by Delmire Hart
“Starting from tomorrow the order of the dates will be: Jian, Miyara, Hisato, then Riko. We have already contacted your families ahead of time to organise the dates. Now, please enjoy the rest of your evenings.”
Nikolai and Mori left the room leaving the last four contestants to themselves. Takumi looked down at his rose and smiled again, pleased beyond what he would have thought.
“He has no idea, does he?”
He looked up to see all three of his friends smiling fondly at him.
“Nope.” Riko bounced forward and linked arms with Takumi. “You're too precious, Taku-chan.”
All of them refused to explain what they meant as they dragged him back further into the mansion. He gave up even trying to ask after a while when the only response he received was a soft smile or a fit of giggles.
***
The next few days passed quickly. It was nice hanging out with people he considered friends with no malicious interruption. The girls mobbed him for another make up session while Jian was away with Mori although they spent most of that time making Takumi ‘pretty’. He managed to avoid being stuffed into heels this time thankfully. He spent the day after with Jian and Riko.
They went on a hike around the woodlands at the back of the mansion before returning early afternoon to give Takumi time to prepare a fancier meal for them all. Even Nikolai joined them for dinner that night.
But now it was time for Takumi's date with Mori and he just realised that the man would meet his parents. It hadn't quite registered with him before but now he dragged his feet a little. This was going to be so embarrassing, he was sure.
Or rather, his mother would embarrass him.
There was no way he would be able to go an entire day without her doing or saying something that would make him want sink through the floor. Not that it seemed intentional, her heart was in the right place, she just didn't seem to have any sense of shame.
He also had no idea what was planned, so he didn’t know what to brace himself for. Takumi had been looking forward to spending more time with Mori but now he seriously considered sneaking up to the roof to hide himself away. The only thing stopping him was the thought of leaving Mori alone with his parents. There was no telling what embarrassing stories his mother might delightedly recount for Mori without him there to do damage control.
Takumi loved his mother, he really did. But she needed to be less invested in his love life. He thought he escaped most of her meddling by coming out to them as gay seeing as it's hard to find other out gay men in straight laced Tokyo. Turns out she was down but not out on the meddling account, judging from the Bachelor application she submitted for him. It was made worse by the fact that he had gotten so far, being now in the final four. She would be so smug about this for a long time if he ends up dating Mori.
Dating Mori. He flushed bright red and groaned.
Now he was turning into a little school girl blushing over a crush.
Still… He did really like the man and it seemed to be mutual. Ignoring the pang of anxiousness over possibly not being chosen in a few days, Takumi took a deep breath to fortify himself. May as well get this over with.
Takumi walked down to the front of the mansion where he was supposed to meet Mori and sat heavily on the step in front of the large door. In his nervousness, he actually arrived early, the complete opposite to how it felt. If anything, he could have sworn he dragged his feet so much he was keeping the other man waiting.
He sat with his knees pulled up to his chest and his chin resting on top. He sat lost in thought until a hand ruffled through his hair and Takumi jumped out of his skin.
“Is everything okay?” Mori leaned down to peer at him in concern.
Takumi bounced to his feet, shaking off the hand and dusting off his clothing. “Ah, yes. Everything is fine.” Mori didn't look convinced, and he sighed before explaining, “I'm just a bit worried about today.”
The other man gestured him forward and placed a large hand on his back to guide him as they walked. “Is there something I need to know about your family? You talk about them a lot, you seem quite close.”
“It’s just that my mother is…” Takumi chewed on his lip in thought. “She's a bit embarrassing.”
Mori chuckled, warm and deep. “I'm sure it will be fine, Takumi.”
He wasn't so certain but pushed that from his mind and instead focused on the warmth of the hand seeping through the fabric of his t-shirt. Whatever happened today would be worth it at least.
Hopefully.
***
Takumi’s parents were not as bad as Mori feared upon seeing the young mans worried expression that morning but he definitely understood his apprehension. Nariko, as she insisted on being called, was bright, bubbly and had a little too much fun pulling blushes from her only son.
His parents approved of his choice of lunch, a quiet little picnic in a beautiful lush garden that was closed off just for the occasion. He apologised that the food was catered rather than lovingly prepared this time but he had been informed that it couldn't have been more perfect.
Takumi had been rather surprised by the choice until Mori mentioned that the story of the cooking together and the quiet, more enjoyable meal times had stuck with him. He was fairly certain Nariko had already given her approval of Mori just by virtue of submitting her son for the show but the enthusiasm over Mori's obvious attention to Takumi was still surprising. She constantly pushed them together and grinned at their little touches like she was watching a soap opera happen in real life.
“Now, do I get to know what happened with the shower incident earlier in the show or is that story not safe for a mother’s ears?” Takumi flushed bright red in mortification and Nariko carried on as though oblivious to her sons squirming discomfort. “But you know, I am aware about what happens behind closed doors. You did come from somewhere.”
Takumi groaned and covered his ears as his father shot him an apologetic look.
“Physical intimacy is a big part of a healthy relationship, you will run into trouble if you don't match up in that regard and can’t communicate about it properly. Being on the show with all the drama must build up a lot of stress too, so make sure to give yourself the time to let it all out. I hope you are properly taking care of my son as he has been doing for you, Mori.”
“Of course, he is in very good hands.” Mori couldn't help the smirk and his mother grinned at him, eyes twinkling with laughter as she carried on about how all the neighbours were betting on what had happened to get that kind of blush on Takumi's face.
He had the distinct impression that Nariko was teasing Takumi on purpose, ramping it up purely for her own amusement and that of the cameras. He had to admit, the blush was very cute on Takumi.
Once it was time to part ways, Takumi almost dragged Mori bodily away from his parents. By that time the blush was virtually a permanent fixture on his cheeks and he might have gotten a little too much enjoyment from watching the young man squirm under the rigorous attentions. Nariko had been avidly watching the show, and she had made a list of all the times it seemed as though the cameras just missed the action.
“Okay, so please tell me that's it for the parent part of the date?” Takumi asked desperately.
“Oh, you don't want another round of the safe sex talk and how it's ‘all part of a healthy relationship’?” Takumi groaned and Mori didn’t even try to hold back his grin. “They both seemed to care about you a great deal,” he continued on quietly, “As embarrassing as you found that, at least you still have both of them here.”
Large blue eyes looked up at him in sorrow. “That's right. I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me.” Takumi looked at him like a kicked puppy and Mori wrapped his arm around the young man’s waist. He hadn't meant to make him feel bad or get pity.
Somehow, he was relaxed enough to speak his mind with little prior thought to what he was saying. There were few he could say he relaxed that much around. Perhaps Nishimura had been right about the d
ifference a good partner made. Mori honestly didn't remember the last time he felt so carefree.
“But I do think you'll like our next activity.”
“Yeah?” Takumi quickly perked up at the change in topic.
“Mm. I believed I owed you skydiving after you changed our last date,” Mori replied, holding back a grin. He couldn’t wait to see the reaction he was about to get.
“SKYDIVING?!”
“That's right.”
Takumi whooped in delight and Mori had to admit that he would give a great deal more to see the young man positively radiate excitement like that. That was only reaffirmed when he was gifted with a hundred watt smile as though he was the entire world right at that moment.
Mori might be in a little deeper than he cared to admit.
Chapter Thirteen
Skydiving had been amazing. Neither of them had gone before so they each had an instructor to fly tandem with and Mori had attached a GoPro to Takumi's wrist in case he wanted to take some video. The man had thought of everything. Jumping out of a plane had been the most terrifying but exhilarating thing he had ever done; it pushed all of his adrenaline junkie buttons and he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.
He managed to get a video of Mori's matching grin before turning the video clumsily on himself to wave with a grin while they were in free fall. One of the camera crew from The Bachelor had jumped with them with another little GoPro camera and endeavoured to film the event but the poor man looked torn between absolute terror and enjoying the breathtaking view.
Takumi was still almost giddy with excitement once they touched back down to earth and could only breathlessly laugh; he was left completely speechless by the experience. Even Mori seemed a little lost for words as they exchanged adrenaline fuelled grins.
Unfortunately, once back out from the landing zone the cameras from the show once again mobbed them. It wasn't enough to bring Takumi down from his high and the good feelings were only spurred on by the large arm wrapped around his waist.
It wasn't until they had slipped back into the limo, sans cameras, that Takumi finally found his words and started rambling excitedly about the jump. He didn't even realise that he had crawled onto Mori's lap until his hands were stopped from their large gestures so that the other man could pull him in for a kiss. Warm lips moved against his own, grinding his thought process to a stop as he melted into the embrace and let Mori pull him closer.
“As much as I’m pleased that you enjoyed the skydiving, we've only got limited time without the cameras before we get to the restaurant and I'm rather keen to make full use of it.”
All Takumi got out was a breathy ‘oh’ before his lips were once again captured as the other man virtually devoured him. A hand palming at his pants made Takumi realise he was hard already, and he wondered if that was from the adrenaline from earlier. Had he been like that the entire time since jumping from the plane?
Mori was in a similar state however and quickly unzipped both their pants. He moved to mouth at Takumi's neck and the blonde didn't even try to restrain his small moans.
A warm hand wrapped around his length as soon as it sprang free from his underwear and Mori stroked them off together, quick and dirty. The rough friction from the dry hand sent pleasure lancing through his body and the sudden shift in gears from the jump to this had him reeling, barely capable of registering all the sensations. He pulled on Mori's hair to get the man to look at him before leaning in for a messy kiss.
It was too good, too quick, and it swept Takumi away far too soon. He whined as the other man kept stroking him well past his orgasm, he was so sensitive, but thankfully it didn't take Mori long to follow him and spill his release over his own hand.
They sat there for a few moments breathing heavily, both beyond words again. Feeling a little boneless but still not wanting to part just yet, Takumi leaned in for another lingering kiss. Lips and tongues moved together in a languid dance while they ignored the mess between them.
There was something a lot more intimate in this slower, less heated kiss than the ones prior. Takumi felt a pang at the thought that this might be the last time he gets held like this by Mori and he struggled to push the feeling away. The day wasn't over yet and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it with melancholy thoughts.
***
The date had been amazing even with the whole ‘meet the parents’ thing. Takumi lay stretched out on one couch, headphones in and playing on his hand-held gaming device. Jian sat reading on another couch with Nikolai, the Russian presenter, lying with his head in his lap. While Yume sprawled out on the floor in front of a low coffee table carefully painting her nails.
It was the kind of quiet peacefulness that was so hard to find. Forced away from their normal worries and now missing the bitchy contestants, they had all fallen into these nice, relaxed evenings. It didn't seem like it would be particularly exciting for the viewers but Nikolai only grinned when he had asked about that earlier. It seemed like there was still some things he was missing.
But he had his own worries beyond what the others were doing although if they happened to involve Mori then it probably should concern him. Annoyingly, any time he complained about Mori and the end of the competition, he would just receive a giggle or a pat on his head like he was a kid from his friends.
Riko had her full day date with Mori that day and Takumi didn't even realise they had finished until Mori himself was moving him so he could sit with Takumi's head in his lap. Takumi pulled out his headphones out and peered up at the other man with a small smile.
“Welcome home.”
Mori smiled down at him, one large hand stroking gently through his hair as he replied, “I'm home.”
A soft sigh sounded from across the room and Takumi turned to see Riko and Yume sitting leaning against each other, watching them with matching dreamy expressions.
“If anything ever happens between you two, I'd love to have Taku-chan as my housewife.”
Riko barked a laugh at Yume’s comment. “You're not exactly packing the right gear.”
Yume shrugged in return. “He’s still always welcome to stay. I can only dream of having someone look at me the way Taku-chan looks at Mori-san.”
“Or food,” Jian piped up and sent everyone chuckling as Takumi pouted, warmth flooding his cheeks. “But I'm sure Mori-san can deal with Takumi's ongoing love affair with food.”
“You have to still come over and keep helping me learn how to cook, Taku-chan! You make the tastiest food.”
“Yeah! Me too! We should have sleep overs!”
Takumi laughed as he promised that he would keep in touch with the girls even outside of the show. Feeling a little shy suddenly, he sat up more and looked over to Jian who watched them chatter with a slight smile. He caught Takumi's eye and raised an elegant eyebrow at his worried expression.
“Can… Can we keep in touch too?”
Jian looked genuinely surprised before smiling warmly back. “Of course. You are always welcome in Hong Kong as well.”
Takumi grinned as relief flooded through him. “I'm glad, I was worried that I might not get to keep in touch with all my new friends.”
The Chinese man paused at that before laughing out loud. “Friends, huh? That has a nice ring to it. You are something special, Takumi, to make friends with so many, so easily.” He turned to throw a look at Mori that was part threat, part promise. “You need to take good care of him or you'll have me to answer to.”
“What about me?” Nikolai whined and ended the staring contest before it even began. “Can I come visit you Jian? Or better yet, you can come visit me. I have lots of things to introduce you to.” The Russian waggled his eyes brows suggestively earning himself a long-suffering sigh from Jian.
“You should come for the sleep overs too, Jian-chan!”
The Chinese man threw up his hands in mock defeat. “Looks like I've gained more than I ever expected coming on this show.”
Takumi grinned at him, warm
and wide. “You're always welcome to come visit us here in Japan too.”
Jian’s face softened completely, and he suddenly looked much younger. “Thank you, Takumi.”
***
Takumi lay on the roof top once again deep in thought. Tomorrow was the day of reckoning. Mori would hand his one final rose to the person he would keep in his life going forward. As for the rest, they would be going back to their lives as before but a few friends richer. The other three were all excellent people that deserved happiness and it must be a hard decision for Mori to pick only one of them.
Surely there was nothing in their contract about cutting off contact after the show but it might be awkward for Mori to keep in touch with those that he had effectively dumped on national television.
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar figure climbing through the window and settling down beside him. Golden eyes caught the late afternoon light and almost seemed to glow.
“Are you okay? You've been up here for a while.”
“Yeah… It's just…” Takumi worried his lip in thought. “It's just everything will change tomorrow. No matter what happens, it's all going to be very different.”
“For the better though.” He turned to look at Mori in askance. “You have a number of new friends for a start.”
“That's true.”
“Do you regret coming on the show?”
Takumi shook his head. “I thought I would,” he admitted ruefully. “I really thought it would be a waste of time. Yet here we are, the day before the final. My mother is never going to let this go now.”
“It'll be worth it. I promise.”
“I'll hold you to that.”
Mori reached out his hand to caress along Takumi's cheek as he leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. It was soft and sweet, not chaste but not deep either. However, it held a promise that had Takumi's nerves tingling in anticipation.
“Why is it that every time you both go missing, I end up capturing you making out on the rooftop?” Watari’s voice called from the edge of the roof.