As always, I don't own it, I'm just playing with it!


1. - Ink

Kyo had a tattoo. Iori had been shocked the first time he saw the little fire-breathing dragon resting at the base of Kyo's spine. It was big enough that maybe the top third of the tattoo would show if he took off his shirt, but the rest would be covered by his jeans, its tiny feet nestled just where his back melded into the crack of his butt.

But Iori loved it, the little blemish on an otherwise perfect body. He loved how it symbolized a little bit of rebellion in everybody's favorite little do-gooder. It made him feel like maybe they had something in common, at least a little bit, even though he didn't have a tattoo and no plans to get one.

But what he loved the most about it? The way Kyo didn't care about his unexpected obsession, and would just lie on the bed on his stomach, hands folded beneath his chin, and quietly moan as Iori mouthed his way down his lover's spinal column. And then he took his time and always traced around the little dragon.

It was probably the one place on Kyo's body he'd never bitten. And regardless of how badly Kyo wanted that, he was always turned on by Iori's attention to his little secret.

2. - Fear

Kyo was afraid of dogs. Not just big dogs, but even little yippy chihuahuas had him stiffening and a little edgier than he usually was.

It took Iori some time to notice it, because Kyo didn't show fear like other people. He didn't cringe in terror. He didn't avoid looking. He'd stiffen, and keep his eyes trained on the threat until it went away. Always, always poised to attack—a fighter right down to his bone marrow.

"Why a fear of dogs?" Iori asked one night after they'd had sex, when Kyo's head was resting in his shoulder and his hand was rubbing over Kyo's hip.

He was silent for a minute, then said, "I had a dog when I was little, a big boxer. He slept at the foot of my bed. He was really protective, you know, and I guess... one night I had a nightmare, and he thought the blanket was attacking me so he attacked it. But I was still under it, and he ended up mauling me pretty badly before my dad could get in and pull him off. I had to have stitches, and my dad made me put the dog down. I've just... never been able to see them the same way since then."

Iori knew Kyo was expecting ridicule. "What protected you after that?" he asked instead, keeping his gaze on the ceiling and squeezing Kyo's shoulder.

"For a while, nothing." Then Kyo moved, propping his elbow on Iori's chest and leaning over with a teasing smile. "But now I have you."

Iori reached up, pulling Kyo down to his lips with a hand to the back of his head. "I'll maul you, too," he teased with a small kiss. "In the blankets or out of them."

3. - Craft

He came home one evening, guitar in hand, and found Kyo sitting cross-legged on the floor, a skein of pastel purple yarn to his left and a pair of knitting needles in his hand. His tongue was sticking out of one side of his mouth as he slowly, meticulously counted stitches.

"What are you doing?"Iori asked, amused, as he sat the guitar in the closet and pulled off his coat.

"Making you a scarf," Kyo replied without looking up. "I used to be good at this."

"But... you're knitting." Iori chuckled, kneeling down to look at the blob of yarn hanging off of Kyo's knitting needles. "Should I start calling you my little housewife?"

"NO!" Kyo snapped, looking up at last. "Men can knit too!"

Iori laughed again, going into the kitchen to make dinner and leaving Kyo to his knitting.

And eventually, Kyo finished it. It was the ugliest thing Iori had ever seen, uneven on the edges and a rather garish color, but Kyo was so excited. So proud of himself.

So Iori wore it every day afterward.

4. - Throne (fig.: toilet)

"I used to be bulimic," Kyo said. They were facing each other, Kyo resting between Iori's knees with his thighs draped over his lover's, and they were playing some sort of "get to know you" game they had bought with the intention of doing something sexual.

Iori thought he'd never heard anything less attractive. "...Why?" he asked at last, wondering why anyone who looked like Kyo would have a problem like that.

Kyo shrugged. "I was a chubby kid. I guess I just had a lot of baby fat or something, but when I first started training for... you know, Kusanagi heir and all that... my dad thought I wasn't slender enough. It went away when I hit puberty, but... well, I'd binge-eat and throw up all the time because I wanted him to be happy with me."

He paused, licked his lips. "He never even knew. Neither did my mom. It would have killed her. And I don't do it anymore, just so you know."

Iori was glad to hear it, but he didn't know how to say that, so he leaned forward and gave Kyo a long, slow, lingering kiss.

5 – Sunlight

Kyo was like a cat. He loved the sunshine, loved to pull the big plush chair over in front of the window and curl up, a book or some other project on his lap. Half the time, he'd read or work quietly, but the other half would be with his face tilted upward, eyes closed and a small smile of satisfaction on his face.

It was the longest period of time that Iori had ever seen him sit still and be quiet. He found himself passing the time by writing a song, throwing in lyrics about a lover who sat in the window and watched the world go by on sunny days.

And it was amusing to note that Kyo's reaction was exactly the opposite when it rained. He'd whine and grumble if he had to do anything, and pull the covers over his head and stay in bed until nature called and he couldn't stand it anymore.

It was refreshing to know that no matter how many nights they could spend together—outside looking at the moon, inside tangled in the blankets—or how tired of each other they could get, there would always be that one fascinating aspect of Kyo's personality that Iori could never quite get enough of.