FIC: Summer Vacation III: Honeymoon in Japan, Part 1 of 9

[geri_chan]

Continuing with the reposting of my Always series. This is the last one that hasn't previously been posted on my journal.

Title: Summer Vacation III: Honeymoon in Japan, Part 1 of 9
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairing: Aric/Takeshi, Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~7,740
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU; this is a continuation of the Always series, but the main focus is on Aric and Takeshi, and Snape and Lupin appear mainly as supporting characters.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, and Ash's Story. Although it's not so much a sequel to the latter two stories as it is a companion piece. The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III all begin at around the same time, a couple of days after the ending of Aftermaths, and pretty much run concurrently.
Summary: Aric and Takeshi make plans for the summer and run a few errands in Diagon Alley (and also enjoy a shower together ^_^).

***

"Ah...ah...Aric...oh," Takeshi gasped, bracing himself with his palms against the wet tile of the shower wall.

Aric growled, delighting in the little wordless gasps and moans that escaped his lover's lips as Aric thrust up and into his mate's body. Takeshi looked beautiful with rivulets of water sliding down his smooth, pale skin, and strands of wet black hair plastered to his face, which was flushed with pleasure, his eyes half-closed and his lips parted as he continued to moan.

"Make those kitten noises for me, 'Keshi," Aric growled softly into his lover's ear. "I love it when you do that."

"Wha...what?" Takeshi gasped, and turned his head slightly to stare in confusion at Aric, his brown eyes glazed with lust.

"Here, let me help you remember," Aric whispered, slowing down the pace of his thrusts despite Takeshi's moan of protest. He began moving with a slow, deliberate tenderness, and gently pressed his lips against the nape of Takeshi's neck; Takeshi sighed softly, a faint tremor running through his body. Aric reached up with one hand to caress Takeshi's chest; the other remained braced on Takeshi's hip. He caught a nipple between thumb and forefinger and gently tweaked it while he simultaneously angled his thrusts to hit just the right spot. They had only been lovers for a couple of days, but Aric's inner wolf seemed to instinctively know how best to please his mate. Or maybe it was the fact that they had spent nearly all of yesterday in bed, leisurely exploring each other's bodies. Whatever the reason, Aric smiled with satisfaction when he was rewarded with a soft little mewl of pleasure.

"Yes," Aric whispered. "That's exactly what I mean." Takeshi continued mewling as Aric moved slowly inside him, but the sound enflamed Aric so much that he could not hold to that pace for long, and began pounding into his mate hard and fast as he lost control of himself and let the wolf take over. Soon Takeshi was crying out frantically instead of mewling, but Aric didn't mind; that excited him too, to hear his mate lose control. Aric let his hand slide down Takeshi's chest and between his legs, and by the end, Takeshi was shouting something that sounded like, "Moh-toh, moh-toh!" Aric snarled and bit down hard on the back of Takeshi's neck, and he felt his mate come in his hand, and a moment later Aric was howling as he came inside his mate's convulsing body.

When their bodies had finally stopped trembling, they rinsed off, then stepped out of the shower and toweled themselves dry. "You do realize," Takeshi sighed, "that we haven't yet managed to take a shower or a bath without it leading to sex?"

Aric leaned over to nuzzle his mate's neck. "And is there something wrong with that?" he asked with a grin.

"Not in and of itself," Takeshi laughed. "But it might be a problem if we're in a rush, say, to get ready for work. And it means that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to take you to a public bath when we go to Japan."

"Public bath?" Aric asked, puzzled.

"I thought that we might visit an onsen ryokan, an inn with natural hot springs baths," Takeshi replied. "Japan is famous for them. The minerals in the water are very good for your health."

"Let me get this straight," Aric said incredulously. "You want to travel to Japan just to take a bath?"

"Not just any bath," Takeshi said indignantly. "A natural hot springs--"

"Yes, yes, with healthy minerals," Aric laughed. He had never met anyone who enjoyed taking a bath as much as Takeshi seemed to. Not that Aric was complaining, since it gave him plenty of chances to hop into the tub or shower with a naked Takeshi.

"At a comfortable inn with delicious food," Takeshi continued.

"It sounds very nice," Aric said placatingly.

Takeshi tried to glare at him, but his lips twitched upwards slightly. "It is, but unfortunately, it would be a rather large breach of etiquette to have sex inside the baths, particularly the public ones."

"I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable bathing in front of other people, anyway," Aric confessed.

"And here I thought that you Slytherins were so jaded," Takeshi teased. "But really, there's nothing prurient about it. A bath is for--"

"Relaxation, I know," Aric said, wrapping his arms around his lover. "But to be honest, I don't like the idea of other people looking at your naked body." He growled and nipped at Takeshi's neck, and let his hands roam across Takeshi's body.

"Now, now, none of that, my wolf," Takeshi scolded, playfully slapping Aric's hands away. "We have a busy day ahead of us."

Aric sighed regretfully and released him. "So what's on the agenda today?" he asked as they got dressed.

"We have a meeting with Healer Smethwyck this morning," Takeshi said. "Then we meet Ash at Madam Malkin's, and we're supposed to have dinner with my parents tonight."

Aric repressed another sigh. He was still nervous about "dinner with the in-laws," as he had come to think of it, although technically, he and Takeshi weren't married. Takeshi assured Aric that his parents were eager to meet him, and they had certainly seemed nice enough when he had met them at Lukas's wedding. Still, it was a bit awkward, having dinner with your male lover's parents; such things just weren't done among the purebloods.

But Aric reminded himself that he was no longer a pureblood; he was a werewolf. And he didn't regret it for an instant, not if it meant that he could be with Takeshi. So despite his nervousness, he smiled as he followed Takeshi back to the bedroom and watched him cast a quick charm to dry out his waist-length hair (which would probably have taken hours to dry normally). He loved seeing Takeshi's hair loose and unbound, and he loved that Takeshi only unbraided it in private for him. It created a sense of intimacy between them somehow, and the possessive, wolfish part of him didn't want to share the full glory of his mate's beauty with anyone else. Takeshi claimed that the glasses and the braid he wore in public were merely a matter of practicality, but Aric still thought that they were a disguise to make him seem more normal and hide his supernatural beauty.

Takeshi picked up a wide-toothed comb and began running it through his hair. Aric watched him for a couple of minutes, entranced by the sight of his mate combing out his beautiful long hair. But soon his fingers itched to touch that hair himself, and Aric asked eagerly, "Can I do that for you?"

"Of course," Takeshi replied with a smile, and handed him the comb. It was made of dark, lacquered wood and inlaid with a feather design made of mother-of-pearl. It was quite lovely, more of a work of art than a simple tool, but still not as lovely as Takeshi himself. Aric very slowly and carefully ran the comb through Takeshi's hair, not wanting to snag it painfully on any tangles, but he noticed that it slid smoothly through the hair without any resistance.

"Is that a crane thing?" Aric asked curiously. "That your hair doesn't seem to get tangled, I mean. The girls at Durmstrang and Hogwarts were always complaining about what a pain long hair can be, and none of them had hair as long as yours. And I've noticed that your hair never gets wavy or crinkled, even though you braid it all the time."

"It's partly a crane thing, as you put it," Takeshi replied. "Our hair is naturally smooth and straight, and even if one deliberately tries to curl it, the curls will not hold for long before smoothing out again." Takeshi smiled. "Somewhat to the dismay of the more adventurous younglings, who wish to scandalize their parents by trying out hairstyles from Muggle fashion magazines. But even we are not entirely immune to tangled hair, so there is a permanent detangling charm cast upon that comb."

"That's pretty convenient," Aric said. "You ought to market it; you could probably make a fortune." Takeshi just chuckled, and Aric resumed combing his hair in smooth, steady strokes.

"Mmm," Takeshi sighed contentedly. "That feels nice. This must be what a cat feels like when it's being petted."

"I love playing with your hair," Aric whispered into his ear, and he set down the comb for a moment, unable to resist the urge to run his fingers through that length of black silk.

"You're supposed to be combing it, not messing it up," Takeshi protested good-naturedly.

"It's your own fault that you're so irresistible," Aric murmured, nuzzling Takeshi's neck and feeling his mate shiver with pleasure in response. "And by the way, what does 'moh-toh' mean?"

"What?" Takeshi asked, sounding startled.

"You kept saying it in the shower," Aric reminded him.

"Oh," Takeshi said, his face instantly turning scarlet. "'Motto.' It...ah...means 'more' in Japanese."

Aric grinned wickedly. "Theodore said that Lupin's been teaching him and Dylan Japanese. Maybe I ought to ask for a few lessons, too."

Takeshi's blush grew deeper. "I don't think that Remus has been teaching the boys the kinds of things that you're likely to hear in bed, Aric."

"Aha!" Aric teased. "You're all prim and proper on the surface, but you do like to talk dirty when you think I can't understand what you're saying!"

"I'm not 'prim'!" Takeshi protested.

"No," Aric agreed in a husky voice. "You were quite vocal in the shower, and you said a few other things that I didn't quite catch. If you don't want me to go to Lupin, then maybe you should give me some private lessons." He pushed Takeshi's hair aside and nipped at the nape of his neck, on the same spot where he had bitten and claimed his mate earlier in the shower.

"Ah..." Takeshi gasped, then pulled away from Aric. "No," he said firmly. "Not now. We've got a meeting with Smethwyck in half an hour to discuss the terms of your employment, and it wouldn't do for you to be late before you've even been officially hired. Now finish combing my hair so that we can have some breakfast before we leave."

"How about if we skip breakfast?" Aric asked hopefully.

"We're already running late because somebody got a little frisky in the shower. Now are you going to behave, or am I going to have put an Imperius on you?"

"You're so heartless, 'Keshi!" Aric groaned.

"Absolutely," Takeshi agreed, without the slightest sign of remorse. "Werewolf or not, you're going to have to learn a little control, my love. After all, you don't see Remus jumping on Professor Snape in the halls at Hogwarts, do you?"

Aric shuddered a little at the mental image that conjured up. "No, and I hope that I would be struck blind before that happened." He heaved a sigh of resignation and obediently resumed combing Takeshi's hair. "Although, you know, there were a couple of times when Snape was late to class...but I'd rather not think about it."

"We should have some free time between lunch and dinner, depending on how long it takes to buy Ash's wardrobe," Takeshi said cheerfully. "If you behave yourself, we can have sex in the afternoon."

"Really?" Aric asked eagerly.

"Only if you're a good little wolf," Takeshi teased.

"Woof!" Aric said, and Takeshi giggled and planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. The Slytherin part of him thought he ought to be a little offended by the teasing, but his inner wolf was wagging its tail happily at the thought of sex with its mate. And Takeshi did look so charmingly appealing with that little impish grin and gleam in his eyes. Still, Aric ought to find a way to get back at him later...in bed, perhaps. And a smug, wicked smile slowly spread across his face.

"You scare me when you smile like that, Aric," Takeshi laughed nervously. "You look positively evil."

"Well, I am a Slytherin, after all," Aric purred into his ear, and was pleased when his lover shivered again. "Come on, let's go eat breakfast. Aren't you the one who was in such a rush?"

***

The interview with Hippocrates Smethwyck, Takeshi's supervisor at St. Mungo's, went pretty well. Aric's grades at Durmstrang and Hogwarts were quite impressive, the Healer said, and his experience in brewing potions at the charity clinic counted in his favor. "It's quite an accomplishment, for someone as young as you to be able to brew the Wolfsbane Potion, Mr. Dietrich," Smethwyck said.

"Well, it was under Takeshi's supervision," Aric admitted.

"Nevertheless," Smethwyck said, "Mr. Kimura speaks highly of your abilities, and so does Professor Snape."

"He does?!" Aric exclaimed. "Really?"

"Really," the Healer confirmed with a smile. "And as I'm sure you know, the Professor does not hand out praise lightly, so his recommendation is good enough for me. Now, I understand that the two of you will be leaving for Japan soon?"

"Yes, sir," Takeshi replied. "We'll be leaving the week after next, and we'll return in mid-August."

"Then there's no point in starting Mr. Dietrich until you come back," Smethwyck said. "I'd rather not have his training interrupted by a two-month break." So it was agreed that Aric would begin his job after they returned from their vacation, and Smethwyck had him fill out some paperwork and told him what his salary would be. As he would only be a trainee mediwizard, it was a rather modest amount (at least for someone accustomed to living in luxury as Aric was), but Smethwyck assured him that his pay would increase as he gained experience and was assigned more responsibilities. If he had been living alone, Aric would have had to live rather frugally, but he could have gotten by, and since he would be sharing rent and expenses with Takeshi, they should do well enough, although he didn't intend to sponge off his lover. Besides, even if he had to live like a pauper, Aric would rather die than go crawling back to his family for a handout. He had learned something after he was turned, that there were things more important than money and power--such as friendship and love. So long as he had his pack and Takeshi, he didn't need anything else to make him happy.

As Aric shook hands with the Healer and prepared to leave, Smethwyck added, "There is just one more thing..."

"Yes, sir?" Aric asked politely.

"What the two of you do on your own time is your own business, of course," the Healer said with a pleasant smile. "But I will expect your...ah...personal relationship not to interfere with your work."

Both Aric and Takeshi blushed. "Of course not, sir!" Takeshi said, sounding a little offended.

"Well then, that's fine," Smethwyck said genially. "Have a good time on your vacation, Mr. Kimura, Mr. Dietrich."

"Hmmph!" Aric fumed as they left the hospital. "Is he singling us out because we're gay?"

"Actually, I don't think so," Takeshi said, still blushing. "If he found our relationship offensive, he wouldn't have hired you. I think it's probably because a nurse and a Healer were caught making out in one of the supply closets last week--very unprofessional behavior. They were both docked a day's pay as punishment. Lucky for them that they weren't in Smethwyck's department; he would have been harder on them. He's a very nice, easygoing man, but he takes his responsibility to his patients seriously. He won't tolerate his employees playing around or slacking off when they're supposed to be working, or doing anything else that detracts from their duties." Takeshi smiled at Aric. "Which means that you'll have to keep your werewolf hormones under control at work, my love."

"Very well, for the sake of duty," Aric sighed regretfully. Too bad; he found the idea of making out with Takeshi in the supply closet to be rather arousing. Then he leaned over and whispered, "But I suppose that it will only make things more intense when we get home from work and are finally able to be alone."

Takeshi's face grew redder and he said in a husky voice, "Control yourself, my wolf." He wiggled his fingers threateningly. "Don't make me cast the 'cooling-off' charm on you."

Aric remembered the time that his wounded body had gotten overly excited while being bathed by Takeshi at the hospital, and how the wandless healing magic that Takeshi used had literally cooled his ardor. "Yes, 'Keshi," he said meekly, pretending to cringe in fear, but he noted, with a secret sense of satisfaction, that it seemed like Takeshi could use a bit of cooling off himself.

So he was in a pretty good mood as they headed to Madam Malkin's to meet Ash, although going clothes shopping with his lover's ex-boyfriend wasn't really high on the list of things that Aric wanted to do. Well, neither Ash nor Takeshi had ever admitted to being lovers (or not really lovers, but "friends who shared the comfort of our bodies to ease our loneliness" was how Takeshi had put it), but Aric was pretty sure that they had been. Maybe it was the way that Ash seemed especially protective of Takeshi, or maybe the wolf instinctively sensed it somehow.

He was sure of it when he caught Ash staring at himself and Takeshi with a pensive, almost wistful look on his face when he thought they weren't looking. Then Katherine scolded Ash for daydreaming, and he snapped out of his pensive mood and started complaining about the need to buy "fancy" clothes for his new Ministry job.

It was obvious that the former smuggler felt uneasy about both his new wardrobe and his new job, so Takeshi tried to reassure him by saying, "You look very handsome." Aric automatically scowled, unable to repress a surge of jealousy. Takeshi laughed and whispered, "There's no need to be jealous, my wolf."

Aric relaxed and smiled. He knew that he was being silly; he knew that his mate loved him wholeheartedly and was faithful to him now, no matter whom he had been with in the past. It wasn't as if Aric had been a virgin either, after all. He didn't even really hold a grudge against Ash, although they'd initially started off on the wrong foot. He supposed that he couldn't blame Ash for being attracted to someone as kind and beautiful as Takeshi, and whatever his personal feelings, the older werewolf had welcomed Ash as a pack brother and seemed to be treating Takeshi solely as a friend, with no flirting or otherwise inappropriate behavior. Despite his jealousy, deep down Aric knew that Ash would never try to cause trouble between a pack brother and his mate; the pack were absolutely loyal to each other, and they would never betray their brethren.

Which didn't mean that Aric couldn't take a certain amount of vindictive pleasure in Ash's pained expression as Katherine and Takeshi fussed over him, making him try on various outfits as if he were a doll that they were dressing up for their own amusement.

"I think you'd look very fetching in this one..."

"I said no ruffles, Katherine!"

"Oh, come on, I just want to see what you'd look like in it."

"No! I am absolutely not buying it, so there's no point in trying it on!"

"Here, Ash, what about this one? No ruffles, and it's very plain and simply cut."

"It seems rather silly to dress a werewolf in silk, though."

"Nonsense; you're going to have an important Ministry position, so you have to look the part. There, that looks very nice. Perhaps we could tie your hair back with a matching ribbon..."

"I am not wearing a bloody ribbon in my hair! And stop laughing, Aric!"

All kidding aside, Aric was fond of his new pack brother. But it would make him much happier--and his inner wolf would feel much less threatened--if Ash would settle down with a new lover. Aric had to admit that Ash was handsome, in a slightly menacing sort of way. Perhaps with his new position and his new finery, he would also be attracting new suitors. Most human wizards were prejudiced against werewolves, of course, but things were slowly changing. Most of the Hogwarts students had lost their prejudices, thanks to Lupin and Lukas, and many of them even thought of werewolves as glamorous and exciting. Aric remembered that several of the girls had commented on how handsome Ash was when they saw his picture in the Daily Prophet after he had helped rescue the Peasegood girl from a Graphorn. Ash might find himself more popular than he realized...that thought made Aric smile. Maybe he could help things along by introducing Ash to some of his former classmates. He wondered if Ash was strictly gay, or if he liked women, too. The former would complicate things slightly; he knew of several girls who might find his pack brother attractive, but he wasn't sure about the boys. One didn't discuss same-sex attractions openly or casually among strangers, so Aric wasn't sure which of his classmates other than Theo and Blaise might be gay. Ah well, he supposed that matchmaking could wait a bit, until he'd had some chance to do a little discreet research and evaluate the situation...

***

After Ash left the shop with his new wardrobe, looking relieved that the experience was finally over, Aric and Takeshi decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Or rather, Takeshi decided; Aric suggested that they go home for lunch, because he was eager to pick up things where they'd left off this morning.

"I don't feel like cooking," Takeshi said.

"We could get take-out," Aric cajoled.

"I think you have something other than food on your mind, my wolf," Takeshi laughed, then gave his mate a sultry smile. "But I'm hungry, so let's save the rest for dessert, shall we?"

"I think you're the evil one, 'Keshi," Aric grumbled. "Are you sure that you weren't really a Slytherin at Hogwarts?"

Takeshi just grinned at him. "Now, now, Aric, patience is a virtue."

"I can't help it," Aric said plaintively. "It's my werewolf hormones. You're the one who told me that I have to accept the wolfish part of me, after all. Shouldn't you be a little more sympathetic?"

"I'm helping you to learn how to control your inner wolf," Takeshi said blithely. "Cheer up, Aric. Think of it as something to look forward to. Anticipation will make 'dessert' all the sweeter when it finally comes." He grinned wickedly. "No pun intended."

"I should have known that sweet and innocent act was all just an act," Aric muttered under his breath as they headed to the Leaky Cauldron. "Ravenclaw my arse; you should've been Sorted into Slytherin."

But once they were actually seated in the dining room of the inn, Aric found that his appetite had picked up, and he ordered a steak and baked potato; Takeshi just ordered a sandwich and chips. Aric dug into his meal with gusto; he found that he did indeed crave meat more since becoming a werewolf, and he also found that he now preferred his meat rare, almost bloody, when he used to like it done medium-well.

"I thought you weren't hungry," Takeshi teased as Aric devoured his meal.

"I have to build up my strength for dessert," Aric said, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin, and was pleased when Takeshi blushed.

They were halfway through lunch when a startled voice said, "Takeshi!" Aric looked up to see a handsome young man with dark hair and blue eyes standing beside their table; a pretty blonde girl was hanging on his arm.

"Hello, Paul," Takeshi said politely, but with just a hint of coolness in his voice that immediately made Aric's hackles rise, figuratively speaking. Takeshi was pleasant and friendly to nearly everyone he met, sometimes even when they didn't deserve it, as Aric knew from experience. So if 'Keshi was giving this guy the cold shoulder, there must be a good reason for it. Besides, there was an air of tension between the two of them that caused Aric's inner wolf to silently growl with suspicion and jealousy.

Paul's eyes flickered over towards Aric, and Takeshi said, still in that coolly polite voice, "This is my friend and roommate, Aric Dietrich. Aric, this is an old classmate of mine, Paul Keller. We were housemates together in Ravenclaw."

{I'll just bet you were,} Aric thought grimly, but his well-trained pureblood reflexes took over, and he automatically fixed a polite smile on his face and extended his hand. Paul started to reach out to shake it, then froze with his hand outstretched as he exclaimed, "Aric Dietrich! You're the one who got turned into a werewolf!"

"It's not contagious," Takeshi snapped, his voice going from cool to positively icy as Paul's hand hovered in the air uncertainly. "At least not when Aric is in human form."

"Of course," Paul laughed nervously, then very gingerly shook Aric's hand, clasping it for only a second before hastily releasing it. "And...er...you remember Anna?"

"From Hufflepuff," Takeshi said, nodding at the blonde girl politely. "It's nice to see you again, Anna. I don't believe that you know Aric; he attended Durmstrang until this past year."

"Anna Whitby," the girl said, introducing herself, and to her credit, she reached out and shook Aric's hand firmly, without any sign of hesitation. "You might know my little brother Kevin; he goes to Hogwarts, although he's not in your House or year."

"Ah...right, Whitby," Aric said, as he mentally tried to match up the name with a face. "He's on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team."

"I've heard a lot about you from my brother," Anna said, smiling mischievously. She didn't seem to pick up on the tension between Takeshi and Paul, or if she did, she chose to ignore it.

Aric, still operating on reflex, gave her a charming but rueful smile. "I'm sure that none of it was very flattering," he said lightly, well aware that he had antagonized most of the students at Hogwarts during his year there. But he didn't really care what Whitby or his sister thought of him. He was more interested in questioning Takeshi about what exactly Paul was--or had been--to him. Not to mention the fact that he was having trouble controlling the wolf's urge to beat the crap out of Paul if he did indeed turn out to be (as Aric suspected) Takeshi's ex-boyfriend.

Anna just laughed. "Well, perhaps most of it wasn't, but whatever they might have thought of you in the past, it seems that you are a hero now, at least to my brother and his friends, for saving Master Diggory's life. They're all very fond of him, you know."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Aric asked, genuinely curious now. "That your brother's teacher is a werewolf? Wasn't your uncle the lawyer defending Amos Diggory?"

Anna sighed sadly. "It's all very complicated...Uncle Lamont defended Amos Diggory, yes, not just as a client, but as a friend and a fellow Hufflepuff. That is our House code, after all--to be loyal to our housemates. The Hufflepuffs all stood behind Amos...and yet Cyril Diggory was owed our loyalty too, since he turned out to be the true Diggory heir. I don't really know what to think about it all..." She spread out her hands in a helpless gesture. "But Kevin says that Master Diggory is a kind and fair teacher. And he showed honor to Cedric's memory by naming his son after Cedric. So if Kevin trusts him, then I will do the same." Then she giggled. "And he is very handsome!"

"Anna!" Paul exclaimed.

"Oh, you're not jealous, are you, Paul?" Anna laughed.

"Of course not, dear," Paul said, with a slightly strained smile. "Well, I'd love to chat, Takeshi, but we're meeting my parents for lunch in one of the private rooms..."

"And it would be rude to keep them waiting," Takeshi finished with a smile. "Please, go on ahead. I understand."

"Perhaps we can all get together some other time," Anna said brightly. "And then you and Paul can get caught up on things, and talk about old times." Her back was turned to Paul, so she didn't see the look of dismay that spread across his face at her words.

"I haven't been doing much," Takeshi demurred politely. "Just working at St. Mungo's as usual. And I'm afraid that I'll be out of the country for a couple of months, visiting family in Japan."

"Oh, I see," Anna said. "Well, maybe another time, after you get back."

"Perhaps," Takeshi said in a noncommittal tone of voice.

"I hope that you have a good time in Japan," Anna said cheerfully. "It was nice meeting you, Aric." They all murmured polite goodbyes, then Paul hastily led his companion off to one of the private rooms. Takeshi watched them go, a troubled look in his eyes.

"That guy was one of your ex-boyfriends, wasn't he?" Aric growled, glowering at his mate.

"How did you know?" Takeshi asked, looking startled.

Aric rolled his eyes. "Please, it was only so obvious! The chilly tone of your voice, the way he looked terrified that you might blurt out the truth to his girlfriend..."

Takeshi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't realize that it was so obvious. But it's old history now; we broke up over a year ago." He added in a soothing voice, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "So there's nothing to be jealous of, my wolf."

That made Aric feel a little better, although he still felt the urge to tear his former rival apart. "So what happened between you two?" he asked, filled with a perverse sense of curiosity.

Takeshi sighed. "Do you really want to know? Like I said, it's all old history..."

"Please," Aric said, although he wasn't sure why he wanted to know so badly, when likely it would only make him jealous. But he was curious to know what kind of people Takeshi had dated in the past. Ash, he could understand even if he didn't like the idea of it. Ash was a good guy, and Takeshi spent a lot of time with the werewolves, but Paul struck him as being the typically shallow pureblood type. And then Aric realized with a touch of chagrin, that that description had probably fit him as well, when he had first met Takeshi. Maybe Takeshi had a thing for shallow pureblood guys.

"We were yearmates in Ravenclaw," Takeshi explained. "We were friendly in school, but we lost touch after we graduated. Then one day we happened to run into each other on the street after work, and we went out for a drink." He smiled wryly. "To get caught up, and talk about old times. One thing led to another, and...well...we started dating. Things went well for awhile. I even took him home to meet my parents, and he was shocked that they didn't care that I was gay, and were even happy to meet my boyfriend." He sighed. "I guess that should have been a warning sign, but I didn't pick up on it right away. But gradually I began to notice that he never wanted to go out in public together. Whenever I suggested going out for dinner, he'd always say that he'd rather stay in, at my flat or his. He'd say that he loved my cooking, or that he wanted to spend as much time alone with me as possible, and at first I was flattered. But then there was a Weird Sisters concert playing in London, and I insisted that we go. To be honest, I don't really like the band that much; I think I was just subconsciously testing him. We ran into some of his friends from work at the concert, and when they asked who I was, he made up some story about me being an old classmate that he hadn't seen in years, that he happened to run into at the show."

"He could've just said that you were a friend," Aric said.

"That's exactly what I told him!" Takeshi said, beginning to look angry at the memory, despite his claim that it was "old history." "I didn't expect him to go around publicly declaring that I was his lover. I don't advertise the fact that I'm gay, either; I'm discreet, except with my family and friends. But the way he lied about it made me realize that he thought our relationship was something to be ashamed of. We argued about it later in private. He told me, what did I expect? He was the heir to his family, and it would cause a big scandal if something like this got out, not to mention that he might lose his job. He said, why couldn't we just go on as we had been doing; weren't we happy? And I asked him was he going to make a marriage alliance someday, and did he expect me to stick around and be his concubine on the side?" He sighed again. "Things got pretty ugly. We had a huge fight, and I ended up throwing him out of my apartment and telling him never to come back. I haven't seen him since then, until now."

"I'm sorry," Aric said in a small voice, feeling very ashamed and humbled. "No wonder you were so mad, that night I got drunk and came to you at the clinic. I treated you the same way that stupid git did. It must have brought back bad memories, and...I really am sorry, 'Keshi."

Takeshi smiled at him tenderly. "It's not the same thing, my wolf," he said softly. "You came to me that night to tell me the truth about your betrothal. It hurt, but at least you were honest with me. Of course you did let your hormones get the better of you, but you apologized, and you didn't really expect me to play mistress to you. I think Paul really did believe that we could remain lovers even after he got married."

"Stupid git," Aric growled.

"It's all right," Takeshi said soothingly. "I have you now, my wolf, so everything turned out all right in the end."

"But you loved him?" Aric asked jealously.

Takeshi laughed, sounding genuinely amused and surprised. "Oh no, I never loved him! I thought at the time that he might be 'the one,' but I wasn't sure. Later I realized that it was only infatuation, not love, and I was a little embarrassed that I'd let myself be taken in by someone so shallow. I assure you, Aric, that I feel no regret over Paul--except perhaps regret that I didn't break up with him sooner!"

"But just now, you looked so sad when you watched him leave with Anna," Aric said uncertainly.

"You misunderstood, my wolf," Takeshi said, smiling at him warmly. "I wasn't feeling sad because Paul is with someone else. I was only worried about Anna. I don't know if it's serious between them, but it seems like it might be, if she's meeting his parents. I wouldn't like to see her get hurt, if it turns out that he's just using her to keep people from suspecting that he's gay, or to make a marriage of convenience. He is the heir of his family, which means that he needs to produce an heir of his own someday."

Aric felt a profound sense of relief, although he knew that he'd been stupid to doubt his mate's love for him. "Well, but maybe he really does like her?" Aric suggested, although a bit dubiously. "I mean, I used to like girls as well as boys." Then he added hastily as Takeshi glared at him, "Before I met you, of course!" But he was secretly tickled that he could make Takeshi jealous; at least the possessiveness wasn't all one-sided.

"I don't know," Takeshi admitted. "He dated girls in school, but after we were together, I got the impression that it was all a cover. But he didn't really like to talk about it, so I don't know for sure."

"They're adults, Takeshi," Aric said, shrugging indifferently. He didn't know Paul or Anna personally, so it didn't really matter to him whether Paul sincerely liked Anna or if he was just using her. In Slytherin, it was every man for himself, and it was much the same at Durmstrang, which was essentially Slytherin House expanded into an entire school. The Slytherins did look after their families and the ones they loved, but they didn't expend much energy worrying about anyone else. "They're both old enough to take care of themselves. If Paul is deceiving Anna, and if Anna is foolish enough to let herself be deceived, then it's none of our business."

"That's a bit callous, isn't it?" Takeshi asked, frowning.

"I'm a Slytherin," Aric reminded him. "We're supposed to be callous. I'll fight to the death to protect you or my pack, but I don't waste time worrying about strangers or casual acquaintances. You knew what I was when you fell in love with me."

"Yes, you're right," Takeshi sighed, but he smiled faintly. "When you love someone, you must love them for what they are, not what you want them to be, or it isn't truly love."

"Of course," Aric said with a grin, "that probably means that you have bad taste in men--lucky for me!"

Takeshi laughed. "You aren't as selfish as you pretend to be, or you would not have risked your life to protect Lukas--and you were not yet a member of his pack then."

"Look who's talking," Aric retorted good-naturedly. "Sometimes I think you should have been a Gryffindor instead of a Ravenclaw!"

"Oh dear," Takeshi said with a rueful smile. "I once accused Lukas of having a 'Gryffindor noble hero only-I-can-save-the-world complex' after he single-handedly took on that escaped Graphorn in Diagon Alley! And now I have my own words thrown back into my face. Although I don't think that taking on a rampaging Graphorn is the same as trying to stop my ex-boyfriend from deceiving his girlfriend."

"You don't know that he's deceiving her," Aric said impatiently. "For all you know, she doesn't love him either, but just wants to make an alliance with a wealthy pureblood family. Lots of pureblood girls think that way. But if it bothers you that much, you could just go ahead and tell her about Paul, although personally, I'd rather take on a Graphorn than tell some girl that I used to sleep with her boyfriend."

"Well, yes, I suppose that probably wouldn't go over very well," Takeshi admitted. "And Hufflepuffs are loyal. If she truly loves him, I doubt that she would believe me even if I did tell her." He made a face. "And Paul might think I'm trying to break them up so I can get back together with him, which is a rather disgusting thought. But still..."

"Look, Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan work at your parents' restaurant now, don't they?" Aric said, relenting for the sake of his mate. "Maybe you could ask them to talk to Anna. They're fellow Hufflepuffs, so if she hears it from them, maybe she'll believe it."

"It would still be a little embarrassing to talk about it with Hannah and Ernie, but that's a very good idea, Aric," Takeshi said, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps I'll do that." Then he smiled gratefully at his mate and said, "Thank you, my wolf."

"And...you don't have to be discreet for my sake," Aric said, a bit hesitantly. "I noticed that you introduced me to them as your roommate..."

"It wasn't because I was ashamed of you, my love," Takeshi hastened to assure him. "It's just...I didn't want to make a scene in the middle of the inn, and your parents don't know about us yet..."

"Oh, I know that," Aric reassured his mate. "I wasn't offended. And if you want to keep it quiet, that's fine with me. But I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to do it for my sake. I love you, and I don't care who knows it."

Takeshi's eyes filled with tears, and he reached across the table to squeeze Aric's hand for a moment. "Thank you, Aric. It makes me very happy to hear that." He blinked his tears away and laughed, "I don't think I'm ready to be as public with my affection as Remus is with Professor Snape, though!"

"Yeah, he's always hugging and kissing Snape in public," Aric laughed. "The Professor always looks mortified."

Takeshi smiled, a bit slyly. "Oh, if he really didn't like it, he would find a way to stop Remus. He is a former Death Eater, after all; he's quite capable of defending himself."

"I don't know," Aric objected. "Even a Death Eater can be henpecked, after all."

Takeshi laughed merrily. "I wouldn't let the Professor hear you say that, Aric--not if you value your continued existence!"

Aric laughed as well, but looked around a bit nervously, just to make sure that the menacing Potions Master wasn't eavesdropping on them. They continued eating their lunch, which by now had begun to go cold.

"You know, Aric," Takeshi said casually, pushing aside the remains of his sandwich, "I'm not really hungry, after all. Why don't we skip to dessert?"

"As you wish," Aric said, grinning widely to expose his fangs, and eyed Takeshi hungrily, in much the same way he had been looking at the steak earlier. They left some coins on the table to pay for their meal, then Apparated back to their flat.

***

They were in the middle of having "dessert" when Aric suddenly paused and said, "You know, you were supposed to start teaching me Japanese..."

"You want a bloody language lesson NOW?" Takeshi asked incredulously.

"Yes," Aric said, grinning wickedly as nuzzled his Takeshi's neck, evoking a helpless little moan from his mate; it was a delightful sound. "You should be pleased that I want to learn your native language. Besides, you were saying that 'motto' thing again."

"Oh," Takeshi said, blushing furiously. "Well, what would you like to know?"

"Well..." Aric said, thinking it over, as Takeshi squirmed impatiently beneath him. "How do you say 'harder'?"

"Motto tsuyoku," Takeshi replied, then cried out as Aric obeyed with a swift, strong thrust.

"Tell me something else," Aric said, grinning again. "Your choice. Something you think will be useful for me to know."

"'Motto fukaku' means 'deeper,'" Takeshi gasped breathlessly. He moaned loudly as Aric obeyed, then whimpered in protest when Aric stopped after just a couple of strokes.

"Something else," Aric whispered, leaning in close, so that Takeshi could feel his breath on his face.

"Mo...motto yasashiku," Takeshi panted. "It means 'gentler'."

"As you wish," Aric whispered, and slowly pulled out of his lover, and just as slowly slid back in, moving with infinite gentleness and tenderness. He brushed his lips against Takeshi's in a gentle, feather-light kiss.

Takeshi whimpered, then began chanting softly, "Motto...motto...motto..." And soon Aric lost control of his inner wolf, and was growling and snarling, thrusting into his mate hard and fast, but Takeshi wasn't complaining. His body moved against Aric's with just as much urgency, his legs wrapped tightly around Aric's waist, his hands clawing at Aric's back. Loud, frantic cries and moans spilled from his mouth in a primal language that needed no words to be understood.

Takeshi's dark eyes were glazed over with desire, but he blinked and they came back into focus as the mediwizard struggled to regain control of himself, just long enough to gasp, "One...last lesson...for you...Aric. 'Kande' means...'bite me.'"

He tilted his head back, and Aric snarled and bit down hard on his exposed throat. Takeshi cried out and Aric howled triumphantly as they both came, their bodies trembling and shuddering from the intensity of their climax.

As the haze of pleasure receded, Takeshi returned to full awareness to find Aric gently nuzzling his throat, as if to soothe the flesh he had just bitten and bruised. "Oohh," Takeshi groaned softly. "I can't believe how easily I can come, just from you biting me. It's a little embarrassing, actually."

"Oh, I think it's more than just the biting that does it," Aric said, grinning wolfishly, his lips pulling back to expose canine teeth that were just slightly longer and sharper than they used to be before he had been turned, giving the impression of fangs. "But shall we test that theory?" He pressed his lips against Takeshi's throat, then slowly bit down on the soft flesh, much more gently than he had just a little earlier. Takeshi moaned softly, a faint tremor running through his body, and Aric chuckled. "Nope, biting alone isn't enough. Although maybe we should test that theory again when you've...ah...recovered your strength. After all, you don't have a werewolf's stamina, although you do a pretty good job of keeping up with me, my lovely crane."

"Remus thinks that the wolf's desire is contagious," Takeshi murmured.

Aric shook his head and laughed, "I hate to say it, but maybe I ought to ask Lupin for a few pointers."

"I told him that he should give a sex-education class for werewolves," Takeshi said with a grin.

"Still, I bet I know something that he doesn't," Aric said.

"Oh?" Takeshi asked, raising his eyebrows. "And what might that be, my wolf?"

"That language lessons can be real turn-on in bed," Aric growled softly into his ear.

"Then I have one more lesson for you," Takeshi said, wrapping his arms around Aric's neck. "Aishiteru."

"And what does that mean?"

"I love you," Takeshi whispered and kissed him tenderly.

Part 2