Chapter 92 Episode 92: Public

Kael’s POV

The auction house lights felt too bright when we walked in. I kept Akira close by my side from the first step. This was the first time I brought him somewhere this public on purpose.

Rumors had run long enough. People said I kept him around for convenience or temporary interest. I wanted those talks to die tonight.

Akira’s shoulders tightened under the weight of so many eyes. He stayed half a step behind me at first. I felt the discomfort rolling off him in quiet waves.

I set my hand on his lower back. The touch was firm and open. I left it there so every person in the main hall could see it. He glanced up at me. I met his eyes and gave a small nod. The message was simple. He belonged here with me.

We moved deeper into the crowded floor. Conversations paused when we passed. I ignored every stare and kept my hand exactly where it was.

Protectiveness sat heavy in my chest. The Shinigami contact was still fresh. I had watched him walk out of that gate shaking and pale. Standing beside him now in a room full of judgment felt like the next necessary step.

Love for him mixed with the need to claim him openly. I was done letting corridor whispers shape the story. Tonight I would write the story myself.

Akira stayed quiet while we looked at the early lots. His eyes moved over the displays without lingering long. I watched his face more than the items. A server offered drinks. I took two glasses and handed one to him. His fingers brushed mine when he accepted it.

The contact was brief. It still settled something restless inside me. I kept my hand on his back and guided him toward the central viewing area.

People watched us. Some looked curious. Others looked doubtful. I met a few of those looks without blinking until they turned away. Akira shifted under the attention. I leaned closer and spoke near his ear.

"Breathe. You are fine."

He gave a short nod. His body stayed tense. I rubbed my thumb once across the fabric of his jacket in a slow line. We stopped in front of a long table of technical pieces. Most were standard upgrades. One unit near the end was clearly higher grade.

Akira’s gaze landed on it. He did not reach out. He simply looked for a few seconds longer than he had looked at anything else.

Three seconds. Maybe four. That was enough. I raised my hand and signaled the floor attendant. The man came at once.

"The high-end unit at the end," I said. "I want it."

The attendant checked the listing and nodded. "It is scheduled for later bidding, Lieutenant."

"Then move it up or take my direct offer. I am buying it tonight."

Akira turned toward me with wide eyes. "You do not have to..."

"I know." I kept my voice calm. "And it’s yours. That is enough."

"But it’s expensive"

"Baby..." I quietly smiled. He looked quite cute worrying about it. Seems like I am yet to inform him how deep my pockets are. "Money should be the least of your concerns now"

Color rose in his cheeks. He glanced around as if the whole room had heard. My hand stayed on his back.

The attendant left to arrange the purchase. I turned Akira slightly so he faced me instead of the crowd.

Worry still lived under my ribs from the gate. I had almost lost him once already. Public opinion ranked far below that memory. I lifted my free hand and rested it against the side of his face. Then I leaned in and pressed a clear kiss to his forehead.

I made sure our contact was deliberate and fucking slow. I made sure anyone watching understood what it meant. He was mine. Their rumors could choke on that fact.

Akira’s breath caught. His eyes closed for a short moment. When they opened again the tension in his shoulders had eased by a fraction.

"Kael," he whispered.

"Let them look." I dropped my hand but kept the one on his back. "I brought you here so they would stop guessing."

The attendant returned with confirmation. The unit was mine. Payment cleared through my personal account without delay.

I told them to deliver it to my private address. Akira stared at me like he still could not quite believe the speed of it.

"You barely saw the specs," he said.

"I saw your face." I guided him away from the table. "That told me enough."

We moved through the rest of the hall at an unhurried pace. I nodded to a few familiar officers and ignored the rest. My hand never left him for long.

Protectiveness and love sat side by side inside me. The public claim felt right. It also felt like a shield I should have raised sooner.

Akira gradually stood straighter. The initial squeamishness faded under the steady proof that I was not hiding him. I watched the change with quiet satisfaction.

A senior bidder approached and offered a polite greeting. His eyes flicked to Akira and then back to me. I answered the greeting and kept my stance open and clear.

No one asked direct questions. The forehead kiss and the constant hand on his back had already answered them.

We stayed for two more lots. I bid on nothing else. The only purchase that mattered already belonged to him. When we finally stepped back into the cooler night air Akira released a long breath. I kept him close while we waited for the car.

"You did not have to do any of that," he said quietly.

"I did." I faced him fully under the exterior lights. "People were talking like you were temporary. I needed them to see the truth."

His eyes searched mine. Emotion moved across his face too quickly to name. I waited.

"Thank you," he said at last.

I opened the car door for him and followed him inside. The moment the door closed the public pressure dropped away.

I reached over and took his hand. His fingers curled around mine without hesitation.

"The unit will be there tomorrow," I told him. "Use it. Test it. Make it yours."

He looked down at our joined hands. A small tired smile pulled at his mouth.

"I just gazed at it for three seconds." He muttered softly.

"I notice everything about you. What each look means, when you need something but afraid to ask, when you are anxious, when you’re uncomfortable... Everything." The words came out plain and true. "That is not going to change."

"You make it sound like you’re a mad man if you say stuff like that"

I brought my head lower so I could look into his eyes while dropping the next statement.

"Oh how I wish you knew, whenever it comes to you, insanity should be the least of your worries. Touch another man and he dies. Let another touch, they die. Ask me not to touch you... Then watch me fucking die" ( PS: I read this in a book once and fell in love with the statement ??)

"You’re a mad man then"

"Yes. But you still trust me right?" I brought his hand up and placed it on my cheek as I gazed into his eyes and waited for his answer.

"Yes. I trust you"

Tge words came out of his mouth in a hushed whisper but loud enough for me to hear. Nonetheless they were enough to make me smile as I placed a kiss on his lips and resisted the urge to take it further.

The car pulled away from the auction house. I kept his hand in mine and watched the city lights move past the window.

Worry about the Death God contact still sat under everything. Love for him sat right beside it. Tonight I had added one more solid fact to the space between us.

He was not a rumor. He was not a temporary interest. He was the man I placed at my side in full view of everyone who needed to see it. The man I plan on spending the rest of my life with. Immortality be damned of Akira is not by side.

I raised our joined hands and brushed my thumb across his knuckles. Akira leaned his shoulder against mine and let out another quieter breath. He was slowly becoming lenient on me.

A trait I can never complain about. Let him cling onto me. Let my scent stick to him as his peachy scent remains on my body. Let the whole world know he belongs to no one but me. Only I can lay claims on Akira Renshi.

My claim was public now. Possibly my need for him. He was more of a need now. A want. The bane of my existence. And the very object of my desire.

The high-end tech was already paid for. My hand still laid on his back and the kiss on his forehead still seemed to glitter.

I could also feel the stares around us. There would possibly be a new rumor going around by tomorrow.

I settled back in the seat and kept him close for the rest of the ride. The night felt clearer than it had in days.