Wow, so I haven't really written anything since 2008. I apologise for my hiatus and thank everyone who read my stories way back in the day. I have been writing on and off since then, I just haven't completed anything. Until now. And I promise there will be more to come.
Thank you for reading.
Notes: I actually only intended to write about 300 words of this, (basically the italics daydream and a paragraph before and after), but of course the fic ran away from me and here we are.
It was a slip-up on his part. He knows he should have been more careful, but he had been caught off his guard. And now they know, and they can never un-know.
"I can't believe rent-boy here has never swapped saliva."
"I knew you were a virgin, but you've never even been kissed? That's pretty pathetic, even for you."
"Shut up!"
Even Kakei clearly finds the whole thing amusing. The only one who doesn't is Kazahaya.
"Now, now, as hard as it is to believe, I'm sure Kazahaya doesn't need us teasing him about it," Kakei says with an expression that clearly contradicts his apparent intentions. He hands his employees a box each, but much to Kazahaya's dismay, no one actually moves to put the stock away. By this point Kazahaya is blushing so hard that if he doesn't get a chance to escape he is likely to burst into flame. It doesn't help that no one has stopped staring at him yet. Rikuo in particular is blatantly scrutinising him like a rare specimen at the zoo.
"What?" Kazahaya snaps irritably.
Rikuo rubs his chin thoughtfully and Kazahaya is tempted to drop his box of merchandise on Rikuo's foot. "Hmm, well you've got the looks, is all. Didn't any girls ever corner you at school and confess their undying love? I know you're a moron, but you're a good-looking moron. Wasn't there at least one girl who tried to kiss you?"
Kazahaya, of course, doesn't tell Rikuo that he never went to school; doesn't tell Rikuo that there weren't ever any girls around to confess their love.
Wasn't there at least one girl who tried to kiss…
Kei…
Kazahaya is snapped out of his thoughts by a slap on the back. He realises Saiga has been saying something and he has no doubt it was inappropriate.
"I'll be happy to christen those virgin lips of yours, kid," Saiga offers.
"W-wh-what are you saying?" Kazahaya leaps back.
"Nothing, if he wants to remain ignorant of all the ways a person could die using just the drugs in this store-room alone," Kakei says in his usual sweet voice. Kazahaya isn't sure whose life Kakei is threatening and he really hopes it isn't his.
"Ha ha, sorry kid. Guess I'll have to leave the honour up to Rikuo."
"What?"
Rikuo smirks like a Cheshire cat that just caught a mouse. "Don't give him ideas. I don't want to be jumped in my sleep because the princess here is curious."
"I'm not curious!" Kazahaya shouts, "And even if I were, I'd never want to kiss an asshole like you!" Kazahaya hefts his box and half storms out, half flees the store-room with burning cheeks and a pounding heart. To his relief, no one follows him and he is free to lurk around the back of the store and brood. Of course, to add insult to injury, the product in his box is none other than an assortment of lip balms. He subconsciously licks his lips as he arranges the merchandise on the shelf. The problem is… the problem is that he is curious. Innocent, naïve and repressed as he is, what teenage boy isn't at least curious about kissing? He imagines it's soft, and that it makes your lips tingle, and that the world just melts away. At this rate, imagination is as close as he's going to get because there sure as heck aren't any suitable candidates around the drug store. Kazahaya sighs. Unpacking done, he does a quick visual sweep of the store and spots Rikuo at the other end near the register. For just a split second the image of Rikuo, Rikuo pressing his lips to Kazahaya's, enters his mind. Kazahaya's stomach lurches and he turns away sharply. Why the hell did I think of that? It's just because I was thinking about it and happened to see him at the same time. Whatever. I spend way too much time around that jerk. He even ruins my daydreams. Kazahaya can't believe his subconscious took Saiga's suggestion seriously.
Kazahaya feels a tap on his shoulder and nearly jumps through the roof.
"Finished working, Kudo-kun? I have a job for you. Purely optional, of course."
..oOo..
Kazahaya fidgets irritably and the leaves around him rustle. They're on stakeout duty, or as Kazahaya privately thinks of it, hanging around with a jerk and doing nothing. It is abysmally boring, but Kazahaya knows, as with all of Kakei's side jobs, it will very soon become all too interesting. Not for the first time, Kazahaya wonders why Kakei's side jobs so frequently involve him being stuck up in a tree. The last time he was in a tree on a job he fell asleep and he's tempted to do the same now. The last time he was under a tree on a job was at that crazy school. The tree of sweet nothings. Back then… he really had thought, for a moment, that he would get his first kiss. Rikuo had seemed like he was just about to… He wonders how close he came. He wonders what it would have been like…
Rikuo leans close. The musk of his scent before soft lips on his. He brushes Kazahaya's cheek, parts his lips. Nose grazes cheek, the kiss deepens. Kazahaya leans into him and melts. The hand from Kazahaya's cheek cradles the back of his head. Rikuo presses into him, slips his tongue past Kazahaya's lips. Kazahaya clutches Rikuo's chest, Kazahaya tilts his head just so, Kazahaya is backed into the wall. His gasp never escapes, trapped between their lips. Rikuo presses him into the wall, harder. Kazahaya slides his arms up around Rikuo's neck. Harder. Rikuo's free hand slides—
"Oi, pay attention." Rikuo hisses before Kazahaya slips right off the tree branch.
"Wh-what?"
"Shh! Stop daydreaming and concentrate on the job, moron."
"Shut up, I am concentrating." Kazahaya scowls.
"Yeah, concentrating yourself right out of a tree. What is it you're thinking about in the middle of a job?"
"N-nothing!"
"Keep your voice down, you idiot. Whatever, just focus on this and leave your daydreaming for home." Rikuo rolls his eyes and Kazahaya slips into a sulk with a black expression. His anger is all he has to distract himself from otherwise confusing thoughts.
The two of them don't have much longer to wait. A couple is strolling down the path towards them. Middle-schoolers, judging by that black double-breasted jacket and white pleated skirt. They almost look familiar, but then again, so many school children come into the pharmacy they all start to look vaguely familiar after a while. The couple stops under the tree opposite the one Kazahaya and Rikuo currently inhabit. They look up to admire the beautiful pink sakura blooms and Kazahaya prays they don't look across the path. To his relief, they seem completely oblivious to everything but each other. Kazahaya feels a twinge inside that he can't quite place as he watches them smiling and staring into one another's eyes, hands held tight. The boy reaches over and brushes a sakura petal out of her strawberry-blonde hair. If he strains his ears, Kazahaya can just make out snatches of what they are saying.
"Sakura, you're covered in sakura."
As far as pickup lines go it's about as lame as you can get, but the girl just smiles. A smile so radiant it's almost like a spell. The boy brushes a strand of hair away from her cheek and they're somehow much closer, only a step apart. Kazahaya wonders how they managed to move without actually moving, but it seems like he'll just have to put it down to the magic of romance. He supposes it doesn't get much more romantic than a sunny afternoon in a park full of sakura trees in full bloom. Maybe that's why…
The boy takes a step closer to the girl and as softly and gently as a sakura petal landing, their lips touch. The world stops, just for a moment. They pull away with flushed cheeks and smile shyly at one another, still holding hands.
They walk away, still blushing and smiling, still holding hands, unaware of any witnesses to their perfect kiss. Under the tree where they stood something sparkles. Kazahaya's eyes narrow.
"That's it." He drops out of their own tree in his usual cat-like fashion and dashes across the path. The sparkle has grown into a small brilliant ball of light. He watches incredulously as the light dims to a soft glow and a small rectangle becomes visible. It's a piece of paper or, no, it's a card. Kazahaya reaches for it and swears it almost floats into his waiting hand.
"I got it!" He calls over to Rikuo, who looks around furtively at the sudden loud outburst.
"For the last time, keep it down, you idiot."
Kazahaya shoots Rikuo a sour look and turns his attention back to the card. It's like an oversized playing card, but not one he recognises. The design is strange and features a heart with wings and the kanji for love, as well as an English word that Kazahaya vaguely recognises as "love". He slips it into his pocket.