clothes on you after you took a shower, but you just wouldn't let me."

"...I took a shower? When? !" Akihito asked, his bewilderment making Asami chuckle unexpectedly.

"You don't remember much about last night, do you?"

The young man scratched his head, making an effort to do so. "I remember going out for drinks with Takato... But I can't remember why... Hey, did Kirishima-san go pick me up at the bar?...Oh damn, I got drunk, didn't I?"

"Don't think too much about it." Asami said from inside his walk-in closet. "You weren't half as obnoxious as I feared you'd be." He added, failing to see Akihito rolling his eyes at his last comment.

"Hey, but how come I ended up sleeping in your bed anyway?"

"I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I told you were the one who asked to..."

"Yeah, as if!" Akihito retorted, letting himself fall back down on Asami's comfortable pillows. But wait! Could it in fact be the case that he had really asked to sleep in the other man's bed? Akihito couldn't seem to remember anything about the previous night, but knowing how ridiculously clingy and needy he could get while hammered, the possibility wasn't at all farfetched.

He was pretty sure his face had already turned crimson by the time the older man returned to the room, though as soon as he laid his eyes back on Asami something else distracted his thoughts.

"You're getting dressed already?" Akihito noted surprised, seeing Asami stopping in front of the largest mirror in the room to put his tie on.

"Yeah, I have some urgent business I have to take care of at Dracaena."

No sooner than the club's name left his mouth, than a cloud suddenly lift up from Akihito's brain. In a fraction of a second, he recalled stumbling upon Asami's secretive encounter with Dracaena's manager the night before and the booze fest the event had provoked on him.

"W-What kind of urgent business?" Akihito asked, trying to sound casual.

He noticed how Asami remained silent for a few seconds before answering, his eyes searching Akihito's thru his reflection in the mirror.

"I need to find a new manager for the club." Asami confessed. "I fired the previous one yesterday."

"You fired Sudou! ?"

"It's been a long time coming. Not that he took it very well." Asami snickered. "Then again, he was always a crybaby."

"You fired Sudou..." Akihito found himself repeating quietly.

So the night before, when he'd seen the man crying on Asami's shoulder, he'd probably just found out he'd been sacked.

The young man recalled how jealous he'd felt while witnessing the scene, thinking at the time it meant a whole different scenario and suddenly felt a pang of worry.

"H-Hey Asami..." He started, as the older man put on his suit's jacket preparing to leave. "I... I didn't say anything weird to you last night,...did I?"

The other man turned around to look at him, sporting a curious look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Y-You know...I was drunk. Did I babble something I shouldn't have?"

By then Asami had approached Akihito's side of the bed, but it took him longer than expected to answer the youngster's question.

He stood staring at Akihito in silence for more than a few seconds, until a ghost of a grin appeared on his lips.

"Don't worry." He said, ruffling Akihito's hair. "You didn't say anything I didn't already know."

"Hey, what's with that grin all of a sudden? W-What did I say yesterday?"

Asami didn't reply this time around though, picking up his briefcase and walking out of the room without another word; just the same suspicious grin on his face.

"Hey! Hey, Asami!" Akihito insisted.

"Go back to sleep. It's still early." Was the only reply that reached the young man, as Asami walked down the hall.

It wasn't long before Akihito heard the sound of the apartment's front door opening and closing, signaling that he'd been left alone.

He soon slumped back down on the pillows, as an odd feeling crept to the pit of his stomach. "What the hell did I tell him last night?..."

...Akihito had a strange dream that morning after he'd fallen asleep again.

He dreamt he had finally confessed his feelings to Asami, in the bathroom of all places (!), and with the shower running in the background.

But the weirdest, most unexpected part of the dream didn't end up being his confession.

The strangest part was that Asami confessed his own feelings for him right back...