Haru’s Love (A Stepbrothers BL Harem) - Chapter 37

The brothers’ first meeting with Uncle Jin, the president and owner of the multimillion-dollar Lake Aoi Resort and Onsen, didn’t go well. Once Haru collapsed against Aiden and fell unconscious, the room descended into chaos.

Aiden felt sick to his stomach when he felt Haru’s limp body against him. The boy’s skin felt even hotter than before, and he suspected Haru had caught himself a fever.

Fuck! He had a vague feeling it was his fault, having kept Haru up most nights, making love to him, even when the boy was exhausted from all the traveling.

“Haru! Haru!” he called out.

Reo rushed over, as well as Noah, Mason, Isaac, and Connor. Of course, they had forgotten about the presence of Uncle Jin, as well as Higa-san and Patricia, entirely, so worried they were for their youngest.

“What’s happened to Haru?” Isaac asked.

Aiden bent his knees and picked Haru up in his arms. Cradling the boy against his chest, he turned to Uncle Jin and asked, “Is there a doctor around?”

Uncle Jin nodded. Instead of greeting his nephews and their stepbrothers, the elderly man said, “Take him to my penthouse.”

Higa-san said, “I’ll call Go-sensei right away.”

Uncle Jin nodded, and then he led the brothers and Connor out the door to the elevator. When they came to the penthouse, located on the top floor of the building, Uncle Jin took everyone through the foyer and then into a spare bedroom.

Aiden laid Haru on the bed and unzipped the boy’s jacket and took it off, followed by the sneakers. Then he put the boy in between the sheets, tucking him in.

It wasn’t long before Go-sensei, a doctor working within the facility of the resort, arrived and made quick work of examining Haru’s condition.

“It looks like he has a fever,” he said a few minutes later. “Probably due to exhaustion and the change in environment.”

Aiden felt even more sick to his stomach, the guilt in him rising.

“He’ll need rest.”

Isaac said, “Thank God we’re not doing any long-distance traveling for the next seven days. Haru will be all right, right, sensei?”

Go-sensei nodded. “I’ll give him some medication to calm the fever. When he wakes up, I’ll do a more thorough checkup and take some blood tests.”

Once the doctor moved back, Uncle Jin came over and sat on the side of the bed, his eyes on Haru. He rested his palm on the top of the boy’s head, a gentle smile playing about his lips.

“So this is Haru,” he said. “He’s grown so much since I last saw him.”

Reo said, “He was only around eight back then, Uncle.”

Uncle Jin chuckled. “Mm-hmm. He was such a small boy. He was very beautiful, too. Looks like that hasn’t changed. The Shrine Maiden gene.”

“The Shrine Maiden gene is real?” Isaac asked, flabbergasted.

Uncle Jin raised his gaze to Isaac. He nodded, a smile playing about his lips. “The Shrine Maiden gene is very real.” He stood. “You all must be very tired after the long journey.”

Isaac nodded. “You bet, Uncle Jin.”

“You must be Isaac,” Uncle Jin said, chuckling. “I wonder if you have the Shrine Maiden gene, too.”

Isaac looked lost for a moment. “Huh? I thought the Shrine Maiden gene was genetic, not contagious. And we have no Shrine Maidens in our family, the Davises, Uncle Jin.”

Uncle Jin laughed. “Joke. I was joking.” He turned to the others. “Let’s have some tea.”

Everyone followed Uncle Jin out the room and into the living area down the hallway, except for Aiden. When the door shut, the man took the opportunity and sat on the side of the bed, his fingers gently stroking Haru’s hair.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I was being selfish.” He leaned down and kissed the boy gently on the lips. “Please be all right.”

He stayed with Haru until the boy opened his eyes.

“Hey,” he greeted, pleased Haru was finally conscious again. Damn, but that twenty minutes of him just sitting there watching over the boy was nerve-racking. The feeling of guilt mixed with worry kept building within him, fearing the worst, especially for the boy’s health. Simply put, it was torturous.

Haru shut his eyes again and then groaned. “I feel sick, Aiden.”

“Yeah, you caught yourself a fever. Probably some sort of infection, too.”

“Did I?” the boy asked. “Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? It’s my fault you got sick.”

Haru licked his lips and then asked hoarsely, “How is it your fault?” He sighed. “My body is weak anyway.”

Yeah, Aiden knew that Haru had a weak body, since he had been young, due to malnutrition. So why had he insistently driven Haru to exhaustion by making love to the boy so frequently?

“You must be dehydrated,” he said. “I’ll give you something to drink.”

Haru nodded.

Aiden was about to leave the room to get some water when the door opened and a middle-aged Japanese woman came in.

“Excuse me,” she said. “I brought some hot drinks for Haru-kun.”

Aiden nodded, and the woman put the silver tray on the bedside table. Haru shifted himself and sat up as the woman handed him a cup of green tea. He drank the warm infusion quickly, so dehydrated he was. Once done and satisfied, he sighed.

“Better?” Aiden asked.

Haru nodded. He asked, “Where’s everyone else?”

“In the living room,” Aiden said. “This is Uncle Jin’s penthouse.”

“Are we staying here?”

Aiden shook his head. “We’re only here because you fainted.”

Haru’s face flushed hot. He looked embarrassed, which was adorable in Aiden’s eyes. In fact, he simply wanted to grab the boy into his arms and kiss the life out of him. But of course, he couldn’t do that, much to his displeasure. The Japanese woman, whom he assumed was Uncle Jin’s housekeeper, was still here, after all.

The woman said, “I will go and inform Go-sensei that Haru-kun is awake. Please wait a moment.”

Aiden nodded, and the woman left them again.

The moment the door was closed, Aiden leaned forward, cupped Haru’s face in his hands, and then kissed the boy on the lips gently.

“Your skin is hot,” he said.

“It’s because I have a fever,” Haru said.

Aiden moved and hugged the boy tight in his arms. “My heart nearly stopped when I felt your limp body,” he said. “I was so scared.”

“Really?” Haru asked. “You were scared because I fainted?”

“To be fair,” Aiden said, “you haven’t done that in a while. Fainting, I mean.”

Haru said, “The last time was after Mom and Stepdad passed away, right? The social services.”

Aiden nodded. That was right. Hadn’t he promised himself back then that he’d never let Haru fall that sick again? And now what? Had he forgotten his own vow? How foolish of him, to be so selfish as to neglect Haru’s health.

There were a few knocks at the door, which drew both Aiden’s and Haru’s attention. Aiden released Haru then and moved back just as the door opened.

Go-sensei came in, introduced himself to Haru, and then began the examination. After the thorough checkup, asking Haru various questions, he then drew some of Haru’s blood into three different tubes. Done, he told both Haru and Aiden that the results should be back within a couple of days and that, in the meantime, Haru should take it slow and rest. Then he was gone, and it wasn’t long before the room was filled with people again, and noises.

“Haru, are you all right, bro?” Isaac asked, all worried again.

Haru nodded. “I’m just tired and feverish, that’s all.”

Noah said, “Then rest.” He shifted his gaze to Aiden. “And you, no touching him.” Which translated to no sexy sessions until Haru was better.

Aiden chuckled. “I know.”

Finally, Haru got to meet Uncle Jin, who to the boy’s surprise, gave him a tight hug, as if they’d known each other forever.

“Rest, Haru,” he said. “I’ll ensure my staff takes good care of you. The hot springs are especially good for a tired body.”

Haru nodded. “Thanks, Uncle Jin.”

To the rest of the group, Uncle Jin said, “It’s about time you’re shown to your rooms.” He turned to Higa-san, who happened to be in the room, as well as Patricia. “Take them to the presidential suite.”

Higa-san nodded. “Hai.” Translated to a yes in Japanese.

To the brothers, Uncle Jin said, “Unfortunately, today is too cold for me to venture out. My health won’t permit me.”

Reo said, “We understand, Uncle.”

Once Haru was out of bed and able to walk without feeling like fainting, Higa-san led them out of the main building of the resort and into the cold winter outside. They strolled through a short woodland to the north side of the estate along the lake, and it wasn’t long before they came to a series of traditional Japanese houses.

“This one is yours,” Higa-san said. “Seven-day stay, free of charge, the presidential suite.”

“Wow!” Isaac uttered. “It’s nice.”

The others nodded in agreement. The house was beautiful, with sliding doors and wooden engawa verandas. There was even a stone garden at the front, too.

Higa-san opened the door and ushered everyone in. After leaving their luggage and shoes at the genkan, they put on the slippers provided and started exploring the house.

Most of the rooms had tatami mats and sliding doors, except for the bathroom, which had an attached indoor-outdoor hot spring pool that stretched into the exquisite, snow-covered garden.

“Whoa! Haru! Look, the hot spring looks awesome. I can see steam rising from the pool,” Isaac said in excitement.

Though to be sure, he wasn’t the only one who was excited about the presidential suite and the hot spring. Mason, Noah, and Connor were as well. They had already claimed their rooms, with Reo sharing with Mason and Noah with Connor and Isaac.

In their room, which was the last one left, Aiden was already busy unpacking as Haru said, “It’s really nice here.”

Aiden nodded. Then he asked, “Is it anything like the house you used to live in back in Osaka?”

Haru shook his head. “Our house back then was nothing like this. I mean it was old, but there was no charm, and it was definitely not fancy like this.”

Aiden smiled. “Then let’s enjoy staying here.”

Haru nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

It was then that Higa-san’s voice came from the doorway. “I see Mr. Davis is sharing a room with Haru-kun? It’s too bad there aren’t more rooms in this suite so everyone can get their own, but three bedrooms is the max in our hotel suites.”

Aiden said, “It’s no problem. I’ll be troubled if Haru isn’t close to me.”

Higa-san nodded in understanding. “Yes, considering Haru-kun is not well. I’d be worried, too, if one of my siblings was sick.” He laughed. “But I would have thought it’d be Reo-san who would be more worried about Haru-kun and sharing a room with him, considering they’re blood brothers.”

Aiden knew the man had misinterpreted his words and misunderstood the situation. He guessed it was to be expected.

Higa-san said, “It’s getting late. Dinner will be served shortly.”

Haru asked, “Will Uncle Jin be joining us?”

Higa-san shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. He’s not well enough to venture out of the hotel, since it’s been very cold this week. His lungs aren’t good. It’s Go-sensei’s orders. But tomorrow he has arranged for everyone to join him for lunch at the penthouse.”

Aiden said, “That sounds great.”

Higa-san nodded and then he looked at Haru. “Perhaps you’d want to bathe in the hot spring before dinner? It’ll help with your tiredness.”

“Thanks,” Haru said. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Then I’ll be off,” Higa-san said. After saying farewell to the rest of the brothers, he was gone.

Alone in the room with Haru, Aiden said, “How about we go into the hot spring together?”

Haru nodded.. “Yeah, that sounds good.”