Summary: Mitsui attempts to break a habit. Nothing seems to be working. Damn.

Warnings: Shounen-ai. Mitsui and Kogure obviously.

A/N: Challenged fic by Edwina. Rules of 800 words, "Habit" could only be used once, and oh yes. A chimpanzee had to be inside. Insanity galore. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed. Flames will be given to Sakuragi so he'll hunt you down and head butt you.

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[Breaking the habit]

Smoking.

Smoking, Mitsui once mused, was a very bad vice of his. Not as if he cared or anything, because he WAS Mitsui Hisashi and he'll be damned if he let a small little vice get to him.

But somewhere along the line, Mitsui realized that smoking wasn't the healthiest of past-times, especially since he was a basketball player. And they needed all the strength and stamina they needed and even though Mitsui was no rocket scientist, he knew smoking wasn't going to help him in that aspect.

And it wasn't as if he hadn't tried quitting or anything. It was just-

Hard.

In fact, it seems almost impossible to break. He tried everything, from chewing mint-flavored gum, to distracting himself by browsing through porn sites (or porn magazines stolen from Ryota) to even going cold turkey and throwing all his existing cigarettes into the rubbish bin.

Nothing worked.

After chewing the gum till there were no more flavors left, he threw it away, brushed his teeth (mint sucks) then popped the slim white stick into his mouth. Porn did nothing more than get him hard.

And bloody frustrated.

That was obviously a flop.

Even going cold turkey was a flop. After two hours of nervous twitching, he got up and went to store. Two and a half hours from the time he swore off cigarettes like they were the plague of his life (which it was actually but Mitsui was in denial), he was sitting outside, puffing away a whole pack in a record-breaking time of an hour.

Nothing seemed to work.

Nothing.

Mitsui was getting desperate.

And he needed a smoke as well.

Damn.

Then in stepped Kogure. It was Kogure who helped Mitsui cut down his daily cigarette intake from two packs to one. Then half. Then a quarter of a packet. Kogure who always helped filled his mind whenever he craved for the white stick. Kogure whom eventually got him weaned off smoking.

It was a miracle.

Mitsui needed to thank him. Really. He helped Mitsui got rid off the most irritating vice that ever plagued his life. Well, he was sure there was going to be more, but that's not the point.

So maybe he wasn't really thinking very well when he paused in mid-stroll and turned to Kogure. It had been a whole day since he even thought of that enticing white stick. And Akagi had them on the go the whole damn day. He was tired. Exhausted. And all those big words that Kogure has tried to teach him but it just never sank in.

So, moving as if he was in a dream, Mitsui leaned in and kissed Kogure on the lips. Lavender was the first thing Mitsui's brain registered. Kogure smelt like lavender.

Time stopped.

Somewhere, the fat lady sang.

Tumbleweed rolled past.

Mitsui could've sworn a chimpanzee ran past with the whole Barenaked Ladies gang on its heel.

Or maybe he was just hallucinating.

Must be because of Kogure.

Pulling back, just to take in Kogure's flushed and slightly dazed face, Mitsui felt his long fingers twitch for a cigarette.

Damn.

Kogure smiled. Sunshine brightening up his whole face and just as suddenly, Mitsui's urge for a cigarette vanished.

In fact, it never appeared again, after Kogure started sleeping over at Mitsui's house in fact.

Hell. Breaking the habit wasn't as hard as he thought after all.

..::Owari::..