Summary: Akira loves go. Hikaru loves Akira. One chilly night at the Toya's, they find a happy medium. Shounen-ai.

Disclaimer: Hikaru no Go is written by Yumi Hotta and the animated series was created by Studio Pierrot. Please do not construe the writing of this fanfiction as a claim to ownership in any way.

Warmth

Touya Akira demurely tugged the arched strands of his hair back behind his ear a mere second after they'd been rocked out. He had been working at his desk, presumably on homework, when his pen had slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor with a subtle clack, clack.

With a disgruntled sigh, he'd leaned over to pick it up, only to brush against it and cause it to roll further away. He'd stared at it, and the signs of his fatigue and irritation were painfully clear by the furrows of his eyebrows and the slight cinch of skin at his nose. He pushed his chair back and kneeled slowly to the floor to reach the pen. His thin fingers slid around the slender utensil carefully.

He moved backward and bounced back up to his feet. It was then that the hair that had been tucked behind his ear came loose. And it was then that his olive hair darkly framed his pale, young face. His eyes lidded heavily as he blinked, his fingers slipping within the strands of his hair as it was pulled back. He looked so young and tired standing there. His admirer could no longer just stand and watch.

"Yo, Akira?" Akira looked at the door as it opened slightly, obviously startled. A smirk was blatant on the face of his partner in GO. It wasn't long before Akira, too, found himself cheered.

"Shindou-kun," he breathed. Shindou Hikaru wasn't sure if Akira was relieved or still a bit scared. He was tense. Hikaru was slightly offended that he couldn't completely brighten Akira's mood. Either they weren't as close as he thought, or there was something seriously stressing Akira out.

"What's up?" Hikaru asked.

"I was…just about to ask you the same thing," Akira said. He'd gone back to frowning. Hikaru nodded towards the desk.

"I was bored so I decided to come over."

"You biked?"

"Nah, I took the bus. It's too icy out." Akira nodded.

"That's good," he said. Hikaru decided to tease him a little.

"That it's icy out?' he asked. Akira looked at him strangely.

"No, that you…found a safer way to get here. You…" Akira narrowed his eyes in a way that made Hikaru feel caught. "You're so strange, Shindou," he said with a shake of the head. Hikaru smirked again.

"It's chilly in this house," he said. "Aren't you cold?"

"Come inside, Shindou. I'll go turn up the heat, all right?" Akira padded over to the door with his short stride and opened it. He let Hikaru pass him before he left the room. Hikaru waited until he couldn't hear Akira shuffling down the hall before he stepped over to the desk. A quick peek at the paper on top showed exactly what Akira had been working on: strategizing GO moves. Hikaru tapped his pointer finger idly on the desk a few times then looked over to Akira's bed to the left of the desk. It was neatly made. Hikaru went over to it and sat down. As his hands rested on the comforter, he could feel how cool it was.

He looked behind himself towards the only window in the small room. The shade was pulled up and the barren twigs and branches of the tree just outside of it were scraping silently at the panes. Hikaru sighed and looked back towards the desk. This happened before. In fact, it happened many times. There was no stopping Akira once he got started on anything GO. Hikaru would sit and wait for him to finish, sometimes napping and staying until dinner before he got Akira's full attention. It wasn't much different than what he'd do at home except that Akira was there. Just having him near was enough to kept Hikaru satisfied.

Akira returned shortly after the vents starting rattling as the heating system kicked in. He carried with him a small tray of two mugs with steam wafting from them. They smiled at each other as they made eye contact. Hikaru was looking forward to napping with a warm belly. Akira sat down at his desk again, sliding the tray on the edge closer to the bed. Hikaru took his cup and got comfortable on the bed. Akira let his sit.

"I'll just be a minute." It was what he said every time. Hikaru didn't mind just watching him. But he still looked so exhausted.

"You feeling okay today?" Hikaru asked. Akira looked at him.

"Yes. Why?"

"You just…look a little tired, that's all."

"Oh…" Akira chuckled nervously and said nothing else, but the way that he'd said 'oh' made it seem like he was going to explain himself. Hikaru wouldn't let it go at that.

"Not sleeping well?" he asked.

"Strange dreams, that's all." Always dismissive when it came to personal matters. Hikaru blew on his cup of hot chocolate, which he'd initially thought was tea. He watched Akira, waiting for more of an explanation.

"Nightmares?" he asked when none came.

"No," Akira said, seemingly offended by the suggestion. "No, not at all."

"Tournament, then?"

"No. Well…maybe." Hikaru nodded.

"Yeah…" he said. "I've been having those types of dreams, too." Akira nodded and turned to his desk a little more without speaking. Hikaru watched him again. He noticed that his jaw was tight and that his shoulders were slightly hunched. Through his shirt, Hikaru could see Akira's scapula pointed sharply outward. He frowned to himself. "Hey…" he said. Akira looked at him without turning his head. "Come here a sec."

"What?" That got his attention again.

"Just…come here."

"What is it?" Akira asked, shifting uncomfortably. Hikaru gave an impatient huff.

"If you don't come here, I'm going over there."

"Well, what is it?" So stubborn. Hikaru sat his mug back down on the tray and scooted forward from the bed. He grabbed the chair from the height adjustment lever and pulled it closer to him. Akira hiccupped in response and Hikaru chuckled at him.

"Just look at me," he said. Akira did so.

"What?" he asked again. Hikaru and Akira stared at each other for a long time before Akira finally blinked and looked away. "Well, what?" he asked.

"I won," Hikaru said confidently.

"Won?" Akira asked.

"Yep. You had me going there for a while, but I knew I could beat you. I'm the best at staring contests."

"You!" Akira said, balling a fist. "You're distracting me on purpose." Hikaru nodded and pulled Akira back towards him when he tried to roll away.

"Come on, you're all stressed out. Let's play a game of cards or something."

"I just want to finish this, I'll be with you in a minute."

"No, you'll be with me now," Hikaru said. "Don't you know how to treat company, Akira?" Akira pulled away from him, taking offense. Why was he always so sensitive?

"Well, believe it or not, it's only been you and you've never seemed to mind."

"That's because you're usually in a good mood. But now you're all bugged out. Let's chill for a little while." Akira looked down at his paper and debated the offer internally for about a minute.

"Ten minutes and then I've got to get back to this."

"Sure, sure." Akira stood and walked over to the bed. He sat down next to Hikaru, reached for his mug of hot chocolate and started drinking it. Hikaru followed his lead and the two sat in silence for a short while.

Before long, Hikaru gulped down the rest of his drink and put the mug on the tray. He scratched his nose and looked over to Akira, who was taking his time sipping the still steaming cup of hot chocolate.

"Akira…?" Hikaru asked. Akira looked at him.

"Hm?"

"Do you remember the first time I stayed over here…? The last night of the preliminary tournament we watched all week long. We were so burnt out that night that we…fell asleep right here…in bed together…"

"I know," Akira breathed, fondly remembering the grueling schedule they followed that week. "If was as if we were the ones competing, with how much running around we did. It was so much fun, Shindou, we must do that again. Imagine when it will be our turn. Imagine how much more rested we'll be even though we're the competitors. It will be…more mental stress than physical. But those highs and lows are just what make life worth living." Hikaru nodded. Akira missed what he was getting at, but seeing him in good spirits with an interested glint in his eye and a healthy glow to his cheeks…

"Next year will be here before you know it…" Hikaru said, admiring Akira without hiding it. "And…I was wondering…"

"Hm…?"

"I don't know…" Hikaru's chest was starting to feel tight, as if something was pressing against it, making it harder for him to breathe. He kept his head down just in case he turned red. He didn't want to seem embarrassed even though he was, a little. "That night…even though it was summer and it was hot out…it…felt really nice to be next to…warmth like that." Akira was catching on, judging by how he fell silent. Hikaru waited for what he would do, or say.

"W—warmth?" he asked. "Um… Shindou-kun…?"

"Yeah?"

"If there's something you want to say, then just say it," Akira said. "My father always says "there's no better time than the present." If you've got the opportunity, you should take it."

"For real?" Hikaru asked, his voice hitching slightly in his throat.

"Yes, Shin—" Akira trailed off as Hikaru reached an arm around his back. He slipped his free hand around Akira's and squeezed it against the mug. Then he raised his face to his, half expecting Akira to pull away or splash the hot chocolate in his face. Instead, as Hikaru's face inched closer, Akira remained stiff and tense, watching him with unsure eyes. Hikaru could feel his hand shaking nervously. That meant he knew. Right?

Hikaru inched his face closer, parting his lips as they neared Akira's. It took him by complete surprise when he saw Akira's mouth mimicking his own, and his head dipping slightly to meet Hikaru's advance. Hikaru felt more nervous than confident at Akira's movements. He felt himself hesitate, but why? There was no turning back now, right?

With one last boost of courage he came forward and felt heat upon his lips. It was an awkward, sideways kind of kiss that was corrected with the next try. Akira's hands shifted underneath Hikaru's and his back arched away from his arm. Adversely, his lips moved along with Hikaru's fervently with each purse, and with each purse Hikaru felt his body tingling anxiously.

He was still so nervous.

Akira made a small noise in his throat that made Hikaru want him more. They were kissing, that was a good step. Should he let Akira now what his body was telling him? He raised his hand to Akira's hair to feel it, to run his fingers through it. He'd always wanted to feel that hair, always so silky and straight and perfect. It felt cool, like it needed warmth. Everything around Akira needed warmth, it was so cold in there. The heating never worked right in that old house. Hikaru would solve that problem. He could be Akira's source of infinite heat.

Akira's lips moved away and Hikaru followed them. Akira raised his hand to put the cup on the tray, and Hikaru's remained gripped on it. He kissed along Akira's chin as Akira looked away to make sure that he sat the mug in a decent spot. Then, Akira slipped his arms around Hikaru once they were free and they once again kissed, this time more deeply, more passionately.

Akira must have wanted warmth just as much as Hikaru. There were times when Hikaru craved his warmth. He'd been spoiled by that one and only time he'd ever put his arms around Akira that night, the only time he felt the heartbeat of someone he cared deeply for as a friend. It was that night that Hikaru realized the relationship should have been more than that. He didn't want to be without Akira after that.

It had felt so good; Akira had felt so warm and alive that it comforted Hikaru. Everything was better once he imagined that warmth. But he was stingy, selfish. After months of imagining an advance in their relationship, he realized that he wasn't just going through a phase. The need for it grew so strong that imagining it no longer sufficed. That was why he chose that month, and that week. A cool week in December, close to Christmas. All he wanted was to have a warm body next him, Akira's body, limber and frail and warm. It made him feel so alive.

Akira leaned further into Hikaru, having Hikaru hold his weight. It felt nice to be able to kiss him. He was so comfortable within his arms. The cover. The cover was so chilly against their skin. Hikaru rocked back and pulled Akira into an embrace onto the cover. Akira continued to kiss Hikaru and they made out in each other's arms, comfortably. It was so simple, so natural. Hikaru stroked Akira's hair, and he felt so small and fragile in his arms that he wanted to be gentle with him. He broke the kiss and nudged him with his nose. Akira opened his eyes and they stared at each as they had earlier, but this time, both more aware of the other's motive.

"So…this is cool, right?" Hikaru asked. "We can be together…?"

"Yes," Akira breathed. "Shindou…?"

"Hikaru. You can call me Hikaru now, right?" Akira smiled warmly and traced his fingertips lightly along Hikaru's chin.

"Hikaru…" Akira murmured to himself. His cheeks were glowing so healthily. Hikaru held him closer.

"Can I…stay the night?"

"Please?"

"I…won't do anything funny. I promise." Akira's expression changed to worry.

"You don't have to… Um…" He made that hiccup noise again and looked away. "Um…nothing. Don't worry, Hikaru. We can take things slow together." Hikaru nodded

"Yeah…" he said. "And just for tonight, we can cuddle. Is that okay?" Akira nodded.

"I'd like that…very much." Hikaru smiled in relief. How much of a dream could carry over into reality? He clung to his warm body contentedly, knowing he'd fall asleep, knowing that Akira would slip away from him and finish strategizing because it was just in his nature. That was fine. They would eat dinner and hold each other all night after that. Hikaru was just fine with that. An entire night of warmth in mid-December was all he longed for.

Thank you for reading Warmth and please review,

Arima