Rei was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea all alone, thinking. Shougo always loved to have tea with him, though he usually preferred to sip on espresso or a soda. But if he was asked if he wanted a cup of tea, he would say yes and drink it just because Rei had been the one to offer. Because spending time with Rei meant more than the tea did.

They talked about all kinds of things together during those times - concerts, Izumi, Ryouma, Izumi. Rei smiled. It was clear they both talked the most about Izumi, he'd realized that long ago. It was all they could do to find some other topic aside from that kid to chat about. Every time it was mostly either about how Izumi was doing, or sweet words of love about each other.

God, they sounded just like an old married couple whenever they talked about that stuff.

But, regardless of how it appeared, both topics were Rei's favorite; and he had a fierce hankering right now to sit down with that handsome blonde and talk until the sky faded out. Unfortunately, Shougo had just left on a large concert tour around Japan, and he wouldn't be back for six months at least. He took a big gulp of tea and rubbed at his face tiredly.

Why do his concert tours always have to be so long...?

God, how he missed that singer's melodious voice right now!

"I wonder how his day's going?" Rei mused to himself. Slipping his hand into his suit pocket, he brought out his cell phone and checked his text messages. Forty messages, all of them old. It didn't matter; he reread them anyway so that he could be one step closer to Shougo.

12:00 A.M. Concert's over now! Turnout was great! Wish u were here! T^T

1:30 A.M. At the bar now. Got persuaded to sing karaoke, brb!

1:50 A.M. Crowd loved it, wouldn't let me stop for 20 mins! My throat hurts, waaah!

2:30 A.M. Finally back at hotel. Jeez, tired and drunk as hell but can't sleep! WTF?

The list just went on and on. From the look of things, Shougo hadn't slept a wink until at least five this morning. That couldn't be good, especially since his concerts were all late-night affairs. He couldn't really condemn the guy for wanting to have a bit of fun though. Being a popular rock star was a busier job than most people realized. It was a full-time gig, nearly 24 hours every single day of every week of every month. And Shougo had been at this for how many years exactly...?

Rei suddenly found himself wishing, for a fleeting instant, that he was on tour with Shougo too. It seemed like he was having a blast all the time according to the thousands of texts that he'd sent over the few months he'd already been gone. The disgruntled manager frowned, and decided to add a dash of rum to his tea. When was the last time that Rei had taken a trip anywhere with the singer? Even if he just sat at the hotel all day and all night, it would still be better than spending these solitary months in his bed, wishing that there was a certain body's warmth lying beside him...

I wish I could ask him to let me come. But I have too many responsibilities to just up and leave whenever he has a concert tour... Damn it all!

Rei was in the middle of taking a sip of his doctored tea, when suddenly his phone vibrated and let out a soft bing. He nearly choked on the drink and almost dropped the cup in his panic. A text from Shougo? At this time of night? Wasn't he supposed to be mid-concert right now? Hurriedly placing the teacup down, he flipped the screen up to read the message. It was indeed from Shougo.

'Sup Rei? ;)

The manager sighed, his heart fluttering at the unexpected chance to have a conversation with his lover, and read his reply aloud as he typed it. "Why the hell aren't you at the concert?"

He clicked the send button, and sat back in his chair. Not that he was complaining or anything, but he didn't want Shougo to get in trouble for slacking off. Letting out a breath, he ran his hand through his hair. Why didn't that moron just call him? Surely it would've been easier than texting him about every little thing! But now that he thought about it, lately the singer had been getting into texting a lot during his travels. He just about never phoned Rei anymore. Could it be that Shougo wasn't eager to hear his voice? A few minutes later, his phone binged again.

Got hung over, told the boys to hold down the fort for me. :)

Rei shook his head and chuckled. "Hangovers don't last all day long."

Nope. Just wanted an excuse to talk with u. 3

A lump formed in Rei's throat as he read that. Shougo was missing him too? The thought made his heart swell. Seriously though... Why not just call him? That is how most normal people communicate, after all...

He blinked. These texts were starting to bug him, oddly enough. Why was it nagging at him all of a sudden? Shouldn't he just be glad that the guy was taking time out to see how he was? Shougo and him hardly ever got the chance to text like this. Not to say that he never recieved any texts, but neither of them could properly reply to each other until much later. Usually Rei would be too busy during the day to send anything; and then at night when he was free, Shougo was busy with his concerts. One person sent some, and then another person sent more later. Keeping up the pace of a regular face-to-face conversation while doing that was really hard, so this was a rare opportunity! And he was wasting it! He didn't want to squander his one chance to actually talk with Shougo, so he did his best to ignore his annoyance.

"I'm touched, but won't you get in trouble?"

Nah. But even if I did, who cares? Talking with u is worth getting into a bit of trouble. (^_^)

"Shougo..." Rei couldn't help but smile. That crazy guy sure did love to bend the rules for him, didn't he? "So, how's the tour going so far?"

Great! I got to see tons of nature and fast food! :P Oh, and one fangirl bought me a super cool necklace! Look, see?

The cell binged again, and Rei opened up the text to see a picture of the necklace that Shougo had been given. He was wearing it around his neck, an intricately carved silver dagger pendant with folded angel's wings enveloping the blade on either side; but Rei wasn't looking at that so much as he was staring longingly at that slender throat.

So deliciously kissable...

He blushed hotly at his arousal and hurriedly replied, "That's cool." Leave it to Shougo to turn him on with something so innocent as a picture of his neck. That bastard.

U weren't staring at the necklace, were u? Mwahahaha...

"Shut up!" Rei snapped at the screen, his face flaring up. He was so embarrassed that he nearly forgot Shougo couldn't actually hear what he was saying. He grumbled under his breath to himself. "I was so! Jerk..."

I don't mind tho, Rei. U can stare at me as much as u want. ;) Got any requests?

Huh!? Requests!? Rei swallowed thickly as he tried to process in his brain what that statement might mean. Is he going to take pictures of himself and send them to me?

Naked pictures!?

Then his phone binged, and binged again, and again. When he finally managed to control his trembling fingers enough to check his messages, there were three new texts in his inbox. The first one read:

'Cuz I have one. A request, I mean.

Rei shuddered. What do I do if he asks me to strip and send him pics of my body!? No way would I ever be brave enough, not to mention stupid enough, to do that! Almost dreading to read the next two texts, he tapped the second one open.

I'm hoping u'll be able to grant it for me.

"That depends on what you're asking for, Shougo." And then, with extreme trepidation, he read the final text...

Rei stared at the words. His mouth hung open for the longest time until his hand came up and stifled a sob. He was completely blown away. Did he really mean that? Was he drunk, or was it said in all seriousness? He had never imagined that Shougo would ever have the courage to say that. And he hadn't even really spoken. He'd just texted it! How could he leave something that important to a fucking text!? Rei forced himself to breathe to calm down his rapidly beating heart. He placed the phone on the table and felt tears prick his eyes. Right in the middle of the screen, in big, bold letters, was Shougo's request. The one thing he was asking Rei for. It wasn't a nude photo, or anything of the sort. No, what the blonde was asking for was something of a much more priceless nature.

Marry me.

Holy fucking shit. Holy... It was a subject that neither of them had discussed, not once. But now that it was out there in the open, Rei had no choice but to come to a decision. The manager could barely see what he was typing, his eyes were so watery. "What made you ask me this, Shougo?"

Funny, u shouldn't have to ask, right?

"I need to hear why. Please?"

'Kay, then lemme ask u a question... Why do u think I text u so often about everything I'm doing?

Rei's brow furrowed as he thought about it. Because he's enjoying himself? Because he doesn't want me to worry? Because he wants to include me, even when he's far away? It could be a combination of so many things. How do I know which reason is the real one? Hmm... I'd better ask him to explain.

"Tell me why."

I need to distract myself.

"Distract himself?" Rei frowned, wiping his eyes on the back of his arm. "Distract yourself from what?"

From the fact that u're not around.

Crap, the tears were coming back again. "Shougo..." He stared intensely at the screen, waiting for what Shougo would say next. He had no clue what to expect, but his entire being was on edge anyway - both from irritation and exhilaration. I can't believe he's telling me all this through texts! He must be too nervous to just fucking call me, that ass! It took a while, but Rei's phone binged again. He opened it with as much recklessness as a child on Christmas day.

Every time I go out on tour, even when I just head back to my apartment for the night, I notice it. Just how empty my life is without u. I figure if I keep texting u about what I'm up to, I won't have time to think about u not being here. But... lately that hasn't been working. No matter how often I text, I can still feel the distance between u and me. I'm sick of the distance, Rei. I want u right by my side. I don't want u to ever leave it.

Rei was full on bawling as he read that. The depth of Shougo's feelings truly reached that far... and somehow the manager had always known, even without once mentioning it, that his desires matched his partner's. Both of them hated the distance, both of them wanted to stay close. Secretly he had always hoped to hear something like that from Shougo someday, when the time was right. It didn't matter that they would have to leave Japan and get married in a different country. Rei was perfectly willing to do that if it meant being with Shougo forever. The dream had crystallized into a beautifully shimmering reality. The only bad thing about it was...

I can't believe he texted it! I just can't get over that! Ugh... That idiot! I absolutely will not do the same thing! No way! No matter how badly I want to say it, I'm going to wait until he's right in front of me!

So... Won't you plz marry me? Be mine, Rei. Be mine and no one else's.


Shougo flopped back onto his bed and sighed. He'd just gotten off of the plane after many tiring hours of flight and had taken a taxi to his apartment. It felt good to be back in a familiar room, with furniture that he was familiar with. The absolute first thing he'd done after leaving the airport was to text Rei and let him know that he was finally back home. Rei wasn't answering though, and it had already been 20 minutes. Not that he expected his lover to reply any time soon. Ever since that night, he hadn't talked to Shougo at all for the whole remainder of the tour.

Rei's avoided me for... He quickly did some mental math. Six...? Yeah, six whole months.

The singer rubbed his face with his hands. He just couldn't understand what he'd done that would warrant six entire months of neglect. Had he been too forward about the whole proposal? He'd meant everything he said, right from the bottom of his heart; and though there had never before been a need to worry about Rei picking someone else other than him, after he'd popped the question and received no answer for six whole months, a tiny little seed of doubt had defiantly rooted itself in the pit of his stomach. The damn thing had been there for too long already, and was causing him daily pain. Even now, his stomach growled and grumbled, protesting against the presence of such a miserable intruder. He rolled onto his side, clutched it hard and clenched his teeth, grinding them together in an attempt to endure the agony.

Just ignore it. Ignore it...

Abruptly his phone rang, screeching like a siren in the silence of the apartment, and Shougo jumped so badly that he fell right off the bed and hit the floor. In the middle of a groan, he flipped it open and answered. "Hello...?"

"Shougo?"

"Rei!" Shougo sat bolt upright. His heart slammed painfully against his rib cage, and his stomach ache intensified to the point of making him feel nauseous. It was amazing how simply hearing the manager's voice again after being so long apart made every single fiber of his body instantly hum to life. "Hey... Um, what's up?"

"Honestly, Shougo. What's up?" He heard the older man chuckle on the other end of the line. "What do you think's up?"

The blonde stood and brushed himself off absently. "S-sorry, I'm just a bit..."

"Aroused? 'Cause you sure sound like it."

He swallowed the urges as much as possible and settled himself down on the edge of the mattress. Now he really felt like vomiting. "I can't help that, Rei. I haven't heard your voice in forever, and it's so sultry."

"Sultry, huh? I'll have to remember to talk like that more often." Shougo could hear the smirk in Rei's voice, and just imagining it was getting him hard. He closed his eyes tight and did everything he possibly could to banish that image from his brain.

"So, you didn't answer any of my texts yet... It's been six months, Rei."

Rei sounded truly apologetic as he said, "I know. That's why I called. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you a lot sooner, but giving an answer in text about something like that is too impersonal for my tastes. I wanted to wait until you got back before I said anything."

Shougo let out a shaky breath and dropped his phone to his side. What a relief, Rei wasn't ignoring him out of anger. Oh how he longed for that manager to be here right now so he could caress him, kiss him, tell him just how much he loved him! He wanted to see him so much that it hurt to even think about it. Obviously he'd been gone for way too long. It was always the same whenever he came back from a concert tour. But if Rei accepted his proposal, then... then maybe... he could come with him next time...

No, that thought was stressing him out too much. Rei loved him, but there was no guarantee that he would even say yes! He almost gagged when his stomach gave a nervous heave. Damn you, seed of doubt! Get it together, Shougo! Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves (and prevent himself from puking all over the floor), the blonde held the phone back up to his ear.

"Hello? Shougo, are you still there?" Rei's confused voice drifted through the phone, and Shougo fought to muster up the amount of bravery required to speak. It took him a minute, but eventually he asked the question that burned him inside and out.

"A-and? What's your answer?"

Without warning the door behind him swung open, and he turned to see Rei standing in the doorway. His tie was loosened, and half of the buttons on his shirt were undone. Those glasses of his were nowhere to be seen, and he coolly snapped his phone shut with a flick of his wrist. He was an image of pure ecstasy. Shougo likely would have drooled if he hadn't just been caught so off guard.

"Rei...?" Shougo slowly rose up off the bed. Was this really real...? Was he truly here after all this time? His shock quickly melted into pure bliss as he realized that the manager wasn't vanishing into thin air. This couldn't be a dream. "Rei!"

The blonde didn't waste any time. Rushing headlong into his lover's arms, he began pelting him with a flurry of kisses all over his throat, face and lips. He clung desperately to that man, trembling like a child as Rei soothed him with a gentle backrub; and all the while he could feel that body against his, smell his cologne, hear his heartbeat... Rei was right here! The one he'd gone for so torturously long without seeing was in his arms once more. His heart pulsed within him and his stomach turned over with every kiss he planted.

Rei, I missed you! God, I missed you...

Only when Shougo stopped to tenderly nuzzle his partner's neck did Rei get to speak. "About your request..."

"Mm? What request?" Shougo breathed. Rei simply chuckled.

"You really don't remember?"

"Mm-mm..."

Rei slowly pulled away from the embrace, which was hard to do when somebody wouldn't let go for anything. Shougo whimpered at the loss of contact and frowned.

"Hey! Rei...!"

"I want you to ask me again. Do it properly this time," he instructed, holding up his finger to poke the center of the singer's chest. When that statement was met with a dumbfounded, mildly bewildered expression, Rei growled. But it wasn't a menacing sound. It was more along the lines of exasperated. "Ask me to marry you properly, damn it!"

"Huh...? I didn't do it right before?" Shougo held his chin in his hand and looked thoughtful. "I told you why I love you, how much I miss you. That I never want to be apart from you... And then I asked you to marry me." He removed his hand to stare down at Rei with disbelief. "Is that not how it's done? Maybe I should've made myself do more studying first..."

Rei's stare was incredulous. "You... you actually had to study just to say that to me? What, did you go buy up a crap load of romance novels and read them all just to get the wording right!?"

"Actually, I just asked Izumi if I could borrow some of that romance manga he has." Shougo grinned, and shrugged awkwardly. "It's not half bad, Rei. You should try reading it sometime."

The manager's eye twitched slightly. Those two really are eerily alike sometimes.

"But I guess I must've missed an important part or something if I said it wrong. Okay! Tell me what to do, Rei!" The blonde struck a determined hero pose, hefting his fist up in the air dramatically. For a split second the manager wondered why Shougo had decided against taking up acting. His charisma would have carried him far. "Tell me what I'm supposed to say, and I'll say it! I want everything to be absolutely perfect!"

Staring at the totally serious look on his lover's face, Rei couldn't stop himself. He launched into a fit of side-bursting laughter, and actually had to go sit down on the bed so that he wouldn't collapse on the floor. Meanwhile, Shougo had no idea what he'd done that had been so funny. He frowned at Rei, but the older man didn't notice.

I was trying to be serious. Now he's laughing at me...

"Jeez, Rei," he mumbled as he sat down beside him, "you haven't laughed this hard since that time I got my favorite shirt stuck in the blender."

Rei let out a loud sigh, smiling as he wiped the tears out of the corners of his eyes. "Oh Shougo, I'm sorry for laughing but... Shit, that wasn't what I meant at all!"

The blonde blinked in surprise. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

He reached up to gently cup Shougo's face in his hands. He was smiling more sincerely now, and it made his face look all the more handsome. "You didn't say anything wrong. I loved the way you put your feelings into words. I just wanted you to ask me to my face, that's all."

Shougo stared into those beautiful eyes and swam in their depths for a long time. Now he finally understood.

"Giving an answer in text about something like that is too impersonal for my tastes."

He had treated it as if it meant nothing to him, when in all honesty it meant so much. The only reason why he'd asked over a text in the first place was because he couldn't handle hearing Rei's voice and knowing that he was close yet so far. In fact, that was the entire reason why he'd decided against calling him while on tour. Yet, now that he thought about it, maybe it would've been better to wait until now to say those words...

Why hadn't he realized that sooner?

But he couldn't help it. It was just too lonely then, sitting there all alone in his hotel room. He hadn't wanted to wait. And now he actually had another chance to do things the right way. Rei was giving him another shot, probably because he understood the hardship of separation just as much as he did. Shougo's vision blurred as his eyes began to tear up.

He's letting me try again. He didn't give up on me. Oh, Rei...

He smiled and gathered Rei's hands up in his own. Neither of them felt very steady. They were both quaking like leaves in the wind. When had that started...? A-am I really that anxious...?

"Shougo, I - "

Rei looked like he was going to try to console him, but he just had to get it out now. If he didn't, he was positive that he was going to vomit. And that would ruin everything. So, although he had intended to take his time, Shougo squeezed his eyes shut and blurted, "Rei, will you marry me?"

It didn't come out perfectly, like he'd imagined it would. He didn't even have the balls to look Rei in the eyes as he said it. For some reason he was embarrassed, and terrified, and dreading to open his eyes for an instant. So this was what it was like to lay your heart at someone's feet. They could either pick it up and cherish it, or stomp it into the dirt with their heel. He wasn't sure he liked that feeling of vulnerability. It had felt much different when he'd texted his proposal. Texting had been so much safer. You didn't have to witness the person's reaction firsthand, and if he were rejected...

No, that would hurt the same no matter what method was used.

Please say yes, Rei. Please... I couldn't bear it if you crushed my heart under your heel...

There was silence for a moment. It seemed like a lifetime for Shougo, who still had his eyes shut. He didn't know what Rei's expression was, or if he was strong enough to manage seeing it. He broke into a cold sweat, and the seed of doubt stirred up his stomach until he felt truly queasy.

Come on, say something! I'm dying over here...!

At long last, through the suffocating quiet he heard Rei say, "My answer is yes, obviously. You moron."