Soubi stands in the airport lounge, fidgeting with his cigarette more than smoking it. It's a no smoking area, but in the crowd of parents and siblings come to welcome Ritsuka's class home nobody has noticed yet to tell him to stop. Soubi hadn't asked if it was okay to meet Ritsuka here in case the answer was 'no' and the price for that is not knowing whether Ritsuka will mind, whether he'll be met by a smile or a frown. Ritsuka's frowns are cute but, after two weeks away from him, Soubi would rather see his smile.

When Soubi spots Ritsuka he's looking around the airport just like all the other children, looking for Soubi because neither of his parents would be here. Soubi drops his cigarette, hopefully before Ritsuka can see it, and waves. Ritsuka darts across the airport, ears pricked and backpack swinging, stops uncertainly in front of Soubi for a moment and then wraps his arms around Soubi's waist. Soubi hugs him back, face buried between Ritsuka's ears. The airport is a sea of greetings and affection, theirs for once unnoticed. Ritsuka tries to pull away before Soubi wants him to and Soubi holds on until Ritsuka pushes him off, soaking up the feel of Ritsuka in his arms after two weeks of deprivation.

'You can hug me later,' says Ritsuka and Soubi smiles.

'Is that a promise?'

'Idiot.' Ritsuka's ears go back, exasperated rather than angry. 'Come and help me find my luggage.'

It's an order, although hardly a deliberate one, and Soubi happily trails Ritsuka to the conveyer belts. He carries Ritsuka's suitcase home for him as well, listens to cheerful accounts of the school trip that gradually die away from Ritsuka's lips as they approach his house. Finally they stand in front of Ritsuka's front door, suitcase beside them.

'Ritsuka…' says Soubi, it might be an offer or a plea.

Ritsuka takes a deep breath. 'No. Go upstairs and wait for me.'

Soubi nods, grateful that he'll at least be in the house. At least not ordered completely away. The balcony window is locked, he'd forgotten it would be since Ritsuka hasn't been here for two weeks, and Soubi leans his head against the glass and waits. It's opened by Ritsuka a few minutes later, looking small and tired but not injured. It's strange to see him like this, no bandaids and bandages. Soubi wonders whether he should take a photo, for once understanding Ritsuka's obsession with captured moments.

'It's okay,' says Ritsuka. 'She's so glad to see me she's forgotten I'm not the one she wants.'

That's hardly okay, but it's not Soubi's place to contradict so he hugs Ritsuka again instead. Ritsuka holds on tightly for a few precious moments and then pulls away. 'I'm going to take a bath,' he says, already pulling clean clothes out of the draws.

'Do you want me to scrub your back?' asks Soubi, watches Ritsuka's ears go flat and his tail lash.

'No, you wait here, pervert. And no peeking or you don't get your present.'

'Ritsuka bought me a present?' asks Soubi. Ritsuka ignores him and slips into the bathroom, soon the sound of running water drifts from it.

There isn't much to do in Ritsuka's room, Soubi could go through his suitcase since it hasn't been forbidden. But he wants to receive a present from Ritsuka too much to risk actually finding it. Instead he sits on Ritsuka's bed and leans back against the wall. He's tired, hasn't been sleeping well since Ritsuka left, and the sound of the bedroom door opening jolts him out of a doze. Ritsuka is dry and dressed in clean clothes, but his hair and tail are damp and glimmer under the electric light. Soubi catches him again, hugs him close and touches his lips to the tiny waterlogged hairs on Ritsuka's ears.

'Get off,' says Ritsuka. 'What is with you today?'

'I missed Ritsuka,' Soubi murmurs. 'Did you miss me?'

But the words Soubi most wants to hear are the ones Ritsuka finds most difficult to say, so he only gets a muttered 'idiot' in response. He chuckles. 'Ritsuka is cute,' then, before Ritsuka can snap at him. 'I was good. Do I get my present now?'

'Only if you let me go so I can find it.' Ah, a hard choice, but curiosity wins and Ritsuka is reluctantly released. The object he pulls out of his suitcase is a small black box a few inches across. 'Here,' says Ritsuka as he pushes it into Soubi's hands.

The earrings inside the box are silver, although almost certainly not real silver, tiny fu lions, the male with a globe under his paw the female playing with her cub. Soubi's hand goes to his earlobe automatically, he'd worn studs for a while after Zero took his earrings but recently he's bought more butterflies. He can feel the shape of their wings under his fingers.

'They reminded me of you,' says Ritsuka, looking out of the window instead of at Soubi.

Soubi stares down at the little lions again, running his fingers across the ridges of their manes. Ritsu and Seimei had seen him as a butterfly, beautiful, fragile and far too easy to pin down. These dog-like lions, regal and loyal guardians to emperors aren't something he would ever have seen himself in. But he can feel his self image stretching like rubber to embrace it, it's only natural to see himself through his sacrifice's eyes.

'Do you like them?'

Soubi looks up, sees Ritsuka watching him with large eyes, anxious. 'Very much,' he says. 'Will Ritsuka put them in?' He says the words with a smile, flirtatious, because he can't explain how much it really means. Ritsuka turns red and scowls but nods.

'Sit down.'

Soubi sits on the bed and Ritsuka stands in front of him, like this they are almost the same height. Ritsuka bends, his breathe hot against Soubi's face as his fingers close gently on a butterfly. He's careful, tugging gently, fingers fumbling for the back, and Soubi stays perfectly still under his hands. When the first stud comes out Ritsuka lets out a breath as if he's been holding it and puts the earring gently on the stand. The second one is stiff, Ritsuka takes Soubi's earlobe between his fingers in order to pull against them instead of Soubi's flesh. It works, Soubi only feels a slight pinch as it comes free, but the back pings away and is lost.

Ritsuka curses and pulls away from Soubi, the room feels cold after having him so close. Soubi catches his arm as he bends down to look for it. 'Don't worry. I won't want to wear these ones again.'

Ritsuka looks up, biting his lip. 'Soubi, you don't have to wear the ones I bought. Not all the time.'

'I want to. I like the way you see me.'

Ritsuka looks at the butterflies winking up from his bedside table, bright and frail. He nods slowly, on the edge of understanding but never quite there. 'Okay.'

Ritsuka picks up the first lion and bends back over Soubi, Soubi's legs are between his he's standing so close. The pin slips gently through the hole in Soubi's ear, he remembers Ritsuka piercing it but this time there's no pain. No reluctance, either, on his sacrifice's face. Soubi catches his breath as it goes in.

'Did I hurt you?' asks Ritsuka, murmuring anxiously into the ear he's just adorned.

'No,' says Soubi. 'It only hurts the first time.'

Ritsuka picks the other earring up, delicately between thumb and index finger. He's not as worried as he slips this one in with fingers surer but no less gentle. As soon as the back is safely on Soubi tugs Ritsuka down onto his lap, ignoring his protests. 'Thank you,' Soubi whispers into a human ear, the cat one flicking against his eyebrow. And he knows Ritsuka will never understand why he's being thanked.