Despite the naturally bitter cold of the air and the looming clouds hovering in the winter sky, Kazuhiko felt as if spring had arrived and the sun was beaming in the heavens especially for him. After another night in his bed, though this time it was just sharing the warmth of each other's body, he had shared a rather quiet breakfast with Jun, whom he didn't let speak any more of their passionate night. He didn't want to hear excuses of how both he and Jun had been swept away by the omega's heat so it should mean nothing more. He didn't know how Jun felt of it, but to him it meant so much more. Jun's body accepted him, even if Jun, himself, did not quite yet. Jun had tried to suggest he would be more comfortable sleeping on the sofa or in Kei's small single bed, leaving the double to Kazuhiko. In the end, Kazuhiko had overruled him, trapped him in his arms and made him understand that he wished for them to sleep together. "Don't worry," Kazuhiko has reassured him, "I won't do more than this." He'd stolen a kiss before leaving reluctantly the next day, Jun flushing red and slapping his arm, before apologising for his sudden outburst. And just to let Jun know how he felt about it, he'd kissed him again. He hadn't wanted to return to reality, but he had to return to his small son, just as Jun had to welcome Keiichi home. He knew Jun did not want their son yet jumping to conclusions, for what small child wouldn't secretly hope that their parents could live together beneath one roof? With a beaming smile upon his face, he had entered the front door to be greeted by a man who worked for the Fumiko's. "The Sir and Madam wish to speak with you on your return." Kazuhiko gave him a swift nod of agreement, but first headed for his own rooms, or most significantly; the nursery. Little Kou was not there and neither was the nanny. With a slight frown marring his face and good mood, he made his way to his parents part of the property. His mother, father and son were all in the garden room; his son currently being entertained by the older man. "Well, finally," Madam Fumiko said without greeting. "Just where exactly have you been? You can't simply disappear, you do have responsibilities, Kazuhiko!" Kou squealed excitedly and began a shuffling crawl to his surprised and delighted daddy. Kazuhiko kneeled down, his large grin having returned to his face. "Amazing! You did it! What a big boy!" He scooped the baby into his arms, who laughed and squealed again, bouncing up and down excitedly. A laugh rose in Kazuhiko's throat over his son's antics. "My son," the arm belonging to his own old man slapped down over his shoulders, "you could have just told us you had your eye on someone else, we wouldn't have pressured you into meeting that young girl!" Kazuhiko felt his blood run to ice and cautiously framed his next words; "What do you mean?" Had they already found out about Jun? And then what about Kei? But there were no words of recrimination... "I don't approve!" Madam Fumiko crossed her arms about her chest. "Perhaps if it had been the sister, she is at least refined and has a good temperament, but Michelle is an unfilial and difficult child." "Michelle...?" Kazuhiko frowned, trying to figuring out just what his mother was on about, before inwardly groaning. Had their sympathetic response to each other's predicament be misinterpreted by other parties? Recalling the look on the woman's face, he could well believe this to be true. "Mother, there is nothing between Michelle and I. She has someone in her heart." However, he gained the impression that his words simply entered his mother's ear before sliding out her other. "All day yesterday," she continued and from the eye roll his father produced, he felt he could interpretate this as an exaggeration, "phone calls from important acquaintances asking me about the situation. Not to mention, Mrs Yoshinaga requesting that we meet to discuss an official omiai between yourself and her wayward daughter. And if that was not enough, Shizue Hoashi also calling to clarify as she thought that due to your interactions with young Kurea, you had changed your perspective." "Mother, stop," Kazuhiko raised his voice above her's. "Please listen. I will not have an omiai with Michelle. We are both not interested in each other in that light. Dammit, we met for the first time, yesterday and simply had a quick conversation. Nothing more!" "Then why did you both disappear before the party's end?" Madam Fumiko demanded to know. "Such frivolous activities will cause talk, not to mention ruin your reputation. Well, that girl's is beyond repair already..." "Mother!" Kazuhiko yelled, his earlier happiness squashed. "I have no idea why or when Michelle left. I didn't speak to her after that one time, where her own mother forced her to approach me. I left after listening to Kurea play the koto for her guests, feeling that my obligations were finished. I then went and met with Rishu for a drink!" Kazuhiko slid the lie in without remorse, though made a mental note to text Rishu the moment he escaped here. "We stayed up late and drank too much, so I stayed at his recovering, not able to drive. I apologise for not contacting you, I didn't think it would be such a major issue." "But son," Yoshimune interjected, "you should consider Kou, next time." "Yes, dad, you are right," Kazuhiko agreed. This had been his one mistake. "However, he was in safe hands, the nanny..." "That girl resigned and took the rest of her accumulated leave," Madam Fumiko mentioned, suddenly. "What?" Kazuhiko was stunned. The girl hadn't indicated that she was unhappy with her work or pay, in fact, the Fumiko's paid her handsomely just due to Kou's gender. Not that he was different to any other baby, but prejudice was ingrained in society, no matter how one might wish otherwise. "Why did I not know?" "We tried to contact you," his father mentioned. "But your phone was off." Kazuhiko pulled said phone from his pocket. It was out of charge. In the bliss found within Jun's arms, it hadn't even occurred to him that it would be. "Ah sorry." "That must have been one hangover!" His old man chortled. "Yoshimune, don't encourage him!" Madam Fumiko complained. ***** Elsewhere, Jun, who had been infrequently blushing throughout the morning and wondering over the meanings of hugs and stolen kisses, was also being interrogated. Due to his son's sensitive and cognitive awareness however, Eiko was proceeding with much subtler steps. "So, when Kei mentioned a certain man the other day," she was saying as she nursed the warm tea freshly poured and placed in front of her, "was he speaking of his actual relative?" Kei was happily distracted by the television, his favourite show was on and he was attempting to tell the clearly uninterested baby beside him all about it. Eiko's eyes softened without thought when she glanced down on her chubby son. His serious little expression was just the image of her husband, when he was concentrating on work. As they spoke, Hideaki was likely up to his elbows in paperwork in his office at the small accountancy firm. Jun knew who she was speaking of, how could he not. He had anticipated having this conversation since he had text her to let her know his heat had broken. "En," he finally offered in affirmation. "Seriously?!" Eiko blurted out, her eyes widening. Of course, she didn't think that Jun would have claimed any other man to be Kei's father, not to mention the fact that he could never provide Kei with a step-father even then. She took a deep breath. "I don't know whether to be happy for you or wish to murder him for treating you the way he did. So he knows..." she glanced over at Kei. "He knows," Jun agreed. "I assume he didn't run for the hills, considering Kei spoke fondly of him," Eiko sighed and took a tip of the tea. "No, no running," Jun replied. "He thanked me and asked if he could come and meet him." "How long?" "About a month or so," Jun told her. "He's very good to Kei and even to me." Jun began to blush thinking that was not all that Kazuhiko been to him. "So he should!" Eiko said, shortly. "I think that he has a lot to make up for. Especially..." she tapped her neck as she said this, "and then walking away from taking responsibility!" "I don't blame him though," Jun smiled, amicably. "There were circumstances, which I can understand, even if I don't like them." "You are too nice for your own good," Eiko places her hand upon her friend's, squeezing it gently. "Well, I suppose this explains why your heat was so violent, when you claimed it wasn't normally so." "What do you mean?" Jun asked. Eiko didn't say anything for a minute, just sipped at the hot beverage. "Even though... even though Hideaki and I are a fated pair, that didn't mean it was smooth sailing for us. I even left him for six months, thinking that it was for the best. Naturally, I experienced heats in that time. And then he tracked me down and begged me to stay with him, that he chose me and he could not live without me. My will to stay away from him crumbled to dust and then, not long after, my next heat came. It was... I don't have the words for it!" She laughed and turned red. "Let's just say, I think you experienced what you did as your body recognised that your Alpha was back in your life. I bet if he had show up during that time, you would have found yourself under him in the next heartbeat!" She couldn't fail to notice just how red Jun became after she spoke those words.