Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Gravitation. This is purely for entertainment purposes.
Author's note: I haven't written in quite a few years but after reading through the manga again I decided to give it another shot. I hope you enjoy and any feedback is welcomed.
This story follows the manga, occurring a few years later.
A gentle sigh pushed passed Shuichi's lips as he stared down at Eiri. His teeth slowly grazed across his bottom lip as he started to reach out for the slumbering face before him. The trembling hand recoiled and found it's way to the ring hugging his left hand. He slowly stroked the gold band as another sigh was expelled.
"You're shaking," came the soothing sound of his best friend's voice.
"I'm okay," responded Shuichi as he quickly put his hands in his pockets. He fiddled his fingers around nervously in his pockets and turned to Hiro with an empty smile. "Really, I am."
"It's okay to be scared," stated Touma as he walked up to Shuichi. He removed his black peachbloom hat and placed it on a chair near him. He placed a hand on Shu's shoulder while looking down at Eiri and added, "I don't know anybody who wouldn't be scared in this situation."
"Seguchi..." Shu mumbled, looking to Touma with tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He quietly sniffled and looked back down to his husband laying in a hospital bed. He removed his hands from his pockets and wiped his face with his sleeve.
"You were there, Shindou. Be glad he wasn't alone and you didn't have to hear about it in a phone call," Touma said in a delicate tone.
"It.. It was my fault, I could have done something different," Shu whimpered. He couldn't help but put the memory of two weeks ago on constant repeat in his mind. He dreamt about it every night, trying to change the outcome but always waking up to an empty home.
"He'll come out of it, Shuichi. I know it," Hiroshi said, trying to reassure his friend.
"Yeah..." Shu sighed as he trailed off to that day once more.
As the young man recalled it felt like any other day. He woke up alone, the same as always, and found Eiri in his office hovering a cup of coffee to his lips as he stared over his glasses at his computer screen. "Are you going to drink that coffee or just smell it?" Shuichi asked as he walked up behind Eiri.
"Hm?" grunted Eiri while he set his mug down and adjusted his glasses.
"Nothing." Shu replied. He placed his hands on Eiri's shoulders, his left thumb slowly gliding up and down his lover's neck. "Is the book coming along?"
"Not really," Eiri said quietly as he stood up. "My mind is on other things." He grabbed his pack of cigarettes from the desk and gazed down into it. "I need to go out soon," he muttered as he pulled the last cigarette out and placed it between his lips. He pulled a lighter from the pocket of his light blue button-up shirt. He flicked the lighter and held the flame to the tip of his cigarette and inhaled deeply. A slow stream of smoke poured from his mouth as he looked down to Shuichi.
Shu returned the gaze and smiled sweetly. "I'll go with you, I need to get some eggs," he said as he leaned into Eiri, placing his head on his husband's chest. "Where is your mind at?" He asked as he slowly traced circles on Eiri's biceps.
Eiri took a long drag from his cigarette and placed an arm around Shu and pulled his entire body in closer. He leaned down a little and rested his chin on the pink tuft of hair. "You smell like lemons," he murmured as he backed away from Shuichi and sat back in his chair. He hovered his cigarette above his crystal ashtray and flicked away the building up ash.
"I did some cleaning last night before bed," Shuichi replied. "I was too tired to shower. Do you want to take one with me?" He asked teasingly.
Eiri took a couple drags from his cigarette and gave a cold response of, "No." Shuichi giggled at the expected response and walked out of the office, humming softly. He walked out to the living room and plopped down onto the couch. He grabbed a magazine from the cherry end table beside him and began lazily flipping through it.
The sun peeked in through the closed blinds of Eiri's office and cast an annoying glare on the computer screen. The blonde crushed his cigarette down into the ashtray and grabbed his mug of coffee slowing bringing it to his lips. He sipped the warm drink before setting it back down and removing his glasses. He gently massaged his temple while grunting in pain from a stabbing headache. "Three days now?" he asked himself as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out and curling his toes.
Eiri slowly stood up and wobbled his way out to the kitchen, his socks causing him to somewhat slide across the hardwood flooring. Shu looked up as he saw Eiri stumbling his way across the apartment. He chuckled to himself as he got up and joined his husband in the kitchen. "You tired?" he asked.
"Hm? Yeah, tired," Eiri replied as he opened the refrigerator and scanned its contents. "We're out of eggs," he said quietly.
"I know, I told you I need to get more," Shu responded, taking a couple steps towards Eiri. "Weren't you listening?"
Eiri looked over his shoulder towards Shuichi and shrugged,"I guess not."
"Typical," Shu sighed. "We should walk down to the market and get some, I'll get your coat," he declared while spinning around on his heel and making towards the coat closet.
Eiri watched him march off and began to rub at his temple once more. He leaned back against a counter and rested an elbow down on the hard surface. The more he rubbed his head the more weight he put down on his elbow until he started to slip a little. Eiri regained composure and sighed as he followed after Shuichi.
Shu offered a smile alongside Eiri's coat. The blonde took the coat, silently adorning it. He walked pasted Shuichi and stopped to get his shoes on at the front door. As he slid his feet into the brown leather, Shu watched him carefully while putting his own coat on. "Are you feeling okay, Eiri?" he asked, walking up behind him.
Eiri glanced over his shoulder and responded, "A headache, that's all." He opened the front door and stepped out. He held it open as he waited for Shu to join him.
"Oh, okay then," Shuichi chirped at he bent down to tie his sneakers. He shot up with a grin and bounced out the door, Eiri closing it behind him. As the two walked side by side, Shuichi snaked his arm around Eiri's while he began to hum with a smile on his face.
Shuichi loved this time of year. The leaves were slowly turning red and orange, the wind was gentle and the air was crisp while not being too cold. Birds were flocking the skies making their formations, gloves and scarves were started to be worn again, and it was getting closer and closer to hot chocolate season for Shu. He continued to hum taking in all the sights and smells of the fall season.
Eiri glanced down at his husband, listening to the sweet tune being hummed. His honey eyes drifted back to the sidewalk, as he noticed himself stumbling slightly. He cleared his throat and tried to concentrate on walking in a straight line. Shuichi glanced up to his lover and frowned. "Eiri, maybe you should stay home?" he questioned.
"We're almost there," Eiri replied in a snide tone as he pulled his arm out of Shuichi's grip. "Just keep walking."
Shu nodded and kept walking. He wanted to tell Eiri that he was concerned with how he was treating his body. Late nights staring at a computer screen, chain-smoking, and barely eating anything. Most days he could swear the only thing he saw Eiri eat were crackers. Shuichi tried to get his husband to eat more, but short of forcing the meal down his throat he didn't know what to do.
Worry filled Shuichi's face as he locked his eyes down to his bright orange shoes. Eiri looked down to his lover and sighed. He reached out and gently took Shu's hand in his own. Shuichi glanced up to Eiri and gave him a sad smile. He thought he'd get used to seeing Eiri work himself too hard, but it never was an easy task to watch the one thing he loved most fade away.
Eiri took his hand back from Shuichi and placed it on his shoulder. As they approached the small market Eiri opened the door, lightly guiding Shu past the entryway. He watched as Shuichi made his way to the eggs and walked over to the line at the register. Shuichi quickly grabbed his item and joined Eiri in the line. When they got to the counter Shu put the case of eggs down and Eiri requested a pack of cigarettes from the cashier. After paying they left the store and Eiri was already digging out a fresh cigarette.
Shuichi smiled and pulled a lighter out of his pocket, handing it to Eiri. "You left this at home."
"Thanks," Eiri responded, taking the lighter and lighting up. He put the lighter in his pants pocket and took a deep inhale. "Let's get home and eat some breakfast."
Shuichi smiled and took Eiri's hand, leading him down the sidewalk. Eiri grunted as he walked with Shu, taking another drag off his cigarette. He could feel his head pounding as if there were wild animals stampeding inside of him. "Damnit," Eiri muttered as he dropped his cigarette to the ground and grabbed his head.
"Eiri? Maybe you should sit down for a minute," Shuichi suggested as he stopped walking.
Eiri quickly pulled his hand away from Shu and gave him a glare. "Stop, I'm fine," he growled, leaning down to pick up his cigarette. As he bent down his head twinged sharply, causing him to groan in pain.
"Eiri, you aren't fine!" Shy exclaimed as he knelt down next to Eiri. He went to place his hand on Eiri's back but was met back with a shove.
"Get off," Eiri snapped as he pushed Shu away. His breath hitched as the force of the push caused him to lose his footing and trip.
Shuichi fell back onto his rear and looked up at Eiri, his eyes widening as he watched his husband fall towards the street. He could feel his body freezing up, seeing a black sedan down the road. 'Move, move, move!' He thought to himself. 'Damnit, Shuichi! Move!' He tried to will himself to do something, anything. It was too late.
Shuichi watched as his lover fell forward. The car came closer and tried to come to a halt, tires squealing against the asphalt. "Eiri!" Shu cried out as Eiri's head connected to the headlight of the car. Shuichi was sure he felt his heart sink into his stomach, watching as both the plastic covering of the headlight and blood scattered across the road. Shuichi's mind was a complete blank, eyes fixated on the fallen body of his husband.
The man driving the car quickly got out and looked down to the body laying on the ground. There was a blood slowly pooling up next to Eiri's head. The man looked over to Shuichi in horror. "I'm sorry! I didn't see him soon enough. I tried to stop," he said as he bent down and started shaking Eiri. "Mister? Mister are you conscious?"
Shuichi looked in disbelief, tears streaming down his cold face. He sniffled and slowly crawled over to his husband. People began to gather around the scene, murmurs and whispers filling the air. Shuichi got to Eiri and pushed the other man away before slowly pulling Eiri into his chest. His hand cupped Eiri's head, blood that was collecting in his hair covered Shuichi's hand as he just held his lover close to his body silently crying.
"Somebody get an ambulance here," ordered a man from the crowd of onlookers.
The driver of the car looked to Shuichi with fear in his face that he had just became a murderer. All he could hear were noises from people's cell phones as they rushed to get help. Shu looked down to Eiri's face, bits of plastic mixed into the blood that was beginning to dry up. He couldn't believe what was happening. Usually right before something truly terrifying would happen he would wake up. All he could ask himself right now was why he wasn't waking up. He hung his head down and gripped Eiri tighter. "Wake up, please wake up," he whimpered.
"He's unconscious, sir. We should just wait for the paramedics."
"I need to wake up!" Yelled Shuichi. He looked up to the man talking to him. He was tall, wearing a dark grey three piece suit. The undershirt was crimson like the blood that was covering both Eiri and Shuichi. His tie was a lighter shade of grey than the suit with little white lines going diagonally across the tie. Messy chestnut hair rested right above his eyes, which were also a shade of brown with flecks of amber-like highlights. His face was thin with a sharp chin structure and sunken cheeks. "Did you really hit him?" Shu cried.
"I'm so sorry," replied the slender man. "My name is Ken Amano. Here, take my card," he offered as he pulled a business card from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He held it out to Shuichi with a shaky hand.
Shuichi looked at the card, hoping that the second he touched it all of this would fade to black and he would wake up in his bed next to Eiri. He quickly reached out and snatched the card from Ken's hand. He looked down at it and frowned. 'I think this is real,' he told himself.
The sounds of sirens filled the air as an ambulance came up to the scene. Shuichi watched as two men and a woman exited the vehicle and rushed over to them. Shuichi looked blankly to the man asking him to step away from the victim. The word 'victim' echoed in his mind. He gently set Eiri down and backed away to the curb of the sidewalk. He felt as though the wallowing fear was creating the sound of a crashing ocean. He felt the waves slamming around in his head, the sounds of the world around him being swallowed into the sea.
"Shuichi?" Hiroshi questioned, snapping the pink haired boy back into the present. He looked to Hiro and curled his lips in, fighting back tears. "Were you thinking about the accident again?"
Shuichi sniffled and nodded as he looked back over to Eiri. Bandages covered the left side of his head and around his eye. His lips looked pale and cracked and Shuichi found himself wondering if he'd ever get to kiss those lips again. The fear made a pit in Shuichi's stomach that made him constantly feel as though he could throw up at any minute. For two weeks he prayed to anything that would listen to him that his husband would wake up. He was beginning to think nobody was there to hear him.
The sound of a handle latch filled the room as Eiri's sister walked into the room, the sound of her deep red heels clacking against the shiny white and grey hospital floor. Shuichi looked to Mika and back away from Eiri's bed so she could do her daily inspection.
Mika walked up to her brother and her eyes slowly scanned his body. "Any news?" She asked, looking to her husband.
Touma shook his head. "We haven't talked to the doctor yet today. Is Tatsuha with you?"
"You ask me that everyday. Are you really expecting a new answer, Touma?" She snapped in response. Touma frowned at his wife and remained silent.
"You'd think the man would have the decency to visit his only brother in the hospital," Hiroshi muttered as he rolled his eyes.
"Bite your tongue," Mika hissed. "With our father having passed Tatsuha is the one holding our family's temple together." She turned and faced Hiro glaring into his eyes. "And he needs to be prepared for the arrangements for Eiri if he doesn't wake up."
"Don't talk like that!" Shuichi called out as his fists clenched. Tears fell from his face and hit the ground, making little tapping sounds with each one. "He's going to wake up, Mika. Don't talk about him if you have nothing supportive to say."
Mika's face saddened as she looked to Shu. She walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. "This is life, kid. We don't know the outcome, and we have to stay strong if we don't get what we want. You need to learn to accept that there is the possibility that we'll lose him. You can't be babied anymore."
Shuichi's arms coiled around Mika's waist. He buried his face into her light pink blouse, letting the tears run freely. Mika sighed and ran her hand up and down Shuichi's back. "We can still hope for something good," she said in a soothing tone.
Touma gave a sad smile to the sight of his wife and Shuichi getting along. "Maybe we should give Shuichi some time?"
"No," Shu replied as he pulled away from Mika. "You guys should stay. I just need to sit down," he continued as he moved away from his sister-in-law and sat down on a cushioned bench against a wall. His body sank into the foam cushioning and he could feel his eyes growing heavy.
Shuichi's eyes slowly cracked open. The room was dark, and everyone else had left. He rubbed his face and sat up. He looked to the clock and sighed. Time just seemed to hurt him these days. Every second that ticked by was another second he was lost in fear. Each day felt like a month to him, and he didn't know what day it really was.
A sigh was let out as Shu stood up and looked over to Eiri. He examined the bed and slowly walked up to it. An audible gulp was heard as his forced a large pool of saliva down his throat. He just wanted to feel close to Eiri. It didn't matter if Eiri couldn't hold him as long as he felt him. Shuichi carefully crawled into the bed next to his husband and placed his head down on Eiri's chest. He inhaled the scent of Eiri and let out a happy little sigh.
"Looks comfy. Can I hop in?"
Shuichi let out a small gasp and looked up. "Tatsuha, you're here," he said as he sat up.
"Of course I am. Did you think I wouldn't come see my bro?" Tatsuha asked as he walked up to the bed. He looked down at his brother and frowned. "What do the doctors say?"
Shuichi looked away from Tatsuha. "I'm not really sure... I have a hard time listening to them." Shu sighed and thought about changing the subject. "Mika said you couldn't make it here."
Tatsuha chuckled. "More like she didn't want me here. She thinks I'm a bad luck charm. After all, when I visited pops in the hospital is when the old bat decided to drop dead."
Shuichi looked up to his brother-in-law, his bottom lip quivering. "That's a little cold, don't you think?" He asked.
"Maybe..." Tatsuha paused and sighed. "If we can't make light of our pain it will swallow us whole, Shuichi." He reached out and placed his hand on Shu's cheek. His thumb gently rubbed away a couple tears.
A moan was heard coming from neither Tatsuha or Shuichi. The two jumped a little and looked down to Eiri. The blonde shifted and groaned once more. Shuichi was frozen as he wondered if he was going to get to talk to Eiri again, share his love with him, be held and soothed by him once more. Eiri let out a little cough and slowly opened his non bandaged eye.
Shuichi's breathe hitched. There he was, Eiri was waking up. He feared he was still asleep on the bench and this was all some part of a beautiful dream. "E-Eiri?" He asked.
Eiri cleared his throat and turned to look at Shuichi. "What the hell?" He asked. "Why are you sitting there?" Eiri groaned as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Move," he ordered with a glare.
Shuichi's brow furrowed as he frowned but he did as was told and got up out of the bed. "Sorry," he muttered.
Eiri looked at Shuichi with an unhappy face. He blinked and then his eye started to dart around, absorbing his surroundings. "Am I in the hospital?" He asked.
"Yeah," came Tatsuha's voice.
Eiri turned and looked over to his brother. "Tatsuha? What happened?"
Tatsuha looked over to Shuichi and saw the young man looking down to the floor, trying not to cry. "You really ought to ask him," he answered, pointing over to Shu.
"Did he do this to me?" Eiri asked as he looked back over to Shuichi.
"What? Of course not!" Shuichi quickly said as he looked back up to his husband. "Why would you assume that?" He asked as he shyly looked back down to the floor, fiddling his thumbs together.
"So," Eiri started as he moved his gaze once more to his brother. "Is he a rabid fan you're extorting?" He asked with a scoff.
"What?" Both Shuichi and Tatsuha asked.
"Bro, that's Shuichi," Tatsuha explained. He looked over to Shuichi and examined the stunned look on his face.
Eiri stared blankly at his brother and shrugged. "The name means nothing to me."
Shuichi took a step towards the bed and sighed before saying, "Me, Eiri... Your husband." He lifted his left hand to show the wedding band around his finger.
Eiri examined the ring and looked down to his own left hand, seeing his own ring. "I see," he mumbled. He shook his head and stared at his lap. "Kind of a rude joke for somebody in the hospital, don't you think?" He glanced from the corner of his eye over to Tatsuha. "Damn, Tatsuha... Don't even let a man know what happened to him before you pull a prank on him?"
"Eiri please stop fooling around!" Shuichi cried, falling down to his knees. "I finally got you back, don't do this," he said softly as he covered his eyes with his forearm.
"Get this brat out of here, Tatsuha," Eiri requested as he slowly laid back down.
'Why?' Shu asked himself. "I'll just go," he said aloud as he got back on his feet. He glanced to Eiri and quickly looked away.
"Shuichi, no. Stay," Tatsuha said, taking a side step to block Shuichi from the door.
"He doesn't want me here," Shu stated as he walked up to Tatsuha. "Just let me go."
Tatsuha locked eyes with Shuichi for a few seconds before sighing and moving aside. Shu said nothing as he left the room. He did everything he could to keep himself together. He didn't know if he should be happy or horrified. He shook his head and slowly stumbled away from Eiri's room, his feet making a shuffling noise against the short carpeting.
"Man, Eiri... Why did you do that? He's been worried sick about you," Tatsuha sighed, walking over to the bench Shu previously slept on and flopping down onto it.
"Tatsuha," Eiri sternly began. "I honestly don't know who that kid is."
Tatsuha placed his elbows on his knees and stared with squinted eyes at his brother. "You're serious..." He stood up and walked to the door. "I'm getting a nurse," he stated, leaving the room.
"The last six or so years are gone," Tatsuha informed as he set down his cup of tea on the oak table sitting in front of him.
Shuichi's eyes slowly drifted around the room of his and Eiri's apartment. "Which means I'm gone," he mumbled.
"Yes," Mika answered bluntly. "He doesn't remember you or anything that's happened to him. He doesn't remember father passing away, and he doesn't remember the life you two built together."
"Sis!" Tatsuha snapped. "Take it easy on the poor guy."
Shuichi stood up. "It's okay, Tatsuha. She's right. He doesn't remember." He looked to Mika and gave her a fake grin. "It's all okay. I'll just pack my things and move out."
Mika sighed. "I think it's for the best. Good for you, Shuichi," she said with a small nod.
"What the hell are you saying?" Tatsuha asked while shooting a glare to his sister. "Think of all the obstacles he got through to get here. You think he should just give up? Eiri loves him and he'll remember that." He stood up from the couch and walked up to Shu. He looked down at him and placed a hand atop his shoulder. "You don't have to quit. You can make it just like you did before."
Shuichi sighed and looked away. "I just don't know if I can stand it."
Tatsuha chuckled. "Of course you can, you won't last very long away from him."
"If you say so," Shu mumbled as he walked away to start packing.
Feel free to leave comments any feedback is welcomed and enjoyed. More to come.
