Chapter 1 - Shuichi

Leaves that had fallen from the trees danced lazily along the breeze. Birds, chirping merrily, winged their way across the sunny morning sky.

The peaceful morning was suddenly shattered by a barrage of hacking coughs, which came ringing from an apartment window.

Yuki glared balefully over to the other side of the bed at the bobbing, pink-haired head of his lover, as it bowed under another onslaught of coughs.

"Are you starting already, you damn brat?" Yuki growled.

"No," croaked a hoarse Shuichi. He sat up slowly, tottered to his feet, and began dressing.

"I've got to get to N-G early today. We're recording the last song for our second album," he explained.

"You're going to sing with your voice like that?" Yuki snorted.

"My voice is fine!" This rebuttal was undermined by the fact that it sounded like it came from a strangled cat.

"Hmph." Yuki turned over and tried to get back to sleep.

Shuichi resumed putting on his shorts, only to miss, trip and fall flat on his face, groaning as his head swam. Yuki, knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep at this rate, instead got up and went to the kitchen, stepping over his lover's prostrated body in the process.

"Some concern would be nice!" Shuichi yelled from his position on the floor.

Yuki wandered back to the bedroom doorway, beer in hand.

"Yuki! Drinking beer at this time every morning is bad for your health!" Shuichi scolded, slowly getting to his feet.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about your own health?" Yuki said, as he watched the shaky and pale singer steady himself against the wall.

"I'm fine!" Shuichi protested, falling over once more.

"You're sick," Yuki stated.

"No! M...ust…..get…..to…..N-…G!" Shuichi gasped, somewhat breathless as he dragged himself across the carpet towards the open bedroom door. His progress was slow, and Yuki was able to calmly finish his beer before crossing the room and gently closing the bedroom door with his foot, just as Shuichi's hand was mere centimetres away from it.

"Yuuuuuukiiiiiii………" he complained.

"No buts. You're staying here so you don't spread your germs everywhere."

Shuichi's eyes shone. His hands fisted and rose to his now madly-grinning face. Too late did Yuki realise that what he had said had been misinterpreted by the teen.

"You want me to stay here because you care about me and want me to get better!"

Yuki protested vehemently as he dodged Shuichi hug/tackle. Shuichi would not be denied however, and managed to snake an arm around Yuki's waist and he clung to him as if his life depended on it. The novelist tried to pry him loose.

"I don't care whether you get better or not, I just don't want your friend coming round to whine about how I don't look after you. Now get off before you get your germs all over me!"

"His name is Hiro, he doesn't whine, and when you protest this much, it just sounds like you're lying and just don't want me to know that you actually do care about me!"

Yuki froze at this. Shuichi was about to add a smug comment, when Yuki glared at him. Shuichi could see that he was pissed off. Really pissed off. Not wanting to anger him further, Shuichi subsided, and withdrew his arm. Yuki stormed off to his study, slamming the door in Shuichi face. Shuichi's shoulders slumped, and he slowly trudged back to bed.

Yuki sat in his study, facing his computer.

"Stupid brat, wasting all my time," he thought. Here he was, with an important deadline coming up, and he had stood around arguing with a hyperactive idiot.

It was unusual, though. There had been no clinging, no pouting. Shuichi had let him go with no resistance.

"Did I really look that angry?" he thought, lighting a cigarette. He saw his reflection in his lighter. He winced. He really did look that angry.

But he couldn't really help it. Shuichi brought out the best and the worst in him. And though he hated to admit it, the kid had actually read him like a book. Though he was pretty dense, he had been starting to do that a lot lately, and it irritated Yuki, and brought out temper explosions like the one just now. It's not that Yuki liked being a cold, unreadable bastard, just that he was used to it.

In the short time Shuichi had known him, Yuki had changed so much. He had softened a little, and Yuki was still trying to come to terms with how profound an effect Shuichi had on him. That was what made him so irritated at Shuichi. Well that, and the fact that he was also an incredibly annoying person. But he was trying, he clung less and tried to give Yuki some space, but Yuki still couldn't help but shout at him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He had spent ten minutes arguing and twenty minutes dwelling on it, so was now half an hour behind and no closer to finishing. He ought to apologise, but he was still too damn angry. He leaned back in his chair, and focused on calming himself down.

Shuichi was curled up on the bed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he thought, "Stop angering Yuki!"

But he couldn't help it. Lately Yuki had been angrier than ever, and he had tried to keep his distance, but he was a self-confessed Yuki addict, and everyone wanted love right?

Right?

Was he a nuisance to Yuki? He'd never given up before, but as Yuki got angrier and angrier, Shuichi couldn't help but feel guilty for having put his lover in a constant state of aggression.

Yeah, his lover, though Shuichi couldn't remember the last time Yuki had treated him like that. (Well actually, he could. He made it a point to always mark on the calendar when Yuki was romantic with him, but he hadn't been romantic in a really long time.)

Normally, he wouldn't think these things, but the look Yuki just gave him……Shuichi shuddered inwardly. That one had made his others look warm by comparison.

"I wonder if he still loves me?" He wondered aloud. "Ugh, I sound like a girl," he said, turning over.

"You sure do."

Shuichi bolted upright at the sound of Yuki's voice at the doorway. He blushed, and silently watched as Yuki crossed the room to sit on the bed. His earlier look of cold fury was gone, replaced by an unreadable mask. Shuichi hesitated. The way Yuki's fuse was now, Shuichi knew that if he said anything, he was likely to make him angry again.

Yuki saw Shuichi's apprehension, and sighed. He reached his hand out. Shuichi flinched, expecting a whack, but instead feeling Yuki's hand placed gently on his head. He immediately dissolved in to puppy-like ecstasy, but reined it in, in order to study Yuki's face. Yuki was almost…..smiling?! He hadn't smiled like that in ages.

Yuki watched Shuichi for a bit, before getting up, and leaving the room. Shuichi, saddened by his departure, was surprised then to hear Yuki talking on the phone.

"Yeah, I know I have a deadline, but something came up…."

He was silent as the person he was talking to replied. Yuki's voice took on a hard edge.

"Shove it up your ass," he said, hanging up.

"Wha?" Shuichi asked as Yuki reappeared. "Did you blow off your deadline for me?"

"So?" Yuki didn't look up at Shuichi, but shifted his stance, preparing himself for another hug/tackle. He was then surprised to instead hear a very quiet "thanks."

He sat down next to Shuichi, who was avoiding his gaze, and again reached his hand out. Shuichi jumped when he felt the cold hand placed on his forehead.

"Hmm. A fever," Yuki said, mainly to himself.

Shuichi marvelled at the gentleness in his voice. Yuki went to the bathroom to get medicine, and couldn't help smiling to himself when he heard Shuichi proclaim loudly:

"He still loves me!"

And after examining his feelings, Yuki had to agree.

Though he'd never tell Shuichi that.

Yay! My first ever finished fanfic. Was it good? Am I crap? If you guys think it's good then I'll write more, if it's not good, then I apologise.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. (Do we always have to say this? Cause I'm gonna get real sick of it =_=)